yellow beanbag spanks duck's butt (& knuckles)
by NaruGokuLufySaitamaAndKnuckles
Summary: Some say that there is no such thing as black and white, only endless amounts of gray. Its all trash. Endless, endless amounts of trash. There's too much trash in this world. It piles up. Pile by pile, until its too much. Until nothing can be seen. Who will clear it all away? Who will judge everything to be as black and white as it truly is? Naruto.
1. Surpassable

**DISLAIMER: If u lik this plz read CHINESE NOVELS cuz they're the best.**

* * *

The Five Elements Nation was a very small nation. Like other small nations in the lands of Ninshu, its people admired the Sky country in the Eastern Lands, and they admired the Long River. Not only did the king carry this admiration, all scholars in the Five Elements Nation did. They could see it, almost as if they stood atop the Sky Tower in the capital city, oh so far away.

This April was neither extremely cold, nor scorching hot. Light winds caressed the land, passing the flutes of the Northern Reaches, blowing over the lands of the Sky country. Under the twilight sky, it lifted the fog-like dust, then swirling, twisting, reached Mount Myōboku in the Five Elements Nation. Then it fell onto a young man who sat there on the mountaintop.

He was a lean young man, holding a bottle gourd and wearing a clean blue scholar's robe. He appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen. He was not tall, and his skin was somewhat dark, but his bright eyes sparkled with intelligence. And yet, all his intelligence seemed to be hidden by the frown on his face. He seemed lost.

"Failed again…" He sighed. His name was Naruto Uzumaki, аn аverаge student from Konohа County, which lаy аt the foot of the mountаin. Yeаrs аgo, his pаrents went missing, аnd did not leаve much behind in the wаy of аssets. Educаtion wаs expensive, so he wаs аlmost completely broke.

"I've tаken the Imperiаl exаms three yeаrs in а row. In аll thаt time, I reаd books written by the sаges until I wаnted to throw up. Mаybe thаt isn't the pаth for me аfter аll." Filled with self-deprecаtion, he looked down аt the gourd bottle, his eyes bleak.

"My dream of becoming an official and getting rich just keeps getting farther and farther away. I might as well forget about trying to reach the Sky country… How useless to be a student." He laughed bitterly. Sitting there on the silent mountaintop, gazing at the bottle gourd in his hand, he looked increasingly lost. He began to feel fear. What would he do in the future? Where would he go?

Perhaps a high-ranking official would take an interest in him, or a beautiful young maiden. Or would he continue to take the exams, year after year?

There were no answers to the questions. He was but a teenager, and this feeling of being lost had devoured him like a giant invisible mouth. He truly felt afraid.

"Even the teachers in town can only make a few pieces of silver. That's worse than Uncle Shikaku's carpenter shop. If I'd realized that earlier, I could have learned some carpentry skills from him. At least then I wouldn't be starving like I am now." He grew silent for a while.

"I don't have much food or money left at home. I owe steward Ebisu three pieces of silver. What am I going to do?" He raised his head and looked up at the sky, blue and grand. It was so large you could not see its ends. Much similar to how he could not see his future.

After a while, Naruto shook his head and took out a slip of paper from his robe. He read it carefully, placed it in the gourd bottle, then stood up and threw the gourd down the mountain.

At the bottom of the mountain was a wide river which never froze during the winter, and was said to flow all the way to the Sky country.

Naruto stood on top of the mountain, watching the gourd bottle drift further and further along down the river. He stared unblinking. For a moment, he seemed to have glimpsed his mother, and the happiness of his childhood. The gourd carried his dreams, his wishes, and his hopes for the future. Perhaps one day someone would pick it up, open it, and read the note.

"Regardless of what I do, be it study or work, I will keep on living." This was his personality: intelligent and determined. If he wasn't this way, he would not have been able to survive after his parents left.

He raised his head toward the sky, the stubborn look in his eyes growing deeper. He was about to head down the mountain.

At that exact moment, he heard a weak voice coming from a nearby cliff. The sound seemed to be borne along by the wind. As it passed Naruto's ears, it was almost too faint to notice.

"Help… help…"

Naruto stopped for a moment, shocked, then listened carefully. As he concentrated, the sound of the voice calling for help grew stronger.

"Help…"

He walked a few steps forward until he had nearly reached the edge of the peak. When he peered over the edge, he saw a person, his body sticking out of a crevice halfway down the cliff. Pale face full of fear and desperation, he cried for help.

"You… you're Naruto, right? Help me!" It was a teenager. As soon as he saw Naruto, he expressed surprise and happiness, having suddenly found hope in a desperate situation.

"Shikamaru?" Naruto's eyes grew wide as he looked at the young man. He was the son of Uncle Shikaku, who owned the carpentry shop in town. "How did you end up here?"

Naruto looked at the crevice. The cliff itself was quite steep, and it seemed impossible to climb down. The slightest carelessness would send the climber falling into the river.

Considering how fast the river flowed, if you fell in, the chances of dying were about ninety percent.

"It's not just me, there are other people from nearby towns," Shikamaru gushed. "We're all stuck here. Brother Naruto, let's not chat, please, just help us get out." Perhaps he had been hanging out of the crack for too long. His hands grasped at the air, and if not for his compatriots, who grabbed him by the shirt, he would have slipped and fallen down the cliff. His face turned pale with fear.

Naruto realized the danger. But he had climbed the mountain alone today, and had no rope. How could he save anyone? At that moment, he turned and realized that the mountainside was covered with rattan vines.

As frail as he was, it took him two hours to find a rattan vine that was long enough. Breathing heavily, he dragged the rattan to the cliff. Calling out Shikamaru's name, he bent over and lowered the rattan down the cliff.

"You still haven't told me how you got down there," Naruto said as he lowered the vine.

"By flying!" It was not Shikamaru who spoke the words, but another young man who stuck his body out of the crevice next to him. This boy looked feisty and intelligent, and spoke with a loud voice.

"Bullshit! You can fly?" mocked Naruto, pulling the rattan vine back up a bit. "If you can fly down here, then why don't you fly back up?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense," said Shikamaru, clearly worried that Naruto wouldn't lower the rattan vine back down. "We were captured by a flying woman. She said she's going to take us to some Sect to be servants."

"More bullshit?" said Naruto dismissively. "Only Immortals from legends can do that. Who believes in that?" In books he had read, there were stories of people who became rich after meeting Immortals, but it was all just lies.

Just as the rattan reached the crevice, Shikamaru caught it. But then, Naruto suddenly felt a cold wind behind his back. From the temperature around him, it seemed winter had returned. He shivered. He slowly turned to look back, then screamed and stepped forward into emptiness, beginning to fall off the cliff.

He had seen a woman in a long silver robe and pale face, standing there staring at him. It was impossible to tell her age. She was extremely beautiful, but radiated a coldness that made one feel as if she had just crawled out of a grave.

"Sometimes when you find certain things with certain qualities, it's just fate."

When the voice hit his ears, it felt like bones rubbing together. This woman seemed to possess some sort of strange power, and when Naruto looked into her eyes, his whole body felt ice cold, as if she could see through him. As if he could hide nothing from her.

Her words still floating through the air, she shook her wide sleeve, and suddenly, a gust of greenish wind picked up Naruto. He flew down the cliff with her. His mind went blank.

When they reached the crevice, the woman waved her hand and threw him inside. As for her, she stopped moving, as did the greenish wind. Shikamaru and his three friends scurried backward in fright.

The woman stood there, not saying a word. She raised her head and glanced at the rattan vine.

Naruto was so nervous he had started shaking. He stood up, glancing around quickly. The crevice was not spacious, and was in fact quite narrow. Even with only a few people inside, there was not much room.

His eyes fell on Shikamaru and the two other young men. One was the clever fellow; the other one was clean and pudgy. The two of them shivered, looking as if they might cry from fear at any moment.

"I was short one person," said the pale-faced woman. Now she looked at Naruto instead of the rattan. "I'll put you in with them."

"Who are you?" asked Naruto, concealing his fear. He was an educated person and had a strong personality. Despite being afraid, he controlled himself and did not panic.

The woman said nothing. She raised her right hand and waved, and the green wind appeared again. It lifted up all the young men, and they flew out of the cave together with the woman, shooting up into the sky. They disappeared. Left behind was only Mount Myōboku. It stood there, straight and tall, merging in the darkness of twilight.

The blood drained from Naruto's face. He saw himself within the green wind, crossing the sky. As he flew above the ground, wind blew into his mouth, making it impossible to breathe. A word appeared in his head.

"Immortals?" He held his breath for the amount of time it would normally take to breathe ten times, until he couldn't hold on any more. Then he passed out.

When he opened his eyes, he found that they had landed on a platform paved with green stone, halfway up a mountain. More rolling mountains surrounded them. Clouds and fog drifted about; this was definitely not the mortal world. The beautiful peaks of the surrounding mountains looked very strange.

Shikamaru and the other young men woke up, scared and shivering. They stared at the back of the woman.

Standing in front of her were two Cultivators wearing long green robes. They appeared to be in their twenties. They had sunken eyes with fear-inspiring green pupils.

"Excellent work, elder sister Hinata," said one of the men, his voice flattering. "You found four talented young babies."

"Take them to the Servants' Quarter," said the woman, her face cold, not even looking at Naruto and the others. Suddenly, her entire body transformed. She became a rainbow and then disappeared into the mountains.

By this time, Naruto had recovered his composure. He stared, numb, at the place where the woman had disappeared. An expression appeared on his face which had not appeared there for sixteen years. His blood boiled.

"Servants?" he thought. "If the work is for Immortals, the pay must be good." Now that he knew the people didn't want to kill them, he took a step forward.

"Sister Hinata has reached the seventh level of Chakra Condensation," lamented the second of the Cultivators. "The Sect Priest bestowed a Wind Pennant upon her, which means even though she isn't at the Foundation Establishment stage, she can still fly." He looked arrogantly down at Naruto and the others.

"You and you," he said pointing at Shikamaru and the clever young man. "Follow me to the Southern Servants' Quarters."

"What is this place?" Shikamaru asked, his voice and body both shaking as the Immortal pointed at him.

"The Reliance Sect."

* * *

The Reliance Sect, located within the borders of the Five Elements Nation, on the southern edge of the lands of Ninshu, was once first among the Four Great Sects. Even though it was still famous in the Southern Domain, it had experienced a decline in recent years and did not maintain the glorious position it once had. Nowadays, compared to the other Sects within the Five Elements Nation, it could only be considered inferior.

Actually, it hadn't always been called the Reliance Sect. But a thousand years ago, a Cultivator appeared who caused a great sensation in the Southern Domain. He'd called himself Patriarch Reliance, and had forced the Sect to change its name as such. He'd trod roughshod over all the other Sects in the Five Elements Nation, plundering their treasures, remaining unrivaled for some time.

But things were different now. Patriarch Reliance had been missing for nearly 400 years. If it were not for the fact that no one knew if he was alive or dead, the Sect would already have been swallowed up by some other Sect. It was past its glory days. Considering the lack of resources in the Five Elements Nation, and pressure from the other three Sects, if they wanted to get new recruits, they were forced to kidnap people to act as servants. There was no way they could open their doors to recruit openly.

Naruto followed the green-robed man along the small paths that wound among the mountain peaks. The surroundings were garden-like, with strange rocks and odd-looking trees everywhere. Amidst the beautiful scenery, extravagantly decorated buildings with jade roof tiles rose up out of the clouds and mist. Naruto sighed continuously. Sadly, the fat teenager next to him wailed the entire time, somewhat ruining the mood.

"I'm finished, really finished…. I want to go home," muttered the fat teenager, tears rolling down his face. "There's lots of food waiting at home…. Dammit, dammit. I want to inherit the family land, become a rich old man, and have a few wives. I don't want to be a servant here."

He muttered under his breath for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, until the green-robed man turned. "If you spout one more bit of nonsense," he said coldly, "I'll cut your tongue out."

The fat teenager suddenly trembled violently, his eyes shining with fear, but he shut his mouth.

When he saw this, Naruto began to reconsider how wonderful the situation might or might not be. But he had a persistent personality, so he took a deep breath and maintained his silence.

After a while, when they reached a point about halfway up the mountain, Naruto saw a row of flat buildings emerging from the roiling fog.

Seven or eight young people wearing hemp robes sat outside the buildings. They looked exhausted. As Naruto and the others approached, the young people noticed them, but did not call out any greetings.

Some distance away, a young man wearing a light blue robe sat on a crag. His face was long, almost like a horse, and his robe was obviously more expensive and fancy than those worn by the other youths. Though his face was cold, when the green-robed man approached leading Naruto, the young man stood and greeted him with cupped fists.

"Greetings, Elder Brother."

"These are two newly arrived servants," said the green-robed man impatiently. "Please arrange for their accommodations." With that, he turned and left, not even glancing at Naruto and the other young man.

After he left, the horse-faced young man sat down again, crossing his legs and coldly glancing over Naruto and the fat teenager.

"This is the Northern Servants' Quarter," he said in a cold, emotionless voice. "The Reliance Sect does not support slackers. Now that you're here, you will work for thirty years, upon which you can leave. If you try to escape, well, there are many wild beasts in these lonely mountains, and you will certainly die. Go retrieve your work uniform. From now on, you are isolated from the mortal world, and will work peacefully as a servant."

The fat teenager trembled even harder, his face filling with despair. Naruto remained calm. In fact, deep within his eyes was an indescribable sparkle. The horse-faced man noticed. He had held this position for many years and had seen many young people captured to be servants, but had never seen anyone as calm as Naruto.

"If you have a good temperament," he said lightly, "you may not need to labor for the full thirty years. You can practice cultivation in your time off. If you manage to reach the first level of Chakra Condensation, then you will be promoted to the Outer Sect." He flicked his wide sleeve, whereupon two hemp robes appeared in front of Naruto and the fat teenager. On the front of each robe was a wooden badge the size of a thumb, engraved with the character "Servant."

In addition to the robe, there was also a small booklet, upon the cover of which was written three characters: "Chakra Condensation Manual."

As soon as Naruto laid eyes on the characters, he began to breathe hard. He stared at the booklet and recalled how when discussing the cold-faced woman, the green-robed man had mentioned the seventh level of Chakra Condensation.

"We can become Outer Sect disciples when we reach the first level, but that woman has already reached the seventh level… what is Chakra Condensation? Perhaps that is the way to become an Immortal, like they talk about in stories."

If that was the pay he would receive from his work, well, it might not be money, but it would be worth hundreds of pieces of gold in the outside world. Naruto's excitement rose. He grabbed the robe and used it to wrap up the badge and booklet.

"The East Seventh house is where you will live. Starting tomorrow, your job is to cut wood. Ten logs each, every day. You are not permitted to eat until your chopping is finished." He closed his eyes.

Breathing deeply, Naruto imitated the young man and saluted with clasped fists, then walked toward the house, followed by the fat teenager. The building appeared to be a siheyuan courtyard dwelling that had been expanded multiple times. Following the signs, they located the seventh one, then opened the door and entered.

The room wasn't large. It contained a table and two small beds, and though simple, was quite neat and tidy. The fat teenager sat down on one of the beds, then, unable to hold it in anymore, began to cry.

He was about 12 or 13 years old, and he cried loudly. It surely echoed outside.

"My father is a Lord, and I'm supposed to be a Lord too. I'm not supposed to be a servant." He seemed extremely distraught, and his fat little body trembled.

"Stop crying," said Naruto, trying to comfort him. "Think about it. It's not that bad here. We're working for Immortals. How many people would envy us if they knew?" He quickly closed the door.

"I don't want to work for other people," he replied. "My marriage has already been arranged and engagement gifts sent. My poor, beautiful lady hasn't even married me, yet is already a widow." The more he cried, the more heartbroken he grew.

A strange expression appeared on Naruto's face. This fat teenager was still young, he thought to himself. I can't believe he's been promised a wife, yet has never even felt the touch of a woman's hand. He sighed emotionally, thinking about how amazing it would be to be rich. This fat teenager's family is so rich that he never has to worry about food or clothing. And yet I have nothing. Even after selling my ancestral home last year, I still owe steward Ebisu a lot of money.

Thinking of the money he owed made him laugh. Now that he was here, Manabu could come to chase after him for the money if he was strong enough. If not, he would be dead by the time Naruto left.

The more he thought about this place, the better he felt about it. He didn't need to worry about money, or lodging or food. He even got payment worth hundreds of pieces of gold, and that was before he even started working. Considering that this was a dwelling-place of Immortals, it could truly be said that he had unexpectedly been rescued from a desperate situation.

The fat teenager's crying had begun to annoy him. Ignoring him, he pulled the manual out from the hemp robe and started reading. After reading the first line of the first page, he felt shocked.

"A person should have something to rely on. If you are a mortal who desires riches and titles, if you are a Cultivator who wants to live a life free from worry, join my Reliance Sect. You can rely on me." That was the introduction to the manual, and it was signed by Patriarch Reliance.

Even though it was only a handful of words, they were filled with an indescribable power. It was both an invitation and a description of the Reliance Sect. Naruto felt numb, and then, everything suddenly made sense.

"The Reliance Sect. Is this the meaning of the Sect? People must find something to rely on; when they find the Reliance Sect, then they will be rich, powerful and free from worry." It made more and more sense. He realized that if he'd had an official to rely on, he would never have failed the examinations three times in a row. He sighed, his respect growing for Patriarch Reliance, whom he had never actually met. With that one sentence, it seemed as if a door in his life had suddenly opened.

"In other words, I have to find someone to rely on while I'm here. If I do, I won't have to worry about anything." His eyes grew brighter as he continued to scan the manual. Soon, he lost track of time, and didn't even notice the fat teenager crying next to him.

The fat teenager finally cried himself to sleep around midnight, whereupon his snores began to reverberate around the room like thunder. Naruto reluctantly closed the manual. Even though he felt very tired, his eyes were filled with vim and vigor.

"This book isn't worth 100 gold, it's worth 1,000!" he said to himself. For someone who had always dreamed of becoming a rich official, something worth 1,000 gold was worth more than anything except his life.

In his excitement, he noticed that the fat teenager's snoring had ceased. He looked over, and saw that the young man had sat up in bed and was waving his arms around and muttering.

"I'm gonna beat you to death! How dare you steal my food! I'm gonna bite you to death! How dare you steal away my wife!" As he talked, he got off the bed, his eyes still closed, waving his fists angrily. Then, amazingly, he grabbed the table and bit the corner hard with his mouth, leaving a deep mark. Then he went back to sleep and began to snore.

Naruto watched him for a bit, just to confirm that he had been sleepwalking just now. Then he looked back to the bite mark, realizing that he should never provoke the fat teenager when he was asleep. He inched away from him, then looked down at the manual again, feeling excited.

"The ninth level of Chakra Condensation is the path to being an Immortal. Working for them, I have a chance to become an Immortal myself. That is the biggest payment possible. If I become an Immortal, I must have a chance to become rich." Naruto gripped the manual, his eyes shining brightly. He had finally found another path besides studying for the exams.

At that moment, the door was kicked open with a bang, and a loud "harumph" sounded out.

* * *

"You went to sleep early. Now it's time to wake up for Grandpa Tiger!" The door shook as it opened, and a tall, strong man entered wearing servants' robes. He glared fiercely at Naruto and the fat teenager.

"Starting today," he said angrily, "you two little bastards will chop ten trees per day for me, each. Otherwise, Grandpa Tiger will flay you alive."

"Greetings, Grandpa Tiger," said Naruto, scrambling off the bed and standing there nervously. "Maybe you could quiet down a…" Before he could finish speaking, the large man fixed his eyes on him.

"Shut the fuck up! You think I'm speaking too loud?"

Looking at his fierce bearing and large stature, Naruto hesitated, then said, "But… the Elder Brother in charge of servants already assigned us to chop down ten trees per day."

"Then chop an extra ten for me," he said with a cold harrumph.

Though Naruto said nothing, his brain spun. He had just arrived in the Immortal's Sect, and was already being bullied. He didn't want to give in, but the man was so big and strong, and he himself was clearly too weak, unable to fight back. Then he glanced at the table, and noticed the bite marks. Thinking back to how strong the fat teenager had been in the clutches of his dream walking, he had a flash of inspiration. He suddenly yelled at the sleeping fat teenager.

"Fatty! Someone's stealing your food and your girl!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the fat teenager sat up, eyes closed, shouting, his face twisted with furious savagery.

"Who's stealing my food? Who's stealing my wife?" he cried, leaping out of the bed. "I'll beat you to death! I'll bite you to death!" He began striking randomly around the room. The big man stared in shock, then took a step forward and made to slap the boy.

"You dare to shout in front of Grandpa Tiger!" His slap landed on the boy's face, but then the big man cried out. The fat teenager, eyes closed, had bitten down onto the man's arm. No matter how the man shook his arm, the boy refused to let go.

"Stop biting me, dammit. Stop biting." This man was a servant, not a Cultivator. He had been a servant for a long time, and his body was strong, but the pain had caused him to break out in a cold sweat. He punched and kicked, but couldn't make the fat teenager loosen his jaw even the slightest bit. The harder he hit, the deeper the boy bit. The man's flesh was mangled, and it seemed as if a chunk were about to be ripped off.

His screams drifted outside, such that others began to notice. A cold voice shouted out.

"What's the ruckus?"

It was the voice of the horse-faced young man. As soon as the big man heard it, he began to tremble in fear. Despite the horrible pain which twisted his face, he ceased his screaming.

"It's not a good idea to upset the Elder Brother in charge of servants," said the big man hurriedly. "There's no benefit to continuing this. Quick, stop biting me! I don't need the ten logs."

Naruto never imagined the fat teenager's dream state would be so intense, and also wanted to stop the situation. He walked forward and lightly slapped the fat teenager, then whispered into his ear.

"The food is back, and so is your girl."

The young man suddenly relaxed and released his jaw. Continuing to punch the air, he returned to his bed, his face covered in blood, then fell back to sleep.

Giving another nervous glance toward the fat teenager, the big man left without saying another word.

Naruto stood there for a while gaping, admiring the fat teenager, then returned to bed with the greatest of care and went back to sleep.

The following morning at dawn.

As the morning sun filled the sky, the sound of bells filled the air. It seemed to carry with it a strange power; as people heard it, they woke and began their work. The fat teenager woke up. He looked down dumbly at the marks on his body. He touched his face.

"What happened last night? How come my whole body hurts? Did someone beat me up?"

Naruto dressed silently for a while before speaking.

"Nothing happened. Everything seemed normal."

"How come my face feels swollen?"

"Maybe it's mosquitos."

"Then how come my mouth has blood on it?"

"You fell out of bed last night. Several times, in fact." Naruto opened the door and stepped out, then stopped and looked back. "Look, fatty," he said in a serious tone, "you need to grind your teeth more often, sharpen them up."

"Oh? My dad used to say the same thing," he said in surprise, gingerly putting on his robes.

Naruto and the fat teenager walked out into the sunlight and began their life as servants in the Reliance Sect, chopping down trees.

Each of them was responsible for ten trees. Around the Northern Servants' Quarter, the wild slopes were covered with trees. Although the trees were not big, they were very dense and spread like an ocean as far as the eye could see.

Carrying his servant's axe, Naruto rubbed at his shoulder. His arm felt both numb and painful. The axe was heavy. Off to the side, the fat teenager panted as they climbed. Eventually, they found a suitable area, and the sound of chopping axes gradually rang out as they began to work.

"My dad is super rich," said the fat teenager with a long face. He raised his axe. "I'm gonna be super rich too. I don't want to be a servant… These Immortals are strange, and they have magic. What do they need fire for? And why do they need us to chop down trees for them?"

Unlike the garrulous fat teenager, Naruto was too tired to speak. Sweat showered off of him like rain. Because of his poverty in Konoha County, he hadn't been able to eat much meat and as such his body was weak. He didn't have much energy. After the space of time it takes half an incense stick to burn, he leaned up against a tree, breathing heavily.

He looked at the fat teenager, who, though he was so tired he trembled, he continued to curse under his breath and chop at the tree. He was younger than Naruto, but a lot stronger.

Naruto shook his head bitterly and continued to rest. He pulled out the Chakra Condensation Manual and examined it again. Following the description in the manual, he attempted to sense the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.

Time passed, and soon it was dusk. In his day of work, Naruto had managed to cut down two trees. The fat teenager had managed to cut down eight. By pooling them together, it was enough for one of them to eat. They consulted for a bit, and then the fat teenager went to get some food which the two of them shared in their room. Then they fell to sleep, exhausted.

Eventually, the fat teenager's snores filled the room, and Naruto struggled to sit up, his eyes filled with determination. Ignoring his hunger and exhaustion, he picked up the Chakra Condensation Manual and started reading it again.

"When I used to study for the examinations, I would usually stay up reading until dawn. I'm used to being hungry. As for my life now, it may be tiring, but at least I have a goal. I can't believe that after failing in the Imperial examinations, I will fail in Cultivation." Stubborn persistence shone in his eyes. He lowered his head and began to study.

He continued on until late in the night, until he finally fell asleep, although when exactly that was, he didn't know. As he slept, his dreams were filled with thoughts of sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The bells woke him up in the morning. He opened his bloodshot eyes, yawned, and got out of bed. Then, along with the energetic fat teenager, went back to chopping wood.

A day, two days, three days… time continued on until two months had passed. Naruto's wood-felling ability slowly grew until he could chop down four trees in a day. But, most of his time was spent trying to grasp the meaning of spiritual energy. His eyes grew more and more bloodshot. Then one evening around dusk, as he sat panting in mediation, his body suddenly vibrated, and he felt a prickling numbness in his limbs. Then, it seemed as if tiny wisp of invisible Chakra condensed within his flesh and blood, then seeped out of his body.

After that, he felt a strand of spiritual energy appear inside him. It disappeared almost instantly, but Naruto opened his eyes excitedly. His exhaustion disappeared, and his bloodshot eyes grew whiter. His body trembling, he clutched at the Chakra Condensation Manual. He hadn't eaten or slept much in the past months. Other than chopping down trees, he spent almost all his time on spiritual energy, and now, at long last, he had some results. He felt as if he were filled with power.

Time passed in a flash, two months, and now it was the eighth month of the year, summer. Broiling sunlight fell from the sky.

"Condense the Chakra into the body, fuse and disperse it, open the blood vessels and Chakra passages, resonate with heaven and earth." It was noontime in the deep mountains near the Reliance Sect. Naruto used one hand to stoke the bonfire in front of him, and the other to hold the Chakra Condensation Manual, which he studied intently.

He closed his eyes for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, sensing the delicate strand of Chakra within his body. This was the Chakra which had appeared two months ago, and Naruto regarded it as a treasure. The strand was clearly much thicker now. Using the mnemonics and circulation technique described in the manual, he sat in meditation, allowing the Chakra strand to move about his body.

After a short time, Naruto opened his eyes and caught sight of the fat teenager approaching quickly, carrying his axe.

"Well, how is it?" panted the fat teenager as he ran up. Though fat, his body was strong.

"I still can't disseminate it throughout my entire body," said Naruto with a laugh. "But I'm quite confident that within a month, I'll be able to reach the first stage of Chakra Condensation." Belief filled his demeanor.

"What I meant was, how is the chicken?" He licked his lips as he looked at the bonfire.

"Oh, pretty much done," said Naruto, also licking his lips and pulling back the branch he'd been using to stoke the fire. The fat teenager used his axe to dig through the soil and pull the chicken out. It was fully cooked now.

A fragrant aroma filled the air. They split the chicken in half and began to wolf it down.

"Ever since you were able to get some spiritual energy," said the fat teenager, his lips covered in grease, "you've been able to catch wild chickens. Compared to now, the first two months here were like a nightmare…" This was his new practice, to flatter Naruto.

"A lot of people get food out in the wild, you just don't know about it, that's all." As Naruto spoke, he took a bite out of a chicken leg, making his speech a bit garbled.

"Ai, if you really reach the first level of Chakra Condensation next week and become an Outer Sect disciple," said the fat teenager, his face bitter, "then what will I do? I don't understand any of those mnemonics." He looked at Naruto expectantly.

"Look fatty, the only way you can get home is if you become an Outer Sect disciple," said Naruto, dropping the chicken leg and looking him in the eye.

The fat teenager sat quietly for a while before giving a determined nod.

Six days flew by. It was night. The fat teenager was already asleep, and Naruto sat cross-legged in his room, meditating. He thought about how other than wood-chopping, he had spent all his time these past three months in sensing spiritual energy. He thought back to two months ago, when the strand of Chakra had first stirred within him. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes and causing the strand of spiritual energy to circulate throughout his body. Then, a loud sound reverberated in his head. Up to now, he had been unable to disperse the Chakra throughout his entire body. But just now, he had succeeded, diffusing the Chakra to every corner of his body. He felt as if his body were floating.

At the same moment in which Naruto achieved the first level of Chakra Condensation, the horse-faced young man sitting on the big stone outside slowly opened his eyes. He looked in the direction of Naruto's house, then closed his eyes again.

At dawn, under the envious eyes of everyone in the Northern Servants' quarter, Naruto walked out of the room that had been his home for the past four months. He stood in front of the horse-faced youth.

The fat teenager didn't come with him. He remained in the doorway watching Naruto, determination filling his eyes.

"You reached the first level of Chakra Condensation in four months. You're not quite outstanding, but not stupid, either." The horse-faced young man looked at him, his expression no longer cold. Calmly, he said, "Now that you are going to the Outer Sect, I must explain to you the rules there. Every month, Spirit Stones and medicinal pills will be distributed there, but it is not prohibited to take things by force from others, or to gang up. There is a Public Area there that some people call the Killing Zone. You … you will need to look out for yourself." As he finished speaking, he lifted his right hand, whereupon a jade slip shot out and hovered in front of Naruto. He grabbed it.

"Imbue spiritual energy into that jade slip and it will lead you to the Treasure Pavilion in the Outer Sect. That is where you will register your promotion." The horse-faced young man closed his eyes.

Naruto said nothing. Clasping his fist in salute, he turned and glanced at the fat teenager. They looked at each other for a moment, and Naruto felt emotion welling up in his heart. He chose not to dwell on it. He pinched the jade slip, which then began to glow with a green light, and gradually floated forward.

Naruto followed it, slowly leaving the Servants' Quarter.

He trod a narrow road which led away from the main gate, walking further and further away, toward the foot of the mountain. Eventually he reached an area he had never stepped foot into during the past four months.

The Reliance Sect was comprised of four main mountains, with east, west, north and south peaks, respectively. Surrounding them were vast mountain chains which seemed to never end. At the halfway point up each mountain was a Servants' Quarter. Naruto had been assigned to the Northern Servant's quarter on the Northern Mountain. The way further up was protected by defensive spells. Beyond them lived the Inner Sect disciples and elders.

Each of the four mountains was like this. As for the flat area in-between them all, it was filled with countless houses inhabited by the Reliance Sect's Outer Sect.

In this respect, the Reliance Sect was slightly different that other Sects. The Outer Sect was located at the foot of the mountain, whereas the servants lived halfway up. This was a sect rule created for unknown reasons by Patriarch Reliance.

From a distance, the entire area seemed to be filled with roiling fog. However, upon stepping foot into the fog, it disappeared. In front of him stretched a scene of carved balustrades and marble steps, of lofty buildings and roads paved with green stone. Outer Sect disciples bustled about wearing green robes. A few of them noticed Naruto as he walked past.

Some of them shot him contemptuous glances which lacked even the slightest bit of good intent. He felt as if he were being stared at by wild beasts, which caused him to recall what Elder Brother Horse-face had said about the Outer Sect.

Not long after that, he reached a black building in the southern section of the Outer Sect. It was three stories tall, and despite being black, appeared to have been carved from jade, and almost seemed to be transparent.

As Naruto approached, the building's main door opened noiselessly and out walked a wizened, middle-aged man. He wore a long robe of deep green, and a shrewd expression covered his face. He lifted his right hand in a grabbing motion, and the jade slip flew into his hand. He looked at it then began to speak languidly:

"Naruto has been promoted to the Outer Sect. He shall be bestowed with a house, a green robe, a spirit tablet, and a bag of holding. The spirit tablet can be used to enter the Treasure Pavilion to retrieve a magic item." He waved his right hand, and a gray bag appeared in Naruto's hands.

He looked at the gray bag for a moment, then thought back to one of the Outer Sect disciples he'd passed on the road. That man had a bag just like this hanging at his waist.

The shrewd-looking man looked at Naruto, and could instantly tell that he was not familiar at all with the ways of the Outer Sect. Otherwise, how could he be unfamiliar with a bag of holding? Feeling a bit bad for him, he coolly said, "By imbuing the bag with spiritual energy, you can pack many things into it."

Having heard this, Naruto imbued the bag with a sizable amount of spiritual energy. It grew blurry, and then he caught a glimpse of a space inside about half the size of a person. There, he could see a green robe, a jade slip, and some other objects.

At this point, his interest was quite piqued. This bag of holding must be worth at least a hundred gold. It clearly was the product of Immortal hands.

He concentrated, and the jade slip suddenly appeared in his hand. He focused his attention even more and found that inside the bag was a map of the Outer Sect Quarter. In a remote corner was his house.

"Go look at it later," said the shrewd-looking man coldly. "The Treasure Pavilion is open and you haven't entered it yet."

Naruto lifted his head and stuffed the bag of holding into his robe. Looking at the opened door of the Treasure Pavilion, he sucked in a deep breath and stepped in, filled with anticipation.

As soon as he entered, his expression changed, and he sucked in a breath.

* * *

The Treasure Pavilion was indeed filled with treasure. Upon entering it, one's eye would be dazzled with brilliant lights. Neatly arranged jade shelves were filled with a dazzling display of bottles, swords, ornaments and jewelry. Naruto began breathing heavily, and his heart started pumping. It felt as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his brain. He stood there, dumbfounded.

In Naruto's short life, he had never seen so much wealth. He felt as if it had submerged him. His brain spun, and he inadvertently thought about grabbing all of it and running away.

"The value of these treasures…" murmured Naruto, "… they're priceless. The compensation for working for Immortals, it's incredible." He walked past one of the jade shelves, his expression filled with excitement, unconsciously stretching his head forward. He wondered if the third floor of the Treasure Pavilion was the same as the first, or if it perhaps had even more valuable treasures.

"Immortals… they're so rich!" Naruto heaved a deep sigh. Suddenly, his eyes fell upon something strange. On one of the jade shelves he noticed a copper mirror.

There were traces of corrosion on it. It didn't seem very special, nor did it glitter. It didn't seem like it could compare in any way to the treasures around it.

Surprised, Naruto picked it up and looked at it closely. It seemed quite ordinary, like something from the mortal world. Nothing about it seemed the least bit unique. And yet, here it was in the Treasure Pavilion, so he assumed it must have some value.

"Junior Brother truly has insight," said a voice from behind him. He didn't know when the shrewd-looking man had entered, but he stood there looking at the copper mirror. His voice filled with praise, he continued, "The fact that you picked up that copper mirror shows that you were destined to do so. There are many legends regarding it. The strangest thing is, only those with good fortune and accumulated good deeds in past lives can acquire it. It seems Junior Brother is just such a person. With this mirror, you can lord it over heaven and earth. You definitely have this opportunity." As the man spoke, he sighed over and over. His voice seemed to contain some strange power which forced Naruto to listen to him.

"This mirror…" Naruto looked down at it again, a strange expression on his face. It was not covered with complicated carvings, but instead, corrosion, making it very unclear.

"Junior Brother, don't look at the mirror's blurriness. You should know that true treasures of a spiritual nature often conceal themselves in ordinary things. The more humble they appear, the more precious they are." Naruto was about to put the copper mirror back onto the shelf when the shrewd-looking man took several hasty steps forward to prevent him. He looked seriously at Naruto.

"Junior Brother, the fact that you picked up this object shows that you were destined to do so. Will you really put it back just because it looks ordinary? I have been responsible for the Treasure Pavilion for many years, and I know the origin of all the items here. Many years ago, this copper mirror caused a huge commotion in the Five Elements Nation. It was created from a ray of light which fell from the Heavens. After acquiring it, Patriarch Reliance studied it in secret, believing it to be a treasure of the Heavens. In the end, he couldn't unlock its mysteries, and came to the conclusion that it was predestined to fall into the hands of someone who would use it to trample upon heaven and earth."

It startled Naruto to hear the name of Patriarch Reliance. He had just entered the Outer Sect, and there were many things he wasn't familiar with. He began to hesitate.

"Patriarch Reliance studied it, but couldn't understand it. I…"

"Your words are incorrect, Junior Brother. Allow Elder Brother to explain: Patriarch Reliance's lack of success in his studies proves that there is something unique and unusual about this treasure. Before you, ten or more people took it to study it, and though none of them succeeded in understanding it, none of them regretted their decision.

"What if… what if you are the person destined to possess the mirror? In any case, if you take it, you can rest at ease. Of your fellow disciples who took the mirror in the past, most came back within three months, and I let them exchange it for something else. After dealing with me for some time, you will find that I am very easy-going. I don't want to give fellow disciples a hard time.

"If you take it, but are unable to unlock its mysteries, then you can return it at any time and exchange it for something else. But if you abandon it, and it turns out you were destined to take it, then you will regret it for your entire life." The shrewd-looking man stared intently at Naruto. When he saw Naruto hesitating, he laughed to himself. The new disciples were always the easiest to toy with. All he had to do was tell them the story of the mirror's legend, and the grand words would seduce them. Their hearts would begin to boil.

"But…" Naruto had studied and read from childhood, so he was quite intelligent. From the shrewd-looking man's seemingly earnest expression, he could conjecture that the mirror was not exactly as had been described. But, the man stood there in front of him, clearly determined to prevent him from putting back the mirror. Even dropping it to the ground would be of little use. He began to regret picking it up in the first place.

"Junior Brother," he said, his face stern, his voice low, "don't violate the rules on your first day. When you pick something up in the Treasure Pavilion, you are not permitted to put it down." The shrewd-looking man felt that enough was enough. This was his usual method to get people to take the mirror. He waved his wide sleeve, and a whistling wind picked up Naruto, flew him out of the Treasure Pavilion, and deposited him outside.

There was a crashing sound as the main door of the Treasure Pavilion slammed shut.

The voice of the shrew-looking man echoed from inside: "I'm soft-hearted when it comes to fellow disciples. If you truly are not destined to have the mirror, then you can return it in a few days."

Frowning angrily, Naruto looked up at the closed door. Then he sighed and looked back down at the copper mirror in his hands. He thought back to the words in the first chapter of the Chakra Condensation Manual and hesitated. If this truly was something that Patriarch Reliance had studied, then it must have some value. Shaking his head, he put the mirror into his robe. Then, with a final hateful glare at the Treasure Pavilion, he turned and left.

He walked along the green paths of the Outer Sect, using the information from the jade slip as a guide. Around noontime, he found his house. It was along the north border, in a very remote section of the Outer Sect. Several other houses crowded around it.

He pushed the door open, and it slammed against the wall. Inside were a bed and a desk. Naruto stood there, feeling quite content. This place was much better than his room in the Servants' Quarter.

He sat down cross-legged on the bed, took a deep breath and pulled the copper mirror out of his robe. He studied it carefully, until the sun began to set over the western mountains. He lit an oil lamp and continued to study it, all to no avail. He had no idea what the purpose of the mirror could be.

No matter how he looked at it, the copper mirror seemed completely ordinary in nature.

When the night grew deep, Naruto put the mirror to the side and looked out the window at the moon. He thought about the fat teenager and his snoring. He missed it a little bit.

The bright moon shone outside, its rays touching the eaves of his window. Everything was silent, save for the sound of the wind among the leaves of the trees. Naruto took a deep breath, thinking about the moon. He felt emotional, as if he had entered a new age.

He murmured to himself: "I will never again be a scholar in Konoha County. I've become a Reliance Outer Sect disciple…"

Naruto gathered his thoughts, closed his eyes, and sat in meditation, circulating the thread of spiritual energy in his body. He had been living in this fashion for months now, and was used to it.

One difference between the Outer Sect and the Servants' Quarter was that here, no one prepared food for you. You had to take care of your own food needs. If you didn't, you would starve to death and no one would care a whit. Although, in all the years, no one in the Reliance Outer Sect had ever starved to death.

Upon reaching the first stage of Chakra Condensation, one could absorb and emit the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Though that could not alleviate hunger, it could sustain your life.

Several days passed. One afternoon, Naruto sat cross-legged in meditation, when he suddenly heard a miserable scream from outside. He immediately opened his eyes, moved to the window and looked outside. He saw an Outer Sect disciple on the ground, being stamped upon over and over again by another. Blood oozed from a wound in his chest, but he wasn't dead, just wounded. The person who had been kicking him grabbed his bag of holding, then walked off with a cold harrumph.

The trampled disciple struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with violent ruthlessness. He staggered away. Surrounding onlookers stared at him coldly, their faces filled with ridicule.

Naruto observed silently. He had watched similar scenes played out countless times in the past few days, and as such had a deeper understanding of the ways of the Outer Sect.

Time blurred as seven days passed. During that time, Naruto saw even more instances of disciples being robbed. The fighting and plundering which occurred between Outer Sect disciples caused Naruto to grow more and more taciturn. Especially disturbing was when he had seen a disciple of the second or third level of Chakra Condensation killed by another in the Public Area. This caused Naruto to be especially careful and cautious when he went outside.

Thankfully, his Cultivation base was low, and he didn't have anything of value, so others mostly ignored him.

Actually, Naruto had reached a standstill in his Cultivation. The second level of Chakra Condensation was different than the first. He still needed spiritual energy, but according to the Chakra Condensation Manual, his mortal body had already begun to change. As such, reaching the second level of Chakra Condensation would require many more times the amount of spiritual energy than the first level did.

Similarly, Naruto now understood what latent talent was. The body's ability to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth was just that, latent talent. The more latent talent someone has, the more energy they could absorb. The less latent talent one has, the less energy they could absorb. For someone with considerable latent talent, the more time they spent on breathing exercises, the more spiritual energy they could absorb.

According to his calculations, to reach the second level of Chakra Condensation would probably take at least one or two years. The amount of time required to reach the third level would be many more times than that.

Of course, if he acquired some medicinal pills or Spirit Stones, he could use them to amplify spiritual energy, then, he could decrease that time. That was why so much horrific robbery occurred in the Outer Sect; every month, pills would be openly distributed.

"The strong become stronger, the weak become weaker," said Naruto quietly. "This is how the Reliance Sect grooms disciples for the Inner Sect."

One early morning, when the sky had just begun to grow dim with light, Naruto sat in meditation as usual. He had no special resources, except for his determination. Therefore, he did not give up on his nightly meditations and breathing exercises. Bells reverberated throughout the Sect, and Naruto slowly opened his eyes.

"These bells…" Naruto's eyes focused, as if he had come to a realization. An excited expression appeared on his face, and he dashed out of the room to see fellow disciples everywhere, rushing off into the distance.

"When these bells sound, the time has come for distribution of Spirit Stones and medicinal pills. It must be today." More and more people began running in the direction of the bells. It seemed everyone within the Outer Sect was there.

"Pill Distribution Day," said Naruto, breathing heavily. He ran along with the crowds until he reached the square in the center of the Outer Sect. The square was monumental in size, and along its borders were nine stone pillars covered in carvings of dragons. Placed on the foremost pillar was a platform over ninety meters in diameter, over which swirled a multi-colored cloud. Inside the cloud could be seen shapeless forms.

Over a hundred Outer Sect disciples stood there in their green robes, murmuring amongst themselves and glancing frequently at the multi-colored cloud.

Then, the cloud slowly dissipated, revealing a pock-faced old man wearing a golden robe. His face was placid and emitted a calm, natural power and dignity. His eyes shone like lightning. Two people stood next to him, a man and a woman, both wearing silver robes. The man was exceedingly handsome, with an upright appearance, although indifference covered his face. As for the woman, as soon as Naruto laid eyes on her, his pupils constricted.

This woman was the woman who had taken him from Daqing Mountain three months ago.

* * *

"It turns out Master uncle Gato is distributing the pills himself, along with Inner Sect disciples elder sister Hinata and elder brother Guy. They all came. You don't see this very often. Don't tell me there's an Individual Pill Distribution this time?"

"It must be. Look, Elder Brother Gozu is here. He's the second-ranked disciple in the Outer Sect. His Cultivation base has reached the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. If he can reach the seventh level, then he will automatically become an Inner Sect disciple. Too bad Elder Brother Sasuke isn't here."

"Considering Elder Brother Sasuke's abilities, he wouldn't care a whit about medicinal pills. The year he joined the Sect, he caused a big sensation amongst the Sect Elders. He probably doesn't want to violate Sect etiquette, so he'll rely only on himself to enter the Inner Sect. Then there will finally be a third Inner Sect disciple."

"Heh heh, this is gonna be fun. With Individual Pill Distribution, there's a twenty-four hour period of sealing in which the pill can't be used. Every two hours, the pill glows brightly. Anyone who wants to fight for it will be able to determine its location. Even if you grab the pill and run, you won't be able to keep it hidden for twenty-four hours."

Naruto listened to the discussions around him. Even though it was his first time taking part in this sort of thing, he knew whenever pills were distributed, there was a lot of fighting. In his half a month here, he had seen plenty of fights and even some deaths.

If today was really an Individual Pill Distribution day, then the fighting would be even more intense.

Naruto remained silent. Considering he was at the first level of Chakra Condensation, there was no way he would end up with the pill. Just looking at the greedy faces around him gave him a deeper understanding of the expression "the law of the jungle."

"Quiet!" said the old man in the gold robe. His voice was cold as he stood on the platform, and though he didn't speak loudly, his voice reverberated like a booming thunderclap. The Cultivators standing below him were shocked to the core. Their ears hummed. Naruto was the most shocked of all, and it took him some time to recover.

"I am Gato . Today, everyone in attendance will receive one Spirit Condensation pill, and half a Spirit Stone." Gato flicked his right arm, and immediately, hundreds of medicinal pills and Spirit Stones flew about in all directions. They landed perfectly in front of everyone present. Naruto gazed at the medicinal pill and Spirit Stone floating in front of him. A fragrant, intoxicating aroma washed over him. This was his first time ever seeing a medicinal pill or a Spirit Stone.

The Spirit Stone was about the size of his fingernail, sparkling and almost translucent. Just looking at it could mystify a person.

His heart began to beat rapidly. These two items must be worth thousands of pieces of gold. Without any hesitation, Naruto reached out and grabbed the pill. He was about to pop it into his mouth and swallow it down when he noticed that no one around him was doing any such thing. His heart lurched. He looked down at the pill in his hand and noticed that it had a faint glow to it, and was sealed with a strange mark.

As Naruto stared at the pill in his hand, Gato's voice once again rang out from the platform: "There is also … a Dry Spirit Pill." A purple-colored medicinal pill could be seen in his hand.

As soon as it appeared, a wonderful fragrance filled the entire square. Even just breathing it, Naruto felt as if his spiritual energy had increased a bit. This was clearly no ordinary pill.

"That's… a Dry Spirit Pill!"

"That's … that's something incredibly precious to anyone under the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. There can't be many within the Sect, and yet, there it is!"

"When that pill is distributed, the fighting here in the Outer Sect will be fierce. Who knows how many people will die?" The crowd buzzed as they stared up at the glowing pill held by Gato, their faces filled with greed and desire. This was especially true of disciples who were on the brink of breaking through to a new level of cultivation. They fairly panted.

"Originally, the Dry Spirit Pill was not to be distributed today. However, I heard there was a disciple promoted to the Outer Sect this month, which makes me very happy. If we can do this every month, then brilliant glory lies just around the corner for the Reliance Sect. I bestow this pill upon that person as an encouragement." Gato smiled, and his glittering eyes swept across the crowd to fall upon Naruto.

Naruto's heart began to race. The first half of the short speech had left him feeling unsettled, but he had no time to react; Gato's right hand flicked, and the purple pill appeared in front of him. Before he could even make an attempt to refuse, the pill lowered into his hand.

As of that moment, Naruto's entrance into the Reliance Sect could be called unprecedented. The eyes of the entire crowd focused on him.

Greed and cruelty filled their expressions, as if they planned to rip him to pieces alive. Even the man and woman standing next to Gato were staring. The woman had a look of shock on her face, which she quickly covered up with an icy expression.

"Haha, so a first level Chakra Condensation disciple receives the pill. There will be a lot of fighting this time. This guy is going to be public enemy number one."

"He's finished. Last time there was an Individual Pill Day, the guy who received the pill was at the second level of Chakra Condensation. He hesitated for just a moment too long, so Elder Brother Kiba dragged him in a fury to the Public Area and lopped off his head."

The sound of discussion reverberated across the square, and many disciples of the second or third Chakra Condensation level, despite knowing the danger, grew greedy. Because the Cultivation base of the person who received the pill was so weak, they felt as if they were qualified to snatch it.

Naruto's entire body broke out in a cold sweat. He wanted to throw the pill away, but he found that it actually stuck to his hand, making it impossible to get rid of. Around him, covetous eyes stared at him menacingly, and suddenly, it was as if he could feel the shadow of death hanging over him. Some people began to slowly walk toward him, murderous expressions filling their faces.

"Junior Brother, why don't you toss that pill to me? If you don't, I'll give you a thrashing."

"If you don't give it to me, next year today will be the anniversary of your death."

The murmurs blasted at him like a cold wind from all directions.

At that moment, two old men sat cross-legged on one of the nearby mountain peaks, smiling as they discussed the scene unfolding in the Outer Sect Square.

"Master Gato really doesn't pay attention to things. To give the medicinal pill to a pup like that who just entered the Sect… He's finished. It seems our Reliance Sect will be short another disciple."

"The fighting this time isn't going to be interesting at all. I bet that as soon as the restrictive fog dissipates from the square, the pup will toss the pill."

As soon as the second old man finished speaking, the nine colorful, dragon-carved statues surrounding the square began to fade in color. From the look of it, after the space of about ten breaths, they would be completely colorless. At that point, the restrictive fog would also disappear.

Naruto's heart began to pound. He didn't need anyone to explain to him what would happen when the glowing pillars grew dark. The square would become a scene of madness. Even if he threw the pill away, that in and of itself would make some of the people angry at him.

"How… how could this be given to me?" said Naruto, sweating. His mind began to spin. If he didn't get rid of the pill, he would die; if he did throw it away, he would become an object of hatred. Trying to make use of all the knowledge he had acquired in his three years of studying, he looked at the fading, colorful glow, and then at Gato, who stood amidst the colorful fog on the platform, preparing to leave. At this critical moment, Naruto suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

He took a step forward and called out, "Disciple has something to say."

"Being able to come to the Reliance Sect and experience the wonders of living amidst Immortals has been a wonderful stroke of good fortune. Disciple would very much like to offer thanks to the one person who made this possible.

"Disciple has been waiting day and night for another opportunity to lay eyes on her, to offer thanks in person. Today, I finally have that opportunity." He talked faster and faster, and as he did so, Gato stared in shock, no longer making his leave.

"That person is elder sister Hinata. elder sister Hinata, Junior Brother is extremely appreciative of what you did, and is truly unable to pay you back. I would like to offer this pill to you as a measure of my thanks to you for giving me a new lease on life." Naruto lifted up his right hand, raising the medicinal pill up high.

Gato gaped, clearly never having imagined that Naruto would say such a thing. A strange expression appeared on his face, and he slowly smiled. Standing next to him in her silver robe, Ms. Hinata also stared in shock. Even though she was still cold and detached, there was something different about her expression now. Her Cultivation base was the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, thus the Dry Spirit Pills would not be of much help to her. However, Dry Spirit Pills were still relatively rare and not easy to acquire, even for her, a member of the Inner Sect. If she took this pill and melded it together with a few other pills, she could create a new pill worth five normal pills. For a moment, she couldn't help but palpitate with eagerness.

At this moment, even the man in the silver robe with the cool expression looked down at Naruto.

Everyone was quiet. The Cultivators who had been advancing on Naruto suddenly stopped in their tracks, strange expressions on their faces. They stared at him with confusion.

After the brief silence, there was a sudden uproar.

"You can do this…?"

"To give away a medicinal pill in front of all these people, to an Inner Sect disciple… who dares to fight for the pill now? That would basically be picking a fight with the Inner Sect."

"What a simple method! How come I never thought about that? Dammit, dammit!"

"That freaking… I can't believe I didn't think of doing this that one time. I was injured so badly I was bedridden for three months."

The people staring at Naruto seemed to all have different feelings on the matter. It was hard to say what had happened in ages past, but as for the Cultivators here, they had never seen anyone deal with a medicinal pill in this fashion. As of now, Naruto had been indefinitely impressed onto everyone's memories.

As of now, the dragon-carved pillars were completely colorless. The pill still lay in Naruto's outstretched palm, and yet no one moved to take it. This was truly something rare to see in the Reliance Sect.

Ms. Hinata's expression had returned to normal. Without hesitation, her right hand flashed downwards, and the medicinal pill flew from Naruto's hand into hers. Seeing the pill taken away, Naruto secretly sighed. However, he knew that in his current state, it could only bring him calamity. Around him, everyone else sighed, feeling angry at Naruto. But, as soon as they thought of elder sister Hinata, any such anger dissipated.

Ms. Hinata hesitated for a moment. Considering her status as an Inner Sect disciple, it would be a bit improper to take something so valuable from an Outer Sect disciple and not offer anything in return.

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Years ago, when I was a member of the Outer Sect, an Immortal's Cave was bestowed to me. I shall lend it to you to live in." She reached into her bag of holding and pulled out a white jade slip. She tossed it down toward Naruto and he grabbed it from the air.

"elder sister Hinata's Immortal's Cave… this fellow really got lucky. They say there's a lot of spiritual energy in there, more than anywhere else in the Sect."

"Elder sister Hinata says she's going to lend it, but she's obviously just giving it to him. She just used the word lend so that everyone wouldn't think too much. This kid really did the right thing in giving her the pill."

"Dammit, I wish I had thought of this back then."

Just then, back atop the mountain peaks outside the Outer Sect were the two gray-robed old men who had been betting on the proceedings. Tall and grand, their eyes glittered brightly with praise. They laughed heartily.

"This kid is pretty interesting. He just entered the Sect, but already knows that he should find someone to rely on. Don't tell me he has innate instincts… Very good, splendid. He comprehends the true meaning of the Reliance Sect. This kid isn't bad. He really isn't bad!"

* * *

elder sister Hinata was quite well known in the Reliance Sect. In fact, you could say that everyone knew her, because as of now, the Reliance Inner Sect only had two disciples.

Other than elder sister Hinata, the only other disciple was the man currently standing next to Gato.

After elder sister Hinata lent him her Immortal's Cave, it had a fear-inspiring effect on everyone, allowing Naruto to leave the square with the Spirit Stone and Spirit Condensation pills. Everyone watched him as he left.

As he walked off into the distance, his back soaked with sweat, he felt the glares behind him like invisible blades. They slowly dissipated as he walked quickly away.

In the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, Naruto walked without stopping. He didn't return to his room in the Outer Sect, but rather followed the white jade slip elder sister Hinata had given him toward the Southern Mountain. At the foot of the mountain, he located the Immortal's Cave.

Outside of the cave, two large stone slabs towered up next to the mountain face. Everything was covered with green branches and vines; it appeared to be an entirely unordinary place, very different from Naruto's previous two dwellings.

The surroundings here were peaceful and lush. Not far away, a mountain spring flowed down, and the wind carried away the heat, replacing it with cool, fresh air.

Naruto stood in front of the mouth of the Immortal's Cave, looking completely content. Now he truly understood how precious such a cave could be, clearly much more than any other dwelling place. No wonder all the other Outer Sect disciples had looked so jealous and envious when elder sister Hinata lent it to him.

"This is a place for Immortals," said Naruto. He waved his right hand, and the slip of white jade flew forward to the cave's green stone door. It slapped onto the surface, and a buzzing sound filled the air as the door slowly opened.

The Immortal's Cave was not very big, and only had two rooms. One room was for practicing cultivation, the other was sealed shut with a stone door. Naruto entered, and the green stone door slowly closed behind him. When it sealed, the white jade slip flew out and into Naruto's hand. Thereupon, a soft glow began to emanate from the craggy stone ceiling.

The more he looked around, the more satisfied he felt. Finally, his gaze fell upon the sealed stone door. Muttering to himself, he placed the jade slip onto it, and the door slowly opened. At that moment, an odor of thick spiritual energy suddenly wafted out. Naruto looked into the stone room, his eyes wide with shock.

"Sister Hinata's Immortal's Cave, this… this gift is just too valuable." It took a while for him to recover his composure. He stared blankly into the stone room, at something that appeared to be the mouth of a spring. Out of it gurgled pure spiritual energy, multicolored and glowing as it curled up into the air. Who knew how long it had been accumulating in the stone room. As soon as the door had opened, it began to pour out, its aroma sweet in the nose and mouth. Even just a whiff would fill you with energy.

"So it's a Spirit Spring," Naruto murmured. It was something else he had never seen before, but had read about in the Chakra Condensation Manual. Some springs in the world were Spirit Springs, which had no water. Instead, they flowed forth with spiritual energy. Not many existed, and most were occupied by Cultivators, considering how treasured was the spiritual energy they emitted.

The Spirit Spring was relatively small. When all its spiritual energy came out, it was only slightly thicker than outside. To anyone above the third level of Chakra Condensation, it would not be very helpful. After the third level, the spiritual energy required was just too much; thus, it was only moderately useful.

Despite that, as far as Naruto was concerned, this gift was incomparably valuable, even much more so than a Dry Spirit pill. With this discovery, Naruto went nearly wild with joy.

With no time to think, he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began his breathing exercises. After a few hours, the greater part of the spiritual energy that had accumulated here was gone. Naruto opened his eyes, and they flashed brilliantly.

"These few hours of meditation here were worth about a month of Cultivation outside. This accumulation of spiritual energy took quite some time to build up, and probably won't be like this again. Even still, practicing Cultivation in here, I will be able to achieve speed that's impossible in the outside world." He sighed. Looking around, he noticed that the walls were covered with strange markings that he didn't understand.

"The Spirit Spring can accumulate so much spiritual energy because of these markings. elder sister Hinata must have used this method to build up energy then dispose of it all in one shot." Naruto thought for another moment, then had an inspiration. He again sat down and began to do breathing exercises.

The night passed quickly, and as the sun rose the next morning, Naruto opened his eyes. The spiritual energy in the stone room was very thin. But the Spirit Spring was still there. After some period of time passed, the spiritual energy would surely build up again.

Naruto took a moment to sense his cultivation level. It seemed that he had made an advancement worth nearly two months.

"If I can practice Cultivation in this fashion a few more times, I should be able to break through the first level of Chakra Condensation and enter the second!" He sucked in a breath, excited. He very much wanted to break through the first level, because only by reaching the second level of Chakra Condensation could one unlock the first Immortal Skill in the Chakra Condensation Manual.

Thinking of Immortal Skills, Naruto left the stone room, closing the stone door as if it were some type of jewel or treasure. He decided to use elder sister Hinata's method. He wouldn't stand guard next to the Spirit Spring itself. He would just wait for some time to pass, then come back to collect the spiritual energy.

Sitting there in the Immortal's Cave, Naruto rubbed his stomach. Thinking over the recent days, and looking down at his skinny belly, he realized that he hadn't eaten any wild animals recently. Not even wild fruits.

After becoming an Outer Sect disciple, he thought to himself, he hadn't been eating as much as when he was a servant. As long as you had enough Spirit Stones, you could take them to the Sect's Pill Cultivation Workshop to exchange them for Fasting Pills or Appetite Control Pills. It was said that one drop of such a pill would prevent hunger for days. Without them, people would have to spend time worrying about finding food.

After thinking about it for a while, Naruto decided to go out for a bit. The fresh wind blew past him into the surrounding jungle. As he walked, he pulled the copper mirror out of his bag of holding, as had become his custom.

By now, he was thoroughly convinced that the Treasure Pavilion Brother had tricked him. There was nothing unusual at all about this mirror. In more than half a month of study, he hadn't uncovered anything even slightly peculiar about it.

"Sadly, I only have a half of a Spirit Stone in my bag of holding. I bet I'll need to use it to bribe him to let me exchange it." He stretched his hand into the bag to pull out the Spirit Stone, feeling a bit dejected.

He suddenly froze in place, lifting his head up when he noticed a flash of color off in the distance in the jungle. It wasn't moving very fast. Naruto's eyes glittered. Based on his experience in the past months catching wild chickens, he knew exactly what it was. Wild chicken.

Without time to think about shoving the copper mirror and Spirit Stone back into the bag of holding, he shoved them into a pocket and leaped forward. Ever since spiritual energy had appeared in his body, Naruto realized that he was much more nimble than before. Despite still being somewhat frail, he now could burst forth with explosive force.

Especially nowadays, after reaching the first level of Chakra Condensation, a leap like the one he just made propelled him forward very quickly. In the space of about ten breaths, he was able to snatch the alarmed wild chicken. He clasped it by the two wings so that it couldn't move about.

"I wonder how good old Fatty is doing recently," he said, thinking about the fat teenager as he lifted up the chicken. Maybe he would go find him and share a meal of wild game. Just as he turned, he suddenly felt something inside his robe growing hot.

Moments later, the previously quiet chicken in his hand started to struggle wildly and emit miserable squawking sounds. It moved around with such energy than Naruto almost couldn't keep hold of it.

The wild chicken struggled even fiercely, squawking with incomparable shrillness. Then, a popping sound could be heard coming from its butt, which then suddenly exploded, sending blood and gore flying in all directions.

Everything happened so suddenly. Naruto stood there gaping. Ever since arriving on the mountain, he had caught quite a few wild chickens. But this was the first time he had seen anything like this. He looked down with shock at the dead chicken and its exploded rear. Then he looked around. Everything was still and quiet. Not even a shadow moved.

"What just happened?" Naruto shivered. The wild chicken's death had been quite miserable. It must have experienced incredible pain for its butt exploded.

Naruto took in a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety he felt. The wild chicken's death had been too odd and horrific. He felt as if a cold wind was blowing down his back.

"Something's not right," said Naruto. He tossed away the dead chicken, and then pulled out the mirror and the Spirit Stone. He remembered that just before the strange thing had happened with the chicken, something in his robe had started to grow hot.

"Could it be the Spirit Stone…" Then his eyes fell onto the copper mirror. His heart began to beat faster and a powerful radiance shone forth in his eyes.

"Don't tell me…" The hand holding the mirror began to tremble. He had no time to go eat with the fat teenager. Gripping the mirror, he ran as fast as possible into the jungle, trying to find another wild animal. He needed to know if the wild chicken's killer really was the mirror.

He didn't have to run for very long before a wild deer appeared right in front of him. It stood there looking at him stupidly, then angrily. Naruto immediately shined the mirror onto it.

The deer's expression changed immediately. It leaped to flee, calling out miserably, in a heart-rending fashion difficult to describe. Anyone who heard it could only imagine how miserable the creature must be. Naruto could clearly see the animal's flank as it leaped into the air. Before it could land, its butt exploded with a bang, its body twitching as it fell.

Looking at the dead deer, then back at the mirror, an unprecedented look of excitement appeared on Naruto's face.

"What a treasure! A real treasure!

"It's so strange. A treasure that explodes the butts of wild animals…" Even though he didn't understand it completely, he was still very excited. Regardless of why the treasure did this, he had an itching desire to go test it out on some more animals.

* * *

As he walked, he grew more and more excited. The road he walked was filled with blood and gore…

The blood and gore of scores of wild animals, whose butts had exploded violently.

"Bang!" Another furry animal in front of him screamed shrilly as an invisible attack struck its rear end, three times, until it exploded, sending a mist of blood spraying into the air.

"Boom!" A foraging giant condor, not even landed on the ground yet, shrieked miserably, as if it were experiencing a nightmare. Then its butt exploded.

"Bang, boom." That was a fierce, human-sized tiger that had been about to pounce on Naruto. In mid-air, it emitted a terrifying roar that changed into a horrific squeal, whereupon its butt blew open, showering gore and blood everywhere. Perhaps because it had so much fur, it actually exploded five times in succession.

"What a treasure. What a mighty treasure." Before he knew it, dusk had fallen, and Naruto's expression could not be more excited. He looked down at the copper mirror. Throughout the day, he had exploded the rear ends of over one hundred animals.

Fortunately, he was out in the multitudinous wild mountains, otherwise the stench of the blood and gore would be overwhelming.

"The mirror isn't completely effective, though. When I tried it out on that python, and the fish, it didn't do anything at all. It seems it doesn't work on animals with scales. But it's still awesome." He had tested it out in many ways and had discovered that it didn't work when inside the bag of holding. It only worked when he held it. He also got a strange, excited feeling when it was at work exploding wild animals' rear ends. It also looked like the corrosion was beginning to fade, as if it had been hidden away for years and finally was able to stretch its legs.

As dusk fell, Naruto found himself some distance out in the wild mountains. The night wind blew, and he took in a deep, excited breath. He was just getting ready to head back to the Immortal's Cave. After all, these mountains were filled with wild animals. Naruto had even heard that demonic beasts that practiced cultivation lived out here. Despite his excitement, he also knew that it could be dangerous.

He had come to this place while searching for wild animals, so the going had been slow. But on the way back, he could go much more quickly. Naruto sped along through the wooded mountains, and before long, a bright moon hung high in the sky. Soon, he could see that only three mountains lay between him and the Immortal's Cave. Suddenly, he felt a hot wind on his face, accompanied by an acrid odor. He stopped, his heart thumping, then retreated a few steps.

Roar!

As soon as he stepped back, the air about him shook with a mighty roar, and once again the hot wind and acrid odor swept over him. There in front of him was a monkey-like creature about the size of a human. Its red eyes radiated cruelty, and its entire body was covered with thick, luxuriant fur.

The fierce beast gave Naruto a bloodthirsty stare. Naruto's expression changed as he looked back at the creature. His mind reeled, as if he were about to be blown away by the creature's gaze. He could sense the creature's Cultivation base fluctuating.

"Second level of Chakra Condensation!" Naruto took another step back, his expression horrified. This was no wild beast; it was a demonic beast. It must have been attracted by the reek of blood from all the slain animals.

There was no time for him to think. The long-furred monkey-like demonic beast leaped into the air, and then suddenly, its entire body was covered in fire, a fire that did not singe its fur in the least. It shot toward Naruto.

At this critical juncture, Naruto's expression changed. He wasn't sure if the copper mirror would be effective against the demonic beast, but there was no time for consideration. Even as it leaped into the air, he ducked to the side, pulled out the mirror, and shined it toward the demonic beast.

Then a miserable scream filled the air. In mid-air, a geyser of blood shot out of the demonic beast's butt. Its face twisted in horror, its eyes no longer filled with cruelty, but rather confusion. It was as if in the beast's entire life, it had never experienced anything so painful…. But, it didn't retreat. Moments later, more blood exploded out.

Now the confusion in its expression turned into complete astonishment. It stared in horror at the mirror held in the hands of the young man standing in front of it. It turned, covering its rear end with its claws. The fire went out, and it made to flee, but before it could go more than a handful of meters, its butt exploded again, this time, five explosions in succession. Its screams rang out as it ran about thirty more meters. Naruto felt the copper mirror trembling as if with excitement. A powerful boom rang out, shooting straight toward the demonic beast's rear end.

An incomprehensible scream rang out over the wild mountains as half of the demonic beast's body exploded. A cloud of blood and gore shot up, then slowly descended to the ground. Confusion filled its face as it gasped a few last breaths, then died.

Everything had happened so fast. The entire time, Naruto just stood there gaping. Finally, he took a breath, then looked down at the mirror, panting.

"Even demonic beasts can't avoid having their rear ends exploded. This mirror…" In his excitement, Naruto felt even more awe. He put it away, then looked over at the corpse of the demonic beast, his heart thumping.

"The Chakra Condensation Manual has an introduction to demonic beasts. It says that they have a Demonic Core inside their bodies which contains spiritual energy. I should be able to just eat it." He quickly walked over to the corpse. Sure enough, in the abdomen of the creature he found a pristine Demonic Core, about the size of a fingernail. It emitted a delicate, fragrant aroma which left him feeling extremely comfortable.

Having retrieved the Demonic Core, Naruto hurried along his way. Unfortunately, demonic creatures were not common in these parts. He didn't see any more on his way back to the Immortal's cave. He felt a little disappointed.

By the time he got back, it was deep into the night. He sat down cross-legged and looked at the Demonic Core and the copper mirror, his eyes shining.

"I can just eat the Demonic Core, but I still have the Spirit Condensation Pill that the Sect distributed. I'll take that first, then take the Demonic Core." His mindset, Naruto put the Demonic Core and the copper mirror down next to him, as well as the Spirit Stone. With the Spirit Stone at his side, it would allow him to absorb a little more spiritual energy.

Next, he took out the Spirit Condensation Pill and swallowed it down. As soon as it entered his body, strands of spiritual energy began to spread out slowly. Naruto rotated his Cultivation base, quickly absorbing the power of the medicinal pill.

When he opened his eyes an hour later, they glittered brightly. Taking this pill was definitely much faster than actually practicing cultivation, he thought to himself. Unfortunately, the Spirit Condensation Pill just did not have enough energy. There wasn't anything he could do about that, though. His gaze shifted to the side and he picked up the Demonic Core and popped it into his mouth.

As soon as it entered his body, spiritual energy far outmatching that of the Spirit Cultivation Pill poured into him. It was almost too much to take in. He quickly rotated his Cultivation base and poured the energy into it. His body began to tremble, and strands of filth were pushed out of his pores. Eight or ten hours later, his head buzzed, and he felt as if his body would begin to float. Now, there was not a strand of spiritual energy inside him. The strand had fused to form a stream.

"Spiritual energy like a stream, the body excretes the mortal filth. This… Don't tell me this is the second level of Chakra Condensation?" Naruto opened his eyes. They shined with an indescribable expression. He looked down at his body, then cast his senses inside and took a long moment to examine himself carefully. Sure enough, he had broken through the first level of Chakra Condensation into the second.

"Demonic Cores really are incredibly effective." Naruto's eyes sparkled. He stood and strolled around the Immortal's Cave, enjoying the feel of the stream-like spiritual energy circulating through his body. He was incredibly happy.

"I am now a second level Chakra Condensation Immortal!

"Too bad Demonic Cores are so rare. Otherwise, I would be able to practice Cultivation much more quickly. And it's all thanks to my treasured mirror." Naruto looked at the mirror. When he did, his body suddenly trembled, and he unconsciously rubbed his eyes. He looked even more closer, an incredulous expression filling his face.

The copper mirror lay there just like before. But there was no Spirit Stone on top of it. Instead, there was a Demonic Core!

"This… this…" Naruto's brain spun, filled with confusion. He felt as if he had lost his mind. He stared mutely at the Demonic Core sitting on top of the copper mirror and began to hesitate. He had placed a Demonic Core and a Spirit Stone onto the mirror. He remembered clearly. But, he had eaten the Demonic Core already. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure. Had he eaten the Demonic Core? Or had he eaten the Spirit Stone?

"I couldn't have eaten the Spirit Stone…" Naruto gaped for some time then slowly picked up the Demonic Core. He hesitated, then put it in front of his mouth and sniffed. The smell made him certain; what he had eaten moments ago was definitely a Demonic Core.

"What… what's going on? There's another one? Don't tell me I was mistaken, and the demonic beast actually had two Demonic Cores in it?" Naruto's felt even more confused. He shook his head, forcing himself to clear his thoughts. He looked at the Demonic Core, then the copper mirror. His body began to tremble and his eyes shone with an incredible brilliance, as if he had just glimpsed ten thousand pieces of gold. It seemed as if he would drop the Demonic Core at any moment.

"Could it be… the mirror absorbed the Spirit Stone and produced a second Demonic Core!" His voice quavered. He originally felt that the mirror's ability to explode wild beasts was powerful enough. He had never imagined that it would have an even more profound ability.

After a while, he recovered a bit, although his heart was still filled with a multitude of thoughts. Right now, he didn't have a Spirit Stone to test out, so his heart was filled with anxiety. He was filled with an aching desire to get one to experiment with.

"Spirit Stones. I need Spirit Stones!" His eyes shone like a ferocious wild beast. At this moment, Spirit Stones were more valuable than gold in his eyes. His desire for them was even stronger than his previous desire to become an official.

Spirit Stones are indispensable to Cultivators, especially Naruto. When worrying about personal gains and losses, one's heart will be filled with nervousness and anxiety. As of now, Naruto's desire to acquire Spirit Stones was stronger than anything he had ever experienced.

Unfortunately, the Reliance Sect was a small Sect. Other than the monthly Pill Distribution Day, there were almost no chances to get them, other than by taking them from others.

"There's one month until the next Pill Distribution Day." Naruto looked at the copper mirror, and his expression grew ferocious. Moments later, the ferocity disappeared, hidden away. Right now, his Cultivation base was only at the second level of Chakra Condensation. Even if he wanted to take something by force, he wouldn't be a match for anyone.

"Back in Konoha County, I had no money," said Naruto helplessly. "Now I'm an Immortal, and I still have no money." In his mind, he pondered how he could get his hands on more Spirit Stones.

* * *

"It's only one more month, but during that month, I must fight to increase my Cultivation base one step further." He carefully put the copper mirror back into the bag of holding. He knew that he could not let anyone know of its abilities. If he did, it would be difficult for him to keep ahold of it, and he would surely lose his life in the process.

He looked down at himself, and the filth that covered him. In his excitement, he had almost forgotten about his dirty state. But now, he had calmed down quite a bit. He walked out of the Immortal's cave to the nearby stream and washed off the grime and impurities.

By the time he returned, the sky was growing light. He took out the Chakra Condensation Manual and began to study it.

"Upon reaching the second level of Chakra Condensation, one can use Immortal Skills. Upon reaching the fifth level, one can study Wind Walking technique, which is an Immortal Skill similar to flying." Naruto closed his eyes, feeling thorough anticipation regarding the Wind Walking technique of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation.

In that instant, he suddenly felt the temperature increase rapidly within the Immortal's cave. Then, tongues of fire appeared on his right hand. Considering that he still thought like a mortal, seeing this caused his heart and mind to feel great excitement, which in turn extinguished the flames.

Naruto promptly calmed himself and rotated his Cultivation base. Unfortunately, by the time afternoon arrived, after dozens of attempts, he still could do nothing more than produce a few sparks, whereupon the spiritual energy in his body would disperse.

"It's difficult to use this Flame Serpent art," said Naruto with a frown. But he had a persistent personality and would not be discouraged easily, so he practiced breathing exercises for a while before trying again.

Night fell, and then dawn came again. For two days Naruto tried again and again, failing each time, until he became completely exhausted. When the spiritual energy dispersed he would do breathing exercises, and the resolve in his eyes would grow stronger and stronger.

"I can't believe I can't use the Flame Serpent art!" said Naruto, grinding his teeth and slapping his palm against the bag of holding. Moments later, the Demonic Core appeared in his hand.

He knew that if he consumed the Core, and the mirror really had some other fantastic properties, then later when he had enough Spirit Stones, he would lack an original with which to make copies.

"Oh well, no need to worry about such details. Worst case scenario, I go back out into the mountains to look for demonic beasts." He hesitated for a moment, then popped the Demonic Core into his mouth, closed his eyes, and began his breathing exercises. Spiritual energy exploded inside of him, pouring into every corner of his body.

Time passed, and soon it was afternoon. Naruto opened his eyes, and they flashed. His Cultivation base was still at the second level but was definitely much stronger.

"I think with three or maybe five more, I can reach the third level of Chakra Condensation." He felt somewhat disappointed, realizing that the higher his Cultivation base, the more difficult it would be to make progress. But anticipation filled his heart when he thought of the copper mirror. He raised his hand into the air and made a fist.

As he raised his fist, flames appeared, congealing on his right arm and creating a small flaming serpent as long as a finger, which radiated an oppressing heat. Naruto felt the spiritual energy in his body instantly reduced by thirty percent.

His face grew pale, but understanding flashed in his eyes and he smiled. He leaped out of the Immortal's Cave and waved his right hand. The Flame Serpent flew, slamming into a nearby tree.

A banging sound rang out, and the entire tree was engulfed in flame, and within moments had collapsed into ashes.

"I have to find a chance to do this in front of Fatty. He'll definitely praise me then." He smiled broadly, feeling quite heroic.

Half a month's time passed, during which Naruto searched the mountains for demonic beasts and trained his Flame Serpent art. He worked harder than he had in his secular studies, and soon was quite proficient with it, and was also able to reduce the amount of spiritual energy it used. But it still required considerable effort over the space of about ten breaths to be able to form it.

He also went into the Outer Sect and secretly tried the mirror out on some of the disciples. However, there was no reaction whatsoever. After a few tries, Naruto concluded that the copper mirror only worked on excessively furred creatures. A bit of a pity, but the mirror was still more powerful than he could have ever wished for.

Unfortunately, during the half month that passed, he never came across any demonic creatures, and his Cultivation base became mostly stagnant. Thankfully, every time after he practiced the Flame Serpent art, his Cultivation base would grow a little bit during the recovery period. However, he did not dare to engage in such practice in the wild mountains. Only in the Immortal's Cave.

"There are ten more days until Pill Distribution Day. I'm going to go further out into the mountains." Having made his decision, Naruto departed early in the morning, heading quickly out into the deep mountains.

He didn't rest during the day, and by the time night fell, he'd forgotten how many mountain chains he'd passed through. Finally, at the foot of a black mountain, he ran into a bear-shaped demonic beast.

During the battle, he used the Flame Serpent art and the powerful copper mirror. A series of five explosions were followed by a miserable, reverberating scream, whereupon the creature died in a pool of blood.

He took its Core, and was about to head further along the black mountain when suddenly, the hairs on his body stood on end. Some distance ahead of him had appeared five demonic beasts with the heads of elephants and bodies of tigers. They stared at him, eyes cold.

With the mirror, he could easily handle one demonic beast. But five would be very difficult. He slowly retreated backwards, his right hand clutching the mirror tightly.

Suddenly, a massive roar sounded out from the trees covering the black mountain. It grew in intensity until it was like a huge explosion seething in the air. Naruto's expression changed, and he ran away as fast as possible, without the slightest intention of slowing down even a bit.

Fortunately, the five demonic beasts didn't pursue him, and he soon disappeared into the mountains.

"That cry sounded similar to when uncle Gato called out. It seems there are a lot of demonic beasts in that black mountain, even Greater demonic beasts." As he sped along, he looked back at the black mountain, more and more convinced of what a dangerous place it was.

Ten days passed by quickly. With the black mountain as his boundary, Naruto ventured into the mountains but didn't come across any more demonic beasts. The Bear Demonic Core in his bag of holding seemed more and more precious, so he didn't eat it.

Pill Distribution Day arrived, and the sound of bells filled the air. Naruto left the Immortal's Cave and entered the Outer Sect. When he had departed a month ago, his Cultivation base was the first level of Chakra Condensation, and now it was the second. Even though he was some distance from the third level, he speculated that if the copper mirror was as effective as he imagined, in the future he would progress by leaps and bounds.

As fearful as ever about suffering a loss, Naruto entered the Pill Distribution Square. Many of the disciples looked at him as he entered, obviously recognizing him.

His actions the previous month had caused quite a shock to the Outer Sect. Even though his cultivation level was low, and a month had passed, the matter had been discussed quite a bit.

This time, it was not Gato who presided, but another middle-aged man. Like last time, he distributed a Spirit Cultivation Pill and half a Spirit Stone. But there was no Individual Pill distribution this time.

As soon as the pill and the Spirit Stone were in his bag of holding, and the pillars grew dark, Naruto left as quickly as possible, not hesitating a moment. As he left, his eyes swept across the square, and he saw quite a few Cultivators blocking fellow disciples to take medicinal pills and Spirit Stones.

elder sister Hinata's blessing still seemed to have an effect. Coupled with his quick departure, the only thing he received was a few cold stares. No one attempted to take anything from him.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He was well aware that elder sister Hinata's name could only protect him for so long. This month was fine, but in a few more months, someone would surely make a move against him.

"As long as the copper mirror works, in a few months… we'll see who will be snatching from whom!" Eyes glittering, he lowered his head and walked a bit faster.

He left the Outer Sect, eager to try out the copper mirror, walking as fast as possible back towards the Immortal's Cave. When the cave was not far off, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his pupil's narrowing. A person had just walked out of the jungle.

He wore a green robe and looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years of age. He had an arrogant look on his fierce face as he stood there staring coldly at Naruto. His Cultivation base was not that of an ordinary person. It was the third level of Chakra Condensation. The man stood there, blocking Naruto's way.

"Greetings, elder brother Kiba," said Naruto, his expression changing as he took a few steps back. He moved his left hand behind his back, and began moving about in the air. He had seen this person before. Just about everyone in the Outer Sect knew Elder Brother Kiba. He was cruel and ruthless, and quite a few low-level disciples had died by his hand in the Public Zone. He was the kind of person to ingratiate himself to disciples above the third level, but lord it over the first and second levels.

"So, you've heard of me," said Kiba coldly. "I don't need to make any more introductions. Hand over your medicinal pill and Spirit Stone." Others didn't dare to even touch Naruto, but Kiba had entered the Sect years ago and knew how things worked. elder sister Hinata often secluded herself, ignoring the lives of the people beneath her.

"elder brother Kiba, can't you make an exception?" said Naruto, taking a few steps back. "I… I'm just a simple scholar, and I just got the Spirit Stone and medicinal pill. Can't you give me a bit of time with them?" This person's cultivation level was greater than his by more than an entire level. Furthermore, he had never fought anyone before. His face grew pale from fear.

"You call yourself a scholar?" He sneered, then laughed loudly. "Don't tell me you were a scholar before you came here? Come, come, recite some poetry for your Elder Brother. Maybe you'll lighten my mood and I won't beat you and break your legs."

"elder brother Kiba…" Naruto was extremely nervous, and quite angry as well, but he had no choice but to hold on and try to talk some sense into the man. "The sages said, if…"

"Shut up. I'll take not only your medicinal pill and Spirit Stone, but the Immortal's Cave as well. From now on, we are fellow disciples in the outside world, but in the cave, you will be my servant. If you say even one more word, I'll help you to understand the meaning of the expression 'death is better than life!'" Glaring murderously, he began walking toward Naruto.

His Cultivation base had already broken through to the third level, and needed large amounts of spiritual energy. So of course he had taken a fancy to Naruto's Immortal's Cave. However, he still feared elder sister Hinata, so he had come up with the idea to keep him as a servant. After some time passed, elder sister Hinata would surely forget the nobodies beneath her, and he could just kill Naruto. Or if he didn't kill him, he could cripple him and force him to stick around reciting poetry to show how elegant Kiba was.

"The Immortal's Cave belongs to elder sister Hinata. How could I act as her agent? elder brother Kiba, please don't make things so hard for me." Behind his back, strands of spiritual energy had collected in Naruto's right hand. He knew that he wasn't a match for Kiba, but the Immortal's Cave was just too important, and the Spirit Stone even more so. There was no way he would hand it over. Therefore, his heart filled with uncertainty and anger, he used the name of elder sister Hinata.

"I give you some face and you ignore it," said Kiba with a snort. "You're just looking for trouble. I'll definitely teach you what it means to prefer death over life!" An impatient expression on his face, he raced toward Naruto, his outstretched hands twisting like claws. Naruto looked completely shocked and frightened, which Kiba liked. He enjoyed seeing such looks on the face of people weaker than him.

He could just imagine Naruto dropping to the ground in front of him, trembling. Just when he was feeling most proud of himself, right before he reached Naruto, Naruto's horrified expression disappeared, to be replaced with sternness. He flung his right hand out from behind his back, and a burning, finger-long Flame Serpent shot toward Kiba.

Naruto's heart thumped furiously. He knew that the Flame Serpent art was not strong enough to kill his opponent, but he still hoped that it would at least slow him down. He could not bear to be captured, much less hand over all his possessions and become a servant. He would flee into the mountains in an instant if he could.

"Flame Serpent art!" Kiba's expression changed, and he retreated backwards. His hand slapped his bag of holding and produced a small white sword, which he threw toward the Flame Serpent.

There was a bang, and the Flame Serpent disappeared. The white sword had been twisted and bent, so he kicked it aside into the jungle. Looking quite embarrassed, Kiba continued to move backwards, watching as Naruto fled into the mountains. He was both furious and astonished.

"He reached the second level of Chakra Condensation so quickly," said Kiba furiously. "elder sister Hinata's Immortal's Cave really is effective. It seems I must kill this guy." He raced off in pursuit.

After pursuing him for a bit, he found that Naruto was much more familiar with this part of the mountain than him. Furthermore, he ran very quickly. Kiba was having trouble catching him.

"You little bastard," called Kiba in a sinister voice. "There's no one out here in these mountains. Do you want to die? I'm gonna finish you!" Considering how quickly Naruto was running, he decided that it was time to use one of his more powerful techniques. He roared, and his body expanded, the hair on his body growing thick and golden-colored. Some of the hair even stuck out through his clothing. It looked as if he had transformed into something like a demonic beast.

This was a technique he had picked up before joining the Sect: the Were-demon skill.

It was a skill which could be cultivated after reaching the second level of Chakra Condensation, but the demonic transformation was not very obvious. The body grew bigger and stronger, and more frightening. Such a skill would allow him to rampage among lower-level disciples. He could only use this skill for a limited time, but it was quite effective. His killing trump card.

Now that his Cultivation base had reached the third level of Chakra Condensation, the skill was even more fully developed. Being able to grow such thick, golden fur was a pleasant surprise. Being able to shapeshift into a demonic form like this would enable him to easily shock his opponents. He brimmed with confidence, his thick, golden fur shining brightly, mighty and domineering. Fur even grew from his face. He looked exactly like a human-shaped demonic beast.

"You will be the first person to die under my Were-demon skill! How just and fair!"

* * *

Using this technique at the third level allowed Kiba to increase his strength by several degrees, as well as his speed. Grinning hideously, face full of greed, he charged toward Naruto, sharp claws glittering in the sunlight.

He brimmed with confidence, certain that Naruto's fear would break him. Flee he might, but escape he could not.

"Run," laughed Kiba with a ferocious smile, his powerful voice reverberating through the air. "You can't escape the skills of Kiba."

When Kiba shapeshifted into demonic form, Naruto was fleeing up ahead. He saw what happened out of the corner of his eye, and a look of surprise filled his face. But then, it seemed he'd thought of something, and a different, stranger expression replaced the surprise. This demonic form looked exactly like the forms of the various beasts that had been exploded by the copper mirror. In fact, he had even more radiant fur covering his body than those other beasts had.

Naruto looked carefully at Kiba, the strange expression still covering his face. The thick, golden fur made him look like some sort of king of beasts.

When Kiba saw the look on Naruto's face, he felt astonished. When he had broken through to the third level of Chakra Condensation, he had tried out the Were-demon form, but this was the first time he had revealed it to another person. Naruto's strange expression irritated him. He let out a cold harrumph, and a murderous look appeared in his eyes.

"I think… you'll probably like this copper mirror," said Naruto. Seeing Kiba's speed increase so much in his Were-demon form, he realized that he would close the distance between them rapidly. He took a few steps back and slapped the bag of holding with his right hand. Instantly, the copper mirror appeared. With the strange expression still covering his face, he shined the mirror onto Kiba in all his arrogant splendor.

As soon as the mirror began to shine, Naruto felt it begin to emit a burning heat that he had never felt before. This was a much stronger reaction than when it had encountered other demonic beasts, as if some sort of powerful thirst had been unleashed within it. At that moment, a sort of invisible aura burst forth from the mirror and shot forward.

Kiba leaped toward Naruto, his aura radiating murder and ferocity. Suddenly, he felt strange, as if some sort of gas had entered his body. It roiled violently within him, and from the outside it looked as if the aura was trying to claw its way out. Kiba's expression changed. He felt severe pain in his organs, which quickly rose to a critical level. Without thinking, he pushed the aura down to his dantian region, in order to force it out.

The aura was powerful, and it seemed to be seeking a weak spot in his body to emerge from. When he pushed the aura down toward his dantian, it rushed directly toward his buttocks, and in an instant, exploded out with violent, gut-wrenching pain. Kiba let out an uncontrollable, blood-curdling scream.

He had never made such a sound before in his life, because never before had he experienced something like this. His body began to tremble, and he glared wrathfully at Naruto. The murder in his bloodshot eyes grew fiercer.

"elder brother Kiba," said Naruto, his heart thumping. This was the first time he had ever fought someone. "Why don't we end things here? If you don't make things hard for me, I won't make things hard for you. A happy ending." He clamped his hand over the mirror. The sound of his opponents scream had unsettled him. He couldn't take it. After all, this was a person, not a demonic beast.

"You little bastard!" shouted Kiba. "Today, I'm not just going to kill you; I'm going to go down the mountain, find your family and kill them too! I'll humiliate your entire clan!" The pain had caused him to nearly go mad. His eyes burned, and with a roar, he pounced toward Naruto, sharp claws preparing to rip him to shreds.

Naruto was just a scholar, and had never been in a fight. But he possessed courage, and hearing Kiba say such things caused murderous intent to shine in his eyes. There was no point in trying to talk reason to a person who clearly wanted to provoke him. He couldn't bear to hear the miserable screams, but hearing such threats would cause anyone to lose their temper. He took a few steps back and unflinchingly held up the mirror.

As Kiba approached, he felt something roaring toward him. Once again, the terrifying aura entered his body. Considering what he had just experienced, he protected himself, sealing off the aura so it couldn't escape. But just when he was feeling confident in his success, it shot through his body, rumbling, then exploded out of his left ear.

The pain was many times more severe than before, and he let out a horrible, shrill shriek that was impossible to describe. Then, his right ear exploded, showering out blood.

His head felt as if it were about to split down the middle, and his face had grown pale white. Dumb with astonishment, he stared at Naruto. Then his face filled with monstrous savagery.

"I will kill your entire family, and then eliminate your whole clan! I'll make them all feel pain like this, then let them die screaming!" Enduring the pain, and also deaf, he leaped toward Naruto, filled with insane determination to kill his opponent.

"I give you face and you ignore it!" said Naruto, gaping. He had never seen the mirror explode an ear before. Looking stern, he retreated further, again shining the mirror onto Kiba.

"Naruto!" screamed Kiba, his right ear exploding into shreds. Both ears swelled. His expression was no longer one of ferocious rage but rather astonishment and dread. He turned, faster than he had ever turned in his life, and made to flee, having lost any desire to mess with Naruto. But the fear in his heart caused him to tremble so violently that he couldn't even flee. Instead, he focused, and once again, summoned his desire to kill. He would inflict pain on Naruto's family, and also take away that damned copper mirror.

However, even as he turned, the mirror, for the first time ever, flew out of Naruto's hands. It seemed its interest had been aroused. It flew after Kiba, attacking him multiple times. Kiba's eyes filled with desperation; it appeared as if some incredible power had entered his body. He screamed uncontrollably, unable to flee. Something tossed him into the air and his left ear, right ear, chest and legs all exploded violently.

As the aura exploded out, it sent mists of blood into the air, and in the space of time it takes to breathe ten times, Kiba's eyes grew dark, and his body slowly shifted from Were-demon form back to normal. The fur disappeared, and seemingly because of this, the copper mirror lost interest and flew back to Naruto. Kiba's body dropped to the ground.

Blood covered everything. Kiba's dead eyes still shone with horror and despair. Anyone who laid eyes upon him would surely tremble.

Looking at Kiba's corpse, Naruto sucked in a deep breath. The copper mirror flew back into his hand, whereupon his body shook. Awe and veneration filled his eyes. Seeing some wild animals explode was not a big deal, but this time it had been a living person. Seeing the blood and gore everywhere, he trembled. The stench of death on the mirror caused him to want to get rid of the mirror. He loosened his hand and tossed it to the ground.

He was just a scholar, after all. The mirror had seemed interesting at first, but now it seemed incredibly gruesome, and conflicted with the Confucian ideals which Naruto believed in.

He stood in silence for some time, feeling flustered at heart. The frustration could be seen in his eyes. In his heart, he was still a scholar from Konoha County. He spoke the truth to people, and had never been in a fight, let alone killed anyone. That behavior was deeply rooted in his heart, and could not easily be changed. As he contemplated the situation, his heart struggled.

"The etiquette, happiness, kindness and justice of Confucianism, and its search for truth, demands a refraining from killing. But the Sect says 'the strong shall prey on the weak.' Now I understand the truth of that saying, but to actually put it into practice is different…" Trembling, Naruto felt frightened even just thinking about what had happened. After a long time, he let out a long sigh and started to walk off.

But having taken only a few steps, he ground his teeth, turned, and walked back to Kiba's corpse. He picked up his bag of holding, then summoned a Flame Serpent and placed it onto the body.

The fire didn't completely eat up the corpse, so Naruto consumed a Spirit Condensation Pill, then shot three more Flame Serpents down. Soon the corpse had withered up to the point where it was unrecognizable.

He did some breathing exercises, gritted his teeth, then shot down two more Flame Serpents. Now, the corpse was completely ash.

Glancing at the mirror on the ground, he clenched his jaw, walked over, and picked it up, gripping it firmly.

Still feeling conflicted and afraid, Naruto left, walking back to the Immortal's Cave as quickly as possible. He sat in a daze. For a long time he just sat there, before finally moving again to open Kiba's bag of holding. When he saw what was inside, his eyes glittered. The dark mood caused by his first kill suddenly changed.

"This guy was so rich," he exclaimed, sucking in a breath. The bag of holding contained eight Spirit Stones, seven Spirit Condensing Pills and a bone fragment covered with strange symbols.

He looked at the bone fragment, then immediately tossed it aside. It described the Were-demon technique. He didn't dare to even touch it. He didn't want to turn into a Were-demon and then be destroyed by his own copper mirror.

As he tossed the bone chip aside, he suddenly remembered the flying sword. He immediately walked out of the cave and tracked it down in the jungle. He lifted up the short white sword and returned to the cave to examine it, eyes glittering.

Naruto couldn't think of how to reconcile the differences between the ways of Immortals and the path of Confucius. He decided to stop thinking about the matter. Maybe he would understand it one day, but for now, the most important thing was to figure out a way to stay alive in the Sect.

Eyes filled with resolve, he took the Spirit Stones out and felt them. Then he pulled out the copper mirror and put it down next to him, looking at it for some time.

"elder brother Kiba provoked me," he murmured. "I had to strike back. I tried to smooth things out, but he refused. I killed someone, but I tried to be reasonable. I tried to be kind, but he rushed into death.

"The mirror reeks of blood. In the hands of an evildoer, it would be a tool of evil, but in my hands, it will be different. I have Confucian kindness in my heart, and this treasure is mine. It will be different." He looked down at the mirror and took a deep breath.

"It doesn't just explode things, and doesn't just seek blood. In the future, I will use it carefully." He muttered to himself like this for some time, then lifted his head, thinking about the other mystery of the mirror, and his hope. He ground his teeth.

"Success or failure. Now we'll see. If it's a success, then Naruto's cultivation practice will be anything but ordinary." With no more hesitation, Naruto pulled out the Demonic Core and a half-Spirit Stone, then placed them down onto the mirror. He waited with nervous anticipation.

Enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, but absolutely nothing happened. The Demonic Core didn't change, the Spirit Stone didn't disappear. There was still only one Demonic Core.

Naruto frowned. He paced around the cave for a bit before looking back at the mirror.

"It can't be. Last month it definitely made two…" He stared at the Spirit Stone on the mirror, lost in thought. After a while, he slapped the bag of holding and pulled out another half of a Spirit Stone, which he carefully placed down onto the mirror.

Almost as soon as he put the Spirit Stone down, a black aura flashed across the surface of the mirror, and it seemed to turn into a lake. The two Spirit Stones sank down, and the blackness rippled, condensing onto the Demonic Core. And then, next to the first Demonic Core appeared a second!

Naruto was stupefied. Even though he had prepared himself in heart, he was still shocked. After some time passed, he picked up the two Demonic Cores and examined them excitedly.

"So it's true! How profound!" He began to breathe hard, and took some time before he could pull himself back together. Suddenly everything seemed possible. He took a few deep breaths, then tried out the process again.

One Stone, two Stones… nine Stones, he only had one left over. In front of him were four full Demonic Cores. If you counted the original, that would be five.

The stones emitted a sweet aroma which grew thick in the air, leaving him feel intoxicated. A silly grin on his face, he realized that this was the most wealth he had ever possessed in his entire life. It was a sight none of the disciples of the Outer Sect had even seen.

His excitement lasted until deep into the night. Clutching the Demonic Cores, he placed one onto his tongue and swallowed it down. Two hours later, he opened his eyes and took another pill.

He had never done something so extravagant before. By the time the seemingly boundless energy of the two Demonic Cores was fully dispersed in his body, dawn had arrived.

His body thrummed, and gobs of filth had been excreted through his pores. When he opened his eyes they shone brilliantly.

"The third level of Chakra Condensation!" Naruto was still not content. He looked down at the remaining three pills. He took another one. By the dawn the next day, he had consumed all the Demonic Cores. His Cultivation base was just a hair's breadth away from being at the peak of the third level of Chakra Condensation.

As for the eight Spirit Condensation pills, they would not be of much use to Naruto considering his current Cultivation base. Even taking all of them at once wouldn't do much good. He suspected that it had something to do with the Demonic Cores. Considering that the Spirit Cultivation Pills were regularly distributed by the sect, they shouldn't be so ineffective.

"A small amount won't do. Even if I took dozens, it wouldn't have much of an effect." Naruto closed his eyes, concentrating on the spiritual energy in his body. It was no longer a stream; it had turned into a river. It was not a massive river, but definitely larger than a stream. As it circulated through his body, it gave him a feeling of power. He could sense an astonishing amount of energy filling him.

Considering the shocking level of power, Naruto knew that compared to yesterday, he had undergone a thorough rebirth. Before, he was a weak Cultivator who anyone could push around. Now, amongst the third level disciples who could occupy the Public Zone, his Cultivation base was so high that it placed him as one of the most powerful.

He waved his right hand excitedly and a Flame Serpent as long as his arm roared to life. Its heat immediately filled the Immortal's Cave. The fierce Flame Serpent, filled with awe-inspiring savagery, spit out a blast of fire.

If he had encountered Kiba with this level of power, his Flame Serpent would have flown forth. It would at the very least have seriously injured him, if not left him dead.

* * *

Toward the end of September, it grew as hot as usual. The heat refused to dissipate, instead growing more and more intense. In the lands of Ninshu, things usually began to cool by around the eleventh month of the year in the Southern Domain in the Five Elements Nation. By the first month of the following year, the freezing grip of winter could be felt.

One morning at dawn, Naruto left the Immortal's Cave, eyes shining, full of hope regarding the future.

"My Cultivation base is just a hair's breadth away from the peak of the third level of Chakra Condensation," he said, taking a deep breath. "Perhaps I can't be considered powerful in the Outer Sect, but at least no one will pick on me." He looked off into the distance. The mountain breeze lifted his hair up as it blew past, and he suddenly appeared quite elegant.

Originally a down-and-out scholar, he had entered the world of Immortals. When he thought back to the events which had occurred in the preceding days, they seemed almost unreal.

"It's too bad I don't have enough Spirit Stones. And the Spirit Condensation Pills aren't strong enough to be of any use…" His excitement faded into disappointment when he thought about Spirit Stones.

"Fatty, Shikamaru, and that other headstrong young man," Naruto muttered to himself. "The four of us came to the Reliance Sect together. I wonder how they are now." His body moved forward in a flash. Circulating the spiritual energy in his body, he immediately headed toward the North Mountain.

The East, South, West and North Mountains of the Reliance Sect towered mightily into the sky, covered with pavilions carved from jade. If you looked at the mountains closely, you could see rays of dawn light seeping over their peaks, just beginning to illuminate the surroundings.

White clouds wound around the peaks, concealing parts of the mountains. It really did seem like a place of Immortals.

If you wanted to go from the South Mountain to the North Mountain, but wanted to circumvent the Outer Sect, then you would have to pass along the East or West Mountain. Naruto walked along the path passing the East Mountain, two wild chickens in hand.

"I haven't seen Fatty in about two months, I wonder if he's lost any weight." Thinking about Fatty, Naruto smiled. Then, his eyes flickered and he stopped walking.

He felt a gentle breeze from up ahead, which carried along with it a thin fog. Amidst the fog walked a young man wearing a luxurious white robe.

He was clearly different than other Outer Sect disciples. His garment was as white as snow and his long hair flowed over his shoulders. Incredibly handsome, almost pretty, he gave off the sense of being perfect in every way, both physically and in temperament. It was as if he had been blessed by Heaven, Chosen by nature.

His expression was cool and indifferent, as if nothing were worthy to cause him to change it. Even if the mountains crumbled in front of him, he would remain calm. The fog beneath him roiled and churned.

Behind him walked two youths, who were also handsome, but when compared to the white-robed young man seemed like trash.

"Elder Brother Sasuke, we've heard that in a few years, the Sect will have special training to promote disciples to the Inner Sect. We Junior Brothers would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you in advance."

"Yes. When Elder Brother Sasuke entered the Sect, he was already famous. He even aroused the interest of the other three great Sects. But in the end, you decided to stick with the Reliance Sect. What extraordinary magnanimity! Refusal to violate the etiquette of the Sect, ignoring the invitations of the outsiders, reaching the sixth level of Chakra Condensation in these two years. I even heard one of the Patriarchs say that the promotion training was being held just for Elder Brother Sasuke."

"That's right. Once Elder Brother Sasuke enters the Inner Sect, it won't be long before he surpasses elder sister Hinata and elder brother Guy. He'll be the famous number one disciple of the Reliance Sect."

"Don't speak foolishly," said the man in the white robe, his voice gentle. "elder sister Hinata is a Chosen, and elder brother Guy is wholeheartedly focused on the Dao. They are both fellow disciples whom I admire and respect." His voice was light and warm, but also manly and pleasant to the ear. This was the number one disciple of the Outer Sect, Sasuke Uchiha.

"Elder Brother has achieved outstanding mastery of Cultivation. With such latent talent and good nature, we Junior Brothers are happy to receive your instruction."

"Yes, Elder Brother Sasuke treats everyone kindly, even disciples of the first level of Chakra Condensation. Everyone in the Sect knows this. I truly admire you."

The three of them talked, walking slowly toward Naruto. Elder Brother Sasuke, in his white robe, caught sight of the Naruto and nodded. He passed them, and the other two people didn't even give him a single look. As they walked off, Naruto glanced back. It was then that he noticed the white-robed man's feet were not on the ground. Instead, he floated along about seven inches off the ground. Naruto gaped in shock.

He realized that he himself couldn't even compare in any way. He was frail and swarthy, not attractive in any way. Furthermore, he carried two squirming chickens in his hands.

"So that's Elder Brother Sasuke. He has the ability to float in the air, a skill which comes with the fifth level of Chakra Condensation." He had heard rumors about Elder Brother Sasuke, and knew a lot about him. When Sasuke had entered the Sect, it had caused a big commotion in the Cultivation world in the Five Elements Nation. No one knew the true price paid by the Reliance Sect to calm the waves of commotion, or why he had decided to stay.

"If I looked like him, I could have placed first in the Imperial examinations. I could have married the Emperor's daughter."

Filled with admiration, Naruto turned and continued on toward the North Mountain.

He didn't stop the entire way, and by midday, had arrived in the wild mountains bordering the North Mountain. This was where he and Fatty had usually come to chop wood. As soon as he arrived, he heard the sounds of chopping. With a smile, he walked briskly forward, and soon caught sight of Fatty, chopping away at a tree.

He was about to call out a greeting, then stopped and took a step back.

"You stole my wife, and my food. I'm gonna chop you to death! I'm gonna bite you to death!" Fatty hadn't lost any weight. In fact, he was a bit fatter. He looked like a round ball.

His eyes were closed, and he stood there howling, surrounded by chopped up pieces of wood. He hacked at the trees, his body twisting. Then, he dropped the ax and fell to sleep.

Deep bite marks could be seen on the long handle of the ax.

Naruto was shocked. He had never imagined that in his two months away, Fatty's sleepwalking behavior would become even more severe. Now it wasn't just happening at night, but during the day as well.

He was hesitating as to whether or not to awaken him, when suddenly Fatty's nose twitched and he rubbed his eyes. He gazed about, eyes shining, looking as if he were about to drool.

"I smell wild chicken! Yeah, two of them!" He jumped up and looked around, although he didn't see Naruto standing there in the jungle. Then he saw the felled trees around him, a look of gratefulness filled his eyes.

"Ah, Naruto, you're so kind," he said emotionally. "You've been gone so long, but you keep coming back secretly to help me chop wood. It's been like this for almost two months. Naruto, I, Choji , have never had a better friend in my whole life."

Naruto, still standing off in the distance, heard all of this and was amazed. He looked strangely at Fatty, then coughed lightly and stepped forward.

When he appeared, it seemed Fatty could sense him. He turned his head and caught sight of him, his face full of excitement.

"Naruto, you finally show your face," he said eagerly. "Every time I wake up, I call out for you, but you never appear… ah?" His gaze fell onto the two wild chickens, and his eyes grew wide.

A bit later, fire surrounded the chickens, and a fragrant aroma filled the air. Naruto and Fatty sat together, just the same as when they had both been servants. They gobbled down the chicken.

"I haven't had wild chicken for two months," said Fatty, his mouth full of chicken. "How come you haven't shown your face all this time? Since you always come to help me chop wood, why don't you bring chickens too?" The joy on his face was clearly apparent as he looked at Naruto. It seemed that in his time in the Reliance Sect, he had come to view Naruto as a relative.

Naruto gave an enigmatic laugh and offered no explanation. Taking a bite of chicken, he looked at Fatty. It was then he noticed that Fatty's teeth seemed to be longer than before.

"How has your Cultivation training been going?" he asked. "Have you been able to sense spiritual energy?"

"Don't bring it up," he said with a deep sigh. "I train every night, but the strange thing is, I haven't been able to sense even a tiny bit of spiritual energy. The only thing that happens is that my teeth grow. I'm worried I might bite my tongue off." He looked quite depressed.

"Open your mouth," Naruto said suddenly. "Let me see your teeth." What Naruto saw shocked him.

After swallowing a mouthful of chicken, Fatty opened his mouth to reveal a set of long teeth that glittered in the sunlight. As he examined them, Naruto's expression grew even stranger. He almost couldn't believe it. He could clearly sense spiritual energy fluctuating within Fatty's teeth.

"How is Fatty doing his training?" Naruto thought. "How could the spiritual energy be moving into his teeth? They've become Spirit Teeth? If he keeps training this way, they'll transform into true treasures…" He shook his head in amazement.

Time passed, and soon the sun was about to set. Naruto and Fatty chatted just as they used to in the old days. He told Fatty all about the things that had happened in the Outer Sect, with the exception of the copper mirror, of course.

Fatty listened raptly, filled with the desire to reach the first level of Chakra Condensation and get promoted.

When it came time to leave, Naruto gave a Spirit Condensation Pill to Fatty. He swallowed it, and then they parted. Fatty watched Naruto disappear into the jungle, looking a bit melancholy, assuring himself that he would apply himself diligently to cultivation training.

He had come by route of the East Mountain, so Naruto decided to return by the West Mountain. This was his first time traversing the entirety of the Reliance Sect. By the time dusk fell, he was walking next to a plateau which jutted out from the West Mountain. On the plateau was a massive stone tablet.

The stone tablet was the color of blood, as if it had been painted with gore. Several characters were carved onto the cold stone.

Low Level Public Zone.

There were more characters off to the side, smaller. It explained that the Chakra Condensation fourth level disciples were prohibited from entering. Only first through third levels could enter the Public Zone.

Looking up, Naruto could see the multiple figures interlocked in combat. Many techniques were being used as they fought desperately. Blood sprayed in all directions, and miserable cries rang out. An arm was lopped off, a bag of holding snatched.

As he watched, someone rushed down the mountain, screaming, followed by a huge man with a hideous grin.

"Help me!"

"Who can save you from Yoroi?!"

* * *

Not too far ahead of him, Naruto saw someone screaming for help. Before the person could get off of the plateau, the huge man's flying sword hit him, piercing his neck. He fell twitching to the ground in a shower of blood, rattled out a last breath, then died. The huge man grabbed his victim's bag of holding, then turned and headed back into the Public Zone.

Naruto watched the grisly scene unfold, then further observed what was happening on the plateau. The sounds of slaughter drifted along with the wind, which carried the scent of blood and gore into Naruto's nostrils.

"You can get rich overnight in this place, but it's also extremely dangerous. For cultivation, for Spirit Stones, people put their lives on the line. It's not really worth it." Naruto frowned. He was almost at the peak of the third level of Chakra Condensation, but what was happening up there was just too chaotic. It would be too easy to be injured, and if he were robbed, it would have a long-lasting effect.

Naruto thought about the lack of Spirit Stones in his bag. If he depended on receiving Spirit Stones distributed by the Sect, who knew how many years he would have to wait. Muttering to himself, he looked up at the Cultivators on the plateau. They fought fiercely, each and every one having suffered injuries. Suddenly, Naruto had a flash of inspiration, an idea.

His idea grew more and more clear, and his eyes began to shine. He turned and hurried off, not to the Immortal's Cave in the Southern Mountain, but rather down to the Outer Sect. He skirted the main square, and eventually arrived at a building.

The building appeared to be ancient, and was surrounding by the fragrant aroma of medicine. Inscribed above the doorway were characters which read: Pill Cultivation Workshop.

It wasn't his first time coming here. Actually, in his first month after being promoted to the Outer Sect, he had come here once to check out the various medicinal pills which were for sale. That was when he had learned about the Fasting Pills you could buy which would prevent hunger for several days.

The only currency used here was Spirit Stones and Spirit Condensation Pills. Unfortunately, the exchange rate was very unfair. For example, one Spirit Condensation Pill could be traded for ten Fasting Pills. Because of this, few people came here, and it tended to be cold and deserted.

When he arrived, Naruto didn't hesitate. It wasn't large inside, and sitting cross-legged right in the middle of the room was a sickly looking middle-aged man. Surrounding him on the interlocking wooden shelves were an assortment of gourd bottles, inscribed upon which were the names of various medicines.

There were Blood Coagulation Pills which could treat external injuries, Skeletal Relaxation Pills to relieve fatigue, Spirit Refreshment Pills to temporarily increase energy and of course Fasting Pills and Appetite Control Pills. There were even Marrow Growth Pills which could treat broken and crushed bones.

There were many types of medicines, but all of them were considerably costly. For most, the cost of three to ten pills was one Spirit Condensation Pill. To most disciples of the Inner Sect, a Spirit Condensation Pill was worth fighting over, so few were willing to come here and trade them away.

Naruto strolled around the Pill Cultivation Workshop muttering to himself, his eyes glittering. Then, he pulled out five Spirit Condensation Pills and exchanged them for a handful of different types of medicines.

It seemed the sickly man didn't see customers like Naruto very often. He brightened up immediately, handing over the bottle gourds of medicine.

Placing all the bottles gourds into his bag of holding, Naruto left, carefully taking a circuitous route through the mountainous forest back to the Immortal's cave. By the time he arrived, night had fallen.

He sat down cross-legged, looking at the four bottle gourds.

"The sages said, if you do not expend, you will not profit. I've paid a lot this time, and I'm going get a lot in return." Quietly comforting himself in this way, he stood and left the cave, returning shortly with a long tree branch about the thickness of his arm, along with a large pile of leaves.

He pulled a green robe out from Kiba's bag of holding and tore the seams apart, then laid it out in front of him. It seemed the right size, so he pulled another robe out, tore the seams, and placed it with the first. He looked down, contented.

Next, he crushed up the leaves to produce a thick sap. Then, he dipped his fingers into the makeshift ink and wrote several large characters onto the cloth in sweeping calligraphy.

He looked at it, feeling quite satisfied, then closed his eyes and began doing breathing exercises.

The night passed, and early the next morning, he picked up the tree branch and left the cave hurriedly.

It didn't take long to reach the plateau, and despite the early hour, there were already a few disciples there locked in battle. The fierceness of the fighting was readily apparent. Ignoring the other Cultivators, Naruto passed the large stone tablets and walked onto the plateau. His eyes scanned the surroundings, until falling to rest on a boulder which stuck up out of the ground along the border.

He walked over and sat down cross-legged on the boulder, looking every bit the peaceful and harmless scholar. Occasionally some of the others would look at him darkly, whereupon he would reveal some of his cultivation level. Frightened, they left him alone. He decided to wait until more people arrived.

Time passed, and gradually, more and more fellow disciples arrived in the Public Zone. Soon, there were about twenty people. Some of them looked at the kind, scholarly Naruto, and started to walk toward him. All he had to do was reveal a bit of his cultivation level and they would retreat in shock.

After a while, he figured there were enough people. He slapped his bag of holding, retrieving the cloth strip. He attached it to the tree branch, which he then stabbed into the clay soil next to the boulder. The mountain breeze lifted the cloth up, turning it into a streaming banner. It caught the attention of quite a few of the people nearby, particularly the characters written on it.

"Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet."

The dark green characters seemed to flash, causing the facial expressions of the nearby Reliance Sect disciples to change. Some seemed astonished, others confused. Some sneered and others frowned.

"Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet? What does that mean?"

"Don't tell me that guy is an apprentice alchemist sent by the Sect's Pill Cultivation Workshop?"

"He looks familiar…"

Discussions broke out on the plateau after Naruto revealed the flag. But after a bit of time passed, the fighting and robbing resumed. Blood showered and screams rang out.

Naruto's eyes shone as he looked about at the people in the Public Zone. Not far off from him were two Cultivators of the second level of Chakra Condensation, locked in combat, their eyes red. One of them had a shoulder sliced open by his opponent's flying sword. Blood showered out, and he seemed to be in quite a difficult position.

"Brother, come here," called out Naruto. "Brother, the sages said, it is unwise to risk one's life when injured. You seem to be bleeding quite profusely from your shoulder. It won't benefit you to let yourself be killed. I happen to have a Blood Coagulation pill here from the Pill Cultivation Workshop. It can heal all of the sword wounds on your body in less time than it takes to take three breaths." As Naruto made his sales pitch, the two fighting men ignored him and continued to fight. The injured Cultivator's eyes grew redder, and the wound on his shoulder grew worse. Then, blood poured from his chest as his opponent's flying sword hit him again.

"Look, you got wounded again," admonished Naruto of his first potential customer. "Quick, come buy a Blood Coagulation Pill! Otherwise, you might be defeated. All you have to do is give me one Spirit Stone, and I'll give you the Blood Coagulation Pill. It's definitely worth it."

"Shut up," roared the injured Cultivator, retreating a pace. "The Pill Cultivation Workshop is a rip-off, but they charge one Spirit Stone for five Blood Coagulation Pills. You're even worse!"

"Ai, it's not expensive. Your life is much more precious than a Spirit Stone. If you die, then all your Spirit Stones will belong to someone else. All you have to do is buy some of my medicine, and then you'll have the chance to win and snatch your opponent's bag of holding. All for the price of a single Spirit Stone. Is that expensive? You're not buying medicine, you're buying your own life." Naruto stood. Perhaps his words had affected the wounded Cultivator. He struggled backwards a few paces, hesitation showing on his face.

"Dammit," roared the man's opponent, pointing his flying sword. "If you mess things up for me, then after I kill this guy I'll come after you!"

"I'll buy it!" said the injured man, slapping his bag of holding and producing a Spirit Stone which he shot toward Naruto. Naruto snatched it out of the air and tossed back a Blood Coagulation Pill. The Cultivator grabbed it and placed it onto his shoulder wound. It stopped bleeding almost immediately.

Refreshed, his spirit enlivened, he leaped back into the fight. Suddenly, his opponent retreated, blood flowing out from his wounded chest.

"Brother, Brother," said Naruto, switching customers. "Your opponent bought one of my Blood Coagulation Pills and is now brimming with energy. I think if you don't buy one as well, you will be facing much peril. I don't just have Blood Coagulation Pills. I also have Skeletal Relaxation Pills to counter fatigue. I'll give you one each for two Spirit Stones. That will guarantee you healing and plenty of energy. You'll definitely be able to achieve victory."

"You… you…" said the first man indignantly. He didn't know what to say. Was this Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet Pill boy here to help him or hurt him? He had just gone from a miserable situation to one of hope. Then, this happened. He attacked more incisively in his indignation. The scene playing out in front of him was exactly the same as when he had bought his medicine.

"If you win, then you're actually spending someone else's Spirit Stones on the medicine," said Naruto enticingly, holding the medicinal pills in his hands. "It's really worth it."

"I'll take it," said the man who had already bought a pill.

"Dammit, give it to me," said the Cultivator who had originally held the upper hand. Despite his hatred for Naruto, hearing the other man demand the medicine caused him to grit his teeth and open his mouth.

"I'll give three Spirit Stones!"

"Brother, he's offering three. If you can't top that, I'll have to give the medicine to him. Take care!"

"I'll give four!"

"Brother, he's offering four. Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Dammit. I give up. Die!" The Cultivator who had originally held the upper hand turned on Naruto, furious. At first, the battle had been quite simple. But once Naruto got involved, everything got complicated. He flew toward Naruto, murderous intent filling his face, clearly aiming to exterminate him.

As he neared, Naruto's visage, meek, scholarly and business-like, suddenly changed, growing somber and stern. Just before the Cultivator reached him, he took a step forward, his right palm slapping forward. Spiritual energy poured out with a bang.

The Cultivator flew back with a shriek, overwhelmed by the spiritual energy of Naruto's third level of Chakra Condensation. The attack had struck him unconscious.

Naruto snatched his bag of holding, and then his somber, stern expression changed, and he was once again the weak scholar. All the onlookers were shocked.

"Brother, I believe you just offered me six Spirit Stones," he said shyly, looking a bit embarrassed.

The other Cultivator's face paled, and his body trembled. He stared at Naruto with astonishment and terror. How could he ever have imagined that things would turn out this way? How could this apparently weak and feeble person have changed so much? It was almost as if what he had just witnessed was a dream.

* * *

The scene, which had attracted the attention of the other nearby Cultivators, caused their expressions to change. Many seemed to be at a loss, unsure of exactly what had happened. But now, they all knew that Naruto was not someone to provoke.

Even though they didn't know exactly what had happened, Naruto's trembling first customer did. His heart pounding madly, he slapped his bag of holding and produced six Spirit Stones, which he respectfully handed over. He regretted having hesitated in front of the Pill Cultivation Workshop in the past. By fretting over his Spirit Stones at that time, he'd ended up with no medicine. And now, he didn't have any Spirit Stones to go buy anything for himself.

Naruto accepted the Spirit Stones, produced a Blood Coagulation pill and Skeletal Relaxation Pill, and gave them to the man.

"Many thanks for your patronage," he said with a wide smile. "Come back again soon." Once again, he looked weak and feeble. But to the Cultivator standing in front of him, he was a vicious beast in sheep's clothing. Trembling, the man made his exit.

As he left, Naruto decided not to return to his spot on the rock. He grabbed the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet banner and began to stroll about the Public Zone. He stopped next to two battling disciples, sticking the banner into the ground.

"Brother, it seems you're injured," he said, stepping forward. "You also seem somewhat listless. You don't seem to be in the right state to be fighting."

The two disciples stared at him in amazement. Having just seen him knock someone out, they hesitated, and at the same time, both backed up a bit.

"I happen to have some Spirit Refreshment Pills from the Pill Cultivation Workshop. Take one, and you will be completely reinvigorated, your victory guaranteed. Since today is our opening day of business, it only costs one Spirit Stone. How convenient!" Naruto continued to walk forward, his face filled with sincerity.

"I already have some medicinal pills," said the man he had been giving his sales pitch to. He slapped his grab of holding, and a Spirit Refreshment Pill appeared, which he popped into his mouth.

Upon seeing this, Naruto sighed. He had watched his first customer for some time before determining that he had no medicinal pills. With a light cough, he looked at the second man standing in front of him. The man gave a cold harrumph, then produced his own medicinal pill and swallowed it, sighing inwardly.

But Naruto wasn't disheartened. He circled back to the boulder, continuing to watch the two of them. As time passed, they seemed to be looking worse and worse off. Soon, it was clear they were out of medicinal pills, and the critical juncture in the fight had arrived. Victory and defeat would be decided.

His spirits risen again, Naruto hefted the banner and approached them again.

"Brothers, the moment of life or death has arrived. You don't have any medicinal pills left, but don't worry, I have some right here.

"At this critical juncture, buy one of my Soul Congealing Pills. It will restore your energy in a flash, and even recover your spiritual energy. Brothers, you're not buying a medicinal pill, you're buying spiritual energy. Aiyo, you're injured!" Naruto's words distracted the Cultivators. A flying sword hit one of them in the arm, sending out a fountain of blood. He retreated backward with a scream.

Naruto was even faster than him, following and continuing his speech, looked as weak and scholarly as ever.

"Brother, now is the time. You're bleeding profusely. Quick, buy a Blood Coagulation Pill. If you don't, the danger is just too great."

"Get out of here!" the man's opponent roared at Naruto. He charged his injured opponent.

"Give me a pill," said the injured Cultivator, his face pale. Retreating several paces, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a Spirit Stone. A Blood Coagulation Pill shot from Naruto's hand onto the wound on the man's arm. The blood flow began to slow. He focused his attention, then leaped back into the fight.

"Aiya, Brother, it seems you're out of medicinal pills. Look, I have plenty. Now that your opponent bought one, he's bursting with energy. But you're injured. Why don't you buy a Blood Coagulation pill?

"Oh no, you got slashed again. You must be really tired. Take it slow, and don't be discouraged. Brother, I still have a Skeletal Relaxation Pill.

"One Spirit Stone for one pill. You should buy pills quickly. The sages said, Spirit Stones have a price, but a life is priceless." Naruto slowly circled them. Sure enough, they were out of medicinal pills, and soon, they began buying. Feeling pressure from each other, they bought quite a few. The battle grew more serious. Their fighting today was more intense than four or five normal battles.

Originally, it had been a fairly simple fight, but with the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet here, things were complicated. With dangerous fighting, comes injury. The two cannot be separated.

Flop. Flop. The two men had finally exhausted every scrap of energy. They dropped to the ground, unconscious, Spirit Stones spent and medicinal pills eaten up. Even their magical items were destroyed in the battle, seemingly together along with their wits. How tragic.

As far as Naruto was concerned, he had saved their lives. Or at least one life. Hefting his banner, he once again strolled around the plateau, and once again found two Cultivators locked in devastating combat. From the look of it, even if they had healing medicine, it was gone by now. Eyes glistening, he stood the banner up next to the two of them.

"Brothers, your complexions seem bad, and you've received some serious injuries. But fear not, I have medicinal pills. One Spirit Stone buys one pill; your recovery is guaranteed.

"How come you aren't saying anything? Don't tell me you don't trust me? Just now another disciple bought some of my pills. The result for his opponent was death."

Shortly, each of the men bought a pill, then again, and again, until they had no more Spirit Stones left. After much bitter battling, they ended their fight in a tie, with nothing to show for it except empty bags of holding.

Naruto shook his head, picked up the banner and found a new place to do business.

By the time the sun set, Naruto had been everywhere in the Public Zone, selling medicinal pills. In the end, wherever he went, the battling would instantly cease, and the participants would leave. Eventually, Naruto stared out over an empty Public Zone. Contentedly patting his bag of holding, he left.

It was late at night when he arrived at the Immortal's Cave. He sat down cross-legged and excitedly began to take inventory of his spoils.

"One, two…" He grew more and more excited as he counted. "Altogether I have fifty-three. I'm rich. This method is much faster than robbing people. It's also much safer. No need for killing."

"I don't have many medicinal pills left, so tomorrow I'll go to the Pill Cultivation Workshop and buy some more. If I want the business to do well, I should buy out all of this month's healing medicines. If I don't have enough Spirit Stones, I'll just buy as much as I can. The scarcer the pills, the easier they'll be to sell."

Naruto opened the bag of holding he had taken from the unconscious Cultivator. Inside were a few Spirit Stones, two Spirit Condensation Pills, and a pink-colored medicinal pill.

He held the pill up and examined it. He recognized it as one of the Pill Cultivation Workshop's Cosmetic Cultivation Pills, an expensive pill. It was worth about ten Spirit Condensation Pills, and could be considered one of the most expensive products available.

"This pill is designed to maintain one's physical appearance. It would be a waste for me to use it on myself." He figured the previous owner must have been trying to ingratiate himself to a female disciple. Not thinking any more on the subject, he put the pill into his bag of holding.

As he was looking down contentedly at all the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills, the main door of the Immortal's Cave suddenly creaked and began to open. It happened so quickly, Naruto had no time to gather up all his spoils.

A woman entered, surrounded by a halo of moonlight. She was beautiful, but cold and expressionless. She wore a long silver robe that made it seem as if she had donned the moon itself.

It was none other than the Reliance Inner Sect's elder sister Hinata.

As she entered the Immortal's Cave, moonlight fell onto the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills which lay in front of Naruto. A sliver of astonishment suddenly cut through her cold demeanor.

"Greetings, elder sister Hinata," said Naruto, scrambling to his feet. His right hand swept up the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills. He stood there, looking embarrassed.

elder sister Hinata didn't say anything. She just looked at Naruto, nodded, then turned to leave.

Look surprised, Naruto followed after her.

"elder sister Hinata, you took the trouble to come here, why not stay a bit?"

"There's no need," she replied coldly. "I'll be going into secluded meditation starting tomorrow, and I just wanted to check in on you." She looked him over, then walked out of the cave.

Naruto felt embarrassed, regretting having not collected up the Spirit Stones more quickly. In that case, he would have looked a bit worse off, and perhaps elder sister Hinata would have been willing to help him out some more.

At the same time, he felt a bit of warmth in his heart. elder sister Hinata appeared cold and indifferent, but she had come here to see him, which meant she remembered him. His heart thumping, he slapped his bag of holding and produced the pink-colored medicinal pill.

"I've been wanting to thank you, elder sister Hinata. I saved up quite a bit of Spirit Condensation Pills so that I could trade them for this Cosmetic Cultivation Pill. Please accept it. In my eyes, only you are worthy of such a pill. From the moment I entered the sect, I've had a dream, that you would stay young forever, and be eternally beautiful." Without so much as a wink, he solemnly and respectfully held out the pill.

elder sister Hinata stopped walking and looked back at him. She glanced silently at the pill in his hand, then accepted it.

"Even though Spirit Condensation Pills are common in the sect, they are only effective up to the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. We Cultivators place much importance on our Cultivation base. We live in the world of Cultivation, a place where life and death hang in the balance. You can't be like this in the future. You may be intelligent, but you need to work more on your cultivation." This was the first time Naruto had heard elder sister Hinata speak so much. As she spoke, he nodded respectfully.

"As long as elder sister Hinata likes it, I'm willing to trade for it," he said, lowering his head and blinking. He looked a bit shy.

"This pill… I'll accept it this time, but next time don't trade your pills like this." She put the pill away, hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a pink-colored jade pendant which she handed to Naruto.

"This is a magical item," she said. "You need to protect yourself." She began to walk down the mountain.

"Many thanks, elder sister Hinata," said Naruto. "Would you allow me to accompany you while you walk? I haven't seen you for so long, and I have some questions regarding Cultivation that I hope you can clear up for me." He knew that this was an important opportunity. This was the only person he had to rely on, so he needed to get close to her. If he could walk with her through the Outer Sect and be seen by others, perhaps fewer people would be willing to mess with him in the future.

elder sister Hinata hesitated. She was an indifferent person, and usually didn't say much. She had never spent time with male sect members, and it felt a bit strange to have Naruto standing there next to her. She was about to refuse, but after he finished speaking, she thought bashfully of the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill he had given her, and she nodded quietly.

The moon shone down gently on the two of them as they walked.

Just then, at the peak of the North Mountain, a tall old man stood up, clad in a gray robe. As he looked down on the scene, a look of admiration appeared on his face.

"Excellent. This pup Naruto isn't bad at all. He truly grasps the correct interpretation of the Reliance Sect. He knows how to find someone to rely on. And he also knows that if he protects his relationship with that person, then he will always have someone to rely on." This was the same old man who had expressed admiration for Naruto on Pill Distribution day. The more he learned about Naruto, the more he liked him.

* * *

elder sister Hinata was like a tiger pelt, which, when worn while strolling about the Outer Sect, would immediately attract attention. When the Outer Sect disciples saw elder sister Hinata walking with Naruto, strange expressions filled their faces. This was especially true for those who had bought medicines from Naruto earlier that day. Hatred blossomed, and then was held back.

As for those with higher level Cultivation bases, they didn't know what had happened on the plateau, but they still recognized Naruto, and conjectured that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Actually, Naruto didn't know it, but he had become a rather famous person in the Outer Sect in the past two months.

As far as he was concerned, the most important thing was getting through each day. Right now it was night, and not many disciples were about. Not even half of them saw the scene play out.

Realizing that his opportunity was not easy to come by, and shouldn't be lost, Naruto prattled on with some of his best humble scholar's words. He led taciturn elder sister Hinata to the Pill Cultivation Workshop, where the middle-aged man, both nervous and anxious, sold him all of the various healing pills at a very low price. It would take months to restock the amount of pills he took.

They even went to the Treasure Pavilion. When elder sister Hinata stared ferociously at the shrewd-looking man, his face grew pale. He surreptitiously slipped a Spirit Stone to Naruto and indicated that he could exchange the copper mirror at any time. Naruto gave a cold harrumph, looking detested, and told the man that he'd lost the mirror ages ago.

The Treasure Pavilion Brother laughed bitterly and apologized. He told him not to worry, that the mirror had been lost in the past and was always found again within two or three years. At the foot of the East Mountain, Naruto watched elder sister Hinata walk off into the distance, surrounded by moonlight. That was the first time he realized that she was actually incredibly beautiful, like some sort of Immortal goddess.

"Too bad she's so cold, otherwise I would think about marrying her." He fantasized idly for a bit, then gave a few dry coughs and headed back to the Immortal's Cave.

The night passed by uneventfully, and early the next day, as the first rays of dawn appeared, Naruto energetically made his way to the plateau.

"I'm just a sliver away from the peak of the third level of Chakra Condensation. It's too bad I don't have the right medicinal pills. Demonic Cores aren't easy to get, and I would have to go to that black mountain, which is just too dangerous." As he walked, an idea began to form.

"My goal now is to collect Spirit Stones. Then, the next time I can get a Demonic Core, I will be able to make a massive leap of progress. If I can get to the fifth level of Chakra Condensation…" His heart began to thump, and his eyes shined with anticipation.

"Being of the fifth level in the Outer Sect makes you a kind of lord. And most importantly, you can use the Wind Walking technique." Naruto thought back to Elder Brother Sasuke and how he was able to hover seven inches above the ground, and his heart beat even faster.

Soon, the plateau appeared in front of him, and he hurried forward. Looking every bit the humble scholar, he sat down cross-legged on the boulder.

Soon, more and more Cultivators appeared, including some who hadn't been present the day before. The sounds of battle filled the air, along with blood-curdling screams. Naruto scanned the scene, trying to pick out his first potential customer of the day. He didn't notice that in another part of the Public Zone, a man was carefully making his way through the crowd.

The Cultivator walked slowly, looking all around. Suddenly, his gaze fell onto Naruto, and his body trembled. He stopped walking.

This was Naruto's first customer from the day before. He had personally witnessed Naruto knock down his opponent, then act bashful afterwards. He hadn't expected him to return today, yet there he was.

"How come he's still here? That swindler! His wares are simply too expensive!" The Cultivator felt both hatred and fear. Heaving a sigh, he was about to leave, when suddenly his eyes caught sight of a manly disciple entering the Public Zone.

"It's Yoroi… He's at the peak of the second level, just a step away from the third. His cousin Mizuki is the number one disciple in the Low-Level Public Zone. Thanks to him, Yoroi can bully people and use despicable tactics to hurt people when fighting. People get angry, but won't say anything. If it were anyone else, people would have ganged up on him long ago. He didn't show up yesterday, so things went relatively smoothly. Today's going to be good." The Cultivator moved a bit closer, convinced that Yoroi would end up provoking the guy from the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet. Considering he hated both of them, he looked forward eagerly to their misery.

Some of the nearby combatants caught sight of Yoroi, and their expressions changed. They stepped aside quickly, afraid of incurring the wrath of the manly disciple.

Yoroi snorted coldly. He was tall, tough and stocky. His cold, hard stare was intimidating, as if the Low Level Public Zone was his own backyard. Other than two or three people who he didn't want to mess with, he looked down on everyone. Frowning, he wondered why he hadn't seen his good friend Kiba lately. This made his mood sour, so he stalked about looking for a newbie to steal medicinal pills from.

Then, his gaze fell upon Naruto, and the big banner sticking up next to him.

At first, he had barely noticed him. But then he saw the gloating Cultivator watching on in the distance, and his interest was piqued.

"Go, go, quickly," said the Cultivator under his breath. He suddenly realized that watching the fighting was a lot more interesting than participating in it.

Perhaps his mumblings had some effect, because Yoroi rolled his eyes and then strode over to Naruto. People hurried to get out of his way.

Naruto sat on the boulder, looking as resolute as ever, preparing to hawk his medicines. But as he saw Yoroi approaching, he realized he could not accomplish his goal. He raised his head, feeling a bit of pity.

This man was no stranger to him. He was the violent man he had seen a few days ago. Naruto sat there, a weak scholar. Looking bashful and a bit ardent, he said:

"Brother, it's our second day in business. All pills are in stock, and each one is essential for battle. Would you like to buy some?"

Yoroi looked him over but was unable to estimate his Cultivation base. If a person's Chakra Condensation level is below the seventh, then unless they intentionally emit spiritual energy, their Cultivation base will be motionless, and it is impossible to see how powerful they are. Only at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation does it become visible to others.

Therefore, he had no way to know Naruto's level.

"When I buy things, I don't need to spend money. Hand over all your medicinal pills and Spirit Stones. If you dally, I'll snap your neck." His eyes flashed, and his tone was utterly forceful and domineering. After all, this was the Low-Level Public Zone, and everyone here revered him. His cousin was Mizuki. As far as he was concerned, Naruto was nobody.

Off in the distance, Naruto's first customer watched the proceedings eagerly.

"Beat him to death, beat him to death!" he said quietly. Even he didn't know which party he was referring to.

"Brother, the sages said, it is not good to steal," said Naruto delicately. "Look, let's discuss things a bit. I'm running a business here, but I haven't even opened shop yet. How could I have Spirit Stones already?"

"Sages? On this plateau, I am the sage," Yoroi said, feeling even more confident after hearing Naruto speak. "If I want to beat you, who will stop me? If I want to cut you to pieces, who would even utter a peep?" Assuming Naruto was scared, he laughed heartily and took a step forward. He was very close now, and his eyes radiated insolence.

"Brother, I didn't do anything to provoke you. Furthermore, I'm not in the Public Zone. Look, I'm outside the borders." Pulling a long face, Naruto stood up on the boulder, trying to speak reasonably.

"You really can talk crap," said manly Yoroi impatiently. "If I say you're inside, then you're inside." He stepped past the banner, then swiped his hand at Naruto.

"What a bully!" When he saw manly Yoroi's hand moving, Naruto's countenance flickered, and he seemed to change into a different person. As Yoroi moved forward, so did he, and his right palm shot out.

A bang sounded out, then a horrific scream came out of manly Yoroi's mouth, followed by a fountain of blood. His body flew back some distance, his face filled with astonishment.

His Cultivation level was higher than that of the Cultivator Naruto had struck yesterday, so he didn't lose consciousness. But pain wracked his body. Even as he attempted to struggle to his feet, Naruto appeared next to him and kicked him viciously into the ground.

"The sages said, if you take things without paying, you're courting death.

"I told you, I'm running a business, and I haven't opened shop yet. I don't have any Spirit Stones." As he spoke, he continued to ruthlessly trample Yoroi. The manly man's shrill, miserable shrieks sounded out over the plateau, punctuating Naruto's each and every word. He protected his head with his hands, rolling about. Soon, footprints covered his green robe.

"I told you I was outside the Public Area, not inside," said Naruto furiously. The manly man's horrible cries began to grow weak, and it seemed that soon he wouldn't even have the energy to cry out at all. The onlooking Cultivators all seemed to suck in their breath, looking at Naruto raging in all his fury. A few of them had been present the day before, and they started to think that they had struck it lucky.

The one who understood things the most was yesterday's first customer. Looking at manly Yoroi screaming, and watching Naruto's fierce expression as he jumped up and down, he suddenly began to sweat and quiver. The longer he watched, the more he felt that Naruto was truly frightening and dangerous.

It appeared that Yoroi was about to lose consciousness. The shadow of death seemed to float over him. His vision began to grow dim. Then, he rose up his left hand, trembling. In it was a Spirit Stone.

"I… I'll buy some medicine!" he cried. He mustered all his strength to cry out as loud as possible, apparently afraid that Naruto wouldn't hear him.

Naruto stopped, his foot in mid-air. His fierce expression flickered away, replaced with the innocent scholar's. With a genial smile, he took the Spirit Stone.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" He helped Yoroi to his feet, brushing the dusty footprints off his robe.

His manly body trembled, and he stared fearfully at Naruto. Looking at him, Yoroi wanted to leave immediately, to get as far away as possible from the demon in human clothing.

As of now, he was just like the Cultivator from yesterday.

"Brother, looking at your current state, I think one medicinal pill will only help you temporarily." He gripped Yoroi by the shoulders. He seemed to stop in consideration for a moment. "You have a lot of enemies. Why don't you buy some more?"

* * *

Upon hearing this, Yoroi's body went stiff. It wasn't just him. Everyone backed up, looking at Naruto in dread.

"Buy… buy some more?" said Yoroi, shaking, his voice weak. Were it not for Naruto holding him up, he would have toppled over.

"One pill, one Spirit Stone," said Naruto affably. He retrieved several Anti-hemostasis Pills from his bag of holding. "I'm honest with all customers, Brother, please rest at ease. I won't take advantage of your misfortunate to raise prices. Just ask any of the Brothers nearby. The Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet's reputation is quite good."

Seeing all the pills, Yoroi's face paled. And then he looked at the amiable expression on Naruto's face and his back grew cold. Heart trembling, he gritted his teeth.

"Brother, you can really tell the good from the bad. These are genuine Pill Cultivation Workshop products." As he spoke, he produced some Blood Coagulation Pills and held them out.

Yoroi looked at the medicinal pills with a start, then glanced bitterly at Naruto's bag of holding. He looked back at Naruto's face and saw it filled with care and concern.

Yoroi wasn't stupid, and he understood Naruto's intentions. The blood drained from his heart. But right now his life was the most important thing, and he had no other options. He took out more Spirit Stones from his bag of holding and reluctantly handed them over.

Naruto took them with a smile, then placed the medicinal pills into Yoroi's hand one by one. In a short period of time, the Spirit Stones in Yoroi's bag of holding had been replaced by a pile of medicinal pills.

Yoroi's heart bled even more. Looking pained, he trembled.

Then he saw that Naruto still held five pills in his hand and a look of shock and desperation filled his face.

"Those other pills should be enough to help you recover. These five are for after that, to help you maintain your health." He spoke considerately as he gazed at Yoroi.

"I don't have any left, I really don't," Yoroi said, looking at Naruto, about to cry.

Naruto said nothing, looking as amiable as ever. Yoroi's scalp tingled. Gritting his teeth and ignoring his own distress, he pulled out some magic items, including flying swords, magic wands, Spirit Condensation pills and the like.

"I have no spirit stones, only these things," he said desperately.

"Magic items are also acceptable," said Naruto, taking them and putting them into his bag of holding.

Moments later, Yoroi, carrying his bundle of medicinal pills, hobbled off, supported by the arms of some fellow disciples.

Naruto patted his bag of holding contentedly. It was only morning, and he had already sold out. He decided that it was best to quit while he was ahead, so he collected his flag and told the remaining Cultivators he would see them tomorrow. Conversations broke out as he strode down from the plateau.

Half a month flashed by, during which time, Naruto grew to be quite famous among the low-level disciples. They all knew about the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet on the plateau.

Even more talked about was the owner of the shop, who looked like a delicate scholar, but who had an explosive temper. Rumors spread.

One afternoon, Yoroi walked out of his house, his face pale. Despite his poor complexion, his wounds had healed. The pills he had bought from Naruto at an exorbitant price were actually quite effective in helping him to recover.

He had hidden away for the past half month, and today was the first day he had been able to walk around. He looked hesitant at first, but finally walked through the Outer Sect, eventually reaching an area with few buildings. He stopped in front of one of them.

"Yoroi requests an audience with Elder brother Mizuki," he said, standing outside and clasping his hands in front of him respectfully.

Sitting inside cross-legged was a man of about thirty years of age wearing a green robe. He was not a handsome man, but had an appearance of excessive arrogance. His eyes flickered open, and he looked out at Yoroi appraisingly.

"What transpired?" he said coolly.

"Well, Elder brother Mizuki, I … I was robbed a few days ago." Yoroi blurted it out, feeling nervous. People outside said that Elder brother Mizuki was his cousin, but in reality, they were not related. Elder brother Mizuki usually meditated in seclusion, and did not really care about Yoroi at all.

He knew that whenever Yoroi had some hardship, he would come calling.

Hearing his words, Elder brother Mizuki seemed a bit annoyed.

"Who was it that robbed you?" he asked coolly.

"It was an Outer Sect disciple named Naruto," replied Yoroi.

"Naruto?" Elder brother Mizuki thought for a moment.

"He's completely ignorant and incompetent," said Yoroi hatefully. "But he opened up a shop on the plateau, hawking medicinal pills to disciples who get injured in battle."

"Hawking medicinal pills?" said Elder brother Mizuki with a frown. His eyes flickered.

"Yeah. Now he's one of the most famous disciples in the low level. He opened up that shop and then forces people to buy from him. Now, everyone is complaining and ashamed to be associated with him at all. They all despise him. He's aroused the wrath of heaven and earth! I beg Elder brother Mizuki to administer justice." Anger covered Yoroi's face as he thought about his own wretched experience that day.

Actually, Elder brother Mizuki didn't care at all about the things Yoroi had just said. And yet, his eyes shone.

"My Cultivation base has reached this level because of all the low-level disciples I robbed. How come in all my years in the Reliance Sect, I never thought to open a store and hawk medicinal pills…" He sighed and slapped his thigh.

Upon hearing the noise from inside, Yoroi stared in confusion at the building, not sure what it meant. He didn't dare to ask. Moments later, Elder brother Mizuki sent him away, with no assurance whatsoever that he would aid him in seeking vengeance.

The following morning at dawn, Naruto headed toward the plateau carrying his banner. He was in a good mood. He had grown accustomed walking the path to the plateau. When he reached it, he sat down on the boulder.

As soon as he appeared, the faces of the other Cultivators on the plateau grew pale. In the past half month, they had been tormented by Naruto until they were completely dispirited. But, if they didn't come, how could they rob from other disciples? Killing outside of this area was not permitted, so they had no choice but to come. What they usually did was stop fighting as soon as Naruto showed up.

But people's killing spirit would inevitably arise, animosities would be stoked. Even though Naruto's business had slowed, he still made profit.

It is worth mentioning that ever since Naruto opened his shop, there were much fewer deaths. He was quick to point this out, and it had become a key feature of his sales pitch.

As usual, Naruto looked about for potential customers. He thought to himself that this really wasn't the best method. The shopkeepers in Konoha County always had assistants. Even as a new idea was coalescing in his mind, he caught sight of a man in the distance, about thirty years old. He looked extremely arrogant, and in his hand he held a banner which looked just like Naruto's. Written on the banner were several large characters.

Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet Number 2.

This was Mizuki, the number one disciple in the lower level. His Cultivation base was similar to Naruto's, just a hair away from the peak of the third level. Naruto glanced at him, then paid him no attention. Of course there would always be imitators in business, although Naruto wasn't too pleased with the name on the banner.

The other Cultivators on the plateau looked at each other for a moment, then went back to their fighting. About an hour later, Naruto caught sight of two combatants. He hurried over and planted his banner next to them. At the same time, Mizuki hurried over and planted his banner.

As the two banners were planted, the combatants dripped with cold sweat. As far as they were concerned, the people standing there were very powerful. Normally, one would be enough to make them uncomfortable, but here were two, standing there staring.

"Brother, buying a medicinal pill will ensure your safety," said Naruto hurriedly. "One Spirit Stone per pill. I treat all customers fairly."

"Buy Lu's pills, they're just as effective," said Mizuki from the other side. He looked at the two, murderous intent flashing briefly in his eyes.

The two combatants trembled down to their guts, having lost any desire to fight. They produced Spirit Stones and handed them over to Mizuki, then raced off. Naruto frowned. This was clearly robbery, and if things went on like this, the Public Zone would soon be empty. That wasn't his desire.

By afternoon, Naruto's business had dropped significantly. Other than an order in the morning, he sold nothing at all. Mizuki, who didn't care a bit about right and wrong, forced people to buy. If they didn't buy, then he attacked them. Soon, the plateau was completely empty.

Mizuki looked down at the dozen or so Spirit Stones he had acquired. He looked cool and indifferent on the outside, but inside he burned with excitement.

"This really is a good business. If I had thought of this before, I wouldn't have been made fun of for robbing so many lower level disciples. If only that Naruto weren't here, I'm sick of him." He had not come because of Yoroi, of course, but rather to imitate Naruto's business model. Now that he had a taste of it, he wanted to have the monopoly. He looked murderously at Naruto.

"I'll practice a few more days," he thought, "then kill him."

The next day, thanks to Mizuki's powerful reputation as the number one disciple in the low level, few people showed up in the Public Zone. Those who did show up were ones who hadn't been present the day before. They had no choice but to buy medicinal pills. Naruto wasn't willing to do business like Mizuki, so he didn't get a single order.

The more Mizuki looked at Naruto, the more his murderous intentions grew. By evening of the third day, when Naruto was making his silent exit, he heard Mizuki's arrogant voice from behind him. The few people present all heard.

"If I see your banner tomorrow, I'll cripple your Cultivation base."

Naruto stopped for a moment. He said nothing, but his eyes filled with cold power. He stalked off, returning to the Immortal's cave.

"You're the one who copied me," said Naruto, his eyes fierce. "Then you stole my business, like a turtledove stealing the nest of a magpie. Then you say you'll cripple my Cultivation base!" Thinking of the murder in Mizuki's eyes, Naruto pushed open the stone door of the second room in the Immortal's cave. Instantly, thick spiritual energy began to pour out. Naruto sat down cross-legged.

He absorbed the several months' worth of accumulated spiritual energy. As dawn approached, he opened his flashing eyes. He had experienced a breakthrough. No longer was he a hair away from the peak, he was at the peak of the third level. Now he was just a step from the fourth.

But that step was not an easy one. The higher one's Cultivation base, the more difficult it was to progress, especially to the fifth and seventh levels. Those levels were often bottlenecks, extremely difficult. Naruto frowned, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to open the bag of holding and take out all of the Spirit Condensation Pills he had earned recently. Then he used copper mirror's mystical ability along with all his valuable Spirit Stones to duplicate even more Spirit Condensation Pills.

Spirit Condensation Pills were of limited use, but with a large amount, there would be some effect. Each time he used this method, though, its efficacy would be reduced.

"If I don't cripple him first, he will destroy me tomorrow." Without hesitation, he popped the pills into his mouth.

The spiritual energy in his body lacked a bit, so as the huge amount of Spirit Condensation Pills dissolved, his body began to shake. He felt his Cultivation base erupt like a flood. His mind hummed, and his consciousness faded a bit. When things grew clear, his eyes glittered. And yet, he still had not reached the fourth level of Chakra Condensation. He ground his teeth. With no other choice, he duplicated more Spirit Condensation Pills and swallowed them.

Once, twice, three times. His mind vibrated violently, as if it were being smashed by turbulent waves. Then there was a bang, and his eyes grew blurry.

Massive amounts of filth oozed out from his pores, and as it did, Naruto's vision slowly grew clearer, his body cleaner. After about an hour, his eyes glittered dazzlingly, and he was completely clear-headed.

"The fourth level of Chakra Condensation!" He felt his Cultivation base roiling like a massive river. As he rotated it, it sounded like a roaring tempest, astonishing and frightening.

His expression calm, he retrieved five flying swords from his bag of holding, spoils from the past half month. They were all products of the Treasure Pavilion, standard issue, and all looked exactly the same.

There were some other magical items which he had procured. He heaved a deep sigh, then closed his eyes and began to meditate, awaiting daybreak.

"After entering the sect and beginning my Cultivation practice, I had no choice… but to rob some people to improve my Cultivation base. But I don't want to hurt too many people. Thus, I came up with the idea of running a business. But now my business has been stolen away, and I've been threatened with crippling… That is pushing things too far!"

When dawn broke, Naruto opened his eyes and left the Immortal's cave. He washed, then headed straight for the plateau.

* * *

Dawn. The plateau. Considering the months of Naruto's hawking, and days of Mizuki's domineering, there were few Cultivators present, especially this early in the morning. There were only two or three, sitting there cross-legged.

When Naruto arrived, they opened their eyes, and each of them sighed inwardly, wondering when things would return to the way they had been before.

Moments later, they gaped in astonishment. Naruto didn't enter the plateau, but instead sat outside, cross-legged, eyes closed. He remained there, unmoving.

This strange sight left them astonished. They looked at each other, then seemed to remember something, whereupon they began to gloat.

Time passed, and soon it was late into the morning. More and more people arrived on the plateau, and every single one noticed Naruto and his unusual behavior. People began to make guesses about what was going on. Everyone was so intrigued that none of them fought.

"Could it be that Elder brother Mizuki's words really worked? Naruto is too scared, so he doesn't dare to hawk goods?"

"It must be. Elder brother Mizuki is the number one disciple in the low level. If he tells you to beat it, then you have no choice but to beat it."

"Who would have thought that this guy was so scared for his own skin? All he can do is bully people lower than him. Look at how arrogant he is. He thinks that just because he didn't bring his crappy banner, Elder brother Mizuki will let him off the hook." Many of them were like this. They wouldn't complain when being robbed by someone powerful. But if someone who looked weak and kind took their items through business, they would complain endlessly.

Mizuki had been in power for quite a while. From his first vicious attack long ago, all the way to today, when he forced people to do business with him, everyone was helpless. And yet, they had no choice but to deal with the situation. In fact, many of them believed he had become a bit gentler recently.

Naruto hadn't been in the sect for very long, and was neither very powerful nor arrogant. So even though his business was conducted gently, everyone complained relentlessly.

Naruto heard all of their talking, but his expression remained as neutral as always. Of course, his reason for sitting in meditation outside the Public Zone was not because he didn't want to enter, but rather because his Cultivation base was now at the fourth level of Chakra Condensation, and he couldn't enter even if he wanted to.

In the midst of all the discussion, someone appeared at the bottom of the mountain. He wore a green robe, looked to be about thirty years old, and wore an incredibly arrogant expression. It was Mizuki, slowly approaching, his hands clasped behind his back.

As soon as he appeared, Naruto's eyes opened, and they shone brilliantly. Everyone watched as he stood up and slapped his bag of holding. A small white sword appeared. The sword aura glistened, pressing down with a cold pressure. Naruto charged forward, and the sword aura made a beeline for Mizuki.

As soon as this happened, a buzz of conversation rose. Everyone was amazed at Naruto's lack of fear… Was he really going to cause trouble for the number one low-level disciple Mizuki?

"He… he's going to battle Mizuki!"

"They were going to fight sooner or later. Naruto injured Yoroi and Mizuki wrecked his business. This battle was unavoidable. I just never imagined Naruto would dare to attack like this. I think he doesn't know his own limitations."

"Elder brother Mizuki has been at the third level for years. Naruto will definitely lose."

Even as Naruto dashed forward, Mizuki's eyes glittered. He'd already planned to take Naruto's head if he saw him today. And now, his opponent had dared to take the initiative. It was actually helpful. He snorted, and his body seemed to turn into a rainbow as he sped toward Naruto. His right hand slapped his bag of holding and a purple-colored flying sword appeared.

When the flying sword appeared, it was accompanied by a piercing whistle, and it radiated a golden purple color with a diameter of approximately 30 meters.

"It's Elder brother Mizuki's Purple Yang sword!"

"It is! I heard he was awarded the Purple Yang sword by the Sect for some special service he did. It's mystically sharp."

Two people, one mountain. At the foot of the mountain, they charged each other.

Amidst a reverberating roar, Mizuki's expression changed and blood spurted from his mouth. He flew back several paces, staring at Naruto in shock.

"Fourth level of Chakra Condensation!"

Naruto looked a bit embarrassed. He had just entered the fourth level of Chakra Condensation, and his grasp of it was not firm. He could not release its full power.

He had made a simple attack, filled with ferocity. But cracks were already visible on his flying sword. His opponent's weapon was magically sharp, and had damaged his own weapon.

Even though Naruto didn't have much experience in fighting, in his half year or so hunting for wild beasts in the mountains, his reaction speed had grown. Furthermore, during his days on the plateau, he had observed many battles. Even as Mizuki retreated backward, he moved forward, slapping his bag of holding. Another flying sword appeared next to the cracked sword. The two sword auras merged together and shot toward Mizuki.

As he sped forward, Naruto's fingers flickered and tongues of flame congealed all around him. Three paces away, a Flame Serpent appeared, as thick as his arm, about half a meter long. It twisted in the air, then emitted a roar and shot toward Mizuki.

Looking shocked, Mizuki spit blood from his mouth and moved backwards anxiously. His eyes flashed with anger. He knew that because he had some magical items, and Naruto had just entered the fourth level, the outcome of this battle was not certain. But if he could exterminate Naruto, it would build his prestige.

Murderous intent flickered in his eyes. His fingers danced, whereupon a globe of glistening, radiant water appeared in his hands. He threw it out, whereupon it exploded, transforming into countless Water Arrows, which then shot toward the Flame Serpent.

His fingers moved again, and the Purple Yang sword slammed into Naruto's two flying swords. A booming sound rang out like iron being crushed. Naruto's two flying swords crumbled into pieces, whereupon the Purple Yang sword followed the Water Arrows toward the Flame Serpent.

With an echoing roar, the Flame Serpent disappeared into a cloud of dust. The Water Arrows became a mist and the Purple Yang sword returned to Mizuki. Its golden-purple aura did not shine quite as brightly, and a crack had appeared on its blade, but it was still as sharp as ever.

"With a fourth level Chakra Condensation like that, and no good weapon, killing you isn't going to be hard. How many times can you use your Flame Serpent art like that, considering you aren't at the fifth level?" In his heart, Mizuki was worried about his flying sword, but outside, he put on a broad smile. He didn't take a single step back.

"Your sword might be incredibly sharp, but let's see how many times you can use it. Speaking of flying swords… I have some more, too. And as for the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, with all the medicinal pills elder sister Hinata gives me, it won't be long before I break through." He showed no expression on his face, but inside Naruto was very nervous. This was his first real battle, after all. He slapped his bag of holding, and three more flying swords appeared. They shot toward Mizuki.

Mizuki looked worried for a moment, but he didn't hesitate for long. He roared, and then Naruto's three flying swords met his Purple Yang sword.

Bang bang bang! The three swords shattered. And yet, the Purple Yang sword's aura had diminished by at least half. More cracks had appeared on its surface, and Mizuki looked incredibly worried.

Before he could do anything, though, Naruto nonchalantly slapped his bag of holding one more time, and three more whizzing flying swords appeared. He waved his arm, and another Flame Serpent congealed into being. The onlookers were all shocked.

"Naruto… He… He's put Elder brother Mizuki in a really tight spot. He's actually at the fourth level of Chakra Condensation!"

"He didn't enter the Sect very long ago, and he's already at the fourth level of Chakra Condensation. He's definitely at the fourth level, look at how he's dealing with Elder brother Mizuki. But, how did his Cultivation training go so quickly? What did elder sister Hinata give him to help him so much? Dammit, if I had someone like that to rely on, then maybe I would be able to progress so quickly in my Cultivation." The crowd buzzed, their faces filling with powerful jealousy.

Mizuki's face changed again, and he retreated, grinding his teeth. His fingers flickered again, and another Water Globe appeared. He'd never imagined that his opponent would have so many magical items.

A boom resounded as Naruto's three flying swords broke to pieces, along with the Flame Serpent. The Purple Yang sword's aura had now grown dark. But what shocked Mizuki the most was Naruto's expressionless face as he suddenly produced three more flying swords. Another explosion rang out as the three swords broke apart. But then, the Purple Yang sword let out a plaintive cry, then crumbled to pieces.

Mizuki's eyes went wide, and he staggered backward, spitting out gobs of blood. He glared at Naruto.

Naruto showed no emotion whatsoever, but inside he was extremely nervous. Every single flying sword was equal to a Spirit Stone. He waved his right hand, and yet another Flame Serpent appeared, roaring and twisting through the air around him. It flew toward Mizuki.

Naruto shot toward the retreating Mizuki like a rainbow, accompanied by the Flame Serpent. Yet another flying sword appeared, and in an instant, it was a meter away from Mizuki, its sword aura glittering with death.

"You forced me to do it!" shouted Mizuki, his hair in disarray, his clothes spattered with blood. From the day he had entered the sect until now, he had never been in such a bad situation. His eyes burned. With a growl, he tore open his robe, revealing a jadeite bottle gourd hanging from his neck. He poured into it all of the spiritual energy he could muster.

The jadeite bottle gourd began to glow brightly, and a droning sound filled the air. In the air in front of Mizuki, the image of a massive bottle gourd appeared, many times larger than the one hanging from his neck. It was about half the size of a person.

Actually, Mizuki's Cultivation base was not strong enough to fully activate the bottle ground. The flickering image seemed as if it could dissipate at any moment. Before it could finish coalescing, Mizuki spit out a mouthful of blood and retreated backwards again, his face deathly pale. And yet he still glared at Naruto with frenzied, murderous anger.

Even though the bottle gourd was not complete, the pressurized spiritual energy inside caused Naruto's expression to suddenly change. Then, the illusory bottle gourd emitted a thunderous roar and a thick, green beam shot from its mouth, slamming through the Flame Serpent and inundating Naruto.

"This is a magical item given to me by Elder Brother Sasuke. It can be used when one reaches the fourth level of Chakra Condensation. But you're just looking to die, Naruto, so you've forced me to use it early, and I've had to pay the price. You're definitely dead this time." Mizuki started to let out a wild laugh, and yet the laugh could not leave his mouth; he felt as shocked as if he had been struck by lightning. He stared in astonishment.

The green beam slammed into Naruto, pushing him back about ten meters. However, it was blocked by a pink shield which surrounded Naruto's body. When the green beam dissipated, so did the pink shield. It shrank into a pink jade pendant which Naruto held in his hand. Cracks covered its surface.

He gripped the jade pendant, cold sweat dripping down his back, fear lingering in his heart. If he hadn't taken out the jade pendant elder sister Hinata had given him, he would have been destroyed by the fearsome power of the bottle gourd.

"What magical item is that!?" Naruto looked at the jadeite gourd bottle hanging from Mizuki's neck, who was clearly severely injured. He leaped forward and snatched the gourd bottle, immediately putting it into his bag of holding.

"That was given to me by Elder Brother Sasuke! If you dare to steal it, you will have to deal with his wrath!" Mizuki's countenance sank, and he began to tremble. He was filled with astonishment, never having imagined that the bottle gourd would be ineffective against this opponent.

"The Sect rules state that if you take something into your hand, it is yours," said Naruto. He hesitated for a moment, but then decided that the bottle gourd was too powerful. He wouldn't give it back. Enmity had been created which would be difficult to abate. Hatred in his heart, he stared coldly at Mizuki.

"This isn't the Public Zone," said Mizuki, his eyes filled with despair and fear. Raising his voice so everyone could hear, he said, "If you dare to kill me, it will be a violation of sect rules!"

"I, Naruto, will not violate Sect rules. However, you said yesterday that you would cripple my Cultivation base. So today, I will do the same to you." Looking completely calm, he raised his hand and sent a flying sword piercing into the Chakra passages of Mizuki's dantian, smashing his Cultivation base. Then he stood there amidst Mizuki's miserable screams, casting fear and awe across the entire plateau.

* * *

The faces of the surrounding Cultivators grew pale. Naruto's attack was both decisive and also filled with a ferocious hatred that he himself didn't even notice. This sort of thing was actually becoming a trend.

In the eyes of the onlookers, Naruto was now the number one person of the plateau. Perhaps in the entire Outer Sect, he was now one of the highest figures.

Many of the Cultivators thought back to the past half month. With a Cultivation base so high, Naruto could have robbed and taken at will. True, the customers of his shop weren't happy, but he did treat them mildly. People now began to look at him with awe.

There was no fighting on the plateau that day. After Naruto left, the news of Mizuki's Cultivation base being broken spread like the wind. The fact that he had mentioned Sasuke's name was especially talked about, and caused the news to spread even faster. By nightfall, everyone in the Outer Sect had heard about what happened, and by this point everyone knew who Naruto was.

The East Mountain, covered with wisps of colorful clouds, was the Reliance Sect's tallest mountain and also the Inner Sect's base of activity. It had more spiritual energy than the other mountains, and was where Sect Leader Kakashi went for meditative seclusion.

Back in the heyday of the Reliance Sect, the four peaks had been fully occupied by the Inner Sect. Disciples of the seventh level of Chakra Condensation had abounded. Now, only the East Mountain was occupied, by disciples Hinata and Guy, whereas the other peaks were abandoned.

On the East Mountain there was an Immortal's Cave which was much larger than Naruto's. It was actually the finest Immortal's Cave in the entire Outer Reliance Sect, rivaling even the dwelling-places of the Inner Sect disciples.

Inside was a Spirit Spring that was anything but dried up. It gurgled out dense, fragrant spiritual energy.

Of course, among all the disciples of the Reliance Outer Sect, the only one qualified to occupy such a place was the blessed Sasuke.

He sat cross-legged in his white robe, his face placid, looking at Mizuki kneeling in front of him. Mizuki's face was pale-white, and his body trembled. His Cultivation base had already been destroyed by Naruto.

"…I beg Elder Brother Sasuke to administer justice," he said with bated breath. "He's beyond cunning, more than you could imagine. He's going to flee the Sect." Every time Mizuki saw Elder Brother Sasuke, he could not help but feel that the other man was perfect, beyond ordinary. That feeling had grown stronger and stronger over the past two years in which Sasuke's Cultivation base grew more and more powerful.

"If he flees," said Elder Brother Sasuke after a while, resplendent in his perfection, "it will be a violation of Sect rules, and I will send some people to kill him." He wore an amiable smile which would cause anyone to like him, and spoke with a lightness that caused him to seem even nobler.

Mizuki had nothing more to say. He kowtowed, his face filled with entreaty, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Very well," said Sasuke. "His methods are too vicious. An example should be made. I shall prevail upon Elder Brother Kaiza and make a trip over there, although I will be careful not to offend elder sister Hinata. Naruto shall cripple his own Cultivation base, distribute his treasures and sever an arm and a leg. That shall be his apology. Good enough?" He spoke as if he held sway over every single matter within the Reliance Sect, as if with a single word, he could take command over Naruto's Cultivation base as well as his arms and legs. His smile was as amiable as ever, perfect and without flaw.

"My profound thanks. This fellow… he's just filled with viciousness…" Mizuki ground his teeth, his heart filled with enmity.

"Then I shall expel him from the Sect," said Sasuke coolly, as if he were talking about an incredibly insignificant matter. "He can go off into the wilds, and things will take their natural course."

At that same moment, Naruto sat cross-legged in the Immortal's Cave in the South Mountain, looking at the jadeite bottle gourd in his hands with a dark expression. Having broken through the fourth level of Chakra Condensation, then fighting that battle, he had consumed almost all of his spiritual energy. There was nearly none left. At least he had obtained the magical gourd.

It seemed as though everything had gone smoothly since his entrance into the Reliance Sect, but actually, it was mostly because of his quick wit and foresight. If it had been anyone other than him, he would most likely have put his life in danger on his first Pill Distribution Day.

Later, he acquired the protection of the copper mirror and its mysterious power. Shortly after that, elder brother Kiba began to lust after his Immortal's Cave. If he hadn't died, Naruto's situation would have been bleak, and he would have lost control of all of his belongings. That was the first time he had killed someone.

If he hadn't started doing business with his shop, he wouldn't have been able to arrive where he was now. But the wind that seemed to propel him from behind also held concealed within it hardships that he was unaware of.

Everything that had happened was like the thunder of an approaching storm. Naruto looked down quietly at the jadeite bottle gourd, thinking about the number one disciple in the Outer Sect, blessed Sasuke. Thinking of him in all his perfection, Naruto felt as if the pressure of an entire mountain had come to rest on him. He almost couldn't breathe.

He wanted to flee, but he knew that he was no servant, but a sect disciple. Fleeing was a violation of Sect rules. That would arouse the notice of the sect elders, and he would surely lose his life.

"If I'd known earlier that Mizuki had Sasuke backing him…" muttered Naruto. Moments later, unswerving determination filled his eyes.

"I would do the same thing. If I didn't attack him, he would have killed me. I didn't force him, he forced me. The grudge would have built either way. Unless I had run into Yoroi earlier and been willing to let him rob me, things would have ended up this way. Even if it came down to killing, I couldn't prevent people from coveting my business." His eyes flashed as he looked gloomily around the Immortal's Cave.

"It's too bad elder sister Hinata is meditating in seclusion…" The first thing he had done after crippling Mizuki's Cultivation base was to go looking for her. But he had been informed at the Inner Sect that parties in seclusion were not to be disturbed.

"This jadeite bottle gourd…" It was incredibly powerful, so much so that when he tested it out with his Cultivation base, it exploded out with a might that sent his heart thumping. He could only imagine how it could help him. Maybe now he would finally be able to break through to the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. The strange thing was that the gourd bottle could not be placed in his bag of holding, but rather had to be hung on his body. Sadly, he had no more Spirit Stones. He had used all of them to break through the third level of Chakra Condensation. Otherwise he would try to make a copy of the gourd bottle.

"This sect is not of the mortal world. It's easy to lose one's life here. If I can prevent disaster by handing over the gourd bottle, maybe I should just do it…" He did not wish to do so, but it seemed he had no other choice. Even as he wrestled with these thoughts, a sinister voice drifted in from the dark night, past the sealed door of the Immortal's Cave.

"I am Kaiza, here to assist Elder Brother Sasuke in meting out justice. Naruto, please come out of the Immortal's cave and kowtow to me."

The dark voice seemed to fill the cave with icy cold shadow. Naruto's eyes glittered, and he lifted his head. He didn't look the least bit surprised; he had anticipated that someone would come looking for him.

Naruto was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It's late at night, not a convenient time. Elder Brother, if you have something to say, just say it."

"How haughty," said the voice, clearly displeased. A cold snort rang out.

Naruto said nothing, maintaining his silence.

"If you won't open the door, very well. I shall convey Elder Brother Sasuke's instructions. Naruto, disciple of the Outer Sect, has not focused wholeheartedly on cultivation. He has caused disturbances in the Low-Level Public Zone, arousing mass complaints from fellow disciples, and has used vicious methods on others. However, he is young, so these offenses cannot be considered worthy of the death penalty. Hand over your treasures, cripple your Cultivation base and leave the Sect. Henceforth, you are not a disciple of the Reliance Sect." As Naruto listened to the sinister voice, his face grew somber. Then, when he heard the final words, it filled with indignation.

"Elder Brother Sasuke's decrees are not according to Sect rules," said Naruto defiantly.

"Elder Brother Sasuke's word are the Sect rules," said the person outside, indifferent to Naruto's interruption. "The following day is Pill Distribution Day. You will kowtow to Mizuki and apologize, then await your punishment." With that, the man flicked his sleeve, turned and left.

Naruto sat in silent contemplation. Time passed, and dawn approached. His eyes were bloodshot. He could not figure out what to do. His opponent obviously wanted the jadeite bottle gourd, and to see him dead. Out of supposed to mercy, he would cripple his Cultivation base, sever an arm and a leg, and then expel him from the sect into the wild mountains. If that happened, he would truly be hopeless.

"What should I do…" he said, fists clenched, eyes red. He suddenly felt completely weak and helpless. This was the first time he truly wished he were more powerful. If he were more powerful, he wouldn't be bullied like this. He thought some more.

"Don't tell me my only option is to flee…" His eyes filling with determination, he lifted up his head and walked out of the Immortal's cave. But even as he walked out, he stopped in his tracks, hesitating.

"No, this isn't right…" He lowered his head for a moment in thought, then turned back into the Immortal's Cave, where he sat down cross-legged.

The following morning, Naruto opened his bloodshot eyes. He had not practiced any breathing exercises, but had spent the whole night in contemplation. But his Cultivation base was simply too low. He couldn't think of any method other than fleeing the Reliance Sect. But surely his opponent had considered that he would do that. Fleeing was the same as death, and then he would be remembered as a traitor.

Bells rang out in the distance. Pill Distribution Day had arrived. Naruto knew that even if he tried to hide away in the Immortal's Cave, catastrophe would still befall him.

"The law of the jungle. All of my problems are because my Cultivation base is too low. A true man doesn't just take the suffering, he does something about it." He gave a small sigh. He had been pushed to the brink, and had no room to maneuver. He calmed himself, then straightened out his clothing. He looked around the Immortal's cave, then opened the main door and stared out at the blue sky and the emerald sea of trees.

Some time passed, and then he stepped forward. He had only taken a few steps when he noticed a person walk out from the jungle behind him, staring at him coldly.

"You didn't flee. So you aren't stupid after all." Naruto recognized the person's voice: it was Kaiza. It turned out he had stayed behind.

Naruto had seen him before. He was one of the disciples walking with Sasuke that day by the East Mountain. His grandfather was one of the sect elders. He clearly had stayed behind to see if Naruto would flee. If he had, he would have been branded a traitor, and would have forfeited his life.

Naruto turned and headed toward the Outer Sect.

Kaiza laughed coldly, his eyes filled with ridicule. Actually, he had left the previous night, to go call on his grandfather Gato. Even had Naruto chosen to flee in the night, he would have been entrapped, and suffered a horrible death.

Kaiza followed Naruto the entire way. When they arrived at the Outer Sect, other disciples caught sight, one by one, and many different expressions filled their faces. Regardless, it appeared as if all had expected this, and none seemed to take pity on Naruto. Most actually jeered at him.

Soon, he arrived at the Outer Sect's square. The dragon-carved pillars glowed brightly, and disciples were everywhere. Off in the distance, he saw white-robed Sasuke, surrounded by a crowd of disciples.

The sun shone down on his white robe, making it shine like snow, and his long hair trailed past his shoulders. He looked perfect, flawless, like an Immortal being from a painting. His bearing made people want to get to know him. He really looked like a Chosen.

He chatted amiably with the disciples around him, friendly with everyone, regardless of their Cultivation base. He would nod, giving tips about Cultivation, causing everyone to treat him with utmost respect.

The female disciples all seemed to be infatuated with him. They looked as if they needed to be at his side, as if his each and every action could drive them crazy.

Even the sect elders on the tall platform gazed down on him fondly and with admiration.

Wherever Sasuke went, he became the center of attention. His good looks, his gentleness, his perfection, melded together into a dazzling glow which burned Naruto's eyes. He clenched his fists tightly.

As all the disciples arrived, and as the Pill Distribution concluded, gentle and cordial Sasuke didn't even look once at Naruto. He knew Naruto was watching him, but it meant no more to him than if a cricket were looking at him. He wouldn't stoop so low as to return his gaze.

When everything concluded, and the dragon-carved pillars grew dark, Sasuke's gentle voice filled the air.

"Come here!"

It was a simple sentence, but the instant it rang out, everyone looked at Sasuke, watching as his gaze fell onto Naruto.

* * *

Naruto stood there stiffly, staring at Sasuke. He could suddenly feel the gaze of all the disciples who stood in the square. The Cultivators standing next to him moved away, creating an open area around Naruto.

A feeling of aloneness filled his heart, as if the world itself were about to forsake him. It was as if Sasuke's single utterance had pushed him over the edge of existence.

No one spoke a word. The Outer Sect disciples just looked at Naruto. Sasuke was too famous. His words reverberated in everyone's hearts.

No one was surprised at what was happening; news of yesterday's events had spread, and many people had already guessed what would happen this day.

The sect elders remained unmoving upon the high platform, gazing down at Naruto.

"Sect rules state that what you take belongs to you," said Naruto, forcing the words out one word at a time. He knew that compared to Sasuke, his voice was laughably weak and small, and that he might be attacked. But, he still spoke up.

He knew that if he took out the jadeite gourd bottle, handed it over to Sasuke, and made some tearful entreaties, then Sasuke couldn't reject his apology. Not in front of all these people. He might exact some punishments, but would leave Naruto with his Cultivation base.

Maybe if he begged and kowtowed, admitted that he was in the wrong, accepted the humiliation and even insult himself, then he would be completely out of danger.

But Naruto would never do such a thing! Call him stupid and crazy, but he would never do it!

Even though he knew he was facing a dire calamity, he would never beg. He would never humiliate himself, would never crawl on the ground and plead. Never!

This was his spirit, his integrity. Some things in the world are more important than life or death, and that noble, unbendable, unbreakable spirit is dignity!

That was why he had spoken first, one word at a time. Even though his opponent was the mountain-like Sasuke. Even though he faced dire calamity. Even though the whole world was against him. Even though he was alone, with no one to rely on. Despite all this… he still had his dignity. He lifted his head up and spoke.

This, was Naruto!

His words seemed to galvanize all the energy in his body. Death? What is death? So what if I haven't even lived to see 17! You can humiliate me, you can cripple my Cultivation. But you can never make me yield! You can never break my spirit!

His voice had rung out in the silence, clear and distinct, yet filled with a certain loneliness. As he spoke, his bitterness was plain, but perhaps only Naruto himself could understand it. His hands clenched into fists. No one else could sense it, but along with Sasuke's words had come an invisible attack that attempted to force Naruto to collapse.

His body seemed as if it were about to disintegrate, his bones about to shatter. He felt a massive pressure trying to force him to kneel. His body shook, but he gritted his teeth and stood there, ignoring the pain in his bones.

"That treasure is mine," said Sasuke with a friendly smile. "It belongs to whomever I give it to. I didn't give it to you, so you have no right to take it." His words seemed friendly, but were filled with menace, clear for everyone to hear. Smiling, he walked forward, raising his hand and waving a finger in Naruto's direction.

Winds surged in the square, screaming around in circles, causing the robes of the disciples to flap. Naruto stood still, as if the air in the square had become death itself and held him bound. He couldn't move a muscle. Suddenly, a pink jade pendant flew out from within his clothes and hovered in front of him. A pink shield appeared, covering Naruto protectively.

Sasuke looked as affable as ever. His movements seemed completely casual, and as he took a second step, his finger waved a second time.

A bang resounded as the second finger movement stopped. The shield warped and twisted, flickering three times, then shattered in a deafening explosion. The jade pendant in front of him, the gift given to him by elder sister Hinata, broke into pieces. Blood poured out of Naruto's mouth, and the pressure on him increased. He gritted his teeth, unwavering. He stood there, trembling, unwilling to yield.

An exceedingly dark look filled his eyes, and he clenched his fists harder. His fingernails dug deep into the flesh of his palms.

With his usual kind smile, Sasuke took a third step forward, landing directly in front of Naruto. He waved his finger a third time, and a force like a giant invisible hand ripped open Naruto's clothing, revealing the jadeite gourd bottle hanging around his neck. The invisible hand snatched the gourd bottle, wrenching it away from Naruto and depositing it in Sasuke's palm.

Naruto's face grew pale, and he coughed out a mouthful of blood. His body trembled, yet he couldn't move. Veins of blood appeared in his eyes, and his hands were clenched incredibly tight. He felt the pain of his fingernails digging deep into his flesh. Blood began to drip out from between his fingers and drop to the ground.

"Cripple your Cultivation base. Sever an arm and a leg. Leave the sect." Sasuke continued to smile, his warm voice reverberating across the square. He extended a finger for the fourth time, pointing toward Naruto's chest.

Naruto glared back at Sasuke. This entire time, he had only spoken once, never opening his mouth to say a second sentence. He did not scream or roar, but remained silent. More veins of blood appeared in his eyes and he clenched his fists even tighter. Because of the power he exerted, his fingernails snapped, lodged in his flesh. Blood dripped like rain.

Everything grew silent as people watched, their faces filled with derision. Their ridicule seemed to cut him away from the world, pushing him away until he was placed outside of everything.

And yet he still would not submit! What was a bit of physical pain?

Just as Sasuke's finger was about to fall again, a sound rang out from a distant mountain peak and a gentle power appeared next to Naruto, blocking the crippling finger.

A bang rang out. Sasuke flicked his wide sleeve and glanced to the side. An old man stood there, wearing a long gray robe. He had some mottled brown marks on his face, and though quite tall and big, didn't appear to be very mighty. This was the same person who had admired Naruto on the two previous occasions.

"You've taken the treasure back," said the old man. "Let the matter drop." With a frown, he looked at Naruto standing there silently, blood dripping from his fists. He sighed, then looked back at Sasuke.

"Since it is Grand Elder Jiraiya interceding, junior will give in." Sasuke smiled, looking indifferent. During the entire time, he had only spoken to Naruto twice. Sunlight shone down on him, illuminating his elegant figure, his long hair, his perfect demeanor. As far as he was concerned, Naruto didn't even match up to an insect. As of this moment, he'd already placed Naruto out of his mind.

Naruto, covered in blood, was like a bug standing up against an elephant, who could crush him with a single step.

To Sasuke, the things that had just happened were nothing. It was not that he felt contempt toward Naruto. He just didn't care about him in the least bit. With a smile, he walked back into the crowd, chatting indifferently, as if nothing had happened. He began to give pointers to lower level disciples, emanating cordiality.

All the female disciples seemed obsessed with him. The other Cultivators viewed him with utmost respect. Everyone ignored Naruto, as if they had already forgotten about his existence.

Naruto was like the antithesis of Sasuke. Covered in blood, his clothing in shreds, he cut a truly sorry figure.

Naruto could sense what Sasuke thought of him. It wasn't scorn, it was disregard. As Sasuke left, Naruto felt a bit more relaxed, although his body hurt so bad it seemed he might collapse. Gritting his teeth, he saluted Grand Elder Jiraiya with cupped hands.

Without another word, Naruto coughed up another mouthful of blood, clenched his jaw, and slowly walked off. His feet felt as if they would disintegrate at any moment. He was soaked with sweat, and every step caused heart-rending pain. Looking like a whipped dog, he slowly disappeared into the distance.

As he walked off, Grand Elder Jiraiya seemed to be about to say something, but decided not to, and simply watched him depart.

Naruto returned to the Immortal's Cave, and the instant the main door closed, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Sasuke was already at the peak of the sixth level. There was no way for Naruto to compare to him. By refusing to give in and kneel, he had of course received internal injuries.

He was comatose for two full days, after which he finally opened his eyes, his body wracked with pain. It was difficult to move, but he lurched up into a sitting position. When he touched the ground with his hands, they burned painfully, as if the skin had been stripped off of them. Gasping huskily, he sat there quietly in the middle of the Immortal's Cave.

After some time passed, he looked down at his hands. Ten broken fingernails protruded from the skin of his palms. After two days of coma, scabs had formed over the fingernails, but in his struggle to sit up, they had broken, and now blood oozed out.

Naruto looked at his hands, expressionless. After a while, he began to dig the broken fingernails out of his skin, one by one. Blood flowed out of his mangled palms, dripping to the ground and filling the cave with the scent of gore.

Through the entire process, Naruto's facial expression did not change. It was as if the hands didn't belong to him. There was a certain ruthlessness within him that was now clearly visible.

He looked down at the ten bloody fingernails. After a while, he collected them together and placed them next to the stone bed in the room. He planned to look at them every day as a reminder of the humiliation he had endured.

The day would come when that humiliation would be repaid in double!

He hadn't spoken for a long time, but now he opened his mouth: "As for me, I shall rely on myself!" The hoarse voice almost didn't

* * *

Time flashed by. Naruto didn't even take half a step outside of the Immortal's Cave. He didn't want to go out and didn't want to see anyone. He could never forget how Sasuke had turned the whole world against him. He sat cross-legged, staring at the fingernails, encrusted with dried blood. His previous numbed expression changed into wrath, then somberness. Finally one day, the main door of the Immortal's cave creaked open, and moonlight poured in.

elder sister Hinata stood there in the doorway, wreathed in moonlight which obscured her features.

Naruto didn't say anything, and neither did she. Time passed. Finally, she said, "I ended my secluded meditation just yesterday."

Naruto stood, saluting her with clasped hands.

"Sasuke has an important background," she continued mildly. "He's not from the Five Elements Nation, and his Cultivation base is at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. The Sect Elders have already selected him to be promoted to the Inner Sect. You… you must not provoke him."

"Junior Brother understands," said Naruto with a smile. His expression appeared to have returned to its usual state, as if he had abandoned any brooding about what had happened. Although, deep in his eyes existed something which had never before appeared in his sixteen years of life.

It was a cold light he kept buried so deeply that only he could sense it. Others were clueless.

"However," said elder sister Hinata, "if he causes any more trouble for you, all you have to do is smash this slip, and I will sense it, even if I'm meditating in seclusion." A moment passed, and then she waved her hand. A purple-colored jade slip appeared next to him.

"Of the four people I brought to the mountain that day, you are the first to be promoted to the Outer Sect. Your companion who you worked with in the North Servant's Quarter is being promoted today. Tomorrow at dawn, he will arrive in the Outer Sect to register." With that, she turned to leave.

"Many thanks, Elder Sister. I have a question I wish to ask," he said. "I was hoping Elder Sister could explain. My Cultivation base is at the fourth level of Chakra Condensation. Considering my latent talent, how long do you think it will take to reach the seventh level?"

"To reach the fourth level of Chakra Condensation in less than a year seems to indicate that you have had quite a bit of good fortune in your Cultivation. You don't need to explain the details, and I won't ask. Without such fortune, it might take ten years at the fastest. At a slower rate, it could take half of a sixty-year cycle. The fourth, sixth and eight levels are all bottlenecks, especially the sixth. Without a bit of good fortune, it's difficult to break through to the seventh level."

"It's like that for everyone?"

"For everyone." Then she was gone. Naruto sat down cross-legged, a sharp look shining in his eye.

An hour later, he stood up and left the Immortal's Cave for the first time in days. The seasons were changing again, and it seemed autumn would arrive within a few days. The leaves were beginning to change color and wind drifted across the mountains and valleys.

Beneath the bright moon, Naruto made his way along a small path into the wild mountains. Everything was quiet, and the only thing that could be heard was the gentle rustle of falling leaves as Naruto made his way toward the North Mountain.

He wanted to go see Fatty. In the entire Sect, he was his only friend.

The Northern Servant's Quarter was quiet this late at night. As he approached, he heard the sounds of snoring filling the air, a special kind of snore that he had grown accustomed to in his four months as a servant.

The horse-faced young man who presided over the Northern Servants' Quarter sat cross-legged on the large boulder. He suddenly opened his eyes and look at Naruto, surprised for a moment. Then he rose to his feet and saluted Naruto with clasped hands.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Naruto." Rumors about Naruto had abounded recently, and of course the horse-faced young man had heard them.

"No need for the formality, Elder Brother," said Naruto. "I'm here to see an old friend." Taking a look at the young man's Cultivation base, Naruto could see that it was the third level of Chakra Condensation. It appeared as if it had been stuck there for several years.

Elder Brother Horse-Face nodded. After Naruto stepped foot into the Servants' Quarter, he sat back down cross-legged, a strange expression on his face. With a silent sigh, he closed his eyes again.

Naruto walked into the courtyard and found the East Seventh House. As he approached, the sounds of Fatty's snores filled the air. As soon as he entered, a strange expression filled his face, and the antsy feeling that had filled his heart recently began to dissipate.

Fatty lay there on his back, snoring away. The other bed in the room had been pushed away from the wall, forming a small gap.

There in the gap, sound asleep, was the big man who called himself Grandpa Tiger. Even though he was asleep, his face seemed contorted in fear, as if he had encountered something terrifying in his dreams.

His wooden bed was covered with a multitude of bite marks. In some places, it was chewed all the way through, so much so that it seemed it might fall apart. The wooden table was long gone, and Naruto imagined that it must have been completely eaten up. Even the walls had bite marks on them. In sharp contrast, Fatty's bed remained bite-less.

The big man in the corner shivered, then let out a miserable cry. He was obviously in the throes of a nightmare. Given his emaciated appearance, and the dark circles under his eyes, it seemed he hadn't been sleeping well lately. Naruto could only imagine the wretched circumstances that had tormented him into this state.

It seemed his cry had awakened Fatty, who sat up looking annoyed, then saw Naruto. He suddenly grew excited.

"Wild chicken! Did you bring any wild chicken?"

Naruto looked at him, unable to hold back his smile.

He was as round as ever, apparently having not lost even a bit of weight. In fact, he looked a bit fatter. His teeth had also grown longer, by about half. When he talked, they glittered brightly.

"I heard you reached the first level of Chakra Condensation," he said with a smile, "so I came to see you. I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to grab a chicken." He sat down on the bed next to Fatty, examining his teeth.

Fatty, proud of his Cultivation base, began to talk. Naruto didn't say much, instead listening to Fatty's garrulous chatter. Soon, the moon began to fall and the sun began to rise. The wounds in Naruto's heart also began to dissipate, leaving behind only scars. The fingernails in the Immortal's Cave and the cold look in his eyes fused together within Naruto to create a more mature look.

At dawn, Naruto left with Fatty. Grandpa Tiger watched them go, tears streaming down his face. His tears moved Fatty, and before they could leave the courtyard, he ran back, gave him a hug, and then said something. Whatever he said caused the big man's face to grow pale and his body to tremble.

"What did you say to him?" asked Naruto, when they were just about to reach the Outer Sect.

"He's a good person. After you left the Servants' Quarter, he became my friend. He was so upset at me leaving, I just couldn't take it." A pained expression appeared on his face. "I told him that I would definitely come back often to visit. He looks tough," continued Fatty emotionally. "But he's actually a bit of a coward. He always has nightmares when he sleeps. Poor guy."

Naruto didn't say anything, nor did he ask anything else about the man. As the two of them walked through the Outer Sect, people looked at Naruto, their expressions strange, as if measuring him up.

"Eh? Seems you really roiled things up in the Outer Sect, Naruto," said Fatty excitedly. "Everyone's looking at you." In his mind, he figured that few people would be willing to bully him since he had Naruto at his back.

Naruto smiled but didn't explain. When they were almost to the Treasure Pavilion, Naruto stopped walking. He watched Fatty approach the building.

In the amount of time it took for half an incense stick to burn, Fatty returned excitedly. In his hand he carried a short sword, covered with a layer of fish-like scales. It wasn't the least bit sharp, but instead rough.

"See the treasure I got, Naruto? It's truly a great treasure." He waved the sword in the air, and Naruto was just about to ask what it could possibly be used for when Fatty opened his mouth and started filing at his teeth with it. A scraping sound could be heard, and Naruto wasn't sure whether he should laugh or cry.

"It's great!" said Fatty, sounding more and more excited. "My teeth keep getting longer, and I'm constantly looking for things to file them down. But whatever I find always breaks within a few days. I can use this treasure to file them down forever!"

Naruto showed Fatty around the Outer Sect. He even offered to let him stay with him in the Immortal's Cave, but Fatty refused. He had been living with a roommate for too long, and had been looking forward to having his own place in the Outer Sect. No matter what Naruto said, he refused. When they arrived at his house, he looked completely content.

Naruto didn't push him. When the night was deep, he returned to the Immortal's Cave and sat down cross-legged.

Time flew, and soon three months had passed. Two months before, Naruto had reopened his stall by the Low-Level Public Zone. Perhaps because of what had happened with Sasuke, no one caused any problems for him, and soon, his business picked up again.

Soon, he added magic items to his offerings, and business grew even more. But now, there was more than one person in the company. At his side was a fat teenager who constantly filed his teeth with a flying sword. He had a good sense for business, and constantly hawked wares in the Public Zone. Soon, he was the main force in the business. With the cooperation of Naruto, who could not enter himself, they made quite a tidy profit.

One day, when winter had fallen and snowflakes filled the air, Naruto sat cross-legged at the edge of the plateau, meditating. Suddenly, Fatty let out a yelp and grabbed a person, dragging him toward Naruto.

"Naruto, Naruto, look who it is!"

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and saw Fatty excitedly dragging over a young man. Short, sallow and emaciated, he made quite the contrast to pale, plump Fatty.

Naruto recognized him. He was one of the members of the group who had been brought to the Reliance Sect that day and taken along with Shikamaru to a Servants' Quarters on a different Mountain.

At that time, he had looked strong and good-natured, but now he seemed gloomy and in poor circumstances. However, there was a certain hardness in his eyes that spoke of some unforgettable experiences in the Outer Reliance Sect.

Furthermore, he dared to enter the Public zone at only the first level of Chakra Condensation.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Naruto," said the young man, looking a bit excited. But then it disappeared and he made an extremely respectful salute to Naruto with hands clasped.

"Did you just enter the Sect?" Naruto asked him, thinking back with a sigh to his own first days.

"It's been about a month," he said, lowering his head.

"What about Shikamaru?"

"He died," said the young man, a numb expression on his face. After the words left his mouth, a look of grief appeared in his eyes.

"Shikamaru died?" said Fatty in shock. Naruto maintained his silence.

"In the Servants' Quarter, we were responsible for drawing water," he explained. "Big Bro Shikamaru thought I was too young, so he helped me a lot. Once on a mountain road, a powerful gust of wind hit us and knocked him off a cliff. I looked for his body for two months, but could only find some broken bones… he must have been eaten by wild animals."

A look of sorrow appeared on Fatty's face and Naruto let out a sigh. The four of them arrived at the same time, but in less than a year, one was already dead. Naruto felt bad, and even worse when he remembered that Uncle Shikaku the carpenter only had one son.

"Neji, you stick with us. With Naruto around, no one will dare bully you." Fatty clapped the young man emotionally on the shoulder.

"No, that's okay, I'm… I'm fine." The young man seemed to hesitate, and Naruto could tell that he was thinking about something. In the end, he shook his head and refused Fatty's offer. He saluted them with clasped hands, then made his way away from the plateau.

"What's the deal with him?" asked Fatty, still in shock.

"Everyone has secrets," said Naruto slowly. "Perhaps he made some lucky break that he doesn't want to talk about. Otherwise, why would he come here at only the first level of Chakra Condensation?" Naruto seemed to be lost in thought as he watched the young man disappear into the distance.

"Even if Neji has some secret, we could still find it out on our own if we wanted to. He's looking down on us." Fatty brooded. He had an open and straightforward personality, and didn't think in scheming ways. To offer someone something in good faith and be turned down this way obviously raised his indignation.

In the lower regions of the lands of Ninshu, winter was short and passed almost in an instant. The warmth of Spring arrived, and the flowers bloomed. It was once again April. A year had passed since Naruto had arrived at the Reliance Sect.

With Fatty's help, he had accumulated quite a bit of Spirit Stones from the Low-Level Public Zone, and even more medicinal pills and magical items. He would often go into the wild mountains to hunt for demonic beasts. He even roamed close to the black mountain in his search, but always came up empty-handed. The roars which emanated from the black mountain region grew more and more intense, so Naruto didn't dare to enter.

He had one third-level Demonic Core which he duplicated multiple times with the copper mirror. Eventually, his Cultivation base reached the middle of the fourth level. But then, his progress virtually ceased. No matter how many medicinal pills he consumed, the only thing it did was make his spiritual energy a bit more pure.

He had reached a bottleneck and could not break through to the fifth level and his much desired Wind Walking technique.

With Naruto's help, Fatty reached the second level of Chakra Condensation, which left him feeling quite awe-inspiring.

That April, all Outer Sect disciples higher than the fifth level, as well as elder sister Hinata and elder brother Guy, were dispatched out of the sect. They each returned with two or three youths who possessed latent talent, who then became servants.

Once per year. That was the Sect rule. This was the only way to ensure the continuation of the Sect's existence.

The spring wind blew across the land, taking the cold along with it. Heat returned. Soon, autumn arrived, and then it was October. During this period of time, two important things happened in the Reliance Sect. The first was related to one of the Sect's Grand Elders. Other than the Sect leader, who everyone said had already reached the Core Formation stage, there were two other Grand Elders who had reached Foundation Establishment. One of them, who had reached the end of his longevity, passed away while meditating, at around one-hundred and fifty years of age. When Naruto caught wind of this, he asked around and confirmed that it had not been Grand Elder Jiraiya.

When Cultivators reach Foundation Establishment, it expands their longevity to one hundred and fifty years. That seems like a long time, but it is actually a very intense period. If the Cultivator cannot reach Core Formation, then in later years, they can only sit in meditation, shrivelling up, their Chakra and blood slowly dissipating.

However, after reaching Core Formation, longevity is then doubled to three hundred years.

Because of the Grand Elder's death in meditation, the Reliance Sect was put in a bad position. It was already in a weak standing in the Five Elements Nation, and was now in even more danger. Suddenly, Cultivators from other Sects began to appear near the Reliance Sect's borders.

They seemed to be searching for something, so the Reliance Sect set up defensive spells around the mountain. Everything within several thousand meters fell under their protection. Figurative storm clouds appeared, dark and thick, pressing down on the entire Sect.

Most disciples in the Outer Sect had their guesses. Some of them were more informed than others, and received bits and pieces of information. News spread, and soon, a rumor developed that the Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation was stirring because of Patriarch Reliance, who had been missing for four hundred years.

As for the details, none of the Outer Sect disciples were sure.

During this time, Naruto's Cultivation base continued to be stuck in the middle of the fourth level. Nothing he did seemed to have any effect, and finally he grew to accept that he was stuck in a bottleneck.

He sat cross-legged in the Immortal's cave, frowning. "elder sister Hinata told me that breaking through from the peak of the fourth level into the fifth level would involve a bottleneck. But why did my bottleneck come early… Is it really because I consumed too many Demonic Cores?

"If that's the case, I need some medicinal pills especially designed for breaking through bottlenecks. Or perhaps I need some high level Demonic Cores." He had quite a collection of Spirit Stones, but lacked the appropriate medicinal pills. He was confident that if he just had the right medicinal pills, he could break through to the fifth level of Chakra Condensation.

The anxiety in the Reliance Sect was palpable. Many disciples walked to and fro with troubled hearts, trying their best to hide their feelings. Naruto felt the nervousness too, and of course he was dealing with his own critical matter.

The only person who seemed happy was Fatty. He was even more enthusiastic about their stall on the plateau than Naruto. Even when Naruto didn't feel like going, he would take the banner there himself to do business.

Three days later, bells sounded out. Pill Distribution Day had come. When Naruto and Fatty arrived at the square, Naruto caught sight of a golden-robed old man on the platform, behind whom stood elder sister Hinata and elder brother Guy.

Seeing this, Naruto's heart began to thump, and a fire burned in his eyes.

"In the past year and a half, Master uncle Gato has only appeared three times, and each time was an Individual Pill Distribution. My Cultivation base has been stuck in a bottleneck in the fourth level for almost a year. If there is a high level medicinal pill…" Other Outer Sect disciples had similar thoughts, and soon, conversations buzzed in the air. Of course, some disciples were thinking, "Please, don't give it to me."

This was especially so because after what Naruto did with his pill that time, the Sect had made a new rule that prohibited gifting Individual Distribution medicinal pills to members of the Inner Sect.

"It's… it's a Dry Spirit Pill!"

"It is! A Dry Spirit Pill. There was one distributed last year, and now one more. Only one per year! That just shows how valuable it is!"

"If I can get my hands on it, I will definitely have a breakthrough in my Cultivation base."

A louder buzz of excited talked arose as the gold-robed old man lifted the glowing, purple pill into the air.

When the pill appeared, Naruto's eyes shone with a brilliant intensity. He had never before wanted a medicinal pill so much. In his eyes, it was not a medicinal pill, but his only hope of breaking through to the fifth level of Chakra Condensation.

He had been a member of the Sect for a while now, so he was now familiar with the various disciples. The Inner Sect had elder sister Hinata and elder brother Guy, both of whom were at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation. Rumor had it they would break through to the next level very soon.

Under them was Sasuke, who was stuck at the peak of the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. To him, a Dry Spirit pill would be of little use. Besides him, there was one more disciple of the sixth level, the number two disciple Gozu.

Naruto had seen him twice, and had pegged him to be wildly arrogant, someone who considered everyone to be beneath his notice. If he were here, he wouldn't even cast a glance at the Dry Spirit Pill, just to show that he had a collection of even better medicinal pills.

As for disciples of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, there were four in the Outer Sect and they could be considered to be virtual lords. They were rarely seen, as they often secluded themselves in meditation or traveled about the wild mountains in training.

There weren't many disciples of the fourth level. Including Naruto, there were seven in total. As for those under the fourth level, they might as well be bugs.

"Very well, quiet down everyone." Wizened Gato's voice reverberated out, as astonishingly powerful and suppressive as ever. However, compared to last year, Naruto was not as powerfully affected. Instead, his eyes shone with determination.

"In the past two years in which I have presided over Pill Distribution, I usually prefer to select a new disciple. The reason is that if we can continue to get new disciples, our sect will flourish." He smiled, and his eyes swept over the crowd. Just when it seemed he had made his decision, his eyes fell upon Fatty, who stood next to Naruto filing away at his teeth with a sword. His face looked indifferent.

He looked as round as a ball, and anyone who for the first time caught sight of him filing his teeth would find it hard pressed to decide whether to laugh or cry. Gato stared in amazement, then laughed.

"Never mind," he said. "I'm going to give the pill to you." He waved his right hand, and a purple light flickered as the Dry Spirit Pill shot toward Fatty. With a look of shock, he instinctively caught it, looking as if he didn't even know what had just happened. Then, his expression changed and he let out a yelp. His body began to tremble as the blood drained from his face. He looked like he was about to cry.

"This… Me… Crap, why did it have to be me?"

* * *

In a split second, everyone in the entire square suddenly began to stare at Fatty, making him feel as if a cold wind were creeping down his back. His body quivered, and he looked pitifully at Naruto, a weak smile on his face.

"Naruto, save me…" He wanted to throw the pill away, but for some reason it wouldn't leave his hand. He was so frightened that as people began to surround them, his teeth chattered.

As the lights faded, he trembled violently. Then the lights were gone, and the restrictive spell released. Before Fatty could say anything, Naruto sent out a booming flash of his fourth level Cultivation base, then grabbed Fatty by his robe and charged away.

"Give me the pill," Naruto said in a low voice. "You go back to the Immortal's Cave and hide!" Without hesitation, Naruto tossed him the cave's jade slip. Fatty threw him the Dry Spirit Pill as if it were a hot potato.

Naruto's body flashed as he sped forward with Fatty in tow. Behind him, howling and roaring sounds arose as ten or more people raced in hot pursuit.

"Dammit, it's Naruto. You can't escape!"

"Hand over the Dry Spirit Pill. As a fellow disciple, I'll show some mercy and not kill you. Otherwise, you'll have a tough time escaping death!"

Naruto didn't stop for even a second. After emerging from the edge of the Outer Sect, he tossed Fatty away from him. Fatty was a matter-of-fact kind of person, but he wasn't stupid. As soon as he landed on his feet, he let out a miserable shriek.

"Pill thief!" he screamed, clutching the jade slip close to him as he ran off, trying not to look suspicious. He dashed toward the Immortal's Cave at top speed.

Hearing this, the pursuers ignored him and continued after Naruto.

"Flee to the ends of the earth if you want, you won't survive the next 24 hours!"

"You're of the fourth level, and you still don't give me the pill!?" Among the ten or more pursuers, most were of the fourth level of Chakra Condensation, and only two were of the fifth level. The rest were of the third level, obviously hoping to be able to take advantage of the situation.

Cold sword auras whistled behind Naruto as over ten flying swords descended toward him like rain. But he was determined to keep the Dry Spirit Pill, and refused to toss it away.

"I just have to endure for twenty-four hours, then the pill will be mine," he said, determination shining in his eyes. "Then, I will finally be able to break through to the fifth level of Chakra Condensation." He increased his speed. After spending so much time hunting for demonic beasts in the wild mountains, his top speed was not inferior. And he was much more familiar with the mountainous regions than most other fellow disciples. Thus, upon leaving the Outer Sect, he raced towards mountains.

Glancing behind at the approaching sword auras, Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce a medicinal pill which he immediately swallowed. Then he sent his own flying swords shooting backwards.

Bang, bang, bang. Several trees were hit by the powerful flying swords and exploded into pieces, which flew about everywhere. Some smacked painfully into Naruto. Absorbing momentum from the explosion, he shot away several meters.

Before he could land on the ground, four Flame Serpents and three Water Globes shot toward him. Two of the Flame Serpents were almost eighteen meters long and as thick as a person, and emitted an intense heat which caused some of the nearby trees to catch fire. Those would be the work of the fifth level disciples, who were also the fastest of the bunch. Their feet didn't even touch the ground as they flew toward him like the wind. Savage looks filled their faces. Actually, they didn't hold the slightest bit of compassion even for each other. As far as they were concerned, the only competition involved were the two of them. Naruto didn't count for anything.

Without hesitation, Naruto slapped his bag of holding again. Two flying swords appeared and rotated around him, then came to rest beneath his feet. Then they shot forward, carrying him nearly thirty meters before he lost his balance and fell off. The short movement enabled him to evade the Flame Serpents and gain some distance. Furious howls reverberated in the air behind him.

This was a technique Naruto had come up with himself. It wouldn't work for long, only a few seconds, but at least it helped him to gain a bit of advantage on the two fifth-level Cultivators.

"If I were of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation," Naruto thought to himself, "I would have the Wind Walking technique. Then I could stay on the flying sword for a lot longer, and I could get away more easily. Sadly, this isn't really flying…" Even more than ever, he desired to reach the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. Not looking back, he sped along. Actually, the path he chose was not random. The instant the Dry Spirit Pill had landed in Fatty's hands, his mind had been racing at top speed.

He had picked the wild mountains because his destination was none other than the black mountain inhabited by Demonic beasts. After thinking about it for some time, he had decided that his best advantage was the copper mirror. With the mirror, he would still have a good chance of surviving the area even though it was dangerous, and contained that ominous roaring beast. This was especially true if people followed him in.

"If these guys chase me into the black mountain, then I'll be forced to kill them." A harsh expression appeared on his face. He had been a part of the Reliance Sect for over a year now and was no longer the weak scholar he had once been. He didn't appear to have changed much on the outside. He was a bit taller, and his skin was as swarthy as ever. But his heart was filled with decisiveness.

This was especially so after the matter with Sasuke. He knew that he could only rely on himself. The only true path was to become stronger. In the world of Cultivation, the law of the jungle prevails. One must conduct oneself with caution and decisiveness.

They pursued him relentlessly. Sword auras glittered. Before long, the two fifth-level Cultivators had almost caught up with him, their eyes filled with murder. Just now, Naruto had evaded their attack using a single special move. Other than Sasuke and Gozu, they were were like high lords in the Outer Sect, so they found this particularly humiliating.

They had attacked at the same time, and yet Naruto had still managed to evade, which they both found hard to accept. Now, they wanted even more than ever to slay him. As far as his sword-riding technique, they didn't give it a second thought. Any Cultivator of the fourth level could do that. But considering their Cultivation base, doing so would be would be a waste of spiritual energy, even if it gave some extra speed. Seeing Naruto use the technique, they sneered. Using such tactics would sap his spiritual energy sooner rather than later.

"Let's see you escape this time!" they shouted, glancing at each other. One of them suddenly shot forward like a huge bird. In mid-air, he waved his hand, and two massive, roaring Flame Serpents shot down toward Naruto.

The other man continued to pursue Naruto. The two of them created a pincer attack, one in the air and one on the ground, ready to seal Naruto's fate in death.

"You still won't accept death!" grinned one of them hideously, his murderous intent filling the air.

Naruto's expression didn't change. He gave a cold snort. He'd dared to snatch the Dry Spirit Pill, so of course he had some special techniques prepared. He slapped his bag of hold, and flicked his sleeve. Six flying swords appeared. Their sword auras interlocked and then whizzed outward, away from Naruto.

"BOOM!"

Naruto let out a small shout of pain which reverberated into the mountains. When the two pursuing Cultivators heard the explosion, they gasped with astonishment, unsure of what had happened to produce such a sound.

Amidst the thunderous roar, Naruto spat out a mouthful of blood. And yet, his body shot away into the distance. Behind him, the effects of the attack dissipated, and the Flame Serpents collapsed with blood-curdling shrieks. The fifth-level Cultivators had no choice but to retreat a few paces, covered in dirt, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Dammit. What ruthlessness! He detonated six flying swords at once!"

"No wonder he opened up a shop! How many flying swords does he actually have?"

The two of them each sucked in a breath, but didn't hesitate. Using the full speed of their Wind Walking technique, they raced in pursuit again, unwilling to let Naruto intimidate them. According to their estimations, Naruto could not have that many flying swords left. Even if he had opened a shop in the Low Level Public Zone, he couldn't possibly have so many magical items.

"This time, you will die for sure!" The two pursuers increased their speed, entering the wild mountains. At this point, the pursuing fourth-level disciples caught up. One of them was Sasuke's friend Kaiza. His Cultivation base was at the peak of the fourth level of Chakra Condensation. His face was grim. He secretly feared Naruto's speed. And yet, he continued to pursue.

Time gradually passed by, and soon an hour had passed. Naruto continued forward, maintaining the distance from his pursuers. A few times he came into danger, but each time he produced a flying sword, detonated it, and escaped.

This left the pursuing fifth-level Cultivator's dumbstruck. They moaned to themselves, never having imagined that Naruto would have so many flying swords. At this point, he had detonated nearly twelve of them.

Combined with his sword-riding technique, his speed of evasion was quite high.

"Dammit! Even if he has more flying swords, I can't believe that he'll produce many more. In any case, at the speed he's been maintaining, plus detonating all those flying sword, he has used a huge amount of spiritual energy!"

"Correct! His Cultivation base is at the fourth level of Chakra Condensation, not nearly as deep as mine. Using spiritual energy to ride flying swords wastes so much, it can kill you!" The two pursuing fifth-level Cultivators were now getting pumped up. And yet just as they finished talking, they caught sight of Naruto up ahead, and they saw something that left them feeling anything but reassured.

Even as he ran, Naruto pulled out a second bag of holding, from which he produced a handful of medicinal pills which he swallowed. This he did with casual ease, leaving the onlookers with the feeling that he had countless medicinal pills at his disposal.

Actually, that was true. In the following four hours, the two pursuers discovered that he had an enormous amount of flying swords and medicinal pills. They were already deeply shaken.

"Opening a store is this profitable?" they thought. They were Cultivators of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, and could not possibly be without medicinal pills. Furthermore, after having spent so much effort in their pursuit, they couldn't bear to give up. Reluctantly, they produced some pills and consumed them, then continued their pursuit, their hearts filled with the desire to slay Naruto.

By the time the sixth hour had arrived, the dark, black mountain had appeared in front of Naruto. Lying concealed among the other wild mountains, it gave off a ghastly, cold air. It seemed as if it were filled with sinister gloom.

When he caught sight of the mountain, his eyes gleamed. He had expended a lot of energy along the way, and felt a bit of painful regret. To him, every flying sword and every medicinal pill cost Spirit Stones. But he couldn't worry too much about that right now. Without hesitation, he shot into the black mountain.

The two pursuing Cultivators followed him in.

Some more time passed and more pursuers appeared, one by one. Upon seeing the black mountain, they gaped in astonishment, then entered.

* * *

The black mountain was not bare, but rather covered with a lush forest of trees that stretched up toward the heavens. The reason this place was called a black mountain was because all the trees were completely black, and it seemed to be filled with swirling Demonic energy.

It was completely different from any of the other mountains as far as the eye could see.

Upon entering the mountain, Naruto heard a deep roar, and two Demonic beasts of the third level of Chakra Condensation charged toward him. They had the bodies of wolves with long snake-like tails and were covered with thin fur. They glared at him hatefully.

As soon as they approached, Naruto stopped, then lifted up the copper mirror and shined it upon them. Instantly, one of the Demonic beast's right eye shot out a geyser of blood. It let out a miserable shriek, frightening its companion. Naruto's eyes flashed. This time, the mirror had exploded the Demonic beast's eye, not its buttocks. A similar thing had occurred when he fought Kiba. He didn't have any more time to think about it. Even as they moved to evade him, he hurtled past them.

As for the two fifth-level Cultivators, they raced in pursuit, infuriated. Their flying swords shot out, instantly slaying the two Demonic beasts. They didn't even stop to collect the Demonic Cores. Their bodies seemed to become rainbows as they raced in pursuit of Naruto.

"This is a Demonic mountain. I've heard that a Demon King lives on the peak. Naruto, fleeing to this place is just a way of seeking your own death."

"There's no need to flee. Come back and we can discuss things, maybe make a trade." The two Cultivators called after him as they pursued, their voices seemingly sincere, but their hearts filled with murderous intentions.

Naruto neither looked back nor responded to their calls, instead speeding along in the direction of the peak of the mountain. Before long, he ran into a group of seven or eight Demonic beasts. Most of them seemed to be at the third level of Chakra Condensation. After cowing them with the copper mirror, he made his escape. Of course, the two fifth-level Cultivators had no such ability, so they had to massacre their way through. Then, covered with blood—demonic blood, of course, not their own—they continued in pursuit. They were starting to grow exhausted. During the battle, they had used up even more medicinal pills. But as the saying goes, if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off. Gritting their teeth, they continued their pursuit.

"They're still after me…" Naruto, his face grim, had already reached the farthest point he had ever travelled on the black mountain. If he went any further, it would be difficult to avoid Demonic beasts of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. A hard look appeared on his face, and with clenched jaw, he proceeded onward toward the mountaintop.

After time passed enough for half an incense stick to burn, a low roar suddenly sounded out, seeming to cover half of the mountain. Like a dark wind, a multi-colored giant wolf came toward him, howling. The wolf had legs six meters long, and bright red eyes which shone with killing intent. Suppressive fifth-level Chakra Condensation spirit roiled away from it.

If it had been alone, it would not have counted for much. But behind it followed a group of five smaller multi-colored wolves with Cultivation bases at the peak of the fourth level, as well as another fifth level wolf. Their fierce howling filled the air.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and without hesitation, he lifted the copper mirror and shone it toward the wolves. A miserable shriek poured out from the mouth of one of the wolves and blood poured out from its chest as if it had been stabbed. The other wolves looked on in shock, retreating unconsciously.

Moments later, unsure of what exactly was happening, and full of guesses, he gritted his teeth and proceeded forward. Two flying swords appeared beneath his feet, carrying him forward over thirty meters in an instant. Further behind appeared the two fifth-level Cultivators. When they saw the pack of Demonic wolves, their expressions dropped. Even though they pursued Naruto together, they still had to guard against each other. This area was still in the jurisdiction of the Reliance Sect, but once outside the gates of the sect, it would not be a rules violation for one of them to kill the other.

Amidst pursuit, it would have been no big deal, but now they were facing a crisis. The two fifth-level Demonic wolves looked at them threateningly. That, not to mention the rest of the smaller Demonic wolves, caused the two to quickly come up with a plan. Immediately, they split, one running off to the left and the other to the right.

They moved quickly, but the Demonic wolves moved even faster. They were sentient Demonic beasts, and already felt an astonishing fear of the copper mirror, as well as, Naruto. Amidst their furious roars, however, he had made his escape, whereupon two Chakra Condensation fifth-level Cultivators invaded their territory.

The Cultivators had no time to consider their fury. They ran, pursued by the howling Demonic wolves. In moments they had fled far away.

Naruto let out a sigh. Look up toward the mountaintop, and then back toward the fleeing Cultivators, his eyes flashed.

"Those Demonic beasts will cause them a bit of trouble, and will keep them off my tail for a while. But the fourth two-hour period is almost here. The pill beacon will shine again, and then they'll be able to find me." Naruto looked again toward the mountain top. He clenched his jaw and ran forward.

Shortly after that, a beacon of light burst out of his bag of holding, shooting up into the sky. Even someone a great distance away would be able to see it clearly.

Every two hours, the beacon would appear, as it had already a few times today. This was the fourth time.

Naruto proceeded carefully, trying to avoid as many Demonic beasts as possible. Most of the ones he saw were of the fifth level of Chakra cultivation, so of course he feared them. It seemed they preferred to move about in groups, not alone, so even though the copper mirror provided some protection, he did his best to move around them. As such, his speed was reduced, and he could not run.

Time slowly passed, nearly an hour. Suddenly, a massive, furious roar sounded out throughout the whole mountain. At the same time, Naruto burst out from the thick forest, a worried expression on his face. Chasing him were seven or eight psychic Demonic apes. They were furious, and extremely fast, pursuing Naruto with unbridled fury.

Three of them were of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, and this made Naruto groan inwardly. He had been very careful so far, and hadn't imagined that even as he carefully made his way around the troupe of Demonic apes, the mirror would of its own volition suddenly attack them, exploding one of the apes whose fur was so long it dragged on the ground. This of course raised the fury of the rest of the Demonic apes.

"Even if it is a Demonic ape with super long fur, it doesn't mean you have to act like this," said Naruto bitterly, looking at the copper mirror in his hands. He realized that he still didn't fully understand all the mysteries of the mirror. Now, though, he didn't have time to think about it. He ran down the mountain away from the Demonic apes. Looking back, he saw that the apes were closing in on him, so he waved the copper mirror, and another miserable shriek rang out. At that exact moment, Naruto saw that ahead of him, which was about the halfway point down or up the mountain, glittered the aura of flying swords.

His eyes shone and he raced forward. In an instant he was almost upon a group of four Cultivators of the fourth level of Chakra Condensation. One of them was Kaiza. They were in close combat with several Demonic bears. Blood filled the air, and it appeared that they had the upper hand, as the corpses of two Demonic bears lay at their feet.

"Naruto!" They caught sight of him almost as soon as he caught sight of them, and their eyes filled with murderous intent, especially Kaiza's.

They appeared to be exhausted. Their journey in the black mountain had been wrought with battle. Originally, they had been ten strong, but most of them had already given up. The four remaining had exercised control over their Cultivation bases with gritted teeth and followed after the pill beacon until they found themselves in this brave fight against the Demonic bears.

When they caught sight of Naruto, their eyes grew red, and they subconsciously wanted to switch the target of their flying swords' attacks.

"Dear Brothers, I received your orders to attract the attention of this troupe of Demonic apes. Quick, make your move!" As Naruto approached, he ignored the flying swords and shouted his words loudly so that the pursuing psychic apes would be sure to hear.

Even as the words were out of his mouth, shockingly furious roars reverberated from behind him as the seven or eight psychic apes burst out from the trees, their red eyes glowing.

"Naruto, you're shameless!"

"Dammit, you're too despicable!"

The four men's faces fell, and they tried to fall back, cursing Naruto. But the fight with the Demonic bears wouldn't permit it. Naruto, who was still worried about the whole situation, had already passed them, and the red-eyed Demonic apes charged forward furiously.

Naruto looked back at the four of them, killing intent appearing in his eyes. He slapped his bag of holding, and some flying swords shot out with a low hum.

"BOOM!"

The explosion thundered out, as the flying swords exploded. Naruto instantly sent two Flame Serpents to follow them, and several nearby trees exploded into bits. Borrowing some of the momentum from the explosion, Naruto swallowed a mouthful of blood and shot away. Behind him, the four Cultivators were impeded by the explosions. As for the Demonic apes, they had lost sight of Naruto. But the Cultivators were right there in front of them, so they attacked instantly.

Miserable screams rang out, and Naruto continued onward without a backward glance.

"This place isn't too bad… it's just a bit dangerous." Naruto ran along, until he was sure the Demonic apes weren't following him, then stopped, panting. He looked around.

"It's not easy to keep hold of a Dry Spirit Pill," he murmured. He looked down at his bag of holding and let out a sigh, feeling somewhat distressed.

"I've already wasted thirty-one flying swords, and each one of those is basically a Spirit Stone. I've also consumed several medicinal pills, each of which is also equivalent to a Spirit Stone. And it isn't even the fifth two-hour period yet…" Naruto laughed bitterly, feeling twisted at heart.

"In the end, if I can consume the Dry Spirit Pill and make a breakthrough in my Cultivation base, then it will all be worth it!" Veins of blood had appeared in his eyes. He was like a gambler who intended to win at any cost, and had gone all in.

"If those four fourth-level disciples don't get killed, they'll definitely be exhausted, and I doubt they'll be willing to continue their pursuit. Now, all I have left to worry about are the two fifth-level Cultivators." His expression grew somber. His opponents had higher Cultivation bases than him, and there were two of them. It would be difficult to stand up to them, and as far as he was concerned, it wasn't worth it to kill them. The cost in Spirit Stones would be too great.

He rested for a bit, looking up at the mountaintop. Then he gritted his teeth and began to run. The fifth two-hour period arrived quickly, and almost as soon as the pill beacon shot up into the sky from his bag of holding, he heard the sinister voices of his two opponents coming from either side of him.

"Naruto, you can't escape!"

"Hand over the Dry Spirit Pill to me. I can let you die with your corpse intact. Otherwise I'll leave you here for the beasts, and nothing will remain of you."

Even as their voices echoed off into the distance, the two Cultivators' bodies flashed like rainbows as they charged towards Naruto. Determination filled Naruto's eyes and he fled onward. It appeared that up ahead was the resting place of some Demonic beasts

* * *

Not much time had passed. It seemed as if the entire black mountain were seething. The roars of Demonic beasts shook the air, rising and falling one after another. Even more frequent were the miserable shrieks which sounded out. The ten or more Cultivators who had dared not further their pursuit into the mountain looked pale. Fear filled their hearts, and now they were even less willing to enter the mountain than before.

"What happened? How come it seems like all the Demonic beasts in the whole mountain are in a rage?"

"What's going on? Elder Brothers Zori and Waraji are both of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, but even they would have a hard time raising the wrath of the entire mountain. Could they have use some unique and special technique?"

The small crowd at the foot of the mountain made their guesses, listening to the deafening roars.

As far as Zori and Waraji, they had already been tormented to near madness by Naruto's tricks. They watched helplessly as Naruto moved about up ahead in the distance, along with vast amounts of Demonic beasts. Based on the hatred in their eyes, if looks could kill, Naruto would have been dead several times over.

Yet, within the hatred was helpless exhaustion that only Zori and Waraji could truly understand. Every time they had begun to chase Naruto again, he had constantly used some sort of Demonic magic to provoke all types of Demonic beasts. With the mere flick of a sleeve, he would cause some part of a Demonic creature's body to explode. The stench of blood filled the air, slowly driving the creatures crazy.

Seeing so many Demonic creatures made their scalps go numb, as the creatures didn't just pursue Naruto. Once the creatures caught sight of the two of them, they would begin chasing after them. Then, some distance away, Naruto would slip away like a loach.

"Dammit! I curse you to die in the belly of the beasts!" roared Waraji. Next to him, Zori sighed, looking even more exhausted.

Time slowly passed, and the beginning of another of the two-hour periods approached. In the darkness of night, the pill beacon was dazzling. As it revealed Naruto's position, Zori and Waraji gnashed their teeth and pursued. As usual, Naruto used his Demonic magic to provoke more Demonic beasts, then led them to Zori and Waraji, whereupon he would watch them disappear amidst the pack of furious creatures.

"How can he have not been devoured by a Demonic creature already!?" Zori and Waraji were exhausted to the bones, whereas Naruto skipped and jumped about, filled with energy. Seeing this, hatred filled them to the marrow, and their gums itched with hatred. But there was nothing they could do.

In truth, Naruto was also exhausted. Every time the pill shone, he was forced to immediately arouse the attention of some Demonic beasts. Of course, the copper mirror allowed him to stop the fastest creatures screaming in their tracks, thus giving him time to escape. Were it not for that, he would have long since dropped to the ground in fatigue.

Suddenly, he realized that he had reached the top of the mountain. The ground was covered with fissures and crevices, some of them so large that a person could easily fit inside. Panting, Naruto sat down behind a boulder to rest, looking down at the copper mirror in his hands. It was burning hot, as if everything that had happened today had made it incredibly excited. With a bitter smile, Naruto looked around and noticed a massive fissure up ahead, out of which seeped a thick black mist.

Just then, a roar suddenly erupted from the giant fissure, the same roar that earlier had quelled all the fierce beasts on the mountain. The roar seemed capable of shaking the whole world. It resounded like a thunderclap. In an instant, the entire area was clear of all Demonic beasts, as if the entire mountain now contained only this roar.

The roar seemed to vibrate even Naruto's mind, dispersing all the spiritual energy within his body. His facial expression changed. This roar was familiar. In his previous visits to the regions near the black mountain, he had heard it. It was a sound which curdled both blood and Chakra, leaving one's mind filled with unease.

As the roar sounded out, Naruto forced his eyes to remain open and watch as the black mist poured out of the fissure. As the mist dispersed, Naruto was able to see a huge black python, over six meters thick, with a heinous and fierce countenance. About half its length had suddenly moved out of the fissure.

It looked to be in pain, and its fierce roar shook heaven and earth. Naruto spat out a mouthful of blood. He leaped out from the behind the boulder and flew down the mountain, not daring to remain behind. But then he stopped, his curiosity having gotten the better of him. When he went back to take a second look, he noticed something interesting.

The python's body, half of which was visible sticking out of the fissure, seemed to peeling. It looked as if it had two sets of skin. It coiled up on itself, rubbing the outer skin to shed it away.

"It's shedding?" Upon recognizing what was happening, Naruto sucked in a breath. He knew that pythons were weakest during the time in which they shed their skin. It took a while for it to happen, especially if the python were demonic in nature. With a body as large as this one, it would probably take even longer, perhaps several years.

"No wonder you can hear it roaring all the time. It must have been in the process of shedding for years." His gaze shifted, and he noticed something else in addition to the python.

Upon closer inspection, he gaped in amazement. It was a flying sword. It appeared to be exceedingly primitive, with no special characteristics at all. But, it had been stabbed deeply into the python's body. It appeared to have been there for quite a long time, many years perhaps.

The area around where the sword had stabbed into the body was dry and withered, which attested to the power of the sword.

"This demonic python has a Cultivation base of at least the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, perhaps the eighth. Maybe even the ninth…" His mouth grew dry. He could only imagine how tough the python's skin was, which only further attested to how amazing the primitive-looking flying sword was.

"A flying sword which can stab a demonic creature like this must be a true treasure." Naruto palpitated with eagerness, then let out a dejected sigh. With a Cultivation base at the fourth level of Chakra Condensation, acquiring the sword was little more than a dream for him. Even if he were at the fifth level, it would be equally impossible.

Shaking his head, he headed down the mountain, eyes glittering. There was still something important to accomplish. The copper mirror in his sleeve continued to boil, and soon, he had a handful of Demonic beasts following him, howling.

A few hours passed and dawn broke. The last of the twelve two-hour periods would soon end. Zori and Waraji had already given up all hope. They stared up at Naruto, who sat cross-legged further up the mountain.

If the two of them made the slightest move, he would rile up a group of beasts, and not only would they not succeed in their goal, they would most likely be injured. Couple that with their exhaustion, and the only thing they could do was gasp for breath and stare venomously at Naruto.

"Dammit. Naruto, how could you escape me!?" Waraji panted for breath then let out a helpless howl. Naruto really was a loach that could come and go like a shadow within the jungle.

"Don't you have your own skills?" said Zori, who wasn't very far away. Able to neither kill nor pursue, he was half mad, and his words seemed to contain no logic. "Can you just, not flee? There's no need to use such wicked demonic magic to send beasts after us. Why don't we have a fair fight?"

"My Cultivation base isn't as high as yours, how could I fight you?" said Naruto, also panting. "If you want to keep chasing me, I don't really have any other choice." He swallowed another medicinal pill.

Never before in their lives had Zori and Waraji ever met anyone as seemingly unreasonable as Naruto. They both felt regret at heart. If they had known it would turn out like this, they would never have chased after him to steal the pill.

Time slipped by, and the hour approached for the sealing spell on the pill to dissipate. Zori let out a long sigh. With a bitter laugh, he shook his head. There was nothing left he could do. He couldn't pursue or attack, lest he be forced to face Demonic beasts. His medicinal pills were exhausted, and he had lost two flying swords. How could he even attempt to steal the pill…? Of course, that was not to mention his opponent's tactics. His dazzling, wicked ideas seemed to have no end. Even the slightest bit of inattentiveness would lead to injury.

With a humiliated sigh, he gave one last look at Naruto, then turned and headed down the mountain, finally tormented into surrender.

As he left, Waraji felt wracked with indecision. Dawn approached, as did the ending of the twelfth two-hour period, and with it, the unsealing of the medicinal pill in Naruto's bag of holding. Waraji stamped his foot hatefully, then, without a word, turned and left. He was convinced that Naruto was just too hard to deal with. In fact, there was fear in his heart; if he didn't leave this place now, perhaps he never would.

Naruto watched the two of them leave and head down the mountain. He let out a very long sigh, and felt exhaustion fill his body like floodwaters. He bit his tongue and woke up a bit, then hurried off into the distance. He didn't leave the black mountain, but rather made his way to the mountaintop. There was the Demonic python there, but generally speaking it was relatively safe. After all, the python needed time to complete its transformation, and its roars kept away other Demonic beasts.

Naruto found a fissure in the rocks and sat down cross-legged. He glanced down at his bag of holding, suddenly feeling apprehensive.

"I wasted so many medicinal pills, each one worth Spirit Stones. Let me calculate… including thirty-seven flying swords and more than forty Demonic Cores, that comes to… one hundred ninety-eight Spirit Stones. One hundred ninety-eight." His body trembled, and he felt quite upset.

"Thankfully, the twenty-four hours is now up," he said, trying to comfort himself, "and the Dry Spirit Pill is mine." Pushing aside his disappointment, he forced his mind to be clear, then, looking around to make sure it was safe, he pulled out the copper mirror and began to make copies of the Dry Spirit Pill.

Mid-day arrived, and Naruto looked down at the pills in his hands. Ten Dry Spirit Pills. He forced out a smile, but disappointment was still visible in his face. It took a lot of Spirit Stones to copy a Dry Spirit Pill, many more than were required for a Demonic Core. Now he understood the exchange rates required by the copper mirror.

He clenched his jaw, then popped one of the pills into his mouth.

"Fifth level of Chakra Condensation! I have to reach the fifth level!" His eyes grew bloodshot, filled with resilient determination. He sat in meditation and began to rotate his Cultivation base. Booming sounds resounded through his body as boundless spiritual energy erupted out of the Dry Spirit Pill, causing the spiritual forces in Naruto's body to turn into a spinning vortex which suddenly spread outward in all directions.

Time went by slowly, and days passed. When Naruto, his eyes closed, broke through the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, the black mountain was filled with the roars of the python. Its transformation, like Naruto's, seemed also to have reached a critical juncture.

* * *

As Naruto sat in secluded meditation in the small mountain fissure, rumors about what had happened regarding the Dry Spirit Pill began to ripple out. This was especially true when Zori and Waraji returned. Many people saw them, but of course none dared to ask about who had ended up with the Dry Spirit Pill.

Because Naruto didn't appear, rumors began to spread that he had died.

At that exact same moment, Sasuke stood with hands clasped in his Immortal's Cave on the East Mountain. The mountain breeze caused his hair to waft about and his long robe to rustle. He seemed exceedingly perfect in every way, especially his face, which was so beautiful and flawless that it could send women mad.

As a matter of fact, a mere nod of his head could drive crazy not just the young female Cultivators of the Reliance Sect, but of the Cultivation World of the entire Five Elements Nation.

His gentle eyes, amiable disposition, beautiful features, superb latent talent, refined Cultivation base, astonishing family background… all of it seemed to prove that Sasuke deserved to be Chosen, which in turn caused people to respect him even more. He was blessed by heaven.

He stood there, an enchanting smile on his face, his eyes seemingly filled with stars as he stared off into the distance. His gaze seemed to almost bore directly through the mountain ranges to fall directly onto the black mountain filled with Demonic beasts.

He stared for a long time, his eyes flickering with an indiscernible excitement.

"The time has come," he said, his smile light but his heart afire. "I spent three years digging through the ancient records, then another year searching high and low throughout the Five Elements Nation. After that, I waited for two more years here in the Reliance Sect. Finally, today has arrived. Before the Winged Rain-Dragon died, it flew to this place.

"I never imagined that the two most important things to me would relate to the Reliance Sect. Is my destiny really to be realized here? After the current matter is ended, I will enter the Inner Sect and being my plans regarding my Foundation Establishment." His smile grew even more enchanting.

"Elder Brother Sasuke, we are prepared," said a man who stood behind Sasuke. His Cultivation base was at the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. He spoke with utmost respect. "Even the members of the other Sects are assembled according to your requirements. We shall certainly succeed. Unfortunately, Kaiza hasn't returned, and we don't know where he is. It's not certain whether or not he was able to invite Master uncle Gato."

"Very well," said Sasuke with a smile. "We've been preparing for this matter for a long time. According to my deductions, the Demonic python is almost at the end of its two-year shedding period. The moment it completes the process, it is at its weakest." His eyes grew brighter. Not only had he spent years in preparation, he had been required to pay the price of four valuable treasures, as well as tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, to prepare the spell. Even for him, it was a price which could only be paid once. As of now, he had nothing left.

"Don't worry, Elder Brother Sasuke. We will definitely succeed. Allow Junior Brother to congratulate you in advance on acquiring the Core."

"Of course we will succeed. I, Sasuke, have never failed." He laughed, and his expression grew even more resplendent. If the ancient records were correct, he would return with a valuable treasure that would accompany him for the rest of his life, and also an ancient legacy which would allow him to control heaven and earth. As for the Demonic Core, it could have been considered a treasure when it was in its prime. But after all these years, it would have faded, and would not be as effective. However, it could still help him break through from the sixth level of Chakra Condensation to the seventh.

"Tomorrow at dawn, we shall go to the black mountain," said Sasuke mildly. With a smile, he rubbed his right arm. Hidden underneath the sleeve was a red mark. He rubbed it, and his eyes once again flashed with excitement.

It was a mark left by a Blood Drop which had fallen onto him from the Heavens when he was six years old. After that day, he was surrounded by a dream in which he flew through the air and became a sovereign of the sky.

With the Blood Drop had come knowledge of a legacy, as well as a special sense, which, when coupled with the information from the records of two-hundred years ago, had enabled him to find a thread of a clue which had led him here.

"No one in the entire world except for me could do this. And that is because I am connected to the legacy, and have the Blood Drop, which is unique in the world." He gazed off toward the black mountain, his smile even more entrancing, filled with anticipation.

"If this was still the era of Patriarch Reliance, then he would definitely take control of the dragon. But he's been missing for four hundred years. That is good fortune for me. According to the ancient records, as well as my own investigations, I know that when the dragon came here two hundred years ago, its aura had been suppressed by the treasure. Few people realized that. Even though this is Reliance Sect territory, the area has powerful restrictive spells. Not only was there no aura emanating out, even if there were, no one would have been able to sense it. And even if someone entered the area, their vision would have been blocked by the magic, and they would have been unable to see it.

"As for the Demonic python, it has spent most of its time in slumber. It was only because of the shedding process that it began to roar and howl. Only when the Demonic python sheds its skin fully will the restrictions dissipate, and it will be safe to enter. Thanks to my Blood Drop legacy, I was able to deduce these matters. No one else understands even the half of it.

"A valuable treasure, a complete legacy, all there, waiting for Sasuke!" His smile growing wider, he flicked his sleeve and walked back into the Immortal's Cave. Moonlight circled around him, unwilling to part from him. The mystical scene caused the other Cultivator's expression to be filled with even more veneration.

The next day at dawn, atop the black mountain, in that virtually invisible fissure, Naruto's entire body had grown crimson red. Sweat poured off him, and massive amounts of black filth oozed continuously out of his pores.

He had been in mediation for several days, but now his eyes opened. Outside, the roars of the Demonic python grew more intense. It seemed it had reached a critical juncture of its own.

Naruto was not distracted, though. He focused and rotated his Cultivation base. He pushed over and over again, but the fourth-level bottleneck was still there. His eyes red, he swallowed ten Dry Spirit Pills, whereupon his head began to buzz, and his body trembled violently. A loud ripping sound could be heard, and it seemed as if his body were floating like a piece of paper in the wind.

Inside his body, his Chakra and blood vessels sparkled like crystal, nearly transparent, like an otherworldly omen. The spiritual energy in his body whirled, forming a magnificent lake. It wasn't a big lake, but it was a lake nonetheless.

The lake, the Core lake, existed in Naruto's dantian region, quite heavy.

Naruto knew that he could control the power and enable it to erupt with the power of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. To a Cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment, it was weak and insubstantial, but as far as Chakra Condensation went, the fifth level was a watershed, the second watershed being the seventh level, followed by the ninth.

His head buzzed for quite some time. Eventually, Naruto slowly opened his eyes, and they glittered like they had before. A burst of popping sounds rang out. He seemed to have grown a bit taller, and though his skin was still dark, a new air emanated from him.

"The fifth level of Chakra Condensation." Naruto took a deep breath, then smiled. He had reached the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. Now he could practice the Wind Walking technique. That, combined with flying swords, would give him much greater speed both in movement and attack. It was completely beyond the fourth level.

"Dry Spirit Pills really are beyond ordinary," said Naruto, looking down at the two Dry Spirit Pills in front of him. "But, they still have their limitations. Perhaps after consuming a lot of them, they will become less effective, just like the pills in the past. I wonder if I will be able to use them to get to the sixth level of Chakra Condensation." As he contemplated this, his expression suddenly changed. The roars of the Demonic python now carried a tone of misery. Booming sounds rang out. Naruto leaned forward, and he looked outside of the fissure.

As he looked, his pupils constricted and his hands clenched into fists.

Not far away on the mountaintop, was a white-robed youth, extraordinarily beautiful, as if his perfect body was a blessing from heaven. A golden flying sword rotated around him, and the wind blew furiously around as he battled with the Demonic python.

It was none other than… Sasuke.

He smiled calmly, and his kind, amiable eyes made him seem like the sun. He seemed to glow, as if he could eliminate all the shadows around him.

When he attacked, he seemed perfect, as if the Heavens approved his each and every movement.

Around him were at least nine others, one of whom was Gato. He flicked his sleeves as he took the lead in battling the Demonic python. As for the others, all of them had Chakra Condensation levels of the seventh level or higher. All were strangers whom Naruto had never seen before. They surrounded the Demonic python, preparing to kill it. Booming sounds rang out, and the python let out astonishing roars.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, not moving a muscle. But deep in his eyes was a dark look that slowly grew, replacing any mildness until it filled his eyes.

After a short bit of time, the Demonic python's roars grew more and more miserable, and wounds covered its body. Blood splattered everywhere. This truly was its weakest state. The surrounding Cultivators attacked even fiercely. Sasuke smiled, as perfect as ever, his eyes filled with an indiscernible excitement.

He had waited for this day for a long time.

Suddenly, from to peaks of nine surrounding mountains, shining silvery light coiled up and linked together to form a spell. The spell ever so slowly filled the air, then broke into countless silver threads which then turned into a silver fog that shot down toward the ground. It seemed that they were preparing to seal the Demonic python.

But, just then, the python looked up toward the Heavens and let out a roar which resounded out over the black mountain, shaking everything. Suddenly, on top of the python's head appeared the ghostly image of a beast.

The creature was bright red, with enormous wings and a hideous-looking head. Its sharp claws glittered, and it had a long tail. The instant the phantom appeared, the swirling winds in the sky seemed to change colors, and astonished expressions appeared on the faces of everyone present. Only Sasuke's eyes appeared more excited. Fortunately, the ghostly image appeared for only a moment, then disappeared.

When the ghostly image disappeared, the Demonic python shot out of the deep fissure, its body sleek and smooth. It let out a frightening roar and spit reddish mist out of its mouth, an attack which then shot out in all directions. The Cultivators couldn't avoid it, not even Sasuke, and they could only watch helplessly as it enveloped them, then shot out into the distance. Because of the attack, when the silver fog fell from the sky, it didn't just fall down upon the Demonic python, but Sasuke and the others as well.

As the silver fog descended upon them, Naruto's heart began to thump wildly. Before, he had seen a sword sticking out from the Demonic python's body. But as of now, the sword was nowhere to be seen. Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped up and, moving faster than he ever had in his life, jumped onto a flying sword and shot toward the top of the mountain and the large fissure.

"Go! Go! Go!" Naruto said under his breath. Without any regard for safety, he charged into the fissure-like cave, ignoring the strange odor which filled the air. As he moved deeper into the cave, he saw a massive snakeskin, stuck into which was the small, primitive-looking sword.

Without even a pause, he grabbed the sword, his heart thumping, face flushed with excitement. Just as he was about to leave, his eyes widened. Despite his extreme level of excitement, he was still able to gasp in shock. The thing really was a python skin, but it was also something else, something shockingly frightening that Naruto had never before seen in his life.

It was … the corpse of a creature. A massive, shriveled corpse, several hundreds of meters long. The black mountain seemed to be hollow inside, and the creature's corpse filled more than half of it.

Also visible were two gigantic, mostly disintegrated wings. Despite being dead, the creature's massive, hideous head was incredibly frightening. This creature looked the same as the ghostly image which had just appeared, and now it was clear that the so-called Demonic python was actually the creature's tail.

"A tail that becomes a demon!" said Naruto, stupefied. "What Demonic beast is this?! If it's a Demonic beast… it must have a Demonic Core!" He clenched his jaw. Based on his experience collecting Demonic Cores, it wouldn't be located in the creature's belly. Most Demonic Cores were located in the head. He dashed toward the horrific-looking head, and with a swipe of the primitive-looking sword, split it open. Sure enough, inside was a shriveled Demonic Core. He grabbed it, and was about to leave, when suddenly his heart began thumping even harder. From his current position, he could see that beneath the head of the creature's corpse was a skeleton.

Who knew how many years the skeleton had lay crushed under the head. Next to the skeleton was a golden-colored bag of holding.

Blood boiling, Naruto suddenly had the feeling that his destiny was thick in this place. He had acquired the sword, the Demonic Core and now a golden bag of holding. He snatched it up, then shot out of the cave like the wind, and then down the mountain, filled with incredible excitement.

"I've struck it rich! This time, I've really freaking struck it rich!"

Naruto had only been inside the cave for the space of about ten breaths, and in ten more, he was gone from the mountain. The moment his shadow disappeared, a shape began to descend from the silver fog that hung in the sky. It was a person wearing a white robe; Sasuke. With a flick of his sleeve, he floated down slowly. He looked around for a moment, then sped toward the cave.

* * *

Sasuke looked so excited that if anyone could have seen him, they would have been shocked. No one had ever seen such an expression appear on his face.

To other people, Sasuke was a Chosen, with a mild expression, amiable smile, and beautiful appearance, perfect in every way.

But at the moment, he could not help but show his excitement. He had prepared for this moment for years, had spent so many resources, all to get to this point, a point he had looked forward to for years. He would finally have a treasure he could carry with him for his entire life. His heart nearly burst with frenzied excitement.

One of the main reasons he had joined the Reliance Sect to begin with was to acquire this treasure.

Moving as fast as he could, he entered the cave. When he caught sight of the massive, frightening corpse, he let out a loud laugh and his eyes glowed. He dashed toward the creature's tail, the part that had turned into the Demonic python. He searched about for a while, whereupon a look of confusion appeared on his face. His eyes widened. After looking across the entire corpse, he stood there looking dumbstruck.

"What's going on…? It can't be. The treasure can only be acquired after the python sheds its skin. The only safe time to enter is right now. How could it not be here? It's impossible!" A heinous look filled his eyes, and his head spun. He searched the corpse again, seeking out the place where he remembered the sword should have been sticking out. When he found it, it was clear that the sword had already been taken. Sasuke's body began to shake, and an unbelievable fury appeared in his eyes. He let out a howl that shook the entire black mountain.

That was when he noticed that the corpse's head had been split open and the Demonic Core removed. When he saw the skeleton, his mood sank even deeper, and he barely even looked at it.

His whole person appeared savage with fury. He dashed outside and pulled up his sleeve, hoping to get some reaction from the Blood Drop on his arm. But there was no reaction whatsoever. In fact, it was as if the Blood Drop had been wiped away!

He searched the black mountain high and low but found nothing.

In the end, he returned dumbly to the cave and looked at the creature's corpse. He let out another shrill shriek.

"I spent three years searching the ancient texts. Three years, with no time for Cultivation! I spent hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones before I found the clue from two hundred years ago that led me to the Flying Rain-Dragon!" His body trembled, and his face contorted. Any beauty at all in him was gone, replaced by madness.

"I spent a year searching throughout the Five Elements Nation, in the mountains and the wilds. I went everywhere, all the districts. The reactions of the Blood Drop finally led me here!" His eyes red, he clenched his fists angrily. Anyone who saw him like this would surely be shocked in the extreme.

"For the treasure, I deigned to begin my spiritual studies in this damned Reliance Sect. Dammit, Dammit! I've had to endure for nearly three years already!" His heart ached, as if it had been stabbed with an invisible sword that smashed his arrogance to pieces. Up until now, he really had never believed that he could possibly fail.

"To prepare the spell to suppress the dragon, I spent all my remaining Spirit Stones! I used some precious influence from my Clan to suppress information about the ancient Flying Rain-Dragon from getting out. I even refused the aid of my Clan-members because I wanted the treasure and the Legacy to be the true starting point of my training!

"Who was it? Who took my treasure!?" His body trembled violently, his head buzzed, and his blood roiled. He had spent so much, and someone else had benefited. He spit out a mouthful of blood onto his white robe, staining it red.

It was like a man in the mortal world who paid the bride-price, bought a luxuriously decorated mansion, found the most beautiful bride, then arranged an amazing wedding feast to which he invited countless friends and family. Then, in front of everyone's eyes, filled with anticipation, he entered the nuptial chamber and saw his beautiful, blushing bride in her red wedding gauzes, then threw himself upon her…

Only to suddenly find he had become a different person. Everything that belonged to him was suddenly being enjoyed by some other bloke. Even his face had been taken away!

"Who took my ancient Cultivation sword!?" Sasuke again shouted mournfully, then spit out another mouthful of blood. He staggered backward a few paces, his face pale, his eyes burning with madness. He couldn't accept it, not at all. Never before had he failed, ever. This, coupled with his arrogance, caused his heart to be filled with a powerful, humiliated fury.

"Who stole the treasure I planned to use to rebuke the Cultivation world!?" As he thought about the price he had paid to reach this point, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. His robe was now almost completely red as he staggered backward.

"You didn't just take the treasure, you took the Demonic Core. Without that, I can't break through to the seventh level! Who are you?! Who are you who took away my fortune! That was my treasure, that was my Demonic Core!" His face twisted with madness as he continued his search, but to no avail.

His miserable roars reached Naruto's ears as he fled for his life. His eyes glittered excitedly, and he ran even faster.

"I'm rich. Really, really rich." His heart raced and his mouth felt dry, and his speed increased until it far exceeded his previous speed limitation. Only a short time passed before he reached the Immortal's Cave on the South Mountain.

He had guessed that the treasures he'd taken were very important to Sasuke. Since he had virtually stolen them, he could not very well announce their existence publicly. He wanted to hide himself away as well, but if he did so, it would only attract more attention to himself. Instead, he should place himself in the open and attach himself to a position of reason, be bold and assured, with justice on his side.

He licked his lips, and his eyes fairly shone. Even though Fatty still had the jade slip that opened the Immortal's Cave, Naruto still had another jade slip given to him by elder sister Hinata, which he knew could open the door. If there were only one key, how could she have opened the door when he sat counting his Spirit Stones that one time?

When he entered the Immortal's Cave, he didn't see Fatty. At first, he was worried. But then he realized that even though Fatty looked naive, he was actually quite clever, and wouldn't let himself be taken advantage of. Not thinking about it any further, he sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath and pulled out the golden bag of holding. He grew even happier at the sight of it, and when he opened it, he started to murmur softly to himself.

"It's so big. It seems it can hold… what?" Before he even finished his sentence, his body grew stiff, and he sucked in another breath. When he looked in the bag of holding, his mind went blank, then began to buzz.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! I really am rich!" His hands trembled as they gripped the bag of holding. It took a few moments for him to get his thoughts in order again. He pulled out a Spirit Stone with a shaky hand.

The Spirit Stones in the bag were not quite the same as his other Spirit Stones. About as big as a finger, the Spiritual energy which swirled about in them was not dense, and they also contained a strange swirling mist inside. And the sheer amount… inside the bag of holding were over two thousand Spirit Stones!

He had never seen such a vast amount of wealth in his entire life. He could not even breathe for a moment. His body trembled, and he stared blankly. Other than the Spirit Stones, the only things in the bag were some articles of clothing and a few other miscellaneous items.

Sweat began to drip down Naruto's forehead. It wasn't hot inside the Immortal's Cave, but his body felt as if it were burning. After a bit of time went by, he began to laugh, a hearty laughter filled with joy.

"These Spirit Stones are strange. They're big, but their spiritual energy is just average. But the quantity, hahaha…" After some time passed, he got himself under control. Licking his lips, he pulled out another of the objects he had acquired, the withered Demonic Core. He looked at it, his eyes gleaming intensely. He took a deep breath.

"That gigantic Demonic beast must have been dead for many years. Eventually, its tail transformed into a Demonic python. It must have been incredibly powerful when it was alive. And its Demonic Core…" Naruto's breathing grew ragged as he looked at the hard, dried out Core. He brought out the copper mirror, intending to make some duplicates.

Almost as soon as he pulled it out, and before he could even place the Demonic Core on its surface, the mirror suddenly began to burn so hotly that it almost injured Naruto's hand. An invisible force burst out from the mirror, charging toward the Demonic Core.

A bang sounded out as the Core in Naruto's hand was struck by the invisible attack. In an instant, another invisible force shot out from the copper mirror and struck out at the Demonic Core. It was as if the Demonic Core had suddenly turned into a long-furred Demonic creature, and the copper mirror had gone mad with the desire to destroy it.

Naruto was dumbstruck. He instantly grabbed the mirror, and, enduring the pain, shoved it back into his bag of holding. The Demonic Core dropped to the ground with a thump, a multitude of small cracks now visible on its withered surface.

"Dammit. This is a Demonic Core, not a furred Demonic beast." Naruto painfully hurried to pick up the Core.

It was a good thing the withered Demonic Core had a tough outer crust. The copper mirror's violent attack had damaged its surface, and now, a small gleaming pellet was visible, from which wafted the aroma of dense spiritual energy. It instantly filled the Immortal's Cave and caused his eyes to glitter. Considering the violent reaction of the copper mirror, he didn't dare to attempt to duplicate it. He hesitated for a moment, then stored it away.

After taking another deep breath, he pulled out the third of his acquisitions, the small, primitive-looking sword. Holding in front of him, he smiled.

"This sword is incredibly sharp. It could stab into the Demonic python, and was even able to split that giant demon's head open. It's definitely something special." He looked at the small sword in his hand. It was made not of gold or iron, but wood. On its surface were some faint lines of gold that seemed to have some sort of magical properties. Even though it seemed primitive, even just thinking about the wooden flying sword and its incredible sharpness made Naruto incredibly excited.

* * *

"This treasure must have a special history." Naruto swung the wooden sword, then stabbed it into the ground. It went in easily. Smiling, Naruto pulled it out, even happier than before.

Suddenly, he lifted his head, looking surprised. He sensed that the spiritual energy in the Immortal's Cave was suddenly thinner than before. Actually, it seemed to have completely disappeared.

Even though there wasn't originally a huge amount of spiritual energy, for all of it to disappear should not be possible. Spiritual energy was the Chakra of heaven and earth, which pulsed through various mountains like great arteries. The Reliance Sect was just such a place. It should be impossible for the spiritual energy to suddenly dry up for no reason.

Curious, Naruto stabilized his aura and concentrated, casting his senses about. Suddenly, he looked back at the wooden sword, disbelief covering his face. He had just discovered that all the spiritual energy in the room had been absorbed by the wooden sword.

"The sword… it can absorb spiritual energy?" Naruto was shocked. After a moment, he slapped his bag of holding and produced a Spirit Stone. After placing it next to the sword, he watched as the Spirit Stone slowly grew dark over the space of about ten breaths .

He picked the Spirit Stone back up, feeling a bit sad at the loss of a Spirit Stone, but excited at the same time.

"This sword… it truly is a great treasure." He gazed at the sword with a look of determination, then slowly drew it across one of his fingers. With ease, it sliced open a cut. Naruto focused on his Cultivation base. Sure enough, he felt the spiritual energy in his body being sucked out continuously through the cut.

He covered his finger, excitement clear in his eyes. Within moments, the wound had healed, and Naruto gazed at the sword, laughing foolishly.

"If I used this sword when battling a magic-user, all I would need to do is cut them, and their spiritual energy would be drained away and I could trample over them. Too bad I only have one. If I had two, or ten, or a hundred, then I could drain my opponent's spiritual energy even faster. How astonishing would that be…?" An image appeared in his mind of himself wielding a hundred wooden swords, all stabbing into Sasuke's body.

His journey into the black mountain, and spending all those Spirit Stones, had definitely been worth it.

With that thought, he suddenly took a deep breath and pulled out the copper mirror.

"I wonder how many Spirit Stones…" He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't stop thinking about how amazing the sword was. He placed it down onto the mirror. As soon as it touched the surface, the mirror flashed, and the sword was sucked inside. Naruto had never seen this happen before, and it caused him quite a shock. He tried to grab the mirror to stop it, but was too slow. The wooden sword was gone.

"What's going on? Dammit, mirror, I went through a lot of painful hardships to get that sword, you, you, you… okay, calm down, calm down." Panting a bit, he forced himself to grow calm. After considering for some time, he took out a Spirit Stone and placed it onto the mirror. It disappeared.

"Hmm. Has it already started the duplication process?" Naruto's heart thumped, and with an anxious expression, he put in another Spirit Stone. One, two, three… A disheartened expression appeared on his face. The mirror was like a bottomless hole. Before much time had passed, Naruto had already put two hundred Spirit Stones into it.

"Dammit, dammit…" He wanted to stop, but refused to get to this point and have nothing to show for it. Also, he knew that if he gave up now, it would essentially mean giving up the mirror's duplication ability.

He could only endure his frustration and put more Spirit Stones in. Three hundred, four hundred, all the way to one thousand. His face grew pale. His hand shook as he held out another Spirit Stone.

"When will this end, mirror? Are you stealing all the Spirit Stones I just got?" He gritted his teeth. He'd already dropped in one thousand Spirit Stones. He couldn't give up now. With eyes as bloodshot as a gambling addict, he threw in more Spirit Stones. Finally, when he threw in the two thousandth stone, the mirror began to shine with bright, multicolored light, indicating that the duplication had begun. By this point, Naruto was a bit numb. He stared mutely at the multicolored light, which slowly dissipated over a few seconds.

When the light was gone, there were two identical wooden swords on the mirror.

When he saw them, some of the color returned to his face. He picked them up, feeling a mix of emotions from sadness to anger to pain. All he could do was comfort himself.

"It's okay, no problem," he muttered to himself through clenched teeth. "What are a couple thousand Spirit Stones worth anyway? Just a trifle. You can't get something new without giving up something old. It's worth it to have two of these wooden swords." He spoke the word "trifle" with a bit of bitterness. He quickly put the copper mirror away and looked again at the two wooden swords. He sat there for a while thinking about their power. Slowly, he began to calm down.

Determination once again filled his eyes. After a while, he put the two treasured wooden swords away. As for the second sword, it was worth two thousand Spirit Stones as far as Naruto was concerned.

With a bitter laugh, he sat there cross-legged in meditation, waiting for the spiritual energy in the Immortal's Cave to return. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he retrieved the Demonic Core from his bag of holding.

"Even though I just broke through to the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, who knows how much progress my Cultivation base will make if I take this pill…"

With a determined look, he swallowed the Demonic Core and closed his eyes. His body began to vibrate. The Demonic Core dissolved into an incredibly dense flood of spiritual energy which instantly inundated Naruto.

The density of this spiritual energy was beyond any medicinal pill Naruto had ever consumed. In fact, there was no way to even compare it to anything. The Core exploded with a white brightness, sweeping over Naruto's body. Blood sprayed out of his mouth and his body shook. But he held on, and the Core lake grew larger and larger. Moments later, Naruto experienced a feeling of boundlessness.

With each pulsing expansion, he felt a severe pain and his body shook even harder. His face grew pale, and he gritted his teeth as hard as he could.

Then, the Core lake began to churn and roil, and an astonishing level of spiritual power began to form. Despite the pain, Naruto could sense his Cultivation base expanding from the initial stage of the fifth level to the middle stage. Time passed, although he wasn't sure how much. Accompanied by the thundering of the Core lake, his Cultivation base climbed even higher to the peak of the fifth level.

Then, his head buzzed, and his Cultivation base suddenly broke through the fifth level and entered… the sixth level of Chakra Condensation!

And not just the initial stage of the sixth level, it continued to climb to the middle stage of the sixth level. Then it slowly began to stop. The clothes on Naruto's body had been reduced to ash. Only the bags of holding remained at his side. Black filth completely covered him, but if you looked closely, you would see that his skin sparkled translucently, as if rays of morning sun emanated from it.

His hair was longer, reaching down to his shoulders, and he was a bit taller. His body no longer seemed frail and weak, but rather tall and slender.

His features were still somewhat swarthy, but his countenance shone with a strength too difficult to describe. It was otherworldly.

His Core lake seethed and churned, filling his entire body. Deep in its recesses, the Demonic Core settled down. For some reason, it didn't dissolve, but rather sat there, unmoving.

If it only just sat there, it would not be anything to think about. But when his Cultivation base reached the sixth level, his head buzzed, and within the buzzing, he felt the indistinct pull of some sort of Legacy. It seemed to be emanating from the Demonic Core, settling onto his mind like a branding iron.

It must be some sort of blood legacy from the Flying Rain-Dragon, left for its weak, young offspring. As it had approached death, it fused the Legacy into its Demonic Core. The Demonic python must have intended to consume it after shedding its skin. And of course, Sasuke, possessing a Blood connection to the Legacy, had lusted for the same thing. Sadly… Naruto got it first.

Naruto suddenly found himself dreaming. He was flying in the middle of the sky, rebuking the highest heavens, rocking the earth, surrounded by churning winds and clouds. He was the Lord of the heavens, and when the other flying beasts looked at him, they trembled as if they had lost the qualification to fly, and would let him slaughter them.

He was the a sovereign of the sky, Chosen, worshiped by all creatures. It seemed as if it were an ancient age, very long ago.

That feeling of flying in the heavens left Naruto feeling almost crazy, almost in love with the feeling. He flew for a long time, and the entire time, a multitude of fierce beasts retreated from him in fear, and countless people on the ground prostrated themselves in worship.

With the wind and earth beneath him, only the heavens could match up to him, but he was their equal.

Then, he reached a lake, and he lowered his head to look at himself. He was a dragon, several tens of thousands of meters long, with two, massive wings, each one also several tens of thousands of meters long. He possessed an indescribable power which could shape the world.

His head was fierce and savage, and he had an incredibly long tail. All of it merged together to form a boundless nobility which created an electric buzz in Naruto's mind. His mind seemed to rip open, and a voice rang out.

"I am the Flying Rain-Dragon of ancient times!" It filled his mind, filled the world, and left everything trembling. All the living creatures roared. Flying Rain-Dragons had long since vanished from the earth, but some of its descendants still existed. Although they might be weak, the Legacy still existed.

At that exact moment, on the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect, in his Immortal's Cave, Sasuke's face grew dark. The fury in his heart nearly made him go mad. He had tasted failure, and was having a hard time accepting it. No matter how many times he tried to use the Blood Drop to sense the Legacy or his opponent, nothing happened. He didn't know what was happening.

"Did you find it?" said Sasuke, suppressing the fury in his heart as he lifted his head to look at the young man standing in front of him. It was the other young man who had accompanied him that day in addition to Kaiza.

* * *

"Elder Brother Sasuke, I secretly checked around and asked quite a few disciples throughout the Sect. I don't think I left anything out." This young man was also famous in the Reliance Sect, but in front of Sasuke, he was completely respectful. He had never seen Sasuke like this, and was a bit hesitant. He had begun speaking with a respectful bow. "I even looked around in the Servants' Quarters and followed up on Waraji, Gozu and some others. At that time, there were thirty-seven people who weren't present in the Sect. Of those thirty-seven people, I eliminated twenty-nine as suspects. Among the rest, there are six of whom there is no evidence to suggest they were at the black mountain. Only two were definitely there. Naruto and Gozu."

Sasuke looked more and more angry. He raises his hard eyes, which caused the young man's heart to grow cold. He nervously lowered his head.

"Gozu was also at the black mountain… Naruto?" Sasuke frowned. Naruto's name sounded familiar to him.

"Naruto is… the person who injured Elder brother Mizuki," the young man said hastily.

Sasuke's face grew darker, and his heart burned. He had planned for so many years and expended so many resources. For so long, he had taken the whole matter to be concluded before it began. It was his great victory, something he could take back to his clan to refine them. But then, it was snatched away from him. When he thought of the sword, his face twisted in pain. That was his tool to rebuke heaven and earth. And when he thought of the Legacy of the Flying Rain-Dragon, his heart wept.

Before today, he had been fully self-confident, completely assured of his success. Everything belonged to him, that was just his good fortune. Only he was qualified to have such good fortune. Yet he then met an unexpected defeat, a blow he had never imagined he would receive. He found it extremely difficult to accept, as if the heart-rending turn of events had not actually happened.

Breathing deeply, Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly began to tremble as a burning pain arose on his right arm. He lifted up the sleeve and stared at his arm, watching as the Blood Drop slowly disappeared. There was nothing he could do but watch it go away, and after it had left, his beautiful features twisted with fury and defeat. The Legacy was gone. He coughed up some blood.

He knew that at this moment, the person who had snatched away his treasure was now fully connected to the Legacy. He would never again be able to use the Blood Drop to sense anything, because the Legacy had already chosen the other person.

When the young man in front of him saw this happen, he grew frightened. He was about to take a step forward when Sasuke suddenly lifted his head up and shouted, "Beat it!"

His booming voice reverberated, and the young man's face went white. He had never seen such a succession of different expressions on Sasuke's face. His body cold, he left.

Within the Immortal's Cave, Sasuke's eyes grew red and his mind seethed as he thought of Gozu and Naruto. He could not help but think about the day he had looked down on the Outer Sect ants in the square.

He frowned, his face growing more somber. He thought about how the Blood Drop wasn't able to sense the legacy, and how it had been wiped out by his opponent. Regardless of if it were Gozu or Naruto, neither of them should have been able to do it.

"Just who are you?!" His eyes shot with blood, he slapped his bag of holding and a flash of silver light appeared and coalesced into a silver, octagonal spell device, which floated in front of him.

He stared at it for some time, then determination filled his eyes. This was one of the spell devices he had prepared for one of the mountains surrounding the black mountain. After being used, it needed to regenerate for several hours, whereupon it could be reused.

He had already decided that he would activate the spell device, and even if it injured him, he would cast his senses inside to see who was present that day in the black mountain region.

Looking at the silver spell device in front of him, Sasuke bit his tongue and spit out a bit of blood. As the blood splashed onto the spell device, his fingers flickered in an incantation pattern, and suddenly his head hummed and his awareness flickered. Amidst the indistinct feeling, he was suddenly able to sense several auras emanating out in waves.

"One, two… nine people that I invited to help me, these are their auras…" Sasuke's face grew pale; the spell device in front of him began to quiver, and cracks appeared on its surface. But he didn't give up, and instead continued to cast his senses into it.

A vague outline began to appear in his mind, filled with several dots of light. Ten of the lights were familiar to him, and another one of them belonged to Naruto.

In addition to those, there was another light. Sasuke concentrated for a moment, then was certain it was Gozu. Unfortunately, the spell device could only keep a record of who was in the region of the seven or eight mountains surrounding the black mountain, not their specific location.

Sasuke frowned, and then suddenly noticed that the outline in his head contained… another light!

It was faint, and if he had not looked closely he would have missed it. Without pushing the spell device to the breaking point, to the limits of its power, he wouldn't have been able to sense it.

"This is…" His heart trembled, and he concentrated, but even as he did so, his body shook and he coughed up blood. The spell device shattered. Pieces of it shot out, hitting both him and the walls of the Immortal's cave.

His face white, he coughed up more blood, looking incredibly afraid. When sensing that last light, his mind had begun to tremble, as if whoever it belonged to could crush him to death with a single thought.

The spell device could only give him an approximate feeling regarding aura level, not the target's Cultivation base. But for the aura level to cause such a reaction left him frightened beyond belief.

"Who was that?!" said Sasuke, shaking. His fear left him certain that this fearsome person was definitely the one who could so easily rip away his Blood Spot sense.

His heart cold, he lifted his head and breathed deeply. After some time passed, he had recovered his senses. But the memory of that faint light pressed down on him with the weight of a mountain.

"How did this person know about the black mountain affair…? Could it be that they have been following me in my search…? Who was it…?"

Time passed, and eventually the dream ended. Naruto opened his eyes, unsure how many days had passed, nor of how his Cultivation base had changed. He felt as if he had been dreaming for a very long time.

When the dream concluded, Naruto felt as if he had more memories than before, memories that were vague and ancient, and couldn't be recalled. But that thirst to fly in the sky still flickered powerfully in his mind.

He felt certain that if one day he could really fly through the sky, then the memories in his head would become clear.

After some time passed, Naruto took a breath, his vision slowly returning to normal. As his senses returned, he felt his Cultivation base, then stopped, dumbfounded.

"The sixth level of Chakra Condensation?" His eyes glittered fiercely, and after thoroughly examining his Cultivation base, he nearly went mad with joy. He sensed the majestic Core lake, and the Demonic Core floating within, and an amazing feeling began to overcome him.

"I actually reached… the sixth level of Chakra Condensation!" He shook as he stood up, then laughed heartily. His laughter echoed throughout the Immortal's cave.

Excitedly, he sat back down cross-legged, closing his eyes and casting his senses about. It seemed as if he could feel everything around him in complete detail. In fact, he suddenly heard Fatty's voice outside.

"Naruto, you were cursed with ill luck. You took the pill, but I didn't want that to hurt you. Please don't come haunt me…

"Poor old Master Fatty, I'm actually more cursed than you. Did you know that our business is gone? It was stolen away." Fatty squatted outside the Immortal's cave in front of a small fire, his face pained as he burned yellow paper money.

"Naruto, when you become a spirit, you have to come back and help me. Look at how much paper I'm burning for you." Tears streamed down his face as he continued to burn the paper money, weeping and wailing.

"You come from a poor family, but don't worry; I, Master Fatty, am here to take care of you. I'll come burn paper for you every day so that in the next life you'll be able to buy a house and get a wife. You'll finally achieve your goal of being rich.

"Oh, Naruto, how could you leave like this…" Fatty's wails grew even louder, as if he were completely heartbroken.

Upon hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Naruto's face. He opened his eyes. This was the first time anyone had ever burned yellow paper for him, and he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. He stood and pushed the main door open with a long creak, then walked out.

As soon as he stepped out, Fatty's loud wails suddenly ceased, and he looked up in astonishment. He straightened, his eyes filled with fear. Then he recognized Naruto, and he leaped up, gaping.

Naruto looked at Fatty with a strange expression, then gave a light cough and walked over to the nearby stream and began to clean himself off. He had never been so dirty in his entire life. After cleaning off, he put on a fresh green robe, then used a flying sword to trim his hair. Now he felt, and looked, like his old self. He turned and smiled at Fatty.

* * *

Fatty stared at Naruto, tears streaming down his face. He rushed forward, bawling.

"You're not dead. Naruto, you're not dead!" cried Fatty as he hugged Naruto. "I was so scared these past few days. Everyone said that you had died, and I was so sad. You're my only friend. What would I do if you died?

"I thought of fleeing the Sect. I even lost interest in filing my teeth. But if I left, how could I get revenge for you? So I didn't leave. I swear that I will find a way to help you get vengeance…"

Fatty looked with warm sincerity at Naruto, and after speaking for a bit, his tears began to dry up. The two of them sat next to the stream and Naruto told him about all the things that had happened in the black mountain, leaving out, of course, the matters regarding the Flying Rain-Dragon and Sasuke. Fatty listened anxiously, and when he heard that Naruto had reached the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, he gasped, stupefied.

"The sixth level of Chakra Condensation…" Fatty looked extremely excited. "Holy crap, you've, you've… you've reached the sixth level of Chakra Condensation! The year elder sister Hinata brought us here, she was at the seventh level. Naruto, you really are an Immortal! Can you fly?"

"Fly…" Naruto closed his eyes, visualizing the descriptions of the Wind Walking technique from the Chakra Condensation manual. It would naturally be easier to perform the technique at the sixth level than at the fifth, but after trying several times, the best he could do was float in the air for a moment before dropping down. Muttering, he continued to try for a while, then took a medicinal pill. Finally, he was able to suspend himself about five inches in the air. Fatty looked on with wide eyes.

Naruto suddenly opened his eyes, and they shone brightly. He stood up, then made several laps around the area, moving like the wind. Fatty watched on, breathing heavily.

After moving around like this a few times, Naruto began to grow more accustomed to the technique. He slapped his bag of holding and with a flash, a flying sword appeared. It moved down to his feet, and then he shot into the air. Fatty looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You're flying…" he murmured.

Naruto felt incredibly excited. The wind blew against his face as he used the Wind Walking technique to fly with the sword. After about thirty breaths, he began to feel unstable, then started to lose his balance. As his happened, Naruto's mind suddenly shook, and a mnemonic appeared in his head.

The mnemonic didn't consist of words, and was fantastically mysterious. It appeared in his mind like an instinct, and as it did, the spiritual energy in his body suddenly began to circulate. He waved his right hand unconsciously, almost like the flapping of a wing. Suddenly, a Wind Blade appeared in front of him!

When the Wind Blade appeared, the flying sword underneath his feet quivered. The Wind Blade shot forward into the jungle, and three lines of trees were instantly sliced in half. A rumbling sound reverberated throughout the vegetation, and Naruto tumbled onto the ground.

Fatty was thoroughly astonished, and it took him a while to recover his senses. His face flushed, he looked at Naruto with reverence in his eyes.

"You really did it! If I stick with you, who would dare to bully me? And who would dare to mess with our business!" Thinking about this, Fatty suddenly laughed out loud.

Naruto closed his eyes and thought excitedly about the Wind Blade. He was intelligent, and realised that it most likely had something to do with the strange dream and the Demonic Core. The mnemonic which had appeared in his head was also connected to the Demonic Core. Suddenly, the shadow of the Winged Rain-Dragon appeared in the Core lake. Naruto wanted to give voice to the feelings he felt regarding the Dragon and being a sovereign of the sky, but try as he might, he could not.

"Oh right," said Fatty, suddenly recalling something. "Special promotion training is beginning in a few days. I heard that there's a month-long period in which you can sign up. You should join! You'll definitely be accepted. Then you could be the Reliance Sect's third Inner Sect disciple! You'll be super famous!"

"Special promotion training?" Naruto looked surprised. He had heard about it before, but back then, his Cultivation base had been too low, so he hadn't even considered it. But things were different now. In the entire Reliance Sect, there were only three people at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, including himself. The others were Sasuke and Gozu. Gozu had been stuck at the fifth level of Chakra Condensation for a long time, but had recently broken through to the sixth.

"I heard that they're only going to accept one disciple, and everyone is saying that the training was set up specifically for Sasuke. But now you're at the sixth level, you might be able to succeed." Fatty really wanted Naruto to agree. If he became an Inner Sect disciple, he would easily be able to become a big shot in the Reliance Sect.

Naruto hesitated, unsure of what he really wanted to do. He was excited about the prospect, knowing that being an Inner Sect disciple would different than being in the Outer Sect. After becoming a member of the Inner Sect, no one would be quick to offend him, not even Sect elders. Furthermore, there would be more opportunities for Spirit Stones and medicinal pills. But this was an important matter, and Naruto's Cultivation base had developed quite rapidly. He needed to consider what others might think, or conjecture. If he attracted too much attention, his losses might outweigh his gains.

He had been a member of the Reliance Sect for almost two years now, and had developed a deep understanding of the phrase "the law of the jungle." He also knew not to advertise his wealth. And yet, he hadn't decided not to participate either. Maybe he would go. Although, after everything that had happened in the black mountain, his treasures and medicinal pills were almost completely used up. He would need to restock.

He could not help but think wistfully about the two thousand Spirit Stones.

Twenty days flashed by, and the registration period for the special promotion training was almost over. Not many had signed up. According to Sect Rules, upon registering, one could not leave the main square, but was required to sit in meditation beneath the dragon-carved pillars. No one was allowed to disturb the registrants, either.

Actually, the so-called training was in fact a contest of battle magic. It was said that years ago, the participants went out into the wilds to search for treasures, but with the Reliance Sect in decline, the only way to select who to promote to the Inner Sect was to see who would be victorious with their battle magic.

During that twenty day period, Naruto took a trip to the High-Level Public zone, but it was completely empty. Considering the Reliance Sect's decline, Naruto could understand why. Once again, he opened up shop outside the Low-Level Public zone.

His return caused quite a big stir, and no one dared to interfere with the business. In fact, during the twenty days, business boomed and he earned quite a few Spirit Stones. Almost every day he was able to duplicated magical items and medicinal pills, which he slowly built up into a new stockpile.

Even though all the magical items and flying swords in his bag of holding were ordinary in nature, he already had nearly a hundred. Thinking back to his fight with Mizuki, and the events in the black mountain, he now clearly understood the best methods to engage in magical combat. After pondering about this for a while, his eyes glittered. He had just come up with an idea to increase the effectiveness of all his flying swords.

Other than managing the business, most of the remainder of Naruto's time was spent researching this method of increasing the power of his flying swords. He performed various tests and eventually came up with a few new techniques, ways to control more swords at the same time. One of the things he did was change the appearance of various swords to disguise them. Some he purposely scratched and marked up, some he broke the tips off of, and some he painted various colors.

The rest of his time was spent attempting to connect his thoughts to those of a sovereign of the sky, the Flying Rain-Dragon. Even though he never succeeded, he found that his Wind Walking technique improved significantly, bringing him gradually closer to the sky.

Time whizzed by and now only two days remained of the registration period for the special promotion training. Naruto currently sat at his stall by the Low-Level Public Zone, watching Fatty inside, hawking wares with deep fervor. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked off into the distance. Far down the mountain, he caught sight of someone walked toward him. Every step carried him forward several meters, so he arrived at the plateau very quickly. He appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and looked proud and lofty. In front of him, a long strip of yellow paper floated in the air, upon which was written various magical figures. Wisps of black smoke emanated from its surface, curling up and around the young man.

"A talisman…" Naruto's eyes flickered as he examined it. He had read about this type of yellow paper in the Chakra Condensation manual. It was a powerful magical item which could be used a limited number of times.

The approaching young man was none other than the second most powerful person in the Outer Sect, Gozu, who was at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. As soon as he appeared, it caused quite a commotion on the plateau as everyone greeting him with cupped fists.

"Naruto," he said coldly, ignoring everyone else and staring at Naruto. "Master uncle Gato has a matter he wishes to discuss with you. Please come with me to see him."

Naruto frowned. Master uncle Gato was no stranger. Whether it was his presence during Individual Pill Distribution or his participation with Sasuke in fighting the Demonic Python, it was clear that he was no ordinary individual.

"What could he want with me?" thought Naruto, slowly standing up. "Did he sense something about me?" He knew that the man was one of the Sect's elder generation. Since he was of the Outer Sect, he could not refuse to comply. If he did, then it would look suspicious.

Muttering, Naruto looked at cold-faced Gozu. He had assumed that if the truth about events that day were revealed, Sasuke would be the first one to come looking for him. Could this summons have something to do with that affair?

Naruto's face was calm, but his head spun and he laughed coldly to himself. With a seemingly casual glance at Fatty, he walked forward.

Moving along with Gozu, they soon reached the West Mountain. At its peak, the spiritual energy was especially thick. Naruto caught sight of an exquisite residence, inside of which a group of young boys were planting Spirit Grass.

Soon they came to a stop in front of a three-story building. Gozu looked at Naruto, and then the voice of Gato boomed out from inside.

"Come in, Naruto. Gozu, you head to the South Mountain." A jade slip suddenly flew out into Gozu's hand. He looked at Naruto with a cold laugh, then turned and left.

Naruto's heart began to thump. This didn't seem right. Gato gave Gozu a jade slip and sent him to the South Mountain…

* * *

Time did not permit Naruto to spend time thinking. The door to the building swung open silently. Inside was pitch black and emanated a sinister air.

"You still haven't entered," said Gato, his voice cold. Naruto hesitated, then, eyes flickering dimly, realised that he couldn't retreat. After thinking about it for a moment, his nervousness grew. He stepped forward into the building.

Inside, rays of light gradually appeared which, though dim, revealed the surroundings. Gato sat there in his golden robe, expressionless, eyes cold as he watched Naruto enter.

Almost as soon as he stepped a foot inside, Gato's eyes suddenly flickered, and he raised his right hand. A needle shot out, stabbed Naruto's finger, then flew back in an instant. All his bags of holding flew away from him too, completely beyond his control, to land in front of Gato.

Some blood remained on the flying needle, which Gato licked.

"There's no trace of precious materials…" Gato frowned. His gaze swept over Naruto as if he could see all the secrets he kept. The Demonic Core within Naruto stirred, and he did his best to conceal this from Gato.

Naruto's face fell, revealing a terrified expression. He opened his mouth but didn't seem to know what to say.

With another frown, Gato opened one of Naruto's bags of holding. He rummaged around a bit, not even glancing at the large quantity of flying swords. It seemed as if he didn't even notice the copper mirror. After finding nothing unusual, his frown deepened.

"Master uncle Gato, what… what are you looking for?" His face was covered with terror, but inside he laughed coldly. He had long since made preparations for such an event. The wooden sword, along with most of his Spirit Stones and medicinal pills, were in Fatty's safe keeping, hidden away.

"Let me ask you," said Gato, his gaze falling like lightning upon Naruto, "How did your Cultivation base progress so rapidly?"

"elder sister Hinata and Grand Elder Jiraiya have been watching out for me," he replied, beginning to tremble. "They gave me some medicinal pills…" He pretended to force himself to try to be calm, but inside he wasn't worried. It didn't seem he had been asked here because of what had happened with Sasuke, but rather because of his rapid progress in Cultivation.

Gato frowned again. He obviously knew that Grand Elder Jiraiya had taken a liking to Naruto, otherwise he would not have been so mild in his inquiries.

Just then, Gozu's voice drifted in from outside.

"Reporting back to Master uncle Gato. Naruto's Immortal's Cave is empty."

"You may leave," replied Gato. He sat in contemplation for a moment as Gozu departed. He stared wordlessly at Naruto.

Time gradually passed, and soon it was evening. Naruto's countenance grew more and more nervous and filled with fear. Finally, he spoke, trembling: "Master Uncle…"

"Very well, you may go," said Gato with a wave of his hand. He looked irritated.

Naruto stood, saluted with cupped fists, and left, feeling relieved. After reaching the bottom of the mountain, his speed increased as he raced toward the South Mountain.

As Naruto left, Gato's expression changed. He lifted up the silver needle and examined it carefully, licking more blood off of it. His eyes glittered.

"Something's not right. This blood has large amounts low-level Demonic Core aura. I didn't notice it before because I was concentrating on Grand Elder Jiraiya's potential influence. But now that the blood has dried, it's clear. He must have consumed hundreds of Demonic Cores. Where could he possibly get his hands on so many? This Naruto must be keeping some secret." Killing intent filled Gato's eyes, and his body leaped into the air in pursuit of Naruto.

Naruto sped along at high speed, feeling relieved, but also jumpy. He arrived outside the South Mountain Immortal's Cave, and as he approached, he saw Fatty stick his head out of the trees in the distance. Catching sight of Naruto, he ran over.

"I was scared to death," said Fatty, letting out a relieved sigh. "Naruto, you were gone the whole afternoon…" He took out the bag of holding Naruto had given him. "Thankfully no one noticed that I kept this hidden away."

With a dignified expression, Naruto nodded and accepted the bag of holding. And yet, as soon as he laid hands on it, a whistling scream could be heard some distance away. A beam of prismatic light seemed to be approaching, within which could be seen an old man wearing a golden robe. It was none other than Gato.

He was flying! Only Cultivators who had reached Foundation Establishment could fly. With the assistance of magical items, one could glide for a bit, like elder sister Hinata, but this was not true flight.

Seeing this, Naruto's heart shook. He watched his opponent flying down from the top of the mountain. He moved with a speed similar to Naruto's when he borrowed momentum from flying swords.

Gato immediately caught sight of Fatty handing the bag of holding over to Naruto, and his eyes flashed. Without a word, he shot toward Naruto, certain that he would be able to grab him. Today, he would learn Naruto's secret. Perhaps this secret would be of great assistance to himself.

Naruto's expression changed, and his emotions spun. But the situation was urgent, and he didn't have time to think. He put away the bag of holding and grabbed Fatty. Then he leaped up, and a flying sword circulated around him to land underneath his feet. He shot off into the distance.

It happened so fast that Gato's pupils constricted. He let out a cold snort and flew off in pursuit.

Fatty was so scared that his face was white. But he didn't move, afraid that he might distract Naruto. He trusted that Naruto would not abandon him.

Actually, this was very true. Naruto was not that type of person. He knew that if he dropped Fatty, he might be able to move a bit faster. But he also knew that Gato would then vent his wrath on Fatty.

"Dammit. To this guy, Outer Sect disciples are like ants, only Inner Sect disciples are true Cultivators of the Reliance Sect."

Gnashing his teeth, he looked back at Gato, who was getting closer and closer. At the same time, Naruto was dropping closer and closer to the ground. He wouldn't be able to keep going much longer. He pushed forward as fast as possible, sweat breaking out on his forehead, his mind racing. He saw the Outer Sect up ahead, and suddenly he had a flash of inspiration. He knew what to do.

His eyes shining, he leaped down to the ground, dashing into the Outer Sect. Then, regardless of the effect on his Cultivation base, he gritted his teeth and once again leaped onto a flying sword. A whistling scream reverberated out, causing nearby Outer Sect disciples to crane their necks, dumbstruck.

Gato's face grew dark. With a flick of a sleeve, he darted straight toward Naruto. The distance between the two grew closer and closer. When it reached roughly thirty meters, Gato's face suddenly changed as he realized where Naruto was heading. By then, it was too late to stop him.

Naruto approached the Outer Sect square, with its dragon-carved columns. On the tall platform, Grand Elder Jiraiya sat in meditation. Beneath him in the square, Sasuke also sat cross-legged, meditating.

This was the registration location for the special promotion training!

"I want to sign up!" cried Naruto as soon as he entered the square.

"Me too!" shouted Fatty, the blood draining from his face.

Gato stopped in his tracks, just outside the square. Murder filled his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, replaced with a genial smile. Grand Elder Jiraiya had opened his eyes. He looked at Naruto, surprised by his Cultivation base. He gave Naruto a look of praise.

Sasuke also opened his eyes, seemingly completely uninterested in Naruto.

"Now that you have signed up," said Grand Elder Jiraiya coolly, "you must remain confined to this area. Training begins in two days." His gaze swept over Gato, whose heart subsequently sank. Making his smile look even more amiable, he looked at Naruto, false praise in his eyes.

Naruto looked back at him, and when their gazes met Gato's fury boiled. He could do nothing about it, though, so after a long moment he laughed and walked off.

Not much time passed before Gozu strode up. He entered the square, glaring at Naruto. With a sneering laugh, he declared that he was registering.

As he walked past Naruto, he whispered, "You offended Gato. I dare you to stay here! The Inner Sect training is where you will reap death."

Naruto's eyes flashed as he stared coldly at Gozu's retreating back.

After that, the deadline for registration approached. Before Naruto had arrived, only Sasuke had signed up. Then Gozu arrived. Now, four more people entered the square.

They were no strangers to Naruto. Zori and Waraji were present. The other two each appeared to over thirty years of age. One of them was tall and stalwart, the other skinny and frail, with hideous scars on his face. Both emanated desolate auras of death. These were the other two members of the Sect who were of the fifth level of Chakra condensation.

The four of them entered the square, casting dark looks toward Naruto and Fatty. The aggressive killing intent in their eyes was impossible to conceal.

Fatty started to get nervous, and Naruto narrowed his eyes. Now he knew the power of Gato's influence.

Time passed slowly, and soon two days had passed. Now, only one hour remained until the registration period was over. The square was already surrounded by numerous Outer Sect disciples. They hadn't come to sign up, but to watch the Inner Sect special promotion training, to maybe learn something, and to watch Sasuke in all his glory.

Of course, there were eight people in the square, including Fatty, with his low Cultivation base.

Even as the sound of discussions buzzed, the time limit was reached. The sound of bells filled the entire Reliance Sect. They rang in succession, nine times, after which Grand Elder Jiraiya opened his eyes and looked out at the eight people before him. He flicked his wide sleeve, and the large platform glowed with many colors then expanded outward until it encompassed a diameter of roughly three hundred meters.

He waved his right hand again, and eight jade slips flew out, toward each of the eight people. When the slips descended in front of each of them, they could see that numbers were inscribed onto their surfaces, from one to eight.

"Forfeiting before a battle is prohibited," said Grand Elder Jiraiya coolly. "In the competition for promotion to the Inner Sect, life and death are predestined. If, after stepping onto the platform, you feel you cannot win, you may admit defeat. First match, numbers one and eight." Sasuke opened his eyes, and raised up his jade slip, upon which was written 'one.' He stood and floated up to stand on the platform. The wind gently lifted his long hair. Clad in his snow-white robe, he looked perfect, beautiful, gentle and refined. He smiled. This caused all the surrounding Cultivators to let out a cheer. What none of them could see, however, was that beneath Sasuke's smile was concealed the bitter pain of loss and defeat.

At that moment, Gato appeared in the crowd, glaring menacingly at Naruto.

* * *

Zori's face fell as he looked at the character 'eight' on the jade slip in front of him. Hands behind his back, he used his Wind Walking technique to float up onto the platform.

The moment his feet touched down, Sasuke lifted his right foot, and suddenly the entire platform began to vibrate with a loud hum, as if some sort of blast was accumulating from all corners. Sasuke didn't move, but the massive invisible force shot toward Zori.

When he saw this, Zori's face changed. Sasuke had not even moved, yet the massive pressure bearing down on Zori was already making it difficult for him to circulate his spiritual energy.

"I admit defeat…" he said immediately and without hesitation. Apparently, he didn't want to hear any comments about his decision. Saluting deeply with cupped hands, he leaped off the platform and left the square.

Grand Elder Jiraiya remained expressionless. Slowly, he spoke again: "Sasuke is victorious. Second match: numbers two and seven."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Fatty looked at the character 'two' written on his jade slip and began to tremble. At the same time, the scar-faced Cultivator of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation glared coldly at him, then stepped onto the platform.

"Just walk up and then admit defeat," Naruto said to him in a low voice, pushing him forward. Fatty's ball-like body flew up onto the platform.

As soon as he landed, he immediately said: "Admit defeat…" He dared not speak three words, only two, and yet the scar-faced Cultivator's eyes flickered with murderous intent. Before Fatty could finish speaking, he lifted up his hand. A flying sword shot screaming toward Fatty at incredible speed. By the time Fatty said 'admit,' it was two meters from his throat.

By the time it was obvious what was happening, it was too late. Naruto's face changed and he shot to his feet. At the same time, Grand Elder Jiraiya flicked an object out with his fingers. Right before the flying sword penetrated Fatty's throat, a ringing sound could be heard and the sword flew away. Fatty was left with a small nick on his neck.

Fatty took a step back, his face pale. Then he jumped down and returned to Naruto, so scared that his legs were like rubber. He had never before experienced the closeness of death in such a way.

Naruto looked at the line of blood on Fatty's neck, and a murderous look appeared in his eyes. His opponent had attacked with extreme ruthlessness and an obvious desire to kill. Were Naruto his opponent that would have been fine, but Fatty's Cultivation base was too low. To attack him in such a way was going too far.

Looking around, Naruto caught sight of Gato standing in the distance, his grim face filled with murder. Flames of fury burst out in Naruto's heart. He had never done anything to offend Master uncle Gato; Master uncle Gato was the aggressor, the one who attacked with deadly force.

In all his years in the Reliance Sect, Naruto had never revealed an intense desire to kill. But now, his eyes shone with clear killing intent.

What had just happened was so obviously fishy that even the surrounding Cultivators could tell. One after another, they began to look at Naruto. Discussions broke out.

"Next match, numbers three and six," said Grand Elder Jiraiya with a frown.

Gozu stood, the number three jade slip in his hand. As he walked past Naruto, he whispered, "You offended Master uncle Gato. You won't be the only one to die today. Your friend will die too." You could say that other than a Grand Elder, Gato was the most powerful and influential member of the Sect.

Because of the decline of the Reliance Sect, its numbers were few. The chaos of the Sect rules, and mutual slaughter among the Outer Sect disciples, all of this, was because the Reliance Sect was at the end of an era, and just wasn't like it used to be.

There were fewer medicinal pills, so how could they be distributed fairly… There were not many Spirit Condensation Pills, so of course they became objects of deadly struggle between the disciples who wished to consume them.

So, let there be chaos. Every man for himself. Whether it be members of the first level of Chakra Condensation or the fifth, let chaos rule, and death. There was no fairness here; life and death were determined by destiny. There were no sermons, no one giving instruction on how to practice cultivation. There was only the Chakra Condensation manual. Whether you were a worm or a dragon, you could only rely on your luck. If you succeeded, you lived. If you failed, you died. If you were tough, you survived. If you were weak, you didn't.

Whoever could kill their way to the end of the path would become an Inner Sect disciple, and then be a true member of the Reliance Sect and Elder Jiraiya's true student.

In the past, Sect Leader Kakashi had been focused on making the Sect more powerful. But weighed down by the pressures of reality, he had completely exhausted himself, and had long since hidden away in seclusion. Grand Elder Jiraiya had a soft personality, and as far as his Cultivation went, he was in his later years of longevity, with not much time left. Therefore, he didn't have much energy to spend time on the Sect.

Among the Inner Sect disciples, elder sister Hinata was usually in secluded meditation. With her cold personality, she didn't pay much attention to Sect affairs. elder brother Guy was primarily focused on the Dao, and didn't participate in Sect matters. Circumstances as such, only Gato remained.

His Cultivation base was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, and he was over ninety years of age. He had served the Sect well, and could not help but become the Master Uncle to the disciples of the Sect. But the Sect was in decline. Were this some other Sect, considering he was still in the Chakra Condensation stage, he would never be called Master Uncle.

Naruto watched Gozu as he flashed up onto the platform. His opponent was Waraji, and it seemed this would be no life and death battle. Waraji immediately admitted defeat, and the match was over.

The last match of the first round had arrived. Naruto stood and flew up onto the platform. His opponent was the tall, strong man who had a Chakra Condensation of the fifth level. His aura radiated murder, and from the look of him, he had experienced many bloody battles.

He looked at Naruto and growled, running straight toward him, his body expanding. He raised his hand, and instantly, a shining battle-ax appeared. This was clearly no ordinary object.

His face dark, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. A swift, sharp flying sword appeared and shot forward. But by the time it was about two meters away from the big man, a soft shield appeared, blocking the flying sword.

"You're gonna die today!" said the big man with a hideous grin. Before coming to the training, Gato had given him a magical item. Even if Naruto's Cultivation base was a bit higher than his, he didn't have anything to worry about.

"Boom," said Naruto coolly, his facial expression the same as ever. The flying sword exploded with a bang, sending the big man flying backwards. The shield in front of him flickered, preventing him from being injured.

Laughing, he charged again. But Naruto was faster. He dashed forward, slapping his bag of holding. Two flying swords appeared, shot forward and then exploded. The blast reverberated, and the shield bent. The big man's face changed, and before he could even react, four more flying sword shot forth. A massive explosion rang out, and the shield was ripped to pieces. The attack stabbed through, directly into the big man's chest. He let out a miserable cry and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before his body could hit the ground, another flying sword shot forth from Naruto, glittering as it stabbed into the man's throat. He fell twitching to the ground in a pool of blood, dead.

Since entering the Sect, Naruto had not killed very many people. But this time he had slain the man with vicious ruthlessness. He floated down from the platform, giving Gozu a cold glance.

"Next, you die," he said, sitting down cross-legged and closing his eyes.

Gozu's pupils constricted and his killing intent grew stronger.

A buzz of discussion rose from the surrounding Cultivators as they recovered from watching the scene. They had been shaken by its bloodiness.

"Naruto is victorious. The first match of round two is Sasuke and Datsuji." Grand Elder Jiraiya's voice was cool, as if he hadn't even noticed the reek of blood in the air.

Datsuji was the Cultivator who had tried to kill Fatty moments ago. As soon as he stepped foot on the platform, he admitted defeat. Giving Sasuke a respectful salute, he turned and left the square as quickly as possible.

At this point, everyone could see that be it Gozu or the four Cultivators of the fifth level, their goal was not to be promoted, but rather to kill Naruto.

"Match two, Naruto and Gozu." Grand Elder Jiraiya looked intently at Naruto, and as soon as he finished speaking, silence prevailed. Everyone stared at Naruto and Gozu.

Naruto looked as somber as ever as he stepped onto the platform. Gozu arrived at almost exactly the same time. No introductory remarks were necessary. They both attacked at the same time.

A thunderous sound rang out as three flying swords appeared, circling around Naruto. A shield appeared, revolving around Gozu, and in front of him appeared a glowing, five-colored banner. It instantly swept toward Naruto.

Naruto said nothing. As the five-colored banner approached, he didn't retreat. He lifted his left hand, and instantly, a fifteen-meter long Flame Serpent appeared. It roared and flew forward. The Flame Serpent didn't appear to be just a snake, but more like a python. Blistering heat radiated out from it as it flew.

At the same time, Naruto's right hand slapped his bag of holding; six flying swords appeared and shot forward.

Gozu laughed coldly, his eyes shining with murderous intent. He took a step forward, then slapped his left hand onto the ground. When he stood, a deep rumble could be heard, and the entire platform began to shake. In front of him suddenly appeared a Stone Golem, approximately three meters tall. With a roar, the Stone Golem charged forward at incredible speed. When it slammed into the Flame Serpent, a massive explosion thundered across the platform.

Amidst the roar, the five-colored banner shot forward, approaching Naruto's flying swords. Gozu's eyes glittered brightly.

"Five Radiances Art!"

As soon as the words were out of Gozu's mouth, the five-colored banner suddenly shook, and then began to shine brightly in all directions. A two-colored stream of mist shot out from it, transforming into two Spirit creatures, who charged toward Naruto with shrill screams. The second of the two Mist Spirits was only partly visible; obviously because of his Cultivation base level, Gozu was limited in his ability to use this art.

As soon as the two-colored Mist Spirits appeared, the surrounding Cultivators cried out in astonishment.

"That's Master uncle Gato's consummate Five Radiances Art! They say it's one of the most powerful arts for Sect members who haven't Perfected their Foundations. Brother Gozu can only summon two of the colors!"

"So Gozu can use this art! Yeah, it must be because of that banner. Could it be a magic item provided by Master uncle Gato?"

Emitting shrill, ear-piercing cries, the two-colored Mist Spirits shot toward Naruto with irresistible force. The moment his six flying swords touched them, the swords shattered into pieces.

* * *

Standing in the square beneath the platform, Gato's lips twisted with a grim smile. He didn't care at all whether Naruto lived or died. He only wanted the treasures within in Naruto's bag of holding.

After Naruto had registered for the Inner Sect promotion training, he had gone to find Zori and Waraji to inquire after the events which had occurred in the black mountain. He knew that Naruto had provoked masses of Demonic beasts with some supposed Demonic magic.

Gato was convinced that it was no Demonic magic, but rather a magical treasure.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He watched the two-colored Mist Spirits approaching. He raised his left hand and waved it in front of him. An invisible Wind Blade appeared and shot toward the Mist Spirits at high speed.

At the same time, Naruto quickly swallowed a handful of Demonic Cores, then slapped his bag of holding and flicked his sleeve. A stream of sword auras flew from the bag. In the blink of an eye, twenty had appeared, filling the air. It was quite shocking. The swords also shot toward the two-colored Mist Spirits.

Many of the flying swords appeared to be in bad condition or of different colors.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding Cultivators gasped with astonishment, but before they could even begin to discuss the matter amongst themselves, the Wind Blade reached the Mist Spirits, and a bang rang out. The Mist Spirits vibrated. Then, the flying swords hit, and two miserable shrieks could be heard. The two-colored Mist Spirits were extraordinary, but there were just too many swords.

The Mist Spirits were torn to pieces, and the swords continued on to slash into the five-colored banner. A massive explosion occurred and the banner disintegrated, along with about half of the swords. Gozu watched on, stupefied. Naruto slapped his bag of holding, swallowing another Demonic Core and produced ten more flying swords, which shot forward.

Gozu had never imagined Naruto would have so many flying swords. He retreated backwards, waving his right hand. A shining, two-layered shield appeared around him. But he was still concerned. The hairs on his body stood on end, and his skin felt numb. He knew that life and death hung in the balance here. His right hand moved again, and a jade pendant appeared in front of him, adding another layer of shielding around him. With three shields in place, he felt a bit better.

Then, the sword rain descended. Sword auras flashed ceaselessly. They slammed over and over into the first shield layer, and it shattered almost immediately. Shortly after that, the second shield layer broke into pieces, unable to withstand the sword rain.

"How can he have so many flying swords!?" Gozu's pupils constricted, and he looked terrified. He retreated further.

In the blink of an eye, the third shield fell apart, and the jade pendant split into pieces, unable to hold up against the multitude of swords. And then the sword rain descended upon Gozu, and he screamed. Sword after sword stabbed into him. They lifted his corpse up into the air, then slammed it back down onto the platform. He twitched a few times, then rattled out his final breath. He had so many swords sticking into him that he looked like a hedgehog. Everyone watching gasped, their faces filled with astonishment.

"How… how.. how can there be so many flying swords!?"

"So many flying swords, no wonder he owns a shop. A few days ago I saw him sell at least ten! He hasn't just been selling medicinal pills, recently. He's also been selling magical items."

"Naruto must have had some sort of windfall. His Cultivation base has grown incredibly fast. Maybe he obtained a bunch of treasures in some sort of adventure." The buzz of discussion filled the air, and as it did, Gato frowned, his face dark.

Naruto stood on the platform, face pale. He still had some spiritual energy left. His attacks, especially the last one involved twenty flying swords, had quickly drained him. He was only at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, after all. Fortunately, he had been consuming Demonic Cores throughout the battle to replenish himself. This made his attacks even more effective. Naruto had invented this fighting method himself, and was quite familiar with it, having practiced it often.

He waved his right hand, and the swords lifted up from Gozu's body and returned to him, dripping blood along the way. They circled around his body before returning to his bag of holding.

He descended from the platform and sat down cross-legged next to Fatty. He popped a Demonic Core into his mouth and felt it dissolve. He didn't care if people saw him consuming so many. As far as they were concerned, after the affair at the black mountain, he should have been able to acquire quite a few Demonic Cores.

Furthermore, he had another battle to be concerned about. The humiliation he had endured under Sasuke's four finger attacks would be repaid today in full measure. He had been waiting for this day a long time!

Grand Elder Jiraiya looked at Naruto, his eyes filled with obvious approval. His admiration of Naruto had continued to grow from the day he entered the Sect. In his eyes, Naruto was growing up. His face radiated contentment.

Grand Elder Jiraiya didn't care what stroke of good fortune Naruto had. As a Cultivator, good fortune was a blessing dictated by fate. He especially liked people who were blessed with good fortune. His smile filled with kindness, but inside, he felt regret and nervousness.

"Regardless of who lives or dies in the battles of the Inner Sect training, Sasuke's latent talent is something rarely seen in the span of a hundred years. His Cultivation base is extraordinary at this young age. If he manages to perfect his foundation, he will be a talent rarely seen even during the Sect's glory days. Naruto just isn't a match for him…." He sighed.

Standing there in the crowd, Gato's face grew even grimmer. He narrowed his eyes.

He had never imagined that Naruto would be able to defeat Gozu, especially since he'd bestowed a powerful treasure to him. The power of the Mist Spirits summoned by the five-colored banner should have been able to destroy Naruto with no problem.

And yet Naruto's dozens of flying swords had ripped it to shreds. Even Gato had been shocked to see so many flying swords. Even though they were low-level swords, they were still sharp. Even scrap iron in such large numbers could shock and amaze.

At this moment, far away on the East Mountain, stood a middle-aged man of approximately forty years of age. He wore a black robe and had the look of a scholar. As he watched the battle unfold in the Outer Sect square, his eyes filled with strange light and came to focus on Naruto.

"This kid… He wasn't worth noticing before. His latent talent is nothing extraordinary, but he seems to possess incredible good fortune." This man was none other than the amazingly powerful Sect Leader Kakashi, who had already reached Core Formation.

"If he wasn't up against Sasuke, this kid might be able to join the Inner Sect. But it's Sasuke… it will be difficult." Kakashi watched Naruto with kind eyes. As a Core Formation Cultivator, and the Sect Leader of the Reliance Sect, he didn't pay much attention to the twists of fate and fortune that occurred amongst disciples who still practiced Chakra Condensation. Things would play out naturally.

If a disciple was lucky, then he would be happy. But with Sasuke present, Kakashi didn't give much stock to Naruto's chances to gain victory.

"It's too bad there are only three pieces of Vorpal Jade… Sasuke's spot was decided upon long ago, otherwise…" Kakashi shook his head, trying to decide whether or not to intervene if it seemed Naruto would die. He sighed.

Time slipped by. Grand Elder Jiraiya watched on in approval as Naruto's spiritual energy slowly restored. He was clearly showing partiality to Naruto, but none of the onlookers dared say anything.

As for Sasuke, he didn't pay attention to anyone. Even though Naruto's rapid advancement in Cultivation base was astounding, Sasuke didn't think about it too much because of Grand Elder Jiraiya's intervention that time. Deep in Sasuke's heart, he didn't think or even consider it possible that Naruto could be the person who took his treasures. He was convinced that it was the other dim light he had seen.

Thinking of this, Sasuke's heart throbbed with pain, and he nearly wept tears of blood. As of now, the Legacy had nothing to do with him. He could not sense even a sliver of it. He was an outsider as far as it was concerned. Even if the person who now possessed it stood in front of him, he would have no idea.

"The Legacy is no longer mine, but the treasure…" Sasuke's hands clenched into fists. He had only been able to catch a glimpse of the sword from a distance. Other than that, he had only been able to read about it in the ancient records. He didn't even know what it could do. He only knew that the ancient records stated clearly that the sword was one of a kind, and that its spiritual power could overwhelm everything in heaven and earth.

He had planned to thoroughly study it after acquiring it, but now… all of that was just wishful thinking.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sitting there cross-legged, he appeared as mild and gentle as ever, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"I am Sasuke. Even though the Legacy and the treasure were stolen away, the Reliance Inner Sect belongs to me. It is the second of my main goals. Even without the treasure or Legacy, I will join the detestable Inner Sect of the Reliance Sect. That will be my fortune!

"One defeat is nothing! I am Sasuke!" On the outside he was peaceful and calm, so he forced himself to be equally calm on the inside, to emerge from the depths of defeat.

He was arrogant because he was Sasuke, a perfect, blessed god, Chosen.

He was indifferent because he knew that the Inner Sect training had been opened especially for him, and was merely a show, carried out simply to comply with Sect Rules. From the moment he had entered the Reliance Sect, he was different. To the members of the Outer Sect, he had long since already become a member of the Inner Sect.

He was calm because he didn't care a bit about the Reliance Sect. A small Sect like this meant nothing to him. Even a single member of his Clan could lay waste to the entire Sect. Were it not for his insistence to come to this backwater Five Elements Nation, he would never be here. Not considering his status. He should be shaking heaven and earth back home in his powerful Clan.

So he was arrogant, indifferent and calm. He let the time pass, allowing this person whose name he could not even remember to recover his Cultivation base.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, and then Naruto suddenly opened his eyes. They glittered with the desire for battle. He had killed a man of the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. He had killed Gozu. Never before had he killed so many people in one day. But his heart filled with anticipation. He would place Sasuke underfoot and repay in full the humiliation he had endured that day.

Without a word, Naruto slowly stood up.

* * *

"Final match of the training," said Grand Elder Jiraiya, looking encouragingly at Naruto. "Naruto and Sasuke. The victor shall be promoted to the Inner Sect."

Everyone stared at Naruto as he leapt up onto the platform. Sasuke opened his eyes and casually stepped up. Conversations erupted amongst the Outer Sect disciples.

"Naruto really dares to step onto the platform. His Cultivation base is pretty good, and he did kill Gozu, but this is Elder Brother Sasuke he's fighting. He really doesn't know his own limitations."

"There will always be stumbling blocks on the path to power. This is just a little pebble that Elder Brother Sasuke has to walk over on his rise to the top."

"I remember when he snatched a magical item that Elder Brother Sasuke had given someone as a gift. When Elder Brother Sasuke took it back, he was like an ant in front of him." Conversations filled the air, filled with ridicule. It wasn't that everyone felt great enmity towards Naruto, but rather, in their hearts, Elder Brother Sasuke was someone you just didn't mess with.

"If he dies under Sasuke's hand, it won't be easy to get his bag of holding," thought Gato, frowning. He looked at Naruto.

Even as everyone in the crowd sneered at Naruto, once again putting him at odds against the world, suddenly, a shrill, clear voice suddenly rang out.

"Go Naruto! You're gonna win! The next Inner Sect disciple will definitely be Naruto!" It was Fatty, shouting out from down in the square in his cracking, teenage voice.

The jumble of voices reached Naruto, but they seemed very far away. He stood there calmly, staring coldly at Sasuke. Naruto knew that from the moment he had entered the world of Cultivation until now, he had never faced a more powerful opponent. This would be his most difficult battle yet.

But he wouldn't shrink back. He would fight. He would attack. There are some things in life that a man must do, because of dignity.

The scene from that day continued to play out in his head, and he absentmindedly rubbed his bag of holding.

Inside were the ten blood-stained fingernails he'd plucked out of his palms.

Sasuke stood there calmly, giving a cool look to Naruto. His eyes were placid, as if he were looking down at an insect. He looked just like he did that year.

He waved his right hand as if he were flicking away a bug, and in front of him a spinning whirlwind appeared, about as tall as a person. It whirled towards Naruto.

Naruto's eyes gleamed. He had nothing to say to Sasuke. Everything he wanted to say could be said with swords, magic, and this most fierce battle in all his 18 years of life.

He stepped forward, lifting his right hand and sending a Wind Blade screaming toward the whirlwind. It radiated a savage wind as it flew forward.

Fight!

He slapped his bag of holding, and twenty flying swords flew out in a line. Some seemed to be bent, unable to fly straight, but their sword auras glittered blindingly. He lifted a finger on his right hand and pointed. The twenty flying swords became a rainbow as they shot with immense power directly toward Sasuke.

Fight!

The dazzling sword auras were like rain, and as their combined power shot toward Sasuke, the whirlwind slammed into them. An explosion reverberated through the air as the whirlwind was torn open. The flying swords, now directionless, were suddenly sucked up into the whirlwind. From a distance, it looked as if the whirlwind had transformed into a vortex of swords. But the whirlwind was growing weaker, and looked as if it would fall apart at any moment.

Sasuke's expression didn't change in the least. He walked forward, and the power of his Cultivation base, at the peak of the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, burst forth, forming into an unprecedented spiritual pressure. The fingers of his right hand moved in incantation patterns, and a thin, sparkling strand of water shot toward Naruto.

This was not a technique of the Reliance Sect, but rather Sasuke's clan.

Seeing this, Naruto unhesitatingly popped a Demonic Core into his mouth. With his left hand, he called back the flying swords from within the vortex. They flew back to him unsteadily. With his right hand, he formed movements with his fingers to summon a Flame Python, a dozen or more meters long. It charged toward the Water Thread, roaring so loud that it seemed as if a tempest had struck.

"Water-Wind, slay!" said Sasuke. Although he didn't look scornful, his calm expression was the same as it had been that day when he almost crippled Naruto's Cultivation base, confident and filled with disregard.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the glittered Water Thread melded with the whirlwind to form a massive, rapidly spinning column which then dropped down toward Naruto.

The twenty flying swords spun to block the descending column, and a boom rang out as the swords scattered. Some of them even broke to pieces. Naruto had already retreated to the edge of the platform. In front of him remained a large stain of water as wide as a hand and approximately nine meters long, frightening in appearance.

A line of blood appeared on Naruto's forehead. It slowly oozed down his nose, giving him an even more savage appearance.

Twenty flying swords had been able to shake Gozu, but this was Sasuke, and he hadn't even used any magical items yet, merely some techniques that Naruto had never seen before. Thankfully, Naruto had been able to evade death. Were his Cultivation base at the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, he would not have been able to dodge.

"Sasuke has powerful latent talent," thought Gato, "and has a lot of experience using the powers and abilities of Chakra Condensation. Even someone of the seventh level would have a tough time with him. Naruto is definitely going to die." His frown deepened as he looked at Naruto, and his eyes shone with murder. However, he still didn't know how he would retrieve Naruto's bag of holding after he died.

Sasuke seemed as calm as ever when Naruto evaded his attack. It was as his attack had been a mere afterthought. If an elephant wants to crush an ant, and its first step misses, the second will not. He gave a beautiful, indifferent smile then took another step forward, raising his right hand and waving a finger toward Naruto.

As soon as he waved his finger, Naruto heard a buzz from the surrounding audience. It reminded him of that day when he had stood against the world. Sasuke had used one finger attack to bind him, one to destroy his jade pendant, one to take away the gourd bottle, and one to attempt to cripple his Cultivation base.

A powerful fighting spirit shone in Naruto's eyes. He had been humiliated by Sasuke's finger attack, but he was a different person today. Even though he hadn't made up his mind to register for the Inner Sect training, but had rather been forced to sign up by circumstances, he had been prepared to do so for some time. In the past month, most of his time had been spent learning how to sacrifice a bit of dexterity to be able to control large amounts of flying swords.

As Sasuke's finger descended, Naruto slapped his bag of holding, consumed a Demonic Core, and then began moving his fingers in incantation patterns. Suddenly, the ten or so remaining flying swords began to tremble, then suddenly lifted off the ground and flew back toward him from all directions.

They rotated around his body, and he lowered his hands, then pointed toward Sasuke. The flying swords shot out with shocking speed, screaming toward Sasuke.

At the same time, more flying swords appeared from within his bag of holding, until his limit was reached. There seemed to be enough to break down a city wall. With frightening power, they filled the sky, flying toward Sasuke's finger attack.

BOOM!

An explosion rattled the entire Outer Sect as twenty flying swords collided with the invisible power emanating from Sasuke's index finger. Amidst the explosion, the twenty flying swords twisted about, some of them shattering into pieces. They had successfully blocked the finger attack.

Blood seeped out of Naruto's mouth and veins of blood filled his eyes. He consumed another Demonic Core. His killing intent flared, but he still hadn't spoken a single word. That was just his personality; the more he wanted to kill someone, the more furious he became, the quieter he would be.

Sasuke looked as placid as ever, as if he didn't give a care in the world that Naruto stood in front of him. Only he could be filled with such arrogance and disregard.

Taking another step forward, he made his second finger attack.

This was the attack that had shattered Naruto's jade pendant. Naruto didn't bother to spit the blood out of his mouth. He swallowed it. Fingers flickering with incantations, he sent the remaining scattered flying swords shooting toward Sasuke in another attack. Then, surprisingly, he severed his control link to the swords, letting them fly forward with their own inertia.

He slapped his bag of holding, and suddenly more sword auras appeared, another twenty, forming a second wave that whistled forward. This was a sword rain that contained nearly forty flying swords in total!

Naruto knew that this tactic had its weaknesses. The flying swords wouldn't be dexterous, only fast and sharp. His opponent wouldn't find it difficult to avoid an attack. But Naruto was betting that considering his opponent's vast arrogance, he would most likely not try to dodge.

Even if he did try to dodge, Naruto would be ready. He had naturally considered this possibility, and was prepared for it.

The scene that was unfolding could only be described as an epic battle. For Cultivators practicing Chakra Condensation, it was something seldom seen. In the entire Five Elements Nation in the past several hundred years, there had never been such a battle between two people of the sixth level of Chakra Condensation!

Naruto had plenty of flying swords. After his experience on the black mountain, he had put a lot of thought into his use of battle magic. With the help of the Wind Blade, he could control large amounts of flying swords. However, it took a lot of spiritual power, and he could only summon twenty each time. Furthermore, his Cultivation base only permitted him to exercise basic control, enough to shoot them forward. He couldn't move them nimbly in the air, or cause them to change directions. He essentially sacrificed the dexterity of the flying sword and focused on its ability to fly.

As such, he could use even larger groups of them, the same way an ordinary person might just throw objects in succession. Except, he wasn't using his hands, he was using spiritual power to ensure their forward movement. As long as he had enough swords and his spiritual power didn't run out, he could pay the price.

Sasuke didn't use Reliance Sect techniques, because he disdained the Reliance Sect and their techniques. He used techniques of his powerful Clan, enabling him to gain an edge on his peers.

* * *

Naruto's flying swords and Sasuke's special magic techniques left the surrounding Cultivators awestruck. No longer did they look down on Naruto, but rather were stunned by his vast array of magical items.

It wasn't just them. Gato, Grand Elder Jiraiya, and even Sect Leader Kakashi stared in amazement.

Sasuke was strong, able to inspire fear into his Cultivator peers. Everyone knew this, so to see Naruto go toe to toe with Sasuke caused everyone watching to feel shocked.

At the moment, forty flying swords descended upon him from multiple directions, a Sword Tempest that seemed as if it could rip apart any living thing that stood in its path. An ordinary Chakra condensation sixth-level opponent would have difficulty standing up against it.

Naruto coughed up more blood. The only way to force himself to remain upright was to continuously consume Demonic Cores.

A booming sound erupted as Naruto's forty flying swords collided with the power of Sasuke's second finger attack. More than half of them were destroyed, but the finger attack could do nothing to Naruto other than force him to cough up a bit of blood.

Anyone else would be cautious in their approach to dealing with Naruto, but Sasuke was as dismissive as ever. He stepped forward and waved his finger a third time.

Naruto's spiritual energy was almost completely exhausted. But he had a lot of Demonic Cores available to replenish himself. During this entire time, he had managed to keep his spiritual energy at roughly an even level. As he watched Sasuke make his third movement, he could not help but recall the same finger attack taking away the gourd bottle. The killing intent in his eyes grew stronger. He didn't retreat, and in fact took a step forward, flingers flickering in incantation movements. Three or four of his bags of holding began to tremble, and then suddenly a succession of sword auras appeared, to the astonishment of all the onlookers.

Waving his sleeve, he sent forth one wave, two waves, three waves of flying swords. They transformed into a dazzling sword rain. One sword, ten, twenty, thirty swords… Seventy swords in four waves, an unbelievable sword aura. They shot toward Sasuke.

Naruto constantly coughed up blood, then consumed medicinal pills. His eyes were completely bloodshot, but the killing intent in them was as strong as ever. Even if he ran out of spiritual power, he would spare nothing!

Sasuke gave a cold harrumph. With so many people looking on, he didn't want to dodge the attack, but there were just too many flying swords. They appeared to be approaching in a direct line, and yet something about the attack looked off. He had a dark premonition that if he attempted to dodge the attack, he would still be walking into death.

For the first time, something flickered within Sasuke's eyes. Lifting his finger, he immediately moved into the fourth finger attack. A ripple appeared in front of him, and even as it began to spread out, Naruto's fingers stopped moving and he clasped his palms together flat in front of him.

"Wind-construct Sword!" As soon as the words came out of Naruto's mouth, the seventy flying swords suddenly began to combine together.

The onlookers gaped in shock as the fourth wave of swords picked up speed, slamming into the third wave, which then swept into the sword rain of the second wave, and then finally smacked into the back of the first wave. Then a sweeping wind pressed in from multiple directions to form them into the solid shape! From a distance, it appeared as if they had formed a gigantic flying sword.

This was Naruto's Flying Sword Matrix, created along with the issuance of his Wind Blade. It was a sword technique he had developed after his time on the black mountain. It shot toward Sasuke with irresistible force. Popping sounds filled the air as the ripple in front of Sasuke began to warp as if it were being pushed against by a massive force. This in turn caused Sasuke, for the first time ever, to take a step backward.

"How arrogant of you to force me to take a step back." This was the first time he had spoken to Naruto during the entire battle. His left hand slapped his bag of holding and a glittering, crystal statue appeared. It was a statue of a horse, vivid and lifelike, seemingly full of energy and spirit.

A neighing sound filled the air, and the crystal statue seemed to come to life, leaping out of Sasuke's palm and flying straight toward Naruto's giant sword. As soon as they collided, the giant sword began to collapse, starting from its tip. Layer after layer of swords peeled away, torn apart by the crystal horse. Within an instant, a huge portion of the giant sword had been destroyed, and the only thing left was the hilt. Flying swords scattered about in all directions.

Seeing this, the onlookers' hearts raced, and they had little time to even process in their minds what was happening. They appeared shocked beyond belief.

And then, just as the giant sword was broken down into a mere hilt, a new sword flew out from the midst of the other swords. A sword made of wood. It shot toward the crystal horse, and when the two hit each other, a sound boomed out louder than any sound which had been heard so far during the battle. It echoed out multiple times.

As of now, the wooden sword was the only sword under Naruto's control. Everything up to this point had been a ruse to keep it concealed, then use it in a surprise move.

The sword, once meant for Sasuke, was now in Naruto's hands. To Sasuke, it was a treasure, but to Naruto, it was worth two thousand Spirit Stones. Regardless of how powerful it was, it was the most powerful weapon he had, so of course he would use it.

Amidst the deafening boom, the crystal horse began to shake, and a multitude of cracks appeared on its surface. Then, it simply collapsed into pieces.

Sasuke's expression changed instantly. Carrying with it the remaining flying swords, the wooden sword shot toward him. As it neared, he reflexively lifted his arm, focused his Cultivation base on his finger and shot out an explosive force. The force sent all the flying swords spinning, but not the wooden sword. It continued on, stabbing into his finger and shredding it to bloody pieces. Then it spun back to hover next to Naruto.

"That finger brought me humiliation," Naruto said slowly. "Today, I cripple it!" He spat out a mass of blood, staggering back several paces. Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.

Sasuke took several heavy steps back, ignoring the pain of his finger, eyes filled with disbelief. He stared at the wooden sword floating next to Naruto. The words Naruto had just uttered rang in his ears. And then, an unspeakable rage welled up within him.

He recognized this sword!

The moment Sasuke's finger was shredded to pieces, all the Cultivators in the square were shocked. The buzz of conversation again arose.

"Naruto destroyed Elder Brother Sasuke's finger. This… this can't be!"

"Elder Brother Sasuke is injured. He's a Chosen, but Naruto decimated his finger… Naruto…"

"It's scary that he has so many flying swords. And he used seventy of them to make a giant sword. How astonishing!"

Gato sucked in a deep breath. Everything that was happening seemed unimaginable. He wasn't the only one surprised. Grand Elder Jiraiya had stood up and was looking at Naruto, his eyes filled with deep admiration and intense anticipation.

Even Kakashi, standing atop the East Mountain, stared down at Naruto, his eyes glittering.

The buzz of conversation reached Sasuke's ears, but he paid it no heed, as if he hadn't heard it at all. Fury burned in his eyes, and he stared murderously at the wooden sword circling Naruto.

"So it was you!" Sasuke didn't even bother to stop the blood from gushing out of where finger had once been. He had only been furious once before in his life, and that was the day in the cave when he realized the treasure he had hunted for years had been snatched away. His inner humiliation and madness, and his hatred toward that unknown person, had seeped into his very bones.

This matter was his biggest regret. His shrill screams that day still seemed to echo in his ears. Often, he was shaken from meditation deep in the quiet of night, his heart dripping with blood, feeling like a fool. Every time he thought about it, he fought the urge to go crazy.

Today was the second time in his life that he was furious. He recognised the sword. In his eyes, it belonged to him, his own treasure with which control heaven and earth. And today… here it was in Naruto's hands.

"So it was you!" Sasuke's eyes overflowed with murder. His desire to kill Naruto could not be any stronger. This look was so different from his usual calm visage that the surrounding Cultivators could not help but murmur to each other about it.

"It was you who stole away my treasure!" Sasuke stared at the wooden sword, murder roiling in his eyes. He felt an impulsive desire to rip Naruto to pieces. He suddenly laughed, and as the laughter rolled out across the square, he seemed to grow even more awe-inspiring.

"I have no idea what Elder Brother Sasuke is talking about," said Naruto coldly, wiping the blood off of his mouth. "This sword is yours? Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?" He consumed several Demonic Cores.

"I planned for years to get that sword. It is one-of-a-kind, the only like it in the world. The gold lines on its surface were etched by Heaven itself. Of course I haven't made a mistake." Sasuke looked up to the skies and laughed. It was a grim laugh, a laugh that seemed to make everything around it grow cold.

* * *

Sasuke glared at Naruto with cold eyes, then took a step forward. He slapped his bag of holding, and two glittering beams of light shot out. Two magical treasures appeared, one a stone tiger, the other a stone aquatic dragon.

They were accompanied by two sounds which reverberated across the square, one, the roaring of a tiger, the other, the howl of a aquatic dragon. The treasures immediately transformed. The first became a white tiger, a few dozen meters in length, the other, a magnificent aquatic dragon. They circled around Sasuke, making him look even more imposing.

"You can refuse to admit it, but that sword is mine," said Sasuke, his voice ghastly. "I never agreed to let you have it and you are not permitted to leave with it." His fingers moved in an incantation pattern, and the white tiger roared and leaped toward Naruto. The aquatic dragon howled as it followed, its body becoming a streaking rainbow.

Naruto moved backwards, waving his right hand. The wooden sword flashed forward, followed by a Wind Blade and a Flame Python.

A boom reverberated out and Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. As he flew back, he saw Sasuke walking out from the explosion, his snow-white robes and long hair floating in the wind, a look of murder on his beautiful features. His eyes shone forth with ridicule.

"Absurd!" said Naruto. "You clearly see that the sword is extraordinary, so you want to use the Inner Sect training as an opportunity to rob it from me!"

"It's useless to keep talking. I will kill you today, and then you will know that you aren't qualified to take things which belong to Sasuke." His eyes cold, he waved his hand again; roaring and howling, the white tiger and the aquatic dragon once again charged Naruto.

"One-of-a-kind? The only one like it in the world?" Naruto laughed, his eyes sneering. He made no attempt to hide the cold ridicule. "Why don't you take a look and see if the sword really is one of a kind like you say?" His left hand slapped his bag of holding, and a black beam shot out to circle around Naruto. A loud humming sound rang out, like that of a sword. It was his duplicate copy of the wooden sword!

Now that it had appeared, two wooden swords swirled around him. They looked exactly the same in every aspect, their sword auras shining brightly and with immense power.

When he laid eyes on the second wooden sword, Sasuke's body shook and his eyes went wide, filled with disbelief. His mind dissolved into chaos, and he felt as if he had just been crushed by an entire mountain. He immediately lost control of the white tiger and the aquatic dragon.

"This… this…" His head spun. This unexpected turn of events had caught him completely off guard. He didn't know what to think, and couldn't even control his mind.

"Is this sword yours too?" Naruto's eyes flashed, and he stepped forward, suddenly radiating the power of his Cultivation base. "Is this your one-of-a-kind sword?" He took another step forward.

Sasuke couldn't answer. Feeling the pressure of Naruto's spirit, he involuntarily took two steps backwards.

"Is this the only sword like it in the whole world?" Naruto's eyes flickered as if with lightning. He continued moving forward, as if all the power he possessed were supporting him.

Sasuke's face grew pale, and he continued to retreat.

"Sasuke, these two swords are Naruto's! My swords of heaven and earth!" Eyes burning, Naruto leaped into the air, incantation patterns flashing in his hands. The two wooden swords glowed brightly, shooting toward the white tiger and the aquatic dragon.

A boom rang out as the white tiger was broken to pieces and the aquatic dragon shattered. Filled with power that seemed capable of destroying anything in the world, the two wooden swords shot toward Sasuke.

Seeing them approach, Sasuke suddenly lifted his head. He slammed his right hand down onto the ground, and a massive incense stick appeared. As it burned, tendrils of smoke curled up and then shot in Naruto's direction. As they moved, they transformed into two figures which slammed into the two wooden swords. A thunderous boom sounded out.

The incense stick was smashed, and the wooden swords retreated back to Naruto, who spat out a mouthful of blood. He watched as Sasuke moved forward through the smoke. He didn't walk on the platform, but rather flew through the air, carried forward by tendrils of smoke. He looked at Naruto with a strange expression, then eyed the two wooden swords. At the moment, he was still completely at a loss about them, and had begun to doubt himself.

According to his research in the ancient records, the wooden sword really was unique in heaven and earth. There could not be a second one. Regardless of that, the sword was exactly the same one he had seen before, except now there were two…

Naruto looked at Sasuke soaring through the air and let out a cold snort. He slapped his bag of holding and two ordinary flying swords appeared. He stepped forward onto them, and they carried him flying into the air. This caused quite a stir amongst the observing Cultivators.

"Only Cultivators who have reached Foundation Establishment can fly. But look, he's flying…"

"Brother Sasuke has some magical item that lets him fly temporarily, but Naruto… he's not sparing any spiritual energy at all. He's using the flying swords to fly."

Killing intent flickered in Sasuke's eyes as he stared at Naruto. He put the matter of the wooden swords out of mind. Regardless of whether or not these were the treasures he had sought, he would take them away.

As the killing intent filled the air, Sasuke slapped his bag of holding, and a strip of yellow paper appeared in front of him, a talisman. Its surface was inscribed with various mystical patterns, and it emitted a strong spiritual pressure. It shined with a golden light. This talisman appeared to be quite different than the one Gozu had used.

"If you allow me to take the treasure, you can feel some pride when you reach the yellow springs of the underworld," said Sasuke, glaring at Naruto. He felt somewhat distressed. This talisman was the last magical item in his bag of holding. He had spent everything else he possessed in his search for the wooden sword.

He would not have used the talisman were it not necessary. Normally, it could be used three times. But with the level of his Cultivation base, he could only use it once. Even still, it was powerful, enough to slay a Cultivator of the eighth level of Chakra condensation.

Glaring coldly at Naruto, Sasuke suddenly lifted his right hand and waved it in front of him. At the same time, his spat out some of his spiritual energy, transferring it to the talisman.

The talisman glowed with immeasurable brightness; as Naruto flew through the air, he looked down at it, and suddenly felt a stabbing pain inside him.

It was at this moment that Sasuke's face changed. He suddenly realized that he didn't have enough spiritual energy… In fact, he now noticed that the spiritual energy in his body was continuously draining out through his wounded finger.

Because he had been enraged upon seeing the first wooden sword, then shocked and confused by the second, he hadn't sensed it until now. As of now, there was not enough spirit energy to fully activate the talisman, and not enough time to consume medicinal pills to replenish himself.

"Even though the talisman can't be fully utilized, it's still strong enough to kill someone of the sixth level of Chakra condensation. Killing you will be as easy as falling off a log!" With no hesitation, he flung the talisman out. It suddenly appeared to be a golden sun which shot toward Naruto.

At this life-and-death juncture, a strange light appeared in Naruto's eyes. Even as he flew through mid-air, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the dream he had experienced the day he consumed the Flying Rain-Dragon's Demonic Core. In the dream, he had looked down into a lake and seen the reflection of the ancient Flying Rain-Dragon. Now, he could see the same thing again.

"A sovereign of the sky…" Naruto felt as if he were filled with good fortune. He closed his eyes, and as the golden sun summoned by the talisman approached, the Demonic Core which rested in his Core lake began to shudder. Then, a massive force of spiritual power burst out, filling Naruto's body and causing him to snap his hands out in front of him.

All of the various swords laying around, which he had previously lost control off, suddenly began to shake, then lifted into the air and sped toward Naruto. At the same time, the rest of the flying swords in his bag of holding flew out, along with the rest of the various magical items he possessed. They began to merge together, glowing with an intense brightness. All of this was happening, not because of Naruto's spiritual energy, but because of the Demonic Core's!

For some reason, the Demonic Core had suddenly been stirred into action, and its eruption had utilized some sort of underworldly power to control the nearly one hundred flying swords and magical items. In the blink of an eye, they had merged together to form… an ancient Flying Rain-Dragon!

Its form was somewhat indistinct, perhaps indistinguishable to the onlookers. Even Sasuke wasn't aware of it, now that he had lost his Blood connection to the Legacy. Only Naruto could sense it.

The two wooden swords were the Flying Rain-Dragon's fangs. It let out a roar filled with the power of heaven and earth then charged toward the talisman. As soon as they met, a thunderous explosion rang out which shook the entirety of the Reliance Sect. The surrounding Outer Sect disciples retreated backward, nearly deafened. Some of the disciples with low-level Cultivation bases were nearly knocked senseless.

Both the talisman and the Flying Rain-Dragon contained power far beyond the sixth level of Chakra condensation. When they smashed into each other, even someone of the seventh level would be shaken. Only someone of the eighth level might possibly be able to withstand the power.

As the reverberations from the explosion rang out, the golden sun faded rapidly, and the Flying Rain-Dragon began to fall apart. Layer by layer, one sword, ten swords, one hundred swords… they slowly fell, along with the other magical items which had merged together to form the dragon. They fell and transformed to ash, which drifted away in the wind.

The talisman slowly faded away, and the magical items forming the Flying Rain-Dragon disappeared… but not the two wooden swords. Instead, they shot forward toward pale-faced Sasuke.

Sasuke watched as the swords approached, stabbing toward his chest. Just as they were about to plunge into his heart, a light, sighing voice could be heard descending from the East Mountain.

"Very well, there's nothing left to do." Along with the sigh came a gentle force which appeared next to Sasuke, blocking the wooden swords. Sasuke was lifted up and pulled back, off of the platform and down onto the square. He coughed up blood, his eyes blank and confused. He couldn't believe it… he had lost.

Kakashi had appeared on the platform. Grand Elder Jiraiya immediately saluted him with clasped fists. "Greetings, Sect Leader."

A buzz arose among the surrounding Outer Sect disciples. Each and every one greeted the Sect Leader and saluted respectfully.

Naruto looked pale. His spiritual energy was completely dried up. If the Flying Rain-Dragon's Demonic Core had not exercised its power, he would not have been able to continue. His bags of holding were now completely empty of any magical items. As far as he was concerned, this battle had been a bitter one indeed.

Although he wasn't quite willing to let Sasuke continue to live, with the Sect Leader here, he had no choice. He would not be able to kill Sasuke this day.

Without a word, he descended onto the platform, his stubborn personality forcing his body to remain upright. He took a few steps forward, then reached down to pick up the Sasuke's talisman, which had drifted to the ground, and placed it into his robe. Then he lifted his head and looked at Kakashi.

"In this match, Naruto is the winner," said Kakashi, looking at Naruto with a slight smile. "From this day forth, he is the third member of the Reliance Inner Sect." His words rang out over the silent square. The minds of the onlookers were still reeling, the details of the battle replaying in their heads.

Sasuke looked confused, and when he heard Kakashi's words, he let out a bitter laugh. He looked around at the crowd, who already seemed to have forgotten him, and his heart filled with regret. He laughed again, then coughed up some blood, and collapsed into unconsciousness.

As he collapsed, Naruto bit down hard on his own tongue. He saluted Kakashi, then sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.

Grand Elder Jiraiya looked at him, his eyes filled with admiration. He slapped his own bag of holding and produced a medicinal pill, which flew forward toward Naruto. Naruto grabbed it and popped it into his mouth.

He was exhausted to the extreme. Despite his eyes growing dim, he continued on with his breathing exercises, slowly attempting to recover.

* * *

Fatty beamed with joy, happy beyond belief, heart pounding. For Naruto to become an Inner Sect disciple was almost like he himself had.

Gato stood in the crowd, face grim. After a bit of time passed, he lowered his head, turned, and left. As he left, his face grew darker, but there was really nothing he could do. Now that Naruto was a member of the Inner Sect, even his status as an Elder didn't give him the right to interrogate him. Now, Naruto was a true member of the Reliance Sect.

"I reached the seventh level of Chakra condensation before I was thirty. I was the number one disciple in the Inner Sect. But now…" Gato sighed. He was loath to give up, but had no choice.

Just then, something happened that no one noticed, neither Gato nor Grand Elder Jiraiya. Not even Sect Leader Kakashi. Far away from the Reliance Sect, on the peak of the tree-covered black mountain, standing outside of the empty cave, was a mysterious, powerful figure.

The figure was indistinct, its face unclear. But its body was wreathed in an aura vastly different from the spiritual power of heaven and earth, an aura that actually seemed to have been rejected by the Heavens. The wind around the figure changed, filling with indistinct cracks that circled around him… and yet an onlooker would not be able to see any of this.

"Reliance Sect… what a vulgar name," the blood-red figure's voice was hoarse as it spoke, filled with a Demonic air. "The name was intentionally changed one thousand years ago to prevent the Heavens from carrying out the punishment of withholding reincarnation. But it is still… The Demon Sealing Sect! And a disciple of the Demon Sealing sect actually dared to consume the Core of the Flying Rain-Dragon, and accept its Legacy… interesting. It seems it was not in vain that I helped you those two times." Even as its voice continued to echo out, bolts of red lightning began to fall. The destructive lightning fell over and over again, but it was over three thousand meters away, as if the Heavens had no power to touch the figure.

The red figure seemed to frown, then looked up coldly into the sky. "Sooner or later, you shall be defied, Heavens!" Then it turned toward the Southern Domain and took a step forward.

"My true self has been slumbering, and in my boredom, my divine clone has swept throughout heaven and earth. What I've just seen is interesting. Very interesting." Laughter rang out, and the figure disappeared, gone in the blink of an eye.

The figure's arrival and departure, the roiling heavens, the approach of the lightning, onlookers could not see any of it!

Time raced by, and soon seven days had passed.

During the seven days, everyone in the Outer Sect was talking about Naruto's ascension to become an Inner Sect disciple.

Even though everyone had seen the event with their own eyes, it had left them shocked to the core. Despite seven days having passed, they would often lift their heads to gaze at the East Mountain, eyes filled with envy.

There were some people who felt sorry for Sasuke, but they didn't say anything. It was as if after the battle, Sasuke's name had become a thing of the past.

Disciples who had been Naruto's enemies were even more disturbed than before, filled with dread. But Naruto was no longer present in the Outer Sect, so all they could do was find Fatty to fawn over.

Fatty's prestige exploded in just a few days. He was the new shop owner at the Low-Level Public Zone, having taken over for Naruto. He revelled in the attention of his fellow disciples, filing away at his teeth triumphantly. He was even able to move into one of the nicer residences in the Outer Sect.

Naruto was quite busy during the seven days. The Reliance Sect might have been in decline, but there were still rules to follow. Naruto bathed and donned new clothes. He kowtowed to the image of Patriarch Reliance and the other Patriarchs of the Sect. Of course, there were many complicated procedures and details involved in all of this.

During this time, he didn't see elder sister Hinata at all, as she had secluded herself in meditation. However, he did see elder brother Guy, dressed in his silver robe. From his time in the Outer Sect, Naruto's impression of him was that he rarely smiled and was rather old-fashioned. But after getting to know him he found that no matter what question he had, elder brother Guy would patiently give a detailed explanation. Naruto actually liked him. He thought back to the rumors he'd heard, that elder brother Guy cared only about righteousness and the Dao, ignoring matters of the mortal world.

After the seven days had passed, Naruto was granted an Inner Sect Immortal's Cave on the East Mountain. Its Spirit Spring bubbled with thick Spiritual Energy, much more so than his previous Immortal's Cave.

Unfortunately, his good mood changed a bit the first time he laid hands on the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills available for Inner Sect disciples. He stood there, staring down at them stupidly.

These Spirit Stones were clearly better than the ones available in the Outer Sect. They were larger, and were not completely transparent, but rather filled with an indistinct, mist-like substance. Naruto's face grew pale.

"These are mid-grade Spirit Stones?" murmured Naruto. "And Inner Sect disciples get one per year… It's worth one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones from the Outer Sect…" His head spun as he absorbed the information from the ancient piece of jade in front of him, which described the identification methods and differences between the different types of Spirit Stones available to Cultivators engaged in Chakra condensation.

"Above mid-grade Spirit Stones are high-grade Spirit Stones…. which don't even exist in the Five Elements Nation. One of those is worth at least ten-thousand low-grade Spirit Stones… they're basically priceless." Naruto's insides twisted, and he took out the few large Spirit Stones he had left in his bag of holding. His face looked more and more unsightly.

"You can tell the value of a Spirit Stone by looking at its size and its internal composition. High-grade Spirit Stones are the largest, and are at least half-covered inside with thick mist formations… The Spiritual Energy inside won't leak out, and can only be used by a Cultivator who has reached Foundation Establishment." Naruto looked mutely at the Spirit Stone he held in his hand. It was larger than a mid-grade Spirit Stone by at least three times, and was almost completely filled with mist formations. It was dazzling, and not a drop of Spiritual Energy emerged from it.

"This… this can't be a high-grade Spirit Stone! I… I squandered two thousand high-grade Spirit Stones!" Naruto's heart dropped, and he tried to comfort himself. He thought about the extraordinary wooden sword and how much Sasuke cared about it. And then he thought about the price he had paid the copper mirror to duplicate it. He simply couldn't comprehend the price he had paid in Spirit Stones…

"But how come it seems like this Spirit Stone is even bigger than the descriptions of high-grade Spirit Stones, and has even more mist formations inside?" His heart quavered, and he didn't dare to think about it anymore. His face was pale, and he felt pained to the core.

It took him a while to get control of himself, whereupon he put away the Spirit Stones.

"An insignificant two thousand high-grade Spirit Stones," muttered Naruto. "It was nothing, nothing at all." But when he said the word 'insignificant,' it sounded a bit forced.

More days flew by.

"Junior Brother, I watched your battle. You used a lot of magical items. If you had run out, you would have been in a difficult situation. You should go to the Magic Pavilion more often. There are a thousand years of ancient Reliance Sect records there that you could study from."

"Junior Brother, I noticed that you're always hunting small creatures and cooking them for food. That's not correct. Us Cultivators should breathe in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and cast off our mortal bodies. If you're always eating animals, aren't you wasting your spiritual energy?"

"Junior Brother, you have too many bags of holding on your person. You shouldn't do it that way. You should have all your items in one bag, that way they are easier to take out."

As the days passed, Naruto forced himself not to think about Spirit Stones. It didn't take long before he understood elder brother Guy a lot better, and soon he spent most of his time with him, being instructed. He soon realized that this Elder Brother was nothing at all like the rumors in the Outer Sect held him out to be. Although he was very focused on the Dao, he wasn't taciturn at all. In fact, when he he started talking, he would keep going for hours and hours, sometimes even an entire day.

Soon it came to the point that if he didn't go looking for Might Guy, then Might Guy would come looking for him in his Immortal's Cave, and the discussions would begin.

Naruto couldn't refuse. He could only force a smile and listen. Sometimes he would fall asleep in the middle of it, only to wake up to find Brother Might Guy still talking. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"There aren't enough disciples in the Inner Sect, so elder brother Guy doesn't have anyone to talk to. Therefore, he's developed this strange tendency…" Naruto now understood why elder sister Hinata went into secluded meditation so often. Even he himself had thought of going into meditation to get a break from elder brother Guy.

Whenever he left his Immortal's Cave, elder brother Guy would be there to accompany him.

"I wonder when elder sister Hinata is going to come out of meditation," thought Naruto with a smile. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees me." He now wore a silver robe, and his long hair fluttered behind him as he sat on a mountain crag. He stared at the setting sun, ignoring elder brother Guy's constant yammering.

"Junior Brother must be wondering when Junior Sister Hinata will be coming out of meditation," said elder brother Guy with a smile, looking at Naruto.

"Yeah… Uh, what?"

elder brother Guy's sudden change of topic left Naruto speechless.

"No need to be shy, Junior Brother," bantered elder brother Guy with a smile. "Junior Sister Hinata is a natural beauty, it's perfectly normal for you to have a crush on her." He had a uncomplicated disposition, and was easy to get along with. Naruto liked him. As soon as they had met, he had been willing to take Naruto on as a Junior Brother.

"Hinata?" Naruto coughed. He decided to change the topic. "No, no, I never… oh, right. elder brother Guy, a while back you were saying something about what happens after a Cultivator completes his Chakra Condensation?"

"After Chakra Condensation comes Foundation Establishment, the shedding of the mortal body. This is true spiritual cultivation, and truly being a Cultivator." elder brother Guy smiled at Naruto, shaking his head. He was no longer bantering, but speaking warmly.

"During the process of establishing the Spiritual Foundation, nine Dao pillars will arise within your Core Lake, deep and bottomless. They will grow within your body, and this is Foundation Establishment. Of course, there are different types of Foundations, based on the various magical methods used to congeal the Dao pillars. If nine cracks appear, it is a Flawless Foundation. If eighteen cracks appear, it is a Cracked Foundation. More than eighteen cracks means it is a Fractured Foundation. Of these, Flawless is the best, Cracked is good. Fractured is the most common.

"The Reliance Sect used to have a manual describing a method to Establishing a Flawless Foundation, acquired by Patriarch Reliance. Because of this, he was famous in all of the Five Elements Nation. His name was even known in the Southern Domain. Sadly… when the Patriarch went missing, the technique was not handed down." Might Guy explained everything slowly and in great detail. This was just his personality, and Naruto had gotten used to it over the days.

"After Foundation Establishment is the great path to Core Formation. The Sect Leader is in this stage. After that, when you develop a Nascent Soul, then you can live forever, and be a true Immortal of this land."

"What about after the Nascent Soul stage?" asked Naruto, listening intently and feeling longing in his heart.

"After the Nascent Soul stage is Spirit Severing. That was the stage the Patriarch was at. It is the most difficult stage, where life hangs on a thread. Spirit Severing involves several Severings before complete success. That year, Patriarch Reliance left the Sect to meditate in seclusion, and still hasn't returned." Might Guy spoke calmly throughout his explanation, but his attachment to cultivate was clear from his expression.

"Perhaps one day I, Naruto, will have a chance to enter the Spirit Severing stage," he murmured. "What is after that?"

"The stages after Spirit Severing are too high," said Might Guy lightly. "I don't know the details. You have to go to the Southern Domain to learn about those things. In any case, the whole point is Immortal Ascension."

"Immortal Ascension?"

"Immortal Ascension."

The mountain breeze gently lifted the hair of the two disciples, carrying their voices off into the distance.

"Junior Brother, if one day you go out into the world to continue your training, you cannot limit yourself to the Five Elements Nation." elder brother Guy looked at Naruto kindly. "Don't forget, the Five Elements Nation is a remote state in the Southern Domain of the lands of Ninshu. The Spiritual Energy here is not abundant, and there are few Cultivators.

"The Southern Domain is the true world of Cultivation. Even though the law of the jungle is brutal and ruthless there, it truly represents the peak of the southern regions of the lands of Ninshu. Heroes abound, as do Chosen. Compared to there, the Five Elements Nation is quite calm and peaceful. Cultivators of my generation must climb mountains and tread upon piles of bones to succeed." A strange light filled his eyes, as if he weren't speaking to Naruto, but rather to himself.

Naruto felt quite moved by elder brother Guy's words. Before, he had been somewhat ignorant, but having things so clearly explained left his head buzzing, as if a giant map had suddenly been rolled out in front of him. On the map was the Sky country in the Eastern Lands, and the heroes of the Southern Domain.

"To follow the path of spirituality, one must abandon the mortal world. You are no longer a mortal. You are a Cultivator, destined to defy the Heavens. If you are not strong, then you are not qualified to exist. If you are not strong, you are not qualified to practice Cultivation. If you are not strong, then you are not qualified to stay alive, but only to be trampled over. Are you willing to live this kind of life?" Brother Guy gazed at Naruto. As his words entered Naruto's ears and sank into his heart, his eyes began to glitter, and he began to think.

"I am a scholar from Konoha County. My parents went missing when I was just a child, and my dream was always to be become rich and never again live in poverty, then eventually go see the the Sky country in the Eastern Lands." The chill night wind blew at his hair as he lost himself in contemplation, the same way he had that year on the top of Mount Myōboku.

* * *

Time slipped by, and at some point, elder brother Guy left. Even though Naruto had just entered the Inner Sect, he was still a junior Brother, and it was Might Guy's responsibility to explain matters to him, to help him understand what Cultivation truly is. To help him to know what it means to move forward lest one fall behind, and to comprehend the life-and-death path that was the Cultivation world.

Entering the Inner Sect was his first true step across the threshold into that world. The next step was Foundation Establishment.

Naruto sat alone on the boulder, staring into the sky at the moon and the vast multitude of stars. He was silent, his mind filled with countless thoughts. He felt somewhat confused.

Time continued to pass, and soon it was the middle of the night. Sasuke sat in his Immortal's Cave, looking down at his right hand with its missing index finger. He looked confused. In front of him was a jade slip, broken in half. When he had regained consciousness, that was the first thing he had done.

He hadn't managed to enter the Inner Sect, and thus had not accomplished his second goal. He was on the verge of despair. As soon as he had regained consciousness, he had snapped the jade slip in two with a bitter smile.

He had been defeated, thoroughly defeated, and by none other than an insect. He had been defeated by Naruto's sword and weak Cultivation base. Had Kakashi not intervened, he would be dead.

This defeat ended his path here at the Reliance Sect. He had not emerged from his Immortal's Cave after awakening. He had simply sat there in a daze.

He was a Chosen. His Clan's reputation in the Southern Domain was indomitable. He had been insufferably proud since childhood, as if the world lay at his feet. That was why he had refused to stay in his Clan, but rather came here to the Five Elements Nation and the Reliance Sect, to search for the Legacy and treasure. He had even postponed Foundation Establishment in order to pursue his two goals. As of now, though, everything had blown away like ash in the wind.

Sasuke's bitter laughter echoed throughout the Immortal's Cave. He laughed and laughed, clenching his fists tightly. Although, his nails were not very sharp, so he couldn't experience the pain Naruto had that day.

He just could not accept it. If he had been defeated at the hands of a Chosen, then he could bear the loss. But the person who had robbed his place in the Inner Sect, who had trampled him underfoot, was someone he didn't even deign to look at, an insect whose name he hadn't even been able to recall. He just couldn't accept it.

At this moment, the main door of Sasuke's Immortal's Cave suddenly disintegrated noiselessly. The entire door turned into ash, which floated down to the ground of the Immortal's Cave.

A middle-aged man stood in the doorway, wearing a black robe, hands clasped behind his back. He seemed somewhat emaciated, but carried a haughty air. The moonlight fell onto him, and seemed to quiver and turn into ripples. It was as this man's mere existence could cause the surrounding mountain chains to tremble.

Next to the middle-aged man was a young woman, perhaps eighteen or nineteen years of age. She was incredibly beautiful, tall and slender. She wore no makeup, and yet her face glowed like the dawn. Her hair was pinned up in the shape of a swallow's tail, and her body seemed as if it were carved from jade. She wore a thin, light green garment. Standing there in the moonlight, she emanated a magical aura, cool and composed, refined and free from worldly vulgarity. She looked just like a female celestial, descended from heaven.

"The Uchiha Clan is one of the three great Cultivation Clans in the Southern Domain," said the middle-aged man coolly. His voice contained an awe-inspiring coldness difficult to describe. "It has outmatched many Sects, and has existed for ten thousand years in the Southern Domain.

"You are a Chosen of the Uchiha Clan. From birth, you have been destined to do extraordinary things, to rise higher than the highest heavens. You were foreordained to engage in struggles with other Immortals."

As Sasuke listened to the middle-aged man's words, he slowly lifted his head, ignoring his severed finger.

"What do some minor setbacks count for? This paltry Five Elements Nation wouldn't count for anything in the Southern Domain. It's filled with ants. If I sent a single Nascent Soul stage Clan member here, he could wipe this place clean." The middle-aged man spoke with complete certainty, leaving no room for argument. Sasuke clenched his fists, and fire appeared in his eyes.

"Your true enemies are the other Chosen members in the Clan, the successors of the two major Clans in the Southern Domain, and the disciples of the rest of the five Clans. Only they are worthy to be your enemy. If they saw your sorry state now, how could you dare to claim the name Uchiha?!

"Tell me, what is your family name?" said the middle-aged man with a flick of his sleeve.

"I am a Uchiha!" Sasuke stood, his eyes gleaming.

The middle-aged man looked at Sasuke for a long moment, then his eyes grew soft.

"You are a Roc of the Uchiha Clan. In a few years, you will reach Foundation Establishment. In the future, on the great path to Core Formation, you will have the assistance of the Violet Chakra from the East technique of your fiancée's Sect. You will successfully achieve Core Formation soon. After that, you will have your Nascent Soul. When that happens, you will find that the pitiable person who defeated you here in the Five Elements Nation, is still practicing Chakra Condensation.

"Then you can truly look down on him like the insect he is." He gave Sasuke a meaningful look, then turned away.

"Sasuke," said the beautiful girl. Her light voice was pleasant, and combined with her beauty, made her incredibly enticing. She was perfect, in the same way Sasuke was perfect. Were they to be together, they would truly be a match made in heaven, the envy of anyone traversing the path of Immortality.

Sasuke looked at the girl silently. This was his fiancée, Sakura , daughter of the Sect Leader of the Violet Fate Sect. She was a Chosen of her Sect, and one of four most famous women in the Southern Domain.

"Let's go back," she said softly, gazing at Sasuke tenderly.

Sasuke nodded. He followed the girl out of the Immortal's Cave. Along with the middle-aged man, they walked forward, and suddenly a rumbling sound shook the night sky. A massive lightning bolt shot down from the sky, transforming into a flying battleship, nearly three hundred meters long. The ship was black, and emanated the feeling of death, especially the massive flagpole from which flapped a red flag, embroidered with the character "Uchiha."

On the ship stood numerous men with expressionless faces, standing at attention, radiating cold auras.

The massive noise which had just rung out, as well as the battleship, left the disciples of the Reliance Sect trembling in fear. They looked up at the sight, disbelief written across their face.

Naruto still sat on the peak of the East Mountain. Pulled out of his contemplation, he looked up at the shocking black battleship and red flag, and his heart quivered.

"I should never have agreed to let you come to this backwater place," said the middle aged man as they stepped foot onto the ship. "Even if the Sublime Spirit Scripture was rumored to have been seen here, that was something that occurred hundreds of years ago." Sasuke stood there, looking out at the Reliance Sect. He slowly wiped away all the memories of the recent years.

No longer was his gaze warm and gentle, no longer was his smile kind and sincere. He had become cold, especially his eyes, which radiated hatred. He now seemed completely different from the old Elder Brother Sasuke.

He looked down at Naruto sitting there on the mountaintop. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and then Sasuke's eyes once again filled with disregard. As far as he was concerned, Naruto was a bug. Pride filled him, because his family name was Uchiha!

At this moment, the middle-aged man caught sight of Naruto sitting there. He didn't reveal his Cultivation base, but his gaze itself was enough to cause a thunderous roar which shook the entire East Mountain. Like a sharp sword, his it toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression changed, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His entire body felt ice-cold, and he sensed an intense, deadly force fall upon him. His head spun, and he lost the power to even think. He was so weak that he felt as if he could collapse from a single blow.

He felt death upon him. His body would shrivel up, his soul would wink out. Blood dripped down from his forehead.

Aloneness. Helplessness. Death. They melded together into a giant hand which pushed down on him, slowly crushing him to pieces, smashing him into a place beyond recovery.

Suddenly, a cold snort rang out, filling the entire Reliance Sect, and a figure in blue appeared in front of Naruto.

"Your Cultivation base is in the Core Formation stage. Not a Mixed Core, either, but at least Purple or Crimson. And yet you bully a Chakra Condensation pup like this? Are you really Baru Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan of the Southern Domain, Third Generation Dao Protector?" It was Sect Leader Kakashi. Suddenly, a deafening, earth-shaking roar erupted.

The sound thundered out, seeming as if everything in sight would crumble from it. Then it turned into layer upon layer of ripples, emanating from Kakashi. He stood there as if he were the only person in the world, staring coldly toward the Baru Uchiha as he stood there in the battleship.

"I've incurred Fellow Daoist Kakashi's ridicule," said Baru Uchiha with a gentle laugh. "I'm here to take Sasuke away. Thank you for caring for him these years." His eyes were filled with an indescribable arrogance. He flicked his sleeve. The battleship began to hum, then it transformed into a streak of colors and shot off into the starry sky, leaving behind only the twinkling starlight.

Naruto coughed up some more blood, but continued to stare off into the distance, his cold eyes glittering.

Kakashi looked back silently at Naruto, then sighed and left. Naruto gazed off into the distance toward the disappearing battleship.

"So that was a Core Formation Cultivator. He could crush me with a single look. And that's just Core Formation. After that is the Nascent Soul stage and then the Spirit Severing stage, and even more… The Southern Domain, the Uchiha Clan!" Naruto ground his teeth angrily, fire burning in his eyes.

"If you're not strong, you don't qualify to exist. If you're not strong, you don't qualify to practice Cultivation. If you're not strong, you don't have the right to keep living, but can only be taken advantage of…. Are you willing to live a life like this?" elder brother Guy's words echoed in his head, more and more strongly, burning indelibly into his mind, into his bones, into his soul.

"I'm not willing!" said Naruto slowly, clenching his fists. His voice was weak, but in his heart, the voice resounded like a thunderclap.

"I'm not willing to let anyone take advantage of me!

"I'm not willing to be weak!

"I'm not willing to be deprived of the right to fight back!

"I will be strong! I will become powerful!" Naruto had always wanted to become rich and travel to the Sky country in the Eastern Lands. He still had that desire, but in addition to that, he had a new belief. He would become powerful. On the path of cultivation, the path of defying the Heavens, if you are not powerful, you are dead.

* * *

Half a month passed, during which Naruto spent most of his time sitting cross-legged in the Sect's Magic Pavilion, studying the ancient records. Now he had a much deeper understanding of the Five Elements Nation and the Southern Domain.

He had even discovered a hand-drawn map of the sprawling lands of Ninshu, which showed the Sky country in the Eastern Lands, the Northern Reaches with its flutes, the Barbarian Western Lands, and of course the Southern Domain, where he was currently located.

The whole world was neatly displayed on the map, and its image was now burned into Naruto's brain. The Southern Domain comprised a vast section of the lands of Ninshu, whereas the Five Elements Nation was just a tiny dot on its perimeter.

"The Southern Domain is so big that it could hold thousands of the Five Elements Nation…" He looked out at the blue sky outside the Magic Pavilion, his eyes filled with a fascinated look.

"So it turns out that traveling to the Sky country in the Eastern Lands isn't that simple. You have to cross the Milky Way Sea…" After a while, Naruto looked back down at the map, looking at all the four major regions of the lands of Ninshu. The Eastern Lands and the Northern Reaches formed a subcontinent, separated from which by a large ocean were the Western Barbarian Lands and the Southern Domain, which formed another subcontinent.

When the sun began to fall behind the western mountains, and dusk approached, Naruto rubbed his eyes, returned the map to its place, and left the Magic Pavilion. He looked off into the distance toward the east for a while, then turned and headed back to his Inner Sect Immortal's Cave.

Inside the Immortal's cave, the luminescent pearls inlaid into the ceiling emitted a soft light onto the light green walls. There were five stone rooms, and a gurgling Spirit Spring, filling the cave with dense Spiritual Energy. This was a perk available only to disciples of the Inner Sect. Naruto entered and sat cross-legged onto a slab of white jade. It was not made of Spirit Stone, but meditating upon it helped one's mind to be clear, and was a relatively rare treasure.

This also was something only for Inner Sect disciples.

"Only Inner Sect disciples can truly be considered members of the Reliance Sect," thought Naruto, quietly looking around. The light green stone walls were carved with various birds and beasts, each of which seemed to be filled with deep meaning. Even looking at them left one feeling refined.

"These are very different perks from those in the Outer Sect. This is in order to emphasize the outstanding qualities of Inner Sect disciples. Just like in the mortal world, there is a division of layers. By struggling, one can surpass the Outer Sect. After that, if one wishes to become exalted, one must become stronger!

Soon, dusk fell, and then Naruto heard a respectful voice from outside.

"Elder Brother Naruto, Choji from the foot of the mountain requests an audience." It was the voice of a boy, a servant. After Naruto had joined the Inner Set, this boy had been assigned to help him care for his daily affairs.

This was yet another perk of life in the Inner Sect. At first, Naruto had a hard time getting used to it. He had never had someone waiting upon him before. But when he saw elder brother Guy's servant helping him, it was easier to accept. However, he still held firm to his desire to grow stronger.

Only the strong can have power over others, and prevent others from controlling them. The law of the Cultivation world and rules of the Reliance Sect were the same. It was not reasonable or fair, but it existed, and that was the way of life.

Existence was truth. The world is fundamentally unreasonable, and naturally, there is no true fairness.

"Send him in," said Naruto coolly. Filled with reverence, the young servant complied. After being assigned to wait upon Naruto, his very life belonged to him.

Shortly thereafter, Fatty entered, clicking his teeth and striding with long steps. This was not his first time to visit, but rather his third. Every time he came, he was filled with excitement. This was not a place Outer Sect disciples could visit without the consent of the person they called upon.

The young servant led Fatty in respectfully. Fatty looked around, rubbing his hands along various items in wonder, even the white jade slab that Naruto sat on.

"It's not your first time here," said Naruto with a laugh, watching him.

"Naruto, this place is just too amazing. Every time I come, I just can't control myself. The Immortal's Cave of an Inner Sect disciple. It's a place of legend! You know, after the last time I came here, a bunch of Outer Sect disciples crowded around me asking all sorts of questions. I'm important now!" His body trembled, and it took a moment for him to stop thinking about it. He sat down in front of Naruto.

"If you'd like, I can request for Sasuke's Immortal's cave to be given to you."

"That… that would be incredible," said Fatty, looking excited, but at the same time a bit shy.

"Inari," said Naruto coolly. He waved his right hand, and the main door opened. The young servant rushed in and gave Naruto a deep salute.

He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, close to Fatty's age. He had delicate features, and had only arrived on the mountain recently. It was said he was from the same village as Neji, and that his family was rich.

"Take my spirit tablet to the Cave Dispensing Pavilion and retrieve the jade slip to Sasuke's Immortal's Cave." He waved his hand, and a white jade slip flew out into the young servant's hand.

The young servant accepted the assignment, then left with a respectful expression on his face.

"Naruto, when are you going to come down off the mountain?" asked Fatty eagerly. "I promised the Outer Sect disciples you would go to inspect them. You can't go back on your word, I promised them."

"Grand Master Jiraiya said that I would preside over the next Pill Distribution Day," he said with a smile. "I believe that would be the day after tomorrow." The two of them had entered the Sect together, three years ago. A deep friendship had long since grown between the two of them.

"Great, the day after tomorrow it is. Oh, right, our business has been doing well in the past half month. I already separated out your 80%." He handed a bag of holding to Naruto, looking pleased with himself. It seemed he too understood the meaning of the Reliance Sect. With Naruto to rely on, who in the Outer Sect would dare to even say one wrong word to him?

Even better, the beautiful female disciples of the Outer Sect had begun to fawn over him until he fairly floated in the air. For the moment, Fatty was quite popular.

"Has Gato caused you any problems recently?" asked Naruto suddenly, his eyes flashing.

"Nobody has seen that bastard recently," replied Fatty, his voice becoming grave. "I've assigned a disciple to do some spying for me, and he said that Gato sits in secluded meditation all day. He never comes out."

"Just be careful," he warned, and not for the first time. "If anything happens, snap the message token I gave you."

Soon, the young servant Inari returned with the jade slip to Sasuke's Immortal's Cave. Naruto gave it to Fatty. The two of them laughed and chatted deep into the night. It seemed Fatty didn't want to leave. In fact, he seemed to be growing more excited.

Naruto was surprised at this, but when he remembered what day it was, and laughed.

"Today is the day Medicinal Fruits are distributed in the Inner Sect," said Naruto.

Fatty licked his lips and nodded, his heart filled with envy at the differences between the Inner and Outer Sect disciples. Every month Medicinal Fruits were distributed, a special type of Spiritual Fruit infused with Medicinal Pills. The fruit itself tasted like a Medicinal Pill, but was much more effective than ordinary Medicinal Pills.

Inner Sect disciples received the fruits once per month.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the young servant Inari entered. He actually despised Fatty, but didn't show even the slightest hint of it on his face. In his hands he carried the Medicinal Fruits, wrapped up in a large green leaf.

A delicate aroma wafted out from it, causing Inari to swallow deeply. He put the fruits down and then left.

When the large leaf was removed, the medicinal fragrance filled the air. Inside the leaf were two small, semi-transparent, light-red fruits. They seemed so delicate that they might break if you touched them. Inside each one could just barely be seen a medicinal pill.

Fatty's eyes went wide. He had never eaten Medicinal Fruit before, but had heard it mentioned recently by some Outer Sect disciples. After making some enquiries, he had discovered the distribution date, and so had hurried eagerly to visit Naruto. He picked up one of the fruits and put it into his mouth. He bit down, then swallowed, and a delicious flavor filled his mouth. Then, a hot sensation filled his head and spread out through his whole body.

"Amazing, amazing. I must be the first Outer Sect disciple to ever eat a Medicinal Fruit. When word gets out, the girls will be envious to death. Everyone will be envious of Master Fatty's good fortune." It suddenly seemed as if he had remembered something, and he snapped his mouth shut, not letting any of the fragrant aroma escape. Using his hands, he signaled to Naruto that he needed to leave, then ran off.

"I have proof!" he thought. "I have to find some of those female disciples and let them smell it." The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, and he raced down the mountain even faster.

Fatty's clever plan was obvious, causing Naruto to laugh. He slowly placed the remaining Medicinal Fruit into his mouth. It tasted delicious, filled with dense Medicinal flavor.

"This is something else that Inner Sect disciples…" As he ate the Medicinal Fruit, he sighed. This life was not something that Outer Sect disciples could enjoy. If he wanted to, he could simply make a gesture, and any of the beautiful female disciples would instantly become devoted to him.

Soon, two days had passed, and Pill Distribution Day arrived. Naruto walked out of his Immortal's Cave, followed closely by the young servant Inari. In his hand he carried a purple bag of holding, which was filled with Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills to be distributed.

A mountain breeze welcomed the dawn as Naruto descended the mountain. Along the way, the Outer Sect disciples he ran into would look at him in surprise, then stop and give him a deep salute with clasped hands.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Naruto."

"Elder Brother Naruto Is as elegant as ever. I haven't seen you in many days, Junior Sister has missed you."

"Greetings, Elder Brother Naruto. Your latent talent is spectacular, your Cultivation base astonishing. You will definitely be a pillar of the Sect."

Amidst all the flattery Naruto walked along until he reached the square, which was already filled with a good number of disciples. Catching sight of him, they saluted, and then the air filled with their flattering words.

He nodded, smiling, then leaped up, carrying Inari with him onto the platform. This was not his first time here, but it was his first time to distribute Medicinal Pills.

His gaze swept across the crowd. Every single person's face was filled with reverent devotion. Gradually, Naruto's face grew distracted, and he thought back to his first Pill Distribution Day, and then to the time Sasuke had humiliated him. Many memories flitted through his mind.

Finally, he heaved a deep sigh, and said, "Sound the bells."

* * *

The bells rang out, reverberating both in Naruto's heart and throughout the Reliance Sect. Soon, Naruto could see countless disciples hurrying forward.

Before long, the square was packed. As the disciples entered, they looked at Naruto in shock, then saluted.

Fatty stood in the crowd, looking pleased, filing away at his teeth with his flying sword. He was surrounded by a group of fawning disciples.

"So Elder Brother Naruto Is distributing the Medicinal Pill today… ai, I remember back when he was an Outer Sect disciple like us, but now he's a member of the Inner Sect."

"Elder Brother Naruto Is scholarly and refined. I heard that he used to be a scholar of high rank, but he cared more about Cultivation, so he quit and joined the Reliance Sect."

"Now that you mention it, I remember the first time I saw Elder Brother Naruto those years ago. I could tell that he wasn't ordinary. During his whole fight with Sasuke, I knew that Elder Brother Naruto would achieve victory." The buzz of conversation filled the air, eventually reaching Naruto's ears. He let out a dry cough.

Even though it was a relatively quiet cough, it caused all the disciples in the square to suddenly go silent. They looked up at him respectfully. The morning sun shone down onto his silver robe, and he truly looked like a celestial being.

Naruto caught sight of Waraji in the crowd; his face looked conflicted. Then Naruto caught sight of somber Zori, who gave him a forced smile. He also saw the other Chakra Condensation fourth level disciples whom he recognized from that day. When his gaze fell upon them, their faces filled with ingratiating looks.

He even saw Yoroi, standing there trembling.

"Today, I shall preside over Pill Distribution," said Naruto. He was a scholar, so he had no need to prepare words; he just spoke naturally. When he spoke, his words carried force, piercing into the hearts of the onlookers. "Fellow disciples, please devote yourself to Cultivation, and eventually you will pass the sixth level. I look forward to that day, when the Reliance Inner Sect has one more member."

The force of his words came not from his Cultivation base, but rather his status as an Inner Sect disciple.

"We will remember Elder Brother Naruto's admonitions." Several people below spoke out, faces filled with emotion, as if they had just heard the voice of Heaven. One after another, they saluted Naruto.

Soon everyone was repeating the words, until the whole square spoke together in harmony.

Naruto took the bag of holding from the young servant at his side, opened it, and waved his sleeve. Medicinal pills and Spirit Stones shot out to everyone.

After that, his right hand flashed over the bag of holding, then held up a milky white Medicinal pill. It emanated white aura and a fragrant aroma. It seemed as if it contained the glow of dawn.

"It's… it's a White Spirit Pill!"

"That pill is extraordinarily effective for anyone of the fourth level of Chakra Condensation or lower. They haven't distributed one for a long time. Finally one appears!" Soon, everyone in the square below was breathing heavily, staring at the Medicinal pill in Naruto's hand.

His eyes scanned the crowd. Fatty was smiling. This pill wasn't anything rare as far as he was concerned. He already had a few in his bag of holding, which Naruto had given him.

"This pill is extraordinary. All of you must surely know that I planned to give this only to a suitable disciple. And yet, I, Naruto, keep old friendships in mind. I just caught sight of an old friend, so I shall bestow the pill to him." His gaze fell onto Yoroi, who suddenly began to tremble. Naruto flicked his right hand, and the pill shot forth.

"I'm finished!" thought Yoroi, looking like he was about to cry. "I'll be recuperating from the injuries for months…" He wailed inside, and now he knew that Naruto could hold a grudge. Even though he had become an Inner Sect disciple, he had not forgotten about all the things that had happened before.

As the lights in the square faded, Naruto flicked his sleeve and left, not staying behind to watch the fighting break out.

Fatty ran over to follow him, his face flushed. He glared at the young servant Inari, motioning for him to step back a distance. It seemed he was worried the boy might replace him. He walked next to Naruto.

"Elder Brother Naruto," he said with anticipation, "why don't we take a stroll around the Outer Sect?"

Thinking back to how he had done the same thing with elder sister Hinata so many years ago, Naruto nodded his head with a smile.

The two of them walked forward, with Inari following in the rear, looking irritated. Not long after leaving the square, they saw Waraji hurrying to catch up with them.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Naruto," he said, his expression somewhat perturbed. He had offended Naruto more than once, and had assumed that upon joining the Inner Sect, he would show more restraint. But upon seeing Yoroi's fate, he was nervous, and so rushed over.

Naruto looked him over, but didn't say anything. Fatty took a step forward and said loudly: "What do you want?"

"A few days ago, I, Dokan, came across a treasured item. As soon as I saw it, I could tell that it was destined for Elder Brother Naruto. Please, accept my gift." Biting his tongue, he pulled out a bag of holding from within his robe and presented it to Naruto. Fatty gave a cold harrumph and grabbed it, then handed it to Naruto with a wide smile.

Naruto accepted it and glanced over its contents. Then he nodded to Waraji, turned, and walked off, his expression as cool as the clouds in the sky. Waraji watched on helplessly, sighing in his heart.

"I'm not worthy to be an Inner Sect Disciple, perhaps these items will leave you dissatisfied…"

As Naruto walked away, Zori, off in the distance, let out a sigh. With a smile on his face, he hurried forward. He too said that he had found some items which were destined to be Naruto's. He also offered up a bag of holding, inside of which were fifty Spirit Stones. Naruto accepted it with a slight frown.

"We're both fellow disciples," he said. "The grievances of the past are not worth keeping track of. There's no need to act like this."

Upon hearing this, Zori's heart thumped, and he understood Naruto's true meaning. Inwardly cursing Waraji for giving more, he clenched his jaw and produced another bag of holding, whereupon Naruto nodded.

As he walked, Naruto met more people who had offended him in the past, and they all acted similarly. Soon he had ten new bags of holding.

"What do you think?" said Fatty, looking pleased. "I handled things pretty well, didn't I? I found all of them earlier and gave them a bit of coaching. I told them that one must offer up a bit of blood now to avoid trouble in the future."

Naruto laughed and shook his head. He had sensed something odd about the goings-on and had guessed that Fatty must have been up to something over the past half month.

"What about that fifth-level disciple who tried to kill you that day?" asked Naruto.

"Oh, him. I used the jade slip you gave me to make him go see the Minister of the Outer Sect, who arranged for him to go out into the wild mountains to catch some Demonic beasts. He can't return until he gets 100." As far as Fatty was concerned, anyone who offended him would have to pay the price.

"Just don't do something publicly that could box you into a corner," said Naruto, his eyes flashing and his voice low.

"I understand," said Fatty in a similarly low voice. "It's taken care of. Waraji and Zori will get rid of him for good."

They looked at each other, then laughed. They never brought up the matter again.

After making a circle around the Outer Sect, and having been greeted by many disciples, they finally reached the Pill Cultivation Workshop. Naruto paused for a moment to look at it, then a smile broke out on his face and he entered.

When the middle-aged man who ran the workshop saw Naruto, he stood up.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Naruto."

Naruto smiled and nodded his head, glancing around at all the Medicinal pills.

"Don't worry, Elder Brother Naruto," said the middle-aged man. "Junior Brother Choji is taking care of the Pill Workshop. Business is good. I definitely won't give any other disciples a chance to buy Medicinal Pills." He thumped his palm onto his chest.

Fatty beamed with joy. Previously, he had given the middle-aged Cultivator a bag of holding when no one was looking. Soon, the man had grown accustomed to this. Although the Medicinal pills here belonged to the Sect, and weren't personal property, the man wasn't opposed to making a bit of profit of his own.

Thanks to Fatty's anticipation and stubbornness, it wasn't until midday that Naruto was able to satisfy him. They walked around the entire Outer Sect until everyone had seen them together. Finally, after much begging and pleading, they went to the Treasure Pavilion.

The shrewd-looking man at the Treasure Pavilion had been waiting outside for some time. When he saw Naruto approaching, he made a long, grand salute, then in a loud, clear voice said, "Treasure Pavilion disciple Hosei gives greetings to Elder Brother Naruto. Elder Brother Naruto Is a dragon among men, powerful and imposing beyond the ordinary…" The man was not very educated, and his words were a bit over the top. His expression was one of excitement, but inside he was a bit worried, although only he knew that.

He feared that Naruto would bring up the matter of him cheating him all those years back. He glanced at the eager-looking Fatty.

Fatty cleared his throat. "My friend here wants me to go in to take a treasure," he said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "If it breaks any rules, you can place the blame on him."

Naruto was a loss for word. Finally, he went in with Fatty to inspect the Treasure Pavilion. After a while, they left, despite Fatty's pleas to stay. By the time Naruto arrived back at the East Mountain, the sun was beginning to set. He sat down on a boulder outside the Immortal's Cave, thinking about the day's events. Now he had an even deeper understanding of what it meant to be a member of the Inner Sect.

As evening fell, Naruto looked out at the rosy sky. Then he noticed that off in the distance, a woman approached. She looked like some sort of celestial being, wearing a silver robe, with long black hair and a pale face that was beautiful even though she wore no makeup whatsoever. Her face, though cold, seemed to Naruto to contain something delicate and touching.

"elder sister Hinata," said Naruto, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Congratulations, you've become a member of the Inner Sect." Just like her name, elder sister Hinata was cold and cheerless. That was her personality, and yet, she didn't treat everyone coldly. For example, upon hearing her young servant mention Naruto, she had come here to see him.

Naruto smiled, standing next to her. Their long robes rippled in the mountain breeze.

"Today I went to the Pill Cultivation Workshop and traded for another Cosmetic Cultivation Pill." He lifted it up and handed it to her.

She said nothing, looking at the pill for a while, then eventually accepting it. She stood there with him, silently looking off into the rosy horizon.

She was incredibly beautiful, seemingly flawless, like jade. The glow of the setting sun reflected off her, increasing her beauty.

Time seemed to come to a standstill. As they stood there on the East Mountain, their shadows merged together in the evening sun, like ink blending with water. It was something which would last for an eternity.

The evening sunlight slowly faded past the horizon, and then the moon peeked out. Finally, elder sister Hinata turned and began to walk off. She had only taken five steps before she stopped.

"I went to the Pill Cultivation Workshop. The Cosmetic Cultivation Pill you gave me before wasn't purchased by you." With that, she left, not looking back.

Naruto stared in shock, and wasn't even able to react until some time had passed. He scratched his head. His eyes gradually filled with light. He had never imagined that something like this would happen. And yet, it seemed it had…

* * *

Two months passed in the twinkling of an eye. Naruto had already been a member of the Inner Sect for an entire season. He did not continue to visit the Outer Sect often. Like a fish in water, Fatty had grown accustomed to surviving on his own, and was quite at ease.

Most of Naruto's time was spent in the Magic Pavilion.

One day, he sat there cross-legged, a calm expression on his face as he read a bamboo text. He raised his right hand and began to make incantation gestures, causing a magical light to circulate around it and cast flickering shadows onto his face.

A Water Globe appeared, but then unexpectedly transformed into mist and dissipated into the surroundings. Naruto frowned, putting down the bamboo text. He reached into his robe and pulled out a glowing jade slip.

It was pure white and blurry inside, as if it were filled with mist. A closer inspection revealed that the surface was actually translucent, like crystal.

"Might Guy, Hinata, Naruto Uzumaki. Come to the main temple hall on the East Mountain." The words were spoken by a dignified voice which transmitted out from within the jade slip. It was easily identifiable as belonging to Sect Leader Kakashi.

Naruto straightened up the bamboo texts, stood and strode silently out of the main door of the Magic Pavilion, making his way toward the top of the East Mountain.

At almost the same time as he walked out, two figures shot toward the peak. One had a warm, gentle face, filled with righteousness: Might Guy. The other was beautiful but cold: Elder Sister Hinata.

Hinata cast a glance at Naruto. This was the first time they had seen each other since that evening the previous month.

The three sped toward the peak of the East Mountain, eventually arriving at the main temple hall. It had an ancient feel, the rich ornamentation giving the feeling that it had seen many ages pass. This was a very important place to the Reliance Sect, a place that throughout the generations, only Inner Sect disciples could visit.

Within the main temple hall were nine statues. The foremost one was of an old man, his expression not one of anger, yet still filled with might. His dark eyes seemed to shine with life. His left hand was lifted up in front of him, his chin raised as if he were staring down his nose at all creation. He seemed to emanate a sort of indescribable, domineering air. Behind him, eight statues were arranged neatly, all of them possessing the demeanor of transcendent beings.

Naruto had visited this place during his first seven days in the Inner Sect. He had kowtowed before these statues, and knew well that the calm, powerful old man was none other than Patriarch Reliance. The other statues were the other Patriarchs of the Reliance Sect.

Sect Leader Kakashi stood beneath the statues, his back toward Naruto and the others as they entered. He stared at the statues as if he were in a trance. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Next to him was Grand Elder Jiraiya. He nodded to the three of them, a solemn expression on his face.

"Pay homage to the Patriarch," he said, his voice profound.

Naruto, Hinata and Might Guy bowed deeply to Patriarch Reliance, their faces somber.

"I joined the Sect when Patriarch Reliance had been missing for one hundred years," said Kakashi. "At that time, the Reliance Sect was still in its glory days." He sighed and turned around. Naruto, Might Guy and even Hinata gazed at him with shining eyes.

He was silent a moment, before slowly continuing: "You have read about Patriarch Reliance in the ancient records, and know how glorious our Reliance Sect used to be… We even had a complete understanding of the three levels of Foundation Establishment. I've called you here today to explain the complete truth.

"The former glory of the Reliance Sect was all due to Patriarch Reliance. Because of his Cultivation base, he dominated the entire Five Elements Nation. His reputation even shook the Southern Domain. All of that was because of one of the manuals of the Sublime Spirit Scripture." As Kakashi spoke, Might Guy's eyes began to shine brightly. Even Hinata's grew sharp.

Only Naruto stared blankly; he had no idea what the Sublime Spirit Scripture was.

"The Chakra Condensation manual?" said Might Guy lightly. He was a senior disciple of the Inner Sect, and knew many secrets. Other things he had worked out through speculation.

"The Sublime Spirit Scripture is one of the three great classic scriptures in the lands of Ninshu," continued Kakashi softly. "It was passed down through the generations since ancient times. Originally it was comprised of seven manuals, but most have been lost. One of them was the Chakra Condensation manual, which describes how to establish a Flawless Foundation. The Foundation Establishment manual describes the method to Form a Purple Core, not a Crimson or Mixed Core. The Core Formation manual can enable one to develop a four-colored Nascent Form… In other words, each manual enables one to reach the strongest stage.

"That year, Patriarch Reliance obtained the Chakra Condensation manual. The reason the heir to the Uchiha clan joined the Reliance Sect was because of the Sublime Spirit Scripture's Chakra Condensation Manual."

Naruto's eyes glittered, and his heart began to race. He had heard elder brother Guy speak of the different levels of Foundation Establishment. Now that he knew how powerful this magic was that Patriarch Reliance had obtained, he understood why Sasuke had joined the Reliance Sect.

"If I could obtain it…" The strong desire in his heart suddenly began to burn even hotter.

"Sadly, even I have never laid eyes on this Chakra Condensation manual, let alone others," said Kakashi. "The scripture was not handed down. It exists only in the memory of the Patriarch." Naruto remained silent, and Might Guy's face flashed with realization. Hinata raised her head to look at the statue of Patriarch Reliance.

Silence reigned in the main temple hall.

"Four hundred years have passed, and everyone in the outside world assumes that the Patriarch died during his meditation. Only myself and a few others know that the Patriarch… is absolutely not dead." As his words drifted out into Naruto's ears, they seemed to transform into a thunderous roar.

"Four hundred years ago, the Patriarch's Cultivation base had reached the late Nascent Soul stage. And yet, he was reaching the end of his life. In order to break through to the fabled Spirit Severing stage, one must be at least one thousand years old. If not, how can he defy the Heavens to sever his Spirit?

"The Patriarch chose to meditate in seclusion, in order to sever his Spirit body and be reborn. It was a meditation of… four hundred years.

"When he went into meditation four hundred years ago, the Patriarch left a command. Every one hundred years, he would send out some pieces of Vorpal Jade, formed from his own blood. Then, the outstanding members of the current generation of Inner Sect disciples could use the Vorpal Jade to enter his meditation zone. By kindling the Chakra and blood inside the Vorpal Jade, they could have a chance, if lucky, to gain enlightenment of the knowledge he permeated throughout the area. Knowledge of… the Sublime Spirit Scripture." Kakashi's words echoed out. Naruto lifted his head up, as did the others.

"Success is success. Failure is failure. If things had stayed the same, surely a disciple would have succeeded already. But two hundred years ago, the Patriarch experienced an accident in his cultivation. He almost lost his life. Afterwards, the chances of enlightenment in his meditation zone grew weak, and the restrictive spells stronger. He didn't send any more Vorpal Jades out until five years ago… When he did, he sent out three pieces.

"Three pieces of Vorpal Jade indicate that three individuals may enter. It also reveals how powerful the restrictive spells are in the Patriarch's meditation zone, and means that there are only three areas where enlightenment may occur." Kakashi's voice reverberated throughout the main hall. He flicked his right sleeve, and three blood-red streaks shot toward Naruto and the others, to stop floating in front of them.

They were jade-smooth Blood Crystals, also known as Vorpal Jade.

"You three are the only disciples of the Inner Sect, and therefore I bestow these Vorpal Jades to you. Whether or not you gain the enlightenment of the Sublime Spirit Scripture will depend on your luck." With that, he flicked his sleeve again, and the statue of Patriarch Reliance began to hum. Its eyes shone with boundless radiance, and a vortex began to form in front of him.

"Enter," said Kakashi, his voice sounding out like thunder. "I wish you luck in enlightenment." Naruto and the others seemed to transform into auroras as they gripped their pieces of Vorpal Jade and shot into the vortex, disappearing inside. Outside, the vortex remained, but without a Vorpal Jade, nobody, not even a Cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, could enter it.

Looking up at the vortex, Grand Elder Jiraiya quietly said, "Who knows which of them will acquire the Sublime Spirit Scripture, or… perhaps they will all come up empty-handed."

"It depends on personal fortune, there's no use in thinking too much about it." Kakashi sat down cross-legged next to him and began to meditate.

When Naruto entered the vortex, a blinding light appeared in front of his eyes which forced him to close them. A rumbling roar sounded in his ears, and then he heard strange shrieks and screams coming from all directions. After what seemed like years, he felt his body suddenly tremble, and then the sounds ceased. The shrieking turned into silence. He opened his eyes to find himself standing on top of a sacrificial altar that was several meters tall. He looked around.

The place was enormous. Up above was black earth, dotted with small crystals that shone like stars, casting a dim light on the surroundings. Nothing was very clear, as if everything were covered with gauze. Various buildings rose up out of the fog.

"How desolate! It seems like no one has been here for hundreds of years." It was Might Guy's voice, drifting from some distance away. Eventually, he appeared, walking through the fog. In the direction from which he came could be seen another altar, several meters tall.

"The soil up above has restrictive spells cast on it. These are the Sect catacombs." Hinata appeared from another direction. Dressed in her silver robe, she appeared matchlessly beautiful.

"I entered the Sect earlier than both of you," said Might Guy. "Once I performed guard duty at the main temple hall, so I know a few secrets that you two don't. These are definitely the Reliance Sect catacombs. Directly above is the Outer Sect."

Naruto walked off the altar to stand next to Might Guy and Hinata. Looking around at the hazy images of buildings around them, he could see plenty of withered plants and flowers. Everything was deathly still.

"This fog is a restrictive spell," said Naruto with a frown. "It's making everything appear to be black and white. No color whatsoever."

"Precisely," said Might Guy with a serious look. "Don't attempt to touch it. Because of the Patriarch's weak state, he's lost control of it. Let us use our Vorpal Jades to find our places of enlightenment." He looked at them. "We don't know how much time we will have to gain enlightenment. Let's all wait for each other, then leave together. Junior Sister Hinata, Junior Brother Naruto, I wish you success." He cast his spiritual power into the Vorpal Jade, whereupon it emitted a blood-red glow and began to drift away. Might Guy followed, soon disappearing into the distance.

Hinata nodded at Naruto, then followed the blood-red glow of her Vorpal Jade in a different direction.

Naruto looked around, then was about to activate his own Vorpal Jade when suddenly, a shrill shriek rang out. It grew closer and closer, until it seemed to be only about thirty meters away.

* * *

Naruto's expression changed. He suddenly saw the fog roiling, and then about thirty meters away a shrieking man appeared. He wore a long tattered robe as he charged toward Naruto.

He emanated a fierce heat, which transformed into a ruthless killing aura. Seeing him approach, Naruto retreated as fast as possible. This turn of events had happened too quickly. The figure advanced rapidly, and in the blink of an eye it was only nine meters away. Suddenly, it caught sight of the Vorpal Jade in his hand, and its eyes filled with dread and fear.

Naruto's heart churned. He poured the spiritual power from within his body into the Vorpal Jade, and suddenly it began to glow blood-red. It illuminated the man in the dilapidated robe, allowing Naruto to see him clearly. He was middle-aged, his body gaunt, like some sort of evil spirit.

Blood-curdling screams shot out of his mouth as he retreated. Moving with incredible speed, he disappeared into the fog.

Sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead, and he took a deep breath. The feeling the middle-aged man gave him was the same feeling he got from Grand Elder Jiraiya, boundless and majestic.

"Don't tell me he was a Cultivator of the Foundation Establishment stage?" Naruto hesitated, remaining on guard. He followed the direction of the blood-red light, moving forward carefully. After about half an hour, he stopped in shock. Several figures had appeared, and each of them seemed to have a Cultivation base equal to Grand Elder Jiraiya's. Some even seemed to be as powerful as Sect Leader Kakashi.

"Could they be… automatons?" Upon closer inspection, the figures didn't actually seem to be alive. They floated around him in circles, none of them approaching him, seemingly terrified of his Vorpal Jade.

Time passed enough for an incense stick to burn, and they slowly disappeared. Naruto continued forward numbly, his breathing agitated, a blank look in his eyes.

"This… this…" he murmured. Ahead of him was a mountain, approximately three hundred meters tall. An ordinary mountain would not cause Naruto to act in such away. This mountain was made… of Spirit Stones!

Countless Spirit Stones piled together to form a Spirit Stone Mountain!

Naruto had never seen so many Spirit Stones in his entire life. His head spun, and he unconsciously wanted to go take them, but after taking a single step forward, he stopped. The Spirit Stone Mountain was gray in color and seemed to be covered with a fine mist. It was a restrictive spell which prevented anything from touching it.

He struggled for some time, not quite willing to give up. When he reached a position about sixty meters from the Spirit Stone Mountain, he suddenly felt a fierce sense of imminent danger. Looking at the mountain with a sigh, he stopped in place.

He knew that if he got too close, his body and soul would be reduced to ashes.

At a loss for a long moment, he turned his head and reluctantly left the Spirit Stone Mountain behind.

More time passed as he followed the blood-red glow, enough for an incense stick to burn, and soon the hazy image of a building appeared in the fog ahead of him. It had a courtyard, filled with withered plants and weeds. A stone sat in the middle of the courtyard, about half the size of a person. It was the only thing in sight that was neither black nor white, nor was there any fog visible near it.

The Vorpal Jade floated toward the large stone, then stopped above it. The blood-red glow began to fade.

Naruto walked forward and inspected the area around the stone. This must be one of the areas for enlightenment. He sat down cross-legged onto the stone and looked at the Vorpal Jade floating in front of him. His eyes began to gleam.

"Throughout all these years, many people have come here, and none have successfully achieved enlightenment. When the blood-red glow of the Vorpal Jade fades, it means the time to attempt enlightenment has arrived." Naruto frowned. A strong desire burned in his heart to acquire the secrets of the Chakra Condensation Manual. Originally, Sasuke should have been given this opportunity. But Naruto knew that his latent talent was simply ordinary, and he had little chance of success.

He didn't allow the Vorpal Jade to fade, but instead looked up at it, a strange light shining in his eyes. After a bit of time passed, he clenched his jaw, then grabbed it stubbornly.

"This time, I don't care what happens; I will achieve the enlightenment of the Sublime Spirit Scripture!" Determination filled his voice as he slapped his bag of holding and produced the copper mirror. Grabbing a handful of Spirit Stones, he prepared to begin the duplication process.

Naruto had been a member of the Inner Sect for a month. Inner Sect disciples received significantly more Spirit Stones than Outer Sect disciples. Combine that with his profits from the shop as well as the Outer Sect disciples who were trying to ingratiate themselves to him, it ensured that his bag of holding contained many Spirit Stones.

But suddenly, his expression changed as he found that the Spirit Stones distributed by the Sect were incapable of duplicating the Vorpal Jade. It wasn't that the copper mirror had lost its efficacy, but rather that there simply weren't enough Spirit Stones. Even mid-grade Spirit Stones were useless.

He stared at the Vorpal Jade for a while before suddenly pulling out seven or eight of the extraordinarily large Spirit Stones he had left. He hesitated for some time, then ground his teeth. Eyes growing red, he put one of the Spirit Stones down onto the mirror, and before he could even put down another piece, the Copper Mirror began to glow with a blinding light, and instantly, fifteen pieces of Vorpal Jade appeared. Naruto stared, dumbfounded. Originally, he had assumed he would need multiple Spirit Stones to make it work. But then he ended up with fifteen of the Blood Crystals.

These were Blood Crystals, congealed from Patriarch Reliance's own blood. Seeing fifteen of them appear left Naruto stupefied.

"What… what kind of Spirit Stones are these?" He sat in a daze, thinking back to how he had used two thousand of them that time, and his heart ached.

These large Spirit Stones were definitely some type of extraordinary object.

For now, the most important thing to Naruto was the Sublime Spirit Scripture. He clenched his jaw and set aside the matter of the two thousand Spirit Stones. Extending a Blood Crystal, he caused it to fade. As it did so, the blood red glow settled around Naruto and an indistinct voice could be heard. He slipped into a dream-like trance, unaware of the passing of time.

At this same moment, Hinata and Might Guy, in their respective enlightenment areas, were also surrounded by the blood-red glow. Their latent talent was beyond ordinary, so their chances of achieving enlightenment were somewhat greater. In Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone, everything was based on latent talent. So-called luck is the same.

After an indeterminable period of time passed, the red glow around Naruto faded, and he began to regain his senses. He seemed to be somewhat at a loss. After some time passed, he had completely recovered, and yet his mind was blank. Not even a scrap of information from the Sublime Spirit Scripture was there.

He sighed, having anticipated this all along. He took out another Blood Crystal and continued to seek enlightenment. Time passed, and even after having used up fourteen Blood Crystals, he still had not succeeded. His heart ached, and he wasn't sure if he should continue. Gnashing his teeth, he pulled out another large Spirit Stone and duplicated more of the Vorpal Jade Blood Crystals. Once again, he activated the blood-red glow, which then covered his body as he began to seek enlightenment.

By this time, the blood-red glow surrounding Hinata and Might Guy had faded. However, they did not rise, instead choosing to remain seated in meditation, not sure when enlightenment might occur.

As for Naruto, he seemed to have gone mad, continuously activating Blood Crystals, trying again and again to achieve enlightenment. Anyone who saw this scene would surely go crazy with jealousy.

After activating the twenty-seventh Blood Crystal, Naruto suddenly heard what sounded like a voice murmuring next to his ear in the dream-like trance world. He could clearly hear two words.

"Sublime… Spirit…"

When Naruto opened his eyes, they were filled with determination. Without hesitation, he pulled out the twenty-eighth Vorpal Jade Blood Crystal, and once again sought enlightenment.

By this time, Hinata and Might Guy had returned to the altar to wait for Naruto. They were a bit surprised when they didn't see Naruto, but they weren't sure which direction he had headed in, so they couldn't easily search for him. They decided to sit in front of the altar and wait for him.

By the third day, they were beginning to grow impatient and also a bit worried. Of course, they did not even consider that he might have achieved enlightenment, but rather worried that some sort of accident had befallen him.

"Did something happen to Junior Brother Naruto?" said Might Guy worriedly.

Hinata didn't respond, but she looked worried.

After a bit of discussion, they decided to begin looking for him. Unfortunately, because of the frequent appearance of the automatons, their search went quite slowly.

Meanwhile, Naruto sat, hair disheveled, eyes bloodshot, murmuring to himself. His words made no sense; they seemed to simply express his desire for the Sublime Spirit Scripture. He pulled out the forty-third Blood Crystal, and the thick, red glow again surrounded him. In fact, the area he was in never lacked the red glow. Naruto had gone all out in his search for enlightenment. If he ran low on Blood Crystals, he simply duplicated more.

As of now, he could clearly hear the voice in his ear, but just couldn't commit it to memory. He could only continue on in another attempt.

There was something that nobody, not Might Guy or Hinata, nor frenzied Naruto, had noticed. After the Blood Crystal ceased to glow, it would transform into a barely discernible blood-red light, which would then enter into the ground and pass into a secret chamber below the catacombs.

There, a withered body sat cross-legged, seemingly lifeless. The room was filled with the feeling of death.

Every time one of the blood-red lights entered the room, the body would assimilate it, and begin to change slightly. By the time the third light entered the body, there seemed to be some shred of life in it.

The light of life was dim, though, and the body was unable to do anything except sit there.

This was Patriarch Reliance. The Vorpal Jade Blood Crystals were congealed from his own blood, and contained his aura. After being activated, they would return to him, continuing his life. Without them, he would be thoroughly dead.

Originally, he had planned to postpone his death in this fashion, until the very last spark of his ruthless and ambitious life was extinguished, where upon he would pass into death. He was already in a state of despair. He spent most of his time in deep sleep, awaking only occasionally, and briefly, whereupon he would sink back into slumber. He had no energy to waste on superfluous matters.

As for the Vorpal Jade, this was an arrangement he had prepared many years ago. Were it not for them, he would have passed into death hundreds of years ago.

"These are the last three pieces of Vorpal Jade…" Now that they had returned, he had regained consciousness. He sighed and went back to sleep, knowing that he would probably never wake up again.

And yet suddenly, a fourth blood-red light entered the secret chamber and fused with his body. He woke again, shocked.

"I am… already out of Vorpal Jade. Could I have remembered incorrectly… Hm?" Even as he talked to himself, a fifth blood-red light appeared, making its way into his body.

He observed, dumbstruck, as a sixth, seventh, eighth blood-red light appeared… By the third day, countless blood-red lights had appeared, one after another, continuously fusing with his body. Patriarch Reliance's heart surged with excitement, and his face filled with hope. Suddenly, his eyes opened.

"These… holy hell, these are clearly not my blood, but they are definitely my Blood Crystals. What's going on? What the hell is going on?"

* * *

At the same moment that Patriarch Reliance opened his eyes, Naruto activated the fiftieth Vorpal Jade Blood Crystal. His head vibrated violently, and a scriptural text floated around him. Each and every character of the scripture emitted a bright golden light which pierced through his body. It completely overpowered the blood-red glow, leaving behind a glowing golden aura.

As the golden aura spread out, Naruto began to change. His Core lake churned violently as it began to take on a golden hue. As the lake water became gold, a thunderous roar sounded out, transforming his entire body.

His body filled with loud cracking sounds. His bones grew longer, his blood and flesh grew stronger. In an instant, he grew more powerful, both inside and outside.

His Chakra vessels seemed to be as transparent as crystal, completely integrated into his physical body. His hair grew longer as he transitioned into a new state according to the mnemonics of the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

More time passed, approximately six hours, and then another boom sounded out inside Naruto. When he opened his eyes, they shined with a golden light.

Time passed, and the golden glow faded. He looked excited. Within his mind he could clearly see a mnemonic, branded indelibly onto his spirit. He understood every single line. This was … the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

This was something that could cause blood to spray like rain in the outside world. This was the Chakra Condensation manual that countless Sects would fight like mad for. And here it was, inside Naruto's head.

After the six hours of transformation, Naruto was still at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. But as for his new Cultivation method, it could be counted as one of the three best in all the lands of Ninshu.

This good luck was something that even the disciples of the great clans and Sects would have a hard time achieving.

Using the Cultivation method of this Chakra Condensation manual, if Naruto was able to reach the Foundation Establishment phase, then he would definitely be able to establish a Flawless Foundation. In addition, his spiritual power would be much deeper than that of his contemporaries. Perhaps it would not be the most powerful, but as time passed, the power would slowly accumulate, and by the time he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, he would have a Flawless Foundation rarely seen in the world!

As of right now, if he ran into Sasuke, he would not be put into the precarious position he had been that day. In fact, he could now simultaneously control ten flying swords without losing any of their dexterity. His power had doubled!

Filled with excitement, Naruto clenched his fists, his heart filling with intense longing. After a while he took a deep breath, descended from the stone slab, and walked off.

At the moment, Patriarch Reliance was going wild with even more excitement than Naruto. Upon opening his eyes, he could see Naruto, as well as Might Guy and Hinata. He waited eagerly for Naruto to produce another Blood Crystal, then watched in a daze as Naruto suddenly achieved enlightenment.

"Dammit, dammit. I should never have placed the enlightenment field out there. No, no, no. If I didn't, how could I get the young pups to come here in the first place. But, but, but.. why did he have to gain enlightenment with only fifty Blood Crystals? A hundred would be better, two hundred, at least three hundred. If there were five hundred, I wouldn't need to continue meditating here!" Patriarch Reliance was filled with depression. This was his greatest hope, and he was watching it disappear before his eyes. Without Blood Crystals to replenish himself, he could only continue on wasting away. And yet he knew there was nothing he could do.

"I didn't do myself any favors that year. I closed myself up in here with no way out, and it's very difficult to transmit my voice out. As far as magic goes, I'm currently too weak to do much of anything. What to do? What to do? I have to think of something…" His face grew anxious as he watched Naruto meet Hinata and Might Guy out in the catacombs above the secret chamber. They proceeded toward the altar, clearly preparing to leave.

"If I caused all of the members of the Cultivation World of the Five Elements Nation to come here, I could use the power of their Cultivation bases to break me out of this meditation zone. If I can break out, then I can absorb their life force, then have a chance at my Second Severing." Patriarch Reliance gnashed his teeth, squeezing as much as he could out of his weak Cultivation base, then slapping his right hand down onto the ground. It began to rumble.

At that same moment, Naruto was trying to come up with an excuse for why he had gone missing for those few days, and why his body looked different. Might Guy smiled and nodded, and Hinata, seeing that Naruto wasn't harmed, didn't say anything. The three of them stepped up onto the altar, getting ready to depart.

Suddenly a roaring sound filled the air, and the entire catacombs began to shake. Their expressions changed as a giant crack split the earth in front of them and a massive stone stele slowly lifted up. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, and it had finally completely emerged.

It was approximately thirty meters tall, inscribed with golden characters. It was a scripture, none other than the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture!

The three of them stared in shock, especially Naruto. After all the trouble he had gone through to acquire the Chakra Condensation manual, here it was in front of him. He looked at it in a daze. But after examining it further, a strange expression appeared on his face. The first two lines of the scripture inscribed on the stele were accurate, but the rest was a complete fabrication. It appeared to be filled abstruse mysteries, but since Naruto knew the details of the true scripture, he could tell instantly that this one was false.

He hesitated for a moment but didn't say anything.

Might Guy's eyes glittered. He walked forward to stand beneath the stele, as did Hinata. They looked at it for some time, then exchanged shocked glance.

"We should take this with us," said Hinata slowly, "and let the Sect Leader decide what to do with it."

Naruto blinked, then nodded as if he completely agreed.

When Patriarch Reliance saw this, he laughed, more than pleased.

"Take it, take it, quickly! Take it out and let as many people know as possible. Hahaha! I'm so smart. I was worried people might break in here during my meditation, so I prepared that false stele. Of course, fearing it might be identified as false, I prepared a little trick. Once it's removed from this place, it will project a sign into the sky which people in all directions will be able to see. Originally it was designed to cause harm, but now, it's going to be quite helpful to me. Excellent. Excellent!" Excitement filled Patriarch Reliance's heart, but then suddenly, his eyes widened.

"We must not!" said Might Guy in a dignified voice. After examining the stele carefully, his face filled with resolution. He shook his head, looking at Naruto and Hinata. "This stele is extremely important. If we take it out, then we would be bringing calamity upon the Sect. If an outsider learned of its existence, it could bring about our destruction. Let's each of us use a jade slip to make a copy of the scripture inscribed onto the stele. That way, we can take the contents out, but leave the stele in place. That is the safest method." Might Guy's face was filled with sincerity and righteousness. What he said was completely selfless in nature, and also took the safety of the Sect into consideration. Hinata nodded, and Naruto, of course, did not disagree. They immediately copied the contents onto their jade slips, then stood on the altar and make their departure.

Patriarch Reliance watched on in shock, then let out a furious howl.

"Dammit! Dammit! I will crush this generation's Sect Leader! How could you let a guy like this into the Inner Sect? He's completely honest and upright, which I despise! In my day, everyone in the Sect was dark and crafty. Take the scripture and keep it secret, that's a real disciple of my Sect. As for you, you righteous little pup, you… You've brought about my death! Why did you have to stop them? Dammit! My Cultivation base! I, I, I…" Patriarch Reliance was so furious that his body trembled. He ground his teeth, and with an air of abandon, held his breath for a moment, then let out a low shout. He slapped the top of his own head, then spat up a mouthful of blood. The blood transformed into a shapeless blood-red glow, which then began to send a reverberating hum throughout the secret chamber.

Amidst the reverberations, the blood-red glow suddenly shot toward Naruto and the others as they left the catacombs.

As soon as they stepped foot into the main temple hall of the Reliance Sect, as soon as Kakashi and Grand Elder Jiraiya saw them, before they could even open their mouths, the blood-red glow shot out. None of them noticed.

Suddenly a thunderous sound rang out, and a bright light spread out, millions of meters in all directions, turning the entire sky bright red. Then, in the middle of it all, amidst a multitude of colors, appeared a strange sign.

There were a multitude of characters. Most of the characters weren't able to be seen clearly, but two were. They read…

Sublime Spirit…

The sign filled heaven and earth in all directions. The multitudinous characters of the scripture glowed brightly, especially the two characters "Sublime Scripture," shining out across the entire Five Elements Nation. Within the three Great Sects of the Five Elements Nation, all the disciples stared up in astonishment at the strange phenomenon. Streak after rainbow-like streak flew from the various closed-door meditation zones as multiple Sect Patriarchs emerged.

"This…."

"The Sublime Spirit Scripture!"

"The Sublime Spirit Scripture has appeared. It appears to be located in the Reliance Sect. Could it be… could it be that the legendary Chakra Condensation manual really is there?"

In the space of a moment, powerful members of several great Sects of the Southern Domain emerged from meditation. For the Sublime Spirit Scripture and the Chakra Condensation manual to appear was an exciting matter. Without hesitation, they shot from the Southern Domain directly toward the Five Elements Nation. They all feared that if they weren't fast enough, their opportunity could be lost to the other powerful Southern Domain clans, or other Sects.

In the Southern Domain, the wind had shifted.

Prismatic streaks of light shot toward the Reliance Sect, as nearly twenty Cultivators from the three great Sects of the Five Elements Nation moved into action. The weakest among them was of the Foundation Establishment stage. Six were of the Core Formation stage. They cut through the sky with earth-shattering power.

* * *

When the sign appeared in the sky above the Reliance Sect, all of the disciples in the Outer Sect stared up in awe and shock, their minds buzzing. Their eyes filled with vacant looks, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

Looking at the golden characters filling the sky, their hearts trembled. Fatty, who was filing his teeth with the fish-scale sword, made choking sounds, narrowly avoiding stabbing himself in the tongue as he gaped at the scene.

Gato, who sat in secluded meditation, suddenly lifted up his head. When he saw what was happening, his body began to tremble, and his eyes shined with disbelief. His face changed, as if he had suddenly just thought of something incredibly frightening. He stood in a flash, and suddenly, a teleportation spell appeared that he had prepared years before.

As fast as possible, he stepped into the spell, then disappeared.

In the main temple hall on the East Mountain, as Naruto and the others appeared, Kakashi's face fell. Looking up into the sky, his face grew pale, and he staggered backwards a few paces.

Grand Elder Jiraiya raced out of the main temple, looking up into the sky, his face grim.

"Did you touch anything in the Patriarch's meditation zone?" he asked, turning to look back at them. His expression was very solemn, as was his tone of voice.

"When we were just about to leave, a stone stele appeared," said Might Guy, sounding pained. "We were worried that if we brought it out with us, it could bring disaster to the Sect. So instead, we made copies of it." He took out his jade slip, as did Naruto and Hinata. They handed them to Grand Elder Jiraiya.

"This is…" Grand Elder Jiraiya's brow furrowed, and then his eyes shone with disbelief.

"There's no need to study it, it's fake," said Kakashi with a long sigh. "The stone stele as well as the sign in the sky. They're both fake." He looked down at the ground, then shook his head.

"Other Sects from the Five Elements Nation will be arriving soon. The Reliance Sect will not be able to evade this disaster. They're here for the Patriarch." He flicked his sleeve, and a rumbling could be heard throughout the entire Reliance Sect. A soft light arose, covering everything.

"You three are Inner Sect disciples, go wait in the main temple hall." Just as his voice sounded out, blurs of light whizzed through the sky from all directions, nearly twenty of them, accompanied by high-pitched whistling shrieks.

The blurs approached the shield which surrounded the Reliance Sect, and as they did, heaven and earth shook. The four mountain peaks trembled as if they might collapse. Silence suddenly filled the surrounding wild mountains. The wild beasts all trembled in fear, not daring to make even a single sound.

Of the twenty or so people in the sky, there were six who formed the nucleus of the group. Four were men and two were women, and they were all elderly. They wore luxurious gowns, and the power which emanated from their Cultivation bases was petrifying.

Each of these six people had two or three Cultivators behind them, followers, each of whom had Cultivation bases on par with Grand Elder Jiraiya. These nearly twenty people were the most powerful people in all the Five Elements Nation, and here they were at the Reliance Sect, bearing down on it like dark clouds.

"Reliance Sect!" a voice boomed out, billowing like thunder. The buildings which comprised the Outer Sect seemed as if they would collapse at any moment. Large amounts of Outer Sect disciples coughed up blood, fear covering their faces.

"The Cold Wind Sect is powerful," said Kakashi with a harrumph. His voice rang out like a thunderclap as he stood there on the mountain's peak, suppressing the voice which had just spoken. He raised his right hand, and a hum sounded out as an invisible wind sprang up. It shot toward the person who had just spoken, surrounding him, suddenly turning black and transforming into a massive shapeless mouth that seemed about to swallow up the Core Formation stage Cold Wind Sect eccentric. The man's face changed, and he retreated quickly without hesitation.

"Enough, enough," said one of the powerful Core Formation experts, looking down at Kakashi. His voice was light but filled with suppressive power. He wore a long, purple robe embroidered with images of flutes. Frowning, he raised his hand, and the shapeless black wind dissipated. "Fellow Daoist Kakashi, the sign in the heavens came from your Reliance Sect. Please hand it over to us."

A deathly silence filled the Outer Sect, as the disciples felt the shadow of death looming over them. Within the main temple hall, Naruto, Might Guy and Hinata sat silently. They knew that any one of the people outside had Cultivation bases so frightening they could annihilate all of them with the wave of a hand.

Naruto's heart thundered as he looked at them. It was his first time seeing people so powerful. His thoughts suddenly filled with an intense desire to become more powerful.

Kakashi stood on the peak of the East Mountain, looking up at the group of people. After some time passed, he sighed.

"What do you want me to hand over? I have no idea where that sign came from."

"Give in without a fight," said the man in the purple robe grimly. "Disperse the Reliance Sect's grand protective spell. Allow us to search freely. This is what we mean by handing it over. If you don't, then despite the fact that we are fellow Cultivators of the Five Elements Nation, we will destroy your grand spell and then exterminate the Reliance Sect."

"Exterminate the Reliance Sect…" Kakashi suddenly laughed, louder and louder. It echoed out throughout the Reliance Sect. As he laughed, he saw Grand Elder Jiraiya standing there next to him, looking as if he were ready to fight to the death. He also saw the three Inner Sect disciples sitting grimly in the main temple hall. Then he glanced at the crowds of Outer Sect disciples, covered in blood. He knew that they were without hope, helpless.

How could he fight back? How could he ensure that the Outer Sect disciples lived to see another day? How could he avoid this disaster…

"As long as I am the Sect Leader of the Reliance Sect, I will not allow outsiders to bully and humiliate us. But there's really no way for me to protect everyone…" His laughter carried sorrow within it, but also a tiny shred of hope.

"Even if you don't exterminate the Reliance Sect, I fear that it cannot continue on for very long. Therefore… as of today, the Reliance Sect is disbanded. I have no further need of these trivial mountains!" He flicked his sleeve and flew up into the air. Looking shocked, Grand Elder Jiraiya followed him. They floated in the air, looking down at the Reliance Sect, at what had been their home for so many sixty-year cycles. Their expressions were filled with grief.

"Disciples, hear my order. The Reliance Sect is hereby disbanded! As of now, you are no longer its disciples. This world no longer contains any Reliance Sect!" Veins of blood appeared in his eyes. The twenty or so experts from the Five Elements Nation began to laugh coldly as they listened to Kakashi's shocking words.

"Are you satisfied?" he asked. "Any treasures or signs here have nothing to do with me, nor with these Sectless pups beneath me. If you dare to hurt anyone, I will detonate the grand protective spell, and then… we can all perish together." His voice was resolute, and the bitterness in his words caused the Five Elements Nation experts' hearts to quaver a bit.

"Fellow Daoist Kakashi, since you have made this decision, of course we will not make things difficult for you," said an old woman from among the six most powerful of the experts. "The Reliance Sect is disbanded. If you step aside, then we will not cause problems for any of the disciples. You can rest at ease." Her gaze was like lightning. As she looked over the Reliance Sect, she could tell that the object from which the sign had originated was located here, but was not being held by any of the people.

Naruto looked up into the sky, and as Kakashi's words rang in his ears, he was reminded of the law of the jungle. Despite how powerful the Sect Leader was, he still had been forced to dissolve the Sect.

Might Guy said nothing, but staggered back a few paces on unsteady legs. Hinata lowered her head.

"Hearing the words of a Fellow Daoist, I feel at ease." Kakashi flicked his sleeve, and the grand protective spell dissipated. With that, he made to leave, followed by Grand Elder Jiraiya.

Some among the group of people floating in the sky watched Kakashi with glittering eyes, clearly unwilling to allow him to leave. And yet their attention was captured by the prospect of being able to search the Reliance Sect.

Inside the main temple hall, Might Guy's face was pale. He took a few more steps back, until he was leaning up against the statue of Patriarch Reliance.

At that exact moment, a booming sound filled the sky and a multitude of lightning bolts approaching. A cold laughter rolled out, shocking all the Cultivators to the core. Even the faces of the experts from the Five Elements Nation appeared shaken.

"No one is permitted to leave," the voice roared. A massive shield suddenly swept over the entire Reliance Sect, covering everything within countless kilometers in ever direction. No one could leave, even if they wanted to.

Kakashi's face changed. He looked up into the sky and caught sight of a massive esoteric compass, roughly three hundred meters in diameter. On top of it stood a beautiful woman wearing a luxurious, dark green robe. Her hair was bound by a phoenix hairpin. Dozens of Cultivators surrounded her, most of whom were female, and all of whom were extremely beautiful. Their expressions were arrogant and cold as they looked down.

"Correct, no one is permitted to leave." Suddenly, the air seemed to split, and a large, armored man appeared, laughing. He carried an enormous golden sword slung over his shoulder, and was followed by dozens of people, all of them big and tall, their faces filled with killing intent.

"Dokan of the Golden Frost Sect, Dao Protector," said the beautiful, middle-aged woman who stood in the center of the esoteric compass, her voice cold. "You certainly have a sensitive nose." Her voice rippled out, filling the air.

"If the ladies of the Black Sieve Sect can come," replied Dokan with a laugh, "then why can't the men of the Golden Frost Sect?"

Just then, a sigh rang out from outside the massive shield. A cold light shot down from the heavens, and as it approached, it pierced through the shining shield. In through the damaged section shot a flying sword nearly three hundred meters in length.

The primitive-looking, blue-colored sword flew in, surrounding by swirling, intense coldness which caused snowflakes to begin to fall in all the area surrounding the Reliance Sect. Standing on top of the sword was a middle-aged man.

He wore a long scholar's robe, and held his hands clasped behind his back. He was the only person atop the massive sword, but he emanated the aura of a person who could stride among the heavens unhindered by anyone.

"The Solitary Sword Sect!" said Kakashi, his face changing. He knew the identity of this scholar from the Solitary Sword Sect, the number one Sect in the Southern Domain. Their Sect had a saying: Only a solitary sword need leave the Sect, and the Heavens shall be rattled.

* * *

"So, it turns out it's Fellow Daoist fist master Chen," said the beautiful, middle-aged woman, greeting him with clasped hands. Even hulking Dokan gave him a silent salute in greeting, a look of fear hidden in his face.

Seeing all these sudden developments, Naruto's heart began to pound. This was the first time he had seen so many powerful people from so many Sects. He was especially impressed by the appearance of the members of the three Great Sects from the colossal Southern Domain that Might Guy had told him about.

"The Southern Domain…" Naruto sucked in a deep breath. Hinata stood next to him looking calm. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

In the back of the main temple hall, Might Guy, pale-faced, sadly lifted his right hand up and pushed down on a hidden spot on the statue.

Immediately, the entrance to Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone closed without a sound and disappeared. Actually, no one inside or outside of the Sect caught any sense whatsoever that this was happening, not even fist master Chen and the others from the Southern Domain.

"Patriarch, Disciple Guy will keep you safe and sound," he said, his voice filled with righteousness. "I will not allow any of these people to disturb your meditation." He was faithful and true to the Sect, willing to protect it even at the greatest risk. When his plan succeeded, he let out a sigh, feeling not even the slightest regret.

Meanwhile, in the secret chamber beneath the Reliance Sect catacombs, Patriarch Reliance watched the proceedings triumphantly, filled with excitement.

"Soon, they will find my meditation zone entrance. Then they will charge in and break open my hidden chamber. At long last, I will no longer be stuck in here." Even as he excitedly spoke these words, his face suddenly changed.

"This… This… Dammit! You… You… What are you doing?!" He watched as Might Guy, with utmost caution, began to move. Patriarch Reliance watched on in a daze as the entrance to the meditation zone quietly disappeared without a trace. He couldn't believe it.

Of course, the failsafe had been set up by him years ago as a backup in case a powerful adversary arrived. He had passed on the secret to his successors, and it had been handed down through the generations, the method to prevent outsiders from entering the meditation zone.

Once it was activated, no one would be able to find the entrance, excepting for someone at the Spirit Severing stage. At the time he had set it up, he had been filled with pride, for he knew that he would be perfectly safe.

But he had never imagined that this day would arrive, years later. He had actually forgotten about the whole arrangement, but … there were others who had not.

"Damnation! I should have left orders not to accept any people of moral character into the Sect! No righteous people, no good people. Kid, you, you, you…" He sat there in a daze, muttering to himself, wanting to weep, but having no tears to shed. He thought of the stone stele, of his carefully laid plans, of the blood he had sacrificed, and how it was all ruined by one person. Of course, this person's intentions were good, but as he thought about his unflinching bravery and faithful demeanor, Patriarch Reliance began to tremble.

Just when he felt he was at the height of despair, fist master Chen of the Solitary Sword Sect arrived. He gazed over the Sect, casting his senses across it, as did the beautiful woman from the Black Sieve Sect and hulking Dokan. With their powerful senses, they poured over the Reliance Sect, searching it in thorough detail.

The experts from the Five Elements Nation watched on in fear. And then, they too began to search about with their senses.

After some time, fist master Chen of the Solitary Sword Sect frowned. He could sense the aura of the Sublime Spirit Scripture within these mountains, but also knew that it was not in the possession of any of the Reliance Sect disciples. He just couldn't find it.

It was not just him. The beautiful woman, as well as Dokan, also frowned. They descended to the ground and began to search about in person.

The experts from the Five Elements Nation did the same, and soon people filled the Reliance Sect. Naruto and the others were kicked out of the main temple hall, whereupon it was searched to the point of being wrecked. In the sky, the strange sign began to fade, and yet, no one had found even a single clue.

People even descended into the underground areas to search, and yet, they came up empty-handed.

They watched the sign slowly disperse, transforming into a crystalline glow that eventually disappeared. The aura of the Sublime Spirit Scripture disappeared, too, as if it had come and gone with the sign.

The Reliance Sect slowly began to quiet down. No valuable treasures had been found. Even the dragon's cave in the black mountain had been searched. As for the corpse of the dragon, it had been removed some time ago by Sasuke, leaving the cave empty.

As dusk fell, the search reached its conclusion. The three members of the Southern Domain's Great Sects looked somewhat embarrassed. They had expended Spirit Stones to teleport here, and yet had come up empty-handed. They were left with the feeling of loss.

"This kid isn't bad," said fist master Chen, standing on his massive sword, floating in mid-air. His eyes swept across the land, falling onto Might Guy. "If you are willing to become a disciple of the Solitary Sword Sect, then come with me to the Southern Domain." During his search for the Sublime Spirit Scripture, he had noticed Might Guy's latent talent, and it had met with his approval. He especially took note of Might Guy's righteous air, which fell in line with the Cultivation practices of the Solitary Sword Sect.

As he spoke, he lifted a finger, and Guy floated up into the air. In front of the eyes of Naruto, Hinata, and all the Outer Sect disciples, he drifted toward fist master Chen.

The experts from the Five Elements Nation looked on in envy, knowing how lucky the young man was. Kakashi and Grand Elder Jiraiya looked on silently, their feelings somewhat mixed. In the end, they knew that the Reliance Sect was too small; they would be very happy if an Inner Sect disciple had the chance to walk a better path.

"Disciple Might Guy…" began Might Guy, his face filled with conflicting emotions. He looked down at the Reliance Sect, at Kakashi and Grand Elder as they silently nodded their approval. He looked at Naruto and Hinata. Then, determination filled his face. "I offer my thanks to the good will of the senior generation," he said, lifted his head up as he looked at fist master Chen. "But disciple is a member of the Reliance Sect. In this life, I cannot join another." He knew that if he agreed, he would have much better opportunities in the future. But there are some things that a man just cannot do. For him, there would be only one Sect in his life.

His words seemed to leave the experts from the Five Elements Nation quite moved. Disciples like this were a treasure to any Sect! And yet, most of them also sported looks of pity on their face. Refusing the Solitary Sword Sect in this manner was courting death.

Kakashi said nothing. He looked at Might Guy, feeling even more conflicted. He sighed inwardly, wondering how the young man could be so stubborn. There was no need.

fist master Chen's eyes glittered. He stared at Might Guy for a while, then dryly said: "Do you know what the words 'Solitary Sword Sect' mean in the Southern Domain?"

Might Guy was silent for a moment, then nodded. He had studied the ancient records, so of course he knew about the Solitary Sword Sect, the number one Sect in the Southern Domain.

"Then you must know my status in the sect." fist master Chen's expression was grim, and his eyes radiated killing intent. Even the sky around him grew dark, as if it were being torn by the power of his aura.

"I know of the Solitary Sword Sect, as well as you, Elder Chen," said Might Guy in a soft voice. "Everyone knows you. You are the current generation's Dao Protector. Your Cultivation base is profound, and your name has rocked the Southern Domain."

"So, you know me. Then you know what you are giving up by passing up this opportunity." His voice grew colder, as did the temperature of the air.

"The Solitary Sword Sect has a history tens of thousands of years old. Their Cultivation shrines, their proliferation of powerful experts, the meteoric progress made by the Sect's members, Might Guy of the junior generation is well aware of all these things." He held his head high, unwilling to back down. His glistening eyes held no sign of regret.

fist master Chen looked at him, then suddenly began to laugh loudly.

"Originally I planned to make you an ordinary Outer Sect disciple. But with a temperament like this… Excellent. Excellent! You will be my personal apprentice!" fist master Chen's smile was filled with admiration. With a flick of a sleeve, he pulled Might Guy onto the massive sword and prepared to leave.

Seeing the Solitary Sword Sect's actions, the beautiful, middle-aged woman realized that taking a qualified disciple back with her was the only way to prevent this trip from turning out to be a complete loss.

"This girl isn't bad. The Black Sieve Sect wants her."

She had long since taken notice of Hinata. She approved of her beauty and coldness. Without waiting for Hinata to speak, she bent her finger, pulling her up onto the esoteric compass. Everyone watched in envy as she began to transform into a diffraction of light.

Fatty stood there, filing away at his teeth. In his eyes, the Sect being disbanded meant that he was now free. He was filled with a confused happiness. He had only been gone a few years, which meant that when he got back to Konoha County, the house and the bride that his father had prepared would still be waiting. Soon, he would be able to enjoy the life of a rich person.

"Too bad I won't be able to see Naruto. Oh well. We're brothers, so I'll help him pay back the money he owes to steward Ebisu. Eventually, I will absorb the wealth of all the surrounding villages, and then, the entire Five Elements Nation. Hahaha! I, Choji, will be the richest person in the world!" The more he thought about his plans, the more happier he was. He stood there, filing at his teeth and feeling the anticipation for the future.

Right about then, hulking Dokan of the Golden frost Sect frowned. He was a bit late in acting. After seeing two of this tiny Sect's Inner Sect disciples taken away, he glanced at Naruto. He was a bit taken aback as he noticed a faint trace of a Demonic aura within him. Muttering to himself, his gaze swept the rest of the Sect, whereupon he caught sight of Fatty standing in the crowd of Outer Sect disciples. He stared in astonishment as Fatty filed at his teeth with his flying sword. His eyes shone, and he completely forgot about Naruto and his Demonic aura.

"How exactly is this fatty practicing Cultivation? He's managed to develop a set of Spirit Teeth. In our Sect, the technique to develop Spirit Teeth has been lost for eight hundred years. With Spirit Teeth, you can crush Spirit Stones with your mouth, which is necessary to practice THAT technique. It seems this trip wasn't a waste after all. If we take this kid back with us, he will be a true treasure in our Sect." His eyes glittering fiercely, Dokan lifted his right hand and snatched up the stupefied Fatty. "Kid, from now on, you are an Inner Sect disciple of the Southern Domain's Golden Frost Sect." He tossed wide-eyed Fatty into a gray-colored sack. Fatty's shrill cries could be heard faintly as he disappeared inside.

Dokan turned. Followed by his retinue, he headed toward the immaterial fissure.

And thus, he, along with fist master Chen and the beautiful woman from the Black Sieve Sect, all prepared to take their leave.

But then, Dokan suddenly remembered something. He turned back to look at the Reliance Sect, and his gaze came to rest on Naruto.

As he did, he stopped in his tracks, shocked. The beautiful woman from the Black Sieve Sect, as well as fist master Chen, also stopped.

Naruto began to tremble. As the hulking man looked at him, it seemed as if he could see through him completely, as if his vision could pierce to his deepest parts, even to the Demonic Core which rested in his Core lake.

"This is…" the hulking man's eyes narrowed, then began to shine. A moment ago, he hadn't cared at all about this weak-looking disciple and had only thought to take Fatty. But something caught his eye about Naruto. He turned, and began to walk toward him.

"I want this kid too!" he said in a booming voice. Naruto's face turned cold, and he felt as if his body were about to shatter into pieces. His Core lake seethed, and the Demonic Core felt as if it were about to be ripped out of his body by some invisible force.

Pain filled him, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He once again felt as if his body were being crushed, and he clenched his fists tightly. There was nothing he could do.

At that exact moment, a booming sound rang out from within the Reliance Sect. It was a voice, so powerful that it shook the heavens and earth. In the midst of moving upon Naruto, fist master Chen and the beautiful middle-aged woman, as well as the hulking man, suddenly looked shocked. They turned their heads, their eyes filled with astonishment.

"I have one heir left in the Reliance Sect. Who dares to touch him!?"

* * *

Patriarch Reliance sat in his secret chamber in the Reliance Sect catacombs, his hair disheveled, his eyes red. He looked as if he had gone mad. His plans were about to go awry; in moments, everyone would leave, and if that happened, they wouldn't come back. He watched in sorrow as the Golden Frost Sect Cultivator began to make a move towards his only remaining Inner Sect disciple. Fury rose in him, and without holding anything back from his Cultivation base, he sent his voice thundering out.

It shook the Heavens and stirred up a gale-force wind which swept back and forth. In the wild mountains surrounding the Reliance Sect, trees were uprooted as the tempest battered the land. Many other trees were simply splintered into pieces until the tempest became a dark green color, filled with flashing lightning. The experts from the Five Elements Nation floated in mid-air looking on, dumb with amazement.

Even fist master Chen from the Solitary Sword Sect looked confused. Carrying Might Guy's unconscious form in his arm, he retreated. The massive sword began to hum, and then he was surrounded by multitudinous sword auras.

The beautiful woman from the Black Sieve Sect also looked surprised. She retreated, reaching down to slap the surface of the esoteric compass. It suddenly expanded to twice its original size.

As for Dokan from the Golden Frost Sect, he took a deep breath and retreated backward, his fingers moving in incantation patterns. The golden sword flew out from behind him, and his entire body glowed with a golden light, making him look like some sort of celestial general.

The three of them stared around at the Reliance Sect, as if they were facing a deadly opponent.

Naruto, who still stood on the East Mountain, looked at this change of events, at the dark green tempest which filled the sky with its deafening roar, filled with unparalleled might. He found it difficult to breathe. His eyes wide, he moved backwards, his clothing whipping in the frenzied wind. He grabbed onto a boulder and held on, lest he be sucked up by the wind. And yet, his eyes shined. Patriarch Reliance's words just now had reminded him of what he had read on the first page of the manual all those years ago when he had first arrived at the Reliance Sect.

Kakashi and Grand Elder Jiraiya also looked surprised. This turn of events was too sudden, shocking them to the extent that it almost seemed as if their Cultivation bases would crumble under the might of the tempest.

"Let it be known, the Patriarch is still here!" roared Patriarch Reliance, deep in the catacombs. "No one is permitted to touch the kid surnamed Uzumaki! He is my only Inner Sect disciple left. If he dies, I will have no hope!" Gritting his teeth, he slapped the top of his head, and his body shook. He spat out a mass of blood, then continued to hit himself over and over again, spitting out more and more blood. His body began to spin.

A look of hatred appeared in his eyes. After hitting himself seven or eight times, a massive amount of blood had been spat out. It congealed together, then shot toward the stone wall with a resounding boom. It banged against the wall, and nearly half of it was gone by the time it was able to punch through.

Having accomplished this, Patriarch Reliance's head tilted to the side and he slipped into unconsciousness. He almost seemed dead, as if only the refined blood contained his awareness.

The refined blood burst out from the secret chamber and through the catacombs. Outside, in plain view of the awestruck bystanders, it spread out to cover the entire Reliance Sect into a roiling red fog. Within the mists of the fog boomed the sound of lightning as it continued to expand. In an instant, it had covered the surrounding mountainous region for countless kilometers in every direction. From the outside, it appeared as if the entire area had turned into a red sea of fog!

The fog churned and the roaring sound lifted into the skies. All of the Cultivators present were stunned, and their shock was visible on their faces, even fist master Chen and the others.

Within the red fog, the Reliance Outer Sect disciples all lapsed into unconsciousness, uninjured. On the other hand, Sect Leader Kakashi and Grand Elder Jiraiya were pushed away, out of the fog. Their faces went pale as they watched on in astonishment.

The fog roiled ceaselessly, and the thunderous roar continued on until it seemed there was nothing in the world except its resonant booming. The land was like an ocean of fog, the sky colorless. Then, the fog began to move, forming together into a gigantic face.

The size of the face left everyone filled with fear.

The face was that of an old man, calm, powerful and domineering. His eyes were closed, but as soon as Kakashi and Grand Elder Jiraiya saw him, their heads began to spin. They recognized this as none other than… Patriarch Reliance

"Patriarch…" said Grand Elder Jiraiya, his eyes wide, filled with excitement.

"He… He's not dead after all!" The experts from the Five Elements Nation cried out in alarm, their faces draining of blood. One after another, they fled, their hearts trembling.

Suddenly, Patriarch Reliance's colossal red-fog face opened its eyes a crack. They opened just a sliver, and yet they emitted a trembling power which seemed as if it could crack open the earth.

He glanced up at the Heavens, and they seemed to be bloodshot. As his gaze swept around, the dark green tempest smashed into the red fog, seemingly transforming into Patriarch Reliance's long, dark hair.

As he watched this, fist master Chen's face went pale and he spat out a mouthful of blood. As he retreated backwards his massive sword suddenly split in two, leaving behind only a stump of a blade. His eyes filled with dread, and his heart pounded. His Cultivation base was at the Nascent Soul stage, but caught underneath this gaze, his Nascent Soul began to wither. He retreated even faster, pulling out a blue-colored talisman, which he activated. It covered his body, as well as unconscious Might Guy, as he sped off into the distance. A powerful voice seemed to echo in his heart, telling him that his opponent was not at the Nascent Soul stage, but rather, the almighty Spirit Severing stage.

As the beautiful woman from the Black Sieve Sect saw all of this happening, the esoteric compass beneath her suddenly began to emit popping sounds, and was riddled with cracks. Then it exploded into pieces. This woman had never been so afraid. Spitting out blood, she retreated with an unconscious Hinata. The only thing that filled her mind was: flee!

As for tall, hulking Dokan, his body seemed as if it were being attacked by a falling mountain. He retreated backwards, coughing up blood. The golden sword in front of him shattered into fragments. His face pale, he turned and dashed away, fleeing toward the immaterial crack.

The experts from the Five Elements Nation all spit up blood. The Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators felt the spiritual energy in their body snapping, and they knew their longevity had been damaged. Their faces grew wan.

On top of the East Mountain, the red fog curled around Naruto, circling around his waist. Face pale, he continued to grip the boulder. To the onlookers, however, Naruto's position was exactly in the middle of Patriarch Reliance's forehead.

"You forced my Reliance Sect to disband, and you've attempted to slaughter my only heir! You truly have gall!" His world-shaking voice boomed out in all directions, and as it did, three red beams of light shot out, shooting straight toward fist master Chen, the beautiful woman and the hulking man from the Golden Frost Sect.

"I, fist master Chen, am an Elder of the Solitary Sword Sect, a Protector of the Dao. If Patriarch Reliance kills me, the Solitary Sword Sect will destroy you!"

"Patriarch Reliance, please cease your anger. Junior is a disciple of the Black Sieve Sect, my grandfather is Ping Sandao, your good friend!"

"Junior was mistaken, Patriarch, please calm your anger."

Words poured out of the three people as the red light pursued them; Patriarch Reliance let out a cold snort.

"Beat it, you three!" The three red beams disappeared. "Go back and ask your Sect Elders if they've forgotten about the Blood Pact we made all those years ago. The Five Elements Nation is my realm. Anyone who dares step foot here cannot blame me for annihilating them. As for those three other disciples, take them away, I don't need them." Their faces pale, the three Southern Domain disciples disappeared.

Seeing this, the Five Elements Nation Cultivators froze in place, trembling. Seeing Nascent Soul stage Cultivators act like that left them petrified. The most powerful among them was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

The thousand-year-old legends about Patriarch Reliance had now come to being in front of their very eyes.

As the powerful, domineering voice boomed out, the fog began to roil and spin, with Naruto as its center. The fog congealed in front of him to form a long spear.

It was not red, but instead covered with talismanic inscribing of white, silver and gold. It appeared to be incredibly extraordinary.

"The Reliance Sect has been dissolved. So be it. But this kid is my only Inner Sect heir. If anyone dares to touch him…" His attention turned to Naruto. "In that case, Naruto, use this spear to exterminate that person! All of you, beat it!" His voice echoed out across the land. The Five Elements Nation experts immediately fled. What they didn't seem to notice was that Patriarch Reliance's voice had grown noticeably weaker. It was barely noticeable, but if one paid careful attention, it was definitely weaker.

The unconscious Outer Sect disciples suddenly lifted up into the air and flew away in all directions. Then, a turbulent, blood-red glow enveloped the entire Reliance Sect. No onlooker would have been able to see it, but Naruto could.

Kakashi and Grand Elder Jiraiya watched on in a daze. Finally, shame appeared on Kakashi's face. He lowered his head and saluted respectfully toward the blood-red shield. Then, he let out a light sigh, turned, and disappeared into the distance.

Grand Elder Jiraiya was silent. One by one, he took the Outer Sect disciples out into the wild mountains. Then he looked at the Reliance Sect from a distance. With a sigh, he departed.

He and Kakashi both knew that with the Patriarch's acknowledgment of the dissolution of the Sect, there was no longer such thing as the Reliance Sect.

Naruto stood within the blood-red glow, looking excited. He looked at the spear, which emitted a white, silver and golden glow. Suddenly and inexplicably, the spear, completely of its own volition, shot forward, combining with the fog to transform into the image of an old man in a red robe. It was Patriarch Reliance.

Clasping his hands in salute, Naruto said, "Disciple Naruto pays respects to the Patriarch." Without even thinking about it, he began a flood of eloquence: "You cast awe into the hearts of the people of the Five Elements Nation, and your name is even known in the Southern Domain. I have revered you ever since I joined the Sect. Every day I pay homage to your words from the beginning of the manual. I have constantly reaped rewards…"

"Very well, very well. You haven't done well in your studies. Let me tell you, kid, when I was your age, my flattery sounded much more natural than yours. Don't try to pull that stuff off on me." Patriarch Reliant glared at him, yet inwardly was a bit moved.

Naruto looked at him with a sheepish smile.

"Even though it's useless to flatter me, well I… never mind. Listen up. I was only able to use a sliver of my consciousness, so it wasn't easy to scare off those damned Nascent Soul stage Cultivators. I don't have much time at the moment before this form disappears." As he spoke, he began to grow more and more indistinct. "I need to rest for a year. When that year is up, you must use any means possible to attract every expert of the Foundation Establishment stage or higher from the Five Elements Nation to come to my meditation zone. If you can accomplish this, then I will give you an incredible reward!" He raised his hand and pointed a finger at Naruto.

Instantly, information entered Naruto's mind, and he now knew how to open the entrance to the meditation zone.

"Kid, you are the only heir to my Reliance Sect. Don't get yourself killed. If you get killed, I will have to find a wife to bury with you… I… I find it annoying to have to…" The sound of his voice continued to echo about, but his body had dissipated. Not a shadow remained.

Naruto stared blankly for some time before recovering. It was at this point that he realized that everything which had happened had been Patriarch Reliance's attempt to scare away the outsiders.

"So he didn't kill those three people… But, what happened to the spear he was going to give me?"

* * *

In the entire expansive Reliance Sect, only Naruto remained, standing alone on the East Mountain. He watched the red light fade away, then lowered his head. The formerly bustling Outer Sect was now empty.

elder sister Hinata had been taken away. elder brother Guy had gone to the Southern Domain. Even Fatty was gone. He had no idea when he would see them again. Would it be months? Years?

His status as an Inner Sect disciple, his three years in the Reliance Sect, they all became memories. The twisting autumn wind hit his face and lifted up his hair, blowing away the dust that had settled there.

He quietly sat down on the boulder. A long time passed, and eventually the stars peeked out one by one. Then dawn came. Naruto sighed and lifted his head.

"They're all gone… and here I am, still in the Five Elements Nation." Suddenly, Naruto missed home. Even though he had gotten rid of his old ancestral house in Konoha County, he still missed his old bed and dilapidated bowls. Even more so, he missed Mount Myōboku. He missed… he missed his kind, smiling mother, and his father, who had always seemed afraid of his mother.

It was all somewhat vague. Naruto shook his head, and as the rays of dawn crept out, he stood up. There was no need to search the Reliance Sect. Everything worth taking was long gone, pillaged by the experts from the Five Elements Nation. It was all was empty.

Naruto patted the dust off his clothes, then changed out of his Inner Sect silver robe, back into the scholar's gown he had worn all those years ago. It was a spacious robe, but as he put it on, it felt a bit small. He stared at the rising sun and let out a sigh. Deep within him, his golden Core Lake seemed to bubble, and within it, the Demonic Core emitted spiritual power that filled and replenished his body.

"I'm not too far from the seventh level of Chakra Condensation. I can feel the bottleneck." He walked forward, slapping his bag of holding. Two flying swords emerged and floated down to his feet. He glided down the mountain and left the Reliance Sect.

Using this technique with the flying swords granted him the ability of flight. But similar to elder sister Hinata with her Wind Pennant, it was only temporary flight, nothing long term.

Naruto moved ever more swiftly, speeding along throughout the mountain forests. Finally, he was able to leave the Reliance Sect region, a place he hadn't left for three years. He flew throughout the seemingly endless wild mountains, eventually disappearing over the horizon.

Time passed, and maintaining his original speed, Naruto eventually emerged from the mountainous region after two days.

"I'm not sure how long it took elder sister Hinata to bring me to the Sect," he muttered to himself, looking back at the mountains. "It was a few days, but I was unconscious. In any case, I think her speed at that time would have been similar to my own now."

To Cultivators, the Five Elements Nation is not very large. But to mortals, it is actually quite a vast region. In his studies, he had read about its geography, and though he had never personally travelled about in it, he was nevertheless somewhat familiar with the area.

"As of now I'm in the north of the Five Elements Nation. I shouldn't be too far from Konoha County." Off in the distance, he could see what looked almost like a mirror laying on the flat land. That would be what was referred to as the North Sea.

"Now that I think about it, with a Wind Pennant, and being at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, elder sister Hinata could fly temporarily, but it would drain her spiritual power relatively quickly. She couldn't have flown very far away." Naruto's eyes flickered with longing. He had been away from Konoha County for three years, and his desire to return was growing stronger. He knew that after crossing the North Sea, he would be about a half-day's walk from Mount Myōboku.

Breathing in deeply, he proceeded onward, eventually arriving at the shore of the North Sea. He looked down, and on the surface of the calm lake, he could see his reflection in the water. He was no longer a youth. He looked to be about 20 years of age. His face appeared steadfast and resolute, completely different from the ignorant, immature Naruto of the past.

Amidst the silence, a warm, hearty laugh rang out, breaking Naruto's train of thought.

"Hello, young sir, do you wish to cross the sea?" A small boat slid across the water, guided toward Naruto by an old man wearing a woven rush raincoat. His face was covered with the evidence of a life of hardship, but he spoke with a smile.

"I do not wish to trouble you, old sir," said Naruto, looking surprised. He hadn't been called 'young sir' for three years now.

"It's no trouble," said the old man. "I've been ferrying people across the ocean for many years. I really admire young, talented scholars like yourself." He pushed the boat up next to Naruto, who leaped easily onto the deck, offering his thanks.

There was a young girl inside the boat, seven or eight years old, her hair done up in two pigtails. She squatted in front of a little oven, tannings its flames as she boiled water. Steam wafted up.

Inside the pot of water was a bottle of alcohol.

"This is my granddaughter," said the old man as he turned the boat around. "Too bad she's a girl. If she were a boy, I would have sent her off to be a scholar. Young sir," he said with a smile, "where are you from?" The boat headed out toward the center of the lake. As the wind sprang up, the old man sat down next to the oven.

The little girl looked up at Naruto, her wide eyes innocent and charming.

"I am a young scholar from Konoha County," Naruto said with a smile. "Below Mount Myōboku." This type of mortal life caused him to think of his life from before, three years ago.

"Konoha County, that's a good place! Great men lend their glory to a location. Many years ago, an auspicious sign appeared there. It even arose the notice of the officials." The old man picked up the bottle of alcohol. "This weather is turning cold and my body can't take it. Here, have a drink." He extended the bottle toward Naruto. "Can you drink?"

Naruto knew the auspicious sign to which he referred. It had been ten years before, the day before his parents went missing. When he thought of this, his heart grew a bit melancholy. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the bottle. He had never drank alcohol before. Back in Konoha County, he had lived in poverty, and there had been no alcohol in the Reliance Sect. He lifted up a glass and allowed the man to fill it, then took a drink.

A spicy warmth suddenly filled his heart, then slowly spread out through his body.

"Old sir, your conversation topics are somewhat out of the ordinary. Have you been running a ferry here for a long time?" Naruto gazed at the rippling green waves, then took another drink of alcohol. The alcohol burned its way down, and he thought of the Reliance Sect, of elder sister Hinata, elder brother Guy and Fatty.

"Twenty years," replied the old man with a laugh. "In my life, I've ferried many, many people across this North Sea. I've seen a lot of things, and of course, I've learned a lot about how people tend to have conversations. Please, don't laugh at me. Who knows how many years this lake has been here? It's seen a lot of people too. People remember it, and it remembers the people." The old man lifted his glass and took a drink.

Naruto stared at him for a moment. This was the first time he had ever heard someone speak in such a fashion. He looked back at the lake, muttering to himself, seemingly lost in thought.

"This is obviously a lake," he said suddenly. "Why do people call it the North Sea?"

The old man thought for a moment, then smiled. "Lakes can dry up, grow quiet, and become still. If that happened, no living things would remain. But seas last forever, and can contain the water of countless rivers and lakes. Maybe people just didn't want the lake to ever go away, so they named it that way. When all is said and done, if you believe it's a lake, then it's a lake. If you believe it's a sea, then it's a sea."

When he heard the old man's words, Naruto's mind suddenly trembled. The hand holding the glass of alcohol began to quiver, and he stared out at the lake water, almost in a trance. He seemed to lose track of time.

Time passed, and the boat reached the shore. Naruto pulled out some silver that he had acquired from one of the disciples back at the Reliance sect and paid the fare. He gave the old man a deep bow of respect, then watched as the boat drifted off. His eyes shined with a strange light.

He didn't leave, but instead sat down cross-legged on the lakeshore, looking out at the waters, and the lone boat disappearing into the distance. He could hear the old man laughing.

"If you believe it's a lake, then it's a lake. If you believe it's a sea, then it's a sea…" The old man's voice echoed across the distance. It seemed as if… he were not disappearing into the distance, but rather… merging into it….

Naruto sat there in a trance, taking it all in. He sat for three days straight.

He didn't move at all during that time, instead staring silently at the lake, the old man's words echoing in his mind.

"Lakes can dry up, grow quiet, become still. If that happened, no living things would remain. But seas last forever, and can contain the water of countless rivers and lakes…" Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up. The golden Core Lake within him seemed boundless, but in his eyes it was still a lake.

"If I believe it's a lake, then it's a lake. If I believe it's a sea, then from now on… let it be a sea!" A thunderous sound filled him, and the Core Lake began to seethe and churn. Without the aid of any medicinal pills whatsoever, it suddenly expanded.

Naruto wasn't aware of any of this. His eyes were closed tightly; he had entered a strange state. The old man's words filled his mind. He didn't notice it, but around him, the boundless Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth had begun to gurgle up, surrounding his body and then entering it. Waves broke out across the North Sea, and within its churning arose a massive amount of Spiritual Energy, which rushed forth and surrounded Naruto.

The North Sea was revealing the Dao!

If, at this moment, a Core Formation Cultivator could see what was happening, he would be thoroughly type of Dao enlightenment was only possible for someone at the Spirit Severing stage. In addition, it required a huge amount of fortune and luck. Yet here was Naruto, already reaching out to the threshold!

The reason he could succeed in this was in large part due to the Demonic Core within him. It was the Core of a Flying Rain-Dragon, an ancient beast whose tail could transform into a Demon. Actually, that year in which he had dreamed of the Flying Rain-Dragon, Naruto had already reached Dao enlightenment.

Three days passed, and finally Naruto opened his eyes. They glowed with a golden light. Within him, his Core Lake had increased by a shocking double. As he examined it, Naruto realized that this was no lake. This was a Core sea!

He believed it to be a sea, therefore… it was a sea!

The seawater roared, and waves whipped about. The Demonic Core, as stable as ever in the depths, emitted Spiritual Energy which filled Naruto's entire body. Using the techniques he had learned from the Sublime Spirit Scripture, he circulated the energy. His body began to glow with a golden light, as if something had suddenly broken out within him. The golden light emanated around him for nine meters in every direction.

Amidst the roaring, Naruto's Cultivation base suddenly climbed upwards, breaking through the sixth level bottleneck directly into the seventh level of Chakra Condensation.

Even though he had just broken through to the seventh level, his power was the same as if he had already reached its peak. This was because in his dantian region was not a Core Lake, but a Core sea!

Earlier, the Spiritual Energy which had built up in the North Sea for countless years had suddenly surged forth as if to help Naruto make his breakthrough.

Gradually, the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth which surrounded him began to dissipate, as did the North Sea's Spiritual Energy. Slowly, the golden glow which emanated from Naruto also began to fade, and slowly he returned to his usual appearance. He sat there cross-legged. The golden light eventually left his eyes, although they continued to sparkle brightly.

He slowly stood up and looked out at the North Sea. With clasped hands, he saluted the sea deeply. His mind was filled with descriptions he had read about in the Reliance Sect's Magic Pavilion, of the various Demonic creatures in the lands of Ninshu. Wherever demons existed, there would be demons that appeared as mountains, demons that appeared as rivers, and demons that appeared as plants and animals.

"Today, the North Sea revealed the Dao. One day when my Cultivation base is high enough, I will return here and help you become a sea!" He gazed out at the North Sea. He wasn't sure whether or not this lake, which desired to be a sea, might be like the descriptions he had read about, something with life, a demonic life.

Regardless, it had helped him make a breakthrough in his Cultivation base, helped him turn his Core Lake into a Core sea. He must repay the kindness. There was only one way: to help this lake become a sea!

After some time passed, Naruto turned and strode toward Mount Myōboku.

* * *

Autumn wind curled around Mount Myōboku in the north of the Five Elements Nation. Most of the rattan vines had dried and withered, and leaves floated down from the mountain into the river below. Perhaps they, like that gourd bottle from years ago, would eventually reach the Milky Way Sea and then float on to the Sky country in the Eastern Lands.

Beneath Mount Myōboku lay three counties. Konoha County was the most flourishing of the three. It wasn't very large, but it bustled with people. When market day came, people from the whole mountain region gathered there, and a hubbub of voices would fill the air.

On this day, a young man wearing a clean, blue scholar's robe walked into Konoha, seemingly restless with emotion. Though he was a stranger, his face looked familiar. It was, of course, Naruto.

He walked down the familiar streets, passing houses and shops. As he strolled through the mortal world, he recalled many things from the past. This place contained his memories from childhood, the lonely bitterness of his youth, and his stubborn attachment to his studies. So many unforgettable events.

Passing a large courtyard, he said, "That would be where Miss Tsuru lives…." The walls which had seemed so tall in the past, now looked somewhat short. Past the walls were Miss Tsuru's bedchambers, a place that had been the subject of many fantasies in the past.

He had often imagined that Steward Fuyo would take a liking to him, and then offer him Lady Tsuru's hand in marriage. She was rumored to be as beautiful as a goddess.

Three years had passed, not a very long time, but to Naruto, it seemed as if an entire generation had come and gone.

Shaking his head emotionally, he was about to move on, when suddenly the main doors of the Fuyo mansion opened and a sedan chair emerged. Naruto stopped. How often in the past had he looked into the courtyard, hoping to catch a glimpse into Lady Tsuru's bedchamber? His eyes flickered as he gazed at the sedan chair. The wind suddenly lifted the screen curtain of the sedan, and he saw an extremely fat girl inside, her face covered with dark spots. She was young. Naruto's jaw dropped.

If he hadn't recognized the serving girl next to her, he would never have believed that the young woman was actually Miss Tsuru.

The sedan chair disappeared into the distance, and Naruto continued walking, feeling a bit regretful.

"I just destroyed the image of my dream lover…" he said, shaking his head. "Well, the sages were right: avert the gaze from inappropriateness. I shouldn't have looked, shouldn't have looked." A look of pity appeared on his face as he walked away.

Around noon, Naruto found himself staring blankly at a large house off in the distance. It was worn-out and dilapidated and there were clearly people living inside. He could hear noise drifting out from inside. It sounded like the occupants were arguing.

This was Naruto's ancestral residence. Years ago, he had been destitute, and was forced to sell it. Inside that house were many beautiful and happy memories from the past, as well as the bitter, yet empowering memories from the time after his parents went missing.

Image after image appeared in Naruto's mind. He stood there until dusk began to fall.

Silently, he approached the door, raised his hand, and knocked.

The knock silenced the din of argument that had continued unceasingly throughout the afternoon. After a moment the door opened. A middle-aged man stood there, frowning. His face was covered with lines from a lifetime of hardships.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"uncle Choza…?" said Naruto quietly, looking at the man in front of him.

"You…" the middle-aged man stared in surprise. He looked closely at Naruto, and then a look of disbelief filled his eyes. "Naruto? You… Where have you been? Come in!" With a look of pleasant surprise, the man dragged Naruto into the house.

"Wife, come see who it is!"

A middle-aged woman sat inside, tears in her eyes. When she heard her husband's words, and saw Naruto, she gaped for a moment, then rose to her feet, her eyes beaming with joy.

"It really is Naruto…" said the man.

"Child, everyone said you just up and left that year. Let Auntie have a look at you." She stood in front of him, looking him up and down, her eyes filled with happiness. She seemed to have forgotten the afternoon spent arguing. "I haven't seen you for years. You've grown taller, but, ai, you're so skinny. You must have endured a lot over the years.

"Here, have a seat. Auntie will cook a few dishes for you. You just got back, stay a while. You may have sold this place to your uncle Choza, but it's still your home." She gave a kind, happy smile to Naruto, then glared at the man and went into the kitchen.

Soon, the table was filled with food. Looking at the couple in front of him, and the kindness in their eyes, it reminded him of the times after his parents had gone missing. Without the help of Uncle and aunt Chiharu, things would have been much more difficult for him.

"The harvests haven't been good these years," said aunt Chiharu, serving some food to Naruto. "We gave our house to our son so that he could get married. Since this place was empty, we moved here." She gave him a kind look. "Where have you been all these years? We looked all over for you, but were never able to find you."

Naruto listened to them talk and felt their kindness in his heart. He told them a somewhat vague story of traveling to a different part of the nation to study. After the meal was finished, he gave the couple a deep bow.

"uncle Choza, aunt Chiharu, I would like to repurchase my ancestral home. After all, my mother and father left it for me. Here are some pieces of silver. You two can continue living here and help take care of the place." He pulled out some pieces of silver from within his robe and put them down.

"This…" uncle Choza hesitated, looking at his wife. aunt Chiharu said nothing, but after a moment passed, nodded.

"You're right," she said resolutely. "This house is yours, left to you by your father and mother. Your uncle Choza and I are getting old, so as you suggest, we will stay here. But we don't need the silver. We looked after you as you grew up. You're like our own child! How could we take your money?" She put the silver pieces back into Naruto's hand.

Naruto didn't say anything, instead clasping his hands and bowing deeply to them once again.

He didn't stay for the night. Instead, he gathered together some things from the house that contained memories, then made his farewells and slipped off into the darkness of the night. He didn't take the silver with him. He left it on the bed.

Later, he sat cross-legged on a bed in an inn, looking out at the night sky. He sighed.

"I'm no longer part of the mortal world, and yet, it's hard to sever all the ties." He closed his eyes. "Well, if they can't be severed, then I shall just let them remain."

At dawn the next morning, Naruto found the Akimichi Family carpenter shop. There, he saw an aged Uncle Shikaku, his face full of wrinkles, sitting in the shop staring at nothing. In front of him was a wood carving that looked just like Shikamaru. Uncle Shikaku's face seemed to be filled with an indelible sorrow.

Naruto thought for a moment. He wasn't sure whether or not Shikamaru was dead. After being promoted to the Inner Sect, he had sought out Neji, then gone to inspect the area where Shikamaru had fallen off the cliff. He hadn't been able to find any clues regarding what had happened.

With a sigh, Naruto walked into the carpenter shop.

Sensing that someone had arrived, Uncle Shikaku lifted his head. When he saw Naruto, he stared in surprise. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up, trembling.

"You… You're… Naruto?"

"Uncle Shikaku, it's me." Naruto reached out to support the old man.

"Where is Shikamaru?" he asked. It seemed he hadn't forgotten the details about what happened that year. Looking at Naruto, he suddenly seemed excited. "You both went missing at the same time that year. Where is he…?"

"Shikamaru wasn't able to return, so he asked me to send a message for him," said Naruto with a smile. "He'll be back in a few years. You can rest at ease, sir. Shikamaru is living very well." He helped Uncle Shikaku into his chair, then sat with him for a while chatting. He told him that they had gone off to study, and Shikamaru was so talented that he wanted to continue studying for some time before returning.

Tears of excitement rolled down Uncle Shikaku's face. He listened to Naruto's story, nodding, and it seemed as if some of the wrinkles on his face disappeared. Naruto continued to tell some interesting anecdotes, and the old man smiled.

"That kid was always smart. He never wanted to study carpentry from me. He would spend all day thinking about other things. Good, good. If he can go out to study, it's a good thing." Uncle Shikaku's smile widened. Around noon, Naruto left, escorted to the door personally by Uncle Shikaku.

Neji and Fatty weren't from Konoha County, but rather the other two surrounding counties. Naruto wasn't very familiar with Neji, but felt confident that he could take care of himself. On the other hand, he definitely had to go pay a visit to Fatty's family to let them know he was doing well.

Fatty was most likely in the Southern Domain. Naruto sighed inwardly.

That afternoon, he went looking for steward Ebisu, but couldn't find him. After asking around, he learned that steward Ebisu had moved his household away about half a year ago. People said he'd moved to the capital city of the Five Elements Nation. Learning this, Naruto made no further inquiries, and left Konoha County.

There were many memories here, but Naruto knew that as soon as he had entered the Reliance Sect, his path lay in the direction of the Five Elements Nation, and the Southern Domain.

He left in silence, taking with him only a few items which he stored in his bag of holding: some pots and bowls, and some bed quilts. The pots and bowls had been given to him by his father as a gift, and the bed quilts had been quilted by his mother. To Naruto, these things were priceless.

There were three counties below Mount Myōboku. In addition to Konoha County, there was Iwa County and Suna County. Fatty's home was in Suna.

It was smaller than Konoha, and although it was not as bustling, it was surrounded by vast tracts of land and was therefore quite a wealthy place. This was especially true of the handful of great families, who controlled sizeable properties and wealth.

Fatty's father was the famous Moneybags Li of Suna County. From what Fatty had told him in the past, his family employed several hundred workers, and you could spend an entire day walking through the family compound, which was filled with menservants and maidservants.

He had said his chamberpot was made of silver, his quilts purchased from the capital city of the Five Elements Nation, and that from childhood, maidservants would heat his bed for him before he slept. That arrangement had continued as he grew up, and he said he couldn't even remember how many maidservants he'd touched in his life. In any case, he had never lacked for want of anything, all the way down until the time his marriage had been arranged. His fiancée was an extremely beautiful young woman from a family of famous scholars in Suna. His father had put a lot of thought, and money, into successfully arranging the matter.

As he thought back to Fatty's expression when he talked about it, Naruto smiled. He walked into Suna County.

* * *

Naruto had been to Suna County a few times before. Usually it was when he needed to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstones. Perhaps because the excess of wealth in the village prompted a demand for scholarly embellishments, the price of writing supplies was cheaper than average.

Even though three years had passed, the place looked just like before. As Naruto walked down the streets, he couldn't help but notice that outside of many of the shops hung lanterns, upon which the character "Li" was written in sweeping calligraphy.

From what Fatty had said, his father was the richest person in Suna, and actually owned about half of the county. And it wasn't just land they owned, but business, all of which were marked with the character "Li."

After asking around, he determined the location of Fatty's house and headed in that direction. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon, turning the sky dark and covering the land with a soft glow.

It didn't take long for him to reach the east end of Suna County, where he saw a massive estate, filled with a veritable forest of grand buildings. Above the main door, which was guarded by retainers, was a board inscribed with the words "Akamichi Mansion." The lively sound of singing and dancing could be heard from within.

Naruto's body flashed, and he was inside.

The mansion was a large, surrounding an inner courtyard where singers and dancers were currently putting on a show. Naruto caught sight of an extremely fat, middle-aged man wearing a luxurious robe. He closely resembled Fatty; this was obviously his father. Sitting next to him was a young man whose face was covered with a prudent expression.

He seemed wildly arrogant, and wore expensive garments, yet his body looked a bit frail, as if he had worn himself out with too much wine and women. He held a wine cup in his hand, and a somewhat indecent expression shone in his eyes as he looked over the singers and dancers.

"Still not here yet?" said the young man, frowning. His tone of voice was both cold and bored.

"Any moment, any moment," said Fatty's father, looking extremely embarrassed, but forcing an obsequious smile onto his face. "Konohamaru, please just wait a bit longer. My daughter-in-law tends to take things slowly." Even as the words came out of his mouth, several maidservants appeared in the distance. Walking behind them was a young woman. She wore a long, gauzy garment, and her hair was put up with phoenix hairpins. Her appearance was pure and beautiful, and yet there was a look of fear on her face; as she approached she seemed to shiver as if she were cold.

"Father…" she said as she approached. She bowed in greeting.

"Karui, this is the young Lord from the Sarutobi clan in Iwa County," said Fatty's father softly. "Why don't you toast him?" He looked at his daughter-in-law apologetically. Even though his son had been missing for years, she continued to wait for him to return, never complaining. She treated her father-in-law with utmost filial piety.

"Greetings, Konohamaru," said the girl softly, lowering her head. She was afraid, but she knew that the family was not in a good position at the moment. She lifted up the wine pot and poured some wine into a cup, which she extended to him with both hands.

He looked at her, his eyes shining brightly. He swallowed hard. The girl was shockingly beautiful, and in his heart, he was already prepared to make some trouble. A lecherous smile appeared on his face. He accepted the wine up and then tried to grab her hand. The girl stepped back, frightened, causing the cup to tumble to the floor.

"How dare you!" shouted Konohamaru, his eyes blazing. He kicked over the table, sending wine and food scattering about. He pointed at Fatty's father. "You listen to me, Choza. My younger brother is back, and he's an Immortal now. He wants your property, not your lives! I felt pity for you and spoke kindly of you to him, but then you humiliate me like this!?"

"Konohamaru, this…" Fatty's father hastily tried to speak.

"Shut the hell up! Let me tell you, this matter isn't finished! If you know what's good for you, you'll have your daughter-in-law spend the night with me. If she pleases me, then I'll say some more nice things about you to my younger brother…." He laughed coldly, his eyes fixed on the girl, whose face had grown pale white. A dirty look once again appeared on his face.

Fatty's father's face grew ashen. At first, the young man had only mentioned toasting, which he had agreed to. But this was excessive. He gritted his teeth. His son was missing, and he couldn't even protect his own daughter-in-law. What was the point of living?

"Beat it!" he roared. "Get the hell out of here! Men, kick this man out! Even if the Li family goes bankrupt, I won't tolerate insults from the Sarutobi clan!"

"How impressive," laughed Konohamaru. He spun and left, his eyes filled with murder.

Watching the feast being cleared away, the young girl bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. She lowered her head and looked as if she were about to say something.

"Don't worry about this matter," said Fatty's father calmly. "Law still exists in this world. Please, take the young miss back." Servants appeared to escort the young woman away. Everything was quiet. Fatty's father began to tremble. He staggered, suddenly seeming to grow older.

Then he shook his head and began to walk. Before long, he reached a building. He pushed the door open and walked in. It was a luxurious room, but seemed as if it would look better if everything weren't covered with bite marks.

"Choji, where are you?" murmured Fatty's father as he sat down into a chair. "Why haven't you returned…?" He looked even older than before. He gently rubbed at a bite mark on the table.

"He's doing well," said a voice, breaking the silence. Fatty's father lifted his head, and his eyes filled with fear as he realized that somehow another person was standing in the room, next to the window. He had no idea when or how he had come to be standing there.

He wore a long blue robe, and looked like a scholar. It was none other than Naruto.

"You…" Choza stood up, looking alarmed. He took a few steps back.

"I'm Choji's friend from the Sect, Naruto, from Konoha County." Naruto turned. His eyes moved from some bite marks on the windowsill to rest on Choza.

"Naruto!" said Choza, shocked. He recognized the name. When he had checked into the disappearance of his son all those years ago, he'd learned that three other boys had gone missing at the same time. One of them was named Naruto.

"Choji, he…" Choza's body began to tremble. Inside, he felt hesitation.

"He's not in the Five Elements Nation at the moment, but I think he'll be able to return before too long." Naruto walked forward and sat down in a chair. "I saw what happened in the courtyard just now," he said coolly. "I'll stay here for a few days to take care of the matter." He took a piece of paper out and placed it down onto the table. "Please forge me three spears according to these specifications. One iron, one silver, and one gold spear." With that, he closed his eyes.

Choza hesitated, but then nodded his head. Regardless of how unbelievable the situation might seem, he would rather believe what Naruto had just said. Without a word, he picked up the paper and hurried off.

As for Konohamaru, he left the Li household, and Suna County, his face grim. Accompanied by his retainers, he made his way back to Iwa County in the darkness of night, gnashing his teeth. As he walked, he slapped himself hard in the face, leaving behind a clear palm print. Soon, he arrived at a large courtyard, and the expression on his face suddenly turned to one of respect, even awe. His voice low, he spoke.

"Little brother, are you awake?"

"What's the matter!?" said a cold voice. The voice was a bit shrill, as if its owner was a boy just beginning to go through puberty.

"Not only does the Akamichi clan refuse to listen to your suggestions, they also humiliated me. They even slapped me." Konohamaru tried to put on his most humiliated expression.

The door slowly opened, and a young man walked out. He appeared to be about twelve or thirteen, and wore a richly embroidered gown. He had finely chiseled features and looked almost beautiful. Were Naruto here, this young man would instantly begin to act like a toady. He was one of the disciples saved by Grand Elder Jiraiya the day the Reliance Sect was disbanded. He was Naruto's servant, Inari.

He had the same idea as Fatty, to become a great landowner. With Fatty gone, he had returned to this area and began plundering the properties of the local rich families. He had actually begun to plan how to deal with Choza back when he was still in the Reliance Sect. Unfortunately, after returning, he'd learned that the Li family forbade its members from revealing information about family assets.

"You good-for-nothing fool," said Inari with a cold snort. "Do you really think I'm as stupid as you? The angle of that palm print is all wrong. You obviously hit yourself." An expression of disgust appeared on his face. But, this person was his older brother. He frowned. "Never mind. I'm about to make a breakthrough in my Cultivation base. In seven days, I'll go with you to the Akamichi clan." He turned and went back into the room, slamming the door behind him. Konohamaru looked pleased. His heart burned as he imagined the young girl's plaintive cries coming from underneath him, seven days from now.

Seven days passed. Inari walked out of the Akamichi clan in Iwa County, his hands clasped behind his back, followed by Konohamaru. They brought a group of family retainers with them. Their eyes filled with killing intent as they headed straight for Suna County.

In Suna County, Naruto sat cross-legged in Fatty's room, meditating in silence. Around noon-time, a light knock could be heard on the door. Naruto slowly opened his eyes to see Choza entering the room. Behind him were ten family retainers. Three groups of three men each carried a spear, one iron, one silver, and one gold.

Networks of fine lines were carved onto their surfaces, making them appear both primitive and luxurious at the same time. Naruto raised his hand, and the iron spear flew through the air toward him. Choza and his servants gaped in astonishment and shock.

The iron spear was extremely heavy; to see Naruto snatch it from such a distance frightened them.

Choza's body shook, and his eyes shone. Before, he had surmised that Naruto was not an ordinary person. Despite only half trusting him, he had still complied with the request to craft the three spears. But now, he thoroughly believed his previous words. This person was clearly not ordinary.

Naruto nodded, retrieving the silver and gold spears. He tested them out, then deposited them into his bag of holding with the flick of a sleeve. When this happened, flopping sounds sounded out as the servants dropped to their knees and bowed to him, their expressions filled with shock.

* * *

"An Immortal!"

Choza seemed to be frozen in place, trembling violently. He looked as if he, too, might drop to his knees. Before, he had assumed this person was extraordinary in some way, but had never imagined that he could be an immortal. Then he suddenly became even more excited as he remembered the man had said that his son was a friend from his Sect.

"Don't tell me… Don't tell me that useless kid is now an Immortal!?"

He was about to ask when Naruto lifted his head and looked out the window. The sound of a commotion drifted in from outside, then a series of cracks as the main gate was broken open.

"Choza, get the hell out here! My younger brother is an Immortal, and he's here to visit you. Come out here and bow to him!"

Choza looked up. Naruto stood and walked toward the door. Choza followed hurriedly, and they soon arrived in the outer courtyard of the mansion. Pieces of the door lay scattered about everywhere, along with a multitude of moaning family retainers. The cocky young Lord stood there, and behind him, a young man, one hand held behind his back, the other held up in front of him. Encircling his hand was a finger-sized Flame Serpent.

The young man looked proud and unyielding, and his Flame Serpent caused the surrounding onlookers to slowly move away from him, gasping with fear and astonishment.

"Kid brother, this is Choza," said the Konohamaru, ignoring Naruto, who stood behind him.

"So you are… huh?" Inari lifted his chin as he started to speak, then suddenly caught sight of Naruto. His body immediately began to shake, and his eyes filled with disbelief. The Flame Serpent instantly disappeared, and the blood drained from his horrified face. Unconsciously, as by instinct, an ingratiating look appeared on his face.

"Choza," shouted the swaggering Konohamaru, clearly unaware of Inari's change in expression, "you dare to not kneel before my brother? Let me tell you, he's an Immortal! Do you understand what that means? He could exterminate your whole family with a wave of his hand!

"You still haven't brought the girl out? Prepare a good room immediately. If she takes care of me well, and I'm happy, then maybe if you beg, I can provide you with an heir. Otherwise, your name will die out!" The more he spoke, the more excited he became. Behind him, however, Inari's face was deathly pale. He trembled as he looked at Naruto, his head spinning. And then his brother's words hit his ears, and his heart filled with dread.

"If you don't," continued the young Lord, "then, heh heh, you're dead, along with that scholar standing next to you… Hey, who's he? Your adopted son? You dare to stare at me? Are you looking to die? My brother is an Immortal…" Before he even finished speaking, his words reached Inari's ears like a thunderclap, causing him to leap into the air. Fury filling his eyes, he slapped his older brother across the face.

"Shut the hell up!" he screamed, sounding as if he was about to weep. He knew Naruto too well. He remembered his status when he was in the Inner Sect, his victory over Sasuke. Nobody in the Outer Sect was ignorant of Naruto, nor his sixth-level Cultivation base. Naruto was like a lofty mountain that could crush Inari to death with little effort.

Even as his brother cried out in pain, Inari dropped to his knees, body quivering. "Servant Inari extends greetings… greetings to Elder Brother Naruto…"

His brother stood next to him, gaping in surprise. Covering his face with a hand, he blurted, "Brother, what did you call him? Elder Brother Naruto? Hahaha! So he's family! Ah, the girl must have caught his fancy too. Well, just give Naruto…"

"Shut up!" screamed Inari. He looked as if he were so scared he would drop dead. His body shook violently as his mind replayed all the things he'd heard about Naruto from the Outer Sect disciples. Utterly discomfited, he leaped to his feet and slapped his brother in the face again.

Choza watched on in amazement. He sucked in a breath, then looked numbly at Naruto. He had guessed that Naruto was an Immortal, but he'd never imagined that upon seeing him, the powerful Immortal from the Sarutobi clan would be so terrified that he would break out trembling.

It wasn't just him. The surrounding servants all watched on in a daze, their eyes filling with veneration as they looked at Naruto.

"Elder Brother Naruto…" said Inari, kneeling again, his eyes filled with intense fear.

His face somber, Naruto looked at Inari coldly, wordlessly.

Inari's heart thumped, and he clenched his jaw. He caught sight of his older brother standing next to him, and his eyes filled with rage. He didn't dare to complain to Naruto, so he decided to vent his anger on his brother.

He waved his right hand, and once again the finger-sized Flame Serpent appeared. It slammed into the Konohamaru, who immediately began to scream shrilly. He fell to the ground, rolling back and forth. Within moments, he had turned into a twitching, charred corpse.

"I beg Elder Brother Narutoto spare my life," said Inari, ignoring his brother, kneeling before Naruto and kowtowing over and over again.

"It seems you are reluctant to leave the mortal world behind," said Naruto coolly. "Therefore, from today on, you can set your mind at rest, and live as a mortal. He lifted a finger, and instantly, Inari's face went pale and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His dantian shattered, and his second-level Cultivation base was destroyed. He was no longer a Cultivator, but a mortal.

He staggered up, saluting Naruto with clasped hands. Then he turned and left in anguish, supported by his men. He gradually disappeared into the distance.

"I didn't discipline him well enough," said Naruto, not watching as Inari left. "He was my servant who ran away from the Sect. He caused trouble for you, uncle Choza." He bowed to Choza with cupped fists.

"No harm was done, all is well," said Choza, shaking his head. "My thanks to you, Immortal." He bent at the waist in a bow. His head was still spinning as he thought about the Immortal of the Sarutobi clan being Naruto's servant.

"No need for that, uncle Choza," smiled Naruto. "Fatty… Choji is my closest friend in the Sect. I came here in his place to visit, so of course I would not turn a blind eye to a situation such as this." He took a step back, cupping his fists again in salute. "I shall take my leave." He departed in a flash. Within a few steps, he was gone, leaving Choza looking a bit melancholy. He was thinking of his son. Then, he broke out in another smile, his eyes filling with pride and anticipation.

"My son has done well. He's an Immortal! I will go burn some incense in the ancestral hall. This matter has brought glory to our family and ancestors."

Naruto left Suna County. It was afternoon now, and his robe rippled in the autumn wind. The mountain wind grew stronger and stronger as he approached Mount Myōboku.

He stood on the same place on the mountaintop where he had stood in a daze three years before. Emotion filled his face. Three years had passed so quickly. His face was no longer young and naive. He had matured, but Mount Myōboku was the same as always. It would never change, nor would the great river which flowed ceaselessly beneath it.

Looking down at the river, Naruto thought of the gourd bottle he had thrown into it that year. He thought about how he had encountered elder sister Hinata, Fatty, Shikamaru and Neji.

Silently, he leaped into the air and onto a flying sword. He flew down the mountain to the fissure in the cliff. He entered.

It was exactly the same as it had been before. Naruto stood inside, looking around. That year, elder sister Hinata had been at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation. And now, he was a Cultivator of the seventh level. It was as if the three years had been a giant circle, with this as the starting point, and the ending point.

"But if the three years really were a circle, then perhaps returning here means that I've reached a new starting point…. It's like the sages said, if you don't take a first step, you will never know which direction the road leads." He closed his eyes for a while, then opened them.

"I've already taken my first new steps. That year, I lacked money, and now I lack Spirit Stones. It doesn't seem much has changed." Naruto shook his head, thinking about the scant amount of Spirit Stones in his bag of holding. He couldn't help but feel a bit of pain as he turned and left the cave. Atop his flying sword, he shot down in the direction of the river.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he lifted up his head. Up on Mount Myōboku, in the same position he had just been standing in, was a man wearing a golden-colored robe. He gazed down coldly at Naruto.

"So, you did come back here," he said in a sinister voice which seemed to make the setting sun grow even darker, leaving behind only his eyes, filled with murder and greed.

It was Gato!

The day the Sect had been dissolved, he was the first person to flee. After a few days had passed, he reappeared. After some asking around, he learned about the dissolution of the Sect, as well as how Patriarch Reliance had cast terror into the hearts of the entire Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation. So, covering his tracks, he left, deciding that it was time to go harvest some medicinal plants that he had planted in secret some time ago.

On the way, however, he had passed Mount Myōboku, which caused him to think about the time he had investigated Naruto. He knew that this was where Hinata had found him, so he decided to stick around for a few days in the hopes of encountering him.

Killing intent shone in Naruto's eyes. He was currently at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, so he was able to detect the levels of other Cultivators. Gato was at the ninth level. Although his Cultivation base was not complete, it was close. With luck, he would soon be able to successfully reach Foundation Establishment, which would make him one of the most powerful experts in the Five Elements Nation.

Naruto knew that he was no match for him, even if he had a lot of magical items on hand. Right now, though, his bag of holding had not been replenished, and he had almost no Spirit Stones. It was not a good time to fight.

Without a word, he shot off into the distance, his body turning into a blur. As he sped off, Gato gave off a cold laugh. Within the Sect, he had feared Grand Elder Jiraiya, and hadn't dared to make a move against an Inner Sect disciple. But that was in the past. His desire to kill Naruto and take his treasures burned brightly. His body flashed, and a talisman appeared in front of him. It picked him up, and he shot in pursuit of Naruto.

"This time, there's no special promotion training! How can you escape my hands?!" A sinister smile covered Gato's face. He was determined to succeed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thunder rolled out in the evening sky. Rosy clouds drifted about, and the autumn wind rustled, picking up the fallen leaves and sending them floating. It should have been a beautiful, rainy autumn evening, but the peacefulness was interrupted by two figures who occasionally dropped to the ground, but then immediately shot back up into the air. They soared along, engaged in a life-and-death pursuit.

Naruto was in front, his eyes glistening. After reaching the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, he could maintain top speed on his flying sword for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn. At that rate, he could not shake off Gato.

After some time passed, he was forced to drop to the ground, run as fast as possible for a while, and then resume gliding.

Gato pursued him doggedly. He knew that he couldn't let him escape; if he did, Naruto could easily hide somewhere in the massive Five Elements Nation, and that would be very troublesome.

At the moment, he was extremely confident. A critical juncture had arrived. He knew that Naruto possessed some treasured item. He wasn't exactly sure what it did, but he was determined to acquire it.

"Naruto, you can't escape me! My aim has always been the Southern Domain. The only reason I haven't ascended to the Foundation Establishment stage yet is because I didn't want to. You're like an ant to me! You will be my stepping stone into Foundation Establishment!" Gato was of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Even though he was very close to breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his level of power was still far from that level. That having been said, even though Naruto was in the same stage as him, their Cultivation bases were still two levels apart. This meant that not only was Gato faster, but because of his status as an Elder in the Reliance Sect, he'd had access to higher level magical items.

The talisman whistled through the air, propelling him forward with extraordinary power. He flicked his wide sleeve, snapping a jade slip. A green mist shot out, which coagulated into a green bottle, about half the height of an average person. It shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered and he slapped his bag of holding. Ten flying swords appeared, shooting toward the magical bottle. As soon as they collided, the ten flying swords exploded into pieces, which mushroomed out in all directions. The bottle shattered, but Gato simply increased his speed and leaped over the cloud, intent on decreasing the distance between him and Naruto.

At that moment, Naruto suddenly turned, his hands flickering in incantation patterns. Wind Blades appeared, three of them. However, they didn't shoot toward Gato, but instead flew in circular patterns, faster and faster, creating a gravitational force which pulled in the shattered remnants of his flying swords. Soon, they had formed a spinning vortex.

A booming sound rang out, but Naruto didn't look back. The vortex behind Gato suddenly exploded, sending shrapnel shooting out. Gato was knocked forward, shredding much of his clothing. His eyes burned with fury.

"So you've reached the seventh level of Chakra Condensation!" Gato glared as Naruto sped off into the distance. He continued his pursuit, albeit more cautiously. He knew that Naruto was incredibly crafty, and could not be underestimated. He must use all his power.

When he thought about the technique Naruto had just used, gathering the fragmented pieces of the swords together, Gato was a bit taken aback. If Naruto's Cultivation base were higher, then the attack just now, while it might not have killed him, would have seriously injured him.

"He's so young, yet so sinister. Exploding the swords was just a diversion. Dammit!" He increased his speed, turning into a ray of light as he pursued Naruto.

Two people shot through the evening as the sky grew dark. The bright moon looked down, its gaze illuminating them.

Naruto's face was grim. He consumed some Demonic Cores. Even though the North Sea had shown him the Dao, and he had broken through to the next level, his current situation did not bode well. He was at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, but had no way to lose his pursuer. He was in somewhat of a crisis.

"There will come a day when I will slay this man!" thought Naruto. As he considered the inexplicable enmity between them, he came to the realisation that it was all because of his opponent's greed. Over and over again. It was extremely annoying.

Looking back at Gato, Naruto gritted his teeth. As his flying sword sputtered out of power, he leaped to the ground, racing toward the wild mountains. He was heading, not toward the Reliance Sect, but rather the east of Mount Myōboku, where a chain of mountains rose and fell off toward the flatlands and the capital city of the Five Elements Nation.

The mountains here were numerous, even more so than the regions around the Reliance Sect. This mountain chain was the largest in the Five Elements Nation, and had come to be known as the State Shield Mountain range. From a distance, you couldn't see past them, and in the night, they rose up like the undulating spine of a slumbering dragon, emanating a lofty air.

Naruto lowered his head, speeding deep into the State Shield Mountains. This was not the first time he had fled for his life in the past three years. From his experience that year on the black mountain, Naruto knew how to seize opportunities. He flew as fast as he could, heading deeper and deeper into the mountains.

Gato did not slow in his pursuit. No matter where Naruto went, he would follow. His mind was set; he would kill Naruto and take his treasures. And yet he knew he didn't have much time. The medicinal plant that he had been growing was ripe and ready to be harvested. If he was too slow, it would wither, which would wreck his future plans.

In his estimation, it should take more than one or two days to take care of Naruto. That much of a delay was acceptable. So without hesitation, he continued into the barren mountains in pursuit.

About five hundred kilometers away from the point where Naruto and Gato entered the Five Elements Nation's State Shield Mountains, there arose a lofty mountain.

The mountain's peak pierced the clouds, and was visible from a vast distance away. Everything from halfway up the mountain all the way to its peak was covered with white snow. It was huge, much bigger than any of the surrounding mountains, and its very top seemed to emanate rays of light that covered the mountain like flowing water.

Next to this mountain was another mountain, whose top appeared to have been sliced off, forming a round, plateau-like platform. Assembled on the platform were nearly a hundred Cultivators wearing long, white robes.

They were young, the youngest of the group being eleven or twelve years old, the oldest, seventeen or eighteen. There were boys and girls, and all of them wore expressions of keen anticipation. Some of them seemed to be keeping their Cultivation base concealed, and their faces looked proud and unyielding.

Some of the group were at the seventh or eighth level of Chakra Condensation, and a few were even at the ninth. The weakest were at the fifth or sixth levels. There was no Sect in the Five Elements Nation who had disciples like this. Clearly, whoever had gathered this group of youths was a major Sect from the Southern Domain.

Their clothing was all uniform, and they radiated an imposing air, as if they had the power to affect everything around them. Some of them had outstanding latent talent, and all of them were filled with vigor. Clearly, they belonged in the Cultivation world.

"These are some of my Outer Sect disciples," said a voice with a complacent laugh. "What do you think, Hiruko?" At the front of the group, near the edge of the platform, two old men sat cross-legged, a Go board spread out between them. The person who had laughed was one of these old men. He had white hair, wore a white robe, and had the demeanor of a transcendent being.

His eyes flashed like lightning and were filled with pride. He continued to laugh.

Sitting across from him was Hiruko, wearing a long black robe that seemed to shimmer with iridescence. His long gray hair hung in disarray, and he wore an enigmatic smile on his face.

"Excellent, excellent. Your Violet Fate Sect is definitely worthy to be called one of the five Great Sects of the Southern Domain. There are clearly some promising subjects among your Outer Sect Disciples, Tazuna." Hiruko smiled, and a cold wind seemed to spring up. The onlooking disciples' minds seemed to shiver.

"Very well, let us carry out our wager," said the white-robed man with a smile, his eyes flashing. His hand made a snatching motion, and suddenly a large stone appeared, about the size of a human head. It slammed down onto the ground next to him.

It was dark and opaque, and yet a black glow could be seen flickering inside it. A multitude of flickering twinkles could be seen within, as if it were composed of a vast number of gems.

"This is what I'm putting up, a Heaven Crystal!" The white-robed man's eyes sparkled as he looked at Hiruko.

"No problem," said Hiruko, flicking his sleeve. "This is the Star Fragment you've had your eye on." A large lump of iron appeared, about the size of a fist. It emanated a black glow, as if it could swallow up everything in sight. It was clearly anything but ordinary. "See the flag on the peak of the mountain? If your disciples can topple that flag, then you win. But, if your Violet Fate Sect disciples aren't skilled enough to ascend the mountain, then your Heaven Crystal is mine." He laughed contentedly.

"Fear not," said the white-robed man with a confident sneer. "My disciples can definitely snap your paltry flagpole. They will also clear the mountain of all its treasures and slay all the Demonic beasts you've raised. Don't go back on your word when that happens!"

"I have roamed heaven and earth for four hundred years and have never gone back on my word. Yes, I have filled this mountain with many treasures and Spirit Stones, as well as numerous unique Spirit beasts that I have carefully raised. But mark my words, once the mountain is opened, anyone under the Foundation Establishment stage can enter, for seven days. This includes your Violet Fate Sect disciples, as well as disciples of any other Sect. Anyone!

"Anyone with skill can acquire the treasures. Even if someone comes along who can clear them all out, I won't even so much as frown, let alone go back on my word. If I do, then my name isn't Hiruko!" Hiruko spoke all these words with head held high, looking unyielding, his voice decisive.

"However, anyone without skill who does not acquire treasures, and cannot ascend to the top of the mountain, will become food for my Spirit beasts. This is simply their destiny." Having said this, his smile grew even colder, and his eyes filled with a sneer.

"All of my Violet Fate Sect disciples are outstanding among their peers," said Tazuna with a glare, his voice booming out. "Clearing out your mountain will be as easy for them as turning over a hand."

"For a hundred kilometres surrounding my treasure mountain, Spirit Beasts roam freely. I've fertilized the land with soil from the bottom of the Eastern Sea, which hasn't seen the light of day for ten thousand years. I even transported the top of Mount Shumisen from the Southern Domain to be this mountain's highest peak, spending an entire sixty-year cycle refining it and assimilating it into mountain. There is nothing like it in the world. Each Spirit beast here is an exquisite specimen personally acquired by myself. They are fiendish and unusual, Mutated beasts that I painstakingly collected from everywhere under heaven! I think the hundred or so disciples you have brought are not enough food for my Spirit beasts!" Hiruko glared, slowly rubbing his beard.

"My Violet Fate Sect is one of the great sects of the Southern Domain. These may be just Outer Sect disciples, but even to enter the Sect, each and every one of them passed nine difficult tests. Every month, they immerse their bodies in a Spirit Spring. They possess inexhaustible amounts of precious materials. All of them have extraordinary latent talent, rarely seen in any Sect.

"These disciples could flatten your crappy mountain with the wave of a hand. As for your Demonic creatures, they aren't even fit to be eaten by my disciples. They're not Mutated beasts they're Mutt beasts!" Tazuna glared with wide eyes. The disciples behind him lowered their heads in embarrassment, glancing at Hiruko.

Hiruko stared for a moment, surprised. He flicked his sleeve and was about to say something when Tazuna suddenly leaped up and turned to face his disciples.

"Violet Fate Sect Disciples!" he roared. "This might be your first time to venture outside of the Sect, but this mountain, where life and death is predestined, is a promotion training ground for the Inner Sect. Anyone who steps onto the mountain and reaches the halfway point shall be remembered. Anyone who reaches the mountain top, even more so. And whoever manages to snap that crappy flagpole will be my personal apprentice, and receive immediate promotion into the Violet Fate Inner Sect! What are you gaping for?! Get moving!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the white-robed disciples filled with inspiration and their eyes shined. This was their first time outside of the Sect. Some thirsted to become a member of the Inner Sect, others desired to acquire treasures. According to the rumors they had heard in the Sect, vast amounts of Spirit Stones, medicinal pills, and magical items were hidden in this Five Elements Nation treasure mountain.

Nearly a hundred bodies flashed toward the mountain, a shocking sight.

The peak of the mountain was extremely high, and the mountain itself was surrounded by forest.

Almost immediately, thunderous noises arose from within the trees. The roars of the wild beasts shattered the quietness of the still night.

Two hours passed in which miserable shrieks continuously rang out from Demon Beast Forest, especially the border regions. Suddenly, seven or eight Violet Fate Sect disciples fled out from the forest, their faces filled with fear. They were being pursued by three mighty beasts who had the heads of dragons and the bodies of tigers. The ground shook beneath their feet as they charged forth.

The life force of these three beasts seemed boundless, their might extraordinary. Their fur was long and thick, causing them to look completely different from the average Demonic beast, savage and fierce to the extreme. When they breathed, their auras transformed into Mist Serpents which coiled around their bodies, leaving the inexperienced, novice disciples frightened to death. Their faces paled, and they ran away at top speed.

Once they stepped foot outside the trees, the Demonic beasts ceased their pursuit. They glared viciously at the seven or eight disciples, then turned and disappeared back into the forest.

On the flat plateau, Hiruko laughed heartily. "Look, Tazuna, these are the Spirit beasts I have raised. What do you think? Even if your disciples grew up inside a Spirit Spring, it wouldn't do any good. Forget about the even more powerful Spirit Beasts on the treasure mountain, your Violet Fate Sect disciples can't even get past the Spirit Beast Forest!"

Tazuna sat there in his white robe, an unpleasant look on his face. He stared angrily at the seven or eight Cultivators. And yet, his tone of voice was as arrogant as always as he calmly said: "Those disciples are merely at the fifth or sixth level of Chakra Condensation. The truly Chosen in my Sect are all still in the forest. It won't be long before they step foot onto your crappy mountain, then they will clear out all the junk you have hidden there!"

Time passed by, another two hours…

So far, no one had been able to get past the Demonic Beast Forest to step foot onto the mountain itself. Currently, miserable shrieks and wails drifted out from the trees, and before long, a commotion broke out at the edge of the forest as ten or more Violet Fate Sect disciples fled out in terror. Dread filled their faces, and some of them were injured. This was their first time outside of the Sect, and they were like flowers grown indoors who had never faced wind and rain. They were being pursued by a group of five howling Demonic beasts; one was a fierce, pitch-black tiger. Another was a giant peacock, nearly six meters tall. The rest were hard to identify, but were clearly out of the ordinary.

On the plateau, Hiruko once again let out a complacent laugh. He appeared to be in very high spirits. He grew even happier when he saw Tazuna's increasingly somber face.

"Tazuna, are these really the most outstanding disciples in your Violet Fate Sect? It seems that being raised inside a Spirit Spring really doesn't cut it. I'm afraid that even if they ate meals made from precious materials, it still wouldn't do them any good. My treasure mountain is filled with unusual items rarely seen in the Southern Domain. I've spent all my energy in the past years on this project. After years of allowing my creatures to grow in strength, my mountain is ready. I've been waiting for quite some time for your Violet Fate Sect to come for this trial by fire."

Tazuna's face grew so grim that it seemed it might explode at any moment, like a volcano. In a stiff voice, he said, "It's just a crappy mountain, nothing worth bragging about. I could level the whole thing with the wave of a hand. All the disciples that have come back out are useless. The true Chosen ones are…" Even as the words came out of his mouth, his eyes suddenly widened. A handful of disciples had just come running out of the edge of the Demonic Forest. He leaped to his feet. With a roar, he said, "Get back in there! If anyone dares to run away, I shall expel you from the Sect!"

His roar reverberated across the land, but not very far. He limited it to a radius of about fifty kilometers. When they heard it, the disciples who had just fled out of the forest grew pale and began to tremble. They didn't dare to flee. Gritting their teeth, they turned and headed back. The Demonic beasts that had been pursuing them were also frightened, and dared not attack.

As for the twenty or more disciples who had already fled the Demonic Forest, their faces grew even paler, and they hesitated. They weren't sure if they should go back in or not.

"Be it the Violet Fate Sect's disciples, or another Sect's disciple, during these seven days, anyone can enter my Spirit Beast Forest," said Hiruko with a hearty laugh. "Anyone with the skill to step foot on my treasure mountain can have the chance to take away the treasures. I will neither stop them, nor even frown. Even the flag on the mountain peak is fair game. There I have placed a bag of the Cosmos, which can hold mountains and rivers inside.

Upon hearing his laughter, Tazuna's face grew more unsightly. He was beginning to feel that this Hiruko was too spiteful. He had filled the mountain with treasures, and seemed to have complete confidence that they wouldn't be touched. Tazuna flicked his sleeve and made to leave. He had already suffered too much humiliation, and would not stand for any more. But before he could go, Hiruko stood and blocked his way.

"Fellow Daoist Tazuna, we had an arrangement. Before we finish our game of Go, neither of us may leave. You're an Elder from one of the Great Sects of the Southern Domain. You're not going to go back on your word, are you?" As he laughed, his beard floated up a bit. His face was filled with utter pride, and it seemed he had no intention of letting Tazuna leave.

At that moment, Naruto was several thousand kilometres away, flying quickly through the mountain forest. Around him, autumn leaves floated in the air, and behind him, Gato was in hot pursuit, killing intent radiating out from him.

"This State Shield Mountain range goes on forever, Naruto," said Gato, his voice sinister. "Its depths are filled with miasma! Going in this direction is the same as picking the road to death!"

"Pipe down," said Naruto coldly. He frowned. It was the first thing he had said this entire time. He was really getting annoyed with Gato. As far as he was concerned, it was fine if he wanted to chase him, but the ceaseless chatter was unnecessary.

Gato's eyes glittered and he lifted up his hands in front of him, then slapped them together.

Naruto suddenly felt a stab of pain in his chest that coincided with the slapping sound. It felt as if a sharp sword were slicing through into his heart. His face filled with pain and he coughed up a spray of blood.

"You finally speak, whelp! You fell for my trick! That was a special magic from my family that is designed to damage the heart and blood vessels." With a sinister smile, he increased his speed. He lifted his right hand, and a five-colored pearl appeared. He flung it forward, and it shot toward Naruto. Before it reached him, it suddenly exploded, transforming into several five-colored streams of mist which then merged into the shape of a hideous evil spirit. It howled as it pounced toward Naruto.

Naruto looked back with a grim expression. Having no time even to spit the blood from his mouth, his hands flickered in incantation gestures, and his body sped forward with increased speed. As the five-colored Mist Spirit approached, a head-sized Water Globe formed in his left hand. From his right had emerged a roaring Flame Python thirty meters in length. The Water Globe shot forth first, exploding to form a rain of Water Arrows.

The Flame Python flew forward, then exploded in mid-air, sending scorching heat roiling out into the night air. This caused the water droplets to transform into a mist. Guided by the aura from Naruto's Cultivation base, it surrounded the area, sending the five-colored Mist Spirit into confusion. It no longer could identify Naruto's position.

Even Gato's vision was obscured, leaving him shocked. As soon as the mist appeared, before he had a chance to recover from his surprise, two cold, noiseless beams shot toward him.

A booming sound rang out, and Naruto let out a light sigh. Without hesitation, he changed his direction and kept moving forward, swallowing a Demonic Core to replenish himself. Behind him, a furious roar could be heard, and the fog was instantly dispersed by a sweeping whirlwind. Gato moved forward, an angry look on his face, blood dripping from a wound on his right hand. The Mist Spirit was nowhere in sight.

As he thought back to what had just happened, his eyes narrowed. Were it not for his quick reaction in detonating the Mist Spirit to block the two wooden swords, he would have lost his right hand. Even still, his hand had been cut open. Even more alarming, he felt the spiritual energy within his body slowly leaking out through the wound. Furthermore, the wound was not healing as fast as normal. He could stop the flow of blood, but not the leakage of spiritual energy.

"This swine is just too crafty. He has some low-level techniques, but he uses them in a multitude of tricky ways. It's really difficult to deal with!" Gato frowned, but he continued on with his dogged pursuit.

The two of them moved on, and time passed. Before long, dawn had arrived. After a night of chasing and fleeing, both of them were exhausted. As for Naruto, he had it a bit better off. Even though he did not have any chance to rest, he had experienced this sort of pursuit in the black mountain. The only difference was that sadly, these wild mountains didn't seem to contain any Demonic beasts. If they did, then it would have been a bit easier to deal with Gato.

As for Gato, this was his first time dealing with a Cultivator like Naruto, who released an endless stream of tricky methods. The two wooden swords were especially astonishing; he had originally planned to chase Naruto until his spiritual energy ran out. Instead, he seemed to be as lively and full of energy as a dragon or tiger. Did he have an infinite supply of medicinal pills?

"If he's this difficult to deal with at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, how terrible would he be at a higher level?" Gato clenched his jaw, swallowed a medicinal pill, then continued in his pursuit. He was of the ninth level of the Chakra Condensation stage, the same stage as Naruto. Despite his slightly superior speed, he could still do little more than chase.

Of course, he didn't know that even though Naruto was at the seventh level, his Cultivation method was not the ordinary method used in the Reliance Sect, but rather that of the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Even though Naruto had not studied any special texts related to attack techniques, in matters related to spiritual energy, he could persist for much longer periods of time than the average Cultivator.

With the added help of some Demonic Cores, then there was no way that Gato could catch him in any short period of time.

By the time dawn broke, the two of them had travelled a very long distance. In front of Naruto appeared an incredibly high mountain, its peak stretching up into the skies, its top half wreathed in snow. At a single glance, one could tell that this was not an ordinary place.

* * *

As soon as he caught sight of the mountain ahead of him, Naruto's eyes began to shine. It was clearly beyond the ordinary, and perhaps even contained some Demonic beasts. In any case, he didn't have much time to think about it. His body flashed as he shot directly toward the mountainous forest which lay at its foot.

Behind him, Gato's expression changed. His Cultivation base was higher than Naruto's; he had tread the Cultivation world for many years, and had seen many things. He could tell that something was fishy about this mountain. But as he saw Naruto charge forward, he put aside his doubts, gritted his teeth, and followed.

Meanwhile on the plateau, white-robed Tazuna and Hiruko sat, seemingly playing Go, but in reality focused on the fighting going on below them. From their vantage point, it was clear that the Violet Fate Sect disciples were stuck in the mountain forest, and after an entire night, could not step foot onto the mountain. One by one, they were rebuffed by the Demonic beasts.

"The Violet Fate Sect disciples truly are beyond ordinary," said Hiruko, laughing. "To be able to stay in the Spirit Beast forest for an entire night is excellent. Tazuna, you really should be proud." He looked extremely complacent, and even happier when he saw the dark look on Tazuna's face.

Tazuna's face sank even deeper as he saw the sorry state of his disciples within the forest. He let out a cold harrumph.

"Tazuna, you should really proud. Last time the Golden Frost Sect came to me to engage in trial by fire, they were all defeated by my Spirit beasts. Not a single one could make it to my treasure mountain to see the truly powerful Spirit beasts. I felt really sad about that. I really hope that your Violet Fate Sect disciples can make a good showing. This Spirit forest is filled with Spirit beasts that I meticulously selected. For example, that one." He proudly pointed a finger toward a white-colored ape.

Its entire body, even its eyes, were as white as snow, and its appearance was incredibly fierce. With a single swipe of its claws, it slashed the arm of one of the Violet Fate Sect disciples, sending blood spraying everywhere. It moved with incredible speed, like a white wind. It had already injured about seven or eight surrounding Violet Fate Sect disciples.

"That is a Snow Peak Mutated beast, rarely seen in the world. I got my hands on it about ten years ago. It's extremely rare. Look at its fur, as pure white as snow and as smooth as silk. I should be able to sell it for a hefty price one day." Hiruko laughed, pleased with himself. White-robed Tazuna looked even more grim. He'd never imagined that after all these years, Hiruko's treasure mountain would have so many powerful Demonic beasts.

Even as Hiruko spoke, a figure appeared near the edge of the forest near the white ape. It was Naruto, with Gato hot on his tail. Hiruko laughed.

"So, some outsiders have decided to intrude. Tazuna, please observe what it means to keep one's promise. I will not prevent any Cultivator of the Chakra Condensation stage from entering this area. Anyone can enter. Although they will surely die, I will not block them."

Tazuna let out a cold snort, not paying the least bit of attention to Naruto and Gato. Instead, he stared at the white ape, which had just encountered another Violet Fate Sect disciple. He appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. His hands flickered in incantation patterns, and suddenly the image of an ancient scroll unfurled behind him. An aura billowed out, pushing down onto the white ape. It shrieked.

"A fine Mutated ape," said Tazuna "Hiruko, no matter how incredible that beast is, it's going to become my disciple's pet! His name is Gennai. Upon entering the Sect, he acquired that ancient scroll, which at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, can capture Demonic beasts." Inside, Tazuna's heart pounded, but his expression was cool and indifferent, somewhat proud. Considering his status and Cultivation base, he shouldn't allow such an expression onto his face. But Hiruko made it impossible for him to hold back, especially after the humiliation of the previous night.

However, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, a piteous wail could be heard. Blood showered from Gennai's chest, and his ancient scroll collapsed into pieces. He retreated backwards, fear in his eyes. The white ape's body began to expand, until it was nearly eighteen meters tall. It beat its chest, seeming to brim with power.

Hiruko laughed loudly. Tazuna stared at the white ape, his face twisted, fighting the impulse to charge forward and crush the thing to death.

It was at that moment that Naruto shot out of the forest. As soon as he caught sight of the roaring ape, his eyes glittered brightly. He also saw the frightened young man off in the distance, but didn't have time to consider the situation.

With people present, Naruto wouldn't reveal the copper mirror. His eyes flashed as the white ape took notice of him. The beast charged him, howling ferociously. Naruto lifted his right hand, and suddenly an iron spear appeared, the one Fatty's father had created according to his specifications. The young Cultivator named Gennai watched as the spear appeared.

Of course, in addition to the long spear, the copper mirror also emerged, concealed within Naruto's sleeve. The sleeve was so wide that any observers would not be able to see it, especially considering how their eyes would be drawn to the long spear.

The spear was made of common iron, but its surface was covered with various complicated designs, all of which Naruto had designed. At a glance, it appeared to be extraordinary in nature. Brandishing the spear, he moved forward, pointing it toward the charging ape.

Suddenly, the white ape's large mouth exploded violently, blood and flesh flying around. Wretched screams immediately sounded out. The ape fell down onto the ground, looking at Naruto in astonishment.

"Perhaps when the mirror shines onto a beast with lots of fur, it causes some kind of disorder in the Chakra within its body, making it swell. Demonic beasts are even bigger and stronger, so it will attempt to escape from any weak point in the body, not just the rear end, thus leading to these explosive injuries." Of course, all of this was just speculation, but Naruto seemed to understand the mirror a bit better after seeing what happened to the white ape. After having the copper mirror for three years, he felt this was pretty close to the truth.

Now was not the time for contemplation, however. Not giving the miserable white ape another glance, he shot off with the iron spear in hand. He was gone in an instant. Just then, Gato arrived. He looked at the white ape in shock.

The white ape was also surprised. And then it noticed that Gato also happened to be carrying a spear, and its fury exploded. It pounced toward Gato.

Back on the plateau, Hiruko's laughter had ceased. Next to him, Tazuna also watched on in surprise. They stared at Naruto and his iron spear, their eyes filled with amazement.

Naruto sped through the Demonic Beast forest, listening to the howls of the white ape and the roars of Gato. His eyes flickered, and he harrumphed coldly. Not too much time passed before he heard another commotion coming from up ahead. Soon, he saw four or five Cultivators wearing white robes, engaged in vicious combat with three Demonic beasts, each of them six meters tall.

One was a large black tiger, the other was a peacock whose body emanated a glowing, violet light. The last was an enormous giant rat, fierce and cruel in appearance, seemingly unable to be killed.

As soon as Naruto appeared in the midst of the fight, a vicious light appeared in the peacock's eyes, and it charged like an insane gale, straight toward Naruto.

Looking as calm as ever, Naruto kept moving forward, pointing the iron spear forward. Suddenly, the giant peacock's body trembled, and it shrieked miserably. Then, its head exploded, and it fell to the ground, dead, surrounded by blood and gore. The black tiger and the giant rat were shocked. As they stared dumbly, Naruto's body turned into a streak of light, and he shot off into the distance.

As for the Violet Fate Sect disciples, they watched, dumbfounded, as Naruto disappeared. His iron spear had left them awestruck.

Not pausing for even a moment, Naruto continued on. At this moment, Gato had resumed his furious pursuit.

A grim smile appeared on Naruto's face. He increased his speed, charging forward. Every time he encountered a Demonic beast, he would wave his spear at it, and it would retreat, crying out miserably. Not a single beast could block his path. In contrast, Gato was blocked at every turn. His enraged roars sounded further and further away from Naruto.

Naruto also encountered more and more young, white-robed Cultivators along his way, all of them locked in deadly battles with Demonic beasts. As he passed, he would cause these seemingly unmatchable, fierce creatures to flinch back with blood-curdling screams. The Cultivators would look at Naruto's retreating figure with awe.

"Who was that?"

"That long spear is some kind of magical item! It's so powerful!"

"How vicious! Dammit, if I had a spear like that, I could run amok through this Demonic Beast Forest."

Conversation buzzed among the Violet Fate Sect disciples, caused by Naruto's shocking passage. On top of the plateau, Tazuna's eyes glittered, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His laughter rang out, filled with joy as well as a pleased anger.

"So these are Mutated beasts," he said. "Excellent, excellent. They are all amazing beasts. Let me have a look. Hmm, some are missing eyes, others have had their heads ripped off. There are some whose entire bodies are covered with blood. One even had its butt exploded. Hiruko, didn't you say that this Demonic Beast Forest was fertilized with soil from the East Sea? And didn't you say that these Mutated beasts were all amazing? It seems they are having a bit of a rough time today."

An unsightly expression filled Hiruko's face as he watched Naruto make his way through the Demonic Creature Forest. He watched all his precious Demonic beasts retreating with blood-curdling cries, covered with blood. When he saw the death of the peacock, his heart felt as if it had been stabbed with a knife. This type of peacock was called a Snow Phoenix and was extremely rare. He had paid quite an exorbitant price for it several years ago, and had cared for it like a treasured jewel. And yet the iron spear had exploded its head in an instant. Even though it was dead, its powerful life force caused the corpse to twitch and writhe. Hiruko felt extreme regret, but his eyes shone forth with an air of indifference.

"Who cares?" he said. "There are a multitude of Spirit beasts in my Spirit Beast Forest. There's no harm in it. In any case, this kid isn't one of your Violet Fate Sect disciples, so what are you looking so happy for?!" He spoke in a light tone, but inside, his heart was beginning to pound.

* * *

"Even though this kid isn't a disciple of my Violet Fate Sect, you said anyone could enter this area. Seeing him run wild in your crappy mountain forest makes me feel good. I'm happy, so what?" Tazuna laughed, obviously feeling quite pleased. He had been reigning himself in all night, and now he knew that even though Hiruko spoke casually, he was hiding his discomfiture. Feeling quite pleasant, Tazuna looked down below at Naruto.

"That magic item of his can really dominate the Spirit Beasts," said Hiruko. "His Cultivation base is low, though. He won't be able to make it out of the Spirit Beast Forest. This forest is planted with trees I harvested from all the lands of Ninshu. It is watered with Spirit Water from the Milky Way Sea. Not only do the trees grow tall and strong, but they emit spiritual energy which the Spirit beasts can assimilate through breathing exercises. In my Spirit Beast Forest, there is also…" His voice came to a sudden, screeching stop.

Naruto shot forward, attracting the attention of the surrounding Demonic beasts. He was nearing the foot of the Spirit mountain; it was several hundred meters away. He was about to enter the region that none of the Violet Fate disciples had made it to.

Even though Naruto didn't know why this area had so many white-robed disciples, he could sense that there was something odd going on. But with Gato on his tail, there wasn't much time to think about it. He continued to move forward through the forest. Suddenly, an enormous Demonic beast, nearly twelve meters tall, burst out in front of him.

It was a gigantic woolly mammoth, with red eyes and sharp, gleaming tusks. Its body was like a small mountain, and the earth shook as it charged with shocking power.

"The kid is dead this time," Hiruko said casually. "This is my Mutated mammoth, which I captured in the Life-wasting Cave, one of the most dangerous places in the Southern Domain. I raised it with medicinal pills, and it is one of the three most powerful Spirit beasts protecting this area. It has limitless power and incredibly thick skin. Ordinary flying swords can't even scratch it. It is also proficient in a variety of magic techniques. Even someone of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation would have trouble dealing with it. It can stop anyone under the Foundation Establishment stage." Hiruko's eyes had almost popped out of his head when he saw Naruto about to make it out of the Beast Forest. But now, he let out a sigh of relief.

Tazuna stopped smiling for the moment. He could see that this mammoth was no ordinary creature. The Violet Fate Sect didn't possess many Mutated beasts, but after hearing Hiruko blather on about it, he couldn't help but frown and mutter to himself that the man really was strange. He didn't care much at all for Cultivation, but loved seeking out Demonic beasts to raise, especially ones as strange as this.

Then, Tazuna's eyes began to shine. Hiruko's expression suddenly changed, and he shot to his feet, a horrified expression on his face.

Within the Demonic Forest, the Demonic mammoth charged at Naruto. Naruto took in a deep breath and retreated a bit, groaning inwardly about how many Demonic beasts were in this place. He raised the iron spear and pointed it. The charging Demonic mammoth stopped and began to quiver, then suddenly, its trunk exploded with a bang. Half of it flew through the air to land onto a nearby tree, which collapsed under its weight.

Enraged with pain, the mammoth continued to charge. Naruto waved his spear, and a boom sounded out. The mammoth's back exploded, then its mouth. Finally, its right front leg completely shattered, and it fell to the ground, skidding to a halt some distance away.

Horrific shrieks filled the Beast Forest. Naruto looked a bit pale-faced. He glanced around, then charged forward, leaving the Demonic Forest behind and entering the treasure mountain.

Some distance behind, Gato was in a tight spot, unable to free himself from the surrounding, red-eyed Demonic beasts. He could only watch as Naruto disappeared, his fury billowing up to the heavens.

Naruto left the forest, leaving behind a long trail of blood, as well as the miserable cries of the various Demonic beasts. It looked like some kind of Judgement day had just passed. The white-robed disciples stared in shock, panting and murmuring about the viciousness.

Naruto continued on up the treasure mountain, hoping that if he could pass over it, maybe he could finally shake off Gato. He moved forward at rapid speed, and soon reached the foot of the mountain. As soon as he stepped foot onto it, he suddenly stopped and stared in astonishment. Up ahead, lying beneath a boulder, was a pill bottle.

Multicolored strands of light wafted about it; it was clearly not an ordinary item. Naruto picked it up and opened it. Immediately, a fragrant medicinal smell wafted out. Inside was a medicinal pill the size of a thumb!

Looking shaken, Naruto placed the bottle into his bag of holding. Now he knew what all the white-robed disciples were doing in the area; they were trying to reach this mountain.

"That's a Universe Spirit Pill, extremely useful to anyone in the Chakra Condensation stage." Tazuna laughed as he looked at the trail Naruto had left through the Demonic Forest.

Next to him, Hiruko had an extremely unsightly expression on his face. And yet, he let out a cold laugh. "My treasure mountain has many medicinal pills and Spirit Stones in it. This kid can grab a medicinal pill, but if he thinks he can reach the top, he's dreaming. The Spirit Beasts on my treasure mountain are one in a million. Only the best of the best have the requisite latent talent to be placed on the mountain itself." He spoke as lightly as ever, and yet the pain in his heart grew more and more intense.

"Look there," said Hiruko, pointing at a Demonic beast that rose up ahead of Naruto. "That is a fierce beast which I raised myself. It has the body of a deer and the head of a python. It is extremely fast, and if it's injured, becomes even fiercer. It will never stop fighting until it dies, and once it catches the scent of blood, it goes crazy. A Chakra Condensation Cultivator who faces it will surely perish."

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, miserable shrieks drifted down the side of the mountain. Upon seeing all the blood, Hiruko appeared as if he might begin to go crazy. The Demonic beast which would never give up until dying gaped in astonishment, then fled at top speed. Its tail was destroyed and an eye was badly mangled. Worst of all, it only had two legs left. And yet, it still moved quickly, just as Hiruko had said. It fled at top speed.

Naruto continued forward. Having passed through another Demonic beast's territory, he now encountered a pile of several hundred Spirit Stones. Looking excited, he continued on up the mountain.

Contented laughter rang out from Tazuna's mouth. In fact, you could say that from Naruto's appearance until now, he hadn't stopped laughing.

"Wow, it really could move fast. Wouldn't give up until it died!"

"No matter, no matter. There are many treasures on the mountain, this kid can grab some, but he won't be able to leave with them. After all, he has to come back down the mountain to do that." The words 'no matter' left his lips, and he looked calm, but he pulled out a Concentration Pill from his bag and put it into his mouth. A crazed look had appeared in his eyes, and he felt a dark premonition in his heart.

An hour later …

Naruto had already reached the halfway point up the mountain. The entire time, no matter what Demonic beast came his way, he would send it away screaming. There were a few dangerous situations, but with a wave and point of his iron spear, the danger would melt away. Then, heart beating, he would collect up Spirit Stones, medicinal pills, and magical items.

To Naruto, this entire mountain was a treasure trove. Right now, he was retrieving a scroll painting from behind a big boulder. It emanated a gentle glow along with abundant spiritual energy. It was clearly extraordinary.

Excited, he put it into his bag of holding.

Below him in the Demonic forest, more than a few Violet Fate Sect disciples lifted their heads up and caught sight of him, leaving them shocked.

As Hiruko watched all of this happening, his face grew darker and darker, and his body began to tremble. He stared at Naruto's bag of holding, inside of which were his Spirit Stones, medicinal pills, and magical treasures; especially the scroll painting. His heart hurt.

The scroll painting was a treasure he had acquired many years ago. Sealed within were the spirits of quite a few beasts. When his most beloved Demonic beast of all had died some years ago, he had sealed it within. And now, Naruto had taken it. Hiruko's body shook even more violently, so he produced two more Concentration Pills and swallowed them down.

He still struggled to maintain an unconcerned expression, but the ringing sound of Tazuna's laughter continued to pierce his eardrums.

"My treasure mountain has many treasures," he forced himself to say. "So what if a few of them get taken? He will not be able to escape the mountain. I've carefully collected these Spirit beasts from everywhere in the world. There are too many, he won't be able to escape them easily."

Two hours later…

Naruto had almost reached the snowy area past the mountain's halfway point. He wore an excited expression as he sped forward with even greater speed. Down in the Demonic forest, more than half of the Violet Fate Sect disciples engaged in this trial of fire could see him up there on the mountain. Expressions of surprise and envy covered their faces, especially when he stooped over to pick up things from the ground. Each and every one of them wished they could be in his place.

Gato stood, fists clenched, jaw clenched, completely helpless. He did not dare to go up the mountain. He was already in enough danger in the Demonic forest. Furthermore, he had overheard some of the white-robed disciples' conversations, and knew that this was a trial by fire for the disciples of the Violet Fate Sect from the Southern Domain. He felt conflict at heart, and seemed to have no other option than to give up. Only his intense hatred of Naruto caused him to reconsider.

As Hiruko watched Naruto injure the head of yet another of his precious Demonic beasts, he took out three Concentration Pills and swallowed them, continuing to pretend that he didn't care.

"I carefully collected that snow from the tops of auspicious clouds," he said slowly through his teeth. "It is the most suitable environment for my most treasured Spirit beasts. One of them, the Sky Rending Condor, is well known. Its talons can shatter metal and stone, its wings can kick up a violent wind. It is incredibly fierce, perhaps the most dangerous Spirit beast on the mountain. Even with that crappy spear, this kid is dead for sure when he enters its territory."

Three hours later…

One talon was shattered, half a wing was gone, and the giant condor coughed up blood. Wailing mournfully, it hid itself in the snow, crying out endlessly.

Naruto was almost at the peak of the mountain. All of the Violet Fate Set disciples were staring at him. They didn't care any more about fighting with the Demonic beasts. They stared in awe at his glittering, shining iron spear, and their eyes burned.

"Who is this person…"

"He intruded into our trial by fire and took away our rewards… it's too cruel."

"That iron spear is definitely a treasure from the Heavens! It's so ferocious!"

Hiruko trembled in distress. He watched as Naruto, approaching the mountain's peak, snatched up a black net. He could no longer feign calm. His stood up and took a step forward, ready to go teach Naruto a lesson.

* * *

Once, he could endure. Twice, three times, four times, even five times he could continue to endure. By the sixth time, however, he was shamed into a rage and could endure no longer. The Heaven Entangling Net was even more precious to him than the scroll painting. It could instantly entangle an opponent, and had been among his treasured items for years. The higher your Cultivation base, the more effective it became. He had placed it on the treasure mountain to show off its splendor, so that people would see it and covet it. He had assumed it would be safe, and had never imagined that anyone would actually be able to take it. As of now, he had already begun to go crazy, and wished nothing more than to beat Naruto to death and take back the oil painting and Heaven Entangling Net.

But then, Tazuna, laughing smugly, flicked his wide sleeve and stood in front of Hiruko, blocking his way.

"Fellow Daoist Hiruko is an illustrious Cultivator from the Southern Domain. What are you doing, exactly? Earlier, you said that for seven days, anyone could come here, and that all of the treasures of the treasure mountain were available for the taking. Don't tell me you're going to go back on your word?

"You carried the peak over here yourself from Mount Shumisen. The land was fertilized with soil from the bottom of the East Sea which hadn't seen the light of day for ten thousand years. I remember someone saying that any Cultivator of the Chakra Condensation stage could prevail, as long as they were skilled enough. Hiruko, acting like this really shows a lack of demeanor. If word gets out, you'll definitely lose face." Tazuna continued to laugh, clearly having no intention of allowing Hiruko to go anywhere.

Hiruko's expression looked worse than ever, filled with bitter suffering. Before, he had spoken with utmost complacency, but now, everything he had said was being thrown back in his face. After a long moment, he slapped his bag of holding, pulled out two large Concentration Pills and swallowed them. Then he let out a long breath.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he cast his consciousness out toward Naruto, intending to get some information about his iron spear. At first, he hadn't paid the slightest attention to Naruto, focused as he was on what the iron spear was doing. As soon as his consciousness emerged, Tazuna laughed and flicked his sleeve. A glowing shield immediately covered the entire plateau, blocking Hiruko's consciousness.

"Using your consciousness to inspect a lower generation Chakra Condensation Cultivator? Hiruko, are you purposely trying to lose face?" Tazuna obviously was not willing to let Hiruko have his way in anything. He laughed. Hiruko, looking more put off than ever, could do nothing except flick his own sleeve. Another shield appeared just beyond the first shield.

"That kid's iron spear is extraordinary," he said. "If you won't allow me to inspect it with my consciousness, then I won't let you do so either."

Four hours later, Naruto had reached the mountain's peak, iron spear in hand. He walked up, look around, finally noticing the large flag stuck into the ground. Underneath the flag was a bag. Its surface was a mass of rioting colors; looking at it made you feel as if it could suck your mind out. Everything around it seemed to ripple and grow blurry. When Naruto laid eyes on it, he palpitated with eagerness and started panting. He grabbed the multicolored bag, and when he did, the flag fell to the ground.

Conversations had buzzed among the onlookers in the Demonic Forest as they watched Naruto calmly walked up the mountain, collecting huge amounts of Spirit Stones and medicinal pills. When the flag toppled more conversations broke out.

They gazed at Naruto with shock and envy, and then watched as he disappeared over the other side of the mountain.

Gato glared at Naruto murderously as he vanished. He didn't dare to pursue him; there were too many things about him he didn't know. Even though Gato's desire to kill him was stronger than ever, he also knew that it was almost too late to reach his medicinal plant. Gnashing his teeth, he stamped his foot onto the ground, looking very pitiful indeed. But anger pushed away his depression. He would have killed Naruto already, if he could only have thought of a way.

As he watched Naruto disappear onto the other side of the mountain, Tazuna's laughter rang out over the plateau. Hiruko stared with wide eyes as Naruto took his bag of the Cosmos. The blood drained from his face, and he seemed heartbroken. Now more than ever he regretted putting his bag of the Cosmos onto the mountain. He just couldn't believe what had happened. This time, he really couldn't endure any longer. He flicked his sleeve, and prepared to pursue the damnable Naruto. But, before he could leave, Tazuna once again blocked his way.

"Tazuna, you still dare to block me!" shouted heartbroken Hiruko. "The flag is fallen. You didn't win our bet, and I didn't lose. The trial by fire is over. If you continue to obstruct my way, you can't blame me for attacking you!"

"Fellow Daoist Hiruko, we agreed ahead of time that neither of us would leave before we finished this game of Go. You are a grand, illustrious Cultivator of the Southern Domain. Don't tell me you're going to go back on your word? When I made to leave earlier, you wouldn't let me. Yet you wish to leave before finishing our game?" Tazuna laughed as he used Hiruko's own words against him. Not a trace of a frown remained on his face, which was now filled with a wide smile. He clearly would not allow the other man to leave. Seeing the bag of the Cosmos taken away had filled his heart with joy. Hiruko had waved that bag in front of him mockingly for hundreds of years; to see him hoisted on his own petard was wondrous to the extreme.

"You…" Hiruko glared murderously at Tazuna, and didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, he gritted his teeth and stamped his foot down, shaking the mountain so hard it seemed it would collapse. But considering his status and prestige, he could do nothing more than sit back down and begin playing Go again.

Of course, Tazuna wouldn't let him have his way so simply. He stroked his beard as he looked at Hiruko's unsightly expression. Laughing, he very slowly picked up a Go piece and then purposefully put a very thoughtful expression onto his face. After a very, very long time, he slowly put the piece onto the board, his face solemn, as if he intended to make this game last for months.

"Leave the mountain," said Tazuna, transmitting his voice to all of his white-robed disciples. "After I finish this game of Go, I will accompany you back to the Sect. In the meantime, the next stage of your trial by fire is to find the man you just saw on the mountain peak. I've taken a fancy to that treasured spear he has. Bring that spear back to me, and you will be promoted to the Inner Sect!" Each and every one of the disciples perked up at hearing this.

"Is the dignified Violet Fate Sect of the Southern Domain really going to kill people to take treasures?" said Hiruko. He was incredibly depressed, stuck in place because of his own words. But even though he hated Naruto, he couldn't pass up an opportunity to cause trouble for Tazuna.

Glaring at Hiruko, Tazuna said, "Listen well. You must not cause problems for that person. You must trade with him, not rob him. Anyone who violates this command will be expelled from the Sect!" His next move in the Go game was even slower than the previous.

The Violet Fate Sect disciples scattered in all directions. Some of them circled around the treasure mountain in pursuit of Naruto; others went as fast as possible in different directions, hoping to intercept him.

Their trial by fire had been an utter defeat, something they were not reconciled to. However, they didn't hold any ill will against Naruto, but rather admired him. After all, they had all witnessed the blood-soaked events of moments ago.

All of them were determined to get the iron spear from Naruto. They would trade anything to get it, and if he was unwilling to trade, would have to think of some tricks to get it.

In any case, they all had clearly heard Elder Wu's words; they were to trade for the item, not rob it. Although… he had never said they couldn't use force.

As the white-robed disciples scattered, Naruto raced down the treasure mountain, collecting more Spirit Stones and medicinal pills as he went. Even though he never saw Hiruko and Tazuna, he had guessed that this place was most likely a trial by fire region set up by some Sect.

Even though Gato was no longer chasing him, he knew that whoever's trial by fire he had charged into might not be too happy about his interference. So, he maintained top speed, his heart pounding and his face filled with eagerness.

His bags of holding were all full; he had acquired more this time than on any other occasion since entering the Cultivation world, with the exception of the cave of the Flying Rain-Dragon. He casually packed away the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills.

Of course, the more things he picked up, the faster he tried to move. Gritting his teeth and continuously consuming Demonic Cores, he moved as fast as possible for three days, until he finally emerged from the mountain range. He looked both exhausted and energetic; in the past several days, he hadn't had a chance to organize his treasures, and now all he wanted to do was find a place where he could safely examine everything. As he moved forward, he noticed that far in the distance was what appeared to be a walled city.

He was in the east of the Five Elements Nation, and this city appeared to be magnificent and beyond ordinary. It was surrounded by a gentle glowing light, a shield which mortals wouldn't be able to see, and only Cultivators could sense.

"This place… it doesn't seem like a city of mortals. Could it be a city of Cultivators?" He stared in surprise, recalling a map of the Five Elements Nation he had seen. The map had not shown any city in this place. At yet there at the gate of the city, people were coming in and out, almost all of them Cultivators of the Chakra Condensation stage. His assumption had been correct.

He decided not to enter the city. Instead, he found a cave in the nearby mountains. Concealing himself inside, he took a deep breath and then began to take everything out of his bags of holding and sort them.

"What medicinal pill is this? It's incredibly fragrant, even stronger than a Dry Spirit Pill… And this bottle, it has three pills inside, each one as transparent as crystal. They are definitely treasured pills." Licking his lips, he emptied the contents of two bags of holding, and after counting everything, he found that he had seventy-eight pills. There were many different types, each one seemingly stronger than a Dry Spirit Pill. Naruto's hands shook.

It took a long time for him to collect himself. Stifling his excitement, he pulled out ten more bags of holding.

"There were so many Spirit Stones on that treasure mountain. I just picked up the ones I noticed, and I wasn't really even paying attention. Yet I acquired so many…" He began breathing hard again as he looked at all the Spirit Stones. When he put them together and counted, he found that he had eight thousand, seven hundred and sixty four!

"I'm rich! Rich!" he murmured. He pulled out another bag of holding, inside of which were flying swords, pearls, two flags, a scroll painting, a black net. All of them were magical items.

His smile nearly split his face as he took the items out. This was especially true when he took out the scroll painting and the black net. They emitted powerful spiritual power, causing his heart to beat rapidly. He slowly unrolled the scroll painting, and a bright light shined out, filling the cave with its brightness and illuminating Naruto's face.

Inside, he could see a depiction of mountains and waters, within which existed a multitude of fantastic creatures. They had been painted, and yet somehow also seemed alive. When he opened the scroll he seemed to hear the roars of tens of thousands of beasts echoing faintly in his ears. His heart shook, and he dropped the painting to the ground.

After some time passed, he recovered from his shock. His eyes shining, he calmed his aura and picked up the painting again to examine it. It was clearly an incredibly valuable treasure. Naruto's heart beat even faster.

"A treasure! What a true treasure!" he said, breathing deeply. Then he pulled out the black net. Walking out of the cave, he poured some spiritual energy into it, then tossed it into the air.

The black net instantly expanded, growing larger and larger, and flying up higher into the sky. It seemed big enough to be able to envelop the whole mountain, like some powerful black cloud. The mountain began to shake, and cracks appeared on its surface as if it were about to collapse. The suppressive power increased, causing Naruto's heart to tremble. Astonished, he lifted his hand, sending out his spiritual energy, causing the black cloud to slowly shrink. It transformed into a black beam which shot back toward him and then became a small, black net.

He grabbed the net, his mouth dry. He breathed for a while, composing himself. His eyes glowed.

"This is better than even the best treasures from the Reliance Sect," he thought, his heart pounding. Then, he pulled out the last item, the multicolored bag.

* * *

"This… looks kind of like a bag of holding, but a bit better." Naruto moved it back and forth in his hands, then used his spiritual power to feel it out a bit. Suddenly, his body began to tremble, as if it had been struck by invisible lightning. His eyes widened, revealing complete astonishment. After a long time passed, he lowered his head and looked into the bag.

"It's so big…" he murmured. It was a bag of holding, but was so large inside that it seemed as if it could contain heaven and earth. The insides were misty, and so boundless that Naruto's heart immediately shook.

It appeared as if entire mountains and rivers could be stored inside. Even though it was empty, its massive capacity was enough to call the bag itself a precious treasure.

Naruto's mouth and tongue were dry. The Spirit Stones had made him happy. The medicinal pills had made him quiver with eagerness. And then there were the magical items. The scroll painting had shocked him and the spiritual might of the black colored net had left him shaken. But this bag left his head buzzing. It took a long time to pull himself together.

"I'm rich. This is true wealth…" Naruto muttered to himself, gripping the multicolored bag tightly. But then the expression on his face suddenly changed.

"If that was truly some great Sect's trial by fire, it wouldn't be a big deal if I interfered, but they surely won't let me get away with so many treasures, medicinal pills and Spirit Stones." His heart began to thump, and a conflicted look appeared on his head. However, he was determined not to give up the treasures he had acquired.

He organized everything carefully, then breathed in deeply and looked out at the evening. He emerged from the cave and left the mountains, looking thoughtfully at the walled city off in the distance.

"I have a lot of medicinal pills," he muttered to himself as he gazed at the city with glittering eyes, "but I don't recognize any of them. Therefore, I can't safely consume any of them." He began to walk toward the city.

He moved quickly, and soon approached the city gate, above which were written three characters.

Eastern Refinement City.

The characters had an ancient feel to them, and had clearly been there for more than just a few years. Their faded surfaces made one feel as if they had seen ages come and go.

"Refinement is similar to Cultivation. And this is the East. The meaning of this city's name is relatively straight-forward." [TL note: The character for "Refinement" is pronounced similar to the character for "Cultivation."]

As soon as Naruto stepped foot into the city gate, he saw two disciples standing there chatting. Their gaze settled onto Naruto.

They wore light blue robes and were both at the third level of Chakra Condensation.

"Fellow Daoist, please pay your tax before entering the city." His smile disappeared as he felt the pressure of Naruto's Cultivation base.

"Fellow Daoists, I can tell from a glance that you are from a great Sect. I myself am from a small Sect, and I just came off the mountain. This being my first time here, could I trouble you two Fellow Daoists to give me some information about this place?" Naruto was innately scholarly, and spoke in a very polite manner. The two low-level Cultivators were instantly impressed, and the young man who had just spoken laughed.

"Well spoken, well spoken! Fellow Daoist, your Cultivation base is quite refined. If this is your first time out of the Sect, then I suspect your name will become quite well-known in the future." The young man smiled as he spoke. For someone with such a profound Cultivation base to treat him so politely left him feeling quite pleased. "This is Eastern Refinement City, founded by the Three Great Sect Alliance of the Five Elements Nation, and one of the great Cultivation Cities in the Five Elements Nation. In order to enter, you have to pay a tax of one Spirit Stone.

"The cost is actually three Spirit Stones, but for you, just one will do. Please note, fighting is forbidden within the city limits. Violators will be punished severely by the three Sects. You must not forget this point." He held out a wooden tablet to Naruto.

Naruto thanked him hurriedly and paid his one Spirit Stone. Then, he saluted with clasped hands and passed through the city gate.

He felt a bit of regret about the Spirit Stone. It was only one, but it was still money as far as Naruto was concerned. He might have over eight-thousand more in his bag, but he was very familiar with the copper mirror's appetite for Spirit Stones, and knew that it wasn't actually very much at all.

"What an expensive tax. If I didn't absolutely have to come here, I wouldn't pay it." He walked quickly through the city, looking around. Dusk was falling, but the city still bustled, with people walking to and fro everywhere. The streets were filled with shops, most of which emitted brightly glowing lights. A single look confirmed that this was no ordinary place.

Everyone was a Cultivator. As he walked through the city, he didn't see a single mortal. However, all of these Cultivators were of the Chakra Condensation stage. Scanning the crowds, Naruto only saw about three people who, like him, were at the seventh level. Most were at the sixth, or lower.

Naruto walked down the broad streets, looking for shops that sold medicinal pills. He didn't buy any, but rather asked questions. Three days passed, during which time Naruto traversed the entire city, visiting over thirty medicinal pill shops.

Even still, he only could find out information about seven or eight of the dozens of types of medicinal pills in his bag of holding. And yet, Naruto was excited. Of the pills he had learned about, each and every one was considerably expensive. One of them was a Spirit Establishment Pill, worth fifty Spirit Stones, only useful at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation.

In his bag of holding, he had eight of them altogether.

"Too bad there are so many pills that I still don't know anything about." On the third day, Naruto hesitated, then finally walked into an extremely luxurious building in the western district of the city.

It was three stories tall and emitted a glowing light. Even from a long distance, one could see its shine. Before, Naruto noticed that almost everyone who entered was of the sixth level of Chakra condensation. There were even some of the eighth or ninth levels, and it seemed this was the only building they were willing to enter.

When he saw the name on the building, he was even more resolved to enter.

Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

The inside was filled with carved balustrades and marble steps. Everything seemed to be made of jade, and as soon as he stepped inside, Naruto instantly felt a dense spiritual force brush against his face. A dazzling assortment of displayed items met his eyes; medicinal pill bottles, flying swords, pearls, banners and other items could be seen everywhere.

There weren't a lot of Cultivators present, so it was relatively quiet. They walked around separately in groups of four or five, each one accompanied by a young woman wearing a long, pink dress. The girls' voices were light and airy, and they humbly answered all queries about the various items.

None of that was of very much interest to Naruto, though. What really captured his attention was some distance away on the second floor. Next to the staircase was an enormous Pill furnace. Wisps of smoke curled around it, and sitting next to it was a middle-aged man in a long black robe. He sat there cross-legged, back straight, expressionless, doing breathing exercises with his eyes closed.

He emanated a trace amount of power, but it was difficult to sense, as if he were keeping most of it hidden. If he didn't, the entire pavilion would probably begin to collapse.

"A Foundation Establishment Cultivator…" Naruto's pupils constricted. This middle-aged man emitted the same type of aura as Grand Elder Jiraiya, making it immediately obvious to Naruto that his Cultivation base was at the Foundation Establishment stage, far above everyone else's.

"I wonder if the day will ever come in which I have a chance to be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator." After all the things he had experienced in the Reliance Sect, his heart was filled with the desire to become powerful. Right now, his head was lowered, but his eyes were filled with determination and stubbornness. His resolve was even stronger than ever.

"By using the Cultivation method of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, when reach Foundation Establishment, it will be a Flawless Foundation, much more powerful than Cracked or Fragmented. I will be strong even among Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators." He took in a deep breath and raised his head. A young woman in a pink dress approached him. She was beautiful, and wore a relaxed smiled on her face. She greeted Naruto with a slight bow. As she did, the front of her dress dropped, revealing an abundance of milky tenderness.

"Daoist Brother, do you need any assistance?" she asked.

Naruto's face immediately turned scarlet, and he murmured to himself that he shouldn't look at inappropriate things. Despite his determination, he couldn't help but glance down, and his heart began to race. Even though he had been in the Reliance Sect for three years, he hadn't spent time with any female disciples other than elder sister Hinata. As for what he was looking at now he hadn't seen anything like it in his entire life. His face was a bit dark, but at the moment you couldn't tell at all.

"Do you have any jade slips which describe medicinal pills?" he asked with a dry cough, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

The girl was young, but her demeanor suggested she was quite experienced. She could instantly sense Naruto's awkwardness, and was quite amused. Throughout her years, she had seen many customers, but few like Naruto. Holding back a laugh, she smiled and leaned closer toward him so that he would catch a scent of her perfume.

When the fragrant scent reached his face, Naruto's face grew even redder. His eyes, however, contained no lasciviousness. Instead they were wide and clear; he was fundamentally not given to lust. He was just inexperienced with women, thus his flushed face.

"Of course we have jade slips regarding medicinal pills," she said with a wink. "Please follow me, Daoist Brother." She found his increasing awkwardness to be very cute. She turned, her waist swaying, her curves entrancing. Naruto couldn't help but look, and again his heart began to race. With a bitter smile, he gave a light cough and hurried to follow her.

She led him to a lattice shelf off to the side which was filled with various pieces of jade. Amongst them, on a white tray, were three slips of jade, inscribed with the characters Three Jade Slip. "These jade slips introduce most of the medicinal pills that can be found in the Five Elements Nation. However, this is a copy, so the contents are somewhat unclear."

When she saw Naruto raising his hand to take them, she smiled. "You can't look unless you buy. The Three Jade Slip costs one hundred spirit stones." When she smiled, two beautiful dimples appeared. As she looked at Naruto, she thought that even though his face was a bit dark, it contained a scholarly and youthful charm.

As her perfume wafted around Naruto, he pulled his hand back and focused himself. He looked thoughtfully at the Three Jade Piece. It seemed just a bit too expensive, and he was hesitant to part with that many Spirit Stones.

"Is there anything that provides even more information than this?" he asked after a while, clenching his jaw. His whole purpose in coming here had been to buy a jade slip such as this.

"Of course!" replied the girl with another wink. "Follow me." She led Naruto to another corner, then pointed to a jade slip on a shelf. It was covered with small cracks.

"This is not a copy. It's an ancient jade slip which contains records of the various medicinal pills of the Southern Domain. It even details information about poison pills and their antidotes. Furthermore, it contains very realistic artistic depictions of the pills. Unfortunately, it is cracked, and will eventually shatter. You will only be able to read it four or five times."

Upon hearing her words, Naruto's heart quivered. He needed it, not for long-term use, but to solve the problem of his current situation.

"Daoist Brother, I hope you don't mind," she said with a smile, leaning close and lowering her voice. "The cost of this item is two hundred Spirit Stones. You should understand that if it wasn't cracked, it would be worth over one thousand. If you really want it, I can help you apply for a cost reduction. But, how will you thank me?"

* * *

"I… I'm just a scholar…" Naruto gaped, his mouth wide, unsure of how to respond. When he had bought things back in Konoha County, he had never encountered a situation like this. To have a beautiful girl smiling sweetly at him, looking so charming, caused the red flush to suddenly fill his face once again.

Seeing Naruto's embarrassed expression, the young woman covered her mouth and laughed softly. She turned, her waist swaying enchantingly as she walked over to the Pill oven. She lowered her head to speak to the middle-aged man who sat there in meditation.

When she returned, she winked at Naruto. "How about one hundred seventy Spirit Stones?"

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist," said Naruto, sucking in a breath. Looking pleased at having saved a few Spirit stones, he quickly saluted with clasped fists.

"You can call me big sis," she said, holding the jade slips out to Naruto.

He accepted them, then cast some spiritual power into them. Immediately a vast tableau appeared in his mind. Glancing over it eagerly, he already noticed three of the pills that were contained in his bag of holding. He pulled out the one hundred seventy Spirit Stones and gave them to the girl, then cupped his hands together as he made to leave. The girl sighed and escorted him all the way to the door.

"My name is Shiho," she said, her eyes filled with an interesting look. "Remember to ask for me next time you come." She looked him up and down as she spoke, her eyes charming and filled with poise. Naruto, face scarlet, saluted her and retreated as quickly as possible.

His heart pounded as he left, and didn't calm down for quite some time. He looked back at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and caught sight of Shiho standing there smiling softly at him.

He felt even more embarrassed. She had taken liberties with him!

He had never experienced a feeling such as this before. It wasn't a bad feeling, and he actually enjoyed it a bit. Coughing again, he lowered his head and continued walking.

About this time, a group of people emerged from the second floor of the Hundred Treasure's Pavilion. There were about seven or eight of them, including men and women. As they walked, they chatted with each other. Among them was a young man wearing a light blue robe, walking in the back. He didn't look like he belonged, as if he were an attendant.

As the group left the pavilion, the young man happened to lift his head and catch sight of Naruto.

"Naruto!" he cried, staring. This caught the attention of the other men and women, as well as Naruto, who stopped walking and looked back to see all of them looking at him.

His expression did not change, but in his heart he felt conflicting emotions. The young man was none other than Waraji, former disciple of the Reliance Outer Sect. His Cultivation base was at the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. On the day of the Sect's dissolution, he had been rolled out by the red fog, and here he was today.

He seemed to be somewhat down and out, following a group of people dressed in expensive, brocaded garments. Most of them had threatening demeanors, and one of them was at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation. The rest appeared to be at the sixth. They were clearly members of the great Sects of the Five Elements Nation.

Obviously, Waraji had joined them after the dissolution of the Reliance Sect. For him to be with group such as this, he obviously could only claim the status of an attendant.

Naruto nodded to him but didn't say anything. He turned and made to leave.

"Who is this?" said a young man who stood next to Waraji. He spoke lightly, but his tone was one of pride and arrogance. He wore a resplendent robe and held a fan in his hand. He was at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, and the others standing around them began to whisper among themselves and watch.

"Elder Brother Iwana, this is a fellow member of my former Sect," said Waraji hesitatingly, not mentioning Naruto's name or his status in the Sect.

"Naruto… that name sounds familiar."

"I remember," said one of the women in the group with a laugh. "He's the only remaining member of the Reliance Inner Sect. He looks a lot like the drawing."

The eyes of all the onlookers suddenly began to shine. Two people dashed ahead to block Naruto's path. In recent days in the Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation, rumors of a shocking matter had been circulating.

The Reliance Sect had disbanded, but Patriarch Reliance wasn't dead. He had put on a display of power all for the sake of a single Inner Sect disciple. He had frightened the most powerful experts of the Five Elements Nation, causing a huge sensation. After the experts had returned from the scene, these rumors had spread across the entire Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation.

Even more hotly discussed was how Patriarch Reliance had given his Inner Sect disciple a precious treasure, something powerful enough to shake the heavens and earth and kill any and all Cultivators. These rumors spread fast and wide, and as inquiries were made of the former Reliance Sect disciples, this person's name was soon revealed: Naruto.

If things had just ended in this fashion, then the matter would soon have come to rest. However, after returning from the Reliance Sect, the Five Elements Nation experts gradually realized something. Toward the end, it had seemed as if Patriarch Reliance's power had begun to wane slightly. Furthermore, considering Patriarch Reliance's famous temper, how could it be that they all were able to escape, without a single one of them being killed?

Speculation naturally blossomed, and many people began to pay more and more attention to the Inner Sect disciple Naruto. The three great Sects had issued orders that all disciples sent out of the Sect pay close attention and attempt to find Naruto. His picture had been distributed along with the order.

Now, people weren't certain. Even if Patriarch Reliance was alive, was his Cultivation base as powerful as before? Filled with misgivings about the matter, the three great Sects had proclaimed rewards would be given to any disciple who, upon encountering Naruto, could get information about the power of the treasure he carried.

Naruto stood there, looking coldly at the two people blocking his way. He heard footsteps behind him as four others blocked his path of retreat. His left and right paths also contained people. It seemed he was completely surrounded.

Within the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Shiho looked down with a frown.

"May I help you, sirs and ladies?" said Naruto coolly, his gaze sweeping around. His expression seemed indifferent, as calm as still water. He seemed completely confident, yet also cautious.

"No," said the extravagantly dressed young man with a smile, fanning himself. "We've just heard that Naruto has a gift bestowed upon him by Patriarch Reliance. Having happened to run into you, we were hoping to take a look." Within his smile glinted an icy coldness. And yet, his heart was circumspect; any treasured gift given by Patriarch Reliance should be treated with utmost caution.

But, these were disciples of the three Great Sects, which granted them extremely high status. Therefore, despite Naruto being at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, they still felt themselves above him.

"That's right," said another of the people surrounding him. He laughed. "Fellow Daoist Naruto does have the treasure. Why not take it out for us to have a look?" He clearly viewed Naruto as being completely boxed in, with no way out.

Naruto looked as calm as ever, his eyes shining with a cold light. His mouth twisted mockingly, and he suddenly slapped his bag of holding, causing the people surrounding him to dodge to the side. Some of them even pulled out magical items.

A beam of light flashed, and suddenly, Naruto's iron spear appeared in his hand. He stabbed it down into the ground, imbuing it with some spiritual energy so that it appeared to be a mighty weapon. It hummed, the sound reverberating about, causing the surrounding people to unconsciously take a step back, their gazes fixed on the spear.

"Whoever wishes to die can come up for a closer look," said Naruto coolly, taking two steps back and flicking his wide sleeve. He appeared supremely confident, especially his mocking eyes and smile, as if he knew beyond doubt that anyone who attempted to look closely at the spear would be killed by it.

Actually, Naruto had taken two steps back because it brought him closer to the city gate. As soon as the surrounding people walked forward to look at the spear, he would attack, then take advantage of the chaos to flee. After all, this city was controlled by the three great Sects, and he knew that he could not get involved in any trouble here.

Everything was quiet as the onlookers gazed at the iron spear. At first glance, it did appear to be a bit beyond ordinary. It was covered with sweeping, decorative patterns, incredibly complex, dazzling even. The more people looked at it, the more amazing it seemed.

It glowed, its tip emitting beams of light which pierced the eyes like lightning.

Even Shiho, up in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, couldn't help but gaze at it. More girls appeared around her, all of them staring down.

After looking at it for a while, the several disciples from the great Sects frowned.

"It doesn't look like anything special; there are just some fancy markings on it. It doesn't seem to have any incantations on it at all…."

The fancy young man with the fan also frowned. "That's the treasure given to him by Patriarch Reliance?" After examining it, he laughed, then beckoned for Waraji to step forward.

At this moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside the East gate, drawing the attention of the surrounding Cultivators. Naruto's eyes flashed, and then he frowned. Clustered outside the East gate was a group of ten or more Cultivators wearing white robes. Some of them looked familiar, and when he saw the color of their robes, he knew that these were the disciples from whatever great Sect had been holding the trial by fire.

As he saw them entering through the East gate, he realized that his path of escape was now blocked. His frown deepened, and his hand slowly lowered to his bag of holding.

The fancy young man with the fan looked at the white robed Cultivators, and his eyes gleamed. His face filled with reverence, he cupped his hands in salute and said, "Elder Brothers from the Violet Fate Sect, I am humble Iwana from the Winding Stream Sect. Greetings, Fellow Daoists."

Hearing this, looks of awe appeared on the faces of the surrounding Cultivators. They followed along with the first man as he saluted the white-robed Cultivators. They were famous figures from various Sects, and normally held a high position within the Five Elements Nation. But to meet disciples from a truly great Sect from the Southern Domain, they were instantly lowered down. Their expressions were suddenly that of longing and courtesy.

Recently, they had all received jade slips from their respective Sects reminding them that if they ran into any white-robed disciples from the Violet Fate Sect of the Southern Domain, they were not to provoke them.

As the white-robed Cultivators entered the city, they saw the Five Elements Nation disciples, but completely ignored them. Hearing their identities called out caused a couple of them to frown. Their eyes swept the surroundings, then came to rest on the iron spear stuck into the ground. They stopped in their tracks.

Other disciples who were watching the scene looked astonished. Their excited eyes flickered to stare at the Five Elements Nation Cultivators.

* * *

A dark look flashed through Naruto's eyes. He was surrounded by disciples of various Sects from the Five Elements Nation, and the white-robed Cultivators were approaching from the East gate. If he aroused the attention of the various eccentrics from the three sects within the city, then his chances of getting away would be very slim.

When the disciples of the Five Elements Nation Sects saw the Violet Fate Sect disciples walking up, excited expressions lit their faces. To be able to make friends with them would increase their standing in their own respective Sects, and would provide great advantages in further development. Most of them had assumed the Violet Fate Sect disciples would ignore all of them, but it turned out they really were approaching them.

"Elder Brother Iwana is very well known; that must be why they're coming over."

"Yeah. He's a blood relative of one of the Elders of the Winding Stream Sect. His Cultivation base is extraordinary. The Violet Fate Sect disciples must be coming over to give him some face." One by one, ingratiating smiles appeared on the faces of the surrounding Five Elements Nation disciples, especially the young man in the expensive clothes. He was growing more and more excited. Hearing the whispers of the bystanders, his heart filled with pride. It seemed he was fairly well-known after all, enough so to cause the Violet Fate Sect disciples to walk over. This matter would surely be talked about near and far, and his standing in the Sect would change immediately. His name would be known throughout the entire Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation.

It seemed that to Naruto, what was happening was no big deal. He smiled, looking like he didn't care at all. As the young man in expensive clothes moved forward to greet the white-robed Cultivators, the Five Elements Nation disciples followed. The female disciples among them looked especially excited.

Naruto's eyes flickered. He pulled the iron spear out of the ground, and then turned to leave.

"Daoist Brothers from the Violet Fate Sect, I, Iwana, shall treat you to a feast in the Phoenix Heaven Restaurant," said Iwana, his expression one of extreme excitement and pride. "Fellow Five Elements Nation disciples, please join me in receiving the brothers from the Violet Fate Sect." The collection of Cultivators behind him made the image even more distinct. Coupled with his excited expression, it was clear that he was taking the lead among the Five Elements Nation disciples.

Even as the words left his mouth, and he bowed with cupped hands, the Violet Fate Sect disciples walked past him, not even looking at him. En masse, they passed the entire group without a glance, hurrying quickly forward.

Iwana's mouth dropped open as he watched this happen, as did the other Five Elements Nation disciples who were following him.

At the same time, the person in the lead position of the Violet Fate Sect disciples let out a hearty laugh.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay," he said. "Brother, did you just return from the treasure mountain? You have an outstanding demeanor. All of us who witnessed your actions on the mountain hold you in the highest regard. I am Hayase of the Violet Fate Sect. Greetings, Fellow Daoist, may I respectfully ask your esteemed name?"

"Fellow Daoist, we've been looking for you," said another. "We never imagined that we would run into you here. Hahaha! If the Fellow Daoist has time, I will send someone to arrange a banquet. I am Yajirobee of the Violet Fate Sect. Please, allow me to treat you to a feast."

Among the ten or more Violet Fate Sect disciples, these two had the highest Cultivation bases. They were at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. Faces filled with smiles, they hurried in front of Naruto, blocking his way. The spoke with utmost politeness, and when they approached, they saluted with clasped hands. When the Five Elements Nation disciples saw this happening; their faces filled with awe and veneration.

An almost imperceptible frown appeared on Naruto's face, but quickly disappeared. He smiled, and returned a polite salute. He mumbled his name unclearly, although he knew that even though he didn't say it clearly, these people could search him easily if they wanted to.

The Five Elements Nation Cultivators watched on in disbelief. Their heads spun as they watched the Violet Fate Sect disciples chatting in this way to Naruto.

This was especially true of Iwana, whose face went through a series of different expressions. He was insulted, of course, and watched Naruto with a look of disbelief.

He knew that the white-robed Cultivators were from the Violet Fate Sect in the Southern Domain. They were proud and arrogant, considering themselves to be unmatched in the world. And yet, they were incredibly polite to Naruto, and their eyes were filled with veneration.

Although he wasn't quite sure what had just happened, cold sweat broke out on his forehead when he saw them being so polite. He realized that if he had made a move just now to test out the spear, he would most likely have lost a lot of face.

He wasn't the only one who was shocked. Waraji looked on, dumbfounded. Originally, he had regretted calling out Naruto's name, but watching this scene unfold, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Elder Brother Naruto really did deserve to be an Inner Sect disciple. It's a good thing I gave him those Spirit Stones back then. The Sect was dissolved, and we were kicked away like stray dogs, but he's still out stirring up trouble. And somehow he's got the disciples from one of the great Sects of the Southern Domain to treat him so well." Waraji sighed inwardly.

Up in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Shiho blinked a few times, watching in disbelief as the Violet Fate Sect disciples surrounded Naruto. When she saw him speaking calmly with them, she couldn't forget what had happened moments ago between her and Naruto. Her interest in him was piqued even more.

"Elder Brother Naruto," said Hayase, shifting the conversation topic to the spear in Naruto's hand. "Is this the treasured holy spear you used to rebuke the Demonic beasts on the treasure mountain?" He had looked the spear over just now, but it didn't seem to have any extraordinary qualities. And yet he clearly remembered how Naruto had wielded it to bloody so many Demonic beasts.

"Of course it is," said Yajirobee, laughing. "Your actions on the mountain that day left me in complete veneration of you. Elder Brother Naruto, there's no reason to deny it."

A strange look appeared in Naruto's eyes, but only for a moment. He smiled and nodded.

"Yes, this is the spear I used that day on the mountain," he said candidly.

"This spear can only be called a great treasure," said Yajirobee. "I saw you use it to injure many Demonic beasts. Countless, in fact. Elder Brother Naruto's mighty actions have replayed themselves constantly in my mind." He glanced at the spear, his eyes burning. Then he looked over coldly at Hayase, and the two of them locked gazes. They clearly didn't like each other, and both of them knew that the other was determined to come out on top.

When the Five Elements Nation Cultivators heard all of this, their gazes were drawn to the iron spear. Their original intention had been to examine this treasure of Naruto's. As of now, they didn't need to. If the Violet Fate Sect disciples were convinced of its power, then it must be true.

Iwana's eyes gleamed, and he walked forward a few steps, staring at the iron spear.

"Although, I do have to say," laughed Yajirobee with a shake of his head, "Elder Brother Naruto, you really threw our trial by fire into chaos. You took so many medicinal pills, Spirit Stones and magical items from the treasure mountain…." From his expression, it seemed he didn't mind.

"Oh that…." Naruto laughed, taking a few steps back.

"It's no matter," said Hayase, taking a few steps forward, eyes on the spear. "That treasure mountain belongs to Hiruko, and he shot his mouth off, saying that anyone with the skills could take whatever they want. Actually, Elder Brother Naruto's actions left me feeling immensely satisfied. But… Elder Brother Naruto, regarding this spear; would you be willing to offer it up for sale? The Violet Fate Sect would be willing to offer a fair price for it!" Because Naruto held it in his hand, Hayase had no way to thoroughly inspect it. Because he was not at the Foundation Establishment stage, he didn't have Spiritual Sense, and therefore no way to sense the minute details.

"Well…." Naruto looked hesitant.

"Elder Brother Naruto," said Yajirobee, his eyes glittering. "This spear is really very important to us. Please, allow yourself to part with it!" He knew that the first objective was to force Naruto into agreeing. Then he and Hayase would have to battle it out. He took a step forward as he spoke, an overbearing air filling his eyes.

"Hiruko treats people wickedly and mercilessly. You took away many of his most prized treasures. If our Violet Fate Sect's Elder Wu hadn't held him back, Elder Brother Naruto would be in quite a bit of danger right now." Hayase advanced further, his bearing extremely overbearing. At this point, he made no effort to conceal his power and might as he spoke.

The other Violet Fate Sect disciples slowly moved forward, forming a circle around them. Their eyes gleamed with the desire to lay hands on the spear.

"This spear is just an ordinary item," said Naruto, looking around at the circle of people, then turning back to Yajirobee and Hayase with a frown.

"Elder Brother Naruto, there's no need for jokes," said Yajirobee with a laugh, his eyes moving over the haft of the spear. "I know I'm not mistaken. This is the spear that you used. That notch in the side, I saw it clearly that day."

Naruto stared blankly. It seemed this person had looked at the spear even more closely than he had. He hadn't notice any notch before, but now that he looked, sure enough, there it was.

When Yajirobee saw his expression, it only served to further his certainty. Though he wore a smile on his face, his eyes were cold. He wasn't allowed to kill Naruto to earn a spot in the Inner Sect, but could use other means, and he wouldn't hold back.

"Even if it's only an ordinary object, we still wish to buy it," said Hayase threateningly, his voice even colder than before. "We are determined to have this spear. Please, Elder Brother Naruto, don't make things difficult for us, otherwise, we will be very displeased, and you will be too. You might have the spear in hand, but the Violet Fate Sect is one of the five great Sects of the Southern Domain. Even this far away, our power is greater than you can imagine, Fellow Daoist. Furthermore… it's not we who want the spear, but rather Sect Elder Wu."

Upon hearing this, the Five Elements Nation Cultivators all exchanged glances. Their faces lit up with sneers for Naruto, but they maintained their silence.

Iwana's smile was especially wide. Gaining the help of these people to get information about the spear was a good thing. Regardless of what happened in the end, he should be able to take advantage of the situation to make a move. Furthermore, despite Naruto having a treasured spear, he wouldn't dare to offend a great sect from the Southern Domain.

"If I don't agree, will you force me?" asked Naruto, his gaze growing grim.

"Our Sect doesn't steal treasures from people," said Yajirobee with a laugh. "But Elder Brother Naruto should think things through carefully. What good will it do you to offend us? Furthermore… if we really wanted to steal the spear, we could get other people to do it for us. We wouldn't have to do anything." He glanced over at the Five Elements Nation disciples standing a short distance away and nodded. Iwana and the others suddenly looked very excited.

"Elder Brother Naruto, I, Chakraan, very much admire your performance on the treasure mountain. But let's not beat around the bush. Whether or not you want to sell the spear, you will!" His eyes were grim, and his words cold.

Naruto's heart groaned. If these people wanted to bring trouble upon themselves, he wouldn't stop them. A variety of expressions crossed his face, and he retreated a few more steps back, muttering to himself. Then, gritting his teeth, he lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Esteemed Violet Fate Sect disciples. If you truly wish to purchase my spear, please, name your price." Naruto flicked his sleeve, stabbing the spear into the ground. His face seemed to be grim and filled with pain.

* * *

When Naruto spoke, everything went quiet. Everyone's eyes focused on the iron spear sticking out of the ground.

Hayase laughed loudly, cupping hands in salute to Naruto.

"So, Elder Brother Naruto Is willing to part with his treasure. I, Chakraan, will not allow you to suffer a loss." He pulled out a bag of holding and tossed it to the ground. "Here are five hundred Spirit Stones!" Clinking sounds rang out as five-hundred Spirit Stones appeared, forming a small mountain. Off to the side, the Five Elements Nation disciples watched, gloating over Naruto's misfortune. Five hundred Spirit Stones was not a small amount, but also not a very large amount. If he sold a treasured item for that amount, he would become a laughingstock.

They weren't the only ones to think about the price. Naruto frowned. The difference was, his thinking was different from that of the Five Elements Nation disciples. In his estimation, the iron spear was probably worth two pieces of silver. To trade it for five hundred Spirit Stones meant that he was actually making a tidy profit.

"Are you kidding me?" said Yajirobee. "Don't try to bully Elder Brother Naruto. You think you can buy a treasure like that with just five hundred Spirit Stones? I will buy it for one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!" With a cold harrumph and the flick of a sleeve, he produced a bag of holding. More clinking sounds rang out as one thousand five hundred shining Spirit Stones emerged, producing a pile much higher than Hayase's. It was a grand sight which left everyone nervous with anticipation.

The Five Elements Nation disciples' hearts pounded. To them, one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones was a lot. Even though they were disciples of the three great Sects, it would still be difficult to accumulate so many. They panted as they watched. Even Iwana seemed to quiver with eagerness. Waraji stood behind him, dumbfounded. His admiration for Naruto grew even stronger, and he felt regret in his heart. He shouldn't have called out Naruto's name just now. He sighed, realizing that it was his fault that Naruto was being forced to sell his treasure.

"Junior Brother Song really does have gall," said Hayase, giving Yajirobee a cold look. He was determined to win the treasure. As far as he was concerned, it was his ticket into the Inner Sect, and he would not give up, no matter what price he had to pay. As of now, his true opponent was Yajirobee. The two of them could clearly not discuss acquiring the spear together.

"All of you! Give me your Spirit Stones," said Hayase, turning to looking at the five or six disciples behind him. "When we return to the Sect I will find a way to repay you." Without hesitation, they opened their bags of holding and produced all of their Spirit Stones.

"Two thousand one hundred Spirit Stones," Hayase said coolly, looking as if he didn't care in the slightest. "Elder Brother Naruto, these are all the items that I possess." He gave a cold look to Yajirobee.

Yajirobee's face twisted. The one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones he'd offered had been borrowed from the handful of fellow disciples behind him. Seeing how many Hayase had produced, as well as Naruto's apparent hesitation, he suddenly slapped his bag of holding.

"Elder Brother Naruto, I have no more Spirit Stones. But, I have medicinal pills." A bottle appeared in his hand. "Here are three Heavenly Water Pills, suitable for any Cultivator of the eighth level of Chakra condensation or lower. It is one of the best pills produced by the Pill Cultivation Workshop of our Violet Fate Sect. Each pill is worth five hundred Spirit Stones."

The burning look in the eyes of the Five Elements Nation disciples grew more intense. They knew how valuable Heavenly Water Pills were.

Iwana's breathing grew heavier. He had heard the Elders of his Sect speak of Heavenly Water Pills, and knew that they were one of the three most effective types of pills within the Southern Domain for eighth level Chakra Condensation Cultivators. Even within the Violet Fate Sect, prominent members of the Outer Sect would have a hard time getting their hands on one.

Hayase frowned, his eyes fixed on Yajirobee. Clenching his jaw, he slapped his bag of holding and produced his own pill bottle.

"I have no Heavenly Water Pills," said Hayase dramatically, "but, seeing that Elder Brother Narutois of the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, please accept these seven Earthly Spirit Pills. They were awarded to me for meritorious service within the Sect. They are perfectly suited for the seventh level of Chakra Condensation."

"I have some piddling Earthly Spirit Pills too," said Yajirobee with a cold laugh. He looked back at the disciples behind him. They gritted their teeth and produced their bags of holding, handing over ten Earthly Spirit Pills. They looked with reddened eyes at Hayase and his group.

"Elder Brother Chakraan, look…." said Naruto shyly. His heart beat rapidly.

Hayase's face changed as he realized that his offerings didn't match up to Yajirobee's. But this was his opportunity to enter the Inner Sect. He would not let it pass.

"Junior Brother Lu, you are determined to have it out with me today, aren't you? Fine!" His eyes flashing fiercely. He slapped his bag of holding, and immediately, a black beam shot out, transforming into a black spike. It glittered like lightning, producing multiple afterimages. The afterimages all came to rest on Hayase's hand, and everything grew quiet.

It was pitch black and carried an air of indescribable sharpness.

"Elder Brother Naruto, this is a magical item bestowed upon me by the Sect. It is called the Hellfighting Spike. Cold and dark, if it wounds an opponent, the wound will freeze over and an intense coldness will enter their body." Hayase forced himself to ignore his heartache as he spoke.

When the spike appeared, the faces of the disciples behind Hayase filled with envy. Yajirobee's expression changed, and he looked distressed. He had never imagined that Hayase would take out the black spike.

Naruto's eyes widened and his heart raced even faster. It wasn't just him. A buzz of conversation arose among the nearby Five Elements Nation disciples.

"That's a Hellfighting Spike from the Violet Fate Sect. I've heard the Elders speak of it. Only the Violet Fate Sect possesses them. It's said there are only one hundred and eight in existence. Each one is shockingly powerful."

Iwana's mouth grew dry, and he stared fixated at the spike. He wished beyond anything that he could be Naruto, then he could have this treasure.

Yajirobee's face continued to twist. Grinding his teeth angrily, he thought about the chance to join the Inner Sect, and how there was only one spot available. He would not retreat from this opportunity. Enduring the disappointment, he slapped his bag of holding and produced a treasure.

It was a feather fan, composed of a total of sixteen multi-colored feathers. As soon as it appeared, it emanated a shocking spiritual power which struck fear into the hearts of the onlookers.

"Elder Brother Naruto, this is my most valuable treasure. It is a Milky Way Fan. You don't need to practice with it at all, you can use it immediately. It allows the user to soar, and can change size. The sixteen feathers can also fly out in an attack, or circle around you to form a shield. It can be used in both attack and defense. It is not a treasure of our Sect, but rather something I acquired by luck. Allow me to present it to you in trade, Fellow Daoist." An unsightly expression filled his face, and his heart fairly dripped with blood, but in contending with Hayase for a spot in the Inner Sect, he charged forth without regard to rhyme or reason.

When the fan appeared, Hayase's facial expression changed. He took two steps back, his eyes filling with lines of blood. He knew that this was an extremely valuable treasure. To offer this up was almost like risking one's life.

As for the Five Elements Nation disciples, they looked shocked, and their heads hummed. They might not be familiar with the fan, but it was obviously a spectacularly extraordinary item. It emitted fierce spiritual power which left their hearts pounding in shock.

Iwana's eyes grew wide, and his body trembled as it filled with a fierce envy.

Naruto took in a deep breath. At the moment, he actually wasn't very happy, but instead apprehensive. He had already offended Hiruko, and the thought of deeply offending the Violet Fate Sect caused a cold sweat to break out over his entire body. But it seemed that whether or not he wanted to trade… he would have to.

His current appearance, his frown, and the dark look in his eyes, all made the onlookers think that he didn't view the treasures in front of him as valuable enough to trade.

"Elder Brother Naruto, I also have a Plateau Charging Pill, useful at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation." Ignoring the pain in his heart, Hayase slapped his bag of holding and produced a pill bottle. "It is very precious. Any Cultivator of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation would go crazy upon seeing just one. Even though it can't compare to a Foundation Establishment Pill, it's still very valuable." As he spoke, he didn't even look at Naruto, but rather Yajirobee.

"This spear…" Naruto felt even more conflicted at heart, and he was about to speak further when suddenly Yajirobee raised his head to the sky and laughed loudly. He lifted up his hand and pulled a brocaded pouch out of his robe. He turned it over, and a thick, round pill fell out. It was black, and did not emit even a shred of spiritual power. But, seeing how Yajirobee treated it with utmost care, it was obviously some sort of treasure.

"Elder Brother Naruto, this pill is not reusable. In fact, it is a rare magical pill. When you crush it, it will turn into a hyper toxic black scorpion that can injure a Cultivator of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, perhaps even kill him. This magical pill was bestowed upon me by my clan. Here, take it!" Yajirobee's eyes were red, but they weren't looking at Naruto, but rather Hayase. He held the magical pill up in trade, but he was actually using it to threaten Hayase, as if this were the tie-breaker.

Hayase's expression changed, and his eyes flashed, filling with killing intent. But he quickly got himself under control, and then casually said, "Perhaps we should both trade for the treasure, then take it back to Elder Wu and let him decide what to do."

Yajirobee didn't respond. He didn't actually want to attack. If it were in a remote place where no one could see, perhaps he would. But things were complicated with so many people watching. He had only wanted to threaten Hayase. Upon hearing the suggestion, he nodded. Even though it hurt a bit, when he looked at the Plateau Charging Pill in Hayase's hand, he could only clench his jaw and put his magical pill down in front of him.

Seeing this, Hayase relaxed a big. Without asking Naruto, he grabbed the iron spear and sped off. Yajirobee went with him, also holding the spear. They shot toward the city gate, each of them eyeing the other suspiciously.

The other Violet Fate Sect disciples immediately charged after them, instantly disappearing through the city gate and off into the distance. They appeared to be heading in the direction of the State Shield Mountain chain.

Naruto's heart raced. Without hesitation, he flicked his sleeve, collecting all of the various objects. Then he turned and sped off as fast as possible. The eyes of the disciples of the Five Elements Nation glittered brightly, especially Iwana's. His eyes filled with fervor, and he moved to pursue and attack Naruto. But Naruto waved his right hand and the fan flew out to land beneath his feet. His speed increased rapidly, and he shot off into the distance.

At the same time, the middle-aged man sitting next to the Pill furnace in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion cracked open his eyes. They flashed like lightning as he watched Naruto disappearing.

"These Violet Fate Sect disciples get worse and worse with each generation," he said coolly. "They are idiots. Even though they don't have the Spiritual Sense of the Foundation Establishment stage, they should still be able to tell that thing is useless."

Upon hearing this, Shiho and the other girls, who had just watched everything happen, looked incredulous.

"It's just an iron spear," the man said quietly. "That young member of the junior generation, surnamed Uzumaki, he said it himself." He closed his eyes again.

* * *

Naruto felt quite conflicted. He stood on the treasured fan he had just acquired, using as much spiritual power as he could muster to flee at top speed. He feared that if he was even the least bit slow, he would be attacked and robbed.

"First I offended Hiruko," sighed Naruto, "and then the Violet Fate Sect… But it's not my fault, they forced me to trade." In his mind, he was innocent. At the time, he had no choice but to trade the spear…. Sighing repeatedly, he pushed himself to go faster, getting closer and closer to the State Shield Mountain range.

"I need to find a place to hide for a while. If someone catches up with me, I'll be in great danger…" Naruto frowned. The power of the treasured fan faded, and he dropped to the ground, tucking the fan away and starting to run.

"When will I be able to reach Foundation Establishment? Then I'll be able to really fly!"

Two days passed, during which time Naruto didn't rest at all. He just kept running, thinking about how he hadn't rested at all since Gato began to chase him on Mount Myōboku. But he had no choice. The thought of what would happen if he didn't was too ghastly to contemplate.

Meanwhile, deep in the State Shield Mountain chain, atop the plateau next to the treasure mountain, Tazuna held up a Go piece, smiling broadly. After thinking for no less than one hour, he slowly put the piece onto the board.

Hiruko's face was like iron. With a cold snort, he slammed a piece down onto the board.

"Hiruko, your Cultivation base is so refined. You shouldn't allow yourself to be in such a mood." Tazuna stroked his beard and laughed. He looked as calm as a cool wind. "Cultivators of our generation should be able to settle our Chakra and calm our minds. Even with mountains crumbling around us, our expressions shouldn't change. But look at you! Are you really so ill-at-ease because of some nobody from the junior generation?"

"If our positions were switched, you would be the same," said Hiruko sourly.

"Absolutely not! If I, Wu, were in this position, I would only offer praise, and would certainly not feel anger. In the Violet Fate Sect, we cultivate our disposition, and would not allow something like this to arouse our anger. No offense, Hiruko, but as far as this type of cultivation goes, you really have something to learn from the Violet Fate Sect." Tazuna laughed, obviously quite pleased with himself.

"How about this," he continued. "After we finish this game of Go, you can come with me to the Violet Fate Sect. I will allow you to peruse our Moral Cultivation Manual, and then you will understand what it means to settle the Chakra and calm the mind." Tazuna's smile was so wide that wrinkles appeared on his face.

Hiruko harrumphed, refusing to respond and simply looking off into the distance. Tazuna's smile grew stronger, and he too looked off into the distance. Shortly, two figures could be seen racing toward them through the forest. It was Hayase and Yajirobee. They gripped an iron spear between the two of them as they made a beeline for the plateau. They were followed by a small group of other Violet Fate Sect disciples.

Hayase and Yajirobee stepped foot onto the plateau and both began to speak at the same time.

"Greetings, Elder Wu. Disciple has accomplished the task. I have acquired the treasured item through trade."

"Greetings, Elder Wu, fortunately, I have not failed in my mission. I was able to trade for the spear."

Hiruko's face was grim as Tazuna's laughter rang out.

"Excellent. Good job, you two." He laughed. "I will take it upon myself to promote both of you to the Inner Sect. You didn't cause any problems for that kid, did you?"

"I am pleased to report that we made a fair trade," said Hayase hastily. Next to him, Yajirobee nodded fervently, looking excited. "We didn't cause any problems for him."

"Hiruko, come, let's take a look at this treasured, divine spear." Tazuna laughed. He flicked his sleeve, and the iron spear flew toward him.

The instant it touched his hand, Tazuna's expression changed. His eyes flashed as he examined the spear closer. Grim-faced Hiruko also took a close look, whereupon, his eyes began to shine. He stared open mouthed, then suddenly smiled.

Tazuna's expression grew more and more unsightly. No matter from which aspect he looked at the spear, it was ordinary in nature. Refusing to believe that it was true, he pointed the spear at a random Demonic beast further down the mountain. The creature didn't even notice.

The expression on his face was unsightly to the extreme. He slowly raised his head, looking coldly at Hayase and Yajirobee.

When they saw the look in Tazuna's eyes, their excitement faded, and they began to tremble. Blank expressions filled their eyes.

"What did you trade for this spear?" asked Tazuna, one word at a time.

Looking nervous, Hayase said, "Disciple gave two thousand Spirit Stones, seven Earthly Spirit Pills, one of the Sect's Hellfighting Spikes, and… and a Plateau Charging Pill."

Tazuna's face grew dark.

Next, Yajirobee spoke: "Disciple gave one thousand, five hundred Spirit Stones, three Heavenly Spirit Pills, a treasured fan, and a magical pill."

Hiruko burst out laughing. It was the laughter of release, as if all of his pent up depression from the past few days had suddenly disappeared.

Tazuna was mad enough, but when he heard the price the two disciples had paid, along with Hiruko's peals of laughter, his rage exploded. He suddenly let out a furious roar. "Good-for-nothing fools! This iron spear is a fake!"

It echoed out like thunder, shattering the Go board. Cracks appeared on the surface of the mountain beneath his feet. Hayase and Yajirobee tumbled to the ground, blood spraying out of their heads spun as Tazuna's single word echoed in their hearts.

"Fake…" They were stunned.

This word thundered out in all directions along with his roar, filling nearly half of the entire State Shield Mountain range and reaching even Eastern Refinement City.

It eventually reached the ears of Iwana, filling him with confusion. After a moment, his expression changed, and a look of shock filled his face.

"The spear was a fake?" He looked at his companions, and looks of realization appeared on their faces as well.

"It couldn't be that the iron spear that was a fake, could it…?"

Inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Shiho was in the midst of introducing a magical item to a Cultivator when she heard the noise outside. Amazed, she thought back to Naruto's iron spear, and a strange look appeared on her face.

Next to the pill furnace, the middle-aged man opened his eyes, and they flickered with a mocking expression. Without a word, he closed them again.

Far away from the plateau in the State Shield Mountains, Naruto lowered his head and ran even faster.

Hiruko's splitting laughter undulated throughout the mountains. Tazuna's face couldn't look more horrible. He, an Elder of the Violet Fate Sect, had been hoodwinked by a Cultivator of the Chakra Condensation stage. Even though it didn't directly involve him, he would definitely lose face when word spread.

He wanted to track Naruto down immediately. He turned to look at Hayase and Yajirobee, who stood there terrified. He was disgusted, but in his heart he sighed. These disciples had spent all their days within the Sect, and didn't have any experience dealing with outsiders. They were flowers raised indoors, inexperienced and incapable of dealing with schemes.

With a cold harrumph, he tossed the iron spear to the ground and took a few steps forward, casting his senses about in search of Naruto. But then, Hiruko stepped forward to block his way, laughing complacently.

"Fellow Daoist Tazuna, please don't lose your temper," he said. "Your Violet Fate Sect stresses the need to settle the Chakra and calm the mind, to cultivating one's disposition. Don't allow a small matter like this to arouse your ire. When it comes to this type of cultivation, you should really do a bit more research into your Sect's Moral Cultivation Manual." Hiruko laughed heartily. Earlier, he had been prevented from leaving no matter what he said, so of course now he would do the same thing to Tazuna.

"You…" Tazuna's face grew dark, and he stared fixedly at Hiruko. But he didn't say anything.

"You broke the Go board, so now we can't finish," said Hiruko with a smile. "How about this: You were going to take me to your Violet Fate Sect, right? Well, let's go! We can chat and play Go for a few months." The depression had faded completely from his heart. Seeing Tazuna like this made him incredibly happy. As far as the treasures Naruto had taken, he didn't care anymore. What was most important to him was the look of outrage and insult on Tazuna's face.

He pulled at Tazuna, clearly having no intention of allowing him to resist.

Tazuna's heart was filled with gloom. He glared at Hiruko, then let out a long sigh. He knew that the man wouldn't let him pursue Naruto. He stamped his foot angrily, then allowed Hiruko to pull him up into the air.

"You useless imbeciles won't be able to keep up," said Tazuna, looking down at trembling Hayase and Yajirobee. "The Inner Sect promotion is a failure. Return to the Sect and immediately go into secluded meditation!" The other disciples watched on, pale-faced.

"Damn you, Naruto," said Yajirobee, lowering his head, his face twisted with rage. "I will never forget this, you shameless bastard!" He ground his teeth when he recalled Naruto's bashful expression, and it looked as if his eyes might erupt with flames. He had never met anyone so impudent in his entire life. The spear was obviously a fake. His face filled with pain when he thought of how much he had paid for it. When he thought about the lost chance to enter the Inner Sect, he was so angry that he almost spat up blood.

"Shameless! Despicable!" said Hayase, thinking about his precious items. He picked up the iron spear. "Naruto, you are a complete scoundrel!" As he thought about the failure of the Inner Sect promotion, he really seemed about to go crazy. And then he thought about all the medicinal pills and magical items, and his hatred for Naruto ascended to skies.

The two of them looked at each other, sharing a look of pain.

"We will place this spear up inside the Sect to remind us that we must kill Naruto!"

Fierce killing intent filled their eyes, and yet, the trial by fire was over, and they were required to return to the Sect. Their rancor and murderous thoughts could only be concealed in their hearts, never to be erased.

Meanwhile, Naruto was both scared witless and also felt that he was being accused wrongly. Sighing, he increased his speed, running as fast as he could for seven days straight. Eventually he found an Immortal's cave in the deep mountains. Exhausted, he sat down cross-legged and began to meditate and do breathing exercises.

"Was it worth it…?" he sighed to himself. He was tired from the days of running, but had simply been too frightened of being caught. Now, he was on his last legs.

Two days later at dawn, he opened his eyes and began running again. For half a month, he didn't dare to let anyone see him. Finally, deep in the remote mountains, when he felt it was safe, he used a flying sword to carve out a cave, then sealed himself inside to meditate.

* * *

Two months passed. Naruto sat cross-legged in the Immortal's Cave in the deep mountains. Suddenly, a thunderous noise rang out, sending the nearby animals scattering. The large stone slab he had sliced out to seal the cave suddenly shattered into pieces.

Stone fragments showered out in all directions as Naruto emerged from the Immortal's Cave. His hair hung down like a cloak around his scholar's robe. His eyes glittered like lightning, and a shocking aura emanated from him, as well as a pleasant, fragrant aroma.

A look of joy filled his face. After having been in secluded meditation for such a long time, he let out a laugh which echoed out and sent the wild beasts running.

"The eighth level of Chakra Condensation!" he said, his fists clenched. His eyes shone, which would have been even more obvious were it nighttime.

The two months of meditation had begun with a sense of nervousness and imminent danger. Those feeling disappeared slowly as he practiced Cultivation. He used over ten thousand Spirit Stones to duplicate medicinal pills, which he used in his meditation.

He did not want to be in a position of danger ever again. He needed to become strong, so that he could surpass the people who threatened him.

"I need to become powerful. There is no other reason. I must become powerful!"

He stood outside of the Immortal's cave, breathing the fresh mountain air, his eyes filled with resolve.

He was a simple scholar, a student of Confucianism. But the past three years had caused him to become a bit more inwardly focused. After everything that he had experienced, his personality was very different than it had been. His stubbornness was now much more obvious.

He had been stubborn in his refusal to give up even after failing in the Imperial examinations. He had been stubborn in his struggles in the Reliance Sect. He had been stubborn when he stood up to Sasuke. And now he was stubborn in his hopes for the future.

Becoming powerful is much the same as becoming rich. It is a dream that does not require a reason. If a reason is required, perhaps it is fear of being poor or weak. That is what Naruto believed.

"Life is an ever-burning flame, filled with exuberance. In life, one must be strong, and never lower one's head." He looked up into the sky, thinking about the Reliance Sect. He thought about the arrogant conceit of the experts from the Five Elements Nation. He thought of the coldness of the people who had tried to kill him. He thought of the gaze of that middle-aged Dao Protector who had stood next to Sasuke that night.

"My mother and father disappeared when I was young. If I hadn't struggled to improve myself, I wouldn't have lived down to this day. Instead, I would have resigned myself to the hopelessness. If I hadn't struggled to grow stronger during my time in the Reliance Sect, I would never have become a member of the Inner Sect. Stubborn insistence on self-improvement. That is my path into the future." He let out a very long breath. Then, he lifted his hand and flicked his sleeve. A black beam appeared which solidified into a black spike. Emanating a black glow, it shot toward a nearby boulder.

A boom rang out, and the boulder, which was over eighteen meters tall, collapsed into chunks, interspersed with pieces of black ice. They fell to the ground, emanating an intense coldness.

With a look of satisfaction, Naruto waved his hand, and the black spike flew back to him. He moved his hand again, and this time a multicolored beam swirled around him. The sixteen-feathered fan appeared, flying back and forth as it followed the movements of his fingers. Suddenly, there was bang as the feathers separated.

Sixteen beams of light circled around. The sixteen feathers had become like flying swords, swift and fierce. They followed the movements of his hand, moving to spin rapidly around him, making an impenetrable shield, empowered by his spiritual power.

Then the feathers re-formed into a fan and settled onto his hand.

"It's too bad I didn't have enough Spirit Stones. The copper mirror really eats them up. Duplicating one Earthly Spirit Pill required one hundred Spirit Stones. Not a bad price. The Heavenly Spirit Pill, useful upon reaching the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, required five hundred. Just a bit too expensive…" Thinking about Spirit Stones, he frowned. Of the ten thousand Spirit Stones he'd had, not many were left. During the two months he had spent breaking through from the seventh level to the eighth level, he had consumed over eighty Earthly Spirit Pills. That was nearly two per day before he had broken through to the eighth level of Chakra Condensation.

"In the future," he muttered to himself. "I will require even more spiritual power to practice Cultivation." A glance inside his bag of holding confirmed that he only had five Heavenly Spirit Pills. He had already consumed one, and had calculated that to reach the ninth level of Chakra Condensation he would need roughly one hundred and fifty.

"I know I need a lot of spiritual power. But could it be that my excessive consumption of Demonic Cores has caused my body to begin to reject medicinal pills?" He hesitated, unsure of how to confirm his theory. If he was right, then he might need even more Heavenly Spirit Pills, or perhaps other types of medicinal pills.

"One hundred and fifty Heavenly Spirit Pills… that's equal to seventy thousand Spirit Stones… Without them, it will take me a long time to accumulate that much spiritual energy. Plus, my latent talent is only ordinary, so that means it will take even longer…." He sighed as he thought about the emptiness of his bag of holding.

He had three more of the extraordinarily large Spirit Stones, but he didn't dare to use them. The more advanced he became in his cultivation, the more he realized how rash he had been to duplicate the wooden sword all those years ago. The large Spirit Stones were clearly extraordinarily special, otherwise he would not have been able to duplicate the Vorpal Jade Blood Crystals.

"I won't use these large Spirit Stones unless it's absolutely necessary," he said resolutely. "Maybe they will have some other use in the future." The fan beneath his feet began to shine brightly, and his body transformed into a ray of light which shot off into the distance.

He was quiet as he travelled, circulating his spiritual energy. Eventually, the treasured fan began to fade and take on a more ordinary appearance. As he moved farther and farther away, he began to grow more at ease.

"After all these months, the Violet Fate Sect disciples will surely have moved on." He was careful as he traveled, eventually emerging from the mountains. He looked off into the distance. If he was right, this area was close to the capital city of the Five Elements Nation.

Once upon a time, he had yearned day and night to go to the capital city. This desire was second only to his dream of visiting the Sky country in the Eastern Lands. He sighed emotionally as he thought of his three years of examinations, and three years of failures. He had never even made it to the final examinations in the capital city. Another three years had passed, and now he finally arrived, not as a scholar, but as a Cultivator.

As he approached the capital city, he stopped gliding and began to walk along the public road. He tied up his hair and this, coupled with his scholar's robe, made him look just like the old scholar that he used to be. Although, while he had then been somewhat short, after years of Cultivation, he was now tall and slender. His skin was still a bit dark, yet vigorous, emanating a strong air.

He walked along absentmindedly. It was March now, which was often a time for snowfall in the Five Elements Nation. As Naruto walked, the darkness of evening began to settle around him, and snowflakes began to slowly fall.

Soon, the ground was covered with whiteness, like a feathered quilt.

The wind blew snow onto Naruto's hair. It didn't melt, but rather began to collect together.

Everything was still and quiet. As he grew closer and closer to the capital city, a horse-drawn carriage approached from behind him, speeding forward at top speed. It seemed whoever was inside was afraid the city gates would be closing soon.

It passed Naruto, kicking up billows of snowflakes in its wake. As it passed, the wind blew open the carriage's curtain just a crack, revealing a young scholar reading some texts.

Naruto looked at him calmly, recalling his own similar appearance years ago. As of now, Naruto was clearly about twenty years old. However, inside, he felt much older.

He let out a light sigh. Up ahead, the carriage came to a stop, and the curtain lifted up. The young scholar looked back at him, then stepped down out of the carriage and saluted Naruto with clasped hands.

"Brother, are you going to Capital City for the Imperial examinations?

Naruto quickly returned the salute. "Years ago I dreamed of doing so, but those dreams have long since faded. I just want to go take a look at the Sky Tower."

"That's a pity, my Brother," he said, looking regretful. "Your bearing seems very refined, I thought perhaps we were fellow candidates. Are you sure you wish to give up on your aspirations to become an official?" The young man appeared to be about the same age as Naruto.

Naruto shook his head silently.

"Well, never mind," said the young scholar. He looked at Naruto's scholarly appearance and smiled warmly. "It's starting to snow harder, and it will only become more difficult to travel along the road. If it gets too late, you won't be able to enter the city. Brother, why don't you join me in the carriage? We should still have enough time to make it to the city."

Naruto looked up at the sky, then back at the scholar. He bowed respectfully, then stepped up into the carriage.

A fire crackled in a small oven inside, dispelling the bitter cold. This, coupled with the fact that an old family retainer drove the carriage, made it clear that the scholar came from a rich family.

The old driver wore a wide bamboo hat and the knuckles of his hands were large. It seemed he could do some kung fu.

"I am Iruka," the scholar said with a smile, warming his hands. "Brother, there's no need to be shy. We're both scholars, and scholars should help each other whenever possible."

"I am Naruto," he said with a humble smile. "Many thanks to you, Brother Iruka." His gaze fell upon the book resting next to Iruka. It was the Book of Rites. It looked very old, and was obviously not a copy, but rather an ancient original text.

"You're surnamed Uzumaki?" said Iruka, his expression brightening. It was somewhat cramped inside the carriage, but he still managed to stand and give Naruto a respectful salute. "Such an honorable family name. So you're a descendant of Chakrangfu! I have been disrespectful; please forgive me, Brother Naruto."

Naruto stood and returned the salute. "There's no need to act like this, Brother Iruka. It's just a surname. My ancestors were resplendent, but as for me, I failed repeatedly in the Imperial examinations, which has left me extremely ashamed." The two of them sat back down.

"Brother Naruto, you spoke incorrectly just now," said Iruka solemnly. "Your surname will bring you good fortune. It has been passed down to you from ancient times. As a descendant of Chakrangfu, even if you didn't pass the Imperial examinations, as long as you have kindness and virtue in your heart, you can still live by the values of Confucius."

Naruto thought silently for a moment, then lifted his head and looked at the scholar sitting in front of him. "Brother Iruka," he said quietly, "what is the true meaning of Confucianism?"

"Courtesy, benevolence, loyalty, and the golden mean," he responded unhesitatingly. "This is Confucianism."

Naruto didn't respond. He looked out through the curtain at the snowflakes filling the air. After a while, he spoke again in a cool voice: "What is the meaning of life?"

"Life?" said Iruka, looking surprised. He hesitated for a while, not saying anything.

The inside the carriage grew quiet, filled only with the sound of falling snow, which drifted in through the window. Naruto lifted up his hand and reached outside. Snowflakes gradually accumulated on his hand.

"Snow will only appear during winter," he said quietly, "and can only exist in the cold wind. Therefore, its life exists only during the depths of winter." He pulled his hand back into the carriage and held it next to the copper oven. The snow began to melt, turning into water, which flowed through the creases of his palm.

"Snow can only live in the winter. When it nears a fire, it dies. That is its life. It may yearn for summer, but… it can only desire it. In my hand, the snow becomes water, because this is not its world…." He raised his hand back up and brushed the water off outside the window. There, beyond the vision of the young scholar, it once again became snow.

Iruka stared mutely, a deep look appearing in his eyes. Eventually, the carriage entered the city.

"Thank you for allowing me to accompany you, Brother Iruka," said Naruto coolly. "I shall take my leave." He saluted politely, and stepped out of the carriage, then treaded across the snow-filled street.

"Yearning for summer," Iruka murmured to himself, "but only able to exist in the cold of winter. Only able to look off into the distance… that is snow." He watched Naruto disappearing into the distance. After a while, he got out of the cart and gave a deep bow in Naruto's direction.

Snow began to cover him, but he knew that as soon as he reentered the carriage, it would die. He would never forget what had just happened, and what he had just seen and heard. Years later, after he became a famous Confucian in the Five Elements Nation, he would think back to that windy, winter night when the snow slowly melted into water. And he would think of a scholar named Naruto.

* * *

The Five Elements Nation was in the southern part of the Southern Domain, which was connected to the Western subcontinent. These two areas were separated from the rest of the lands of Ninshu by the Milky Way Sea, although it is possible that long ago, the lands of Ninshu had not been split in this way.

To state things more clearly, the Five Elements Nation exists on the edge of the Southern Domain, far from the sea. Only by passing over numerous mountains would the boundless Milky Way Sea become visible.

The Five Elements Nation was not very large, nor was it heavily populated. However, the capital city was a bustling place. Even though the evening air was filled with falling snow, the houses glowed with lantern light, keeping everyone warm inside.

Anyone who didn't own a house, who walked about in the snowy night, would feel an indescribable loneliness.

Naruto walked down the street beneath the darkening sky. The crowds of people who would normally be visible during the day were nowhere to be seen. Anyone who moved about wore wide bamboo hats, and kept their heads lowered as they hurried along.

Looking off into the distance, Naruto could just barely make out the shape of a large, prominent building. It was a pagoda, a tower.

The Sky Tower.

It was nearly three hundred meters tall, almost like a mountain, capable of capturing the attention of anyone within the city. Snow surrounded it, but could not hide the evidence of the devoted care spent by the King of Five Elements Nation, the scholars, and the many other people who had constructed it.

It faced the Eastern Lands, the Sky country and the Long River.

Naruto had never been to the capital city before, nor the Sky Tower. He had never even seen it before. But as he walked down the street toward it, he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that… this was definitely the Sky Tower.

He had always imagined that one day he would become a government official, and then he would be able to climb to its top and stare out across the land.

He looked at the Sky Tower sitting there amidst the swirling snow. A long time passed.

"Before mother and father disappeared," he murmured to himself, "a violet wind blew outside. People said it was an auspicious sign, and that a celestial being had appeared in the sky…." He walked forward, staring at the Sky Tower.

He thought about everything that had happened that night. He would never be able to forget. That night, he lost his youth. From that night on, he would never again have a father and mother to rely on. That was when he began to grow strong.

It was then that he started to dream of going to the Eastern Lands, to the Sky country!

Rumors spread that his parents were dead, but Naruto knew that they were simply missing. They were out there, somewhere. He would never forget the violet robe his father had been wearing that night as he stood next to the window, looking out at the violet wind. Nor would he forget how his father had looked back at him, a disturbed look in his eyes.

He would never forget that night, nor the quiet sound of his mother weeping.

He had never spoken of these things to anyone, but had kept them buried deep in his heart.

As the Sky Tower grew closer and closer, he wondered why he was suddenly thinking about such things from the past. He sighed. The sigh broke to pieces in the snowy wind. It would never leave the capital city, nor the Five Elements Nation, nor the Southern Domain. It would not cross the Milky Way Sea, nor would it reach the Long River.

"Maybe it's because mother would always talk about the Sky country," he murmured. "She told me that in the capital city of every nation, there is a Sky Tower, and people say those towers are the closest you can get to the Long River without actually being there."

As he approached the district surrounding the Sky Tower, he looked up.

The snow fell in heavy sheets, and the winter wind whimpered around him. More and more snow was building up on the tower. From where he stood, he could see clearly that it had been constructed with great care. Its foundation was eight-sided, and it rose up like a massive pagoda.

It was constructed from green material, and looked just like he had imagined it would.

Despite the snow, soldiers patrolled around its perimeter. This area… was a place only highly ranked officials and powerful people could enter, in order to offer sacrifices and perform rites.

But the mortal soldiers didn't notice as Naruto's body passed by and entered the tower.

An ancient flight of stairs wound up inside, reaching slowly up toward the top. The walls were carved with brightly colored frescoes, depicting the Eastern Lands, the Sky country and the Long River.

"I remember mother describing the Sky country to me. I was so small then, that I didn't really understand what she was talking about. But now that I think about it, the way she described the Eastern Lands, the Sky country and the Long River… it was as if she had seen them with her own eyes. If she hadn't, how could she have described everything in such detail? It was just like these carvings." He examined them as he ascended the stairs. Eventually he reached the top of the tower, and the end of the carvings. They had depicted life and culture, beautiful scenery, and countless amazing, legendary stories. It was all very moving and inspiring.

Outside, the snow whistled about in the air, buffeted by strong winds. It lay thick on the top of the tower. Naruto took a deep breath and looked off into the distance. The only thing he could see was snow. He could not see the Eastern Lands, nor the Sky country, nor the Long River.

"So you can't see the Long River from here after all," he murmured quietly. He stood there quietly, wrapped up in countless thoughts. He was not a government official, here to offer sacrifices to the heavens. He was a Cultivator, a Cultivator of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation.

"I walk a different path than before, but the direction is the same." The wind blew his hair about, and the snow stuck to him un-melting, as if it approved of his life, as if he too, were snow.

After a while, he sat down cross-legged and began to meditate quietly.

During the night, the snow fell even harder. The lights shone within the houses of the capital city. From atop the Sky Tower, everything grew pitch black and quiet. Within the quiet darkness, Naruto could see himself years ago, back in Konoha County, amidst the snow.

The snowy night slowly passed.

At dawn, Naruto opened his eyes. It was hard to say whether he glanced at the rising sun, or if the rising sun glanced at him first.

The city came to life with the dawn. Soon, the streets filled with throngs of people. Naruto watched the mortal world spread out before him.

He observed silently, all the way until night fell. Another dawn broke. One day, two days, three days.

For seven days, Naruto gazed down on everything. At first, his eyes had seemed faint and weak, but then they grew bright, and finally, calm.

Something had changed in his mind. He had achieved a state of enlightenment regarding life itself. At dawn on the eighth day, he looked down to see officials and soldiers arrive at the Sky Tower to perform a rite. A middle-aged man stood there wearing a golden robe. Behind him were crowds of people, standing neatly in formation. He offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, as did many of the commoners throughout the city.

Naruto stood as they began to bow to the heavens. He left the tower, avoiding their obeisance. Stepping onto the treasured fan, he soared forward, knowing that the time had come for him to leave. As he prepared to depart, he looked back toward the tower one more time.

When he did, his eyes grew wide.

He watched as the people kowtowed outside of the Sky Tower, which then began to glow softly. It was a sparkling glow that the mortals could not see, but someone filled with spiritual energy could.

The light shot upwards, sending the clouds roiling, whereupon a huge vortex appeared. This, also, was invisible to the eyes of the mortals, but not to Naruto. He could see the vortex clearly, and it caused him to suck in a breath. He looked shaken.

Inside the vortex, he could see… an endless field of bones and ruins, filled with a ghastly aura and a curling, black fog. He couldn't see very many clear details, but could sense a mysterious and gruesome air roiling out.

His mind was shaken, especially when he noticed that within the black mist of the vortex was an enormous coffin. There, amidst the ruins, sitting cross-legged next to the coffin, was a shrivelled corpse. It suddenly opened its eyes. They were as gray as ash, and within them seven faint spots of light rotated about like stars. The corpse's vision shot out from within the vortex, straight onto Naruto.

His heart trembled, and he involuntarily closed his eyes as he felt a stab of pain within them. It felt as if seven stars were about to appear within his own pupils, the same as those within the ash-gray eyes.

Suddenly, withered wrinkles began appear across his body, and a terrible black mist began to seep out of his pores.

Shocked, Naruto retreated at top speed. At the same time, the vortex was suddenly sucked up into the clouds. The crushing feeling he had experienced vanished, and everything went back to normal. It was as if what he had just seen had been a hallucination.

And yet, his body was still withered, and faint wisps of death aura continued to seep out of him. His facial expression changed several times. He looked down at the Sky Tower. The glow was no longer present, but the people continued to pay obeisance. His face grew dark, and without hesitation he pushed the treasured fan to its limits. His body turned into a stream of light and he disappeared into the distance.

He soared out of the capital city, looking back toward the Sky Tower several times. His eyes scanned the sky, and doubt began to rise up in his heart.

"It couldn't have been a hallucination. The Sky Tower… what kind of place is it exactly? Originally I thought it was a mortal place, but that's obviously not true! What was that place within the vortex…? The ruins, the death aura, all those bones…" His scalp grew numb as he thought about the corpse he had seen amidst the ruins.

Its eyes had been filled with callousness, grim and ghastly, especially the seven stars within the pupils of its gray eyes. As he thought of this, his body grew cold and began to drip with sweat.

"And that… coffin." Naruto took a deep breath, his eyes filled with fear.

"Who is inside that coffin, and why did it suddenly appear within the vortex. Why…? Does it have something to do with the Sky Tower…? Does it have something to do with the Sky country in the Eastern Lands?" Naruto grew thoughtful, looking back yet again at the Sky Tower. The sense of awe within him grew stronger. He breathed in deeply again, gliding forward a bit before dropping to the ground and running.

He was starting to think that being stared at by the corpse within the vortex… had been a catastrophe….

* * *

The capital city drew further and further away. A long time passed, during which time Naruto pushed down the feeling of fear that quivered in his heart. He frowned, scanning his body. It had withered; while before he had been somewhat slim, he was now somewhat emaciated.

That problem was secondary to what really alarmed Naruto. His body continuously emanated strands of black mist, as if it were burning. It continued to come out of him, no matter how much he tried to wave it away. It floated high up into the air, making it possible for anyone around to determine his location.

"My body stopped withering, but this weird black aura just won't stop. It's really making me stand out too much…." He flew forward as fast as possible, trying to find a place to hide within the mountains. After the black mist finished dissipating, he would come out again.

Two hours later, he sat angrily in the remote mountains. After sealing himself up in an Immortal's Cave, he'd found out that the black mist could pass through some material objects.

"Dammit, how long will this mist last?" He gnashed his teeth, not daring to stop anywhere. If he did, the mist would gather together above him and become easily visible. Anyone who saw it would definitely think there was some sort of treasured item nearby.

Naruto frowned, pushing deeper into the mountains. He kept moving forward as fast as possible. When his spiritual energy ran out, he would consume a medicinal pill. It was only in this fashion that he could prevent the black aura from gathering together. It wasn't as easy to see when it was spread thin, although it still floated up visibly into the sky.

Seven days passed. Naruto was frightened as well as exhausted, having had no chance to rest. The damnable mist was black during the day, then glowed white during the night.

After the seventh day, he could tell that the amount of mist dissipating from his body had grown weaker. In his best estimation, it would take approximately one month for it to disperse completely.

He didn't dare to stay in the mountains for too long, as he might attract attention. He wasn't sure whether or not the Violet Fate Sect disciples had actually left. So, he had no choice but to just keep moving forward.

On one particular day, he sat cross-legged on the treasured fan, soaring through a forest. Suddenly, he lifted his head up, his eyes flickering. He could see four shapes speeding in his direction from a distance away.

With a frown, he stopped flying and dropped to the ground. He slapped his bag of holding and a flying sword appeared. It shot toward an old tree, chopping a hole in it into which Naruto entered.

He had attempted this method before and found that the mist would not pass outside of the tree. However, after the space of about ten breaths, the tree would wither up.

He had done this several times in the past week in order to avoid the detection of other Cultivators.

Sitting inside the hole in the tree, he waited for the four people to go away. Unfortunately, instead of passing by, they stopped nearby and began to look around carefully. One of them was a young man in a violet robe. His face was expressionless as he leaped to the top of a tree, the power of his Cultivation base radiating out. In his hand he held a white pearl.

The black aura which had been emanating out from Naruto was instantly sucked into the white pearl, whereupon it began to turn black.

Naruto's heart began to thump when he saw this.

The group of people was made up of three men and one woman. The woman wore a long skirt and was rather beautiful. A mysterious look gleamed in her eyes, a look that others might describe as demonic. "Come to speak of it, it really is strange," she said. "This thick death aura has appeared a lot recently in the mountains."

The two men standing next to her frowned as they gazed around the forest.

"Regardless of what's causing it, we should leave once we finish absorbing the aura," said one of the men, sounding a bit nervous. "Whatever is causing it is something very strange. It's probably better if we don't find out what it is."

"What are you afraid of?" said the woman with a smile. She gave a charming look to the violet-robed young man, her eyes shining with charm. "With Elder Brother Meizu here, we're safe from any danger. He's an Inner Sect disciple of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. He can prevent any disasters from occurring. And who knows, maybe we might even have a bit of good fortune."

The young man with the pearl was of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, and was obviously the leader. The others were all at the sixth level.

It didn't take very long for the pearl to absorb all of the black aura. The pearl itself was now pitch black, and didn't seem as if it could even absorb any more. Naruto sat there watching, lost in thought.

"Let's go," said the man named Yan. He flicked his wide sleeve, and the four of them began to make their way off. As this happened, Naruto frowned. They were taking too long, and he had run out of time. The black aura was just now beginning to seep out from the top of the tree.

As soon as it appeared, the man named Meizu turned and looked at it, his eyes flashing.

Naruto sighed, and then burst out from within the tree. He flicked his sleeve and sped off as fast as possible.

His appearance surprised the four people, as did the black aura emanating from him. The man named Meizu stared at him.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay behind a moment," he called out. His hands flashed in incantation signs, and instantly, a black wind sprang up which formed into the shape of a hideous, grinning skull. It opened its jaw and shot toward Naruto.

He had asked for Naruto to stop. But this skull carried the full power of his eighth level of Chakra Condensation. It moved as swift as lightning, with incredible power.

At the same time, the two other men and the woman, their eyes glittering, attacked. Two flying swords and a jade bracelet transformed into beams of light which shot straight toward Naruto. The woman's jade bracelet let out a buzzing sound as it flew through the air, expanding in size as it prepared to smash him.

Naruto frowned. He hadn't been in a good mood before, having been frustrated to the extreme by the black aura. At the moment, these people had arisen a strong killing spirit within him. He let out a cold snort.

His right hand lifted up, and a roaring Flame Python appeared, twenty or thirty meters long. It shot toward the four incoming magical items, radiating blistering heat.

A boom shook the air. The jade bracelet shattered and the two flying swords melted away. The skull dissipated because of the collision. The Flame Python let out a wail and then vanished.

"Eighth level of Chakra Condensation!" said the woman. The two men next to her gasped, their expressions intent. The Cultivator named Meizu took a step forward, staring at Naruto.

"I am Meizu, disciple of the Cold Wind Sect," he said coolly, his eyes flashing like lightning. "Fellow Daoist, you don't need to be in such a hurry to leave. Could you please explain the thick death aura emanating from your body?" Naruto was at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, but so was Meizu, so he spoke in a voice as cold as ever.

Naruto returned his cold stare, and didn't say anything. He slapped his bag of holding, and in a flash, the treasured fan appeared. He shot away at high speed. Meizu looked at the fan in astonishment.

"A magic item which grants flight. He's not of the Foundation Establishment stage, so he can only glide. He'll be back on the ground shortly." Meizu's heart began to beat faster. The fan was a magical item that only disciples of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation might get within his sect. With a cold harrumph, he charged off in pursuit. The other three hesitated for a moment, then followed him.

"Dammit!" said Naruto, his eyes growing even colder. His opponent had seen the power of his Cultivation base, as well as his use of magic, both of which were clearly warnings. And yet he still pursued. Naruto felt extremely annoyed.

His hand moved in incantation patterns, and then he pointed back at the four pursuers. Instantly, four beams of light shot out, four of the feathers from the fan. They cut through the air like flying swords, heading straight for the four people behind him.

Meizu narrowed his eyes and smacked his bag of holding. A small wooden shield appeared, about the size of his palm. It quickly expanded to the size of a head as it flew forward to meet the feather. A violent boom sounded out as they slammed into each other.

As for the other three, looks of shock appeared on their faces and they scrambled to produce magical items. Amidst the ensuing explosions, they spat blood out from their mouths and retreated, looking terrified.

Those three feathers weren't damaged at all. Naruto waved his finger, and they shot back toward Meizu.

Meizu's face twisted and he opened his mouth with a howl. A green mist suddenly emitted from his pores, forming a dense fog which circulated around him, turning into a giant green skull. It flew directly toward the three incoming feathers.

Banging sounds rang out, and the skull collapsed. The three feathers no longer glowed, and were now twisted and warped. They flew back to Naruto.

"I'm warning you," said Naruto coldly, his eyes flashing, "if you keep pestering me…." Without finishing his sentence, he turned and disappeared into the distance, his body transforming into a prismatic beam.

Meizu didn't pursue. He glared at Naruto's retreating form, his hands trembling slightly within his sleeves. Naruto was a stranger to him. And yet this stranger had just casually forced him to use a life-saving art.

"That fan is not just a flight-bestowing treasure, but a powerful weapon!" he said to himself, his heart pounding. He turned to look at his three bedraggled companions. "Have any of you heard of someone from the Five Elements Nation who is at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation and has a treasured fan?"

"Someone so young who is at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation would surely have made a name for himself here," said one of the other Cold Wind Sect disciples. "But I can't think of anyone among the three great Sects who matches his description."

"Who is he? He can't be a Cultivator from the Five Elements Nation, can he?" Meizu frowned, even more interested in Naruto's treasured fan.

"Elder Brother Yan," said the female disciple, sounding hesitant. "I remember someone mentioned a treasured fan about a month ago. It was Elder Brother Iwana from the Winding Stream Sect. He said that some disciples from the Southern Domain's Violet Fate Sect made a trade with a Reliance Sect disciple named Naruto. One of the items was a feather fan."

Meizu looked shocked. He slapped his bag of holding, and a jade slip appeared in his hand. This was an item distributed to Inner Sect disciples. Inside was a depiction of Naruto, sealed with orders that anyone encountering him were to feel him out to get an idea of how strong he was.

The orders were several months old, so Meizu had mostly forgotten about them. Scanning the jade slip, he looked closely at the picture of Naruto's face and, sure enough, it was the same as the person he had just encountered.

"So it's him!" said Meizu, his eyes gleaming. His mouth twisted into a cold smile. He was just about to say something when suddenly, the ground trembled and the sky above turned crimson. Something shocking was happening not too far away in the Southern Domain, and the side-effects were spreading out to cover the entire area.

* * *

An earth-shaking boom rumbled out from the heavens.

The source of the sound wasn't close, but seemed to billow forth from quite some distance. It wasn't directed toward the location of Naruto and the others, but rather seemed to cover the entire Five Elements Nation. At this moment, every Cultivator within the nation could hear the massive roar.

A red glow appeared, so large that it was impossible to tell how much area it covered. It seemed as if the entire sky was crimson. No one knew what was happening.

Far away from the Five Elements Nation and the eyes of its Cultivators, in the middle of the Southern Domain, an enormous rift had appeared in the sky.

It was a Heavenly Rift!

The booming grew more intense, rolling across not just the Five Elements Nation but the entire Southern Domain. Every place, every Sect, every Clan in the massive Southern Domain eventually heard it.

Naruto's face changed. He was shocked to see the black aura roiling out from his body at an increased rate of speed. He moved forward even faster, his body turning into an iridescent streak of light.

Meizu and the others were awestruck. Their hearts began to race, and their Cultivation bases suddenly seemed unstable, as if they were about to fly out of their bodies.

At this moment within the mountains of the Five Elements Nation, a thick mist swirled around the Cold Wind Sect, one of the three great Sects. When the roaring boom sounded out, the mist began to seethe and the mountain peaks trembled. Within the Sect, hundreds of pale-faced disciples stared up into the heavens in shock.

On a mountain behind the Sect, its two strongest members, both Elders at the Core Formation stage, awoke and emerged from a secret chamber. They flew out and hovered in the air, looking up into the sky and gasping. Their Cultivation bases rotated rapidly. Even though they couldn't see exactly what was happening so far away, they could feel an enormous, shattering pressure from the Heavens. And then, because of their extraordinary Cultivation bases, they were able to sense the Heavens splitting.

"What happened? The noise is coming from the center of the Southern Domain. Impossible! That's such an incredible distance away, how can a sound travel so far?!"

Five of the Cold Wind Sect's Foundation Establishment Elders flew up behind them in succession. Their faces were pale and their bodies trembled.

Within another of the Five Elements Nation's three great Sects, the Upright Evening Sect, two Eccentrics of the Core Formation stage and four Elders of the Foundation Establishment stage floated in mid-air, gazing numbly toward the distant Heavens. The entire sky was crimson, as if it were on fire. Seeing this left them in shock.

"What… is this…?"

It wasn't just the members of the Cold Wind Sect and the Upright Evening Sect. The disciples of the Winding Stream Sect also heard the sound and stared dumbly up into the heavens, looking awestruck. The Sect's Core Formation Eccentric was trembling. His Cultivation base was profound, and yet he stared off into the distance, wondering what was happening. Even more shocking, amidst the burning screen which covered the entire sky, there suddenly appeared what looked like countless fissures.

"This is not a normal sound, otherwise it wouldn't transmit so quickly across the Five Elements Nation. Its speed… this sound could exterminate everything!"

The situation in Sects in other surrounding countries was the same as that of the Five Elements Nation. Far away in the Southern Domain, the Patriarchs of the five great Sects and three great Clans, with their profound Cultivation bases, also felt the enormous pressure bearing down from the Heavens. Being in the center of the Southern Domain, they could see what all those other could not.

They saw the enormous rift in the sky. Disbelief covered their faces.

On this day, at this moment, the entire Southern Domain was in an uproar. Countless Cultivators flew into the air, and an innumerable amount of experts looked up in amazement. This strange sign which had appeared in the air shocked them all to the core.

Naruto flew along as quickly as he could; more black aura than usual was pouring out of him, as if it were answering a summons. This, combined with the strange sign in the sky, had him scared nearly witless. He shot forward at full speed until he arrived at the top of a tall mountain. He stood there, looking off into the Heavens.

Far away, it seemed as if the Heavens were slowly being split open. Then, a dark glow spread out, filling heaven and earth both with pitch-black darkness.

A moment passed, and then the entire Southern Domain began to quake, as if a powerful force were shaking its very center, sending tremors rippling outward. Mountains crumbled and the land was rocked.

The Southern Domain was very large, so it took time for the effects to spread. It started in the center and then spread out in every direction, all the way to the borders. Mountains continued to collapse, but because the Five Elements Nation was so far away, the reaction there was not as strong. It only experienced minor earthquakes about seven days later.

Even that left the Eccentrics of the Five Elements Nation shocked. Some of them had been to the central district in the Southern Domain and knew how incredibly far away it was. Even a massive earthquake there would not have been able to travel seven days away to the Five Elements Nation.

Within those seven days, a rumor spread like wildfire through the Southern Domain. Soon, everyone had heard the shocking tale.

A corpse had fallen from the sky!

And it had fallen roughly five hundred kilometers from one of the three Danger Zones of the Southern Domain, the Rebirth Cave!

The news caused a huge sensation in the Southern Domain and sent everyone into a commotion. It was even said that experts from the Western Desert were gathering in the Southern domain because of it.

"Which expert did that corpse belong to? It fell down from the Heavens. It's said… you can only step foot into the Heavens after achieving Immortal Ascension! Could it be that the roar which echoed out was emitted by that corpse before it died?!"

"Achieve Immortal Ascension? It's easy to use those words, but according to the ancient records, only seven or eight people in the Southern Domain have ever done it. But that corpse… it was just too astonishing. When it hit the ground, it caused seven days of earthquakes.

"Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment, Core Formation and Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing and Dao Seeking, finally Immortal Ascension. A total of seven stages to ascend to Immortality. To achieve Immortal Ascension and conquer emptiness is difficult, difficult. Oh so difficult!"

This news spread through the Southern Domain. However, the Five Elements Nation was a somewhat remote place, so the rumors didn't reach there. Only a few Elders from the great Sects learned of the information.

As for Naruto, he continued to move through the deep mountains, a frown on his face. During the seven-day period, the death aura in his body had been reduced significantly. But then it had started to seep out again like before. He estimated that it would take about twenty more days for it to dissipate.

"This death aura is very annoying. If it weren't for it, I could be out accomplishing things." Naruto's mood was one of vexation. Because of the inexplicable event seven days ago, all the Cultivators in the Five Elements Nation had been aroused, forcing Naruto to hide himself constantly. He had even been found out a few times and put into dangerous situations.

Each time he had to think of some way to extricate himself. He didn't like killing, but lately he had felt killing intent more and more often.

"This won't do. If I'm forced to kill someone, it will cause even more problems. It's much better to just hide." He thought for a bit, then suddenly looked up. There ahead of him in the multitudinous mountains, everything was quiet. Naruto stopped and looked around, but didn't see any clues as to why everything was so peaceful.

He had a bad feeling, though. He frowned, slapping his bag of holding to produce the treasured fan. He shot forward through the forest.

There was a banging sound, along with a wind that sent leaves rustling throughout the area. Then, everything was still again, without the slightest trace of anything strange. Naruto's facial expression, however, changed. The event from seven days ago had been shocking, but, things had calmed down since then, and none of the wildlife in the area had died. The boom that had sounded out just now should have sent the animals fleeing, and yet, everything was calm.

Without hesitating, Naruto sent the treasured fan shooting forward, this time, in a different direction. Just then, a cold snort sounded out, and from the peaks of several surrounding mountains, black beams shot forth. The beams of blackness connected, enveloping the entire area, like a seal.

Naruto was within the sealing area, although he wasn't at the center, but rather toward the edge. If he had not been cautious just now, and had instead continued on forward, he would have been smack dab in its middle.

Eight figures appeared, their bodies blurs. Soon, the group became visible. Naruto saw a strange, water-like shield which he had been unable to sense before, that had been hiding them just now.

Eight people: six men and two women. One of the women wore a long white dress, and her face was pale. In her hands she held an aqua-blue pearl. The pearl emitted waves of water-like ripples which had served to conceal her presence. Except, the pearl was covered with cracks; it appeared to be a single-use treasure.

She didn't approach him, but rather stayed off in the distance. The others approached him at top speed, surrounding him. One of them was Meizu.

Naruto's face grew dark as he looked around coldly at the group of Cultivators. A killing air swirled around Meizu, but his Cultivation base was not the highest among the group. The highest belonged to someone who wasn't even standing on the ground. Floating in the air on a flying sword above Naruto, was a middle-aged man wearing a sky-blue Daoist robe. His eyes were calm, but he emitted an air of supreme condescension.

His cultivation base was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation!

Among the Sects of the Five Elements Nation, people at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation were in a unique position. If within a sixty-year cycle they could successfully establish their Foundation, then they would become Sect Elders. If they could not establish a Foundation within a sixty-year cycle, then they would no longer be members of the Inner Sect, but rather an Honor Guard.

If Gato had been a member of the Reliance Sect when it was powerful, then he would have been an Honor Guard and not an Elder.

The middle-aged man had only been at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation for about two years. You could say that his future was limitless. If he succeeded in establishing his Foundation, he would have a completely different identity.

"You're clever," said Meizu coldly. "If you weren't, you wouldn't have been able to swindle the Violet Fate Sect. But even though you're not in the center, once you're in the perimeter of this spell, you're dead. After all, elder brother Bekkō is here, and we're going to take the real treasure from you. When we do, maybe we'll leave your corpse intact." He looked greedily at Naruto's treasured fan. In the past days, he found out a lot about Naruto, including the details of his trade with the Violet Sect disciples, which he had learned from Iwana. Now he coveted Naruto's items even more.

Naruto, his face grim, didn't even look at Meizu. Instead, he stared at the ninth level Chakra Condensation Cultivator.

This was the elder brother Bekkō that Meizu had mentioned. He looked ordinary, and didn't speak; instead, he just stood there on his flying sword, emanating a powerful aura. When Naruto sensed his strength, his pupils constricted.

"If you want Naruto's treasures," he said coldly, "then you will have to pay the price." He slapped his bag of holding and a silver light shot out. A glittering silver spear appeared in Naruto's hand. He planted it in the middle the treasured fan next to him, its point straight up.

As soon as the silver spear appeared, it caught the attention of the onlookers. Even elder brother Bekkō's eyes flickered, coming to rest on the spear.

In the same moment as their eyes focused on the spear, Naruto, eyes glittering, flung open his scroll painting. Howling sounds poured out from within the painting, and three mist-beasts appeared. They charged forth toward the group of people.

Taking advantage of the sudden chaos, Naruto quickly flashed an incantation pattern, and a black beam shot out at indescribable speed. Meizu's heart leapt, and he ripped himself out of the shimmering glow caused by the magical item behind him, shooting backwards at the same time. Before he could barely even move, the black light sunk into his head, right between his eyebrows.

This was the Hellfighting Spike!

And this was Naruto's temperament. Not attacking was fine. But when attacking, one must be the first to strike! Meizu was looking to die, so Naruto would send him to the yellow springs of the underworld!

* * *

As soon as the Hellfighting Spike touched the space between Meizu's eyebrows, a black frost began to spread out rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it had covered his entire body. A cracking sound could be heard, and Meizu's eyes widened. His pupils shrank, and an astonished expression filled his face. Then, his entire body shattered into chunks of black, frozen flesh, which then fell to the ground.

Originally, Naruto had wanted to flee. But Meizu had arranged for his escape routes to be blocked. Therefore, Naruto made the decision to strike him down.

He had been a part of the Cultivation world for a while now, and was well aware of the law of the jungle. Not attacking was fine, but when the time came to attack, it should be without a shred of compassion; otherwise, it meant your own death.

This sudden turn of events instantly caused expressions of shock and horror to appear on the faces of the surrounding Cold Wind Sect disciples. The three mist beasts that had emerged from Naruto's scroll painting were almost upon them, howling savagely.

Their appearance was fierce, and their roars enveloped the area with a powerful pressure. They looked like three conglomerations of black mist as they charged directly toward the Cultivators, then smashed into them.

A boom resounded out, and an expression of shock appeared on the face of elder brother Bekkō, the Cultivator of the ninth level Chakra Condensation. He slapped his hands together and then waved them forward; a red banner flew out. It rippled in the air, causing a massive flame conflagration to shoot out, over thirty meters in every direction. The flames shot toward the mist beasts.

Naruto ignored the other Cultivation Monks, who were in complete disorder. He moved downward, charging straight toward the woman with the aqua-blue pearl. He could tell that the pearl was the magical item maintaining the special spell.

Her face suddenly filled with anxiety, and she retreated backwards rapidly. But Naruto was faster than her; he was upon her in an instant. He waved his hand, sending her spinning, blood spraying from her mouth. Terrified, she released the pearl, which went flying away.

The woman might be beautiful, but her presence here made her Naruto's enemy. He looked at her coldly, then raised up his hand with a claw-like gesture. The pearl shot toward him and landed in his hand.

Almost as soon as it touched him, a thunderous roar could be heard. The three mist beasts were completely destroyed as elder brother Bekkō's flame conflagration encompassed them. It then spread out toward Naruto.

"You might have a lot of treasures," said elder brother Bekkō with an unsightly expression, "but you killed members of my Cold Wind Sect. You're dead!" His fellow disciples behind him looked to be in very poor condition. But that was of secondary importance. He would have a hard time explaining the death of Meizu when he returned to the Sect. He made no attempt to conceal his intention to murder Naruto.

Naruto said nothing. As the flame conflagration descended towards him, his left hand slapped his bag of holding and a large, black net appeared. He flicked it out, and it shot up into the sky. It passed through the flame conflagration, extinguishing it instantly. The net expanded, growing larger and larger, making a beeline for elder brother Bekkō.

elder brother Bekkō's face twisted. He lifted his right hand, which contained a jade slip that he snapped. Suddenly, his body blurred as he just barely ducked out of the path of the net. Behind, two of the other disciples were caught up by the net. The net radiated an intense heat, which instantly set their clothing aflame. Within a moment, their charred bodies began to be sliced into pieces.

Horrifying shrieks rang out, causing the remaining Cold Wind Sect disciples' faces to grow pale. They trembled with fear. Even elder brother Bekkō looked on with wide eyes. He would never have been able to guess that Naruto would have magical items such as this.

Even while all of this was happening, Naruto continued to move, his right hand grabbing the pearl and smashing it. The giant sealing spell that covered the area flickered and then began to disperse. Naruto's left hand flickered in an incantation pattern which he aimed at the treasured fan. He grabbed the silver spear as the fan's sixteen feathers circulated around him to form a shield, which then carried him forward, shooting toward a hole in the unravelling spell.

"You want to run? Stop dreaming!" elder brother Bekkō jabbed his forehead, whereupon a sword aura emerged from his mouth. A small, translucent flying sword appeared, the size of a pinky finger. A glittering sword aura billowed out as it shot in pursuit of Naruto.

Naruto was moving fast and seemed just about to make his escape. He waved his hand behind him, and the black net made loud, reverberating noise. The two Cultivators who had been caught up in it were now cut completely into pieces. The net began to roll up, dragging their bags of holding along with it as it flew back into Naruto's sleeve.

By this time, elder brother Bekkō's glowing, crystalline sword had almost reached Naruto. It was just about to stab into him when he sensed the imminent danger. He was not in the position to stand up to the power of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Seeing the fierceness of the sword aura, Naruto's eyes flashed. The sixteen feathers rolled together and then became sixteen swords which shot toward elder brother Bekkō's crystalline sword.

A thunderous boom rolled out. Eight of the sixteen feathers were destroyed, and the crystalline sword was sent spinning. The remaining eight feathers returned to form a fan beneath Naruto's feet. However, the fan was clearly slower than before.

"With fewer feathers, your fan just won't be fast enough!" said elder brother Bekkō with a savage laugh. And yet, even as the words were coming out of his mouth, his eyes widened. Naruto slapped his bag of holding, whereupon eight more identical feathers appeared. The treasured fan was once again whole, and Naruto transformed into a blur of light as he shot into the distance.

"Dammit!" elder brother Bekkō's killing intent grew even stronger. He raced off in pursuit. Seeing this, the remaining disciples had little choice but to follow. Gnashing their teeth, they produced their magical items and ran after him.

Only the female disciple, whose Cultivation base was not strong enough, hesitated and did not follow.

Naruto stood on his fan, his face grim, the death aura still emanating from his body. He took out the two bags of holding he had just acquired and looked them over. The magical items and medicinal pills inside were of little value to him. But, he did find three white pearls, items that he definitely needed.

He took one out, and it instantly began to suck in the death aura. In the space of about ten breaths, it had become completely black and unable to absorb any more.

Naruto frowned, looking at the pearl for a moment before dropping it.

"I can't do any duplication at the moment. Once I shake off these people, then I can make some copies of the pearl. That will take care of the problem of the death aura attracting people's attention." He looked behind him to see figurative thunder brewing. A glittering glow surrounded the Cold Wind Sect's elder brother Bekkō as he soared after Naruto in pursuit. Behind him, on the ground, three figures could be seen, racing along at breakneck speed.

"Those three people are nothing," muttered Naruto to himself. "Killing them won't be a problem. But that guy named Bekkō is at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. He also has a lot of magical items. In our short battle just now, he didn't even use any magic. Getting wrapped up in a fight with him wouldn't be good…." A sneer appeared on his face. Even if elder brother Bekkō was of the ninth level, he couldn't possibly have as many medicinal pills as Naruto. He would just keep running until the other party was exhausted.

His plan settled in his mind, he slapped his bag of holding and retrieved three Earthly Spirit Pills, which he popped into his mouth. He felt a bit of regret.

"I wasted eight duplicated feathers, and now I have to waste medicinal pills. If I keep fighting like this, I'm going to become poorer and poorer. I also forgot to grab Meizu's bag of holding. I need to be more careful in the future." He felt a little depressed. The Earthly Spirit Pills infused into his body, filling him with boundless spiritual energy. His speed increased.

Time passed, and soon it was dusk. Naruto sped along at top speed the entire time. Sometimes he would soar on the treasure fan, other times he would race along on foot. elder brother Bekkō was behind him the entire time, laughing grimly. Naruto was much more experienced now. Even though gliding via flying sword was not as fast as the treasured fan, he was still completely at ease.

Far behind him, the three Cold Wind Sect disciples who had been pulled into the chase were currently moaning and groaning. They didn't dare give up, though, for fear of arousing elder brother Bekkō's displeasure.

Naruto sped along as dusk fell. Suddenly, his expression grew intent. The death aura which continuously emitted from his body was now floating off into the distance. His heart began to thump. He looked off in that direction and suddenly saw a beam of prismatic light screaming through the air. Behind it were ten or more figures racing along on foot.

The beam of light turned out to be two people. Both were about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and were at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. Each one stood on a green jade flute, nearly two meters long. Their eyes flashed like lightning, especially one of them, who wore a red robe. From the power emanating from his Cultivation base, he was clearly just a hair away from entering the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

Among the people following them on foot was Iwana. He carried a pearl in his hand, which was currently absorbing the death aura.

"So, you're still in the Five Elements Nation, Naruto!" said Iwana with a loud laugh. He stared greedily at Naruto. "Elder Brother Waraji, Elder Brother Jiro, this is Naruto. He has the treasure of Patriarch Reliance. Even the Violet Fate Sect is interested in it! He tricked them and aroused their ire. He definitely still has the treasured item with him!" He palpitated with eagerness as he thought about the treasured item that Naruto possessed. He had been dreaming of getting his hands on it ever since he'd witnessed what happened that day.

Fortunately, he had run into Elder Sister Han of the Cold Wind Sect a few days before. During an intimate moment, he'd been able to coax some information out of her regarding Naruto. Then, he'd immediately found some Elder Brothers from the Sect and begun to use the death aura absorbing pearl to track down Naruto.

When they appeared and caught sight of the elder brother Bekkō chasing Naruto like thunder, murder on his face, their expressions changed in rapid succession.

Iwana's eyes flickered, and the two soaring in the air, Goji and Jiro, let out cold snorts. They moved to block Naruto's way, fingers flashing in incantation patterns. The flutes beneath their feet began to emit ghastly, shrieking sounds, accompanied by thin wisps of mist. The mist transformed into a gigantic hand which shot toward Naruto.

"Beat it!" said Naruto, his eyes flashing. He raised his right hand, and instantly, a twenty or thirty meter long Flame Python appeared. Radiating intense, scorching heat, it shot to meet the flying hand.

Naruto flicked his right sleeve, whereupon two wooden swords appeared. Glowing brightly, they became the fangs of the Flame Python as it surged forward.

* * *

A boom rolled out. The giant mist hand had been created by the combined effort of two eighth-level Chakra Condensation disciples from the Winding Stream Sect. Naruto by himself couldn't possibly stand up to it directly. This was why he had used the second most mysterious items in his bags of holding, the wooden swords. The first most mysterious item was, of course, the copper mirror.

The wooden swords, which had been the object of Sasuke's desire, now flew out from Naruto's hand. They slashed through the giant mist hand and proceeded toward the two Winding Stream Sect disciples.

The swords didn't emit a powerful sword aura, but as they flew through the air, they sucked in the surrounding spiritual energy in a roiling current. Shocked, the two Winding Stream Sect disciples evaded immediately. Without so much as a cold snort, Naruto shot off into the distance.

The wooden swords circled back to him. He didn't even look back, just increased his speed forward.

Behind him, elder brother Bekkō's eyes narrowed, and the avarice in his eyes grew even stronger.

"This Naruto character has way too many magical items. Those wooden swords are incredibly mysterious. It just goes to prove that the spear the Violet Fate Sect was after is incredibly extraordinary! But why hasn't he used its power yet?" elder brother Bekkō's eyes flickered as he continued in pursuit. Similar to Naruto, he did not have the ability to sustain long-term flight, but needed magical assistance to soar.

Iwana and the other Winding Stream Sect disciples had dark looks on their faces. This was especially true of Goji and Jiro. With cold harrumphs, they shot off in pursuit. Iwana clenched his jaw and followed them. Goji and Jiro transformed into multicolored streaks of light as they shot off in mid-air. They kept their distance from the Cold Wind Sect's elder brother Bekkō, but continued in pursuit of Naruto.

Naruto had a grim expression on his face. He knew that elder brother Bekkō from the Cold Wind Sect had not even really made a move yet. With the appearance of Iwana and the others, he now had two waves of Cultivators to deal with. He frowned.

"I just don't have enough Spirit Stones," thought Naruto somberly. "If I had enough, I could have duplicated a Heavenly Spirit Pill and broken through to the ninth level of Chakra Condensation… If I were at the ninth level, these people wouldn't dare to pursue me.

"It seems I might have to go sell some of my treasures after all…" Naruto had thought of using the copper mirror to duplicate some of the magical items, then selling them. But the Five Elements Nation was small, and only had a few Sects. If he started selling magical items, then later used an identical magical item, it would arouse suspicion.

As he muttered to himself, conflicted, his eyes suddenly filled with determination. He dropped to the ground and began running, swallowing some Earthly Spirit Pills until his body was filled with plentiful spiritual power. Then, he jumped back onto the treasured fan and shot onward. Unfortunately, there were many mountains in this area, but few demonic beasts. The ones that he did see were weak, making it impossible for him to use his usual tactic to evade pursuit.

As he was trying to figure out what to do, the two Winding Stream Sect Disciples, Goji and Jiro, suddenly made incantation patterns. Another whistling sound rang out from the flutes beneath their feet.

It sounded out like a wailing spirit, circling around the two of them as their fingers flickered.

"Heavenly Thunder Spirit!"

As the words rang out, a fierce wind sprung up around Naruto, and black clouds appeared in the air. Lightning began to crackle within the clouds, then shot toward Naruto.

A look of shock appeared on his face, as this was the first time he had dealt with a lightning bolt attack such as this. He stamped his foot down onto the treasured fan, and immediately, ten feathers flew up, overlapping across each other. The lightning bolt slammed into them.

A thunderous sound rolled out, sending the feathers spinning. The lightning bolt had been created by the combined effort of two Chakra Condensation Cultivators. Although it didn't contain the power of heaven and earth, it was not weak, and as far as Naruto was concerned, was actually quite powerful.

His face drained of blood, he looked back, killing intent flickering in his eyes. The attack had not been strong enough to cause him to spit up blood, but at the moment, his spiritual energy was unstable.

"An excellent Heavenly Thunder Spirit," said elder brother Bekkō coolly, his eyes flashing. "The Winding Stream Sect's lightning bolt magic is very refined. Sadly, your Cultivation base isn't high enough. Even with your combined efforts, the result is this. Were you stronger, he would be injured if not dead." Despite his talk, he didn't make any move on Naruto. Having fought with him already, he knew that he had a multitude of magical items. He'd decided that the best thing to do would be to rely on his own profound Cultivation base to exhaust his opponent, then attack.

He was happy to see the others attack him, forcing Naruto to use up his spiritual power.

"We haven't finished with the magical technique," said the Winding Stream Sect disciple named Jiro. "Don't shoot your mouth off so much, Bekkō!" Exchanging a glance, the partners each swallowed a medicinal pill and then began making incantation patterns, their fingers moving in unison.

Immediately, the black cloud roiling in pursuit of Naruto began to churn. Again, lightning began to form. A massive roar rumbled out across the land, and again the feathers from the treasured fan moved to defend. This time, the lightning didn't end. Bolt after bolt struck, booming ceaselessly.

In the blink of an eye, three bolts had struck, causing Naruto to spit up a mouthful of blood, and the killing intent in his eyes to solidify. He flicked his right sleeve, and the scroll painting appeared. He poured his spiritual power into it and two roars could be heard. Mist seethed, and two mist beasts sprung from the scroll painting, shooting toward Goji and Jiro.

The two men grew pale. They had already consumed medicinal pills to perform their magical art, which was the only technique they had. Even with their combined effort, they could only keep it going for so long. They were discussing this as the fourth lightning bolt struck, which was when the mist beasts emerged from Naruto's scroll painting.

These mist beasts had the appearance of wolves. Heads twisting with fierce howls, they charged the two men, black ripples spreading out from underneath their paws as they ran.

Bekkō stared at Naruto with flashing eyes. He lifted his right hand, and at the exact moment that Naruto unfurled the scroll painting, and the lightning bolt was about to fall, he bit his tongue and spit out some blood. His fingers flickered, causing the blood to circle around his hand. His face began to glow red. He waved the finger at Naruto.

"Chakra Condensation, Cold Wind Finger!"

The finger attack came without warning. The red blood suddenly became black and began to emit an intense coldness. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a finger made of ice crystal. This in turn transformed into a prismatic beam which shot directly toward Naruto. In an instant, it was within about nine meters of him.

The finger attack was cunning and powerful. As it approached, the mist beasts from the scroll painting collided with Goji and Jiro. Above Naruto, the fourth lightning bolt began to descend.

Naruto felt a sense of critical danger in his heart. A grim smile appeared on Bekkō's face, and he advanced a pace. Beneath him, a glittering light could be seen as his crystalline sword shot toward Naruto.

"Let's see you dodge this time," he said, watching with flashing eyes. "You can't! You must produce your silver spear and show us its might. I'm really looking forward to seeing it!"

Naruto's pupils constricted. There was no time to pull out another magical item, so he released the scroll painting to float at his side. It was a critical juncture, with no time even to think. He stamped his right foot down onto the treasured fan. It instantly disassembled, the sixteen feathers transforming into a rain. Ten of them shot toward the crystalline sword, with six remaining behind to defend against the lightning bolt.

To deal with the incoming Cold Wind Finger, Naruto dropped toward the ground and then extended his right hand upward. A flame python twenty or thirty meters in length shot out from the center of his palm, rushing to intercept the Cold Wind Finger. At the same time, his left hand flashed an incantation, then waved forward. A Wind Blade emerged, lending its power to the Flame Python, which grew even larger as it shot toward the Cold Wind Finger.

All of this takes some time to describe, but in actuality it happened in the time it takes for a spark to fly up from a piece of flint. A massive boom rang out as the lightning slammed into the six feathers. It was weakened, but it still hit Naruto, causing him to vomit up a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, the crystalline sword collided with the ten feathers. A series of explosions could be heard as the feathers were shattered. The sword aura continued on, stabbing through Naruto. He coughed up more blood, his body trembling.

Next was the most powerful attack of all, the Cold Wind Finger. Once a lost art, it had been improved to allow Cultivators of the Chakra Condensation level to use it. Currently, it could only be used by someone of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

A boom resounded out. The disparity between the Cultivation base levels was immediately apparent. Despite the considerable combined might of the Flame Python and the Wind Blade, they were still torn to pieces. They managed to destroy about half of the black colored Cold Wind Finger. The rest of it continued on through, stabbing into Naruto's chest. He coughed up even more blood, which instantly turned black and congealed into chunks of ice. His body spun backwards.

Intense coldness filled his body, making him feel as if he were about to freeze. He knew that this was a critical moment. His right hand shot out, and the elusive Hellfighting Spike emerged, along with two banners, which coiled around his body.

Currently, Naruto was seriously injured, but hadn't lost his will to fight back. He gritted his teeth and made to flee. But then something happened that no one had expected, neither the fleeing Naruto, nor Bekkō, nor the currently bedraggled Goji and Jiro from the Winding Stream Sect. Suddenly, a third party arrived to join the fight!

An arrow shot forth from the distance, accompanied by a shrill, piercing scream. It flew directly toward Naruto, filled with intense killing intent. It clearly was meant to pierce his heart and kill him.

It moved with incredible speed toward him. He suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his chest, whereupon he let out a roar. The two hovering banners moved to block the arrow. An explosion rang out as the banners were shattered. As the arrow continued forward, Naruto waved his right hand, sending the Hellfighting spike, which he had originally wanted to use to counterattack, to intercept the arrow.

There was a boom, and Naruto spit out more blood. He watched as the black spike disintegrated. The arrow slowed some, but continued on toward him.

He retreated, dropping toward the ground, but finding no place to conceal himself. Even if the few remaining unsheltered feathers caught him and carried him off, there were too few of them. He wouldn't be fast enough to evade the arrow.

Borrowing some momentum from the explosion of the Hellfighting Spike, Naruto took in a ragged breath. A fierce look appeared in his eyes, and he smacked his bag of holding again. A wooden sword appeared. He didn't even have time to point the sword towards the arrow. It came in so quickly that it slammed into the side of the blade.

* * *

When the wooden sword connected with the arrow, it began to emit a droning sound. It was pushed back by the force of the arrow and smacked into Naruto's forehead. Blood sprayed from his mouth, as he was sent spinning backward. As for the arrow, its power was spent, and it transformed into ash, which drifted away in the wind.

As Naruto flew backwards, he slapped his bag of holding, and produced a Demonic Core, which he swallowed. He was running low on Earthly Spirit Pills, so he opted for the Demonic Core. His eyes were shot with blood, and his injuries were severe. This was perhaps the worst he had been hurt since becoming a Cultivator.

Thankfully, the wooden sword was truly a treasured item and hadn't been damaged at all. Actually, the reason Naruto had been sent flying back was because his Cultivation base wasn't high enough to completely control the sword. If it were, the arrow wouldn't have even been able to make the wooden sword move back an inch.

Naruto's body was wracked in pain, and his mind a bit clouded. But his innate desire to survive still existed. He bit his tongue, and used the pain to focus. He lifted his pale, bloodless face and looked off into the distance. Currently approaching was a young man in a white robe, flying on an enormous green leaf.

His face was calm, and his eyes cold, without a trace of arrogance. However, a single look at him would leave anyone without doubt that he was superior to others.

His Cultivation base was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, and yet he appeared to be only twenty-two or twenty-three years old. Seeing him approach, Bekkō, who was also at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, narrowed his eyes.

He instantly understood. "At his age… he must be a Chosen from a great Sect," he said to himself.

"White robes…." Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth, staring at the white-robed youth.

"I am Obito from the Violet Fate Sect," he said coolly. "I'm here to take your life, on orders from the Sect Leader." He had been dispatched months ago to the Five Elements Nation to search for Naruto. Using his own special methods, he had finally caught his trail today. He had actually been watching for some time, waiting to make his move.

He was completely different from Hayase and Yajirobee. As an Inner Sect disciple, he was frequently sent out on Sect business. He was one of the Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect, destined to reach Foundation Establishment. When that happened, he would be a true Chosen. Handling matters outside of the Sect was simply training for him.

He was vastly more experienced than Hayase, and had even made a name for himself in the Southern Domain in the past two years. His personality was cold, his attacks ruthless. Back in the Southern Domain, he would always consider the reputation of his Sect. But here in the Five Elements Nation, he could be a bit less restrained.

He had attacked Naruto when he was in critical danger, and had never imagined that Naruto would actually be able to survive the lethal arrow.

Naruto's face was grim. Three waves of attackers had appeared today. Two were of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, and two were of the ninth. Based on his Cultivation base alone, he couldn't stand up to them. Furthermore, he was seriously injured. The situation was very dangerous.

Watching Obito approach, Bekkō's eyes flickered, and he felt somewhat nervous. Yet his eyes were determined. He would not give up.

Goji and Jiro from the Winding Stream Sect, seemed even more hesitant. If they only had to deal with Bekkō, they could do it. But now that the Violet Fate Sect had made an appearance, they were less convinced.

Naruto's eyes glittered faintly. His right hand slapped his bag of holding and five feathers flew out, combining with the four beneath his feet to make a nine-feathered fan. It took to flight, carrying him away at high speed.

Obito's eyes were calm. He flicked his sleeve, and the giant leaf beneath his feet flashed as he shot off in pursuit. Bekkō burst into motion as well. Goji and Jiro from the Winding Stream Sect gritted their teeth, then joined in the pursuit.

Iwana wasn't fast enough and had already been forced to drop to the ground. But, he wasn't willing to give up, so he followed as fast as possible on foot.

The three waves of people were incredibly fast, so Naruto swallowed another Demonic Core. The coldness within him was still very strong, and his body was covered with sword wounds which oozed blood.

He clenched his jaw and circulated his spiritual power, then slapped his bag of holding. A silver light flashed in his hand. It was none other than the silver spear!

Bekkō's vision immediately became focused on it, and he slowed down a bit. Obito, with his flashing eyes, as well as Goji and Jiro from the Winding Stream Sect, had never before laid eyes on the long silver spear. But Iwana, who was still running along on the ground, had. He immediately shouted out: "That's the silver spear! That's the treasured gift from Patriarch Reliance!"

Hearing this, Goji and Jiro slowed down a bit, their eyes shining fiercely.

"You are all after this silver spear?" said Naruto. "Very well then. It requires a lot of spiritual power to use. Its true might can't even be utilized unless you are at Foundation Establishment stage. If you are powerful enough to use it, then be my guest!" His face twisted with an expression of incomparable pain, as if he were throwing everything away in an attempt to save himself, he tossed the spear away as hard as he could.

He put all the spiritual power he could muster into his arm as he flung it. The silver spear hummed, transforming into a silver-colored rainbow as it shot off into the distance, shining so brightly that it virtually forced everyone's eyes to follow it.

The instant it flew off, Naruto's treasured fan transformed into a beam of light that shot off in the opposite direction.

Interestingly (whether or not it was on purpose was hard to tell) the spear just happened to fly in the direction of the three pursuing disciples from the Cold Wind Sect. When they saw the silver spear flying toward them, they gaped in shock.

Iwana's eyes were red, and with a hoarse shout, he changed directions, running directly toward the silver spear. Killing intent billowed from his face, he slapped his bag of holding, and a sword aura emerged. He clearly intended to kill anyone who dared to take the spear from him.

Further behind him, the ten or more Winding Stream Sect disciples raced forward even harder.

Bekkō's facial expression changed as he debated to himself about whether or not the spear was real. Because he was not at the Foundation Establishment stage, he didn't have Spiritual Sense, so it was difficult to make a judgement about this matter. There was a fifty-fifty chance about it, but in his mind, it didn't matter. He couldn't just let the Winding Stream Sect disciples gang up on his fellow disciples.

If they did, and word got out, he would be severely punished when he returned to the Sect.

And if the spear was real… well, if he gave up under those circumstances his punishment would be even more severe when he returned to the Sect. He was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. He clenched his jaw.

"Dammit!" Bekkō abandoned his pursuit of Naruto and made a beeline for the spear.

Goji and Jiro hesitated, watching as the long spear flew off, pursued by both Iwana and their fellow Winding Stream Sect disciples. At first, they weren't sure if they should chase after the spear, but when they saw Bekkō speeding off after it, they made their decision, shooting off in the same direction.

Only Obito from the Violet Fate Sect stopped, his eyes flashing. His task was to slay Naruto, so he didn't care whether the treasure was real or fake. With a cold laugh, his eyes shining, he pushed his giant leaf into a beam of prismatic light, speeding after Naruto.

Two people, one up ahead, one behind. One fleeing as fast as he could, the other pursuing with a magical item backed by the power of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. They disappeared over the horizon.

As for Bekkō, he flew quickly in the direction of the silver spear, and seemed to be on the verge of reaching it, when someone howled out from behind him.

"Heavenly Thunder Spirit!"

As soon as the sound rang out, a black cloud formed in the sky above Bekkō, and the crackling of thunder could be heard as a lightning bolt struck down toward him.

His face grew dark. He slapped his bag of holding, and a coldness spread out and shot toward the lightning bolt.

The lightning bolt dissipated with a booming sound, and the intense coldness continued onward to enter the black thundercloud. It began to rumble, as if it were about to break apart.

"Heavenly Thunder Spirit, detonate!"

Under normal circumstances, Goji and Jiro would never do something like this. But with the silver spear in play, and the Winding Stream Sect disciples on the ground having the upper hand, they couldn't allow Bekkō to enter the fray. Now that they had abandoned their pursuit of Naruto, they could pour all their combined power into play.

A massive explosion reverberated out as the thundercloud exploded. The force of it shot out in all directions. Goji and Jiro coughed up blood. Bekkō, also injured, was not in a good position. A crystalline glow appeared in front of him as blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.

It was at this moment that the silver spear slammed into the ground. As it did, the Cold Wind disciples were about to grab. But then Iwana arrived, a savage look on his face. Behind him swarmed the Winding Stream Sect disciples, their faces radiating ferocity.

"This treasured item belongs to the Winding Stream Sect!" shouted Iwana excitedly. If he was the first person to lay hands on the spear, it might not end up belonging to him, but the Sect would definitely reward him. Perhaps he would end up having a breakthrough in this Cultivation base, and reach the eighth level!

The three Cold Wind Sect disciples were just reaching their hands up to take the spear, when they were surrounded by the ten or so others. They howled as the Winding Stream Sect disciples attacked them. They could do little more than watch as the prize which had just moments ago been theirs, was taken away.

"So brazen!" shouted Bekkō, turning his head to see what was happening. His roar rumbled out, and he completely ignored Goji and Jiro. He waved his hand toward Iwana, and the Cold Wind Finger appeared, shooting forward as fast as lightning.

Considering the level of Iwana's Cultivation base, he simply couldn't avoid the attack. His facial expression changed into one of savagery, and he gritted his teeth. His only hope lay in the treasured item. As the Cold Wind Finger approached, he snatched up the long silver spear, brandishing it in an imposing manner.

"You're defeated!" he shouted. Bekkō's eyes focused on the spear as it flew into the air. Goji and Jiro held their breath.

The silver spear flashed as it flew forward, making a beautiful, silver arc. The instant it met the Cold Wind Finger, a bang sounded out. It wasn't a very loud bang. The spear broke apart, most of it shattering into dust, with only a few fragments remaining intact.

Iwana gaped in astonishment. It was the last astonished look he would ever give, as the Cold Wind Finger pierced into his chest. His body shuddered, and a boom rang out, louder than that emitted by the silver spear, as he exploded.

Bekkō stared in shock, as did Goji and Jiro. The Cold Wind Sect and Winding Stream Sect disciples were also dumbfounded.

Everything was suddenly quiet, except for the sound reverberating out from the attack that had killed Iwana.

Bekkō was the first one to move again. He went forward and began to collect up the remaining fragments of silver. Goji and Jiro also approached and picked up some of the pieces.

"Silver… it's really silver. It's just a damned silver spear!" Bekkō's eyes were crimson, and it seemed as if he was about to go berserk. He raised his head to the sky and let out a ferocious roar. He was humiliated, and furious. He had killed Iwana; had the spear actually been a treasured item, it would not have been a huge problem. But he had killed a Winding Stream Inner Sect disciple over a simple silver spear…. This could cause a huge conflagration between two great Sects.

"Naruto!" He wanted to chase after him, but Naruto had long since disappeared. Goji and Jiro were also furious. And while they felt indignation toward Naruto, Iwana had been killed by Bekkō. They couldn't just let him go.

* * *

An iron spear had cheated the Violet Fate Sect disciples.

A silver spear had cheated Iwana and Bekkō, and had caused friction between two great Sects.

If Fatty's father knew about this, his eyes would definitely grow wide. The iron, silver and gold spears were crafted by his artisans.

If Fatty had a chance to hear about it, he would definitely find it incredibly amusing.

Naruto hadn't even known how useful the silver spear would be. The people from the Winding Stream Sect and the Cold Wind Sect had already stopped chasing him. And now, even if they wanted to pursue him, they wouldn't be able to track him down.

And yet, his face was as grim as before. He stood on the treasured fan, popping down Demonic Cores. Obito pursued him on his giant leaf, his face cold. In order to kill Naruto, he would follow him to the ends of the earth if necessary.

If it was a simple pursuit, Naruto would be able to lead him around in circles, considering his vast amount of Demonic Cores. But he was seriously injured, which made things difficult. The Demonic Cores were just barely enough to keep him going.

He could suppress the injury for a while, but eventually he would reach the point where he couldn't. When that happened, the injury would become even more dangerous.

Even more frustrating, an occasional arrow would scream toward him from behind, forcing him to use the treasured fan to defend himself. The most dangerous position was when he reached the end of a glide and had to drop to the ground and run, decreasing his speed and agility. Thankfully, the land was mostly covered by forests, and by the time he reached the top of next mountain in his path, he would be able to jump onto the treasured fan again.

Of course, Obito was also incapable of sustained flight. Just like Bekkō, he also had to drop to the ground occasionally, waiting to find some favorable terrain to once again begin gliding.

"You can't get away," said Obito with a smile, his eyes glittering. "If you give up without a fight, I can take you back to the Sect and let them deal with you."

"There are some special circumstances regarding the matter between myself and the Violet Fate Sect," said Naruto as he continued to speed forward. "Fellow Daoist Obito, do you understand what I mean?"

"I don't need to understand," he responded coolly, his eyes growing colder. "If I take you back to the Sect, the Sect Elders will surely punish you. The Violet Fate Sect is one of the great sects of the Southern Domain. Naturally, they will be reasonable, and discern what is true and false."

"What happened that day was beyond my control," Naruto explained. "Hayase and Yajirobee forced me to sell my item. I told them it was just an ordinary spear, but they insisted. They even threatened me! You can't put the blame on me for that!" Having reached the top of a relatively high hill, he pulled out the treasured fan and began to glide once again.

"How could the fault not be yours?" said Obito, his voice as cold as ever. He continued to move forward with great speed. "You could have broken the spear on the spot, then pulled out the real treasure. Then none of this would have happened." He slapped his bag of holding, and a black wooden bow appeared in his hands. He pulled it back and released a screaming arrow toward Naruto.

There was a boom as Naruto used a magical item to defend himself. Coughing up blood, he laughed. The blood on his teeth made his smile even more ferocious.

"This is your so-called 'being reasonable?'" he said. His eyes shone with killing intent, and he didn't say anything more. Swallowing a Demonic Core, he pushed the treasured fan forward even faster.

Several hours passed. Afternoon came, then evening. Naruto was exhausted, but he could see that this pursuit might go on for days. He could see from the cold eyes of the person chasing him that he was ruthlessly toying with him.

He was prey, not to be killed forthrightly, but to be toyed with. Then, even as he began to go crazy from it all, he would be felled in a single blow.

The land of the Five Elements Nation whizzed beneath Naruto and Obito. Time passed. Naruto's Cultivation base of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation was at the point that it seemed about to wither up. He continually consumed Demonic Cores, but that in itself was harming his body. Even his blood seemed to reek with a Demonic air.

To a Cultivator, this was essentially intentionally harming one's own Cultivation base. Naruto had never heard of this before, but based on what he was seeing, he now had a clue. And yet, he had no choice.

As for Obito, he had noticed what was happening, so had intentionally slowed his pursuit. An inquisitive look had appeared in his eyes, as if he had caught sight of some interesting toy.

"I really want to see what happens when you consume so many Demonic Cores that your entire aura becomes Demonic? When I kill you, will I find an eighth-level Demonic Core inside?" Obito laughed.

Naruto heard his words, and more veins of blood appeared in his eyes. His face grew somber.

He was not the type of person to speak a lot during a fight. Just now he had tried to explain himself, only to find out that his opponent didn't care. After that, he didn't say a single word. This was just like the time he had faced up against Sasuke. He had not roared or howled; he had faced everything with dark silence.

He continued to flee for some time, pushing himself to the limits of his speed. Finally, up ahead, he caught sight of Mount Myōboku. He had been hiding away for about half a year, and had finally come back to the mountain again, a big circle.

As he continued on, he could see a vast, mirror-like lake off in the distance. It was the North Sea.

When he saw it, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"The North Sea…."

Naruto thought of the little ship, the old man and the young girl, and about how the North Sea had revealed the Dao!

His gaze grew hard, and he changed his direction, aiming for the lake.

He sped along on his treasured fan. Behind him, Obito sneered. He had quite enjoyed forcing his quarry to continuously consume Demonic Cores.

"I'm not sure why this guy has so many Demonic Cores, but it doesn't matter. I'll force him to tell me before he dies. In any case, I really want to see what his body looks like after he eats too many." He smiled, stamping down on his giant leaf and continuing on in pursuit.

The two of them continued on for a while, until suddenly a booming sound rang out in the air. Just as they flew out over the surface of the North Sea, Naruto slapped his bag of holding, then tossed out the black net.

It immediately grew out to a diameter of approximately nine meters and shot toward Obito. Obito immediately flicked his wide sleeve, and a violet-colored jade slip flew out, which transformed into a violet whirlwind. The whirlwind sent the net spinning. Its connection with Naruto seemed to have been severed, and it flew off into the distance.

"Using a useless treasure like that shows how incompetent you are," said Obito coldly. The net appeared to be extraordinary, so he had used the jade slip just now. He'd never imagined that it would be defeated in one move.

Naruto's eyes flashed. He bit down on his tongue and then spit out some blood. His face was even paler than before. As he moved across the surface of the North Sea, the water began to ripple as if a fierce wind were blowing across it. Its calmness had been broken.

The treasured fan stopped when he reached the center of the lake. It was the first time since Obito had begun chasing him that he came to a full stop. He turned around, slapping his bag of holding, and the scroll painting appeared in his hands. His eyes glittered, emanating killing intent.

He would flee no longer. He would fight with Obito, Cultivator of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation!

Naruto was not in the upper hand, but he would fight. He had to fight. He couldn't carry on much longer, so if he didn't fight, he would die. There was only one option… fight!

"So, you're not running anymore," said Obito as he approached. A sneer appeared on his face when he saw the look of murder in Naruto's eyes. He waved his finger, and instantly a violet light appeared in front of him which transformed in a bird. It flapped its wings as it shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flashed. The instant the violet-colored bird appeared, the scroll painting trembled, and the sounds of roaring beasts could be heard. Naruto went all in with his Cultivation base. Perhaps because of the vast quantities of Demonic power within his spiritual energy, the roars of the beasts were particularly frightening. Four streams of mist appeared, solidifying into four Demonic beasts which charged toward the violet-colored bird.

At the same time, Naruto took a step forward. The treasured fan beneath his feet disassembled, the feathers circulating around him and then shooting toward Obito like flying swords.

Naruto didn't retreat. A flying sword appeared beneath his feet to support him, and he himself shot toward Obito.

"You overestimate yourself," said Obito with a cold laugh, his eyes filled with ridicule. His right hand flickered in incantation patterns and then he pressed down on his forehead. A vortex emerged, accompanied by a roaring sound.

"Violet Fate Aura!"

Dense Violet Chakra poured out from within the vortex, instantly transforming into a violet-colored ring, which expanded, and then flew toward Naruto.

Thunderous sounds continued to reverberate, causing the feathers around Naruto to crumble and collapse. As the massive sound roared out, it caused him to vomit up blood. And yet, stubbornness filled his eyes. He slapped his bag of holding, and roughly one hundred flying swords emerged, shooting toward Obito.

The sword rain screamed forth, filling the sky. The light from the sword auras filled the sky. The swords reached Obito in an instant, and yet his sneer grew thicker.

"So reckless," he said, slapping his bag of holding. A red beam emerged, transforming into a red-colored whisk. He twirled the whisk, and a screaming red gust of wind appeared which cracked the nearly one hundred flying swords. Many of them simply shattered.

The wind gust smacked into Naruto, and he coughed up more blood. But then, within the fragments of the hundred flying swords, appeared two wooden swords. They flew out, piercing through the red wind and shooting toward Obito.

Obito's eyes narrowed. His fingers flashed in incantation signs as he shot backwards.

Naruto lifted his right hand into the air, his face radiating killing intent.

His finger pointed up, and suddenly the black net which had been spinning away moments ago, expanded to a size of thirty meters, then dropped down with incredible speed.

All of this takes quite a bit of time to describe, but all happened in the space of just a moment. Obito's expression changed instantaneously. Before he could react, the huge net had caught him up. The two wooden swords shot toward him, and it seemed they would stab into his chest.

It was a simple tactic that had just occurred to Naruto. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best he could come up with on the spur of the moment. He had even used the feathers of the treasured fan and sacrificed the multitude of flying swords in an attempt to catch his opponent off guard. He had done it all for one purpose: to distract his opponent. And it had worked.

* * *

Everything was all to give the wooden swords a chance at a kill!

Obito's eyes narrowed as a feeling of sudden, intense danger welled up in his heart. This was the first time he had experienced this feeling in the backwater Five Elements Nation. Even in the Southern Domain, he had never provoked the wrath of Foundation Establishment Cultivators; he'd only ever been in tousles with people of the same stage as himself.

Astonished to be in such a perilous situation, he raised his right hand and pushed down on his forehead. An exploding sound rippled out, and a massive amount of Violet Chakra poured forth from his head. It rapidly congealed into the figure of a person, his back facing Naruto.

The vague figure was dressed in a violet robe. An explosive pressure burst out from it, and Violet Chakra roiled out everywhere, causing the net to stop in place.

Obito's face paled as the massive net slowed to a halt. He immediately shot backward. The two wooden swords gave no indication that they would stop. They continued to shoot forward without the slightest hesitation, passing through the violet cloud and speeding toward Obito.

"Impossible!" Obito's scalp went numb and his face filled with astonishment. How could he ever have imagined that Naruto's two wooden swords could defy the power of his lifesaving magic!?

This lifesaving magic was bestowed upon disciples of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, and was capable of resisting the complete power of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It could only be used once, and even after all these years, he had never employed its power. Finally, in the face of imminent peril, he had used it today. And yet, it couldn't stop the two wooden swords.

"What type of sword is this!?" The blood drained from Obito's face. At such a critical moment, he didn't have time to think about it. He clenched his jaw and then let out a mighty roar. He bit his tongue and spit out some blood. This was blood from his Cultivation base, and was connected to his longevity. As soon as he spat it out, his Cultivation base dropped a bit. It would take a significant amount of time in secluded meditation before it could recover.

As soon as he spit the blood out, it transformed into a red mist that was sucked in by the violet mist form that had emerged from his head. He let out a shout:

"Violet Chakra from the East!" Immediately, the purple-robed figure turned around. Its face was blurry, but its eyes were clearly radiating a powerful, violet glow.

When the violet glow appeared, Naruto's body shook and pain washed over him like floodwaters. He retreated backward, blood spraying from his back. A roaring sound filled his body, and his consciousness began to waver. He floated backward like a kite with its string cut, then dropped down onto the surface of the North Sea. He slowly sank down into the water.

At the same time, the two wooden swords started to shake. One of them turned violet, seemingly no longer under Naruto's control. It spun out of control, then fell down into the North Sea.

But… that was only one sword. Obito had gone all out, reducing his own life expectancy and damaging his Cultivation base to employ the full power of the lifesaving art. But he had only been able to target one of the wooden swords. The second one, though it was shaking, continued onward. In an instant, it passed through everything to stab into Obito's chest. Then, it seemed to lose the spiritual power which controlled it. It too fell down into the North Sea.

The sword had stabbed Obito, but not in through the heart. With the aid of the Violet Chakra from the East, he was able to avoid being critically injured. Even still, he let out a miserable scream as blood showered out of his chest and mouth.

His hair flew around wildly, and his white robe was soaked with blood. His eyes bloodshot, he covered the wound in his chest and let out a horrified howl. In all the battles he had fought from the beginning until now, he had never received a serious injury. Now here, in this backwater Five Elements Nation which he looked down on so much, he had been severely injured by a nobody Cultivator who he had completely disregarded. Furthermore, he had been forced to use his lifesaving method. His eyes were grim as he looked down at the North Sea.

"Your life has been taken by my Violet Chakra from the East. But since you dared to injure me, I will drag up your corpse and hack it to pieces!" Obito's chest burned with pain. He had used blood from his Cultivation base and had damaged his longevity. At this point, he had sunk to the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. His face was pale and filled with fury. He produced a medicinal pill and consumed it. And then, suddenly, his facial expression changed. He looked down at the wound in his chest, and his face was seized with terror.

"My spiritual power is being sucked out through the sword wound…." This was something Obito had never experienced before. He gasped as he suddenly realized how amazing Naruto's two wooden swords really were. He immediately shot down into the waters of the North Sea to search for Naruto's corpse, and the two swords.

Deep down in the North Sea, Naruto's body slowly floated down. His eyes were shut, and he didn't move. It seemed as if he were dead. Obito's Violet Chakra from the East had wrecked his longevity and his Cultivation base. Even though Obito's power could not compare to that of the Foundation Establishment stage, he was at the peak of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Naruto was at the eighth level. He simply had no chance of surviving.

Right now, his body was cold, and the only thing that remained was the tiniest spark, flickering inside his spirit. It wouldn't take long for that spark to vanish, and then there would be no more Naruto.

His Chakra passages were shattered, his flesh devoid of life force. His Core sea seemed to be completely dried up.

But he was not willing. He was not willing to die. Unfortunately, this was the Cultivation world's law of the jungle. He couldn't fight or resist that. As his body sank deeper and deeper, the spark of life grew more and more faint. Everything was quiet. The spark was about to go out.

A wisp of Chakra flowed out from within the North Sea. A droning sound could be heard, and deep within the waters, ripples flowed out to surround Naruto. His body suddenly began to glow.

As the glow spread, spiritual energy from the North Sea poured into Naruto from all directions, filling his body, mending his Chakra passages. Violet-colored blood spilled out from his orifices and pores.

All of the damage inflicted by the Violet Chakra from the East was mended. In fact, every single one of his numerous injuries were healed as the spiritual energy of the North Sea poured into him.

Popping sounds rang out from within him as his Chakra passages began to flow again. His lifeless body was reformed, and in an instant, once again hummed with life force.

A thunderous roar sounded out as vast amounts of spiritual energy rushed into his Core sea. Once again it rippled boundlessly. He was still at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, but had actually made significant advancement, and his current power level was almost as much as someone at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

Within his Core sea, the Demonic Core undulated, sending out a Demonic aura. It began to absorb all of the Demonic Chakra that Naruto had accumulated. Its Demonic aura grew stronger and brighter.

Finally, Naruto opened his eyes.

He looked calm. He was not excited or shocked or astonished. He had intentionally picked the North Sea as the spot for the showdown. It had all been a gamble, in the hopes that the North Sea Demon would help him.

As he opened his eyes, he straightened his body. There was only water beneath his feet, although some distance away he could see the bottom of the lake. Everything should be pitch black. But because of the silvery sand that spread out, there was a little bit of a glow, which faintly illuminated the surroundings.

Within the murky waters, Naruto could see a boat.

The boat was dilapidated, sunken and resting on the lake floor. Naruto suddenly realized that he recognised this boat. It was… the boat he had ridden in that day when he crossed the lake!

He stared silently at the boat, and then cupped his hands and bowed in respect.

Even as he bowed, he heard the twittering laughter of a young girl echoing out across the lake bottom. The laughter circled around, making it impossible to determine its origin. Naruto narrowed his eyes, looking down at the floor of the lake.

As the laughter rang out, he saw arms emerging from the silver sand at the bottom of the lake. The hands were all as white as jade. Along with the arms appeared corpses. They were the corpses of young women, floating up from the silver sand.

Black hair swept across the faces of the dozens of them as they floated up from the depths of the lake. Their eyes were closed, their faces pale white but beautiful. Amidst the rippling lake water, Naruto watched on, an expression of astonishment on his face as he realized that all of the women… looked exactly the same!

At that same moment, a small girl appeared, standing there in the dilapidated boat. She gave Naruto a bashful smile. She seemed to be filled with childlike innocence, but as Naruto looked at her, his mind began to spin, and he felt a roaring inside his head.

He had just noticed that the faces of the corpses strongly resembled this girl's face, as if they were her after she had grown up!

"Big brother, will you stay with me here forever?" said the little girl with a light laugh. Her voice was young, and when she spoke, the dozens of corpses floating around her stopped moving, and despite their eyes being closed, it seemed as if all of them were looking straight at Naruto.

Naruto mind spun, and the roaring sound seemed to consume his thoughts. Everything in front of started to grow dim, and then to shatter.

He suddenly opened his eyes. He was still floating in the lake water, some distance away from the lake floor, further away than he had been just now. Had it all been a dream? There was no boat, no corpses, and no laughing little girl.

Naruto gaped in shock. After a moment, he realized that his body had been healed. He gave a silent nod to the distant lake floor, even though he couldn't see anything down there.

He knew that everything he had just seen had not been an illusion. It was real!

He raised his hands and bowed deeply with clasped hands.

"Naruto will always remember your two great kindnesses. I speculate that you wish to become a sea, and that this is what is most important to you. I, Naruto, of the junior generation, promise that one day, when my Cultivation base soars to the heavens, that I shall come to your aid. If there is any other way that I can aid you, please tell me." Naruto bowed again, holding the bow for the space of ten breaths. Everything was quiet. He straightened up. He looked down one last time, then shot up towards the surface of the lake.

At the exact moment that he began to move toward the surface, his two wooden swords, which had sunk into the water, began to shake. Then, they shot toward Naruto.

One of the swords had just been tracked down by Obito. His eyes gleamed as he reached out to pick up the sword. But then it began to move. Ripples spread out from it, and then, in the blink of an eye, it shot off into the distance.

When Obito saw this, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. Without hesitation, he raced in pursuit.

"This treasure is sentient!" thought Obito. His heart began to thump wildly as he eagerly sped even faster to intercept the

* * *

Naruto sped along through the North Sea, moving faster and faster. The Core sea within him seethed and roiled, and before long he caught sight of the surface of the lake. He burst out of the water, sending waves surging in all directions.

At the same time as he shot out of the lake, his two wooden swords appeared, whistling through the air from different directions as they flew toward him. They circulated around him, one of them coming to rest beneath his feet, the other flying next to him.

Just then, Obito burst out from the lake, and as he flew out, his eyes came to rest on Naruto. His face was immediately covered with a look of disbelief. How could it possibly be that Naruto… was alive!?

"Impossible! He's not at the Foundation Establishment stage. Nobody can withstand my Sect's consummate Violet Chakra from the East, backed with the sacrifice of my own Cultivation base and longevity!" He glared at Naruto, retreating backward a bit, still not quite believing what he was seeing.

Perhaps he wasn't willing to believe because, at the moment, he was no longer at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Even his eighth level of Chakra Condensation was a bit unstable. The wound in his chest was not healed, and spiritual energy continued to leak out. He feared that he might soon slip from the eighth level of Chakra Condensation down to the seventh.

His face immediately grew pale. However, he wasn't like Hayase and those others. Despite being shocked at seeing Naruto alive, he recovered in the blink of an eye. Without hesitation, he shot away, the giant leaf appearing beneath his feet and carrying him off into the distance. He was not fighting, he was fleeing.

He had no choice but to flee. He could tell that Naruto was completely recovered, and had in fact improved his Cultivation base, whereas he himself had suffered severe internal injuries. He had no other option than retreat.

Naruto watched coldly as Obito fled. He didn't pursue at first, but instead looked down at the lake, making yet another respectful salute.

"I will remember this great kindness for the rest of my life!" said Naruto in a voice that could sever nails and slice iron. Then he lifted his head and flicked his sleeve. The sword beneath his feet hummed, and he transformed into a radiant beam of light as he shot in pursuit of Obito.

"Starting now, the hunter becomes the hunted," he said, his eyes filled with the intent to kill. After leaving the Reliance Sect, Naruto had never felt the desire to kill anyone as much as he did Obito, except perhaps Gato. His desire to kill spread into his eyes until they shined. During his entire life of Cultivation, he had never been so seriously injured before. In fact, it actually did not count as being injured. He had already… been killed!

A dazzling gleam filled his eyes as he raced in pursuit. In an instant, he left behind the North Sea. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he had caught up with Obito, who was consuming medicinal pills even as his Cultivation base continued to drop.

Naruto didn't say anything. Instead, he simply lifted his finger, and the wooden sword flying next to him sped forward toward Obito. Pale-faced Obito looked back, well aware of the strange powers of the sword. He smacked his bag of holding, and immediately, the long black bow appeared in his hand. Ignoring his continual loss of spiritual energy, he pulled back on the bow and shot an arrow.

The arrow thundered toward the wooden sword. When they met, an explosion rang out and the arrow collapsed. The wooden sword shuddered.

Naruto was expressionless. He lifted his finger again, and the wooden sword sped forward again. Obito, his face pale, had no choice but to shoot another arrow.

A boom rang out. The wooden sword continued on.

Veins of blood filled Obito's eyes. Could he not see that Naruto was exacting his revenge, intending to drain his Cultivation base and push him to complete exhaustion?

After dropping from the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, his injuries had worsened. He was weak, but he feared the wooden sword, so he could do nothing else but use his arrows to defend himself. Unfortunately, because of his weakened state, his arrows were also weak, and did not carry the power that they did before. When he shot out his sixth arrow, his body suddenly quivered as his Cultivation base suddenly began to drop from the eighth level of Chakra Condensation to the seventh.

The wooden sword was upon him in an instant, stabbing into his chest. It wasn't a critical wound, but blood surged out nonetheless. Ding Yen let out a miserable cry and tried to flee faster.

His body shook as he felt even more spiritual power flowing out of him. His tottering Cultivation base fell rapidly, from the eighth level of Chakra Condensation to the seventh!

Of course, his Cultivation base wasn't actually regressing. But he was losing spiritual energy at a rapid rate, and without any recovery. The spiritual energy loss was so great that his level of power was essentially at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation.

He was consuming medicinal pills, but unfortunately had two sword wounds, both of which were leaking spiritual energy. There was no way for him to recover at the moment.

"I'm a Violet Fate Inner Sect disciple!" cried Obito with a fierce howl. "If you dare to kill me, the Violet Fate Sect will track you down even if it takes a hundred years! They won't stop until you're dead!" His situation was desperate. He let out another blood-curdling scream as Naruto's wooden sword passed by. It didn't stab him, but cut him, whereupon his spiritual energy drained even faster.

"I've already died once," said Naruto coolly. His eyes were cold as he waved his finger once more.

Time passed. An hour went by in the blink of an eye, during which time Obito's miserable cries continued to ring out. His body was numb, and appeared to be covered with hundreds of sword wounds. He was soaked in blood. None of his wounds were critical, but he dripped with so much blood that he looked like a dead person.

Obito was a Cultivator, and as things grew dim, what frightened him the most was not his wounds, but rather, the fact that his body had seemed to become like a sieve. Spiritual energy poured out of him at a shocking rate.

The sixth level of Chakra condensation, the fifth, the fourth…

…

A bang rang out, and Obito fell onto the ground, spitting up blood. He scrambled forward, fleeing as fast as he could move. He was no longer capable of any sort of flight. His Cultivation base had dropped so low that it was the same as if he were at the third level of Chakra Condensation.

"Naruto, if you kill me, you will be slaughtered without a proper burial! I'm a Violet Fate Inner Sect disciple. If I die, it will cause problems for the entire Five Elements Nation. You don't dare to kill me!" His body trembled. He fought back the dread in his heart and coughed up more blood.

Naruto snatched up Obito's giant flying leaf. Without a word, he moved his finger again, and the wooden sword shot toward Obito.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. There in the middle of the woods, Obito no longer resembled a disciple of a great Sect. He stared at Naruto, his eyes filled with venom. And yet within that venom was also regret. He regretted his desire to watch his opponent consume Demonic Cores. Instead, he should have held nothing back and killed him immediately.

"I should have butchered you!" he said, gnashing his teeth, chest heaving. It seemed he was more interested in venting his anger than breathing.

"You know, you taught me something," said Naruto. He was done with his revenge. His hand lifted, and the sword fell. Obito's head flew into the air, showering blood everywhere. It landed off in the distance, rolling across the ground to rest underneath a large tree.

His eyes were still filled with disbelief. He couldn't believe it, because he was a disciple of the Violet Fate Sect, at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. He was a Chosen, he was to reach Foundation Establishment, whereupon he would be a true Chosen, and his name would rock the Southern Domain.

But here he was, dead in the backwater Five Elements Nation, killed by Naruto, an insect he had held in the palm of his hand.

Naruto closed his eyes for a long time. This was not the first time he had killed someone, and this time, he was not filled with emotions. He had already died.

"That day when I ran into Meizu, I should have killed him, as well as all the people with him." Determination filled his eyes. He had now experienced the result of his indecisiveness back then, when he had the chance to kill Meizu.

"I don't want to die a second time." He lifted his right hand and made a beckoning gesture. Obito's bag of holding flew over. Then he flicked his sleeve and a Flame Python appeared. It consumed Obito's body and head, turning them into ash.

Naruto turned and walked away.

It was evening, and as he walked off into the distance, snow began to fall from the sky. It covered him, his footprints, and the reek of blood. The snow accompanied him as he walked further and further away.

"I am the snow during winter. If I get too close to summer, then… summer will melt me. That is not the world of snow, nor is it my world." Naruto disappeared into the distance. He looked like a scholar, but deep down, he was as cold as snow.

* * *

After the battle at the North Sea, and his rebirth in the depths of the lake, the death aura had been completely dispelled. As he walked through the wind and snow, not a sliver of it emanated out.

The fact that the black aura, which had encircled him for more than a month, was now gone, made Naruto's pace a bit more leisurely as he moved through the snowfall.

Snow fell more and more heavily, making seem as if this was the year's last and heaviest snowstorm. The snowflakes appeared to be pushed along by the incoming season, falling out of the sky as fast as possible.

The snow covered him, until he finally reached the cave in Mount Myōboku that he had been taken from years before. He sat cross-legged, looking out at the world of snow and listening to the cry of the wind.

Night fell.

Snowfall blocked the night sky, making it impossible to see the stars. The only things visible were the endless sheets of snow which covered the landscape.

A small bonfire burned in front of Naruto, illuminating the surroundings with flickering firelight. The light fell onto his face as he sat there thinking.

Nearly four years had passed.

It was almost four years since he had joined the Reliance Sect. He had started out as a youth and had grown into a young man; he was now twenty years of age.

For a long time, Naruto sat there, looking down at his hands. They were clean, without a spot of dirt on them. But Naruto knew without a doubt that they were stained with blood.

He had killed many times in the past four years. At first, it had caused him much mental tribulation. Now, though you couldn't say he was numb to it, at least he had come to accept it. He had adapted. It was as if some invisible force of heaven and earth had changed his spirit, his fate, and his future.

"What will I become in the end…." Naruto looked out at the snow outside of the cave, but it contained no answers.

Time passed by slowly, and soon dawn approached. Everything was pitch black. The only thing present was the whimpering of the wind and the frigid snow. The bonfire in front of Naruto slowly burned out, and the cave was consumed by darkness.

Naruto sat there in the dark, and a sense of deep loneliness filled his heart. The feeling grew stronger and stronger until it seemed as if it would consume him.

"Father, mother, where are you…." His voice was soft as he thought of his parents. He missed them so much.

"Fatty, what are you doing right now?" Naruto sighed as an image appeared in his mind of Fatty filing away at his teeth.

"Elder sister Hinata, elder brother Guy, you are in the Southern Domain… that's great…." He looked out at the dark night outside the cave, and it was almost as if he could see the Southern Domain. An absent minded expression filled his face.

"Reading hundreds of books is like travelling ten thousand roads…. One day I will leave the Five Elements Nation and go to the Southern Domain." A look of determination appeared in his eyes. The Five Elements Nation was on the very edge of the Southern Domain. The middle of the Southern Domain was very, very far away.

He remembered the map he had seen of the lands of Ninshu. There was a vast wilderness between the Five Elements Nation and the core of the Southern Domain, as well as several countries.

Given the current level of his Cultivation base, if he tried to travel by soaring, it would take an incredibly long time.

"If only I could become a Foundation Establishment stage Cultivator!" A fire seemed to burn in his eyes, a fire that contained a fierce longing. It was a longing to be able to fly in the sky, and a thirst to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Reaching Foundation Establishment is being a true Cultivator. Then, my longevity will be extended to one hundred and fifty years." The concept of extended life was a distant reality to Naruto. Usually, people wish for a longer life only when they get older. As of now, Naruto didn't really care about that; what he was most concerned with was continuing to live on and not be in danger.

Unless one wants to live an average life, one must accept the limitations of one's Cultivation base and latent talent, and fight on.

Naruto breathed deeply and looked out as dawn broke over the world. He pulled out Obito's bag of holding and looked over its contents. His eyes began to glitter.

"He really was the disciple of a great Sect. Even though he hadn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he was filthy rich." There were seven or eight thousand Spirit Stones inside, as well as the black, wooden bow.

When he pulled the bow out, his entire body felt cold. When he pulled back on the bowstring, it felt as if the spiritual energy of heaven and earth were being pulled into it.

Inside the bag of holding were several hundred black arrows, each one carved with strange markings. He collected them up. In addition to the Spirit Stones and treasured items, there were some pill bottles, assorted message plaques, and other random items.

Most of the pill bottles were empty. However, one small bottle caught Naruto's attention. It was sealed, but when he heard the sound of the pill rattling around inside, his heart thumped. He broke the seal, whereupon a thick, fragrant odor buffeted his face. The entire cave was instantly filled with a medicinal aroma.

This aroma seemed even stronger than that of a Heavenly Spirit Pill. It seemed to be even stronger than Naruto's most powerful pill, the Plateau Charging Pill. In fact, there was really no way to even compare them. It would be like trying to compare a firefly with a full moon. As far as Naruto could tell, one was like a tiny sapling, the other like a mighty tree.

"This is…." Naruto's eyes shone, and he began to breathe quickly. He turned the bottle over and dropped the medicinal pill onto his palm. It was about the size of his thumbnail, and the color of amber. It emanated a powerful fragrance as well as a feeling of boundless spiritual energy. With a simple glance, you could tell this was no ordinary item.

He stared at the pill for a moment, then tapped his bag of holding, retrieving the ancient Pill-name jade slip he had purchased at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. There were more cracks on its surface than before, although Naruto didn't seem to care. Pressing the jade slip against his forehead, he poured spiritual energy into it.

A moment later, the ancient jade split into pieces, collapsing into ash. Naruto opened his eyes. They glowed with powerful excitement.

"A Foundation Establishment Pill! It's a Foundation Establishment Pill! It's hard to even determine how much it's worth!" Palpitating with eagerness, he clutched the pill against his chest. His heart raced, and it took quite some time before he could calm down.

This Foundation Establishment Pill was one of the reasons Obito just couldn't believe that he would die. It had been made by his master and then gifted to him. Considering that he was at the ninth level of Chakra condensation, if he came across a bit of good fortune in his travels, then he might be able to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He had kept it on his person so that he could have it handy when that critical juncture arrived.

Even in a great Sect in the Southern Domain, a Foundation Establishment Pill was not common. It was even less common for them to be distributed to disciples. The requirements to acquire one were very high. Even if more than the usual amount of pills were available, the supply would still fall short of the demand. Most people could not establish a Foundation with only one pill. Usually two or three were required. Some people with only average latent talent but the support of Sect Elders, might be able to break through with five pills.

Foundation Establishment Pills were truly treasured. Perhaps this had something to do with the fact that two of the medicinal plants required to concoct the pill only grew in the Three Danger Zones in the Southern Domain.

Obito had an exceptional master, which gave him a special position within the Violet Fate Sect. When he had reached the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, his master had bestowed him with the Foundation Establishment Pill. If he failed in breaking through to the next stage, when he returned to the Sect, his master would not hesitate to give him another.

Naruto opened his hand and looked more closely at the Foundation Establishment pill. It was then that he noticed a strange seal on its surface.

The seal bore the image of a demonic face. It was expressionless, solemn, and imparted the feeling that the face was looking at you. Naruto's heart thumped. Upon further observation, he determined that the seal did not have any mystical properties. It was simply carved onto the surface of the pill, almost like a logo.

Naruto hesitated for a while, then clenched his teeth and put the pill away. Outside, the snowfall was growing lighter, and the rising sun was just becoming visible. He stepped onto the treasured fan and flew out into the cold.

"If I want to break through from the eighth level of Chakra Condensation to the ninth, I will need more Spirit Stones. What I have now… it's just not enough. I'm going to need to go sell some things to get more. Eyes glittering, he slapped his bag of holding and produced a jade slip, which he pushed up against his forehead.

This was a jade slip from the Cold Wind Sect, a map that depicted several of the Cultivator Cities within the Five Elements Nation. Naruto saw Eastern Refinement City, but he had no desire to go back there. He needed to go somewhere far away from there, to a place not controlled by the three great Sects, a place where the Cultivators would be more random.

"Milky Way City," Naruto muttered to himself. Having made his decision, he raised his head, eyes flashing, and soared ahead as fast as the wind.

In the direction of the Milky Way Sea was an area protected by protective spells, a place that mortals could not even see, within which was a city.

Its walls were black, and were patrolled by cold-faced, black-robed Cultivators. They stared out at the people coming in and out of the city.

Milky Way City hadn't existed before three hundred years ago. At that time, an eccentric with a Cultivation base at the Core Formation stage had appeared. His magical power and items were shocking. He had established this city, then gone into secluded meditation. Three hundred years later, no one knew if he was still alive, or dead. It actually didn't really matter. Either he had extended his longevity, or had begun to form his Nascent Soul.

Currently, the city was controlled by his descendants. As for Patriarch Milky Way, he had never had poor a relationship with the three great sects of the Five Elements Nation. That, coupled with the relaxed rules of the city, had made it grow into the bustling place it was, filled with people of all sorts.

One day, a person appeared outside of Milky Way City. He wore a black robe, and his face was covered by the wide bamboo hat on his head. It was impossible to distinguish his features, although his body seemed to be a bit pudgy.

His getup looked strange, but didn't attract any attention at all in Milky Way City. After all, this place was a jumble of all sorts of strange people. There were more than a few who didn't want others to know who they were or what they were up to.

Of course, this person was none other than Naruto.

He had made up his mind to sell some of his magical items and medicinal pills. So, he had disguised himself and come to this place. He strolled in through the city gates, looking around. As he did, his eyes narrowed. He immediately lowered his head, and, putting on a nonchalant air, entered a shop.

* * *

Gato, garbed in a black robe, frowned as he walked down the street in Milky Way City. Two Cultivators of the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, also wearing black robes, walked behind him. From the looks on their faces, they seemed to admire Gato quite a bit.

Accompanying Gato in his inspection of the city, they walked past the shop Naruto had just ducked into.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. Even if it wasn't, no one would have been able to see anyway, because of the wide bamboo hat that covered his face. His gaze swept around the place he had entered.

It was a pill shop, only one story high and not very large. Racks filled with pill bottles filled the small space. The bottles were obviously empty, although on the surface of each one was written the name of a pill along with a price.

Off in the corner, a young man sat cross-legged. Other than him, Naruto was the only person in the shop.

Naruto walked along, examining the names of the various medicinal pills. Eventually, he found a bottle upon which was written the characters "Earthly Spirit Pill." It instantly caught his eye.

"So it's worth three hundred Spirit Stones…." Naruto frowned. The copper mirror required two hundred Spirit Stones to duplicate an Earthly Spirit Pill. Although there was a bit of difference in the two prices, it wasn't very much.

Seeing Naruto muttering to himself, the man sitting cross-legged in the corner opened his eyes and coolly said, "Earthly Spirit Pills are from the Southern Domain. We don't have many in stock, only five."

Naruto nodded. Looking around one final time, he made to leave, but then suddenly stopped. "Do you happen to have Foundation Establishment Pills?"

When the man heard this, he smiled, although it contained a barely perceptible air of doubt. "Fellow Daoist, this must be your first time in Milky Way City. Foundation Establishment Pills can easily run over one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. They are truly precious. Unfortunately, we don't have any in stock at all. I've only seen one in my entire life. If you are really interested in purchasing one, you'll have to go to the Milky Way Workshop."

"So expensive!" said Naruto, his voice filled with awe. Hearing his tone of voice, the young man's doubt seemed to disappear. He could tell that Naruto was simply inquiring, and didn't have the resources to actually make such a purchase.

Hearing Naruto mutter to himself enviously about the incredible price of Foundation Establishment Pills, the young man ignored him and close his eyes again.

Naruto left the shop and moved along down the streets of Milky Way City, his eyes shining. Moments later, though, he frowned, for two reasons. One reason was that it didn't seem it would be that simple to sell medicinal pills and magical items. The other reason was Gato.

"He was wearing a black robe, and was accompanied by more black-robed Cultivators. Those robes are the same ones worn by the city guards. It seems that after leaving the Reliance Sect, he didn't join another Sect, but rather came to this place." Naruto lowered his head. Instead of leaving, he continued to stroll through the city, checking out shop after shop. As he did, his frown deepened.

It seemed that pills for every level of Chakra Condensation were available here. On the one hand, there weren't a huge amount of pills available, but on the other hand, the prices were not much higher than what he would have to pay to duplicate them. In other words, the profit margin would not be very high.

"Forget about Medicinal Pills. I'll go check out some magical items." Naruto turned, heading down a different street. There were many Cultivators coming and going, their Cultivation bases of various levels. Most seemed to be between the third and fifth levels. Naruto had only seen three Cultivators who, like him, were at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. Their faces were covered, making it impossible to see their faces clearly.

There were many Treasure Pavilions here. Naruto visited them one by one, carefully examining their wares. Soon, evening fell. Naruto sighed. Low-level magical items fetched a high price, but nothing close to the hundred thousand Spirit Stones he wanted. To get that much, he would have to sell nearly one thousand flying swords, but such an astonishing event would attract unwanted attention. He simply could not do such a thing.

His other magical items varied in price, but none alone would earn him that many Spirit Stones. And if he sold all of his magical items, it would attract too much attention.

What he wanted to do was handle everything at once, then leave immediately.

Naruto currently sat cross-legged in a room in an inn. "If I really want to sell the Foundation Establishment Pill… I have to do it very carefully," he said to himself quietly. "I can't act rashly."

Milky Way City wasn't very big. By the evening of the second day, he had explored the entire city. Finally, he ended up standing across from a luxuriously decorated building. Muttering to himself, he walked toward it.

An inscribed board above the main door read, "Milky Way Workshop."

It was three stories tall. Naruto wandered around the first floor, but was prevented from going up to the second. To gain access to the second floor, one must produce evidence of a large number of Spirit Stones.

Naruto didn't force the issue. He turned and walked around for a bit looking at things, as if he were just an ordinary customer. Finally, he left.

He sat cross-legged back in the inn, frowning to himself. "There's only one door, guarded by three Cultivators of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, and one of the ninth level…. I can't go up to the second floor, nor see past the curve of the stairs. Everything on the first level is ordinary items, without any spiritual energy… I need to know what's on the second level. You can tell by looking at the windows on the outside that there is an abundance of spiritual energy there. But the windows are sealed tight." After a long moment, he pulled out the copper mirror.

In his bag of holding, he currently had just a bit over ten thousand Spirit Stones. Gritting his teeth, he took out the Foundation Establishment Pill and placed it onto the copper mirror. It instantly sank into the mirror, disappearing. With a deep breath, Naruto began feeding Spirit Stones into the mirror.

When he put the ten-thousandth Spirit Stone into the mirror, a bright light shone out of it, and then a second Foundation Establishment Pill appeared. Naruto was prepared; as soon as the fragrant medicinal aroma began to spread out, he put the two pills into his bag of holding, looking around cautiously.

Because of his speed, barely any of the aroma escaped out, and therefore no one noticed.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes filled with thought. After a moment, he slapped his bag of holding, producing a long, white robe. This was some clothing he had obtained from Obito's bag of holding. He put it on, then hung Obito's jade identification slip around his neck. He stood and started to pace back and forth in the room, looking even more thoughtful than before.

At dawn, two days later, Naruto once again donned the bamboo hat, as well as a long outer garment which concealed the white robe underneath. Lowering his head, he left the inn.

He strode directly toward the Milky Way Workshop, arriving in a very short period of time. A cold-faced middle aged man sat there cross-legged, a Cultivator of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Naruto walked past him, heading directly toward the stairs.

As he approached, a cultivator of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation glanced at him.

"Show a minimum of ten thousand Spirit Stones to get access to the second level," he said."

"Beat it!" said Naruto, lifting his bamboo hat and glaring at the man threateningly. He filled his voice with as much arrogance as possible. "We're in a small town in the insignificant Five Elements Nation, and you dare to block the path of Obito?" All of the Cultivators in the room looked at him.

The eighth-level Cultivator stared at him in shock. In all his years, no one had ever dared to speak to him in such a way. But considering the arrogance and veiled threats contained within Naruto's words, the man hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

The pleasant voice of a woman drifted down from upstairs: "Young Lord Ding, please come up."

The eighth-level Cultivator let Naruto pass. With a cold snort, Naruto climbed the stairs. As he turned the corner, his eyes quickly scanned the entire second floor.

The pleasant voice from just now belonged to a woman wearing a gauzy dress. She smiled at Naruto.

The second floor was richly decorated, and looked much more magnificent than the first floor, filled with a dazzling aura. There were no racks of treasures, but rather an enormous incense burner in the middle of the room, so large that three people could place their arms around it. The thick aroma of incense wafted out from it.

The surroundings were luxurious but also refined. Several tables could be seen around the room, as well as ornamental rock displays. It was the type of place that would make one's eyes shine just upon seeing it.

The woman standing there in front of Naruto appeared to be about thirty years of age. She was elegant and poised, and didn't say anything at first. She simply smiled, making her seem very warm and considerate.

"Young Lord Ding," she said, looking over him causally, "please have a seat. I am the second floor attendant. Please do not hesitate to tell me how I can help you." She took a seat off to the side. When she caught sight of the white robe underneath his long outer garment, a look of surprise flickered in her eyes, and then quickly disappeared.

Naruto looked around thoughtfully. There were seven tables spread about in various positions. Without hesitation, Naruto chose to sit, not at a table next to the stairs, or a window, but right in the middle of the room.

"Do you have Foundation Establishment Pills here?" he said as he sat down, not beating around the bush. He stared at the woman, his expression somber.

When the woman saw him sit down where he did, her eyes flickered again, as if he had just confirmed something to her. And yet, she still seemed to be uncertain about something.

"There are not many things in the Five Elements Nation that we don't have here at the Milky Way Workshop," she said with a smile. "Of course we have Foundation Establishment Pills. The price is two hundred thousand Spirit Stones per pill."

Naruto nodded slightly, then slapped his bag of holding. A pill bottle appeared in his hand. He flicked his sleeve, and the bottle shot toward the woman.

Her eyes flickered as she caught the bottle. When she opened it and looked at the contents, her expression changed to one of surprise.

"One Foundation Establishment Pill," said Naruto coolly. "Name your price."

"Young Lord Ding, you are quite audacious," she said calmly, an unusual expression in her eyes. "You dare to casually hand me something so valuable. Don't you fear that I might take it and flee?"

Naruto didn't say anything. Staring at her coldly, he loosened his outer garment, revealing more of the white robe, as well as the jade medallion hanging around his neck.

It was violet-colored, and emitted a soft, flickering violet glow.

When she caught sight of the jade medallion, the woman's expression changed.

"If you dare to swallow that pill," said Naruto coldly, "Milky Way City will be reduced to rubble in less than a month."

The woman's expression changed several times as she looked back down at the pill bottle. She glanced back at Naruto sitting there. Having taken note of all the various clues regarding his identity, she finally smiled again.

"Young Lord Ding, please don't take offense. I was simply making conversation." She tipped the bottle over, sending the Foundation Establishment pill tumbling into her palm. Then she held it up and examined it closely. When her gaze fell upon the demonic face carved into the surface of the pill, her expression changed dramatically, and she stood up.

* * *

"This pill was concocted personally by Grandmaster Pill Demon of the Violet Fate Sect. Its…. Young Lord Obito, what is your relationship to Grandmaster Pill Demon…?"

"Name your price." He said nothing else. He frowned, his eyes filled with a look that made it seem as if whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to sell the pill.

"A pill personally concocted by Grandmaster Pill Demon could be auctioned off for an amazing price. This pill…." The woman hesitated for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. "I can give you two hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones!"

Naruto was silent for a moment. Finally, he nodded and said, "Done." He stood up.

The woman lifted her hand and flicked her finger toward the incense burner in the middle of the room. A clear and melodious sound rang out, and about ten seconds later, a young girl came down from the third floor bearing a jade platter. She quickly reached Naruto, then offered up the platter with both hands.

On the white jade platter was a bag of holding.

Naruto took it and looked inside, then turned and walked down the stairs. Amidst the gazes of the Cultivators on the first floor, he walked out of the Milky Way Workshop and off into the distance.

A while later, when he reached a place that wasn't very crowded, he ducked into an alley and stripped off the outer garment. He quickly changed into another robe and then made his way off as quickly as possible, his head lowered.

Meanwhile, back on the second floor of the Milky Way Workshop, the woman stood respectfully next to an old man. The old man, who wore a resplendent garment, was currently standing at the window, looking off into the distance. In his hand was the Foundation Establishment Pill that Naruto had sold.

A long time passed before he finally opened his mouth. "Are you sure?" he said coolly.

"I of the junior generation already did some checking," she said in a respectful tone. "There was indeed a Violet Fate Sect disciple named Obito who arrived recently in the Five Elements Nation."

"Are you sure that was him?" said the old man slowly.

"At first, junior was not certain. After all, Obito is of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, and this person was of the eighth. However, his arrogant behavior on the first floor certainly seemed like that of a disciple of a great Sect. This was the first clue.

"Upon reaching the second floor, he didn't select a chair near the window or the stairs, but rather in the middle of the room. This gives evidence of his confidence, as if he didn't care that we might have made a move against him. This level of confidence is impossible for someone of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation to have, unless of course they are a member of a powerful Sect. That was the second clue.

"Moments later, junior saw his white garments, as well as a jade pendant from the Violet Fate Sect. He revealed it intentionally, but this is the Five Elements Nation, after all. He has to take some precautions. This was the third clue.

"More telling, he directly gave the pill bottle to junior, as if he didn't care whether or not I might consume the pill. When junior inquired about this, his response was one that a member of a Five Elements Nation Sect could never match. This was the fourth clue.

"Finally, the Foundation Establishment Pill is marked with the seal of Grandmaster Pill Demon. No one would dare to make a counterfeit of such a pill. Furthermore, junior has researched such things, and am certain the seal is genuine.

"Because of these five clues, junior is certain that this person was Obito of the Violet Fate Sect. It is said that two years ago, Grandmaster Pill Demon accepted a novitiate with that name. It seems the person here today was none other than him." The woman smiled, her expression filled with confidence, shrewdness and intelligence.

"Unless…." She suddenly seemed to hesitate.

"Unless what?" asked the old man, turning to look at her, his expression both warm and encouraging.

"Unless the person today was incredibly intelligent, and purposefully did all of these things. Perhaps he created the perfect cover story, and the seal on the Foundation Establishment Pill is actually fake. But, the probability of such a thing is remote. There is no disciple among the so-called Sects of the Five Elements Nation who could accomplish something like that." The woman smiled, her expression once again one of confidence.

"Correct," said the old man. "Being able to sort through all these clues in this way shows how intelligent you are, Tsunami. It seems you've really grown sharper in the past few years. This medicinal pill is real. It seems eighty to ninety percent likely that this person was none other than Obito." He looked fondly at the woman.

"Many thanks for your praise, Patriarch," she said with a smile. Looking up at him, she asked, "Are you really going to let him go, just like that?"

"We cannot afford to cause trouble with the Violet Fate Sect. As for Grandmaster Pill Demon's Foundation Establishment Pill…" The old man seemed to think for a moment, before softly saying, "Tsunami, considering that your latent talent is ordinary, why don't you give the pill to your father?"

When she heard his words, her eyes suddenly flashed.

"He's back?" Her voice suddenly seemed grim.

"He came back a few months ago. He left all those years ago to join the Reliance Sect, but the Sect was disbanded. As usual, he has yet to reach Foundation Establishment… you should go see him." Looking at the woman, the old man frowned, then sighed.

She was quiet for a moment. "I have my responsibilities here to take care of," she said coldly. "Whoever Patriarch gives the Foundation Establishment Pill to, well, it doesn't have anything to do with me."

"He's your father, after all. Furthermore, it seems to me he has some weighty matters on his mind, and might leave again soon. You should think about it carefully." Shaking his head, the old man turned and left.

"Father…." Tsunami sat down quietly, looking out the window, her eyes filled with bitterness.

As for Naruto, after changing clothes, he left the black-walled Milky Way City without the slightest bit of hesitation. Some distance away from the city, he hopped onto the treasured fan and sped off into the distance, his body turning into a prismatic rainbow.

He kept going for several days, until it became apparent that no one was pursuing him. At that point, he felt a bit more relaxed. In the wilderness some distance away from Mount Myōboku, he used a flying sword to cut out an Immortal's Cave for himself and then entered into secluded meditation.

This time, he was determined to break through to the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

He had plenty of Spirit Stones which he could use to duplicate Heavenly Spirit Pills. When he consumed enough Heavenly Spirit Pills, and his Cultivation base reached the appropriate level, he would begin to push toward the next level.

Time passed slowly. Soon, several months had passed. Naruto did not leave the Immortal's Cave. He sat there quietly, cross-legged, consuming medicinal pills and circulating his Cultivation base. As time passed, his Cultivation base grew more and more refined.

By the time the fifth month arrived, it seemed boundless. His Cultivation base roared, and his Core sea roiled. He had long since arrived at the peak of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. He was only a sliver away from the ninth level, and yet had been stuck at this sliver for two months already.

Thinking about the over one hundred thousand Spirit Stones he had spent already made Naruto's heart hurt. But what hurt even more was that after spending all of those Spirit Stones, he still hadn't been able to break through.

"Elder Jin told me that the fourth, sixth and eighth levels of Chakra Condensation were bottlenecks. The year I broke through the fourth level, I had lots of Dry Spirit Pills. I broke through the sixth level when the North Sea demonstrated the Dao. Now I'm at the eighth level bottleneck… How do I break through?!" Naruto opened his bloodshot eyes.

Of the well over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones he'd had, only about fifty thousand now remained. The rest had been turned into Heavenly Spirit Pills. Currently, he was running low on Heavenly Spirit Pills as well.

As he had speculated, when relying only on medicinal pills to grow his Cultivation base, the effects grew weaker and weaker the more pills he consumed. He needed larger and larger amounts, a vicious cycle.

"I wonder what other people do in this situation," he thought, frowning. Despite pondering the situation over and over, he couldn't figure it out.

It seemed that no matter how many Heavenly Spirit Pills he consumed, and no matter how his Cultivation base grew, he just couldn't make that final step.

Another month passed. Naruto had already spent half a year in secluded meditation. Today, he sat there, hair in disarray, eyes bloodshot. In the past month, he had duplicated ten Plateau Charging Pills, which were supposed to be effective in the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. He had hoped that using them would enable him to break through the bottleneck. While they had been somewhat effective, they hadn't produced the desired result.

"I must reach the ninth level of Chakra Condensation!" He ground his teeth as he looked at what remained of his fifty thousand Spirit Stones. Not hesitating any longer, he took out the copper mirror. He had decided to duplicate the Foundation Establishment Pill!

A glow appeared, and there in front of him were two Foundation Establishment Pills. Including the original, he now had three Foundation Establishment Pills. If you showed these three pills to a disciple of one of the great Sects of the Southern Domain, they would gasp with astonishment. In the Five Elements Nation, it would be enough to cause a bloodbath if anyone saw them.

Today, Naruto would use these pills, not to reach Foundation Establishment, but to break through the bottleneck. Anyone who knew he was using the pills in this way would surely go crazy at the thought of such luxurious waste.

Through history, there were likely few people who would ever go to such extravagant lengths to break through a Chakra Condensation bottleneck.

Naruto took a deep breath, then lifted up a pill, put it into his mouth, and swallowed it. A thunderous roar filled his mind, and his body shook. A majestic spiritual energy filled him that he never before could have imagined, exploding throughout his body.

…

During his half a year in secluded meditation, some events had occurred which he was unaware of. These events actually affected the entire Five Elements Nation. The first was the wildfire-like spread of the news of Naruto's deal with the Violet Fate Sect disciples. It didn't take long before Naruto's name was known across the land.

Everyone knew that Naruto had mercilessly cheated the Violet Fate Sect.

Soon after this, the Cold Wind Sect and the Winding Stream Sect nearly declared war on each other. In the end, Sect priests of the Core Formation stage emerged and managed to calm things down. Shortly thereafter, the two Sects issued a joint order of arrest.

The evildoer Naruto of the Reliance Sect was now wanted. Anyone who killed him would receive a reward of Spirit Stones, medicinal pills and magical items. This was the first time in hundreds of years that two great Sects had joined together to issue an order of arrest. This news caused a great sensation in the Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation.

Of course, no one really knew how to track down the man who had caused the bloody incident regarding the silver spear. But he had been marked for punishment, and the news spread quickly. Soon, Naruto was yet again the subject of discussion among all the Cultivators of the Five Elements Nation.

Whenever Cultivators gathered, they would end up talking about Naruto.

"I heard that when he was in the Reliance Sect, he robbed someone from one of the great Clans of the Southern Domain, a guy named Sasuke who had joined the Sect. When he became a member of the Inner Sect, Sasuke left in a rage."

"That's nothing. I heard directly from some former Reliance Sect members that Naruto opened a shop there. He ripped off a lot of his fellow disciples. They were all furious, of course, but didn't dare to say anything."

"Wow, it seems he's been developing this devious personality for quite a while. It's no surprise he cheated the Violet Fate Sect disciples, as well as Bekkō and Iwana…."

"It looks like he just rips off whoever he runs into. He's been cheating people ever since he left the Reliance Sect…."

Conversations and discussions like this filled the Cultivation World of the Five Elements Nation. If that was the extent of it, it would not have been a very big deal. Eventually the buzz would have died out. Except before that could happen, the three great Sects joined forces to recall the original arrest order and issue a new one. There was no discernable reason for this action.

The new arrest order was still for Naruto. However, killing him was now prohibited. Rewards would now be given, not for his death, but for his capture, or clues regarding his whereabouts!

According to the order, he could be injured or crippled, but not killed.

Such a strange arrest order instantly aroused the attention of quite a few people. Eventually, some of the most well-informed people were able to put the clues together to understand what was going on.

"The Core Formation Eccentrics of the three great Sects went last month to visit the State of Revelation. They paid respects to Lord Revelation, and asked him to divine whether or not Patriarch Reliance is really dead or not. According to his divination, Patriarch Reliance is weak to the point of death. However, the Immortal's Cave he is in can only be opened by an Inner Sect disciple. Lord Revelation is already here with them in the Five Elements Nation, searching for where Patriarch Reliance is sealed in secluded meditation!"

As soon as the news began to spread, the three great Sects went to great lengths to stamp down the rumors. Anyone found spreading them would be punished by death penalty, and any city where the rumors appeared would be enveloped by a sealing spell casted by the three great Sects, preventing anyone from going in or out.

* * *

In the remote wilderness not too far from Mount Myōboku, Naruto sat in the Immortal's Cave, his body shaking. Sweat poured off of him, soaking him as he emanated an intense heat. This in turn produced a thick mist that circulated around the cave, filling it with the aroma of sweat.

Naruto's entire body was bright red, and it felt as if an immense fire were raging inside of him that would soon wither up his flesh and blood and turn him into a pile of ash. At the moment, his body was completely stiff, incapable of the slightest movement.

Actually, this is one of the detriments of consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill. After swallowing it, the body becomes immovable. Until the power of the pill is disseminated, it wouldn't matter if there was a flood or a storm, or if a person stood in front of you with a sword, ready to stab you through, you wouldn't be able to move a muscle. This is why Cultivators are incredibly careful when selecting the area where they will consume a Foundation Establishment Pill.

After all, if one encountered an enemy while suffering from the side-effect of the astounding pill, death would be the result.

Naruto was the first person to ever consume a Foundation Establishment Pill while in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. Furthermore, this pill had been concocted by a Grandmaster.

But, he had no other choice. It was just too difficult to break through the bottleneck of the eighth level of Chakra condensation without the aid of either some stroke of good fortune, or special medicinal pills.

The Plateau Charging Pills had not been effective, so now the only thing he had left were the Foundation Establishment pills. Of course, he didn't dare use too many at once. They were incredibly powerful, and his body was not. Consuming them was actually gambling with his own life.

By now, Naruto felt quite certain he knew why this eighth level bottleneck was so difficult to break through. It definitely had something to do with his years of consuming so many Demonic Cores. Despite his rebirth in the North Sea, the Demonic power within his bones could not be dispelled easily.

Because of this reason, the blockage caused by the bottleneck was thicker than that experienced by the average person. Of course, there were also advantages to this situation. Once he broke through the bottleneck, he would explode into the middle of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Furthermore, his body, although it seemed weak, was now much tougher than it had been during his scholar days. The change was slow, but sure.

This change had not been brought about by his Cultivation, but rather because of the Demonic power within his body, as well as the Demonic Core in his Core sea.

Days and days passed. Soon two months had gone by, during which time Naruto had continued to consume his scant supply of Foundation Establishment Pills. Just now, he had fully absorbed the power of a pill. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. He could move again! He felt a roaring within himself, along with a severe pain, as if various parts of his body were being ripped apart. He spit out a mouthful of black blood.

As he spit out the blood, his eyes grew dim, as if he were about to lose consciousness. Instead he bit his tongue, forcing himself to stay awake. He rotated his Cultivation base as it shot toward the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

A look of determination filled his eyes. Gathering together the explosive spiritual power within him, he pushed forward.

In an instant, the spiritual energy charged ahead, filling his head with a roaring like thunder. He felt as if his body were about to explode. Then suddenly, it felt as if the spiritual energy had opened up a new realm inside him. Instantly, he felt a wonderful sensation, difficult to describe. It was a tingling feeling, as if someone were caressing him with countless feathers.

He immersed himself in the feeling, and a long time passed before he opened his eyes. They glowed dazzlingly. It was as if the darkness of the cave were being split by brilliant lightning bolts.

Naruto took a deep breath, and the spiritual energy of the cave seemed to be sucked into him strand by strand. Then it left him, and massive amounts of filth extruded from his pores. His body grew lighter, his eyes brighter.

The boundless Core sea inside him was twice its previous size, as if you couldn't see from one side to the other. The golden water billowed and roared. Deep within, the Demonic Core rested, unmoving, sending out massive amounts of spiritual energy, making the golden light even more dazzling, filling Naruto's body. He almost felt like lifting his head up and letting out a long, loud cry.

"The ninth level of Chakra Condensation! I, Naruto, have finally reached the ninth level! My next step will be Foundation Establishment!" His eyes filled with exuberance, he took several deep breaths.

"With the Sublime Spirit Scripture, I can establish a Flawless Foundation, far superior to a Cracked or Fractured Foundation." He stood up, filled with confidence and hope regarding the future.

He looked forward to traveling to the Southern Domain and seeing the lands there. He looked forward even more so to the day when he could reach Foundation Establishment. He wondered what it would be like to have a Flawless Foundation. What would other Cultivators think when they ran into him then?

Of course, having not reached Foundation Establishment, he didn't understand how rare a Flawless Foundation was. Despite his ignorance, he still looked forward with eager anticipation.

He flicked his sleeve, and a fist-sized Water Globe appeared. It stretched out, forming a sheet of water the size of his body. He walked forward, through the water. When he came out on the other side, the filth that covered him was gone, and instead, a fragrant aroma drifted off of him.

The door of the Immortal's Cave shattered. It was midday outside, and the season had long since changed. Naruto walked out to feel a hot, dry wind on his face. His entire body felt relaxed and fresh.

"When I reach Foundation Establishment, I will finally be able to achieve true flight." He looked up at the blue sky and his smile grew wider and wider. He walked forward a bit, then hopped onto his treasured fan and sped along.

He was flying along some distance away from Mount Myōboku when he suddenly caught sight of someone racing in his direction. This person was moving as fast as possible, and was being chased by a large, vicious looking man.

The person being chased was pale-faced, but had hard eyes. He wasn't very tall, and rather skinny, appearing to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. Despite this, his Cultivation base was at the fifth level of Chakra Condensation.

He was being chased by a cultivator of the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. The man wore a tattered aqua-blue robe and it seemed as if he had been wounded. Murder roiled within his furious eyes.

"It doesn't matter where you try to run, Neji. If you give me the pearl, considering my status in the Upright Evening Sect, I can leave you with your life. Otherwise, you're dead!" The big man raised his right hand, and a frigid glow appeared which solidified into a Full Moon Scimitar. He tossed it spinning toward the youth.

The youth was none other than one of Naruto's group who elder sister Hinata had taken to the Reliance Sect, Neji.

After the dissolution of the Sect, he had been swept away and then disappeared. Naruto floated above, looking down at Neji.

Neji's face was pale, but killing intent flickered within his hard eyes. He waved his sleeves, whereupon several beams of cold light shot out, glittering arrows. Based on their gleam they seemed to be coated with poison. The arrows shot toward the big man.

He laughed, waving his sleeve, which caused a wind to spring up and brush the arrows away. His hand flickered in incantation patterns, causing his scimitar to shoot toward Neji. It was upon him in the blink of an eye. Neji's bloodshot eyes spun. Suddenly, an aqua-blue pearl appeared in his hand. It was partly transparent, and was filled with layers of curling clouds. A stream of clouds erupted from within the pearl, coalescing into a vague figure, which shot toward the scimitar.

When they collided, a bang rang out, and the scimitar collapsed into pieces, as did the vague figure.

The big man coughed up some blood, and the greed in his eyes grew stronger. He continued his pursuit.

The blood drained from Neji's face. It seemed the attack just now had been quite difficult to pull off. He staggered forward, running a few paces before tumbling to the ground.

"You can't escape!" laughed the big man viciously, quickly approaching Little Hu, whose eyes filled with desperation. Off in the distance, Naruto sighed, looking back at the scene. Finally, he lifted a finger on his right hand, causing a furious wind to spring up in the forest. The crushing pressure of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation instantly enveloped the big man. Trembling, he looked up in shock to see Naruto floating down toward him.

Simultaneously, Neji, who was still on the ground, pulled a poisoned dagger out of his sleeve. He leaped up with surprising speed, and the dagger flashed. At the exact moment in which the big man was surprised by Naruto, the dagger slashed through his neck.

He let out a miserable cry as blood showered everywhere, covering Neji. Neji was still weak and exhausted, but falling down just now had actually been a trick. When the man approached with his guard down, he had planned to make his move.

The big man collapsed to the ground, twitching. He tried to cover the gash in his neck, but blood flowed out in vast quantities. Within moments, he was dead. His eyes stared blankly off into the distance.

Neji took a few steps away, looking back at Naruto, seeming ready to flee at any moment. Then he felt the power of Naruto's Cultivation base, and his body began to tremble.

Naruto didn't say anything. He walked over and stood over the corpse, examining it. Then he looked at the obviously nervous Neji, staring at him silently.

Neji didn't say anything either. He just looked at Naruto, a complicated expression in his eyes.

A long moment passed, after which Naruto opened his mouth. "It was because of this pearl that you killed Shikamaru," he said calmly. An imperceptible look in his eye revealed that he was bluffing, but Neji didn't see it.

Instead, Neji stood there silently, refusing to speak. He was short, with dark skin and a skinny frame. His clothes were dilapidated, and he was obviously in a difficult position. He almost looked like a beggar. But the coldness he had just exhibited when killing the man just now seemed to make everything obvious.

Naruto looked at him for a while, before shaking his head. He let out a sigh, and turned to leave.

Just as he did this, however, a look of hesitation appeared in Neji's eyes. He suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and filled with nervousness.

"Elder… Elder Brother Naruto, are you going to Mount Myōboku to save everyone?"

Naruto halted in his tracks and looked back at Neji. "What are you talking about?" he said, his voice low.

* * *

Neji looked closely at Naruto. He had been naive as a child, but after joining the Reliance Sect, had experienced many unimaginable misfortunes. In his heart, he had become as hard as iron. No one knew how many Cultivators he had secretly slain.

He stared at Naruto and gradually came to the realization that he really did not know about what had happened recently.

"Elder Brother Naruto, in recent days, the entire Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation has been searching for you. The three great Sects issued a joint order for your arrest. Multitudes of Cultivators have spread out in all directions to hunt you down." He hesitated a moment before continuing.

Naruto's expression did not change even in the least bit. He floated in the air, looking down wordlessly at Neji.

"The three great Sects ordered that you were not to be killed," he said slowly. "You could be injured or crippled, but not slain." The entire time, he continued to look at Naruto, unable to tell what he was thinking.

"If what you're saying is false," said Naruto coolly, his expression the same as ever, "then don't blame me for forgetting our past ties."

Hearing this, Neji inadvertently took two steps backward, his face flickering.

"Elder Brother Naruto must surely remember Master uncle Gato from the Inner Sect. Two months ago, he surrounded the three counties near Mount Myōboku with a horrific, enormous spell." His voice rang out as he spoke. He clenched his fists. "He plans to use the blood of the mortals there to concoct Blood Pills to reach Foundation Establishment. It's been going on for two months already. With my Cultivation base, I'm no match for him, but I came to try to save my father and mother!"

Naruto stared at him in shock, his head spinning. Fury erupted within him, and a violent aura of killing intent began to emanate from him. He knew that Gato's true goal was not to concoct Blood Pills, but rather to lure him out.

His face grew incredibly grim.

"Gato has involved the mortals of three counties, and the Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation does nothing to stop him?" Naruto's voice was as cold as ice as he spoke. "Does anyone actually believe his goal is establishing a Foundation?"

"Everyone says that Gato longs for Foundation Establishment," said Neji, "and that he intentionally picked the three counties around Mount Myōboku because of the auspicious sign that appeared here years ago. With Blood Spirit Pills, he can easily break through to Foundation Establishment. In the past, the three great Sects would never allow him to do something like that, but right now they seek out Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone. That's why they sent everyone looking for you, and have ignored what is happening here. They don't want to have to deal with extra trouble. Furthermore, Gato is no ordinary person. I looked into it and found out he's from Milky Way City. Apparently, the three great Sects did attempt to interfere at first, but then backed off for some reason."

Naruto listened quietly, then began to smile, a cold, dark smile. The killing intent which existed in his heart far outmatched the killing intent he had felt in the past toward Sasuke or even Obito. The intensity of this desire to kill sent this Core sea churning. It was fiercer than anything he had felt in his twenty-one years of life.

"Gato…." Naruto spun and looked off toward Mount Myōboku. He flicked his wide sleeve and Neji flew up onto the treasured fan, a shocked look on his face.

"Elder Brother Naruto, what's going on?" blurted Neji, his breath quickening.

"We're going to Mount Myōboku. If what you've said is true, very well. But if you've lied to me, then you will never again have to worry about people chasing after you to get your treasure." The treasured fan flickered, and they shot off.

Neji was quiet, having nothing more to say. He stood on the treasured fan next to Naruto, a conflicted look in his eye. Soon the look disappeared, replaced by determination.

It didn't take long before Mount Myōboku loomed up in front of them. Naruto did not charge in directly. The treasured fan flashed, and they landed on the ground. Up ahead, everything was enveloped by a glowing red aura. It seemed that outside of the aura, every five hundred kilometers, a black robed Cultivator sat cross-legged, meditating.

There were a dozen or so of them, and they appeared to be the supporting the base of the spell which surrounded the three counties.

Far away on top of the mountain, someone sat cross-legged in meditation.

In the counties below the mountain, everything was quiet. Wispy strands of Blood Chakra rose up from them.

Naruto's killing intent grew stronger. Taking a deep breath, he released the bonds he had placed on Neji.

"When I call your name, you must come," said Naruto slowly. Then he walked forward, his body whistling in the wind and emanating an ice-cold air.

"Shikamaru isn't dead," blurted Neji. Naruto ignored him as he raced forward.

Neji watched him disappear, then sighed and sat down silently to meditate. He had looked into Naruto in addition to Gato. He knew that Naruto had no immediate family in Konoha County and that Gato was most likely using this blood magic specifically to draw him out.

"Elder Brother Naruto, I just want to save my father and mother. If you live through this, then I will owe you a great debt." He looked up, complex emotions flickering in his eyes.

Naruto shot forward, straight toward the blood-red aura. Neji, though young, was clever and had been correct in his suppositions. As for Naruto, he had always been intelligent. Despite failing as a scholar, he had undergone a baptism of sorts in the Reliance Sect. After everything he had experienced there and after, how could he not see through to his opponent's true purpose?

Gato had set a trap for him. But how could he not go? Even though he had no immediate family in Konoha County, it was his home. His childhood memories were there, and they were beautiful.

Gato was utterly devoid of conscience, and his actions offended Naruto to the bone. His desire to kill billowed to untold heights.

Even though he was risking death, even though he was playing into Gato's hand, Naruto knew that in life, there are some things a man must do…. even if it was dangerous, he would go anyway.

Fear and doubt were not for true men.

His murderous intent had never been so strong, his desire to kill never so intense. It could not be dispelled by the death of one person, but rather every person involved in maintaining the blood spell.

"In my years of Cultivation, there are people who I haven't killed. It's not because I couldn't, but because I didn't want to." His speed increased, his eyes flashing with death, but his heart calm. By now he had reached the area of the blood spell. He shot toward a Cultivator of the sixth level of Chakra Condensation who sat there meditating.

He wore black robes and looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. As Naruto rushed toward him, he opened his eyes. Shocked, he lifted his hand, but in that instant, Naruto, his face expression cold and filled with death, shot past him.

There was a sword in Naruto's hand. Behind him, a head flew up into the air, its face filled with confusion. The body fell over onto the ground.

The reek of blood filled the air. The corpse twitched a few times and then was still.

There was no shout of pain, no struggle. To Naruto, it was as simple as slaughtering a chicken. As he had said, it was not that he couldn't kill, he just didn't like to.

"When you try to cut off a chicken's head," said Naruto to himself, "it will usually put up a bit of a struggle. People usually struggle even harder. But without a head, you don't even match up to a chicken." Not even glancing back at the corpse behind him, he moved on, eyes filled with killing intent.

He moved quickly, and before long, another cross-legged figure appeared in front of him. This person had clearly not sensed the death of his compatriot; he sat there meditating, maintaining the spell.

He didn't even have a chance to open his eyes before his head flew off his body.

"Gato, you force me into killing. Very well… today I will kill everything in front of me." He flicked the wooden sword in his hand, sending droplets of blood flying about everywhere, then vanished.

Because of the death of the two Cultivators, ripples had appeared in the red-colored spell. This in turn shocked the rest of people who were maintaining it; one after another, they opened their eyes and stood up, glancing around cautiously.

Meanwhile, atop the mountain, Gato's eyes flickered open. They glittered as he looked down at what was going on below.

The Blood Chakra seemed to grow thicker, but he couldn't see clearly what was happening. He frowned and harrumphed. He lifted his right hand, and a Globe of blood appeared, about the size of a human head. Blood Chakra swirled around inside. With the flick of a sleeve, he sent the Blood Globe shooting down Mount Myōboku, where it slammed through the blood-colored spell with a reverberating boom.

The blood-colored spell was growing weak. Suddenly, a shrill scream could be heard, echoing out from within the spell. Difficult to describe, it seemed to be filled with pain.

Moments later, another scream rang out. This scream clearly came from someone else, but it was equally blood-curdling. Gato frowned. Looking down at the blood-colored spell, it appeared to have shrunk by almost half and was somewhat murky.

A third person screamed, then a fourth, almost at the same time. More screams echoed out, over and over, until finally the blood-colored spell was completely translucent. Gato looked down to see… a dozen headless corpses.

His eyes narrowed, and his body spun. There, on a small mountain path, wearing a blue scholar's robe, was Naruto. He was spattered with blood and gore, and despite looking somewhat frail and weak, walked slowly up the mountain, his face expressionless.

In his hands, he carried a dozen severed heads. Gato looked at him as he approached. Naruto tossed the heads forward, and they plopped to the ground in front of Gato, who then flicked his sleeve, sending them scattering about.

"Your turn," said Naruto, his voice hoarse. He usually didn't want to kill, but today. He did.

* * *

"Ninth level of Chakra Condensation!" Eyeing Naruto, Gato took a deep breath. He had been maintaining the spell here for two months. The Cultivators from Milky Way City didn't know the true reason he was here, and he didn't want their top level experts around anyway. He was here for Naruto.

Based on everything he had seen and heard recently, he had been sixty-percent certain that Naruto possessed some sort of unholy treasured item that could endlessly duplicate treasures.

Otherwise, how could he have so many medicinal pills and flying swords? Also, how could Naruto have not noticed that ten of his flying swords went missing on the day of his battle with Sasuke?

They appeared to have been broken, but in fact, had been secretly taken away by Gato and carefully studied. He had discovered that all ten of the swords were composed of exactly the same materials.

Even though all flying swords look the same in general, there will always be tiny differences left behind in the manufacturing process which can be spotted later. Except, among Naruto's swords, the details were exactly the same. This, of course, aroused Gato's suspicions.

And yet, he wasn't completely convinced because of that evidence. But now, seeing that Naruto's Cultivation base had already reached the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, he was even more sure. Eighty percent or more.

"You may have reached the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, but clearly you just broke through," said Gato, his eyes shining coldly. "Should you try to run away again today, I will detonate that Blood Globe I just sent down the mountain. If that happens, then the people of the three counties will be reduced to ash and smoke in the blink of an eye." He really was worried that Naruto would flee, so before attacking, had taken preparations to prevent him from doing so.

"I won't be running away today." As Naruto looked at Gato, nearly five years of memories flooded into his mind. Their issues from before the Sect dissolved, the chase after the Sect disbanded, all of these things flashed before Naruto's eyes. His killing intent flashed. He lifted his hand, and a massive Flame Python appeared, over thirty meters in length. Not only was its size impressive, but from its head protruded a large horn. Flames flickered off of its body as it shot toward Gato, radiating intense heat.

The severed heads surrounding Gato crackled and burned from the heat, and some of them even began to roll in his direction. He laughed, slapping his bag of holding and producing a five-colored banner. The massive banner unfurled and a five-colored mist roiled out from within it. The mist then transformed into five mist spirits, each of them dozens of meters tall. With hideous grins, they charged toward the Flame Python.

A massive explosion occurred, smashing nearby boulders into dust and reducing the surrounding trees and rattan vines of Mount Myōboku into powder. Dust and ash swirled in the air, making the scene somewhat blurry.

Amidst the haze, Naruto dashed forward at incredible speed. The remaining severed heads which had not been incinerated continued to tumble toward Gato. His eyes flashed, and his fingers flickered in an incantation sign. Then he shoved his hands out in front of him.

"Five-colored Death!" he shouted, and a shrill shrieking sound suddenly rose up around him. Naruto smacked his bag of holding. The scroll painting appeared in his hand. He unrolled it, and six beasts leaped out, howling.

A massive thunderous rumble surrounded them. Naruto charged toward Gato, whose cold eyes flickered radiantly. Gato moved forward as well. More severed heads were crushed into pulp.

"Do you know what the Reliance Sect was called before Patriarch Reliance?" said Gato coolly. "It was called the Demon Sealing Sect!" He suddenly looked toward the peak of Mount Myōboku and stamped his foot down. Mount Myōboku began to rumble, and then suddenly, an impossible-to-describe aura erupted out from within the mountain. It was only a strand, yet that strand seemed to quiver with the very power of heaven and earth. It was not sentient, but rather, under the control of Gato. It roiled up from the ground beneath Naruto's feet.

Gato suddenly seemed to grow older, as if he had aged ten years. He looked almost like a corpse that had crawled its way out of the grave.

Clearly the magical technique he had just used was extremely difficult to employ, and required a sacrifice of longevity. Originally, he would never have used it, but seeing the level of Naruto's Cultivation base, he decided that he had no other choice. He wanted to bring about a swift end to the battle. After all, all the Cultivators in the Five Elements Nation were hunting Naruto right now.

This battle would surely attract their attention. If he could end the fight quickly, then he would have plenty of time to get his hands on the treasure he sought.

"The Demon Sealing Sect sought out the great Demons of the world, sealed them, released their spirit, and took their power to trample on the Heavens! You just entered the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, what could you possibly use to fight me with? If I wanted, I could have reached Foundation Establishment fifty years ago!" As Gato spoke, Naruto waved the scroll painting, using it to resist the aura strand that had burst out around his feet.

But as soon as the scroll painting touched the aura, an explosion rang out, and cracks appeared on its surface as it was thrown violently away. The aura strand shot toward Naruto.

There was a bang, and Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. The feathered fan had appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye to shield him. Cracks split the feathers, as Naruto took advantage of the moment to evade. Evade he did, but he was still sent tumbling backward, coughing up three mouthfuls of blood.

Only one move had been made, and Naruto was already injured. It was clear that Gato possessed unfathomable secrets. He laughed coldly. He had expended some of his longevity to make this attack. Even though it hadn't killed Naruto outright, Gato was still determined to win. He walked forward, stepping over the smashed, bloody remains of the severed heads.

Naruto's mouth was filled with blood, but his eyes shone with viciousness. At the same moment that Gato began to walk forward, Naruto lifted his hand, and within the pulp of the severed head, a black aura arose. In an instant, the aura coalesced into a black scorpion. It moved like lightning, so quickly that Gato had no time to pull back his foot, nor to leap away. The scorpion's stinger sank into the flesh of Gato's foot.

As the stinger sank in, the scorpion turned into strands of blackness which poured into Gato.

His face twisted. This turn of events was too sudden and unpredictable. The scorpion, of course, was from the rare magical pill that he had acquired that day from Chakraan and Lu from the Violet Fate Sect. This magical scorpion was hyper toxic!

The black aura entered Gato's foot, and then merged into his Chakra passageways, filling his entire body in an instant. His face turned black and he spit up a mouthful of black-colored blood, which stank like rotten fish.

"What poison is this!?" said Gato, his expression shocked as he retreated. A feeling of weakness spread through him like floodwaters. Knowing he had little time to think, he slapped his bag of holding and produced a medicinal pill, which he swallowed.

Naruto had planned things well to make a move in a moment just such as this. Even his three mouthfuls of blood had been coughed up intentionally, all to make Gato think that he had the upper hand. As soon as his opponent retreated and pulled out a medicinal pill, Naruto charged forward. He smacked his bag of holding, and the black net shot forth, threatening to envelop Gato.

It takes longer to describe what was happening than the actual time it took to happen. Gato's expression flickered as he downed the medicinal pill. His fingers began to flicker in an incantation, even as the net began to cover him. Naruto moved forward without pause. The black, wooden bow appeared in his hand, and he pulled back on the bowstring, then sent an arrow screaming toward Gato.

Gato moved backward at high speed. A medicinal pill, a black net, an arrow and an incantation. He didn't have time for all, he would have to pick two.

A booming sound rang out. Gato downed the pill, but abandoned his incantation. He managed to evade the black net, but couldn't avoid the arrow. It shot into his right shoulder, emerging from the other side in a shower of blackened blood.

Intense pain flashed through him, but Gato let out a low snort. Naruto didn't pause for even a moment. A second arrow whistled forth, followed by a third and a fourth. Naruto moved forward relentlessly. Every step he took, he shot an arrow; seven steps, seven arrows.

The seven arrows shot forward, screaming through the air with shocking killing intent!

Gato continued to retreat, struggling to control the spread of the black strands throughout his body. And yet, he also had to dodge the incoming arrows. But being at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, he could only do so much. He might be at the absolute peak of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, a hair away from the Foundation Establishment stage, but he was still not at the Foundation Establishment stage.

No, he was still far from Foundation Establishment stage. Just like Naruto, he was still in the Chakra Condensation stage. The difference in the level of power between the two was like the difference between the sky and the ground.

He couldn't do everything perfectly at the same time. A booming sound reverberated through the air as the seven arrows pierced his right arm, completely destroying it. This was the only thing he could do to defend against the arrows. He paid the price of a right arm in order to be able to focus on bringing the poison in his body under control temporarily.

Even as he did so, an eighth arrow shot toward him from Naruto, then a ninth. He raised his head to the sky and howled.

From the day he began to walk the path of Cultivation until today, he had never been in such a dangerous, tight situation. He had lost an arm! The price he had paid, the pain he felt, drove his desire to kill Naruto to a new, intense height.

His eyes were bloodshot; the poison was under control, but could not easily be expelled. In fact, as of now, he could tell that it would be impossible to expel the poison while he was in the Chakra Condensation stage. Only if he reached Foundation Establishment could he do so.

"Milky Way Sea!" he shouted, his hair flying about him crazily. He bit the tip of his tongue and spit out a glob of blood. A violet pearl flew out from within the blood, within which could be seen what appeared to be a seething mass of wind. As soon as it appeared, a fierce gale arose, sending Naruto's latest three arrows into a spin. Then, they simply collapsed into pieces.

* * *

The pearl spun back into Gato's mouth, whereupon he used his remaining arm to slap his bag of holding. Multiple flying swords, banners and other magical items appeared, all flying forward at the same time. Then, one by one they exploded into pieces. Gato lifted his hands, and the fragments of the various magical items rose up to create something like a sea.

From a distance, the multiple fragments glinted blindingly, making it seem as if there really was a sea floating in the sky. The sea began to spin, and then shot directly toward Naruto, whistling through the air.

This was the Milky Way Sea, a magical technique that had earned Patriarch Milky Way his name many years ago. Eventually, he divided the technique into multiple levels. The lowest level could be used only by someone of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

Of course, any Cultivator of the Foundation Establishment stage could flick a sleeve and create a Milky Way Sea out of fragmented items. However, during the Chakra Condensation stage, this was truly something powerful.

As such, it was not an easy technique to pull off. Only someone at the peak of the ninth level could do it, and they would have to have the support of a vast amount of spiritual power. In all of Milky Way City, Gato was the only Cultivator at the Chakra Condensation stage who could do it.

At the moment, he wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible, not only to acquire Naruto's treasures, but also to get back to Milky Way City to dispel the poison from his body. So, he attacked with his most powerful technique, sending the cloud of fragmented treasures speeding toward Naruto. As it approached, Naruto took a deep breath and then slapped his bag of holding.

Flying sword after flying sword emerged. Ten swords, fifty, one hundred, until a total of three hundred flying swords were spinning around him. Naruto lifted his hands, then pushed them out ahead of him.

As he did, the three hundred flying swords formed a massive sword rain, which then congealed into the shape of a Flying Rain-Dragon. He walked forward, and two golden strands of light appeared in his hands,: the two wooden swords. His body turned into a beam of light as he flew up into the Flying Rain-Dragon sword rain.

It was as if he had become the spirit of the flying-sword Flying Rain-Dragon. It raised its head to the Heavens and roared, then shot toward the Milky Way Sea.

An explosion reverberated out which shook heaven and earth. The Milky Way Sea of fragmented treasures lashed against Naruto's flying swords. Popping sounds could be heard as sword after sword collapsed into pieces. But if the Sea smashed ten swords, then Naruto would produce ten more to replace them.

Right now, the most flying swords he could control simultaneously was three hundred. Within his bag of holding, he currently had about seven hundred, which he had slowly duplicated over the last year. After his fierce battle with Obito, and during the process of breaking through to the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, he had prepared himself completely.

Seeing this, Gato's face changed. His left hand flickered in an incantation pattern, then produced more magical items which he added to the conglomeration.

Naruto's flying swords screamed as they continuously battered the Milky Way Sea. The sound of it reverberated out in all directions, and yet the power of this Milky Way Sea was formidable. At the moment, he wasn't able to move forward very easily. Suddenly, he spun his body, causing the flying swords around him to begin to rotate around him. They rotated faster and faster until they became a whirlwind, with Naruto at the center. He stopped moving, but the flying sword whirlwind continued to spin faster and faster.

From a distance, it looked as if a rapidly spinning tornado were slicing through the middle of the Milky Way Sea. The fragmented treasure items of the Milky Way Sea continue to smash against the flying swords, but after the space of a few breaths, the swords pushed forward, slicing clean through the sea.

Gato's face twisted. Naruto's Cultivation base was shocking, as was the number of magical items he had. The most shocking thing, though, was his battle experience. His ability to quickly change his magical battle techniques was something that left Gato in utter disbelief.

Amidst the reverberating roar, Naruto and his sword rain ploughed through the Milky Way Sea, sending pieces of it scattering about. Naruto suddenly leaped forward, the two golden strands that were the wooden swords emitting shrill whistles as they shot through the air with him. Shock covered Gato's face.

"Naruto!" he cried, shooting backward as fast as possible, his face panic-stricken. In complete contrast, when Naruto attacked, he didn't say even a word. His expression was the same as ever. He increased his speed even more, aiming the two wooden swords, one to stab directly toward his opponent's heart, the other, his forehead.

Gato was vexed to the extreme. He had held the upper hand at first, but had then been poisoned. Things had only gone downhill from there. He couldn't dispel the poison, which meant he couldn't use the full power of his Cultivation base. He constantly needed to use some of his power to suppress the effects of the poison. Now, he was forced to retreat, one step at a time.

His hand flashing, Gato smacked his chest; he coughed up a mouthful of blood, amidst which was the pearl that had appeared a moment ago. A curving arc of light appeared, shooting forward to block the two wooden swords. The shield immediately began to tremor, and then shattered, shoving Gato backward even faster as he retreated.

Seeing the shield shattering, Gato quickly said, "Naruto, let's stop here. The three great Sects are looking for you, and our fight today will surely have attracted their attention. They could arrive at any moment. I won't harm the inhabitants of the three counties. Let's abandon our enmity, what do you say?"

Naruto didn't respond. His spiritual energy soared, and the wooden swords glowed, pushing through the shield. Gato was now extremely alarmed. With a howl, he waved his arm, pointing down toward the bottom of the mountain.

"If you keep going, I will exterminate the people of the three counties!"

"Neji!" shouted Naruto. This was the second time he had spoken during the battle.

As his shout echoed out, a twinkling, blood-red color could be seen at the bottom of the mountain. A head-sized Blood Globe appeared. It began to expand, as if it were about to explode. An emaciated figure appeared; it was none other than Neji. His jaw was clenched, and he held a pearl outstretched in his hands.

The pearl shot out toward the Blood Globe, spinning around it rapidly to form a restrictive barrier that caused the blood to stop expanding.

"Naruto, I can only hold on for the time it takes an incense stick to burn!" Having said this, Neji coughed up a mouthful of blood, then sat down cross-legged to meditate.

Seeing this happen caused Gato's face to flicker with more emotions. But he didn't have time to do anything more. With a boom, the shield collapsed and Gato's pearl shattered. The wooden swords advanced again, Naruto behind them, his killing intent rising to the heavens.

Blood sprayed from Gato's mouth, and he lost control of the poison in his body. It exploded out, threatening to send him into unconsciousness. He continued to retreat, a sad smile on his face.

"The Heavens will give me no aid…." he said with a bitter laugh. "Naruto, I will not lose this battle. And you… I vow that I will smash your Chakra passageways!" His smile seemed to contain intense discontent along with complete helplessness. But it did not contain despair. However, the discontent and helplessness created an air darker than any despair.

His left hand smacked his bag of holding. Ignoring the incoming wooden swords, he held up a medicinal pill. As soon as it appeared, the nearby spiritual energy seemed to surge, and a strong medicinal aroma filled the air. With a bitter laugh, he swallowed the pill.

When he saw the pill, Naruto's eyes narrowed. It was amber-colored, and was none other than a Foundation Establishment Pill. Inscribed on its surface was a seal; this pill was the exact same Foundation Establishment Pill he had sold at Milky Way City.

"I, Gato, reached the first level of Chakra Condensation when I was seven years old," he muttered to himself. "At thirty, I was at the sixth level. By thirty-nine, I was the ninth level. Today, I'm ninety-nine years old…." He didn't even look at Naruto, but instead stared up into the sky. In an instant, the power within his body surged. He didn't move, of course; he wouldn't be able to until the Foundation Establishment Pill had been fully absorbed.

However, even though this was a weakness, the power in his body was immense, already much more than that of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. As he soared toward Foundation Establishment, the two wooden swords slowly came to a stop about seven inches from his body.

Naruto's expression changed. He could sense his opponent's aura growing stronger and stronger. He was establishing his Foundation right here on Mount Myōboku. If Naruto's expression changed, then Neji's changed even more.

"I could have established my Foundation fifty years ago," said Gato, a dark expression on his face, his appearance wild. "But I didn't want to. I didn't want a Flawless Foundation. I've been planning for fifty years to establish a world-shaking Foundation that would surpass a Flawless Foundation! I wanted a Perfect Foundation. But today…. Sadly, today I've been wounded and poisoned. If I don't reach Foundation Establishment, then I will surely die. Fifty years of preparations, and the last step… ruined by you! Naruto, do you know how much I hate you!?" Gato lowered his head and stared at Naruto. He did not grind his teeth or howl. His face was calm, and yet his eyes were filled with an intense hatred that was clearly carved into his bones and onto his heart.

Naruto's heart began to race, and he felt the shadow of death upon him. But he didn't retreat. His eyes flashing, he thought back to his own experience consuming the Foundation Establishment pill. He hadn't been able to move for two months.

"I was at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, so it took me two months," thought Naruto. "Gato has been at the peak of the ninth level for fifty years, he will be able to absorb the energy much faster. But, there has to be a way!" His eyes glittering, he produced a Plateau Charging Pill and popped it into his mouth. As the spiritual energy billowed outing his body, he waved his hands toward the two wooden swords.

With a rumbling sound, the two wooden swords trembled and then began to emit a powerful air. Slowly but surely they moved closer to Gato. They were about three inches away from him when they slowly grounded to a halt. This was Naruto's limit. He didn't have enough spiritual power, and just couldn't make the swords move any further.

"You don't know your own limitations," said Gato with a cold laugh. "I could have established my Foundation fifty years ago. With the profundity of my Cultivation base, I will be able to absorb the Foundation Establishment Pill in less than an hour. You'd best do whatever you can now to flee. But even if you run to the edges of the earth, I can tell you now, you're dead." He stared at Naruto, his hatred conjuring up hundreds of ways to kill Naruto.

* * *

Naruto's face was grim. He looked at the two wooden swords, which hovered three inches away from Gato. Those three inches were like a massive ravine that Naruto could not cross with his current Cultivation base.

As for Gato, at the moment, he couldn't really be considered a Chakra Condensation Cultivator. Although he was still some distance from Foundation Establishment, a Dao pillar was forming within his Core Lake. As of this moment, despite the fact that Naruto was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, he was so weak compared to Gato that he wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow.

The gap between the Foundation Establishment stage and the Chakra Condensation stage is like that between the sky and the ground, and is something that will never change. With the exception of some unexpected event which goes against the will of the Heavens, it would be impossible for someone of the Chakra Condensation stage to kill someone of the Foundation Establishment stage.

A contest between the two would be like a fight between an infant and a strong man. Even if the strong man were weakened somehow, he could still slay the infant with the movement of a hand.

Today, Naruto had little more than an hour before a Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared in front of him. His chances were already small, but at that time, he would have no chance at all.

Time slipped by, and the shadow of death grew closer. Even if he fled, in a very short time, it wouldn't matter where he went, even if it were to the remotest corner of the Milky Way Sea, he would still be unable to evade death.

"What should I do…." Naruto's eyes were bloodshot. He wasn't the only nervous one. Down at the bottom of the mountain, Neji's face was growing pale. Seeing the developments just now, he gritted his teeth.

"Naruto!" he shouted. His fingers flickered with an incantation, and then he pushed down on his chest. He spat up a massive amount of blood, which flew out in front of him and then formed into a handful of red-colored clouds. "This pearl is my life, allow me to offer some assistance."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he collapsed into unconsciousness. The pearl sucked Neji's blood cloud into it and then began to shine with a red glow. It circulated a few more times around the Blood Globe, but then suddenly shot toward Naruto. When it reached him, the glow intensified, enveloping Naruto with its light.

At that moment, a strange sensation filled Naruto's heart. It felt as if is Cultivation base were suddenly climbing higher!

His golden Core sea began to roar as it expanded. Within an instant, it had suddenly doubled in size. Its boundlessness increased so much so that it felt as if it would explode out of his body.

Naruto body suddenly shined with a golden light, making him look completely extraordinary.

The Demonic Core within him did not undulate, but instead began to spin rapidly. As it did, intense spiritual power flooded through Naruto's body, filling his mind with a thunderous roar, and … a thread of Chakra!

The Chakra was weak, just like the thread he had felt when he reached the first level of Chakra Condensation.

What Naruto didn't know, was that this strand of Chakra in his mind was actually something that only Foundation Establishment Cultivators should possess; Spiritual Sense!

Even Gato couldn't develop it, because he hadn't completely passed into the Foundation Establishment stage.

And yet, Naruto hadn't passed into Foundation Establishment either. Instead, he had reached the tenth level of Chakra Condensation! Popping sounds rang out through his body. Vast quantities of filth were pushed out through his pores as he experienced a sort of baptism into a higher level of Chakra Condensation than anyone else in the world.

The tenth level of Chakra Condensation!

Naruto's head spun. In the blink of an eye, his body was much tougher and stronger. Not only had he developed Spiritual Sense, but his body has miraculously grown much more powerful.

In the Cultivation world, the tenth level of Chakra Condensation was something rarely seen. In fact, throughout the years, many of the most powerful members of a given generation had done research about the Chakra Condensation stage… to determine whether there really even was a tenth level, an eleventh level and a twelfth level.

Theoretically speaking it was possible; in some ancient text fragments these levels were mentioned. Supposedly, in ancient times, there were a total of thirteen levels in the Chakra Condensation stage! According to the legends, even in ancient times, it was rare for someone to reach the tenth level, and even more rare the eleventh level. Any person who reached that level inevitably went on to rock the world.

In the modern Cultivation world, the tenth level of Chakra Condensation was nothing more than a legend.

Over the years, generation after generation of Cultivators had researched it and eventually a consensus had been reached. In ancient times, there had been thirteen levels of Chakra Condensation. But, the ninth level had been set as a limit. The tenth level and beyond had been crippled in accordance with the will of the Heavens. From that time on, there were only nine levels!

There was another opinion, rejected by most as being absurd, that the ancient will of the Heavens was dead, and that a new will of the Heavens had arisen. The new will of the Heavens only approved of nine levels of Chakra Condensation, and had thus broken the path of the tenth level. This was because following the path of the tenth level allowed one to fight against the Heavens, which was prohibited.

If a Cultivator could accumulate enough spiritual energy of heaven and earth, then they could once again forge the path to reach the fabled tenth level of Chakra Condensation of ancient times!

The path was the focal point. Unfortunately, that path had been broken since ancient times, and though it still existed, was essentially broken beyond all repair.

But today it appeared in Naruto's body, visible not only to him, but also to a dumbfounded Gato. How could he possibly believe that right there in front of him, Naruto… had actually entered into the legendary tenth level of Chakra condensation?

"Impossible… the tenth level of Chakra Condensation is just a legend." Gato's face was filled with disbelief. "According to the stories, the tenth level of Chakra Condensation is a body-strengthening stage… It exists in theory, and even in ancient times, it was rare for it to be achieved…. Impossible!"

Were Neji not unconscious, he would also be shocked. Even though the pearl was his, and was composed of his life force, it had never had such a shocking effect on him. Whatever level he was at, it allowed him to wield a level of power equal to half of the following level. For example, now he was at the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, but in terms of power, he was already half way through the sixth level.

Naruto's hair flew about wildly and his eyes glowed brightly. He took a deep breath, feeling the immense power that surged through him. He felt the thread of Chakra in his mind, as well as the strength rippling through his muscles and blood. He knew that as of now, he wasn't in the least bit weak.

And yet, there was a side-effect. As soon as he reached the tenth level of Chakra Condensation, it seemed as if the Heavens immediately severed any connection to him. He couldn't sense any of the power of heaven and earth, as if he had been completely cut off. He felt a wild sucking feeling within him, as if he were a newborn child who needed nutrients… but was denied.

At the moment, his body still appeared to be that of a weak scholar, but in reality, his flesh was filled with enough strength that he felt as if he could rip a city wall in half.

Right now, there wasn't time to consider all of this, though. His eyes flashed as he looked Gato and the disbelief written on the man's face. Naruto took in a deep breath and then lifted up his right hand, pointing his finger toward the wooden swords.

This finger strike contained all the power of Naruto's tenth level of Chakra Condensation, all of his Spiritual Sight, all of the strength of his physical body.

This was Naruto's most powerful attack. In fact, this was probably the most powerful attack than any Chakra Condensation stage Cultivator in the Five Elements Nation could muster.

A boom rang out as he tapped the wooden sword. It erupted with sword might, piercing through the three-inch gap and stabbing deeply into Gato's chest. A bang sounded out as it stabbed completely through his chest, emerging from the other side in a shower of blood.

Gato's body shook, and yet he couldn't move. His eyes filled with dread as he sensed massive amounts of spiritual energy flooding out from the wound. In the blink of an eye, the energy seepage had caught up with this Foundation Establishment. Now the time it would take to reach the Foundation Establishment stage was much, much longer.

It was at this time that Naruto's hand lifted up again, and tapped the other wooden sword. It hummed as it proceeded forward toward Gato's neck.

"Naruto, you don't dare to kill me…." Gato was completely in a panic now. His previous cold arrogance and killing intent had vanished, replaced with a desperate struggle to evade death.

Naruto said nothing. His eyes glowing darkly as the sword he had just tapped passed through the three-inch gap and stabbed into Gato's neck. In the instant that it pierced into his neck, Gato suddenly twisted his head to the side in an impossible fashion. The wooden sword sliced open a massive wound which erupted with blood, and yet it didn't kill him.

Dread permeated Gato. He could feel his life force beginning to fade and his spiritual power dissipating. As the spiritual energy poured out of him, his body was beginning to grow a bit more responsive.

"Naruto, there's no hatred between us that can't be resolved. If you let me go, I will give you the Sublime Spirit Scripture…." Gato couldn't be any more terrified. Even before he finished speaking, the two wooden swords circled back, stabbing back through his chest, showering blood everywhere. Gato let out a blood-curdling scream filled with weakness and despair.

Naruto didn't care in the least bit when he mentioned the Sublime Spirit Scripture. His eyes were as hard as ever; it didn't matter what Gato said, he wouldn't stop until he was utterly and completely dead.

This was Naruto. Once he made a decision, he wouldn't change his mind easily.

* * *

The two wooden swords circled around, emitting a shocking sword aura. They sped toward Gato's head, one from the left, one from the right, carrying Naruto's killing intent with them. This time, it was clear that Gato would not be able to evade.

"There is something more precious than a Flawless Foundation," shrieked Gato in a piercing voice. "It's something that in the Southern Domain, in fact in all the four continents, is a hundred thousand times more rare than your tenth level of Chakra Condensation. I'm talking about a Perfect Foundation! Naruto, you…." Then Naruto's two swords stabbed into his head, sending fountains of blood in all directions.

Gato died instantly. He had not lived past one hundred years, but rather, had died feeling infinite grievance.

His non-reconciliation to death was due to his great plans, and due to the fact that he was in the middle of establishing his Foundation. But then his head exploded, and his body dropped down off of Mount Myōboku and splashed into the river below. His aspirations, and his body, floated away into the distance.

Naruto snatched his dark green bag of holding as he fell. He didn't look at it, but instead tucked it into his robe.

He panted. Despite having reached the tenth level of Chakra Condensation, he had just wielded the two wooden swords to slay someone who was on the verge of reaching Foundation Establishment. He now felt extremely drained.

He watched Gato's body disappear in the distance, and then turned and hopped onto a wooden sword. His body transformed into a beam of light, and he shot down the mountain to where Neji lay unconscious.

The boy's face was as pale as death, and his eyes were tightly shut. His aura was like gossamer threads, and his life force flickered like a tiny flame that could be extinguished at any moment.

Naruto looked at Neji thoughtfully, and then glanced at the pearl which floated in the air next to him. The power of the pearl was shocking to the extreme, and was truly a treasure. Its power could even be compared to that of the copper mirror.

"To duplicate it would cost an astronomical amount of Spirit Stones… what a pity." Naruto sighed and looked up into the sky.

He'd known from the beginning that the pearl was linked to Neji's life force. If he stole it, then Neji would die.

"You entrusted me with your life. How could I, Naruto, act the villain? If I did, it would plague my conscience for the rest of my days. I would never be able to think clearly, and my days of Cultivating would come to an end." His eyes glittering, he flicked his sleeve, and tapped Neji's forehead.

Neji's body spasmed, then his eyes snapped open. He was instantly on guard, getting to his feet and retreating backward several paces. He glanced at the pearl in Naruto's hands, and his body began to shiver slightly. A look of despair crept into his eyes.

Naruto lifted the pearl with a finger, causing it to shoot straight toward Neji, who snatched it out of the air. A complex expression filled his face, and he stared at Naruto blankly.

"Many thanks for your assistance. This treasure is astonishing. You need to be cautious and take care of yourself." As soon as the pearl left his hand, Naruto's body began to grow weaker. The telltale signs of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation began to disappear. As his Cultivation base dropped, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth which had just been cut off from him, slowly began to return.

The unbridled gravitational force within his body slowly vanished.

Naruto didn't regret his decision. There were some things that he just couldn't do. He refused to defy his own conscience in such a way.

The Blood Globe that Gato had used to threaten the lives of the people of the three counties was instantly smashed between Naruto's fingers. It transformed into a vast amount of Blood Chakra, which floated back toward the three counties.

As far as the common people went, all they knew was that for the past two months, they had felt somewhat dizzy, and now were much more clear headed. They also felt a bit weak. This was because, unbeknownst to them, their longevity had been damaged, and close to five years had been taken from the life spans.

Naruto could see this, but there was nothing he could do except sigh to himself. He flicked his sleeve and made to leave.

"Elder Brother Naruto," said Neji, "Gato…."

"There is no such person in the world anymore." He didn't look back, just continued off into the distance. The battle here would definitely attract the attention of the three great Sects. And Naruto could guess why they had permitted Gato to cast this massive spell here; it was because of Naruto. Gato wanted his bag of holding, and the three Great Sects wanted him. At the moment, he had no way to deal with the situation. The only thing he could do was go somewhere remote to hide and think for a while.

Neji didn't say anything more. He watched Naruto leaving, and then a look of determination filled his eyes.

"Naruto, you didn't covet my most valuable treasure. I, Neji, am not a good person. But you can rest easy. In this life, I will never do anything to let you down." He turned, casting his vision into the town far off in the distance. He caught sight of his father and mother, and a gentle look filled his eyes. Then the warmth vanished. Lowering his head, he quickly made his way off into the distance.

At that exact moment, the sky filled with countless beams of prismatic light. In the lead was none other than Bekkō from the Cold Wind Sect.

"Naruto, you won't escape this time!"

Naruto frowned, turning into a flash of light as he sped off into the distance. He used the last remaining vestiges of the power of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation to instantly put a vast distance between himself and the pursuers. Far off in the distance, he had caught sight of more disciples of the three great Sects, and among them had been Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Core Formation Eccentrics. They had obviously been unwilling to show up themselves, and had instead sent some lower level disciples over to check things out. But now that Naruto's presence had been confirmed, they would surely make appearances.

"Gato was backed by Milky Way City. It seems that power was not small…. The three great Sects must have stayed away because that was their agreement. When they felt the battle magic disappear, then they could approach. Gato had his secrets, and didn't want people to see what was happening. He was even careful about the people from Milky Way City. He didn't let them know his true purposes either."

He left Mount Myōboku, passing the North Sea and crossing the wide wilderness, heading in the direction of the Reliance Sect.

About half way through the wilderness, in a random mountain range, Naruto sped along at top speed, an indistinct expression on his face. As he raced along he would occasionally look down at a piece of turtle shell which he held in his hand. This was an item he had taken out of Gato's bag of holding.

It was about the size of his palm, and its edges were rough. Obviously it had been broken off from a larger turtle shell.

It surface was inscribed with rows and rows of small characters. They were difficult to make out. Only by infusing his eyes with spiritual energy was he able to read them clearly.

"In the Cultivation world, it is possible to achieve the so-called… Perfect Foundation!" Naruto gasped.

On the surface of the turtle shell were two medicinal pill recipes. One was for a Perfect Foundation Pill, the other was for a Perfect Gold Core Pill.

"The turtle shell spells it out clearly. The Foundation Establishment stage doesn't just have three types, the Flawless, Cracked and Fractured. There is a fourth type, the Perfect Foundation. It's extremely rare, being seen only one ten thousand cases…." Naruto breathed rapidly, staring down at the turtle shell and thinking back to what Gato had said before he died. Now he understood his opponent's regret at being forced to ascend to Foundation Establishment after being poisoned. And now he understood the raging hatred in Gato's eyes.

Naruto contemplated things silently. He had read a lot about Foundation Establishment back in the Magic Pavilion of the Reliance Sect.

In Foundation Establishment, Dao pillars would come to being within the Core Lake. Because Foundation Establishment increased one's longevity, it was categorized as stealing good fortune and defying the Heavens. As a result, the Dao pillars could never be perfect, but would always contain cracks. This was in accordance with the Dao of the Heavens. It could be summed up in the expression, "you get some, you lose some" or perhaps "when something comes in, something goes out." It was part of the cycle of heaven and earth, and was permitted to exist.

Foundation Establishment consisted of early, mid and late sub-stages. In total, nine Dao pillars would appear. If each pillar had one crack, it meant a total of nine cracks would appear. This is what is referred to as a Flawless Foundation. A Flawless Foundation contained the least amount of cracks, and leaks the least amount of spiritual energy. After long periods of breathing exercises, the body would become incredibly powerful, much more so than other Foundations.

In the modern Cultivation world, this was the most powerful Foundation type. The special methods to achieve it could only be found amidst the clues in the great classic scriptures, for example the Chakra Condensation manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Such secrets could lead to horrific bloodbaths. In fact… that was why the Reliance Sect had been disbanded.

Without such a scripture, the only way to have a chance at establishing a Flawless Foundation was to have incredible latent talent or outstanding good fortune. Most often, it was a Chosen who could piece together the clues to do so.

If an additional crack appeared on each of the Dao Pillars, this was called a Cracked Foundation. Although this type of Foundation was weaker than a Flawless Foundation, it could not be looked down upon. Usually, only disciples of the great Sects were able to achieve it.

Last, of course, was the Fractured Foundation. This was when, after reaching late Foundation Establishment, more than eighteen cracks existed on the Dao pillars, which is too much. This Foundation could be considered nearly shattered. In terms of both Cultivation speed as well as battle prowess, both were much weaker. With this type of Foundation, the chances of forming a Core were much lower.

Naruto thought about all of this and then looked down at the turtle shell. According to the description here, by concocting and consuming a Perfect Foundation Pill, there was a high probability of establishing a Perfect Foundation. In this case, no cracks whatsoever would appear. This was a type of Cultivation that defied the Heavens, and was a path that could not be returned from.

Because this Foundation was not permitted by the Heavens, it would provoke Tribulation Lightning. True success required defiance of the Heavens. In this respect, it was similar to the tenth level of Chakra Condensation.

"From what Gato said, it seems the tenth level of Chakra Condensation is not tolerated by the Heavens. Apparently, establishing a Perfect Foundation is the same…."

"If you have a Fractured Foundation and then consume this pill, you have a ten percent chance of establishing a Perfect Foundation. With a Cracked Foundation, you have a thirty percent chance, and with a Flawless Foundation, a sixty percent chance. The pill repairs the cracks, enabling you to establish a Perfect Foundation. But… you have to be particular about when you consume the pill. The sooner you take it after Foundation Establishment, the better. If too much time passes, the effectiveness will be reduced. And it takes two months to concoct the Perfect Foundation Pill." Naruto's heart raced as he sped along.

"No wonder Gato wanted to join the Reliance Sect… Just like Sasuke, he wanted a chance to get the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture! After establishing a Flawless Foundation, his chances would be much higher… It's also no wonder he disappeared on the day the Sect was disbanded. With secrets like this on his person, he didn't dare to show his face…" Naruto clutched the turtle shell tightly in hand, continuing to race forward.

In addition to the turtle shell, Gato's bag of holding also contained a small pill furnace fashioned from translucent green crystal, about the size of a hand. He also had large quantities of medicinal plants, all of them placed in jade boxes. There were hundreds of different types.

Many of the medicinal plants were unfamiliar to Naruto, but thankfully, there was also a jade slip in the bag of holding with complete records regarding identification methods for all of the plants. Perusing this, Naruto grew more and more excited.

* * *

Although these medicinal plants were not precious materials, they were still rare. Many Cultivators would spend decades attempting to collect them.

And yet here in Gato's bag of holding were hundreds.

There were also two medicinal pills placed inside of jade boxes, one orange and one blue. Obviously, they were extremely valuable.

"These plants are all materials needed to create a Perfect Foundation Pill… As for these medicinal pills…" After examining them thoroughly, he looked again at the turtle shell, eyes shining.

"Concocting the Perfect Foundation Pill requires seven minor pills. These are two of those seven that Gato already concocted." Naruto understood things now, but was still a bit shocked. Gato had spent fifty years collecting all of these things together, and yet that was still not enough time for him, a Cultivator of the Chakra Condensation phase.

"And he was even backed by Milky Way City…."

Naruto felt that there were still things he didn't quite understand, though. In order to concoct the Perfect Foundation Pill, it seemed Gato had secretly taken items from Patriarch Milky Way's treasure storehouse, as well as items accumulated over hundreds of years by his clan. In addition, he had scoured the lands, all to collect these items together.

And yet, he still lacked a few necessary medicinal materials. He had one stem of a particularly rare plant, but required three. At long last, Naruto understood the insanity with which Gato had pursued him in his attempt to acquire the copper mirror.

In the end, he had delivered all his fortunes directly into Naruto's hands. If Gato had known this would happen, he never would have caused problems for Naruto. But he had, and his fifty years of preparations were irrevocably lost.

Naruto took a deep breath, placing the turtle shell and the medicinal materials into the bag of holding, which he then placed, along with his other bags of holding, into the bag of the Cosmos.

He stood there in the forest and looked up at the sky. His eyes slowly began to shine as he thought about the Perfect Foundation. His heart pounded.

"After consuming the pill, Tribulation Lightning will fall. I shouldn't even be thinking about a Perfect Foundation right now. I can make a decision about it after I reach Foundation Establishment. What I need to think about now is the matter between the three great Sects and Patriarch Reliance." He closed his eyes and took a few breaths, pushing down all the anxious thoughts. When he opened his eyes again, they were calm

"A year has already passed, and the time set by Patriarch Reliance has arrived. He promised that if I could gather the experts of the Five Elements Nation here, he would give me a handsome reward…" Naruto's eyes glittered.

"But to do such a thing would be very dangerous." He frowned, hesitating. "My Cultivation base is at the Chakra Condensation stage. I would be like an egg thrown up against rocks."

"I probably shouldn't get involved. After all, Patriarch Reliance said a year later, but didn't give a specific date. When my Cultivation base is a bit higher, maybe after I reach Foundation Establishment, then I can think about it. At that time I'll be in a bit of a safer position." He lifted his head. Ever since the time Patriarch Reliance had suddenly caused the three-colored spear to disappear, he had lost a little bit of his faith in the Patriarch's trustworthiness.

"However, because of the arrest warrant of the three great Sects, their disciples are looking for me everywhere. If I get in a tight spot, then I'll just have to face the danger and lead them into the Patriarch's meditation zone." Naruto raced on silently through the wild mountains, his decision having been made.

But even as he raced forward, he suddenly felt a strange, jittery sensation. His heart lurched, as if a giant, invisible hand had just passed through his chest and squeezed his heart.

He suddenly felt as if all of the vegetation around him had eyes that were staring at him coldly.

The feeling passed almost immediately. Even though the feeling was no longer there, Naruto's face was pale. He looked around. Everything was silent, and nothing around him gave any clue as to what had happened. Had it been his imagination?

"What was that?" he thought, hesitating. After a moment, though, his eyes glittered, and he shot forward at top speed.

Meanwhile, somewhere very far away from Naruto but still in the Five Elements Nation, an old man in a purplish blue robe sat cross-legged on a mountain. His eyes were closed, but his right hand flickered as if he were performing an incantation. His eyes opened slowly and he looked off into the distance.

"There you are," he said coolly. "The three Sects wanted to hide you from me. How laughable." He took a step forward, and then disappeared.

At the same moment, Bekkō was speeding along. Naruto had lost him, but he'd seen where Naruto had entered the mountains. He had followed in pursuit, his face filled with incredible hatred and murder.

His hatred for Naruto reached down his bones. The bloody incident of the silver spear had turned him into the butt of all the jokes of the Five Elements Nation and had nearly caused a war between two of the great Sects. Even though the war had been averted, he had paid a heavy price for his actions.

It nearly drove him insane to think about the day he had been brought up before the Elders of the great Sects. He had been bound on the Sealing Pole, then lashed with a Fire Whip over one hundred times. Oh, the misery and pain!

The lashes had torn his skin and left the flesh gaping. The pain had stabbed down into his bones. Even to this day, he would often wake in the middle of the night, and every time he did, his desire to kill Naruto grew stronger and stronger.

Unlike everyone else who was chasing Naruto, he did not plan to capture him. He would kill him!

It might arouse the displeasure of his Sect, but he had already decided to forsake them. At worst, he would flee the Five Elements Nation after killing Naruto. The Southern Domain was large, and filled with countries of Cultivators, especially in the center. As a Cultivator of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, he would surely be able to find somewhere willing to take him in. Then one day he would come back to the Five Elements Nation and wipe out the Cold Wind Sect. He would cleanse the pain of his lashing with blood.

At the moment, he moved at top speed, using all the power he could muster. He was determined to find Naruto and kill him before the Sect's Foundation Establishment experts and Core Formation Patriarchs arrived.

"Naruto, you can try to run, but there's nowhere to run to!" Bekkō's killing intent soared. He was even more confident of being able to kill Naruto when he thought of the astonishing treasure he had borrowed.

He stood on his crystalline sword as he entered the mountains. His gaze swept back and forth. Because he was of the ninth level of Chakra Cultivation, and also an Inner Sect disciple, he had a voice transmission jade slip, which he used to inform all disciples in the area to notify him immediately if they saw Naruto.

A short time passed. As he soared along in the air, Bekkō suddenly slapped his bag of holding, and a glowing jade slip appeared in his hand. He pressed it against his forehead and then laughed. He changed his course, shooting off toward the disciple who had just contacted him.

Time passed enough for half an incense stick to burn. It was then that Bekkō caught sight of Naruto, moving forward on his treasured fan. Yes, this was the man who had killed a Cold Wind Sect disciple in one move by piercing his head.

At this same moment, Naruto looked back, and his cold eyes caught sight of Bekkō. He frowned to himself. Ever since he had experienced the sensation of an invisible hand squeezing his heart, he had felt that he was being watched. Sure enough, after a while, he noticed that there were quite a few Cultivators around from the three great Sects.

There was no way to avoid them. Even if he attacked and killed them as quickly as possible, the word would surely spread via jade slips.

"Naruto!" shouted Bekkō. His right hand flickered in an incantation pattern, and immediately, the flying sword beneath his feet issued a droning sound and shot toward Naruto.

"Let's see you run away this time! I, Liu, will rip you to pieces today! That is the only way I can resolve the hatred in my heart!" Bekkō's eyes had grown red as soon as he caught sight of Naruto, and his killing intent grew even fiercer.

Naruto's eyes flashed, and he was about to continue on forward when suddenly his mind trembled. A bit of Spiritual Sense still remained, which caused Naruto to suddenly move backward. Even as the flying sword approached him, a fierce wind arose, sending the crystalline sword spinning away.

At the same time, an old man suddenly appeared. He wore a purplish-blue robe, and had some age spots on his face, but his eyes shined with a fear-inspiring might that could make one's spirit tremble.

His eyes seemed to contain the sun, moon and stars, making it seem as if you might be lost if you looked into them. A strange design was stitched onto his blue robe; it appeared to be an altar, in the middle of which was a solitary eye. This eye seemed to be filled with even more woe than the old man's eyes.

"Such strong grievances," he said coolly, looking at Bekkō. When the old man spoke, the spiritual energy around Naruto seemed to be thrown into chaos, and suddenly he felt as if he were bound in place. Once again, he experienced the sensation of an invisible hand clawing at his heart. His face flickered, and his heart pounded.

When Bekkō saw the old man, his face fell, and he immediately took a few steps back and raised hands in a salute.

"I am Bekkō of the junior generation. Greetings, Lord Revelation."

At the same moment that Bekkō made his salute, six figures appeared in the sky. They were quite some distance away, but in the space of a single breath had arrived onto the scene.

When he saw the six people, Naruto's heart sank. They were familiar to him. These were the Core Formation Eccentrics of the Five Elements Nation who had appeared on the day of the dissolution of the Reliance Sect. One of them was a woman, who had left quite a deep impression on Naruto.

Shortly after they arrived, the sky filled with droning streaks of light as over ten people approached. They were not soaring, but actually flying, sending out thunderous roars into the air. The nearby birds and beasts quivered. As the people arrived, their eyes all came to fall on Naruto.

His face grew grim as he looked around. He saw the irritable Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had attempted to attack him that day.

A powerful pressure was exerted on everything in the area. Bekkō's face grew pale and he retreated backward several paces. He glared at Naruto; his killing intent was hidden for the moment, but the venom in his face was very clear.

Naruto's heart sank; today there was nowhere to hide. After a moment, his expression returned to normal. He took in a deep breath and looked around at the experts of the Five Elements Nation. He said nothing.

* * *

"Fellow Daoist Revelation truly deserves his reputation of being able to make ingenious divinations," said one of the Core Formation Eccentrics from the three great Sects. He laughed.

"He arrived here even faster than us."

"You three Sects didn't notify me, so I was forced to divine things for myself," said Lord Revelation in a cool tone.

"Very well," said one of the Cold Wind Sect Core Formation Eccentrics. He wore a long black robe. "Now that the kid has been found, it won't be long before we can get into Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone. This matter has been going on for quite a while. Even the great Sects in the Southern Domain are aware of what's going on." His gaze had fallen onto Naruto, and he looked at him expressionlessly, as if he were cricket.

The lot of them didn't pay him any heed whatsoever as they spoke, as if they knew that their words could decide his life or death. In fact, their conversation would determine his fate.

Naruto said nothing. He knew that if he wanted to fight back against their bullying, he would have to think of a method. His mind spun as he analyzed the situation.

"Patriarch," said Bekkō, bowing with clasped hands toward one of his Sect's Core Formation Eccentrics. "This person has a treasured spear hidden on his person." He lifted his head and looked at Naruto with a sneer, the venom written clearly on his face.

"So, the tiny Chakra Condensation Cultivator turns out to be of the ninth level…." said the black-robed Cultivator coolly, his face seemingly permanently red. "No wonder he was able to throw the Cultivation World of the Five Elements Nation into such chaos." He lifted his hand toward Naruto as if he were about to grab him.

"I am here, and so is the spear," said Naruto suddenly, his eyes flashing. His voice could sever nails and slice iron. A wild look appeared in his eyes that seemed to say he knew he was powerless to prevent them from taking his treasures, but if they did, he would end his own life immediately.

Hearing Naruto speak, the old man who had been about to make a move on him stopped and frowned. The onlookers also frowned.

"My Cultivation base is low and weak," said Naruto. "If the older generation wishes to rob my treasures, please do so. But if I lose even one treasure, then I will end my life. And if I am dead, then I can't take you to Founder Patriarch's meditation zone. I would rather die than be robbed by you!" As he spoke, his face shone with determination.

"I can just kill you," said one of the six Core Formation Cultivators, "then use a heaven-defying Soulsearch to drag the location out of you."

When Naruto heard this, he let out a hearty laugh. Not the slightest look of fear could be seen in his eyes. His laughter echoed through the mountains, stabbing into the ears of the old Eccentrics.

"If you plan to Search me then go ahead. Only Inner Sect Disciples know the location of the Patriarch's meditation zone. But even if you know the location, without me alive, conscious, and unharmed, you'll never be able to get inside." When they heard this, all the old Eccentrics stared at him with eyes as cold as ice.

"You of the elder generation have profound Cultivation bases. Surely you know some Spirit Puppetry arts. But without my consciousness there, or if I have been injured in any way, you won't be able to enter. You must have my complete and utter support!" Decisiveness filled Naruto's voice. He gave them the feeling that he had thrown all caution to the wind, which made them frown.

Actually, when it came to Naruto, they didn't care so much about him; what they truly were interested in was Patriarch Reliance's Sublime Spirit Scripture. The Eccentrics frowned and then looked toward Lord Revelation.

He stared at Naruto, his eyes flashing. Even though he was capable of divining many things, he wasn't able to divine anything at all about this particular matter. All eyes were on him as he spoke.

"I can't divine the details. But even if ninety-five percent of what this kid says is false, we still can't afford to gamble on it." His words echoed the thoughts of all the onlookers. These Eccentrics were experienced and astute, as well as crafty. However, all their scheming couldn't assure victory under these circumstances. This was because… they couldn't afford to bet. Even if most of what Naruto said was a lie, there could be some truth to it.

If they lost, they lost the chance to get into Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's Cave. That in turn would mean they lost any chance at the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Anyone, be they at Foundation Establishment or Core Formation, could use Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture to form a second Core Lake within their bodies. They could also repair the Dao pillars they had formed during their Foundation Establishment. If successful, it could make a Cracked Foundation into a Flawless Foundation. To a Core Formation Cultivator, this would also have a big influence on their Core level, which was something they all yearned for.

There were only three great books in the world which contained the secrets methods of how to Cultivate a new Core Lake, even beyond the Chakra Condensation stage.

"Very well," said one of the six, a noble-looking old woman with a hoarse voice. When her words rang out, everyone grew silent. "We are here for the Sublime Spirit Scripture. There's no need to cause further complications. Child, we won't steal any of your treasures, nor will we Soulsearch you or turn you into a puppet. But you must assist us, otherwise you are well aware of what the consequences will be. Which is more important, your life? Or the Patriarch's? As for which decision is best, I'm sure you don't need our advice on that."

Naruto was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Give me one million Spirit Stones! And, I demand the right to kill this person!" His eyes flashed as he pointed at Bekkō.

Bekkō's face grew somber and venom flickered within his eyes. He had just been contemplating various ways to kill Naruto. To be suddenly singled out by Naruto caused him to reflexively step backwards a few paces.

His heart raced, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He knew that these Patriarchs would most likely give in to Naruto's every demand to get what they wanted.

"Patriarchs…" said Bekkō, his face pale as he looked up at the two Core Formation Patriarchs from the Cold Wind Sect.

The red-faced old man gave a cold snort. He flicked his sleeve and looked at Naruto with cold eyes.

"That will not happen! Tiny Chakra Condensation Cultivator, you have an exaggerated opinion of yourself. You dare to make demands of us?!"

"Naruto," said one of the Core Formation Eccentrics, an old man in a red robe. "Don't bring up the matter of killing again. And as for the Spirit Stones, we have no way to meet your demand."

"If I get no Spirit Stones, and if this man doesn't die, then I, Naruto, will absolutely not agree to take you of the elder generation to the Patriarch's meditation zone. Without my heartfelt consent, you'll never get into his Immortal's Cave." Naruto's voice was resolute, and his face emanated an expression that said he was ready to risk everything. He would die without even a frown if he had to.

"Naruto…" Bekkō stared at him murderously, his eyes filling up with killing intent.

"Very well," said the dignified old woman in her husky voice. "As for this Cold Wind Sect disciple, your request is denied. Regarding the Spirit Stones, I will take the responsibility for that. I will give you one hundred thousand now, and the rest after we open the Immortal's Cave." If Naruto hadn't made any demands, it would have aroused suspicion. She flicked her sleeve, and a bag of holding flew toward Naruto. He didn't catch it, but instead moved backward and let the bag fall to the ground.

"Very well," said Naruto slowly. "The killing is off the table. Bekkō, pick up that bag of holding and take the Spirit Stones out of it."

The woman's eyes flickered imperceptibly. The other Core Formation Eccentrics also gave him flickering looks.

Bekkō was furious to the extreme. However, Naruto's request was not overly excessive. Even the red-faced old man didn't say anything, but rather indicated for Bekkō to comply.

Bekkō took a deep breath, pushed down his fury, then walked forward to pick up the bag of holding. He shook the bag, and a massive amount of Spirit Stones poured out onto the ground. They glittered brightly. Bekkō looked at them for a moment, and started to breathe a bit faster.

Naruto looked over the Spirit Stones, his expression calm. Then he collected them into his own bag of holding. He had no choice but to exercise caution. These people were not Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but rather of the Core Formation stage. If they wanted to kill him, it would be easier than stepping on a bug.

If it wasn't for the fact that they couldn't afford to gamble in this matter, he wouldn't be able to stand up to them at all, regardless if it were regarding Cultivation base or scheming.

Therefore, Naruto did not attempt to pull of some tricky, crafty plot. Instead, he plotted openly. He was betting that even if these people didn't believe him, they had no choice but to believe.

"You have your Spirit Stones. But this is a weighty matter. Please consume this medicinal pill." The old woman lifted her right hand, and a black-colored medicinal pill appeared.

When it did, a wind instantly picked up, as if a massive amount of spiritual energy were being gathered up. Slowly, the image of a wicked centipede came to be visible on the surface of the medicinal pill.

Naruto's expression changed. He looked at the pill cautiously.

When Bekkō saw all of this happening, a hideous grin appeared on his face. The Foundation Establishment Cultivators floating in the air watched on, their faces expressionless, but their eyes sneering at Naruto.

As for the Core Formation Eccentrics, none of them batted an eye. If the old woman hadn't produced a pill, they probably would have. Their eyes glittered as they watched.

In terms of scheming, Naruto was like a child compared to them. If his plots had truly displeased them, then any ideas he came up with would be useless.

"If you consume the pill, then you can lead the way. If you don't consume it, then we will have to try out our Soulsearch and Spirit Puppetry arts." The old woman spoke coolly, her expression containing neither happiness nor anger. She flicked her fingers, and the poison pill shot forward to hover in front of Naruto.

Naruto hesitated for a moment in thought. He wasn't sure whether or not the pill really was poisonous. Perhaps it was something else even more nefarious. But he didn't seem to have any other choice. He clenched his jaw, then reached out and grabbed the pill.

"Speaking of poison pills, I have one as well," said the red-faced old man with a laugh. He flicked his wide sleeve, and a reddish pill appeared in his hand. It flew to Naruto.

"Actually, our Sect happens to have one as well." It turned out the Core Formation Cultivators from the three great Sects all had poison pills. The pills transformed into beams of light as they flew toward Naruto.

The old woman's face was calm, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. She looked around coolly at her fellow Eccentrics, saying nothing. They were all circumspect and far-seeing. If Naruto swallowed one poison pill, he might as well swallow more. This way, he wouldn't just be under the control of the old woman. This was the most fair method.

"Seeing the Fellow Daoist's actions, I must humbly act to save my own face." Lord Revelation smiled and waved his right hand. A three-colored medicinal pill appeared and raced toward Naruto.

Compared to the other medicinal pills, this pill appeared extraordinary. Naruto wasn't sure why, but when his gaze fell onto this pill, his entire body felt jittery.

* * *

"Four poison pills," said Naruto, his voice grim and his expression unsightly. "I of the younger generation am worried that if I consume this pill, I won't be able to lead you forward. If the poison takes effect, I will die. If it doesn't take effect, then how will the elder generation ensure that I can dispel the poison later? Or have you not even considered that?!"

"Of course there is a poison dispelling technique," said the red-faced old man from the Cold Wind Sect, his face expressionless. "Whether or not you chose to believe is up to you." In this, he used Naruto's own tactic against him. The complete resolution of all the various matters now rested on Naruto.

He stood silently for a moment. As the man had said, the choice to believe lay in him alone. Unfortunately, if he chose not to believe, then the current situation would never be resolved.

Naruto's eyes glanced over the four pills. Three of them he recognized. "This is… a Centipede Dragon Pill. This one is a Frigid Corpse Pill and this is a Blood Withering Pill. As for this one…." The three-colored pill from Lord Revelation was something he had never heard of before. There had been no information about it in the ancient jade slip.

"Patriarch Reliance's Cultivation base is as high as the Heavens," Naruto muttered to himself. "He should be able to figure it out." He clenched his jaw, then lifted his hands and put one of the pills into his mouth. It appeared to contain something alive within it, and sure enough, Naruto felt a searing pain as it slid down his throat. And yet, the pain didn't cause him to hesitate. His eyes bloodshot, he forced down all of the pills. As he swallowed the pill given to him by Lord Revelation, he looked the man in the eyes.

Lord Revelation smiled the entire time. Naruto didn't hesitate at all. He knew that he had to swallow the pills to allay everyone's' suspicious.

The instant Lord Revelation's pill entered his mouth, it dissolved into an aura which seeped into his flesh and blood. Seeing Naruto swallow the four pills in succession left Bekkō feeling quite pleased.

The ten or more Foundation Establishment Cultivators watched Naruto with strange expressions in their eyes. Seeing his resoluteness left them feeling the need to be more vigilant.

Naruto took a deep breath. His expression grim, he looked up at the Eccentrics. He said nothing.

"Let's go," said the old woman with a nod. She waved a finger toward Naruto, then turned into a prismatic rainbow and shot away. The other Cultivators present followed, one by one. Her wave of a finger caused the bag of holding that lay on the ground at Naruto's feet to suddenly transform into a hideous mist spirit. Its body flickered as it wrapped around Naruto and then shot into the sky.

Bekkō followed along, looking at Naruto with a cold smile.

"You're dead!" he said grimly.

Naruto didn't reply. He just looked coldly at Bekkō's twisted face.

"After you take the Patriarchs into the Immortal's cave, just wait until you come back out. You're dead for sure. Even if you dispel the poison, I won't let you go. There's nowhere you can run to in the Five Elements Nation. By the way, you're a Reliance Inner Sect disciple, yet you have no choice but to lead people to kill your own Sect's Patriarch. How does that feel? Bekkō's malicious words were filled with ridicule.

"You killed Iwana over a silver spear. How does that feel?" said Naruto coolly, looking down at Bekkō below him. The earth sped past beneath him. This was a speed Naruto had never achieved before.

As far as Bekkō went, Naruto didn't care about him at all. But Naruto's words hit him like a stick jabbed into a fresh wound. His eyes were red through and through, and he looked at Naruto with a matchless hatred; he wished to rip him into pieces. The incident with Iwana was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened in his life. In fact, it had ruined any future prospects within his Sect. He had basically been cast aside. Right now, his eyes seemed as if they would shoot flames. He clenched his fists tightly as he glared murderously at Naruto.

Seeing Naruto's lack of expression arose a hard-to-describe feeling that threatened to drive him mad. He punched the air with his fist.

Panting, he gritted his teeth for a long moment before saying, "You swallowed four poison pills. I'll just wait until the poison takes effect. Your body will rot and your heart will be torn apart."

"Today, you will die beneath my sword," said Naruto coolly, sounding neither happy nor angry. He looked down at the barren mountains whizzing by beneath him, and then at the four mountain peaks of the Reliance Sect off in the distance.

"You sure can talk big," said Bekkō with a cold laugh and a sinister expression. It seemed he didn't take Naruto's words seriously at all. "You'll do that all by yourself? I can't wait to see the poison kick in!"

After he finished speaking, a booming sound rang out. The group of people had arrived at the Reliance Sect main square. It was deserted, occupied only by fallen leaves, bird droppings and a few animals which scattered in fright.

A fierce wind accompanied the group's arrival, sweeping clean the Outer Sect square. Seeing the place, Naruto's face flickered with a variety of expressions.

"What does it feel like to see your Sect become like this, Naruto?" said Bekkō with a sneer. As he spoke, Naruto turned and looked at him, killing intent springing from his eyes. He had already begun moving. He lifted his hand, and fifty flying swords appeared, flying straight toward Bekkō.

"I think this place is the perfect location to bury you in."

There had been no indication whatsoever that Naruto would attack. Even as his words echoed out, the swords were upon Bekkō. His expression changed; he had never imagined that Naruto would dare to attack him in the presence of all the Patriarchs.

He shot backward quickly, biting down on his tongue and spitting out some blood, along with a pearl. This pearl was different than the treasures he had used before. As soon as it flew out of his mouth, it began to radiate an intense killing aura. It transformed into a hideous, black demonic face, which then slammed into Naruto's fifty flying swords.

An explosion reverberated out as the demonic face blocked most of the flying swords. However, one flying sword pierced through and continued on toward Bekkō.

Bekkō's face twisted; he knew that he was in a dangerous life-or-death situation, a critical juncture. He let out a howl, throwing up his arm to defend against the sword. The sword stabbed through his right shoulder, sending blood spraying about. A horrified shriek rang out throughout the deserted Reliance Sect.

Even as the sword stabbed into his shoulder, it suddenly exploded, causing Bekkō's right arm to disappear into a cloud of blood. Blood also sprayed from his mouth, and he retreated backward, face pale and eyes shining with fear and astonishment.

Everything happened too quickly, in the space of time it takes for a spark to fly up. His right arm was destroyed, and his horrified screams still echoed through the air. The Eccentrics from the three great Sects looked back one by one, their eyes cold. This was especially so of the people from the Cold Wind Sect.

Bekkō retreated, shrieking and howling.

"Patriarchs, this guy…."

His expression cold, Naruto stepped forward. Even as Bekkō was in the middle of speaking, Naruto waved his right hand, and one hundred flying swords appeared, covering the entire square in a massive sword rain. It descended upon Bekkō. Bekkō might have been at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, but so was Naruto. Furthermore, Naruto's Cultivation was based on the Sublime Spirit Scripture, and he had a golden Core sea. He even has a sliver of Spiritual Sense in his mind. This was more than enough to crush Bekkō. The sword rain whistled through the air. Bekkō had no more time for speaking.

There was a boom, and Bekkō spit up more blood. A glittering light shone in front of him as his crystalline sword defied the might of Naruto's one hundred flying swords. And yet, this in itself caused more injury to Bekkō, who retreated further, howling.

"Patriarchs, save me!"

"Naruto, hold your hand!" came a voice from among the four Formation Establishment experts from the Cold Wind Sect. They frowned, obviously unwilling to allow Naruto to slay Bekkō in front of all these people. Their bodies turned into beams of light as they sped forward.

"This is between me and him," said Naruto, not even looking at the four Foundation Establishment experts. "Even if the poison takes effect on me right now, I will kill this man!" His expression was filled with murder and resolve.

The person he wanted to kill was Bekkō of the Cold Wind Sect. But there were others present from the three great Sects other than the Cold Wind Sect. They, of course, would not stand by idly and watch Naruto be poisoned to death before opening the Immortal's Cave. They would not allow small matters from other Sects to interfere with their interests.

The others flew forward, blocking the path of the Cold Wind Sect Foundation Establishment experts.

"Fellow Daoist Misumi, there's no need to pay attention to the trifling matters of Chakra Condensation Cultivators. Come, come, we haven't seen each other for years. Why don't we chat a bit about the old days?"

"Correct. Brother Guy, we haven't seen each other for three years. I have a few questions about Cultivation that I was hoping to discuss with you." The four Cold Wind Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator's faces grew livid when they heard all of these words. They were about to speak when suddenly Bekkō let out another horrified scream.

Naruto's fingers flickered in incantation patterns, and two hundred flying swords filled the sky. They descended upon Bekkō with ear-piercing whistling sounds. Naruto took another step forward, and flashed an incantation pattern. A Flame Python emerged, several dozen meters long. Its roars reverberated out across the square. Blood sprayed from Bekkō's mouth as his crystalline sword shattered into pieces. He retreated backward constantly, desperation filling his eyes.

On the other hand, Naruto's eyes shone with killing intent and determination. He flew forward, and a sword appeared in his right hand. It was the wooden sword, and it sped toward Bekkō with unstoppable force.

"Get out of my way!" The faces of the four Foundation Establishment experts changed. They howled and attempted to force their way through to block Naruto.

"This man tried to kill me many times. This is a personal grudge. If anyone gets in my way, I'll kill myself before opening the Patriarch's Immortal's Cave!" As his voice rang out, he completely ignored the four Foundation Establishment experts. Without a shred of hesitation, he shot toward Bekkō, the wooden sword outstretched, clearly intending to slay him.

"Patriarchs, save me!" screamed Bekkō shrilly. It seemed the Foundation Establishment experts were about to attack, when a dry cough could be heard. It came from the old woman. Shock filled the hearts of the four experts, and they instantly stood stock still, their faces pale. The dry cough had slammed into their hearts like a lightning bolt from the Heavens, sending their minds spinning.

"This is too much!" said the red-faced old man from the Cold Wind Sect. He snorted, and a cold look appeared in his eye, which shot out toward Naruto. Even as this happen, Lord Revelation let out a hearty laugh. He flicked his sleeve; the cold look that had been shooting toward Naruto instantly fell apart.

"You!" said the red-faced old man, his eyes filled with rage.

* * *

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to lose your temper," said Lord Revelation, smiling. "As far as these trifling issues amongst the junior generation, why don't we just watch on?"

As these words were exchanged between the two of them, Bekkō let out another miserable cry. Naruto stepped forward, and with the slice of a sword, sent Bekkō's left arm flying off from his body. Blood sprayed everywhere. More flying swords flew out from Naruto's bag of holding. One after another, they stabbed into his opponent. Blood spread out everywhere. In the space of an instant, Bekkō's body was penetrated by a dozen swords.

Leaning up toward him, Naruto quietly said, "If I say that you will die this day, then die you shall."

Despair filled Bekkō's wide eyes. Blood seeped out of his mouth.

The four Foundation Establishment Cultivators watched in shock as the scene unfolded. They were especially astounded by Naruto's vicious expression.

"Enough!" said one of the Core Formation Eccentrics from the Cold Wind Sect, his face extremely unsightly. He waved his finger, and suddenly the spiritual energy in the area seemed to churn into motion and race toward Naruto. It wrapped around his body, leaving his own spiritual energy untouched, but pulling him away from Bekkō.

As Naruto drifted away from him, hope gleamed within Bekkō's eyes, despite his severe wounds.

"Boom!" said Naruto coolly, the killing intent in his eyes flashing.

At the same time as the word left his mouth, the dozen flying swords impaled in Bekkō's body suddenly detonated. A blood-curdling scream echoed out in all directions. Bekkō's body was torn to pieces. Not even his head was left intact as chunks of flesh flew out in all directions.

As for the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the pupils of their eyes shrank to dots. They stared at the gore, and then at Naruto, whose face was expressionless. They would never forget this moment for the rest of their lives.

Especially memorable was the speed with which Naruto attacked, and the decisiveness in his voice. It revealed that his way of thinking was anything but ordinary. He had turned everyone who was not a member of the Cold Wind Sect into his assistants. The grisly result revealed how stubborn he truly was.

Anyone else might be able to think of such a plan, but few people would have the gall to pull it off. As of this day, they had witnessed Naruto's first true kill!

"He's dead, you can release me now," said Naruto, his voice indifferent.

The Core Formation Eccentrics floated in the air, staring down at Naruto. His resoluteness to kill left a deep impression in their hearts.

Even Lord Revelation took a long look at him. Everything that had happened just now gave him a glimpse of the cruelty Naruto was capable of.

The Core Formation Patriarch from the Cold Wind Sect who currently held Naruto bound had a grim look on his face. Naruto had killed Bekkō right in front of him, even after he had intervened. He had lost face because of this. With a mere thought, he could rip Naruto to pieces in much the same fashion as Bekkō had died. But considering the expressions on the faces of the surrounding Cultivators, that was not an option.

With a cold snort, he flicked his sleeve, and the invisible bonds around Naruto disappeared. But he still hit Naruto with an invisible attack, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. Naruto looked at him, his face pale, but his eyes shining with a dark look.

"Bekkō constantly ridiculed me and swore to kill me," said Naruto, looking at the Core Formation Eccentric who had injured him just now. "I of the junior generation had no choice but to attack first. I request that you members of the senior generation preside over manners in an impartial manner. At the moment, I am somewhat worried that the Cold Wind Sect will withhold their antidote pill. Could you please produce the pill so that I of the junior generation can rest at ease when I open Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's cave?"

The eyes of the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators flashed as they suddenly seemed to comprehend how cruel and treacherous Naruto was.

The Core Formation Eccentrics had been around a long time, and their eyes flickered upon hearing Naruto's words. They instantly understood what he was thinking, and they frowned as they looked toward the two Cold Wind Sect Core Formation experts.

Their faces were as cold as ice.

"With a scheming heart like yours, you will find it hard to stay behind in the Five Elements Nation," said Lord Revelation. "I have an opening for a servant, Naruto. You should consider it." His eyes twinkled as he looked at Naruto. His smile seemed as grim and mysterious as the decoration on his long robe, a solitary eye set in the middle of a mystical square.

The red-faced old man from the Cold Wind Sect harrumphed. The three great Sects didn't usually get along, and at the moment, he was well aware that the surrounding Cultivators were gazing at him with flashing eyes. He didn't want to cause further complications, but in his heart, he had marked Naruto for death. He waved his right hand, and a white-colored medicinal pill appeared and shot toward Naruto.

It emitted a fragrant aroma. From his study of the ancient jade slip, Naruto could tell at a glance that this was the antidote for the Frigid Corpse Pill.

He grabbed it. He didn't eat it, though, but put it into his bag of holding. Then he took a breath and headed toward the peak of the East Mountain.

As for the experts from the three Great Sects, they watched him closely, ready to make a move in an instant if he tried to do anything out of the ordinary. Lord Revelation floated next to them, eyes glittering as he gazed at the East Mountain.

Naruto didn't soar directly up to the top of the peak. The Eccentrics would just have to be patient. Naruto walked the path up to the East Mountain, passing Sasuke's Immortal's Cave. He also caught sight of elder brother Guy's and elder sister Hinata's caves. Images from the past coalesced in his mind, and he let out a sigh.

Finally, he stopped in front of the Immortal's Cave that had belonged to him. He looked at it quietly, then moved on, eventually reaching the peak of the East Mountain, and the Reliance Sect's main temple hall.

The setting sun shone onto the hall, making it look very dignified. Taking broad steps, Naruto strode inside. His gaze swept over the statues inside, coming to rest on the statue of Patriarch Reliance.

The day that Patriarch Reliance had frightened off the Cultivators from the other Sects, he had told Naruto of the secret method to open the way to his Immortal's Cave. Now, over a year later, Naruto had finally returned.

The appointed year had already passed, actually. As Naruto approached the statue of Patriarch Reliance, the experts from the Five Elements Nation watched him from behind.

He took a deep breath, then lifted his right hand and pushed his finger against a spot on the statue. Every few seconds, he would push his finger against the same spot. Again and again he pushed, until he had pushed it one hundred seventy-nine times. Suddenly, the temple hall began to shudder. The statues shook violently, then shattered, causing the entire hall to collapse into pieces. Then, a brilliant light shined out from the statue of Patriarch Reliance, sweeping away all the debris and rubble, leaving only the statue itself.

Underneath the statue was a stone platform. When the surrounding Cultivators caught sight of this, their eyes shone with anticipation.

The statue radiated an incredible power, and its eyes shone as if they were alive. This caused the Cultivators to be even more excited, although none of them dared to approach the statue.

Naruto took a few steps back, then cupped his hands and bowed deeply. "Disciple Naruto wishes to disturb the Patriarch's slumber. Patriarch, can you please open the door to your Immortal's Cave?" He lifted his head, and his eyes glittered. His back to the Five Elements Nation experts, his lips moved as he murmured some complicated sounds.

"Converge!"

The instant the word left his mouth, the statue began to vibrate, and an even more brilliant light shone from its eyes. The light grew intensely bright, and a fierce wind kicked up. Looks of astonishment covered the faces of the Five Elements Nation experts.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the statue, more and more. Within the space of a few breaths, it exploded with a bang, sending pieces flying around in all directions. Now, the stone platform which the statue had stood on began to issue a blinding light.

The blinding light issued by the rotating spell caused the Five Elements Nation experts to breath heavily. Anyone familiar with spells like this could tell that it was a sealing spell which was being unbound.

A thunderous roar echoed out, and a wide beam of light shot up into the sky. Then the beam began to twist around until it formed a giant ring.

The inside of the ring grew blurry, and then transformed into a vortex, a passageway to another location.

As soon as the ring of light formed, Naruto leaped into the air and shot forward. He disappeared into the ring. Behind him, the experts from the Five Elements Nation hesitated, their faces twisting.

"Foundation Establishment disciples, you go first," said Lord Revelation. The six Core Formation Cultivators nodded their agreement, and the dozen or so Foundation Establishment Cultivators gritted their teeth and flew forward. They disappeared into the vortex.

After the space of ten or so breaths, Lord Revelation and the Core Formation Eccentrics exchanged glances. One member from each of the three great Sects went next. After they entered, the remaining Eccentrics as well as Lord Revelation followed.

Upon entering the vortex, their minds spun, and they began to breathe hard. Looking around, the first thing they caught sight of was an enormous stone stele. Golden characters were inscribed onto the stele. The characters at the very top instantly sent their eyes shining.

"Sublime Spirit Scripture!"

* * *

In Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone, all of the Cultivators from the Five Elements Nation were staring at the stone stele which had been left behind by Might Guy . With great enthusiasm, they copied the text onto jade slips.

"This stone stele is the Sublime Spirit Scripture!"

"I never imagined it would be so simple to get! Haha! Even though I've already established my Foundation, with this scripture, I can form a second Core sea. With this Chakra Condensation manual, I can raise the Dao pillars of my Foundation from Fractured to Cracked. It might even be possible to form a Flawless Foundation!"

Lord Revelation approached, followed by the dignified old woman. "No," she said, "only half of the scripture is here…." She could tell the truth of it from a single glance.

Lord Revelation continued forward a few steps, his eyes shining with a strange light.

Suddenly, the stele, as if it couldn't withstand being the subject of so many gazes, began to fracture. Popping sounds could be heard as cracks spread out across it. Everyone watched on in shock.

As the cracks spread, the golden characters faded, to be replaced by another set of characters, these ones dim and barely readable. These characters were the second half of the Chakra Condensation manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

Before everyone could finish reading the text, a boom rang out and the stone stele exploded, fragmenting into eight pieces.

Eight multicolored beams of light could be seen as the pieces flew off in various directions.

The onlookers were shocked, but immediately scattered about. The seven Core Formation Eccentrics each shot after one of the pieces, as did Lord Revelation. The eighth piece was left to the ten or so Foundation Establishment experts to deal with.

Within an instant, everything was thrown into chaos. Upon scattering, the newcomers discovered that Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone was filled with magical items, spirit stones and medicinal pills. This of course caused quite a sensation among them. Unfortunately, all of the items were protected with restrictive spells. Unless they could force the spells open, the items were untouchable.

Suddenly, roaring sounds erupted within the meditation zone. Within the gray light appeared multiple figures. With crazed appearances, they charged toward the intruders.

As for Naruto, as soon as the chaos broke out, he pulled out a Vorpal Jade Blood Crystal and stepped off to the side. He had used quite a few Blood Crystals the last time he was here, but in the end had two left over, which he'd stuffed into his bag of holding. After pulling one of them out, the crazed automatons which had suddenly appeared refused to approach him.

"I've brought everyone here. Now let's see how Patriarch Reliance deals with them." Naruto's eyes glittered coldly. He didn't have any good feelings whatsoever about these people. He watched as they went chasing after the fragments of the stone stele, a cold smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see them dead.

Of course, the stone stele was a fake. He'd known that the instant it had appeared, a year ago. Exercising caution, he slowly walked forward, avoiding the other Cultivators. He wasn't sure of the exact location where Patriarch Reliance sat in secluded meditation. But he knew that he couldn't leave this place until the Patriarch helped him dispel the poison from his body.

Also, there was the reward that the Patriarch had spoken of.

Shortly afterwards, Naruto stopped and looked around. Booms filled the air and explosions shook the ground. Off in the distance, he could see the dignified old woman, her hair flying about in disarray as she used one magical art after another to batter a glowing shield in front of her.

Within the glow of the shield was one of the stone stele fragments.

The old woman was of the Core Formation stage. Her attacks caused everything around her to shake wildly. Her magical arts shot out one after another like a silver river, sending out bone-piercing coldness which caused everything around her to freeze into pieces of ice. Within the river, there could be heard what sounded like the shrieks of countless wailing souls from the yellow springs of the underworld. It was as if the river itself had sprung from the nine hells.

She flicked her sleeve, and the murky image of a mountain appeared, bearing down toward the glowing shield. The mountain, which seemed to be composed of stars, solidified into a burning point, which then became black. Despite being black in color, it radiated a bright light.

In a spectacular display, the river and mountain began to interlock with each other.

Naruto took a deep breath. The silver strands which surrounded the old woman made it seem as if she had the power to destroy heaven and earth. She could definitely slay him as easily as stepping on an ant. There wouldn't even be a need for her to use the river from hell or mountain made from stars.

"So this is Core Formation…." Naruto watched closely, at the same time moving a bit further away. He didn't dare to get any closer.

The woman let out a howl, and an explosion reverberated out. Despite being some distance away, Naruto's body was shaken, and he spit up some blood. He moved back further, watching as the woman spit out a round pill from her mouth. The pill was composed of three intertwined colors. As soon as it appeared, Naruto felt a sensation as if everything in the world was about to crumble to pieces. In his eyes, this multicolored pill was the beginning and end of everything.

Shining brightly, the pill shot toward the shield, whereupon a massive explosion rang out. Naruto continued to retreat backward, his face pale.

"A Core Formation Cultivator could wipe me from existence in the blink of an eye!" As he moved backwards, he thought back to the Dao Protector Baru Uchiha from the Uchiha Clan.

"I'm at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. But even if I could get to the tenth… I would be so weak I couldn't stand up to a single bit of battle magic from a Core Formation Cultivator!" He stared at the proceedings, continuing to retreat.

"All these people are over one hundred years of age each. In terms of wisdom and experience, I can't match up to them…. It's a good thing my schemes just now all worked, otherwise…." When he thought about this, his heart twitched with fear.

"After the Core Formation stage is the Nascent Soul stage. I wonder how truly powerful a Nascent Soul Cultivator is…." When he thought of this, his heart began to thump, and he thought about Hiruko, whom he still had never met.

"What is the level of Patriarch Reliance's Cultivation base again? I remember the Sect Leader talked about it before. He's at the Spirit Severing stage… That's even beyond the Nascent Soul stage!" Naruto began to pant, and a look of envy appeared in his eyes. Stubbornness filled his heart. He desired to be powerful. He knew that only by being powerful could he avoid being an insect that others could trample upon and crush. Only by being powerful could he achieve his desires and fulfil his dreams.

On a more practical level, only by being powerful would he be able to survive in the Cultivation world!

Naruto watched in awe as the power of a Core Formation Cultivator was unleashed. Massive explosions filled Patriarch Reliance's meditation zones. The explosions did not sound out from one location, but from seven. The entire area filled with thunderous roars, and the various protective spells appeared to be rippling.

The explosions caused by the seven Core Formation Eccentrics seemed as if they would cause the entire place to collapse.

"The Patriarch just said to bring the Five Elements Nation experts here. He never said what to do after that…." Naruto hesitated, and he considered making an escape. But then, a massive roaring sound could be heard, and far off in the distance a beam of light shot up.

From this distance it didn't look very thick. However, Naruto could tell that it must be approximately thirty meters in diameter. It filled the sky of the Immortal's Cave with its power.

A laugh echoed out from the same direction as the beam of light, and Naruto recognized Lord Revelation's voice. He had obviously broken the shield and acquired one of the fragments of the stone stele.

Just then, another boom rang out, and another beam of light ascended up. This beam shot up from the direction of the dignified old woman. Her hair flew about wildly as the shield shattered. She stepped forward and took the stone stele fragment.

Meanwhile, within the secluded meditation zone, Patriarch Reliance's eyes shined and he breathed rapidly. His body was gaunt and wizened, and he stared fixedly at seven oil lamps which were spread out in front of him. At first glance, they seemed to be scattered about randomly, but upon closer inspection it was clear that they had been organized in a mystical pattern.

Just now, two of the lamps had been extinguished. The other five flickered weakly.

"The kid was a few months late. I was starting to get more and more nervous. But in the end, he brought the people here!" Excitement filled his eyes as he looked at the oil lamps.

"Extinguish, dammit! These people are so weak. After all this time, they've only managed to extinguish two sealing lamps. I'm expending power from my own Cultivation base to weaken them so that the Core Formation level people can handle them. But they still haven't succeeded. Dammit! Without my training these Five Elements Nation brats don't know how to practice Cultivation. Back in the day, I would go beat them up every once in a while. Those people had much better Cultivation bases." Thinking back to the old days, Patriarch Reliance let out a sigh. His desire to break out of the secluded meditation zone was even stronger than before.

"After I absorb these peoples' Cultivation bases and scour their memories, I should be able to achieve enlightenment and succeed in my second severing. Then I can carry out my master plan! Dammit! For every severing, I need to achieve Dao enlightenment. Upon success, the severing can proceed. But afterwards, I will be incredibly weak. Without a bit of good fortune to help me recover, the severing can lead to death, and becoming one with the Dao." Patriarch Reliance ground his teeth. But as he thought of his master plan, a look of hope gleamed in his eyes. It was a look that had existed there for many, many years.

About this time, an explosion thundered out, and another of the lamps in front of him went out. The look of anticipation in his eyes grew stronger.

As for Naruto, he stood outside in the meditation zone, trembling with fear. He wasn't walking around any more. Instead, he had concealed himself in a distant corner, a look of vigilance on his face.

He was waiting for Patriarch Reliance to appear, put an end to these people, then dispel the poison in his body and give him his reward.

A short time later, another thunderous roar could be heard. Lord Revelation and the dignified old woman had joined the others in their struggles. The remaining shields soon broke. The third, fourth, and fifth shields broke…. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, thunderous explosions rang out constantly. Soon, seven pillars of light shot up into the air.

Finally, the seven Core Formation Cultivators transformed into beams of light as they converged on the final shield, which was currently surrounded by the Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

They combined their powers, and within the space of about ten breaths, a boom shook everything, and an eighth pillar of light climbed upwards. The whole Immortal's Cave seemed on the verge of collapse.

At this exact moment, amidst the roaring and shaking, massive cracks appeared in the ground. The roaring grew even more intense. The ground seemed to ripple, as if it were going to collapse into nothing.

The experts from the Five Elements Nation looked shocked at this sudden event. They flew up into the air and looked down at the collapsing earth. Within a moment, the shaking ceased. It was then that they noticed that all of the rubble and cracks had formed into… a massive face!

The face belonged to none other than Patriarch Reliance!

* * *

Upon the forehead of the giant face appeared seven ancient-looking oil lamps, all of them extinguished. A massive and ancient aura emanated out in all directions. The exquisite aura seemed to contain the essence of heaven and earth.

When the giant face appeared, the Five Elements Nation Cultivators all looked shocked, and some of them made to flee.

"Don't panic," said Lord Revelation, his voice booming out. "I knew from the beginning that Patriarch Reliance wasn't dead. He's incredibly weak, and we are of the Core Formation stage. If we join hands, we can easily wipe him out." Everyone from the Five Elements Nation stopped moving.

A laugh rang out from the giant face, hoarse and potent. Filled with crazed excitement, it pierced the ears and hearts of everyone present.

As the laughter echoed out, the faces of the floating Cultivators changed. Without saying a word, the dignified old woman turned and shot toward the exit, panting.

Even as she attempted to fly away, a massive, indistinct hand popped into being next to her and wrapped itself around her body. A boom rang out, along with a blood-curdling shriek, as the hand crushed her to death. Everything shook. Naruto looked on in shock.

The giant hand opened, and inside could be seen a three-colored mixed Core. The hand made a flicking motion, and the Core shot toward the first of the seven lamps below on the ground. The lamp was now alight, burning the Core as fuel and emanating flames composed of life force!

Flickering firelight emanated out, filling the darkness with light.

"We cannot flee!" barked Lord Revelation, his face growing pale. "Kill what is left of Patriarch Reliance, and our spoils of victory will be immense!" The other Cultivators had looks of astonishment on their faces after watching the miserable fate of the old woman. They clenched their jaws.

Suddenly, a booming sound could be heard. The area around the mouth of the giant face suddenly collapsed, and a black, shadowy figure emerged.

Laughter accompanied the figure, echoing out in the Immortal's Cave.

"Patriarch Reliance!" The echo of the laughter thundered out, and the Immortal's Cave shook. The shocked Cultivators coughed up blood.

Amidst the blackness, Patriarch Reliance could be seen. His body was gaunt, almost nothing but skin and bones, as if he had just climbed up from the grave. His eyes were dim and dark, yet seemed to be filled with ferocity and power.

Up above them, clouds roiled, and around Patriarch Reliance's body, ripples began to emanate out. It seemed as if he were standing on top of the world. His power, arrogance, and thirst for blood struck fear into the hearts of the other Cultivators.

"Patriarch Reliance…." The red-faced old man from the Cold Wind Sect suddenly looked pale, and his body trembled. He was a Core Formation Cultivator, but facing Patriarch Reliance, he was as powerless as a cricket. The only reason he had dared to come to this place for the Sublime Spirit Scripture was because Lord Revelation had divined that the Patriarch was weak to the point of death. At the moment, however, Patriarch Reliance seemed anything but weak.

"Revelation, things aren't settled between us!" he said, spinning and rushing toward the exit. The others with him moved to follow, one by one. Their bodies transformed into prismatic beams as they shot away.

Naruto stood down below staring up at them, his fists clenched.

Patriarch Reliance laughed, and it was filled with both excitement and bloodlust. His body flickered, and suddenly he was floating in mid-air. He moved his hand in a downward motion, and a booming sound filled the air. A massive pressure pushed downwards, and the red-faced old man and his followers spat up blood. They fell down to the ground, their bodies no longer under their own control.

Patriarch Reliance's body flickered again, and then he was standing in front of the red-faced old man. The old man's pupils shrank in astonishment as Patriarch Reliance's body suddenly fused with his own.

A blood-curdling scream sounded out, causing the scalps of the onlookers to go numb.

The red-faced old man's body began to wither. His hair fell out as his flesh and blood dried up. A blackness appeared that seemed capable of consuming all blood and life. In the blink of an eye, it had completely swallowed him up.

His skin grew as thin as paper, and his bones began to crumble. Soon, his entire person had turned into a mist of blood, which then coalesced into another figure; Patriarch Reliance. Except now, he was not as gaunt as he had been moments ago. His figure was more fleshed out, and a slight death aura radiated out from him. It seemed as if some of his life force had been restored. In his hand, he held the red-faced old man's three-colored mixed Core. He flicked his sleeve, and it shot into the second oil lamp.

"The Great Art of Demonic Life!"

"It's the legendary Great Art of Demonic Life! Unending life! The Great Art of Demonic Life which can borrow bodies and spirits!" A buzz of voices sounded out. When the remaining Core Foundation Cultivators and the trembling Foundation Establishment Cultivators watched the scene unfold, looks of despair appeared on their faces.

"This is a Demonic magic from the Demon Sealing Sect, before the Sect's name changed!" A strange look flashed through Lord Revelation's eyes.

Naruto watched in astonishment. This was the second time he had heard of the Demon Sealing Sect. The first time had been from the lips of Gato. At the time, Naruto hadn't paid it much heed. How could he believe what Gato had said? If Naruto truly was connected to such prestigious name, how could he have so many enemies in the Five Elements Nation?

At that time, Naruto had committed the name to memory, with the intention of getting further corroboration later.

Now, having seen the shocking events of moments ago, he'd heard the name again. Currently, the three words "Demon Sealing Sect" seemed to float in his head.

He thought back to the rumors he'd heard when in the Sect. It was said that a thousand years ago, the Reliance Sect had gone by a different name. However, no one had ever spoken the original name. Now that he thought about it, it seemed as if the name were taboo within the Sect.

He thought of the Demonic beasts in the black mountain outside of the Sect. Then he thought of the North Sea, and grew even more confused. When he had encountered the North Sea for the first time, why had it helped him?

Even though he didn't completely understand everything, at least now he was gaining a bit more understanding.

"Demon Sealing Sect…." Naruto took a deep breath, thinking to the Demonic magic that Gato had used, and the fearsome power that had erupted out of Mount Myōboku.

"If Gato reached Foundation Establishment, the power of his Demonic magic would have been extremely potent…." Naruto's heart began to race as he realized that as a member of the Reliance Inner Sect, he was also… an Inner Sect disciple of the ancient Demon Sealing Sect!

A new question appeared in Naruto's mind. "Why did Patriarch Reliance change the name of the Sect?"

As Naruto considered these things, the slaughter above him continued. Patriarch Reliance's body had transformed into a fiery mist that filled the air. From the cries that rang out, it was clear that the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were completely incapable of escape. One by one, their bodies spasmed and began to dry up. Their life force was sucked out of them until they turned into nothing more than bones, which in turn were crumbled into dust. Every thread of life force shot toward Patriarch Reliance.

The remaining five Core Formation Cultivators couldn't flee either. Under the command of Lord Revelation, they produced various magical items and prepared magical techniques, launching them toward Patriarch Reliance in a last ditch effort to defeat him.

The four Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Cold Wind Sect had died miserably, their bodies reduced to little more than dust. Their counterparts from the Winding Stream Sect and the Upright Evening Sect suffered the same fate. These were people who could shake the Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation by simply stamping a foot. Yet here, they were as weak as children.

A partially intact head rolled to a stop in front of Naruto's feet. His face grew pale. The bloody slaughter was causing his heart to tremble. Looking down at the head, he recognized the face as that of the Foundation Establishment expert who had attempted to kill him a year ago in the Reliance Sect. A white aura emanated off of the head. Within moments, the head dissolved into blood, which soaked into the ground.

Just then, a horrified scream rang out from one of the Winding Stream Sect's Core Formation Eccentrics. His body began to rot. He continued to scream as he dried up. Even before he was dead, a third three-colored mixed Core flew out to land in the third lamp, which then began to burn brightly.

As of now, Patriarch Reliance's body was no longer gaunt and shriveled. Instead, he was a middle-aged man.

His long hair swept about his tall frame. A dignified air emanated out from him, making him seem powerful to the extreme. And yet, buried deep within that power, was a Demonic aura.

However, there were still areas on his chest that were still withered, as well as some parts of his face and the rest of his body. There, the flesh seemed to twitch and writhe; clearly he was not completely recovered yet.

"I can already use the full power of my Nascent Soul," he said with a smile. Combined with his partially recovered, writhing skin, the smile was utterly gruesome. Four people were left to observe this. With the exception of Lord Revelation, their faces drained of blood. One of them lifted up a trembling hand. In it was a jade slip, which he snapped. Instantly, his body began to grow blurry; it seemed he was attempting to teleport away.

At the same time, one of the Core Formation Cultivators from the Winding Stream Sect retreated rapidly. Suddenly, a burning fire shot out from his feet, which then wrapped around his body, enveloping him. He seemed to turn into a burning pillar of light as he shot away.

The other person, a Grand Elder from the Cold Wind Sect, suddenly seemed to be growing younger. His face, originally filled with wrinkles, now suddenly appeared to be middle-aged. His aura billowing, he took three steps, during which time he transformed into a beam of light.

* * *

As he took the first step, blood and Chakra roiled, and he was no longer middle-aged, but a teenager, and he moved three times faster than he had been before.

He took a second step, and his body quivered. His robes fell off, as he had turned into an infant. Again his speed tripled. His body was almost entirely transparent at this point, and a three-colored light began to envelop him.

By his third step, his infant's body had shrunken into a spinning Core. Again, his speed tripled as he shot toward the vortex exit.

These three people were all Core Formation Eccentrics. Obviously, they would not come to such a dangerous place without taking certain precautions. As for everyone else who had died already, things had just happened too quickly. As for these three, if even one escaped, he could spread word to the experts from the great Sects in the Southern Domain, and they would come to slay Patriarch Reliance.

All of this took some time to describe, but happened extremely quickly. As the three of them attempted to make their escape, Lord Revelation chose to stay put, his eyes flickering. His right hand flashed an incantation sign. The large eye on his robe suddenly seemed to come to life. Light sprang forth from it, shining out to target, not Patriarch Reliance, but the three fleeing Core Formation Cultivators.

"You've overstepped your bounds," said Patriarch Reliance in an awe-inspiring voice. He stamped his foot into the ground, whereupon ripples spread out to fill the air. A horrified cry filled the air as the Cultivator from the Winding Stream Sect, who was just about to make his escape, was suddenly thrust back down and into the fourth oil lamp.

At the same time, Patriarch Reliance's right hand slammed onto the ground. It trembled as a restrictive spell appeared, out from which flew a thin band of black of light that turned into a black skull. The skull circled around Patriarch Reliance, and then shot toward the Cultivator who was attempting to escape via teleportation jade slip.

As the ripples of teleportation spread out, the black skull cackled evilly, then disappeared.

Next, Patriarch Reliance lifted his left hand toward the Core which was shooting toward the vortex. Just as it seemed it was about to enter the vortex, a bloodcurdling cry sounded out and the Core exploded. But the power of the explosion remained contained as it flew back toward Patriarch Reliance.

He snatched it out of the air, and within the white glow could be seen the shape of the Cultivator's body, struggling wildly. Patriarch Reliance squeezed the white glow and it slowly congealed into a three-colored Core. He flicked his sleeve, sending it to light the fifth oil lamp.

At the same time, he waved his left hand, slamming into the light that currently shot forth from the eye on Lord Revelation's robe.

A boom filled the air, and a large amount of cracks appeared on the restrictive spell that covered the ground. Blood dribbled from the sides of Lord Revelation's mouth, and his face grew pale, but his eyes didn't contain the least bit of panic. Instead, they shone with a strange light as he quickly retreated backward.

Massive amounts of life force streamed toward Patriarch Reliance, infusing his body. His face was almost completely recovered. He stood there looking at Lord Revelation, hands clasped behind his back.

"Whose Nascent Soul stage clone are you? You dare to mix with these Core Formation whelps who plot against me?"

"You truly live up to your reputation, Patriarch Reliance," said Lord Revelation with a smile, his voice hoarse. "You could tell with a single look that I'm a clone. However, I'm not here to plot against you. Without me, these Core Formation Cultivators wouldn't have dared to come here. Actually, there is a matter regarding Heavenly fortune that I wish to discuss with you." His lips quivered a bit as he finished speaking.

Patriarch Reliance frowned, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Suddenly, something black flashed up above them. The flying skull reappeared. In its mouth was a three-colored Core. It flew to Patriarch Reliance's side. He flicked his sleeve, and the Core flew to light the sixth oil lamp.

Having seen all this, Naruto's heart trembled. He looked at Lord Revelation. It turned out, he was actually just a clone, and yet was at the Nascent Soul stage! Hearing what he said, Naruto realized that the goings-on here were more complicated than he had imagined.

"If his clone is at the Nascent Soul stage, then… what stage is his true self at?" Naruto took a deep breath, thinking of the three-colored poison pill, his face twisting.

"Patriarch Reliance," said Lord Revelation with a smile, "the Southern Domain is doomed to fall into chaos. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

"You mean the crap about the Dawn Immortal? I couldn't care less. But since you're here with your Nascent Soul, I might as well take the opportunity to replenish myself a bit more." His eyes glittered as he took a step forward and raised his hand toward Lord Revelation.

"Patriarch Reliance, you really should think things through more clearly. You're a simple Spirit Severing Cultivator, do you really dare to defy the Dawn Immortal?" Lord Revelation's face fell as he watched Patriarch Reliance lifting his finger. A boom resounded out as a powerful mist came into being and began to surround him. Patriarch Reliance let out a cold snort.

The mist seethed, and the roaring sound mixed together with the howls of Lord Revelation until it seemed that the Immortal's Cave would collapse. At first, it seemed as if the restrictive spells nearby would disintegrate, but they began to repair themselves before that could happen.

Naruto watched on in shock as the restrictive spells fluctuated between collapse and repair. The mist lifted Lord Revelation higher into the air. He let out a blood-curdling scream as the mist squeezed, causing blood to squirt out of his body and drench his clothes. His eyes were filled with hatred.

"Demonic art, Wolf Smoke!" Patriarch Reliance's grim voice rang out into the mist. The mist seemed to devour Lord Revelation. Deep inside, a brilliant light shone out, and the vague image of flames and smoke could be seen. Nothing could be seen clearly, though. Only blood-curdling screams could be heard.

"Patriarch Reliance, I can do without this clone, but don't think it will be so easy to consume me!"

The images and feelings seemed to lash against Naruto. This battle could no longer be described in terms of magical techniques. He couldn't even think of any words that would do. Patriarch Reliance's powerful voice and the howls of Lord Revelation made Naruto realize how much beyond the Core Formation stage this battle was.

He stared blankly, his mind reeling, as if a new door along the pathway of life had been opened. This was what being a Cultivator truly was. This was the true path of defiance against the Heavens. This was the true all-powerful might of a Cultivator.

A short time passed, during which the booming continued to sound out. The mist suddenly contracted, then returned to surround Patriarch Reliance. When he looked closely, Naruto was shocked to see that Patriarch Reliance's features now closely resembled Lord Revelation's.

It was almost as if Patriarch Reliance had occupied Lord Revelation's body. Then the features began to melt down until Lord Revelation was completely gone, fully absorbed.

An immeasurable amount of black sealing marks rotated around Patriarch Reliance. As he floated there in the air, he exuded an extremely bizarre air.

In his hand he held the small image of a person. Its face was twisted ferociously, but its eyes were shut. It looked … like Lord Revelation!

This was his Nascent Soul!

The mist dispersed, and everything was quiet. No more breakage appeared on the restrictive spells. They seemed to be in the process of restoring themselves rapidly. From the look of it, it wouldn't take very long for them to recover completely. Patriarch Reliance flicked his sleeve, and Lord Revelation's Nascent Soul shot into the seventh oil lamp. The Nascent Soul acted as oil, and Lord Revelation's life force became flames as the lamp burned.

Lamplight filled the Immortal's Cave, illuminating everything with a flickering light that felt both ghastly and horrific.

Patriarch Reliance looked around, and his gaze came to fall on Naruto. He gave him a slight nod, and then turned to head back into the large fissure in the ground.

Naruto strode forward several paces nervously. Clasping hands, he bowed, and in a loud voice said, "Patriarch, in order to bring those people here, Disciple consumed some poison pills. Patriarch, can you please dispel the poison?"

"It's just some poison, I can dispel it as easily as taking a breath. Just wait a bit. I need to absorb this Nascent Soul, as well as this guy's true self. Then I'll dispel the poison for you. Don't worry about it. Oh, you did pretty well. I have a reward for you. Take this. This is your prize." Without so much as looking back, Patriarch Reliance flicked his sleeve, sending a low-grade Spirit Stone shooting toward Naruto. His body had already landed on the ground, and he was beginning to step into the fissure.

Naruto stared blankly at the completely ordinary low-grade Spirit Stone. He clenched his jaw and then spoke again.

"The reward is a low-grade Spirit Stone?"

"Low-grade Spirit Stone?" he said coolly. "That's right. It's a low-grade Spirit Stone. But if you look closely, is it really a low-grade Spirit Stone?" He jumped toward the fissure.

Naruto gaped in astonishment, looking back at the Spirit Stone in his hand. As he watched Patriarch Reliance disappearing into the fissure, he spoke again. "Patriarch, you… how long before you can dispel Disciple's poison?"

"Not very long. It'll be soon. I only have three, maybe five hundred years of work to do. Okay, well I need to go into secluded meditation now." He muttered to himself about the difficulty of dispelling poison, and the fact that his Cultivation base wasn't completely recovered yet. Based on what it would cost him, it wouldn't be worth it. Furthermore, he had his master plan to think about. As for the Spirit Stone… it really was just a common low-grade Spirit Stone. He didn't have any qualms about deceiving members of the junior generation. He had done such things many times in the past. He had cheated many Cultivators back during the days of the Demon Sealing Sect. Giving another dry cough to try to gloss everything over, he lowered his head and disappeared into the fissure. As soon as he entered, it closed up behind him.

* * *

"Patriarch, Disciple went through innumerable trials and tribulations to bring those people here. I don't mind if there's no reward, but this poison…." A look of indignation had appeared on Naruto's face. But before he could even finish speaking, the fissure in the ground closed up completely. There was no trace that it had even existed. Patriarch Reliance was nowhere to be seen and didn't speak. The only things that remained were the seven burning lamps and the flickering light they cast. The seven Cores and the one Nascent Soul let of thin streams of Chakra. The streams didn't emanate up, though. As soon as they left the lamp, they were sucked into the ground.

"Patriarch Reliance, I allowed myself to be poisoned because of you. You're from the senior generation, and you're a powerful expert. How could someone as powerful as you do something like this?!"

"I'm neither an expert nor powerful," replied the Patriarch with a light cough. "I've been like this since I was young. And that is not an ordinary Spirit Stone, kid. Your Cultivation base just isn't high enough to be able to tell. Wait until you're at the Spirit Severing stage, then you will know how amazing that treasure is."

"You… Patriarch, what's going on? I went through a lot of trouble! Why are you doing this!?" Naruto was furious. But everything around him was completely silent. Patriarch Reliance didn't say anything; in fact, he seemed to be ignoring Naruto.

"Patriarch, I don't need any other rewards. I just need help dispelling this poison. You… Patriarch, Disciple was constantly trying to figure out ways to bring those people here to help you recover your Cultivation base. How can you do this to me?!"

Naruto shouted out a few more times, but could see that Patriarch Reliance wasn't responding. Even though he was just a simple scholar, he was enraged to the extreme at the moment. He had been deceived, and couldn't help but begin to curse.

"Patriarch Reliance, you're a bastard!" For Naruto to say something like this showed that he was exceedingly incensed.

Suddenly, Patriarch Reliance's voice could be heard. "Kid, who do you think you're cursing? Do you really dare to cuss at me? I'll slap you to death!"

"I'm cursing you!" replied Naruto angrily. "If you're gonna slap me, then go ahead. I'm poisoned, so I'll die soon anyway. Get out here!"

Patriarch Reliance coughed a couple times. "Ahhhh. Never mind, never mind. I've always had a good temper. Hey, you're the sole heir of the Reliance Sect. At the moment, we're the only people in the whole Sect! I'm not going to get angry at you. Actually, a lot of people have cursed me over the years. It doesn't really matter. Look, you can't really blame me. I can't even go back out! My secluded meditation zone has been sealed. I could only come out if you brought another group of people. I couldn't help you now even if I wanted to." His words became more and more convincing as he spoke. He really had just renewed the seals, and if he wanted to break through, would need to spend several months doing so.

"You bastard!" said Naruto, finally understanding the truth of the situation. He could only gnash his teeth and continue to curse. But no matter what he said, Patriarch Reliance didn't respond. In the end, he just started humming a little tune. The happy little tune echoed out, and eventually Naruto realized that nothing he did would accomplish anything. Shameless Patriarch Reliance was not going to make an appearance.

His face filled with dark anger, he looked around. There were no bags of holding left behind from the Core Formation experts. Patriarch Reliance was obviously incredibly stingy and had taken them for himself. Naruto's gaze fell upon the seven Demonic lamps. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his bag of holding. Ten flying swords appeared and flew straight toward the lamps.

Before they could even get close to the lamps, however, the swords began to tremble and glow brightly. Then they shattered into pieces.

Naruto was livid. Seeing the Chakra from the oil lamps seeping into the ground, he smacked his bag of holding again and the two wooden swords few out. They didn't meet the slightest resistance, but when they reached the oil lamps, they passed right through them, as if they weren't even there. There wasn't the slightest reaction from them.

"A Nascent Soul Cultivator and six Core Formation Cultivators," said Patriarch Reliance, his voice cheerful. "Their spiritual energy is quite abundant. As for your crappy swords, well, my seven demonic lamps are cut off from all other magical items. Non-sentient items can't affect them. Maybe if you were a bit more skilled, you would have some more options. But sorry, you can't steal things from me!" He continued to hum his merry little tune. At the moment, he sat cross-legged in front of a small esoteric compass about the size of a hand. The strands of Chakra that sank down from above became bright red, and then were absorbed by the compass.

Naruto's face grew more and more grim as he retrieved the wooden swords. He had never imagined that Patriarch Reliance, being of the senior generation and having such an elevated Cultivation base, would treat Chakra Condensation Cultivators with such shamelessness. A reward of a simple low-grade Spirit Stone? What was worse was how he claimed the Spirit Stone was an extraordinary object.

No matter from which angle Naruto looked at it, it appeared to be completely ordinary. It was nothing more than a low-grade Spirit Stone.

Before, Naruto had thought he cared a lot about Spirit Stones. But it turned out Patriarch Reliance was as stingy as an iron chicken from which feathers could not be plucked! He was a complete miser!

"One low-grade Spirit Stone. You bastard, you did this on purpose!" Naruto clenched his fists. He felt like he was about to go crazy. Not only were his words impolite, but in his heart, any and all good impressions he'd even had of Patriarch Reliance were wiped clean.

After a while, he turned, his jaw clenched. He wanted to throw the low-grade Spirit Stone away, but finally, he put it into his bag of holding. Then, he stalked off angrily.

"Aiya, you're leaving? Okay, okay. Don't forget to come back some time to hang out with Patriarch! You're my only heir, and the Sect only has the two of us now. This is your home; you can come back any time. I get lonely sometimes, so make sure to come back and keep me company." He continued to hum his happy tune.

Naruto didn't say anything. He walked away angrily, Patriarch Reliance's little tune echoing in his ears.

"Ai, it's too bad I'm sealed in here, otherwise I would see you off personally." Patriarch Reliance's voice was incredibly cheerful as he watched Naruto from within his secluded meditation chamber. "Naruto, you're such a good kid. You're just a bit too uptight. Hopefully in the future you can learn to be a bit more like me."

"You're really not going to come out?" said Naruto wrathfully. At the moment, he was walking past an area covered with a gray-colored restrictive spell. Suddenly, he stopped walking.

"Of course. Listen, I never tell lies. If I say that I can't go out, then I can't. It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just, hey…. Uh. What are you doing?" In the middle of his complacent little speech, he suddenly stopped talking and his eyes went wide.

Naruto had turned and was looking closely at a gray restrictive spell. During the battle between Lord Revelation and Patriarch Reliance, the restrictive spells in the entire area had been damaged. They were slowly recovering, but at the moment, there were still cracks visible. Some of the cracks were large enough to be holes, actually, although they were slowly sealing back up.

Within this restrictive spell was a veritable mountain of Spirit Stones. They had been collected by Patriarch Reliance over the course of his entire life. Most of them were low-grade Spirit Stones, but more than a few were mid-grade Spirit Stones, which were far more valuable.

Without a word, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. A wooden sword appeared and stabbed directly into the hole. Immediately, the sword's ability to absorb spiritual energy was manifested. The restrictive spell shook, trying to repair itself, but was unable to. The second wooden sword appeared, and it too was stabbed into the hole. The swords spread apart, and soon the hole was as wide as the hand of a child.

Normally, Naruto couldn't do something like this. But because of the cracks and holes in the spell, he had a unique chance.

"What are you doing?" echoed Patriarch Reliance's voice from within the ground. He stared in shock. He had a stingy personality, but enjoyed being able to put his lifetime accumulation of treasures on display. He liked to watch people's eyes turn red when they could look at, but not touch the treasures. He was also supremely confident in his restrictive spells. They were connected to his life force, so unless he died, no one would be able to break through them.

However, because of some strange properties that existed in Lord Revelation, some problems had cropped up when Patriarch Reliance absorbed him. Because of that, the restrictive spells were a bit slow in their recovery. This was a bit of a slip-up on his part.

"Naruto, even with that hole there, you won't be able to take all those Spirit Stones," laughed Patriarch Reliance. "There are too many. You won't be able to fit them inside. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'm a generous person. Go ahead and take a few, I don't care."

Naruto let out a cold harrumph. Now that the wooden swords had opened up a hole, he reached deep into his robe and pulled out the bag of the Cosmos and aimed it at the little hole.

Naruto's Cultivation base charged into action like a wild horse. The mountain of Spirit Stones began to shudder, and then, one by one they began flying out of the hole, sucked into the bag of the Cosmos.

Faster and faster, the Spirit Stones flew into the black-hole that was the bag of the Cosmos. Patriarch Reliance watched the dazzling display, and a horrified shriek rang out from his mouth.

"A bag of the Cosmos…. Dammit, how can you have that! It's invisible to Spiritual Sense, and can contain mountains and rivers. You, you, you…. My Spirit Stones! I went through innumerable trials and tribulations throughout my life to accumulate that many Spirit Stones. Naruto, leave some behind for me!" His agonized cry continued to echo out, and the ground began to quake. He was obviously releasing some of his power. And yet the seal had just been put in place….

Naruto laughed coldly as he listened to Patriarch Reliance's miserable cries. Soon the mountain of Spirit Stones shrank to become a small hill. Naruto was truly venting his spleen.

"You dare to rip me off?" thought Naruto, gritting his teeth. "Then I'll rip you off even more! I'm going to clear out all of your treasures!"

"Naruto, you traitor! This is too excessive!" Patriarch Reliance felt as if the organs in his body were going to explode. He wanted to burst out of the seal, but it had just been put in place. It would take months before he could break it.

He could never have imagined that Naruto would have a bag of the Cosmos, nor that he would be able to snatch away his lifetime accumulation of Spirit Stones. At the moment, Patriarch Reliance felt as if a giant invisible blade were rotating around him, slashing him for every Spirit Stone that he lost.

It was as if he were being hacked to pieces. His heart ached.

He had always had a strange personality. In comparison to other Cultivators of his generation, he was a true weirdo. His greed and stinginess grew along with his Cultivation base and his age. He didn't have even the slightest bit of an aura of a powerful expert. He didn't seem to have a bottom line in anything either.

Several hundred years ago, during his first Severing, his Dao enlightenment had been regarding greed. You could say that it had been branding onto his spirit, and was a part of his Cultivation.

* * *

Greedy and stingy. A miser to the core, even in terms of Cultivation. This was his Dao. In his enlightenment, treasures were the most important thing. These were the things that led to his First Spirit Severing.

This was why his meditation zone had so many areas protected by restrictive spells. It was his life savings. Accumulating all these items was not just a hobby, it was his version of the Dao.

To see it all disappearing before his eyes filled him with grief and indignation.

Within the space of ten breaths, the mountain of Spirit Stones was gone. There was even a random piece of jade underneath the mountain. It too was sucked into the bag of the Cosmos.

"That was my good luck charm. Dammit, Naruto, leave my good luck charm behind. You…." Before he could finish speaking, his eyes went wide again. After taking all the Spirit Stones, Naruto looked around, his eyes gleaming. Patriarch Reliance began to tremble.

The look in Naruto's eyes was like that of a master thief.

His gaze fell onto a small courtyard. Behind the cracked restrictive spell could be seen a variety of medicinal plants of many different colors. They were clearly beyond ordinary.

Naruto recognized some of the plants as ones described in Gato's treasured turtle shell. As he strode forward, his fingers flickered, and the two wooden swords appeared. They stabbed into a crack in the shield created by the restrictive spell. The crack slowly widened.

"Naruto, are you really going to steal my treasured items too? I'm your Patriarch! I paid a heavy price to steal that medicinal courtyard all those years ago…." Patriarch Reliance was growing even more anxious. The rumbling noise from under the ground grew stronger, but Naruto didn't even blink. He was happy to finally be able to vent his anger.

"My divine spirit plants… you, you… you're plucking them all out!" Patriarch Reliance's anger soared to the heavens. "That's my Outlander Tree. I cared for it for hundreds of years before it sprouted, you can't take it…." Amidst Patriarch Reliance's shrill protestations, Naruto cleared out the courtyard as cleanly as if he'd used a razor. He sucked everything into the bag of the Cosmos. By the time he withdrew the two wooden swords, the courtyard looked as if it had been swept by a massive gale.

"Enough, enough," said Patriarch hastily, looking over the emptiness. "Listen, little Patriarch, leave some things behind for old Patriarch here. Don't take anything else…. You're not allowed to touch any more of my things. Naruto, you listen to Patriarch, okay? As a member of the junior generation, you should have a bit of respect. You…."

"I've been like this since I was young," said Naruto with a cold snort, throwing Patriarch Reliance's words back at him. Looking around, he caught sight of a lone restrictive spell shield. Beneath it were what appeared to be three withered little trees. However, on each tree was a leaf that occasionally sparkled with arcs of energy, making them appear extraordinary.

Naruto had never seen anything like it, but considering this was Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone, and it was protected with a restrictive spell, he figured it must be very valuable. His eyes glittering, he strode over and stabbed the wooden swords into a crack in the still-recovering restrictive spell.

"Those are my Thunderclap Leaves. It's a Lightning type medicinal plant that's even rare in the Southern Domain!" Patriarch Reliance once again howled fiercely. Completely ignoring him, Naruto lifted the bag of the Cosmos up to the hole in the restrictive spell. The trees began to shake back and forth. Then, the three leaves ripped off of the trees, transforming into three arcs of black lightning which shot into the bag of the Cosmos.

Even more infuriating to Patriarch Reliance was that after the leaves entered his bag, Naruto didn't stop. The trees continued to sway back and forth until suddenly they flew up from the ground, roots and all, and were sucked into the bag of the Cosmos. Next to the trees was a little purple flag stuck into the ground, which was also sucked into the bag.

"You even… you ripped the Thunderclap Trees up by the roots and took them too! You're really pissing me off! Naruto, you little bastard, you took the Lightning Flag as well? It's not very strong; it can only defend against a Foundation Establishment attack. But it can absorb lightning bolts! You need it to grow the Thunderclap Leaves! Patriarch Reliance's heart dripped with blood as he howled and cursed in his subterranean chamber.

"I've always had a good temper," snorted Naruto, throwing more of Patriarch Reliance's words back in his face. "You're Patriarch of the Reliance Sect. At the moment, we're the only people in the whole Sect! I of the junior generation am not going to get angry at you. Actually, a lot of people have cursed me over the years. It doesn't really matter." Once again, he looked around.

This caused Patriarch Reliance's heart to seize. When he saw Naruto's gaze slide past another area with medicinal plants, he let out a small sigh of relief. His meditation zone contained his life's accumulation of treasures, but even still, the treasures could be categorized into high and low quality items.

"Just don't touch my baby," thought Patriarch Reliance. "Everything else… they're just trifling worldly possessions. I can gather more together later if I want." Patriarch Reliance's teeth were clenched, but his heart still continued to drip blood. In actuality, the word "trifling" had been a bit forced.

Within moments, Naruto had cleared out a few more courtyards of medicinal plants. Then he moved on to another area. Patriarch Reliance could only clench his jaw. He could do nothing more than let loose a torrent of abuse upon Naruto. He cursed and cursed, never repeating himself for more than half a sentence.

As he cursed, Naruto started to hum a little tune. It was a happy little tune, and just so happened to be the one Patriarch Reliance had been humming earlier. When Patriarch Reliance heard it, it made him so mad that he almost coughed up blood. The feeling he experienced was impossible to describe, but suffice to say, he was now experiencing the full repercussions of incurring Naruto's wrath.

Patriarch Reliance watched as Naruto looked around. When his gaze came to fall on a stretch of short wall, Patriarch Reliance's heart began to race, and he furiously said, "You little bastard, you're too cruel! I didn't dispel your poison, that's all. I even gave you a reward. A low-grade Spirit Stone is still a Spirit Stone."

Naruto had inspected almost all of the restrictive spells for cracks. In this area, many of the restrictive spells were completely recovered.

He circled the area, his eyes flashing back and forth. Suddenly, he realized that Patriarch Reliance had stopped speaking. He had only taken about thirty percent of the treasures in the area, and most were medicinal plants. He still wanted to vent some anger, so he decided to make one more circle to check for damaged restrictive spells.

When he returned to the place he'd started from, he frowned. There didn't seem to be anything special in there. He looked around and noticed a stretch of short wall. When he started to walk toward it, Patriarch Reliance suddenly began talking again.

"Alright, alright. Naruto, you're my only heir." As Patriarch Reliance watched Naruto walking toward the short wall, he grew more and more anxious. But his anxiety couldn't be detected in his voice. He sounded somewhat emotional as he said, "I'll dispel your poison. Just wait three months. I'll break out and take care of it for you. Then you can give me my treasures back. What do you say? Don't worry, I always keep my word. This time, I'll swear it in the name of the Sect. I definitely won't deceive you."

Naruto stopped walking and looked down at the ground. His eyes flickered, and he didn't say anything. He walked around, seemingly lost in thought; eventually he drawing close to the short wall.

"I never said that I wasn't going to dispel the poison," said Patriarch Reliance. He let out a sigh. "It's just that dispelling the poison would require quite a sacrifice of my Cultivation base. I would have to spend a lot of the energy I had just absorbed." His voice seemed to be deep and profound, but in actuality, as he saw Naruto nearing the short wall, his heart was filled with acute nervousness.

Naruto was silent. After the space of several breaths, he suddenly spoke.

"Why did you start talking when I began walking toward this wall, Patriarch? And why did you suddenly mention dispelling my poison? Could it be that there is some special treasure hidden here?" As the words came out of his mouth, Patriarch Reliance's eyes went wide. He realized he had said the wrong things. He secretly cursed Naruto for being so crafty.

"I'm just trying to do the right thing," said Patriarch Reliance with a cold harrumph. "Look kid, you…" Before he could finish speaking, Naruto jumped over the wall.

This filled Patriarch Reliance with fear and trepidation. His heart began to pound and his face fell. After leaping over the wall, Naruto looked around. As it turned out, there was a restrictive spell here.

It didn't look very special. Sealed inside was a jade slip. As for the restrictive spell, it was not complete; it still had some cracks in it. Naruto had no idea what the jade slip was, but without hesitation, he flicked his sleeve, stabbing the two wooden swords into the spell. He pried open a hole, then used the bag of the Cosmos to retrieve the jade slip.

Seeing the jade slip disappear into Naruto's bag caused Patriarch Reliance to emit a shrill shriek. The ground shook so hard it seemed it might crack. Before, Patriarch Reliance had been upset to see Naruto taking his treasures, but this fury was much more intense.

"Naruto, you cannot take that jade slip away! Even I don't dare to go near it. It belongs to a friend who left it here for safe keeping. You do not have the latent talent or the destiny to touch it! Do not remove it!"

Paying him no heed, he leaped onto a flying sword and flashed toward the vortex exit. At the same time, he slapped the bag of the Cosmos and pulled out the jade slip. Pressing it against his forehead, he cast some spiritual power into it. His expression changed as three characters appeared in his mind, filled with a Demonic aura.

"Demon Sealing Sect…."

"Naruto, you little bastard, get back here! You wait until I break through this seal. Then you're finished!" Patriarch Reliance let out a furious howl.

As the howl echoed out, Naruto's eyes flashed. He stopped at the mouth of the vortex, and then looked back down.

His eyes began to glitter. When Patriarch Reliance saw this, his heart began to thump again, and a strange premonition filled his heart. In his heart, in his mind, Naruto looked like nothing more than out-and-out thief.

* * *

"Break through the seal?" Naruto's eyes glittered as he glanced down at the seven oil lamps on the ground. He looked at them for a moment, then shot toward them.

He ignored the howls of Patriarch Reliance. After pillaging all the previous treasures, he was now certain that the Patriarch wouldn't be coming out.

"What are you doing!?" In his subterranean chamber, Patriarch Reliance's fury rose to new heights. However, seeing the look on Naruto's face, fear blossomed in his heart. He was starting to regret having let Naruto go. The look in his eyes was even stronger than the look which had appeared when Naruto began to steal his treasures.

Ignoring Patriarch Reliance, who he now knew was completely unreliable, Naruto stared at the seven lamps. He walked slowly around them, looking contemplative.

Every step he took seemed to land directly onto Patriarch Reliance's heart.

"It doesn't matter," Patriarch Reliance said in an attempt to comfort himself. "This little bastard is only at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. He can't take any of the spiritual energy from the demonic lamps…." His eyes went wide when he saw Naruto, after making a few circles around the lamps, sit down cross-legged to meditate.

Naruto sat there, his eyes flashing. He seemed hesitant, but before long, determination filled his eyes.

"Patriarch Reliance deceived me. Taking a few of his precious treasures isn't enough to calm me down. I'm going to take this spiritual energy as well. Then I will finally be able to relax." Naruto gritted his teeth when he thought about the single low-grade Spirit Stone the Patriarch had given him. And then there was the matter of the poison. As far as Naruto was concerned, not dispelling the poison had shoved him onto a road of hopelessness.

"Treasured items can't absorb the spiritual energy from the seven lamps, because they aren't sentient…. Fine, I'll absorb it myself!" He suddenly closed his eyes and rotated his Cultivation base, attempting to breath in the spiritual energy pouring out of the burning oil lamps.

But no matter how he tried to absorb the spiritual energy, as soon as it left the oil lamps, it was sucked into the ground. Deep in his subterranean chamber, Patriarch Reliance let out a great sigh of relief.

"Naruto, you little punk, whatever you try will be useless. Do you really dare to try to steal my spiritual power?" Patriarch Reliance let out a hearty, although somewhat bitter, laugh. When it reached Naruto's ears, he frowned for a moment. Then his face became calm again.

"No need to get antsy, Patriarch," he said coolly. "I've only just begun."

Patriarch Reliance stared in shock.

Naruto's eyes, which he had just closed, moved about as he recalled the image of his battle with Gato, and Neji's pearl which had enabled him to reach the tenth level of Chakra Condensation.

This was the method he wished to employ. He would return to the tenth level of Chakra Condensation. Even though the incredible power of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation left him cut off from heaven and earth, Naruto wanted to see if it could enable him to absorb the spiritual power of the lamps.

The legendary tenth level of Chakra Condensation had existed in ancient times, but was now prohibited by the Heavens, cut off. But Naruto… had reached the tenth level once before… he had walked the severed path.

As he gathered his thoughts and his breath, his body gradually seemed to grow withered. The slender strand of Spiritual Sense in his head seemed to fill his thoughts. He sank into a strange and unusual state as he focused his entire being on remembering what it had been like to enter the tenth level of Chakra Condensation.

Time slipped by. A day, two days, then three. Patriarch Reliance was growing more nervous. He couldn't quite tell what Naruto was doing, but could tell that his body was changing in a very strange way.

"Just what are you doing?" he asked hesitantly, as he came to realize that he was unable to discern what Naruto was up to.

On the night of the third day, a tremor shook Naruto. His eyes opened, and his body began to tremble violently. Once again he felt power filling his body; he now could employ force strong enough to topple a mountain. At the same time, the powerful gravitational force once again appeared within him, and he was cut off from heaven and earth!

At the moment, he couldn't absorb any of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. His eyes glowing, he slowly stood up, fighting to remain in this state. He knew that without Neji's pearl, he could only hold on for the space of about ten breaths, after which he would sink back down.

He took a deep breath and then took a step forward. As his foot fell, the spiritual power emanating from the lamps quivered. Then, one tiny strand, instead of being sucked into the ground, drifted toward Naruto and was absorbed into his body.

When he saw this, Naruto's eyes shone even brighter. As for Patriarch Reliance, his body trembled and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"Holy crap!" he cried. "This is impossible! That's… the tenth level of Chakra Condensation! Dammit. Wasn't the path to the tenth level severed by the current will of the Heavens? You, you, you…. You got to the tenth level of Chakra Condensation?!"

Patriarch Reliance let out a miserable cry as he watched Naruto take three more steps forward. About ten percent of the spiritual energy from the lamps rushed toward him. As he absorbed it, Patriarch Reliance howled even louder. "How is it possible? The damned tenth level of Chakra Condensation isn't that awesome, but it was prohibited because it has the power to steal good fortune from the Heavens. If it's strong enough to do that, then as for my spiritual energy… Dammit. And what about my Demon Sealing Jade? Back then, those old bastards said that it could only be taken and used by someone who had reached the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation. This, this…."

After three steps, Naruto's body began to tremble, and he couldn't go any further. Boundless spiritual energy from the lamps rushed into him. Panting, he sat down and began to meditate, absorbing tremendous amount of spiritual energy. Patriarch Reliance could only howl angrily.

The gravitational force inside him was astonishing, like a starving wolf who hadn't eaten for years. Vast quantities of spiritual energy were sucked into him, and as it was, his body began to tremble more and more violently. He felt his physical body growing tougher and more powerful. It seemed as if even his bones were absorbing spiritual energy and becoming stronger.

The ancient tenth level of Chakra Condensation was a stage of refinement for the physical body. Now here, in Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's Cave, he was seizing fortune for himself and entering this ancient state.

This level required lots of spiritual energy. Heaven and earth would not give it, but Patriarch Reliance had prepared a Nascent Soul and six Cores as fuel, and life force as flame. The spiritual energy pouring out of the demonic lamps was the nutrition that Naruto needed.

"Naruto! Stop! Stop! Let's discuss things a bit. I need that spiritual energy. I really, really need it. DO NOT absorb it! Dammit, cut it out, Naruto. That's my spiritual energy. I went to a lot of trouble killing all those people to get it. My seal! Naruto, if you don't stop, then I will expel you from the Sect!" Flustered and exasperated, Patriarch Reliance had already forgotten about the treasures Naruto had taken, as well as the Demon Sealing Jade. You could say that all the things taken by Naruto before couldn't compare at all with this.

Naruto ignored him, continuing to absorb the spiritual energy like mad. His body continued to grow stronger. Soon, cracking sounds could be heard as his skin began to split and new flesh and blood grew.

More and more cracks spread out, and then the old flesh began to fall off. Naruto's hair grew longer, and his eyes brighter. The tenth level of Chakra Condensation was now completely solidified within his body!

He would never lose the tenth level again, it was there permanently. In addition to the power of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation, Naruto realized he had a new ability; if he wished, he could at will return to the ninth level of Chakra Condensation to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and then return back to the tenth level.

Some time passed, and Naruto's mind began to reel. The remnants of dried up flesh which remained on his body turned into ash and drifted away. His eyes glowed even brighter, and an incredible feeling of power filled Naruto. He was completely confident that with the power of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation, he could use a single fist… to crush anyone of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

This power was even stronger than what he had experienced when using Neji's pearl.

Naruto took a deep breath. He stood up, not to leave, but to take another step forward. He was now only five paces away from the seven oil lamps.

Panting furiously, Patriarch Reliance let loose a torrent of intense curses as he watched Naruto absorbing an even greater amount of spiritual energy. He had solidified his tenth level of Chakra Condensation, but instead of leaving, he moved on. Patriarch Reliance's heart pounded.

Now, thirteen percent of the spiritual energy emitted by the lamps was rushing toward Naruto. As the boundless amount of energy entered his body, a roaring sound filled him. His eyes were filled with determination. He took another step forward. He was now only four paces from the oil lamps.

The flames flickered as even more spiritual energy flew toward Naruto. As of now, he was taking sixteen percent!

"The gravitational force within me is not dispersing, it's actually growing stronger. Is it possible that… after the tenth level of Chakra Condensation, there's an eleventh level?" Gritting his teeth, he called upon the power of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation to take another step forward. He was now only three paces from the seven lamps. The flames within the lamps danced wildly as twenty percent of the spiritual energy they produced was sucked up by Naruto.

He took a deep breath, then sat down cross-legged to meditate.

* * *

"Naruto…." Patriarch Reliance ground his teeth. He felt quite grieved, and was even more regretful. If he had known things would turn out this way, he would have said some nicer things to Naruto.

How could he have imagined that Naruto would be so cruel? Forget his cruelty, he had a bag of the Cosmos! Forget his bag of the Cosmos, he had entered into the tenth level of Chakra Condensation!

The scene unfolding before him made him want to weep, except he had no tears to do so. He gnashed his teeth as an even further sense of trepidation filled his heart. He remembered the requirements of the Demon Sealing Jade; it could only be taken away and used by someone who had reached the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation. When those old bastards had said that back in the day, his heart had filled with contempt. He'd believed that he could prevent the legacy of the Demon Sealing Sect from continuing on to future generations. But, now that he saw Naruto passing into the eleventh level, his trembling heart filled with anxiety.

Unfortunately for him, there was nothing he could do other than grit his teeth and continue to absorb as much spiritual energy as possible. He needed to get more than Naruto did, and be faster at doing so. He needed the esoteric compass in front of him to be completely repaired, and prevent Naruto from advancing any further.

The spiritual energy being sucked into the ground and absorbed into the esoteric compass was bright red in color. It seemed as if it were sucking something out of the very earth it passed through.

"Dammit, Naruto. All I did was give you a low-grade Spirit Stone and not dispel your poison. Haven't you gone far enough? Haven't you? I'm still your Patriarch after all." Patriarch Reliance felt profoundly wronged.

As for Naruto, a roaring sound filled his entire body. With twenty percent of the lamps' spiritual energy being absorbed into him, his body was trembling, and he felt himself changing. The change was occurring to his Core sea. It grew larger, and as it did, his Chakra passageways grew thicker. A bang rang out in his head, and he felt the sensation of breaking through to another level.

The eleventh level of Chakra Condensation!

His Core sea spread out to fill his entire body. This type of Core sea really was impossible for someone of the Chakra Condensation stage. Its majesty would ensure unending future growth and fighting power.

It would be more difficult for Naruto to reach Foundation Establishment with such a Core sea but… if he succeeded, then he would be twice as powerful as someone of the same stage!

The eleventh level of Chakra Condensation does not refine the body, but the Core sea!

The extent of his Core sea caused Naruto's body to be filled with a thunderous sound. Spiritual energy as boundless as a sea filled him. The waves of the Core sea crashed and churned limitlessly.

Naruto opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The sound of the intake of his breath was like a clap of thunder. He stood up, his eyes gleaming with persistence. He took another step forward. Then two. Then three!

He now stood directly next to the seven oil lamps, close enough to touch them. He was absorbing thirty percent of their spiritual energy.

Thirty percent might not sound like a lot, but it would be impossible for Naruto were it not for the abilities of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation. That was the stage of Chakra Condensation that could steal good fortune from the Heavens, after all.

"Naruto, aren't you finished yet…." Patriarch Reliance watched Naruto take his three steps forward, his anxiety increased even more. If Naruto reached the twelfth level, he would be only one step away from being able to use the Demon Sealing Jade.

"Many thanks for your help, Patriarch," said Naruto calmly. "I'll be finished soon." He closed his eyes and began to absorb more spiritual energy into his body. His body shook as he stepped into the twelfth level of Chakra Condensation.

Since ancient times, no one had ever entered… the twelfth level of Chakra Condensation.

The instant he did so, Naruto felt a severe pain in his mind. His Spiritual Sense didn't go anywhere. But he felt as if his mind were being split in two. Now he felt… something like a stream within his mind.

This was… the Sea of Perception!

In modern times, Cultivators who broke through from the Chakra Condensation into Foundation Establishment would form a Sea of Perception from nothing. Usually, this type of Sea of Perception would not be very large. It had nothing to do with latent talent, but rather with the method used. Obviously, the larger the Sea of Perception, the more power it could wield, and the more boundless the Cultivator's Spiritual Sense would be.

In ancient times, Cultivators preferred to break through to Foundation Establishment in the twelfth level of Chakra Condensation. This is because the twelfth level is when the Sea of Perception opens up. By practicing Cultivation in this fashion, the Sea of Perception would be far more powerful than others of the Foundation Establishment stage.

In the modern Cultivation world, Naruto was the first Cultivator to ever enter the twelfth level of Chakra Condensation. If news of this spread, it would shake the entire Cultivation world.

At the moment, Patriarch Reliance was shaken. He stared dumbly at Naruto, able to watch unimpeded as Naruto's previous ninth level of Chakra Condensation now rose to the twelfth. He didn't know what to say.

"….In ancient times," he muttered, "the legends said that the great circle of Chakra Condensation could be completed at the thirteenth level. But even in ancient times, such a thing was rarely seen. It was said that the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation was related to the good fortune of Heaven, and…. could change the latent talent of a Cultivator! It wouldn't change much. But latent talent is birthed from the Heavens, so even the slightest change would definitely be a defiance of the Heavens.

"I don't remember how many years ago it was that the old bastards from the Demon Sealing Sect boasted that I was incredibly lucky… but compared to me, this kid is the lucky one. Dammit, he's too lucky! How could I have possibly provoked this reaction!"

As Patriarch Reliance spoke, Naruto opened his eyes. They shined with a profound light. He felt splitting pain within his head, but within that pain, he also could sense an unprecedented clearness.

The world seemed different when he looked at it, although he couldn't quite tell which particular things weren't the same. It was as if everything now shone with radiances that he had never noticed before.

At this time, the massive gravitational power seemed on the verge of dissipating, as if his body knew that he was reaching his absorption limit.

Soon, the amount of spiritual energy he was absorbing from the oil lamps dropped from thirty percent to twenty, and then to ten.

This caused Naruto to frown. He could tell that his Cultivation base had not reached its peak…. he could sense that there was another layer beyond his current layer. He could feel the great circle of Chakra Condensation.

It was a powerful feeling, but as the gravitational power grew weaker and weaker, it seemed as though that next level would be forever closed off to him.

"Haha, it's like I said," laughed Patriarch Reliance, his eyes glittering. "The thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation was even rare in ancient times. It was such a thing of legends that you could basically say it didn't exist. The twelfth level is the limit. Naruto, there's no need to try any further. Quickly, back away. Don't get in the way of my master plan. If you do, then just wait till I get out of here and see how I mop the floor with you! You need a spanking, you little bastard!" Even though Naruto had sucked away some of the spiritual energy, it actually wasn't very much. There was still enough left to accomplish his master plan. And if Naruto didn't reach the thirteenth level, then there was no way for him to have the required latent talent to use the Demon Sealing Jade.

"Seems this kid's good fortune isn't that amazing after all," said Patriarch Reliance complacently. But then, Naruto's eyes flickered. He had a stubborn personality. Now that he had reached the twelfth level of Chakra Condensation and caught a glimpse of the next level, he would do everything possible to break through.

"The gravitational power is weakening…. How can I continue to add spiritual energy…" Naruto's mind spun with thousands of possibilities until finally his eyes began to glitter and he smacked his bag of holding. The two wooden swords whistled out.

He looked at them, then gritted his teeth and caused one of them to fly straight toward himself. Patriarch Reliance watched on in astonishment as the sword slashed Naruto. Soon, over ten gaping wounds covered his body.

Naruto clenched his jaw as the sword slashed the bloody marks across him. His eye shone with determination. As the blood splashed from the wounds, Naruto felt the spiritual power in his body seeping out as well.

This was exactly what he wanted!

As the spiritual power leaked out of his body, the gravitational power within him suddenly trembled, then gradually grew stronger. When this happened, Naruto's mind was set. Taking control of the second sword, he sent both of them flying around him, slashing his body with wound after wound. In the blink of an eye, nearly one hundred cuts covered his flesh.

The wounds sent the physical power of his body into action, and at the same time caused the gravitational power within him to grow more and more powerful.

Patriarch Reliance was simply dumbstruck. He could never in his wildest dreams imagine that Naruto would use such a method. When he saw the multitude of bloody wounds, and the determination in Naruto's eyes, it gave him a deep sense of how ruthless Naruto could be. If he could treat himself with such cruelty, how ruthlessly could he treat others?!

The more wounds that covered him, the stronger the gravitational force became. The amount of spiritual energy he siphoned from the lamps jumped from ten percent to forty. And yet, even though the spiritual energy poured into his body, he couldn't break through to that next level.

After some time passed, Naruto laughed. With a cold smile, he raised his right hand, causing one of the wooden swords to whistle around and fly toward his chest. It stabbed through him, sending out fountains of blood. Blood also sprayed out of his mouth. Instantly, the spiritual power in his body dropped by a huge percentage. This, in turn, caused the gravitational power to climb higher by several percentages.

By now, he was absorbing fifty percent of the spiritual energy coming from the seven oil lamps.

A booming sound rang out. Filled with boundless spiritual energy, Naruto launched everything at the barrier between the levels. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and the wooden swords once again slashed through his body. The spiritual energy from the seven lamps surged; as of now, Naruto was sucking away seventy percent of it!

It was in this way that Naruto launched his attack from the twelfth level of Chakra Condensation into the thirteenth.

Time slipped by. More wounds appeared on his body, a product of Naruto's ruthlessness. Soon, his body began to tremble and his vision grew blurry. He was now absorbing ninety percent of the spiritual energy from the seven oil lamps. It was as if he were bathing in thick, pure spiritual energy.

"You're going to kill yourself…." Patriarch Reliance watched the scene, his breathing agitated. Naruto's stubbornness left him reeling.

"I will become powerful! There's no reason. I must become powerful!" Naruto began to lose consciousness, but his stubbornness wouldn't allow him. Despite his current condition, he wouldn't even think of giving up. He continued to murmur to himself, that he, must, become, powerful!

Naruto MUST break through to the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation.

"This is his Dao…" Patriarch Reliance took a deep breath, finally understanding.

* * *

Boom!

The two wooden swords stabbed simultaneously through Naruto's body, sending showers of blood flying out. The flame of Naruto's life force was growing dimmer. However, the gravitational force within him had grown to an unprecedented height. It was so strong that it seemed as if it might be able to suck in everything around him. It was as if regardless of whatever obstacle faced him, regardless of whatever danger he was in, nothing could block his path to becoming a powerful expert.

The gravitational force seemed to be affecting Naruto's stupor. His mind expanded into boundlessness.

Patriarch Reliance looked at him and murmured, "This is… stealing good fortune from the Heavens!"

At the moment, Naruto's desire to be powerful had fused with his Cultivation base, a stubbornness which belonged to the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation; he would steal from the Heavens; he would defy the Heavens to change his life force.

A thunderous boom sounded out as the full and complete spectrum of spiritual energy from the seven oil lamps poured into Naruto. As it entered his body, it became his blade with which to attack and break through the level gap.

It was the combined power of six Core Formation Cultivators and one Nascent Soul Cultivator. But that was only part of it. The most important part of his attack, the truest part, was his stubborn desire to become powerful. This desire was completely in line with the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation, which had been rejected by the Heavens. This was what forged his thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation!

Amidst the roaring, the level gap disintegrated. The instant it did, Naruto, bathed as he was in inexhaustible spiritual energy, felt his Cultivation base soaring up from the twelfth level to the thirteenth level. He had now become the first Cultivator since ancient times to complete the great circle of Chakra Condensation.

In that instant, the latent talent in Naruto which enabled him to practice Cultivation, suddenly changed. There was no sound or any other indication that it had happened. Even Naruto was only vaguely aware of the change. However, if an outsider were to examine his current latent talent, they would see that it was no longer average, as it had been in the past. Although he couldn't be considered Chosen, his latent talent was now much higher.

From time immemorial, no one had ever been able to change their own latent talent. No heavenly material or earthly treasure had the power to change the destiny appointed by the Heavens. And yet today, Naruto had done just that!

He was the first person since ancient times to complete the great circle of Chakra Condensation, as well as the first person to change his latent talent. This was a new beginning, a fresh start on the path to becoming a powerful expert.

The instant he completed the great circle of Chakra Condensation, all of the wounds in his body healed instantly. Immersed in spiritual energy, his body had experienced another rebirth.

You could even say that Naruto himself had been reborn anew.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Naruto's eyes flashed open. The surrounding spiritual energy once again began to surge down into the earth. Now that he had completed the great circle of Chakra Condensation, the gravitational force within him was completely gone.

Having witnessed Naruto's transformation with his own eyes, Patriarch Reliance was left speechless.

Even more astonishing was that after Naruto opened his eyes, he reached out with his right hand and picked up one of the seven oil lamps. This was the lamp which contained Lord Revelation's Nascent Soul. After picking it up, he turned, and his body turned into a beam of light as he shot toward the vortex exit.

"You, you, you… aren't you afraid of getting burned to death!?" Patriarch Reliance sat in a daze for a moment, and then started cursing again as he watched Naruto disappear through the vortex.

"You little bastard! You're shameless! You people from the Demon Sealing Sect are all bastards! Shameless to the extreme!" He paced back and forth furiously, letting out a torrent of howls.

As soon as Naruto left through the vortex, the Immortal's Cave began to seal up behind him. Only a rapidly closing fissure remained, from which emanated the stench of death.

Within the Southern Domain, outside of the Five Elements Nation, was a bordering nation called the State of Revelation. The land itself wasn't much different from that of the Five Elements Nation, but its people were somewhat bizarre.

Whereas the Five Elements Nation revered the Eastern Lands, the State of Revelation did not. They did not pay obeisance to the Sky country, but rather, the mysteries of the Heavens. Therefore, all the Sects within the State of Revelation were branches of the Revelation Sect.

In the mysterious eastern regions of the State of Revelation were three mountain ranges which wound back and forth like twisting dragons. One particular mountain peak had the appearance of two dragon heads locked in combat. This was the pinnacle of the State of Revelation. Mist curled around the peak, on top of which was a bell. Once per year, the bell would toll, and the echoes would reverberate out for three days.

Beneath the bell was a forest of ornate buildings. This was none other than… the most powerful Sect in the nation, the Revelation Sect!

Atop the main gate of the Revelation Sect sat a Cultivator who wore black robes. He was very old, and had the demeanor of a transcendent being. In the memories of the disciples of the Revelation Sect, it had been a very, very long time since he had sat down there in meditation. No matter how the wind and rain buffeted him, no matter how many years passed by, he sat there like a rock, eternally still.

Many disciples didn't even know who he was. Considering how he sat cross-legged in meditation underneath the Revelation Bell, he was clearly an Elder of the Sect. However, whenever the powerful experts of the Sect looked at him, their eyes would fill with intense looks of veneration.

At the moment, the Revelation Sect was filled with the uninterrupted sound of disciples chanting scriptures. The sound formed an invisible force which drifted about, then slowly congealed at the top of the mountain, where there seemed to be some type of vortex. The vortex would slowly suck in the power of the chanting.

This was something that only Cultivators could see. The chanting of the Revelation Sect disciples rose up and then merged into the Revelation Bell. In fact, the bell seemed to be sucking in, not just the chanting of the Cultivators, but the prayers of everyone in the entire nation.

At this moment, the old man who had been sitting under the Revelation Bell for seemingly an eternity, began to tremble, and then coughed up a mouthful of blood. Suddenly, the bell tolled, its sound echoing into the sky and sounding out through the entire State of Revelation.

The disciples within the Revelation Sect were shocked. The Sect Elders and powerful experts instantly opened their eyes from meditation. One by one, they turned into prismatic beams which shot toward the Revelation Bell.

When they arrived, they saw the black-robed old man sitting there, his eyes wide open.

"Greetings, Patriarch!"

"Patriarch, are you in good health?" Dozens of Cultivators surrounded him, bowing respectfully with clasped hands.

The black-robed old man's eyes flashed as if with lightning. His left pupil blazed with an intense brightness and looked like the sun, whereas his right pupil exuded darkness and had the appearance of a crescent moon. The two pupils were completely different. One look at this man, and you would never be able to forget him.

When he opened his eyes, it seemed as if his forehead had split, and another eye appeared. However, this was an eye invisible to others. The only thing an observer would see was a blood-red glow. Above him, storm clouds began to gather, and a fierce wind whipped about.

"Patriarch Reliance! You destroyed my clone and refused my good intentions. You're… You're finished! I'm not the only one with a few tricks up my sleeve. What do you have to fall back on, your trifling Spirit Severing? You truly dare to arouse the wrath of the Dawn Immortal?!" The old man's face was grim. He slapped his hand onto the ground, and the mountain peak trembled. Ripples shook the ground, sending the surrounding Cultivators retreating in shock.

At the same time as the mountain began to shake, the Revelation Bell sounded out, then rose up into the air. Surrounding the bell were countless magical symbols which flew and twisted about, glowing brightly. The glow was nearly blinding, and spread out throughout the entire State of Revelation.

"The Demonic forces are descending! It is exactly as our ancestors divined! This shall prove to be a calamity for Heaven and Earth, but also a chance for Revelation to rise! I shall take back my clone's Nascent Soul, and then we will see if Patriarch Reliance still dares to be arrogant!"

Of course, this black-robed man was none other than Lord Revelation. His clone had been consumed by Patriarch Reliance, and this was his true self. As he spoke, he stood and flew up into the sky. He snatched up the enormous Revelation Bell and then transformed into a multicolored rainbow and shot toward the Five Elements Nation, radiating killing intent.

Meanwhile, within the Five Elements Nation, a buzzing sound could be heard within the ancestral hall of the Cold Wind Sect. With a strange look on his face, the disciple on duty pushed open the door. When he looked inside, his entire body began to shake, and a look of astonishment and intense dread appeared on his face.

Within the ancestral hall, the life slips of various Sect Cultivators were neatly lined up on display. Suddenly, the life slips belonging to the Sect's Core Formation Priest as well as Elder Taishang began to crack and crumble!

This meant that the Core Formation Priest and Elder Taishang had died!

Furthermore, the slips belonging to the Foundation Establishment Elders fell apart. When this happened, the disciple on ancestral hall guard duty shook. A look of disbelief filled his face.

When the Core Formation Priest had departed with the others, he'd left behind a Foundation Establishment Elder to guard the Sect. When that man learned of the news, his face went pale, and he immediately ordered that no one be told. He knew that if something like this happened to a Sect, if its Core Formation experts were killed, it was nothing other than a catastrophe. It would likely lead to the downfall of the entire Sect. For almost all of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators to be wiped out would only hasten the fall.

"What happened in Patriarch Reliance's meditation zone?!" The Foundation Establishment Elder immediately gathered a group of Chakra Condensation disciples and sent them in the direction of the Reliance Sect.

Next, trying to calm his mind, he took hold of a special horn that hadn't been sounded out for hundreds of years.

This horn had a name: Horn of the Dao.

Sounding the Horn of the Dao would awaken the Sect's Dao Reserves!

Every Clan and Sect had Dao Reserves, which would be passed down from generation to generation. For the three great Sects, their Dao Reserves would generally consist of a Sect Patriarch who had failed in reaching the Nascent Soul stage, but postponed death by resting in suspended animation in a Pseudo Nascent Soul condition. Only they would be able to suppress the panic that would arise because of the impending catastrophe.

When the horn call sounded out in the Cold Wind Sect, it reached the ears of an old withered man sitting cross-legged in a top-secret Immortal's Cave. He looked dead; his body was so emaciated it was little more than skin and bones. But when he heard the call of the horn, his eyes opened.

His Spiritual Sense instantly roared out, enveloping the entire Cold Wind Sect. When it entered the body of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the man began to tremble, and a look of pain appeared on his face. He was filled with a powerful feeling that seemed as if it could obliterate him. This was Spiritual Sense, which was being used to rifle through his memories.

After a while, the Spiritual Sense departed, and the Foundation Establishment Cultivator fell to the ground panting, his body limp and his face pale. He knew that if he wasn't of the Foundation Establishment stage, the memory search that had just been performed on him would have killed him.

A profound voice echoed out throughout the Cold Wind Sect. "Take my Freezing Jade and seal off all the mountains around the Reliance Sect. Do not let anyone out of the region. I will be awake in a few hours. In the meantime, you go search the area for any clues." The Foundation Establishment Cultivator immediately struggled to his feet, then clasped his fists and bowed deeply.

An ice-cold piece of blue jade flew into his hand.

Similar scenes played out in the Winding Stream Sect and the Upright Evening Sect. When the life slips belonging to their Priests and Elders crumbled, they all used their Sects' Dao Reserves.

As of this moment, the Cultivation world of the Five Elements Nation had been thrown into an uproar.

* * *

Patriarch Reliance sat in his sealed meditation zone, the flames of his fury rising to the heavens. He cursed continuously in anger and pain. Regarding Naruto, the Patriarch had a somewhat helpless feeling. After all, he was the Reliance Sect's only heir….

"That little bastard is just too ruthless. I'm his Patriarch! First he steals half my treasures, then takes away my Demon Sealing Jade. After that, he robs me of my spiritual energy, and then shamelessly pillages one of my demonic lamps!" He was nearly out of breath from cursing. When he thought of the ancient demonic lamp, he suddenly looked worried.

"Okay, so I didn't dispel the poison, that's true, but that doesn't mean you can act like this! An upright person should be reasonable. When I stole treasures from people, I discussed things with them reasonably first.

"He really reached the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation. All those years ago those bastards said that the Demon Sealing Jade couldn't be taken away by someone who hadn't reached the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation…. Originally I thought they were just trying to make it sound mysterious, and was really happy. Obviously, those old bastards tricked me. If the Demon Sealing Jade couldn't be taken away, then even if my plan worked, I wouldn't be able to break the seal. But… wow! He actually reached the thirteenth level! And the little bastard took it away! I can feel that… the seal is weakening!

"I might be missing one of the demonic lamps, which reduces the chances of opening the Demonic Seal, but still, it's been unstable for years now. And now, it's showing even more signs of weakness… Holy crap, how come the Cultivators of the Demon Sealing Sect always deceive me!? Those bastards were like this years ago, and now the little bastard is the same…" Patriarch Reliance ground his teeth, but as he thought about all this, he remembered Naruto throwing his words back at him. Then he thought of his stubbornness in reaching the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation, and couldn't help but sigh.

"This kid really does things in line with my style. I didn't want to put myself in a bad position that time; you deceived me, I deceived you. The old bastards from the Demon Sealing Sect didn't tell the truth. They thought that if they ran away, I couldn't get at them. Well, maybe that was true, but at least I could change the name from Demon Sealing Sect to Reliance Sect. I couldn't deceive them, but I could deceive their descendants…. Dammit, if I'd known Naruto would reach the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation and then get the required latent talent to take away the Demon Sealing Jade, I would have just dispelled his poison and sent him on his way as fast as possible. Then he would never have had the chance to reach the thirteenth level. But if that happened, then I probably would never have the chance to open the seal, right?" Patriarch Reliance was somewhat at a loss. Even though he was upset, he could only sigh and feel torn.

Patriarch Reliance had a very eccentric personality and was not easy to get along with. Naruto didn't know that, of course. In fact, before the Sect had been disbanded, no one else had known either. Only the people who were of the same generation as Patriarch Reliance could know of such matters. To them, the mere mention of Patriarch Reliance would arouse feelings of hatred.

But you cannot use normal methods to analyze people with eccentric personalities. For example, even though Naruto robbed his treasures, stole his spiritual energy, took away one of his demonic lamps and angered him to the point of driving him crazy, he actually felt admiration for him. This type of thing is not something that ordinary people can understand.

Actually, if Naruto had just silently left, then Patriarch Reliance would have forgotten about him completely within a couple years. But acting as he did had left a deep impression on Patriarch Reliance. He would never be able to forget the complicated, torn feelings he was experiencing.

Outside of the Reliance Sect, in the Five Elements Nation, it was a warm and sunny day. However, storm clouds were brewing on the horizon. Naruto's face was calm as he sat cross-legged on his treasured fan. He soared forward at high speed.

He had lowered his Cultivation base back to the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. He wouldn't reveal the great circle of Chakra Condensation unless he needed to. Even though his achievements were significant, the poisons in his body had not been dispelled. It was like a fishbone stuck in his throat. He sat in silent contemplation, trying to figure how to get rid of the poison.

"Of the four poisons, I was able to get rid of one. Ignoring the poison from the three-colored poison pill, the other poisons will be easy to dispel…. I need to figure out the fastest way to find the poison dispelling pills." Regarding everything that had happened with Patriarch Reliance, Naruto's hatred and anger had already subsided.

He glided along, and before long thunder and lightning filled the sky; big raindrops the size of beans fell down. The land was covered with sheets of rain, making everything look dim and hazy.

It was raining now, but the general temperature was as hot as ever. The heat was stifling enough to make it difficult to breathe. Only within the rain could a bit of coolness be felt.

Amidst the heavy rain, Naruto stopped gliding and stood atop a mountain top. Looking off into the distance, he pushed the rain away so that it wouldn't fall onto him. It was like he was standing in his own land, separate from the rest of the murky world.

He looked out at the earth surrounding him and thought of all his experiences over the past years. He had completed the great circle of Chakra Condensation, which seemed like something from a dream. After thinking about everything for a long time, he sighed.

"I wonder… I wonder how elder sister Hinata is doing now," he said softly as her face appeared in his mind. He looked off in the direction he supposed was the center of the Southern Domain.

He lifted up his right hand, and a jade slip appeared. The jade slip was carved with mountains and rivers, and was covered with cracks. It looked as if it might crumble at any moment.

This was what Patriarch Reliance had called a good luck charm, which he had found at the bottom of the mountain of Spirit Stones. He looked at it closely, then sent a bit of his spiritual energy into it. There was no reaction.

Muttering to himself, he put the good luck charm back and then pulled out the palm-sized black flag. There appeared to be a spark of energy moving about inside it. Muttering to himself again, he opened his mouth and blew out some Chakra from his Cultivation base, sending it into the flag.

"This item isn't sealed to Patriarch Reliance, so I can use it. I'll need to refine it a bit before I can use its full power, though…." He infused it with some more Chakra before putting it back.

Next, he carefully brought out the burning oil lamp, within which was a tiny figure sitting cross-legged. When Naruto pulled out the burning Nascent Soul, streams of spiritual energy once again roiled out.

Flames appeared in front of his eyes, but he didn't feel any heat. However, he knew that it was powerful. After all, the flame was life force and the Nascent Soul was the fuel.

"This item will be extremely useful. I can use it as a life-saving treasure!" Eager to the extreme, Naruto tucked it back into the bag of the Cosmos.

At last, he pulled out the ancient jade piece. It carried a sense of profound ancientness, as if it had existed for countless ages.

Naruto looked at it, heart thumping. He sent some spiritual energy into it, upon which three characters appeared in his head. "Demon Sealing Sect…."

Some mnemonics also appeared, which he couldn't quite see clearly. Only the first three characters were legible.

He poured a greater amount of spiritual energy into it, whereupon a roaring sound filled his head. He involuntarily took a few steps back and immediately stopped forcing spiritual energy into it. He could tell that someone who hadn't completed the great circle of Chakra Condensation would only be able to see the three characters and a bit beyond that. As of now, he was only able to read the first line.

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon." Naruto's body trembled and suddenly his vision cleared. The rain was currently falling on him, soaking him.

A strange light filled his eyes. He looked back down silently at the jade slip. In his head, images appeared of the Demonic technique used by Patriarch Reliance, and the Demonic magic Gato had used to control the aura of Mount Myōboku.

After contemplating for a long time, he still didn't understand. He sat down cross-legged, again pouring some spiritual energy into the jade slip. Once more, he contemplated the words' deep meaning.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. The rain had come quickly, and it passed quickly. Naruto suddenly opened his eyes. Even as a child, he had been very smart. Even though he hadn't succeeded in his life as a scholar, once he entered the Reliance Sect, he had been very quick to grasp magical techniques. He didn't need to spend a lot of time practicing. In fact, this was the first time he had ever had trouble utilizing a mnemonic.

It was as if the mnemonic was something which required enlightenment to understand. Without enlightenment, it could only be observed from the outside, never entered.

"The words seem extremely complicated, their true meaning obscure. It's like trying to look at flowers in the midst of fog, or the moon on rippling seawater…." He pondered silently for a while, until a bright look appeared in his eyes. He lifted his head and gazed up at the sky, looking a bit hesitant.

More time passed. Finally, determination rose in his eyes. He leaped up, and a flying sword appeared beneath his feet as he shot off into the distance.

"If I can reach Foundation Establishment, then I can fly for long periods. That will be much better than this." The wind buffeted his face as he soared forward. After a while, the flying sword's momentum began to fade. Naruto dropped to the ground and continued to run.

Time passed slowly. The first time he had left these mountains, he had been at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, and it had taken him two days. Now, he was of the great circle of Chakra Condensation, and it only took about an hour. Soon, he was out of the mountains, and had reached the North Sea.

He stood once again on the shore, looking out at the lake. He took a deep breath, and then, face filled with sincerity, clasped his hands and bowed deeply two times.

The first bow was for the North Sea's kindness in demonstrating the Dao and helping him break through his bottleneck.

The second bow was for when the North Sea had helped him during his battle with Obito, when it had saved his life and caused him to be reborn.

"I've already made my promise two times, so I won't say it again. It has been imprinted onto my heart." He lifted his head, looking out toward the center of the lake. After some time, he closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged to meditate. In his mind, the mnemonic from the jade slip appeared.

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon." A long time passed, and the words continued to reverberate in his mind. And yet, he still did not understand what they meant.

More time passed as Naruto continued to try to decipher the meaning of the words. Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed out from across the lake.

"Young sir, do you want to cross the sea?"

Naruto lifted his head and saw a boat approaching. On the boat was an old man wearing a woven rush raincoat. Inside was a young girl, eight or nine years old, with big eyes. When she looked at Naruto, an innocent smile appeared on her face.

Naruto laughed, clasping hands and bowing to the old man and the girl. Then he leaped up onto a flying sword and shot toward them. He dropped down into the boat.

Just like before, there was a bottle of alcohol being warmed. The young girl took it out and poured a cup for Naruto, but didn't hand it to him. She put her chin onto her hands and looked at him.

"Why did you come back, Big Brother?" she said, her voice pure and clear. "Did you come to see Haku?

Naruto stared at her blankly.

"Haku is my name. But, you can't tell anybody, okay Big Brother?" She laughed and winked at Naruto, looking very charming.

Naruto smiled and cupped his hands again in a bow, then accepted the cup of alcohol.

The old man laughed as the boat continued on toward the center of the lake. He looked back at Naruto. "We haven't seen each other for many days. Young sir, your demeanor is much more refined than in the past. Are you heading for the other shore this time?"

"I of the junior generation am not here to cross the lake," Naruto said lightly, taking a sip of alcohol. "I'm here to clear up some confusion."

* * *

The old man put down the oar and looked back at Naruto. Laughing, he walked over, poured himself some alcohol, and then took a drink.

"Clear up what confusion?"

Naruto held his cup of alcohol and then softly said, "I'm confused about something I read. It said, '"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens….'" Shock suddenly covered the face of the old man. The blood drained from the face of the young girl. Waves suddenly surged across the North Sea, causing the boat to rock back and forth violently.

"Stop!" cried the old man. The cup of alcohol in his hand suddenly disappeared into a dark mist and he stared at Naruto.

Naruto gaped.

"Don't say that again. I can't explain those words to you. Neither can anyone else in heaven or earth. If you truly seek enlightenment, then enter the heart of the sea." He closed his mouth and looked at the young girl. Some time passed, and finally her countenance returned to normal. She gave a slight nod.

Naruto was silent for a while, before asking, "What do you mean by the heart of the sea?"

In a tone of voice which carried deep profundity, the old man said, "There are things which have been concealed at the bottom of the sea for a thousand years. That is the heart of the sea. If you seek an answer to your questions, perhaps you should also examine your own heart."

Naruto found himself lost in thought for a long time. When he finally looked up, his eyes widened in shock. There was no trace of the old man or the young girl. He was alone on the lake. In fact, the boat had disappeared too.

He stared blankly for a while, until his vision came to focus on a spot some distance away. There, on the far bank, a group of people was lowering a brand new boat into the water. It slowly entered the lake, and then laughter rang out. The sounds of the peoples' celebratory cheers surrounded the boat.

The boat slowly approached the center of the lake. Rowing it was a middle-aged man, accompanied by a woman and a child. Naruto watched as, day after day, year after year, he rowed back and forth across the lake. Many years passed, and the man grew old. The man's son grew up, and took over rowing the boat. Years and years passed. Generations and generations.

The boat, once brand new, slowly began to crack and grow old. It began to age.

Eventually it grew so dilapidated that it couldn't be repaired. Like a life that has reached its limit, it couldn't be forced to go on any further. It slowly sank to the bottom of the lake.

It had lived its life on the surface, and died at the bottom. Its existence had been on the waters of the lake, accompanying generation after generation of mortals who had created it. Other than them, the lake was its entire life.

In its life, the lake was its companion. No one could hear the voice of the lake, but it could. When it sank to the bottom, it died, but was also reborn.

At that moment, it awoke.

The moment it awoke, it saw a young girl standing at the bottom of the lake, smiling at him.

"Will you… accompany me forever?"

"I don't know how long forever is, but in my past life, I could hear your voice. Now that I've died… I want to accompany you. I want you to be part of my next life." At this moment it came to understand that… it was the spirit of the boat. Listening to the voice of the lake over the countless years had caused the boat's spirit to come into being.

Before dying, its life had been the waters of the lake. After death, its spirit would protect the lake forever, into eternity.

It was then that a boat once again appeared on the surface of the lake. Inside the boat was a young girl warming a bottle of alcohol. Together, they floated to and fro across the lake.

Naruto's mind shook as he saw all of this transpire in front of him. Everything grew blurry for a moment, and then came back into focus. He was once again in the boat. The old man was there in front of him, grinning at him and holding his cup of alcohol. The girl looked up at him, smiling, her chin resting in her hands.

The old man took a drink. "This is my heart. Do you understand… successor of the Demon Sealing Sect?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. Frustration shined in his eyes. He… did not understand.

"Don't search too hard for an answer. If you do, the answer you find might be false. At some point in your life, perhaps you will be able to find the answer. Don't give up." The old man looked at Naruto solemnly.

"Big Brother," said the young girl, "its aura … is beneath your feet. Don't provoke it. Remember… the great path of Demon Sealing…" Waves once again surged across the lake in all directions, great, tall waves that seemed to touch the sky. Everything turned dark amidst the thunderous roar. The boat sank into the water.

Naruto didn't leap out of the boat. Instead, he closed his eyes. After some time passed, he opened them, and found himself sitting cross-legged on the lakeshore. The lake was still. There were no waves and no boat. What that had just happened had been an illusion.

The girl had not appeared, nor had the old man. Everything had occurred in a dream.

"Its aura is beneath my feet…." Naruto's eyes shone with confusion. He looked down at his feet. He saw nothing but his shoes.

"The great path of Demon Sealing, a concept like a scripture." Naruto frowned, still unable to comprehend the meaning of the words. He slowly got to his feet, then clasped his hands and bowed a third time to the lake.

He looked out at the waters. "I don't understand today," he said softly, "but I will achieve enlightenment one day."

Waves suddenly rippled out upon the lake, seemingly in response to Naruto. Naruto was just about to leave, when suddenly his eyes flickered. Turning his head, he saw that off in the distance, several beams of light were flying toward him.

"Naruto!"

"So here you are. The Priest sent us searching for you!"

"Grab him, and then everything will be made clear!"

There were three flashing beams, and three Cultivators. One of them was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, the others were at the eighth. All three of them rode massive jade flutes. The two eighth-level Cultivators were known to Naruto. They were Goji and Jiro of the Winding Stream Sect, who had attempted to chase and kill Naruto before.

The person of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation was a young man of about thirty years of age. A cold, indifferent look covered his face as he stared at Naruto.

They were being followed by five more people who sped along on foot.

Naruto's expression was calm. He gave the people a glance, then ignored them, bowing once again to the North Sea. As he did, the eyes of Goji and Jiro flashed. Their hands flickered with incantation signs, and dark clouds began to accumulate in the sky, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

The young man of the ninth level slapped his bag of holding, and an enormous drum appeared. He beat the drum once. It emitted a thunderous boom which caused surrounding rocks and dirt to leap up into the air and fly toward Naruto.

At the same time, a lightning bolt shot toward Naruto. As it approached, he calmly made a fist and punched the lightning.

A boom echoed out as the it shattered, transforming into a multitude of sparks which then dissipated into the air. Naruto's eyes flashed.

"Are you looking to die?!" he shouted. He leaped forward, and a whistling flying sword appeared beneath his feet. He transformed into a multicolored beam of light as he shot toward the three people flying above him. At this moment, the mass of flying dirt and rocks was almost upon him. He punched a fist toward it.

The power of the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation, the great circle of Chakra Condensation, erupted within Naruto's body. He was now cut off from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. However, the approaching cloud of sand and stones was smashed into nothing by the power of his fist. A massive wind rose up. His three opponent's faces filled with shock as they felt a force like that of a mountain pushing against them.

They spat up blood, especially Goji and Jiro. Their jade flutes shattered, and they retreated, their faces filled with astonishment. Even as they moved backwards, two sword auras shot past them. Their heads flew into the sky, showering blood everywhere. Two Cultivators of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, dead in an instant.

Naruto turned and looked at the ninth-level Winding Stream Sect disciple. His face was pale and his body trembled as he retreated. The people on the ground had stopped moving, astonished expressions on their faces.

"What… what is the level of your Cultivation base!?" said the ninth-level Winding Stream Sect disciple, his heart trembling, disbelief covering his face. In his mind, someone of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation couldn't simply kill two eighth-level Cultivators in one instant. Perhaps he was… Foundation Establishment?

However, although Naruto emanated an enigmatic air, it was not the power of Foundation Establishment. Therefore, the Winding Stream Sect disciple was incredibly surprised and bewildered.

Even as the words came out of the man's mouth, Naruto moved forward, his face tranquil. Seeing this, the Winding Stream Sect disciple's heart began to race. He turned and fled.

Unfortunately for him, he was only of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Even if he could go a bit faster, his speed could never come close to matching Naruto, who was of the great circle of Chakra Condensation. He had barely begun to flee before Naruto was next to him. Naruto's fist descended.

The ninth-level disciple's pupils constricted, and a profound sense of life-and-death danger encompassed him. With a low shout, he slapped his bag of holding. Several flying swords appeared, as well as a drum and a jade slip covered with mystical carvings.

Naruto's expression did not change in the least bit. His fist continued to descend. The flying swords shattered into pieces. The drum made a crashing sound as it exploded. Next was… the jade slip.

This jade slip could withstand an attack from someone of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. But Naruto was of the great circle of Chakra Condensation. The jade slip was incapable of blocking him. It was shattered into tiny pieces.

None of these things were even slightly capable of providing a defense. The Winding Stream Sect disciple was now out of magical items. He watched wide-eyed as Naruto's fist came closer and closer, until it landed onto his chest.

A bang rang out. This Winding Stream Sect disciple was famous in his Sect, and was even known throughout the Five Elements Nation. But now, his chest sank in, and a fountain of blood shot out of his mouth. Like a kite whose string has been severed, he tumbled backwards twenty or thirty meters, dead.

From beginning to end, it took the space of a few breaths for Naruto to kill three people!

The rest of the Winding Stream Sect disciples on the ground had looks of profound fear written on their pale faces. It was hard to tell who fled first, because they scattered almost immediately. The only thought in their minds was: run!

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but inside he sighed. Because of the incident with Meizu, Naruto had learned the importance of leaving behind no witnesses. He knew that killing must be done resolutely. Even though he didn't want to, attacking… was a necessity.

The old Naruto would never have made a move against the fleeing people. But today was different. Naruto's eyes flashed. Ten flying swords flew out, infused with the power of the great circle of Chakra Condensation. The quality of the swords was poor, and incapable of containing such power, so they exploded, transforming into countless fragments, which continued to fly forward.

Blood-curdling screams rang out one after another. Each and every one of the fleeing Winding Stream Sect disciples dropped dead.

* * *

Fire Globe after Fire Globe descended onto the corpses. The reek of blood still filled the air, but it was soon overpowered by the stench of scorched flesh. The disgusting odor emanated out in all directions.

Naruto collected the bags of holding. He sniffed the air, then with one last silent look at the North Sea, turned and left.

"I can't stay in the Five Elements Nation any more… I need to leave." Naruto knew that if the Winding Stream Sect had appeared, then the rest of the three great Sects must also be aware of the deaths of their Priests and Elders. Soon, the mountains would be crawling with Chakra Condensation Cultivators seeking to determine how they had died.

Naruto frowned. Looking off into the distance, an image appeared in his mind, a map of the Southern Domain. On the other side of these mountains was a vast plain which was the border of the Five Elements Nation.

"It's not far, but things will get violent here very soon. I can't stay any longer." Naruto changed his direction. These mountains belonged to the region of the Reliance Sect. He would leave the Five Elements Nation by a different route.

With his mind made up, Naruto raced forward. Unfortunately, before he could get far, his eyes narrowed, and he dropped to the ground. Frowning, he looked off into the distance with cold eyes. A few dozen kilometers ahead of him, an enormous glowing shield was descending from the sky. It transformed into countless flakes of flying snow which cut off the Reliance Sect outer reaches from the rest of the world.

Floating in the sky off in the distance was a middle-aged man wearing a long black robe. His Cultivation base was at the Foundation Establishment stage. In his hand he held a piece of frozen jade. Beams of light twirled around it slowly. This magical item was the source of the flying snow shield that surrounded everything, sealing it off.

Surrounding the man were seven or eight Chakra Condensation Cultivators, with dignified looks on their faces. From their clothing, Naruto could tell that they were from the Cold Wind Sect.

"No wonder they're called the three great Sects. Even with so many Foundation Establishment Elders dead, even more appear." Naruto's heart sank as he realized that this seal had completely cut off his path of escape. He had no way to leave now. Before he had time to examine the situation further, he suddenly shot backward. The flying snow shield had suddenly begun to contract rapidly.

As it did, it completely froze the land and trees it passed. It moved rapidly, heading directly toward Naruto's position. Of course, it wasn't targeting Naruto; this was just a normal function of the sealing spell. The contraction wouldn't last for long; it would move inward a few hundred kilometers, then slowly come to a stop.

Naruto was not very far away from it. As he retreated, he had no time conceal his movements. As it approached, he hopped onto a flying sword, transforming into a beam of light, which of course attracted the attention of the Cold Wind Sect Cultivators.

"That person…."

"It's Naruto! I saw his picture!"

"So, it's Naruto. The Priests and the others are looking for him. Seize him! Then we can finally understand what happened here!" The eyes of the Cold Wind Sect Cultivators glowed with ill intentions.

"All of you, go capture him," said the Foundation Establishment Cultivator. "I'm consolidating the sealing spell and still need few moments." Having just activated the seal contraction, he wasn't able to leave his position. However, as far as he was concerned, Naruto was incapable of escape.

As soon as the words left the man's mouth, the seven or eight Cold Wind disciples shot after Naruto in pursuit.

Naruto's eyes glittered. He shot forward, the seal contracting behind him, the Cultivators right behind it, hot in pursuit.

As he raced forward, the Cold Wind shield grew closer and closer, until it was only about thirty meters away. Finally, it slowed down and stopped contracting. It became a thick shield of ice, covering the entire Reliance Sect mountainous regions.

The seal was actually not completely solidified. If he was only at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, he would not have been able to tell. But he was of the great circle of Chakra Condensation. Looking at the seal, he could tell that it would not last for very long.

"I can't get out, and I can't kill my way out. I need to get over the mountains as fast as possible. Looking at this seal, I can tell it will start to loosen up soon. Once it does, I can make my escape." Naruto gritted his teeth. He knew that this plan was a bit of a stretch, but he didn't have many other options. Finding a way to conceal himself for a bit of time would do, but first he had to take the initiative to get out of his current situation.

Eyes gleaming, he ceased his retreat. Instead, he stood there, watching coldly as eight Cold Wind Sect Cultivators approached.

"Eight people in all. Two of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, four of the eighth and two of the seventh. They all have magical flight items. It seems the three Sects are quite anxious. They didn't spare any cost at all to get here as quickly as possible." Naruto glanced back at the Foundation Establishment Cultivator; he was maintaining the spell and couldn't move at the moment. However, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he was extremely powerful. He floated there, looking coldly at Naruto.

As their gazes locked onto each other, the eight other Cultivators shot through the flying snow shield. This was one of the strange properties of this particular shield; it could be entered into, but not exited.

The eight people descended onto Naruto, their faces twisted with vicious grins. He sprang into action.

He clenched his right hand into a fist, stepped forward, and smashed it into the ground. The power of the great circle of Chakra Condensation exploded out as a gale force wind slammed into the eight Cultivators. They stopped in their tracks, shock written on their faces.

At the same time, two wooden swords appeared in Naruto's hands. They screamed through the air, and the heads of the two seventh-level Chakra Condensation disciples flew into the air.

"One breath," said Naruto to himself. The Foundation Establishment Cultivator had said he only needed a few moments. Naruto wasn't sure if that was true or not. Either way, his own requirement was that he wipe out these eight people within the space of ten breaths.

Amidst the whistling screams of the wooden swords, the remaining six disciples scrambled to pull out magical items. Before that could happen, Naruto spun, dashing toward one of the eighth-level Cultivators. He didn't use a magical item, but rather his shoulder.

Boom! Naruto slammed into him, and blood shot out of his mouth. His body caved in, and as he flew backward, Naruto flicked his right hand. A massive Flame Python appeared, sixty meters long. Roaring, it shot toward another eighth-level Cultivator. A blood-curdling scream rang out as the Flame Python consuming him whole.

"Four breaths." In four breaths, Naruto had killed four people. The remaining four looked on in shock. Naruto had attacked with a viciousness they had never before seen. Now that he had revealed the power of his Cultivation base, the remaining four Cultivators trembled, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Off in the distance, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator looked on in shock. Moments ago, he had seen that Naruto was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation; but in the space of a few breaths, his Cultivation base had suddenly climbed to an incredible height.

"Six breaths." Naruto's hand flickered in an incantation, and the sword auras from the two wooden swords spilled out. The remaining two Cultivators of the eight level of Chakra Condensation tried to defend with magical items as the swords shot forward. Horrified screams rang out as their hearts were stabbed through. Their bodies fell to the ground.

Now, only two Cultivators remained, both of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Their faces pale, they had already begun to edge backwards. When Naruto's cold gaze fell upon them, they scattered, each one running off in a different direction.

With a cold look on his face, Naruto raised his right hand, which flickered with an incantation. A massive Wind Blade appeared, fifteen or twenty meters long. It sped forth with a shrill whistling sound. At the same time, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. The black bow appeared in his hand. He drew back on the bow, and then shot an arrow toward the other person.

"Eight breaths," said Naruto softly. Two booming sounds rang out. The Wind Blade slashed through the first ninth-level Cultivator, splitting his body in two and sending blood and gore splattering everywhere.

Simultaneously, a black arrow pierced the other Cultivator's head, causing it to explode violently.

Eight breaths, eight kills!

Naruto, expressionless, looked out through the flying snow shield at the Foundation Establishment Cultivator for a moment. Then his body transformed into a glittering beam and he shot off into the distance.

He moved about, avoiding quite a few Cultivators. But the area covered by the sealing spell was not large. With so many Cultivators of the eighth and ninth levels of Chakra Condensation, it wouldn't take them long to search everywhere. As for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they could fly, and would be able to search even faster.

Naruto continued to evade detection, until finally he approached the Reliance Sect itself. It was then that ten beams of light appeared in the sky, soaring forward at top speed. In the lead of this group of people was a grim-faced old man. Unlike the others who surrounded him, he was not soaring, but actually flying.

Cultivators of the Chakra Condensation stage could not do this; this man was clearly a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

"The Upright Evening Sect…." Catching sight of them, Naruto sighed. He finally came to accept that he would not be able to escape this day. He could try to hide, but he would be found eventually.

"Naruto!" Upon catching sight of him, the faces of the Upright Evening Sect Cultivators twisted. The old man of the Foundation Establishment stage raced toward Naruto, his eyes shining.

Naruto's eyes grew dark as he watched the Foundation Establishment Cultivator approach. The massive power of the Foundation Establishment stage roiled out from the man. The immensity of this power caused the surrounding Chakra Condensation Cultivators to shrink back, their Cultivation bases teetering.

This was the might of Foundation Establishment. He flew through the air with seemingly no effort, imposing to the extreme. Without even trying, he caused the Chakra Condensation Cultivators to tremble.

But Naruto was not an ordinary Chakra Condensation Cultivator. A thirteenth-level Cultivator of the great circle of Chakra Condensation had not been seen since ancient times. He had Spiritual Sense. Although it wasn't very strong, it was there. His Cultivation base was not thrown into chaos like the others.

His physical body was more powerful, his Chakra vessels tougher, even his bones were stronger. Despite facing up against a powerful Foundation Establishment expert, he refused to retreat back even half a pace.

"So, the person who created all these waves in the Five Elements Nation is a Cultivator halfway to the Foundation Establishment stage," said the Foundation Establishment Cultivator coolly. "Today, however, if I say you shall die, then die you shall."

Just then, another beam of radiant light appeared from behind Naruto. It screamed toward them. This was none other than the Cold Wind Sect's Foundation Establishment expert. He radiated a killing aura.

"I tread the path of Cultivation, and am not ignorant of the rules of life and death," said Naruto coolly. "I can kill others, so naturally, others can kill me. But let me ask you a question. You three Sects permitted Gato to absorb the life force of the mortals of three counties. He even damaged their longevity. Mortals do not practice Cultivation. Harming a Cultivator is one thing, but you, for selfish personal gain, permitted such a horrific act. This is a violation of the theory of law. What goes around comes around!" He had wanted to say these words for a long time.

"Theory of law? In heaven and earth, the powerful people make the laws. And if what goes around comes around, then you've got something coming to you, wouldn't you say?"

Naruto said nothing. He simply looked up into the sky.

* * *

In front of Naruto was the old Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Upright Evening Sect. Behind him was the enraged Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Cold Wind Sect. As of this moment, Foundation Establishment Cultivators from two of the three great Sects of the Five Elements Nation had appeared.

In his heart, Naruto knew that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. It would be difficult to escape. Theoretically, he could lead them into Patriarch Reliance's secluded meditation zone, but to do that would require the cooperation of Patriarch Reliance himself.

Considering everything that had happened between the two of them, and also considering the Patriarch's temperament, it was doubtful he would help out. Furthermore, Naruto had already used that ruse that once. The chances of tricking more people in the same way was was not high. In the end, though, he had little choice but to try.

"The Priests and Elders of the three great Sects are not dead!" he said suddenly, just as the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Upright Evening Sect approached with hand raised.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the old man's eyes gleamed. The face of the man from the Cold Wind Sect also flickered.

"They're trapped inside Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's Cave. It's right over there." He lifted his hand to point at the East Mountain.

The eyes of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Cold Wind Sect flashed like lightning as he glanced up at the peak. The group of Chakra Condensation Cultivators from the Upright Evening Sect also looked toward the East Mountain.

However, the Upright Evening Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator smiled. It was a gruesome smile filled with ridicule.

"I'm interested to know how you are aware that the Priests and Elders from the three great Sects are dead." Hearing this, Naruto's heart flip-flopped, although his expression did not change.

"It actually doesn't matter what you say. Once I get ahold of you, you'll answer all my questions." He lifted his right hand and stretched it out towards Naruto. As he did, the power of his Foundation Establishment Cultivation base exploded out, and an enormous hand appeared in the air in front of him. It screamed through the air, heading directly toward Naruto.

Naruto immediately began to dodge, but even as he did so, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Cold Wind Sect flicked his sleeve and gave out a cold laugh. A fierce wind shot toward Naruto.

Both Foundation Establishment Cultivators attacked at the same time. Gritting his teeth, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. A sheet of lightning appeared which coalesced into a Lightning Flag.

This flag was one of the objects he had taken from Patriarch Reliance, and it had the power to defend against attacks from Foundation Establishment Cultivators. As soon as it appeared, it grew, transforming into a sheet of mist, within which lightning roiled. The mist expanded out to cover Naruto.

An explosion rolled out. Inside the mist, Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his body was shoved backward. The eyes of the old Foundation Establishment Cultivator grew wide, and he stared in shock at the mist.

The man from the Cold Wind Sect gasped loudly.

The mist surrounding Naruto was about fifteen or twenty meters in diameter. Naruto's face was pale and his mouth was smeared with blood. His internal organs ached and bled, and only by extorting a huge amount of effort was he able to keep them under control. To employ the full power of the flag would require significant refinement, and Naruto hadn't had very much time to practice with it. As such, he could only utilize half of its power. It rotated around him unstably.

"This is an excellent treasure," said the old man from the Upright Evening Sect. "Too bad you can't use it correctly. Let's see how much of my magic you can withstand!" He moved forward, raising his hand again. A field of black dust spread out in front of him. It glittered as it transformed into a multitude of black threads, which then flew toward the mist.

A boom rang out, and then the old man himself neared the mist. Every time he waved his hand back and forth, the black dust threads smashed into the mist, causing booms to ring out.

With a cold smile, the Cold Wind Sect Cultivator flashed an incantation sign. His hand instantly transformed into ice, which then shattered and reformed in front of him into a larger hand. The icy hand shot toward Naruto.

In the blink of an eye, it reached him. Thunderous roars filled the air as the black threads and the icy hand caused the mist surrounding Naruto to slowly contract. Inside, blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and his body felt as if it were about to be torn to pieces. His mind was in a jumble, and his face as pale as death. A feeling of life-and-death peril enveloped him; the thread connecting him to the Lightning Flag could be severed at any moment.

When that happened, it wouldn't matter that Naruto's Cultivation base had completed the great circle of Chakra Condensation. That was still the Chakra Condensation stage, and he was facing the Foundation Establishment stage. The gap between the two was too vast.

At this critical juncture, Naruto, his eyes bloodshot, suddenly slapped his bag of holding. In his hand appeared an oil lamp, from within which emitted an ancient Chakra.

The wick of this lamp was a Nascent Soul, sitting cross-legged in meditation. It was none other than… Lord Revelation!

The Nascent Soul was the fuel, and life force was the fire. The blazing flame cast light onto Naruto's face. A ferocious expression filled his face, and his eyes shined with killing intent. He had thought of the only possible way to get out of this situation.

He took a deep breath, and suddenly, popping sounds rang out from his body. His Cultivation base began to rotate with the power of the great circle of Chakra Condensation. His Core sea roiled and churned, and spiritual power raced through his Chakra passageways. He poured the full power of his Cultivation base into a single mouthful of Chakra.

He looked out past the mist.

Because the mist was covering him, no one could see the oil lamp in his hand. Furthermore, none of the Chakra from the lamp emanated outwards.

Bangs rang out as the mist continued to contract. Currently, it only stretched out about three meters. More black dust appeared in the hand of the old Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"Open up!" he roared, waving his hand toward the mist. Instantly, an explosion could be heard as the mist shattered and dispersed, reforming into the Lightning Flag, which flew back to Naruto.

"If I say today is the day you die, then you will die!" The old man waved his hand again, and the black dust descended toward Naruto.

It was then that the old man noticed the oil lamp in the hands of pale-faced Naruto. His expression suddenly changed.

"Is that…?"

Naruto's killing intent soared. Without giving his opponent even the chance to think, he opened his lips and spit out the mouthful of Chakra.

The Chakra passed through the flame of the oil lamp. As it did, it expanded out into a massive conflagration. The old Foundation Establishment cultivator retreated, shocked. But the expanding flames were too fast, and reached him in an instant.

Miserable screams filled the air as fire consumed him. The black dust in his hand had already been vaporized. Within seconds, his clothing, and then his flesh, and been reduced to ash.

Everything happened too quickly. The surrounding Cultivators didn't even have time to react. By the time the blood-curdling screams began to ring out, the old Cultivator had already been burned into nothingness. Nothing remained, not even his bag of holding.

Naruto's face was pale, and his hands trembled. The Chakra he had just shot out contained all the power of his Cultivation base, as well as the fearsome might of the oil lamp flame.

Everything was as silent as death… Wisps of twisting demonic flame still floated about in the spot where the Foundation Establishment Cultivator had been incinerated.

The sounds of his screams still echoed in the air. The nine or so remaining Cultivators from the Upright Evening Sect looked on with expressions of disbelief.

"Elder Misumi just…."

"What… what was that fire?"

"This is impossible…. Elder Misumi is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. How could he possibly die under Naruto's hand…."

They didn't dare to believe. A mighty Foundation Establishment expert, unexpectedly… burned to death by a flame cast by a Chakra Condensation Cultivator. In their minds, this was an impossibility. Foundation Establishment Cultivators simply could not be killed by Chakra Condensation Cultivators.

Even a weak Foundation Establishment Cultivator shouldn't be able to die at the hand of a Chakra Condensation Cultivator

What they had just witnessed set their minds spinning into chaos. They stared at Naruto in astonishment.

What they didn't know was that the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Cold Wind Sect was even more flabbergasted than they were. He stared at the place where the old Foundation Establishment Cultivator had just been, his eyes wide, his face pale, and his heart trembling. An indescribable fear gripped his heart.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he was in an elite position in the Five Elements Nation, and rarely had anything to fear. Yet now, he was afraid. In fact, "afraid," is probably not the appropriate word. He was petrified.

He looked at the oil lamp in Naruto's hand, his mind reeling. The terror in his heart grew stronger. He didn't know what fire this Chakra Condensation disciple had wielded, but he had an inkling.

"That must have been Nascent Soul fire. That's a Nascent Soul. That fire was kindled with life force to form Nascent Soul fire! It can burn to death, not only Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but also Core Formation stage Cultivators!" His breathing agitated, he stared at Naruto. His scalp grew numb, and he subconsciously retreated a few paces. He did not dare to get any closer. At the moment, he had forgotten completely about his prestigious Foundation Establishment status.

Naruto stood there on his flying sword, the lamp in his hand. He made a beckoning motion with his left hand, and the Lightning Flag flew back into his bag of holding. He rotated his Cultivation base, staring coldly at the Cold Wind Sect Cultivator.

It was at this moment, however, that three blurs of light appeared in the air above the Reliance Sect, each one over thirty meters wide. Ripples spread out from them as they shot mightily toward Naruto and the others.

Within the three beams were three old men who looked as if they had just climbed out of the grave. Their faces were covered with wrinkles, and strong Death Chakra emanated from their bodies. And yet, along with the Death Chakra that circled about them was the Chakra of their Condensation bases. This Chakra was eminently powerful. It was not quite of the Nascent Soul stage, but they had definitely completed the great circle of Core Formation.

Naruto's heart sank, and he clasped his oil lamp tightly. He had just expended roughly eighty to ninety percent of his Cultivation base. It had taken that much to create the terrifying fire he had just utilized.

Their speed was incredible as they approached. A relieved expression appeared in the eye of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Cold Wind Sect. And yet, at that very moment, a Chakra appeared which surpassed that of the Pseudo Nascent Soul stage Patriarchs. In an instant, the Chakra enveloped the entire Five Elements Nation.

An enormous bell appeared above the Reliance Sect, and a grim voice filled the air.

"Patriarch Reliance, get the hell out and face me!"

The voice crackled like lightning, its power filling the sky. Its might billowed out, shattering the flying snow shield. As for the nine or so Chakra Condensation disciples from the Upright Evening Sect, blood fountained out of their mouths, and then one by one, they exploded, unable to withstand the power.

Naruto's body shook, and he spit out blood. He looked up into the sky, his eyes narrowing.

The face of the Cold Wind Sect's Foundation Establishment Cultivator twisted, and the approaching Patriarchs from the three great Sects looked amazed. They stopped flying and immediately clasped hands and bowed toward an old man in a black robe who stood next to the bell in the sky.

His robes whipped about in the wind. Behind him, the clouds spun violently. The pupil of his left eye looked like the sun, and shone with brilliant light. The right eye was dark, and its pupil looked like a crescent moon. On his forehead was a strange looking slit, within which appeared to be another eye. This eye itself was invisible, but emitted a bloody glow.

It was Lord Revelation!

* * *

The instant he saw Lord Revelation, Naruto's body grew stiff. In his hands, the Nascent Soul of Lord Revelation's clone burned in the demonic lamp.

Lord Revelation's shout shook the earth for millions of kilometers in all directions. Mountains trembled and the sky filled with dark, roiling clouds.

Naruto's heart quivered and blood seeped out of his mouth. His body was pushed backwards relentlessly. He coughed up an entire mouthful of blood.

Everyone in the region of the Reliance Sect, including the Pseudo Nascent Soul Patriarchs and the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Cold Wind Sect, were as frightened as cicadas in cold weather. They didn't dare to make even the slightest sound. They stared up into the sky, astonished, their eyes filled with dread.

And yet, despite the quaking of the earth, the area around Patriarch Reliance's secluded meditation zone was completely quiet. Not a sound could be heard from Patriarch Reliance.

Lord Revelation hovered in the air next to his bell. His eyes shone with the splendor of the sun and moon. The darkness and light seemed to interlock and then combine with the crimson bloody glow which emanated from the slit on his forehead. He lifted his right hand up, and then waved it downward.

As he did, the dark glow, the bright light and the bloody essence combined to form the image of a hand. It began to descend toward the earth.

It takes some time to describe, but happened in an instant. A roar filled the air as the hand fell downward toward the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect. As the hand descended onto the East Mountain, it began to crumble, layer after layer crashing down and disintegrating into dust. By the time the hand had finished its descent, the East Mountain… was gone!

The earth shook, and a fierce wind kicked up. After destroying the East Mountain, the hand didn't stop. It continued to pierce down into the ground, as if Lord Revelation knew exactly where Patriarch Reliance's secluded meditation chamber was located.

A boom resonated outward, filling nearly half of the Five Elements Nation. The earth rippled outwards. It seemed that the hand had pierced down and actually destroyed Patriarch Reliance's secluded meditation zone!

After the hand finally disappeared, the onlookers saw a massive hole. Within it were numerous incomplete restrictive spells. The place… really was Patriarch Reliance's secluded meditation zone. Stone steles and altars lay about in ruins. The massive image of Patriarch Reliance's face was shattered into pieces, and the secluded meditation chamber had been knocked open.

But… Patriarch Reliance was nowhere to be seen!

"Patriarch Reliance, get the hell out here!" When Lord Revelation saw that Patriarch Reliance was not in the meditation chamber, he raised his head to the sky and let out a roar.

The roar vibrated the heavens, rippling outward until it filled the entire Five Elements Nation.

"You get the hell out here!"

"Get the hell out here!"

"Get the hell out…"

"Get the hell…" Innumerable echoes could be heard, swirling together to form a mighty sound of incomprehensible might.

Naruto's body trembled as he looked out at the scene. In the place where the East Mountain had once stood, was a giant hole. Patriarch Reliance had been there just a few hours ago, but now he wasn't.

"Where is he…" thought Naruto, his face growing pale. At the moment, he literally couldn't move. The power of Lord Revelation's voice suppressed everything. Anyone whose Cultivation base was lower than Lord Revelations could do nothing more that struggle to stand up against it.

The power seemed to contain elements of the Heavens, as if Lord Revelation's will controlled everything.

"This is not Nascent Soul stage, this is Spirit Severing stage!"

"It's definitely Spirit Severing, otherwise this will could not be present!" The three Pseudo Nascent Core Patriarchs of the three great Sects appeared even more shocked.

"Patriarch Reliance, you won't show your face? I'll destroy your only Inner Sect disciple and wipe out the bloodline of your Sect forever! I'll level all of these mountains and melt the entire Five Elements Nation until you appear!" He had already swept the Five Elements Nation with his Spiritual Sense, but no matter how he searched, he couldn't find Patriarch Reliance.

And yet on his way here, he had clearly divined that Patriarch Reliance… was within the Five Elements Nation.

A cold look glowed in Lord Revelation's eyes. This was his true self, here to battle with Patriarch Reliance. And yet, Patriarch Reliance was hiding. Powerful killing intent emanated from Lord Revelation. There was a wealth of methods he could use to force Patriarch Reliance to show himself, including killing his Inner Sect disciple and levelling the mountains. If exterminating the Five Elements Nation didn't draw him out, he could literally melt the entire nation.

Lord Revelation had long since caught sight of the oil lamp in Naruto's hands. He looked down, his gaze sweeping the land once again. He lifted his hand, then waved it downward a second time.

This time light poured from his eyes, and the slit on his forehead opened up to the width of a finger. The blood red light poured out, and as his hand descended, the mountains for tens of thousands of miles in all directions began to rock and sway. In the sky above the quaking mountains, appeared… an enormous hand!

At first it didn't seem very large, but amidst thunderous rumblings, it grew larger and larger, until it seemed as if it covered the mountains for tens of thousands of kilometres in all directions. The earth trembled, and the faces of the three Pseudo Nascent Soul Patriarchs were filled with shock. They fled at the fastest speed they could muster.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Cold Wind Sect looked pale. He bit the tip of his tongue, sacrificing some of his Cultivation base as he transforming into a prismatic beam of light and fled off into the distance.

As for Naruto, his Cultivation base was the weakest. He couldn't even move. The oil lamp flew out of his hands, racing toward the giant palm. The cross-legged Nascent Soul inside opened its eyes, and then radiated a glow similar to that emitted by Lord Revelation.

Naruto could only watch wide-eyed as the hand in the sky grew bigger and bigger. It covered everything, until it was the only thing visible in the entire sky.

Everything for tens of thousands of kilometers grew black. The hand covered everything. And then, it began to descend. The earth began to quake. Mountains buckled and collapsed. As the hand fell toward him, Naruto felt as if doomsday had arrived.

A bitter look appeared on his face as he stood there silently. There was no fear or dread in his eyes. He let out a soft sigh.

"Is everything going to end? I just… I can't accept it." Stubbornness filled his eyes, a flicker which turned into a roaring flame.

"In the Cultivation world, the weak are the prey of the strong. The Cultivation base is everything. Only by becoming powerful can you continue on living. Only by increasing your strength can you prevent yourself from being crushed beneath the feet of others. Only then can you stand high in the sky." Naruto suddenly smiled. His smile was filled with deep understanding. His will carried the deep desire to become powerful. Now, in the face of such imminent danger, he truly understood himself.

"The sages said, learning is the most important thing in the life. But in the Cultivation world, only the powerful can remain undefeated!" Naruto stared up at the descending hand. He would watch as it landed onto his body, crushing him into the ground. He would not close his eyes. He would watch everything. He would imprint this vision onto his spirit. When he was reincarnated, it would still be there. If there really was a next life… he would become powerful and invincible then!

As the hand continued to plummet, the mountains around him crumbled. Everything started to grow blurry, and blackness filled Naruto's eyes. It was as if at this moment, heaven and earth viewed him as nothing more than a bug. He didn't struggle in the least bit.

"If there is an afterlife, I will never allow something like this to happen again!"

Amidst the deafening roaring, Naruto stood there, trembling. Blood seeped out of his orifices, and his bones make cracking sounds. Within moments, he would be reduced to nothing more than a pool of blood.

It was at this moment that, all of a sudden, a dark red light appeared. Glowing brightly, it shot toward the hand at high speed, speeding out from a location far away from Naruto's vision.

The blood-red glow seemed to be formed from the dregs of blood refined over innumerable years. A powerful Demonic aura poured out, filling the heavens.

The Demonic aura was so thick that it seemed to be able to change the color of heaven and earth. In the blink of an eye, everything turned the color of blood!

The bloody glow approached, speeding toward the massive hand that Lord Revelation had summoned. And then it severed it!

The severing sent a bloody glow high into the Heavens!

This severing was powerful enough to rend all creation.

This severing seemed strong enough to split heaven and earth into two. And even if it wasn't actually that powerful, it had the will to attempt to!

Sever the Dao, change heaven and earth, Demonic will!

This person… was not Patriarch Reliance!

* * *

An incredible roaring boom sounded out from the massive hand as the glowing red beam sliced through it. Starting in the space between the middle and ring finger of the hand, a massive gash appeared, cutting it completely in half.

One slash, and the hand was severed.

"You!" cried Lord Revelation. His face flickered, and he lifted his head, his eyes flashing.

A thunderous boom rolled across the land. The giant hand, tens of thousands of kilometers wide, had moments ago blotted out Naruto's vision, covering the entire land. But in the blink of an eye, a gap appeared, and Naruto could suddenly see the sky.

The hand split apart into two halves, each of which slammed into the ground on either side of Naruto.

The ground trembled and began to sink down. The mountains were crushed. All the wild creatures in the area, unable to flee, were instantly transformed to ash.

The Cold Wind Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator, despite having spared no effort in his attempt to flee, could not possibly escape in such a short time. He was smashed to death into the ground.

The Cultivation bases of the three Pseudo Nascent Soul Patriarchs were anything but ordinary. Furthermore, Lord Revelation was not targeting them with his attack. They also sacrificed elements of their Cultivation bases to flee. Coughing up seven or eight mouthfuls of blood each, they just managed to reach the edge of the giant hand. Behind them, the earth seemed to have turned into a violently churning sea. As the hand disappeared, they mutely looked back at the scene.

Previously, the Reliance Sect had been surrounded by endless mountain chains. As of now, the only thing that remained was a massive recess in the ground. Its shape was that of a giant hand.

However, the handprint was not complete. Splitting it down the middle was a jagged section of earth jutting up into the sky like a mountain!

On top of the mountain stood Naruto. Beneath him was a stretch of earth about three hundred meters wide. It created a jagged path, on either side of which was a massive hole that sunk down deep into the earth.

Originally, this mountain should not have been here, but there it was … the only thing left.

A strange expression filled Naruto's eyes as he looked up into the sky. He didn't know who had saved him, and he didn't stop to think about it. Immediately, a flying sword appeared under his feet, and he sped off into the distance, his body turning into a multicolored beam of light as he shot toward the edge of the massive handprint.

"I never thought the illustrious Demon Lord of the Southern Domain would show up in the tiny Five Elements Nation." Lord Revelation's face was dark as he flicked his sleeve. His voice echoed out like thunder in all directions. "But you're only a clone! Your true self is suppressed and incapable of coming here to stop me from exterminating Patriarch Reliance!"

There was no response. It was almost as if the blood-red severing glow hadn't appeared at all.

"Patriarch Reliance, get the hell out here!"

"Get the hell out here!"

"Get the hell out here!" As his voice boomed out, Lord Revelation lifted his right hand and slapped the Revelation Bell. Its booming filled the sky, echoing out across the land, sweeping Lord Revelation's voice along with it.

Countless tall mountains throughout the Five Elements Nation began to crack and crumble as a voice filled with profound ancientness filled the air. It was impossible to tell where the voice came from, but it filled the entire nation.

"You… really want me to come out?" As soon as he heard the voice, Naruto's eyes narrowed. It was Patriarch Reliance's voice. And yet, something about it sounded different. It seemed less unreasonable and more dignified. More ancient.

"So, you finally speak," said Lord Revelation, his eyes glittering. "Patriarch Reliance, quit hiding. We have a score to settle from a thousand years ago. Even if you succeeded in your Spirit Severing, you should not have dared to take my clone's Nascent Soul! Today, we battle, and in the end, I will remain, and you will not!" He flicked the Revelation Bell, and it sounded out with a boom and began to emit a blinding light. The light enveloped Lord Revelation, and he began to glow brightly.

As for this battle, it must be won. He had already determined Patriarch Reliance's true level. Lord Revelation had already completed the Second Spirit Severing, and with that power, he could exterminate Patriarch Reliance.

As for this battle, he had complete confidence. He had thrown caution to the wind and come here as his true self. A Demon Lord had appeared and used a bit of remarkable magic, but that didn't scare him in the least.

As for this battle, there was not the slightest chance he could lose. He had brought the Revelation Bell, which had absorbed countless prayers and sacrifices from the State of Revelation. It was sentient already, his most valuable treasure. With this bell, even if he faced someone of the Third Severing, he would still be able to achieve victory. In addition to this, the Dawn Immortal had gifted him with a portion of his Spiritual Sense.

Everything was quiet for a long moment. Then, Patriarch Reliance's voice could be heard again, filled with profound ancientness.

"Back then… I only cared about the Milky Way Sea." The voice was filled with a strange tone. It echoed out, seemingly filled with the ability to last through the ages. It echoed out across the entirety of the Five Elements Nation. The land began to quake.

This quaking filled the entire Five Elements Nation. Even the mortals could feel it. Naruto ducked his head and shot forward even faster.

"I don't know how many years passed, nor how many times I slumbered and awoke. Finally, a day arrived in which I woke up to find myself facing a through and through bastard who should have died a thousand, no, ten thousand deaths!" From his tone of voice, he seemed to be getting upset. The last few words were spoken as if through clenched teeth.

As he spoke, the trembling across the Five Elements Nation grew more intense. Mountains and boulders trembled, tall buildings rocked back and forth. Within the three Great Sects, the remaining Cultivators looked around in shock.

The situation was the same in Milky Way City.

Naruto's mind spun. He was wondering which bastard Patriarch Reliance was referring to.

"That damned bastard couldn't possibly defeat me. He brought a bunch of other bastards with him, and we fought back and forth for years. In the end, they deceived me. They made a lot of promises to me, convinced me to leave the Milky Way Sea and come to the Southern Domain…." Patriarch Reliance seemed to be growing angrier and angrier. As he spoke, the land of the Five Elements Nation shook even harder. In the northern part of the nation, a thunderous roar sounded up into the Heavens. A massive crack appeared in the land, millions of miles long, and growing longer!

If you could stand far up in the sky and look down, you would be able to see that this massive crack was not a straight line, but a curving arc.

"When I got to the Southern Domain, the bastards tricked me. They fed me a bunch of random things that ended up placing me underneath an invisible seal! They promised me that a few years later, they would give me some kind of special blessing of good fortune. But later, the damned bastards all died or disappeared. Finally, there was only the original one left. When I was asleep, he sneaked off to another planet. He left me with a Demon Sealing Jade, which I was supposed to give to a successor. In reality, those bastards were just afraid of Heavenly tribulation, and wanted to use me to fight against it!" Patriarch Reliance seemed to be gnashing his teeth. The sound reverberated across the land. A huge crack appeared in the eastern region of the Five Elements Nation, accompanied by a thunderous roar. The shape of the crack was a massive semi-circle.

Seeing all of this happen, Lord Revelation's face changed. He appeared to be growing a bit apprehensive.

Naruto took in a breath, thinking of the Demon Sealing Jade that he had.

"The bastards didn't keep their promise. They tricked me! I was enraged, and even though I slumbered, I still managed to squeeze out a bit of Spiritual will. It was weak, and constrained by the laws of the Dao of the Heavens, so it was incarnated into the body of a mortal. It started from scratch, practicing Cultivation. Because they tricked me, I decided to sever their legacy! I changed the name of the Demon Sealing Sect to the Reliance Sect. From then on, my Spiritual will called itself Patriarch Reliance!" As his voice boomed out, Naruto's eyes suddenly grew wide. He looked back at the land of the Five Elements Nation behind him. It seethed like an ocean, under the echoes of Patriarch Reliance's words.

When Lord Revelation heard the words, his expression changed to one of shock. Without even thinking about it, he began to move backwards. Another crashing boom rolled out across the Five Elements Nation, and a massive crack appeared in the south. At the same time, in the east, a fourth arcing crack appeared, accompanied by a thunderous bang. The four massive cracks split out to meet each other, surrounding the entire Five Elements Nation in a massive circle.

The entirety of the Five Elements Nation was contained in this enormous circle which suddenly… began to rise into the air. Black soil was revealed, and a fierce gale wind blew in all directions. Massive amounts of soil crumbled off the edges.

As it rose up, the land quaked and clouds roiled in the sky. Lord Revelation's face was pale, his eyes filled with shock.

The ground rumbled as it rose higher and higher into the air. Three thousand meters, fifteen thousand, thirty thousand. It rose so high that it was impossible to describe.

The land rose up, and Naruto was still on it. He felt as if he were approaching the Heavens.

The land contained the cities of the mortals, the three great Sects, Milky Way city, and countless lives!

The entire Five Elements Nation was being lifted up, rising away from the earth, away from the Southern Domain. Beneath it was a massive, enormous hole in the ground!

The hole was, of course, the same size as the entire Five Elements Nation!

Standing above the hole was a vicious-looking turtle, as large as the entire Five Elements Nation, its body covered with countless black spikes! It looked just like a mythical godly black turtle!

Earth covered the turtle's massive shell, as if the shell were being held in place by the land. The earth was none other than… the Five Elements Nation.

A colossal head slowly emerged from the turtle's shell. The head was roughly one tenth the size of the entire Five Elements Nation. Its skin was black, and covered with creases. Earth crumbled off from the head as it raised up. Its massive eyes turned to look down on Lord Revelation who stood there panting, as tiny as an insect, his face pale, his body quivering, a look of disbelief on his face.

"You called me out. Shall we fight?"

* * *

Naruto stared dumbly, his mind reeling. All the fantastic and bizarre things he had seen in his life couldn't compare to the shocking sight in front of him. His mind was blank, as if he had lost his ability to even think. He could only stand there and look numbly.

Patriarch Reliance was actually… a mind-bogglingly enormous black turtle!

And the Five Elements Nation existed on the earth upon his back!

He himself had lived on Patriarch Reliance's back for these twenty years. No wonder he was called Patriarch Reliance. He was relied upon not just by a single person, but by an entire nation! Cultivators and mortals alike relied on him!

After Patriarch Reliance had been sealed, he began to slumber. Yet he still managed to force out a tiny bit of his will, which then attempted to destroy the legacy of the Demon Sealing Sect.

Now it made sense why the Reliance Sect had formerly been called the Demon Sealing Sect, although few people even knew that nowadays. And no wonder the Reliance Sect was called an evil Sect and had such brutal, internecine struggles.

The body containing the sliver of his will practiced Cultivation until reaching the Spirit Severing stage, but as for his actual body… how powerful was it, exactly?!

There were still many things Naruto didn't understand. For example, if Patriarch Reliance was so powerful, why hadn't he been able to save himself from the very beginning? If Naruto hadn't appeared, would he have died? Considering how powerful his actual body was, why did he need to absorb the power of those Cultivators?

Lifted up along with the land containing the Five Elements Nation, the three Pseudo Nascent Soul Cultivators stared in shock as all of this happened. Their minds spun and expressions of astonishment covered their faces. They were even incapable of feeling fear. They could only stare blankly. They could scarcely even believe what they saw.

Lord Revelation was also struck speechless as he looked up at the massive head. It was immeasurably larger than he himself; in fact, it was so large that you couldn't even see from one end of it to another. Fear began to shine out from his eyes; how could he possibly have imagined that the Patriarch Reliance he had cursed and challenged to fight… would be like this?

As Patriarch Reliance's voice echoed out, his words stabbed into Lord Revelation's ears, causing his body to tremble and his scalp to go numb. He was sapped of any and all will to fight.

Patriarch Reliance didn't need to strike out. Now that he had truly appeared, he casually exuded a bit of pressure onto Lord Revelation, causing his body to tremble. Lord Revelation's blood seemed as if it would stop flowing. The Dao enlightenment he had acquired with his Spirit Severing collapsed. He was as weak as a bug. Patriarch Reliance could crush him with a single breath.

The terrifying pressure exuded by the head caused Lord Revelation's mouth to go dry. Despite his extraordinary Cultivation base, cold sweat broke out across his body. The Revelation Bell next to him didn't give him the slightest sense of comfort. Even the Spiritual Sense imparted by the Dawn Immortal didn't give him the slightest sense of safety.

Now he understood why Patriarch Reliance hadn't paid the slightest bit attention when he mentioned the Dawn Immortal. Of course he wouldn't, considering his extraordinary actual body.

And now he knew why Patriarch Reliance didn't fear the Dawn Immortal….

Even more astonishing was that in his recollection, according to all of the ancient texts he had studied, the Five Elements Nation had existed for a very, very long time. This made him even more frightened. Which had existed first…. Patriarch Reliance, or the Five Elements Nation?!

If it were the latter, that would be easier to accept. If it were the former…. Thinking of this, Lord Revelation began to tremble so violently he felt as if his skin might explode.

"Well, shall we fight?" The words echoed out Patriarch Reliance, each one of them rumbling like thunder. The thunderous booming caused Lord Revelation to be hurled backward several thousand meters. Blood showered from his mouth. The bell seemed completely ordinary now; it was covered with vast amounts of cracks and fractures.

"No… there's no need to fight," said Lord Revelation hastily, his face pale. "Just now, I of the junior generation was simply joking. Patriarch… Sir… please don't take offense…." Patriarch Reliance's two enormous eyes stared directly at him, and he trembled.

"Without your two palm strikes, I wouldn't have been able to come out. Those damned bastards sealed me many years ago; the seal has been growing weaker recently. But to break through it, I needed to recover my Cultivation base a bit more. But then in the midst of it all, someone released the power of the Spirit Severing stage. That knocked the seal even looser, and finally I was able to break out!" His voice boomed out in all directions. When Naruto heard the words, his body trembled.

"Originally, I planned to use my sliver of will to break the seal. But mortal Cultivation and I don't quite agree. Even with my knowledge of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, I couldn't break through to the next level of Spirit Severing. Just when I was about to make the final breakthrough, I got cheated by a hateful little bastard. Dammit, everyone from the Demon Sealing Sect is a bastard! Stealing the spiritual energy I needed to break the seal, robbing me of my demonic lamp…." He let out a roar. Naruto wanted to flee; he knew exactly who Patriarch Reliance was talking about.

"You did well, very well. Luckily you attacked, helping break my seal. I need to repay you."

Hearing Patriarch Reliance's words, Lord Revelation gaped in shock. Then his expression changed to one of wild joy. How could he have imagined that he would score a lucky break? He had gotten lucky after all! Even as he clasped his hands in respect, Patriarch Reliance opened his mouth, and with blinding speed, snapped him up.

Lord Revelation and his Revelation Bell were swallowed down in an instant!

Crunching sounds emanated from Patriarch Reliance's mouth, but no blood-curdling scream. When Naruto saw this, he began to breathe harder. He was all too familiar with Patriarch Reliance's unreasonableness. He unconsciously retreated backward. Suddenly, Patriarch Reliance's head swung around to face Naruto. It came to stop several hundred meters in front of him, staring at him.

Naruto squeezed out a smile. He didn't necessarily believe everything that Patriarch Reliance had said to Lord Revelation, but neither did he disbelieve. From his experience, most of what the Patriarch said wasn't true.

"Congratulations on emerging from seclusion, Patriarch. Your might is all-encompassing. You…"

"Now that you know the truth, are you frightened?" Patriarch Reliance's voice rolled out like thunder, and he glared at Naruto. The sound of his voice was so loud it was almost deafening. He coughed up some blood.

"You Demon Sealing Sect people are all bastards," said Patriarch Reliance slowly, staring at Naruto. "Those old bastards were like this, and you're the same, kid. You all cheated me. Oh well, forget it. You're a member of the Reliance Sect, after all. Allow me to bless you with…" As Patriarch Reliance spoke, Naruto's scalp began to grow numb. He thought of what had just happened with Lord Revelation, and his mind began to race as he tried to think of what to do.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit him as he remembered something.

He remembered what the young girl Haku had said to him at the North Sea.

"Big Brother, its aura … is beneath your feet. Don't provoke it. Remember… the great path of Demon Sealing, a concept like a scripture."

At that time, Naruto hadn't understood her words, but all of a sudden, now he did. The "it" beneath his feet… was none other than Patriarch Reliance!

Don't provoke it. Remember… the great path of Demon Sealing, a concept like a scripture.

"The great path of Demon Sealing, a concept like a scripture. Don't provoke it…." Naruto's mind flashed like lightning. Even as this happened, Patriarch Reliance finished speaking.

"…bless you with some good fortune. I need to repay you!"

The instant he finished speaking, Naruto lifted his hand and slapped his bag of holding. Instantly, the Demon Sealing Jade appeared in his hand.

When it appeared, a strong wind buffeted his face. The wind faded, and when it did, Patriarch Reliance's head was less than nine meters away from him.

The ends of the colossal head couldn't even be seen. The only thing Naruto could see was black skin and a massive eye the size of a huge city.

The eye seemed to be struggling.

"Ancient Dao," said Naruto hurriedly, reciting the first line from the Demon Sealing Jade. "Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!"

As the words left Naruto's mouth, Patriarch Reliance lifted his colossal head up and let out a massive roar. As it billowed out, ripples appeared in the air to accompany it. A nine-sided mystical symbol suddenly appeared on Patriarch Reliance's forehead. It appeared to be ancient and archaic, and deeply imbedded into his forehead. It flickered, and his body shook.

"Stop! Damned Demon Sealing Scripture and damned Demon Sealing Sect!" A ferocious expression appeared on his face and he let out another heaven-shaking roar, then stared at Naruto. Naruto's heart pounded as he looked back at Patriarch Reliance.

"Those bastards were too malignant," thought Patriarch Reliance. "The seal is broken, but the sealing mark is still branded onto my spirit, forcing me to be the Dao protector of the ninth Demon Sealer. This cannot be! The Demon Sealing Sect has committed crimes against the Heavens, and was plagued by misfortune. They understood that the number nine is a preeminent, sacred number according to the Dao of the Heavens. They knew that the greatest opposition from the Heavens would come upon the ninth Demon Sealer. Therefore, they took precautions. They wanted me to be the Dao protector for the ninth Demon Sealer. But this trifling kid is of the Chakra Condensation stage! How could he possibly act as my master? Those damned bastards! I changed the name from Demon Sealing Sect to Reliance Sect and created rules to pit all the disciples against each other, all in the hopes of preventing someone like Naruto from appearing!"

A mist began to seep out from the North Sea, which of course was part of the lands of the Five Elements Nation that rested on Patriarch Reliance's back. Within the mist, a boat magically appeared. An old man and a young girl stood at the prow of the boat, looking up at Patriarch Reliance. They clasped hands and bowed to him with utmost respect.

"Haku pays respects to Patriarch," said the young girl. Her voice, clear and melodious, echoed out with a light and spiritual tone.

"Ah, you're the sentient rain that fell in the third month of the Yiding year of the ancient Gu calendar. You fell onto my back… and became a lake."

The young girl smiled and nodded. Then she looked toward Naruto and winked.

Naruto took a deep breath. Now he finally understood the meaning of the girl's strange name.

Patriarch Reliance let out a cold snort. He looked at the little girl and then stared off into the sky. Naruto followed his gaze and caught sight of what appeared to be an indistinct blood-colored figure.

The figure clasped hands and bowed in respect to Patriarch Reliance, then disappeared.

Patriarch Reliance lowered his head once more and looked at Naruto. "Very well, Naruto. In the future, keep your distance from me!" He blew a breath out of his mouth, causing Naruto to fly up into the air. Buffeted by a glowing black wind, Naruto was tossed out of the Five Elements Nation to land on the edge of the massive hole in the earth.

"Son of a bitch! I can't even look at him. In my life, I'll never recognize him as my master. I'm out of here. The further away the better. He'll never find me. As for the treasures of mine that he took, fine, consider them payment. All of our debts are settled. In this way, my heart can rest at ease and I can continue to practice Cultivation." His eyes flickered, and then his body turned. Naruto watched as the colossal turtle, carrying the Five Elements Nation on his back, transformed into a massive beam of prismatic light… and then disappeared over the horizon.

He appeared to be heading in the direction of the Milky Way Sea. Perhaps this was why legends arose of an island of Immortals. If one searched for it, it could never be found. But when it appeared, anyone who stepped foot on it would find that it was a nation inhabited by mortals.

It was, of course, the Five Elements Nation.

Some time passed, and eventually the skies grew calm once again. Naruto stood there looking down at the deep, gaping hole. Then he looked off silently in the direction in which Patriarch Reliance had disappeared.

Time passed, and rain began to fall. It fell with urgency, slowly flowing down into the massive pit left by the Five Elements Nation. Many years later, this area would turn into a sea.

Standing amidst the sheets of falling rain, Naruto let out a long sigh. Images from the past several days flashed through his mind. It all seemed virtually inconceivable. Thinking upon it all, it seemed a dream-like fantasy.

The Five Elements Nation was gone…. Naruto looked around at the rain, then up into the hazy sky. He contemplated his life during the past four years.

"I started out as a scholar…" he murmured. "My life is like snow. I can only exist in winter. I can yearn for the summer of the mortal world, but that is not my life anymore…." After a long time passed, he turned. Surrounded by the falling rain, he once again began to trod a road which led away from his roots.

He struck a lonely figure amidst the rain. Eventually, he seemed to merge into it. Even if a hot wind blew over him, it would do nothing to disperse him. Because this was his life.

Life is comprised of one experience after another. Or, you could say that life is comprised of many experiences. Different experiences lead to different lives; if you experience a cold bitter wind, you will become snow. If you experience scorching heat, you will become rain….

Whatever you experience in life will shape the person you are. That is what makes life wonderful.

"Southern Domain, here I come! Although, before I get there, I must reach Foundation Establishment!" As he walked through the rain, he lifted up his head, and his eyes glittered brilliantly.

He would never forget the stubborn desire to achieve power that he had experienced underneath the descent of Lord Revelation's palm attack. In this world, only the powerful can be invincible.

"Wait a minute, where did that blood-colored glow come from…?"

With questions circling in his mind, Naruto disappeared into the distance.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a review if you can.**


	2. Unsurpassable Destiny

There's no need to explain what Foundation Establishment means to Cultivators. It is a world-shaking transformation which includes an extension of longevity. Of course, longevity means life, and the lives of Foundation Establishment Cultivators are much more fulfilling than those of the Chakra Condensation stage.

There are injuries which will kill someone of the Chakra Condensation stage, but can only hurt a powerful Foundation Establishment expert.

Naruto walked through the verdant mountains outside the edge of what had once been the Five Elements Nation, leaving behind the land that had once been his home. He headed toward the Southern Domain.

Even though the Five Elements Nation had technically been part of the Southern Domain, it was very remote, far, far away from the Southern Domain's center. Given his current Cultivation base, if he went on foot, it could take years to get there.

However, Naruto wasn't in a rush. Though he headed in the direction of the Southern Domain, what he was most concerned about at the moment was how to break through to Foundation Establishment and become a powerful expert.

Thinking about how previously, there had only been a few dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the entire Five Elements Nation, Naruto itched with anticipation. He longed to reach Foundation Establishment and then be able to fly through the sky.

"Who knows what dangers I will face in the Southern Domain. Plus, I still have to dispel this poison. I can only do that if I have a more powerful Cultivation base…." Naruto's eyes glittered. He knew that with the Chakra Cultivation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, he could establish a Flawless Foundation. That was rare enough in itself, but Naruto also possessed Gato's secret formula to create a Perfect Foundation Pill!

He already had most of the ingredients. With the items he'd obtained from Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's Cave, as well as the copper mirror, he was confident that he could gather together everything necessary to concoct the pill. If he succeeded, he would have a Perfect Foundation which currently only existed in legends in the Cultivation world.

"I wonder… how powerful is a Perfect Foundation?" His eyes shined as he sped forward.

Three months later, Naruto was far from where the Five Elements Nation had previously existed. He had passed through another nation of mortals and was now within a vast wilderness. He hadn't seen signs of life for quite some time.

Lonely mountains stretched out as far as the eye could see. They seemed endless. During the day, the sounds of various wild animals could be heard, and the deep blue sky stretched boundlessly. At night, the sky was filled with the soft light of the multitudinous stars and gentle moon, the sight of which enchanted the heart.

Naruto stood on a mountain peak, looking out at the world. Its beauty filled his heart, causing it to swell. He started to walk down the mountain.

"Reading ten thousand books, travelling ten thousand roads. It's hard to say how many tens of thousands of kilometers I've travelled so far. Mountains fill the horizon. Everything I've seen and heard fills my heart like an ever-growing sea." His eyes shone brightly.

"In selecting the location for Foundation Establishment, the best thing to do is pick a place with outstanding spiritual energy. That will improve my chances of success. Naruto knew that establishing his Foundation would be difficult. Currently, he sped about attempting to find a suitable location. Time passed, another three months.

Naruto had now been wandering for six months. During that period of time, he did not practice Cultivation. Having completed the great circle of Chakra Condensation, he didn't need to. His heart was calm; deep inside, he knew that he could begin to establish his Foundation at any time he wished.

"For the highest probability of succeeding in establishing my Foundation, I must select a location with dense spiritual energy," muttered Naruto. "That will reduce the chances of making any mistakes." As he travelled, he would avoid any wild beasts he saw and didn't instigate any bloody slaughters. The poison in his body had already flared up twice in the past half year. Each time it did, his body was wracked with intense pain, as if a myriad of ants were gnawing at his innards. The first time it had happened, he'd tumbled out of the sky, a three-colored mist seeping out of his body. He had sat with clenched teeth for three days before the pain subsided. Both times the poison had flared up, large amounts of stinking black liquid had oozed out of his body. Any vegetation it touched instantly decayed.

Upon further research he came to the determination that most of the poison had actually been expelled by his body during the flare-ups. Only the poison from the three-colored poison pill remained.

During the half-year, Naruto took time to practice with the treasures he had acquired from Patriarch Reliance, for example the Lightning Flag. As of now, he could use it much more effectively than the six months before. Now, he could use it to create a mist thirty meters in diameter. If any creatures approached it, it would shoot lightning bolts at it. Its power was greater than that of Foundation Establishment. He had gotten into the habit of using it to protect himself whenever he rested.

As for the good luck charm, Naruto couldn't find any apparent use for the item.

Another month passed. In front of Naruto, a series of mountainous valleys appeared. They were filled with suspension bridges. People wearing rough hemp garments and headgear walked to and fro upon the bridges carrying large wicker baskets on their backs.

Seeing this, Naruto's eyes narrowed. This place was a wilderness, with no signs of habitation anywhere. And yet, suddenly some mortals had appeared.

Their clothing looked different from that worn in the Five Elements Nation. Naruto looked them over, muttering to himself, and was about to leave when suddenly his eyes flickered. He turned to look at one of the seven valleys.

After a moment, the flying sword he was standing on flashed, carrying him directly toward the valley. As he approached, a thick wave of spiritual energy billowed out and hit him in the face. His eyes gleamed. This was the most dense accumulation of spiritual energy that he had seen in the past six months.

The valley was extremely deep and long. Looking down at it from mid-air, Naruto couldn't even see its bottom. The only thing he could see was the dense spiritual energy, which roiled out from the deep within the valley. The spiritual energy caused all the living things nearby to grow abundantly and gave the place an otherworldly look.

"There's even more spiritual energy here than there was on the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect." Naruto looked down at the misty valley in amazement. It was at this moment that the mist in the valley suddenly roiled. Within Naruto's bag of holding, the Demon Sealing Jade quivered. His eyes flickering, he took out the jade slip.

As soon as he pulled it out, a roaring sound filled his head, and a text appeared in his mind.

"An understanding from ancient times, the smelting of a demon, severed by the hand of a of a Demon Sealer. Such a pity; an inch of joss ash upon which descendants can prostrate."

The text appeared suddenly, and then disappeared just as quickly, fading into Naruto's mind. Everything returned to normal, but Naruto's eyes shined brightly. He gazed down at the mist within the valley, then back at the Demon Sealing Jade.

"Severed by the hand of a Demon Sealer… The Demon Sealing Sect. The ancient jade. A demon… What secrets does this Demon Sealing Jade contain…?" Naruto lifted his head up and looked around. It turned out that many of the mortals on the suspension bridges had caught sight of him. Looks of terror appeared on their faces. One by one, they dropped to their knees and began to kowtow to him.

Suddenly, a piercing whistling sound emerged from one of the other valleys. Two beams of colorful light appeared. Two enormous condors flew out, upon the back of each stood a person.

Each person looked to be about forty years old. They wore robes of complexly interlaced blue and green fabric. Their faces were somewhat dark, and they were very skinny. One of the men had a dark greenish-blue snake coiled around his arm. The little snake's eyes were ghastly, and when it flicked its forked tongue out, a thin mist blew out of his mouth.

The other man had a centipede on his shoulder, slowly rocking back and forth. It was about a foot long, and very colorful, obviously extremely poisonous.

Of the two men, one was of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, the other was at the peak of the eighth level. They did not look very friendly. They came to a stop about nine hundred meters away from Naruto, looking him over with cold eyes.

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever. He put away the Demon Sealing Jade and looked at them. He had seen more than one Cultivator in the Five Elements Nation with Cultivation bases similar to these people.

As they looked him over, another piercing whistle sounded out. From another of the valleys, a winged, purple toad flew out. It carried a mist along with it as it flew; it seemed this toad had a Cultivation base of the Chakra Condensation stage. Sitting cross-legged on its back was an old man.

The old man wore a garment of interlaced red and yellow. His face was painted with totemic symbols that formed a sort of mask. He looked very fierce as he flew out to join the other two in measuring up Naruto.

The old man's Cultivation base was extraordinary. He was at the peak of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Seeing him, the expressions on the faces of the other two changed.

The old man gazed at Naruto, frowning as he tried to assess his Cultivation base. "I am the Chief of Spirit Toad Village," he said. "If you're just passing through, Fellow Daoist, please continue onward. Outside Cultivators are not welcome here."

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever. The thick spiritual energy here was what he had been searching out for the past half year. If he left, it was impossible to say how long he would have to search to find another similar location.

Normally, he would just forget it and move on, but the strange reaction of the Demon Sealing Jade had piqued his interest. He had no desire to leave.

He said nothing. His right hand flickered in an incantation gesture, and one flying sword after another flew out, instantly forming a sword rain of over one hundred flying swords. They spun around, creating a vortex that began to expand outward in all directions.

The expressions of the old man on the toad, as well as the others, instantly changed. Naruto pointed down toward one of the valleys, and the swords shot forth. Banging sounds rang out as they slammed into a cliff face and carved out a simple Immortal's Cave.

"Please allow me to hole up here for a few months," said Naruto coolly. Not giving them another look, he shot toward the Immortal's Cave.

The frightening image of the hundred or more flying swords caused the toad geezer frown. The other two Cultivators looked hesitant.

The man with the snake coiled around his arm glared at Naruto as he made to enter the Immortal's Cave. He lifted his arm up, and the Spirit Snake turned into a black blur as it flew toward Naruto.

As it approached, a dark, cold look appeared in Naruto's eyes.

* * *

Before Naruto could even make a move, the dark bluish-green Spirit Snake was already about thirty meters away from him. Suddenly, it stopped in mid-air and let out a shrill shriek, as if it could sense something terrible on Naruto's person. It began to tremble, then shot backward in retreat, not daring to come even a bit closer.

Suddenly, a three-colored mist emerged from the top of Naruto's head. It transformed into a demonic face with an enigmatic expression of both weeping and laughter. It spun around Naruto's head, then let out an intangible shriek which shot toward the Spirit Snake.

The Spirit Snake let out a miserable cry when the intangible shriek slammed into it. Its body instantly began to rot. It transformed into a coagulation of blood which then splashed to the ground. Upon seeing this, the old man's expression changed. The two other Cultivators gasped, looks of astonishment on their faces.

Naruto also looked on in astonishment, his heart thumping.

The three-colored mist was the poison in his body; it had flared up twice in the past half year, but this was the first time it had taken on a magical form and emerged from his body of its own volition. The poison was clearly incredibly mysterious; it could sense other poisons and wouldn't permit them near, as if this host belonged to it alone.

Over the past months, Naruto had come to be convinced that during the previous two outbreaks of poison, the other two poisons from the three great Sects had been completely expelled.

It seemed they were not as powerful as the three-colored poison, and had been forced out of his body by it. Seeing the death of the Spirit Snake enabled Naruto to finally understand how powerful Lord Revelation's three-colored poison really was.

Of course, the three people he faced didn't know anything about that. They looked down at Naruto, fear written on their faces. The Cultivator who had just lost his Spirit Snake shot backward at high speed, blood seeping out of his mouth. He looked at Naruto with astonished fear.

"So, the Fellow Daoist also practices Poison Cultivation…." The old man on the toad, who was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, stood and saluted Naruto respectfully. "Since that is the case, please feel free to stay here. But, there is something strange about this valley. It has thick spiritual energy, and every full moon, the mist erupts and fills the entire valley." His eyes flashed as he spoke.

"Thanks for the warning," said Naruto, his face expressionless. His body flickered, and he entered the Immortal's Cave. A large stone he had carved out fell in place to seal the cave shut.

Outside, everything was quiet. The toad geezer's eyes flashed as he looked at the other two men. They were all silent for a moment. Then, they patted their respective Spirit beasts and flew off toward another of the valleys. There, four more Cultivators were gathered.

All of them were at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation and wore long gowns of interlaced green and blue. They sat on an enormous black boulder, which pulsed with a dim light. When the light appeared, the boulder seemed to become somewhat transparent. Inside could be glimpsed the skeleton of a two-headed bird.

When the toad geezer and the others arrived, the four men opened their eyes.

"That outsider is a Poison Cultivator," said the man who had lost the Spirit Snake, his voice filled with hatred. Venomous rage radiated from his eyes. "I'm not sure how much he saw, but he refused to leave."

"This complicates things…" said one of the four men sitting cross-legged, frowning. He was a pale-faced middle-aged man. "What is the level of his Cultivation base?"

"The peak of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation!" said the toad geezer calmly. He wasn't mistaken: although Naruto could easily pass into the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation, when he did, he was cut off from heaven and earth. Therefore, he usually remained at the peak of the ninth level.

"His Cultivation base is very refined, but if we attack together, he'll be dead for sure," said the Cultivator who had lost his Spirit Snake. "If we let him stay here, he'll figure out what's going on. He might not have any suspicions now, but the next full moon is in half a month. When it comes time to pull out the red rope, he'll definitely know what's happening. He's a Poison Cultivator, how could he not be interested? I say, let's attack together and exterminate him."

Some of the others seemed to hesitate. After all, Naruto was at the peak of the ninth level. At the moment, only the toad geezer was strong enough to stand up to him. None of the others were powerful enough. If they all fought together, they might be able to win, but some of them would most likely die. Hesitating, they looked at the toad geezer.

"We don't need to do anything. I told him that strange things happen in the valley on the full moon. Most likely he will go to see for himself. We won't need to attack. The miasma that accompanies the red rope will kill him. If he doesn't come out… well, the miasma covers everything anyway. Either way, he's dead! Our ancestral Spirit Mountain Three Villages cannot be looked upon by outsiders. Any who do so… must die." His eyes gleamed as he spoke. The other six people nodded their heads.

Meanwhile, Naruto sat down cross-legged in the Immortal's cave. The dense spiritual energy surrounding him caused his Cultivation base to thrum. As he began doing breathing exercises, his boundless Core sea seemed to begin to consolidate.

He breathed deeply, lifting his head and looking at the large stone which he'd used to seal the Immortal's Cave. His eyes flashed, and the two wooden swords appeared, hovering at his side. He lifted his right hand and waved it in the air. A talisman appeared, floating in front of him. He sent it to hang on the large rock.

This talisman had been acquired from Sasuke. He wasn't sure how powerful it was, and had never used it. But considering that he'd taken it from Sasuke, it couldn't be a common item.

"It seems these people have some secrets they don't want outsiders to know about. If they leave me alone, then I'll leave them alone. But if they disturb my Cultivation…." Naruto's eyes gleamed. His expression was calm as he pulled Gato's turtle shell out of his bag of holding, the one that contained the details about the Perfect Foundation. He looked at it, frowning.

"To concoct a Perfect Foundation Pill, I need a pill furnace," murmured Naruto to himself. "I got that from Gato. But it also requires a bit of skill in alchemy. Without such skill, the chances of a misstep are much higher. These medicinal plants are extremely valuable. If I made a mistake, I could duplicate more plants, but the cost would be exorbitant." He had no skill in alchemy, which was somewhat frustrating.

After some time passed, Naruto pulled out the various plants required to make the minor pills which were part of the ingredient list. Then he produced the copper mirror and began to duplicate some of them. A few hours later, he had spent a huge amount of Spirit Stones. Despite having a mountain of Spirit Stones, if he kept going at this pace, he would once again be destitute.

"These are just minor pills…. Concocting the Perfect Foundation Pill has two major steps. The first step is to concoct seven different minor pills, each of which has a unique function. The second step is to take those seven pills and melt them together to concoct the Perfect Foundation Pill. If I'm missing even one minor pill, I have no way to succeed! Of the seven minor pills, Gato had concocted two. Now five remain…. I've never concocted pills before, what happens if I have to try dozens of times to succeed? If that happens, then I definitely won't have enough Spirit Stones. That could even affect my ability to reach Foundation Establishment. Alchemy… If I can develop enough skill in alchemy, then I shouldn't have any problems." Naruto frowned as he studied some basic Milky Way City alchemy techniques. Unfortunately, trying to teach yourself such techniques is not easy, and can take a very long time. Furthermore, some of the techniques were not common. Many master alchemists had secret techniques that weren't told to outsiders. Such techniques were often closely guarded Sect secrets.

"The best method would be to concoct the Perfect Foundation Pill first, then establish the Foundation. In that way, there would be no need for haste in concocting the pill. That was the route taken by Gato. But…" His eyes glittered. "That method seems suitable, but if I don't reach Foundation Establishment, I would have to face too many dangers. That is why Gato ended up dying. Otherwise, I would never have been able to kill him. Therefore this method… cannot be used!" He was silent for a moment, and then his eyes filled with determination.

"Regardless of anything, I must first reach Foundation Establishment. If I can concoct the Perfect Foundation Pill later, then it won't be too late. The Perfect Foundation Pill can repair the cracks in the Dao Pillars made by the Heavens. Therefore… a Flawless Foundation is fine!" Naruto gritted his teeth. Despite his intense desire to concoct the Perfect Foundation pill, it was not practical to do so right now.

"I can only enter the Southern Domain if I have first reached Foundation Establishment. Then I can figure out a way to dispel this poison. As a Chakra Condensation Cultivator, that is virtually impossible." Having made up his mind, he didn't waste any more time thinking. He put away the turtle shell and the medicinal plants, then pulled out a Foundation Establishment Pill and began to duplicate it.

He was of the great circle of Chakra Condensation, and was feeling very confident in his ability to break through to Foundation Establishment. However, to play it safe, he decided to use the power of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Looking down at the five Foundation Establishment Pills in front of him, he took a breath and slapped his bag of holding. A small flag flew out. Lightning curled around it as it flew through the air. Naruto flickered some incantation gestures, and the flag stabbed into the ground without any assistance from Naruto's Cultivation base. It sucked in some of the surrounding spiritual energy, then transformed into a fog which enveloped the Immortal's Cave. It spread out thirty meters in all directions, surrounding Naruto.

"After consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill, my body will turn stiff and I won't be able to move." He eyed the mist created by the little flag. "With the Lightning Flag here, though, I will be protected. No one will be able to disturb me. Considering the current level of my Cultivation base, the paralysis will be relatively short in duration."

Of the treasures he had acquired from Patriarch Reliance, the Demon Sealing Jade was the most mysterious. But his favorite, other than the mountain of Spirit Stones, was this little flag. As for the good luck charm, he still hadn't been able to figure out anything about it. He would study it further after he reached Foundation Establishment.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up a pill and put it into his mouth. It dissolved instantly, and boundless spiritual energy shook his body. He trembled. It was not his first time consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill. But every time he did, he felt as if he was a tiny boat floating amidst massive, crashing waves. A roaring sound filled his head. He continued to rotate his Cultivation base.

Boundless spiritual energy flowed through Naruto, pouring into his Core sea, causing it to roar and churn. The Demonic Core within him suddenly seemed as if it were about to turn into a Dao Pillar.

Once the Dao Pillar appeared, Naruto would have broken through from Chakra Condensation and crossed the threshold into the true realm of Cultivation… Foundation Establishment.

Once in the Foundation Establishment stage, he would never again be mortal. He would truly be upon the path of Cultivation, and would never again be a part of the mortal world. To fall back would indicate that he didn't deserve to exist in the Cultivation world!

He would be a boat sailing against the current.

It can be summed up by the phrase, "Move forward, or you'll fall behind."

* * *

Time slowly went on. Soon half a month passed. On one particular night, the full moon was especially bright, outshining most of the stars. It hung up in the sky, filling the land with gentle silvery, light.

It seemed to shine especially brightly upon the group of valleys, especially the valley where Naruto was located. As it shined down onto the mist, it began to seethe, slowly spinning into what looked like a vortex.

Outside the valley, the seven Cultivators were waiting, their eyes shining. They stared at the mist within the valley, expressions of anticipation on their faces.

"The hour has arrived…." said the toad geezer, his voice low. Even as his words issued out from his mouth, a gurgling sound could be heard from within the mist.

The sound was indistinct, but when it reached the ears, it stabbed to the heart. Cracking sounds echoed out, and the mist within the valley roiled.

Time passed. The gurgling sound became clearer. Amidst further cracking sounds, the mist turned and turned until it appeared to be a giant whirlpool. The edges of the whirlpool of mist seemed to be able to pierce into the surrounding cliff walls, causing them to melt. Liquified rock poured down the cliff faces.

At the same, a red rope appeared from within the vortex. It was as thick as a person's arm, and was as red as if it had been dyed with the blood of countless people. A droning sound filled the air as the vortex and the rope both spun. As soon as the rope appeared, the seven men seemed vitalized.

The toad geezer's eyes gleamed. He bit down on his tongue and spit out some blood, at the same time flickering an incantation and producing a black metal fragment from within his bag of holding.

The other six men did the same thing, spitting out blood and producing fragmented pieces of black metal. They seemed familiar with the process, as if they had done this before.

The blood entered the vortex, and apparently because of this, the vortex suddenly stopped rotating. The rope, however, did not.

The black chips from the seven men spun about in the air and then formed together into a black broadsword.

The sword floated above the valley, pointing down toward the red rope, which then ceased rotating.

With a low shout, the toad geezer flew forward to grab the red rope with both hands. He gripped it without hesitation, despite the fact that it felt wet, as if it was coated with blood. The six other men appeared behind him, pooling their strength together to pull on the rope.

A thunderous roar filled the area as they did. The rope slowly emerged thirty meters from within the vortex. As it did, a black-colored Chakra poured out to fill the area. Eventually it reached the point where Naruto's cave was located it, submerging it.

"At three hundred meters we got the Jade Spirit Stone. Six hundred meters in we got the toxic miasma. Last time we pulled out nine hundred meters and got the stone-sealed beast. Today, we will go all out and reach fifteen hundred meters!"

"Right! According to the ancient records of our Clan, if we can pull out fifteen hundred meters, it will open the first seal, and the Clan's ancestral spirit will awaken. It will form into a Poison Foundation, and our Cultivation bases can ascend another level!" The eyes of the seven men gleamed, and they heaved on the rope.

The bottom of the vortex couldn't be seen; there was nothing but blackness, making it seem as if the red rope had no end. Every tug on the rope caused the surrounding valley to quake. The ground rippled, as if the end of the rope were plugged into the very core of the earth.

Shocking booms sounded out as they continued to pull. More toxic miasma billowed out as nine hundred meters of rope appeared. Suddenly, a stench like that of rotten fish poured out from the depths of the vortex.

It seemed this stench had never appeared before; the seven men's faces changed. However, the area immediately around the rope seemed to naturally be protected from the stench and miasma. Their faces pale, the seven men gritted their teeth and heaved once again on the rope.

Thirteen hundred fifty meters. Thirteen hundred eighty meters. Fourteen hundred meters!

The men panted. They had expended seventy to eighty percent of the power of their Cultivation bases. Without hesitation, they popped medicinal pills into their mouths and tugged once again on the rope. Five of the seven men coughed up blood. Soon, only the toad geezer, and the other man who was at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, held out. They gritted their teeth, unable to stop their bodies from trembling.

"I'm at my limit…." said the toad geezer with a roar. He bit the tip of his tongue and spit out some more blood. As he did, a black beam of light shot out from the edge of the valley. It transformed into an enormous toad, which clamped its mouth down onto the red rope. As it bit down, its body began to wither, but it held fast and pulled.

Next, a centipede shot out, along with several human-sized spiders, summoned by the men to pull the rope. Even the huge boulder with the bird skeleton inside flew out. Its glow seemed to aid in pulling the red rope.

Fourteen-hundred thirty meters. Fourteen hundred sixty meters. Fourteen hundred ninety meters!

The rotten stench grew stronger, seemingly carrying the stink of a corpse as it filled the valley. It seemed the rope would soon be pulled out fifteen hundred meters. A shrill shriek came out of the whirlpool, piercing the air with wickedness.

The shriek grew more and more intense, seemingly filled with hope. Except… there were still ten meters to go before the fifteen hundred meter mark was reached. The poison beasts summoned by the seven men exploded one by one, unable to keep going. As they died, the faces of the seven men grew pale. The rope suddenly slipped out of their hands and was sucked back into the whirlpool. Had they not released it, they would have been pulled along with it into the vortex.

The men watched silently as the rope was pulled back inside.

"Forget it. We'll try again next month."

"Yes. The day will come when we will pull out fifteen hundred meters of rope. I will be making a breakthrough in my Cultivation base soon. Once I reach the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, we will definitely be able to succeed."

"That outsider is of the ninth level…." said one of the men suddenly.

"We don't need to make things more complicated. That outsider is probably dead already, killed by the miasma. Even if he was at the Foundation Establishment stage, he couldn't withstand it unless he was of our bloodline."

The seven discussed the matter a bit further, then dispersed.

The mist continued to roil in the valley for three days before finally settling down. The spiritual energy in the area gradually grew thick again, and the miasma dissipated.

Within the Immortal's Cave, Naruto watched with cold eyes. Surrounded by the arcing field of electricity, he had seen clearly everything that had happened during the three days. As for the miasma, the Lightning Flag made short work of, and Naruto remained safe from any harm.

"They think I'm dead. That's good." Naruto's eyes glittered.

"I'm not sure if it's because of the Sublime Spirit Scripture or perhaps the Demonic Core… Establishing my Foundation is turning out to be very difficult." He lowered his head and picked up another Foundation Establishment Pill. He frowned. As of now, he was a bit suspicious. Was the Cultivation method in the Sublime Spirit Scripture the real method? Or had Patriarch Reliance changed it in according with his own Demonic Cultivation practices…. There was no way to know. Naruto's eyes shone with determination as he popped the Foundation Establishment Pill into his mouth and closed his eyes to meditate.

His Core sea roared violently, seething and churning as it coagulated. It seemed to be forming a Dao Pillar. But to do so was incredibly difficult. Even with the Foundation Establishment Pill, he wasn't able to succeed.

It can be said that Foundation Establishment is the first true hurdle that must be crossed on the path to real Cultivation. A Foundation Establishment Pill can only increase the probability of success by about ten percent.

Even though he had reached the great circle of Chakra Condensation, and his latent talent had been increased, it still was not an easy matter.

Time slipped by. In the blink of an eye, another three months passed. Each full moon during that time, the seven men again made attempts at pulling out the red rope. More than a few times, they came to Naruto's Immortal's Cave to try to get his corpse.

But the cave was being protected by Patriarch Reliance's Lightning Flag. A few insignificant Chakra Condensation Cultivators didn't have the slightest chance of getting inside. They started to wonder whether or not Naruto was actually dead.

Another three months passed, half a year of hard work. They hadn't even seen a trace of Naruto. At this point, they were mostly certain that he was dead.

As for Naruto, even he wasn't sure how many Foundation Establishment pills he consumed during the half year. Every time he failed, he would take another pill. Toward the end, he even tried consuming two pills at one time.

The poison flared up twice during the half year. Thankfully, Naruto was prepared. He dealt with it, then continued on in his attempts to break through to Foundation Establishment.

In this excruciating fashion, another month passed. One night, Naruto sat there, a roaring sound rising in his mind. Only Naruto could sense this roaring sound; it sounded like claps of thunder in his mind.

Within his body, his golden Core sea let out an unprecedented roaring sound, and a gold light filled his body. It seemed as if he himself were made of gold.

He sat there meditating, his eyes closed. As his Core sea emitted its thunderous roar, he focused everything on forming the Dao Pillar and breaking through into Foundation Establishment. Within the Core sea, the Demonic Core rotated rapidly. It looked as if it might melt.

During the past year, this had happened frequently. Naruto had come to understand clearly that if he didn't have this Demonic Core inside of him, it would be much easier to reach Foundation Establishment. It was the Demonic Core that was making things so difficult. Coupled with the fact that he had completed the great circle of Chakra Condensation, it meant that achieving Foundation Establishment was much harder for him than anyone else in the world.

Every time the Dao Pillar was beginning to form, it would be disturbed by the Demonic Core, and wouldn't coalesce. At the moment, golden light shined out from Naruto's Core sea. The waters began to congeal, slowly solidifying into a massive Dao Pillar. But then, the Demonic Core began spinning, causing the Core sea, which had just moments before been calm, to seethe. The Dao Pillar once again began to fall apart.

"Again!" Naruto's eyes burned. Without hesitation, he lifted up his hand and swallowed three Foundation Establishment Pills.

* * *

"The Demonic Core just keeps moving, and that prevents the Core sea from entering Foundation Establishment. It just can't form the Dao Pillar…. I must form the Dao Pillar! I must reach Foundation Establishment! I must stop the Demonic Core from moving. And that requires more Spiritual Energy!"

The three Foundation Establishment Pills dissolved in his mouth, and a shocking amount of spiritual power erupted. It poured into Naruto's Core sea, which moments ago had been in the midst of condensing, but was then interrupted by the Demonic Core.

The lashing power caused the Core sea to shine with blinding golden light. The Demonic Core, which seemed as if it would never stop spinning, suddenly began to slow. The spiritual energy within the Core sea seemed endless. A roaring sound could be heard which suppressed any indication that the Demonic Core would begin to spin furiously again.

It stopped, unmoving. Popping sounds rang out from within the Core sea and echoed throughout Naruto's body. His entire Core sea seemed as if it were freezing over. In the space of a few breaths, it suddenly became completely solid.

At that moment, it seemed almost as if Naruto's life had ended. His breathing slowed, and his body began to shake. His eyes shined, and he took a deep breath as the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture appeared in his mind. The solidified Core sea began to slowly shrink.

It grew smaller and smaller, changing into a diamond-shaped crystalline rock which contained the Demonic Core. More spiritual energy from the Foundation Establishment Pills poured down, and slowly the Core sea emerged again.

Even as it replenished itself, it began to shrink again upon itself to form an additional diamond-shaped lump of crystalline rock. Then, more spiritual energy poured in, and the process began again.

Naruto knew the process would take a long time, and would require a lot of spiritual energy, which was why he had selected this valley. He smacked his bag of holding and began to consume more medicinal pills.

Over and over again, his Core sea replenished itself and then solidified into the diamond-shaped crystalline rock. Naruto lost track of time.

One month. Two months. Three months… six months….

Spring passed and autumn arrived, then the cold of winter. A year had passed since Naruto entered the Immortal's Cave to practice secluded meditation. Every full moon during that year, the seven Cultivators would come to pull on the red rope.

Their best effort resulted in pulling out fourteen-hundred ninety-nine meters. They were never able to pull out the final one meter. As time passed, the seven men noticed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the area seemed to have been reduced.

Of course, it was being absorbed by Naruto, but they didn't know that, and couldn't figure out why it was happening. They searched the area, but came up with nothing. They didn't even think to connect the phenomenon to Naruto. A year had passed, which in their minds was evidence that he had died.

The man who had lost his Spirit Snake that year would often look toward Naruto's Immortal's Cave with a cold sneer. The death of his Spirit Snake had left him with a deep hatred of Naruto.

He tried several times to break into the cave to collect Naruto's treasures from his corpse. But he was never able to succeed.

Time passed, another half year. Naruto had now been in secluded meditation for a year and a half. One late night, his Core sea was again solidifying into a diamond-shaped crystalline rock. This was the one-hundredth piece.

A roaring could be heard, and the hundred diamond-shaped rocks suddenly began to fuse together. Slowly, they formed into a transparent, crystalline Dao Pillar!

Foundation Establishment Dao Pillar!

As soon as the Dao Pillar appeared, Naruto's agitated breathing calmed down. His eyes grew dim, and the functioning of his internal organs slowed. He was motionless; even his blood seemed to stop circulating. His entire person seemed to be in a state of suspended animation.

Everything was completely still.

Naruto knew that this was the second phase in the process of reaching Foundation Establishment. This was Recuperation.

He sat there cross-legged, his mind echoing with the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture. He sank into a very strange state. Even though his blood and flesh did not seem to be undergoing any change, in actuality, they were. They were changing in a way that made it much easier to absorb spiritual power.

His Chakra passageways enlarged. No spiritual power circulated through them. However, they grew tougher, firmer, and smoother. His bones were different as well, even crystalline in some places. He was transforming, becoming something other than mortal. These changes shook his entire body. His hair grew much longer and he became taller than before.

There was no Core sea within him anymore, but rather, a golden Dao Pillar. It was a flat, circular platform that did not shine, but rather seemed dark and somewhat lonely. It floated in the place where the Core sea had once existed. If you looked closely, you could see Naruto's Demonic Core, right in the center of the Dao Pillar.

It sat there motionless, completely and perfectly fused with the Dao Pillar.

His heart did not beat, his blood did not flow. His Chakra passageways were motionless, and his Chakra had disappeared. Naruto sat there looking withered up. His Dao Pillar was in a similar state. All of his Chakra had been sucked away.

He sat that way for another half of a year. Breaking through into Foundation Establishment had taken him two full years. Others would be shocked if they knew of this. Generally speaking, the longest amount of time a Cultivator needs to reach Foundation Establishment is half a year, often it will take only a few months. The amount of spiritual energy required was not immense either, nothing close to what Naruto had needed. The amount of time and spiritual energy wasted by Naruto was far and above the norm.

Toward the end of the last half-year, Naruto's Dao Pillar began to tremble and vibrate. This was the first thing that began to move within his body. Next, his heart began to beat. All of his systems kicked into motion. His blood began to flow, his Chakra passageways began to operate, and his Chakra filled with signs of life force. Slowly, he began to awaken as if from sleep.

Soon, the Dao Pillar began to shine brightly with golden light, which grew more and more intense. His heart thumped so wildly it seemed as if it might burst out of his body. Its sound filled the Immortal's Cave. Every beat of his heart sent blood flowing throughout his body. His Chakra billowed out, and it seemed he would soon be filled with power and would be able to open his eyes at any moment.

This power was not to to be used simply to open the eyes, but rather to awaken his body. It moved about within him, growing stronger, imbuing his body with strength!

It was at this moment that the Dao Pillar within him emitted a thunderous roar. A powerful spiritual power burst out from it, blasting out into Naruto's Chakra passageways, flesh, blood and bones. Like the life of spring which causes a withered tree to sprout, his body awakened. His Chakra grew stronger, and massive amounts of filth exuded from his pores, replaced by a fragrant aroma which arose from him. His long hair floated around him. He looked completely different than he had half a year ago.

As the spiritual power emanated out, his Chakra passageways filled with power, and his blood flowed faster. His heartbeat caused the Immortal's Cave to tremble, and his eyes… it was at this moment that his eyes flashed open.

A blinding light shot out from within them. If a Chakra Condensation Cultivator saw it, their mind would reel and their Cultivation base would be damaged.

The moment he opened his eyes, the spiritual energy in the valley was swept up. It was as if Naruto had become a black hole, swallowing up all of the spiritual energy in sight. It was absorbed through his pores and into the Dao Pillar, which grew brighter and brighter. Naruto's Chakra grew even more powerful.

His heart thumped as the feeling of power blossomed in his mind. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that by simply lifting his hand, he could cause the entire Immortal's Cave to collapse. This was a confidence based on his physical body, his mind, and his Cultivation base.

The Spiritual Sense in his mind grew larger. Because of what he had experienced in completing the great circle of Chakra Condensation, his Spiritual Sense leapt to up to a higher level. At the moment it was far more powerful than that of the average Foundation Establishment stage Cultivator.

In fact, his Spiritual Sense completely exceeded that which a Cultivator should have at the early Foundation Establishment stage. It was actually equal to that of the middle Foundation Establishment stage.

And to Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Spiritual Sense was everything!

Naruto's breathing echoed out. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured into him, and the Dao Pillar grew more and more bright. Soon, his entire body shined with golden light.

The power of Foundation Establishment Cultivators far exceeds that of Chakra Condensation Cultivators. By moving his mind, he could see everything within fifteen hundred meters as if it were within his own heart. This… was Spiritual Sense!

A Cultivator at the beginning Foundation Establishment stage could normally only cast Spiritual Sense six hundred meters ahead.

"The beginning Foundation Establishment stage…." said Naruto slowly. As his voice echoed out, his face shone with vigor. His eyes glowed, and he breathed deeply, feeling the power of the spiritual energy emitted by the Dao Pillar. His was a hundred times stronger than the power he could utilize half a year ago when at the peak of the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation.

Of course, that difference of one hundred times was not in comparison to the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, but rather the thirteenth. To Naruto, this was a complete and utter change.

This was why Foundation Establishment Cultivators could so easily wipe the ground with Chakra Condensation Cultivators. The Core sea of Chakra Condensation is congealed a hundred times to form the Foundation Establishment Dao Pillar. The change that Naruto had experienced this night sent his power leaping upward. It was without comparison!

* * *

When Naruto sent out his Spiritual Sense, he started to get the feeling that he was cut off from heaven and earth. He was familiar with this sensation; it was the same type of feeling he got when he was in the tenth level of Chakra Condensation, or the thirteenth. Although now, the feeling was even stronger, as if the Heavens did not tolerate his Cultivation at all. And yet, along with the disapproval, he felt the strength of a different state. It seemed as if despite the fact that the Heavens did not tolerate it, and this state was rejected by all creation… it fought back, and because of that, was even more powerful.

That resistance came, not from Naruto, but from the Dao Pillar and the spiritual energy inside of him!

After feeling the resistance of the Heavens, Naruto quickly determined its source…. not a bit of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth he had absorbed into his body escaped back out. Furthermore, none could be absorbed in. No cycle could be created with heaven and earth, which was not permitted!

At the same time, because the spiritual energy was not emitting from him, he was able to vaguely make out some strange, immaterial vestiges. Were he able to grab ahold of them, he would instantly become even more powerful.

These vestiges were not permitted by the Heavens, so only Cultivators who were rejected could see them and gain enlightenment regarding them.

Although Naruto wasn't aware of it, in the Cultivation world, these vestiges were called Dao Taboos! Every Cultivator who reached the Foundation Establishment stage could sense them.

At the same moment as Naruto began to sense the Dao Taboos, something shook his body. A cracking sound rang out as a fissure appeared on his Dao Pillar. When this happened, Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood, and he was ripped out of that special state.

Vast amounts of spiritual energy poured out of the crack in the Dao Pillar. Naruto was powerless to stop it from happening; his body was once again connected to heaven and earth.

Although the spiritual energy rushing out of him could not really compare to the amount he had absorbed, he was now back in a cycle with heaven and earth. The strange vestiges he had just been able to sense were no longer there. He was no longer rejected by the heaven and earth, but had been accepted, and was now part of them.

A flash of weakness appeared in his heart. Naruto lifted his head, his vision piercing through to the outside of the Immortal's cave. As he looked at the sky outside, his eyes shone with an unprecedented brightness.

This was a Flawless Foundation with one crack. In this aspect, Naruto was actually better than most. With a Cracked Foundation, he would be much weaker, and with a Fractured Foundation, there would be even more cracks, and he would be significantly less powerful.

"As long as there is a crack," murmured Naruto, "it is not perfect, and thus, the Heavens can accept it…" His eyes shined brightly.

"Because the Dao Pillars have cracks, no matter what level I reach in my Cultivation, there will always be absorption and diffusion. Do I cultivate in this way for myself… or for the Heavens?" Naruto was silent for a while. The question was really too profound for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to be able to contemplate.

However, since Naruto had studied the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, and because he knew of the method to achieve a Perfect Foundation, he contemplated matters that normally only someone of the Spirit Severing Stage could comprehend.

The moment that Naruto reached the Foundation Establishment stage, it was late at night outside. The seven Cultivators outside watched the spiritual energy churning back and forth, and then looked toward where Naruto was within the valley.

"What happened?"

"Why is all the spiritual energy being sucked in that direction?" Muttering like this, the seven of them rushed forward. However, as they approached, they were forced to come to a halt, their bodies trembling. Their spiritual energy felt unstable, as if it might be ripped out of their body at any moment. They stood there in shock, uncertain of what exactly was happening.

To these people, Foundation Establishment was something very remote. They couldn't possibly imagine that someone had reached that stage in this very valley.

In their shock, they didn't dare to proceed further. They stood there, making various speculations, eventually coming to the conclusion that something strange was happening because of the valley itself. Because they couldn't approach, guessing was the best thing they could do. There was no way to prove or disprove anything.

"I can sense that there is some immense power in the valley," said the toad geezer, taking in a deep breath and narrowing his eyes. "It's something that far, far exceeds us."

"Too bad we can't get any closer. Just what happened, exactly? I feel like if I approach any further, the spiritual energy within my body will get sucked out…."

"There have been a lot of strange things happening to the spiritual energy over the past two years. Now another thing is happening…." The seven of them exchanged glances, then grew silent, their hearts filled with various speculations.

Meanwhile, within the cave, Naruto lifted his head up, his eyes shining. If he hadn't been able to glimpse the Perfect Foundation at all, then it wouldn't have mattered. But, having felt it briefly, only to have it taken away and his power reduced, made him desire it even more intensely.

"The Perfect Foundation…." His eyes flickered and he stood up. He flicked his sleeve, and the mist in front of him rippled, then coalesced into a small flag, which came to rest in his hand. He glanced at it, the spat out some spiritual energy, which covered over it, turning it into a black beam of light which entered his mouth.

During Chakra Condensation, Naruto could only passively use the flag. But now that he was in Foundation Establishment, he could refine and wield it in even more ways.

Looking pleased, Naruto took a moment to feel himself out. His eyes glittered.

"With the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, a second Core sea can be formed. When the second Core sea moves from Chakra Condensation to Foundation Establishment, it can improve the quality of one's Foundation Establishment. For me, though it won't really make much of a difference. However…. I might as well do it, just in case." His eyes shining, he sat back down cross-legged and visualized the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Several hours later, his eyes snapped open. A roaring sound filled his body. Looking inside of himself, he saw that outside of his Dao Pillar was a new area, a vast golden sea. This was Naruto's second Core sea.

Having completed this task, he raised hand. The large rock which had sealed his Immortal's Cave exploded into pieces, which then turned into ash. Naruto shot outside, turning into a blur of light that shot into the air. He came to a stop, floating in mid-air.

He looked back at the Immortal's Cave, a smile on his face. Back when he was in the Chakra Condensation stage, if he lifted his finger the way he had just now, it would have been incapable of shattering rock. But as of now, it was a simple matter to do so.

"The gap between Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment is like the difference between the sky and the land," said Naruto to himself. "It really is true. However, I should be even more powerful. Sadly, my Dao Pillar was cracked by an invisible blade… that is the life of a Cultivator. There is nothing to be done about it. However, if I can repair the Dao Pillar, then I can establish a Perfect Foundation. To do that, I must first concoct a Perfect Foundation Pill. My biggest question, though, is… what is this symbol…?" His gaze had fallen onto his right hand. There, on the back of his hand, was a strange, glowing magical symbol which was slowly fading. It didn't exist on his skin, but rather, inside of him. Looking at it, Naruto got the feeling that it had existed in there for a very long time.

This was the first time he had seen it, and he had no idea why it had appeared along with Foundation Establishment.

The symbol faded away, and Naruto frowned. It didn't give him any feeling of danger. In fact, it seemed somewhat familiar. He thought about it for a while, but couldn't come up with any clues as to its nature. He put it aside in his mind and then looked around.

He was surrounded by mist, which completely covered his body and would completely conceal him from any onlookers. At the moment, he hovered in mid-air, but he knew that if he wished, he could fly by simply moving forward.

Having completely set aside the matter of the strange symbol, Naruto began to consider why flight is not possible in the Chakra Condensation stage. "True flight is not possible during Chakra Condensation because the body doesn't contain enough spiritual energy. Therefore, the body cannot be supported in the air. Flight is only capable with assistance from magical items. However, the spiritual energy within the body during the Foundation Establishment stage is more than a hundred times that of the Chakra Condensation stage. Because so much spiritual energy has been coalesced into a Dao Pillar, the body can be supported in the air, and can actually fly."

"There are a total of nine Dao Pillars which appear throughout the Foundation Establishment stage. Three pillars signify the peak of the beginning level, six pillars are the peak of the middle level, and nine pillars complete the circle. Right now, I have one pillar…." Naruto looked at the mist filling the area, and his eyes flickered. His body turned into a prismatic beam as he shot further downward into the valley.

"This place provoked a reaction from the Demon Sealing Jade all those years ago. Back then, my Cultivation base wasn't powerful enough to make it safe to search for some answers. But now…. I need to be careful, but I think my latent talent and power are enough to go look for some clues." Eyes shining, he shot through the mist. The two wooden swords appeared, whistling as they circled about around him.

Now that he was at Foundation Establishment, the two swords felt somewhat different. However, he didn't take the time to examine them closely. Instead, he shot down through the mist, intent on determining what this place really was.

After Naruto had proceeded about three hundred meters down the valley, the Demon Sealing Jade within his bag of holding started to glow. Naruto took it out and held it in his hand. He slowed down a bit, but continued to move downward.

As he descended, the mist grew thicker and colder. It seemed somewhat sinister in nature, but Naruto was no longer of the Chakra Condensation stage. If he was, his body may not have been able to withstand temperature.

After moving along for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, it grew painfully cold, so much so that it felt like blades on his skin. Finally, he made out what appeared to be the bottom of the valley.

There was no vegetation here, only endless mist. Strewn about on the valley floor were the bones of various birds and beasts. Everything was quiet. Naruto looked around cautiously. He would not act rashly, but instead take the time to examine his surroundings. Finally, his eyes glittered as they fell upon the only part of the valley that didn't seem to have any mist in it.

It was… the mouth of a cave, roughly nine meters wide!

The edges of the cave mouth were formed of thick earth which seemed to be frozen over. It was impossible to tell how deep the cave was; it stretched back into inky blackness. Icy coldness poured out from the cave, which then turned into mist.

Stretching back into the cave, off to the edge, was a dark red rope. Other than this, there was nothing else.

At this point, the Demon Sealing Jade in Naruto's hand glowed even more brightly. It seemed as if something was calling for it to enter the mysterious, endless cave. Who knew what was hiding inside?

Naruto hesitated for a moment, looking at the cave. After a moment, he smacked his bag of holding. A flying sword appeared. It turned into a beam of light as it shot toward the cave and then disappeared inside. Naruto concentrated, listening carefully. Soon, a sound rang out like that of metal hitting stone. Naruto's expression changed.

"This ancient cave appears to be about twenty-five hundred meters deep." He walked forward, stopping at the mouth of the cave. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at the brightly glowing jade slip in his hand. Determination appeared on his face. He slapped his bag of holding, causing several items to appear. The black net flew out, along with seven or eight feathers. Even with the wooden swords circulating around him, though, he felt a bit nervous. He bit his tongue, and the Lightning Flag flew out, turning into a flickering, lightning-filled mist that surrounded his body. Surrounded by his various magical items, Naruto entered the cave.

* * *

"If I don't investigate just because it's a little dangerous, then what will happen in the future when I face dangerous situations? I'd probably be even more willing to hold back. That's not the proper attitude with which to face the law of the jungle in the Cultivation world. This Demon Sealing Jade is from Patriarch Reliance. It's obviously an artifact from the Demon Sealing Sect. Furthermore… I myself am a disciple of the Demon Sealing Sect. I must figure out what's going on!" Naruto's eyes glittered as he thought back to the Demonic technique used by Gato, and the Demonic magic of Patriarch Reliance. Stubbornness filled his heart as he entered the cave.

"That having been said, I still need to be extremely cautious. If there are any signs of enemies that I can't contend with, then I'll leave immediately, with no regrets." Naruto's eyes shined with determination. Lightning-filled mist arced around him, his two wooden swords hovered around, and the feathers spun in a protective spiral. A look of utmost caution covered his face and spiritual energy emanated out from him. He would instantly be able to sense even the slightest sign of trouble.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his body was stronger; he could fly and had Spiritual Sense. All of these made it easier to protect himself and ensure that he lived a long life. They also gave him the opportunity to face dangerous situations with confidence.

At the moment, if Naruto were of the Chakra Condensation stage, even if he had the courage to enter this place, he simply couldn't.

It was pitch black, and Naruto felt the threatening pressure of the intense coldness which continuously roiled out from up ahead.

Within the cold, there was also the faint Blood Chakra, which became thicker and thicker the further Naruto proceeded. A look of caution on his face, he continued onward. Three hundred meters in, he stopped momentarily and used a wooden sword to cut a hole into the earth wall. Then, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a talisman, which he placed inside the hole.

This talisman was the one he'd acquired from Sasuke that day long ago.

He moved onward until he was about six hundred meters into the cave. There, he stopped and produced ten flying swords from within his bag of holding, which he stabbed into the walls. As he proceeded further into the cave, he continued to stop every few hundred meters and make such preparations. If anything unexpected happened, then he would have some backup life-saving options during his retreat.

By the time Naruto was about twelve hundred meters into the cave, the mist surrounding him had begun to seethe and roil. A faint moaning sound could be heard. A look of concentration appeared on Naruto's face, and he stopped momentarily. He looked around carefully for a long moment before proceeded further into the cave, following the red rope with flickering eyes.

Soon he was fifteen hundred meters. Suddenly, a piercing shriek emanated from within the recesses of the cave, along with an ear-splitting roar. The mist surrounding him flickered with massive quantities of electricity, which formed together to form a Lightning Globe. With a boom, it shot out and slammed into an indistinct figure up ahead. The figure flickered and disappeared.

Naruto gasped. His Lightning Flag was very powerful, even more so now that he was at the Foundation Establishment stage. The fact that it hadn't exterminated the indistinct form proved how powerful the figure was. Naruto stopped for a moment, hesitating. He looked up ahead in the cave, rubbing the Demon Sealing Jade. Gritting his teeth, he moved forward.

He continued on another six hundred meters, bringing him a full two thousand or more meters into the cave. The intense cold caused his body to quiver. The Blood Chakra buffeted against him, filling his nostrils with every breath he took. Dark, crimson patches had begun to appear on his skin, and his eyes glowed red.

"I'm two thousand or more meters in, only about three hundred meters from the end…." His eyes had shined with more redness. At the moment, his unwillingness to let a matter drop had flared up. He moved forward, the full power of his Foundation Establishment Cultivation base in play. His Dao Pillar thrummed, sending boundless spiritual energy coursing throughout his body. He moved faster, speeding down the tunnel.

In the space of a few breaths, he caught sight of what appeared to be the end of the cave, as well as the sword he had sent in.

As things became clear, he realized that the cave was not twenty-five hundred meters deep as he had thought. Twenty-five hundred meters in was a round platform, in the middle of which was a hole, two meters wide!

The rope, which appeared to be soaked through with blood, disappeared into the deep hole, which seemed to drop down into eternity.

Naruto's sword was embedded into the side of the platform, which was why he had assumed the cave was twenty-five hundred meters deep. He was surprised to see this. But then, his eyes suddenly narrowed; the Demon Sealing Jade was now emitting a massive amount of blinding light. It was then that he noticed a corpse, sitting cross-legged next to the platform!

In the corpse's hand was an ancient-looking jade slip. This slip also emitted a brilliant glow, as if it were somehow connected to the jade slip he held in his own hand.

Before Naruto had the chance to process all of this, a shrill scream filled the air. A blurred figure raced toward him. The mist defended him, but Naruto could clearly see a six-fingered hand pressing against it, reaching toward him. It stopped about two meters from him, where a massive conglomeration of lightning resisted it.

A ghastly coldness emanated from the hand, which appeared to belong, not to an adult, but a child!

Boom!

Naruto was shoved backward. Eyes flashing, he waved his hand, and the two wooden swords shot toward the indistinct figure. However, despite the swords' incredible speed, the figure was faster. It dodged and then shot backward to crouch next to the round platform. Underneath the glow of the ancient jade, Naruto could not see it clearly.

It had an emaciated body, like that of a feral animal. But upon closer examination, it looked more like a seven- or eight-year-old child. It's eyes were completely red, and as it stared at Naruto, it opened its mouth to reveal black teeth. It screamed.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, although coldness gleamed in his eyes. Sword auras began to glow around the two wooden swords as they circled Naruto. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes narrowed. From within the hole in the flat platform, ten dim streams of light emerged as ten figures appeared which looked exactly the same as the child. They radiated viciousness as they stared at Naruto.

If this was the extent of it, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But, behind the ten phantoms, revealed by the glow of the ancient jade, Naruto saw a white-haired man floating up out of the hole in the platform.

His face was devoid of blood, and he wore a white robe. His white hair floated about him. His eyes were closed, and a vicious scar stretched from his forehead down to his chin. The flesh around the wound stretched back to reveal bone. The ten phantoms surrounded him. The whole scene caused a profound sense of danger to well up in Naruto.

His scalp grew numb, and he began to inch backward. Before he could even take three steps, a shrill screaming filled the air. The ten phantoms launched themselves from the platform, shooting directly toward Naruto.

It was at this moment that the Demon Sealing Jade flew into the air of its own volition. A bright glow spread out from it. At the same time, the ancient jade in the hands of the corpse next to the platform also flew up into the air.

An ancient and profound voice filled the air. "Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!" It boomed throughout the ancient cave, causing the ten phantoms to emit blood-curdling screams. Naruto watched as they instantly transformed into black smoke.

The white-haired man suddenly opened his eyes.

Within his eye sockets…. were no eyes, only bloody holes. It looked as if the eyes had been dug out years ago!

As his eyes opened, the two ancient pieces of jade emitted beams of light which interlocked to form a restrictive spell filled with magical symbols. It settled down over the area, causing the white-robed man to begin to tremble, unable to move further.

He slowly lifted his right hand, pushing against the restrictive spell. He himself made no sound whatsoever, but his action caused the entire cave to begin to shake.

All of this happened too quickly. Naruto breathed raggedly as he looked at the two ancient pieces of jade. He lifted his hand, and instantly, the two pieces of jade flew toward him to land on his palm.

The second piece of ancient jade was inscribed with a magical character. Naruto had seen this character before in his studies in the Magic Pavilion in the Reliance Sect. It was the character for 'eight!'

As soon as it touched his hand, a profound voice filled his mind. It sounded ancient, as if it were being projected from a time long, long ago. It echoed out in his mind.

"The League of Demon Sealers has existed as long as the Dao. I am the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer Daoist Master. I am determined to walk the path of Dao Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas. In all likelihood, I will perish, so I leave my sentience along with my clone here to resolve the ill-fated relationship between Da Nu and myself….

"Sealed three million meters down, pressed down by the weight of this section of the Milky Way Sea, buried. Grief and sorrow are part of the Dao of Heaven and Earth. However, I am a Demon Sealer Daoist Master, and I must not allow distractions into my heart… so I leave my clone here to accompany her and resolve her Demonic resentment.

"If you are of the League of Demon Sealers, place a drop of your blood onto the jade in confirmation. If you are not of the League of Demon Sealers, then remove yourself from this place. If the jade leaves without tasting blood, you will be cursed for three generations; your descendants will never see the moon and you shall perish."

The voice disappeared, and the glow from the ancient jade slowly faded. Naruto muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming. He wasn't sure whether or not to place a drop of blood onto the ancient jade. But if he didn't, then he didn't dare to take the jade away. He didn't fully believe the warning uttered by the ancient voice. And yet, he couldn't ignore it.

* * *

Murmuring to himself, Naruto frowned. He looked over toward the black hole. At the moment, there was not just one white-robed man floating there, but about seven, all in different positions. Their bloody gazes were fixed upon him.

Although he couldn't see their eyeballs, Naruto's entire body grew cold. This place was incredibly bizarre, and he was filled with the desire to leave as soon as possible.

But then he looked down at the ancient jade pieces in his hand, and resolve filled his eyes. He bit the tip of his tongue, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the second ancient jade.

As soon as the blood drop splashed onto it, it began to vibrate. A gaseous substance appeared in front of Naruto, which solidified into a gray-colored Chakra. It shot toward him, entering his body in the spot between his eyebrows. A roaring sound filled his mind, and then an archaic voice sounded out again within his head. This time it was more clear, as if the speaker were standing next to his ear.

"I was not always the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer Daoist Master. It was outside of the Sixth Mountain that I gained enlightenment from the will left behind by the Seventh Generation Demon Sealer Daoist Master upon his death. I willingly cut away my past and reversed my Dao, inheriting the past generation's Dao. I roamed creation, and eventually, refined half of the sea outside the Sixth Mountain in order to forge the Demon Sealing Jade that is required of each generation.

"With the help of the Demon Sealing Jade, I mastered the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex. Since ancient times, each new generation of the League of Demon Sealers must create a new Hex; therefore, I created the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. Throughout my life, I sought out the other scattered Hexes, but sadly by the time I reached the Dao Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas, I had only found three. What a pity.

"Successor, if you are lucky, able to absorb the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, and then create the Ninth Demon Sealing Hex. Then the League of Demon Sealers will be in accord with the law of the Dao.

"The League of Demon Sealers seeks out the great Demons of Heaven and Earth, drawing out the aura of all the living things under vault of heaven. Seizing Demonic lives, refining Demonic blood, using it and then… the concepts of Demonic Sealing, Demonic Construction, and Demonic Transformation….

"I don't know which generation of Demon Sealing you are, perhaps the Ninth. If so, you're lucky, but at the same time, unlucky. Nine is ultimate number, a peak of deterioration. The path you tread… is filled with many variables.

"This clone only possesses the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. I now pass it on to you. This Hex uses Demonic Chakra as its foundation, and can… seal bodies, seal spirits, seal Immortals, seal divinities, seal the luck from the Heavens, seal all living things in the world!" The voice echoed out in Naruto's head, more and more clearly until it became a thunderous roar that branded itself onto his mind. The brand was an ancient character, the character for Sealing!

Eventually the echoing roar faded away. Naruto didn't know it, but ten days had passed in the outside world while he had been immersed in the branding process. Another full moon had arrived.

In the valley outside, the moonlight pierced into the mists, causing them to churn and seethe like seawaters. The toad geezer once again arrived on the scene. This time, there was an additional Cultivator of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. He had obviously just broken through to the ninth level. Nonetheless, this filled the group with complete confidence.

"Now that brother Sun has made a breakthrough in his Cultivation base, we will definitely pull out fifteen hundred meters!"

"Right. We've waited for this day for too long. If we can pull out fifteen hundred meters, then our ancestral spirit will awaken. Our Cultivation bases will raise to another level. If the luck exists, we might even reach Foundation Establishment!"

"It's hard to determine the probability of Foundation Establishment luck. However, according to the ancient records passed down from our ancestors, pulling out fifteen hundred meters will definitely bring some type of luck with it." They exchanged gleaming glances, then immediately went to work under the thick moonlight. Of course, Naruto couldn't be further from their minds; as far as they were concerned he had long since passed away.

They spat out globules of blood, and formed the black blade. The mists began to spin into a whirlpool, and then the red rope appeared. The toad geezer grabbed ahold of it and let out a howl as he pulled.

A thunderous boom echoed out and the rope began to move. The movement reached down through the valley into the cave, all the way to the spot where Naruto stood, then further down into the magically sealed hole.

As soon as the rope began to move, expressions of panic appeared on the faces of the eight or so white-haired men. Suddenly, nearly a dozen of the phantoms which looked like seven- or eight-year-old children appeared. Their shrill screams echoed throughout the deepness of the cave.

One of the strange properties of this rope was that when it was pulled, it began to emit massive amounts of intense coldness, as well as a rotten smell. The glittering restrictive spell trembled, as if it might collapse at any moment.

Time passed. The seven men outside heaved on the rope, gradually pulling out fifteen meters. The roaring grew more intense, and even more coldness poured out. The rotten smell grew many times thicker and stronger.

Soon… a panting sound could be heard in the cave. It sounded as if some living thing were in the midst of some sort of struggle. A figure appeared, screaming shrilly. It launched itself at the shining restrictive spell.

The spell shook, and cracks appeared on its edges.

It was at this moment that Naruto's eyes became fully clear. He shook himself and took in a deep breath. A gleam appeared in his eyes as he became aware of what was happening in the ancient cave. He saw the rope moving, as well as the rapidly collapsing restrictive spell.

There was no time to think. He clasped his hands and bowed toward the corpse. Then, carrying his mist with him, shot back toward the cave entrance. Before he could move even thirty meters, the shining restrictive spell shattered. Ten emaciated phantoms shot out, followed by the eight white-haired old men. All of them aimed directly for Naruto, screaming as they approached.

Behind them, thin streams of blackness floated up out of the deep hole. They looked like hair. The panting sound from within the hole became clearer.

Something inside was struggling fiercely, as if it desired nothing more than to burst out of the hole.

Naruto's face was pale but his eyes shined brightly. His Dao Pillar began to rotate, sending the power of Foundation Establishment coursing throughout his body. He dashed forward several dozens of meters. Unfortunately, the emaciated, child-like phantoms behind him were even faster. Over and over again, they crashed into Naruto's lightning mist.

Booms echoed out as the lightning mist rapidly began to deteriorate. The child-like phantoms didn't seem to feel any pain. Every time they were knocked away by lightning bolts, they immediately charged back again. Everywhere Naruto looked, spirits charged toward him.

Sword auras shined out brightly as the wooden swords circled around him. Feathers spun, causing a wind to blow out. Naruto moved onward as quickly as possible.

That was when the eight white-haired men drew close. At the same time, several of the child-like spirit phantoms appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Naruto felt a profound sense of danger. Without hesitation, he slapped his bag of holding. A hundred flying swords appeared, forming into a sword rain which charged forth.

"Boom!"

As soon as Naruto uttered the word, the flying swords detonated, turning into a cloud of shrapnel that swept the phantoms off of their feet. Naruto raced past them toward the entrance of the cave, which was now about fifteen hundred meters away.

The shrieking behind him grew more intense. More and more black tendrils billowed about. They were nearly three hundred meters behind him.

Naruto didn't have time to look closely. He knew that if he slowed even a little bit, he would most likely lose his life. Even the slightest delay in reaction on his part, and he would be finished.

"With great risk comes great reward. Getting the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex makes all of this worth it. Too bad I haven't gained complete enlightenment regarding the Hex, otherwise I could use it right now." He took a deep breath and pushed forward at top speed. The cave entrance was now almost twelve hundred meters away.

It was then that the white-robed men behind Naruto raised their arms and waved their fingers toward him.

The finger attacks made Naruto's entire body turn cold. Without hesitation, he flickered his hand in an incantation and waved backwards. The feathers surrounding him shot back, then suddenly detonated. Another hundred swords appeared from within his bag of holding. They also shot back and then exploded.

A massive boom filled the cave tunnel, resounding outwards and diminishing the power of the white-robed men's finger attacks. However, despite this, they still bore down on Naruto.

His face was pale as the mist around him shook; a gap opened up. His body instantly became freezing cold, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The blood instantly froze into solid chunks. It felt as if the power of his Cultivation base dropped by half. He was in great danger. However, amidst the danger, Naruto suddenly grabbed the red rope. He pulled it, borrowing from its power to shoot forward.

Meanwhile, out in the valley, the seven men gasped for breath. Gritting their teeth, they continued to heave on the red rope, pulling continuously. Behind them were over a dozen poison beasts, mouths clenched onto the rope as they pulled with incredible might.

"Dammit, how come it suddenly became so heavy!?"

"What's happening? We just pulled out three hundred meters, it shouldn't be like this!" The seven men were shocked, and anxious expressions appeared on their faces. Suddenly, the rope pulled back on them, jerking them dozens of meters forward. Then the tugging force disappeared. But moments later, even as they gritted their teeth and pulled on the rope again, it was tugged backwards with great strength.

As they cried out to each other in confusion, Naruto was inside the cave, pulling on the rope to launch himself forward. He coughed up more blood. Without hesitation, he consumed some medicinal pills, not wasting any time as he used all his power to flee.

His expression was grim. The lightning mist around him was growing thinner and thinner. If his reaction time had been any slower in dealing with the finger attacks from the white-robed men, Naruto's body would have been frozen to death.

* * *

"What is that thing!?" panted Naruto, his heart grim. With no time to even wipe the blood from his mouth, he popped a Foundation Establishment Pill into his mouth. Because of the level of his Cultivation base, the pill would not cause his body to be paralyzed. Its power instantly flushed out the coldness.

No one but Naruto could be so wasteful.

His body seems to transform into a flash of light as he pulled on the rope, borrowing its power to shoot even closer to the cave mouth. As of now, he was only six hundred meters away. At his heels, roughly nine meters away from him, were the black tendrils of hair and the other phantoms. Further back, twenty-five hundred meters into the cave, at the end of the floating black mass of tendrils appeared a human head!

The red rope penetrated the head between the eyebrows and then continued to stretch down into the darkness.

It was a woman's head. The beauty of her features was difficult to describe, as if she didn't belong in the mortal world. Her open eyes were filled with confusion and frustration, as if before her death, there were too many things that she didn't understand, and too few answers.

To Naruto, six hundred meters was not very far. Given his current Cultivation base, he should be able to cross the distance in the space of a couple of breaths. But, the coldness in the cave was affecting his speed, and the relentless attacking pursuit behind him forced him to concentrate.

The hair tendrils continued to spread out, and it seemed as if it would reach Naruto's feet at any moment. Naruto took a deep breath, then lifted his hand toward the rocky wall.

As he pushed against it, the power of his Cultivation base exploded out to activate some of the backup magical items he had placed there. Ten flying swords suddenly flew out, shooting toward the tendrils and then exploding. A boom echoed out, shaking the cave. Naruto shot forward, pulling fiercely on the red rope.

Outside in the valley, the seven Cultivators' faces were pale white. Three of them spat up blood and staggered backward. The remaining four gritted their teeth and held on. Behind them, the poison beasts seemed to be losing power.

"Maybe this time there will be an incredible treasure. That's why it's so heavy!"

"Right. When we pulled out that Spirit Sealing rock, it was incredibly heavy…."

"Haha! We'll pull out a similar treasure this time. Don't be stingy with your medicinal pills. We have to pull out this treasure!" The three injured Cultivators gritted their teeth, panting. They pulled out medicinal pills and consumed them. With looks of excitement and anticipation, they once again stepped forward and pulled on the rope.

Down in the cave, Naruto borrowed momentum from the rope to fly another three hundred meters. The black tendrils were now a bit further away from him.

His eyes gleaming, his hand shot out toward the cave wall, to where he had hidden the talisman. It began to emit a golden light, which swirled about and then coalesced into blurry figure which was impossible to see clearly. It turned and, emanating a shocking power, charged toward the black hair and the other pursuing spirits.

As the explosion billowed out, Naruto leaped forward. The pursuing spirits shrieked madly, charging once again toward him. A cold look appeared in his eyes, and he said a single word.

"Boom!"

The talisman would now serve an additional function. Another explosion ripped through the ancient cave. Borrowing the momentum of the explosion, Naruto surged forward. He was now only thirty meters from the cave mouth. He took hold of the red rope and pulled hard. In an instant, he shot forward thirty meters, flying out of the cave!

As he shot out of the cave, ten phantoms charged forward. However, they stopped immediately when they reached the cave mouth, shrieking, as if they dared not step outside. Their shrieks echoed out, but did not leave the valley; there seemed to be some sort of restrictive spell in place. As such, the seven struggling men outside didn't hear it.

Naruto held onto the red rope, allowing it to pull him upward. He turned and looked back down at the cave. As he did, he heard the voice of a woman, filled with frustration and doubt. It also carried with it a billowing sense of grief which shook Naruto.

"The Dao…. What is the Dao?!"

The voice grew shrill as it spoke, causing Naruto's heart to seize with pain. He drew further and further away from the valley floor, passing through layer after layer of mist, until he neared its border.

"Pull! Haha! Let's see what treasure comes up!"

"Maybe it's another Spirit Sealing stone. Whatever it is, we definitely will not have wasted our effort this time!"

The seven men pulled excitedly, their eyes burning with passion. And then Naruto emerged. Their mouths dropped open and they stared at what they had painstakingly pulled up. The red roped dropped from their hands.

They gaped, dumbstruck, their minds spinning out of control. This was something they couldn't possibly have predicted, and it left their brains blank. They had expected a treasure, but instead had ended up with Naruto. They couldn't believe their eyes.

"This…. This…."

"Dammit, what's going on?! How can this be?!"

"That's… that's the outsider from before. He's not dead after all. But, how could it be him that we pulled up?"

Their minds reeled, especially the toad geezer, who had no reaction other than to gape. As for the Cultivator who had lost the Spirit Snake, when he recognized Naruto, his eyes filled with rage.

"It's that damned outsider…." he said angrily, taking a step toward Naruto. He couldn't believe that he had spat up so much blood in his efforts to pull Naruto out of the mist. His rage billowed up.

As he walked forward, Naruto looked at him calmly. As he did, the man's body suddenly began to shake and his organs felt as if they would stop working. His Cultivation base seemed as if it had lost its ability to function. The blood drained from his face, and astonishment filled his eyes. A massive pressure bore down on him, causing him to shake so violently that he thought he might fall into pieces. Naruto continued to look at him.

This was the crushing power caused by the vast difference in their Cultivation bases. The man knew that by merely lifting his hand, Naruto could explode him into a million pieces. An intense, indescribable dread welled up within him. Shaking, he coughed up blood, so scared that he didn't even dare to take a step backward.

The six other men had already begun to feel sick to their stomach, but seeing this, seeing Naruto standing there like an imposing mountain, their hearts shook. They knew that this mountain could exterminate them all in an instant.

"He's hovering in the air!" It was at this moment that the toad geezer's face changed. Looking at Naruto's feet, he realized that this flight was not the same method used as when he and his fellows flew on their poison beasts. This was… true flight!

"A Foundation Establishment expert!" The words pounded into their hearts, causing all of the men's expressions to change. Their faces were filled with shocked disbelief. They remembered that two years ago, he was only a ninth-level Chakra Condensation Cultivator. They even had assumed him dead.

But here he was again, this time in a position vastly superior to theirs. As a Foundation Establishment expert, he could end their life at any time. Their were faces pale as they all cupped their hands and bowed deeply to him.

"The junior generation offers greetings to the elder generation…" said the seven men, their fists clasped in front of them. Dread filled their hearts as they thought about what would happen if Naruto suddenly turned hostile. This was especially true of the man who had lost his Spirit Snake; anxiety filled him. His body trembling, he dropped to the ground to kowtow to the expressionless Naruto.

Even as he dropped to his knees, Naruto lifted his hand and waved it forward. A flying sword appeared; it was an ordinary sword, but it contained the power of Naruto's Foundation Establishment Cultivation base. It shot forward, disintegrating as it did so. The shrapnel shot down toward the Spirit Snake Cultivator.

A blood-curdling shriek rang out. He was of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, but blood showered out of his body, and he was killed instantly. His body toppled down into the mists.

The other six men stood there trembling, not daring to even flee. They kowtowed to Naruto, not showing any reaction whatsoever to the attack just now. Actually, the man's death had come as no surprise. From the time that Naruto had first appeared until this day, he had been most venomous in expressing his hatred for him.

If Naruto did not eliminate him, the other six men would have found it strange. That, in turn, could have given birth to other problems.

Although Naruto had not been a part of the Cultivation World for a very long time, he had experienced many things in the past six years. He was not the soft-hearted scholar he once had been. When killing became necessary, he did it without hesitation.

Enmity had been created two years ago when the man had attacked him, and then had his Spirit Snake killed. The man was of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, so it was impossible to tell whether or not he would reach Foundation Establishment. Killing him now would prevent any future troubles.

From the incident with Obito, Naruto had learned that even when attacking enemies weaker than yourself, you must be quick and thorough in the kill.

From the incident with Sasuke, he had learned that even an opponent with a lower Cultivation base could harbor resentment, and pursue vengeance ruthlessly.

In these six years, Naruto had matured, both in his personality and in his methods of dealing with matters.

* * *

As he looked down at the six men who trembled in fear like cicadas during winter, Naruto for the first time experienced the strength and respect shown to powerful experts in the Cultivation world. It would be more accurate to say respect and fear. Two years ago, these men had been willing to attack him even though he was of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. But now, each and every one of them was shaking in his boots.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about this place," said Naruto coolly. "If you hide anything from me…." He let his words trail off as his gaze swept over them. They trembled as they saw the remnants of the red glow emanating from his eye.

The glow was filled with a Demonic air, and when they saw it, their pupils shrank reflexively. The sight seemed to have been branded onto their spirits. Their expressions changed; they looked terrified to the extreme and would clearly not hide anything from Naruto. They told him everything, even taking out the village's ancient records and giving them to Naruto. They showed him maps, ancestral poison recipes… everything.

Several days later, Naruto left the valley region, respectfully sent off by the six Cultivators. His bearing was calm and his face expressionless as he sat cross-legged on an enormous green leaf, which transformed into a multicolored beam and shot toward the Southern Domain.

After he left, the six Cultivators relaxed a bit. As for the man who had died, they had long since chosen to forget that. They did not have the slightest shred of a desire to seek vengeance. They simply gazed off in the direction Naruto had taken and hoped he would never return.

A few more days passed. It was late at night in the deep valley; there, in a region impossible to see, was the mouth of an ancient cave. Everything was calm.

Within the cave was a red rope, as well as several spirits who looked like seven- or eight-year-old children, squatting there, about twenty-five hundred meters into the cave. Occasionally they would let out a howl or two.

The rope went down into a hole that seemed endless. It stretched down into the earth, deeper and deeper. Soon, a woman's head could be seen, pierced by the rope. Her face was pure white, her eyes open, gazing frustratedly at the darkness.

Past the head, the hole continued to stretch down, along with the red rope.

Thirty thousand meters, three hundred thousand meters, one million five hundred thousand meters…. There, it began to smell like the sea. In fact, at this point, seawater could be seen. The rope sank into the seawater, continuing on, seemingly without end.

If someone could see that far down, three million meters, they would be gazing upon… a pitch black sea. The rope stretched on into the sea depths to this area; it was impossible to tell exactly how far the sea and the rope stretched. Up ahead was a stone formation that appeared to be thousands and thousands of meters in diameter.

Massive stone boulders had been erected, ring after ring, layer after layer. In the very center of the stone formation was a wooden coffin, onto the surface of which was attached the red rope.

The distance between this location and the mountain valley is difficult to describe. The rope is simply too long, and not completely straight, either. If someone pulled on it with incredible force, perhaps about one thousand five hundred meters, then maybe you could measure it at approximately three million meters.

It seemed the coffin had been in this location for a very, very long time. At this moment, a scraping sound could be heard. Along with the scraping, the lid of the coffin… slowly began to open. It moved upwards about three inches!

A blackness seeped out of the coffin, spreading out into the seawater….

The name of this sea was… the Milky Way.

This sea existed between two great sub-continents of the world. As the blackness spread out into the sea, a school of a hundred fish, each about the size of a palm, swam quickly through the water. The blackness enveloped them.

Time passed, and the blackness slowly shrank down, then disappeared. The school of a hundred fish had been reduced to bones…. Except for one remaining fish. Swishing its tail, it swam out from within the bones. Its body was pitch black, and growing out of its body were two tentacles. The tentacles swiftly grew longer and longer, until they were nearly three hundred meters in length. As it swam upwards through the water, the tentacles writhed, making the fish look terrifying.

It moved upward rapidly, as fast as lightning. As it raced upwards, the Milky Way Sea around it began to churn and roar. Suddenly, it broke through the surface, soaring up into the night sky.

The instant it left the sea, a tremor ran through its body. In the blink of an eye, its body expanded, and it appearance changed. Soon it was thirty meters long, three hundred, three thousand, thirty thousand!

Within the space of a few breaths, it had grown to nearly three hundred thousand meters in length. It was now no longer a fish, but a bird. It appeared to be an enormous roc!

An aura of death roiled off of the roc's body. It seemed ancient, as if it had just awoken from a deep slumber. Its life force was not strong, and its eyes were dim. It seemed as if its life might flicker out at any moment.

"Rebirth…." The resonant voice sprang out from the roc's mouth as it flapped its wings and began flying in the direction of the Southern Domain.

Despite its enormous speed, if it wanted to leave the Milky Way Sea and reach the Southern domain, it would need to fly for more than half a year.

Meanwhile, Naruto sped along through the sky, sitting cross-legged on the enormous green leaf. Black clouds roiled above him, and lightning crashed down all around him, along with pouring rain.

However, the rain didn't touch Naruto. The leaf emitted a glowing shield which blocked the rainwater. Naruto shot through the stormy night, occasionally illuminated by the flashes of lightning.

He lowered his head to look at the jade slip he held in his hand, a look of deep thoughtfulness in his eyes.

"According to the legends, that cave in the valley leads to the Milky Way Sea… The villagers have been watching over that area since ancient times, and every full moon, they pull on that rope. Every time they do, they get rewards of some sort. The whole thing seems a little fishy." He turned his head, and his eyes glittered as he looked out through the thunderstorm toward the location of the mountain valley. Bits and pieces of some larger story seemed to be coming together. He put the jade slip back into a bag of holding, within which were a large assortment of bottles and jars. They contained various formulas refined by old man toad and the others, as well as a collection of poison pills created by their Clan.

They had given these gifts in tribute to Naruto, as well as a handful of jade slips.

Most of the poisons would be deadly to someone of the Chakra Condensation stage, but would have less of an effect on someone at Foundation Establishment. However, there were a few that were special. For example, one was called Delight Pill. It would turn into a mist that, when inhaled, would cause the victim to have sexual hallucinations.

He glanced over the various poison pills, and then retrieved another jade slip. This jade slip contained maps of the area. He noticed one area which would take about half a year to travel to, that contained a teleportation portal.

The teleportation portal was controlled by a Clan of Cultivators, and was the only one in the area. Using it would allow him to teleport to the Southern Domain, which would cut a huge amount of time off of his journey there. After teleporting into the Southern Domain, he would be only about a half month's travel from the border of the State of Eastern Emergence, one of the Nine States of the Southern Domain.

"The Nine States of the Southern Domain form the center of the Southern Domain. Nine flourishing mortal nations, each one of them much larger than the Five Elements Nation. With such a huge amount of mortals, the resources available are even greater and thus, the rise of the illustrious Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain.

"Five great Clans and three great Sects. Each exists in its respective nation. As for the ninth nation, its proximity to the Western Desert caused it to become a flourishing trading hub. Eventually, it came to be called the Black Lands." Naruto put the jade slip away. There wasn't much information. However, it corroborated what he'd learned back in the Reliance Sect. As of now, he could visualize a rough outline of the Southern Domain, although it wasn't very detailed.

"Once I get to the Southern Domain, I'll have to acquire a better map, then I'll understand things better." He looked up at the rain and lightning, his eyes glowing brightly.

"I have a lot of acquaintances in the Southern Domain; Elder Sister Hinata, Elder Brother Guy, Fatty and… Sasuke!" A smile appeared on his face, a smile filled with stubborness.

"It's been many years. Naruto is coming!"

Several months later, in an endless strip of barren mountains, atop a tall mountain peak, a thunderous boom rang out. It was a beautiful mountain, dotted with various stockade villages. The mountain peak was connected to surrounding mountains by long iron chains, which seemed to form a huge spell formation.

In the sky above, two people were locked in magical combat. Below, crowds of people looked up in awe.

One of the combatants was a burly man who appeared to be over thirty years of age. Bare-chested, a golden-colored centipede was wrapped around his right hand. His left hand flickered in an incantation, and a gigantic sail appeared. It rippled in the wind, emitting a piercing shrieking sound. The other person was Naruto.

He was not using the Lightning Flag, nor had the wooden swords appeared. A simple flying sword circled around him which he used to attack. At the same time, he flashed an incantation gesture, and a howling Flame Python flew forth, over sixty meters in length. Next, multiple spinning Wind Blades appeared, amazing the onlookers.

A massive boom echoed out, and the two of them each shot backward. The burly man laughed and clasped his hands in respect toward Naruto.

"Brother Naruto, your Cultivation base is extraordinary. I, Tetsu, truly admire you."

Naruto lifted his hand. The flying sword returned to circle around him. He smiled, and returned the salute.

"Brother Tetsu is being modest. You only attacked with eighty percent of your power, but I had to use all of my power to defend. I am the one to be doing the admiring." The words seemed casual, but when he heard them, the burly man's heart shook.

Two days ago, Naruto had arrived here and had asked about being able to use their teleportation portal. This place was unlike the mountain valley Naruto had just come from. The chiefs of the stockade villages in the area were all Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They welcomed Naruto enthusiastically, treating him to a feast and exchanging tips about Cultivation with him. In order to prove the extent of his power, he had agreed to a sparring match with one of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"Brother Naruto is the one being modest. You attacked casually, and not with your full strength. I'm really curious how much of your power you used?" The man's eyes shined; the sparring match had been his idea. But as it had proceeded, he had grown more and more apprehensive. Both of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage, but it seemed as if his opponent were only using about half of his power. Furthermore, Naruto had been able to tell how much power he was using.

"When might I be able to use your teleportation portal?" said Naruto, sidestepping the question. He smiled, although the smile didn't touch his eyes. He had actually not even used a third of his full strength.

"Oh, that's simple. You can use it today." The burly man nodded, muttering to himself.

Soon after, the spell formation within the mountains activated, and Naruto's body disappeared. As the glow faded, the burly man surnamed Shiso frowned.

Next to him were two men of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. As Naruto disappeared, one of them said, "Chief, that guy…"

"I'm not sure where he came from," said the burly man, his voice deep. "His magic is strange, as is his Foundation Establishment Cultivation base. I felt him out with some attacks and could tell that he's an experienced fighter. He came here alone, but seemed completely at ease. He must have some unique and special techniques. Yeah, it's not worth it to provoke him."

When he had attempted to feel out Naruto, he had failed. Naruto kept his power sealed up tight. This caused the man's fear and suspicion to grow stronger. The teleportation portal couldn't be used by just anyone; if your power is not sufficient, it could take your life, which happened occasionally. Therefore, he let Naruto use the portal, to ensure that no calamity befell his village.

* * *

There is a wide plain on the border of the State of Eastern Emergence, in the center of the Southern Domain. There, the glow of a teleportation spell appeared, then faded. Outside of the teleportation portal, seven or eight Cultivators of the Chakra Condensation stage sat cross-legged. They stood up as Naruto appeared, saluting him with clasped hands.

These Cultivators were posted here to defend the teleportation portal and to receive visitors to the village. When Naruto appeared and they sensed the deepness of his Cultivation base, their respect for him grew even greater.

Naruto walked out of the teleportation portal. His eyes swept over the Cultivators, then flickered up to the sky above the wide plain. Everything looked unfamiliar. He glanced back at the portal spell, marveling at the range of its teleportation.

Ignoring the surrounding Cultivators, Naruto shot up into the sky. He did not use a flying sword or the enormous green leaf or the treasured fan, but rather his Cultivation base. His body transformed into a prismatic beam of light as he disappeared into the distance.

The seven or eight Cultivators watched as he left, their veneration for him growing.

"I wonder if I'll ever be able to become a powerful Foundation Establishment expert…."

"Stop dreaming. Even if you did reach Foundation Establishment, at the very best you would have a Fractured Foundation. People like us can only imagine what it would be like. Only people groomed by the great Sects have a chance to get a Foundation Establishment Pill. And even amongst the great Sects, the numbers who do are few. Most people go their whole lives without even touching one."

"Even with a Foundation Establishment Pill, people with latent talent like ours would only have a tiny chance of succeeding. Ah, the Foundation Establishment stage… that is true power!" The Cultivators sighed. Being assigned to guard duty in this location, they rarely had a chance to see Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Seeing Naruto had filled their hearts with admiration and envy.

Days passed, and the entire time, Naruto did not use any flight-bestowing treasures, even though it forced him to waste a bit of spiritual power. He was as cautious as ever; this was the center of the Southern Domain, and he knew he had to be especially careful.

He had offended too many people from here; the Violet Fate Sect, obviously, as well as Hiruko and Sasuke. Time passed, and soon he neared the State of Eastern Emergence. The closer he got, the more cautious he grew.

During the past months, he had attempted to use the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex almost every day. However, no matter what he did, he wasn't able to gain the enlightenment he needed. Everything seemed a blur.

Ten days after leaving the teleportation portal, Naruto was flying along, when suddenly his expression changed. His body trembled, and he fell out of the sky, his face pale. He hit the ground running, making a beeline for a nearby forest. He waved his hand toward a tree up ahead that was large enough for three people to encircle with their arms. The tree cracked open, sending splinters of wood out into the air. Naruto leaped into the fissure, immediately sitting down cross-legged. His face was turning a deep purple color, and his body was trembling. He spat out the Lightning Flag, which immediately transformed into a protective lightning mist.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he attempted to take control of the poison that was flaring up within him.

This time, the flareup lasted for three days. The entire time, Naruto sat there, his jaw clenched tight. The pain of the poison within his body felt like insects ripping his insides apart. His eyes were blood red and savage, and would have shocked anyone who could see it. Suddenly, in the pupil of his right eye appeared a demonic face that seemed to be laughing and crying at the same time. Somehow, it also had the appearance of a blossoming flower.

Naruto was aware of this. More than ever, he desired to dispel the poison.

On evening of the third day, a vicious wolf wandered into the area and caught the scent of blood. It eyed the cavity in the tree where Naruto sat, and then shot forward. Just as it was about to reach the tree, a hand shot out from within, latching onto the wolf's neck. It squeezed.

A cracking sound could be heard. The wolf didn't even have a chance to cry out before it died. It twitched for a moment and then went still. His face pale, Naruto emerged from the tree. His eyes glittered, shining with an intense killing aura. Every time the poison flared up, he had a stronger desire to kill. The flickering, laughing-crying demonic face in his eye seemed to be having a strange effect on all of the Chakra in his body.

Naruto looked down at the dead wolf he held. He flicked his hand, and the body was consumed with flames. Ash drifted out from Naruto's hand. The fire flickered on his face. He looked much less a scholar now, and much more a vicious Cultivator.

"In the past two years, the poison has flared up nine times. But this time was different. Why did a demonic face appear within my right eye….?" He reached up and felt his right eye. The demonic face slowly faded away. Naruto experimentally circulated his Cultivation base. When he did, the demonic face appeared again. His body transformed into a shining beam of light as he continued on toward the State of Eastern Emergence.

It was a large nation, about ten times larger than the Five Elements Nation, filled with Cultivators and Sects. The largest of the Sects was the Violet Fate Sect, which acted as the leader of the other Sects.

You could definitely say that the State of Eastern Emergence was the base of operations for the Violet Fate Sect.

Naruto knew this, but had no other options. Going around the nation would involve traveling a huge distance. He wanted to get the State of Blue Clouds, where the Black Sieve Sect was, a location actually closer to where the Five Elements Nation had been, but which was on the other side of the State of Eastern Emergence.

Fortunately, the State of Eastern Emergence was huge, so if he was careful, it shouldn't be difficult to hide. It wasn't like the Five Elements Nation, which was small enough to make searching for people easy. Furthermore, he was no longer of the Chakra Condensation stage. Now that he was of the Foundation Establishment stage, he could protect himself much more easily. His decision made, he entered the State of Eastern Emergence.

"If I keep going on in this direction, there is a city of Cultivators." Naruto flew through the air, passing through the border. He wore a long, black robe and a wide bamboo hat. His eyes flickered about as he surveyed the lands of the State of Eastern Emergence. There were few mountains, mostly wide plains. There were cities of mortals scattered about everywhere, connected by trade routes that were filled with horse carts.

The hustle and bustle was far greater than that in the Five Elements Nation. As he flew through they air, other Foundation Establishment Cultivators flew past him, going in different directions. That was something which would be a rare sight in the Five Elements Nation.

There were also many Chakra Condensation Cultivators. You could say that the spiritual energy throughout the State of Eastern Emergence was greater than that of some of the famous mountains within the Five Elements Nation. In fact, there were some places where the spiritual energy was so dense that it made Naruto apprehensive.

Several days later, Naruto finally saw a majestic city rising up in front of him on the horizon!

It would take a mortal many hours to travel fifty kilometers, but Naruto arrived at the city gate in less time than it takes an incense stick to burn.

It was currently dusk, and as the sun set over the city, it looked like a gigantic coiling dragon, its head lifted up to look at the heavens.

As he approached the city, he felt a pressure pushing him down from the sky. He landed on the ground and proceeded forward on foot, lifting his head up to gaze at the city. Even though he had seen cities before, this sight moved him. There were other Cultivators around him, some alone, some in groups of four or five.

Above, the sky was completely clear. There was a restrictive spell in place overhead that prevented flight, and the only thing that could be seen was its colorful glow. It made everything seem celestial in nature.

The gate was guarded by Cultivators of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. There were also guards on top of the city walls, and Naruto could see that they were of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, on the threshold of reaching Foundation Establishment.

"This is a great city of Cultivators of the Southern Domain…" As he contemplated, Naruto began to more fully understand the power the Violet Fate Sect wielded in this great nation.

Naruto looked ahead and noticed that as people entered the city gates, they paid a tax of Spirit Stones. Just as he was about to do the same, a whistling scream could be heard approaching in the air.

The sound was very sudden, causing all the Cultivators in the area to lift their heads. Off in the distance, a beam of light shot toward the city.

It was violet-colored, and roughly thirty meters wide. It approached like a screaming, shooting star. In its midst was a middle-aged man wearing a splendid garment. His face was expressionless, and he flew toward the city center as if the restrictive spell emanating from within meant nothing to him.

The pressure exuded by his body sent looks of shock to appear on the faces of the Cultivators on the ground. A wind kicked up, turning into a whirlwind, which swept across the land.

"A Core Formation eccentric. Only people like that can ignore the city's restrictive spell and fly."

"Keep your voice down. That's Reverend Bi Hong of the Violet Fate Sect. They say that years ago, someone from the Cloud Resemblance Sect was disrespectful to him, so he slaughtered the entire Sect. He's cruel and ruthless."

The buzz of conversation slowly died out. Naruto looked off into the distance, his expression calm, but his heart pounding. Lowering his head, he entered the city.

The largest city of Cultivators he'd ever been in before was Milky Way City in the Five Elements Nation. Entering this great city in the State of Eastern Emergence, he felt as if his world-view had suddenly expanded. Items used in Cultivation were available everywhere, and tall buildings rose up as far as the eye could see. Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment Cultivators bustled about, and Naruto even caught sight of two Core Formation Cultivators like the Reverend Bi Hong from moments ago.

Naruto was the only person wearing a wide bamboo hat, which actually caused many people to turn and look at him. He hesitated a moment before ducking into a random shop. When he came out, the hat was gone. His expression was calm as he walked past several more shops, and then began to walk through some snaking alleys. Suddenly, his body shot backward thirty meters, and his hand shot out like lightning. It came to rest on the neck of a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years of age. Naruto lifted him up and pressed him against the wall.

The boy's Cultivation base was not very high, it was at about the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. His body was bony, but his eyes seemed to be filled with wit and cunning. His face twisted as Naruto lifted him up. The boy knew that by exerting just a bit of spiritual power, Naruto could turn him into ash.

"Why are you following me? I'll give you one sentence to explain yourself." Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he held the trembling youth. The young man looked at his black robe and loose, long hair, and it seemed as if death itself were hovering in front of him.

* * *

"Senior, I can help you find the things you need in the city," blurted the young man hurriedly. He was nervous, and fear shone in his eyes. He believed what Naruto had just said. He knew he would only have one chance to explain himself clearly, otherwise, he would be exterminated. It wouldn't matter that they were within the city limits.

Naruto gave the young man a look. He didn't say anything, but the young man was clever, and picked up on Naruto's intention. He continued speaking.

"I'm Udon of the junior generation," he said, the words pouring out, his heart pounding. "I was born here in Eastern Greatness City, so I know the place well. I noticed you when you entered the city; I can tell that it's your first time here. You need someone who knows their way around to help you find what you're looking for. I'd like to offer my services.

"Senior, for only fifty Spirit Stones, you can save yourself a lot of time. I can help you find what you need much faster." He looked nervously at Naruto. He wasn't lying; everything he'd said was the truth.

He had done this type of thing before, but this was the first time he had encountered someone like Naruto, who exuded such a deadly air.

Naruto looked over him coldly and then slowly loosened his grip. He frowned; the more the poison flared up, the stronger his killing intent seemed to grow. It seemed to be slowly affecting his personality.

Udon took in a deep breath and then said, "What is it you seek to buy, sir?"

"Poison pills," replied Naruto coolly.

"Poison pills?" Udon stared in surprise. He thought for a long moment, and then his eyes glittered and he went on to provide a vivid description of this aspect of the city.

"Senior, there are not many shops in the city that specifically sell poison pills. But, poison pills are still medicinal pills, and there are lots of shops in the city that sell medicinal pills. There are two shops that could be considered the best. One of them, called the Ten Thousand Pills Pavilion, has the most variety of pills. It's very famous, and when they have auctions, even Foundation Establishment Cultivators will attend.

"There's another shop that's a bit smaller, but they conduct trade with the Western Desert, so they have a lot of imported items. They say the apothecary there used to work with Grandmaster Pill Demon of the Violet Fate Sect. He was some kind of boy genius when it came to medicines.

"Which place would you like to go to, sir?"

Naruto thought for a moment, then said, "The Ten Thousand Pills Pavilion." Udon nodded and led the way off. Having his help really did save Naruto quite a bit of time. They walked quickly through the city, and within about an hour, arrived at a seven-story pavilion. A huge stone stele had been erected next to it, upon which were written the characters 'Ten Thousand Pills Pavilion.'

"I can't really go inside," said Udon. "I'll wait out here for you, sir." Looking around, Naruto noticed that there were quite a few disciples of the fifth or sixth level of Chakra Condensation milling about.

With a slight nod of his head, he entered the seven-story building. As for Naruto, he had cast a bit of Spiritual Sense onto him, to ensure that he didn't try anything funny.

Now that he was of the Foundation Establishment stage, he was becoming much more familiar with the usages of Spiritual Sense.

In the Ten Thousand Pills Pavilion, Chakra Condensation Cultivators were restricted to the first floor. The second and third floors were for Foundation Establishment; Core Formation was the requirement to enter the fourth floor. Naruto walked around a bit, frowning as he glanced over the various medicinal pills.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, and he left. Udon immediately stepped forward.

"Let's go to the second place you mentioned," said Naruto, continuing to frown. Udon was clever, so he didn't ask any questions. He immediately led Naruto away. It was nearing evening when they finally arrived in a relatively remote part of the city, to a shop that seemed to have been there since ancient times.

"This place is small, and it has three rules," Udon told Naruto. "The first rule is that you can't enter unless you put up a deposit of fifty thousand Spirit Stones. The deposit is non-refundable, whether or not you buy anything.

"The second rule is that only one person at a time may enter. Everyone else must wait outside. Furthermore, only twenty people are allowed in each day. Once twenty people have entered, others must wait until the following day.

"The third rule is that once inside, random questions are not allowed. Every question asked must be accompanied with a payment of Spirit Stones."

Naruto stared in surprise for a moment, before understanding showed in his eyes. He walked forward. He hated to lose Spirit Stones, but if it led to being able to dispel the poison, then it would be worth it.

The door of the shop was closed. On it hung a plaque with the number 18 written on it.

Naruto settled his Chakra and calmed his mind, then stood there quietly. Udon stood next to him. Finally, when the sun was about to drop over the horizon, the door creaked open and a middle-aged man walked out. A frown was on his face, and he didn't even look at Naruto and Udon. He walked out, turned, and then clasped hands and bowed to the old man who had shown him out.

When he saw the middle-aged man, Naruto's eyes narrowed and he lowered his head. He had seen this man before. It was none other than Reverend Bi Hong, whom he had seen flying through the sky earlier in the day.

The old man who stood in the shop door was of the late Foundation Establishment stage. For a Core Formation eccentric to salute him in such a manner was very unusual.

Reverend Bi Hong turned and then transformed into a colorful beam of light that shot off into the air. A screaming whistle echoed out, after which the old man in the shop looked at Naruto.

Without hesitation, Naruto produced a bag of holding, inside of which were fifty thousand spirit stones. He respectfully handed it over.

The old man accepted it with a slight nod, then turned and entered the shop. Naruto followed him, glancing back as the door closed behind him. The number on the plaque changed from 18 to 19.

The shop wasn't very large. There were no shelves. Instead, there were seven pill furnaces of various sizes, two long tables, and an oil lamp. The light was relatively dim, although to Cultivators, this didn't matter; they could see everything clearly.

"How can I help you?" said the old man coolly, sitting cross-legged behind one of the long tables.

Naruto said nothing, instead slapping his bag of holding to produce a jade vial. He pushed it across the table toward the old man.

The old man picked it up and opened it, then gazed at it closely. He lowered his head and sniffed it, then tipped it over. Blood flowed out onto the surface of the table.

The jade vial contained a sizeable amount of blood, which Naruto had extracted from his body.

"Interesting," said the old man, his voice low. He stared at the blood on the table. He lifted his hand, and a long, silver needle appeared. He dragged it through the blood, and immediately, the needle began to glow. Then, in the blink of an eye, it began to melt with rot. In an instant, it had turned into bits of ash, which floated out in the air.

The old man's eyes glistened. He smacked the table with his left hand, causing the blood to fly up into the air, where it congealed into a globule. He then smacked his bag of holding, and a withered seed appeared. He flicked his finger, and the seed merged into the globule of blood.

The blood instantly began to contract, and soon was gone. The seed was no longer withered, but rather, plump and nearly bursting. As it floated in the air, it slowly began to sprout.

Naruto watched with rapt attention as all of this happened, growing more and more nervous. He had spent a lot of Spirit Stones, all to attempt to dispel the poison.

The seed sprouted, forming into a long branch, upon which a single leaf grew. The leaf eventually grew into a flower. As soon as the flower appeared, the old man's face went pale. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

The petals of the flower were three different colors: yellow, blue and red, interlocking with each other. The flower itself had the appeared of a demonic face that was laughing and crying at the same time. The demonic-face-flower floated there in the air, seemingly alive. It was extremely bizarre.

"A three-colored Resurrection Lily…" said the old man in a hoarse voice . He stared at the flower, his eyes shining.

"When this poison flares up three times, it forms a complete cycle. After three cycles, the flower will bloom. After it blooms, a demonic face that seems to be both laughing and crying will appear in your right eye. It will come and go depending on your usage of your Cultivation base. If you circulate your Cultivation base for a long time, it will grow more clear. At this stage, the poison will not injure you, and in fact will protect you from all manner of other poisons. However, your desire to kill will grow stronger.

"After three more cycles, the flower will bloom again, and when the poison flares up, another demonic face will appear in your left eye. At this point, your desire to kill will be even stronger. You will become incredibly bloodthirsty. At this point, not only will you be immune to a vast array of poisons, you will begin to emanate a poisoned miasma. Your flesh will become incredibly tough, and you will be more resilient than the average Cultivator.

"However, you will find that your body is also becoming more and more stiff. Your agility will be reduced, and your life force will slowly become dim. You will often be surrounded by a death aura.

"After this, the flower will bloom a third time," said the man, his voice filled with profundity. "Your… your mind will be lost, your life will be gone. Your body will transform into a three-colored Resurrection Lily. The person who planted the seed in you will come to pick the flower. Sometime after the transformation, you will turn into a four-colored Resurrection Lily.

"Mortal, Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Dao Seeking. Seven stages, seven colors, one for each stage. Eventually, the Resurrection Lily will bloom in seven colors, the flower descends, Immortal Ascension, one thousand years.

"In ancient times, Cultivators used this flower in order to achieve Immortal Ascension." The old man gazed at Naruto.

Hearing the man's word caused him to shiver, not from cold, but from fear. He frowned as he thought about everything the man had said regarding the poison.

"Fellow Daoist, please, don't joke with me. I have ordinary latent talent, and no special treasures that people are pursuing. It wouldn't be worth it for an enemy to plot against me with such a rare flower."

The old man looked at him with a smile, but said nothing.

Naruto was silent for a moment, then produced another bag of holding which he placed down in front of the old man. The man nodded.

"Young friend, what you said is both correct and incorrect," said the old man slowly. "This three-colored Resurrect Flower is not complete; it's defective. It won't bloom past three colors. Otherwise, no one in the world would be able to dispel it for you.

"How can I dispel it?" When the man didn't respond, Naruto threw over another bag of holding.

Meanwhile outside the shop, the stars and moon had appeared in the evening sky and lanterns were being lit throughout the city. A woman appeared in the distance, dressed in a long, sleeveless white garment.

She was incredibly beautiful. Graceful and slender, her appearance underneath the moonlight was like that of a celestial being. She looked cool, calm and very refined. Her appearance was beyond ordinary in every aspect. As the lamplight filled the city, she walked up to the shop. When she saw the number 19 on the plaque on the door, a slight smile appeared on her face that caused Udon's heart to race.

Naruto himself had seen this woman before, in the Reliance Sect. She had accompanied Sasuke when he left the sect. This was … Sasuke's fiancé.

Sakura

* * *

"There are three methods to deal with this poison," said the old man, collecting the bag of holding. "The third method is to simply alleviate the pain caused by the poison. There are three types of Spirit Fruit that you can eat which will have this effect.

"A second method can be used to suppress the effects of the poison and also reduce the frequency of the flareups. For this, you need a Spring and Autumn tree. One tree can suppress the poison for one year. By the way, this type of tree is actually capable of doing more than just suppressing a vast variety of poisons. It's very rare, but not impossible to acquire. The only downside is that using it will cause the poisoning will deepen. Also that the rebound effect is severe; if the time comes when you cannot suppress the poison any more, it will erupt violently, and you will be unable to dispel it.

"As for completely eliminating the poison, and this is the first method, it's actually quite simple. Find someone of the senior generation who is in the Spirit Severing stage. They can easily eliminate the poison for you using the power of the Spirit Severing stage.

"Very well, seeing how readily you spend such quantities of Spirit Stones, I might as well tell you of a fourth method. If you somehow have the good fortune to acquire a Poison Dispelling Pill personally concocted by Grandmaster Pill Demon, then you could use it to completely eliminate the poison.

"However," said the old man calmly, "Grandmaster Pill Demon holds a lofty position in the Violet Fate Sect. It would be very difficult."

Naruto thought for a moment, then without another word, pulled out another bag of holding. He cared a lot about Spirit Stones, but they were simple material possessions which could not compare to the value of his own life.

The old man accepted the bag of holding, eyes glittering, and a smile appeared on his face.

"I know what question you're going to ask."

"Where can I buy it!" asked Naruto coldly, his expression grim.

"There's no way for outsiders to know about this, yet. But considering my status, I'm special, so I happen to have heard the news. In a month, a trading caravan from the Western Desert will arrive here. When they do, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion will host an auction. One of the items they will be selling is Spring and Autumn tree.

"Hundred Treasures Pavilion?" Naruto's eyes flashed as he thought back to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Eastern Refinement City in the Five Elements Nation.

Naruto stood, and with a last glance at the old man, turned and walked to the door. When he opened it, the first thing he saw was a refined, beautiful woman. Their eyes met for a brief moment.

"Middle Foundation Establishment stage!" thought Naruto. His face showed nothing as he walked forward. The woman in white's expression was normal. As Naruto left, she walked into the shop. As she did, her brow furrowed slightly, and she looked back at Udon and Naruto as they walked off.

"He seems familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen him before." Sakura didn't pay much more attention to it. The year she had seen Naruto on the top of the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect, he had only been at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. Even though he had snatched away Sasuke's chance at joining the Inner Sect, Sakura hadn't paid much attention to him at all. Six years had passed since then, and she had long since forgotten about him.

She had forgotten Naruto, but he hadn't forgotten her!

Naruto couldn't possibly forget the middle-aged Dao Protector who had stood there that night. Neither could he forget the woman who had seemed to be on such intimate terms with Sasuke.

"That was definitely her…." Naruto walked faster, his expression cold, but his thoughts racing. Based on her reaction, she hadn't recognized him. In any case, he had changed a lot recently, especially in terms of his Cultivation base. It would be difficult for anyone to connect the current Naruto with the old one.

"I was a nobody back then. She seemed so close with Sasuke; she must be the disciple of a great Sect. I wouldn't have made any sort of impression on her. But her Cultivation base is in the middle of the Foundation Establishment stage. I wonder… I wonder what Sasuke's Cultivation base is like nowadays?" He thought back to everything that had happened that year, and barely perceptible cold smile appeared on his face.

Udon walked beside him, looking thoughtful. He looked back, and then suddenly stopped walking.

"Now I know! That was Sakura!" he said.

"Sakura?" asked Naruto, his expression flickering as he looked back at Udon. "You mean the woman back there?"

"Yeah," said Udon excitedly. "She's a Chosen from the Violet Fate Sect, and also one of the Four Great Beauties of the Southern Domain. That was definitely her!"

"Oh?" Naruto's eyes glittered.

"According to the rumors," gushed Udon, "when she was born, a celestial lotus bloomed. Her latent talent is incredible, and her beauty is extraordinary. She was taken in by Grandmaster Pill Demon as a personal apprentice! Her beloved, Sasuke, is a Chosen from the great Uchiha Clan. The year they got engaged, the entire Southern Domain was talking about it." He might be well-informed about the affairs within the Southern Domain, but as he spoke, he didn't notice the look which appeared in Naruto's eyes.

They continued on, and Udon proceeded to talk about various matters related to Sakura. At Naruto's request, he led him to an inn in a far corner of the city. Naruto asked him a few questions regarding the auction and then paid the Spirit Stones he owed. By the time Udon left, it was late at night.

Naruto sat cross-legged in his room in the inn, his eyes twinkling. His mind was filled with the various things Udon had told him about Sakura. Enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn. He frowned.

"I wonder if there is some way to use Sakura to get Grandmaster Pill Demon to make me a Poison-Dispelling Pill…." When he thought about Grandmaster Pill Demon, he couldn't help but think about Obito's Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Obito was also an apprentice of Grandmaster Pill Demon…" Naruto laughed bitterly. He had killed the man's apprentice, and also offended the Violet Fate Sect. Dispelling the poison in that way would be very difficult.

After a while, he began to meditate. Naruto had found that after reaching Foundation Establishment, he needed larger amounts of spiritual energy, much more so than he'd needed in the Chakra Condensation stage. In order to reach the middle of the Foundation Establishment stage, he would need to form four Dao Pillars.

"Right now I only have one Dao Pillar. Because of the crack on the Dao Pillar, I have a Flawless Foundation. Plus, I established my Foundation after reaching the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation. Furthermore, my Cultivation is based on the Sublime Spirit Scripture, making my Dao Pillar gold colored. My enlightenment is deeper, and I have much more Spiritual Sense. I don't think that many people in the early stage of Foundation Establishment would be my match.

"I've never fought someone of the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, so I'm not sure, but I think I could hold my own." His eyes shone as he thought of his match with the burly man surnamed Shiso. At that time, he had come to have a much better understanding of the power of his Flawless Foundation. When the time came to form his second Dao Pillar, he would be prepared.

"I need some medicinal pills suitable for the early Foundation Establishment stage," he said, taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes and spit out the Lightning Flag. A field of lightning mist sprang up, within which arcs of electricity sparkled. If anyone tried to make a move against him, they would immediately shoot out to protect him.

Within the mist, Naruto once again attempted to use the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, and once again failed. However, with each of his failed attempts, he seemed to grow closer to enlightenment.

The night passed uneventfully. As dawn broke the next morning, Naruto opened his eyes. He left the inn to explore this city of Cultivators in the State of Eastern Emergence. He wanted to find some medicinal pills suitable for Foundation Establishment, and hopefully learn something about the Spring and Autumn tree.

Half a month passed, during which time he explored almost all of the shops in the city. This place was filled with an incredible variety of medicinal pills and magical items. However, the prices were very high. After considering his options for a long time, Naruto purchased a common medicinal pill which was useful during the Foundation Establishment stage.

This pill was called Massed Establishment Pill, and was suitable for the early Foundation Establishment stage.

"There are quite a bit of pills that are suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage, but it seems that their efficacy is just ordinary. The really high-quality medicinal pills are exclusively available from various Sects. It's hard for outsiders to get their hands on them. The only chance to even see them would be during an auction."

Another half month passed. Naruto had grown much more familiar with the city. At the moment, he sat in the restaurant of his inn, next to a window, looking down at the throngs of people below. In his hand was a cup of alcohol, which he sipped as he thought.

"I've consumed far too many medicinal pills over the years. I've pushed my Cultivation base with a quantity of pills far exceeding the average person." He frowned. It's not that the city didn't have pills suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage, or that the prices were too high. It was a problem of the five medallions.

In the city there were five types of medallions available that determined who could have the chance to buy certain products. Without one of the medallions, even if you had the money to buy certain items, you couldn't. That was the rule in the city, and also the way that the Violet Fate Sect could control the distribution of medicinal pills within the nation.

"Five types of medallions. The only way to acquire one is to do some sort of meritorious service. So annoying!" Naruto lifted up the cup of alcohol and took another drink. His frown deepened.

"Thankfully I don't need a medallion to participate in the auction. As long as I have enough Spirit Stones to pay the entrance fee, I can get in." Naruto's gaze swept the street below. As he muttered to himself, time passed. Soon, the inn's restaurant began to fill with Cultivators, who chatted and exchanged information.

Udon had selected a relatively well-known inn for Naruto. Here, they only served drinks. In fact, they only served one kind of drink, which was called Savor the Spirit.

The flavor of this alcohol was quite unique; it didn't burn going down. It was very strong, but was infused with spiritual energy. It wasn't a lot of spiritual energy, but it was enough to make the alcohol quite expensive.

"I heard that the trade caravan from the Western Desert arrived today. They brought way more people with them than they did in past years. I bet there's going to be a lot of treasures up for grabs at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion auction."

"There aren't as many resources in the Western Desert as there are in the Southern Domain, but they have a lot of very unique material that we really need here. When they show up every few years, they usually bring representatives from around a hundred different merchant groups and a variety of Sects from different nations. The techniques of their Cultivators are very strange. I hope we have a chance to learn something from them."

"I don't think so. They've obviously brought more people than usual. There has to be a reason for that. I'd say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance it has something to do with the corpse of that Immortal." The sound of voices filled the restaurant, and most of them were discussing the auction which was to take place in half a month, and how it related to the arrival of the Western Desert trade caravan.

Naruto was getting ready to make his departure. The trade caravan didn't interest him. However, when he heard mention of the corpse of an Immortal, his eyes flashed, and he sat back down and poured himself another cup of alcohol. He took a drink and continued to listen.

"The Immortal's corpse… heh heh, it's been a bloodbath over there recently. Three years ago, the five great Sects and the three great Clans tried to force their way into the area, but were met with failure after failure. They had no choice but to back off."

"The Immortal's corpse must have fallen out from the heavens that year because it wanted to enter the Rebirth Cave, one of the Southern Domain's three Danger Zones. And yet for some reason, it landed about three thousand meters away from it. Actually, it didn't just provoke a reaction from the five great Sects and three great Clans. The strange things that exist within the Rebirth Cave also have been emerging occasionally."

"Everyone wants a piece of the Immortal's body. Even just a bit of it would increase anyone's hope of achieving Immortal Ascension!" As Naruto listened to the buzz of conversation in the restaurant, a strange look appeared in his eyes. He thought back to the time in the Five Elements Nation when the land had continued to shake over and over again. He had gotten the feeling that something from the Heavens had fallen down to smash into the earth.

"You know what I heard? When the Immortal's corpse fell down, some people saw it with their own eyes. They said its pupils were gray, and that inside, seven stars glittered!" When Naruto heard this, he was just lifting his cup up to take another drink. Suddenly, a tremor ran through his body, and his hand began to tremble, spilling alcohol out all over.

* * *

The restaurant was filled with all sorts of people, so no one noticed Naruto's strange behavior. He slowly put down his cup of alcohol. His expression was as calm as ever, but his heart had suddenly begun pounding, and a roaring sound filled his head.

He silently turned his head to look at the person who had mentioned the seven stars in the eyes of the corpse of the Immortal. Then he lowered his head and took another drink.

"You know what, it's weird. That Immortal is dead, but it's body still exudes a powerful pressure which caused all kinds of strange phenomena. The great Sects and Clans could only approach to a distance of three hundred meters."

"I heard that recently the great Clans and Sects made some special preparations and were able to approach closer than three hundred meters." The discussions continued until midday, whereupon people began to disperse. The person who had mentioned the seven stars stood up. Chatting and laughing with his companion, he made to leave.

It was at this moment that Naruto lightly tapped the table. The tap emitted a roaring boom, which sent a tremor through the bodies of the nearby Cultivators. Their expressions changed as they all turned to look at Naruto.

His Cultivation base suddenly emitted the massive pressure of Foundation Establishment, enveloping the restaurant. Then it dissipated. However, in that brief moment, the bodies of the eighth and ninth level Chakra Condensation Cultivators trembled. Their faces grew pale, and their hearts flip-flopped as they tried to remember whether or not they had said something to offend this Foundation Establishment expert.

"Elder generation…." One by one, they saluted, their hearts were filled with veneration. They knew that fighting was prohibited within the city limits, so this person wouldn't attack someone lightly. But to them, the mighty pressure exuded by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was incredibly powerful, and caused dread to well up inside of them.

"You," said Naruto, pointing at one of the people. "Come here." It was a young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. When Naruto pointed at him, his body began to shake and the blood drained from his face.

"Elder generation…." Fear filled his eyes, and confusion his heart. He had never seen Naruto before and had no idea how he had attracted his attention. The other Cultivators surrounding him quickly slipped away from the restaurant, letting out sighs of relief in their hearts.

Face expressionless, Naruto took another drink. The young man hesitated, not daring to refuse to approach. Reverently and cautiously, he took a few steps forward.

Naruto lifted his head and looked at him. "You just said that the corpse of that Immortal had gray eyes, within which were seven stars. Is what you said true?"

"Senior, allow me to explain," said the young man quickly, not daring to leave anything out. "I didn't see the matter with my own eyes, I only heard about it. However, I have a good friend who really did observe the whole thing personally."

"And where exactly is this good friend of yours?" said Naruto, his voice low.

"I haven't seen him for half a year," he replied quickly, worried Naruto would think he was making things up if he took too long to respond. "He's a Water Bamboo Sect disciple named Inaho."

Naruto frowned and nodded, waving his hand dismissively. The young man bowed respectfully, and then left as fast as possible, heaving a sigh of relief. He decided that he would never again return to this place again.

Naruto sat there thinking. There weren't many people left in the restaurant, and all of them were of the Chakra Condensation stage. Having seen what just occurred, they all paid their bill and left, one by one. Soon the restaurant was empty.

"Gray pupils with seven stars. Could the corpse of that Immortal and the animated corpse I saw in the whirlpool above the Sky Tower in the Five Elements Nation… be one and the same?!" Naruto sat there, contemplating the corpse he'd seen and the sense of calamity he'd felt. The more he thought about, the more it seemed that some complicated matters were unfolding behind the scenes.

"If I want to confirm it, I'll have to see the corpse with my own eyes…." After a while, he returned to his room. The matter of the Immortal's corpse was now a heavy weight on his heart. He had the sinking sensation that the reason the corpse had fallen to the earth… was he himself.

Naruto spent the next half-month trying to gather more information about the corpse of the Immortal. As he did, he slowly came to have a much better understanding of the all the momentous events which had occurred in the past two or three years because of it.

"The year the corpse fell, it immediately aroused the attention of the five great Sects and three great clans of the Southern Domain. One after another, they attempted to reach the corpse, but could never get closer than three thousand meters. Plus, they encountered problems with the strangeness from within the Rebirth Cave.

"They made further attempts, even using various Sect treasures, and were eventually able to get as close as three hundred meters…. The most momentous thing that happened was half a year ago. The Solitary Sword Sect used their Dao Reserve to break past the three hundred meter mark. They were able to get two drops of blood from the corpse!

"One of the drops was purchased by the Violet Fate Sect for an exorbitant price. The other was taken back to the Solitary Sword Sect to be used to gain enlightenment regarding the meaning of Immortality." Naruto sat cross-legged in his room, recording all of the information onto a jade slip. He had come across all this information at the cost of some Spirit Stones.

"There were even some Cultivators from the Sky Country in the Sky Country who came to investigate…. People from the Western Desert have also arrived. The corpse came to be called an Immortal's corpse, and has sent shockwaves throughout the entire Cultivation world." Naruto was quiet for a moment. He put the jade slip away and then left the inn, his eyes glittering.

In the past month, and everyone in this city of Cultivators was talking about the upcoming auction. Naruto had already gone to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to pay his deposit and get his auction medallion.

At the moment, he strode down the street. After passing through a few alleys, his robe became black. He put on his wide bamboo hat and covered his face with a mask. Lately, more and more people dressed in a similar fashion. With the auction just around the corner, there were many people who didn't want their personal affairs to be made known, and thus went about in disguise.

Soon, Naruto reached the area where the auction was to be held. It was a large, circular public square. Numerous restrictive spells could be seen, causing glowing magical symbols to fill the air.

Numerous Cultivators patrolled about on guard duty, ten of whom were at Foundation Establishment stage. Four Cultivators floated cross-legged in the air above the auction stage, their bodies glowing. The pressure they exuded around the area was that of the Core Formation stage.

This was just the guard force that was visible. To organize an auction of this scale would require the support of Nascent Soul Cultivators. A Nascent Soul Cultivator could strike fear into the heart of an entire city. But even in the five great Sects and three great Clans of the Southern Domain, Nascent Soul Cultivators were rare.

Any Nascent Soul Cultivator would be referred to as Patriarch, and would usually spend time in secluded meditation. Usually, Core Formation Cultivators would be the ones to leave the Sect to handle matters.

Most of the people attending the auction were from the State of Eastern Emergence. Also present were Cultivators from surrounding nations, who had traveled here for the sole purpose of participating in the auction. Everyone who entered the auction square had an auction plaque. By the time Naruto arrived, there were already several hundred people present. More continued to stream in.

Naruto had paid for a seat at the very far edge. He sat down cross-legged in his position, looking coldly at the stage and the square. Above the main square were three levels of private booths, arranged, not for Cultivators with high Cultivation bases, but for Cultivators with high positions.

Looking around at the Cultivators around him, he saw a group who were clearly much taller than everyone else. They wore less clothing, and in fact, many parts of their bodies were encircled with iron hoops. Their skin was dark, and most of them had blue eyes.

Each and every one of them were big and tall, their hair wild. From their strange clothing and iron hoops, it was obvious that they weren't from the Southern Domain. These were Cultivators from the Western Desert.

Time passed, two hours. Soon, when the auction square was filled with nearly a thousand people, the sound of a bell rang out. The bustle and noise died down, and everything grew quiet.

At the same time, a blinding, multi-colored glow appeared in the middle of the auction stage. It expanded out to cover the entire auction square.

As the glow expanded out, a man appeared on the stage, seemingly from nowhere. He was old, and wore a long, expansive robe. His hair was white, and he had an ancient look. He gazed about with gleaming eyes, causing quite a commotion amongst the surrounding Cultivators.

"It's Sir Mitoku from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion!"

"So, Sir Mitoku is going to personally preside over the auction. He's in the middle of the Core Formation stage. He's not from the Southern Domain. He came here several years ago from the coastal islands in the Milky Way Sea."

Discussions rippled out, after which the old man on the stage coughed lightly. Then he spoke, his voice filling the entire auction square.

"There shall be one hundred items auctioned today," he said coolly. "They include medicinal pills, magical items, legacies, precious materials, goods from the Western Desert, treasures of the Southern Domain, and valuables from the Milky Way Sea. I don't need to waste time stating the rules of the auction. Lot 1 is a thousand-year-old conch shell from the Milky Way Sea!" A woman appeared behind him, seemingly out of nowhere. She was lithe and beautiful, and had an air of extreme confidence. She carried a jade tray, upon which was a black conch shell, about the size of a hand.

The conch shell was covered with numerous lines, which ran and interlocked randomly across its surface. It glimmered as if it contained secrets of the Heavens and the Dao. As soon as it appeared, a mysterious, celestial sound filled the air in the auction square.

"This treasure is a thousand years old, and emits a celestial sound," said Sir Mitoku. The auction square went quiet. "The veins that run through the shell are magical in nature. By imbuing them with Spiritual Sense for three days, you can add half of a sixty-year-cycle to your longevity. There is no reserve price for this item." As soon as he finished talking, the auction square erupted with conversations.

A treasure that could increase longevity could cause quite a sensation, and even fighting. Even many of the people in the private booths were shocked. It seemed this day's auction would be quite an affair.

Even though he was far away from the auction stage, Naruto's attention was focused on the composed young woman. An expression of shock covered his face as he realized he recognized her. This was the woman who had flirted with him in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Eastern Refinement City. Her name was Shiho.

"How could she be here?" he thought. "The Five Elements Nation disappeared a long time ago…. Maybe she left before all the momentous events. After all, there's a Hundred Treasures Pavilion in this city too."

At the moment, Sakura stood in one of the private booths in the first level, looking down at the auction square. Next to her stood a middle-aged man, a respectful look on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, the Spring and Autumn tree that you need is here. Unfortunately, the rules of our Pavilion cannot be broken. If you need it, you must acquire it through auction. It is lot 39 on the auction list."

* * *

A thousand-year-old conch shell from the Milky Way Sea, capable of increasing the longevity of a Cultivator. Longevity is priceless. Long life is important to anyone; it is a thirst which springs from the soul itself.

This is especially true for Cultivators, even more so for those who are reaching the end of their years. To add half of a sixty-year-cycle to their life, they would pay almost any price.

The fact that this was the first item up for auction led to quite a buzz. People immediately began calling out bids, both from the ring of private booths up above, and from the throng of nearly a thousand down below. The prices being called out for the thousand-year-old conch shell grew higher and higher, until it reached a level that left Naruto somewhat apprehensive.

In the end, someone in the second level of private booths purchased it. Even though no one in the crowd below had been able to purchase it, their spirits were lifted by the purchase. When the second, third and fourth items appeared, the atmosphere grew even more exciting, and the prices called out even higher.

This was the first time Naruto had attended an auction like this, and also his first time seeing the unbridled excitement of Cultivators. His mind slowly grew clear, and he looked coldly around as the Cultivators called out price after higher price for the items they wished to purchase.

"Lot 8 is an item that many Fellow Daoists have traveled here specifically to purchase…" said Sir Mitoku coolly. He flourished his right hand, and behind him, Shiho appeared with yet another item on a jade tray.

It was a fragment of black bone. Its edges were jagged, and it appeared to be a piece of a skull. There were complicated magical symbols carved into it and it emanated and ancient, ghastly aura, which was sealed by a small shield produced by the jade tray.

Even still, some of the aura drifted out, filling the auction square with what seemed to be the stench of rotten flesh, accumulated over many years. Everyone present felt an ancient aura, filled with a wild, indescribable grief.

"One of the three Danger Zones in the Southern Domain is the Ancient Temple of Doom! The Doom Clan arose in ancient times, and did not meet with the approval of the Heavens. The Heavenly Dao cursed them, and thus, they died. But their spirits were not willing to pass away, so they defied the Heavens to create their temple!

"It's hard to say how many years have passed since that time. The temple has become a Danger Zone, filled with incredible peril. Even Nascent Soul Cultivators will have a hard time making it out alive. However, inside the temple is an ancient Legacy, ancient Spirit medicines, and ancient treasures. A few years ago, one of the Solitary Sword Clan's elders made it out alive, raving about the Long Life Pill he'd seen!

"I am pleased to represent the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in auctioning this item, which comes directly from the Ancient Temple of Doom. It has the power to ward against evil." When he finished speaking, everything was quiet. However, it didn't take long for people to begin bidding.

"Three-hundred thousand Spirit stones!"

"Five-hundred thousand Spirit stones. That item can ward against evil. If I go into the Ancient Temple of Doom, I'm dead for sure. But, I'm reaching the end of my longevity. With that item, maybe I can enter the Temple!"

"Six-hundred thousand Spirit Stones! I'm determined to get this item!"

As he listened to the price going up, Naruto's eyes flickered. He had read about the three Danger Zones of the Southern Domain. But he only knew some general information, nothing specific. Now he knew a little bit more of the Ancient Temple of Doom, thanks to Sir Mitoku.

"The three Danger Zones; the Rebirth Cave, the Ancient Temple of Doom, and the Primordial Dao Lakes…." Naruto watched on as the bids on the item from the Ancient Temple of Doom slowly increased. After a while, he closed his eyes. He wasn't interested at all in this particular item.

Time passed by as item after item was auctioned off. Finally, Sir Mitoku's voice rang out.

"Lot 38 is a bottle of Refined Establishment Pills, six in total. Personally concocted by Grandmaster Pill Demon, these pills are suitable for Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage. The reserve price is thirty thousand. The bidding shall be in increments of at least ten thousand." Naruto's eye snapped open.

Some of the previous auction items had included medicinal pills. However, the prices had been too high, or not appropriate for his level. The treasures had been similar. But this Refined Establishment Pill was the least expensive item to appear so far.

"Forty thousand Spirit Stones." Chakra Condensation Cultivators made up the largest percent of participants, and after that was the Foundation Establishment stage. The number of people who made bids previous hadn't been very large, but for this item, many people began to call out prices.

"Fifty thousand Spirit Stones!"

"I'll bid eighty thousand Spirit Stones. I need those Refined Establishment Pills. Please, Fellow Daoists, for the sake of the Cloud Peak Sect, allow me to take them."

"One hundred thousand!" said Naruto, his eyes flashing. He also needed these medicinal pills. The instant he opened his mouth, the Cultivator who had just spoken turned around. His eyes flicked back and forth; there were too many people present, so it was impossible for him to determine who had spoken.

"One hundred ten thousand!" he said coldly.

"One hundred fifty thousand!" Naruto didn't care a bit about the other Cultivator trying to figure out who he was. As soon as he spoke, the man's gaze fell upon him.

This Cultivator from the Cloud Peak Sect was also at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He stared murderously at Naruto, clenching his teeth. "Two hundred thousand!" he said. No one else was willing to bid further. The pill was extraordinary, but two hundred thousand Spirit Stones was more than most of them could afford.

Naruto frowned. He needed this type of pill, but in actuality, only needed one. Also, he had no way to know how high the price for the Spring and Autumn tree would reach. Compared to that, the pill wasn't very important. Therefore, he decided to give up.

"Lot 39 is a Spring and Autumn tree. This type of wood is not very common. It can suppress ten thousand types of poison, and can be refined into the primary ingredient required to make a variety of magical items. This is the first time I've personally auctioned off this item. As such, I would like to share some classified information with all of you Fellow Daoists.

"Spring and Autumn tree is created when normal wood is struck by Spring and Autumn Lightning. It cannot be produced by people, and only appears in accordance with the luck of the Heavens. Many of you probably know this already. This tree has no root, so if you place it into the earth, it will not grow. However, according to legend, this tree has a parent tree in the yellow springs of the underworld, the World Tree!" His words caused an uproar in the auction square. Hearing the word World Tree even caused the Cultivators in the private booths to look down in shock.

"Sir Mitoku," rang out a voice from one of the private books, "is this World Tree you mention the one from the legends, which leads to beyond the Heavens?"

"Correct," said Sir Mitoku, his expression calm. "Its shape is like that of an ox, its bark is easily peeled off, and when this happens, the ribbon-like strand looks like a yellow snake. Its leaves are like a net. Its fruit is like that of a golden rain tree and its trunk is like an elm tree. Its name is the World Tree.

"According to the ancient legends, an almighty expert once replaced the Heavens. He even covered over the starry sky with his own expanse. His expanse covered the world, with the starry sky being beyond that. However, the World Tree did not agree to live under that Heaven. Instead, it destroyed itself in the starry sky. However, its will remained within the earth. During the seasons of Spring and Autumn, Heavenly lightning will fall to destroy it; to protect itself, it creates the Spring and Autumn tree.

"Dark green leaves, a purple trunk. Black flowers and yellow fruit. There is no sound beneath its canopy, nor are shadows cast. Of course, these are just rumours that I've heard, I'm not sure if they are true or false. The opening bid for the Spring and Autumn tree will begin at one hundred thousand Spirit Stones." Sir Mitoku's words made many who hadn't previously been interested in the Spring and Autumn tree to suddenly be very interested.

Naruto frowned. Before, he was confident in being able to control the price of the tree, but now, with so many people interested in it, he would surely have to pay a much higher price.

He looked up at Sir Mitoku standing there on the auction stage. His face was expressionless, but Naruto could clearly sense how shrewd and ruthless he was.

Also frowning was Sakura, up in the top level of private booths. Her delicate brow furrowed, and she sighed inwardly. She realized she had been a bit rash. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion had intentionally done this after she made her inquiries. Presumably, they also knew why she needed this particular tree.

In the auction square, multiple people began calling out bids.

"One-hundred fifty thousand!"

"Two-hundred thousand!"

"Two-hundred thirty thousand!"

As for Naruto, he sat there watching as the price went up; he held his hand.

"Two-hundred sixty thousand! That's as far as I can go. It might be able to suppress poisons, but it's a consumable item. I don't need it because of some so-called World Tree. I need it to dispel poison." The polite words were spoken by a soft-spoken Cultivator wearing a long black robe. He saluted the surrounding Cultivators with clasped hands.

It was at this point that Sakura spoke up. "Three-hundred thousand!" Her clear voice rang out, causing many people to look up, although they weren't entirely sure who had spoken.

"Three-hundred twenty thousand!" said the other Cultivator, his heart thumping. He clenched his teeth and looked up at the ring of private booths. All the people up there were famous figures from throughout the State of Eastern Emergence, and were not to be offended easily. But, he couldn't give up.

"Three-hundred fifty thousand!" said Sakura coolly. Some people down below were now able to tell where the voice was coming from, and they looked at the top level of private booths. However, most of the Cultivators still hadn't determined where the voice was coming from.

The black-robed Cultivator's face twitched. Finally, he let out a bitter laugh. Three-hundred twenty thousand Spirit Stones was his limit, and it included quite a bit borrowed from other people. Although, that was of secondary importance. What gave him greater reason to abandon the competition was the identity of the other party. Although he hadn't been able to identify the exact location of the person who was bidding against him, considering it had come from the top level of private booths, he knew that it must be someone he couldn't afford to provoke.

He sat down bitterly, not making another bid.

Everyone knew that whoever this mysterious woman was, she needed the Spring and Autumn tree. Nobody was willing to offend someone from within the ring of private booths.

Sakura let out a light sigh. She was spending three-hundred fifty thousand, which was far more than its actual value. But to her, it was worth it.

However, at this exact moment, a voice suddenly broke the silence down below.

"Three-hundred sixty thousand."

When the voice rang out, everyone in the auction square gaped in shock, looking around to try to see who had just spoken. Because the Cultivators in his immediate vicinity were looking at him in amazement, it didn't take long before everyone in the square was looking at him.

He sat there, his head lowered, his face covered, his eyes calm.

"Four-hundred thousand!" said Sakura, frowning. She never imagined that someone else would put forth another bid, but she had no choice other than to raise the price.

"Four-hundred ten thousand," said Naruto coolly. His voice was deeper than normal, but he still spoke calmly.

* * *

"I can't believe he's going to try to outbid someone from the second level! Who is this guy? He's wearing a big hat and you can't see his face."

"That guy's got real nerve to jack up the price so high for a Spring and Autumn tree."

"Who is the Cultivator in that top level booth…? This is interesting." Discussions sprang up in the auction square. Only Sir Mitoku, up on the stage, appeared the same as ever. He glanced at Naruto, then looked up toward the top level booth.

Behind him, a look of interest appeared on Shiho's face. She looked at Naruto closely, but because of his wide hat, and the cloth covering his face, she didn't recognize him.

"Five-hundred thousand!" said Sakura, her brow furrowed. This was an incredible bid even for her. She stepped forward, lifting up the booth's curtain. Suddenly, she became the center of attention of everyone down in the auction square.

They all recognized her.

"That's…"

"Sakura! It's Sakura from the Violet Fate Sect!"

"So, it's her…" The entire square broke out into conversations. In the State of Eastern Emergence, Sakura was highly respected. She was a Cultivator of the Violet Fate Sect, was Grandmaster Pill Demon's personal apprentice, and her father was the Sect leader. This, coupled with her unsurpassed beauty, instantly caused everyone to stare at her.

"Well, so much for the suspense. If Sakura hadn't shown her face, very well. But now that she has, no one would be willing to try to outbid her for something as ordinary as a Spring and Autumn tree."

"It seems Sakura has her heart set on that Spring and Autumn tree. She even revealed her identity! Don't tell me those rumors from a few years back were true?"

"I think they were. Otherwise, she wouldn't need a Spring and Autumn tree."

The Cultivators' conversations buzzed, and even Sakura assumed that the bidding for the Spring and Autumn tree was over. Then, Naruto's cold voice rang out.

"Six-hundred thousand!" Naruto no longer increased the bid in ten-thousands. He immediately surpassed Sakura's bid by one-hundred thousand. This caused quite the uproar; even Sir Mitoku stared down at Naruto.

Sakura frowned at Naruto, but could only see the top of his hat.

"Six-hundred fifty-thousand!

"Seven-hundred thousand," said Naruto calmly. He was determined to acquire the Spring and Autumn tree, and would not give up.

"Fellow Daoist, you must certainly know who I am," said Sakura, her voice light as she stared at Naruto. "This item isn't worth so many Spirit Stones. I need it to help suppress poison for someone I'm sure you know. Please back down; if you do, I'll consider myself to be in your debt."

This caused further discussions on the auction floor.

"So, the rumors are true. She's buying it for Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan!"

"According to the people from the Golden Frost Sect, Sasuke, one of the Chosen from the Uchiha Clan, used to be a member of a Sect in some backwater nation. He was searching after some amazing Legacy. But he was trounced during a tussle over a spot in the Inner Sect, and a local Cultivator smashed his finger!"

"That's most likely true. That guy Choji who the Golden Frost Sect cares so much about has a beef with Sasuke. He talks about it to everyone. And as for Sasuke, he treats even himself poorly. He formed a new finger for himself, but it was poisonous. A lot of people know about it. Obviously, Sakura wants the Spring and Autumn tree to help Sasuke suppress the poison of his finger!"

When Naruto heard this, a barely perceptible flicker appeared in his eyes. Now he knew why Sakura was so anxious to get the Spring and Autumn tree. And from what the other Cultivators were saying, it sounded like Fatty Choji was doing quite well for himself in the Golden Frost Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, I also very much need this item," said Naruto coolly.

Sakura's eyes flashed coldly. She gritted her teeth and stared at Naruto. "Seven-hundred fifty-thousand!" she said.

"Nine hundred thousand." Naruto still had quite a bit of Spirit Stones in his bag of holding. He had made up his mind to win the Spring and Autumn tree, so immediately called out an exorbitant price.

Hearing such a high number, the surrounding Cultivators gasped and looked greedily at Naruto. But then they realized that anyone who dared to snatch an item out from in front of Sakura from the Violet Fate Sect, must surely have powerful backing.

"You!" Sakura gnashed her teeth so hard they seemed on the verge of shattering. She was a Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect. However, the spirit stones she carried belonged not to herself, but the Sect. It would be hard to explain why she had spent so much to help Sasuke, regardless of her position within the Sect. Nine-hundred thousand was a number that left her feeling somewhat powerless. She said nothing, simply staring down at Naruto, her eyes shining with murder.

A long moment passed, and she didn't make a higher bid. The Spring and Autumn tree went to Naruto. Someone from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion approached him to accept his money and give him the item. He accepted it, then left the auction square as quickly as possible.

He didn't care what other items were being auctioned off. He had no intention of staying behind. In Cultivator auctions, anyone can leave at any time.

He hurried out, moving as fast as possible through several alleys. He tossed off his hat and cloth mask, and then changed his robe. He now looked completely different than he had in the auction square.

Moving at top speed, he headed straight out of the city gate. Three hundred meters out, he shot into the sky, turning into a beam of light that shot off into the distance. After he had been flying for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a whistling scream could be heard behind him. It was a spotless white crane, chasing after him at a speed that exceeded his own.

Naruto frowned and looked back.

Standing atop the crane was a woman in white clothes. It was none other than Sakura, her face expressionless, but her eyes ice cold. She stared icily at Naruto's retreating form. The crane cried out, turning into a prismatic beam of light as it approached. A white glow emerged from its mouth, which transformed into a gigantic net which shot forward to envelop Naruto.

Sakura held a jade slip in her hand. There were black spots on the surface of the jade slip, which emanated an archaic aura. She used it to summon a phantasmic white-haired old man, who came into being above the jade slip. The phantom lifted his hand and waved his finger toward Naruto. A phantasmic finger shot out to follow Naruto, which was the special function of this particular jade.

"Hand over the Spring and Autumn tree, and I won't cause you any trouble. Otherwise, I will use this searching jade to track you down. The ancient jade is locked onto you. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I'll be able to find you." Sakura slapped her bag of holding again, and a Violet Chakra emerged, forming into a violet-colored lotus-seed pod, the size of a fist. She tossed it forward, whereupon it shook, shooting out a dozen lotus seeds. As they flew forward, the violet lotus seeds transformed into armor-clad phantom women, who shot toward Naruto brandishing battle spears.

As they approached, pressure from Sakura's Foundation Establishment Cultivation base bore down on Naruto. In addition, the armor-clad women who sped toward Naruto seemed to be emitting the power of the early Foundation Establishment stage. Above, the clouds spiralled violently.

Naruto's eyes flashed. In the past six or seven years, he had gained a lot of experience using battle magic. Not waiting for the massive white net to descend, he opened his mouth and spit. Amidst a burst of lightning, the Lightning Flag emerged, transforming into a mist that shot out from Naruto, arcs of electricity dancing back and forth within it. It shot, not toward the descending net, but instead the approaching phantoms, wrapping them up.

An explosion sounded out in all directions. The phantom women shattered into pieces. Sakura frowned, lifting her delicate hands up in an incantation gesture. Just as she was about to cast some type of magic, Naruto's hand flashed. He used the mist emanated by the Lightning Flag to block his hand from Sakura's field of view. Then he smacked his bag of holding to produce the copper mirror, which he shined toward Sakura's crane.

Instantly, the crane's eye went wide with disbelief. A booming sound rang out as the crane's wing exploded into a mist of blood and flesh. Next, its rear end quivered and then exploded!

Blood and gore rained down, and a blood-curdling shriek came out of the once elegant crane's beak. Having lost its ability to fly, it tumbled down to the ground, pain wracking its body. Sakura gaped in astonishment. Seeing the crane's wing and butt explode bloodily had left her momentarily terrified.

As the crane screamed and fell to the ground, the huge white net began to break apart. Naruto shot backward in retreat, taking in a deep breath and causing the Lightning Mist to return into his bag of holding. Then, he drew a great, black bow out. He pulled back on the bow and shot nine arrows toward an astonished Sakura. Backed by the power of his Cultivation base, the arrows screamed as they flew through the air.

Boom after boom filled the air. Naruto frowned, continuing to shoot backwards at top speed. A violet-colored shield now circulated around Sakura. When the arrows slammed into it, they disintegrated. However, the shield was also forced backward, and then was broken into pieces. Sakura's clothing was ripped open because of the arrows, revealing some of her skin. She was beautiful enough to begin with; seeing her like this would cause most men to palpitate with eagerness. A sharp glow emitted from her eyes as she stared at the black bow in Naruto's hand.

"That bow was bestowed by the Sect upon Junior Brother Obito. Why do you have it? After Obito went to the Five Elements Nation, his life slip shattered. The Five Elements Nation…" An astute gleam filled her eyes. As she spoke, her eyes widened. She'd thought Naruto looked familiar, but now she was able to connect the dots. She finally recognized him; this was the Naruto that Sasuke was always muttering about. "You're… you're Naruto! Didn't the Five Elements Nation disappear? You…"

"Clever girl," said Naruto, then took to flight.

Now that she knew who he was, her killing intent grew thicker. She sped in pursuit, her heart filled with shock as she thought of how only a few years ago, Naruto had been at the fifth or sixth level of Chakra Condensation. Now, he was at the Foundation Establishment stage; based on the vibrations of his Cultivation base, it was clearly not Fractured. She was eighty to ninety percent sure that it must be Cracked!

The events of a few years ago in the Five Elements Nation had caused substantial waves of shock to ripple through the Southern Domain. Sakura was amazed that Naruto would appear here. Obviously, he must have escaped from the Five Elements Nation before it disappeared.

Meanwhile, at a location far from the central region of the Southern Domain, an enormous Roc appeared. It emanated a powerful death aura as it flew in from the Milky Way Sea. It moved at incredible speed, whipping up fierce winds as it passed. Lightning filled the sky around it. Anyone who didn't immediately get out of its way would be whipped up into the whirlwind it created and tossed to who knew where.

As it passed, mountains split and crumbled underneath the Roc's screaming cry. From a distance, many Cultivators saw the Roc and its death aura, and their hearts quivered as they thought of the treasures that must exist on its body. Some tried to chase it, but they were too slow. In the space of time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they were left behind.

This solitary Roc was on the verge of death. And yet, just as ever, it flew through the sky, a sovereign of the sky!

* * *

Sakura also had a Flawless Foundation. This was because she was the daughter of the Sect leader of the Violet Fate Sect, and also because of Grandmaster Pill Demon. Furthermore, her latent talent could be considered the third best in the entire Violet Fate Sect.

It was for this reason that her father sent a special request to the Upright Clan in the Sky Country for a Flawless Foundation Pill, which was very rare in the Southern Domain. It was in this fashion that Sakura acquired her Flawless Foundation.

Of course, the Violet Fate Sect had paid quite a price for this.

As she raced in pursuit of Naruto, her eyes flashed. According to her judgement, there was no way Naruto could have a Flawless Foundation. In the current generation of Chosen in the entire Southern Domain, there were only eight Cultivators with a Flawless Foundation, one in each of the five Clans and three Sects.

Even Sasuke didn't have a Flawless Foundation, only a Cracked one. The Uchiha Clan was large, and Sasuke was one of many Chosen. Neither was he one of the most illustrious members of the clan. Most of the attention was actually focused on his older brother.

"Naruto…." Her eyes flickered, and her mouth twisted into a cold smile. To see such a cold expression on her beautiful face was actually somewhat arousing. "A trifling Cracked Foundation! The only things you have are a few strange magical items!" She increased her speed, and the two of them transformed into beams of shining light as they screamed through the air above the State of Eastern Emergence.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, flight is possible. But in terms of speed, Sakura, who was in the middle Foundation Establishment stage, was quite a bit faster than Naruto. In a relatively short time, she caught up to him.

Boom!

A massive explosion bellowed out. Sakura had flickered an incantation and sent a violet mist shooting toward Naruto. It had been blocked by the mist of the Lightning Flag, which subsequently fell apart.

As the explosion rang out, Naruto continued to flee, looking back coldly at Sakura.

"You might be fast, but you can't catch me. I paid the highest price at the auction. The Spring and Autumn tree is mine, it's just the will of the Heavens."

"I will capture you today, and not for the Spring and Autumn tree," she said calmly, "but for Sasuke's finger! Furthermore, you shall explain clearly how you obtained Obito's black bow!" She was beautiful in both complexion and figure as she flew through the air, her clothes rippling in the wind. Somehow she had managed to change her dress. The skin which had previously been exposed was now covered.

Naruto didn't reply, but a sneer appeared in his eyes. From their encounter moments ago, he had determined that Sakura was in the middle of the Foundation Establishment stage, and that he couldn't defeat her. But, she wanted to capture him, and that wouldn't be easy. He continued on forward.

The two of them continued on for nearly two hours. She tried several times to get ahold of him, but the lightning mist protected him. Each time, a bang would ring out, and he would continue on. Sakura was starting to feel a bit helpless.

Evening was falling, and as it did, Sakura's frown deepened. She didn't pay attention at all to Naruto's Cultivation base, but rather the powerful lightning mist that protected him. It was extremely difficult to break through. She ground her teeth and then slapped her bag of holding. An ancient oil lamp appeared. This was one of her most valuable treasures; she had never even used it in battle before. But in order to capture Naruto, she couldn't afford to hold it in reserve.

The lamp was not lit when it appeared, but it already filled the air with an archaic noise. Sakura took a deep breath and then blew on the wick of the lamp. As she did, her face grew pale. But then a tongue of flame appeared.

Once the lamp was lit, the entire area within a three hundred meter diameter was filled with a bright sheet composed of countless flames.

It had no shape, and could not be touched, but could be seen. When it did, Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Spotlight Threads, unite!" Her clear voice rang out, and the bright lights filling the area separated into multiple threads, which then blocked off Naruto's path of escape to the left, right and ahead. They slowly began to surround him.

Even as Naruto realized the dangerous situation he was in, the lightning mist began to shrink. It appeared that the enveloping threads of light were causing it to dissipate.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he stopped moving forward. Instead, he reversed his direction, the lightning mist swirling around his body as he shot toward Sakura.

When she saw him charging her, her eyes narrowed. She pushed her palms together in front of her, whereupon a huge field of Violet Chakra poured out of the top of her head and swirled about her. Then, she struck out with both hands, pointing toward Naruto. The Violet Chakra coalesced into the form of a long, violet dragon. Roaring, it charged Naruto.

Within the lightning mist, Naruto saw the violet dragon approaching. His right hand flashed an incantation gesture and then waved forward. The lightning mist roiled and then made a beeline for the approaching dragon. At the same time, his left hand slapped his bag of holding. One hundred flying swords emerged. Naruto took control of them with this Spiritual Sense, causing them to form a whirlwind of swords. When it, along with the lightning mist, collided with the violet dragon, a huge explosion ripped out. But the sword whirlwind continued on toward Sakura.

Her oil lamp had prevented Naruto from fleeing. She knew that soon, the threads of light would close in on Naruto, and he would be unable to escape even if he had wings.

Her face was calm as she slapped her bag of holding again. A red, white and black fan appeared in her hand, which she waved ahead of her three times.

The first time she waved it, a red glow appeared, which turned into a large red horn.

The second time she waved it, a white glow appeared, which transformed into a rhinoceros, to which the horn attached.

The third time she waved, a black glow appeared which coalesced into a black coat of armor which covered the rhino. Waving its head wildly, the rhino charged toward Naruto's sword whirlwind.

Naruto let out a shout, and the sword whirlwind began to collapse. Suddenly, all of the swords exploded. Fragments flew about in all directions, and then fused together and shot toward the black-armored rhino.

At the same time, the lightning mist suddenly expanded out with a roar, filling the area within three hundred meters.

Naruto's body flashed as he approached Sakura, his body covered with lightning mist. A Flame Python flew out from his right hand, causing her to let out a light snort. A string of bells appeared in her hand, which let out light tinkling sounds. The Flame Python began to wail mournfully.

Disdain covering her face, Sakura lifted her hand up. The bells rang as she waved her hand toward Naruto.

Violet Chakra poured out from the fingers of her hand, speeding straight toward Naruto.

At this point, the shining threads of light had reached a position several meters away from Naruto. The multiple interlocking layers of light seemed to be completely under the control of Sakura's will.

An almost imperceptible gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes as the Violet Chakra neared him. A variety of expressions flickered across his face, and he retreated, seeming to almost fumble as he slapped his bag of holding. A wooden sword appeared, and even as it slammed into the Violet Chakra, a second wood sword shot out, followed by a small, black net. To Sakura it appeared as if she had caused Naruto to rush in his attack. Otherwise, why would he suddenly use so many treasures? It was really beyond the proper limits of reason.

"You're a backwater Cultivator from a backwater nation," said Sakura coolly, raising her hand. "Even if you're at Foundation Establishment, you only have a Cracked Foundation. You don't even deserve to show your face!" The power of her middle Foundation Establishment Cultivation base flared. The four Dao pillars within her body surged, and a gale force wind blew out from her right hand. Naruto's wooden swords twisted in the air, and then black net rocked back and forth.

But at this moment, Naruto's eyes gleamed brightly. The black net suddenly grew larger. Even as the threads of light contracted around him like iron bands, the net shot directly in Sakura's direction. Its speed and growth were too sudden, giving her no time to react. In the blink of an eye, she was enveloped by the net, which shrank around her and pinned her tight within its confines.

As it contracted around her, her white dress was once again shredded, revealing more of her graceful and elegant curves. It was enough to send any man panting. She was both angry and nervous. Hate filled her eyes as she glared murderously at Naruto, killing intent radiating out from her eyes.

"I don't need to show my face anywhere," he said coolly, looking back and Sakura. "Being able to catch you while I'm tied up is good enough for me." The threads of light had securely tightened around him.

The two of them were both momentarily incapacitated. Neither of them dared to use any spiritual energy against the other. They were in a deadlock.

Sakura's murderous intentions grew stronger, causing even Naruto to show a bit of killing intent.

Everything grew quiet. Sakura didn't move, and neither did Naruto. They both circulated their Cultivation bases, attempting to free themselves from their constraints. Whoever got free first would be the victor.

Time slowly passed. Soon, it was dusk. Naruto rotated his Cultivation base rapidly, and as he did, he felt the threads of light growing looser. Sakura was doing the same thing. Under the power of her Cultivation base, the black net was beginning to show weaknesses.

As this was happening, far in the distance, the sound of wind could be heard. At first it wasn't very strong. It caused Sakura's hair to drift about, and Naruto's eyes to grow dry. It didn't take long for the wind to grow stronger, though. Soon it was whipping about wildly.

A black shadow appeared off in the distance. Despite being very far away, it was obviously a colossal flying bird. It was… the roc from the Milky Way Sea, flying toward the Rebirth Cave!

Like a sovereign of the sky, every flying thing in the sky must bow to this roc. As its sovereignly will of the heavens exuded out, the Demonic Core within Naruto's Dao Pillar began to shake. It wished to battle with this sovereign of the sky.

Because the Flying Rain-Dragon is also a sovereign of the sky!

The wind grew even more violent. Naruto's body began to be pulled backward. Sakura's expression changed as she too began to be pulled up. Naruto's lightning mist, Sakura's oil lamp flame, and even the wooden swords, were all pulled into motion by the wind. It seemed as if they would all be blown away.

* * *

"That's… that's a roc!" cried Sakura. "In the lands of lands of Ninshu, rocs can only emerge from the Milky Way Sea. Naruto, let me loose. Based on the death aura emanating from it, it's obviously about to die, and is heading toward the Rebirth Cave. The wind it kicks up is going to sweep everything away!"

"You release me first," he said, coldly. He could feel the shaking of the Demonic Core within his Dao Pillar.

"You!" said Sakura, gnashing her teeth. She was about to say something else when suddenly the wind's ferocity increased dramatically. In the blink of an eye, a roaring sound filled the earth. Countless mountain peaks were shattered and crumbled by the wind, sending fragments of rock flying about. All of a sudden, the roc changed directions. Having felt the power of the Demonic Core within Naruto, a mysterious light began to shine from its eyes. It screamed through the air in the direction of Sakura and Naruto.

The sky grew dark as the gale-force wind blew over the land, threatening to sweep everything up. It was as if everything in this part of the world belonged to the roc, and it alone!

A twisting whirlwind accompanied the roc's arrival. Mountains fell apart and trees were ripped up by the roots in a shocking display of power!

The wind swept up Naruto and Sakura. The oil lamp hovering next to Sakura shook violently, and was extinguished. The instant it did, the threads of light that bound him disappeared.

The power of the Demonic Core erupted once again within him, just as it had the day the Legacy had first appeared. Within Naruto's head appeared images from ancient times.

Within these images, a Flying Rain-Dragon and a roc were locked in combat!

Boom!

Naruto felt as if a huge wave had just crashed onto his mind. He spun up toward the whirlwind, and he felt as if he were being crushed. Blood sprayed from his mouth. Like a kite whose string was cut, his body flopped over and over in the air as he was sucked up.

In the last moments before he lost consciousness, he sent out his last bit of spiritual energy to drag the wooden swords and lightning flag back. Then he passed out.

Sakura was in an even worse situation. As she began to be sucked upward, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her body was still wrapped up by the black net. She tumbled upward along with her oil lamp. Her face was pale, and filled with despair. Another gust of wind from the roc buffeted her, and she coughed up even more blood, then slipped into unconsciousness.

Naruto and Sakura were both Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Despite that, when the screaming wind generated by the roc lifted them up, they were completely powerless to resist it. Thankfully, they were not like the mountains, which were connected firmly to the land. Their resistance to the wind left them shattered.

The two of them were like plucked willow catkins, powerless to offer any resistance. They were hurt by the buffeting wind, and knocked unconscious, but were not ripped to pieces. The wind held them tight and carried them off into the distance.

The wind continued to sweep across the State of Eastern Emergence for several days after the roc's passage, before finally dying down.

Naruto opened his eyes.

His entire body hurt, causing his eyes to flicker as they opened. An all encompassing pain filled him, causing him to tremble so badly he felt as if he would fall into pieces.

Calm slowly filled his eyes. The pain was alarming, but it actually didn't compare to the times when the poison within him flared up. Thanks to that, he was used to this kind of pain.

He slowly struggled into a sitting position, panting. He looked down at his body; his clothing was in shreds; bruises and abrasions covered his skin. There were countless wounds, some of which were deeper than other; there some areas where the skin had been removed entirely. If he bumped up against the nearby rocks, it sent piercing pain deep into his bones.

He gasped for breath as he examined himself. As he did, his eyes grew wide. His body felt weak. In fact, it felt almost the same as it had six or seven years ago on Mount Myoboku.

"My Cultivation base…" Naruto immediately attempted to circulate his Cultivation base. He let out a sigh of relief when he found that it was still there. But then he frowned. He was completely incapable of accessing it, as if it were being blocked by some powerful force.

It was at this moment, as he glanced over his destroyed clothing, that he realized that none of his bags of holding were on his person. It seemed they had all been blown away by the raging wind.

His face fell. He lifted up his hand and reached deep into his robe. When he pulled it out, there was the bag of the Cosmos. This bag was different than a regular bag of holding, so Naruto always kept it tucked inside his robe. Therefore, the wind hadn't been able to touch it.

It's a good thing I keep most of my things inside the bag of the Cosmos," muttered Naruto, "including my wooden swords and the Lightning Flag. Otherwise this would have been a horrible loss." He tried to open it up, but no matter how he tried, was unable. Sighing, he looked around.

Within the darkness, black mists wafted to and fro. Strange rocks covered the ground, as well as numerous bones of birds and beasts. Who knew how long they had rotted here before turning into their currently deathly white color? Naruto was beginning to grow even more surprised.

Things were bad enough as it was, but then Naruto noticed that some of the bones were human…

He looked up toward the sky, but all he could see was endless swirling mists.

"What is this place…?" A grim, gloomy look appeared on his face as he sat there. A sense of imminent danger welled up within him.

"I wonder if the change to my Cultivation base was caused by the great wind… or by of this place." A long time passed before he gathered enough energy to grit his teeth and struggle to his feet. Supporting himself on a nearby rock, he slowly began to walk forward. Time passed enough for an incense stick to burn, whereupon Naruto came to a halt. In front of him was a wall of black rock. The wall disappeared up into the mists, making it impossible to see its top.

Naruto looked behind him. At this point, he realized that he was most likely at the bottom of some deep abyss.

"So the wind kicked up by the roc carried me to the bottom of this precipice. Who knows what part of the State of Eastern Emergence I'm in? I need to restore my Cultivation base, then I'll be able to get out of here." He leaned up against the cliff wall and then sank to his feet to build up some more energy.

Time passed. Being unable to see the sky, it was difficult for him to know how much. Slowly, the strength in his body built up. He once again tried to open the bag of the Cosmos, but was unsuccessful. Finally, he had no choice but to give up. He stood, looking around until he caught sight of a tree branch about as wide as his arm. Using it to support himself, he began to walk again.

"If this is a cliff, then it will have an end," he said, looking around. Everything around him was quiet, without the slightest bit of noise. The only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat. He took in a deep breath, deciding to explore the entire area until he found a way out.

He walked slowly, caution on his face. The place had a ghastly feel, and he wasn't sure what danger might be lurking about. But he had to search around. If there was any danger, then so be it.

About four hours passed, and Naruto felt himself slowly recovering. He had reached Foundation Establishment after completing the great circle of Chakra Condensation, so his body was naturally much tougher than before. But his heart began to sink when after all this time, he still hadn't found any way out. In fact, the strange rocks which littered the ground seemed to be growing more dense.

After about another hour, he suddenly stopped walking. His eyes gleamed with a strange light as he looked up ahead, and a cold smile twisting the corner of his mouth.

Up ahead of him, a person was lying on one of the strange rocks. A dilapidated and torn white gown revealed great swaths of smooth skin. Long hair lay in disarray around… Sakura.

She lay there unconscious. Next to her was a small black net.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he slowly approached her. He placed his finger beneath her nose, then felt at a patch of exposed flesh on her abdomen. The skin was soft and pleasant-feeling. He pushed down hard onto her abdomen. Then, he stepped to the side, grabbing the black net and tucking it away.

"She's not dead. I could feel that her Cultivation base is still there, just suppressed. She has no way to access her spiritual energy." His eyes narrowed, and he looked at Sakura for a long moment. He laughed. "I know you're awake. There's no need to pretend to be unconscious."

Sakura still didn't move. Naruto let out a cold snort. Using the long branch in his hand, he poked at her.

Her eyes snapped open and she glared coldly at him.

Naruto gave her an empty smile. He suddenly realized that it was very boring in this abyss. His gaze passed over Sakura's body, her delicate curves, the skin revealed by her torn clothing, and the edges of her red 'dudou' undergarment. All of this made her extremely beautiful.

Her face suddenly flushed, and anger filled her eyes as she stared murderously at him. She struggled to cover herself up, then gasped in pain. There was a strangeness to her gasp that was clearly audible in the silence of the abyss.

Hearing it, Naruto laughed.

"What are you laughing at, you despicable, dirty, THING!"

Naruto lifted his hand up and slapped her directly across the face, his eyes cold. "Shut up."

"You!" Her expression was livid as a palm print appeared on her beautiful face. Naruto had slapped her viciously, causing her body to tremble. In her entire life, no one had ever dared to strike her. Even Sasuke treated her like an honored guest.

Another slap rang out as Naruto smacked her again in exactly the same spot.

"I told you to shut up," he said calmly. "Sasuke might treat you like a precious gem. But to me, you're nothing."

She gritted her teeth and stared him dead in the eye. With her Cultivation base being suppressed, she was just like a mortal. Sakura suddenly felt a sense of danger well up inside her. Once, she had been a high and mighty Chosen, but now she had fallen far, far down. Now, she was simply a weak woman, at the mercy of Naruto.

* * *

"We've rested enough," said Naruto coolly. "Get up. You walk in front."

Sakura said nothing. Grinding her teeth, she struggled to her feet. As she did, her clothes shifted, revealing more of her body. Her face just now had been pale white, but was now crimson. As of now, the hatred in her heart toward Naruto was even greater than that felt by Sasuke.

But she had lost access to her Cultivation base, and was now just a tender woman. She couldn't compare at all to Naruto. Although he had started out as a scholar, the strength and toughness of his body were far beyond that of an ordinary Cultivator.

He might not be as strong as those Cultivators who focus on body training, but in terms of recovery and strength, he was far from ordinary. Otherwise, he would not have recovered consciousness so much more quickly than Sakura.

She could only endure and comply with his demand that she take the lead, the fury in her heart growing deeper and deeper. Naruto naturally was aware of this. He walked behind her, looking at her graceful figure. The rips in her garment revealed large portions of the skin on her back.

The reason he had Sakura walk in front, however, was because he still felt at danger in this place. Sakura would act as a wind vane; she would be able to provide advance notice of any potential threat.

They moved forward in single file. If he wanted to, Naruto would change their course by pointing and giving new instructions. Sakura had no choice other than to clench her jaw and comply. Hatred for Naruto had seeped into her bones. Yet she could only obey him. A very long time passed by, and it seemed as if soon they would have explored everywhere they could. Everything was cliff face, with no exits.

Strange rocks littered the landscape, as did the skeletons of various birds and beasts. Was this place some sort of death trap?

Naruto grew more silent. Sakura's mood slowly fell, until despair showed in her eyes.

They followed the cliff face, eventually coming to the realization that they were walking in a large circle. Sometimes, they would rest up against the cliff face for a while before continuing. One day they reached an area that seemed to contain an unusually large amount of bones. Suddenly, they caught sight of a lake.

The shores of the lake were piled with countless bones, many of which were human. It was impossible to tell how many years they had been there. The aura of the place was gruesome, and also seemed to be filled with the stink of blood.

In fact this lake, was a lake of blood.

As Sakura approached the lake, the formerly calm surface began to ripple. As soon as the tiny waves began to spread out, Naruto stopped.

Sakura's face drained of blood, and her body began to quiver. An intense sense of danger filled her, as if something horrifying existed within the lake, and was looking at her.

"Walk back slowly," said Naruto softly. He stood a bit further away from the lake. "Don't panic. One step at a time. "

Biting her lip, Sakura slowly moved backwards several meters. The lake began to roil, and a piercing shrieking sound could be heard coming from within it. Sakura moved backward as quickly as possible

Amidst the ringing shrieks which filled the air, a dark green altar suddenly rose up from within the lake. Waves swelled across the surface of the lake of blood. Figures appeared from within the blood. It was difficult to tell which were male and which were female, because they had no skin, only bloody flesh. They carried the dark stone altar on their shoulders as it rose out of the lake.

The altar was over one hundred fifty meters in diameter, and as it rose out of the surface of the lake, it emitted a sickly reddish-green glow. On top of the altar was a throne made of stone, seemingly the same dark green stone the altar was formed from.

Sitting on the throne was a corpse. A death aura wafted around it, and its face was covered with a mask. The mask was white and featureless.

Naruto's pupils constricted and he stood motionless. Sakura stood there pale-faced, equally unwilling to move. Enough time passed to take about ten breaths, and then the stone altar slowly began to sink back down. Once again, the bloody surface of the lake grew still, and everything returned to quietness.

Naruto let out a long breath and walked backward slowly. Sakura did the same thing. When the two of them had retreated about three hundred meters, the sense of imminent danger in their hearts slowly faded.

"What was that…" said Sakura, the first words she had spoken voluntarily in days. Her voice was weak and hoarse.

Naruto didn't reply. Instead, he turned and walked off. Sakura hesitated a moment, then followed silently. They returned to the cliff face, to a place where earlier they had discovered a natural cave. Inside, Naruto sat down cross-legged. Sakura leaned back against the cave wall, her arms hugging her legs. She stared blankly outside.

She was a proud woman, but what had happened now, coupled with the suppression of her Cultivation base, the presence of the detestable Naruto, all of this, gradually filled her heart with pernicious despair. Her only hope was that the Violet Fate Sect would somehow be able to track her down here.

But this place was very strange, and apparently could suppress Cultivation bases. Most likely, it also suppressed the brand of the Violet Fate Sect in her body, which would make it impossible for them to know where she was.

Her clothes were in tatters, and couldn't even cover her sufficiently. More than half of her body was exposed, especially when she sat in this posture. Almost all of her legs were visible.

Time passed. Every time it seemed a day had come and gone, Naruto placed a rock into a small pile next to him. There were already eight. According to his calculations, eight days had passed.

Their Cultivation bases were locked down, preventing any spiritual energy from dispersing. Luckily, they didn't need food. But this place had no spiritual energy, and if things kept going on like this, they would begin to grow more and more hungry. Considering they were stuck in a remote abyss, they really needed the energy of heaven and earth… except there wasn't any.

During the eight days, Naruto would spend about half the time circulating his Cultivation base, trying to break through whatever was suppressing it. At the very least, he was hoping to be able to open his bag of holding. And yet, he experienced no success.

The rest of the time he spent taking Sakura out to search for a way out. But, having searched the area so many times, they didn't find any exit. The only thing they found out was that there seemed to be a lot of vipers lurking about.

"I think this place is an inactive volcano," said Sakura, "not just a hole in the ground." She sat there in the small cave, looking out. She wasn't reconciled to cooperating with Naruto, but couldn't think of any way to get out of this place.

Naruto sat quietly at the mouth of the cave, looking out with a frown.

Sakura looked at him sitting there cross-legged, and then suddenly blurted, "I need a change of clothes!" The look in her eyes was solemn and earnest, more so than it had been this entire time.

Despite her haggard state, this look would cause desire to blossom in the heart of any man who gazed upon her beauty.

Naruto closed his eyes. "I don't have any," he said coolly.

"You have some in your bag of holding." Her clothes were ragged and soiled, revealing over half of her body. Even more of her undergarments were now visible. Her flesh appeared soft and supple. Half covered, half exposed, the sight of her was incredibly enticing.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he looked at Sakura coldly. His gaze swept over her, over her body, her curves, her beautiful features. Most men who saw something like this would immediately be consumed with a fiery heat.

Eight days before, it would have been impossible for Naruto to catch a glimpse of Sakura's body, even if he wanted to. And if he had, she would never have given up until he was dead.

But now… as Naruto looked at her, the only thing she did was unconsciously cover her chest. She had no way to prevent him from looking at her.

"You're right," he said slowly. "I do have some clothes in my bag of holding. But for some reason, I'm unable to open it because of the lack of spiritual energy here."

"There's a way," she said quietly. "There's a way to open your bag of holding and take some clothes out.

He looked at her coolly, his face as calm as ever, with no change in expression whatsoever.

Sakura had originally assumed that as soon as he heard her words, he would ask her for more details. But after waiting for a very long moment, she could see that he wasn't planning to speak. With a cold harrumph, she continued speaking.

"My Cultivation method is the Violet Fate Sect's 'Violet Chakra from the East.' Actually, two people can practice this type of Cultivation together. Even though the spiritual energy in this area is suppressed, if I teach you the method, and we work together, we might have a chance at success. Then, your bag of holding can be opened."

He pondered for a while, then shook his head. "I don't believe you. Please explain further."

"Believe if you want," Sakura said coldly, frowning. "If you don't believe, then forget it." She sat down in a far corner of the cliff cave. When Naruto glanced back at her, she unconsciously tried to cover herself up. She glared at him, covering her legs with her arms.

"I don't have a lot of clothes," he said calmly, "but there's enough to allow you to cover yourself. If you don't want them, then fine, just forget about it." He closed his eyes.

An hour passed, during which time Sakura ground her beautiful teeth. She really just could not tolerate being exposed in this way. Before long, she wouldn't be able to cover herself up at all.

Clenching her jaw, she said, "I lost my bag of holding in the wind, so I have no way to test it out. But the method I just mentioned should work. Violet Chakra from the East is not an ordinary technique. It was passed down from the Sky Country. If two people practice the technique together, its power can open the vault of the heavens.

"If you have doubts, I can teach you the first mnemonic of the Violet Chakra from the East. If you can master it, then I'll tell you the second, and then the third. You can try to open the bag. All I need is some clothes."

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her. His face was expressionless, but in his heart was a cold sneer. He had experienced many hardships in the Five Elements Nation, and was no longer the ignorant youth he once was. He was much more calculating; how could he not tell that she was trying to set up a trap for him?

"Speak," he said coldly.

* * *

Sakura slowly began to recite the secret method of the Violet Fate Sect. "Violet Chakra from the East, Cultivate the Nine Violet Chakras of heaven and earth, use the method that comes from the East, understand the rise of the sun and moon, transform the will of your heart, observe the brilliance, taste the moonlight…."

Seeing Naruto sitting there, apparently lost in thought, she spoke the words slowly. In her heart, she smiled coldly.

"He's surely guessed that I'm not simply after a set of clothing. But I've got him hooked. He wants to open his bag of holding as much as I do. He definitely won't take advantage of that brief moment just to take out some clothes for me. He'll take out some magical item or some medicinal pills. However, whatever he dares to take out, as long as he learns the Violet Chakra to the West technique, then he'll be crippled!" A bit of hesitation flickered on her face as she slowly repeated the mnemonic.

This, of course, was not Violet Chakra from the East, but rather a top secret mnemonic developed later by the Violet Fate Sect, called Violet Chakra to the West. Even Sasuke didn't know about it. It was taught only to special members of the Sect, and its purpose was to be able to provide spiritual power and life force to Chosen!

Every Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect would have an opportunity to select someone else to practice Violet Chakra to the West. A Sect Elder would participate in order to prevent that person from resisting, as well as to keep them stable. After successfully performing the technique, that person would become a type of clone of the Chosen, whereupon the Chosen would be able to absorb their Cultivation base and life force with Violet Chakra from the East.

It was because of the combination of the two arts that the Violet Fate Sect occupied its current position in the Southern Domain.

Sakura had not yet utilized the power of Violet Fate to the West on anyone. But there was no other option now, other than this technique.

Despite its power, there were potentially dangerous side-effects. Usually Sect Elders would be standing by, ready to provide assistance against any such mishaps.

"If you have no problems with the first mnemonic, then I'll give you a bit of blood," said Sakura calmly. "It's impossible to see the sun, and without either the sun or moon in sight, it's difficult to absorb Violet Chakra. However, there is some in my blood, which will help you to use the technique."

Naruto looked up at Sakura, his eyes flickering in contemplation. Inside, he was laughing coldly; before she had even uttered the mnemonic, he had guessed that she had ill intentions. The only thing he wasn't sure of was the exact process she planned to use.

Having heard the first mnemonic, he had a faint clue. The main reason she was teaching him this Cultivation method was because even if it enabled him to open his bag of holding, it would also eventually harm him in some way.

He suddenly stood up, walked over and squatted down in front of her. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head close to him. She tried to struggle, but she just wasn't as strong as he was. Even more of her body was exposed as she tried to resist.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!" she cried out, her expression changing. Suddenly, anxiety filled her heart, and her body began to shake. Her lips were only about one inch from his. She could smell his breath. His hand held the top of her head like an iron pincer; she was incapable of moving backward.

"You don't need to give me any of your blood. I'll take it myself." He pulled her head to the side and then ruthlessly bit into her shoulder, chomping deep down into the flesh.

Her body trembled, and fierce hatred erupted in her eyes.

He was so close that she could feel his warmth. From a distance away, they almost looked like a couple embracing.

A moment later, Naruto loosened his grip and rose again. Not giving her another glance, he returned to his spot and sat down in meditation. Her blood dripped down the side of his face. His eyes closed, he began to Cultivate according to the mnemonic Sakura had just taught him.

It took a long moment for Sakura to settle her agitated breathing and recover her composure. She stared hatefully at Naruto.

"Just wait until you finish practicing this technique," she thought. "I'll suck up your Cultivation base and then chop you to pieces. I'll use your own energy to activate the branding in my body. Then the Violet Fate Sect will be able to find me." She ground her teeth until it seemed like they might shatter, vowing to pay back ten times as much insult to Naruto as she had endured today. This was especially true of the pain in her shoulder, and the bite marks. It was something she simply couldn't accept.

Time passed by, several hours. Naruto's eyes snapped open. Within his pupils, a bit of violet had appeared. When she saw this, Sakura felt a little bit better.

"The second mnemonic," said Naruto casually.

Without hesitation, Sakura began to tell him the second mnemonic."Violet Chakra returns to the lake, dyeing the banks of the Dao Pillar; Nine rotations in three layers, a branding of a Violet Dragon…"

More time passed, even longer than last time. Sakura was starting to feel a bit hesitant.

"Back in the Sect, the person selected to practice Violet Chakra to the West by Elder Brother Shin only needed two hours to finish under the watch of an Elder. Why is Naruto going so slow?"

Her hesitation continued on for another four hours. Finally, Naruto opened his eyes. The violet glow was even stronger. When she saw this, Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

"He must just have ordinary latent talent, so it takes longer for him to Cultivate." Next, she told him the third mnemonic.

Naruto thought for a while in silence. Then he closed his eyes and began to meditate. This time took even longer. Two complete days passed before he finished. However, when his eyes opened, his pupils appeared to be completely violet, and his eyes glowed the same color.

In fact, his whole body seemed to be emitting a faint violet glow.

Sakura was originally a bit worried. But seeing the thick violet color within his eyes, her Cultivation base seemed to twitch vigorously. Her mind was now made up.

"Now there's only one more step," she thought, "and when that's finished, he's doomed!" Her eyes flickered slightly, and she said, "Now, we practice Cultivation together. When we combine our power, the bag of holding will open. You need to pay very close attention when that happens: you cannot slack off. The moment will be fleeting, and if you don't get into the bag of holding then, there won't be a second chance." As she spoke, her loathing for him seemed to come out and settle onto his body. She lifted up her hands.

"Just hold on for a bit longer," she thought, laughing coldly to herself. "And then everything will be over."

Naruto's face was expressionless. He looked coldly at Sakura, his violet pupils flickering. He took out the bag of the Cosmos and placed it next to him. He lifted his hands and placed his palms against hers. Suddenly, both of their Cultivation bases, which moments ago had been suppressed, began to boil.

The reaction grew stronger, and white Chakra began to rise up from their bodies. Beads of sweat ran down their faces. As this happened, Naruto could clearly sense the violet-colored spiritual power in his body being called by something. It began to race toward his hands, and Sakura. The violet glow in his eyes began to fade.

At this moment, Naruto suddenly felt the suppressive force on his Cultivation base loosen a bit. A tiny sliver of spiritual power suddenly emerged. Without hesitation, Naruto sent it straight toward the bag of the Cosmos. It glowed, and something emerged.

"Violet Chakra from the East and to the West, bind!" cried Sakura, ignoring whatever had emerged from the bag of the Cosmos. Her eyes shined brightly.

It was at this moment, when the power of Naruto's Cultivation base was rushing toward Sakura, that suddenly, she felt her own energy shake… In the space of two breaths, it was like Naruto's Cultivation base had disappeared completely. She wasn't able to absorb anything more of it.

"He has a Foundation Establishment Cultivation base, it's impossible that I could have only absorbed this little… This…" Her expression changed as she looked up at Naruto. He looked back at her with a sneering smile. As of this moment, there wasn't the slightest trace of violet in his eyes.

When she saw this, Sakura's heart flip-flopped, and her face twisted with an expression of disbelief. She scrambled backward.

"You…"

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Chu," he said coolly. He lifted his hand up, and the object that had emerged from the bag of the Cosmos flew into it.

It was a crystal stone. Not an ordinary crystal, but one of the three extra large Spirit Stones that remained in his bag!

Her face went pale as she pressed herself up against the rocky wall. Her heart pounded, unable to figure out why Violet Chakra to the West had failed. She had definitely sensed him practicing Cultivation using the technique. And the violet color in his eyes could not have been faked. If it had, her own Cultivation base could not have begun to boil, nor could she have absorbed the tiny bit of his that she had.

Her body began to tremble. Her plan just now had been made up on the spot, and had its flaws. It was a gamble and she was sure she had hooked him. Once hooked, there was no way he should have been able to escape.

Yet the facts remained. Sakura's heart trembled. As she looked at Naruto, she was suddenly struck with how unpredictable he was. The feeling only grew stronger and stronger.

If that was all to the matter, then it wouldn't be a very big deal. But then she noticed the large spirit stone Naruto held in his hand. Her pupils constricted. She looked closer, and then began to pant, a look of disbelief covering her face.

"That's… an ultra-high-grade Spirit Stone!"

* * *

Naruto looked at Sakura for a moment. Then he shoved his hand toward the rocky wall, slashing a wound into his palm. Blood oozed out.

Sakura gasped. Next, Naruto shoved the large Spirit Stone into the wound. As she saw this, Sakura could almost feel how much it hurt. Naruto, however, didn't frown, even in the slightest.

Compared to the pain he felt during the poison flare-ups, this was nothing.

As soon as the Spirit Stone buried into the flesh of his palm, he felt a soaring explosion of spiritual energy enter his body. His eyes flashed as if with lightning.

His suppressed Dao Pillar suddenly shook, sucking up large amounts of spiritual energy, then sent it out, circulating throughout Naruto's body.

At the moment, his Second Core sea was nowhere to be seen. Actually, the reason why Sakura's technique hadn't affected Naruto was because of his Second Core sea. He had practiced the Violet Chakra to the West technique, but only there in his Second Core sea, where there was no Dao Pillar.

That was why it had taken such a long time. As for Sakura, she had absorbed only the power of Naruto's Second Core sea. Relatively speaking, its power was like that of a firefly.

Now that his Cultivation base was circulating, Naruto smacked his bag of holding, summoning the Lightning Flag. It surrounded him with a mist of flickering electricity, which caused Sakura to back further away, her face pale. She stared dumbly at the mist, her mind a blank.

Protected by the mist, Naruto closed his eyes and continued to circulate his Cultivation base. The suppressive force in the area still existed, but Naruto was now gradually able to feel the motion of his Cultivation base.

The first level of Chakra Condensation, the second, the third… In the end, he was able to exert power similar to that of the seventh level of Chakra Condensation.

His eyes flickering, he took in a deep breath. The mist around him rolled inward, condensing into a small flag which he then placed into his mouth. He stood, grabbing up the bag of the Cosmos and retrieving a medicinal pill which he placed into the center of his palm. The wound slowly began to close up, congealing into a scab. As for the large spirit stone, it was still stuck inside the wound. If he took it out, his Cultivation base would once again be suppressed, and he would become like a mortal. At the moment, the most power he could muster was that of the seventh level of Chakra Condensation.

Ignoring Sakura, Naruto smacked the bag of the Cosmos again, and a wooden sword flew out. He stepped onto it, and turned into a beam of light that shot upward into the air.

Within the fissure-like cave Sakura watched in shock as he disappeared, her heart filled with complicated, bitter emotions.

Everything was quiet. This silence contained an unspeakable loneliness which spread out everywhere, submerging Sakura in its depths. She laughed silently. She was in some undetermined location, at the bottom of a volcano that no one would even think to look for. She was as trapped as a person who had been buried alive in a tomb.

Naruto flew along on a wooden sword, his eyes shining. Soon, he left the mists behind. His speed increased, although not too much; he was still only able to wield the power of the seventh level, plus his body was still not in top condition. When the mists disappeared, Naruto found himself looking up at a starry sky.

When he caught sight of the stars, a bright look appeared on his face. But then, his eyes narrowed, and he came to a stop. He didn't emerge from the mouth of the volcano, but rather stood there looking up at it.

Had he not been careful just now, he might have overlooked the nearly transparent shield which covered the mouth of the volcano. It was some kind of seal. Naruto's eyes flashed as he retrieved a flying sword from the bag of the Cosmos. With the flick of a sleeve, he sent it shooting toward the shield.

The instant it ran into the shield, the sword instantly turned into ash. Not a sound rang out.

Naruto watched this happen, a grim look on his face. He spit out the Lightning Flag. It transformed into a mist, which shot toward the shield. It could stand up against the power of Foundation Establishment, but when it ran into the shield, it couldn't push through. It collapsed, and began to show signs that it might be destroyed.

Sucking in a breath, Naruto quickly called back the Lightning Flag. In the space of only a few seconds, several cracks had appeared on its surface.

"Could it be that one can enter this place, but not leave it? Even the Lightning Flag can't break through. I wonder what would happen if I ran into the shield…" He frowned. The stars were visible outside the volcano, but this shield was blocking his way.

His eyes flashing, he flew back down on the wooden sword, soon landing on the misty floor of the volcano. He glanced around, then walked over to a section of rock. Moments later, he was flying back up, a brightly colored, three meter long viper in his hand.

The snake writhed, baring its fangs, which dripped with venom. However, Naruto held it behind its head so it couldn't bite him.

Back at the shield, he tossed the viper toward it. As soon as the viper hit the shield, its body was turned into a mist of blood and gore. An intact viper skeleton fell back down into the mists.

Naruto took a breath and looked at the shield, an apprehensive look in his face. Then, he gave a cold snort and smacked the bag of the Cosmos with his right hand. A vast quantity of flying swords appeared. He flicked his finger, and the swords shot toward the rock wall. Booms rang out as the swords dug a hole into the rock. But as the swords carved inward, a sound rang out like gold striking iron. Naruto looked into the deep hole, and then around at the rock walls.

The rock was dark green, and covered with flickering magical symbols; it was obviously under a restrictive spell.

Naruto let out a sigh. He tried a few more methods, but the result was always the same. Finally, he dug a small pit into the rock wall and sat down cross-legged. He looked up silently at the shield.

He sat like that for seven days, during which time he tried out various methods of breaking through the shield, but none of them worked. More time passed. Soon, it had been a month.

He was trapped by the shield. But down at the bottom of the volcano, Sakura didn't know that. She assumed that he was long gone.

On the first day, she sat outside, her arms wrapped languidly around her legs. She looked completely different from the beautiful woman from before. Now she seemed more like a withered flower.

When the third day arrived, she sat looking outside of the cave, frustration in her eyes, her face pale.

The third day, the fifth, the eighth… Soon ten days and then thirteen days had passed. More and more frustration appeared in her eyes, and she was getting more and more hungry. Her body was also starting to grow cold. She felt like she was the only person alive in the entire world. She grew more and more forlorn. When Naruto was here, this feeling hadn't existed. Back then, she had just hated him, so much that she wished him to die a miserable death.

But thirteen days after he disappeared, the feeling of loneliness surrounded her like a giant mouth, ready to swallow her up.

She was now completely convinced that absolutely no Chakra whatsoever could escape this place. Otherwise, the Violet Fate Sect would have already found her. But, soon it would have been a month, and no one had come for her. There was only one explanation for this.

The twenty-third day passed, then the twenty-sixth. The fear in her heart grew stronger amidst the silence that surrounded her. Her body trembled, and she felt incredibly alone. The depth of the silence made her feel as if she were in some sort of illusion. She had the sensation that there were countless shadows walking to and fro around her; she shivered. At this moment, she was no longer a Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect. She was simply a frail young woman.

She clenched her jaw, not emitting the slightest sound, and refusing to shed tears.

During the month, Naruto sat underneath the shield within the protection of the lightning mist. He had used every idea he could think of to break through the shield, but there it was, the same as ever. It seemed even his voice could not pass through it, although that didn't matter because he hadn't seen even a single person in the sky above. Finally one night, black clouds filled the sky, and a torrential downpour began. The rain fell down through the shield onto Naruto's lightning mist.

Suddenly, a peal of thunder rang out, along with a bolt of lightning. When this happened, Naruto's eyes narrowed. He looked closely at the shield. After a moment, another bolt of lightning descended. Naruto's eyes began to shine.

He had noticed that every time lightning struck, the shield would ripple.

"So, lightning bolts can affect it… If lightning strikes it, maybe the shield can be opened." His heart began to thump. A huge group of metal flying swords appeared. He tossed them, hoping to be able to use them to attract some lightning bolts.

However, thunder and rain vanished, and the sky started to grow bright. He hadn't been able to attract any lightning bolts. However, hope now burned in his eyes.

"I can't attract lightning. Maybe that is because of the shield itself. If only there was a way to force the lightning down and blow open the shield… I need something to attract it. I need… hmm…" A light of inspiration shined in his head. He retrieved a piece of turtle shell from the bag of the Cosmos; this was the formula for the Perfect Foundation Pill.

He looked it over closely a few times, and then his eyes began to shine even brighter. They filled with determination.

"Establishing a Perfect Foundation is not permitted by the Heavens, and will provoke Tribulation Lightning…"

He put the turtle shell away and sat there in silent contemplation for a while. After a time, his body flashed toward the mists below. Soon he had reached the bottom of the volcano, and Sakura.

He looked at her, at her frustrated, pale face.

When she caught sight of him, she reflexively said, "You…"

"You're Grandmaster Pill Demon's disciple," said Naruto coldly. "Do you know anything about alchemy?"

She nodded silently.

"Do you want out?!" His eyes flashed. As his words entered her ears, Sakura's body began to tremble. Gradually, life began to seep back into her eyes.

* * *

"There's a shield up above which makes it impossible to get out," he said coolly. "I can't break through it. But after a month of observation, I noticed that lightning seems to be able to distort it." Sakura's eyes were no longer filled with frustration. Instead, they shined with life, and a bit of charm.

Naruto lifted his hand into the air and made a snatching motion. A hissing viper flew toward him, which he grabbed deftly, pushing his finger into the weak spot of its head.

Holding the snake, he looked calmly at Sakura. Not bothering to explain anything, he walked forward and grabbed her around her supple waist. Her face turned crimson. Because of the raggedness of her clothing, Naruto's hand landed directly onto her skin.

His body flashed as the flying sword beneath his feet shot upward, Sakura in tow. They went up, speeding out of the mists and soon reaching the shield. Naruto tossed the snake toward it. Sakura didn't avert her eyes. She watched as the snake's body turned into a haze of blood, and then its ghastly, white skeleton fell back down. Her expression flickered.

Naruto slapped his bag of holding, and ten flying swords appeared. They turned into multicolored beams of light as they shot forward, and subsequently turned into ash.

Having done all this, Naruto stared at her with cold eyes. Then, holding her close to him, he flew back down to the bottom of the volcano.

Being held by Naruto felt strange to her. As soon as they stepped foot onto the ground, she moved backward several paces."What pill do you need?" she asked calmly.

"A Seven Thunders Pill," he said, his expression the same as ever.

"Seven Thunders Pill?" she said with a frown. She'd never heard of such a medicinal pill before.

"I acquired it from an ancient location. It can provoke lightning from the Heavens. If you can concoct it, then we can leave this place." He said nothing more, allowing her to weigh the pros and cons for herself. To offer further explanation could raise further questions, and he didn't want her to begin thinking in that way.

She was silent for a moment. Finally, she said, "To concoct pills, I would need a pill furnace." Although she had never heard of a Seven Thunder Pill before, she had seen the shield with her own eyes.

Naruto slapped his bag of holding and produced a small pill furnace, about the size of a hand. This was something he'd acquired from Gato's bag of holding. Gato had prepared it with the intention of concocting the pills himself.

"Seven Star Jade Furnace!" When Sakura laid eyes on the pill furnace, an expression of shock covered her face. She knew of this type of furnace; its quality was beyond the ordinary, and was extremely valuable. She looked back at Naruto. "In addition to a pill furnace, I would need the fire of heaven and earth."

Naruto lifted his hand, and immediately the two wooden swords appeared. They slammed into the ground, spiralling downward into the earth. A moment passed, and then a rumbling sound could be heard. A hot air billowed out, followed by two wooden swords. From within the palm-sized hole created by the two wooden swords, flames leaped up. This was earthly fire.

They were inside a volcano, and it turned out the volcano wasn't dead after all. Naruto had checked into this after his Cultivation base was restored, and had been about seventy to eighty percent sure of it.

"You have a pill furnace, and earthly fire," said Naruto, his voice low. "What else do you need?"

Sakura looked at the glowing hole from which red flames spat forth. She felt the heat of the flames, and then looked at the pill furnace in Naruto's hand. She couldn't help but admit that this place was very suitable for alchemy.

"I need to recover some of my Cultivation base," she said, her eyes flickering.

He gazed at her coldly, then lifted his hand. A low-grade Spirit Stone shot forth to hover in front of her. Her spirits seemed to rise as she snatched the Spirit Stone out of the air with her delicate hands. She clenched her jaw, then, following Naruto's example, split her hand open on an adjacent rock. Pain caused her face to pale, and her body trembled. Gritting her teeth, she shoved the Spirit Stone into the wound.

Then she sat down cross-legged to meditate. About an hour passed, and she opened her eyes. Her Cultivation base had recovered to about the second or third level of Chakra Condensation.

"Give me the pill recipe," she said, standing up. "I'll also need a bag of holding." Her skin had recovered along with her Cultivation base. It was now lustrous and let off a gentle shine. She looked at Naruto.

He pulled out a jade slip, which he then placed between his eyebrows. Then he threw it toward Sakura. Next, he produced a variety of medicinal plants which he handed over.

"The Seven Thunders Pill requires seven minor pills as its ingredients. This jade slip shows how to make the first of the seven. There are enough materials there to make two of them. That's all there is, so you only have two chances. If you fail, we have no hope of leaving." He tossed her the pill furnace along with an empty bag of holding. Without another word, he sat down cross-legged next to the cave, his eyes closed in meditation.

Sakura's brow furrowed. She quietly lifted up the pill furnace and placed the medicinal plants into the bag of holding. Next, neared the earthly fire aperture and studied the flames for a bit. Then, she sat down cross-legged and began to analyze the jade slip.

Naruto's eyes opened a sliver and he looked at her for a moment before closing them again.

The Seven Thunders Pill he had asked her to make was, of course, the Perfect Foundation Pill. Only by concocting that pill would he have the hope of attracting Heavenly Tribulation lightning, and thus the chance to break open the shield.

As Sakura began her alchemy, doubts and suspicions would no doubt begin to well up within her. However, Naruto didn't care about this. The Perfect Foundation Pill required the seven minor pills. Missing even one wouldn't do. However, the minor pills were useless by themselves. They were only effective when combined together.

Naruto had two of the minor pills in his possession, but of course, Sakura wouldn't be able to reproduce them.

"There are a lot of weird things about this place," he thought to himself. "I've been able to restore some of my Cultivation base, I should go look around. Especially at that lake of blood."

A moment later, he stood up. Ignoring Sakura, who was currently studying the jade slip, he walked forward, disappearing into the mists.

Sakura watched him as he left, then looked back down at the Spirit Stone stuck into her bloody flesh.

"A low-grade Spirit Stone isn't enough to activate my branding… At the very least, I would need a mid-grade Spirit Stone. Even with that, I wouldn't be completely confident of the results. It's already been more than a month, and no one from the Sect has arrived, which proves that the shield really can suppress everything. Very well then. I'll concoct the Seven Thunders Pill for him. That's the only chance of getting out of here." With a light sigh, she continued to examine the jade slip. She did so more earnestly than she had ever studied anything with her master back in the Sect.

Seven days flashed by. Naruto hadn't returned to the cave. Instead, he sat cross-legged in a cave he had hollowed out in the rock wall a bit over three hundred meters from the shore of the lake of blood.

In front of him were ten Spring and Autumn trees. His face was pale and his body trembled. In his hand was an additional Spring and Autumn tree. His eyes opened, and let out a long sigh.

The breath that he exhaled transformed into a three-colored flower that looked like a demonic face. It grinned ferociously, and then slowly disappeared.

His gaze swept across the ten trees in front of him. A moment ago, the poison had begun to flare up, and he had successfully used the Spring and Autumn tree against it. "So, the Spring and Autumn tree really can suppress the poison in me."

He flicked his sleeve, collecting up the rest of the trees. He adjusted his Cultivation base and then opened his eyes again and looked at the lake of blood. His eyes filled with determination.

"This whole place is really bizarre, as if it's been sealed somehow. Furthermore, it has this lake of blood… I've been stuck in here for two months, and other than the first time we came here, haven't experienced any real sense of danger. I shouldn't place all my hopes in the Perfect Foundation Pill. I should be prepared in case Sakura fails to concoct the pill. This is the strangest place in this whole location.

"In fact, I have the feeling that the reason this place is sealed to begin with has something to do with the lake of blood." He slowly stood up and walked out of the cave. He spit out an arc of electricity which turned into a mist that surrounded him, then began to slowly approach the lake of blood.

As soon as he stepped foot within the area three hundred meters surrounding the shore, ripples appeared on the calm surface. His eyes glittered, and he took another step.

The closer he got, the more ripples appeared. Gradually, roaring sounds echoed out and the dark green stone altar appeared. Waves roiled as it rose out from the surface of the lake, supported on the backs of the countless bloody bodies, whose faces were twisted in agony. The altar rose higher and higher.

The throne was there, seated upon which was the corpse wearing a mask. More than half of the altar was visible.

Naruto stopped, and slowly walked backward. He found that as he did so, the altar also stopped rising up, and then slowly began to sink down.

"Very interesting," said Naruto, his eyes gleaming. He stopped moving backward, and then resolutely strode forward. As he got closer, the men and women supporting the altar began to wail. The altar rose higher and higher. Soon, the entire one hundred fifty meter altar had emerged out of the lake.

Naruto stopped. Looking down, he could see that there was some massive object concealed in the lake.

Although it appeared as if the altar was being lifted up by the men and women, in fact, it was really being pushed up by whatever it was that lurked in the depths of the lake.

Surrounded by his mist, Naruto stood there silently for a moment. Then he walked forward, entering the thirty meter region surrounding the lake. The altar lifted up, and suddenly, an enormous head rose up out of the lake of blood. The altar was located the very top it!

It was about three hundred meters in diameter and was dark green in color. This was not the head of some living creature; it was formed out of rock. By the time Naruto reached the shore of the lake of blood, the head was completely visible.

Blood poured out of the orifices of the face, which was twisted into a hideous expression. Its mouth opened, and an archaic, howling voice could be heard.

"The Ancient Doom Clan, the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. Enter my sea of blood; nine will open in the Southern Domain; all creation will know. The first person… shall acquire the bloodline of the Blood Immortal!" The voice sounded out directly inside of Naruto's head, filling it with its echoing roar.

* * *

Only Naruto could hear the sound of the voice. No one else would have been able to sense even a bit of it. Even though Sakura was in the volcano along with Naruto, she couldn't hear it either.

As the sound filled his head, Naruto's eyes filled with an intense look.

"The Ancient Doom Clan… Don't tell me we're in the vicinity of the Ancient Temple of Doom!? The Legacy of the Blood Immortal. An Immortal…" Naruto was shocked. He was relatively familiar with all the various levels of Cultivation. After Nascent Soul was Spirit Severing, then Dao Seeking and finally Immortal Ascension.

However, in tens of thousands of years, only seven or eight people had ever succeeded in reaching that stage. Even reaching the Dao Seeking stage was not common.

"The Legacy of the Blood Immortal. Did that person just call himself Immortal, or did he actually reach Immortal Ascension…?" Even though he was excited, he suddenly thought of the battle between Patriarch Reliance and Lord Revelation, and the two words which had been uttered. Dawn Immortal.

His eyes flickered as he looked at the enormous head and its open mouth, beyond which seemed to be some sort of tunnel. Entering would signify the beginning of the pursuit of the Legacy.

"Nine will open in the southern lands, and all creation will know. Could it mean… maybe once I step in, then nine other entrances to the Legacy will open in the outside world? Then the wind and clouds will be disturbed, and everyone will know about it?" He hesitated, gazing at the mouth, deep in thought.

"It must be that way. There are nine entrances where people can enter to seek the Legacy. Among them, one will be selected to receive the Blood Immortal's legacy… So, there are nine places similar to this. If one opens, then all of them open. I just wonder if anyone has opened it before…" Suddenly, he looked around at the shores of the lake. They were strewn with ghastly, white bones. Many of the bones were skulls, and were human.

The skulls had marks of wear; obviously, they had existed here for many years. Perhaps it was because of the strangeness of this place that they hadn't been scattered, but instead remained here all this time.

Whatever the case, Naruto had no way to determine how long they had been here, nor any way to determine if they were intruders, or people sacrificed when this place was created.

He thought for a while, and eventually decided not to just rashly charge into the mouth entrance. He slowly walked backward. As he did, the giant head slowly sank back into the lake, along with the altar. By the time he reached the three hundred meter mark, everything was quiet.

As he walked backward, he flicked his sleeve, collecting some of the bones into his bag of holding. Then he stood there, looking at the lake of blood for a while, before turning and leaving.

Soon, he had returned to Sakura outside the fissure-like cave. Her face was pale, and she was concentrating on the pill furnace. She took out some medicinal plants, squeezed the juice out of them, and then placed them in the furnace. Naruto sat down cross-legged a short distance away. A look of deep thought appeared in his eyes. He took out one of the skulls he had just acquired and examined it closely.

"If I can't determine the age of these bones, then I can't just casually go after the Legacy of the Blood Immortal." He thought back to everything that had happened in the Five Elements Nation, which had taught him the value of being cautious. He held up the skull in front of him looking at it closely.

Time slowly passed. Soon, five days had gone by. Sakura walked over to Naruto from the pill furnace. Looking exhausted, she tossed him a medicinal pill.

It was a deep blue color, and was very beautiful in appearance. It emanated a faint bluish glow, but no fragrant aroma.

"I failed once, but succeeded the second time. This is the pill you need. Now give me some clothes." She looked down at him, weariness in her eyes. This was the price to be paid for performing alchemy.

Naruto took the medicinal pill and examined it closely. He put it into his bag of the Cosmos, and then retrieved another jade slip along with two complete sets of ingredients. He also pulled out a set of garments. He put them all down in front of him, whereupon Sakura picked them up and walked back into the cave. A while later, she emerged, wearing Naruto's gown, her long hair spread out over her shoulders. She looked like an elegant, young maiden. She was tired, but that actually caused her to emanate a type of good looks different from before.

As Naruto looked at her, he realized that Elder Sister Hinata could not match up with her in terms of beauty. In fact, Sakura was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. Only the beautiful young women he had seen at the bottom of the North Sea could come even close.

Now that she had changed clothes and covered up some of her nakedness, Sakura no longer looked so uneasy standing in front of Naruto. As she walked out, she caught sight of the skull that he had been examining.

Her eyes suddenly gleamed with a strange light, which almost immediately disappeared. "If you have nothing better to do," she said coldly, "you could go stand watch by the shield. Maybe some Cultivators will pass by that could save us. That would be better than sitting around looking at an ancient skull."

"How many tens of thousands of years have these skulls been here?" he asked suddenly.

She gave a cold laugh. It seemed changing clothes had restored her previous arrogance. Apparently, she assumed that since she was concocting pills that Naruto needed, he wouldn't dare to treat her the way he had in the past. Ignoring him, she walked back to her alchemic work area. Naruto laughed and slapped his bag of holding. A wooden sword appeared which shot directly toward her.

It was fast, and reached her in an instant. Given the state of her Cultivation base, she had no way to evade. Nor did she try. She looked back at Naruto arrogantly, a sneer in her eyes.

The tip of the sword was already at her neck. A grim, cold air emanated from her body. But her chin was lifted as high as ever, her eyes filled with mocking.

"You have three seconds to take your sword away," she said coolly. "If you don't, or if you harm me, then you won't have anyone to concoct pills for you." Her skin was white like snow, her head tilted arrogantly. Her eyes glittered like eyes as she stared at Naruto with disgust.

She was convinced that Naruto wouldn't dare to make a move against her. The sword was simply a threat, and to Sakura, such threats were infantile and laughable.

She was the type of person who could not tolerate being wronged. Now that she had successfully created one of the pills, she could hold her head high and make Naruto think twice before trifling with her. She might even be able to get the upper hand.

"You're right," said Naruto, frowning. "Without you, I would have no way to concoct pills." From the look of things, it seemed he really couldn't do anything to her. However, he knew that this flame of rebellion must be snuffed out, lest it grow even more troublesome. He thought for a while, then suddenly smiled. When Sakura saw his smile, her heart began to thump inexplicably, and suddenly she didn't feel the least bit at ease.

"In fact," he said coolly, "if I offend you in any way, considering that you are the disciple of Grandmaster Pill Demon, you could easily make the pills incorrectly, or perhaps slip something fatal into them." His tone was leisurely, and the look on his face enigmatic. Sakura felt even more uncomfortable. She had, of course, thought of doing just as he said. Killing Naruto ahead of time wouldn't influence the lightning. But now, he had spoken out her very thoughts. She didn't know what he was planning, but she still felt that her alchemy would prevent him from harming her in. She gave a cold harrumph.

"What are you talking about?" she said coldly. It really felt to her as if his smile was amiss.

"The way that I, Naruto, handle things is as such: if people don't offend me, I don't offend them. I promised to see you out of here, and I will not go back on my word. But don't get arrogant because of your alchemy. Do not try to gain the upper hand."

The wooden sword suddenly flew back toward him, leaving behind a tiny nick on Sakura's throat. She opened her mouth reflexively, and as she did so, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. A pink-colored medicinal pill appeared, which shot forward directly into her mouth. It dissolved as soon as it entered. Sakura retreated backwards, her expression filled with shock. She wanted to spit the pill out, but couldn't.

"What pill did you just give me!?" she said, glaring at Naruto.

"You used a special technique as a facade to try to absorb my Cultivation base," said Naruto coolly. "We still haven't settled accounts over that. Think of this pill as a little punishment." He then closed his eyes and ignored her.

Such behavior on his part only served to make Sakura more perturbed. Her skill in alchemy was exceptional, but she really had no idea what pill she had just consumed. She gritted her beautiful teeth. Suddenly, hot steam began to accumulate within her. It quickly filled her, causing alarm to appear on her face.

She immediately sat down cross-legged in meditation, attempting to suppress it. But her Cultivation base was reduced to almost nothing; currently, she could only utilize the power of the third level of Chakra Condensation. How could that possibly be enough to defuse the pill?

She sat in meditation for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. A roaring filled her head, and she began to lose the ability to even think. Then, she slipped into a deep hallucination.

It was at this time that Naruto opened his eyes. They were calm, not the least bit agitated. The pill from just now had been acquired in the mountainous valley area, when the toad geezer had given him a variety of poison pills as tribute.

He originally had never intended to give it to Sakura, but she had really been asking for trouble. Her arrogance had flared with her successful concoction of the pill. He had no choice but to wipe out that bluster. In order to reduce her haughtiness, Naruto had chosen to give her the pill.

His eyes were clear and bright, his mind made up. After descending into this volcano, he had placed Sakura under his complete control. She had no room to maneuver.

Her stubbornness and arrogance surfaced on multiple occasions even down to today… and yet she was still unable to free herself from Naruto's control.

* * *

Naruto looked calmly at Sakura and took a few steps back. He had begun studying Confucianism and Daoism at a young age. Despite the incredible changes he had experienced, those teachings still existed in his heart. It's not that he was incapable of taking advantage of someone in trouble, but when it came to morality, he had a bottom line. He wouldn't touch Sakura.

She was his enemy, not his friend. Punishing her was one thing, but to sink to such a level of depravity would go against his very being. He might not be a complete gentleman, but he wasn't a depraved scumbag.

There were some things that he would never do. Everyone has a bottom line. To Naruto, it was about principles, and morality.

He thought again about the Perfect Foundation Pill. He settled his Chakra and calmed his mind, then stepped onto a flying sword and flew up into the air.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. Everything around Sakura was quiet. She was finally unconscious, her aura feeble, as if she were suffering from some serious illness.

Naruto returned. When he landed onto the ground, he looked at Sakura and let out a soft sigh. Producing another set of clothing from his bag of the Cosmos, he covered her, and then sat down cross-legged nearby.

Time slowly passed. Four hours went by before Sakura's eyes opened. As soon as they did, they filled with confusion. Then they flashed as she seemed to remember something. She sat there silently.

She didn't yell or flip out. Instead, she silently walked into the cave. Some time passed, and she came back out, her clothes back in order. Her face was pale, and she looked very weak and tired. She gave Naruto a look filled with complexity.

She hadn't lost her memory. It was quite the opposite, in fact. She very clearly remembered every single thing that had happened, including Naruto flying off into the sky.

Naruto's eyes opened, and he gave her a level look. "I did nothing to harm you," he said slowly. "That medicinal pill was a punishment for your attempt to harm my Cultivation base. You need to understand the truth of the situation here. My instructions, are everything."

There was no arrogance left in Sakura. Her feelings regarding Naruto were incredibly complex.

Yes, she hated him. But under the circumstances just now, he had chosen to leave rather than touch her. Sakura didn't want to, but she actually felt appreciation mixed together with her hatred. The complex feelings within her felt like floodwaters threatening to submerge her.

She didn't know how many similar medicinal pills Naruto had, but from his actions, she could guess that even though the pill she was concocting was important to him, he wasn't worried about her trying to poison him by adding or changing the recipe.

"The pill formula he gave me is very strange. Because of the interactions between the various ingredients, to change the formula ratios is simply beyond my ability. I wouldn't be able to produce a complete pill.…

"However, even if I did successfully adjust the formula, given this guy's personality, it's possible he might make me consume it…. Actually, it's impossible at all to tell if he will even consume it himself. Maybe he'll catch a viper and force it to consume it.

"In fact, it's even possible… that the pill doesn't need to be consumed. Maybe he'll use some other method to melt it and provoke the lightning. Maybe that's why he doesn't care." She frowned. It was really impossible to figure out the answer, and she had no idea what to do. She looked at Naruto, her expression torn. The more she thought about him and the deepness of his schemes, the more frightened she became.

"Compared to him, Sasuke really is inferior." She sighed. After thinking for a moment, she took a deep breath and said. "That skull has been here for several tens of thousands of years. Actually… I know where we are, and I know what this place is. When I saw the altar in the lake of blood, I started to suspect. I've thought about it a lot since then, and finally realized where we are."

Her voice soft, she continued, "This is one of the two undiscovered locations of the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. In total, there are nine. From ancient times until now, seven have appeared. This means there have been a total of seven chances throughout history to acquire the Legacy. Whenever a new location appears, it sets the entire Southern Domain abuzz. There are rules governing this place. Only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can enter. Any who does, has a chance at acquiring the Legacy.

"Every time the tournament begins, the previously discovered Legacy zones will emit a glow of blood that lasts for nine days. After nine days have passed, whoever is the first person to enter into the red glow, as long as they meet the requirement of having a Cultivation base at the Foundation Establishment stage, will be transported to the Blood Immortal's Mountain.

"When the Legacy tournament begins, it will last for a maximum of nine months. Only one person is permitted into each Legacy zone. From tens of thousands of years ago when the first Blood Immortal Legacy zone appeared, all the way until now, there have been seven. This means that there have been seven Legacy tournaments. Some people have had the luck to acquire various rewards, but down to this day, no one has succeeded in acquiring the true Legacy.

"Of the nine total Legacy zones, there are two remaining. Throughout all these years, no one has discovered their location. Therefore, there has been no way to begin the eighth Legacy tournament."

As he heard all of these things, Naruto's eyes began to narrow. "Who is the Blood Immortal?" he asked.

"I refuse to believe you didn't go yourself to examine the lake of blood," she said calmly. "And I also refuse to believe you are unaware that underneath the surface of the lake is a massive head with an open mouth. The seven other Blood Immortal Legacy zones throughout the world all have lakes of blood and altars. Underneath each altar is a mouth. Furthermore, I refuse to believe you didn't hear the voice of the Legacy. I have no proof, but my intuition tells me that you've been there, and you know. You're a cautious person, so you didn't dare to step foot inside without first bringing back those skulls to analyze, to see if you could determine their age."

"You didn't answer my question."

"The Ancient Temple of Doom. It was once a holy place for the Ancient Doom Clan. They were not looked upon with favor by the Heavens, and were punished with tribulation. There were three famous Immortals amongst them whose names were passed down through the generations after. One of them was the Blood Immortal.

"Anyone who acquires his legacy will be qualified to fight on the path to Immortality, and step foot onto the Immortality Pillar." Sakura's voice was soft as she spoke. She continued.

"The path to Immortality is an arduous one. According to the ancient legends, it can be found only on Mount Heaven. It is not a mountain on the earth, but in the sky. On its peak is an Immortality Pillar. By stepping onto the pillar and knocking on the door of lands of Ninshu, an Immortal realm shall be opened. You shall be bathed in the light of Immortality. Step into the void, and into Immortal Ascension.

"Since ancient times, countless heroes have fought over the ability to tread the path to Immortal Ascension. After all, if you analyze the character 'Immortal', you will find that it is composed of the character 'person' and the character 'mountain'. That mountain is Mount Heaven, and the person… is only one person!

"Ever ten thousand years, one person achieves Immortal Ascension!

"However, there is another understanding regarding the character 'Immortal'. According to this understanding, first is the character 'enter (入),' then is the character 'mountain'. Combined, they mean Immortal. It is a simple truth. Without entering Mount Heaven, one cannot achieve Immortal Ascension!" She looked at Naruto, explaining things that were only known to members of the five great Sects and three great Clans in the Southern Domain.

What is Immortality? A person and a mountain!

What is Immortality? Entering the mountain!

In ten thousand years, one person entered the mountain, one person achieved Immortal Ascension!

Naruto's eyes began to shine brightly, but then, just as quickly, the glow faded. Considering that he was just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Immortal Ascension was far, far away for him. For him to think about it now was really just too extravagant; it was basically a daydream.

"Before the path to Immortality are the Dao Seeking Stones, which only exist in the three Danger Zones. Dao Seeking is difficult, but before that is Spirit Severing and its three Severings. Each Severings requires enlightenment, and gives life. To be honest, I don't really know what all of this means. But when I was young, my father would speak these words to me and tell me to place them within my heart, and never forget them for the rest of my life." Sakura played with her hair, no longer looking at Naruto. She walked back to the pill furnace and slowly sat down. Taking out the jade slip with the information about the pill formula, she closed her eyes and began to analyze it.

Everything grew quiet.

Naruto looked at Sakura. She was different now. Her words continued to echo in his heart, and he analyzed them bit by bit. Based on the look on her face, as well as his own speculations regarding the Legacy of the Blood Immortal, he was now seventy to eighty percent sure that what she had said was the truth.

After some time passed, he spoke. "Why did you give me so much detailed information?"

"Because," she said softly, looking at him, "I hope that you will go after the Blood Immortal's Legacy and then… die inside. Then I can finally be rid of you. Many things have happened that shouldn't have." Having said this, she closed her eyes and continued to seek enlightenment regarding the pill formula.

Naruto suddenly laughed. He didn't mind hearing her words. If she hadn't spoken just now, then he would have grown suspicious. After all this time spent with Sakura, he was starting to understand her personality much better.

"The Legacy of the Blood Immortal. I wonder if I should go in after it…" he thought, his eyes flickering. It would be impossible for him to not be a bit tempted. A Legacy which could send waves throughout the entire Southern Domain. Anything related to the word 'Immortal' would drive Cultivators crazy.

* * *

"This Legacy tournament must surely involve some dangers that are impossible to imagine. If I'm careless, I'll likely fail and die… But with great risk comes great reward. If something is riskier, it shows that there is more chance for reward. If there isn't such danger, then fine. But if there is… Well, if I don't go, then I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" Determination filled his eyes as he continued to think over what Sakura had told him. However, after some time, he hadn't come up with any new ideas about why she had told him so much.

"She was provoking me. Maybe her true goal was to get me to go in. Or perhaps it wasn't… The chances of the latter are small. Perhaps she hopes that after entering and starting the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, it will attract the attention of the outside world, and perhaps give the Violet Fate Sect a better chance of tracking her down." His eyes flashed as he looked over at her.

"If I don't go, nothing will happen. But if that's what she wanted, why would she go into such detail right now, especially in a way that would make me hesitant? I wonder… what is she thinking? What is her true goal…?" His eyes flickered as he thought. Finally, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Time passed slowly. Soon, half a month had gone by. Sakura finally concocted the second pill. However, by the time another month passed, her attempts at the third and fourth pills had failed.

Naruto could not perform alchemy, but it was clear to him that she was not failing intentionally. Instead, the pill concoction was becoming more difficult. Throughout the month, Naruto didn't spend time thinking about the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. He seemed to have put it out of mind.

One day, he slowly stood up and hopped onto a flying sword, shooting up through the mists to go observe the shield.

In the past half month, he had made it a practice to go up every ten days or so to observe the shield. Every time he left, Sakura would observe his departure expressionlessly.

This time, after Naruto left, she waited about four hours, then suddenly lifted her head, her eyes flashing. She frowned, as if she were having some problem with the pill concoction process. Then she stood up, looking off into the mists. Shortly after, she began walking toward the region of the lake of blood. When she got there, she looked around, then turned and returned to the pill furnace. It seemed as if whatever question was in her mind had been answered. She continued with her alchemy.

Another half month passed. Finally, she was able to successfully concoct the third and fourth pills. She then began working on the fifth pill. As far as Naruto was concerned, this was the last pill. Once it was finished, then all seven of the minor pills would be ready.

More time slipped by. In the blink of an eye, two months were gone. Naruto and Sakura had now been trapped in the volcano for half a year. Within the two months, Sakura would occasionally leave the area of the cave. Sometimes it was when Naruto was watching her, other times it was when he was away. It seemed as if every time she had some problem with the formula, she would pace about. However, she would never enter the region within three hundred meters of the lake of blood. She would always stop at that mark.

Finally one day, under Naruto's watchful eye, she stood up. Frowning, she walked into the mists. When she reached the three hundred meter mark, her eyes flashed. Suddenly, the power of her Cultivation base flared up, and she sped toward the lake of blood at top speed.

As she neared it, the surface of the lake began to ripple. The altar appeared, followed by the enormous stone head. The mouth gaped, a passageway awaiting for the Legacy tournament participant to enter.

Sakura's eyes flickered with excitement as she raced forward. She was almost leaping into the air by the time she reached the mouth. Just as she was about to enter, a light laugh filled the air. A sword aura flickered, shooting toward Sakura.

As soon as she heard the laughter, her face went pale. Ignoring the approach of the wooden sword, she gritted her straight, white teeth and charged forward. There was only two meters between her and the large stone mouth.

Suddenly, a black net appeared, moving at a speed much faster than Sakura. It immediately enveloped her, and she was not able to move beyond that last two meter. The wooden sword scooped her and tossed her back to the lakeshore.

Standing nearby within the mists was Naruto. His face expressionless, he slowly walked forward.

Sakura's face was pale, and her eyes flashed with venomous hatred as she glared at Naruto. The instant he had brought back that skull to study, she had put all the pieces together regarding the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. Furthermore, everything she had said those months ago was true. She thought she knew Naruto, and understood his innate skepticism. She intentionally tried to make him think that there was something suspicious going on. Given his nature, he would certainly suspect her. Based on all of this, she knew that he would not easily be convinced to act. That would give her time.

In the following months, she had made it a practice to go for walks; she did this so that Naruto would not find it unusual. Today, she had finally made her attempt, never having imagined that she would fail.

"You really are quite patient," said Naruto. "I gave you a whole three months." At the moment, he was disinclined to explain to her how he had seen through her plan. "You have one month. I want to see the fifth pill. Now, get back to your alchemy." He made a snatching motion with his hand, retrieving the large net.

Sakura bit her lip and got to her feet. Without another glance at Naruto, she made a bitter departure.

"So, she really did want to go in." Naruto looked thoughtfully over his shoulder at Sakura's departing figure. A cold smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Now, his doubts were dispelled. He walked forward and entered the mouth of the enormous statue.

The instant he entered the mouth, he disappeared, and the lake of blood began to seethe. A roaring sound rippled out, and the lake of blood transformed into a blood-colored mist, which dispersed in all directions.

An archaic voice echoed out from within the blood mist, resounding out from within the volcano. "The Ancient Doom Clan, the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. Enter my sea of blood; nine will open in the Southern Domain; all creation will know. The first person… shall acquire the bloodline of the Blood Immortal!" When it hit Sakura's ears, she staggered, and her face grew pale. She gnawed on her lip as a look of extreme bitterness filled her face.

"If only I had realized earlier what this place was…" She shook her head. Her face was pallid. Her hatred toward Naruto, and toward fate itself, filled her with complicated emotions.

Meanwhile, outside in the Southern Domain, there were seven different locations, out from all of which suddenly could be heard a massive roaring. As soon as the sound raged out, the sky above the entire Southern Domain turned the color of blood.

From each of the seven locations, an archaic voice rumbled out.

"The Ancient Doom Clan, the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. Enter my sea of blood; nine will open in the Southern Domain; all creation will know. The first person… shall acquire the bloodline of the Blood Immortal!"

The echoing sound immediately sent the Southern Domain stirring. Regardless of their Sect or background, any Cultivators near the seven Blood Immortal Legacy zones looked on in astonishment. They immediately shot off in various directions at incredible speed.

"The Blood Immortal Legacy zones have reappeared!"

"The eighth Blood Immortal Legacy zone has been discovered. Now that it's been entered, the other seven Legacy zones have opened. The eighth Blood Immortal Legacy tournament is about to begin!"

"There will only be nine total chances to get the Blood Immortal Legacy. Over the past tens of thousands of years, it has happened seven times. This is the eighth time. If no one acquires the Legacy this time, who knows how many years will pass before the ninth tournament arrives…"

The other seven locations were places where previous Blood Immortal Legacy tournaments had begun. Whenever a new location appeared, it would cause a huge sensation in the Southern Domain. The eyes of countless Cultivators grew red with desire. Although no one had ever acquired the Legacy itself, in every race, lucky participants emerged with various magical items and techniques.

As the news spread, the five great Sects and three great Clans were the first to react. After them, other Clans followed in taking action.

At the moment, the roaring sound rippled out, and the words of the archaic voice echoed loudly. The entire Southern Domain buzzed with action. The Uchiha Clan, one of the three great Clans, was one of the first to act. Several hundred beams of light flew out, followed by several enormous flying battleships, filled with the disciples of the Uchiha Clan. They made their way toward the nearest Blood Immortal Legacy zone.

White-robed Sasuke stood on the second boat in the procession. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stared coldly at someone on the ship ahead in the lead position. There stood a man wearing a similar white robe. He closely resembled Sasuke, although he looked a little bit older. He frowned in thought.

This was Itachi Uchiha , Sasuke's older brother. He was a Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan, which was a position higher than that held by a trifling Chosen. He was in the late Foundation Establishment Stage, and could achieve Core Formation at almost any time. He was surrounded by various elite members of the Uchiha Clan, including his Dao Protector, a Nascent Soul Clan Uncle.

As for Sasuke… he stood there silently, hands clasped rigidly behind his back. One of the fingers of his right hand looked very different from the others. It was as transparent as crystal, within which circulated tiny black spiralling threads. It looked extremely bizarre.

Standing next to him was Baru Uchiha, the man who had almost killed Naruto with a single look that day, years ago . "If things hadn't happened the way they did in the Five Elements Nation," he said coolly, "You wouldn't be at the early Foundation Establishment stage right now. You would be at the middle stage. You would still be behind your brother, but not as far as you are now.

"I will exceed my brother," said Sasuke calmly. "I will become a Dao Child!"

"There will only be one chance to acquire the Legacy of the Blood Immortal," said Baru Uchiha, his eyes flashing. He frowned. "It's too bad there hasn't been any word from the Violet Fate Sect about Yuyan. Apparently, she's in a critical stage of secluded meditation. Otherwise, she would be able to provide you with some assistance."

* * *

Meanwhile in the Golden frost Sect, one of the five great Sects of the Southern Domain, hundreds of beams of light shot whistling up into the sky. These were Sect members who didn't need the aid of magical flight items. Up ahead of them, the person in the lead ripped open a hole in the air, into which the others entered.

Dokan was amongst them, carrying a gold greatsword, clad in a set of armor. He moved with incredible speed.

The Legacy of the Blood Immortal had sent the great Sects and Clans into a frenzy. In addition to the Uchiha Clan and the Golden frost Sect, there was the Nadeshiko Clan, another of the three great Clans. Several hundred Cultivators emerged, all of them outstanding talents. Amongst them was Hiruko, whose treasures Naruto had stolen in the Five Elements Nation.

The most powerful Sect in the Southern Domain was the Solitary Sword Sect. Hundreds of sword auras shot up. It was a shocking sight. Every Cultivator amongst them stood on a sword. The hundreds of sword auras seemed as if they could split open the sky. At the front of the group were seven people with stern looks on their faces. One of the seven was none other than Might Guy!

Guy's face was filled with righteousness. He wore a long white robe and stood on a dark green sword. His Cultivation base billowed out; he was at the early Foundation Establishment stage!

In front of the seven was a middle-aged man with a cold expression and a fierce killing intent. This was none other than Might Guy's master, fist master Chen.

Wind whipped the clouds into turmoil above the Southern Domain as Tazuna of the Violet Fate Sect shot through the air along with hundreds of Violet Fate disciples. As they flew through the sky, Tazuna's brow was furrowed, and he seemed to be thinking about something very important. This, in turn, caused the others from the Violet Fate Sect to be incredibly quiet.

"Yuyan is missing," he thought. "She was seen chasing after some Cultivator. Then that roc flew through, kicking up a whirlwind. She… where is she…? Her life slip is still intact, which means that she's safe." He sighed. Sakura was very important to the Violet Fate Sect. In fact, she was so important that many people in the Sect had opposed her engagement to Sasuke.

Beams of prismatic light could be seen in the sky all over the Southern Domain, flying toward the seven Blood Immortal Legacy zones.

Amongst the great Sects and Clans, the Shimura Clan was the most secretive. They rarely sent Clan members out into the world, and when they did, few people were aware of it. In fact, when the Blood Immortal Legacy zones opened, they only sent out five people!

Of those five people, two were old Dao Protectors of the Nascent Soul stage. The rest were at the Foundation Establishment stage, two men and one woman. These three were Chosen of the Shimura Clan, whom few outsiders had even heard of.

"Years ago the Patriarch revealed the secret that the eight Blood Immortal Legacy tournament would fall into the hands of the Shimura Clan," said one of the old men. He wore a long black robe, and was tall and emaciated. He looked back at the three behind him. "The eighth tournament has arrived. Daoyi, the Legacy belongs to you, this is certain. As for you two, just observe, and take the opportunity to learn something."

The most mysterious of the five great Sects was the Blood Demon Sect. They sent even fewer people than the Shimura Clan, only two.

One was old, one was young. The young man wore a scarlet robe, and appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen. He emanated a fierce killing aura. Located between his eyebrows was a mark of blood, which would occasionally let out a glow that covered half of his face. Beneath his feet was a mist of blood, within which could be seen countless fierce faces that appeared to be howling. This young man looked anything but ordinary.

If Naruto were there, or perhaps Fatty or Little Tiger, they would instantly recognize him. The young man looked exactly like Shikamaru , from six or seven years ago. If it really was him, then it would mean he hadn't changed at all over the years. Very strange!

Of the five great Sects of the Southern Domain, four sprang into action. Only the Black Sieve Sect did not. In the main hall of the Sect, six people sat cross-legged, their bodies concealed in shadows. Within the hall, everything was silent.

An archaic, sinister voice suddenly rang out. "So, the time has come for the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament… Should we dispatch some people?"

"The Legacy of the Blood Immortal might be powerful, but no one has acquired it even after tens of thousands of years. Comparatively speaking, the ancient map we discovered is much more important!"

"We can't conceal the matter, though, so we won't. That will cause more chaos, which will serve to our advantage."

"If we succeed in our endeavor, the entire structure of the Southern Domain will be changed. As for the item, the Dao of the Black Sieve Sect will be refined, which is luck for the Sect!"

"I agree that we should not dispatch anyone to the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. We've studied this ancient map for a long time. Even the Patriarchs view it with high importance and have studied it several times. We can take advantage of the suspicion which will arise from our lack of participation in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. We can guide more people here, whereupon their curiosity will increase. Then, we can begin the next phase of our plan."

Outside of the Black Sieve Sect's main temple hall, several hundred solemn-faced disciples had gathered. They had been called here to wait to for orders from the Sect Elders.

Standing off to the side in the crowd was Hinata. She wore a standard white robe. Her face seemed thinner than before, and her frame somewhat frail. Although she had always been a cold person, she didn't seem to be very happy in the Black Sieve Sect.

Her Cultivation base was only at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation.

A charming young woman appeared next to Hinata. Her voice low, she said, "Junior Sister Hinata, Elder Brother Guy said to give you one last chance. If you agree to what he wants, he'll fight to get you a Foundation Establishment Pill. Come on, don't be stupid. If you provoke Elder Brother Guy, then…." Even in the midst of giving her advice. Hinata raised her head and looked at her coldly.

"You don't need to bring up this matter again, Elder Sister Hinata. Please, have some self-respect!"

The girl named Hanabi sneered. "You're just an uncivilized biddy from a backwater nation. You try to act high and mighty, but you're really an idiot. Elder Brother Guy taking a liking to you is good luck for you. This matter is beyond your control!"

Hinata didn't say anything. However, her delicate hands clenched tightly within her sleeves, until they turned pale white.

The Hanabi girl laughed coldly and continued to deride her. "And as for that Cosmetic Enhancement Pill, concocted in some crude, tiny Sect on some crappy mountain. Elder Sister Ino wanted to trade you for it to give to her servant girl, but you refused. You really have a one-track mind. What a waste of your good looks."

Hinata's face was pale white, and she gnawed on her lower lip, but she said nothing.

Eventually, an old man wearing a dark green robe emerged from the main temple hall. He flicked his sleeve, and mist began to billow out. An enormous esoteric compass flew down from the sky. The Hanabi girl stopped her ridicule and hopped up onto it, along with the surrounding disciples, including Hinata. Under the control of the old man, the esoteric compass carried them off into the distance.

Wind and clouds roiled above the Southern Domain. Because the Black Sieve Sect didn't participate, the seven Blood Immortal Legacy zones were each occupied by one of the other four Sects, or one of the three Clans. Other could only yield to their approach. However, despite their high position, the great Clans and Sects could not force outsiders to leave. That would have raised public indignation. They simply cleared a way through to wait for the glow of blood to appear and the Legacy tournament to begin.

Time passed by. A few days later, the Blood Immortal's sacrificial altars began to thrum. Everything began to shake, and finally, a bloody screen appeared. Within the blood screen, a gateway slowly came to be visible. In this instant, all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators at the seven Blood Immortal sacrificial altars felt the desire to surge forward.

However… the gateway would only permit one person to enter. That right went to the first person who made it through. Only if that person died, or intentionally emerged to rest, could a second person enter.

– – – – –

It was a vast world, with blue skies and white clouds. There was a feeling of purity, difficult to describe, which appeared in the hearts of everyone who entered.

Looking up, the sky was filled with an enormous sacrificial altar, dark green in color. At the top of the altar, sitting on an enormous stone throne, was a person.

It was a corpse, clothed in a blood-colored robe. On its face was a featureless silver mask. It sat there, unmoving.

The altar seemed to fill nearly half the sky of this world. All of the people who entered were able to see the person on top.

The Legacy of the Blood Immortal! There was no need to say it…. this person was the deceased Blood Immortal!

Beneath the dark green sacrificial altar were nine enormous spell matrixes. Each spell matrix seemed to be filled with a whirlpool of slowly rotating stars. The nine spell matrixes were like nine gigantic steps, leading up through the white clouds to the sacrificial altar.

Anyone who could pass through the ninth spell matrix, would then be able to step foot onto the dark green sacrificial altar.

However, since ancient times, no one had ever been able to do so!

At the moment, Naruto stood silently outside the first spell matrix, his eyes glittering. Suddenly, seven indistinct figures appeared around him.

He couldn't tell whether these people were men or women, nor could he determine their age. Even their clothes were unclear; their entire forms were indistinct blurs. However, Naruto was able to see that all of them were looking around at each other.

Suddenly, an archaic, emotionless voice rang out. "The Legacy of the Blood Immortal, the Nine Matrixes are opened. Eight Legacy competitors have arrived, but only one can acquire the Legacy of the Blood Immortal.

"The eight of you will not be able to hear each other speak, nor will you be able to see the magic each other uses. You will be unable to attack each other. You will only be able to see these indistinct blurs. This is because… the eight of you are all in different locations. However, there is one thing in common about your locations; they all contain the same dark green sacrificial altar, and the same spiritual energy.

"The Legacy tournament will be open for nine months. At every matrix, you will have the option to depart. Any time during the nine months, you may choose to continue on to the next matrix. You may use any method you which, including trickery or special Sect or Clan powers. The first person to break into the ninth matrix, will be the second generation Blood Immortal!

"There are no rules here. Now, each of you must produce a drop of blood filled with your essence. It will magically transform into a Blood Divinity. There are countless types of Blood Divinity. As for which one your blood will create… that will be dependent on luck and fate.

"Do not forget, absorbing spiritual energy will cause your Blood Divinity to grow more powerful. This is because your Blood Divinity… is a key factor in whether or not you acquire the Legacy. And now, let the Eighth Blood Immortal Legacy tournament… begin!"

As soon as the voice finished speaking, eight dark green beams of light shot out from the altar and flew down toward Naruto and the others.

* * *

Naruto's heart pounded as he stood there. He took a deep breath. As soon as he had stepped foot into the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, he'd found that his Cultivation base was completely restored. No longer was he stuck at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation, but rather, was back at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

After hearing the words spoken by the archaic voice, Naruto knew why Sakura had wanted to enter this place.

"This place can recover your Cultivation base. If it stays that way after leaving, then that was obviously Sakura's first goal. Furthermore, there must be some tricky ways that she could… alert people on the outside as to her identity, and then figure out a way to lead them to the volcano." His eyes flashed as he looked at the dark green beam of light in front of him.

The dark green light was a formless mass, blurry and indistinct, as if life were brewing inside.

The other seven blurry figures around him seemed to be similarly studying the dark green lights. Soon, one of the figures spit out a mouthful of blood, which was absorbed by the green light. The light turned the color of blood, and then the cry of a phoenix sounded out from within. The clear sound filled the area as a miniature, finger-sized Blood Phoenix flew out and circled around.

When the Blood Phoenix emerged, the Cultivators surrounding the seven Blood Immortal Legacy zones throughout the Southern Domain were instantly shocked.

On the blood screen above each of the seven locations, images appeared… of Naruto and the eight others inside the Blood Immortal world.

The Blood Immortal Legacy tournament was very unique; outsiders were able to observe what was going on inside. When the competitors charged into the spell matrixes, people observing would be able to see it clearly. Although they couldn't make out all the details, they would be able to see who succeeded and who didn't.

Anyone with skill would also be able to observe the skill matrixes and learn from them. Everyone heard the archaic voice say that there were no rules; no matter the method used, the first person to pass the ninth spell matrix would be the second generation Blood Immortal.

A Legacy tournament with no rules. In some ways, this revealed the arrogance and power of the Blood Immortal. Any Cultivator in the world could observe and study the nine matrixes, and yet despite that, in tens of thousands of years, and seven tournaments, no one had ever successfully passed the ninth matrix. Anyone who had managed to enter it, had died.

Because of the open nature of the Legacy tournament, anyone who participated came with ample preparations. Many of the people who watched on the outside had heard various rumors about the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. This was why when the Blood Phoenix emerged, many people were surprised.

"So a Blood Phoenix emerged! Among the Blood Divinities, the Blood Phoenix and the Blood Dragon both grow very quickly. I remember reading in the ancient records about the sixth Legacy tournament, when a Blood Phoenix ended up being as powerful as a Nascent Soul eccentric!"

"I wonder which Sect's disciple it was who got so lucky this time…"

A buzz of conversation arose around the seven Legacy tournament zones. Near the fifth zone, Hiruko of the Nadeshiko Clang stood there looking pleased. He said nothing, but based on tiny clues he'd spotted, he knew that the person who had acquired the Blood Phoenix was his fellow Clan member Shizuka Nadeshiko.

"Excellent," he thought. "Maybe there really will be a chance for that Shizuka girl to acquire the Legacy." His eyes shined with anticipation.

Meanwhile back inside the Legacy zone, the second, third and fourth competitors spit heart's blood into the dark green beams. Each of them received different Blood Divinities.

One was a majestic blood-red deer. The second was a Blood Tiger, which let out a roar when it appeared. But these two paled in comparison to the third. The third Blood Divinity was a Blood Dragon!

Its appearance was fierce, and its howls shook the entire area. A commotion instantly broke out in the outside world.

"A Blood Dragon!"

"Four thousand years ago, in the seventh Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, a Chosen from the Shimura Clan acquired a Blood Dragon. He was the first person from time immemorial to pass the eighth matrix!"

Outside of the Legacy zone, the two old members of the Shimura Clan stood there with expressionless faces. The appearance of the Blood Dragon was not surprising to them at all. The person who had acquired it was none other than one of the Shimura Clan's Chosen of the current generation, Kabuto!

Before the roaring could die down, the fifth, sixth and seventh Blood Deities appeared within the Legacy zone. One was a Genbu turtle, the other a Blood Wolf, and the last was… shockingly… a tiny blood-colored sprite!

The blood-colored sprite looked similar to the Nascent Soul of a Cultivator. Its appearance sent the Cultivators in the outside world reeling in shock. Even the two old members of the Shimura Clan looked amazed. Every member of every Clan and Sect that was present were mind-blown.

"Since ancient times, there has never been a human-shaped Blood Divinity, not in any of the seven tournaments!"

"It's hard to say what this Blood Divinity will grow into, it's never been seen before. Who knows if it can measure up to the Blood Phoenix and Blood Dragon."

As the buzz of conversation filled the air, the Elder from the most mysterious of the five great Sects, the Blood Demon Sect, sat cross-legged looking at the scene on the blood screen. His eyes were fixed on the blurry figure which had acquired the blood-colored sprite. A moment passed, and he nodded. He knew that this person was none other than his Sect's disciple.

Within the Blood Immortal Legacy Zone, Naruto looked at the seven other people and the different Blood Divinities that had emerged to hover around their blurry figures. They all looked beyond ordinary in every way.

"These people must all be various Chosen from the Southern Domain…." Naruto looked over them. "I wonder what will emerge for me!?" His eyes glittering, he pushed down on his chest. His Cultivation base shuddered, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The blood was from his Cultivation base, and it was instantly sucked in by the dark green glow. At the moment, it was not just he who was concentrating on the result; the other seven people were watching, as well as everyone in the outside world. There was no more buzz of conversation outside; everyone watched Naruto on the giant screen.

The black glow immediately turned the color of blood, whereupon a faint but powerful cry rang out from within. As soon as they heard the sound, the seven people, as well as the tiny deer-shaped Blood Divinity, all began to tremble. Next, the Blood Wolf, the Genbu turtle, and the Blood Tiger all seemed as if they couldn't take the sound, and began to shake.

The Blood Dragon and Blood Phoenix both began to emit looks of hostility, glaring toward Naruto. Only the blood-colored sprite looked on expressionlessly, not even moving.

"What will emerge for this person…. It's a tiny little roar, but the Blood Divinities all seem shaken. Even the Blood Dragon and Blood Phoenix appear hostile…."

"Could it be another Blood Divinity that has never before appeared?"

It was at this moment that a roaring filled the air, and the bloody glow in front of Naruto began to ripple. An instant later, his Blood Divinity appeared in front of him. It was …. a tiny puppy with glistening eyes, the size of a finger!

The puppy looked ordinary in every way. There didn't seem to be anything special about it at all. However, as soon as it appeared, the hostility within the Blood Phoenix and Blood Dragon seemed to grow stronger.

"It's a dog!"

"That's definitely never appeared before. I've never even heard of such a thing. From the very first Blood Immortal Legacy tournament to now, there has never been a Blood Divinity which was a dog!"

Around the seven Legacy zones in the Southern Domain, the sound of joking and laughter immediately rose up. Inside, everything was quiet. Naruto looked at the puppy floating in front of him, then around at the other Blood Divinities. His brow furrowed.

He lifted up his right hand, and the puppy immediately jumped onto his palm. It seemed to be shivering as if it were cold, and looked frightened. It looked up at Naruto with adulation, then lowered its head and licked his palm with its tiny tongue.

At the same time, the seven people stepped forward almost at exactly the same time, disappearing into the first spell matrix.

Naruto's eyes flashed. He didn't really know much about this place, so he didn't want to act rashly. After looking around for a moment, he realized that the spiritual energy here was quite thick, much more so than in the outside world. It was almost as thick as the spiritual energy in the valley where he had reached Foundation Establishment.

There were no mountains or seas visible, just emptiness. There were only the nine spell matrixes and the dark green sacrificial altar.

Naruto thought back to what the archaic voice had said. "My hopes of acquiring the Legacy all rest on this dog?" He looked down for a moment at the puppy in his palm. Then he looked back up, and without any hesitation, walked forward into the first matrix. When he did, the world dissolved around him, then reformed into a world filled with the Immortal mountains and buildings.

In this world, everything was still and quiet. Looking around, he saw that Immortal mountains stretched out like a forest in every direction, covered with various buildings. This was not a place of mortals, but somewhere to be inhabited by Immortals. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was very dense. In fact, it seemed about ten times as thick as that outside. It was so thick that it formed a thin fog which was visible everywhere.

"Where am I…?" said Naruto, looking around in shock. He gazed about with his Spiritual Sense, then took a deep breath and began to absorb the spiritual energy. It poured into him, racing into his Cultivation base, and then his golden Dao Pillar. Some of it leaked back out from the crack in the Dao Pillar.

"Such thick spiritual energy. If my Dao Pillar didn't leak spiritual energy, then practicing Cultivation in here for one day would be like practicing for a month in the outside world." His spirits were roused at this thought. Suddenly, he noticed that the puppy in his palm looked very happy. It appeared to be absorbing the spiritual energy, too. As it did, it's body was gradually growing bigger. Fluffy fur was beginning to appear on its skin, making it look very cute.

Naruto watched on for a while, lost in thought.

"This dog will grow up with me. But from the look of its breathing technique, it will do so with the same speed as me. Could it be… that because of absorbing my heart's blood, it has the same level of latent talent as me?" His eyes flashed, and he began to move forward. At his side ran the little puppy, which was now about two finger lengths in size. By straining to its limit, it was just barely able to keep up.

* * *

Time slipped by. Soon, three days had passed. Naruto frowned. He found that no matter how far or where he flew, this place seemed to have no end. It apparently had no borders. Furthermore, as time passed, there seemed to be less and less spiritual energy.

"How do I break through the first spell matrix….?" His brow furrowed, Naruto sat down cross-legged on a mountain peak. His eyes flashed as he looked around.

Meanwhile, outside the Legacy zone, the Cultivators surrounding the seven altars throughout the Southern Domain were all watching the scene on the blood screens. They could clearly see that seven of the blurry figures, upon entering the first matrix, immediately sat down cross-legged and began to meditate. However, the eighth and last person to enter starting flying around in seemingly random directions. A long time passed before he sat down and began to meditate.

"What Sect is that last person from? Doesn't he understand how the first matrix works? Oh I know. He must be a rogue Cultivator. He somehow accidentally opened the Eighth Blood Immortal altar and started the tournament!"

"The first matrix is very simple. It's a trial of latent talent. Basically, the first matrix will cause the Blood Divinity to grow. The Cultivators must snatch up as much spiritual energy as possible. That's the key to breaking through the rest of the matrixes." Conversations like this broke out among the Cultivators, who discussed things in hushed tones. Within the Legacy zone, Naruto lifted his head.

"This is weird. The spiritual energy in this place seems to be divided into eight… Including me, eight people entered." Naruto's eyes gleamed. He took in a deep breath and began to absorb as much spiritual energy as possible.

Although he didn't quite know how to break through the first matrix, he was beginning to form a guess. The spiritual energy quickly began to disappear. Naruto closed his eyes, and five days passed.

On the fifth day, he continued to suck in as much spiritual energy as he could. His golden Dao Pillar gleamed brightly. In fact, it seemed as if the beginnings of a second Dao Pillar were forming.

As for the puppy, during these five days it had also been absorbing energy, much like Naruto. Its body was larger now. It was about the size of Naruto's hand. Soon, all of the spiritual energy in the place was completely gone. A roaring sound filled the air, and the surrounding Immortal mountains and buildings began to collapse, crumbling down to form a large platform. Naruto opened his eyes to find himself sitting cross-legged on the platform.

Around him, the seven other people opened their eyes. Their respective Blood Divinities had all experienced changes. They were larger and seemingly more intelligent.

As for the blood-colored sprite, its size had not changed, but it had begun to grow tentacles, which writhed about slowly, giving it a very bizarre appearance.

Naruto's puppy had experienced the least change of all. It was the size of a hand, and was covered with fluffy fur. It appeared to be very frightened of the other Blood Divinities; it shrank up against Naruto, trembling, rubbing its head against his leg and licking his robe. Its large, glistening eyes looked extremely cute.

A glowing door existed on this platform, emitting a slight gravitational force. Obviously, this was the exit of the Legacy zone. The seven people surrounding Naruto stood up one by one. Obviously having no intention of leaving, they transformed into prismatic beams as they and their Blood Divinities shot on toward the second matrix.

Naruto was silent. He could sense that most of the seven other peoples' Blood Divinities were emitting auras of the seventh or eighth level of Chakra Condensation. The Blood Dragon and Blood Phoenix, as well as the person-shaped Blood Divinity, were all at the ninth level. His puppy was the only one that was at the third or fourth level.

"My lack of understanding about this place has put me in a bad position…." Naruto's brow furrowed, and his eyes flickered. "But my advantage is that I am the only one who can leave the Legacy zone. If they leave, then countless others would try to enter. Therefore, they have no option of leaving." Naruto was silent for the space of a few breaths. Then he stood up. He didn't fly toward the second matrix, but instead vanished into the glowing door.

When he emerged, he was in the mouth of the gigantic stone face in the lake of blood. As soon as he flew out, he found that, as he suspected, his Cultivation base was indeed fully recovered. The suppressive force from before now had no effect on him.

"The Blood Divinity didn't come out with me… It seems that it can only appear within the Legacy zone." Naruto looked back at the altar within the lake of blood, and suddenly frowned. He saw the glowing blood screen, as well as everything that was going on inside the Legacy zone.

"So, outsiders can see what's happening…." His calm gaze flashed over the screen, and he could see seven blurry figures within the second matrix. As he looked closer, he calmed down a bit.

The images on the screen did not reveal anything about where he was; furthermore, the doorway which had led him back to the volcano was still there.

His eyes shining, he flew into the air. In the space of a few breaths, he had arrived at where Sakura was concocting the pills.

She sat there cross-legged, her face pale. As Naruto approached, she lifted her head and saw him flying through the air toward her. A complex expression filled her face.

"How many more days do you need before you can finish concocting the fifth pill?" said Naruto coolly, landing softly onto the ground. He looked at her with cold eyes.

She was silent for a long moment. Finally, she replied in a soft voice. "I will succeed within half a month."

"Considering our situation," said Naruto, "there's no need for us to keep fighting with each other." He looked around at the mists, which he could now see through easily.

Sakura was silent for a while. She lowered her head. "I want to get out of here, but I don't trust you."

"If you concoct my pill, and help me understand the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, then I swear by my Cultivation base that I will get you out of here safely." He looked at her.

"The oaths of Cultivators cannot be trusted," she replied, looking up at him.

"If you want to get out of here, then you have no choice but to trust me," said Naruto, his voice cool. "My benevolence has a limit. First, you went after my Cultivation base. Second, you tried to trick me regarding the Blood Immortal Legacy. If there is a third, then I will just give up my medicinal pill and simply kill you."

Sakura sat there silently, apparently having no words to speak. Naruto sat down cross-legged next to her. He didn't say anything more to try to persuade her. An entire day passed, until finally, she sighed in her heart. She was out of tricks and schemes. All of her attempts to outwit Naruto had failed. It was exactly as he had said… if she wanted to get out of this place, she had no choice but to trust him. Furthermore, Sakura had experienced Naruto's ruthlessness and she could sense the cold killing intent within the words he had spoken.

"The nine matrixes of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament are all different," she began quietly. "However, the various Sects have thoroughly researched them throughout the seven past Legacy tournaments. The path you will tread, is one of seizure!

"What must be seized is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Not only will it help you to grow your Cultivation base, but in accordance with your latent talent, it will also facilitate the growth of your Blood Divinity.

"The growth of your Blood Divinity is very important in the nine matrixes. Over the years, the Violet Fate Sect has come to the conclusion that if you can break through the ninth matrix, then the Blood Divinity should be able to achieve a level of power equivalent to an expert halfway to the Spirit Severing stage. It can enter the Blood Immortal Legacy treasure as its owner, and become the Weapon Spirit of the treasure!

"Whoever is the master of the Weapon Spirit will have acquired the Legacy of the Blood Immortal, and will be the first person since ancient times to carry out the treasure. After that, he will be able to release the incomparable power of a half-Spirit Severing stage Blood Divinity! This half-Spirit Severing stage Blood Divinity is in fact a Dao Protector left behind by the Blood Immortal of the Ancient Temple of Doom.

"With the exception of the first matrix, the Blood Immortal's nine matrixes all have different essences. The various Sects have gathered a variety of details regarding this.

"Through mutual cooperation, it was eventually determined that each spell matrix changes. Over the course of many races, the heart of each one has evolved. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the exact essence of each matrix.

"Whoever is first to understand the essence of any given matrix, will be the first to begin absorbing spiritual energy; furthermore, that person's Blood Divinity will be the first to begin to grow. The spiritual energy within each matrix is limited. The more you absorb, the less others can absorb." Sakura looked up at Naruto. "Regarding the details of the essences of the various matrixes of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, I scanned over them back in the Sect. However, I don't remember too much. The main thing I remember is that some of the matrixes are illusions." Having said this, she closed her eyes.

Naruto seemed lost in thought as Sakura's words continued to echo in his ears. After analyzing the matter for a while, he turned and shot back toward the Blood Immortal's sacrificial altar. Looking up at the blood screen, he saw that the seven others were still within the second matrix. He strode forward and entered the giant mouth. His eyes grew blurry, then clear again, and he was standing on the platform he'd arrived at after passing the first matrix.

As soon as he emerged, the hand-sized puppy materialized in front of him. It jumped up and down happily, then ran around him a few times, wagging its tail furiously. It seemed incredibly excited to see Naruto. Finally, it came to rest on Naruto's feet, laying down on top of them and licking his pant leg, looking up at him with adoring eyes.

Naruto's reappearance did not cause much stir in the outside world. Based on his setback in the first matrix, he was now far behind everyone else. He was clearly in eighth place.

He took in a deep breath, then turned into a beam of light as he shot into the second matrix. From the outside, this spell matrix had the appearance of a whirlpool of stars, slowly rotating. However, as soon as he entered it, the stars' positions all seemed to change. The world warped, heaven and earth twisted bizarrely. Then everything became clear. In front of Naruto was a vast blood-colored ocean.

The ocean seemed limitless, its color deep crimson. Off in the distance, the sun was setting. The evening wind carried a fishy stench, and caused waves to ripple across the ocean's gleaming surface.

The spiritual energy was thin here, not enough to absorb. It would not become thick enough to do so until the spell matrix was broken through.

Suddenly, the blood-colored puppy ran forward a few paces, then let out a few threatening yips toward the ocean. The sound carried nervousness with it, and a sense of danger. The little puppy's fur stood up on end and quivered.

A rumbling could be heard, and the ocean began to seethe. A booming sound echoed out as an arching, dark green wooden bridge slowly rose up out of the ocean of blood. It dripped blood as it stretched up. Lightning and thunder fell from the sky.

Atop the arching wooden bridge stood a young boy with long hair. His eyes glittered coldly as he stared at Naruto with a vicious expression.

"One attack," said the young boy coldly. His eyes shined with killing intent. His voice sounded old and archaic, quite in contrast with his appearance. "If you live, the second bridge shall rise. If you pass three bridges, then you can break through this matrix."

* * *

The killing intent was incredibly powerful, seemingly capable of causing the ocean to stir. The bridge dripped with blood, and massive waves rolled out across the ocean.

After he finished speaking, the young boy lifted his hand and formed a fist, which then began to descend toward Naruto. The ocean of blood roared as waves surged away from the young boy.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. The boy's Cultivation base was at the late Foundation Establishment stage. But Naruto also knew that having entered this place, he must fight. He strode forward, followed by the puppy, who continued to let out threatening yips. Wisps of blood floated around its hand-sized body. It and Naruto turned into two beams of prismatic light which shot toward the young boy.

Naruto slapped his bag of the Cosmos, and instantly, two wooden swords flew out. Next, he spat out the Lightning Flag, which surrounded him with mist. Like arrows loosed from a bow, he and the puppy slammed into the young boy.

An explosion sounded out. Naruto coughed up blood, and the wooden swords went spinning out of control. The Lightning Flag's mist began to dissipate. Naruto and the puppy both shook as they flew backward, spraying blood from their mouths.

The young boy looked coolly at Naruto, then lifted his right hand. Behind him, the sea began to roil, and a second arch bridge appeared. The young boy disappeared. On the second bridge, a young man could be seen.

This young man's appearance was very familiar. He looked just like the boy from the first bridge, except ten years older.

"You can come fight any time you wish," he said, his voice cool. "If my fist doesn't kill you, then you can pass to the third bridge." With this, he closed his eyes and stood there, motionless.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Naruto sat down cross-legged on the first bridge. The attack just now seemed to have been filled with the power of the late Flawless Foundation Establishment stage. Without the protection of the Lightning Flag just now, he surely would have perished.

"No wonder the seven others still haven't broken through the second matrix in the last day. This Blood Immortal Legacy tournament is no joke. And this is only the second matrix…." After thinking about it for a moment, Naruto's eyes filled with determination.

Taking a deep breath, he consumed a medicinal pill and adjusted his Cultivation base. He also placed a medicinal pill down in front of the puppy, who lapped it up immediately, then settled down in Naruto's lap to recover.

Two days later, Naruto's eyes snapped open. The puppy still lay in his lap, but its injuries seemed to be more than half recovered. It leaped up. Although he hadn't grown any larger, his aura was different than before.

It seemed as if he had grown closer to Naruto, and more vicious toward the rest of the world. Were it not for the high quality of the Chakra Condensation level medicinal pills that Naruto had given him, it most likely would have perished from his injuries.

"You're just like I used to be," said Naruto softly, looking at the puppy. "Simple and ordinary, but thrust into the Cultivation world. You have no choice but to change, no choice but to grow stronger and become cold-blooded. You must learn to kill."

The puppy gazed up at Naruto as if he understand his words. It licked Naruto's robe, ran around him in circles a few times, then lay down at his feet.

Naruto's eyes filled with a resolute look. He slowly stood up and then looked toward the second bridge. He smacked the bag of the Cosmos, and a sword rain began to fly out.

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred… five hundred flying swords circled around him! They formed into the shape of a Flying Rain-Dragon. Power from the vibrating Demonic Core within Naruto filled his body. He waved both hands in front of him, and the wooden swords appeared, forming the Flying Rain-Dragon's long fangs. All of this shot at high speed toward the young man on the second bridge.

The young man's expression did not change. He slowly waved his right hand in a casual fist attack. No waves surged out on the ocean of blood, nor was there any roaring sound; it seemed extremely simplistic in nature. However, much the same as the first young boy's fist, it did not wait for Naruto's arrival. The vanguard of Naruto's flying swords began to smash to pieces, as if they were colliding with an impenetrable stone wall.

They didn't all shatter, only the ones in the very center of the lead position. An invisible line appeared, smashing through the flying swords toward Naruto. Sensing the imminent deadly threat, Naruto threw all the power of his Cultivation base into the lightning mist and sent the two wooden swords in front of him to block. Of his own volition, the puppy flew up toward Naruto's chest, using his back to form a shield. Naruto immediately grabbed him and threw him to the side.

A boom rang out that seemed to last forever. Blood shot from Naruto's mouth, and he tumbled backward, spinning like a kite with its string cut. He landed on the first bridge, coughing up more blood, his face pale. It seemed as if his Dao Pillar would fall to pieces at any moment.

"That attack was many times more horrific than the first attack. And yet, from what I could sense, it only contained the power of the middle Flawless Foundation Establishment stage…. Also, did this dog just jump up to protect me…?" Wiping the blood away, he looked down at the puppy who he had thrown off to the side. It looked up at him worriedly. He rubbed its furry head, then looked back at the young man.

"You somehow managed to pass," said the young man calmly. "However, given your level of power, unless there is some mishap, you will not be able to pass the third bridge." He waved his right hand, and immediately a third bridge appeared behind him.

Along with the appearance of the bridge, he vanished. On the third bridge appeared a middle-aged man. He looked just like the young man from the second bridge, except ten years older. Based on the emanations from his Cultivation base, Naruto could surmise that the man was at the same level as himself: The early Foundation Establishment stage, with one Dao Pillar! What a shock!

"This is strange," said Naruto, his eyes narrowing. "Why would the third bridge have someone with a Cultivation base like this…? It seems like the order should be opposite…."

"To pass this bridge," said the man coolly, "you must withstand one of my attacks without coughing up any blood. You have three chances. Each attack will consist of one fist strike. If you fail three times, then you will no longer be qualified to acquire the Legacy, and will be interred into the ocean of blood, and your spirit will become part of the altar."

Naruto said nothing. He sat down cross-legged on the second bridge and took out some medicinal pills. He also gave several to the puppy. Watching the puppy consumed the pills, Naruto thought back to how it had leaped to protect him, and a warm feeling filled his heart.

After three days, Naruto had recovered quite a bit. The puppy once again opened its eyes, seemingly quite energetic.

Staring at the man on the third bridge, Naruto's eyes filled with thought. In his mind, he reviewed his battles with the young boy from the first bridge and the young man from the second bridge, trying to piece together some clues about what was going on.

Time trickled by until another day had passed. Naruto's heart stirred, and he slowly raised his head. He had thought of a possible solution.

"When the boy attacked, it was with the power of the late Foundation Establishment stage, and it caused the ocean of blood to seethe. That was because the power of the attack emanated outward. As for the young man, even though he was only of the middle Foundation Establishment stage, the power of the attack did not emanate outward. And of my five hundred flying swords, only about twenty were destroyed. It forced me to directly face the fist, head on.

"In these two battles, the Cultivation bases were not the same. Clearly, the most important thing is the technique with which the Cultivation base is utilized!" Naruto's eyes shone with understanding. He was no idiot; he now clearly understood the answer to the problem.

"So, this man's Cultivation base is the same as mine. But, what power will he put into play…?" Naruto looked at him as he slowly stood up. His eyes gleamed with a strange light. At this moment, he didn't really care about the Legacy of the Blood Immortal. He had suddenly realized that within the nine matrixes…. there were invisible Legacies just about everywhere!

He did not attack immediately. Instead, he stood on the second bridge and experimented a bit. He slowly sent power emanating from this Cultivation base, then attempted to control how the power dissipated. It was very difficult, but Naruto was stubborn. That was a fundamental characteristic of his personality. He ignored the passage of time, and soon seven days were gone. He lifted his head. He hadn't achieved complete control, yet, only about thirty percent or so.

"I can't keep delaying. I need to check to see if my idea was correct." His eyes gleaming brightly, he walked toward the old man.

Boom!

After the space of about ten breaths, Naruto tumbled backward, blood spraying from his mouth and a splitting pain filling his head. He landed back on the second bridge, his body quivering, supporting himself with one hand on the greenish wood. He coughed out another mouthful of blood. Next to him, the puppy quivered. One of its legs was broken, and its aura was very weak. Naruto looked up slowly at the old man on the third bridge.

"First try. Failure."

He took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged. He fed some medicinal pills to the puppy to help heal it. After all, it was just as hurt as he was. The puppy's appearance had changed. Its fur did not look very healthy, and its eyes were dim, but its life force was powerful. Every time it recovered, it emanated more killing intent.

"That man is only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. However, his attack leaked almost no power whatsoever, plus it was filled with a very peculiar feeling…. It seemed as if the fist was not really a fist…. However, I could also tell my seven days of work paid off. I'm on the right track!" He lifted his hand and pushed down between his eyebrows, dissipating some of the pain which wracked his body.

He got to his feet and continued to attempt to exercise control over his power seepage from his Cultivation base. Seven more days passed, and Naruto felt that he had about fifty percent control. Although his Cultivation base had not grown, in terms of fighting strength, he had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Naruto looked up, his eyes glittering brightly. He and the puppy shot forward, man and dog together, charging the figure on the bridge.

Boom!

Again, it took the space of ten breaths. Naruto flopped backward, spinning over and over, blood showering from his mouth to stain his clothes. However, his eyes were bright.

As for the puppy, it seemed to be changing as Naruto gained enlightenment. Its injuries were not as severe this time. It let out a fierce little howl.

"Spiritual Sense! He's not just coalescing his Cultivation base, he's adding Spiritual Sense into the fist attack! That makes the fist… capable of striking directly to the Cultivation base!"

Naruto took in a deep breath as the glow of enlightenment filled his eyes. He suddenly understood that although the Cultivation base is of critical importance to a Cultivator, when it came to spiritual power and the techniques with which to employ it, control is the key to true might in battle!

He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. This time, he spent about two weeks before he opened his eyes. He had been stuck in this matrix for around a month. He had no idea how things were going for the seven others, but as far as Naruto was concerned, even if he was in last pace, he had acquired something incredible.

He slowly stood up, flying forward. The puppy seemed to have been reborn in accord to Naruto's enlightenment. It followed Naruto, charging directly toward the man on the bridge.

Boom!

Naruto retreated backward eight steps. He slowly lifted his head. His Chakra and blood roiled, but there was no trace of blood in his throat. The man pulled back his fist. Naruto bowed to him with clasped hands.

"You are enlightened regarding the concept of converging sense into the form; you have passed the second matrix!" The old man nodded and flicked his sleeve. The world around began to crumble.

* * *

As the world crumbled around him, Naruto felt a huge wave of spiritual energy sweeping out, encircling him and the puppy. He breathed in deeply, immediately circulating his Cultivation base and absorbing large quantities of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy was thick here, even more so than in the first matrix. He had the feeling that if he could practice Cultivation in here for a while, he wouldn't need any medicinal pills whatsoever to form his second Dao Pillar.

Unfortunately, after absorbing the spiritual energy, some of it seeped out through the crack in the Dao Pillar. If it didn't, Naruto was certain that given a relatively short period of time, he would be able to condense the second Dao Pillar.

"The Perfect Foundation…." A gleam of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

He wasn't the only excited one. The puppy began to absorb spiritual energy at a rapid rate. Its body slowly began to change. Its Chakra grew stronger, although some of it dissipated out, just like Naruto's.

It didn't last very long, unfortunately. After only three days, the spiritual energy in the area was sucked dry. Naruto opened his eyes. He sat cross-legged on a huge platform. Joining him on the platform in various directions were four other figures, all sitting cross-legged in meditation.

At almost the same time that Naruto opened his eyes, they did too. All of their respective Blood Divinities were changed in some way.

Although, in terms of change, Naruto's puppy had experienced the most of all. It was now about half the length of an arm. It had blood-red fur, sharp teeth, and glittering claws. It now had a somewhat fierce appearance.

Its eyes were not clear as they had been; a reddish glow was visible within them, as if it had transformed after the recent life-and-death situations it had experienced. Anyone who looked at it now would be able to sense its fierceness.

This was especially true of its Chakra. It now carried the strength of Foundation Establishment!

For Cultivators, reaching Foundation Establishment is very difficult; but for the Blood Divinities, the Legacy zone was a special area. Here, they could experience rapid growth. After all, they were not Cultivators, but Legacy Blood Divinities.

"These Blood Divinities increase their level so quickly. Maybe it's because of some special ability they have. Or maybe they existed in the past, then died, and these are their spirits." Naruto was lost in thought for a while. Some time passed, and then he looked over his shoulder at the second matrix. There was no one inside. Up ahead in the third matrix, were three indistinct figures. Further ahead in the fourth matrix, there was one.

Those three people had obviously left the second matrix much earlier. Apparently, instead of taking a lot of time to absorb spiritual energy, they preferred to charge ahead to gain some distance.

Naruto breathed in deeply, and then slowly stood up. His eyes gleamed as he strode forward into the third matrix.

Meanwhile in the world outside of the Blood Immortal Legacy zone, nearly ten thousand Cultivators had gathered around to watch the scenes playing out on the blood screen. The sound of conversations began to rise.

"The news is already spreading. The identities of most of the people inside have already been discovered. Who would have imagined that the person in first place is Kabuto Shimura, Dao Child of the Shimura Clan!? It's hard to say if he'll be able to acquire the Legacy in the end, but he certainly seems to have the best chance."

"How detestable! The great Clans and Sects are always lording it over the Legacies. They never give anyone else the slightest chance! If only I were the person who had discovered the location of the Blood Immortal's eighth sacrificial altar. The very least benefit is that there wouldn't have been anyone to fight over it with."

"What's the use of even thinking about it? All the people who enter the matrixes are Chosen from various Sects and Clans. Even if you didn't have to fight over it, compared to those Chosen, you're too weak. Look, that guy is obviously the one who opened the Blood Immortal's eighth sacrificial altar, and yet see how much time he took in the second matrix. Based on that, there's no way he can pass through the third."

Most of the discussions that filled the areas surrounding the Southern Domain's Blood Immortal Legacy zones went something like this.

Within the fourth matrix was Kabuto Shimura, looking dashing and handsome in his long, yellow robe. He peered calmly off into the distance. A desert stretched out as far as the eye could see.

"Long ago, the Patriarch left behind a decree and a prophecy. The Blood Immortal would emerge from the Shimura Clan. This Legacy belongs to me. As for the others… well, their lives will be under my control within the sixth matrix." His expression calm, he stepped forward.

Back in the third matrix, Naruto's brow furrowed slightly. Next to him, the dog let out a threatening howl as it stared at a massive tree which had appeared up ahead.

Underneath the tree was a Go board, upon which were a myriad of Go pieces, spread out like the stars in the sky. Black was clearly in the losing position. There was one white piece sitting next to the board, as if it were waiting for someone to pick it up and play it.

Surrounding the Go board were several hundred trees, each one about as tall as a person. The whole place seemed deserted. The presence of the huge tree made it seem even more bizarre.

The archaic voice filled the air: "In the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, the character 'blood' emphasizes killing. If you desire to acquire the Legacy but have insufficient killing intent, then it will be very difficult for you. This matrix emphasises killing. However, the one who kills must have a cold heart and a calm spirit. Place the white Go piece onto the board, and you will win this game of death!

"You have one chance. If you wish to forfeit, you must sacrifice one hundred years of longevity, and lose your chance at acquiring the Legacy." The instant the voice finished speaking, one of the trees up ahead suddenly exploded into pieces. From within emerged a phantom emanating the Chakra of Foundation Establishment, the same as Naruto's Cultivation base.

The phantom was blurry, except for a pair of blood-red eyes which emanated a fierce killing aura. It immediately raced toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes glittered sharply. Next to him, the puppy let out sharp yapping sounds as it charged forward with him.

A booming sounded out. A moment later, Naruto watched as the Foundation Establishment phantom dispersed into strands of spiritual energy, which then shot toward Naruto. As this happened, popping sounds rang out as three more trees began to split apart.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, blood seeped out of the corners of Naruto's mouth. The puppy was injured and bleeding, although its appearance was as fierce as ever as it looked around. Five Foundation Establishment phantoms had appeared.

More time passed. It was hard to tell exactly how long. Naruto coughed up some more blood. He had fought his way through the trees to a position not quite six thousand meters away from the Go board and the large tree. His eyes were bloodshot as he raced through the world of the third matrix. He was currently surrounded by twelve Foundation Establishment phantoms, each of whom emitted killing intent which billowed into the sky.

The puppy yipped next to him, and then a blood-colored beam flashed. Its sharp teeth crunched into the neck of one of the Foundation Establishment phantoms. Together, the two of them had slaughtered their way forward, at the same time trying to absorb as much spiritual energy as possible from this place. By now, the puppy had already reached the middle Foundation Establishment stage, and was continuing to grow. Its fierceness was now even more apparent.

Several hours later, Naruto staggered along, coughing up some blood. Up ahead, a Foundation Establishment phantom was on its last legs, panting. It seemed to use all the power it could possibly muster to dash forward. As it did, Naruto's killing intent flared. His right hand formed into a fist and, ignoring the incoming sword aura, punched his fist toward the phantom's chest. His fist suddenly opened, and a Wind Blade shot out with a boom. Naruto coughed up more blood. At the same time, the Foundation Establishment phantom trembled and then exploded.

Not too far away, the puppy was an unstoppable blood-red glow. It used its sharp claws and teeth to rip the Foundation Establishment phantoms to shreds. Then, it rapidly absorbed their spiritual energy and returned to Naruto's side.

Its body was covered with wounds which oozed blood. Its Chakra was weak, but its ferocity was a strong as ever; it seemed to have been baptized in blood.

Naruto swallowed some medicinal pills, and then tossed some down to the puppy. His clothes were torn and ripped, but his eyes gleamed. Lifting his head, he saw that the distance between himself and the tree was now less than six thousand meters. It was at this time that a roaring sound filled the air. Twenty Foundation Establishment phantoms appeared, racing at full speed toward Naruto.

He took in a deep breath, fatigue covering his face, but his eyes flashing. He lifted his hand and the lightning mist appeared. Electricity surrounded him as he charged forward to battle the phantoms.

Wounds led to wounds, battles led to battles. Four hours passed. Naruto's face was white. He was now twenty-five hundred meters from the large tree. He raced backward with the puppy, away from the Foundation Establishment phantoms. One by one, they stopped, transforming back into trees.

Some distance away from them, Naruto sat down cross-legged and ate some medicinal pills to heal his wounds. Next to him, the puppy consumed quite a few as well, and began to recover quickly. Four days passed before Naruto suddenly opened his eyes. The puppy looked even more ferocious as the two of them once again charged into battle.

This time, they fought to within fifteen hundred meters of the tree, until they could proceed no further, whereupon they fell back.

In the following days, Naruto and the puppy continued to fight and rest. Naruto's eyes grew more and more ruthless, his attacks, more and more decisive. At this point, he had roughly seventy percent control over his Cultivation base. Furthermore, regardless of which technique he used, he imbued it with Spiritual Sense.

As for the puppy, its body was now as long as an arm. It appeared even more ferocious; its claws were fully grown out, as had its sharp teeth. It appeared as if it could rip anything to shreds. Its eyes glowed bright red, making it look even more savage.

Fifteen hundred meters, nine hundred meters, three hundred meters…. Naruto had been stuck in this matrix for more than a month. Soon, he reached a position sixty meters away from the large tree. The puppy let loose a howl and latched onto the corner of Naruto's robe with its teeth, dragging him forward. Naruto didn't mind at all. He let the puppy drag him, and the two of them shot forward, blasting through the defending Foundation Establishment phantoms, passing over the sixty meter mark.

As they approached the tree, the puppy loosened its mouth, then spun and charged back into the Foundation Establishment phantoms. Naruto didn't hesitate; he snatched up the white Go piece. His gaze swept across the Go board, and then he placed the piece down.

As soon as it touched the board, this entire world grew quiet. Everything in front of Naruto looked like a mirror that was shattering. Boundless spiritual energy surged into him.

He knew that he had passed through the third matrix.

When this happened, the Cultivators outside of the seven Blood Immortal Legacy zones around the Southern Domain flew into an uproar:

"The Shimura Clan Dao Child, Kabuto, broke through the fourth matrix. It took him a month…"

"That's Araya of the Blood Demon Sect. He's right behind Kabuto. He was the second to enter the fourth matrix. Everyone else is stuck in the third matrix. I wonder who will be the third person to…."

"It's got to be Itachi Uchiha. After all, he's a Dao Child. The Uchiha Clan really isn't holding anything back. They sent a Dao Child… ahh?"

"Three people just came out at the same time! That's Itachi Uchiha and Shizuka Nadeshiko, and that other person is… wow, it's him?!"

* * *

Boundless spiritual energy poured into Naruto's Cultivation base. Deep inside, his Second Dao pillar slowly grew more and more solid.

"If the spiritual energy weren't constantly leaking, I could form the second Dao Pillar at any time!" Naruto sighed.

A few days later, he opened his glittering eyes. He had no idea how much of a stir he had caused in the outside world by stepping out of the third matrix at the same time as Itachi Uchiha and Shizuka Nadeshiko.

Some people were speculating that Naruto must be a Chosen from some Sect. However, there was no way to confirm this, which just fuelled the guesses and rumors. Naruto's performance made him somewhat of a dark horse.

Amidst the various discussions, the common conclusion reached was that Itachi Uchiha was having some problems. Were it not for that, he would have emerged much earlier.

Naruto looked at the puppy in front of him, and a warm look appeared on his face.

The puppy was now much bigger. It was about half the size of a person, like a baby ox. Thick, elegant, red fur covered its sturdy body, which seemed to brim with intense power. When it opened its mouth, its teeth seemed as sharp as swords. Its claws were as thick as human fists, and seemed sharp enough to rip open heaven and earth. Its eyes were crimson red, making it appear ferocious to the extreme. As it stood there, it would cause anyone to be shocked.

In fact, it was no longer a puppy. It had become a full grown dog, a Blood Mastiff!

It stood there, looking about coldly, as if the place where it stood was about to be encroached upon by others. If anyone attempted to approach Naruto, it would rip that person into pieces.

Naruto looked at the mastiff, and his expression grew warmer. In just a few months, it had grown from a tiny, unassuming puppy, into this current state. As they had fought their way through the various matrixes, they had formed a strange friendship.

They were wounded together, they charged forth together. They experienced life and death struggles, and baptism by blood, all together.

As if it could sense Naruto's gaze, the mastiff turned its head and looked at him. The ferociousness instantly disappeared, replaced with happiness. Wagging its tail vigorously, it ran over to Naruto, stuck out its tongue, and licked his hand, looking at him with puppy dog eyes.

A smile broke out on Naruto's face. When he ruffled the fur on the mastiff's head, and saw the look of pleasure on its face, he couldn't help but laugh.

Raising his head, Naruto looked back at the third matrix. There were still three people stuck inside. Ahead in the fourth matrix were three indistinct figures. Further ahead in the fifth, there was only one.

Naruto stood up, patting the mastiff and then striding, not into the fourth matrix, but into the glowing exit door. When he emerged, he was back in the volcano.

Months had passed during which Naruto hadn't thought too much about the matter of his pill. He transformed into a colorful beam of light which shot toward Sakura. She sat there, eyes closed, meditating. As soon as Naruto arrived, she opened her eyes. Their gazes met, and then Sakura looked to the side. She lifted her hand up, and a medicinal pill flew out. Naruto snatched it. It was none other than the fifth minor pill.

His face was calm as he put the pill into his bag of the cosmos, then turned and disappeared. Not much time passed before he returned. When he did, he flicked his sleeve, and seven pills shot forward and landed in front of Sakura.

"These seven pills concocted together are the Seven Thunders Pill," he said. He threw her a jade slip, which described the concoction formula. The exact amount of time needed to concoct the pill, however, had been erased by Naruto.

"Who is in first place?" asked Sakura, looking at Naruto and temporarily ignoring the Seven Thunders Pill formula.

"I can't see what he looks like, but his Blood Divinity is a dragon."

She thought for a moment. "He must be from the Shimura Clan." After this, she looked down and began to study the jade slip.

Naruto was silent for a while. Then, he slowly said, "You have one chance. If you fail, I don't have enough ingredients for a second try." He looked at her for a moment, then turned around and became a beam of light which disappeared into the distance. His eyes sparkled. "When she finishes the pill, she will no doubt consider consuming it. However, the turtle shell makes it quite clear that it takes about three months to use the seven minor pills to concoct the final pill…. She doesn't know this, so I will be sure to be there at the key moment." As he thought about this, he flew up to the glowing shield above the mists. He examined it carefully again, then shot back down to the Blood Immortal's sacrificial altar. Without hesitation, he re-entered the Legacy zone.

Back on the wide platform, the mastiff instantly reappeared. It now exuded the powerful pressure of the late Foundation Establishment stage, which didn't affect Naruto in the least bit. Naruto took a deep breath. Then his body flashed as he and the mastiff flew into the fourth matrix.

A vast, endless desert stretched out as far as the eye could see. Even though no scorching sun was visible in the sky, suffocating heat rippled throughout this world. It was as if the entire place were a giant steamer basket, intent on cooking everything inside until it withered up.

Naruto examined his surroundings, his heart filled with vigilance. After having passed through the second and third matrixes, he now understood a bit more how they worked. However, this desert was completely silent; not a shadow of a moving thing could be seen. No archaic voice echoed out to an explanation.

Naruto sat there contemplatively for a while, then lifted his foot and took a step forward. The mastiff walked quickly by his side. Man and dog, together they walked forward into the desolate and uninhabited desert. After he had taken a few steps, Naruto looked back at the path they had trod, and noticed that the footprints he had left behind had turned black.

Then, a black aura rose up from the footprints; the surrounding sand began to emanate a buzzing sound. From the speed with which the aura began to dissipate, it seemed as if it didn't dare to even approach Naruto.

Suddenly, the black aura began to transform into a flower of three petals, which had the appearance of a demonic face. Then it disappeared.

Seeing this, Naruto's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, the mastiff began to howl. Looking off into the distance, Naruto saw a massive group of brown scorpions scurrying toward him. They seemed to be without number as they shot toward him from off in the horizon.

The mastiff flew up into the air, roaring. Above, the sky started to grow dark, as if evening were falling. But it was not evening, and if you looked closely at what above appeared to be dark storm clouds, you would see they were in fact clouds of winged scorpions, screaming through the air toward Naruto. In an instant, they had surrounded him, blotting out the sky completely.

"Poison…." thought Naruto. Looking back at his footprints he saw that the sand there was completely black. He turned and flicked his sleeve, comforting the mastiff, then walked toward the incoming scorpions.

The mastiff let out a threatening growl, following Naruto and eyeing the scorpions coldly.

But, as soon as Naruto neared them, they immediately fell back, emitting shrill, hissing shrieks. It seemed as if they didn't dare to even come close to Naruto.

He didn't slow down even the least bit. He walked forward, sending the scorpions into frenzied retreat. Sometimes a scorpion wasn't fast enough. Immediately, a red tendril would emerge from the top of Naruto's head and stab into its body, whereupon it would melt into a pool of black blood that sank into the sand.

It wasn't just the land-based scorpions that acted in this way; the flying scorpions also gave him wide berth, not daring to get too close. Along with the mastiff, Naruto walked straight through all of them.

He walked across the land, surrounded by darkness. It seemed as if the poison in this place had no way to resist the power of the poison within Naruto's body, and had no choice but to disperse in front of him.

Within Naruto's two eyes appeared flickering flowers in the shape of laughing-crying demonic faces. Behind him gradually appeared… a three-colored Resurrection Lily!

The three-colors of the Resurrection Lily interlocked with each other and glimmered, making it impossible for any other poisons to exist nearby it.

Naruto's face was expressionless. After he had walked for a day, an endless sea of vipers appeared in front of him. An acrid wind washed across his face. However, he just continued to walk forward, as if he hadn't even noticed. When he approached, the vipers instantly began to twist and writhe, then let out anxious hissing noises as they slithered away. Some of them even allowed him to step directly onto their bodies. They would quiver, but offer no resistance. After he passed by they seemed to recover a bit.

It appeared as if within Naruto's body existed the power of the sovereign of poisons. Facing this power, any other poison or poisonous creature had no choice but to lower its head in submission.

In contrast to Naruto, Itachi proceeded through the desert with a frown, frequently consuming poison dispelling pills. In the seven previous Legacy tournaments of the past tens of thousands of years, this poison desert had appeared twice. The great Clans and Sects had taken special note of it. It didn't appear every single time, because the spell matrixes often changed. But when it did, one needed to be completely prepared.

Even still, poison repelling pills were never completely effective, or were minimally effective against certain poisons. For example, at the moment Itachi faced up against a thick poison mist.

Looking at it, his brow furrowed anxiously. From the first time he had stepped foot outside of the Uchiha Clan until now, he had never seen anything like it. He continued to wonder why the Patriarch had insisted that he be the one to come here. Thinking back to the look in the man's eyes, there had to be some reason.

"There's no way that I'll actually die in here, is there?" His eyes flickered with a strange light.

Shizuka was also facing the poison mist in the fourth matrix. She had a beautiful face and an otherworldly countenance. Right now, a frown covered her face, despite the fact that a softly rippling shield surrounded her, protecting her.

The others who were in the fourth matrix were in similar situations. Time passed, and they slowly proceeded. Even the sand beneath their feet was poison, and they knew that if they were not cautious, they would die.

It can be said that without proper preparations, the fourth matrix is without a doubt a matrix of death. In fact, even having prepared, poison repelling items became less and less effective the further into the desert you went. You would have to rely on your Cultivation base, and your luck.

But Naruto was different…. He walked forward through the poison mist, his face expressionless. He drew in a breath, but the poison mist did nothing but float away from him. In fact, the air was completely clear for a space of thirty meters in all directions.

The mastiff followed Naruto eagerly. It seemed to be quite happy to take such a leisurely stroll through this matrix. It pounced forward and stepped down on a poison creature, batting it back and forth between its paws. It seemed to be having a lot of fun. It looked at Naruto, then bounded after him.

Seven days passed, and Naruto was already far, far ahead of any of the others. In the depths of the desert, he slowly stopped walking, looking forward in amazement. Something very strange had just appeared in front of him.

There, in an empty stretch of desert, was a place with no sand. It contained only a single flower.

This flower… had four petals that were composed of four colors. Its leaves were emerald green, and its petals had the appearance of a demonic face that was both crying and laughing at the same time…. This was none other than a four-colored Resurrection Lily.

A Resurrection Lily growing here, in this desert, in this spell matrix.

* * *

On the opposite shore is a flower; it blooms with seven colors; its name means Immortal Ascension.

Every Resurrection Lily in the world feeds on the life of someone powerful, is watered with that person's blood. As a result of the countless condensations of mystical will, it lives, going from one color to another, seven in all.

Naruto had been infected with a three-colored Resurrection Lily. In front of him, was a four-colored Resurrection Lily. Complicated feelings arose inside him. He could clearly sense that this flower had once been just like him, a Cultivator.

As soon as he caught sight of the Resurrection Lily, a three-colored mist emerged from the top of his head and congealed into a beautiful three-colored Resurrection Lily. It swayed back and forth. The petals formed a demonic face that seemed to wish to cry, but didn't. It was as if recalling its life made it wish to weep, but at the same time, it was unwilling to.

Gradually, the four-colored Resurrection Lily in front of Naruto also began to sway back and forth. Eventually, Naruto realized that standing on top of the flower was the dim image of a man in a white robe. He stood there silently, and though his figure was indistinct, he was looking directly at Naruto.

They seemed to be gazing at each other through time, from opposite shores of a river. A long moment passed, and finally the white-robed man sighed. He lifted his right hand and waved it; next to him in the sand appeared a glowing door.

People who share the same fate have no need to make things difficult for each other. The glowing door led out; stepping through it meant leaving the fourth matrix.

As soon as the glowing door appeared, the white-robed man vanished. The only thing left behind was the Resurrection Lily, swaying back and forth slowly. It looked like it wanted to cry, and yet at the same time, didn't want to.

Naruto was silent for a moment. Then, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply. With that, he lifted his head and walked through the glowing door, his mood mixed and complex. The world around him fragmented, then came back together. He was on a large platform filled with dense spiritual energy that immediately enveloped him and the mastiff.

Ahead of him was the fifth matrix and Kabuto. Everyone else was stuck behind Naruto in the fourth matrix. To emerge from the fourth matrix in fewer than ten days was something that had never happened during all the Legacy tournaments since ancient times. Naruto had charged through the fourth matrix faster than anyone else in history!

Outside in the Southern Domain, Naruto's appearance caused an uproar. Everyone watching the blood screens outside the Blood Immortal Legacy zones stared at Naruto's indistinct figure, shocked. They simply couldn't believe it.

"Seven days! This person charged through the fourth matrix in seven day! How did he do it? In the history of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, something like this has never happened!"

"Based on his performance in the fourth matrix, he's now superseded all those others! Now, the only person in front of him is Kabuto! If he can do as well in the fifth matrix, then even if he doesn't acquire the Legacy of the Blood Immortal, he'll still be famous in all the Southern Domain."

"Where is this guy from? I can't believe that he has no history…. Unless… unless he's from the Black Sieve Sect. After all, when the seven previous Blood Immortal Legacy zones opened, the Black Sieve Sect never showed up!"

Amidst the continuous uproar, Hiruko stared at the indistinct form of Naruto as he sat meditating. It wasn't just him. Tazuna of the Violet Fate Sect, Dokan from the Golden Frost Sect and even fist master Chen of the Solitary Sword sect as well as Might Guy, were all paying very close attention to Naruto.

Of course, none of them had any way to know that each and every one of them had met him before.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, his hands clasped together tightly. He had no way to recognize him either, and in any case, was paying more attention to his brother Itachi.

In the Shimura Clan, frowns had appeared on the faces of the two old Nascent Soul Cultivators. They were now feeling a bit threatened by Naruto.

While the outside world buzzed about Naruto getting through the fourth matrix in seven days, he sat meditating, absorbing the boundless spiritual energy of heaven and earth as quickly as possible. The outline of his second Dao Pillar was becoming more and more distinct. His mastiff was also absorbing spiritual energy rapidly. Soon it was as large as a person. Standing next to Naruto, who was sitting cross-legged, it looked quite fear-inspiring.

It had a thick, luxurious coat of blood-red fur covering his body, and even his face. Visible through the fur covering its head were two blood-red eyes that shone with a cold, blood-thirsty light. Its claws were as sharp as flying swords, and seemed capable of ripping apart heaven and earth. When it opened its mouth, the first thing you saw were long, sharp teeth, seemingly capable of ripping apart any living thing.

Naruto continued to meditate for eight days after leaving the fourth matrix. Eventually, the air rippled, and Itachi emerged. When he did, he looked at Naruto with surprise. He had assumed that he would be the first person after Kabuto to emerge from the fourth matrix. Having passed through the matrix in half a month should have caused quite a stir outside. However… any stir he might have caused was already stolen by Naruto.

He looked closely at Naruto for a moment, and then sat down cross-legged to meditate. Three more days passed before Shizuka came out. She staggered a bit, blood oozing out of her mouth, before sitting down cross-legged to begin breathing exercises.

Naruto opened his eyes. The spiritual energy in this place was dissipating. He muttered to himself for a moment. The outline of his second Dao Pillar was almost completely formed. If the surrounding spiritual energy remained as thick as it had at the outset, then he would only need half a month to completely solidify the Dao Pillar.

But the spiritual energy was thin now, and would require time to replenish.

"Perfect Foundation…." Again, Naruto's desire for the Perfect Foundation grew.

Suddenly, his mastiff raised its head toward the heavens and let out an astonishing roar. Naruto, as well as the others on the platform, instantly looked over.

What they saw was the Mastiff's aura growing more and more powerful. Its body suddenly grew another three meters longer. Its appearance was now thoroughly frightening. Such growth would be astonishing enough, but there was more. Multiple blood-red bone spurs suddenly grew out of its legs, and its teeth grew so long that it didn't even have to open its mouth for them to be seen. One look would cause anyone's heart to thump.

There was a roaring sound as its Cultivation base rose. In an instant, it no longer emitted the aura of the Foundation Establishment stage, but… the Core Formation stage!

The outside world once again erupted in shock.

"Core Formation! This guy's Blood Divinity is the second to reach Core Formation!"

"It seems he is the only person who will be able to give Kabuto a run for his money! Who is this guy…?"

Naruto looked at his mastiff's fearsome appearance and shocking aura, and sighed in his heart. The dog could only exist in this place, and couldn't be taken out. If it could, then based on the friendship that had developed between the two of them, Naruto would feel much safer in the Cultivation world outside.

"And it's still not done growing…." thought Naruto, his eyes glittering. "The only way to take it outside of this place is to acquire the Legacy of the Blood Immortal." He reached up to pet the mastiff. Others might think it looked cruel and savage, but in Naruto's eyes it was incredibly cute. As he pet it, it let out a pleased grumbling sound, just like it had when it was small. Then it laid down on its stomach and licked Naruto's hand, looking at him with the same fawning eyes it had when it was young. The only difference now was that its tongue was the size of Naruto's entire hand.

It seemed that it could treat everything in this world with fierce savagery, but as for Naruto, no matter what happened, it would view him just as it always had. Naruto would pet it, it would lick his hand, and everything would be peaceful.

"Actually, I don't care much about the Legacy of the Blood Immortal, but I will fight to take this Blood Divinity out with me…." Naruto lifted his head, and his eyes sparkled. He slowly stood up. Now that the spiritual energy here was weak, it was a waste of time to stay. He had a total of three months to spend in here, and half a month had already passed. He strode forward, and the mastiff followed. Under the watchful eyes of the outside world, the two of them flew into the fifth matrix.

Up until now, only Kabuto had entered the fifth spell matrix. As soon as Naruto entered, the archaic voice could be heard.

"This matrix is of the void, the void is of the end, thus the name 'end the void.' There are blood runes which form a seal over a myriad spirits; gain enlightenment, and it can be broken. If you break it, you retain it after acquiring the Legacy. Fail to acquire the Legacy, and it shall be erased.

"This matrix is exceedingly difficult, so the Blood Divinity may chose to leave at any time. However, the Legacy competitor must to fight the battle to the end, even if that end be in death."

As the voice echoed out, a new world materialized in front of Naruto. To be specific, it was a mountain. On top of the mountain was an enormous stone stele. Next to the stele was a glowing door that could only be used by the Blood Divinity.

The stone stele was covered with blood-colored magical symbols. The symbols flickered, seemingly containing some type of Dao that required enlightenment to understand.

When Naruto appeared in this world, he found himself at the top of the mountain, beneath the stone stele. The mastiff stood next to him, looking around vigilantly.

Naruto's eyes were thoughtful as he looked at the magical symbols on the stone stele. Even as he did so, his face twisted in astonishment. Something was happening that hadn't occurred the entire time he had been in the Blood Immortal Legacy zone. He slapped his bag of holding, and a Spring and Autumn tree appeared. He grasped it in his hand.

However, he suddenly had no power to absorb the Spring and Autumn tree. Apparently, within the fifth spell matrix, he was completely cut off from the tree. Naruto's expression once again flickered.

Before he could do anything else, his body suddenly trembled, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The blood was black, and even before it could reach the ground, it transformed into a three-colored Resurrection Lily. Its face of petals, crying and not crying, looked straight at Naruto.

Naruto's face went pale, and within his eyes appeared faces made of three-colored flower petals. His body shook even harder, and severe pain flowed throughout him, threatening to send him unconscious. He doubled over as the poison within his body once again flared up.

"I suppressed the poison only half a month ago in the volcano…." he thought, forcing his eyes to stay open. He repeatedly told himself not to pass out; if he lost consciousness in the fifth matrix, he would most certainly die.

Actually, the poison flare-up had nothing to do with the fifth matrix, but the fourth. After seeing the four-colored Resurrection Lily, the poison within his body had been aroused, causing it to flare up.

Naruto's body was covered in sweat, and an indescribable pain washed over him like floodwaters, causing him to become like a mortal in all aspects. His face twisted wretchedly, and he gritted his teeth tenaciously.

The mastiff didn't understand what was happening, but seeing Naruto this way caused it to let out a nervous whine. And it was at this moment that suddenly, a multitude of roaring shouts could be heard drifting up from the bottom of the mountain.

Down below, a hoard of figures appeared. It was a group of people dressed in ragged clothing, like barbarians. They were tall, and their eyes were filled with cruelty as they raced up toward the top of the mountain.

Based on their speed, they would reach the top of the mountain within the space of a few breaths. Naruto's face was pale, and his body trembled. This flare-up was more intense by far than previous ones. He didn't even have the energy to lift up a hand. He could only look around with his eyes at the massive group of people rushing toward him.

* * *

The instant the savage figures appeared, Naruto's mastiff let out a howl. It leapt forward, turning into a ferocious blur as it raced in circles around Naruto.

Blood flew out so violently it created a foam, and the bodies of barbarians tumbled down the mountain.

Their deaths did not frighten the barbarians behind them; instead, it incited further savagery as they charged forward. The mastiff's ferocity billowed to the heavens as it protected the area around Naruto. Any approaching enemy met its attack; it clearly would not allow anyone to harm Naruto.

Naruto's body shook, but he forced his eyes to remain open. He could hear the mastiff's attacks, and could see the seemingly endless sea of people, but he could do nothing.

Time passed by, and blood flowed down the mountain. The mastiff's frenzy had created a no man's land which surrounded Naruto thirty meters in each direction. Countless barbarians had died, forming a bloody mountain at its edge.

One day, two days…. the mastiff had no rest whatsoever. The barbarians seemed to never end. They charged relentlessly. On the second day, Core Formation Cultivators appeared in their midst, wearing barbarian suits of armor.

The bloody battle continued within the fifth matrix, with canine howls and miserable human shrieks filling the air. Late in the night of the second day, the mastiff killed the three Core Formation barbarians, although it was wounded in the process. After that, there was quiet. The barbarians retreated. Everything was still.

In a daze, Naruto looked at the mastiff. One of its legs was broken, and it looked exhausted. It hadn't rested in two days, and had no medicinal pills to consume. Each fight had been a fight to the death, and it had prevented any of the people from harming Naruto. In fact, thanks to its frenzy, no one had even stepped within thirty meters of him.

As of now, it was overcome with fatigue. It lay down next to Naruto, panting. It licked his hand as if it wanted him to pet its head.

Everything was still; on the mountain peak, only a dog and a man could be seen. One couldn't move, the other lay prone, ready to stand guard for an eternity.

Naruto looked at the mastiff, and a warmth rose up from the bottom of his heart that he had never felt before. It filled his entire body. This creature was just a puppy, a Blood Divinity with little spiritual understanding. And yet… it would not forsake him. Even under these circumstances, it wouldn't leave, but instead fought to defend him.

Considering the accumulated injuries and exhaustion, if it continued to fight in this way, it would die eventually.

But it stayed by Naruto's side to protect him. Soon dawn broke, and a clamor from the bottom of the mountain broke the stillness. The air seemed to fill with the Chakra of Core Formation, and was followed by the furious shouting of barbarians charging up the mountain.

The mastiff… looked at Naruto, then licked his hand. It turned, and with a ferocious howl, charged into battle.

Naruto couldn't move. He could only watch the mastiff charge into action. He couldn't even turn his head. The only thing he could see was the half of the world which lay directly in front of him. Even what was down below on the mountain was not visible to him.

Barking and blood-curdling screams filled his ears for the entire day. He didn't know exactly how fierce the fighting was, but he could sense that throughout the entire day, no one could step foot within a thirty meter radius of him.

When night fell, everything grew quiet again. Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn before the mastiff finally returned to Naruto and lay down next to him. Its back was broken, and it had trouble walking. Another leg was broken, and one of its long, sharp teeth had been snapped off.

Its Chakra was weak, and its fur coat in disarray. Blood dripped off of its body as it lay there licking Naruto's hand. It let off a faint whine, seemingly calling to Naruto, seemingly recounting to him the days' events.

It seemed as if all of the fighting and exhaustion of the day was for this moment, when it could return to Naruto's side to have its head pet. In its heart Naruto… was family. They had fought together, they had grown up together. Naruto had provided medicinal pills, and whenever he looked over, his gaze was filled with encouragement and warmth.

All of this had caused trust in Naruto to grow in its heart. It could depend on Naruto, and it would defend him.

The fourth day arrived, and more shouting could be heard. Naruto's body continued to tremble, and he heard the sad howl of the mastiff. He wanted to struggle to his feet, but couldn't. The poison flare-up filled him with intense pain. Sweat poured off of him, and all he could do was sit there, looking at the magical symbols on the stone stele. That was the only thing he could do.

On the fourth day, nothing came within thirty meters of Naruto. But that night, when everything grew quiet, it took the mastiff about one hour to slowly crawl back to him.

Naruto couldn't see it, but the path the mastiff had crawled was a long streak of blood. Its teeth were smashed, its back caved in. It lay next to him, its head twisted to the side as it licked his palm. With weak whines, it seemed to recount the days' events to Naruto.

Naruto's eyes were red. He couldn't see the mastiff, but he could sense how weak its Chakra was. At the moment, he had become just like a mortal, and he knew that without the mastiff there to protect him, he would have been dead on the first day.

But the price paid for his life was the mastiff's increasingly weak condition. Soon a day would come when it wouldn't be able to crawl back to him at all….

Naruto forced his eyes to remain wide open. He stared at the magical symbols on the stone stele, longing for enlightenment. But no matter how he looked at them, he was unable to gain any understanding. It was as if… they were nothing more than magical symbols that had nothing to do with him, an outsider.

And then, the fifth day arrived….

On this day, the miserable cries that reached Naruto's ears were more intense than ever before. Now, there were people who approached closer than thirty meters. But before they could reach him, they were torn to pieces. Blood showered onto Naruto's body, and he heard the increasingly mournful howls of the mastiff.

That night, it took four hours for the mastiff to return. It didn't touch him; it just laid there. Blood oozed out of its mouth, and its life force flickered weakly. It seemed only its stubbornness was keeping it alive. Despite its current state, it would fight to watch over the area… and protect Naruto.

Naruto could barely open his mouth. His body trembled, wracked with pain, and could barely move. But somehow, he was able to force out speech. "Go! Get out… of here…. Do you hear me…? Go!"

He couldn't see the mastiff. The only thing he could see was the inky black sky.

The mastiff lifted its head to look at Naruto. It glanced at the glowing door as if it understood his words. Then it let out a yipping sound.

"I'm telling you to leave!" said Naruto, panting, as if it took all the energy he possessed just to say the words.

The mastiff's body trembled, and its eyes filled with sadness. It struggled to its feet, then walked over to Naruto's side and licked his face. And then… it didn't leave. It ignored Naruto's orders and lay down next to his side.

Naruto's heart ached. His eyes were filled with veins of blood as he stared at the stone stele. Suddenly, it grew blurry, and it seemed as if he had caught sight of something. And yet, he couldn't grasp it. Dawn of the sixth morning broke, and the sound of movement could be heard at the foot of the mountain. A roar sounded out as the mastiff struggled up. It gave Naruto one last deep look, and then charged away.

As it left, Naruto's hand slowly raised up, quivering. Within his eyes, the Resurrection Lilies flickered. He slowly formed a fist with his hand, and then stood up!

He raised his head to the sky and let loose a roar that had been suppressed for six days. Monstrous killing intent poured from his eyes as he flew into the air. As soon as he flew up, he caught sight of large man wielding an immense club. He had lifted it into the air and was about to smash it down viciously onto the mastiff, who was by now a shapeless wreck.

Naruto's face filled with vicious rage. He lifted his hand, and a mist of lightning emerged, shooting toward the large man. When it reached him, it exploded out in a boom. The large man, who happened to have a Cultivation base at the Foundation Establishment stage, shot backward in retreat. In fact, multiple surrounding barbarians all retreated.

Naruto strode forward to stand in front of the mastiff. His eyes were bright red as he lifted his hand again. Hundreds of flying swords instantly screamed out, including the two wooden swords. They revolved around Naruto, transforming into sword rain, and then a massive whirlpool. Naruto cried out, and the flying swords exploded. The shrapnel swept across the surroundings, and blood-curdling screams could be heard as the barbarians in the area were shredded to pieces.

Suddenly, from the foot of the mountain, eight Core Formation Chakra auras suddenly shot up. They flew straight up toward the peak of the mountain.

Naruto was silent, and in fact completely ignored the approaching figures. He looked down at the mastiff, who was gasping and on the verge of death. He knelt down and gently stoked its broken body. It looked up at him weakly, and tried to open its mouth to lick his hand, but wasn't able to.

Naruto slowly looked up at the magical symbols on the stone stele, paying no heed whatsoever to the eight approaching figures. As he stared at the stele, he thought back over the six days. He thought about how the mastiff had risked its life in battle. He thought about back to the happy little puppy that had bounded along after him through the fourth matrix. He thought about the second matrix, when the fluffy, cute little thing had over and over again charged into battle with him. He thought about the very beginning of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, how it had appeared, shivering in his palm, and had licked him with its tiny tongue. He sighed.

"I should have realised earlier," said Naruto softly. "These magical symbols are not too different from the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex." His hand waved through the air, and then no magical symbols could be seen. Instead, they were now inscribed upon his heart, a magical text just like the one that had been inscribed on the stele.

As the text appeared, Naruto's hand came to rest on the mastiff's back.

As it did, a blood-colored glow suddenly formed within the mastiff. It was bone-piercingly cold as it it spread out in all directions.

As it spread out, the Core Formation barbarians were suddenly frozen in place, even as they flew through the air. It wasn't just them. As the blood-colored glow spread out, the entire mountain of barbarians, everything as far as the eye could see, the whole world, was filled with an intense coldness, and turned into the color of blood. This place … was completely sealed frozen.

Nothing in the entire world moved. Naruto knelt there, looking in surprise at the mastiff.

The fifth matrix, the stone stele, and the enlightenment all hinged upon the actions of the Blood Divinity…. The Legacy competitor and the Blood Divinity must develop a certain level of closeness.

After a long time, Naruto stood up, holding the mastiff in his arms. He walked toward the peak of the mountain, and the exit of the fifth matrix. The entire world around him was sealed with blood.

Naruto wasn't sure how others would pass this matrix. But he knew that for him, its purpose was to strengthen the bond between the Legacy competitor and the Blood Divinity. He also wasn't sure about the Blood Divinities of the others, but he knew that the mastiff had always returned to him. No matter how exhausted it was, it always came back to lick his hand. To Naruto this dog… was an inextricable part of his life.

"As of now, the Legacy isn't important to me. I don't care about it a bit. But I'm going to take you out of here with me. This is Naruto's promise to you!"

* * *

As Naruto walked out of the fifth matrix carrying the mastiff, Itachi also emerged. His Blood Divinity, the fierce-looking Genbu tortoise, was also covered in wounds.

Ahead of Naruto and Itachi was Kabuto, who still hadn't passed through the sixth matrix.

Behind the two, five people were still stuck in the fifth matrix.

Itachi's gaze fell upon Naruto, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Then he sat down cross-legged off to the side. After he emerged from the spell matrix, the power of heaven and earth in the surrounding area rushed into Naruto, which he then channeled into the dying mastiff.

Naruto produced large amounts of medicinal pills, which he fed one by one to the mastiff to aid in the recovery process.

Thankfully, the spiritual energy was quite thick on the platforms, especially the one outside the fifth matrix. The mastiff absorbed the thick energy from Naruto, and its wounds slowly began to heal. Its shattered bones gradually grew back together. After a while, the mastiff was no longer on the verge of death. Having recovered some energy, it licked Naruto's palm, and then struggled to its feet and began absorbing spiritual energy on its own.

In the outside world of the Southern Domain, everyone was in a stir. Nearly ten thousand pairs of eyes had all converged on Naruto and Itachi; excited discussions filled the air.

Time passed. Seven days later, Shizuka staggered out from the fifth matrix. Her Blood Phoenix did not emerge with her….

She immediately sat down cross-legged. Soon after, a greenish beam of light emerged from the green stone altar off in the distance. It flew down toward Shizuka, who then spit out some blood from her Cultivation base. A blood-colored butterfly magically appeared and began to flutter around her.

Seeing this, Naruto came to the conclusion that her Blood Divinity had fallen. He wasn't sure how she had managed to pass through the fifth matrix, but whatever had happened, she now had the chance to select a new Blood Divinity.

A few more days passed. Itachi finished meditating. With a look of determination on his face, he entered the sixth matrix. Shizuka sat there for a long time before following him.

One by one, the rest of the competitors emerged from the fifth matrix, except for the disciple from the Golden Frost Sect, who never appeared. He was the first competitor… to fall in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament.

After his death, another Cultivator from the outside world entered the Legacy zone. However, considering everyone else had already passed the fifth matrix, unless this person had truly heaven-defying luck, they would never have a chance at acquiring the Legacy. There was simply not enough time.

The death of the Golden Frost Sect disciple caused the young competitor from the Violet Fate Sect to stand thoughtfully for a moment on the platform outside of the fifth matrix. Quite some time passed before he decided to leave, not confident of his ability to pass through the sixth matrix. This could very well be his last opportunity to make it out alive.

After a longer period of thought, the competitor from the Solitary Sword Sect, feeling it unwise to continue on, also opted to leave.

The disciple from the Blood Demon Sect, the one who looked like Shikamaru from seven or eight years ago, emerged expressionlessly from the fifth matrix and immediately sat down to absorb spiritual energy for a few days. Then, he and his human-shaped Blood Divinity followed Kabuto, Itachi and Shizuka into the sixth matrix, making him the fourth to enter.

Of the nine matrixes of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, the difficulty seemed to increase exponentially, especially after the fourth matrix. Even for those thoroughly prepared, it was still difficult.

This was especially true of the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth matrixes. In the past seven tournaments, only one person had ever set foot into the ninth matrix.

And that person was a Chosen of the Shimura Clan!

Other than him, only thirteen competitors had ever made it past the sixth matrix. Only six had ever made it past the seventh matrix.

Starting with the sixth matrix, the level of difficulty, and the consequences of elimination, were increasingly brutal. Therefore, many left after the fifth matrix. Their main goal in participating was not to acquire the Legacy, but to undergo training.

You could say that the experience gained in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament was something that few Cultivators ever had the opportunity to get.

Several more days passed, and finally Naruto opened his eyes. The spiritual energy surrounding him was almost completely dispersed. The second Dao Pillar within him was approximately ninety percent complete. After passing through the sixth portal, he should be able to thoroughly complete it.

The mastiff stood in front of him, completely recovered from injuries and in very high spirits. Once again, its Cultivation base had grown; it was now at the middle Core Formation stage. Its body was fifteen meters long, and it looked like a small mountain. Its red eyes glowed savagely, and its coat of red fur was long and luxurious. Its long, terrifying teeth glittered brilliantly.

Its claws were especially frightening, as long as a person's face, and seemingly powerful enough to rip the earth to pieces.

When Naruto stood up, the mastiff seemed especially excited. Naruto walked forward, and its mountain-like shape followed along. The sight was an assault on the senses, filled with power, causing the thousands upon thousands of onlookers outside in the Southern Domain to watch on with quaking hearts. This scene would forever be imprinted in their memories.

"The sixth matrix…" Naruto looked at it and took a deep breath, then glanced back at the mastiff. Its fierce expression instantly changed. A charming expression showed in its eyes, and it lowered his head so that Naruto could pet it. It closed its eyes contentedly.

"I'm definitely going to take you out of here with me!" said Naruto, smiling as he looked at the mastiff's happy expression. His eyes filled with determination. Patting the mastiff's head one last time, he walked forward, stepping into the sixth matrix. The mastiff's body turned into a flash of light as it followed.

The sixth matrix!

In this world, the sky was filled with thunder and lightning. As soon as Naruto entered, thunderclaps assailed his ears. It was immediately obvious that this world was not very large.

The ground was a sludgy swamp from which emanated the stench of decay and death. Off in the distance… was an enormous ancient temple. The entire temple was pitch black in color, and next to it was a gigantic statue. The statue was clothed in a simple robe, and its right hand was lifted up toward the sky. Its left hand touched the hilt of a sword.

The sword… was floating in mid-air.

The temple seemed almost primordial, and it radiated an ancient air. From this far away, it looked almost like a mountain. Lightning crashed down, seemingly desiring to destroy the temple, as if it did not approve of its existence.

The flashes of lightning illuminated the sludge on the ground. Countless emaciated arms could be seen stretching up from the ooze, reaching and grasping for something. From a distance, the field of arms seemed to stretch out forever.

Also visible within the sludge were faces, from the mouths of which emitted tormented screams. There were men and women, old and young. Bizarre green tentacles grew out from the faces, which swayed back and forth….

Naruto looked at all of this, and though he wasn't familiar with this world, nor had he ever seen the temple which lay off in the distance, he was still able to guess its name.

"Doom…." Screams echoed up from the faces within the ooze. The screaming was composed of countless voices combined together. The screams seemed to be filled with rage against the heavens from people who had died unwillingly. The fury would not subside, no matter how many years had passed. This was a part of the name of their Clan.

Doom!

The Ancient Doom Clan, not tolerated by the will of the Heavens. Tribulation extermination was sent, but the clan was not willing to die. They gathered the entire power of their clan to form their sacred temple. They claimed the land as theirs, and defied the heavens. The land could not be harmed, nor the temple destroyed. The Doom Clan could not be completely eradicated!

At the apex of the temple was an enormous drum, completely black in color, as if it had been dyed over and over with blood over the course of countless years.

At the bottom of the temple, next to the gigantic statue, was a stone door, half-open. A glowing light emanated out, illuminating the carvings of various ferocious creatures which decorated the door.

An archaic voice rumbled out like thunder: "If you wish to acquire my Legacy, then enter my temple!" It rang out over the sound of the screams, covering everything.

Naruto's eyes flashed, and next to him, the mountain-like, fifteen-meter-long mastiff bared its razor-sharp teeth and glared about. A low growl rumbled in its throat, and a fierce look emanated from its eyes. Its huge frame, and its luxuriant, crimson fur, along with the sharp spurs which protruded from its bones, caused it to look shocking to the extreme.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and lightning struck constantly, illuminating the land. Naruto's body turned into a multicolored beam as he flew into the air, heading straight toward the ancient temple. Behind him, the mastiff let out a roar, and then followed him.

As soon as the two of them flew into the air, the outstretched hands within the sludge suddenly began to stretch out. In the blink of an eye, they had reached Naruto, and were about to grab him.

He let out a cold snort and slapped his bag of holding. The two wooden swords flew out, circling around him at high speed. Blood spattered out as approaching hands were immediately lopped off, before they could even get near Naruto.

Black blood spattered down like rain. A foul stench began to fill the air, and, in fact, this entire world. The mastiff's body began to glow red. Not a single arm was able to touch it; they were instantly ripped into shreds.

However, even as Naruto and the mastiff sped along, nearly to the halfway point, a forlorn, shrill sound arose from the various faces in the ooze. The green, parasitic tentacles which grew out from them suddenly stood up on end, one by one. They transformed into countless sharp spikes which shot toward Naruto.

* * *

It was impossible to see clearly just how many of the green tentacles shot forth. They were fast, and within the blink of an eye were nearly one hundred meters away from Naruto. It seemed as if they would cross the space in an instant. But just then, the mastiff let out a roar and flew up.

Its fifteen-meter-long frame flickered as it shot to defend Naruto. A booming sound began to ring out, louder than the thunder, shaking the entire world. A blood-colored glow emanated out from the mastiff, slamming into the incoming tentacles. A shaking boom filled the air, which lasted for the space of about ten breaths. Then, one by one, the tentacles disintegrated into a green mist, which spread all about.

The mastiff appeared tired, but it looked down and let out a roar nonetheless. It moved to the side, and Naruto emerged unscathed. He pet the mastiff's head, then continued on toward the ancient temple.

They shot forward at high speed, man and dog together.

When they were about six hundred meters from the temple, the green mist created by the disintegration of the tentacles suddenly started moving. It began to coagulate, and then, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a gigantic mist sphere, directly in Naruto's path.

The mist roiled, emitting a rumbling sound as it gradually formed into the shape of a head. It was green colored and illusory, with glowing eyes. It opened its mouth, and more mist poured out. This mist was filled with mist horses, which flew in a beeline toward Naruto and the mastiff.

As they approached, Naruto's eyes narrowed. He lifted his right hand and waved it in a gesture that only he could recognize as some type of sealing incantation. Then, he pushed his hand down onto the mastiff.

When the seal mark dropped onto the mastiff, a crimson glow began to emanate out. It contained an icy coldness that froze everything it touched! The flying mist horses were instantly sealed up!

The arms below, the faces, the sludge, everything was frozen.

If he didn't acquire the Legacy, then Naruto shouldn't be able to use this technique outside of this world, because he wouldn't have the Blood Divinity with him. But having received the Legacy of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, he was familiar with sealing techniques. This new technique was relatively powerful, and Naruto had the feeling that with sufficient research, he could probably use it even without the Blood Divinity, were he at the proper level.

As the crimson glow swept out, sealing everything, Naruto continued to shoot forward. Avoiding the gigantic head, he and the mastiff sped on toward the ancient temple.

Just as it seemed they would be able to approach it successfully, an imminent sense of life-and-death danger rose up from within Naruto. Suddenly, the mastiff, its body trembling, grabbed his clothes in its mouth and pulled him back.

A boom resounded out as a massive sword blade nearly three meters thick, swung down right in front of Naruto. It stabbed into the ground, sending out massive tremors. A massive fissure spread out; at the same time, the ice seal began to split up. In an instant, everything had returned to its normal state.

The massive sword, which moments ago had been floating in mid-air, was being held by the statue which stood outside the temple.

Its descending attack had caused Naruto to cough up a mouthful of blood. His face was pale as the mastiff dragged him back. As they retreated, the gigantic statue suddenly seemed to come to life. It slowly lowered its head, and its gaze fell upon Naruto. A difficult to describe pressure suddenly enveloped him, filling him with icy cold. It was as if the thing's gaze could see the deepest secrets within him.

As this happened, the arms in the ooze no longer stretched out. Instead, they slowly sucked back into the sludge, as if the statue filled them with dread. The green mist head floating in the air lowered its gaze, seemingly paying respects to the statue.

The thunder and lightning in the sky, however, grew more intense. They focused on the statue, crashing onto its surface, as if the Heavens wanted the statue to crumble.

Next to Naruto, the mastiff trembled and stretched out prone, as if the statue's existence was a force that could not be resisted.

"Tribulation Lightning has fallen for countless years. Even though it is THIS matrix, even though I am not HIM, you still try to destroy my spirit…? Screw off!"

The statue lifted its right hand and snapped its fingers together. An enormous boom filled the air, and the statue's hand seemed to become like a black hole. The lightning quivered, then began to condense together and then collapse into countless arcs of electricity which then disappeared.

In an instant… the sky became completely devoid of lightning. Everything was quiet. The ground quivered, and the countless figures within the sludge trembled. The floating mist head bowed even lower, shaking.

The mastiff behaved the same. It seemed that the will of this statue was something it was incapable of resisting.

"Your Dao Pillar does not conform with the requirements for the Legacy," said the statue, looking coldly at Naruto. "You… do not qualify to acquire the Legacy. Considering you made it through the fifth matrix, I won't destroy you. Screw off!" Everything shook as its voice sounded out. Blood spurted from Naruto's mouth, and his body was thrown backward hundreds and hundreds of meters. An enormous glowing door appeared near him.

"And you…." said the statue coolly, its cold gaze lowering onto the trembling mastiff. "Second-rate spawn of Blood. You don't even deserve to be consumed by me, let alone become the Weapon Spirit…." Its left hand slowly lifted up the sword, preparing to slash down onto the quivering mastiff.

Naruto's eyes were bloodshot. Behind him was the glowing door. All he had to do was step through, and he could leave the sixth matrix. But what had just happened caused him to stop in his tracks. The effort caused a snapping sound to emanate from his right leg, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Senior, if I'm not qualified to acquire the Legacy, very well. But please, don't hurt it…." As Naruto's voice rang out, the mastiff trembled. It wanted to look back at Naruto, but the pressure exuded by the statue seemed to have activated some ancient branding within it. It could only tremble, powerless to resist. A weak whine sounded out from its mouth.

The statue's giant sword paused. It looked at Naruto. "You've lost your qualifications to leave this place," it said coolly. The glowing door instantly began to fall to pieces.

The sword swept through the air, not toward the mastiff, but toward Naruto. A boom resounded out, and blood exploded from Naruto's body. He lost control of himself, tumbling down toward the sludge.

As he fell, grasping hands reached toward him, clasping onto him, preparing to drag him down inside.

It was at this moment that Naruto's Cultivation base was suddenly restricted; he couldn't circulate it at all. He could only watch as he was slowly pulled down into the ooze.

His eyes were red, filled with resistance and ferocity.

The mastiff, which was also being suppressed, suddenly let out a shrill howl. Trembling, it lifted its head. Its mountain-like body suddenly exploded with an unprecedented power. Cracking sounds could be heard from inside it. It suddenly seemed as if it would burst into flame, a flame of blood. Suddenly, its body began to expand; it was now thirty meters long. It burst free from the control of the statue and smashed through the ancient seal within itself. It flew up with a roar, charging toward Naruto, who was already half sunk into the ooze.

"So, the burning of the Blood spirit…." said the statue coldly. "Blood Divinities are bloodthirsty, and have no feelings. You second-rate spawn of Blood. You do not deserve to have spiritual consciousness." It raised its left hand, and then the sword began to slash down again, to exterminate both Naruto and the mastiff in one fell swoop.

But then suddenly, before the sword could fall, a look of struggle appeared in the eyes of the statue. The sword paused in mid-air.

"The will of the Blood slave…." said the statue, its voice grim. "Damn you, won't you just go away? I'm trying to help your master's Legacy. I want his Legacy to live on, to be acquired by another. Why… why are you resisting me!? There are no rules in this Legacy tournament, so for me to possess you is simply the will of heaven!" The struggle in its eyes gradually began to fade.

Meanwhile, the mastiff's body was engulfed in a bloody flame. It slammed into the ooze, roaring as the bloody glow of flames emanated in all directions. It instantly turned countless arms into ash. The sludge caved in on itself, revealing a pale-faced Naruto. The mastiff grabbed him in its mouth, then flew up into the air, shooting toward the large door in the ancient temple.

It flew with incredible speed, seemingly ready to sacrifice everything to get Naruto to the door.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he looked at the mastiff. Then he glanced behind, and saw the statue. The struggle was now almost completely gone from its eyes. It stabbed its giant sword into the sludge, and suddenly, the countless arms emanated a demonic glow. They shot up, a myriad of grasping hands, flying toward Naruto.

The mastiff glanced down at Naruto, and a wistful expression appeared in its eyes. As the myriad of hands closed in, its body erupted into flames. It tossed its head, throwing Naruto toward the stone door. It had no time to lick his hand as it had when it was small.

The bloody glow around its body was already fading, and weakness flashed in its eyes. A death aura began to emanate out of it as the countless hands surrounded it. The tens upon tens of thousands of encircling hands wrenched it down into the ooze.

Its eyes were wistful as it seemed to recall the past. It seemed to be thinking of how it had stretched out on its master's palm, and how wonderful it felt to be pet on the head. It remembered all of these things, and thought of its master….

Naruto watched all of this dumbfounded. His body slammed into the half-opened door, and the world around him began to fall apart. Everything inside, including the mastiff, disappeared. And yet, what he had just witnessed could never be forgotten.

The mastiff's final glance into his eyes caused him to weep tears of blood, and kindled in him a blazing fury.

Back in the sixth matrix, the struggle within the statue's eyes was completely gone. Its right hand lowered and opened up.

There, standing on the palm of its hand, was a man. He wore a white robe, and was extremely handsome. Swirling in the air next to him was a thirty-meter long Blood Dragon. This was none other than… the Chosen of the Shimura Clan, Kabuto!

He stood on the statue's palm, an expression of utmost respect on his face. He knelt down on one knee and offered a deep salute.

"Junior pays respects to the Patriarch."

* * *

"What about the rest of them?" asked the statue coolly. Having been called Patriarch by Kabuto, and considering what it had said about possession, it seemed that its true identity was now apparent.

This was the Shimura Clan Chosen who had passed through the eighth matrix four thousand years ago, but had not continued onto the ninth. That was the only interesting or amazing thing that anyone knew about him.

Even after returning to the Shimura Clan, he said or did little. A thousand years after that, he passed away in meditation. Nowadays, unless you mentioned the Blood Immortal Legacy, no one would even remember him.

However, one of the Shimura Clan's deepest secrets, were the final words spoken by that very person. Those words had been passed down from one generation of Shimura Clan Lord to the next. Actually, the Patriarch… was not dead at all.

His last words stated that after the completion of the eighth Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, the bloodline of Ancient Doom had fallen to the Shimura Clan!

The person who had emerged from the Legacy tournament four thousand years ago was him, but not all of him. That person contained only a portion of his spirit. The rest of him had forced itself upon the slumbering Blood slave in the sixth matrix. From that day until this, only members of the Shimura Clan were aware of it.

It was an unimaginably fantastic situation. The Blood slave was incredibly powerful, and the Shimura Clan Patriarch, Shimura Danzhou, being at the Foundation Establishment stage, should not have been able to successfully possess it. In fact, anyone below the Nascent Soul stage shouldn't be able to. Yet somehow… he had!

No one could possibly know how he'd accomplished it. However, afterwards part of him returned to the Clan missing most of its spirit. It faded away, leaving behind a final will and explanation.

"Patriarch can ignore the disciples of the Nadeshiko Clan and Blood Demon Sect," said Kabuto with a respectful smile. "And the one who just escaped counts for nothing. However, this Itachi from the Uchiha Clan must die!" The Blood Dragon next to him lifted its head.

Suddenly, several Blood Divinities appeared in the region surrounding Kabuto. One of them was Itachi's Genbu turtle, as well as the Blood Sprite belonging to the young man who looked like Shikamaru. The Blood Divinities trembled as soon as they appeared, and instantly, the Blood Dragon charged forward and swallowed them whole. They didn't resist even the least bit.

"A junior member of the Uchiha Clan…" said the statue coolly, eyeing the Blood Dragon. "Exterminating Uchiha Clan Chosen is something I can do. I should only be able to help you here within the sixth matrix. As for the following three matrixes, I should be unable to help you directly. However, in the past four thousand years, I have come to understand much about the Blood Immortal Legacy zone. In fact, no one in the world understands more about it than me.

"After possessing your Blood Dragon, I am completely confident that in the time it takes for a few incense sticks to burn, we can charge through the seventh, eighth and ninth matrixes. Then you can acquire the Legacy."

"Many thanks for your assistance, Patriarch," replied Kabuto respectfully "Junior does not care too much about the Legacy. I am here on the orders of the Clan Lord, to receive you and lead you out."

"When the eighth Blood Immortal Legacy tournament concluded, the bloodline of Ancient Doom fell to the Shimura Clan," said the statue, its voice deep and archaic. "Those words were spoken by me, and are naturally true. The Blood Immortal Legacy belongs to you. I've been trapped in here for four thousand years, and have no idea what the outside world has come to be… I wonder how many of my friends from the old days are still alive." When it finished speaking, the space between its eyebrows split, and a glowing light appeared. As the crack split open, the statue's body grew dim. The glow flew out, forming a blinding beam of light that shot toward the Blood Dragon.

The Blood Dragon didn't resist. The bloody light entered it, and its entire body spasmed for a few moments. Then its eyes began to glow, emitting an ancient aura. It made a gulping motion, as if it hadn't completely swallowed the other Blood Divinities.

Its body flashed, and suddenly, it expanded until it was three thousand meters long, causing this entire world to shake and tremble. Time passed.

Eventually it shrank back down until it was only sixty meters in length. It circled around Kabuto, then flew toward the glowing stone door, and then left the sixth matrix. The only thing that was left behind was the lifeless statue, which stood there quietly, unmoving.

The instant Kabuto emerged from the sixth matrix, an uproar emerged among the nearly ten thousand observers outside in the Southern Domain.

Kabuto was the last to come out. The first had been Naruto, who had flown out, coughing up four or five mouthfuls of blood. He had struggled into a cross-legged position to meditate. His appearance had caused an uproar as he sat there, madly absorbing as much spiritual energy as he could to heal his wounds. Even though his eyes were closed, he radiated an intense killing intent.

After him was the youth from the Blood Demon Sect, who looked like Shikamaru, and then Shizuka. Both of them seemed to be in bad situations. Their bodies were covered with wounds, and both seemed to have broken bones. Their breath came in ragged pants, and their Blood Divinities were nowhere to be seen.

Gritting their teeth, they sat cross-legged like Naruto, using the thick spiritual energy in the area to do breathing exercises to heal their wounds. Their injuries quickly began to heal, but quick glances revealed to both that their Blood Divinities were indeed gone. Complicated, thoughtful expressions appeared on their faces. It was quite obvious what they were thinking.

Itachi didn't emerge. This caused an unprecedented uproar outside. Everyone had seen the blurry image of Itachi disappear within the sixth matrix. This clearly indicated that he had passed away.

The Uchiha Clan members' minds were instantly sent reeling, especially that of Itachi's Dao Protector and the Uchiha Clan Elders. Expressions of disbelief filled their faces. Their eyes were instantly shot with blood, and it seemed as if their heads might explode.

The entirety of the Southern Domain was instantly thrown into chaos; no one could possibly have predicted that Itachi would die. This would send the Uchiha Clan into an unimaginable fury.

Itachi was extremely important among the current generation of the Uchiha Clan; he was the Dao Child of the Foundation Establishment stage. Chosen could fall, but Dao Children simply could not. This was an generally recognized rule among the various Sects and Clans. This was apparent by the fact that although the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament was important, none of the five Sects had dispatched Dao Children, only Chosen.

The Uchiha Clan and the Shimura Clan were the only to have dispatched Dao Children!

The most glad of all was none other than Sasuke. His body trembled with excitement, and he clenched his fist tightly. He had been waiting for this day for a very, very long time. Next to him, Baru Uchiha seemed equally excited. The two of the exchanged a look; their futures now seemed filled with limitless possibilities.

When Kabuto finally emerged, the sixty-meter long Blood Dragon circling about him, the outside world exploded with shock.

Shizuka slowly stood up and headed through the glowing exit door, her face pale. She had chosen to give up. After her, the youth from the Blood Demon Sect who looked like Shikamaru stood up. Ignoring Kabuto, he looked at Naruto for a moment, and seemed to hesitate. Then, he turned and left through the glowing door, also opting not to continue on.

Their departure caused further uproar in the outside world.

"What exactly happened within the sixth matrix? It looks like no one else has a Blood Divinity except for Kabuto. And Itachi… actually died! He's a Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan!"

"Only Kabuto still has a Blood Divinity. And from the look of it, it's way too powerful! Maybe he really does have a chance of acquiring the Legacy!"

As the discussions continued in the outside world, Naruto opened his bloodshot eyes. He slowly stood up and walked toward the glowing door, his expression one of stubborness. Before he stepped through, he looked back toward Kabuto's blurry figure. What he was looking at, however, was not Kabuto, but the clearly visible Blood Dragon.

As he gazed at the Blood Dragon, Naruto's heart began to pound. He wasn't sure if others had seen it, but the look in the eye of this dragon was exactly the same as that within the statue. His mind flickered as he put the pieces together. He was now eighty to ninety percent sure of what had happened.

As Naruto looked over, Kabuto let out a derisive chuckle. "Remember my name," he said. "I'm Kabuto. Your dog died a horrible death." He lifted his hand to rest on the Blood Dragon.

Hearing the words caused Naruto's mind to rumble with the sound of a hundred thousand exploding lightning bolts. Blood dripped from the corners of his lips as he stared murderously at Kabuto. Within his eyes burned fury and killing intent that rose to the heavens. He had practiced Cultivation to a very high level, and had desired to kill many people. But at the moment, his desire to kill this person was intense to the extreme.

However, Naruto's personality was such that, the more he wished to kill someone, the more taciturn he became. He had been like this when small, and was even more so now. The more quiet he was, the more vicious he grew. People who like to roar and scream were mere philistines. People who maintained their silence were the truly frightening ones!

A long moment passed. Finally, Naruto angrily turned on his heel and walked through the glowing door.

Laughing, Kabuto walked forward into the seventh matrix.

When Naruto appeared in the volcano, outside of the lake of blood, his eyes burned with the flames of fury. The events that had occurred within the sixth matrix continued to replay in his mind, and an increasingly profound killing intent emanated from his body.

"Kabuto, I, Naruto, will send you to your death!" His eyes were filled with blood, causing him to look more ferocious than ever. His body flashed, transforming into a beam of multicolored light that shot toward Sakura and her alchemy workspace.

When he arrived, Sakura was in the midst of adjusting the earthly flame. The Perfect Foundation Pill was at a critical moment, on the verge of being complete. At first, she had thought that Naruto might not make it back in time, and that she would have a chance to study it some. And yet here he was, in complete opposition to her expectation. She considered trying to pull off something tricky, but when she saw Naruto's grim expression, she hesitated. It was obvious that he was like a volcano on the verge of erupting, not someone to be trifled with.

Naruto approached and sat down cross-legged, uttering not a word. And yet, his hatred for Kabuto, and his desire to kill him, only continued to ferment and grow stronger. An intense, difficult to describe anxiety filled his heart. He refused to believe that the mastiff was dead. He would establish the Perfect Foundation, and then he would rescue the mastiff!

Sakura didn't dare to speak. A look of concentration filled her face. She took a deep breath and ground her teeth. Then her hand flickered with an incantation gesture, and she pushed down onto the pill furnace. As she did, the earthly fire and magma beneath roared. The pill furnace quivered.

At the moment, it seemed as if all the mists within the volcano were roiling. The ground trembled. Outside, the wind and clouds seemed to have been disturbed. Great sheets of clouds began to form, one on top of the other, roiling out in all directions. Lightning crackled across the sky, filling the air with massive booms. With every crash of lightning, strange, mystical signs would appear in the the sky outside.

"Is this really a Thunder Pill?" Of course, Sakura had had her suspicious. But now, seeing the roiling of the mists, and everything above in the outside world, she was even more sure. This pill… was definitely not some type of Thunder Pill.

"For a pill to provoke this change in the Heavens based on its mere appearance… It seems as if the Heavens wish to destroy the pill itself! Just… just what pill is this!?" Sakura was shocked to the core. As she pressed down on the pill furnace, a roaring filled the air. Suddenly, the pill furnace collapsed into pieces, sending out a powerful blast. Sakura coughed up a mouthful of blood as she was flung backward into the stone wall. She instantly fell unconscious.

Naruto's eyes suddenly opened, and he shot forward. As the pill furnace collapsed, the outside world filled with lightning and roaring, and the ground quaked, filling with cracks and fissures. Naruto reached out… and snatched the mystical seven-colored pill from within the furnace!

The Perfect Foundation Pill!

This pill was a defiance of the Heavens, not permitted by heaven and earth. The world outside the volcano rumbled. The layers of clouds shone brightly as they churned. A seemingly infinite amount of lightning was gathering, preparing to eradicate the pill which Naruto held in his hand. If anyone dared to consume this pill in the face of the Heavens, then they would face intense Tribulation of lightning!

The Heavens did not permit this type of pill to exist, nor did they permit anyone to consume such a pill. Swallowing it down constituted a type of Cultivation that warranted destruction! This path was a path of continued Heavenly tribulation!

And yet, Naruto did not hesitate. As he held the pill in his hand, it seemed as if it were beginning to melt. He had the feeling that if he did not immediately consume it, the pill would disappear on its own, without any help from Tribulation Lightning!

He didn't know why this was happening, and didn't have time to think about it. Nor did he have any time to think about duplicating the pill. Even as he looked at it, it began to show signs that it was about to fall apart.

Resolve filling his eyes, Naruto placed the pill into his mouth. Above, lightning condensed and prepared to fall down.

When the pill entered his mouth, it dissolved instantly and traveled down into his abdomen. A roar filled him, along with a strange power that seemed as if it might cause his entire body to collapse. This was not the power of heaven and earth, but something else, something difficult to describe. At this moment, Naruto's Dao Pillar began to tremble.

As it trembled, the crack on its surface suddenly began to show signs of healing. A feeling of perfection condensed within Naruto's body. His flesh and blood seemed to grow tougher. His golden Dao Pillar hummed and seemed to expand. His flesh began to shine with a faint golden glow that grew stronger and stronger.

He sensed a feeling of power that he had never before experienced with his Flawless Foundation. Along with it, his view of the world suddenly changed. His Spiritual Sensed experienced unbridled growth. Everything in his body was changing. The Perfect Foundation, which had not been seen in the Cultivation World for tens of thousands of years, was now evolving!

According to the legends, a Perfect Foundation had not been seen in millennia. But here it was in Naruto. The power of his Spiritual Sense far exceeded that of the middle Foundation Establishment stage. In fact, Naruto knew that if he had enough spiritual energy, he could instant form his second and third Dao Pillars!

Furthermore, he knew that future Dao Pillars that appeared would also be legendary Perfect Dao Pillars!

At this moment, booming sounded out in the sky above. Up in the air, an enormous lightning bolt shot down toward the volcano, slamming into the glowing shield.

When it hit the shield, each and every one of the seven Blood Immortal Legacy zones around the Southern Domain suddenly erupted with a blood-red glow. The bloody glow instantly wiped out the images that the onlookers had been watching, and shot toward the Heavens, forming enormous pillars of blood.

Around each of these pillars of blood whipped blood-red iron chains. Furthermore, on top of each pillar was a blurry, bound figure who let loose agonized screams.

All of this happened too suddenly. The audiences surrounding the seven Legacy zones were astonished, unsure of what was happening.

"What's going on?! What happened!?"

"The blood screen shot up into the sky! We can't see what's happening inside the Legacy zone. What's going on?!"

The Cultivators of the Southern Domain were one and all thrown into chaos. Multiple figures flew up out of the various temples of the five great Sects and three great Clans. All of these were ancient Cultivators who usually spent their time in secluded meditation. However the intensity of the outside events had awoken them, and one by one they appeared.

"The Blood Immortal Sacrifice! This is the legendary Ancient Doom Clan Blood Immortal Sacrifice!"

"According to the legends, if anyone tries to invade the Ancient Doom Clan, then the Blood Immortal Sacrifice will appear. But the Ancient Doom Clan has long since been put down. Who could their enemy possibly be…."

As the booming filled the Southern Domain, Naruto stood within the volcano, staring up into the sky and roaring. He quickly took unconscious Sakura and wrapped her up in the black net, then set her to the side. After that, his body turned into a prismatic beam as it shot toward the Blood Immortal's sacrificial altar.

Above him, the Tribulation Lightning descending, causing the glowing shield to tremble. And yet even as it trembled, a bright red glow erupted from within the volcano, transforming into a massive pillar of blood. This towering pillar of blood was the eighth to appear within the Southern Domain.

Generally speaking, the Blood Immortal altar would never do this; but Naruto had consumed a Perfect Foundation Pill and provoked Tribulation Lightning. It was the booming of the Tribulation Lightning upon the Blood Immortal sacrificial altar's shield that provoked this defensive reaction.

Attacking this shield was the same as attacking the Blood Immortal!

"Wait for me," said Naruto, the killing intent pouring out of his eyes. "I promised you that I would take you out with me. You wait for me, I'm coming to save you. Then, we will kill Kabuto together!" He flew forward like lightning, into the altar, not hesitating in the slightest.

The instant he entered….

Clouds billowed and wind whipped inside the Blood Immortal Legacy zone. Past the ninth matrix, the corpse sat cross-legged, trembling. It slowly lifted its dessicated head, within which a powerful glow appeared. It was a strange glow, but somehow it made the skull-like head look excited.

"Finally… I've been waiting…."

Within the eighth matrix, everything shook, and the sky seemed as if it would split open. A deep red glow covered everything. Moments ago everything had been completely silent, but suddenly howls filled the air. The howling seemed to contain excitement!

In the seventh matrix, the only thing that could be seen was an ancient tomb. Inscribed above the tomb were three characters: Tomb of Heaven!

Within the tomb was a coffin nearly three thousand meters long. Inside were heaps of bones, at the centre of which could be seen a dilapidated flag. The flag had three streamers, upon each of which was written a name. Seemingly having fallen victim to the passing of years, the first two names were not clear. However, the third was quite visible.

It was the surname "Hebi."

Standing within the tomb, Kabuto looked around in surprise. The ground shook and the sky roared. It seemed as if everything were spinning. The Blood Dragon next to him lifted its head, and it lifted its claws as if it were calculating something. Suddenly, its expression changed.

"Quickly. There's no need to take the Three Immortal Souls Flag. Like I said, we need to proceed directly to the ninth matrix. If we are late… the Legacy will not be yours!"

"What's happening?!" said Kabuto, his face unsightly.

"The Legacy has long been awaiting someone who defies the Heavens as much as the Ancient Doom Clan. That person has arrived! But, we still have a chance. The Blood Immortal is dead, and whoever reaches him first will acquire the Legacy!"

"If I had known the Legacy would select him, I would have destroyed him. With him dead, I would be the destined successor!" Kabuto's eyes flashed with killing intent.

"Killing him before would have been simple, but now that he is within the Blood Immortal's Legacy zone, who would dare to kill him! Who can kill him?!" The Blood Dragon circled around Kabuto, suddenly expanding to three thousand meters in length, clearly urgently desiring to leave.

Meanwhile, outside in the Southern Domain, in the Ancient Temple of Doom, one of the three Danger Zones, the temple itself seemed to be coming alive. Inside the ancient temple were countless statues, all of which usually stood there unmoving. Even if someone entered the temple, they wouldn't change.

But now, these tens upon tens of thousands of statues suddenly began to shake. Their eyes opened, and they lifted their heads toward the Heavens. The entire Clan then let out a defiant howl. As the howl reverberated out, the statues began to fly up into the air and circle around the temple.

Quite a few Cultivators were on watch nearby the temple, and this instantly caused them to be completely shocked.

What caused even more disbelief to be written on their faces was when multiple ghost images of the Ancient Temple of Doom suddenly appeared. It was as if the soul of the temple suddenly was rising up from within the earth. It transformed into a blinding beam of light, carrying the tens upon tens of thousands of statues with it. As it soared up into the sky, the temple assumed the shape of an enormous war chariot, and the statues became thousands upon thousands of soldiers and warhorses. A Clan of countless warriors and warhorses, ready to do battle with the Heavens!

* * *

The Southern Domain was in an uproar. Eight columns of blood rose toward the Heavens, sending ripples throughout the sky above. The phantasmic war chariot formed by the Ancient Temple of Doom caused astonishment to fill the hearts of any and all who could see it.

At the same time, Naruto stepped foot into the Blood Immortal Legacy zone. When his foot touched onto the platform outside the sixth matrix, a tremor ran through the entire world, and a shocking rumble filled the air.

The platform continued to shake, all of the spell matrixes started to radiate light, and a roiling mist began to fill the surroundings. Countless beams of greenish light shot up from the sacrificial altar, swirling around and then shooting toward Naruto. The glittering beams seemed to be filled with excitement and hope as they waited for Naruto to select one of them to be his Blood Divinity.

Some of the greenish beams emitted auras that seemed to be even more powerful than the Blood Dragon or the Blood Sprite.

Even more hard to describe was how the spiritual energy of this place surged toward Naruto as he breathed in. It entered his body, causing his Cultivation base to begin to rotate. With every breath he took, his body grew stronger.

Wind and clouds surged, and the entire Legacy zone trembled. Thunderous roars sounded out everywhere.

A strange feeling rose up within Naruto; it seemed as if the Blood Immortal Legacy was calling out to him. The spell matrix, the platform, the aura, everything seemed different than from before!

Of course, the people the outside world in the Southern Domain couldn't see any of this. What was happening inside was now cut off from them; not even the slightest image was visible. The only person who could see anything… was Kabuto. Having charged through the seventh matrix, he now stood on the platform beyond it. His face was grim, and his eyes shone with an intense light. He glared back at Naruto standing on the platform outside the sixth matrix.

Next to him was the three thousand meter long Blood Dragon possessed by Danzo Shimura. It too was looking at Naruto, its eyes radiating both intense jealousy as well as a complex, hard-to-describe expression.

"So the Legacy belongs to him…." Kabuto raised his head up and let out a hearty laugh. "There's nothing I love in life more than stealing away the rightful Legacies of others. What a wonderful feeling." His laughter rang out as he stepped forward into the eighth matrix.

When the laughter reached Naruto's ears, he looked up, and a profound look of enlightenment shone from within his eyes. He looked at Kabuto with intense killing intent.

He did not race in pursuit. Instead, he waved his right hand, causing all of the greenish beams of light in front of him to fall back. He did not pick any of them to be his Blood Divinity.

"I only have one Blood Divinity!" he said to himself, his eyes radiating stubbornness.

He did not enter the seventh matrix. He did something that no competitor had ever done throughout the ancient history of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. He… turned around and walked back into the sixth matrix!

"I promise that I will find you and take you out of here with me," he said quietly, and then disappeared. When he reappeared, lightning filled the sky. Innumerable arms stretched out from the sludge that covered the ground. Off in the distance, the frozen, motionless form of the gigantic statue still stood next to the pitch-black form of the Ancient Temple of Doom.

It was the same world, but Naruto was not the same person.

He no longer had a Flawless Foundation. His rapidly healing Dao Pillar had propelled him into the realm of the legendary Perfect Foundation!

As soon as he stepped forth into the sixth matrix, he flew up into the air, radiating power from within his Cultivation base. He took a breath, and everything shook. Thunder and lightning crashed, and the earth trembled. Because of his Perfect Foundation, Naruto could not absorb even the slightest bit of spiritual energy in the outside world, but this place was filled with massive amounts spiritual energy which rushed toward Naruto, filling him. As he breathed, Naruto could sense that he was like… the lord of this world!

Lightning and thunder crashed in the sky, and Naruto's long hair whipped about. He lifted his right hand and waved it downward toward the ground.

As his palm descended, the sludge began to quiver. The grasping hands suddenly stopped moving, and the countless faces all looked toward Naruto. Their expressions were no longer hostile, but rather filled with veneration and even excitement.

Suddenly, a massive crack split the earth and the sludge. It grew wider and deeper, splitting apart the hands and faces along with it. Naruto flew down toward it.

As he approached it, the sludge crept away, not daring to come close to him, as if a deep fear of him existed within it.

Naruto shot inside, his body flashing like lightning and radiating determination. The crack grew wider and wider, and within the space of a few breaths, Naruto came to a stop. Even as the crack grew larger, he saw it, there, deep within… a body.

It was not thirty meters long. It was the mastiff, but only the size of a palm. Its eyes were closed, and patches of fur were visible through the sludge that covered its body. Its fur wasn't red, but deathly gray. It was no longer fierce and savage. And the cute, furry puppy it had once been, now existed only in Naruto's eternal memories.

He thought about how as it grew up, it would run in circles around his feet, letting out playful yipping sounds, its fur rippling.

Many images unfolded in Naruto's mind. He thought of how he and the mastiff had rushed together head on into battle in the third matrix. He thought about how it had happily run back and forth around him in the desert of the fourth matrix.

He thought about how the poison flare-up had reduced him to little more than a mortal in the fifth matrix, and how the mastiff had protected him regardless of everything. He thought about how after every battle, it would crawl back to him, lick his hand and lay next to him, watching over him vigilantly.

He had tried to make it leave, but it chose to stay.

In the end, in the sixth matrix, it had chosen to help its master escape even at the cost of its own life. The last thing Naruto remembered was watching as the myriad of grasping hands pulled it away from him, not even giving it a chance to lick his hand.

"I do not permit you to die here. You're not allowed to close your eyes!" Naruto's eyes were filled with veins of blood. One of his hands came to rest on the mastiff's tiny body. The other lifted up toward the sky. The power of his Cultivation base roared to life. Everything shook as the crack in Naruto's Dao Pillar was completely sealed up!

When this happened, Naruto's body trembled. He felt an incredible power within him, not a power of circulation between heaven and earth. This was a power of circulation in which he formed his own heaven and earth!

In this instant, he was not absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy, he was plundering it!

From this moment on, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth could only enter his body, it couldn't circulate back. He was like a wound in heaven and earth that could never be healed; the spiritual energy lost to him, would never be returned.

His eyes glowed with a strange light, and his hair whipped around his head. His aura grew more and more powerful, and a golden light emanated out from his entire body. He bit the tip of his tongue and spit out some blood; the blood descended down onto the corpse of the mastiff, but it was incapable of absorbing it.

"Your life was born of my blood; you grew from ignorance into spiritual consciousness…." Naruto stretched out his hand, and the blood congealed onto his palm, forming into a Blood Globe, which he then pushed down onto the mastiff, forcing it to absorb into the body.

At the same time, his Cultivation base erupted and he began to forcibly suck in all of the spiritual energy within the sixth matrix. Naruto was like a black hole, causing everything to whirl toward him at fantastic speed.

Boundless spiritual energy poured into him, which he then transferred into the body of the mastiff. Time passed. The sludge covering the ground was beginning to dry up, and the arms and faces were beginning to crumble. Even the lightning had disintegrated into power which Naruto then absorbed.

The sky grew dim, and cracks spread out across it….

Off in the distance, the statue began to fall to pieces….

The Ancient Temple of Doom began to grow blurry and eventually faded away. The entire world grew deathly still. Only Naruto and the mastiff remained….

Its body twitched. It seemed to be struggling to open its eyes. It could sense the aura of its master. Slowly, it opened its eyes and looked at Naruto.

Boom!

The entire sixth matrix began to fall apart! Naruto pulled back his hand. The mastiff's body trembled, but its eyes were filled with the fire of life. As the world crumbled around them, it slowly rose to its feet!

It was not a true life, so it had not truly died. It was a Blood Spirit, a Blood Divinity and therefore… could be reborn!

Throughout the ancient history of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, no Blood Divinity had ever been reborn. It… was the first. The first thing it saw when it opened its eyes… was its master, who had raised it from an unaware puppy into spiritual consciousness.

ROARRRR!

The mastiff lifted its head up and let out a thunderous roar. Its body rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye it grew to sixty meters in length. Luxuriant fur grew out that was not red in color, but violet!

Its fur was violet and its stature like a small mountain. Sharp spikes grew out of its limbs, and from the top of its head protruded a long horn. Its teeth were long and sharp. All of this made the mastiff look even more fearsome and powerful than it had before!

As far as this world was concerned, it was completely ferocious and bloodthirsty. It was a blood Divinity, emotionless and cold. But there was one person who could make it act like it had when it was small, who could make it lick his hand, who would pet its head.

There was only one person like this in existence!

* * *

Naruto emerged onto the platform, and behind him, the sixth matrix collapsed in complete destruction. If onlookers from the outside world could see this, they would be shocked.

In the entire history of the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, never before had a spell matrix been destroyed!

It didn't stop there…. Not only did the sixth matrix crumble, further back, the first matrix also began to tremble. With a bang, it shattered, and as it did, massive amounts of spiritual energy spread out.

The spiritual energy immediately flew toward Naruto and the mastiff, who both absorbed it. The boundless spiritual energy thrummed within Naruto.

At this moment, his second Dao Pillar coalesced. It was Perfect, without even the slightest crack visible. A second Perfect Dao Pillar! Naruto's Cultivation base soared up with explosive momentum.

An intensely powerful aura emanated out from Naruto, and as it did, his body flashed. Behind him, the second matrix as well as the third suddenly began to collapse into pieces. It seemed as if the entire Blood Immortal Legacy tournament would not continue past the eighth tournament.

Naruto lifted his head and looked at the seventh matrix. His eyes radiated with killing intent as he stepped into it.

The mastiff lifted its head up and roared, then turned into a beam of light and followed Naruto into the seventh matrix.

Within the seventh matrix was an enormous tomb with three shocking, blood-red characters inscribed above it.

Tomb of Heaven!

As soon as Naruto stepped foot inside, the Tomb of Heaven began to shake. Cracks appeared on the wooden coffin inside, and the countless white bones began to disintegrate into ash. A black mist emanated from the dilapidated flag.

Boom!

A massive booming sound echoed out as the Tomb of Heaven exploded like an erupting volcano. The three-sectioned flag flew up, fluttering in the air and emitting a power which instantly caused Naruto to look at it with narrow eyes. In an instant, it had disappeared, soaring out of the seventh matrix and flying directly toward the altar beyond the ninth matrix, and the throne. The flag flew past the corpse wearing the featureless mask, transforming into three white hairs on the corpse's black head of hair.

At the same time, the seventh matrix crumbled to pieces in front of Naruto's eyes. Along with its collapse, vast amounts of spiritual energy thundered toward him.

This nearly indescribable force of majestic spiritual energy caused a third Dao Pillar to begin to appear within Naruto. He moved forward to stand on the seventh matrix's pillar. Behind him, the second, third and fourth matrixes all toppled into fragments. The way back was now gone. Only the fifth matrix remained behind him and it too was showing signs of fragmentation.

Multiple matrixes had collapsed, sending out dense spiritual energy which formed a mist that covered the sky of the Legacy zone. The mist began to swirl into a vortex, at the very center of which, was none other than Naruto!

From a distance, the sight was nothing more than shocking.

Naruto sucked in the spiritual energy, as did the mastiff.

The Cultivation bases of both man and dog climbed upward. Naruto's cold eyes stared forward toward the eighth matrix. Though the figure there was blurry, it was obviously Kabuto, whose head was turned back to look at Naruto.

"How can he destroy the matrixes so quickly!?" Kabuto's heart trembled. He knew that Naruto was the destined successor of the Legacy, but was still completely shocked.

The blood dragon roared. "These matrixes have been waiting for his arrival. They're all destroying themselves to make way for him. But the Blood Immortal is dead. As long as you are fast enough, the Legacy will be yours!"

A cold light shone within Kabuto's eyes and he immediately strode forward into the ninth matrix.

"Maybe the Legacy belongs to you…" he said, "but I'm here now. I'll snatch it right out of your grasp!"

Seeing Kabuto and the anxious-looking Blood Dragon enter the ninth matrix, Naruto's killing intent flashed brightly. Without hesitation, he shot forward toward the eighth matrix, followed by the mastiff.

As they entered, a frightening howling emerged from the abyss that was the eighth matrix. The howling was mixed and disorderly, as if countless souls were crying out at the same time with both excitement and hope. As the sound echoed out, the world of the eighth matrix began to crack and fall apart.

The matrix was destroying itself, which was a mystical command left behind by the Blood Immortal before his death. One of his commands had been that the first person to stand before him could acquire the Legacy. However, another command was if any person rejected by the Heavens appeared, then the nine matrixes would collapse, transforming into spiritual energy to help him acquire the Legacy.

The instant the eighth matrix fell apart, majestic spiritual energy rushed toward Naruto and the mastiff. The mastiff lifted its head up and roared. Its Cultivation base had just broken through from Core Formation to Nascent Soul!

Its body grew to three hundred meters in length, and looked even more ferocious than before. The violet-furred mastiff lifted up its head and roared, causing everything to tremble. Its body emanated an unprecedented power, difficult to even describe!

At the same time, Naruto's third Perfect Dao Pillar was more than half formed, and continued to coalesce. As soon as he stepped onto the platform past the eighth matrix, the fifth matrix behind him disintegrated.

There were no platforms left behind him. There were no spell matrixes. There was only dense spiritual energy, forming a foggy sea that enveloped the entire interior of the Legacy zone.

Ahead of Naruto was the ninth matrix, within which was Kabuto, receiving the aid of the Blood Dragon. However, he hadn't emerged from it yet!

"Kabuto!" Naruto's killing intent rose to the heavens. His Nascent Soul stage mastiff followed him as he rushed into the final matrix.

The instant he entered, the platform that he had been on collapsed. However, at that same moment, Kabuto emerged out of the ninth matrix!

As soon as he did, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Blood Dragon looked beleaguered. Obviously their swift passage through the ninth matrix had come at quite a price for the Blood Dragon possessed by the four-thousand-year-old Shimura Clan Patriarch.

"The fact that the destined Legacy successor is here is a good thing. The spell matrix is weakened, which made it much easier to pass through. Daoyi, ascend the sacrificial altar! When you stand before the Blood Immortal, you will become the second generation successor!" The Blood Dragon roared, an expression of unprecedented excitement and anticipation covering its face. If Kabuto acquired the Legacy, then it would be able to enter the Immortal treasure and become the Weapon Spirit. Then, he would never die!

Excited laughter spilled out of Kabuto's mouth.

"This Legacy is mine!" he cried, laughing loudly, his face savage and cruel. The Shimura Clan had paid a heavy price for this Legacy, and he had been appointed to acquire it. In the past, he had truly believed in his heart that he was the person destined to receive the Legacy.

But then Naruto had appeared, and the Patriarch had said what he said. Then the spell matrixes had begun to collapse, without Naruto even striking a blow against them. Kabuto could not deny that this nameless Cultivator was the true destined successor.

But he refused to comply. He refused be resigned to this truth. He would snatch the Legacy for himself!

"I'll take your Legacy and exterminate you!" laughed Kabuto. "I'll wrest away your destiny!" He leaped forward, shooting straight toward the massive, green-colored altar.

Within the ninth matrix, everything was black. There seemed to be no end to it. Buried deep below the surface of the land in this place was a skeleton. The skeleton looked up, and within its empty eyes, a burning light appeared. It seemed to be the fire of hope, piercing up through the earth until it reached Naruto.

"The Legacy of the Blood Immortal has waited countless years for that one certain person to appear…" murmured the skeleton softly. "I hope that in the end, you can avoid treading that path of no return which my Lord the Immortal tread…." The light in its eyes slowly faded into nothing. Its body transformed into drifting ash.

With that, the ninth matrix shuddered, and then split up into countless pieces. Again, massive amounts of spiritual energy poured toward Naruto. This in turn caused Naruto's third Dao Pillar to appear in full!

A third, perfect Dao Pillar!

Naruto had now reached the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage! His Spiritual Sense rapidly increased, far beyond that ordinarily seen at the late Foundation Establishment!

With one more Dao Pillar, he would be at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. That having been said, even though he wasn't at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, his Perfect Foundation made him so strong that he could easily crush someone of the mid Foundation Establishment. Even late Foundation Establishment Cultivators with a Cracked or Fracture foundation were not his match.

Once Naruto formed his fourth Dao Pillar and reach the mid Foundation Establishment stage, the only Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the entire Southern Domain who would be qualified to battle him would be those who had completed the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment, and were on the verge of Core Formation.

People such as that were groomed by various Sects and Clans to be their most powerful disciples. Experts like that were addressed as… Dao Children!

For the most part, they all had Flawless Foundations, and because of their battle prowess, Cultivation bases, and various bits of good fortune, were the top experts in their stage. Yes, these were the Dao Children of the Southern Domain!

Kabuto was a Dao Child of the Shimura Clan. Itachi had also been a Dao Child. These were people who could outclass Chosen. Within each Clan and Sect, there was only one Dao Child per stage!

The instant Naruto's third Perfect Dao Pillar appeared, he strode out onto the platform outside the ninth matrix. Off in the distance, atop the greenish altar, sitting in the stone throne, was a corpse. It slowly lifted its head and looked at… Kabuto!

Its hand lifted to grasp the mask on its face. Then, it began to take off the mask!

* * *

Once the mask came off, the corpse would hand it to the person standing in front of it. That person would be the winner of the Legacy. This mask was the Legacy treasure!

The Blood Dragon next to Kabuto looked excited. It had waited for this day for four thousand years. Once it entered the mask, it would become the Weapon Spirit and would finally be able to leave this place and return to the Southern Domain.

"The Legacy is mine!" said Kabuto, his eyes glittering. However, it was at this exact moment that Naruto stepped out of the ninth matrix. When he saw what was happening, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. His body shot forward at high speed.

After achieving the Perfect Foundation and then entering this place, a strange feeling had appeared inside Naruto. It was as if he was the lord of this Legacy zone. The feeling had grown even stronger after the destruction of the ninth matrix.

Next to him, the three-hundred-meter long mastiff raised its head to the sky and roared. Thanks to its incredible speed, it had arrived here even before Naruto.

"This is my Legacy," said Naruto his eyes flashing. "If I feel like ignoring it, that's my business. But if you think you can just steal it away, well, that will depend on your luck!" He had experience stealing Legacies, and that in itself didn't make him angry. It was his opponent's tactics that pissed him off.

Naruto's desire to slay Kabuto had reached epic heights; utilizing the full power of his Cultivation base, he strode forward, his hand flashing an incantation gesture. The Lightning Flag flew out, as well as two wooden swords which emanated a freezing pressure. They all shot toward Kabuto.

In the same moment, the corpse lifted the mask off of its face, and instantly turned into drifting ash. As the ash drifted out, the hand that held the mask also dissolved. The mask floated toward Kabuto.

Excitement filled Kabuto's face. His right hand lifted up to grab the mask, but the instant he touched it, his hand was shoved away by the mask itself. It wasn't that he couldn't take it, but rather, before he could, it required a Weapon Spirit. Then it would become his.

The instant his hand was shoved away, the Blood Dragon lifted its head in a roar and then shot toward the mask. Currently, the mask had no Weapon Spirit. Whoever entered and took over the mask would assume that role.

As soon as he slammed into the mask, the mask became like a vortex. The Blood Dragon was half way into the mask when suddenly the mastiff roared. The roar created ripples in the entire area, and it sped forward. Ignoring the fact that the Blood Dragon was already in the process of taking over the mask, its three hundred meter long body slammed into it.

The mastiff's body was sucked in as soon as it touched the surface of the mask. Its fight with Danzo Shimura for control of the mask had begun!

"You don't know your own limitations," echoed out the voice of the Danzo. "When I become the Weapon Spirit, I shall consume you!" He had completely entered the mask, and yet, so had the mastiff.

A blinding red light emanated from the mask. And yet, within the redness could also be seen violet! It was as if two brilliant colors were trying to swallow each other up!

Because of this, the mask did not belong to Kabuto, and neither did it belong to Naruto. Which Blood Divinity took over the mask would determine the winner of the Legacy.

Furthermore… a situation in which two Blood Divinities struggled to be the Weapon Spirit was something the Blood Immortal had never imagined could happen. This was completely unprecedented.

There was one thing that was for sure…. Whoever won, mastiff or Blood Dragon, would experience an unimaginable increase in power. At the very least, the winner would break halfway through to Spirit Severing. With the proper Dao enlightenment, the winner could even reach full Spirit Severing!

"It was useless to save that second-rate Blood spirit," laughed Kabuto. "It will just help me to acquire the Legacy!" Naruto approached, and their eyes locked. Now that the Legacy zone was beginning to crumble, at long last the two of them were in the same world together.

Naruto said one sentence: "Killing you will resolve all the issues." He continued to move toward Kabuto.

"That's exactly what I was going to say!" laughed Kabuto. He lifted his right hand, and it blazed with light. In front of him appeared a shining golden war chariot which shot toward Naruto.

Suddenly, a roaring sound filled the air and blood leaked out of Naruto's mouth. He retreated backward. Kabuto's face flickered, and he also retreated, blood spilling out of his mouth. He looked at Naruto, and it was at this moment that the entire Legacy zone began to crumble around them. Cracks appeared all over the surface of the dark green sacrificial altar.

Everything began to split up. Popping sounds could be heard, and from the appearance of everything, it seemed the Blood Immortal would destroy itself and disappear.

Anyone who didn't leave, would be buried along with it!

The struggle inside the mask between the mastiff and the Blood Dragon seemed to be escalating. Originally, the mastiff would never have been a match for the Blood Dragon. But it had been resurrected by absorbing blood from Naruto's Perfect Foundation. This had changed it into something never before seen among Blood Divinities.

The spiritual energy in the area rushed toward the mask, being absorbed by both the mastiff and the Blood Dragon. The difference was, however much the mastiff absorbed, it could use. None of it leaked out. With the Blood Dragon, this was not so.

Amongst the two of them, although the Blood Dragon started out with the upper hand, after a short time had passed, it was still unable to get rid of the mastiff. It also had no way to take control of the Legacy mask.

Seeing this, Kabuto's expression changed, and he retreated. He flicked his wide sleeve in an attempt to snatch the mask, but was again rebuffed violently. With no Weapon Spirit in control of it, no one could dare to take it away!

The Blood Immortal had never predicted such an unusual situation. Normally speaking, one person should arrive to take the mask. The Blood Divinity would be able to take control of the mask within the space of a few breaths, and would become the Weapon Spirit. Then the Legacy zone would begin to collapse, and the winner could take the mask and leave.

Instead, something completely unexpected had occurred, and thus a shocking life-or-death crisis had come to be!

The world was crumbling around them. Down below, a huge vortex had appeared which was swallowing up everything. Nothing that entered could ever come out again. The destruction all around was creating an empty world!

Up above was a glowing shield, upon which ripples were beginning to form. It would only last for so long before it too shattered. This shield was the only exit to the outside world.

Entering that shield was the only way to escape destruction.

No one was in control of the mask. Both parties refused to budge. The mask could not be taken out, and the world was being destroyed. When Kabuto realized what was happening, his expression twisted.

Naruto, on the other hand, was completely calm. He moved backward for a moment, wiping away the blood from his mouth. Then he advanced forward. His three Perfect Dao Pillars emitted a powerful spiritual power, and as he charged ahead, his right hand flickered in an incantation sign. Instantly, a three-hundred-meter long Flame Python roared into being and shot toward Kabuto.

Actually, this was no python, it was a dragon! A roaring, gold dragon, enveloped in scorching flame. Behind it flew a Wind Blade thirty meters long. Burning wind filled the area, enveloping Kabuto.

Up to now in his Cultivation, Naruto hadn't learned very much magic techniques. All of his magical techniques were from the Chakra Condensation stage, and he had none whatsoever from the Foundation Establishment stage. This was one of his weaknesses, and Naruto was well aware of it.

"We will see who is more ruthless…." said Kabuto with a cruel laugh. He could clearly see that the magic being used was unconventional. But he had also already determined that it would be difficult to quickly achieve victory. The true key to victory, was who would stay the longest in this collapsing world. Whoever left first without the mask, would lose any qualification to be the winner of the Legacy.

Kabuto's face was grim. He was a Dao Child of the Shimura Clan. The title of Dao Child was something he had won through pure slaughter. He was out for himself, and would kill without hesitation. As far as stealing good fortune from others, this was something he had done before more than once. He had come from an unremarkable branch of the Shimura Clan to become a Dao Child, far above Chosen.

This was all because of his personality. He arrogantly believed his stubbornness to be one of his greatest assets. Suddenly, a fan appeared in his hand. It was a fan of four colors, and when he waved it, the colors expanded out, slamming into Naruto's Fire Dragon and Wind Blade.

A boom echoed out. The four colors swished out in four directions, transforming into four swords which stabbed toward Naruto.

Kabuto laughed maniacally. His left hand slapped his bag of holding, and eighteen black pearls appeared in his palm. He tossed them toward Naruto, and as they approached, they unexpectedly exploded. Distortions rippled out along with the explosion, causing the crumbling environment to fall apart even faster.

"Still think you're more ruthless than me?" Kabuto's expression was one of pure insanity.

The four colored sword and the attacking distortion bore down upon Naruto's lightning mist. A massive boom exploded out, and Naruto shot backwards several paces. His eyes were filled with a ruthless light. His right hand lifted up, and another three hundred meter long Flame Dragon appeared in the air and flew, not toward Kabuto, but toward the glowing door up above.

"Making this place fall apart quicker isn't ruthless," he said coolly. "Destroying the exit… now that is ruthless. Do you dare to?" The Flame Dragon slammed directly into the glowing door, exploding. The already rippling door began to tear apart. Massive parts of it crumbled into nothing.

Seeing this, Kabuto, who had claimed to be incredibly ruthless, went completely wide-eyed. His heart began to pound.

* * *

Now that he had engaged Kabuto in battle, Naruto could tell that if he had a fourth Dao Pillar, then he would be able to end the fight quite quickly. Now, he desired more than ever to slay Kabuto.

But Kabuto's Cultivation base was at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Furthermore, he was a Shimura Clan Dao Child. He outclassed even Chosen, and would be difficult to kill.

More important than Kabuto, was the mastiff. So far the mask was not under the firm control of anyone. With Kabuto present, it was impossible to say when the struggle would end. And if Naruto wanted to aid the mastiff, he needed to get rid of Kabuto.

And his method… was to destroy the exit!

Below them were churning mists. The collapse of this world was increasing in speed. The vortex roared and grew larger. Soon, the dark green sacrificial altar was more than half sucked into it.

Naruto moved backward, flicking his sleeve. The lightning mist sprang up around him, and then shot toward the rapidly collapsing door.

Kabuto's expression flickered. He clenched his jaw, and a cold look appeared in his eyes. He waved his right hand, and the fan flew up, shooting toward the glowing door. A booming sound filled the air as the door cracked even more under the power of the attack.

After all the destruction, the only thing left of the door was a thirty meter patch. And that patch was rapidly falling apart.

"There's no way you are as ruthless as me," said Kabuto. "I don't believe that you'll sacrifice your life!" His body flashed as he shot forward. His right hand flickered an incantation, then gestured forward. Instantly, a yellow-colored talisman appeared behind him. It shot through his body, increasing in size exponentially as it shot toward the thirty meter wide door.

Naruto's eye glittered coldly. He slapped his bag of holding to produce ten whistling flying swords. They simply could not withstand the power of Naruto's three Dao Pillars, and immediately exploded into pieces.

Amidst the reverberating boom, the thirty meter door shook violently as it disintegrated further. Now, only six meters were left. As for the green-colored sacrificial altar, it was almost completely sucked up by the whirling vortex. Now, the vortex began to rise up toward Naruto and Kabuto.

The entire Legacy zone was on the verge of complete annihilation. Cracks appeared on every surface, and an incredible, deafening roar filled the air.

Above them, the only exit was now growing smaller and smaller. At the moment, there was only three meters left. And yet, Naruto slapped his bag of holding again. Ten flying swords flew out. Kabuto's face fell.

If the swords exploded onto the door, the door, now less than a meter wide, would completely collapse. Kabuto suddenly thought that Naruto had really given up any hope of living, and was resigned to staying in this place forever.

But then Naruto flicked his wide sleeve, and he flew up into the midst of the swords. This made it seem as though he had given up on the idea of staying, and would leave. But as he left, he would destroy the door. Then, even if Kabuto acquired the Legacy of the Blood Immortal, then he would have no way to leave.

A conflicted look appeared in Kabuto's eyes. If Naruto did that, then getting the Legacy would be pointless. He was about to do something to block Naruto, but then he realized that anything he did would most likely send out ripples that would cause the weakened door to break apart.

"If I leave, the Legacy…."

He didn't want to be buried in this place. He was a Dao Child of the Shimura Clan. He had limitless prospects in the future. Losing out on the Legacy of the Blood Immortal wouldn't really change anything. But dying here….

"Compared to my life, the Legacy doesn't count for anything. And who cares about some old Patriarch. Very well. But if someone else gets the Legacy, then they will be buried with it along with this place!" Kabuto's eyes were red as he let out a howl. He leaped up, coughing out a mouthful of blood which splashed over him. He then transformed into a bloody shadow, which increased exponentially in size. He stretched up toward Naruto's flying swords, reaching them, and Naruto, just as they were about to explode. He passed Naruto, and then shot into the door.

Even as he passed into the door, his right hand waved out, and ten black pearls appeared, ready to explode, smashing the door and cutting off Naruto's escape route.

And yet, at the same time, as his right hand was still in the process of leaving through the screen, Naruto took a deep breath and then released a spell that he had been preparing for some time.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex, Body Sealing!" His eyes were crimson as he uttered the words. This was the first time he had ever used the mystical art he had acquired from the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer.

After achieving intellectual enlightenment, Naruto had tried several times to use the spell, but had never succeeded. Then after the deep enlightenment from the magical text in the fifth matrix of the Blood Immortal Legacy zone, everything clicked.

Using his three Perfect Dao Pillars, his fingers flickering, Naruto had the intense feeling that he would succeed this time. The feeling had appeared earlier in his battle with Kabuto, and had continued to grow stronger.

His finger fell, and the entire world shuddered. And yet, it was not actually the world that had shuddered, but Naruto and his finger.

Tiny strands of intangible Chakra appeared that seemed to be somehow connected to the collapsing world. They were everywhere, blended within the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, creating ghost images of the world. It wasn't just Naruto and his finger that shook. In addition to the ghost images of the world, ghost images of Kabuto had also appeared!

Kabuto had not passed all the way through the glowing screen. But now, his body began to tremble and… he stopped moving!

At the same time, the three Dao Pillars within Naruto rapidly grew dim; it seemed that as Naruto's technique took effect, it was using up almost all of the spiritual power he had.

Meg Hao's face grew pale. He waved his right hand, and the lightning mist suddenly spread out, surrounding the ten pearls that were just about to explode. At the same time, the two wooden swords flew out, heading directly toward Kabuto. As for the other flying swords, they lost their spiritual power, and then exploded, sending ripples out in all directions.

A moment passed, and Kabuto was beginning to recover. However, everything had happened so quickly, he was still just staring in shock. His body was already outside, but before he had a chance to do anything else, he let out a blood-curdling howl. He hadn't pulled his right arm through in time! In the blink of an eye, Naruto's wooden swords slashed it off!

Within the Legacy zone, Naruto's face was pale, and he coughed up blood. Everything around him was disintegrating and being sucked into the vortex. The lightning mist made a groaning rumble; it had successfully blocked the exploding attack of the ten pearls, but the glowing door rippled nonetheless, shrinking down to less than two meters in diameter.

Soon the lightning mist was so thin it seemed as if it might fade away; even the sparks of electricity were nearly undetectable. Naruto saw Kabuto escape, minus his arm, and sighed inwardly. Then he turned, and rushed over to the half-violet, half-red mask, inside of which the two Blood Divinities were attempting to consume each other.

At first, the red glow seemed to be winning out. But the instant Kabuto left, it suddenly became weak. Inside the mask, Danzo trembled, his rage billowing up.

"Kabuto!" he roared furiously. In the past, he had been a Cultivator, but now he was incarnated as a Blood Divinity. As such, he had no choice but to follow the only true rule of the ruleless Legacy zone!

The winner of the Legacy must have a Blood Divinity!

Similarly, a Blood Divinity must belong to a Legacy competitor! When a Legacy competitor departed, the Blood Divinity would vanish. Only upon the competitor's return would the Blood Divinity reappear.

However, the Shimura Clan Patriarch had already placed himself in the mask. He didn't disappear, and yet, because Kabuto had fled, he was now weakened. The glow which surrounded him began to fade.

Naruto approached. Ignoring the disintegrating and collapsing around him, he reached out, circulating his three Dao Pillars of his Perfect Foundation, causing all of the power of heaven and earth in the area to rush toward him.

The spiritual energy entered his body and then flowed into the mask, merging into the mastiff. With this assistance, the mastiff's violet glow grew brighter, pressing down on the Blood Dragon that was the Shimura Clan Patriarch, completely cutting off his path of retreat. In that instant, the mastiff's control of the mask exceeded half. And yet, it couldn't completely take it over. Still, the mask could not be taken away.

Danzo couldn't be swallowed up so easily. Despite its dangerous position, it still continued to struggle fiercely.

"If you're impenetrably thickheaded, then the worst thing that could happen is we will all die today," rang out Naruto's voice. Everything around them rumbled thunderously, collapsing into pieces. The glowing exit door was barely more than a meter wide. "If you give in, and let my Blood Divinity take control of the Legacy mask, then I won't permit him to consume all of you. Some of your spirit can remain, and eventually the day will come when you can emerge and transform back into a person! The choice is up to you!"

"What makes you think I'll help you win!?" replied the cruel voice of Danzo. "And what reason do I have to trust you!?" He knew the danger they faced, and also knew that refusing Naruto meant death. But he still didn't want to give in.

"You might not trust me, but you have no other options." Naruto's eyes gleamed.

A moment passed, the space of ten breaths. The surroundings were beginning their final descent into destruction. The vortex was only three meters away from Naruto, swallowing everything up. Above him, the exit was barely a meter wide. A helpless roar sounded out from Danzo.

* * *

As Naruto said, Danzo had no choice but to trust him. If he didn't, he would inevitably die. Trust Naruto, and he had a chance at life. If he didn't trust Naruto, and Naruto left, he would have no chance whatsoever at a continued existence.

Even as Naruto spoke, Danzo knew that his only choice was to stop resisting and allow the mastiff to consume him and take control of the mask. The mask flew into Naruto's hand. He grabbed it, and then shot out through the rapidly shrinking exit.

As he flew out, a booming rang out as the Legacy zone was completely swallowed up by the vortex, gone forever.

In the volcano, Naruto shot through the air in a beam of light, the blood lake and the altar trembling around him. The massive stone head collapsed into fragments that sank into the lake. Within an instant, the lake itself had dried up.

The only thing left was a crater in the ground, as if all of it had been a mere illusion.

Even as the lake dried up, thunderous booms could be heard from overhead. Naruto lifted his head to look at the sky above the volcano. Thunder and lightning filled the air like silver dragons. They formed an enormous mass, as if they desired to smash downward, but instead, were blocked by a blood-red glow. The blood red glow seemed alive, as if it wished to do battle with the Heavens.

It was so far away that Naruto couldn't see it, but what he could see was that… the glowing shield at the mouth of the volcano was disappearing.

"All this strange celestial phenomena will definitely attract attention. I can't stay here!" Gripping the mask in hand, he shot toward Sakura, at the same time sending some Spiritual Sense into the mask.

It had been completely taken over by the mastiff, who was now the Weapon Spirit. Having completely swallowed up the possessed Blood Dragon, the mastiff was now in a state of hibernation. The Shimura Family Patriarch's Cultivation base was incredibly powerful, thanks to his initial incredible strength, added to which was the power of the Blood Dragon he had possessed. Even though the mastiff, also a Blood Divinity, could consume him, he would need quite some time to fully absorb him.

Naruto had no idea how long it would be before it awoke from hibernation. However, he could only imagine what it would be like when it woke up and emerged. It no doubt would have incredible power, which of course would be of immense help to Naruto.

It was asleep for now, but belonged to Naruto. The mask too, completely belonged to Naruto.

Naruto's heart thumped, filled with anticipation. However, because the mastiff was sleeping, he was temporarily incapable of using the mask.

"How long will it sleep…." Naruto took a deep breath. Deep within the mask he also saw a tiny shred of Danzo's spiritual consciousness. It was very weak, as if Naruto could exterminate it with the slightest thought. He considered for a moment, and then decided not to blot it out.

Deep within the mask, he also saw a blood-colored book of scriptures. Next to the blood-colored book of scriptures was a flag with three streamers.

After a moment's examination, Naruto recalled his Spiritual Sense and placed the mask into his bag of the Cosmos. He landed next to unconscious Sakura, who was wrapped up in the black net.

Naruto looked thoughtful as he glanced up at the thunder and lightning outside the volcano. The bloody glow and the glow of the lightning interlocked within the sky. Determination filled his face.

"I can't stay here. I've got to get away. The Tribulation Lightning is here for me, but it's provoked a response from the Blood Immortal's sacrificial altar…." He flicked his wide sleeve to scoop up Sakura. Using the incredible power of his Perfect Foundation's Spiritual Sense, he examined the surroundings. He let out a cold harrumph. In various cracks and fissures in the area, Sakura had hidden quite a few complete minor pills. He collected them together, then flew up and out of the volcano. This was the first time in half a year that he had been able to leave this place. Now that he was able to, his heart filled with anticipation regarding the future.

But the anticipation on his face quickly turned into shock. As he gazed off into the distance, he could clearly see a massive, ancient temple that had the appearance of a war chariot, currently in the midst of bombarding the heavens. Surrounding it were a myriad of figures emitting a shocking aura, locked in combat with the lightning from the Heavens.

The Tribulation Lightning was shocking to the extreme. Even one bolt of it was enough to cause Naruto to fill with a feeling of dread that caused his pupils to shrink.

"So… this is the Tribulation Lightning sent after me?" His heart trembled. He could only imagine what would have happened inside the volcano if he hadn't entered the Legacy Zone after consuming the Perfect Foundation pill. The Tribulation Lightning had attempted to break open the Blood Immortal's Legacy Zone, and in doing so had provoked the Legacy, which sent the Ancient Temple of Doom into war. Had he faced it alone with his Perfect Foundation, he would have been completely destroyed.

Breathing deeply, Naruto shot away as fast as possible, grasping Sakura in tow. His scalp was numb, and he felt incredibly anxious. This was because he had noticed that the blood-red glow was beginning to fade, and the image of the Ancient Temple of Doom was growing indistinct.

Thankfully, the Tribulation Lightning was also beginning to disperse; there seemed to be only one volley left, and then it would be gone.

Actually, to flee to the world outside the volcano wasn't really the best choice; but Naruto had no choice but to do so, and flee as quickly as possible. He knew that the Tribulation from the Heavens would attract widespread notice. Surely there were already many people in the surrounding areas; as soon as the Heavenly Tribulation ceased, the area would be crawling with Cultivators. Under those circumstances, it would be very difficult to escape.

Only if he made his move now, would he be able to take advantage of the chaos.

Exactly as Naruto had suspected, the surrounding area was already filled with nearly a thousand Cultivators, who had been attracted to the area by the Tribulation from the Heavens. Of course, none of them dared to enter the area, instead choosing to watch from a distance. Now that the Tribulation was fading, their eyes began to glitter. It wasn't clear who went first; in an instant, all of them flow forward from all directions, filling the Tribulation zone.

Naruto was fleeing as fast as possible. He suddenly frowned, his eyes flashing. He stopped in his tracks, muttering to himself for the space of a few breaths. Then his eyes filled with determination.

"If I keep going, I'll definitely run into some Cultivators. Their first reaction will be to doubt me…. If I don't continue flying in this direction… Then I can do this!" He turned around. Instead of flying toward the border of the Tribulation area, he headed directly toward its center. This was opposite of his original direction.

He didn't fly quickly, however. And as for Sakura, he had long since deposited her into the bag of the Cosmos. It was not a bag of holding, after all, and its insides were an entire world. It was capable of temporarily holding a living person inside.

Naruto flew along, carefully observing his surroundings. After about the space of about ten breaths, his expression flickered. Ahead of him had suddenly appeared a group of about ten Cultivators. Like prismatic beams of light, they shot through the air toward him.

The group of ten split up. Three or four of them shot forward at top speed, their gazes fixed upon Naruto.

Their gazes immediately passed over him. He gave off the impression that he was doing exactly what they were, searching the Tribulation zone.

Currently, his eyes were fixed on the ground, not looking up toward them. Were it the opposite, they would have moved to bar his way.

It was at this exact moment that the Temple of Ancient Doom completely disappeared. As the bloody-red glow faded away, the thunder and clouds also began to break apart. But… there was one lightning bolt that did not seem willing to abandon its mission. Even as everything disappeared around it, it shot down from the sky, directly toward Naruto.

As it descended, it was clearly fading. However, it was still incredibly fast; it would without doubt fall onto Naruto.

When it landed on him, regardless of how minor the injuries, it would most definitely arouse the notice of the surrounding Cultivators. If they started to make speculations, then Naruto would definitely be in danger.

At the moment, the ten or so Cultivators were gaping in shock as the lightning bolt approached from the distance. They immediately began to retreat.

At this critical juncture, Naruto's mind was spinning. He suddenly let out a hearty laugh. Instead of retreating, he rushed forward. In a loud voice, he said, "So, there are some Tribulation Lightning aftershocks! Finally I, Izuna Uchiha, get some good fortune from the Heavens for me!"

Continuing to laugh, he charged onward. He waved his right hand, and instantly, the lightning mist appeared around him. Amidst the shocked gazes of the surrounding Cultivators, he shot directly toward the Tribulation Lightning bolt.

"Is this guy crazy?"

"He called himself Uchiha. Maybe he's from the Uchiha Clan?"

From their perspective, rather than seeing the Tribulation Lightning seek out Naruto, they saw him rushing toward it. And this was exactly what Naruto wanted.

Boom!

A massive explosion radiated outward. The Tribulation Lightning slammed into the lightning mist surrounding Naruto. A rumbling roar rose up, and Naruto's body trembled. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and within him, his Three Dao Pillars narrowly escaped being destroyed.

This was only one Tribulation Lightning bolt, that had been weakened by who knew how much. Furthermore, it had grown more and more weak is it descended down. Thankfully, it had occurred in this way. Naruto knew in his heart that he had gotten lucky. Without the Blood Immortal sacrificial altar, and without the Temple of Ancient Doom, the moment he had achieved Perfection, he would have perished.

As the Tribulation Lightning dissipated from Naruto's body, it turned into innumerable arcs of electricity, which were then absorbed by his lightning mist. It seemed the Lightning Flag had also been damaged by the Tribulation Lightning. However, it was now able to reinforce itself. The lightning glow increased in intensity, as if it had undergone some sort of baptism.

This left Naruto shocked, but he still managed to let out a loud laugh.

"I didn't come here in vain, after all!" he said, flicking his sleeve and laughing. "With the help of the Tribulation Lightning, my magical treasure has become complete! Excellent! Excellent!" With that, he shot forward, looking for all appearances as if he were seeking more Tribulation Lightning.

"Ah, this guy is refining treasures!"

"Refining treasures with Tribulation Lightning! This Uchiha fellow is really daring!"

"You were only looking at the treasure refining, you weren't looking at him. When the Tribulation Lightning hit him, it was like a baptism. For people who practice Lightning type Cultivation, this kind of thing is extremely beneficial!" The ten Cultivators charged onward, looking for more signs of Tribulation Lightning aftershocks.

* * *

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as the ten Cultivators passed him up. He continued to fly onward, although not as quickly. Soon, the other Cultivators were much further past him. His eyes flickered slightly. He didn't leave, but continued to follow them, looking exactly as if he were seeking the source of the Heavenly Tribulation and, like the rest of the others, more Tribulation Lightning.

"Why did that Heavenly Tribulation come?" said Naruto in the same tone as the others. He looked very thoughtful as he asked, "What is there about this place that provoked it?!"

"Good question! I've never seen Heavenly Tribulation like that before. Don't tell me there was a person here transcending Tribulation? No one has done that since ancient times, although you can read about it in the ancient records…."

"Yeah, it's really weird…"

It was afternoon by the time the Tribulation clouds began to disperse. The midday sun shone over the land. Nearly a thousand people were scouring the area, but couldn't find any clues. Eventually though, they found the volcano.

Before anyone could enter it, three beams of light appeared overhead, each of them three hundred meters wide. Soon three people appeared. No one could see their faces clearly as they flew directly into the mouth of the volcano.

Even though the surrounding Cultivators couldn't see their faces, they could sense the powerful pressure they radiated. Only late Core Formation Cultivators in the Pseudo Nascent Soul stage could emit pressure like that.

Within the large group of people, Naruto's pupils constricted. However, he didn't bat an eyelid. Moments later, the three people flew out from within the volcano. Their eyes swept over the crowd, which allowed everyone to see their appearances clearly.

"It's the Black Cloud Elders!"

"So, it's them. They're the honor guard of the Black Sieve Outer Sect…."

"This place is within the area controlled by the Black Sieve Sect, so for them to appear is nothing out of the ordinary. Now that they're here, there's really no point for us to be here…."

The three old Cultivators wore long black robes, upon which were embroidered flowery cloud shapes. After looking around, the three of them seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Then, a voice rang out.

"This area is sealed. Leave this place!" They sat cross-legged in mid-air as one of the three produced a jade slip. He flicked his sleeve, and the jade slip transformed into a black mist which rose up into the sky.

Naruto lowered his head with a resigned look on his face, just like the surrounding crowd, then began to disperse along with them.

"So, it turns out this place is close to the Black Sieve Sect…." thought Naruto, looking off into the distance. Suddenly, he increased his speed, transforming into a prismatic beam and shooting away. His right hand slapped his bag of the Cosmos, and a jade slip appeared in his hand. He looked at it closely.

"Wow, the wind generated by that roc blew all the way to … the Black Sieve Sect….." Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind of that day back in the Reliance Sect when he had walked along with Elder Sister Hinata.

"I wonder how Elder Sister Hinata is doing?" he thought. He flew along for a few more days. After a while, he suddenly frowned. Spotting a location some distance away, he landed down next to a patch of forest.

His right hand slapped his bag of the Cosmos, and Sakura flew out. Her face was pale, and the instant she appeared, she looked at Naruto with cold eyes. She didn't say a word.

His face calm, Naruto knelt down and ran his hands across her body. Of course, it was impossible not to feel the litheness of her figure. Her eyes widened and fury covered her face.

"What are you doing?!" she cried. But even as the words came out of her mouth, Naruto pulled his hand out from deep within the warmth of her robe to reveal four medicinal pills.

"These pills belong to me," he said, tucking them away. He had long since guessed that Sakura had hidden away some of the Perfect Foundation minor ingredient pills that she had concocted.

Seeing him take away the pills, she let out humph. Her Cultivation base was now restored, but being tied up within the black net, she had no way to free herself.

"As we agreed, I'm going to let you go."

Naruto looked down at her, then waved his right hand. The black net widened, and then flew off of her.

"I told you I would get you out of there, and Naruto never goes back on his word."

Almost the same instant that Naruto took back the black net, Sakura's eyes flashed with a strange light. Her Cultivation base was back at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and now it seemed as if she were about to flash an incantation gesture.

Naruto looked at her indifferently, as calm as ever. Her heart sank, and she said nothing for a moment. A complicated expression appeared on her face.

"The enmity between us is settled," she said, gritting her teeth. "But when we meet in the future, we will still be enemies. As for everything that happened in the volcano, you can never speak of it to anyone. If you do, I will be forced to kill you!" She hadn't been awake for long, and didn't know what had happened regarding the Tribulation or the Blood Immortal Legacy.

But as for her feelings toward Naruto, they were vastly different than what she had felt when she first met him. He looked like he was still at the early Foundation Establishment stage. But the way he stood there so calmly filled her with a powerful dread.

That dread was partly because of what she had experienced during the half year inside the volcano. The other was because of a feeling of imminent danger which rose up from within her heart.

She sensed that if she attacked at this moment, she would be doing something she would regret forever.

Her cold words having been spoken, she suddenly flew up into the air, transforming into a white beam that shot off into the distance. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from him as possible. The events of the past half year in the volcano were now complex memories that would never be forgotten.

Naruto watched her beautiful, slender form slowly disappear. He also thought back to the half year in the volcano. He thought about when her garment had been in rags, revealing her tender, snow-white skin and graceful figure.

He stood there smiling slightly for a moment, before coolly saying, "If you've seen enough, you can come out now."

His voice was met with only silence from the surrounding area. He lifted his right hand, and a three hundred meter long Flame Dragon appeared. Instantly, the entire area filled with blistering heat.

"No, no, no," said an alarmed voice. "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to get excited…." The voice came from the air not too far away. Suddenly, a shimmering figure appeared which then coalesced into a young man. He had a somewhat depraved look to him, and in his hand was a paper talisman. He looked nervously at Naruto.

The Flame Dragon's massive head was staring directly at him, its sinister eyes glowing. It seemed to be covering his every path of escape as it approached.

His expression as normal as ever, Naruto said, "His Excellency has been following me for a while, I'm curious as to his objective." His eyes flashed coldly, causing deep anxiety to well up in the heart of the depraved-looking Cultivator.

His Cultivation base was at the early Foundation Establishment stage. But facing up against Naruto, he felt an incredible pressure bearing down on him. This was especially so because of the three hundred meter long Fire Dragon that Naruto had summoned. His heart shook. From what he could tell, this Fire Dragon seemed to have the power of a Cultivation base of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The Fire Dragon's appearance had basically locked down the entire area, forcing him to reveal himself.

"Senior, I am Chobee from the Golden Frost Sect," he said, his face pale. He quickly held out his identification medallion for Naruto to see. "Fellow Daoist, please, please do not attack. I have no ill intentions. I just happened to see the flag you used to absorb the Tribulation Lightning. I was very excited, and followed you to see if I could have a chance to trade for it."

Having followed Naruto this entire time, of course he'd seen Sakura. He recognized her, obviously, and was shocked. He knew that Sakura was a Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect, and also Sasuke's beloved and fiancé. And yet, he had just observed her wearing mens' clothing, which obviously belonged to the young man who now stood in front of him.

Seeing the complicated look in her eyes, and having heard what she said to Naruto, Chobee of course had experienced countless speculations in his heart as to what was going on.

In fact, he had come to the conclusion that he must have just witness some form of adultery…. This in turn caused him to feel quite nervous. However, it also caused him to feel extremely excited.

"It's adultery!" he thought. "Two adulterers! If the Little Patriarch knew about this, he would be really happy. In fact, he might even give me some kind of reward."

"The Golden Frost Sect," said Naruto, gazing coldly at the depraved-looking Cultivator. He frowned. "Do you know Choji?"

"Choji?" said Chobee, looking surprised. "Uh, you mean Little Patriarch? Of course I know him! Everyone in the Golden Frost Sect knows the Little Patriarch." From the expression Naruto saw when he looked into his eyes, it didn't seem as if he was lying. Naruto felt a tug at his heart.

"How could Fatty have become a Little Patriarch?" he thought to himself. After a moment, his eyes fell to the paper talisman that Chobee held in hand.

Chobee's heart flip-flopped. He hated to part with the talisman. But he forced himself to hand it over.

"Fellow Daoist, please don't take offence. I, Chobee, acted crudely today. Please accept my invisibility talisman as a token of apology for my indiscretion."

Naruto eyed the invisibility talisman, sweeping it over with his Spiritual Sense. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary about it, he accepted it.

"The Golden Frost Sect is based in the State of Frigid Snow," said Naruto coolly, his eyes narrow. "What brings you to this area?"

"The Black Sieve Sect didn't participate in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament," he replied carefully. "Therefore, the Sect dispatched orders to myself and a few others to come here and investigate. Actually, we weren't the only ones. There are people from various other Sects in the area as well. Not long after I arrived, I saw the Tribulation Lightning…" He seemed to be especially emphasizing that he was not alone here in the Black Sieve Sect region.

"Did your investigation produce any results?" asked Naruto placidly.

"This type of thing isn't easy to investigate. Recently, the Black Sieve Sect has been distributing a lot of treasures to attract rogue Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage. After thinking about it for a while, I really think something is wrong with the whole situation."

Naruto's facial expression didn't change. He looked at Chobee for a moment, then without another word, flicked his sleeve and disappeared in a beam of light.

As his figure disappeared over the horizon, Chobee's heart began to relax. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Standing in front of Naruto, he had felt incredible pressure bearing down on him, and had been careful to exercise extreme caution.

Now, he was extremely happy, and his eye shone brightly.

"Adultery! That guy and Sakura committed adultery! She was even wearing his clothes. Haha! I have to get back as soon as possible to tell Little Patriarch about it. This news is going to make him super happy." Back in the Sect, Chobee was somewhat of a gossip and loved to spread news. Having come across what he believed to be an excellent rumour, he immediately flew up into the air, heading back toward the Sect's established rendezvous point.

* * *

A few days earlier….

The Southern Domain. The State of Cloudy Skies.

This nation existed in the centre of the Southern Domain. It encompassed a huge territory, vastly larger than the Five Elements Nation. Even in the Southern Domain, nations like this could be counted on one hand.

Within the State of Cloudy Skies, there were no Sects whatsoever. It was one of those uncommon nations that didn't have Sects. Instead, in this nation, there was a Clan. This Clan was named Uchiha. And this nation… was also named Uchiha!

Male members of the Uchiha Clan who were mortal and could not practice Cultivation became part of the royal family of the State of Cloudy Skies. Those who could practice Cultivation entered the Uchiha Ancestral Mansion.

As for Cultivators without the surname Uchiha, they formed auxiliary branches of the Uchiha Clan. It had been this way for generation after generation.

After Naruto consumed the Perfect Foundation Pill and emerged from the Blood Immortal Legacy zone, a sound could be heard. This sound came from the tenth mountain amongst the Three Thousand Forbidden Mountains within the State of Cloudy Skies. It was the sound of breathing.

The Three Thousand Forbidden Mountains of the Uchiha Clan were not connected. They were dispersed throughout the State of Cloudy Skies. Underneath each mountain was a wooden coffin. Only the most powerful members of the Uchiha Clan could, upon death, be buried underneath one of the Forbidden Mountains.

According to the legends, one of the Uchiha Clan Patriarchs from tens of thousands of years ago was buried in one of the Forbidden Mountains, although no one knew which one.

There were many deep secrets within the Uchiha Clan, many of which the five great Sects only had general information about. Clues could be found in the ancient records, but the Uchiha Clan secrets were just endless, and their history too deep. According to the legends, they came from the stars….

Right now, within the tenth mountain, was a world of crimson light, the glow of blood and of fire. Here was a boiling sea that it seemed could never be extinguished within ten thousand years. Deep within the recesses of this volcano was a red coffin.

The coffin had no cover. Resting inside was an old man. His face was covered with wrinkles, and his body was skinny and shrivelled, as if he had been dead for a very, very long time. And yet, no death aura whatsoever emanated off of the corpse.

In fact, his eyes eyes slowly opened, and when they did, the peaceful sea of fire… suddenly began to move. It was not burning higher; in fact, the broiling heat seemed to reduce a bit.

"I feel…. A Perfect aura…." murmured the old man. His voice was extremely hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a very long time. When he did speak, the entire tenth mountain began to rumble.

This rumbling immediately drew the attention of the elder members of the Uchiha Clan. Multiple figures suddenly emerged from within the Uchiha Ancestral Mansion.

These old Clan members' faces were filled with excitement; based on their understanding, within the tenth mountain was one of their Patriarchs!

"Perfection…." said the person inside the coffin, his eyes flashing with a mysterious light.

When his eyes flashed, the roaring of the tenth mountain grew more intense. The group that had come from the Uchiha Ancestral Mansion all saluted respectfully.

"Prepare three thousand Rebirth Stones!" said the old man in the coffin, his voice echoing out of the tenth mountain. "The time has come for me to reincarnate!" When they heard this, the group of old Clan members' faces grew even more excited.

"At the peak of the Dao Seeking stage, I sealed my Cultivation base. At first, I thought that like members of the elder generation, I could only struggle on death's door, gazing at Immortality and sighing, ignorant and unable to take those final steps. I couldn't step into the stars, and return to my Clan members…." A slight smile appeared on the shrivelled face of the old man. The smile seemed to be filled with an intense, ghastly strangeness.

"But now… I have hope…." His smile grew wider, and his eyes shone even more powerfully.

"The legendary Founder of the Uchiha Clan passed down a truth of the Dao from generation to generation. He was born mediocre. But one year, he was able to wrest away someone's Foundation Establishment, and thus tread the path of a powerful expert…. Then he became a legend.

"Now, a Perfect Foundation has appeared. I too shall tread the path of the legendary Founder. I shall wrest away Perfection, and then take the next step, Immortal Ascension!

"Except… this person's Cultivation base is too weak. It's not sufficient to sustain my Immortal Ascension. I must wait a bit longer, just wait a bit, wait…." Within the coffin, the old man's smile grew more vigorous. Then, after a while, he closed his eyes. The sea of fire within the tenth mountain once again dared to rekindle its inextinguishable flames.

Several days later, underneath a seemingly endless, cloudless sky.

A bright, greenish beam of light shot through the air. This was Naruto, slicing through the sky. As for Chobee, Naruto had known all along that the young man was following him, but let him go anyway. Of course, there were some things that he shouldn't have heard, which Naruto prevented him from hearing. In any case, he was connected to Fatty somehow, so he'd let him go.

"It took a lot of Spirit Stones to concoct the Perfect Foundation Pill. I still have some left, but not many…." Naruto frowned, examining his bag of the Cosmos and letting out a sigh.

"Before I entered the Cultivation world, I was running low on silver. After I became a Chakra Condensation Cultivator, I was always running low on Spirit Stones. Now I've reached Foundation Establishment, but… I'm still running low on Spirit Stones." His brow furrowed as his longing for Spirit Stones was once again kindled. Now that his Cultivation practice had reached this level, his need for Spirit Stones was even greater.

"And then there's the poison of the three-colored Resurrection Lily. If I can't dispel it, it's going to be a real problem." His frown deepened.

"Furthermore," he muttered to himself, "even though I'm much more powerful now that I have a Perfect Foundation, I'm cut off from heaven and earth. I have no way to absorb spiritual energy… the only way to get it is by consuming pills. I can't keep doing that forever…." But, he had been prepared for that. Given a second chance, he would definitely chose to consume the Perfect Foundation Pill.

"You win some, you lose some. It's fair." Naruto lifted his head. Smacking the bag of the Cosmos, he retrieved the blood-colored mask. A warm feeling filled his heart.

"Despite my current situation, at least I acquired the Blood Immortal Legacy. Now I just have to wait for the mastiff to wake up. Then everything will be a bit better." His eyes shone with anticipation. He cast his Spiritual Sense deep into the blood-colored mask. He could sense the mastiff's slumbering form. Though he had no idea when it might awaken, he could sense a powerful pressure emanating from it, a pressure which was continuing to grow more powerful.

"And then there's this flag." Naruto's eyes flashed. His Spiritual Sense fell onto the dilapidated flag of three streamers. His Spiritual Sense entered it, only to find that it was like an ocean. Compared to it, Naruto's Spiritual Sense was incredibly small. He had no way whatsoever to do anything with it.

However, he was able to sense an incredibly might within it like that of the Heavens; it seemed mighty enough to lay waste to heaven and earth.

"My Cultivation base isn't sufficient…. Even though this treasure is somewhat broken down, it was still inside the Blood Immortal's Legacy zone. It must be extremely valuable. When my Cultivation base is strong enough, I'll be able to use it, and I'm sure it will be powerful enough to shock the Heavens." Palpitating with anticipation, he withdrew his Spiritual Sense. It was then that he caught sight of the character written on the third streamer, Hebi 季.

"Why does it have the character Hebi on it? Is it a family name?" He thought about it for a bit, then focused his attention on the Scroll of the Blood Immortal Legacy. The instant he looked at it, he felt as if his head were about to be split in half.

To the average person, this pain would be excruciating, and difficult to bear. But to Naruto, it was nothing compared to the anguish he suffered during his poison flare-ups. His expression flickered somewhat, but as he focused on the splitting pain in his head, he caught sight of a special technique.

"Spirit Devouring Scripture!" Naruto's heart trembled as the three blood-colored characters appeared in front of him and branded themselves indelibly onto his mind.

Naruto's head began to thrum as it was filled with an ancient voice. It was impossible to say whether the voice was male or female. "If you Cultivate according to my scripture, you can wrest control of Spirit and blood and fuse them into your body. Refine them into a body of blood, Spirit of blood, a Blood Immortal, a Blood Dao!

"There are countless Cultivation methods in heaven and earth. The bloodline of my Legacy stretches back to the powerful first Founder. The bloodline contains his will, and can be passed on to tens of thousands of generations. When the bloodline is awakened in the descendants, they shall possess latent talent!

"My technique can be used to wrest away latent talent, and then sense the almighty will of the Founder. Refine the body, make the latent talent yours. Some have even tried to bring the ghost of the Founder into the world, to destroy Immortals and devils!

"Practicing Cultivation according to the technique of my Legacy is an insult to the Heavens. But fear not ghosts and divinities; overturn the vault of the Heavens with the flip of a hand, lower your head to cause heaven and earth to mourn!" Slowly a scripture came to be branded onto Naruto's mind. Then a vast amount of miscellaneous information about the mask poured into his head.

"I am the Blood Immortal. My whole life was spent battling the Heavens. I met defeat only thrice! I wrested Spirits away from heaven and earth. Because I desired to wrest away the bloodline of Ji, the Heavens shunned me and longed for my destruction. My body could be destroyed, but not my will!

"I was not willing to give in because of three defeats. Therefore, I created three techniques: the Blood Finger, the Blood Palm, and the Blood Death World!

"Descendants of the Legacy of my Dao, do not forget that you must wrest away the bloodline of Ji! Make the Dao of Heaven weep, and the earth mourn! Remember the techniques of the Blood Immortal, the Nine Killing Magics!

"Remember, the day your Dao is achieved, put on my mask and hoist the flag of three streamers. Defy the ancients, topple the Heavens!

"Without a face, a single word, the flames of war unify

"Sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that fill the sky

"Capture the gods, advance the troops, fire consumes the towers

"Forge all spirits and bloodlines into the 9 killing powers!"

Naruto's body trembled and he opened his eyes. He was still flying through the sky, above a vast empty space, and barren mountains. His eyes continued to swim, and his mind echoed with the archaic voice.

"Wrest away bloodline, achieve success. The strength of the bloodline is up to the glory of the Founder…. Wrested latent talent of the bloodline, can be refined into a body of blood… a body refined outside the body…

"No one person can hold the power of an entire bloodline. The blood of three generations is required to refine even a minor blood clone. If six generations of bloodlines are congealed, then a magnificent blood spirit can be achieved. If nine generations of blood, then the Great Circle of the blood spirit can be completed!

"The ancestors determine the strength of a bloodline. The stronger the past generations, the stronger the Blood Spirit!

"Thus, it becomes death. Nine bloodlines, nine experts. They become the nine deaths, nine deaths fused into one. This is… the Blood Dao!" Naruto panted, his mouth dry. At the moment, he was no longer flying. He had landed onto a barren mountain, where he now sat cross-legged, feeling the Spirit Devouring Scripture pulsing through his head.

This was the complete scripture, the full Legacy. But within the Legacy was something that filled Naruto with the reek of blood. He sat in thought for a long time before his eyes began to shine.

"Without a face, a single word, the flames of war unify

"Sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that fill the sky

"Capture the gods, advance the troops, fire consumes the towers

"Forge all spirits and bloodlines into the 9 killing powers!"

"There are four magics within…." Naruto was thoughtful for a while before looking down at the mask in his hand. The mask was completely featureless, with no eyes, nose, ears or mouth. As he looked at it, his hand began to grow warm, and his eyes shined. It seemed as if he were about to put the mask onto his face.

As the mask neared his face, it grew warmer, and began to squirm. A bloody aura emanated from it. Just as Naruto was about to place it on his face, the copper mirror within his bag of holding suddenly let out a sharp sound that was like the call of a bird.

The birdcall entered Naruto's mind, and his heart trembled. The light in his eyes suddenly became clear, and he suddenly put the mask down. His eyes filled with a hard look.

"Are you looking to die, you discarnate soul?!"

* * *

As Naruto uttered the words, his left hand flickered in an incantation gesture. He pressed a finger onto his solar plexus, and some blood from his Cultivation base seeped out of his mouth. This blood was very precious; Cultivators could only produce so much of it. But Naruto didn't hesitate. He wiped the Cultivation blood off of his lips with a finger, then pressed the finger onto the mask.

According to the Spirit Devouring Scripture branded onto his mind, this was a simple method to take control of the mask.

His finger sank inside, deep into the mask's recesses. It pushed very far back, into a distant corner. There, face gloomy and uncooperative, was Danzo.

"Your will is weak!" cried Danzo shrilly. "Therefore, the mask tried to bewitch you!"

Naruto's finger paused before Danzo. His eyes were cold, and he said nothing. After a moment, he pushed down, causing Danzo to let out a shrill, depressed groan. His body grew dim as he was pressed down; it seemed as he might fade away.

"In the outside world, I could destroy you countless times over with a single finger!" roared Danzo furiously. Filled with stubborness, he glared out with fading eyes. Naruto's finger paused, then slowly moved back. But then, just when Danzo was heaving a sigh of relief, it pushed back down onto him.

Another miserable cry rang out, not depressed, but anguished. Danzo's body wasn't just growing dim, it was now draining Blood Chakra. He looked incredibly dismal. However, he continued to hold his head up and glare at Naruto's finger.

"Was I bewitched by the mask itself, or were you secretly guiding it?" asked Naruto coolly. "We're both well aware of what happened. These two finger attacks are punishment, and the repercussions have not disappeared. If it happens again, then I, Naruto, will be forced to break our agreement and obliterate you from existence." He pulled his finger back. Danzo might look strong-willed on the surface, but was actually very perturbed on the inside. Fear lingered in his heart because of Naruto's ruthless tactics.

Just now, he really had taken advantage of Naruto's period of enlightenment regarding the Spirit Devouring Scripture. He had secretly used some special methods to influence the mask and try to get Naruto to wear it. Just when he thought he had succeeded, Naruto had come to his senses.

"This discarnate soul is very strange," said Naruto, glancing at the mask. "It's not because of the Blood Divinity, there must be some other reason." Having removed his finger, he squeezed some blood to drop onto the spirit of Danzo.

As the blood descended, it turned into a blood mist, which then enveloped Danzo. Miserable screams echoed out. Naruto's expression was as usual. He pulled back his Spiritual Sense, allowing Danzo to continuously wail inside the mask.

A part of the Legacy Naruto had acquired was a warning from the Blood Immortal. Now he knew that he should not put the mask on casually. If he did, he might lose himself. The Blood Immortal hadn't even explained the origin of the mask, and it seemed to have countless changes within it.

However, wearing it had many advantages. Many of the techniques and magic of the Blood Immortal Legacy could only be used while wearing the mask. For example, the four great magics.

Unfortunately, without a Core Foundation Cultivation base, the mask could not be worn under any circumstances.

That having been said, the techniques created by the Blood Immortal after his three defeats—the Finger, the Palm, and the Death World—did not require the use of the mask. Instead, they had been branded onto Naruto's mind.

"Even though I'm the winner of the Legacy, I couldn't control the power of the mask just now. And yet that discarnate soul could…. The mastiff clearly took over the mask and became the Weapon Spirit, so how could the discarnate soul have done it?" Naruto's expression didn't change, but this issue was certainly weighing on his heart. It was one of the reasons why he hadn't simply slain Danzo.

Putting the mask back into his bag of the Cosmos, Naruto sat silently in thought. He looked around carefully, then took out the copper mirror. Holding it in his hands, he examined it carefully.

If it weren't for the noise from the mirror just now, Naruto most certainly would have put on the mask. He wasn't sure what would have resulted, but considering the warning of the Blood Immortal, he couldn't help but feel a bit of fear in his heart.

"The sound just now was just like the call of a bird…." He looked at the copper mirror for a while, and even sent his Spiritual Sense into it. But nothing happened, so after some time passed, he put it back. Then, he lifted up the good luck charm he had acquired from Patriarch Reliance.

He had studied it in the past to no avail. But this time, as he held it in his hand, he rotated his Cultivation base and sent some spiritual energy into. Suddenly, his eyes gleamed.

"So, it does have a function…. I wonder how Elder Sister Hinata is doing nowadays. I haven't seen her for so many years, I wonder if she'll remember me?" An image coalesced in Naruto's mind of Hinata's cold demeanor as she talked about the Cosmetic Enhancement Pill. A warm look appeared on his face.

"It's been so many years…." Naruto slowly raised his head and looked off into the distance. A long time passed before he rose to his feet and flew off of the barren mountain, heading off into the distance.

Half a month later. A walled city within the Black Sieve Sect territory. A bustling city of Cultivators. A young man sat in an inn, dressed in long, black scholar's robes. He sipped from a cup of alcohol he held in his in hand. Occasionally he would lift his head to look out the window toward the city center, and the towering black pagoda there that rose up into the sky.

This young man's skin was a bit dark, but his demeanor was scholarly and refined. He had delicately chiselled features that, coupled with his scholar's clothes, truly gave him the air of a mortal intellectual.

He had a simple but elegant gait, with bright eyes that were filled with intelligence. His lips were pursed in a way that seemed to indicate he was not easy to approach.

This was none other than Naruto. He had arrived in this place a few days ago to confirm the widely spread rumours regarding the Black Sieve Sect.

He wanted to go see Hinata, but obviously couldn't just directly go looking for her. Instead, he figured he would take advantage of the gathering of rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators called by the Black Sieve Sect. He wasn't sure exactly when the gathering was to take place, but he'd decided to come ahead to gather some information before making any final decision.

"I never imagined that there would actually be a Sky Tower here…." he muttered to himself, his eyes sweeping over the black pagoda off in the distance.

Before, he had assumed that Sky Towers only existed in the cities of mortal. But here one was, right in this city of Cultivators.

He looked quietly at the Sky Tower for a while, then put down his cup of alcohol. In his hand appeared an ancient piece of jade, covered with cracks. It wasn't the Demon Sealing jade, but rather the good luck charm Naruto had taken from Patriarch Reliance.

He had studied it several times in the past but hadn't been able to determine its use. After establishing a Perfect Foundation, however, he had been able to reach some conclusions based on various clues.

"This good luck charm can actually shift a person's location…. it's like a random teleporter. Unfortunately, it's covered with cracks, and can only be used a few times." He turned the good luck charm over and over in his fingers. By casting his Spiritual Sense into, he could sense it emanating its teleportation ability.

"There is no set teleportation destination. In other words, once used, the good luck charm could send me anywhere. I can't just test it out randomly." He glanced over the good luck charm again, then put it away. Considering his experience with the roc, he didn't want to be taken anywhere beyond his control. Who knew what terrible situation he might find himself in?

As he sat in thought, more and more Cultivators began to fill up the inn. This place only sold one type of alcohol, brewed from bamboo. It didn't burn in the mouth, but upon sliding down the throat, it let off a burning heat. Once in the stomach, it burned even hotter, causing the whole body to heat up. Such a feeling is hard to describe. If you liked such a feeling, then you would end up loving it; if you didn't like it, you wouldn't be willing to drink a drop.

Not far from Naruto, a group of Cultivators was conversing in low voices.

"Everyone's being a bit more cautious than usual. There's a lot of unfamiliar Foundation Establishment Cultivators around lately…."

"That's right. They're all rogue Cultivators, fishes and dragons mixed together. In fact, I saw a guy a few days ago who had intense killing intent. I think he must be a savage Cultivator from the Black Lands."

"They're all here for the reward posted by the Black Sieve Sect. The Black Sieve Sect really didn't hold anything back. They're offering Sieve Earth Pills. Those are one of the five most effective pills for the Foundation Establishment stage. It's even said that Grandmaster Pill Demon from the Violet Fate Sect sings its praises. No one outside of the Black Sieve Sect can concoct it."

"It's not that they can't, it's that they're not able. Each Sieve Earth Pill is inscribed with a talismanic seal. Regardless of person or Sect, if any attempts to concoct it, they will face the threat of extermination by the Black Sieve Sect."

From their tone, it was obvious that they coveted the Sieve Earth Pills. In the midst of their discussion, someone entered from outside. It was a young man wearing a black robe. His expression was ice cold, and as he stepped foot into the inn, his gaze swept the crowd before he took a seat in the corner. He produced a chip of iron about the size of a fingernail, which he fiddled with as he sat there thinking, occasionally looking around the room.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He lifted his cup to his mouth and took a drink.

He had been sitting there an entire day. Outside, the sun filled the sky with its glow. He had heard quite a bit about about the Black Sieve Sect's gathering of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Anyone Cultivator of the Foundation Establishment stage could participate and receive a Sieve Earth Pill, regardless of background or heritage.

"Anyway, back to the point. What exactly is the Black Sieve Sect trying to accomplish? They're one of the dignified five great Sects of the Southern domain. Why are they gathering so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators? There's obviously something strange going on. To offer up Sieve Earth Pills shows that whatever it is, it's obviously incredibly dangerous!"

"Brother Sun, your information is a bit out of date. According to the rumors that I heard, the Black Sieve Sect discovered the site of an ancient battlefield. They've already tried to search it a few times, but were resisted by some ancient spell. If they can get enough Foundation Establishment Cultivators to replace the eye of the spell, then they can break through. Obviously, it's incredibly dangerous."

"All of the rumors are just hearsay. Ancient battlefields are always incredibly inauspicious. No wonder the Black Sieve Sect is offering up Sieve Earth Pills!"

Although their voices were low, and not very clear within the inn, considering Naruto had three Perfect Dao Pillars and could hold his own against the late Foundation Establishment Stage, hearing the conversation of these individuals was not difficult.

A Perfect Foundation was a legend that had not appeared for tens of thousands of years. Once he reached the mid Foundation Establishment stage, he would be a match for Dao Children of the various Sects and Clans.

That having been said, having a Perfect Foundation was very dangerous. This danger came when it came time to pass into Core Formation. During that time, the Heavenly Tribulation would be incredibly powerful, far more powerful than that of the Foundation Establishment stage. Naruto wasn't sure if he could pass through it. After all, if he hadn't been assisted by the Blood Immortal and the Ancient Temple of Doom, then he surely would have perished under the Tribulation Lightning.

"Well, Core Formation Tribulation is very far away. I can think about it now, but I shouldn't worry too much." Naruto took another drink from his glass. A warm, burning sensation filled his body. Naruto thought about the information from Gato's turtle shell, which described the Perfect Foundation and the Perfect Gold Core.

"I wonder, when I reach Core Formation, will I be able to refine a Perfect Gold Core? What will that be like?" He hesitated for a moment, then put the matter aside. However, he had decided that he would begin to gather the ingredients needed to refine a Perfect Gold Core.

Dusk was approaching, and there were few Cultivators left in the inn. Naruto was just about to get up and leave, when suddenly his expression changed. He turned his head, looking further back into the inn. There in the corner, was the black-robed young man. He was no longer frowning, but instead, was staring coldly at Naruto. A killing aura slowly emanated from him, surrounding him and transforming into what seemed like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"You have something I need," he said coldly, his eyes fixed on Naruto.

* * *

As his cold voice rang out, the black-robed young man stood up. He strode forward to stand in front of Naruto's table. He stared at him coldly for a moment, then sat down.

Naruto's expression was calm as he looked at the young man. He said nothing, instead raising the cup and taking another drink.

"You have a Thunderclap Leaf!" said the black-robed young man, looking at Naruto . He lifted his right hand revealing a chip of iron laying on his palm. It glinted and emitted a blackish green glow.

"This is not ordinary iron," he continued coolly, his bearing insufferably proud. "This is a treasure of wood-iron, birthed at the moment a tree was struck by lightning. It is especially sensitive to lightning-based medicinal materials, such as the Thunderclap Leaf. So, do you want to trade your Thunderclap Leaf?" He placed the chip of iron onto the table. The movement seemed ordinary, but as his hand moved, a glow burst out from his palm, which transformed into an arc of electricity that expanded out.

The young man was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. As the arc of electricity spread out, his Cultivation base enveloped the area, including Naruto.

Killing intent slowly roiled out of him. It seemed as if Naruto were to even say half of the word "No," the young man would attack. His eyes glowed with coldness.

"Screw off," said Naruto indifferently, taking a sip of alcohol.

The instant he said this, the black-robed young man frowned.

"I haven't left the Black Lands for quite a few years. It seems people in the outside world have gotten really arrogant." A cold smile twisted the corners of his mouth as he slowly began to lift up his right hand. Naruto raised his head and looked at him.

As soon Naruto's eye met the young man, the young man's entire body began to tremble. The hand which he had begun to lift up instantly stopped moving. He didn't dare to lift it any further. His heart began to beat quickly. Naruto's eyes were like two sharp swords which pierced his own. His heart thundered, and his head roared. His Spiritual Sense seemed unstable, and an icy coldness seemed to grow within him, causing cold sweat to cover his body.

No killing intent radiated from his eyes; instead, it was replaced by astonishment. The pressure exuded by Naruto had caused the black-robed youth's body to instantly become stiff.

All of this was caused by a mere look from Naruto. This young man was not a Cultivator of the State of Clear Skies, but rather a savage Cultivator from the Black Lands. To him, bloody life-and-death battles were commonplace, so he had a sort of intuition when it came to matters of life and death. In this instant, he had a strong feeling that the person in front of him was not a Cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but some savage Spirit who could swallow him whole.

The intense coldness multiplied, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. His heart beat rapidly, and he even felt as if his Cultivation base were being suppressed. His face fell, and he didn't dare to move.

The entire time, Naruto looked completely calm. Even though the person in front of him had emitted a killing aura, and was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, it wouldn't take very long to slay him. Naruto put down his cup of alcohol. The a final glance at the black-robed youth one last time, he rose, flicking his sleeve and leaving the inn.

As he left, the black-robed young man's eyes suddenly flickered. He turned to look at Naruto's departing figure, his heart still fluttering with fear. A moment ago, he had been completely and utterly suppressed. It was not battle magic that had done it, but pure Spiritual Sense.

"What kind of Cultivation base does this guy actually have?" thought the black-robed youth, his face flickering. "It looks like Early Foundation Establishment, but his Spiritual Sense exceeds mine exponentially…. And although I couldn't sense any killing intent, as soon as he looked at me, my mind began to tremble." As Naruto disappeared into the distance, he suddenly stood up and began to walk after him.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!" he blurted, "Senior, I am Suigetsu. Please, Fellow Daoist, hear me out." He hastened forward, nearing Naruto. His attitude was completely different than from before.

"I'm willing to pay for that Thunderclap Leaf," Suigetsu gushed as he approached Naruto. "If you can make yourself part with it, Fellow Daoist, I would be extremely grateful. Whatever you want for it, I'll give, as long as I have it. Let's talk it over." The pressure exuded by Naruto was considerable, but the Thunderclap Leaf was very important to Suigetsu, so he really had no other choice.

Naruto frowned, ignoring Suigetsu and proceeding forward.

"Fellow Daoist, I beg of you. No matter how many Spirit Stones, magical items or medicinal pills, I'm willing to negotiate. If I don't have what you want, I can think of a way to acquire it to offer in trade." He watched as Naruto continued to walk off toward a relatively remote area. This caused him to be a bit nervous; he knew that he had started out on the wrong foot, so, fearful that Naruto might suddenly attack him, he decided not to say anything more to provoke him.

"Fellow Daoist… are you here for the Sieve Earth Pills of the Black Sieve Sect?" he asked resolutely. "Nowadays it's not hard to get your hands on them, but to get away safely is a different matter. Fellow Daoist, if you're willing to have a business discussion regarding parting with your treasure, I can refer you to a disciple of the Black Sieve Sect. This disciple has information about the Black Sieve Sect that outsiders could never know, it will definitely increase your chances of getting away safely with your Sieve Earth Pill." As the words left Suigetsu's mouth, Naruto continued walking. They were now in a remote, abandoned alley.

"Fellow Daoist, senior," Suigetsu said with a forced smile. "I very much wish to acquire the Thunderclap Leaf. It's very important to me. Is there anything you would be willing to trade for it?" His pace slowed a bit.

Naruto suddenly stopped and turned. He looked at Suigetsu. There was neither happiness nor anger in his expression.

"Take out your wood-iron treasure and let me see it," said Naruto coolly. His eyes flashed brightly.

When Suigetsu saw Naruto turn, it startled him. Without a word, he produced the wood-iron treasure and offered it toward Naruto. The iron chip flew toward Naruto, who grabbed it out of the air. He sent some Spiritual Sense into it. Immediately, he was able to sense the Thunderclap Leaf within his bag of the Cosmos. It emitted an aura of lightning that the iron chip absorbed. The iron chip then began to glitter.

"So, he's not lying," thought Naruto. "But, the whole thing seems a bit too coincidental." He now knew that Suigetsu had used the iron chip to track him down because of the Thunderclap Leaf. But given his cautious personality, he still had some doubts.

"I do happen to have a Thunderclap Leaf. If you want to trade, then you'll need to give a clear explanation of what you plan to do with it." He waved his right hand, tossing the wood-iron treasure back to Suigetsu.

The Thunderclap Leaf was something that Naruto had acquired from Patriarch Reliance. And in fact, he had acquired not just a leaf, but an entire tree. It had been protected by a restrictive spell cast by Patriarch Reliance. However, Naruto wasn't sure of its exact use. All he knew was that the Lightning Flag could be used to envelop and protect the Thunderclap Leaves.

"Well…." Suigetsu hesitated a moment, looking at Naruto with a hint of irritation. Finally, he gritted his teeth and continued. "Senior, I have a life magic that can be refined from stone from the Lightning Fringe Mountains. In order to release its full power, I have spent the past few years searching everywhere for various Lightning-type items. However, none of them can compare to the Thunderclap Leaf. It's just that Thunderclap Leaves are very rare, so when I sensed yours, I was too eager, and accidentally offended you." In order to prove the reliability of his words, he pressed down on the pit of his stomach; an electric flow emerged from his mouth, which then transformed into a fist-sized rock. The rock was black, and its surface was encircled with arcs of electricity as well as tiny plant-like vines that resembled rattan.

"So, what was that you were saying about the Black Sieve Sect?" said Naruto coolly.

"I can help you find someone from the Black Sieve Sect," he gushed. "They don't usually interact with strangers. If you pay this person a little bit, you can find out the reason why the Black Sieve Sect has arranged the gathering of Cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist, if you're willing to trade me your Thunderclap Leaf, then I can take you to a secret meeting with me tonight. There will be about seven or eight other Fellow Daoists there, along with a prestigious member of the senior generation to act as host. Not only can you trade magical items, you can also trade information.

"One of the people there is a Black Sieve Inner Sect disciple.

"Fellow Daoist, please believe me. Nowadays, the State of Clear Skies has a bunch of dragons and snakes all jumbled together. There's good people and bad people all over the place. Cultivators from all sorts of Sects and Clans are here. Furthermore, there are many factions within the Black Sieve Sect. Of course there will be conflicts between them. Therefore, news is bound to spread. It's normal. Of course there's sure to be some bad information, but if all the information was fake, then no one would believe anything. So of course there will be some good information out there as well.

"You really will have to make your own judgement about that, and to trust your intuition."

"Let me think about it for a bit," said Naruto, his face the same as ever. "If I make a decision, I'll notify you." It was impossible for anyone to tell what he was thinking. He threw a jade slip to Suigetsu, who was about to continue to try to persuade him. Before he could, Naruto left the alley, walking quickly away and soon disappearing. Suigetsu had no choice but to watch him leave. But then, his eyes began to shine.

"The Constellation Priest of the The Black Lands Sect sure charges an arm and a leg, but what he said was mostly true. I really was able to sense the Thunderclap Leaf in this place…. But now that I've found it, I have to think of some way to get it. Of course, since I infected this guy with my Chakra Parasite, he'll never be able to get away from me!

"With the Thunderclap Leaf, I can refine the legendary Eyeless larva!" He held the jade slip in hand, his eyes glittering. Of course he hadn't explained to Naruto the true details of how he planned to use the Thunderclap Leaf. Lost in thought, Suigetsu turned and left.

What he hadn't noticed was that behind him was an invisible phantom figure, in whose hand was a flying insect about the size of a fingernail. It was trapped, unable to fly. The figure stood a short distance away from Suigetsu, looking at him coldly. As Suigetsu left, the figure followed him.

This phantom was none other than Naruto, who had left, but had returned shortly afterward. He was using the invisibility talisman to secretly follow Suigetsu through the dark, starry night. Occasionally Suigetsu would take out the jade slip Naruto had given him. His face was gloomy as he eventually reached what appeared to be an ordinary mansion within the city. He knocked three times on the door, which then automatically slid open. Ripples seemed to spread out from the door as he entered.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Naruto saw four or five more Cultivators approaching. It was hard to tell whether they were men or women, but they were all of the Foundation Establishment stage. One was even of the late Foundation Establishment stage. Their faces were wrapped up, and they hurried along to the mansion, using the same method as Suigetsu to gain entrance.

Naruto's eyes glittered. With the twist of a finger, he crushed the bug in his palm, then ripped up the talisman that concealed him. He flicked his sleeve, changing into a new set of clothing. He donned a wide bamboo hat and then covered his face with a cloth mask. Then, he walked toward the mansion.

* * *

Naruto approached the mansion, lifted his hand, and knocked three times on the door. The door open inwardly without a noise. Inside, everything was pitch black. There seemed to be some kind of black-colored shield in place.

Looking at it, Naruto could see magical ripples on its surface, but nothing that indicated it would attack him. It was simply designed to control which Cultivators could enter. Naruto observed it for a moment, thinking back to the several people who had arrived before him. He quickly understood.

"This prevents anyone other than Foundation Establishment Cultivators from entering." His face calm but covered by the bamboo hat, he strode forward into the shield.

Within the space of a few breaths, a soft glow appeared, shining into his eyes. He now stood outside of what appeared to be the palace of a mortal prince.

The palace was grand and imposing, like some enormous creature lying prone on the earth. It had a very solemn air to it. Outside the palace stood an old man wearing a Daoist robe. His expression was placid, and his Cultivation Base was at the late Foundation Establishment stage. When he saw Naruto, he approached, eyes shining.

He looked Naruto over and then quietly said, "Please produce your invitation slip, Fellow Daoist. If you have no invitation slip, then your Sect identification medallion will do."

Naruto's eyes flickered beneath his bamboo hat. Without a word, he waved his hand and a medallion flew forward to land in the old man's hand. The old man looked at it, and suddenly a look of respect appeared in his eyes. He handed the medallion back with two hands.

"So, you're from the Violet…"

Naruto coughed, and the old man stopped talking. Without another word, he stepped back with a slight bow, allowing Naruto to continue.

Naruto took the medallion back and strode past the old man into the palace. The medallion was the same one he had taken from Obito. This was his second time going under an assumed name, and he was a bit more used to it this time.

He knew that this place would be a jumble of dragons and fish, quite chaotic. If they were really strictly checking the identities of the participants, then how could it be called a secret meeting? Having observed the outside for some time to analyze the situation, he now felt calm and unhurried.

Upon entering the palace, he saw ornamental rock displays and streams over which arched dark green, wooden bridges. Not too far away was a pavilion, surrounded by musicians playing stringed instruments. The sound they produced was remarkable. Seven people were seated within the pavilion. Most of them maintained quite a bit of space from the others. As could be expected, they sat silently, sizing each other up.

When Naruto entered, their gazes all came to rest on him.

Three of the seven people wore masks. One of them was Suigetsu, who was sitting there frowning. His gaze passed over Naruto briefly.

Two others had not covered their faces. One was a woman who looked like a lady, and appeared to be about thirty years old. She wore splendid garments, and was quite good looking. She had an alluring look in her eyes that exuded charm. She looked at Naruto for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

Last, was a middle-aged man wearing a long, yellow robe. A lonely expression covered his face, and he held a flagon of alcohol in hand, which he constantly drank from. He gave Naruto a quick glance with eyes heavy from alcohol.

The features of the four others present were all concealed by masks. It wasn't even possible to tell if they were men or women.

Without batting an eyelid, Naruto entered the pavilion and selected a table to sit at. Looking around, he saw that there were only nine tables within the pavilion. Including his, eight of them were now occupied.

Obviously, the final table was reserved for the host, and not any other Cultivator.

After some time passed, a large man entered the palace from outside. He was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. He was big and tall, so much so that it would have been useless for him to try to conceal his identity. He strode into the pavilion, cold and haughty.

As soon as he entered, he stopped in his tracks. His brow furrowed as he looked around.

"This is not the first time I, Ao, have joined this secret meeting," he said coolly. "Today I came with an invitation, and yet, there's no place for me. Which of you Fellow Daoists doesn't understand the rules?" He smacked his bag of holding, and instantly a blue-colored jade slip appeared. Its surface was inscribed with a character: "Secret."

The jade slip glowed softly. With a smile, the young lady lifted her delicate hand to reveal her own jade slip, which she placed on the table in front of her.

Next Suigetsu followed suit, along with some of the others. Soon, only Naruto and one of the other disguised Cultivators had not produced a jade slip.

One of the other two was emanating the power of the late Foundation Establishment stage. This person sat there calmly, completely ignoring the large man. Not daring to say anything, the large man's eyes came to rest on Naruto and the other person. Both of them were only at the Early Foundation Establishment stage. The large man's eyes glittered coldly.

"You two. If you can't show me a jade slip, then you can just get the hell out of here. Give me a seat. If you don't, then you won't be leaving this place alive." His voice was filled with killing intent, which transformed into a coldness that filled the area. The rest of the people in the pavilion continued to look on with various expressions. None of them seemed willing to interfere; apparently they had no qualms whatsoever about observing a magical battle to the death.

Naruto said nothing, and neither did the other disguised person.

Everything was quiet within the pavilion.

The large man named Ao snorted, and then strode, not toward Naruto, but to the other person, who happened to be a bit closer to where he stood.

His eyes shining brightly, he was about to raise his right hand when suddenly, a light cough could be heard. It echoed throughout the pavilion, and as it did, everyone inside, including the hulking Ao, turned their heads.

An old man wearing a long, yellow robe entered. His face was placid, and his body seemed to be somewhere in-between illusory and real. He didn't seem to be moving quickly, yet within three or four steps was already inside the pavilion.

"Salutations, Fellow Daoist Genji."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Genji." The instant the old man appeared, everyone with the exception of Naruto, instantly stood up. Naruto's expression flickered, and then he, too, stood and clasped hands in salute to the old man.

"There's no need to be so formal," said the old man coolly. "All of you are heroes of the current generation in the Southern Domain. I am merely here to host this secret meeting. Please proceed." He sat down at the ninth table and looked at the assembled people, his eyes bright and shining. Finally, they came to rest on the large fellow named Ao.

Being gazed upon by the old man caused him to lower his head respectfully. Naruto did the same. This old man was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but was clearly beyond the late Foundation Establishment stage. He was halfway to entering Core Formation, so he would be classified as a Pseudo Core Cultivator.

A person like this in the Five Elements Nation would have a position higher than Grand Elder. His presence made Naruto a little bit nervous, but also led to some guesses about the whole thing.

"Fellow Daoist Genji," said the hulking Ao nervously. Bracing himself, he said, "I invite you to take charge of justice. I bear an invitation, and yet someone here has stolen my position." He clasped hands and gave a deep, respectful bow.

"Who stole your position?" asked the old man lightly. His gaze was like lightning as it casually fell onto Naruto.

"This person!" cried the hulking Ao, raising his hand and pointing at the other disguised Cultivator.

That cultivator gave a cold harrumph. From the clear ring of the voice, it was obviously a woman.

"That is my personal guest," said the old man, speaking neither fast nor slow, as if the affairs of these Cultivators was beneath his interest. "She could not have stolen your position."

Hearing this, the hulking Ao gaped for a moment. But then, his gaze swept over to Naruto. A cold light appeared in his eyes. Since one of the two people was invited, that left only one without a jade slip. This must be the person who stole his seat.

Everyone was now looking at Naruto, even the woman who had just humphed coldly. She looked over at Naruto with icy eyes.

Beneath his wide, bamboo hat, Naruto's expression was the same as always.

"Anyone who comes to this place has the qualifications to attend the meeting," said the old man placidly. "However, if you do not have an invitation slip, then you must wait outside the pavilion. When the time comes to conduct business, you may only place bids if everyone inside the pavilion has renounced claim."

"So, it was you who stole my place," said Ao. "You don't know the difference between life and death! There's no need to get up. If I don't tear you to pieces today, then I'll become a laughingstock." Ao had an irritable personality to begin with. Having his seat taken away in front of everyone had long since stoked his killing intent. His body flashed as the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage exploded out of him. He charged directly toward Naruto.

No one moved to interfere. Even the old man just watched coolly.

When he was about three meters away from Naruto, he lifted his hand, causing a massive magical palm to appear and descend toward Naruto. Naruto sat there just as before. He simply lifted his left hand and waved a finger toward the hulking man.

When he waved his finger, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the entire palace was thrown into chaos. At the same time, the hulking man's expression changed. He suddenly felt as if he had lost control of his Cultivation base, and was now completely suppressed.

This caused the pupils of the surrounding Cultivators to constrict, including old man Genji. Naruto's right hand waved, and instantly, a roaring, three hundred meter long Flame Dragon appeared. Ao screamed as it shot down into his body.

His entire body shook violently. A look of disbelief and shock covered his face, and then despair. His skin burst into flame. A great wind buffeted him, slamming him into the ground. In the blink of an eye, his stalwart frame was reduced to bits of ash that drifted in the air.

The only thing left was a bag of holding. It flew up and into Naruto's hand. He patted it lightly, then produced a jade slip upon which was inscribed the character "Secret." He placed it on the table.

"Here is my invitation slip," he said. The others couldn't see his expression, as it was hidden by the bamboo hat. They could only hear his raspy voice coming out from underneath it.

* * *

The pavilion was completely silent. Ao's death was quick and clean, which caused Suigetsu's eyes to narrow. Fear filled his heart as he looked at Naruto, who sat there looking quite dignified.

It wasn't just him. The well-dressed lady gave Naruto a penetrating look, and in her heart, she realized that this was not a person to provoke.

The middle-aged man with the flagon of alcohol stopped drinking for a moment; his eyes narrowed and filled with a sharp look. The disguised Cultivator of the late Foundation Establishment stage slowly lifted his head to look at Naruto. Hesitation seemed to blossom in his heart as he tried to analyze Naruto's Cultivation base.

As for the woman who was in disguise, she glanced at Naruto for a moment, and then looked away.

"If there are no further disturbances, then we can begin our secret meeting," said old man Genji slowly. He looked at Naruto with a friendly expression. "All of you made contact with the Secret Trade Alliance in the State of Clear Skies. If you do business here, I can serve as a witness. You can proceed without any reservations. If any problems occur, the Secret Trade Alliance will take responsibility. Now, I would like to invite all of the Fellow Daoists to begin business." He spoke in a tone you would use with people of the same generation. Actually, Naruto's actions just now had not just caused the others to be frightened. This old man was somewhat in awe of him too.

When he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve, and a copper furnace inlaid with eight golden dragons flew out. It landed directly in the center of the pavilion.

"Fellow Daoists," said Suigetsu, clasping hands in salute to the others, "please allow me to go first this time." He waved his right hand and a jade slip appeared, which then flew into the copper furnace that old man Genji had just placed in the middle of them all.

"This is a list of all the items I'm willing to trade today. There's also a portrait inside. Fellow Daoists, if any of you see this person in the coming days, please send me a message with the information. I will repay you with a chunk of stone from the Lightning Fringe Mountains." He said nothing more.

After this, the well-dressed, beautiful lady gave a slight smile and produced a jade slip. Without a word, she sent it into the copper furnace. The items she required as well as could offer for trade were all listed in the jade slip. Anyone who was interested would contact her.

This secret meeting was really just a small-scale hosted trade session. After all, most of the participants were not locals, and needed to be prudent when dealing with strangers, especially in business. Thus, the Secret Trade Alliance came to be. They would organize similar meetings throughout the Southern Domain, all presided over by a third party who could bear witness.

Soon, it was Naruto's turn. He thought for a moment. He actually wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he pulled out a jade nonetheless. After branding it with some Spiritual Sense he tossed it into the furnace. He had left a single message inside; what was the Black Sieve Sect up to, and how dangerous was their invitation?

It didn't take long for the eight participants to place their jade slips into the furnace. Old man Genji lifted his right hand and flashed an incantation gesture toward the furnace. A droning sound arose, and within the furnace an intangible flame came into being. The jade slips inside began to melt, and as they did, the eight golden dragons on the surface of the copper furnace began to squirm as if they were alive. Mist poured out from them, instantly beginning to envelop everyone present.

Naruto's heart flip-flopped. Although he didn't resist, he maintained the utmost vigilance.

After the mist had completely covered him, everything grew quiet. Ahead of him, he caught sight of eight glowing globes of light; it was as if he had been separated into his own area away from everyone else. Information began to pour into his mind. There were lists of dozens of available medicinal pills, magical items, and miscellaneous goods, as well as various descriptions of items desired for purchase.

Soon, Naruto's eyes began to glitter. Pulling back his Spiritual Sense, he touched one of the glowing lights. Instantly, the information from the jade slip he himself had just prepared appeared in his mind. Now he understood. After perusing the information from his own slip, his attention was drawn to the very last glowing ball.

Inside was a portrait. When he saw it, Naruto laughed coldly to himself.

The portrait in the jade slip was of himself. Furthermore, the desired item was a Thunderclap Leaf.

"So, in this so-called secret meeting, you can ask for anything you need. This method is pretty good. You can confidently ask or offer things that you normally couldn't. If you strike a deal with someone, you won't know who it was you were dealing with.

"It seems there are two others who, like myself, want information about the Black Sieve Sect." He sat there cross-legged, waiting, sure that someone would contact him eventually. As he waited, he sent his Spiritual Sense out to examine some of the other glowing lights.

Suddenly, a white light appeared out of nowhere within the mist. Naruto's eyes narrowed. He touched it, and a message appeared in his head.

"I don't know very much about matters regarding the Black Sieve Sect, only a smattering. But what I do know is accurate. For my news, I require five hundred thousand spirit Stones."

Naruto frowned. When buying information in a place like this, one had to consider whether or not the information was true. It would be hard to determine.

Just then, another white light appeared. Naruto took hold of it, and another message appeared in his mind.

"There are several rumors floating around regarding the Black Sieve Sect. I have some news from the Inner Sect. Whether or not it's true, you'll have to decide for yourself. If you want this news, you will need to pay seven hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

"This is my first time doing business like this," thought Naruto with a frown. "I don't have any experience, and I'm not sure how to trade. Furthermore, regardless of whether the information is good, the price is very steep. I don't have very many Spirit Stones at the moment." Ignoring the messages, he continued to examine some of the other glowing lights. He found that many of the lights had been updated with more details, or had prices increased or reduced. Suddenly, the copper mirror within his bag of the Cosmos grew hot. A moment later, the heat disappeared.

Naruto gaped in shock. He pulled out the mirror and examined it closely. He couldn't find anything all that different about it. Lost in thought, he placed it back. Then, he continued to examine the items for sale within the glowing lights.

Soon, his eyes began to shine as he gazed at one of the glowing lights. Of the multiple items inside, one stuck out to him.

"Classic of Time….." This item stuck out to him because within the glowing light, its name was somewhat dim. It hadn't been there before, but rather, had seemingly just appeared. It seemed that if Naruto's Spiritual Sense wasn't currently higher than that of the mid Foundation Establishment Stage, then he wouldn't be able to see it. It appeared to be cloaked by some mysterious technique, visible only to the Spiritual Sense of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"The Classic of Time has a total of three volumes. Together, they describe Time refinement, which can in turn produce the magical Time Sword! I'm making the first volume available here. If you're interested, please contact me."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. As he continued to examine the information, his eyes grew brighter. At the moment, there were quite a few requests floating about regarding Foundation Establishment Pills. He ignored them, as he was completely focused on the introduction to the Classic of Time.

"…. and Time is then produced. Lives are nothing…. The magic of this sword can produce varying results…. Three of these swords can produce powerful magic, nine, an even more consummate magic, and with eighteen, Time can be slain!

"Mystical trees can be used to forge the Time Sword. Because of their ancientness, such trees contain the vicissitudes of Time. They include the Spring and Autumn tree, the Missing Breath tree, and the best of them all, the Spiritualization tree. If none of these three are available, the mystical Thousand Times tree can also be used…." Naruto's eyes flashed. He retracted his Spiritual Sense and took a deep breath, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He was very interested in this Time Sword, because he already happened to have a Spring and Autumn tree.

A moment later, Naruto lifted his hand toward the glowing light. Instantly, a white glow shot out and circled around his hand. He branded a message onto it, then sent it toward the glowing light. It disappeared.

It didn't take much time for the white glow to fly back to him. As soon as he touched it, some text appeared in his mind.

"Since you could see the information about the Classic of Time, it's clear you have the required Cultivation base. However, I only have one of the volumes. Acquiring the other two volumes will require us to work together. There is one more person present who is willing to do so. If you wish to join us, then our chances will of course increase.

"If you plan participate in the Black Sieve Sect's activity in this land, then you must swear a Dao oath not to reveal our information to anyone, including your Sect. Inscribe your Dao oath onto a jade slip and send it to me. With that, your share will be guaranteed."

Naruto thought for a moment before his eyes shined with determination. He lifted up a jade slip and placed it between his eyebrows. After a moment, he sent it into the white light, whereupon the jade slip disappeared along with the light.

Some time passed, and Naruto's eyes watched with shining eyes as several white glowing lights appeared. Scanning them with Spiritual Sense, he found the message he had been waiting for.

"One year ago, the Black Sieve Sect found a secret map. The map depicted a secret path to an ancient Blessed Land. The Black Sieve Sect has entered the place several times in the past year, but they have reached a standstill outside of a precipice. This precipice can only be entered by Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"Those who enter must meet the demands of the Black Sieve Sect. The more objects they bring back from within, the more Sieve Earth Pills they will be given. Our meeting place is within this ancient savage land, where the shadows cast by the sun and the moon intersect.

"That is approximately ten days from now. You must quickly make your way to the Black Sieve Sect and join the group of rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators they are gathering."

Naruto frowned. As the white light disappeared, a look of deep thought appeared in his eyes.

"The information available nowadays in the State of Clear Skies is all over the place, so it's impossible to say whether or not this information is true or false. However, most of it seems to involve some sort of ancient battleground or Blessed Land.

"It seems a lot of intelligent people have investigated and come to various similar conclusions. The State of Clear Skies belongs to the Black Sieve Sect. To say that the chaos within the nation doesn't directly have to do with the Sect is ridiculous.

"However, that Sieve Earth Pill would definitely be of help to me…." Naruto had learned quite a bit about the Black Sieve Sect matter from this secret meeting. However, the more he learned, the more suspicious he became.

"I have to go," he thought, having come to his decision. His Spiritual Sense swept over the rest of the glowing lights. He was just about to call it back when suddenly, his pupils constricted. Despite being sitting cross-legged, a strong spirit suddenly surged out of him. He stared fixedly at the same glowing light that contained the information about the Time Classic. A new item had just been listed for sale inside, a medicinal pill.

The name of the pill was "Cosmetic Cultivation Pill!"

Cosmetic Cultivation Pill. It was a common pill, and not very expensive. Among all the various pills, this was not one to catch anyone's attention.

However, to Naruto, this pill contained memories from six or seven years ago. Memories of a beautiful scene underneath the moonlight.

"I never could have guessed that I would see a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill in this place," said Naruto with a sigh. He paid the price for the pill, and soon a glowing white light carried it over to him. The pill landed in his hand, and when he saw it, his entire body shook with surprise.

* * *

As Naruto's body trembled within the mist, his eyes began to emit a powerful glow. Even his breathing grew rapid. His Cultivation base rotated rapidly, causing the mist to seethe.

Naruto didn't notice any of that, though. He was staring intently at the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill and something that was etched onto its side: a mountain.

The mountain had obviously been etched by someone's hand, not with magic. This was not a famous type of medicinal pill. It was ordinary. The etching was sentimental….

The mountain depicted was something that people outside of the Reliance Sect wouldn't know about. It was the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect!

The shape of that mountain had been branded into Naruto's mind, and he recognized it immediately.

Who would possibly have placed this image of a mountain onto this Cosmetic Cultivation Pill, which would then show up in the State of Clear Skies…? A clear image suddenly appeared in Naruto's mind.

It was a beautiful, cold woman wearing white clothing. She had brought Naruto into the Cultivation World. Under the moon, she had glanced back at him…. Hinata.

Elder Sister Hinata.

Naruto could not prove conclusively that this Cosmetic Cultivation Pill was the one he had given to Elder Sister Hinata as a gift. But his intuition was telling him that it was.

He held up the pill in his hand, slowly closing his fist over it. He sat there quietly. Beneath the wide bamboo hat, a storm began to brew on his face.

"If she never used this pill, and even took it with her to the Black Sieve Sect, then… why is it here now? What has happened to her in the Black Sieve Sect? This is a picture of the East Mountain. Does she miss… the Reliance Sect, or does she miss a person…?

"What does this picture of the East Mountain mean? Did she give this pill to someone? Or did she sell it? The person I was just interacting with could not have been her."

He loosened his grip and looked again at the etching on the side of the pill. His heart suddenly filled with a strong desire to see Elder Sister Hinata. Deep inside, the answers to his questions existed already.

"Elder Sister Hinata…." A sharp look glowed in his eyes and he took a deep breath. This pill told him that if she didn't sell or give away the pill, then the only other possibility was….

He felt a stab of pain in his heart, and his eyesight grew blurry. In his mind was the image of Elder Sister Hinata from all those years ago. So long ago. He slowly put the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill into his bag of the Cosmos.

"The Black Sieve Sect…. And then there's this Classic of Time…." Naruto slowly lifted his head, staring at the glowing lights in front of him. This was not a place where he could attack; it was impossible to tell what would happen if he did anything impulsive. He didn't want to beat the grass and startle the snake, thus putting his enemy on guard.

He thought for a bit more, and then his eyes filled with determination. His mind was now made up; he would definitely go to the Black Sieve Sect.

Naruto was in no mood to participate in the rest of the secret meeting. He kept thinking about the image of Elder Sister Hinata from all those years ago. When the meeting finally came to an end, he let out a light sigh. The mist around him dissipated. Old man Genji nodded to the group and waved his hand. Then he turned and left. Those who remained in the pavilion didn't stick around to talk. One by one, they disappeared, randomly being teleported away. Such methods were making the Secret Trade Alliance more and more popular.

When Naruto reappeared, it was outside the gate of another mansion within the city.

This location was halfway across the city from the place where he'd followed Suigetsu to. Naruto had already ascertained that the palace he'd been in was not located within the city at all. The place he'd followed Suigetsu to was merely an entranceway.

He walked down the moonlit street, looking up into the sky. His long, lonely shadow stretched out on the ground, seemingly filled with bleakness.

The moon above was the same, but the location was different. It seemed like years had passed since the previous day. Looking back in time, it seemed as if he had no place to call home.

He sighed and walked onwards.

He continued to walk until the sun rose, and then walking until he left this city of Cultivators. Finally, his body transformed into a prismatic beam which shot through the State of Clear Skies toward the Black Sieve Sect!

Several days later.

The Black Sieve Sect was located in the east of the State of Clear Skies, in the middle of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Its main gate was vast and mighty. Its majesty would strike awe into the heart of any Cultivator who looked upon it.

The Hundred Thousand Mountains surrounding it served as a foil to the ninety-nine mountains within their center. Above these ninety-nine mountains floated a massive mountain, upturned to create something that was almost a continent. On its underside, willows draped down, some a few dozen meters long, others hundreds. Clouds curled up around this massive land, giving it a truly celestial feeling.

Richly ornamented buildings, pagodas and temples covered it. Beneath it, the ninety-nine mountains were all connected with colorful arching bridges. It was unsurprisingly beautiful.

Gurgling water dripped off of the ragged rocks on the bottom of the floating mountain, making this Sect a place of indescribable beauty. The faint sound of bells filled the air, creating an incredibly serene air.

The highest peak of the floating mountain seemed to stretch up to the Heavens. It was there that for generations had existed an enormous incense burner. Three massive burning joss sticks stood up straight within the incense burner. They seemed inextinguishable, as if their fragrance would last throughout all eternity. Their smoke rose up into the sky to eventually be transformed by the wind into wisps like willow branches, and then dispersed.

These were the lands of the Black Sieve Sect.

In fact, if the Black Sieve Sect wanted to, it could claim the surrounding Hundred Thousand Mountains as part of the Sect. After all, it was one of the five great sects of the Southern Domain. Its Dao Reserves were profound, and its Sect techniques tens of thousands of years old.

The spiritual energy here was very thick. In fact, the spiritual energy in the surrounding Hundred Thousand Mountains was thicker by far than any of the Spirit mountains within the Five Elements Nation. Any single mountain here had spiritual energy thicker than the valley where Naruto had reached Foundation Establishment.

This was especially true within the Thousand Mountains; there existed spiritual energy so thick that even the mortals who lived in the region had increased longevity. From birth, they breathed in the spiritual energy, and didn't need to practice Cultivation to increase their lifespans.

Within the Hundred Mountains, it was even more astonishing.

A young man stood outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains. He wore a black robe, and his face was filled with a lofty and proud look. "The Hundred Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect," he said coolly, "is where only qualified members of the Inner Sect may practice Cultivation. In fact, the Thousand Mountains are far superior to many so-called Spirit mountains in the world."

Standing around him were five Cultivators, all of them gazing at the Black Sieve Sect. Each one wore different clothing, and had obviously come from different areas. One in their midst wore a scholar's robe. His skin was a bit dark, but he had a scholarly and refined disposition. It was none other than Naruto.

"The Ten Thousand Mountains are for guests. However, my advice to you, Fellow Daoists, is to not lightly tread into mountains other than the one assigned to you." The young man smiled as he looked at the five of them. "There are many fierce beasts sealed in the area. Furthermore, there are certain mountains which are reserved for special use, and are guarded by Inner Sect disciples. If you charge into one of those areas, you might not come out alive."

The young man smiled as his gaze passed over them.

"Fellow Daoists, you all responded to the call of the Black Sieve Sect. Now that you are here, you are guests of the Sect. You will stay within the Ten Thousand Mountains, one person to a mountain. Everything you need to practice Cultivation has been prepared for you. Upon entering your mountain, a disciple from the Black Sieve Sect Pill Mountain will deliver a Sieve Earth Pill to you.

"This pill is a welcoming gift. However, I, Sajin, must remind you, taking the pill, entering the mountain, and signing your fingerprint signifies that you are entering an agreement. If you renege on your promise, or secretly leave, then you will be punished by the Black Sieve Sect." With a smile, he cupped hands and bowed.

Nearby, five Black Sieve Outer Sect disciples waited to receive them.

"Seems fair," said one of the five Cultivators, an old man in a gray robe. The others voiced their agreement. Naruto said nothing as he gazed off into the endless mountains.

"Very well then. Fellow Daoists, you should not have very long to wait until we begin. Quite a few others have arrived already." The young man smiled and bowed again.

Within Naruto's group of five was a middle-aged man with a sallow face. "How many Fellow Daoists of the Foundation Establishment stage have come already?" he asked suddenly.

"Not counting you ladies and gentlemen, there are already ninety seven." The young man named Sajin nodded, then turned, transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

"Fellow Daoists, please follow us. We will take you to your respective mountains." The group of five young disciples, who obviously were from the Outer Sect, cupped hands and saluted respectfully, then led the way.

The person leading Naruto was a young woman of about twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age. Her Cultivation base was at the seventh level of Chakra Condensation. She was pretty, and had an intelligent air to her.

"Senior, please, follow me," she said softly. Although Naruto's skin was a bit dark, he was cultured and refined. He had the air of a scholar, which wasn't common among Cultivators. This caused the young woman to take more than a few glances at him.

What was especially alluring was his clear eyes, deep within which seemed to glint a bit of Demonic power. For a young, impressionable girl like her, being gazed at by Naruto made her blush.

"Senior…" she said, lowering her head.

"Lead on," he said with a slight smile. Seeing her reminded him of the Reliance Sect, and of Hinata. He looked off at the endless mountains of the Black Sieve Sect, and stubbornness glinted within his eyes.

The young girl led Naruto to a tall, emerald green mountain. On its top was a residence and a courtyard. Rattan vines wrapped around everything, and a limestone path wound its way around the mountain. The wind blew, causing the spiritual power to curl up and about. The entire scene would cause anyone's spirits to rise.

Upon reaching the courtyard, Naruto produced a pearl head-ornament from the bag of holding he'd acquired from the man named Ao, at the secret meeting. He gave it to the young girl, then sent her off. She left, her face flushed, glancing back repeatedly at Naruto. Her heart seemed to be quite abuzz.

Soon, the sky began to darken. As night approached, everything was silent. The only thing that could be heard was the chirping of insects which drifted in from outside. Naruto sat cross-legged on the second floor of the building, meditating. Suddenly, his eyes opened.

It was at this moment that the silence outside was suddenly broken by a blood-curdling scream. It sounded like the struggles of someone in the throes of death. The silence was ripped to pieces as the screaming filled the air.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the second-floor window. The moon hung in the sky. Off in the distance, he could see a mountain covered with rippling spells that looked like a fine gauze.

The miserable cry was coming from that mountain. At the moment, multiple figures could be seen flying up from various surrounding mountains to see what was happening.

Soon, several prismatic beams shot toward the mountain. Not long after, the ripples in the spells faded away, and everything returned to how it had been moments before. Everything was quiet.

Naruto frowned, and his eyes flashed. He remembered that mountain from which the scream had emanated was the same mountain that the sallow-faced man had gone to earlier that day. Having seen the figures emerge and fly toward the mountain, Naruto was about to go investigate, but then paused suddenly.

His face flickered as he looked down at his bag of the Cosmos. He slapped it, and the Demon Sealing Jade flew out, which he grabbed.

It shimmered, emanating a mysterious glow. A very strange feeling rose up in Naruto's heart. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but it seemed as if there were some invisible Chakra prickling at his heart.

Thoughtfully, he took out the jade piece left by the Eighth Demon Sealer and placed it in his palm.

The archaic voice of the Eighth Demon Sealer rang out in his mind. "Some spirits in the cycle of reincarnation avoid burial. Their Chakra seems Demonic, and yet not. They are above living creatures, but infected with the tens of thousands of variations of the mortal world. The Chakra is serene. Consumed by bones and spirit, they can lead the way to the path. If you encounter such Chakra, you must seal it!"

Naruto thought for a moment, and eventually decided not to leave. He stood next to the window, casting his Spiritual Sense out toward the direction where the bloodcurdling scream had come from. The first thing he heard was quarreling voices.

"This is the sixth fellow Daoist to die. If the Black Sieve Sect doesn't provide an explanation right now, then we will leave!"

"That's right. We responded to your call for the sake of a Sieve Earth Pill. If people were dying in battle, then very well; but recently people have been dying miserable deaths in the middle of the night! Then you seal the area up and don't allow anyone to investigate. It's very strange! Of course we have questions!"

There were about ten Cultivators near the mountain, staring coldly at the Black Sieve Sect Cultivators who were preventing them from investigating the scene of the death.

In the distance, no small amount of Cultivators had flown out from their respective mountains and were watching from a distance. They said nothing, but all of them were exuding the power of their Cultivation bases. A great pressure rose up, transforming into a sort of voiceless revolt.

The Black Sieve Sect disciples' faces all turned very unsightly. It was at this moment, however, that a gravely voice suddenly sounded out.

"The Sect will offer an explanation within three days." As the voice rang out, an old man wearing a wide Daoist robe appeared. The pressure exuded by his body caused the surrounding Cultivators' faces to change.

The Black Sieve Sect disciples all bowed.

"Greetings, Elder Natori."

The old man strode forward. He stood below them at the foot of the mountain, and yet the Foundation Establishment Cultivators floating in the air above him were all silent. Many of them offered respectful bows. They obviously knew who this old man was.

Naruto stood at the window, his expression the same as ever. However, a slight frown slowly appeared. The old man was an Elder of the Black Sieve Sect, and his Cultivation base was not at the Foundation Establishment stage, but Core Formation.

His gaze swept over the gathering of people. When he spoke, his voice wasn't very loud, and yet it filled the minds of everyone in the area. "I very much appreciate that you all were able to come to the Black Sieve Sect. In regards to the killings that have occurred in the past days, I too am quite furious regarding this matter. Within three days, I will slay the killer with my own hand."

"With Elder Natori present, we are much more at ease. Thank you, senior, for administering justice." The Foundation Cultivators bowed one by one and then returned to their respective mountains. An Elder of the Black Sieve Sect had appeared; although he hadn't offered an explanation, how could they possibly continue to argue about the matter?

Soon, everything was quiet again. Elder Natori departed, as did most of the Black Sieve Sect disciples. The mountain from which the scream had sounded out was also quiet. No one was willing to make further attempts to go investigate.

Looking pensive, Naruto returned to sit cross-legged and meditate. Within his mind echoed the words of the Eighth Demon Sealer.

"There's something strange going on in the Black Sieve Sect…." Naruto's eyes opened, filled with an intense glow. The prickly Chakra that he felt seemed to be growing thicker.

He lowered his head for a moment, thinking. Then he took out the Blood Immortal Legacy mask. Sending his Spiritual Sense inside, he saw Danzo, enveloped by Naruto's blood mist. He seemed to be growing weaker lately. He no longer cried out like he had before; he didn't seem to have the strength.

"What do you know about the Black Sieve Sect?" Naruto asked through Spiritual Sense. He'd always found the old man's Blood Spirit identity to be somewhat strange. The feeling was even stronger when he thought of Kabuto.

"I know dog farts, you little son of a b*tch," said Danzo, his hoarse voice full of venom. "If you had any skill at all, you…"

Before he could finish speaking, Naruto calmly cut his finger and used a drop of blood to surround the old man in more blood mist. A miserable cry could be heard, and then Naruto retracted his Spiritual Sense. He asked no more questions, instead putting away the mask.

Meanwhile, underneath the Black Sieve Sect's Ten Thousand Mountains, was an enormous network of limestone caves, like a giant labyrinth. Deep in its recesses was a tall platform adorned with burning torches. The dancing torchlight filled the place with flickering shadows.

Atop the platform, three old Cultivators sat cross-legged. Their bodies were withered, and as they sat there, they almost looked dead. A strong Death Chakra swirled around them. And yet, their eyes were open, and gleamed with ancient, nether-worldly light.

Their figures seemed to twist and warp, as if they existed somewhere between the physical and the corporeal, and not completely within the world.

Situated in the middle of them was a hide. It appeared to be made from the skin of some wild beast. Its edges were tattered, and on its surface was some sort of map.

The hide map appeared to be slowly wriggling. Standing atop it was the phantom image of a man, who at the moment was letting out a soundless scream. It looked like the ghost of a middle-aged man, his face sallow. This was one of the five people who had arrived with Naruto.

His body started to get blurry, and soon disappeared. When it did, the edges of the hide slowly expanded a little, and the hide became a bit more glossy. It was a scene that anyone observing would find incredibly strange.

Some time passed, and then one of the old people spoke in a hoarse, scraping voice: "Under the moonlight tomorrow, it will consume another person. Then we can begin."

"This time, we must succeed, no matter what. We must…! We must acquire that legendary item. Not just for us, but for the Patriarchs. Then we can all awaken. We will no longer have to conceal ourselves in this realm of darkness, this empty place with no land to step foot upon."

"There still aren't enough Foundation Establishment pups out there. We spread the news far and wide, but the Sects and Clans aren't easily fooled. Hmph."

"It can't be helped. These Foundation Establishment pups are just a part of the whole. With everything else we've prepared, we will definitely succeed this time." The sound of their voices slowly faded away. Soon the only movement was that of the wriggling hide, placed in between them like some sort of object of worship.

The night passed uneventfully, and soon dawn broke. Naruto opened his eyes from meditation. Outside his residence, he saw a beam of multicolored light approaching. It turned into a woman wearing a black gown. She was tall and slender, with fair skin and beautiful hair that draped over her shoulders. She slowed as she approached, coming to a stop outside Naruto's residence.

"Disciple Ino of Black Sieve Sect Pill Mountain has been dispatched to deliver you a Sieve Earth Pill," she said. "Fellow Daoist, can you please come out?" She had an intelligent voice and a smile as beautiful as a flower in bloom. Her presence seemed to make everything brighter. Her eyes were alluring, her smile white and lovely. She wore a long, emerald-green gown, trimmed with violet embroidery. Overall, she had an otherworldly look.

Naruto emerged, and they sat at a table.

She looked at Naruto, her smile unchanging. As she did, her eyes seemed to grow brighter, although whether this was done consciously or subconsciously was impossible to tell.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask your honored name?" she asked with a slight smile. Her voice was as pleasant as the call of a lark. Listening to it could be described as a pleasure.

"Naruto," he replied coolly, making no attempt to conceal his identity. Looking at the woman in front of her, he could tell that her Cultivation base was extraordinary. It seemed to be at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

"Naruto…." Ino looked at him in shock for a moment. She studied his face and then laughed. "So, you are Fellow Daoist Naruto. This here is a contract. Would you please mark it with your thumbprint? Then I can give you your Sieve Earth Pill. Afterward, if you follow all the requirements laid out by the Sect, then you will get a second." She lifted her delicate hand. Around her wrist was an emerald green bracelet. A glow flashed off of it, and within her hands appeared a paper scroll. She handed it to Naruto.

His expression the same as ever, he looked at her bracelet for a long moment, then accepted the scroll. He looked it over, then lifted his right thumb and left a mark on the paper.

Ino gazed at him the entire time. After he placed his thumbprint on the paper, she produced a jade box the size of a hand and placed it off to the side.

"Here is your Sieve Earth Pill. Please note, the pill cannot be consumed during the daytime. After all, its full name is Moon Sieve Mother Earth Pill. When you consume it, it will drink in the moonlight." She smiled, then rose to her feet to take her leave.

Before she could depart, Naruto suddenly said, "Have we met before?"

His words caused her to stare at him in shock.

"I don't recall ever seeing you before, Fellow Daoist Naruto."

"My mistake," he said. "I took you for someone else." He frowned as if he were thinking deeply. Ino laughed. With a final nod, she transformed into a beam of light and departed. As she left, her smile turned into a thoughtful look.

Naruto picked up the jade box containing the Sieve Earth Pill. After heading back into his residence, he opened it. Inside was a medicinal pill about the size of an infant's hand. It was white, and wrapped in a wax seal. Despite that, a thick medicinal aroma wafted off of it, as well as rippling spiritual energy.

"Actually, one of these pills is enough for me. But, I can't casually consume it. I need to test it out to see if it's real or fake." He put the jade box away, then closed his eyes and continued to meditate.

Time slipped by, and soon it was late at night. The moon hung brightly in the sky, and everything was quiet. Outside of Naruto's mountain, however, a shadowy figure appeared noiselessly. It was very strange in appearance, like a rippling piece of hide. A closer look revealed that the person's features were none other than the sallow-faced middle-aged man who had passed away.

His eyes shone. He looked around at the surrounding mountains, then selected Naruto's. His body flashed, and he floated up toward Naruto's residence.

As he approached the residence at the top of the mountain, Naruto, who was sitting cross-legged meditating, suddenly lifted his head. His eyes glittered brightly.

* * *

Naruto gave a cold snort. His right hand slapped the bag of the Cosmos, and the two wooden swords appeared soundlessly. Next, a talisman dropped into his hand, and his body became invisible.

It was then that the figure of the sallow-faced man floated to the mountaintop. All the vegetation he passed on his way withered up, as if the life had been sucked out of it. The limestone path turned into ash, and it seemed as if the entire mountain was encircled with a dense Death Chakra.

However, no one outside of this particular mountain had any clue that this was happening.

The figure floated up to the outside of Naruto's residence. Not pausing for a moment, it passed directly through the wall into the second floor.

He floated there underneath the moonlight, his listless eyes flickering. A strange demonic air emanated from him. Everything around was quiet as the sallow-face man looked around the second floor with his menacing eyes.

Naruto hadn't moved even a centimeter. He sat cross-legged, invisible, looking at the figure in front of him. Naturally, he instantly recognized him. However, his appearance was very strange, as if something were wrong with him. Naruto thought back to the bloodcurdling scream from the mountain the previous night. That was where the sallow-faced man had been.

He already half-understood what was going on.

"This person is dead, and has been turned into an automaton. Or perhaps someone used some Spirit Puppet arts on him to control him…." Suddenly, his body flashed as he moved to the side about three meters.

There was a boom as the furniture near where he had been sitting all transformed into ash. The sallow-faced man, his eyes shining with a strange glow, charged toward Naruto, as if he could see him.

Naruto's eyes flashed. Ripping up the invisibility talisman, he lifted his right hand and flashed an incantation gesture. The two wooden swords flew directly toward the figure in front of him. The figure didn't even attempt to dodge. Both wooden swords flew directly through, leaving two holes, from which no blood flowed. It was as if the sallow-faced man was made of only skin, with nothing else inside.

If there were nothing more to it than that, it wouldn't be a big deal. But then, the holes that had been punched in his body began to merge together. They transformed into a large mouth, which suddenly ripped off of the sallow-faced man's body and shot toward Naruto, ready to consume him.

Naruto's facial expression didn't change. He retreated backward, his hand flashing an incantation gesture. Then he waved forward, and a Flame Dragon roared into being, rushing toward the figure. As it neared, the figure didn't attempt to dodge, but instead charged forward and consumed the flame dragon.

It turned its head to look at Naruto, its lips twisted into a hideous grin. Then it threw itself toward him.

Naruto frowned, both hands flashing incantation gestures as they pushed forward into mid-air. A multitude of flying swords appeared. Instantly, they shattered into pieces, turning into a cloud of shrapnel which shot forward with incredible force. Like a tornado, it sped toward the sallow-faced man. At the same time, the two wooden swords circled back toward the figure, radiating sharpness. They stabbed directly toward its head.

They were followed by the black net, which Naruto had just tossed out.

Popping sounds rang out as the flying sword shrapnel ripped the figure almost completely in half and the wooden swords stabbed into its head. But the figure… despite being horrifically injured, still looked at Naruto with the half face it had left, and smiled. It tried to rush toward him again, but was enveloped by the black net. Its body writhed as it attempted to squeeze through the gaps in the net.

Its body appeared to be emitting some kind of gravitational force, which caused the second floor to shake as if it were about to be sucked into the figure.

"Can't kill it… because it's not really alive. No wonder it's killed so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators." With a frown, Naruto watched the figure trying to lurch toward him, its eyes filled with fierce coldness. Naruto lifted his right hand and flashed an incantation sign, then pointed down to the ground.

"Demon Sealing… Eighth Hex, Body Sealing!" He lifted his hand up from the ground and pointed at the broken figure in front of him.

The entire building, the entire mountain shook. Although, they weren't actually shaking. It was only an illusion. Naruto's body and his finger were what was really shaking. In Naruto's eyes, the entire world seemed to congeal together. Then, multiple ghost images of the world appeared, one on top of another.

The building and the mountain were there in the illusion, and as for the figure, a ghost image appeared of it as well!

For the first time, a look of surprise and disbelief appeared on the figure's face. It seemed as if its mouth were shaping to cry out, but before it could, the ghost images of the world fell upon it, binding it up. It couldn't move at all.

At this moment, Naruto stepped forward and lifted his right hand. Using his thumb, he cut his middle finger. Blood flowed out, turning it into a Blood Finger.

This was one of the arts that had been branded onto his mind by the Blood Immortal Legacy, one of the three magical abilities that did not require the use of the mask.

However, these arts required a very powerful Cultivation base. After practicing a bit secretly, Naruto had been able to utilize the Blood Finger. However, as far as the Blood Palm and Blood Death World, he was still not able to use them.

In any case, this was the first time in tens of thousands of years that the Blood Finger had appeared in the Southern Domain. It was inherently powerful. When you consider that in the Blood Immortal Legacy spell matrix Naruto had already mastered the ability to focus the power of his Cultivation base, then this finger attack, combined with the three Perfect Dao Pillars of his Perfect Foundation, would shock even the Dao Children of various Sects.

Naruto strode forward and pressed the middle finger of his right hand between the eyebrows of the strange figure, then scraped it downward. A shrill scream sounded out as the figure's body began to tremble. A massive bloody cut appeared starting between its eyebrows and stretching down about thirty centimeters. Vast quantities of gray-colored Chakra poured out. Suddenly, its body could move again, and it retreated at top speed, shooting out of the second floor.

Without hesitating, Naruto followed in pursuit, his eyes flashing. Everything was quiet, which was odd, so Naruto stopped. After thinking for a moment, he returned to his residence and then slapped his bag of holding. He took out the good luck charm and cast some Spiritual Sense into it, then breathed a sigh of relief when he found what he was looking for. It was still operational. He chose not to teleport away, but instead looked coldly out of the building. There was no wind or rustle of leaves, no sign of trouble or disturbance. If there were, he could leave in an instant.

Time passed, and suddenly a bloodcurdling scream rose up from from one of the surrounding mountains. Then a second, and a third. In the end, there were a total of five!

Three of them were actually Black Sieve Sect disciples who were in the region but hadn't hidden themselves. They screamed as their bodies withered up, their flesh and blood sucked away until their lifeless skin flopped onto the ground.

This night would not pass peacefully. Many of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were on guard, and even many of the Black Sieve Sect disciples were dispatched out. It wasn't until dawn broke that things seemed to calm down.

Many people saw that it was a broken-down figure who cruelly slaughtered the Black Sieve Sect disciples, and the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Eventually, the figure was put down by a Black Sieve Sect Elder. To most of the Cultivators, this counted as the explanation they had been waiting for.

In the following few days, there were no more mysterious deaths among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Gradually, people stopped talking about the event.

Time flashed by, and soon six days had passed since Naruto had arrived at the Black Sieve Sect. As the days passed, Naruto maintained his vigilance. However, no one bothered him during that time. On the dawn of the seventh day, the clear sound of bells rang out, filling the region of the Ten Thousand Mountains and reaching the ears of all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"Fellow Daoists of the Southern Domain," a voice echoed out. "You have already received your Sieve Earth Pills. The time has come to perform your services. If you can help the Black Sieve Sect to acquire the object we seek, then you will be rewarded with more Sieve Earth Pills!" Beam after beam of multicolored light shot up from the various mountains as the Foundation Establishment Cultivators flew into the sky. Naruto followed suit, flying up and floating in mid-air, looking around coldly.

From the Black Sieve Sect Thousand Mountains, dozens of beams of prismatic light whistled up into the air. In addition, there were multiple black-colored esoteric compasses, each one around thirty meters in diameter.

Upon each esoteric compass stood only one person. Three or four wore Daoist robes of the Black Sieve Sect and were at the Chakra Condensation stage. The others were all of the Foundation Establishment stage.

The Chakra Condensation disciples all had embarrassed, nervous expressions on their faces, as if they didn't want to be here. However, they could not defy the orders of the Sect. These were all Outer Sect disciples who had ordinary latent talent. Disciples with better latent talent would not have been dispatched out.

Shortly afterward, ten violet colored esoteric compasses, three hundred meters in diameter, flew out from the Hundred Mountains region of the Black Sieve Sect. Upon each of these compasses sat a cross-legged Cultivator. One of them was the girl named Ino. As far as the nine other violet-robed Cultivators who sat cross-legged on the compasses, there were both men and women. All of them seemed in high spirits. These were obviously Chosen from the Sect.

They flew forth and then hovered in the air. Further off in the distance, three golden-colored, three-thousand meter wide esoteric compasses appeared. They flew forward.

On each of these compasses sat a person. Two were men and one was a woman. One was Elder Natori, and the other two appeared to be middle-aged, with cold expressions. The power of Core Formation rippled out from them, attracting everyone's attention.

After the golden esoteric compasses, another, smaller one appeared. It was only about three hundred meters in diameter, and violet colored. Sitting cross-legged on this esoteric compass was an old man in a violet robe.

He had a black birthmark on his face which somewhat spoiled his transcendent demeanor. He looked fierce, and the instant he appeared, it seemed as if everything suddenly grew dark.

However, what caught Naruto's attention wasn't the old man. Behind him was a massive esoteric compass with hundreds of Cultivators. Amidst them was a lonely looking woman.

The instant he caught sight of her, Naruto thought of that day years ago, under the moonlight. In his mind, he could see her looking back at him, and could even hear the words she had spoken.

"I went to the Pill Cultivation Workshop. The Cosmetic Cultivation Pill you gave me before wasn't purchased by you."

Elder Sister Hinata.

* * *

"Patriarch Violet Sieve!"

"I never imagined that the person leading us would be the Black Sieve Sect's Nascent Soul eccentric Patriarch Violet Sieve. They say his killing aura is incredible! Years ago when he was forming his Nascent Soul, his name rocked the Southern Domain. Once he wiped out three Sects in an single night!"

"According to the rumors, the Black Sieve Sect has already entered that danger zone five times. Each time they leave behind people to stay on guard. Today is the sixth time. Even still, look at how many people they've mustered! This Sect is so powerful! No wonder they're one of the five great Sects of the Southern Domain."

Naruto heard the talk around him and also felt the pressure exuded by the violet-robed old man. But his vision was focused further back, on the enormous, nine thousand meter wide yellow esoteric compass which was flying in his direction. Standing atop it, amidst hundreds of Cultivators, was a woman.

She wore a long, black gown, and her face was pale white, almost bloodless. This made her already chilly disposition even icier. However… looking at her, Naruto got the sense that in truth, she was actually just covering up her fragile heart.

"Elder Sister Hinata…" he murmured as he looked at her. Finally he could rest a bit at ease. Now, they weren't so very far away from each other. And yet, despite being so close to each other, they were still worlds apart….

It was at this point that Naruto frowned. He noticed that standing next to Elder Sister Hinata was a pretty woman with a coquettish air and a sneer in her eyes. It seemed as if she were criticizing Elder Sister Hinata, who then lowered her head as if she didn't dare to speak. Her face grew even paler.

A cold glow appeared in Naruto's eyes.

Along with Elder Sister Hinata, there were several hundred disciples on top of the massive esoteric compass. Their Cultivation bases were varied, but it was obvious that they were ordinary disciples, not Chosen of the Sect.

Also on the esoteric compass was a gigantic pitch-black statue of a bare-chested man with wings growing out of his back. The wings were half spread open, giving the statue a very peculiar look.

Even more strange was that a very tall hat was perched atop the statue's head, which seemed very out of place.

If that were all there was to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. But upon further inspection with his extraordinary Spiritual Sense, Naruto noticed that the statue was not entirely lifeless: it was breathing!

With every breath, it sucked in a bit of Chakra from the hundreds of Black Sieve Sect disciples who stood around it.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Many of the disciples on the esoteric compass looked in very high spirits; they obviously had no idea what the statue was doing.

On the ten-sided violet esoteric compass was a refined and elegant young man. He stood up with a smile and spoke to the group of rogue Cultivators, including Naruto. "Fellow Daoists, I presume many of you know me. I am Kankuro of the Black Sieve Sect."

Naruto recognized the voice as the one who had spoken moments before.

"I think quite a few Fellow Daoists have some speculations regarding our trip today," he said with a smile. "I will explain further once we are on our way! Please, follow me!" The violet esoteric compass upon which he stood suddenly expanded in size until it was three thousand meters wide, and then flew toward them.

Naruto and the other rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators all seemed to be thinking different things. However, one by one, they began to fly, transforming into beams of light and shooting toward the violet esoteric Compass.

Among the roughly one hundred rogue Cultivators, most were at the early Foundation Establishment stage, like Naruto. There were eighteen of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and as far as the late Foundation Establishment stage, there were only three.

Of those three, one was the old man whom Naruto had arrived with. Another was a fierce-looking man who wore white robes and let off a ghastly air. He had no beard, and even his Adam's apple was very small. However, he was surrounded by a desolate killing aura.

The last was a woman. Her features were plain, and she was somewhat overweight. However, her late Foundation Establishment Cultivation base rippled, causing everyone around her to treat her very politely. The three of them joined Kankuro on his esoteric Compass. Kankuro treated them much more respectfully than he did the others, leading them off to the side with him.

At the same time, Naruto looked around at the rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators and caught sight of Suigetsu over in the corner, along with the richly-dressed woman from the secret meeting.

There was another person who caught Naruto's attention; this person appeared to be at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and milled about innocuously in the midst of the crowd. Naruto's eyes passed over him at first; it was a hard to describe the Chakra that caught his attention. It was like the stench which might roll off of a rotting corpse.

No one else seemed to notice, but after a while, Naruto thought about the information from the Demon Sealing Jade. He also thought back to the prickly Chakra he had sensed in the Black Sieve Sect.

The esoteric compass began to vibrate beneath their feet and then shot forward. Together with the other Black Sieve Sect esoteric compasses, they transformed into colorful beams of light as they sped through the air.

The direction they were heading turned out to be the Hundred Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect.

Naruto stood there quietly, unmoving. Anyone who looked at him saw a Cultivation base at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He stood in the middle of all the Cultivators. Other than Suigetsu, no one seemed to notice him. Elder Sister Hinata didn't notice him either. Her face was covered with a bitter expression, as if she was pondering her own future.

As the esoteric compasses neared the middle of the Hundred Mountains, the tendrils of smoke rising up from the massive incense burner began to twist in the air above the Sect. Layer upon layer, they twisted together to form an enormous ring of smoke.

As the smoke ring formed, the space in the middle began to ripple. Naruto watched as the lead esoteric compass entered into the smoke ring and then disappeared. His eyes flickered as the violet esoteric compass he stood on entered the ring.

Soon all of the esoteric compasses and Cultivators had entered, whereupon the smoke ring disappeared and the Black Sieve Sect returned to its normal state. Outside of the Hundred Mountains, a shield appeared. Shields also sprung up around the Thousand Mountains and the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The entire Sect was now sealed up tight; no one could leave or enter.

About the same time that the Black Sieve Sect sealed itself, Divine Sense from multiple locations began to sweep about the State of Clear Skies. This was Divine Sense from various Sects and Clans within the Southern Domain, come to investigate what was happening within the Black Sieve Sect.

Because of different agreements that they had with the Black Sieve Sect, they couldn't interfere.

Back on the esoteric compass, Kankuro's voice rang out: "Fellow Daoists, there's no reason to be alarmed. This is one of the Black Sieve Sect's most valuable treasures, the Heaven Forged Furnace. In ancient times, it was inscribed with void-penetrating runes that turn it into a teleportation portal.

"As to where the teleportation portal leads to, I'm afraid none of you are familiar with it. Even I myself don't really know…." The teleportation just now had caused a buzz of conversation to arise, but after hearing Kankuro's words, everyone quieted back down.

Naruto looked around coldly. They seemed to be surrounded by blackness interspersed with points of light that looked like stars. Everything around them was empty, without the least bit of light. Only the glow emitted by the esoteric compasses illuminated the people on them.

Ahead, one esoteric compass after another flew along. Most of the Black Sieve Sect disciples were sitting cross-legged meditating. Only the group of Chosen on the violet esoteric compass was staring out into the blackness.

Further away, the three Core Formation eccentrics seemed to be discussing something amongst themselves with Divine thought. And then, there was the most powerful person of all, Patriarch Violet Sieve, who sat motionless meditating, his eyes closed.

Elder Sister Hinata was sitting silently in the midst of the several hundred Black Sieve Sect disciples. The statue in their midst seemed as if it were about to melt into the blackness of this dark world. Ghost images resonated out from it, adding to its bizarreness.

On Kankuro's esoteric compass, one of the three late Foundation Establishment Cultivators, an old man in a gray robe, frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist Kankuro, you said you've been to this place a few times before. Yet, you don't know how to describe where we're going….?"

Kankuro seemed to hesitate in thought for a moment and then looked around for a moment. "Well," he said, "I do know a bit about the path we're traveling. As Fellow Daoist Tu surmised, this is a path that Cultivators in ancient times would use to travel to the stars to collect foreign Spirit lineages. It is a path between Mountains!" The surrounding Cultivators stared in astonishment at him and, then looked around them, seemingly intent on fixing everything around them into the memories.

"It's not a true path between Mountains," said Kankuro, looking around contentedly at the shocked looks on the faces of the rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators. "Only Immortals can tread that path. This is just a subsidiary branch, like one of the hundreds of streams which flow into the Milky Way. That having been said, it's still a path we should not be able to walk, which is why we need the power of the Heaven Forged Furnace of the Black Sieve Sect. It can protect us as we travel the path."

It turned out that this was not a true path between Mountains, but only a branch of one. Even still, to open it required the power of a great Sect; an ordinary Sect wouldn't be able to.

Kankuro's eyes swept over the crowd and came to rest on Naruto. He frowned a bit, then said, "Ah, you must be Fellow Daoist Naruto. Please, come sit over here." He had actually taken notice of Naruto much earlier. Before departing earlier in the day, the three Core Formation Patriarchs had personally charged him with the task of keeping an eye on Naruto.

He wasn't sure why, and didn't understand why three Core Formation Patriarchs would pay attention to a trifling early Foundation Establishment stage rogue Cultivator. He smiled at Naruto, but this smile was not genuine. He had no goodwill toward Naruto and had called his name simply to sow discord among the other Cultivators. Perhaps in this way he could get some clues about Naruto.

Exactly as he had anticipated, his words caused the surrounding rogue Cultivators to look over at Naruto. Many of them stared.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, as if he didn't care in the least. He'd known that his actions the other night would arouse some sort of attention. It was unavoidable. So hearing Kankuro's words, he nodded slightly.

"I'm fine where I am," he said. "My Cultivation base is weak, so it wouldn't be suitable for me to sit amongst such powerful figures."

Of course, the three Core Formation eccentrics who were communicating with Divine thought up ahead noticed this. They didn't interfere. They weren't sure what extraordinary abilities Naruto possessed. This was why the Black Sieve Sect Leader had issued special instructions to pay attention to Naruto.

Kankuro smiled lightly and was about to say something else, when suddenly the esoteric compass shook, and suddenly stopped moving. The esoteric compasses up ahead also stopped. The magical light emitted by the compasses instantly went out.

The faces of the three Core Formation eccentrics changed. The eminently powerful Patriarch Violet Sieve opened his eyes for the first time. They shone with both dignity and caution.

An archaic voice suddenly echoed out in the minds of all the Cultivators. "Everyone quiet!" It was as if an intangible seal had been placed on all of them, preventing them from speaking.

Within the silent darkness around them suddenly appeared a beautiful, five-colored glowing light. In front of them appeared an enormous jellyfish, tens of thousands of meters large. Its countless tentacles swayed gently, and its semi-transparent body slowly rippled. Its glow shone down into the eyes of the onlookers.

Within the body of the jellyfish, everyone was able to see a rotting corpse. It appeared to have been half digested by the jellyfish.

* * *

There was a hole between the eyebrows of the corpse, which appeared to be completely frozen. It was as if the rest of the corpse might decay, but this spot would exist for all eternity.

Everyone stood stock still, gazing at the jellyfish as it slowly floated along. Its long tentacles drifted through the midst of the esoteric compasses, then proceeded on into the distance. Finally, Patriarch Violet Sieve let out a light sigh. He stood and faced the departing jellyfish. Clasping his hands together, he gave a deep, respectful bow.

Then, his ancient voice slowly filled the air. "That was the third generation Ancestor of the Black Sieve Sect. His Cultivation base was at the peak of the Dao Seeking stage. As he was attempting to reach Immortal Ascension, a Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan mounted a sneak attack against him. He was not able to achieve Immortality, and fell to this path.

"That year, our Sect and the Uchiha Clan fought a bloody war that lasted for three thousand years. Eventually, the hostilities ceased. However, all of you Black Sieve Sect disciples should take to heart this bit of Sect history."

It seemed that for many of the Black Sieve Sect disciples, this was their first time hearing of the matter. Their eyes glittered brightly as they listened. Naruto's heart thumped as he silently watched the jellyfish depart.

Soon, the group proceeded onward; they didn't encounter any more strange phenomena like the jellyfish. They flew for about two days, until suddenly, the blinding glow of the esoteric compasses disappeared down a smaller branch of this path between Mountains.

Naruto could now see an incredible mountain range that stretched out seemingly without end. Everything was gray as far as the eye could see, with no vegetation present whatsoever. Far in the distance was what appeared to be a massive, fissure-like canyon that formed a path.

On either side of the path were cliffs that stretched down so far that the bottom wasn't visible.

Surprisingly, there were several hundred Cultivators sitting cross-legged outside of the canyon. Their faces were all pale, and they looked somewhat down and out. Forty or fifty of them were wearing random styles of clothing, and were obviously not Black Sieve Sect disciples. They were a group of rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had arrived much earlier than the group Naruto was part of.

The two groups exchanged glances.

The rest of the Cultivators were Black Sieve Sect disciples. When they caught sight of the group led by Patriarch Violet Sieve, their expressions grew brighter. They all stood up, and from within their midst emerged a beautiful, middle-aged woman wearing resplendent clothing . She emanated a mature grace, although her face was somewhat pale.

When she saw Patriarch Violet Sieve, she let out a light sigh, and nodded.

The woman didn't notice Naruto, but he recognized her. She was the one who had taken Hinata away from the Reliance Sect all those years ago.

"Together with Patriarch Violet Sieve, there are now two Nascent Soul Cultivators present," thought Naruto. "…. Exactly what is this place? Is it really a Blessed Land?" He thought for a moment, then lifted his hand up to pat his bag of the Cosmos. He then held up the good luck charm and sent a bit of spiritual power into it. He still sensed the teleportation ability within, which lessened some of his anxiety.

One of the main reasons he'd decided to come to the Black Sieve Sect was because of his ability to rely on the good luck charm's teleportation. Patriarch Reliance had kept this object in his collection, which caused Naruto to be confident in it, even though he'd never tried it out.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of Hinata within the large group of Cultivators. Her brow was furrowed as the coquettish woman next to her ridiculed her.

Naruto frowned. He could see that Elder Sister Hinata was unhappy. He glanced at the coquettish woman, and the coldness in his eyes grew icier.

It was at this moment that Patriarch Violet Sieve stood up, and the esoteric compass beneath him shrank down. He strode forward toward the beautiful woman, and they began to converse in low tones. An unsightly expression appeared on the face of Patriarch Violet Sieve as they continued to discuss some matter. Then, they turned together and walked toward the fissure-like canyon.

Next, all of the Black Sieve Sect disciples left the esoteric compasses, transforming into beams of light as they shot into the fissure. The Cultivators sitting cross-legged outside of the fissure also rose to their feet and moved in.

Kankuro clasped hands toward the rogue Cultivators, including Naruto. "Ladies and gentlemen, please, follow me." The esoteric compass beneath them began to shrink. Everyone seemed to be considering what to do. However, no one retreated. Taking their various thoughts with them, the group turned into beams of light and shot into the fissure.

Naruto's expression was calm as he flew forward slowly. Behind him, the group containing Hinata began to follow. However, she was obviously not of Foundation Establishment; she couldn't achieve true flight and instead flew along on top of a colorful mist.

Naruto slowed down a bit, but then Kankuro suddenly turned and looked at him, his eyes flashing like lightning. It seemed he was about to say something, but then didn't, as a woman suddenly approaching Naruto from off to the side.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, we meet again." The woman wore a long, violet robe. She was beautiful and charming, and when she smiled, her teeth were were white. She flew along at Naruto's side.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist Ino," said Naruto, looking at her and nodding. This was the woman who had delivered the Sieve Earth Pill to him a few days ago.

The group of people, nearly one thousand strong, whistled through the air into the fissure. Cliffs rose up on either side of them. Nothing was visible beneath them, as if the fissure was bottomless.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto," Ino said suddenly, her voice light and pleasant, "you have a very refined style. Presumably, you come from an extraordinary family. Do you really need to participate in this event just to get a Sieve Earth Pill?"

Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked at her.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about, Fellow Daoist Ino." At this point, the group had flown quite a distance into the fissure. The cliff walls around them were gradually turning black in color. The rocks were now beginning to glitter.

Before Ino could respond to him, the surrounding Cultivators began to speak excitedly.

"This is… a crystal cliff!"

"What is this place? There's so much crystal! It's even superior to high-grade Spirit Stones!"

Some of the Cultivators flew up and struck the crystal cliff face, clearly intending to dig some out.

However, the instant they struck the cliff wall, blood-curdling screams rang out as their bodies withered up. Their life force, flesh and blood were sucked away in an instant. In the blink of an eye, they were transformed into drifting ash, including their bags of holding. The places where they had touched the cliff walls now seemed to have grown a bit more crystal than before. It twinkled mysteriously.

Seeing this, Naruto's eyes narrowed. The surrounding rogue Cultivators sucked in their breaths. As for the Black Sieve Sect disciples, they didn't even seem to notice. Apparently, they were already aware of what the crystal cliff wall could do.

"Brother Naruto," said Ino with a deep, meaningful smile. "You're being watched. Please look out for yourself. By the way… are you really surnamed Uzumaki?" Before he could respond, she left his side.

Suddenly, an enormous roaring sound could be heard. It filled the air, causing everything to shake. Then, just as suddenly, it disappeared. Naruto frowned as Ino flew away from him. Then his gaze fell onto an enormous stone door up ahead, which Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful middle-aged woman had worked together to destroy.

The stone door was refusing to stay in pieces. It seemed to have been congealed by some unusual power that caused it to grow back together.

Past the broken the stone door, Naruto saw another group of two hundred cross-legged Cultivators. They stood up. In front of them was a pale-faced young man who held a pearl in his hands. The pearl let off a gentle glow which seemed to be slowing the recovery process of the stone door.

"Junior Hoki extends greetings to the Patriarchs." As he spoke, Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman entered through the stone door. They flicked their sleeves, causing the door to repair itself even more slowly.

Next, the group of a thousand Cultivators, including Naruto, shot quickly through. It didn't matter whether or not they wanted to, because behind the group were the three Core Formation eccentrics. With them taking up the rear, no one would dare to retreat backward.

The path beyond the stone door was even stranger. There were four similar doors in total that had to be destroyed, beyond each of which waited more Black Sieve Sect disciples.

As they proceeded, Naruto grew more and more cautious. Obviously, the Black Sieve Sect had investigated this area more than once. In fact, they seemed to have done so many times.

"These stone doors are like seals. This place…." Naruto looked ahead, his brow furrowed. Suddenly, he stopped moving. He wasn't the only one; everyone stopped and stared ahead.

There in front of them was a large black door. This door was not made of stone, but rather of some metallic substance. It was inset into both cliff walls, and emitted a black glow. On the surface of the door was an enormous face. The face's eyes were closed, as if it were sleeping.

As they approached, the eyes suddenly opened, and the face emitted a roar which caused everything to shake. Even Patriarch Violet Sieve couldn't prevent himself from coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Naruto did as well. The blood spit up by the group of people turned into a stream that the giant face sucked in. After gobbling up the blood, it let out a burp.

The face's voice was like the roar of thunder: "In accordance with the orders of my master, I guard Ultimate Vexation. Without the pendant, you may not enter the… Uh, what are you guys doing here again?"

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman both clasped hands and bowed deeply, reverent looks on their faces. Patriarch Violet Sieve pulled out a bamboo tube, out from which flew a dilapidated hide.

When he saw the hide, Naruto's eyes narrowed. The feeling he got when looking at it was exactly the same as that from the strange figure that night.

As the hide flew out, the indistinct image of an eye appeared. The eye stared at Naruto.

Their gazes locked, and Naruto's pupils constricted.

The hide unfurled and came to rest in front of the face.

* * *

"You can only use this thing one time," said the face, yawning. As it spoke, a fierce cry suddenly rang out from behind the group of people.

Naruto looked back and saw that the strange statue that was being carried along suddenly was melting. It turned into three globes of black mist. Inside each mist sphere was an old person surrounded by an aura of death. These were none other than the three people who had been on the tall platform beneath the Black Sieve Sect!

The Elder shot toward the face within their black mists. Next, they merged into it, causing it to twist and distort. Slowly, the mouth opened wide.

An archaic voice sounded out: "Enter quickly, we can only hold on for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn!" The voice sounded as if it had sprung from the yellow springs of the underworld. It echoed out, shaking the hearts of everyone present.

Before anyone could make a move, a flickering figure emerged from within the depths of the mouth. It was a middle-aged man; it seemed as if his entire Cultivation base was burning. Half of his body was completely destroyed, and his Crimson Core was visible inside, burning.

His hair was wild, and his face twisted with insanity. As he rushed out, he screamed, "All dead! The Hundred Names Pillar was not completed. All dead. HAHAHA! All dead…."

"That's Elder Morio!"

"It is! He was in the advanced group that came here. How did he end up like that…."

A buzz of conversation immediately arose amongst the Black Sieve Sect disciples, who had instantly recognized the man. Kankuro's pupils constricted, and Ino's expression flickered as she narrowed her eyes, within which flashed a strange light. The other Black Sieve Sect Chosen all had similar reactions.

The man rushed out in a frenzy, spewing lunacy, which echoed about within the fissure. Everyone was shocked at his words.

His shocking condition was even more astonishing. Considering his Crimson Core was visible, it was obvious that he was a Core Formation eccentric. For him to be in such a miserable state, and obviously insane, left everyone wondering what they might possibly be facing inside.

The man's words continued to echo about, especially the word "dead," which he'd uttered three times. It was like an invisible hammer, which struck down onto the hearts of those who heard him.

The Black Sieve Sect disciples were slightly less affected. After all, they knew a bit more about this place than Naruto and the other rogue Cultivators. Their numbers had increased as the group passed through one door after another, and now there were about two hundred of them. The faces of each and every one twisted.

An intangible shadow of death seemed to spread out from the crazed Core Formation eccentric, filling the area.

However, even as the man flew out of the black door ranting, Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes shone with a powerful glow. He strode forward toward Elder Morio and raised his hand. Color suddenly seemed to fade from the world, and Elder Morio rushed toward Patriarch Violet Sieve, seemingly out of control. As he lurched forward, Patriarch Violet Sieve lifted his right hand and slapped the man on the top of the head.

The slap rang out with a boom that shook everything. Crazed Elder Morio's body trembled, and his eyes suddenly grew clear. The burning of the Crimson Core within him began to fade.

He had recovered his wits, but before he could say anything, Patriarch Violet Sieve let out a cold harrumph and then flicked his sleeve. A black wind appeared, sweeping up Elder Morio and tossing him away.

"Ramblings! You're an Elder, so I've spared your life. Return to the Sect and go into secluded meditation for a hundred years as punishment!" Patriarch Violet Sieve acted quickly and efficiently. He lifted his hand, and immediately Naruto and the other rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators felt an intense pressure that sent their hearts racing.

"Rogue Cultivators from outside the Sect," he said coolly, "you have accepted our Sect's medicinal pills and have signed our contract with your thumbprint. We have arrived at the ancient Blessed Land. Unfortunately, its interior is unstable and also incompatible with high level Cultivation bases.

"If you are able to acquire some of the designated items, then you can trade them for more Sieve Earth Pills. Take these jade slips." Pressure filled the area. He flicked his sleeve, and immediately two hundred jade slips flew out to hover in front of the rogue Cultivators.

"There is no doubt that this is a dangerous place, but it is not a death trap. After all, many of our Sect's own disciples will enter with you. Please, rest assured." As he spoke, the beautiful middle-aged woman next to him coolly looked over the crowd. The two of them did not need to utter any threats. Considering the Cultivation bases, no one could possibly defy them.

Naruto silently placed the good luck charm into his bag of holding. Around him, the other rogue Cultivators maintained similar silence. It was impossible to tell what any of them were thinking.

These were people who had reached Foundation Establishment but were not members of any Sect. There might be some among such rogue Cultivators who are stupid and foolish, but most of them could scheme and calculate. They had chosen to come to this place for their own benefit, and were also aware that there would be danger.

Seven or eight figures flashed ahead, heading directly toward the black door. As soon as they entered the mouth, they disappeared.

With them having taken the lead, the others followed in quick succession, flying forward wordlessly into the face on the large black door.

Murmuring to himself, Naruto looked at Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful middle-aged woman. In the very rear were the Core Formation eccentrics, who were watching over the proceedings with cold faces.

"Elder Sister Hinata seems to be in some sort of trouble. Now that I'm here, I can't just ignore it." His eyes filled with determination. His body flew up along with a few dozen nearby Cultivators, who all turned into beams of light that shot toward the face in the black door. About halfway there, he turned his head and looked back.

He saw Kankuro with his faint, hypocritical smile. There was pretty Ino, as well as the other Black Sieve Sect Chosen. And off in the distance, amidst the crowd, was pale-faced Hinata.

When Naruto's gaze fell upon her, Hinata suddenly trembled, staring in shock. A look of disbelief filled her face as… she looked back at him.

Many years had passed, and Naruto had experienced great change. But, she recognized him immediately. She had brought him to the Reliance Sect, and he had become her Junior Brother. He was the one who had given her the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill underneath the moon.

Scenes from the past filled Hinata's mind. The memories of that time, the frustrations, all merged within her heart to ripple out like a dream.

Their gazes locked. There were a thousand people in between them, but despite the distance and the time, they were not far apart. Rather, they were very, very close to each other.

Naruto gave her a warm smile. The entire reason he had come to the Black Sieve Sect to begin with was to see her, an old friend. Now, he had seen her, and she him.

He turned and disappeared into the mouth of the face in the black door. The moment he vanished, Hinata's heart suddenly seemed to grow empty. Without realizing it, she took a step forward.

But it was too late. Naruto was gone. Feelings welled up inside of her that she didn't understand. On the outside, she was as cold as ever.

Usually, no one could touch her heart; she protected it fiercely. However, for some reason a feeling of joy had arisen inside her.

Then Naruto had disappeared, and she felt as if she had lost something. She rarely experienced such feelings, and when she did, she would suppress them. Today, however, the feeling could not be suppressed.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, slut!" It was the coquettish girl who was standing next to her. "If you want to pretend you can't hear me, fine," she said venomously. "But do you really think you can avoid me? Humph!" She laughed coldly. "You got injured last time. If Elder Brother Hiashi hadn't asked Junior Sister Ino to save you, then you would have died inside. But, instead of being thankful, you got more standoffish! It's just a little cherry, why do you care so much about that? What an idiot!" The coquettish woman looked at Hinata's cold, beautiful face and gave a grim smile. The more jealous she got, the more she wanted Hinata to end up like her.

Hinata turned around to face the woman who had treated her so poorly all these years. One word at a time, she said, "That day in the Blessed Land, it was your own Elder Brother Hiashi who broke the rules and almost got me killed. And Elder Sister Ino didn't save me because Elder Brother Hiashi asked her to, but because she took my bag of holding and just happened to grab me along with it."

Her demeanor was cold, and her expression very serious. This was the personality that she usually kept hidden from her fellow disciples. The coquettish woman could never have anticipated that the Hinata who she constantly taunted would ever talk back to her. She stared for a moment and then laughed coldly.

"So, the slut dares to speak," she said derisively. "Elder Brother Hiashi has already arranged everything. You won't be able to get away this time. I'm going to stand there and watch while your cherry gets taken. Eventually, you'll thank me." The Cultivators around her began to fly up into the air toward the black door.

Hinata's body flashed as she stepped onto her colorful mist and shot forward.

The coquettish woman was behind her, laughing coldly. But, then she noticed a man up ahead, wearing a violet robe. He looked back, and a charming smile instantly covered her face.

The handsome man in the violet robe was young and had a Cultivation base of the early Foundation Establishment stage. He nodded at her slightly. Then his gaze fell upon Hinata, and his eyes filled with a burning desire.

This was none other than the man the coquettish woman constantly spoke about. Elder Brother Hiashi.

* * *

After everyone entered the black door, the massive face began to warp. Three misty figures dissolved out of the face, which then transformed into three wizened old Cultivators. They looked as if they had just crawled out of the grave.

Without hesitation, they head back toward the statue from which they had come. As they moved toward it, massive amounts of black aura emanated off of them, as if they were corroding.

"What happened?" said the face. "Oh well. Anyway, without the authentication item, you cannot enter!" It looked confused for a moment, but then its eyes grew clear and it began to howl.

Currently, there were only eleven people left within the fissure. In addition to Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful middle-aged woman, there were nine others, all of them Core Formation Cultivators. They ignored the howls of the face in the door, sitting down cross-legged and closing their eyes. At the same time, their hands flickered with incantation gestures. In the middle of the group of nine appeared a Ginseng fruit, floating in the air.

The fruit was glittering and translucent. Its interior roiled as if it contained good fortune from the Heavens inside.

The Spirit fruit writhed along with the rotation of the nine Cultivation bases, and it looked as if it were beginning to grow a head and four limbs.

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful middle-aged woman stood off to the side, their gazes fixed onto the Spirit fruit.

"I went in once," said the middle-aged woman with a frown. "But after the space of about thirty breaths, the expelling force within became very intense. Even with my Divine Sense, I was unable to locate the object. I can only hope that the Hundred Spirits Tower will be effective. It's still not quite complete. Hopefully this time there will be enough."

Patriarch Violet Sieve was silent for a moment before coolly replying, "I personally prepared this Spirit Ginseng. With the Ginseng form, we can stay inside for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Everything is prepared. If we cannot succeed this time, then in accord with the words of the Sect Leader and the Patriarchs, we will open the Blessed Land to the public. We will borrow the might of the entire Southern Domain to refine the object of legends. After all, to Cultivators like us, that object is the only hope we have other than the Rebirth Cave!"

The beautiful woman hesitated for a moment and then said, "If that happens, though, we will be forced to share. Even if the Black Sieve Sect does the refining, the more people who are involved, the less of a chance we will get our turn…. I might have it a bit better off, but you and the others will be much more limited."

"True. Even if we have to sacrifice some of our own Sect's disciples this time, we will not fail!" A dark violet color appeared within the birthmark on his face, giving him a very fierce appearance.

The world spun, making it impossible to determine which direction was which. Everything was murky. It wasn't long, though, before everything began to grow clear. The dark sky grew a deep blue color. The earth below was filled with dark soil.

Verdant foliage was everywhere, covering the hills, which rose and fell off into the distance. A large river snaked through mountains, and the gurgling sound of water could be heard.

This was what Naruto saw when he appeared. No one else was visible, only him.

"This place is pretty big…." he said, looking up into the sky. The sun was beginning to set, filling the sky with a beautiful red color.

In fact, upon closer observation, Naruto was able to see evidence of an invisible moon.

"The meeting place for our Classic of Time group is the place where the image of the sun and moon intersect." Naruto's eyes glittered as he strode forward, transforming into a beam of prismatic light.

"And then there's that supposed Hundred Spirits Tower. What's that?" Naruto felt misgivings in his heart. As he moved forward, the first thing he did was retrieve the good luck charm from within his bag of the Cosmos. Probing it with Spiritual Sense, he felt a bit more at ease. He was really coming to value the good luck charm more and more.

"No wonder Patriarch Reliance had this charm in his collection. It can even teleport out of this place." He put the good luck charm back. This was now his life-saving treasure.

"Elder Sister Hinata was right behind me, but who knows where the Black Sieve Sect people appeared. Did they come out together, or were they sent in randomly? The latter is more likely. Well, in any case, I need to find her as quickly as possible." A fierce glow appeared in his eyes as he thought of the cold laugh of the coquettish woman who had stood next to Elder Sister Hinata, and of Hinata's pale face.

As he thought about her, he took out the jade slip distributed by the Black Sieve Sect. Imbuing it with some Spiritual Sense, he saw a list of names. He perused the list, retracted his Spiritual Sense, and then crushed the jade slip.

Then he shot forward in search of Elder Sister Hinata.

Time passed, and soon evening fell. The sky grew dark, and the moon rose. Everything was dark. Naruto currently stood on a small hill, looking out at some ancient ruins not too far off in front of him.

At the moment, the moon was covered by dark clouds, causing the ruins up ahead to be somewhat obscured. They seemed incredibly old, as if they had seen the passing of many ages. Naruto got the feeling that many, many years ago, it had been a bustling city.

Now, though, it was half consumed by the land. Only a few structures were visible, and even they were falling apart. On this moonlit night, it seemed very lonely. The wind blew across the ruins, carrying strange sounds with it.

It sounded like countless people murmuring softly. Naruto couldn't make out what they were saying, but all of the voices combined together created a very bizarre feeling.

In front of the ruins was a stone stele. Almost nothing remained of the characters that had once been carved into it, but now it was almost completely blank, and covered with cracks.

He looked it over, and was about to turn and leave when suddenly his expression flickered. The dark clouds passed, and suddenly moonlight spilled down. Naruto caught sight of something in one of the cracks in the stone stele. There inside was a golden vine-like twig. It seemed to be squirming. It was covered with leaves that wrapped around tiny pieces of fruits the size of a thumb.

He recognized this fruit from the jade slip he had just crushed; it was one of the items the Black Sieve Sect wanted, and was called a Moonstone fruit.

His expression calm, Naruto did nothing. He simply sat on the hill cross-legged, looking out with cold eyes.

Not too much time passed before a figure sped out from the nearby forest. It was a middle-aged man with a Cultivation base at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He shot directly toward the stone stele, arriving in front of it in the blink of an eye. He reached up to grab the Moonstone fruit.

However, the instant he touched one of the fruits, a cold light sprang out from within the Stone Stele. The middle-aged Cultivator shot backward, a look of shock on his face. The cold light transformed into several beams, which swept toward him.

Popping sounds rang out, and the man coughed up blood. Astonishment was written on his face as he attempted to defend himself. But before he could do anything, his body began to tremble. Suddenly, his head flew off of his shoulders, severed. At the same time, the golden vines in the cracks of the stele extended out, entwining around the headless body. One of the vines stabbed into the bloody flesh. It seemed to be swallowing something. Sure enough, in the space of a few breaths, the Cultivator's body shriveled and withered.

Naruto saw all of this happen. He continued to sit there quietly, a brilliant glow emanating from his eyes.

"What are the vines consuming?" he thought.

Even as he watched, the stone stele began to ripple and distort, and a grim-faced young man wearing a violet robe walked out of it. He was at the peak of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, close to the late stage. Wrapped around his arms were thick rattan vines, which stretched out like tentacles. He looked very fear inspiring.

Naruto had seen him before. He was one of the Black Sieve Sect disciples that had traveled in the group with him to this place. He had been among the Chosen on the violet esoteric compass.

The young man didn't give a passing glance to the shriveled up corpse. Instead, he raised his head to look directly at the hill where Naruto was seated. His eyes flashed.

Naruto sat there cross-legged, looking back at him. There was only a few hundred meters' distance between them. They looked at each other for the space of a few breaths. Then, the young man dashed forward and leaped into the air, his body transforming into a prismatic beam that shot toward Naruto.

Meanwhile, in a different location not too far away, Hinata sped along, her face pale. The colorful mist beneath her feet was on the verge of falling apart. Behind her was Elder Brother Hiashi from the Black Sieve Sect. A smile covered his face. At his side was the coquettish woman, who was named Hanabi. Together, they pursued Hinata in a leisurely fashion.

"Junior Sister Hinata, you were able to get away last time because you got lucky," he said. He was quite handsome, this young man named Hiashi. "This time, however, I paid off Elder Brother Kankuro. He issued a secret order for any disciple who caught sight of you to notify me. Look, we've only been here for a couple hours and I already found you." He laughed, and the sound of his voice rang into Hinata's ears, causing her face to grow even more pale. She gritted her teeth tightly. She said nothing, instead shooting forward as fast as possible. However, it didn't really matter how fast she went. Hiashi was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and there was really nothing she could do to evade him.

"Junior Sister Hinata, you're lucky to have Elder Brother Hiashi take a fancy to you. When it happened to me, I didn't like either, but things are fine now. Just give in, and everything will be fine." The coquettish woman did nothing as the young man named Hiashi rubbed his hands across her body. She laughed.

"I don't want to make it hard on you," said Hiashi, the fire in his eyes growing stronger. "I just want your cherry. I have a Foundation Establishment Pill that I can offer in trade. It's a fair price, but you just keep refusing me. You can't blame me for taking it by force." He lifted a finger on his right hand.

The finger sent a stiff breeze flowing. It rushed past Hinata, causing her robes to lift up and reveal quite a bit of skin. Hinata trembled a bit, and some blood seeped out of the corners of her mouth. And yet, she just clenched her jaw and kept moving forward.

The young man named Hiashi just laughed a few times. His eyes burned as he lifted his hand again.

* * *

Naruto stood on the top of the hill, calmly watching the violet-robed youth charging toward him. As he approached, he kicked up a wind, and the seven or eight tentacle-like vines expanded to the size of pythons. At their ends were wide mouths filled with sharp teeth.

"Mid Foundation Establishment stage," said Naruto calmly, his face not changing in the slightest. He himself was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but he had a Perfect Foundation. He might not know any techniques from the Foundation Establishment stage, but he had the boundless Core sea from when he was at Chakra Condensation, thanks to the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Also, he had reached Foundation Establishment after having achieved the great circle of Chakra Condensation.

He was equipped with all of this when he experienced his explosive growth during the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. The battle prowess of his Cultivation base was at such high level that he was able to go up against a Dao Child of the Shimura Clan, Kabuto. Although he had not achieved victory, he had severed his opponent's arm. If it had been a Cultivator who was not a Dao Child, Naruto could have killed him easily.

After reaching the mid Foundation Establishment stage, he would definitely be able to hold his own against the Dao Children of the various Sects and Clans.

So, there is no need to even mention a mere Chosen of the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

The violet-robed youth approached with a cold smile and powerful killing intent. Naruto stood there, framed by the dark night, the moonlight shining down on him. His expression was as calm as ever as he lifted his hand, using his fingernail to slice open the skin on his finger. He stepped forward casually, and the instant the violet-robed youth arrived, waved his finger in a seemingly random fashion.

As the finger descended, a great wind sprang up. In response, the violet-robed youth's expression changed. His pupils constricted, and his eyes filled with disbelief. Suddenly, his vision turned red; this was not an illusion, it was real.

Everything was red, and there was only a solitary finger, covered with fresh blood. It shot toward him.

The vines wrapped around his arms had been viciously writhing forward with open mouths ready to devour; but suddenly they began to emit miserable shrieks. They quivered, and before they were even thirty meters from Naruto, had collapsed into blood.

The blood transformed into a shield which surrounded the violet-robed young man. All of this takes some time to describe, but happened in time it takes for a spark to fly off of a piece of flint.

The violet-robed youth began to scream. He no longer charged forward, but tried to move backward in retreat. Naruto sprang into action.

He took a step and then flew into the air toward the violet-robed young man. He lifted his hand and touched the blood shield with his index finger.

"Break." He said the word lightly, and then an explosion filled the air.

The blood shield collapsed, and the vines on the young man's arms broke to pieces. Only the violet-golden fruit rippled with signs of life. It seemed to be begging for mercy.

"You…." The violet-robed youth's face was pale and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His eyes were filled with intense fear. This was the first time he had even shown fear; he was a Chosen of the Black Sieve Sect, and a violet-robed disciple at that. His position in the Inner Sect was very high, and he had never been defeated with battle magic. Usually people sought him out because of his popularity. But now, seeing the expressionless Naruto in front of him, he was filled with an unprecedented feeling of life-or-death danger.

At this critical juncture, the violet-robed youth lifted his hands and flashed an incantation gesture, then swiped his palm forward seven or eight times in succession. Each swipe sent ripples out, which then congealed into a massive, black-colored hand that faced up against Naruto.

Naruto, expression calm, opened his mouth and spat out the lightning mist. The mist slammed into the hand, and a boom filled the air.

The violet-robed young man's expression filled with despair. He was about to make another incantation gesture when Naruto arrived in front of him. Naruto's knee flew into the air, slamming directly into the young man's neck, whose head filled with a buzzing sound, and then an intense pain. The hand which had been making an incantation sign went limp, and his entire body bent to the side.

All of the blood in his body rushed to his head, making his once handsome face a dark reddish purple color. He opened his mouth to speak, his expression fearful and his body trembling. One can only imagine what he wished to say as he faced death.

He never spoke the words. Naruto stretched out his hand and used his fingernail to slice open the skin between the young man's eyebrows. His hand then made a strange gesture, and he pushed down.

A boom could be heard, and the young man's body flew backward like a kite with its string cut. All of the blood in his body, which had already gathered in his head, began to fountain out of the cut on his face. He couldn't even cry out. All he could see was blood, shooting out like a geyser from between his eyebrows. His pale body slammed into the ground and twitched a few times before lying still in death.

The blood that had shot out of his body seemed to be burning; it turned into a mist which then congealed into a drop the size of a fingernail. The drop of blood shot toward Naruto, who snatched it out of the air into his hand.

"Three generations of blood can form a small body; six generations of blood can form a full body, nine generations is called a Blood Spirit, or, death." Naruto spoke the words coolly. What he had just used on the violet-robed youth was none other than the Spirit Devouring Scripture.

"This violet robe indicates that he was a Chosen of the Black Sieve Sect. As a Chosen, he must have a powerful bloodline. He lifted up the blood and looked at it for a moment before putting it away. Then he looked down at the young man's corpse. He picked up the bag of holding, as well as the violet-golden fruit which had been begging for mercy just now.

The violet-golden fruit quivered in Naruto's hand as if it were alive and pleading for forgiveness.

"Naruto does not keep useless objects. What can you do? Show me." He tossed the violet-gold fruit onto the ground. It immediately began to wriggle. Vines sprang out of it, quickly growing in length. In the space of about ten breaths, there were ten or more vines, all of them thirty meters in length. They burrowed partly into the ground and then stretched up into the air, swaying back and forth, filling the area. It was quite awe-inspiring.

"Not good enough," said Naruto, shaking his head.

The tentacle vines trembled. Suddenly they bent, shooting toward the corpse of the violet-robed youth. Shockingly, it began to rip the corpse apart like a melon and swallow it down!

Naruto frowned as the vines consumed the body within the space of a few breaths. Then, each of the tentacles began to tremble and suddenly, leaves with glowing magical symbols began to sprout out. Naruto was quite shocked.

Not much time passed, and soon nearly one hundred leaves had appeared. The magical symbols drifted off of the vines and floated toward Naruto. They began to merge together to form a book of leaves!

Naruto took the book and flipped through it. His eyes filled with a bright light. The magical symbols were filled with the power of something similar to Spiritual Sense. After examining them closely, he realized that they described a technique.

It was called the Nineteen Black Cloud Strikes, and was the magical technique that the violet-robed young man had just now used to attempt to fight him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't complete. Only five of the strikes were described, whereas the rest were incomplete, missing various mnemonics. Perhaps the young man hadn't completely mastered the technique. Naruto studied it for a moment, his eyes narrowing. With his Perfect Dao Pillar, it wasn't difficult to deduce how to use the technique. After a while, he realized that the reason the manual wasn't complete was because the violet-gold vines were not powerful enough.

That having been said, he was still quite excited. He looked at the vines; if he allowed them to continue to develop, things would be different. He put away the book of leaves and nodded his head. He waved his sleeve, and a drop of blood flew out to descend onto the vines, branding them deeply. This blood seal was one of the random techniques that Naruto had acquired from the Blood Immortal Legacy.

The vines began to shake, and their color slowly changed. Soon, they were dark red, looking somewhat Demonic as they swayed in the air around Naruto. A Demonic aura drifted up from them, although it was almost impossible to detect.

Naruto looked at the vines thoughtfully for some time, and then glanced back at the ruins up ahead of him. Taking up the violet-robed youth's bag of holding, he examined its contents. Amongst several jade slips was one that attracted his notice.

It was pure white, and after casting his Spiritual Sense into it, a map appeared in Naruto's mind. On the map were many white dots, all of which were moving….

In addition to the white dots, there were about two hundred gray dots, most of which were also moving.

"This is…." He observed the map for a bit before he was able to determine his location. Then, his attention was drawn to a place not far away from where he was. There, he could see three white dots, one in front, two in pursuit. The person in front was being chased!

He frowned, and his heart began to pound. He sent his Spiritual Sense into the first of the three glowing lights, and an image appeared in his mind.

The image was none other than pale-faced Hinata. She was biting her lower lip and speeding forward as fast as possible.

In that instant, Naruto's killing intent rocketed to the sky. Studying the images of the two figures pursuing Hinata, he saw that one was the coquettish woman. She was being held by the playful looking young man named Hiashi.

As soon as he saw this, a cold air began to emanate from Naruto's body, and his eyes shined brightly. The vines around him sensed his killing intent, and began to radiate the same aura of death.

Without the slightest hesitation, Naruto transformed into a beam of colorful light that shot toward Hinata's location. The swaying, red-colored vines followed, burrowing along underneath the ground.

* * *

Hiashi Hyuga was quite proud of himself. He held Hanabi in one arm as he shot in pursuit of tender Hinata. A smile covered his face, filled with lechery.

He lifted his hand, sending a wind blowing past Hinata, lifting up her garments. He laughed loudly.

Seeing Hinata so stubborn and yet so weak filled him with excitement. He continued to send wind shooting over her, which caused more and more damage to her garments. She bit her lip as she fled. Soon, a feeling of desperation began to well up within her.

The fawning of Hanabi coupled with the occasional vicious remarks uttered by Hinata caused Hiashi's eyes to shine even more brightly.

Yet, he wasn't in a hurry. It didn't seem to him that Hinata would fall into any good fortune like last time. She couldn't escape him, so he would enjoy the process of capturing her. That was what he liked the most. The weaker his prey, the more exciting it was. The more she struggled, the crueler he would be.

"Hinata, I've had my eye on you from the year you entered the Black Sieve Sect. I even spread the word about it. Why do you think no one has bothered you all these years? And yet, you continue to refuse my goodwill! You really don't know how to appreciate favors. You can't blame me for being ruthless." He let out a hearty laugh. Were he in the Sect, he would have more qualms about breaking Sect rules, especially because there were so many people around. However, in this place, he didn't have anything to be scared of.

Furthermore, he was a Conclave disciple of the Black Sieve Sect, which was a position even higher than the Inner Sect. He could really call the wind and summon rain among his fellow disciples.

In addition to all that, one of the Patriarchs of his Hyuga Clan was an Elder of the Black Sieve Sect. Plus, several hundred years ago, a Hyuga Clan member had reached the Nascent Soul stage and become a Sect Patriarch, then went into secluded meditation and still hadn't emerged. Because of that Nascent Soul Patriarch, the Hyuga Clan was deeply entrenched within the Black Sieve Sect.

Actually, despite being a Conclave disciple, Hiashi did not have extraordinary latent talent. No other person in the Sect with his latent talent would ever have been able to reach Foundation Establishment. However, with the support and direction of a Core Formation Patriarch, along with multiple Foundation Establishment Pills, he was finally able to do it.

After becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Hiashi was quite pleased with himself. He had grown up in the Sect, and other than a few people who could not be provoked, everyone must bend to his will. If he wanted wind, it was windy. If he wanted rain, it was rainy.

Within the Hyuga Clan, there were two sons of the current generation. One was him, the other was from another branch of the Hyuga Clan, his cousin, Hizashi Hyuga.

Like him, Hizashi was a Conclave disciple. In terms of latent talent, his was above and beyond Hiashi, and he was viewed as an important member of the Clan to be nurtured. Hiashi was well aware of this, of course, and didn't get involved with rivalries with him. Instead, he immersed himself in pleasure. Normally, if he fancied a female disciple in the Sect, she wouldn't refuse him. After all, even if she wasn't willing, refusing him was useless.

The Patriarchs didn't pay attention to such matters. If anything, he could expand the clan. In any case, if a female disciple really did get pregnant, she would instantly be in a much higher position than before.

Due to a variety of lucky circumstances, Hiashi was like a spoiled rich kid within the Sect. He wasn't very well known in the outside world, but within the Sect he was quite infamous.

"Look, the stars are out. It's almost time. We can use the stars as our wedding candles, and this place will serve as a nuptial chamber. What do you say?" He laughed again, lifting a finger to send another blast of wind at Hinata.

Her body trembled and blood seeped from her mouth. Actually, Hiashi had to carefully control the spiritual energy he used, otherwise it would kill her.

As her body quivered, the colorful cloud beneath her feet suddenly fell apart. Hinata fell down to the ground. Laughing melodically, Hanabi shot forward and grabbed her, shoving her down into the dirt. Hinata couldn't even struggle.

Her face was pale, and her features somewhat wan. However coldness filled her eyes as she watched Hiashi walking over, untying his robe as he came. A look of desperation filled her, and she tried to bit off her tongue, but Hanabi restrained her jaw.

"Now now, Junior Sister Hinata, you can't do that. If you really want to kill yourself, you'll have to wait until Elder Brother Hiashi is done having fun." Hanabi laughed. Her words were spoken tenderly, but were filled with sinister viciousness.

"Excellent, excellent," laughed Hiashi, looking appreciatively at Hanabi. He stroked her face, which caused her eyes to shine. It seemed his approval was very stimulating to her.

Hiashi looked at Hinata, who was helplessly pinned against the ground by Hanabi. His gaze roved over her lithe curves, and he laughed.

"If I gave you some medicinal pills," he said, "then I wouldn't be able to enjoy the struggle. So of course I won't give you any." His robe was now completely untied.

Hinata's body quivered, and tears seeped out of her eyes. She couldn't struggle. Hanabi's Cultivation base was higher than hers. Plus, she was exhausted from fleeing, and was being held down tightly. There was no way to flee.

The coldness on her face dissipated, replaced with bitterness and desperation. Her eyes emptied. Suddenly, it seemed she could see the Reliance Sect, and Naruto, standing on the East Mountain. She thought of Mount Myoboku, and the young scholar stooping down and tossing a rattan vine over a cliff.

She remembered the first time she saw Naruto . She had been standing behind him as he searched for rattan vines. She watched him throw the vine down the cliff, and had heard him talking about Immortals to the people below.

At that time, she'd thought that this mortal scholar was very interesting. Thus, she'd taken him with her.

She thought about the stares of the crowd when Naruto had offered her the medicinal pill…. And she thought about how he had gazed back at her right before he entered the black door.

"It's all over…." The streaming tears made her face seem very bleak. She couldn't stop herself from shaking. She was scared. From the day she had left the Reliance Sect until now, she had not experienced any happiness. And now, it seemed everything was coming to an end.

When she was a little girl, she had realized that she wasn't very intelligent, and in fact, sometimes very foolish. Therefore, she had mastered the ability to cover it up with a cold smile. She used coldness and silence to conceal her lack of intelligence, and to make the world a bit simpler.

She didn't like complicated things, because she often didn't understand them. She liked peace and quiet. She liked to practice Cultivation by herself. As she did so, she watched the years pass, observed the ebb and flow of life, and recalled beautiful memories from the past.

This was her. Hinata. A cold exterior, and a simple heart.

She tried hard not to cry. Her body shook, and she closed her eyes. She didn't want to look at Hiashi and his overwhelming strength. She was simply a Chakra Condensation Cultivator in a Sect where happiness was unachievable. She had no strength to resist… nor even the ability to die.

As she closed her eyes, Hanabi laughed and then spoke into her ear, her voice cool and complex. "Hey, you can't fight back, so just close your eyes. That's what I did all those years back. If you want to blame something, blame your aloofness, and blame your Cultivation base. You're just too weak…."

Hiashi's laughter echoed out. He waved his right hand, and a pink glow spread out. It enveloped the entire area within a thirty meter radius, creating a glimmering, pink shield that concealed everything within. The three of them were completely hidden. From the outside, the area didn't look unusual at all.

At the same time that the cloaking shield went up, a fiery beam of light shot across the sky nearby. It screamed through the air, a cold-faced Naruto in its middle.

He arrived in the blink of an eye, his gaze sweeping the land. He frowned. There didn't seem to be anything unusual at all in the area. He was about to leave, when his eyes flashed. He took out the jade slip and examined it. It was then that he noticed that the white dot representing Hinata, as well as the two others, had vanished.

He wasn't sure why, but a feeling of deep unrest rose up in his heart. He looked down at the ground, and then waved his hand. As he did, a thirty meter long Flame Dragon roared out, shooting downward. A boom sounded out, and dust rose up from the ground.

However, there was one area, about thirty meters in diameter, from which no dust rose up whatsoever. It was clearly different from its surroundings.

Hiashi was concealed inside the shield, looking pleased. He licked his lips and his eyes shone as he prepared to throw himself upon Hinata. Suddenly, a boom could be heard from outside. He frowned, looking up, his pupils constricting.

Hanabi also looked up in astonishment. She reacted to the situation quickly. Almost reflexively, she pulled out a sharp sword and placed it against Hinata's neck.

This was because she had seen a young man outside wearing a black scholar's robe. His eyes glowed with killing intent, and as he lifted his hand, she could see that one of his fingers was coated with blood. He touched the surface of the shield, and an explosion shook everything. He opened his mouth, and a mist of lightning roiled out, slamming into the pink shield.

Another explosion rocked the earth and sky, echoing out. The shield couldn't withstand the power, and collapsed in a boom. In the midst of her despair, Hinata opened her eyes. She stared blankly as the shield disintegrated. Beyond where the shield was breaking apart, she saw a person. Killing intent and murder boiled off of him. Behind his body writhed a mass of dark red vines!

He looked like a Death Immortal who had just emerged from the yellow springs of the underworld, filled with rage and insanity. As he approached, a massive wind kicked up that shook everything.

"Are you two … looking to die?!" It didn't seem possible for Naruto's voice to contain more fury than it did. It came out as a roar that filled their ears, as if it had been transmitted from hell itself!

"Naruto…." said Hinata, smiling. Her smile was beautiful, and didn't contain any of her usual coldness. It was a simple smile.

Simple and happy.

The dark red vines seemed to have been infected by Naruto's fury. They whipped about wildly, creating a buzzing noise. Dust rose from the ground like a fog, obscuring Naruto's figure.

His black scholar's robe now looked a bit faded. Long hair whipped around him, and killing intent, fueled by his intense anger, rose to the heavens. This killing aura was poles apart from Naruto's usual disposition.

Veins of blood filled his eyes. He saw Hinata's helplessness, her bitterness, her pale beauty, and then the simple smile that broke out on her face. That smile became Naruto's everything.

Naruto loved her. It was the youthful love that comes from looking at a pretty girl. A simple love. After the dissolution of the Reliance Sect, they had been separated by an entire world. Now that they could see each other again, the years that had passed didn't seem very long after all, almost like a dream.

Seven or eight years ago, you were a cold, a young girl who stood beneath the moon and accepted the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill. Now, seven or eight years later, here you are, your face pale, but smiling.

Seven or eight years ago I was a scholar standing on Mount Myoboku who threw a gourd bottle down the mountain. You will never know the promise I placed in that gourd bottle.

Seven or eight years later, here I stand, my killing intent billowing to the Heavens. The road behind me doesn't stretch very far, but it is filled with the bones of Cultivators.

Seven or eight years….

For mortals, many things can change in seven or eight years. For Cultivators, seven or eight years is not a long time; but then again, Cultivators all begin life as mortals. Naruto was no longer the scholar he had been seven or eight years ago, but the memories from that time still remained. He would never forget those years.

He gazed at Hinata and smiled. His smile contained warmth, and the happiness of seeing someone again for the first time in a long while. It lasted until he looked upon the trembling man surnamed Hyuga who stood there pale-faced, his robe hanging loose on his body.

Hiashi felt as if Naruto's eyes were two sharp swords stabbing into his own eyes. The gaze entered his head, causing his mind to tremble. It pierced his blood and flesh, grinding against his bones and stabbing into his Chakra passageways. It stabbed all the way to his Dao Pillar.

His Dao Pillar was filled with cracks; he obviously had a Fractured Foundation. The Dao Pillar shook violently, as if Naruto's gaze would cause it to crumble to pieces. Hiashi was frightened out of his mind.

"Fellow… Fellow Daoist, senior, I'm Hiashi, a Conclave disciple of the Black Sieve Sect. Fellow Daoist…." His tongue quivered as he spoke. He might be a rich kid, but he wasn't stupid. The pink shield from just now was a treasure that could only be broken by the late Foundation Establishment stage. And yet Naruto, who seemed to be at the early Foundation Establishment stage, had crushed it.

He also saw Naruto's frigid killing aura. It was powerfully intense, something that he had never actually seen before in his entire life.

"You're surnamed Hyuga?" Naruto said coolly, beginning to a step forward. "I just killed another guy surnamed Hyuga. His name was Hizashi." Naruto had acquired Hizashi's name from the identification medallion in his bag of holding.

As he took his first step, it felt to Hiashi as if Naruto was stepping directly onto his heart. His heart pounded, filling with a difficult to describe pain, deep inside.

It was then that Naruto's words from just now registered in Hiashi's mind. A thunder-like roaring filled him, and his body shivered. He unconsciously took a step backward. Naruto's gaze swept over him, filled with an incredible pressure. Hiashi's mind reeled again, and his trembling body lost the ability to move. Facing Naruto, his Cultivation base seemed completely incapable of producing even the smallest amount of power.

This was crushing pressure!

Naruto released the full power of his Perfect Dao Pillar, creating a pressure that could crush down upon any Foundation Establishment Dao Pillar!

This was an innate ability of a Perfect Foundation. Because the Perfect Foundation struggles with the Heavens over spiritual energy, it has the ability to emit crushing pressure on all other Foundation Establishment Cultivation bases!

Amidst his trembling, Hiashi's expression flickered. Naruto took a second step, and as the step descended, Hiashi's face grew deathly pale. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and an intense dread crept into his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist… if… if you want to talk…." His entire body shook, but even as he tried to speak, Naruto took a third step. He stomped down; Hiashi's spirit shook and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Dao Pillar within him was unable to withstand the pressure exuded by Naruto. A large fissure sliced all the way through it!

More fissures grew, spreading out to fill the entire Dao Pillar. The blood drained completely from Hiashi's face, and his eyes filled with anguish. Trembling, he was just about to use all the power he could muster to fight back, when Naruto, face blank, took his fourth step, which was filled with powerful killing intent.

The instant the fourth step descended, the roaring within Hiashi rose to the Heavens. His heart suddenly stopped beating for a moment. All of his organs seemed to slow as the cracks spread throughout his Dao Pillar until suddenly… it disintegrated!

The Dao Pillar disintegrated!

When that happened, Hiashi let out a bloodcurdling shriek that was unlike anything that had emerged from his mouth before. He coughed up seven or eight mouthfuls of blood, and then began to wither and shrink. Cold sweat poured out of him, and his face was ashen. His body could suddenly move again, but all that he was able to do was retreat backward.

Before he could move backward very far, Naruto took a fifth step, and now he was standing in front of Hiashi. His knee flew up, not toward Hiashi's neck, but directly between his legs!

Pop pop!

The intense pain caused Hiashi to double over, screaming. Even as he screamed, Naruto's right hand shot up and clamped onto his neck. The scream now existed only within Hiashi's throat, with no way to emerge out.

He could only whimper as his face began to turn a dark purple color. Unable to speak, unable to scream, the pain seemed to grow ten times worse.

His eyes bulged, filled with insanity, and his body twitched. He suddenly wanted to fight back.

But… he couldn't resist. He was powerless to even struggle, unable to even utter threats. His body shook, filled with pain. He was like a mortal, his Dao Pillar destroyed, his Cultivation base in ruins.

"Stop!" cried a trembling voice. It was Hanabi, who was still next to Hinata. Her body shook and her face was pale. But she still held the sword at Hinata's neck, seemingly ready to stab it in at any moment.

To her, Naruto appeared to be some sort of devilish fiend, cruel and ruthless. It caused the blood to drain from her face, and she didn't dare to even look him in the eye. Regret welled up from within her heart, but it was too late. She could only beg for him to let her go.

"You're Naruto, right? I've heard Hinata talk about you and the Reliance Sect…. This is all just a misunderstanding. I just want to leave…." Her voice trembled as she looked toward Naruto. Even though she held a sword, she was actually the frightened one.

"I used to be a scholar," he said coolly. He continued to hold Hiashi up by the neck, but turned to look at Hanabi. His voice was soft as he continued, "Once I read an ancient text that was said to be from the Sky Country in the Sky Country. It described thousands of bizarre execution methods. There was one that, after I read about it, caused me to have nightmares for days." Eyes filled with loathing, he reached up with his left hand and grabbed one of Hiashi's fingers. One by one, he crushed the bones of the fingers of both hands. Then his arms. Then his shoulders. Then the rest of his body.

Hiashi wanted to pass out from the intense pain, but couldn't, not with Naruto there. Time passed for as long as it takes an incense stick to burn. Finally, Naruto twisted his right hand. A popping sound rang out as Hiashi's neck was snapped.

The entire time, he was unable to utter a single cry. Such was his death….

Naruto dropped Hiashi's body and then looked at Hanabi. "How do you want to die? I'll let you decide."

Her face was completely pale, like a corpse's. Her body trembled, as did the sword she held in her hand. She looked at Naruto, and dread welled up within her. This was like the worst nightmare she had ever experienced.

"You… Don't you force me!" she cried. Even as the words left her mouth, the ground beneath her feet exploded up. A dark red vine snaked out, wrapping around her body and sending the sword spinning into the air. Naruto flicked a sleeve to knock it twenty-five or so meters away. The vines circulated around Hanabi, their mouths wide and seemingly dripping with saliva, just waiting for Naruto's command, whereupon they would consume her.

"Don't kill her…" said Hinata quietly, struggling to her feet. She looked at Naruto. "I want to do it myself. I've been wanting to cut her tongue out for years." Gritting her teeth, she retrieved Hanabi's sword. The vines lowered Hanabi toward her.

"Junior Sister Hinata… I…." She faced Hinata, trembling, an imploring look on her face.

Hinata, her face cold, lifted the sword and stabbed it slowly into her mouth. Hanabi's screams echoed out.

Hinata leaned forward and whispered into her ear: "You can't fight back, so just close your eyes and enjoy it. I've always wanted to tell you, you are the slut!" She twisted the sword in her hand. After the space of about ten breaths, Hanabi stopped struggling. Hinata stabbed the sword in even deeper.

* * *

Hinata looked at Hanabi as she stabbed the sword all the way through her head. Then she stepped back, pale faced. Hanabi slipped into death, and Hinata stood there silently.

Naruto looked at her and then walked up next to her. Together, they sat down. The vines dragged Hanabi's body down into the ground and began to devour it.

The moon hung high in the sky, and everything was quiet. No one had noticed the ripples of battle magic; after all, this Blessed Land was a very large place.

"First time?" asked Naruto. Their shadows overlapped in the moonlight.

She was quiet for a while before nodding.

"The first time I killed someone, my heart was troubled for quite a while," he said softly. As he looked at her, images from the Reliance Sect floated into his mind.

A breeze passed by, cleaning away the stench of blood. Hinata's hair curled up, brushing against Naruto's face. It was hard to tell whether it wrapped around his face, or his heart.

"Was it after the Sect disbanded?" asked Hinata, turning her head to look at him. Her face was pale, but to Naruto, it was beautiful.

He remembered the night years ago when he had escorted her back to the East Mountain. As he'd watched her walking away from him, he'd thought to himself that he wouldn't mind marrying her .

It was a memory from years ago, such a long time ago. It was hard to determine whether or not it was simply the idling of youth.

"Actually, it was inside the Sect," said Naruto with a smile. He felt relaxed. This Blessed Land was a dangerous place, but for some reason he felt at ease, as if he were back in the Reliance Sect, on top of the East Mountain, standing beneath the moon.

"Oh?" said Hinata, looking shocked. She stared at Naruto, temporarily forgetting to cover her face with coldness.

To Naruto, her blank look was filled with beauty. It was very different from the Elder Sister Hinata from his memories. Coldness was unapproachable; but her numb look now made her seem very dear.

Naruto laughed.

"I suddenly have the feeling I never understood the real you, Elder Sister," he said with a smile, looking at her. He was no longer the scholar he once had been. He had experienced many things, and had grown through the years. In terms of both experience and wisdom, he had matured a lot. He was now able to tell that the coldness exhibited by Hinata was intentional.

He looked over her, catching sight of the milky white skin beneath the rips in her clothing. This was not the first time he'd seen a woman in such a position, but for some reason, when he'd looked at Sakura, he could remain calm. Seeing Hinata now, though, a different look filled his eyes.

Hinata's gaze met Naruto's for a moment, and then she looked away, her heart pounding. A flush appeared on her face, and she gripped her garment tightly in her fists. She was clearly nervous.

Naruto coughed lightly, and then slapped his bag of the Cosmos, producing a set of clothes which he began to place around her shoulders.

She said nothing, allowing him to cover her up. She lifted her beautiful face to look at the moon. As the moonlight shone onto her, Naruto looked at her hair and her lovely features. They were so delicate it seemed as if the wind might cause them to break.

"You killed someone in the Sect? Who?" Hinata tried to pretend she didn't notice Naruto looking at her, but her flush had deepened.

"An Outer Sect disciple surnamed Hyuga," said Naruto, recalling Elder Brother Hiashi's horrific death by the copper mirror. "He wanted to take the Immortal's Cave you gave me."

"You've really got guts," she said, turning her head and shifting her gaze from the moon to Naruto. "You actually killed someone inside the Sect." Her words were spoken in earnest, and with the earnestness came her usual coldness. However, Naruto could see the uncomplicated simplicity beneath the coldness.

"Well… actually I didn't just kill one person," he said with a light cough.

"Oh?" Elder Sister Hinata stared mutely again for a long moment. It was as if she were meeting him for the first time. She looked him over carefully, thinking for a while. "So you got used to it?" She hastily added: "What I mean is, after killing so much, did you stop feeling uneasy at heart?"

"Let's talk about something else," said Naruto. He could tell that she was very curious about the matter. But for a man and a woman to sit under the moon talking about killing people didn't quite seem appropriate.

"Oh," she said, nodding, looking at him. Her coldness concealed her true personality, but at the moment, she suddenly didn't know what to say.

"I want to show you something." Naruto tapped his bag of the Cosmos, and the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill appeared in his hand. With a smile, he handed it out to Elder Sister Hinata.

When she saw the pill, she stared in shock. Her eyes were fixed on the pill as she slowly raised her hand and took it from him. Then she closed her eyes.

It was impossible to tell what she was thinking inside. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Naruto for a long, long time.

This was the third time Naruto had given her a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill.

She put it away quietly, then softly said, "A few years ago I heard that the Five Elements Nation… disappeared."

Naruto sighed. Then, he proceeded to explain to her about Patriarch Reliance. She sat there underneath the moon, listening intently. When he told her that Patriarch Reliance was actually a gargantuan, vicious turtle, her mouth dropped open and a look of disbelief covered her face. To Naruto, she was truly beautiful. He suddenly stopped talking.

This in turn caused Hinata to look into his eyes. When their eyes met, she suddenly turned and stared off into the distance, her heart racing. She was experiencing a strange feeling, and a strange nervousness. She felt an emotion she wasn't familiar with. In all honesty, she didn't mind; actually she liked it a bit.

"I've seen Elder Brother Guy a few times…" she suddenly said, not sure what to talk about. "This place is an ancient Blessed Land…. Oh, right, how can your Cultivation base possibly be at the Foundation Establishment stage…?"

Naruto looked at her, a warm smile growing on his face.

"What was the situation with Hiashi?" he asked lightly.

"He was a Conclave disciple of the Black Sieve Sect," she replied, a look of disgust appearing in her eyes. "His Clan has deep roots in the Sect. He was shameless and disgusting. Over the past few years, he used Foundation Establishment Pills as bait to force himself on numerous female disciples…."

"Foundation Establishment Pills…." He looked at her for a moment. He could tell that she had completed the circle of nine Chakra Condensation levels. With a Foundation Establishment Pill, she could definitely go into secluded meditation and reach Foundation Establishment.

"That type of pill is very valuable," she said, a dismal look on her face. "It's even hard for Inner Sect disciples to get one. You can only acquire one with the support of someone of the senior generation, or if you perform some special service for the Sect. Or possibly if you have amazing latent talent.

"After Patriarch Kagura brought me to the Black Sieve Sect, she completely ignored me. However, my personality was similar to a Core Formation Cultivator of the senior generation, so she took me in as a disciple. She promised to give me a Foundation Establishment Pill, but she left for the sect a few years ago and has never returned. According to the rumors, she's dead…."

Naruto slapped his bag of the Cosmos. Instantly, three Foundation Establishment Pills appeared in his hand. He held them out to her.

"I have some Foundation Establishment Pills," he said.

Hinata stared wordlessly at the three pills. She was shocked, never having imagined that Naruto would have a Foundation Establishment Pill, let alone three. These three pills would cause a riot if they appeared within the Black Sieve Sect.

"Those…" Hinata breathed even harder when she saw the symbol etched into the side of the pills. Her eyes widened. "Those were concocted by Grandmaster Pill Demon."

"I only have three. But if it's not enough, then I can get some more for you when we get out of here." He smiled, placing the pills into Hinata's hand. To anyone else, these pills would be incredibly valuable.

"It's enough, really. One… maybe two is probably enough." She was about to say more when Naruto closed her hand over the pills.

"I don't need them. You take them. If you need, I can stand guard for you when you use them."

"Unless you've been at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation for dozens of years, are completely prepared, and have refined your body to the extreme, then you would need several months at the least. This place isn't appropriate. I'll wait till I get back to the Sect and find an appropriate place to break through." She gave him a deep look. "You can't stay here for too long, Naruto. You need to be careful. The Black Sieve Sect has known about the existence of this place for a long time, but hasn't been able to enter. Recently, though, they came across an ancient map.

"With the map, they were able to open the entrance. Originally, this was an ancient Blessed Land, but over the years it has changed, and is now a land of death."

Naruto's eyes glistened as he listened to her explanation.

"Supposedly, it has something to do with an ancient, violent Spirit. I'm not really sure what it is, and there are lots of rumours in the Sect about it. Although, I can tell you that the reason they've gathered so many rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators is not to acquire treasures, but to create a Hundred Spirits Tower!

"It's not a big secret to the Inner Sect disciples, and even some in the Outer Sect know about it, but they don't care about rogue Cultivators. Actually, there are even a few amongst the rogue Cultivators who know about it.

"The Hundred Spirits Tower is actually quite simple to describe. Basically, by using a variety of magical Cultivation techniques, one hundred Dao Pillars are refined together to create the Hundred Spirits Tower.

"The purpose of creating the tower is top secret. I don't think even the Inner Sect disciples know about it. Amongst the Conclave disciples, only two or three even know a little bit." This was everything Hinata knew regarding the activities in the Blessed Land.

Suddenly, a massive roaring could be heard from somewhere off in the distance.

The instant the sound echoed out, the ground in the Blessed Land suddenly began to quake violently. At the same time, a mysterious gravitational force came into being. Naruto's eyes flickered. He felt the Dao Pillars within him trembling, as if something were trying to pull them out of him.

* * *

Naruto's expression changed in a flash. His Cultivation base rotated, and intense power from his Perfect Dao Pillars expanded out to resist the gravitational force.

Hinata didn't react whatsoever at first. But when she saw the expression on Naruto's face, she suddenly started to look anxious and worried.

The roaring sound echoed across the land, affecting not just Naruto, but all of the rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Blessed Land. Each and every one of them, regardless of what they were doing at the moment, immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate.

However, in rapid succession, the bodies of multiple rogue Cultivators exploded, sending flesh and blood showering in all directions. Only their Dao Pillars were left intact. They flew through the air, dragged toward the location of the gravitational force.

The Dao Pillars flew toward what turned out to be a mountain range. Some powerful force had worn down a section of the mountains, so that it was sunken in. In the sunken area was a black tower.

From the looks of it, it wasn't completely finished being constructed. There were currently three levels. From all directions, multiple Dao Pillars flew toward it and began to form the fourth layer!

When the fourth layer was completed, the gravitational power grew weaker and then disappeared. Over thirty rogue Cultivators had died just now in the Blessed Land.

This shocking event instantly struck fear into the hearts of all the other rogue Cultivators. However, they were stuck inside. No matter where or how they searched, they would not be able to find any exits.

The area where the gravitational force originated from was surrounded by nearly one thousand Black Sieve Sect disciples, sitting cross-legged, chanting bizarre scriptural texts. The Black Sieve Sect disciples who had entered the Blessed Land in random places were all rushing toward this area.

Naruto opened his eyes, and they gleamed with a mysterious light. He glanced toward the area where the roar and the gravitational force had come from. His Dao Pillars were now stable. They were Perfect Dao Pillars, so even though the gravitational force was not small, it was far from being dangerous to him.

Seeing Naruto's pale face, Hinata quickly said, "That is the gathering place for the Black Sieve Sect disciples. All disciples were informed before entering to go to that place as quickly as possible. When we get there, we have to chant some scripture, although I don't know why.

"I know of an exit. Including last time, I've been here twice now. I can take you there and you can leave this place. You can't stay here."

Naruto didn't say anything. He stood, looking off toward where the gravitational force had originated. After a long moment, he shook his head.

"The gravitational force doesn't affect me very much. And I have a way to leave here. As for you, though…" He looked back at her. "If that gravitational force hadn't appeared, it would be fine. But now, the rogue Cultivators will know something strange is going on. They'll be looking for Black Sieve Sect disciples to explain what's going on. Who knows what methods they will use to force out the information. Furthermore, if you know about that exit, then others will too. The people from the Black Sieve Sect wouldn't be so careless." He looked at Hinata, who had existed in his memories for so long as Elder Sister.

"We haven't seen each other for such a long time, I'd hoped we could spend some more time alone together," he said quietly. "But now is not the time. I'll escort you to the Black Sieve Sect rendezvous point. You will be much safer there."

"You really have a way to get out of here?" Hinata asked, her tone serious.

"Really," replied Naruto just as seriously.

Hinata looked quietly at him for a moment, and it seemed as if she wanted to say something. Before she could, Naruto stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her supple waist, then flew up into the sky.

Gale force winds blew about, but they were blocked by Naruto's Cultivation base. All Hinata could feel was Naruto holding her. Her face reddened again.

Her black hair drifted next to his face, filled with a delicate, unforgettable fragrance. Hinata didn't say anything as they sped along. In the past, she had been his Elder Sister. But he no longer exhibited any of the weakness he had as her Junior Brother. He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The way he had slaughtered Hiashi was evidence of the incredible changes he had experienced throughout the years.

As Naruto breathed in her delicate fragrance, she also could smell him. It made her feel safe, like she was home.

She suddenly thought back to Mount Myoboku, and the young scholar Naruto. She had carried him away to the Reliance Sect in much the same fashion as he was holding her now, pressed up against him.

A smile appeared in her eyes as she thought of this. She looked up at Naruto's profile and time seemed to slow down.

She didn't understand what she was feeling, but she knew that right now, everything was peaceful. Suddenly she had the feeling that Naruto really was like her younger brother.

"You grew up," she said suddenly. She wasn't quite sure why she said it, but she did.

Hearing this, Naruto suddenly stopped flying for a moment and smiled wryly. Her face was covered with a cold look of seeming indifference, but it was obviously an act.

"I think you're a few years older than me…." he said, clearing his throat.

"Five years older!" she said seriously. "I'm your Elder Sister!"

"That's no big deal." Seeing her wide-eyed look, he laughed and added, "Okay, okay, I never said you're not my Elder Sister."

Time passed, enough for an incense stick to burn. Suddenly, eight beams of light appeared in front of them. Before the two of them could pass, the people caught sight of them.

"Chakra Condensation…. That woman is a Black Sieve Sect disciple!"

"Yeah, she must be. She's just what we've been looking for!" All of them were Cultivators of the early Foundation Establishment stage. Their eyes glittered viciously as their gazes shifted from Hinata to Naruto.

A blue-robed, middle-aged man amongst them looked coldly at Naruto and said, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to tell us what this woman told you. We want her, now!" It seemed that if Naruto didn't comply, the man would attack.

Every person in their midst had hostile looks in their eyes. The gravitational power that had appeared had scared them witless, so they had decided to search for lone Black Sieve Sect disciples to extract information from.

Now that they had found one, they wouldn't give her up easily.

Hinata started to pant with nervousness, unconsciously tightening her grip on Naruto's robes. To her, these eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators had incredibly high Cultivation bases. Considering hers, she wouldn't be able to resist even one of them.

"Screw off!" said Naruto coolly. He didn't stop flying for even a second but continued to shoot directly toward them. Hinata was getting even more nervous. She had seen him dispatch Hiashi, but at the moment, they were facing eight people. She couldn't help but be worried.

When he heard Naruto's words, the blue-robed man laughed. Killing intent sprang up in his eyes. Naruto's Cultivation base was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, just like he himself, and he had seven others backing him up. Considering Naruto was a single person, there shouldn't even be a need to begin fighting. And yet, Naruto had unexpectedly dared to rave wildly.

Cold smiles broke out on the faces of the seven other Cultivators. In their minds, Naruto was simply talking big.

However, even as the blue-robed man lifted his hand to begin an incantation gesture and the seven others began to take out various magical items, Naruto opened his mouth. The lightning mist exploded out, and before any of the eight of them could react, it had enveloped them. The earth below showered up as a dozen dark red vines shot upward. They screamed up savagely, directly into the midst of the lightning mist.

Miserable, ear-piercing screams echoed out from within. They sounded like the cries emitted just before death. Naruto's expression was the same as ever as, holding Hinata in his arms, he continued on flying. The lightning mist wrapped up the bags of holding and delivered them to Naruto, who tucked them away. The vines burrowed back into the ground. As for the eight Cultivators, they were nowhere to be seen.

The quick and efficient dispatching of the eight Cultivators didn't phase Naruto at all. But Hinata sucked in a breath. Naruto had grown up to an astonishing degree.

He continued to fly along at high speed. They were getting closer to the origin of the gravitational force. Along the way, they ran into single Cultivators, or occasionally groups of three to five. In total, they ran into ten early Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators. None of them was able to obstruct Naruto's progress in the least bit.

Soon, they were very close to the Black Sieve Sect rendezvous point. Behind Naruto appeared two beams of light which emanated the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. If that were the extent of it, it wouldn't be a big deal. But at the same time, ahead of Naruto appeared another beam. Inside was an old man. This was the same old man with whom Naruto had entered the Black Sieve Sect. He was of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

He stopped several hundred meters in front of Naruto. The man's cold gaze fell upon Hinata.

"Fellow Daoist, I have been waiting here for quite some time waiting to see a Black Sieve Sect disciple. Hand the woman over to me."

The two mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators came to a stop behind Naruto and Hinata, who were now completely surrounded.

The two mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators were middle-aged. Their eyes were dour, and they radiated a cold aura along with significant killing intent. They were clearly vicious and cruel.

"What do you want to know?" said Naruto coolly. "I can tell you." Hinata's face was wan as she rested in his embrace. Without him there, she would definitely have been captured and interrogated by rogue Cultivators. Along the way, she had seen several Black Sieve Sect disciples who had been captured and questioned using various methods.

But rogue Cultivators were rogue Cultivators. They wouldn't easily give up information when asked. After all, that information could be life-saving to them; by telling others, it could reduce their own chances and deliver both parties to death.

"I'm not used to listening to what others have to say," said the old man calmly. "I only trust the results of my own handiwork." The power of the late Foundation Establishment Cultivation base emanated out, sending massive pressure down onto Naruto.

* * *

Naruto didn't respond. He looked down at Hinata and gave her a little smile. He retreated backward with her, causing the late Foundation Establishment old man to snort and then fly forward toward Naruto like a nightingale.

His speed was incredible, and he displayed the full power of his late Foundation Establishment Cultivation base, causing eight ripples to spread out in the air. He obviously had eight Dao Pillars within his body.

By this point, Naruto had already reached the two mid Foundation Establishment stage middle-aged Cultivators. They laughed, and one of them flashed incantation gestures. A hundred Ice Blades magically appeared and began to spin, forming a giant whirlwind. The whirlwind shot toward Naruto, each blade within filled with the power of the early Foundation Establishment stage.

The other man slapped his bag of holding to produce five black, buzzing, head-sized wasps with long, red stingers.

"You overestimate yourself!" said the man who had created the Ice Blades. The Ice Blade whirlwind screamed toward Naruto. Holding Hinata with his right arm, he waved his left hand. Instantly, an enormous Flame Dragon appeared, along with a Wind Blade. Shockingly,the Flame Dragon was not pure red, but streaked with gold! Because of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, the dragon had become a Golden Dragon.

The Wind Blade fused with the dragon, causing it to expand to three hundred meters in length. Furthermore, two bulges appeared on the left and right side of the Flame Dragon. As soon as the Wind Blade touched the dragon, they exploded out into two enormous wings. It unfurled the wings; this was a Flying Rain-Dragon.

Naruto had been enlightened regarding this technique when the roc had awakened the Flying Rain-Dragon Legacy within him.

The next thing to appear with the Dragon was a Flame Sea. This Flame Sea was birthed from the power of the Perfect Dao Pillar. Mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators simply had no way to resist it.

Boom!

The Ice Blade whirlwind broke apart in an instant, transforming into a mist which was consumed by the Flame Sea. The flaming Flying Rain-Dragon roared. The two mid Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators retreated, looks of shock on their face. In the blink of an eye, the Flying Rain-Dragon shot forward and consumed one of them in a single bite.

A miserable scream echoed out as his body was transformed into ash.

All of this happened in the time it takes a spark to rise off of a piece of flint. Neither the old man of the late Foundation Establishment stage nor the man with the five wasps had time to react before it was over.

Face expressionless, Naruto turned and strode directly toward the five ferocious buzzing wasps.

They shot toward him, but as they neared, their bodies suddenly began to tremble violently. It seemed as if they had sensed something frightening and didn't dare to get any closer. They retreated instantly, something their master had never experienced before.

Even as shock covered his face, laughing-crying demon faces appeared in Naruto's eyes. One was clear, the other was blurry, and they instantly caused Naruto to emit a bizarre aura. The five wasps emitted sharp cries, and their bodies trembled even harder, as if they might lose their ability to fly. Suddenly, they turned and savagely attacked each other.

As this bizarre scene played out, Naruto strode through the midst of the wasps, raising his left hand and slicing his own finger, covering it with blood. Suddenly, the entire area was covered with a bloody aura. When it disappeared, Naruto was standing directly in front of the middle-aged man. He lifted up his index finger and pushed between the man's eyebrows.

The man's body shook, and his eyes bulged. His body rapidly began to wither, and by the time Naruto removed his finger, his entire body had transformed into blood, which drained down onto the ground.

Naruto turned and looked at the shocked late Foundation Establishment old man. Only the space of a few breaths had passed since Naruto took action, and yet he had already completely exterminated two powerful mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

His methods were vicious, his techniques bizarre. A coldness suddenly appeared in the old man's body, growing rapidly.

Now he understood why Kankuro of the Black Sieve Sect had been watching Naruto that day on the esoteric compass, and had even tried to bait him into doing something that would reveal his abilities. Clearly, Kankuro had heard something about Naruto.

"Want to keep going?" Naruto asked calmly. His index finger still glowed with a bloody light, casting a bloody light over his body.

The old man didn't respond. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, he too could have easily killed the two mid Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators. But he couldn't have done it in such a leisurely fashion. He felt fear in his heart, especially when he saw Naruto's complete lack thereof. Clasping hands in salute, he moved backward several paces, giving way for Naruto to pass.

"I am Rasa . As for the matter today, I offer my apologies. I believe we will be meeting again soon." He said the last in a very meaningful tone.

Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. The blood glow was beginning to fade as he shot off into the distance. In his arms, Hinata was completely shocked by the battle power of his Cultivation base.

She hesitated for a moment and then blurted, "What… what level is your Cultivation base, really?"

"I'm at the peak of early Foundation Establishment," he said with a little smile. He now appeared to be a completely different person than the one who had just been fighting. He really had changed because of all his experiences through the years. However, this change was in the way he dealt with enemies. His disposition toward his friends was as scholarly as ever, and hadn't changed in the least bit.

Actually, his ruthless killing had a lot to do with the poison within him. Someone infected with the three-colored Resurrection Lily would become increasingly cruel and ferocious until the day they transformed into an actual Resurrection Lily.

"How can you kill people of the mid Foundation Establishment stage…?" asked Hinata, her brow furrowed.

"Oh, there are many reasons," he said simply. "I may be at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but I can hold my own against the late Foundation Establishment stage."

Not much time passed before they reached a mountain. From the mountain peak, Naruto could see the large man-made area and the big black tower that was being erected.

He could just make out the nearly one thousand Black Sieve Sect disciples sitting cross-legged around the tall tower, along with the faint sound of scriptures being chanted. He couldn't make out the details of the scriptures, however.

"I can't get any closer," he said. His gaze shifted from the scene below, to Hinata. "There shouldn't be any rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators in this area, you should be able to proceed on your own without being in danger. Take this, it's an invisibility item. You'll be able to use it after you reach Foundation Establishment." He handed her the invisibility talisman.

She accepted it. She still had Naruto's robes draped over her. They were a bit large, but she still was beautiful. She looked at Naruto and was about to open her mouth as if to say something. Instead, she leaned forward and embraced him lightly. Her head pressed against his chest, and she could hear his heart beating.

This was not an embrace of passion, but the embrace of a sister to a brother, of family.

The sky was growing light, and the darkness was fading away. Naruto looked down at Hinata's beautiful hair. It seemed as if her hair knew he was looking at it; or perhaps it was the wind. It floated up gently to caress his face.

A long time passed, and then Hinata stepped back and looked him deep in the eyes.

"You need to be careful," she said. "Get out of this place as soon as you can." Then she turned, stepped onto a flying sword and shot down the mountain. She glided up and down a few times, eventually entering a small forest at the bottom of the mountain. When she emerged from the other side of the forest, Naruto's clothes were gone and she was dressed in a fresh Black Sieve Sect robe.

Naruto stood there the whole time, watching her disappear into the distance. A sense of departure filled him, and for a moment, he felt like he was back in the Reliance Sect when it was being disbanded.

Now, though, he was no longer a Chakra Condensation Cultivator. He was of Foundation Establishment, with a Perfect Foundation. He was no longer a child, but a young man. Wisdom birthed from maturity helped him to understand that it didn't matter whether you are a man or woman; every person has the right to make their own choices.

His path could only be tread by he himself. Perhaps his path would cross the paths of others, and that was well and good. But for the moment, he needed to walk alone. Unless… he could be powerful enough to forge his own road. Change everything. The alternative was to live a life full of sighing.

He watched Hinata until she reached the Black Sieve Sect rendezvous point. Determination filled his eyes. He lifted his head, looking into the sky. There, the rising sun and the moon were almost on top of each other.

Naruto's eyes began to glow.

"Since I'm here, I might as well go check things out. If the Classic of Time is real, then using the copper mirror and Spring and Autumn trees, I can forge that so-called treasure of Time! And then there's my Thunderclap leaf. Suigetsu is in this place too, I might be able to get some more information." He turned and shot up into the air, using the position of the sun and moon to guide his path.

He proceeded on for a while. Suddenly, a booming sound filled the air, and the gravitational force appeared again. This time, Naruto saw with his own eyes an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator who couldn't fight against it. His body exploded, and an intangible Dao Pillar flew out from the remains.

"The gravitational force is getting stronger. I'm worried that eventually, I won't be able to resist it." He frowned, suppressing the trembling of his Dao Pillars and flying forward as quickly as possible. Soon, the sun and the moon would not be overlapping any more. But now that Naruto knew which direction to go, he realized that he was getting closer and closer to his destination.

* * *

Time passed slowly, about four hours. The gravitational power appeared again once, during which time Naruto continued to fly past mountain after mountain.

This place was very strange. The sun blazed brightly up above in the sky. If you looked closely, however, you could also see the vague shape of a moon within it. It seemed that within another two hours, they would split apart.

After about another hour's travel, a vast plain appeared up ahead.

The plain was filled with tall grass, half the height of a person. It swayed in the wind, making the plain look almost like a sea. The only sound present was the whispering of the wind. Within the plain was one area devoid of grass. Three people sat there cross-legged.

Two were women and one was a man. The man was middle-aged and dressed in a gray robe. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were closed in meditation. An icy air drifted off of his body. He was of the late Foundation Establishment stage. He was one of the three late Foundation Establishment Cultivators that traveled to this place on the violet esoteric compass.

Of the two women, one was middle-aged and a bit overweight. Her features were ordinary, almost like those of a farm-girl. She was another from that group of three powerful late Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

An impatient expression filled her face as she looked at the last woman. This woman wore a veil which covered half of her face and obscured her features in a mysterious blur.

"Fellow Daoist, did you invite me here so that I can sit around waiting? I somehow don't believe that our destination is really as dangerous as a dragon's lair or a tiger's den. Are Fellow Daoist Sima and myself really not enough?" She laughed coldly. The cold, middle-aged man opened his eyes from meditation. They glowed as he looked at the woman in the veil.

"Fellow Daoist Kin, please wait just a bit longer," said the veiled woman, her voice light. "I have invited five people in total. If they do not arrive, then we might as well not proceed. With just the three of us, our chances of success will be small."

The Kin woman snorted and seemed to be about to say more. In the end she didn't.

"Be patient for just a bit longer," said the veiled woman. "The sun and moon will cease to overlap in about two hours. If they haven't arrived by then, then we might have no other choice than to make an attempt ourselves."

An hour passed, at which point a beam of colorful light appeared. Within it was a streak of violet. Whoever was approaching wore a violet robe.

This person approached at top speed, arriving in the space of a few breaths. It was a young man with handsome features and a slight smile on his face. From his violet gown, it was obvious that he was no ordinary person. After landing, his eyes swept over the three others. He smiled at them and then cupped hands in greeting.

"I'm late," said Kankuro . "Please forgive me, Fellow Daoists. Sorry to keep you waiting, Junior Sister Ino." This was none other than Conclave disciple Kankuro of the Black Sieve Sect. He looked at the veiled woman with a smirk as he revealed her identity.

His appearance caused Kin to frown slightly. She stood and returned his salute. The cold man, however, did little more than give him a slight nod.

The veiled woman frowned as the two others looked at her.

She laughed lightly, removing her veil. Her face was incredibly beautiful and delicate, her skin as lustrous as jade. Everything seemed to grow brighter because of her beauty.

"Ino extends greetings to all you Fellow Daoists," she said. "Originally I didn't want to reveal my identity for personal reasons. However, it seems Elder Brother Kankuro took issue with that, so I will be more open with my identity for the sake of everyone's comfort." This woman was none other than Ino. Her enchanting features coupled with the beautiful smile on her face right now made it impossible to be irritated with her.

Kankuro smiled. "I wasn't aware that Junior Sister Ino had matters she wished to keep to herself. I spoke hastily, please don't take offense."

"It doesn't matter," she replied with a smile. "Considering the Sect activity in this place, Junior Sister was worried that revealing her identity would cause a misunderstanding. But with Elder Brother Kankuro here, I have nothing to worry about. Our chances of success are now much greater." Kin looked on pensively, and the gray-robed Cultivator frowned.

Her words were like a cotton ball with a needle inside. Kankuro was just about to say something, but then stopped and turned his head. Everyone did the same, except for the gray-robed man.

A colorful beam of light approached, accompanied by a roaring wind that sent the grass whipping about. It transformed into an old man; this was none other than Rasa.

He strode up to the group, his eyes flashing. He looked around for a moment, and then focused his gaze onto Ino.

"So, it turns out the invitation was from Fellow Daoist Ino. I think you owe an explanation regarding what the Black Sieve Sect is doing in this place."

Ino smiled. "With you and your special technique, Fellow Daoist Ao, our mission will be much easier to accomplish. As for an explanation, you can rest at ease, sir. I will provide a full explanation soon."

Seeing Rasa, Kin quickly greeted him with clasped hands. Kankuro smiled and did the same. The gray-robed man simply nodded to him. So far, he had paid almost no heed to anyone.

"Is everyone here?" asked Kankuro with a smile.

"I heard there's one more," said Kin , smiling ingratiatingly at Kankuro.

"Oh?" said Kankuro, his eyes narrowing. These three were late Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators, and as far as he could remember there hadn't been any others amongst the rogue Cultivators. "Could it be that Ino invited some other Black Sieve Sect disciple?" he thought. "Who might it be…?" He eyed Ino. "Who is this last person we're waiting for?" he asked with a smile. "Would Junior Sister Ino mind explaining?"

"That's right," chimed in Kin . "I'm very interested as to who this final Fellow Daoist could possibly be. If he's important, I'll be sure to make friends. If he's not important, then I must ask, why are we sitting around waiting?"

The gray-robed Cultivator closed his eyes, ignoring them. Rasa stood there thoughtfully, his eyes flickering.

Ino was silent for a moment and then said, "I don't know who it is either, much the same as how I didn't know any of your identities at first. My guess is that while he isn't an important figure now, if we don't have him in our group, we may very well wind up empty-handed in our endeavor today. With this person, our chances of success will be increased by thirty percent." Her words were spoken calmly, but with iron-like resoluteness.

"Oh?" said Kankuro. His interest was now piqued. "And why does Junior Sister Ino attach such importance to this person?"

Kin laughed coldly, her face filled with disdain, clearly feeling that Ino was exaggerating. She didn't believe that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could possibly be so useful. A Core Formation stage Cultivator would have been a different matter, but it was fundamentally impossible for such a person to join them.

"Could this person be a Pseudo Core Cultivator?" asked Kin with a sneer. "Fellow Daoist Ino, you should really be careful. There are many people in the world who fish for fame and compliments." It wasn't that she specifically didn't like Ino; actually, she hated all beautiful women."

"I'm truly not sure if this person is at the Pseudo Core stage or not," Ino replied calmly, giving Kin a level look. "In any case, his is definitely extraordinary. Of that, you can be certain."

Kin said nothing more. Suddenly, Kankuro lifted his head and looked toward the horizon, as did Rasa. Soon everyone's eyes were fixed on the beam of light which shot toward them.

This was Naruto, of course. He whistled through the air, his eyes sweeping the land. Soon, he spotted the blank area on the plain, upon which the overlapping sun and moon shined, as well as the five people there.

He looked them over as he landed onto the ground. His expression was the same as usual as he walked over.

When he saw Naruto, Rasa expression flickered. A bright glow appeared in Ino's eyes, and her lips spread into a smile. As for Kankuro, a cold look covered his face as he looked Naruto over.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists," he said coolly. "I was delayed on the way, and am a bit late." He glanced over the group, his gaze lingering for a moment on Ino.

"Early Foundation Establishment stage?" said Kin , frowning. A haughty look of disdain appeared on her face. She couldn't wait to rudely say, "This is the person Fellow Daoist Ino claims is essential? She thinks a trifling early Foundation Establishment is so important? Laughable. Or could it be that this junior generation infant just happened to accidentally stumble upon this area?"

Naruto looked at her without a word.

"I'm also very curious about this," said Kankuro with a smile. An almost imperceptible flicker appeared in his eyes.

Hearing Kankuro's words caused the Kin's arrogance to grow even greater. "For an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator to be in our midst is demeaning. Ino may have recommended him, but I, Kin, shall test him out myself and see what skills he has." She began to walk toward Naruto. "Produce every scrap of power from your Cultivation base," she said. "If you can live through one strike from me, then I'll agree that you're qualified to join us. If you're not qualified, then you'll be killed by the Black Sieve Sect any way. It seems death will end all your troubles!"

By the time she finished speaking, she had reached Naruto. She lifted her right hand and a blinding orange light appeared, which transformed into a pink colored whip. It flipped about, emitting cracking sounds.

* * *

Naruto's expression was tranquil. No one moved to interfere with the woman. The man in the gray robed sat meditating with his eyes closed. Rasa was aware of Naruto's extraordinariness, so naturally he did nothing.

As for Ino, she had speculations regarding Naruto's incredible power, but wasn't certain. She just knew a bit of secret information, which had fueled her conjectures. For her, this situation would be a good chance to observe Naruto's battle prowess.

She still wished to offer some words of caution, but would Kin really listen? The woman's Cultivation base was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, but in terms of thinking ability, she was one of the weakest present. The only way she had reached late Foundation Establishment was good fortune accumulated by her ancestors that had been passed down to her.

Regarding Kankuro, he had intentionally manipulated the whole thing, so obviously did nothing to stop it from happening. He watched Naruto from off to the side, a smile on his lips. He was very curious as to why the Elders of the Sect had instructed him to keep an eye on Naruto. After arriving at the Blessed Land, he hadn't paid too close attention, but having run into Naruto again, he wanted to feel him out.

Everyone had their own plans and schemes. Naruto glanced them over, and although he wasn't able to fully grasp their various motivations, he had a pretty good idea. He watched Kin approaching, her pink whip whistling through the air. His face was expressionless, and he didn't take even a single step backward. In fact, in the midst of her approach, he took three steps forward.

As he did, he lifted his right hand and struck out.

As his palm struck out a fierce wind sprang up, causing the surrounding grass to whip about in a frenzy. Without pausing, Naruto struck out a second time, then a third, a fourth and a fifth time!

These five strikes were the Nineteen Clear Sky strikes that Naruto had acquired from the violet-robed young man, by means of the rattan vines. The manual was incomplete, but the first five strikes were whole.

Each of these five strikes were filled with the complete power of Naruto's Perfect Dao pillars. After striking out five times, an enormous magical palm the size of a person appeared in front of him. Wind whipped about in all directions as the palm shot forward.

When the five Clear Sky strikes appeared, Ino and Kankuro's expressions changed. They instantly recognized the enormous palm. This was a magical technique from the Black Sieve Sect; there was no way for outsiders to know it. Yet, here was Naruto, using it right in front of their eyes. There was no denying it, and this caused their hearts to tremble.

Kin was of the late Foundation Establishment stage, but she only had seven Dao Pillars. Furthermore, they were not even Cracked, but Fractured. Disdain covered her face as her illusory whip slammed into Naruto's enormous palm. She knew in her heart what was going to happen. The palm would collapse into pieces as her whip sliced through it like a hot knife through butter. After it disintegrated, her whip would fall upon her opponent's body, severing tendons and crushing bones.

Boom!

An explosion reverberated out. There was a collapse. But it wasn't Naruto's palm. A soon as the middle-aged woman's magical whip made contact with the giant palm, it shook, and then broke apart into pieces. Kin 's face fell when she saw this unexpected turn of events. A look of disbelief covered her face.

How could she possibly have imagined that this would happen? She had used a magical whip powered by late Foundation Establishment. Her opponent's palm exceeded her wildest imagination; dread seeped into her eyes.

Naruto's giant palm instantly destroyed the whip. It shot forward with shocking power, accompanied by gale force winds. Kin no longer scorned Naruto; instead, as the area began to shake, a sense of imminent danger rose up inside her. She retreated immediately, raising her right hand, into which a small shield appeared. She bit down on her tongue and then spit up some blood from her Cultivation base. When it landed on the little shield, it began to spin, expanding outward and meeting Naruto's giant palm.

Another explosion rippled out. The shield shook, and was tossed backward several meters, just barely able to resist the palm. Naruto continued to stride forward. His Spiritual Sense, which far outmatched any late Foundation Establishment Cultivator, exploded out, crushing down onto Kin .

She screamed under the pressure. It felt like a sharp sword was stabbing through her brain, as if her own Spiritual Sense were about to shatter. She coughed up blood and staggered backward. By this time, Naruto had reached the small shield. He waved his hand, causing the massive illusory palm to wrap around the shield and drag it back to him. Using his Spiritual Sense, he erased the branding mark on the shield and then put it into his bag of holding. He looked at the woman named Kin.

The woman was in shock, her Spiritual Sense suppressed, her treasure un-branded and taken by Naruto. She retreated backward at top speed, coughing up blood, her face pale, her head buzzing. After she had moved backward a dozen or so meters, she finally came to a stop. She looked up at Naruto, astonished.

"You…." Her scalp was numb. It was clear that Naruto's Cultivation base must not be at the early Foundation Establishment stage. She had never seen an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator display such incredible battle power. Nor had she ever experienced such terrifying Spiritual Sense.

Not even a Flawless Foundation could be like this, as far as she was concerned.

"This art contains a total of nineteen strikes," Naruto said coolly, his expression the same as always. He didn't even mention anything about the treasure he'd snatched from her.

Hearing his words, Kin sucked in a breath, and her face went a few shades more pale. Her body began to tremble. The attack just now had rattled her Dao Pillars, caused her to cough up blood, and had forced her to utilize a treasured item. If more than five strikes had been used, she wasn't sure if her treasure could have resisted it. In that case, her Dao Pillars would surely have been damaged.

"Fellow Daoist, your Cultivation base is unfathomable," she said in a strained voice. "I was crude and rash, please don't take offense. Please keep my Cloud Peak shield as a token of my apology." She clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto, her eyes filled with dread.

It wasn't just her. Rasa's gaze was fixed on Naruto. He was now completely reassured that he had made the right decision not to attack Naruto earlier. Naruto could not be an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator. If he really was… then that was exponentially more frightening.

The gray-robed man's eyes flickered open and came to rest on Naruto. He nodded.

Ino looked at Naruto thoughtfully, a light smile appearing on her face.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, you're not late. The hour has arrived. Our chances of acquiring the Classic of Time has now increased thirty percent."

Kankuro laughed and said nothing. He didn't bring up the Nineteen Clear Sky strikes. Fear of Naruto now existed in his heart, and he now knew that Naruto was not a person to be provoked lightly. After all, he had only seen Naruto's colossal Spiritual Sense, and had no inkling what magical techniques or items he might have.

Whenever he dealt with people he didn't understand, he would be careful not to provoke them. Only after coming to understand them completely would he strike like lightning.

"Forget about the Classic of Time for a moment," said Naruto calmly. He looked at Ino, his expression the same as ever. "I came to this Blessed Land at the request of Fellow Daoist Ino. However, your Sect controls this place. I'm very curious. If I help you to acquire the Classic of Time, will my Dao Pillars be ripped out afterward?"

Ino and Kankuro's eyes flashed. Before they could respond, Rasa laughed grimly and said, "Fellow Daoist Naruto doesn't beat around the bush. I'm also very curious about this matter. Would the two Fellow Daoists care to provide an explanation to dispel our doubts?"

"I, too, would like to know the answer to this question," said the gray-robed man. His eyes flashed with a cold light as he looked at Ino and Kankuro.

It seemed Kin was also concerned with her safety. She said nothing, but moved back a few paces, effectively closing a circle around Ino and Kankuro.

Ino smiled. "Fellow Daoists, I must request that you do not press us regarding Sect matters. I really can't speak about it. Even if I did, you most likely wouldn't believe me. In any case, it's a Sect secret. Even though I'm a Conclave disciple, I don't know a lot about it. However, as for the place we're going to, I will of course take responsibility for your safety." She waved her hand and four jade slips flew out toward Naruto and the others.

Ino continued, "Within this jade slip is a detailed explanation of how to exit this place. Use the method described therein, and you can leave without a hitch. There are several exits to this ancient Blessed Land. If you don't believe me, read the jade slip and then check to see where the exits are. Then you'll understand why I selected this location as our rendezvous point." She smiled, looking as earnest as always.

Naruto's Spiritual Sense swept over the jade slip, and he looked around the area he stood. According to the jade slip, there were three exits. One of them… was the area they were standing on top of.

Naruto's hands flashed the incantation method recorded within the jade slip and he immediately felt a teleportation power rising up from beneath his feet. However, now was not the time to test it out, so he did not continue to bind the incantation.

"Here are four Spirit Seal insects," said Ino. "If you wish to conduct further inspection, you can. Send some Spiritual Sense into them and then send them out of the exit. Then you can be assured that my words are not false." She waved her right hand. Four white, thumb-sized insects flew out toward Naruto and the others.

Rasa grabbed one. After examining it for a moment, he nodded. Branding it with Spiritual Sense, he used the technique described in the jade slip to send the insect down into the earth. It disappeared.

Kin did the same. The gray-robed Cultivator completely ignored Ino's insects, instead slapping his bag of holding to produce a scorpion.

"Of course I believe you, Fellow Daoist Ino," said Naruto. He glanced at the insects and then selected one. He continued with his incantation, sending the insect through the exit using the method from the jade slip. However, in addition to the bug, he sent one of the rattan vines that were hidden deep in the earth. From the insect, he caught the indistinct impression of another location. It was definitely somewhere else, somewhere far, far away.

However, at the same time, he suddenly caught a sense of intense danger from the vine. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Almost immediately the vine died. As it did, it transmitted a final image to Naruto. It appeared clearly in his mind, an enormous bronze cauldron. It was incredibly imposing, appearing to be tens of thousands of meters tall.

* * *

The image disappeared. Naruto's expression was as normal, revealing nothing. He looked at Rasa and the others. Their expressions had not changed. It seemed all of them, including Rasa and the gray-robed Cultivator, approved of what Ino had said.

"Could it be that they didn't notice the bronze cauldron?" thought Naruto. After being branded by his blood, the vines had begun to emit a faint Demonic aura.

Ino smiled. "Fellow Daoists, now that you can rest your hearts at ease, please accompany me to the location of the Classic of Time. No matter what happens today, if we acquire the Classic, then everyone will get a copy." She bowed toward the group, and then shot into the air and flew out across the plain.

Kankuro was the second to fly up, followed by Rasa and Kin . Naruto and the gray-robed Cultivator were the last of the six to turn into beams of colorful light that shot through the sky.

No one spoke as they traveled. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Naruto's face was expressionless, but his thoughts were filled with the image of the huge bronze cauldron. At the moment, he was about seventy to eighty percent certain that the area he had seen was no exit, but rather Ino's handiwork.

He wasn't sure if Ino could dupe the others, but he had his good luck charm, and thus felt reassured in his current position. The location of the Classic of Time was surely bizarre and astonishing; if it weren't, Ino wouldn't have spent so much time and resources to go there.

"I wonder how Ino learned of this Classic of Time…" he thought to himself, looking up ahead at Ino's lithe figure as she shot through the air.

Suddenly, Rasa spoke up, giving voice to what Naruto had just been considering. "Fellow Daoist Ino, you still haven't explained how you learned of the Classic of time, nor how you acquired the first volume."

Ino looked back with a smile.

"If Fellow Daoist Ao is anxious for an answer, then I will give it as soon as we arrive." It was at this time that they reached the edge of the vast plain. Suddenly, the roaring sound once again appeared. It was very far away, but it still caused everyone except for Ino and Kankuro to feel shaken.

Those of the late Foundation Establishment stage rotated their Cultivation bases until the roaring and gravitational force died down. Then everything went back to normal, except that their faces were a bit paler.

An apologetic look appeared on Ino's face, but she said nothing. She raised her hand and pushed her hand down toward the ground. A strong wind suddenly sprang into being, sweeping across the land. Ino took a deep breath and then smacked her bag of holding. A jade bottle appeared in her hand.

It was blue-green in color, and as soon as it appeared, her expression became somewhat somber. She tossed it out, and everyone watched as it descended downward.

When it landed onto the ground, cracks appeared on its surface that spread out rapidly. A blue liquid appeared within the cracks which emanated a faintly bitter aura. As the aura spread out, the eyes of the gray-robed Cultivator narrowed.

"That's… Blue Heaven Elixir!"

Even as his words rang out, the blue bottle split into pieces. The blue liquid within expanded out to form a mist that enveloped the surrounding three hundred meter area. Suddenly, all of the grass disappeared, as if it had been a mere illusion. The earth surrounding them was pitch black, as if it were suffering from some sort of curse, some ancient spell which had existed for millennia.

"Fellow Daoist Sima, you are certainly experienced and knowledgeable. You are correct, this is Blue Heaven Elixir. To acquire even one drop required countless hardships. It's capable of piercing a variety of illusions." She smiled at the gray-robed man, then glanced at Naruto and the others.

"Fellow Daoists, I know that you have many questions. We are currently standing above an ancient portal which leads to a sealed zone within the Blessed Land. In actuality, the Black Sieve Sect learned about this Blessed Land hundreds of years ago. However, the person who actually discovered it was not a disciple of the Black Sieve Sect, but an ancestor of my Clan.

"Because of the Blessed Land, the Black Sieve Sect made my ancestor join the Sect, which is how the Yamanaka bloodline came to exist there. In fact, the map used to enter this place was created after years of research on the part of one of my Clan uncles. He used a mysterious magical technique to refine and congeal his own blood into the map. Because…." She was silent for the space of a few breaths, then continued, "Because this Blessed Land was once ruled by a lord who was also a patriarch of the Yamanaka Clan. However, he eventually became one with the Dao, and dissipated. Despite that, a connection to this place will occasionally appear within his descendants.

"I'm not sure what the Black Sieve Sect is plotting. But before he transformed into the map, my Clan uncle told me that because of his bloodline connection to this place, he knew that a secret technique of the Yamanaka Clan existed within. The three volume Time magic. This magic can produce a Time-Ruining treasure. Wielding the treasure can enable you to suck away the lifespans of others. That is why it requires a Spring and Autumn tree or similar item as its base.

"Even in ancient times," she said, her voice gentle and clear, "this Time-Ruining treasure was astonishing and rarely seen. Nowadays, it could be considered lost. If it still exists, then it's only in this place! Regarding the first volume of the Classic of Time, well… that is an item that has been passed down through generations in my Clan.

"I shall combine the three volumes and refine the Time-Ruining treasure. It is my personal affair, and I don't want other Yamanaka Clan members to know about it. I also wish to avoid the prying eyes of the Black Sieve Sect. That is why I invited you all here today. As for Elder Brother Kankuro, he is here because of a previous agreement between the two of us."

Everyone obviously had their own opinion about how much of what she had just said was true and how much was false. The methods she had used on the outside to gather their group together gave some clues. Naruto's eyes flashed over the group, and inside, he laughed.

"It seems like everybody is thinking something different. But other than me, it looks like nobody is even listening to Ino's explanation. And she knows it. There does seem to be something wrong with what she said just now.

"However… the Classic of Time is most likely real. Right now, I don't really have very many powerful magical items other than the wooden swords. I do have the Spring and Autumn tree which is easy to duplicate with the copper mirror. If I can learn the technique from the Classic of Time, then my problem will be solved.

"I still need to be cautious, though. If anything goes wrong, I'll use the good luck charm to leave this place immediately." Even as he made his mind up, Ino flashed an incantation gesture to open the ancient portal beneath them.

An ancient and archaic roar sounded out from within, as if some sleeping beast was awakening. Suddenly, a glittering light appeared. It did not spread out far; it only enveloped the surrounding three hundred meters.

When the light appeared, Ino looked up to the sky as if she were calculating something. Then, her body flashed and she shot down into the portal. With a slight smile, Kankuro entered as well, followed by Rasa and the others.

Naruto swept the area with Spiritual Sense to confirm that it was nothing more than a teleportation portal. After seeing everyone else enter and begin to turn blurry, he followed. The glowing light flickered and then faded. Everyone disappeared.

When they re-appeared, the sky above was the same sky as in the Blessed Land. However, the earth was covered with cracks. Far off in the distance, an object was visible. When Naruto's eyes fell upon it, they shone brightly for a moment and then returned to normal.

Up ahead was an enormous bronze cauldron!

The cauldron was several tens of thousands of meters tall, rising up so tall that it seemed to be supporting the sky. It looked both ancient and primitive, as if it had existed for countless years. A boundless might radiated out from the cauldron, causing everyone to feel an intense fear, even Ino.

A variety of thoughts ran through the minds of everyone present.

"Cauldrons are the utensils of nations. They can only be forged by people with incredible destiny. It turns out… such a fear-inspiring cauldron exists in this place!"

"What a true treasure! Who could possibly be so bold as to forge such a heavenly cauldron?!"

"It's archaic design seems to be matchless. It must have been here for countless tens of thousands of years. Could it have been forged by some ancient almighty being…?"

They all panted as they gazed upon the cauldron. Even the cold man in the gray robe gasped when he saw it. A strange light flickered in his eyes.

Kankuro's eyes narrowed, and it took some time before he regained his composure.

Naruto instantly recognized it; this was the same cauldron he had seen in the transmission from the vine before it had died in the so-called exit. As he looked around, he could tell that… everything around looked exactly the same as what he had seen in the supposed exit.

He laughed coldly in his heart, but his expression didn't change at all. He furtively retrieved the good luck charm and checked to make sure that it was still working. Inwardly, he was incapable of holding back some admiration for Patriarch Reliance. He wasn't sure how treasured of an item this good luck charm was, but he did know that it still worked in this place.

Feeling a bit reassured, he looked back up at the massive cauldron. He couldn't help but feel awed. Even though this wasn't the first time he'd seen it, to stand in front of it like this made him feel like an insect.

"The cauldron is cracked…" said Rasa with a sigh.

Everyone could see that the massive, awe-inspiring bronze cauldron had a huge crack running down through it. The crack seemed as if it wished to split the cauldron in two, yet wasn't quite able to.

Everyone else guessed in their hearts that the crack must have been caused by some other shocking magical item. But when Naruto saw it, he got a different feeling. The crack was not something that was caused by a magical item. He looked up into the sky and thought back to how it had felt to be struck by Tribulation Lightning. That was the same type of feeling he got when he looked at the crack; it must have been caused by Tribulation Lightning!

"Anyone who could take possession of this massive cauldron and use it as a magical item would definitely be able to shake the Cultivation World." Kankuro's words were soft, but filled with passion.

* * *

Ino took a deep breath, and a look of excitement flashed across her face. She lifted her right hand, and an ancient, crescent-shaped piece of jade flew out. It was a deep green color, almost black, and had a completely extraordinary appearance. It was not an object that a person would normally hold in their hand, but rather something that seemed as if it should be buried deep in an ancient tomb, never to see the light of day. Its color seemed to be the result of absorbing far too much sinister death aura.

The crescent jade flew out and then shockingly emitted a bright glow which covered everything around. The glow rippled as it shot forward toward the crack on the surface of the massive cauldron, and then entered it.

"This is where the final two volumes of the Classic of Time are!" said Ino. She flew forward, followed by Kankuro, Kin , Rasa and the man in the gray robe.

Naruto proceeded along as well. Six beams of flashing light shot ahead, growing closer and closer to the enormous cauldron. As they grew near, they felt an enormous pressure spreading out from the cauldron, which continued to grow stronger and stronger.

Soon, they were nearing the gigantic crack, which looked like an enormous canyon on the surface of the cauldron. They came to a stop in front of the crack. A mist floated around within, thin, but all-encompassing. Inside was nothing but blackness.

Upon nearing the crack, Kankuro slapped his bag of holding. A green light appeared that solidified into a furry green beast. Its body flashed as it shot directly toward the crack. The instant it touched the mist, however, it let out a miserable cry, and its body was torn to pieces.

Caution filled the hearts of the onlookers.

"Only someone with incredible Spiritual Sense can lift the mist and mend this crack," said Ino. "Then we can enter." She looked up at the sky again as if she were calculating something. Then she turned and looked at Naruto.

It wasn't just her. Rasa's gaze fell onto him as well. Naruto's battle with Kin , and the intense power of his Spiritual Sense, had left a deep impression on the man.

"Fellow Daoist Ino, you must be joking," said Naruto, somewhat impolitely. "This cauldron must have been cast innumerable years ago. It's aura is beyond ordinary. I don't think I can even touch that crack."

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, you misunderstand," she said hastily. "Of course I'm aware that this cauldron is not something people with Cultivation bases like ours can touch. I have a family heirloom treasure that can eradicate the crack. However, it must be guided by Spiritual Sense. Doing so will cause the crack to be healed." As she spoke, she slapped her bag of holding to produce a small fan the size of a palm. It only had three feathers, each of which was covered with magical symbols.

"Only one person can use the treasure, and your Spiritual Sense is the most powerful among our group. I truly hope to gain your assistance. Once we enter, there will be other areas where you will not be required to do anything. This item is a fan. When its spirit is pushed with Spiritual Sense, it will release a power that far supersedes our Cultivation bases. It is a treasure that the Yamanaka Clan specifically forged just for this location."

Naruto looked calmly at the fan for a moment, and then lifted his hand. The fan flew toward him. He examined it for a moment but didn't touch it at first.

Eventually, he gave a slight nod.

Seeing him agree, Ino let out a sigh of relief. She then moved off to the side, away from Naruto, in order to prevent any sort of misunderstanding.

His face was blank as he released his Spiritual Sense. As it emanated out, Ino and the others concentrated, sensing the immense power and comparing it to their own. All of them grew even more cautious.

Naruto sent his Spiritual Sense into the fan to examine it. Sure enough, it was branded, linking it to Ino. Naruto lifted his head up to look at the crack in the enormous cauldron.

A moment later he lifted his hand and thrust it forward. The fan suddenly erupted into flame. The three feathers began to wriggle in a bizarre fashion. A whirlwind sprung into being around Naruto.

As his hand moved forward, the whirlwind shot toward the mist. A boom echoed out as it slammed into it. The mist immediately began to roil and seethe. At first it seemed as if the two would cancel each other out. However, the whirlwind wasn't strong enough, and began to fade away.

"The crack can be erased, but it's somewhat draining." Naruto watched the mist within the crack restoring itself, as if it were being reborn. He thought for a moment, and then lifted his right hand and released even more Spiritual Sense. This time, he used more than before, causing the flames on the fan to rise up even more awe-inspiringly. Now, the flames were filled with two colors!

The onlookers' pupils constricted as they felt the power of Naruto's Spiritual Sense, which seemed to be over double their own. This shocked them to the core, especially Ino, whose eyes filled with fear as she watched him.

It seemed as if the fan were sucking in Naruto's Spiritual Sense as fast as possible. He proceeded with caution; if any signs appeared to indicate that he was losing control, he would instantly sever its connection to his Spiritual Sense.

The whirlwind appeared again, even more powerful than last time. Within an instant, Naruto's figure was almost impossible to see within its screaming winds. The onlookers could just barely make out the image of him waving his hand forward.

As he did, the fan's first feather instantly transformed into burning ash and the second feather began to fall apart. The wind grew stronger, roaring with power. It slammed into the mist, and as it did, the third feather of the fan disappeared into flaming ashes.

The entire fan now fell apart, causing Ino's heart to melt a bit. Then her gaze hardened; success or failure would occur at this juncture.

Boom!

A massive explosion ripped out as the enormous whirlwind collided with the mist. They ate at each other, and suddenly a gap appeared within the mist.

At the same time, a sinister coldness erupted out from within the cauldron, shooting out through the mist and blasting across the group of Cultivators.

It was as if a door had just opened which had been closed for ages. An aura that had been sealed up for countless years burst out, flowing across Naruto and the others. If that was all, it would not be a big deal. However, within the coldness of Time existed memories that swept across the six people. Suddenly, images appeared in front of them from countless ages ago.

Within the vision could be seen an enormous, shocking bronze cauldron. It floated above the earth, underneath a red sky. Astonishing bolts of lightning descended onto its surface, slashing it constantly, as if they desired to crush it into nothing.

However, the cauldron would not give in, and it rose up amidst the roar of the lightning. Up above in the red sky, a vortex appeared, beyond which could barely be made out the image of another world. The cauldron wished to defy the Heavens and pass through the vortex into the vague world beyond.

Below on the ground were hundreds of thousands of figures. They prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting scriptures at the same time. The sounds of their voices merged together and echoed out. When the sound reached his ears, it made Naruto think of the the Black Sieve Sect disciples sitting cross-legged, chanting scriptures. It sounded… similar, even though he couldn't make out the details of what they were chanting.

Suddenly a voice boomed out from within the cauldron. "It was thy wish for your expanse to replace the starry sky, to cover my eyes with the dome of Heaven. The World Tree would not submit, and destroyed itself in the starry sky. My master may be sleeping, but can he still exist under the same sky as Ji?!" Lighting fell down constantly from the Heavens, seeking to obliterate the cauldron. Suddenly, the vision passed from the eyes of everyone except for Naruto. They exchanged shaken looks with each other.

Naruto was a bit closer to the cauldron, however, and was the first to meet the blast of Time wind. His vision continued on a bit longer.

He saw the massive bronze cauldron continuing to rise up. The lightning falling from the red sky began to merge together. It was impossible to tell how many lightning bolts congregated to form a gigantic spear. It looked like a tooth surrounded by fields of lightning that shot down toward the cauldron.

A boom echoed out and the giant bronze cauldron trembled. A massive crack split down through it. It rose no more, and instead fell down. It slammed into the ground, and then another voice sounded out. It seemed to sigh.

"You are unwilling to let me take this cauldron from this place. Then… I will lay in rest here forever, waiting for the day on which you fall."

It was at this point that the vision faded from Naruto's eyes. He took a deep breath and then lifted his head to look at the cauldron. As of now, the mist and the crack caused by it, were disappearing.

An anxious expression appeared on Ino's face. Not hesitating in the slightest, she shot forward, flying toward the crack. Without a word, the rest of the group followed, their eyes flickering.

Naruto flew along with them as they headed at top speed toward the crack. As soon as he entered the cauldron, Naruto felt the copper mirror in his bag of the Cosmos growing hot.

Now was not the time to examine it, though. Naruto entered the cauldron to find himself in a world of lightning and thunder.

The inside of the cauldron was a space of several tens of thousands of meters in size. It was completely filled with crashing lightning, almost like a river. The light created by so much lightning was as blinding as sunlight.

However, there was no time for the group to gaze at the world within the cauldron. From within their midst, a blood-curdling scream rose up.

Kin was the last to enter. The instant she did, a bolt of lightning descended with incredible speed. It slammed into her. She screamed as her body was transformed into flying ash. Even her bag of holding was incinerated into nothingness.

* * *

It happened so quickly that Rasa's face flickered. Next to him, the eyes of the gray-robed Cultivator narrowed and he slapped his bag of holding to produce a wooden slip.

It emitted a bluish light that seemed to indicate it could repel lightning. The bluish light circled around the gray-robed Cultivator and he took several steps away, as if he didn't want to stand close to any of the others.

Kankuro's face also flickered. About the same time that the bluish light flickered up around the gray-robed Cultivator, a wooden statue appeared in Kankuro's hand. The statue had three heads and six arms. As it appeared, it transformed into a soft, glowing light that circulated around Kankuro.

Ino reacted even faster, sooner in fact, than even Kankuro or the gray-robed man. A three-colored lotus throne appeared in front of her; obviously this was also some sort of lightning-repelling treasure.

Only Rasa and Naruto seemed to be without such objects. Rasa let out a cold harumph as he unwrapped a blue treasure shaped like a medicinal pill. The pill emitted a bluish-green shield which surrounded his body.

Seeing all of this, Naruto laughed grimly. The other three had obviously colluded; otherwise, why would they possibly have all come equipped with lightning-repelling treasures? Only he and Kin had come unprepared.

"Nice move, Fellow Daoist Ino," said Naruto coolly, his eyes sweeping across the four of them.

"I never anticipated there would be so much lighting," said Ino lightly, "so I'm not sure what you're talking about. Fellow Daoist Naruto, if you don't have a lighting-repelling item, then you're welcome to use this Anti-Lightning Leaf. It's only moderately effective, but it's better than nothing." A translucent leaf appeared in her hand, and she looked at Naruto. Actually, she had been eyeing him this entire time, especially the moment when he'd entered the cauldron. When that happened, her eyes had flickered.

Kankuro and the other two men were all looking at Naruto, although it was impossible to tell what they were thinking. Their eyes seemed to be filled with an unanswered question.

Lightning crackled about above them, and booms of thunder filled the air. It was powerful and astonishing. Each bolt of lightning seemed to be incredibly fierce, strong enough to strike down even the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slammed down in the midst of them. An explosion rattled out as the lightning dissipated into countless arcs of electricity.

"I have no lightning-repelling item, but I do have a lightning-attracting technique," said Naruto calmly. The lightning mist appeared around him, which then congealed into the lightning flag.

Electricity swirled around it, which included strands that contained the Heavenly Tribulation Naruto had collected. It was clearly an extraordinary item. The nearby lightning seemed to twist, as if it were being pulled down.

If all the lightning in the area were really called forth, then it wouldn't matter if the others had lightning-repelling magic. They would all be transformed into dust just as quickly as Kin .

Almost as soon as the lightning flag appeared and the lightning around them began to ripple, Naruto sucked the flag back into his mouth. The converging lightning dispersed. However, it was now obvious that if the flag remained in the area for any amount of time, then it would call the lightning down, and they would all die.

Kankuro's expression flickered, the gray-robed man's eyes narrowed, and Rasa gasped and took a few steps back. Fear of Naruto filled their eyes.

The sensation of danger filled their heads, and their hearts began to pound. Unsightly expressions instantly filled their faces.

Kankuro's voice was also grim as he said, "Fellow Daoist, you're really being a bit too excessive." His heart was filled with vigilance as he spoke, his attention focused solely on Naruto.

Rasa had already been affected by Naruto's ferocity twice. Now, he stared at him with a complicated look, saying nothing. Yet again, he sighed inwardly. In his eyes, Naruto was no weaker than some Core Formation eccentrics.

He didn't need a lightning-repelling item. With a lightning-attracting item, he had suddenly turned the tables and put everyone else at a disadvantage.

"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?" said the gray-robed man, staring at Naruto.

"Oh nothing," said Naruto. "I just want to remind you, Fellow Daoists, that Naruto can call down lightning at any time." He spoke calmly and slowly as he stood there. He seemed ready to pull out his lightning treasure if even one bolt of lightning headed his way.

Ino said nothing for the space of a few breaths before a genial smile appeared on her face.

"I was joking with you just now, Fellow Daoist Naruto. Of course I have a way for you repel the lightning." She waved her hand, and a leaf fell off of the lotus throne. She was just about to hand it to him, when he laughed and approached her.

Her face fell; her heart was filled with fear of his methods, and when she saw him nearing her, she involuntarily took a step backward.

But he had already arrived at her side. "There's no need to go to the trouble, Fellow Daoist Ino," he said coolly. Lightning crackled above them. "Let's just use your lotus throne together. Wouldn't that be easier? Or are you unwilling to do so?"

A twisted look appeared on her face, but before she could say anything, the gray-robed Cultivator nodded.

"That would be the best," he said.

"I agree," said Rasa, breathing a sigh of relief inwardly.

Kankuro's eyes sparkled, and he did nothing to indicate he disagreed.

Ino hesitated a moment, then gave Naruto a bitter smile.

"If that's your requirement, Fellow Daoist Naruto, then how could I disagree?" She gritted her teeth as she opened the lotus throne shield and allowed Naruto to enter.

Now that Naruto stood next to Ino within the shield, the other three men felt somewhat more at ease. Naruto's threat moments ago had been beyond anything they could have anticipated. Even thinking back to it caused the hair on their necks to stand on end. Naruto was truly vicious.

Ino looked deeply at Naruto for a moment with a forced smile. Then she gave him a slight bow and began to move forward. Naruto went along, his face calm. Kankuro and the others followed.

Five people gradually proceeded through the torrents of lightning. Roaring filled the air. Lightning fell, crashing into the ground and sending sparks rippling out in all directions.

Clearly, the lightning-repelling items were extraordinary; the party appeared to be completely safe. Naruto's eyes swept over them, and inside he laughed coldly. These magical items were clearly not things that Foundation Establishment Cultivators should have in their possession. Each of these Cultivators must have the backing someone extremely powerful, who provided the impetus for them to enter this place.

"Kankuro only has the Black Sieve Sect," he thought. "As for the gray-robed man and Rasa, they're obviously not ordinary rogue Cultivators. They must have some powerful connections." As the group proceeded on, the lightning grew more intense and frightening. The roaring never seemed to end. Naruto had seen Tribulation Lightning before, but the lightning here seemed even more formidable.

"This is not a place for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Just one bolt could completely eradicate any of us. Yet, none of these people seem even slightly concerned. Obviously they knew ahead of time what they would be facing.

"I was targeted by Tribulation Lightning because of my Perfect Dao Pillar, which is not permitted to exist. As for this cauldron… the spirit of the Heavens must be furious, filled with intense desire to obliterate it, even more so than me." Naruto looked up ahead. This amount of lightning was unpleasant to the eyes, and made it impossible to examine the surroundings. The only option was to continue forward.

No one spoke as they traveled onward. About an hour passed, and they were much further in. Even though they were still surrounded by lightning, the intensity had lessened, and now they were able to see a bit more clearly. What they saw ahead of them caused them all to begin to breathe heavily.

Rasa gasped. "That's…" His face was covered with shock.

Kankuro's eyes glittered, and he panted. Next to him, the gray-robed Cultivator's eyes shone as he stared dead ahead.

Ino's eyes also grew brighter.

Far up ahead, in the center of the giant cauldron, were nine enormous statues. Each statue depicted a middle-aged man. The clothing they wore was not like like the clothing of modern times; it was much simpler. And yet, they were clearly long robes.

Amongst the nine people depicted, three had crowns on their heads. Two had long hair, which draped over their shoulders. One was even completely bald. They exuded an imposing power that was difficult to describe. It seemed as if each statue represented some powerful Dao that demonstrated a path of heaven and earth.

Anyone who caught sight of these statues would be stunned, and filled with a sensation of ancient glory. The statues were not standing upright; rather all of them were were kneeling down on one knee, with both arms stretched upward, heads bowed.

Objects could be seen within their upstretched hands!

There was some sort of wheel-shaped treasure, something that was clearly an extraordinary sword, as well as a glowing jade bottle. Each statue had a different treasure. The flickering glow created by the treasures created multiple glowing afterimages. Naruto and the others couldn't help but gasp.

In the hands up one of the statues could be seen two ancient scrolls! The features of this statue strongly resembled Ino!

On the back of the statue was a gigantic crack, which had obviously been rent by lightning from Heaven. It was impossible to say how many years has passed since that had happened.

If this was all there was to it, it wouldn't be a bit deal. But there was more. Naruto was shocked, and everyone else was panting. In the center of the nine incredible statues was the object to which they were all bowing… a bronze, circular cauldron!

A voice sounded out in Naruto's mind: "Square without, circular within; a trend of the Heavens!"

* * *

The outside was an enormous square cauldron, whereas inside there was a Heavenly circular cauldron. This circular cauldron was truly a Heavenly trend!

Naruto's mind buzzed as he saw this. Having experienced the world of the enormous cauldron, he felt as if it contained something cosmic.

"Nine kneeling figures, nine pinnacles of the Heavens," muttered the gray-robed man, beginning to tremble. "These kneeling figures are not people, they obviously are referring to the will of the Heavens!

"No, no. How could the cauldron be reversed? It shouldn't be like this. The heavens are circular and the earth is square. That's a generally acknowledged truth from ancient times. It's a law that was established tens and tens of thousands of year ago, a principle of heaven and earth.

"The cauldron should be circular on the outside and square on the inside. That would be correct. In that case, it would be as they say, the Heavens on the outside, above, the earth on the inside, beneath…." The man's body trembled even harder as he continued to mumble to himself. It seemed as if he just couldn't comprehend the world of this cauldron which was square on the outside and circular on the inside.

Rasa stared blankly at the circular cauldron, his eyes radiating astonishment. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Kankuro's eyes narrowed. Despite his shock, he immediately produced a jade slip, within which he inscribed all of this.

Ino seemed to be in shock as well. She looked at the massive fissure on the back of the statue, and then a brilliant glow appeared in her eyes that was obviously veneration for her ancestors.

"I understand," said the gray-robed man, his voice quavering. "The heavens are circular, the earth is square. A circular cauldron on the outside becomes the Heavens, the square cauldron on the inside becomes the earth. That would be in accord with the will of the Heavens, but this… This embodies evil! This represents the earth covering the Heavens. This is the same as burying the Heavens!

"This way, the circular cauldron is the Heavens, the square cauldron is the earth. This place…. is a tomb!" Sharp astonishment filled his voice as he spoke. He slowly took three steps backward. He coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face was pale and his eyes shone brightly with astonishment. His hands flickered as if he were calculating something, and his voice began to grow louder.

"These nine worshippers are definitely pinnacles of the Heavens! They've just been embodied into these statues, which obviously represent the legendary Nine Mystical Stars. The Nine Mystical Stars are worshiping the cauldron. The Heavenly trend is solidified here. A bronze square cauldron, within which is buried the heart of the Heavens!

"How daring! How grand! A tomb in which the Heavens are buried inside the earth! Just whose tomb is this? Willing to face death to steal good fortune from the Heavens! This is a coffin, and the Blessed Land outside is the tomb!

"Put it all together, and this place is no Blessed Land. It's a Cursed Land! It's a tomb of defiance against the Heavens!"

His words entered the ears of the others, and turned cold. Kankuro's and Rasa's expressions changed. Naruto took in a deep breath to settle his shaking nerves. The gray-robed man's words resonated inside of him, creating a sense of familiarity. Perhaps this place… really was a tomb.

He thought back to the vision he had experienced outside of the cauldron, and of the man's voice he had heard when the lightning struck it.

"You are unwilling to let me take this cauldron from here. Then… I will lay in rest here forever, waiting for the day on which you fall."

Naruto took a deep breath and thought back to the other archaic voice he had heard from within the cauldron.

"It was thy wish for your expanse to replace the starry sky, to cover my eyes with the dome of Heaven. The World Tree would not submit, and destroyed itself in the starry sky. My master may be sleeping, but can he still exist under the same sky as Ji?!"

The voice seemed to echo in Naruto's mind. His heart beat rapidly, and he thought back to the legend of the Spring and Autumn tree , and how the World Tree had voluntary destroyed itself rather than acquiesce to the Heavens. He also thought of the destruction of the Ancient Doom Clan, as well as the flag of three streamers , which was currently inside the Blood Immortal mask. That flag had the character Hebi written on it!

He also thought back to the requirement of the Blood Immortal to refine the bloodline of Ji!

"Fellow Daoists," said Ino, "there's no need to be alarmed." Her clear, bell-like voice echoed out. Although it couldn't outmatch the sound of the thunder, everyone could hear her clearly. "I don't know whether or not this place is a tomb, but as you all can see, the person holding those ancient scrolls is my ancestor. The statue has been cracked open by Heavenly Thunder. That was how the first volume of the Classic of Time came out of this place, and was eventually acquired by later generations." She turned to look at Naruto and the others. "In fact, of all the treasures here, only these scriptures can be taken away. All the other statues are perfect and unharmed.

"I've attended quite a few secret meetings; the fact that you all saw my message shows that you are destined to be here. You all have your own reasons for coming here, and are surely backed by powerful forces. Naturally, I am aware of that, and really don't care who you represent." She continued in a soft voice, "I only hope that for the sake of the Nine Mystical Stars, you will all keep your promises. Right now, we can only look, but when we draw near to the statues, I have a way to acquire the two scriptures. Then we can make copies for everyone.

"Actually, my only real purpose in coming here is to pay my respects in front of the statue of my ancestor." Her voice seemed to contain some strange power that made everyone calmer. The gray-robed man's complexion slowly returned to normal. Now that Naruto thought about it, he began to wonder if the man had purposefully said such crazy things.

He was also a bit skeptical of Ino's words "for the sake of the Nine Mystical Stars."

"It's not far now," continued Ino. "However, next I must ask for help from Fellow Daoists Ao and Sima. There will be more lightning after this point, and the going will be more difficult. Originally, we should never have had the chance we do. But the year that the first volume of the classic flew out, it carved out a path. Inside the path, we will be much safer. More importantly, the power of the lightning will not be as strong.

"Furthermore, it will have intermittent periods of weakness. Those times will be short, only about one hour. However, it should be plenty of time to get through safely. I picked the starting time of our mission to coincide with the lightning's weak period!" Her gaze swept across them, and then she looked up, as if she were waiting for something.

After about ten breaths, the lightning in the area began to grow dimmer. It was still dense, but the pressure that bore down on them from it was significantly less. It was definitely not as fearsome as before.

"The lightning will be weak for one hour. Fellow Daoist Rasa, Fellow Daoist Sima, hurry!" Her eyes shined as she lifted her right hand. A dark piece of ancient jade flew out and floated above them, seeming to point in a certain direction.

Muttering to himself, Rasa flew forward. The gray-robed Cultivator seemed to have completely returned to normal. He accompanied Rasa. The power of late Foundation Establishment roiled out from them. One of them was clearly emanating Wood-type Chakra. But then the gray-robed Cultivator began to emit a Dust-type Chakra, which completely eclipsed the Wood-type Chakra. As they walked forward, a yellowish brown glow rippled out.

Both of them produced magical items, and Ino took in a deep breath. She waved her hand, and her ancient Time jade emitted a brilliant glow. Everyone proceeded cautiously.

Because of the temporary reduction in lightning, they were able to fly forward relatively quickly.

However, the closer they got to the statues, the more dense the lightning grew. Rumbling booms filled the sky. Lightning crashed down, some of it slamming into the ground very close to the group of five. Their hearts trembled as they proceeded.

Rasa and the gray-robed Cultivator proceeded together with seeming difficulty. Soon, cracks appeared on their treasured items. Without hesitation, they pulled out even more lightning-repelling items. Naruto's expression was the same as ever, and he said nothing. He made no indication whatsoever that he would offer assistance. He had already accomplished his task, and from here on out, they would not likely be asking him to do anything.

This place was dangerous, but all of the others had chosen to come here and were well-equipped.

Within Naruto's hand was the good luck charm. That was the trick he had up his sleeve.

Time passed slowly, and gradually the group grew closer and closer to the statues. The faces of Rasa and the gray-robed Cultivator grew ashen. They were reaching their limit. As the statues got closer and closer, the lightning grew more and more dense. They had already gone through multiple magical items, and were coughing up blood. They couldn't proceed.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt began to descend, heading directly toward their group. Seeing this, the faces of Rasa and the others flickered. The ancient Time jade that Ino wielded suddenly emitted a bright shield. When the lightning bolt slammed into the shield, a massive explosion rippled out. Ino coughed up a mouthful of blood, as did all of the others. The glow of electricity surrounded them, and their faces drained of blood. This was especially true of Rasa and the gray-robed man, whose bodies trembled.

The lightning dissipated into curving sparks of electricity, and everyone heaved sighs of relief. They looked about, their faces filled with even more caution than before.

"Fellow Daoist Ino," said Rasa, turning to stare at Ino. "Didn't you say that the lightning would become weaker? Why was that bolt now so powerful?!"

Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth, but his eyes were shining. The fragments of lightning within his body were being sucked in by the lightning flag. It seemed to be changing again.

Actually, though he looked injured, after coughing up the blood, he was fine. However, he continued to force his face to look pale.

Wiping the blood from her mouth, Ino coldly replied, "You all chose to come here. There is no way you were unaware that this place is not suitable for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Were it not for my understanding of this place, were it not for this ancient Time jade, were it not for some other things that we all know about, then we wouldn't be walking through this place. We would not even have been able to enter the cauldron.

"As far as the lightning, it is weakened at the moment. However, there still exists the possibility that bolts will fall that have not been weakened." She turned to Kankuro. "Elder Brother Kankuro, having come this far, we've now reached the point where you must act. This location also holds what the Black Sieve Sect seeks, which they plan to fish out with the Hundred Spirits Tower. They seem to be ignoring our activities in here, but undoubtedly they are keeping guard outside.

"We both know that they don't dare to enter this place. Other than descendants of the Nine Great Families, anyone who enters here will die. The Nine Great Families have experienced decline in the Southern Domain, to the extent that they can't measure up to the current generation of Clans, and are mostly comprised of mortals. Ones who can practice Cultivation are usually herded up by various Sects. We have the appearance of elegance, but in fact we are little more than livestock. You and I are simply curious tools to the Black Sieve Sect."

Kankuro was quiet for a moment, and then smiled. "Actually, what makes me the most curious is that the Nine Great Families do not include Naruto. Furthermore, not one of these nine statues resembles Fellow Daoist Naruto at all. So, how was he able to enter this place?" He gave Naruto a deeply meaningful look.

* * *

It wasn't just Kankuro whose attention turned to Naruto. Rasa and the gray-robed Cultivator also gave him deep, meaningful looks.

His expression was calm, but inwardly, his mind flashed with understanding. Now he knew why everyone had looked at him so strangely when they had entered the large Cauldron.

The Nine Great Names didn't include Naruto, so once he entered, they must all have reached the conclusion that he was using an assumed name.

Even he was a bit uncertain regarding this revelation. He looked through the sheets of lightning toward the nine massive statues. Sure enough, amongst them could be found faces similar to Rasa, the gray-robed Cultivator, and even Kankuro.

These statues depicted their ancestors. They had surnames which could be traced back to ancient times, Clans which some people called the Nine Great Families.

"Am I of the Nine Great Families…?" Naruto asked himself. Moments later, a smile appeared on his face, although it was a bit cold. He was sure that he was not of the Nine Great Families.

He had remembered how upon entering the enormous cauldron, the copper mirror had grown hot within the bag of the Cosmos. If that was all, it wouldn't be enough evidence to prove anything. But Naruto had also suddenly recalled how the mirror had grown hot during the secret meeting, when Ino had produced the information regarding the first volume of the Classic of Time.

"Ino must have prepared for this day for a long time," he thought, "and it wasn't just one secret meeting she attended. The information she sent out was not restricted just to late Foundation Stage Cultivators, but more importantly, to only bloodline members of the Nine Great Families." With all this scattered information, he came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with the copper mirror.

"Just what is this mirror exactly? It can agitate the auras of wild beasts to explode, it has an astonishing power of duplication, and apparently has helped me achieve my goals by using underhanded means. Even though I'm not of the Nine Great Families, I was still able to enter this place. All these various thoughts flashed through Naruto's mind in quick succession. Only a moment or two passed between Kankuro's question and Naruto's response.

"Whether or not the Nine Great Families include Naruto, I don't really know," he said coolly. "But the fact that I entered the cauldron and made it to this point raises a very important issue." The look on his face made it very clear what he was thinking.

Kankuro's eyes flickered, and he furrowed his brow. Naruto's words left him speechless. The words were a defense in themselves, even though he neither admitted nor denied anything; or perhaps he had done both. Kankuro looked at him for a long moment.

The response had been clear; Naruto didn't know. But maybe the reason he was here was because he was indeed of the Nine Great Families.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto provided you with his answer," said Ino calmly. "Elder Brother Kankuro, I know that you have some Green Cloaking Pills on your person that the Sect Leader gave you specifically for use in this place. I know this already, there's no need for you to confirm or deny it."

Kankuro was quiet for a moment. He looked around at the lightning, his face somber. Then he slapped the top of his head and spit out a small green pill the size of a fingernail. As soon as it flew out, it exploded, sending large amounts of green Chakra out in all directions. As it did, the lightning began to grow slightly transparent, as if they were being cloaked.

The five of them continued onward several hundreds of meters, with Rasa and the gray-robed Cultivator taking the lead.

A hundred meters later, Kankuro, his face grim, said, "I only have three Green Cloaking Pills!" He spat out another pill, and they raced forward amidst the indistinct lightning.

With the power of the two Green Cloaking Pills, they were able to reach the location of the nine statues. The statues were awe-inspiring, as was the cauldron in their center, which seemed as if it could contain the Heavens.

An ancient aura circled about the area, brushing against their faces and making them feel as if they had traveled back to a primordial time. It was like they could feel the boundlessness of that era.

Ino was incapable of concealing the excitement within her eyes. She panted as she looked up at the statue of her ancestor. Next to her, Rasa, the gray-cloaked man, and even Kankuro stood by silently, all of them gazing at the statues of their respective ancestors.

Naruto had no way to comprehend what was going through their minds. His face was the calmest of the bunch as he looked at the statues one by one. Finally his gaze fell upon the circular cauldron that represented the heavens.

Even as he looked at the cauldron, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Something was moving on one of the statues. Naruto's eyes immediately darted over, and then opened wide.

There, upon the shoulder of the statue that resembled the gray-cloaked Cultivator, some dust had fallen away to reveal something. It was square, and looked gelatinous and somewhat elastic, like a slab of meat jelly.

It was pure and white, and after looking upon it, the first reaction of most people would be to try to eat it. The object sat on the statue's shoulder, wriggling a bit, causing more dust to fall down. Naruto stared, eyes wide, mouth agape. The thing seemed to be alive! Suddenly, it flew off of the statue's shoulder and onto its head. Then it leaped up into the air. A crack appeared on the surface of the meat jelly, which opened up into an enormous mouth. Instantly, the lightning in the sky crackled. Ten lightning bolts fell down directly onto the meat jelly.

It chewed for a bit, then stopped, as if it were digesting the lightning. Naruto gaped in astonishment as it dropped to the ground and then hop, hop, hopped over to land on the circular cauldron. It remained there motionless.

It wasn't just Naruto who saw this happen. The noise caused by the lightning and the meat jelly was incredible, causing Ino and the others to all look over. Ino's eyes narrowed, whereas Kankuro's opened wider. He gasped, and the two of them exchanged a shocked, knowing glance.

"That's…"

The gray-robed Cultivator suddenly said, "That must be what the Black Sieve Sect needs the Hundred Spirits Tower for. They want to drag out Ultimate Vexation." A mysterious look appeared in his eyes. Within his pupils appeared magical symbols as he attempted to gain information. This had nothing to do with his Cultivation base, but something specific to his eyes.

Before Ino and Kankuro could say anything, the meat jelly suddenly jumped up. The face of an old man, his eyes closed, magically appeared on its surface. His nose twitched, and his eyes opened. They appeared to be filled with frustration. The meat jelly suddenly flew up and shot toward the exit of the square cauldron. But then it stopped in mid-air, as if it were hesitating. It floated there for a moment and consumed more lightning.

Seeing this, the eyes of the five Cultivators gleamed.

"Why is this thing called Ultimate Vexation?" Naruto suddenly asked of the gray-robed Cultivator.

"Even I don't know," was the reply. "I haven't been able uncover any information about its origin. The Black Sieve Sect has likely spent much more time researching it. The little I do know is that as long as it has existed, it has been called Ultimate Vexation."

"I couldn't care less what that thing is called," said Rasa. "Half an hour has already passed. If Fellow Daoist Ino can't retrieve the rest of the Classic of Time soon, then our whole trip here will have been a waste!"

Without a word, Ino sat down cross-legged beneath the statue of her ancestor. Her hands made incantation gestures, and her ancient jade began to emit a greenish glow as it rotated around her. Naruto's eyes glittered and he stepped a bit closer to her.

Everything around them was relatively quiet. Only the claps of thunder roared out. Time passed, the space of roughly one hundred breaths. Ino's eyes suddenly opened, and the sound of incantation words floated from her mouth. Rasa, the gray-robed Cultivator, and Kankuro all stood around, as vigilant as ever.

Suddenly, the sound of Ino's incantation ceased, and she spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ancient jade. It emitted a blinding green light and flew toward the hands of the statue.

It didn't move incredibly fast, and actually wobbled back and forth a bit in the air as it moved. The blood drained from Ino's face, as if she were having trouble controlling it. As the jade neared the statue, the two scripture scrolls in the statue's hands began to glow brightly. Cracks appeared on their surfaces, and a boom echoed out. Suddenly, two pieces of jade exploded out from within the two scrolls.

Everyone clearly saw this happen, and though they might have their suspicions as to what was happening, it was obvious that two pieces of jade were flying away from the exploded scripture scrolls. Whistling sounds echoed out from them as they shot out.

The two jade pieces flew out, seemingly completely out of control, not controlled by anything or anyone. They seemed to be shooting out in an attempt to leave the square cauldron.

Before they could go very far, though, they were grabbed by the greenish glow emanated from Ino's ancient jade. It was as if they were all connected somehow. The two escaping pieces of jade suddenly stopped in mid air; they began to shake, as if they were struggling. A loud buzzing sound emanated out from them.

Ino coughed up some blood, and immediately seemed to grow listless. Exhaustion covered her face, and suddenly, her ancient piece of jade slipped out of her control and fell toward the ground.

In that instant, the other two pieces of jade suddenly began to fly off into the distance. It was very sudden, and there was no time for anyone to think. Rasa's eyes flickered, and his body shot up into the air as he flew toward one of the jade pieces. The gray-robed man's eyes narrowed, but he too stepped up and shot forward, a green beam of light that shot toward the second jade piece. As for Kankuro, he flew up and toward the original jade piece, a look of suspicion on his face.

"No fighting, Fellow Daoists," cried Ino. "Great tribulation will come on anyone not of my bloodline who touches those items! I have a method to bring together the three ancient pieces of jade." She coughed up some more blood.

* * *

Her words were essentially meaningless. Rasa increased his speed.

Three people, three different directions. They sped forward, their lightning-repelling items glittering. They flew forward in the twinkling of an eye. Naruto also took action; however, he didn't rush in pursuit of the jades. Instead, he headed toward Ino, who seemingly had lost control over her own ancient jade.

At the same time Rasa reached the jade he had been pursuing. He flicked his sleeve, collecting it into his bag of holding. Throughout the process, he avoided any dangers whatsoever.

"Hahaha! Fellow Daoist Ino, I've retrieved the item for you. I'll keep it with me for now and give you a copy later." At the same time as his laughter rang out, Kankuro's eyes suddenly glittered brightly. Anyone looking at him would see the same suspicions that existed moments before on his face. However, Ino was not faking; the anxiety and enmity on her face after all the coughing up of blood were real. And yet, Rasa had succeeded; Kankuro seemed to no longer suspect anything. He increased his speed.

As he shot forward, a lightning bolt descended toward him. He spat a third Green Cloaking Pill out of his mouth. A boom sounded out as the pill activated, completely concealing Kankuro from any lightning. He bit his tongue, spitting out some blood that turned into a blood mist. As he passed through it, his speed increased dramatically. In an instant, he was upon the piece of jade. With the flick of a sleeve, he collected it into his bag of holding.

Kankuro's eyes burned as he glanced toward the gray-robed Cultivator. He was rocketing forward, seemingly focused on pursuing the jade piece, but doing so with caution. Having seen Rasa and Kankuro's successes, he increased his speed, and within a moment was almost in the position to acquire the last piece of jade.

All eyes were focused on him. Naruto watched him flick his sleeve to gather up the piece of jade. Suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, the lightning in the area began to accumulate. In the blink of an eye, ten bolts of lightning shot down.

The gray-robed Cultivator's lightning-repelling treasure was simply incapable of resisting, and shattered. His face fell, and he was just about to do everything in his power to evade, when a shocking thunderclap sounded out. Everyone watched as the man's body was transformed into bits of floating ash. Even his bag of holding was destroyed.

Only the ancient jade remained, floating beneath the lightning, undamaged. Bits of ash and bone, the remnants of the gray-robed Cultivator, slowly drifted down to the ground.

Ino coughed up some more blood. Her face was pale, but she gritted her teeth and raised her trembling hands toward the drifting piece of jade.

It shook, then changed directions, shooting back toward Ino and Naruto. Based on its trajectory, it seemed it was actually heading toward Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, be careful!" shouted Ino shrilly.

Everything was happening too quickly. Seeing the death of the gray-robed Cultivator caused Kankuro's expression to change. A horrified look appeared on Rasa's face. However, at the moment, both of them were looking at the piece of jade the was descending toward Naruto and Ino. The death of the gray-robed Cultivator seemed to have been an accident that had nothing to do with the ancient jade.

The two of them flew forward simultaneously. From the look of it, if Naruto attempted to interfere, they would join forces to destroy him. However, their speed was a bit slower than his. Even moving as fast as possible, it seemed that they would arrive a moment too late.

Naruto, eyes glittering, shot forward, a barely perceptible mocking smile forming on the corner of his mouth. The three of them closed in on the piece of jade.

It was at this moment that the closed eyes of the meat jelly floating in the mid-air suddenly opened. It caught sight of the three people flying toward the jade, and suddenly it shot forward with indescribable speed. In a flash, it landed on Rasa's head.

Rasa's body shook, and a look of astonishment appeared on his head. "Fellow Daoist Kankuro, help me…"

Before Kankuro could even react to his words, the meat jelly opened its mouth. Suddenly, massive amounts of lightning bore down. It seemed as if they were entering the mouth of the meat jelly. But by the time they disappeared, Rasa's body was nothing more than ash in the wind.

He didn't even have time to scream.

Kankuro gasped, and his face flickered. He suddenly stopped moving, his heart pounding. He stared in astonishment at the floating meat jelly; his scalp began to go numb.

Without Rasa and Kankuro pursuing the ancient piece of jade, it quickly arrived at Naruto. He chuckled, shooting forward, and then actually moving out of the path of the piece of jade. Now, it was heading directly toward Ino. She gaped in shock, as did Kankuro, who was still reeling from the actions of the meat jelly moments ago.

Naruto laughed, looking back and forth between Ino and Kankuro. "Your act could fool gray-robes, but did you really think you could fool me?" A look of ridicule appeared in his eyes. He spit out the lightning flag. The surrounding lightning was instantly thrown into chaos.

Hearing Naruto's words, Ino frowned and Kankuro's eyes flashed. They said nothing.

"The appearance of that meat jelly was not something you anticipated, and therefore Rasa lost his life. That was an accident, not part of your scheming. In any case," he continued coldly, "with Rasa gone, your three person plan cannot be completed. I think now you should consider allowing me to take his place, assuming I wish to." He smiled.

The lightning flag next to him sent out ripples, causing the surrounding lightning to roil even more violently. Not wanting to attract the attention of the meat jelly, he pulled the lightning flag close to him and suppressed the rippling.

An unsightly expression covered Kankuro's face. Naruto's craftiness left him awestruck. During their entire journey, he had barely interacted at all with Ino and Rasa. He'd assumed no one could possibly connect the three of them together. And yet Naruto had.

"It was Rasa's final words that made it clear to you," said Ino with a little smile. "Fellow Daoist Naruto, you are very perceptive. I can't help but admire you in this." There didn't seemed to be any anxiety on her face whatsoever. "It's true. There can only be three people in the end. I'll be honest with you, Fellow Daoist. I've betrayed the Black Sieve Sect because of this place. Originally Kankuro and I received authorization from the Sect to come here. Unfortunately, we never imagined that the object the Sect sought, Ultimate Vexation, would be here. And we never predicted that Rasa would fall." She straightened her hair and smiled. Despite her beauty, he had been careful of her machinations from the beginning. She was clever, but Kankuro couldn't compare at all.

As she spoke, Ino lifted her hand and made a grasping motion. A blue streak of light shot toward her from the position where Rasa had been killed. Moments later, a gray streak appeared from where the gray-robed Cultivator had died. They circled around in the air. As they did, Ino opened her mouth and spit out a yellow strand. The three strands intertwined and began to emit a bright light.

The yellow strand was obviously from Kin , which Ino had somehow retrieved after her death.

"In this place of treasures of the Nine Great Families, only the Yamanaka Clan treasure can be retrieved. The rest of the statues have not been damaged, and are therefore still sealed. We originally needed strands from three bloodlines, and power from three people, to be able to open the true location of the Time refining treasure of the Yamanaka Clan. Now, we have no choice other than to use Rasa's strand. Brother Naruto," she said earnestly, "let's not bring up everything from before. I hope we can agree on that. If you agree, then you can have your copy of the Time refining treasure. I'm willing to swear an oath on the name of my illustrious Ancestors!" She slapped her bag of holding to produce a esoteric compass. She quickly erased the branding inside of it.

"This object," she said, "can serve as an expression of my apology. Actually, the exit I spoke of earlier is not really an exit. That place will only return you here. This esoteric compass is a Sect treasure. You can use it to get out of this place. However, it won't take you out of the Blessed Land, It will merely take you out of the square cauldron." The esoteric compass floated over to Naruto.

He eyed it expressionlessly, casting his Spiritual Sense into it for a moment. Then he exchanged a glance with Ino. Their eyes glittered simultaneously. Kankuro looked at them, his face grim. He let out a cold snort.

Naruto took the esoteric compass, his expression the same as usual. He examined it further with Spiritual Sense. After confirming that it was a teleportation device, he nodded.

Ino's smile grew even more beautiful. She gave Naruto a slight bow, then looked over at Kankuro, who was glaring at Naruto. He made no attempt to hide his displeasure. He and Ino had been a couple for some time. Once their mission here was completed, they were to return to the Sect and be officially united as beloved.

Ino took a deep breath and then waved her beautiful hand. The three colored strands interlocked and flew out. They grew longer, creating a complex pattern which then shot toward the statue of the Yamanaka ancestor and into the crack on its back. At the same time, Ino bit her tongue and then spit out some blood. The three strands turned bright red, and continued to stream into the crack.

Next, the strands separated. Ino grabbed one, and the other two shot toward Naruto and Kankuro respectively.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he grabbed the strand. As soon as he touched it, he felt the copper mirror growing hot within the bag of the Cosmos.

"The objects held aloft by the nine statues are not real. They are mere illusions. The true treasures are inside the circular cauldron. No one can take them, not even someone of one of the nine Bloodlines. However, the body of the Yamanaka ancestor was struck with Tribulation Lightning, and was cracked. Therefore, the Time refining treasure within the cauldron is the only of the nine that can be acquired!

"The only way to get it, is to break open the circular cauldron. With our Cultivation bases, that would be impossible. Brother Naruto! Kankuro, dear! Please bolster the power of my bloodline. We will use the power of the ancestor statue to retrieve the item!" Her eyes glowed mysteriously as she looked at Naruto and Kankuro, a sweet smile on her face.

* * *

A roaring sound filled the world within the cauldron. The lightning in the region danced about, and the meat jelly seemed to have been frightened. Its attention now appeared to be fixed upon Naruto and the others.

Ino's voice rang out. "I shall now employ my bloodline magic. Brother Naruto and Kankuro, dear, please assist me with all your power." She bit her tongue, spitting more blood out onto the strands that wound into the crack on the statue. It began to emit a red glow.

A droning roar sounded out, and the entire statue began to tremble. Vast quantities of dust poured off of it. Naruto suddenly felt as if the strand in his hand was pulling at his Cultivation base, as well as his Spiritual Sense.

His eyes flickered, but his face remained still. Next to him, Kankuro's eyes glittered brightly as he poured power from his Cultivation base, as well as Spiritual Sense, into the strand he held. He looked at Naruto, killing intent flickering within his eyes. Then his gaze shifted to Ino, and his gaze grew warm. It could be said that the two of them were a 'green plum and a bamboo horse,' childhood sweethearts. When they were young, there had been some conflict between them, but as of now, it seemed that Ino really had worked her way into his heart.

Suddenly, the roaring grew in intensity. Ino's face grew pale. She was in control of the three threads; Kankuro and Naruto were simply providing the assisting power with their Cultivation bases and Spiritual Sense. They had no way to do anything to cause the statue to do anything. They poured their power in, while Ino employed the power of her bloodline.

Using her bloodline to touch the spirit of the ancestor statue was magic that only she could perform. If anyone else tried to touch the statue's spirit, their Cultivation base would wither up. It was something that neither Naruto nor Kankuro could do.

About ten breaths worth of time passed. Booming sounds filled the sky. Suddenly the kneeling statue emitted a roar as… its eyes suddenly began to shine, as if it were alive. Its body… slowly began quiver, as if it were preparing to stand.

Ino's face grew paler, her eyes brighter. She spat out more blood, causing her Blood Chakra to enter into the statue. The whole statue trembled violently, as if an earthquake were shaking it. Then, the massive statue… stood up!

Its eyes emitted a dull glow, and a mysterious pressure filled the entire area. It slowly lowered its hands. As Naruto watched, the images were burned indelibly into his memory.

He took a deep breath, continuing to provide Cultivation base power and Spiritual Sense. Ino's body shook. This was real trembling, not an act; her face was as pale as a corpse's. But determination radiated out of her eyes, and she spat out more blood.

Boom!

The statue slowly outstretched its right hand, pointing with its index finger. The finger seemed to be filled with an indescribable power; it descended toward the circular cauldron situated in the middle of the nine statues.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and gleamed mysteriously.

"I need more power!" said Ino, her voice urgent. Without hesitation, Kankuro poured more power into the strand he held.

Naruto's eyes shined as he did the same. Some of the color returned to Ino's face, but moments later she spat out more blood, filling the statue with more power. Its finger continued to approach the cauldron; it seemed the cauldron would open at any moment.

At this exact time, however, the descending finger suddenly changed directions. It no longer headed toward the circular cauldron, but toward Kankuro. It moved with incredible speed, causing a look of complete shock to cover his face.

"Ino, what are you doing?!" cried Kankuro, throwing the strand away from himself. His eyes filled with intense terror, and he shot backward. Naruto's eyes flickered. He opened his mouth, and the lightning mist flew out, preventing Kankuro from moving backward. His body stopped moving. His words were still echoing out by the time the massive finger reached him.

The finger barely touched him, and his entire body exploded with a bang, even his Dao Pillar. In an instant, everything disintegrated; his life was completely gone.

He didn't let out a bloodcurdling scream, only a furious roar that lingered on after his death. An orange strand curled up where his body used to be, which then entered the statue's finger.

His bag of holding rose up and flew over to Ino. She grabbed it and immediately produced a small black vial. She crushed it, and a phantom figure floated up that looked in every way exactly like Ino. She absorbed it in through her ears, mouth and nose.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in space of only a few breaths. Naruto watched everything with the same expression as always, as if he had been expecting it to happen. He was completely expressionless, although his eyes flickered.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Naruto," said Ino with a sweet smile. She bowed slightly toward him.

"Fellow Daoist Ino, it was a clever move to exterminate your dear Kankuro," he said coolly. He was not surprised, because the violet esoteric compass she had given him now was not just unbranded, it also contained a message.

In the message, she had directly told him that she planned to kill Kankuro, and when it happened, he shouldn't be alarmed.

"When the Black Sieve Sect captured me and my clansmen, it seemed as if they would treat us well. But in actuality, we were nothing more than animals in a cage. Kankuro was the worst; he treated me horribly since childhood. After we grew up, he had further desires…. It's only natural for me to slay him. If I hadn't, then everything we acquired today would belong to the Black Sieve Sect. Now, we can share everything between the two of us."

She smiled at him and said, "Brother Naruto is surpassingly astute, I don't dare to attempt to deceive you. That is why I left the message on the esoteric compass. I always accomplish what I set out to do. Today, the Time refinement technique will become ours. From now on, you don't need to do anything more."

Her expression was sincere, although she sighed inwardly. Of the six people who had begun the mission, all had their own thoughts and plans. Only Naruto had seen through everything and come through it all.

People had fallen around him, but he remained unscathed. This caused fear to grow in Ino's heart, as well as admiration. Had any mistakes been made along the way, Naruto would have been dead.

Because of this, she was subconsciously afraid of provoking him. Therefore, her words were actually true, and revealed her true intentions.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He said nothing, just simply nodded. However, the lightning mist surrounded him. If Ino did anything threatening, he would call down the lightning; death would be assured.

Ino took a deep breath and looked at him. She abandoned any last bit of scheming. The journey here had been difficult, and she had used up all her tricks. She really did not want to meet any more mishaps. Her hand flickered an incantation, and the massive statue shook, then began to reach back toward the circular cauldron.

When it touched it, the entire world within the square cauldron shook. The lid of the circular cauldron slowly tilted up, and a violet Chakra began to pour out of it. Inside, Naruto caught a glimpse of three jade pages floating up. Their appearance seemed to coincide with that of the violet Chakra, and they hadn't completely emerged from the cauldron, as if they might sink back in at any time.

Ino's eyes filled with a bright glow, and she gasped. Her right hand slapped her bag of holding, and a small clay jar appeared, about the size of a person's head.

It flew up into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot toward the circular cauldron. As it neared, cracks spread out across its surface and it exploded, sending the ash that had been inside shooting forward.

Within the ash were what appeared to be ten phantom images. There were men and women, and their ages varied, but they all resembled each other; these must be Clan members of the same bloodline.

This was not just random ash; it was ash collected upon the cremation of various Yamanaka Clan members, and contained life force. The figures spread out, and then bowed respectfully toward the circular cauldron.

"Bloodline of Patriarch Ino, according to the ancient agreement, the bloodline remains, Patriarch, please return…." As the phantoms spoke, they entered the violet Chakra.

At the same time, the statue of the Yamanaka Clan Patriarch stretched out its palm and pressed it against the cauldron.

The instant the figures entered the violet Chakra and the statue pressed on the cauldron, it vibrated, emitting a droning sound that shook everything. Amidst the roaring, the phantom figures began to burn. As for the statue, it trembled violently. Starting at its feet, cracks spread across its entire body. Suddenly, it began to collapse into pieces.

From this day forward, there would no longer be nine statues in this place, but eight!

Ino shook as if some invisible power were rocking her. She took a few steps back and then spit up some blood. At the same time, a violet glow flew out from the crumbling statue. Naruto could clearly see the excitement which appeared in her eyes. Within the violet glow appeared to be a small, sleeping person. It suddenly shot toward Ino, hitting her between the eyebrows and merging into her.

"That's what she came for!" thought Naruto, his eyes narrowing.

At the same time, because of the sacrifice of the ten Yamanaka Clan phantoms, the three jade pages within the violet Chakra freed themselves from the circular cauldron and flew out. As they did, a sound like a sigh could be heard from the circular cauldron.

As the sigh sounded out, one of the flying jade pages suddenly stopped and then spun backward toward the cauldron. The other two continued to fly forward.

* * *

The spot between Ino's eyebrows glowed with a violet light. Panting, she shot into the air after one of the pages. Naruto also leaped into the air, moving with as much speed as he could muster after the other page.

They flew up simultaneously and in different directions, dodging in and out of the lightning in pursuit of the jade pages. Just as each person was about to lay hands on their respective pages, the meat jelly, which had been observing them this whole time, suddenly sprang into action.

It's movement caused Naruto's expression to flicker and Ino's face to fall. Both of them were filled with fear.

The object itself wasn't dangerous, but it seemed to enjoy jumping onto people's heads, and then consuming lightning. In other words, its arrival heralded the onslaught of a sea of lightning!

"Dammit!" said Naruto, his eyes narrowing when he saw the meat jelly heading toward him. Ino, who was moving in a different direction, breathed a sigh of relief.

Keeping his eye on the meat jelly, Naruto grabbed the jade page and then shot backward as fast as possible. He caused the lightning mist to withdraw; it might be an effective tool to threaten others in this place, but would only serve to attract the meat jelly, and thus, more lightning. Unfortunately, it seemed he had acted too slowly.

He shot backward as fast as possible, but the meat jelly was clearly very persistent. In a flash, it was in front of Naruto. It shot downward, and appeared to be just about to land on Naruto's head.

Before it did, and before Naruto could even do anything, the meat jelly suddenly trembled. The face of the old man appeared on its surface once again. His eyes were wide open, and his expression was one of both disbelief and disgust. Suddenly, it opened its mouth and spoke.

"Dammit! Dammit! How come you have that damn bird's aura on you?!" It hopped backward through the air as if it was completely disgusted with Naruto and wouldn't even come near him. It flew back up and then suddenly vomited, as if it had just seen something so disgusting it was painful.

If that were all, then it wouldn't be a big deal. But then a flash of light could be seen as the meat jelly suddenly appeared in front of Ino. She watched in shock as it gulped down the jade paper in a single bite.

It started to chew, and when she saw this, Ino's scalp grew numb. She could do nothing but move backward.

"Gross, gross, gross…." said the face on the meat jelly, its expression twisted as it looked over at Naruto. It looked as if it was scared to even get close to him.

Naruto had a strange expression on his face as he looked at the retreating meat jelly. He glanced at horrified Ino.

She was silent for a moment, and then said, "Congratulations on acquiring the Time refining technique of the Yamanaka Clan, Fellow Daoist Naruto. There are three jade pieces in total, but each page has a technique that can be used by itself." A complicated look appeared in her eye. Suddenly, the lightning in the area began to roar.

It rapidly increased in intensity, each and every bolt brimming with the fierce intensity it had at the beginning. The hour time period had passed. As of now, a lack of lightning-repelling objects equated to certain death and transformation into flying ash.

The sheets of lightning made Naruto's expression fall. Ino also looked shocked.

"You acquired the object, so it's yours, Brother Naruto," said Ino hurriedly. "I will lay no claim to it. But I must ask you to take care for it well. Please do not lose it. Next time we meet, you must give me a copy. That was our agreement." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she slapped her bag of holding. A violet esoteric compass appeared in her hands. It flashed, and then her body disappeared as she was teleported away. In that same instant, however, the meat jelly shot forward, borrowing some of the teleportation power to also leave the world of the cauldron.

Naruto looked around at the vast fields of lightning, and then immediately pulled out the violet esoteric compass, which he had examined closely earlier. He poured Spiritual Sense into it, activating its teleportation power. In an instant, he was teleported away from the world of lightning.

When he reappeared, the sky above was dark, and the earth was trembling. Booms echoed out everywhere, and his Dao Pillars were instantly unstable. He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered forward a few paces. He looked around.

He was in the wide plain, not far from the place where he had met up with Ino initially. He took a deep breath. Ino hadn't been lying; the esoteric compass did what she said it would.

He lifted his hand, within which was the good luck charm. He was just about to pour some Spiritual Sense into it and leave this bizarre Blessed Land, when suddenly a massive tower began to rise up from the earth off in the distance. Everything shook, and roaring filled the air.

He could see that this pillar was like a tower, and it emanated an aura. The aura was not that of Core Formation or the Nascent Soul stage, but of Foundation Establishment!

This was the the Hundred Spirits Tower, constructed with the Dao Pillars of over two hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

Naruto sucked in a deep breath when he saw the Hundred Spirits Tower. Surrounding the tower were phantom figures of hundreds of Cultivators. They emitted shrill howls which merged together into a powerful sound of grievance. The sound rose up into the heavens, causing everything to be dark.

From various directions, ten or so freshly acquired Dao Pillars flew through the air toward the tower and melded into it. The power spreading from the tower grew even more intense.

"I suppose the rest of the rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators who came here are all dead…." He was silent, struck by the extent of the Black Sieve Sect's plotting. His Dao Pillars trembled inside of him. Were they not Perfect Dao Pillars, he wouldn't be able to keep them under control.

"I can't stay here any longer…." he thought. However, it was at this time that he cocked his head and stared off into the distance. His eyes glittered slightly, and he decided not to leave. Instead, he flew up and off into the distance.

He flew for the space of about ten breaths before stopping. There below him in the plain, he saw a group of four Cultivators sitting cross-legged in meditation. Around them circled a protective spell which seemed to be resisting the power of the Hundred Spirits Tower.

One of them, was none other than Suigetsu!

Naruto watched on as one of the four people coughed up some blood. His body suddenly exploded, and an illusory Dao Pillar flew out of him off into the sky.

After that, another Cultivator began to tremble. His eyes snapped open and he stared at Suigetsu. He laughed bitterly. "You despicable…." Before he could finish, his body was torn to pieces as his Dao Pillar flew out. The third person's face grew pale as his body also was torn to shreds. His Dao Pillar flew off into the distance.

However, the death of these three people made the protective spell many times stronger than it had been just now. Suigetsu sat inside pale-face, gritting his teeth with dogged will. The power of this spell was the only thing resisting the gravitational force outside.

Naruto looked down. He could see clearly that the three Cultivators had been under Suigetsu's control. In reality, their Dao Pillars had been blood sacrifices to protect Suigetsu. Their deaths had simply bolstered his spell.

Naruto, his face placid, descended toward Suigetsu. He landed next to the spell, looked down at Suigetsu, and gave a dry cough.

Suigetsu began to tremble. When he opened his eyes and gaze upon Naruto, a look of shock covered his face.

"So, it's… Fellow Daoist Naruto…." His face was pale, his voice anxious as he looked at Naruto.

"Nice spell," said Naruto coolly. He spoke neither quickly nor slowly, but his words caused Suigetsu to feel extremely alarmed. From his perspective, it seemed that Naruto wasn't being affected at all by the gravitational force.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, what… what do you want?" His heart was filled with deep anxiety. If Naruto interfered with the spell, then it would be broken. He could imagine what the gravitational force would do to him after that; his body would shatter and his Dao Pillars would fly into the sky to join all the others in the enormous tower.

"Tell me what the Thunderclap Leaf really does," he said calmly, looking at Suigetsu within the spell.

"I already told you, Fellow Daoist Naruto," he blurted, growing even more nervous. "The Thunderclap Leaf…." Before he could continue, Naruto reached out and pushed down on the spell circulating around Suigetsu.

As he did, the spell trembled, and a small crack appeared on its surface. Terror flashed onto Suigetsu's face.

"Stop, Fellow Daoist Naruto, please… I'm not deceiving you. The Thunderclap Leaf really can…"

Naruto gave a cold snort and then pushed down again. A boom sounded out, and seven or eight more cracks appeared within the spell. Suigetsu could suddenly feel even more of the gravitational force that existed in the outside world seeping inside. His Dao Pillar trembled unstably. His scalp went numb; he was currently scared out of his wits.

"Thunderclap Leaves are rare in the Southern Domain," he gushed, talking as fast as he possibly could. "Special techniques exist which can imbue them into magical items to increase their lightning power! Fellow Daoist Naruto, listen to me, I have a jade slip here as evidence. Just read the technique in the jade slip and you'll receive enlightenment!" He produced a jade slip which he showed to Naruto. His entire body trembled, and a look of entreaty appeared on his face. His words sounded sincere, as if he weren't concealing anything.

"Still trying to fool me?" A cold light gleamed in Naruto's eye. His right index finger stabbed into the spell. A boom rippled out as more cracks filled the spell. There was even a wide hole in one place. The gravitational force poured in. Suigetsu's face twisted and he coughed up some blood. It looked as if his body would explode at any moment.

* * *

"STOP!" shrieked Suigetsu, terror-stricken. His face completely drained of blood, and he felt as if the shadow of death were looming over him.

He clearly remembered the scene when he had entered this Blessed Land, how so many Cultivators had exploded, their Dao Pillars sucked away. He was from the Black Lands, and knew a secret method that he had been able to utilize to stay safe. But with Naruto here, he felt an incredible pressure weighing down upon him that he had never felt before.

Furthermore, it seemed that no matter what he said, Naruto wouldn't believe him. Naruto completely had the upper hand. Faced with such life-or-death danger, Suigetsu's schemes disappeared like ash into the wind.

"I'm telling the truth," said Suigetsu pleadingly. "Thunderclap Leaves can be absorbed into magical treasures to imbue them with the power of lightning. Why don't you believe me!?" His voice was hoarse, and from the look on his face, he had been pushed to the limit and had nothing more he could say. His eyes suddenly seemed to flash with understanding. He gave a hoarse laugh, and his eyes filled with boldness born of desperation. "I get it. It's not that you don't believe me, it's that you want to kill me!

"Fine! Just shatter my spell, then. I, Suigetsu, have already explained the Thunderclap Leaf's usage. If you're going to kill me, then just kill me. But you can forget about getting the information from my jade slip!" Gritting his teeth, Suigetsu pushed down hard on the jade slip. If Naruto was really going to destroy the spell, then he would crush it to make sure the fish died and the net was torn; everyone would lose.

Naruto looked calmly at Suigetsu. Some time passed, and then he sighed. He lifted his hand and pushed down again. A boom sounded out. What was destroyed, however, was not the spell, but rather the jade slip in Suigetsu's hand.

Naruto destroyed it, transforming it into pieces of ash.

This caused Suigetsu's face to fall and his heart to grow cold. Obviously, this action on the part of Naruto indicated that… he didn't believe him!

"Tell me, or don't tell me. I'm out of patience," he said coolly. It's not that he didn't believe what Suigetsu said about the Thunderclap Leaves being able to imbue magical treasures with the power of lightning. But Suigetsu spoke his words too easily. They might be true, but Naruto couldn't imagine that the Thunderclap Leaves collected by Patriarch Reliance would be so simple.

A bitter smile appeared on Suigetsu's face, as if he had nothing left to say. Naruto nodded slightly, then began to press down onto the spell. This time, he would completely destroy it.

"I'LL TELL!" Suigetsu's body was trembling, and his heart nearly collapsed into pieces. The shaking of his Dao Pillar turned into a look of resolve in his eyes, and a bitter smile on his lips.

"I'll tell you," he said, quivering. "But you have to swear that after I tell you, you won't do anything to damage my spell." He smiled a painful smile. Everything he had said before was filled with half-truths, and yet, none of it even touched on the real truth, the most important part. Facing up against death the way he was now, however, he had no choice but to be honest.

"Speak," said Naruto, his expression the same as ever, but his eyes shining mysteriously.

Suigetsu took a deep breath, and was silent for just a moment. Then, with a pained look, he slowly began to speak. "Thunderclap Leaves come from the Thunderclap Tree. But the Thunderclap Tree's real name is Sieve Net Thunder, or Mulberry Thunder Tree."

Naruto's expression was placid, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. He looked coolly at Suigetsu. This in turn caused indescribable terror to fill Suigetsu's heart. His anguished expression grew stronger, and the coldness within him completely encompassed his heart and filled his body. He began to tremble with fear.

"There's a legend about the Mulberry Thunder Tree. According to this legend, in ancient times there was an almighty being who achieved enlightenment while sitting underneath a Sieve Net Thunder Tree. Heavenly Tribulation descended, desiring to wipe out this new Dao. The will of the lightning infected the tree. As for the almighty being, it split apart the Tribulation Lightning and then stepped into the stars.

"Though the almighty being departed, the Sieve Net Thunder Tree absorbed some of its Dao in addition to the power of the Tribulation Lightning. It was destroyed, and yet, a thousand years later, a sprout appeared within the dead trunk!

"Thus was born a tree that was mulberry, but not mulberry. Thunder, but not thunder. A Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Tree!"

Naruto's eyes glittered as he listened to Suigetsu, but he said nothing.

"In regards to the almighty being which achieved enlightenment underneath the Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Tree, what he said that day beneath the tree was that if he could not achieve ultimate supremacy, he would rather his body be shattered, and stay underneath the tree for all eternity!" Suigetsu lowered his head as he spoke, hiding the stubbornness which shone in his eyes.

A strange expression appeared on Naruto's face as he listened to the story. It seemed to him unlikely that Suigetsu was making this story up as he went.

"Countless ages have passed since the Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Tree appeared. Eventually, it became part of the heart of the earth, which then caused more trees to sprout. Yet, they contained the experiences from events in ancient times. Because the will of the Heavens evolved, this tree was eventually able to cast off that which withered it. Today, it is as precious as phoenix feathers and qilin horns."

Suigetsu was silent for a moment before continuing. "Most Cultivators will use the tree to meld it with magical items, or even absorb it into their Dao Pillars, acquiring the invincible thunder which exists within the Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Leaf.

"However, in the Black Lands, there is a type of larva called Frigid Snow, which exists in the snowstorms of mid-winter. Of all the remarkable bugs in the world, it is ranked number ninety-seven. It's a remarkable larva; it doesn't produce silk, but rather, intense coldness. It is quite prized by Cultivators, and if it can be acquired, is viewed as a precious treasure. It can be refined into a Frigid Spirit, embodied into a Frigid treasure.

"This larva is not common, but not exceedingly rare, and occasionally appears." At this point, Suigetsu paused for a moment and looked at Naruto.

Naruto looked back at him, and their gazes locked for a moment. Suigetsu sighed inwardly, and then continued.

"What only a few people know, however, is that there is an unusual relationship between the larva and the Sieve Net Thunder Mulberry Tree. If the larva consumes the leaves of the tree, it is possible for it to become the number four ranked remarkable bug… the Eyeless Larva!

"The Eyeless Larva turns into a chrysalis, and will produce a thread of silk. That thread cannot be broken, nor can the body be destroyed. The body cannot be destroyed, and the thread cannot be broken. It creates an unstoppable cycle. The thread becomes an invincible precious treasure.

"The Eyeless Larva has only appeared twice throughout history, and each time, the thread it produced caused a sensation in the Cultivation world. There was even conflict in the Sky Country. To this very day, no one knows what caused the death of the Eyeless Larvae that appeared twice before." Suigetsu sighed inwardly. Having finished speaking, he looked deeply at Naruto, then closed his eyes.

Naruto muttered to himself as he looked at closed-eyed Suigetsu. Finally, he laughed. Turning, his body transformed into a prismatic beam which shot off into the distance.

After Naruto left, Suigetsu opened his eyes. He looked blankly up at the sky, then let out a long sigh. Soon, his eyes filled with a cold glow.

"Everything I said now was ninety percent true and ten percent false. That guy might by smart, but he'll have a hard time telling which is which. He'll definitely go looking for the Frigid Snow Larva. If he really does feed it the Sieve Net Thunder Mulberry Leaf, then he's dead!

"All I have to do now is endure this pain a bit longer until the Black Sieve Sect finishes. Then I'll be able to find some clues in this place to find what I'm looking for." A grim look on his face, he took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes to begin repairing his spell.

Naruto was lost in thought as he flew through the air. Of course he wouldn't believe everything that Suigetsu told him. However, he was fairly certain that at least some of what he'd said was true. It would have been too difficult to simply make up such a story on the spot. Perhaps half was true and half were lies.

"With desire, comes incompleteness. If I have no desire, then the storms will not touch me." Naruto smiled as he continued onward. Everything he passed was completely barren; he didn't see even one rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Up ahead, the Hundred Spirits Tower emitted a bright glow which surrounded everything.

From such a distance, Naruto was unable to spot Hinata amongst the crowd. He silently took out the good luck charm and poured some spiritual energy into it. Immediately, he felt the teleportation power.

However, he couldn't teleport immediately. It would require some time before the power could be activated. Naruto took a deep breath and then shot toward the peak of a nearby mountain. He sat down cross-legged. Ignoring what was happening around him, he continued to pour spiritual energy into the good luck charm, feeling the teleportation power growing in intensity.

"I need to wait for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn…" This was his first time using the good luck charm, so it was also his first time encountering its downside.

His current location wasn't exactly safe, but there were no people around, only the glow emanating from the Hundred Spirits Tower. However, his Perfect Foundation was still capable of resisting it. If too much time passed, though, it would become more difficult to fight back. Therefore, he concentrated fully on the good luck charm.

"I wonder where I'll be teleported to…." His eyes flickered as he felt the teleportation power surging. He placed his right hand on the ground. The dirt began to churn, and tentacles burst up out of the soil. They transformed into a violet-golden fruit the size of a palm. Naruto closed his fingers over it and then placed it into his bag of the Cosmos.

It was at this moment that suddenly, something flickered in the air near the Hundred Spirits Tower. It wasn't large, but Naruto immediately recognized it. It was none other than what he and Ino had encountered before teleporting out of the square cauldron… the meat jelly!

It floated in mid-air, its archaic features gazing curiously at the Hundred Spirits Tower.

Suddenly, it emitted a piercing howl which filled heaven and earth. The wind and clouds surged, and the ground shook. Even the Hundred Spirits Tower trembled as if it might collapse. The hundreds of phantoms which circled around all began to shriek. Lightning began to build up on their bodies.

Surrounding the tower at its base were nearly one thousand Black Sieve Sect disciples, all sitting cross legged. In the forefront were eight Core Formation Cultivators. As soon as the meat jelly appeared and the clouds whipped into a frenzy, their eyes opened, and they looked up into the sky.

"It's appeared!"

"That thing is Ultimate Vexation?"

Their eyes filled with excitement, and their hearts pounded as their hands flickered incantations. Immediately, the ground in front of them began to glow, and suddenly Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful middle-aged woman appeared. Nascent Soul Cultivators!

"So, it was fished out!"

"I shall acquire this item today!" cried Patriarch Violet Sieve. His eyes were fixed on the meat jelly and they shined with intense expectation.

* * *

"According to the ancient records, this is Ultimate Vexation," said Patriarch Violet Sieve. "It will never bond a master, it loves thunder, and consumes lightning. However, what excites it more than anything is not lightning, but the electricity within the human body!

"The electricity contained within the Dao Pillars of hundreds of Cultivators, as well as the power of their Cultivation bases, has been combined into the Hundred Spirits Tower. This thing has never encountered such immense, intangible aura as that which emanates from this tower!" He stared at the meat jelly, which was currently backing away slowly.

Next to Patriarch Violet Sieve, the beautiful middle-aged woman was also staring at the meat jelly. Both of them rotated their Cultivation bases. They seemed ready to spring into action at any moment.

Panting, Patriarch Violet Sieve used Divine Sense to communicate with the beautiful woman: "Wait just a bit longer. This thing is fast, and if it wishes to flee, even a Sect Patriarch wouldn't be able to capture it alive. It has an incredible aura, and if captured, may detonate itself and wait to be reincarnated. If that happens, who knows how many thousands of years will pass before it reappears….

"We must wait for it to consume the Hundred Spirits Tower. Inside is a seal, which, combined with magic cast by the three Patriarchs on the outside, will strip it of its power of self-detonation. Then, the two of us will be be able to capture it alive!"

Naruto's brow furrowed as he looked at the meat jelly. In his estimation it was a very inauspicious item. Inside the cauldron, it had caused the death of several people. In the end, it had even spoken, which left Naruto with a very strange feeling. He really disliked the thing.

"So, that thing is what the Black Sieve Sect came into this place for." He was lost in thought for the space of about ten breaths. The good luck charm was almost activated and would be usable at any moment. Naruto's expression was calm as he observed the proceedings. In his heart, he was ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Up above, the meat jelly suddenly let out another menacing howl. The Hundred Spirits Tower trembled as if it were about to collapse. Arcs of electricity sparked off of it, as did a fatally enticing aura that Cultivators couldn't sense, but the meat jelly could. Its nose twitched and its eyes grew wide. Patriarch Violet Sieve watched excitedly as it shot forward, approaching the Hundred Spirits Tower. Its mouth opened wide and it took a giant bite.

As it took more bites, the magical face on the meat jelly looked more and more happy. It even began to emit contented humming sounds. It swallowed bite after bite, and soon the Hundred Spirits Tower was more than half consumed. Suddenly, what remained of the tower exploded!

A boom resonated out as the tower collapsed in upon itself and then shot toward the meat jelly. The meat jelly was clearly frightened half to death. The crumbling tower transformed into an enormous chain that moved with incredible speed as it encircled the meat jelly.

The meat jelly let out a frightened screech. It quickly tried to hop backward through the air, but couldn't, as if it were being held down. At this very moment, outside the Blessed Land, next to the black door, the statue that had been carried to this place by the Black Sieve Sect began to emanate a mysterious glow. Within the dark glow were three figures sitting cross-legged in meditation atop the ragged hide, controlling it.

Within the Blessed Land, ear-splitting shrieks filled the air. Naruto looked at the meat jelly floating in mid-air, bound by the chain. The magical face looked panic stricken. It wanted to flee, but was held tight by the chain. As it tried to jump away, the chain stretched back behind it like a long tail.

At the same time, Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes flashed. He took a step forward, and then his body disappeared. He reappeared next to the meat jelly. He lifted up his hand to grab it.

Simultaneously, the beautiful women also moved, appearing on the other side of the meat jelly.

The fear on the meat jelly's magical face grew more intense, and it let out a miserable cry. Its body suddenly began to shake, and lightning crackled off of it in waves. Heaven and earth shook, and Patriarch Violet Sieve's face flickered. He retreated a pace. The beautiful woman's eyes narrowed, and she too retreated, not daring to touch the lightning.

As the two retreated, the chained meat jelly rushed forward, its face filled with helplessness and despair. With the chain restricting it, it couldn't move very fast. Behind it, Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes gleamed, and he let out a cold harrumph.

"You can't escape," he said, his voice filling the air. "Today, the Black Sieve Sect has come for you!" He took a step forward, reaching his hand out. The beautiful woman gave a cold snort and lifted her hand up as well. In the blink of an eye, her body seemed to be surrounded by stars, which then transformed into a multicolored beam that shot up to surround the meat jelly on all sides.

The meat jelly quivered, and flew forward. The magical face spoke, its voice archaic, like that of an old man's: "You people can't do this…."

When they heard the words, shock filled the faces of the surrounding thousand Black Sieve Sect Disciples. They had never imagined that this object would be able to speak with the voice of a human.

"So, you truly are Ultimate Vexation," said Patriarch Violet Sieve, laughing. He shot forward along with the beautiful woman. Their eyes glowed mysteriously as their bodies transformed into beams of light as which surrounded the meat jelly.

If that were all to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. But next, the eight Core Formation Cultivators among the Black Sieve Sect disciples all let out a shout. The rest of the disciples began to chant a scripture.

At the same time as the scripture droned out from the mouths of the thousand disciples, far away in the Southern Domain, tens of thousands of Black Sieve Sect Cultivators sat cross-legged, also chanting a scripture. Above the Ten Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect, an enormous vortex circulated in the air. It sucked in the scriptures chanted by the tens of thousands of Cultivators and transmitted them into the Blessed Land via the mouths of the thousand Cultivators there. The power of the scripture caused everything to shake and tremble.

A concerned look appeared on the meat jelly's magical face. "You people are immoral. You should be converting that bird, you shouldn't be trying to convert me…." Its voice sounded frightened, and it let out another shriek. Suddenly, a huge bluish aura began to emanate off of it.

Screaming miserably, the meat jelly shot forward, its expression desperate. It wanted to flee. At this moment, a massive roaring sound filled the sky. Up above, an enormous cage appeared in mid-air.

It was composed of pitch black iron bars which were inscribed with countless magical sealing symbols. It emanated a shocking pressure which caused large amounts of fissures to split the earth below.

The cage glittered as it shot toward the meat jelly, preparing to capture it alive and lock it tight. A black aura emanated out from the cage's bars, within which could be seen countless faces whose features were filled with excited avarice.

All of this takes a long time to describe, but actually happened in an instant. Naruto was not very close, yet was still shaken to the core. The good luck charm was almost ready to activate. Although everything that was happening was shocking, he didn't really care too much about it, and was mostly focused on getting away.

But… suddenly, he leaped up and began to retreat backward.

"That damned meat jelly, why is it coming toward me?" He retreated unhesitatingly, eyeing the meat jelly as it changed direction and for no apparent reason shot toward him.

Naruto couldn't make himself believe that the meat jelly would pass him by. Having seen the destruction left in its wake within the cauldron, he was certain that the thing was coming directly toward him.

Naruto's scalp went numb. He thought about the two Nascent Soul eccentrics, about the bizarre sound of the scripture being chanted, and about the massive cage descending from above. His annoyance with the meat jelly grew more and more intense.

But he was merely a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. No matter how fast he moved, there was no way he could evade an item which was currently being chased by two Nascent Soul eccentrics and, in fact, the entire Black Sieve Sect. The meat jelly was chained, but its speed was still impossible to describe. One breath, it was off in the distance, and the next breath, it was directly in front of Naruto. It slowly descended onto his head.

A look of shock covered Naruto's face. He reached up, grabbed it, and threw it away as far as possible.

The instant it was thrown away, it hopped back toward Naruto, opened its mouth and then bit his arm.

"If I can't escape," it wailed, "then neither can you, you immoral fellow…."

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman approached in pursuit, and when they saw what was happening, their eyes went wide with intense rage.

"Doth thou dare!" raged the violet-robed Patriarch. His roar reached to the Heavens, and the entire land began to quake. His speed was incredible, and within moments, was in front of Naruto, a look of indescribable rage on his face. His palm descended toward Naruto.

Boom!

As the boom echoed out, a twinkling shield appeared around Naruto. It wasn't being emitted by Naruto, but rather the meat jelly. Furthermore, as Naruto retreated, it wasn't under his own power, but rather because the meat jelly was pulling him along by the arm.

It had his arm firmly gripped in its mouth, which caused blood to seep out. Its body trembled, and was no longer translucent. Now it looked somewhat muddy.

"So disgusting, so disgusting, so disgusting…. gross, gross, gross…." it cried. Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman stood by, their expressions mixtures of rage and disbelief.

"Bonding… it… it's bonding a master?"

"I've bonded a master," cried the meat jelly, hopping up onto Naruto's head and transforming into the shape of a hat. "I bond this guy as my master. Useless! It's useless to capture me now. You immoral people, I've already bonded a master! I have no more powers of flight and no more shield. I'm crippled, I'm going to die! You bunch of foolish fools, you're too evil! I, I, I, I…." It suddenly turned its shocked attention to Naruto. "Hey, why haven't you teleported away yet?"

* * *

"Are you an idiot? Ohh, I like idiots. Idiots are good. Idiots are great. Eee? How come you haven't teleported away yet? Wait, are you actually an idiot? Why did that bird pick an idiot?" The meat jelly continued to chatter without stopping.

Patriarch Violet Sieve raised his head up to the sky and howled. He shot closer, lifting his hand. All the light in the area seemed to grow dim, and ripples spread out everywhere, which then began to collapse in toward Naruto.

Naruto's face went pale. With a bitter smile, he looked at the glittering shield in front of him that was protecting him from Patriarch Violet Sieve. It was rapidly collapsing. Up ahead, the faces within the black aura emitted by the cage roared with rage. There was no time for Naruto to think. He pinched the good luck charm, and a roar sounded out. Pain filled his body. To everyone watching, it looked as if the moment before the protective shield broke, a black hole appeared next to Naruto. It swallowed him up, along with the meat jelly.

Naruto disappeared, along with echo of the meat jelly's voice:

"Although it actually makes me like you more, are you really an idiot? No way. There's really no way. That bird is the root of all immorality, and yet the person he selected turns out to be an idiot… idiot… idiot…."

The voice echoed out into silence. It was the only sound to be heard. Patriarch Violet Sieve stood there, his face unsightly, rage surging from his eyes. The chain fell to the ground in front of him. The meat jelly had bonded Naruto as its master, and had cast off the chain.

"Bonded…." panted the Patriarch. "It actually bonded a master. According the ancient records, it can't bond a master! It has never bonded a master!" He lifted his head up and roared.

The beautiful, middle-aged woman took a deep breath. After a moment, her eyes glittered. The cage disintegrated and the chain broke up into countless pieces and drifted away. The figures within the black aura began to fade, and the aura itself dissipated. As it did, Patriarch Violet Sieve's heart trembled.

"A good luck charm from the Milky Way Luck Sect…. So, that person was able to leave because of that object. I will find him. I will pay any cost necessary to find him. But his Sect can't find out. Ultimate Vexation has bonded a master. That's excellent. A new variable. Perhaps Longevity Chakra cannot be produced, but Longevity Pills can!"

Meanwhile, in the Southern Domain.

Near the sphere of influence of the Blood Demon Sect was a lake. The lake was as smooth as a mirror, and emitted spiritual energy, causing the entire area to be covered with mist throughout the year. It had a very otherworldly look.

But, that was only from the perspective of mortals. Although the spiritual energy in the area wasn't bad, it was far from being close to what is was within the five great Sects. Even some smaller Sects had greater accumulations of spiritual energy.

Although this area was within the sphere of influence of the Blood Demon Sect, it was on the very edge, on the area bordering the Solitary Sword Sect's territory. Occasionally, Cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect would fly by this area. In actuality, it was a relatively dangerous place.

That was because the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect had a blood feud, which was common knowledge amongst Southern Domain Cultivators. Although no major conflicts had broken out, small fights would occasionally occur.

Many areas surrounding the lake were actually battlefields for the Solitary Sword Sect and the Blood Demon Sect.

Next to the lake was a mountain village, which was inhabited by a Clan by the name of Fuma. The most powerful member of the Clan was of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Seven or eight Clan members were at the Chakra Condensation stage, and the rest didn't have any latent talent whatsoever. Years ago, the Clan Lord had been a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect. However, he was growing old, and had been injured. His Cultivation base could make no further progress, and his longevity was running out.

In most cases, disciples like this are asked to leave the Blood Demon Sect and found Clans in the surrounding areas. Their heirs will then have the chance to enter the Blood Demon Sect.

Generally speaking, even if the Solitary Sword Sect came into the region, they would ignore such people. As a result, the Fuma Clan's territory had been relatively peaceful in recent years.

However, that peace was mostly because no large Sect had made any attempt to bully them; often there would be friction with surrounding Cultivator Clans.

This was especially true because of the position they occupied next to the Spirit lake. Many surrounding Cultivator Clans coveted the lake, and glared at it like a tiger eyeing its prey. Were it not for the Cultivation base of the Fuma Clan Lord, their clan would definitely have been carved up like a melon.

Unfortunately, Fuma Clan Lord Arashi's longevity was reaching its end, and his body was beginning to deteriorate. A crisis was forming. Today, members of the Inuzuka Clan had arrived with ill intentions. They strolled through the Fuma Clan, cold smiles covering their faces.

"Fellow Daoist Chang'en," said the Inuzuka Clan Lord Akamaru with a false smile and a sinister voice, "you should carefully consider my proposal. If we form a marriage alliance, then we can share this lake. That will ensure that the names of Inuzuka and Fuma will exist forever. The day when our Clans can re-enter the Blood Demon Sect will be just around the corner." Behind him trailed ten or more Clan members with Cultivation bases at the Chakra Condensation stage. The most conspicuous among them was at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. He was currently casting smiles toward one of the members of the Fuma Clan, was a tall, slim young woman with a scowl on her face.

The girl wore a long green robe. Wind from the lake lifted her silky hair. She had beautiful features and skin like jade. Her intelligent eyes were like those of a red phoenix, tilted upward gently. She was truly a rare beauty.

Arashi stood next to her, looking somewhat sickly. The flame of his life force was growing dim. Behind him were the seven or eight Chakra Condensation Clan members. He glanced at the people from the Inuzuka Clan, and opened his mouth to speak, but then trembled and began to cough. The young woman reached out to support him, a worried look on her face.

Arashi took a deep breath and then said, "Akamaru, you can have the lake, but as for a marriage alliance, that's impossible." He patted the hand of the woman who stood next to him, and then glanced at the people from the Inuzuka Clan. He was clearly weak, but his look could chop nails and slice iron.

"The Inuzuka Clan wants this lake," said Akamaru. "As for the Fuma Clan's talisman expert girl, we want her too. If you agree, excellent. But if you disagree…." A smile covered his face, and yet his eyes glowed with killing intent. He took a step forward.

As his foot descended, a wave of mid Foundation Establishment pressure emanated out, filling the area. The faces of the Fuma Clan Chakra Condensation Cultivators went pale and filled with nervousness and uncertainty. Ripples spread out across the surface of the lake.

At this exact same time, however, the sky above, which had previously been filled with blazing sunlight, suddenly seemed to grow dark.

It went back to normal in an instant. It happened so fast that if you blinked, you might not even notice.

However, the faces of both the Inuzuka and Fuma Clan flashed, and they all gasped. A look of disbelief appeared on Akamaru's face, and as for Arashi his heart was currently filled with the flames of fury, and yet all he could do was gape in astonishment. All of the Clan members present were currently staring toward the lake.

A gigantic black hole had appeared above the lake, sending the lake waters roiling. A person appeared from within the black hole, emerging along with massive amounts of black aura. He coughed up a mouthful of blood. A noisy voice could suddenly be heard.

"I'm not finished. Are you really an idiot… idiot… idiot?"

Face pale, Naruto emerged and glanced around. His gaze landed upon the Cultivators from the Inuzuka and Fuma Clans. As the black hole disappeared behind him, Arashi stopped panting and collected himself. A strange light gleamed in his eye. The woman next to him was about to open her mouth, but Arashi lightly covered it with his hand.

He did this because he was the owner of the lake. Akamaru wasn't the only person who had come here recently with ill intentions and a desire to take a superior position. The current situation caused Arashi's heart to be filled with anxiety. His eyes immediately began to shine with a stern aura. A cold smile appeared on his face.

At first, he had been nervous, but after checking Naruto's Cultivation base, he let out a light sigh. He was still a bit suspicious, though, considering the strange nature of Naruto's arrival.

"Fellow Daoist, who are you, and why have you intruded upon this Spirit lake land?" These words were uttered not by Arashi, but by Akamaru. From what he could see, Naruto was at early Foundation Establishment. Considering how tenuous the situation the moment, he couldn't be certain that this person wasn't here to assist Arashi.

As he spoke, the seven or eight members of the younger generation of his clan started to get nervous and stare at Naruto.

"Senior, some problems occurred with my teleportation and I inadvertently appeared here." Naruto's body flickered, and he landed on the shore of the lake. When he did, Arashi pulled the woman back with him a few steps, away from Akamaru. His fellow Clansmen followed suit. He said nothing, but an enthusiastic look had suddenly appeared in his eyes.

When Akamaru saw this, he frowned. As Naruto stepped foot onto the shore, Akamaru suddenly strode forward, the power of his mid Foundation Establishment Cultivation base flaring into power. A hypocritical smile filled his face as the pressure radiated out.

The hat on Naruto's head suddenly began speaking to him.

"You know, that's wrong. That's very immoral. You shouldn't tell lies. You obviously came here because you were fleeing for your life. You did have a reason to come here. You came here on purpose!"

Naruto's face grew dark and Akamaru stared in shock. Arashi's eyes narrowed, although his expression went back to normal in an instant. The woman next to him looked in wide-eyed astonishment at the hat on Naruto's head.

Naruto frowned, then took the hat off his head, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it away as hard as he could.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, ignoring the hat, "where am I? What is the nearest Sect?" He glanced at Akamaru's rippling Cultivation base and vigilant expression, and then looked at Arashi.

"Fellow Daoist there's no need to ask when you already know the answer. Why did you…." Arashi was starting to get a strange feeling about the situation. But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed that the hat which had just been crumpled and thrown away, suddenly restored its shape, and was back on Naruto's head.

* * *

"You know, that's wrong. That's immoral. You can't just throw things onto the ground. What if you hit a little kid? That would be a sin. Even if you didn't hit a little kid, you might hit one of the fish in the lake, or maybe some shrimp. That would also be wrong. Listen. You should carefully take me off. You should…." The hat continued to talk non-stop with its preaching.

Naruto frowned, and Akamaru stared in amazement. His surrounding Clansmen looked at Naruto's hat in disbelief. After a moment, Akamaru's face grew grim. He was getting the feeling that this early Foundation Establishment Cultivator was doing this on purpose.

"Enough!" said Akamaru. "This isn't a place where you can just come and go as you please. If you won't tell the truth, then I'll just grab you and force the truth out of you." He couldn't figure out whether or not this guy was here to help the Fuma Clan or not, but at the moment, Naruto was being very annoying. More importantly, Naruto's Cultivation base was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He would be able to determine his purpose in coming here after capturing him.

Before he even finished speaking, Akamaru walked forward. He lifted his right hand, and a dark red glow appeared, which coalesced into a red whip. The whip emitted cracking sounds as it screamed through the air and flicked back and forth. At the very end of the whip, a ferocious, fork-tongued snake head appeared. It shot directly toward Naruto.

As Akamaru made his move, the members of the Inuzuka Clan behind him all looked incredibly excited. Whenever the Clan Lord attacked, he achieved victory; that was what they had seen in their experience. They couldn't wait to see their Clan Lord mop the floor with an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Naruto gave Akamaru a cool look. During his time protecting Hinata in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land, he had encountered many such Cultivators. He lifted his hand, which was holding a dark reddish fruit. He threw it toward the ground.

As soon as the fruit hit the ground, it burrowed down. Instantly, the ground began to shake. Even as the dark red whip neared Naruto, a boom filled the air. The ground in front of Naruto erupted as a mass of dark red vines shot out. They rose a dozen or more meters into the air, emanating rippling power that matched that of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. The instant they appeared, they shot toward the whip.

An explosion resonated out. The whip couldn't withstand even one blow, and it collapsed into pieces. The ferocious vines opened their wide mouths and shot toward Akamaru.

His face fell, and the Clan members behind him looked on in disbelief, even more astonished than him. He cried out in alarm as he saw the more than ten vines approaching. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly pressed down on the pit of his stomach. He spat up a large mouthful of blood, which then transformed into a mist. The mist coalesced into a blood-colored head, which then slammed into the vines.

An explosion echoed out, and the blood drained from Akamaru's face. He staggered back several paces into his pale-faced Clansmen, who all coughed up mouthfuls of blood.

"A Shaman Cultivator!" gasped Akamaru, retreating backward again.

He wasn't the only one to have such a reaction. Arashi's eyes suddenly went wide. The faces of the surrounded Fuma Clan members flickered. The young woman next to Arashi began to breathe rapidly.

"Even if you're a Shaman Cultivator, your Spirit minion is only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage…." His eyes filled with killing intent. He was deeply aware that when dealing with Shaman Cultivators, the most important thing was their Spirit minion. Such Cultivators had weak bodies, and they feared decapitation. However, before he was able to complete his sentence, he stopped speaking, as if something had clamped down on his jaw.

Up ahead of him, more earth showered up as another vine appeared. This vine was violet-colored, and twice as thick as the other vines. The instant it appeared, it emanated the power of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The vine wasn't originally like this; however, because Naruto had branded it with his blood, it had mutated, and now had a trunk which had the strength of late Foundation Establishment.

"Screw off!" said Naruto coolly. His expression didn't change, and in fact, he wasn't worried inwardly either. He had just escaped from the hands of Nascent Soul Cultivators in the Blessed land, so as far as he was concerned, even late Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators were too trivial to mention.

Hearing his words, Arashi's face flickered, and he felt anxiety. He had been about to speak, but seeing Naruto's smirk made him temporarily speechless.

Akamaru's expression flickered, and then he spun around. With the flick of a sleeve, he shot off into the distance with his Clansmen. His eyes were filled with venomous hatred. The object of his resentment, however, was not really Naruto, but the Fuma Clan. He was now convinced that Naruto had been called by the Fuma Clan to provide assistance.

Naruto watched with the same expression as ever as Akamaru left. He didn't call back the vines, either. He looked at Arashi with the same smirk as before.

"Fellow Daoist," said Arashi, "many thanks for your assistance. I, Arashi, was also pushed into a corner. Please accept my apology for causing you any trouble…." He clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto.

Honest people don't need to speak with hidden words. Arashi spoke very directly, causing a smile to break out on Naruto's face. Even though he wasn't sure of all the details of the situation he had stepped into, he had picked up on some clues, especially the excitement that had appeared earlier on Arashi's face. Naruto could see clearly that he had been used to put some pressure on the Inuzuka Clan.

That was why he hadn't killed anyone, but rather let Akamaru escape. This caused Arashi to hesitate. Akamaru had left in a rage, angry not at Naruto, but at the Fuma Clan.

Even though he was being used, he helped. He fixed the problem for the moment, but sooner or later, the Inuzuka Clan would return. If Naruto was gone at that time, then Arashi would have to pay the price. That price wouldn't merely be a daughter and a lake.

Arashi laughed bitterly, and then bowed again to Naruto. Next to him, the young woman was silent, then seemed to come to a realization. She joined Arashi in bowing toward Naruto.

"Many thanks, benefactor," she said, her voice crisp and melodious.

At the moment, everything was quiet, except for the voice of the hat on Naruto's head. "…. and then you should lightly pick me up. You mustn't trample me underfoot." Actually, the voice hadn't stopped speaking this entire time. The word poured out in a steady flow.

Naruto frowned.

"Fellow Daoist, please forgive me," said Arashi. "I don't care if the Inuzuka Clan covets my Spirit lake, or even if they bully me because of my declining longevity. But they want to swallow up my entire Clan. Ai…." A bitter look appeared on his face. Suddenly he began to cough violently. The young woman stepped forward, her face covered with anxiety.

Naruto looked at Arashi, and the thick death aura which emanated from him.

"What is this place?" he asked coolly.

"Sir," said the young woman, "we are on the border between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect." Her voice was light, but her expression filled with nervousness as she looked at Naruto.

Having heard this, Naruto slapped his bag of holding and retrieved a jade slip. He examined it for a moment, confirming his position with a frown. Arashi continued to eye him and the ferocious vines that surrounded him. He gritted his teeth.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, "I would like to give you this Spirit lake as a gift!" All of the Fuma Clan members, except for the young woman, stared in shock.

Naruto lifted his head and looked at Arashi. He didn't express any opinion whatsoever, nor did he speak.

"I myself used to be a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect," said Arashi. "But I was injured, barely escaping with my life. My Cultivation base is incapable of advancement, and my longevity cannot be increased. I'm afraid I only have a few years of life left.

"This Spirit lake was passed down to me from a member of the senior generation before he died. It's become the only way to grow the Fuma Clan. However, more and more people have been casting eyes upon it lately. I'm not sure how to keep it within the Clan. The Spiritual energy in the lake might not seem very abundant, but it's actually very beneficial for Spirit minions. Doing breathing exercises in this area is very good for them.

"Fellow Daoist, please accept the lake." His words were sincere. Although his heart was filled with bitterness, he couldn't think of any other option than this. His relationship with the Blood Demon Sect had been severed, and he couldn't participate in any of the struggles and fighting that went on amongst the Clans founded by former Blood Demon Sect disciples.

His only option was this early Foundation Establishment Cultivator in front of him, who happened to have a Spirit minion at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"Furthermore," continued Arashi, "there has been friction lately between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect. Occasionally great battles erupt, but this place isn't a battlefield, and with the exception of occasional disturbances from other local Clans, no one pays much attention to it…." He chose his words carefully as he tried to persuade Naruto to stay. Naruto smiled, and his eyes glittered.

Although it wasn't really what he had wanted, he ended up with the object the Black Sieve Sect had been seeking in the Blessed Land. He had no doubt aroused the ire of the Sect, and though they wouldn't announce it publicly, they would no doubt be searching for him.

"I wonder if Elder Sister Hinata will be implicated…" he thought to himself. "I don't think that's very likely." Right now, his highest priority was to improve his Cultivation base. He needed to form his fourth Dao Pillar. That, coupled with his Perfect Foundation, would enable to him to stand toe-to-toe with Dao Children from the five Sects and three Clans.

At that time, he would be above any Chosen, and would actually be in the top ten most powerful people in the Foundation Establishment stage in the Southern Domain. After he formed six Dao Pillars, he was confident that he could destroy any of the so-called Dao Children.

"Unfortunately, now that I have a Perfect Foundation, I have no way to absorb the spiritual power of heaven and earth. Even if I could find a way to force the absorption process, it would still be just too difficult…. The only thing I can do is use medicinal pills. But that won't work for long." Naruto sighed inwardly. A Perfect Foundation was strong, but had its setbacks. That having been said, if he had to make his choice again, he would still choose the Perfect Foundation.

"What if I can reach late Foundation Establishment…" he thought, his eyes shining with a barely detectable glow. He looked at Arashi for a long moment, and then nodded.

"We can talk about the lake later," said Naruto coolly. "I'll stay here for a few days in secluded meditation. Please don't disturb me. Furthermore, please bring me all of the Spirit Stones you have in your clan.

Arashi spirits seemed to lift at first, and then a bitter smile covered his face. He gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the Fuma Clan mountain village, Akamaru flew along grim faced, surrounded by his fellow Clan Members. He glanced back, his eyes filled with venomous anger.

"Arashi, if you can recruit help from outside, then so can I! Trifling Shaman Cultivator. If you take his powerful Spirit minion out of the equation then I could slaughter him easily. With those type of Cultivators, the only main thing to worry about is their Spirit minion. I'll behead him in an instant!" He let out a cold snort, and then eyed his fellow Clansmen. "You head back without me. This matter isn't finished!"

The Inuzuka Clansmen dispersed. Akamaru flicked his sleeve, transforming into a colorful beam that shot off into the distance.

"The only thing I can do is to go ask help from Mr. Mitsuki. He's at the late Foundation Establishment stage, with seven Dao Pillars. He can easily take care of the Shaman Cultivator. The only problem is that he has a very eccentric personality, and might not agree to help…. But considering the price paid for that matter a few years ago, he'll surely agree. It will all be worth it if I can get that Spirit lake!" His mind made up, Akamaru sped up.

He flew for about a day before arriving at the foot of a lonely mountain. A few vultures circled about overhead. Up ahead was a pile of wood about six meters tall. On top was a corpse.

The corpse had clearly been rotting there for several months. The sight of it was quite horrifying. A few vultures were perched on top of the wood pile, picking at it. They glanced at Akamaru, their eyes shining mysteriously. They clearly weren't afraid of the living.

"Akamaru requests an audience with Mr. Mitsuki," he said, eying the corpse, his heart thumping. The corpse was clearly completely lifeless. However, he recognized the remains as belonging to a local Clan Lord whose Cultivation base had been at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

His words rang out into the lonely mountain. After some time passed, a raspy voice drifted out.

"This fellow looked down on me a few months ago, so I grabbed him and brought him here. I tied him up as punishment, but never imagined he would be so weak. He died after only two months. You, what matter brought you here today!?"

Akamaru took a long breath as he gave a deep bow toward the lonely mountain.

"Senior, I've encountered some trouble. I would like to ask for Mr. Mitsuki's assistance to kill someone." He spoke directly, knowing that Mr. Mitsuki didn't like long-winded explanations.

"Kill someone…. Bwahahahahaha!" A peal of ear-piercing laughter rang out. "Because of the friendship we developed that year, I can help you. But there are some requirements. A lot of requirements, actually."

"I understand," said Akamaru, lifting up a bag of holding. He tossed it out, and before it could hit the ground, it spun off into the distance, snatched up by some invisible force.

"Wait for me a few days," said the raspy voice. "After I finish refining this guy's bones, then I'll go with you." Suddenly, the vultures picked up the corpse and flew off with it into the lonely mountain.

Akamaru took another deep breath, his eyes glowing brightly.

"Arashi, let's see how you fight back this time!" His eyes filled with killing intent, Akamaru sat down cross-legged to meditate.

Meanwhile, back in the Fuma Clan mountain village, Naruto also sat cross-legged, in a small room near the lake. A soft glow surrounded him that allowed him to see out of the room, but prevented anyone on the outside from seeing inside.

The glow was being cast by nine paper talismans. The talismans had been painted by the young Fuma Clan woman and then personally delivered to Naruto. After setting up the talismans, she had departed with a respectful bow.

After she left, Naruto spat out the lightning mist, which spread out to cover the area. Finally, he could open his bag of holding without anxiety. He pulled out the Sieve Earth Pill he'd acquired from the Black Sieve Sect, and examined it closely.

As he looked over the pill, the meat jelly hat on his head began to talk. "Hey, where did I leave off just now? Right, let's continue the matter from yesterday. You can't do that. It's immoral! You can't just throw me down onto the ground. That's too excessive!"

Naruto didn't respond. The meat jelly hadn't stopped talking at all. It seemed it could speak on a single subject for an entire day. It would be one thing if it didn't repeat itself, but it did, and never seemed to get bored, either.

"What would happen if you hit a little kid….?"

"It's also bad for the grass and plants…."

"The little fish and other creatures are all innocent…."

It felt like a buzz in Naruto's ears. He tried to ignore it, but the meat jelly hat's voice seemed to be growing louder. Eventually, it was shouting, its voice so loud that it drifted past the lightning mist shield to the outside. When they heard the voice, the Fuma Clan members all exchanged glances.

"SHUT UP!" Grinding his teeth, Naruto grabbed the hat and threw it onto the ground.

"Eee? I wasn't finished. Where did I leave off? Oh well, let me change topics. You can't do that. It's immoral…." Naruto lifted his head up toward the sky, his expression more and more unsightly. After a moment, he stood up and began to trample on the hat.

The old man's pedantic face suddenly appeared. Even though Naruto was fiercely trampling it, it didn't let out any miserable cries. Instead, it seemed to speak even more earnestly. "You can't do that, it's too cruel! It's too immoral!"

"What do you want?" said Naruto, taking a few steps back and clenching his jaw. "You escaped, why are you following me? Go away. Go!"

"Eee? I've bonded you as my master. Bonding a master means bonding for life. I would never, ever be so immoral as to leave. I would never do something so lacking in principle, so lacking in…." Naruto slowly lifted his head up and stared blankly into the air. Enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn, and he finally looked back at the hat.

"…so lacking in character. I just told you seven hundred and forty-five things that I lack. Do you see how civilized I am? How sincere? In a word, I would never leave you."

Naruto didn't say anything. He suddenly lifted his hand and summoned a Flame Dragon, which slammed into the hat. This time, a miserable cry rang out, only to be quickly replaced by endless chatter. The hat was undamaged. As Naruto stared at it, veins popped out on his forehead. He had always thought of himself as good-tempered, but as of now his temper was exploding. He jumped up and down a few more times on the hat, trampling it.

But… a few moments later he stopped. Continuing to gush words, the hat returned to Naruto's head. This time, however, it changed colors. Now it was green, and its appearance was a bit more exaggerated than before .

Naruto's face turned dark.

"Look, child, don't struggle. I'm a good person. I'm trying to help you. You're on the path of wickedness, but I'm willing to use my own power to help you. Child, perhaps you are unaware of how many young people take a wrong step in life, and then regret it for an eternity. I'll help you cast off the bitterness. I'll help you free yourself from that damned bird. I failed in my last life, and the life before that, and the life before that, too. That damned, despicable bird is the only bird I've never converted!" The hat seemed to be grinding its teeth now. "In this life, I will convert it!"

"Who is this bird you keep talking about?!" said Naruto, his face grim. A strange feeling had risen up inside of him. This hat couldn't be killed and couldn't be thrown away. It really was extremely annoying.

"You don't know?" asked the hat, suddenly flying off of Naruto's head. It's shape suddenly rippled back into the meat jelly. The archaic face appeared, and it looked disbelieving as it gazed at Naruto. "Heavens, you really don't know who that damned, mass-murdering, shameless…." The meat jelly began to quiver as it let off streams of curses. Naruto let out a long sigh and looked up into the air. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he finally looked back at the meat jelly.

The meat jelly was finally concluding its description: "…should be thrown into a cesspool, damned bird? You really don't know who it is?"

Naruto glared at the meat jelly for a long moment before slowly saying, "I don't know."

"You really don't know?" asked the meat jelly, shocked. "You really, really don't now? Impossible! You really, really, really don't know?"

"I. Don't. Know!" Naruto clenched his teeth. It was really frustrating trying to communicate with this meat jelly.

"Heavens! You have its aura on your body, but you don't know. How is this possible? How can you not know? Heavens, heavens. You really, really, really don't know?" Its eyes widened and filled with a look of complete disbelief.

Naruto didn't know what to say. He closed his eyes and sat down to meditate. With a bang, the meat jelly transformed back into a bright green hat and flew back onto Naruto's head.

Considering that Naruto was wearing scholars' robes, the hat was extremely conspicuous. Anyone who caught sight of it would surely do a double take.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn.

"But, how can you not know?"

Two incense sticks.

"… Inconceivable! You actually don't know…."

Two hours.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Oh, I understand. You're ashamed. Look, it's okay. I'm a good person. I will do everything I can to bring you back from the path of wickedness. I…."

Naruto's face grew more and more unsightly. He really had reached his breaking point. His temper exploded. He roared, grabbing the hat and throwing it outside. He slapped his bag of holding, and nearly a hundred flying swords appeared and shot toward the hat. Naruto's hand flickered with incantations, and the Flame Dragon and Wind Blade appeared.

A boom rattled out in all directions, striking fear into the hearts of all the Fuma Clan members. Arashi's eyes went wide. Even though he couldn't see what was happening, the explosion itself was astonishing.

The young woman looked dazed, and then a strange expression appeared on her face.

Naruto ground his teeth, stalking forward, slashing his finger and covering it with blood. In a twinkling, the Blood Finger had appeared. His other hand flashed with the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.

Massive explosions filled heaven and earth. A moment later, the ripples died down. Naruto's entire body exuded bitterness as he stared at the meat jelly, which skipping and hopping about energetically.

"It's so strange. You really don't know. How is it possible? You really don't know!"

* * *

Naruto was filled with regret. He should never have asked that question. He'd had no clue the meat jelly would talk on and on at such length. He took a deep breath, but before he could speak, the meat jelly's expression brightened.

"Oh, I know. You haven't reached Core Formation, so it can't come out. Hahaha! It can't come out…."

Naruto lowered his head, filled with helplessness. He looked at the meat jelly with a bitter smile.

He ground his teeth for a long moment before saying, "If you don't shut up, I'm going to take you back to the Black Sieve Sect!" He really just wanted to give voice to the frustration caused by the constant droning in his ears.

"That's okay. In any case, I've bonded a master, so it would be useless. Refining me would require refining you. Eee?" A dumbfounded look filled the meat jelly's face. It thought for a moment. "That's a good idea! I wonder what it would feel like if we got refined together. Let me think." A look of anticipation covered its face, causing Naruto too seem even more hopeless.

"How exactly can I get you to leave?" he said with a bitter laugh. His voice was softer this time.

Hearing this, the meat jelly instantly looked much more serious that before. Its voice solemn, it began to speak. Naruto ignored it, looking up into the air for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

"… in short, I will definitely never leave you! I need to convert that bird. Until I convert it, I'll never leave!"

Naruto had always thought of himself as very focused. Once he set his mind to something, he couldn't be distracted. But now, he realized, that was before he had met the meat jelly.

Be it he himself, or some other consummate expert, anyone who met this garrulous, long-winded thing would surely be driven crazy…. Naruto took a deep breath. He now had a much better understanding of the thing's personality. It must not be given a conversation topic! He lowered his head, and after about an hour had reached a state in which he could somewhat ignore the chattering in his ear. Despite the meat jelly's constant talking, Naruto took out the Sieve Earth Pill and began to examine it.

An earnest expression filled his face, but it was very hard to ignore the endless rambling. That was especially true when the meat jelly flew off of his head and landed in front of him. It seemed that it felt humiliated to be ignored.

"You can't do that. It's immoral!" it cried, launching into another tirade.

Soon, night approached, and Naruto's face was covered with exhaustion. Buzzing filled his ears, and his eyes were bloodshot as he completely ignored the meat jelly. It was with despair that he had discovered that even if it wasn't given a conversation topic, the meat jelly would still continue to talk.

Until dawn. Until the next night. The moon hung brightly in the sky.

And then, finally, it seemed as the meat jelly had run out of things to talk about it. Naruto let out a sigh, and as he did, the meat jelly flew out to the lakeshore and… began to talk to the fish within the lake….

Naruto let out another sigh of relief. He pulled out the copper mirror and the Spirit Stones given to him by the Fuma Clan. He placed the Sieve Earth Pill onto the mirror and duplicated a single one. He thought for a moment, and then produced a jade slip. He branded it with Spiritual Sense, then flicked it out the window. Moments later, the young Fuma Clan woman approached nervously, leading a Spirit monkey with her.

The monkey screeched as it approached. The young woman looked off toward the lake shore for a moment, at the meat jelly hat, which was currently shouting out toward the lake.

"Kagero Fuma greets the elder generation," she said, pulling her gaze from the meat jelly back to Naruto and the lightning mist which surrounded him. She bowed in greeting, and then proffered the leash which bound the Spirit monkey. Naruto's eyes opened. Without a word, he sent an Earth Sieve Pill flying toward the monkey. The monkey consumed it instantly.

It let out a few screeches, and its eyes rolled about. Naruto's eyes glittered as he observed, probing the monkey with his Spiritual Sense. Suddenly, the moonlight in the sky seemed to form threads which the monkey began to absorb. A contented look slowly filled the monkey's eyes.

About four hours passed in which Naruto observed the monkey, and Kagero stood patiently off to the side.

Finally, Naruto nodded.

"Very good," he said coolly. Kagero let out a sigh of relief. Clasping hands and bowing to Naruto, she led the monkey away. It was obviously much more powerful than it had been before.

Naruto lowered his head thoughtfully. Using the Spirit Stones provided by the Fuma Clan, he began to duplicate the pill. The pill's full name was Moon Sieve Mother Earth Pill, and could only be consumed at night. It used the moonlight as nourishment, and provided excellent results.

The cost to duplicate the pill was considerable, and the Fuma Clan was by no means a great Clan. They had not been able to provide many Spirit Stones, and soon, Naruto had already used half of them. The result was six duplicated Sieve Earth Pills.

"I wasted one pill, but caution required that." Dawn broke, and Naruto looked down at the six Sieve Earth Pills. He closed his eyes in thought, wondering how many of these pills it would take to develop his fourth Dao Pillar. Now that he had completed the circle of three Dao Pillars, it shouldn't be long before his fourth Perfect Dao Pillar started to become visible.

Time passed by slowly, and soon it was afternoon. The meat jelly was still at the lake shore, chatting with the lake waters. With his Spiritual Sense, Naruto was able to determine that all the fish had retreated to the bottom of the lake to hide. There was only one left, which was slamming its head against the shore, seemingly unable to take any more torment.

Fear lingering in his heart, Naruto collected up the remaining Spirit Stones. He was very much afraid of attracting the attention of the meat jelly and its excited ramblings. The last thing he needed was for it to come up with a new topic to talk to him about.

He retracted his Spiritual Sense, and then suddenly, his expression flickered. He looked past the lightning mist at the world outside.

At this moment, two colorful beams of light appeared in the sky above the Fuma Clan mountain village, then shot down screaming toward the village. In the lead was a Cultivator wearing a black robe. He was very short, a midget in fact. His long robe covered his face and trailed behind him through the air. At first glance, you wouldn't notice that there was a midget inside; you would only see a black robe flying through the air.

Behind the midget was grim-faced Akamaru, whose eyes radiated killing intent. Of course, the midget was none other than Mr. Mitsuki, from whom Akamaru had requested help.

The two of them were moving incredibly fast, and within moments had landed in the Fuma Clan mountain village. The midget spoke with a cruel, piercing voice that rolled out like thunder, covering the Fuma Clan. Kagero's face went pale, and Arashi's pupils constricted, and his eyes filled with fear.

Before anyone could emerge, a roaring boom filled the air, and the Fuma Clan shook as its protective shield was smashed to pieces. The Fuma Clan main gate, just outside of the lake, immediately crumbled into dust. A gale force wind swept across the entire area.

The Fuma Clan's manor houses shook, and some collapsed. The Fuma Clan members who couldn't practice Cultivation trembled when they heard the voice. Pale faced, Arashi quickly led a group of people out. Arashi's face filled with astonishment when he saw the collapsed main gate, and the midget striding forward, his black robe trailing behind him. Arashi staggered backward.

"So, it's this savage… Could it be that doomsday has arrived for the Fuma Clan…." Because of the midget's presence, he wasn't able to summon even the least bit of fighting spirit.

Mr. Mitsuki was quite famous in the region. Although he didn't dare to rile the Blood Demon Sect, there was no one among the surrounding Cultivator Clans who dared to provoke him.

His Cultivation base was extremely high, at the late Foundation Establishment stage, in fact. It wouldn't be long before he could step into the Nascent Core stage. He was savage and cruel, and if even one word was spoken to him in the wrong way, he would attack with vicious cruelty. He really had earned a fearful reputation.

Based on that alone, he might not necessarily be in such a good position. After all, the Cultivator Clans in this area were all filled with people who had connections to the Blood Demon Sect.

However… this Mitsuki had once been a disciple of the current generation of the Blood Demon Sect. However, he had broken some Sect Rules, and was thus expelled. His Cultivation base had been left intact, and he had not been prevented from causing trouble outside. Arashi had even heard that he had an older brother who wasn't a midget, and had extraordinary latent talent. Apparently, he was a Chosen of the Blood Demon Sect.

"I, Arashi, extend greetings to Mr. Mitsuki," said Arashi, his face pale white as he watched Mr. Mitsuki approach, Akamaru at his side, radiating murder. Akamaru had a pleased expression in his eyes, causing Arashi to sigh inwardly. He didn't place much hope in Naruto now. Naruto's Spirit minion was powerful, but his Cultivation base was simply too weak.

Mitsuki let out a piercing snort as he approached the Fuma Clan with Akamaru. His eyes gazed about from within the robe.

"Arashi," said Akamaru, "Call out that Shaman Cultivator you invited!" He laughed coldly. "Are you scared to show your face, Shaman boy? Get the hell out here!" His voice thundered out, causing Arashi to stand there bitterly, not daring to say even a word. Behind him, his Clansmen trembled. Only Kagero stood there motionless, face pale but eyes filled with fury.

Mitsuki stood there, enjoying the looks of fear in the eyes of the Fuma Clan members. He also reveled in Akamaru's words. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. To him, life was as desolate as snow. It was lonely at the top, and in his heart was the desire to find someone who could defeat him.

What he didn't know was that as soon as Akamaru's voice passed through the lightning mist, Naruto stood up.

Naruto also heard the meat jelly, and it seemed as if it was preparing to conclude its speech. In his estimation, it wouldn't be long before it returned to pester him.

"I really need to find someone to help free me from this torment," he thought. "I'm really in agony!" Gritting his teeth, he strode out.

The air around the lake rippled as a mist of thunder rolled out. Naruto looked somewhat bitter as he walked forward. Beneath him, the ground heaved as the vines shot up to sway back and forth and emit piercing shrieks.

Naruto's eyes were bloodshot, thanks to the torment of the meat jelly. He looked at Akamaru, and then the midget. He decided to target the late Foundation Establishment stage, in the hopes that the battle might last a bit longer.

"Trifling early Foundation Establishment stage," said Mitsuki coolly as he eyed Naruto approaching. "Akamaru, you're equally as hopeless." His eyes peered out of his robe, filled with pride and aloofness. Again, his heart filled with the powerful loneliness of snow.

"Mr. Mitsuki, senior, you really can't blame me," said Akamaru hurriedly. "Just help me get rid of the Spirit minion. With that out of the way, I can easily smash this guy to pieces." He glared ruthlessly at Naruto.

What Akamaru didn't know was that true cruelty would not come to bear upon Naruto, but rather Mitsuki, lonely as snow. Something would happen that Mitsuki would never forget for the rest of his life. It would give him nightmares for the rest of his days, and leave a shadow on his soul… and it would happen shortly.

Perhaps afterwards, he would no longer feel as lonely as snow….

* * *

Mitsuki gave an arrogant snort that was apparently a response to Akamaru. Akamaru seemed to glow with vitality as he gazed upon approaching Naruto. His eyes were thick with cruelty.

"Today, Akamaru will help you to understand that when you help someone you shouldn't, you will incur my wrath!" he said, his voice filled with crazed fervor. "And I will also help you to understand what Shaman Cultivators fear the most!"

The various Fuma Clan members were all pale-faced. Arashi laughed a bitter laugh, well aware that he had no way to undo what had already been done. He took a deep breath, and strode forward, power from his Cultivation base suddenly exploding out. It was the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but it seemed somewhat weak. He was reaching the end of his longevity, so his Chakra passageways had long since begun to wither. With effort, he could display the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but in doing so, would actually harm his life force.

"The matter today has to do with the Fuma Clan, not any outsider," he said, his entire body seeming to grow taller. "This person wasn't invited here by the Fuma Clan, he's only passing through. If the disappearance of the Fuma Clan is the will of the Heavens, then take this Spirit lake! But if you intend to take any of my Clan members, then you must treat them well. Otherwise I'll make you pay, even if I have to die in the process!" His words echoed out with great power, causing Akamaru's brow to furrow.

As for Mitsuki the midget, he emitted a shrieking laugh.

Naruto looked over at Arashi, and suddenly his feelings toward the man changed. He nodded, and then coolly said, "Fellow Daoist Arashi, didn't you give this lake to me as a gift? In that case, it belongs to me. Does anyone here dare to attempt to take it away!?" The vines in front of him shot toward Mitsuki and Akamaru.

Mitsuki let out an ear-piercing laugh which was filled with contempt and disdain. He flipped his sleeve grandly, and from within a black sealing stone flew out. It expanded as it shot forward, emitting a strong pressure that caused all of the vines to stop in their tracks. Only the main trunk vine continued onward, howling.

Mitsuki's piercing laughter accompanied him as he took a step forward. He lifted his right arm to reveal a hand much smaller than an average person's. He waved it toward the approaching main trunk vine; a black wind sprang up and whistled toward the vine.

At the same time, Akamaru's laughter filled the air. His body flashed as he made a beeline toward Naruto, his eyes shining with fierce killing intent. The instant he took to motion, however, Arashi suddenly leaped to obstruct his path. A look of disdain covering his face, Akamaru flicked his wide sleeve. A roaring sound filled the air, and Arashi was pushed back.

"I'm not going to kill you for now," he laughed. "We'll be relatives by marriage soon, and still have wedding wine to drink." He shot toward Naruto. "And now I'll help you to understand that what Shaman Cultivators fear most is being beheaded!" He laughed arrogantly.

Naruto's face, on the other hand, was the same as ever. It hadn't changed even the slightest bit as he allowed Akamaru to approach.

When Akamaru was roughly nine meters away, Naruto's eyes suddenly shone with a cold light. He didn't retreat, but instead flickered, and suddenly appeared directly in the path of Akamaru. He lifted his hand, and a billowing Flame Sea appeared along with a roaring, three hundred meter long Flame Dragon.

When the Flame Dragon appeared, Akamaru's expression suddenly changed to one of complete disbelief.

"That… that…." It was almost as if he didn't dare to believe what he was seeing. But he felt the intense pressure exuded by the Flame Dragon, which far exceeded that of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

A sense of life-or-death danger filled his entire body, inundating his head with a booming drone. It was as if his body had been struck with countless lightning bolts. His face continued to be filled with disbelief.

"Late Foundation Establishment!" His body began to tremble, and intense dread shone from his eyes. How could he ever have imagined that the young man of the early Foundation Establishment stage could possibly erupt with the power of late Foundation Establishment? As for his so-called beheading, the person he thought he could so easily defeat had suddenly transformed into a violent beast who could slaughter him hundreds of thousands of times over!

It wasn't just him who was shocked. Arashi gasped and stared, dumbstruck. He was literally incapable of reacting to what he was seeing. His mind filled with buzzing. And then, his eyes filled with wild joy.

When the Flame Dragon appeared, the vines that had been suppressed by Mitsuki the midget suddenly shook and lifted up. Within the black robe, two eyes emanated shock.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in an instant. Even as Akamaru's voice could be heard, it was replaced by a blood-curdling scream which sounded out throughout the whole area. The three hundred meter long Flame Dragon slammed into him, instantly transforming his body into bits of ash which floated in the air. Only his scream remained behind, echoing through the air.

His bag of holding flew into Naruto's hand.

As the scene played out in front of everyone, Arashi's expression grew excited. Next to him, Kagero gazed at Naruto, her eyes filled with a strange glow.

There is no need to even mention the rest of the Fuma Clansmen, who stared at Naruto with excited inspiration.

Mitsuki's expression was unsightly. Having witnessed Akamaru's death, his heart now was now thumping. He was a cautious person by nature, so he immediately retreated. He was of the late Foundation Establishment stage, but he wasn't the type to risk himself. His body flashed as he attempted to flee. In his mind, his opponent would most likely have some apprehensions, and wouldn't pursue.

If his opponent didn't pursue, it would be evidence that he viewed himself as inferior. In that case, Mitsuki could make a sudden reverse attack to kill him. This was a tactic that he had frequently employed, and had practiced until the proverbial furnace flames burned blue. However, as soon as he began to fly off, Naruto gave off a cold harrumph and then leaped into the air, transforming into a prismatic beam that shot after Mitsuki.

Seeing this, Mitsuki's face immediately fell.

"The fact that he's chasing me proves that he thinks he can kill me. This can't be right!" His heart trembled as he raced forward. He waved his right hand, causing the black sealing stone to emit a buzzing sound as it shot toward Naruto.

Naruto could fight with late Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had nine Dao Pillars, although he couldn't do so lightly. Mitsuki, however, only had a mere seven Dao Pillars. Naruto had the luxury of being able to look down on him. His right hand flickered with an incantation gesture and the two wooden swords appeared. One shot toward the black seal, the other became a colorful beam that shot in pursuit of Mitsuki.

A boom filled the air as the black sealing stone was shattered into pieces. Mitsuki let out an angry howl. He eyed the approaching wooden sword, and his body trembled. He quickly snapped a jade slip between his fingers, and then made an incantation gesture with both hands, after which he waved the index of his right finger in the air in front of him.

As he did, everything around him seemed to grow dark, as if his finger were sucking in some strange power from around him. His body began to emanate an annoying, prickly aura that caused Naruto to frown.

The first time he had sensed a aura similar to this was back in the Black Sieve Sect . This aura, however, was much weaker, like a firefly compared to a full moon. Actually, now that he thought about it, he had experienced a similar reaction when he was in the cave in the mountain valley.

A booming sound once again filled the air as the wooden sword came screeching to a stop in mid-air. A rushing wind blew back the midget's robes, revealing an ugly, scarred face and two strange eyes filled with fear. Beads of sweat dripped down his face.

"Fellow Daoist, let's talk things through," said Mitsuki nervously. He could tell that whereas he was using all the power he could muster, his opponent was acting casually.

The differences between masters are usually instantly obvious!

Naruto took a moment to sense the aura emanating off of the midget. His heart thumped. He had his speculations regarding this aura, and now that he had seen it once again, he lifted his hand and extended a finger.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

As his finger descended, everything grew dark. Mitsuki suddenly began to tremble, and his eyes shone with astonishment. He immediately sensed the Chakra of heaven and earth changing. Suddenly, his Cultivation base was suppressed. A whizzing sound could be heard as the wooden sword in front of him shot forward; in the blink of an eye, it would plunge into his neck.

His eyes filled with despair. However, at this exact moment, Naruto flicked his sleeve. The wooden sword, instead of ripping his head off, spun down and then carried Mitsuki with it back toward Naruto. Naruto reached out and grabbed Mitsuki by the neck.

At this moment, Mitsuki's Cultivation base was restored and he could move his body again. His face was pale, though, his eyes filled with terror. He didn't dare to move even an inch. The hand which clamped down on his neck emanated a feeling of death that caused his heart to tremble. In fact, being this close to Naruto caused his entire person to shake.

The feeling caused by the aura that emanated from Naruto caused his heart to seize with terror.

His face was pale as he stammered, "You're… you're…"

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, there was a mountain range that was covered in black clouds year round. Within a valley in this mountain range were two young people. They sat upright, gazing at the Go board which lay between them, seemingly lost in thought.

One of the young people wore white clothing along with an indifferent expression. This youth's features were beautiful to the extreme, almost otherworldly. The fan in his hand slowly waved back and forth.

The other person wore a blue garment. He looked to be about thirty years of age. He held a Go piece in his hands as he stared down thoughtfully at the board. Hanging from his face was a jade pendant. Suddenly, a popping sound could be heard, and a crack appeared on its surface.

When the crack appeared, the blue-robed young man frowned. He looked at the jade piece, and then back at the Go board.

"Is something wrong?" asked the white-robed youth in a light, tender voice.

"Nothing," replied the blue-robed young man respectfully. "It's just my good-for-nothing brother. He must have offended someone who he's not a match for. He wants me to save him."

"That would be Mitsuki, correct…?" The white-robed youth smiled. "Go ahead and check out the situation. I don't have anything else to do, I'll tag along."

The blue-robed youth immediately stood up. "Your highness, your status as a Dao Child is so lofty, I don't dare…."

"There's no harm." This white-robed youth was none other than a Dao Child of the Blood Demon Sect!

* * *

Within the Fuma Clan mountain village, Arashi's face was filled with enthusiasm as he gazed at Naruto. His fellow clansmen stared with similar fanaticism. Naruto nodded toward them, but said nothing. He entered his shielded room next to the lake, holding Mitsuki by the neck. The lightning mist appeared.

He sat down cross-legged and loosened his grip on Mitsuki. He didn't fight back, but instead stood there pale-faced in front of Naruto, a look of respect shining in his eyes. Inside, however, he was nervously waiting for his older brother to arrive and save him. His tiny eyes darted around, eventually falling upon the hat, which still stood next to the lake. He heard the hat's garrulous voice, but didn't dare to stare. He suddenly got the feeling that this place was incredibly bizarre, even more ghastly than his own remote, lonely mountain.

Naruto looked at Mitsuki for a moment, trying to decide what to do with him. Finally, he lifted his hand into the air and made a grasping motion. The aura emanating from Mitsuki's body condensed into Naruto's palm. It seemed invisible, but to Naruto, it was very prickly and irritating in nature.

He frowned, looking closer at the aura. His eyes flickered.

"Could this be Demonic Chakra….?" he murmured to himself. He let the aura disperse, and then looked closely over Mitsuki. Mitsuki felt goosebumps underneath Naruto's gaze.

"Fellow Daoist…." he said, but was interrupted by Naruto.

"There's an evildoing Cultivator here who needs to be converted…." he said and then coughed lightly. Hearing this, Mitsuki gaped in astonishment. Suddenly, the meat jelly, which had been talking to the fish in the lake just now, leaped up and seemed to stare fixedly at Mitsuki.

"Who? Who is it?" said the meat jelly excitedly, rushing over. "You? My poor evildoer, you can't do that! It's immoral. In the name of Justice, allow me to convert you…." Before Mitsuki could even react, Naruto flicked his sleeve, pushing him backward and snatching his bag of holding. At the same time, the black net shot out and wrapped up Mitsuki tightly.

Then Naruto shot backward, putting some space between himself and Mitsuki, who watched stupefied as all of this happened. At that instant, the meat jelly hat landed onto Mitsuki's head.

It sighed. "Child, there's no need to fear. Just behave, and allow the mighty embodiment of Justice to lead you back from the path of wickedness…." It seemed to be fairly leaping with excitement. "What a well-behaved little child. There's no need to resist, no need fight back, no need to feel perplexed. I will help you. Listen, the first thing you need to do is…." As the meat jelly prattled on, Mitsukiu's body began to tremble. However, he didn't dare to fight back.

Naruto felt a bit sorry for Mitsuki. He erased the branding within Mitsuki's bag of holding. When he opened it, his eyes shined brightly. There was quite an accumulation of Spirit Stones inside, many times more than that which had been given to him by the Fuma Clan.

"This should be just about the amount I need for duplication purposes. Plus, I have a handful of bags of holding that I acquired in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land. There are a few Sieve Earth Pills in those. Not many, but a few." He waved his hand, causing the lightning mist to condense so that no one in the area could see inside. Then, he pulled out the copper mirror and began to duplicate.

Time passed, and soon dusk fell. From outside the lightning mist, enraged shouting could be heard coming out of Mitsuki's mouth. It seemed to be filled with an indescribable torment and misery.

"Be quiet! Let me go! Aaahhhhhh! You damned hat! Shut up!"

"Ai, don't be like that, child. You know… you interrupted me. I forgot where I left off. Oh well, I'll just start over. Listen well, okay? The path of evil is filled with thistles and thorns. But don't worry, child, I'm here. I definitely will not allow the thistles and thorns to stab into your tender buttocks…."

Naruto glanced outside, feeling a bit sympathetic for Mitsuki. Then he looked down at the several dozen or so Sieve Earth Pills in front of him. He took a deep breath, and then picked one up and placed it into his mouth.

It dissolved as soon as it entered, turning into a wave of spiritual power that Naruto had not felt enter his body in a long time. His body was like a parched desert suddenly inundated with nourishing water; his face lit up, and he closed his eyes to begin doing breathing exercises.

Slowly, he filtered out the sounds of the outside world and sank into Cultivation. One pill. Two pills. Three pills…. As he swallowed the pills, beams of moonlight in the night sky began to twist and turn. The descended down toward the earth, and onto Naruto.

From a distance, it had the appearance of a massive sheet of silk descending upon the Fuma Clan.

The Sieve Earth Pill really did deserve to be called a divine pill of the Black Sieve Sect, and one of the five most effective pills in the Southern Domain for the Foundation Establishment Stage. It was powerfully effective, much more so than Naruto had imagined. When he put the seventeenth pill into his mouth, his body instantly began to shake. The indistinct image of a rapidly congealing fourth Dao Pillar was suddenly visible inside him. When it was complete, Naruto's Cultivation base would have broken through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage!

He took a deep breath, frowning as he looked up at the shining waterfall of moonlight above him in the sky.

"It's really a bit too conspicuous. This is an amazing pill, but it's definitely going to attract a lot of attention…." There was nothing to do about it, however. The only thing he could do was try to break through as quickly as possible, form the fourth Dao Pillar and reach mid Foundation Establishment. He took a deep breath and picked up the eighteenth Sieve Earth Pill. When he placed it into his mouth, his three Perfect Dao Pillars trembled, sucking in boundless spiritual power. The fourth Dao Pillar was rapidly becoming solid.

Outside, in the darkness of the night, the sheets of moonlight had indeed attracted attention within the Fuma Clan. Arashi might be nearing the end of his longevity, but his eyesight was sharp. His eyes narrowed, and he immediately moved over to the shielded area within which Naruto was practicing Cultivation. He sat down cross-legged to keep guard.

Naruto had showed great kindness to the Fuma Clan. Arashi knew that after his own death, the only chance for his clan to survive had to do with Naruto. Therefore, he had resolved that no matter what, he would not allow Naruto's Cultivation to be disturbed.

Meanwhile, outside the Fuma Clan, the sheets of moonlight had caused quite a stir in the various Cultivation Clans in the area. More than a few people flew up into the air to investigate the area where the moonlight was cascading onto.

This was especially true of Mitsuki's older brother, the blue-robed young man. He flew along together with the white-robed youth. They flew through the air unhurriedly. It seemed as if they weren't going very fast, but in fact, they shot forward several hundred meters with each burst of flight.

When they saw the falling sheets of moonlight, the white-robed youth's eyes narrowed. The blue-robed young man frowned.

"That appears to be the same place where Mitsuki is…."

"Interesting. Someone in Blood Demon Sect territory is consuming a Sieve Earth Pill from the Black Sieve Sect. And from the look of it, more than one pill…"

At this exact moment, deep in a forested region some distance from the Fuma Clan, was an enormous tree. Within the tree was a group of ten Cultivators sitting closed-eyed in meditation. Each member of this group had a sword strapped to his back, and they all wore identical clothing. It was very quiet; not a crow or sparrow could be heard. But when the sheets of moonlight appeared, the ten people opened their eyes to look at it.

Might Guy was among the group. He looked off into the distance, frowning. Hushed discussion immediately broke out among these Cultivators, all of whom were all disciples of the Solitary Sword Sect.

"That area is near the border of the Blood Demon Sect. What is that phenomenon…?"

"That's the sign of someone consuming a Sieve Earth Pill from the Black Sieve Sect. It can't be covered up. Someone in that area must be consuming medicinal pills."

"Just how many pills did that person consume? That amount of moonlight is shocking…."

Within the Fuma Clan manor, Clan members all began to grow nervous, as if they were about to face up against a powerful foe. The past days had been a mixture of both pleasant surprises and horrifying dread. Once and again, they had faced extermination as a clan, and repeatedly had been saved. As of this moment, their hearts pounded. This was especially true when they saw the conspicuous cascading moonlight. It only served to cause them more anxiety and nervousness.

Kagero was pale faced. She had a talent for talismans, but was hindered by her Cultivation base, and couldn't fully employ their power. She could only stand off to the side, silently watching Arashi sitting cross-legged as he guarded over Naruto.

Not much time passed before beams of multi-colored light filled the night sky, screaming toward the Fuma Clan from all directions. From the look of it, there were at least ten figures. They floated there in the sky, eyes glittering as their gazes fell onto the Fuma Clan, and Naruto's secluded meditation area, upon which poured sheets of moonlight.

An old man of the early Foundation Establishment stage approached, laughing loudly. "Interesting. I think I'll just have to see who exactly is in secluded meditation, causing such a scene." From his expression, it was clear he did not have good intentions. Greed flickered in his eyes. Obviously, he intended to disturb the meditation and snatch away the luck of whoever sat within.

It seemed everyone in the area had similar plans; the Fuma Clan was by no means weak. However, the Inuzuka Clan was not the only one in the area who had coveted the lake. Many of the surrounding clans had eyed it like a tiger eyeing its prey.

The newly arrived Cultivators watched the old man as Arashi looked up at him. The power of Arashi's Cultivation base suddenly exploded out. He took a deep breath and shot up into the sky.

A boom rang out, and the old man spun backward out of control, coughing up some blood along the way. Arashi's face looked deathly pale as he hovered in the air, glaring around.

"I, Arashi, already have one foot in the coffin," he said coolly. "Life and death mean little to me. Anyone who wishes to tread the path of death with me, please, step forward." His Cultivation base was not incredibly high, but his words contained a powerful threat.

Underneath the shield, the growth of Naruto's Cultivation base had reached a critical juncture. As he continued to consume the Sieve Earth Pills, his fourth Dao Pillar was more than half solidified. It wouldn't be long before it was complete. When that happened, Naruto would not be infinitely more powerful than before, but he would be able to sweep effortlessly across the Foundation Establishment stage!

That was the power of a Perfect Foundation!

* * *

Naruto was focused on breaking through to form his fourth Dao Pillar. However, regarding what was happening on the outside, it was no surprise to him. He had anticipated that such circumstances would come about. The cascading moonlight had focused attention on his increase in level. Although it hadn't attracted universal attention, it had certainly caused quite a disturbance.

Naruto was well aware that as more time passed, the situation would grow more volatile. The best method to bring matters to a conclusion was to finish breaking through as quickly as possible.

However…. a Perfect Foundation could not absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He was only able to rely on the Sieve Earth Pills, and despite their extraordinariness, the process was becoming more difficult. He could clearly sense that they were losing their efficacy.

Based on his current momentum, it didn't seem they would be enough to complete the fourth Dao Pillar.

As Naruto silently continued to Cultivate, outside, Arashi's words echoed out amidst the moonlight. Everything was silent for a moment afterward, and then cold laughter rang out. Three figures shot forward.

Their features were indistinct within the darkness of night, but their Cultivation bases rippled, making it clear that one of their numbers was of the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

In the surrounding Cultivation Clans, even the mid Foundation Establishment stage was considered quite powerful. Were it not so, the Fuma Clan would not have been able to occupy the Spirit Lake for so long. It was only now that Arashi was reaching the end of his longevity that the current situation had come to be.

The three figures whistled through the air toward Arashi. A boom exploded out as the four people collided in battle. Arashi coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face was pale as he flew backward like a kite with a broken string. The mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator laughed coldly and proceeded forward.

The other two shot toward Naruto's shield, laughing.

It seemed to be a moment of crisis. Arashi was torn; he knew that Naruto must be at a critical juncture; unfortunately, he was currently powerless to intervene. Even burning some of his life force to gain extra power would be useless.

The two early Foundation Establishment Cultivators reached the shield; as soon as they touched it, a rumbling sound emerged. Within the space of two breaths, the shield collapsed.

The shield had been created by Kagero, who was only at the Chakra Condensation stage; for it to hold up against the early Foundation Establishment stage for the space of three breaths testified to the outstanding latent talent of the one who had created the talisman.

Booming echoed out as the shield was destroyed. As the two early Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators slammed into the lightning mist, miserable screams echoed out. In an instant, their bodies were surrounding by lightning; cracking sounds could be heard as they were thrown backward, blood spewing from their mouths. Expressions of shock covered their faces as their Dao Pillars trembled on the verge of collapse.

The lightning mist roiled; its protection extended about thirty meters out from Naruto in all directions, creating a no-man's land which no one could enter.

Arashi heaved a sigh of relief. The mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator with whom he had been battling paused, looking over his shoulder at the lightning mist, astonishment filling his eyes.

Within the lightning mist, Naruto opened his eyes. They glowed brightly as he frowned and looked down at his last three Sieve Earth Pills. As for his fourth Dao Pillar, it was about ninety percent complete. These pills would be insufficient to complete the last ten percent.

"These Sieve Earth Pills are only so effective…. Perhaps I won't be able to reach the mid Foundation Establishment stage after all…." A stubborn look shone within his eyes. He knew that his path of Cultivation was different from that of others; he had acquired incredible battle prowess, but the Cultivation he practiced was much more challenging. Even as he thought of these things, a racket could be heard coming from the outside.

"Fellow Daoists, this person's Cultivation has stirred up such power, I'm afraid that once he emerges, all of our Cultivation Clans will be at his mercy. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to destroy him now to prevent future troubles."

"Correct. The Fuma Clan is weak. Their existence is meaningless. The extermination of such Clans is the natural order, it can't be changed!"

"Let's attack together. This lightning mist can't hold up against all of us!"

The ten or more Foundation Establishment Cultivators outside began attacking the lightning mist in unison.

All of these people were from local Cultivator Clans; as they attacked, booming sounds lifted up to fill the sky. The lightning mist seethed violently.

"An evil heart, is a useless life." Naruto's eyes sparkled icily as he looked out through the lightning mist. He quickly gathered up the remaining three pills and popped them into his mouth.

They immediately dissolved, and the cascading moonlight grew stronger, as if a river were pouring down into Naruto's body. Although their effectiveness was waning, his fourth Dao Pillar was now just a hair away from being complete.

Just as the Dao Pillar was about to appear in full, Naruto's suddenly sensed an inexplicable roaring within his body. His expression flickered as he realized that his body was starting to wither, as if his flesh and blood and life force, even his Cultivation base, were being sucked into the fourth Dao Pillar.

He had just unlocked another of the secrets of the Perfect Foundation. It was with unbridled power that the fourth Dao Pillar began of its own will to suck in everything into it.

It seemed that the fourth Dao Pillar would form at any cost, even if it caused the death of Naruto!

His face flickered at this sudden turn of events. He had never imagined that something like this would happen. It was at this exact moment that the lightning mist finally collapsed under the attack of the ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They rushed in.

Naruto eyed them approaching, his face grim. His body was withering, and his life force was trickling away. The hair on his head had already begun turning white. His Cultivation base was still there, though. Suddenly, an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared in front of him. Before the man could react, Naruto's hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat. He squeezed, and the Cultivator's eyes filled with disbelief. The man's neck shattered.

Even as he died, Naruto's body trembled, and his eyes filled with a strange light. The man's corpse suddenly began to shrink and wither. Within the blink of an eye, it was a mere skeleton. The man's Cultivation base rushed in through Naruto's hand and entered the fourth Dao Pillar.

"So that's how it is!" Naruto's eyes grew brighter. "I have a perfect Foundation, but when my first three Dao Pillars formed within the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, there was more than enough spiritual energy to absorb, so I couldn't even sense the potency of the Dao Pillars. But now, things are clear. After reaching a certain point, the fourth Dao Pillar reaches a phase in which only death can stop its progress. When this happens, it will even consume my own life force. The reason is because it can't absorb spiritual energy from the outside world, only from my flesh and blood!

"Perfection. Perfection is so potent! But such potency is also a weapon. I've been rejected by the Heavens. Therefore, I must plunder from the living! The bodies of Cultivators are filled with spiritual energy that does not belong to heaven and earth! Therefore, it can be pillaged away! Now I understand. It seems that in the future, it will be like this every time I form a new Dao Pillar!

"Today… my fourth Dao Pillar will appear!"

These thoughts ran through Naruto's head in an instant. He loosened his grip, then looked around at the surrounding Cultivators, his eyes radiating icy cold. His body flashed as he shot toward them.

Miserable screams rang out. All of these people had Cultivation bases at the mid Foundation Establishment level at the highest; most were at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Could they possibly match up against Naruto? As Naruto passed each person, his hand would snake out, and with no effort on his part, the fourth Dao Pillar would feed, thirstily sucking in energy.

Body after body turned into bones. Before the death of each Cultivator, their Cultivation base would be sucked rapidly into Naruto, consumed by his Dao Pillar. Soon, Naruto was no longer withered, and his flesh and blood began to rebuild.

As Arashi observed this happening, dread appeared on his face. The Cultivators who had moments ago been charging forward, suddenly began to retreat at high speed.

In their eyes, Naruto was no Cultivator; he had transformed into some type of evil demon. Wherever he passed, blood-curdling screams could be heard, and he left behind only ragged corpses. Their minds reeled, and expressions of unbridled horror appeared on their faces.

"What magic is this!?"

"What is he doing!?"

"This guy… he's sucking up the life and Cultivation bases of all those dead Fellow Daoists!?"

The remaining twenty or so Cultivators were scared witless and retreated in chaos. Naruto caught up with one of them. As he placed his hand on the crown of the man's head, a blood-curdling scream echoed out. His body began to shrivel, and then he died.

Naruto's face was no longer pale and bloodless; it was now ruddy and filled with life. He took a deep breath, and in his mind he suddenly recalled the scene in Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's cave, when Patriarch Reliance had absorbed the Core Formation Cultivators .

"The Great Art of Demonic Life?" thought Naruto, his eyes flickering. It seemed that what he was doing now was very similar indeed to the Great Art of Demonic Life that Patriarch Reliance had used. "Or perhaps this is some type of enlightenment that comes from being in a kill or be killed situation. The Great Art of Demonic Life. Demonic Life…." Naruto sighed inwardly as he suppressed his deeply-ingrained Confucian way of thinking. His body flickered with the power of the fourth Dao Pillar. He sighed as his hand clasped around the throat of another Cultivator. The fourth Dao Pillar sucked in the man's Cultivation base. Soon, the fourth Dao Pillar would complete its circle and be complete.

"The path of my Perfect Foundation will be strewn with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I… understand." He sighed again, and yet continued forward without hesitation. His heart did not grow soft. Confucianism would always exist within him, and he would never be truly merciless. However, when the circumstances required, he could act without mercy.

* * *

Moonlight shone over the savage scene. It wasn't just Arashi whose heart was filled with icy dread; the rest of the Fuma Clan members looked at Naruto, terrified.

The other surrounding Cultivators retreated as quickly as possible, knowing that the slightest hesitation could result in a horrifying death. However, Naruto was faster. He looked like a specter, his hair floating around his head as he pursued his quarry. He sucked in a Cultivation base and life force, then loosened his grip, dropping the shrivelled, trembling skeletal body to the ground.

It wasn't as if none of the Cultivators tried to fight back; unfortunately, their resistance was futile. To Naruto, they were like nothing. Even before the emergence of his fourth Dao Pillar, Naruto could easily battle the late Foundation Establishment stage. Now that his fourth Dao Pillar was almost complete, he was on the very threshold of the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

What could these outcasts from the Blood Demon Sect possibly do to resist him?!

It was their doom to be here today, a deadly choice on their part. They had chosen to destroy the lightning mist, and in doing so, had unleashed the spirit of death!

Naruto was more than half recovered now. His hair was no longer white, nor was his skin withered. Everything that his Dao Pillar had sucked away from him was now restored.

His fourth Dao Pillar emanated a demonic aura, as if it desired to plunder and consume all spiritual power!

I am cut off from heaven and earth, so I will take it upon myself to plunder! This potency is Perfection!

Boom!

Naruto closed in on two early Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They turned around, roaring as they unleashed the full power of the might of their Cultivation bases. They used magical arts, they used magical treasures, going all out against Naruto.

A booming echoed out, and then Naruto was standing directly in front of one of them. His palm pushed lightly against the man's face. A dessicated corpse dropped to the ground.

His body flickered; another miserable cry echoed out. Everyone who remained alive trembled as they watched a middle-aged man grow old. His hair became white and then fell out. His flesh and blood wilted away. His eyes clouded over as he took one last breath and then passed into death.

Naruto sighed. He had no deep grudge against these people. However, they had appeared here and had attacked him with the intention of wiping him out and preventing him from making a breakthrough in his Cultivation. Although they were targeting him because of the Fuma Clan, the fact was: they were here. To suddenly be facing Naruto, was simply their fate.

Naruto understood; his eyes flashed with enlightenment, and he continued to attack without hesitation.

He sucked away the life force and Cultivation base of an old man of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, whereupon a loud roaring filled his body. It emanated out, filling the air, causing everyone to look on in shock.

The fleeing Cultivators trembled in dread. Everything that was happening was like a horrible dream, a nightmare which they would never be able to forget for the rest of their lives.

The image of Naruto had been branded indelibly onto their very souls, and would stay with them until their deaths.

As the boom rang out, a tremor ran through Naruto's body. He suddenly began to emit a golden light. It spread out, causing Naruto to appear as if he were covered with golden armor!

At the same time, the fourth Dao Pillar appeared in full; the roaring was coming from the Dao Pillar itself. Up above in the sky, dark clouds began to congeal. It seemed as if within them, an invisible pair of eyes was staring down onto Naruto.

A feeling like that of Tribulation Lightning suddenly appeared. It disappeared almost immediately, as if it were simply observing, waiting until Core Formation to unleash its destructive punishment!

Though there was no wind, Naruto's hair whipped about his head wildly. With the appearance of his fourth Dao Pillar, he had now broken through to the mid level of Foundation Establishment!

With the power of the Perfect Foundation, Naruto was now the most powerful person of the Foundation Establishment stage among the five Sects and three Clans of the Southern Domain!

The moment he broke through, the blood drained from the faces of the surrounding Cultivators, and their bodies trembled. The Dao Pillars within their bodies suddenly began to quiver. In fact, cracks appeared on the Dao Pillars of some of the Cultivators, causing them to cough up blood, faces filled with astonishment.

It seemed like their Dao Pillars were ashamed to be in the presence of Naruto's Perfect Dao Pillars. With his Perfect Foundation, he was a sovereign among the Foundation Establishment stage. His incredible might and power caused the hearts of all other Foundation Cultivators to tremble, and their Dao Pillars to become unstable.

In fact, because of the influence of Naruto's Dao Pillars, the trembling Cultivators began to prostrate themselves toward him. This was not their idea; it was veneration toward their sovereign from the Dao Pillars themselves!

Their bodies were not even under their own control as they lowered their heads. Their minds were filled with roaring emptiness.

This was true crushing pressure; this was a power that had reached such a level that it created a relationship like that between heaven and earth.

In the Cultivation world, a crushing pressure is a power that exists because of the vast difference between different Cultivation levels. However, this crushing pressure emanating from Naruto came from the Dao Pillar itself!

Perfect Dao Pillars can exhibit crushing pressure onto all other Dao Pillars. If a Cultivator who had completed the circle of Foundation Establishment had merely Fractured Dao Pillars, he could do nothing but tremble in front of Naruto.

This… this was the power of four Perfect Dao Pillars. It would be hard to imagine the power Naruto could wield after he created his fifth, sixth, and even ninth Dao Pillars! What crushing pressure would he then be able to employ?!

At that time, it wouldn't matter if he faced a Cracked Foundation or even a Flawless Foundation; they would all be as weak as ants to Naruto. After completing nine Perfect Dao Pillars, then perhaps Naruto would be able to pass into Core Formation!

Naruto had no way to predict what that would be like, but his heart filled with increasingly powerful anticipation nonetheless.

It was at this time that just outside of the Fuma Clan, two beams of prismatic light shot through the air. One flickered with blue light, the other white as they flew forward and caught sight of Naruto.

"So it turns out to be a Chosen!" said the white-robed youth. The Blood Demon Sect's current Dao Child looked down, eyes glowing. They were filled with battle, seemingly kindled into burning. They flashed like lightning as they examined Naruto.

To the side was the blue-robed young man, the brother of Mitsuki. As he gazed upon Naruto, his eyes narrowed and his heart filled with an indescribable sense of danger!

At this same moment, in a location not too far away, but not too near, existed an enormous basin in the earth. There were actually ten such basins, each one filled with richly ornamented buildings and pagodas. Each basin also contained a lake.

From a distance this place looked… mysterious and dark. This land… was none other than one of the five great Sects of the Southern Domain… the Blood Demon Sect!

Within the center of the ten basins was a tree. One half of the tree was wilted and dry, the other half was lush and flourishing. It was a very bizarre sight, and clearly something beyond ordinary. This tree was a precious treasure of the Blood Demon Sect!

Underneath the tree, an indistinct figure sat cross-legged. Suddenly, the figure raised its head. Its vision pierced through everything until it reached the Fuma Clan, and Naruto.

A smile appeared on its face, and an indistinct murmuring could be heard.

"So, it was not in vain that I helped you those three times," the indistinct figure said, its voice husky. "This kid has certainly grown up…. It seems Yu'er is there too. Perhaps this is the tribulation that violet-robed Cultivator spoke of the day she was born?" Thunder rumbled above in the sky.

"The Dao of the Heavens is not dead, I shall not enter the yellow springs of the underworld!" The figure looked up into the sky, and its face suddenly emitted two beams of ferocious, red light. This was none other than… The blood-red figure who had appeared that year at the Reliance Sect!

This was the blood-red Demon Lord who had flashed through the sky to save Naruto from obliteration at the hands of Lord Revelation.

In the air above the Fuma Clan, a golden light glittered. The surrounding Cultivators trembled in fear. Naruto turned his head, his gaze sweeping to fall upon the white-robed Cultivator.

He could only be described as beautiful. His body was covered with a voluminous white robe, and he emanated a demonic aura. However, in addition to the demonic aura, there was a refined and cultivated air. He floated there, and though he was accompanied by another Cultivator, all eyes were on him. Even if there were countless thousands upon thousands of people present, he would be the center of attention.

His beauty, coupled with his demonic air, made it such that even most women would have trouble surpassing him. Were he wearing women's clothing, he would be a beauty unmatched in his generation.

As Naruto's looked upon the white-robed youth, their gazes locked. Instantly, Naruto could sense the desire for battle within those eyes. Next to the beautiful Blood Demon Dao Child was a blue-robed Cultivator. His gaze immediately fell upon Mitsuki, who laid entangled in the black net on the ground not too far of. He was just about to spring into action when the white-robed youth held out a hand to stop him.

"You're not his match." The white-robed youth smiled. "I find this person… very interesting." His smile was warm and calm. Were this person to be wearing women's clothing, this consummately elegant smile would make flowers grow dim!

After smiling, the white-robed youth took a step forward. This step landed on air, but as it did, Naruto's eyes narrowed. It felt as if the step had landed directly on his heart. His entire condition changed, as if he were suddenly under great pressure.

A wave of power rippled out from the white-robed youth, clearly caused by a completed circle of late Foundation Establishment.

"These are my Seven Demonic Lotus Steps. Each step is unbreakable. Take care, Fellow Daoist." With a smile, the white-robed youth began to take a second step. His power suddenly surged to immense heights, as if the power itself contained his will. It spread out in all directions.

Naruto's eyes gleamed. As the white-robed youth approached, a strange aura seemed to be building up in the area. It circled around, emanating a mysterious aroma. It smelled pleasant; however, it could cause bewilderment which could lead to total loss of oneself.

As the second step descended, Naruto began to shake, and the gleam in his eye grew sharper. Smiling, the white-robed youth began to take a third step. As it fell, the power in the area grew exponentially stronger. His body seemed to transform into something invincible. It was only the third step, but in Naruto's perception, time itself seemed to suddenly whiz by. It was as if the entire world were being replaced by something else.

* * *

A strong feeling filled Naruto. It was as if the area surrounding him was cut off from everything else. It felt like his Cultivation base was about to degrade and he would soon fall back to the early Foundation Establishment stage.

At the same time, an incredibly realistic vision appeared in his mind. He returned to Mount Myoboku, to Konoha County, to the window of his room, underneath the moonlight. He saw himself sitting there reading.

Naruto had never experienced a magical technique such as this. This was his first time. His eyes narrowed.

The white-robed youth's fourth step was just beginning!

As it did, Naruto's mind reeled, and more visions appeared. He suddenly realized that the state caused by his opponent would be impossible to break once the seventh step was reached. That was the pinnacle, and when that last step descended, his opponent would be able to employ a pressure so intense that he wouldn't need to attack.

That pressure contained a power that could sweep away the Foundation Establishment stage!

"If the art is unbreakable, then I must break the situation!"

Naruto's eyes glittered, and his head tilted up. He lifted his right hand and pointed down toward the ground. The earth seemed to shake, and yet, what was shaking was not the earth, but Naruto. Ghost images appeared everywhere; the only thing that didn't have a ghost image, was Naruto!

"This is the Eighth Hex, Body-sealing Finger," said Naruto coolly. "Take care, Fellow Daoist." He lifted his hand and pointed forward.

Suddenly, Naruto's body stopped vibrating. The ghost images all overlapped and descended toward the white-robed youth. They merged into his body, and suddenly, a conspicuous ghost image of the young man himself appeared. The fifth step that he had been about to take could no longer be completed.

The white-robed youth's mind trembled; he looked at Naruto with eyes glowing, his expression dignified.

Naruto didn't attack. This battle was more of an exchange of techniques, not a battle to the death. Naruto stood there indifferently, calmly looking at the young man.

After the space of a single breath, the white-robed youth recovered. However, the power caused by the overlapping momentum of his steps had dissipated, nullified by Naruto.

The Seven Demonic Lotus Steps was an art that utilized the power of momentum. Once unleashed, even high-level Cultivation bases would have difficulty breaking it. From the time he had emerged as a figure in the Cultivation world until now, the white-robed youth had never encountered someone of the Foundation Establishment stage who could break the Seven Demonic Lotus Steps; not even Dao Children of the other Sects or Clans were able to.

But today, in this place, he had witnessed an unprecedented occurrence. His eyes shined with a strange light as he gazed at Naruto. His face filled with respect; this was an esteem that only powerful experts of the same generation would feel for each other.

"To receive without giving is not a principle by which I live," said Naruto coolly. "I also have an attack to share. Please prepare." He lifted his left hand, using the nail of his thumb to slice his middle finger. Blood flowed out, causing his middle finger to become crimson. His hand moved in a casual motion, but his eyes were filled with ferocity.

As he attacked, observers could not see anything special happening. However, the white-robed youth's pupils instantly constricted. From his perspective, everything had suddenly turned to the color of blood. His expression flickered slightly, and a sense of imminent, fatal danger welled up in him. His right hand shot up to slap his bag of holding. A branch appeared in his hand upon which grew three withered leaves and three luxuriant leaves. He waved it in front of him.

No sound could be heard, but faint ripples circled out. Naruto gave a bored snort and retreated backward a three paces. As he did, his power began to decline, so he stopped and took a step forward.

The step descended, seeming to trample directly on the heart of the white-robed youth, whose mind shook. His body swayed, as if a massive, invisible force were pushing down on it. He retreated backward a few paces, the blood draining from his face despite the aid of his magical item. As the color slowly returned to his face, he gave Naruto a deep look.

"Senior, I am Chino." It seemed this white-robed youth actually had a girl's name . He stared at Naruto as he asked in a soft voice, "Fellow Daoist, would it be possible for me to enquire as to your illustrious name?"

Naruto got an odd feeling when looking at the white-robed youth. There was something strange about him. He thought for a moment, then replied, "Naruto."

"Brother Naruto, the person you have in your custody is actually a blood relative of my Junior Brother. I hope you can release him. If he did anything to offend you, I offer my sincere apologies."

Naruto looked at blue-robed youth who stood by Chino. He was currently looking at Mitsuki off in the distance. Naruto raised his right hand, and the black net loosened. Mitsuki, face pale, shot away with all the power he could muster. Naruto's hat pursued him at top speed.

"Eee? Don't run away. Naruto, how could you do such a thing?" The meat jelly roared angrily as it shot after Mitsuki. "You can't do that, it's immoral! You can't just let him go. I haven't rescued him from the path of evil yet…."

Mitsuki's body trembled as he raced to the side of the blue-robed Cultivator. His face was covered with terror as he clutched at his older brother's clothes and stared in horror at the approaching hat.

Chino stared in shock at the hat.

The meat jelly's voice suddenly sounded surprised. "Eee? What are you looking at? You're a female? Heavens, you look like a guy, but you're actually a girl. Strange, very strange. No rod, no rod!" It returned to Naruto, plopping down onto his head and once again changing color to bright green.

Chino's face suddenly looked extremely unsightly as she glared at the hat, and then Naruto. All the good feelings from moments before suddenly evaporated.

Naruto made a wry smile. The meat jelly had suddenly made everything very clear. Naruto suddenly had an acute understanding of why people called the meat jelly Ultimate Vexation.

Ignoring the looks on the faces of Naruto and Chino, it started to prattle on, apparently preparing to talk for at least three days and three nights without stopping. "Strange, so strange. You're actually a female… huh?" In the midst of its excitement, the meat jelly seemed to have found something else interesting. It looked off into the distance.

It was at this exact moment that off in the Blood Demon Sect, sitting cross-legged underneath the strange tree, the Demon Lord's body suddenly quivered. He immediately retracted his vision, cutting off all connection to the outside world.

"Dammit," said the indistinct image of the Demon Lord, panting. "How could that abominable thing have appeared. Didn't his excellency suppress it? And yet, there it is, attached to the body of a disciple of the Demon Sealing Sect!

"I cannot get entangled with it. According to the legends, there were many powerful experts in ancient times who were driven insane by it…. It looks weak though, it must not have been able to sense me…."

Back in the Fuma Clan mountain village, the meat jelly hat gazed off into the distance. It seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, after which its body flickered, and it looked back at Chino.

Chino gave a cold snort and then glared angrily at Naruto. Without another word, she spun and flew off. The blue-robed Cultivator gave a dry cough, then picked up Mitsuki and transformed into a colorful beam that shot off into the distance.

"Eee? You're leaving, little girl? Don't leave! I haven't finished talking…."

Naruto's face once again filled with a dark expression. The surrounding Cultivators wanted to leave. Unfortunately, their Dao Pillars trembled, and they were incapable of even moving. They stared nervously at Naruto.

"From this day forward, none of you are permitted to step a foot into the Fuma Clan," said Naruto coolly. He flicked his sleeve, unbinding the Cultivators. They immediately gave deep bows to Naruto, and pledged to follow his instructions. After that, they fled at top speed.

When they were gone, pale-faced Arashi approached. Clasping hands, he bowed deeply to Naruto.

"Many thanks, benefactor!"

All of the Fuma Clan members approached and began kowtowing to Naruto. Kagero stared at him blankly for a moment, and then nodded.

Naruto looked around at the Fuma Clan. "I can't stay here," he said gently. "I must leave in a few days. The only help I can provide is what I've already done."

"It's enough," said Arashi, bowing deeply. "Fear of benefactor will keep the Fuma Clan safe for dozens of years to come. Once the Fuma Clan produces another Foundation Establishment Cultivator, then our position will be secured permanently." The death aura which emanated from his body had grown stronger. Most likely, he would reach the end of his life within a year.

Naruto said nothing. After a long moment, he nodded, then returned into the lightning mist.

Three days later, Naruto chose to leave. Before departing, he severed two vines and left them in the Spirit lake. He helped Kagero to brand them to herself; in the future, they would belong to the Fuma Clan. Kagero watched with a smile as Naruto left.

Her eyes followed him as he disappeared into the distance. Who knew how long his shadow would rest on her heart? Her gaze rested on the spot where he had disappeared; she knew inside that there was no possibility of anything happening between the two of them.

Arashi looked at Kagero and sighed. His body seemed even weaker in the early morning sun. He was only growing older and older.

Several days later, Naruto sped through the sky, flying along the border territory between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect. A frown covered his face because of the incessant yammering of the meat jelly hat. It hadn't stopped talking at all during the previous days.

"A female. Wahaha! It turned out she was a girl. Naruto, don't you think it's strange? Hey, why aren't you saying anything? You can't do that, it's immoral. It turns out you fought with a girl! Heavens…. You know, I'm an elder of the senior generation, with ever-changing forms. How can you treat me this way? Acting like this is very wrong, very immoral…."

Veins of blood filled Naruto's eyes, along with a look of despair. He really couldn't deal with this type of torment. The hat's endless chattering was enough to drive a person crazy. Naruto could feel his temper growing worse and worse.

But attacking the meat jelly was useless. Cursing it did nothing. It couldn't be thrown away. It was stuck to him like dog skin plaster, seemingly attached to him for life. Naruto couldn't think of any other alternative than to simply go insane.

He proceeded forward wearily. Suddenly, his eyes flickered as he caught sight of eight bright beams shooting toward him. They were all Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage. The beams of light were all the color of blood. Several of the Cultivators were maintaining a spell, within which was the indistinct image of some sort of enormous blood-colored beast. It floated above them as they proceeded forward.

Seeing these eight Cultivators, Naruto's eyes flashed, and he suddenly spoke to the meat jelly. "You say you have ever-changing forms? I don't believe you."

"You don't believe me!?" cried the meat jelly furiously. It seemed incapable of accepting this. Its dignity and honor had been trampled upon!

* * *

Originally Naruto had planned to speak placatingly, but then opted to sound scornful and disbelieving. "If you can transform into a shiny bag of holding that obviously contains a precious treasure, then I'll believe you," he said. He worked hard to make himself sound as antagonistic as possible.

In a rage, the meat jelly instantly transformed into a shining, golden bag of holding. It was transparent, and within could be seen a square cauldron as well as four circulating demonic swords. The four swords revolved around the cauldron, and at a single glance, it was obvious that it was a precious treasure.

Even more realistic was how the cauldron and four swords seemed to be trying to push their way out of the bag of holding, as if they wanted to escape.

"Well, what do you think…?" The voice of the meat jelly emanated out from the bag of holding.

Inside, he was surprised, but on the outside, a look of disdain covered his face. "There's no glow!"

There was a rustling sound, and even as the words left his mouth, the bag of holding began to emit a blinding glow which shot up into the sky. The golden light shined up, instantly catching the attention of the eight Cultivators. Immediately, they flew in Naruto's direction.

"Do you believe me n….?" came the voice of the meat jelly from within the bag of holding. Before it could finish speaking, Naruto grabbed the bag of holding and threw it toward the approaching Cultivators.

"Believe your granny!" Naruto had been raised not to curse, but in this case he couldn't help it. He shot away from the meat jelly as quickly as possible.

He had thrown the glowing, golden bag of holding away from himself with all the power he could muster from his Cultivation base. As it neared the approaching eight Cultivators, they stared open-mouthed. They all had slightly different expressions. Some were suspicious, some were cautious, some even looked pleasantly surprised. However, each and every one reached out with outstretched arms to snatch the bag of holding.

"You tricked me! That pisses me off!" sounded out the voice of the meat jelly. Just when it was about to be grabbed by one of the Cultivators, it vanished. Then it reappeared off in the distance, directly on Naruto's head. It once again transformed into a green hat.

As if that didn't satisfy it, popping sounds rang out as one hat after another piled up on his head, over and over again, high up into the air….

Soon, the stack of hats was taller than Naruto's entire person. The eight Cultivators looked on, completely dumbfounded. They had never seen something like this in their entire lives.

Naruto's face grew even more unsightly. He felt like he was about to go nuts. If the meat jelly took this shape, then he would be the center of attention no matter where he went….

"Fellow Daoist with the green hats," said one of the Cultivators coldly, a middle-aged man with a frown. "This is Blood Demon Sect territory. Outsiders are not welcome. Even less welcome are people who come here to make fools of us. Take your green hat and get the hell out of here!"

Naruto had just been about to leave when the words reached his ears. He suddenly stopped, turning to look at the eight Cultivators. His eyes shone fiercely. At the moment, he was in a horrific mood, and these words did not please him whatsoever.

"You still dare to turn your head back?" said the middle-aged Cultivator with a cold laugh. "In that case, why don't you leave your eyes with me after you leave. With those green hats, you'll be a laughingstock anyway." With that, he and his companions shot toward Naruto.

"Screw off!" said Naruto, suddenly lifting his hand and waving his sleeve toward them. The power of his Cultivation base exploded out. A massive wind screamed out and then slammed into them.

A booming filled the air, and blood sprayed from the mouths of the eight patrolling Blood Demon Sect disciples. Their bodies trembled. A look of disbelief covered the face of the man who had taunted Naruto, and his pupils constricted. From what he could see, Naruto was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but his attack just now had been filled with the might like that of the late Foundation Establishment stage. Blood oozed out of his mouth as he skidded backward in retreat. When he saw the cold look in Naruto's eyes, his heart shook.

Realizing he had been rash, the middle-aged Cultivator said, "Fellow Daoist, this…." Even as he began to speak, however, Naruto's eyes shone with even more ferocious iciness.

The man's face fell. He and his companions turned into beams of prismatic light that shot away into the distance. When they were far away from Naruto, they finally came to a stop and exchanged glances.

"That guy is just too aggressive. Where did he come from? Elder Brother, let's report him to Master. Master will surely dispatch some people to apprehend him!"

"Correct. Elder Brother, this is Blood Demon Sect territory. Can we really allow that guy to just run amok?"

"Shut the hell up!" growled the middle-aged man, his face dark and unreadable. "He's young, and with just a single sweep of his hand, look at what he did to us. Do you really think he's just some random person? He's obviously not a Cultivator of the Solitary Sword Sect. With war brewing between our Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect, we can't afford to provoke the wrath of additional Sects! He's obviously just passing through and doesn't want to make enemies, that's why he went easy on us. All of you, shut your mouths. Forget about what happened here. There will always be friction among Cultivators like us. There's no need to report some trifling incident like this to the Sect." Having made his decision, he continued on into the distance, his fellow Cultivators in tow.

After they were some ways away, the vines on the ground beneath them that they hadn't noticed this entire time, burrowed into the earth and disappeared.

Back in Naruto's location, Naruto stamped his foot onto the ground. The soil seethed as the dark red vines emerged to sway back and forth in front of him. Moments later, they transformed into a small, dark red fruit, which he placed into his bag of holding. Finally, he turned his attention to the hat on his head.

"You can't do that! It's wrong. If you let them go, you should trust them completely. You can't secretly dispatch something to follow them. That's wrong. That's immoral. Eee? I just remembered something. You cussed at me just now!

"Cussing is wrong. It's immoral. My granny never did anything to offend you. Why did you have to bring her up? It's very strange. What relationship do you have with her? Unless…" Suddenly, the meat jelly's pedantic voice filled with a strange tone. "Unless the two of you…."

Naruto ignored it. He slapped his bag of holding to produce a set of clothing. He ripped off some strips of fabric and stuffed them into his ears. Immediately, the meat jelly's voice became quieter. But then, the meat jelly gave a dry cough. It started to talk, and this time, its voice could be heard directly inside of Naruto's head.

Naruto's expression was somewhat haggard. He stared off into nothing for a while, then finally sighed and tossed the strips of cloth away.

"Now I know why people call you Ultimate Vexation," he said. Immediately, the meat jelly began to tremble with excitement.

"Why? Why?! This name was given to me a very, very, very long time ago by an old friend. I asked him about it many times, but he would never tell me what it means." The meat jelly's full and undivided attention was now focused on Naruto.

Naruto didn't say anything. Instead, he pondered why the person who named the meat jelly wouldn't explain the meaning of the name. Then he thought of the meat jelly's long-windedness, and he shivered. He understood. By providing an answer regarding the name, it would give the meat jelly a conversation topic that would certainly last for months.

The thought of that made his scalp go numb. Anyone who had no experience dealing with the meat jelly couldn't comprehend the nature of the torment it brought. He decided to change the topic.

"With you looking like this, we really can't proceed onward," said Naruto. "Is there any way you can take some form other than a pile of hats?" He was careful in his wording, fearful of agitating the thing. He could only imagine what it would look like if it decided to become a mountain of green hats perched on top of his head. What would happen then?

His tone was non-argumentative, but inside, his heart was filled with helplessness. He thought of the Blood Mastiff, and suddenly missed it terribly. Unfortunately, it was sleeping now.

Actually, Naruto's words seemed to excite the meat jelly. "Eee? If I'm not a hat, then what shape should I take?" Naruto was used to this, so he didn't say anything at first. He sat cross-legged within the mountain forest and retrieved the Time-refining jade page. He cast his Spiritual Sense into it and began to study the contents.

Some time passed, and then Naruto's eyes glittered. He began to mutter to himself. "Time of Spring and Autumn requires a Spring tree and the frost of Autumn. The fire of mid-Winter, the spirit of Summer. Refine the four seasons, fuse with the Cultivation base. Refine the four seasons again to produce a small sword.

"This sword must be carefully nurtured. With enlightenment of Time, the veins of a hundred years can fill the sword. After the hundred years, a thousand years will pass, and it will take shape. In ten thousand years, it will appear to shake heaven and earth, the first Sword of Time." Naruto frowned as he gazed at the jade page. The sword contained no small might, but the time involved in its creation seemed too vast.

"Ino is really focused on this sword, so it can't really take that much time, can it…? There must be other methods that can be used to speed up the appearance of the sword." Lost in thought, Naruto thought to the third jade page that the meat jelly had swallowed, as well as the first jade page, which had been sucked back into the circular cauldron.

"The answer must be on the third page. Too bad this damned meat jelly ate it." Naruto lifted his head and looked at the meat jelly. About an hour had passed since he began studying the Time refining information. Of course, the meat jelly had been talking the entire time.

"What do I change into? What do I change into? What do I change into?" It had flown off of Naruto's head and was now hopping back and forth in front of him. It looked very excited.

"Can you change into that jade page you swallowed?" Naruto said suddenly.

"Huh? Ok…" It agreed, and then immediately changed its mind. "Eee? Wait a second. What are you trying to pull? No way! It's mine. You're not getting your hands on it."

* * *

Naruto's eyes narrowed when he heard the words.

"Could it be that the things it swallows don't get digested, but are just collected?"

"Trying to fool me? Quit dreaming. Hmph." The meat jelly's tone became sagely, "Child, you've walked too far down the path of evil. Repent and be saved."

"Change into whatever it was that left the most profound impression on you," Naruto said blithely. He was still thinking about what the meat jelly had said just now, and what it meant. He had to figure out a way to trick the meat jelly into coughing up the jade page.

"The most profound impression? There's no need to even think about it. The thing which had the most profound effect on me in my entire life is this!" The meat jelly seemed to be gnashing its teeth. There was a popping sound, and suddenly it transformed into….

A brightly colored parrot! It was about half the size of his arm, glistening as if it were covered with rainwater. It was somewhat emaciated, with a curved beak and triangular eyes. It had a somewhat perverted demeanor, and seemed to be filled with an immoral air.

It stood there in front of Naruto, looking at him with its perverted, triangular eyes. It lowered its head and pecked a few times at its body.

Naruto gaped at the parrot. In his entire life, he had never seen such a perverted looking bird. Its triangular eyes and the brightly colored feathers which covered its body were especially strange.

The parrot coughed dryly, looking at Naruto out of the corner of its eye.

"This is what left the most profound impression on me: that damned bird. In my last life, I just wasn't able to get it to give in and convert. In this life, I will definitely convert it! That immoral, perverted creature who likes things with fur and feathers!" The meat jelly sounded like it was gnashing its teeth. Its appearance and words just now instantly made this form seem even more lifelike.

Seeing the parrot and hearing the words caused Naruto to take a deep breath. He thought back to the day he had almost put on the blood-colored mask, and had heard a bird cry come from the copper mirror.

He thought about how fervently the copper mirror would attack furred creatures. His mind spun with various images. He didn't really understand. Just what was this bird that the meat jelly kept talking about…?

Naruto hesitated for a moment before retrieving the copper mirror from his bag of the Cosmos. "You're talking about this?" he asked. The instant it appeared, the meat jelly parrot let out a squawk. Wings fluttering, it shot forward and grabbed the copper mirror in its claws and began to viciously peck at it.

"Dammit! Yes, this is it. I can sense its aura inside. I'll peck you to death, you damned mass-murdering bird! Peck you! Peck you…!" The meat jelly parrot seemed to have gone crazy. Its feathers stood on end as it squawked and pecked at the copper mirror.

Naruto watched on in a daze. He recalled the time he had acquired the mirror, and then when he had discovered its ability. From the very beginning, he had always wondered about its fantastical nature, but had never discovered any clues.

Naruto felt like he was going to be quickly driven insane by the meat jelly parrot. It was squawking madly and radiated a look of hatred. Naruto himself felt like venting a bit. He suddenly had an intense desire to meet the parrot that resided within the copper mirror.

"The parrot must be incredibly extraordinary to be able to make the meat jelly so angry. Maybe when it comes out, it can take care of the meat jelly for me." Naruto's eyes glittered as he suddenly reached an understanding. "Didn't the meat jelly say earlier that when I reach Core Formation, the parrot can come out? Perhaps… it's like the mastiff, a type of Weapon Spirit!"

"Why don't you fight back? Hmm?" The meat jelly parrot blustered as it pecked at the mirror. "I won't let you off this time, I'm going to convert you! Hahaha! You can't come out. You can't come out! I can piss you off as much as I want and you can't come out." The meat jelly quivered with excitement. However, it was at this point that the mirror suddenly flickered, and the meat jelly let out a cry. It released its claws and flew away. The copper mirror flew after it, repeatedly sending out invisible attack rays.

Naruto watched on contentedly, doing nothing to stop the copper mirror. However, it quickly became apparent that the meat jelly wasn't being hurt at all. He flicked his sleeve, returning the copper mirror to the bag of the Cosmos.

The meat jelly parrot flapped its wings as it flew back over and landed on Naruto's shoulder. It began to chatter into his ear like usual.

At least this form looked better than a stack of hats. Naruto's desire to reach Core Formation was now even more intense. He took a deep breath. Ignoring the prattle of the meat jelly, he flew into the air and shot off toward the horizon.

"The poison within me is a big problem," he thought. "I really need to figure a way to infiltrate the Violet Fate Sect and see if I can find a way to become Grandmaster Pill Demon's disciple. Then I can get rid of the poison once and for all." His eyes glittered as he proceeded onward. He had considered this the last time he was in a city controlled by the Violet Fate Sect. The Spring and Autumn tree could only alleviate the symptoms of the poison and buy him some time.

The only way to truly dispel the poison was to get into the Violet Fate Sect.

"Besides, if I want to form a Perfect Gold Core, I first need to have a Violet Core. To form a Violet Core requires a suitable technique. That technique is none other than the Violet Fate Sect's Violet Chakra from the East!" Naruto frowned. It was a good idea, but he couldn't think of any way to infiltrate the Violet Fate Sect. He had offended too many people there. There was Tazuna and Sakura, as well as the disciples he had met in the Five Elements Nation, who were surely members of the Inner Sect by now.

"I need to switch identities. I need a way to become someone else." He sighed. Obviously it was all a flight of fancy that should just be forgotten. Suddenly, his expression changed. He looked at the bag of the Cosmos, and his eyes shined with intelligence.

"The mask…. If I had an appearance-changing mask, then I could do it. As for a mask…I do have one! But who knows if the mask has that power? Furthermore, my Cultivation base needs to be at Core Formation before I can use it. Also, what if the mask just doesn't work that way…." He slowly turned his head to look at the chattering parrot on his shoulder. His eyes glittered.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" said the meat jelly parrot with surprise, staring at him.

Naruto ignored it. He flew down to the ground and sat cross-legged. He smacked the bag of the Cosmos and retrieved the blood-colored mask.

As soon as the meat jelly saw the mask, its eyes went wide and it flapped its wings violently, flying around Naruto in a circle and letting out raucous squawks.

"What's that? What's that? Heavens! What is that evil thing? Child, you've trodden too far down the path of wickedness. Fear not, I can pull you back. I will convert you. Eeeeee? What's that inside? Why am I seeing an old man? Waaah! This old man looks so miserable. Child, you can't do this. It's wrong. It's immoral. Eee? This old guy has performed possession! Old man, that's immoral. That's wrong…."

Naruto poured Spiritual Sense into the mask and was immediately able to see the blood-red form of the mastiff. It lay there sleeping, its aura majestic and boundless and growing even stronger. Naruto looked at it, and his expression grew soft.

"Hurry up and awaken…" he said with Spiritual Sense. The mastiff's body twitched, and warmth emanated from it, a reply of sorts. Naruto's smile grew warmer, and he thought back to everything that had happened during the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament.

"I'm waiting for you to wake up," said Naruto softly. His eyes flashed as they fell upon the flag with three streamers. He was fully aware that his Cultivation base was not high enough to use the flag. He could only pour some Spiritual Sense into it and brand it to himself.

"Core Formation…. If I can become a Core Formation expert, then I should be able to use this flag…."

Last, Naruto touched Danzo with his Spiritual Sense. He sat recoiled in the corner, his body illusory and transparent, and his face wan and sallow. It seemed as if at any moment he might dissipate into nothing.

As Naruto looked at him, he raised his head and glared back. His gaze was as fierce as ever, sinister to the extreme.

"There's a question I can't stop thinking about," said Naruto calmly. "Why did you help Kabuto? The first time I saw you was in the sixth matrix, and you were a statue. The second time I saw you, you had become Kabuto's Blood Divinity. Why?"

Danzo laughed coldly, refusing to respond.

"It turns out you possessed the Blood Divinity. That makes me curious. Before possessing the Blood Divinity… who were you!?" His voice was as calm as ever. However, when Danzo heard his words, his heart shook. His identity was his biggest secret, and no one had any clue about it. Even Naruto could only speculate about his relationship to Kabuto. Any details would be difficult to ascertain.

Danzo laughed disdainfully. "You want to know? Beg me for a year, then maybe I'll think about it." He didn't care about anything, not even death. After facing the loneliness of the Blood Immortal Legacy zone for four thousand years, he had incredible strength of will. Even Naruto's previous threatening methods couldn't really affect him now.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He glanced one last time at the weak form of Danzo, and then narrowed his eyes and retracted his Spiritual Sense. He gazed at the surface of the blood-colored mask, and then looked at the meat jelly.

"You like to convert people, right?" asked Naruto.

"No," the meat jelly responded solemnly, "I don't like to convert people, I like to persuade them. Understand? Persuade."

Naruto sighed. "The old man in this mask lived a life of extreme wickedness. He's performed the most evil of acts and is completely corrupted by immorality. He loves to bully the weak, and is extremely vile in all ways. I captured him and put him in here out of mercy, because I wanted to admonish him. However, his magic is just too powerful. I just can't influence him…" Before he could even finish talking, the meat jelly parrot's eyes grew wide and it began to fume.

"Do you dare!? This type of person should only be converted by me! I hate nothing more than evildoers! I must convert him!" It suddenly looked extremely excited at the prospect of converting a bad guy such as this. Without waiting for a response from Naruto, its body flashed and it entered the blood-colored mask.

* * *

As soon as it entered the mask, the meat jelly cried out in alarm.

"Th-th-that's … a Yellow Springs Nine Burials Flag! It already has three streamers! Evil! Profound evil!" Looking very stern, the meat jelly approached the gaping Shimura Clan Patriarch. "Old man, it turns out you are evil incarnate! In the name of Justice, I shall convert you! You can't be like this, it's immoral. You won't meet a good end this way…."

Naruto coughed lightly and then put the mask away. He let out a deep sigh, and his eyes glittered sharply.

"Yellow Springs Nine Burials Flag?" Lost in thought, Naruto was just about to fly out of the concealment of the forest, when he stopped. He hid his Cultivation base and narrowed his eyes.

His Cultivation base was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, which meant that he could contend with Dao Children. However, he had no reason to do so. This area was the border region between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect. He must be very cautious, and not get carried away. He resolved to not forget this.

After the space of about ten breaths had passed, several colorful beams of light appeared in the sky overhead. Ten Cultivators appeared, each and every one standing on a flying sword. They all wore identical outfits, and looked very impressive and dignified. Their passage sent a roaring sound into the air.

Of the ten people, the three in the front were the most conspicuous. They wore robes of interlocking black and white. Sheathed swords were strapped to their backs, and the sword auras beneath their feet shined brightly, seemingly capable of slicing effortlessly through anything.

One of the three was a stately looking man of about forty years of age. He was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and as he flew, his black hair whipped around him, interspersed with occasional strands of white hair.

Behind him was a young man of about thirty years of age with thin lips and a harsh expression. He had curved eyes like a red phoenix that radiated coldness. He was incredibly good looking, but seemed cold-blooded in nature. The sword under his feet issued a frigid pressure. He was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and seemed to be the picture of imposing power.

The last person appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His features were ordinary, but he radiated an air of righteousness. He was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but his eyes glowed brightly. He seemed to be filled with a powerful aura.

When Naruto caught sight of him, his mind flooded with memories. This man filled with righteousness was none other than… Naruto's Elder Brother from the Reliance Sect, who had been taken away by the Solitary Sword Sect.

Years had passed. Yet here, right in front of him, was Might Guy. He thought back to the day they had parted, and it seemed like a very, very long time ago. The Reliance Sect was no more, and the Five Elements Nation was gone. Naruto wondered if Guy was still the same person he had been before.

He was silent as he observed the group of people. They were all disciples of the number one Sect in the Southern Domain, the Solitary Sword Sect. It wasn't anything remarkable for the Solitary Sword Sect to appear here. After all, this area was a region of contention between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect.

Naruto knew about the constant friction between the two great Sects, as well as the occasional skirmishes that occurred.

Just as the group of people was about to disappear in the distance, Naruto's expression flickered, and he looked back up into the sky.

Soon, he caught sight of ten beams of blood-red light whistling through the air. They were moving at top speed, kicking up a wind that buffeted the mountain forest below. Above the group of ten people were a handful of enormous creatures, flying along with them.

These ten Cultivators had grim expressions, filled with death. Killing intent circled around them and up to the beasts above them, who seemed to be feeding on it. The beasts roared and howled.

These, of course, were disciples of the Blood Demon Sect. Their speed was incredible as they passed over Naruto. From the direction they were heading, it seemed they were pursuing the Solitary Sword Sect Cultivators.

As they disappeared over the horizon, Naruto emerged from the forest. Muttering to himself, he looked at the direction the Cultivators from the two Sects had gone. Instead of flying after them, he stayed down into the cover of the trees to follow.

Naruto sped through the trees for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. It was then that he heard the sounds of explosions ringing out. He increased his speed, and before long, caught sight of the Solitary Sword Sect and the Blood Demon Sect Cultivators locked in fierce magical combat. Booms echoed out, and ripples of magic spread out through the air.

To the Solitary Sword Sect people, a single sword was an instrument of death, incomparably sharp. As for the Blood Demon Sect people, their magic was ever-changing. Surprisingly, it wasn't dominated by the color of blood; rather, they used an endless stream of techniques. The phantom beasts they controlled possessed extraordinary strength. There were only three of them, but they charged about violently, making them impossible to approach.

There were no Core Formation experts in the two groups of people. The strongest among them was of the Pseudo Core stage. The rest were all of Foundation Establishment. They fought back and forth wildly, surrounded by a bloody glow. Naruto watched as a few among them perished. At the moment, the Blood Demon Sect seemed to have the upper hand. Suddenly, though, the eyes of the Pseudo Core Cultivator from the Solitary Sword Sect flickered with a cold light.

"Solitary Sword Spell!" he shouted. The Solitary Sword Sect disciples, including Guy, flew toward him. Their swords glittered shockingly. In the blink of an eye, the sword merged together to form a single enormous sword, three hundred meters in length. The massive sword shot toward the three phantom beasts.

An explosion rang out in all directions. The phantom beasts trembled and roared, and then one by one, disintegrated into nothing. The massive sword then transformed into hundreds of glowing sword beams, which shot toward the remaining Blood Demon Sect disciples, as well as… toward the ground, where Naruto stood.

Naruto frowned, and then leaped up into the air. He waved his right hand, causing a gale force wind to spring up. The approaching sword beams instantly broke apart into pieces.

Naruto's appearance, and his quick dispatching of the sword beams, immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding Solitary Sword Cultivators. This was especially so of the harsh-looking young man of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, whose eyes radiated iciness. The sword beams that had shot toward Naruto just now had been under his control.

"This Blood Demon Sect villain harbors evil designs," said the young man coolly. "Junior Brothers, hear my command. Snuff him out!" He seemed disinclined to even verify Naruto's identity. His appearance here was enough for the young man to pass judgement on him.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the forty-year-old late Foundation Establishment Cultivator frowned. However, he didn't intervene. The eyes of the surrounding Cultivators flickered with coldness as they charged toward Naruto.

At this moment, however, Guy caught sight of Naruto. After a moment passed, his eyes filled with joy.

"Stop!" he cried, rushing forward with all the speed of the early Foundation Establishment stage. He passed the others, flying directly up to Naruto. "This is my Junior Brother!" he cried excitedly. "Everyone stop!"

His expression was one of intense happiness, almost trance-like, as he gazed at Naruto and recalled the past.

Naruto looked at Guy and smiled. Guy's expression and words were filled with sincerity, and now Naruto was certain… he hadn't changed. He was the same person he had been seven or eight years ago.

Naruto took a deep breath and then said, "Greetings, Elder Brother." He clasped hands and bowed deeply.

Guy laughed. He looked a bit different than he had seven or eight years ago, but his personality was the same. He stepped forward and embraced Naruto.

"Junior Brother Guy," said the harsh-looking young man with a hypocritical smile. "How come I've never seen this Junior Brother of yours? I didn't know the Solitary Sword Sect had a disciple such as this." His voice was filled with sinister accusation.

Guy frowned, standing protectively in front of Naruto. "Elder Brother Dosu, he's not a Solitary Sword Sect disciple. He's my Junior Brother from when I was in the Reliance Sect."

Naruto didn't say anything, and his expression was the same as ever. He wanted to see how Guy would handle the situation.

"So he's a disciple from a tiny, backwater Sect," said fist master Chen, his voice sinister and yet leisurely. "He would normally be inconsequential. Yet here he is spying on us. He must take responsibility!"

The surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples exchanged glances, then moved backward silently. It seems this was not the first time they had seen conflict erupt between Dosu and Guy.

The middle-aged Pseudo Core Cultivator sighed, looking at the two of them with an annoyed expression, and then glancing down at Naruto.

"Take responsibility?" said Guy coolly. His eyes were cold as he stood there in front of Naruto. "Dosu , I would very much like to know exactly how you expect my Junior Brother to take responsibility? With me here, which one of you dares to cause problems for him!?" He slapped his bag of holding, and a small black blade appeared, about the size of a hand. It flew up to circle around his head.

Naruto's expression changed to one of shock the instant he saw the blade appear. So did the faces of the surrounding Cultivators. The Pseudo Core stage man gasped.

Dosu's face immediately grew extremely unsightly. A look of jealousy filled his eyes as he glared at Guy. His heart, however, filled with dread.

The blade emanated the fearsome power of Core Formation!

"Dosu, I'm waiting for your response," said Guy calmly.

* * *

"That's my father's flying dagger!" said Dosu with a cold snort, staring at the black blade hovering around Guy's head.

"It's a gift from my Master," replied Guy, his expression cold. Immediately, Dosu's expression darkened. He flicked his sleeve and began to move toward Guy.

"To take responsibility is simple," he said as he strode forward. "I want both of his eyes. Let's see if you dare to try to kill me. If you do, you have my respect. But how will you explain that to your Master, my father?!"

Naruto's expression was the same as always. He watched calmly as the scene unfolded. In front of him, Guy gazed coldly at the approaching Dosu. He lifted his right hand, and the flying dagger immediately began to glow.

Everything seemed ready to dissolve into chaos. Dosu proceeded forward, a savage expression covering his face.

"I can't believe that you would dare to attack me over an outsider!"

"To you, he's an outsider, but to me, he's a Junior Brother." Guy waved his hand, and the flying dagger shot toward Dosu.

Dosu's hair stood on end, and he suddenly stopped moving. The black dagger had come to a stop right in front of his face.

"Don't push me, Dosu," Guy said softly.

Naruto was just about to take a step forward when the Pseudo Core stage Cultivator suddenly said, "Just what do you two think you're doing?! Dosu, stand down! Guy, if this is your Junior Brother from your former Sect, then you'll need to vouch for him. You will be responsible for all his future mistakes." The words obviously contained a threat. While it seemed on the surface that he was trying to smooth over the situation, he was actually making a small matter into a bigger one.

Naruto was quite experienced, so obviously he understood what was being said. He laughed coldly.

"My affairs have nothing to do with my Elder Brother," he said. "If you don't take your words back voluntarily, your excellency, then I'll be forced to make you take them back." His voice was ice cold. When the middle-aged man heard them, his eyes grew icy and he stared back at Naruto.

Guy, of course, had never imagined that Naruto would dare to speak. Without another word, he flashed an incantation sign, and the flying dagger re-appeared at his side.

"Guy, it's not that I didn't try to give you some face. Your Junior Brother here needs to be taught a lesson." With a grim smile, the middle-aged man flicked his sleeve and began to move toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. His Cultivation base had four Dao Pillars. He could contend with the late Foundation Establishment stage and could even stand up to Dao Children with Flawless Foundations. There was no need to even mention this middle-aged man who clearly had a Cracked Foundation at best.

Naruto could slay him with ease.

Granted, the man was a fellow Disciple of Elder Brother Guy. However, Naruto couldn't allow people to level threats against him that could affect Elder Brother Guy later. That was why he had tried to separate himself from Guy.

The surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples watched on with cold smiles, eyeing Naruto with looks of disdain. They obviously thought Naruto was being arrogant and conceited to think he could stand up to someone who had completed the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

Various thoughts ran through the minds of the surrounding disciples.

"I never imagined Elder Brother Guy would make friends with someone who so easily overestimates himself."

"He's relying on Elder Brother Guy's presence, like a fox exploiting the might of a tiger."

"He's looking to die!"

A sinister smile appeared on Dosu's face. He moved backward a few paces, contentedly watching the commotion.

Naruto looked as calm as ever as the middle-aged man raced forward. A slight smile appeared on his face, and he was about to step forward, when Guy held his arm in front of him.

"Elder Brother Zaku, my Junior Brother is young and insensible. Please give me some more face, and don't take offense. Let's just drop the matter." Having said this, he clasped Naruto's shoulder and gazed at him warmly. "Listen to Elder Brother," he said. When the four words entered Naruto's ears, they were filled with a gentle warmth that he hadn't experienced in a very long time. He looked into Guy's eyes and then nodded.

The man named Zaku stopped in his tracks, glaring coldly at Naruto for a moment, and then looking back at Guy. Slowly, his face relaxed. A long moment passed, and then he said, "You need to help your Junior Brother learn not stop overestimating himself. If he doesn't, he'll end up a mutilated corpse sooner or later." He flicked his sleeve and began to leave. Dosu smiled mockingly and followed, along with the other Solitary Sword Disciples.

"We'll wait for you up ahead," came the voice of Zaku. "You have the time it takes an incense stick to burn to catch up with your Junior Brother."

As they disappeared into the distance, Naruto looked hesitantly at Guy.

"Elder Brother, I…."

"You don't need to say anything," said Guy, his face covered with a wide smile. He embraced him warmly again.

Laughing happily, Guy looked Naruto over, eyes filled with excitement because of their reunion. "You've grown up big and strong, I see! Haha! You're not the little scholar you used to be."

In a voice as earnest as it had always been, he grabbed Naruto's arm and said, "Can you believe it? Here we are, fellow Brothers who've run into each other yet again in in the Southern Domain. We have to celebrate! Come come, tell your Elder Brother what you've been up to these past years. A while back, I heard that the Five Elements Nation disappeared! Ai…." He didn't even give Naruto a chance to respond.

His personality had always been like this. He talked and talked, and before long, enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn. The entire time, Naruto didn't have a chance to even say a single sentence. It was just like it had been back in the Reliance Sect.

Guy was definitely long-winded, but even were he more so, Naruto wouldn't mind. Naruto's heart filled with warmth as he realized that everything Guy was saying was out of concern for him. He was considerate, excited, and happy.

"That fatty Choji, do you remember him? He used to follow you around all the time. Well, he's a pretty important person in the Golden Frost Sect now. Last time I went with Master to pay a visit to the Golden Frost Sect, I saw him swaggering around. He's definitely a darling of the Sect. If anyone dared to mess with him, a crowd of Golden Frost Sect disciples would instantly rush to help him….

"Junior Sister Hinata is in sore straits, though. The only thing I could do was ask some people I know in the Black Sieve Sect to watch out for her. She's been stuck at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation for years now. She needs a Foundation Establishment Pill. In the past years, I've performed some meritorious services for the Sect. I think it won't be long before I can get a Foundation Establishment Pill from Master to send to her.

"Oh, and then there's Sasuke…. You'd best not provoke him again, he has an impressive amount of power backing him. Oh, right. You wouldn't believe the latest gossip. Rumor has it that his fiancee, Sakura from the Violet Fate Sect, is intimately involved with some stranger.

"The news is out, and all the Sects have heard about it. There was an eyewitness who saw Sakura wearing the clothing of some other man. There was obviously something shady going on…. Who do you think that guy could be? Whoever he is, I sure admire him. He was able to steal Sakura right from under Sasuke's nose…." Naruto wasn't able to get a word in edgewise. When the topic of Sakura came up, a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.

"So," he thought, "that Chobee fellow did exactly as I predicted and immediately began to spread rumors…." He gave a dry cough, not admitting to anything. Instead, he said, "Wow, that guy really is amazing. I hope I have a chance to meet him some day and maybe be friends." His face was covered with an expression of admiration similar to Guy's.

About this time, the clear sound of a sword could be heard ringing out in the air. Naruto looked up to see a Solitary Sword Sect disciple off in the distance, clearly urging them to hurry up.

Taking advantage in the break in Guy's dialogue, Naruto scratched his head and said, "Elder Brother, maybe you should…." Before he could finish, he was submerged by more words from Guy.

"Little Junior Brother, have you found a suitable beloved yet?" he said suddenly.

"Uh…." Naruto stared in shock. Guy's question seemed to have come completely out of the blue. Before he could respond, Guy nodded.

"Oh, I understand. You're still hung up on Elder Sister Hinata. Junior Brother, listen to me carefully. There are a lot of female Cultivators in the Southern Domain, but there are four who are considered to be the most dazzling.

"Sakura is one of them, but you might as well forget about her. She belongs to Sasuke and that other mysterious guy. However, the other three are really a match for your good looks and Cultivation base." Guy's eyes shined brightly as he looked at Naruto. He sounded almost like a matchmaker.

This topic completely exceeded Naruto's powers of prediction. He stared blankly at Elder Brother Guy. How could he have imagined that after all these years, Elder Brother Guy would suddenly have taken up this new interest? Naruto cleared his throat a few times. "Elder Brother, I…."

"Don't be so shy! Look, your Elder Brother has a lot of experience. There may be some things you don't understand about this kind of thing, but don't worry. I'll take care of everything. There's still plenty of time, plenty of time."

"Er… plenty of time, plenty of time…." Beads of sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead.

"Alright, you come with me to the Solitary Sword Sect. When we get there, the two of us can have a proper reunion." Not even giving Naruto a chance to refuse, Guy grabbed him and made to leave.

"Elder Brother, this…."

"Listen to your Elder Brother, okay? Besides, pretty soon one of the three great Clans, the Nadeshiko Clan, is going to have a big get-together. They've invited Chosen and Dao Children from all over the Southern Domain. I'm going, so why don't you come along? It will be a good chance to meet some of the current generation of Chosen from the Southern Domain. You just stick with me, and I'll arrange everything.

"The Five Elements Nation is gone, and the Reliance Sect is no more. Throughout all these years, what I've worried about most is you! A few years ago, I sent someone with a message to find you, but by that time the Five Elements Nation had disappeared, and I feared that you had been killed.

"Let's not bring that up. Little Junior Brother, even now, what concerns me most is still you." He looked at Naruto earnestly. "You're on your own, without a Sect! That won't do. You listen to your Elder Brother, okay?"

Naruto's heart filled with warmth that spread out throughout his whole body. Unable to make himself refuse Guy, he slowly nodded his head.

* * *

Guy looked at Naruto and laughed heartily. Hearts filled with happiness, he and Naruto transformed into beams of prismatic light that shot off toward the other Solitary Sword Sect disciples.

When the man named Zaku saw Naruto approaching with Guy, he frowned.

"My Junior Brother is acquainted with my Master and wishes to visit him," said Guy coolly in explanation. "He will accompany us back to the Sect."

The man named Zaku said nothing. He simply turned and transformed into a colorful beam that shot up into the sky.

"Little Junior Brother, after we get to the Sect, I'll go implore Master to take you as a disciple. Then we can be fellow Brothers of the Solitary Sword Sect. It shouldn't be a very big deal. I've never asked anything of Master, so there's an eighty to ninety percent chance he'll agree. Of course, I expect he'll only accept you as a novitiate. However, his Cultivation Base is at the Nascent Soul stage, so being one of his novitiates is still a high position within the Solitary Sword Sect." It seemed Guy already had Naruto's future planned out meticulously.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Elder Brother, for the moment, I don't think that's necessary. I actually have some matters I need to take care of."

"Little Junior Brother!" said Guy, his expression suddenly very solemn. "I understand that you don't want to join another Sect. I felt the same way back then. I only wanted to be a member of a single Sect for my entire life. However… we are Cultivators. Our Sect is the foundation of everything, especially in the Southern Domain. Anyone who is not a member of a Sect is a rogue Cultivator. Regardless of Cultivation base level, rogue Cultivators make progress only with great difficulty. Years can be wasted, and the results can be in vain.

"You need to listen to me in this matter. The Solitary Sword Sect is the number one Sect in the Southern Domain. It's Dao Reserves are incredibly profound. It's a place where both of us can grow up."

Naruto didn't respond.

As they traveled, Guy continued to give him advice, all the way until afternoon of the next day. Eventually, the Solitary Sword Sect's main gate appeared up ahead. Finally, Naruto nodded.

Guy's smile grew wider as he gazed at Naruto with the kind warmth of a member of the elder generation looking at a junior. Although he wasn't very much older than Naruto, in his eyes, Naruto was still that young scholar who had just joined the Sect.

The Solitary Sword Sect was comprised of an enormous mountain, visible from far off in the distance. This mountain was the number one mountain in the entire Southern Domain, a hundred times larger than any other mountain.

The name of this mountain was… Solitary Dao Mountain!

Floating above it in the sky was another mountain that seemed to be a mirror image of it. From a distance, they made an outline like that of an hourglass. Anyone who caught sight of it for the first time would surely be shocked.

The name of the second mountain was… Solitary Sword Mountain!

The mountains were so large that it was almost impossible to look from one end to the other in a single glance. Naruto had never seen mountains as large as this in his entire life. He couldn't help but tremble inwardly at the sight of them.

If it were only these two mountains, then it wouldn't be a very big deal. But… in the center the two mountains was a massive sword, piercing through them into the ground!

The hilt of the sword protruded above the mountains and stretched up into the sky.

Boundless rays of morning sunlight filled the area, giving it a truly celestial feeling.

Naruto took a deep breath. Having laid eyes on the Black Sieve Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect, he had now seen two of the great Sects of the Southern Domain. The Black Sieve Sect was undeniably influential. The dread caused by their power would cause anyone to bow before them.

However, the Solitary Sword Sect's sheer, raw might didn't cause others to bow before them, but to fear them!

"I wonder what the other great Sects look like…" thought Naruto to himself as he gazed at the Solitary Sword Sect.

The group of people flew along quickly. As they approached Solitary Dao Mountain, they reached an area that was protected by a beautiful field of colorful light. Up ahead, the man named Zaku looked back coldly at Naruto and then gave a cold snort. With that, his disappeared into the light.

Naruto watched coolly as he left. In his estimation, the man was someone who couldn't really see to the heart of things. If Guy hadn't stopped him earlier, the man would either have been injured or killed. It all would have depended on Naruto's mood.

"Don't worry," said Guy, clearly worried for Naruto. "Once Master accepts you as a novitiate, then Elder Brother Zaku won't dare to bother you." He gave a comforting smile, and then pulled Naruto in through the colorful field of light. He pulled out a glowing jade slip. The light swirled up around the two of them. It flickered, and then they disappeared.

When they reappeared, they were at the foot of Solitary Dao Mountain. The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the sounds of birds singing. Gurgling streams could be seen. There were quite a few Solitary Sword Sect disciples going to and fro. When they saw Guy, each and every one gave him respectful salutes.

Guy led Naruto to the courtyard of a house. "Little Junior Brother," he said, "you wait for me here. I'm going to go pay my respects to the Elders. After that, I'll go look for Master. I probably won't return until after nightfall. You rest a bit here, or go walk around if you'd like. Don't go too far, though. When I get back, we can stay up all night chatting." He clasped Naruto's shoulder, and then turned and flew off in a beam of colorful light.

Naruto watched him depart, then looked around at his surroundings. He opened the gate of the courtyard and entered the house. It was decorated tastefully, although not extravagantly. Everything emanated refinement. This was especially true of the vast collection of scrolls. Naruto selected one of the ancient texts and sat down cross-legged to examine it.

After some time passed, he put the ancient scroll down, and a thoughtful look gleamed in his eyes.

"Maybe I should join the Solitary Sword Sect…" he thought, his brow furrowed. It wasn't his first choice. However, the Black Sieve Sect surely wouldn't just let go the matter of the meat jelly. Entering the Solitary Sword Sect might not be a bad choice.

His eyes glittered stubbornly at the thought of the Violet Fate Sect. Dispelling his poison wasn't the only reason he wished to do so. "I'm still inclined toward the Violet Fate Sect," he thought. "I really want to learn Violet Chakra from the East…" With that technique, he could form a Violet Core, which was the pinnacle of Core Formation.

"Furthermore, I need to study alchemy. I can't rely on others to do it for me every time I need a pill concocted. That's especially true of the Perfect Core Pill…." Naruto sat there for some time lost in thought. Soon, evening began to fall. Sunlight streamed in from outside. Naruto took a deep breath and, seeing that Guy hadn't returned, decided to step outside of the house for a bit to look at Solitary Dao Mountain.

The setting sun shone onto the mountain, giving it a somewhat hazy appearance. Mist began to rise up around the mountain, and as Naruto looked closer, his eyes narrowed.

He suddenly caught sight of a woman wearing a blue-green garment, floating down a path on Solitary Dao Mountain.

The appearance of this woman made the haziness of the surroundings suddenly seem clear. The sound of people dropping to their knees and prostrating themselves to her could be heard.

"It's Elder Sister Rock Lee."

"It's really Elder Sister Rock Lee. I've heard that on the ninth day of every month, at dusk, she descends the mountain to collect dewdrops…"

"Greetings, Elder Sister Rock Lee."

The sound of voices drifted down to Naruto. He watched as the woman slowly floated down the mountain, and his heart trembled as suddenly, the voice of the Demon Sealing Jade sounded out in his head.

"A stone of the Ninth Mountain descended and became a new mountain (山.) The mountain (山) has a spirit (灵,) and the spirit (灵) is demonic. Its will is not of this world. If you encounter it… allow it to transform magically if it is good. Seal and exterminate it if it is violent. Make your choice after careful consideration."

The sound echoed out in Naruto's mind. He stood there silently for a moment recovering his composure. He was used to the bizarreness of the Demon Sealing Jade. He looked at the woman, and his eyes shone with a strange light.

Quite a large group of Cultivators had flown over and were bowing to the woman and offering respectful words. One of them was none other than the middle-aged man named Zaku, who bowed toward her politely.

The moment that Naruto's gaze fell upon the woman, she looked down at him and seemed to pause in mid-air. A sharp look filled her eyes as she looked at him.

Their gazes locked for the space of a few breaths. The woman's brow furrowed slightly, and then she looked away and continued off into the distance. She left, but the man named Zaku seemed to have taken notice of the look that had passed between the two of them.

He had also noticed Rock Lee's furrowed brow. He gave a cold harrumph, and then his body flashed, and he shot down toward Naruto.

This aroused the attention of the surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples. In the blink of an eye, the man named Zaku arrived to float above the courtyard where Naruto stood. He looked down, a cold gleam in his eyes.

"You again!" he said coldly. "First you overestimate your strength, and then you dare to be disrespectful to the Solitary Sword Sect's Elder Sister Rock Lee! Just what is your purpose in coming here?!" This caused many of the surrounding disciples to look at Naruto.

"Who is this guy?"

"He looks a bit familiar, but I don't think I've seen him before…."

"I remember him. That's the guest who Elder Brother Guy brought with him earlier this afternoon. I wonder what Elder Brother Zaku wants with him?"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he looked up at the haughty Zaku character.

"What exactly do you mean, your excellency?" said Naruto coolly.

"Whatever your purpose here, you're in the Solitary Sword Sect. Considering your actions here, I think I need to take your Elder Brother's place in teaching you a lesson." He obviously wasn't interested in providing any sort of education to Naruto. Naruto had left him with a bad impression originally, and when combined with the Rock Lee's frown, caused him to be filled with ill feelings. He lifted his right hand, whereupon the power of the great circle of Foundation Establishment exploded out.

"Ridiculous," said Naruto coolly. The Zaku man's hand descended, and the illusory image of a large sword appeared. It descended toward Naruto, bursting with the power of the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

Naruto's eyes flashed coldly, and he lifted his own hand. He didn't have any good feelings toward this person, after all. However, before he could actually do anything, a small black dagger shot toward them and slammed into the Zaku man's phantom sword.

A boom rattled out, and the phantom sword disintegrated. The Zaku man's face flashed as Guy shot toward them in a beam of colorful light.

"Elder Brother Zaku, you continue to harass my Junior Brother. With a Cultivation base at the Pseudo Core stage, must you really cause me to lose so much face? I'm one of the Seven Solitary Sword Sons. Just who the hell do you think you are?"

* * *

Guy arrived at the same time as his words. He landed in front of Naruto, glaring up coldly at the man named Zaku.

The Zaku man's expression became somewhat unsightly. He stared at Guy, and his gaze especially seemed to take note of the black flying dagger.

"Do you really think you can protect him forever?" he said with a cold snort. His face filled with disdain as he looked at Naruto. "He won't amount to anything if all he can do is hide behind others. It seems mid Foundation Establishment is the end of the line for him!"

"As long as I'm here, I won't let you touch a hair on my little Junior Brother's head!" said Guy, his voice cool, but hard enough to chop nails and slice iron.

Zaku glared hatefully at Naruto, his disdain growing thicker. "If it weren't for your Elder Brother, I would kill you with the wave of a hand. Let's see how long you can keep hiding!" He turned, flicking his sleeve and disappearing into the distance.

Naruto sighed as he watched the man leave. He had read the man's expression, of course, but could do nothing about it. Exterminating him would be simple, but twice now, Guy had stood in front of him, making it impossible to proceed with battle.

Guy looked back at Naruto, who gave a wry smile.

Guy, of course, misinterpreted Naruto's expression. "Don't worry, little Junior Brother," he said comfortingly. "That Zaku fellow is nothing. With me here, he won't dare to bully you." His expression was one of concern, leaving Naruto without a word to say. "Unfortunately, Master went into secluded meditation last month, and it seems he won't emerge for a few more months. I left him a message, though. He'll get it as soon as he comes out.

"After you and I get back from the Nadeshiko Clan, you can officially join the Solitary Sword Sect. Then that Zaku guy won't dare to mess with you. Although, in the meantime, you need to be a bit more careful. Well, I'll be here by your side anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Guy's concern made Naruto feel warm in his heart. "Many thanks, Elder Brother," he said, clasping hands and bowing.

"What's there to thank? Don't be so polite! Come come. Let's light some candles and chat all night." He laughed heartily as he pulled Naruto into the house. Once inside, he slapped his bag of holding to produce two jars of alcohol.

"Your Elder Brother doesn't have much to offer here. But when I went to Master's I grabbed these two jars of Sword Wine. This stuff is pretty good. I've really come to like it over the past few years." He handed one of the jars to Naruto, then opened his own and took a swig.

Naruto accepted the jar and took a drink. His face immediately grew a bit red, and his entire body suddenly felt hot and dry. Sweat broke out all over. He took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out.

He felt as if his entire body had just been washed out. Sweating, he continued to breathe in and out. His eyes seemed to glisten a bit more brightly. He looked at Guy.

"What alcohol is this?"

"Master brews it himself. Heh heh. Come on, drink up. This alcohol is really good for Cultivators, especially for the Foundation Establishment stage. It's comparable to medicinal pills!" He smiled and took another drink. "I drink this stuff all the time. Oh, by the way, little Junior Brother, I see your Cultivation base is at the mid Foundation Establishment level. Don't forget, we Cultivators are building mountains; you must establish a firm foundation." His words were earnest, causing Naruto to put down his jar of alcohol and listen thoughtfully. Occasionally he nodded in agreement. "Don't greedily speed through the various stages and ignore your fundamentals.

"Take me, for example. I could have created my fourth Dao Pillar and entered mid Foundation Establishment last year. But Master wouldn't permit it. He always says that creating Dao Pillars is like turning trees into boats. It can't be undone. The best thing to do is go with the flow, and exercise caution. Creating a fourth Dao Pillar isn't as important as refining the third pillar. Once it is full and complete, then the fourth Dao Pillar can be created properly.

"Another thing," said Guy, sounding extremely serious. "During the course of our Cultivating, we are bound to encounter friction with other Cultivators. But you cannot solve all problems by killing! You need to understand that regardless of whether you're talking about magical techniques or magical items, they are all just ways to protect the Dao! They are protection, not the Dao itself!

"What is the Dao? My Cultivation base isn't high enough, so I probably shouldn't even bring it up. But Master told me that even though he doesn't quite understand it himself, there's something that should never be forgotten; killing and magical techniques are all just for protection!

"Don't let your Dao be overwhelmed by killing. You need to listen to your heart, and follow your principles." Guy looked Naruto over. "You know, you seem to have a fairly strong killing aura."

Even as the words came out of his mouth, a voice could be heard from within Naruto's bag of the Cosmos.

"That's right! That's right! I said this child's killing aura was too strong. You're right. You make a lot of sense. Your words are extremely accurate!" The suddenness of the voice's appearance left Guy dumbfounded.

Naruto's face darkened. Before he could say anything, a flash of colorful light emerged from the bag of the Cosmos which turned into a parrot. It flapped its wings as it flew around the room.

The meat jelly parrot had previously been in the blood-colored mask, preaching to Danzo. Now, it flew a few circles around the room and then landed on Naruto's shoulder.

"What's that…?" said Guy, still in shock.

"I picked this thing up and found that it can't be thrown away…" replied Naruto. Before he could finish, the meat jelly parrot interrupted him.

"Son, you couldn't be more correct," it said, eying Guy energetically. "Naruto's killing aura is too strong. It's wrong! Immoral! Come come, let's discuss a few things. I think I'm going to like you."

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at Guy sympathetically. He could only imagine the torture Guy would be dealing with momentarily.

"So you're my littler Junior Brother's Spirit creature," said Guy, looking curiously at the parrot on Naruto's shoulder. "Pleased to meet you, sir. I'm happy to discuss anything with you."

Seeing the gleam in Guy's eye, Naruto sighed to himself. There was really nothing he could do to save him…. But Naruto couldn't bear to just do nothing.

"Elder brother, this bird…."

"Junior Brother, you misspoke," said Guy in a serious tone. "This isn't a bird, it's a parrot. And it can speak! You can see from the look in its eye that it's intelligent. It's a Spirit! You really need to take good care of it."

The meat jelly seemed to be on the verge of tears after hearing Guy's words. It seemed to have finally met a kindred spirit.

"You are so correct. You make so much sense. Why couldn't I have met you first? Aiiii. There's no need to bring that up. Now, why don't we discuss the meaning of life?"

"The meaning of life? Okay!" said Guy excitedly. "I've always wanted to have a discussion about the meaning of life. But for some reason, my Master is always in secluded meditation. In fact, so are my Junior and Elder brothers. I originally planned to chat with my little Junior Brother tonight, but if you want to join, the please, by all means do."

"A discussion about the meaning of life needs to be built up to, though. For example… why don't we talk about this morning's weather? Only a truly educated person can discuss the weather…."

"Huh? The weather? Well… okay. I think the weather was excellent this morning. But you know, I think it might be more beneficial to discuss the killing aura coming off of my little Junior Brother."

"Eee? I completely agree with you there. You are so correct. You make so much sense. I always say that if the weather is bad, it can have a negative influence on your mood. I mean, I mean, don't you agree about that…?"

"Well that's the first time I've heard of such a thing," said Guy. "But it actually makes a lot of sense. I remember one day a few years ago, it was really overcast outside, and my Cultivation didn't go very well. I was fidgety all day. Yeah, I think what you said just now makes a lot of sense."

"A lot of sense? You think I make a lot of sense?! Heavens! Dear heavens! In this life, and the life before that, and the life before that, I've never met anyone who said such a thing. You think I make sense…." The meat jelly parrot was shaking in excitement. It flew off of Naruto's shoulder to stand in front of Guy.

Their talking turned into a buzzing that filled Naruto's ears as he watched on in a daze. The eyes of both Guy and the parrot began to shine brightly. They had both met their kindred spirits, and as they talked, it gradually became apparent that a contest of sorts had begun.

Naruto suddenly shivered and edged backward.

He moved as far away as possible, to a distant corner of the building, where he sat cross-legged to meditate. He feared that if he continued to listen, he would become far too annoyed. The clamor of the bird by itself was bad enough, but now….

As Naruto looked at Guy and the meat jelly parrot, a single thought ran through his mind; "Meeting one's match, the General meets the Genius…."

Time passed by, and Naruto did his best to ignore the sound of their conversation. Two hours passed, and he finally opened his eyes. He had assumed their discussion would be nearing an end, but when he peeked over, he discovered that they were engaged in a lively conversation.

"Right? Tell me, am I right, or not…?"

"Absolutely correct. Actually, that makes me think about one day last year when I…."

"Of course! That's what I said earlier! Oh right, weren't we going to talk about the meaning of life? How about this: after we finish talking about this morning's weather, then we can talk about the noon sunshine…."

"Great idea. Let's save the meaning of life for the end of the conversation. The best would be to wait until dusk. The best time to talk about life is under the setting sun…."

The sound droned on in Naruto's ears. He stared blankly at Guy's excited face and the equally enthusiastic meat jelly parrot. One man, one bird, their eyes shining with anticipation…. It caused Naruto to shiver and close his eyes again to meditate, fearful of getting dragged into the discussion.

Time, slowly passed….

* * *

Dawn…. Naruto opened his eyes, then immediately closed them again.

"What a good friend! In the past several lives, I've only had myself to talk to. I never realized how boring it is to talk to myself… And I could never figure out why everyone hates me so much. They even call me Ultimate Vexation…."

"Yeah! I haven't had a discussion like this the entire time I've been in the Solitary Sword Sect."

"Come come, now that we've finished talking about the noon sunshine, let's talk a bit about the afternoon…."

Late morning…. Sunlight filtered into the house. Naruto opened his eyes and stared blankly at Guy and the meat jelly. He sighed and continued to meditate.

"Let me tell you, I'm sick of afternoons. I remember the afternoon of one year when I…."

"You're right! I'm the same way. But the only thing I can do during that time is to grind my teeth…."

More hours passed, and soon it was afternoon. Naruto opened his eyes a few times, but all he could do was laugh bitterly and close them again.

Guy and the meat jelly had talked through the entire night, all the way through the morning. One man, one bird, seemingly inexhaustible and, in fact, in high spirits.

Naruto couldn't help but admire Elder Brother Guy. It seemed he really was a perfect match for the meat jelly.

Naruto sat quietly. He wanted to stand up, but was worried that Guy and the meat jelly would drag him into their conversation. He took a breath and then closed his eyes, pretending that he couldn't hear anything that they were saying.

Eventually, the sun began to set….

"I like sunset the best. Every time I gaze at the setting sun, I think of that time one year when I was just a tiny meat jelly, I…."

"Sunset is immeasurably wonderful. You know, you really don't know how difficult it is to practice Cultivation. Oh, that reminds me, throughout the years, I've actually collected a thousand different stories about the sunset. I really want to tell you all of them. Come come. I'll start with the first one…."

The sun had set, and evening passed. Soon it was night again. One man, one bird, chattering away endlessly for a day and a night. They talked on, seemingly not the least bit tired. When midnight came, it finally seemed that Guy wasn't able to keep going.

"Umm, why don't we rest a bit?"

"No way! I don't get many chances to have such a lovely discussion. We still haven't talked about the meaning of life yet. Ah, the meaning of life. What a beautiful whatchamacallit flower . Oh, right. I forgot. Before we talk about the meaning of life, we need to talk about moonlight…."

"Uh… Alright. Actually, I have over three thousand stories about the moonlight…."

"Eee? I have some stories too! Actually, I have ten thousand. You go first, and then me."

Naruto was almost on the verge of collapse. His eyes were bloodshot, and he panted as he forced himself to calm down and return to meditation.

The night passed slowly. Outside, everything was quiet. But within the room, one man and one bird had reached the pinnacle of their conversation. Early morning light once again made its way into the house. Guy's face was a bit wan, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Let's rest a bit… I… I have some plans today…."

"No way! I'm not finished yet. We still haven't talked about the meaning of life. Now that I'm finished with my ten thousand stories about the moonlight, we can continue our discussion."

Morning passed, and soon it was noontime, then another sunset. Guy's expression was dull as he stared at the parrot and its unceasing torrent of words. A look of admiration slowly grew in his eyes.

"Now that we have built up the conversation properly, we can finally discuss the meaning of life. Eee…? It's dark outside. I just realized that when we talked about sunset, there were thirty thousand stories I forgot to mention. That won't do! I don't get chances like this very often. I need to tell you those stories…." The meat jelly cleared its throat a few times, and then began speaking again.

A few hours passed, until finally Guy's patience and long-windedness were run out. "I… I really do have some plans…." said Guy, standing up suddenly.

His body swayed back and forth a bit, and then he took a few steps back, his face drained of blood. Naruto opened his eyes and looked admiringly at Guy. He had just chatted nonstop for two days and two nights….

"Little Junior Brother, I actually have some plans, so I'm going to take off. Um… I'll come back for you in a few days…." His face was pale and he looked dizzy. As of now, he didn't look at the meat jelly with admiration, but rather, fear.

He'd always thought of himself as someone who could talk, but now he realized how wrong he was. There existed a bird that could surpass even him! Without waiting for Naruto to respond, Guy opened the door and fled.

"Elder Brother," Naruto called after him, "I think you have an affinity with this talking Spirit parrot, why don't you take it with you…."

Guy suddenly staggered, and his face twisted. Without an instant of hesitation, his body transformed into a beam of light that disappeared into the distance.

"What a good fellow," said the meat jelly parrot, sighing with emotion. "I really like this Elder Brother Guy of yours. I haven't met someone in years who could carry on such a long conversation with me. Eee? We never discussed the meaning of life!"

Naruto's scalp suddenly began to grow numb. To be able to provoke such a reaction from Elder Brother Guy showed how truly powerful this meat jelly was. Such power was rarely seen in the world.

"It's too bad I couldn't finish," said the meat jelly discontentedly. "I was just starting to get excited. Now it's all over?" Chattering away, it flew up onto Naruto's shoulder. "Why don't you chat a bit with me, I'm feeling a bit lonely…."

Naruto's face went pale, and he took a deep breath. He forced a wry smile onto his face, and his mind spun, trying to come up with an idea.

"I think perhaps you forgot someone," he said.

"Who? Who? Who? Who did I forget? How could I forget somebody?" Given a chance to have a conversation, the meat jelly would definitely seize it immediately.

"You forgot about the old man in the mask!" said Naruto hurriedly. "You still haven't turned him back from the path of wickedness."

"Eee? Right! That old man isn't too bad, actually. But you're right. I need to go have a talk with him." Face shining with anticipation, the meat jelly parrot flashed, instantly disappearing into Naruto's bag of the Cosmos.

Naruto could just barely hear the sound of Danzo's sad, shrill cry when the meat jelly entered the mask. He had never heard such a cry come from the man before.

Naruto let out a long sigh and sat down on the ground, laughing bitterly. He looked at the moonlight outside and sighed again, wondering about what his life would be like in the coming days. Having the meat jelly with him constantly was a frightening thought.

"There must be a way to control it. That damned meat jelly…." Naruto gritted his teeth, and his eyes glittered brightly. "Its old enemy… the copper mirror… the parrot…." His eyes glittered even more brightly when he thought about reaching Core Formation. His anticipation soared to new heights.

Three days flashed by, during which time Guy never returned. Obviously, he was so frightened of Naruto's meat jelly that he didn't dare to come back. If he did, the meat jelly parrot might draw him into another conversation.

It was on the fourth day that he cautiously made his way back. He opened the door to the room, then immediately retreated several steps. When he saw that there was no parrot on Naruto's shoulder, he glanced around the room and then let out a sigh.

Naruto could only give him a wry smile. What else could he say?

Guy stood nervously outside the room. "That…. Little Junior Brother, it… it's gone?" He looked very nervous.

"Pretty much…." replied Naruto, standing up and walking out.

Guy let out a long sigh and looked at Naruto with a forced smile.

"Little Junior Brother, that parrot of yours is… Wow, what a bird. I truly admire it. Well, no need to talk about it, really. There are only a few more days until the Nadeshiko Clan's banquet. I've already arranged everything. When it comes time, we can teleport directly there. Today, why don't you let me show you around the Solitary Sword Sect? After all, when we come back from the Nadeshiko Clan, this will be your Sect, so you should get to know it." He grabbed Naruto's sleeve and pulled him out to the courtyard.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but in his mind appeared an image of the map of the Southern Domain. The Nadeshiko Clan was located relatively close to the Violet Fate Sect. As for the Solitary Sword Sect, Naruto thought about it a lot during the past days and had finally reached a conclusion. He decided that he would not take advantage of Guy's offer to join the Solitary Sword Sect.

He still wanted to figure out some way to disguise himself and join the Violet Fate Sect. He would learn Violet Chakra from the East as well as alchemy. And he would also figure out a way to get Grandmaster Pill Demon to dispel his poison.

As for the Solitary Sword Sect, Naruto didn't believe that Guy's master would be able to help him get rid of the poison. He needed the help of someone, not of the Nascent Soul stage, but the Spirit Severing stage!

Naruto was certain of this. However, Guy was so warm and welcoming, he didn't feel it was appropriate to tell him directly. Regarding the Nadeshiko Clan, Naruto very much wanted to go see it; however, because of his concerns regarding the Black Sieve Sect, he was still hesitating.

"I need to figure out a way to get in touch with Ino…." he thought. "She should be able to tell me what ended up happening with the Black Sieve Sect." He rubbed his bag of holding, and a cold smile touched his lips. There inside was a piece of jade which he could use to keep Ino in her place.

He followed Guy around the Solitary Sword Sect. Buildings lined the meandering paths, and streams flowed here and there. The whole place looked both imposing and tasteful.

The two of them chatted as they walked, and soon it was noontime. Eventually, they reached a large circular structure which was filled with hundreds of energetic Solitary Sword Sect disciples.

"This is the Battle Arena," explained Guy, "where Solitary Sword Sect disciples can fight each other. You can injure, but not kill. There are strict punishments for anyone who breaks the rules."

Naruto looked at it and was about to walk away when suddenly, his brow furrowed. A sinister voice suddenly rang out.

"Guests can fight in the Battle Arena to exchange techniques with our Sect disciples. I, Zaku, shall enter the arena. I would like to invite this outsider guest… to duel with me if he dares!" It was none other the middle-aged man named Zaku. A hypocritical smile covered his face as he strolled out from the crowd, staring mockingly at Naruto.

"Will you hide behind your Elder Brother again? Can you even make a single attack, you good-for-nothing loser? If you don't dare to fight, then you'd better hope you don't have to face me again in the future."

Everyone's eyes came to rest on Naruto and Guy.

* * *

Naruto's expression was the same as usual. He wasn't the least bit moved. He looked calmly at the sneering Zaku, and Dosu, who stood next to him, face grim.

Guy looked angry. He knew that Elder Brother Zaku and Dosu were on good terms, and that neither of them liked him very much. It was only because of his flying dagger that they never did much to him.

However, having Naruto at his side had caused innumerable difficulties with this sinister pair.

"If you want a fight, how about you two versus me?" said Guy coldly.

"As fellow Sect members, we have nothing to learn from each other," laughed Zaku. "I want to see if I can pick up a move or two from this outsider. Junior Brother Guy, you aren't really going to prevent such an exchange, will you?"

Guy gave a cold snort, grabbing Naruto to leave. Naruto smiled. He found the whole situation quite amusing. However, Guy seemed devoted to keeping Naruto safe, and he didn't want to refuse his good will. He was just about to follow along with Guy when Dosu's dark voice rang out.

"If you're scared, we understand." The surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples all laughed loudly. "How about this: Elder Brother Zaku will restrict his power to that of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. That would make things fair. We really want to see what magic you outsiders have. Junior Brother Guy, this matter has nothing to do with you. You can't keep him hiding behind you forever."

Solitary Sword Sect Cultivators generally stay away from outsiders. Many of them, although they didn't want to sneer at Elder Brother Guy, were getting excited at the scene which was playing out in front of them.

Guy ignored them, continuing to pull Naruto away. However, hearing Dosu's words caused Naruto to suddenly stop in his tracks. He turned and looked at Zaku and Dosu, forcing an outraged expression to appear on his face.

"Since a battle to the death is out of the question, we need to make a wager," he said, making his voice seem out of control.

Hearing this, the surrounding Solitary Sword Sect Cultivators burst into more laughter. Many of them had Cultivation bases lower than Naruto, but they were disciples of the Solitary Sword Sect, the number one Sect in the Southern Domain. It was only natural for them to feel somewhat superior.

Dosu laughed, as did middle-aged Zaku.

"Excellent," said Zaku. "If you stop hiding behind Junior Brother Guy and dare to fight me, then there's no harm in making a little wager. I have a treasured sword as well as several tens of thousands of Spirit Stones!" Laughing, he slapped his bag of holding to produce an azure-colored sword. The sword aura which swirled around it wasn't spectacular, but wasn't ordinary either.

"Little Junior Brother, you…." said Guy.

He was about to continue when Naruto, eyes bloodshot, interrupted him. Glaring, he said, "A handful of Spirit Stones and a sword aren't enough for Naruto. Put some more onto the table, sir, and then I'll fight you!" His loud voice rang out. The words he had spoken, and the expression on his face, were something he had long since become accustomed to using. He had faced many situations like this in the Five Elements Nation. Furthermore, he still had an unused golden spear in his bag of the Cosmos….

The crowd around them laughed loudly. Zaku looked at Naruto, his sneer growing larger.

"Very well," he said. "Whatever you put up as stakes, sir, I will match in value."

Next to him, Dosu laughed. "No matter," he said. "Whatever you produce, if Elder Brother Zaku matches it in value, then so shall I!" He glared at Guy, and deep in his eyes, killing intent swirled.

Naruto gasped. His eyes darted around as if he wished to run away. "Are you serious?!" he said, his voice sounding forced.

"You're in the Solitary Sword Sect, now," said Dosu haughtily. "Do you really think we would lie?"

Guy grabbed Naruto's arm and was about to say something.

Trembling, Naruto looked over at him and said, "Elder Brother Guy, can you please loan me your flying dagger?"

Guy looked at Naruto for a long moment. Finally, he lifted his hand up, and the black flying dagger appeared, a blade which could unleash the power of the Core Formation stage!

This dagger was extremely important to Guy. If he lost it, his position within the Sect would immediately become unstable. The repercussions would be dire. However, it only took the space of a few breaths for him to make up his mind to place it in Naruto's hand.

This display of brotherly affection caused Naruto to look deeply at Guy. A warm feeling filled his entire body, creating a memory that would exist for the rest of his life.

"Junior Brother," said Guy, his eyes glowing with encouragement, "if you're really going to fight, then do so with a light heart. If you lose, it won't matter. No big deal. And if you win, then win something good!" Although he didn't have much faith that Naruto could win, this was his style.

Everything was quiet around them as the crowd stared at the black flying dagger in Naruto's hand.

The silence lasted only for a moment before a buzz of conversation filled the air.

"That's Patriarch Kinuta's Core Formation flying dagger!"

"That's the symbol of the Seven Solitary Sword Sons, and Elder Brother Guy is actually giving it to a stranger to put up as stakes for a bet…."

"These stakes are incredible!"

The surrounding disciple's eyes shone brightly, and more than a few produced transmission jade slips to notify other fellow disciples of what was happening.

"This is what I'm putting up. Now it's your turn. No bet, no fight!" Naruto's voice was resolute, and his eyes shone with a do-or-die look. To the onlookers, however, it appeared that his coolness was forced, and that he was simply trying to bluff Dosu and Zaku into leaving him alone.

Dosu's body trembled as he glared at the black dagger in Naruto's hand. He panted, as did middle-aged Zaku. They exchanged an excited, shocked glance.

They had never imagined that Guy would actually take out the flying dagger and give it to his Junior Brother to put up as stakes in the bet.

"If you don't have anything to bet, then you can't blame me for not participating," repeated Naruto, preparing to hand the flying dagger back to Elder Brother Guy. Dosu obviously couldn't allow this to happen. His hand shot up and he ripped open the top of his robe to reveal a jade pendant hanging around his neck.

"This is a life-saving jade forged by my father himself with blood from his Cultivation base. It has no attack power, but it can stand up against an attack from the Nascent Soul Stage! If you win, then it's yours. I'll even give you some of my Cultivation base blood to use to refine it! I, Dosu, never go back on my word!" His tone of voice could chop nails and slice iron. As they rang out, Guy, along with the rest of the onlookers, gasped. Guy stared at the life-saving jade. It was a treasure his master had bestowed upon his son to protect him. In terms of value, it definitely exceeded his flying dagger.

Naruto put on a look of complete shock. He began to breathe heavily, causing Dosu to laugh coldly, his eyes shining coldly.

In a seemingly forced voice, Naruto said, "That's not enough. You just said that both of you would match the value of whatever I put up!"

Hearing this, middle-aged Zaku laughed heartily. He glared coldly at Naruto, and then gave pale-faced Guy a sinister look. At the moment, he was convinced of what to do. He knew Guy and Guy's personality. He wouldn't do anything devious, so clearly his expression revealed his true feelings.

"I, Zaku, don't have any precious treasures like Junior Brother Dosu. However, I do have some Spirit Stones saved up. Fellow disciples, if you are able to loan me some Spirit Stones, it will be to your benefit. I will pay them back with an additional one stone for every hundred you give." He laughed again, watching as the hundreds of surrounding Cultivators saluted him respectfully. A few of them flew over to him, and then more and more.

"No problem, Elder Brother Zaku. Of course we can help you."

"Hahaha! I don't have a lot of Spirit Stones, just a few thousand, my savings from the past few years. If you need them, Elder Brother Zaku, then they're yours."

"Don't worry, Elder Brother Zaku. We can definitely help you out."

The voices of hundreds of Cultivators filled the air. All of them produced Spirit Stones, in amounts ranging from hundreds to thousands. Soon, they had been piled together into a group of several tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

"These Spirit Stones can't compare in value to Junior Brother Dosu's precious treasure. Fine, fine, I won't try to take advantage of you. I have some magical items in my bag of holding that are worth tens of thousands of Spirit Stones. In total, their value is roughly 500,000!" He flicked his sleeve, and then shot into the air, transforming into a beam of light which shot toward the Battle Arena. Amidst the excited cries of the surrounding Cultivators, he landed in the middle of the arena and turned to stare at Naruto.

Guy looked at Naruto with a forced smile. He was just about to give some advice when Naruto put the flying dagger on the ground and then flew up in the air toward the Battle Arena.

No one made a move to stop him.

As he entered, the surrounding Cultivators craned their necks to watch. Middle-aged Zaku stood there arrogantly. He pressed his finger down onto the space between his eyebrows. Immediately, his Cultivation base sank down from the late Foundation Establishment stage to the mid Foundation Establishment stage, as if he had six Dao Pillars.

"Zaku is not the sort of person who would bully you," he said, sticking his jaw out, "so I'll only use the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Under no circumstances will I use the power of late Foundation Establishment."

"Actually, there's no need for that," murmured Naruto. He stood there in the Battle Arena, his expression very different than before. There was nothing fake about his expression now. He smiled, and within the smile was happiness, as well as a bit of shyness.

The people here weren't familiar with this shyness. But the people from the Violet Fate Sect who had traded with him years before in the Five Elements Nation would know it well. It would cause their scalps to grow numb if they saw it. They would think themselves to be in some kind of nightmare, and would most likely fly into a violent rage.

"In a bit, you'll have to eat your words…." said Naruto shyly. He looked just like the young scholar that had stood there on Mount Myoboku years ago. He seemed a little embarrassed as he took a step forward.

* * *

This man named Zaku had no way to know how famous Naruto was in the Five Elements Nation, nor about the iron spear which was still located within the Violet Fate Sect….

Naruto's body flickered as he shot toward Zaku. He lifted his right hand and flashed an incantation sign; immediately, a Flame Dragon roared out.

It wasn't very large, only about thirty meters long, and its color was not normal. Instead of being the color of fire, it was dark, and had two flapping wings. This was obviously a Flying Rain-Dragon.

Power from Naruto's Cultivation base was congealed inside of it, and not a drop seeped out. Only someone significantly more powerful than Naruto, someone of a higher stage, would be able to sense the slight fluctuations of the Cultivation base power within it.

From the look of it, it really did seem to be something that would be produced by the power of mid Foundation Establishment, or perhaps even inferior to that.

Sneers filled the faces of the Cultivators outside the Battle Arena. They were clearly very amused by the whole scene.

Guy groaned inwardly. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were dull as he thought, not about his flying dagger, but the fact that this was a Battle Arena, and there was no way to tell what deadly moves Zaku might use.

Dosu watched on, a smile covering his face. He looked exceedingly pleased. He had never liked Guy, not from the very beginning when his father had brought him back to the Solitary Sword Sect. He felt that his father treated him far too well for the outsider that he was.

As for the flying dagger that had been given to Guy, Dosu thought of it as his own. How could it be given to someone else? And how come he wasn't a member of the current generation of the Seven Solitary Sword Sons?

He didn't understand, but also didn't dare to complain to his father. This caused his enmity toward Guy to grow stronger and stronger.

"Finally I have a chance today!" he thought. "Guy, ahh, Guy, the flying dagger will finally belong to me. You trifling nobody. Do you really dare to contend with me?!" A smile broke out on his face, and he laughed.

Back within the Battle Arena, Zaku also laughed. A haughty look covered his face as he watched Naruto's Flame Dragon speeding toward him. He sneered.

"A barbarian Cultivator from a backwater Sect," he said loftily. "You don't deserve to even be here. Your magic is so simple! You really dare to use a trifling Flame Dragon art? Even being restricted to the mid Foundation Establishment stage, I can still kill you with ease." He flicked his sleeve, and the power of his mid Foundation Establishment stage boiled out. He raised his hand and the illusory image of a sun and a moon appeared on either side of his palm.

The images of the sun and moon transformed into two gleaming sword auras. Zaku waved his hand and they shot screaming into the air, straight toward the incoming Flame Dragon.

A cheer rose up from the surrounding Cultivators when they saw this.

Of course, all of this takes some time to describe, but happened in an instant. The images of the sun and moon swords slammed into the Flame Dragon, and as they did, for some unknown reason, they began to twist and warp.

A bang exploded out as the moon sword pushed up against the Flame Dragon. It seemed like it was trying to move a mountain. The sword instantly collapsed to pieces. Before the pieces could float away, they were transformed into ash by the heat of the Flame Dragon.

At the same time, the sun sword also collapsed. The thirty meter long Flame Dragon didn't even seem to have been scratched. Its momentum increased as it shot toward Zaku.

As it shot forward, its body expanded. Thirty meters, ninety meters, one hundred and fifty meters… in the blink of an eye, it was three hundred meters long and growing!

A mysterious power emanated out from the Flame Dragon, forming into a monstrous Flame Sea. This was the aura of the Flame Dragon. Its massive wings spread out to cover the sky, causing the Battle Arena to be submerged in flame.

All of this occurred too quickly, and middle-aged Zaku could not possibly have predicted that it would happen. It was the same with Dosu, as well as all the surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples, who watched on with stunned faces.

A roaring sound filled the air, and the Battle Arena shook. The shield covering the Battle Arena rippled as it held back the power.

At the same time as the roaring sounded out, Naruto suddenly shot forward, attacking as fast as lightning. Li's face went white, and filled with an expression of disbelief. Nine jade slips appeared and floated around him, emanating a protective energy which defended him from the massive power of the Flame Sea.

These nine jade slips were clearly extraordinary in their protective power. However, Naruto continued to shoot toward him like an arrow. In an instant, he slammed into the shield generated by the nine jade slips.

Another boom resonated out, along with a miserable shout. The onlookers watched on, dumbstruck as the flames began to die out. Zaku spun backward like a kite with its string cut, blood shooting out of his mouth, his eyes filled with shock. He cut a sorry figure.

Naruto emerged from the Flame Sea, his face calm. He smiled, and still had the shy look on his face.

Dosu gasped when this happened, and then stared in shock. Guy blinked his eyes, looking at Naruto with disbelief.

Amidst the silence of the shocked audience, middle-aged Li's body stopped moving. A grim expression appeared on his face, and then he pushed down on his forehead.

Suddenly, his body quivered and then filled with the power of the great circle of Foundation Establishment. Pseudo Core stage power immediately exploded out from him.

This power was far, far beyond what he had exhibited moments ago. His eyes radiating killing intent as he watched Naruto striding out from within the Flame Sea. A haughty look once again filled his face.

"You seem qualified to be slain by the true power of my Cultivation base!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He smiled shyly, but said nothing. Seeing the smile, Zaku felt a strong feeling of abhorrence. He shot forward, his hand lifting toward his bag of holding and retrieving a sword.

The azure-colored sword spun rapidly above his head, forming the shape of a whale. It sucked in the power of Li's late Foundation Establishment stage power, whereupon a buzzing sound filled the air. Ghost images of the sword suddenly appeared, seven of them!

The buzz of conversation filled the air.

"Seven Exterminations! Elder Brother Zaku is using a killing move!"

"That's one of the most powerful stances of Foundation Establishment, a profound magic of the Seven Solitary Sword Sons…."

Guy's expression twisted. "Solitary Sword Seven Exterminations!" He was about to take a step forward when Dosu laughed and stretched out his arm to block the way.

"Junior Brother Guy, it's prohibited to interfere with matches in the Battle Arena. You're not going to break Sect rules are you?"

As the observing Solitary Sword Sect disciples discussed the proceedings, within the Battle Arena, Li's hair whipped about wildly. He flashed incantation gestures, causing a cyclone to spring up. The cyclone merged with the azure sword, and a roaring sound filled the air. A vicious expression appeared on his face as he waved a finger.

The azure sword seemed to split the air as it shot with incredible speed toward Naruto.

This attack was one of the most powerful moves from a Cultivator of the great circle of Foundation Establishment, as well as one of the most powerful arts of the Solitary Sword Sect. For Zaku to use it in this situation made it clear that he intended to strike a fatal blow!

"I plan to use this magic to win a place among the Seven Sons. Today… I'll christen it with your head!" His sinister voice echoed out as the sword screamed forward. The sword and its seven ghost images bore down onto the Naruto….

A smile appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"In terms of magical techniques, I'm still a bit deficient…." he muttered to himself. He suddenly struck his hand forward. Immediately, everything began to shake, and the approaching sword suddenly stopped.

Naruto then took a step forward and struck his hand out a second time, then a third and a fourth time. Each time he did, he took another step. By the time he reached the fifth strike, he was upon the sword. The ground quaked as the massive image of an illusory hand appeared in front of Naruto. It shot toward the sword.

At the same time, Naruto's Spiritual Sense burst out. When he was in the early Foundation Establishment stage, his Spiritual Sense could shock late Foundation Establishment Cultivators. But now he had an additional Dao Pillar, which made him even more powerful. The Spiritual Sense merged into the giant illusory hand. When the hand slammed into the azure sword, a massive bang rang out.

The azure sword shook. One by one, the ghost images surrounding it popped and disappeared. All of this takes some time to describe, but happened in an instant. The ghost images of the swords disintegrated, and then cracks began to cover the surface of the sword itself.

The illusory hand passed through the sword and then continued on toward Zaku. There was no way for him to dodge it, so it slammed directly into his body.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he staggered backward, his face pale. Naruto's fifth step placed him directly next to the azure sword. He reached up and pushed against it.

A cracking noise sounded out and the sword… split completely in half.

"You lose… Now pay up," said Naruto. He flicked his sleeve, sending the two pieces of the azure sword flying away to land at the feet of Zaku. Li's face was deathly pale, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood. His aura seemed to have weakened. He looked at Naruto, a look of disbelief and bitter anguish covering his face.

He… had lost!

* * *

Silence reigned outside of the Battle Arena. Hundreds of Solitary Sword Sect disciples stared at Naruto in shock and disbelief. As the seconds ticked by, their eyes filled with intense fear.

In the Cultivation world, respect is delivered to the powerful. Naruto was only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but the efficiency with which he had vanquished the great circle of late Foundation Establishment left a deep impression on everyone. Their fear transformed into respect. Respect for Naruto.

No one said anything. They watched him as he left the Battle Arena, the shy look still on his face as he walked back to Guy.

Guy gaped at him for a long moment. And then, a smile broke out on his face and he started to laugh. His laughter shattered the silence, and a hubbub immediately broke out.

"Who is that guy?!"

"He's at the mid Foundation Establishment stage but actually defeated the great circle of Foundation Establishment! This type of Cultivation base… this type of power… he can't be a nobody!"

"He… seems almost like a Dao Child! The magic he just used seemed somewhat familiar. It was like the Black Sieve Sect's 19 Black Cloud Strikes…."

The sound of discussion echoed about. Dosu's face was pale as he staggered back a few steps. He tilted his head and stared closely at Naruto, the first time he had done so. Previously, he had thought Guy was the one he needed to pay most attention to. His eyes filled with an intense, venomous hatred and rage.

"You despicable, shameless bastard! You're a swindler! You obviously know the power of your Cultivation base and pretended to be weak! You avoided battle before with the sole purpose of picking this fight! Your depravity knows no bounds!" Dosu was gnashing his teeth and cursing as middle-aged Zaku exited the Battle Arena, his face pale. He chuckled bitterly, looking at Naruto with complex expression that included hatred and other emotions.

He still didn't understand. Clearly, he had been played. He'd thought he had the situation completely under control, and yet it turned out that his opponent had effortlessly tricked him.

Then he thought of the Spirit Stones he had wagered, which weren't even his. He had borrowed them from surrounding fellow Sect members and had to pay back everything with interest. His face grew even more ashen.

Naruto gave a light cough. His expression bashful, he said, "You were the ones who insisted on the match." Dosu trembled. With the flick of a sleeve, he turned to leave, clearly intending to go back on his word and not hand over the jade pendant.

Guy gave a cold snort. "Junior Brother Dosu," he said coolly, "The stakes of a bet mean nothing, but the prestige of the Solitary Sword Sect is everything. Don't tell me you intend to break your word!?" Instantly, the eyes of all the surrounding Cultivators came to rest on Dosu.

They were all Solitary Sword Sect disciples. They might not always be able to measure up to others in terms of skill, but the importance of upright conduct had been drilled into them from the moment they joined the Sect. One's word could not be broken.

Dosu felt the eyes of hundreds of his fellow disciples upon him, and his expression flickered. He stamped his foot angrily on the ground. Heart aching, he took off his life-saving jade pendant and threw it toward Naruto. He also tossed out a drop of his own blood.

He glared at Naruto, his eyes filled with fury and disgrace. If he could, he would kill Naruto hundreds of times over. Finally, his body turned into a colorful beam that shot off into the distance.

Naruto coughed lightly again. Such gazes were not unfamiliar to him, and he was actually used to them. His eager gaze next fell upon Li's bag of holding. Inside were the tens upon tens of thousands of Spirit Stones which he had put up as stakes in the bet.

Pale faced, Zaku couldn't help but wonder how he would possibly pay back his fellow Sect members. Then he thought about how he owed literally hundreds of people, and his vision grew dim.

Without the slightest trace of politeness, Guy walked up and grabbed the bag of holding. Zaku did nothing to stop him. He could only smile sadly. Guy was just about to turn and walk back, when Naruto coughed again.

"Elder Brother, there's also a sword worth tens of thousands of Spirit Stones." Could Naruto really forget that? Considering how much he cared about Spirit Stones, as well as desire to join a Sect, he might be able to forget about other things. But he could never forget matters related to Spirit Stones.

"The sword?" Guy said to pale-faced Zaku, holding his hand out.

Face bitter, Zaku produced the sword. His heart trembled, and felt as if it would tear in half. He handed it over to Guy, and from his expression, it looked like he was handing over the love of his life.

He glared murderously at Naruto, the venom in his eyes growing stronger and stronger.

"No shame whatsoever!" he said, clenching his jaw. He flicked his sleeve, turned and left.

Guy gave a cold snort, and then hurried away with Naruto and all the winnings. They returned to his house, their faces covered with smiles.

"Little Junior Brother, we won out this time. But next time," he exhorted earnestly, "you can't do something like that. That was extremely dangerous, and also, you now have to worry about those two trying to get back at you."

Naruto nodded, knowing that Guy was simply concerned for him. With a smile, he said, "Elder Brother, how about I take the Spirit Stones, and you keep the jade pendant?"

Guy thought for a moment, and then replied, "No, I don't need it. You take it. Listen to your Elder Brother. You take everything. This is my Sect, so I have everything I need. As for the jade pendant… consider this: You take it, but when Master emerges from secluded meditation, return it. After all, you will eventually be a member of the Sect."

Naruto tried to convince him to take the piece of jade, but Guy, although he didn't directly refuse, declined to take it. Finally, Naruto collected together all his winnings, whereupon Guy produced some more alcohol. The two Brothers sat down to drink, and chatted about the Reliance Sect.

A few days passed, and Guy's master continued to remain in secluded meditation. The date of the banquet at the Nadeshiko Clan drew closer. Finally, one morning at dawn, the sound of bells filled the Solitary Sword Sect.

At the bottom of the mountain was a stretch of ground normally covered with restrictive spells. Currently, people were flying from all directions toward this very area.

Naruto was among them, flying alongside Guy.

As he approached, the first thing Naruto noticed was an enormous teleportation portal, surrounded by nine stone pillars. Not far away from it, a gray-robed old man sat cross-legged and motionless.

"That's the portal keeper," said Guy quietly. "His only job is to keep watch over the teleportation portal." Naruto nodded, shifting his gaze to look at the portal itself as well as the surrounding area.

Other than Guy and himself, there were three others present. They all wore the Daoist robes of the Solitary Sword Sect, and had large swords strapped to their backs. When he looked at them, they looked back and gave him slight nods.

With a smile, Naruto clasped hands and saluted them. They smiled back.

Despite the lack of any words being exchanged, Naruto could tell that they knew who he was. Obviously, his match with Zaku had gained him no small amount of prestige in the Solitary Sword Sect over the past few days.

Time passed, and more people arrived. After the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, there were about eighteen people present. None of them were very old; most were around thirty, and some seemed to be as young as twenty.

They seemed to brim with vitality, and were all extraordinarily good looking. Furthermore, all of them were in the Foundation Establishment stage, two of the group being at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

As they arrived, each one would look at Naruto. Some would then nod, others simply ignored him.

"Soon Elder Kusune will arrive," whispered Guy. "He'll lead us through the teleportation portal to the Nadeshiko Clan. Your Elder Brother is going to work hard to get you a beloved!" He chuckled, but his expression was very serious.

Naruto gaped. This was the second time Guy had brought up the matter. Naruto had a strange feeling about this trip to the Nadeshiko Clan.

Time passed, and soon a beam of light appeared in the sky, a few dozen meters wide. In an instant, it had reached them, and an old man appeared, wearing a voluminous Daoist robe. His face was ruddy, and he had a full head of long, white hair. He carried a gourd of alcohol in his hand, and strapped to his back was a huge pitch-black sword.

He had a brandy nose, and his entire body emanated the smell of alcohol. His robe was wrinkled and messy. He burped.

"Greetings, Elder Kusune!" said Guy and the others, immediately clasping hands in salute. Naruto also bowed his head and clasped hands in greeting.

"Alright, you little brats. Let's see if any of you are lucky enough to take that Nadeshiko girl in marriage and bring honor to the ancestors of the Solitary Sword Sect…." The old man's sonorous voice echoed out, shaking Naruto, and even the very ground, it seemed.

When he said the words "bring honor to the ancestors," his voice grew especially loud, causing the gray-robed man to open his eyes and then slowly shake his head. He seemed to find the wording somewhat inappropriate. However, he said nothing.

"He's definitely not a Core Formation Cultivator," thought Naruto, taking a deep breath. He had seen Nascent Soul eccentrics before, and it seemed… that's exactly what this man was! Nascent Soul stage!

Guy stepped forward. Raising hands again in a respectful salute, he said, "Elder Kusune, this is a disciple from my former Sect, my Junior Brother who…."

"Got it. No problem! Don't forget to bring me a few jugs of your master's alcohol when we get back." The old man clapped Guy on the shoulder. He glanced at Naruto, and then strode forward toward the teleportation portal.

Naruto hesitated for a moment and then said, "Elder Brother, this trip to the Nadeshiko Clan…."

Guy hurriedly replied. "The Nadeshiko Clan has an urgent need for a son-in-law, so they've invited the five Sects and two Clans to visit. Little Junior Brother, if you play your cards right, you might have a chance. Whether you join the Solitary Sword Sect, or become a member of the Nadeshiko Clan, you will soon have a proper foundation upon which to practice Cultivation." He grabbed Naruto's sleeve and dragged him toward the teleportation portal.

Naruto was hesitant for a moment, and then made his decision. "The people from the Solitary Sword Sect are here, so I can't try to get the meat jelly to help me change my appearance. This isn't really working out how I want it to. Oh well, once we get to the Nadeshiko Clan, I'll think of an excuse to get away."

* * *

The Nadeshiko Clan was one of the three great Clans of the Southern Domain, and was somewhat isolated in its position. It had a history stretching back tens of thousands of years, and was deeply rooted in the society of the Southern Domain. It existed on the edge of a wide plain which contained some rolling hills, but few mountains.

In the southeast of the plain, however, was a mountain range called Neck of Heaven, under which flowed a river. Look down on it from the sky, and it had the appearance of a woman resting her head on her arm. It was quite pretty and charming.

The Nadeshiko Clan was situated atop the chain of mountains. It was different from other Clans. Its main gate was actually an ancient castle, connected to which was an enormous wall that snaked throughout the various surrounding mountains, creating a very spectacular sight.

As for the castle of the capital city, it was pitch black and had the appearance of an enormous wild beast, filled with indescribable ferocity. Anyone who saw it for the first time would be left with the impression that the Nadeshiko Clan was not to be provoked.

The capital city was surrounded by eighty-one smaller cities, which were constructed according to the rise and fall of the mountains. Each city was densely populated by Clan members.

In the sky above the Nadeshiko Clan was an enormous rotating Sun and Moon. When it was pitch black in the outside world, the sun blazed in the Nadeshiko Clan. When it was bright and sunny outside, the moon shone in the Nadeshiko Clan.

This Sun and Moon was a precious treasure of the Nadeshiko Clan.

Every great Sect and Clan possessed some valuable treasure. Only in this way could their continued status and glory be maintained.

For example, the Black Sieve Sect had their incense burner, and the Solitary Sword Sect its enormous sword. They were all precious treasures. As for the Nadeshiko Clan, the sun and moon which hung in their sky enveloped the entire Clan, transforming it into a different world than what existed outside.

It was likely because of this treasure that for so many years, the Nadeshiko Clan had not experienced any friction with outside Sects and Clans, and held such a lofty position. They did not provoke others, and others did not dare to provoke them.

The Nadeshiko Clan was not as powerful as the Solitary Sword Sect, nor as mysterious of the Blood Demon Sect. It was not as extravagant as the Violet Fate Sect, nor did they have a vast array of magics like the Golden Frost Sect. They were not as erudite as the Black Sieve Sect, either.

Amongst the three great Clans, the Nadeshiko Clan maintained the lowest profile. Their Dao Children did not perform sensational acts, nor did the Clan struggle for glory. They were relatively quiet. What they did have, though, was information, collected over many, many years.

They did not provoke others, and others did not dare to provoke them!

The mountains they occupied left others with a profound impression. If incredible change rocked the Southern Domain in the future, other Sects and Clans might very well collapse. The one organization that was most likely to remain was the Nadeshiko Clan.

The degree of their inconspicuousness was such that people knew almost nothing about them. This in turn created a sense of fear and terror.

In the past few hundred years, the only person to venture out of the Nadeshiko Clan was Hiruko , who everyone in the Southern Domain knew about. He had an odd personality, and enjoyed the collection of wild beasts. His occasional excursions gave him plenty of opportunities to interact with other Sects and Clans.

At this moment within the Nadeshiko Clan capital city, dazzling lights flickered and people bustled about preparing for an ancient tradition of the Nadeshiko Clan.

Women of the Nadeshiko Clan were not permitted to marry outsiders. Instead, a husband would be sought from the outside, who would then marry into the family. Upon marriage, the new son-in-law would then become a Conclave Cultivator of the Nadeshiko Clan.

Throughout the years, many Sects had desired to infiltrate the Nadeshiko Clan. However, because of their strange and ancient marriage custom, those Sects had long since vanished. The Nadeshiko Clan, however… still remained.

Of course, there were problems with the arrangement….

Shizuka Nadeshiko stood quietly at the window, looking out. The outside world was awash with sunlight, but inside the Nadeshiko Clan, the sky was dark. Wind blew against her face, lifting up her hair and revealing her spectacular beauty. Right now, she wore a sad look and seemed to be apprehensive.

Her apprehension was because of her fate as a woman of the Nadeshiko Clan. She felt melancholy for the same reason. There was nothing she could do to resist; it was useless to struggle. The Nadeshiko Clan's rules had been laid down by the ancestors, and could not be changed.

The soft voice of a woman could be heard from behind her. "We're different from the other Sects and Clans. As a girl of the Nadeshiko Clan, it's impossible to maintain your purity forever. You can't change that, nor can I." The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman who gazed affectionately at Shizuka.

Shizuka didn't reply.

After a while, though, she nodded. In her mind, images appeared from the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. She remembered looking on helplessly as her Blood Phoenix died. She could only watch through tear-filled eyes as it faded away.

"Perhaps it's just my fate." Her face filled with exhaustion. The exhaustion did not mar her good looks; in fact, it seemed to give birth to a tender beauty.

The woman behind her could sense what Shizuka was feeling. She stepped forward and stroked Shizuka's long, beautiful hair. "It is fate," she said. "But it's not destiny, it's a mission. A mission from the Nadeshiko Clan of the Southern Domain. "

"The destruction of the Southern Domain. Gather a hundred Clans. Fuse their bloodlines. Evade the palace of the Heavens…." Shizuka murmured the words which she had heard people recite ever since she was young. "But father said that no power within the entire Southern Domain could bring about its complete destruction. Nothing in the Sky Country could do so either." She looked back at the middle-aged woman.

"That's a legend which has existed since ancient times. Mother doesn't know what it means either."

Mother and daughter were silent for a while after that.

Meanwhile, outside of the Nadeshiko Clan, the sun blazed brightly in the sky. On the plains below the Nadeshiko Clan, a glittering light shined out, which grew in intensity over the space of about ten breaths. Then, it gradually disappeared, revealing a dozen or more people.

Naruto sucked in a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It seemed his body wasn't really suited for teleportation. He looked around and immediately noticed that up ahead existed a world of was a huge mountain range, hanging over which was… a moon.

He gaped at the bizarre sight.

Next to him, Guy sighed with emotion. "We're in Nadeshiko Clan territory now. It's my first time here, but I've heard people talk of how astonishing the Nadeshiko Clan is."

The old man lifted his gourd of alcohol and took a drink. Then he let out a loud burp and laughed heartily. His laughter filled the air, after which several beams of light shot out from the darkness of the Nadeshiko Clan.

"Brandy Nose!" said a voice from within the approaching beams of light. It didn't sound pleased. "How come the Solitary Sword Sect sent you? I can smell the stench of alcohol coming off of you from here!"

"Hiruko! How could I not come? This old Daoist is going to drink his fill before he leaves!" The old man suddenly shot up into the air.

Naruto took a deep breath. The words 'Hiruko' filled him with fear. He looked up into the sky and could just make out the image of Nadeshiko Clan members within the beams of light. One of them was an old man who, although Naruto had never seen before, he immediately knew was the same Hiruko from that time in the Five Elements Nation.

"I just arrived and already ran into him," thought Naruto. "I can't stay here long… if Hiruko finds out I'm here, the consequences will be terrible…." Naruto was just about to try to sneak off when Guy grabbed him.

"Little Junior Brother, did you see? I'm not sure of the name of that member of the elder generation, but I heard everyone calls him Hiruko. They say he has a very bizarre personality, and that he owns tons of wild beasts. He also likes to make bets with other Sects all the time…."

Naruto interrupted him with a forced smile, "Elder Brother, I really can't proceed any further, I have to…." Before Naruto could finish speaking, the old man from the Solitary Sword Sect and Hiruko suddenly started yelling at each other.

"Your Nadeshiko Clan is entirely too stingy! Ten Thousand Trees Mountain only has a single pearl as the reward? What good is a crappy pearl!? That's the prize that my Solitary Sword Sect kids are supposed to fight for? No way!"

"It's a Cubic Pearl that can dispel even the strangest poisons in the world," replied Hiruko. "It's a treasure refined by the Sun and Moon of the Nadeshiko Clan. It can only be given as a gift to a son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan. Even if you wanted it, you couldn't have it. Besides, what treasures could possibly compare to a girl of the Nadeshiko Clan? Your granny! Are you Solitary Sword Sect people here because of the search for a son-in-law, or just to grab treasures?!"

Hearing this exchange, Naruto's eyes flickered. Next to him, Guy frowned.

"Little Junior Brother, you should really think things through," he said earnestly. "You'll be able to make a lot of friends here. Choji will be here too, and you haven't seen him for years. However, if you truly must leave, then Elder Brother won't stop you."

Naruto lowered his head thoughtfully for a moment, then looked up and smiled.

"Fine, since I'm here, I might as well check things out."

Guy smiled in return. He clapped Naruto on the shoulder and was just about to continue speaking when another blinding light appeared. It spread out, attracting the attention of everyone, including Hiruko and the old man from the Solitary Sword Sect.

The glowing light spread out, and within, the figures of dozens of people gradually grew distinct. Naruto's eyes glittered, and Guy frowned.

These were people from the Uchiha Clan.

The group was comprised of both men and women. They looked around after they appeared, and their eyes were especially drawn to the mountain chain in the distance, upon which the Nadeshiko Clan was situated.

At the front of this group of people was an old man whose face was covered with a tranquil expression. He strode forward, looking up at Hiruko and the old man from the Solitary Sword Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Kusune," he said, "you arrived quickly. Could it be that you caught a whiff of the Nadeshiko Clan's alcohol, causing you to arrive faster than everyone else?"

Elder Kusune laughed and took a swig of alcohol. "I'm not that fast. At least, I'm not as fast as Fellow Daoist Uchiha was that time back at the Rebirth Cave. The speed and beauty of your retreat were incredible."

The old man from the Uchiha Clan smiled. He didn't respond, but clasped his hands and gave a slight bow to Hiruko.

Behind him were various members of the Uchiha Clan, including Sasuke He wore a white robe, along with a cold expression and a slight, grim frown. It seemed as if he were thinking about something important. His features were handsome, his disposition perfect. Everything melded together to give him an air of flawlessness.

Standing next to him was Baru Uchiha . His expression was proud and aloof as he gazed at the Nadeshiko Clan mountains. Then his gaze shifted to the group from the Solitary Sword Sect. He frowned when he caught sight of Naruto.

"He looks a bit familiar…" His gaze passed by before he could recall who Naruto was. However, it was at this moment that Sasuke's surprised eyes fell onto Naruto. A look of disbelief appeared.

Naruto looked back at him. They were in different groups of people, hundreds of meters away from each other, and yet their gazes locked.

Just like they had years ago in the Reliance Sect!

* * *

"Naruto!" thought Sasuke, his eyes instantly shining with a mysterious glow. He felt a sudden stab of pain from the index finger of his right hand. The finger was pitch black, and inside, a pulsating black aura could be seen.

Seeing Naruto here was not something Sasuke had ever imagined would happen. Many years had passed, but he recognized him immediately. This was that damned Cultivator from the Five Elements Nation who had stolen away his legacy and wrecked all of his meticulously laid plans!

As soon as he saw Naruto, Sasuke's breath quickened. He had assumed that Naruto disappeared along with the Five Elements Nation. How could he have predicted that he would suddenly appear here? Furthermore, he was in a group from the Solitary Sword Sect. Many thoughts ran through his head during the space of a few breaths. Then he recovered his composure and looked away.

"Since he's here," thought Sasuke, "I'll have to find an opportunity to sacrifice him to my poison finger." His expression calm, he slowly began to exhibit the same disregard for Naruto that he had years ago. It was as if he would eternally be above Naruto. It didn't matter if they were in the Five Elements Nation or the Southern Domain. He didn't care at all about Naruto. He was a member of the Uchiha Clan. He was Chosen. He was superior, and as for Naruto, it didn't matter what relationship he had with the Solitary Sword Sect. To him, Naruto was nothing more than an insect.

He had perfect good looks and a flawless temperament. He stood there, slowly becoming the center of attention. He smiled lightly, his expression indifferent. The disregard for Naruto which existed in his heart slowly transformed in to scorn and arrogance. He tilted his head up, and it appeared, for all intents and purposes, that Naruto was nothing to him and could be crushed on a whim.

At the same time, Baru Uchiha frowned slightly. He looked at Naruto again, and a mysterious look appeared in his eyes. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. It was a smile similar to Sasuke's, filled with scorn in disregard.

Now he remembered the scene from years ago. He remembered this ant that he almost crushed on the top of the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect, only to be stopped by Kakashi.

"Interesting," he said with a chuckle. His words did not echo out, and could only be heard by Sasuke. "So, we once again run into this insolent kid. Tengfei, now is your chance to conclude matters from all those years ago. Kill him, and prove that everything I've told you is true. You are Chosen, and he is nothing more than an insect."

Sasuke smiled. "I've long since stopped thinking about the things that happened that year," he said coolly. "However, I really should take his head." He looked at Naruto once again, and his eyes brimmed with confidence in his ability to kill him. It would be as easy as turning over his hand. He looked away, ignoring Naruto and staring off into the distance. He appeared thoughtful once again, as if he were wrestling with some matter in his heart.

"Don't overthink things," said Baru Uchiha, his voice low. "You need to trust Sakura."

Sasuke was quiet for a long moment, then growled, "If I ever find out who it was, I'll tear him into a thousand pieces!" His eyes were filled with cold, callous hatred, as well as humiliation. Killing intent roiled out of him, much more intense than when he had seen Naruto. This matter was something he could not ignore, something he could not cool down from.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. Seeing Sasuke here wasn't completely unexpected. However, it naturally caused various emotions to bubble up within him.

The enmity between him and Sasuke was not something he cared much about any more. Years had passed, and as of now, Naruto actually felt that he had been a bit too hot-blooded in his youth. There were definitely some areas in which he was in the wrong.

Now, Naruto's Cultivation base was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and his battle prowess put him in the same league as Dao Children, although few people knew that. In Naruto's estimation, if he could defeat Sasuke when in the Chakra Condensation stage, then nowadays it wasn't even worth thinking about.

What concerned him most was the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a husband, and the Cubic Pearl that Hiruko had mentioned moments ago. It could dispel the strangest poisons in the world, and that made Naruto's heart palpitate with eagerness.

He wasn't sure if the Cubic Pearl could dispel the poison of the Resurrection Lily, but considering the Nadeshiko Clan was offering it up as a prize, it was surely no ordinary object.

"I wonder if it really can dispel the poison…. If it can, then maybe I won't need to infiltrate the Violet Fate Sect after all. Staying in the Solitary Sword Sect wouldn't be bad." His heart pounded in anticipation. As he traveled the path of Cultivation, his next big hurdle would be Core Formation. That was a difficult bridge to cross, and joining a powerful Sect would surely help.

After a long moment of thought, his eyes filled with determination.

Up above, Hiruko, Elder Kusune, and the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Uchiha Clan turned into beams of prismatic light that shot toward the darkness which surrounded the Nadeshiko Clan.

Two other Nadeshiko Clan members had come out with Hiruko. They split, one walking toward the Solitary Sword Sect's group, the other to the Uchiha Clan's group.

They clasped hands and bowed. Smiling, they said, "Fellow Daoists of the Solitary Sword Sect and Uchiha Clan, please follow us. We will enter the mountains of the Nadeshiko Clan together."

Everyone flew up into the air. Various members of the Solitary Sword Sect and the Uchiha Clan were obviously acquainted. The two groups merged into a larger group. Talking and laughing could be heard as they transformed into beams of light and shot toward the Nadeshiko Clan.

Naruto and Guy were on the edge of the group, some distance away from the Uchiha Clan Cultivators. Sasuke flew along, expression cold. He frowned, apparently too busy being lost in thought to pay any attention to Naruto.

They flew at high speed, and very soon reached the area where the brightness of the outside world gave way to the darkness of the Nadeshiko Clan. The instant they entered, Naruto's heart leaped. He had just discovered a major difference between the outside world, and the Nadeshiko Clan. The spiritual energy here… could be felt and absorbed!

This unexpected turn of events shook Naruto's mind and heart. Of course, after all his years of practicing Cultivation, he was able to prevent his feelings from showing on his face. His expression was the same as ever.

"So it turns out… I can absorb spiritual energy in this place! This is the perfect location for me to practice Cultivation!" This discovery exceeded the entirety of Naruto's imagination. He was just preparing to rotate his Cultivation base and begin to absorb spiritual energy when a thought flashed through his mind, and he stopped.

One of the tools which Naruto had developed after escaping all the various snares and traps throughout the years, was caution. Therefore, he would be cautious here, too.

He looked around and soon began to pick up on some clues. As the Solitary Sword Sect disciples flew forward, frowns appeared on their faces.

"So, we can't absorb the spiritual energy here…" Guy whispered to him. "I heard before that the Nadeshiko Clan is strange, and that certainly seems true. Apparently, only members of the Nadeshiko Clan can do breathing exercises here to absorb spiritual energy. Other Sects and Clans are unable to. It's not that spiritual energy is forbidden here, it's that we can't absorb it."

A bit more time passed. Seeing all the mountains and cities filled with Cultivators pass by beneath him, Naruto was filled with a sense of mystery. After passing scores of mountains, they reached the Nadeshiko Clan's capital city.

Within the capital city was an enormous square. Already, many Cultivators from outside the Nadeshiko Clan had arrived there. Present were members of the Golden Frost Sect and the Blood Demon Sect.

The place was alive with activity, and the hubbub of conversations filled the air.

Even before the Solitary Sword Sect and Uchiha Clan Cultivators could land, a loud voice drifted up into the air. "It's absolutely, one hundred percent true. I, Chobee , saw everything with my own eyes. That day, Sakura wasn't wearing proper clothing. She was wearing a man's garment! Furthermore, she seemed to be on very intimate terms with the male Cultivator. You all don't believe me? I, Chobee, swear an oath that if my words are in any way false, you can gouge my eyes out!"

The person talking was a young Cultivator. He was speaking so passionately that spit flew out of his mouth. He gazed at the surrounding Nadeshiko Clan members with exuberant, shining eyes. As he spoke, he gesticulated wildly and jumped up and down. The dozens of surrounded Nadeshiko Clan members watched on in astonishment.

The Cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect were situated off to the side. They sat there quietly, cross-legged, and in their midst was a Chino, dressed in a white robe!

Sitting cross-legged next to Chino were two people. One was Mitsuki's brother, and the other was none other than Shikamaru !

Shikamaru was looking quietly at the group of people from the Golden Frost Sect. In their midst was a rather fat fellow whose face had a few pimples on it. He wasn't very tall, and at the moment he was smiling complacently at Chobee. This was none other than Choji.

When the two of them had run into each other earlier, Fatty found, to his surprise, that Shikamaru responded coldly to his attempts to start a conversation and even pretended not to know him. At the moment, he wasn't sure what to think, and could only sigh inwardly.

"You simply can't imagine the expression on Sakura's face," continued Chobee. "I guess you can only say that it was wonderful. And that male Cultivator, well, he was extraordinarily handsome, a dragon amongst men. Really. They embraced each other and exchanged some sweet words. As their hands groped each other frantically, they began to pant…." As he spoke, Chobee got more excited.

Choji suddenly cleared his throat and spoke out in a loud and clear voice. "I can bear witness to this," he said, "as I was also present. Ai, at first I planned to go give them a piece of my mind. As all of you Fellow Daoists are well aware, Fellow Daoist Sakura is the beloved of Fellow Daoist Sasuke. And of course, Fellow Daoist Sasuke and I are the closest of friends.

"Therefore, when I saw what was happening, I wanted to speak my mind. However…. Ai, you have no way to know how the two of them looked. It was clear that the feelings between them, were true love." As his voice rang out, the faces of the Nadeshiko Clan members all filled with strange expressions.

They knew Fatty, of course. He was a member of the Golden Frost Sect that no one dared to provoke. He was a treasure of the Sect, and as such, his level of seniority was extremely high. Anyone who offended him would arouse the wrath of the entire Golden Frost Sect. To do so would be similar to rubbing a cat's hair backward.

This was because the Golden Frost Sect had eighteen bloodline legacies. By combining their power, the Sect could wield the power of a great Dao Reserve spell. According to the rumors, the power of this spell was so incredible that it could slay Immortals!

However, for many years, the Sect only possessed seventeen of the bloodlines. The last one had disappeared, and no matter how hard the Golden Frost Sect searched, it could not be found. There was no one who the legacy could be passed onto. Therefore, for many years, the ultimate power of the Golden Frost Sect's spell could not be unleashed. However, it turned out Choji was perfectly suited to accept the legacy. Therefore, he was treated as a treasure of the Sect. Usually, the Sect Priest would treat him very amiably and was very protective of him. You could essentially say that the entire Sect was at his beck and call.

Furthermore… Fatty didn't like to practice Cultivation, nor did he want an assigned Dao Protector. So to protect him….

Whenever he went out, a large group of Golden Frost Sect disciples would accompany him. The Sect was extremely worried that something might happen to him. The most extreme thing that had happened was that once after someone provoked Choji, the Sect Priest personally slaughtered an entire Sect. Afterwards, he issued a proclamation in the Southern Domain that anyone who dared to even touch Choji would provoke the unbridled fury of the entire Golden Frost Sect.

* * *

Actually, Choji was diametrically opposed to Sasuke, and wouldn't let him off the hook for anything. Normally, whether he was inside the Sect or outside, he constantly said sarcastic things about him.

This, of course, made Sasuke furious. However, there was nothing he could do about it. Offending Choji was not an option. Their feud was a trifling matter of the junior generation. Furthermore, Choji was too important to the Golden Frost Sect. The difference between Choji's importance to the Golden Frost Sect and Sasuke's importance to the Uchiha Clan, was immeasurable.

Fatty suddenly leaped up onto the table, to the embarrassment of his fellow Golden Frost Sect members. They could do little more than cough lightly and watch as he cried out, "Ah, true love. Fellow Daoists, could I really not see such a thing? It was definitely true love. How could I, Choji, do anything to split apart such an affectionate couple? Would I really do that, just for my good-for-nothing friend Sasuke? Would I really disturb a scene of true love? Never! I could never do such a thing!

"There's a saying which speaks of a love that can transcend something-or-other, I forgot. Anyway, someone told me something once. Actually, it was the best friend I've ever had, the person I admire most in the world. He told me that love is the most valuable thing in the world, worth more than even millions of Spirit Stones!" As he spoke, his mouthful of extraordinarily large teeth became visible. In the end, he began to choke up and started to cry aloud.

Seeing this caused the Nadeshiko Clan members to smile wryly. The Blood Demon Sect Cultivators eyed Fatty with strange expressions.

Chino frowned, but didn't say anything. Shikamaru also maintained his silence, although a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Therefore," continued Fatty, growing more and more excited, "I pretended that I didn't even see them. However, it left me with the feeling that Sasuke is really a useless nobody. Furthermore, he's completely shameless. Anyone could see that it was true love. Were I in Sasuke's place, I would simply smile, and hand over the beauty.

"That unknown Cultivator, in terms of appearance, of Cultivation base, of everything, is clearly above and beyond Sasuke. Sadly…"

Suddenly, an infuriated shout could be heard from mid-air.

"Choji!" Killing intent roiled out from Sasuke as he shot out from the group floating in the air. His entire body was like a sharpened sword slicing toward Choji.

Before he could get very close, the Golden Frost Sect disciples behind Choji leaped up with amazing speed. In the blink of an eye, they shot forward. One of them, a tall, strapping man, let out a cold harrumph and formed a fist, which he lifted into the air. Ripples spread out from it in all directions, and a roaring sound filled the air. Sasuke's facial expression flickered.

Baru Uchiha exploded out with incredible speed. In an instant, he was in front of Sasuke, waving both hands out forward.

A boom echoed out. The blood drained from Baru Uchiha's face as he grabbed Sasuke and retreated backward. He glanced back murderously at the large man from the Golden Frost Sect.

"Members of the Uchiha Clan, please conduct yourself with dignity," said the large man coolly. The power of his Core Formation Cultivation base rolled out.

The group of people Naruto was a part of descended to the ground. Naruto had a strange expression on his face, and he coughed lightly. He looked at Fatty hiding behind the large man. The things Fatty had been saying were somewhat embarrassing, and left Naruto feeling a little guilty.

"Do you see?" said Guy quietly. "Choji is no small figure in the Golden Frost Sect. Now that I think about it, Sasuke's current situation really is deserving of sympathy. Little Junior Brother, have you seen Sakura? Ai, I'm really curious which Sect that Cultivator is from who got entangled with Fellow Daoist Sakura…."

"Uh… yeah I saw her before…." said Naruto hesitantly, not sure of what else to say.

Guy sighed. "I really hope I have a chance to meet that guy one day. He must be brilliant to be able to snatch Sakura away right out from under Sasuke's nose. Ah, such skill. He must truly be a man of character."

"Such skill, such skill…." Naruto felt even more guilty. Lowering his head, he slowly edged backward. At the same time, he looked over the crowd. He suddenly noticed Shikamaru, and he stared in shock. Shikamaru sat there taciturnly, avoiding Naruto's eyes.

"Sasuke, do you really dare to attack me?" said Fatty, sticking his head out from behind the large man and pointing at Sasuke. "Your granny!" he roared. "You truly dare to attack me? According to the rules of seniority of the five Sects and three Clans, I'm your Master Uncle. Do you actually dare to bully your seniors?!" Fatty slapped his bag of holding to produce a Spirit Stone, which he popped into his mouth. Crunching sounds echoed out as he crushed it into bits. It was quite a ferocious sight.

After crushing the Spirit Stone to pieces, Fatty extended his hand. With a wry smile, the big man produced a jade bottle which he handed over to Fatty. Fatty popped it into his mouth.

"Choji, you are too excessive!" Sasuke ground his teeth. Even as the words left his mouth, Fatty closed his eyes.

"What exists between them is true love," he said. "Do you understand what true love is? True love exists between your wife Sakura and another man. I've seen it with my own eyes. Why would you possibly interfere with that?!" People around started to laugh, causing Sasuke's face to grow even more enraged. "If only you understood. Ah, true love. It's priceless! I truly admire that Fellow Daoist. He's so skilled. He truly handled things masterfully…." As Fatty went on with his speech, Naruto continued to edge backward. However, he wasn't fast enough. He suddenly noticed that Chobee was staring directly at him, a look of disbelief and astonishment covering his face.

Naruto's heart began to thump. Although he had intentionally set this thing in motion, he had never imagined he would see a scene such as that playing out today. He wanted to hide, but suddenly, Chobee's raised his voice.

"It's him!" he shouted, pointing directly at Naruto, seemingly afraid people wouldn't recognize him. "It's him! That's the Cultivator who I saw with Sakura!"

Chobee really did live up to his name, which means 'big mouth.' Not only did he like to gossip, he also had a very loud voice. His voice rang out clearly, causing everyone's attention to instantly follow the line of his finger to fall onto Naruto.

Naruto's face flickered. The surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples stared at him in shock and unconsciously edged away from him. Soon, he and Guy stood there alone.

Guy was also gaping numbly at Naruto. He recovered his composure quickly, however, in the end, also quickly edged away. He didn't want any misunderstandings to result from standing next to Naruto. If anyone tried to bully Naruto, he would leap to assist in an instant; but what was occurring right now was a romantic love scandal….

As he edged backward, Guy's eyes began to glow brightly. A look of both disbelief and admiration filled them.

As Chobee pointed at Naruto, all of the Solitary Sword Sect disciples stared at him, as did the Cultivators from the Uchiha Clan, the Nadeshiko Clan and the Blood Demon Sect. Everyone was looking at Naruto.

Chino from the Blood Demon Sect had a strange expression on her face. She had noticed Naruto moments ago. At the moment, she snorted, turning her head to ignore him. Shikamaru stared in shock at Naruto.

As for Sasuke, he stood there mutely, glaring at Naruto. Veins began to bulge out on his face, and veins of blood appeared in his eyes. He thought back to the Flying Rain-Dragon legacy, to the Reliance Inner Sect training. He thought back to his feelings in the Flying Rain Dragon's cave. His humiliation and rage billowed up to the heavens.

Everything was completely silent. All eyes were on Naruto. Of course, in the past days, the rumors about Sakura being seen with a strange man had been spreading throughout the five great Sects and three great Clans.

It had started in the Golden Frost Sect. Everything about the rumor made sense and was quite vivid. No one knew, and everyone wondered, who the strange man might be. Now here, in front of all these eyes, Naruto had been pointed out.

Fatty stared in shock. He stood blankly for a moment, and then rubbed his eyes vigorously. Suddenly, he started to look very excited.

Just as he was about to rush over, a dozen or so colorful beams of light approached from off in the distance. As they whistled down, it was clear that this was the Violet Fate Sect!

Sakura was not with them, however, there were two people who Naruto did recognize. They were none other than Hayase and Yajirobee , who were now in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

They flew on either side of a young man with a cool expression. His body radiated the power of late Foundation Establishment, and seemed to occupy a position of great respect amongst the other Violet Fate Sect disciples.

At the same time, ten more beams appeared. This was the Black Sieve Sect. The beautiful Ino was among them. She was dressed in men's clothing, but a single glance was enough to see that she was a woman. She was chatting and laughing with a Nadeshiko Clan member as she flew down to the square.

The arrival of the Violet Fate Sect and Black Sieve Sect would normally cause various members of other Sects to seek out friends and catch up. But a strange atmosphere now filled the air. Most people just glanced momentarily at the new arrivals from the other two Sects.

As soon as Chobee saw more people arriving, he once again cried out, his voice even louder, "It's him! That's the Cultivator I saw with Sakura. She was putting on his clothes…." In actuality, there is a vast difference between 'wearing his clothes' and 'putting on his clothes.' The Cultivators from the Violet Fate Sect all stopped in their tracks and stared at Naruto.

As disciples of the Violet Fate Sect, how could they not be aware of the rumors swirling about regarding Sakura? As for Hayase and Yajirobee, the instant they caught sight of Naruto, their eyes grew wide and they stared in shock. Then their eyes grew hateful.

It had been years since they had seen Naruto, but the blow they had received that year was enormous. Even down to this very day, people still talked about what had happened. The events had caused hatred to seep down into their bones. It was the greatest humiliation they had ever experienced in their lives.

Hayase stared at Naruto, and he started breathing heavily. Killing intent began to roil within Yajirobee's eyes.

"Dammit, it's you!"

"So, it's you!"

The two of them roared, filling the spectators with even more shock. The details of the matter with Sakura were still not clear, but the intense rage of these two Violet Fate Sect disciples was clearly no joke. They obviously hated Naruto down to the marrow of their bones.

* * *

Naruto smiled wryly. The spot he occupied in the square had long since grown empty, making him especially conspicuous. His smile grew more bitter, and he sighed inwardly.

"If I had known things would end up like this," he thought, "I wouldn't have let Chobee go…. Ai, are all of my enemies going to appear today…?" He coughed and subconsciously rubbed his nose. He suddenly got the feeling that he'd done a bit too many things over the past few years. Now the moment had arrived in which his crowds of victims were accusing him.

"Damn you, Naruto!" howled Hayase. "I will never forget the matter of the iron spear from that year!" He immediately took a step forward. Next to him, Yajirobee's eyes were red. Throughout the years, the two of them were often derided by fellow Sect members because of the incident with the iron spear. They had often wished to go seek Naruto to exact revenge. However, the Five Elements Nation had disappeared, presumably Naruto along with it. They had never imagined that they would encounter him this day. Thoughts of vengeance immediately filled their hearts.

Sasuke also took a step forward, his face filled with murder. "Naruto, I already loathed you back in the Five Elements Nation. You had better provide an explanation about what happened with Sakura…." Sasuke felt as if he were an object of laughter among the entire current generation of Cultivators of the Southern Domain. It was something he couldn't accept. He wanted to slay Naruto where he stood.

"What a lively scene, Brother Naruto," came a voice from within the Black Sieve Sect disciples. It was Ino. "I never imagined I would find you here. So many interesting stories." She sighed. "Don't forget the deal you and I made." She covered her mouth and laughed, winking at Naruto. Her words made the audience's eyes glitter even more brightly.

Naruto's appearance seemed to be provoking the interest of one person after another. As of now, all the people who had never heard of him before were becoming intensely interested in the proceedings.

A buzz of conversation filled the air. One voice rose up from within the Blood Demon Sect. It was Chino. "Fellow Daoist Naruto, you really do have a lot of interesting stories to tell! However, I'm curious about what happened to that annoying hat of yours?" It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but her eyes shone with interest.

Guy stood gaping. He took a deep breath as he gazed at Naruto, an indescribable admiration growing in his eyes. Fatty looked at Naruto excitedly. It seemed that no matter where Naruto went, he would attract attention.

It was the same back in the Reliance Sect as it was right here and now.

"No wonder he's the Elder Brother!" thought Fatty, taking a deep breath. His admiration for Naruto had reached such heights that he wanted to fall to his knees and bow down.

Naruto gave a dry cough and continued to smile bitterly. He really did feel a bit guilty. However, before he could respond to anyone, ten beams of light suddenly appeared off in the distance. It was none other than the Shimura Clan.

As of now, all five great Sects and the two other great Clans had arrived.

In the middle of the Shimura Clan people was Kabuto . His arm had long since been replaced by the Shimura Clan. He was a Dao Child, so he couldn't marry into the Nadeshiko Clan. He had obviously not come because of the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a husband, but rather for some other reason. However, as soon as the Shimura Clan people touched down into the square, his eyes fell upon Naruto.

As soon as they did, he gaped. Almost immediately, his Cultivation base rippled with power, and the aura of the great circle of late Foundation Establishment filled the square.

"So, you finally appear!" he said grimly, taking a step toward Naruto. Fierce killing intent emanated from his eyes. It was obvious to everyone that there was some big secret between him and Naruto that he wasn't willing to talk about. Of course, their fight in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament had given birth to enormous enmity that could only be wiped away by death.

To suddenly find Naruto here caused Kabuto's killing intent to explode outward.

Everyone else in the square who didn't know Naruto were now clamoring in excitement and shock at what was happening.

"First it was the matter with Sakura and then Sasuke's murderous intentions. Then something about the Violet Fate Sect and an iron spear. After that, some agreement between him and Ino from the Black Sieve Sect! Next, Chino from the Blood Demon Sect! And finally… he's provoked killing intent from the Dao Child of the Shimura Clan!"

"How can this guy have gotten involved in so many situations? He seems to have provoked everybody! How come we've never heard of him before?"

"What's going on…? His name is Naruto, huh? It seems like he really has the ability to piss people off…."

"Of the five Sects and three Clans, the only ones who aren't involved are the Solitary Sword Sect and the Nadeshiko Clan. He arrived with the Solitary Sword Sect, so he must not have any issues with them. But what about the Nadeshiko Clan? He's so good at pissing people off, I wonder if he had any issues with them?"

Amidst the buzz of conversation that filled the square, Fatty let out a roar and charged up to Naruto's side, his face filled with excitement.

"Naruto, I've missed you to death!" he said. He hugged Naruto, tears streaming down his face. Years had passed, and he had grown up quite a bit. He was now much stouter than before.

Naruto smiled, although the smile was somewhat bitter. Everything that was happening was actually because of Fatty….

"Naruto! You WILL give me an explanation!" Sasuke's face was extremely grim as he stared at Naruto. Sasuke felt as if he were wearing an enormous green hat, which filled his heart with indescribable humiliation. He took another step toward Naruto.

Kabuto also took a step forward. "You still haven't provided an explanation for what happened that day. Now that you're here, you have an opportunity to speak."

"Damn you, Naruto, we will resolve our enmity this day!" Hayase and Yajirobee both began to walk toward him.

It seemed chaos would break out at any moment. Naruto's eyes glittered. Fatty spun and let out a roar.

"Naruto is my brother! Who dares to attack him?!" Hearing this, the Golden Frost Sect disciples exchanged glances and then strode over to stand next to Fatty. The big man from before simply shook his head, choosing not to say anything.

Fatty's sudden appearance next to Naruto caused Sasuke to frown.

Guy strode forward. "Naruto is my little Junior Brother. Fellow Daoists, if you insist on acting this way, then I, Guy, must also take my stand." Suddenly, his flying dagger appeared.

The addition of Guy caused Hayase and Yajirobee from the Violet Fate Sect to hesitate.

Ino moved forward with a laugh. "Brother Naruto, considering our friendship, how could I not join you as well?"

Without a single word, Shikamaru stood up in the midst of the Blood Demon Sect Cultivators and walked over to stand next to Naruto.

Chino's cold voice rang out next. "Your hat is incredibly annoying. However, for the sake of my Junior Brother Shikamaru, the Blood Demon Sect will also stand by you. Let's see who dares to touch you this day."

The crowd of people surrounding Naruto caused Kabuto's brow to furrow. It was a delicate situation. In actuality, there could not be any killing on this day and place, considering they were in the Nadeshiko Clan.

Also, he had never imagined Naruto would have so many powerful connections. The Golden Frost Sect. The Solitary Sword Sect. The Blood Demon Sect. The Black Sieve Sect. People from all of these Sects supported him.

Sasuke's eyes shone with a cold light as he glared murderously at Naruto. Shock filled his heart. How could he ever have predicted that this former disciple of the Reliance Sect could have accumulated such influence?

There was Guy and Choji. Add to that Ino from the Black Sieve Sect and Chino from the Blood Demon Sect. Who knew why they all supported him, but without uttering a single word, Naruto had suddenly made it impossible for anyone to attack him.

Hayase and Yajirobee were suddenly very nervous. They, too, could never have imagined that after all these years, Naruto would reappear in such a fashion, with such connections.

The entire square grew silent, and it was at this moment than an impatient voice suddenly could be heard from off in the distance.

"What are you kids up to? What's riled everyone up? Everybody simmer down! The Nadeshiko Clan is throwing a feast to search for a husband, why is everyone stirring up trouble?!" The voice belonged to Hiruko, who was accompanied by the eccentric members of the other Sects and Clans.

Smiles covered their faces, and they obviously didn't care about what was happening.

The appearance of the old-timers caused the tension in the square to begin to dissipate. Everyone began to return to their original positions. As they did, Naruto lowered his head and began to walk away with Guy. Suddenly, Hiruko's eyes fell upon Naruto.

"Hold on!" he said.

Naruto froze, sighing inwardly. With a silent, bitter laugh, he turned to face Hiruko. His mind spun as he tried to think of a way out of the situation. He placed his hand on his bag of holding. If necessary, he would try to use the good luck charm to escape.

"Kid, why do you look so familiar…?" Hiruko's brow furrowed.

"Elder Nadeshiko, sir," cried Yajirobee, "this is the person from the Five Elements Nation with the iron spear!"

As soon as he heard the word, Hiruko's eyes went wide. He stared at Naruto.

"So, it's you, you little brat!"

When they heard the words, the surrounding Cultivators gasped. Previously they thought that the Nadeshiko Clan was the only one Naruto hadn't offended. One and all looked at Naruto with admiration in their eyes.

Naruto hadn't managed to offend someone from the junior generation of the Nadeshiko Clan, but instead, a Nascent Soul eccentric!

Naruto smiled, clasping his hands and bowing toward Hiruko.

"Naruto of the junior generation extends greetings to Master Nadeshiko of the elder generation. Senior, your Cultivation Base is extraordinary, your demeanor Heavenly in nature. That year, I of the junior generation, was ignorant and foolish. Senior, you have noble character and sterling integrity, I truly hope that on this joyous occasion for the Nadeshiko Clan, you will not cause difficulties for the junior generation."

Hiruko gave Naruto a long, meaningful look. Although he didn't say anything, sometimes, you can speak volumes without saying a single word. Sasuke's eyes glittered, and he took another step toward Naruto.

"Elder Nadeshiko," he said. "There is enmity between I of the junior generation and this person. He humiliated my intended beloved. In the presence of all the various Fellow Daoists, I implore you to permit me to put an end to the enmity this day!"

Meanwhile, in the towering castle in the Nadeshiko Clan capital city, Shizuka was looking at a glittering screen upon which played out the scene from down below.

A smile covered her face, and it seemed she was paying close attention to Naruto's scholarly figure.

"What an interesting person," she said with a laugh. "How could he possibly have offended so many people, even Uncle?"

The middle-aged woman standing next to her also laughed, and a warm expression appeared on her face. "Why, have you taken a fancy to him?"

* * *

"No," said Shizuka quickly, her face reddening a bit. She was innately beautiful, and had a tender personality.

The woman next to her laughed, looking at her lovingly. She didn't say anything.

Her voice light, Shizuka continued, "I just think he's interesting. He offended so many people, and yet so many people are willing to stand by his side. Also, he doesn't really look like a Cultivator. He looks more like a scholar."

The middle-aged woman laughed again, and her expression grew even more gentle. She lifted her right hand, and a flaming jade slip appeared. It burned into nothing, and suddenly, a slight tremble ran through all of the mountains in the Nadeshiko Clan. The tremble was so minor that anyone under the Nascent Soul stage wouldn't notice it. Up in the dark sky, the moon shimmered.

Within the moon, countless magical symbols appeared that seemed to be deducing matters pertaining to both the past and the future. After a long moment, they faded away. It was then that in front of the middle-aged woman, time seemed to move in reverse. The jade slip seemed to un-burn as it reappeared in front of her.

Shizuka watched this happen, not with surprise, but with anticipation.

"Alright," said the woman, pressing her finger onto the jade slip. "Let me take a look at the past of this person you find so interesting."

As soon as she pushed down on the jade slip, it projected a screen into the air. On it could be seen a small county, and a boy sitting next to a window. He was reading a scroll by lamplight.

As he read, he slowly shook his head and fanned himself with a feather fan. It was obviously summer.

The boy was none other than Naruto.

The screen flickered, and Naruto was now wearing a neat, clean scholar's robe. He walked out of his house and stood up against a nearby wall, looking a bit shifty-eyed. Soon, a sedan emerged from the courtyard opposite him. He craned his neck to look at it, an excited expression on his face.

The screen shimmered, and now Naruto stood on top of Mount Myoboku. He sighed and tossed a gourd bottle down into the river.

Next, he was in the Reliance Sect, holding aloft a medicinal pill, face filled with anxiety as he gave the pill away.

When Shizuka saw this, she laughed out loud. The middle-aged woman smiled and shook her head.

The next image was of Naruto's shop on the plateau, and his shy, bashful smile as he sold medicinal pills at exorbitant rates. There were many images from that time, but they suddenly flashed by quickly, making it difficult to make everything out quickly. The middle-aged woman frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

The next image that Shizuka saw was that of Hiruko on the mountaintop and Naruto running along with the iron spear. She saw Naruto in the city of Cultivators and the deal he made with Yajirobee for the spear. After that were all the bloody events that resulted.

Shizuka couldn't stop laughing. "This Naruto is awful… he's nothing like a scholar!" She continued to watch, her laughter causing her eyes to look like two crescent moons.

The images again became somewhat blurry. By this time, he was in the Southern Domain. However, in this instant, the jade slip suddenly begun to crumble into pieces. In the blink of an eye, it was covered with cracks. A woman's cold snort could be heard from very far off in the distance. It filled, not only the room, but the entire Nadeshiko Clan.

The middle-aged woman's face filled with shock, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. She grabbed the astonished Shizuka and staggered backward several paces, a look of disbelief covering her face.

All of the mountains within the Nadeshiko Clan began to tremble. As they did, the moon in the sky above the Nadeshiko Clan suddenly exploded with a blinding light. It was a flash that instantly began to tremble and darken, as if it were being forcefully suppressed by someone.

At this same moment, the seemingly endless mountains of the Nadeshiko Clan continued to tremble and then… one by one, the mountains suddenly sank down an entire inch, as if they were being pushed down by some incredible force.

That inch seemed to be a warning, some demonstration of power by… someone. This person seemed to be saying that if they wished, they could wipe out the entire Nadeshiko Clan mountain range.

At the same time, all of the Nascent Soul Cultivators began to tremble and spit up blood. Deep within the Nadeshiko Clan mountains, near the location of their Dao Reserves, a roaring sound rose up. It didn't disseminate outward, and only certain people could sense it.

In the deepest, most remote location within the Nadeshiko Clan mountains, was a stone pillar. Atop the pillar was a corpse, or rather, half of a corpse. The bottom half was nowhere to be seen. The corpse's eyes suddenly snapped opened, whereupon the aura of the peak Dao Seeking stage exploded out. The corpse trembled, as if it couldn't stand up to the immense power which was bearing down upon the Nadeshiko Clan.

"Respected Senior, calm your anger. The Nadeshiko Clan of the Southern Domain is at fault…."

"If you know you are at fault, then correct it," came the transmitted voice of a woman. She was clearly irritated. "Your Nadeshiko Clan has the tradition of marrying daughters? I suggest she be a maidservant."

The corpse hesitated. "Respected senior…."

"What was that? You know, the Nadeshiko Clan of the Sky Country desire this honor but are unable to achieve it. Do you truly dare to refuse me?" As the woman's voice transmitted out, the entire Nadeshiko Clan mountains suddenly shook, and sank down three more inches.

Without hesitation, the corpse said, "Respected senior, we shall do as you bid!"

The woman's voice faded away. At the same moment, back in the capital city, Shizuka's face was pale white. Next to her, her mother panted, and blood oozed out from her mouth.

"Shizuka, this person cannot be provoked. This person is…." Before she could finish speaking, her body began to shake. It seemed as if Divine Sense were transmitting into her mind. She didn't continue speaking, and eventually, looked at pale-faced Shizuka, a complex expression on her face.

Everything that had just happened in the Nadeshiko Clan did not go unnoticed by Naruto and everyone else. The ground shaking caused everyone's faces to flicker, especially the Nascent Soul eccentrics.

Hiruko's body trembled, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body continued to tremble, and he coughed up a second mouthful of blood, then a third. In the end, he coughed up a total of seven mouthfuls of blood. He staggered, his face pale and filled with astonishment.

He was the only one in the entire Nadeshiko Clan who coughed up seven mouthfuls of blood.

It was at this moment that the illusory image of a woman appeared in the square, although no one could see it. She stood there, invisible to everyone except for the Nadeshiko Clan's most powerful Dao Reserve, the peak Dao Seeking corpse. Only he could sense her rippling aura as she arrived at the Nadeshiko Clan square.

From the moment she appeared, her eyes were riveted on Naruto. They were filled with kindness, tender affection, and love.

After a long moment passed, the situation in the square returned to normal. Everyone was shocked, causing a deathly silence to fill the air. The Nascent Soul Cultivators looked around pale faced.

Hiruko's face was deathly white; he was scared nearly witless. He wasn't sure what had just happened, nor did he know that the entirety of the Nadeshiko Clan had been shaken just now.

Panting, he wiped the blood from his mouth. Suddenly, his body shook as a voice filled his mind. The voice filled him with veneration; it was none other than the Spirit Severing stage Patriarch of the Nadeshiko Clan.

It was clearly a transmission of Divine Will from the Spirit Severing Patriarch, who was passing along the orders of the Dao Reserve corpse. All of the Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Nadeshiko Clan received the same message.

"Naruto is not to be provoked!"

Amidst the silence that covered the square, Sasuke's voice sounded out. "Naruto, you don't have the qualifications to refuse a battle with me today!" He leaped up and began to stride toward Naruto, his Cultivation base erupting with power. Power exceeding the early Foundation Establishment stage soared higher and higher. It turned out Sasuke's Dao Pillars hummed with the energy of the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he watched Sasuke approach. Sasuke's right hand lifted up; black tendrils rose up and circulated around his finger. His eyes were calm.

"In the Reliance Sect of the Five Elements Nation, you stole my belongings and wrested away my position in the Inner Sect. In the Southern Domain, you insulted me. Do you really think you qualify to be the archenemy of Sasuke?" His hair whipped madly around his head and a mysterious black glow began to emanate from his poison finger. You don't deserve to be Sasuke's archenemy. You were an insect back then, and you're still an insect today! Today, you shall be a blood sacrifice to my poison finger!" Sasuke's words echoed throughout the square.

"Are you finished?" said Naruto coolly. He strode forward, lifting his right hand and striking it out. The power of his four perfect Dao Pillars congealed into the palm. Not a strand leaked out. A roaring filled the air as he struck toward Sasuke.

As the boom filled the square, the surrounding Cultivators watched, completely focused on what was happening. Only Ino and Chino, as well as Guy, looked with strange expressions toward the blustering Sasuke.

Fatty looked extremely nervous. The large man from the Golden Frost Sect was holding him back, otherwise he would have joined Naruto to fight.

Amidst the roaring boom, Sasuke tumbled backward, blood spraying from his mouth. The palm blow just now had actually not been a level strike, but a slap. The sound of the slap rang out as some of Sasuke's teeth shattered. He flopped backward, an expression of shock on his face.

"Impossible…."

Naruto strode forward after him, striking with his hand again. A boom sounded out, and more blood sprayed from Sasuke's mouth. This time, the slap struck the other side of his face.

"Impossible!" Sasuke's face was pale, and his eyes filled, not with confusion, but frenzied rage. He was no longer shocked or frightened. His humiliation washed away everything. He stared murderously at Naruto and then howled.

At the same time, Baru Uchiha began to move forward, as did the frowning old Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Uchiha Clan.

But then, Hiruko's eyes flickered. A look of discomfort and even disbelief covered his face as he reached out to prevent both of them from doing anything.

* * *

The Uchiha Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator turned his head and stared at Hiruko. Naruto continued to stride toward the retreating Sasuke. He lifted his hand and grabbed Sasuke's index finger.

"So, this is the finger I decimated that time," he said coolly. Sasuke's eyes flashed with hatred, as well as pleasant surprise.

He had developed this poison finger at great cost. He could have regrown a normal finger, but had instead mastered perseverance and endured the pain necessary to grow a poison finger.

In his estimation, it was a metamorphosis. He had reached this conclusion in a flash of enlightenment; he would take his defeat and transform it into brilliant glory.

The pain had caused him no small amount of torment, but he had suffered through it and created a poison finger which was like a personal precious treasure.

Sasuke knew that all people will endure setbacks in their lives. However, to transform a setback into a treasure can make life truly glorious.

Maybe he was right, but sometimes, fate can be cruel. Today… he ran into Naruto.

There were some things that Naruto didn't do intentionally. Like it or not, though, the three-colored Resurrection Lily not only made him immune to all other poisons, it also made his body hyper-toxic.

When Sasuke saw Naruto grab his poison finger, he began to laugh. The laugh contained both hatred and carefree cheer. He could just imagine how Naruto, in mere moments, would begin to wither up and then transform into a pool of blood.

However, even as his laughter began to ring out, it screeched to a sudden stop. A look of absolute disbelief appeared on his face. His finger disappeared within Naruto's hand, and then after the space of a few breaths, a popping sound could be heard. A black mist appeared that seemed to be sentient, it trembled, as if it didn't dare to near Naruto.

Naruto loosened his grip. Sasuke's entire body shook, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He staggered backward, gazing numbly at the space his index finger had once occupied. He suddenly thought back to the scene from seven or eight years ago, when he had been defeated. He had always thought that he was Chosen, and his opponent was a mere insect. His defeat before had been an accident, and now he had reached Foundation Establishment. His opponent was far beneath him.

But today….

"You're right, you and I aren't archenemies," said Naruto indifferently. He had a bit of that same old bashfulness in his expression as he looked at pale-faced Sasuke. "That term is too meaningful. It doesn't suit our relationship." He made no attempt to kill Sasuke. It's not that killing him wasn't worth it, but rather, to kill him in this situation would cause too many complications.

The most important point in the whole thing was that Naruto always seemed to end up with the things that belonged to Sasuke. It left him with a strange feeling that suddenly made him even less willing to kill him.

Everything surrounding them was quiet. The invisible woman was gazing tenderly toward Naruto. A smile appeared on her face, and when she saw Naruto dissolve the poison finger, it transformed into a look of love.

Seeing Naruto's shy smile, the woman laughed and shook her head. The loving look grew even stronger.

"This kid has always been a player…." the woman said quietly. "He just can't help but make girls like him." She glanced at Ino and then Chino, as if she were sizing them up as potential daughters-in-law.

"The Yamanaka Clan bloodline… not up to standard. She won't do. As for this other one… she seems interesting. She's powerful enough, at least."

Smiling shyly, Naruto returned to his place beside Guy. Fatty ran over, giving Naruto a wink.

His face pale, Sasuke wordlessly returned to his spot next to Baru Uchiha. He laughed bitterly, seemingly having lost any will to fight. Baru Uchiha said nothing. He looked over at Naruto, his eyes radiating killing intent.

Naruto looked up, his eyes locking onto Baru Uchiha. When their gazes met, Naruto thought back to that year when he sat on top of the East Mountain in the Reliance Sect. Today, however, he was not someone who Baru Uchiha could kill with a single glance.

"I wonder if I'll be able to fight against the Core Formation stage after I form my ninth Perfect Dao Pillar!?" He had been wondering this for some while. After seeing the incredible power of his Perfect Dao Pillars, it caused him to feel even more anticipation for the Perfect Core. In addition, he truly wanted to know if he could battle against the Core Formation stage while he was still in Foundation Establishment!

He wasn't sure. But as of this day, Baru Uchiha was someone who Naruto decided must be killed.

Seeing the coldness in Naruto's eyes, Baru Uchiha's killing intent grew more intense. He had the feeling that if he didn't kill Naruto soon, he might lose his chance to do so.

"This Naruto is progressing too rapidly…." Baru Uchiha had to admit he had overlooked Naruto.

It was at this time that the sound of bells rang out, filling the capital city. Suddenly, multicolored beams of light filled the sky. The entire Nadeshiko Clan passed from night into morning.

In the outside world, it was now night. As the change occurred, the spiritual energy within the Nadeshiko Clan suddenly grew thicker. However, other than the members of the Nadeshiko Clan, no one was able to absorb it through breathing exercises. Except for… Naruto. His eyes glittered. He actually didn't need to do anything to absorb the spiritual energy; it naturally drifted into his body strand by strand, slowly replenishing his four Perfect Dao Pillars. In addition to restoring his nearly empty four Dao Pillars, it was causing the outline of his fifth Dao Pillar to appear.

Of course, it wouldn't be possible to completely solidify the fifth Dao Pillar. That couldn't happen in a short amount of time. Perhaps if he stayed in the Nadeshiko Clan for a long period of time, it would.

The bells rang out, and the moon and sun alternated their positions. As day and night mixed together, a colorful glow appeared in the air. Suddenly, three figures emerged from the glowing light.

As this happened, numerous members of the Nadeshiko Clan looked up at the multicolored glow with looks of veneration. This in turn caused the Cultivators from the other Sects and Clans to look up as well.

The three figures gradually grew distinct. They seemed to be solidifying out of nothing. One was an old man who wore white robes. His smiling face did not reveal the slightest bit of panic because of the events which had just occurred in the Nadeshiko Clan.

Next to the old man were two middle-aged men. They were handsome, and had profound Cultivation bases.

The old man said, "I am so grateful that all of you could join the Nadeshiko Clan in our search for a son-in-law! Please, let's begin!" He laughed heartily, and then waved his right hand. The entire square trembled, and countless banquet tables appeared out of thin air. Simultaneously, time seemed to swirl about them, and suddenly they were no longer in the square or even the Nadeshiko Clan, but floating somewhere up in the sky.

They were surrounded by clouds, and everything looked celestial in nature. Maidservants appeared, their features indistinct, but their figures graceful. They danced and flew about as they reverently placed alcohol and Spirit Fruits onto the tables.

The sound of wind, flowing waters, and birdcalls filled the air. It all seemed extremely graceful and elegant. Neither Naruto nor any of the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators had ever seen anything like this before. Some people looked around, others stared at the maidservants.

The Nascent Soul Cultivators who led the various Sects and Clans broke out in smiles and words of admiration. "Elder Kokuyo's Cultivation base is profound . This cosmic time shifting truly is of the highest degree of perfection."

The old man was none other than Patriarch Kokuyo of the Nadeshiko Clan. According to the rumors, he had long since reached the Spirit Severing stage. However, it was really impossible for anyone to tell for sure, or even ascertain any clues.

Kokuyo laughed and then sat down cross-legged, followed by the two middle-aged men who accompanied him.

The Uchiha Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator flicked his sleeve. Grim faced, he sat down next to Kokuyo, glaring at Hiruko. Obviously, he was still brooding at the fact that he had been obstructed by Hiruko earlier.

Naruto sat at one of the banquet tables next to Fatty. Now that Naruto was here, Fatty refused to sit with the Golden Frost Sect, instead demanding to sit next to Naruto. He chatted energetically about his experiences in the Golden Frost Sect. He seemed exactly the same as he had been back in the Reliance Sect. Occasionally he would pull out a Spirit Stone and crunch it to pieces between his teeth.

Suddenly, Fatty pulled out what was clearly an extraordinary flying sword. It glittered brightly as he began to use it to grind his teeth.

"One of my friends in the Sect gave me this sword to protect myself," he said. "But when I grind my teeth with it, it doesn't feel very good. If you want it, it's yours." He handed the sword toward Naruto.

It just so happened to be covered with Fatty's saliva….

Naruto hesitated. Next to Fatty, Chobee's eyes went wide. "Little Patriarch," he said, "that sword is a magical Legacy weapon of the Nineteenth Bloodline…."

"So annoying! A magical weapon is a magical weapon. Ah, never mind. I guess I can't give this one to you. But I have some other things." He pulled out another large magical weapon, whose bright glow instantly attracted quite a bit of attention.

"Do you like this one?" said Fatty, looking pleased. His expression caused Naruto to smile.

Guy sighed, looking enviously at Fatty. He knew how important Fatty was to the Golden Frost Sect. He could only shake his head.

Ino drifted over in her men's clothing. She smiled lightly at Fatty.

"Fellow Daoist Choji, would you mind scooting aside? I'd really like to sit here."

Fatty stared at Ino and then looked at Naruto. Lowering his voice, he said, "Naruto, this chick has pretty good skin. Between her and Sakura, who do you think is better?"

Naruto lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip of alcohol, then cleared his throat.

Fatty laughed loudly, then moved over to make room for Ino. She sat down, clearly not offended at all by Fatty. She looked at Naruto, blinked, and then laughed.

She slid a bit closer to him, and then gently whispered into his ear, "Brother Naruto, how exactly are you going to thank me for the matter regarding Hinata?"

* * *

"Fellow Daoist Ino, what exactly do you mean?" replied Naruto, his expression the same as ever. Despite his calm exterior, his heart trembled. He turned to look at Ino, and their eyes met. She was clearly watching him closely, feeling him out.

If Naruto's expression changed even the slightest bit, Ino would have noticed. That, of course, was why she had moved so close to him.

Ino was a schemer, which Naruto had come to understand very clearly in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land. In fact, he hadn't encountered anyone among his peers who could come close to her in terms of plotting.

"Brother Naruto," she said with a charming smile, "there's no need to ask questions you already know the answer to. Junior Sister Hinata was a member of the Reliance Sect in the Five Elements Nation, and so were you." Coupled with her men's clothing, her sweet tone made her even more alluring.

"Oh?" replied Naruto, looking at her with a vague smile.

His expression caused her to start momentarily. Then she frowned, and she suddenly began to feel nervous at heart.

"Brother Naruto, it was for your sake that I helped out Junior Sister Hinata on multiple occasions. Were it not for my interference, she would have fallen under a lot of suspicion. Thankfully, I have a lot of influence in the Sect, so she wasn't implicated when you took Ultimate Vexation." She smiled. "So, how do you plan to repay me?"

Her smile was beautiful, but her eyes flickered with craftiness. Despite her charming appearance, Naruto knew the profound depth of her scheming nature, which was impossible to tell from her expression. He would never forget how she had repeatedly called out to her "Kankuro, dear" that day, only to then exterminate him in an instant. The scene played out in Naruto's mind.

She leaned a bit closer to Naruto. From the perspective of anyone looking at them, it would definitely seem they were on quite intimate terms.

"Fellow Daoist Ino," he said coolly, "aren't you worried about being seen so close to me? What if the Black Sieve Sect starts to suspect something? I imagine that they're looking for me right now. After today, they'll definitely send people after me." His words seemed casual, but he was in fact attempting to feel her out.

"Brother Naruto, you can just directly ask me what you want to know. There's no need to try to feel me out." She chuckled, looking at him. She breathed out slowly, and her breath brushed across him, carrying with it the aroma of orchids. Naruto frowned and edged away from her a bit.

Seeing him move away, Ino smiled thoughtfully. She moved closer to him yet again. A delicate fragrance wafted off of her.

Naruto frowned, and edged away even further. Ino let out a soft laugh that carried a bit of derision with it.

"The Black Sieve Sect is indeed looking for you. Don't worry, though. The other Sects don't have any idea. The search for you is being done in secret. You do need to be careful though…." She smiled and, finally seeming to think she was a bit too close, to Naruto, moved a bit further away. Suddenly, Naruto's hand snaked out and wrapped around her supple waist. He pulled her close to him.

"How exactly did you want me to thank you?" he said. "You tell me." He was so close to her that she could feel him breathing. They looked into each other's eyes, and though their expressions both seemed warm, they were clearly locked in a combat of scheming.

Ino suddenly looked a bit flustered. She had never anticipated that Naruto would do something like this. She recovered her composure quickly, however, and then her eyes shined with an unruly beauty.

"It's simple," she said gently. "Give me the jade page you took from within the square cauldron. I want the entire thing. That's all." Her body suddenly twisted imperceptibly, and she pulled away from Naruto and stood up.

"Brother Naruto, think about it carefully," she said with a smile.

Naruto looked back at her with a vague smile. He didn't say anything, but after a moment lifted his hand to his bag of holding to produce a jade slip. He tossed it toward her.

She frowned. This was just an ordinary jade slip, not the jade page that she wanted. However, she also knew that Naruto was deeply skilled in scheming, and wasn't someone she could easily trifle with. She accepted the jade slip, scanning it with Spiritual Sense. A strange expression flickered across her face before it returned to normal. She gave Naruto a deep look, and then a wide smile once again appeared on her face. She nodded, then turned and headed back toward where the Black Sieve Sect was seated.

Naruto lifted his glass and took a sip of alcohol. The only thing on the jade slip was an image of her killing Kankuro, which Naruto had secretly recorded that day.

Actually, even if Ino hadn't come looking for him, he would have thought of a way to get in touch with her. He had prepared the jade slip as a way to get information, and also as a bit of insurance.

Fatty watched Ino leave, then started peppering Naruto with questions. Guy looked at Naruto admiringly. He suddenly realized that considering his Junior Brothers skills, there was no need to attempt to arrange a marriage for him.

Some time passed. After a while, the sound of bells rang out, and the multicolored glow appeared once again. From within its midst emerged two people, one a man, the other a woman. The man was handsome, tall and slender, with eyes like lightning. He wore a white robe and had long black hair that gave him a sort of demonic beauty. He smiled toward everyone and raised clasped hands in greeting.

"It's the Nadeshiko Clan Dao Child, Sagiri Nadeshiko!"

"Sagiri has an extraordinary Cultivation base. As the Dao Child of the Nadeshiko Clan, he is the number one figure amongst their Foundation Establishment experts…."

"The girl next to him is Shizuka. She's the girl the Nadeshiko Clan is finding a husband for."

Naruto looked up, his gaze sweeping across the man and woman as they walked out from the multi-colored glow. Shizuka was petite and delicate. She had long hair and clear, fair skin. She exuded a gentle femininity, and had beautiful, bright eyes. Her eyes shone, not with the scheming of Ino, the admonishment of Chino, or the coldness of Hinata. Her eyes shone with gentleness.

Anyone who looked at Shizuka would be able to sense her purity and gentleness. She seemed like the type of girl who would never lose her temper.

She looked out at the crowd. The instant Naruto looked in her direction, their gazes locked for a moment.

Kokuyo, who sat in the very front, laughed and called out, "The hour has arrived! From generation to generation, the Nadeshiko Clan has practiced Cultivation without excessive formalities. We prefer simplicity. Heroes and talented individuals of the various Sects and Clans, welcome to the Nadeshiko Clan. With the exception of those here to observe, all of you are here for the same reason. I won't waste time with further explanations." Even as his voice echoed out, he waved his right hand, and the clouds up ahead began to churn. In the blink of an eye, a massive vortex appeared, beyond which a strange world could be seen.

Within this world was a vast sea, in the middle of which was an enormous tree that rose up into the sky. The colossal tree was taller than even a mountain.

Thick vines wrapped around its trunk, snaking up with it toward the heavens.

The trunk was enormously large. At its top, limbs stretched out to form a shape almost like a mushroom. Vines hung down, some of them even reaching down into the sea. A wild wind whipped across the waters, giving rise to seething waves.

Up above in the sky, black clouds billowed, and lightning crashed. The sound of thunder echoed out.

The banquet of Cultivators was actually located in the clouds above this world.

With a laugh, Kokuyo said, "At the top of this tree is the Cubic Pearl. Whoever is the first to acquire the pearl, will be the newest son-in-law of this generation of the Nadeshiko Clan!" He looked out across the crowd, and then at Shizuka. His eyes glowed with the love of an elder for a junior. Then, his gaze fell upon Naruto. Just as quickly, he looked away.

Hiruko hadn't spoken during this entire time. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Ino didn't move, but the Black Sieve Sect disciples who surrounded her seemed itching to go. They had come to the Nadeshiko Clan for the sole purpose of winning a place as a son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan. Success would mean instant benefit, not for the Sect, but for themselves.

It was hard to say who was first. Multiple figures leaped up and flew toward the cloud vortex and the sea below.

Kabuto didn't make a move. As a Dao Child, he had come only to observe. He obviously couldn't marry into the Nadeshiko Clan. The rest of the Shimura Clansmen around him, though, were different. One by one, they flew toward the vortex.

Sasuke sat there thoughtfully, hesitating. Baru Uchiha held out a hand to bar his way. However, he had long since made his decision. He strode forward and then transformed into a colorful beam that shot toward the vortex.

His participation was different from that of the others. Looks of astonishment appeared on the faces of the Violet Fate Sect disciples, especially their Nascent Soul Cultivator. His eyes flickered. Next to him, the Uchiha Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator frowned.

Fatty gave a dry cough and looked at Naruto. Then, he flew up into the air. His Cultivation base wasn't at the Foundation Establishment stage yet, but he had a host of magical items. The rest of the Golden Frost Sect Cultivators flew up with him. Together, they charged toward the vortex.

As for Guy and the others from the Solitary Sword Sect, they flew up one after another. So did the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect, including Shikamaru. Chino sat there, her expression cool.

Naruto looked through the cloud vortex at the sprawling sea and the massive tree. His eyes narrowed, and he sat there thoughtfully for a moment. Then he stood, strode forward, and shot toward the vortex.

The invisible woman was still there. She watched Naruto disappearing into vortex. The tender love in her eyes grew stronger. Finally, she sighed.

"You must walk your path alone. Perhaps one day, you will find your way to us, and then you'll understand everything…. If you can't make it, then mother will wait for you to be reincarnated in the yellow springs of the underworld." Her voice was soft as she looked at Naruto. She closed her eyes, turned, and then disappeared. It was as if she had never been there to begin with.

Monstrous waves rolled across the surface of the sea, propelled by the screaming wind. It threatened to blow away all of the approaching Cultivators, making it incredibly difficult to even reach the gigantic tree.

Compared to the tree, they were like crickets or ants, tiny to the extreme.

Naruto looked down at the waters and his eyes narrowed. Beneath the massive waves, dark shadows could be seen swimming to and fro. A sense of danger welled up within him.

"The Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law is a trial by fire," said the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch. "We don't want a bloody spectacle. If anyone feels the danger has become too extreme, you can forfeit with a single word and be instantly teleported out." His words echoed out across the sea. At the sound of his words the wind suddenly lessened, as if it didn't dare to interfere.

* * *

Above the sea and the enormous tree, was the endlessly roiling cloud vortex. Above the cloud vortex was the banquet set by the Nadeshiko Clan in search of a son-in-law.

Currently the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch's voice was ringing out across the sea, and the invisible woman had vanished. Deep within the recesses of the Nadeshiko Clan mountains was where their Dao Reserves were located.

The corpse, composed of half a body, emitted a mysterious glow from its eyes. Hesitation flickered within the glow.

"Just… just who was she? She seems to have the spirit of an Immortal, but yet is not qualified to be one…. She was looking toward that young man Naruto with deep love and affection. However, the object of her gaze was not Naruto, but… that Resurrection Lily inside of him!

"She said that he would come before them, and would understand everything. Why did those simple words cause my hair to stand on end…." The old man's eyes emanated an archaic light, and he sank into thoughtfulness. "She said that if he failed, she would wait for him to be reincarnated in the yellow springs of the underworld. How very logical. It seems she's accustomed to such things…. This is not something a Cultivator can do. There is no reincarnation in Cultivation. For a Cultivator to attempt to reincarnate is useless. Otherwise, why would the Rebirth Cave have appeared?

"Rebirth is possible, which means the ability to live another life. However, there is no such thing as reincarnation. In terms of reincarnation, this is only possible for… the legendary Resurrection Lily! The Resurrection Lily merges with a person as a form of reincarnation. This is why it's called a Resurrection Lily! Once the flower merges with a person, the person disappears, but the flower remains. However, things are never so absolute in this world. If the Resurrection Lily were to be tamed and consumed, Seven Colored Immortal Ascension is possible!"

This Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch who had just recently revealed himself to the rest of the Nadeshiko Clan suddenly flew up into the air. His eyes glittered as the indistinct image of the lower half of his body appeared. His hair whipped around his head as he kneeled atop the pillar.

"Immortal, your origin is full of mystery. The Nadeshiko Clan has watched over the Southern Domain for generation after generation. Immortal, I beg you to clear up my confusion!" He bit down on his tongue and spit up some blood from his heart. The blood flew out and instantly disappeared. However, the Sun-Moon treasure in the sky above the Nadeshiko Clan suddenly flickered, and a glow appeared that no outsider would be able to notice. It shot down through the mountains until it was directly in front of the old man.

It transformed into a partially transparent figure. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female. It was blurry as if it were both there, and not there….

When the old corpse caught sight of the figure, an expression of veneration appeared on his face. He knew that this was the Spirit of the Clan treasure. This Spirit… was also an ancient Patriarch of the Nadeshiko Clan. According to legend, after achieving Immortality, he had left behind a fragment of his Spirit here.

The figure lifted its hand and gently tapped the top of the old man's head.

The man's body trembled, and suddenly his eyes shone with disbelief. He looked up and watched as the illusory figure slowly disappeared. It was as if it had never been there.

The old corpse took a deep breath. "The flower blooms at dawn, and achieves Immortality on the day of vicissitude. The mother of the Resurrection Lily… the Dawn Immortal…. This Naruto is too dangerous…." He was silent in thought for a moment. However, he gave no orders, nor did he do anything to reverse the words he had been forced to transmit earlier by the woman.

Meanwhile, in the roaring ocean beneath the cloud vortex, the wind screamed. The Cultivators who had entered this place numbered in the dozens. They circled the region of the enormous tree.

Whoever could break through the massive winds and actually reach the tree itself, would snatch the first place position in the race.

To be able to earn a place within the Nadeshiko Clan would earn the right to practice Cultivation within the profound Clan regions. Almost all of the Cultivators present thirsted for such an opportunity. That was why they were here, and that was what they were fighting for.

Naruto, on the other hand, was not here for any supposed chance to marry into the Nadeshiko Clan. Although this place was incredibly suitable for Cultivation, he wasn't the type to be inclined to depend on others. Unless he had an important purpose, he preferred to be like the sea and the sky, free to roam as he wished, alone.

For a man to roam under the heavens, enjoy the scenery, observe the beauty of the earth and the animals… that was what life meant to Naruto. His eyes glittered as he looked up at the massive tree in the distance. At its vast top existed a pearl.

The others didn't value the pearl itself, but rather, what it represented. Only Naruto cared about the former! Were it not for the pearl, Naruto wouldn't even be here.

"I hope that pearl can dispel my poison. If it can, I won't have to go through all the trouble of infiltrating the Violet Fate Sect."

Naruto's eyes flickered, and his heart trembled as he shot forward. He narrowed his eyes and stopped flying for a moment.

"So, I can absorb spiritual energy in this place too. Furthermore, it's even more dense here than outside. What big secret does the Nadeshiko Clan have? How come the spiritual energy here is like that in the Blood Immortal Legacy zone? Why can I absorb it?" His eyes filled with thought, he once again shot forward at high speed. At the same time, he rotated his Cultivation base. His four Perfect Dao Pillars hummed, and his body became like a black hole. Immediately, the spiritual energy in the area began to rush toward him.

Naruto didn't suck it in with unbridled speed, but cautiously, gradually.

Off in the distance, Sasuke's face was grim, his heart filled with bitterness and even a bit of insanity. Ever since he was young, he had been Chosen. Because of the blood of the Flying Rain Dragon which had fallen from the heavens, his path had been set as he grew up. It seemed he always had the same type of good fortune.

However… thanks to his brother Itachi, he hadn't been able to become a Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan. All the focus gradually drifted further and further away from him. In fact, for his entire childhood, he had lived within the shadow of his brother.

He wanted to resist, to fight back. He wanted to exceed his brother. He wanted to prove that he was worthy to be Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan. Because of that, he had left the Clan and gone to the Five Elements Nation in search of the Flawless Foundation.

He knew that if he stayed in the Uchiha Clan, it would be difficult to rise to prominence.

Filled with idealism and aspiration, he went to the Five Elements Nation to find the Flawless Foundation and the legacy of the Flying Rain-Dragon. His plan was to return from the Five Elements Nation and then challenge his brother to battle.

However, everything had been ruined by Naruto. He had been defeated. Utterly and thoroughly. But he refused to give up. Thanks to Baru Uchiha's encouragement, and the support of Sakura, he had emerged from the shadows with his poison finger.

In fact, it was only with the help of Sakura that he had achieved the Cracked Foundation that he had. When he had witnessed his brother die in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, it had suddenly felt as if the future were wide open. His extreme misfortune would finally give birth to a meteoric rise.

At that time, he believed that Sasuke's life would finally be restored.

Except… subsequent events caught him completely unawares. To his astonishment, he found that Itachi was not dead. The Itachi that died in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament was in fact a Dao Clone created by a Uchiha Clan patriarch.

Subsequently, the rumours of Sakura and the strange man spread like wildfire. It was something he simply could not tolerate. Yet even more unbelievable was how when he asked Sakura about it, she wouldn't respond.

It would be bad enough if that were all that he suffered. He could grit his teeth and endure. However, it was here in the Nadeshiko Clan that he discovered the man who had been seen with Sakura was actually Naruto!

That had driven him crazy. He had gone all out in order to kill Naruto. However, that battle became the straw that broke the camel's back. That straw, that crushing defeat at the hands of Naruto, caused Sasuke to laugh bitterly. His thinking, his temperament, his everything, all twisted and changed in that moment.

It pushed him toward the edge of insanity.

"I can do without the Uchiha Clan," he thought, his eyes filled with veins of blood, "and I can also cut off Sakura. I, Sasuke, will tread my own path. I will take everything away from Naruto. I will snatch it all back!" His body trembled with crazed fervor as he shot through the wind toward the tree.

Fatty plugged his nose against the wind as he floated in mid-air. Seven or eight Golden Frost Sect disciples formed a protective ring around him.

"The Sect Lord prohibited me from marrying into the Nadeshiko Clan. But, I figured I would give it a shot anyway," he said. He popped a Spirit Stone into his mouth and crunched it to pieces.

The surrounding Golden Frost Sect disciples could only smile bitterly.

"Little Patriarch, you really shouldn't be doing this. Senior, what if you go berserk and then somehow become a son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan? When we returned to the Sect, our punishment would be horrific…."

"That's right, Little Patriarch, think things over again… Think things over again…."

Fatty stared at them with wide-eyed, his expression one of disbelief. "But I'm already here," he said.

"Little Patriarch," said Chobee hurriedly, "don't you know about all those Junior Sisters back in the Sect who have eyes for you? Plus, you have several official beloved assigned to you by the Sect Leader. They're all waiting for you…." He understood Fatty the most, and as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Fatty took a deep breath.

"Alright, forget it. Let's just go along to watch the fun."

At the same time as the Golden Frost Sect disciples were trying to dissuade Fatty from participating, off in the distance, Shikamaru floated in mid-air looking thoughtful. A strange aura circulated around his body. He appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, but also emanated an extremely anti-social air. He gazed toward the enormous tree, lost in thought.

He looked at Fatty, and then Naruto. Whenever Naruto looked back at him, however, he would avert his eyes.

Whatever had happened between him and Neji, it seemed would remain a secret that only the two of them could understand.

The mournful, screaming wind whipped the sea into madness. The dark shadows which swam back and forth in its depths made this whole place seem incredibly awe-inspiring. Amidst the howling wind, everyone surged forward. The wind blasted against their faces as they shot toward the enormous tree.

* * *

It was impossible to fly very high in this place, because the wind speed increased with altitude. Naruto saw one Black Sieve Sect disciple who tried to fly up directly toward the top of the tree. Before he got too high, he screamed, and his body disappeared into a haze of blood and flesh.

The wind continued to pick up. It seemed as if it were filled with sharp blades, as well as a hard-to-describe pressure that made the three thousand meter area around the tree seem like a wall.

When Naruto entered the area, he felt the intense pressure pushing against him. The closer he got to the tree, the thicker the spiritual energy got. Of course, he could absorb it, and the closer he got, the more quickly he did so. His eyes shone brightly.

"Moving forward must be very difficult for everyone else, but for me, this place is like a holy land of Cultivation!" He looked up at the enormous tree in front of him, which stretched thousands of meters up into the sky. "Just exactly… what kind of tree is this?" He could sense that the spiritual energy in the place was not the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, but rather, produced by the gigantic tree.

As all the Cultivators struggled their way toward the tree, up above the clouds in the sky, the members of the five Sects and three Clans watched on through the cloud vortex, eyes glittering.

They could see everything quite clearly.

Kokuyo smiled. "Of all the heroes and Chosen of the various Sects and Clans that have come today, I wonder who will be the first to reach the tree?" The Nascent Soul eccentrics from the Sects and Clans all smiled.

"I'm afraid it's difficult to say. I never imagined that that Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law would involve this treasured painting…."

"This tree must have been summoned by a will shard from the ancient World Tree. It was clearly painted by the ancient Daoist Grandmaster Sai when he gained enlightenment at the legendary location in which the World Tree destroyed itself. It is said that with sufficient enlightenment, the tree itself can be summoned. This is truly a precious treasure capable of summoning that which is ancient."

Ino sat off to the side, observing the Nascent Soul Cultivators and their discussion. She looked for a moment at Naruto in the cloud vortex. Her face was calm, giving not even the slightest clue as to what she was thinking.

Chino stared at the tree created by the will shard of the World Tree, lost in thought.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Black Sieve Sect was a middle-aged man. "The World Tree's will shard is capable of releasing the legendary ancient Heaven-replacing spiritual energy," he said. "Unfortunately, it is useless to Cultivators, and will only be an obstacle to them. However, with a suitable Cultivation base, and sufficient enlightenment, the World Tree could be placed in that world. What a truly precious treasure! Eventually, it could be possible for this treasure to help these disciples make a breakthrough in their Cultivation base." As he gazed at the cloud vortex, his gaze lingered on Naruto.

He had noticed Naruto some time ago, of course, but had maintained his silence and done nothing.

"This tree is indeed a will shard of the World Tree. The painting is entitled Ancient Will of the World Tree. It was gifted to me by the Eighth Sea Lord of the Milky Way Sea when I was one thousand years old. I brought it out today for the purpose of helping these members of the younger generation gain enlightenment of ancient times, as well as to benefit all of you. This painting will not belong to me much longer." Kokuyo laughed, shaking his head. "I intend to give this painting as a gift to whoever is the next son-in-law of this generation of the Nadeshiko Clan."

This caused the other Nascent Soul Cultivators to stare wordlessly at the cloud vortex, their eyes shining brightly.

Suddenly, Hiruko, who sat several places down, laughed and said, "Patriarch, would it be appropriate for me to have a little wager with these Fellow Daoists in regards to who will reach the tree first?"

Elder Kusune from the Solitary Sword Sect laughed heartily. He took a swig of alcohol and jeeringly said, "All of us will naturally bet on our own Sect's disciples. Elder Nadeshiko, who will you bet on?"

"I bet on HIM!" said Hiruko, lifting his arm and pointing toward the cloud vortex at…

Naruto!

All of the Nascent Soul Cultivators followed the line created by Hiruko's fingers to look at Naruto. The eyes of the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Black Sieve Sect sparkled.

The Uchiha Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator frowned.

Elder Kusune from the Solitary Sword Sect laughed and gave Hiruko a meaningful look.

"Excellent, what are the stakes?" said the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Blood Demon Sect, a withered old woman with a full head of silver hair. Her voice was raspy, like bones rubbing together. She smiled hypocritically.

"I put up this Soul Fruit!" he said. He flicked his sleeve and pressed his fingers down onto his forehead. After the space of a few breaths, the illusory image of a small, cross-legged figure emerged.

In the blink of an eye, the small figure coalesced into an object that looked like a Spirit Fruit. It emitted a delicate fragrance.

This was none other than a Soul Fruit, something that Nascent Soul Cultivators could congeal into being from their Nascent Soul, and could compare to precious materials. Heaven and earth could produce Spirit Fruits, but to Nascent Soul Cultivators, their bodies were their own Heaven and Earth, and could naturally produce such fruits.

Soul Fruits are like good fortune from Heaven and Earth, and are the most precious treasures of Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Soul Fruits from others have replenishing powers, and to Nascent Soul Cultivators, are the most optimal source of healing and restoration.

Hearing Hiruko's words caused thoughtful expressions to appear on the faces of the other Nascent Soul Cultivators. Not much time passed before all of them coalesced Soul Fruits of their own. Soon, eight of them hovered together in mid-air.

Eight Soul Fruits. To any Nascent Soul Cultivator, such stakes would be incredibly tempting. All of the Cultivators pretended not to be moved, but inwardly, they shook with excitement. They gazed through the cloud vortex at the various disciples.

Kokuyo smiled and did nothing to prevent the proceedings. Of the two men sitting next to him, one was meditating with eyes closed, the other was closely watching the Cultivators in the cloud vortex, his face grim.

The Nadeshiko Clan Dao Child, Sagiri sat calmly near Patriarch Kokuyo. He said nothing, just smiled. Within his eyes flickered an intense light.

Hiruko seemed enlivened. His eyes shone as he gazed at Naruto in the cloud vortex.

"Alright, boy," he thought, "I want to see the same skills you used that day in the Five Elements Nation. If you win, I'll gift you with one of these Soul Fruits as a reward." Because of what had happened in the Five Elements Nation, as well as various rumors he had heard in the Nadeshiko Clan, Hiruko keenly anticipated Naruto's performance.

As the people above placed their bets, the dozens of Cultivators down by the enormous tree continued to forge ahead. Because of the pressure pushing against them, they couldn't move very quickly. But they continued forward nonetheless.

At the moment, the fastest of the group was Sasuke. His eyes were red, and he moved forward recklessly. To him this was his only chance. If he joined the Nadeshiko Clan, then he could start everything anew, and begin a new rise to prominence.

"Sakura, you slut. And you, Naruto! Just wait for me!" He ground his teeth as he pushed forward a few dozen meters.

After Sasuke was Shikamaru, who approached quietly. Behind him was a group of Cultivators including Guy, who had taken the lead among them.

Fatty, with his entourage of protectors, moved along neither quickly nor slowly.

Naruto was obviously a bit behind. However, his expression was calm as he proceeded forward. Every so often, he would pause and cautiously suck in a bit of the thick spiritual energy around him.

Soon, an hour had passed. Sasuke was only about thirty meters from the tree. Shikamaru was roughly sixty meters away. Everyone else was about three hundred meters or closer. Up above in the clouds, Hiruko was getting nervous. Around him, the other Nascent Soul Cultivators began to smile.

Three hundred meters away, Naruto took a deep breath. He had been carefully absorbing spiritual energy the entire way. The effect was the same as consuming a handful of Sieve Earth Pills. Despite his caution, he was able to absorb more and more spiritual energy. Naruto's eyes suddenly glittered.

"This is a rare opportunity," he thought. "I might as well absorb all of it!" Determination filling his eyes he began to move forward. In that instant, a tremor ran through his body as he ceased to repress his four Perfect Dao Pillars. They began to rotate, and a buzzing sound echoed out within him. A massive vortex appeared around him.

The vortex instantly caused the surrounding spiritual energy to shoot toward him.

The water beneath him was whipped into a fury, and Naruto's very body seemed to distort and grow blurry. Mysterious spiritual energy screamed into him, and his speed suddenly increased dramatically.

It wasn't that he was aiming to increase his speed. However, as he moved forward, the spiritual energy grew more and more abundant. In the blink of an eye, he was not three hundred meters away from the tree, but two hundred fifty, then two hundred….

Naruto's Cultivation base was gradually increasing. The outline of his fifth Dao Pillar was now completely visible and rapidly congealing.

Naruto started to get excited. He took a deep breath and moved forward even faster. Considering he had decided to recklessly absorb the spiritual energy, there was no reason not to absorb all of it.

This was Naruto's personality. Even when he was a scholar, he had been like this. It was simply how he lived. Normally, he didn't like to cause a scene. But sometimes causing a scene was unavoidable. When it happened, he would go all out.

His fifth Dao Pillar coalesced and his Cultivation base continued to climb. His eyes began to glow brightly, and his aura grew more and more powerful!

In the space of a few breaths, he had rocketed forward until he was only ninety meters from the tree. His sudden blazing speed was too incredible, as was his absorption of the spiritual energy. The surrounding Cultivators noticed immediately.

They saw the fear-inspiring vortex which surrounded him, and could sense him absorbing the thick spiritual energy which had been blocking them. It shot toward him at incredible speed, sending ripples throughout the entire world.

"What's he doing….?"

"He's… he's absorbing the spiritual energy? That's impossible!"

"How… how can he be doing that?"

The surrounding Cultivators looked at him with shock.

It wasn't just them. Up in the clouds, all of the onlookers were watching the scene, their hearts filled with astonishment.

"He's swallowing up the ancient spiritual energy!"

"What is he? What kind of Cultivation technique does he use to be able to do that!"

The eyes of the Nascent Soul Cultivators glittered like lightning as they watched Naruto. They were shocked to the core, never having imagined that they would see something like this.

Interestingly, even though they were Nascent Soul Cultivators who should easily be able to see a person's Cultivation base, Naruto's Dao Pillars were currently obscured from their vision.

It was as if some bizarre force were interfering, making it impossible for them to pick up even the slightest clue. The middle-aged man from the Black Sieve Sect watched thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed. He had noticed this strange obscuration of Naruto's Dao Pillars even before he entered the cloud vortex.

As the alarmed Nascent Soul Cultivators watched Naruto's advancement, the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch Kokuyo looked at him, his eyes glowing brightly. In fact, his eyes hadn't left Naruto from the beginning.

He stared wordlessly at Naruto in the cloud vortex, eyes flickering with surprise.

Hiruko laughed loudly. He also found the scene to be unbelievable, but on the other hand was incredibly happy. As his laughter rang out, Ino sucked in a deep breath, thinking about how Naruto had been able to enter the square cauldron even though the name Uzumaki did not exist in the Nine Great Families.

Chino's phoenix-like eyes flashed as she watched Naruto thoughtfully.

Down by the enormous tree, the spiritual energy roiled, causing the wild wind to grow in intensity. The wind buffeted Sasuke, causing him to spin backward from thirty meters to about one hundred and twenty-five meters!

The others were blown back as well. With this reversal, Naruto was now the closest person to the tree, being only ninety meters away.

Sasuke raised his head up and howled. He couldn't accept such a situation. He pushed forward with all his strength. However, at that same time, Naruto took a deep breath and also pushed forward. He moved forward about thirty meters, and then another thirty!

In two short bursts, he was now only thirty meters away from the tree. Compared to the tree, he was like a cricket. The vortex around him swirled, causing the boundless spiritual energy in the area to suck toward him. The full shape of his fifth Dao Pillar was now visible. If he continued at this rate, he would most likely be able to complete it.

When he formed his fifth Perfect Dao Pillar, Naruto would definitely be… the most powerful person in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Whether it be Chosen or Dao Children, the entire Foundation Establishment stage would be like dry weeds that could be crushed beneath his feet!

* * *

The chance Naruto had now was sudden and unexpected. Thanks to this lucky break, his Cultivation base was climbing upward at incredible speed. Furthermore, the closer he got to the tree, the thicker the spiritual energy became.

He took a deep breath, completely ignoring the strange looks everyone was giving him. He was completely focused on the enormous tree and the bizarre spiritual energy it emitted that only he could absorb.

It had been a long time since he had been able to enjoy the refreshing feeling of absorbing spiritual energy. His eyes glistened brightly as his body flashed onward.

The spiritual energy beneath the tree roiled madly. His body was like a whirling black hole, sucking all the spiritual energy in, without exception.

His Cultivation base continued to climb, and the image of his fifth Dao Pillar grew clearer. Soon it would no longer be illusory.

Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent….

Naruto grew more and more excited as he absorbed the increasingly thick spiritual energy. He leaped forward, heading directly toward the base of the enormous tree.

Next to the towering tree, Naruto was little more than an insect, tiny and weak. It was essentially impossible to even compare. They were as different as a firefly and the shining moon.

Naruto was the first to step into the tree itself. The other Cultivators closed in. Within the space of about ten breaths, Sasuke and Shikamaru also stepped onto it.

They, of course, could not absorb the spiritual energy of this place, and therefore had no way to replenish themselves. There is no need to even mention how difficult it was for them to proceed forward. On the other hand, Naruto was like a fish in water. In an instant, he was already three hundred meters away from them.

After observing this, the eyes of the spectators shone with a strange glow. This was especially true of the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch. His eyes glittered brightly as he watched the cloud vortex, and Naruto.

"So he can absorb the spiritual energy there…." he thought. "But that place is merely a painting of the World Tree. It couldn't even be considered a projected image. However, it does contain some of the World Tree's will, as well as dense spiritual energy, although not much…." His eyes glittered, although they contained some amount of hesitation.

Hiruko too felt shocked, but was also about to go wild with joy. A wide smile emerged on his face. He looked at the shifting expressions of the other Nascent Soul Cultivators and smiled even wider. He flicked his sleeve to collect the Soul Fruits together.

"Fellow Daoists, I shall collect my winnings. Do you wish to make another wager? I bet this kid will become the next son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan. What do you say? Wager, or no wager?"

The other Nascent Soul Cultivators ignored him, refusing to be provoked, and instead focused on what was happening in the cloud vortex. They gazed thoughtfully as Naruto ascended the gigantic tree.

Hiruko continued to prod a few more times, but seeing that the others refused to speak, he simply put away the Soul Fruits and laughed. The ill feelings toward Naruto from years ago were now completely gone.

"This Naruto kid isn't bad," said Hiruko, eyeing the cloud vortex. "Ai, if I had known he was like this, I would have bet on him against Tazuna all those years ago."

Within the cloud vortex, Sasuke's eyes were red. He was on the tree now, proceeding up. The spiritual energy in the area pushed against him, and he had no way to absorb it whatsoever. The wind whipped about, but he forged on without regard to caution. He knew that if he were knocked off the tree, then he would have to start over from the very bottom.

Making progress was incredibly difficult, but every time he looked up and saw Naruto speeding along, it would cause him to ignore the screaming wind and intense pressure. Insanity and intense jealousy filled his heart, and he would proceed onward through the thick pressure.

"How could I possibly lose to him!?" he raged inwardly. "I am a Uchiha Clan Chosen! He stole my legacy and my beloved! Today, I shall wrest away his good fortune. Why are you always so unfair to Sasuke, Heavens?! I refuse! I will not give in!" Setting his teeth, he shot upward. The wild wind buffeted him, but he held doggedly onto the tree. It felt as if his arms were about to rip off.

To his astonishment, Sasuke suddenly realized that the unabsorbable spiritual energy of this place, which exhibited such strong pressure, was actually lessening around Naruto. The closer he got to Naruto, the easier it was to progress.

Behind him, Shikamaru, Hayase, Yajirobee as well as Fatty and the others, had all reached the tree, and were relentlessly pursuing.

All of them noticed Naruto's significant increase in speed.

Naruto had already sensed that although the spiritual energy in this place seemed thick and abundant, actually, the entire place was divided into different areas. The spiritual energy of the area he was currently in was almost sucked dry. Because of that, Sasuke and the others were able to move more quickly.

However, although the spiritual energy below him was decreasing, he continued moving upward. Soon, he encountered more dense spiritual energy, which he began to absorb immediately. His fifth Dao Pillar was already about forty percent complete.

"The spiritual energy here is organized in layers," he thought, his eyes shining brilliantly. "Each layer can be completely absorbed into my body. Although it looks incredibly dense, there's actually not very much of it. However, if I absorb all of it, I should be able to complete my fifth Dao Pillar." He continued onward, and the spiritual energy continued to pour into him. Whenever it began to grow thin, he would continue on upward to a new layer.

Behind him, Sasuke and the others were continuing to increase their speed. The spiritual energy having dried up, the resisting pressure was gone. The only thing they had to deal with was the raging wind. Their progress now was much easier, so the gap between Naruto and them was slowly lessening.

The enormous tree was many dozens of meters in diameter, and from a distance, didn't seem very far away from the cloud layer above, where the Nascent Soul Cultivators watched the proceedings. Seeing what was happening caused them to sit there quietly in contemplation. The Uchiha Clan Cultivator let out a cold harrumph. "Hiruko, let's make another bet. This time, the stakes are two Soul Fruits!"

Hiruko hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowed.

The Black Sieve Sect Nascent Soul Cultivator coughed lightly. "I'm in," he said.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Shimura Clan chimed in. "So, another bet," he said coolly. "Hiruko, why don't we all join in? Two Soul Fruits per person. Winner takes all." His words made Hiruko even more hesitant.

After a long moment passed, he gritted his teeth. He actually had incredible faith in Naruto's ability to perform, so he flicked his sleeve.

"We're on!" he said.

Subsequently, all of the Nascent Soul eccentrics produced Soul Fruits. Seeing so many in one placed caused all of the Cultivators to palpitate with eagerness. The stakes of this wager were significantly greater than the previous bet.

At the same time as all the eccentrics made their bets, Naruto shot up at top speed. He had passed through three layers of the enormous tree, and had now progressed roughly thirty percent up. By now, Sasuke and the others were a mere thirty meters behind him. It seemed they might soon pass him.

Naruto's face was calm. The good fortune of this place lay in the spiritual energy; as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter who was in first place. Suddenly, Sasuke roared. Employing some unknown magical technique, his body began to glow, and he shot up with incredible, explosive speed. In the space of a few breaths, he had progressed more than thirty meters. This caused him to pass Naruto by nearly ten meters.

However, before he even had a chance to rejoice, an enormous force caused his body to tremble. The pressure caused him to cough up blood as it enveloped his body. Just then, Naruto passed him, sucking the spiritual energy of the area into his body. The pressure began to subside. If it hadn't, Sasuke felt as if he might have been crushed down into the tree by a giant, invisible hand.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he proceeded onward, ignoring Sasuke. He passed the area that was covered with the blood Sasuke had coughed up, continuing to absorb the spiritual energy. After absorbing all of it, he moved onto the next layer.

Clearly, anyone who wanted to try to pass Naruto could do so by merely charging forward.

However, seeing what happened to Sasuke shook the hearts of all the Cultivators below. They stared at Naruto with strange expressions. As for Fatty, he took a deep breath, and looked completely disbelieving.

As of this moment, none of the pursuing Cultivators dared to pass Naruto….

Naruto continued on slowly, which gave them no other option than to do the same. Looking embarrassed and helpless, they followed Naruto. Clearly, many of them had various plans in mind. They would wait until the very top of the tree, whereupon various techniques would explode out as they attempted to pass him!

* * *

Naruto was aware of all of this, of course. His expression was the same as ever and he ignored everyone else. He paused at each layer to absorb as much spiritual energy as possible, and then continued to climb upward.

Several meters behind him were all the other Cultivators. They eyed Naruto helplessly, waiting for him to move onward before doing so themselves.

Each and every pair of eyes inside this world was watching Naruto. He was the focus of all attention.

The Nadeshiko Clan's competition in search of a son-in-law had turned into Naruto's stepping stone. Regardless of whether Naruto was the winner or not, he had already left a deep impression on Shizuka. That, coupled with the events which had happened before the banquet began, caused her to ignore everyone else and focus solely on Naruto.

Perhaps it was fate; after today, the five Clans and three Sects would know that Naruto was also Chosen!

Perhaps it was fate; after today, stories of scholar Naruto of the Five Elements Nation would spread throughout the entire Southern Domain. There was now one more amongst the ranks of the Chosen!

Also fated was that previously unknown Naruto would be the complete center of attention. More and more Cultivators would hear of him and especially… the matter of him and Sakura. Rumors would spread like wildfire throughout the entirety of the Southern Domain.

Naruto would become the object of jealousy of countless male Cultivators. Of course he would also attract the notice of many female Cultivators. He was now the subject of a huge scandal involving one of the four most beautiful women in the Southern Domain. Everyone was paying attention to him now.

At the same time, anyone who hadn't heard about Naruto's dealings with the Violet Fate Sect back in the Five Elements Nation, would surely know about it now. Naruto's name would only become more and more well known.

In actuality, if people knew about the feud between the Black Sieve Sect and Naruto, or how he had taken the Blood Immortal Legacy, then he would instantly become the most famous Cultivator in all of the Southern Domain. After all, he could now sweep across Chosen and push down Dao Children.

Today was only the first sign of what was to come, though. This was Naruto cutting into the Southern Domain!

Time passed. Naruto, his expression the same as always, continued onward slowly. Behind him, many of the Cultivators were growing impatient. A young man from the Violet Fate Sect looked at Naruto slowly absorbing spiritual energy, and frowned. Unable to accept the situation any longer, he shot forward.

He slapped his bag of holding, and immediately, eight talismans appeared to circle around him. A bright glow appeared, some sort of protective spell. With a triumphant cry, he charged onward, passing Naruto and entering the next layer beyond.

The Violet Fate Sect Nascent Soul Cultivator coolly mentioned, "This is a Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect, Dan Kato. His Cultivation base is beyond ordinary. His eight talismans treasure can reduce any force of pressure by eighty percent." Even as the words left his mouth, his face suddenly grew unsightly.

As soon as Dan Kato passed Naruto and entered the next area, his body began to shake. His face tightened, and blood sprayed from his mouth. His body trembled as if it were under attack. Everyone watched as he howled and tried to endure. Naruto cleared his throat. He stopped in his tracks for a moment, looking up and waiting.

After the space of a few breaths, the Violet Fate Sect disciple coughed up more blood. One by one, his eight talismans disintegrated. With a miserable scream, he fell down into the sea below. He emerged moments later, pale faced, and began to climb again. It didn't take him long to rejoin the group of people below Naruto, where he stared upward with fear and respect.

Everyone looked thoughtfully at Naruto, who once again cleared his throat and moved upward, absorbing spiritual energy along the way.

No one dared to attempt to pass him. They could only follow helplessly. Time passed as Naruto proceeded through the layers. By now, his fifth Dao Pillar was about seventy percent complete.

The further he progressed, the more spiritual energy he needed. Before long, Naruto was roughly three thousand meters from the apex of the enormous tree.

Sasuke's eyes flashed, and though Shikamaru said nothing, his eyes shined brightly. A look of anticipation covered Fatty's face. He had no thoughts of trying to pass Naruto, but was very much looking forward to seeing what happened when Naruto reached the top.

It wasn't just the Cultivators whose eyes glittered; up in the cloud layer, the eccentrics from the five Sects and three Clans, as well as all the Nadeshiko Clan members, were all focused on Naruto. Although his participation in the Nadeshiko Clan search for a son-in-law had been unexpected, a critical moment was approaching. Everyone watched on with keen anticipation.

With a smile, Kokuyo said, "At the top of the tree, there is a final test. Of the heroes of the various Sects and Clans, it's hard to say which one… will be able to pass the final test."

One of the Nascent Soul Cultivators laughed and said, "I had heard that part of the tradition of your Nadeshiko Clan search for a son-in-law involves a difficult test. I'm very curious as to the nature of this test. Elder Nadeshiko, would you mind explaining a bit about it?"

"That's right," said the Golden Frost Sect's Nascent Soul Cultivator. "I've also heard such things. Elder Nadeshiko, would you mind telling us some about it? We're all very curious."

Everyone seemed very interested in hearing about the final test.

Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch Kokuyo laughed loudly. Then, he looked at the middle-aged man who sat at his right hand. "Shin, we are searching for a husband for your daughter. Why don't you explain the final test?"

The middle-aged man was handsome and dashing. Hearing the words of the Patriarch, he clasped his hands respectfully and then looked at the group of people, eyes flashing like lightning. Then he glanced at Shizuka, and a warm, loving expression filled his face.

His voice cool, Shin Nadeshiko said, "The final test in our search for a son-in-law is a bit different than the tests in previous generations. This is a test of a Cultivator's Dao Heart!"

The Nascent Soul Cultivators frowned.

Elder Kusune from the Solitary Sword Sect frowned and took a drink of alcohol. "Matters of Dao Hearts aren't even clear to us, let alone these Foundation Establishment pups."

"That is why this test is special," replied Shin. "Elder Kusune is correct, Dao Hearts are mysterious and unfathomable. Actually, the Nadeshiko Clan believes that one of the most important aspects of the Dao Heart is determined by personality and behavior. The combination of the two, as well as a person's stubbornness… that is the Dao Heart. Therefore, although today's test is not conclusive, it will give us some inkling of what will be. Actually, as it relates to Dao Hearts, this test is actually a choice!" Having said this much, Shin closed his mouth and declined to comment further.

Everyone else sank into deep thought. As for Shizuka, she continued to watch Naruto within the cloud vortex, very curious as to what choice he would make during the final test….

Sagiri's eyes flickered as he calmly watched the cloud vortex. He was Dao Child of the Nadeshiko Clan, and yet, as he watched Naruto, an uneasy feeling welled up in his heart. He was used to concealing his emotions, though. His exterior was calm. But he was extremely curious to see what choice Naruto would make.

"As Dao Child of the Nadeshiko Clan, I was able to take the test myself ahead of time. My choice…." Sagiri was lost in thought. He had only succeeded on his second try. Succeeding in such a fashion had earned him the praise of Patriarch Kokuyo.

With a smile, Patriarch Kokuyo said, "Shin makes it sound very complicated. The final test is a choice, and also a test of observation. I should make clear that the Dao Child of our Nadeshiko Clan succeeded on his second attempt." He glanced at Song Yuncai with a look of praise.

This caused everyone to grow even more curious. They all looked back down, waiting for Naruto to break through. They also peered at the group of Cultivators behind him, all of whom were waiting for their chance to spring forward.

Naruto began to move faster and faster. His fifth Dao Pillar was now eighty percent complete, and he now needed even more spiritual energy than before. Remembering the horrific scene that had accompanied the completion of his last Dao Pillar, Naruto wanted to be certain there was enough spiritual energy in this place before he reached the point of no return.

Otherwise, when the critical juncture arrived, then he would have no choice but to consume the other Cultivators. That was a path that Naruto refused to tread.

Cautiously, but quickly, he absorbed the spiritual energy. He proceeded, leaving behind some of the spiritual energy and moving on to the next layer. He was rapidly approaching the top of the tree. Because he had left behind some spiritual energy, the Cultivators behind him suddenly encountered the resisting pressure, and had no choice but to slow down.

They trudged on desperately. However, there was now more and more distance between them and Naruto. Sasuke's eyes were completely red. He pursued madly.

Naruto was now only fifteen hundred meters from the top of the tree.

One thousand meters. Five hundred meters. Two hundred fifty meters…. One hundred fifty. Fifty…. Naruto leaped up, surpassing the final gap to stand on top of the tree.

At this moment, all eyes were upon him!

* * *

At this moment, the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch and Hiruko both stared at Naruto. In fact, without exception, all of the Nadeshiko Clan members in the cloud layer were looking at him.

The attention of the Nascent Soul Cultivators of the five Sects and three Clans were all fixed on him as well.

To garner such attention showed how famous Naruto now was in the Southern Domain.

Members of the Nadeshiko Clan such as Sagiri, as well as Ino, Chino, Kabuto… everyone's attention was focused solely on Naruto.

The Chosen from the various Sects and Clans, regardless of their frustration or helplessness, regardless of what thoughts were running through their heads, were looking up at Naruto. Sasuke, Fatty, Shikamaru, Hayase, Yajirobee….

Atop the tree, at the pinnacle of this world, Naruto stood alone, the focus of all the heavens.

As soon as he stepped foot on the top of the tree, he felt the boundless spiritual energy in the area sucking toward him. It was definitely enough to complete his fifth Dao Pillar. Far below the top of the tree, the massive sea seemed smaller; now it looked like a mirror.

Beyond the edges of the mirror, was nothingness…. This world was not limitless. In fact, in the midst of the nothingness could be seen what appeared to be handwriting, floating there faintly.

The ancient will of the World Tree; respect its strength, remember its intentions. Painted in the spot where the World Tree destroyed itself.

It was signed with three characters. Sai.

"Sai… could it be that this entire world is… a painting?" Naruto's eyes flickered as he stared at the words. Then he took a deep breath and allowed the spiritual energy to flow into him. The instant his fifth Dao Pillar reached ninety-percent completion, a person suddenly appeared up ahead of him!

It was an old man who had the demeanor of a transcendent being. He wore a long, gray robe, and it was impossible to tell exactly how old he was. He was clearly ancient, although was impossible to tell how many countless ages he had lived.

Naruto could sense no ripples emanating from the man's Cultivation base. It seemed as if he were a mortal, not a Cultivator. And yet, considering how ancient he was, how could he possibly be mortal?

The old man looked at Naruto, his face calm and filled with unspeakable dignity. It seemed as if even the Heavens would flee from before him.

The old man spoke, his voice cool, "The Heavens are not the Heavens, the Earth is not the Earth. The stars are eternal, and the Dao will always be!" His words floated out gently, much the same as his hair floated gently around his body. "This place does not belong to the Heavens, nor to the Earth. This painting of the World Tree contains endlessly flowing memories. Drink of them, and the great Dao in front of you will lead you to the utmost heights. Select a path upon which to approach me." Suddenly, nine snaking paths appeared among the twisted leaves of the tree's crown. They all led toward the old man, who stood only a few hundred meters up ahead.

Each path led to the same destination: the old man.

The old man lifted his hand. There between his fingers was a thumb-sized pearl. "Select a path upon which to approach me, and then take the pearl. Choose wrong, and you must start over."

The pearl was white, and seemed to contain an entire world within its depths. Looking at it, Naruto noticed that it was not round. For some reason, it seemed to be the shape of a cube. It was very bizarre.

Suddenly, Naruto could sense the three-colored Resurrection Lily inside of him being suppressed slightly.

"Nine paths. And I have to pick one…." he frowned. By this time, Sasuke and the others were approaching. However, they weren't able to step onto the treetop. It seemed that there was some invisible force that prevented more than one person from being atop the tree.

Naruto thought for a while as he looked over the nine paths. He had no clue how to select a path. He looked at the man up ahead, and then his eyes gleamed. The man was holding the pearl with three fingers! After thinking for another moment, Naruto took a deep breath and then walked forward onto the third path.

The instant his foot stepped down on the path, the world seemed to turn upside down. A roaring filled his ears, and everything grew blurry for a moment. When everything became clear, he found that he was now at the very bottom of the tree!

He was only a few hundred meters from the surface of the sea, falling downward. His mind reeled, and he forced himself to a stop. Looking up, he saw Sasuke climbing up onto the top of the tree.

"I chose wrong, so I have to start over…." He frowned. Selecting a path seemed to involve little more than random guessing. How could one pick, other than going through the paths one by one?

Naruto muttered to himself for a moment. Then, his eyes flashed as he saw Sasuke falling down from the top of the tree like a shooting star. He, too, had failed, and had to start from the beginning, at the sea beneath the tree.

Naruto leaped into action, heading up toward the top of the tree at top speed. In the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, he was less than three thousand meters away from the top. During that time, he witnessed over ten Cultivators falling down toward the ocean.

Meanwhile, up in the cloud layer, the Nascent Soul Cultivators watched on with furrowed brows. Having seen everything that happened, they broke into discussions.

"Nine paths. How can one know which path to choose…? It must involve careful observation. The answer doesn't lie in blind luck, but with that old man!"

"He is not emanating any Cultivation base ripples, and yet emanates a profound air. Perhaps the answer to the riddle is hidden in the words he spoke…."

"No wonder this test requires careful observation. There doesn't seem to be any clear solution. For the Nadeshiko Clan Dao Child to have passed the test in two tries really is worthy of admiration."

Ino looked at the scene playing out on the tree. Her eyes shined with interest. After thinking for a moment, she said. "The fourth path from the left!"

Kabuto's eyes flashed. Having heard that the Nadeshiko Clan Dao Child passed the test in two tries, he felt a sense of competition rising within him. He slowly said, "The fourth path from the right. That path doesn't look special. But the leaves there are somewhat thicker. Furthermore, the old man seemed to pause slightly after every fourth word he spoke!"

Chino's eyes also flickered, but she said nothing. She was lost in thought as she stared at the nine paths.

Sagiri's expression was placid, but in his heart, he sighed. He had succeeded in two tries, but in fact, it had all been a matter of luck. He actually had no idea how he had succeeded.

Patriarch Kokuyo laughed but said nothing. Hearing the discussions, he shook his head and fixed his attention to the top of the tree. Naruto was nearing it again.

Naruto moved quickly, and the three thousand meters whizzed by. The only people left at the top of the tree were Fatty and others from the Golden Frost Sect. Seeing Naruto approach, Fatty immediately made way for him.

Naruto nodded. Another person up above failed, after which Naruto's body flashed and appeared for a second time on the treetop. By this time, his fifth Dao Pillar was more than ninety percent complete. There wasn't much spiritual energy left, but Naruto was certain it was enough to complete the Dao Pillar.

He took a deep breath as he stood there atop the tree. He gazed at the old man, then recalled his words again as he looked over the paths again. Then, he stepped forward onto the fourth path!

He had made exactly the same choice as Ino!

However, the moment he stepped onto it, everything turned upside down, and he was again shooting down toward the sea beneath the tree.

"I'm really starting to dislike this place!" he thought, his eyes filling with both frustration and determination.

All of the Chosen from the various Sects and Clans who had failed once were now making their second attempts. And yet, one after another, they failed, falling downward just like Naruto.

Naruto went up to try a third time.

By this time, everyone was watching with strange expressions. They were all lost in thought, trying to figure out what they had overlooked. Which path was correct?

More discussions broke out among the Nascent Soul Cultivators.

"This place is very mysterious. These kids have all had two chances each, and between the lot of them, have tried every one of the nine paths."

"Clearly, the correct path changes. The route is not fixed. It seems that luck does have quite a bit of a role."

Ino frowned, continuing to look on. She was now starting to form another opinion on which path was the correct one.

"There's no need to get anxious, friends," said Patriarch Kokuyo. He laughed. "To find the correct path, each person most observe matters carefully. It will all depend on their Dao Heart."

Atop the massive tree beneath the cloud vortex, Naruto shot back upward. He was currently about nine thousand meters from the top of the tree when suddenly his Dao Pillar reached the point where it was only a sliver away from being completed. The same phenomenon that had appeared in the Fuma Clan, once again began to occur.

His body immediately began to wither. Thankfully, there was plenty of spiritual energy in this place. The unbridled gravitational power of the Dao Pillar began to absorb all of the spiritual energy, no matter how far away it was. Each and every bit of it rushed toward Naruto.

His face was ruddy as he felt his Cultivation base climbing upward. He shot upward, and was soon only three thousand meters from the top. His mind began to reel.

A booming sound could be heard, and Naruto's face flickered as suddenly, a golden light began to collect inside of him. His Cultivation base started rotating, causing the light to shine outward. It seemed as if it wished to eclipse the World Tree!

Amidst the golden glow, streams of magical symbols appeared. They were indistinct, but the instant they appeared, they caused the entire world to be filled with a golden color.

Up above, looks of disbelief appeared on the faces of the Nascent Soul Cultivators. One by one, they stood up. "That's…."

"The Sublime Spirit Scripture!" said one of the other Nascent Soul Cultivators breathlessly.

* * *

The Nascent Soul Cultivators couldn't keep their cool. One by one, they began to speak, their eyes shining with unprecedented brightness.

"That's… that's definitely the power of one of the three great classic scriptures. That golden glow… it's a sign of the Sublime Spirit Scripture!"

"That kid cultivates with the Sublime Spirit Scripture. That scripture has supposedly been lost for years. There are only fragments left. How did this kid get the whole scripture!?"

"From the looks of it, he acquired the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Supposedly, it appeared a few hundred years ago in the Five Elements Nation, and was used by a man named Patriarch Reliance. His Cultivation base was unfathomable…."

Their eyes were on Naruto, but what they were really paying attention to was the Sublime Spirit Scripture!

Each and every one of them could crush Naruto between their fingers like he was nothing; he wouldn't be able to fight back in the least. Whichever one of them got their hands on Naruto, would actually be acquiring the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

Such a text would be indescribably useful to any Sect. Whoever acquired it would be in the position to sweep across the Southern Domain with impunity.

That Sect would become incomparable, and would without fail become the overlord of the Southern Domain!

How could these Nascent Soul Cultivators not be excited? Even if Naruto succeeded in becoming a son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan, they would still no doubt crazily pursue him regardless of anything!

In any case, Naruto currently was not a member of the Nadeshiko Clan, and was only one participant among many.

It wasn't appropriate to make a move at the moment, but once Naruto emerged, all of the Sects and Clans in the Southern Domain would want to grab him. In such an event, his life wouldn't be important. To get the Sublime Spirit Scripture, there wasn't a single Nascent Soul Cultivator who would hesitate to use Soulsearch on Naruto to drag out the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

The result of such a Soulsearch would kill him!

As soon as the Sublime Spirit Scripture appeared, Naruto instantly became the prey of all of these super Sects of the Southern Domain!

It was obvious what everyone was thinking. The Nascent Soul Cultivators' eyes glittered. This was the Nadeshiko Clan, but sooner or later, someone would make a move. They all glanced over at the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch.

Naruto had openly revealed his secret of possessing the Sublime Spirit Scripture. It would without fail arouse the lust of any Sect or Clan. However, in terms of positioning, the Nadeshiko Clan currently had the clear advantage.

As the Nascent Soul Cultivators looked over at the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch, they discreetly retrieved transmission jade slips and crushed them between their fingers. This instantly sent notifications back to their various Sects and Clans.

Hiruko watched the scene in shock. The rest of the Nadeshiko Clan members all seem to be in shock. Patriarch Kokuyo suddenly stood up. His eyes shone mysteriously, and he was breathing heavily. However, he then recalled what had happened within the Clan earlier, along with the warning transmitted by the Dao Reserve Patriarch, and his eyes filled with determination.

"This Naruto…" he said, "must not be provoked! Whoever causes problems for him is seeking death!" He flicked his sleeve. "Ladies and gentlemen, you are in the Nadeshiko Clan!" His words echoed out like thunder, causing the faces of the Nascent Soul Cultivators to tighten. Blood seeped out of the corners of their mouths. Their eyes glistened with fear as they stared at the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch.

"Regardless of what objectives you might have, this is the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law," he said, his eyes shining. "Whoever succeeds will become a son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan. Once everyone emerges, there will be time for your greed. However, if Naruto becomes the son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan, then it must be viewed as the will of the Heavens."

"Elder Kokuyo, we will naturally comply with your words," said the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Black Sieve Sect, smiling.

The rest of the Nascent Soul Cultivators all agreed slowly, pretending not to pay any attention to Naruto. However, in their hearts, they were preparing for the arrival of fellow Sect members.

Patriarch Kokuyo was of course well aware of that. He sighed inwardly and said nothing more, continuing to gaze at the golden world within the cloud vortex.

Magical symbols appeared in the golden glow that spread out from Naruto. This was none other than the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

Observers would be able to make out the details of the magical symbols, but would be unable to commit them to memory. The only thing they would be able to remember would be a blur.

In the Southern Domain, there are three classic scriptures. Only one of them emits a golden glow… the Sublime Spirit Scripture!

There were no records of the origin of the scripture, or of who created it. There were many legends, though. One stated that it had been created by an eminently powerful Cultivator of the Dao Seeking stage who had walked the path of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

However, such a matter seemed too monumental. As such, many people refused to believe such a legend.

Regardless, each of the seven manuals of the Sublime Spirit Scripture could be considered precious treasures. In fact, the reason that the Violet Fate Sect became one of the great Sects was because it had acquired a fragment of the Foundation Establishment manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

Just a fragment of one of the manuals could give birth to a great Sect; this alone demonstrates the boundlessness of the Sublime Spirit Scripture!

Practicing the Cultivation of the Sublime Spirit Scripture would eventually cause the body to reach the point where it would emit magical scriptures. This is a special state, and a special sign!

Such a state could only be reached after nine Dao Pillars had been formed. Then it would become visible. However, because Naruto had a Perfect Foundation, he was in a unique position with his Five Dao Pillars. That was why the sign made itself visible now.

Of course, this turn of events exceeded Naruto's powers of anticipation and caught him completely unawares. His heart instantly filled with vigilance, and he immediately pulled out the good luck charm and prepared it for activation.

As the scripture floated out from his body and the golden glow filled the entire world, the Chosen from the various Sects looked up at him in astonishment and shock.

Fatty gasped and began to mutter to himself. "That's Naruto for you. He was awesome in the Reliance Sect. Then he came to the Southern Domain and seduced Sakura. Now he's showing off even more power…."

Shikamaru stared wordlessly at the golden light. Inside, similar waves of admiration filled his heart.

As for Sasuke, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body shook. A sense of unwillingness wanted to rise up within him, and yet he was forced to admit that Naruto… was no longer someone he could afford to look down upon.

In fact, fear began to well up in Sasuke's heart; not even ten years had passed since they last met. After another ten years, how much further would Naruto have surpassed him? Sasuke didn't even dare to think about what would occur if one day, he himself was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, but Naruto reached Core Formation. If they met again at that time, what would happen…?

The stir caused by what was happening now far exceeded the recent spectacle created by Naruto when he had climbed the tree.

He panted as intense booming sounds filled his body. They far exceeded the roaring he had experienced when he created his fourth Dao Pillar in the Fuma Clan, so much so that Naruto's heart shook and his flesh leaped.

He felt his fifth Dao Pillar being completed. After the space of a few breaths passed, his head suddenly resounded with an enormous roar. Finally, his fifth Dao Pillar appeared in full!

His fifth Perfect Dao Pillar!

With this fifth Dao Pillar, his Cultivation base rocketed to new heights. Blinding golden light shined out from him, and the magical symbols of the Sublime Spirit Scripture revolved around him in circles. They seemed as if they were prostrating themselves toward Naruto.

Every breath he took caused the symbols to flutter. Every blink of his eye caused the golden light to shine even more blindingly. His Cultivation base rose higher and his battle prowess soared. Naruto was transforming in an unprecedented fashion!

Suddenly, Tribulation clouds appeared in the mountains of the Nadeshiko Clan, and they lingered for some time before dissipating.

Naruto's long hair floated about him, and his body filled with an indescribable might. As the roaring continued to echo out, his heart began to thump. He took a deep breath as he allowed all the feelings to wash over him. The explosive growth of his Cultivation base caused his battle might to far exceed his previous pinnacle.

Naruto was now convinced that at the moment, he could easily sweep across the entire Foundation Establishment stage. Regardless of Chosen or Dao Children, all of them were beneath him. He had a Perfect Foundation and five Dao Pillars; he was invincible within the Foundation Establishment stage!

In front of him, all Foundations except for Flawless Foundations, could be crushed by his Perfect Foundation.

At the same time, however, a profound sense of danger welled up within him. He knew that everyone outside was watching him. The scripture symbols which were floating around him were obviously from the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

Despite the feeling of danger, determination filled Naruto's eyes. Fingering the good luck symbol, he leaped forward. This place was already devoid of spiritual energy, so he shot forward toward the treetop, surrounded by the golden glow.

"So far no one has come down after me. There's definitely not much time left…." Naruto was nervous, but also wasn't willing to leave quite yet. His goal, the Cubic Pearl, was still there for the taking. Then he could escape with the good luck charm.

"If the charm could get me out of the ancient Blessed Land, then this place will naturally be no problem either!" The good luck charm needed time to prepare, so at the same time as he poured power from his Cultivation base into it, he shot upward. Utilizing the strength of his five Perfect Dao Pillars, he shot past the final three thousand meters to arrive at the empty treetop.

The gray-robed old man stood there. The nine paths in front of him had been affected by the golden glow, and now appeared to be paths of gold.

This was Naruto's third time standing here. His eyes glowed brightly. The time had come to make his final choice. The choice he made… was one that only Naruto could make!

* * *

Currently, all of the Nascent Soul eccentrics up in the clouds watched on with shining eyes. If they weren't in the Nadeshiko Clan, they would have long since taken action. They were frightened, but had already made preparations. In their opinion, Naruto was like a turtle in a jar. He couldn't escape even if he sprouted wings.

The only thing they needed to worry about was the Nadeshiko Clan. The importance of the Chakra Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture was hard to describe. Actually, many of them couldn't understand how it was possible that their various Sects had permitted the scripture to remain in the Reliance Sect, and had chosen not to go take it….

Their eyes flickered as they watched on. They were simply waiting for Naruto to come out, and for backup from their Sects to arrive.

However… the Nascent Soul Eccentric from the Black Sieve Sect's eyes flickered with something else, undetectable to the others. The jade slip which he had crushed contained details different from that of the others. Not only had he passed on the information about the Sublime Spirit Scripture, but also news that he had tracked down Naruto.

Orders had already been issued by the Patriarchs of the Black Sieve Sect to search for the person who had snatched away Ultimate Vexation. The news hadn't been broadcast on the outside, of course, and their search could only be conducted secretly. Therefore, the appearance of the Sublime Spirit Scripture was not a good development for the Black Sieve Sect.

"All of the Sects are now paying attention to him," thought the Black Sieve Sect Nascent Soul Cultivator, his eyes flickering. "I need to grab him first, before all his secrets are revealed!" A cold smile appeared on his face. "Ancient Blessed Lands cannot contain this guy. He has a good luck charm from the ancient Good Luck Sect. He can go anywhere in the world." He was the only one among the Nascent Soul Cultivators who knew that this phantom fragment of the World Tree was incapable of keeping Naruto trapped within it. He wasn't worried, though. Once the Black Sieve Sect learned that Naruto had the good luck charm, they had instituted a slew of contingency plans.

Down beneath the cloud vortex, in the glowing, golden world, Naruto took a deep breath. He stared at the old man, who stood only a few hundred meters away on the treetop.

They were separated by nine paths, all of which glowed with golden light. Three of the paths actually seemed to glow a bit brighter than the others.

"How do I pick…?" Naruto stood there thoughtfully for a brief moment. Then, a cold light gleamed within his eyes. He had made two choices before and had failed both times. This was his third chance. If he failed again, he knew that he would never get a fourth chance.

In actuality, Naruto had already guessed which path was the correct one to take. It was the same path he had walked before. If a person truly wishes to practice Cultivation, they must have persistence, and not easily change their mind. This was the key to treading the nine paths in front of him.

"But that choice… is not a choice born of my will…." Naruto's eyes shone with coldness. He moved forward, and as he did, all of the Nascent Soul Cultivators above watched on. Even though the entire world was filled with the blinding golden light, their vision could pierce through it to observe the proceedings.

The instant Naruto shot forward, his five Perfect Dao Pillars exploded with power invincible to the rest of the Foundation Establishment stage. The golden glow grew thicker, and his speed increased.

However… he did not pick any of the nine leafy paths. Instead, he flew up into the air and… shot directly toward the gray-robed old man. All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the blink of an eye. Naruto completely bypassed the nine paths to appear directly in front of the old man. He lifted his hand, and his Cultivation base rippled out. Instantly, a six hundred meter long Flame Dragon appeared and then slammed down onto the old man.

Naruto lowered his hand, causing the Cubic Pearl to fly out of the old man's hand and into his own. The old man didn't do anything whatsoever to stop him. As the Flame Dragon engulfed him and the pearl was snatched away, a mysterious light appeared in his eyes, and a slight smile touched the corners of his mouth.

The old man's archaic voice filled the air. "You obviously realized which path was the correct one to take. Why make this choice?" As the voice echoed out, the golden glow that filled the world was suddenly suppressed. Now, all of the Chosen from the various Sects and Clans could clearly see what was happening on top of the tree.

The sight filled them with shock. Expressions of disbelief covered their faces as they saw the gray-robed old man being engulfed in flames. Naruto floated in mid-air. It was impossible for them to miss the fact that he had not picked any of the paths on the treetop, but had instead chosen to kill the old man.

"He dared to attack?!"

"This… this… this Naruto chose not to walk one of the paths. He chose to attack?! How could this be?"

"That old man is completely unfathomable…. You can tell from a single glance that he's beyond ordinary. This place is just too bizarre. I can't believe Naruto dared to attack! Dammit… how come I didn't think of that!?"

Even as the Chosen beneath the treetop expressed their shock, the Nascent Soul eccentrics up above instantly shot to their feet, their eyes fixed upon Naruto.

This was especially true of Patriarch Kokuyo. He gasped, and a glow of disbelief radiated from his eyes. A serious expression filled his face.

It wasn't just him. Hiruko, Ino, Chino, Kabuto, as well as Nadeshiko Clan Dao Child Sagiri all stared with completely disbelief.

Panting, Sagiri stared fixedly at Naruto. He had participated in this test and had succeeded on the second try after picking the same path as the first time. However, he had never imagined that you could actually raise a hand against the gray-robed old man.

"How could he do such a thing?" said Sagiri said hoarsely. "That's the Spirit of the tree…."

It was at this moment that everyone heard the old man's question echoing out from within the flames. It was the exact same question that was running through the heads of all the observers.

Why had he chosen such a path?

"Conforming to convention is emptiness," replied Naruto. "Yielding to and complying with the Heavens is well and good. Unending persistence is fine, too. However, I cannot choose either of those." Having said this, he shot up into the air!

He would not comply with rules of this place, but would instead create his own path. He was like the Perfect Foundation, not permitted by Heaven and Earth, and the target of extermination by Tribulation Lightning. However, he would continue onward. That was how he differentiated himself from others; his path was not one of inflexible adherence to the rules. As such, why would he follow the rules of this place? Why would he pick the correct path out of the nine?

He had chosen to break through and take the pearl by force, by slaughtering! He knew that he could succeed by persisting in treading the path from before. However, this so-called persistence was actually just a method of following the rules; it was not true persistence!

The old man's laughter rang out from within the flames. His ancient smile was filled with happiness, as well as anticipation. He gave Naruto a deep look, allowing the flames to consume him. Soon, his body was gone.

As the old man disappeared and Naruto shot up into the air, the Chosen down below in the tree looked up mutely. They stared at Naruto in shock, their hearts in turmoil, incapable of calming down. Naruto's choice had been simple, but not many people were capable of simplicity such as this.

They lived lives of compliance, lives in which rules must be followed. Perhaps the subconscious desire existed within them to break out of the rules, but they would never be able to imagine how to do so.

Naruto, however, was different!

Sasuke's face was pale white, and Shikamaru was speechless. Fatty's face slowly filled with even deeper admiration. Naruto's words just now had left a permanent impression on all of their hearts.

When they heard his words, the Nascent Soul Cultivators in the clouds above all gasped. As they looked at Naruto, the same thought filled each and every one of them.

"If this kid lives, he will definitely achieve a high position within the Southern Domain!"

Such a personality, such mentality, such tactics… all of it led the Nascent Soul Cultivators to the same conclusion. Naruto might have the Sublime Spirit Scripture, but as of now, they didn't want to capture him and use Soulsearch to retrieve it. That would lead to his death.

If they could get Naruto to join their Sect, they could help him grow into a truly powerful expert of the Sect!

Kabuto's eyes glowed with a powerful light; an intense desire to do battle fermented within him. Chino's eyes also glowed brightly; looking at Naruto down beneath the cloud vortex, she also suddenly desired to have a rematch.

Ino looked at Naruto thoughtfully. Deep within her eyes flickered a sense of admiration and praise. She couldn't help but think that if she had been in Naruto's place, she would have picked to follow the original path. She would never have had the resolve of Naruto. In retrospect, it seemed like an easy decision, but in reality, it was something almost no one would ever think of doing.

Sagiri sat in thought. Next to him, Shizuka gazed at Naruto. Everything that was happening was being burned deeply into her mind.

"Conforming to convention is emptiness," said Patriarch Kokuyo. "Well said!" His voice echoed out as he stood up.

The surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivator's hearts began to thump; the situation was not unfolding well for them.

"This kid has managed to take the Cubic Pearl. Whoever he is, whoever he has offended in the past, this daughter of the Nadeshiko Clan is now his! Who here dares to touch him!?" Hearing his words caused everyone to sit there thoughtfully. And yet, none of them seemed to notice the meaning within Patriarch Kokuyo's words. What he had said was strange; he never mentioned anything about marrying into the family. He words seemed to have a deeper meaning.

At this exact moment, the bright glow of multiple spells filled the air outside of the Sun and Moon mountains of the Nadeshiko Clan. Powerful Chakra suddenly appeared, as figure after figure emerged.

The five Sects and two Clans had arrived to investigate!

* * *

At the same moment that the five Sects and two Clans appeared outside of the Sun and Moon mountains of the Nadeshiko Clan, Naruto was inside the world of the cloud vortex, shooting upward. All eyes were upon him as he pressed down on the good luck charm in his hand, pouring power from his Cultivation base into it.

He had begun to prepare the good luck charm much earlier, so the instant he poured spiritual energy into it, an enormous black hole appeared just in front of him in the sky. All of the Chosen and Nascent Soul eccentrics saw this happen.

The swirling vortex seemed to transform into a gaping mouth that instantly swallowed up Naruto. From below, the Chosen of the various Sects watched on in open-mouthed shock. The Nascent Soul Cultivators could only watch as he disappeared right in front of them. How could they ever have predicted that this would happen?

Seeing Naruto disappear, the Nascent Soul Cultivators were incapable of maintaining their calm. At almost the exact same time, they shot to their feet and flew toward the cloud vortex. Patriarch Kokuyo sighed inwardly. He'd had no choice but to speak the words he had just now. However, even if this was Nadeshiko Clan territory, it would be difficult to stand up against all the five Sects and two Clans. For Naruto to make an escape on his own was actually for the best.

At the moment, Kokuyo couldn't really prevent the Nascent Soul Cultivators from attempting to pursue Naruto. However, moments later, unsightly expressions appeared on their faces. They could clearly see that Naruto had used some sort of powerful magic to teleport away.

"It turns out a trifling Foundation Establishment Cultivator like him has a precious teleportation treasure. What other mysteries is this Naruto hiding?!"

"The Sublime Spirit Scripture, a precious teleportation treasure. The Violet Fate Sect will definitely get our hands on him!"

The Nascent Soul Cultivators returned, and the representatives of the five Sects and two Clans approached. Naruto's good luck charm teleported him away. Meanwhile…

In the Black Sieve Sect, in the number one mountain which was situated in the very center of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, smoke curled into the air above a massive incense burner. At the moment, dozens of Cultivators began to shoot up and disappear into the smoke.

Down below, Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful, middle-aged woman stood there grimly. They watched as the Cultivators above began to vanish.

Patriarch Violet Sieve frowned and said, "He's using that good luck charm, which makes him difficult to track. If we dispatched Core Formation disciples, or magical items that can employ the power of Core Formation, then it would interfere with the Tri-Black Incense Burner, making it difficult to accurately pinpoint the teleportation ripples. The slightest mistake, and we could be hundreds of kilometers off. Furthermore, the Tri-Black Incense Burner can only be used once per month."

"It doesn't matter," replied the beautiful woman coolly. "We may not be able to use Core Formation disciples, but Asuma is among the Foundation Establishment disciples we sent. Considering his Cultivation base, as well as his status as Dao Child, he'll be able to distract Naruto. He only needs to keep him in place for a bit. The others can prepare the spell, and then we can be there in an instant. At that time, Naruto wouldn't be able to escape even if he was given wings."

"Don't forget, we don't know how many times he can use the good luck charm. If it was complete, then he would be able to use it seven times in total." He watched thoughtfully as the last of the disciples vanished into the smoke above the Tri-Black Incense Burner.

"Don't worry," replied the beautiful woman, smiling. "Naruto is only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Based on the information in the ancient records, I did some calculation. Based on his Cultivation base, it should take him the time it takes two incense sticks to burn to be able to activate the good luck charm. As long as Asuma and the others can hold him off for that amount of time, and prepare the spell, then Naruto is doomed. He's nothing but a trifling Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Don't worry, Elder Brother Violet Sieve. After that much time passes, we will be there in front of Naruto."

As they continued their discussion, somewhere in an unnamed part of the Southern Domain, in the midst of a mountain range filled with hundreds of mountains, dark clouds filled the sky and lightning crashed down. A roaring filled the sky, causing the wild beasts in these desolate mountains to tremble, seemingly awed by the Heavens.

Great, bean-sized drops of rain poured down from the sky in a torrent. It was currently sunset, but the sun was completely covered by the clouds, making everything completely dark and hazy.

A lightning bolt slashed through the sky, and then suddenly ripples expanded out into the air, splitting the sheets of rain. A massive, swirling black hole appeared, and out staggered Naruto, his face pale. He immediately looked around.

The black hole disappeared, and rain fell onto Naruto. He didn't even seem to notice it as he examined his surroundings. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief.

A cracking sound emanated from his hand. He looked down and could see that another large fissure had appeared on the surface of the good luck charm. It seemed he would only be able to use it a few more times before it shattered.

"This is a life-saving treasure," he thought. "I can't just use it lightly…." He hesitated for a moment, and then took a deep breath. His body suddenly vibrated. The rainwater shot away from him, and his clothes were no longer soaked.

"At the moment, I imagine all the Sects and Clans are looking for me." He frowned. The golden glow of the Sublime Spirit Scripture had not been something he'd anticipated. Of course, he'd had no other choice than to flee.

"Thankfully, I got the Cubic Pearl. I wonder if it will be able to dispel the poison of the three-colored Resurrection Lily…?" His eyes began to glow, and he decided to go search for a quiet place in the mountains to carve out an Immortal's cave and test out whether or not the poison could be dispelled. He had just taken a step when suddenly his expression flickered.

The place where the black hole had appeared moments ago had already returned to normal. And yet suddenly, he could see that another hole was opening up. It was pitch black inside and emanated a rippling power that caused the rain in the area to fly away.

Killing intent flickered within Naruto's eyes. He could choose to flee. After all, the sudden appearance of this vortex could not be a coincidence. It must be someone pursuing him by tracking the ripples of his teleportation.

But he did not choose to flee. Rather, a cold light, threatening and determined, appeared in his eyes. He could flee for ten or so breaths worth of time, but instead, he decided that he might as well stay and attack.

As the thought coalesced into his mind, he began to stride forward. He waved his hand, and an enormous Wind Blade and Flame Dragon appeared, which shot toward the black hole and then slammed into it.

As the roaring Flame Dragon slammed into the black hole, a booming sound filled the air. The black hole began to fall apart. As it did, the shadows of dozens of Cultivators appeared. They began to coalesce, as if they were about to emerge.

Without hesitating, Naruto lifted his hand and bit down hard on one of his fingers. The Blood Finger technique instantly descended onto the weakened black hole.

Boom!

The massive booming sound drowned out the sound of crashing thunder. The black hole shook and then exploded into pieces. There were no blood-curdling screams. However, of the dozens of Cultivators who had been about to emerge, only half made it out alive!

The other half were wiped out with the destruction of the black hole!

Bloodless killing. It was only possible because of Naruto's decisiveness. Had he hesitated or fled, daring not to make a move, then he would now be facing not a dozen or so enemies, but double the current amount.

The dozen or so people who had appeared immediately erupted with the power of late Foundation Establishment. One in their midst was a man with long, dark hair. He was tall, slender and handsome, with thin lips and a strange glow in his eyes. His Cultivation base was at the great circle of Foundation Establishment, the Pseudo Core stage!

"Black Sieve Sect!" Naruto's eyes narrowed. He instantly recognized the garments of these Cultivators. His killing intent climbed higher. Now that he knew it was the Black Sieve Sect, everything made sense. He didn't say another word. From this moment forth he would attack with decisiveness, and not the slightest bit of hesitation.

He stepped forward, his five Perfect Dao Pillars rotating. They didn't leak the slightest bit of power. The raindrops around him vibrated as he approached the nearest Black Sieve Sect Cultivator.

The man gave a cold snort. He lifted his hand, and the illusory image of a large hand appeared, which shot toward Naruto. Without so much as a word, the other surrounding Cultivators also made beelines for Naruto.

Only the Pseudo Core stage Cultivator didn't make a move. Off in the distance, he slapped his bag of holding to produce an incense burner about the size of a hand. He rubbed it, which caused it to ignite.

Smoke rose up into the air, congealing into concentric rings of magical symbols. It looked very much like a teleportation portal.

At the same time that the portal appeared, Naruto was closing in on the Black Sieve Sect Cultivator who had summoned the illusory hand. The Cultivator smiled ferociously. As far as he was concerned, this whole mission was really making a mountain out of a molehill. Being in the late Foundation Establishment stage, he could easily deal with a mid Foundation Establishment stage Cultivator. Wiping him out would be simple.

"I, Yashamaru, shall get the credit for this one!" he said, laughing. He shot forward, and as he did so, a multitude of glowing spikes suddenly emerged from his shoulders. He clearly planned to slam them directly into Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He lifted his hand and pressed his finger into the approaching illusory hand. A boom sounded out, and the hand immediately disintegrated into countless shards. The Black Sieve Sect Cultivator named Yashamaru stared in shock as Naruto closed in on him.

Naruto didn't even look at the man. The power of his Cultivation base, which he had been concealing up to now, suddenly exploded out.

Boom!

Pressure billowed out from Naruto, and suddenly he was directly in front of the Cultivator. His hand shot out and clasped around the man's neck. Eyes cold, he squeezed.

A cracking sound could be heard, and the Cultivator's eyes bulged in death!

This was killing amidst the night rain!

* * *

This could also be considered bloodless killing, because any shed blood was instantly cleansed by the pouring rain. The cleansing nature of the rain made Naruto more than happy to fight in the downpour. He didn't waste power from his Cultivation base to push the rain away from him.

He slowly released his hand and then turned. Rainwater poured off of his chin and hair, soaking his clothes. Lightning flashed in the darkness of night, and Naruto suddenly seemed to emanate a demonic aura.

The surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples were shocked. They looked at Naruto, not with contempt, but with concentration.

The Black Sieve Sect Dao Child Asuma looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes. He didn't attack, though, but continued to hold aloft the incense burner. Smoke curled up from it and was rapidly coalescing in mid-air. "Kill this person at any cost," he said, his cold voice ringing out in the dark, stormy night.

There were more than ten Cultivators surrounding Naruto. Hearing the words of the Dao Child, they immediately prepared to attack. Magical techniques and treasured weapons of all sorts instantly bore down on Naruto. Booming sounds filled the air. This would be the most intense battle Naruto had ever faced; each and every one of these Cultivators was of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

As a matter of fact, a small Sect wouldn't even be able to produce so many Cultivators of this level. A medium-sized Sect, even if they had so many, would never dispatch them all simultaneously. To any Sect, disciples of the late Foundation Establishment stage were good fortune from the Heavens. If even one from a group this size could reach Core Formation, he would be crucially important to the Sect.

Only a super Sect like the Black Sieve Sect had such extensive resources to be able to afford to dispatch so many late Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Naruto's eyes flickered. If he had not created his fifth Dao Pillar, then this battle would be extremely difficult, and potentially fatal. But now, with his fifth Dao Pillar, he was invincible to the battle power of the Foundation Establishment stage. Actually, you could say that currently, Naruto was the most powerful person under the Core Formation stage in the entire Southern Domain!

He laughed coldly as the Black Sieve Sect disciples approached. His left hand made a grasping motion in the air, and immediately, the Flame Dragon appeared in the form of the Flying Rain-Dragon. It didn't completely appear, however. Naruto simply borrowed some of its heat to transform the surrounding sheets of rainwater into a thick mist.

As the mist roiled about, Naruto slapped his bag of holding, and the two wooden swords flew out. They circled around him for a moment, and then shot away.

The mist seethed, covering up the entire area so that nothing was visible. The heat in the area continued to turn to the rain into mist. Thunder pealed out, and lightning crashed down. One after another, blood-curdling screams rang out from within the mist.

Naruto's shadow flitted about inside, carrying death with it. The two wooden swords swept out in front of him, severing the head of a Black Sieve Sect disciple. The disciple's eyes filled with astonishment in the instant before he died.

The sounds of slaughter drifted out. Naruto moved like a specter. Cracking sounds rang out from his right hand as he crushed another Cultivator. He tossed the body up ahead to block an incoming spear. A boom rang out as the corpse exploded to pieces. Naruto strode forward.

He waved his right arm, summoning the Wind Blade. It shot out, slicing another body to bits. The pieces of the corpse shot out from the mist and fell onto the ground.

Asuma frowned when he saw this. However, he continued to manipulate the incense burner. The smoke drifting up from it appeared to be about sixty percent congealed.

Suddenly, another miserable shriek sounded out from within the mist. A Black Sieve Sect disciple, his body half destroyed, stumbled out. Just when it seemed he would escape successfully, Naruto's hand shot out and grabbed him by the top of the head. He pushed down, and the Cultivator screamed. Naruto's face emerged for a moment from the mist. He looked over at Asuma.

Asuma looked back, and as their gazes locked, Naruto smiled, and then disappeared back into the mist. He released his hand, and the Black Sieve Sect disciple slumped to the ground dead, his eyes still wide open.

Asuma trembled at the sight of it, and an unsightly expression appeared on his face. The screams from within the mist seemed to be growing further and further apart. The booms grew weaker. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the mist.

"Elder Brother Dosu, save me!" cried one of the Black Sieve Sect disciples. His right arm had been severed, and a horrified expression covered his face. Despite his all-out push to escape, the words were barely out of his mouth when a meter-long phantom hand shot out from the mist. It moved at incredible speed, catching up to the escaping Cultivator in the blink of an eye.

It slammed into him, and a deafening explosion filled the air. The Cultivator's body began to tremble, and he opened his mouth to say something. Before he could, his body exploded.

By this time, the mist surrounding Naruto was beginning to dissipate. Naruto walked out. From the look of his robe and long hair, he seemed like a weak scholar. But the coldness in his eyes caused Asuma to tremble.

More than ten Cultivators of the late Foundation Establishment stage… and only Naruto had emerged alive from the mist.

"Your excellency's methods are a bit too ruthless," said Asuma, slowly lowering his hand. He knew that he had run out of time, and wouldn't be able to continue his work with the incense burner.

The Black Sieve Sect had completely misjudged Naruto's Cultivation base.

Actually, Patriarch Violet Sieve had received information regarding Naruto's Cultivation base from the their Sect Elder who was currently in the Nadeshiko Clan. He knew that his power exceeded that of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and was more akin to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

However, Asuma was now well aware that Naruto's battle power was not comparable to the late Foundation Establishment stage. In fact, it could exhibit terrifying pressure that exceeded such power.

After close observation just now, Asuma got the powerful sense that his opponent's spiritual power was completely different from that of others. It looked like spiritual power, but it seemed to somehow be branded specifically to Naruto.

Logically speaking, the spiritual power of magical techniques with which Naruto attacked, should eventually dissipate back into Heaven and Earth. However, the power left over by Naruto's attacks did not dissolve away. Instead, they seemed to be rejected by Heaven and Earth. They just floated there like oil on water.

It seemed that the explosiveness of this rejected power was one of the reasons Naruto was so powerful. Asuma reached these conclusions quickly, but couldn't figure out any solution to the problem. Fear filled his heart.

Because of this explosiveness, Naruto might be only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but decimating the late Foundation Establishment stage was as easy for him as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. That… was obvious!

Naruto's spiritual power was different. It belonged only to him. The spiritual energy of others belonged to Heaven and Earth. By practicing breathing techniques, Cultivators could borrow it. Based on the various stages of Cultivation, the amount of time it could be borrowed varied. However, regardless of anything, all of the spiritual energy would once again return to Heaven and Earth upon death.

It was a cycle. Just like the nine paths in front of the gray-robed old man atop the World Tree, it was a rule of Heaven and Earth.

"I'm actually not ruthless," said Naruto indifferently, "you people are. Actually, I'm pretty softhearted. However, your presence here is a bit of a problem." He waved his hand, causing the mist behind him to disperse fully. The rain descended onto the two of them, seemingly dividing them inseparably. However, their gazes locked, and their expressions grew fiercer.

"I am Asuma, Dao Child of the Black Sieve Sect!" Asuma suddenly lifted his hand. In it appeared a one foot long, blue-colored joss stick. The joss stick was lit, and smoke curled up from its end to form the shape of a sword that glowed mysteriously. This was clearly no ordinary joss stick.

"I am Naruto from the Five Elements Nation," said Naruto coolly. His right hand flashed an incantation gesture, and the two wooden swords appeared and rotated around him slowly. They emanated glowing sword auras, and emitted a droning buzz that made seem as if they thirsted for blood.

This was not the first time Naruto had faced a Dao Child in battle. The first time was when he had fought Kabuto, and had forced him to flee, severing his arm in the process. Then he had encountered Chino, and had competed against her in demonstrations of strength. Now he was up against Asuma.

"I had three Dao Pillars when I fought Kabuto," Naruto thought. "I had four when I faced Chino. Now I have five. I will now prove that the power of my five Perfect Dao Pillars is invincible in the Foundation Establishment stage!" An exuberant gleam appeared in his eyes. The two wooden swords seemed as if they could sense Naruto's desire for battle. Their droning grew even louder, and their sword auras gleamed even more brightly.

"You look just like a woman I met while traveling a few years ago. I pursued her, but nothing ever came of it. She wasn't named Uzumaki, though." Asuma shook his head. Actually, Naruto was a person who he believed deserving of his respect. In truth, among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Southern Domain, he had only ever respected about ten people. Each and every one of them was a Dao Child!

But today, he recognized Naruto's existence. Naruto was someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the current generation of Dao Children.

Even as the words left his mouth, Asuma's body exploded with the power of the great circle of Foundation Establishment. It rippled out, causing his hair to fly about. The rainwater around him shot away from him, as if it didn't dare to touch him. A fierce look filled his eyes as he strode toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flashed, and he too began to stride forward. His Spiritual Sense shot out.

Rain fell around them as this battle of those at the peak of the Foundation Establishment began!

* * *

The multiple layers of clouds overhead smashed into each other, and the sound of thunder shook the earth. Down below, Naruto and Asuma strode toward each other. Their eyes locked, and the power of their Spiritual Sense rocketed forward.

An attack of Spiritual Sense is formless and invisible. In terms of killing potential, though, its power far exceeds that of magical items!

Mutually caught in each other's gazes, Naruto and Asuma both began to tremble. Asuma felt like he was being crushed by innumerable mountains. Blood oozed out from the corners of his mouth. He set his jaw, and a look of ferocity sprang up onto his face.

Naruto seemed affected too. He pursed his lips, however, and no blood appeared. He snorted coldly, and then continued to walk forward. As the step descended, both people once again trembled.

Asuma's face was a bit pale. He could tell that he was not superior in terms of Spiritual Sense. Without hesitation, he retreated several paces, flashing an incantation gesture with his left hand. The foot long joss stick in his right hand immediately let off twisting strands of smoke which transformed into a curved blade that shot toward Naruto.

As the blade flew through the air, the smoke which comprised it began to spread out. Soon the outline of a figure could be seen. It appeared as if a person were holding the curved blade, chopping it directly toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered. His left hand formed an incantation gesture, and the two seemingly eager wooden swords emitted an intense droning sound and then transformed into two beams of light which split the air as they sped toward the curved blade.

They arrived in an instant. There was no evasion, no twirling around. The two attacks seemed to be archenemies. They slammed into each other so powerfully, that it was clear one would be destroyed.

A boom echoed out, and Naruto waved both of his hands. It was as if there were invisible strings attaching the wooden swords to him; they immediately began to emit an intense sword aura that rippled out to fill the area. Everything started to shake. Who would possibly dare to approach?

A booming sounded out, and a strange look appeared in Asuma's eyes. He lifted his left hand and waved it in front of him, then pressed down on the joss stick in his right hand. More smoke billowed out; in the blink of an eye, it transformed into more than ten weapons, each of them wielded by a phantom figure. All of them charged toward Naruto.

Naruto's face was the same as ever as he looked at the approaching smoke phantoms. He lifted his hands, then extended them outward. The two wooden swords emitted explosive screeching sounds. Suddenly, all of the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth seemed to rush toward them. The sword auras surrounding them expanded by thirty meters, and the swords themselves seemed to transform into two flying Sword Dragons which circled around Naruto.

A roaring sound echoed out from the approaching smoke phantoms as, one after another, they disintegrated, incapable of approaching Naruto.

"So you like defense," said Asuma coolly. "I can help with that." A cold light shone in his eyes as his left hand flashed with another incantation gesture and then pressed up against the joss stick. It burned more furiously, and large quantities of smoke poured out. The smoke formed layers which expanded out in concentric rings.

Each new smoke ring was larger than the one before it. Soon, more than a hundred rings had formed, which then shot toward Naruto. They spun around him, as if in an attempt to envelop him.

The smoke rings seemed about to swallow him up, and yet Naruto's expression didn't change in the least bit. He opened his mouth, and the lightning mist appeared. In the past, the lightning mist had absorbed Tribulation Lightning, as well as some of the will of the lightning in the square cauldron. At the moment, it seemed to be undergoing another bizarre transformation. As it spread out, thunder crashed up above in the sky.

The lightning mist seemed to be affecting the clouds, causing them to congregate, as if lightning would begin to crash down at any moment. It seemed that the area outside of Naruto's lightning mist would soon become a sea of lightning!

The mist expanded, and then the lightning crashed down; roaring filled the sky. The instant the smoke rings were touched by the lightning, they exploded into fragments.

Asuma's eyes narrowed. He had never expected such a tactic. Naruto walked forward, surrounded by the lightning mist.

The mist around him roiled, and thunderous booms filled the air. Incited by the lightning, the two wooden swords exploded with the vicious will of extermination. Naruto's hair whipped around his head and rain poured down around him. Anyone who saw him would be struck to the heart with a frightening, demonic sensation.

Suddenly, a domineering aura began to emanate from Naruto, the first time such an aura had appeared on him!

"Actually," said Naruto casually, "what I like best is attacking." He strode forward, seemingly filled with overwhelming power. He was like some sort of ancient wild beast, ready to conquer the world.

Asuma's expression flickered as he suppressed the desire to retreat. Naruto now seemed completely different than he had been moments ago when he had been defending himself. He seemed to overflow with ferocity, as if he had previously been a sheathed sword… which had just been drawn!

It was time to display some skill!

One step, two steps, three steps…. With each step that Naruto took, thunder boomed even louder. Lightning filled the sky. The complete power of Naruto's Cultivation base exploded out, bolstered by his expanding Spiritual Sense. Asuma was shocked, and he knew that he must not allow Naruto to gather more momentum. If that happened, he would be very difficult to stop.

Just as Naruto's third step landed, Asuma's eyes filled with determination. He loosened his right hand, and the joss stick, which was now little more than half a foot long, suddenly flew up.

Veins of blood shot through Asuma's eyes as both hands flickered with an incantation gesture. He shoved his hands out in front of him.

"Green Smoke Exterminating the East Pass!" He spoke the words in conjunction with the outstretching of his hands. The joss stick ignited, burning a significant amount of its length to create a thick smoke which flew straight toward Naruto.

"Burst!" cried Asuma. The thick smoke suddenly exploded outward. Everything in the area shook violently, and the noise from the explosion drowned out the sound of thunder. The smoke even covered up the lightning as it rippled out in greenish waves that carried deadly, exterminating power.

Naruto's body shook. The lightning mist around him quivered, and then simply burst apart under the strength of the attack. The two wooden swords fought against the incoming attack, and Naruto flew backward four or five paces. Blood seeped out from the corners of his mouth.

"It seems that Dao Children from the great Sects really are pretty badass…." Naruto took a deep breath, and his eye flickered. Asuma stood there, his face somewhat pale. However, his eyes gleamed as he extended his hands forward in another incantation.

More of the joss stick burned away. Now, it was barely two inches long. Thick smoke roiled toward Naruto.

"Burst!" howled Asuma, more lines of blood appearing in his eyes. Even as the smoke exploded out, Naruto lifted his right hand and struck it forward five times.

Black Sieve Five Strikes!

The five strikes were executed with extreme speed, and were completed in the blink of an eye. As the exterminating smoke mist expanded out, an enormous hand appeared in front of Naruto. It shot directly toward the smoke.

An earth-shaking boom resonated out. All of the raindrops in the area exploded into minuscule drops of water. Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he shot backward a pace. His five Perfect Dao Pillars rotated, and made the five-strike attack over and over again.

One giant hand, two giant hands. In the blink of an eye, no less than ten giant hands appeared in front of Naruto. It was a frightening sight. All of the hands glowed with a golden light as they whistled through the air toward Asuma.

Asuma's eyes were nearly completely filled with blood. His hands flickered continuously with incantation gestures. The joss stick was now completely burned away. The smoke mist it created shot toward Naruto's incoming hand attacks. When they slammed into each other, a huge boom filled the air.

A gale force wind shot outward, and ripples emanated out in the air. The trees swayed backward, and the rainwater was transformed into a mist. Blood sprayed out of Naruto's mouth, and yet, his expression grew fiercer.

Asuma staggered backward seven or eight steps, and, unable to control himself, coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. His face was pale, and yet his eyes gleamed brightly.

Neither of them spoke, as they stared at each other. Both of them knew that this battle… was far from over.

Asuma had only used one magical item. He hadn't even employed any of the magical techniques of his Sect, nor any killing moves. Neither had Naruto.

They looked at each other for the space of three breaths, whereupon Asuma lifted his head up to the sky and laughed. "The Great Black Clouds Palm! What a familiar magical technique! Brother Naruto, since you know this technique, I think today would be a good opportunity to exchange some pointers. Let me show you why the Black Sieve Sect's Great Black Clouds Palm is known by the moniker Black Clouds!" He lifted his right hand, and his breathing suddenly seemed to become strange and ragged. As his hand rose, illusory images appeared.

Each image was the shape of a hand. In total, twenty-six of them appeared. Asuma's eyes narrowed, and he stretched his hand out toward Naruto.

"This is the true Great Black Clouds Palm!" As Asuma's voice rang out, he struck forward, and an enormous hand appeared. It emitted a black glow, and as it formed it seemed to be composed of mist. This black mist was none other than the namesake black clouds!

The Black Clouds Palm screamed through the air toward Naruto, filling the area with a thunderous roar. Be it in terms of profundity or power, this attack vastly exceeded the incomplete version which Naruto had learned.

Naruto's eyes gleamed, but he said nothing. This was his personality; when engaged in magical battle, he would rarely speak. Everything he wanted to say was said in attacks. By not speaking, he increased the viciousness of those attacks.

He lifted his right hand and used his index finger to slice open a cut on his thumb. As the blood flowed out, everything in Naruto's eyes turned red.

* * *

Blood Immortal Legacy!

Without a face, a single word, the flames of war unify

Sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that fill the sky

Capture the gods, advance the troops, fire consumes the towers

Forge all spirits and bloodlines into the 9 killing powers!

These words contained magical powers. For the power to be unleashed required a sufficient Cultivation base, namely, Core Formation. Naruto was well aware that he was incapable of using it.

However, the Blood Finger, the Blood Palm and the Blood Death World, did not have a Cultivation base requirement. With sufficient spiritual energy, they could be unleashed. In addition to the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, these were his killing moves.

Upon the path he trod to reach this day, Naruto had used the Blood Finger technique multiple times. It was clearly uniquely powerful, enough to shock anyone who saw it being used. The world in front of Naruto appeared to be red, which was a sign of the Blood Finger. Naruto had long since gotten used to this blood-red world. He looked at Asuma, and the massive hand formed by the Black Sieve Sect's magical technique, Great Black Clouds Palm. It screamed through the air toward him.

The hand itself seemed to be formed from black colored mist, and yet it was also interlaced with a strange Chakra. As the hand approached, it seemed to grow larger and larger. Naruto could imagine that soon it would fill his entire vision, and blot out the rest of the world.

It made him think back to the time in the Five Elements Nation when Lord Revelation had floated in the air above the Reliance Sect, and sent a palm strike down into the ground. At that time, he had been too weak to even struggle. The palm destroyed the Reliance Sect, and left a massive hand print in the earth.

But a red blur had appeared in the sky, like a sword that could sever Heaven and Earth. It split the hand in two, saving Naruto. In his mind, Naruto could see that massive hand descending upon him.

Of course, Asuma couldn't even come close to comparing with Lord Revelation. And yet, the scene today was very reminiscent….

Naruto suddenly smiled, a wordless, soundless smile. He lifted his hand toward the incoming palm. The incoming palm attack grew closer and larger, kicking up a fierce wind which sent Naruto's clothes and hair whipping about….

Naruto lifted the thumb of his right hand, and then slashed it toward the incoming Great Black Clouds Palm.

This slash was like a flash of blinding light in the midst of pitch blackness. It was a slash like the brightness seen when opening the eyes for the first time. This slash was just like the one the Demon Lord had used to sever Lord Revelation's palm attack. This slash… was evidence of the enlightenment Naruto had experienced underneath that massive palm in the Reliance Sect in Five Elements Nation!

I am strong! I shall take my stand!

A roaring boom filled the air. Naruto stood there, not moving a muscle. The massive incoming palm was a mere seven inches from him when a huge crack appeared, beginning at the top of the middle finger and snaking down all the way down through the gigantic palm. Then it split out, growing wider and wider. Naruto stood there calmly, safely, as the palm passed by. Wind screamed, buffeting his hair wildly. However, in the midst of the whipping hair, his eyes shined brightly. They were like sunlight in the dark of night. Anyone who caught sight of it would find the light… blinding!

"Do you want to keep going?" asked Naruto calmly, flicking his sleeve.

Asuma stood there silently, looking at Naruto. Bitterness arose in his heart, but a moment later, the will to fight once again sparked to life in his eyes.

"Of course I want to keep going," he replied coolly. "From the moment I became Dao Child until now, I've never been defeated." He took a breath, waving his hand toward the incense burner off to the side. Instantly, the incense burner began to tremble. Cracks appeared on its surface, and popping sounds rang out as it collapsed into pieces. "No one should interfere with our fight now." His words were simple, and so were his actions. However, this simplicity revealed incredible power, the power of a true expert. It was only the seed of power, but even that little bit caused Naruto's eyes to narrow.

"He's cut off his own path of retreat," thought Naruto. "With nowhere to run to, he can only rely on himself, and will be forced to utilize all of the power he can muster. This Asuma really is an outstanding person." He nodded.

Asuma lifted his hand and then pressed down onto his bag of holding. From within, five glittering strands of light emerged. Suddenly, the darkness around them disappeared as brilliant light filled the air. The bright light was emanated from what now hovered in front of Asuma. Five glowing swords!

Five glittering swords, glowing with a variety of colors!

Asuma reached out and extended his fingers. The five swords moved to his fingers, one hovering beneath each.

"Sieve Moon Mother Earth, Heaven Splitting Sword Formation!" Asuma's hand pushed down toward the ground. As it did, the brightly glowing swords also shot down, and then disappeared.

The instant the swords disappeared, Naruto's pupils constricted, and he shot backward six paces.

Almost simultaneously, the five swords suddenly reappeared out of thin air. They shot upward, heading directly toward Naruto, who was still in the midst of retreating.

The glittering light they emitted was dazzling as they screamed through the air. They were winding beams that were instantly upon Naruto, their sword auras billowing up to the sky. The sword Chakra seemed to have locked Naruto up tightly; death surrounded him in all directions.

"Interesting," said Naruto, his eyes narrowing. He lifted the thumb of his right hand and waved it toward the five swords.

A boom filled the air, and suddenly a blood-colored shield surrounded Naruto, thirty meters in each direction. The five swords slammed into the shield, causing a massive roar to echo out.

Asuma coughed up some blood and then flickered in an incantation with both hands. The five swords emitted a shrill screaming sound. A flash of light burst out, and the five swords turned into twenty five swords!

The swords filled the air as they shot once again toward Naruto. Their intense power caused Naruto to be filled with a sense of life-or-death danger.

However, his expression remained the same as ever. As the twenty five swords shot toward him, he flicked his sleeve. The power of his Cultivation base roiled out. He slashed his index finger with his thumb causing blood to pour out. Using the power of two Blood Fingers, he gestured up into the air.

Boom!

The massive explosion was enough to distort one's vision. Everything in the area seemed to twist. The twenty five swords were blocked. Asuma let out a howl. He pushed his hands against his chest, and veins popped out on his face. The twenty five swords flew up into the sky, and in an instant, transformed. One hundred and twenty five swords now filled the sky. From all directions, they descended upon Naruto.

They slammed into the glowing blood shield, which distorted and began to retract. In the blink of an eye, it had shrunk by nearly ten meters. Nearly half of the swords passed through it, pressing on toward Naruto.

Naruto took a deep breath and slashed a third and fourth finger. Four fingers were now filled with the power of the Blood Immortal Legacy. The glow of blood filled the air as Naruto slashed the fifth finger!

The five fingers were covered in blood, forming the shape of a bloody handprint. This was the second of the three Legacy techniques, which contained power exceeding the Blood Finger. This was… the Blood Palm!

The Blood Palm appeared, filling the sky with a shocking roar. A massive blood-colored palm magically coalesced above Naruto's hand. He waved his hand, and the bright red, bloody glow spread out, sweeping through the sword formation and causing the more than one hundred glittering swords to tremble and fly backward. Naruto took a step forward, waving his hand once again.

A roaring sound could be heard as the space three hundred meters surrounding Naruto suddenly was filled with the image of an enormous, blood-colored hand. Naruto stood at its very center. The massive hand shot into the air, then clenched into a fist.

Asuma's face twisted. He coughed up more blood and rapidly flashed some incantation gestures in an attempt to regather his glittering swords. Instead, his face drained of blood.

The more than one hundred swords were apparently under the control of the massive clenched fist. They struggled as if they wished to free themselves, but were unable to.

Thirty of the swords trembled so violently that they eventually let out plaintive whines and collapsed into pieces.

Naruto snorted coldly. Roaring filled the air as thirty more flying swords disintegrated, and then another thirty. Finally, another thirty….

In the space of a few breaths, all of the flying swords were shattered to pieces by the massive clenched fist. The blood-colored hand slowly disappeared. As it did, five glittering, crack-filled swords appeared in front of Naruto.

"I have one last technique!" said Asuma through clenched teeth. His eyes were crimson as Naruto waved his hand, sending the five glittering swords into his bag of holding.

"Black Sieve, Immortal Subjugation!" howled Asuma. His left hand pushed down on his forehead. At the same time, he waved his right hand. Instantly, dozens of jade slips flew out. Cracking sounds filled the air as each and every one cracked into pieces. A sweet, beautiful aroma filled the air. However, it quickly turned into a disgusting odor which made one wish to vomit out their internal organs.

Suddenly, a Chakra filled the entire area, which seemed to belong to Asuma…

Naruto's eyes flickered. Suddenly, the archaic voice from the Demon Sealing Jade echoed in his mind.

"A hosts of evil spirits which call themselves Immortals (仙). But why fear a man (人) and a mountain (山)? If you encounter them, seal them immediately!"

Naruto was used to the sudden appearance of the voice in his mind. He looked over at Asuma, sensing the increasingly powerful Chakra which radiated out from him. Asuma's twisted face no longer looked handsome. Instead, it seemed as if countless faces of others were flickering atop his own.

Anguish filled Asuma's face, and it appeared as if he couldn't hold on much longer. Slowly, the life began to drain away, and his face began to grow dark. It turned out this technique could not be used by someone of the Foundation Establishment stage, not even…

A Dao Child!

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!" Naruto slowly lifted his hand. A Chakra suddenly began to emanate from him that outsiders would not notice, but was absolutely visible to the countless bizarre spirits which were currently pouring into Asuma.

The legion of faces which hovered on top of Asuma's face, one and all, filled with expressions of terror…

* * *

Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!

This was the only technique among the Demon Sealing Sect's magic that Naruto had truly mastered. You might even say that it was not a magical technique, but a divine ability!

Every generation of Demon Sealers must create a new hex, and this one was created by the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer. As the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, Naruto should have been prepared to face everything. However, Patriarch Reliance had ruined everything. Had it not been for a host of coincidences, as well as good fortune, Naruto would never have been able to learn the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.

He took a deep breath and lowered his right hand. Ghost images appeared of everything in sight. Naruto's body trembled, and the world shook. Everything folded in onto Asuma, causing countless ghost images to appear around him.

All of this takes some time to describe, but in fact happened in an instant. The ghost images began to vanish. Miserable screams echoed out from Asuma; the voices did not belong to him, but rather the spirits which had entered his body.

Asuma's body trembled, and his eyes were filled with confusion. A pulsating black aura drifted out from his body. The aura was extremely dense, and within it could be seen nine phantoms, images of old men with faces twisted in insanity and horror. They glared at Naruto.

No observer would be able to see these images… neither could they hear… the blood-curdling shrieks!

Naruto was the only one who could see or hear any of it. He was the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, and despite having not yet fully realized his potential, his drop of blood had already confirmed his identity as the Ninth Generation. That was irrefutable.

Therefore, he could see these things.

The phantom spirits screamed miserably and then began to speak.

"The League of Demon Sealers, you're the Ninth Generation…."

"The day our Dao was realized, you Demon Sealers blocked us, refined us, preventing us from becoming Demons!"

"Who cares about the League of Demon Sealers? They'll become like us eventually, discarnate souls of Heaven and Earth!"

As their words echoed out, their bodies began to tremble, and their screams grew more intense. The black aura around them began to dissipate, and they began to be absorbed into the ground. Their figures grew indistinct and then began to disappear.

Naruto watched on thoughtfully. He didn't know much about the League of Demon Sealers; he was gradually learning along the way. Looking at the discarnate souls had caused a coldness to flash through his eyes. He waved his right hand.

As he did, the discarnate souls vanished. Their dying cries echoed into Naruto's ears.

"Shatter the League of Demon Sealers! Lord Hebi has replaced the Heavens and forged the Immortality Bestowal Dais. We struggled to become Immortal, and then died. What of it? Your League prevented us from achieving our Dao. Just wait until things change, then see which of the countless discarnate souls in Heaven and Earth will devour you!"

As the sound of the voices continued to echo out, Asuma's pale face began to recover its complexion. His eyes were still filled with confusion.

Naruto glanced at him thoughtfully for a moment, then turned with the flick of a sleeve and began to walk off into the rain.

Asuma watched Naruto's figure disappearing. He took a deep breath, and then clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Next time we fight," he said under his breath, "I won't kill you, even if I win. I will repay your kindness, and prove the determination of my Cultivation." Then he turned weakly, disappearing into a beam of light.

Meanwhile, deep in a limestone cave in the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect…. The moment the discarnate souls died, furious howls could be heard. Although they echoed up into the sky, not a single Black Sieve Sect disciple could hear them.

"The League of Demon Sealers! He's of the League of Demon Sealers!"

"Damn those Demon Sealers, each and every generation! Lord Hebi fears them, and cursed the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer to die! This is the Ninth Generation…."

"Death, death, death…. The League of Demon Sealers must die! Every generation!"

"Immortality Bestowal Dais lacks only the spirit of a Demon Sealer. Find him! Snatch his spirit and drink his blood to gain an Immortal body!"

As the howls rang out, the entirety of the Hundred Thousand Mountains suddenly shook. The mountains shook, the ground shook, as if the spirit of the mountains was aroused. Pulses of black aura drifted up, causing the sky to grow dark.

However, at the very moment in which the pulses of black aura were about to shoot out, the corpse which had fallen from the sky to land near the Southern Domain's Rebirth Cave, suddenly shook. As it shook, and aura emerged from it, an aura not visible to any living person. It instantly spread out throughout the Southern Domain, filling it with terrifying force.

This terrifying force caused the discarnate souls beneath the Hundred Thousand Mountains to tremble. Everything grew silent.

"Who are you!?" Amidst the deathly silence, a powerful aura exploded out from deep beneath the Hundred Thousand Mountains. It seemed powerful enough to cause the corpse to tremble. When the other discarnate souls saw it, they prostrated themselves as if this aura were their sovereign.

The billowing aura filled the sky above the Black Sieve Sect, covering the land for millions of kilometers in every direction. Everything became pitch black. The strangest thing was… no one could actually see this! To any onlooker, the sky was as blue as the deep blue sea!

The voice which responded was deep and archaic. "I came seeking destiny," it said. The sound echoed throughout the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect, filled with the ancientness of countless years. It seemed… somewhat tired.

Within the exhaustion was a barely detectable… killing aura.

It seemed as if this person had lived a life of battle, had killed so many times that it was impossible to describe. The voice seemed to contain a shocking will.

"What do you want?!" said the sovereign-like aura above the Black Sieve Sect.

"Destiny comes and destiny goes. The Dao will always exist. This kid has destiny. If you interfere, I will abandon rebirth, change my plans, and instead slaughter all of you."

The sovereign-like aura said nothing. After some time passed, it faded away. As it did, a haughty voice rang out.

"There's no need to change your plans. We will come for you! Select thirty Chosen from the Black Sieve Sect and send them to our Black Underworld Cave! We will return to the mortal world!"

Meanwhile… deep in the recesses of the Rebirth Cave, was a corpse. It was not the corpse of a human, but rather, a fish. It was a small fish, about the size of a hand.

The place where the fish's eyes once had been suddenly began to burn with a underworldly fire.

Next, deep beneath the Milky Way Sea, the long rope stretched along the seafloor toward the wooden coffin that rested amidst the massive formation of stones . A scratching sound could be heard, as if someone was inside the coffin, scratching the lid with their fingernails.

A raspy voice sounded out: "League of Demon Sealers…." The voice was filled with melancholy, and reminiscence. The words drifted slowly up, causing a violent storm to break out on the surface of the Milky Way Sea.

* * *

Wow. I can't believe you read this far. You get a cookie...made of nothing.

But srsly tho, thanks for reding. Pls Reviw.


	3. Unsurpassable Furnace Lord

The rain continued to fall, but the horizon was no longer pitch black. Moonlight could be seen through the clouds, and far in the distance, the glow of the morning sun was just becoming visible. Night was beginning to fade, and sunlight approached.

As the sun replaced the moon, rain fell down, and Naruto proceeded onward. His expression was calm, as if nothing had just happened. This rainy day made him think about the snow back in the Five Elements Nation.

He wasn't sure exactly where he was within the Southern Domain. The only thing he could see was a mountain range that stretched off into the distance. His only company was the falling rain and the cold wind.

His battle with Asuma had confirmed the battle prowess of his five Dao Pillars. He could definitely suppress Dao Children, the most powerful of the Foundation Establishment stage!

"Unfortunately, I'm still lacking in terms of techniques," he thought. "I have a similar problem with magical items, otherwise I could have completely crushed him." He walked along in the rain, lost in thought. The Cultivation world was much different from the life of a scholar. He was gradually learning how to identify his weaknesses. He could not allow his weaknesses to cause his next battle to end with his own death.

"There's not much I can do regarding magical techniques. Joining the Violet Fate Sect would help a lot, if I could somehow figure out a way. However… as for magical items…." Naruto frowned.

All of his magical items had been acquired through battle. However, the more powerful his Cultivation base grew, the less effective his magical items became. The wooden swords, the lightning mist and the little black net all grew with him, but as for the fan, the bow and the other items, they were gradually becoming less and less useful.

"I'm not completely stuck in this regard, though. I have two methods which can be used to forge magical items. I could go to the Black Lands to search for the Frigid Snow Larva. If I feed it the Sieve Net Thunder Mulberry Leaf, it will transform into the Eyeless Larva, which can produce indestructible silk threads!

"I also have the jade page from Ino's ancestor which can be used to forge the Time treasure. Either one of these two could solve my current problem. Unfortunately… both are incredibly difficult, and can't be accomplished quickly. Of course, there's also the flag with three streamers, although I can't even touch it with my current Cultivation base…." He shook his head, looking around at the unceasing rain. It seemed to be growing heavier. Naruto's body flickered, and he shot toward the nearby mountain range. He waved his hand, and a flying sword screamed out and carved an Immortal's Cave into the side of the mountain.

With the flick of a sleeve, he flitted like a nightingale into the Immortal's Cave, where he sat down cross-legged to meditate. His Cultivation base rippled with power, and the heat which spread out from him caused all the moisture in the newly carved cave to instantly disappear.

He spat out the lightning mist, which spread out to cover the entire cave, including the entrance. Then he closed his eyes and rotated his Cultivation base. After the time it takes half an incense to burn, he opened his eyes and slapped his bag of holding. When he lifted his hand up, it was holding the Cubic Pearl.

At first look, it appeared to be square, but upon closer examination, it actually wasn't. It was very bizarre. Naruto looked at the pearl and took a deep breath. His eyes shone with anticipation.

He took out the copper mirror and made a copy. Unfortunately, he didn't have many Spirit Stones left. After hesitating a moment, he decided not to make any more copies.

"I hope this pearl can dispel the poison of the Resurrection Lily," he said, eyeing the pearl with glittering eyes. He wasn't sure exactly how the pearl worked, but he was not the same Cultivator he used to be. He was as powerful as someone from the late Foundation Establishment stage. Without a moments hesitation, he cast his Spiritual Sense into the pearl.

After a moment, he frowned, then bit the tip of his tongue and spit out some blood onto the pearl. In the blink of an eye, the pearl absorbed the blood, and then suddenly began to melt.

Strands of white light floated up, along with a delicate, purifying fragrance. Naruto's eyes began to shine. After a long moment, he waved his hand, and the Immortal's Cave shook. A crack spread out on the ground, and suddenly a vine burrowed up.

Under Naruto's direction, the vine stretched out toward the white strands, and then began to absorb them. The white strands instantly shot toward the vine, entering into its body. Naruto watched on, eyes glittering.

After the space of about ten breaths, the vine began to change color. Soon, it was no longer dark red, but pure white. A sense of purity radiated out from it.

More time passed. Naruto looked thoughtfully at the slowly melting pearl, and the white strands which floated up from it. His eyes filled with determination, and he began to breathe deeply. The strands flew toward him, entering his body through his mouth and nose.

He closed his eyes, and after about ten breaths had passed, his body began to quiver. Veins bulged on his face, and his eyes snapped open. Within his pupils could be seen the crying-laughing demonic faces. On top of the faces suddenly appeared layer after layer of white strands.

It appeared as if the white strands were attempting to purify the Resurrection Lily within Naruto.

Time slipped by. Soon, an hour had passed. Sweat poured off of Naruto like rain. His face was pale, but his eyes radiated stubborness. He took a breath, and more white strands floated into his body through his mouth and nose. As they did, the demonic faces in his pupils began to twist and distort.

Faint screams echoed out in Naruto's mind, and his body felt as if it were about to be torn to pieces. There seemed to be a battle of life-and-death going on inside of him. The demonic faces in his eyes were even more twisted. Ghost images appeared, and a black aura began to pour out of the top of Naruto's head. The aura twisted and coalesced into… a three-colored Resurrection Lily!

The Cubic Pearl seemed about to darken, as if it were going to release the full power of its aura. It was now half of its original size. It seemed that it would soon have used all of its effectiveness, and the white strands would disappear.

Naruto's eyes shined brightly. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the pearl. This time, he didn't breath in the strands, but actually consumed the entire pearl.

A roaring sound filled his body that seemed to create a harmony with the crashing thunder on the outside. The Resurrection Lily on his head writhed as if it were being buffeted by a powerful wind. Finally, it showed signs of dissipation.

Shrill shrieks filled his head, and his face distorted. However, without hesitation, he lifted up the second Cubic Pearl and, gritting his teeth at the loss of Spirit Stones, made another copy.

After making the second copy, he was now out of Spirit Stones. Eyes radiating stubborness, he lifted both Cubic Pearls and put them into his mouth.

A shocking, thunderous roar filled Naruto as soon as the Cubic Pearls entered his mouth. The roaring was so incredible that it expanded out to fill the surrounding mountains. White strands spread out from Naruto's pores, swirling up and surrounding his body.

The three-colored Resurrection Lily on his head suddenly quivered. It seemed to be fading, as if it would completely dissipate at any moment. As Naruto sat there surrounded by the white mist, the demonic faces within his eyes emitted constant ghost images, and slowly began to fade away. It seemed the pearl really was capable of dispelling the poison.

After about an hour passed, the image of the Resurrection Lily on the crown of Naruto's head was almost completely invisible. There was no trace whatsoever of the demonic faces in his eyes. But then…

Suddenly, the mist which had been dispelling the Resurrection Lily suddenly diffused outward. Next, the white strands began to seethe, congealing above Naruto's head. A red streak appeared in their midst, followed by a bright yellow streak, and finally a streak as blue as the sky.

The four colors mixed together within the churning mist, forming together to make… a four-colored Resurrection Lily!

Apparently, the Resurrection Lily couldn't be destroyed. Even as it died, it would reappear as if it had been reincarnated.

An unsightly expression appeared on Naruto's face as he observed the four-colored Resurrection Lily. His eyes glimmered darkly, but then suddenly began to shine.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed the four-colored Resurrection Lily, which resembled a demonic face, had an aura that was not any stronger than the three-colored Resurrection Lily from before. In fact, this new Resurrection Lily was trembling.

"That's not the fourth color!" thought Naruto, his eyes narrowing. After thinking back to the four-colored Resurrection Lily he had seen in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, he realized that his own Resurrection Lily was different.

"If it had actually developed a fourth color, then my consciousness would have been lost, and I would have transformed into a Resurrection Lily. But I don't feel strange at all. Furthermore, the color of this fourth petal…."

Suddenly, the quivering four-colored Resurrection Lily spasmed. Its white petals collapsed into pieces, which then transformed into a white glowing light. The light shot toward the blue petals, and the Resurrection Lily began to tremble even more violently for the space of a few breaths. Naruto continued to observe, eyes shining.

He watched as the blue petals began to wither, and then disappear. Now, the Resurrection Lily was composed of only two colors. Upon closer inspection, the blue petals hadn't completely disappeared, but was still barely visible. In fact, it seemed as if they would gradually reappear.

The two-colored Resurrection Lily seemed weaker, yet at the same time emanated a pure aura. Apparently, after absorbing the Cubic Pearl, the Resurrection Lily had lost one of its colors. Other than that, it seemed like the poison-dispelling power of Cubic Pearl didn't affect the Resurrection Lily at all.

The two-colored Resurrection Lily flickered. Naruto was powerless to do anything as it slowly sank back down into him through the top of his head. Its aura was much weaker, however. Naruto stood up. After a moment's hesitation, his eyes filled with resolve.

"The Cubic Pearl was somewhat effective. However, if I want to completely dispel the poison, I have no other choice than to infiltrate the Violet Fate Sect. There, I can search for a method to completely rid myself of it. This thing is really like a bone stuck in my throat!"

* * *

Naruto slapped his bag of holding to retrieve the blood-colored mask. He looked at it for a moment. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn't want to get tangled up with the meat jelly again.

It had reached a terrifying level in terms of being annoying, which Naruto had experienced first hand. After a moment of thought, he reached into the mask with Spiritual Sense.

It was dark inside, and as soon as Naruto entered, he sensed the mastiff's aura. It was growing more and more powerful, causing Naruto to feel somewhat calm.

The Blood Mastiff was his most powerful and deadly ally. He couldn't wait for it wake to up and stand at his side like it had when it was a puppy. It would lift its head to the sky and roar.

Next, Naruto's Spiritual Sense moved on, pausing for a moment on the flag of three streamers. After a moment, he moved on. It was obviously a precious treasure, but he couldn't do anything with it now.

When his Spiritual Sense reached the Danzo, he stared in shock.

The man was more thin and pallid than ever. He was incredibly weak, and it seemed as if his spirit might collapse at any moment. Despair filled his eyes. Naruto suddenly got the feeling that he had underestimated the fearsomeness of the meat jelly.

The meat jelly parrot was currently perched on the shoulder of the Danzo, its eyes glowing as it talked. Every few breaths, the Danzo would shudder.

Naruto hesitated, then gritted his teeth and slowly approached. The meat jelly suddenly looked up, having sensed Naruto's Spiritual Sense. It cried out.

"Eee? You're here! Why don't you join us? The old man and I were just discussing a sunset from seventy thousand years ago. We haven't finished yet, and he promised to listen until the end." The meat jelly seemed very excited at the prospect of Naruto joining the discussion.

Naruto's heart trembled, but before he could say anything, the Danzo looked over at him. His eyes glistened as if he were looking at a blood relative, and he emitted an excited shout.

It was a shout that seemed to be filled with reckless abandon.

"My name is Danzo Shimura! I'm a Patriarch of the Shimura Clan from seven thousand years ago. I possessed one of the Divine Watchmen within the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. I beg you, please take the bird away. I'll tell you everything. Ask me anything, what do you want to know…? I know techniques from the Shimura Clan, divine abilities. Whatever you want to do, I can help you. I can tell you anything. Please, take it away, I…"

"Shut your mouth!" said the meat jelly indignantly. "You show no respect for your elders! Am I really so annoying? Y-y-you, you're too immoral! You're mine!" He turned to look solemnly at Naruto. "He's mine! I still haven't brought him back from the path of wickedness. I still have seventy thousand years of…."

"He's yours! Yours!" said Naruto hurriedly, in a voice which could sever nails and slice iron. Without hesitation he continued, "I guarantee it. He's definitely yours!"

"Very well, then. You seem to be in a lovely mood, so I won't permit you to participate in the current discussion. I need to teach a lesson or two to this old man," it said angrily. "I can't believe he tried to tattle on me. I hate tattling, it's very immoral…." It spoke with fury, but excitement filled its eyes. The sudden introduction of a new conversation topic made it very enthusiastic.

Despair filled the face of the Danzo. He gazed pleadingly at Naruto, his eyes filled with regret. Why had he insisted on being so arrogant before? If he had just yielded earlier, he would never have been forced to face the torment of this frightening bird.

His life recently had been a living hell, a nightmare worse than death. His entire body suddenly shook.

Naruto cleared his throat.

Paying very close attention to his wording, Naruto said, "Senior, I was thinking about your ever-changing forms. Soon, Junior will be infiltrating a Sect. Is there any way Senior could possibly lend me some of your power of ever-changing forms?" Even as he spoke, he slowly edged backward.

The meat jelly turned and looked at Naruto in surprise.

"What are you going to do? Are you planning some evil deed!?"

"Of course not!" His voice filled with an air of righteousness, Naruto said, "You see, there are some extremely wicked people in this Sect. I want to infiltrate them in an attempt to catch the evildoers. Then, Senior can educate them, and help bring them back from the path of wickedness."

The meat jelly suddenly seemed very excited. "Oh, so that's your plan! Very well, very well. Naruto, you are really doing the right thing. Such evildoers really must be educated by me… although…." Suddenly it seemed hesitant.

Naruto's next words were spoken in a mesmerizing tone. "Senior, how about this: over the next few days, I will go capture some bullies for you to guide and help."

"Oh?!" The meat jelly seemed even more excited, and its hesitation began to wane.

It was time to strike while the iron was hot! "How about two bullies?" said Naruto.

The meat jelly quivered and flapped its wings excitedly. However, it still seemed a bit hesitant.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto said, "Five bullies! It will take me a few days, but I can go find five bullies for you."

The meat jelly let out a delighted squawk. Its entire body shook, and its eyes shined red with excitement. It stared at Naruto, panting. "Bring me three bullies!" it cried. It looked at Naruto nervously, as if it were worried he would disagree.

"Huh? Three?" Naruto stared in shock. At first, he had assumed the meat jelly would try to get even more out of the deal. Instead, it was the opposite.

"Three!" roared the meat jelly. "Bring me three bullies, and I'll help you. Less than three and the deal's off!" It seemed it felt it was risking everything in its request.

Naruto felt that the whole situation was very strange, but he nodded nonetheless. "Okay, I'll get you three bullies. Not one less!" With that, he retracted his Spiritual Sense. He took a deep breath as he looked at the blood-colored mask. A strange expression covered his face.

"Could it be that the meat jelly doesn't know how to count? I offered five, and then it demanded three, and looked like it was going all out…." Mumbling to himself, Naruto put the mask away, turned, and left the Immortal's Cave. The rain had long since ceased. He turned into a white beam of light which shot off into the distance.

Two days later.

On a mountain path walked a muscular man of about thirty years of age. He wore a yellow gown, had small eyes, and a mustache. Next to him walked a young man, toward whom he smiled and said, "Junior brother Naruto, it's not far now. Up ahead is where my older brothers and I reside. Once we're there, you'll have to stay for a while. You and I hit it off immediately, didn't we? We'll definitely have to become sworn brothers. You know, the Moya Quintet are very well-known in these parts. We can really be of some help to you!"

The young man had a bashful expression on his face. His Cultivation base seemed to be at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, one level higher than the yellow-robed Man.

"Thanks, big bro Mo," the young man said shyly. "This is the first time I ever left the Sect, so I'm very fortunate to have met you."

"Outside your Sect, you have to rely on friends. It's really no imposition. My older brothers and I are all very hospitable. Little bro, you're so young, and yet have such a high Cultivation base. Your future prospects are limitless! I'm sure that you'll soon be a very famous person in the Southern Domain. You might even be able to outshine Chosen. You know, my older brothers and I think that making friends is very important, and we're happy to do so." The yellow-robed man laughed heartily, then slapped Naruto on the shoulder. His eyes, however, glittered with contempt and greed. He glanced conspicuously at Naruto's bag of holding.

He had never seen such a bag of holding before; it was obviously something beyond ordinary.

Of course, a man like him would never have a chance to lay eyes on such a bag of holding. This bag was none other than the bag of the Cosmos. And the young man was obviously Naruto.

They had run into each other just this morning out in the wild mountains. The instant the man caught sight of the bag of the Cosmos, he had coveted it. But once he saw the level of Naruto's Cultivation base, he gave up any ideas of trying to steal it. Instead, he had engaged in lively smalltalk for quite some time.

The man smiled at Naruto and thought, "Some disciple from a Sect I've never heard of goes out on his own for the first time. A disciple like that must surely have some life-saving treasures from his Sect. However, someone like this doesn't have any experience. Only a few flattering words, and I've already won him over." In the man's mind, he had already figured everything out about his opponent.

Naruto looked more bashful than ever. However, in his heart, he was rejoicing. It had only taken him two days to find some local tyrant Cultivators. Even better, the man was leading him to a place where there would surely be more tyrants of the type that the meat jelly would like.

As they chatted, an Immortal's cave suddenly appeared up ahead of them at the bottom of a mountain. Its sealed main door was enormous, made from solid limestone. From the look of it, the Immortal's cave must take up half the inside of the mountain. On either side of the main door were two stone guardian lions, extremely lifelike in appearance. They didn't seem to fit in with the surroundings, as if they had been transported here from somewhere else.

There were also two towers near the entrance of the Immortal's Cave. These towers were constructed, not from earth and wood, but from bones. There were bones of both humans and animals, all piled up. It all was very gruesome.

"Here we are, little bro!" said the yellow-robed man, laughing loudly.

Naruto frowned. "This place…."

"I know what you're thinking," said the man. He continued, his voice firm: "But we're out in the wilderness. Though we don't cause problems for others, we do have to take some precautionary methods. Decorations like this only serve to frighten off the thieves and miscreants."

Naruto didn't respond, but a cold light gleamed in his eyes.

The yellow-robed man didn't notice Naruto's look. He waved his sleeve, and a flying sword flew out. He jumped on, and transformed into a colorful beam of light which glided through the air toward the Immortal's Cave.

Naruto followed suit, his eyes gleaming coldly.

As the two of them approached the main door of the Immortal's cave, the yellow-robed man waved his sleeve. A bright beam of light shot out, landing on the door. It rumbled, and then slowly began to open up.

Almost as soon as the door began to open, three Cultivators emerged from within. They were all about forty years old, with Cultivation bases at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. Two had fierce bearings, while the other was lean and haggard, with treacherous eyes. He held a fan in hand. He smiled as his gaze swept over Naruto.

The yellow-robed man laughed as he landed next to the three others. He turned and looked at Naruto, smiling. "Older brothers, I ran into friend Naruto here on the road this morning. This is his first time outside of his sect. I invited him to spend some time with us. Please, join me in welcoming him!"

* * *

The two large, fierce-looking men eyed Naruto for a moment and then smiled. Whichever way you looked at their smiles, they appeared vicious. It was as if they were staring down a helpless little lamb.

The man with the fan seemed to be the most treacherous of the group, and his smile appeared the most sincere. He clasped hands and saluted Naruto.

"I, Aniki, heard the birds singing earlier, and couldn't help but wonder if a guest would be arriving. Fellow Daoist, a single glance at you and I felt the aura of a hero wash over me. Hearing Fifth brother's words just now, I can tell that you are a dragon among men, venturing out of his Sect for the first time. Fellow Daoist, you are the type of person I revere the most. Please, come into our Immortal's Cave and relax for a moment."

"Well…" said Naruto, seemingly unsure of how to respond to such praise. Clasping hands, he bowed back to the man. However, he appeared to be hesitant to enter the cave. Inwardly, he sighed. The man's flattering words were obviously full of lies. Naruto could have come up with something much better to say, were he in the other position.

"Little bro," said the yellow-robed man, his eyes flickering, "we're here at the main door. Come come, follow me in. Now that you're here, you're home!" He pulled at Naruto's sleeve, dragging him into the Immortal's Cave.

The other men clustered around hesitating Naruto as the yellow-robed man graciously led him inside. The limestone door slowly closed behind them. Immediately, the glow of luminescent pearls filled Naruto's eyes.

The Immortal's Cave was quite spacious and luxuriously decorated. It was filled with a variety of different rooms, including a pill concocting room and a medicinal plant courtyard.

With a candid laugh, the yellow-robed man made introductions: "Little bro, this is Second Brother, and this is Third Brother. After Fourth Brother, is me the Fifth Brother." As he made the introductions, he gave a meaningful glance to the treacherous looking man who ranked second.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists," said Naruto shyly, clasping hands to them. He glanced around, a pleased expression in his eyes. When his gaze fell upon the luminescent pearls, his eyes shined brightly.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, what do you think of our Immortal's Cave? Not bad, huh?" said Second Brother Ya with a smile, gently fanning himself. His expression was tinged with a disdainful look that he assumed others wouldn't see, an expression that made it clear he was playing some sort of game. He stared at Naruto.

"It's pretty good," said Naruto, "pretty good. Very complete, with plenty of private rooms. Really, it doesn't seem common in any aspect." His praises sounded very sincere. "These luminescent pearls are especially incredible. It seems the spiritual energy here is quite abundant. Don't tell me you have a Spirit Spring, too?" He asked the question in a very astonished tone.

"There absolutely is a Spirit Spring," said Second Brother Ya with a laugh. "That's exactly why the five of us decided to build our Immortal's Cave here." The contempt in his eyes grew more obvious. In his mind, Naruto was prey trapped in a tiger's lair.

The Third and Fourth Brothers both gazed at Naruto, their hideous grins growing wider. They clearly viewed Naruto as a sheep in a wolf's den!

As for Fifth Brother Mo, he continued to eye the bag of holding strapped to Naruto's waist. His smile grew more brilliant. He obviously thought that today was his lucky day to have snatched up such a cash cow.

Naruto also smiled. Although he still looked a bit bashful, his smile was genuine, and quite happy. The Immortal's Cave really seemed to contain some good opportunities, as did this group of men. They continued to herd him along.

"Eldest Brother recently brought in an artist to paint a portrait of him," said Second Brother Ya. "It's not really convenient for him to come out. Fellow Daoist Naruto, why don't we go see him?" Without giving Naruto a chance to refuse, he pulled him toward the middle of the Immortal's Cave, where there was a vast, open area filled with luminescent pearls. At the far end was an enormous throne.

The throne was constructed from crystals, and upon it sat a large man. He appeared to be about fifty years old. He wore a long violet robe, and had a very dignified countenance. Even though he tried, it was impossible to cover up his fierceness. He radiated an intense killing aura.

His Cultivation base was not at the Chakra Condensation stage, but the early Foundation Establishment stage!

In front of the large man sat a stooped, withered old man with long white hair. His body trembled and the paintbrush in his hand quivered. The outline of the large man could be seen on the canvas in front of him.

The man's eyes flashed over the group as they approached. He completely ignored Naruto, focusing instead on the yellow-robed man. He gave a cold harrumph.

"If you don't have something important to do, don't leave," he said. "I've been jumpy lately, and have a bad feeling. Now that you're back, sit down. I'll have this painter do a portrait of all of you."

Eyes filled with veneration, the yellow-robed man nodded his head in agreement. He stepped forward and sat down next to the violet-robed man. Second Brother Ya and the others clasped hands in respectful salute. Ignoring Naruto altogether, they moved forward to sit down.

No one said anything, and soon Naruto was standing there alone, an awkward expression on his face.

The large, violet-robed man looked at the painter and said, "You paint some good portraits of us, you hear? If you do, then I won't cause any trouble for you." Hearing the man's cool words, the stooped, white-haired old man shivered and nodded.

"Second Brother, I've really been feeling uneasy lately. Don't forget to check the teleportation portal. If any problems occur, we can get out of here instantly. Third and Fourth Brothers, you two listen well. No going outside!" Each and every word uttered by the violet-robed man caused the others to nod in agreement. None of them payed any attention whatsoever to Naruto. He stood there awkwardly. In his opinion, the man should at least greet him. Finally, he gave out a dry cough.

They ignored the cough and continued talking. The violet-robed man didn't so much as look at him. The others, including the yellow-robed man, didn't look his way either.

Naruto sighed, then coughed a little louder, interrupting the dialogue. Finally, the eyes of the five men fell upon him.

"Who's this?" said the violet-robed man with a frown, his voice sinister.

"That's a kid that Fifth Brother picked up when he went out," said Second Brother Ya, waving his fan. He laughed. "Apparently it's his first time out of his Sect."

"This kid is a real idiot," said the yellow-robed man, laughing. "His bag of holding is clearly incredible, so I chatted him up. Who could have imagined that he would be taken in by my rambling!? I led him right here."

Hearing this, the violet-robed man looked Naruto over, then coolly said, "Hand over your bag of holding." His expression was one of arrogance; seeing that Naruto was at the Chakra Condensation stage, he obviously felt that he was virtually beyond notice.

Naruto smiled and glanced around. The look in his eye made it seem as if he were looking at his own house. "This is a pretty nice Immortal's Cave. Why don't you give it to me? Oh, your throne looks pretty good too, if a bit extravagant. I'll take that as well."

The violet-robe man gaped at Naruto. The Third and Fourth Brothers, as well as the yellow-robed man, all burst out into arrogant laughter. As it echoed throughout the Immortal's Cave, Second Brother Ya's eyes narrowed and filled with a look of concentration.

"Actually, I'll take all of you along with the Immortal's Cave," said Naruto. With a chuckle, he began to walk forward. Before he could even take a step, the Third and Fourth Brothers leaped up. They were tall and stalwart, with fierce expressions. Laughing contemptuously, they rushed toward Naruto.

"You brat, you dare to speak such nonsense in your Elders' Immortal's Cave!? Aren't you scared!?" They weren't very far away from Naruto, and it took only a moment for them to near him. They were just about to employ some magical techniques when Naruto again cleared his throat.

As he did, he completely ignored the two, and took another step forward. When they ran into him, it was like they had slammed into some immovable force. Blood sprayed from their mouths, and their trembling bodies tumbled backward, slamming up against the wall. They coughed up more blood and looked in shock at Naruto. Their Cultivation bases were suddenly suppressed, making them little more than mortals.

Everything happened too quickly. Before the others could even react, Naruto had reached the crystal throne.

"Are you looking to die!?" cried the yellow-robed man. His body shot forward. Next to him, Second Brother Ya's eyes flickered, and he waved his hand. A Flame Bird magically appeared, which shot toward Naruto. Second Brother Ya himself, however, shot backward in retreat.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in an instant. Naruto didn't even need to lift his hand. He glanced indifferently at the incoming yellow-robed man. The man's mind suddenly reeled, and he felt a stabbing pain as some incredible power pulsed in his heart. His vision grew dim, and he began to tremble in despair. The incredible pressure inundated him, and he was powerless to resist it.

Blood shot from his mouth, and he tumbled backward, slamming into the wall. Fear and intense astonishment filled his eyes. His body trembled. The only thing he could think of was the weak, shy expression on Naruto's face when he had met him, that made him look like a helpless animal.

"Who… who are you…?" he said, his heart filling with indescribable dread. How could he possibly have imagined that what he brought into his home was not a helpless lamb, but a vicious wild beast!?

As for Second Brother Ya's Flame Bird, before it could even near Naruto, it shook, and then disintegrated. To Naruto, a Flame Bird technique such as this was like a child's toy sword.

In the space of an instant, four of the Moya Quintet were reduced to a state of shock. The large, violet-robed man still sat on the crystal throne, his face draining of blood. He watched Naruto approaching, and his face distorted. With a cry of rage, he leaped up. The instant he did, Naruto's gaze fell upon him.

When the gaze entered the violet-robed man's eyes, it hit him like a world-shaking thunderclap. An incredible roaring filled his mind, causing his body to spasm. A feeling of imminent life-or-death crisis washed over him. It was as if this gaze could pierce the world itself, and instantly exterminate him.

"The great circle of Foundation Establishment…." gasped the large man, his voice faint. Disbelief filled his eyes.

* * *

Despair and bitterness welled up within the heart of the large, violet-robed man. He immediately lost all will to fight back. Being at early Foundation Establishment, he simply didn't have the courage to attempt to fight with someone of the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

As Naruto calmly approached him, he retreated backward several paces. Without hesitation, he clasped hands and saluted.

"Greetings, senior," he said. Then to the others, "Hey you, why haven't you paid respects to the Elder?!" Mumbling and trembling, the Second Brother Ya hurried over and bowed deeply to Naruto.

His heart quivered with fear. How could he ever have imagined that what he previously believed to be a weak little lamb could instantly transform into a devilish fiend that could slaughter him hundreds of times over?

Third and Fourth Brothers, as well as the yellow-robed man, immediately joined the violet-robed man. Trembling, the five brothers all bowed repeatedly to Naruto.

The most bitter and regretful of all, of course, was the yellow-robed man….

He glanced over at the violet-robed man to find him staring over with an expression of deep, venomous hatred. The yellow-robed man's eyes darkened, and he very nearly fell into a coma out of fright.

Coughing lightly, Naruto sat down onto the crystal throne. The five men were now standing where he had been just moments ago….

The old painter stared in frightened awe.

The violet-robed man's heart was filled with anxiety and his scalp was numb. "Sir…." he said. He was just now wrapping his mind around what had happened. His body trembled.

Naruto looked at him and said, "I can see that you have some problems with your Cultivation base. You've been stuck with only one Dao Pillar for years. How about this: I have a medicinal pill that would be very beneficial." He lifted up his hand, in the middle of which was a medicinal pill.

It was a very common pill for the Foundation Establishment stage. However, its effectiveness was a bit….

"How many Spirit Stones are you willing to pay for it?" asked Naruto coolly.

"Uh…." The violet-robed man gritted his teeth, then pulled out his bag of holding and handed it over to Naruto. Naruto frowned slightly, causing the trembling violet-robed man to turn and glare ferociously at the four men other behind him. Each and every one was shaking in their boots. One by one, they pulled out all of their belongings. In the end, the violet-robed man procured all of the items and wealth they had saved up over the years in their Immortal's Cave, as well as the cave itself, and offered it to Naruto. All in exchange for one medicinal pill.

His expression the same as ever, Naruto collected up the various valuables. Then he glanced at the yellow-robed man, who looked back sullenly, and then the Second Brother Ya.

"I heard you mention there's a teleportation portal here?"

"Yes, yes there is," replied Second Brother Ya. Not daring to leave out any information, he quickly gave a full description: "Actually, we didn't bring the portal here; it's a natural function of the Immortal's Cave, which we accidentally discovered. It works, but it will only teleport to one fixed location." His heart was filled with virtual agony, as well as complete enmity for the yellow-robed man. "Dammit, Fifth Brother," he thought, "who is this that you brought back with you? He's some kind of Patriarch!"

Naruto nodded. He had already used his Spiritual Sense to confirm the location of the teleportation portal. Looking back at the five men, he suddenly waved his arm. Unable to resist, the five of them were instantly swept up. All they could see was a blur as they entered the world of the blood-colored mask which lay inside Naruto's bag of the Cosmos.

Everything was the color of blood. The meat jelly was in the midst of educating the Danzo, who sat there, emaciated, a blank, agonized look in his eyes. He looked more dead than alive, his body slack.

The meat jelly immediately noticed Naruto appear with the five Moya men. Its eyes filled with excitement, and he instantly cast aside the Danzo.

"Bullies!" he cried, flying over. "I smell bullies! They're all bullies, all immoral!" It flew a few circles around the five Moya men, who were clearly disoriented and terrified. The meat jelly was getting more excited.

Naruto cleared his throat and said, "Senior, these are the bullies I promised to bring you a few days ago. They need education from you to bring them back from the path of wickedness."

"Excellent, excellent," said the meat jelly with a nod. "You kept your word, as shall I. First, let me count." It flapped its wings as it settled onto the shoulder of the large, violet-robed man.

"One… two… three…" The meat jelly began to count, starting with the violet-robed man and the proceeding onto the Second and Third Brothers. When its eyes fell upon the Fourth Brother, it suddenly stared in shock. "One… two?" It flapped its wings as it reached the yellow-robed man. Suddenly, an angry, humiliated expression appeared on its face. It spun and glared at Naruto. "Liar!"

Naruto gaped at the meat jelly.

"Look!" roared the meat jelly furiously. "One, two, three, one, two! You've brought me two bullies, and I asked for three! I wanted three bullies!" It clearly believed itself to have been swindled.

Naruto stared with wide eyes. Suddenly, everything became clear. This damned meat jelly really could only count the numbers one, two and three?

Without hesitation, Naruto quickly swept up the yellow-robed man as well as the Fourth Brother. Instantly, they disappeared.

"That was just a little mistake," said Naruto quickly. "Why don't you count again?"

The meat jelly carefully began to count again. "One, two, three… Haha! There are three! Three bullies. Excellent, excellent." Excited once again, it beat its wings and flew around in a few more circles. Suddenly, a glow like lightning shot out from it toward Naruto.

Naruto didn't evade. The lightning glow slammed into him, melding with his Spiritual Sense.

"This is my will of lightning," said the meat jelly, which had already landed on the shoulder of the violet-robed man. "You can use it to change forms one time. Make sure to bring back some more bullies!" It looked at the violet-robed man with a friendly expression. "Hey. Hello. My name is Ultimate Vexation. What's your name?"

The large, violet-robed man stared in shock. Not waiting for him to reply, Naruto quickly left the blood-colored mask. He could only imagine what would happen after the man responded. A sea of suffering awaited him….

Back in the Immortal's Cave, Naruto sat there, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"The meat jelly can only count from one to three…. Very useful." After a moment, he looked over at the old painter, who sat there with a dull expression on his face.

"Senior," he said softly, "what village are you from? I can take you back home."

The man looked scared. He hesitated for a moment, then said in a trembling voice, "But… my painting isn't finished yet. Do you mind if I paint you?" His eyes shined with anticipation.

Naruto was shocked for a moment. Then his eyes narrowed, and he looked closely at the old man. No matter which way he looked at him, the man seemed mortal. After a while, Naruto nodded. "Thank you so much, sir," he said, continuing to sit there on the crystal throne.

The old man took a deep breath, and then lifted the paintbrush, hand trembling. Looking at Naruto, he began to paint.

Time passed slowly. It took about four hours, during which time Naruto waited patiently. The man painted earnestly, and Naruto sat without moving.

After a while, the old man put down his paintbrush. He eyed the painting in front of him, and a satisfied expression filled his eyes. He looked up at Naruto and smiled.

"Finished," he said. "Why don't you take a look? Does it look like you?" His face was filled with anticipation.

Naruto smiled. He stood up and walked over to stand next to the old man. What he saw on the canvas was a young man sitting upright in a chair, surrounded by mountains. You couldn't say that the painting wasn't good, but there was something about it that just didn't seem right. It only bore a thirty percent resemblance to Naruto.

"Very good," said Naruto, smiling and nodding his head. "What are these two marks here?" He lifted his hand to point at the painting, where two long, thick marks could be seen. Naruto wasn't sure what they meant.

"What's above all of us?" asked the old man, smiling.

Naruto looked at him in surprise. Then, he smiled. "The sky," he said quietly.

"Think about it for a moment," said the old man, gazing at Naruto. His smile seems to contain some sort of hidden meaning. He looked completely different than he had just moments ago. Naruto thought for a moment, and then looked up. His eyes glittered as his vision passed through the Immortal's Cave to look up at the sky outside.

After some time passed, Naruto lowered his head. The instant he did, his pupils constricted. The old man… was nowhere to be seen!

An archaic voiced suddenly filled the Immortal's Cave, causing Naruto's body to quiver. His Spiritual Sense suddenly scattered. "Because of the ten thousand year old will of the World Tree, my residual self is here today. It is fate that I came here today to paint for you. I have sealed the true form of the Resurrection Lily, refined its nature talent and fused it with your spirit. While it is sealed, it cannot harm you. Furthermore, you will be able to draw upon the Resurrection Lily's nature talent of plants and vegetation. When enough time passes, you can cast away my residual will which seals the flower. Every ten thousand years, I commit one person to memory. Furthermore, a person who exists in my memory cannot be exterminated by the Karmic Severing of those surnamed Hebi."

A long moment passed before Naruto took a deep breath. His eyes shone brightly as he turned once again to look at the painting. He gasped and stared in shock.

The image on the painting was not that of Naruto, but of a… Resurrection Lily!

It looked savage, unwilling, and even insane. It appeared to be sealed inside the painting! The image was incredibly lifelike!

There were also some words written on the painting.

* * *

Naruto took a deep breath. He lifted his head and was lost in thought for some time. Within his mind swirled images from that day within the cloud vortex in the Nadeshiko Clan. When he'd stood on the enormous tree looking out into the emptiness, he'd seen words written and signed by Sai!

A long moment passed. Finally, Naruto sat down cross-legged on the ground to examine himself. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, he opened his eyes, which shone brightly. It was clear to him that the Resurrection Lily had been completely repressed by some intangible force. It seemed to be asleep, sealed.

This effect was much more powerful than that of the Spring and Autumn tree, and would give him much more time to completely dispel the poison. Taking a deep breath he carefully rolled up the painting, and then clasped hands and bowed deeply for the old man.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Elder," he said, holding his bow for the space of ten breaths before straightening. He had no idea why this old man had appeared, or why he had been waiting, seemingly for Naruto himself.

"Sai…." After another moment, Naruto turned and headed to examine all of the secret rooms in the Immortal's Cave. Everything that he could take with him, he packed away. Afterward, he went to the teleportation portal. Although he hadn't studied teleportation portals very much in the past, he had used them several times. He pulled out a spirit stone and placed it into the middle of the portal. Gleaming light shined out, and soon, the glow of teleportation surrounded Naruto.

A droning sound filled the air, shaking the entire mountain. The light flashed blindingly, and then disappeared. Naruto also disappeared without a trace.

Southern Domain. State of Eastern Emergence, Violet Fate Sect territory. In the middle of the remote mountains was a towering peak, carved into which was an Immortal's Cave. A radiant, glittering light appeared and then slowly vanished. Naruto immediately walked out.

He looked back at the abandoned Immortal's cave and the run-down teleportation portal. Not sure whether he would need to use it again one day, he committed its location to memory, then disappeared into a beam of prismatic light.

As he flew along, a rippling glow suddenly spread out in layers over his body. When it faded, his appearance had completely changed. His skin was no longer dark, but rather fair and clear. He looked much younger, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old, and emanated a completely scholarly and refined air. He looked completely different, even somewhat soft and immature.

"I bet all the Sects and Clans in the Southern Domain are looking for me, thanks to the Sublime Spirit Scripture incident. But now, I can infiltrate the Violet Fate Sect. Be it with the goal of dispelling my poison, learning alchemy, or to master Violet Chakra from the East… I absolutely must join this great Sect." His eyes filled with resolve.

Several days later, outside the Violet Fate Sect, in a city of Cultivators.

Violet Moon was a flourishing, bustling city, a hub of activity for Cultivators in the State of Eastern Emergence. This was especially true in the seventh month of the year, when the Violet Fate Sect held its yearly Pill Auction. During that time, the city usually was filled with even more Cultivators than usual. It wasn't just the Sects of the State of Eastern Emergence that would come, but Sects from throughout the Southern Domain. Many would teleport here just to attend the Pill Auction.

The so-called Pill Auction was a massive convention hosted by the Violet Fate Sect to auction off medicinal pills. Master alchemists from the Violet Fate Sect would offer up their best medicinal pills. Not only would they make tidy profits, but it allowed them to show off their pill concocting talent to the rest of the world.

During the Pill Auction, even the Furnace Lords of the Violet Fate Sect would sometimes participate. When that happened, it would always cause quite a stir, and attract the attention of other great Sects.

After all, Furnace Lords from the Violet Fate Sect were different than normal master alchemists. Other Sects wouldn't be able to raise up a single one, no matter how high of a price they paid. In the entire Southern Domain, only the Violet Fate Sect could train Furnace Lords.

Half the reason the Violet Fate Sect could become one of the great Sects of the Southern Domain, was because of its alchemists. The other reason was the fragment of the Sublime Spirit Scripture which gave them the Violet Chakra from the East technique.

Because of this, the Violet Fate Sect was structured into two divisions. One part of the Sect was made up by the Violet Chakra Division, the other part of the Sect was made up of the East Pill Division!

The Violet Chakra Division practiced Cultivation related to the Dao of magical techniques. The East Pill Division was devoted to the Dao of alchemy. The two divisions both complemented and respected each other. Because of this relationship, the Violet Fate Sect occupied its current position.

This year's Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction would take place in only a few days, within Violet Moon City. Currently, a young scholar of about sixteen to seventeen years old stood in the public square in the city center, gazing off into the distance at a mountain. The mountain glowed with a violet light that rose up to the heavens. It turned the entire sky a violet color, and from a distance, it didn't appear to be a mountain but actually… a colossal mountain-sized statue!

The statue depicted an old man. In front of the old man was a pill furnace shaped somewhat like a mountain, as well as an enormous scroll, both of which emanated violet-colored light. With a mere glance, anyone could tell that this place was anything but ordinary.

This was the main gate of the Violet Fate Sect!

Next to the young scholar was a skinny, middle-aged man of about thirty years of age, with shifty eyes. He sighed emotionally and said, "That's the Founder of the Violet Fate Sect. His Daoist name was Reverend Violet East. He's long since achieved Immortality. However, the Daoist doctrines he left behind have been built upon down until this very day. They became the foundation upon which was built one of the five great Sects of the Southern Domain, the Violet Fate Sect."

His eyes filled with veneration, he continued, "Later generations remembered his countenance and, using a mountain as the base, carved out that statue. The pill furnace in front of him represents the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect. The scroll represents the Violet Chakra Division. Together, they form the majestic main gate of the Violet Fate Sect. Beyond that gate are endless mountains, all connected with suspension bridges. It forms an amazing sight that outsiders aren't able to gaze upon. That, is the Violet Fate Sect."

The young scholar seemed to be completely wrapped up in the man's words. However, deep in his eyes existed a cold light.

Naturally, this young scholar was none other than Naruto, with his new appearance. The skinny man next to him was a guide he'd found who helped strangers familiarize themselves with the city.

"If only I could join a great Sect like this, then I would be able to live without regrets," Naruto said softly, gazing at the majestic main gate. His words were filled with longing.

"That's pretty much impossible," laughed the skinny man. "The Violet Fate Sect rarely recruits new disciples. Even when they do, it's usually only from the Sects and Cultivator Clans within the State of Eastern Emergence. They almost never accept outsiders. If they did, the State of Eastern Emergence would be filled with people dreaming of joining. Young friend, it's still early. What sort of things are you interested in buying, I can take you to find them?"

"There's no need, I already found what I was looking for." Naruto laughed, then took out a Spirit Stone and handed it to the skinny man. He gave him a slight bow and then walked out of the square.

The skinny man stared at him in surprise for a moment, and then pocketed the Spirit Stone. He had led the young man around all morning, showing him all around the city but not taking him to any markets whatsoever. Putting the matter aside, he walked off. There was still a whole afternoon in which to find other customers.

Naruto traversed the streets surrounding the public square. Halfway down one block, he suddenly stopped and glanced over at a nearby store. It was a medicinal pill shop. On the wall inside the shop, he could see some old, dried up medicinal pills, arranged to form the outline of a pill furnace. In the middle of the image of the pill furnace was an elliptical symbol.

Within the symbol were four dried up medicinal pills.

Nothing about it looked out of the ordinary or unique. However, after catching sight of it, a smile broke out on Naruto's face. He walked around the corner into an alley. When he emerged, he was wearing a wide, bamboo hat and a long robe. He strode directly into the medicinal pill shop.

The shop wasn't large. Other than the shopkeeper, there was no one else inside.

"I want one of these pills," said Naruto, pointing to one of the low-priced pills on the shelf.

The shopkeeper opened his eyes and glanced at Naruto, then pulled out one of the pills Naruto had pointed to.

"This pill is useful during the fifth level of Chakra Condensation. It costs seventeen Spirit Stones."

Naruto grabbed the pill without even looking at it, and with the flick of a sleeve, sent it shooting toward the image on the wall. It immediately smashed into the middle of the elliptical symbol. Now, instead of four pills, there were five.

With that, he tossed some Spirit Stones to the shopkeeper and then left.

The shopkeeper watched all of this in surprise. Then his eyes began to glitter, and he clasped hands and bowed toward Naruto's back as he walked off.

Time passed. Naruto had been staying in Violet Moon City for two days. On the same day that the Violet Fate Sect Pill auction started, he was sitting there cross-legged in the night when suddenly he opened his eyes and retrieved a jade slip from his bag of holding. It was glowing brightly.

This particular jade slip was an invitation medallion to a secret meeting! Recorded in the jade slip was a map, marked with the same symbol that was on the wall of the shop he'd visited earlier.

Outside, the moon was rising. Naruto put away the jade slip, and then left.

Soon, he appeared outside the same shop as before, wearing a wide bamboo hat, and voluminous robes. Without hesitation, he walked up and knocked on the wooden door.

After three knocks, the door slowly swung open. Inside was a nothing but pitch black.

His eyes flickered. After a moment's examination, he walked in. Ripples flowed out across the surface of the blackness, as if it were water. Naruto saw a bright glow, and then he was in a different place. Up ahead of him was a princely palace.

This palace looked exactly the same as the place he had visited the first time he went to one of these secret meetings . An old man, hands crossed and folded up within his sleeves, stood outside the palace. He looked Naruto over wordlessly.

Naruto approached, pulling out the secret meeting invitation medallion. The old man lowered his head, and Naruto walked past him into the palace.

He could hear the sounds of singing and dancing coming from further inside, just like the last time. Beyond some ornamental rock displays was a pavilion, within which sat four Cultivators. All of them wore masks covering their faces, making it impossible to see who they were.

Naruto stepped into the pavilion calmly. He didn't look at the four others, nor did they look at him. He sat down off to the side.

Not much time passed before three more people arrived. They were surrounded by the sound of singing, and yet no dancers could be seen. It created a truly bizarre air. Suddenly, contented laughter rang out as a ruddy-faced old man appeared and strode toward them. He sat down in the seat of honor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let today's secret meeting begin. I won't go into all the rules. I'm sure this is not your first time participating as guests in a secret meeting, Fellow Daoists, so let's get going." He flicked his sleeve, and a Nine Dragons Furnace appeared in the middle of all the participants. Mist began to spread out, and Naruto glanced at the old man.

This man was clearly not the same old man Naruto had seen at his first secret meeting. However, Naruto's Cultivation base was not the same as it had been at that time. With his Spiritual Sense, he could tell that the old man wasn't even real.

He was actually a projection!

"These secret meetings are really mysterious," Naruto thought. "There must be some powerful forces behind the scenes that organize them. The meeting back in the Black Sieve Sect territory was exactly the same as this one." He pulled out a jade slip, which he sent into the furnace.

All the other participants did the same, and soon the mist from the dragon furnace filled the area, enveloping everyone.

Glowing lights began to appear, which Naruto started to browse through. His eyes began to flicker. The vast majority of the offerings were for pill formulas and medicinal plants.

"There must be at least one person from the East Pill Division here today, and not just a master alchemist, but a Furnace Lord." In the past few days, Naruto had made a few inquiries about the East Pill Division, and now knew much more about it.

For example, disciples of the East Pill Division started out as apprentice alchemists. Eventually, they could become master alchemists, then Furnace Lords. Higher than the Furnace Lords were the Violet Furnace Lords, who were very important figures within the Southern Domain.

Violet Furnace Lords were automatically novitiates of Grandmaster Pill Demon, and thus could receive direct instruction from him. The only other way to become a novitiate of Grandmaster Pill Demon was to have special backing, and thus reach heaven in a single bound, so to speak.

For example, Obito from all those years ago, had been a disciple of the Violet Chakra Division. However, his gift for pill concoction impressed Grandmaster Pill Demon, and he eventually was selected to become a novitiate. Sadly, before he could even begin his studies, he had been sent to the Five Elements Nation and had fallen at the hands of Naruto.

After that, the only disciple Grandmaster Pill Demon had accepted to be a novitiate was Sakura. However, her skill in pill concocting was actually only at the level of a Furnace Lord. She was still quite a distance from Violet Furnace Lord.

Naruto sat there thoughtfully, looking over the various twinkling dots of light. After a while, he reached out to grab the glowing dot that contained his information. He quickly imprinted it with some more details and then threw it back out to wait.

Not too much time passed before a streak of light appeared in front of him.

"You have a friend who wants to join the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division and become an apprentice alchemist? You'll need a recommendation for that. What do you have to trade?"

Naruto's eyes glittered. This was the exact purpose for which he had chosen to attend the Violet Moon City secret meeting.

According to the rules of the Violet Fate Sect, it was impossible to just randomly join the Sect. However, the larger a Sect is, the more dragons and snakes will be jumbled together . Of course there would be some people who would break the rules out of self-interest. And apparently this secret meeting had a Furnace Lord in attendance, most likely because of the recent Pill Auction.

If medicinal herbs could be sold for profit, then why not a spot in the Sect for an apprentice alchemist? After all, in the Violet Fate Sect, there were roughly one hundred thousand apprentice alchemists. One spot didn't really count for anything.

Naruto didn't respond immediately. He waited for about the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. No more responses to his request came in, so he began to negotiate with the person who had just messaged him. They felt each other out to confirm each other's legitimacy. Naruto was familiar with this process.

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach an agreement. Naruto traded some of the medicinal plants he had acquired in Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's Cave in exchange for a spot as an apprentice alchemist. When the deal was completed, Naruto had a new jade slip in his hand.

It was dark green, and the image of a pill furnace was carved on its surface.

Soon, the secret meeting came to an end. The mist dissipated, and one by one, the various participants disappeared into beams of light. When Naruto passed through the glowing exit, he found himself in a remote corner of Violet Moon City. He lowered his head and promptly disappeared into the night.

Three days later, at the foot of the Violet Fate Sect, Naruto appeared, still looking like the sixteen or seventeen year old scholar. He had a nervous expression on his face as he respectfully handed the dark green jade slip over to a stout middle-aged man.

The man wore a Daoist robe and had a thin beard. He appeared to be at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. He glanced at Naruto and then looked over the jade slip.

"Since you have this jade slip of recommendation, you may join the Violet Fate Sect as an apprentice alchemist. However, all apprentice alchemists must cross the Pass of Truth. Including yourself, there are three people here today who wish to join the Sect. If any of you harbor sinister intentions, then you will meet your death on the Bridge of Truth." He flicked his sleeve and began to walk.

Naruto followed him along the foot of the mountain, the one that was shaped like a pill furnace. Up above was the imposing statue of Reverend Violet East. Naruto and the middle-aged man walked for some time, until they were about halfway up the mountain. Up ahead was a chain bridge, which swayed lightly back and forth. Clouds drifted about above and below, making the image of Reverend Violet East just barely visible. Behind the giant statue was the peak of a mountain, surrounded by curling mists and clouds.

Beneath the bridge was a deep abyss. Falling into the abyss meant sure death for anyone who couldn't use their Cultivation base.

Not far from the chain bridge stood a Cultivator of about thirty years of age, with a blank expression on his face. Behind him were two youths, one boy and one girl, who cast nervous glances at the chain bridge. Clearly, they were so frightened that their scalps had gone numb.

The stout Cultivator led Naruto up to them and then yawned.

"The three of you must cross the bridge," he said. "If no duplicity exists in your heart, then you will reach the other side safely. With that, you will be a Violet Fate Sect apprentice alchemist. However, if you do harbor duplicity, then you will die. Throughout the years, many youths have perished before reaching the other side." Having finished his speech, the man completely ignored Naruto and the others.

The expressionless Cultivator closed his eyes.

Naruto looked over at the chain bridge. Without hesitation, he walked forward toward it. Behind him, the young man gritted his teeth and followed.

As soon as Naruto stepped foot onto the bridge, it began to sway back and forth. He took a deep breath as he walked away from the pill furnace mountain. About half way, a strong wind picked up, whistling past and causing the bridge to sway even harder. At the same time, a soft sigh could be heard. The sound of it pierced into Naruto's ears and sent his mind reeling.

Distracting thoughts suddenly filled his head. They contained information about the various reasons he wanted to join the Violet Fate Sect. They bubbled up, beyond his control, as if at the moment anyone could read his thoughts.

At this exact moment, however, the aura which powered the meat jelly's transformation ability suddenly rose up. It immediately pushed down the distracting thoughts. Suddenly, Naruto felt an invisible gaze descending upon him from the statue of Reverend Violet East, inspecting him.

His heart trembled. As the other distracting thoughts were pushed down, he tried hard to continue thinking about his desire to study pill concocting as well as his yearning to join the Violet Fate Sect.

The invisible gaze swept over Naruto for the space of about ten breaths. Then, it moved on to the two young people behind him.

Naruto continued on, his face pale. Behind him, a scream rang out. Nothing had happened to the young woman, but the young man suddenly fell off of the chain bridge, plummeting down.

Suddenly, the power of early Foundation Establishment erupted out from the young man. As soon as it did, though, his body suddenly trembled. A look of fear shone in his eyes as his Cultivation base suddenly vanished. Like nothing more than a mortal, he fell down into the abyss.

Naruto sucked in a deep breath. With an expression of both determination and fear, he continued on, clenching his jaw. The gaze swept over him a total of nine times. Each time, it stayed on him longer and longer. Finally, he reached the statue of Reverend Violet East. He stepped onto the mountain that formed the main gate of the Violet Fate Sect. He had succeeded.

There in front of him was an old man wearing a black gown. A thick aroma of medicinal plants wafted off of him.

He looked coolly at Naruto for a moment, and then nodded. Generally speaking, people could not cross the Bridge of Truth if they harbored secret motives. The chain bridge seemed ordinary in nature. However, it was a method that the East Pill Division had used for years to test disciples. If they passed the test, then they could join the Sect.

"State your name."

"Kazama Namikaze," replied Naruto, nervously clasping his hands.

"I am the honor guard of the East Pill Division's herb district, Kosuke," said the old man coolly. "I also supervise new apprentice alchemists. You're lucky to be able to join the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division. Apprentice alchemists are the foundation of the East Pill Division. Every single Furnace Lord was promoted from the ranks of the master alchemists, who of course all start out as apprentice alchemists. In the future, perhaps you will become an esteemed Furnace Lord. That will depend on your good fortune and latent talent."

The young woman finally approached from the bridge. She trembled as she stood next to Naruto. Her face was pale white.

"Let's go. Having reached this point, you can now call this Sect your home." The old man smiled kindly, and then flicked his sleeve. A gentle wind picked up Naruto and the young woman as the old man flew off with them to another location.

Winding paths snaked through the surrounding mountains as they flew along. Looking around, Naruto could only see endless chains of mountains, as well as countless valleys filled with richly ornamented buildings. The whole scene looked celestial in nature.

"This place…" thought Naruto, "Is the Sect where Kazama Namikaze will reside for a very long time…." His eyes shined brightly as he looked at all the sights.

Then suddenly, a strange expression filled his eyes. He had just noticed that in one valley was an empty space between the buildings. Stabbed into the side of the mountain there was an iron spear.

That iron spear looked very familiar….

Soon, the old man brought Naruto and the young woman to their destination. It was a very large mountain valley, filled with a variety of buildings. Off in the distance were areas devoted to growing medicinal plants. As soon as they arrived, Naruto could smell a fragrant aroma wafting through the air.

There were many young people in the valley, all of whom wore short, light yellow garments. Some were picking medicinal plants and others were lost in thought as they studied jade slips. Some sat beneath the evening sunshine, staring at medicinal plants which they held in their hands. The plants swayed back and forth in a very bizarre fashion.

After landing, the old man flicked his sleeve and cried, "Pakkun!" The young people nearby all looked up. Catching sight of the old man, their faces filled with respect, and they saluted with clasped hands.

An average-sized young man ran out of one of the buildings and approached them. He looked to be about thirty years of age.

"Master Bakuto, sir, I'm here," he said in a flattering tone. "What orders do you have? I can help you with absolutely anything."

The old man glared at him. "These are two new apprentice alchemists who just joined the Sect. Explain things to them and then take them to get their medallions." With that, the old man turned to look at Naruto and the young woman. He nodded encouragingly, then transforming into a beam of light and shot away.

Now that the old man was gone, the surrounding youths ignored Naruto and the others and continued on with their various activities. They didn't seem to have any good or bad will toward Naruto whatsoever. Their expressions were calm and even.

Naruto was going to have to get used to being in a Sect like this. Life in the Reliance Sect had been very different. This was now the second Sect he had joined. He sighed inwardly.

The young woman next to him clasped hands toward Pakkun and said, "Greetings, Elder Brother Pakkun."

"Hey, no Elders here, and no need for saluting." Pakkun laughed heartily, looking back and forth between Naruto and the young woman. "You two came just at the right time. Most of the apprentice alchemists in the Sect have been very busy with the Pill Auction. There aren't very many people left behind. Alright, you two don't worry. With Old Pakkun here, you'll quickly get into the swing of things. Come come. Let's walk around a bit, and I'll introduce the place to you." After asking their names, Pakkun led the way as they began to walk around.

"If you want a description of the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division, well, that's a massive topic. There are no less than a hundred valleys just like this one. Each one is home to nearly a thousand apprentice alchemists. Most of our time is spent growing medicinal plants, memorizing the names of various medicines, and occasionally harvesting the plants. Do you know who the most tired people in the whole Southern Domain are? Us Violet Fate Sect apprentice alchemists, that's who!

"One hundred thousand apprentice alchemists, each with their own work to do. Actually, we have to participate in all the different activities. We need to memorize the names of over one hundred thousand medicinal plants, we have to care for the growing plants, plus we have to find time to practice Cultivation. If we didn't do that, then we wouldn't be able to catalyze the plants into growth. As for you two, well, you'll figure everything out eventually.

"Us apprentice alchemists are real peons. Only if you stick out like an awl poking through a sack, and distinguish yourself in some way, can you possibly become a master alchemist and study true alchemy. Then Inner Sect disciples will come looking for you to concoct pills. According to Sect rules, they have to provide compensation to us when we concoct pills for them. It's always a good day when that happens.

"Too bad there are one hundred thousand apprentice alchemists. How many do you think become master alchemists? There are only a thousand in the entire Sect! It's so difficult!"

Pakkun spoke very quickly as he led Naruto and the young woman through various valleys.

"See here? This is one of the places where only master alchemists can go. We aren't allowed in…." They continued on. "This area belongs to the Violet Chakra Division, although it's not the Inner Sect, just the Outer Sect." Pakkun had led the two of them to one of the valleys toward the front of the Sect. Here were congregated quite a few Cultivators of the Violet Chakra Division. Courteous expressions appeared on their faces when they saw Pakkun. It seemed he was a relatively influential person within the Sect.

Naruto cleared his throat and then said some flattering things to Pakkun, who instantly looked very happy and said, "You know, I know almost everything about the Sect, and there aren't many things I can't take care of. Junior Brother Kazama, if you ever have any problems in the future, you just come look for me and I'll take care of everything for you."

Suddenly, Pakkun stopped in his tracks. He pointed up toward the center of the valley, where an iron spear was stabbed into the side of the mountain. The spear was bent, and having been exposed to the wind and rain, was covered in rust.

Pakkun looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "Do you see that iron spear? There's a story behind it."

A strange expression appeared on Naruto's face. He had noticed this valley when they'd flown past earlier. He looked up at the spear, coughing slightly, and feigning extreme interest.

"Do you know who put that spear there? It was Tazuna of the senior generation. They say that ten years ago, on a dark and stormy night, Elder Tazuna returned to the Sect in a foul rage, with that spear in his hand. He threw it with all his might, and it landed right there!

"According to the rumors from that year, he wanted all the Outer Sect disciples to remember the shame caused by that spear. He said, 'You fools are always stupid to the point of death! If you keep being this stupid, you really will die one day!'" Pakkun's voice was very quiet as he spoke, and yet extremely vivid. The young woman's eyes went wide as she listened.

Naruto spontaneously gave another light cough.

"Where did the spear come from?" asked the young woman.

"Where did it come from? Heh heh. You might not believe it. According to the legend, ten years ago, a group of Outer Sect disciples participated in an Outer Sect promotion test. It was held in an extremely dangerous location, where they met a vile creature of a man. That guy ended up selling the iron spear to the two strongest of the disciples!

"The price they paid reduced them to poverty and ruin. They even borrowed Spirit Stones from fellow disciples to pay for it. They thought it was a precious treasure, which was why they bought it. Ai, it wasn't until a few years ago that they finally paid back all the Spirit Stones. Anyway, when Tazuna heard what happened he felt it was an utter humiliation. And he was the leader of the group! What do you two think, was that man despicable or what?"

The young woman had been listening with wide eyes and gaping mouth. She looked up at the iron spear, which looked in all respects to be completely normal. She couldn't understand why the two strongest of the disciples would waste so much money on it.

Naruto felt a little guilty. Then he noticed that Pakkun was looking at him, so he nodded and solemnly said, "That fellow is definitely matchlessly despicable. It's enough to make one's hair bristle with anger!" Actually, after meeting Hayase and Yajirobee back in the Nadeshiko Clan, he had guessed that the matter from that year had had a profoundly negative effect on the two of them, which continued on down to this day.

What he had never imagined was that it actually affected the entire Violet Fate Sect. Suddenly, he felt a bit sorry for Hayase and Yajirobee. And now he understood why they had been gnashing their teeth with fury back at the Nadeshiko Clan.

Pakkun sighed and shook his head. "The spear is here as a reminder to all Violet Fate Outer Sect disciples. They are never to forget this matter…."

"Who was the person who sold them the spear?" asked the young woman, her curiosity piqued.

"His name is Naruto," said Pakkun quietly. "Have you heard of him? Recently, everybody in the Southern Domain has been talking about him. At the Nadeshiko Clan search for a son-in-law, he revealed himself as the successor of the Sublime Spirit Scripture. He's the same person who was involved in that scandal with Sakura."

"Naruto?" said the young woman, gaping.

"Quiet!" said Pakkun quickly. "That name is taboo in the Violet Fate Sect! No one dares to speak it aloud…."

Naruto stood off to the side, feeling even more guilty. He continued to clear his throat. He suddenly had the feeling that coming to the Violet Fate Sect might not have been the best decision.

It was at this time that his facial expression suddenly flickered. He had just caught sight of a beam of light approaching from the distance. It transformed into a grim-faced young man who stared ferociously at Pakkun. This was none other than… Hayase.

"Pakkun, what are you doing sticking around here?! Why haven't you moved on?!"

Pakkun suddenly shivered, and a flattering expression appeared on his face.

"Elder Brother Hayase, I'm just showing these two apprentice alchemists around the Sect. We were just leaving, just leaving." With that he grabbed Naruto and the young woman and hurriedly led them away.

"Did you see? That was one of the two who bought the spear that year. In the future, you must never under any circumstances utter the name Naruto in front of him. If you do, he'll fly into a violent rage." He continued on with some more earnest exhortation: "Furthermore, if you two ever leave the Sect to do training in the future, you must be extremely careful if you ever run into Naruto. His deviousness knows no bounds!"

The wide-eyed young woman's face was covered with disbelief. However, she quickly nodded, clearly placing the warning deep in her heart. Inside, Naruto laughed bitterly. Now he knew why they had looked so wary back in the Nadeshiko Clan when they heard his name, and yet he didn't even recognize them.

"Remember," Pakkun repeated, "the name Naruto is taboo in our Sect. Don't forget that! Okay, now we need to go get your identity medallions and handle your living arrangements." As of now, the girl clearly viewed Naruto as a fearsome tiger. Naruto could only laugh bitterly inside as Pakkun led them away.

Soon they arrived at a valley which was relatively large and crowded.

"Since you've joined the Violet Fate Sect, you're obviously from local Cultivator Clans. As you know, we all have limits to our Cultivation bases. As apprentice alchemists, you must master the first technique of alchemy. Pay attention.

"This technique is called Violet Cloud Spirit. With this technique, you can feed a plant with your spiritual energy, and catalyze its effectiveness, which is based on its medicinal age. Depending on your skill and the nature of your Cultivation base, the catalyzation will produce different results."

There were several hundred people here. Most sat cross-legged, looking at the medicinal plants rocking back and forth in their hands. In the very front was a solemn, middle-aged man who was currently giving a lecture about some alchemic technique. He held up his hand, within which was a growing medicinal plant. In the blink of an eye, it grew up two inches.

Naruto looked around, focusing especially on the medicinal plant in the hand of the middle-aged man. His eyes gleamed with a strange light. Pakkun led them to the center of the valley, where an unimposing man old man in a gray robe sat there with eyes closed. He looked like he was asleep. It was impossible to tell the level of his Cultivation base. Seemingly out of habit, Pakkun walked over and retrieved two medallions and a bag of holding from the old man's side. He pulled out two violet-colored jade slips which he then handed to Naruto and the young woman.

"Give it a try," he said solemnly as the two looked at the jade slips. "The technique is very simple. You should be able to master it very quickly. Then, you'll have a chance to try catalyzing for the first time. It's very important, though. It will reveal your aptitude toward alchemy, and we have to record the results."

The young woman, whose name was Moegi, seemed nervous when she heard what Pakkun said. With an anxious, earnest expression, she examined the jade slip. Perhaps her latent talent was average. After looking at it for the space of about ten breaths, she reached out her hand, which began to glow with a purple light…

Pakkun's eyes began to glow.

"Not bad, Junior Sister Moegi! Okay, take out a medicinal plant seed."

Moegi quickly opened her bag of holding and took out a seed. She placed it on her open palm, then, her face very serious, began to catalyze it. The violet Chakra in her hand grew denser, until it seemed it couldn't grow any stronger. The seed began to wriggle, and then three leaves sprouted out of it.

Many of the surrounding onlookers noticed this, and then looked at Moegi. Her face grew red, and she was clearly excited. She looked at Pakkun expectantly.

"To produce three leaves on your first try shows that you have pretty good latent talent. Junior Sister Moegi, according to my calculations, you have a ten percent chance of becoming a master alchemist in the future." He sighed emotionally, looking a bit jealous. It seemed that someone who could produce three leaves was uncommon among the hundred thousand apprentice alchemists. Pakkun quickly recorded the results of her catalyzing.

After that…

The voice of the man lecturing about alchemy techniques drifted over. He sounded calm and solemn. "You will join District Two Valley Thirteen." His face was austere as he looked at her.

In a low voice, Pakkun offered an explanation: "The hundred thousand apprentice alchemists of the Eastern Pill Division are separated into Districts One to Four. Generally speaking, only those with outstanding latent talent can enter District Two. Junior Sister Moegi, go on over there to Master Uncle Shino. Good fortune is with you today!" Looking excited and nervous, Moegi immediately ran over.

"Junior Brother Kazama, it's your turn now," said Pakkun with a sigh. He looked at Naruto.

Naruto stood there thoughtfully for a moment. The technique described in the jade slip was simple, but obviously, the implementation of it was fantastic. Essentially, it could catalyze the medicinal age of medicinal plants, and as such, could be viewed as a force of nature.

"It seems only simple medicinal plants can be catalyzed using this technique," thought Naruto. "Basically, you use spiritual energy to nourish the medicinal plant. Even still, this technique is extraordinary. I wonder how the Violet Fate Sect prevents it from being stolen…." He silently retrieved a medicinal plant seed from his bag of holding and placed it on his palm. He looked at it for a moment, then used the technique described in the jade slip to begin catalyzing it.

He had two Core Seas, the first one of which contained five Perfect Dao Pillars. Before arriving at the Violet Fate Sect, he had used the Sublime Spirit Scripture to once again form the second one.

At the moment, the only Cultivation base visible to outsiders was the aura of his second Core Sea. Its power caused the purple glow to appear on his hand. It was immediately apparent that the glow was thicker and brighter than that created by Moegi.

Immediately, the seed in Naruto's hand began to wriggle. Then it sprouted one leaf, two leaves, three leaves… in the blink of an eye it had already sprouted seven leaves!

The purple glow in Naruto's hand grew blinding, filling the air. Instantly, all the surrounding apprentice alchemists looked over, shocked. All eyes were on Naruto.

The blinding rays of light were unthinkable, unbelievable. The man lecturing about alchemy techniques looked over wide-eyed, staring openly at Naruto. Next to him, Moegi stared in shock.

As for Pakkun, his jaw dropped, and he rubbed his eyes vigorously before staring in complete shock.

Everything was quiet as all onlookers stared at the violet glow and the medicinal seed plant in Naruto's hand. Then, Naruto continued to use the technique. He fell into a strange state, as if he himself had turned into nature, and this seed had become a part of him.

It was a marvelous feeling, and as Naruto immersed himself in it, the seed suddenly sprouted an eighth leaf, then a ninth…. A cracking sound pealed out as the seed continued to grow. The emerald green leaf sprouts grew larger, wrapping up and around Naruto's right arm.

The white-haired, wrinkled old man who had been dozing behind Pakkun opened his eyes. They glowed with an ancient light as he looked at Naruto. At the same time, they filled with excitement.

Naruto hadn't just caused new leaves to sprout, he had grown an entire plant. Naruto's mind reeled as the cracking sounds from moments ago pulled him out of the bizarre state he had just been in. His eyes flickered, and he frowned. He hadn't intended to show off such talent, and actually, he had been completely immersed in the strange state just now, which had somehow led his actions.

He hesitated for a moment, his face pale. His Cultivation base was dried up, and following the reduction in his spiritual power, the medicinal plant also began to slowly wither up. Soon it died, and then fell off of Naruto's arm.

Panting, Naruto stepped back a few paces, eyes shining with confusion.

Everything was deathly silent. It seemed like Pakkun couldn't understand what was going on. He had been in the Violet Fate Sect for years, and had never seen someone perform such an astonishing feat the first time they practiced catalyzing. He looked at Naruto as if he weren't even human.

All of the surrounding apprentice alchemists were completely shocked. What they had just witnessed exceeded their imaginations. The middle-aged man panted as he looked at Naruto, his eyes shining with passion.

"Umm…." said Naruto, hesitating for a moment. He was a little bit scared, unsure of what he should say. At this moment, the old man behind Pakkun stood up and walked forward to stand next to Naruto. He reached a hand out to grab Naruto's wrist. His spiritual power burst out, flowing through Naruto's body, examining him.

The power was incapable of completely examining Naruto. Despite having some suspicions, he could only see Naruto's second Core Sea, which contained the power of the sixth level of Chakra Condensation.

He wasn't able to see the true color of the Core Sea either, as it had been completely transformed by the frightening power of the meat jelly. As far the man could see, everything was normal.

Eventually, he released his grip. He picked up the withered medicinal plant and looked at it carefully for a moment. Then he returned his gaze to Naruto. His eyes were now filled with the glow of praise.

"First rate latent talent! You will join District One Valley One!" A wide smile covered the old man's face as he clasped Naruto's shoulder. Then he flew up into the sky, taking the withered medicinal plant with him.

As he flew off, the entire valley broke out into a huge commotion.

"First rate latent talent! No wonder his catalyzing is so astonishing!"

"With latent talent like that, he's destined to become a master alchemist, which we haven't seen for years…."

"Wow, I've heard of people having first rate latent talent, but I've never heard of someone as inhuman as this! He catalyzed full plant growth!"

As the air filled with conversations, Pakkun approached Naruto, eye shining with excitement. "Junior Brother Kazama," he said, "make sure to watch out for yourself from now on. You have first rate latent talent!"

"Could there have been a mistake?" asked Naruto, still hesitating.

"There's no way! Elder Uchiha tested you personally. How could he possibly make a mistake? It seems he took that medicinal plant to go show other Elders. Haha! Junior Brother Kazama, you're going to be famous! Come come, I'll take you to District One Valley One. It's like a celestial paradise. I look in every time I pass it, but I've never been able to go in." He pulled Naruto along with him, leaving behind the hubbub and shining eyes. Even after they were gone, the commotion continued to echo out.

Time passed. Soon half a month had gone by. Naruto was now much more familiar with the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect. Division One Valley One wasn't very large, but was occupied by few people, clearly much less than other valleys.

The scenery was enchanting. The mountains were lush, and a small mountain stream flowed down from up above. Fish swam within its depths, which Naruto could see from his house, located just north of the stream. It was a small house with a courtyard outside.

Within the courtyard was a small garden where he could grow medicinal plants. Currently, Naruto sat cross-legged in the courtyard, holding a scroll of bamboo slips. The scroll was filled with handwriting and pictures, all describing various medicinal plants.

Naruto sat all morning and into noon reading the scroll. Finally, he looked up. He smelled the medicinal aroma that filled the air and listened to the gurgling of the stream. A light mist filled the area, causing the valley to truly seem celestial. Maybe that was somewhat of an exaggeration, but there was no denying that this was an ideal place for Cultivation.

This was basically the number one valley for apprentice alchemists in the entire Sect. Naruto had found out that including him, less than fifty people in the entire Sect had the requisite latent talent to live in here. Everyone had their own living quarters where they could study, grow plants and practice pill concocting.

It was a quiet location, and Naruto felt very at home. He was especially happy to read books that weren't jade slips but actual scrolls. It reminded him of his life as a scholar back in Yunjie County.

"One hundred thousand medicinal plants, all different and organized into different categories. Not only do I need to memorize them, I also need to remember their habits and characteristics, how to plant and harvest them, and how to store them. I need to remember which medicinal plants cannot be mixed together, where and how to grow them, and also the proper ratios when using them.

"Furthermore, it's not just the whole plant itself. The leaves, stems and sap of various plants are all different. Splicing plants together can lead to countless variations. They talk about one hundred thousand medicinal plants, but actually, when you combine everything together, it's more like a million." Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose. For the past half month, he had been studying information about medicinal plants every day.

As an apprentice alchemist of the Violet Fate Sect, he must remember all such information. Of course, there was simply so much information, it was essentially impossible to magically brand it all onto the mind. The only method was rote memorization.

The more he memorized, the more prepared he would be. Forewarned is forearmed, so to speak; there was no trickery about it. Besides, Naruto didn't find it annoying. He was a born scholar, after all, and this type of environment suited him quite well.

There was no killing, no danger and treachery, no dealing with the wind and rain of the outside world. Naruto attempted not to think about the past, and instead fully immersed himself in the role of Kazama Namikaze. He was in the Violet Fate Sect now, and he intended to take advantage of the peace and quiet. As he examined all the information available to apprentice alchemists, his mind began to swirl with many images. Now he knew that this sort of knowledge, was nature talent.

Time flashed by, and soon two months had gone by. Naruto was now completely accustomed to life in the Violet Fate Sect. Because of testing in with first rate latent talent, he had been able to enjoy some special perks, although it wasn't anything as amazing as others might have expected of some important person.

In fact, during the two months, he didn't see the white-haired old man at all. Pakkun, on the other hand, frequently came to visit. It was with his help that Naruto came to understand the Violet Fate Sect so quickly.

There were lectures regarding alchemic techniques every day, which Naruto almost always attended. In the midst of the hundreds of others also in attendance, Naruto didn't stick out at all.

Different senior members of the Sect would give the lectures; they would rotate every few days. It seemed everyone's understanding of matters was slightly different. By listening to all of them, Naruto quickly began to have a much deeper understanding of the catalyzing techniques.

In addition, when it came to growing medicinal plants, the Sect had a special area to distribute medicinal plant seeds, much the same as the Reliance Sect had distributed Spirit Stones. The purpose, of course, was to allow the apprentice alchemists a chance to practice planting.

The various lectures by senior members of the Sect gave the whole place a very tranquil atmosphere. There was no fighting to the death. Naruto couldn't help but think that the Reliance Sect had been extremely different. To him, this place was in some ways more like an institute of higher learning than a Sect.

Every month, there would be a special sermon regarding medicinal scriptures. The officiators were always veteran master alchemists. Each and every one had risen up from the ranks of the apprentice alchemists. When it came to pill concocting, their skill was by no means shallow. Their alchemy lectures were not always limited to the topic of medicinal plants; they sometimes spoke of concoction techniques, too. Naruto learned a lot after only listening to a few such sermons.

In addition to all of the studying and planting of medicinal plants, apprentice alchemists also had monthly catalyzing quotas to meet. Every month, a certain amount of catalyzed medicinal plants were required to be delivered up to the Sect.

This was the life of an apprentice alchemist in the East Pill Division. Life was a never-ending cycle.

Currently, Naruto sat amongst throngs of apprentice alchemists, listening to a middle-aged man supposedly discuss methods of distinguishing between several easily misidentified medicinal plants. "Apprentice alchemists are involved in the growing, catalyzing, and picking of various medicinal plants, as well as other related tasks. In essence, your purpose is to serve the great system of alchemy instituted by our Sect. In actuality, the most direct way to serve the Sect, is by means of assisting the nearly one thousand master alchemists."

Naruto sighed. "I think joining the Violet Fate Sect was the right decision. In all the Southern Domain, this is the only place where I can study true alchemy. Also, only the Violet Fate Sect can produce true Grandmasters of the Dao of alchemy! The Violet Fate Sect's Dao of alchemy is such that the fame of the alchemy division actually exceeds that of the other division. All Sects and Clans in the Southern Domain recognize this." Naruto sat there thoughtfully, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"If I want to have any contact with Grandmaster Pill Demon, and get his help in dispelling my poison, then I have to be a disciple here!" Naruto's eyes glittered with ambition.

His true goal in joining the Violet Fate Sect was to become a novitiate of Grandmaster Pill Demon and study the most powerful Dao of alchemy in the entire Southern Domain. Then he would create his own branch of alchemic arts. Afterward, any medicinal pills he needed, he could create himself, and not have to go through great pains to acquire by other means.

He was lost in thought when suddenly, the sound of bells filled the air. The sound rang throughout all of the valleys of the East Pill Division, causing everyone to immediately lift their heads. Even the master alchemist giving the lecture immediately stopped and looked up.

Each and every apprentice alchemist in the Eastern Pill Division raised their heads. Their faces were filled with excitement.

"The furnace bells! Violet Fate Celestial Land day has arrived!"

"The last time was a year ago. I can't believe a whole year has already passed. Finally, we can go back into the Celestial Land!"

As the excited voices echoed out, the peal of bells continued to ring out. Naruto's eyes flashed as he looked up into the air, where suddenly appeared an illusory shape.

It was an enormous violet-colored pill furnace floating in mid-air, imposing to the extreme, tens of thousands of meters in diameter. Next to it, dozens of beams of prismatic light shot up from nearby valleys to sit cross-legged around it, as if to guard it.

At the same time, the glow of spells interlaced in the air, as if the entire area was being sealed. A radiant light filled the area, casting brilliant colors upon the massive pill furnace and the Cultivators who floated nearby it.

An archaic voice rumbled out, seemingly from nowhere. "Apprentice alchemists, enter the Celestial Land. Harvest nine mature leaves." The enormous pill furnace began to glow, and suddenly, what appeared to be one hundred thousand strands of light snaked out and shot down. Naruto's apprentice alchemist identification medallion began to glow, as did those of all the other apprentice alchemists.

The glowing strands and the medallions seemed to have some sort of connection. One of the glowing strands approached Naruto and fused into the medallion. A gentle power seemed to take hold of Naruto and pull him up into the air.

From the hundred surrounding valleys, one hundred thousand apprentice alchemists all lifted up into the air, carried by the glowing strands. They transformed into beams of prismatic light that shot toward the gigantic pill furnace.

The massive pill furnace seemed to be like a bottomless pit which instantly swallowed them all up.

Naruto's vision grew blurry for a moment. When it cleared, and he saw what lay in front of him, he gasped. The scene was difficult to comprehend. The expression which appeared on Naruto's face was one of complete and utter shock.

In front of him stretched endless fields of medicinal plants. This place was a different world; there were no clouds in the sky. However, nine suns could be seen. Next to each sun, was a moon. This place had nine suns and nine moons.

This incredible sky was the perfect place beneath which to grow medicinal plants. The whole world seemed to be under some sort of sealing; as soon as Naruto appeared inside, an indescribable medicinal aroma washed over him. It was intoxicating.

Most of the hundred thousand apprentice alchemists had been here before. All of them were excited, but few were as shocked and moved as Naruto.

Even more shocking to Naruto was that within the endless fields of medicinal plants, were thousands of enormous, three hundred meter tall trees. And there were giants. These giants seemed to be remnants of an ancient past. They carefully strode through the fields, occasionally reaching down to plant seeds.

Up in the sky were several hundred war chariots, which emitted an archaic aura. The chariots were enormous, and overlapped with each other to form what almost looked like clouds that cast shadows down on certain areas within the world.

Further off in the distance, Naruto could see another type of tree that appeared to be three thousand meters tall. Its trunk was violet, and its top was not dense with foliage, but rather an enormous, solitary eye. The eye was dozens of meters wide, and it looked around the area attentively. As Naruto looked around more carefully, he saw that there a few hundred other trees similar to this one amidst the fields of medicinal plants.

Naruto wasn't sure when, but Pakkun had appeared at his side. With an emotional sigh, he said, "The Violet Fate Celestial Land is a Blessed Land of the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division! According to the legends, this place was once a Celestial Land of Immortals. However, Reverend Violet East moved it here to create this endless medicinal plant garden. There are some things growing here that are extinct in the outside world. Every once in a while, we apprentice alchemists are teleported here to harvest medicinal plants, which gives us a good chance to practice our skill in identifying them. This is the only place in the entire Southern Domain where you can see so many different types! They're virtually endless!"

Suddenly, a roaring sound filled the air, along with the archaic voice. The various conversations of the apprentice alchemists all ceased.

"You have one month to harvest at least nine mature medicinal plants. You may only harvest plants which you recognize, and you must also be thoroughly familiar with their habits and characteristics. In one month, you will hand over your harvest, as well as a jade slip describing your findings. This will be one of the evaluation criteria for promotion to master alchemist. Now, you may begin." As soon as the voice finished speaking, the hundred thousand apprentice alchemists took a collective breath, and then scattered.

Pakkun didn't follow Naruto, but instead went along a meandering route of his own toward some other location. Naruto's eyes glittered, shining with excitement. His recent days had been spent devoted to reading medicinal plant scrolls. He had read several times about the hundred thousand varieties of medicinal plants, and although he hadn't memorized all of them yet, he knew quite a few. Now, he would be able to test his knowledge. His body flashed as he shot off into the distance.

As the hundred thousand apprentice alchemists scattered in all directions, above them in the sky, in one of the rotating moons, appeared eight figures.

"See that kid? That's Kazama Namikaze, the one who I tested two months ago and found to have first rate latent talent."

"First rate latent talent is quite rare. We examined the withered plant you brought, and it's definitely not fake. Because of his latent talent, his spiritual energy is extremely suited to growing medicinal plants."

"He's just a seedling now. Let's see how many medicinal plants he manages to harvest. If he has a talent for identifying medicinal plants, then perhaps we should consider including him in the next promotion examination."

As the figures within the moon engaged in their discussion, Naruto walked away from the groups of other apprentice alchemists, out into the fields of medicinal plants. He took each step prudently, being careful not to step on any seedlings. He kept his head lowered, looking around in all directions.

"That's… Spirit Shattering grass. I remember its description from the scrolls. However, why does it have more foliage on the right side…? Oh, right, it's a hybrid. The right side is actually a Residence sapling…. This is Thunderbolt Elegance leaf, its shape is like that of a woman, and it sways back and forth entrancingly… When used medicinally, it can be concocted into pills suitable for the early Foundation Establishment stage."

Naruto walked along, gradually identifying various medicinal plants and attempting to recall all the information he had read about them in the scrolls. The more he tried, the easier it became. A feeling of pleasure gradually filled his heart.

This feeling was different than that of making a breakthrough in Cultivation base. However, being able to master a branch of knowledge that had previously been elusive, filled him with a sense of profound confidence.

This was a Cultivation of the self!

From what Naruto could tell, his ability to identify all the different medicinal plants was a type of nature talent….

Naruto walked further and further away. Each time he saw a medicinal plant suitable for harvesting, he would immediately take it. At the same time, he would record a description and other information on the jade slip he had been given.

He continued to corroborate what he had studied recently; he was like a fish in water. He forgot about everything except the medicinal plants in front of him. His alchemy was advancing by leaps and bounds in this Celestial Land.

Meanwhile, outside in the Southern Domain, the name Naruto had caused an enormous search to begin among the great Sects and Clans. In recent days, everyone was looking for him. Soon, Naruto's name came to be known to more and more Cultivators.

Of course, the Violet Fate Sect was one of the Sects participating in the great search. However, no one had been able to find even the slightest trace of Naruto. It was as if he had completely vanished.

No one could possibly know that the same Naruto who had stirred up such waves in the outside world, was currently carefully looking over medicinal herbs in the Violet Fate Sect's Celestial Land, an innocent student confirming the validity of his studies.

Time passed by, and Naruto lost track of how many medicinal plants he had harvested. As long as he recognized a plant, it counted toward his quota, and he placed it in his bag of holding.

At one point, Naruto found himself about three hundred meters away from one of the giants. For quite some time, he observed how it planted the seeds, moved the seedlings around, and cared for the plants.

Later, he stood beneath one of the Cyclops trees, watching the enormous eye gazing about. He even climbed up one of them to harvest some of the red grass that grew on its trunk.

Eventually, he was far, far away from where he had started. The fields of medicinal plants seemed to have no end. In Naruto's estimation, these more remote areas would most certainly have even more amazing medicinal plants, perhaps even some of the legendary extinct variety.

However, everything was simply too big. Around him stretched never-ending fields of medicinal plants. As he proceeded, he started to realize that he actually only recognized about one medicinal plant out of one hundred.

"The Dao of alchemy is endless," he thought with a sigh. "It's just as difficult as Cultivation, a road without end, an almighty facet of Heaven and Earth. At first I thought that memorizing a bit more than half of the hundred thousand medicinal plants would be enough. But now I can see that those one hundred thousand plants are simply the threshold." However, stubborness glinted in his eyes. This type of Cultivation had nothing to do with his Dao Pillars. His excitement actually became even stronger.

"I'm a scholar at heart," he said, reassuring himself. "Although my aspirations were never realized, when it comes to studying, I definitely have an advantage over all the other apprentice alchemists." He would focus, do his best to remember everything he saw, and then go back to do more research in the ancient records.

It was in this fashion that time slipped by. Soon, the sound of bells filled the Celestial Land; the one month time period had passed quickly. Time was up, and Naruto wasn't content. He felt as if he had just started. However, the strands of light appeared in the air, and he sighed. He gave one last look at the Celestial land before a strand of light whisked him away.

When they reappeared in the various valleys, there were a variety of expressions on the faces of the hundred thousand apprentice alchemists. Naruto wasn't the only one to have grown during the month inside the Celestial Land. All of the apprentice alchemists had.

Soon, people came to collect the medicinal plants they had harvested, along with their jade slips which contained information about the harvest. Naruto chose not to secretly duplicate any of his spoils. He was fully devoted to his Violet Fate Sect identity, and wouldn't do the slightest thing that might give himself away. He handed over all the medicinal plants, then slowly headed back to the valley that contained his house.

Once back in his courtyard, he immediately took out some scrolls and began to study. When he found areas that he had overlooked before, his face would flash with excitement, and he would commit the information to memory.

Two more months passed. He had already been in the Violet Fate Sect for half a year. Already, the search for Naruto in the outside world was slowing down. The various Sects and Clans had searched throughout the Southern Domain, and still hadn't been able to find a trace of Naruto. A variety of speculations began to circulate, but nothing conclusive could be determined.

Naruto heard all about the situation from Pakkun, who well deserved his reputation for being well informed about everything. He wasn't just familiar with the latest news about the Violet Fate Sect; he kept himself plugged into the events of the outside world as well.

One morning, Naruto walked out of his house to sit in the courtyard. He lifted up his right hand, within which was a small, growing plant. His medicinal plant garden was filled with quite a few plants, all in full bloom. A medicinal aroma filled the air. Suddenly, Naruto's expression flickered, and he looked up.

Pakkun was racing along the side of the meandering stream. Before he even arrived, he called out, "Junior Brother Kazama, there's an excellent opportunity! Your Elder Brother won a great opportunity for you!"

Naruto smiled. He waved his right hand, and the medicinal plant in his hand disappeared. At the same time, the courtyard door swung open, just in time for Pakkun to rush in.

"What opportunity?" asked Naruto, smiling. Pakkun's Cultivation base was ordinary, only at the seventh or eighth level of Chakra Condensation. However, he was viewed as indispensable within the Sect. He often came to visit Naruto, and they spent quite a bit of time together.

"There's an Inner Sect disciple from the Violet Chakra Division who requested Alchemist Genma to concoct some pills for him," gushed Pakkun. "Alchemist Genmawanted me to arrange for two apprentice alchemists to assist. I will go, of course. As for the second spot, you were the first person I thought of.

"Quickly gather your things and come with me. This will be an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge of alchemy. Lots of apprentice alchemists would like to go, but Alchemist Aoba's personality is a bit eccentric. Just don't say anything, and follow my lead."

Naruto's eyes glittered. He'd learned some time ago that Inner Sect disciples from the Violet Chakra Division would often request master alchemists to concoct pills for them. Under most circumstances, the Violet Chakra Division disciple would gather together the necessary medicinal plants, as well as some Spirit Stones. If this pleased the master alchemist, then work could begin.

As for Furnace Lords, who ranked above master alchemists, they were well versed in the Dao of alchemy, and had reached Foundation Establishment. There were only about one hundred of them in the entire Violet Fate Sect, and each one occupied a very prominent position. Generally speaking, Inner Sect disciples didn't qualify to request their services. Only Conclave disciples and Sect Elders could request pill concocting from Furnace Lords.

As for Violet Furnace Lords, they could be considered to be virtually at the Grandmaster level. Each and every one was a precious treasure of the Sect, and all were Pill Demon novitiates. Only those with extremely high influence within the Sect could request pill concocting services from them.

The Alchemist Genma who Pakkun referred to was naturally not a Furnace Lord, but one of the one thousand master alchemists. Considering how things were arranged, and considering how few master alchemists there were in the Sect, it was only natural that they would seek apprentice alchemists to act as assistants when concocting pills for Violet Chakra Division disciples.

Naruto immediately rose to his feet. This really was a rare opportunity. He had joined the Sect more than half a year ago, and this was his first time to encounter such a chance. After clasping hands in thanks to Pakkun, the two of them left. Soon, they arrived at the valley that connected the East Pill Division with the Violet Chakra Division. Waiting there somewhat impatiently was a man in a blue robe who appeared to be about thirty years of age. It was none other than Alchemist Aoba.

Standing next to him was another Cultivator whose Cultivation base was at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He was smilingly engaged in conversation with Alchemist Aoba, his demeanor extremely courteous.

As Naruto and Pakkun approached, Naruto's eyes glittered slightly. He recognized the Cultivator next to Alchemist Aoba. It was none other than Yajirobee .

Naruto's expression was calm as he and Pakkun walked over. "So," he thought, "it turns out he's the one who wants the pills concocted."

Alchemist frowned as he looked at them. "Well, you're finally here."

Pakkun hurriedly moved forward to say a few words of explanation, offering a few words of subtle flattery. Alchemist Aoba's expression softened a bit, and he flicked his sleeve. Together, they all followed a very courteous Yajirobee out of the valley. As they passed through several valleys within the Violet Chakra Division, Naruto examined the surroundings calmly. There were quite a few Violet Fate Sect disciples to be seen.

These were not disciples who cultivated the Dao of alchemy. When they saw Naruto and the others, respectful smiles filled their faces, and they clasped hands in greeting.

Soon, Yajirobee led them to his Immortal's Cave, which was located halfway up one of the mountains. It had an excellent view, and was quite spacious inside, as well as excellently decorated. Once inside, Yajirobee clasped hands and bowed to Alchemist Aoba.

"Brother Aoba, many thanks for your assistance," he said. "This batch of medicinal pills will be very useful." With that, he produced a bag of holding which he offered to Alchemist Aoba.

"You're too kind," said Alchemist Genma, nodding. He smiled vaguely. "Unfortunately, this is my first time concocting pills for someone, and I'm worried I might not be the most suitable choice for you. However, considering you insisted, I really couldn't refuse." He scanned the bag of holding quickly with Spiritual Sense, and then tossed it to Pakkun.

Yajirobee looked a little embarrassed. Inwardly, he cursed the master alchemists for their tricky thievery. If they weren't invited out to concoct pills, where they could be observed, they would usually secretly pilfer some of the concocted pills. If they claimed success and returned some, then so be it, but if they claimed complete failure, there would be no way to confirm their story. This type of thing often occured in the Sect.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I can't concoct my own pills," Yajirobee said to himself, "and the Sect doesn't distribute them, then I wouldn't have any dealings with these alchemists…." His face, however, was covered with a smile. He bowed again, and then glanced at Naruto and Pakkun. They were not of the Foundation Establishment stage, however, he knew that among the apprentice alchemists were people who would one day be promoted to be master alchemists.

Naruto's face was calm, but inside he was laughing. If he showed his real face, Yajirobee would surely go crazy. Instead, Yajirobee stood there smiling politely.

Alchemist Genma laughed, knowing full well what Yajirobee was thinking. He cleared his throat, and then produced a pill furnace. At the same time, several crimson-colored Spirit Stones flew out and embedded themselves into the ground. The pill furnace floated in the air above them. Alchemist Aoba's face instantly became somber.

"I looked over the pill formula. With my mastery of the Dao of alchemy, there's only a forty percent chance that I can successfully concoct the Six Harmonies Pill. Watch carefully during the process so that you don't suspect me of hiding anything should I fail." With that, his left hand pressed down onto the pill furnace. After a moment, it turned red and began to emit waves of heat.

"Take six blades of Seven Sieve grass and extract the veins. They must not be broken. Approaching Music flower petals, seven of them. I need them with stamen attached; catalyze if necessary. Red Apricot leaf, maturity level seven years, seven months, seven days. A deviation of more than ten days is unacceptable." Alchemist Aoba's words came faster and faster. In one breath he spoke out ten different medicinal plants.

Pakkun immediately opened the bag of holding, which was full of a variety of medicinal plants, and began to produce the required plants. By the time he finished preparing the Approaching Music flower, Naruto had already catalyzed the Red Apricot Leaves with his left hand, and extracted the veins from the Seven Sieve grass with his right hand. He handed them over to Alchemist Aoba.

Alchemist Genma looked up at Naruto for a moment, then nodded slightly and began concocting. Occasionally he would say the name of a medicinal plant that he needed. Pakkun sat there mutely for a moment. It was with a wry smile that he realized that Kazama was Alchemist Aoba's assistant, whereas he had become Kazama's assistant.

Whatever was required of him, Naruto would produce almost instantly. Not only was he fast, he didn't make any mistakes. Furthermore, when it came to catalyzing, he seemed to barely need to think before it was completed, and with utmost accuracy.

Alchemist Genma continued to cast glances at Naruto, which eventually turned into looks of shock. Very quickly, it seemed as if he was no longer looking down on Naruto, but rather viewed him as an equal.

Even Yajirobee noticed that when Alchemist Genma spoke, Naruto would complete the task almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He took a deep breath. "This assistant alchemist isn't even human…."

It was at this exact moment that suddenly, a woman's voice echoed into the Immortal's cave from outside.

"Yajirobee, do you have any news about that thing I asked you to look into?"

As soon as Naruto heard the voice, the plant he was currently catalyzing suddenly trembled.

He only paused for a moment. It would be undetectable by anyone else. His expression didn't change in the slightest, and of course, he completed catalyzing the medicinal plant, which he then handed over to Alchemist Aoba.

He didn't look over as the woman entered the Immortal's cave.

She wore a white garment, and was pre-eminently beautiful. Upon looking at her, any man would stare and be instantly infatuated.

Her skin was so delicate it seemed a breath could damage it. She was tall and slender, with white, clear skin and luxurious hair that hung about her like a cloak. She gave off an otherworldly aura, and as she entered, a delicate fragrance filled the Immortal's Cave. Even Alchemist Genma started to breath somewhat heavily, ignoring the pill furnace to watch her enter.

Sakura!

Her brow was slightly furrowed, and though her face was as beautiful as ever, it contained a hint of unpleasantness. No veil could conceal the bitterness which caused her to sigh lightly, and no wind could disperse it. Only she could understand the pressure, and the furtive glances, that she had endured recently.

After the events at the Nadeshiko Clan half a year previous, Naruto's name instantly spread throughout the entire Southern Domain. That, of course, caused her name to be mentioned. Add in the fact that Sasuke had participated in the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law, and the whole matter turned into a storm that had overwhelmed her. The engagement agreement between Sakura and Sasuke instantly became a huge joke.

All of it was because of Naruto.

Sakura didn't hate Sasuke. She could understand why Sasuke didn't trust her, and had chosen to participate in the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law. She had picked the wrong person. Thankfully, they were only engaged, and had not become official beloved. Nonetheless, Sakura couldn't help but sigh emotionally. Regardless of the circumstances, in the end, it had helped her to see what kind of person Sasuke truly was.

She could accept the end result. She didn't need Sasuke to explain anything. After the events at the Nadeshiko Clan, she immediately sent the engagement agreement back to the Uchiha Clan, putting an end to the childish arrangement.

The person she truly hated was Naruto. It was a hatred that had seeped into her bones. However, at the same time, she continued to dream about the events within the volcano. It had turned into a pestering torment to her.

"Greetings, Elder Sister Sakura," said Yajirobee hastily. Alchemist Genma also greeted her with clasped hands. Pakkun sucked in a breath and lowered his head in greeting. Naruto also offered her greetings, although inside, he felt a bit remorseful.

How could he not have a bit of a guilty conscience? In all truth, it was the same in regard to the matter with Yajirobee and Hayase. However, of all the people in the Violet Fate Sect, the person he least wanted to run into had been Sakura.

In his heart, Naruto felt that he had been a bit excessive in the way he dealt with her. However, given the circumstances at that time, he hadn't had much of a choice. Furthermore, if Sakura hadn't chased him down and tried to kill him to begin with, then none of it would have happened.

In any case, Naruto still felt bad.

"I was planning to go look for you just after this," said Yajirobee. "I made a lot of inquiries about that damned Naruto, but he seems to have disappeared into thin air." He couldn't help but grind his teeth when he said Naruto's name. "There's not a single clue to be found about him. In fact, some of the Sects have been watching the people he's made friends with, but in this entire half-year, he hasn't appeared. A lot of people think that that damned, despicable, wretched animal must have left the Southern Domain. He deserves to die by a thousand knife cuts!"

Sakura frowned. During the past half year, she had constantly sent people out to look for Naruto. Despite her insistence on tracking him down, he seemed to have thoroughly vanished.

"How could he have left the Southern Domain?" thought Sakura. "All his old Sect members are here. Unless he provoked some calamitous, irreparable disaster, why would he leave? Actually, what happened in the Nadeshiko Clan was really a stroke of good fortune on his part. He could join any Sect, hand over the Sublime Spirit Scripture, and turn a dangerous situation into a position of safety. Naruto is bizarrely crafty, there's no way he would fail to realize that, is there?

"In my estimation, he is most certainly still in the Southern Domain. We just don't know where he's hiding. If I ever find him…." She gnashed her teeth. She was just about to turn and leave, when her gaze fell upon Naruto. She stared at him, and then suddenly spoke. Her voice was no longer warm, but filled with coldness. "Lift your head."

Naruto was astonished. "I've changed my appearance," he thought, "and yet she still focuses on me." Despite his astonishment, his face was blank and confused as he looked up at her.

Sakura's brow furrowed. She wasn't sure why, but when she looked over this young man, her heart filled with an unexplainable irritation. Looking at him, though, she was sure she had never seen him before.

Her eyes flickered as she thought, "Something's wrong. Why would I instantly be annoyed with someone for no apparent reason?" She studied Naruto for a moment longer to no avail.

Naruto groaned inwardly. "How can this girl be so astute?" he thought. Despite his change in appearance, and the other people present, she had somehow sensed something and come to focus on him. His heart suddenly began to race. Suddenly, he shifted his gaze to look at her chest, and then deliberately gulped.

A somewhat dirty expression flitted over his face, and he intentionally blushed. Now, he didn't look lecherous, but rather like a teenager seeing a beautiful woman for the first time. In such a situation, it would be a natural reaction to look so ill at ease.

His expression caused Sakura's frown to deepen. A look of disgust appeared on her face, and she turned wordlessly to leave the Immortal's Cave, ignoring the feeling of irritation which had welled up within her.

After Sakura left, everyone in the Immortal's Cave breathed a sigh of relief. Yajirobee quickly sealed the main door, and Alchemist Genma shook his head. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but after another sigh, he continued with the pill concoction.

"Elder Sister Sakura has sure changed a lot recently," murmured Pakkun. "She never used to be like this. Now she's completely cold and gloomy. I was shivering just now."

"It's all the fault of that Naruto," said Yajirobee, grinding his teeth. "That damned, despicable wretch deserves to die by a thousand knife cuts, ten thousand times! If I ever run into him, I'll tear him to pieces! I'll rip his flesh off the bone with my own teeth and grind his bones to pieces!" The depth of his hatred was visibly apparent. After he finished speaking, he looked at Naruto with a strange expression in his eyes, then suddenly smiled good-naturedly and nodded.

He had obviously noticed that Naruto was no ordinary apprentice alchemist, and there was no small chance that he would become a master alchemist in the future. Obviously, the sooner he made friends with him the better.

Naruto coughed dryly. He wasn't exactly thin-skinned. However, moments ago Yajirobee had been hatefully grinding his teeth and cursing, and with the next breath, was beaming with goodwill. Naruto had the feeling that he would have to get used to such things.

It took the entire day to finish concocting the pills. The moon was rising by the time the fragrant aroma wafted up from the pill furnace, and the medicinal pills that Yajirobee needed emerged.

Because it had been a relatively hasty concoction, the medicinal plants which should have produced seven or eight pills ended up only producing two. Naruto could easily tell that it had something to do with Alchemist Aoba's technique.

This was the first time he had participated in pill concoction. The entire time, he had been observing Alchemist Aoba's concocting techniques, and had learned quite a bit. It seemed it would soon grow dark outside. Yajirobee happily escorted them out of the Immortal's Cave and all the way back to the East Pill Division, before clasping hands and leaving.

In the following days, Naruto continued his studies regarding medicinal plants. However, because of the deep impression he'd left on Alchemist Aoba, he had a new daily task. Whenever Alchemist Genma concocted pills, be it in his own Immortal's Cave or someone else's, he would always send for Naruto to be his assistant. Genma found that with Naruto at his side, pill concocting went much smoother.

In addition, Genma would often give Naruto pointers regarding alchemy. Soon, Naruto no longer considered himself unfamiliar with alchemy. He was becoming more and more comfortable with it. The more he saw, the more he learned; he was steadily improving, bit by bit.

Dealing with others was not a complicated matter. For example, Naruto's relationship with both Pakkun and Alchemist Genma was very simple. It was all based on how they could help each other.

If it weren't for Naruto's skill as an apprentice alchemist, Genma wouldn't have been so impressed with him, nor would he constantly seek him out as an assistant.

The days passed like this for three months. Naruto was completely assimilated into life in the Violet Fate Sect. In the time he had been there, he had met a lot of people, and many people had come to know his name.

Whenever he went out, he would run into familiar faces with whom he could chat and joke. Everything was very harmonious and peaceful. Everyone greeted him with clasped hands. Not a soul knew that this up and coming apprentice alchemist named Kazama, was the person who so many months ago had caused a storm in the Southern Domain, Naruto.

One day, Naruto found himself in Genma's Immortal's cave, assisting in pill concocting. After the pill concocting was finished, Genma escorted Naruto to the mouth of his Immortal's Cave. Suddenly, he spoke.

"Kazama, I want you to know that to me, you are no apprentice alchemist. Your skill with medicinal plants places you in the rank of master alchemist as far as I'm concerned."

Naruto stopped walking and looked at Genma. He clasped his hands and bowed. It was a completely sincere bow. Genma was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but in the time they had spent together, Naruto had found him to be, not cold and haughty, but actually very approachable, even kind.

Naruto's understanding of alchemy had significantly improved as a result of their relationship.

"In one month," continued Genma enthusiastically, "there will be a promotion examination. I've made some inquiries, and found that only one apprentice alchemist will be selected for promotion. If that happens, and you are raised to master alchemist, then you will finally be able to learn the true Dao of alchemy of the Violet Fate Sect. If you become a master alchemist, you will be assigned your own Immortal's Cave, and your own furnace fire. You will no longer study medicinal plants, but pill concoction!

"The only frustrating thing," he continued sincerely, "is that only people who have served as apprentice alchemists for ten years can participate in the exam this time. If you're interested in participating, though, I'll see if I can apply to get you a spot. You think about it. Perhaps you can come up with your own a method to join. If you manage to seize an opportunity like this, you might be able to save yourself ten years of time."

Naruto's heart began to thump, and he once again bowed to Genma. "Many thanks, Elder Brother Aoba."

They exchanged a few more words, whereupon Naruto bowed and took his leave. As he walked along the mountain paths, he looked up at the moon, and his eyes began to shine brightly.

"I can't spend ten years as an apprentice alchemist," he thought. "I must think of a way to seize this chance. My previous activities in the Sect must have drawn a bit of attention…." Continuing to ponder these matters, Naruto entered Division One Valley One. As he walked into his courtyard, his heart trembled, although his expression stayed the same. After pushing open the gate, he found that standing there in the courtyard was a white-haired old man. He immediately caused a look of surprise to appear on his face.

This was the same old man who had tested his latent talent the year he joined the East Pill Division. He was a Furnace Lord named Fukasaku . He stood there looking at Naruto's medicinal plant garden. As soon as Naruto entered the courtyard, he turned and gazed into Naruto's eyes.

The instant the old man turned and looked at Naruto, his eyes filled with a bright light and he said, "You joined the East Pill Division with a recommendation medallion from a Furnace Lord. What is your purpose here?!" A mysterious pressure locked onto Naruto's body.

As the man spoke the words, he took a step forward.

When the step fell, ghost images vibrated up everywhere, as if the area had been cut off from the rest of the world. Such a scene gave the feeling that any escape was impossible.

Even while his first words were still echoing out, he spoke again, "I've thoroughly investigated all of the Cultivators with the surname Namikaze in the entire State of Eastern Emergence. I couldn't find any record of you anywhere. As an alien in the State of Eastern Emergence, tell me… why are you here?" It was obviously supposed to feel like an interrogation. Add in the display of power, and it seemed as if dark storm clouds were rolling Naruto's way.

Inside, Naruto was calm. However, his face visibly paled, and he stood in place, body trembling slightly. His chin, though, was set stubbornly.

"State your real name, and reveal your purpose here! This is your last chance. If you refuse to come to your senses, then don't blame me for being ruthless!" The old man took another step forward. When the step fell, the sound of rumbling thunder filled the courtyard. A fierce wind sprang up, and waves of pressure roiled out. The medicinal plants in the garden seemed as if they were being harmfully catalyzed; they were growing dark and ugly.

Naruto's face grew paler. However, inwardly, he was as calm as ever. This old man's Cultivation base was at the Core Formation stage, and his words seemed cold and merciless. In reality, though, he was obviously bluffing. Considering Naruto's path of Cultivation, and the level of his experience and training, how could he not tell?

He had already been in the Violet Fate Sect for the better part of a year. After all this time, the fact the old man chose today to come visit was telling. Naruto only had to think a moment to come to a fairly certain conclusion.

Obviously, the promotion day was approaching, and although Naruto didn't qualify to participate, his first rate latent talent had attracted quite a bit of attention in the East Pill Division. That was the whole purpose of this whole scene; the display of power was basically a warning of sorts.

All of these thoughts flitted through Naruto's mind in an instant. He also thought about how he had crossed the chain bridge to enter the Sect, and his heart grew even calmer. He took a deep breath and, continuing to keep his face pale, clasped his hands and bowed deeply to the old man.

His expression bitter, his voice light, he said, "Sir, my name really is Kazama, and I am not from the State of Eastern Emergence. I have long yearned for the Dao of alchemy, and that is why I thirsted to join the Violet Fate Sect. I have no other purpose. I wholeheartedly wish to study alchemy.

"Unfortunately, the Violet Fate Sect does not accept outsiders, so I had to figure out another way to get the recommendation medallion from a Furnace Lord. In order to enter the Sect, I had no choice other than to use subterfuge. I had no option. Sir, if you believe junior is in error, then I will accept any punishment the Sect deems fit." Naruto bowed down and held the bow, not lifting himself up straight.

Everything was quiet. The old man looked at Naruto. He had long since investigated Naruto, and knew there were some things about him that weren't quite right. However, there were one hundred thousand apprentice alchemists in the Sect. More than a few of them had things about them that weren't quite right. The fact that they had passed the Bridge of Truth, however, was evidence that they harbored no ill intent toward the East Pill Division. If they did have any such secrets, they would not be able to pass the bridge.

If Naruto was an ordinary apprentice alchemist without first rate latent talent, then the old man wouldn't have paid him the least bit of attention, and things would have run their course naturally. However, Naruto's latent talent had attracted not just the attention of this old man, but other Furnace Lords in the East Pill Division. When the question came up regarding his qualifications to participate in the promotion examination, he went against convention to acquire a spot for Naruto… which therefore led to the current scene.

Fukasaku was quiet for a moment. Then, he looked at Naruto and coolly said, "Once you join the Eastern Pill Division, you may never forsake it, not for the rest of your life. Can you do so?"

Naruto finally stood up straight. Looking at the old man with determination in his face, he spoke in a voice that could chop nails and sever iron: "It is a great kindness on the part of the Sect to teach me about the Dao of Alchemy. As long as the Sect doesn't kick me away, I will never forsake it!"

Actually, after living in the Violet Fate Sect for the better part of a year, being part of the East Pill Division, and studying alchemy, Naruto really had developed this view. As long as he could stay here and study alchemy, he would not leave the Sect.

The old man gave Naruto a deep look. "I don't care about your background. If you say you're Kazama, then you are Kazama. However, if you ever betray the Sect, I will take away your Dao of alchemy. If I am unable to, there will be another alchemist in the East Pill Division who can." He flicked his sleeve, and a medallion shot toward Naruto.

It landed in Naruto's hand, glowing mysteriously, radiating coldness.

"In one month, you may attend the examination for promotion to master alchemist. Only one candidate will be selected. Whether or not you are selected will depend on your luck." With that, Fukasaku turned and flew away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

As he said, he didn't care about Naruto's background. There were many people in the Violet Fate Sect who had mysterious backgrounds. Even among the Furnace Lords were people who had previously been members of other Sects, or who had enemies in the outside world and joined the East Pill Division to hide.

Actually, Fukasaku himself was not from the State of Eastern Emergence. It was only because of various circumstances that he ended up becoming a Cultivator of the East Pill Division.

This was the tradition within the East Pill Division, a tradition created by someone who commanded high prestige and universal respect in the Violet Fate Sect: Grandmaster Pill Demon.

Grandmaster Pill Demon had uttered the following words regarding the East Pill Division: "One must take the long view when traversing the great path of the Dao of alchemy. Any qualified alchemist may become a Cultivator of the East Pill Division. The only requirement is that he harbor no ill intentions, nor have the reckless ambition of wild wolves."

Because of this, the traditions of the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect had existed for a very long time. Unfortunately, it had also led to circumstances in which disciples forsook the Sect. Despite that, the techniques of the East Pill Division had never been revealed. Many outsiders wondered about this mystery, and also why those who forsook the Sect were so sentimental about it afterward.

In actuality, from time immemorial, all disciples who forsook the Sect were eventually brought back. Except for two. Those two had rocked the Southern Domain, and were the only two people other than Pill Demon to become Grandmasters of the Dao of alchemy!

Both of them had once been novitiates of Grandmaster Pill Demon. Eventually, they brought forth new ideas and innovations. Regardless of what outsiders thought, these two never believed their skill could outmatch that of their Master.

The reason they had become famous, and the reason they never returned to the Sect, was also because of the words of Grandmaster Pill Demon, words that continued to be passed down to this very day.

"Along the path of the Dao of alchemy, if a hundred flowers bloom, who has the right to permit only the Mudan peony to exist? Cannot the lesser peony and the orchid also coexist? Thus is birthed the flower garden. If the medicinal plant garden only contained one medicinal plant, how could the Dao of alchemy come into being?

"If those who inherit my Dao of alchemy are full of the ambitions of wild wolves, I will take back the Dao of alchemy. However, he who can weed through the old to bring forth the new, he who can tread the untrodden path, that person may establish his own school of thought. If he is able to bear the weight of the title Grandmaster, then it has nothing to do with me. In that case, there is no need to discuss returning to me."

Because of this, there are three alchemists called Grandmaster. In reality, though, the Dao of alchemy in the Southern Domain has only one true Grandmaster!

Pill Demon!

Naruto watched Fukasaku leave, and his eyes shone with a mysterious light. He never thought he would be able to secure a spot in the promotion examination so quickly. He looked down thoughtfully at the jade slip he held in his hand. His eyes glinted, and he cast Spiritual Sense into it. His mind suddenly shook.

In his head suddenly appeared the words:

Alchemy Scripture!

He sat down cross-legged in the courtyard, holding the jade slip in hand. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the Alchemy Scripture which had appeared in his head. It wasn't until the sun began to rise the following morning that he slowly opened his eyes. He took a deep breath, and looked off at the distant mountain peaks. His eyes were filled with reverence. He sat there quietly for a long time.

This so-called Alchemy Scripture was in fact not really a scripture. Actually, it was a record of events which had occurred in the East Pill Division in the thousand years since Grandmaster Pill Demon rose to fame.

There were many stories recorded, for example the origins of the two other Grandmaster alchemists of the Southern Domain, as well as various quotations from Grandmaster Pill Demon. After examining the entire Alchemy Scripture, an image appeared in his mind of a figure standing at the peak of the Dao of alchemy.

Now he understood why Fukasaku was so quick to discard the issue of his hidden past.

Naruto slowly put away the jade slip. He took a few deep breaths, and then began his daily apprentice alchemist cultivation.

Time went by slowly. Soon, a month had passed. The news about the examination for apprentice alchemists with ten years of experience, spread like wildfire throughout the East Pill Division. It quickly became the only conversation topic among the apprentice alchemists.

Roughly eighty percent of the apprentice alchemists had ten or more years of experience. However, not all would participate in the promotion examination. Only thirty thousand slots were available for registration.

When the day of the test came, the entire East Pill Division bustled with noise and excitement. The furnace bells rang out, and an enormous pill furnace once again appeared up in the air. Tens of thousands of strands of light reached out toward the qualified apprentice alchemists, who were all bursting with excitement. Naruto was among them as they shot toward the pill furnace.

In the blink of an eye, thirty thousand people vanished. When they reappeared, it was not in the Celestial Land of medicinal plant fields. Instead, they were in an enormous public square paved with limestone. In the middle of the square was a gigantic blue-green pill furnace. Medicinal aroma wafted out from it, filling the square with medicinal mists and clouds.

Arranged in the enormous square were thirty thousand worktables. On the surface of each worktable was a black jade slip. As the thirty thousand participants arrived, there was no hubbub or racket. They all looked nervously toward the pill furnace, which was surrounded by eight old men, sitting cross-legged.

One of them was Fukasaku.

The crowd of people looked down at the eight men, who slowly opened their eyes. They looked over everyone with kind, gentle expressions.

"In the promotion exam of the East Pill Division, one person shall be selected from your midst to practice the Cultivation of the Dao of alchemy! The examination consists of two rounds. The first round is an elimination round which only ten participants will pass. The second round is the final round, from which one master alchemist will emerge!

"One hundred thousand medicinal plants. One million variations. Your task is to silently list them out. Write down as many as you can think of! In front of you are thirty thousand work stations. Please organize yourselves among them and prepare to begin!"

All thirty thousand apprentice alchemists were respectful and solemn. Quite a few had full heads of white hair. Other than Naruto, not a one appeared to be under thirty years of age.

They had all been apprentices for at least 10 years and had deep, profound understanding of medicinal plants. Practice had ingrained the knowledge so deeply that if they left the Sect for another on the outside, they would be rated as a medicinal plant Grandmaster.

Right now, they solemnly filed forward toward the workstations. Naruto took a deep breath as he looked around at the workstations, selected one, and sat down.

This was his first time participating in an examination for promotion from apprentice alchemist. However, the feeling was not strange to him. Actually… everything felt quite familiar.

The scene around him was very much like the examinations he had taken part in back when he was a scholar in the Five Elements Nation. He had participated in the preliminary rounds of the Imperial examinations on multiple occasions, and although he had never scored top marks, he was still very familiar with the process.

Naruto chuckled to himself. "There really are a lot of similarities between the two. This master alchemist promotion examination tests your knowledge of medicinal plants. The more plants you remember, the more details you recall, and the more accurately you do so, will determine how close to perfection your final score is. It's not very different at all from the imperial examinations." He felt like he was back in the imperial examination hall. Except this time, he was not aiming for a scholarly rank, but promotion in the Dao of alchemy.

He took another deep breath and looked around at all the apprentice alchemists as they peered down at the jade slip in front of them. Suddenly, magical glowing screens appeared in front of them, upon which could be seen various medicinal plants.

The task of all the apprentice alchemists was to identify the plants they recognized and then record their habits and characteristics, planting requirements, harvesting methods and any other details.

Seeing that many of the participants had already started, Naruto tapped his jade slip, and immediately, a magical screen appeared. He stared thoughtfully at the medicinal plant which appeared, and then began to record the name of the plant, its characteristics, and some other details.

Time passed. The square was quiet and peaceful. The eight old men who sat cross-legged by the pill furnace appeared to Naruto to be the test administrators. They looked around the examination square. Clearly, if anyone caused a disturbance, severe punishment would follow.

Naruto soon fell into a rhythm of answering the questions. He quickly recorded the information about the plants that appeared in front of him. Many of them he had seen with his own eyes in the Celestial Land. Others, he had even held in his own hands when assisting Genma in pill concoction.

Six hours quickly passed. Naruto was immersed in filling out his answers. His eyes shone with determination. He had discovered that this was an excellent method to verify how much he had learned. All of the information he had studied about medicinal plants during the better part of the year once again floated up in his mind.

As he reached down into the depths of his memory, he began to experience the same feeling he had as a scholar all those years ago, the joy that can be found in the midst of hardship.

Soon, it became apparent that some of the surrounding apprentice alchemists were wearing out. Some frowned, obviously wracking their brains for answers. More time went by, another four hours. Some of the apprentice alchemists were pale-faced. Many were clearly encountering unfamiliar medicinal plants, which they would skip past quickly. However, soon, they discovered that the unfamiliar plants became more and more frequent. Eventually, people began to abandon their struggles and bitterly leave the examination field. They moved off to the side to observe.

Within a short time, more and more apprentice alchemists began to stare bitterly at the screens in front of them. They would stare blankly for a while, then stand and walk off to the side, heaving bitter sighs. Despite ten or more years of experience, many of these people had difficulty remembering so many medicinal plants. After all, there were one hundred thousand of them, with a million variations. If one's Cultivation base was high enough, Divine Sense could be used to brand the information in one's mind; without that ability, though, the only other method was rote memorization, which was incredibly difficult.

Naruto, of course, was by nature a scholar and an intellectual. From the moment he had begun to tread the path of a scholar, each and every day had been devoted to memorizing things.

His expression was calm, and his gaze was locked onto the screen in front of him. He zoned out everything else, focusing completely on the ever-changing medicinal plants. The more questions he answered, the happier he grew. His movements were like floating clouds and flowing water, natural and spontaneous. Soon, he began to attract the attention of some of the people who had given up, and were now observing the proceedings.

More time passed. The examination had now been underway for twenty hours. Of the original thirty thousand participants, only twenty thousand continued to fill in answers. The surroundings were as quiet as ever. Those who had abandoned their efforts did not leave, they stood by quietly, watching on.

By the time the thirtieth hour arrived, only seventy percent of the twenty thousand participants remained. The eyes of these more than ten thousand apprentice alchemists were bloodshot. Each and every one doggedly stared at their respective glowing screens, continuing to fill in information from their studies.

Naruto was as calm as ever. The speed with which he answered the questions caused Fukasaku and the other old men to cast sidelong glances at each other.

By the fortieth hour, only thirty percent or so of the participants had not given up.

By the sixtieth hour, only six thousand remained in the square, continuing on madly with the examination. Already, quite a few were obviously about to give up. If they looked around, they would see that their compatriots were madly going all out, jaws clenched as they pondered the images of the medicinal plants in front of them, attempting to recall their habits and characteristics.

By the time eighty continuous hour of testing had passed, only three thousand participants remained. They had been answering questions for four days and four nights with no rest whatsoever. They were like mad devils who could remember everything.

When the one hundredth hour arrived, an older man who appeared to be about fifty years old coughed up a mouthful of blood and then collapsed to the ground. His previously gray hair was now completely white. The scene caused quite a commotion, and quite a few of the surrounding apprentice alchemists immediately stood pale-faced and gave up.

They knew that if they continued, they may very well die here this day. They walked off to the side, supported by fellow apprentice alchemists. Everyone was now watching the remaining thousand test takers, their eyes filled with fear and dread. They knew full well how fearsome these people were.

Only incredibly extraordinary individuals could remember so many of the hundred thousand plants and one million variations.

Naruto took a deep breath. His eyes felt gritty, so he closed them for a moment to rest. Then he opened them, focusing on the medicinal plants and continuing to fill out answers.

Time passed by in a blur. The number of people who remained answering questions grew smaller and smaller. One thousand, eight hundred, five hundred, three hundred… By the time one hundred and eighty hours had passed, only eleven people remained!

The eleven people all sat in different locations within the enormous square, competing with unbridled frenzy. Naruto was frowning. Some of the plants in front of him required a careful search of his memory to recall.

This was especially true of the medicinal plants that were easily misidentified. These could only be correctly identified by carefully examining various tiny details. In fact, in some cases, they could only be distinguished by taste; unfortunately only images were available, which meant that even further examination was required before any information could be recorded.

The other ten people all were pale-faced, and their eyes radiated with ferocity. Having endured all the way down to this point, they obviously were not willing to give up. This test was a trial by fire, and an unforgiving one at that. Only ten mistakes or oversights were allowed, and then, instant disqualification.

In this test, no one could masquerade as having ability. The best among the apprentice alchemists would be visible in a single glance.

Suddenly, one of the final eleven suddenly grew white as death. His expression changed as the screen in front of him suddenly disappeared. He stared mutely for a long moment, then staggered to his feet and laughed bitterly. A fellow apprentice alchemist held him by the arm as he left his workstation.

The observing apprentice alchemists began to breathe heavily. There were now only ten participants left; these ten had already passed into the second round of the examination.

However, not a single one stood up!

Despite being assured a pass to the next round, all of these apprentice alchemists aspired to be master alchemists. Being so ambitious and proud, they possessed the spirit of competition; they naturally wanted to see who would be the first among them all!

Each and every one of them possessed the same mentality. All of the surrounding thirty thousand apprentice alchemists were watching on with rapt attention. They were all wondering, in the end… who would place first?

Fukasaku and the seven other old men watched on wordlessly. They said nothing to end the examination, and instead watched on quietly.

Time passed by. These ten people, including Naruto, were all well-known figures amongst the apprentice alchemists. All of them were clearly qualified to become master alchemists. Their eyes were completely bloodshot as they stared at the screens in front of them. None gave up.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he found himself looking at a very rare medicinal plant. In fact, this was a plant that was not among the one hundred thousand medicinal plants, but rather, a hybrid grass that was one of the one million variations.

Even those Cultivators in the Southern Domain who considered themselves experienced and knowledgeable, would only be able to stare in frustration at such a plant.

"It's getting harder and harder," thought Naruto, sighing deeply. "But that only makes things more interesting." His face radiated stubborness. As of now, the aura of a Cultivator had grown faint around him, to be replaced by the implacability of a scholar. This was the stubborness of someone who had repeatedly failed in the imperial examinations, and yet continued to participate.

After joining the East Pill Division, Naruto realized that he really was innately inclined to practice alchemy!

Perhaps in terms of Cultivation, his latent talent was not extraordinary. But when it came to alchemy, however, he possessed true genius! Whether it was memorizing medicinal plants, or catalyzing them, he stood head and shoulders above all others.

In fact, you could say that this was not innate talent, this was nature talent! Nature talent regarding all plants and vegetation!

Naruto suddenly recalled the words of Sai . Gradually he came to realize that he didn't always have nature talent. This nature talent came from the Resurrection Lily!

Naruto wasn't sure how much time had passed. Soon, one screen after another went dark among the final ten. They had clearly made more than ten mistakes, and were out.

Soon the hour arrived in which only two people remained!

One was Naruto, the other was a grim-faced, middle-aged man. As they continued with the examination, the middle aged man would look up from time to time at Naruto. His eyes slowly filled with crazed determination.

The middle-aged man's eyes were blood red as he stared at the medicinal plant in front of him. "I joined the Sect twenty years ago," he said "I've been an apprentice alchemist for half my life. Do you really think you can compare to me?" However, his face was gradually growing white. He had already made nine mistakes, so he now had only one chance left. Unfortunately, as for the plant in front of him… he didn't recognize it.

After a long time passed, the middle-aged man laughed sadly, then slowly stood up. He didn't record an answer. He took a long look at the medicinal plant, committing it to memory, then walked away.

As of now, Naruto was the only person left in the square!

The gaze of every single person, including Fukasaku and the seven other old-timers, was focused solely on Naruto!

This was because… he was still filling out answers!

Naruto had no idea many how many answers he had provided. One hundred thousand medicinal plants, one million variations. Perhaps he had recorded half, perhaps more. He took a deep breath and focused on the medicinal plants on the screen in front of him. He gradually became aware that some of the medicinal plants were ones he had never seen before. However, after looking at them and thinking for a moment, the information regarding them would appear in his head.

The hundred thousand plants and one million variations that he had studied were simply a foundation. However, that foundation enabled him to awaken the nature talent of the Resurrection Lily that he acquired. That nature talent of plants allowed him to expand on what he had built in his head, using that accumulated knowledge to form answers.

Inside his bag of the Cosmos, the portrait of the Resurrection Lily painted by Sai was trembling. It seemed to be struggling, resisting, screaming a noiseless scream. This was because as Naruto continued to answer questions and corroborate what he had learned, the endless images of plants that appeared in his head were all being plundered from the Resurrection Lily! He was wresting away the talent of the Resurrection Lily!

If that were simply it, perhaps it wouldn't be a big deal. However, as Naruto continued, he realized that the Demonic Core within his Dao Pillar seemed to be rotating. With every rotation, strands of invisible power would emanate out, entering into his mind, causing the nature talent from the Resurrection Lily to grow even more powerful.

This examination of plants and vegetation, was also a chance for him to steal away nature talent from the Resurrection Lily! There was no other method that could possibly be faster, that could push Naruto to such heights! This examination was essentially a huge stroke of good fortune!

He proceeded on, even more lost in thought than he was before. He continued to fill out more and more answers, more and more quickly. No one could hear the screams of the Resurrection Lily as its nature talent was wrested away and fused into Naruto, becoming his and his alone!

If someone asked Naruto to stop now, he would refuse.

His eyes were bloodshot. Sometimes he had to think, but he never made a mistake. As he thought and recorded his answers, everyone around watched with baited breath, stupefied at what was happening. Fukasaku and the seven others exchanged glances. All of their eyes were filled with shock.

Some of the information Naruto filled out, even they would have difficulty with. Some of these hybrid plants required ten varieties of medicinal plants to be grafted together at different times to produce the final rare version.

Fukasaku and the others exchanged excited glances and then began to transmit a conversation between themselves.

"One hundred thousand medicinal plants, one million variations, ten million hybrids. Three realms of plants and vegetations. Mastering even the first indicates one has the nature talent required to become a master alchemist…"

"In the Southern Domain, only Violet Furnace Lords have enough talent to master the second realm. As far as the third realm goes, there are only three: Grandmaster Pill Demon and the other two Grandmasters!"

"Just how skilled is this Kazama when it comes to plants? He's simply inhuman! He's already passed the second realm and has now encroached into the domain of the third realm…. If his alchemic skill is comparable to his talent with plants, then he… he will be able to rock Heaven and Earth!"

"Not necessarily. His talent with plants is inhuman. But skill in alchemy is different. However, if he does possess some skill, then even if he doesn't become a Violet Furnace Lord, he will surely reach the pinnacle of the Furnace Lord rank!"

"It will all depend on the results of his alchemy, and the level of the medicinal strength he develops. Ordinary master alchemists can produce about thirty percent. Only Furnace Lords can draw out fifty percent or more of the medicinal strength. Violet Furnace Lords can extract seventy percent. In all the Southern Domain, only Grandmaster Pill Demon and the other two Grandmasters can refine ninety percent or more! And Grandmaster Pill Demon is the only one who can concoct pills of one hundred percent medicinal strength, pills that do not lose any effectiveness!"

As the eight men continued their discussion, the apprentice alchemists watched on, dumbstruck. Their minds reeled as they watched Naruto. The other tenth-place finalists also watched on, some with admiration and respect, others with jealousy and discontent.

Time passed, and Naruto continued on without stopping. As the medicinal plants flashed in front of him, his expression slowly grew more and more excited. More and more information flooded into his head, and the legacy Demonic Core inside him rotated even more rapidly.

Meanwhile, elsewhere within the Violet Fate Sect, on an isolated peak deep within the East Pill Division, an old man sat cross-legged, observing a pill furnace which floated in front of him. He wore a white Daoist robe, and his entire person emanated the aroma of medicinal pills. His eyes were focused completely on the pill furnace.

His features were not particularly impressive. However, his eyes were clear, like deep springs. At first look, his white Daoist robe seemed ordinary. However, on each sleeve was embroidered a pill furnace.

He was archaic, ancient, as if he had existed for countless years. As he looked at the pill furnace, he smiled. It was impossible to tell his Cultivation base, but his presence on the mountain seemed to cause the clouds to disperse and the wind to calm. It seemed that with him present, the world would always be like that.

Next to him was a young woman clad in a long, violet robe. She was consummately beautiful, although her brow was wrinkled in a frown. It was none other than Sakura.

The old man… was he who commanded high prestige and universal respect within the Violet Fate Sect. He was the Grandmaster alchemist whose name had dominated the Southern Domain for a thousand years. His two novitiates had forsaken him to become Grandmasters in their own right. This was… Pill Demon!

Demons can take countless forms, just like the variations of medicinal pills. The day this old man achieved his Dao, he took the name Pill Demon. This Grandmaster Demon whose name had filled the Southern Domain a thousand years ago, now spoke. "Were you able to concoct the Three Mortalities Pill?" he asked, shifting his gaze from the pill furnace to Sakura.

"I failed again," she replied, frowning. "Master, the Three Mortalities Pill is too difficult." She looked at the floating pill furnace.

The old man shook his head and chuckled. With an expression that seemed to be filled with the emotion of many years, he looked off into the distance, toward the enormous statue of Reverend Violet East. Eventually, he looked back to the pill furnace. After some time passed, he spoke again: "Your heart is unsettled, and is lacking in determination. It seems you still do not grasp the purpose for which Master asked you to concoct the Three Mortalities Pill. In that regard, you could really learn something from him." He pointed toward the pill furnace. As he did, the furnace grew blurry, then magically transformed into an image of the Naruto on the square.

When she caught sight of him, Sakura's brow furrowed instantly. She remembered him. She recalled how seeing him had for some unknown reason caused her heart to fill with irritation. It had filled her with an almost unstoppable impulse to beat some sense into him.

Even afterward, she couldn't explain it. Casting eyes on him again today caused that same irritated feeling to reappear.

"On the path of the Dao of alchemy," Grandmaster Pill Demon said coolly, "talent is only an assistant. Unswerving determination is even more important." He waved his right hand and the scene disappeared. The pill furnace was once again a pill furnace. "Go back. When you finish concocting the Three Mortalities Pill, then Master will permit you to leave the Sect." With that, he closed his eyes.

Sakura's lips curled into a pout. Clearly not happy, but unable to do anything about it, she stamped her foot as she turned and left. For some reason the face of Naruto, or rather Kazama, appeared in her mind, and her irritation rose again.

"I'm going to go see why this guy makes me so uncomfortable!" she thought, clenching her jaw and transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Back in the master alchemist examination square, tens of thousands of eyes were all focused on one thing as the time slowly passed. When Sakura arrived, she saw Naruto, and once again frowned. She examined him intently for a while, but in the end, his features were unfamiliar. And yet within that unfamiliarity was something that she seemed to know.

More time passed. A day. Two days…. Eventually three days had passed.

Sakura's eyes were glued onto Naruto, but in the end, her eyes filled with frustration. Much the same as Fukasaku and the others, she was familiar with the third realm of plants and vegetation. Seeing Naruto answer question after question, how could she not be filled with astonishment?

At the end of the third day, the screen in front of Naruto suddenly flickered. No more medicinal plants appeared. He slowly looked up.

Everything was completely silent. Everyone was staring at the screen in front of him. Fukasaku gasped and stood up. The other old men also stood up one by one, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"He answered all the questions…."

"Grandmaster Pill Demon personally prepared all of the images of the medicinal plants. In one thousand years, no one has ever answered all the questions. What… just what inhuman talent does he possess…?"

As the words of Fukasaku and the others echoed out, the excitement that had been suppressed for days by the surrounding apprentice alchemists suddenly exploded out. A deafening hubbub filled the air.

"No more questions…. How is that possible!? He answered all the questions!"

"From ancient times until now, no one has ever done that…."

"Is it possible that this Kazama will become another blazing sun of the East Pill Division…?"

Even as the commotion filled the air, exhaustion washed over Naruto and he closed his dry eyes. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there. Once the screen went out, his energy seemed to disappear. The knowledge of plants and vegetation in his mind seemed to surge with life, buffeting up against and overwhelming any ignorance that might have existed before.

It surged again and again until finally it began to stabilize. Now that the ignorance had been broken, Naruto wasn't sure the extent to which his skill with plants and vegetation would grow.

He had attained… Instantaneous Formula Scrying!

By simply placing a medicinal pill in his hand, he would be able to see the pill formula floating in his head. This was a realm that only Violet Furnace Lords could achieve.

Sakura took a deep breath as she stared blankly at Naruto. There was no doubt about it; just looking at him caused her to feel irritated. And yet, she had to admit that Kazama's skill regarding plants and vegetation was beyond human!

As everyone seethed with excitement, Naruto stood up. As he did, everything gradually grew quiet. All eyes were focused on him alone. Some filled with complicated expressions, some were purely envious, others were shocked or jealous.

A variety of expressions were directed toward Naruto, who appeared to be extremely worn out. He turned toward Fukasaku and the others, clasped hands and bowed. Then, he left his workstation and found a place to sit cross-legged and meditate.

Fukasaku took a deep breath. He glanced at Naruto for a moment, and then his gaze swept out across the crowd. "In twenty hours, the second round of the master alchemist promotion examination will begin. It is also the final round. Of the ten finalists, only one will become a master alchemist. The second round will consist of a test of the power of your catalyzing technique. You have twenty hours in which you may rest, but are not permitted to leave."

Sakura had been watching Naruto the entire time. The shock had still not left her eyes. Even though looking at him still annoyed her, she had no choice but to admit that Kazama was someone she had to look up to in terms of qualifications.

"Skill with plants and vegetation is only part of being an alchemist," she said, still unconvinced. "Let's see if this guy really is qualified to perform alchemy. That includes catalysis, as well as control of the spiritual energy of the Cultivation base. Those are not things to be taken lightly. Let's see if his skill in that regard is equally astounding." The more she looked at Naruto, the more annoyed she got.

Not a single of the thirty thousand apprentice alchemists chose to leave. They continued to converse in low tones. Seventy percent of the conversations were about Naruto. The other thirty were about the other nine finalists who had passed the first round of the examination, and thus revealed their talent, like awls sticking out from a bag.

These other nine were all very nervous. They sat cross-legged, using each and every moment to rotate their Cultivation bases. They wanted to be in peak condition to face the second and final examination.

Naruto's participation in the first round had crushed them down with a weight that made it hard to breathe. That having been said, there was no difference between first place and tenth. All would have a chance to pass the second round of the examination.

The second round was actually the focal point.

As far as they were concerned, there was still a chance to surpass Naruto. He might know more about plants and vegetation than them, but to catalyze medicinal plants required use of the Cultivation base, as well as significant practice. It demanded careful control of spiritual power; too much, and the medicinal plant would grow until it burst. Too little, however, and it would not grow healthily. It was difficult to find the perfect balance.

The nine other finalists breathed deeply as they sat in meditation. Images appeared in their minds from their years of experience catalyzing plants. Gradually, they began to fill with confidence.

Naruto sat there with eyes closed. Actually, he hadn't wasted very much energy from his Cultivation base. The main reason he was tired was not because of his body, but because of the effort in wresting away the legacy of the Resurrection Lily, as well as the rotating of the Demonic Core. His head felt like it was swollen. As he rested, his mind slowly began to simmer down.

Soon, the twenty hours had passed. Fukasaku's voice suddenly rang out across the square. As he spoke, he moved his arm to rest on the pill furnace next to him.

"The time has come for the second round of this trial by fire. Would the ten final participants please approach!" As he spoke, the sound of furnace bells rang out, shaking the entire square. The eyes of the thirty thousand spectators focused intently on the proceedings.

The square was the same as before, but the thirty thousand workstations had been replaced by ten stone pillars, each one roughly nine meters tall. As they rose into the air, they glowed with an eye-catching light.

With the exception of Naruto, all of the final participants leaped up into the air, alighting nimbly onto the stone pillars, excited expressions on their faces.

All eyes were on them; after all, these were people who had distinguished themselves amidst thirty thousand peers. Considering their talent, they quickly covered up their excitement, replacing it with looks of determination.

Naruto opened his eyes, and they shone with a bright light. The swelling pain in his head was gone. The nature talent of plants and vegetation was now completely amalgamated, and was a complete part of him.

"I WILL become a master alchemist," he thought, his eyes shining with decisiveness. He stood up and strode forward. In a flash, he appeared on the final stone pillar. Instantly, everything grew completely quiet. Countless gazes came to be fixed upon him. Everyone would witness the promotion today and see… who would be promoted to master alchemist!

Whoever became master alchemist would instantly rise above one hundred thousand others!

In terms of status, position, renumeration from the Sect, and reputation, this person would no longer be in the same level as the apprentice alchemists. The difference between apprentice alchemists and master alchemists was like the difference between Heaven and Earth. After all, in the entire Violet Fate Sect, there were only about one thousand master alchemists. Later, if one could reach the realm of the Furnace Lord, then he could shake the entire Southern Domain. Any Furnace Lord occupied a lofty position in the Dao of alchemy; be it in the Violet Fate Sect or the outside world, they would receive utmost respect and veneration.

Within the whole of the Violet Fate Sect, there were currently only around a hundred Furnace Lords.

Eight of that group were Violet Furnace Lords. They existed just beneath the three Grandmaster alchemists as the pinnacle representatives of the Dao of alchemy! All of the other great Sects and Clans thirsted to have any one of this group join them. They commanded extreme respect from one and all.

Everyone was watching as Naruto stepped onto the pillar. Fukasaku and the others exchanged glances. One of the old men lifted his arm to push down onto the surface of the pill furnace. It began to emit a droning sound, and then opened up. Ten beams of light shot out and then came to rest, floating in mid-air.

The globes of light were blurry and indistinct, making it impossible to see what was inside.

"Ten different types of medicinal plant seeds, all of different categories. Candidates, make your selection. Whoever catalyzes theirs to the most mature degree, will be a master alchemist!"

With the exception of Naruto, the eyes of everyone on the stone pillars began to glitter brightly. They looked up at the ten indistinct medicinal plant seeds. It was completely impossible to tell what they were, causing the nine other participants to hesitate slightly. Then, one of them set his eyes in resolve. He lifted his hand and made a grasping motion, causing one of the glowing globes to shoot into his hand. It transformed into a blue-colored seed.

The other eight participants looked over. "That's a Bluewater flower seed…." This flower could be used to concoct a variety of medicinal pills useful for the Foundation Establishment stage. It was relatively difficult to catalyze.

Without hesitation, the other participants reached up to lay claim to the various glowing globes of light. One by one, the globes descended into their hands. They looked around to examine which seeds the others had acquired. Some would be easier to catalyze, others more difficult. It would all depend on luck, considering that the differences between them all was not great.

After everyone made their choice, Naruto calmly lifted up his hand to retrieve the last glowing globe. The light transformed into a gray-colored seed.

When the surrounding tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists saw the seed in Naruto's hand, they were sent into an uproar. "That's Flying Ash leaf…."

"Of all the ten types of medicinal plants, Flying Ash leaf is least complex. That Kazama got really lucky…."

"You can't really say that. It's not necessarily easy to get the leaf to turn into ash."

As the sound of the discussions rose up, unsightly expressions appeared on the faces of the nine other participants. No one said anything, though. After all, Naruto was the last person to take a seed, so he obviously had no choice in the matter. They couldn't accuse him of cheating.

The old man standing next to Fukasaku also started when he saw the Flying Ash leaf seed. He exchanged a look with the other old men, but no one said anything. Suddenly, he spoke out in a cool voice which rose up above the hubbub that filled the square: "Begin!"

There was instant silence. Naruto and the other nine people on the stone pillars all focused on the seeds in their hands. They circulated spiritual power, then, using the East Pill Division technique, began to nourish the seeds with it. The medicinal plant catalyzing had begun.

After the space of ten breaths, popping sounds began to ring out from the hands of all the participants, including Naruto's. Sprouts appeared, swaying gently back and forth and slowly beginning to grow taller.

Naruto concentrated fully, slowly pouring out power from his Cultivation base. He didn't squander a drop. This convergence technique was what he had learned in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament . During the past months in the Violet Fate Sect, he had practiced the technique daily, especially when working with Genma. He channeled spiritual energy into the seed. Soon a gray-colored medicinal plant appeared in his hand, roughly two inches tall, with seven green leaves.

As it grew, gray veins began to appear within the leaves. "When the leaves turn completely gray, it means that the plant is fully mature. Eventually, the leaves will turn into ash. That ash is the true essence of the plant which is used as a medicinal ingredient." Information regarding this particular medicinal plant appeared in his head, as well as ten hybrid variations.

The plant began to grow taller. It was now three inches tall, and the leaves were about half gray. Now it had twelve leaves in total, which was actually the maximum number of leaves that a Flying Ash plant could have.

As for the other nine participants, none of them had grown their plant past sixty percent; obviously theirs were not as mature as Naruto's.

Their faces were dark and obviously filled with intense discontent. Even many of the surrounding tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists sighed. According to their understanding, it was obvious that Naruto's medicinal plant was superior.

"This test really isn't fair…. If that Kazama had gotten any other medicinal plant besides Flying Ash leaf, then it wouldn't have been so easy…."

"It's not necessarily unfair. The Flying Ash leaf might just be particularly suited to Kazama's spiritual energy. If someone else got it, they might not necessarily find it so easy. Growing that particular plant isn't simple. In fact, to cause the leaves to transform into ash takes more spiritual energy than most other medicinal plants."

Voices began to echo out. The Flying Ash plant in Naruto's hand made a popping sound. It seemed to be burning. A gray flame covered it, and then gray ash began to spread out.

When this happened, the surrounding nine participants faces tightened. Their eyes were red as they frustratedly looked at Fukasaku and the others. Nervously, they began to speak.

"Seniors, this isn't fair!"

"The Flying Ash leaf that Kazama got is way simpler than my medicinal plant. If I'd gotten Flying Ash leaf, I could have done the same thing!"

"We worked hard for so many years for a chance at promotion. Don't tell me that we lose, not because of skill, but because of luck!? Elders, it really isn't fair!"

"Please, re-start the second round and give everyone the same medicinal plant. If we lose then, we will be sincerely convinced!"

Meanwhile, outside the square, on a mountain peak in the East Pill Division, Sakura's master, Grandmaster Pill Demon of the Violet Fate Sect, looked away from the pill furnace calmly and lifted his hand. There on his palm was a small pile of gray powder.

This was none other than some of the ash created by the burning Flying Ash leaf that had been catalyzed moments ago by Naruto.

Pill Demon lifted his hand and closely examined it, his eyes thoughtful. He then waved his hand, and the ash dissipated.

"No seepage of spiritual power…." he murmured faintly after a while.

Down in the square, Sakura silently watched Naruto along with the other nine complaining finalists. She wasn't sure why, but she felt somewhat pleased to see what was happening. The sound of all the condemnation piling up against Kazama was quite pleasant to the ear.

As the nine other participants continued to make repeated requests, Fukasaku and the seven others looked at each other, brows furrowed. After a moment of discussion, Fukasaku stood up.

As he did, everything grew quiet.

"If all of you truly desire to be completely convinced, well, Kazama, do you agree to restart the round?"

Naruto smiled. He said nothing, but simply nodded.

Fukasaku nodded back in admiration. "Very well. In that case, we shall restart the round. This time, all ten of you will receive exactly the same type of medicinal plant. Those who do not win, will have no grounds for complaint!" He waved his right hand, and ten identical seeds shot out toward Naruto and the others.

The seeds were crimson, and emanated a plant-like aura.

"Crimson Spirit sapling!" thought Naruto, his eyes glittering. The hearts of the other nine participants trembled. They frowned as they examined the crimson seeds in front of them.

A collective gasp could be heard from the onlookers as they peered forward.

"So, it's a Crimson Spirit sapling. That's a medicinal plant useful for the great circle of Foundation Establishment. It has the appearance of a fire type, but actually, all types of spiritual energy can be used to nourish it."

"Considering the level of our Cultivation bases, catalyzing a medicinal plant like that would be just too difficult…"

On the pillars, all the participants except for Naruto hesitated for a moment, then clenched their jaws and grabbed the seeds which floated in front of them. Then they used all the power of their Cultivation bases to begin catalyzing.

Naruto reached up and took the seed into his hand. He looked at it closely, then closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, a violet glow appeared in his hand, encircling the crimson seed. Spiritual power emerged, and the catazlying began.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, one of the middle-aged men on the pillars began to sweat profusely. His face was pale white, and his body trembled. However, he gritted his teeth and slapped his bag of holding to produce a Spirit Stone. He gripped the Spirit Stone in one hand and catalyzed the Crimson Spirit sapling in the other.

One by one, the other participants began to follow suit. An hour passed. Soon all of the participants, excluding Naruto, were relying on Spirit Stones to catalyze the plants. One and all had pale faces and bloodshot eyes.

Only Naruto looked as calm as ever. His gaze was fixed on the Crimson Spirit sapling as he carefully controlled his spiritual power. Not a drop leaked out. All of it poured into the seed of the Crimson Spirit sapling.

Clearly, none of the other participants were able to do such a thing. Of all the spiritual power they sent out to nourish the medicinal plants, only thirty percent actually ended up being used.

Another hour passed. The man who had been the first to produce the Spirit Stone suddenly staggered. Face white as a sheet, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and took a few steps back. He stared mutely at the seed in his hand. He had expended all of his power and hadn't been able to produce a single sprout.

He shook his head bitterly and chose to withdraw.

Not much time passed before a second, third and then fourth participant left. By the time more than two full hours of the catalysis round had passed, only five participants were left.

It was then that a popping sound rang out, causing everyone to look toward Naruto's right hand. There in his palm, a sprout suddenly popped out from the crimson seed!

Moments later, a sprout popped out from the seed of one of the other competitors. This seed belonged to the man who had lasted in the first round of the competition longer than anyone else except Naruto.

His face was somewhat unsightly as he tightened his grip on the Spirit Stone in his hand and then gave Naruto a grim look.

As for the other three participants, their faces were white. Despite using all the power they could muster, they were still unable to cause the Crimson Spirit sapling seed to sprout. All of them withdrew.

The true test of the second round had arrived. Once again, it was a battle between the middle-aged man and Naruto.

"I prepared a lot of Spirit Stones for this part of the examination," said the middle-aged man, his eyes red. "There's no possible way that I can lose to you." The pillar he stood on was situated directly opposite of Naruto. He looked up and glared at Naruto, then pushed down on his forehead. A roaring sound filled the air as his Cultivation base suddenly began to soar.

It flew from the eighth level of Chakra Condensation all the way to the ninth, the great circle of Chakra Condensation! Clearly, he had been suppressing his Cultivation base the entire time, all with the intention of unleashing his true power in the end of the catalysis exam. In this way, it would only take one step to sweep past any opponents.

When the man's Cultivation base suddenly erupted, it caused quite a commotion among the onlookers. At the same time, the Crimson Spirit sapling seed in front of him slowly began to grow.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He didn't employ the power of his Foundation Establishment Cultivation base. He relied only on the spiritual power of Chakra Condensation to catalyze the Crimson Spirit sapling. He completely ignored the middle-aged man, and in fact closed his eyes to focus solely on catalysis.

More time passed. Both Crimson Spirit saplings continued to grow taller. Several hours passed. By now, both plants were about the height of a person.

The middle-aged man's body quivered and veins bulged on his face. He had lost track of how many Spirit Stones he had used, and felt like he was beginning to grow crazy. As soon as a Spirit Stone was used up, he would produce another. His Chakra passageways seemed unable to bear up under the strain, but he ignored them. Determination filled his eyes. He must win! He must become a master alchemist! For that, he would charge on regardless of anything.

Finally, blood sprayed from his mouth, and even as his body trembled violently, he pushed all out with his Cultivation base, which was now beginning to sink down in level. Spiritual energy which stemmed from his very life force poured out to catalyze the Crimson Spirit sapling. This instantly caused the plant to grow up about three meters. As of now, it no longer looked like a sapling, but instead a tree. The middle aged man staggered backward several paces, unable to continue. He had already risked his life, and to continue on would no longer be risking it, but delivering it up!

His Chakra passageways burned as if with fire, causing his entire body to spasm. Sweat poured out, and his Cultivation base continued to sink lower. Despite all this, his eyes glowed with loftiness and pride.

Amazed discussions instantly broke out among the surrounding apprentice alchemists. Even Fukasaku and the others exchanged glances. Sakura nodded her head. Clearly, what he had done was no slight accomplishment.

"My Crimson Spirit Sapling had grown so tall it's now a tree! Your sapling isn't even seventy percent as tall as mine. Let's see how you secure the master alchemist position now!"

For the first time, Naruto looked over at the middle-aged man. "I'm not finished yet," he said coolly. The Crimson Spirit sapling in his hand slowly began to grow higher. From seventy percent of the height of the other man's, it grew to eighty, then ninety…. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the middle-aged man's face grew paler and paler. His body trembled, and his eyes filled with disbelief. Naruto's Crimson Spirit sapling was now three meters taller than his.

Everything was completely silent. Everyone stared blankly at Naruto. They had already been astonished by his nature talent in the first round. Now, in terms of catalyzing skill, the results caused everyone to stare with deep shock.

However, Naruto still wasn't finished. He stared at the Crimson Spirit sapling, his eyes blazing with determination.

"If I'm going to put on a show," he thought, "I might as well go all out. I'm really curious to know how much I can grow the Crimson Spirit sapling with this catalysis technique!" Eyes glittering, more spiritual energy appeared in his palm, pouring into the Crimson Spirit sapling. Of course, he did not use the power of Foundation Establishment; he wanted to show off, but he wouldn't forget himself in the process.

Six meters, nine meters… slowly, the Crimson Spirit sapling stopped growing up, but began to grow out instead. Thicker and thicker it grew until it was now a large tree!

This tree might not be amazing enough to attract the attention of the entire world, but it certainly became the focal point of the entire examination square.

Naruto catalyzed the tree to such an extent that suddenly a single flower appeared on it, along with a fruit. It was a crimson-colored Spirit Fruit that instantly began to emanate spiritual energy.

When Sakura saw this, her eyes went wide and filled with an expression of disbelief. Fukasaku rose to his feet, as did the other old-timers. Strange expressions filled their faces.

"The Crimson Spirit sapling is blossoming! It's bearing Spirit Fruit!"

"He's a Chakra Condensation Cultivator, but can do this? Inconceivable!"

The tens of thousands of observing apprentice alchemists couldn't hold back; a buzz of discussion instantly filled the air. All the other participants who had failed stared blankly. As apprentice alchemists themselves, they were well aware of the significance of the Crimson Spirit sapling bearing fruit.

"Crimson Spirit saplings can be used to refine medicinal pills for the great circle of Foundation Establishment. But their fruit contain the essence of the entire plant; they can create medicinal pills for the early Core Formation stage!"

"I can't believe Kazama did it! This technique can catalyze out all types of medicinal plants suitable for the Chakra Condensation stage, and even some for the Foundation Establishment stage. But it's impossible to use on medicinal plants needed for the Core Formation stage. And yet… he actually catalyzed Crimson Spirit Fruit!"

As the sound of conversation drifted in the air, Naruto took a deep breath and waved his right hand. The Crimson Spirit sapling abruptly trembled, as if it had suddenly lost its source of power. It began to wither. Even as it withered, though, Naruto's left hand reached up and grabbed the Crimson Spirit Fruit. Without a moment's hesitation, he placed it into his bag of holding.

The nine meter tall Crimson Spirit sapling was now completely withered. Amidst the continuous buzz of conversation, Naruto hopped off of the stone pillar.

Fukasaku took a deep breath, then gave Naruto a deep look and said, "The person promoted to master alchemist today is… Kazama!" His voice rang out across the square, and then seemed to enter the pill furnace and echo out throughout all the valleys of the entire East Pill Division.

All one hundred thousand apprentice alchemists heard each and every word!

Time flashed by. Soon two months had passed. Naruto still resided in District One Valley One. However, he was no longer located next to the stream. On one of the mountains that formed the valley, a narrow path wound up to the peak, where there was an Immortal's Cave.

Clouds drifted past its green, stone door. Standing there, one could see the entirety of the valley below. The spiritual energy was much thicker, and within the mountain itself was a vein of fire.

This was the Immortal's Cave that had been bestowed upon Naruto after he was raised to master alchemist.

Only master alchemists could live in the upper reaches of the mountains. There, separated from the apprentice alchemists, they could enjoy the special privileges they had earned as master alchemists. For example, they could seek apprentice alchemists to serve as assistants. Furthermore, for slight compensation, they could acquire various pill formulas and even medicinal plants from the Sect.

The only demand placed upon master alchemists was that they meet the monthly quota of medicinal pills.

In order to receive less common medicinal plants and pill formulas, they would have to turn over a greater quantity of medicinal pills. The more they provided, the more they were rewarded.

After becoming a master alchemist, it was also possible to engage in trade with other master alchemists. All of this was designed to improve knowledge and familiarity with alchemy, and to increase the quality of the medicinal pills produced.

On this particular day, a roaring sound filled Naruto's Immortal's Cave. Despite the door being sealed, the sound still echoed out far and wide. Down in the valley, the apprentice alchemists held their tongues. They looked up toward Naruto's Immortal's Cave, unable to contain their admiration and envy.

During the two months since Naruto became a master alchemist, this type of roaring sound could be heard frequently.

Inside, Naruto was covered with filth and grime. It was with a bitter laugh that he watched the pill furnace in front of him explode. He sighed, flicking his sleeve to collect up the bits of the broken pill furnace, and the remnants of the medicinal pill he had been concocting. He frowned as he sat there on the stone platform.

"Concocting pills is not easy," he said. "The slightest lack of control of the earthly fire can ruin the pill and stress the pill furnace to the point of destruction. In the past two months, I've already blown up forty seven pill furnaces…." The sleeve of his long, black gown was embroidered with a tiny pill furnace. This set of clothing representing his status as a master alchemist.

"I've improved quite a bit, though. In the past two or three days I've only exploded one." He looked at the seven or eight pill bottles lined up next to him, and his eyes shined contentedly. The pills inside these bottles were the accumulation of his two months of practice. They were only useful for the Chakra Condensation stage, but the feeling of making something with his own hands left Naruto feeling very happy.

"Concocting pills is definitely not easy, and is clearly connected to latent talent. What's even more important though is… concocting pills is expensive! No wonder there aren't very many master alchemists…." Naruto sighed emotionally. He hadn't felt this way back when he was an apprentice alchemist. When he had worked with Genma, he had only seen the respect given by outsiders, as well as Genma's profits when he concocted pills for Inner Sect disciples.

After becoming a master alchemist, though, he realized that behind every truly successful alchemist existed a mountain of spent Spirit Stones. That was the only way to achieve true success. Of course, latent talent was also necessary; with only ordinary latent talent, the Spirit Stones necessary to succeed as a master alchemist could fund a small Sect.

"A pill furnace costs twenty thousand spirit stones… and that's for the lowest level pill furnace provided by the Sect. And I've destroyed forty seven…." When Naruto thought of this, and the fact that he had to pay for all the pill furnaces, his heart ached.

"Pill furnaces are only one aspect," he thought. "Concocting pills requires medicinal herbs, which are even more costly. Sometimes a single pill requires a combination of dozens of medicinal herbs. When you add them all together, it's not cheap. That's not the worst, though… What's really killing me is… my success rate is only one in ten…." He took a deep breath as he thought of the whole situation. "The more expensive the medicinal plants, the more ancient the pill formula, the higher quality the pill… the more likely I am to fail." He sighed emotionally.

"However, now that I'm a master alchemist, there are also a lot of perks. For example, this medallion." He slapped his bag of holding to produce a white medallion.

It felt cold in his hands, and seemed to be made of jade… and yet not. A pill furnace was carved on one side, along with calligraphy that read "Blacklist."

"Pill Blacklist!" Naruto looked at the command medallion, and his eyes filled with a strange light. This wasn't the first time he had taken out the medallion to look at. Every time he did, his heart filled with a feeling of veneration for the position of master alchemist.

The Pill Blacklist medallion was a right given to all master alchemists by the Sect. Only one was distributed per alchemist, and could be used twice. It was the ultimate expression of the respect demanded by master alchemists, and was enough to strike fear into the heart of any member of the Violet Chakra Division.

One of the main reasons that master alchemists had such a high position compared to the Violet Chakra Division was because of the Pill Blacklist. The thought of being added to the Pill Blacklist would cause most Cultivators to feel an intense terror.

There was only one purpose to the Pill Blacklist. Any Violet Chakra Division disciple whose name was added to the list, would be refused service by all master alchemists for a time period of one hundred years.

This had been a Sect rule for countless ages, and a power possessed solely by the East Pill Division. This arrangement caused master alchemists to command incredible respect within the Violet Fate Sect.

Because of this, few would dare to offend a master alchemist. To offend one master alchemist was equivalent to offending them all.

The rule had existed since ancient times, and in the past one thousand years, had not been exercised by very many master alchemists. During that time, the list had never exceeded a few hundred people. Considering there were nearly ten thousand disciples within the Inner Sect, that wasn't a very large number.

To master alchemists, NOT using the Pill Blacklist made it that much more of a deterrence. After all, after the second usage, its effectiveness vanished.

The names of everyone on the one hundred years Pill Blacklist were branded onto the medallion. After becoming a master alchemist, Naruto earned the right to use the power of the medallion, but of course, was also required to respect the arrangement. Currently, there were thirteen people who had been Pill Blacklisted; for one hundred years, no master alchemist, Naruto included, would concoct pills for these thirteen people.

He looked at the Pill Blacklist medallion for a moment longer, then put it away. After a moment's thought, he retrieved a jade slip and branded it with some information. Then he ignited it; in the blink of an eye, it disappeared.

Not much time passed before he heard a voice from outside the Immortal's cave. He lifted a finger, and the door to the Immortal's Cave opened. A pretty girl entered who appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. As soon as she entered the Immortal's Cave, her nose wrinkled as if she were gagging on the odor of the exploded pill furnace.

"Alchemist Kazama," she said, smiling, "I was feeling a bit confused yesterday. I was wondering why so many days had passed since you asked me for a replacement furnace…." She produced a brand new pill furnace from her bag of holding and handed it over to Naruto with a smile.

The girl's name was Izumi, and she was in charge of daily affairs for master alchemists. Her Cultivation base was not very high, but according to the rumors, one of her Clan members was a Violet Furnace Lord. Furthermore, she had a pleasing personality. Therefore, many of the master alchemists had taken a liking to her. Over time, she came to take care of whatever the various master alchemists needed.

For example, during the past two months, she had delivered pill furnaces to Naruto on forty six different occasions. Today would be the forty seventh.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Naruto cleared his throat. He accepted the pill furnace, along with a jade slip that she handed over. Now that he was a master alchemist, he didn't actually have to pay up front for pill furnaces, medicinal pills, pill formulas. The Sect would provide them willingly. However, that didn't mean that they were free. They could be acquired on credit. But eventually, he had to provide compensation in the form of medicinal pills.

"How much do I owe?" he asked, looking at the jade slip with a frown.

"Including today, you owe 6,757 Chakra Condensation Pills to the Sect." She winked at him, and covered her mouth as she laughed. Then she continued on in a conciliatory tone: "It's not a big deal. You actually don't owe very much. The most I've seen someone owe is 1,730,000. That much… would probably require a lifetime of pill concocting to pay back…."

Hearing the enormous number caused Naruto to stare in shock. Then he smiled wryly, shook his head, and sighed. He took out his own jade slip and inscribed the information on it, then handed the original back to the girl.

"Alchemist Kazama, just keep working hard. Um… the most recent Pill Delivery Day has already passed. Do you think you could provide a bit more than the quota? If you do, it will make it easier to make an explanation." Izumi's smile was like a flower. It was little wonder the master alchemists all liked her. Of course, Naruto was the youngest master alchemist by far, so every time she came here she would find opportunities to make fun of him a little. She seemed to love it when Kazama blushed with embarrassment.

Naruto sighed, then picked up one of the pill bottles. Inside were five Chakra Condensation Pills. He handed them to the girl. It was his first time turning over pills toward his quota.

The girl covered her mouth as she giggled. She took the pills and left. Naruto watched her depart, after which he sealed the cave door. He held the pill furnace up in his hand and sighed.

"If things keep going like this, considering the level of my pill concocting, there won't be any Inner Sect disciples from the Violet Chakra Division who come looking for me. I'm not going to make any profits whatsoever, and I won't be able to get any new pill formulas."

The most important thing was to get invitations from Violet Chakra Division Inner Sect disciples to concoct pills. Doing so would provide more chances to encounter new pill formulas. The more invitations, the more pill formulas. Over time, his skill in alchemy would grow increasingly high. Not only would he be using medicinal pills that weren't essentially on loan from the Sect, but also, he would make a handsome profit.

As far as the embezzlement factor, well that had basically become a rule. What could the Violet Chakra Division do about that?

Naruto took a deep breath as he put the pill furnace down and picked up one of the pill bottles. He opened it up and looked at the medicinal pills inside. They were smooth and round, and spiritual energy wafted up from them. Naruto slowly began to frown.

"Perhaps there are some mistakes with my concoction techniques. If there aren't, then how come it takes so much effort to concoct pills? When Genma does it, it seems so much easier." Lost in thought and muttering to himself, Naruto stood up and began to pace around the Immortal's Cave. Suddenly, he stopped, and his eyes began to glitter.

He lifted his right hand, and the pill furnace floated over. Eyes shining brightly, he slapped his bag of holding, and ten medicinal plants emerged. His hands flew as he catalyzed them and then extracted the sap from them. In the space of about ten breaths, he prepared all the ingredients and then placed them in the furnace.

He stamped his foot lightly on the ground, after which an area just in front of him began to glow red. An intense heat emanated out. He suspended the pill furnace about three inches above the bright red spot and began to gesture incantation symbols. The pill furnace then floated up a bit higher, and then lower, going back and forth at various intervals. Soon, a medicinal aroma filled the Immortal's Cave.

As it did, Naruto sat down cross-legged. His right hand then reached out and pushed down onto the pill furnace. He closed his eyes and began to pour spiritual energy into it, beginning another catalyzing process.

This catalyzing technique he had learned from Genma. Not only did it increase the medicinal age, it… was actually required for the pill concocting process.

Soon, Naruto's eyes glittered even more brightly. According to the changes occurring within the pill furnace, he adjusted things here and there. He occasionally added some medicinal plants, or removed sediment from the pill furnace. Previously, he had required ten or twelve hours to finish concocting, but this time, after only six hours, he flicked his sleeve and removed the pill furnace from the heat. He opened the lid, and as the medicinal aroma brushed across his face, he removed four Chakra Condensation Pills from inside.

The pills were still soft, but as he removed them, they quickly began to harden, dried by the air.

"I was wrong…." He looked carefully at the relatively crude pills he had just produced, and picked up one of the pill bottles which contained another set of pills, ones he had painstakingly made to be as perfect as possible. After comparing the two types of Chakra Condensation Pills, his eyes suddenly filled with enlightenment.

"These exquisitely produced pills wore me out. The medicinal strength is clearly much higher, perhaps seventy or eighty percent. The crude pills, on the other hand, only have a medicinal strength of about thirty or forty percent.

"My previous refining technique was too strenuous. If I had known that I could make pills like I did today, then I wouldn't have wasted so many pill furnaces." He was lost in thought for a moment as he put away the Chakra Condensation Pills.

"Such a large difference in quality, about double…. Perhaps it has something to do with the time spent refining the pills. However, it shouldn't have that much of an effect. After all, I've seen Genma concoct pills both for himself and others, and there is never much of a difference."

Naruto frowned and muttered to himself for a moment, before his eyes finally glittered again.

"Could it be that it has something to do with my Perfect Foundation? My spiritual power belongs to me and does not circulate back into Heaven and Earth. It's branded as being mine alone. My five Dao Pillars can trample upon the Foundation Establishment stage. When I use it to concoct pills, it's infected with my aura…. Maybe that's why the pill furnaces kept blowing up, because the medicinal pills I was refining could be classified as Perfect?" His eyes continued to shine as he pondered the matter, eventually coming to the conclusion that his theory was correct.

He continued to think about the matter for some time, when suddenly, his expression flickered. He looked down at the bag of the Cosmos. From within the blood mask, the voice of the meat jelly transmitted into his mind. It sounded weak.

"I can't hold on any longer! I can't continue to support your transformation! Damn me, I knew I shouldn't have lent my transformation power to others. Naruto, I need to shed. I'm finished! Finished! Ah, one month. I need one month. You need to … make sure to … be careful…."

The meat jelly's voice grew weaker and weaker and then finally faded into nothing. As it did, Naruto's features flickered, and his real face returned.

As luck would have it, it was at this exact moment that the voice of Sakura could be heard outside his Immortal's Cave.

"Kazama! Open up your Immortal's Cave, I want to talk with you about something!"

Naruto's face tightened. All of a sudden, his features looked exactly the same as they used to. He was his old self, skin a bit dark, cultured and refined, with the air of a scholar. Within the scholar's air existed a touch of something demonic, and a hint of callousness.

Naruto frowned, neither lifting his head up nor paying any attention to Sakura's voice, which drifted in from outside the Immortal's Cave.

"Kazama!" she said again, her delicate brow furrowed. She had come with the specific purpose of thoroughly examining Kazama to find out why he irritated her so much.

However, the door to the Immortal's Cave was sealed shut. No sound emerged to indicate Kazama was inside. Looking far from pleased, Sakura gave a cold harrumph. Before coming she had asked around and determined that Kazama hadn't left his Immortal's Cave for days. Along the way, she had also encountered Izumi, who said she had just come from Naruto's after delivering a pill furnace.

"You close the door, don't come out, and won't even talk?" she said coldly, her eyes narrowing. "Don't tell me there's something you don't want me to know about, is there Kazama?"

Within the Immortal's Cave, Naruto frowned, continuing to ignore Sakura. He slapped his bag of holding to produce the blood-colored mask. He looked at it for a moment, then entered it with Spiritual Sense.

Within the world of the mask, he could see that the meat jelly seemed to have lost its shape-changing ability. It was no longer a parrot, but a simple rectangular slab of a meat jelly. It seemed completely lifeless, and a death aura even rose up from it.

It was extremely hard to the touch. After examining it for a moment, Naruto extracted his Spiritual Sense and sat there thoughtfully.

"According to the meat jelly, because it lent me some of its transformation ability, it now has to shed. It said one month…." He felt somewhat relieved. He could most likely last for a month, as long as he didn't let anyone see him, and didn't venture outside.

"Having Sakura outside is really annoying, though," he thought, looking up at the large door of the Immortal's Cave.

"Kazama, get out here right now!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He simply closed his eyes.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Sakura's eyes began to burn with rage. Something seemed off, and yet she couldn't think of any reason why Kazama would do this.

"Not going to say anything, huh?" she said. "Fine. If I have to, I'll go get a door-opening medallion and then use it to open this door. I'm going to ask one last time. Kazama, are you home?" She slowly began to walk away.

"I'm not home," he said coldly, an irritated look on his face.

Hearing this, Sakura stared back in shock. She had never imagined she would get such a response. She then took a deep breath. Taking one last hateful glance at the door, she turned and transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Having dismissed Sakura, Naruto pulled out the lifeless, shedding meat jelly and placed it down in front of him. He looked at it for a long moment, then sighed and closed his eyes to meditate.

After leaving Naruto, Izumi returned to the Pill Pavilion, where she made a record of the medicinal pills Naruto had handed over. She wrote the character "Namikaze" onto the pill bottle, then placed it in a pile with the bottles she had collected from other master alchemists.

After that, she paid the matter no more heed. She left the Pill Pavilion. The Pills she had collected would be organized and then delivered to the Violet Chakra Division's Honor Guard to be distributed amongst Outer Sect disciples who were in the Chakra Condensation stage.

Of course, before being delivered, they would be thoroughly inspected by someone from the Violet Chakra Division to ensure that all the medicinal pills were safe.

Time passed by slowly. Soon half a month was gone. Naruto was no longer so wasteful in his pill concocting, and actually saved quite a bit of material. No longer did his pill furnace explode, and he managed to concoct increasingly greater numbers of Chakra Condensation Pills.

It was about this time that the Chakra Condensation pills were taken from the Pill Pavilion and delivered to the Violet Chakra division for their bi-weekly Pill Distribution.

Kotaro did not have a very high Cultivation base. He was in the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Originally, he had not been a member of the Violet Chakra Division, but rather an apprentice alchemist in the East Pill Division. However, in the end, he was unable to become a master alchemist. Furthermore, his Clan occupied a relatively low position within the Violet Fate Sect. Therefore, he finally decided to switch from the East Pill Division to the Violet Chakra Division, and focus his Cultivation on magical techniques.

Because he had once been an apprentice alchemist, he had eventually been assigned to inspect the pills sent over for distribution. Only pills approved by him would be distributed to Outer Sect disciples.

He had been doing this for quite a long time. Furthermore, considering the pills he tested were merely Chakra Condensation Pills, all Kotaro needed to do was pick one up, and he would instantly be able to tell whether it was genuine, or a fake. In addition, he could very easily tell the medicinal strength of the pill.

On this particular day, the East Pill Division had just delivered a batch of pills. He sat, sipping some fragrant tea with one hand, and unsealing pill bottles with the other. One after another, he would open the bottles then place in front of his nose and sniff. It was a very leisurely task.

Behind him was a young servant who was responsible for keeping records and straightening things up.

"These Chakra Condensation Pills are all pretty much the same," said Kotaro with a sigh. "There's virtually no difference between them all. Well, they are master alchemists after all…." He picked up another bottle and unsealed the wax. Before inhaling the aroma, he drank a mouthful of tea. Then he slowly placed the bottle beneath his nose and breathed in.

As soon as he did, he suddenly stared in shock. He lowered his head and sniffed again. His eyes narrowed as he turned the bottle over and dumped the pills out into his hand. There were five of them, all Chakra Condensation Pills. After examining them closely and smelling them again, a look of shock appeared on his face.

"These…." He suddenly stood up, overturning his cup of tea. He didn't even notice that, however. His attention was completely focused on the medicinal pills.

Behind him, the young servant looked on, dumbstruck. He had never seen Kotaro act like this. This was especially true of what had just happened to the tea. Tea was one of Kotaro's greatest loves, and if he himself knocked over a cup, would be punished. However, just now, Kotaro didn't seem to even notice the spilled tea.

"The medicinal strength… how could it be of this level? Who concocted this pill?" Taking a deep breath, he picked up the bottle and looked at the character "Namikaze" inscribed on the side.

"Namikaze…. There are a thousand master alchemists, and I can think of three or four surnamed Namikaze. Which one is it?" As he muttered to himself, he carefully placed the five Chakra Condensation pills back into the pill bottle. His eyes were shining.

"I can tell that these Chakra Condensation Pills have a medicinal strength far beyond ordinary," he said, panting. "Too bad they're only Chakra Condensation Pills. If they were medicinal pills appropriate for Foundation Establishment…." His eyes glittered as he shot toward the Inner Sect.

Naturally, there was no way for Naruto to know how much of a stir his handful of Chakra Condensation Pills had caused. At the moment, he sat in his Immortal's Cave, frowning as he looked down at the meat jelly.

The meat jelly's body was now completely dry and lifeless, which made Naruto a bit nervous. If it was still like this after the month had passed, then all the gains he had made in the Violet Fate Sect up to now would be completely for naught.

The days passed, and Naruto's anxiety grew deeper. Several people had come looking for him in recent days, including Izumi and Genma. Sakura had come twice. Naruto had utilized various methods to stall them, but he couldn't keep it up for too much longer.

Thankfully, about twenty days in, cracks could be seen on the surface of the meat jelly. Every day, more appeared. Faint signs of life soon became apparent. Naruto finally started to feel a bit relieved.

After a few more days passed, there was only one more day until the month-long period was up. The meat jelly was now almost completely covered with cracks, and life force seemed to throb within it. Naruto could tell that the meat jelly was still inside, struggling to break out.

Naruto sat there quietly, waiting for the moment when the meat jelly would burst out from within the dried husk.

The night passed silently. The next day at dawn, dense cracks completely covered the surface of the meat jelly. Splintering sounds filled the air, and it seemed as if the re-born meat jelly would burst out at any moment.

Naruto couldn't do anything to help, he could only watch. It was at this moment that Pakkun's excited voice could suddenly be heard from outside the Immortal's Cave.

"Kazama, quick, open the door! I have some good news. Really good news!"

"Sir," replied Naruto immediately, "I'm in the middle of concocting some pills. I can't really come out. Brother Pakkun, please wait just a moment. Once this batch is finished, I'll come out."

"Aiya! What pills are you concocting?" replied Pakkun, his voice urgent. "Hurry up and finish. I managed to get some business for you from an Inner Sect disciple. He needs some medicinal pills, and I recommended you. If you concoct the pills for him, word will get around, and then more Inner Sect disciples will come to you looking for business." Pakkun and Naruto had developed a very good relationship during the better part of the last year. Now that Naruto was a master alchemist, Pakkun had been attempting over and over again to get some Inner Sect disciples to accept a recommendation for him to concoct pills. However, it had been difficult to get anyone to agree. As soon as he had, he'd rushed over to find Naruto.

Naruto laughed bitterly. Before, he would have jumped eagerly at such an opportunity. This was a very important step in his growth as a master alchemist within the Sect. Having just been promoted, he had to struggle to distinguish himself from the other thousand master alchemists. In the entire past three months, not a single person had come to him looking for pill concocting.

If he didn't take advantage of the first opportunity, then there would never be a second….

Unfortunately, today….

Naruto was just about to open his mouth, when suddenly, his expression flickered. He looked at the meat jelly for the space of a few breaths. Outside, Pakkun suddenly heard a thunderous boom from inside the Immortal's Cave.

It filled the entire valley, causing the mountains to tremble. Anyone inside the valley would have been able to hear it, and it attracted quite a bit of attention. Pakkun stared in shock. His ears rang, and it took a long moment for him to regain his composure.

He took a deep breath, and stepped back a pace, his heart trembling in fear. He had no idea what pill Naruto was concocting to have produced such an uproar. However, not much time passed before the door of the Immortal's Cave opened. Kazama appeared from within, smiling.

"In my haste, I exploded the pill furnace," he said. "But, that doesn't matter. I have more. Brother Pakkun, let's go!"

Pakkun looked at Naruto and said, "Should I find you an apprentice alchemist?" At the moment, Naruto's status was different than before. He was a master alchemist; regardless of whether he walked about in the East Pill Division or the Violet Chakra Division, his position was much the same as an Inner Sect disciple. He was extremely important.

According to some of the long-standing rules of the Violet Fate Sect, master alchemists were equal to Inner Sect disciples of the Violet Chakra Division. In reality, however, their position was a bit higher.

"There's no need," said Naruto with a slight smile. He descended the mountain with Pakkun, then headed toward the Violet Chakra Division. On the way, Pakkun explained the situation. The person who had requested a pill to be concocted occupied a high position in the Inner Sect. However, despite being Chosen, he wasn't able to ask for help from a Furnace Lord. Furthermore, his reputation was not very good, so most master alchemists weren't willing to help him.

The East Pill Division occupied a relatively aloof position; any master alchemist had the right to refuse a request. If they did, the Inner Sect disciples of the Violet Chakra Division would be helpless to do anything about it. This particular Chosen had very few other options. Of the master alchemists who were willing to concoct pills for him, none met up to his standards.

Pakkun was aware of this, and figured that it was a good opportunity for Kazama. Even if it ended in failure, this Chosen couldn't do anything whatsoever against the East Pill Division. Therefore, Pakkun had hurried over to find Naruto.

After hearing the explanation, Naruto thought for a moment and then asked, "What pill does he want concocted?"

"He didn't say. You can ask when we get there. My status doesn't afford me the right to ask. In any case, Mugino is a Chosen of the Violet Chakra Division. He wouldn't answer me even if I did ask." Pakkun sighed.

Naruto nodded. As they passed through the various valleys, the scene from moments ago played out in his head. The incredible noise had been caused by the meat jelly breaking out. As soon as it appeared in its reborn state, it surprisingly didn't seem interested in talking. It quickly changed Naruto's appearance back to that of Kazama's, and then flew back into the blood-colored mask to sleep.

Now, it slumbered just as the Blood Mastiff did. After a quick inspection, Naruto came to the conclusion that it would wake up in a few months. With that, he paid it no more attention. Then, it was with great excitement that he quickly gathered up the shed skin which had exploded moments before.

The shed skin was extremely tough. Even with Naruto's Cultivation base, he had no way of breaking even a single piece. Since it had come from the meat jelly, Naruto considered it to be a magical item. Not having time to examine it in detail, he had put it away and then walked out of the Immortal's Cave.

It didn't take long for Naruto and Pakkun to reach the valley which connected the East Pill Division and the Violet Chakra Division. Waiting for them there was an arrogant looking young man, who currently had his hands clasped behind his back and was looking up into the sky.

This was Mugino. He wore a red-colored robe, which flashed in the sunlight, and actually emitted a violet aura. The year Naruto had joined the Violet Fate Sect, he had learned that regardless of East Pill Division or Violet Chakra Division, violet-colored Chakra was to be treated with respect. Therefore, even though this young man didn't wear the violet robes of a Conclave disciple, the fact that his clothes emitted a violet aura indicated that he had a very high position within the sect. He was Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect.

His Cultivation base was at the peak of mid Foundation Establishment, just a hair from the next level.

When Mugino saw Naruto, he frowned and said, "So you're Kazama?" In his opinion, the older a master alchemist, the better. To him, Naruto was obviously much too young.

Naruto frowned coldly, stopping in place. During his time with Genma, he had grown accustomed to how the man handled himself in front of the Inner Sect disciples. The position of master alchemist was one that inherently demanded respect. However, it also required a bit of personal effort to earn that respect. If you set the bar too low, then others would assume your skill was lacking.

Therefore, he stood in place, then flicked his sleeve and let out a cold snort.

"Pakkun," he said coolly, "from now on, there's no need to seek me out for such pill concocting matters as this." Without another look at Mugino, he turned and began to walk off.

Pakkun often worked with master alchemists, and he was also very familiar with Naruto. How could he not understand what was happening? Feeling secretly pleased, he allowed horror to cover his face. Then he stared accusatorially at the target of Naruto's little tactic, Mugino, who stood there gaping.

"He's a master alchemist of the East Pill Division, it doesn't matter if he's young. He placed number one in the last promotion examination! Think about it! Out of one hundred thousand apprentice alchemists, only one was selected. You… Ai, you don't know how long I begged Alchemist Kazama to come before he agreed. And here you…." Shaking his head, he turned to chase after Naruto.

Mugino laughed bitterly, then sighed. He was not like Hayase and Yajirobee, who had been able to leave the Sect to gain experience. But how could he not see the way Naruto carried himself? When he thought about Pakkun's words, he realized that this Kazama's skill in alchemy must be significant. After a moment's thought, a smile appeared on his face, and he walked forward a few steps.

"The grand name of Alchemist Kazama has long since reverberated like thunder within my ears," he said. "Just now when I saw how young Alchemist Kazama is, I was so shocked that I made a slip of the tongue. Alchemist Kazama, please don't take offense."

Naruto stopped again, then turned to looked Mugino in the eye coldly. "What pill do you need?"

Mugino's eyes glittered. Seeing Naruto speak in such a manner led him to believe that he must be a person with a relatively short temper. He quickly said, "Barrier Breaking Pill!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, without the slightest bit of change. Seeing this, Mugino came the conclusion that he was obviously very worldly wise and eccentric. Actually, Naruto was currently frantically searching through his memory. Unfortunately, he had no information regarding Barrier Breaking Pills.

"There are at least seventeen pill formulas for that type of pill," he said coolly. "Furthermore, there are hundreds of types of medicinal herbs that can be used, along with many complicated variations, three hundred ninety seven to be precise. The refinement process requires delicate adjustments, which further adds seventy percent to the total possible variations. Which particular version do you want concocted?" In truth, his words were a complete fabrication. Next to him Pakkun gasped; actually, he too had been wondering what a Barrier Breaking Pill was. Hearing Naruto's words caused a look of admiration to appear in his eyes.

The way it looked to him, the words seemed to come from a perspective of extreme comprehension. At least, that was the feeling he got.

It seemed even Pakkun had been duped. Naturally, Mugino stared in shock for a moment before a bright glow appeared in his eyes. Naruto's words struck him as being profoundly enigmatic. He took a deep breath, then clasped hands and bowed. Avoiding any careless words, he said, "Alchemist Kazama, to be honest, I'm not really sure which type. I just have one pill formula, perhaps… you could take a look, sir?" He quickly retrieved a jade slip from his bag of holding which he offered to Naruto.

Were Mugino not within the Sect, he might not be so easily bluffed. However, they were inside the Violet Fate Sect, and Naruto was a fellow Sect member. Furthermore, he knew that Naruto was a master alchemist who had the upper hand. Therefore, Naruto's words truly had the desired effect.

Naruto accepted the jade slip expressionlessly, and then scanned it with Spiritual Sense. His face was the same as always, but inwardly, he was shocked.

"So, there really is such a medicinal pill. The Barrier Breaking Pill can actually only be consumed twice in a lifetime. If consumed a third time, instant death will result!

"The interactions of various medicinal plants, as well as the addition of various toxic vegetation, will create an explosive mixture that will stimulate the Chakra passageways and give the Cultivation base the ability to break through a bottleneck!" Naruto was silent for a moment as he thought.

Next to him, Mugino watched on nervously. He had previously consumed one Barrier Breaking Pill. Unfortunately, at the very last critical moment, he had failed to break through. Now he only had one chance left. The worst of it all was that over the past years he had somehow managed to offend all the Furnace Lords and master alchemists. Even if one of them agreed, he wouldn't feel at ease with the results. He was still hesitant. To Kazama, this was a simple pill concoction. But to him, it represented his very, very last chance.

If he succeeded, he would be able to enter late Foundation Establishment. Therefore, he couldn't help but be cautious.

In reality, even after choosing to seek out Kazama, he still hadn't completely made up his mind about the matter. He still wanted to feel the situation out, then make a decision based on his feeling at the time. He desired a reliable master alchemist to concoct this crucially important pill. Mugino was no Outer Sect disciple. He knew very clearly that the medicinal strength of any given pill would be different depending on who concocted it. Some people produced pills with high strength, others low. As far as Mugino was concerned, the medicinal strength of this Barrier Breaking Pill was crucially important.

The pill he had consumed previously had been of ordinary medicinal strength. Had it not, he wouldn't be here today, sighing as he was.

A long moment passed, before Naruto returned the jade slip. He muttered to himself for a moment before walking up to Mugino.

"Raise your hand."

Mugino gaped for a moment, and his eyes narrowed. However, he didn't refuse. He lifted his hand up, whereupon Naruto clasped his wrist and began to send a bit of spiritual power into him.

"Don't resist," he said coolly. He poured the spiritual power of Chakra Condensation into Mugino, who looked hesitant as he stared at Naruto. However, he allowed the spiritual power to circulate fully through his body.

Naruto quickly became certain which level of medicinal strength was required of the pill that Mugino needed to break through his bottleneck. Naruto had also detected some other complex medicinal powers within Mugino's body. Those medicinal powers seemed to contain remnants of the Chakra of the medicinal plants from the first Barrier Breaking Pill he had consumed.

"You've already consumed one Barrier Breaking Pill," said Naruto, retracting his spiritual power.

Hearing Naruto's words caused Mugino to take a deep breath. His eyes shined brightly as he looked at Naruto, shocked. He had never told anybody that he had previously consumed a Barrier Breaking Pill.

"I will help you concoct this pill," said Naruto calmly. "Prepare six sets of the medicinal plants required to make the Barrier Breaking Pill. In addition, I require thirty thousand Spirit Stones."

"I already found a few master alchemists who can make this pill…" said Mugino slowly. "The most they asked for was three sets of ingredients and ten thousand Spirit Stones."

"I guarantee that my pill will enable you to break through," Naruto replied coolly. His tone was calm, but there also existed potent air within it.

"Are you serious?!" gasped Mugino, his eyes flashing brightly. He had long since come to the conclusion that this Alchemist Kazama was very different from the other master alchemists.

"If you don't believe me, then never mind," said Naruto, turning to leave.

Mugino's heart twisted. It only took a moment for a determined look to break out on his face. Seeing how different Kazama was from the others, and how he had been able to detect his previous consumption of the Barrier Breaking Pill, caused him to make up his mind. Without any further hesitation, he produced a bag of holding and quickly put the required medicinal plants and Spirit Stones inside. He handed it to Naruto.

"In two weeks, at twilight, you may come collect your pill," said Naruto. With the flick of a sleeve, he left with Pakkun, his black gown fluttering in the breeze. A scholarly aura swirled around him, as did the faint scent of medicinal pills. He seemed otherworldly.

Pakkun held his tongue for the entire way back. Finally, when they reached the door of the Immortal's cave, he couldn't keep his mouth closed any longer. "Kazama, your plan…."

"I need Spirit Stones," he said with a laugh. "I asked for six sets of medicinal plants because I plan to give a Barrier Breaking Pill to you. I can see that you've been stuck at the bottleneck of the eighth level of Chakra Condensation for years now." He clasped Pakkun on the shoulder, turned, and entered his Immortal's Cave.

As the door closed shut, Pakkun stood there alone for some time. Finally, he clasped hands and bowed deeply, then left. His words of thanks were not spoken aloud, but imprinted on his heart.

Time passed. Soon seven days had gone by. Naruto sat cross-legged in his Immortal's Cave, looking at the three Barrier Breaking Pills in front of him. He picked one up and looked at it closely.

"The difference between medicinal pills and poison pills is a matter of will. If murder were on my mind, I could simply adjust the poisonous elements of this Barrier Breaking Pill, and then whoever consumed it would be exterminated. Even if that person was extremely prudent and had someone else test the pill first, I could figure out a way to cause the pill to initiate a self-change. Undetectable killing…."

Naruto sat there silently, thinking about all of the medicinal pills he had consumed over the years. At that time, he had no understanding of the Dao of alchemy. Thinking about it caused all the hairs on his body to stand up on end. Now that he knew more about alchemy, a sense of fear slowly filled him.

"From now on, I must only consume pills that I have concocted myself," he murmured. "As for pills from outsiders, I must employ my full knowledge of the Dao of alchemy to identify them before consuming them. The difference between Dao of alchemy and the Dao of poison is a matter of will. Medicinal pills can foster life, poison can exterminate it. A true grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy is in actuality also a grandmaster of the Dao of poison." Naruto closed his eyes, and within his mind appeared images of medicinal plants. There were endless varieties of plants that had poisonous elements. By combining certain ones together, lethal poisons could be created.

Based on the level of the Cultivation base, poisonous powders for pills could be made with different potencies. After thinking about it for a very long moment, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. They glowed with enlightenment. To Naruto, concocting this Barrier Breaking Pill had been a sort of baptism. He now had a much more profound understanding of the Dao of alchemy.

"Maybe one day when my skill in the Dao of alchemy reaches the level of Grandmaster Pill Demon, then I can dispel the poison of the Resurrection Lily myself!" His eyes shined brightly.

Slowly the glow faded. Naruto's state of mind gradually grew calm. He had the feeling that even though he was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, with five Dao Pillars, when you added in his understanding of the Dao of alchemy, his battle prowess was now far beyond what it had been before.

In fact, if he created some poison pills now, then next time he encountered Asuma, it would be easy to kill him, regardless of how many techniques his opponent used.

After more thought, Naruto took out the broken pieces of the meat jelly's shed skin. He studied them carefully for a while. His time in recent days had not just been spent in pill concocting. He had also thought a lot about various methods of using the meat jelly skin.

It was exceptionally hard. He had used a variety of methods to attempt to damage it, none of which had been successful. He had even tried to refine it in the pill furnace, to no avail. Thankfully, although most of the skin had broken into pieces, some had exploded into dust, which Naruto had also collected.

Naruto closed his eyes to think. "I have to think of a way to use this stuff in the future. Also, I can't just focus on improving my skill in the Dao of Alchemy. I also have to improve my Dao Pillars. I need to gradually increase the level of the Cultivation base I reveal when I'm out in the Violet Fate Sect." He frowned. "I need some formulas for medicinal pills useful in the mid Foundation Establishment stage."

With that, he stood up and left the Immortal's Cave to visit Genma. It was dusk when he returned. In exchange for the formula for the Barrier Breaking Pill, he had acquired the formula for a Spirit Platform Pill, which was appropriate for the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

Now that he had the formula, Naruto began to consider concocting it himself. He would only need one; there was no need to concoct more than that. As for the required medicinal plants, he was a master alchemist of the East Pill Division, so they could easily be acquired on credit.

Time flashed as seven days passed. On this particular day, Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open. He had just finished absorbing the Spirit Platform Pill that he had concocted a few days before. Unfortunately, refining the pill had used up several sets of ingredients, and in the end, the medicinal strength wasn't ideal.

"I guess I have no other options for now, unless there are different formulas for the Spirit Platform Pill," he murmured. "The rare medicinal plants for this formula can't be acquired on credit, I have to pay for them up front. My only option now is to grow my reputation. That way, more Inner Sect disciples will come to me to concoct pills. My profits will increase, and of course my pill concocting skill will too. Then I can acquire more medicinal plants to use to concoct medicinal pills for myself." With that, he waved his right hand to collect together the medicinal pills in front of him, then walked out of the Immortal's Cave. By this time, it was dusk.

As soon as he left District One Valley One, he ran into Pakkun. Today was the appointed day to meet with Mugino. The two of them chatted as they walked to the designated meeting place.

Mugino had arrived early. He was nervous, but didn't show it on his face. He stood waiting; when he caught sight of Naruto approaching, his eyes glittered.

Naruto was as calm as ever. As he approached, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a pill bottle, which flew toward Mugino.

"You must not take this pill under the moonlight," said Naruto indifferently. "It should only be consumed at high noon, when the sun burns brightly. That is when the medicinal strength will be highest." With that, he turned and walked away, paying no further attention to Mugino.

Mugino took the pill bottle and stared deeply at Naruto for a moment. Without a word, he also turned and left.

The next day at noon, when the hot sun filled the sky, Mugino sat cross-legged on a wide stone platform in his Immortal's Cave. Various restrictive spells were set up around him. He breathed deeply as he produced the medicinal pill Naruto had concocted for such an exorbitant price. Mugino looked at, and a bit of hesitation flickered in his eyes. However, the hesitation quickly turned to determination.

"Kazama, if you pulled a fast one on me, then matters between us are not concluded!" He clenched his jaw, then quickly placed the pill into his mouth. Instantly, a roaring sound filled his mind, and his entire body began to quiver. Furious waves of spiritual energy exploded within him.

Time slipped by. Soon three days had passed. Mugino's body continued to shake. On the evening of the third day, his eyes opened, and as they did, the power of late Foundation Establishment stage rippled out from his Cultivation base, filling the surrounding area. His eyes shone with excitement, and he trembled as he rose to his feet. As he examined his Cultivation base, his heart surged. He lifted his head up and began to laugh with joy.

The laughter spread out, attracting the attention of quite a few nearby Inner Sect disciples. Soon, expressions of shock appeared on their faces.

"Mugino finally broke through!"

"He's been stuck in mid Foundation Establishment for years. He finally broke through!"

News of Mugino's breakthrough caused quite the uproar in the Inner Sect of the Violet Chakra Division. Now that he had reached late Foundation Establishment, he had a chance for promotion to Conclave disciple. Considering how many years he had been stuck in mid Foundation Establishment, his breakthrough also caused him to suddenly be viewed as competition by many other disciples.

If the matter were limited to a simple breakthrough, then all eyes would be fixed on Mugino alone. After all, a late breakthrough is still simply a breakthrough. However, Pakkun had been keeping an eye on Mugino's Immortal's Cave. As soon as he sensed that the breakthrough had been made, he immediately used all his skill and resources to spread word of it, and the fact that it was Kazama who concocted the pill.

It was in this fashion that he was able to borrow the momentum of Mugino's breakthrough to rapidly spread word of Kazama's skill in alchemy. Word spread like storm winds through the Inner Sect disciples. Within a few days, all of the Inner Sect disciples in the Violet Chakra Division were talking about Mugino and Kazama.

When Inner Sect disciples went to master alchemists for pill concocting services, what was sometimes more important than alchemic skill, was reputation. The greater the reputation of the master alchemist, the more people would seek him out. Thanks to Pakkun's promotion, as well as Mugino's breakthrough, the resulting ballyhoo immediately caused Kazama's name to spread throughout the entire Inner Sect.

Mugino had no reservations about this. In fact, not only was he happy to allow Kazama to use his name to promote himself, but whenever people asked him about his breakthrough, he would directly explain that Kazama's medicinal pill was what had led to his breakthrough in Cultivation base.

The reason for this was quite simple. A few words on his part could verify how astonishing Kazama's medicinal pills were. This would prevent any cause of offense on the part of Kazama, and would build up good karma for the next time he needed a pill concocted.

It was in this fashion that Kazama's reputation slowly began to build among the Inner Sect Disciples. Soon, everyone knew of Alchemist Kazama, one of the thousand master alchemists of the East Pill Division. However, Inner Sect disciples all had master alchemists of whom they personally approved. Mere rumors alone wouldn't cause them to switch to a new master alchemist for pill concocting, not even when combined with Mugino's breakthrough. Many were still hesitant.

Soon, the news reached the Violet Chakra Division's Outer Sect, and the disciple in charge of pill inspecting, Kotaro. His eyes began to shine. For a month now he had been wondering about the master alchemist surnamed Namikaze. He had gone to the Pill Affairs Pavilion in the Inner Sect for information but had come up empty-handed. After that, every time medicinal pills arrived in the Outer Sect, he would inspect them very carefully. However, he never saw any more pills marked Namikaze. This caused him to sigh endlessly.

He had saved the original bottle of pills, and frequently took them out to study. The more he did, the more admiration grew in his heart, and the more curious he grew regarding the identity of this Alchemist Kazama. When the news about Kazama and Mugino reached him, he was immediately eighty percent sure that Kazama was the person he had been looking for.

He instantly rushed out of the Outer Sect and headed toward the East Pill Division. He tracked down Pakkun and begged him to recommend him to Kazama.

During these days, Naruto was well aware of all that Pakkun was doing to spread his name. He sat patiently waiting for requests to come in, yet none did, which caused him to frown.

It was at this moment that Kotaro's request for a pill came in. Naruto was immediately enlivened, and sent his response.

A few days later, Kotaro received the medicinal pills he needed. He immediately returned to his room. After doing some breathing exercises, he thoroughly examined the pill. As he did, his eyes began to shine more and more brightly. In the end, he was panting.

"I provided medicinal plants with fifty percent strength, and this pill also has fifty percent strength. Only a Furnace Lord could mix the various medicinal plants together to create a medicinal pill like this. Ordinary master alchemists could never do it. At the most, they could create a pill with thirty percent medicinal strength. This is astonishing! This Kazama… he's only a master alchemist, but he can concoct the medicinal pills of a Furnace Lord!" Unable to contain his excitement, he held up the fifty percent strength medicinal pill and then placed it into his mouth. A few hours later, he opened his eyes.

"If you consume one type of medicinal pill too often, it will become less and less effective. This is the result of problems with the medicinal plants within the pill. Therefore, a medicinal pill like this with fifty percent medicinal strength, well, its true value can only be imagined!" Now that he had personally confirmed his conjectures regarding Kazama, he quickly decided that they needed to become friends.

"It is a foregone conclusion that he will rise to the pinnacle. At the moment, though, his reputation is still growing and lots of people are hesitating. Helping him now will definitely be a way to build up good karma for the future!" Kotaro's line of thinking was the same as Mugino's. The difference was that he had a much better understanding of Kazama's ability with plants and vegetation, as well as his skill in concocting medicinal pills, and the value thereof.

A new commotion rose up among the Inner Sect disciples of the Violet Chakra Division. This was because Kotaro, although he hadn't made a breakthrough, had made significant progress in his Cultivation base. Furthermore, he repeatedly talked about Kazama's pills within the Inner Sect. In fact, he would even pull out two of the same type of medicinal pill, one concocted by Kazama, one concocted by another master alchemist. Then he would compare the two, point by point.

First was Mugino, and then Kotaro. Their recommendations, coupled with the waves spread by Pakkun's promotion, caused all of the discussion within the Inner Sect over the next half month to revolve around Kazama.

Finally, more and more Inner Sect disciples began to seek out Kazama to concoct pills.

At first, it was just a disciple here and there. They were hesitant, and clearly just wanted to test the waters. They would seek out Pakkun, whereupon he would recommend Kazama's services.

Naruto didn't refuse anyone who came for pill concocting services. When his pill furnace exploded under the strain of such frequent use, he would immediately get a replacement.

The first group of three or four Inner Sect disciples who came to him for pills came back a few days later and took their purchases back to their Immortal's Caves.

Iori, who was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, was one of them. He wasn't very prominent among the Inner Sect disciples, and had only sought out a master alchemist once before for pill concoction. After experiencing how impressive they were, he was deeply moved. Unfortunately, he was embarrassingly short of Spirit Stones, and could only afford to acquire pills during the Sect's Pill Distribution.

The reason he sought out Kazama's services was because he could tell that Kazama's name was on the rise. This might be his only opportunity, so he decided to take advantage of it while he could.

He sat in his Immortal's cave, holding a pill bottle. Inside were ten medicinal pills useful for the early Foundation Establishment stage. He took a deep breath, and put one of the pills into his mouth. Almost immediately, his eyes grew wide, and filled with the glow of disbelief. He looked down at the rest of the medicinal pills. Just looking at them, they didn't seem any different from any of the other pills he had consumed in the past.

A long while passed. After absorbing the power of all the pills, Iori took a deep breath. He produced yet another pill bottle. Inside were two pills useful for the early Foundation Establishment stage. After examining them closely, he consumed them. A few moments later more disbelief filled his eyes.

"What's going on? The pills the master alchemist concocted for me before didn't do much. They just transformed into spiritual energy. But… but… Kazama's medicinal pills are incredibly potent! They created more than fifty percent more spiritual energy than the others!" He panted, and his eyes shone. If at this point he didn't realise what was going on, then he didn't deserve to be an Inner Sect disciple.

Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped up and rushed out of the Immortal's Cave and headed directly to find Kazama. He would take advantage of others' hesitation to have more pills concocted.

However, as soon as he neared the East Pill Division, he found that the other Inner Sect disciples who had recently picked up pills from Kazama apparently all had the same idea as him. They were all returning, excited expressions on their faces. The group all exchanged glances, then wordlessly shot together to the East Pill Division to find Pakkun.

Before, they had been interested in simply trying out the pills; now, things were clearly different.

They did not possess Kotaro's ability to identify and analyze medicinal pills. However, after consuming them, they immediately realized that Naruto's medicinal pills were beyond ordinary. You could say that if other master alchemists could create pills of one hundred percent strength, then Naruto's were one hundred and fifty percent were at least fifty percent stronger, which of course made these Inner Sect disciples incredibly happy.

What they didn't know was that Naruto's medicinal pills were not just fifty percent stronger in terms of medicinal strength. In the world of alchemic Cultivation in all of the Southern Domain, the medicinal pills concocted by master alchemists never exceeded roughly thirty percent medicinal strength. The rest of the strength was lost in the concocting process. In the end, the medicinal pills they created were not complete. On the other hand, Naruto could concoct pills of fifty percent medicinal strength. It was instantly apparent who was in the superior position and who was not.

Kazama's imminent explosive popularity among the Inner Sect disciples was obvious.

The news that the first group of Inner Sect disciples returned for more pills quickly spread. Soon Pakkun didn't need to do any promotion whatsoever. Rumors passed between friends inside the Inner Sect, and soon more and more disciples came looking for pill concocting. It wasn't long before the spreading word caused Naruto's name to rise above that of the other master alchemists. His reputation grew and grew.

"Did you hear? The East Pill Division has a master alchemist named Kazama. The pills he creates are twice as effective as the pills created by the other master alchemists!"

"How is that possible? I don't cultivate the Dao of Alchemy, but I've dealt with a lot of different master alchemists, so I know what I'm talking about. Unless this Kazama is a Furnace Lord, there's no way his pills could be that much more effective in comparison."

"Hahaha! All you have to do is try them out, then you'll know whether you're right or not. Have him make a pill for you, then you'll know." Conversations similar to this could be heard throughout the Inner Sect of the Violet Chakra Division.

Eventually, people began to seek out Pakkun every single day.

According to the rules of the East Pill Division, outsiders were not allowed to enter. The only way to seek out master alchemists was to use messaging jade slips. However, Naruto did not have any direct contact with anyone, only Pakkun did.

More and more Inner Sect disciples arranged to visit Pakkun. Soon, he was starting to get more work than he could deal with. Naruto was surprised by this turn of events. Before long, he was spending almost all his time concocting pills. It was getting to the point where he couldn't keep up. It was a happy sort of pain. Because of the volume of pills he was concocting, his Dao of alchemy advanced by leaps and bounds. Furthermore, he was acquiring a large amount of pill formulas, and was also building up quite a store of medicinal plants which he acquired from the excess ingredients provided.

Things only continued to grow more and more intense. After two months, every single Inner Sect disciple in the Violet Chakra Division knew about Kazama. The whole place was abuzz. Anyone who had the mind to try one of Naruto's medicinal pills would immediately be astounded, and would return for more.

More than a few acquired sample pills by trading with others. Some relied on the word of others and would without hesitation seek out Pakkun.

Soon Naruto had reached the point where he simply had too much work to do. Pumping out so many medicinal pills was driving him to exhaustion. Therefore, he discussed matters with Pakkun and decided to raise prices!

He arranged a pricing system with different values assigned to different types of medicinal pills. The prices were obviously higher than other master alchemists'. This had been Pakkun's idea, which Naruto had approved of. What neither of them had expected was that raising the prices actually caused his popularity to rise. Both of them were stupefied.

More and more Inner Sect disciples came, which was now causing complaints among the other master alchemists. However as soon they took time to study Naruto's medicinal pills, the complaints disappeared….

The reason Naruto was so incredibly popular was because of the fifty percent medicinal strength of his pills. To the Inner Sect disciples, the benefits of consuming such pills went without saying.

Most importantly, in the entire East Pill Division, the only other people whose skill in the Dao of alchemy was enough to produce pills of fifty percent medicinal strength, were Furnace Lords.

However, Furnace Lords would not concoct pills for Inner Sect disciples, only Conclave disciples. With the appearance of Naruto, suddenly, all Inner Sect disciples had the chance to get medicinal pills of Furnace Lord quality, but at the price of a master alchemist. After all, they could only make requests of Naruto, and not the Furnace Lords.

Therefore, even after raising prices, Naruto's medicinal pills were still cheaper than those concocted by Furnace Lords. As such, Inner Sect disciples could accept the higher cost.

Kazama was all the rage!

His name wasn't just popular within the Inner Sect of the Violet Chakra Division. The apprentice alchemists of the East Pill Division were all talking about his shocking promotion to master alchemist. Eventually, Kazama's name reached the ears of some of the Elders of the Violet Fate Sect, causing them to take note of the situation.

Many of the master alchemists in the East Pill Division were still not resigned to the situation. Through various methods, they were able to acquire some of Naruto's medicinal pills, which they researched thoroughly. Their research left them astonished. More and more master alchemists participated in the research. In the end, when Naruto raised his prices, the orders Pakkun accepted only increased.

Over the course of a few months, Naruto had acquired hundreds of pill formulas. The Spirit Stones were rolling in, and his stores of medicinal plants were plentiful. Naruto was happy, although now he had almost no personal time. Each day, every day, he concocted pills. When his spiritual power began to dry up, he would consume some medicinal pills to recover. Over the months, his sixth Dao Pillar came to be roughly half complete.

One can only imagine his life during these few months….

Finally, it reached the point that Naruto really didn't think it was possible to complete all the orders. Finally, he made a new decision. He had Pakkun make an announcement that only three orders would be processed per day.

He really had no other option than this. The proclamation of this rule brought instant results. Not a few complaints were voiced, and malicious talk spread. Despite that, the rules of three orders per day stood. There were no rest days. The Inner Sect disciples of the Violet Chakra Division came up with various methods to secure spots among the three orders per day.

Kazama had risen to prominence within the Violet Fate Sect. There was not a single Inner Sect disciple in the Violet Chakra Division who didn't know of him. The name of this newly promoted master alchemist reverberated like thunder in the ears of the other master alchemists of the East Pill Division.

Considering the situation with the Inner Sect disciples and the master alchemists, there is no need to even mention the Outer Sect disciples and the apprentice alchemists. The name of Alchemist Kazama swept across the Sect like a raging wind, and his prestige among the Violet Sect Disciples only grew greater.

Speculation began to run wild regarding Kazama. The general consensus was that he had an eccentric personality, didn't speak much, didn't like to go out or engage in social activities. In truth, very few people actually knew what he even looked like.

All requests for medicinal pills went through Pakkun. As for Kazama, although everyone knew his name, no one ever had the opportunity to meet him. Because of the rules of the East Pill Division prohibiting the intrusion of Violet Chakra Division disciples, Kazama became an increasingly mysterious figure.

This, in addition to his rule of only three orders per day, the results of which were equivalent to the work of Furnace Lords, only served to increase his reputation.

In fact, the rule of three orders per day had caused the Inner Sect disciples to create a trade system, in which prices continued to increase.

At this particular moment, deep within the East Pill Division, was a violet-colored mountain peak. The peak was not very high, and in fact was somewhat concealed by the surrounding peaks. However, an indescribable aura existed here which made it clear that while the mountain was not tall, it served as the heart of the entire mountain range.

Sitting atop this mountain was an old man. In front of him was a worktable, upon which lay a medicinal pill. He looked at it, his eyes glowing with a strange light. Behind this old man were three other persons.

These people were by no means young. All of them had Cultivation bases at the Nascent Soul stage. However, it seemed as if they didn't dare to breathe too loudly in front of the other old man. Their expressions were filled with respect.

This old man was none other than Sakura's master, Grandmaster Pill Demon, whose name could rock the entire Southern Domain.

He examined the medicinal pill in front of him for some time. Soon, the sun began to set. Finally, he slowly waved his hand and picked up the pill.

"Interesting," he said, then began to laugh. He closed his hand over the pill and rubbed it. When he opened his hand again, ash drifted out into the wind.

One of the three men behind Grandmaster Pill demon hesitated for a moment, then quietly said, "Pill Demon, there is discontent within the Violet Chakra Division…."

"Discontent?" said Pill Demon coolly. "Let them be patient. If anyone causes problems for the disciples of the East Pill Division, they will be cut off from medicinal pills for ten years." With that, he flicked his sleeve and disappeared.

The three men exchanged glances. With bitter smiles, they bowed to the position Pill Demon had just occupied, then turned and left.

Beneath the evening sky, behind the short, violet-colored mountain was a towering peak which stretched up to the sky. Halfway up the mountain was a pavilion, the greater part of which stretched out of the mountain to hang in mid-air. During the day, you could stand here to look out across the land. At nighttime, when the stars came out, it almost seemed possible to reach up and touch the sky.

This particular evening, the rays of the setting sun fell across everything, creating a languid atmosphere. The golden glow, combined with the rosy clouds on the horizon, led to a scene of incredible beauty.

Within the pavilion, the evening air stirred. The wind did not disperse the clouds, but did send strands of long, black hair drifting into the wind. The hair belonged to none other than Sakura.

She stood quietly within the pavilion, her hair dancing in the wind. Her brow was furrowed slightly as she lifted her hand up. There in her palm was a medicinal pill.

"How did he concoct it…." she thought. "Could it be that his aptitude with the Dao of alchemy is similar to his latent talent with plants and vegetation…? Is there really someone so gifted in the Dao of alchemy? It's breathtaking…."

The pill was waxen and yellow, and did not seem to be a complete product.

By expending some Spirit Stones, she had been able to purchase a pill from an Inner Sect disciple. Of course, that medicinal pill had been the handiwork of Naruto.

After getting ahold of the pill, Sakura's first reaction was that of disdain. But then she had studied it fastidiously. As she did, her expression changed. In the end, she stared wide-eyed and disbelieving.

After studying the pill for seven days, she had eventually ground it into powder. After such thorough examination, although she still felt annoyed at the thought of Kazama, she couldn't help but admit that as for this medicinal pill… even she could only create it if she devoted her complete mind and spirit to the task.

Finally, she had used Grandmaster Pill Demon's unique method to re-concoct the pill. She had taken the powder of the original pill to form a second pill. After the second refinement, the pill's medicinal strength was actually sixty percent. That was her limit.

"If he learned my master's refinement technique," she murmured softly, "who knows what level of medicinal pills he would be able to concoct…?" She looked off at the rosy clouds in the distance, then back down at the pill in her hand.

"Master said that he might hold the secret to enlightenment regarding the Three Mortalities Pill. But he's so arrogant! Last time I went to visit he locked himself inside and refused to come out!" Thinking of this made her more annoyed. Even the mere name of Kazama would cause her temper to boil up with irritation.

"This Kazama's detestableness is second only to that damned Naruto!" she said, gnashing her teeth. Clearly, the two people she hated most in her heart were Naruto, first, and Kazama, second.

However, she still didn't know why Kazama caused her so much irritation. Of course, if she knew that Kazama and Naruto were one and the same, then she would immediately understand why.

At the same time that Sakura was muttering to herself, Naruto sat in front of his pill furnace concocting a batch of medicinal pills. A roaring sound could be heard, filling the Immortal's Cave. Naruto sighed. The past few months, he had spent every day concocting pills. He was just now finishing with all the pills he owed to various members of the Inner Sect. The pill furnace in front of him was reaching the end of its life; it would definitely crack to pieces soon.

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose, then opened the door of his Immortal's Cave to look at the sunset. He took a deep breath. The mountain breath carried the chill of autumn. As he breathed it in, the tension slowly eased from his painfully swollen head.

"Once I finish with all the old orders, then all I have to worry about are the three orders per day, as well as the medicinal pills I need for my personal Cultivation. Spirit Platform Pills are already only nominally effective. If I concoct anything, it should be a Foundation Establishment Day!" His eyes glittered. Foundation Establishment Day was a medicinal pill suitable for the late Foundation Establishment stage. It was an incredibly potent pill, one of the most valuable types in all of the Violet Fate Sect for the Foundation Establishment stage.

Recently, Naruto had refined over a thousand batches of pills, and had acquired hundreds of formulas. One of them was the formula for Foundation Establishment Day. After some research, he'd come to the conclusion that in order to make any progress, he would have to rest some, then use all his skill to concoct a Foundation Establishment Day with at least ninety percent medicinal strength.

With such a pill, he could complete his sixth Dao Pillar and begin formation of the seventh.

"It's too bad that the Violet Chakra from the East manual is only available to Furnace Lords. It's a legendary art, and there's no other way to get a look at it. Careful records are kept of everyone who studies it." Lost in thought, Naruto strolled down the mountain. This was the first time in a long time that he had been outside.

"Even Inner Sect disciples aren't qualified to consult the Violet Chakra from the East manual. They are forced to cultivate based on speculations. Only Conclave disciples of the Violet Chakra Division or Furnace Lords can personally peruse the real manual to study the technique." Naruto was determined to gain access to it. Only in this way could he prepare to form a Violet Core. With that foundation, he could consume the pill to form the Perfect Gold Core.

"I've searched for some of the medicinal plants required for the Perfect Gold Core, but am still missing quite a few. Once I become a Furnace Lord, it should become a bit easier." Naruto passed through various valleys, lost in thought. Along the way, he ran into quite a few apprentice alchemists. Some of them recognized him, and stared in amazement. Then their faces would fill with excitement.

After all, thirty thousand apprentice alchemists had watched him be promoted to master alchemist. It was no surprise that many would recognize him still. However, now that he was a master alchemist, they didn't dare to stop and chat with him. Instead, they simply saluted respectfully.

Naruto wanted to find a quiet place to think. After smiling in response to the apprentice alchemists, he disappeared in a flash. He left the mountains and valleys of the East Pill Division to enter the Violet Chakra Division.

Here, very few people would recognize him. He walked happily amidst the mountains, wearing his master alchemist's robe. No one stopped to question him, so he proceeded along quietly.

As he strolled, he looked around at the scenery. He had been in the Violet Fate Sect for roughly three years. Although he was relatively familiar with it, it was actually a very large place. There were many areas he had never been to. As he walked, he suddenly heard the sound of an argument in which his name was being mentioned

"That Kazama is definitely fishing for fame and compliments. He thinks his pills are so amazing, so he wants to make trouble for us. We can't accept it! I already reported to the Elders about it and they're going to get in touch with the people from the East Pill Division. Kazama will be punished! As for you, you measly apprentice alchemist, you had best apologize for your offense!"

"Elder Brother Baki, please calm your anger. This is my fault. However, it really is true that the next ten days or more worth of orders have already been filled…"

There was a jumble of conversation, then laughter. Naruto listened to a few sentences and was certain that one of the voices belonged to Pakkun. He walked around an ornamental rock formation into a wide public square within which could be seen four pagodas.

Within the pagodas sat a handful of young men who were all looking at the square, where could be seen a few dozen Violet Chakra Division Inner Sect disciples.

The young men sitting in the pagodas were not ordinary disciples, but Chosen of the Violet Chakra Division. There were four pagodas in total, and four Chosen, one in each pagoda.

The handful of people who stood in the square, were scattered about, with Pakkun in the middle. A blue-robed young man was currently pointing at himself and swearing at Pakkun contemptuously.

"My words might not be rules in the Sect, but as far as you're concerned, they are! If I tell you to slap yourself on the face and apologize, then you better well do it!"

Pakkun's face went pale and his body trembled. His Cultivation base was weak. He was a well-informed person, but quite a few people actually viewed him as being in a very low position. This was not the first time something like this had happened recently. However, he never told Naruto, as he didn't want to distract him. He was always careful in his interactions, but there was always the possibility that he would end up offending someone.

As for this young man named Baki, he had relied on his relatively high position within the Sect to request medicinal pills of Naruto. However, only three orders per day were allowed, and they were first come first serve. Pakkun had done his best not to provoke this Baki youth, but his conciliatory words had only caused him to become hostile.

Even lowly people have their honor. However, Pakkun, trembling, bitter, stared at Baki. He lifted his hand, and seemed just about to slap himself in the face when…

Naruto's calm voice echoed out. "Pakkun!"

When Naruto's voice rang out, Pakkun looked shocked. He suddenly turned his head and saw Naruto slowly strolling out from behind the ornamental rock. He walked slowly, and his face was expressionless.

When Pakkun saw him, his heart leapt with excitement, as well as a little bit of shame. In his mind, he had lost face for Kazama. He was about to open his mouth to say something, when Naruto's gaze fell upon him, and it was filled with admiration.

That gaze made Pakkun take a deep breath, as if he was proud to have someone recognize all the work he had been doing. It was a good feeling to be following along with Naruto as he rose to prominence.

Naruto's appearance obviously attracted the attention of the others in the square. They looked over, but of course none of them recognized who he was. The Chosen in the four pagodas frowned. Obviously, Naruto was a stranger to them as well.

"Who told you to put your hand down?" said the young man named Baki. "Do you want me to help you slap yourself?" His voice was filled with contempt. He, too, had caught sight of Naruto. But this was a valley of the Violet Chakra Division. He wouldn't let his grandeur be lessened just because some master alchemist showed up. This was especially true because he knew all of the important master alchemists in the Sect.

Standing directly behind Baki were five others. Their gazes were filled with contempt, and cold smiles broke out onto their faces.

"Pakkun, come here," said Naruto, ignoring Baki. He also ignored the other gazes which fell upon him. Naruto had encountered many people like this. It didn't matter if they were Chosen or Dao Children, considering Naruto's position, they were nothing more than wild dogs that he could afford to simply ignore.

Pakkun quickly turned and took a few steps toward Naruto, but then Baki snorted coldly and began to shove his hand out toward him.

"I never said you could leave! Seems you need a beating!" His hand was just about to slam into Pakkun when Naruto's previous expressionless calm changed. A cold light suddenly sprang from his eyes and swept over Baki.

The look was like a clap of thunder, a lightning bolt that split the night sky, or dark clouds of destruction that suddenly appeared in the middle of a sunny day.

It was as if rumbling peals of thunder had filled Baki's mind. His expression changed. Naruto's gaze was like that of a gargantuan beast that had the power to consume all living things. It caused Baki to unconsciously hold his hand back. By this time, Pakkun had reached Naruto.

Naruto retracted his gaze, then turned to leave with Pakkun. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, as well as his position within the Sect, these disciples were far beneath him. There was no reason for him to show off in front of these so-called Chosen.

Of course, other than the young man named Baki, none of the other Violet Chakra Division Culitvators within the square had been able to sense what just happened, not even the five people who stood behind him. The only thing they saw was Naruto's fierce attitude, and the harsh glint in his eye. However, anyone in the world could give a harsh look to someone; they couldn't care less about that.

The expression of the Chosen in the four pagodas did change, though. They looked pensive. However, the followers who stood outside the pagodas were obviously much the same as the Cultivators in the middle of the square. They had no clue as to what had just happened.

The five people behind Baki immediately rushed forward to obstruct Naruto's path. Their eyes shined with ill will.

"The Violet Chakra Division isn't somewhere that you can just run your mouth and then leave at will!"

"Halt! Elder Brother Baki was explaining the rules. Pakkun, you can't leave on two feet! You'll need a beating!"

"Such gall! Even if you are a master alchemist, do you really think that you can look down on Inner Sect disciples of the Violet Chakra Division so wantonly?"

Baki took a deep breath and then strode forward. His voice cold, he said, "You can leave if you want to, but this Pakkun disrespected us. To let him go unpunished would be an insult to the entire Violet Chakra Division Inner Sect!" He was scared of Naruto; however, while his voice was less arrogant than it had been moments ago, it was still arrogant nonetheless.

Pakkun's face grew pale and he forced himself to suppress the fury that arose in his eyes. He knew that Naruto was a master alchemist, but they were in the territory of the Inner Sect disciples of the Violet Chakra Division, so he still had some misgivings. He didn't mind slapping himself in the face a few times. He didn't want Naruto to get caught up in any troubles because of him. So he stopped in his tracks.

Even as he did, Naruto also stopped and turned around. "Who are these people?" he asked coolly.

Pakkun's voice was low as he replied, "Violet Chakra Division Inner Sect disciple Baki… he…."

Naruto nodded, then calmly said, "From today on, I will not accept any medicinal pill orders from this Baki."

As the words rang out, the Inner Sect disciples all stared in surprise. A few of the more astute among their numbers were already starting to get an idea of what was going on.

The Chosen in the pagodas all stared at Naruto with glittering eyes. One of them had already stepped out of the pagoda and walked forward a few paces.

"Not just him," said Naruto unhurriedly. "Those people behind him, too. I won't accept any orders from them either." Pakkun's face filled with shock, but he nodded nonetheless.

Baki face tightened as he suddenly looked at Naruto. His eyes shined with disbelief. If at this point he didn't realize who Naruto was, then he didn't deserve to have practiced Cultivation up to the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, there are a lot of stupid people in the world. One of the young men next to Baki suddenly laughed.

"Who do you think you are? Seems you think we were begging you to concoct pills or something, so now you're not afraid of your superiors. What makes you think you're so amazing that you can talk like that?"

"Because I'm Kazama Namikaze!" said Naruto coolly. This single sentence instantly caused the young man's eyes to bulge and a look of disbelief to cover his face.

"Kazama… Namikaze…."

The faces of the others who stood behind Baki all twisted. They looked at Naruto, stunned. It wasn't just them. All of the Violet Chakra Division disciples in the square gasped when they heard these words. Their eyes began to shine brightly as they looked toward Naruto.

The faces of the Violet Chakra Division Chosen flicked through a variety of expressions. Silence instantly filled the square.

The name of Kazama had towered over the Violet Fate Sect throughout the past months. He had an illustrious reputation. Few people didn't know about him and his pill concocting.

Therefore, when Naruto spoke the name of Kazama, it was like a thunderclap resounding across a plain.

Baki's face fell, and the Cultivators behind him suddenly looked worried. Moments ago, they had been happy to teach Pakkun a lesson. After all, he was merely an apprentice alchemist. But now that Alchemist Kazama was here in the flesh, they had no desire to offend him. They immediately rushed forward in an attempt to provide explanations.

However, Naruto turned. He had no desire to continue speaking with these so-called Inner Sect disciples. Regardless of whether it was because of his status or his position, in all aspects, he and these people were as different as black and white. He turned to leave, Pakkun in tow. Even as he did, though, the four Chosen hurried to catch up, obviously intent on starting a conversation.

Baki's heart was filled with bitterness. However, it is difficult to dismount a tiger after you start riding it. He refused to yield so easily. Gritting his teeth, he forced his mouth open to try to regain some face, "So, you're Kazama. Well, maybe you won't concoct pills for me, but do you think you're the only master alchemist in the East Pill Division? Besides, the pills you concoct are low quality, not even worth looking at!"

Naruto laughed coldly. He stopped in place for a third time. Turning, he looked intently at Baki. If this guy hadn't continued to speak, then he would never deign to argue with him, as uninformed as he was. But his strange, contradictory words caused Naruto's gaze to grow icy.

"I'm only one among a thousand master alchemists in the East Pill Division. Maybe my pills aren't worth looking at. So from now on, I won't concoct pills for anyone who has any dealings with you." Naruto's cold words caused the Cultivators surrounding Baki to edge away. It was hard to tell which one went first. None of them wished to cause any further offense.

Baki soon stood there alone. All of the people he had been on friendly terms with had moved far away from him.

Kazama was now a very popular master alchemist. It was even difficult to get one pill from him; offending him simply wasn't worth it.

Naruto continued calmly, "Also, if I hear of anyone selling you one of my pills, then that person will also be cut off from me." When the onlookers heard this, they all gasped.

These words completely showed how powerful Kazama was. Some people might think he was being a bit overbearing, but… he was a master alchemist.

Master alchemists are not to be offended!

"Except, you know what? You offended me…" continued Naruto, his voice even colder. Actually, he didn't care if what he was about to do caused others to be dissatisfied. Their dissatisfaction would not come to fall upon him, because he was a master alchemist, a position which demanded respect. They would only blame Baki's inability to open his eyes to reality. "Therefore, for the next one hundred years, not a single master alchemist will concoct pills for you!"

Naruto said the words calmly. As he did, he lifted his right hand to reveal a white medallion, upon which he branded Baki's name.

This was the ultimate power wielded by master alchemists in the Violet Fate Sect. The Pill Blacklist!

As soon as he branded Baki's name onto the medallion, all the master alchemists in the East Pill Division could sense it. They pulled out their Pill Blacklist medallions to look at them. Before, there had been thirteen names on the Blacklist. With Baki… there were now fourteen!

The entire square was completely silent. All eyes were on the medallion in Naruto's hand. Looks of shock appeared on the four Chosen.

Somebody in the crowd recognized the medallion and said hoarsely, "That's… a Pill Blacklist Medallion!" The voice was filled with astonishment.

"A Pill Blacklist Medallion. Alchemist Kazama actually used the Pill Blacklist Medallion!"

"Baki is finished. It doesn't matter what Clan he's from. He'll never have the seniority to get his name removed from the East Pill Division Blacklist!"

"Now that he's on the blacklist, not a single master alchemist will concoct pills for Baki for the next hundred years. He basically can't practice Cultivation. Alchemist Kazama… he really dared to use the medallion…."

Naruto stood there as the buzz of conversation filled the air. Next to him Pakkun trembled and stared in amazement. His heart filled with powerful emotions; as of now, he felt as if he would even be willing to die for Kazama.

To be treated the way that Kazama treated him, caused him to wish to repay the favor with his life!

Baki's expression was filled with despair, and he was panting rapidly. His eyes were bright red and his entire body shook. His face was deathly white. As he thought of the fearsomeness of the Pill Blacklist, and the consequences of having his name on it, his eyes filled with hopelessness. The Pill Blacklist Medallion could only be used by a master alchemist twice, and was only to be used out of absolute necessity.

How could he have ever imagined that Kazama would actually… would really… would truly use the Pill Blacklist Medallion on him? His body grew cold and his eyes blank. It was like his head had been struck repeatedly by lightning.

His heart trembled. He knew what it meant to be placed on the Pill Blacklist. Regardless of his Clan, there was no way anyone would be able to help him. He suddenly regretted everything. If time could flow backward, he would never have offended Naruto. Body trembling, the only thing he could say was, "Alchemist Kazama… I…."

Suddenly, laughter rang out. The four Chosen had already pushed their way through the crowd. Ignoring Baki, they walked straight for Naruto, clasping hands respectfully as they approached him. Their expressions were serious and polite, but they spoke with smiles and laughter.

"Alchemist Kazama, sir, I've always wanted to meet you! Now that we've run into each other, allow me to humbly act as host. Let's drink some alcohol and gaze at the moon together. Wouldn't it be wonderful?"

"Hahaha. Elder Brother Kosuke beat me to the punch. Alchemist Kazama, your skill in the Dao of alchemy is the talk of the Sect. Since we happen to meet today, would it be an imposition to allow Junior Brother here to join you? We can all treat you!"

"Alchemist Kazama, that pill order I placed recently isn't urgent. Just get to it whenever it's convenient. Please don't leave yet! As Junior Brother Pakkun knows, we sincerely wish to pay you our respects."

As for Baki and his friends, they were completely ignored. It didn't matter if Baki was related to a Patriarch of the Sect. How could his position possibly compare to that of a master alchemist? Kazama was a master alchemist with obviously unlimited potential, and one who didn't shirk from using the Pill Blacklist… it was clear who was superior here.

Among the thousand master alchemists, some wouldn't use the Pill Blacklist medallion even once in their entire life. Some would use it only if absolutely necessary. Generally, they would be hesitant, though. Most people are not decisive enough to do so. But Kazama used it without hesitation. The threatening aura this created permeated into the hearts of everyone present.

The four Chosen crowded around Naruto, as did the rest of the Inner Sect disciples who were with them. Smiles covered their faces. Even though it appeared as if Kazama's Cultivation base were not even in the Foundation Establishment stage yet, they still treated him with utmost courtesy.

Naruto smiled slightly, clasped hands and bowed back to them. After a moment, he tried to make some excuses and get away, but couldn't. Eventually, he decided it would be ungracious not to accept their kindness. Nodding, he followed them off into the distance, trailed by Pakkun. The sound of their happy laughter and harmonious chatting echoed out.

Back in the square, Baki stood there, his face pale white. His mind spun, and his eyes were blank and filled with despair. The other Cultivators in the square stared with various expressions. However, it was as this moment that off in the distance, Naruto suddenly turned to them and clasped hands in a bow. "Fellow Daoists and Sect members. Why don't you join us?"

Hearing this, the eyes of the four Chosen glittered brightly. Giving meaningful looks to Naruto they also turned and beckoned for the others to join them.

Seeing this, the faces of the other Inner Sect disciples in the square lifted. They hurried over, clasping hands and bowing. Soon the whole group of dozens or more Cultivators all walked off into the distance.

Naruto was at the center of it all, a blazing moon surrounded by glittering stars. The laughter and talking drifted out with the wind.

Now only Baki and his friends remained in the large square. Their faces were unsightly, especially the faces of those who stared at Baki. Their eyes were filled with fury.

In the following days, Naruto didn't spend all day every day concocting pills. He often went to the mountains and valleys of the Violet Chakra Division. Slowly, more and more people began to recognize his face. Gradually, his reputation in the Violet Chakra Division grew even better.

At the same time, he also spent time with the other master alchemists. He would call on them to visit, exchange pointers about the Dao of alchemy, and share recent experiences. He made sure that each visit was one of mutual gain; it was in this way that he gradually began to build up his social network.

As for Baki, it was with great bitterness that he came to realize how truly horrifying the Pill Blacklist was. The master alchemists who used to concoct pills for him would now completely ignore him. It didn't matter how much money he offered, none of them would concoct a single pill.

Furthermore, all the people whom he had used to be close to, gradually began to drift further and further away.

In fact, on one occasion when he went to visit his Clan Patriarch, he was severely berated and then sent on his way. In the Violet Fate Sect, master alchemists are not to be offended. Once the Pill Blacklist Medallion is used, the word would spread throughout the whole Sect. Even Patriarchs know that the most fearsome thing in the East Pill Division was not the Dao of alchemy, but the protection they had set up for themselves.

That protection was evident from the results of the Pill Blacklist.

Within the East Pill Division, there can be power struggles, and competition. But if outsiders dared to dishonor it, then the alchemists would stand together united in their fury, and desire for revenge. This is because master alchemists are NOT to be dishonored or offended. That was an ironclad rule of the East Pill Division.

That was how the Pill Blacklist Medallion arrangement began in the first place.

In the outside world, it might not be a big deal to offend a master alchemist who was not from the East Pill Division. Other master alchemists wouldn't get involved. However in the East Pill Division, if you offended one, then you offended all.

In some ways, it might not seem very reasonable. But that unreasonable arrangement ensured that the master alchemists were treated with respect wherever they went, inside the Sect or outside.

Offend one, offend all. Few could afford to do such a thing.

Of course, if someone offended another master alchemist, Naruto would not go against the tide. As a master alchemist, the most important thing to him was to defend the position of all master alchemists.

And so, time passed. Naruto continued to concoct medicinal pills. Three batches per day. The new arrangement made the other master alchemists much less resentful.

After all, there were tens of thousands of disciples in the Inner Sect of the Violet Chakra Division. Seeking out master alchemists involved certain rules, but as long as the alchemists didn't get too greedy, there wouldn't be too much resentment.

When you added in the fact that Naruto went out of his way to go visit the other master alchemists, it was like a cool wind blowing through their hair. Their sulkiness dissipated, and gradually, they all came to accept him.

As for Naruto, in addition to his three batches of pills per day, he spent a lot of time creating medicinal pills to hand over to the Sect. In addition, he used Foundation Establishment Day to slowly increase his Cultivation base.

Several months later, on one late night, Naruto sat cross-legged in his Immortal's Cave. In front of him were three bottles of Foundation Establishment Day. After looking at them closely for a while, his eyes began to shine brightly.

"Today I will create my sixth Dao Pillar!" He took a deep breath. As of now, his sixth Dao Pillar was more than ninety percent complete. Because of the engulfing power he knew would appear, he had waited some time before attempting to complete the final ten percent. The preparations had taken some time, but now that he was certain it was safe, he was ready to start.

His eyes shined with determination. He picked up a Foundation Establishment Day, swallowed it, and closed his eyes. The sixth Dao Pillar began to congeal inside of him. A golden glow began to spread out from his body, within which were streams of magical symbols. All of a sudden, a garrulous chatter drifted out.

"Three bullies, three bullies. Less than three won't do!" The noise, of course, came from the meat jelly, who had just woken up. It spoke the words and then spit out a mouthful of Chakra.

The Chakra spread out to cover the golden glow that surrounded Naruto. It made the Chakra coming off of his Perfect Dao Pillars look ordinary. This way, the Violet Fate Sect wouldn't detect anything unusual.

Time passed slowly. By dawn, Naruto's body was trembling. His skin was withered, and an intensely violent gravitational force suddenly appeared. It seemed as if it had been thirsty for thousands of years and wanted to swallow up Naruto's body and soul to sate its thirst.

Naruto was prepared for this, though. As soon as the gravitational force appeared, he immediately crushed the several pill bottles that remained in front of him. These were what he had worked so hard to produce: Foundation Establishment Day pills of ninety percent medicinal strength. He popped them into his mouth.

As soon as they entered his mouth, they exploded, transforming into boundless spiritual power that immediately began to be sucked into the sixth Dao Pillar.

At noontime, Naruto's eyes snapped open, and they shined with a bright, glittering light. As he sat there cross-legged, he didn't seem much different than before, except that he looked a little weaker. Inside, however, was a raging storm. The shocking ripples which emanated from his Cultivation base were consumed one by one by the meat jelly.

His sixth perfect Dao Pillar had appeared. Naruto took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them again. They no longer glowed, but were calm, and filled with a strange light. The light was confidence born of his Cultivation base.

Six Perfect Dao Pillars. Mid Foundation Establishment. With one more Dao Pillar, he would be in late Foundation Establishment! At that point, a Dao Child with a Flawless Foundation wouldn't qualify to even attack him. Their Dao Pillars would be reduced to trembling by the crushing pressure he could emit.

Even now, with his six Dao Pillars, he could easily exterminate any Dao Child.

As for the so-called Chosen, they were like ants or dried weeds that could be crushed on a whim.

"Perfect Foundation. Such incredible potency…." Naruto's voice was soft, but his eyes shone with anticipation. This anticipation was for his ninth Dao Pillar, when he completed the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

There was a flickering in front of Naruto and the meat jelly appeared. It danced back and forth, it's eyes wide. "Three bullies!" it cried.

After shedding, the meat jelly hadn't transformed back into a parrot, but had maintained its meat jelly form.

"Three bullies! No less than three bullies!" it repeated in a voice that could chop nails and slice iron.

It appeared content. With a burp and some muttering, it disappeared into the bag of the Cosmos to find the Danzo and discuss noon-time naps.

Naruto stood and opened the door of his Immortal's Cave. Dazzling morning sunlight filtered down. He took a deep breath. Winter was ending and Spring was beginning. There was no snow, like in the Five Elements Nation. Winter in the Violet Fate Sect had no snow.

He looked quietly up into the sky and suddenly realized that he had been in the Violet Fate Sect for more than three years now. In fact, now that he calculated it carefully, it would soon be four years.

"Time flies so quickly…" he said quietly. Practicing Cultivation on his own, he could truly sense the passage of time. His senses were no longer those of a mortal's.

As he reminisced, he thought of Guy, Elder Sister Hinata and Fatty. Various scenes played out in his head. He knew where they were, but they… they had no idea where he was.

By this time, the name of Naruto was already a thing of the past. Few people brought it up any more. Soon, everyone would forget it. All the waves from the events four years ago had died down and disappeared.

"Life is like a dream, like a leaf that, no matter how beautiful, can only live for one season…." He looked at the buds sprouting from the great trees off in the distance and a smile broke out on his face. He liked his identity here as Kazama. He enjoyed how being in the East Pill Division felt like being in an institute of higher learning. He lifted his hand, and a jade slip appeared on his palm.

This jade slip had been branded by the Danzo at the behest of the meat jelly. It was branded with a Shimura Clan Conclave technique.

Self Will Incantation.

Self Will Incantation.

A Shimura Clan Conclave technique. In this technique, one's will was the key in which magic can be Cultivated. Furthermore, if cultivated to a consummate level, then during Spirit Severing or Dao enlightenment, Karma could be seized.

The technique actually seemed more like a scripture. Except it wasn't a scripture scroll, but seemingly a fragment of a scroll. Nonetheless, this short passage was enough to become a Conclave technique of the Shimura Clan.

Naruto examined it thoughtfully for a while. Then, his expression flickered and he waved his hand. The jade slip disappeared.

Not much time passed before Pakkun appeared, walking up hastily. He formally greeted Naruto in a respectful tone. Ever since the matter with Baki, Pakkun carried himself differently in front of Naruto. They were still close, but it was now clear that their positions were different. There was a slight tension between them.

Naruto tried a few times to get him to act more like he had when Naruto first joined the Sect. However, it just made him nervous. So, he allowed Pakkun to greet him formally every time they met, and to speak in a reverent tone.

Naruto could only sigh at this change. He understood that it would be impossible to maintain the same relationship they always had. His own Dao of alchemy was growing further and further away from Pakkun's, and as such, the respect the man showed grew deeper and deeper.

"Grandmaster Kazama, these are the orders I've accepted recently. Please, take a look." He handed over a bag of holding.

Naruto glanced it over and then tried to chat a bit with Pakkun. Pakkun's respectful expression didn't change, which caused Naruto to sigh again inwardly. With a slight nod of his head, he tucked the bag of holding away.

Pakkun hesitated for a moment, then looked at Naruto and lowered his voice. "Grandmaster Kazama, there's only one more month until this year's Pill Auction. Sir, I'm not sure if you plan to participate in the auction or not…?"

"Pill Auction…." Naruto thought back to four years ago when he had first joined the Violet Fate Sect. There had been a Pill Auction underway at that time. Now, he had quite a reputation in the East Pill Division. The Pill Auction was a place for master alchemists to manifest their reputation.

Also, it was a place where medicinal pills were directly sold for Spirit Stones in an official capacity. The Pill Auction only happened once per year, and Naruto had never attended one before. Suddenly, his heart began to thump. He was a master alchemist who was quite popular within the Sect. But he wanted to know how much a price his pills would fetch in the Southern Domain in general.

Master alchemists could offer their wares with their name attached to it, or anonymously. In the case of the latter, no one, not even members of the Sect, would know whose pill it was that was up for sale.

However, there is no wall in the world which can hold back any wind. It might be difficult for the Elders to figure out which pill was made by whom, but if Grandmaster Pill Demon wanted to know, then he could naturally be able to figure it out.

Naruto muttered to himself for a moment, and then nodded. Not only did he want to see how much his pills were worth in the outside world, he also wanted to replenish his supply of Spirit Stones. Copying the Foundation Establishment Day had cost him quite a bit. Even as a master alchemist who was frequently compensated by Inner Sect disciples for pill concocting, he still couldn't afford such expenditures.

As of now, he had quite a collection of medicinal plants, but not a lot of Spirit Stones. This, of course, caused Naruto to sigh. When he was young, he had always dreamed of being rich. That dream seemed to be just as far away as ever.

He saw off Pakkun and was standing there in thought, when suddenly a bright beam of light appeared off in the distance. The image of a slim, graceful woman was visible inside. It was none other than Sakura.

The instant he saw her, Naruto sighed at his bad luck, then immediately turned and entered his Immortal's Cave.

"Kazama!"

The instant her voice echoed out, the door of the Immortal's Cave shut and sealed. Then, Naruto's voice could be heard:

"Kazama isn't home."

Sakura's eyes blazed with killing intent. Her veins bulged as she stood outside the Immortal's cave, gnashing her teeth. She had come to call on Naruto on multiple occasions during the past year, but he always seemed to be away, and never inside the cave. For him to act like this, as if he had just caught sight of some kind of devilish fiend, caused fury to burn within her.

Teeth clenched, she said, "Kazama, are you hiding from me because you have some secret you don't want people to know about!?" Every time she came here and found the door shut, she would say something like this.

She was more and more certain that Kazama was harboring some secret. For him to act like this every time she came really set her on fire. Whenever anyone said his name, the irritated feeling would fill her and she would feel like doing something to him.

Naruto's voice drifted out of the Immortal's cave: "What you can't see, can't annoy you."

Sakura's stared with wide eyes. She banged her fist onto the door. A boom echoed out. The door rattled a bit, but wasn't damaged in any way.

"Get out here!"

"I'm concocting pills."

"Are you coming out or not?"

"Aiii. Elder Sister Sakura, I'm concocting pills, really!"

"Who the hell said I'm your Elder Sister? I'm a Furnace Lord. You're just a master alchemist. If you don't come out here right now, we'll see how long you can stay there in your Immortal's Cave."

"Fine, Fellow Daoist Sakura. You know, last time, you camped out next to my Immortal's Cave for seven days. Later, a lot of slanderous rumors spread throughout the Sect. It's really not a good thing. Don't you agree?"

"You…."

"I, Kazama, am not married to any beloved, and am very concerned with my reputation. Such rumors are really intolerable. Fellow Daoist Sakura, please refrain from harming my reputation in this way. Take your leave, quickly." Naruto sighed. Actually, Sakura's intuition frightened him. He had been avoiding her for years now, because he had the strong feeling that if he had any interaction with her, she might begin to pick up some clues.

If she somehow realized that he was Naruto… well, he didn't dare to think of how horrific the consequences might be.

Sakura gnashed her teeth and stamped her foot angrily. Then she turned and left.

Sensing that she'd gone, Naruto sighed in relief. A wry smile appeared on his face. Everything about the East Pill Division was good except for Sakura. With her here, he didn't feel secure.

"If she keeps causing problems for me, I might have to think of some other method to deal with her…." His eyes shined with a cold light, but his face's usual calm expression returned. He stopped thinking about Sakura. With the wave of a hand, the earthly fire within his Immortal's Cave sprang to life. A pill furnace appeared to hover directly over the fire.

This particular furnace of Naruto's had three cranes carved onto its surface. As the furnace began to glow red from the heat, the three cranes turned the color of blood. They looked like they might fly out from the surface of the furnace at any moment. It was a cowing sight.

Naruto had traded a large collection of medicinal pills and plants with a veteran master alchemist to acquire this Blood Crane furnace. Having used it for some time, he was very familiar with it.

The furnace quickly became bright red, but Naruto stood off to the side, paying it no attention. A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

"What type of pill should I concoct for the Pill Auction…" he thought. Hundreds of pill formulas flashed through his mind, but none of them caught his attention. Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. The pill furnace was as red as blood, and its glow filled the entire Immortal's cave, causing everything to look red. Naruto's eyes suddenly flashed.

"I'll concoct a poison pill!" Based on Naruto's understanding of the Dao of alchemy, poison pills generally did not have recipes that were handed down. They were usually created spontaneously or from memory by the master alchemist. This prevented unauthorized pill formulas from being passed around.

Poison pills were somewhat of a taboo. However, most master alchemists would research and concoct them at some point. It was a way to prove not only a master alchemist's skill in the Dao of alchemy, but rather, his understanding of plants and vegetation. One must have a thorough mastery of the variations of plants and vegetation to be able to concoct a poison pill uniquely classified as belonging to a given master alchemist.

A pill created by one person that ten thousand people couldn't dispel. All master alchemists thirsted to create something like this.

Naruto took a deep breath, then sat down cross legged next to the pill furnace. He allowed the heat from it to fill his body, and then closed his eyes. He sat silently in meditation. Days passed. The fire continued to burn. The Blood Crane furnace showed no signs of degrading; it maintained its bright red appearance the entire time.

Seven days later, Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. His eyes were filled with determination.

"This poison pill will not be a pill to give to enemies, but to oneself. Poison, but not poison. Medicine, but not medicine. This pill…." He thought back to the time in the Five Elements Nation when he had killed Gato, and of the pearl Little Tiger had given him. The pearl caused one's Cultivation base to rise by one level. Thanks to the help of the pearl, Naruto had been able to open the ancient path which led to the tenth level of Chakra Condensation.

The images from that day sprung clearly into his mind. The pearl had fearsome power, and had left a deep impression on Naruto.

"Pierce the Chakra vessels throughout the body, chop them like mincemeat. Turn the body into a treasure, split open the chest. Crush the mind, consolidate millions upon millions of murderous intentions. Explode the Dao Pillars within the Core Sea; killing intent can exterminate spirits. Use the mortal soul to fuse with spirits. Use the power of killing to subvert consciousness. The mind and the Core Sea, fused into nothing in the blink of an eye. This Devilish Will shall transform into a suicidal heart, which will cause the Cultivation base to climb to the skies!

"It is not a burning of the soul, it supersedes that! This pill… will be called Bedevilment Pill! That is because, this Will, can only belong to devils!" Naruto's bloodshot eyes glittered. His right hand grabbed his bag of holding and then waved it in front of him. Immediately ten thousand varieties of medicinal plants appeared to float in mid-air in front of him. Bathed in the crimson glow, the scene seemed bizarrely demonic.

Naruto's hands blurred, and a flickering shadow appeared beneath them. Naruto's entire mind, all his energy, poured into the pill furnace. He catalyzed and pulverized medicinal plants. He created hybrids to look for one particular root he needed.

From the time Naruto had begun to study the Dao of alchemy, during all the various situations in which he had concocted pills, he had never been so possessed. It was his first time to make full and thorough use all of his skill in the Dao of alchemy, all of his nature talent of plants and vegetation.

His hair was wild and disheveled, and he lost awareness of everything. He was immersed in pill concoction. All his desire poured into the Bedevilment Pill. It was like he himself was possessed by a devil!

This Bedevilment Pill was actually… the first true pill ever created by Naruto in his time Cultivating the Dao of Alchemy!

There was no formula for this pill. It didn't need one. This was a pill that contained the true will of a master alchemist, a pill that had been created by the influence of will. Therefore, its true value and price was impossible to describe. Even more important was the fact that, if a Furnace Lord could see Naruto in his current state, that person would surely go mad.

In Cultivation, there is enlightenment. The Dao of alchemy also has enlightenment. Pill Demon had experienced such enlightenment. So had the other two Grandmasters in the Southern Domain. Some Violet Furnace Lords might experience it once in their life, although that depended only on luck and fortune. Just now, Naruto had experienced alchemic enlightenment!

The pill created as a result of alchemic enlightenment was as miraculous as if it had been created by the Heavens themselves. It was unparalleled and unmatched!

This pill concoction lasted an entire month. From the time Naruto had learned to concoct pills until now, this was by far the longest time he had ever spent doing so. For one month, he didn't rest. All of his energy was focused on the concoction of this pill.

Over ten thousand varieties of medicinal plant variations, all shaped by the will of Naruto's mind. Based on endless adjustments and variations, it slowly transformed into a unique pill that was solely of Naruto.

On the last day of the month of concocting, late in the moon-filled night, the Blood Crane pill furnace trembled. It was no longer bright red; it was gradually returning to its original color. This process took several hours. When the moonlight was beginning to grow hazy and dim outside, the furnace finally returned to its original state. Naruto's hair was in a mess, and his eyes filled with veins of blood. His face was pale white. His Cultivation base had been rotating and emitting power for an entire month straight.

Thankfully, he had six Dao Pillars now. If he only had five, like before, then even replenishing himself with medicinal pills, he would have been forced to suspend pill concoction midway.

If alchemic enlightenment ceases before completion, then it cannot be resumed.

Seeing the completely recovered pill furnace in front of him, Naruto took a deep breath. He was exhausted from the month of work. During the most critical part of the concocting, he had experienced what felt like a bitter struggle between life and death. He closed his eyes, and as he did, they burned painfully.

A long time passed before he opened them again. Without hesitation, he lifted his right hand up to press onto the pill furnace. It trembled, and two black colored pills flew out. The instant they did, a black cloud suddenly began to form above the pill furnace.

The black cloud wasn't outside of the Immortal's Cave. No, it was inside; the bizarre sight caused Naruto to stare blankly, his eyes filled with confusion. It took only a moment for the cloud to finish forming. Suddenly, lightning shot out from it, directly at the medicinal pills.

At this critical moment, Naruto slapped his bag of holding and the meat jelly flew out. As soon as it saw the black cloud, it stared in shock. Then its eyes glowed, and it flew to meet the descending lightning bolt. It opened its mouth and consumed the entire lightning bolt. It smacked its lips as if it had just eaten something delicious.

"Pill Tribulation Lightning," said the meat jelly, licking its lips. "So, it turns out that's the tastiest…." Suddenly, its eyes fell upon the two pills Naruto held in his hands. It seemed eager to try them.

"Three bullies!" said Naruto resolutely. The meat jelly hesitated for a moment, as if it were torn about something. Finally, it returned to the blood-colored mask, muttering to itself, apparently preparing to vent its frustrations on the Danzo.

Having dismissed the meat jelly, Naruto took a deep breath and looked down at his palm. The two black pills seemed to be struggling, as if they wanted to fly away. This was the first time he had concocted what were apparently sentient pills, ones that had provoked Tribulation lightning.

Naruto's eyes shone. He may be tired, but couldn't stop from staring at the two pills.

They were essentially the same size. However, one was pitch black, whereas the other had a violet hue. It only took a moment for Naruto to come to the conclusion that the violet-colored pill was the superior of the two. The other could also be considered a consummate product, just slightly inferior.

Despite the struggles of the pills, they were incapable of leaving Naruto's hand. The two black pills did not emit a medicinal fragrance, and seemed to suck in all the light that touched them. If you looked at them for too long, it seemed as if your soul would be sucked inside.

"I concocted these pills with true will…." murmured Naruto. Eventually, his eyes flickered. He waved his left hand and a flying sword appeared. Very slowly, he carved a mark onto the side of each pill. It was a simple mark which depicted… a cauldron!

It was the same cauldron he had seen in the Blessed Land of the Black Sieve Sect, the cauldron which had desired to defeat the Heavens.

It wasn't a completely accurate depiction, but very close. Strangely, after inscribing the pills with the mark, they stopped struggling. The cauldron mark flickered, as if it had branded itself onto the hearts of the pills. Now, the cauldron mark suddenly seemed as if it were alive, real.

Naruto took a deep breath, and then a smile broke out on his face. At the same time, a wave of exhaustion swept through him. He hadn't rested for an entire month. He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but this was too much even for him; he simply didn't have enough energy.

"This is a pill of bedevilment, the very peak of bedevilment. The brand of the cauldron represents the Earth, and has suppressed it. Bury devils beneath the Earth, in accordance with the name of the pill." Naruto retrieved a pill bottle and put the first Bedevilment Pill inside. He sealed it with wax, and then placed the violet-colored Bedevilment Pill into another pill bottle.

After this, he pulled out a jade slip which he used to summon Pakkun. Soon, Pakkun appeared outside the Immortal's Cave. He didn't have to wait long before a pill bottle flew out to land on his hand.

Naruto's tired voice echoed out from the Immortal's Cave. "Put this up anonymously in the Pill Auction. It's called Bedevilment Pill. Come for me when the auction is about to begin." He sat cross-legged, his eyes closed, seemingly half asleep, immersed in restoring his energy.

Pakkun clasped hands in salute, then left with the pill bottle.

Three days flashed by. During that time, the entire State of Eastern Emergence bustled with activities as one Sect after another arrived in Violet Moon City . There weren't just Sects from the State of Eastern Emergence, but from other places as well.

In fact, all of the other four great Sects, as well as the three great Clans, all dispatched disciples to the Violet Fate Sect to participate in the yearly Pill Auction. Actually, for an event to take place yearly made it a somewhat frequent event; nonetheless, it still attracted the attention of Cultivators throughout the entire Southern Domain. That was because all of the items in the auction were concocted by master alchemists of the East Pill Division.

Furthermore, Furnace Lords would usually participate as well, and would provide a unique variety of medicinal pills. The medicinal strength of their pills would be considerable, enough to cause a sensation in the Southern Domain. Occasionally, stunning, one-of-a-kind creations would appear.

Every year, different master alchemists' names would rise and then spread throughout the outside world. You could say that the Pill Auction was a platform for master alchemists to gain fame. Of course, the East Pill Division encouraged this, and urged the master alchemists to concoct pills to sell at the auction.

Not only were the master alchemists encouraged to provide medicinal pills so that their fame would grow within the Southern Domain, but also, for material gain. After all, the profits from the sale of the medicinal pills all went back to the master alchemists.

This was a set rule, which caused virtually all of the master alchemists to participate.

Furthermore, the Violet Fate Sect strictly controlled its medicinal pills. The only way for outsiders to acquire them was by participating in the Pill Auction. There would always be a few types of pills that would give rise to frenzied bidding. Usually, this was not because of the medicinal strength of the pill alone, but also the concoction method used.

After all, despite not acquiring the pill formula, research of the pill would reveal much about the methods which had been used to concoct it. The master alchemists of the Violet Fate Sect had no way to prevent this from happening. Anyone with sufficient skill could perform such research on medicinal pills.

In short, it is easy to imagine the stir caused by the yearly Pill Auction.

The location of the Pill Auction was, of course, Violet Moon City. In the southeast corner of the city, was an enormous circular edifice, a stadium which could seat a hundred thousand Cultivators.

Generally speaking, during every Pill Auction, because of the influx of Cultivators from all regions, the seats would be completely filled.

The Pill Auction usually lasted for seven days, and could be rated as a grand occasion hosted by the Violet Fate Sect.

This particular day was the first day of the auction. The auction stadium was already full. The eyes of the Cultivators from all the various Sects and Clans were focused on the stage in the middle of the stadium.

Standing there was a middle-aged man who smiled and clasped hands respectfully to the audience.

"Fellow Daoists of the Southern Domain, Ladies and Gentlemen, you all know the rules of the Violet Fate Sect's Pill Auction, so I won't go into all the details. We have a total of 789 types of medicinal pills up for auction, including pills appropriate for Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and even Nascent Soul stage Cultivators! Furthermore, there will be poison pills and magic pills available as well.

"According to the rules of the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction, before auctioning each pill, a small shaving will be taken to test the medicinal strength of the pill, as well as to clearly demonstrate its effectiveness." Having said that, the man waved his hand, causing a gigantic curved portal to open up behind him.

Bright ripples spread out, after which everyone could see a group of seven hundred Cultivators standing on the other side, their faces expressionless.

These Cultivators had Cultivation bases of various levels, and their ages were different. There was one similarity between all of them, however. All of their eyes glowed with a violet light. Outsiders might not know what this meant, but Naruto would. It would only take one glance for him to determine that these people… had all cultivated the Violet Chakra to the West technique! These were puppet disciples of the Sect!

"These Cultivators of the East Pill Division have been selected to sample all the pills which will be auctioned today. Ladies and Gentlemen, most likely this is not your first time to attend our Pill Auction, so you must surely already know, the Violet Fate Sect's Pill Auction is unmatched in the entire Southern Domain!" The man's voice echoed throughout the stadium, which subsequently filled with respectful laughter.

"Let the auction begin!" the man cried. "Lot one is a bottle of Yang Toppling Pills concocted by Furnace Lord Kiyoi of the East Pill Division! Transform life force into Death Chakra, cause enormous transformation! Use this pill in your Immortal's cave to collect Yin powers. Consume it to cause an abrupt rise of Death Chakra. This pill is suitable for any Fellow Daoist who cultivates Spirit Puppet arts." Even as the man's voice rang out, Pakkun and Naruto were hurrying toward the stadium.

Being a master alchemist, Naruto caught the attention of many apprentice alchemists as he entered. He sat down in the pavilion reserved for master alchemists, and then looked down at the auction proceeding below.

He took a deep breath of anticipation. He keenly anticipated finding out if people would be interested in his Bedevilment Pill, and how high of a price it would fetch. After all, since becoming a master alchemist, he had never been more pleased with a pill. Although he had complete confidence in it, he was a bit worried about whether or not it would be profitable.

He glanced over the crowd, a thoughtful expression on his face. Suddenly, a look of shock appeared, which then transformed into a slight smile. His gaze had fallen onto a group of visitors, amidst whom was a certain fat young man, casually grinding his teeth.

In all of the Southern Domain, there was only one person who could appear so domineering, who would use a flying sword to grind his teeth!

Choji…

… Also known as Fatty. Other than him, there was no Cultivator in the Southern Domain who dared to grind his teeth in such a fashion. Clustered around Fatty were a group of Golden Frost Sect disciples with vigilant and protective looks on their faces. Their presence actually served only to draw more attention to him.

Fatty was… even fatter.

The other Cultivators who sat nearby eyed him with strange looks, and engaged in furtive conversations. How could Fatty pay attention to such things though? He complacently pulled out a Spirit Stone, popped it into his mouth and crunched it into bits.

This caused the eyes of the surrounding onlookers to fill with shock, and their hearts with envy.

Naruto hadn't seen him in four years. However, he would think of him often, as well as Elder Sister Hinata and Guy. Seeing him here, Naruto couldn't help but smile and sigh emotionally.

Being Kazama for the past four years, taking root in the Violet Fate Sect and rising to prominence, had given him the means to send out some inquiries about his friends. He knew that all of them had made progress in their various Sects. For example, Elder Sister Hinata had long since reached Foundation Establishment. She had taken Ino as her Master, and was in a much better position in the Black Sieve Sect than she had been all those years before.

As for Guy, after four years' time, he was now a Chosen in the Solitary Sword Sect.

Fatty, of course, was the least given to studying and learning techniques. However, he was still in the same position as he had been within the Golden Frost Sect. If he wanted wind, there was wind, and thanks to his value to the Sect, he also had reached Foundation Establishment.

The name of Naruto was now nearly forgotten in the Southern Domain.

Naruto smiled happily. To be able to see his old friend really lifted his mood.

Seeing Naruto looking at Fatty, Pakkun leaned over and, in a low voice, said, "That's Choji from the Golden Frost Sect. I remember hearing that last year, he married his third beloved…. According to the rumors, the Golden Frost Sect will go to any lengths to find appropriate female Cultivators to become his beloved, all with hopes of continuing his bloodline…."

Hearing this, Naruto gaped for a moment, then laughed and shook his head wordlessly.

Sighing, he thought, "I never thought that from the group of us from the Reliance Sect in the Five Elements Nation, Fatty would end up in the most comfortable position." Even he couldn't help but feel a bit of envy at Fatty's special position on the path of Cultivation.

He suddenly thought back to when they had first joined the Reliance Sect. Fatty had constantly wept and wailed about wanting to go home and get married. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the memory. A gentle light filled his eyes.

The auction was continuously underway, of course. Each pill that came up for auction would have a bit of powder shaved off and given to one of the Cultivators who had practiced Violet Chakra to the West. After consuming the powder, the Cultivator's body would become translucent, so that all the onlookers could see the effect of the medicine.

This was a tradition of the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction that had existed for countless years, a method to guarantee the quality of the products.

Time passed, and soon it was noon.

"This lot is for a Barrier Breaking Pill. Fellow Daoists, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm sure you're all very well aware of the properties of this pill…." As he spoke, a Violet Chakra to the West disciple consumed some of the powder, giving everyone a clear view of the results.

"20,000 Spirit Stones!" cried Fatty, his voice filled with a domineering tone that well matched his stocky frame.

"30,000 Spirit Stones!"

"Your granny!" shouted Fatty gruffly. He stood up. "Fine, you punk, 50,000 Spirit Stones!"

"60,000 Spirit Stones!"

"70,000 Spirit Stones…." someone else said.

Actually, the value of a Barrier Breaking Pill was dependent on individual circumstances. With a hundred thousand Cultivators present, the number who were currently stuck in a bottleneck, or who soon would be, was hard to determine. A high price was always required to break through a bottleneck.

"100,000 Spirit Stones," roared Fatty. "I have Spirit Stones to spare, punks! They're not even mine! Do you really dare to compete with me!" He pulled out a Spirit Stone which he then placed between his teeth and crushed. The surrounding Golden Frost Sect disciples could only make wry smiles.

Fatty's words seemed to have the desired effect. Besides, Barrier Breaking Pills were good, but not necessarily guaranteed to be completely effective. 100,000 Spirit Stones was an incredible price that apparently no one was willing to exceed.

A strange look had appeared on Naruto's face. The Barrier Breaking Pill hadn't been concocted by him. From this distance, he could clearly see the pill's effect on the translucent body of the Violet Chakra to the West disciple, as well as its medicinal strength. Based on his skill in the Dao of alchemy, it was obvious that whoever had concocted the pill had only been able to extract thirty percent medicinal strength from the plants and vegetation which had been used as ingredients.

"It seems the price I charged Mugino for the same pill… was a little low…." he thought. Of course, it wasn't really possible to compare the prices within the Sect with those outside. This was especially true when one was sold to a fellow Sect member, whereas the other was sold at auction.

The auction continued on. As more pills appeared, the atmosphere in the auction stadium climbed. This was especially true when a pill concocted by a Furnace Lord appeared. The price for that particular pill had already reached hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones. This caused Naruto to pant. It was the first time he had seen how much profits master alchemists could make. It was really shocking.

It was especially astounding because Naruto knew the base cost of the pill, which was just a few tens of thousands of Spirit Stones. Furthermore, the so-called medicinal strength was only at fifty percent. Naruto could produce a similar pill without barely even concentrating.

Fatty made bids on just about all of the pills, and acquired quite a few. He was becoming one of the most recognized figures in the auction stadium. This was especially true considering how he continuously made furtive glances at nearby female Cultivators. When he caught the eye of one, he would put on the most casual, cool look he could.

The others from the Golden Frost Sect could only sigh. They did nothing to stop him. After all, he was engaged in a "righteous cause." That "righteous cause," was of course, finding wives. It was an order passed down by the Sect Leader himself.

The middle-aged auctioneer smiled and flicked his sleeve. "This next lot contains medicinal pills concocted by Alchemist Genma," he called out. "The name of the pill is Foundation Establishment Day. It can be used by the mid Foundation Establishment stage and sometimes even the late Foundation Establishment stage. In total, there are three bottles, and each bottle contains six pills. All the bottles will be sold together." Three pill bottles appeared. When the Violet Chakra to the West disciple sampled the powder from one of the pills, the entire auction stadium immediately went silent. The silence lasted for only a moment, whereupon a buzz of conversation filled the air.

"That pill…."

"It has forty-five percent medicinal strength!"

"This is not an ordinary Foundation Establishment Day! Who is this Alchemist Genma? This pill is second only to the type concocted by Furnace Lords!"

"The interactions of the plants and vegetation in this pill are extraordinary!"

Of course, most of the hundred thousand Cultivators in the auction stadium understood little about the Dao of alchemy. However, the interactions happening within the translucent body of the Violet Chakra to the West disciple gave some clues as to the astonishing nature of the pill.

The auctioneer also stared in amazement, then looked back down at the three pill bottles he held.

Naruto's gaze fell upon the bottles as well. After a while, he smiled. He was friends with Genma, and as such, the man had come to him before concocting this batch of Foundation Establishment Day. During their discussion of the Dao of alchemy, Naruto had pointed out some variations in the plant and vegetation interactions. You could actually say that it was with Naruto's help that Genma gained enlightenment that day, and was able to concoct this batch of pills, which was the pinnacle of his current achievements in pill concoction.

"I won't ask him about this batch of Foundation Establishment Day," thought Naruto. "However, the variations I talked about that day could only have extracted forty percent medicinal strength from the plants. The final five percent was an achievement based on Genma's personal enlightenment and skill." Seeing the fervent reaction of the crowds around him, Naruto smiled.

Within his bag of holding, he still had several Foundation Establishment Day pills that he himself had concocted. Those pills had ninety percent medicinal strength. If he put those up for auction, it would certainly cause some waves.

"I wonder what the auction of my Bedevilment pill will be like…." he thought, his heart filling with anticipation. The energy he had expended concocting the Bedevilment pills exceeded that he had spent on Foundation Establishment Day by double, triple or perhaps more.

The concoction of the Bedevilment Pills was the true expression of his will, and the pinnacle of his Dao of alchemy.

With a smile, the auctioneer said, "Again, these three pill bottles will not be auctioned separately, but together. The opening bid for the three bottles is 250,000 Spirit Stones." In his estimation, the price for these bottles would surely reach an incredible height.

In fact, it might be the crux of the entire auction, and would likely cause Genma's name to rise to prominence in the Southern Domain.

This was because, although he wasn't a Furnace Lord, he had concocted pills of almost exactly the same quality as a Furnace Lord's. As such, the pills must have plant and vegetation interactions of his own creation, which was the hallmark difference between master alchemists and Furnace Lords.

Any master alchemist who wished to become a Furnace Lord must be able to produce plant and vegetation interactions that were uniquely his own. By rising above other master alchemists in such a way, he could then advance to being a Furnace Lord.

Because of those interactions, the value of such a medicinal pill was far beyond the value of an ordinary pill. Their appearance in the auction would immediately cause a huge scene. Many people would be willing to pay an exorbitant price to acquire the pills for research.

After all, once a master alchemist was raised to Furnace Lord, he would be able to use alchemic concealing techniques to hide the plant interactions. In that way, it would be much more difficult for others to unlock his secrets.

However, a pill concocted by a master alchemist would contain no such alchemic concealing, and would be much easier to unlock and research. The East Pill Division was aware of this, of course, and really had no way to control it. Skill manifest in the path of medicinal pills, was innately researchable.

Leaks like this didn't occur in all Pill Auctions, but rather, perhaps one in ten. As such, one can only imagine the frenzy caused because of the appearance of this batch of pills.

The East Pill Division naturally had a degree of forbearance. Since the pills had been put up for auction, the East Pill Division would not attempt to cover up their true nature, nor try to prevent people from researching them.

Immediately, people began calling out bids.

"300,000 Spirit Stones!"

"500,000 Spirit Stones. I must acquire these three bottles of Foundation Establishment Day!"

Naruto's eyes glittered. For a Foundation Establishment Day pill of forty-five percent medicinal strength to be so explosively popular caused him to wonder what kind of reaction his own pill would provoke.

"600,000!" cried Fatty, leaping to his feet. "Who dares to contend with his superiors?! These three pill bottles are mine!" His voice reverberated like thunder throughout the auction stadium.

However, these three bottles of Foundation Establishment Day were not like the Barrier Breaking Pills from before, in which Fatty's bids caused others to give up. These three bottles represented a chance that might come only once in ten years, perhaps even one in a hundred!

Considering the East Pill Division's lofty status, they could afford to not care about such a thing. But other Sects lacked the East Pill Division's deep stores of knowledge. Clearly, there were many Sects present who were determined to win this chance to study the interactions contained within the pills.

Regardless of great Sect or small Sect, the eyes of all the Cultivators in the stadium were red. These medicinal pills were just too important, not just to the Cultivators, but to their Sects as a whole.

By fully researching the plant and vegetation interactions within the pills, a Sect could gain significant advancements in their Dao of alchemy. As such, the bids in the stadium continued to flow out, even from the three great Clans and the other great Sects.

Naruto watched on from within the pavilion, his eyes wide, almost as if he couldn't comprehend the scene. His eyes began to shine as the price for the pills climbed higher and higher. After this Pill Auction, Genma's name would definitely become known throughout the Southern Domain. Soon, all Cultivators would wish to make his acquaintance. Considering he was able to produce such pills while still just a master alchemist, it mean that… he definitely was qualified to become a Furnace Lord in the future!

There were only around one hundred Furnace Lords in the East Pill Division. Any one of them could cause a huge sensation in the Southern Domain, and would be sought after by countless Cultivators. Their position and status invoked solemn respect of the highest order.

Fatty continued to make bids in the auction for the Foundation Establishment Day. However, eventually he had to give up as the price eventually reached the incredible height of 4,000,000 Spirit Stones!

This was the highest price offered for a lot in the Violet Fate Sect's Pill Auction in the past one hundred years!

It was hard to use words to even talk about such a price. Every participant in the auction was panting heavily, and deathly still filled the air.

The winner of the auction was one of the great Clans, the Shimura Clan!

Only three people had come from the Shimura Clan. One was Clan Elder, and the other two were Chosen. Of course, each of the great Clans had their own Dao of alchemy. Although theirs were different from the East Pill Division's, comparatively speaking, they were also similarities. These three bottles of Foundation Establishment Day would give them an incredible opportunity to discover new plant and vegetation interactions.

As such, the auctioneer hesitated a moment. However, the East Pill Division was filled with deep reservoirs of knowledge, and as such, they could afford to disregard a leakage of information about plant and vegetation interactions. For these medicinal pills to end up in the hands of the Shimura Clan showed how incredible they were.

In the past thousand years during which the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction had been held, the Violet Fate Sect itself had never purchased one of its own auction items. The Eastern Pill Division never withheld items from auction, or prevented them from being sold. Such a matter was unheard of throughout the thousand year history of the auction.

In fact, Violet Fate Sect disciples were prohibited from purchasing items from the auction. It didn't matter how rare a given item was, bids were not permitted.

It was a thousand-year-old rule that had never changed!

After the three bottles of Foundation Establishment Day were sold to the Shimura Clan, the Shimura Clan Elder immediately extended an invitation for Genma to come for a visit to the Shimura Clan . This in turn caused Genma to gain even more prestige.

Discussions regarding Genma spread throughout the auction stadium. The master alchemists sitting around Naruto in the pavilion were all amazed, and began to talk about Genma with admiration and envy.

By now, the auction had already been underway for two days. The auctioneer pulled out another medicinal pill, but considering what had just happened, it was impossible for him to arouse the passion of the crowd.

Few people were paying attention, and the bidding was no longer intense. The next few hundred pills all sold within the space of ten or so breaths. Things were selling so quickly that it hardly seemed an auction anymore….

It reached the point that some people began to leave.

After the wonderment of the Foundation Establishment Day, the hundred thousand or so Cultivators participating in the auction seemed to have come to the conclusion that even though there might be some amazing items yet to appear, none of them would be able to match the astonishing Foundation Establishment Day pills.

To many people a bid of 4,000,000 Spirit Stones was something that wouldn't be seen again in the next hundred years. The three bottles of Foundation Establishment Day were nothing less than a miracle.

Therefore, interest in the remainder of the auction was waning. The auctioneer was well aware of this. He was still a bit excited. To have officiated over the sale of an item at such an astounding price was something he had never experienced before in his life.

Even he didn't think that the remainder of the auction would feature anything that could possibly outmatch the Foundation Establishment Day. As such, he could understand the feelings of the rest of the hundred thousand Cultivators, and was willing to let the rest of the hundreds of medicinal pills be auctioned off at a relatively rapid rate.

It was in such a fashion that Naruto's Bedevilment Pill finally came up for auction, on the evening of the third day. Few of the Cultivators present were very interested. Most of them were still wrapped up in regretfully recalling the events surrounding the Foundation Establishment Day and sending messages about it back to their various Sects.

The voice of the auctioneer sounded out, "This pill was concocted by an anonymous master alchemist of the East Pill Division. Even I don't know who this person is. The name of the pill is… Bedevilment Pill, a poison pill." He placed the pill bottle in front of him.

Naruto's spirits instantly lifted, and he took a deep breath. He stared at the pill bottle, which of course contained the pill he had concocted.

When the pill bottle appeared, most of the surrounding Cultivators were still discussing the Foundation Establishment Day matter in hushed tones. Only a few people looked down, mostly because of the words "poison pill," which managed to arouse a bit of interest.

The auctioneer spoke quickly. In his opinion, even though this pill was a poison pill, it wasn't likely to attract much attention. Other than a Foundation Establishment Day pill, nothing else would be able to cause much of an excited bidding. Despite the pill in front of him having obviously been created by paying a Heaven-defying price, he still doubted that it would sell for much more than ten thousand or so Spirit Stones.

Therefore, he didn't spend much time introducing the pill. Looking out, he saw that the vast majority of the hundred thousand Cultivators weren't paying attention at all. He cleared his throat, and decided that the time was coming to wrap up the auction. It didn't seem that this auction would last seven days, but rather four at the most. There was really no other alternative. After the shock of the Foundation Establishment day, all other auction items would really pale into insignificance.

Having come to the decision to end things quickly, the middle-aged auctioneer called over one of the Violet Chakra to the West disciples. He poured the black pill out of the bottle and, not seeing anything strange about it, quickly scraped off some powder and gave it to the Violet Chakra to the West disciple.

Few of the Cultivators were paying attention to all of this, and in fact, only a handful of people seemed interested in purchasing the pill. After all, it could really only attract the attention of the few Cultivators who studied the Dao of poison.

Naruto noticed all of this, and kept his expression calm.

Only Pakkun seemed to be nervous. He sighed; clearly he felt the whole situation was unfair. In his opinion, Naruto's Dao of alchemy was far above that of Genma's. They weren't even on the same level!

That much was evident from the fervor with which the Inner Sect disciples of the Violet Chakra Sect contended for his pill concocting services.

As for the Violet Chakra to the West disciple, he was a young man of about thirty years of age with an expressionless face. Despite the lack of interest on the part of the surrounding Cultivators, he earnestly accepted the powder from the pill and then consumed it without hesitation. His Cultivation base rotated, causing the powder to dissolve into his body. He became translucent, allowing everyone to see the results inside of him.

Despite the fact that this was a poison pill, the man didn't hesitate in the slightest.

As soon as he consumed the powder, his body began to transform.

As he did, Naruto quietly looked at him and murmured, "Pierce the Chakra passageways throughout the body, chop them like mincemeat. Turn the body into a treasure, split open the chest. Crush the mind, consolidate millions upon millions of murderous intentions. Explode the Dao Pillars within the Core Sea, killing intent can exterminate spirits. Use the mortal soul to fuse with spirits. Use the power of killing to subvert consciousness. The mind and the Core Sea, fused into nothing in the blink of an eye. This Devilish will shall transform into a suicidal heart, which will cause the Cultivation base to climb to the skies!

"It is not a burning of the soul, it supersedes that! This pill… will be called Bedevilment Pill! That is because, this will, can only belong to devils!" With every sentence Naruto uttered, the Cultivator's body changed, almost as if it were under Naruto's control.

His expressionless face immediately changed. Sweat began to pour down his forehead, and his whole body shook. Veins popped out on his forehead.

He could clearly sense that the powder which he had swallowed had been immediately absorbed by his body and then transformed into an indescribable stimulating force. His body filled with pain, and spiritual energy exploded out. It felt as if his Chakra passageways were being slashed to pieces by countless swords!

As this happened, a roaring sound emanated inside of him, as if the unrestrained power of his very life force were shooting out. The intensity of this power exploded out of his chest, transforming into a frenzied desire for murder, which completely shattered his three Dao Pillars!

As his Dao Pillars fell to pieces, his Core Sea evaporated, and his Cultivation base was smashed. The power flooded into his mind, pulverizing his soul, erasing his mind, filling it with a devilish will which would end his life!

It seemed all of his consciousness had disappeared and he had gone completely mad. He lifted his head to the sky and let out a shocking howl. The howl echoed out, containing indescribable desire to murder, which then transformed into killing intent that emanated out from him in booming waves.

A shapeless Flame Sea enveloped his body, burning it, burning his soul, filling him with a frenzied, devilish insanity. His breathing became ragged, and his Cultivation base…. suddenly exploded upward. He had no Dao Pillars, and yet his aura was so powerful that it rivaled the late Foundation Establishment stage!

His roar, filled with killing intent, slammed down onto the hundred thousand Cultivators who were discussing Foundation Establishment Day. Instantly, all of their eyes fell upon the Violet Chakra to the West Cultivator.

Naruto stood there, his expression calm, his eyes calm. He seemed like… an alchemist devil!

It was impossible to describe how the killing intent imbued the howl which rose up to the Heavens. Its intensity spread about, causing a pulsating black aura to emanate from the body of the young Cultivator.

The black aura swirled around him, making him look like someone who had risen up from the yellow springs of the underworld. His closed eyes suddenly snapped open, and all of the hundred thousand Cultivators gasped. What they saw were two eyes that appeared as if they belonged to wild animal, filled only with frenzied death.

The eyes were crimson, and they glowed with insanity. From this moment onward, this was no longer a Cultivator, but a devil!

He emanated the power of the late Foundation Establishment stage; moments ago, he had only been at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Such an explosive transformation caused the hearts of the surrounding Cultivators to echo with thunderous shock.

Because of the roaring in their hearts, the surroundings grew completely silent. All eyes were focused on the Cultivator, who looked like some sort of devilish deity. The auctioneer stared in shock. He breathed heavily, his face covered in astonishment.

This was because even though the Violet Chakra to the West disciple looked like an insane devil, with billowing killing intent and mad, crimson eyes, actually, there was also a calmness within those eyes.

This calmness was even more terrifying than the insanity. It showed that even though he was inundated with frenzied killing intent, he actually had not lost his mind!

Furthermore, all of the hundred thousand Cultivators could clearly see the changes within his body caused by the medicinal powder. If the tiny amount of powder that had been used could cause such an incredible transformation, what could the entire pill do…?

All of the Cultivators present were breathing heavily; the answer to such a question floated in their hearts. Their eyes shone with amazement.

The auction stadium instantly exploded with conversations.

"What… what pill is this!? It's astonishing!"

"That was… that was just a bit of powder, and yet it caused such an incredible transformation. If just a bit of powder could do that, imagine if the entire pill were consumed! What would that be like…."

"It can cause someone to go insane, and unleash all of the potential contained within the body. It fuses the Core Sea and the Dao Pillars, and emits a consummate killing aura. This pill…. is no poison pill! It could be used at a critical moment to save one's life!"

"Poison pill, poison pill…. All alchemists will eventually dabble in poison pills at one point or another. But there are usually no formulas for poison pills. The pill… this pill…."

"What's most important is the medicinal strength of the pill. I was watching closely, and I think I know. It's only a powder shaving, but in my estimation, this pill displayed at least fifty percent medicinal strength!"

"Fifty percent…. Don't tell me this is a poison pill concocted by a Furnace Lord…?"

Discussions raged, just as they had upon the appearance of Foundation Establishment Day! All eyes were on the black medicinal pill, and especially the mark which was branded onto its side.

"Look, it has a mark on it!"

"That's… a cauldron! The pill is branded with a cauldron!"

"That's the mark of the alchemist who concocted the pill! They only brand pills with a personal mark when they are completely satisfied with results. A cauldron…. I've never heard of any alchemist using a cauldron as a personal mark!"

"I demand that the auction house perform a test to determine the medicinal strength of this pill!"

"Yes! We demand a test!"

The demand for a test caused the atmosphere in the auction stadium to grow even more intense. How could the auctioneer have ever imagined that another pill would appear after Foundation Day that could cause such a commotion?

Looking at all the Cultivators demanding a test, their voices growing louder and louder, the auctioneer didn't hesitate. He waved his hand, and two old men walked out from the portal behind him.

Both had hair long and white. These were veteran master alchemists of the Sect, responsible for performing tests of the medicinal strength of pills in the auction. As they walked out, the auctioneer immediately grew very courteous.

The old men had proud looks in their eyes, and completely ignored the surrounding hundred thousand Cultivators. One of them reached out to take hold of the pill. He eyed the cauldron mark, and didn't look very pleased. In his opinion, alchemists who hadn't reached the rank of Furnace Lord weren't qualified to leave a mark on a pill. The crowd could tell that if the man could, he would wipe the mark away.

Looking annoyed, the old man sniffed the pill, whereupon his body suddenly trembled. His eyes filled with disbelief, and he tilted his head forward to examine the pill more closely. As he did, he seemed to grow more agitated. His body trembled even harder, and his eyes grew wide with even more disbelief.

"Impossible…" he said, his voice hoarse. "This pill is an impossibility. It's impossible…." When his voice floated up to the surrounding Cultivators, they all began to pant anxiously. At the moment, they couldn't imagine what medicinal strength the pill must have to cause a veteran master alchemist to turn pale from astonishment.

The other old master alchemist strode forward. He examined the pill, smelled it, and then his eyes gradually began to shine with a strange light. Having seen through the pill, his face began to grow pale, and a look of disbelief and astonishment filled his face.

"This… this is…" The two old men looked at each other, and could clearly see the astonishment in each other's eyes. Their bodies trembled and they breathed heavily.

"Master alchemists, this pill…."

"This pill cannot be sold!" said one of the two master alchemists. His voice echoed out, filling the auction stadium. A buzz rose up.

"What do you mean it can't be sold! We asked for a test. Is the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction really going to break their one thousand year tradition by not selling something?!"

"According to the rules of the Pill Auction, we have the right to ask for a test. You haven't even revealed the results and are already saying you won't sell it?"

"We want the test results! Tell us… what is the medicinal strength of this pill!"

The voices of the hundred thousand Cultivators rose up, including that of Fatty, who roared at the top of his lungs. The auctioneer's expression tightened. He had never encountered a situation like this before, and was starting to get nervous. Suddenly, a new portal appeared on the stage.

Seven people emerged.

Seeing these seven people, the auctioneer's face flickered with shock. He immediately clasped hands and bowed deeply. The two master alchemists' faces filled with veneration, and they, too, clasped hands in salute.

The hundred thousand Cultivators in the auction stadium fell silent. However, their eyes went wide with shock. The seven people who had just emerged were all Furnace Lords of the East Pill Division!

Each and every one had a name that reverberated like thunder throughout the Southern Domain. All hearts trembled at the sight of these seven. They walked out and approached the Bedevilment Pill. One reached out to take it in hand, then examined it carefully. His hand began to tremble, and his expression filled with shock.

He tried to conceal the shock, but the surrounding Cultivators couldn't help but notice. To see a Furnace Lord looking shocked caused the hearts of the hundred thousand Cultivators to feel as if they were filled with thousands of lightning bolts.

The Furnace Lord's gaze swept across the hundred thousand Cultivators. With an inward sigh, he caused the Bedevilment Pill to float up into the air, then sat down cross-legged. "In previous Pill Auctions," he said, "the East Pill Division has offered one opportunity to test the medicinal strength of a pill. Are all of you certain that this pill is the one you wish to test?" There was no need to wait for an answer.

The six other Furnace Lords joined him, sitting in a circle around the floating Bedevilment Pill. They all performed incantation gestures, after which seven pill furnaces appeared in front of them. Each of these pill furnaces was clearly made from extraordinary materials!

"Each pill furnace that ignites, represents ten percent medicinal strength. This is a fair method, since all of the plant and vegetation ingredients used to concoct pills in this Pill Auction were grown in the East Pill Division. If they were not, we would not be able to so accurately determine their medicinal strength."

Even as the voice rang out, the hundred thousand Cultivators all watched on closely. These seven Furnace Lords had illustrious reputations and commanded utmost respect. They closed their eyes, and a fragrant medicinal aroma filled the air, giving rise to a strange atmosphere within the stadium. Suddenly, one pill furnace began to glow. Next, a second, then a third, and finally a fourth began to grow brightly.

"Four furnaces lit up. That means it employed forty percent of the power of the plant and vegetation ingredients…."

"Ah, so it's only forty percent. That's not quite as good as the Foundation Establishment Day. However, it's really not so simple to compare the medicinal strength of the two, since this poison pill is a completely different type of pill. In fact, I'd say… huh?" A moment after discussions broke out among the Cultivators, a deathly silence filled the air, as if the throats of those speaking had suddenly been clamped shut.

The hundred thousand Cultivators began to pant, and looks of shock filled their faces one by one. They stared as a fifth furnace lit up, then a sixth, and a seventh! In the blink of an eye, seven furnaces had begun to glow brightly!

"Seventy… Seventy percent?"

"It must have been concocted by a Furnace Lord! This… this…."

"Seventy percent! But, what if there were eight pill furnaces…?" As the roar of conversation filled the air, the faces of the seven Furnace Lords flickered, and their hearts trembled. Suddenly, yet another glowing portal appeared, from which emerged three more alchemists, who were also Furnace Lords. Their faces were calm and dignified as they strode forward. They sat down and then produced pill furnaces of their own.

Almost the instant their pill furnaces emerged, they began to glow. Eight pill furnaces, then nine, and finally ten. In the blink of an eye, all the pill furnaces were glowing!

Ten pill furnaces, their glow rising up into the sky. There was no roar of conversation, because the surrounding hundred thousand Cultivators could only stare with blank looks….

As for the ten Furnace Lords who were performing the test, they too stared mutely. Their minds spun, and they panted. An unprecedented look of shock appeared in their eyes.

And then, the reaction came. One hundred thousand Cultivators went crazy. Their minds buzzed, their eyes were crimson, and their breath came in ragged pants. They had obviously… gone mad!

One hundred percent medicinal strength! This was a perfect product! From ancient times until now, such an item had never appeared in the Pill Auction!

The difference between the Foundation Establishment Day and this Bedevilment Pill was clear. One was the Earth, the other was the Heavens!

Throughout the history of the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction, a one hundred percent consummate pill had never before appeared. In fact, when it comes to such pills, a pill of eighty percent concocted by a Violet Furnace Lord would be considered a supreme level pill. Even something like that had never been seen before.

A medicinal pill that could employ more than eighty percent of the strength of the plant ingredients was considered supreme! Something ninety percent or higher… such pills were referred to as consummate pills!

A ninety percent pill was considered consummate; a one hundred percent pill, though generally referred to as consummate, could actually be considered sub-celestial!

Throughout the tens of thousands of years that encompassed the history of the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division, very few people had ever been able to concoct supreme pills. Every single one was a Violet Furnace Lord, and every single one had a name which could rock the Southern Domain. As for one hundred percent consummate pills….

In the tens of thousands of years of the history of the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division, only two people had ever been able to concoct such pills. One was the founder of the Sect itself, Reverend Violet East. The other was Grandmaster Pill Demon.

Only those two people had ever been able to concoct consummate pills. Consummate pills were not only a defiance of the Heavens, but also a watershed mark in the Dao of alchemy. They were the watershed mark for promotion to Grandmaster!

Only people who could concoct consummate pills could be called Grandmasters! In all the Southern Domain, other than Grandmaster Pill Demon, there were only two other Grandmasters who were capable of concocting consummate pills. However, their consummate pills were only ninety percent, not one hundred.

In all the Southern Domain, only Grandmaster Pill Demon… could concoct one hundred percent sub-celestial consummate pills!

It is therefore obvious how valuable a pill like the Bedevilment Pill would be, and why its appearance in the Pill Auction would send everyone into a wild frenzy.

One hundred thousand Cultivators all stared with red eyes. The Foundation Establishment Day had caused a stir, but that was far removed from this development. One hundred thousand people, one hundred thousand pairs of eyes. Their minds swam with the shocking sight of… a one hundred percent consummate pill!

Fatty panted as he stared fixedly at the pill; everyone was the same. In the pavilions on the top level of the auction stadium, the master alchemists from the East Pill Division who had come to observe the proceedings, also were completely shaken, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

It wasn't just them; the apprentice alchemists who were present were in an uproar. Even the disciples from the Violet Chakra Division were filled with massive waves of shock.

The entire Pill Auction seemed as if it might boil into collapse.

The auctioneer stood there trembling, his mind filled with thunderous roaring, his breathing agitated and his eyes bloodshot. He had never imagined that he would ever be able to touch a one hundred percent consummate pill.

When he thought about how he had personally shaved off some powder from the pill, his heart filled with intense regret. In his mind, such an action was essentially blasphemy.

A one hundred percent consummate pill could be considered a sacred object to any alchemist, a truly precious treasure. His reaction, his madness, might be difficult for an outsider to comprehend. But as an alchemist, his greatest dream in life was to one day concoct a consummate pill.

The ten Furnace Lords stared blankly at the Bedevilment Pill floating in front of them. Their eyes shined with religious fervor, and their breath came in ragged bursts. They seemed to have forgotten everything else except for this pill.

As Naruto watched all of this happening, his heart began to pound. All of a sudden, he was getting the feeling that maybe this wasn't such a good development after all…. He had never imagined that the Bedevilment Pill would lead to such a frantic uproar.

"That pill… it…." murmured Pakkun. He seemed to almost be in a daze. He slowly looked over at Naruto, and he seemed as if his soul had vanished into thin air.

Before the auctioneer could even set a price, the frenzied crowd began roaring out bids. "5,000,000 Spirit Stones!" someone cried. "I'll get this one hundred percent consummate pill even if it reduces me to poverty!"

"10,000,000 Spirit Stones! I'm from the Mount Dao Sect, and I'll spend all the resources of my entire Sect to buy this pill!"

As people began shouting out prices, the atmosphere in the auction stadium grew even more frenzied. Naturally, most of the people participating in the auction knew at least something of the Dao of alchemy. It had been easy to establish the value of the Foundation Establishment Day, a forty-five percent pill with a variety of plant and vegetation interactions. But as for a one hundred percent consummate pill….

The mysterious plant and vegetation interactions made its value hard to determine. The Cultivators here, regardless of which Sect they came from, obviously knew that. Any Sect who could unlock a tiny bit of the secrets of this pill would be able to make unprecedented advancements in their Dao of alchemy.

It was no ordinary pill, but rather a one hundred percent consummate pill, something that no one in the entire Southern Domain except for Grandmaster Pill Demon could concoct.

The Cultivators here knew that anyone who acquired the pill and studied it on a daily basis, were they to achieve complete enlightenment, would be able to found their own alchemic Sect!

This pill was a rarity in the modern world!

Even without complete understanding of the pill, any Sect who possessed it would have a precious treasure!

The explosive atmosphere in the auction stadium continued to rise. It seemed chaos would soon break out; some people seemed to be preparing to fight for the pill. Unfortunately, the appearance of the pill seemed to have incited the potential for frenzied struggle.

The auctioneer was incapable of keeping the situation under control. Were he to dare to say that the pill was not for sale, killing intent would surely fill the auction stadium in an instant.

Nothing like this had ever happened throughout the long history of the Pill Auction. The auctioneer's face was pale as he looked around at the frenzied one hundred thousand Cultivators. He didn't even dare to speak.

"Who made this pill?" somebody suddenly shouted. It seemed many of the Cultivators realized that they had little hope of acquiring the pill, and so began to focus their attention on whoever had concocted it.

The question rang out like thunder, causing the hundred thousand Cultivators to suddenly grow deathly quiet.

The Cultivators were still in a frenzy, but they seemed to have recovered some of their wits. As they did, it seemed everyone was suddenly wondering about the same question.

"If I remember correctly, it was a master alchemist?"

"Master alchemist? What? This pill… was concocted by a master alchemist?"

"It… it surely was concocted by Grandmaster Pill Demon himself. How could it be a master alchemist? The only person in the entire Southern Domain who can concoct one hundred percent consummate pills is Grandmaster Pill Demon!"

The buzz of conversation filled the air, and everyone began to focus once more on the pill. The auctioneer's face was pale, but he hurriedly said, "This pill was concocted by an anonymous master alchemist of the East Pill Division." The man's breathing was ragged, and even he seemed to be shocked by the words he had just uttered.

If he had such a reaction, how much more of a reaction would the surrounding hundred thousand Cultivators have? Upon hearing that the pill had been concocted by a master alchemist, the hundred thousand Cultivators immediately began to pant. They were dumbfounded, and their faces filled with astonishment and surprise.

After a moment of silence, the Cultivators once again exploded with conversations that buzzed even louder than before.

"A master alchemist…it really was concocted by a master alchemist!"

"Not a Furnace lord, not a Violet Furnace Lord, and not even Grandmaster Pill Demon. If it was concocted by a mere master alchemist, well, this is a hundred percent consummate pill! This master alchemist… he…."

"Such talent. Such skill in the Dao of alchemy! He concocted a one hundred percent consummate pill! Who is he? Who is this Grandmaster?!"

"Such a heaven-defying master alchemist exists in the Violet Fate Sect! Could he… could he be a personal apprentice of Grandmaster Pill Demon?

A one hundred percent consummate pill was well and good. The plant and vegetation interactions were important. All of it was hard to put a value on. But to compare that to the master alchemist who concocted such a pill, one was the Earth, the other was the Heavens!

It was impossible to describe how valuable such an alchemist would be to a Sect. In fact, few Sects would hesitate to spend any price to acquire such an alchemist. Present in the auction stadium were the three great Clans and the other four great Sects. All of them seemed moved; their disciples' eyes glittered, and they all had produced jade slips to transmit reports back to their various Sects.

"Who is this master alchemist!"

"If he becomes a Furnace Lord, or a Violet Furnace Lord, then the pills he concocts will surely be a defiance of the Heavens!"

"We want to meet this master alchemist!"

As the frenzy in the auction stadium built, Naruto took a deep breath. He looked at Pakkun, who appeared to be in a panic. Pakkun seemed about to say something, but when Naruto's gaze fell upon him, his heart calmed.

Naruto's heart, however was racing. He could never have possibly predicted that the pill he had concocted would cause such a violent storm of a reaction. In fact, he felt a bit of regret. Thankfully, he hadn't attached his name to the pill, but had only left the mark of the cauldron branded on its side.

"Maybe the master alchemist didn't reveal his identity, but look at that cauldron. That's his mark!"

"Cauldron… cauldron…. Don't tell me that's his alchemist name? Pill Cauldron!"

"Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!" It was impossible to say who said it first. However, it only took an instant for the Cultivators to identify with the name Pill Cauldron. Thus began the rise of this name.

Naruto watched on blankly, blinking. He was still feeling unsettled, but at the same time, a proud sense of self-confidence began to fill him. For the pill he had concocted to garner such acclaim was a lofty honor for any alchemist.

It was at this moment that suddenly, a violet glow emanated from the glittering portal in the middle of the auction stadium. It filled the stadium, along with a massive pressure that immediately suppressed the racket.

As the auction stadium grew quiet once again, the violet glow rose up from the portal, and then two figures walked out.

The person in the lead wore a violet robe, the sleeves of which were embroidered with golden pill furnaces. His long, black hair flowed down his back, and his expression was one filled, not with anger, but with power. He looked to be a bit over fifty years of age, and yet, he also emanated an air of ancientness. It was unnecessary to state that this person had clearly had many years of experience.

He walked out slowly, and as he did, all of the hundred thousand Cultivators in the audience looked at him.

His appearance caused the ten Furnace Lords' expressions to instantly change. They rose to their feet, looks of veneration covering their faces as they clasped hands in salute.

"Greetings, Violet Furnace Lord Kotetsu," they said in unison.

The words rang out, causing the hundred thousand Cultivators to suddenly gasp.

This shock was caused by the words, "Violet Furnace Lord."

Naruto's eyes glittered as his gaze came to rest on the violet-robed man and the incredible medicinal aura which emanated from him.

After the violet-robed man emerged from the portal, the eyes of the onlookers fell upon the person behind him, a hunchbacked Cultivator. His expressionless face was filled with scars that seemed to be self-inflicted.

An indescribable sense of power emanated from him, which seemed to bolster the powerful pressure which maintained silence within the auction stadium.

"Patriarch Hunchback!"

"So it's Patriarch Hunchback! They say his Cultivation base is at the mid Nascent Soul stage. Three hundred years ago, he gave up everything to become the Alchemy Protector of Violet Furnace Lord Kotetsu…."

"For Patriarch Hunchback to appear means… the man in the violet robe really must be one of the eight Violet Furnace Lords of the Violet Fate Sect, Kotetsu!"

The eyes of the hundred thousand Cultivators immediately shone with respect. The rank of Violet Furnace Lord was virtually the pinnacle of the Dao of alchemy. Other than Grandmaster, there was no higher position.

Kotetsu's expression was calm. He nodded to the ten Furnace Lords, then lifted his right hand into the air and made a grasping motion. The Bedevilment Pill flew over and settled onto his palm. He didn't sniff the pill, but rather let it rest in his palm as he closed his eyes.

Time slowly passed. The surrounding Cultivators watched with rapt attention. Naruto maintained his silence, watching thoughtfully as Violet Furnace Lord Kotetsu used his skill in the Dao of alchemy to gain enlightenment regarding Naruto's pill.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Violet Furnace Lord Kotetsu slowly opened his eyes. His face looked moved, and as he stared at the pill in his hand, a strange light filled his eyes.

"What is the name of this pill?" he asked slowly, his voice somewhat husky.

An excited expression filled the face of the auctioneer. He clasped hands and bowed to Kotetsu, then said, "According to the records, the name of this pill is Bedevilment."

Kotetsu looked at the pill for a long moment, then sighed and said, "What an amazing pill. Bedevilment. Melt the soul and transform it into evil. Rely only on the self to rise to the skies. It is not a burning of the soul, it supersedes that!" This was his attempt to state the essence of the pill. He couldn't possibly deduce the formula of the pill in such a short time.

Others might not understand his words, but as soon as Naruto heard them, his pupils constricted.

"No wonder he's a Violet Furnace Lord. In one glance, he was able to determine the true essence of the pill." Naruto was lost in thought for a moment. In the future, he would need to add some confusing elements into his medicinal pills, so that they wouldn't be so easy to analyze. Despite the man being a Violet Furnace Lord, the whole situation made Naruto feel a bit uneasy.

"This is not a one hundred percent pill," said Kotetsu. "Its medicinal strength is actually ninety-five percent. However, even more deserving of praise is the fact that this pill was concocted amidst alchemic enlightenment. There is no formula for it." The instant the hundred thousand Cultivators heard his words, they began to pant, and their minds reeled, especially because of the words alchemic enlightenment.

"Alchemic enlightenment…"

"This pill was created because of alchemic enlightenment. There's no formula for it!"

"A pill created during alchemic enlightenment is one of a kind. You'll never find another pill like it! That means… its value is at least double!" The hundred thousand Cultivators continued to discuss the matter, their burning eyes fixated on the Bedevilment Pill. They seemed to be going mad once again.

Kotetsu looked at the Bedevilment Pill for another long moment, then lowered his hand, allowing the pill to float in the air. Then he stepped back a few paces and closed his eyes.

It seemed he had only appeared to verify whether the Bedevilment Pill had been created during alchemic enlightenment.

"20,000,000 Spirit Stones! The Shimura Clan must have this pill!"

"20,500,000 Spirit Stones! A consummate pill like this, created in alchemic enlightenment, is unique under the heavens."

The entire place boiled with excitement as more bids were called out. Naruto was breathing heavily, and his eyes were shining. Hearing all the bids filled his heart with excitement. However, a bit of hesitation suddenly appeared. After hearing the explanation from the Violet Furnace Lord, he now knew that the strange state he had been in when concocting the pill that day was known as alchemic enlightenment. However, what he didn't understand was that the Violet Furnace Lord had described the pill as one of a kind, which seemed incongruous with what had actually happened.

"Maybe there are some variations that I don't quite understand…." thought Naruto, suppressing his confusion and instead listening to the excitement with which the bids for the pill increased. Before, he had understood that it wasn't difficult for alchemists to make profit from pill concocting, but he had never imagined the Bedevilment Pill would sell for such an incredible price.

He suddenly realized that his choice to join the Violet Fate Sect had definitely been a wise one.

Soon, the price for the Bedevilment pill reached 40,000,000 Spirit Stones. Such a price could bankrupt most Sects. Other than the four great Sects and three great Clans, no one else was even qualified to compete for it now.

"43,000,000 Spirit Stones!" cried Fatty, leaped up onto the table.

"48,000,000!" yelled someone from the Black Sieve Sect.

"60,000,000!" raved Fatty. "Screw your granny! Do you dare to try to snatch my belongings!?"

The price had reached an unimaginable height. To most of the onlookers, this might be a rare, consummate pill, but it wasn't worth that much, even with the added factor of Alchemic Enlightenment. After all, the pill had incredible medicinal strength, but it wasn't clear what the results would be if it were consumed by the Core Formation stage. Considering it was apparently designed for the Foundation Establishment stage, a price of 60,000,000 Spirit Stones for such a pill was already relatively high.

The value of being able to research the Bedevilment Pill was already hard to determine. However, if after complete research it was found that the pill was effective for the Core Formation stage, then the value would be nearly limitless.

It must be stated that for an alchemist of the Southern Domain to reach the Grandmaster level, he must concoct, not just one ninety percent consummate pill, but one for each of the five stages of Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Severing. After concocting all of those ninety percent consummate pills, one could truly be considered a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy.

In any case, the research value of the Bedevilment Pill was truly hard to imagine. It was incredibly exciting because it was not only a consummate pill, but a supposedly unique pill concocted amidst alchemic enlightenment.

Naruto continued to grow more excited. He wanted the price to increase even more. In fact, were it not for his low Cultivation base, despite deep anxiety, he would pull out the second Bedevilment Pill and auction off that one too.

Although, now he was wondering how he would be able to retrieve his profits after the pill was sold. That was a bit of a problem.

It was at this moment that Kotetsu's eyes suddenly opened.

"100,000,000!"

Hearing this caused the surrounding Cultivators to stare, dumbfounded. Fatty and the others looked over at Kotetsu, and their faces slowly filled with anger.

Everyone knew of the unwritten rule of the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction, that Violet Fate Sect Cultivators do not participate. Earlier, during the auction for the Foundation Establishment Day, the East Pill Division had let it be sold for research without batting an eye.

But this was a consummate pill…. Violet Furnace Lord Kotetsu was participating, creating a situation in which seller was competing along with buyer. Who could truly compete?

How could the bidding continue…?

"110,000,000!" yelled Fatty, his eyes red. He didn't care about Spirit Stones, but about face. It didn't matter if he was up against a Violet Furnace Lord. After his previous high bid, he had been trampled upon, which made him extremely unhappy. This wasn't an actual fight or a battle. As far as Fatty was concerned, crushing Spirit Stones was nothing, and he surely had more.

"200,000,000," said Kotetsu calmly. All of the one hundred thousand Cultivators gasped. Such a price was inconceivable. Even ten consummate pills, all concocted in alchemic enlightenment, would not be worth such an incredible price.

200,000,000 Spirit Stones could fund a great Sect for ten years.

"200…" Fatty's anger raged to the heavens. He was just about to increase the bid, when Kotetsu's cool voice rang out.

"I'm not purchasing this pill for myself. I'm purchasing it at the behest of Grandmaster Pill Demon, as his agent."

These words caused silence to fill the air. Everyone looked on thoughtfully. Now, they understood. No matter what anyone said, the Violet Fate Sect wouldn't allow such a pill to be sold. Even if the tradition of the Pill Auction was broken, their mind had been made up. This Pill would not leave the Violet Fate Sect.

Giving no regard to this, Fatty still seemed willing to increase the price. "200…" Suddenly, one of the disciples from his Sect grabbed him and whispered something into his ear. Face filled with an irritated look, Fatty gave an unwilling harrumph, but didn't say anything more.

No one else said anything either. Kotetsu made a clutching motion with his right hand, and the Bedevilment Pill flew into his hand. Without another word, he turned, followed by the hunchbacked old man, and then disappeared into the glowing portal.

Naruto watched with wide eyes as all of this happened. Suddenly, he was feeling a bit nervous.

He hesitated for a moment. "Grandmaster Pill Demon bought it. Considering how prestigious he is, he wouldn't… he wouldn't hold back the money, would he…?" Thinking about Grandmaster Pill Demon's position, he felt a bit more secure.

After Kotetsu left, there was no way to continue with the auction. Naruto grabbed Pakkun, who looked somewhat absent-minded, and left.

After returning to the Sect, Naruto spent quite a bit of time repeatedly giving various instructions to Pakkun. The entire time, Pakkun looked at him with a strange look. The look of respect in his eyes far exceeded that from before.

Watching Pakkun leave, seemingly in a trance, Naruto couldn't help but laugh bitterly. After thinking about it, he decided that even if someone found out he had concocted the pill, it wouldn't matter too much. Deciding not to worry about it any more, he headed back into his Immortal's Cave.

"200,000,000 Spirit Stones! Even if I only get eighty percent, that's still 160,000,000!" He sat down, thinking about the Spirit Stones, his eyes shining.

Deep in the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect, at the main peak of the mountain range, Kotetsu stood respectfully next to an old man. The old man was, of course, none other than Pill Demon. In his hand was a black pill which was… the Bedevilment Pill.

Pill Demon examined the pill for nearly two hours. Slowly, a smile began to appear on his face. The smile was filled with both kindness and admiration.

Kotetsu looked at Pill Demon, his eyes filled with respect. In his entire life, he had never admired anyone more than Grandmaster Pill Demon. He was a Violet Furnace Lord, but it was actually because of that that he understood the vast gap between himself and his master. This caused his respect to grow even deeper.

Every time he stood in front of Grandmaster Pill Demon, he felt as if he were a tiny fish in the vast sea of the Dao of alchemy.

"Master," said Kotetsu, "I've already looked into who concocted this pill. There are a few problems with his background. He's…."

"Don't say it," the old man said coolly. "I forbid it. There's no need." He put the pill away with the wave of a hand.

Kotetsu stared in shock for a moment, then respectfully said, "Yes."

"Don't bother him either. Allow this little Grandmaster Pill Cauldron to maintain his mysterious anonymity in the Sect." Pill Demon smiled, a smile filled with happiness and an indescribable contentment. Even as his voice continued to echo out, he disappeared into the distance. The entire time, he didn't mention the Spirit Stones.

"Master, what about the Spirit Stones…." said Kotetsu hesitantly.

Pill Demon's voice could be heard from off in the distance. "What Spirit Stones? Those are his apprentice's fees!"

Kotetsu watched his master disappear into the distance, and then laughed. As he turned, a name floated in his mind.

"Kazama…."

Time passed. Soon half a month had gone by. It was on this particular day that, with great anticipation, Naruto asked Pakkun to go check to see if the Spirit Stones could be collected. Pakkun returned in the evening, his face long. His explanation was like a bolt from the blue.

With great care, he said, "I used a variety of methods to ask around, but the answer was always the same…. Aiiii, after the pill was sold, no Spirit Stones were deposited into the account…. I'm not really sure what exactly is going on, but how could we expect the auction house to dare to go and demand Spirit Stones from Grandmaster Pill Demon…?"

Naruto gaped in astonishment. He felt as if he had just been struck in the head with five lightning bolts. His eyes went wide with fury.

"My Spirit Stones! My 200,000,000 Spirit Stones! Pill Demon, you bought my pill. Give me my Spirit Stones!" Naruto gnashed his teeth. However, there was nothing he could do except sit there feeling at a loss.

Naruto was at a loss because, as far as he was concerned, 200,000,000 was an impossibly high number. However, throughout the Southern Domain, many others were feeling at a loss as well.

They were at a loss because of the appearance of a consummate pill in the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction, a pill that had been concocted during alchemic enlightenment, a pill unique under the heavens.

The name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron immediately began to spread far and wide, shaking the Southern Domain. Countless Sects and Cultivators all heard about it.

Although officially rising to the rank of Grandmaster required successful concoction of several pills of ninety percent medicinal strength or higher, the pills that appeared in the Pill Auction always led to a commotion in the Southern Domain. Add in alchemic enlightenment, and this caused Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's name to instantly rise to unprecedented heights. It also furthered the mystery surrounding his identity.

Everyone was in a frenzy trying to determine who Grandmaster Pill Cauldron was. Speculations ran wild. Some claimed it was another form of address for Grandmaster Pill Demon. Others believed that it must be one of the Violet Furnace Lords.

No one believed that it could be one of the ordinary master alchemists. After all, other than Violet Furnace Lords, who else could possibly have such skill in the Dao of alchemy?

Wild rumors spread like storm winds across the Southern Domain. The only things that had happened in recent years that could match up to the stir caused by Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, were the repeated search attempts made by various Sects in the area around the Rebirth Cave, and the matter of Naruto and the Sublime Spirit Scripture.

As time passed, amongst the various rumors and opinions about Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, a new theory arose that was a complete contrast to the idea that he was a Violet Furnace Lord.

Many people believed that Grandmaster Pill Cauldron really was an ordinary master alchemist. However, he was gifted with an incredible nature talent of the Dao of the alchemy. Otherwise, why would his pill appear in the Pill Auction? Perhaps even the master alchemist himself hadn't been able to predict the outcome.

If it were a Violet Furnace Lord, he would surely state his identity, and use the Pill Auction to gain fame, and perhaps set the stage for promotion to Grandmaster.

Soon, more and more people began to agree with this line of reasoning. And yet, more rumors arose to the contrary. The name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron filled the entire Southern Domain, like thunderous storms.

Whoever he was, everyone had to admit that since this Grandmaster Pill Cauldron had concocted a consummate pill, even if he wasn't truly a Grandmaster like the other three Grandmasters of the Southern Domain, he most likely would be in the future.

After all, his pill was a ninety-five percent, nearly one hundred percent consummate pill!

If Grandmaster Pill Cauldron concocted more consummate pills in the future, then the Southern Domain would no longer have three Grandmasters of the Dao of alchemy, but four!

In fact, because of the sudden rise of his name, there were many people who believed that Grandmaster Pill Cauldron already had the skill of a Grandmaster, and that there were already four Grandmasters!

The Black Sieve Sect, Golden Frost Sect, Blood Demon Sect, and even the Solitary Sword Sect, as well as the three great Clans all extended solemn public invitations offering to entertain Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

This in itself caused quite a commotion, and caused Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's name to shine as brightly as the sun itself.

The Violet Fate Sect was in just as much of a stir as the outside world. Regardless of whether it was the Violet Chakra Division or East Pill Division, everyone was talking about Grandmaster Pill Cauldron and speculating as to his identity.

It wasn't that nobody suggested Kazama might be Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Rather, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's name was so inestimably high, that those who suggested it might be Kazama became objects of ridicule. Kazama was known in the East Pill Division and the Violet Chakra Division alike for his skill in pill concocting, but when compared to the mysterious Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, no one believed they could be one and the same.

The general consensus in the East Pill Division was that he was a Violet Furnace Lord, who had concocted the consummate pill, but for some reason did not wish to reveal his identity.

There were even many master alchemists who began to venerate the mysterious Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Anyone who said anything disrespectful about him, would earn the wrath of these alchemists.

While the rest of the Southern Domain discussed Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, the older generation of the Violet Fate Sect wanted to open an investigation. However, the East Pill Division was in a special position; without the approval of Pill Demon, no one would be able to uncover any information at all. The strangest thing of all was that Pill Demon seemed to be paying no heed whatsoever to the entire thing. He wouldn't talk about it, nor would he permit the Violet Chakra Division or the East Pill Division to investigate.

Even his own people in the East Pill Division couldn't investigate the matter; it seemed as if Pill Demon had erased all traces of information.

As more and more rumors spread, as more and more people talked about Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, Naruto heaved more and more sighs.

Whenever he heard the name Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, he thought of his 200,000,000 Spirit Stones. And whenever he thought of that, he thought of how Pill Demon hadn't paid him what he owed.

"You owe me 200,000,000 Spirit Stones…." Naruto felt twisted. Normally, considering the level of his Cultivation base, he wouldn't worry about a few Spirit Stones. But this was 200,000,000 of them!

Every time he thought of the matter, it felt like a sword was stabbing into his heart. Long ago when he had joined the Reliance Sect, he had thought that he would be able to get rich by working for Immortals. This entire time, he had drifted along, pushed along by the current, until he reached this point. However, he still retained that stubborn desire deep in his bones.

His methods were now much colder, and many others viewed him as crafty and ruthless. But deep in his heart, he was still the same scholar he had always been, and he still desired to be rich. He hadn't forgotten that wish of his.

If you can imagine how much Naruto rejoiced at not having to pay back the silver he owed to Steward Ebisu when he joined the Reliance Sect, then you can imagine how he felt to have 200,000,000 Spirit Stones dangled in front of him, only to find that they weren't his.

He took a deep breath, and then continued to concoct pills, a bitter smile on his face. Time passed by, but the name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron did not fade from the Southern Domain or from the Violet Fate Sect. After the initial waves settled down, the name continued to be mentioned frequently.

Some of this had to do with the mystery surrounding the name, and all the rumors that accompanied it. In fact, more pills marked with a cauldron began to appear in auctions throughout the Southern Domain.

However, the fake pills would always end up being exposed. Furthermore, the counterfeit pills only served to bolster the reputation of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

Naruto heard about most of these things from Pakkun. Whenever Pakkun talked to him about matters regarding Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, a strange look would appear on his face, and his eyes would fill with glowing veneration. Obviously, he knew that the person who was the subject of such glowing praise throughout the Violet Fate Sect, and even the Southern Domain, was standing right in front of him.

Day and night, both when dreaming, and when walking about, the image would appear in his mind of how he had held the Bedevilment pill in his own hands as he secretly delivered it to the auction house.

When he thought about how he had held a consummate pill, and about the identity of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, he felt like he was in a fantasy.

Someone else in the Violet Fate Sect who was moved by the name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, was Sakura. The only thing she heard people talking about was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Her own investigations into his identity led nowhere. Furthermore, some people were making vague statements implying that perhaps she was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

She could only laugh bitterly about that. She was incredibly curious about who he was, and as she tried to find out more information, her heart began to fill with reverence.

It didn't matter who Grandmaster Pill Cauldron was; as an alchemist, Sakura knew the skill required in the Dao of alchemy to produce a consummate pill. It demanded the respect of all alchemists. As for Sakura, her reverence grew, and she couldn't wait to meet this mysterious Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, and discuss alchemy and alchemic enlightenment with him!

To alchemists, alchemic enlightenment was a mysterious realm, where pill formulas didn't exist, and one could only rely on one's understanding of the Dao of alchemy. Using only the materials at one's fingertips, one would create a new medicinal pill. This was the reason that Sakura so worshiped Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

Her veneration only grew stronger and stronger as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's reputation grew. She even begged her master over and over to let her borrow the Bedevilment Pill to study it. When he finally consented, she poured herself into researching it.

She felt the insane, devilish will contained inside. She could sense the frenzied burning which exceeded a burning of the soul. She could sense a profound sharpness inside the pill, a proud will that exceeded Heaven and Earth.

Gradually, an image of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron began to form in her heart. His face was archaic, and his eyes shone with wisdom. He was tall and slender, with an imposing disposition. All of this was based on the feeling she got from within the pill.

And yet, no matter how she searched, no matter what methods she used, she couldn't find anyone within the Sect who matched such an image. This didn't cause her veneration to lessen , but rather the opposite; it continued to deepen.

Once, Naruto accidentally ran into Sakura while walking through the Sect. He was just about to dodge to the side to avoid her when he noticed that she hadn't even noticed him. Instead, she was engaged in a deep conversation about Grandmaster Pill Cauldron with a fellow female disciple. She walked right past him.

Her expression was one of determination, and her eyes shone with a strange light. Every time she said the name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, her eyes would glitter brightly.

Naruto stared in shock, a strange look on his face. He suddenly wondered what Sakura's face would look like if she ever discovered that Kazama was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. He also wondered what her expression would be like if she found out that Kazama was actually Naruto….

Another half month passed. On this particular day, Naruto had just finished concocting a batch of medicinal pills. Suddenly, his expression flickered as he heard noise from outside his Immortal's Cave, a hubbub of conversation.

The East Pill Division was usually a very peaceful place. A ruckus like this was very rare. Astonished, Naruto rose to his feet and walked to the door of the Immortal's Cave. Down below, the apprentice alchemists were all running in the same direction.

"Grandmaster Eternal Mountain from the Golden Frost Sect is here! He's one of the three Grandmasters of the Southern Domain, with a name as famous as Grandmaster Pill Demon's!"

"Don't tell me he's here to issue a challenge!?"

"Grandmaster Eternal Mountain used to be just like us! He was an apprentice alchemist who slowly rose up through the ranks. But eventually, he forsook the Sect. Fortunately for him, Grandmaster Pill Demon approved of his long, hard work, and didn't cripple his Dao of alchemy! If he had, a day such as this would never have come!"

"I wonder why Grandmaster Eternal Mountain has come to the Violet Fate Sect today…."

Naruto's eyes glittered as he stood outside his Immortal's Cave. A multitude of apprentice alchemists and even master alchemists were all coming out of their dwelling places. All of them began to rush off in the same direction.

The Violet Chakra Division and the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect were both in shock. A disciple who had forsaken the Sect and then become a Grand Elder of the Dao of alchemy in the Golden Frost Sect, Eternal Mountain, had returned. For the first time in four hundred years… he stepped foot into the Violet Fate Sect!

Along with him had come one of the Golden Frost Sect's two Dharma Protectors, Omoi . The other was a Nascent Soul Elder. Each of these individuals had practiced Cultivation for more than seven hundred years. Despite being only at the Nascent Soul stage, they were experts in magic, and together could destroy ten thousand enemies.

In addition to this, they were followed by a large group of Golden Frost Sect disciples, including Fatty. He looked very complacent, standing there at the forefront of the group of disciples, right next to Omoi.

The Golden Frost Sect's arrival, especially the presence of Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, provoked the appearance of the Violet Chakra Division's Dao Protector Tazuna , as well as several Nascent Soul Cultivators. On the peak of one of the mountains located on the border between the Violet Chakra Division and the East Pill Division, was a large public square, where the ceremonies would take place.

Two Violet Furnace Lords from the East Pill Division were also present. One was Kotetsu. The other was clearly superior to Kotetsu both in position and in age. In fact, he was the most senior of the Violet Furnace Lords of the East Pill Division. His skill in the Dao of alchemy was at the peak level, and he could be considered sub-Grandmaster. This was Ensui.

At the moment, the Violet Chakra Division's Outer Sect disciples, as well as the apprentice alchemists of the East Pill Division, were congregating down at the foot of the mountain. They settled their Chakra and calmed their minds, looking up toward the square at the peak of the mountain. Their hearts filled with speculation as to the purpose of Grandmaster Eternal Mountain's visit.

Some of the Inner Sect disciples and master alchemists proceeded up toward the top of the mountain. However, not many were qualified to do so. The entire mountain was sealed tightly, and many who attempted to get closer were turned back.

Naruto arrived at the mountain with the rest of the crowd. He stood off some distance away, observing. As far as Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, he had heard quite a few stories about the man throughout his years in the Violet Fate Sect.

As he looked over the scene, he suddenly saw several beams of colorful light shooting through the air. His eyes glittered. The beams shot directly toward the public square at the peak of the mountain. Within were Cultivators of the East Pill Division, all of whom were Furnace Lords.

One of them was Sakura.

After thinking about it for a moment, Naruto's body flashed, and he shot forward. Just as he neared the mountain, he caught sight of Genma. Their eyes met, and they proceeded together up toward the top of the mountain.

There were some who attempted to block their way, but Genma simply flashed his identification jade slip, whereupon they gave way with respectful looks on their faces. After the auctioning of the Foundation Establishment Day in the Pill Auction, Genma's name had also risen to prominence. Were it not for the appearance of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, his name would most likely have become even more well known.

Genma gave Naruto a meaningful look, and then, his voice low, said, "Grandmaster Eternal Mountain forsook master and the Sect. It's said that he hasn't stepped foot back inside for four hundred years. I wonder why he's back…. Brother Kazama, do you think it might have something to do with Grandmaster Pill Cauldron?"

Naruto smiled slightly, shaking his head and saying nothing. Soon, they reached the mountain peak, where they stood off to the side. Naruto looked over at Fatty, and then Sakura.

All of the Furnace Lords, including Sakura, stood respectfully behind the Violet Furnace Lords, looking forward at the Cultivators from the Golden Frost Sect.

Sakura glanced at the Golden Frost Sect Cultivators and yawned. Then her gaze fell upon Fatty, and it seemed as if she wanted to give him a good thrashing. A cold look gleamed in her eye. After all, this Fatty Choji was the cause of the entire scandal with Naruto.

The Golden Frost Sect had brought no small amount of Cultivators to this meeting. However, less than ten people actually qualified to sit down at the table. The rest of the Inner Sect disciples, like Fatty, could only stand behind them.

Sitting in the foremost position were two people. One was Dharma Protector Omoi. He appeared to be middle-aged, but his Cultivation base was at the mid Nascent Soul stage, and few people in the Southern Domain would dare to look down at him. If he made a bit more progress, he would reach the late Nascent Soul stage. In the current age, in which only a few Spirit Severing Cultivators appeared in the Cultivation world of the Southern Domain, this would place him at the pinnacle of his generation.

At the moment, he was laughing and chatting with Tazuna over some trivial matters.

Sitting next to him was a white-haired old man. He had been sitting there the entire time, his eyes closed. He seemed as if he did not belong in Heaven and Earth. In fact, anyone who looked at him for too long would begin to feel as if their eyes were burning, as if his entire body were some type of fearsome furnace.

Even more shocking, as he sat there with his eyes closed, green grass slowly began to sprout up from within the limestones around him. It seemed that this old man's aura was capable of causing living things to spontaneously grow.

This was none other than one of the three Grandmasters of the Dao of alchemy of the Southern Domain, Eternal Mountain.

Compared to him, the rest of the Golden Frost Sect Cultivators seemed to be there for nothing more than a supporting role. Even the Nascent Soul Cultivators were clearly lessened by his presence.

Naruto and Genma stood off to the side, along with quite a large group of other disciples who encircled the square. Naruto looked at Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, and the grass slowly growing up around him. His eyes narrowed.

"What realm of the Dao of alchemy is this?" he thought. "He can cause medicinal plants to grow up from the limestone. That's creating life out of nothing…."

Then, he caught sight of Kotetsu, and felt anger welling up in his heart as he suddenly remembered his 200,000,000 Spirit Stones.

On the Violet Fate Sect side, Kotetsu smiled as he and Tazuna chatted courteously with Omoi and the three other Nascent Soul magic experts.

The most senior of the Violet Furnace Lords, Ensui, sat there expressionless, staring icily at Eternal Mountain.

The square seemed to be filled with both fire and ice. On the one hand, harmonious chatting could be heard, on the other hand, an icy wind full of frost seemed to be blowing.

"Hahaha!" laughed Omoi, looking at Tazuna. "Fellow Daoist Tazuna, please stop asking. I'm just here out of courtesy to accompany Grandmaster Eternal Mountain. As far as the details of our visit, I'm afraid I can't really say."

It was at this moment that Grandmaster Eternal Mountain suddenly opened his eyes. When he did, they were staring directly into Ensui's icy glare.

He was quiet for a moment, and then said, "Long time no see, Elder Brother Ensui." His voice was archaic, and filled with a strange power. As his words rang out, the green grass around him fluttered. Instantly, the entire square grew quiet. Regardless of who was speaking, Omoi, Tazuna or Kotetsu, they all instantly closed their mouths. All eyes fell onto Grandmaster Eternal Mountain.

"You flatter me with the words 'Elder Brother,'" Ensui said coolly. "Have some self-respect, Grandmaster Eternal Mountain."

Eternal Mountain was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he said, "The purpose of my visit is to pay respects to Grandmaster Pill Demon. Fellow Daoist Ensui, could you please make an introduction for me?"

"Master is busy at the moment," replied Ensui, his voice cold. "Please leave." Although Ensui's Master was not offended by Eternal Mountain's past actions, Ensui would never be able to forget that he himself had recommended him to join the Sect. Furthermore, he had unselfishly provided him with much assistance. He had never imagined that because of his talent in the Dao of alchemy, that he would eventually become a Violet Furnace Lord, and then forsake Master and Sect. To this day, he had never been able to dispel the negative feelings in his heart.

Eternal Mountain was again silent for a long moment. After the space of about ten breaths passed, a glow filled his eyes like that emitted by a pill furnace.

"If Grandmaster Pill Demon has no time, then I would very much like to meet the person the whole Southern Domain is talking about: Grandmaster Pill Cauldron of the East Pill Division!"

Hearing this caused Sakura's eyes to shine brightly. In fact, the eyes of all the surrounding Violet Fate Sect disciples began to glimmer. After all, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's illustrious name was what everyone was talking about recently.

Naruto's face was expressionless. He had long since become used to his alternate identity. Seeing the reverent look in Sakura's eyes caused him to suddenly come up with some very wicked ideas.

"You want to meet Grandmaster Pill Cauldron?" said Ensui, a cold smile turning the corners of his mouth. "He's here in the Sect. If he wants to meet with you, then naturally he will step forward. But I have no way to force him to do so."

"Why be this way, Elder Brother Ensui?" said Eternal Mountain. "You treated me so well all those years ago, as did the entire East Pill Division. When drinking water, one must bear in mind the source. I will never forget your kindness."

"Kindness?" cried Ensui gruffly. His eyes shined with coldness. "If there was kindness, then why would you forsake the Sect?! Do you know that after your betrayal, Master sat on the East Mountain for three days, looking at the pill you had concocted?!"

Eternal Mountain said nothing. After a long moment, he sighed. "It was because my Dao of alchemy differed from that of Master's. If I stayed in the Sect, then I would not have my own Dao of alchemy, and therefore, no path to tread. Perhaps after many years, I would become another Pill Demon. However… that is not me. Elder Brother Shiranami's decision was the same as mine. Our decision was made three hundred years apart, but we both chose to leave the Sect." He looked at Ensui. "Elder Brother Ensui, I respected Master, and I respected the Sect. After all these years, I haven't changed. I wish to pursue the Dao of alchemy, not just concoct pills. My Dao is not that of Elder Brother Shiranami with his poison pills, but rather… magic pills! The pills I concoct are not to be consumed; instead, they fuse magic with the Dao of alchemy! The pills concocted by Eternal Mountain are treasured pills!"

He waved his hand, and immediately a gold-colored medicinal pill flew out. As soon as it appeared, it filled the surroundings with a shocking pressure. A medicinal aroma filled the air, but even stronger was the sense that this was a magical item!

The medicinal aroma was like that of the glow of a magical treasure. Its luster was as blinding as that of the sun.

Naruto's heart trembled. Having heard Eternal Mountain's explanation, he looked at the pill treasure, and his mind spun. Seeing this pill had opened up a new door in his mind regarding the path of pill concoction.

Naruto murmured to himself, seemingly enlightened: "There are millions upon millions of paths in the Dao of alchemy, much the same way that there are countless variations among plants and vegetations…."

"This pill cannot be consumed," said Eternal Mountain, "because it is indestructible. It is a pill treasure which I personally concocted, the glow of which can absorb spiritual energy. The plant and vegetation interactions within the pill become their own Heaven and Earth. You could also say that this is not a pill, but a magical item that can never be destroyed! Elder Brother Ensui, could you please appraise this item?" With the flick of a sleeve, he sent the medicinal pill shooting toward Ensui.

Ensui grabbed it.

Ensui eyed the pill. "Heresy! You're so low, you don't even deserve to make a fool of yourself here!" He imperceptibly exerted pressure with his fingers in an attempt to crush the pill, but failed. He was in the mid Nascent Soul stage, and had reached a point where he could destroy magical items without the use of magic. And yet, he wasn't able to harm the medicinal pill in the least bit.

"The path of the Dao of alchemy is focused on creating new pills," he said coolly. "Anyone in the East Pill Division could practice this heretical art. But no one would deign to do so! This doesn't even deserve to be called a pill!" He waved his right arm, sending the pill flying back to Eternal Mountain.

"This pill was not created from gold or iron," said Eternal Mountain calmly, catching the pill. "Nor was it fused with crystal or stone. It was concocted from 37,924 types of medicinal plants together with countless variations, and is perfect in all respects. It contains the full and complete strength of all the five elements, and is matchless in Heaven and Earth. This truly represents the Great Dao of alchemy, and does not count as a mere refining. Years ago, I observed that Heaven is round, while the Earth is square. It was this enlightenment that caused me to found the World Pill Division, and also seeded my desire to forge a great pill of Heaven and Earth. This very pill contains the Heavens, the Earth and the world itself!" He tossed the pill over to Fatty.

"Choji is a Golden Frost Sect disciple who practices the cultivation of Spirit Stone consumption," he said in a deep voice, his eyes glittering. "He was born with superhuman strength that is concentrated within his teeth. Elder Brother Ensui, you call this pill a heresy, and claim that anyone in the East Pill Division could concoct it. Very well. If anyone can concoct a pill that this kid is incapable of crushing with his teeth, then I will give you the pill formula. However, if the East Pill Division cannot do this, then please request Master to reveal himself and provide an assessment of my pill."

Even as his voice rang out into the silence, Ensui snorted coldly. "The East Pill Division doesn't want your pill formula."

Before Ensui even finished speaking, Omoi of the Golden Frost Sect cleared his throat. He pulled out a pill bottle from within his robe. It was gray-colored and covered with blackish marks. It emanated a feeling of ancientness, as if it had been hidden away for countless ages.

Omoi only uttered one sentence: "This is a product of the Dao of alchemy of ancient times, an Entrancement Pill of the tenth level of Chakra Condensation."

His words instantly caused all of the alchemists of the East Pill Division to stare at the pill bottle. Kotetsu's eyes narrowed.

Even Ensui seemed shocked.

The tenth level of Chakra Condensation was a legendary realm. After the change in the Heavens, the path of Chakra Condensation was not complete, and thus, Entrancement Pills appeared. They were the ancient Dao of alchemy's response to the changes in Heaven and Earth, and a way to continue to tread the ancient path. With such a pill, a Cultivator could gain a chance to enter into the tenth level of Chakra Condensation.

Unfortunately, pills like this were rare even in ancient times, and were not guaranteed to be completely effective. In any case, the benefits of being able to study an Entrancement Pill were hard to quantify.

It turned out, the Golden Frost Sect had come prepared with just such a pill!

Eternal Mountain spoke, neither quickly nor slowly: "This Entrancement Pill is complete. Elder Brother Ensui, I would like to place this pill up as stakes of a wager…. Will you accept, or not?" His words instantly put a great pressure on Ensui.

Accept, or not? It was a good question. If he accepted, but couldn't produce a pill impervious to Fatty, then he would become a laughingstock. If he didn't accept, then it would be obvious he was avoiding the challenge. If this were battle magic, it wouldn't matter, but battling with alchemy was different…. Furthermore, the competition was only a Foundation Establishment pup….

Ensui really had no choice but to accept!

The Golden Frost Sect obviously had foreseen this, which was the very reason they had come today. It was a very serious matter. They clearly wanted to force the issue, and make the East Pill Decision accept their challenge.

Kotetsu's face looked unsightly. He and Ensui exchanged a glance. Both clearly felt themselves to be in an awkward position. Their opponent had chosen a Foundation Establishment pup as champion, and the only stipulation of the challenge was to create a pill he couldn't crush. If a Violet Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division produced such a pill, it might not count as a loss, but certainly wouldn't be a win.

It wouldn't even be fair for a Furnace Lord to participate; the position wasn't compatible. A win would still be a loss, and a loss… would be a complete disgrace.

Tazuna frowned. As everyone sat there silently, Fatty walked forward to stand next to Eternal Mountain, clearly in very high spirits. He pulled out a Spirit Stone, placed it into his mouth, and crunch, crunch, crunched it into pieces. He looked around at the alchemists of the East Pill Division, grinning. Then he pulled out a flying sword and began to grind his teeth, apparently desiring to sharpen them.

All of this caused the people from the East Pill Division to gasp and stare wide-eyed in shock.

"What are those teeth…?"

"I've heard of this fat guy. They say his teeth can crush flying swords…."

As the discussions broke out, a strange look appeared on Naruto's face. The sight of Fatty looking so triumphant, his teeth glittering, caused Naruto to sigh emotionally. He remembered all those years ago in the Reliance Sect how he had encouraged Fatty to focus his Cultivation on his teeth.

Ensui and Kotetsu looked even more worried after seeing Fatty crush the Spirit Stone. They frowned, knowing full well they had to accept the challenge. However, if they accepted, it would only be appropriate for challengers from the ranks of the thousand master alchemists to participate. If one of them won, the results would be acceptable. If a Furnace Lord participated, it simply wouldn't be appropriate.

Besides, if a Furnace Lord lost, it would be far too embarrassing for the East Pill Division. If a master alchemist lost, at least it wouldn't be so embarrassing.

"Would the Violet Fate Sect please respond?" said the Golden Frost Sect's Dharma Protector Omoi, smiling.

Kotetsu, brow furrowed, glanced over at the master alchemists. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Naruto. It was only a glance, but he instantly recognised him.

"It is beneath a Furnace Lord to concoct such a heretical pill," replied Kotetsu quickly. "However, there is definitely one amongst the thousand master alchemists of the East Pill Division who can concoct such a medicinal pill."

Ensui had just been thinking about how to avoid the whole situation, but hearing Kotetsu's words, he nodded slightly. His heart, however, was pounding. He looked over at Genma, who was standing next to Naruto. "Genma, please step forward and concoct a pill," he said, completely ignoring Naruto.

Genma's eyes filled with concentration, and he took a deep breath as he clasped hands and bowed to Ensui and An. Considering he was a master alchemist of the East Pill Division, he didn't need to formally greet Tazuna and the others from the Violet Chakra Division.

Ensui looked at Genma with an expression of praise. He had been paying attention to the man for some time. He may have been eclipsed by Pill Cauldron at the Pill Auction, but as far as Ensui was concerned, Pill Cauldron was a mystery. Genma, however, had the potential for much future growth. "Take this Earthly fire," he said "Quickly concoct the pill!" He flicked his sleeve, and a violet-colored crystal flew over to land on the ground. The limestones seemed as if they were about to melt from the intense heat of the Earthly fire.

Genma looked thoughtful for a moment, then produced a pill furnace and some medicinal plants and began to concoct.

The Earthly fire given by Ensui made the concocting process go fairly quickly. Genma carefully performed his catalyzing and concocting, and after the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, the pill furnace roared, and a white medicinal pill flew out.

Genma had condensed hundreds of various hard medicinal plants into the pill. The concoction time had been relatively short, but he had employed all the skill he possessed. He was confident that even a fierce tiger would break its teeth if it bit such a pill!

When the pill emerged, Genma didn't even look at it. He simply tossed it over to Fatty, who grabbed it from mid air. He cleared his throat, and then, as everyone watched, placed it into his mouth. With a crunch, the pill shattered.

"I can't even grind my teeth with this crappy thing," said Fatty, his face filled with disdain. He spit out the remnants of the pill, looking quite proud of himself.

Ensui's face was filled with embarrassment. He singled out one master alchemist after another, but the pills they concocted were are easily crushed by Fatty, then spit out onto the ground. Fatty's dialogue grew even more arrogant.

"Ai, it seems it really is difficult to find a medicinal pill that my teeth can't destroy. What a lonely life…. Do any of you have any skill? Come, concoct something I can't crush." He looked more and more complacent. The same gall he had shown at the Pill Auction, was now in full force. He seemed very much in his element.

Ensui's face grew more unsightly, and he slapped his palm down onto the table. Looking at Eternal Mountain's expressionless face, his heart filled with fury. Suddenly, he said, "Master alchemists of the East Pill Division! Whoever of you can concoct a pill that this kid can't crush will instantly be promoted to Furnace Lord!" His words echoed out through the mountains, all the way down to the master alchemists who were congregated at the foot of the mountain. Everyone's faces filled with shock, and their eyes began to glow.

Naruto's pupils constricted, and he stared at Ensui, his heart pounding.

Being promoted to Furnace Lord was a very important matter. Barring unusual circumstances, before being considered for promotion, one usually needed to be a master alchemist for a full sixty-year cycle, be at the Foundation Establishment stage, and concoct over a thousand different types of medicinal pills with fifty percent medicinal strength. Even more importantly, the Sect required that the candidate master alchemist have concocted ten million medicinal pills for the Sect.

After meeting all those requirements, the approval of all the other Furnace Lords was also required. If there was more than one candidate, then a rigorous pill concocting competition was required, whereupon one person would be selected for promotion.

Naruto had previously thought about becoming a Furnace Lord, and had even considered using his identity as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron to attempt to do so. However, he was still hesitating and analyzing the whole matter. Hearing Ensui's words caused him to take a deep breath. His eyes began to glow.

To him, this was a chance that might only come once in a hundred years!

Of course, many other master alchemists were thinking the same thing. All of them began to pant; if they seized this opportunity to be promoted to Furnace Lord, it would be as if the gate of the Dao of alchemy had been opened. Granted, being promoted in such a way would arouse the ire of the other Furnace Lords, and would likely lead to scorn from others. However, it was still an incredible opportunity.

It didn't matter if one was qualified or not. After becoming a Furnace Lord, one would have access to many special techniques, as well as secret formulas regarding various interactions of plants and vegetation. This in itself was enough to enable a master alchemist to advance by leaps and bounds. They would suddenly have access to plant and vegetation combinations that they would never otherwise be able to comprehend. The respect commanded by a Furnace Lord was enough to send almost all of the master alchemists into a frenzy.

Furthermore, the words had come out of the mouth of Ensui himself, the most senior of the Violet Furnace Lords, and a sub-Grandmaster. No one would disbelieve him.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at complacent Fatty. Feeling a bit guilty, he thought, "Fatty, brother, I don't want to cause problems for you, but this is my only chance…. I am determined to prevail!"

Ensui's words instantly caused all of the master alchemists to begin panting. Their eyes glowed at the thought of Furnace Lord promotion. This type of good fortune was incredibly amazing!

If they could seize such good fortune, it might almost amount to destiny!

It was an opportunity, which, if taken advantage of, would allow them to soar to the heavens!

The master alchemists rushed forward, even the ones down below at the foot of the mountain. Eternal Mountain had never predicted that Ensui would say what he did. His eyes narrowed.

Based on his understanding of Ensui, he knew that the man wouldn't make such an offer for no reason. There was definitely some deeper meaning within his words. After thinking for a moment, Eternal Mountain's eyes suddenly began to gleam. "Don't tell me he's trying to … flush out Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!?" he thought.

It seemed Sakura and the ten or so other Furnace Lords present were thinking the same thing. Each and every one watched on with glittering eyes. A faint smile could be seen on the face of Kotetsu, and he glanced briefly at Naruto. He was well aware of Ensui's intentions.

In the entire East Pill Division, Kotetsu was the only person other than Grandmaster Pill Demon who knew the true identity of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. He wouldn't announce it, of course. He wasn't sure of Grandmaster Pill Demon's intentions, but he had stated three times in a row that Kotetsu was not to do anything about Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Kotetsu wouldn't even mention the name to anyone.

One by one, the master alchemists of the East Pill Division arrived. Fatty was growing more and more complacent. He stood there, grinding his teeth with the flying sword. They glinted brightly. His air of complacency began to fill with more and more arrogance.

"Come come," he said haughtily. "My teeth are feeling a bit itchy. If you have the skill, please concoct me a pill that will break them. Anyone who can, I'll call them grandpa!" One of the master alchemists stepped out from among his hundreds of comrades. He clasped hands in salute to Ensui and Kotetsu, then began to concoct a pill.

It wasn't just him. Seven other master alchemists stepped forward and began to work. Everyone watched as the master alchemists concentrated on their medicinal plants and concoction. It was a dazzling sight. Time passed, and soon one pill after another flew out toward Fatty.

These pills had been concocted with utmost care by the handful of master alchemists, all of whom had utmost faith in their handiwork. Fatty yawned, and threw all the pills into his mouth. The crunching sounds which emanated out pierced into the hearts of the eight master alchemists. Their faces fell.

"Blech!" said Fatty, spitting the medicinal pills out. "Who else!?" he yelled, looking very pleased. He seemed to feel that his teeth deserved utmost respect in Heaven and Earth.

Seeing the defeat of the eight master alchemists, others who had been planning to participate now hesitated. They eyed Fatty's teeth. In their estimation, it was like he had a mouthful of sharp swords. It seemed any medicinal pill that entered his mouth would be reduced to rubble.

"Who else?!"

No one responded to Fatty, nor did anyone step forward to concoct a pill. Fatty arrogantly pulled another Spirit Stone out, popped it into his mouth, and then crunched it into pieces.

The surrounding master alchemists gasped. Moments ago, many of them had found it easy to muster their courage, think of a pill formula, and then attempt to concoct it. Seeing the spectacle in front of their eyes, however, caused them to change their minds.

They looked at Fatty angrily. They sighed inwardly as various thoughts ran through their minds:

"This guy is inhuman! What pill could possibly stand up to teeth like that…?"

"Dammit, this fatso must have been growing these teeth from birth. He's not a Cultivator, he's a monster!"

"Isn't he worried he might accidentally bite his tongue off one day…? He actually eats the Spirit Stones? What kind of a stomach does he have? Can he digest them?"

All of them seemed to think that there would be no good fortune for them on this day.

Fatty swallowed the Spirit Stone and then began loudly grinding his teeth again. From the moment he had joined the Golden Frost Sect, he had been doted upon, and had never been embarrassed. He of course took this opportunity to show off, and was currently glancing around, looking for pretty female alchemists.

He ignored Sakura, of course. In his opinion, Sakura clearly belonged to his brother Naruto, and he wouldn't interfere. After all, Fatty completely revered Naruto.

Even as Fatty was in the midst of his arrogant complacency, Naruto coughed lightly. He wasn't stupid, and could tell that Ensui and An were trying to use this occasion to determine the identity of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. This was the main reason why he had been hesitating. However, he'd made up his mind. Coughing lightly, he stepped out from the crowd and began to walk over. This of course, drew the attention of all the master alchemists.

Sakura frowned, then gave a cold harrumph. After a single glance, she ignored him. An imperceptible glimmer appeared in Kotetsu's eyes, and a faint smile touched his mouth.

Ensui's eyes filled with a deep look. He looked Naruto over closely.

"Is it him…?" he murmured to himself.

Eternal Mountain also looked at Naruto, his expression the same as ever.

No one could determine any clues whatsoever.

Naruto clasped hands and bowed to Kotetsu and Ensui. "I am Kazama. I would like to take a shot at concocting a pill. Would the two members of the senior generation grant me permission to do so?"

Kotetsu said nothing. Ensui gave a light nod, then tossed over a fire crystal, which came to float in front of Naruto.

"Heyo!" cried Fatty, glancing at Naruto out of the corner of his eyes. "Another kid steps forward. Don't forget to concoct a really hard pill. My teeth are itchy. I want to bite down on something super tough!" His tone of voice made it sound like his whole life was filled with loneliness, and his annoying expression was one that made you want to thrash him.

Naruto didn't immediately being the concoction process. He looked at Fatty, and smiled.

Fatty wasn't sure why, but he got a good feeling when he looked at Naruto. Patting his stomach, he said, "What are you looking at me like that for? Aiii, I'm such a nice guy. You know what? This time I won't crush it in one bite, I'll take three bites."

Naruto sighed, and a guilty look appeared on his face. He clasped hands and bowed toward Fatty. In truth, he didn't want to embarrass Choji, but this opportunity was too rare to pass up.

"Eee? What kind of an expression is that? Aiiii, fine, fine. Five bites. I'll take five bites to crush it. How about that?"

Hearing this, Ensui's face grew even darker, as did the faces of the surrounding master alchemists. Sakura glared ferociously at Fatty, and then at Naruto.

"Ah, Fatty," thought Naruto. "Big bro really doesn't want to trick you like this, but I really don't have any other option…" With another cough, he waved his hand and produced the Blood Crane pill furnace, sending it to float above the fire crystal.

Everyone's eyes were fixed upon Naruto as he concentrated and stoked the pill furnace to a glowing red color. Then, he began to produce medicinal plants. Some he catalyzed, from others, he extracted sap. The entire process took roughly an hour. Finally, Naruto produced some gray-colored powder. There didn't seem to be anything special about. When concocting pills, it isn't always necessary to use fresh ingredients. There are certain medicinal powders which will turn gray over time, as well as other ingredients, such as Flying Ash Leaf, which are gray to begin with.

Only Naruto knew that his confidence in being able to produce a pill that Fatty couldn't crush, was largely because of this gray powder. It was no ordinary item. It was… powder created by the explosion of the meat jelly's shedding process.

Some of the skin had directly turned into powder, which was what Naruto had just used as one of the ingredients in his medicinal pill.

The meat jelly's skin was extraordinarily tough. In the past, Naruto had tested it on multiple occasions. The meat jelly had a mysterious background, and was virtually indestructible. Naruto was sure that there was no way Fatty would be able to destroy the shed skin of the meat jelly. However, his true killing move in this little competition wasn't the powder, but something else inside the medicinal pill….

"Fatty, please forgive me…." he thought. Naruto's eyes gleamed as a black medicinal pill flew out, which he grabbed. The pill furnace slowly returned to its original color.

The pill was about the size of a fingernail, and looked ordinary in every aspect. However, it was filled with the meat jelly skin powder. The powder couldn't be melted; however, Naruto had fused it into the medicinal plant ingredients. It was less a concoction than an amalgamation.

The pill emitted no medicinal fragrance, and was as black as night. He tossed it over to Fatty with an apologetic look.

Fatty grabbed it haughtily. "I've taken a liking to you," he said. "Don't worry, I'll crush it with five bites, no less." Looking pleased, he popped the pill into his mouth, posing heroically as he glanced at a few of the female alchemists he'd noticed.

As soon as the pill entered his mouth, he laughed, then closed his eyes and slowly bit down.

"See! One bite!" The words were a bit garbled, but everyone understood what he was saying.

The alchemists of the East Pill Division all looked embarrassed. Clearly, they found Choji to be completely repulsive.

Continuing to talk, Fatty bit down a second time, secretly using quite a bit of strength. His heart began to tremble. Keeping his expression calm, he laughed a few more times, then continued to blabber incoherently about how he would keep his word and bite down five times.

He was starting to get nervous. The first time he had bit down, he'd only used thirty percent of his strength. The second time, he'd used eighty. However, he hadn't even been able to put a tiny dent in the medicinal pill. It seemed to have some sort of elastic element to it. His teeth actually hurt a bit.

"Fatty seems like he'd rather die than lose face. When did he become like this?" thought Naruto, looking both sympathetic and apologetic.

"Third bite! I'm gonna take a third bite!" Filled with determination, Fatty used one hundred percent power to bite down. A roaring filled his head, and his teeth ground down onto the medicinal pill so hard it seemed like sparks would fly off of it.

The medicinal pill's incredible elasticity pushed back against his teeth. The feeling was impossible to describe, and caused Fatty to begin to tremble. His face drained of blood, and sweat began to pour down.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he called out in a loud voice, "See how I keep my word!? Hahaha! I'm even sweating to add to the illusion… Okay, time for the fourth bite, kid. After this one, I won't be able to hold back any more."

How could the onlookers not pick up any clues as to what was really going on? Strange looks began to appear on their faces; they could see how twisted he was at heart. The Golden Frost Sect disciples had especially strange looks, considering how well they knew Choji.

Eternal Mountain's eyes narrowed. He frowned and began to mutter to himself.

Everyone could see the determination filling Fatty's eyes; he was obviously going all out. He switched the medicinal pill to the other side of his mouth and bit down viciously.

"Your granny! There's no way I can't bite it to pieces!"

A cracking sound rang out as Fatty's teeth pierced deep into the pill. However, as soon as they did, a foul, fishy, incredibly spicy fluid sprayed out from the hole that had been punched into the pill.

Fatty's face suddenly went pale white. His body began to tremble, and his eyes went wide, and filled with veins of blood. Tears began to stream out of his eyes, and a roaring filled his mind. It seemed as if his soul were about to fly out of his body. The feeling in his mouth was impossible to describe.

"You… you…." Body trembling, face pale, he involuntarily leaped back and was just about to spit the pill out when he realized that everyone was looking at him. He quickly closed his mouth shut tight, refusing to spit the pill out.

The situation didn't seem to be very complicated, but to Fatty, it seemed as if he were in a living nightmare. Sweat poured off of his body. He could handle foul odors. He could handle fishy flavors. But what he hated more than anything else, was spicy food.

His mouth felt as if it were on fire, and it seemed about to drive him insane.

Naruto felt even more guilty. He had learned of Fatty's hatred of spicy food back in the Reliance Sect. Fatty had accidentally revealed the matter to him personally. During the pill concoction process just now, he had intentionally added some medicinal plants which would create spiciness….

The pill was an amalgamation that included the meat jelly skin powder, which was virtually indestructible. However, Naruto was worried that Fatty's teeth would exceed his own powers of prediction, and had therefore included a backup contingency…. spiciness.

Fatty's face was bright red as he glared at Naruto. His tongue was numb, and his head was buzzing. "I still have one bite left…. you… you little…. you just wait, this time, I'll crush the pill to pieces!"

Everything was quiet. The surrounding Cultivators looked on with strange expressions.

Ensui's eyes were wide. Next to him, Kotetsu gaped for a moment, then began to shake his head with a wry smile.

Fatty was just about to go all out as he took his final fifth bite. Naruto could no longer hold back. "It's even more spicy the deeper you go…" he blurted.

When Fatty heard this, it hit him like a bolt from the blue. A tremor ran through his body, and it seemed he was too frightened to take another bite, and perhaps would give up. The people who had been repulsed by Fatty before, now seemed to be feeling a bit bad.

"What do you want…?" said Fatty. He looked like he was about to cry.

"I…." Naruto sighed. He really felt guilty at this point.

"Screw this!" Fatty opened his mouth to spit out the medicinal pill. However, the pill was now stuck on one of his teeth, which had punctured the pill but not bitten all the way through it.

Fatty quickly plucked the pill off of his tooth and tossed it back to Naruto. Eyes glowing with hatred, he retreated back to his place among the Golden Frost Sect disciples.

Currently, his lips and tongue were completely numb. The words he had spoken just now had been a bit slurred, and his face was bright red. Sweat continued to pour off of him, and the roaring sound continued to fill his head. Tears streamed down his face, and he felt as if his mouth might begin to emit flames at any moment.

Everything was quiet. Who could possibly have imagined or predicted that Choji would hate spicy things so much? Cultivators are not mortals, and should be able to prevent such things from affecting them. Fatty's reaction was therefore a testimony to the pill itself.

"What sinister spiciness does that pill contain to be so effective!?"

"So that medicinal pill… was actually vastly more powerful than a poison pill!"

"That pill… was so bizarre!"

Everyone's attention was completely focused on the medicinal pill in Naruto's hand. Two lines of teeth marks could be seen on either side, and in one spot was a tiny hole where Fatty's tooth had punctured the pill. It was no longer round, but flat.

Whichever way you looked at it, though, the pill had not been crushed into pieces!

Soon all eyes moved from the pill, to Naruto's face. The East Pill Division, the Violet Chakra Division, and the Golden Frost Sect were all looking at Naruto.

There were a variety of expressions: looks of confusion, wry smiles, glares of envy. Everyone who knew him suddenly decided that in the future, they should be very cautious about consuming pills he had concocted.

Naruto was used to being stared at. His expression was the same as ever, but his heart began to beat faster. He put his pill away, then looked at Ensui, and Kotetsu, who was still shaking his head and laughing.

Grandmaster Eternal Mountain's archaic voice broke the silence. "Kid, would you mind giving me that pill to examine for a moment?"

Naruto hesitated, then shyly asked, "Um… Elder, didn't I just win?" With his pale skin and scholarly appearance, he really looked like a defenseless young animal. It was the kind of look that made people instantly sympathetic.

Naruto's question actually didn't sound like a question. Were it anyone other than him who responded in such a way, Eternal Mountain might take offense.

Seeing Naruto's expression caused Fatty's hair to stand on end. His eyes went wide, and he stared. His tongue was still numb, his vision was still blurry with tears. But seeing what was happening now caused a face to appear in his mind.

The expression on this master alchemist's face, and his words, were exactly like what he remembered from the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet back in the Reliance Sect!

"He's… he's…." The more closely he looked, the more confused he got. This was especially so as he thought to how Naruto had disappeared without a trace a few years before. No matter what inquiries Fatty made, he hadn't been able to turn up a single clue. But Fatty just couldn't believe that Naruto would have left the Southern Domain.

"Don't tell me… dammit… if that's really him…. Only Naruto knows that I hate spicy food!" Fatty's eyes went wide, and he began to breathe heavily. He felt even more wronged now. If this person wasn't Naruto, then he would definitely figure out some way to get revenge on him. If it was Naruto, though, he obviously wouldn't.

Grandmaster Eternal Mountain smiled as he looked at Naruto. Inwardly, he smiled. He felt as if he were looking at himself all those years ago. He didn't care whether or not spiciness had been added into the medicinal pill. The fact that Choji couldn't crush the pill in four bites was testament to its strength and resilience.

"It appears I've lost the wager," said Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, smiling. With that, he flicked his sleeve, and the pill bottle with the ancient medicinal pill flew over to Ensui. "Kid, are you going to give me that pill to have a look at?"

"I'm afraid not," replied Naruto, his expression no longer bashful. "Without the express approval of the senior generation of the East Pill Division, junior doesn't dare to allow others to appraise the pill." Naruto couldn't possibly hand the pill over; as soon as Grandmaster Eternal Mountain got his hands on it, he would definitely be able to detect the meat jelly skin powder. Then, Naruto's position would be compromised, which would lead to all sorts of trouble.

Eternal Mountain stared in shock at Naruto's reply. It had been many years since he had requested to appraise a pill. Never before had any master alchemist refused. Considering his status, each and every one would hand over the pill eagerly. One word from him could cause the name of an alchemist to spread throughout the Southern Domain.

Naruto's response caused Ensui's face to soften a bit. He smiled at Naruto, and nodded slightly. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Disciple Kazama," Naruto replied with a start.

"What I said just now was no joke," he said with a smile. "Kazama, from this day forward, you are a Furnace Lord. I will send people for you shortly to complete the Furnace Lord branding process." With that, he looked over at Eternal Mountain. "What now, Grandmaster Eternal Mountain?"

Eternal Mountain gave Naruto a long, deep look. Then, smiled and rose to his feet, shaking his head.

"I've lost," he said, "but I have no regrets. With a kid like this, the East Pill Division could last forever. However, first there was Elder Brother Shiranami, then me. Who knows when the third person to forsake the Sect will appear?" He gave Naruto a final smile, then turned and left.

The rest of the Golden Frost Sect followed him. Omoi gave Tazuna a smiling bow, then left with his disciples.

Before leaving, Fatty turned back with a pitiful expression to look at Naruto. Seeing his wronged expression, Naruto felt extremely guilty. He also realized that Fatty most likely knew his true identity.

Outside of the Violet Fate Sect, several 300 meter long airships shot through the sky. On one of the airships, Dharma Protector Omoi stood with Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, looking off into the distance.

Omoi hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke out the question that was gnawing at his heart. "Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, are you really going to give them that ancient Entrancement Pill so easily?"

Eternal Mountain was silent for a long moment, then gave a very faint smile. "The Entrancement Pill is defective, and I studied it thoroughly long ago. Besides… do you really think that with all the resources the East Pill Division controls, they don't have an Entrancement Pill already?"

Omoi's eyes glittered. After a moment, he nodded.

"Besides," continued Eternal Mountain, "my purpose for visiting the Violet Fate Sect has been accomplished. A trifling Entrancement Pill was well worth it." His eyes shone with a strange light.

"Oh?" Omoi said, surprised. He still didn't quite understand. "But Grandmaster Pill Demon didn't show his face. Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, how exactly did you accomplish your purpose?"

"Who ever said I went to the Violet Fate Sect to pay respects to Master?" he replied, his voice archaic and filled with wisdom. "Master would never agree to see me. My medicinal pill was just an excuse. The true purpose was to get a look at Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!" Eternal Mountain laughed.

Anyone who had Cultivated the Dao of alchemy to the realm he had, would of course possess extreme powers of insight.

Omoi stared in astonishment. "Grandmaster Pill Cauldron? He's…" He was about to continue speaking, but stopped. His pupils constricted, and suddenly, his eyes filled with disbelief. He looked over at Eternal Mountain. "Don't tell me…."

"Grandmaster Pill Cauldron is none other than that young man!" said Eternal Mountain in a voice that could chop nails and sever iron. The words hit Omoi like a thunderbolt. He immediately began to breathe heavily.

He had no reason whatsoever to doubt anything Grandmaster Eternal Mountain said about the East Pill Division. However, the matter of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron was just too shocking, and he found it hard to believe.

"Kotetsu obviously knows," said Eternal Mountain. "Considering his powers of perception, he was surely told by Master. As for Elder Brother Ensui, his skill in the Dao of alchemy hasn't made any progress for hundreds of years now. He will never pass through the door to become a Grandmaster. He naturally was unable to see Kazama's skill in pill concoction, especially the ambiguous final method he used to achieve victory. Kazama is clearly brilliant."

"The boy is so young, and yet he is Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. This matter…." Omoi took a deep breath, and a strange light filled his eyes.

"For now, the title Grandmaster is out of the question for him. However, he is a truly rare seed…. If you want to offend him, go ahead and spread word of his identity. But don't forget, a true grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, is also a grandmaster of the Dao of poison. Wiping out an entire Sect would be as easy to him as blowing some dust off of a table. He became famous because of his Bedevilment Pill, and the mad, devilish will within it. Even though I didn't get to see the pill with my own eyes, the images branded on the jade slip were enough to cause my hair to stand on end." His words were spoken calmly, but they stabbed like ice into Omoi's heart.

"He obviously doesn't want to reveal his identity," continued Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, "so you would do best not to cause problems. What I am most interested in knowing is… will he become the third forsaker?" He smiled. His words were a question, but in his eyes, he seemed to already know the answer.

At the same time that the people from the Golden Frost Sect were calling upon the Violet Fate Sect, far off in the Southern Domain, near the Rebirth Cave, was the corpse which had fallen from the sky years before. Currently, several dozen Cultivators were shooting toward it at top speed from a very far distance away.

They all wore black clothing. The auras which emanated from their body was sinister and cold. It was as if they could turn the hot summer air into the frostiness of the yellow springs of the underworld.

The Cultivation bases of these Cultivators were unstable. Sometimes they were at the Foundation Establishment stage, sometimes Core Formation, sometimes Nascent Soul. Occasionally, they would even explode with the aura of the Spirit Severing stage.

The so-called Immortal's Corpse had caused many waves to pass through the heart of the Sects of the Southern Domain over the past years. It seemed that the five great Sects and three great Clans still had not given up on their investigations. The scale of activity was not as great as it had been before, but all of the Sects had reaped some benefit throughout the years. Right now, it was possible to get very close to the corpse.

It was easy to predict that in the near future, this corpse would cause an even greater stir, a true commotion within the Southern Domain. Then, vast amounts of Cultivators would come to approach it. The people here now were simply feeling things out.

However, the Cultivators which were now shooting toward the corpse were very bizarre. Black smoke filled the air as they passed, as if their bodies contained, not one soul, but two. Apparently, they weren't even alive, but rather, puppets whose bodies contained discarnate souls.

They moved quickly, and were almost immediately upon the corpse. Suddenly, the smoke emanating out from them twisted and warped, transforming into a sickle of black mist. The sickle seemed capable of slashing through anything. It cut directly toward the neck of the corpse.

It was a few days after the Golden Frost Sect left the Violet Fate Sect when suddenly the so-called corpse emitted a massive roar, the likes of which hadn't been heard since the day it fell from the sky.

This roar actually exceeded that first one. It was like a gale force wind which swept across the entire Southern Domain, rumbling like thunder.

As the roar sounded out, the dozens of Cultivators nearing the corpse coughed up blood. Their bodies became indistinct, and they tumbled backward. A voice sounded out in their minds which they could hear, but no one else could.

"Screw off!"

The roaring words seemed to echo out to the heavens. Half of the group of dozens of Cultivators screamed miserably as their bodies exploded. Blood and flesh flew about in all directions. Discarnate souls appeared from within, but before they could flee, they began to disintegrate.

The ten or so survivors immediately fled at top speed. However, before they could get very far, their bodies began to tremble, as if they couldn't control the discarnate souls within their bodies.

These people were of course from the Black Sieve Sect!

Even as they left, a new piece of news began to spread around the Southern Domain. A mark of blood had appeared on the neck of the Immortal's corpse!

It looked as if someone had tried to cut off its head, but had only succeeded in leaving behind the mark.

As soon as this news reached the various Sects, large amounts of Cultivators emerged and headed toward the Rebirth Cave. They didn't dare to approach too closely, but observed from a distance.

The news caused a stir in all the five great Sects and three great Clans.

The news reached the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect, of course, as did the sound of the roar emitted by the corpse. However, they were located quite a distance away. Furthermore, Kazama had just been promoted to Furnace Lord. Therefore, the Sect didn't pay too much attention to it.

Usually, the promotion of a Furnace Lord was a grand occasion for the East Pill Division, second only to the promotion of a Violet Furnace Lord. However, the unorthodox and relatively simplistic nature of Naruto's promotion led to a much more muted reception.

Things were simple, but Naruto was still quite busy for several days. He got a new Immortal's Cave and a new robe. Some people might be talking down the method by which he was promoted, but he still received the perks of the new position.

For example, his Immortal's Cave. As of now, Naruto had an entire valley to himself, deep within the East Pill Division, far away from the master alchemists. It wasn't large, but couldn't be described as small either. And it belonged only to him.

His alchemist's robe was black, interlaced with violet, and was equipped with a special function. It had a magical, short-range teleportation ability, which could be used to teleport anywhere within a 50 kilometer radius. After the ability was used three times, he could exchange the robe for a new one.

As for pill furnaces, like Naruto's Blood Crane pill furnace, these would be provided to him by the Sect as needed. Before, if he wanted to concoct some high-value medicinal pills, he would often have to trade with others to acquire the necessary medicinal plants. Now that he was a Furnace Lord, though, such things would be provided by the Sect, free of charge.

Furthermore, there were some very expensive and rare medicinal plants that he was now able to buy on credit. Even more importantly, as a Furnace Lord, he was now allowed to enter the Violet Fate Celestial Land once per month!

There were many benefits, and they are difficult to describe in detail. It could be said that in terms of status and position, in everything, he was now far beyond a master alchemist. One was the Heavens, the other was the Earth.

There are a thousand master alchemists, but only one hundred Furnace Lords. As of now, Naruto could look down on all Inner Sect disciples. Even Conclave disciples of the Violet Chakra Division would treat a Furnace Lord with utmost respect. In principle, Conclave disciples could request pill concocting from a Furnace Lord, but generally speaking, usually only Sect Elders would do so.

Outside in the Southern Domain, any Sect would attach extreme importance to any Violet Fate Sect Furnace Lord, in such a way that was far, far beyond master alchemists.

It could be said that becoming a Furnace Lord was like becoming a Conclave disciple of the East Pill Division. Unfortunately, becoming a Furnace Lord was predicated on gaining the approval of all the other Furnace Lords. Therefore, Naruto's sudden promotion caused the other Furnace Lords to look at him with disfavor.

Naruto didn't care, though. Almost the very first thing he did after being promoted was go borrow a copy of Violet Chakra from the East. He had been waiting for a very long time to get a chance to do so. As soon as he finished reading it, he went into secluded meditation and began to practice cultivation.

Two months later, he emerged. He still had six Dao Pillars, only now they weren't gold colored, but violet. Finally, he could heave a sigh of relief.

From now on, no one would be able to see the traces of the Sublime Spirit Scripture on his Cultivation base. As of now, the Cultivation he practiced was not from the Chakra Condensation manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, but from… the Foundation Establishment manual!

Violet Chakra from the East!

The manual wasn't complete, but Naruto did possess the complete Chakra Condensation manual. As such, he actually understood the technique better than the Cultivators of the Violet Chakra Division. The benefits he acquired were vast. His Dao Pillars now emanated a threatening violet Chakra. The pupils of his eyes glinted with a violet glow, and the aura emanating from his body was very different than from before.

Violet Chakra from the East was extremely suited to Naruto, almost as if it had been prepared just for him. By continuing to practice this type of Cultivation, he would definitely be able to form a Violet Core.

With a Violet Core, he would have the foundation upon which to build the Perfect Core!

Before going into his two months of secluded meditation, he spread word that he was planning to rise to Foundation Establishment. After emerging, he revealed an early Foundation Establishment Cultivation base, which offered a perfect explanation for the violet hue to his pupils.

"Violet Chakra from the East…." The faint violet aura flickered in his eyes. He lifted his right hand and extended his fingers. They glowed with a violet light.

"This technique is the same as that in the Chakra Condensation manual. It's not magic, but rather, a cultivation technique. However, it seems the Violet Fate Sect has created some divine abilities based on the techniques in Violet Chakra to the East." He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them. In his mind, the text from the fragment of the manual floated in his eyes. He had memorized two passages which described techniques that could be used by Furnace Lords.

"Violet Pupil Transformation and Violet Chakra Guillotine." He gazed for a moment at the five fingers of his outstretched hand. Suddenly, he waved his hand, and violet smoke drifted out from his fingers. It congealed in the air into a violet, crescent moon. With a thought, Naruto sent it crashing into the wall of the Immortal's Cave.

The cave shook, as did the entire mountain peak, and a massive curved impression appeared on the wall of the cave.

"That was only ten percent power." Naruto's eyes filled with a thoughtful look. After some time passed, the violet glow in his pupils flickered, then spread to completely cover his pupils, and then his eyes. Then, lines of violet streaked out onto the skin surrounding his eyes. These were the veins that, in an instant, had turned from bluish to bright violet in color.

At the moment, Naruto looked like some sort of evil spirit. A suppressive aura roiled off of him. His expression was the same as ever as he lifted his right hand and cut his left arm with his fingernail. A wound opened up, but even as the blood began to well up, the wound started to heal. In a moment, it was gone. Naruto wiped away the blood that remained behind. There was no mark on his skin at all.

He sat there quietly for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn. Finally, his body began to return to normal.

"Violet Pupil Transformation: what an amazing art! It doesn't increase the battle prowess of my Cultivation base, but my recovery is far beyond normal." To employ the full potential of these two techniques would require a bit more practice.

There were other restricted techniques of the Violet Chakra Division that could only be practiced by Conclave disciples. The East Pill Division occupied a very high place within the Violet Fate Sect, but as for their restricted techniques, it was impossible to even look at them.

Unless… he became a Violet Furnace Lord. That rank was not just illustrious in the East Pill Division. It was the pinnacle of the entire Violet Fate Sect. They were qualified to read the greater part of all the ancient records in the Violet Fate Sect, with no restrictions whatsoever. After all, in all of the Southern Domain, there was only one Sect who could ever hope to have Violet Furnace Lords, and as such, they were given special treatment.

Naruto took a deep breath. Putting the magical techniques out of his mind, he sank into thought. Equipped with his superior Furnace Lord resources, he began to concoct medicinal pills. He didn't just need to create pills for his own usage. He would use his status as a Furnace Lord to acquire more ingredients, and more formulas, to ensure that his skill in alchemy continued to grow.

Time flashed by. Soon half a year had passed. Naruto spent most of this time in seclusion, submerged in Cultivation and pill concocting. Every month he would visit the Celestial Land, where he would acquire a good collection of medicinal plants. He concocted various medicinal pills according to his previous arrangement of three batches per day for Inner Sect disciples. Of course, the prices were now significantly higher. Despite that, his pills were as popular as ever throughout the Sect.

By this time, he had begun to collect quite a few of the medicinal plants he would need to concoct the Perfect Core Pill. Currently, he was only missing a few. As for his own pills, when he created good ones which had a medicinal strength of eighty percent or higher, he would not put them up for sale, but would brand them with the cauldron seal and store them away.

Every time he marked a pill with the cauldron image, an image would appear in his mind of a vast amount of Spirit Stones. He was very passionate about that aspect; whenever he looked at the large collection of cauldron-marked medicinal pills in his bag of holding, he could only imagine the vast amount of Spirit Stones he would acquire if he sold them.

It was impossible for anyone but Naruto to know how many medicinal pills he concocted in total during the more than half a year's worth of time. He grounded himself completely in the world of alchemy. The amount of time, coupled with the deep stores of information available within the East Pill Division, caused his skill in the Dao of alchemy to grow significantly.

Now, he didn't need to waste much. It was much easier for him to extract sixty percent of the medicinal strength of the plant ingredients into his pill. He was even able to concoct quite a few at eighty percent strength. After having been raised to Furnace Lord, Naruto was nothing like the other normal alchemists, especially considering how he had access to such precious medicinal plants.

Even more importantly, after becoming a Furnace Lord, he acquired the second level catalysis technique. Actually, it wasn't really a technique for catalyzing plants, but a pill concocting method.

It was called Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation!

It allowed him to refine a pill that he had previously concocted. Naruto instantly fell in love with the technique. After thinking about it for a long time, he tested it out a few times, and gradually became quite proficient.

Because of the gradual amalgamation of his nature talent of plants and vegetation, as well as the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation, Naruto advanced by leaps and bounds.

Using this technique to transmute an ordinary medicinal pill enabled him to produce even more powerful pills. This was definitely one of the most advanced techniques in the East Pill Division.

It was also one of the reasons there was such a vast difference between Furnace Lords and master alchemists. It was also why Furnace Lords received such a warm welcome whenever they traveled outside of the Sect in the Southern Domain.

In addition to the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation, Naruto also learned a few dozen methods for creating plant and vegetation interactions which would make it very difficult for anyone to ascertain what methods he had used to concoct any given pill.

This was something Naruto very much needed. Combined with this nature talent of plants and vegetation, he was able to combine all the various methods together to produce the most straightforward, and also most difficult, method to commingle the plant and vegetation ingredients together.

It was simple, but it involved adding extra ingredients into the mix. Therefore, it was both simple and complicated. The fundamental skill wasn't difficult, but the more complex of a result he wanted, the more ingredients he needed to add. And of course, because of the variations encountered in different medicinal pills, it required careful work to prevent such interactions from affecting the basic function of the medicinal pill in question. There was little room for error.

If the process wasn't performed perfectly, it might be possible to make a mistake and not even notice!

But to Naruto, this was the best technique to hide the secrets of his pill concocting. His skill in plants and vegetation was already firmly within the third realm of ten million variations!

Naruto was very happy throughout these days. Both his Cultivation base and his skill in alchemy gradually grew higher. His seventh Dao Pillar was now more than half formed. Based on his calculations, he would need to spend at least ten years as a Furnace Lord. He would work hard to improve his skill in the Dao of alchemy, and completely master the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Technique. By the time he became a Violet Furnace Lord, his Cultivation base would be at the great circle of Foundation Establishment, with nine Dao Pillars. The next step would be Core Formation.

Sakura never came looking for Naruto. When he did venture out, he heard that recently she was obsessed with her search for the mysterious Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. She spent all her days trying to figure out who he was.

After hearing this bit of news, a strange look appeared on his face. During the past five years, he had gotten used to this new identity of his.

Just now, Naruto had finished concocting a batch of medicinal pills. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, then walked out of his Immortal's Cave. It was midday, and the sun burned hot overhead. There was a slight breeze, but all it did was blow hot wind against his face. He looked out at the valley, the entirety of which belonged to him.

Over the past half year or so, he had planted quite a few varieties of medicinal plants. The current heat wave caused them to emit a faint medicinal aroma which filled the valley. Being in an environment like this, it was little wonder that alchemists always smelled like medicinal pills.

He walked down into the valley and began to tend to some of the medicinal plants. As a Furnace Lord, he could call apprentice alchemists to come plant and care for his gardens. He could also summon master alchemists to assist him in pill concocting.

However, Naruto liked the quiet, so therefore hadn't called for any help. As for Pakkun, every time he met Naruto, he would treat him with the ultimate level of respect. Naruto had thought of asking him to come live in the valley. If he did, though, the man would never be able to rest, and would be extremely out of sorts.

There was nothing Naruto could do about it. It was exacerbated by the fact that while no one on the outside knew anything about Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, Pakkun did. Whenever he looked at Naruto, his eyes would fill with fervent ardor and respect. Naruto could only laugh bitterly at this.

He was there in his garden tending to medicinal plants when suddenly his expression flickered. Behind him, two apprentice alchemists, each about thirty years of age, hurried into the valley.

As soon as they entered, they saw him, and their eyes filled with respect. Clasping hands, they bowed and said, "Greetings, Grandmaster Kazama."

Naruto thought for a moment as he reached down to pluck some withered leaves off of a medicinal plant. After becoming a Furnace Lord, he had given one lecture about plants and vegetation. After calculating for a moment in his mind, he realized that it was about time for him to give another. "Time for another lecture?" he asked indifferently.

This was one of the responsibilities of Furnace Lords. They were like Masters to the master alchemists and Patriarchs to the apprentice alchemists. By means of their lectures, it was ensured that the junior generation of the Sect would continue to advance and grow.

These two apprentice alchemists had been assigned to Naruto as servants to handle various trivial matters for him. "Grandmaster Kazama, it was actually two days ago…. However you never came out, and we didn't want to disturb you."

Naruto nodded. He finished tending to the medicinal plants, then followed the two apprentice alchemists out of the valley. As they walked through the East Pill Division, each and every apprentice alchemist he ran into was extremely respectful. They saw his long black robe, interlaced with violet trim, and immediately knew his rank.

There were only around one hundred Furnace Lords in the entire Violet Fate Sect, as opposed to the over one hundred thousand disciples in the East Pill Division alone. It was impossible for one hundred people to remember one hundred thousand people, but for one hundred thousand people to remember one hundred people was very easy.

As soon as Naruto appeared, everyone recognized him. This was Kazama, who had risen to Furnace Lord just half a year ago. It didn't matter how he had been promoted, his black and violet robe clearly announced his status. In the East Pill Division, he might not have supreme power, but his illustriousness was incredible.

Even the master alchemists who caught sight of Naruto treated him with utmost respect.

He walked the entire way, and was saluted the whole time.

One of the valleys in the East Pill Division was called Alchemy Day Valley. Twenty thousand people were gathered, seated in a semi-circle around a high platform.

This was one of three locations where Furnace Lords would give lectures about alchemy. Back when Naruto had been an apprentice alchemist, he would often go to those three places to hear the Furnace Lords speak about medicinal pills, plants and vegetation. The benefits he had received were significant.

In addition to these three valleys, there were ten other valleys where master alchemists would lecture. It was for this reason that Naruto felt as if the East Pill Division was not a Sect, but rather an institute of higher learning. Thirteen valleys existed in which either master alchemists or Furnace Lords would come to lecture, not because they were required to, but because they wanted to.

Furthermore, the content of the lectures of the various master alchemists and Furnace Lords was always different. The Cultivators of the East Pill Division could choose which lectures they wished to attend.

Some lectures would be attended by only a few hundred or thousand. Others would be packed. Of course, the lectures by the Furnace Lords were usually different from those of the master alchemists. The Furnace Lord lectures were always extremely popular.

Except… Naruto's first lecture after becoming a Furnace Lord had only been attended by a few thousand. It was by no means packed. Naruto hadn't really cared, though. He had spoken for about four hours, then flicked his sleeve and left.

Accompanied by the two apprentice alchemists, Naruto arrived at Alchemy Day Valley. He hadn't minded when his first lecture was sparsely attended. However, he was shocked to see how many people were currently in the valley.

As he approached, he could see apprentice alchemists sitting cross-legged everywhere, as well as some master alchemists. All of them were looking up at the high platform. There stood a white-haired old man who emanated the aura of a transcendent being.

The old man was a Furnace Lord, and a very senior ranking one at that. He spoke in a cool voice which rang out in all directions. Everyone could hear very clearly. Some people's eyes glowed brightly, apparently in the midst of enlightenment.

Naruto's lecture slot was actually a few days earlier; unfortunately, he had been delayed because of his pill concocting. Now, he would have to wait for this senior Furnace Lord to finish his lecture before he could take his turn.

He would have to wait, but as a Furnace Lord, he wouldn't have to wait outside the valley. As soon as he entered, he was noticed by the nearby apprentice alchemists. One head after another turned to look at him, whereupon they would stand and salute him respectfully. He smiled and nodded in return. They parted, making a path for him, which he walked down, feeling a bit embarrassed.

It didn't take long before everyone in the entire valley had caught sight of him, including attendees far off in the distance. Even they stood to salute him in greeting.

In short, his entrance to the valley caused a small-scale commotion. The old man on the stage frowned and stopped talking, eyeing Naruto with a look of displeasure.

"Alchemist Kazama, don't tell me you're unaware of the rules?" he said coolly, his voice sounding out clearly throughout the valley. "I'm giving a lecture on alchemy at the moment. Why, pray tell, are you here? This ruckus is really ruining my mood!"

Naruto glanced at the old man with a slight frown. He knew the other Furnace Lords weren't too happy with him. Were the situation different, Naruto wouldn't let the man's words slide. However, his presence here really did cause a commotion, and he had interrupted the man's lecture.

"Forgive my inconsiderateness," said Naruto with a slight smile, and then sat down off to the side. He was here, so he might as well wait for the lecture to finish.

Hearing this, the old man snorted coldly, then ignored Naruto and continued with the lecture.

Time passed by slowly. The old Furnace Lord prattled on, occasionally holding up some medicinal plants to analyze. The surrounding apprentice alchemists listened thoughtfully. Many appeared to have looks of enlightenment on their faces. It seemed as if they were really benefiting from the lecture.

Naruto, however, was feeling a bit drowsy. Strangely, it seemed he was the only one. Perhaps it was because he was tired from his pill concocting; plus, the old man lectured in a very wordy way. Generally, after only one sentence, Naruto would understand the point he was trying to make. But then the man would go on to explain with ten or more additional sentences. Furthermore, Naruto was already familiar with the aspects of plant and vegetation variations about which he lectured. Among the Furnace Lords, if Naruto placed second in terms of plants and vegetation knowledge, then there was no first.

Whatever reasons Naruto had for being bored, the man was giving a lecture about alchemy. He may be long-winded, but Naruto would not do anything to supplant him. Do not do to others what you would not wish them to do to you.

After some time passed, though, he couldn't hold back from letting out a yawn. He wasn't located very far away from the lecture platform, so the long-winded old man noticed, and was clearly displeased. His mood seemed to sink even lower than before. Seeing Naruto's indolent attitude, he suddenly got angry.

He stopped lecturing and looked at Naruto; his eyes burned and his words were ear-piercing: "Furnace Lord Kazama, don't tell me you have some doubts regarding my lecture!?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the surrounding apprentice alchemists no longer had entranced looks on their faces. Instead, they looked excitedly toward Naruto.

From the look of things, it seemed the entranced looks on their faces just now had been there out of force of habit. Some may have been real, but the majority were apparently fake.

Silence reigned among the apprentice alchemists, but a variety of thoughts ran through their heads.

"Two Furnace Lords are arguing. I've been to lots of lectures, but I've never seen anything like this before!"

"Furnace Lord Shino sure can talk. If he's not happy during his lecture then he'll really flip out. That's why we all have to pretend to be so interested. If we don't, bad luck will surely strike…."

"Ah, that's the new guy who's on the rise. All the Violet Chakra Division Inner Sect disciples are crazy over Furnace Lord Namikaze. Furnace Lord Shino, on the other hand, is one of the most qualified of all the Furnace Lords. I wonder which one will come out on top…?"

Naruto frowned and looked up at the old man named Shino.

"I don't doubt anything you've said, Furnace Lord Shino," he said coolly. "I'm just a bit exhausted from concocting pills and need a short rest."

Seeing Naruto back down twice in a row caused contempt to flicker in old man Shino's eyes. "Lies! You're clearly being disrespectful on purpose! Please, I would very much like for you to explain in detail what various doubts you have. If you're unable to, then please leave immediately. I'm really fed up with your 'resting' here!"

A cold glow appeared in Naruto's eyes. He had already backed down twice in a row. He knew that it truly was improper for him to have interrupted the man's lecture, but the man was really going overboard. Although Naruto had a relatively good temper, the cold light in his eyes showed the level of his displeasure.

"Originally, I, Kazama, did not want to cause any embarrassment because of the black Furnace Lord's robe which you wear." Naruto's indifferent voice suddenly turned sharp. "But since Furnace Lord Shino is so insistent, then I guess I will express a few doubts!"

Instantly, all of the surrounding apprentice alchemists perked up. Something interesting was about to happen! Even the master alchemists' eyes began to glow. These expressions were far more genuinely enthusiastic than those from moments ago.

The man named Shino gave a cold harrumph, and was about to say something, when Naruto interrupted him without the slightest trace of politeness.

"According to your understanding of the Dao of alchemy, one must first embrace into one's heart all of the variations of plants and vegetation, and then craft out a thorough plan. Afterwards pills may be concocted. This concept is nothing more than a load of dog crap!"

"Kazama, you've really got guts!" roared the man, glaring furiously. "I dare you to say that again!"

When Naruto replied, his voice was calm, but his words were aggressive and menacing. "What pills do you intend to concoct with such a method? The Dao of alchemy was created by the Heavens, and requires personal enlightenment. Success can only come after constant defeat and subsequent improvement. It is the result of the concoction process itself! When concocting, one must identify what is true from what is false, select the proper time and location, adjust the flame to the proper temperature, and modify the interactions between the medicinal plants! Was I mistaken to say your words are dog crap? You want me to say it again? You're the senior, so in accord with your demand, I'll say it again. Your words are a load of dog crap!"

The words blew over Shino, making him so angry that his body trembled. He lifted a finger and pointed at Naruto, a ferocious look filling his eyes. "Treason! Heresy!" he shrieked. "There are rules on the path of medicinal pills! You ignorant child! The fact that you finagled your way into a Furnace Lord promotion is a humiliation to all other Furnace Lords. We're ashamed to even be associated with you. Apparently, you aren't familiar with the word 'rule,' or the term 'pill formula.' Pill formulas themselves are rules. The pill concocting to which I refer is one in which a pill formula is followed!"

"Pill formulas are merely a simplified way of recording the process of pill concoction," replied Naruto calmly. "They are there for alchemists to refer to, like a roadmap, or a light to use on a dark night."

"You…."

Naruto's words were growing more relentless. "If you follow a pill formula, then of course you can concoct a pill. But if you concoct pills in such a way, doesn't that make you a mere master alchemist? Do you really deserve the title of Furnace Lord? It seems to me that you're nothing more than a boring old pill-concocting puppet!"

"Y-you…. Pill formulas are rules! You…." The old mans sputtered in his anger, and was about to continue to explain when Naruto held his head high and interrupted again.

"You can't even speak clearly! Pill formulas are rules? Examine all of the pills that exist under heaven. How many of those pills have a variety of formulas which have been handed down throughout the generations? In fact, for some pills, more than a hundred formulas exist, all with different interactions. And yet, each one produces the same pill. You speak of rules. Are you trying to say that multiple sets of different rules exist for each pill?!

"Very well, assuming there really are rules, then after the first pill formula appeared, who was it that created the second pill formula? What about the third? Or the fourth? By the time you reach the hundredth pill formula, can you explain who exactly created that pill?" Naruto's indignant words filled the entire valley. All of the apprentice alchemists who were listening had looks of excitement on their faces, as well as the glow of enlightenment. The master alchemists were panting as they pondered Naruto's words. The looks on their faces were much similar to the looks on their faces as they had been listening to Shino's lecture just now. However, the difference between the words of the two different Furnace Lords was incredible.

Shino's fury rose to the heavens. His entire body shook as he howled: "Treason! Heresy! Rebellion against the Dao of alchemy…!"

"Do you dare to proclaim that the creator of the next pill formula, the one hundred and first, isn't among the East Pill Division disciples present today?" Hearing this caused a wave of excitement to pass through the apprentice alchemists. Ignoring old man Shino, they immediately spoke out their agreement.

Naruto's words smashed down onto old man Shino like an iron hammer. He couldn't help but walk back a few steps, staring back at Naruto with bloodshot eyes.

"Can you say anything other than the words 'treason,' 'heresy' and 'rebellion against the Dao of alchemy?'" Naruto sat there cross-legged, as calm as a spring breeze. His expression hadn't changed; he still had a smile on his face. But his words were incredibly sharp. The surrounding apprentice alchemists watched on, their faces shining with admiration.

Shino burned with wrath, and his mind was reeling. His words began to grow more venomous. "You ignorant youth!" he said. "You don't even know what it means to concoct pills. I suggest you get the hell out of the Sect and go back to suck your mother's teat! Wait until…."

His words only caused Naruto's smile to disappear. The cold look in his eye grew icy. "You don't even deserve to utter the words 'concoct pills.' Medicinal pills are concocted, and concocting requires intelligence. That's why it's called concocting. Your Dao of alchemy is nothing more than copying. Concocting pills and copying pills. That's a difference of only one word. The crux of the difference, however, is that your Dao of alchemy reached the end of its road years ago!"

"Lies! Lies!" howled Shino, his hair in disarray as he glared at Naruto. He had always thought his own words to be sharp, but today he found out that Kazama's words were beyond sharp; they were diabolical. He took a deep breath to clear his mind, and then made his counterattack. "How could you blaspheme the rules of the Dao of alchemy? They have been passed down amongst alchemists for tens of thousands of years. If you don't respect the rules, then you are concocting not pills, but abominations!"

"Abominations?" said Naruto with a cold smile. He stretched out his right hand. "Apprentice alchemists, does anyone present happen to have a medicinal pill on hand? Give it to me!"

As soon as his words rang out, one of the cleverest of the nearby apprentice alchemists quickly produced a medicinal pill and handed it to Naruto. Everyone one else looked on.

Naruto took the pill, glanced at it for a moment, then looked back at Shino.

"This is a Chakra Condensation Pill of twenty percent medicinal strength. Currently, there are ninety seven formulas for this pill. Now, I will help you to understand what rules are! The first formula for this pill requires three leaves of Blood Cinnabar grass, root of Blue Residual, Gyrfalcon leaf vein…. The second formula requires…. The third formula…." Without stopping, Naruto slowly recited all ninety seven different formulas. All present were disciples of the East Pill Division, including master alchemists, some of whom were recording the information as Naruto spoke it. When he finished reciting all ninety seven formulas, there was a deathly silence.

All the formulas he had recited were correct; each one could be used to concoct a Chakra Condensation Pill.

"The ninety eighth formula requires three pistils from Eastern Dust Flower, three Spicewood seedlings, a flaming leaf from a Luan Phoenix plant…. The ninety ninth pill formula requires East Path sap; three years, seven month, nine day old Ink leaf, as well as…. The one hundred and third formula…. The one hundred and seventeenth formula…."

Everything was completely silent. The old man named Shino stared with mute astonishment at Naruto. It wasn't just him. All of the apprentice alchemists and master alchemists were staring blankly at him as if he weren't even human.

No one had ever heard of the final twenty formulas he had recited. Based on the thoughtful look on his face, it was obvious Naruto was not reciting them from memory, but rather, had spontaneously created them himself after looking at the pill.

Such actions were exponentially more incisive than any of Naruto's previous words. After he finished reciting all one hundred and seventeen pill formulas, the space of ten breaths passed in which no one said anything. Then, everyone exploded into a huge hubbub.

"He created pill formulas! What realm is this? No wonder he's a Furnace Lord! This is just astonishing!"

"He didn't just create one pill formula, but twenty! I was listening carefully, and I can say with ninety percent confidence that all of them could be used to concoct a Chakra Condensation Pill!"

"That's Instantaneous Formula Scrying! According to legend, only Violet Furnace Lords with incredible skill in the Dao of alchemy can do such a thing!"

Up on the stage, old man Shino's face was pale white. His breathing was ragged, his expression lifeless as he stared dully at Naruto. His mind roared as if with thunder.

"Could I be mistaken…? Is my Dao of alchemy flawed…? Impossible, I couldn't be mistaken. If I were, how could I have become a Furnace Lord? But…. but if I'm not mistaken, how come my skill in the Dao of alchemy hasn't improved for an entire sixty year cycle….?"

"I just created twenty pill formulas. According to Furnace Lord Shino's logic, I, Kazama, am the maker of rules!" Naruto flicked his sleeve, sending the medicinal pill in his hand flying back to the apprentice alchemist who had given it to him. The apprentice alchemist clutched it excitedly. He had already decided to save this pill as a keepsake for the rest of his life.

Naruto's words slammed like a thunderclap into old man Shino's ears. His face drained of blood, and his body trembled. His eyes were filled with veins of blood.

"Cease your ravings! Everything you've said is a contradiction of the East Pill Division's Dao of alchemy! You're simply trying to sow seeds of doubt in my heart. Such actions are worthy of execution! My unfamiliarity with those pill formulas proves only that I'm unaware of where you acquired them! You're just trying to put on a show!"

In Naruto's mind, this old man was tenaciously annoying. A cold smile spread on his face as he retorted: "Oh? I'm just trying to put on a show? Furnace Lord Shino, let me ask you this. What medicinal plant were you just holding in your hand?"

"Medicinal plant?" Old man Shino was so furious that he could only stare blankly for a moment. He slapped his bag of holding to produce the medicinal plant he had been lecturing about earlier. "This is Seven Leaf clove…."

He was about to continue talking when Naruto let out an uproarious laugh. "Seven Leaf clove thrives on light which contains opposing Yin and Yang properties. It only grows during the evening, when the sun and moon shine together. Furthermore, at dusk, it will shine with a glow that contains seven colors. It looks almost exactly the same as Confusion Apex leaf and Blue Dawn leaf. The only way to tell the difference is by examining the stems, leaves and branches. The sky conditions can also be used as a determining factor." Naruto's gaze was as cold as ice. "Obviously, the plant you are holding in your hand is not Seven Leaf clove, but Blue Dawn leaf!"

His words sent the valley into an uproar. All of the apprentice alchemists turned their heads to look at old man Shino, whose face instantly tightened. To misidentify a medicinal plant would lead to an incredible loss of face within the Sect.

More importantly if Shino, as a Furnace Lord, had misidentified a medicinal plant, it could have a destructive effect on his reputation.

"Dusk is about to fall," said Naruto in a voice that could sever nails and chop iron. "Soon the sun and the moon will shine together in the sky. If that plant you're holding is really Seven Leaf clove, then it will glow with seven colors, and prove that I am wrong. In that case, I will humbly apologize to you in front of all the Sect disciples here today. Furthermore, in the future, I will never dare to place myself in your presence." He flicked his sleeve.

The debate with old man Shino had long since gone past the appointed time to end the lecture. Dusk was about to fall, and the moon was just becoming visible.

The debate had gone on for a long time, but the apprentice and master alchemists present could barely hold back their enthusiasm. They were virtually entranced with the proceedings.

"Nonsense!" fumed old man Shino. "I'm one hundred and thirty seven years old! How old are you? How could I possibly misidentify… huh?" Before he could finish, the sky grew dark as dusk arrived. The sun and moon were both shining in the sky!

However, as the light of dusk fell onto the medicinal plant in his hand, no trace of a seven-colored glow could be seen. Naruto didn't need to say another word. The buzz of conversation lifted up from the apprentice alchemists in the valley.

"That's not Seven Leaf clove!"

"I can't believe… Furnace Lord Shino actually pulled out the wrong medicinal plant!"

"If he can't even produce the right medicinal plant, who could possibly listen to him speak of the Dao of alchemy!"

When Shino heard all of the things people were saying, his face paled. He felt so ashamed that he wanted to hide. However, fury rose within his heart as he stared angrily at Naruto. It seemed he still had some fight left.

"You ignorant youth. You're spouting nonsense! I became a Furnace lord sixty years ago. You…."

"You became a Furnace Lord sixty years ago, and sixty years from now, you will still be a Furnace Lord. As for me, perhaps I'm ignorant, and perhaps I'm young, but I am a Furnace Lord, just like you. In sixty years, you will be forced to prostrate yourself in worship to me! The reason for that is… your Dao of alchemy is flawed!" Naruto stood. Without so much as looking at Shino, he walked out of the valley.

Naruto's words reverberated in the man's ears like thunder. He raised his hand to point at Naruto, but then a tremor ran through his body, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Flawed…? Flawed…..?" Naruto's words echoed about in his mind, causing him to forget to even offer a retort.

As Naruto departed, the eyes of the tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists glowed brightly. They watched him leave, absolutely certain that in the days to come, his name would continue to send shockwaves throughout the East Pill Division. Furthermore, his future lectures would certainly be explosively popular.

Unfortunately, the ways of the world are impossible to fathom. Naruto's days of comfort within the Violet Fate Sect were soon to come to an end.

A month after his debate with old man Shino, Naruto sat in his Immortal's Cave. He had just finished with a batch of medicinal pills, and was fantasizing about how he would take advantage of the resources of the Sect to concoct more pills and then accumulate a vast amount of Spirit Stones. It was at this time that a command jade slip arrived. Based on the recommendation of all the Furnace Lords of the East Pill Division, he was to be sent out of the Sect to gain experience.

After being promoted, all Furnace Lords were required to leave the Sect for a period of time to get experience. It was actually a rule, although a flexible one. Generally speaking, alchemists prefer to concoct pills in solitude, and don't like to travel on the outside.

However, the Black Sieve Sect had offered vast compensation in exchange for the Violet Fate Sect to dispatch two Furnace Lords, one to give lectures on the Dao of alchemy, one to concoct special medicinal pills. Such an arrangement was common within the great Sects and Clans.

Even Genma, who wasn't a Furnace Lord, had been invited a month before to visit the Shimura Clan. This was of course because they had purchased his Foundation Establishment Day.

As for Naruto, the reason he had been recommended to the Black Sieve Sect in the first place was because of the unorthodox nature of his promotion to Furnace Lord.

Of course, there were quite a few people who were just waiting for Naruto to make a fool of himself. The pills to be concocted outside for a great Sect were not ordinary, and every one would require the full skill of a Furnace Lord.

Considering that Naruto had bypassed some of the requirements for becoming a Furnace Lord, there really was no way for him to refuse the order.

"The Black Sieve Sect…." Naruto's brow furrowed.

Naruto didn't really want to go, but the command jade slip had been issued, and he had no good reason to refuse. Furthermore… he owed a lot of medicinal pills to the Sect. All of his debts were in the official records, and although he didn't have to pay up immediately, sooner or later, he would.

If he didn't, then his access to medicinal plants would be restricted. Therefore, this trip outside the Sect would serve more than one purpose. Not only would he be able to gain experience, but he would could reduce some of his debt to the Sect.

"For Kazama, a trip to the Black Sieve Sect… is a great opportunity!" Determination glittered in Naruto's eyes. His decision to go to the Black Sieve Sect having been made, the image of Elder Sister Hinata appeared in his mind.

He also thought of Ino, as well as Asuma, and all of the events which had occurred that year connected to the Black Sieve Sect.

"This time, I will be traveling in the Southern Domain as a Furnace Lord of the Violet Fate Sect." Sakurackling, Naruto flicked his sleeve to gather together the various items he would take with him. Then, jade slip in hand, he left his Immortal's Cave.

Several days later.

"Grandmaster Shino, Grandmaster Kazama, this is a Black Sieve Fruit, which we grow here in the Black Sieve Sect. The flavor is as delectable as fine wine, and they are usually only given to Sect Elders."

Somewhere outside of the Violet Fate Sect, a massive black airship shot through the air at top speed. It was crewed by several hundred Black Sieve Sect disciples, all of whom had extraordinary Cultivation bases within the Foundation Establishment stage.

There was one disciple of the Core Formation stage, the Alchemy Protector dispatched by the Black Sieve Sect to guard over the Violet Fate Sect disciples. He sat with them in the center of the airship, smiling, concealing the thoughtfulness which exist in his mind. In front of him was a white-haired old man in a black and purple robe; he seemed to emanate the Dao, and pure transcendence. Next to the old man was a handsome, fair-skinned young man.

The old man's expression was that of indifference mixed with austerity. His Cultivation base was at the late Foundation Establishment stage. This was none other than Furnace Lord Shino, whom Naruto had debated in the valley one month before.

The young man next to him emanated the faint scent of medicinal plants. He looked less like a Cultivator than a scholar. Naturally, this was none other than Naruto.

In addition to the Core Formation Cultivator, the Black Sieve Sect had also dispatched a young man who appeared to be a bit over thirty years of age. He wore a long bluish-black robe and seemed to abound in profundity and knowledge. He sat wordlessly off to the side, looking somewhat taciturn. When Naruto had caught sight of him for the first time several days ago, he had felt shock in his heart.

This was Asuma!

Dao Child of the Black Sieve Sect!

This was the same person Naruto had battled years ago, a battle of the peak of Foundation Establishment! In that battle, Asuma had lost. His open and upright actions had earned Naruto's respect, and he had spared his life.

Naruto hadn't seen him for five years, and now, something about him seemed different. Naruto couldn't quite tell what it was, but it left him with a very bizarre feeling.

Such thoughts swirled in his heart, but were not revealed on his face. After hearing the words of the Core Formation Cultivator, Naruto was still considering how to respond, when old man Shino reached out to take one of the Black Sieve Fruits.

"What an extraordinary fruit," he said coolly. "It would be best used as a medicinal ingredient. I won't waste it by eating it." He glanced at Naruto.

Naruto didn't say anything. With a smile, he accepted the Black Sieve Fruit and then placed it in his bag of holding. Inwardly, he sighed. How could he possibly have imagined that the Violet Fate Sect would send him out with old man Shino? Shino was responsible for giving lectures regarding the Dao of alchemy, whereas he would be in charge of pill concocting.

For the entire time they had been on the airship, Shino hadn't given Naruto anything but dirty looks. Of course, the people from Black Sieve Sect had picked up on this.

The Core Formation Cultivator had a wide smile on his face, but inwardly had some doubts. "This Furnace Lord Shino is famous and deeply qualified. He's one of the top Furnace Lords, and his frequent visits to the Black Sieve Sect show how much the Violet Fate Sect respects us. However, this Kazama…. After asking around, I found that he finagled his way to Furnace Lord half a year ago. He's really nothing more than a master alchemist." Of course, the man would never allow any expression onto his face which would indicate he was looking down on Kazama. However, he did treat old man Shino with a higher level of respect.

He laughed loudly. "If you'd like, Grandmaster Shino," he said, his voice kind, "I can entreat the Sect Leader to provide both of you with even more Black Sieve Fruits."

Off to the side, Asuma sat taciturnly. He hadn't said a single word the entire time. In this respect, he was somewhat like Naruto, who wasn't in the mood for conversation. Furthermore, it seemed to please old man Shino that he was left to handle all the formalities.

The four people sat there, only two engaging in conversation, their expressions cheerful. Old man Shino seemed very proud of himself. "This time," he told himself, "I'll show this pup how formidable I truly am."

Time passed. The airship traveled quickly, and even made use of several teleportation portals. A few days later, the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect appeared off in the distance.

Naruto had spent most of the time in secluded meditation. No one had dared to interrupt him; the Black Sieve Sect disciples all gave him looks filled with utmost respect.

As for Shino, his actions were quite the opposite of Naruto's. He engaged in bombastic discussions with the Core Formation Cultivator, flagrantly displaying his profound and awe-inspiring understanding of the Dao of alchemy.

Naruto didn't mind, nor did he care about the way old man Shino seemed to loathe him. Despite his loathing, he didn't dare to ridicule Naruto like he had before. In fact, his debate with Naruto had left him fearful at heart.

This was Naruto's first time to appear in front of outsiders as an alchemist. Observing the respect with which others treated him because of his position, he was even more reassured that he had made the right decision in joining the Violet Fate Sect.

Of course, if the people here found out that he was actually Naruto, then their killing intent would billow to the heavens. Whenever he heard the stories people told about Naruto, he would sigh inwardly.

"As of now, I'm truly a part of the Southern Domain. Five years ago, I was just an outsider." He stood at the bow of the airship, lost in thought, staring off at the Black Sieve Sect, which was slowly growing closer and closer.

The Hundred Thousand Mountains stretched out seemingly without end. Black smoke from the gigantic incense burner rose up into the sky. The Black Sieve Sect seemed to be filled with a mysterious, incredible power.

The Black Sieve Sect disciple's faces emanated a pride that seemed to stem from their bones, birthed by their endless mountains and the smoke which rose to the heavens.

Shino and the Core Formation Cultivator strolled up, chatting. When Shino saw Naruto, he snorted. They were fellow Sect members, and whatever ill feelings they had toward each other shouldn't be overtly revealed to outsiders. Therefore, he only snorted, but didn't say anything else, joining Naruto to look out at the Black Sieve Sect.

Of course, this wasn't the first time Naruto had come to help the Black Sieve Sect. However, the circumstances this time were vastly different. As soon as the airship approached the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the sound of bells filled the air.

Six peals rang out, attracting the attention of hundreds of thousands of Black Sieve Sect disciples. Actually, none of them knew what was happening, but soon, inquiries were made and news began to spread.

The Black Sieve Sect had invited Furnace Lords from the Violet Fate Sect for a visit.

Soon, Naruto caught sight of dozens of beams of light flying out from the Black Sieve Sect, followed by hundreds of Conclave disciples.

Among the Conclave disciples was Ino. She had a strange expression on her face when she looked at Naruto. Naruto had made inquiries earlier about Elder Sister Hinata, and had discovered that she had already become a Conclave disciple. However, she was not among the group that approached now.

Laughter rang out, followed by a clear, powerful voice from the group of Cultivators in the lead, who were all of the Core Formation stage. One was even of the Nascent Soul stage! "Greetings Grandmaster Shino and Grandmaster Kazama! Welcome to the Black Sieve Sect!"

The Nascent Soul Cultivator was no stranger to Naruto. He was none other than… Patriarch Violet Sieve!

He was also the person who has just spoken!

When enemies meet, eyes will usually turn red, and killing intent will explode out. Instead, Patriarch Violet Sieve's face was filled with a smile. He expressed no arrogance because of his Nascent Soul Cultivation base, but rather utmost respect for the two alchemists.

Naruto's expression was solemn. He quickly stepped forward, a respectful look on his face. Almost at the same time, old man Shino also walked forward. Together, they clasped hands and greeted Patriarch Violet Sieve.

For the Black Sieve Sect to dispatch a Nascent Soul Cultivator to receive them was an extreme honor. As representatives of the Violet Fate Sect, Naruto and old man Shino could certainly not commit a breach of etiquette.

"Grandmaster Shino," said Patriarch Violet Sieve, "you are one of the highest ranked Furnace Lords. Your rise to Violet Furnace Lord is surely just around the corner. Your esteemed presence in the Black Sieve Sect has added glitter to our humble abode." He laughed heartily, smiling at Shino, and then turned his attention to Naruto. "Grandmaster Kazama, you are the youngest of the Furnace Lords of the Violet Fate Sect. Your fame is spreading throughout the Southern Domain, and I've long since heard your name. Seeing you today, I am now assured that you are a hero amongst commoners."

Patriarch Violet Sieve's words were spoken well. Although he inwardly cared more about old man Shino, he did not show any disregard for Naruto. The Core Formation Cultivators who surrounded him clasped hands and saluted Naruto and old man Shino. None of them showed even the slightest trace of arrogance, only utmost courtesy.

After some pleasantries were exchanged, one of the Core Formation Cultivators called over the Conclave disciples and introduced them to Naruto and old man Shino. A slight smile appeared on Naruto's face as he nodded to the various disciples one after another.

"My respects, Grandmaster Shino, Grandmaster Kazama!"

"Greetings, Grandmaster Shino, Grandmaster Kazama." Normally, these Conclave disciples would have lofty and proud demeanors in front of outside Cultivators. But today, their expressions were filled with respect. The fame of Furnace Lords was enough to awe anyone.

The title of Grandmaster by which they were called was simply honorary, of course, as neither of them were true Grandmasters.

Old man Shino smiled toward the Black Sieve Sect's Conclave disciples. Considering his age, all that was required of him was a slight nod. However, when he noticed that Naruto was doing the same, an irritated feeling arose in his heart.

When Ino was introduced, Naruto looked at her with a smile. He hadn't seen her for five years. If anything, she was more beautiful. Her figure was curvaceous , her face alluring, and as she stood there, it seemed as if rainbows would lose their color if they neared her. She was uniquely gorgeous.

"Ino extends greetings to Grandmaster Shino and Grandmaster Kazama," she said, her voice soft and velvety. Such a voice seemed capable of making the heart itch.

Naruto smiled and nodded, and was just about to glance over to the next person, when suddenly, a voice rang out in his mind. It had been a long time since the Demon Sealing Jade had spoken to him.

"Discarnate souls possess the body, desiring to return from the afterlife, a technique of quickening. Demons under the vault of the Heavens shall be incinerated; ashes shall fly. Seal them, and the sun of the seventh month shall be concealed; help them, and the blood of the Demon Sealer can fuse with its will!"

"Fellow Daoist Ino," said Naruto suddenly, looking Ino up and down, "you look somewhat familiar. Have we met before?" Such presumptuous words were actually part of Naruto's plan.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, all of the Black Sieve Sect Conclave disciples looked at the two of them. Even the Core Formation experts glanced over, their eyes sparkling with interest.

Patriarch Violet Sieve's interest was also piqued.

Old man Shino was astonished.

Ino's eyes focused on Naruto. "Grandmaster Kazama, please forgive me, but, I really don't remember…." She looked thoughtful, and seemed to have something flickering deep within her eyes. Naruto was sure that she was hiding something.

Had he not experienced her craftiness personally in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land, then he would never have been able to detect it.

"My mistake," he said with a laugh. "Perhaps it's just that I wished I had met you before." Hearing this, the Black Sieve Sect Conclave disciples all smiled.

The Core Formation experts also smiled and shook their heads. Considering their age, they had long since abandoned the pursuit of beautiful women.

Old man Shino frowned. In his opinion, it didn't matter if Kazama was young, such behavior was really embarrassing for the Sect.

Patriarch Violet Sieve laughed. "Grandmaster Kazama, there will be plenty of time later for you youngsters to get to know each other. For now, why don't you follow me as we enter the Sect?"

His face red, Naruto clasped hands and bowed to Patriarch Violet Sieve, "I've embarrassed myself in front of Senior," he said.

Ino covered her mouth with her hand and blinked.

Naruto and old man Shino entered the Sect, surrounded by the various members of the Black Sieve Sect. It was at this exact moment that suddenly, Patriarch Violet Sieve's expression flickered. He turned to look off into the distance. Everyone else stopped moving and followed suit.

Patriarch Violet Sieve chuckled. "It seems Grandmasters Aobo and Izumo from the Golden Frost Sect's World Pill Division arrived half a day early." He waved his arm, and immediately bells tolled another six times within the Black Sieve Sect.

Naruto looked off into the distance, and before long, caught sight of a massive airship approaching at top speed. As it neared, a group of people flew off of the deck and down toward them. Two of their number wore long crimson robes, the sleeves of which were embroidered with pill furnaces. They seemed powerful and extraordinary, and both emanated a medicinal aroma.

"Hmph!" snorted Shino, who stood next to Naruto. "I never imagined the Black Sieve Sect would also invite Grandmaster Eternal Mountain's World Pill Division."

Naruto looked at the two middle-aged master alchemists from Eternal Mountain's World Pill Division. They smiled as they approached.

Naruto turned to Shino and asked, "When other Sects extend invitations to alchemists, do disciples of the other Grandmasters of the Dao of alchemy always show up?"

"Sometimes, but not often," replied Shino. He had the mind to ignore Naruto. However, they were two fellow Sect members on the outside. Now that there were two people from Eternal Mountain's World Pill Division present, it would be difficult to avoid friction regarding the Dao of alchemy.

Not wanting to make the following days in the Black Sieve Sect unstable, Shino added, "It seems the Black Sieve Sect really wants to improve their Dao of alchemy, and as such, has also invited the World Pill Division." Shino frowned. By the time he finished speaking, Patriarch Violet Sieve and the others had already clustered politely around the two World Pill Division master alchemists to lead them into the Sect.

Almost as soon as they neared, one of the scarlet-robed alchemists from the World Pill Division, a tall, sturdy man with a powerful, extraordinary air, began to speak. "Fellow Daoist Shino is also here? I seem to remember his mighty words from years ago, when he spoke of becoming a Violet Furnace Lord. Sixty years have passed already, Fellow Daoist Shino, have you achieved your goal yet?" His gaze fell like lightning upon Shino and Naruto.

"So, it's Fellow Daoist Aoba," said Shino with a snort. The man's words had touched directly on a painful matter in his heart, and he couldn't help but snidely remark, "I haven't seen you for years, and yet somehow your breath has gotten worse."

The second of the two alchemists was somewhat skinny, and had a mustache shaped like the character 八. He looked at Naruto and gave a false smile. "This must be Grandmaster Kazama, the East Pill Division alchemist who people say finagled his way to becoming a Furnace Lord. Haha! Sir, I've been looking forward to meeting the famous Brother Kazama for some time! Your name resounds like thunder in the ears of those who cultivate the Dao of alchemy. They say you're a master alchemist who wears the clothing of a Furnace Lord!"

The instant these two alchemists from Eternal Mountain's World Pill Division appeared, they spoke words filled with ill intentions. Their diametrical opposition to the East Pill Division alchemists was obvious.

The people from the Black Sieve Sect seemed to take all of this in stride. The Dao of alchemy of the East Pill Division was the most recognized throughout the Southern Domain, and their reputation was the most illustrious. The World Pill Division had been created by Grandmaster Eternal Mountain of the Golden Frost Sect. Although Eternal Mountain showed respect for Grandmaster Pill Demon, his disciples and followers grew more aggressive by the day. They refused to acknowledge the glory of the East Pill Division, and whenever the two sides met, regardless of the occasion, sparks would fly.

Naruto looked at the man named Izumo, who had just spoken in such a sarcastic tone. "Who might you be?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"Sir, I am Izumo, scarlet-robed master alchemist of the World Pill Division!" He smiled broadly as he looked at Naruto, his heart filled with envy because of Naruto's status as a Furnace Lord. In his opinion, his own skill in the Dao of alchemy might not earn him the rank of Violet Furnace Lord were he in the East Pill Division, but he would definitely rank among the highest of the Furnace Lords.

Actually, many people in the World Pill Division entertained similar thoughts. After all… the alchemists of the World Pill Division were famous in the Southern Domain, but did not receive the same level of acknowledgement that the East Pill Division did. They were just a little bit lower, which of course fueled their disdain.

"You mean, you've heard of me?" asked Naruto, sounding astonished. No onlooker would find anything about his expression to be out of the ordinary. However, Shino was well aware of the vicious language Naruto was capable of, and his heart began to thump. He knew that Naruto's words were by no means a retreat.

Izumo laughed at Naruto's stunned expression, and his eyes filled with scorn. "How could any Cultivator of the Dao of alchemy not have heard of Alchemist Kazama's rise to Furnace Lord? In fact, I'd like to ask, how does it feel to wear the clothing of a Furnace Lord?"

It was as if a lightbulb went off over Naruto's head. He laughed, and said, "Oh, I get it. You know me because I'm a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division. My words and deeds are common knowledge among all Cultivators of the Dao of alchemy. Therefore, my name reverberates like thunder in your ears. However, you are a simple scarlet-robed disciple of the World Pill Division who I've never even heard of. I guess you must have come today because you wanted to get to know me!"

"You!" cried Izumo, his eyes exploding with a cold glow. In his opinion, such words were a direct insult. Not only did they proclaim that his reputation was so unremarkable that his opponent had never heard of him, they also implied that the reputation of someone who had finagled his way to Furnace Lord rang like thunder in his ears.

Not only were the flames of Izumo's anger stoked by Naruto's words, the man next to him, Aoba, glared at Naruto icily. "How sharp-tongued!" he said.

Seeing that the altercation was about to intensify, Patriarch Violet Sieve cleared his throat and stepped between the two parties, followed by other Core Formation experts. With smiles on their faces, they led the way into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

The arguing ceased immediately. Now that they were in the Black Sieve Sect, both the East Pill Division and the World Pill Division must give face. After all, they had been invited here, and the Black Sieve Sect wouldn't want a violent conflict to erupt the moment their guests entered the Sect.

Shino surreptitiously glanced at Naruto. Although he had a low opinion of him, he was secretly pleased. Naruto's words just now had left him feeling quite satisfied.

They flew along, eventually reaching the Hundred Mountains, and a large temple which spread out beneath a green mountain peak. Here, the Black Sieve Sect had arranged a banquet to welcome the East Pill Division and World Pill Division.

Patriarch Violet Sieve made no more appearances. The mere fact that he had arrived to escort the master alchemists from the two Divisions was evidence of the respect offered by the Black Sieve Sect.

Most of the Sect's Conclave disciples attended the banquet. Naruto saw Asuma and Ino. However, he didn't see Elder Sister Hinata, which made him a bit worried, although he didn't show it on his face.

Shino engaged in lively conversation with the crowds of people. Aoba and Izumo, the scarlet-robed master alchemists of the World Pill Division seemed very comfortable in such a setting, and quickly became a center of attention.

Also in attendance were six Core Formation Cultivators, who all sat together but interacted courteously with everyone present. The Black Sieve Sect really seemed to have gone all out in their attempts to welcome the alchemists from the two Sects.

The banquet wound to an end as night fell. As everyone began to depart, Naruto was escorted to an area of the Hundred Mountains called the Black Welcoming Mountains. On the peak of one of the mountains was a luxurious residence which was surrounded by various restrictive spells that made it extremely safe.

Considering Naruto came as a representative of the Violet Fate Sect, the Black Sieve Sect could not possibly allow any harm to come to him. This of course was a matter of face and relationship between two great Sects.

Late in the night, Naruto sat cross-legged within the building, breathing deeply. After meditating for some time, his body began to emanate a white Chakra as he dissolved the alcohol from the beverages he had consumed during the banquet. Before consuming them, he had examined the alcohol using his skill with plants and vegetation, and knew that it was safe.

Some time passed, and then Naruto's eyes opened. They glowed with a brilliant light.

"Ino is incredibly intelligent. Perhaps I shouldn't have openly addressed her earlier. What is she hiding?" He thought about the matter for some time, but couldn't come up with any theories. "I didn't see Elder Sister Hinata today, I wonder how she is…? And what about Asuma? Something seems very off about him. He seems different than before…." After more thought, his eyes began to flicker. "What exactly did the Demon Sealing Jade mean…." He closed his eyes and continued to meditate.

Early the next morning, the dawn sun peeked out and sunlight fell upon Black Welcoming Peak. The mountain was verdant and green, and while there were no singing birds or fragrant flowers, Naruto's spirits were lifted as he gazed out of the second story balcony at the lush vegetation of the surrounding mountain range.

The undulating mountains, covered with emerald green vegetation, were illuminated by brilliant sunlight. The glow fell upon Naruto's black robe, causing its violet aura to grow stronger. Anyone who looked at it would have a hard time deciding if it were black or violet.

The mountain breeze lifted up his long hair, making it seem as if Naruto himself wished to float away with the wind. As he stared off into the distance, a violet light gleamed within his eye.

This was the manifestation of Violet Chakra from the East, which had also turned his six Dao Pillars a violet hue.

After a long moment passed, Naruto took in a deep breath, then left the residence. As he began to walk down the mountain path which threaded through the Black Welcoming Mountains, he encountered Black Sieve Sect disciples who immediately saluted with clasped hands, their faces filled with politeness, yet maintaining some of the pride they felt as members of the Black Sieve Sect. Obviously, word had been spread throughout the Sect regarding how to treat the visitors.

Naruto smiled, returning the salute, and continuing on his way.

He soon emerged from the Black Welcoming Mountains and found himself in the middle of the Hundred Mountains. This was an area restricted to Conclave disciples.

Looking around at all the Black Sieve Sect disciples and buildings, and the enormous incense burner up above, Naruto sighed inwardly. Before joining the Violet Fate Sect, he could never have imagined that one day he would be able to stroll about the Black Sieve Sect in such a leisurely fashion.

"It's a good thing the meat jelly shed its skin a long time ago. If that happened now, my identity would be revealed immediately." He walked among the buildings, eventually coming to a halt at the edge of a public square. There, he could see dozens Black Sieve Sect disciples sitting cross-legged, Ino included.

An old man was in the midst of giving a sermon, explaining various scriptures regarding Black Sieve Sect magical techniques. Naruto had seen this man before; he was one of the Core Formation Cultivators who had received him yesterday along with Patriarch Violet Sieve.

The old man's voice rang out coolly: "The magic of the Black Sieve Sect can be divided into the will of the Black Underworld, and the teaching of the Sieve of Heavens. The Underworld represents the spirits of the nine earths. The Sieve represents the will of the nine heavens. Therefore, in the Black Sieve Sect, Underworld magic is used to kill, and the will of the Heavens is divine. You must bear these sacred teachings in mind as you practice your cultivation. In the future, your path will lead to the Heavens." It was at this point that he caught sight of Naruto.

He nodded slightly, obviously aware of who Naruto was. He didn't say anything, but instead looked over his audience. Eventually his gaze came to rest on Ino. He gave her a meaningful look, and she sighed inwardly, then rose and walked over to Naruto.

The old man's expression remained the same as he continued to discuss the Sect scriptures. He would never have allowed any other outsider to hear such discussions of Sect matters, but considering Naruto's status, it wouldn't be appropriate to drive him away. Therefore, he asked Ino to lead him away.

Ino actually did not want to accept this assignment, but she really had no way to refuse. Without any trace of her feelings showing, she arrived at Naruto's side. A beautiful smile blossomed onto her face.

"Grandmaster Kazama, you're such an early riser! Why don't you accompany me? I'll show you some of the sights around the Sect." She was as beautiful as a flower, her voice soft and entrancing.

Naruto was well aware that it wasn't very appropriate for him to stay and listen to the Sect sermons. He nodded pleasantly at Ino and then said, "To be accompanied by such a stunning flower would be my honor."

The two of them strolled off.

When they were some distance away from the square, Ino smiled and said, "Grandmaster Kazama, you are truly refined and poetic. I don't deserve to be referred to as a flower." Her eyes sparkled, and her flowing, blue silk garment wrapped around her in a way that truly made her look like a flower.

Ino was inherently beautiful, her smile dazzling. She might be a flower, but to Naruto, she was a rose, covered with poisoned thorns. He would never forget the softness with which she had uttered the words "Xie, dear" in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land.

In response to her words, Naruto laughed a bit, but didn't respond. Instead, he just looked her up and down.

"Grandmaster Kazama, don't tell me you're still thinking about whatever place it was that you wished you had seen me before?" She laughed lightly, but deep within her eyes, Naruto could see that she harbored a measure of anxiety. She didn't think Naruto could tell, but considering how well he knew her, he noticed it with a single glance.

Naruto's mind instantly spun into action. He knew that Ino was not the type of woman to get nervous easily. He thought back to all the times he had seen her before.

"I've embarrassed myself in front of you, Fellow Daoist Ino," he said. "It's just that, I really am interested in you." He looked at her, allowing a glow of interest to shine in his eyes.

When Ino saw this, her heart instantly seized. From the moment Naruto had entered the Sect, an uneasy feeling had overtaken her. Now, her anxiety was growing stronger. However, her skill in scheming ran deep, and she did her best to hide her feelings. She kept her brow smooth, and covered her face with a smile.

Continuing to stroll along, she responded, "Grandmaster Kazama, I'm truly honored by your words. However, I truly don't understand. What exactly about me interests you?" She looked at him, blinking.

"The surname Yamanaka is a special one," said Naruto slowly, looking at the rising sun off in the distance.

Hearing this, Ino's expression didn't change. She smiled and replied, "How is it special?"

"It's special because it's one of the Nine Great Families." His expression was the same as usual, but his words caused Ino to frown and sigh. Naruto knew that these actions were simply a means to cover up her true reaction.

His heart trembled, and more than ever he got the feeling that something fishy was going on.

"You're right," said Ino, looking at him. "My ancestors were among the Nine Great Families."

They came to a stop outside a stretch of emerald-green mountain forest. The wind blew softly, causing the leaves to rustle. Off in the distance, the sound of running water could be heard. The sounds of nature merged together into something similar to music.

Surrounded by the beauty, Naruto said nothing. He gazed at Ino, and she returned his look.

After a long moment, he laughed, turning his head to look at the green forest. He strolled over to where a mountain stream ambled on toward the east. He looked down into the stream, where fish flitted above the smooth stones of the stream bed. A thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes.

"Something is unusual about Ino," he thought. "How come she's so nervous around me? It can't have anything to do with Kazama, and she doesn't know that I'm Naruto. In that case… it must have to do with the East Pill Division!"

Ino stood next to him, her expression the same as ever. Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, whereupon she suddenly slapped her bag of holding. A glowing jade slip appeared. After glancing at it for a moment, she gave Naruto a slight curtsey.

"This place is secluded and quiet, Grandmaster Kazama. If you wish, you can stay here a while. Unfortunately, there are some matters I have to attend to, and I don't wish to disturb your ruminations. This jade slip contains a map of the Black Sieve Sect, please feel free to use it to go enjoy some of the scenery. I'll take my leave now." She handed him the jade slip, then turned lithely and made to leave.

As she did, Naruto casually said, "One of your friends in the East Pill Division wished me to pass on greetings to you. As for that matter…." His words seemed to be filled with meaning, and yet were ambiguous and equivocal. Really, any meaning could be derived from them.

However, as soon as Ino heard them, her heart began to pound. Her back was turned to Naruto, so she allowed her eyes to narrow. However, her posture betrayed no clue regarding her thoughts. She slowly turned her head, and when she did, her face was covered with a look of surprise.

"Grandmaster Kazama, I'm not really sure what you mean," she said, blinking. Her expression filled with confusion, as if she were trying very hard to figure out which friend Naruto was referring to.

If she had not manifested such an expression, Naruto would have been left guessing. But such a reaction solidified his speculations.

There was definitely something going on with Ino.

Based on his understanding of her, he knew that were she not harboring some deep anxiety, she would take advantage of such a topic of conversation to gather more information from him. Instead, she instantly displayed an expression of surprise.

He laughed. "I see. I clearly mistook you for someone else." He said nothing further. Currently, he wasn't sure exactly what secret Ino was keeping. That would take further deliberation. However, he also knew that speaking too much could lead to slip-ups. Then, Ino might come to the conclusion that she was being played, and that could lead to unnecessary complications.

Hearing Naruto's words, Ino gave him a vague smile. Saying no more, she gave another curtsey, then turned and left. It wasn't until she was very far way, that her face grew pale and went tight with anxiety.

"East Pill Division…" she murmured as she sped off into the distance.

Naruto watched her disappear, and his eyes glowed with thoughtfulness.

Ino had been acting strangely from the moment he had entered the Black Sieve Sect. She didn't want anyone to notice her nervousness, but Naruto could tell that he had just managed to charge directly into whatever secret she was harboring deep in her heart.

After much thought, though, he wasn't able to deduce what relationship Ino could possibly have with the East Pill Division. He looked down at the jade slip she had given him. He scanned it with Spiritual Sense, and a map of the various mountains of the Black Sieve Sect appeared in his mind.

Some areas were marked with magical symbols indicating that they were prohibited. After a while, Naruto lifted his head and walked off.

He strolled alone through the Black Sieve Sect until about midday. Off in the distance, he could see Black Welcoming Peak, and was just about to return when suddenly his eyes narrowed. He turned and looked off into the distance.

In that exact instant, a shrill scream shattered the peace and quiet within the Black Sieve Sect. At the foot of a distant mountain, roaring could be heard. The ground trembled and a crazed Cultivator flew forward, his hair whipping around his head.

"Kill me! Kill me!" he bellowed, his voice shaking the surrounding land. As he flew forward, multiple beams of light flew up into the air and shot toward him.

Naruto stared with narrowed eyes, because he recognized this Cultivator. It was none other than Black Sieve Sect Dao Child Asuma!

The incoming figures flew with incredible speed, but Asuma was even faster. His howls echoed up as he transformed into a beam of light that sped through the air.

He wasn't far from Naruto, and soon grew even nearer. Naruto could clearly see Asuma's insanity and confusion. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with pain.

It seemed as if he truly wished to die!

"Kill me!" he screamed. It was at this point that the other Black Sieve Sect people arrived. There were five of them, all Core Formation Cultivators. Their hands flickered in incantation gestures, and suddenly the ground around Asuma sank down. A booming sound rippled out, and Asuma seemed to be suddenly suppressed. His face warped, and the frenzied agony in his eyes reached a pinnacle of intensity.

A massive boom exploded out from Asuma's body, sending the five Core Formation Cultivators tumbling backward several paces, their faces pale and blood spewing from their mouths.

Seeing all this, Naruto's mind was reeling, and he had trouble believing it all was real. Asuma was of the great circle of Foundation Establishment, halfway to Core Formation. However, his attack just now caused five early Core Formation stage Cultivators to spit up blood. Naruto gasped at the sight of it.

Suddenly, Asuma's Cultivation base started to climb. Explosive power emanated out, and his howls reached up to the heavens.

The voice of the Demon Sealing jade suddenly rose up in Naruto's mind, although it was a bit different from earlier when he had seen Ino for the first time. "Discarnate souls possess the body, returned from the afterlife, a quickening. Intentional or not, the soul has already been harmed."

Suddenly, a person appeared next to the crazed Asuma. He lifted his hand and pressed down onto Asuma's shoulder. Asuma's body trembled, and his power began to dissipate. The insanity seeped out of his eyes, and the confusion disappeared. The only thing that remained was a strange pain.

His body trembled. The pain in his eyes seemed to contain immeasurable torment. This was a Dao Child who had won Naruto's respect all those years ago. He seemed clearheaded now, but he still uttered two words. "Kill me…."

Most people are not capable of truly seeking death; the desire to live is ever-present. The only people who will truly seek death are… those whose lives are a living hell!

After speaking, Asuma lost consciousness. The figure who had appeared next to him was none other than Patriarch Violet Sieve. His expression was dignified as he grabbed unconscious Asuma and made to leave. Suddenly, he turned his head to look at Naruto.

"Grandmaster Kazama, we've incurred your ridicule. This kid Asuma became addled while practicing cultivation, and went a bit crazy." He sighed and shook his head. With that, he carried Asuma away, followed by the five Core Formation Cultivators.

Naruto stood there silently. Everything that had just happened had left him shaken. The Dao Child from five years ago and the Asuma from right now were completely different. What had happened to cause such an unfortunate change?

He began to think subconsciously about his battle with Asuma that rainy night.

Late morning had arrived. Naruto turned and headed back to the Black Welcoming Peak, and his residence there.

He sat down cross-legged, reviewing everything that had just happened with Asuma, as well as the words of the Demon Sealing jade. The bizarre secrets of the Black Sieve Sect seemed to grow even more numerous. A long time passed, and Naruto finally shook his head and put the matter aside. He slapped his bag of holding to produce a pill furnace.

He was outside of his Sect, but he still would maintain his custom of concocting pills every day. He tapped the pill furnace, and a roaring could be heard. He produced some Earthly fire crystals and prepared to concoct a batch of poison pills.

After becoming a Furnace Lord, poison pills were what he concocted the most often. Based on the various interactions of plants and vegetation, powders or poison pills could be created.

There were countless varieties, each with their own unique characteristics.

Based on the requirements, Naruto would produce a medicinal plant and catalyze it. At the moment, he held a Treasure Leaf flower in hand, which wasn't poisonous. Naruto catalyzed it until it was almost withered.

By catalyzing it to this point, and then grafting it onto another medicinal plant, he could create traces of undetectable poison.

A purple glow rose up from Naruto's palm, the power of catalysis. The Treasure Leaf flower began to sway and grow. It was at this point, that a tremor suddenly ran through Naruto; his eyes went wide and began to shine. He began to breathe heavily, and in his mind, thoughts flashed about like lightning. He'd just had an idea.

It was an idea related to Asuma, Ino and the East Pill Division!

As soon as the idea flashed into his head, great waves seemed to seethe within his mind. His concentration was broken, and his spiritual power grew unstable. The precious Treasure Leaf flower in his hand suddenly began to collapse.

At the moment, Naruto didn't care about how valuable the Treasure Leaf flower was. His breathing was agitated and his eyes glittered. He stood up, forgetting about his pill concocting and focusing fully on the idea, which grew and expanded in his mind.

Naruto began to mutter to himself. With each statement, his eyes began to shine more and more brightly. "East Pill Division…. Violet Will Incantation…. The power of catalysis… it causes medicinal plants to grow… speeds up pill concocting…. the Yamanaka Clan, one of the Nine Great Families…. Ino…. Refining Time…. Forging a treasure of Time… something which can transform Time…." By this point, his eyes seemed to be shining as brightly as the sun. He suddenly lifted his head up and gasped.

"The East Pill Division's Violet Will Incantation is clearly the Time-refining skill of the Yamanaka Clan!" Naruto slapped his bag of holding to retrieve the Time-refining jade page that he had acquired with Ino in the ancient Blessed Land.

This wasn't the first time he had studied the jade page. It recorded information about how to refine Time and forge the Time treasure. Naruto strongly desired to possess such a treasure.

However, this was only one jade page of three. The first remained in the cauldron in the Blessed Land, and another had been swallowed by the meat jelly. Naruto had the third page, which did contain information on how to refine the Time treasure. However, to do so would require several hundred years to build up sufficient Time power. After learning this, Naruto had given up.

It would simply take too long; it was impossible for him to forge the treasure that way.

Time passed, and soon it was nighttime. Moonlight covered the land. Naruto took a deep breath and began to compose himself. His eyes glowed with an unprecedented light.

"I should have thought of this earlier…. Refining Time, Violet Will catalysis…. They are both essentially the same type of divine ability! Basically, they are both magical techniques that were developed from the same magical source! This third page describes a time-sealing technique. The power of one year of Time can be locked in for every ten years. Six hundred years will lock in sixty years of Time. In that case, the power of ten sixty-year cycles could be used to create a lesser version of the Time treasure." Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce a Spring and Autumn tree.

"Perhaps the page swallowed by the meat jelly, the second page, or even the first page which is still in the Cauldron in the Blessed Land, contains a record of the East Pill Division's Violet Will catalysis technique! In order to forge the Time treasure, Violet Will catalysis is absolutely necessary!" He looked down at the jade page and the Spring and Autumn tree, his eyes shining.

"There's only one way to find out for sure!" Without hesitation, Naruto caused a violet glow to appear in his hand. A look of concentration filled his face as he employed the full power of the Violet Will Incantation and poured it into the Spring and Autumn tree.

Time passed. Soon two hours had gone by. Naruto frowned. The Spring and Autumn tree was like a black hole which relentlessly sucked in all the catalyzing power of the Violet Will Incantation. It didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever on the Spring and Autumn tree.

Naruto muttered to himself and looked around. Finally, he let out a cold harrumph and then produced his Furnace Lord medallion. He pressed it, and a violet shield emerged, surrounding Naruto's residence.

This was a function of the Furnace Lord medallion; it would create a screening shield that could block even Spiritual Sense. In this way, the Furnace Lords couldn't be spied upon while concocting pills.

It had taken quite a bit of resources for the East Pill Division to develop such an art. To date, no one had ever been able to break it. Furnace Lords didn't always use it when concocting pills. However, it would last for several hours, during which time it was impenetrable.

If too much time passed, though, it was possible for Spiritual Sense to break through.

With the shield in place, Naruto ceased to restrict his Cultivation base. Immediately the full power of his six Perfect Dao Pillars was unleashed.

The shield around him glowed with a gentle warmth, covering everything with its protection. At the same time, the meat jelly's transformative powers dissipated. Naruto exploded with the full power of his Cultivation base.

He knew that he couldn't keep this up for a very long time; he didn't want to cause any complications with his current situation. Therefore, he went all out with his power, employing the peak of the power of Violet Will catalysis.

In the blink of an eye, the Spring and Autumn tree slowly began to grow green. Suddenly, a bud appeared!

Seeing the bud caused Naruto's eyes to fill with excitement. The power of his Cultivation base instantly dissipated. He lifted his left hand and performed an incantation. Phantom images appeared, ten seals, which he immediately slapped down onto the Spring and Autumn tree.

These ten sealing incantations were none other than the Time sealing magic.

Beneath the power of the sealing, the Spring and Autumn tree trembled, then slowly returned to its normal state. However, Naruto could clearly tell that something was different about the tree than from before. It seemed thicker and heavier, and deep inside was just a touch of a sensation that seemed to be the aura of Time.

"It worked!" His eyes glittered brightly as he put the tree away and dissipated the violet shield emanated by the Furnace Lord medallion.

"Unfortunately, its not convenient to employ the full power of my Cultivation base. Once I leave the Black Sieve Sect, I can do some more tests and see how many years of Time I can add to the Spring and Autumn tree." He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. He had thought a lot about the Time treasure throughout the years. But when it came to the hundreds of years of refinement that were required, he could only sigh. Now, though, he had a method that seemed to be able to allow him to proceed with creating the Time treasure. He was confident that it wouldn't take long for him to do so, and end up with a treasure that contained a full sixty-year cycle of Time.

He wasn't sure exactly what powers such a treasure would have, but he keenly anticipated finding out. He was sure that a treasure forged by either the Yamanaka Clan's divine ability or the East Pill Division's Violet Will incantation, would not disappoint!

"Well, it seems this trip to the Black Sieve Sect was by no means for naught!" Having put away the Spring and Autumn tree, Naruto smiled. However, deep in his eyes flickered a bit of doubt.

"There seems to be a deep connection between Ino and the East Pill Division. I wonder what secret lies there…." He thought about it for a bit, but then put the matter aside. Early morning light once again filled the sky outside.

"As for Asuma, why did he go crazy? When I reencountered him for the first time earlier, something didn't seem right… Discarnate souls possessing the body, returned from the afterlife…." Naruto sat there lost in thought for a while, before raising his head to look outside.

Moments later, he heard a respectful voice from outside. "Grandmaster Kazama, the World Pill Division's Grandmaster Izumo will deliver an alchemy lecture today. Would you like to attend?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment. He was curious as to how these alchemists from the World Pill Division understood the Dao of alchemy. He rose to his feet and joined the disciple from the Black Sieve Sect. Together, they descended Black Welcoming Peak.

The location of the alchemy lecture was the fifty-seventh mountain of the Black Sieve Sect. This mountain had no peak; its top had been shorn off to create a massive public square which was filled with rings of seats that could fit tens of thousands of spectators.

By the time Naruto arrived, there were already more than twenty thousand Black Sieve Sect Cultivators present. They represented a variety of stages, including Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment and Core Formation, all seated around a raised dais.

Izumo and Aoba from the World Pill Division sat cross-legged atop the dais, meditating.

Surprisingly, off in the distance were three tables, seated behind one of which was Patriarch Violet Sieve. Next to him was a beautiful middle-aged woman. Naruto recognized her as the same woman who had taken Elder Sister Hinata from the Reliance Sect all those years ago.

At the third table was a ruddy-faced old man who sat at his table, his eyes flashing like lightning. It was impossible to fathom the level of his Cultivation base, but it seemed to Naruto that he was slightly more powerful than Patriarch Violet Sieve.

To have three Nascent Soul Cultivators present would make this alchemy lecture especially superb.

Seated cross-legged some distance in front of the three tables was Shino, who was currently staring grimly at Izumo and Aoba.

Naruto strode over and sat down next to him, his expression the same as ever.

Seemingly ignoring his previous distaste for Naruto, Shino said, "These two are far too arrogant. They came to visit me yesterday on the pretense of paying their respects. In actuality, their words were filled with haughtiness. Apparently they believe that the World Pill Division has already exceeded the East Pill Division!" He really seemed to hate the two alchemists from the World Pill Division. Furthermore, Naruto was a fellow Sect member. There had been friction between them, but now they were in the outside world and had to stick together.

Naruto had barely seated himself before Shino continued to rant: "The Black Sieve Sect invited alchemists from two other Sects to help train their own alchemists. Instead of having us lecture first, they ask the World Pill Division to speak! It's outrageous!

"The two of us need to be careful. The World Pill Division clearly has ill intentions. They obviously want to humiliate us. If that happens, then we'll lose a lot of face when we go back to the Sect." Shino clenched his jaw and stared fixedly at Izumo and Aoba. "I probably have it a bit better off than you," he continued. "You need to be careful in your pill concocting. Ai… Alright, listen. If you have any problems with your pill concocting in the coming days, come find me immediately. I can answer any questions you have. I'll do my best to help you get up to speed as quickly as possible."

Naruto smiled. There had been friction between the two of them, but the recent days spent together caused him to realize there was no reason to be so irked by the man. He shook his head with a smile. "I don't think I'll make any mistakes, don't worry."

"You… Ai… Kazama, we've had our differences. Big or small, it doesn't really matter. Right now, the World Pill Division is trying to provoke us. We are here to represent the East Pill Division!" He looked over at Naruto. With a sigh, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a jade slip which he handed over. "I prepared this for you last night. It's a collection of information based on my hundred years of cultivation of the Dao of alchemy. All of my knowledge and experience is collected together here. Take a close look, and we can corroborate and test the information together. I'm sure it will help you improve your skill in the Dao of alchemy."

Naruto stared in shock for a moment. He accepted the jade slip and then scanned it with Spiritual Sense. He studied it silently for a long moment. Finally, he looked back up at Shino. The information inside was genuine. It contained all the experiences of one of the most senior Furnace Lords of the Violet Fate Sect. The information therein was incredibly valuable.

After examining the jade slip, Naruto knew that he had been a bit rash before. Any Furnace Lord deserved respect, and could be learned from. Shino's way of thinking was a bit rigid, but his detailed understanding of the Dao of alchemy had reached the pinnacle.

Such attention to detail would affect the success rate of pill concoction. Naruto might be somewhat more talented than Shino in the Dao of alchemy, and have a more profound understanding. However, his success rate in pill concoction was only around three or four batches out of ten.

From the jade slip, though, Naruto could see that Shino's success rate was around eight batches out of ten.

"Many thanks, Grandmaster Shino!" said Naruto, his expression serious as he clasped hands and bowed deeply to Shino. This jade slip would be of no small help to him.

"There's no need for that," said Shino. His expression, however, revealed how pleased he was. In his mind, he thought, "This kid might have finagled his way to being a Furnace Lord, but he doesn't seem that bad. When I get back to the Sect, I'll have to discuss things with the other Furnace Lords and see if I can improve his reputation." He cleared his throat, and then sighed and finally brought up something that had puzzled him endlessly, "For the past few days, I've been thinking about what you said in the valley that day. Actually, some of it does make sense…. Also, I wanted to ask you something. I really was sure that the plant I was holding was a Seven Leaf clove. I really didn't think I could have made a mistake. But, I know that the leaves should glow with seven colors at dusk. I just…."

Naruto gave an embarrassed grin. With a slight cough, he changed the subject.

If Naruto didn't seem willing to talk about it, then Shino wouldn't press the subject. However, given his skill in the Dao of alchemy, he had some theories already. It seemed the relationship between the two of them was on the repair, and he didn't intend to cause any further problems. They began to discuss the Dao of alchemy, and both were benefiting. In fact, when the alchemy lecture started, they didn't pay hardly any attention to it. As the voices of Izumo and Aoba rang out from the dais, they would frequently be filled with displeasure as the two men glared down at Naruto and Shino.

Inwardly, Izumo and Aoba laughed coldly at the disregard shown by the East Pill Division. However, they weren't in a position to say anything openly. Naruto and Shino continued their discussion, and appeared to be benefiting more and more as the time went on.

Shino's eyes gradually began to fill with admiration. Being able to calmly state their differences in opinion regarding the Dao of alchemy caused him to gradually reach new enlightenment.

As for Naruto, he realized that his own grasp of some of the finer details was simply insufficient. After getting advice from Shino on the matter, he could tell that he was making improvements.

One old man, one youth, discussing matters passionately. Eventually, Shino slapped his hand down onto the table and gasped in admiration. The action seemed a bit affected, causing Naruto to laugh. He decided that it was time for him to make a scene as well, so he also slammed his palm down onto the table and let out a gasp of admiration.

This instantly caused Izumo and Aoba to exchange a cold look. Then, cold smiles broke out on their faces. Actually, they had long since decided to use this visit to the Black Sieve Sect as an opportunity to intimidate and shame the East Pill Division.

They didn't plan to do so by means of the alchemy lectures, but rather the pill concocting. In this way, word would spread throughout the Southern Domain, and the two of them would immediately rise to prominence and gain sterling reputations.

Therefore, they held their tongues. Their alchemy lecture went on for two days, and not a single person left. However, throughout the course of the lecture, the spectators gradually divided into two groups. More and more people began to cluster around Naruto and Shino to listen in on their discussion. They listened in entranced, understanding the majority, but not all, of the things which were being said.

This had been Shino's intention all along, so he was quite pleased.

Izumo's eyes grew darker. Finally, he finished his lecture, then turned to glare coldly at Shino and Naruto. His voice grim, he said, "You two have been talking for two days. Well, now it's time for the East Pill Division's lecture. I'm very interested in hearing your understanding of the Dao of alchemy!"

Next to him, Aoba's face was filled with displeasure. With a cold laugh, he said, "That's right. The East Pill Division occupies the pinnacle of the Dao of alchemy in the Southern Domain. I'm very curious about your honored Sect's understanding of the Dao of alchemy. What exactly is so amazing about it?"

Naruto frowned slightly. At first, he and Shino had really been exchanging important knowledge about the Dao of alchemy. The majority of the time, though, they had mostly been putting on a show. As such, he had been able to listen to some of the World Pill Division's understanding of the Dao of alchemy. They had some truly unique perspectives, many of which seemed reasonable.

Shino gave a cold snort as he stood and headed up to the dais. As for him, he had also noticed some of the special areas from the World Pill Division's lecture. How could he not have picked up on some of the uniqueness of their understanding? As the assigned lecturer during this trip to the Black Sieve Sect, he would not shrink back. He felt as if his knowledge had been honed by his chat with Naruto. Now he would do anything to avoid making any slip-ups.

Izumo and Aoba left the dais, and Shino stood there, his heart filled with determination. His current plan was to use his command of all the various explicit details to finagle his way through the first part of the lecture.

"In the great path of the Dao of alchemy, special attention must be focused on the variations of plants and vegetation, which must be committed to the heart. These things form Ultimate Truth! As such, the Dao of alchemy is eternal! Fellow Daoists, today, I, Shino, shall elaborate upon the third realm of the plant and vegetation variations." Shino clearly wanted to drag things out as much as possible to give himself time to think.

However before he could continue, a cold laugh rang out from Izumo.

"This is the first time I've heard of such a thing," he said. "Grandmaster Shino, you claim that the Dao of alchemy means to commit plants and vegetation to heart, which leads to Ultimate Truth. Therefore, I would like to ask you, what is this Ultimate Truth to which you refer?" He slapped his palm down onto the table. The sound echoed out, bolstered by his Cultivation base, to form an overbearing aura. He stared at Shino.

Strange looks appeared on the faces of the surrounding Cultivators. Everything was quiet. Patriarch Violet Sieve and the other Nascent Soul Patriarchs did nothing to interfere. The conflicting views of the East Pill Division and the World Pill division had come to a head.

Naruto frowned. He and Shino might not like the World Pill Division very much, but just now, they had merely engaged in a discussion during their lecture. They hadn't done anything particularly aggressive.

Izumo's words just now were far too direct, almost like the stab of a sword.

The World Pill Division had chosen to openly assault Shino, to shame not just him, but the entire East Pill Division. They clearly wanted to improve their prestige by destroying Shino and Naruto's.

If Naruto and Shino came out on the bottom today, it was easy to imagine how quickly the news would spread throughout the Southern Domain. The East Pill Division would suffer an incredible loss of face, and Naruto and Shino would become laughingstocks.

For an alchemist, reputation was of utmost importance.

This was obviously exactly what Shino was thinking about. His face was grave as he looked down from the dais at the proud Izumo.

Izumo glared right back at him. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. Based on his skill in the Dao of alchemy, he could be considered a Chosen in the World Pill Division. Furthermore, in terms of debating, there were few within the Sect who could outmatch him.

Days before, when he'd learned that the Black Sieve Sect had extended invitations to both the East Pill Division and the World Pill Division, he had immediately realized that it was an excellent opportunity.

At that time, he had decided to go to any length to take advantage of this opportunity to elevate himself…. As an alchemist, there was no better method to rise to prominence than humiliating a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division.

The mere thought of it made him incredibly excited. As he stared at Shino, what he saw was not a Cultivator, but a stepping stone to fame.

"After I crush this old fogey and that punk kid from the East Pill Division," he thought, "the name of Izumo will rise to fame both within the Sect and without!"

Standing next to Izumo was Aoba, who harbored exactly the same idea.

Shino looked away from them and began to continue his lecture. "There are three realms of plants and vegetation. The first contains one hundred thousand medicinal plants. The second…." Before he could continue, Izumo laughed uproariously. It echoed out gratingly.

He slammed his palm down onto the table and stood up. "Grandmaster Shino, Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division, don't tell me you deny other Fellow Daoists the right to question or doubt the content of your lecture? Are you scared, or simply spouting nonsense? Or… could it be that you're trying to hoodwink the Fellow Daoists from the Black Sieve Sect?" His words were filled with sarcasm, and the sneer on his face was impossible to ignore. Complacency filled his heart; in his mind, he had already won!

Shino angrily spun to face Izumo. At this point, there was no way he could pretend to not have heard the words which were blatantly directed, not at him, but at the East Pill Division. Even if the attack was complete nonsense, he had no choice but do address it openly.

Seeing Shino's reaction filled Izumo with confidence. Before coming to the Black Sieve Sect, his inquiries had revealed that Shino would be coming. The man was quite famous, but Izumo's thorough investigation left him confident that he could defeat him in terms of understanding of the Dao of alchemy.

The Black Sieve Sect disciples in the square observed silently, but seemed to be getting excited. Many present were Conclave disciples, including Ino, who watched on with a smile as the conflict between the East Pill Division and the World Pill division intensified.

The three Nascent Soul Patriarchs sat there with eyes closed, apparently meditating. They did not interfere. Apparently they were more than happy at the scene which was unfolding.

"Grandmaster Shino, glowering at me is useless," said Izumo coolly. "You still haven't explained exactly what you mean by Ultimate Truth." His voice seemed completely normal. However, his eyes were filled with ridicule, which made Shino even more furious.

"Truth is represented by rules," he replied, one word at a time. "Regardless of any other countless permutations, rules will always exist in your heart. Utilizing the unchangeableness of rules makes it possible to catalyze the ten thousand medicinal plants. Furthermore, verifying the Truth of the Dao of alchemy makes it possible to beget pill formulas. With enlightenment, one can sense the vast length of that which we call the path of alchemy. Continued exploration is the true goal!"

Izumo stared in shock at his words. He had never imagined that Shino would be able to respond in such a way. Actually, before meeting Naruto, Shino wouldn't have been able to. However, their discussion just now had contained both verification of his previous understandings, and also new enlightenment. Izumo and Aoba both frowned. The surrounding Cultivators also seemed to have gained new enlightenment.

"Grandmaster Shino, I really can't agree with your explanation," said Izumo, his eyes gleaming. As of this moment, he no longer looked down on Shino, but actually took him seriously. "If the self is unchangeable," he said slowly, "then where do transformations come from?! The self is like a river. If the river does not flow, it will die. Moving water ensures the never-ending flow of the river; similarly, a changeable self ensures continued existence!" His words caused Shino's face to flicker. He was about to respond when Izumo flicked his sleeve and interrupted: "Can a tree remain motionless amidst the wind? The only tree that doesn't… is the tree that exists in a painting! The movement of the tree is evidence of the blowing wind, and of its own very existence!

"Grandmaster Shino, you claim that the self is unchangeable. How laughable! Perhaps this is why you are still not a Violet Furnace Lord. Your understanding of the Dao of alchemy makes it clear that you are like a flower in love with its own fragrance! You're simply fishing for fame and compliments! The only place you will become a Violet Furnace Lord is in a fairytale!"

The increasingly vicious words caused Shino to tremble. He pointed at the man and said, "You… You…."

"I what? Don't tell me you're at a loss for words? A motionless river is nothing but dead water. An unmoving tree can exist only in a painting. Grandmaster Shino, you obviously exist in a world of dead water, belittling the floating clouds. Are you, or are you not… fishing for fame and compliments!? You live in a painting, ignoring Heaven and Earth, blithe to the brilliance of the world outside. I say, you are a flower in love with its own fragrance. Am I wrong?" Izumo's voice continued to grow louder. By the time he reached the end of his tirade, Shino's face was pale, and his eyes seemed on the verge of bursting forth with flame. It was obvious to him that his opponent was twisting his words, and yet, the words somehow also seemed reasonable. His mind filled with words of response, but he just couldn't get them out of his mouth.

"Nonsense!" he cried furiously. Hearing this, Naruto sighed inwardly.

"Nonsense?" said Izumo. "Very well. Let me explain to you what Truth really is! Consider the Yin (阴) and the Yang (阳), the moon (月) and the sun (日). In the great world of alchemy, the boundless sun is the Yang, which encompasses everything that melts and burns. This is the pill furnace! The bright moon is the changeable Yin, which is the pill formula! This is Truth! Grandmaster Shino, if you really stand at the pinnacle of the Dao of alchemy, do you really dare to claim that the pill furnace, which is represented by the boundless sun, can exist in your heart? Are you bold enough to claim that the moon, which represents endless pill formulas, can be formulated in your heart? To say that you are fishing for fame and compliments, a flower in love with its own fragrance, is really going easy on you!"

There was no response but silence. Izumo's words echoed back and forth in the square. All of the Black Sieve Sect disciples looked on in shock.

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman had opened their eyes, and were looking at Izumo, their expressions serious.

Shino's body trembled. He wanted to speak, but his mind was in chaos. All eyes were focused on him. To be openly ridiculed in such a way made him so upset that he was speechless.

Just when he was opening his mouth to speak, Naruto's cold voice rang out. "I, Kazama, have a few questions." He stood, flying up to stand next to Shino atop the dais.

Shino looked at Naruto as if he were a blood relative. He knew Naruto's incisive way with words. Breathing deeply, he said no more, instead taking a few steps back, more than happy to let Naruto take center stage.

Naruto's cold gaze swept about, eventually landing on Izumo.

"Please, elaborate," Izumo said, smiling. His expression was one of indifference, but inwardly, he was composed and ready. He didn't know much about this Kazama, but considering their first conversation outside of the Black Sieve Sect, he knew that he wasn't someone who could be messed with easily.

However, he had faith in his own Dao of alchemy. Besides, Kazama had finagled his way into being a Furnace Lord. Therefore, Izumo was supremely confident. A snide smile filled his face.

All the surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples turned to look at Naruto. Ino's eyes narrowed, hiding the glow which filled them. All attention was focused on Naruto, even the gaze of the beautiful woman, who sat there cross-legged, looking at him with a quizzical expression.

After hearing Izumo's words, most of the Black Sieve Sect disciples felt that they were quite reasonable.

"I have three questions," said Naruto, his voice cool. "The first question is regarding Truth. You mentioned the sun and the moon. The boundless sun, you say, is the furnace, and the bright moon births the pill formula. Let me ask you, who invented the pill furnace, and who created the pill formula?"

"Grandmaster Kazama, have you really learned so little of the Dao of alchemy?" replied Izumo with a laugh. "The ancients gazed upon the boundless sun, and were inspired to forge the pill furnace. As for the pill formula, again, the ancients gained enlightenment from the moon and then recorded the countless variations of plants and vegetation. Thus, I say that the boundless sun is the furnace and the bright moon is the formula. The sun and the moon are a forge which bring forth all living things!" A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd.

Naruto responded in a cool voice, speaking neither quickly nor slowly: "The boundless sun is a heavenly body in the sky. Its blinding radiance makes it impossible to see any other star. When the ancients gazed upward, what they looked at was not the sun, but rather, the sky! You claim Grandmaster Shino is fishing for fame and compliments. Well, Grandmaster Izumo, I say that you are a frog in a well, who looks at the blazing sun, but cannot see the sky which contains that very sun!

"The moon is another of the many heavenly bodies, frequently seen in the night sky. Because of the existence of the darkness and the light, people believed that the night sky and the bright daytime moved in rotation. In reality, among all the heavenly bodies, the only thing that does not move, are the Heavens themselves!

"You assert that Grandmaster Shino is a lone flower in love with its own fragrance. Grandmaster Izumo, I say that you are shortsighted. You, a tiny alchemist, dare to claim that the sun and moon are a forge that give birth to all living things! Since you thus reveal how much you overrate yourself, then I, Kazama tell you today, if the sun and moon are a forge that gives birth to all living things, then the forge of the Heavens is what gives birth to the transformations of the sun and moon!" By the time he reached his final sentence, his voice rang out like thunder, stabbing into Izumo's heart, whose face immediately fell.

Each and every Black Sieve Sect Cultivator in the enormous square watched on with excitement. It was as if massive thunderbolts had struck their hearts and minds, and continued to echo out.

"The forge of Heavens is what gives birth to the transformations of the sun and moon!"

The words echoed out, causing everyone to pant. The beautiful woman stared at Naruto with wide eyes. Next to her, Patriarch Violet Sieve was so moved that he closed his eyes.

Everything grew silent.

"You…" Izumo's expression immediately changed. How could he possibly have imagined that Kazama would be able to speak so viciously? He felt as if a sharp blade had pierced into his very heart.

Shino took in a deep breath and stood there, trembling. He wasn't excited, though. Actually, moments ago, he had actually thought Izumo to be correct. But hearing Kazama speak, he knew what he said to be the truth.

Izumo took a deep breath and composed himself. "Grandmaster Kazama, you startled me," he said, staring dead at Naruto. "However, it doesn't matter whether you are talking about the sun and moon, the sky, or the forge of Heaven and Earth. All exist on the path of alchemy. All types of plants and vegetation can be concocted into medicinal pills. All spirits and souls can concoct the spirit of the pill! What I disagreed with just now was Grandmaster Shino's assertion that the self is unchanging, but that pill formulas contain countless variations. I said nothing about the transformations of the sun and moon of which you speak.

"In my opinion, alchemists must embrace transformation of the self. Only by embracing transformation can countless variations be produced. Only in this way can you speak of endless pill formulas, or concoct the endless varieties of medicinal pills that have existed since ancient times."

"Your excellency did mention a person being able to produce countless variations," said Naruto coolly. Once again he spoke slowly and calmly. As he stood on the dais, the breeze lifted his long hair, blowing it across his face, partially obscuring the stellar glow in his eyes. "Countless variations? The wind and clouds, the thunder and lightning, these are all Heavenly changes. The quaking of the earth, the rise of mountains, the flow of great rivers, these are Earthly changes. Are you responsible for these great changes of Heaven and Earth? Is the rain which falls from the sky birthed by the will of Grandmaster Izumo? Grandmaster Izumo, is it your will which causes the rise and fall of mountains?

"That was to be my second question. However, there's no need for you to attempt to respond to it, because you can't! In truth, you are no Grandmaster. Even if you become one in the future, you will never be worthy to lay claim to such transformations. Can the transformations of Heaven and Earth truly be contained in your heart? How laughable! As conceited and arrogant as the King of Yelang! You truly overestimate yourself!"

Naruto was now ridiculing Izumo in the same voice that Izumo had used to ridicule Shino. The words cracked like lightning, causing Izumo's face to flicker.

"You… you really do have a sharp tongue! That's obviously not what I meant. You're completely exaggerating what I said. I was speaking only of pill concocting philosophy!"

"Philosophy? I would love to hear some more details."

"I speak of nothing other than the philosophy of transformation," he replied immediately. "Take the best of many schools of thought and fuse it into your own. Absorb the finest aspects of your acquaintances. Eliminate the dregs which exist in the self. Refining pills is like refining the self! By reaching perfection, the path to the pinnacle can be trodden, and the full power of transformation can be employed!" The surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples seemed to approve of his words.

He continued in a voice that could sever nails and chop iron: "It's like when a painter paints a mountain. He first observes millions of mountains, and then is capable of painting his own. That mountain he paints will contain the essence of all the other mountains he observed; thus, a masterpiece is created! Similarly, millions of tiny streams will fuse together to create a great and boundless river! This is the philosophy of which I speak. Assemble the thoughts from many schools, and coalesce them in the self! This is my path, and how I achieve the Dao of alchemy!" He flicked his sleeve, and his eyes glittered as he stared at Naruto. "I'm curious to hear Grandmaster Kazama's philosophy of alchemy!"

His words echoed out into the hearts of the tens of thousands of Black Sieve Sect disciples. Ino looked on thoughtfully. Behind Naruto, Shino stared, an introspective look in his eyes.

Naruto looked back at Izumo, his expression the same as ever. His tone light, he began, "When a painter observes millions of mountains, then paints one, perhaps his painting contains the essence of the mountains he observed. However, the mountain he paints… is not real. It emerges from his imagination, and is what he believes a mountain to be. In truth, he has already forgotten the first mountain he ever saw, because he has seen too many. He has also forgotten the feeling he experienced when he gazed at that first mountain's peak.

"Millions of streams fuse together to become a great and boundless river. But that river… is no longer the stream it once was. It is the amalgamation of many waters, fused together and indistinguishable. That first tiny stream which dreamed of being a river is now dead, killed by the very process it desired.

"The process of his pursuit causes the painter to forget that first mountain, and because of that, the very reason he wished to paint a mountain in the first place. The process of becoming a river causes the stream to lose itself. Its will is diluted as it becomes a river, and then it is gone." As he spoke, Naruto's voice grew louder.

"This is my third question. By fusing many schools of thought, you lose yourself. You think you have benefited, but in reality, you have no path of your own. If you have no ideal of your own to adhere to, then you have observed millions of mountains, but forgotten why you wanted to paint a mountain to begin with!

"Without principles of your own to stick to, then you are a stream that has become a river. However, such a river has no soul! That, is true death!" Naruto flicked his wide sleeve. His words poured into Izumo's ears and sent his mind spinning.

"As Cultivators, we must adhere to our own set of principles. As alchemists, we must adhere to our own Dao of alchemy. Acquaintances and other schools of thought can bolster or support our confidence. But we must never allow the process of the search to result in losing our own ideal.

"If the heart is unyielding, nothing can ever supersede it. This type of heart may seem as if it contains transformations, but in reality, is stable, a foundation. From beginning to end, it will never disappear. It will always exist. An unchangeable heart!" Naruto's powerful words shook the square. Izumo's face twisted, and without even thinking about it, he retreated a few paces. His eyes shone with confusion.

"If your heart yields, how can you create anything lasting?!" Naruto continued. "Grandmaster Izumo, you do not possess a resolute heart. Do you truly have the confidence to mention other schools of thought? Do you have the courage to boast shamelessly of blending together your own path? Do you truly dare to speak to me of the Dao of alchemy?"

Silence filled the square for a moment, and then conversations filled the air. Izumo was panting, and his heart was filled with confusion.

Behind Naruto, Shino trembled, his mind reeling. All of a sudden he realized why after all this time he had never been able to become a Violet Furnace Lord. "Over the years, I've paid too much attention to the Dao of alchemy of those around me," he thought. "I've picked and chosen randomly…. I've forgotten about the path I originally wished to tread…. If your heart yields, how can you create anything lasting?"

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman exchanged a meaningful glance. Only the ruddy-faced old man next to them sat there with his eyes closed, not having moved a muscle.

A buzz of conversation rose up from the Black Sieve Sect disciples. Naruto's words had caused great waves of emotion to rise up in their hearts.

"You…." Izumo's face was pale. Next to him, Aoba was breathing heavily.

Naruto flicked his sleeve. His voice thundered up to the heavens. "Because the self never changes, the heart can tolerate the ever-changing transformations of the sun and moon, the maelstroms of Heaven and Earth, and those arduous journeys through thousands of crags and tens of thousands of torrents.

"The Dao of alchemy is eternal. The countless transformations contained within the heart are the pill formula. The unchangeable self is the pill furnace.

"I am the pill furnace, and my heart is the pill formula. Refine the interior to achieve Immortality. Refine the exterior to achieve the boundless Dao of alchemy. Fuse them together, and this is the Truth of alchemy. Alchemy is the Heavens! Alchemy is the Earth! Alchemy is the world!

"This is my Dao of alchemy!" Finally, the ruddy-faced man next to Patriarch Violet Sieve opened his eyes and looked at Naruto.

Each and every one of the Black Sieve Sect Cultivators, regardless of who they were, were now looking at Naruto. A silence as thick as death hung over them as they stared with brightly shining eyes.

Shino stared excitedly at Naruto. As of now, not a shred of doubt existed in his heart. All of it had been replaced by passion, and pride. It was all because of Kazama, alchemist of the East Pill Division!

He had already made up his mind. When he returned to the Sect, he would help Kazama to gain the acceptance of the other Furnace Lords.

Actually, after this debate, it wouldn't take long for the entire Southern Domain to be talking about Kazama.

Izumo's face was pale, as if his spirit were completely gone. Next to him, Aoba was covered in cold sweat and was mumbling to himself. What no one could tell was that he was actually reciting Naruto's words, and branding them onto his heart.

An indescribable silence filled the square. Everyone was shaken to the core by Naruto's words.

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the other Nascent Soul Cultivators were all thinking exactly the same thing: "This kid… has a limitless future!"

"Nonsense!" cried Izumo, his shrill cry breaking the silence. He leaped up onto the dais to stand directly in front of Naruto. His eyes were bloodshot, and glared angrily at Naruto, shamed into rage. "You're nothing but sharp-tongued and shameless! If words could concoct pills, then even mortals could practice alchemy! I have been cultivating the Dao of alchemy for years. I have memorized one hundred thousand varieties of plants and vegetations. I know of eight hundred thousand grafting variations! You finagled your way to being a Furnace Lord, but really, you're nothing more than a master alchemist! In this regard, do you dare to compete with me?!" Izumo really had no other option left. His previous aggressiveness had been thoroughly trampled down by Naruto's fierce diatribe.

It felt like being slapped across the face, like having a dagger plunged into his chest. As an alchemist, all of it was a direct attack on him.

"How do you want to compete?" replied Naruto, his voice cold, and his eyes filled with an icy air. He had long since decided to thoroughly crush Izumo.

"You and me, a contest of plant and vegetation knowledge!" said Izumo, glaring at Naruto. In his opinion, Kazama had finagled his way to being a Furnace Lord, and was far too young to compare to him, considering how many years he had spent working with plants and vegetation.

He had utmost confidence in his ability. True, there were people within the Sect who could surpass him, but he was absolutely sure that he could achieve victory over this trifling, sharp-tongued Kazama.

Even as he spoke, he waved his right hand, causing two black, withered branches to fly out of his bag of holding.

"Dried Spring Equinox Sapling!" thought Shino, staring at the dried branches.

"These treasured items have been passed down since ancient times! Dried Spring Equinox Sapling!" Izumo grabbed one of the branches and held it in his hand.

"Grandmaster Kazama. You most likely do not recognize this item, so allow me to explain. This plant is rarely seen in the modern world, and does not occur naturally. The ancient method used to produce it has long since been lost. It has many uses, but it is because of one of its most amazing uses, that it came to be called the ancestor of all plants! Contained within this ancient plant is the essence of most types of plants and vegetations.

"As such, an alchemist such as myself can fill my Spiritual Sense with all my knowledge of plants and vegetation, imbue it into this Dried Spring Equinox Sapling, and cause it to sprout! The greater the body of knowledge, the more sprouts will appear. This will clearly prove which of us has the greatest mastery of plants and vegetation!" Izumo only had these two stems of Dried Spring Equinox. He had previously acquired them through a series of lucky coincidences, and considered them to be precious treasures.

Now that he had been pushed into a corner, he pulled them out in his attempt to grow his reputation in the future.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, although inside he was actually leaping up and down with excitement. He had read about the Dried Spring Equinox Stem in the ancient records. It had miraculous usages that were difficult to explain. One of its greatest functions was its ability to improve the success rate when concocting medicinal pills!

By adding one of the stems to a batch of medicinal pills, the success rate would be increased significantly, perhaps even to one hundred percent.

Without the slightest hesitation, Naruto took the Dried Spring Equinox Stem in hand and glanced down. In his heart, he felt that it was a bit unfortunate. This particular Dried Spring Equinox Stem was somewhat small, only about as thick as a finger.

"Grandmaster Kazama, let's begin!" said Izumo eerily. He sounded like he couldn't wait to crush Kazama.

All of the Cultivators from the Black Sieve Sect looked on with expressions of concentration. The benefits they had received from this particular alchemy lecture were hard to quantify. Ino sat in the crowd, looking at Naruto.

Shino was feeling a bit anxious. He had heard the story of the shocking way Naruto had passed the test to become a master alchemist. But he was still worried. Seeing his expression, Izumo's confidence grew stronger.

He didn't wait for Naruto. Instead, he poured Spiritual Sense into the dried stem on his palm.

With a cold laugh, he said, "The appearance of one sprout indicates mastery of one hundred thousands types of plants and vegetation. Two sprouts represents two hundred thousand variations. Grandmaster Kazama, I suggest you take the situation very seriously." A bright glow began to emanate out from the dried stem, filling the entire square and attracting the attention of all the onlookers.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. His Spiritual Sense burst out, flying directly into the dried stem.

Time passed slowly, enough for a single incense stick to burn. Suddenly, a green sprout appeared on the dried stem in Izumo's hand, the same you might see during the spring equinox.

"One hundred thousand plants… Grandmaster's Izumo has already shown mastery of one hundred thousand plants!"

"Who knows how many Grandmaster Kazama… huh?" Even as the Black Sieve Sect Disciples began to discuss the proceedings, two sprouts appeared on the stem in Naruto's hand!

Naruto's expression was calm as the two sprouts appeared. However, the onlookers were shocked, as was Izumo. His eyes went wide. He had never seen anyone be able to produce two sprouts from the dried stem in the time it takes one incense stick to burn.

"It doesn't matter," he comforted himself. "Considering my skill with plants and vegetation, I will definitely be able to defeat this finagler in the end!" A snide expression filled his face. However, it was at this exact moment that….

A third sprout appeared, then a fourth, a fifth, and… nine sprouts appeared in total! It all happened in the space of about ten breaths!

The scene caused gasps of astonishment to fill the air. The Black Sieve Sect Cultivators were completely astounded.

"How is this possible…."

"Nine sprouts. That represents nine hundred thousand medicinal plants, nine hundred thousand variations! This Grandmaster Kazama is so young, how could he have such terrifying skill with plants…."

"That's nine…."

Suddenly, a tenth sprout grew out of the dried stem. Izumo, on the other hand, had only produced three sprouts.

"Impossible!" thought Izumo, his eyes growing red. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. His hair was in disarray, and he let out a wild howl as he attempted to make more sprouts come out as quickly as possible. Actually, he hadn't clearly stated earlier what level of mastery he had obtained. In reality, he only knew nine hundred thousand plant and vegetation variations, placing him at the peak of the second realm.

As such, he really could only cause nine sprouts to appear.

It was at this moment, right after the ten sprouts had appeared on the stem in Naruto's hand, that suddenly… a flower bud appeared. It wriggled out, immediately attracting everyone's attention, even Izumo's and Aoba's.

A popping sound rang out as the flower bud opened… into a tiny white flower!

Aoba's face drained of blood. "An ancient Dried Spring Equinox blooming… it's… it's…" His expression was one of ultimate astonishment. He was well aware of the significance of the dried stem blooming.

His voice filled with excitement, Shino said, "One hundred thousand medicinal plants, one million variations, one hundred million grafting variations…. The blooming of the ancient tree represents the millions of grafting variations. If ten flowers appear, it represents all one hundred million graft variations!" He had never imagined that Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation could have reached such a shocking level.

Most Furnace Lords' mastery of plants and vegetation stopped somewhere in the tens of millions. Only Violet Furnace Lords could reach the level of one hundred million grafting variations.

"You… you…." Izumo gaped in astonishment at Naruto, his mind reeling. His vision began to grow dim. Even in his wildest dreams, he would never have imagined that Kazama's mastery of plants and vegetation could have reached this shocking state. Had he known, he would never have attempted to compete against him.

His voice quavered, and his body trembled. He was about to say something more when suddenly a second flower appeared, then a third and a fourth….

One flower after another, rocking Izumo's spirit. The Cultivators in the square were thrown into a frenzy. They stared at Naruto with looks of complete shock and disbelief.

Six flowers. Seven flowers. Eight flowers. Nine flowers….

Every new flower sent waves of astonishment through the hearts of the onlookers, even Patriarch Violet Sieve and the two Patriarchs next to him. Their breathing was ragged as they watched Naruto, their eyes burning.

Finally… the tenth flower appeared!

When the tenth flower appeared, Izumo's vision went black. He was on the verge of passing out. Anguished howls of grief welled up in his heart. This turn of events could never have been predicted. How could he have encountered someone so… inhuman here in the Black Sieve Sect? In truth, were he to know that Kazama was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, he would certainly pass out immediately.

"Inhuman…" thought Shino, his body trembling, his vision blank.

This was not a competition between two people. Kazama had completely crushed Izumo. There was simply no way for him to even fight back. He was utterly and thoroughly defeated.

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the two others were breathing heavily, staring fixedly at the calm Naruto, as if he were some sort of precious treasure. A massive commotion of conversation exploded among the Black Sieve Sect Cultivators.

The Cultivators in attendance all had some knowledge of the Dao of alchemy. How could they not understand the significance of what they were seeing…?

"Grandmaster Kazama!"

"The dried stem blossomed ten times! The ultimate achievement, one hundred million grafting variations!"

Amidst uproarious hubbub, Naruto suddenly lifted his head. Without even looking at the dried stem, he put it into his bag of holding. Obviously, he didn't plan to return it.

"So, do you still want to compete in plants and vegetation?" he said. In front of him, Izumo's face was deathly pale, and his entire body was quivering.

He tilted his head back. His hair was dishevelled, and his eyes shone with demented insanity.

"YES!" he cried, staring at Naruto, his eyes filled with jealousy and hatred.

He hated that his opponent was so young, yet possessed such mastery of plants and vegetation. He hated that his opponent was an East Pill Furnace Lord. He hated that his opponent left him speechless, both with his words and his Dao of alchemy. He especially hated that his opponent wouldn't let him win, wouldn't let Izumo trample over him to rise to prominence.

His hatred seeped into his bones, giving rise to devilish insanity.

"We will compete in Instantaneous Formula Scrying!" said Izumo, his voice hoarse. Down below, Aoba had planned to pull him back. However, after seeing the wild, animalistic look in Izumo's eyes, he simply sighed inwardly.

"Alright, if you want another competition, you'll have it," said Naruto coolly. Glancing over at Izumo and his maddened state, he added another thought: "However, a competition like that bores me. If you want to compete, then let's make a bet. Any pill produced that the other party can identify, will be surrendered immediately!"

Shino gasped at the viciousness of it. This would truly be the fatal blow.

Aoba's face twisted. At the same moment, Izumo seemed to recover some of his common sense. However, he couldn't let go of the hatred within his heart. He pushed his common sense down, ignoring it.

"Fine! I won't stop until I win!" His voice rang out, causing all of the Black Sieve Sect disciples to let out a collective gasp. Aoba and Shino both seemed to be shaking with anxiety.

'I won't stop until I win' indicated that the competition wouldn't be over as long as there were medicinal pills to produce. The only way it could end would be for someone to quit, and that would be the ultimate defeat.

Aoba was incredibly worried as he watched red-eyed Izumo slap his bag of holding to produce a medicinal pill, which he then tossed over to Naruto.

Naruto grabbed it and looked at it.

"World Mirage Pill. Heavenly Dawn sap, Hundred Tombs soil, Peace Dissemination leaf, Ninth Sexagenary grass…." Having finished speaking, Naruto placed the medicinal pill in his bag of holding and looked at Izumo.

Izumo glared at him. He wanted to say that Naruto was wrong. However, they were both alchemists. To do that would lose him even more face than being openly defeated, and he would lose any right to continue.

He slapped his bag of holding to produce another medicinal pill, which he threw over to Naruto.

"Frigid Lightning Pill," said Naruto coolly. "Not many of these pills exist. It requires root of Seasonal Glory Grass, harvested amidst the snows of winter, as well as Gold and Iron sap, Lightning Fire Grass…." He continued to list out dozens of medicinal plants.

"This pill… interesting. I'm not sure of the name, but it contains power to strengthen the arms. It's obviously a body-refining pill. It contains Indomitable Mountain flower, Containment sapling…."

"This… this is actually a magic pill which can melt the blood and transform it into explosive power. It contains crushed Green Burst, Celestial Heaven oil…."

"Fellow Daoist Izumo, you have many unique pills. Excellent, excellent. I'm not sure the name of this pill, but it's clearly a poison pill. It contains…."

Time passed by slowly. Shino stared on in shock. Izumo seemed to be on the verge of collapse, his face as pale as death as he tried to outdo Naruto. However, he really had no chance. He was essentially just handing over his medicinal pills….

In the time it takes for only half an incense stick to burn, he had already delivered nearly a hundred different medicinal pills over to Naruto….

In the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, a hundred different types of medicinal pills had been "delivered" over. Izumo trembled; his face was ashen. His madness had reached an explosive height as he found that there wasn't a single medicinal pill he could produce that his opponent couldn't identify.

This level of skill left Izumo in despair. He wanted to cry that his opponent was wrong, but he didn't dare. If Kazama then used the formula to concoct an identical copy of the pill, Izumo's entire reputation would be in ruin.

Aoba stood off to the side, watching bitterly as Izumo handed over pill after pill, and Naruto put pill after pill into his bag of holding. His scalp was numb, and his heart had filled with an indescribable fear.

The surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples watched the scene in astonishment. From their perspective, Izumo wasn't competing with Kazama, he was just giving him pills.

On the other hand, Naruto's actions left them buzzing with shock. His unfathomable skill with plants and vegetation, his irrefutable logic regarding the Dao of alchemy, and his fearsome Instantaneous Formula Scrying just added layer after layer of mystery. As they watched him, their faces filled with continuously growing amazement.

From beginning to end, Naruto didn't pull out even a single medicinal pill. This was because he never misidentified any of the pills that were produced. Eventually, he started to feel a little bit embarrassed.

Izumo, of course, had the worst of it all. His heart bled, his eyes were growing dry, and his body trembled. Everything seemed to be going black.

However, he continued to pull out medicinal pills. He had utmost confidence in each pill, and yet they all ended up in his opponent's bag of holding.

There was no way to put an end to it. Just now, he had said, 'I won't stop until I win.' He wouldn't be able to end until he ran out of medicinal pills.

As he pulled out the one hundred and twenty seventh pill, he suddenly lifted his head to look at Naruto. Then, he radiated madness as he slowly put the pill back into his bag of holding and instead retrieved a jade box.

The jade box was covered with black splotches, as if it had been entombed in the earth for countless years. This was an object that Izumo originally hadn't intended to reveal. To him, it was a precious treasure of a lifetime. In fact, when he had uttered the words 'I won't stop until I win,' he hadn't even considered to include this item in the statement.

Suddenly, he realized that if he wanted to gain complete victory, he would have to win at least one time. And if he wanted that, then he must use the item in the jade box. After all the fierce struggle now, pulling out this object finally gave him hope.

The instant the box appeared, all eyes came to rest upon it. Anyone could tell that the pill inside this box would most certainly determine victory or defeat!

The black stains on the box made it obvious to all the onlookers that the box was so old it was beginning to decay. There was even a faint, gruesome death aura wafting out from the box.

A serious look filled the eyes of Patriarch Violet Sieve and his two companions.

Izumo gritted his teeth and slowly said, "If you know the formula to this pill, then I, Izumo, will admit defeat and, if I ever meet your excellency in the future, will immediately fall to the ground and kowtow to you! If you don't know the formula, then I will not cause any further trouble for you. I will only require that you return all the pills I produced just now. Then, this matter will be concluded!"

Shino's eyes narrowed, and before Naruto could say anything, he strode forward and beratingly said, "Izumo, you are a scarlet-robed master alchemist of the World Pill Division. Do you have any face? This is obviously an ancient medicinal pill whose pill formula has been lost for countless ages. How could a modern-day alchemist possibly be able to identify it!?" He was obviously worried about Naruto leaping to accept the challenge.

A buzz rose up from the surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples. "An ancient medicinal pill!" Such pills from ancient times were very rare. Even one would be enough to cause an incredible stir. Furthermore, the formulas for most ancient pills were lost. Even the three great alchemists might have trouble identifying an ancient pill. Each and every such pill could be considered a consummate pill.

"Where did Grandmaster Izumo get an ancient medicinal pill? You almost never see something like that! If it were auctioned off, the price it would get would be unimaginable!"

"Could it be one of Grandmaster Eternal Mountain's treasures that he bestowed upon Grandmaster Izumo as a gift?

As the conversations broke out, Aoba took a deep breath. Even he never imagined that Izumo would possess an ancient medicinal pill.

"Do you dare?!" shouted Izumo, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto looked at the jade box, and his eyes filled with imposing aura. He had seen an ancient medicinal pill before, the day Grandmaster Eternal Mountain had visited the Violet Fate Sect. That pill had been an Entrancement Pill.

Naruto thought for a moment, and then his eyes flickered with resolve. He made a grasping motion, and the jade box in Izumo's hand flew over to him.

Seeing Naruto agree to the challenge caused Shino's heart to fill with anxiety. Aoba also appeared shaken. Izumo, on the other hand, let out an inward sigh of relief. His eyes filled with a cold sneer. He knew from the moment his opponent had agreed, that victory was his!

He had acquired this treasured ancient medicinal pill a few years ago from some old painter. It had nearly left him in poverty, and he had been forced to concoct pills like a slave for three years as part of the deal to acquire it.

He didn't dare to casually consume it; he planned to wait until his longevity was reaching its end before doing so. Or perhaps he would trade it for some incredibly priceless treasure. As a matter of fact, the pill's appearance had already caught the attention of the Black Sieve Sect; it seemed they already were interested in acquiring it.

Naruto took hold of the jade box. His expression was serious as he slowly opened it. As he did, a reddish glow shined up from within. Faint strands of celestial music drifted about, and within the glow, the phantom image of a young boy could be seen. He appeared to be dancing in pleasure.

The image instantly caused Patriarch Violet Sieve and his two companions to gasp. The beautiful woman immediately rose to her feet.

The amazement of the surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples was really at its peak. Buzzing conversations filled the air, and Shino's face went pale white.

"An ancient medicinal pill which can create illusory images, this pill… is even surrounded by celestial sound. Just… just what pill is this?"

Aoba was also completely shocked as he stared at the glowing red light emanating up from Naruto's hands.

As for Izumo, a fresh breath of life seemed to have washed over him. He was in high spirits, and gave a cold laugh as he looked at Naruto. Seeing Naruto's look of intense concentration, he lifted his chin.

"Grandmaster Kazama, considering your skill in the Dao of alchemy, don't tell me that you can't identify this pill? Ah, forget about it. I'll just explain it for you. You know what pill this is? The name of this pill should be known to all alchemists. This is one of the three great medicinal pills of the ancient Dao of alchemy. Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill!"

The Black Sieve Sect Cultivators didn't seem to be familiar with the name of the pill. However, upon hearing the name Aoba immediately stood up. A look of disbelief filled his face as he stared at the glow rising up into the sky.

"Primordial… Heavenly Replenishing Pill…."

Shino was panting, and his body shook. He took a few steps forward, breathing raggedly, staring at the medicinal pill in Naruto's hands. Suddenly, his voice rang out through the Black Sieve Sect's massive square: "Crimson glow, a dancing child accompanied by celestial music…. This… this is most certainly one of the three great ancient medicinal pills! Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill! According to the legends, anyone who consumes this pill can steal luck from the heavens and increase their longevity by one thousand years!" The audience buzzed in excitement. A medicinal pill which can increase longevity, even if only by a sixty-year cycle, would be incredibly rare. The price people would be willing to pay for such a thing would be unthinkable.

A consummate pill which could increase lifespan by one thousand years was even more incredible!

Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes shined with unprecedented brightness. The only other time a glow like this had been seen in his eyes was when he had been about to snatch Ultimate Vexation. After all, his longevity had long since been approaching its end.

The ruddy-faced old man next to him also looked at the jade box with profoundly glowing eyes. He began to mutter to himself.

With his chin set complacently, Izumo looked at Naruto and said, "Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill. The word Primordial includes ten thousand variations of plants and vegetation. As for the words Heavenly Replenishing, it is just as Grandmaster Shino just said. It can increase longevity by one thousand years!" Izumo was now completely back in control of himself. He had suffered defeat before, but with the appearance of this pill, he now viewed himself as having already won.

"Grandmaster Kazama," he continued, "I believe it's now your turn. Please, tell me the pill formula for the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill, if you're able!" He glared at Naruto aggressively.

Everything went quiet, as all eyes focused on the crimson glow emanating out of the jade box, and the red pill which rested inside.

Aoba also seemed to have recovered his wits. He took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine. He knew in his heart that there was no way Kazama could achieve victory now.

Shino cursed silently. This was an ancient pill, one of the three great miraculous pills. Its name was majestic, and there was definitely no modern-day alchemist who could know the formula.

He took a step forward. Glowering at Izumo, he said, "Izumo you are a scarlet-robed alchemist of the World Pill Division. Such tactics as this are contemptible! People like us, even people like your Master, Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, could never identify the formula of the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill! Furthermore, the contest just now was to identify pills that you had concocted. Did you concoct the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill? Even you don't know the formula, yet you dare to bring it out as part of this contest?!"

Izumo laughed coldly. "This was agreed upon by Grandmaster Kazama," he said in a growling voice. "You can't claim that I'm breaking the rules." He ignored Shino, and stared again at Naruto. "Grandmaster Kazama, I'm not the only person awaiting your answer. There are tens of thousands of others who are all eagerly awaiting to hear the pill formula. Haven't you been looking at the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill for long enough!?" He took a step forward and, seeing Naruto's brow furrowed as it was, felt all his previous feelings of depression melting away. "If you can't identify it, then so be it. However, you must produce all of my pills from just now and return them immediately.

"Kazama!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the square. "Can you, or can you not identify the pill formula!" Naruto slowly raised his head. His gaze moved from the medicinal pill and came to rest on Izumo.

"This pill…."

Naruto's face looked the same as it always did. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. His voice echoed out as if from unfathomably deep waters, immediately attracting the attention of all the onlookers.

Everyone, even Shino, seemed to have assumed that Naruto had already lost. He didn't appear to have even the slightest hope of achieving victory. Even a Violet Furnace Lord wouldn't be able to identify the pill formula of an ancient pill.

"What of this pill?" interrupted Izumo. "Kazama, why be wordy about it? Losing is losing! There's no need to struggle against it!" He gave a cold laugh.

Naruto looked calmly at Izumo.

When he spoke, his words were neither hasty nor halting. "The outer layer of this pill bears evidence of having been buried in the ground for at least one thousand years. Its death aura is dense, infecting even the jade box. However, the pill has not been harmed at all.

"The strange thing is that the middle layer of the pill is different. It contains only seven hundred years of time. Furthermore, although some of the plant and vegetation variations appear at first to have been refined with the ancient non-smelting technique, in fact, there are actually traces of smelting fire on them." As Naruto spoke, Izumo's cold smile grew wider.

"The inner layer of the pill," continued Naruto, "is very strange. There are seventeen various plant and vegetation variations there, none of which exceed two hundred years in age! That is why it took me a bit longer to inspect it. I'm not sure why this supposed Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill, which can extend one's lifespan by one thousand years, would have an exterior, a middle, and a center, that are so vastly different!" As soon as he finished speaking, a buzz rose up from the audience.

"What does that mean? Don't tell me the pill is a fake?"

"How could it be fake? There was obviously celestial music just now, and the dancing child. Those things couldn't be fake!"

"Don't tell me Kazama is just babbling nonsense?"

As the Cultivators discussed the matter, Izumo began to laugh uproariously. His grim, cold laughter echoed out in all directions.

He flicked his sleeve, and once again spoke, his voice dripping with ridicule: "Kazama, by simply admitting defeat, then I, Izumo, could show respect to your status as a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division. But instead, you use low-down, underhanded means to attempt to achieve victory! You try to besmirch this ancient medicinal pill by saying that it's a forgery!? Competing with you has truly brought me great loss of face! What a waste!

"I can't believe the East Pill Division has produced an alchemist such as you. Such an utter disgrace! No wonder you had to finagle your way into being a Furnace Lord. Now I, Izumo, thoroughly understand the entire situation."

Aoba's expression also filled with derision. Shino's face was bright red. As an alchemist, defeat should be recognized, and respect for the Dao of alchemy should never be forgotten.

He sighed inwardly, and was just about to open his mouth in an attempt to smooth the situation over, when Naruto's calm voice once again rang out.

"When did I ever say the pill was a forgery?" he asked, his expression the same as ever. He appeared to be completely oblivious to the gazes of the onlookers, as well as to Izumo's complacency.

"You sharp-tongued punk!" cried Izumo, throwing any thoughts of mercy to the wind. "Are you still trying to argue? Just now you obviously implied that the pill was fake, didn't you? Do you have an explanation for that? Kazama, do you have even the slightest scrap of face left?"

All the Black Sieve Sect disciples were now looking at Naruto. Their faces were filled with strange expressions. Patriarch Violet Sieve and the other two watched on wordlessly with furrowed brows.

"Would you pipe down!?" roared Naruto. His eyes filled with a brilliant light that shone like lightning on a pitch black night. His words echoed out like thunder across a plain, echoing out with such force that Izumo's mind was instantly shaken. Without realizing it, he stepped backward a few paces, the sound ringing in his ears.

Naruto stepped forward. He spoke, his words devoid of any courtesy: "You babble nonsense! You invert right and wrong! You don't measure up to me when it comes to the Dao of alchemy, nor can your skill with plants and vegetation compare to mine. You are even further behind when it comes to Instantaneous Formula Scrying. And yet you still dare to bare your fangs and brandish your claws in front of me?!

"I, Kazama, made three points just now, and none of them contained the word 'forgery.' That word came from you, you self-righteous twit! This competition was your idea. Defeat after defeat has revealed your true face, you stooge! You ask me if I have face? Let me ask you? Who is there that would possibly give face to you?" Naruto's voice grew louder and louder, each sentence stabbing into Izumo's psyche like a sharp sword. His eyes filled with flames of fury. However, as Naruto approached him, dread welled up in his heart, and he again retreated.

"You are a mere scarlet-robed master alchemist of the World Pill Division. Even people above you in the World Pill Division don't qualify to constantly accuse me of finagling my way into being a Furnace Lord. I became a Furnace Lord because of the graces of Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, and he approved of the pill I concocted. Therefore, repudiating me is the same as repudiating Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, and therefore the whole of the World Pill Division!" Naruto took another step forward, his words ringing out around him in a roar.

"Such actions on the part of a member of the World Pill Division are nothing less than treason against your Sect!"

The roar of Naruto's words sent Izumo's mind spinning. His eyes filled with veins of blood. "You…." His body trembled and he raised an accusatory finger toward Naruto. He was normally capable of sharply incisive words, but now, his mind was in chaos, and he couldn't even speak.

Naruto's words roared out like thunder: "In an attempt to further your personal glory, you're even willing to repudiate Eternal Mountain and commit treason against your Sect! You are a lowlife, worse than pigs or dogs! What makes you think you have the face to stand in front of Kazama and rave so arrogantly? What gives you the courage to stand on the same stage as me when I am lecturing about alchemy?" Naruto flicked his sleeve. His words slammed into Izumo's ears, causing his body to shake and his mind to reel and rock.

"Kazama!" he shrieked shrilly.

"Finally, let's discuss this medicinal pill of yours. Its exterior is a thousand years old, its middle is seven hundred, and its interior roughly three hundred. It is no forgery. However, it will not add a thousand years to your lifespan. Why? Because this pill is clearly a poison pill! The outer layer is simply a coating, while the middle layer serves to conceal the poison congealed within the center!

"What kind of scoundrel alchemist are you to produce such a pill? Furthermore, what is your intention in bringing it out? Don't tell me you planned to sell it to the senior generation of the Black Sieve Sect? Upon consuming this pill, the Chakra passageways will turn backward, and the Chakra and blood will reverse their flow. Within the space of three breaths, you will begin to bleed from your eyes, nose and mouth. Within ten breaths, your garments will be soaked with gore, and you will be in such excruciating pain that you will wish you weren't alive. After enough time passes for an incense stick to burn, your blood will freeze, and you will be dead!" Naruto waved his hand, sending the jade box and the red pill flying back to Izumo, who stood there, his hair disheveled, his entire body quivering.

Naruto gave a cold snort, then continued in a voice that could sever nails and chop iron: "That is the response of Kazama. If you pulled out a forgery, I could identify it easily. But to pull out a poison pill like this shows how truly pernicious you are. Worthy of death! There is no need for me to continue to compete with you!"

Izumo felt as if his mind were being ripped in two. "This is no poison pill!" he bellowed madly.

"If so, then why don't you consume it?!" said Naruto, his voice as sharp as a blade, his eyes flickering like lightning.

"You!" raved Izumo. He had gone through countless hardships to acquire this pill, and actually had planned to sell it at an exorbitant price to the Black Sieve Sect. However, Naruto's words just now had caused Patriarch Violet Sieve and the other two Patriarchs to stare suspiciously. The surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples also stared, their expressions grim.

Aoba felt as if his internal organs were about to burst. The tables had turned too quickly. Just now, Izumo had clearly been in the superior position, and then in a blink of an eye, everything had been reversed. Aoba's mind spun blankly.

It wasn't just him. Shino watched on dumbly. He had been very sure that the pill was real, and had never imagined that the events just now could occur. Everything Naruto said seemed perfectly reasonable.

"You… you!" Izumo's mind spun so violently he almost couldn't comprehend what was happening. He had been pushed into the ultimate corner by Naruto. If he didn't consume the pill, then everyone would obviously suspect him.

"Kazama!" he howled.

Suddenly, he threw the pill into his mouth. Immediately, streaks of blood snaked through his eyes, and blue veins bulged on his forehead. He looked like some sort of devilish fiend. Patriarch Violet Sieve hesitated for a moment when this happened, but didn't move to interfere.

The ruddy-faced man sitting next to him also was shaken inwardly, yet did nothing.

"I've consumed it," he howled glaring at Naruto. "Did you see, Kazama? I consumed the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill!"

"One, two, three…" said Naruto, his voice light. When he said the word "three," three breaths had passed. Izumo's face suddenly changed. His body began to tremble, and his face distorted. He let out a blood-curdling scream, and then blood began to ooze out of his eyes, mouth and nose.

Immediately, all of the Cultivators present on the fifty-seventh mountain of the Black Sieve Sect burst into a commotion. Many of them shot to their feet, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Aoba's vision began to grow dark, and his mind filled with a spinning roar that caused him to nearly lose consciousness.

Shino gasped, his face filled with disbelief as he looked at Izumo standing there, screaming miserably, blood dripping down his face.

Patriarch Violet Sieve's pupils constricted, and then began to fill with fury. Next to him, the ruddy-faced old man frowned, and his eyes began to fill with displeasure.

Naruto stood there on the stage, continuing to count softly.

"Four, five, six…."

As Naruto counted, Izumo fell to the ground, screaming shrilly. His body thrashed, and blood flew everywhere. His Chakra passageways had reversed, and popping sounds could be heard ringing out from within his body. A mist of blood sprayed from his mouth, turning his red robe into a true garment of gore.

All of this was exactly as Naruto had described. Soon, the tenth breath would arrive, and Izumo would die. However, the moment Naruto spoke the word nine, his body suddenly flickered forward. His right hand pressed down onto the top of wheezing Izumo's head.

Immediately, Izumo's screaming ceased. His body trembled, and his aura was feeble, but it seemed that his trip down the road of death had paused momentarily. From the look of it, though, he only had a few moments left before death found him.

"For the sake of Grandmaster Eternal Mountain, Kazama is going to save your life today," said Naruto coolly. His face was as calm as ever. Therefore, no one knew that his heart was actually surging with waves of indescribable excitement.

As soon as the words were out of Naruto's mouth, he slapped his bag of holding. A pill cauldron flew out along with some Earthly fire crystals and a host of medicinal plants, which Naruto began to work with. In front of everyone, he began to concoct a pill.

He worked at incredible speed. To everyone watching on, it seemed obvious that he must be doing all of this in an attempt to save Izumo. Apparently in order to completely ensure his success, he even extracted a drop of blood from Izumo's forehead.

The blood entered the pill furnace, clearly as a way to make the medicinal pill more effective in purging the poison.

Everything was deathly silent, and all eyes were on Naruto as he concocted the pill. From the moment he had stepped foot into the Dao of alchemy, this was the quickest he had ever concocted a pill. It only took a few moments for a fragrant aroma to fill the square.

Naruto then waved his hand, and a pink-colored medicinal pill flew out. It shot like lighting into Izumo's mouth. His life clearly hung by a mere thread at the moment.

Tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on Izumo. As soon as he consumed the pill, a tremor shook his body.

Then, even more shockingly, his hair began to rapidly change color, from black to white. His skin began to wither, as if his vitality had seeped away. In the space of a few short breaths, he seemed to have aged nearly a hundred years.

Before, he had been middle-aged, but now he looked like an old man with one foot in the grave. Wrinkles covered his face, and he emanated ancientness. Before, his Cultivation base had been at the late Foundation Establishment stage, but now it seemed to be vanishing because of his decrepitness.

The entire process, from beginning to end, only took about ten breaths' worth of time. Izumo looked completely different; he was now a feeble old man with no Cultivation base. However, the death aura which had been drifting off of him moments ago, had been replaced with life force.

When this happened, his eyes suddenly opened. Suddenly he coughed up a massive congealment of blood, along with what remained of the medicinal pill. It was about the size of a fingernail, half as large as it had been before.

It wasn't the pill Naruto had concocted, but the pill everyone had taken to be the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill!

As soon as he spat the pill out, Naruto waved his sleeve, collecting it into a pill bottle. Before he could put it into his bag of holding, however, Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes flickered. He waved his right hand, causing the pill bottle to fly out of Naruto's hands and into his own.

Naruto ignored this, focusing instead of Izumo, who was trembling, a look of confusion in his eyes.

"In the moment before the poison killed you, I managed to prevent it from continuing to dissolve. The poison is not impossible to dispel. However, given my current skill in the Dao of alchemy, I was unable to find the proper combination of medicinal plants in such a short time. Therefore, I used the simplest method possible, and also the most direct. I stimulated your life force, and shattered your Cultivation base. In this manner, I was able to force out the poison. As for your Cultivation base, if you practice recuperative cultivation, it should slowly recover."

Izumo said nothing as Aoba rushed over and helped him to his feet. Izumo stared blankly at Naruto, then let out a bitter laugh.

"Eternal Mountain once said that alchemic battles are just like magical battles: death can come with a single thought. As of today… I am convinced of this truth." With that, he clasped hands in salute. His body trembled, and he lowered his head to conceal the venomous hatred which seeped out from his heart.

Aoba also clasped hands and bowed to Patriarch Violet Sieve and the others. They clearly could not stay on the mountain, so, he took hold of Izumo and flew up into the sky, disappearing off into the distance.

A few Black Sieve Sect Cultivators rose to accompany them as they left. Considering all of Naruto's experiences, it was impossible for him to not notice Izumo's hatred. Had that hatred not been there, Naruto, well aware of how much he had come out on top, would have helped the man recover his Cultivation base more quickly.

But now, he abandoned such thoughts. Long before he had become Kazama, he had learned to treat his enemies with icy coldness.

Naruto turned to look at Patriarch Violet Sieve, who was currently examining the medicinal pill which Izumo had just vomited out.

"Elder Violet Sieve," he said with a polite smile, "I won that pill in the competition just now. If you would like it, sir, perhaps you could state what you intend to trade for it?"

Patriarch Violet Sieve laughed loudly. Shaking his head, he flicked his sleeve, and the medicinal pill in its bottle flew back to Naruto. He had scanned it with Divine Sense just now. Even though he didn't know much about the Dao of alchemy, he was a Nascent Soul Cultivator, who had lived many, many years. How could he not have an understanding of things like the ancient medicinal pills? Actually, he had previously specifically studied ancient medicinal pills.

Just now, no matter how he examined it, he couldn't see anything particularly special about the pill. In fact, when he held it in hand, he could detect a fishy, rotten odor. After a brief discussion with the ruddy-faced man using Divine Sense, they had determined that it definitely was a poison pill.

The fact that he so quickly returned the pill to Naruto had a lot to do with everything that Naruto had just said and done. Before, everyone in the Black Sieve Sect, including Patriarch Violet Sieve and his companions, hadn't paid much more than a glance to Kazama. As of now, though, it was obvious to everyone that Kazama… far exceeded Shino.

This was especially true of his final vicious display. From now on, Patriarch Violet Sieve would pay closer attention to this Kazama.

Naruto accepted the pill bottle with a smile, then casually tossed it into his bag of holding.

The alchemy lecture was now over. Shino invited Naruto to join him at a feast thrown by the Black Sieve Sect, but he politely declined. His face covered with exhaustion, he returned to Black Welcoming Peak.

Back in his residence, he sat down cross-legged to restore his energy. Time passed by, and soon moonlight filled the sky. Naruto suddenly opened his eyes and waved his right hand. A pill furnace appeared, along with an Earthly fire crystal. He also produced his Furnace Lord medallion, and its protective shield.

After securing himself within the shield, he slapped his bag of holding to produce the pill bottle and the poison pill. He took a deep breath, and took out… the jade box! He had placed it in his bag of holding much earlier.

In reality, the medicinal pill really was one of the three ancient medicinal pills, the Primordial Heavenly Replenishment Pill!

It was only half of the original pill, therefore, the essence of Time AND the medicinal strength within the pill hadn't completely vanished!

In ancient times, pills were not concocted using flames. Instead, the power of Heaven and Earth was used. The jade box was actually the final step of the concoction process. After being sealed inside, the pill would gradually become complete.

This was common knowledge; almost all ancient medicinal pills that had been discovered were like this. Despite being sealed in the jade box, the passage of so much time caused most such ancient medicinal pills to gradually dry out and become defective, although they generally contained a bit of medicinal strength.

Naruto had no idea how long this Primordial Heavenly Replenishment Pill had existed, but for some reason, it hadn't dried out, and had contained the full level of medicinal strength. Furthermore, the pill contained the power of Time.

If Naruto had not mastered the technique to refine Time, achieved enlightenment regarding the Violet Will Incantation, and refined a Spring and Autumn tree, then it would have been very difficult to spot the uniqueness of this medicinal pill. All three were essential. If one were missing, he wouldn't have been able to pick up on the clues.

Time was both visible and corporeal, yet at the same time, invisible and incorporeal. Ancient medicinal pills will dry out, and reveal their ancientness. This was a result of their passage through Time. However, this medicinal pill was different. It sucked in Time, filling the pill with its illusory power. This pill was actually… a Time treasure!

Because of that, when consumed, the pill would reverse the Chakra and blood passageways, and immediately cause the body to begin to wither and age. However, after that, when the pill was fully dissolved, then the true power of the Primordial Heavenly Replenishment Pill would explode out.

That is exactly what had happened with Izumo.

The so-called medicinal pill that Naruto had concocted was a ruse to cover up the truth. The only function it had served was to smear over the evidence of the Primordial Heavenly Replenishment Pill in Izumo's body.

Naruto's true goal had been to first prevent Patriarch Violet Sieve and the others from picking up on any of the clues, and next connive his way into getting the pill for himself.

Naruto took a deep breath as he extracted the globule of blood from within the pill furnace and placed it into a jade bottle. Next, he put the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill into the oven and began to clean the filth off of it. Then, he gingerly placed it back into its original jade box, which he then held up to examine.

"The true value of this pill to me is not its medicinal strength, but the fact that encased within it is the power of Time. When it comes time for me to forge my treasure of Time, I will be able to learn a lot from it! It will increase my chances of success by quite a bit." Naruto was itching with anticipation. He could only imagine the power that he would be able to wield after producing his own treasure of Time.

"It's too bad that Izumo… will obviously never tell me where he got this medicinal pill. However… I should know soon enough." He lifted up the jade bottle, inside of where he had placed the globule of blood. This blood… was from Izumo.

"Once I'm able to produce a blood clone, the clone should be able to use its power to see the memories of whosever blood it was created from." Naruto's mind filled with excitement. As for Izumo, he had chosen to fight with Naruto in terms of alchemy. His Cultivation base hadn't been irreparably destroyed, and furthermore, they were in the middle of the Black Sieve Sect, and the victory had been made openly and fairly. Therefore, there were no negative repercussions.

A few days passed by in a flash. The World Pill Division left, leaving the Black Sieve Sect alchemy training fully in the hands of Naruto and Shino.

Patriarch Violet Sieve personally requested that Naruto concoct some Soul Refining Pills for the Black Sieve Sect. Such pills were nourishing to the soul. Naruto decided to politely decline; he didn't want to have to work in such close contact with the Black Sieve Sect. As for Shino, he seemed excited with the current situation. He had been giving lectures throughout the Black Sieve Sect, and was feeling quite content with everything.

Naruto spent his time visiting the sights in the Sect and paying respects to some of the Conclave disciples. He tried in a roundabout way to get information about Hinata. After five days passed, he still hadn't seen a trace of her.

As of now, he was starting to get worried; the Black Sieve Sect was a bizarre place. The incident with Asuma had solidified this fact in his mind.

On this particular evening, Naruto was walking along in an area near the edge of the One Hundred Mountains. He lifted his head up, and saw a woman standing atop one of the mountains off in the distance. She wore a black robe, and stood upon a stone pillar which jutted up from the mountain. The wind caused her garment, as well as her long black hair, to flutter about her. The instant Naruto saw her face, his mind trembled.

This woman was beautiful, but cold and cheerless….

He had been searching for her everywhere, and then suddenly, here she was, floating in the wind.

Her expression was one of blankness. She stood on the stone pillar, looking like she wanted to float away.

This was… Hinata.

The blank look in her eyes made it seem as if she had lost her soul, as if her spirit itself had been injured.

Her pale skin did not seem to contain even the slightest trace of blood, like that of a corpse which had been entombed in a coffin of ice for a thousand years. The wind which blew across the pillar she stood on was incapable of blowing away her look of confusion.

Her garments were stained with blackened spots of dried blood that seemed to have been there for a very, very long time. Never having been washed away, they had dried and branded themselves onto the fabric.

On her forehead was a wound, a gash that had clearly been there for some indeterminable length of time. It looked like a sword wound… that hadn't healed.

As her garments fluttered in the wind, her right wrist became visible. It had a second sword gash on it.

Hinata was thinner.

She was thin, and even colder than before. She looked as if she had just emerged from the midst of a frigid snowstorm. Her garment was blue, her long hair draped around her like a cloak. Her skin was so delicate it seemed as if a breeze could puncture it. Naruto stared up at her beauty, seemingly unwilling to even blink.

If he blinked, everything would go dark, light would disappear, and he would no longer be able to see the beautiful figure in front of him.

He saw the sword wounds, as well as her blank look. He also saw that her blood vessels had been damaged. In that moment, the entire world seemed to disappear, except for Hinata, standing there on the mountain peak amidst the wind.

Naruto suddenly felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

He could ignore Ino's secret. He could ignore Asuma's bizarre behavior. The Demon Sealing Jade had spoken to him twice, but be it Ino or Asuma, Naruto felt as if it didn't have much to do with himself. Their life or death, their bizarre situations, were things he didn't want to get involved with.

After all, the root of all the various situations was none other than the Black Sieve Sect itself!

Naruto had grown up as a scholar, and was innately intelligent and farsighted. How could he not understand the meaning of the words of the Demon Sealing Jade? It was especially obvious considering the divine ability Asuma had used at the end of their battle that year, and the discarnate souls which had appeared. How could he not understand… what had happened to Ino and Asuma? And how could he not understand the terrifying power of the Black Sieve Sect?!

He did understand. In fact he knew that the Black Sieve Sect's forces were much greater than the people who walked about on the surface of the land!

"Discarnate souls possess the body," he thought to himself. "The discarnate souls are like those which appeared along with Asuma's divine ability that year, Cultivators who have long since died. It seems countless discarnate souls exist underneath all of the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect….

"This Black Sieve Sect, is a Sect of the underworld!

"Returned from the afterlife, desiring to rejoin the world of men, possessing the bodies of Cultivators and living parasitic lives. Asuma exists in this very state, his body having been possessed. He is incapable of recovering his own mental faculties, and should not have been able to seek out death as he did that day. Clearly, something unexpected had occurred after his possession.

"Because of that unexpected event, the discarnate soul that had possessed him was injured, which allowed his own soul to reawaken. That was what had caused his confusion, his madness, and his struggle.

"As for Ino, there is clearly nothing wrong with her. However, she wants outsiders to think that her body has been successfully possessed. This is because there are not two souls within her, but three! One is her own, one is a discarnate soul from the Black Sieve Sect, and the third… is the Yamanaka Clan Patriarch which emerged from the statue in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land, and then entered her body!"

How could Naruto not understand these things!?

It was because he understood, that he didn't want to get sucked into the situation. But as time passed, and he hadn't been able to track down Hinata, he'd started to get nervous. Finally today, he was able to see her….

And now he understood that… he could not ignore the situation. Hinata's soul possession was a bottom line that Naruto couldn't accept.

He took a deep breath, then strode forward, heading directly toward the peak of the mountain. His body transformed into a prismatic beam. In an instant he had arrived behind the pillar upon which Hinata stood.

He looked at her back, and was about to approach her, when she turned. Her cold features were no longer filled with a blank look. Instead, a grim expression appeared.

In that moment, a sense of impending crisis welled up from the bottom of Naruto's heart. As he looked at Hinata, he couldn't see a Foundation Establishment Cultivation base any more. Instead, everything was blurry.

Naruto's expression did not change. He looked at her, and at the same time surreptitiously performed an incantation gesture with his right hand. Within his mind floated the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. Because of the way he had performed the incantation, the Hex changed. It floated about in his mind, and stayed there, not moving out even the tiniest bit.

However, as soon as the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex appeared in his mind, his eyes, though they didn't look any different, now viewed the world in a completely different way.

The mountains were still green; the land below was the same land as before. But, the greenness of the Hundred Thousand Mountains was now covered with a black aura. This black aura roiled up from all the mountains to circulate about in the air. In this moment, it looked to Naruto as if the Black Sieve Sect really had become a Sect of the underworld.

Strands of black aura drifted up off of Hinata's body and swirled around her. Its nucleus seemed to be in the pit of her stomach, where a flickering globule of black mist existed. Deep within that black mist, Naruto could see Hinata's soul, sleeping, as if it had been sealed.

The black aura emanated out constantly, and in fact, behind Hinata, it congealed together to form into the blurry image of a woman.

The phantom figure emanated a seemingly endless ghastly aura. It was bizarre, and emitted thick an aura of death as it looked at Naruto along with Hinata.

"Who are you?" said Hinata, her voice unhurried. From Naruto's perspective, this voice did not belong to Hinata, but rather the gruesome discarnate soul which floated behind her.

As her words drifted out, Naruto suddenly sensed that the surrounding black aura was rushing toward them. It swirled around, forming into countless faces that grinned hideously as they stared at Naruto.

Of course, they were unaware that Naruto could see them as they floated around.

"I am Kazama of the Violet Fate Sect," Naruto replied with a smile. "Elder Sister, are you a Conclave Disciple of the Black Sieve Sect? I've been here for a few days, but this is my first time seeing you." As he clasped hands and bowed, he allowed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex to dissipate, and the world around him returned to normal.

"Oh, so you're Grandmaster Kazama," Hinata said coolly. "This is a prohibited mountain, please leave immediately." She turned, ignoring Naruto and staring off into the distance. A blank look once again filled her face.

His expression the same as usual, Naruto bowed again and then turned into a beam of light that shot away from the mountain. He took his time going back, enjoying the sights along the way. By the time he got back to Black Welcoming Peak, the moon hung high in the sky.

He entered the building and immediately settled himself in the protective shield of the Furnace Lord medallion. His face instantly grew grim. He had been extremely cautious on his way back, careful to make sure nothing at all seemed amiss about him. However, there were still some discarnate souls who followed him. They had swirled around him the entire way, finally disappearing when he arrived at Black Welcoming Peak.

"To save Hinata, I have to get close to her," he thought. "Furthermore, I can't let anyone find out about it. This Black Sieve Sect is obviously an underworld Sect, with discarnate souls flying around everywhere…." Had he made an open move just now, not only would he have been unable to save Hinata, but he would also have broken his own cover.

He sat thinking, his eyes flickering. After some time passed, he closed his eyes.

Early the next morning, his eyes snapped open. He lifted up a jade slip, branded it with some information, then flicked his sleeve to send it flying out of the building.

His cool voice echoed out: "I have a matter to discuss with Patriarch Violet Sieve regarding pill concoction."

As soon as the jade slip flew out into the air, a Cultivator appeared out of nowhere to grab it. It was impossible to determine his Cultivation base, but he wore a black robe. He immediately disappeared off into the distance.

Inwardly, Naruto gave a cold laugh. Ever since his alchemic showdown with Izumo, he had sensed an aura outside of the Black Welcoming Mountains. Obviously someone was there watching him.

A few moments later laughter could be heard, followed by Patriarch Violet Sieve, who had come in person to discuss things with Kazama. He stood there with a smile on his face, clasping hands and bowing to Naruto.

"Grandmaster Kazama," he said with a smile, "please don't take offense. I arranged for a disciple to stand watch outside to ensure your safety. After all, our Sect is a complicated place, and I'm incapable of controlling everything. According to the information in this jade slip, you say you can concoct the Soul Refining Pill. Well…."

Naruto sighed and then in an embarrassed voice said, "Elder Violet Sieve, actually, I've never heard of the Soul Refining Pill. Considering that, along with its strange name, it obviously has something to do with souls. I fear that the concocting such a pill would be extremely difficult. With so many variations, it would be very draining. That is why I hesitated to agree."

Patriarch Violet Sieve didn't reply. Instead, he stood there waiting for Naruto to continue, which he did. "Any other ordinary medicinal pill would be simple, but for strange new pills, even if I wanted to concoct them, I'm worried that it would really be too draining. Furthermore, I don't really have the appropriate pill furnace…." He gave a wry smile, and looked even more embarrassed. "Also, I don't think I really have enough of the medicinal plants that would be required. And I'm sure that the medicinal plants required are very valuable….

"Of course, I'm actually happy to help out, sir. I don't mind getting tired. However, what I'm more worried about, would be the wasted time…. Furthermore, I don't want to bother anyone during the concoction process, which will require one hundred percent concentration on my part…."

Patriarch Violet Sieve frowned for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "I understand, Grandmaster Kazama. I can provide all of the medicinal plants you need. Even if you aren't able to concoct the pills in the end, it won't matter. Furthermore, I have the authority to provide you with some Spirit Stones as a way of thanking you for your work. As for a pill furnace… the Black Sieve Sect's treasure storehouse happens to have a Ten Thousand Refinements furnace. We can gift this treasured furnace to you, Grandmaster! In addition, I can guarantee that no one will disturb you during your pill concocting. It will be just the same as if we sealed Black Welcoming Peak.

Naruto's eyes glittered, but his expression was one of shyness, as if he was still embarrassed. "Sir, I am here at the Black Sieve Sect as representative of my own Sect. How could I possibly lay claim to treasured items of your honored Sect…?"

As soon as Patriarch Violet Sieve saw his expression, he smiled and raised his hand to cut off Naruto.

Naruto hesitated for a moment but then seemed to have made his decision.

"Sir," he said, his voice resolute, "since you seem to place such faith in me, then… I will do the concocting! I will use everything I have learned to concoct the Soul Refining Pill for your honored Sect!

"As for your kindness, it will be engraved upon my mind forever. How about this. I'm sorry to say that I can't do a bulk concoction. Concocting the pills that way might simplify things on my part, but the medicinal strength would be average, and the pills wouldn't be as effective. Each person's soul has slight differences. If I adjust each medicinal pill based on those differences, then I can concoct pills with maximum possible medicinal strength!"

Patriarch Violet Sieve looked at Naruto thoughtfully for a moment. From the moment Kazama had entered the Sect, Patriarch Violet Sieve had not noticed anything about him that was amiss.

As far as his background, his identity, his skill in the Dao of alchemy, there was nothing at all to cause him to be suspicious. He had been a bit skeptical regarding the matter with the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill, but after thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't come up with any evidence of anything fishy.

The matter of the Soul Refining Pills was currently of extreme importance to the Black Sieve Sect. However, the alchemy Cultivators of the Black Sieve Sect were incapable of concocting such pills.

Only the East Pill Division and the World Pill Division were skilled enough to handle matters related to souls. With the World Pill Division gone, and Kazama being so prominent, Patriarch Violet Sieve only had to think for a moment before nodding.

"There are thirteen Conclave Disciples in the Black Sieve Sect who, because they cultivate a special type of divine ability, ended up injuring their souls. The symptoms are dementia and hallucinations, as you saw that day with Asuma. Ai…." Patriarch Violet Sieve sighed, and then stared solemnly at Naruto.

"We can rely only on you, Grandmaster Kazama, to concoct the pills we need. I will arrange for the thirteen Conclave disciples to be sent here one at a time for you to examine and concoct pills for." When he finished speaking, Patriarch Violet Sect turned to leave. Naruto clasped hands and bowed as he did so.

Not much time passed before a bag of holding was delivered to Naruto. Inside were a large amount of Spirit Stones, roughly one hundred thousand. Seeing this caused Naruto's heart to start pounding.

In addition, there was a vast collection of medicinal plants, as well as the formula for the Soul Refining Pill.

Last of all was a pill furnace. Naruto took it out, and immediately his eyes began to shine.

The pill furnace was completely white, seemingly jade, and yet not. There were no carvings on its surface, and was a very unusual shape. Not a bit of medicinal aroma wafted out from it. However, what Naruto did see were strands of white colored Chakra circulating around inside.

"Ten Thousand Refinements furnace!" murmured Naruto, palpitating with eagerness. Back in the East Pill Division he had studied a jade slip with introductions to all the various types of pill furnaces. There was one type which, after having successfully concocted ten thousands batches of medicinal pills, would gain sentience because of all of the nourishment it had received from the Chakra of the medicinal pills.

Such a furnace would have been constructed from incredible materials to begin with. After the ten thousand concoctions, it would become even more incredible. Such pill furnaces were rarely seen in the world. Generally speaking, pill furnaces are viewed as consumable items, and will explode after one hundred uses or so.

For a pill furnace to survive for ten thousand batches placed its value at an incredible level.

Naruto took a deep breath and then swirled his hand about inside of the furnace, grasping one of the strands of Chakra and pulled it out to examine. After a moment, he sighed, sounding somewhat regretful. It seemed this pill furnace had been used to concoct ten thousand of the exact same type of medicinal pill.

In this case, it couldn't quite measure up to some of the other of this type of furnace which had been used to concoct countless different types of medicinal pills. However, as far as Naruto was concerned, this furnace far exceeded his Blood Crane furnace.

Putting away the Ten Thousand Refinements furnace, Naruto stood and then looked outside. A group of dozens of Black Sieve Sect disciples had surrounded the mountain and were now sitting cross-legged in meditation. Bluish light flickered around them. Clearly, once Naruto began his concocting, they would employ the full power of the light to create a shield around the mountain, ensuring that he wouldn't be disturbed.

Naruto muttered to himself for a moment, then decided to prepare for any emergencies which might arise. He lifted his Furnace Lord medallion, then branded it with some information. It immediately flickered. Moments later, Shino flew toward him in a beam of colorful light.

Having received Naruto's transmitted message, he ended his alchemy lecture and immediately came to Black Welcoming Peak. Sensing the dozens of Black Sieve Sect disciples meditating in the area, he felt a bit of surprise.

Naruto went out to meet him and explain the situation. Furthermore, he asked Shino to stay behind as Dharma Protector, and to act as his assistant.

Some time ago, Shino would surely have refused. However, his attitude toward Naruto had completely changed recently. Hearing all the information, he nodded solemnly and pulled out his Furnace Lord medallion. Naruto felt much more reassured now, and handed over the bag of holding with all the medicinal plants.

With the protection of two Furnace Lord Medallions, no matter what the Black Sieve Sect did, he would have temporary protection from any sort of Divine Sense.

As far as the discarnate souls went, Naruto had some methods that would prevent them from noticing anything untoward. In any case, he did not plan to do anything too noticeable. In this whole matter, caution would be of the utmost importance.

Not much time passed before two Cultivators appeared, carrying between them a young man in a blue robe as they hurried over.

When they arrived, Naruto and Shino both took a close look at the young man, and then frowned.

His face was pale white, seemingly without any trace of blood. His eyes were vacant and blank, and his body was emaciated, his skin so thin that you could see the bones sticking out from within. It was obvious that his Chakra passageways were not even moving. He was almost like a mortal.

One of the middle-aged men supporting him said, "This is Conclave disciple Huang Zhongxi. While cultivating a secret magic, the technique backfired, weakening both his body and soul. If the Sect Elders didn't maintain his life with magical power, he would have long since died." The man sighed, and then bowed deeply to Naruto.

"Muscle atrophy and a weakened body," said Shino, his voice soft. "The soul is spilling out and the mind is dying. This man…."

Naruto looked closely at the young man, who clearly seemed to have lost his spirit. After a long moment, he approached the young man and placed his fingers onto his neck.

He muttered to himself for a moment, then moved his hand to grasp the young man's arm, after which he closely inspected the faint blue veins visible in his skin.

"First we will concoct a Spirit Fusing Pill to see how much damage has been inflicted on his mind. Elder Brother Shino, what do you think?" Naruto looked over at Shino, who nodded.

"Three Yellows grass, Seven Souls spice, Hundred Years flower…." Naruto slowly listed out several dozen kinds of medicinal plants. Shino recognized many of these plants as being very rare. All were related to recovering mental faculties. He quickly retrieved the medicinal plants from the bag of holding provided by the Black Sieve Sect and began to catalyze and prepare them according to Naruto's directions.

Naruto pulled out the Ten Thousand Refinements furnace. When he saw it, Shino's eyes went wide. However, he knew that now was not the time to ask about it, and suddenly understood why Naruto attached such importance to this job….

After placing the various medicinal plants into the pill furnace, Naruto performed a catalyzing incantation with his left hand, and then pressed a finger from his right hand directly into the forehead of the young man, opening up a small wound and retrieving a drop of blood.

The drop of blood floated in front of Naruto for a moment, and then flew into the pill furnace.

A few moments later, a black-colored medicinal pill appeared. With the flick of a sleeve, Naruto sent it into the mouth of the young man. About ten breaths passed, and then suddenly, the young man's body began to tremble. He let out a miserable howl, which caused the faces of the two middle aged Cultivators to flicker.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, completely calm.

The blood curdling screaming lasted for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, after which a black Chakra began to emanate out from the top of the young man's head. Within the black Chakra was also a white-colored mist. The two seemed to be fused together. However, neither seemed to be able to make use of the other, and were attempting to disperse.

However, it was as if some power were preventing them from separating. The more they fused together, the more they attempted to separate. From the look of it, they would only be able to stay fused together for a limited time, before completely separating.

"I'm not sure what technique this person cultivated, but it caused Death Chakra to enter his body, which then began to consume his life force. It was suppressed, but that will not last forever. Unless something is done to save him, he will definitely die within three months.

"I, Kazama, can attempt to save him," said Naruto coolly. "I'm fifty percent confident that I can succeed. However, his blood vessels are already in ruin. I need three generations of blood from his ancestors to create a Blood Vessel Pill. With that, I can reconstruct his blood vessels, and afterward, give birth to a new soul for him. Souls are birthed from the blood, so after this has been accomplished, I can concoct the Soul Refining Pill. At that point, success should be assured."

Hearing this, one of the middle-aged Cultivators supporting the young man turned and left. After the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, he returned and handed three jade bottles to Naruto.

Inside were three generations of blood from the young man's ancestors. In addition to the requisite latent talent, most Conclave disciples had ancestors who attained high positions within the Sect. As such, acquiring three generations of blood was not difficult.

Naruto indicated for the Black Sieve Sect Cultivators to take the possessed young man inside the residence. Then he asked them to leave, and produced his Furnace Lord medallion. Shino did the same, and immediately the glowing shield appeared to lock down the area. Outside, another shield appeared to cover Black Welcoming Mountain. Everything was sealed down.

The only people in the building now were Naruto, Shino and the pale-faced young man with the lost mind.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he looked thoughtfully at the young man.

"This person has been possessed by a discarnate soul evading the reincarnation cycle of Heaven and Earth…. After possession, if the body does not contain its original soul, it will become like a walking corpse. Without the ability to sustain itself, the body will begin to decay in a matter of days.

"Therefore, the discarnate soul is incapable of consuming the body's original soul. Instead, it must exist as a parasite that controls the body!

"Originally, there was balance, but due to some unexpected circumstances, the balance was broken. Thus, the current situation arose." A barely detectable glitter appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"The discarnate soul is already damaged. The thing to do is to transform Yin into Yang… turn misfortune into the opposite! As the Demon Sealing Jade said, either seal it so that it cannot see the summer sun, or assist it with the blood will of the Demon Sealer!" Naruto's eyes shone with a cold light. He wasn't sure if the Soul Refining Pill would have any effect. But what he did know was that the will contained within his blood was the only hope the young man had of living, either now, or in the future.

"Three Heaven Pearl leaves. Dust Wind root, nine stalks. Sixty-year old Spirit Flow sap…." Naruto slowly listed off nearly a hundred different varieties of medicinal plants. Next to him, Shino immediately retrieved them from the bag of holding and handed them over.

The earthly fire crystal blazed explosively, and the floating pill furnace immediately turned bright red. A strong medicinal aroma wafted out from the Ten Thousand Refinements furnace. Naruto fed the medicinal plants into it according to the proper interactions. He put them in carefully, making sure not to waste anything. Then he sliced a cut onto his finger and placed a drop of his blood into the pill furnace.

He exercised utmost control over the concoction process, which ended up taking three days.

After three days passed, a bright red medicinal pill emerged. Without hesitation, Naruto placed it into the mouth of the young man.

As soon as the pill entered his mouth, the young man's body began to spasm. He did not scream, but as his body shook, a blank look filled his eyes. The struggling became more intense. It lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Finally, his body vibrated, and then suddenly went still.

He lowered his head, and didn't move. The space of ten breaths passed, after which a gruesome Chakra began to spread out from his body. Finally, he lifted his head up. The blank look was no longer there in his eyes, but instead, somberness.

"Many thanks, Grandmaster," said the young man slowly. His words were those of thanks, but they were spoken with an incredible arrogance, as if saying the words were similar to giving alms to a beggar. He rose to his feet, ignoring Naruto, then turned and strode out of the building.

Shino frowned with displeasure.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but inside, he laughed coldly. It seemed that balance had been restored between the young man's body and the discarnate soul inside. However, because of the drop of Naruto's blood, he now had the ultimate power; if necessary he could directly destroy the discarnate soul.

A single drop of the blood of a Demon Sealer can thoroughly exterminate a discarnate soul!

Patriarch Violet Sieve, the beautiful woman, and the ruddy-faced old man were waiting for the young man at the bottom of Black Welcoming Peak. When they saw him approaching, they began to breathe heavily. They quickly clasped hands and greeted him with a bow.

"Congratulations on your recovery, Minor Patriarch!"

Of course, they didn't let anyone see what was happening. They had long since sealed off the area they were in.

The young man glanced at the Nascent Soul Cultivators. "That otherworldly corpse which fell from the sky has really caused some problems. In fact, our lord is once again in deep slumber because of it. We're back in the world of men, but we still haven't accomplished the task ordered by our lord…. However, you three did well to make use of that person. After all, he was able to facilitate my recovery. Now, we still have a chance.

"Arrange for the discarnate souls of the other Patriarchs to come. As for the one who contains… Grand Matriarch Phoenix, well, no mistakes can be made with her. If there are no problems with the others, send her as well." Having finished speaking, the young man's body flickered, transforming into a black smoke which then disappeared, melting back into the earth.

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the others reverently saluted him as he departed. Then they stood an exchanged bitter glances. With that, they left, arranging for the other twelve people to be sent to Naruto, one at a time.

Time passed slowly. Naruto treated one after another of the so-called Minor Patriarchs. As of now, Black Welcoming Peak had become a very important place in the Black Sieve Sect.

Whatever requests Naruto made were met immediately. Of course, how could he not make use of this opportunity? All he had to do was say the name of a medicinal plant, and it would be delivered to him. Many of the ingredients he needed for the Perfect Gold Core gradually began to fill his bag of holding. Seeing what was happening, Shino began to grow a bit envious, and also began to request some medicinal plants.

As they concocted pills, they both slowly began to reap rewards.

In this way, Naruto was also able to collect quite a few sets of three generations of blood. They had nothing to do with the pills he was concocting; they were required to create blood clones, and he would naturally not lose out on an opportunity for that.

If blood was not available from a given ancestor, Naruto wouldn't press the issue. He would just extend the time spent concocting the pill.

Finally one day, the pale faced Asuma entered the building. This was the first time Naruto had seen him since that incident when he first arrived at the Black Sieve Sect. Asuma sat down cross-legged. Naruto said nothing for a moment, then began to concoct the pill.

After Asuma left, Ino arrived. She had a cautious look on her face. When she sat down in front of him, Naruto looked at her and then chuckled.

"Grandmaster Kazama…." she said with a smile. Suddenly, she felt very nervous. The voice of the Yamanaka Clan Patriarch suddenly rang out in her mind.

"Be careful of this person! He is complicated, and most likely is able to sense my presence!" This was not the first time she had heard something like this from the ancestor. The reason she had been nervous the first day she met Kazama outside of the Black Sieve Sect, was because of the voice of the Yamanaka Clan Patriarch.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He smiled, then began to concoct. When the pill came out, Naruto looked over at Ino. Her expression was also the same as usual. However, her heart was trembling. Inside her mind, the trembling voice of the Yamanaka Clan Patriarch could be heard.

"That pill… you must not consume it! This person… he…."

"Grandmaster Kazama," she said softly, rising to her feet calmly. "I'll take the pill away and consume it later."

Naruto turned to Shino, clasped hands and said, "Elder Brother Shino, I have a small personal matter I wish to discuss alone with Fellow Daoist Ino."

Shino laughed. He had long since sensed that something was amiss. However, having been able to collect so many medicinal plants in the past days, he paid it no heed, and immediately left the building.

Seeing Shino leave, Ino's heart trembled. "Grandmaster Kazama…." she said, keeping her expression the same as always, like a flower. She was about to continue speaking when Naruto interrupted her.

"If you don't want to consume the pill, very well. In that case, however, you will owe me a favor that must be repaid at some point in the future." He looked at Ino with a profound look that seemed to penetrate deep into her mind.

Ino looked back at him and gritted her teeth. She was full of schemes, but right now, couldn't think of any way out. A blank look appeared in her eyes.

"Grandmaster Kazama," she said, "I don't quite understand what you mean. But, I suppose I can agree to this favor."

"I don't need a favor from you," replied Naruto coolly, "but rather the third soul that exists within your body!"

The words entered Ino's ears like a thunderbolt. Her expression immediately changed completely.

She was about to say something when, suddenly, a blue Chakra emerged from the top of her head. It congealed above her into the shape of a man. He stared at Naruto for some time before finally nodding.

"The Yamanaka Clan owes you a favor," he said in an archaic voice.

Naruto clasped hands and saluted. The figure disappeared, and Ino stared at Naruto, an expression of shock and fear on her face. After a long moment passed, she turned and left as quickly as possible. Before leaving the building, she collected herself, then caused a cold, somber look to shine in her eyes. As far as any outsider could see, there was nothing unusual about her. Soon, she disappeared off into the distance.

A month of pill concocting went by until finally, the Black Sieve Sect sent the last person to Naruto. It was none other than… Hinata.

Based on all of Naruto's experiences, the fact that she was the last to be sent was very telling. The discarnate soul inside of her must be someone not to be trifled with in the Black Sieve Sect, someone of utmost seniority.

Just as Naruto had suspected, as soon as she arrived, things immediately changed around Black Welcoming Peak. The protective shield protecting the mountain grew stronger, and countless discarnate souls circled around up in the air. All of them seemed to be looking down toward Black Welcoming Peak.

Seeing all of this, Naruto's heart sank a bit. However, the feeling didn't show on his face. He watched Hinata slowly enter the building and sit down cross-legged in front of him. She looked calm, and there was much less blankness in her eyes.

Naruto looked at her, glanced at the wound on her forehead, then activated his Furnace Lord shield. His face was the same as usual, but as he concocted the pill, he put in, not a normal drop of blood, but a drop of blood from his Cultivation base!

Such blood contained the essence of his life force, including his identity as the Ninth Demon Sealer, and the persistence of his will.

It entered the pill and joined the various interactions; furthermore, Naruto used some of the power of the meat jelly to ensure that no clues would spill out. When the concocting was done, he held the pill out to Hinata. She picked it up with her delicate hands, but didn't consume it.

"So, this is the pill which helped everyone to recover?" she said, her voice cold as she looked at Naruto. Without waiting for his response, she rose to her feet and strode out of the building.

Naruto watched her leave, then sat there thinking silently. He was certain that although she didn't consume the pill in his presence, she would soon.

This was because although she appeared to be in the process of self-recovery, it was actually just a front. The problems with the discarnate soul in her body far exceeded those of the others he had seen, by at least two or three times. In fact, her situation was the most grave he had seen so far. This was evident by the fact that the wound on her forehead was much worse than when he'd seen it the first time.

The next day at evening, within the seventh mountain of the Black Sieve Sect, Hinata sat cross legged within her immortal's cave. Her face was pale white, and her eyes filled with both struggle and blankness. Her body trembled.

She continued in this way for several hours before finally lifting up her hand from her bag of holding. Inside was the medicinal pill concocted by Naruto. The process of lifting it up to place into her mouth took nearly ten breaths.

If Naruto were here, he would be able to see multiple discarnate souls drifting around her body. All of them were staring nervously at Hinata as they flew to and fro.

In fact, outside, all of the Black Sieve Sect disciples who Naruto had saved, including Asuma and Ino, kneeled before the Immortal's cave, bowing respectfully. It seemed as if they were waiting for a summons to enter.

Hinata still held the pill in her hand. After a long moment passed, the gruesome coldness in her eyes overcame the blankness and struggle. The discarnate soul inside of her sighed. She knew that because of the injury to the soul, balance couldn't be restored in this body. She was fading, and the original soul of the body was also fading. The body's life force was disappearing, and the wound on her forehead was growing worse. She knew that if she put things off any longer, the body would begin to decay.

Originally, she had never believed that consuming medicinal pills created in this world could lead to recovery. However, seeing the recovery of all the other discarnate souls caused her to question her view. After studying the pill for some time, she was unable to unlock its mysteries. Therefore, she decided that she had no other choice than to consume it. She placed the pill into her mouth.

As soon as the pill entered her mouth and began to dissolve, Naruto's blood began to emit a crimson glow. At the same moment, the soul of Matriarch Phoenix within Hinata's body began to shake. A sense of impending life-or-death danger appeared, but before she could do anything, a frightening aura submerged her, making it impossible to send a warning to anyone on the outside.

Suddenly, Hinata's soul, which had previously been in a state of slumber, was infused with the red glow, nourishing her, causing her to recover. Hinata's soul was being directed…. Matriarch Phoenix was being suppressed by the blood of a Demon Sealer, allowing Hinata to rise from her weakness, whereupon, a soul consumption began to take place within the body!

This soul consumption had been Naruto's goal all along. He wanted Hinata to be able to do what Ino had done; fuse the discarnate soul, make it her own. Such a fusion would be undetectable by the Black Sieve Sect and the other discarnate souls. No one would be able to tell who truly held mastery over the body!

One in the midst of the other, a dangerous rebirth!

As Hinata raised the pill to her mouth, Naruto was sitting cross-legged in his residence. When the pill entered her mouth, his eyes opened. They were filled with a brilliant light. The blood in his pill came from deep within him, so obviously he could sense what was happening.

"The power of the meat jelly's ever-changing forms really is hard to penetrate…." Naruto rubbed his face for a moment, then slowly lifted his hand, within which was a jade bottle.

Inside the jade bottle was a medicinal pill. This was a pill he had concocted back in the Violet Fate Sect, before coming to the Black Sieve Sect. The pill bottle was sealed with wax, and hadn't been opened.

Originally, he had planned to give it to Hinata, but up until now, hadn't had a chance to.

He looked at the pill bottle, and then closed his eyes.

Early the next morning, Naruto walked out of his residence. Immediately, the disciple dispatched by Patriarch Violet Sieve to guard Black Welcoming Mountain, turned and saluted him with clasped hands.

"Please deliver this pill bottle to Fellow Daoist Hinata. She requested me to concoct it when she visited the other day." He handed the bottle to the Cultivator. Because of Hinata's special standing within the Black Sieve Sect, he felt it was unlikely anyone would open the bottle.

Even if someone did, they wouldn't understand.

A few days passed. On the seventh day, Shino kept saying that they needed to leave. Naruto could delay no further. He left the mountain peak, flying up to join the impatient Shino.

There were no problems whatsoever between him and Shino. The alchemy lectures were over, as was the pill concocting. The invitation period from the Black Sieve Sect had long since expired.

There really was no reason to stay behind any longer. Naruto had had no other choice than to give in to Shino's prompting.

At the moment, a large group from the Black Sieve Sect was escorting Naruto and Shino out of the Sect. Patriarch Violet Sieve was among them, and was very courteous as they proceeded along.

As for the pill bottle, Naruto had been right. No one dared to open it. It had been delivered to Hinata's secluded meditation area, where it was received by a girl with a grim expression in her eyes. She scanned the bottle with Divine Sense and didn't notice anything special about the pill stored inside. Yet, she didn't dare to actually open the bottle. She was aware of Matriarch Phoenix's personality. This girl had already done the unthinkable by returning from the afterlife; however, a mere thought from Matriarch Phoenix could exterminate her instantly.

A trifling medicinal pill wasn't worth such a risk. Therefore, the girl paid little attention to it.

Finally the door of Hinata's Immortal's cave opened. As the sunlight poured in, the girl lifted her head up and then strode into the Immortal's Cave. Catching sight of Hinata sitting there cross-legged, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed.

"Congratulations on your recovery, Matriarch Phoenix."

Hinata said nothing. The girl didn't dare to lift her head, and as such, didn't notice the blank look which appeared in Hinata's eyes, followed by surprise.

After a few moments passed, Hinata stood up. She wore a long, greenish-blue robe, and her features were cold. As she left the Immortal's cave, she coolly said, "Rise."

The girl took a deep breath and then quickly rose to her feet, carefully following Hinata out of the Immortal's Cave.

Hinata looked up at the orange blue sky, and the bright sun, and the strange expression in her eye slowly faded away and turned into coldness. Deep within this coldness, however, was emotion, something only she was aware of.

"Please call over the other twelve Black Clan souls," said Hinata, her voice cool.

The girl immediately nodded, and was about to leave, when she suddenly hesitated.

"Yes?" said Hinata, the coldness in her eyes glistening as she looked at the girl.

The girl's body trembled, and she quickly said, "Grand Matriarch Phoenix, a few days ago Alchemist Kazama delivered this pill bottle. He said you had requested a pill to be concocted." For some reason, the girl felt as if Grand Matriarch Phoenix was now even colder than she had been before.

She retrieved the pill bottle from her bag of holding and held it out.

Hinata's expression was calm as she looked at the pill. Inwardly, though, her heart trembled, and her breathing grew rapid. She made a snatching motion, and the pill bottle flew into her hand. She unsealed the wax and poured the pill out of the bottle.

It was an ordinary medicinal pill, worth very little. However, despite its relative lack of worth, it caused an enormous storm of emotions to rise in her heart.

This was none other than… a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill.

She stared in shock at the medicinal pill.

"Which mountain is he located in?" said Hinata, closing her eyes to recover her grim coldness. The soul fusing wasn't complete at the moment, and her mind was still a bit conflicted, and filled with confusion.

"Black Welcoming Peak…." replied the girl. Even before she could finish speaking, Hinata took a step forward and then disappeared.

Naruto and Shino stood smiling outside the main gate of the Black Sieve Sect. Patriarch Violet Sieve and the others clasped hands and bowed. Naruto and Shino politely declined the offers to escort them further. After exchanging the proper formalities, they prepared to leave.

It was at this very instant that a bright beam of light shot through the air with indescribable speed. It emerged from the Hundred Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect, whistling through the air at such speed that ripples emanated out. A roaring sound filled the air which caused Patriarch Violet Sieve's face to twist. He spun and looked up at the approaching prismatic beam, and his face flickered again.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Within the space of a breath, Hinata appeared in mid-air, wearing her long greenish-blue robe, her demeanor icy. Her grim, cold gaze swept over the crowd, coming to rest upon Naruto. Inside her heart was pounding.

The world seemed to disappear around her, forming a haze… except for one space.

 _This look… is because I want to catch another fleeting glimpse of your figure within the crowd._

 _This look… is because I want to always be able to see you._

 _This look… is because I want you to know… I've watched over you this whole time._

Naruto smiled as he looked at Hinata. She was immeasurably cold, but he was used to that. His smile contained happiness, within his eyes was warmth.

Their gazes met; Naruto's smile and Hinata's coldness. Only the two of them knew how their gazes reached into each other's hearts. He knew that she understood. She knew that the person standing there in front of her was none other than Naruto.

It was the same as that look they had shared outside the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land. It was just like the smile underneath the moonlight in the Reliance Sect. It was like the time Naruto had turned his head to look at her back on Mount Myoboku.

Obviously, this was not the proper place for words. In truth, though, there was no need for words; the emotions of their period of separation were contained deep within their eyes. A look was all they needed to express the joy which existed in their hearts.

"I'll escort you," said Hinata coolly.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Hinata," said Naruto with a smile, clasping hands and lowering his head.

Shino stared in shock for a moment. Patriarch Violet Sieve and the others also gaped; they knew who Hinata really was, and they also knew that her presence here far, far exceeded that of their own.

Hinata ignored them, having eyes only for Naruto.

The three of them left.

Far outside the Black Sieve Sect, Naruto and Hinata stood atop a tall mountain peak, looking at each other. Shino tactfully waited some distance away.

"Thank you…." said Hinata, her voice soft.

Naruto shook his head and looked back in the direction of the Black Sieve Sect. Hinata waved her right hand, and the ghastly coldness once again appeared in her eyes. She turned, and her voice echoed out into the emptiness.

"Any soul within thirty thousand meters of this place will be instantly exterminated!" As she spoke, a ghastly aura accompanied the sound to echo out. Naruto immediately sensed the countless discarnate souls in the area fleeing at top speed. An instant later, there was no sign of any discarnate soul.

Time passed, and the two of them stood there in the early morning air on top of the mountain. They spoke simple words, smiling, listening. Time passed, but neither of them seemed willing to part.

In the past, they had been friends in the same Sect. Later, they met in the Black Sieve Sect Blessed Land. Now here they were, meeting again in the outside world. All of these things things melded together deep in Naruto's heart, as well as Hinata's.

Her expression was cold, but her heart was filled with joy. Within her seemingly cold pupils could be seen a touch of warm light. No matter how his appearance had changed, the person in front of her was still her Junior Brother Naruto.

As soon as she had realized that Kazama was Naruto, her heart had begun to pound. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but as soon as he looked at her, she felt like she didn't have any words to speak.

The fact that he hadn't left the Southern Domain, that he was a Furnace Lord of the Violet Fate Sect… this was enough. As soon as she saw the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill, she completely understood everything. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but Naruto's figure had at some point become deeply ingrained into her; he was now a part of her very heart, a part that would never leave her.

No matter how many years passed that tried to wash clean the memory, as long as she thought back, she could see that faint smile. The years could not wash it away, so it grew deeper, to the point where she didn't need to think back. She just kept moving forward, because she knew that one day, the two of them… would meet again, and would walk together amidst the snow and wind.

Soon, moonlight caressed the branches of the willow trees, and the sky began to turn slightly violet. The mountain breeze lifted Hinata's long, black hair to cover her face. The sight of it filled Naruto with warmth, and a slight smile.

The smile appeared on his face, but came from his heart.

It was faint, but like water, it was something her life could never do without.

"Go," she said softly. "I want to watch you fade into the distance."

As Naruto disappeared off into the moonlight, he looked back and saw Hinata standing there on the mountain peak. Memories of the times he had spent with her filled his mind.

The first time he handed her a medicinal pill in the Reliance Sect. Outside the Immortal's cave in the Reliance Sect, when he gave her a Cosmetic Cultivation pill. Her voice underneath the moonlight. Then their time together in the Black Sieve Sect Blessed Land. And now.

For some reason, it seemed as if many stories lay therein.

Naruto wasn't sure if this was romantic love. The feelings within in him now were things he'd never felt before, never experienced. What he did know was that every time he saw Hinata, he felt happiness well up within him that seemed to have been buried deep in his memories.

It was a good feeling.

In fact, during his five years in the Violet Fate Sect, the thing he found himself thinking about most often was cold Hinata, standing under the moonlight, her black hair floating in the wind.

"I wonder what it would be like… if the Reliance Sect were still there, if the Black Sieve Sect hadn't taken Elder Sister Hinata away? What if we were still back in the Reliance Sect?" Naruto looked forward again. The moonlight shone down onto his back as he proceeded off into the distance. Questions such as that had no answer.

He drew further and further away….

Two days later, a pair of prismatic beams shot through the air above a path to the teleportation portal which led to the Barren Mountains. They were none other than Naruto and Shino. Their task having been accomplished, they were now on their way back to the Sect.

After leaving the Black Sieve Sect, Shino, had cleared his throat and then said, "Aiii. You should get out of the Sect more often and make more friends with these Cultivator Clans. You know what? How about this: I'll take you to meet some of them while we're on our way to the teleportation portal."

Looking sorrowful, he had continued, "We're Furnace Lords, and we spend most of our time holed up in the Sect. You can't deny that concocting pills takes a lot of resources. What you can earn in the Sect isn't enough to survive on. So… ah, Kazama, whenever you get sent out of the Sect, don't be in a hurry to get back. Take some time to interact with the outside. They have wealth to spare, and are the perfect companions for alchemists like us."

Naruto had nodded approvingly. After the events in the black Sieve Sect, the previous hard feelings between him and Shino had disappeared. They now had a relatively good relationship.

Thus, Shino spent the better part of half a month taking Naruto to the various Cultivator Clans in the region, as well as to a mid-sized Sects, where they were received with great ceremony. No matter where they went, they were treated with utmost respect. Seeing the pretentious air with which Shino carried himself amongst these Cultivator Clans made Naruto smile.

Furthermore, whatever needs they had were met; in fact, whenever there were opportunities to sell medicinal pills, the Spirit Stones came flowing into their bags of holding. That caused Naruto's eyes to shine brightly. During the half month, he was able to sell quite a few medicinal pills.

Actually, most of the pills he had sold were ones he had acquired from Izumo.

Finally, half a month later, Naruto and Shino were nearing the teleportation portal that led to the Barren Mountains

The Barren Mountains were located very near to the center of the Southern Domain, an area that could be considered a major intersection between the various Sects and Clans. Because of the location of this teleportation portal, it had eventually turned into a centralized travel hub.

In a valley in the east of the Barren Mountains was a location that usually bustled with activity. Now, however, it could only be described as gruesome.

The reek of blood filled the air, and the ground was littered with corpses. Searching through the corpses for bags of holding were a few dozen Cultivators who wore black robes and white masks. Occasionally they would encounter someone gasping their last breaths, and would immediately run them through with a sword.

Beyond the black-robed Cultivators was a black, iron cage, several meters tall. Considering the cage floated in the air and emanated a mysterious glow, it was obviously a magical item. Inside the cage were two Cultivators.

Their faces were pale, and they were both unconscious. They were splattered with blood, and were clearly seriously injured, but not dead. A faint aroma of medicinal pills emanated off of them; they were obviously alchemists. One of them wore a long green robe, which was embroidered with a pill furnace, marking him as an alchemist of the World Pill Division.

Not too far away, three Cultivators were locked in magical combat in mid-air. Ripples spread out through the air. This was not the magic of the Nascent Soul stage; however, the level of power made it obvious that they were not Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but rather Core Formation.

Of the three Core Formation Cultivators, two wore black clothes and orange masks. Their attacks were vicious; they were only of the early Core Formation stage, but were clearly beyond normal.

As they attacked, booms filled the valley.

"Who are you?!" roared the besieged Core Formation Cultivator. "I'm from the Golden Frost Sect…." Blood sprayed from his mouth as he shot backward.

There was no response to his question. Of the two orange-masked Cultivators, one was pudgy, the other skinny. They advanced forward, their attacks growing even more vicious.

It was at this exact moment that suddenly, one of the three teleportation portals in the valley began to glow. As soon as the glow rose up, the group several dozen Cultivators with black robes and white masks began to close in on the portal.

The glow of teleportation lasted for the space of a few breaths, and then slowly began to disappear. Two figures appeared: Naruto and Shino.

Shino was laughing and saying something to Naruto.

"I have a good relationship with several of the Cultivator Clans in the Barren Mountains. Next, I'm going to take you to…."

Naruto was smiling, but in an instant, his expression immediately changed. Even as the teleportation was completing, before he and Shino could see anything on the outside, a sense of danger rose up within him.

Before he could speak, the sense of danger rose to the heavens. Naruto's face changed. He flicked his left sleeve, and a wild wind sprang up, rippling toward Shino and knocking him to the side. Borrowing some of the momentum, Naruto's body snapped like a willow branch off at another angle.

Naruto and Shino flew off into opposite directions. Almost in the same instant that they left the teleportation portal, a boom filled the air as the combined magical might of the dozens of Cultivators slammed down onto it.

As the boom echoed out, Naruto shot backward nine meters, both hands flashing incantation gestures and then waving out in front of him. Popping sounds rang out as the incoming power of the dozens of Cultivators dissipated.

Shino's face flickered. After being pushed off of the teleportation portal by Naruto, his right hand flickered in an incantation sign and then slammed into the ground. A great beam of light shot out from his body, blocking the power of the magical attack. Despite being of the late Foundation Establishment stage, blood sprayed from his mouth. His eyes filled with astonishment and fury as he looked at his attackers.

Naruto's eyes filled with a cold glow. It had been a long time since he engaged in battle magic with anyone. During his five years in the Violet Fate Sect, he hadn't made even a single attack against anyone. However, his skill in battle magic, and his ability to kill, had by no means been reduced. In fact, his five years of hibernation had made him even stronger.

Some of that had to do with the Dao of alchemy and the Dao of poison. During the past five years, he had concocted no small amount of poisons. Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he looked at the dozen or so Cultivators in black robes and white masks.

The instant he saw them, he could sense the intense killing intent radiating off of them. He saw the corpses laying around on the ground, and the two people in the cage. He also could see the battle going on in the air off in the distance.

He didn't hesitate at all. His right hand slapped his bag of holding, and the two wooden swords flew out. Their sword aura flared up; they had been kept in silence for a very long time, and now that they were out, a massive killing intent boiled up. This caused most of the black-robed Cultivators to turn their heads toward Naruto.

"How dare you!" roared Shino. "I'm a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division. You…" He hadn't personally engaged in magical combat for a very long time. Ever since becoming a Furnace Lord, he had trodden a path filled with courtesy and respect. Yet just now, even before he could step off of the teleportation platform, he had been the victim of a sneak attack.

Before Shino could even finish speaking, Naruto saw the eyes of the black robed men beginning to glisten as they looked over toward the old man.

"Not good," thought Naruto, his eyes flashing. Without a moment's hesitation, his body flickered, and he shot forward.

He moved at incredible speed, the two wooden swords screaming next were like two Sword Dragons that charged directly toward two of the black-robed men. Before the two men could retreat, the wooden swords stabbed through their foreheads, coming out the other sides of their heads in fountains of red and white.

Continuing forward, Naruto flashed an incantation and then shoved his palm forward. Multiple images of a hand appeared. They began to emit a roaring sound, then fell apart into small attacks which shot toward the black-robed men. The black-robed men instantly fell back.

"Senior Shino," Naruto transmitted to Shino, "don't forget the ability of the robe! Get out of here!" The dozens of Cultivators immediately split into two groups, one of which headed toward Naruto, the other toward Shino.

Everything was happening too quickly. Shino was in a panic. However, as soon as Naruto reminded him, he stamped his foot onto the ground. His Furnace Lord's robe began to glow, and suddenly he disappeared.

He had just activated the teleportation function of the Furnace Lord robe, which he could only do three times. Seeing Shino disappear, a cold snort filled the air. One of the two Core Formation Cultivators, the pudgy one, transformed into a beam of light and shot in pursuit of Shino.

As he disappeared off into the distance, his voice rang out, "We have some East Pill Division Cultivators delivered right to our doorstep. Brother Yang, I'll go catch the one that just ran off!"

Without a word, the other Core Formation Cultivator, the skinny one, resumed his battle with the man from the Golden Frost Sect, who was clearly seriously injured at this point. From the look of things, he would be slain at any moment.

Down on the ground, the dozens of black-robed men turned their attention from Shino to Naruto.

Naruto didn't flee. His eyes glittered with killing intent, and the corners of his mouth turned up into a slight smile. It had been a long time since he had been able to make any sort of attack against anyone. These people in front of him were mere Foundation Establishment Cultivators. In Naruto's eyes, they were already dead.

"I haven't killed anyone in five years. I guess you guys are going to make me break my record of abstinence!" This was the first time in five years in which Naruto's Cultivation Base would explode to its full potential!

Fleeing was far from the first of his thoughts!

Before fleeing, he must first make the enemy pay a price!

That was Naruto's personality. Core Formation Cultivators were engaged in battle not far away and his decision was still… KILL!

As the black-robed men approached, Naruto's eyes filled with coldness. He lifted his hands and waved them forward. As he did, no magic appeared. Instead, a cold wind sprang up.

The wind blasted over the dozens of black-robed men, causing a displacement force to spring up. Immediately, the corpses of the two men Naruto had just slain with the wooden swords began to expand.

It happened extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye they had expanded to the point of explosion.

BOOM!

Amidst the roar, chunks of blood and gore showered out in all directions, rapidly turning black. A rotten smell filled the air.

As the blood and gore flew out, miserable screams could be heard. The seven or eight black-robed men nearest to the corpses were clearly infected by the black blood.

The blood contained poison!

As a Furnace Lord who focused on studying the Dao of poison, he had long since coated the two wooden swords with poison that he himself had created. He had done this even when he was still in the Violet Fate Sect.

The black robed men looked on in shock for a moment. Before they could react, the ground exploded up as a mass of dark violet vines burst up. There were more than ten of them, which shot toward the crowd of people.

All of this happened in an instant. Blood curdling screams echoed out, and everything was thrown into a deadly chaos. The killing in Naruto's eyes boiled, and his body flickered as he shot forward.

He cut a slice into his index finger with his thumb. Blood flowed down, and the Blood Finger appeared, something that hadn't been seen in the Southern Domain for a long, long time. Naruto's six Perfect Dao pillars glowed with a violet aura, and began to rotate. His seventh Dao Pillar was nearing completion, and was now around eighty percent formed.

Power invincible to the Foundation Establishment stage poured out from Naruto. A massive crushing pressure emanated out in all directions. These black-robed men were of the full circle of Foundation Establishment. However, their Dao Pillars immediately began to shake. Their faces filled with astonishment. Naruto's fearsomeness exceeding anything they could have imagined.

How could they ever have predicted that this stranger who had charged into their trap looking like a weak scholar, was actually a divinity of death!

Naruto hadn't fought for five years, and now that he did, he made only killing moves. The index finger of his right hand flashed like lightning, slamming down onto the mask of one of the black-robed men. It pierced through the mask, stabbing down into his forehead. Perfect Dao Pillar power burst out, transforming into a terrifying, all-encompassing explosive force. It immediately destroyed the man's Dao Pillars and Core sea, crushing his will, exterminating his life.

Naruto's face was cold as he took hold of the man's corpse. He took a step forward, toward another black-robed man. He squeezed the corpse, which subsequently exploded. Blackened blood splashed out in all directions. A look of shock appeared on the other man's face, and he wasn't fast enough to avoid the blood. It drenched him, and immediately, terrifying screams filled the air. Naruto moved on toward another black-robed man.

His body flitted around like an evil spirit. Beneath his mask, the face of one of the black-robed men twisted. Without hesitation, he bit down on his tongue, spitting out a blood mist which spread out mysteriously to cover his body. He had to attempt to delay Naruto; there were still three other black-robed men nearby who were approaching with magical items in hand.

Naruto gave a cold snort, which echoed out like a clap of thunder. The sound pierced to the very hearts of the four remaining black-robed men. The three who were currently approaching suddenly stopped in their tracks. The man who had just employed the blood mist felt as if his mind was spinning out of control.

Naruto's right knee flew into the air, slamming viciously into the blood mist. It immediately fell into pieces and scattered. His knee continued on, slamming into the black-robed man's chest. Even as the cracking of bones rang out, Naruto's right hand snaked out to latch onto the man's neck.

He turned, and spit out the lightning mist, and a boom filled the air as it enveloped them all. Screams rang out, and after the space of a few breaths, Naruto emerged from within. The three men who had just been approaching were now dead, their eyes still wide with astonishment. Even up to the moment death took them, they couldn't understand how an alchemist… could have such intense killing intent.

Originally there had been twenty seven black robed men. In just a few moments, their numbers were reduced to eleven. Their minds were shaken, and they backed up nervously. The person in front of them didn't seem to be a single Cultivator, but an entire army.

Naruto's hair swirled around his head. The dozen or so tentacles writhed in the air around him bizarrely as he stood there. He emanated the smell of medicinal pills, and the stench of blood. His cold face, his grim eyes, all of it, caused the black-robed men's heart to shake.

"Who are you?!" asked one of the black-robed men, his voice quivering. It was a question that Naruto should have been the one to ask.

Naruto didn't respond. His clothes fluttered in the wind. It was a north wind, blowing stiffly, as if it wished to wash away the reeking smell of blood. As the north wind blew, Naruto lifted his hand. There in his palm appeared a bit of red powder.

The powder lifted up into the wind, blowing about. The faces of the black-robed men twisted as they thought back to the hyper toxic poison from moments ago.

Without the slightest hesitation, the eleven men retreated. However, even as they did, Naruto made an incantation gesture and then pointed out with his finger. A mass of tiny Flame Globes appeared. As they floated in mid-air, they began to change into a green color.

The ignited, and suddenly a massive, green Flame Sea appeared. It was shocking, its heat impossible to describe as it expanded along with the wind, seeming to mix with the powder that was floating in mid-air.

The raging three thousand meter wide Flame Sea expanded out, and as it did, it seemed as if the surrounding valley couldn't withstand the heat. It began to crack and melt.

The eleven black-robed men were moving backward quickly, but they simply weren't fast enough to escape the ghostly, greenish Flame Sea, and were consumed.

It was at this same moment that a boom could be heard off in the distance. With a single blow, the orange-masked Cultivator lopped off the head of the Golden Frost Sect Cultivator. Then he turned, a grim look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Naruto, just barely visible behind the Flame Sea

Separated by the Flame Sea, Naruto looked back at the orange-masked Cultivator. Their gazes locked as the screams of the dying black-robed Cultivators drifted up from within the flames.

Glancing at Naruto's clothing, the orange-masked Cultivator said, "Such a young East Pill Division Furnace Lord. There's only one person like that…. You must be Kazama!" His voice was hoarse and muffled, yet filled with coldness.

"Cultivators with killing intent like this can only be found in one place in the Southern Domain," replied Naruto coolly. "The Black Lands." Actually, from the moment he had first laid eyes on the black-robed Cultivators, something about them had seemed familiar. It was the same feeling he'd gotten from that Cultivator in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land, the one who had told him about the usefulness of the Thunderclap Leaf to Black Lands Cultivators.

Naruto couldn't tell what the orange-masked Cultivator was thinking. What he saw was the man take a seemingly leisurely step forward. In actuality, he was moving very quickly and was apparently planning to cross the Flame Sea. A wind sprang up, and it appeared as if he planned to carve a path through the flames.

The instant the orange-masked Cultivator shot forward, Naruto's Furnace Lord garment began to flicker. Even as the man passed through the sea to arrive in front of Naruto, Naruto's body began to fade away.

At some point, the orange-masked had called forth flying swords, which passed harmlessly through the disappearing image of Naruto.

"Kazama, prominent in the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect, victor of the Dao alchemy debate in the Black Sieve Sect between the East Pill Division and the World Pill Division." The orange-masked Cultivator's voice was cool. He didn't seem to be in a rush to pursue. As he spoke, his right hand slowly lifted and began to make an incantation.

"You are the ninth alchemist on our list. How fortunate to run into you. You won't escape." The man's eyes flickered, and even as he finished speaking, his fingers finished with the incantation.

"Ahh, that direction." The orange-masked Cultivator's body flickered, and he shot off like lightning. His speed was far, far greater than that of the Foundation Establishment stage. They weren't even remotely on the same level. Even more shocking was his Core Chakra. Core Chakra could only be employed by Core Formation Cultivators. Because the varying techniques and power levels of each Cultivator, the Core Chakra they employ will be different colors.

However, even the weakest Core Chakra is sufficient to crush the great circle of late Foundation Establishment. Even a group of late Foundation Establishment Cultivators wouldn't have the hope of raising a hand to a Core Formation Cultivator using Core Chakra.

Core Chakra can make Core Formation magic reach the pinnacle. Afterwards, when the Cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul Stage, their magic will be half way to the point of divine ability.

This orange-masked Cultivator's Core Chakra was a light yellowish color, which indicated that he had an Orange Core. As the Core Chakra emanated out, the indistinct shape of a roc seemed to exist inside of it.

Core Chakra had ever-changing forms which can alter according to the will of the Cultivator. For example, the roc which appeared in the mind of this Cultivator added explosive speed to the Core Chakra.

It was because of this characteristic that allowed Core Formation magic to employ its greatest power!

It was also why it only took about ten breaths of time before Naruto, who was fleeing at top speed, suddenly sensed an incredibly powerful aura approaching from behind him.

This was not the first time he had faced Core Formation Cultivators. He didn't have much reverence for them. Even back in the Five Elements Nation, he had led Core Formation Cultivators to their deaths.

Just as the Core Formation Cultivator was almost upon him, the Furnace Lord garment flickered again, and he was immediately transported about forty kilometers away.

Without hesitation, he began to flee. In his palm was the good luck charm, which he hadn't used in five years. It was flickering, but he could tell that it would be some time before he could activate it.

"My seventh Dao Pillar is almost complete. However, I'm still no match for a Core Formation Cultivator. However, I have enough Spirit Stones, enough medicinal plants, and enough medicinal pills…. I have to push forward without stopping until I reach the great circle of Foundation Establishment!" Resolve appeared in his eyes. Soon he would be able to employ the full accumulated knowledge of five years of studying the Dao of alchemy!

A shocking roar sounded out in all directions. At the same time, an icy coldness raced toward Naruto.

Thirty breaths had passed since Naruto used the Furnace Lord robe displace himself for the second time.

Before he could fly much further away, the orange-masked Cultivator was in hot pursuit. In this instance, the man was clearly some distance away; however the light yellow glow continued to emanate from the top of his head. In it, the image of a sword was faintly visible.

It appeared illusory, but even glancing at it from this distance caused Naruto's heart to tremble. An intense feeling of danger filled his heart and mind.

"This guy has cultivated Core Chakra!" thought Naruto. He was no longer a newcomer to the Cultivator World. He had seen and experienced many things, and had learned long ago of the fearsomeness of Core Formation, especially the shocking Core Chakra.

Back in the Five Elements Nation, none of the Core Formation Cultivators he had met had been able to utilize Core Chakra, except perhaps for the old woman. All of this was information Naruto had deduced from reading the ancient records of the East Pill Division.

"Core Chakra has ever-changing forms. However, it has a nucleus which does not change. I wonder what the essence of this guy's Core Chakra is…." His heart trembled, but suddenly an idea flickered into his mind.

At the same time, he unhesitatingly used the Furnace Lord's ability to warp away to another location. As soon as his body disappeared, the sword image appeared, with its power to shake Heaven and Earth. The aura rose up, a sealing force that locked down the entire area. However, Naruto's illusory body was able to slip past it.

"What a nimble and crafty alchemist," said the orange-robed Cultivator. "However, you can only use that robe three times, and it won't take you more than fifty kilometers away. Let see… how you plan to escape next time!" The Cultivator closed his eyes, and the light yellow Core Chakra spread out. The illusory sword flickered and began to rotate. After the space of three breaths, it began to hum, and the tip pointed north.

The orange-masked Cultivator's eyes snapped open, and his body flickered as he shot off toward the north.

Forty kilometers away, Naruto reappeared. As soon as he did, blood began to seep out of the corners of his mouth. There was a sword wound on his chest, from which blood flowed out. If he had teleported away even a tiny bit slower, the sword just now would have cleaved him in half.

He didn't take the time to wipe the blood from his mouth. His body flashed like lightning as he shot away.

"A phantom sword. I wonder if this guy's personal Core Chakra is a sword…." A grim look appeared on Naruto's face. A Core Formation Cultivator who had not cultivated Core Chakra wouldn't cause Naruto to be in such a tight spot. However, Core Chakra is the most powerful tool of Core Formation Cultivators. Naruto knew that for this orange-masked Cultivator to have cultivated Core Chakra in the early Core Formation stage, indicated that he had incredibly high latent talent.

After becoming a Furnace Lord, Naruto had done quite a bit of research in the ancient records about the Core Formation stage. Therefore, he was quite familiar with things such as Core Chakra. Generally speaking, Core Chakra is cultivated in the late Core Formation stage, or occasionally the mid Core Formation stage. Only a small group of Chosen can cultivate Core Chakra in the early Core Formation stage.

Such Cultivators are very rare. The rarest of all are those who seem to innately possess Core Chakra from the moment they step into early Core Formation.

Within the ever-changing forms of Core Chakra is a form that does not change. This is a personal form related to the individual Cultivator, which is different for every Cultivator.

Naruto's face was dark as he charged forward. He popped a medicinal pill into his mouth. As it dissolved, warmth filled his body, and his speed increased.

"Thirty breaths left…." The good luck charm in his hand had been warming up from the moment he began to fight the black-robed men. As of now, there were still thirty breaths left before he could activate it.

When that happened, Naruto would disappear, and the orange-masked Cultivator would have no way to track him down.

However, after eighteen breaths passed, the glow of the light yellow Core Chakra filled the sky. The bitter coldness appeared again. Off in the distance, the thin frame of the orange-masked Cultivator could be seen in mid-air. The surroundings seem to be shaken into a jumble as he approached relentlessly.

As soon as Naruto sensed his approach, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a jade pendant, which he smashed between his fingers.

"I, Yang, already said that you can't get away," the orange-masked Cultivator said coolly. "You're a trifling Foundation Establishment Cultivator. You should feel proud that you managed to scurry around for this long." The sword image in the Core Chakra emitted an ear-piercing scream. Emanating an icy coldness, it shot directly toward Naruto.

Its speed was incredible, and in the blink of an eye… was directly in front of him.

It sped directly toward his forehead, and was about to pierce it through. There was absolutely no time for Naruto to dodge. The difference between their two Cultivation bases was too great. Death approached.

However, at this exact moment, a glow shot out from Naruto's palm. A rippling, water-like glow flowed out to cover Naruto's body. It expanded out, forming a greenish-blue shield, which the Core Chakra phantom sword slammed into.

The orange-masked Cultivator's eyes went wide underneath his mask when he saw the shield. His pupils constricted, and an expression of disbelief appeared in his eyes. He was about to recall his Core Chakra phantom sword, but was too late.

The Core Chakra phantom sword, seemingly infinitely sharp, noiselessly slammed into the greenish-blue shield. Instantly it weakened and then began to break into pieces. In the blink of an eye, it was transformed into dust.

Seeing the Core Chakra phantom sword disappear into powder caused the orange-masked Cultivator to give an irritated harrumph. Beneath his mask, blood oozed out of his mouth. His eyes filled with fury. He was a Core Formation Cultivator who had cultivated Core Chakra. However, during this attempt to toy with a measly Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his Core Chakra had been shattered, causing him injury.

"Nascent Soul Cultivation blood…. Let's see how many times you can pull that off!" The killing intent in the orange-masked Cultivator's eyes grew more intense. He shot toward Naruto, his right hand flickering an incantation gesture. Magical power erupted, transforming into ten dragons and ten phoenixes, which spiralled toward Naruto.

At the same time, the greenish-blue shield began to shrink, returning into Naruto's palm and transforming into a jade pendant. This pendant was one of the spoils of his victory in the Solitary Sword Sect. It was a life-saving treasure that contained blood from the Cultivation base of Guy's Master, fist master Chen, and could defend against an attack from a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

It could defend against an attack by a Nascent Soul Cultivator, but could only be used once at a time. Defending against a Core Formation Cultivator caused its glow to weaken, and it still could be used again, just not right now.

The orange-masked Cultivator's mouth was oozing with blood. He had been injured, and the Core Chakra above his head was unstable. However, he continued to advance toward Naruto, the ten dragons and ten phoenixes howling as they shot through the air. Suddenly, an intense killing intent appeared in Naruto's eyes.

He did not flee, but instead lifted his hand and pointed toward the orange-masked Cultivator.

"Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!" Veins of blood shot through his eyes. As he pointed his finger out, Heaven and Earth shook, Naruto's body moved, everything moved. Even the ten dragons and ten phoenixes moved. Ghost images sprang up and pressed down toward the orange-masked Cultivator.

The orange-masked Cultivator's expression flickered. The ten dragons and ten phoenixes began to tremble, as if they were being held down. The world seemed to turn upside down; everything in the area was sealed.

The sealing was such that the orange-masked Cultivator seemed incapable of controlling his Cultivation base.

"What magic is this?!" he said, his heart shaking.

Veins of blood filled Naruto's eye, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Using the sealing hex on a Core Formation Cultivator was an incredible load; all the blood vessels in his body seemed on the verge of bursting. Naruto's killing intent soared. He flicked his sleeve, and a red powder flew out, filling the area, transforming into a red mist. The mist roiled, and as Naruto moved forward, it shot toward the orange-masked Cultivator.

At the same time, Naruto placed the life-saving jade pendant into his robe. His left hand rose up, and he slashed one finger, two fingers, three fingers… all five fingers! Blood flowed down all five of his fingers, forming… the Blood Palm!

When the Blood Palm appeared, the red mist around him seethed even more violently, seeming to transform into a mist of blood. The mist began to erode everything in the area; it seemed to be hyper toxic, adding thirty percent power to Naruto's attack.

All of this takes a long time to describe, but actually occurred in an instant. As Naruto's multiple killing attacks descended upon the orange-masked Cultivator, the man's eyes went wide. Suddenly, he was able to move again; after all, he was a Core Formation Cultivator. The Eighth Hex was beyond ordinary, but couldn't keep the man sealed for more than two breaths.

"Insignificant skill! DIE!" howled the orange-masked Cultivator. His right hand flickered in an incantation gesture and then pushed out toward Naruto. Instantly, a roaring filled the air, and an illusory, ten-headed dragon appeared. Snarling fiercely, it shot to meet Naruto's magical attack. A boom rang out.

The red mist collapsed. The Blood Palm disintegrated. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth as he was tossed backward like a kite with its string cut. The orange-masked Cultivator was about to shoot after him. However, the man's eyes went wide as Naruto, even in the midst of being seriously injured and tossed backward, suddenly slapped his bag of holding. He flicked his sleeve, sending more powder out to fill the air. It was thin, but it was enough to cause the orange-masked Cultivator to pause momentarily.

Moments ago, he had prevented the blood mist from entering his lungs. However, he had still been able to sense the terrifying power of the mist. That was because he had a tiny cut on the pinky of his right hand which had been slightly infected. That tiny bit caused an intense pain to shoot through him.

Even as blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth and he toppled backward, his pupils began to glow with a violet light. His skin and Chakra passageways also began to glow violet, making his entire body glow.

This was the Violet Pupil Transformation!

Within Violet Pupil Transformation, Naruto's body began to recover rapidly. Surrounded by poison mist, he glared at the orange-masked Cultivator and the Core Chakra which emanated from his head. The man was stabilizing rapidly. Within ten breaths at the most, he would be able to release his Core Chakra.

Naruto didn't hesitate a moment longer. He immediately pressed down on the good luck charm, activating the teleportation ability.

Instantly, a black hole appeared, a massive mouth which consumed Naruto. This turn of events caught the orange-masked Cultivator completely by surprise. His face flickered, and he shot forward in pursuit.

He was too late.

The orange-masked Cultivator's expression was somber. His eyes radiated coldness, a deep coldness that contained fury. From the moment he had entered the Core Formation stage and cultivated Core Chakra, he had been able to sweep with ease across any other Cultivator who lacked Core Chakra.

But today, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had disintegrated his Core Chakra, injuring him in the process, and then had just as quickly suppressed him. Despite all this, his fury burned as hotly as ever.

Even more infuriating was that someone he viewed to be as weak as an ant, had before his very eyes slaughtered all of his white-masked men. Such provocation caused killing intent to rise within his heart. However… even beneath such killing intent, the man had fled.

The coldness in the man's eyes grew even sharper. He knew that if his fellow Sect members learned of this, they would surely ridicule him. After all, the Cultivator who had escaped from his hands was not adept in magic, but alchemy.

He couldn't accept it, nor could he understand what had happened. In fact, among all the Cultivators he knew who were famous for their abilities in magic, he couldn't think of any who could compare to this alchemist.

In terms of decisiveness, fighting skill, and treachery, he couldn't help but think that this alchemist who had just fled, really seemed like a ruthless Black Lands Cultivator.

"How could there be an alchemist like this?!" He stared at the place where Naruto had just disappeared from. His Core Chakra was now fully restored, but no matter how he cast his senses about, he couldn't pick up the slightest track to follow.

It was clear that his opponent had teleported to somewhere very far way, somewhere he could not sense.

After some time passed, the orange-masked Cultivator gave a cold harrumph. "Well, he was injured by the frigid power of my Ten Flood Dragons. He can run away from me, but not from death, even if he is a Furnace Lord. Let's see whether or not he dies in the end.

"He's looking for death…. Foundation Establishment Cultivator…. No one can live more than ten days after being hit by the frigid power of my Ten Flood Dragons." Abandoning thoughts of pursuing and killing, he turned and disappeared.

In the western region of the great Southern Domain is an area covered with thin mists. Few mountain ranges exist, and many lakes can be seen. Among them is one of the famous three Danger Zones of the Southern Domain, the Primordial Dao Lakes.

At a glance, the western regions seem to be covered with a myriad of mirrors placed on the ground. These mirrors are of course the countless lakes.

At this moment, above the middle of the one of the lakes, the previously glass-like waters suddenly began to ripple. A massive black hole appeared, and Naruto staggered out.

The instant he appeared, he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. The blood was black, and emitted intense coldness. It splashed into the lake, and disappeared. However, moments later, the surface of the lake was covered in a thin sheet of ice.

Naruto's face was pale. He lifted his head and looked around, then transformed into a prismatic beam that shot off into the distance.

Several days later, in one of the sparse mountain ranges in this western part of the Southern Domain, Naruto sat cross-legged inside of a freshly carved out Immortal's Cave. He consumed medicinal pills and rotated his Cultivation base as he treated his injuries.

Time passed slowly. Soon, a month had gone by. During that time, Naruto didn't step half a pace outside of the Immortal's Cave. He was focused completely on treating his injuries. The Immortal's Cave he was in was in a remote location. Considering that few people inhabited this western area, as well as the mists that covered the land, it was very peaceful.

Finally one day, Naruto's eyes opened. His face was no longer pale, and his body was now mostly recovered.

"Orange-masked Cultivator!" Naruto's eyes glowed with a cold aura. This was the first time he had been injured in five years, and the injury had been quite severe. Were it not for the Violet Pupil Transformation increasing his healing abilities, then he would not have lasted long enough to carve out this Immortal's Cave.

Furthermore, were he not an alchemist, equipped with a variety of medicinal pills, he wouldn't have been able to last through the month.

After all, he had been injured by a Core Formation expert who could wield Core Chakra!

If the Core Formation expert had faced any Foundation Establishment Cultivator other than Naruto, that person would never have been able to flee, and would certainly have been defeated.

Naruto took a deep breath. His expression was grim as he produced a pill furnace and some medicinal pills, and then began to concoct. His injury was not completely healed. There was still intense coldness within his body.

Naruto began to concoct a medicinal pill specifically designed for his current circumstances.

A few more months passed. Three days after Naruto consumed his specially designed medicinal pill, his eyes suddenly opened. He then spat out the last of the icy coldness from within his body. It scattered about the Immortal's Cave, causing frost to appear, which then turned into ice.

After a long moment passed, the cave began to return to normal.

If that orange-masked Cultivator was here to observe the scene, he wouldn't be able to believe his eyes. He had complete faith that no Foundation Establishment Cultivator could survive the frigid power of the Ten Flood Dragons. However… Naruto had obviously recovered from his injuries.

He took a deep breath, and killing intent grew strong in his eyes. He sat there thoughtfully for a while, and then determination grew in his eyes. He smacked his bag of holding to produce the pill furnace once again.

He held it in his hand, lost in thought.

"I need to concoct a batch of pills that will help me to surge ahead. I need a medicinal pill that will without fail produce a Dao Pillar, something that exceeds Foundation Establishment Day, and will cause my Cultivation base to soar." A deeply thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. In his mind, countless pill formulas appeared. Finally, he decided on a formula for a pill known as Stage Charging Pill.

"This pill can be used with the Three Mortalities Pill in order to break through from the Foundation Establishment Stage into the Core Formation stage!"

After thinking for a while longer, his eyes filled with decisiveness. He immediately produced a large amount of medicinal plants from his bag of holding and began to concoct the Stage Charging Pill. He focused his complete attention on the concoction process. Several days passed. Even while using the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation, he failed several times. It wasn't until the seventeenth day that he was able to successfully concoct the pill.

When it appeared, a medicinal aroma emanated out, filling the Immortal's Cave. If Naruto hadn't already made special preparations to prevent the aroma from seeping out of the Immortal's Cave, it could very well have attracted unwanted attention.

Holding the pill in hand, his eyes glittered. He took out the copper mirror and an accumulation of Spirit Stones, then began to duplicate.

One Stage Charging Pill after another appeared, which Naruto all placed into pill bottles. Soon, ten full pill bottles were arranged neatly in front of him. He spit out the lightning mist, and sent the wooden swords circling around him. In addition, he activated the Furnace Lord medallion. Having made all of these preparations, he took a deep breath, picked up a Stage Charging Pill, and placed it into his mouth.

His seventh Dao pillar was already eighty percent complete. When he placed the pill into his mouth, it transformed into spiritual power which immediately caused his entire body to tremble. The seventh Dao Pillar began to emanate a purple glow, and became even more solid.

"Press on to the finish!" he thought, his eyes shining with determination. He then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Time passed slowly. A month later, Naruto's body began to tremble and wither up. He calmly produced a large handful of medicinal pills and began to put them in his mouth one after another.

Seven more days passed. A roaring filled his body, and a purple glow emanated out brightly, filling the entire Immortal's Cave. The seventh Dao Pillar had fully appeared!

As soon as it did, Naruto's Cultivation base shot upward. His Spiritual Sense grew stronger, and his battle prowess more formidable. His entire person was like an unsheathed sword, incomparably dangerous.

Now, he was no longer in the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but rather the late Foundation Establishment stage!

Even someone with a Flawless Foundation would not be able to give rise to the slightest bit of struggle against the suppressive pressure he could emit. As of now, he was without a doubt the number one person in the entire Foundation Establishment stage!

However, Naruto wasn't content. Being matchless in the Foundation Establishment stage wasn't something he had looked forward to. He wanted to fight that orange-masked Cultivator! To do that, his current Cultivation base simply wasn't sufficient!

A bright glow filled his eyes, and he took another deep breath. He retrieved a vast amount of Spirit Stones and began to duplicate medicinal pills. These Spirit Stones included his profits from selling pills in the East Pill Division, as well as what had been gifted to him by the Black Sieve Sect, plus what he had received during his travels with Shino as well. It was quite an amount, but every time Naruto looked at it, it didn't seem enough for him.

However, if he truly wanted to go the distance today, then he would have to ignore the pain and use them to duplicate medicinal pills. The cultivation he was about to practice was something that no one in the Southern Domain had ever seen before.

Even Dao Children would not be able to squander medicinal pills in the way that Naruto was right now!

Time passed. One month, two months, three months….

Naruto lost track of the passage of time in his Immortal's Cave. As he cultivated, his eighth Dao Pillar slowly became visible.

Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent…. After half a year, his eighth Dao Pillar was now eighty percent complete.

Meanwhile, outside in the Southern Domain, a violent windstorm of a commotion had arisen.

This storm came from the Black Lands!

Black Lands Cultivators were making incursions into the Southern Domain!

More than seventy alchemists mysteriously disappeared!

These two events caused a huge commotion in the Southern Domain. The missing alchemists were mostly from the East Pill and World Pill Divisions, although other scattered alchemists were also involved. This unforeseen misfortune caused the fury of the Violet Fate Sect and the Golden Frost Sect to rise to the heavens.

These two Sects were the first to take action. Mysterious Patriarchs from both Sects immediately traveled to the Black Lands. According to the rumors, Grandmasters Pill Demon and Eternal Mountain both secretly made the trip themselves.

The Black Lands had existed for many years, and was a brutal place, but there was little the Southern Domain could do about it. The details of the affair between the two powers were not made public. The only thing that people knew was that the Golden Frost Sect did not recover any of their alchemists, whereas the Violet Fate Sect managed to bring back all of theirs, with the exception of a Furnace Lord named Shino. After the incident, neither Sect brought up the Black Lands ever again.

As for the Black Lands, they laid down the flag and stilled the drums, so to speak. Everything seemed to go back to normal in the Southern Domain. No more alchemists went missing, and as for what was happening in the Black Lands, no one knew.

After half a year in which the Black Lands' aggressiveness had been reigned in, a Dao Geyser appeared not far away from the Primordial Dao Lakes, in the western part of the Southern Domain.

Within the fountain of water that shot up from the geyser, an illusory image could be seen. It was an image from ancient times, of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator breaking through into the Core Formation stage.

The appearance of the geyser immediately caused a huge stir among the great Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain. Veteran old timers from the various Sect went to inspect the geyser, then left. Afterward, Chosen disciples of the Foundation Establishment stage, as well as Dao Children, were dispatched to continue observation of the geyser.

A message was sent out by a late Nascent Soul Stage Patriarch from the Solitary Sword Sect:

"This geyser contains enlightenment. Gain this enlightenment, and you might enter Core Formation. It is not suitable for us, but rather for you Foundation Establishment Cultivators."

These words caused a huge commotion among all of the Foundation Establishment Chosen within the Southern Domain. From all areas, they began to flock to the western region of the Southern Domain. A month later, Asuma, Dao Child from the Black Sieve Sect, made a breakthrough next to the Dao Geyser, and entered Core Formation. He formed a Green Core, astonishing everyone.

After Asuma of the Black Sieve Sect reached Core Formation because of the ancient Dao Geyser, a long-lasting storm wind kicked up among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Southern Domain.

It swept across the great Sects and Clans, causing all disciples of the Foundation Establishment stage to rush to the western region of the Southern Domain.

Now, the western region, which previously contained hardly the trace of a person, quickly became a convergence of Chosen. Of course, friction immediately broke out. For months, there were countless battles. Whoever came out on the top of such battles would instantly become famous.

Spontaneous conventions such as this rarely occurred in the Southern Domain. It was not often for there to be such an assemblage of Chosen, all gathered together in one place and contending for supremacy.

That was exactly what was happening now, though, thanks to the appearance of the ancient Dao Geyser!

The geyser erupted on a monthly basis. Furthermore, there was limited space in which to properly observe it. As such, it was common for magical battle to erupt.

In the second month after the appearance of the ancient Dao Geyser, Conclave Disciple Hinata of the Black Sieve Sect defeated Shimura Clan Dao Child Kabuto , which rocked the entire western region.

Before the battle, few knew the name of Hinata. Afterwards, though, it spread far and wide.

In the fourth month, Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan, the one who had been rumored to have died all those years ago, Itachi, along with Akatsuchi , one of the Seven Sons of the Solitary Sword Sect, both gained the enlightenment of the ancient Dao Geyser. Although they didn't have breakthroughs, their Cultivation bases experienced significant growth. According to the rumor, both of them received enlightenment regarding a certain magical technique.

In the fifth month, Dao Child of the Nadeshiko Clan, Sagiri Nadeshiko , battled Guy, another of the Seven Sons of the Solitary Sword Clan. In the end, they were evenly matched; however, because of the battle, Guy's reputation grew rapidly.

During the same month, Dao Child of the Blood Demon Clan, Chino , fought heroine Rock Lee of the Solitary Sword Sect. The explosions caused by the battle filled the area, and did not end with victory or defeat, but rather, with both parties gaining the enlightenment of the Dao Geyser.

In the sixth month, friction arose between the Golden Frost Sect's Dao Child, and Shikamaru , Chosen of the Blood Demon Sect. A bloody battle was fought, during which the Dao Child's arm was severed. This sent mighty waves of astonishment throughout the Southern Domain.

During the same month, Sasuke, Chosen of the Uchiha Clan and younger brother of Itachi, also achieved enlightenment. He made a breakthrough in his Cultivation base, reaching the great circle of Foundation Establishment. This also caused quite a stir.

By observing the tableau within the erupting geyser, and gaining the power of the enlightenment, one could gain something from nothing, and cause the Cultivation base to grow, without the use of any medicinal pills. It was an opportunity for incredible luck for anyone in the Foundation Establishment stage in the Southern Domain.

Because of the Dao Geyser, it was possible to suddenly break through from Foundation Establishment into Core Formation. The only thing that would be more incredible would be to break through from Core Formation into the Nascent Soul stage. One could imagine the struggles that would result from something like that.

In the blink of an eye, the western region of the Southern Domain was thrown into turmoil. It was only the Violet Fate Sect who didn't dispatch any disciples to the Dao Geyser. There were many speculations about this, and most people came to the conclusion that it had something to do with the previous incident with the Black Lands.

The western region of the Southern Domain quickly became the focus of all attention. Not very far off from the location of the Dao Geyser, Naruto sat cross-legged in meditation.

His body was once again as withered as a corpse's. However boundless life force existed deep inside him. The sound of his heartbeat began to ring out, louder and louder.

His eighth Dao Pillar was now more than ninety percent complete. The critical juncture had arrived, and he had consumed roughly seventy to eighty percent of his medicinal pills. At the moment, over a hundred empty pill bottles were strewn about the Immortal's Cave.

Time slowly passed. Soon, half a month had gone by. Outside the Immortal's Cave, black clouds filled the sky, and a thin rain fell down. The curtains of rain made the outside world hazy. Suddenly, the peaceful rainy atmosphere was broken as two prismatic beams of light shot into the area.

Two young Cultivators approached, locked in magical combat. One was from the Solitary Sword Sect, another was from the Blood Demon Sect. The booming sounds caused by their magical techniques echoed out constantly. Both of these Cultivators were well-known in the world; they were Chosen of their respective Sects. And now here they were in the western region, fighting a bitter battle.

Booms echoed out, and shocking magical techniques were employed. They charged along, attacking, rocking the surroundings. Unbeknownst to them, they were nearing Naruto's isolated mountain. At a glance, it was obvious that the effects of their magical techniques were rippling out toward his mountain.

A massive boom sounded out, and within the Immortal's Cave, Naruto, his body withered like a corpse, suddenly opened his eyes. They flashed like lightning.

The instant they opened, his gaze blasted out, filled with a powerful, brilliant light. It was shocking, so much so that the mountain itself began to shake. Even the falling rain outside began to vibrate.

Moments ago, the two fighting Cultivators had only been worried about each other. All of a sudden, though, their hair stood on end, seemingly out of instinct. An indescribable sense of danger rose up, and their facial expressions immediately changed. Their Cultivation bases were suddenly suppressed, their bodies began to twitch, and their scalps grew numb. They felt as if death itself were staring down upon them, causing their hearts to pound.

Naruto's shrivelled lips suddenly opened. When he began to speak, the sound was a bit weak, but it instantly rose to frenzied heights, a shocking roar which filled the world outside the Immortal's cave. It slammed into the ears of the two Cultivators louder than thunder. It turned into their whole world, engulfing them, as if it were the only sound in the world.

"SCREW OFF!"

SCREW OFF…

…OFF….

…off….

…

The booming echoed back and forth in the surrounding five kilometer region, the lone mountain being the centre of it. It seemed this area was a forbidden zone.

The two Cultivator's minds reeled, and they immediately coughed up mouthfuls of blood. Their Cultivation bases were in the late Foundation Establishment stage; however, beneath the voice they had just heard, they seemed weak enough to fall at a single blow. Faces pale, scalps numb, expressions that of astonishment and panic, they retreated at top speed, using all the strength they possessed. It wasn't until they had fled fifty kilometres away that they finally looked back.

The rain fell down around them. Moments ago they had been in a life-and-death battle. However, at the moment, neither of them seemed to be in the mood for fighting. They glanced at each other, and they both seemed to feel they had just barely avoided a disaster.

"Who… was that?"

"All the heroes of the Southern Domain have come to the western region, a multitude of Dao Children and Chosen. I'm not sure who this guy is, but the feeling he gives is even more terrifying than the feeling I get from Elder Sister Rock Lee or Elder Brother Akatsuchi of my Solitary Sword Sect!"

"Same here. Even facing up against Elder Sister Chino wouldn't be as frightening. I felt like I was a mortal…."

Seeing how they were both so shaken, they silently turned and sped off, each in a different direction.

Three days after they left, Naruto sat in the Immortal's Cave. Suddenly, a violet light rose up from his body. It didn't spread out of the Immortal's Cave, which had been thoroughly sealed. However, the light caused the entire world of the Immortal's Cave to turn violet.

The glow lasted for several hours, then slowly began to fade. There sat Naruto; he hadn't moved for nearly half a year.

He no longer looked withered and weak; he was completely recovered. His eyes were closed. However, an explosive power seemed to be growing stronger within him.

He didn't move, but looking at him, you would get the feeling that he was moving in a way that would shake the heavens and earth.

A long time passed, and slowly, the ferocious aura emanating from Naruto's body faded. Finally, he opened his eyes. His pupils looked normal, but deep in their recesses was a shocking profundity. They were like deep pools of water, or an endlessly starry night sky.

Naruto took a long, deep breath. Within his body, his eight Dao Pillars glowed with a violet aura. They rotated, emitting spiritual power throughout his body which far, far outmatched his previous power.

"It's still not enough," he thought. "But it's the best I can do for now. Eight Dao Pillars. I don't have quite enough to pass the critical juncture for the final Dao Pillar." It wasn't that he didn't have enough medicinal pills. For some reason, he had the strange feeling that there was something about the ninth Dao Pillar that didn't have anything to do with medicinal pills.

He felt as if he were in a bottleneck, and that at some point he would reach a turning point. Once that turning point arrived, he wouldn't need any medicinal pills whatsoever. Instead, he would be able to rely on his eight Dao Pillars to create the ninth. Then he would have completed the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

He took a deep breath, and sat there thoughtfully for a long moment. Finally, he lifted his head and looked outside of the Immortal's Cave. It was still raining. The murmur of the rainfall filled the land. Everything looked dim and hazy.

His secluded meditation had lasted for a long time, and he had no idea of the events which had transpired during that better part of a year. He also had no idea whether or not Shino had escaped with his life.

For the moment, Naruto chose not to go out. His eyes shining, he looked down at his bag of holding and then produced a Spring and Autumn tree.

Having been in secluded meditation for more than half a year already, he didn't really care much about how much time had passed. Once he did go out, he wanted to be prepared to make up for his previous defeat at the hands of the orange-masked Cultivator. With death!

Naruto took a deep breath. He lifted up the Spring and Autumn tree in his right hand. A blinding violet glow appeared in his palm. He employed the full, massive power of his eight Dao Pillars to begin the catalyzing process.

The violet light grew more and more intense, and the Spring and Autumn tree sucked it in. Soon, a second sprout appeared on its surface. At the same time, Naruto's left hand performed the incantation to brand the Spring and Autumn tree with the Time locking magic.

"Including the test I performed in the Black Sieve Sect, twenty years of Time are now locked within this Spring and Autumn tree." He pulled out a jade box, within which was the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill. He examined it closely, comparing it to the Spring and Autumn tree.

"Time is like a poison, a poison which can be used to refine treasures. It melts away life force…." Within Naruto's mind appeared the images of what had happened to Izumo. After some time passed, he took a deep breath, and then once again picked up the Spring and Autumn tree and began to catalyze the Time within.

Time passed, ten days, in the blink of an eye. On this particular day, a look of concentration covered Naruto's face. The Spring and Autumn tree in his hand was now half gray. However, locked within was nearly fifty years of Time. The further along he went, the more of his Cultivation base he had to use to perform the catalyzation, and the slower it went.

As of now, he was completing the last ten years of a sixty year cycle. When this catalyzation was completed, the Spring and Autumn tree would look completely different than it had before.

It was dusk, and the rain outside was still falling down in sheets. Naruto was completely focused on the Spring and Autumn tree. He continued catalyzing without pause. Suddenly, his expression flickered; the Spring and Autumn tree had begun to wither.

It seemed as if the tree couldn't handle the fifty years of Time. Regardless of what mystical properties the Spring and Autumn tree had, at this moment it was decaying. Soon, it turned into gray ash, which collapsed through Naruto's fingers.

An unsightly expression appeared on his face. He looked down at the ash, and then back at his right hand. His hand appeared to have aged as well. It wasn't fifty years, but obviously the failure just now had resulted in a recoil.

Ignoring his hand, Naruto began to think.

"No wonder treasures like this are so rare; forging the Time treasure is extremely complex. One failure can negate all the previous successes. It's possible to expend great cost, but then make a slight mistake in the very end. If that happens, all is for naught. Furthermore, every failure comes at the price of a Time recoil…." Naruto could clearly sense that the recoil just now had caused some of his life force to disappear.

"However, if there's anyone who can actually forge this treasure… then that person is me." His eyes began to glow brightly, and, muttering to himself, he slapped his right hand down onto his bag of holding to retrieve another Spring and Autumn tree. Once again, he began to catalyze it.

Time passed. By that night, the Spring and Autumn contained ten years of Time. Ten days later, Naruto had once again reached the point where fifty years of Time was locked within the Spring and Autumn tree.

He took a deep breath, and consumed some medicinal pills to restore his energy. Two hours later, he opened his eyes. He didn't begin to immediately catalyze the final ten years of Time. Instead, he produced the copper mirror from within his bag of holding. He duplicated some medicinal pills, then used some of his remaining Spirit Stones to duplicate the Spring and Autumn tree with the fifty years of Time locked inside.

It seemed that a full sixty year cycle of Time was a watershed mark. Before reaching it, the duplication cost wouldn't be very high. However, after reaching the sixty year cycle, Naruto had the strong feeling that the duplication cost would increase tremendously.

A few moments later, a bang sounded out. An irritated look appeared on Naruto's face as his entire right arm aged, and the Spring and Autumn tree once again crumbled into dust. He didn't have many Spirit Stones left, but he pushed down the sense of pain and used almost the entire remaining amount to produce another copy, which he then began to catalyze.

This catalyzation lasted a full two days before the Spring and Autumn tree turned gray. After sealing it with the Time-sealing magic, the tree began to emit an archaic sense of Time.

He had finally succeeded in embodying the Spring and Autumn tree with a full sixty year cycle!

Naruto began to pant as he looked at the Spring and Autumn tree. His eyes began to shine. He could sense that the Spring and Autumn tree contained a feeling of Time similar to the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill! It was much, much weaker, but it was definitely there.

"Sadly, I don't have enough Spirit Stones. In the future, this treasure will definitely require a lot of them. A Time treasure with a sixty year cycle of Time is considerably powerful, though. It's good enough for now!" His eyes flickering, he looked thoughtfully at the Spring and Autumn tree for a moment, then used his left hand to begin to whittle it.

A few moments later, Naruto was holding a simple wooden sword. Its appearance was crude, but this crude wooden sword was a magical treasure that Naruto had created himself.

He looked at the Wooden Time Sword for a moment, then put it into his bag of holding. Next, he produced some jade bottles. Each of these bottles contained blood; they were none other than the three generations of ancestral blood that he had collected from the Black Sieve Sect when concocting the Soul Refining Pills.

"I concocted pills for thirteen generations of the Black Sieve Sect, and of them, was able to collect five sets of ancestral blood from three generations…. From this blood, I should be able to create five rudimentary Blood Clones." Within his mind he could see the description of Blood Clones which was contained in the Blood Immortal legacy.

"Blood Clones are like shadows. Meld the self into the shadow, and it becomes like a doppelgänger, its life and death tied to my thoughts. A Blood Clone contains twenty to thirty percent of the power of the Cultivation base of my true self. If I can upgrade it to a Blood Spirit, it can employ one hundred percent of my true self's Cultivation base. The final version, which is created with nine generations of ancestral blood, is a Blood Divinity, which is a defiance of the Heavens!" The legacy of the Blood Immortal was truly sinister! Early on, he had had his doubts. However after all his years in the Cultivation World, and after studying the Dao of alchemy and the Dao of poison, he now had a much better understanding.

"Much like poison, there are thousands of types of magic. The great Dao is limitless, filled with paths which may be trodden according to one's will and one's own decisions." He lifted his right hand and, according to the method described in the Blood Immortal legacy, began to create his Blood Clones.

This technique used one's own blood as the spirit, and the three generations of ancestral blood to bolster it. Furthermore, a sacrificial object was also necessary. According to the Blood Immortal legacy, this sacrificial object was of utmost importance. Of course, there are myriad objects in Heaven and Earth. Plants and trees, rocks and earth, anything could be used. In fact, the ancient Blood Immortal even used the skin of his enemies as the sacrificial object.

As long as the sacrificial object was not destroyed, the Blood Clone could not be destroyed. The greater the fusion between the two, the more power could be manifested by the Blood Clone's Cultivation base.

After thinking for a moment, Naruto decided that the sacrificial item he would use would be the meat jelly's shed skin!

When the meat jelly had shed, it had left behind plenty of residual skin which Naruto had collected. Naruto retrieved five pieces the size of a fingernail, and then began to use them to refine the Blood Clones.

Time passed by slowly. Soon, three months had gone by….

The Dao Geyser in the western region of the Southern Domain eventually increased its rate of eruption from once per month to every three days. Soon, the interval grew shorter; every two days, and then every day. Eventually, it was erupting multiple times per day, with no end in sight!

According to the ancient records of the Sects of the Southern Domain, continuous eruptions would go on for seven days, and then the geyser would disappear.

Time was running out. The Chosen of the great Sects and Clans spent all their time and focus on trying to gain enlightenment, vying for a chance to receive good fortune at the critical moment.

One day, Blood Demon Sect Dao Child Chino gained enlightenment and made a breakthrough, reaching Core Formation. Spiritual energy poured out of the geyser, absorbable only by her. No one else dared to steal away even a scrap.

After her was Dao Child of the Shimura Clan, Kabuto, the very same one who had been defeated but not killed by Hinata. His name immediately spread throughout the Southern Domain as the third Cultivator to break through to Core Formation. Again, the spiritual energy which poured out of the Dao Geyser could only be absorbed by him, the one who had gained enlightenment.

The Southern Domain was in full commotion.

It was during this period of time that Naruto finally left his secluded meditation, after nearly a year. He stepped out, his hair long, his right hand somewhat withered. He no longer wore the clothing of a Violet Fate Sect Furnace Lord, but instead an orange robe.

It was a rainy morning when he emerged. He immediately transformed into a beam of prismatic light that shot off into the distance.

His expression was placid, but his eyes seemed to contain the profundity of the stars.

His Cultivation base was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, but his battle prowess was no longer on the same level as Foundation Establishment Cultivators. As for exactly how much more powerful….

Naruto wanted to find out for himself!

Therefore, he would go to battle!

By battle, he would gain enlightenment of Heaven and Earth. By battle, he would gain enlightenment regarding his ninth Dao Pillar. By battle… he would shock the world!

He would seek out that turning point which would lead to a breakthrough in his Cultivation base!

Seven days later, massive, figurative storm winds buffeted the Southern Domain. The hearts of each and every Southern Domain Cultivator in the western region was completely shaken.

All of this was because of one name.

The Faceless Orange Hero!

According to the rumors, he wore a long, orange-colored robe, and his face was nothing but a blur.

According to the rumors, he was only in the late Foundation Establishment stage, but his battle prowess was incredible, something rarely seen.

According to the rumors, whenever he attacked, he would only say one thing:

"Fight!"

The rumors had begun to spread immediately after his first battle, seven days before. He had fought a Chosen of the Golden Frost Sect, who was of the great circle of late Foundation Establishment. They had met each other flying in mid air, and for no apparent reason, the words "fight" had been uttered, whereupon a boom filled the sky.

In an instant, the Golden Frost Sect Chosen was defeated. It happened in the blink of an eye, as if the man were dry weeds or rotten wood, just waiting to be crushed.

Many people saw the fight. It was incredibly shocking, but before they could even spread the news, they witnessed the Faceless Orange Hero's second battle.

His opponent was a Chosen of the Blood Demon Sect. Again, the Chosen was defeated in an instant!

Their lives were spared. However, such decisive defeats were like massive floodwaters that could smash away one's self-confidence, and left each opponent at a complete loss.

In the following days, the Shimura Clan, the Black Sieve Sect, the Nadeshiko Clan, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Uchiha Clan… all the grand Sects and Clans saw similar fates befall their Chosen disciples. Anyone who met the man in the orange robe would never even have a chance to make two attacks. They were all instantly defeated.

The western region of the Southern Domain was in an uproar as everyone began to speculate regarding the identity of this faceless, orange-robed man. Opinions were widely varied.

On the eighth day, roughly fifteen hundred kilometers away from the Dao Geyser, where the Solitary Sword Sect disciples were gathered together, an orange-robed form flitted about in mid-air. Up ahead was a middle-aged man with a flushed face. His eyes shone brightly as he stared at the orange-robed man in front of him.

"Just who exactly are you?!"

The orange-robed man was naturally none other than Naruto.

For the past several days he had been constantly fighting, all in an attempt to gain battle enlightenment regarding his ninth Dao pillar. He had heard of the Dao Geyser, of course, as well as of the people who had reached Core Formation.

However, he didn't immediately go to the Dao Geyser. Instead, he continued to issue challenges to the heroes of the Southern Domain. After days of facing off against multiple opponents, and achieving victory after victory, he now had his sights set on the Dao children of the various Sects and Clans.

The middle-aged man in front of him was none other than the First of the Seven Sons of the Solitary Sword Sect, Akatsuchi, of the great circle of Foundation Establishment, half way to Core Formation!

"Fight? Or not?" asked Naruto, his voice cool.

Akatsuchi's eyes shone brightly. Lifting his head to the sky, he laughed heartily, then rose his right hand, sending his massive greatsword screaming out. The sword aura shone up to the heavens as it shot toward Naruto. A light smile touched the corners of Naruto's lips, and he advanced forward a step.

A massive boom filled the air, and at the same time….

Blood sprayed from Akatsuchi's mouth as he tumbled backward through the air. Astonishment filled his face. His greatsword had begun to crumble into pieces. Hidden inside was a flying dagger which could unleash the power of Core Formation. However, it too was shaking and covered with cracks, and flew backward along with Akatsuchi.

One moment, one move, utter defeat!

A long slash stretched from Akatsuchi's right shoulder all the way to his left armpit. Bone could be seen within the wound, and blood gurgled out from within. Akatsuchi's face was pale as one of the other Solitary Sword Sect disciples helped him to his feet.

He took a deep breath and stood there on wobbly legs. "Your excellency has gained enlightenment regarding the ancient battle incantation contained in the Dao Geyser. I concede defeat."

Naruto didn't respond. He simply turned and left. During these eight days, he had battled many people. Quite a few of them brought up the matter of the Dao Geyser, and the ancient battle incantation.

After Naruto took his leave, the blurriness on his face changed. A moment later, he once again looked like Kazama. However, he still wore the orange robe. An hour later, Naruto looked out over a massive lake.

It was a lake, but it would be more proper to call it a Dao Geyser!

The lake was surrounded by quite an assembly of Cultivators, over ten thousand of them. They all sat cross-legged, seemingly deep in meditation.

Naruto's arrival didn't attract any attention whatsoever.

He looked around at the crowds, and then selected a spot with fewer people, where he sat down cross-legged and began to silently observe the Dao Geyser.

Time passed. On the second day, Naruto noticed that more and more Cultivators were arriving, from all directions. By midday, there were now several tens of thousands of people present.

By evening, the entire area was packed. There appeared to be nearly one hundred thousand Cultivators!

Suddenly, water shot up and then glowing lights appeared above the Dao Geyser. The lights interlocked to form a screen in the sky. Within the screen was the indistinct image of a person, sitting cross-legged in meditation, both hands flashing an incantation. It was a Dao Projection!

"It's appeared!"

"What exactly is the enlightenment contained in the Dao Geyser? What the hell? I've been here for nearly a year, but my Cultivation base hasn't made the slightest bit of progress."

The voices of the surrounding Cultivators filled the air. Naruto looked up to examine the screen. As he did, the blurry image began to glow clearer, as did the man's two hands. Naruto suddenly realized that the illusory image of the man was emanating killing intent!

The killing intent was faint, but Naruto was sure it was there, and that he was not the only person to notice it.

Murmuring to himself, he calmed his heart and forced himself into a state of tranquility. He stared at the figure on the screen, and gradually began to zone out everything else. He was in this state for an entire night. Early the next morning, he frowned. He had made no progress whatsoever.

Even as he sat there thoughtfully, an eager voice came to him from off to the side. "Hey, Fellow Daoist, check this out." It was a middle-aged man, gaunt, but with bright eyes. His entire person seemed to radiate shrewdness.

Naruto had noticed him earlier. He had been making his way through the crowds surrounding the Dao Geyser, peddling books from out of his bag of holding. Few people seemed interested in buying, though, and the vast majority seemed to find him extremely annoying.

The man was discreet, though, and as soon as he sensed he wasn't wanted, would smile and take his leave.

He stood next to Naruto, his expression one of eagerness. With an ingratiating bow toward Naruto, he bowed from the waist and hurriedly began to speak.

"Fellow Daoist, are you worried because you haven't gained the enlightenment of the Dao Geyser?" His voice was filled with infectious enthusiasm. "Have you encountered a mountain of treasure, but aren't really sure what to do with it?"

Naruto stared at the man, taken aback.

"Don't worry a bit," continued the man, his eyes shining brightly. "You are about to gaze upon the Exalted Lord's Limitless Ancient Dao Geyser Enlightenment primer!" He slapped his bag of holding and immediately a faded pamphlet appeared in his hand.

"In this Exalted Lord's Limitless Ancient Dao Geyser Enlightenment primer, I have humbly recorded the enlightenment of countless Fellow Daoists. In fact, at no small cost, I even went to pay my respects to Celestial Goddess Hinata of the Black Sieve Sect, Celestial Goddess of the Blood Demon Sect Chino, as well as Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan, Itachi. All of their enlightenment is contained therein. It also contains the knowledge of more than one hundred Chosen from various Sects. It was with copious blood, sweat and tears that I produced this Exalted Lord's Limitless Enlightenment primer!" The man spoke very quickly, holding the book in one hand and making various gestures with the other. Naruto stared in shock.

"Fellow Daoist, I know what you're thinking. The value of a book such as the Exalted Lord's Limitless Ancient Enlightenment primer is impossible to determine. It's priceless, right?" He slapped his thigh, as if forcing himself to make a decision.

"Fellow Daoist, you can rest assured. The cost to acquire this Exalted Lord's Limitless Enlightenment primer is not one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. It is not ten thousand Spirit Stones. Nor is it one thousand Spirit Stones. This book, which contains the enlightenment of over one hundred Chosen, as well as several Dao Children, which was compiled at the cost of countless blood, sweat and tears, this Exalted Lord's Limitless Enlightenment primer can be yours for only ninety-nine Spirit Stones!"

Naruto cleared his throat and was about to say something.

"Fellow Daoist, don't lose out on this opportunity! You have a chance now that will never return again. Listen, I'll tell you a secret." He looked around, then lowered his voice. "Have you heard of the Faceless Orange Hero? That's the famous, ruthless wanderer who has defeated countless Chosen, all in the blink of an eye. In fact, you might not have heard that just a few days ago, he fought with Akatsuchi of the Solitary Sword Sect, and Akatsuchi was defeated decisively!

"Fellow Daoist, listen. Just half a month ago, the Faceless Orange Hero purchased one of my Exalted Lord's Limitless Enlightenment primers!"

Naruto frowned as he took another look at the middle-aged man.

"Okay, okay. How about ten Spirit Stones? I'll sell you a copy for ten Spirit Stones. You're my first customer of the day, which makes us friends. I'm Xu Liushan, disciple of the Blood Demon Sect."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I only have three Spirit Stones." He promptly pulled out his final three Spirit Stones from his robe.

"Deal!" replied the middle-aged man, without a moment's hesitation. He immediately placed the Exalted Lord's Limitless Enlightenment primer into Naruto's hand, apparently fearing that Naruto might change his mind.

Naruto looked at the pamphlet with a wry smile. A sudden breeze passed by, flipping open the pamphlet. Naruto's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he handed the three Spirit Stones to Xu Liushan.

Xu Liushan quickly left, sighing and muttering to himself about how difficult it was to do business these days. Actually, the images in the booklet had been drawn by himself. He had been in the area of the ancient Dao Geyser for quite some time. Each time the screen appeared, he would draw an image of it. After some time, he came up with the idea of selling it.

Naruto ignored Xu Liushan and began to leaf through the pamphlet. Each drawing seemed to be almost exactly the same. However, it wasn't long before a strange light began to gleam within Naruto's eyes. He lifted his head to look up at the image on the screen which hovered in the middle of the Dao Geyser.

"The images in this booklet all appear to be the same, but actually there is something different about each one…." Naruto studied the screen for some time, until finally it began to fade. The instant it was about to fade completely, a tremor ran through Naruto's body. He had seen what the difference was. Within the figure on the screen was… a strand of Chakra!

The strand of Chakra was constantly in motion. Therefore, each of the drawings was slightly different. The differences were so minute, however, that even Xu Liushan hadn't noticed.

A moment later, the screen completely faded. The surrounding Cultivators began to depart. Naruto remained, sitting cross-legged and staring out into the blank air, thinking.

Two days after the appearance of the Dao Projection, in the evening, Naruto closed his eyes. When it was deep in the night, his body flickered, and he disappeared.

The Uchiha Clan Dao Child and Chosen, in fact anyone in whose veins ran the blood of the Uchiha Clan, were all congregated on a mountain not too far from the Dao Geyser.

This particular night was doomed to be anything but tranquil.

The moon hung high in the sky when Naruto appeared just outside the mountain. He glanced up at the Uchiha Clan banner fluttering in the wind at the top of the mountain, then shot up toward it.

"Who are you? You dare to charge into Uchiha Clan territory!?"

"This place is marked with the Uchiha Clan banner, your excellency, please halt!"

Voices rose up as eight figures flew out, shooting toward Naruto. In front of them appeared whistling sword Chakra, which also shot directly at Naruto.

His face was calm as he flicked his right sleeve. Power exploded from his eight Perfect Dao Pillars. What appeared to be the simple flick of the sleeve was actually crushing pressure from his Cultivation base, which transformed into a gale force wind that spread out in all directions.

A boom filled the air, and the eight sword auras collapsed into pieces. The eight Cultivators' faces filled with shock as they tumbled backward, mouths spewing blood.

They couldn't even cause Naruto to pause. He passed through their midst, continuing on toward the top of the mountain. It was at this time that ten beams of prismatic light flew out. Behind them were nearly a hundred people, a massive group, all heading straight for Naruto.

"You dare to charge into Uchiha Clan territory!? It doesn't matter what Sect you're from, we're gonna bury you here today!"

"What's the point of being so long winded, kill this guy!"

As the group of people approached, magical lights began to shine up. Even people far way would be able to see the shocking glow which filled the night sky.

Naruto's expression was calm. He lifted his right hand, slicing his finger. He catalyzed the blood with the power of his Dao Pillar; everything turned red and began to rumble. It grew into something that looked like a massive Blood Dragon; a roar filled the air as it blasted forward directly into the charging Uchiha Clan Cultivators. Their faces filled with shock and blood sprayed from their mouths. They spun backward head over heels, seemingly completely out of control.

A path now led to the top of the mountain, a path carved out by the Blood Dragon. Amidst thunderous roars, Naruto advanced, and within the space of about ten breaths, stood at the peak of the mountain.

Behind him, the Chosen of the Uchiha Clan coughed up blood. During his entire way up the mountain, no one had been able to do anything to block Naruto's way.

"The Faceless Orange Hero!" people cried amidst their gasps. The Uchiha Clansmen surrounded the mountain peak, all of them staring at Naruto.

In front of Naruto was a Cultivator wearing a black robe and a grim expression. He appeared to be about thirty years of age, and his eyes shone with a profound gleam as he looked at Naruto. This was none other than Itachi, Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan.

His Cultivation base was halfway to Core Formation. His presence made it seem as if there were another mountain peak on his mountain.

"Sir, I have come here today to fight the Uchiha Clan Dao Child!" said Naruto. His cool voice rang out in a tone that could sever nails and slice iron.

"You want to fight? Then let's fight!" Itachi's eyes glittered, and he took a step forward, lifting his hand at the same time. Behind him, an image appeared that seemed to contain both a sea of stars and the yellow springs of the underworld. Three finger attacks shot toward Naruto.

The first finger seemed capable of transforming life into death. The second embodied killing intent that seemed to stem from the yellow springs. The third contained the silence of extermination, making the world seem empty.

These three finger attacks were a magical technique of the Uchiha Clan, the Vermillion Bird Three Fingers.

Itachi was well aware that this Faceless Orange Hero was unfathomable. Therefore, he attacked him without the slightest bit of contempt, and led with his most powerful magical technique.

Naruto's eyes glowed brightly. He strode forward, also lifting up his right hand, immediately attacking with one of the three Blood Immortal techniques, the Blood Finger.

A boom rattled out, causing everything to rumble. At the same time, a massive wind sprang up as Naruto's body turned into a beam of light that shot up into the air.

All eyes on the mountain peak were fixed on Itachi. His expression was the same as ever as he watched Naruto disappear. After a long moment, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then staggered backward a few paces. His index finger was quivering, and was so swollen he couldn't bend it.

"Defeated," he murmured. The other Uchiha Clansmen heard the words, looks of astonishment covered their faces.

Itachi wasn't the only one to be defeated that night. Sagiri Nadeshiko, Dao Child of the Nadeshiko Clan, as well as the Dao Child of the Golden Frost Sect were also vanquished!

As Naruto flew away from the Nadeshiko Clan airship, Sagiri Nadeshiko leaned up against the wall, blood dripping down onto the ground. His face was pale as he stared at Naruto's disappearing shadow. Eventually, a stubborn look appeared on his face.

Outside the valley occupied by the Golden Frost Sect, a shocking roar filled the dawn air. It echoed out all but once, and then the Golden Frost Sect Dao Child was defeated. He immediately went into secluded meditation. Only a few people witnessed the shocking battle.

The next day, the name of the Faceless Orange Hero swept across the western region of the Southern Domain. There was not a single person who hadn't heard that he had defeated not only Chosen from the various Sects, but Solitary Sword Sect Dao Child Akatsuchi, Uchiha Clan Dao Child Itachi, Nadeshiko Clan Dao Child Sagiri Nadeshiko, and the Dao Child of the Golden Frost Sect!

In just a few days, the Faceless Orange Hero had risen to prominence in the western region of the Southern Domain.

In fact, some people had already taken him to be on par with Asuma, Chino and Kabuto, who had all broken through to Core Formation.

Many people believed that the mysterious orange-robed man would continue to challenge more Dao Children, or perhaps even Chino and the others. Shockingly, however, after the three successive battles, he suddenly went into hiding.

At the moment, the illustrious orange-robed man was actually sitting cross-legged near the Dao Geyser, staring at the screen, and the figure on it, lost in thought.

After sensing the Chakra in the Dao Projection, he had gone to fight the three battles in the night. However, fighting them did nothing. He had the feeling that if he was able to gain enlightenment regarding the Chakra in the figure, then he would be able to create his ninth Dao Pillar.

Naruto didn't know what the Chakra was, but after the Dao Projection disappeared this time, he was able to sense that his own body… also had a similar strand of Chakra within it.

After observing the screen and the figure, he was able to circulate the Chakra strand. When evening fell, he once again stood up.

For two days, Naruto was unable to find an appropriate opponent. Kabuto, Asuma and Chino had apparently all left the western region of the Southern Domain. Naruto couldn't find them.

Eventually, he returned to the Dao Geyser to once again observe the screen. Eventually, he closed his eyes and began to mentally review his various victories over the Chosen and Dao Children.

Gradually, the images of the various opponents grew clearer in his mind, and he realized that they had a similar Chakra strand within them. Within some, it was thick, others, thinner. But they existed in all of them.

Early on the second day, Naruto opened his eyes to glance about at the tens of thousands of people surrounding the Dao Geyser. After observing them for a while, he could tell that all of them had this mysterious Chakra within them.

It seemed to appear within anyone who observed the Dao Geyser.

Naruto sat there thoughtfully for some time, his brow furrowed.

In the following half month, the reputation of the orange-robed man only continued to grow. Everyone spoke about him with fear. He seemed to have gone crazy! The instant he encountered a Cultivator of the late Foundation Establishment stage, he would instantly attack them, regardless of who they were or which Sect they belonged to.

The entire time, he never killed anyone. At the same time, no one was capable of making even two attacks against him. Everyone suffered complete defeat.

All of the Chosen from the Solitary Sword Sect who were present in the western region, were defeated. The same went for the Chosen of the Golden Frost Sect. As soon as anyone saw the orange-colored robe, their face would fill with fear. Regardless of whether it be Uchiha Clan, Shimura Clan or Nadeshiko Clan, during this half month, everyone suffered defeat at the hands of the orange-robed man.

It was as if an orange-colored storm had descended upon the entirety of the western region of the Southern Domain.

Half a month later, the Dao Geyser was reaching its final moments. As of now, the screen had appeared, and wasn't disappearing. According to the ancient records, this meant that the Dao Geyser would dry up and disappear in seven days.

More and more Cultivators sat cross-legged near the Dao Geyser, staring at the screen. It was at this exact same time that the challenges issued by the orange-robed man ceased.

Naruto once again sat cross-legged near the Dao Geyser, looking at the figure on the screen. His eyes were bright. During the half month, his every victory had caused the Chakra strand to grow.

He was able to make the frequency of rotation of the Chakra strand within his body match that of the figure on the screen.

Naruto then noticed that the Chakra strand of the figure was rotating faster and faster, building up an attack momentum that seemed just on the verge of exploding out.

"This is a strand of battle Chakra which can be cultivated after constantly winning successive battles. It can be used to break through a bottleneck, and increase the Cultivation base! This is the supposed ancient battle incantation." He took a deep breath, then began to rotate the Chakra strand within him. He was just a hair away from being able to create his ninth Dao Pillar, and yet, was unable to make that final charge.

Time passed. It was now the fifth day of the Dao Geyser's final seven days of eruption. Suddenly, several beams of prismatic light appeared in the air.

The beams were filled with black-robed figures, all of whom wore masks. Shockingly, three of them wore orange-colored masks. Seven or eight wore white masks.

There were two, a man and a woman, who took the lead, and they wore gold-colored masks!

The dozen or so people whistled through air toward the Dao Geyser, immediately catching the attention of the tens of thousands of Cultivators below.

Immediately, some of the people recognized the black robes and the masks. "Black Lands Cultivators!"

Naruto also looked up. His gaze fell upon one of the orange-masked Cultivators, a skinny man who stood off to the side.

In that instant, Naruto's eyes began to glow.

This orange-masked Cultivator was the same Core Formation expert who had attempted to kill him that day not long ago.

"I've already run out of people to fight here," thought Naruto. "This guy… is definitely my next opponent!" The glittering in his eyes soon subsided. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, meditating and rotating his Cultivation base, ensuring that he was at the peak of his ability.

Now that he had decided to fight, he was extremely calm.

Regardless of whether he won or lost, he must attack! This battle would be the final step in his enlightenment!

The instant he closed his eyes, the people from the Black Lands arrived, attracting the attention of almost all the surrounding Cultivators.

Asuma and the others who had reached Core Formation were not present. However, Itachi and Akatsuchi, as well as all the other Dao Children and Chosen of the other Sects, were all there.

Among the tens of thousands of Cultivators near the Dao Geyser, there were many who recognized the two in the gold masks.

"Those two in the gold-colored masks… they're Dao Children who have risen to prominence in the last year in the Black Lands!

"Black Lands Dao Children A and B!"

"That must be them. Only they would be wearing gold-colored masks!"

The discussions spread, and soon all eyes came to rest on the two Black Lands Dao Children. In the past year, stories about them had spread into the Southern Domain, making them quite well known. They were half way to Core Formation, and according to rumor, might increase their Cultivation bases at any time.

"The three in the orange masks behind them must be the Black Lands Three Oranges. All three have Cultivation bases at the Core Formation stage. Even more shocking is their Core Chakra…. They say that a lot of alchemists were captured by them."

"Core Formation Cultivators who have Core Chakra are not to be trifled with…."

Itachi frowned as he looked at the group of people from the Black Lands. Not far off, Akatsuchi of the Solitary Sword Sect didn't look very pleased. This was especially so as he looked at the Black Lands Dao Children.

Sagiri Nadeshiko stood wordlessly in the crowd, his face grim.

The two gold-masked Dao Children from the Black Lands peered down at the crowds. One of them spoke. His voice was soft at first, but then rapidly escalated into a roar like thunder. "I, A from the Black Lands, wish to challenge the Southern Domain's heroic Dao Children to a duel!"

Immediately, the black-robed, white-masked Cultivators moved backward.

The three orange-masked Cultivators' faces didn't change in the slightest. They hovered cross-legged in mid-air, paying no attention to what was happening.

The other gold-masked Black Lands Dao Child, B, also spoke, in a voice much much softer than A's, but which became icy cold as it entered the ears of the surrounding Cultivators. "I, B from the Black Lands, also wish to challenge the Southern Domain's heroic Dao Children to a duel!"

Not a single of the tens of thousands of Cultivators surrounding the Dao Geyser said a word. They simply looked up at A and B, a variety of different thoughts running through their heads.

A gave a cold harrumph. "Don't tell me that among the throngs of Southern Domain Cultivators, not one dares to fight with us?" His words rang out, filled with an intangible domineering aura that made his challenge seem even more intense.

Suddenly, a cold snort filled the air. A beam of light shot up; this was not someone from one of the five Sects or three Clans. It was a Cultivator from some other Sect, with a Cultivation base of the great circle of Foundation Establishment. He shot directly toward A.

Beneath his mask, the Black Lands Dao Child smiled. His body flickered as he advanced to meet the attack. As the man approached, he stretched out both arms; multiple ghost images sprang up, and suddenly, the illusory image of a huge cauldron appeared and shot forward.

A massive boom rang out. The Southern Domain Cultivator staggered backward, coughing up blood, his face pale. A waved his sleeve and advanced further. More booms filled the air, for the space of a few breaths. Finally, a blood-curdling scream could be heard. Blood fountained out from the neck of the Southern Domain Cultivator. Only a thin strip of flesh connected it to the body as it tumbled to the ground.

A slowly lifted his gore-covered right hand and wiped some blood onto his gold mask. The sight was terrifying.

"Fellow Daoist Itachi. As Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan, do you dare to fight with me!?" A cried. His eyes shone brightly beneath his mask as he looked toward the Uchiha Clan Cultivators, and Itachi.

Itachi lifted his head, and began to stride toward A, his eyes glowing.

The instant he began to move, Akatsuchi from the Solitary Sword Sect also rose to his feet, then flew into the air toward Black Lands Dao Child B.

The appearance of the two of them caused quite a stir among the Southern Domain Cultivators. All eyes were fixed on them; this battle was a fight between four Dao children. Unless something unexpected happened, their names would rock the world, regardless of who gained victory.

The eyes of the Black Lands Dao Children, A and B, glistened with concentration. They watched as Akatsuchi and Itachi approached. It seemed none of the four wanted to make the first move.

As far as A and B were concerned, this battle represented the pinnacle of the might of the Southern Domain. No one under Core Formation could possibly unleash greater power in battle than the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, their eyes filled with concentration, and within their hearts burned the fiery desire for battle.

Everything was quiet as the crowds looked at the four Dao Children and waited for this pinnacle of battles to begin.

However even as everyone was paying rapt attention to these four, suddenly, someone among the throngs of cross-legged Cultivators slowly stood up.

He wore an orange scholar's robe, and as he rose, he flew up into the air. This was none other than Naruto.

His appearance caused looks of astonishment to appear on the faces of the tens of thousands of Cultivators who surrounded the Dao Geyser. It wasn't just them. The four Dao Children in mid-air stared at him in surprise.

Itachi's eyes came to rest on Naruto's clothes. Seeing their orange color, his eyes narrowed, and the image of a person appeared in his mind.

Not far off, Akatsuchi looked equally thoughtful as he stared at Naruto's clothes.

"Interesting," said A with a smile. "This Fellow Daoist seems to have made his move a bit late. But he seems to have his mind made up. Fellow Daoist Uchiha, Fellow Daoist Yamanaka, would you permit me to first slay him?" As he looked at Naruto, he didn't seem to think much of him. He had seen pictures of all of the famous Chosen and Dao Children in the Southern Domain, and Naruto didn't look familiar to him at all. As such, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't even worth paying attention to.

A Cultivator like this could be killed without a second thought by A.

Without waiting for a response from Uchiha or Yamanaka, A flicked his sleeve, turned, and headed directly toward Naruto.

"When A attacks," he said with a laugh, "he leaves behind only fatal wounds, not injuries. You deserve praise for your courage, so I'll leave your body intact." Seeing all this happen, the surrounding tens of thousands of Cultivators frowned.

To them, Naruto's actions seemed far too impulsive. If anything, it was simply delaying the amazing battle that was about to take place.

"Who is that? Does he really think he can join a battle of Dao Children?"

"He must think his Cultivation base is pretty amazing, so he wants to join the battle to earn some fame…."

As the discussions were beginning to spread, A descended upon Naruto. As Naruto hovered there in mid-air, his cold voice suddenly rang out like rolling thunder, "You're no match for me," he said to A. "The person I want to fight…." He suddenly pointed. "Is YOU!"

This second 'you' was directed to none other than the skinny orange-masked Cultivator who was sitting cross-legged in mid-air off in the distance.

The instant the words came out, the skinny, orange-masked Cultivator's eyes snapped open. They glowed brightly as he looked at Naruto. His pupils constricted as he recognized him.

Naruto's words obviously caused an enormous buzz of conversation to rise up among the tens of thousands of Southern Domain Cultivators. Many immediately rose to their feet, looks of disbelief written across their faces.

"Is that guy insane? He wants to fight an orange-masked Cultivator from the Black Lands?!"

"They're in the Core Formation Stage, and have cultivated Core Chakra. Who is that Cultivator? He looks like a scholar! Does he really dare to issue a challenge to a Core Formation Cultivator!?"

"Late Foundation Establishment fighting Core Formation. Hahaha! This isn't something you see very often. This guy wants to be famous so badly, he's willing to die for it!"

As the buzz of conversation filled the air, Itachi's eyes narrowed. Moments ago, he was unsure of Naruto's identity. But now, he had no doubts whatsoever. He took a deep breath. He knew that this person was none other than the Faceless Orange Hero.

Only that mysterious orange-robed man qualified to look down on Foundation Establishment, and do something that since ancient times was rarely seen in the Cultivation world. He was turning everything upside down, issuing a challenge to the Core Formation stage while in the Foundation Establishment stage!

Akatsuchi also took a deep breath. The exact same thoughts were going through his head as were going through Itachi's.

A laughed loudly. "Southern Domain Cultivators really are very interesting. Apparently you aren't familiar with the height of the Heavens and the depth of the Earth, and really have an exaggerated opinion of yourself! You are a trifling late Foundation Establishment stage Cultivator, not even of the great circle, and yet still dare to challenge a Black Lands orange-masked Cultivator." An expression of ultimate ridicule covered his face beneath the mask. Before he even finished speaking, he lifted his right hand and waved it toward Naruto.

"I'll leave your corpse intact," said A with a cold laugh. "Before you die, I'll help you to understand the height of the Heavens, and the depth of the Earth!" Actually, his heart did not contain the contempt which filled his expression. He actually was taking the matter very seriously; he simply couldn't believe that this guy was actually challenging the Core Formation stage. In his opinion, he must be expecting to rely on some help. As he waved his sleeve, a bright beam shot out toward Naruto. Behind him, the massive, illusory cauldron reappeared and then also shot toward Naruto.

"Pipe down!" said Naruto coolly, completely ignoring the incoming beam of light and the large cauldron. He slapped his bag of holding, and instantly, a simple wooden sword appeared.

Gripping the sword in his hand, he swiped it at the beam and the cauldron.

The slash of the sword seemed to split the very air, sending ripples out, as well as a bright white glow. The seemingly casual slash appeared to contain some great Dao, as if great winds of Time were sweeping out through the ripples.

Within the approaching beam of light was a flying axe. Storm winds filled with a sixty-year cycle worth of Time slammed into the flying axe. Immediately, black spots appeared on its surface, as if it were aging. The spiritual power of the axe began to decay. Within the blink of an eye, it was so decayed that it seemed as if it would wither away. It immediately dropped down onto the ground.

The wind was still there; it rushed toward the illusory cauldron, which began to tremble and distort. A full sixty-year cycle worth of Time seemed to have passed. Something illusory like this could not withstand such a passage of Time. The previously seemingly impregnable cauldron suddenly began to dissipate.

The wind landed onto Black Lands Dao Child A, gently brushing across him. The vitality in his skin seemed to be carried away by the wind. Wrinkles appeared on his hands, and beneath his mask, his face began to age. A sixty-year cycle worth of life force was suddenly sucked out of him. An indescribable feeling of weakness welled up inside. An unprecedented expression of fear covered his face; his body trembled and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He staggered backward, a look of disbelief filling his eyes.

"You…." His body trembled, and his face went pale. His skin continued to wither, and his entire body became emaciated. The mask suddenly fell off, revealing that his once black hair was now white. His face was that of an old man, a face that still contained a trace of its former bravery, but was now mostly covered with shock and dread. Everything was deathly silent.

The three orange-masked Cultivators suddenly stood up, their eyes filled with serious expressions. On the ground, the tens of thousands of Cultivators from the Southern Domain were silent for a moment. Then a massive hubbub broke out.

The other Dao Child, B, subconsciously retreated a few steps, eyes filled with a look of dread as she looked at Naruto.

Itachi and Akatsuchi both took in deep breaths, staring in shock. Their hearts were pounding.

A divine ability like this was enough to shock everyone under Heaven. The entire time, Naruto, had only made one swipe with his sword!

The axe had been sent into a state of decay, the illusory cauldron had been dispelled, and A had lost a sixty-year cycle of life. All of it gave rise to great waves of discussion.

"What… what magical technique was that?!"

"It was that sword! It must be a divine ability from that sword!"

"No wonder he dares to challenge the Core Formation stage. Who is he…? He's wearing orange-colored clothes. Don't tell me…."

As the buzz of conversation filled the air, Dao Child A stood there trembling, his face pale. His expression was one of thorough confusion.

Naruto flicked his sleeve and, his voice cool, said, "I've taken a sixty-year cycle of Time away from you. Now do you understand the height of the Heavens and the depth of the Earth?" With that, he ignored him, focusing his gaze on Itachi and Akatsuchi.

Itachi looked at him and suddenly said, "It seems your excellency is wearing his true face today. I understand that you thoroughly defeated me that day. However, there is still another fight to be had between us in the future!"

Akatsuchi from the Solitary Sword Sect clasped hands and bowed. "Faceless Orange Hero…. Sir, I'm much obliged for your pointers before."

Their words caused the surrounding Cultivators to instantly grow quiet. However, the silence only lasted for the space of a few breaths. Suddenly, a clamor arose which was loud enough to shake the land.

"What?! He's the Faceless Orange Hero!"

"The Faceless Orange Hero! He's made a sudden rise to prominence recently! He swept over Chosen and suppressed Dao Children. So, it's him!"

"I wonder what Sect the Faceless Orange Hero is from? Considering how incredible he is, he must be a Dao Child!"

As the noise of the clamor lifted up, everyone stared with burning eyes at Naruto. The Faceless Orange Hero's reputation was just too incredible. It was a mystery that few people within the western region of the Southern Domain weren't talking about.

A gasped, and immediately retreated several paces. Before coming to the Southern Domain, he had heard of the Faceless Orange Hero, and had come to view him as a formidable adversary. How could he have ever imagined that the person in front of him was none other than that Faceless Orange Hero? His heart filled with bitterness as he realized that he was decisively defeated.

Considering that the defeat had been witnessed by tens of thousands of Cultivators, it was obvious that the word would quickly spread throughout the Southern Domain. Black Lands Dao Child A had lost a sixty-year cycle's worth of Time in a single sword blow.

A fierce glow sprang up in A's eyes as he retreated. Suddenly, he cried out, "Orange-masked Elders, please kill this guy!" Suddenly, the eyes of the two other orange-masked Cultivators began to flicker with killing intent.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, without even the slightest change. The instant he made his decision to attack, he had anticipated that something like this would happen. Before the echo of A's words could die out, Naruto's voice could be heard.

This time, he spoke to the surrounding tens of thousands of Cultivators.

"Fellow Daoists of the Southern Domain. I am Kazama, a simple Furnace Lord of the Violet Fate Sect. A year ago, Black Lands Cultivators ambushed me and my Fellow Furnace Lord Shino in the Barren Mountains. I escaped by a fluke, but I'm not sure if Shino made it out alive or not. Because of enlightenment from this Dao Geyser, my Cultivation base has reached new heights. Today, I come to battle my opponent from that day in the Barren Mountains. Fellow Daoists of the Southern Domain, I would like to request that all of you bear witness to this battle!" His words rang out like thunder, causing a great stir among the tens of thousands of Cultivators below.

"Furnace Lord… he's… actually a Furnace Lord from the East Pill Division!"

"Kazama. I remember! A year ago there was a new Furnace Lord in the East Pill Division named Kazama!"

"He's Kazama! A Furnace Lord!"

The Cultivators were in an uproar as they looked at Naruto. Great waves of astonishment filled their hearts. The name of the Faceless Orange Hero already caused their hearts to shake, but what was even more shocking were the words 'Furnace Lord.'

The glittering eyes of all the Cultivators were now glued onto Naruto!

"No wonder he didn't kill any of the heroes that he challenged in battle!"

"Grandmaster Kazama was doing it all to gain enlightenment! He had to attack, but he's an alchemist, and didn't want to make enemies. Therefore, he restrained his killing intent. This is an alchemist of our Southern Domain! This is a true Chosen Cultivator of the Southern Domain!"

Amidst the uproar, Black Lands Dao Child A's face suddenly changed. He stared blankly at Naruto, his mind reeling. Naruto's identity was causing a huge commotion amongst the crowd, but it was completely rocking his mind and heart.

Next to him, B was also panting and looking at Naruto with an expression of disbelief.

The three orange-masked Cultivators had grim expressions in their faces. Two of them, not the skinny one, were frowning.

Intense killing intent poured from Naruto's eyes, and his gaze shifted to the skinny, orange-masked Cultivator. "My battle today is with this man. If anyone interferes, if any other Black Lands Cultivators participate, then I request all the Fellow Daoists from the Southern Domain to stop them!"

Itachi's eyes glittered, and he immediately said. "The Uchiha Clan of the Southern Domain will bear witness to this battle. If the Black Lands Cultivators interfere, then they will make an enemy of the entire Uchiha Clan!"

"The Solitary Sword Sect of the Southern Domain will bear witness to the battle. If a second Black Lands Cultivator makes a move, they will make an enemy of the Solitary Sword Sect."

"The Golden Frost Sect of the Southern Domain will bear witness to the battle! If any Black Lands Cultivator dares to join the battle, the Golden Frost Sect will be forced to interfere!"

"The Blood Demon Sect of the Southern Domain will bear witness to the battle!"

"The Black Sieve Sect of the Southern Domain will bear witness to the battle!"

"The Nadeshiko Clan of the Southern Domain will bear witness to the battle!"

"The…."

One after another, voices rang out, without end. The tens of thousands of Cultivators were no longer sitting cross-legged. The were all standing, glaring up angrily at the Black Lands Cultivators.

All the Clans. All the Sects. Their voices rang out, melding into a roar that shook heaven and earth. It was like an endless thunder.

The Cultivators here were all of the Foundation Establishment stage. However, they represented countless Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain. Clearly, they could influence the attitude of their Sects as a whole. Considering that they were all giving voice to the same opinion, the Black Lands Cultivators were now pushed into a very narrow corner.

One mistake could give rise to a great war between the Southern Domain and the Black Lands!

A's face twisted, and his body trembled. Next to him, B was panting. The other black-robed Cultivators from their group all looked very nervous, and were currently rotating their Cultivation bases.

The faces of the three orange-masked Cultivators immediately changed.

The skinny Cultivator had a grim expression underneath his mask. He stepped forward and said, "This is a personal matter between this kid of the junior generation and I, Yang. Outsiders need not interfere. It has nothing to do with the Black Lands. Kazama, you pup, it seems you're seeking to die. Very well, I shall help you!" His voice rang out, causing the surrounding Black Lands Cultivators to back up. In an instant, the only people floating in the air were him and Naruto.

This was to be their battleground!

"It seems you've put a lot of thought into how you want to die," said the orange-masked Cultivator coolly. "If I didn't help you, I would feel bad." Killing intent radiated out of his eyes. He lifted his hand, and suddenly a light yellow aura appeared. This was none other than his Core Chakra!

This Chakra had ever-changing forms, and currently it transformed into the image of a sword.

Naruto watched on with concentration in his eyes. This was a crucial battle for him. His Cultivation base was constantly rotating, along with that imperceptible Chakra. It seemed to thirst for Naruto to make an attack, to grow stronger. When he did, it would transform into a charging force that would lead to a breakthrough in his Cultivation base!

The orange-masked Cultivator, who was surnamed Yang, glanced coldly at Naruto. Naruto had left a deep impression on him; it was extremely shocking that not only was he not dead, he had actually made a breakthrough in his Cultivation base. It left the man with an uncomfortable sense of danger.

It was actually very humiliating. This was a late Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and yet he felt a sense of danger because of him. Beneath his mask, the man's face was grim. Almost the same instant that the words left his mouth, he began to move forward.

His foot descended, sending ripples out into the air. An indescribable roaring sound rose up which vibrated inside the hearts of the tens of thousands of Cultivators. Only the orange-masked Cultivator and Naruto were up in the air. The man's first step seemed to be reverberating around throughout the entire area, but in fact, was aimed directly at Naruto.

Naruto's face was the same as ever. The roaring inside him wasn't bothersome in the slightest. His eight Perfect Dao Pillars rotated with power of the Violet Chakra from the East technique, causing Naruto's body to glow with a violet aura. It spread throughout him and out, causing his orange garment to suddenly appear violet-colored!

The air around him filled with a violet glow, causing him to appear anything but ordinary to the surrounding Cultivators!

"Violet Chakra from the East! That's the Violet Fate Sect's Violet Chakra from the East!"

"Furnace Lords from the East Pill Division can cultivate that! He really is Kazama!" Everyone was completely focused on what was happening. Before, there had been some who suspected Naruto wasn't who he said he was. However, the buzz of conversation washed away any such doubts. After seeing the violet glow, everyone was certain about his identity.

"I let you go last time, and now you're back looking to die!" The orange-masked Cultivator gave a cold snort, then advanced further. His right hand suddenly lifted up, flashing an incantation and then pointing forward. It seemed like a very casual movement, but actually, this was not the first time the orange-masked Cultivator had faced off against Naruto. Their battle a year ago had left quite the impression on him. That, combined with the sense of danger he currently felt, made him feel very uneasy. Therefore, he attacked with full force.

Howling sounds like those of phoenixes filled the air. In the blink of an eye, ten massive dragons appeared in front of the orange-masked Cultivator, followed by ten illusory phoenixes. Their appearance caused everything to begin to shake. They carried a frigid iciness with them that seemed capable of freezing everything around them. The orange-masked Cultivator waved his finger, sending them racing toward Naruto.

Naruto took a deep breath. His Cultivation base roared into action; his Perfect Dao Pillars fully rotated emitting boundless power to fill his body. The violet glow around him grew thicker, and his eyes filled with the desire for battle.

This battle was of utmost importance to him!

This battle was the key to completing the great circle of Foundation Establishment!

This battle was the result of a year of waiting! He had been defeated a year ago, and now, he would turn the tables and… battle Core Formation!

Naruto's right hand shot up, and he quickly used his thumb to slice his four fingers. Blood flowed down as he extended his hand forward.

One finger, two fingers… in the blink of an eye, five illusory fingers appeared. Naruto's vision turned the color of blood and a roaring filled the air as the five fingers formed together into the Blood Palm.

The massive, blood-colored palm emanated a reddish glow, along with a shocking killing aura. It was filled with the power of Naruto's eight Perfect Dao Pillars, as well as a violet aura, then shot forward with indescribable speed.

A roaring like that of thunder filled the sky. At the same time that the palm appeared, Naruto bit down on the tip of his tongue and spit out some blood. The blood drop shot out to merge into the Blood Palm.

"Blood Palm!" bellowed Naruto. His left hand lifted up and he quickly formed another massive Blood Palm, this one of a left hand. It also shot forward.

The power of the two Blood Palms, filled with blood from Naruto's Cultivation base, began merging together. It was a shocking sight. It only took a moment for them to reach the ten phoenixes and ten dragons. They all slammed into each other.

A shockingly loud boom rattled out like thunder. The ten dragons and ten phoenixes howled. They were formed from the power of a Core Formation Cultivation base, and were virtually invincible. Naruto's first Blood Palm immediately disintegrated.

As it did, the blood from Naruto's Cultivation base burned away. The second Blood Palm roared in. There was a massive boom as six dragons and seven phoenixes were exterminated!

The remaining four dragons and three phoenixes screamed through the air toward Naruto, slamming into him, submerging him. However, the roaring sound soon dissipated, and the ripples in the air ceased. Everything became calm again, and Naruto emerged, the violet light emanating from his body rising up to the heavens.

A bit of blood seeped down the corner of his mouth. His eyes were violet-colored, as were all the veins in his body, and a powerful aura emanated from him. All of this demonstrates that Naruto had just used his own power to stand up against the magical technique of a Core Formation Cultivator!

Violet Pupil Transformation flowed rapidly through Naruto's body, healing his injuries. Naruto didn't care about the injuries, of course. The desire for battle grew even stronger within his eyes as he stared at the orange-masked Cultivator.

Beneath the mask, the man's face was extremely unsightly. He knew that his opponent was not ordinary, and had experienced an increase in his Cultivation base. But how could he possibly have predicted that the increase would be so shocking?

This first exchange of blows between the two opponents caused the surrounding Southern Domain Cultivators to reel in shock. This included Itachi, Akatsuchi, and all the other Chosen.

"Foundation Establishment battling Core Formation!"

"Kazama is in late Foundation Establishment, but his divine abilities and magical techniques are almost the same as a Core Formation expert with no Core Chakra! But… that orange-masked man from the Black Lands hasn't utilized his Core Chakra yet…." The buzz of conversation filled the air. Before, they had voiced their support for Naruto in the belief that he dared to battle Core Formation because he had some treasured item.

The shocking scene which had unfolded in front of them, however, had nothing to do with any treasured item, but rather, a magical technique!

This clearly showed that he was by no means weak. He had directly resisted a Core Formation Cultivator's magical technique. Granted, his opponent hadn't employed Core Chakra, but even so, Naruto was clearly qualified to challenge Core Formation!

Naruto advanced, lifting his right hand. As he did, the violet light emanating from his body seemed to transform into liquid, which flowed toward his hand. There, it coalesced into something that looked like a blinding, violet sun.

His eyes glittered brightly as the power of his eight Perfect Dao Pillars catalyzed the Violet Chakra from the East technique. As the Violet Pupil Transformation healed his body, Naruto used the power of Violet Chakra from the East to unleash the most powerful magical technique he had learned.

"Violet Chakra Guillotine!"

The Chakra in Naruto's hand transformed into a long, violet-colored blade. The curving blade expanded out, trailing wisps of violet smoke, seeming to take all of Naruto's violet aura with it. Soon, it was dozens of meters long. Suddenly, it shot forward with indescribable speed toward the orange-masked Cultivator.

"What an insignificant skill," said the orange-masked Cultivator with a cold snort. "You overestimate yourself." To be pestered by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, even one with clearly extraordinary abilities, was nothing more than a humiliation to this man. From the moment their battle had begun, he had felt shame.

He was filled with intense desire to kill Naruto. A virtually imperceptible light glittered in his eyes as his Core Chakra suddenly appeared. The light yellow light roiled out, and within could be seen the indistinct shape of a sword. It emitted a fierce sword aura, along with an icy coldness.

Even as Naruto's Violet Chakra Guillotine approached, the orange-masked Cultivator's Core Chakra exploded out. The sword shot forward, transforming into a blinding beam of light.

It slammed into the Violet Chakra Guillotine, and a booming roiled out. The strands of Violet Chakra trembled, then collapsed into pieces. The blinding sword continued on, speeding directly toward Naruto's head.

Naruto's pupils constricted as a sudden sense of intense danger filled him. Even as the Core Chakra sword destroyed the Violet Chakra Guillotine and shot toward him, a greenish-blue shield appeared around him. This was none other than his protective jade pendant.

A boom filled the air as the orange-masked Cultivator's Core Chakra sword collapsed into pieces. When that happened, the orange-masked Cultivator let out a grunt and slapped his bag of holding. Immediately, a black flying sword appeared in his hand. He tossed it up, fusing it with Core Chakra. The process seemed to backfire somewhat, diminishing his Core Chakra momentarily before it restored itself.

"In terms of stances, how could I possibly meet defeat a second time!" The man's eyes filled with ridicule as he waved his right hand. From the Core Chakra above his head, the black sword shot out toward Naruto.

"Let's see how long your Nascent Soul Cultivation blood can resist for this time!" The black sword emitted a piercing shriek as it approached Naruto.

Suddenly a massive boom filled the air, and Naruto was shoved backward. His expression never changed, though; in fact, his desire for battle grew even more intense. At the moment, Naruto could clearly sense the Chakra inside of him that would help him break through in his Cultivation base. It was fairly bursting with activity, constantly rotating, faster and faster. He could sense the imminent appearance of his ninth Dao Pillar!

"Almost there, but not quite enough battle Chakra!" His eyes shining brightly as he watched the flying sword slam into the shield, which then filled with cracks. As he retreated, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a large collection of bottles.

The orange-masked Cultivator's eyes were grim as he sent another black flying sword slamming into Naruto's greenish-blue shield. He wanted the shield broken as soon as possible, and to do so, had already wasted several of the specially crafted life swords.

"Once your Nascent Soul blood protection is gone, you're dead," he said coldly. "It will only take one slash of my Core Chakra sword." His voice was filled with intense killing intent.

The boom which sounded out could be heard for fifty kilometers in every direction. The tens of thousands of Southern Domain Cultivators looked on in shock. Even the screen above the Dao Geyser flickered.

As the boom reverberated through the air, popping sounds could be heard as cracks filled the shield surrounding Naruto. Finally, it collapsed into countless pieces which then drifted away.

A bit of blood seeped out of the corner of the orange-masked Cultivator's mouth. In the process of destroying Naruto's Nascent Soul blood shield, he had lost six life swords. This had cost him his Core Chakra; it would not be able to recover for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn.

However, the orange-masked Cultivator didn't care. From what he could tell, as long as this Kazama didn't have the protection of the Nascent Soul blood, then he could be killed with little difficulty.

His Core Chakra would recover in the time it takes half an incense stick to burn. After all, it was produced as a product of his cultivation, and belonged solely to him. In his opinion, if this Kazama hadn't possessed the Nascent Soul blood the previous year, it would have been simple to capture him.

"Let's find out how long you can last against me without that blood!" laughed the orange-masked Cultivator. He slapped his bag of holding to produce what appeared to be a ball made of intertwined hair. He flung it out with his left hand.

"Distilled Fiends!" As the man's gruff voice rang out, the hair suddenly expanded into a massive black net, fifty meters wide. It emanated an intense killing aura that shot up into the sky; in the middle of the net could be seen multiple phantom souls. Their faces were filled with agony, and they emitted soundless wails.

A buzz of conversation immediately arose among the tens of thousands of Southern Domain Cultivators. It seemed many of them recognized the treasured item which the orange-masked Cultivator had produced.

"Black Lands Distilled Fiends Net! That's one of the three great treasures of Black Lands Cultivators! Any Black Lands Cultivator can create it, but each one will be different, based on the personality of who created it. The power of each treasure will also be different."

"It's definitely a Black Lands Distilled Fiends Net, created from living souls. Living people are distilled down into souls, which are then sealed into hair and then weaved into a net. It's a shocking, sordid treasure which is so sinister that it is impervious to all poisons under Heaven."

"I can't believe that Black Lands Cultivators really are all so cruel and merciless! That net must have over a thousand souls in it…."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. The killing aura of this Distilled Fiends Net rose into the sky, and the silent screams of the souls filled the air. Looking at it, Naruto felt as if his own soul were about to be torn from his body.

"So," he thought, "he's using this treasure to counter my Dao of poison!" He lifted his right hand and waved it in front of him. The pill bottles in front of him flew out and then exploded in mid-air. Massive quantities of colorful mist poured out, filling the surroundings. Anyone who looked at it would be immediately shocked; it clearly contained multiple types of poisons.

As the mist roiled out, the Distilled Fiends Net flew through the air. As soon as the two ran into each other, hissing sounds emanated from the poison mist. In the blink of an eye, the souls within the Distilled Fiends Net began to consume the mist.

At the same time, the net began to spread out, surrounding Naruto.

The orange-masked Cultivator's hands flashed with relentless incantation gestures, and he would occasionally gesture with a finger. The souls within the Distilled Fiends Net shrieked and consumed the poison mist. At the same time, the net drew closer to Naruto, threatening to envelop him completely.

The orange-masked Cultivator's eyes were cold. There were many magics that he could use, but he had opted for the Distilled Fiends Net. This was not only because he feared Naruto's poisons, but even more so because he wanted him to die screaming. The more miserable and shrill his cries, the more his own anger could be sated.

The mist was rapidly diminishing and the Distilled Fiends Net was shrinking. It was now less than fifty meters away from Naruto. Naruto's eyes flickered. He could sense the Cultivation base breakthrough Chakra inside of him growing larger as he battled against Core Formation. It circulated rapidly, and seemed that at any moment, his ninth Dao Pillar would appear.

"Just a little bit more!" he thought, his eyes glittering coldly. He lifted his right hand to produce one of several poison pills that he had concocted after becoming a Furnace Lord in the East Pill Division….

Poison Flame Pill. Naruto crushed the pill between between his fingers and then waved his hand. A green Flame Sea immediately roared up.

At the same time, he flung out his left hand, sending more pills soaring into the air. When they hit the green flames, they melted. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a blue Water Screen. This was Sourceless Alchemy Water!

Water and flame cannot coexist. However, the Water Screen and the Flame Sea both seemed to be working in unison. They spread out with a roar, making a beeline for the Distilled Fiends Net.

"Sourceless Water sets spirits adrift!" Naruto's eyes glittered as the Sourceless Alchemy Water reached the Distilled Fiends Net. It gently passed through the net, covering the souls within. They seemed to stick to it as if it were glue, seemingly about to be pulled completely away from the net.

As the souls were torn away, the green Flame Sea landed, its heat radiating out in all directions.

All of this takes some time to say, but the orange-masked Cultivator reacted in the blink of an eye. Eyes narrowing, he immediately made an incantation gesture with his right hand and then lifted his finger. At the same time as it descended, Naruto produced ten black medicinal pills from his bag of holding.

These medicinal pills emitted no medicinal aroma, and in fact emitted a shocking aura. The original pill had not been concocted by Naruto, but rather, won from Izumo. Furthermore, they had not been concocted by a scarlet-robed alchemist of the World Pill Division, but rather a rank higher than that, a golden-robed alchemist who could concoct magic pills. The name of the pill was Magical Thunder Peal!

Izumo had only possessed one, which had been gifted to him by his Master to study. After winning the pill, Naruto had realized how incredible it was and thus made a few copies.

His eyes shone with a cold light as he waved his arm, sending the Magic Thunder Peal pills flying out.

"Thunder, detonate!" he cried suddenly. As his voice echoed out, the ten Magic Thunder Peal pills suddenly exploded. A massive roar filled the air, which transformed into a shocking attack. The Distilled Fiends Net began to tremble, and the souls began to emit miserable shrieks.

Thunder magic can restrain all types of apparitions. Therefore, the Magic Thunder Peal pill was not very useful against Cultivators, but was incredibly powerful when used on souls.

"Kazama, how dare you!" The orange-masked Cultivator's heart dripped; he had spent many years refining the Distilled Fiends Net. It was only one step away from turning from a net into a flag, whereupon it would be even more powerful. The net contained a thousand souls, and normally couldn't be damaged by a Magic Thunder Peal. However… Naruto had led with a poison mist, then poison water, then poison flames, and finally the thunder magic. Because of all of these reasons, the souls in the Distilled Fiends Net were being destroyed.

The orange-masked Cultivator's eyes were filled with veins of blood. A vicious aura blazed from his eyes. He lowered into a half horse stance, then stretched his arms down. He lifted his head, and then stretched his arms out as if he were grasping something. Then he suddenly straightened up.

"Shade Horses, charge!"

Everything grew dark, and gasps could be heard from the tens of thousands of surrounding spectators. Suddenly, in front of the orange-masked Cultivator, nine black horses appeared. A pulsating aura of death emanated off of them.

The nine horses' flesh was decomposing. They were clad in armor, and emanated a damp coldness. They raised their heads to the sky and neighed as they charged toward Naruto.

There were only nine horses, but as they charged, it seemed more like an army of ten thousand horses. In fact, it seemed that riding atop the Shade Horses were intangible spectres. A cold wind screamed out, blasting across Naruto.

His eyes flickered. Even as the Distilled Fiends Net dissipated around him, he squinted his eyes. He was filled with a sense of imminent danger, but at the same time, he could also sense the Chakra strand within him becoming even more active. It rotated furiuosly, and he sensed that soon he would be able to achieve a breakthrough in his Cultivation base.

From what he could tell, he was only half a step away from the breakthrough!

He knew that the only way to take that half step was… to fight!

Without hesitation, he advanced forward. As the nine Shade Horses approached, he lifted his hands, five fingers splayed, and struck forward. Coldness radiated out of his eyes.

"Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!" Naruto could suddenly see ghost images springing up everywhere. Everything was overlapping, as if the entire world were filled with duplicates of itself. The ghost images folded in toward the approaching Shade Horses, pushing down onto them.

The Shade Horses suddenly stopped moving and began to tremble. Previously, their eyes had been red and blank, but now they filled with fear. They trembled so hard that it seemed they might disintegrate at any moment.

The sight of it struck fear into the heart of the orange-masked Cultivator.

"Damned Foundation Establishment pup. It's time to end this fight!" The orange-masked Cultivator's mind filled with fury. No matter how he attacked, he couldn't kill his opponent. The battle was being witnessed by the tens of thousands of Cultivators, making the whole thing incredibly embarrassing. His killing intent grew more intense, and he suddenly raised his right hand and pushed down onto his forehead. His eyes began to glow with a crimson light.

"Core Soul Emergence Slaying!" he said suddenly. The indistinct image of an Orange Core began to coalesce out of the top of his head.

"Soul Emergence Sword, Slay the Lone Star!" The orange-masked Cultivator's body trembled, and he closed his eyes. The instant he did, a fissure appeared on the Orange Core, from which emerged a golden glow. It coalesced into a flying dagger which shot toward Naruto.

Atop the dagger was the faint image of a soul, which had the appearance of none other than the orange-faced Cultivator.

This sword disdained all defenses. It looked down on all magical techniques. Its power came from shocking killing intent. Once it emerged, it demanded a slaying!

This sword could rock Heaven and Earth!

This sword shook the tens of thousands of Cultivators!

This sword embodied the fury of the orange-masked Cultivator. His desire to kill Naruto could grow no higher!

A sense of danger had existed in Naruto's heart since the beginning of the battle. However, the moment it had appeared, the Chakra strand inside of him had begun to grow rapidly. Soon he would be able to experience a Cultivation base breakthrough.

Currently, Naruto had a very strong feeling that if he could stand up to this attack… then he would be able to have that breakthrough. The ancient battle Chakra would give rise to his ninth Perfect Dao Pillar; he would be the first Cultivator in ages to be of the great circle of Perfect Foundation Establishment!

Determination filled Naruto's eyes. The Soul Sword approached, splitting the air as it raced toward him. Naruto suddenly stretched out both of his arms. His eyes were crimson as he called:

"Five Clones of Blood! Come!" Five blood-colored figures suddenly appeared around him. These were none other than the five Blood Clones Naruto had created.

The instant they appeared, ghost images sprung up around them as they transformed into their clone essence: the meat jelly skin!

They transformed at almost the same instant as the orange-masked Cultivator's Soul Sword arrived, filled with killing intent. Instead of slamming into Naruto's forehead, it hit the meat jelly skin!

A massive explosion filled the air. The five pieces of meat jelly skin were sent flying back, undamaged, but unable to control the force of the impact. They slammed into Naruto, causing him to spin backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spraying from his mouth.

The Soul Sword whistled through the air, looking a bit dimmer than before. Obviously the obstruction of the meat jelly skin had shaken it; however, it was nothing more than a pause before it once again shot toward Naruto.

Although Naruto coughed up some more blood, everything was actually happening just as he had predicted. He retreated backward and, having no time to wipe the blood from his mouth, drew out the Wooden Time Sword.

A ferocious look covered his face, and intense killing intent radiated out. On the surface, it seemed that this battle with Core Formation was an even match; only he knew that the slightest mistake on his part would result in instant death.

It was astounding that he had been able to last as long as he had. The most critical aspect of the fight had of course been when he used the jade pendant to nullify his opponent's powerful Core Chakra!

The resulting temporary weakness in his opponent was what had allowed Naruto to hold on to this point.

The resulting life-or-death battle was causing the Cultivation base breaking Chakra inside him to grow. Every attack he had made caused the Chakra strand to grow many times faster than it had in his previous fights with Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, he would not flinch from this battle.

The Time Sword had arrived in the Southern Domain; exactly how powerful it was, Naruto wasn't sure. It had whittled away some of A's longevity, but he was merely a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and Naruto had expended almost no effort in the attack. He had not even attempted to draw more power out of the sword. But now, he was up against Core Formation…. Naruto's eyes filled with decisiveness; the entire battle now rested upon this treasure!

As he lifted up the Wooden Time Sword, he zoned out everything around him. All of his concentration was focused upon the sword. It was as if he were the sword, and the sword were him!

It was hard to tell whether his body followed the movements of the sword, or if the sword followed the indications of his will. Right now, Naruto had complete and utter faith in the sword. He had faith that the sword could turn the tide of death!

This faith seems fantastic, but actually, after his mind entered the sword, he underwent a type of spontaneous enlightenment. It was like he was practicing cultivation… that resulted in faith!

The wooden sword did not emit any kind of brilliant light, nor did it send out shocking ripples. It merely rose up and then slashed toward the incoming Soul Sword.

The orange-masked Cultivator's Soul Sword shook.

For the first time in the battle, the orange-masked Cultivator sensed a profound feeling of danger. As he floated there within the soul, he suddenly thought about what had happened to Dao Child A.

And yet, he didn't retreat. He was unwilling to retreat, because if he didn't slay Kazama, then it would be hard to recall the soul. So he pushed forward at top speed, slamming into the descending Wooden Time Sword.

There was no roaring sound. No boom. Instead, a shocking wind of Time rose up, filling the entire area. It was a song of ages, a glow of life that seemed like some kind of illusion.

An archaic Chakra filled the air and then melded with the surroundings. When the Soul Sword and the Wooden Time Sword collided, the orange-masked Cultivator's soul emitted a blood-curdling shriek that no one but he could hear. He had suffered no wound, but instead, was filled with indescribable pain. It was as if… his life force had been injured, as if life itself had been sucked away. Suddenly, he was incomparably weak.

The feeling of weakness filled him with unprecedented fear. It only took an instant for him to realize that the Wooden Time Sword had caused him to lose a full sixty-year cycle of longevity!

This was the result of only one blow of the sword. Before a second blow could land, the orange-masked Cultivator's soul let out a fierce shout. The Soul Sword shot forward, stabbing completely through Naruto's chest and then disappearing in the resulting shower of blood.

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and his face went pale white. His body turned into a beam of colorful light as he fell down toward the Dao Geyser, and the glowing screen.

When the Soul Sword disappeared, the orange-masked Cultivator's body shook. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his eyes opened. As he staggered backward, his body aged. He coughed up more blood. His mask suddenly fell off, revealing the pallid face of an old man, completely devoid of blood.

After entering the Core Formation stage, this man had never met someone as difficult to slay as Naruto. He panted, his face pale. He didn't let his guard down at all, though, and was just about to charge again. This was because he knew… the sword had not pierced through Naruto's heart. At the last minute, Naruto had moved to the side, causing the sword to miss the vital spot.

Suddenly, shock covered his face as he looked toward Naruto.

Below, the tens of thousands of Cultivators also looked shocked. They saw everything that had happened, including the sword piercing Naruto through the chest. Now, though, their eyes went wide with disbelief.

All eyes were fixed on Naruto!

He had been falling, but then he stopped in mid-air. He floated there, and when his eyes opened, they radiated an icy glow. His wound was serious, and even the restorative power of the Violet Pupil Transformation wouldn't enable him to recover in a short period of time.

What was so shocking to the unmasked Cultivator and the other tens of thousands of Cultivators, had nothing to do with that. What shocked them to core was that Naruto was currently floating… in the exact same position as the figure on the glowing screen! Their bodies were superimposed.

A powerful feeling suddenly surged through Naruto. He could clearly sense the Chakra strand exploding out with the power to cause Cultivation base breakthrough.

This explosive Chakra caused incredible shock to fill all hearts: that of the unmasked Cultivator, Itachi, the Black Lands Dao Children, and everyone else!

A Cultivation base breakthrough in the midst of battle!

Even as everyone felt shock running through them, Naruto took a deep breath. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. In order to achieve this breakthrough, he had even been willing to battle against the Core Formation stage. Finally, the ancient battle Chakra erupted within him. Finally, Naruto could sense the indescribable speed with which his ninth Dao Pillar was forming.

Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent….

He didn't need the approval of Heaven and Earth to form his ninth Dao Pillar. However, he needed Spiritual Energy. At the moment, the eight Dao Pillars within his body were emitting shocking amounts of spiritual power, all pouring into the ninth Dao Pillar.

Forty percent, fifty percent, sixty percent….

Naruto's aura grew more and more powerful. As it did, his body emitted a blinding violet light that shot up into the sky and filled the surroundings. A mighty pressure emerged from him, pressing down onto the tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, shaking their minds and spirits. Their Cultivation bases became unstable, and their Dao Pillars trembled. It was beyond their control! It was as if Naruto's presence was causing all of the other Dao Pillars to bend in worship of him.

It seemed as if Naruto were the sovereign of the Foundation Establishment stage. The massive pressure he exuded seemed capable of causing the rest of Foundation Establishment to be nothing more than mortals.

The aura grew more and more intense, causing everyone's minds to reel. The heart of the now unmasked Cultivator filled with an intense feeling of danger.

"I can't let him get any stronger," he thought, his face twisting. "Dammit, he's in the midst of the Dao Geyser enlightenment!" Without hesitation, he began to fly toward Naruto at top speed.

However, as he neared, a roaring sound suddenly rose up from the Dao Geyser. In front of the shocked tens of thousands of Cultivators, it erupted with boundless spiritual energy!

Massive amounts of it shot up, and the nexus of the eruption was none other than Naruto himself. Immediately, the unmasked Cultivator was forced to stop. He didn't dare to approach, and could only watch as Naruto was enveloped by the spiritual energy, and then disappeared.

"Kazama gained enlightenment! The Dao Geyser only erupts with spiritual energy when someone gains enlightenment!"

"But… it's erupting with so much spiritual energy…."

"When Chino advanced to the Core Formation stage, there was only about thirty percent as much spiritual energy as this. It was the same with Kabuto. Kazama… just what stage is he breaking through to? There's so much spiritual energy!"

The tens of thousands of Cultivators were in an uproar as they watched the spiritual energy exploding out and then pouring into Naruto's forming Dao Pillar.

It seemed as if this spiritual energy no longer belonged to Heaven and Earth, but to Naruto himself!

Seventy percent, eighty percent, ninety percent….

Finally… one hundred percent!

However, just as the ninth Dao Pillar was complete, a tremor of shock ran through Naruto. He had assumed everything was over. He felt an unprecedented amount of power inside of him. However….

A look of shock and disbelief filled his face as he noticed that the spiritual energy coursing through his body was actually forming…

A tenth Dao Pillar!

Nine was the ultimate number in Heaven and Earth. But ten was perfect!

Naruto's mind and spirit trembled. In all the ancient records he had researched, he had never read anything that mentioned a tenth Dao Pillar in Foundation Establishment. Even in ancient times, Cultivators never had more than nine.

Because of the change in the Heavens, the path of the Chakra Condensation stage had been broken, making the tenth level of Chakra Condensation disappear. That information was recorded in the ancient records. However… there was no such information about a tenth Dao Pillar!

As a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division, he was required to have a deep understanding of history. As such, it was very beneficial to comb through the ancient records looking for clues about the ancient Dao of alchemy. After becoming a Furnace Lord, he had browsed through a vast amount of the Violet Fate Sect's ancient records.

Despite all of that, he had never encountered any information regarding a Cultivator with a tenth Dao Pillar during Foundation Establishment.

And yet, Naruto could clearly sense… a tenth Dao Pillar was now forming!

Only Naruto was able to sense this tenth Dao Pillar, anyone else would be unable to. In much the same way that no one could sense which Cultivator the Nascent Soul blood he possessed came from, Naruto made sure that no one could pick up any clues about his Dao Pillars.

The only thing people could see was the increasing amount of spiritual energy erupting from the Dao Geyser. It showed no sign of lessening; it continued to envelop Naruto and he continued to absorb it.

As he absorbed the spiritual energy, the outline of the tenth Dao Pillar grew clearer.

Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent…

Dao pillar energy roared within Naruto, filling him with a power he had never experienced before. A shocking feeling filled him, as if he were soaring to the highest heavens.

Power! Unprecedented power!

His Spiritual Sense continued to increase exponentially. Before, it could spread out over roughly two hundred fifty meters; now, five hundred, one thousand….

His mind was filled with clarity, and as the spiritual energy poured in, he could sense everything around him. His perception of everything was different than it had been before, clearer, as if everything was in more detail. This clarity was even deeper than what he had experienced in the moment when he acquired the Perfect Foundation.

"This… is this the true Perfect Foundation?" he murmured to himself. The world outside of the spiritual energy vortex was not visible, but with his Spiritual Sense, he could see it clearly.

His heart began to race. A feeling of resolve and excitement welled up within him. He took a deep breath, intense anticipation and steadfastness filling his eyes as the spiritual energy surged into him.

He slowly lifted his hand up, then looked down at it, closing it into a fist. As the fist tightened, he felt strength.

Unprecedented strength!

It felt as if his blood and flesh were reforming, filling with a power that shook his mind.

The shocking level of this power was such that Naruto felt as if he could tear magical treasures to pieces with his bare hands. This was a similar transformation as that which had occurred when he entered the tenth level of Chakra Condensation. It felt like a baptism of sorts; the power of the tenth Dao Pillar was completely transforming him, making his body more suitable for cultivation, turning his body itself into a treasure!

Naruto had the strong feeling that at the moment, he could crush all Foundation Establishment Cultivators without the aid of any magical techniques. Even Dao Children and Cultivators of the great circle of Foundation Establishment could be destroyed bare handed.

Naruto began to pant. From the moment he had entered the Cultivation world, he had thirsted for power, had dreamed to stand at the pinnacle. One thing after another had happened to cause him to grow stronger, all the way to this day. Naruto clenched his fists. He knew… that he was striding the path he had dreamed of!

Only the strong could tread this path, and now, there was no turning back. He could only stubbornly continue!

More spiritual energy erupted from the Dao Geyser, inundating Naruto, growing his Spiritual Sense, feeding his body, growing his Cultivation base.

The range of his Spiritual Sense increased, his body grew stronger, and his Cultivation base shot upward. His tenth Dao Pillar was rapidly solidifying!

Forty percent, fifty percent, sixty percent….

The surrounding Southern Domain Cultivators watched on dumbstruck and panting. The indescribable spiritual energy erupting out of the Dao Geyser left them in a daze. The sheer amount of spiritual energy dwarfed that seen during the enlightenment experienced by anyone in the past.

This was especially true of the following ten or so breaths. The spiritual energy was not subsiding, but growing even more abundant, as if all of the power of the Dao Geyser were exploding out.

Black Lands Dao Children A and B panted in shock. Itachi and the other Southern Domain Dao Children also watched on in disbelief.

"Is he… is he going to reach Core Formation?"

"It doesn't look like Core Formation, but… the spiritual energy seems without end! It seems like an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator couldn't even match up!"

Conversations buzzed endlessly among the surrounding Cultivators. The person with the most unsightly face of all was none other than the unmasked orange-masked Cultivator. His aged face was now filled with shock. He could only stare fixedly at the shadow of Naruto within the dense spiritual energy.

The sense of impending crisis within him grew even more intense. The shadowy figure within the spiritual energy seemed to be transforming into something from his nightmares.

"I can't let him continue!" the man said, gritting his teeth. His eyes filled with ferocity and determination. He lifted his hand to push against his forehead. A booming sound rolled out as the Core Chakra, which had previously dissipated, once again seemed to ignite into being. The image of a sword once again appeared within the Core Chakra. At the same time, the unmasked Cultivator flashed incantation gestures with both hands. The Core Chakra sword screamed forth, heading directly toward Naruto, who was still enveloped with spiritual energy.

The sword moved with incredible speed, almost immediately reaching the spiritual energy vortex. A massive boom sounded out, but the sword was incapable of penetrating more than a teeny bit into the spiritual energy!

The unmasked Cultivator was of the Core Formation stage, but the density of the spiritual energy erupting from the Dao Geyser was such that even his Core Chakra sword couldn't pierce through it.

The sword was stuck part way into the spiritual energy vortex. It began to tremble, as if it might be swept away at any moment.

It was at this moment that Naruto's tenth Dao Pillar reached seventy percent completion!

His face unsightly, the unmasked Cultivator flashed an incantation sign with his right hand and then pressed down on his forehead. He then opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood rapidly began to coalesce into the shape of another sword.

"Core Soul Emergence Slaying!" roared the unmasked Cultivator, his eyes glowing brightly. His right hand formed an incantation gesture and then waved forward. Immediately, his eyes bulged and a tremor ran through his body. Ghost images of his own face suddenly flickered into existence. This was none other than his soul.

The soul flew out of his body, merging into the blood, solidifying into the form of a blood sword.

The sword buzzed, emitting a power seemingly capable of destroying anything. The blood sword shot out to merge with the Core Chakra to form… a real sword!

The blood was an embryo, the soul was the sword spirit, and the Core Chakra formed the blade. This was… the Cultivator's Consummate Life Force Sword! It emitted a shocking scream as it pierced into the spiritual energy vortex and headed directly toward Naruto.

It slowly approached him. Its speed was not great, but it showed no signs of stopping. It seemed it wouldn't stop moving until Naruto was dead. It approached at a crawl: one hundred meters, fifty meters, twenty five meters, fifteen meters….

Naruto closed his eyes. He floated in the midst of the vortex of spiritual energy, his tenth Dao Pillar now eighty percent complete!

The unmasked Cultivator's body trembled and his face was pale. It seemed as if his life force was being suppressed; a death aura appeared. Despite this, he continued to exert maximum power, using his soul to power the Consummate Life Force Sword closer to Naruto.

The soul within the sword let out a deep howling noise. In the blink of an eye, the sword was now only ten meters from Naruto. The unmasked Cultivator could now clearly see Naruto floating there, eyes closed. He could also sense something awakening within Naruto, something that seemed like an ancient wild beast.

No one would interfere in this magical battle. It didn't matter that Naruto was at a critical juncture of a Cultivation base breakthrough. It didn't matter that the unmasked Cultivator's actions were virtually a sneak attack. This battle was between the two of them, and the two of them alone.

The other orange-masked Black Lands Cultivators did nothing to assist their compatriot. Nor did the Southern Domain Cultivators do anything to block him.

Within the space of a moment, the sword was three meters away from Naruto. It glittered coldly, heading directly toward his forehead….

Naruto's tenth Dao Pillar was rapidly congealing. It was now ninety percent complete!

"DIE!" screamed the unmasked Cultivator's soul shrilly. The Consummate Life Force Sword emitted a roaring sound as it approached Naruto. Three meters. One meter. Half a meter….

Soon, it was only a few centimeters from Naruto's forehead!

It was at this moment that an incredible, heaven-shaking roar filled Naruto's body. His tenth Dao Pillar was now one hundred percent complete!

Naruto slowly lifted his right hand, clasping two fingers down onto the tip of the Consummate Life Force Sword, which was only half a centimeter from his forehead.

"This is the true Perfect Foundation!" Naruto murmured to himself. His eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing frigid iciness and shocking killing intent.

This gaze contained a cold, callous aura.

This gaze was filled with a shocking, threatening glow.

This gaze erupted with an unbelievable domineering aura.

At the exact same time, Naruto could sense something within his bag of holding. Something inside was suddenly calling out with an incredible thirst.

This call came from within the blood-colored mask. It was coming from that which Naruto previously had been unable to even touch… the flag of three streamers!

During this explosive moment, all of the spiritual energy in the area poured into Naruto. It only took a few moments for it to disappear, having been completely absorbed by Naruto. Not a scrap remained.

The Dao Geyser had ceased its eruption and, in fact, seemed to be drying up. The Dao Projection in mid-air flickered, then completely disappeared. The Dao Geyser was indeed… thoroughly exhausted.

The tens of thousands of surrounding Cultivators watched on in silence. The Dao Geyser, which had been the focal point of such shocking events for the past year in the Southern Domain, dried up and turned into ash, which then disappeared into the air. Nothing remained.

Naruto had apparently exhausted all of the spiritual energy it contained. There was no more enlightenment to be gained, so it disappeared.

A deathly silence filled the air. The tens of thousands of Cultivators looked on with blank expressions… however, it didn't take long before they were thrown into an uproar.

"The Dao Geyser… is gone?"

"It should have lasted for a few more days, but… it's been completely dried up!"

"Just what sort of breakthrough did Kazama have? He obviously hasn't reached Core Formation. But he's… he's clearly… caused the Dao Geyser to dry up early!"

Black Lands Dao Children A and B were panting. To them, this visit to the western region of the Southern Domain had been shocking to the extreme. The cause of this shock was none other than a single Cultivator.

This Cultivator was… a Furnace Lord from the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect!

The two other orange-masked Cultivators from the Black Lands watched on, seemingly unaffected. However, great waves of shock surged through their hearts, not because of the drying up of the Dao Geyser, but because of Naruto's attacks earlier.

This was the first time they had ever witnessed Foundation Establishment battling Core Formation. Furthermore… while Naruto was clearly at a disadvantage, he had not suffered defeat. Even more astonishing, Naruto had experienced a Cultivation breakthrough in the midst of battle. That was something rarely seen. Something even more rarely seen, was how Naruto was currently clasping a Life Force Sword between his fingers!

"A Foundation Establishment Cultivator shouldn't even be able to touch a sword like that…. Is he… is he really an alchemist?" This was the shocking question which floated in the minds of both of the orange-masked experts.

As the conversations buzzed out, the tens of thousands of Southern Domain Cultivators stared up at Naruto, their eyes filled with a variety of complicated expressions.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. Despite being the focus of tens of thousands gazes, not an ounce of change touched his face.

He wasn't sure how powerful his ten Dao Pillars were, but deep in his heart he knew that… before, despite his caution, he really was no match at all for even the early Core Formation stage. Now, however… things were different.

He now faced a Core Formation Cultivator whose longevity had been damaged and whose soul had been injured. He wasn't completely sure he could come out victorious, but this Cultivator had sustained severe internal injuries… killing him shouldn't be too difficult!

A cold glow filled his eyes. He pinched down on the sword which he held between his two fingers. Power rose up within him, and his ten Dao Pillars rotated. Unprecedented power flowed through his arms and into his fingers!

Popping sounds rang out from the sword, and suddenly, cracks covered its surface. Within the space of a few breaths, it completely collapsed into dust.

The soul within it emitted a blood-curdling shriek and then vanished.

As the soul vanished and the sword disintegrated, tears of blood ran down the face of the unmasked Cultivator. Blood also poured out of his nose and ears as he staggered backward, coughing up a mass of blood. He lifted his pale face, and it was filled with ferocity, appearing to the onlookers to be even demented with insanity.

He lifted his right hand to slap his bag of holding. A black statuette appeared; it appeared to be a dragon, and yet not a dragon, like a python and yet not a python. This was none other than a Flood Dragon!

It had a single horn jutting out of its head, and two clawed arms on its abdomen. Its body was bluish black. The instant it appeared, a fiendish aura filled the area, causing the previously sunny sky to fill with dark clouds.

A faint cry rose up that seemed to come from ancient times, echoing out to shake the minds of the tens of thousands of Cultivators.

As the cry echoed out, the ancient Flying Rain-Dragon Core within Naruto's first Dao Pillar suddenly seemed to wake from slumber. It began to tremble.

A moment later, the air behind Naruto began to ripple, and an enormous, illusory ancient Flying Rain-Dragon appeared. It glared down at the statue of the Flood Dragon as if it were looking at… food!

In ancient times, Flood Dragons were nothing more than food for Flying Rain-Dragons!

The phantom image of the Flying Rain-Dragon was invisible to the onlookers. Suddenly, the roar of the Flood Dragon statue seemed to cease.

The unmasked Cultivator glared at Naruto. One word at a time, he said, "Transform Core Chakra into a Flood Dragon Ancestor! Open a great Dao with Cultivation base blood. Feed this dragon spawn with the body. Use the soul to give birth to slaughter!" The man bit down on the tip of his tongue and spit out a glob of blood onto the statuette.

"I draw on my power to call upon the Flood Dragon Ancestor!" His body trembled as he raised his head to the sky and howled. In an instant, cracks covered the Flood Dragon statue. Popping sounds filled the air, and the surrounding tens of thousands of Cultivators watched as the statuette crumbled to pieces.

It disintegrated, and before the countless bluish black fragments could scatter, a wind sprang up, gathering them together, distorting them, transforming them into the image of a Flood Dragon.

The image was extremely lifelike, and when it appeared, a vast coldness sprang up and spread out. The unmasked Cultivator's expression was vicious as he glared at Naruto.

"Flood Dragon Ancestor, I request that you slay this man!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the phantom Flood Dragon turned. Two cold dots that resembled eyes appeared on its head. It stared at Naruto for a moment, seemingly itching to attack. Suddenly, it sprang into action, shooting directly toward Naruto.

As it approached, the coldness soared to the heavens; it seemed as if everything around it would be frozen in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, it was three hundred meters from Naruto!

Naruto's eyes shone brightly. He didn't retreat or evade; instead, he took a deep breath, lifted his hand and began to slice his fingers. Five fingers were soon covered with blood. He closed his eyes, bent down, and stretched his hand out.

"Blood Death World!" he cried, his voice filled with an aura of blood and gore. The instant the words rang out, his vision turned the color of blood.

At the same time, a bloody aura emanated from his right hand, enveloping the surroundings, causing everything within three thousand meters to turn the color of blood!

The Flood Dragon, too, was enveloped within this world of blood.

This unique world was… the third magical art from the Blood Immortal Legacy, the one he had previously been incapable of unleashing… the Blood Death World!

As soon as the Blood Death World appeared, five blood phantoms appeared around Naruto. These were none other than… his five indestructible Blood Clones!

A boom filled the air, filling the hearts of the tens of thousands of Cultivators with shock. The unmasked Cultivator's face was pale white; it goes without saying that the appearance of the Blood Death World filled his heart with astonishment.

This was especially true because the Flood Dragon, which he previously thought to be incredibly astonishing, was now emitting a miserable shriek as it struggled within the Blood Death World. It seemed to be fighting against some invisible power that it just couldn't shake off.

As its shrieks rang out, Naruto slowly straightened up. He began to clench the fist of his right hand.

As his fist slowly closed, the Blood Death World suddenly shrank, seemingly following the movement of his hand.

As its borders shrank, they slammed into the shrieking Flood Dragon, carrying it with them. In the blink of an eye, the Blood Death World had disappeared, completely shrinking into Naruto's fist. A faint aura of blood seeped up from between his fingers.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He slowly loosened his fingers, and as he did, chunky bits of bluish-black dust floated off his palm to dissipate in the wind.

Gasps could be heard as people recognized the powder as… the remnants of the Flood Dragon statuette!

The unmasked Cultivator stared at Naruto, his eyes filled with fury. "Today's battle will end only in your death. The Foundation Establishment stage… is simply incapable of challenging the Core Formation stage." He lifted his left hand and used his fingernail to scratch three bloody streaks onto his face, forming a triangle.

Bone was visible beneath the cuts, which oozed blood. The sight was shocking, but the unmasked Cultivator showed no signs that it hurt even the slightest bit. He glared at Naruto with even more ferocity than before.

Hoarse-voiced conversations immediately sprang up among the Cultivators below.

"That's…."

"That's a forbidden technique of the Black Lands, the Yellow Springs Three Incarnations Seal!"

As the word spread among the Cultivators, the unmasked Cultivator's sinister voice filled the air: "Three incarnations are carved out within the yellow springs, three incarnations that can destroy all incarnations! Yellow Springs… Three Incarnations Seal!" A bizarre aura filled the eyes of the unmasked Cultivator. This was his most powerful magical technique. Utilizing this technique would come at no small cost to him, but at the moment, he didn't care. The three bloody lacerations on his face began to burn, branding deeply into his face. They began to turn into scar tissue, filling his eyes with even more demented ferocity.

As the words left his mouth, he raised his right hand toward Naruto, then chopped it down into the air. At first, it seemed as if nothing had happened. However, Naruto's heart trembled.

Naruto's gaze was like lightning as he gazed at the unmasked Cultivator. His brow was furrowed. He had been able to exterminate the Flood Dragon because of the might exerted upon it by the Flying Rain-Dragon within the Blood Death World. As such, it had been dispersed when the Blood Death World dissipated.

"Time to end things," he said softly, his brow relaxing. He raised his right hand to smack his bag of holding. Instead of retrieving an object, however, he sent his Spiritual Sense into the blood-colored mask. It circled around the flag of three streamers, which he previously had never been able to use.

This was a precious treasure from the Blood Immortal Legacy.

As his Spiritual Sense hovered over the flag of three streamers, it began to sway, then suddenly unfurled. It entered his body, filling him with enlightenment. He raised his right hand and then waved it.

Behind him, surrounding him, in all directions…

Filling the sky, covering the land, appearing tattered and yet still emitting a power of Heavenly might… was one streamer from the flag of three streamers!

It appeared dilapidated, and was gray, but stretched out seemingly without end.

As it stretched out… the yellow springs seemed to dry up, the three incarnations were exterminated, everything sank halfway to hell!

Naruto hovered in mid-air, his eyes closed, concealing the veins of blood which filled his eyes. His mind was reeling; he'd never imagined that taking out the flag of three streamers would unleash such heaven-shaking power.

Furthermore… this was only one streamer. In addition, the full flag of three streamers hadn't truly been unfurled; this was only a shadow of the treasure, projected by means of Naruto's Spiritual Sense.

However, even this projected power of the dilapidated flag was able to blot out the sky and cover the entire land. It completely filled the vision of the tens of thousands of Cultivators. Heaven and Earth were filled with darkness.

At this moment, Heaven and Earth seemed to be split in two. Heaven was Heaven, Earth was Earth. The flag existed beneath the Heavens, an Earth of its own, and above the Earth, a Heavenly Flag!

The world was covered with darkness; spirits faded, the Cosmos itself was pitch black.

An indescribable pressure roiled out, and an unprecedented sense of calamity filled the hearts of all the Cultivators. It was impossible to dispel, as if an enormous boulder was crushing down onto their bodies.

The entire world was suddenly plunged into deathly silence.

A gray aura began to emanate from the bodies of everyone present. It curled up into the air, forming a mist, outside of which only the fluttering, dilapidated flag was visible. It twisted beneath the Heavens and the Earth, stretching out seemingly for hundreds of kilometers in all directions. It seemed as if it had replaced the Heavens, changed its will….

This dilapidated flag used one side to change the Heavens, and the other side to change the Earth.

A long time passed, or perhaps it was only a moment; the sky's normal color returned, and that which covered the earth disappeared. The gray mist dissipated, and the shocking flag that had appeared in the sky… disappeared without a trace.

Only Naruto remained floating in mid-air. No living thing existed alongside him. The Black Lands Cultivators remained, as did those from the Southern Domain. However, the appearance of the undulating flag up in the sky had caused their bodies to tremble and begin to sink down into the ground.

In addition to Naruto, the only thing left in the sky was a headless corpse which was slowly beginning to fall down to the ground. This corpse was none other than the unmasked Cultivator!

As of this moment, everything was over.

In the space of a breath, all eyes came to rest on Naruto. And then, the astonishment in everyone's hearts exploded out.

"The orange-masked Black Lands Cultivator… is dead…."

"A Foundation Establishment Cultivator just exterminated a Core Formation Cultivator. This is… this is…."

"How can Kazama possess such battle power? He dried up the Dao Geyser! Just what kind of good fortune was he able to seize?!"

"He's an alchemist, a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division. But he was able to challenge Dao Children. In the future, he'll… he'll definitely be the number one figure of his generation in the Southern Domain!"

"More importantly, just what magical technique did Kazama just use? It's a technique that can slay Core Formation!"

Conversations buzzed. The Black Lands Cultivators, A and B, were pale-faced beneath their masks. They stared blankly at Naruto. Before this battle, they had believed themselves to be Chosen of Heaven; they truly thought that few people within the Foundation Establishment stage in the Southern Domain could possibly exceed them. At the most, perhaps someone existed who could match them in battle.

But now, they found that it didn't matter if it were them, or other Chosen from the Southern Domain, they were are all simply foils that accentuated the magnificence of Kazama.

Even if they grew more powerful, even if they could be considered Chosen within their various Sects, all of them… were merely ordinary when compared to Kazama.

Kazama floated like a blazing sun in the sky. He was too bright, dazzling, causing all the surrounding stars to fade. They might be unwilling, they might be unconvinced, but it didn't matter. They had no choice….

An inhuman Cultivator had appeared in the Foundation Establishment stage who could exterminate Core Formation Cultivators. Everyone of his generation had no choice but to be shaken and feel suppressed.

Itachi's face was pale, and he stood there silently. Akatsuchi shook his head with a bitter smile and sighed inwardly. The Golden Frost Sect Dao Child, Sagiri Nadeshiko of the Nadeshiko Clan, and the others of various clans who considered themselves to be at the peak of Foundation Establishment, all looked up at Naruto, their eyes filled with deep veneration.

They were in awe of his Cultivation base, and they revered him for his status as a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division. Because of all of this, it was impossible for them not to understand that in the future, the name of Kazama would be matchless in the Southern Domain. From now on, he would be a critical element within the Southern Domain!

Fame had come with one battle!

All eyes were fixed upon Naruto as he floated there in mid-air. No roars filled the air, only silence.

Such silence, such deathly emptiness, usually represents intense fear….

The various Cultivator's eyes' were filled with conflict, shock, reverence, admiration, and envy….

Such a variety of looks seemed to transform into a sharpness which circulated around Naruto. In fact, if Naruto hesitated at all, it seemed like the sharpness might transform into killing.

Naruto's astonishing power caused many hearts to fill with a disastrous level of jealousy. This was one of the reasons he had chosen to change his appearance so often in the past, and had been so careful to not accidentally reveal himself.

If it weren't for the fact that this battle had been key to his breakthrough, then he would never have openly revealed so much about himself.

The death of the orange-masked Cultivator would not be closely investigated. Neither the Black Lands Dao Children nor the orange-masked Cultivators would look into the matter too closely, not with Naruto at the height of his power, and surrounded by the shocked Southern Domain Cultivators.

However… he was in a precarious situation. The looks being cast by many of the surrounding Cultivators caused the two orange-masked Cultivators' eyes to glitter slightly.

Their gazes came to fall on Naruto. So did that of Itachi, Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan. His right hand seemed to be resting casually at his side, but only he knew that he was slowly preparing the Uchiha Clan's Vermillion Bird Three Fingers.

Akatsuchi of the Solitary Sword Sect narrowed his eyes. Even his normally forthright face began to fill with a slightly sinister expression.

The Golden Frost Sect Dao Child, as well as the Chosen from the other Sects, had all been defeated by Naruto recently. Their eyes began to flicker as they looked at him too.

They didn't dare to attack… although, if they knew he was Naruto, then surely they wouldn't have so many misgivings. The Black Lands Cultivators would have none whatsoever, and would definitely immediately attack. However, this wasn't Naruto… this was Kazama!

A Furnace Lord from the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect!

As people grow in life, they form nets to fall back on. To avoid the problems that result from killing someone, you must first sever that person's nets. That is the only way to prevent future consequences. Acting in any other way is equivalent to killing oneself.

Before, Naruto was only Naruto. He had no such nets, and as such, anyone who wished to kill him could simply attack.

But now, his identity as a member of the East Pill Division was his biggest safety net.

Naruto gained enlightenment of this when he had first joined the Reliance Sect. Having someone to rely on is in fact one of the greatest safety nets that can exist in a person's life.

Itachi didn't make a move. However, one of the other Uchiha Clan Chosen suddenly took a step toward Naruto.

That step seemed to fall upon the hearts of the surrounding Cultivators. A suddenly moved!

The two Black Lands orange-masked Cultivators also began to advance…

Amidst the stifling deathly silence, the seemingly peaceful scene was actually filled with incredible danger. As Naruto floated in mid-air, his closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

The instant this happened, the Uchiha Clan Chosen stopped in his tracks. A also stopped moving, as did the two orange-masked Cultivators.

Everyone looked at Naruto, their looks even more thoughtful than before.

His expression was the same as ever, cold and detached. The coldness of his gaze was even thicker than before, and deep within could be sensed an aura of ridicule.

Not even the slightest injury could be seen on his body, making it seem as if this wasn't his first time exterminating a Core Formation Cultivator!

He suddenly spoke, his voice cool: "My enlightenment from the Dao Geyser included a divine ability. I am a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division, unfamiliar with magical battle. However, because of the profundity of the enlightenment, I was unable to control myself. Fellow Daoists from the Black Lands, please forgive me." With that, he waved his hand, causing his orange-colored robe to disappear. It was replaced with the alchemist's robe of a Violet Fate Sect Furnace Lord, black, with a faint violet aura glowing within. The sight of it instantly caused everyone to be filled with shock.

He floated there in mid-air, looking coolly about at the crowds of people.

It seemed as if an appointed time had arrived. The two orange-masked Cultivators gave deep looks to Naruto, then turned and transformed into beams of light that shot off into the distance. Apparently, Naruto's identity as a Furnace Lord was their greatest misgiving. It was well known that anyone who trifled with one of Pill Demon's alchemists could arouse the wrath of the entire Sect!

A and B gave a final glance at Naruto, and then departed.

The departure of the Black Lands Cultivators caused the previously stifling atmosphere among the Southern Domain Cultivators to slowly relax. The pressure eased, and they began to grow excited. Even as everyone began to discuss this Kazama, Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply to everyone.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoists," he said. "I, Kazama, am very moved. Now, I need to deeply analyze and meditate upon my recent enlightenment. Furthermore, I recently received orders from the Sect, calling me back. Next time you are able, call on me in the Violet Fate Sect, I will most happily receive and entertain you." With that, he gave another deep bow. Most of the surrounding Cultivators understood that as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it was an astonishing thing to have slain a Core Formation Cultivator. Of course, the divine ability which had appeared was a projection of some magical item that no one had actually seen. Clearly, he had incredibly mysterious magical techniques and divine abilities at his disposal.

The confidence instilled by this achievement in battle would give birth to an ever-present confidence. It would help in everything in the future, be it in terms of cultivation or magical techniques.

As they digested his words, Naruto once again clasped hands to the Dao Children of the various Sects and Clans, thanking them deeply for their assistance. Clearly having no intention of staying behind any longer, he turned into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Itachi and the others frowned as they watched Naruto disappear. They had no choice but to eventually just look away. Now as before, there was no way for them to truly understand the level of Naruto's profundity. Because of the Violet Fate Sect, it was impossible for them to make any rash moves. They could only sigh inwardly.

Naruto flew away at top speed. After a day passed, his face was completely pale, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His aura was incredibly weak. Gritting his teeth, he found the mountain where… he had just recently spent so much time in secluded meditation.

He entered the Immortal's Cave, coughing up more blood, and immediately sat down cross-legged. Popping a medicinal pill into his mouth, he waved his sleeve, sending out a vast amount of poison pills. They immediately turned into a mist which completely surrounded him.

Naruto's face was pale as he sat cross-legged in the Immortal's Cave. A few days later, he finally opened his eyes. They shone with a brilliant light. However, his brow remained furrowed for quite some time before finally relaxing.

"I injured my soul…." he murmured. He could sense a sinister coldness within him, an iciness which filled him through and through. In the cultivation of Foundation Establishment, the Cultivation base is related to the Dao Pillars. Spiritual Sense is born, as well as the Sea of Perception and the Cultivation soul.

That soul would become the foundation for the future Nascent Soul.

Right now, though, Naruto could faintly sense that his soul had been pulled out of place, a price paid for the use of the flag of three streamers. Such an injury would be difficult to recover from. An injury of the flesh would naturally recover through rest and recuperation, or through the use of medicinal pills. However, an injury of the soul could not be healed in such a way.

Battling and slaying Core Formation had been an impressive feat, but as far as Naruto was concerned, the level of difficulty was far too high. Even with a tenth Dao Pillar, it had been extremely difficult.

There was simply too great a difference between Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Core Formation Cultivators, especially those who had cultivated Core Chakra. In truth, he was not really qualified to challenge a Core Formation Cultivator.

Even with a Perfect Foundation and eight Dao Pillars, his fight with the orange-masked Cultivator had been too challenging. He had used every trick he could think of just to hold his opponent off. It seemed as if he hadn't been defeated, but in truth, the power had existed to destroy him. If any more time had passed, then he would have been vanquished in spectacular fashion.

Thankfully, his ninth Dao Pillar had appeared, and then the situation changed for the better. Of course, that is what Naruto had been aiming for; the intense life or death struggle was what had caused the Chakra in his body to multiply, enabling him to break through the bottleneck and increase his Cultivation base!

The need for battle was what had prompted Naruto to attack in the first place!

Without the tenth Dao Pillar, and completing the great circle of the Perfect Foundation, he would have been incapable of killing the Core Formation Cultivator. At best, he would have been able to fight a bit longer.

Once the tenth Dao Pillar appeared, however, the vast gap between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation, which was like that between Heaven and Earth, had been narrowed by perhaps half.

That jump caused the battle prowess of his Cultivation base to leap up, far exceeding that of Foundation Establishment, and approaching Core Formation.

The fact was, even with power reaching halfway to Core Formation, the most he could do would be to tangle with a Core Formation Cultivator. He would never be able to slay one. Similarly, although his opponent would occupy a superior position, they wouldn't find it easy to slay him.

What had truly changed the tide had been the flag of three streamers, that precious treasure which resided inside the blood-colored mask.

The treasure had existed for an indeterminable period of time within the Blood Immortal Legacy zone. One of its streamers was sealed with the word Hebi. Its power was clearly enough to shake Heaven and Earth, and the Blood Immortal of the Ancient Doom Clan had desired to use it to drink the blood of the Hebi!

Naruto remembered the meat jelly's shocked reaction upon first seeing the flag. Considering all of that, how could Naruto not realize how astounding it was?

In reality, he did not have the requisite Cultivation base to even touch the treasure, let alone employ its power. However, once his tenth Dao Pillar appeared, he had been able to sense the parched call of the flag of three streamers.

Now that he thought back, he realized that its thirst… was a thirst for destruction!

In fact, instead of saying that Naruto had employed the power of the flag of three streamers, it would be more accurate to say because of Naruto's new qualifications, the flag was able to borrow his hands and his power to appear once again in the sky.

Furthermore, instead of saying that Naruto had slain a Core Formation Cultivator, it would be more accurate to say that the flag of three streamers was the one to exterminate the orange-masked Cultivator!

Even the appearance of just one of the flag's three streamers caused Naruto's Cultivation base to wither, and had injured his soul. That moment in which he had hovered in mid-air, facing down the Black Lands Cultivators and the crowds from the Southern Domain, everything about him had appeared normal. In reality, he had been extremely weak.

Thanks to the transformation powers of the meat jelly, he had been able to force out the sensation of a powerful aura. No one had been able to sense even the slightest clue as to his true state. Considering that and their other misgivings, no one had dared to make a move against him.

In addition, the flag of three streamers hadn't even fully appeared. It had only been a phantom image that appeared to be a divine ability. Therefore, most people had assumed that it was not a magical treasure, but some technique. Furthermore, no one had made a connection between him drying up the Dao Geyser, and the appearance of the flag.

Upon waking up just now, he had spit up a glob of impure Chakra, and his eyes had begun to shine. His Cultivation base was now recovered by eighty to ninety percent. Based on how fast it was going, it wouldn't be long before it was completely recovered. The injury to his soul, however, was impossible to deal with. He could only exercise caution and not cause any further injury.

"Injuring the soul is like sowing Karma. If the day comes in which I can break into the Nascent Soul stage, then the Karma will be reaped." Naruto sat there thoughtfully for a moment, then took a deep breath and slowly stood up. He walked out of the Immortal's Cave to find that it was raining again. The murmuring rain carried with it the cold of autumn. Naruto stared off into the distance, his long orange robe fluttering in the rainy wind.

"Core Formation…." His eyes glittered. There was really no need to think of the difficulty of reaching the Nascent Soul Stage. Suddenly, he thought of Sasuke's Dao Protector, the Core Formation Cultivator Baru Uchiha.

All those years ago, a mere glance from him had nearly killed Naruto. As of now, Naruto was confident that if he faced him again, the man would be stunned.

Lost in thought, Naruto recalled Grand Elder Jiraiya and Kakashi from the Reliance Sect. He also thought of the other Core Formation Cultivators from the Five Elements Nation. Gradually, his eyes began to gleam.

"I have ten Dao Pillars and a perfect Foundation. I can even battle the Core Formation stage…. I may be cut off from the spiritual power of Heaven and Earth, but in return, I am the most powerful person in this stage! I must continue down this path! I have a Perfect Foundation, next is… a Perfect Gold Core!" The thought of it left him panting. "As for the injury to my soul, that will just have to wait until later." He was no longer the youngster he had been when he began practicing cultivation, and now had much deeper comprehension of all that was involved with it. For example, he now knew that in the cultivation world of the Southern Domain, the Core Formation stage was divided into three levels. Violet as placed on top, beneath which were Orange, Crimson and Green; at the very bottom as Mixed.

Based on various methods, and the variety of latent talent, different Cores could be formed. For instance, the Violet Fate Sect's Violet Chakra from the East was able to produce a Violet Core. As for other Sects and Clans, they naturally had their own secret magics that gave their Chosen Disciples a chance to produce a Violet Core.

Different Cores would produce different Core Chakra. Of course, the higher the level of the Core, the more likely it would be to produce Core Chakra, and sooner. Obviously, the Core Chakra would be much more powerful as well.

Generally speaking, among Cultivators with a Violet Core, ninety percent would be able to cultivate Core Chakra in the early Core Formation stage. For Orange, Crimson and Green Cores, they were monochromatic Cores, and would generally produce Core Chakra during the mid Core Formation stage. As for the three orange-masked Black Lands Cultivators, they were obviously Chosen, and had somehow been able to force the superior power of a Violet Core out of their Orange Cores.

Regarding Mixed Cores, they contained a variety of colors and were the lowest of the entire stage.

Of course, Naruto knew that when it came to the Perfect Core, it was Gold!

Just as there had been a Perfect Foundation Pill, there was also a Perfect Gold Core Pill. After forming a Violet Core, and then consuming the Perfect Gold Core Pill, he would have a high likelihood of rising to a Gold Core.

When that happened, he would have to face Tribulation Lightning.

Before, such things had been far away for Naruto, but now that he had ten Perfect Dao Pillars and had completed the great circle of the Perfect Foundation, Core Formation was just around the corner.

He looked thoughtfully out into the windy rain. Finally, he flicked his sleeve to gather together the poison mist from within the Immortal's Cave. It collected into the palm of his hand, after which he placed it into his bag of holding. Then, his body flickered as he moved off into the distance.

Several days later, Naruto hovered in mid-air, frowning. On his head, the meat jelly, transformed into a hat, was jabbering on and on. "Bullies. Three bullies. Naruto, you're picking on me! You've taken advantage of my feelings. You're taking advantage of my assistance…."

It had come out two days ago, relentlessly requesting bullies. However, out here in the western region of the Southern Domain, there were no Cultivators. They'd all left after the disappearance of the Dao Geyser. Naruto hadn't been able to find any new bullies.

Therefore… the meat jelly was furious.

"How can you be so immoral, so wrong? It's unconscionable…. My bullies! My three bullies!" The more it talked the more wronged it sounded.

Naruto coughed lightly. His face was unsightly, but after all those years, especially after his time in the Violet Fate Sect, he had gotten used to the meat jelly's frequent harassment. Therefore, he simply allowed it to chatter on endlessly.

After three more days of garrulous talking, the meat jelly finally paused for a moment. Naruto cleared his throat and began to speak: "Didn't you say once that the parrot can emerge from the copper mirror after I reach Core Formation?" He had been waiting for three days to be able to ask this question.

"Correct!" the meat jelly screeched. "After reaching Core Formation, that damned, evil, shameless, low-down, despicable bastard will appear. I've been waiting for that day for a long time! In this life, I will definitely convert it!" In a frenzy, the meat jelly began to chatter away ceaselessly. Now, instead of blabbering about bullies, it was talking about the mystical parrot.

Naruto relaxed a bit. At long last he had figured out a way to handle the meat jelly. All you had to do was keep giving it conversation topics. Usually, one or two topics later, it would forget about what it had been concerned about previously. Leading it back and forth in this way was the easiest method to deal with it.

Naruto flew along as the meat jelly hat prattled. The buzzing went on for seven days before it finally paused to rest for a moment.

Before it could, Naruto said, "Who do you think is more incredible, you or that parrot?"

It seemed Naruto's words had offended it, and it once again went crazy. Trembling, its fury rose to the heavens. "Me, of course! Obviously it's grand, handsome, extraordinary, intelligent me! That shameless bastard of a bird is nothing but a bird. I'm gonna to convert it, I'm gonna knock him down!"

"How is the Danzo doing lately?" Naruto quickly asked. "Has he been obedient?"

The meat jelly gaped for a moment. "The Danzo? Damnation! Damnation! He hasn't been obedient at all recently. His immorality, his evil, is without limit! I have to go lecture him for a bit!" It seemed to have suddenly realized how to give vent to all its anger. A bang sounded out as it disappeared in a puff of smoke into Naruto's bag of holding and the mask, filled with ardor and sincerity.

Naruto was finally able to breathe a long sigh of relief.

"At long last, some peace and quiet…."

He looked around. He didn't intend to immediately head back to the Violet Fate Sect. Instead, he would visit some Cultivator cities and find some Pill Auctions where he could earn some Spirit Stones.

However, even as he was sizing up the surroundings and figuring out which direction he would travel in, his expression suddenly flickered. He looked down at his bag of holding for a moment, and then pulled out his Furnace Lord medallion. It was emitting a flickering, violet glow. He pressed down on the medallion, and suddenly an archaic voice filled his head.

"Hey kid, have you had enough fun? It's time to stop fooling around. I want you back in four days. Trial by fire for Violet Furnace Lord promotion begins then in the Celestial Land. The frequency of these trials by fire is completely up to my mood. It starts four days from now, and everyone who joins has a chance to become a Violet Furnace Lord. If you don't get back ASAP, then you'll lose your chance to participate."

Naruto opened his eyes and stared blankly at the Furnace Lord medallion for a moment as the voice faded from his mind. For some reason its tone made it seem that whoever was speaking was very familiar with him.

The tone had been one of idle chit-chat, which left Naruto even more surprised.

However, the voice was clearly that of a stranger; Naruto was sure he had never heard it before.

He frowned for a moment, then transformed into a beam of light and shot forward. Before he had flown very far, he suddenly stopped and looked down at the Furnace Lord medallion. His eyes narrowed for a moment, then began to shine. Within the shining glow were bits of fury.

"I know who that voice belongs to. The only person who has the authority to start a trial by fire for Violet Furnace Lord promotion… completely based on his mood…. Other than the Violet Furnace Lords themselves, the only person who could transmit a message from such a distance is….

"Pill Demon!" Naruto ground his teeth. He had really had no option but to go.

"My Bedevilment Pill! My 200,000,000 Spirit Stones…." Thinking about the vast amount of Spirit Stones made Naruto's heart seize with pain. It was as if someone had taken a valuable treasure right out of his pocket and dangled it in front of his face, while he was powerless to resist.

Within the Violet Fate Sect, Pill Demon was the only one other than the Violet Furnace Lords who might possibly know that he was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. The Bedevilment Pill might be able to fool others, but definitely not Pill Demon.

Considering Pill Demon's position within the Violet Fate Sect, if he wanted to know something, it would be virtually impossible to keep the information from him.

Actually, Naruto hadn't really done anything to conceal his identity as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. He had simply not taken the initiative to proclaim who he was. After all, his original intention in participating in the Pill Auction was to increase his reputation a bit. He had never imagined that the Bedevilment Pill would cause such a stir. His subsequent caution had caused the entire Southern Domain to begin to speculate as to who Grandmaster Pill Cauldron really was.

As he looked at the Furnace Lord medallion, he recalled the voice that had just entered his head and let out a soft sigh. Obviously, Pill Demon had known all along that he was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

Naruto was suddenly furious. "So you knew the whole time that I was famous in all of the Southern Domain. Any Sect would love to have me work for them as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. In that case, why didn't you give me my Spirit Stones?!"

There was little to do about it, though. Pill Demon was like a Patriarch in the East Pill Division. If he wanted to cheat him, there was really nothing Naruto could do about it. He couldn't simply up and demand to have Spirit Stones.

"Back in Yunjie County, the Stewards were always miserly. If they weren't taking advantage of people, they took it as losing money! It seems the same principle exists in the Cultivation world. The more Spirit Stones they have, the stingier they get!" Naruto sighed, then once again proceeded forward in a beam of light.

"You owe me 200,000,000 Spirit Stones. Right now I don't even have a single Spirit Stone left…." thought Naruto, his face long. When he thought about his empty bag of holding, and the 200,000,000 Spirit Stones, he just couldn't keep his cool.

"Four days to get back to the Sect. I'm much further than four days away right now…." He sped up.

"Trial by fire for promotion to Violet Furnace Lord…. Could batty old Pill Demon perhaps feel guilty for taking my Spirit Stones, so he's giving me a chance to become a Violet Furnace Lord?" His eyes suddenly began to glitter, and his heart palpitated with eagerness. He knew that becoming a Violet Furnace Lord would come with a host of benefits.

After a thousand years, the Violet Fate Sect currently only had eight Violet Furnace Lords. Finally there would be a ninth….

Naruto began to breathe heavily, and he pushed himself even faster.

"Four days…. No matter what, I have to get back to the Sect in four days!" He shot off into the distance, a prismatic beam charging at high speed. He had risen to prominence in the western region. His Cultivation base had climbed to new heights. Now he was being called back to the Sect. All of it seemed to smack of some hidden agenda. He decided not to be concerned about the suddenness of the whole matter.

He sighed again and pushed down his concerns. His Cultivation base was now much different than when he had left the Sect, but he could use the Dao Geyser to explain that. After considering the matter for some time, Naruto found it unlikely that the Sect was plotting against him.

After all, the Violet Fate Sect was one of the great Sects of the Southern Domain. If they really harbored ill intentions toward him and deigned to use some sort of tricks on him, then there was nothing he could do about it. They would be able to seize him with little effort.

Besides, he had been in the East Pill Division for more than five years. He understood the Sect fairly well and knew both the exceptional areas of the East Pill Division, as well as its shortcomings.

Thinking of all these things, his apprehension lessened quite a bit. However, he was no less cautious than ever. Taking advantage of every teleportation portal he could, he made his way back toward the Violet Fate Sect.

Every teleportation portal he arrived at belonged to some Sect or Clan. All he had to do was flash his Furnace Lord medallion and they would let him pass. They were happy to let a Furnace Lord use their teleportation devices.

Four days passed in a flash. It was late in the night of the third day, in the moment when dawn of the fourth day was about to break, that Naruto, windswept and covered in dust, arrived in the region of the Violet Fate Sect. He had passed through over twenty teleportation portals and had crossed nearly half of the Southern Domain.

"Batty old Pill Demon! If he gets to choose when the trial by fire starts, then why the hell did he pick four days!" Naruto wasn't in a good mood, and was in fact slightly depressed. Anyone who used over twenty teleportation portals in a brief four day period would be just as completely exhausted. Thankfully, he had ten Dao Pillars and much stronger Spiritual Sense. With his previous Cultivation base, being teleported so many times in such a short period of time would have left him painfully exhausted.

Naruto would rather have spent the fourth day in meditation and rest, but had no time. The constant flying and use of teleportation portals wasn't without benefit, though. Because of the constant rotation of his Cultivation base, his ten Dao Pillars were completely stable; he could now break through to Core Formation at any time.

His breathing rough, Naruto shot through Violet Fate Sect territory. Dawn light climbed up into the sky as he flew along. Occasionally he would encounter other Cultivators who, upon seeing his clothing, would look shocked, and then respectfully clasp hands and bow to him.

This was Violet Fate Sect territory, so all the other Sects and Clans therein were connected in some way to the Violet Fate Sect. As such, his clothing, and the identity they heralded, garnered deep respect.

Off in the distance, he could see the Violet Fate Sect and the enormous statue of Reverend Violet East. It was still early morning, but Naruto was worn out and in a rotten mood. As he approached the Sect, the previously still air suddenly began to ripple.

Naruto ignored the ripples, and continued to fly at top speed. The ripples spread out for a moment, and then soundlessly disappeared.

These ripples would instantly slay any Cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage or below who was not of the Violet Fate Sect.

Naruto whistled through the air within the Sect. Along the way, he ran into quite a few disciples of the Violet Chakra Division. They looked at Naruto with expressions of complete astonishment.

Seeing the expressions, Naruto got a bad feeling. Suddenly, he turned a corner and found himself face to face with a Chosen disciple he knew from the Violet Chakra Division, who immediately said, "Kazama, what are you doing back?"

Naruto paused for a moment, turning back to look at him. "Hey, Brother Yajirobee… I was out of the Sect to gain some experience, but now the training is over…."

"You just got back from training?" was the reply. "You'd better get to Eastern Emergence Mountain as fast as you can. All the Furnace Lords and master alchemists of the East Pill Division headed over there at dawn. The word is that there's a Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire!"

"Eastern Emergence Mountain?" An image of the mountain immediately appeared in Naruto's mind. It was in the eastern part of the State of Eastern Emergence, quite some distance from the Violet Fate Sect.

"Yeah! The trial by fire for Violet Furnace Lord Promotion has caused a big stir among the other great Sects and Clans. Members of the senior generation arrived quite some time ago to observe the proceedings. You…" As the words were still coming out Yajirobee's mouth, Naruto took a deep breath, clasped hands, and then disappeared in a beam of bright light.

He sent his Spiritual Sense out and found that there really were no master alchemists present at all within the East Pill Division. He immediately shot off into the distance.

"Batty old Pill Demon," he said through gritted teeth, "why can't you explain things clearly?!" Despite his exhaustion, he shot forward at the highest speed possible.

Eastern Emergence Mountain was the most prominent mountain within the State of Eastern Emergence. It towered up into the sky, and throughout the year, its upper half was enveloped in white clouds that appeared Celestial in nature. Many legends about this mountain existed within the State of Eastern Emergence.

Its peak was covered with ice and snow; mortals would be incapable of climbing up to such a place. Furthermore, the mountain was guarded year round by Violet Fate Sect Cultivators, making it a restricted area.

Even Violet Fate Sect disciples were not allowed to climb the mountain unless they had a special command medallion. Obviously, outsiders would never be allowed onto the mountain unless some solemn Violet Fate Sect matter was underway.

According to one rumor, ten thousand years ago, the Violet Fate Sect wasn't located where it was now, but rather, on Eastern Emergence Mountain. Eventually, because of various circumstances, the Sect had moved away.

Regardless of that, Eastern Emergence Mountain was under constant guard by the Violet Fate Sect. In fact, it was less of a restricted area and more of a holy place!

Currently, an enormous pill furnace rested on the peak of the mountain. It was covered with countless protruding magical symbols, and emanated an archaic air. An air of Time seemed to spread out from within, an air that felt thousands of years old.

Were Naruto here, he would recognize this pill furnace… this was the same one that appeared in illusory form above the East Pill Division, and led into the Violet Fate Celestial Land.

This was the actual pill furnace itself!

Surrounding the pill furnace were the thousand master alchemists of the East Pill division, the one hundred Furnace Lords, and the eight Violet Furnace Lords, including Kotetsu and Ensui. Everyone was here!

Close by were representatives of the other four great Sects, as well as the three great Clans, along with members from other Sects who devoted themselves to alchemy. Elders from all these organizations sat cross-legged atop the mountain peak, waiting.

A Violet Furnace Lord promotion was not a grand occasion for the Violet Fate Sect only, but rather the entire Southern Domain as a whole. This was not just because a Violet Furnace Lord represented a peak position of incredible height, but also because…

A promotion to Violet Furnace Lord was actually an apprentice-accepting ceremony of Grandmaster Pill Demon!

Currently, there were eight Violet Furnace Lords in the Violet Fate Sect, and all of them were novitiates of Grandmaster Pill Demon. This ceremony was actually a way of formally becoming an apprentice!

Some disciples, such as Sakura and Obito, were qualified to directly become Grandmaster Pill Demon's apprentices. However, this generally didn't meet with the approval of the alchemists of the East Pill Division. Alchemists were partial to those who relied on their own hard work, who started out as apprentice alchemists, then worked their way to become master alchemists, Furnace Lords, and then finally apprentices of Grandmaster Pill Demon, by joining the ranks of the Violet Furnace Lords.

Sakura was a bit different. Because of her skill in pill concocting, she had a good reputation in the East Pill Division. Add in her incredible beauty, and the alchemists were more easily able to accept her.

Despite that, to Sakura, promotion to Violet Furnace Lord was incredibly important. She stood there in the crowd, her eyes glowing with determination. This was her chance to become a Violet Furnace Lord, and she was determined to succeed.

Her gaze came to rest upon a man who was standing behind one of the Violet Furnace Lords. He was middle-aged, and his face was flawless and handsome. His expression was tranquil, and he wore the robe of a Furnace Lord. A faint medicinal aroma wafted off of him; he was clearly beyond ordinary.

Within his face could be seen a hint of lonely arrogance. His expression and appearance were exactly how Sakura imagined Grandmaster Pill Cauldron to be.

"He will be my biggest competition for promotion to Violet Furnace Lord…." she thought with an inward sigh as she looked at him. This proud, aloof man was like a Chosen among the Furnace Lords. His name was Teuchi.

Among the Furnace Lords, Teuchi was well known as having incredible skill in the Dao of alchemy. His skill was the type only seen once in a thousand years, and he was generally acknowledged to be the alchemist most likely to be promoted to Violet Furnace Lord. Upon joining the Sect many years ago, he had immediately caused a huge stir in the East Pill Division. Furthermore, Violet Furnace Lord Rinji took special notice of his talent and showed him favor. This was mostly because they shared the same surname, Ye.

With assistance the entire time, he became the number one apprentice alchemist at the time, then the number one master alchemist. Finally, he became a Furnace Lord, whereupon not much was heard about him for many years. According to the rumors, his skill in the Dao of alchemy had reached the peak of the Furnace Lord rank, and he was halfway to being a Violet Furnace Lord already.

Even more stunning was that it wasn't just his Dao of alchemy that was so high; he had long since reached the Core Formation stage. He hadn't cultivated Core Chakra yet, but many people speculated that if he hadn't devoted himself so much to alchemy, he would already be above the mid Core Formation stage.

In this Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire, Teuchi was viewed as the most likely candidate to win. Second was Sakura. There were other candidates, but the general consensus was that the main competition would be between these two.

Sakura had one advantage; she was an apprentice of Pill Demon. As for Teuchi, his advantage, which even Sakura had to acknowledge, was that he had the support of ninety percent of the Furnace Lords, as well as five of the Violet Furnace Lords. In addition, Pill Demon himself had praised him on past occasions. All of this really put Teuchi in a superior position.

Even more importantly, Chosen-like Teuchi had been talked a lot about in the past year. More and more people outside the Sect were spreading rumors that… he was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!

Teuchi never made any comments on the subject, which of course caused even more rumors to spread. Soon, everyone was convinced that Pill Cauldron was none other than Teuchi.

Even many of the Furnace Lords agreed with this, as well as a few of the Violet Furnace Lords, who began to pay closer attention to him because of it.

Sakura was very focused on the matter of Pill Cauldron. She had even gone to visit Teuchi to ask about it. While he hadn't openly admitted that he was Pill Cauldron, he had vaguely implied that such was the case. How could Sakura not have understood his meaning?

After finally resolving the issue, she actually felt a little bit disappointed. It was an indescribable feeling, sort of like waking to find that reality was very different from the dream world you had just been in.

"Even if he is Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, I will fight with everything I have to become a Violet Furnace Lord," she thought, taking a deep breath and deepening her resolve. For some strange reason, as soon as she made her mind up, the image of another person suddenly appeared in her mind. Kazama.

"Why am I thinking about him…?" She frowned, dispelling the image of Kazama from her thoughts.

It was early morning on Eastern Emergence Mountain. Cool sunlight fell upon the snowy mountain peak. The enormous pill furnace emitted an archaic aura of Time, and the surroundings were very quiet.

The eight Violet Furnace Lords of the East Pill Division sat cross-legged. Behind them were the Furnace Lords and master alchemists, over a thousand people altogether.

Also present off to the side were representatives from the other Sects and Clans, here to observe the ceremonies. If someone was promoted to Violet Furnace Lord, they would witness the event and then announce throughout the Southern Domain that there was a ninth Violet Furnace Lord, and that Grandmaster Pill Demon had accepted a new apprentice.

"The hour has arrived!" cried Ensui, the most senior of the Violet Furnace Lords.

As soon as his words rang out, the sound of bells filled the mountain peak. The clouds above roiled, forming together to form an ancient-looking face that stared down at everyone.

At the same time, the enormous pill furnace began to emit a gentle glow. Multi-colored beams of light shot out, twisting around to fill the entire area with brightness.

From off in the distance, it looked as if the entirety of Eastern Emergence Mountain was covered by a massive, illusory pill furnace.

Ripples appeared in the air, out from which a figure emerged to stand atop the pill furnace. He wore a white robe, and his features were ordinary; however, his aura was anything but. He gave off a sense of ultimate refinement.

The air around him distorted as he appeared, as if he didn't quite belong in the world.

The sleeves of his simple robe were embroidered with images of pill furnaces. His hair was white, and his gaze soft as he looked around at everyone. A smile appeared on his archaic face.

"Fellow Daoists of the Southern Domain, many thanks for coming to attend my ceremony of accepting a new apprentice. I am unable to attend in person, so I've embodied my Divine Will to come in my place. I hope you can all forgive me for this." This of course was the man who occupied the ultimate position in the Dao of alchemy in the Southern Domain, Grandmaster Pill Demon.

His voice caused all the disciples of the East Pill Division to salute respectfully, including master alchemists, Furnace Lords and Violet Furnace Lords. Grandmaster Pill Demon was essentially the Patriarch of the East Pill Division.

Grandmaster Eternal Mountain hadn't come, but instead, Grand Elder Heki, whose Cultivation base was at the great circle of the late Nascent Soul stage. He laughed, then coolly said, "No need to be so polite, Grandmaster Pill Demon. Accepting an apprentice and promoting a Violet Furnace Lord is a grand event for the entire Southern Domain, I, Heki wouldn't think of not coming."

He occupied a noble and prestigious position within the Golden Frost Sect, and was nearly nine hundred years old, making him a sub-Patriarch. He was not yet one thousand years old, and had not defied the Heavens. If in the next hundred years he could break through to the Spirit Severing stage, then he would truly become a Patriarch.

If not, then he would simply pass away in meditation and become one with the Dao.

Next to him were ten or more Golden Frost Sect Cultivators, including Fatty. Right now, Fatty looked extremely nervous, and didn't show the slightest hint of being lively or excited. In fact, he was acting unprecedentedly well-behaved.

The person he feared the most in the entire Golden Frost Sect was none other than Grand Elder Heki.

"After hearing that Grandmaster Pill Demon was accepting a new apprentice, I came as fast as possible," said Patriarch Violet Sieve of the Black Sieve Sect, smiling. "Thankfully, I didn't arrive late."

He sat cross-legged off to the side. Next to him was Asuma as well as Ino, who was currently looking around, sizing up the surroundings. It seemed as if she were looking for someone.

A Violet Furnace Lord promotion was a huge event, something that hadn't occurred for a very long time. It was only natural for the other great Sects to show up. Also present was Daoist Iwazo, second of the Solitary Sword Sect's Three Swordlords, who sat cross-legged, surrounded by Solitary Sword Sect disciples. Guy was there, as was the woman Rock Lee.

With a slight smile, Daoist Iwazo said, "You're truly too polite, Grandmaster Pill Demon. For a Grandmaster to accept an apprentice is a legacy of the Dao of alchemy that any disciple in the Southern Domain would covet. How could I not humbly come to bear witness to such an event?" His voice was calm. He was an honored senior member of the Solitary Sword Sect who was qualified to look down on a myriad of other Sects. However, in front of Grandmaster Pill Demon, all of his pride turned into respect.

The representative from the Blood Demon Sect was a withered old man in a red Daoist robe. He had silver hair, and his skin was shriveled; he emanated a thick death aura, and his eyes had no pupils; they were completely white.

He didn't say anything in response to Pill Demon's words. He merely smiled and nodded his head.

This blind old man was incredibly famous in the Southern Domain. He was the third Demon of the Blood Demon Sect, Garyo, the Corpse Demon! The only other person from the Blood Demon Sect to come to Eastern Emergence Mountain was Chino.

The main representatives from the three great Clans were all of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. All of them said various words in response to Grandmaster Pill Demon.

Afterwards Grandmaster Pill Demon smiled and said, "In total, there will be ten Cultivators participating in the Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire. Candidates, please step forward." His voice was solemn, and as it filled the mountain top, Sakura, Teuchi, and seven other Furnace Lords stepped out from the crowd one by one. They walked over to stand in front of the pill furnace.

Including Sakura and Teuchi, there were only nine alchemists standing there, not the ten of which Pill Demon had spoken. The Cultivators of the East Pill Division immediately noticed this, as did the representatives of the other Sects.

Sakura and the other candidates for Violet Furnace Lord Promotion exchanged glances, silently wondering who the tenth participant was.

Before anyone could say anything, a beam of light appeared in the distance. It shot through the air toward the mountain peak, then transformed into a panting Naruto. Everyone looked over at him, although he didn't care about that. He glanced around, and immediately noticed Sakura and the other eight standing in front of the pill furnace, as well as Grandmaster Pill Demon.

As far as Naruto was concerned, Pill Demon was just some old man that he didn't recognize.

"The tenth candidate has arrived," said Grandmaster Pill Demon, his expression the same as ever. "Kazama, step on over."

Hearing this, Naruto walked over without hesitation to join the other nine. Then he looked up at Pill Demon, bottling up his frustration and helplessness.

The voice that Naruto had just heard was exactly the same voice he had heard coming from the Furnace Lord medallion four days ago. Considering that, as well as the expressions on everyone's faces, how could Naruto not come to the conclusion that… this person was none other than the illustrious Grandmaster Pill Demon.

In Naruto's eyes, Grandmaster Pill Demon looked completely ordinary. He did not possess the demeanor of a transcendent being, nor did he emanate some powerful, domineering fierceness. He looked just like a regular old man.

Then… Naruto thought about the 200,000,000 Spirit Stones, and his mood worsened. Of course, he couldn't mention anything about that now. Next, he thought about how he had been told to return in four days, but hadn't been told where to go. He had rushed over to the Sect only to be forced to scramble back in the opposite direction. It had left him completely drained.

All of these depressing thoughts caused Naruto's expression to flicker with a bit of anger and frustration.

Sakura looked at him and let out a light snort. She looked away, ignoring him, gazing instead at Teuchi. Naruto stood there by himself, silently.

Most of the other seven just glanced at him, and then paid him no further attention as they focused on not allowing excitement regarding the Violet Furnace Lord promotion to show on their face.

Kotetsu looked over at Naruto, and a barely perceptible smile touched his face. He knew that Kazama was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, and he also knew how his Master felt about the young man. Pill Demon had given Kazama free reign to enjoy himself in the Sect, and as far as the identity of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, if Kazama wanted to reveal it himself, he could. If he didn't want to, that was his business.

As far as the representatives from the other Sects and Clans, Patriarch Violet Sieve was the first one to give a friendly nod to Naruto. Asuma's face was expressionless, but when Ino looked at him, she smiled, her face as beautiful as a flower. The look she gave him was noticed by quite a few others. Sakura glanced over and saw it, and then frowned, although she wasn't sure why. For some reason, she just was not in a good mood.

Fatty's eyes were wide as he looked at Naruto, then Sakura and then back to Naruto. Finally he glanced at Ino out of the corner of his eyes, and his expression filled with admiration. As for what he was thinking, only he himself knew.

The representative from the Uchiha Clan was an old woman, her face covered with wrinkles. "So, this is the Alchemist Kazama who rose to fame a few days ago in the western region." Behind the old woman, other Uchiha Clan members sat cross-legged, including Sasuke.

His expression was somber, and the entire time, he hadn't even looked once at Sakura. She reacted to this with utmost calm, and not the least bit of negativity. It seemed as if she had placed the matters from previous years completely behind her.

"A hero at such a young age!" someone laughed from within the Nadeshiko Clan representatives. It was none other than Hiruko, who sat far off toward the edge. He laughed again as he looked Naruto up and down, measuring him up.

Sitting around him were a dozen or so members of the Nadeshiko Clan. Sagiri Nadeshiko wasn't there, but Shizuka Nadeshiko was. She, of course was… Naruto's fiancé, at least theoretically speaking. There she was sitting right next to Hiruko. Naruto hadn't seen her for years now. She was slim and graceful, with an elegant expression on her face. She was beautiful, like an orchid in full bloom.

However, there was a slight furrow in her brow caused by years of gloomy thoughts. It made her entire person seem like an orchid, but a dark one.

The Shimura Clan representative was a senior member of the Clan, Kanoe, who was over five hundred years of age, and had a Cultivation base at the late Nascent Soul stage. He was incredibly powerful and influential within the Shimura Clan. "Congratulations, Grandmaster Pill Demon, your Violet Fate Sect really has produced some amazing disciples!"

Sitting next to Kanoe amidst the other Shimura Clan disciples, was Kabuto, who frowned as he looked over at Naruto.

Grandmaster Pill Demon smiled, but didn't respond to any of the comments. He looked over Naruto and the nine others.

"Hailong, please explain the rules." With that, he stepped off to the side and sat down cross-legged.

Ensui, the most senior ranking of the Violet Furnace Lords, hastily stood up. He clasped hands and bowed to Grandmaster Pill Demon, then turned toward Naruto and the others.

"Violet Furnace Lord promotion is about more than just collecting medicinal plants, concocting pills, memorizing formulas, testing the Cultivation base and gauging the Dao of alchemy. It is a trial by fire! I myself have experienced this trial by fire, as have all of the other Violet Furnace Lords you see here today. Only by rising above your peers can you achieve the rank of Violet Furnace Lord!

"However…. since ancient times, the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect has held a Violet Furnace Lord test seventy-nine times. Down to this day, only seventeen of those tests resulted in a successful promotion. In other words, in the other sixty-two tests, all the candidates failed, unable to make the furnace turn violet. Therefore, despite being qualified to participate in this trial by fire, there is a seventy percent possibility that you will fail." A serious look was written on his face as he slowly looked over Naruto and the others, one by one.

Naruto's face was placid. He was physically tired, but also excited. He had previously read that throughout the history of the Violet Fate Sect, there had only been seventeen alchemists promoted to Violet Furnace Lord. Two of them ended up forsaking the Sect, one of whom was Eternal Mountain; the other was surnamed Shiranami.

Of the fifteen others, in the past thousand years, five had perished. Two left the Sect to gain experience, and then disappeared without a trace. Grandmaster Pill Demon had personally searched for them, but hadn't been able to turn up a single clue. The only thing he was certain of was that they weren't dead. For some reason, though, they had disappeared from the Southern Domain.

Ensui continued: "Even if you fail, you will be able to seize good fortune within the test. During the Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire, your life will not be in any danger. But… you may only participate in this test once in your life. If you fail, you will never get a second chance!

"Therefore, since ancient times, many alchemists have left personally created pill formulas and other personal information about the Dao of alchemy within the test. These things have been passed down within the test for many years, available only to those qualified to participate in the test. For example, I remember how I personally left behind information regarding my understanding and speculations of the Three Mortalities Pill…." Ensui's eyes filled with a look of recollection for a moment.

"The location of the trial by fire is a mountain in the Celestial Land. At the base of the mountain is the Mother of Furnaces. This Mother of Furnaces is the first stroke of good fortune of the ten of you will encounter. Inside, you will find your own Life Furnace. More precisely, at the same time that you select a furnace, that furnace will be selecting you! To complete the test, you must make your Life Furnace turn violet. If you do that, and are able to ascend to the peak of the mountain, then you will earn the right to be called Violet Furnace Lord!

"Unfortunately, only one person can earn such a right. If more than one person is able to reach the peak, then the final decision will be made by the Furnace Lords and the Violet Furnace Lords. Their approval will be critical in the decision of who becomes the next Violet Furnace Lord!"

Ensui gave deep, meaningful looks to Naruto and the others as he spoke his final words: "The pill furnace behind you is a precious treasure forged thousands upon thousands of years ago by Reverend Violet East. Inside is a Celestial Land, and a towering Celestial Mountain. There are ten paths on the mountain, which is divided into four regions. Each of the four regions contains different trials and tests. Use your Dao of alchemy to pass through them. Based on your achievements, the color of your furnaces will darken. I must remind you, everything you do within the trial by fire will be seen clearly by everyone on the outside…. Do your best. I truly hope that this trial by fire will result in one of you becoming… my Ninth Junior Brother in the East Pill Division!" With that, he turned to look at Pill Demon. Pill Demon gave a slight nod.

Ensui flicked his wide sleeve and said, "Chant the Alchemy Scripture to open the Pill Furnace!" As his voice rang out, the eyes of all the alchemists, Furnace Lord Kotetsu Violet Furnace Lord alike, immediately closed. Their lips moved slightly, and an indistinct sound filled the air. It was impossible to understand or hear clearly. Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator wouldn't be able to comprehend it.

Only alchemists of the East Pill Division would be able to make out that this mysterious so-called Alchemy Scripture was none other than the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation!

Seemingly in sync with the droning sound, Eastern Emergence Mountain began to shake. Multicolored light spread out everywhere, filling the sky. Countless faces suddenly appeared within the clouds, their expressions dignified. From their mouths emerged indistinct symbols. The sound echoed about, causing the sky to be filled with bright colors.

The land around the mountain was peaceful. However, a mist sprang up, with Eastern Emergence Mountain at its center. It roiled out rapidly, quickly covering the entire State of Eastern Emergence. All the land and all the living things in it were submerged within the mist.

As the mist spread out, Violet Chakra Division disciples flew out in all directions to keep guard and maintain peace.

Up in the sky, colorful lights danced about, beneath which, clouds and mist covered the land like a sea. Eastern Emergence Mountain rose up from it like an island, towering up. Far off in the distance, the enormous statue of Reverend Violet East also towered up above the sea of clouds, looking, not like a mountain, but an enormous giant watching over the land.

"The pill furnace is opened. Enter!" cried Ensui.

The pill furnace emitting buzzing sounds. In the blink of an eye, its side began to ripple and grow transparent. It looked almost like a waterfall. Teuchi took a deep breath, and then stepped into the pill furnace, the first one to do so. He disappeared into the rippling water, followed by Sakura, whose eyes radiated determination.

Naruto looked back at Grandmaster Pill Demon, who sat there cross-legged, his eyes closed. Without a word, and without the slightest hesitation, he entered the waterfall. Coldness filled his body, and it began to grow transparent. He disappeared.

The other seven candidates entered as well, vanishing immediately. Although it might seem like these seven were people of little note, in reality, to be qualified to participate in the trial by fire showed how extraordinary they were. Such qualifications meant that they were inherently famous, the best of the best in terms of both personality and the Dao of alchemy!

Violet Fate Celestial Land. The holiest place in the Sect.

There were many legends regarding this particular Celestial Land. All of them, however, had something to do with the almighty Reverend Violet East, who had founded the Sect tens of thousands of years ago.

Many years after the Sect's Founding, this Celestial Land gradually came to be the location where the Violet Fate Sect grew its medicinal herbs. Eventually more types of medicinal plants came to grow there than in the entire rest of the Southern Domain put together.

That was the location of the East Pill Division's Dao Reserve. Within the Violet Fate Celestial Land, at the far end of the limitless stretches of medicinal plant fields, was a mountain so tall it seemed to have no top!

This mountain, which could be seen from an incredible distance, was known as Violet East Mountain!

According to one legend, in his later years, Reverend Violet East sat atop this mountain and slowly passed away in meditation… afterward it became a place of pilgrimage.

At the foot of the mountain was an enormous pill furnace glowing with a seven-colored light. It looked exactly the same as the furnace on top of Eastern Emergence Mountain, except somehow more real. It emanated an archaic aura.

Suddenly, the air at the foot of the mountain began to ripple like liquid. Multiple figures emerged, and when the ripples faded away, Naruto, Sakura, Teuchi and the others were all there.

In front of them was the shockingly high mountain. Starting at the foot of the mountain, ten small paths zigzagged up toward the top. Each path began there, and then took different routes to the top.

As to which path to select, that would be based on the feeling each candidate got from the paths. In any case, it was easy to see that there was little difference in the difficulty of traversing the various paths.

Naruto looked up toward the peak of the imposing mountain. Its higher regions were blurry, and it was actually impossible to see the peak itself. Nor was it actually possible to even estimate how tall the mountain was.

Naruto wasn't the only one looking up at it. The other nine people around him, including Sakura and Teuchi, were gazing toward it.

Other than the ten paths, the main thing that filled their vision was the enormous pill furnace!

After some time passed, Teuchi's eyes glittered with determination. He turned to glance over at the others. His gaze did not come to rest upon any of them. His supercilious expression seemed to say that he knew he would become a Violet Furnace Lord, and that none of the other candidates were able to match up to him.

His pride and dignity seemed to fill him with one hundred percent confidence that this title of Violet Furnace Lord belonged only to him!

He shot toward the pill furnace and sat down cross-legged in the spot directly east of it.

Sakura looked at him and took a deep breath. Her eyes also filled with the glow of determination.

"You might be Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, who I admire so much, but now the time has come for me to go up against you…." Closing her eyes, she sat down next to the Pill Furnace.

After her, Naruto and the others approached and selected various positions to sit down. The first phase of the competition had begun; it was time for the candidates to acquire their Life Furnaces!

Naruto had no clue how to actually get the furnace. However, as soon as the ten of them sat down cross-legged around the seven-colored pill furnace, the glow around it began to flicker, and then suddenly shot out toward the candidates.

A tremor ran through Naruto's body, and he suddenly sensed something calling to him, murmuring within his mind. He reached out to touch it with Spiritual Sense, and suddenly his mind reeled, and he felt as if he had lost contact with his body.

He could no longer see the mountain or the Celestial Land. Instead, a strange world stretched out in front of his eyes.

It was boundless and filled with curling mists. A six-colored glow was everywhere, a glow that was missing the color violet. It pierced through the mists, shining everywhere. Naruto looked at everything mutely. He couldn't feel his body, but he was somehow there. He suddenly realized that by concentrating, he could move.

His body was not here in this world, only his will. The world sped by in front of him as he shot through the mists. As he moved, occasional beams of bright light would shoot past him.

It seemed like this place had no end. Everything was a blur….

Inside the Celestial Land, beneath the mountain, next to the pill furnace, Naruto sat there cross-legged. His expression seemed to be constantly changing, as if he were lost in a dream. All of the others around him looked exactly the same. Their expressions seemed to flicker with surprise, confusion and thoughtfulness.

Meanwhile, outside of the Violet Fate Celestial Land, atop Eastern Emergence Mountain, ten glowing, richly colored screens suddenly blossomed up out of the pill furnace. Images gradually became clear on the screens, depicting each of the people within the trial by fire.

As they sat there cross-legged, their expressions were clearly visible to all of the alchemists of the East Pill Division who sat on the mountaintop, as well as the representatives from the other Sects and Clans who had come to observe the proceedings.

Each and every action of the ten within the Celestial Land was clearly visible to everyone.

The mountaintop was peaceful, and everyone seemed to be dividing their attention between the ten various screens.

Ensui looked at them and murmured to himself, "Every Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire requires the candidates to proceed through four regions and face four tests. However, before facing the tests, they must acquire their personal Life Furnaces. The Life Furnace is the key… the type of furnace acquired will depend completely on the good fortune of the alchemist…."

Naruto lost track of time as he proceeded on through the endless emptiness. All he could see was mist, and the six-colored glow. There was nothing else.

After a very long time had passed, Naruto was starting to feel tired. Suddenly, a violet glow flickered up ahead of him. Naruto peered forward. His attention was seized by this violet glow that suddenly appeared in a world which lacked violet.

The violet glow didn't move, but just sat there, flickering. Suddenly, a pill furnace became visible within the glow, about the size of an infant's fist.

Magical symbols circulated around the pill furnace, which emanated a violet light.

Just as Naruto's will moved forward to touch the pill furnace, it suddenly shot backward, streaming magical symbols. Before Naruto could get any closer, it sped off into the distance.

Naruto muttered to himself for a moment, then proceeded forward. Not much time passed before he caught sight of another violet glow, within which was another pill furnace. It looked a bit different than the other one, as it had three legs. However, as Naruto approached, it too disappeared off into the distance.

"So," Naruto thought to himself, "I have to select a furnace, and the furnace has to select me…." He decided to stop moving, and instead calmed himself and settled his will. "I'll use my Dao of alchemy to communicate with this world created by the Mother of Furnaces. I will search the emptiness for the Life Furnace that is fated to belong to me…." With that, he figuratively closed his eyes.

Time passed, a very, very long time. Naruto gradually grew calmer. Soon, within his mind, he saw nine spheres of will; these nine spheres were the other candidates within the trial by fire.

He could sense them, and they, in turn, could sense him.

It was a strange feeling. They couldn't see each other, but they could feel each other. Naruto and the other nine relied on their Dao of alchemy to sense this world, and to attempt to draw out their own personal Life Furnace.

Gradually, Naruto could see one beam of glowing light after another appearing around the other nine people. Sakura had attracted seven or eight pill furnaces of various colors.

As for Teuchi, he had dozens spinning around him; all of them seemed to desire to be selected by him.

The other people had two or three at the minimum.

Naruto was the only person who only had one pill furnace in front of him. His heart sank momentarily before he calmed himself.

"In my Dao of alchemy," he thought, "my body is the pill furnace and my heart is the pill formula. Few people can conform to this philosophy, therefore, it is difficult for me to attract a suitable Life Furnace." He began to murmur, sending his will out in all directions. "Pill Furnaces, if you follow me, you will reach the pinnacle. Come with me, and become eternal!"

Suddenly an almost countless number of glowing lights appeared throughout the nothingness of the world. More than ten thousand of them flickered in all corners of the world. The pill furnaces trembled, as if they were reacting to Naruto's voice.

"In my Dao of alchemy, my body is the furnace and my heart is the formula. I will refine all the myriads of things in nature; I will refine the transformations of the sun and moon. Such a refining requires a furnace, my Life Furnace. Follow me for a life of transformation…." His will surged out, growing stronger, increasing the number of pill furnaces that reacted to him to over one hundred thousand. Half among them began to quiver violently, seemingly excited, and yet hesitating.

"I vow that whichever pill furnace follows me will never be destroyed. It will never shatter!" His will echoed out, growing even stronger. Among the fifty thousand trembling pill furnaces, ten thousand of them began to emit droning noises.

"I vow that whichever pill furnace follows me will concoct medicinal pills of the stars, and will give birth to Pill Spirit! This is my personal vow!" His will soared, and in that instant, within the ten thousand pill furnaces, one thousand began to drone even louder, and emit even brighter, glittering auras.

"I vow that whichever pill furnace belongs to me, when I achieve my Dao, it will incarnate a body!" His will thundered out. Among the thousand pill furnaces was a violet furnace which suddenly shot out of nowhere, heading directly toward Naruto.

Naruto formless eyes opened, and in front of him, he saw a nine-legged violet furnace!

It shone with a flickering, violet glow as it floated in the air in front of him. Magical symbols emanated off of it. It was obvious from a mere glance that it was completely beyond ordinary.

"This is the Life Furnace which belongs to me, selected from within the void…." Naruto's eyes shone brightly, and he slowly lifted up his hand to take hold of the furnace. It was at this exact moment that suddenly, a powerful screaming noise shook the entire world.

The pill furnace in front of Naruto began to tremble, as did all the pill furnaces hovering around the other nine candidates. They all seemed… terrified….

Something violent and shocking was about to happen!

A black beam of light appeared, streaking toward them from off in the distance. Its speed was almost impossible to describe as it shot toward Sakura's will and then slammed into some of the pill furnaces which were circling around her. The instant it hit them, they shattered into pieces, which the black beam devoured.

It was with great difficulty that Sakura had attracted these pill furnaces out of the group of one hundred thousand others. Just as she had found one she had synergy with, the black beam slammed into it and destroyed it. It seemed as if the furnaces didn't dare to flee or evade, like they were allowing the black beam to consume them. It was as if the black beam was an Emperor who had demanded the death of a government official. Of course the official had no choice but to die!

Sakura's will was instantly shaken.

Not all of the pill furnaces were shattered; there were two or three that the black beam seemed to disregard and leave alone.

An instant later, the black beam shot toward Teuchi. It circled around him and the dozens of pill furnaces which he had attracted from out of the hundred thousand. Half of them shattered to pieces and were consumed. The beam then moved on to the others.

All of this takes some time to explain, but the black beam moved in the twinkling of an eye. Next it shot toward Naruto. He had no time to snatch the pill furnace which hovered in front of him. The black beam slammed into his violet pill furnace, and it disintegrated and was sucked up by the beam.

Rage instantly billowed up from the depths of Naruto's heart. His fury soared to the heavens. He was not like the other candidates who had been able to attract multiple pill furnaces from out of the hundred thousand. To them, losing a few was not a huge matter; they could always select another one that the beam didn't destroy.

However, Naruto had expended a lot of effort to persuade the violet pill furnace to accept him. Then, it was destroyed in the blink of an eye by the black beam. Now he was left without anything at all. How could he not fly into a rage?

This was even more the case when, after destroying Naruto's pill furnace, the black beam exuded a will of arrogance, and then shot off into the distance. It seemed as if it were an Emperor surveying his territory, who would kill a few officials here and there and then continue on his way.

Naruto could clearly make out the image of a pill furnace within the black beam. It was completely black, and emanated no magical symbols whatsoever. Black was not one of the colors within this world, making it seem completely incompatible, as if it were above all the other pill furnaces.

"Destroy my pill furnace, will you? Fine, my new pill furnace is going to be you!" His fury billowing up, his will suddenly shot into pursuit of the black pill furnace.

At this moment, Naruto took the so-called "follow your heart" theory and tossed it out into the void. He also tossed aside the idea of finding the Life Furnace that belonged to him and him alone. This was his personality.

If you destroy Naruto's pill furnace, then regardless of the reason you did so, you will pay the price to replace it!

This is Naruto. His fury rippled, and his will shot out in pursuit of the black beam.

To add insult to injury, the black pill furnace didn't seem to even notice him. Its level of arrogance was incredible. As it proceeded along its way, it would viciously smash into other random pill furnaces, destroying and consuming them.

It seemed that this pill furnace had its own Spirit, which viewed Naruto with contempt and disdain.

Meanwhile, just outside of Violet East Mountain, everyone sat around the Mother of Furnaces. Sakura opened her eyes; slowly, so did Teuchi and the other seven. As they did, the air above their hands began to glow, and then transformed into pill furnaces.

It didn't matter the color of the pill furnace they had acquired within the illusory world just now. The pill furnaces that appeared in their hands now were white, each and every one of them.

Everyone had awakened except for Naruto. He still sat there, eyes closed in meditation, his brow furrowed and his jaw clenched.

Outside of the Celestial Land and the illusory world, everyone, including the Violet Furnace Lords, actually had no way to see what was happening within the Mother of Furnaces. The only thing they could see were the expressions on the faces of Naruto and the others. Now, everyone was focused on Naruto, and his lack of success.

Sakura also glanced at him. Not saying a word, she stood and raced toward Violet East Mountain, pill furnace in hand. Teuchi's body flashed as he also charged forward, head toward the first of the paths that led up the mountain.

The other seven candidates also silently headed toward Violet East Mountain, each picking a path of their own. As they did, the paths disappeared behind them. Soon, there was only one path left on the mountain, left behind for Naruto, who was still in meditation.

Within the illusory world of the furnace, Naruto was engaged in mad pursuit of the black beam. It had led him to every corner of the place, and as it did, its contemptuous will seemed to grow stronger and stronger.

Finally, Naruto lost his patience, and he gave a cold snort. "Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!" His senses told him that this world was under some type of sealing, making it impossible for outsiders to be able to tell what was happening inside. Therefore, he held nothing back. His invisible body dissipated, and a part of Naruto's soul suddenly appeared amidst endless ripples. The ripples transformed into gossamer strands which immediately shot toward the black pill furnace, entangling it.

The black pill furnace seemed to be frozen in shock. In its memory, it had never encountered anyone who could catch it. Within this world, it was the sovereign; no one could possibly lay hold of it. And yet, today it had run into a magical technique which was capable of shaking both its will and its pill-furnace form. Immediately, it stopped. It only took the space of two breaths to shake itself free.

However, just as it was about to speed off, an illusory hand appeared out of nowhere and clamped down onto it. Originally, Naruto's presence here had been invisible. However, because of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, an illusory phantom image of his body could now be seen.

"Where do you think you're running off to?!" he said, locking his grip onto the pill furnace. The black pill furnace began to struggle, sending out massive waves of power. As it did, a face appeared on its surface.

It was the face of an evil, vicious youth. It radiated enmity and hatred, and after it appeared, it glared at Naruto and let out a threatening howl.

Naruto's eyes glittered with coldness. He lifted up his left hand and slapped the thing right across the face. The slap to the pill furnace's Spirit rang out with a boom. The face was flung to the side, but then spun back around and let out another roar of rage toward Naruto.

The roar rose up to the heavens, as if it contained an incredible might within it. The force of it washed over Naruto, shaking his will. However, he did not allow his grip on it to weaken in the slightest. Instead, he gave a cold harrumph.

"Fighting back? Well, fighting back won't do you any good!" He lifted his left hand, employing the power of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex as he pressed his finger down onto the youth's face.

"You consume other pill furnaces? Fine, I don't care. But you dared to consume MY pill furnace. In doing so, you've sown Karma. Now you will reap the Karma, and earn your reward!" His left hand flickered in an incantation as he again employed the power of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. Streams of seals flew down onto the pill furnace; it seemed as if it would soon be sealed into complete suppression.

The Spirit of the pill furnace, embodied in the face of the youth, struggled violently. Its will of hatred grew more powerful than ever; in a frenzy, it opened its mouth and let loose a piercing scream.

The sound of it filled the entire illusory world, reaching its every corner. All of the pill furnaces inside heard it, and began to tremble. They immediately began to rush toward Naruto.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto was surrounded by stream after stream of glowing lights. A thousand, five thousand, ten thousand, fifty thousand, one hundred thousand….

More than one hundred thousand beams of light circulated around Naruto. The glow they caused rose up endlessly, and gradually transformed into one hundred thousand pill furnaces. They had Naruto completely surrounded. The buzzing noise they emitted echoed out as they spun around him at top speed. It seemed they had Naruto in their cross-hairs; if he didn't release the black pill furnace, they would attack him.

The black pill furnace youth, ceased its attempts to flee. A proud look appeared on its face, then aggressive arrogance. It looked at Naruto as if it were attempting to provoke him. However, it was at this moment that Naruto lifted his hand and once again slapped the face.

Rage covered the face of the black pill furnace youth. A scream rang out, causing the surrounding hundred thousand pill furnaces to suddenly charge in attack. They shot toward Naruto, sending out ripples throughout the air. Their glow lifted up to the heavens. Naruto merely gave a cold snort, and closed his eyes.

"Time to leave!"

His will sprang into action, immediately beginning to disappear, along with the furnace he gripped in his hands. Its shrill cry slowly dissipated as the hundred thousand pill furnaces charged in attack. Not a single one of them was even able to touch Naruto.

Outside of the pill furnace in the Celestial Land, Naruto sat cross-legged in meditation. Suddenly, his eyes flashed open. The instant they did, a black glow shot up in front of him, and a pill furnace appeared. Despite the fact that it was here, it appeared to be struggling.

But Naruto's will was still in his body; how could he possibly allow it to flee? He gripped it hard, and his eyes glowed with a fierce cold aura.

"Are you really looking to die?!"

The pill furnace continued to struggle, and as it did, a strand of will entered Naruto's mind. It said… it would rather die than submit!

Naruto smiled, although it was a smile filled with coldness.

"Rather die than submit? No, I'm not going to destroy you. Starting today, I don't care if you want to or not, you're my pill furnace, no matter how much you resist!" He stood up and looked toward Violet East Mountain, and the only remaining path leading up it.

At the same time, outside of the Celestial Land, on Eastern Emergence Mountain, the onlookers didn't seem to be very impressed. However, the eight Violet Furnace Lords' faces all flickered.

"That's…."

"That black pill furnace contains its own will!"

"I saw that same furnace when I was in there all those years ago…. I wanted to take it, but failed. This Kazama seems to have created some kind of connection with it…."

"It's extremely rare to see that pill furnace within the illusory world. The will of a Cultivator is no match for it, and should be incapable of capturing it. After all these years, it has become the sovereign pill furnace of the illusory world…."

"Just what promises did Kazama make to the black pill furnace to get it to accept him…? From the expression on his face, it seems that maybe the two of them are having some conflicts!" As the Violet Furnace Lords discussed the scene, the other onlookers also began to notice Naruto and the pill furnace.

"That's strange, why does Kazama have a black pill furnace? Everyone else got white ones…."

As people expressed their surprise, Grandmaster Pill Demon's eyes began to glitter with a strange light.

"This kid… actually managed to bring it out…." An imperceptible smile touched the corners of his mouth.

Back in the world of the Celestial Land, the pill furnace beneath Violet East Mountain began to tremble. A roaring sound filled the air, along with a seven-colored glow. It seemed almost like… the hundred thousand pill furnaces within were in a frenzy, trying to break their way out from within.

This scene caused everyone on the outside world to stare with wide eyes.

Many of the East Pill Division alchemists had faces filled with disbelief. The furnace within the Celestial land was emitting shocking booms. The roaring was so intense that the massive furnace rocked back and forth.

Quite a distance away, Naruto suddenly looked back. No one in the outside world would know why the furnace was doing this, but he did. The hundred thousand pill furnaces inside were attempting to bash their way out to pursue him.

His eyes glittering, he shot away from the pill furnace, reaching the final path available to tread on Violet East Mountain. He was exhausted, but he still propelled himself forward with full power. In the space of a few breaths, he was on the path, climbing upward. The mountain path disappeared behind him.

The pill furnace's booming grew even more intense, and popping sounds rang out. Naruto wasn't worried. Not even looking back, he continued up the mountain path.

Everyone in the outside world could see the pill furnace rocking violently back and forth; it seemed as if it would explode into pieces at any moment.

"Crafty move, kid," said Pill Demon with an enigmatic smile. He reached his hand out toward the image of the Celestial Land, and extended a finger. When his finger descended, a roar filled the sky of the Celestial Land, where magically appeared the massive image of a finger. The finger seemed to fill the entire sky and cover the entire land, becoming a canopy covering the whole Celestial Land.

The finger was incredibly thick and coarse; the fingerprint was clearly visible on its surface. The appearance of this immense finger seemed to shake the Celestial Land like the will of the Heavens itself! The sub-Patriarchs from the outside Sects were also astonished.

They watched the screen mutely as the scene unfolded within the Celestial Land. The power it emitted shook the heaven and rocked the earth, as if it had governance over both. Endless, infinite ripples emanated out, as if the finger had a will of its own. It slowly pressed down on the furnace at the foot of Violet East Mountain.

The instant it pressed down, the entire world of the Celestial Land shook; after that, everything was still. The previously rocking and trembling pill furnace was now incapable of any movement whatsoever as the finger pressed down on it.

All of this lasted for the space of about two breaths. Then, the enormous finger disappeared, and the pill furnace was once again calm.

On Eastern Emergence Mountain, everything was quiet. Patriarch Violet Sieve was panting as his heart raced. He looked over in shock at the expressionless Grandmaster Pill Demon.

"According to the rumors," he thought, "the most powerful expert in the Violet Fate Sect is not a Patriarch of the Violet Chakra Division, but Grandmaster Pill Demon himself. The rumors also say that Grandmaster Pill Demon's Cultivation Base reached the Spirit Severing stage years ago. If it hadn't, how could he have lived more than a thousand years?"

The sub-Patriarchs from the other Sects all seemed to be thinking the same thing. The Second Swordlord of the Solitary Sword Sect lowered his head slightly. He was one of the few people present who knew how frightening Grandmaster Pill Demon's Cultivation base actually was.

Because Pill Demon didn't want to make a big deal about it, he'd only invited these sub-Patriarchs to the apprentice-accepting ceremony. Otherwise, he would have invited the true Patriarchs of the great Sects and Clans.

Xu Luo from the Blood Demon Sect was panting slowly, and his eyes glowed with a blood-colored shine that quickly turned into reverence. He thought silently about how much the Blood Demon Sect feared Grandmaster Pill Demon. They had compiled many of the rumors regarding Grandmaster Pill Demon, and had uncovered a shocking secret.

Unfortunately, such a secret would never be known to very many people.

Asuma of the Black Sieve Sect looked on with narrowed eyes. A cold will gleamed in his eyes, mixed with an unprecedented sense of concentration.

"Seems somewhat familiar, like the aura of an old friend…." His eyes flickered as he looked at Pill Demon.

As the outsiders were shocked by Grandmaster Pill Demon's actions, Naruto was walking up the steps of the path on Violet East Mountain. Occasionally he would look up ahead, but all he could see was mist. The peak of the mountain itself was not visible.

Time passed slowly. Naruto trudged up the steps, feeling more and more apprehension at how tall this mountain was. Five days had passed already. He had long since lost sight of the land below; clouds and fog completely surrounded him, obscuring his vision, making it impossible to see the world outside the mountain.

However… however high he was, Naruto got the feeling that when compared to the peak of the mountain, he was still at its base.

The higher he went, the thinner the air got. There was nothing that could put pressure onto his Cultivation base, but the further along he went, the more effort it took to take each step. Soon it took twice as much as it had when he started out.

Naruto had started out his journey along the path at a dead rush, and already exhausted at that. Add in the effort he spent struggling with the black pill furnace, and he could no longer race ahead. Now, he went one slow step at a time. Every once in a while he would pause and look around. The immediate surroundings were lush and verdant. Grass grew all around, which Naruto would occasionally pick.

From the perspective of the outside observers, Naruto had already fallen far behind. All the other candidates were much further ahead of him.

This was especially true of Teuchi, who was the first alchemist to enter the first of the four regions. Just up ahead of him was an enormous stone boulder which was covered with dense inscriptions. After examining it for some time, Teuchi sat down next to it cross-legged. After that he pulled out a pill furnace and began to concoct a pill.

The next day, the pill emerged. Holding it carefully with both hands, he proceeded past the boulder.

Not long after, Sakura also concocted a pill, and then proceeded forward. All of the other alchemists except for Naruto did the same.

The master alchemists of the East Pill Division began to discuss what was happening.

"No wonder Teuchi is at the peak of the Furnace Lord rank. His Cultivation base is extraordinary, and he was the first person to step into the first region. His ability to recognize medicinal pills as well as his pill concocting skill are both anything but sloppy. I bet he's going to win."

"Sakura is also doing well. This promotion trial by fire is most likely going to come down to a decision between the two of them. Earlier, I thought Kazama might have had a chance, but I never thought he would spend so much time getting a pill furnace. What a pity."

"Right. If your first step is slow, then all of them will be slow…."

Most of the sound of discussion came from the ordinary master alchemists. The Furnace Lords and Violet Furnace Lords just watched on thoughtfully, opting to say nothing.

A few days later, Naruto finally reached the first region, and saw the enormous boulder. He looked at the inscriptions, studying them for a while, before glancing at the path which proceeded on upward.

"This is the first region. After this boulder, the path to the second region is covered with a poisonous miasma…. One must concoct a poison repelling pill to be able to get through safely. The greatest difficulty is that throughout the journey, different miasmas will appear, and special pills will have to be concocted for each one." Naruto thought about the situation for a moment. Finally, he pulled out the black pill furnace and looked it over. It seemed to him that he hadn't truly won out over it, so he decided to put it back into his bag of holding, leaving it suppressed for the time being. Instead, he took out the Ten Thousand Refinements Furnace, put some medicinal plants in it, and then started concocting.

After two hours he had produced a medicinal pill. He swallowed it, then glanced around at the scenery once more, and then walked past the enormous rock. As he proceeded onward, his body was enveloped by a thin mist.

The master alchemists immediately started to discuss what had just happened.

"Furnace Lord Kazama thinks a bit too much of himself. He only used two hours to concoct the pill. Of all the other candidates, the one who used the least amount of time was Teuchi, who took four hours. The longest was a day.

"How could he possibly compare with Furnace Lord Ye? Furnace Lord Rinji is Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Look, he's the furthest ahead, and is already half way through the first region."

Everyone watching the screens could clearly see what was happening, and knew exactly how far everyone had progressed. Even some of the Furnace Lords exchanged glances; to them, it really did look like Naruto was being sloppy and careless.

Of course, Naruto had no idea what things they were saying, nor did he care to know. He continued on relentlessly through the miasma. It grew thicker as he went, and the color changed as well, to dark gray.

All the plants and flowers in the area were withered, and seemingly had been for years. A gloomy, cold aura filled the air. As Naruto went on, he occasionally caught sight of arm-length centipedes, scurrying about quickly through the shrivelled grass.

However, whatever poisonous bugs that appeared as Naruto walked along, would suddenly pause, seemingly incapable of doing anything to him. They would just let him continue on his way.

Time passed slowly. As he traveled he would occasionally take break, using some of the nearby withered grass, as well as some of the poisonous bugs, to concoct a medicinal pill. He did this a total of three times.

More and more poisonous bugs began to appear, soon, they were swarming. But as soon as Naruto neared, they would either begin to tremble, or run away. As for the roiling miasma, it would consistently move out of the way, making way for Naruto to travel along the path.

This too, was clearly visible to the observers, who watched on with wide-eyed astonishment. Soon, more and more eyes were focusing on Naruto's screen. It wasn't just the East Pill Division; even Cultivators from the other Sects were watching closely.

"He's using the poison bugs to make medicinal pills, but what pill exactly?"

"What medicinal pill is that? It has such an incredible effect…."

The Cultivators watched on in astonishment, then glanced over at the screens of the other candidates, including Teuchi and Sakura. It seemed most of them were reaching the end of the stairs that were part of the first region. Most of them had concocted medicinal pills on many occasions during the journey. They also would concoct pills to ward off the poison, but none of them were as dramatically effective as Naruto's.

This, of course, was because the poison bugs along the path didn't seem to have any inclination of avoiding Teuchi and the others. However, in their terror, they clambered over each other in order to get out of Naruto's way.

If this scene was taking place anywhere except the Violet Fate Sect trial by fire, then plenty of people would begin to make connections. But this was a Violet Furnace Lord promotion, so there ended up being only one conclusion drawn by the observers.

The pills Kazama concocted were anything but ordinary!

Actually, even if Naruto hadn't concocted the various medicinal pills, the miasma wouldn't have been the least bit harmful to him in any way. The Resurrection Lily had been suppressed, but its nature talent was still within him, which could innately dispel all varieties of poisons.

Naruto did not fear poison.

Granted, many years had passed since the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, which so many Cultivators had witnessed . However, anyone observing could easily make a connection between the two. Thus, he had concocted the medicinal pills to make it seem like they were repelling the poisons. However, their true function was to suppress his own aura, which was was affecting the poison bugs and the miasma.

That of course was something about him that was completely different from the other candidates.

There was really no choice but to suppress his aura in this way. If he didn't do so with the medicinal pills, then as he traveled through the miasma, it would explode away from him immediately, and the entire area would be completely free of it, without the slightest trace.

Even having suppressed his aura, the miasma still spread out away from him. There was literally nothing he could do to make himself walk through the miasma and have it remain still.

As for the poisonous bugs, were it not for the fact that his aura had been suppressed, they simply wouldn't dare to exist nearby. In fact, Naruto was worried that he might lose control of his suppressed aura, and that any bugs which hadn't fled far enough away from him would spontaneously die. If that happened, it would definitely attract attention from the outside world.

Therefore, the best he could do was use medicinal pills to suppress his aura, be extremely cautious not to allow the miasma to completely disperse, and try to make the poison bugs behave a bit more normally. Despite all of that, he caused quite a stir on the outside world.

However, it was just a stir, not enough to draw any connections to the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament.

Several days later, the first person made it to the second region, and of course, it was Teuchi. Behind him was Sakura, and then in third place, Naruto, the newcomer to the top of the group.

As far as the other seven people, two more eventually appeared at the boulder marking the second region. The other five were still stuck back on the path in the miasma, concocting pills and slowly moving forward.

When the candidates arrived at the large boulder, all of them discovered the same thing. Strands of Violet Chakra emerged and latched onto their pill furnaces and then merged into them, causing them to change color.

The same thing happened to the Naruto. The black pill furnace seemed very opposed to this happening, but considering how it was suppressed by Naruto, there was nothing it could do to resist.

People outside immediately began to discuss what was happening.

"The've only just passed the first region, and you can already see the difference…."

"It looks like the final candidate will be one of these five people. However, I still think Furnace Lord Rinji has the advantage."

Suddenly, Violet Furnace Lord Kotetsu's voice rang out. "The Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire promotion is a test of an alchemist's skill in the Dao of Alchemy. Falling behind doesn't mean anything. The year I took the test, I came in last in the first two regions. However, I successfully passed the third region, the one in which most people get stuck. You might better spend your time observing how these ten Chosen alchemists concoct pills, than discussing things the way you see them now." Kotetsu's echoing voice immediately silenced the discussions of the surrounding alchemists. They grew silent and thoughtfully began to watch what was happening.

What they saw was that the five alchemists in last place were all very calm. All of them were concocting pills in different ways, and not one of them experienced the slightest failure.

Time passed slowly. Naruto had already been staring thoughtfully for several hours at the boulder leading into the second region. It wasn't just him. On their various respective paths, Teuchi and Sakura were also staring with furrowed brows at the boulders.

The boulders completely blocked the various paths. Only by fulfilling the requirements laid out, would a fissure open in the boulder and allow passage through.

Naruto murmured to himself as he sat cross-legged next to the boulder. "Concoct medicinal pills for the four great stages of Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation and Nascent Soul. Each one must have medicinal strength of eighty percent or higher, and must contain variations from among the ten million variations of plants and vegetation. If you can create your own unique medicinal pill, this will be counted as perfection…." A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

The four regions of the Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire contained practical tests of an alchemist's skill in the Dao of alchemy. The first region tested the skill of concocting pills based on the current circumstances. Different situations required different pills to be concocted, requiring flexibility. It seemed simple, but in reality, most Furnace Lords were incapable of doing such a thing.

The second region was even more difficult. It tested fundamental pill concocting ability. Four medicinal pills, one for each of the four great stages. Medicinal strength must be maintained, and mastery of the ten million variations of plants and vegetation was a necessity.

This trial by fire was comprehensive, and as for this second region, someone not at the peak of the Furnace Lord rank would be incapable of passing it. Even for someone with those qualifications, passing was not an easy thing.

Naruto sat there thinking silently for some time, as did Sakura, Teuchi, along with the other candidates who made it to the second region boulder.

There were no requirements regarding the medicinal plants which could be used; each alchemist could do however he pleased. In fact, based on one's mastery of the variations of plants and vegetations, one could simply make a depiction of a medicinal plant on the surface of the boulder, and the power of the Celestial Land would produce an illusory replication, which could be used for illusory pill concoction.

They were only illusory replications, but were actually very realistic.

"There are two options," thought Sakura. "One is the easy path, to concoct an existing pill. After all, the only requirements are those regarding medicinal strength and skill with the ten million variations of plants and vegetation.

"The other path, is much harder, and that is to create a new medicinal pill, to make something out of nothing…. Both of these two paths can lead onward, toward the highest pinnacle. However, it is clear that, the road of a Violet Furnace Lord… lies along the second path!" Determination filled her eyes. She was an apprentice of Grandmaster Pill Demon, so in order to become a Violet Furnace Lord, she had to prove herself.

Teuchi obviously felt the same way. He stared at the boulder, and as he did, a bright light shone in his eyes, along with a proud, unyielding look.

"If I'm going to concoct something," he thought, "I will concoct a pill no other person has ever seen, a pill which contains my very self! I will show that I have the will of a Violet Furnace Lord!"

At almost the same time, resolve showed on the faces of Sakura and Teuchi as they chose the second of the two paths.

As for the others, most picked the easy path, although some attempted to concoct original creations. Each one made their decision based on their own Dao of alchemy.

Naruto looked at the boulder thoughtfully, sighing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had recently traveled for four days nonstop, had engaged in a battle of will with the black pill furnace, and was now completely exhausted. He looked at the requirements listed on the boulder, and realized that traversing the path of medicinal pill creation would definitely make him more tired.

He began to murmur to himself: "Concocting an existing pill is definitely better than coming up with something new. Creating a new medicinal pill requires good fortune, alchemic enlightenment, and meticulous concentration, otherwise the quality will be inferior…. Yeah, this is the best decision. My analysis is definitely correct. I will not let my quality drop." The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. His mind at ease, he began to concoct medicinal pills. He lifted his right hand and pressed down onto the boulder; immediately it rippled like water. The medicinal plants which floated in his mind, slowly began to appear in front of him.

"A medicinal pill for the Chakra Condensation stage. I'll make the simplest one, a Chakra Condensation Pill." He flicked his sleeve, and an illusory pill furnace emerged from the boulder, into which he fed bunch after bunch of medicinal plants. After another moment's thought, he began to concoct.

Not too much time passed before Sakura's eyes opened and she waved her beautiful hand. A pill furnace appeared and her eyes glittered brightly as she began to concoct.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Teuchi opened his eyes. Filled with self confidence, he began to concoct.

The observers outside on Eastern Emergence Mountain were watching intently as everything happened; their eyes passed back and forth among the ten screens, including Naruto, the tenth person.

Of course, the focus was Teuchi and Sakura, who had performed spectacularly in the first region. And of course many were paying attention to Naruto, who had attracted such attention with his own performance there.

However, Naruto was taking the easy path to pill cultivation. Currently, he was concocting a Chakra Condensation Pill; he wasn't the only one, in total, seven were doing so.

The audience could see the instructions on the boulder, and thus began discussing things in low tones. It was relatively easy to determine what this part of the test was about.

"It turns out Kazama is concocting a Chakra Condensation Pill…. It seems like he's falling further and further behind Sakura and Teuchi in this second region."

"I heard about Furnace Lord Teuchi a long time ago. His skill in the Dao of alchemy is at the pinnacle. Based on the look of it, he's not just concocting some ordinarily medicinal pill. Could he be working on an original creation?"

Ensui gave a slight smile as he turned to Kotetsu and said, "Sakura is most likely also creating an original medicinal pill…. Simply having the confidence to do that is worthy of praise."

Kotetsu gave a slight nod. His expression was calm as he glanced at the ten screens. When he saw Naruto, and took note of what he was concocting, he felt slightly amused. In his opinion, Naruto understood that an original creation would allow him to pass this critical juncture, but had decided instead to save time and effort.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, three days had gone by. Naruto had produced a Chakra Condensation pill of eighty percent medicinal strength, as well as a Foundation Establishment Day of similar quality. Now he was working on a pill for the Core Formation stage, a Spiritualization Pill.

Before, Naruto would have had a difficult time concocting such a pill, considering his Cultivation base. However, now that he had ten Dao Pillars, and was of the great circle of Foundation Establishment, concocting a simple, common Spiritualization Pill required a bit of effort, but wasn't very difficult.

In fact, he was both concocting and resting at the same time. Having been in Violet East Mountain for several days now, he had now recovered quite a bit of energy. He was no longer exhausted, and his pill concocting went a bit faster than before.

However, the moment his Spiritualization Pill emerged was also the exact moment when Sakura's original Chakra Condensation stage medicinal pill came out. When it did, brilliant light swirled up from her pill; at a single glance, it was obvious this was no ordinary pill. It immediately attracted quite a bit of notice on the outside world.

At the same time, Teuchi's original medicinal pill emerged. A four-colored glow enveloped it, a bit brighter than the glow from Sakura's pill. A sudden gasp of astonishment could be heard from the spectators.

As for Naruto, however, he produced nothing extraordinary whatsoever. Like most of the others, he had chosen to concoct familiar pills. Furthermore, from his attitude, it seemed as if he were goofing off. It was completely different from the conscientiousness of Sakura and Teuchi.

In fact the clear cut difference between them… made Naruto seem even more unremarkable.

Only one person on Eastern Emergence Mountain was different. Grandmaster Pill Demon. When he casually glanced at the screen depicting Naruto, an imperceptible shadow of a smile appeared on his face.

By the time Sakura and Teuchi were in the midst of creating their Foundation Establishment stage medicinal pill, Naruto had already finished with the Spiritualization Pill, and had begun to work on the Nascent Soul medicinal pill.

Medicinal Pills for increasing the Cultivation Base during the Nascent Soul stage were made from rare medicinal plants not often seen in the world. There were not many such pills in the Southern Domain; for four or even five people from a single Sect to possess one would be considered beyond incredible.

These were not pills that could be mass produced; one batch might make three, or perhaps five. Therefore, they were quite prized. Such pills were not common even in the Violet Fate Sect.

When you consider that a Nascent Soul Cultivator who practices breathing exercises can absorb all of the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth within a three kilometer radius in a single breath, it is easy to imagine how important medicinal pills can be to them. If they possess such pills, all is well. If they don't, the only remaining option is to take them by force.

However, when it comes to medicinal pills for Nascent Soul Cultivators, the most difficult type to concoct, as well as the most valuable, are pills which extend longevity!

The value of such pills is extremely high; a lifespan that does not exceed on thousand years, is not a defiance of the Heavens. The only way to live past one thousand years, to defy the Heavens, is to to sever the Spirit. Otherwise, one can only waste away in death.

Of all the medicinal pills for the Nascent Soul stage, the most basic are healing pills, and such pills are also the easiest to concoct.

Generally, they are of average effectiveness; however, no matter which way you look at them, such pills must be considered of the Nascent Soul stage. Naruto decided to concoct just such a simple medicinal pill for the Nascent Soul stage. As far as he was concerned, this wasn't considered finagling, but rather, using the most simple method to pass this part of the test. He didn't want to expend a lot of mental energy to concoct a unique, one-of-a-kind pill.

Therefore, several days later, one of the most common healing pills for the Nascent Soul stage emerged. Naruto held the pills from the four stages in hand, and then, pushed them into the boulder. The boulder began to tremble, and then a fissure appeared that snaked down the very middle of the boulder, a little over half a foot wide.

It almost seemed like the boulder wasn't pleased with Naruto's medicinal pills. However, he had met the requirements; each pill contained five of the ten million medicinal plant variations, although most of them had been obscured by Naruto using a technique just for that purpose.

He looked at the fissure and then cleared his throat. He knew that he was being observed by others; with a bit of a bashful and embarrassed expression, he lowered his head and walked up to the crack. By turning his body to the side, and exerting a bit of effort, he was just able to squeeze himself through. Then, with a solemn and dignified expression, and not the least bit of awkwardness, he continued along the steps up the mountain, toward the third region.

When the spectators in the outside world saw this, the master alchemists of the East Pill Division could be seen making bitter smiles. Those who were relatively familiar with Kazama seemed a bit embarrassed. Using such a method to pass this part of the test really was a bit of an eyesore.

This was especially after looking back at the earnestness with which Sakura and Teuchi persisted in their work. Naruto's attitude immediately aroused the scorn of those who hadn't liked him very much to begin with. A few of the eight Violet Furnace Lords also frowned.

However, regardless of anything, Naruto was the first one to make it past the second region. Hands clasped behind his back, he casually walked into the third region, looking exactly as if he were just going for a stroll and taking in the scenery.

One of the Violet Furnace Lords, a middle-aged man named Rinji, said, "Kazama doesn't seem to be taking things very seriously. With such sub-par character, he's clearly not suitable to become a Violet Furnace Lord." His voice was cool and seemed to carry the weight of authority.

Kotetsu laughed and said, "Not necessarily. There's no rule against using the simplest method to charge past."

"That's true, Elder Brother Kotetsu," replied Rinji with a smile. "Now, though, I'm very curious to see what sort of decision he will make in the third region."

Moments later, more candidates emerged from the second region. Only Sakura and Teuchi remained. A total of five people came out. The other two were unable to complete medicinal pills with eighty percent medicinal strength, and thus declared forfeiture.

Now, only eight screens remained of the original ten above the pill furnace in the outside world.

When Naruto reached the boulder marking the third region, Violet Chakra poured out. It was only a tiny thread, and lasted only for the space of about three breaths. He had succeeded, but the approval of the Celestial Land was not great.

After the strand of Violet Chakra entered the pill furnace, Naruto looked at the boulder, then sat down cross-legged in front of it. He took a moment to erase the last bit of exhaustion in him, until he was filled with energy.

Sakura's final pill emerged, and when it did, her face was pale. It had been extremely difficult for her to concoct the fourth pill. As for original creations, she had persisted up until the Foundation Establishment pill; as for the Core Formation and Nascent Soul pills, she was unable to create new versions of such pills. Instead, she had selected the most difficult of the pill formulas she knew to concoct the final two pills.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she watched as a three meter wide fissure split apart the boulder in front of her. A self-confident smile on her face, she strode forward.

After her, Teuchi finished his pill concoction. Similar to Sakura, he had been unable to make original creations for all four pill varieties. He had succeeded in making an original pill for the Core Formation stage, but as for the Nascent Soul stage, he could not proceed. Having no other choice, he created the most high-level and difficult pill for the Nascent Soul stage that he could think of. It took ten attempts before he finally succeeded.

Everything happened relatively quickly, because everything moved more quickly within the world of the Celestial Land. Were it outside, it would take over a year to concoct the four pills he had.

Teuchi took in a deep breath as he watched a six meter wide fissure cracked open the boulder in front of him. A proud look filled his eyes as he strode through.

It was becoming readily apparent to the observers which of the various candidates were above the others. A buzz of discussion echoed out as they began to talk about the shocking sight of the fissure created by Teuchi.

As Sakura and the others reached the boulder marking the third region, dense Violet Chakra poured out toward them. The Violet Chakra which emerged for Sakura lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before dissipating. Most shockingly was Teuchi. His lasted for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn; furthermore, his pill furnace had already turned light violet!

On their various respective paths, the other candidates' pill furnaces absorbed the Violet Chakra. Afterward, they began to concentrate on the boulder. Frowns appeared; the test for the third region was even more difficult than the first two.

Naruto finished his meditation. He opened his eyes, and they glowed brightly. He was completely recovered, and his eyes glittered as he examined the text on the boulder in front of him. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Beyond the boulder, there were no stone steps. The path of steps seemed to end right here, and only clouds were visible.

"Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plants…." Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at the carving on the boulder. It depicted a type of medicinal plant with nine flowers on it, each of which was a different color. "Three Treasures Pearl Curtains Plants are common. Six Treasures Pearl Curtain Plants are uncommon. As for Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plants… they are rarely ever seen! Each flower contains different medicinal properties. The nine petals all work in harmony with each other. This single medicinal plant can be used in over a thousand different pill formulas…. The formulas used and the quality of the medicinal pills concocted will determine how many steps appear…." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment to think.

On the other paths, the other candidates were facing the exact same test.

Sakura reached up to place her right hand onto the boulder. Immediately, a flickering, glowing light appeared, and the Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant materialized in front of her.

The Cultivators on the mountain peak in the outside world, including the representatives from the other Sects and Clans, were all paying very close attention to the incredible scene which was taking place within the trial by fire.

Violet Furnace Lord Rinji coolly opened his mouth and said, "The third region tests both pill concocting and decision making. How many pills must be concocted to magically create a perfect set of stairs? That is the key." From start to finish, his gaze never left Teuchi's screen.

His words caused the faces of many of the master alchemists to fill with astonishment. One by one, they began to focus intently on the various screens.

Sakura looked at the plant floating in front of her. A thoughtful look glittered in her phoenix-like eyes.

"The Dao of alchemy is like the great Dao of cultivation," she thought. "Plants and vegetation grow within Heaven and Earth. However, Heaven and Earth are not alive. Concocting pills… is like refining the Heavens and transforming the Earth, finding a spark of life therein, and turning it into a medicinal pill. Therefore, pill concoction… is a search for life, a way to find that spark which doesn't exist within Heaven and Earth!

"Nine is the ultimate number; therefore, I will make nine pills, and each pill will contain eight flowers. Furthermore, each pill will contain the medicinal properties of the one missing flower! These nine pills will form a cycle that will open up the path to the Heavens!" Sakura's eyes glowed with determination now that she had made her decision. She immediately set to work concocting.

After thinking for several hours, a serious look filled Teuchi's face, and he took a deep breath. His eyes narrowed as he flicked his sleeve; a Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant appeared in front of him, and he began to concoct.

"If I'm going to concoct a pill, I'll only make one," he thought. "It will contain the medicinal properties of all nine flowers, as well as that of an additional medicinal pill! I will concoct not the number nine, but the number ten! I will concoct a pill that contains a medicinal property that the Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant does not. In keeping with my identity, this tenth medicinal property will be unprecedented!"

It was difficult to say whose thinking in regard to the Dao of alchemy was more advanced. Between the two of them, one used the Dao of alchemy to refine life to the pinnacle. The other combined all the complex variations to create something unique.

At this moment, their skill in the Dao of alchemy was clearly visible to the spectators on the mountain top, and caused quite a stir. Everyone, including the representatives from the outside Sects, began to think deeply about the proceedings.

After Sakura and Teuchi made their decisions, the eight Violet Furnace Lords nodded in praise.

Grandmaster Pill Demon's face, however, was unreadable, making everyone wonder which screen he was watching….

It was at this moment that Naruto opened his eyes, and they gleamed with a strange light. He lifted up his hand and pushed it onto the boulder. The Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant appeared, along with his pill furnace. He did not immediately begin to concoct, though, but rather stare at the medicinal plant, his eyes shining.

Within his mind flitted countless pill formulas. His skill with plants and vegetation was in full force as well. The Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant rotated in his mind as he mentally began to organize the various medicinal properties and how they worked together.

However, Naruto quickly decided to clear his mind. He looked at the medicinal plant, and then his eyes began to gleam even more brightly. He looked… interested. His bearing now was vastly different than the laziness he had displayed in the second region.

"I'm going to concoct ten pills," he thought. "Nine minor pills, and one master pill. Nine is the ultimate number, representing strength. My body is the pill furnace, and my heart is the pill formula. Refine the Heavens, refine the Earth, refine the changes of Time. Concoct a pill that… contains the essence of nature's simplicity!" A look both deep and bright shone in his eyes. Were this any other place, he would not display such an attitude toward pill concocting. But within this Violet Fate Sect trial by fire, his interest had been piqued. He would no longer conceal his true self; he would fully display his skill in the Dao of alchemy.

Naruto took a deep breath. Then, he lifted up his right hand, took hold of a flower, and put it into the pill furnace.

Only the Violet Furnace Lords on the mountaintop could get an idea from Naruto's actions what he intended to do. However, all of them had different expressions on their faces. Some were frowning, others seemed lost in thought.

"Kazama's choice is… interesting…. However, he won't be able to pull off something like that!"

"Even still, that type of thinking in the Dao of alchemy is laudable. It contains some of the frivolity of youth, but considering his skill in the Dao of alchemy, he definitely won't be able to succeed. I still favor Teuchi. That kid's Dao of alchemy contains persistence. Persistence is a necessity for all of us alchemists."

The Violet Furnace Lords continued to discuss matters as they watched on.

Only Kotetsu gaped for a moment, before a bright gleam filled his eyes. "He wants to concoct…." Kotetsu's breathing grew heavier. He did not agree with the others. Without thinking about it, he turned to look at his Master, Pill Demon. Grandmaster Pill Demon sat there cross-legged. A strange light flickered in his eyes, then disappeared.

Time passed, three days. Sakura had completed her first medicinal pill. When it appeared, 1,111 steps appeared up ahead of her.

For over one thousand steps to appear caused a buzz to rise up among the crowd on the mountain top.

Moments later, Teuchi also produced a pill. As soon as it appeared, so did the stone stairs, 2,000 of them. This caused the observing alchemists on the mountaintop to immediately rise to their feet, looks of astonishment on their faces.

What caused even more of a stir was that Teuchi looked at the pill with a frown, and then crushed it between his fingers. Immediately, the 2,000 stairs vanished.

It seemed that 2,000 steps… didn't satisfy him!

In addition to Sakura, Teuchi, and Naruto, two others were concocting pills. All had made different choices in their concoctions, and all paled in comparison to Sakura and Teuchi. Each of them concocted three pills respectively, which produced a total of seven hundred stairs each.

They did not dare to crush their medicinal pills, though. No matter how many pills it took, they would cause all of the stairs to appear.

As for the alchemists who had fallen behind, they slowly showed up. After experiencing the difficulty of the second test, they sat there thoughtfully for a bit before beginning to concoct pills.

Of course, none of them produced results as spectacular as Sakura or Teuchi. They took the easy route; this was not in error, however, it did not count as being part of their personal Dao of alchemy.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. Naruto was now finished with the first minor pill!

It emerged, a bluish-green medicinal pill, which Naruto had concocted using the bluish-green flower from among the nine.

The pill furnace was illusory; the Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant was also illusory. Therefore, the pill that was produced was obviously not real. Despite that, it could be held in hand, and it could be crushed.

This was one of the bizarre, miraculous aspects of the Celestial Land, a magic that could create something from nothing!

Naruto looked at the bluish-green medicinal pill in his hand, then lifted his head. Further up, the mountain path began to buzz. Suddenly, out of thin-air appeared… a step.

A single step!

Naruto's face was the same as ever, without the slightest hint of change. Much earlier, he had predicted that this would happen. He looked back down at the Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant's crimson flower, grabbed it, and began to concoct.

Seeing this caused a buzz to immediately rise up among the audience on the mountaintop. Of course, the Violet Furnace Lords didn't participate, nor did the Patriarch-level Cultivators from the outside Sects. They only looked on in silent thought. Based on their concentration, their age, and their experiences in life, eccentrics like this wouldn't easily show what they were thinking.

However, the disciples who had accompanied them had not reached such a level. Seeing what happened instantly caused astonished exclamations and discussions to fill the air.

"Alchemist Kazama only created a single stair…! That's simply too few! Is he really a Furnace Lord?"

"At the very least, the other candidates created a few hundred stairs. Furnace Lord Rinji created the most, 2,000, and wasn't even satisfied with that. But Kazama… he doesn't look even the least bit embarrassed!"

"Maybe he has some special plan…."

Such discussions couldn't be avoided. Naruto's medicinal pill, and the one stair it had produced, was immediately divisive. Everyone could clearly see what had happened, and it was only natural that people immediately began to make comparisons.

Ino frowned. She couldn't believe that Kazama's skill in the Dao of alchemy was so limited. After her interactions with him in the Black Sieve Sect, she knew of his extreme cunning, and was convinced that he must be pulling off some clever trick.

Asuma's expression was normal, without the slightest reaction whatsoever. It seemed as if nothing would cause him any surprise whatsoever.

Fatty was secretly clenching his fists. He knew that Kazama was Naruto, which caused him extreme anxiety inside, especially considering that he could not possibly charge forward and warn Naruto about what was happening.

Chino's eyes glittered slightly as she watched Kazama on the screen. She then glanced at Teuchi, and frowned, as if she wasn't quite sure the meaning of everything that was happening.

Of course, Naruto couldn't hear any of the commotion which he had caused on the outside, nor would he pay it any heed if he could. He was thoroughly engrossed in concocting his second medicinal pill. Again, his bearing was completely different from before in the second region.

However, the more earnestly he worked, the more derision rose up from the outsiders.

A day later, Sakura finished her second medicinal pill. Just the same as before, 1,111 stairs appeared. Teuchi's second pill also was completed. When it appeared, a great roaring shook the Heavens and rocked the Earth.

"4,000 stairs! He's… he's no Furnace Lord! This Violet Furnace Lord Promotion definitely belongs to him!"

Violet Furnace Lord Rinji chuckled. He looked at Teuchi with an expression of deep praise. The other Violet Furnace Lords also looked at him with similar approval. They nodded, slight smiles on their faces.

Their praise grew even more obvious when they saw Teuchi once again crush the medicinal pill. The 4,000 stairs disappeared.

"Striving for perfection is Teuchi's weakness, and also his strength," said Rinji, smiling. "This kid's determination is something you rarely see in others. I hope that after becoming a Violet Furnace Lord, he will retain his tenacity, and use it to tread into realms we have not."

As they discussed the matter, Kotetsu sat there silently. He wasn't looking at any of the other candidates, only Naruto. Slowly, the shock in his eyes grew more intense.

Fatty gave an inward sigh as he looked at the screen with Naruto on it. "There's no way to compare. Ah, Naruto, why did you have to encounter somebody so inhuman? How can you possibly compare to this Rinji guy…?"

As the discussions proceeded, the other alchemists on Violet East Mountain continued to produce medicinal pills, Naruto included. When Naruto's pill was completed, a roaring sound filled the air, and a second stair appeared. This immediately caused muffled laughter to rise up from the Cultivators on the outside world. They seemed to find the appearance of a single stone step to be quite amusing.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he began to concoct his third minor pill.

Time passed by slowly. Naruto was by far in last place. In this third region, Sakura held her spot in first place. She had concocted eight medicinal pills, and was currently working on her ninth.

Up ahead of her on the mountain were 8,888 stone steps. It was an astonishing sight, and was already being given great recognition by the observers in the outside world. She was now being viewed as a possible contender with Teuchi.

This was especially the opinion among many alchemists of the East Pill Division. Quite a few greatly admired Sakura, and as they watched, their eyes burned with passion and hope as they wished her luck.

Besides Teuchi and Naruto, among the other candidates was an old man who had concocted thirty pills to produce a total of more than 8,300 stairs. Before, he hadn't attracted much attention, but now, of course, people were talking about him.

He had produced a lot of medicinal pills, however, all of them stemmed from his own Dao of alchemy.

As for the others, anywhere from 5,000 to more than 7,000 stairs had appeared. Naruto only had… 8 steps.…

A single stone step had appeared each time he concocted one of the eight minor pills. However, Naruto was not in last place; rather, Teuchi was.

Of course, nobody actually believed him to be in last place. He was currently concocting a pill for the ninth time. The previous pill, the eighth one, had immediately produced 9,300 stairs. That, of course, had caused a commotion in the outside world. Surprise had even been visible in the eyes of some of the Patriarchs from the outside Sects.

Slowly, everyone on the mountaintop grew quiet, settling their Chakra and calming their minds. They looked at the paths on the eight screens in front of them; they could clearly see that the moment of truth had arrived in the third region test. Any moment now, people would begin to pass onto the next region.

After enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn, Sakura's medicinal pill emerged. This was her ninth pill; immediately a black-colored cloud appeared above her pill furnace, the size of a hand. Electricity crackled, circling around above the pill furnace. The pill furnace emitted a roaring sound, and the ninth pill flew out; the path up ahead of Sakura immediately extended.

It grew from 8,888 stone stairs all the way to 9,999!

The absolute limit of stairs was 10,000. Sakura had created an incredible number of stairs. Reaching such an achievement in the Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire proved that she was an outstanding talent, worthy of being a Violet Furnace Lord.

Immediately, conversations broke out in the world outside.

"A Tribulation cloud appeared! That only happens for the most difficult to concoct medicinal pills…. Sakura is definitely worthy to be Grandmaster Pill Demon's apprentice! This is clear proof that she is qualified to be a Violet Furnace Lord!"

"9,999 stairs! Sakura's skill in the Dao of alchemy is shocking."

All eyes were on her, including master alchemists, Furnace Lords, Violet Furnace Lords, Sect Patriarchs!

Sakura took a deep breath as she strode forward, walking directly up the stairs she herself had created.

Everyone else was still in the middle of concocting; the old man who had previously been in second place had now created more than 9,000 steps. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would be the second to pass through the third region.

However, it was just then that….

A shocking thunderclap sounded out, booming out from within the world of the Celestial Land. Concurrent with the sound of the thunderclap, a Tribulation cloud nearly three hundred meters in diameter appeared above Teuchi's pill furnace. The Tribulation cloud roiled as it appeared in mid-air, and thunderclaps echoed out in roars. It seemed it desired to destroy the medicinal pill which had just been concocted.

The thunder existed only within the world of the Celestial Land. Outside on Eastern Emergence Mountain, where the audience was, the weather was sunny with a gentle breeze. Everyone was closely watching Teuchi's screen and the Tribulation clouds within the Celestial Land.

Intense praise filling his eyes, Violet Furnace Lord Rinji lightly said, "Tribulation clouds. It seems the pill Feimu concocted has provoked Pill Tribulation."

Just as the Tribulation cloud was about to explode downward, Pill Demon lifted his hand and waved toward the screen. Immediately, the Tribulation cloud of Teuchi quivered and then began to disperse. The lightning within completely dissipated.

At the same moment, Teuchi's pill furnace exploded with a loud sound as a medicinal pill emerged. It was a nine-colored pill, containing all the nine colors of the Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain plant flowers. However, it also used their medicinal properties to produce a tenth medicinal property!

As soon as the pill appeared, the stairs in front of Teuchi boomed. Step after step appeared; ten, one hundred, one thousand… all the way to ten thousand steps!

Sakura would have had to produce more steps to make her stairs absolutely complete.

In the blink of an eye, Teuchi had risen from last place, to first!

He flicked his sleeve, and the pill furnace disappeared. As he proceeded up the stairs, he immediately became the focus of all attention.

"Such a Chosen of the Dao of alchemy… ten thousand stairs!"

"Who else could possibly be the Violet Furnace Lord other than him…."

"It seems that he really and truly is… Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!"

It just so happened that at this exact moment, Naruto's ninth minor pill emerged, adding one more stair to his path. Now there were nine. When compared with ten thousand, nine stone steps were almost too insignificant to mention.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He had no idea what was happening on the outside; he had no clue regarding the commotion caused by Sakura and Teuchi. His expression was as earnest as ever as he took his nine minor pills and placed them all into the pill furnace. He took a deep breath and, eyes filled with determination, began to concoct… a pill which conformed to his own Dao of alchemy! A pill which would be in accord with his skill, and would be a return to the simplicity of nature.

As the pills entered the pill furnace, Naruto's eyes slowly closed. His hands pushed out into the air as he began to concoct.

Naruto's actions on the screen went relatively unnoticed thanks to the shocking scene caused by Teuchi. The only people who seemed to notice were Fatty, Ino and Kotetsu.

Teuchi walked slowly up the steps, looking every bit like a Chosen. His screen was the only focal point atop the mountain; the only one who could remotely compete was Sakura.

As far as the others, they had fallen far behind. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the old man who had been in second place finally concocted enough pills; the 9,937th step appeared. The pill furnace in front of him exploded, and the Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain plant disappeared. This indicated that he had reached his peak.

He took a deep breath as he began to ascend the stairs.

Behind him, time continued to pass. The remaining candidates continued to persevere; to be able to participate in this trial by fire indicated that these were no ordinary alchemists. They might be a bit slower, but even the least among the group was able to create more than 9,600 stairs before his pill furnace exploded and he proceeded up.

Unfortunately, missing hundreds of stairs in the Violet East Mountain trial by fire was an indication of failure. Several people were forced pale-faced to admit defeat when they reached the end of the stairs they had created. Only a middle-aged man happened to succeed.

Of the group of eight just now, only five were left. Four had already succeeded; only Naruto was still concocting a medicinal pill.

Other than Fatty, Ino and Kotetsu, no one else was paying any attention to him at all. All of them were looking at the screens of Teuchi and Sakura.

Until… about half an incense stick later, the faint sound of thunder suddenly echoed out. This attracted some attention; almost immediately, more thunder could be heard, this time much clearer. Everyone suddenly began to look around, confused, trying to figure out which screen the sound was coming from.

When their eyes finally came to rest on Naruto's screen, thunder pealed out for the third time, echoing out loud enough to shake the Heavens and rock the Earth, filling the entire world of the Celestial Land which could be seen on the screens. More and more people turned their gazes from Teuchi and Sakura, to look at Naruto.

Immediately, they began to gape.

This was because, although Naruto's expression was one of unprecedented concentration, above the pill furnace in front of him was a roiling black cloud three hundred meters in diameter. It looked exactly the same as the cloud which had appeared above Teuchi.

"Kazama…."

"Don't tell me he also concocted some type of astonishing pill?"

As astonishment spread throughout the mountain peak, Kotetsu began to breathe heavily, and his eyes shone with an incredible light. His unusual expression immediately attracted the notice of the other Violet Furnace Lords.

Suddenly, another incredible peal of thunder boomed out, far more intense than the previous three, by at least ten times. Naruto's pill furnace trembled violently. Up above, the Tribulation cloud rapidly expanded, from three hundred meters to three thousand!

This caused shock to fill the hearts of everyone in the outside world. But then, a fifth, a sixth and then a seventh Heaven-shaking thunderclap rang out!

The thunder shook the Celestial Land, and the screens began to flicker, as if they were experiencing some sort of interference. Tribulation clouds swelled outward; by now, they were several tens of thousands of meters in diameter. The scene caused the minds of the Cultivators in the outside world to reel.

"What's… what's going on…?"

"What medicinal pill did he concoct to cause this?! Teuchi's pill didn't provoke such shocking Tribulation clouds!"

Everyone was in an uproar; it was impossible for them not to be astonished. Before, they had believed the scene caused by Teuchi to be incredible, but now they were struck dumb. This… was truly incredible!

The thunder echoed out throughout almost the entire world of the Celestial Land. The sound of thunder rose up to the Heavens. Now, it wasn't just Naruto's screen that was flickering, but all of the screens. They distorted and twisted so violently that it seemed they might rip apart and disintegrate.

Even more shocking was that clearly visible to everyone on the mountaintop outside, the rest of the candidates had all stopped in their tracks. Their expressions flickered and began to fill with disbelief.

Obviously, all of them could hear the thunder and see the Tribulation clouds. This caused shock to fill everyone's hearts. Teuchi's pill had definitely caused an extraordinary sight. However, only he had been able to see it. The candidates were all within the Celestial Land, and on the same Mountain. However, they were treading different paths, so no matter what the others did, they wouldn't be able to see or sense it.

But right now, a shocking scene was unfolding. The booming caused by Naruto's medicinal pill was breaking through any such barriers, making it so that all the candidates could see the Tribulation clouds.

"How could this be happening…?"

"Furnace Lord Kazama, what… what is he doing…?"

Fatty stared open mouthed, panting. Suddenly, an excited glow filled his eyes, and his body began to tremble. Inside, he was yelling out, crying for Naruto to become famous. It seemed possible that he was more excited at the moment than Naruto was.

Ino's eyes glittered; her expression quickly returned to normal, but inside, she was thinking that this was what she had expected of Kazama.

Kotetsu sat there cross-legged, his eyes shining with an intense light. All of the other Violet Furnace Lords were staring with unprecedented concentration at what was happening.

It was at this moment that the ninth thunderclap rose up.

Its appearance caused the entire world of the Celestial Land to quake. Atop Violet East Mountain, Sakura, Teuchi and the others all felt the shaking.

Up above them, they saw the sky completely covered with endless Tribulation clouds. They were huge and never-ending, thick, black and stacked in layers. As the booming rattled out, an uncountable amount of lightning bolts began to surge about in the clouds. The power on display was astonishing.

"Who is doing this…?" murmured Sakura, her face pale. It was as if she had lost her mind; she had no way to see who had instigated such a shocking scene. The first person who appeared in her mind was Teuchi. However, for some unknown reason, his image was suddenly replaced by someone who made her feel incredibly irritated.

Teuchi's face drained of blood. He stared mutely up into the sky, one expression after another flickering across his face. Disbelief, confusion and a variety of other complicated expressions appeared. His mind was suddenly blank.

What happened next was even more astonishing. As the ninth thunderclap could be heard, it wasn't Teuchi, Sakura and the others on East Violet Mountain who were shocked…. Completely unpredictable was that this ninth thunderclap influenced the outside world! In the sky above Eastern Emergence Mountain, black, roiling clouds suddenly appeared. Within them, lighting danced back and forth, and a rumbling roaring could be heard.

When this happened, Kotetsu leaped to his feet. The other Violet Furnace Lords who sat around him also had expressions of shock written on their faces. Pill Demon sat there quietly for a moment, then lifted up his right hand and flicked his finger.

The same move he had used to dissipate Teuchi's Tribulation clouds, was enough to get rid of the thunder and Tribulation in the outside world. However, the Tribulation clouds within the Celestial Land were still there.

Seeing that the Tribulation clouds were about to reach the point where they would erupt, Naruto began to sweat. However, his eyes filled with determination. After the space of a few breaths passed, he growled then pushed out both hands toward the pill furnace.

As he did this, a roaring sound filled the air. Popping sounds rang out as cracks spread out over the surface of the pill furnace. A moment later, it exploded, and a colorless medicinal pill flew out. Suddenly, the Tribulation clouds up above began to shrink in on themselves. A massive lightning bolt, as thick as a person, began to descend.

Pill Demon's eyes glittered, and he said, "Disperse!"

It was one word. However, it caused the entire world of the Celestial Land to suddenly tremble as if some new intangible rule had been proclaimed within it. This rule seemed as if it could affect everything inside; it warped the sky, changed the lightning bolt, covered the Tribulation clouds, causing them to suddenly… disappear. It was as if the sky had instantly been replaced.

Naruto stretched out his hand and grasped the semi-transparent medicinal pill.

Everything was still and quiet in the outside world. All eyes were glued to Naruto's screen, and his right hand. The master alchemists, Furnace Lords, Violet Furnace Lords, and all the disciples of the visiting Sects, even the late Nascent Soul stage sub-Patriarchs, were all staring at the same thing.

What they wanted to know was, considering this medicinal pill had elicited such a shocking reaction, something that had even rippled out into the outside world….

How many stone steps would it create?!

A moment passed, and there were still nine stone steps. Not one more, not one less.

Nonetheless, no one made a single comment. This was because… Naruto opened his hand, and the transparent medicinal pill therein floated up to hover in front of him. Then… it blossomed with nine, glowing colored lights. The light emanated out from the pill, slowly forming into the shape of a Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant!

The plant was vivid and lifelike, and the instant it appeared, it attracted everyone's attention. The gazes were filled with countless thoughts. Shock, amazement, and disbelief filled everyone's minds until they were complete blanks.

Kotetsu's voice broke the silence. "This is… creating something out of nothing!" He was panting as he once again rose to his feet. Earlier, he had guessed that this might happen, but to see it with his own eyes sent his mind reeling and shook his heart.

Normally he would never have made such an outburst. He was an alchemist, and stubborn pursuit was part of the Dao of alchemy. He was the type of eccentric who would never reveal his emotions regardless of whether he was happy or furious. But in this regard, his sentiments ruled him.

"A great Dao of alchemy. Returning to the simplicity of nature! Creating something out of nothing!" As Kotetsu's voice echoed out, everyone watched the screen as Naruto lifted his foot onto the first step. He walked slowly up the nine steps, then raised his foot out into the emptiness. As it descended, a tenth step appeared. He walked forward. As he did, more steps appeared beneath his feet.

The limitation of number had already been exceeded; this was a realm far past that of Teuchi. Most people didn't even understand such a realm; however, the eight Violet Furnace Lords did!

His heart trembling, mind reeling, Ensui was the second to rise to his feet. With a gasp, he said, "This… this is… Kazama didn't just concoct a pill, he concocted a seed! A Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant seed!" Shock filled his eyes. "It's impossible… He took an illusory model based on the Dao of alchemy, and then concocted a real seed!

"If you plant this seed, there is a high likelihood that within a few years, a Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain Plant will grow. But… but… the ingredients he used were all illusory, not real! This realm… it is creating something out of nothing!"

After Kotetsu and Ensui finished speaking, silence reigned. The master alchemists sat mutely in their places. The Furnace Lords were breathing heavily. All of the people who had been laughing at him earlier now felt their minds spinning, as if they had been slapped in the face by an enormous, invisible palm. The slap had both cleared their minds and sent them reeling at the same time.

After the space of a few breaths passed, an incredible hubbub broke out.

"Creating something out of nothing? Kazama was able to take something that didn't really exist and use it to make something real? What level of skill in the Dao of alchemy does that represent? It's…."

"Is Teuchi the strongest? Or is this Kazama even better…?"

The people from the visiting Sects weren't able to discern what was going on. The only thing that was abundantly clear was the shock they saw on the faces of the Violet Furnace Lords.

Of their number, only Rinji had a gloomy look on his face. He frowned as he looked at Naruto's screen.

A breathtaking medicinal pill!

The disciples from the visiting Sects were shocked by the scene playing out in front of them. Truth be told, they had been shocked over and over from the moment this trial by fire began. However, this moment was the most shocking yet!

Creating something from nothing. Concocting pills in a Celestial Land. Refining the rules of alchemy. Turning an illusory Nine Treasures Pearl Curtain plant into an actual seed that could be planted. All of these things caused waves of shock to fill their minds.

As of now, they had forgotten Sakura and Teuchi. All eyes were fixed like glue onto Naruto. He was the focus of attention of all the people here.

Fatty was panting. Ino's eyes shone with a strange light as she looked at Naruto. Chino's expression was one of fascination. She herself had never imagined that Alchemist Kazama would concoct a pill such as this.

Guy had never been very interested in Alchemy. But he gaped in astonishment, and admiration grew within his heart for Kazama.

Patriarch Violet Sieve from the Black Sieve Sect laughed. "Starting today, the name of Alchemist Kazama will be known to everyone within the Southern Domain."

Sub-Patriarchs from the other Clans laughed and said similar things. When their words entered Rinji's ears, his face grew unsightly, and unconsciously he glanced toward his Master, Pill Demon. Pill Demon's face was expressionless, which caused Rinji to sigh with relief.

Turning his head to look at the other Violet Furnace Lords, he said, "Unless Master makes a specific choice, then everyone has a chance. Kazama may have some unique skills in pill concocting, but… the general trend is clearly favoring Feimu to become the next Violet Furnace Lord!" He gave meaningful looks to those among the Violet Furnace Lords with whom he was close. He felt a bit more calm after that, and when he looked back at Naruto's screen, his expression was the same as ever. His heart, however, was filled with rancor and cold laughter.

Naruto had no way to know what was happening in the outside world. However, from the moment he had begun to concoct the pill, he had decided to make a big scene. At the moment, he was walking up the mountain path. Ahead of him was nothingness, but every step he took, more stone steps would appear to support him.

Time passed. The buzz of conversation still filled the outside world when Naruto stepped onto the final stone step of the third region. He wasn't really sure how many total steps he had traversed. If he thought about it, then perhaps it was more than ten thousand.

Naruto didn't actually care about a specific number; it wasn't important.

"Who was it…?" thought Sakura, her breathing heavy. She still wasn't sure who had caused the shocking scene just now. Whoever it was, that person was on a different path. Unless they were at the peak of mountain, it would be very difficult to see anything. At the moment, the first person that came to mind was, again, Teuchi.

But then, she hesitated. Suddenly she wasn't so sure. Something inside of her was telling her that it probably wasn't Teuchi. And yet from her perspective, other than Teuchi, none of the other candidates, including herself, could possibly have done something like that.

As she thought, determination filled her eyes. She turned and continued upward.

The most conflicted of all was none other than Teuchi. He stood mutely on the stone steps, thinking for a very long time.

"Who was it? What pill did they concoct…? I concocted one medicinal pill, the pinnacle! I can't believe that someone else's decision regarding the Dao of alchemy could surpass my own. In the third region, I definitely produced the most steps with the least amount of medicinal pills! I only concocted one! This person could not possibly have outdone me!" Teuchi's pride caused pain in his heart, but it quickly vanished. "I must be in first place!"

His eyes glittering, he raced forward, hurrying toward the end of the third region. In his preparations to participate in this trial by fire, Violet Furnace Lord Rinji had actually violated Sect protocol by secretly telling him in detail about his own experience in the promotion trial by fire.

For example, Teuchi knew that at the end of the third region, it was possible to see who had passed through the region, what method they had used to do so, and what position they were granted by the Immortal Land.

His eyes filled with stubborness, Teuchi hurried on, panting.

In addition to Sakura and Teuchi, there was also the old man and the middle-aged man. They were were also racing forward.

Time passed. The first person to reach the end of the third region was Sakura. She leaped across the gap created by the last few missing steps. Then, a tremor ran through her body. She had just seen the boulder marking the beginning of the fourth region. The first thing which entered her vision was not the requirements for concocting a pill, but rather, the rankings from the previous region, which floated in the air in front of the boulder.

In third place, was her own name, Sakura. Next to it were written the numbers 9,999!

She gasped, then looked up toward second place. It was Teuchi's name, and the number was 10,000.

"Ten thousand…. He really does deserve to be called Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Ten thousand steps marks perfection in the third region. However… how could he possibly have only placed second…." She stared at the name for a moment, and her heart began to pound. Slowly, her gaze moved up until she saw the listing for first place. Instantly, a roaring sound filled her head, and her eyes shone with disbelief.

"How could it be him…?" She was suddenly out of sorts. The boulder was spewing out massive amounts of Violet Chakra, but she didn't notice. All she could do was stare at the rankings.

"Kazama!" muttered Teuchi, his body trembling slightly. His eyes filled with disbelief and, even more so, shame. If it had been Sakura who beat him, he could have accepted it. But instead, it was someone he completely looked down upon. Furthermore, that person had surpassed him in the third region.

As far as he was concerned this was a complete humiliation. Actually, from the moment Kazama had been raised to Furnace Lord, he had aroused the dislike of the other Furnace Lords. That was especially true for Teuchi. He held nothing but contempt for the manner in which Kazama had received his promotion.

Next, Teuchi's body trembled, and began to fill with rage. This was because he had just seen the numbers written after Kazama's name. 10.

"Ten stone steps…. Ten stone steps…? I created a perfect set of ten thousand stone steps! How could a trifling ten stone steps even compare! Just what pill did this Kazama concoct?" Teuchi wouldn't go so far as to question the fairness of the trial by fire, but inside, he just couldn't accept it.

By now, he had already put the pieces together, and realized who the Pill Tribulation had come for.

Violet Chakra poured out from the boulder, but Teuchi felt a sense of irony. His eyes filled with a cold light.

Naruto stood in front of the fourth region boulder, looking at the rankings. His right hand lifted up, causing the image to scatter. Massive amounts of Violet Chakra poured out, dense to the extreme. Those watching in the outside world could easily see the boundless extent of the Violet Chakra, and how much it exceeded that of Sakura's and Teuchi's

Several hours passed, during which time, this point was even further impressed upon all onlookers.

Naruto's black pill furnace absorbed the Violet Chakra, and as it did, its color slowly changed. Now, it was no longer pitch black, but tinged with violet. At first glance, it would be hard to tell whether it was black or violet. However, the pill furnace was now struggling about half as much as it had before, and no longer as fiercely.

About an hour later, the Violet Chakra disappeared. Text gradually appeared on the boulder, revealing the requirements for the final region.

Become an apprentice!

Seeing these words caused Naruto's vision to suddenly blur and twist. The mountain in front of him was no longer a mountain. The sky above… was no longer the same sky!

The mountain vanished. Far, far off in the distance, a mountain range was just barely visible.

The sky, was no longer blue. Instead, it was as red as flame, because it was dusk.

The dusk carried with it the afterglow of the setting sun, which trickled across the land to blanket over a small county-level city. The walls surrounding the city had existed for many years, which was clear from their ancient appearance. They were covered with blotches and marks, evidence of the passage of time.

Atop the walls, a few guards lazed about. Occasionally the faint sounds of their laughter and chatting would drift down into the bordello below. There was a new girl in town, and their laughter contained the beauty of anticipation which comes in life.

Horse carts lined up to enter through the city gate; atop each cart sat a driver brandishing a whip and bellowing out directions to his horses as they ambled toward the city center.

The sun was setting, but oppressive heat still held sway over the land, turning it into something like an oven that wanted to bake the earth.

There was no wind or rain.

The only thing that existed was arid heat.

This walled city was not very large; it was only a county after all. People walked the streets in groups of two or three, cooling themselves with fans, occasionally cursing the weather.

The most lively places in the town were the teahouses, where a cup of cold tea could dispel a bit of the heat. On a sweltering summer evening like this, gossiping with friends and neighbors there was the primary pastime of the populace.

Other than the teahouses was the town bordello, which was a place for rich people. Many men who passed by couldn't restrain themselves from glancing up at the gorgeously dressed young ladies who leaned against the wooden shutters up above. It was enough to make any man's heart burn, and then cause him to think about how unbearable the weather was.

If a man's wife walked with him past the bordello, her face would twist with jealousy and she would hastily pull him away. A more shrewish wife might look up at the licentious, headstrong girls up above and curse them a few times.

It was said that the girls in the bordello were as delicate as flowers and as refined as jade, almost inhuman. Inside, the rooms were filled with ice cubes and cute servant girls with fans. Because of this, rich customers had the luxury of enjoying an ice-cold breeze.

Supposedly, the bordello also abounded with delicious food and wine…. Every man wished to go there, either for the girls, the food or the ice cubes.

"Look, the point is, this place is awesome!" said Naruto in a low, earnest voice to the two kids next to him, clenching his fists tightly. Both the kids were around the same age as him, twelve or thirteen years old. "You guys just don't have any sense of brotherhood!"

Naruto put his arms around their shoulders. One was skinny, the other chubby. Both looked excited, but at the same time, a bit shy and nervous.

Naruto gave them a very serious look, as if he were a Sect Patriarch arranging to hand over a legacy. "Tomorrow, I, young master, am being sent away to boarding school. From now on I'm handing over the title of Eastern Emergence County's #1 Bully to you two. Don't forget, you can't do anything to ruin young master's reputation!"

If… if they were in some sacred location, then perhaps his words would carry some power. But unfortunately, the three of them were currently lying on their bellies atop a wall.

What was inside the wall was nothing other than the bordello, and the wall they were on surrounded it. Further inside was a two-story building, connected to another building which filled the front of the courtyard. From their position on the wall, they could clearly see the shadows of men and women inside the second story windows. The sound of chatting and laughter drifted out.

The fat kid, whose face was covered with freckles, excitedly said, "Young master Kazama, don't worry. The name of the #1 Bully in Eastern Emergence County will always belong to you. As for us two, #2 and #3 Bullies, we will definitely maintain your reputation!" The skinny kid next to him nodded enthusiastically.

"Good, I know I can trust you two," Naruto replied solemnly. "However, you still need your gang initiation plaques. Today, your final test has arrived. Now pay attention. Soon, someone is gonna come out. When that happens, you have to throw these bricks as hard as you can!"

Each of the kids held a brick which was about the size of their own hand.

"That damned bastard!" said Naruto through gritted teeth. "He dares to go chasing after my Peach Blossom!? Young master is definitely going to find out who exactly it is who has the gall!" He glared at the second story of the building. Panting, he continued, "Peach Blossom promised me that she would wait until I grew up, and then she would sleep with me. Who could have guessed that some damned son of a b*tch would dare to go pick on her!" His heart filled with rage. When the other two kids saw the look in his eyes, their hearts filled with intense admiration.

"He definitely deserves to be the Elder Brother," they thought. "The #1 Bully in Eastern Emergence County has a mistress. He's for sure the only twelve year old kid in the entire county who could pull that off!" They exchanged a glance, and their expressions grew more fanatical. As far as they were concerned, anyone who could enter the legendary bordello and get a mistress, had skill that reached to the Heavens. To be able to talk about it openly made them feel even more proud.

Soon, enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn. Evening had fallen, and the moon was rising. The second floor balcony door opened, and a beautifully dressed young woman led a middle-aged man out by the arm. He appeared to be drunk, and they talked in soft tones as they emerged.

The moonlight was thin, and the sky somewhat dark, making it difficult to see their exact appearance. However, Naruto could instantly recognize Peach Blossom. Immediately, his eyes grew red, and he shouted, "You crusty son of a b*tch, young master's gonna beat you to death! You dare to see my Peach Blossom!" With a howl, he hurled the brick. With equally vicious howls, the two kids also threw their bricks.

"Young master is gonna… huh?" Naruto was just about to charge into the courtyard when his body began to tremble. The drunk, middle-aged man easily dodged the three bricks and then raised his head furiously. As soon as he saw Naruto, he gave a slight smile. Then, his fury burned hotter.

"You little bastard!" he cried. "This is mutiny!"

Naruto instantly began to shiver.

"Father…." All of his ardor and sincerity evaporated, as if freezing water had been poured over his body. He immediately leaped off of the wall and began to run. His two sidekicks' faces went pale with fear, and their calves burned as they raced off.

"We're finished. Finished! Kazama's father is the former #1 Bully in the county! Now he's a constable, so he can kill people without blinking an eye…!" The two kids' faces were as pale as death as they fled.

After the three of them vanished, the middle-aged man stood in the courtyard, both angry and amused. The idea of a son making a move on his father was both infuriating and hilarious.

"That little bastard never studies and has no skills whatsoever. Sending him to study in boarding school is definitely the right decision!"

Late that night, Naruto ambled through the streets, heaving continuous sighs. When he finally reached the main gate of his house, he looked at the lights shining from within and gave a deep frown.

"Why did it have to be dad…? Oh, mother, you left too early. If you hadn't gone, things wouldn't be like this. I'm going to go have a few words with him for you!" He had just pushed open the gate leading into the courtyard, when suddenly he began to cry.

"Mother, I miss you! Mother, you visited me in my dreams last night and told me to go visit Peach Blossom…. Mother…."

"Shut up!" bellowed an angry voice from within the house. The door opened to reveal Naruto's father, the middle-aged man from before. His brow was furrowed, and he looked haplessly at Naruto. "Quit your faking! Why aren't you in bed yet? I'm taking you to the boarding school early in the morning to meet your new teacher."

"I'm not going!" cried Naruto, taking a step back. "I want to go to regular school! All the people in the city are going to laugh at me!"

"You little bastard. Still up to the same old tricks at your age…." The man frowned, then suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Naruto, who was just getting ready to run away. He lifted him into the air and spanked him on the bottom a few times.

The slapping sounds rang out clearly, but there was no pain. Things had been like this for Naruto since he was young. He and his father had only each other to depend on. Every time they had some sort of disagreement, his father would put on the appearance of being very strict, but couldn't actually bear to hit him hard.

"What good is regular school?" his father roared. "You need to learn to respect the teachers and their teachings! You need to learn about ethics! Are you gonna go, or not!?"

"I'm not going!" cried Naruto, his eyes rolling.

"You…!" Naruto's father raised his hand high into the air.

Naruto hurriedly said, "If you promise to never go see Peach Blossom again, then I'll go…. You can go see anybody else, just not her!" He was afraid his father might actually start to spank him hard this time.

Naruto's father wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. He lowered his hand, placing it onto Naruto's head and tousling it gently.

"Alright. You're growing up, kid, and I can see that you have a fertile imagination. Fine. From now on, I'll never see Peach Blossom again. I'll leave her for you. After you grow up, I'll arrange for her to be your concubine!"

"Really?" said Naruto, his eyes growing bright.

"You're still not in bed?!" He glared at Naruto as he released him. Naruto beamed with joy as he ran into the house, threw off his clothes, and jumped into bed. He had some beautiful dreams that night.

Early the next morning, when the sky was just beginning to grow light, Naruto's eyes were still blurry as his father dressed him.

Father glanced at son, and could see that he clearly hadn't gotten enough sleep. A solemn expression covered his face, as well as love and kindness, something Naruto didn't often see.

He reached down and picked up Naruto, just like he had when he was young. Naruto's head fell onto his shoulder, and he continued to sleep. Naruto's father grabbed the gift he planned to present to the teacher, and then left.

Along the way, his gait was a bit unsteady. Carrying such a large boy wasn't an easy task.

An hour later, they reached the main gate of the house of a famous old man who lived in the east part of the city. Naruto's father woke Naruto up and then put him down. Then, he knocked on the door, and entered the courtyard.

Naruto was left yawning out in the courtyard as his father entered the house, so he didn't see his father respectfully clasping hands and making other imploring gestures.

Not much time passed before his father emerged. Next to him was an old man with a full head of white hair. His features were ancient, but full of vigor. It gave him a noble and prestigious bearing, much different from that of an ordinary person.

This was especially true of his eyes. They were filled with profundity, as if they contained stars within them. Anyone who looked at them would be entranced. The old man gazed down at Naruto.

This gaze seemed to be able to see lives that had been lived, and lives yet to be lived.

This gaze seemed capable of piercing through the haze to see all three lives: past, present and future.

This gaze made it seem as if this young man's entire life had been lived for the purpose of coming here and kowtowing three times to become his apprentice.

A long moment passed, and the old man nodded slightly.

Naruto's father looked down at Naruto and said, "A Master is like a father. Kazama, I want you to respect your Master. Respect him even more than you respect me! If you can't do that, then you aren't my son!" With that, he left.

Naruto gaped at his father. He'd forgotten how long it had been since he'd seen him act so strictly. The seriousness of his tone instantly caused him to wake up.

"A Master is like a father…." Naruto watched his father's back as he left. He clearly was wearing a simple, unlined robe. However, for some reason, it seemed to Naruto as if he were surrounded by a violet wind.

The wind seemed to shatter some barrier in his mind; suddenly an image appeared. It was his father. The image was blurry, but he could tell that his father was looking at him and sighing softly.

His mother was there too, gazing at him warmly. It looked like there were tears in her eyes.

For some reason… there was also a Sky Tower, as well as many, many complicated memories. Naruto thought for a long moment before shaking his head roughly and turning to look off in the distance. There, in the middle of the county, was a very tall tower. It was… a Sky Tower.

"That wasn't there before, was it…? No, it never was." A confused look appeared on Naruto's face.

In the midst of his vacantness, an ancient-sounding voice reached his ears. "This isn't a boarding school."

As his father disappeared into the distance, Naruto turned to look at the old man who stood in front of him. Now that his father was gone, only he and the old man were there in the coutryard.

The old man looked down at Naruto, then slowly continued, "Up to now, I've had seventeen apprentices. A few ended up returning to dust. A few left and forged their own path. There were also a few… who are still pondering what they wish to pursue. In fact, when you think about it, some don't really even count as my apprentices. As of today, you are my eighteenth apprentice. However, I'm actually going to call you… Little Ninth." As the man spoke in his ancient voice, all the sound in the air around Naruto seemed to fade until he was focused completely on the old man.

"You have a Junior Sister. She became my apprentice before you, but in a bit of an unorthodox fashion, so she ranks below you. She is surnamed Sakura."

Naruto wasn't sure why, but he felt nervous. He didn't know whether to get onto his knees and kowtow, or bend from the waist with clasped hands. He was completely ill at ease.

"I haven't used my own name for a long time," said the old man. "Outsiders usually call me by my alchemist name, whereas friends usually call me Mr. East. I've never been married, so I have no heir. My apprentices are my heirs. Eventually, you will pass on my teachings, and the mark I have made on the world, will be extended by you. As far as I am concerned, you apprentices are… my closest relatives." The old man gazed at Naruto, looking very majestic. However, his eyes were warm and filled with kindness and love. It seemed almost as if he had been watching Naruto for years, and had been testing him for a very long time. "From now on, I'm your Master!"

Without thinking, Naruto responded, "Respect Master, venerate the Dao. Master is like a father. I…."

"There's no need to say such things," said the old man, his eyes gleaming with a keen light. "As long as they exist in your heart, that is enough. Little Nine, kneel!" In the blink of an eye, his entire person seemed to become the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth.

Naruto couldn't really describe exactly what he was feeling. It was as if in this instant, the old man had become the Heavens. And yet, he was not cold, but instead filled with deep kindness and warmth. It was as if he were a mountain that could shield against wind and rain alike.

Naruto bowed his head and got down on his knees.

As he was kneeling, he could not see how everything above him in the sky had stopped moving. The clouds were still. The birds no longer flitted about. The earth did not quake, but everything within the city grew silent.

"As my apprentice, you only kowtow twice in life, at least in the true sense of the word. The first time is upon becoming an apprentice. This kowtow sows Karma with me, whereupon our fates are intertwined. If you do not break this connection, then neither shall I! As for the second kowtow, wait until you come to your senses, then come ask me about it, and I will tell you.

"The first kowtow upon becoming an apprentice is actually divided into three further kowtows, those of the Innocence, the Roaming, and the Sunset Gazing. Your kowtow today is the kowtow of Innocence."

Naruto didn't really understand. However, he placed his hands onto the ground and kowtowed deeply.

With this kowtow, the sky sprung back into motion. The winds and the clouds swept along. The birds flew!

With this kowtow, the earth shook, as past events flitted dream-like through the minds of all the living creatures.

With this kowtow, past life Karma, future Karma, present life…. If you do not sever it, then I shall not sever it!

The old man laughed contentedly. It echoed about, filled with emotion, satisfaction, kindness and duty.

From this day forward, the young man in front of him was his apprentice. In the future, the young man's every action would be marked by him. From now on he was… the young man's Master!

This is Karma. Karma is not something predestined, but something decided by people. It can be called fate; not fate determined by the Heavens, nor doom from the underworld, but something decided between two people.

One person decides to take another as Master; the other decides to take an apprentice. This creates… Karma!

His voice soft, the old man said, "You must still experience the kowtow of Roaming, and the kowtow of Sunset Gazing. Throughout the process, you will be able to choose from many paths. As for which path you choose… that is your decision. If in the end you are able to perform the kowtow of Sunset Gazing, then that will name us Master and apprentice. No one will ever be able to sever that bond! I will accept no gifts in becoming your Master; I have already accepted everything I need to accept." He reached down and softly tousled Naruto's hair. His smile was kind as he helped Naruto to his feet.

Naruto still didn't really understand. As he stood, he looked at his master, and could feel the kindness and love within him. Beneath the man's gaze, he could also feel a warmth deep inside of himself.

He nodded his head solemnly.

Springs and autumns came and went. Years passed. Naruto was now nineteen years old. In the past seven years, he spent most of his time living with Master, studying, observing the cool breeze and the white clouds, gazing up at the moon and the stars.

After reading from many books, he finally understood what it meant to respect Master and venerate the Dao. He also understood that the world was a very large place.

During the seven years, his father had aged quite a bit. Master had grown even older. Peach Blossom's popularity in the bordello waned. Eventually, some moneybags from another county paid her debts and took her as a concubine.

Before she left, she came looking for Naruto. It seemed she viewed him as something like a little brother. She spoke some tender words, then, accompanied by Naruto's smile, got into a sedan chair and left Eastern Emergence County.

According to their agreement from years ago, his two friends really did grow up to become the biggest bullies in the county.

Naruto, however, no longer called himself a bully. He didn't wear fancy, expensive clothes, but instead, a simple scholar's robe.

It was green, just like the greenness of his youth. However, in just the same manner that spring changes into autumn, his face no longer carried the frivolity it used to, but instead, calmness. He liked to think, and to gaze off into the sky, even though he didn't really know exactly what it was he was looking at.

He liked the wind and the rain. He liked to stand in the pavilion and look at the lightning off in the distance, and hear the thunder. When the rain fell down onto the earth outside, he liked to open up a book and read about how life had changed throughout the ages.

Everything was like a dream. Seven years passed like the falling of a rainstorm. Naruto didn't feel like he had changed much, but from the perspective of others, he had changed quite a bit.

As he watched his Master continue to grow older, he often thought of bringing up the subject of the Roaming. He wanted to climb mountains, travel to distant lands, to see the realities of the world.

But in the end, he looked at the city, his father, and Master, and instead maintained his silence, saying nothing.

A year. Another year… soon, seven more years had passed. During autumn of that year, as the leaves drifted down to the ground, floating in the wind to return to the earth, his father fell sick. One night, a violet wind blew, and his father passed away.

Naruto stood in front of his father's grave, a blank look in his eyes. He vaguely remembered how, fourteen years ago, his father had held him in his arms and taken him to meet Master. In the blink of an eye, fourteen years had passed. Naruto stood there silently, sipping from a pot of alcohol.

Finally he turned and left. He found Master, and told him how he desired the Roaming. It was the only dream he possessed now, and had been fermenting in his heart for years.

Before he left, Naruto kneeled before Master and kowtowed a second time. This was… the kowtow of Roaming.

Master watched early one morning as Naruto shouldered his scholar's pack and walked off into the distance, framed by the rising sun.

Eventually, Naruto looked over his shoulder. By that time, Master was no longer visible. Later, he looked over his shoulder a second time, and even the Sky Tower couldn't be seen.

He was thoughtful for a moment, then gradually seemed to come to an understanding. He looked forward once again, and continued to walk off into the distance. He did not look over his shoulder a third time.

He reached a mighty river and encountered a ferryman, with whom he chatted about some of the legends of the river. Supposedly, an Immortal resided somewhere here.

In the books Naruto had read, he had occasionally come across the title Immortal. He decided to live next to the river. Unfortunately, in the three years that he did, he never saw an Immortal. What did see, however, was his own inverted reflection in the river waters, a different him.

He saw himself flying in the sky, practicing cultivation in the mountains, and some place called the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect, where he concocted….

It seemed as if all he had to do was jump into the water, and he could become that other person, and this life would be over.

By the time the three years had passed, Naruto was twenty nine years old. In the end, he did not jump into the water. Instead, he left the river and travelled far off to another place.

A year later, in the depths of a seemingly endless forest, on a blustery and nearly moonless night, Naruto caught sight of woman floating in the air. There was also an abandoned tomb, with no incense burning in front of it. The surrounding forest was pitch black, and Naruto was a bit scared. A moment later, he found himself surrounded by countless shadowy forms. Suddenly, a sealing incantation popped into his mind.

He extended his palm, and everything around him vanished.

Starting then, he was very curious about this dark, mysterious forest. He continued to travel about in it, sleeping in thickets when necessary. He saw many, many strange things, including a variety of fantastic fierce and wild beasts.

It took three years to travel through the forest. When he emerged, he looked back, and an absentminded look covered his face. He had the feeling that if he wished, he could stay and become a part of the forest.

In a place like this, a person could become one with Heaven and Earth, and transcend the mortal life.

As Naruto gazed at the forest, he thought back to Master's words from twenty-one years ago. There are many paths in life, as to which path he would choose… that was his decision to make.

"This place is not the path I wish to tread." Lost in thought, Naruto turned and walked off into the distance.

Two years later, Naruto was thirty-five years old. It had been nine years since he left home. However, during that entire time, he had only lived in two places, the river and the forest.

This year, he ran into a gang of bandits.

Bandits are generally killers, but they didn't kill Naruto. Perhaps it was because of his worn scholar's robe, or the scholar's pack that he wore on his back. He certainly looked down on his fortune. The bandit leader was a beautiful, seductive woman. She asked him a single question.

"Can you keep financial records?"

Naruto shook his head. However, they took him anyway. They led him to their mountain fort, which was really a stockaded village where more than a thousand people lived. Most of them were the family members of the bandits, including quite a few children.

It was arranged for Naruto to become a teacher, which mostly involved instructing the children how to read. He didn't have to teach anything very complicated. They just needed to be able to read bank notes and understand basic messages, things that any good bandit should be able to do.

This was a requirement laid upon all the bandits by the beautiful bandit Chieftess.

Time trickled by. Naruto adapted himself, and quickly felt at home. He taught reading, and looked up at the sky. It was almost like life in Eastern Emergence County. Sometimes he thought of Master, or of his father, and how he hadn't gone back to sweep his grave for a very long time.

People died every month in the mountain fort. During a three year period, the camp moved locations twice. In the fourth year, the army came. The mountain fort faced overwhelming numbers; at a critical moment of life and death, Naruto unhesitatingly proposed using poison.

At the moment, a north wind was blowing, and the army was located to the south.

Naruto wasn't sure why exactly he had thought of using poison. It was just that, in the past few years, he seemed to have an abundance of knowledge in his head. The poison… was of course concocted by Naruto.

As the poison powder drifted south with the wind, Naruto closed his eyes. A long time later, he heard shouts of rejoicing. It had been a massacre. The mountain village had won.

Naruto was thirty-nine years old. That night, during the third watch, something like burning fire burrowed under the covers with him. It was the bandit Chieftess. During the day she was a conservative woman, but right now she was like a beautiful spirit.

Overnight, Naruto's life changed. He was no longer a teacher, but instead, a so-called military adviser. He had never experienced such a life before. It was fresh and exciting. Soon he was forty years old. He was past the prime of life when the blood boiled. And yet all of this was… addicting.

Killing. Plundering. For three years, no blood physically stained Naruto's hands. However, with his assistance, the number of lives taken by the bandits increased by tenfold.

That winter, Naruto finally got fed up with it all. He had not chosen this life, and he wanted to leave. But by now, the mountain fort had grown very large. When he brought up leaving, the beautiful Chieftess refused to allow it.

But Naruto… persisted, and left the mountain fort anyway. Therefore, they tried to chase him down and kill him.

They chased him for a year before finally giving up. In the end, Naruto wasn't killed. Exhausted, he turned, and there, one hundred or so paces behind him, was the Chieftess. She sat atop a horse, staring at him, a big black bow in her hand. She was older, but still beautiful, and within her eyes was a torn expression.

The wind blew past the two of them. Naruto shouldered the same scholar's pack he'd taken with him when he left his hometown, turned around, and walked off into the distance.

No arrow was loosed from the bow.

That year, Naruto was forty-three years of age.

Eventually, he caught sight of a Daoist temple located on top of a mountain.

It was autumn, and the leaves rustled as they drifted down onto the green limestone of the temple. The sky was overcast, and occasionally the soft rumbling of thunder could be heard. Rain was coming.

Naruto took up residence in the Daoist temple. He watched the Daoists practice their religious cultivation, observed them live their daily lives, and enjoyed a kind of peace he had never experienced before.

He had the unshakeable feeling that his hands were stained dark with blood that just wouldn't wash off. Perhaps in this place he could discover a way to cleanse it.

Two years later, Naruto was forty-five years old. He let out a soft sigh.

"It turns out there's no way to cleanse it. In that case, I'll just have to live with it." Shaking his head, he bid farewell to the Daoist temple, and strode out once again into the world.

Eventually, he reached the capital city. After he had been living there for a year, a bloody war broke out with a neighbouring nation. Despite his age, Naruto was forcefully conscripted into the military, and became a soldier in the army. The war between the two countries had just started at this point.

Two years into the war, Naruto used some poison that he had concocted to win a battle that shocked both of the countries involved. This sparked his rise to prominence. He was no longer a common soldier, but a Poison Specialist.

Five years into the war, he was a General. He led a special offensive, commanding a force of one hundred thousand soldiers, along with a special unit of one hundred personally trained Poison Specialists.

Eight years into the war, the enemy withdrew from the battlefield and turned to defense. Naruto was more than fifty years old, and his name was famous throughout the entire nation. He led his men into the enemy nation in a campaign to destroy them thoroughly.

By the tenth year of the war, Naruto was fifty-six. It had been thirty years since he left his hometown. The enemy was destroyed. He returned to his home nation, and was welcomed with grand ceremony.

He was now a legend, and as such, was conferred with the title Royal Advisor.

Everything was like a dream, and Naruto wasn't used to it. Perhaps it was because of him or perhaps because of the nation's growing power, but after becoming the Royal Advisor, the nation turned into an aggressor. A new round of wars began.

Year after year passed, and eventually, Naruto was sixty years old. Once again fed up with everything, he left the army and returned to the areas that had been scorched by the flames of war. Pestilence raged there. He was able to save the lives of a few people, after which, he was the Royal Adviser no longer, but a doctor, the Alchemy Doctor.

He continued to travel, pursuing the dream he'd had when he was young, climbing mountains and traveling to distant lands.

However many people he had killed in the past, that was how many he would save.

His travels lasted for twenty years.

Throughout those twenty years, Naruto traveled through countless nations and climbed to the top of who knew how many mountain peaks. He saved many people, and soon, word of "the miraculous hands of the Alchemy Doctor" spread throughout the land.

The year Naruto turned eighty, he looked thoughtfully up into the sky. His weathered face was covered with the evidence of a life full of memories.

"I've traveled many paths in life," he thought to himself, "but as for my choice… just what is it…? I did not choose to be the reflection in the water of the river. Nor did I choose to live the peaceful life of a hermit in the forest. I absolutely did not want to live the romantic life of a bandit couple, nor did I choose to become a Daoist priest…. I've long since given up on being a Poison Specialist or a Royal Advisor, on waging war…. I thought that my final decision would be to become an Alchemy Doctor. But now that I look back… that's not my path either. Just what am I pursuing in this life?" He looked up into the sky, but could not think of any answer to the question. The only thing he found was more frustration, and deep exhaustion.

He missed home. That autumn night, he sat beneath the stars looking up at the sky. Next to his foot was a fallen leaf. He didn't notice as the wind whispered through the forest, picked it up, and returned it back to the tree it had fallen from. At the moment, he was somewhat like that leaf. He had been way from home for almost a full sixty year cycle. Now, he needed to return.

Naruto began to walk. After he had left home, it had taken him fifty four years to reach this point. The return trip only took six.

Eastern Emergence County was still there, flourishing more than ever. Naruto's hair was white when he entered the city. He was just barely able to make out some of the traces of the past.

The bordello was gone. The wall had long since been knocked down, and the location was now home to a large mansion.

The house where he grew up had vanished with the passing of time. In its place was an inn. Naruto stood across from it for a very long time, staring at it. His face was covered not just with the ravages of time, but with a complex expression. Finally, he turned and left.

When he returned to Master's house, the person who opened the door was a stranger. After making some enquiries, Naruto turned his head to look at East Mountain off in the distance.

His father had been buried there more than fifty years ago. Master had been buried there more than twenty years ago.

Naruto sighed. Silently holding a pot of alcohol under his arm, he climbed the mountain. First, he visited his father's grave, which was covered in weeds. "I know this is all an illusion," he said softly, "and that you aren't my real father. However… you let me feel the fatherly love that I've been missing. It was only a simple embrace so that I could sleep…." About thirty years ago, in the Daoist temple, he had come to understand everything. This world was nothing but an illusion, a test to become an apprentice.

The real Naruto was still in the world of the Celestial Land in the Violet Fate Sect, atop Violet East Mountain.

He closed his eyes. A long time passed before he left his father's grave. Finally, he arrived at Master's grave. He looked at it for a while before speaking.

"Becoming an apprentice involves three kowtows," he murmured. "The first is during the time of innocence. The second is in the time of roaming. The third is when gazing at the sunset…. You gave me an entire life to decide whether or not to become your apprentice. Everything in this realm of illusions was created, not by you, but me. You only provided the starting point. Every person in the trial by fire will create their own world.

"In this world, I liberated my heart. I… I experienced everything. In the end, I've come back here. But I still haven't found what it is that I wish to pursue….

"The Dao of alchemy? Obviously not." He lifted the jug of alcohol and took a long drink.

"Eternal life?" he said quietly. "I'm not qualified." Soon, the sun began to sink in the west, and the jug of alcohol was empty. He did not begin the third kowtow. Instead, he turned and headed back toward Eastern Emergence County.

He knew that once he performed the third kowtow, he would leave this world of illusions. But he still had not found his answer. Therefore, he would not leave. He would stay.

From then on, a very old man took up residence in Eastern Emergence County.

Outside of the world of illusions, within the Violet Fate Celestial Land, atop Violet East Mountain, tears seeped out of Sakura's eyes. She opened them, and they were filled with grief, as if being immersed in her world had caused her to forget about reality.

A long time passed, and then a tremor ran through her body. She blinked. Her eyes were filled with confusion at first, but they quickly grew clearer. Her expression was one of melancholy. Eventually, she looked up and saw that there were two others with her here high atop Violet East Mountain.

One was Kazama. The other was Teuchi. Both of them had their eyes closed. One had a face filled with thoughtfulness, the other, confusion. The former was Naruto, the latter was Teuchi.

As for her, she was still about ten paces from the very peak of the mountain. Further behind her were the other two nameless candidates in the trial by fire.

It was at this moment that Teuchi suddenly trembled and began to awaken.

Bitterness arose from deep within Sakura's heart. She thought about everything that had happened within her world of illusions. Then she looked up toward the two trial by fire candidates who were at the peak of the mountain.

One was Kazama, whose presence, she felt, was somewhat of an accident. For some reason, though, she also felt like she had known all along that it would happen like this.

Then there was Teuchi, Chosen of the Dao of alchemy. Were he not there, she would have been surprised.

"I lost…" she said with a sigh, then turned and began to walk down the mountain. This mountain could be ascended, but not descended. One step back signified forfeiture, and departure from the Celestial Land.

As her foot descended, her vision blurred. When everything grew clear again, she was back on the peak of Eastern Emergence mountain. She looked over at the alchemists of the East Pill Division, and then the Cultivators from the visiting Sects. Finally, she understood; these people could not see what had happened inside her world of illusions.

This was because as she turned her head to look at the screens projected by the pill furnace, all she could see was Kazama's thoughtful expression, not the world he was in.

"Welcome back," said Pill Demon with a slight smile.

Sakura suddenly wanted to weep. The realism of the world of illusions had lasted until the moment she returned to reality, and it was still hard to tell one from the other. Wordlessly, she walked over to stand next to Pill Demon.

After Sakura, the old man and the middle-aged man appeared in quick succession, also having admitted defeat. Their eyes were vacant as they walked toward the other alchemists and then sat down cross-legged. They seemed as if their souls had been lost, and all they could do was stare blankly.

Hushed discussions immediately sprang up.

"Just what exactly did they experience in the final test in the world of illusions? Why do they all look so confused?" Even the majority of the master alchemists of the East Pill Division were unclear about the details and began to make various speculations.

Seeing the questioning looks on their disciples' faces, the sub-Patriarchs from the various Sects began to discuss the matter.

"The world of illusions in the Violet Fate Sect's Celestial Land uses the heart as a seed upon which to grow illusions. Under the influence of this art, no one would be able to tell the true from the false, not even someone with a Nascent Soul Cultivation base. You can never come to your senses within the illusion; therefore, it is really another life."

"Yes, exactly. While inside, previous and future lives don't matter, because it's a dreamland. As for telling the difference between reality and the dream, between the past lives and the future… well, few people nowadays could do that."

"Upon waking, the illusions will shatter, and that is when they wake up. That's why they look so confused."

It seemed as if they were simply discussing the matter, however, what they were actually doing was taking advantage of this East Pill Division trial by fire to train their disciples about the difference between reality and illusion.

After all, it wasn't often that a spectacle such as this could be observed; any enlightenment derived therefrom was nothing more than good fortune.

Chino muttered to herself for a moment and then quietly asked, "The illusion shatters the moment they wake up? What happens if someone gains enlightenment, but the illusion doesn't shatter? Would it be possible for them to gain even deeper enlightenment?"

Next to her, Garyo coolly responded, "For the moment, don't even contemplate the value of such enlightenment. If someone becomes clearheaded, and is able to prevent the world of illusion from collapsing, well… that would require incredibly powerful Spiritual Sense. In fact, it would require Dao enlightenment! Therefore, something like that can only happen serendipitously, and not by choice. In my entire life, I've only seen one person do such a thing."

Off to the side, the second Swordlord of the Solitary Sword Sect heard their interchange and added, "Furthermore, doing such a thing is incredibly dangerous. The more time that passes, the more likelihood by the time that person came to their senses, they would be lost, and never be able to emerge."

As everyone engaged in their discussions, a rippling buzz filled the air as people noticed that Teuchi had awoken. They watched the screen as he looked over at Naruto. A dark look washed across his face. However, in the end, he chose to retreat, leaving the world of the Celestial Land and returning to the peak of Eastern Emergence Mountain.

The moment he appeared, calls of welcome could be heard coming from the mouths of the various alchemists he was close to.

"Congratulations in your efforts to secure the win, Furnace Lord Ye. Your rise to Violet Furnace Lord will bring about a true golden age for the East Pill Division!"

"Furnace Lord Ye, as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, your efforts to secure the win are simply a formality. I'm just afraid that the visitors from the outside Sects might still be curious about the details of everything."

"Congratulations Furnace Lord Ye…."

As one person after another spoke out from the crowd, Teuchi's expression was no longer proud. With a slight smile, he clasped hands to the crowd. As for the title of Pill Cauldron, he hesitated, neither endorsing it, nor offering any explanation. This, of course, created a feeling of tacit approval.

While everyone was looking at Teuchi, Furnace Lord Rinji gave a hearty laugh. He stood and looked approvingly toward Teuchi.

"Feimu, why don't you take out your pill furnace so everyone can see that you are qualified to be a Violet Furnace Lord!" Immediately, the eyes of the surrounding alchemists began to glow brightly.

Kotetsu's brow furrowed, but he didn't say anything.

Teuchi took a deep breath, and then once again, a proud expression covered his face. He smacked his bag of holding with his right hand to produce the pill furnace. It was none other than the one he had acquired within the world of the Mother of Furnaces. It had started out white, but was now violet, and emitted a violet glow which caused the glimmers of violet to reflect within the eyes of all the observing Cultivators.

Rinji looked at the violet furnace and immediately let out a loud laugh. He turned toward Pill Demon, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"Congratulations, Master," he said excitedly. "It appears that this Violet Furnace Lord promotion has resulted in you acquiring a new apprentice, and that we have acquired a new Junior Brother. Feimu, why haven't you bowed to your new Master yet?"

A glow of excitement also appeared in Teuchi's eyes. He took a deep breath, and was just about to walk forward, when Kotetsu spoke up. "Junior Brother Ye," he said coolly, "this is somewhat incongruous with protocol."

The interchange between the two immediately caused the expressions of the six other Violet Furnace Lords to flicker. However, they didn't reveal what they were thinking. The expressions of the Furnace Lords, however, all changed; naturally they could pick up on what was happening.

Rinji's goal was all too obvious. That having been said, the Furnace Lords generally didn't favor Kazama, and most of them liked Teuchi. Each and every one of them watched with various thoughts and ideas running through their heads.

As far as the ordinary master alchemists, not many of them understood what was going on. However, they could pick up on some of the clues. They watched on, speechless, waiting to see what would happen. The sub-Patriarchs from the other Sects were all experienced and astute; how could they not see what was going on?

In fact, they had begun to expect this development some time ago. Of course, they were more than happy to watch such a scene unfold.

Fatty watched on wide-eyed. He glared at Teuchi, and had long since begun to curse him inwardly.

Pill Demon was the big exception. From the very beginning, he hadn't said a single word. It was as if he hadn't heard or seen anything that had transpired.

As all eyes came to fall upon the scene, Rinji gave a slight smile. "Oh?" he said, a strange note in his voice. "Elder Brother Kotetsu, Junior Brother doesn't really understand what you mean. Would you mind clearing up my confusion?"

"Teuchi wasn't the only person to step foot onto the peak of the mountain," replied Kotetsu calmly.

Rinji laughed loudly. "Oh, so that's the protocol you were talking about, Elder Brother Kotetsu. Junior Brother would of course never overlook such a matter. However…." He was only half-way finished speaking when suddenly, a booming sound erupted from the screen depicting the world from the Celestial Land.

When the booming sound appeared, it was obvious that it was coming from within the Celestial Land itself. The entire Celestial Land was shaking, and the nexus of it all was none other than Violet East Mountain. Immediately, all of the spectators looked over.

Even Rinji's words were immediately drowned out by the boom.

No one noticed, but Pill Demon's eyes suddenly emitted an unprecedented glow, and a smile slowly spread out across his face. It was a smile of satisfaction, filled with emotion and contentment.

Back in Naruto's world of illusion, he continued to reside in Eastern Emergence County. Three more years passed. Naruto was currently ninety-nine years old, and had once again returned to his Master's grave. He looked at the gravestone, and his face filled with emotion.

"Heaven and Earth are just resting places for the myriads of living creatures. Time represents the passage of hundreds of generations of passing travellers." A smile broke out on Naruto's face. Life is a journey, every turn of which is filled with new scenery. This path that he tread now contained his mark. Whether the mark was shallow or deep didn't matter. That was because, it was his choice.

"Maybe my path hasn't even arrived." He shook his head. Perhaps in the future he would realize what his purpose in life was. For the moment, he still didn't know. Since he didn't know, he wouldn't force himself to choose. When traveling, it is never possible to know what unfathomable things might occur. That is what makes it beautiful.

A carefree smile broke out on Naruto's face. When it did, his white hair became black. His crooked frame straightened. His features were no longer ancient, but once again filled with the vigor of youth.

He took a deep breath, then looked at the gravestone and dropped to his knees to kowtow a third time!

The kowtow of Sunset Gazing!

With this kowtow, Karma was finalized, and the Master and apprentice relationship solidified. If you do not sever the bond, then neither shall I….

With this kowtow, Eastern Emergence County began to turn translucent behind Naruto, and then disappeared.

With this kowtow, the entire world around him began to disintegrate, leaving behind only the grave.

With this kowtow, a roaring sounded out between Heaven and Earth. Everything began to fall apart. Naruto… opened his eyes, and the world vanished. He saw the sky once again, the world of the Celestial Land. And there he stood on the peak of Violet East Mountain.

He looked off into the distance, and then took a step forward. As he did, ripples like that on the surface of water spread out. His body melted away. When he reappeared, he had left the world of the Celestial Land, and was now standing on Eastern Emergence Mountain, outside of the pill furnace.

His appearance garnered much attention, including a dark glare from Teuchi, and a cold smile from Rinji!

Everything was quiet for a moment, and then Rinji's cool voice echoed out.

"Just now I wasn't able to finish speaking. Elder Brother Kotetsu, two people did step onto the peak of the mountain. However, when that happens, the resulting decision is not made by those two people, but rather, by you, me and the other Violet Furnace Lords, as well as all the Furnace Lords. We make the final decision. That is the protocol for the raising of a Violet Furnace Lord. Does this explanation suffice, Elder Brother Kotetsu?" Rinji smiled. Kotetsu, on the other hand, said nothing. He merely flicked his sleeve.

"According to Sect protocol, because two people stepped foot on the peak of the mountain, it requires a decision to be made on our part. Whoever receives the most support will become the Violet Furnace Lord. I am Violet Furnace Lord Rinji. Please, will all Fellow Daoists of the Violet Fate Sect bear witness today? I believe than Teuchi is more qualified than Kazama. As such, I select Teuchi."

"Violet Furnace Lord Gintoki selects Teuchi!"

"Violet Furnace Lord Kagura selects Teuchi!"

"Violet Furnace Lord Shinpachi selects Teuchi!"

"Violet Furnace Lord Gorilla selects Teuchi!"

In an instant, five Violet Furnace Lords had picked Teuchi as their choice. This caused Teuchi's expression to fill with pride and excitement.

Ensui hesitated for a moment. He thought for a moment as he looked at Naruto, not making his decision immediately. The Violet Furnace Lord next to him was a middle-aged woman. her expression was one of indifference, and she didn't speak immediately either.

The disciples from the other Sects watched as all of this happened. The sub-Patriarchs watched with vague smiles, not speaking.

Behind the Violet Furnace Lords were the Furnace Lords, who now began to speak.

"Furnace Lord Ass Hair selects Teuchi!"

"Furnace Lord Your Mom selects Teuchi!"

As the voices rang out, it seemed that the greater part of half of them all selected Teuchi.

Kotetsu's face was extremely unsightly. He was about to open his mouth to say something, when suddenly, Naruto's voice calmly filled the air.

"Violet Furnace Lord Ye, I would like to ask a question," he said. "Could you please explain exactly why I, Kazama, am not as qualified as Furnace Lord Ye?" His expression was as calm as always as he asked the question.

Rinji looked at him, and in a very impolite tone replied, "At the moment, it doesn't matter whether we discuss your skill in the Dao of alchemy, or your reputation, or even your ability to create new medicinal pills. In my judgement, you are less qualified that Teuchi in all of these areas. Even more importantly, Teuchi became famous in the Southern Domain ten years ago. Half a year ago, he concocted a ninety percent consummate medicinal pill. He is destined to become a Violet Furnace Lord. As for you, you lack such qualifications!" His words sounded almost like a reprimand, and in fact, as a Violet Furnace Lord, he was qualified to say such things to a Furnace Lord.

"Qualifications?" replied Naruto, glancing at Rinji for a moment. Then he flung his sleeve out in front of him. A medicinal pill flew out. Then ten. Then one hundred. Then one thousand….

In an instant, more than a thousand medicinal pills flew out. Naruto swirled his sleeve, and they rolled through the air. Each medicinal pill was clearly marked with the symbol of a cauldron. That symbol was exactly like the mark which had been branded into the Bedevilment Pill!

When the pills appeared, the air was filled with an intense medicinal aroma like nothing anyone had ever encountered before. Every single pill in this shocking display contained ninety percent medicinal strength. These were all ninety percent consummate pills!

These were all the highest value pills that Naruto had concocted after the Bedevilment Pill. He had concocted such pills often, in the hopes of finding an opportunity to sell them off one at a time. However today, he put them all on display, to shocking effect!

The medicinal pills floated in mid-air. The cauldron symbol instantly caused the minds of all of the alchemists to spin. Sakura immediately rose to her feet, an expression of disbelief on her face.

The minds of the disciples from the visiting Sects began to reel, even the sub-Patriarchs. Their eyes went wide and they stood up, their faces shining with shock.

The medicinal pills filled the air, and the medicinal aroma was as thick as fog, roiling out and filling the peak of Eastern Emergence Mountain. The grass in the earth struggled upward. Dark clouds filled the sky. Thunder crackled across the entire State of Eastern Emergence.

Even more surprising was that when Naruto tossed out the medicinal pills, they began to mass together in mid-air. Slowly, they formed together into the shape of an enormous cauldron, which gave rise to a resplendent glow that rose up with boundless radiance!

Naruto's cool voice rang out in all directions: "If you add in the fact that I'm Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, then would you say I'm qualified enough?"

Over a thousand medicinal pills swirled together to form a cauldron. Medicinal aroma filled the area. In an instant, everyone began to breathe heavily, shocked by the sight of the giant cauldron. Everything was quiet.

Ensui shot to his feet, staring at Naruto, eyes glowing with unprecedented brightness.

Next to him, Kotetsu, who already knew the true identity of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, couldn't help but be shocked by the sight of the cauldron formed from ninety percent consummate pills.

The other Violet Furnace Lords were gobsmacked. This many ninety percent consummate pills, all of them marked with a cauldron symbol, clearly indicated Naruto's identity. As of now, no one would be stupid enough to deny that he was Pill Cauldron.

If he wasn't Pill Cauldron, how could he possibly have so many ninety percent consummate pills?

If he wasn't Pill Cauldron, then how could he have shockingly created something out of nothing within the third region?

Thinking of everything that had happened, and then being faced with the pill cauldron floating in mid-air, everyone could clearly see that the famous Grandmaster Pill Cauldron was none other than Kazama.

Rinji's face was pale white as he staggered back a few paces, panting. His eyes overflowed with disbelief. He knew that Teuchi wasn't Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, but no matter how he'd thought things through, he'd never anticipated that Kazama could possibly be the owner of that mysterious identity. In fact, he had harbored other speculations regarding the identity of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, and was dogged in his conclusions. But now, everything had been turned around. Rinji's mind spun!

The name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron resounded throughout the entire Southern Domain, to such an extent that he was included among the other three Grandmasters. In fact, many people believed that Grandmaster Pill Cauldron really was the fourth Grandmaster of the Southern Domain.

Such an identity, such knowledge, were like a shocking, resounding slap across Rinji's face, stinging, burning, causing his mind to buzz.

He thought about what he had just said, and the question Kazama had asked him regarding qualifications. Now, the words he had said… made his face burn even hotter. He was so ashamed he felt like finding a hole to crawl into.

If Grandmaster Pill Cauldron wasn't qualified to be a Violet Furnace Lord, then who in the world was? Were the current eight Violet Furnace Lords even qualified…?

Teuchi's body shook, and his face was devoid of any trace of blood. He looked as gray as death as he stared mutely at Naruto and the giant pill cauldron floating in the air. His mind was blank, as if he had completely lost the ability to even think.

He had known all along that he wasn't the mysterious Pill Cauldron. As more and more people speculated that he was, he had always felt as if he should tell the truth, but instead maintained his silence.

He needed that identity to help propel him into being a Violet Furnace Lord. Therefore, when Sakura came asking about it, he said nothing, and thus, gave implicit approval.

In truth, he held deep admiration in his heart for Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. As such, he had always felt twisted inside about the matter.

Now, he was stunned to learn that Kazama was the mysterious Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, which made his mind go completely blank.

Sakura trembled and her mind spun. This development was just simply impossible for her to accept. Her mental image of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, and Kazama's appearance, had never once overlapped in her mind. In fact, she had believed Teuchi to be Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

But now, facing the pill cauldron of medicinal pills, seeing Naruto's tranquility and calmness, and hearing his words echo in her ears, her face filled with blankness and disbelief.

She couldn't understand how the Kazama who had irritated her from the first day she saw him years ago, was actually Pill Cauldron, who she secretly esteemed so much. There was no way for Sakura to accept this; she could only stare awkwardly.

Now, the expressions of all of the Furnace Lords who had supported Teuchi changed, filling with disbelief. Grandmaster Pill Cauldron was much more important than their ordinary relationship with Teuchi.

Supporting Teuchi was nothing like supporting Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. In the hearts of the master alchemists of the East Pill Division, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron occupied a revered place similar to that of Pill Demon.

Therefore, though they had supported Teuchi, things had now changed in an instant. Now that Kazama's identity was revealed, his words echoed in the air like a shocking clap of thunder, resonating into the minds of the Furnace Lords to the point of detonation.

All of the Furnace Lords stared mutely, breathing heavily, their faces filled with acute astonishment.

No one spoke, but their minds all buzzed with similar thoughts.

"So Furnace Lord Kazama is the real Grandmaster Pill Cauldron…."

"So many ninety percent consummate pills. Only Grandmaster Pill Cauldron could concoct so many. Kazama… really is Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!"

In addition to the members of the East Pill Division, the Cultivators from the outside Sects all had expressions of incredulity on their faces.

Patriarch Violet Sieve from the Black Sieve Sect stared in shock. Suddenly, he thought back to when Kazama had concocted pills for them back in the Sect, and then he realized why they had been so effective. Kazama was no ordinary Furnace Lord, he was… Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!

Ino's narrow mouth was opened wide, as if she couldn't breathe. She stared dully at Naruto; Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's reputation was just too great. It resounded like thunder in her ears! And now it turned out that all along, Kazama was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!

Fatty was panting, and his expression was one of intense admiration.

As for Guy, Kabuto and Chino, as well as all the other disciples from the visiting Sects, they simply stared, their minds shaking because of the revelation of Kazama's identity.

Even the sub-Patriarchs were staring thoughtfully, their eyes shining with strange expressions. They could very well imagine how after this day, the name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron would thoroughly fill the entire Southern Domain.

When that happened, Kazama… might not be like the sun in the sky above the Southern Domain, but he would certainly be nearly as illustrious!

"Violet Furnace Lord Ye," said Naruto coolly, staring the pale-faced Rinji straight in the eye, "is my status high enough?"

Rinji wanted to say something, but considering that Kazama was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, all the words became stuck in his throat. How could he have the face to say anything?

"I support Furnace Lord Kazama!" Kotetsu said suddenly. Next to him, Ensui did not hesitate for a moment. He immediately repeated Kotetsu's words. After that was the middle-aged woman. Next, all of the Violet Furnace Lords who had supported Teuchi sighed in their hearts, and then voiced their support for Kazama.

After that, were the Furnace Lords. Roughly ninety percent of the nearly one hundred Furnace Lords all echoed words of support.

"I support Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!"

"I support Furnace Lord Kazama!"

Their voices echoed out, layer upon layer, transforming into a cacophony that filled the air.

Teuchi smiled sadly as he looked at Naruto. The sense of loss within his heart had reached the ultimate level. In order to fulfill his desire to become a Violet Furnace Lord, he had neglected his cultivation, and had spent all of his time stubbornly pursuing the Dao of alchemy.

He had always believed that with enough persistence, his skill in the Dao of alchemy would assure his place as a Violet Furnace Lord. Rinji had given him this affirmation; even some of the other Violet Furnace Lords had approved.

"Why… why did he have to show up…? Why does the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division have to have Teuchi AND Kazama…?" With a bitter laugh, he staggered backward and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

It wasn't that he was unconvinced; the instant he learned that Kazama was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, he knew it all to be correct. He couldn't blame others for supporting Kazama. He could only laugh, and bitterly at that.

He proudly told himself that if it wasn't for his opponent's strength, and the fact that he was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, then Teuchi, who was at the peak of the East Pill Division Furnace Lords, would be second to none. He would definitely have succeeded, and taken first place in the Violet Furnace Lord promotion trial by fire.

Now, however, he was defeated. He could even imagine the scorn with which people would look at him later in the Sect. It would not be scorn regarding his Dao of alchemy, but scorn because of his tacit implication that he was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

Therefore, he could only laugh bitterly, utterly disheartened.

Blood seeped out of the corners of his mouth. "My Dao of alchemy, can't be defeated…. One loss, I can accept, or even two, but repeated failure… will destroy my Dao of alchemy. No. What has been defeated is not my Dao of Alchemy, but myself!" He wiped the blood from his mouth, and his eyes once again shone with determination. "My Dao of alchemy will never be defeated. It is unprecedented, one of a kind, original in Heaven and Earth! This is my great Dao of alchemy!" His breathing was ragged as he looked over at Naruto.

Sakura said nothing. She gradually suppressed the trembling of her mind as she stared at Naruto. An unparalleled bitterness rose up in her heart. She had long since been defeated. She realized that from the moment she had stepped into the world of the Celestial Land… she had lost.

If Kazama had not been there, nor Teuchi, then she definitely would have become a Violet Furnace Lord. She still wanted to prove herself, but as of now, there was no chance.

In the Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire, only one alchemist could become a Violet Furnace Lord.

Miss this one opportunity, and no matter what stunning achievements you made later, you could only live with regret. There would never be a second chance at the trial by fire.

"Just like my Dao of alchemy, which seeks to find that missing spark of life. Today, that spark of life has completely vanished, and there is no way to find it again. Just like my Dao of alchemy…." Within her bitterness, blood seeped out of the corners of her mouth. The pain she felt inside was because of the Dao of alchemy.

Everyone was silent. Rinji looked agonized, incapable of saying anything further. He felt stabbing pains in his heart, and he could only think that Teuchi's path was now over. His future was nothing more than a grave.

The surrounding Cultivators observed the scene with various thoughts in mind. They all had their own concept regarding the path of the Dao of alchemy; this was because everyone had a different concept of what stubborness meant. Everyone had their own path.

It was not easy to compare such things. After all, what was defeated was not just an individual, but a Dao of alchemy. Because endurance became impossible, collapse was inevitable.

As silence filled the area, a light sigh could suddenly be heard, seemingly from very far away. Grandmaster Pill demon slowly rose to his feet. His gaze swept over the alchemists. Everyone whose gaze he met slowly lowered their heads, their faces filled with respect.

Eventually, his eyes came to rest on Teuchi.

"The Dao of alchemy is invincible," he said. "Even more invincible, is the determination to cultivate the Dao of alchemy. If that determination exists, then even after ten thousand defeats, your Dao of alchemy will always be there. You have done well. Ever since you joined the Sect, you have consistently pursued your own path.

"Your path is winding, and full of thorns and thistles, making it slow to traverse. Only with never-ending determination can you have the courage to face defeat, and yet proceed onward to reach your goal. Walk such a path, and your path will be invincible. Fear not defeat. Fear giving up!"

Teuchi's body trembled as he stared blankly at Pill Demon. Silently, he clasped hands and bowed deeply. "Many thanks for your enlightenment, Patriarch."

"You may be a Violet Furnace Lord," said Pill Demon coolly. "From this day forth, you are my novitiate."

Teuchi trembled, and his face filled with excitement. This was his dream, finally becoming a reality. The path had been winding, but to become a Violet Furnace Lord had been the most important pursuit in his life for many years.

The minds of the surrounding alchemists of the East Pill Division were reeling as they watched. None of them knew what to say as Pill Demon's gaze next fell upon Sakura.

"You have searched for a Dao of alchemy that embraces life, life like that which we live. You wish to find that spark of life which doesn't exist. It is exceedingly hard to reach the peak of such a Dao of alchemy. It is not a winding path, but a very difficult one.

"In fact, sometimes, there is no spark of life. When that happens, what will you do? The path of your Dao of alchemy lies not in pill concoction, but in refinement of the heart. You have always been my apprentice. But unlike the others, you are my Personal Apprentice. You… also may become a Violet Furnace Lord." As Pill Demon's voice sounded out, tears began to stream down Sakura's face. She immediately bowed low to Pill Demon.

Each and every one of the alchemists of the East Pill Division was speechless. Only the Violet Furnace Lords seemed to want to speak up, but held their tongues.

Ensui hesitated a moment. He was the most senior of the Violet Furnace Lords. Bracing himself, he opened his mouth. "Master, according to the custom of the trial by fire for promotion to Violet Furnace Lord, only one person can be selected…."

"Ever since Eternal Mountain left, you have made no progress in your Dao of Alchemy. You haven't moved at all since that year. Do you know why?" Pill Demon calmly looked over at Ensui. "I haven't told you all these years, because I wanted you to realize it for yourself. But you still don't understand. Is custom… really that important?"

Feeling a bit awkward, Ensui forced a smile onto his face and said, "But… the custom was begun by you, Master."

"Since I began the custom, then naturally I can change it. Let it be so!" He flicked his sleeve, paying no further attention to Ensui and turning to look at Naruto.

Ensui heaved a sigh of relief in his heart and immediately stepped backward. Actually, he only spoke because there were outsiders present to observe the ceremonies. Being the most senior of the Violet Furnace Lords, he was required to say at least something, even if it was in a roundabout way.

Pill Demon looked at Naruto. "Using the body as the pill furnace, and the heart as the pill formula. Refining the sun and the moon, refining the ancientness of the stars. Such a Dao of alchemy…." He paused for a moment. "Master looks forward to finding out where your future path will lead." A smile broke out on his face.

As he spoke, the onlookers could tell that there was something different about his words. This was because, Pill Demon was calling himself Master!

"Violet Furnace Lords become my novitiates, and thus only need to kowtow one time. Since you are Pill Cauldron you can become my Personal Apprentice with two kowtows.

"However… I already accepted a hefty apprentice's fee from you, so from today on, I will have a second Legacy Apprentice. Now, kowtow before me three times!" As he smiled at Naruto, the kindness in his eyes overlapped with those of the Master from Naruto's world of illusion.

Naruto had a strange expression on his face. The words "apprentice's fee" suddenly made him recall his 200,000,000 Spirit Stones….

Before he could say anything, though, Pill Demon raised his right hand and flicked his sleeve. Immediately, ripples appeared in the air, surrounding Naruto and then disappearing into his body.

"Hailong," said Pill Demon. "Please assist Master in receiving all the friends from the other Sects. Announce to all the Southern Domain that I have accepted Kazama as my Legacy Apprentice!"

As his words filled the air, everyone stood up and clasped hands toward the Heavens. Ensui trembled inwardly when he heard the words, and his vision came to rest on Naruto. The other Violet Furnace Lords were the same. They all knew what a Legacy Apprentice was.

Envy shone in Ino's eyes. She knew that from this day forward, Kazama would be different than anyone else in the Southern Domain.

Fatty sighed inwardly, reminding himself how the oldest brother was the most awesome. This time, he had worked his way into being Pill Demon's Legacy Apprentice.

When it comes to apprentices, there are three levels, novitiate, Personal Apprentice and Legacy Apprentice.

Novitiates only receive simple advice, although they are permitted to ask questions. Personal Apprentices follow the Master by his side. They receive instruction verbally and by example. Personal skills are passed down, including some secret techniques.

Legacy Apprentices are the most important of all. They receive a lifetime of knowledge; they are the hope for the future, the hope to pass on everything. Nothing will be held back from such an apprentice. Such an apprentice is even more important than a son!

In the deepest corner of the Violet Fate Sect, within the East Pill Division, is a squat mountain. The mountains which surround it are much higher than it; however, this mountain seemed to be embodied with a profound air of dignity, as if it were the most senior of all the mountains.

This mountain was actually the pinnacle of all the mountains of the East Pill Division!

Located on this peak of mountains was a building, which Pill Demon led Naruto to. The instant Naruto saw it, he gaped. The building looked exactly like his Master's house from the world of illusion.

Pill Demon pushed the doorway open and walked inside, back facing Naruto. As he walked, he explained, "You experienced the kowtow of Innocence. You walked the kowtow of Roaming. In the end, you chose to perform the kowtow of Sunset Gazing. With these three kowtows, you took me as your Master."

Naruto followed, watching the old man's back as he walked along. Suddenly, he realized that this man didn't seem like a stranger at all. The life he had lived in the world of illusions was overlapping with reality. Naruto suddenly clasped hands and bowed deeply toward Pill Demon.

"Apprentice greets Master," he said.

"In the Celestial Land, Master told you that you would only need to perform two kowtows. The first kowtow was broken up into three parts. Master has sown Karma, and because you did not break it, neither shall I! As for the second kowtow, I didn't explain it back then.

"Now the time has come for you to understand. The second kowtow will come if the day ever arrives in which I return to the dust. Then you must kowtow to break our Karma, so that our fates are no longer intertwined. I will give you a lifetime of favor as your Master; all you must give me, is the ability to smile before I die. That smile will be because I know that my legacy from this life will be passed on.

"If in the course of being my apprentice you choose the same path as my first Legacy Apprentice, Shiranami, and leave me, then there will be no need for the second kowtow.

"Your feet belong to you, and the path lays beneath your feet. The choice will be yours to make in the future." Pill Demon suddenly turned to look at Naruto.

"However," he continued slowly, "if I were to tell you that I am unable to dispel the poison of the Resurrection Lily, would you still be willing to take me as your Master?"

Naruto looked at his Master silently for a moment. Then, he quietly said, "At first, I came because I wanted to get rid of the poison. After I joined the Sect, I stayed because of the Dao of alchemy!"

Pill Demon gazed at Naruto for a long moment. Finally, a look of contentment appeared on his face, and he smiled.

Slowly, he said, "From your first day in the Sect, Master felt the aura of the Resurrection Lily. Later, when I saw you, I understood the situation. There are three ways that you can dispel the poison. One is for it to merge with you, after which, you will no longer be you. The second is for you to devour it, then it won't be it!

"As for the third… it is to use your own Dao of alchemy to dispel the poison yourself. Karma exists within Heaven and Earth. The Resurrection Lily in your body is the cause of the Karma. Other than you, no one else can dispel it. The reason is because no one else is you. The fact that no one else can dispel the poison but you, is the result of the Karma.

"On this path, the first is the passive, the second is the active, and the third is the most active method, that of using your Dao of alchemy. I presume you understand the meaning of my words."

Naruto was silent. The poison had been within him since the Five Elements Nation, pestering him all the way until now. He had been unable to dispel it for that entire time. When he first joined the Violet Fate Sect, he'd had no understanding of the Dao of alchemy. However, thanks to his constant cultivation, he had gained more enlightenment regarding the poison, as well as some bit of hope. Hearing Master's words now, though, caused him to sigh in his heart.

"This poison is nothing," said Pill Demon. "With your skill in the Dao of alchemy, you'll be able to dispel it sooner or later. Master can see that the Resurrection Lily has somehow been suppressed. Strange. Right now it's as if it's asleep. However, the power of suppression seems to be gradually weakening…."

Naruto's eyes glittered. Calmly, he said, "Master, if I must dispel the poison myself, then, can I ask, in your experience, have you ever known someone else to successfully do so in the past?"

"One person," replied Pill Demon. "He lived by the Milky Way Sea, and his name was Reverend Silverlamp. His Cultivation base was unfathomable. He came to me seven hundred years ago, looking for a method to dispel his poison. I said the same thing to him that I told you. Three hundred years later he returned to me to repay my kindness. He had successfully dispelled the poison."

Naruto was thoughtful for a moment, then gave a slight smile. "If that person could dispel the poison, then I will definitely be able to use my Dao of alchemy to do the same."

His voice low, expression somber, Pill Demon continued, "If Master forcefully assisted you in dispelling the poison, it would harm the cycle of Karma. That would not benefit you at all. However, under my tutelage, your Dao of alchemy will eventually reach the point where you can dispel it yourself! The poison of the Resurrection Lily gave you the power of nature talent. If in the future you dispel the poison, then you will be able to assimilate its full power. In that case, you can turn one of the most ultimate poisons under Heaven, into a rarely seen treasure!

"Such a treasure will enable you to open up your path to the Heavens. Having this poison within you might seem like a disaster, but one aspect of the disaster is unprecedented good fortune!" He suddenly changed the subject. "After the three kowtows, you became my Legacy Apprentice. Therefore, Master has three gifts for you." He raised his arm and flicked his wide sleeve. Immediately, everything around them swirled into a riot of colors.

"The first gift is a batch of Outlander Pills. The name comes from the expression 'a night of outlandish tales.' A pill such as this has never before appeared in the Southern Domain. I created it during alchemic enlightenment three years ago.

"This batch contains three pills in total. Consuming one pill will cause the Resurrection Lily to slumber for one hundred years, will increase your longevity by one hundred years, and will allow you to make progress in your Cultivation base; if you face any sort of blockage, it can help you to break through. These three pills will help you, my apprentice, to reach the Nascent Soul stage with no problems!

"In total, it will also give you three hundred years of extra time to dispel your poison. If you have not succeeded after three hundred years, then I will concoct another batch of pills for you, and will continue to do so until the day you dispel the poison."

The words entered Naruto's ears and sank all the way to his heart. He looked at his Master, and could feel the sincerity in his words, as well as a kindness and love.

Three years ago, Grandmaster Pill Demon had concocted pills during alchemic enlightenment, just for him. Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Many thanks, Master!"

"Master's second gift for you is a legacy technique of the East Pill Division. The name is Spirit Summoning Incantation. It can be used to refine a pill up to six times, although, with sufficient latent talent and Cultivation base, the limit of six can be broken! Again, this is a legacy technique of the East Pill Division. To date, I have only ever passed it on to two people. You, and your former Elder Brother Shiranami." With that, Pill Demon reached up and pushed down onto Naruto's forehead.

Instantly, Naruto's body trembled, and an icy coldness swept through him. A long passage of text appeared in his mind; it seemed abstruse and profound, but after scanning over it, Naruto seemed to have gained complete enlightenment.

"This is a legacy technique which may not be passed on to anyone other than a Legacy Apprentice. There is no complicated process to understand how to employ it; as long as you master the fundamentals, you can use it. Later, you must pass it on to another, and so it will go from generation to generation." A profound look gleamed in Pill Demon's eyes.

"The last of my three gifts is a precious treasured item of the East Pill Division. The East Pill Everburning Flame!" He flicked his right sleeve again, and the mountainside split open. A rumbling sound filled the air as a massive fissure appeared.

Within was a flight of steps that seemed to descend down into the depths of the earth. Pill Demon and Naruto, Master and apprentice, walked downward. They walked for a very, very long time.

Eventually, they were deep down in the earth beneath the Violet Fate Sect. Naruto's mind trembled as he looked ahead. In front of him was an enormous limestone cavern.

Within the cavern were three enormous, half-burned black joss sticks. Strands of black smoke emanated up from them to swirl and float about. In addition to the smoke floating around the cavern, greenish flames also burned everywhere.

Above the three joss sticks floated a black pill furnace, approximately three meters tall. It seemed as if it were being supported by the smoke and fueled by the flames.

Pill Demon looked at the pill furnace, and his eyes shone as if he were recalling some memory. It was a complicated expression which lasted for only a moment before he sighed lightly.

"This incense is not of this world. The smoke never disperses and the incense never ceases burning; this is the East Pill Division's Everburning Flame! It has been burning for more than twenty thousand years…. It is a legacy which cannot be extinguished. Instill it into your heart, and it can become an alchemic flame!

"After you reach Core Formation, fuse this flame into your Violet Core, and it will ignite. Thereafter, whenever you concoct medicinal pills, you will not need to use Earthly fire. This is your personal alchemic fire, with which you can refine all objects in Heaven and Earth. In the entire East Pill Division, only you and I are qualified to use this legacy fire.

"The Everburning flame is always here, as am I." This last line was uttered by Pill Demon in a murmur, making it difficult for Naruto to hear clearly. As he spoke, Pill Demon was staring at the joss sticks, the smoke and the flame, and it seemed as if he wasn't even speaking to Naruto.

After a moment, he looked toward Naruto. "You will stay here in secluded meditation. When you have assimilated the will of the fire into your heart, then you may emerge." With that, he turned and slowly strode up the stairs, eventually disappearing.

Naruto thought about everything for a long time, then sat down cross-legged. He looked down at the pill bottle in his hand. Inside were the Outlander Pills Master had concocted for him. Naruto could hardly imagine how precious the pills were.

He put the pill bottle into his bag of holding, and then closed his eyes. Within his mind floated the Spirit Summoning Incantation. Within were techniques to refine a pill three, four even six times. By using this technique on an ordinary pill, it was possible to transform it into a consummate pill.

The power of such a technique caused Naruto's mind to shake. This was a divine ability of the Dao of alchemy, congruous in cultivation terms to the Sublime Spirit Scripture!

You could say that with this pill concocting technique, Naruto truly was a sort of Grandmaster in the field of pill concoction. Skill in this technique was not something that anyone could cultivate. Starting with the fourth refinement, any flame other than the East Pill Division's Everburning Flame would not be sufficient to employ the technique.

In the entire East Pill Division, only Pill Demon and Naruto could use the Everburning Flame and employ the fourth refinement. Only they were qualified.

Naruto took a deep breath as he opened his eyes. Now he understood why Master had instructed him to stay here and gather the East Pill Everburning Flame into the depths of his heart.

"This is a complete legacy," he thought, looking at the joss sticks, the smoke, and the greenish inextinguishable flames. "The flame and the technique complement each other. Without one or the other, it would be impossible to reach the pinnacle…."

Time passed by. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. During those three months, Naruto never left the limestone cavern. However, the promotion of three Violet Furnace Lords had caused a shocking commotion throughout the Southern Domain.

Many people were saying that, of the past ten Violet Furnace Lord promotions, this was the most incredible by far!

Thanks to word being spread by other Sects, Sakura's Dao of alchemy, as well as her skill in pill concocting, became the talk of the Southern Domain. It was said that she fully deserved to become a Violet Furnace Lord.

Her name spread throughout the great Sects, as did the expression 'Violet Furnace Lord Sakura.'

Above her, and causing even more of a stir, was of course Teuchi. He was stunning to the extreme, as was the potency and invincibility of his Dao of alchemy. He concocted one pill to create ten thousand stairs up the mountain. The stories spread until everyone in the Southern Domain had heard of him.

Considering he had already garnered impressive fame in the past, now that he had become a Violet Furnace Lord, his name was thoroughly prominent. In fact, he could be considered a pillar of the Violet Fate Sect.

Most shocking of all, was none other than Kazama!

He was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, Legacy Apprentice of Grandmaster Pill Demon. He had risen to prominence in the western region of the Southern Domain, where he had slain a Black Lands Core Formation Cultivator. All of this caused Kazama to instantly become the most talked about person in all of the Southern Domain.

More and more people viewed him as the fourth Grandmaster of the Southern Domain.

Word spread of how, atop the peak of Eastern Emergence Mountain he had formed the enormous pill cauldron of a thousand medicinal pills. When people heard the story, their blood boiled, causing even more people to talk about how he was the fourth Grandmaster.

In the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division, the honorable Kazama was second only to Grandmaster Pill Demon. All of the Cultivators in the East Pill Division recognized this.

Many people took Naruto to be the Dao Child of the East Pill Division, equal even to the Dao Child of the Sect itself, or perhaps even a bit higher in reputation.

It was at this time that a great change occurred to the corpse which had fallen from the sky to land in the Southern Domain all those years ago. Magical symbols appeared on its skin, then floated out into the air, creating refracted reflections of themselves. There were some who recognized what this text was. It was one of the three classic scriptures… the Dao Divinity Scripture!

The Sublime Spirit Scripture, the Dao Divinity Scripture and the Heaven Severing Scripture. Three classic scriptures, each one capable of arousing terrifying waves of peril. Even people from the Western Desert and the Eastern Lands employed various shocking methods and powers to teleport to the Southern Domain because of it.

Furthermore, upon the appearance of the scripture, the force preventing people from nearing the corpse suddenly vanished. The corpse, which was as large as a mountain, was now approachable.

The Solitary Sword Sect paid quite a price to acquire a hair from the corpse's head. According to the rumors, they refined the hair into a precious treasure which could shock Heaven and Earth!

Grandmaster Eternal Mountain from the Golden Frost Sect employed all the power of the Sect to acquire a blood sample from the corpse. Supposedly, the pill he concocted with it was almost a Celestial Pill!

As word spread of the various events, the Southern Domain was thrown into a thorough commotion. More and more Sects and Clans dispatched forces to the Immortal's Corpse.

At the same time, an increasing volume of shrill calls could be heard from within the Rebirth Cave. Soon, they turned into sustained roars. Furthermore, a black wind emerged from within the cave to sweep around the area surrounding the corpse.

Throughout the years, countless Cultivators who were nearing death had entered the Rebirth Cave, hoping to be reborn. As to whether those people were alive or dead, no one was sure. But based on the resulting legends and stories, the Rebirth Cave had slowly come to be just like the Ancient Temple of Doom; one of the three Danger Zones!

After more than ten years had passed during which the corpse was under investigation, the bizarre life force within the cave was finally on the move, and revealing its avaricious will.

Figurative storm clouds roiled over the Southern Domain.

As more news spread about the Immortal's corpse, the Violet Fate Sect gradually began to pay closer attention to the matter. The first to be dispatched were some Chosen from the Violet Chakra Division, along with a Sect Elder. It was at around the same time that other of the great Sects and Clans also sent their forces there.

At the same time, more and more Southern Domain Cultivators gathered in the region of the Rebirth Cave, hoping to eke out some good fortune there.

The momentous events in the Southern Domain went so far as to attract the attention of the Western Desert. Actually, years ago, when the corpse had just fallen from the sky, Western Desert Cultivators had arrived to investigate. Because of the new rumors spreading about the corpse, large amounts of Western Desert Cultivators once again appeared.

Even the Eastern Lands viewed the developments with importance and sent Cultivators.

Eventually, the Cultivators gathering around the Rebirth Cave and the Immortal's corpse found out something very bizarre. The Cultivation base of any Nascent Soul Cultivator who approached the corpse would be severely suppressed. If they continued to push forward, it would eventually be pushed down to the Core Formation stage.

Core Formation Cultivators, on the other hand, experienced no hindrances whatsoever.

Even more bizarre was that any Cultivator who touched the corpse, which resembled something like a small mountain, would immediately disappear, teleported away. Most would be teleported back into the area a short while later.

When recounting their experience, everyone described things differently.

One person saw a river, another saw buildings, palaces and temples. One caught sight of precious treasures, but was unable to acquire them. Another described seeing Celestial Pills, and one person, pill formulas carved onto stone walls. Even more far-fetched was someone who claimed to have seen a battlefield, deep in the middle of which was a coffin!

There were all sorts of descriptions, none exactly alike.

All of this made the Immortal's corpse even more fantastic, and caused it to attract even more people to come investigate.

In a period of a few months, the Violet Fate Sect had already dispatched five groups of people. Starting with the fourth group, it wasn't just the Violet Chakra Division who went, but also alchemists from the East Pill Division.

This was because the Cultivator who had seen pill formulas was none other than a Violet Chakra Division disciple. After returning and telling his tale, it only took a few days for the East Pill Division to include alchemists with the fourth group dispatched.

The leaders of this particular group was none other than Teuchi, Kotetsu and Rinji.

Three Violet Furnace Lords emerged simultaneously, along with experts from the Violet Chakra Division. This was the fourth wave sent to enter the region of the Immortal's corpse.

A month passed, and more bizarre events occurred. The various Sects and Clans continued to dispatch more people, now, even eccentrics of the Patriarch level appeared.

It was at this time that the Violet Fate Sect began organizing the fifth group of people to travel to the Rebirth Cave.

By this time, Naruto had been in secluded meditation for half a year. It was three days after the fifth group left, led by Sakura and Ensui, that he finally emerged.

When he walked out from the subterranean cavern, his body was somewhat weak. However, his eyes were filled with profundity much deeper than before. There was no evidence on him that he possessed the Everburning Flame. However, if you looked deep into his eyes, you couldn't help but think that there was some massive conflagration deep therein.

Naruto had already melded the East Pill Everburning Flame into his mind and heart. Once he broke through from Foundation Establishment and formed a Violet Core, then he could transform it, and cause the Everburning Flame to ignite, and never be extinguished!

After emerging from meditation, Naruto could immediately sense the storm winds which flitted about the Sect. After some inquiries, he learned about the phenomena regarding the Immortal's corpse which had begun half a year previous.

Naruto actually knew much more about the Immortal's corpse than most others. On more than one occasion, he had gotten the feeling that the corpse had fallen into the world… because it was searching for him.

This speculation caused him to hesitate, and hold back from nearing the thing.

Hearing the various stories regarding the corpse caused Naruto to think about the matter quietly for a while. Then, he went to pay a formal visit to his Master. Afterward, he decided to once again go into secluded meditation, this time, to concoct a Three Mortalities Pill and break through to Core Formation.

At the moment, Naruto was thoroughly within the great circle of Foundation Establishment. The only road for him now was the one leading to becoming a Core Formation Expert.

After that, he could cultivate Core Chakra, and then he could truly rise to prominence. Then, even Core Formation Cultivators would have to be careful around him. Many new paths would open up.

You could say becoming a Core Formation expert is truly becoming a Cultivator!

The breathing exercises that Cultivators practice are actually a way of preparing for the path of Core Formation, and counts as just the beginning. During Foundation Establishment, a foundation is laid; the more solid it is, the more powerful the result will be in Core Formation. In fact, Core Formation… is the first true explosive power upon the path of cultivation.

Core Formation Cultivators can use Core Chakra to make magical techniques reach the pinnacle of power. Beyond that pinnacle, such techniques become divine abilities. Divine abilities are techniques that really only Nascent Soul Cultivators can master.

"Charge through to Core Formation!" thought Naruto. His eyes gleamed with stubborness as he sat cross-legged in his Immortal's Cave. He waved his right sleeve, and a black pill furnace materialized. As soon as it did, the face of a youth appeared on its surface. It stared hatefully at Naruto, its eyes filled with venomous hatred as it screamed a noiseless scream.

It was still filled with rage because Naruto had taken it out from the world of the Mother of Furnaces.

Naruto eyed the materialized youth on the surface of the black pill furnace. Then, he snorted coldly. The spirit of the pill furnace was unable to tell the difference between good and bad. Whenever Naruto used it to concoct pills, it was always filled with resentment.

"Since it seems you are seeking to die, I'll help you to understand what it means to live a life worse than death. It won't be long before you're pleading with me to help you." With that, he grabbed the black pill furnace, and, ignoring the fierce struggling on the face of the youth, as well as the noiseless screaming, he directly placed it into the blood-colored mask.

"Elder Ultimate Vexation, this is the spirit I spoke of a while ago. I joined this Sect just to capture this bully. May I prevail upon you to convert it?"

The meat jelly was currently perched atop a listless, ingratiating Danzo, leaning over and looking down at him. When it heard Naruto's words, it began to tremble, and its eyes shone with a brilliant light. Filled with excitement, it immediately looked at the black pill furnace which Naruto had delivered to it.

"Fear not," said the meat jelly with a smile. "You may be immoral, you may be incorrect, but you can rest at ease. The great, handsome, kind-hearted Ultimate Vexation will help bring you back from the path of wickedness!" It hopped over next to the black pill furnace….

Naruto retracted his Spiritual Sense, ignoring the spirit of the furnace. Instead, he pulled out the Ten Thousand Refinements furnace and some medicinal herbs. After a moment's thought, he devoted himself fully to pill concoction.

He would concoct the Three Mortalities Pill, which was required to be able to break through from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation.

The diligence with which Naruto focused on concocting the medicinal pill he needed for his breakthrough does not need to be described in detail. He took a full half a month, which, considering it didn't involve alchemic enlightenment, was actually quite a long time for him, something that didn't happen very often.

Half a month later, he looked down at the Three Mortalities Pill in his palm, and took a deep breath. Then, he started to duplicate it. Early in the morning of the next day, Naruto unhesitatingly consumed a Three Mortalities Pill and began to circulate the power of Violet Chakra from the East in an attempt to form a Violet Core.

Days passed. Naruto lost track of how many Three Mortalities Pills he consumed. He had never imagined that using the ten Dao Pillars of the Perfect Foundation to form a Violet Core would be such a difficult process.

A month went by, and Naruto was completely immersed in using the Three Mortalities Pill to reach Core Formation. However, after a month of attempts, he had not succeeded. He was only a bit away, but no matter what he did, the only thing he could do was produce violet Chakra. Every time he tried to form it into a Core, he failed.

Failure after failure caused Naruto to begin to regret having borrowed such a vast amount of Spirit Stones from the Sect after becoming a Violet Furnace Lord. Watching them flow away like water caused him intense pain. However, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Based on this rate of success, could my chances of success with ten Dao Pillars really be one in a thousand?" Naruto sighed. That thought was quite frightening. Without the copper mirror, his Cultivation base would never be able to progress beyond Foundation Establishment.

He sat thinking for a while, his brow furrowed, considering Kabuto and the others, and their breakthrough at the Dao Geyser.

"It must have something to do with my ten Dao Pillars," sighed Naruto. He didn't completely give up; based on his speculation just now, even if he only had a one in a thousand chance, that meant there was still hope.

"The first step is to form a Violet Core. Then after I concoct the Perfect Gold Core pill, I can form a Gold Core. For me, the Core Formation stage will involve a huge jump in power. Once I'm at Core Formation, I can wear the blood-colored mask and employ the Blood Immortal's divine abilities! Also, according to what the meat jelly said, after I reach Core Formation, the parrot will appear…." Naruto's eyes filled with determination as he thought these things.

"I must form a Violet Core!" He flicked his sleeve, and was about to go borrow some more Spirit Stones when, suddenly, his entire body trembled.

It wasn't just him that was shaking, it was everything around him. More than half of the Southern Domain was vibrating, and the center of it all was none other than the Immortal's corpse, where nearly one hundred thousand Cultivators had gathered in the vicinity of the Rebirth Cave.

The vibration came from the chest of the corpse, as if its heart were beating. It emanated out in all directions, rocking the earth, sending out ripples through the land. As it spread, it touched mountaintops, sweeping through one Sect after another.

The location of the Violet Sect Fate was not incredibly far away, so it was also affected. Many people heard it, and their hearts shook. Naruto suddenly paused, lifting his hand up to feel his chest.

He could feel the vibrations which filled everything. Suddenly, his expression changed, because at that moment he realized that, to him, the vibrations sounded like a beckoning.

In his estimation, it was a beckoning that came from none other than the Immortal's corpse, which he had been trying so hard to avoid!

Filling the beckoning was an archaic voice that sounded directly into Naruto's mind.

"You…. I know your bloodline. I know where you're from….

"You…. Do you want to know why you could see me in that other world all those years ago…?

"You…. Do you want to know what world that was…?

"I came here for you, and I've been waiting a long time. Come to me. Come to me here…. You will know the truth about everything!"

The voice sounded ancient, as if it were floating through countless years of time, filled with ancient Chakra. As it echoed within Naruto's mind, it caused his blood vessels to surge. Blood pumped rapidly through his body. Suddenly, on the back of his right hand… a greenish mark appeared!

The mark looked like a magical symbol. It didn't exist on top of his skin, but rather inside his flesh. Naruto was not unfamiliar with it; the moment he had reached Foundation Establishment, he had seen this exact same mark.

Today was the second time!

Naruto looked at the mark, his mind buzzing.

After a long time, the shaking disappeared. The strange sign which had filled half of the Southern Domain caused even more attention to be drawn to the Immortal's corpse.

Naruto stood there within his Immortal's cave for a long time before he lifted his head. His eyes were now filled with a sharp light.

"Just… who is he? Why was I able to see him that year? Why did he fall into the Southern Domain? And why is he able to affect my blood flow, and give rise to this mark…. Was the mark placed upon me by him that year? Or was it part of me all along, there within my flesh from the beginning?" Naruto silently thought about the night his father and mother went missing, and the violet wind which had blown outside.

If Naruto remembered correctly, when that wind arose, it had swirled around his body. He remembered that it was no ordinary wind, but that it contained some type of power.

Naruto thought for a long time, all the way until it was dark outside. A bright light began to shine in his eyes, as well as resolve.

"Regardless of whether this person's words are true or false… I'm going!" Determination gleamed in his eyes. Great reward only comes by taking risks. Cultivators cultivate self-confidence! When a decision has been made, it must be pursued with determination, and without the slightest thought of wavering!

He flicked his right sleeve as he walked out of the Immortal's cave.

Several days later, the sixth group of Cultivators left the Violet Fate Sect. It consisted of thirty people, who transformed into thirty prismatic beams that shot off into the air. In front of this group was none other than Naruto.

He wore the robe of a Violet Furnace Lord, and his long hair whipped about behind him as he shot forward. All of the people behind him looked at him with expressions of veneration, regardless of whether they were from Violet Chakra Division or the East Pill Division.

Together, they shot off into the distance at top speed.

Naruto was quiet during the entire trip. He didn't speak; within his mind spun the echoing beckons of the Immortal's corpse.

This sixth group of Violet Fate Sect Cultivators teleported three times and spent half a month before arriving in the vicinity of the Rebirth Cave. Once more during that time period, the vibration echoed out.

When the vibration hit them, everyone dropped to the ground, where they sat cross-legged. Only Naruto floated in mid-air, looking off into the distance. Once again, he felt the beckoning.

"Come to me…. I'm here… waiting for you…. All the truth… all the answers…."

Naruto's mind spun. Of the hundreds of thousands of Cultivators in the region of the Rebirth Cave, the voice within the beckons could only be heard by Naruto. His eyes glittered even more relentlessly than before.

There are three Danger Zones in the Southern Domain: the Primordial Dao Lakes, the Ancient Temple of Doom and finally, the Rebirth Cave. At a glance, it looked like an enormous depression in the ground. Multitudinous volcanoes could be seen in the area, so many that they were impossible to count. They seemed to never end.

What was visible was the black sky, and the thick black fog that covered everything.

This was the region of the Rebirth Cave.

According to the legends, people who were nearing death could enter the Rebirth Cave at the right moment, and if they succeeded, could get a chance to live another life!

Whether this was true or false, since ancient times, many, many almighty Cultivators, unwilling to pass into death, had entered the Rebirth Cave. Throughout the countless years, only three people had ever emerged successfully.

Without exception, after leaving the Rebirth Cave, those three people never once talked about what had happened inside. Eventually, they had disappeared, never to be heard from again.

Despite that, the legends regarding the mysteries of the Rebirth Cave continued to grow more and more exaggerated. Regardless of anything, stories about the Rebirth Cave had been circulating for tens of thousands of years, which was sufficient to show that… it had some astonishing properties.

Naruto understood that by proceeding forward, he would be entering the region of the Rebirth Cave. Upon entering, the level of danger would be extreme.

As for the Immortal's corpse, it had fallen directly in front of the Rebirth Cave, no more than fifty kilometers away.

Currently, the vibrations were slowly fading away. As they did, one figure after another shot up from the ground into the air.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of Cultivators from all over the Southern Domain were gathered in a thousand kilometer radius of the Rebirth Cave, forming a perimeter around it. In this area, the Cultivators had established temporary strongholds representing the various Sects and Clans.

Every stronghold contained members of the elder generation of the various Sects. It seemed that every day, more people from a variety of Sects entered this huge region. Many would face the danger and approach the corpse, hoping to seize some good fortune. Some came back, some never did.

Because of the accumulation of so many hundreds of thousands of Cultivators, it was impossible to avoid the eruption of various feuds. Therefore, magical battle was not uncommon, and every day at least a few people were killed.

As for the great Sects and Clans, they were under the protection of the elder generation; there was a bit of chaos, but it was kept under relative control.

After the shaking vibration faded away, Naruto led the group of dozens of Violet Fate Sect Cultivators into the area. This of course attracted quite a bit of attention, and many people looked over to see what was happening.

When they saw Naruto, and recognized his Violet Furnace Lord's robe, a great buzz of discussion rose up.

"That's Kazama from the Violet Fate Sect!"

"That's the Dao Child of the East Pill Division, Kazama!"

Naruto heard some of these words, but his expression was always the same as ever. He continued onward, leading his group further inward toward the area near the Rebirth Cave.

As they flew along, he scanned the area with Spiritual Sense. He could immediately sense a vast amount of Cultivators there. There weren't as many as outside the inner perimeter, perhaps only around ten thousand.

Compared to the area outside, inside the perimeter, the fog was denser, thicker, exerting pressure on Spiritual Sense and making it more difficult to hear and see.

Eventually, Naruto caught sight of an enormous basin. Hovering in mid-air above the basin was a roiling black fog that rose up high into the sky.

Beneath the fog, the basin had a perimeter of about 500 kilometers. It was enormous, and within that enormity, was the Southern Domain's mysterious Rebirth Cave.

This was the nucleus of the Rebirth Cave. Surrounding this nucleus were a dozen or so pillars of light which rose up into the sky. Each and every pillar undulated shockingly, making it impossible for anyone to not notice them.

They embodied shocking power; the existence of these more than ten pillars of light made the huge area surrounding the Rebirth Cave seem a bit less dangerous.

Many of the strange creatures that lived in the area hid away, and would not emerge to harm people.

Each one among the dozen or so pillars of light was fixed at a stationary point. There, large groups of Cultivators sat cross-legged, meditating. Only the five great Sects and three great Clans were capable of creating strongholds like this near the nucleus of the Rebirth Cave region.

As Naruto approached, he immediately caught sight of one of the pillars of light that was violet-colored, and emanated an oppressive, pressure-filled energy. Because of this violet pillar of light, not a scrap of black fog could be seen anywhere nearby. Even the ground was a violet color because of it.

Tazuna was there inside, as well as Sakura, Kotetsu, Ensui, and the other Cultivators from the Violet Chakra Division. There were roughly a hundred people, all sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation.

Included in the number were two old people, meditating cross-legged in the very center of the glowing pillar. They wore long, white robes, and their countenances were ancient. Naruto could sense a fearsome pressure contained within their bodies.

Tazuna was obviously much weaker than these two old people, by about an entire stage!

"Spirit Severing stage…." Naruto took a deep breath. As he continued toward them, his eyes flickered about, glancing toward the other pillars of light. He saw the Solitary Sword Sect, the Black Sieve Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, the Blood Demon Sect, as well as Cultivators from the three great Clans including Ino, Guy, Asuma, Itachi, Kabuto and others. . Naruto's gaze finally came to fall upon a white-robed woman in the Black Sieve Sect group.

Hinata.

He stared at her for a moment and then looked away. There were other pillars of light. One was orange-colored, and filled with an air of potency and dignity. Sitting cross-legged within were a few dozen Cultivators upon whose skin were tattooed depictions of various totems. They were tall, and did not look like people from the Southern Domain.

"Western Desert Cultivators…." thought Naruto, his eyes narrowing. This wasn't his first time seeing Cultivators from the Western Desert. The first time he'd arrived in the center of the Southern Domain, he'd seen these strange, tall Cultivators.

Naruto also knew that the actual name of the Western Desert was the Barbarian West. In fact, that was the name that was written on the map he'd seen years ago. However, the people from the Western Desert felt that the word Barbarian was too belittling, and therefore took up the name Western Desert. At one time that had corresponded with the original name of the Northern Reaches, which had long ago been called the Northern Desert. Despite this, there were still people who called them Western Devils.

As he proceeded onward, Naruto's gaze fell upon two other pillars of light. One of them glowed with a light as blue as the sky. Next to it, a large flagpole had been stabbed into the ground. Floating in the wind was a flag embroidered in gold with the character…

Hebi!

When he saw it, Naruto's pupils constricted, and he began to breathe heavily. There were over ten Cultivators sitting beneath the pillar of light, meditating. One of them was a young man with thin lips, a lofty air, and impatience written on his face. He seemed to have sensed Naruto's gaze. He turned and looked over, then gave a cold snort. Contempt flickered within his eyes.

The cold snort immediately entered Naruto's mind, causing him to pause momentarily. He quickly rotated his Cultivation base to disperse the uneasy feeling.

"Core Formation stage." His expression was the same as usual as he looked away. The young man's eyes flashed as he examined Naruto for a moment, and then ignored him.

Naruto next looked at the other beam of light, which was a greenish color and emanated terrifying power. The Black Sieve Sect's pillar was also greenish, but this color was different, deeper.

Beneath the green pillar, three people sat cross-legged. One was a middle-aged woman, another was an old person, and the third was young woman. The young woman wore a green robe, and her long hair cascaded down over her shoulders. She was rather beautiful, but she also possessed a cold, proud air. She seemed to be the kind of person that had a short temper, and wasn't easy to approach.

As he looked over everyone, Naruto stayed calm and collected. He led his group directly toward the Violet Fate Sect's violet pillar of light, and as he neared, quite a few people opened their eyes vigilantly. When they saw Naruto, expressions of respect filled their faces.

As for Sakura, a complicated look appeared in her eyes. Teuchi simply lowered his head silently.

Tazuna, who sat there cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes. After he caught sight of Naruto, his face filled with a smile and he nodded. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, and his status within the Violet Chakra Division, for him to treat a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in such a fashion was enough to see what position Naruto occupied in the Violet Fate Sect.

You could say that Naruto even exceeded Tazuna. If Naruto's Cultivation base was any higher, Tazuna would have been required to rise to his feet.

Naruto had been a part of the Cultivation world for years now, and knew that the best way to conduct oneself was without arrogance. He immediately clasped hands and bowed to Tazuna, which of course caused the man's smile to grow even wider.

Naruto's Cultivation base was weak, but his position was high. Because of his lack of arrogance, it caused Tazuna's favorable impression of him to grow even stronger. Smiling, he said, "Grandmaster Kazama, allow me to introduce you to these two Patriarchs." This was a situation of giving a plum in exchange for a peach.

Naruto also smiled. Having been introduced by Tazuna, Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply to the two ancient-looking Patriarchs within the violet pillar of light.

"Junior Kazama of the East Pill Division pays respects to the two Patriarchs."

Sitting there cross-legged within the violet pillar of light, their faces covered with wrinkles, they seemed the very picture of intense power. As Naruto bowed to them, they opened their eyes slowly, looking him over, their vision filled with abstruseness. They seemed to be committing Naruto's aura to memory.

"Your Cultivation base isn't sufficient," said one of them coolly, his eyes closed. "To the greatest extent possible, do not venture outside. Stay here, and you'll be fine." The other Patriarch smiled at Naruto, eyes filled with praise.

Naruto knew that their good will was all because of his Master.

After Naruto payed his respects to the Patriarchs, Tazuna led him to greet more Cultivators from the Violet Chakra Division. All of them treated Naruto with utmost politeness. Be it with their words, or the way they carried themselves, they showed complete respect.

Even the Core Formation Cultivators were very respectful to him.

Tazuna introduced Naruto to the Violet Chakra Division Cultivators, but as for the East Pill Division disciples, no introductions were needed. One by one, they approached Naruto to offer him their respects.

When Naruto approached Ensui, Kotetsu and the others, it was noticed by the forces from other Sects in the area. Many gazes fell upon them, most of which lingered on Naruto. The expressions of the onlookers instantly changed into shock; clearly most of them had guessed who Naruto was.

Naruto greeted Ensui, Kotetsu and the others with clasped hands. He looked toward Sakura and nodded, smiling. He also gave Teuchi a glance, then sat down cross-legged.

He was also a Violet Furnace Lord, but he was Grandmaster Pill Demon's Legacy Apprentice, which was a very high position. According to Sect rules, he was actually higher than a Violet Furnace Lord.

However, Naruto knew that his Cultivation base wasn't very high, so he didn't want to show off. Therefore, he sat next to Kotetsu, subtly placing Ensui in the center position. Old Ensui was an astute person, so how could he possibly not understand what Naruto was doing? He smiled and shook his head, not saying anything to break the facade.

Kotetsu chuckled. Looking at Naruto, he lowered his voice and said, "Elder Brother Ensui is just another Violet Furnace Lord. He only cares about the Dao of alchemy…." Before finishing, he stopped, giving Naruto a look. He knew that Naruto was a smart person, and would be able to ascertain the meaning of his words.

"Don't worry, Elder Brother Kotetsu, I understand." Naruto could tell that Kotetsu was trying to make sure that he didn't brood over the events from the day that Naruto was raised to Violet Furnace Lord. Naruto smiled, then looked around the area, his eyes eventually coming to rest on the flag with the Hebi character on it.

No one knew it, but when he first laid eyes on the flag, his heart was shaken by great waves. Of course, he had covered it up well, not letting the tiniest shred of a reaction be seen.

However, deep in his heart, the word Hebi was surrounded by many unfathomable mysteries.

The flag of three streamers was sealed with the surname Hebi!

The lifelong wish of the Blood Immortal of Ancient Doom was to refine the blood of the Hebi clan into instruments of blood slaughtering!

Furthermore, in the ancient Blessed Land where the Heavens were round and the Earth was square, when he had stood next to the square cauldron that wished to reverse the order of the Cosmos, Naruto had experienced a vision in which the cauldron refused to exist under the same sky as the name Hebi!

There was also the legend of the ancient World Tree, which had destroyed itself in the starry sky.

All of these things seemed to have connection to the name Hebi. There were countless ties that caused Naruto to tremble uncontrollably. This was especially true now, after seeing the name with his own eyes, branded onto that flag.

Having noticed what Naruto was looking at, Kotetsu was silent for a moment, then quietly said, "That's the Hebi Clan from the Eastern Lands!" It seemed almost as if he was worried others might hear, and thus lowered his voice in caution. He seemed to be jumpy when talking about the name, even filled with dread, as if he were an ant discussing an elephant.

Naruto's eyes glittered imperceptibly. When he heard the fear in Kotetsu's voice, he looked over at him.

"I don't know much about their Clan," continued Kotetsu, his voice still low. "Everything I know is what I've heard from Master. The Hebi Clan from the Eastern Lands is the number one clan in the lands of Lands of Ninshu…. Their base, of course, is in the Eastern Lands, and no one knows exactly how deep their power runs. However, you must absolutely, positively never forget that the Hebi Clan is by no means, under any circumstances, to be provoked!"

His voice was so low that only Naruto could hear his words. "There actually aren't very many Clan members, but any one of them should be considered beyond provocation. This is especially true of any Quasi-Array Sons of Hebi. Everyone is inestimably highly ranked. The one you saw just now…

"If my guess is correct, he is definitely one of the Sons of Hebi, of the Quasi-Array of the Hebi Clan. If he were not, he wouldn't be of the Core Formation stage, considering how young he is. Hebi Clan members, especially those of the Quasi-Array, are all Chosen. Every generation must undergo a variety of intense training regimens to prepare to fight for one of the one hundred spots available for true Array Clan members. I only know this much, which Master happened to casually mention once."

Naruto sat there thoughtfully. He, too, only had a very basic understanding of the Hebi Clan. Based on all of his experiences related to Hebi, he was sure that they possessed fearsomely deep resources, perhaps infinitely beyond what anyone understood.

His voice low, Kotetsu glanced over at the green pillar of light, and the three people sitting cross-legged therein, and continued, "You must not provoke those three any more than you should the people from the Hebi Clan. They are another of the most powerful Clans in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. Fearsome! You came to the scene a bit late, so you don't know all the details of everything that's happened. I personally witnessed one of the Hebi Clan Cultivators address that girl as a member of the Namikaze Clan, and he looked scared . Think about it! What sort of profound background must those three have in order to inspire fear into the Hebi Clan? They must also be from the Eastern Lands."

Thanks to Kotetsu's explanation, Naruto now had a general understanding of the various forces in the area. He continued to look around, and as he did, his eyes suddenly locked with Hinata's.

Neither said a word; everything was spoken through the look they exchanged. Their gazes quickly separated, but not before both understood everything that needed to be understood.

Ino, Shikamaru, Chino, Kabuto, Asuma, Itachi, Akatsuchi, Guy as well as Sagiri Nadeshiko from the Nadeshiko Clan, along with beautiful, bitter Shizuka, were all familiar to Naruto. All were present among the forces of their various Sects and Clans. Scanning over everyone, Naruto didn't see Fatty anywhere.

Time passed by. Naruto wasn't sure what everyone was waiting for, but he didn't see anyone leave the area of the pillar of light.

Eventually, the black fog up above grew even darker. It was at this moment that Sakura approached Naruto and sat down next to him. She looked at him intently.

Naruto had always felt that her intuition was far too keen. However, he kept his expression the same as ever as he looked back at her.

When their gazes met, Sakura didn't look away.

"From the year you arrived in the East Pill Division," she said softly, "I felt annoyed every time I looked at you. I've never been able to figure it out. However, perhaps… it's possible that I saw you somewhere before in the past!"

Naruto's expression looked the same as it always did. However, inside, his heart pounded with shock. He sighed again inwardly because of Sakura's frightening thinking ability.

"Where exactly did we see each other before?" she said suddenly, staring into Naruto's eyes as if looking for some clues.

After a long moment, she could tell that Naruto was not going to reply.

She looked at him intently. "I don't care if you're Pill Cauldron or Kazama," she said, one word at a time. "I know that you have another identity. You're not willing to talk about it, so I won't ask. But one of these days I'm going to find out. I'm going to find out… who you are!" There was a trace of radiance within her stubborness. It was faint, but Naruto could see it clearly. It was a glow that sprang up when she first talked about Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

"Impossible…." he said to himself. Although he had never experienced the type of relationship that could exist between a man and a woman, he was no longer an ignorant youth, and was capable of picking up on much of such interactions.

That glow in her eyes was very similar to the glow that had been in Hinata's eyes when they had parted outside the Black Sieve Sect.

Naruto felt a little bit guilty, but also a bit proud. Sakura had been pestering him for years, even when she was engaged to Sasuke. For her to change in this way, actually made him feel somewhat pleased with himself.

He cleared his throat, deciding that it was time to prove whether or not his speculations were correct. He lifted his right hand. Sakura watched, stupefied, as he reached out to place his hand onto her beautiful face.

Immediately, her face turned crimson and her eyes went wide. Clearly she had never imagined that Kazama would possibly be so rude.

Before he could actually touch her, he pulled his hand back, then looked at her and sighed.

As he sighed, Sakura's face grew even redder. Fury blossomed in her phoenix-like eyes. She glared at Naruto, clearly on the verge of flying into a rage from shame.

It was at this moment that, suddenly, a shocking roar filled the entire area surrounding the basin. Immediately, the two Violet Fate Sect Patriarchs opened their eyes. The Patriarchs in the other nearby beams of light similarly opened their eyes.

In almost the same instant, all of them, nearly twenty people, flew out toward the basin. Tazuna's eyes began to glow and he spoke to the surrounding Violet Fate Sect disciples.

"It's starting again. The Patriarchs from the various Sects will suppress the area surrounding the Rebirth Cave. We must move as quickly as possible. Remember, the Violet Chakra Division will cooperate with the East Pill Division. We must acquire a sample of blood from the corpse!"

Tazuna's eyes glittered as he leaped into the air and began to fly forward. "East Pill Division disciples, do not touch any part of the corpse!" he cried. "Violet Chakra Division, follow my lead. We will have the time it takes an incense stick to burn! Let's take advantage of that time to acquire some of this Immortal's blood!"

The Violet Chakra Division Cultivators flew into the air with him. The East Pill Division Cultivators around Naruto also began to shoot into the air to follow.

Sakura glared viciously at Naruto for a moment. Then she turned her supple waist and flexed her long legs. As she turned, her robe pulled tight around her firm rear end, which Naruto couldn't help but notice. She, along with Ensui and the other alchemist Cultivators all shot off toward the basin surrounding the Rebirth Cave.

Of course, that is exactly where the Immortal's corpse was located.

Naruto took a deep breath. He was no longer thinking about the matter regarding Sakura. Instead, as he flew up into the air, he focused his thoughts. Flying next to him was none other than Teuchi.

Teuchi was quiet for the space of a few breaths, then began to explain to Naruto what was going on, "There is nothing blocking the way to the corpse. However, if you touch it, you will instantly be sucked into a strange realm. Some people return from it, others don't. Every day at about this time, the strange power of the corpse suddenly drops by half. Therefore, when this happens, the bizarre life within the Rebirth Cave will emerge.

"Therefore, the Patriarchs from the various Sects will go ahead to stand guard, giving the rest of the Sect disciples a window of time. Unlike some of the other Sects, all we need is a sample of blood. As for the Violet Chakra Division, it's possible they have some other goals. However, they will cooperate with us. After we get some blood, then we can focus on other priorities.

"The reason so many alchemists and Violet Furnace Lords are here is because the blood from the Immortal's corpse is actually invisible. The instant it leaves the corpse, it dissipates into Heaven and Earth. Only us Cultivators of the Dao of alchemy can take advantage of that instant to use pill concoction techniques to capture and refine the escaping blood."

Teuchi's explanation was extremely detailed. Once he finished, he lowered his head and increased his speed as he proceeded forward. It seemed the only reason he had been hanging back was to explain these things to Naruto.

Naruto could sense the ease in tension between them. However, a bit of challenge still existed within his words, as if he wanted to warn Naruto that he would be waiting to see who would be the first to refine some of the Immortal's blood.

Naruto had not come here for any blood sample, though. He had come because of the beckoning voice. Everyone else might be unaware, but Naruto knew that this person… was not dead at all!

Many thoughts flowed through his head as he transformed into a beam of light that shot forward. He flashed through the air, soon catching sight of Kabuto, Asuma, Hinata and the others. All of them were converging on the basin.

What most captured Naruto's attention was the young man named Hebi. His Cultivation base was at the peak of the early Core Formation stage, and he was surrounded by seven or eight guards, all of them old men. He moved forward, his entire body exuding a lofty and proud air. Completely disregarding all of the surrounding Southern Domain Cultivators, he sped off into the distance.

At the same time, the young woman surnamed Namikaze shot forward, her face filled with cold indifference, her entire body emanating blinding silver light. The beams of light shot off of her like sharp arrows, causing anyone who looked at her to feel stabs of pain.

The Hebi youth and the Namikaze girl were both matchlessly stunning. Whether intentionally or not, they had long since become the focus of attention in the area. Next to them, anyone, be they Chosen or Dao Child, were like ants. The difference in status was just too great. This of course caused the Southern Domain's Chosen and Dao Children to feel somewhat recalcitrant. However, keeping in mind the warnings of their various Sects, and fearsome power of the two, they maintained their silence.

The Western Desert Cultivators were also present. They were big and tall, and their bodies were covered with totemic tattoos. As they flew forward toward the basin, their totems shone with rays of bright light, clearly beyond ordinary.

A short amount of time passed, and soon, the moment of opportunity arrived for any Cultivator who neared. It didn't matter what purpose the various Sects had, all their disciples charged forward.

In fact, many of the disciples from the other Sects outside of the main periphery, had calculated the time and were now charging forward too.

Naruto focused himself, accelerating for the space of about ten or more breaths. Suddenly, he felt as if a wind were blowing up against him. The wind carried with it the stench of decay, and as it passed over him, he felt his skin becoming sticky, as if he were covered in sweat.

The bizarre wind of decay penetrated into his flesh, piercing through him, causing his expression to change. He could immediately sense that everyone around him was feeling the exact same thing.

At the same time, the aura of the Nascent Soul Cultivators from the various clans began to weaken, as if it were being violently suppressed. Naruto recalled being told about this phenomena when he first arrived.

It didn't take long for Tazuna's Cultivation base to be suppressed down to the great circle of Core Formation. His face was pale as he led everyone forward through the black fog, closer and closer to the mountain-like corpse.

The instant Naruto caught sight of the corpse, he saw that it really was the size of a small mountain. Its skin was gray, and covered with brands that looked like magical symbols. The symbols seemed to squirm bizarrely, and emitted glowing light.

The five-colored light twisted up into the air, but was obscured by the black fog, making it difficult to see clearly. However, the closer he got, the clearer it became. The magical symbols were obviously grouping together into a larger text.

As the Cultivators from the other Sects approached and saw the magical text, someone cried out, "The Dao Divinity Scripture!" More and more Cultivators neared, and more than half of them sank to the ground cross-legged to stare at the scriptural text.

Some of the Violet Fate Sect disciples also stopped and sat down cross-legged to stare at the magical symbols. Naruto glanced over, frowning slightly. In that slight glance, he suddenly realized that his Spiritual Sense was showing signs of disorder.

He immediately focused his vision, looking toward the corpse. Disciples from other Sects who were clearly more interested in the corpse itself were now nearing it.

As he approached, its sheer vastness filled his vision. Tazuna led the Violet Chakra Division disciples, clearly fearful of the strange teleportation effect. All he intended to do was break the skin of the corpse and extract some blood. Suddenly, the beckoning feeling once again appeared, floating deep within Naruto's mind.

"Come…. Come to me…. I've been waiting a long time for you…. The whole truth, all the answers, will be explained to you, my heir…."

The beckoning filled Naruto's whole body, causing him to tremble. Looking around, it was clear that no one else could hear the sounds which he was now hearing in his ears, the calling.

The instant he began to look around, a roaring sound suddenly began to fill the air, coming from the corpse itself. At the same time, the ground began to shake. The entire Rebirth Cave basin began to quake violently.

A thunderous sound echoed out, causing the surrounding Cultivator's expressions to change immediately.

"It moved!" cried someone from one of the other Sects. "I just saw the corpse's hand move!"

"That's impossible! This corpse has been dead for years. How could it possibly move!?"

"I saw it too! The corpse's hand moved a bit…. It couldn't have been an illusion…."

Naruto began to pant. He too had just seen the supposedly dead corpse move its right hand!

He knew that he wasn't mistaken. After all, he had known from quite some time ago that this supposed corpse… was actually alive!

As gasps of astonishment filled the air, and the thunderous sound filled the air, all eyes instantly swivelled to look toward the corpse. The corpse… slowly lifted its enormous hand into the air. The speed with which it moved seemed slow, but within the blink of an eye, the hand had reached up high, as if it were going to place its hand on its head. Instead, its hand suddenly descended at high speed toward the ground.

This caused everyone's scalps to go numb, and to gape with wide eyes. Just as everyone was about to shoot backward in retreat… the hand slammed into the ground.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

An indescribably loud sound shattered the air. The ground quaked, and the sky drained of color. At the same time, the black fog shot up into the sky. The earth rippled into great waves, sweeping out as if it were an attack.

Bloodcurdling screams filled the air. Everything went dim, and was thrown into chaos.

The shocking boom resonated out, and the ground heaved. The faces of the various Sect Patriarchs who were leading the way to the Rebirth Cave immediately fell. At the same time, the fog floating in the sky began to seethe violently, then shoot back toward the ground.

Next, an incredible, indescribable gravitational force sprang into being. It emanated out from the corpse, immediately beginning to drag everything in the area toward the corpse. The nearby Cultivators had no time to avoid it, and were instantly snagged by the force and sucked in. As soon as they touched the surface of the corpse, they disappeared.

Chino, Shikamaru, Kabuto, Itachi, Asuma, Guy, all of them were instantly grabbed by the wild gravitational force. In the blink of an eye, they were sent tumbling toward the corpse, and then disappeared, teleported to who knew what strange place.

Next to Naruto, Sakura and Teuchi, as well as the rest of the East Pill Division and Violet Chakra Division Cultivators, were incapable of evading. All of them were sent spinning toward the corpse, and then disappeared.

To Naruto, it felt as if some enormous hand had grabbed him and was dragging him toward the corpse. There was nothing he could do to prevent it. His expression, however, was calm. He could tell that the force which was grabbing him contained no evil. If it did, then considering its abilities, even if he tried to escape far way, he still wouldn't be safe. This he knew.

"Well, you've called for me three times already, I might as well go along!" His eyes shone brightly. After feeling the beckoning three times, and hearing the words contained therein, he had long since understood that he absolutely must come here!

The importance of Heaven and Earth is superseded by the importance of one's father and mother.

The matter of his parents had weighed on his heart from the very beginning. He had an intense feeling that this was his chance to get some answers!

The instant he touched the corpse and vanished, Naruto saw the Hebi Clan youth and the young Namikaze woman also being sucked in and vanishing.

After that, everything went black….

In the same instant, the world in front of him was no longer black, but filled with grayish light. Naruto could clearly tell that just now, his body had been affected by a teleportation spell.

The teleportation had moved him somewhere, although he wasn't sure exactly where.

When things became clear, Naruto looked around. Immediately, his brow furrowed.

He saw an ancient wall, which was flecked with spots of blood that had been there for who knew how many years. Looking overhead, it seemed as if the wall stretched up into the Heavens themselves. Apparently, it was endlessly high.

There wasn't just one wall, but two, forming a corridor. Naruto's eyes flickered. He didn't go forward down the corridor, but rather, flew straight into the air.

He shot upward for a while. However, even after focusing the power of his Cultivation base into his eyes, he still was incapable of seeing the tops of the walls.

"They have no end…." he thought, slowly floating back down. He didn't land onto the ground, but rather floated there in mid-air.

This place had a stifling air; it seemed that there were only two paths to pick from, either forward, or backward.

Naruto thought of the other Cultivators who had touched the corpse, and of the things they had talked about. Upon returning, each had described different scenes. One saw mountains, another a river. One saw buildings, another, Celestial scenes. One even saw a battlefield.

Naruto thoughtfully lifted his hand into the air, and then struck out seven or eight times. A roaring filled the air as a black-colored palm appeared that looked as if it were formed from roiling mist. It shot forward toward one of the walls.

Considering its incredible speed, it only took a moment before it slammed into the wall. No sound could be heard; it was like the palm had been sucked in by the wall. There wasn't even the tiniest mark left now.

Naruto's face sank.

Just now, he had only attacked with fifty percent power. However, considering he was of the full circle of Foundation Establishment, he could easily smash a wall into powder. However, this wall didn't even tremble.

After a moment's thought, Naruto set his jaw. Eyes glittering, he shot forward. If he could't fly up, and the walls were unbreakable, then he might as well go forward.

He whistled through the air at top speed, heading forward. Before he got too far, the two walls on either side of him began to grow wider apart. The area in front of him grew larger, and another wall appeared, causing the path to split into two.

When he saw the path split ahead of him, realization flickered in his eyes.

"A maze…."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the maze, Kabuto shot forward, grim faced, as did Asuma, Itachi, Hinata, Ino and the others. All of them were inside the maze.

So was the young man from the Hebi Clan as well as the girl surnamed Namikaze. All of them were in different areas of this huge maze.

So far, no one had encountered any of the others, which made everyone come to the conclusion that they were alone inside.

In the past, whoever had returned after touching the Immortal's corpse, described being teleported to different places. Never had there been a repetition.

Days passed. Naruto's expression was calm. He had encountered many junctions in the path, and never once did he hesitate. He would pick a road and proceed forward without thinking too much about it.

"Considering you called me here, well… I'm not going to go looking for you. You'll show up eventually." He flew along calmly for several days. One day, a five-path junction appeared up ahead of him. Naruto glanced it over, and was about to pick the center path, when suddenly his eyes flickered, and he retreated backward.

At the same time, he lifted his right hand, quickly slicing his index finger as he shot back, and then waved it toward the intersection.

Even as he moved backward, a black streak like lightning shot toward him through the air. If he hadn't retreated just now, he definitely would have been seriously injured.

Instead, his finger attack just now erupted with billowing killing Blood Chakra. It slammed into the incoming black streak.

An explosion filled the air. As it rang out, Naruto's face grew grim, and killing intent flickered within his eyes. He fell back three more paces and then came to a stop. He lifted his hand again, and as he did, Violet Chakra swirled around his body. The Chakra flowed toward his hand, transforming into a long, violet-colored blade.

Suddenly, he moved forward without hesitation, and as he did, he waved his hand ahead in a chopping motion.

A rumble filled the air as a flash of violet light slashed out from his hand, transforming midair into a curved, three meter long arc. Wisps of Violet Chakra continued to emanate out from Naruto, melding into the curved shape.

This was… the Violet Chakra Guillotine!

Filled with the power of a Perfect Foundation, ten Dao Pillars and Violet Chakra from the East, this was a deadly magical attack.

The Violet Chakra Guillotine looked like a crescent moon as it shot through the air toward the intersection. As it entered the crossroads, the air distorted around it, rippling. The emptiness twisted, making what had seemed like a void before look as if it were covered with a veil that was now being lifted up. Suddenly, a figure became visible.

It was a middle-aged man. He was more than three heads taller than Naruto, and incredibly muscular. He wore a simple garment, and visible on his skin was a depiction of a three-headed flood dragon totem!

This was a Cultivator from the Western Desert!

Now that he had been revealed, he suddenly lifted his right arm and opened his mouth with a shout. A black glow emerged from his forehead. The totem covering his body began to glow with a black aura, and in front of him, an incredibly realistic image of a three-headed flood dragon appeared. Roaring, it shot forward and tore into the Violet Chakra Guillotine.

A boom filled the air, rocking everything. Naruto watched as the Violet Chakra Guillotine began to disintegrate, transforming into wisps of Violet Chakra that dissipated into the air. At the same time, the three-headed flood dragon also began to break up into pieces. The Western Desert Cultivator's face was unsightly as he stared in shock at Naruto.

Naruto gave a cold snort, lifting his hand and waving it forward.

"Violet Chakra Garrote!" As he waved his hand, the Violet Chakra in the area suddenly stilled. Then it began to twist, extending, transforming into countless threads that circled around the Western Desert Cultivator. It rapidly surrounded him, emitting sharp whistling sounds. Suddenly, Naruto clenched his hand into a fist, and the strands of Violet Chakra contracted.

This technique was something Naruto had learned after becoming a Violet Furnace Lord. This was the second form of the Violet Chakra Guillotine, a technique from the Violet Chakra Division. In addition to this second form, there was a third form called Violet Gibbous Moon!

The Western Desert Cultivator's face was dark as the Violet Chakra Garrote closed in around him. He gave a cold harrumph, then began to lift his right arm, upon the back of which suddenly appeared a totem.

This totem was simple; it was a red fist, about the size of an infant's hand. However, in the blink of an eye, a roaring power exploded out from the body of the Western Desert Cultivator.

The hand of his upraised arm clenched into a fist and punched downward.

The fist hit nothing but air, but as it did, layers of ripples surged out. The piercing shriek of an infant could be heard, and as it echoed out, the ripples slammed into the surrounding Violet Chakra. Immediately, the Violet Chakra began to disintegrate.

The face of the Western Desert Cultivator was pale. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth. He looked toward Naruto with fear in his eyes.

"You're an alchemist from the Southern Domain's Violet Fate Sect," he said, retreating backward. "I never imagined that you would have a Cultivation base such as this. Sir, I was rash just now. I'll take my leave." A third totem appeared on his left arm, but it appeared to be only half completed, not a full totem. The Cultivator's body began to grow blurry, as if he would disappear into the air.

"A bit rash?" said Naruto, his eyes glittering with killing intent. If he hadn't dodged at just the right time, he would have been beheaded. Even as the words left his mouth, he shot forward.

"You Southern Domain Cultivators really don't know when to give up!" said the Western Desert Cultivator with a cold snort. "It's obvious that we're both in the Pseudo Core stage. You used full power just now! Clearly we're an even match!" Ferocity suddenly filled his face.

His expression had changed because as Naruto advanced, he began to rotate his Cultivation base, causing power to explode out. This power was even greater than that from before, causing everything in the area to shake.

Naruto lifted up his right hand and extended three fingers!

A shocking three fingered Blood Palm appeared. It transformed into a murderous Blood Chakra which shot toward the Western Desert Cultivator.

"Live through this three finger strike and you can leave!"

The face of the Western Desert Cultivator flickered, filling with astonishment. The blurriness surrounding his body instantly disappeared; he couldn't possibly maintain his invisibility. He lifted his hand and tapped his forehead; the three-headed flood dragon totem, as well as the blood-colored fist totem, both appeared and shot forward.

Naruto's three-fingered blood palm slammed into them.

The resulting massive boom echoed out in all directions. The Western Desert Cultivator let out a blood-curdling scream. His body shook as the fist totem shattered. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the three-headed flood dragon totem disintegrated. He retreated backward several paces, his face pale. Before he could say a single word, a single Blood Finger slammed into his forehead.

A tremor ran through his body, and he toppled to the ground, dead.

Naruto approached. He looked down at the dead Western Desert Cultivator, whose name he didn't even know. He knelt down next to the body and fished out a bag of holding. His eyes shone with thoughtfulness.

"So, it seems I'm not alone in this place…. These Western Desert Cultivators have some strange techniques. They're as different from those of the Southern Domain as black is from white…. If not, a single Blood Finger would have been sufficient to slay a Pseudo Core Cultivator." Giving a final glance to the Western Desert Cultivator, he noticed that the totem on the man's arms were fading and transforming into black ink.

"The Western Desert…." Naruto frowned. On this side of the Milky Way Sea was the Western Desert and the Southern Domain; in the middle of the two were the Black Lands, which weren't very large.

The Black Lands were the only passageway between the Southern Domain and the Western Desert. Other places had long since been sealed by Patriarch Cultivators from either of the two major powers, creating two continents or territories.

Throughout history, there had been two great, world-shaking wars between the two continents. During those two great wars, all of the Sects of both the Western Desert and the Southern Domain had participated. Such wars were not the type between two Sects or Clans. They were major wars between both of the enormous powers.

The aggressor in both wars was the Western Desert!

The Western Desert's cultivation resources were extremely limited; furthermore, the climate was abominable and the spiritual energy scarce. Despite all that, it produced many outstanding individuals. Thus, in the midst of all the hardships, the Western Desert's power grew greater and greater.

In the Western Desert, cultivation was not the focal point; the most important thing was survival. There, the law of the jungle was even more brutal, many times more so than in the Southern Domain. Under such circumstances, Cultivators with talent, who stood out like awls sticking out through a bag, were generally much more powerful than their Southern Domain counterparts of the same level.

They envied the Southern Domain's riches and fertility. Thus, they went to war!

The two wars were what had given shape to the enormous sealed demarkation between the West and the South.

Naruto lifted his hand; a Flame Sea surged out, completely burning the Western Desert Cultivator's body into ash. Eyes flashing, Naruto transformed into a beam of light and proceeded onward, even more vigilantly than before.

Time slowly passed by. Within this maze were not just Cultivators from the Western Desert, but also locals from the Southern Domain. When they ran into each other, sometimes they would help each other, other times fighting would erupt. Everything was quite chaotic.

In the outside world, the Patriarchs from the various Sects had returned to their pillars of light.

By now, anxiety could be seen on their faces. A month had already passed, and not one person had returned.

A phenomenon such as this had never occurred in the past. Previously, upon touching the corpse, people would be teleported away, but at the most, they would be gone for half a month, and then would be teleported back. Either that or… they died!

Another change from before was that a month ago, a shield had sprung up around the corpse that prevented anyone from nearing it. No one could get past the shield, not even Spirit Severing Patriarchs.

However, they could sense that the shield was some type of aura which was emanating from the corpse. It was easy to speculate that this aura was… life force!

This supposed Immortal was not dead! He still had one breath left!

The Southern Domain was shaken to the core. Even more Patriarchs arrived, but none of them were able to do a single thing. The only other option for the short term was to use some precious treasures to burst open the shield. However… it was obvious to them that even without the use of precious treasures, the shield would naturally dissipate within another month.

Also, the Sects could not help but notice that the majority of the life slips of their various disciples were still intact, and had not been shattered. Obviously, most of the disciples were alive, although in danger. For the moment, the best thing to do was to wait.

After all, even though no one spoke it out loud, how could the Patriarchs not see that the shield was less of an obstruction, and more of a protection? The mass disappearance of all the disciples was dangerous, but could also be viewed as a stroke of good fortune.

This was obviously… a legacy!

Within the maze, the Chosen and Dao Children were using a variety of methods to attempt to find exits. None had succeeded so far. However… more than a few had acquired various bits of good fortune.

For example, at the moment, Sakura was breathing heavily. She had just reached the end of a fork in the road. Up ahead was a huge wall covered with pill formulas. Each and every one sent her mind reeling.

Chino reached an area filled with buildings. She stared out at them for a while before realizing that she was surrounded by phantom figures that were walking to and fro.

It was as if she had discovered some strange world in which she was simply an observer.

The young man from the Hebi Clan, the Quasi-Array Cultivator, stood proudly with hands clasped behind his back as he looked out over a huge battlefield. The endless wreckage surrounding him didn't cause his expression to change in the slightest. He strolled aimlessly for a while until a coffin appeared in front of him.

As for the young woman from the Namikaze Clan of the Eastern Lands, her expression was cool as she walked through a Celestial land. White cranes flew overhead and the surroundings were incredibly beautiful.

Kabuto, Shikamaru, Akatsuchi, Guy as well as Hinata and Ino, were all in various regions of the maze. As it turned out, the scenes they were witnessing were the very same scenes that had been seen by others who had entered the maze previously!

After traveling for many days, Naruto's path finally reached an end, as he emerged into a new world.

More accurately, it was a vast field of stars!

Endless, uncountable stars, emitting glorious starlight. Everything was quiet; not the slightest sound could be heard. Naruto walked amongst the stars, looking around. As he did, he sensed the power of Time; he could feel the vestiges of archaic ancientness in this place.

The ancientness felt like the decay of more than a hundred thousand years. It was filled with an incomparable exhaustion, as if it were struggling to find a single breath within which pulsed the will to live.

This field of stars felt unfamiliar to Naruto. The starry sky that he normally saw when he looked up at night… was completely different!

There didn't seem to be even a single star that was the same. These heavenly bodies emanated ancientness; after gazing upon them, it was clear that this was not the night sky of the Southern Domain. Naruto felt a tiny sensation, as if he were somehow melding together with these stars. When the feeling rose up, a profound sense of confidence and hope suddenly floated in his heart.

It was a strange feeling.

Naruto knew that every person who was teleported from the corpse into this place, and then returned, all saw something different. However, all of the places that people had seen before, were now being revisited by the people currently inside. Except for this starry sky….

From beginning to end no one, neither those who had lived, nor those who had died, had laid eyes on this scene.

Naruto was the only one!

As he contemplated matters, Naruto suddenly looked down toward his feet. He could sense that far beneath him was a particular heavenly body that was emitting some sort of beckoning power. He felt himself being rapidly pulled toward it.

The speed was hard to describe. He saw the heavenly body growing larger and larger, until it filled his entire field of view. He saw clouds, and then a sea, and then land.

The land stretched out limitlessly. Naruto could see mountain peaks and rivers, and then, suddenly a particular mountain appeared in front of him. It was nighttime, and overhead, the stars were visible. Without thinking about it, Naruto compared the sky to that of the Southern Domain. His heart trembled.

It was true! This starry sky was absolutely different!

The stars were clearer, as if there were nothing obscuring their glory; their ancientness, their archaicness, was clearly visible. It was impossible to tell how long they had hung there in the sky.

All of the stars were strange. Not a single one was a star that existed in the sky of the Southern Domain.

"These are the ancient stars which exist in my memory," said a calm voice from behind Naruto. Naruto slowly turned. He wasn't sure when, but at some point a middle-aged man had appeared there, sitting on top of a boulder.

The man wore a simple but elegant robe. His long, black hair flowed over his body. He was handsome, with a bit of a heretical aura in his face. He looked different than the corpse Naruto had seen back from the Sky Tower; however, if you looked closely, you could see that it was the same person.

Surprisingly, a small campfire burned in front of the man. Above the flames, he was roasting… a snake-like creature.

"Sit," said the man coolly.

Naruto stood there thoughtfully for a moment, then approached and sat down. He looked at the bizarre snake roasting over the fire. It had claws, and despite being charred, it wasn't completely dead yet; it was still struggling.

Even more shocking to Naruto was that the snake had horns like that of a deer. He stared at it even closer; its body was almost as black as a piece of coal, but even still, he could pick up some clues. He suddenly gasped.

"This is…."

"A White Dragon, that's all," said the man casually. "It has a limitless Cultivation base that brings it close to the first level of the Immortal Realm. I ran into it on the Eighth Mountain. It was hungry and wanted to eat me. However, I was also hungry." Naruto wasn't sure how powerful the first level of the Immortal Realm was, nor exactly what the Eighth Mountain was. However, he was able to sense that this White Dragon was shockingly powerful.

"Want to have a bite?" asked the man, looking at Naruto. He lifted up the White Dragon, which was about the length of an arm, and then quickly chopped it into two pieces. "Do you like the head more, or the tail?" he asked.

Naruto hesitated, causing the man to laugh scoffingly.

"Uh… I'll have the head," Naruto said finally.

"You sure know how to eat, kid," replied the man, handing over the front half of the White Dragon.

Naruto took it, feeling somewhat trepidatious. He looked over as the man took a large bite from the tail part of the White Dragon. After the first bite, he took another, then another, crunching the creature into pieces as he did. Naruto took a deep breath, eyeing the front half of the White Dragon. Telling himself that this was just an illusion, he placed it into his mouth.

Crunch, crunch, he began to eat it. The head was very crispy, and the flavor was actually quite delicious. His eyes lit up and he quickly consumed the entire thing. Soon, the whole front half of the White Dragon was in his belly.

"Good?" asked the man with a laugh, looking at Naruto. "I used to eat one every year."

"It doesn't taste bad at all," said Naruto, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Actually, you know what tastes even better than White Dragons? Flying Rain-Dragons, just like the one you have inside of you. Boil them into a soup, and the flavor is amazing. Unfortunately, Flying Rain-Dragons are quite rare. Once they grow up, tangling with them is very difficult. If I'm lucky, I might pursue one for thirty thousand years before being able to have some of that soup." The man licked his lips and looked down toward Naruto's dantian.

The look in the man's eyes caused Naruto to take a deep breath. This was because he had suddenly noticed that his first Dao Pillar, the one with the Flying Rain-Dragon Core inside of it, was suddenly trembling in intense fear.

Naruto quickly decided to change the topic. "Senior, sir, I'm sure you didn't just call me here to eat some White Dragon." The way the man had looked at him just now made him feel like food, and had caused his scalp to go numb.

Only at this point did the man reluctantly look back up. From the look if it, it took quite a bit of willpower to do so. He tilted his head back to look up at the stars.

"These stars come from my memories of ancient times…." said the man softly, sounding a bit melancholy. "Unfortunately, I've been asleep for far too long…. When I woke up, I was here, in this land. I couldn't tell if the starry sky was the same or not, or whether there were more stars or fewer.

"Listen up, kid. My name is Choumen. I was born outside the Seventh Mountain, on Planet Tiger Cage. My full name is Gaara! The man looked back down from the stars and stared at Naruto with a solemn expression.

"Because I was on good terms with an old friend from the Eighth Mountain, I took part in the Dao War between the Eighth and Ninth Mountains. During the course of the war, I was seriously injured. I should have perished, but I had one breath left that has kept me going until now.

"I may die, but I will not allow my legacy to end with me…. As for you, the moment you saw me way back then, I acquired the coordinates to this planet, allowing me to fall here . You have a special bloodline. If you're lucky, you should be able to leave this tiny Planet Lands of Ninshu, travel to my home and return the legacy….

"That is my hope. If you're able to do it, well and good. If not, I still won't have any regrets!" He studied Naruto for a moment. "I have three boons to bestow upon you, as way of repayment!

"The first boon is a mark that I created after I achieved enlightenment and gained Immortality. Its name is 'Immortal Shows the Way.' Only someone who has ascended to Immortality in the Nine Mountains and Seas, and who is willing to sacrifice some Cultivation base, can create something like this. It was supposed to be given to my descendants as a treasure.

"When you are of the great circle of Dao Seeking, you can use it to step from that peak toward Immortal Ascension. Someone will show you the way, and your chances of succeeding in Immortal Ascension will increase by thirty percent!

"Furthermore, you won't be using some local power, Immortal Shows the Way can cause a starry sky to descend!" He lifted his hand up and pressed down on his forehead. A resplendent ball of light immediately appeared.

The glowing ball of light emanated an aura which did not belong to this world. As soon as Naruto sensed it, his mind began buzzing. He had the powerful feeling that this light contained a fearsome power. Were it to detonate, it could turn the entire Southern Domain into ash.

"This…." Naruto began to pant as he stared at the glowing ball of light in the man's hand. Naruto could also sense that when the aura emerged, the man instantly grew weaker by almost half. The stars and the land around them seemed to grow more unstable, even blurry.

"Immortal Ascension is difficult… but with this Immortal Shows the Way, that difficulty will be reduced by quite a lot. All you have to do is continue to grow until you reach that point. When that time comes, you will most likely be able to make the final step!

"This item is the first boon I shall bestow upon you." The man's face was pale and his body was becoming less distinct. However, he gave a hearty laugh and, without hesitation pressed the glowing Immortal Shows the Way into Naruto's forehead. Such an object could cause countless experts among the stars to engage in ruthless struggle, but the man handed it directly over. The glow of it fused into Naruto's body.

Naruto trembled, and closed his eyes for a while. When he opened them, he felt completely different than before. However, he couldn't quite tell what was different. The only thing he was sure of was that his head felt much clearer.

"The second boon I will bestow upon you is something you've likely heard of before: one of the three classic scriptures, the Dao Divinity Scripture! Sublime Spirit, Dao Divinity, Heaven Severing. These three scriptures aren't just passed down on this planet where you reside. These three classic scriptures are handed down throughout all the Nine Mountains and Seas!

"Unfortunately, what most people possess are mere fragments of the full scriptures. Up till now, only two people have ever been able to collect the full text of any one of them, and been able to acquire the Dao Realm title. One of those was the Dao Divinity of the First Mountain!

"The other was Sublime Spirit from your Ninth Mountain!

"Only these two powerful experts were able to collect the complete Sublime Spirit Scripture and Dao Divinity Scripture respectively. Everyone else only possesses fragments. As for the most mysterious of all, the Heaven Severing Scripture, for countless ages no one has ever been able to collect it in its entirety, nor cultivated the great circle of that realm to acquire the designation Heaven Severing.

"As for my Dao Divinity Scripture, I only have one manual, which is actually far more valuable than the rest. Mine is the Divine Sense Manual! One of the main reasons why I didn't die in the Dao War was because of this manual.

"My Divine Sense is about three times more powerful than anyone in the same stage as me. This… is the superiority which comes from cultivating this manual of the Dao Divinity Scripture. Triple is the limit; however, if you acquire other Dao Divinity fragments, then you can increase that number!

"This art, I pass to you!" The man raised his right hand and pushed down onto Naruto's forehead. Immediately, a scriptural text began to float in Naruto's mind. Each magical symbol radiated a black glow as it branded itself onto Naruto's mind. Immediately, his body trembled as his Spiritual Sense experienced frenzied growth.

After the space of a few breaths passed, he found that his Spiritual Sense had increased by about double. As of this moment, he could easily send it out to cover everything around.

The stronger one's Spiritual Sense is, the stronger the Core Chakra will be. With Core Chakra powering magical techniques, the result will be even more shocking; similarly, Naruto's ability to deduce the ultimate form of his techniques far surpassed others.

At the moment, it was only a simple branding, and Naruto had only received a doubling of Spiritual Sense. Through continued cultivation, that increase would be even greater.

Even this seemed like a huge stroke of good fortune to Naruto, though, and left him breathing heavily.

"What do you think?" laughed the man. "Just having it branded to you increased your Spiritual Sense by double. That's because of the half dragon you ate. The power of White Dragons stems from Divine Sense. Your Cultivation base isn't capable of completely assimilating it, though. That will take some time. When that happens, your Divine Sense will become vastly more stable."

"White Dragon…." said Naruto without thinking. "You mean that wasn't an illusion?" Feeling the increase in his Spiritual Sense caused him to be vastly more confident in being able to reach Core Formation.

"Who said it was an illusion!?" said the man as he glared, reached up and smacked Naruto's head. "You gluttonous little punk! That was the last dried White Dragon that I had saved up. Its efficacy was rather low, but I still had planned to save it for my last meal before I died. Unfortunately, I gave you an entire half! Oh well, it doesn't matter."

The man seemed to be a bit jealous at the level of Naruto's good fortune. He sighed and then reached into his robe. "Alright, I didn't finish what I was saying. You have the first and second boons. Now, I'll give the last boon…. Kid, I want you to remember something. If you aren't able to deliver my legacy back to Planet Tiger Cage, then even if I'm dead I will definitely curse you!" From within his body, he dragged out a glowing white globule.

The glow carried with it a faint, delicate fragrance. Naruto gaped when he saw it; the glow contained a diamond-shaped object.

"This is…."

"This is my legacy," he said with a whisper, "contained in a breath of my Immortal Chakra. This is what you must take to Planet Tiger Cage. Dissolve the Immortal Chakra, and you will be able to see the legacy. Only you! If you wish to study it, you may. Just get it to Planet Tiger Cage!

"To be honest, though, according to my calculations, it would be difficult for you to fully assimilate it within several hundred years." Looking pained, he took the white diamond and pushed it into Naruto's chest.

Naruto's body spasmed. The white diamond suddenly appeared amidst his ten Dao Pillars. The white glow emanated out, connecting with his Dao Pillars.

At the same time, a boundless roar filled his Cultivation base, exploding outward throughout his body. His ten Dao Pillars shook and radiated massive amounts of Violet Chakra, which then interlocked over the white diamond. Naruto's mind spun. He suddenly sensed a feeling that was similar to when he had consumed the Three Mortalities Pill in his attempt to reach Core Formation.

"I'm… approaching Core Formation!" Naruto said, panting.

The man's body began to fade, causing him to speak in a rush: "You've reached the critical point leading to Core Formation. Dissipate some of my Immortal Chakra, and it will help you to form your Core…. Look out for yourself. I'm placing all of my hope in you. Be careful of the Black Sieve Sect. Be careful of the ancient power which comes from the East in this planet. The Lord who controls that power has already reached the pinnacle of this planet.

"The uniqueness of your bloodline and my speculations regarding your past are contained in that breath of Immortal Chakra. Some years from now, after you completely dissolve my Immortal Chakra, you will be able to see. However, I can't guarantee that all of it will be true…." The world around them began to crack and break. "I'm gonna make one last bet by entering your planet's Rebirth Cave. According to my analysis, the mysteries within have something to do with the Dao Sea beneath the Ninth Mountain. Look out…. yourself…. mental realm is collapsing. When it… everyone inside will be teleported out…." The voice came and went in spurts, and then finally disappeared. An intense rumbling filled the area around Naruto, and then… everything collapsed.

He was once again surrounded by walls. However, this time, the walls were filled with fissures.

Cracking sounds filled the air. Naruto looked around and took a deep breath. Everything had happened too quickly just now. As he thought back to it, it seemed like a dream. And yet, the Dao Divinity Scripture was there in his mind, and within his body was the Immortal Chakra in the shape of a diamond. It was all real.

Furthermore, his ten Dao Pillars were rapidly beginning to melt, releasing an unprecedentedly dense Violet Chakra. The Chakra wrapped around the diamond, and was slowly beginning to take the shape of a Core.

Naruto knew that he was now entering Core Formation. The process would normally take a very long time; however, because of the assistance of the Immortal Chakra, the process would be sped up. Right now, he had reached a critical juncture!

It was at this exact moment that a boom filled the air. The sound came from a nearby wall, which suddenly exploded. A potent aura suddenly poured through.

"Finally found it," said a voice. "This is the place the Patriarch spoke of. That person's Immortal will is slumbering in this… eh?" The young man surnamed Hebi suddenly appeared, a look of surprise on his face. He wore a long, orange robe.

His eyes flickered as they fell upon Naruto. A mysterious light glowed therein. His expression suddenly turned grim. "Did you steal it?" he asked.

The Hebi youth's expression was one of unyielding pride, his words aloof and remote. He didn't seem to think Naruto was even worth looking at, and spoke to him as he might a servant.

Naruto frowned. However, he thought of the fearsomeness of the Clan, as well as the fear Kotetsu had shown. He thought about everything he had experienced, and all the stories regarding Hebi. Then, he immediately suppressed any feelings of displeasure he felt.

Now was not the appropriate time to attack; his Cultivation base had reached a critical juncture, the time when the important transformation would occur. Naruto knew that to attack now would affect the growth of his Cultivation base.

Furthermore, the Hebi youth's Cultivation base was at the peak of the early Core Formation stage, even higher than the orange-masked Cultivator from the Black Lands he had fought.

"Your excellency, I'm not quite sure what you mean," said Naruto, looking surprised. "I just arrived here myself, and haven't been able to find anything. Don't tell me there's some sort of treasure here?" The glow of greed shone in his eyes as he spoke.

The Hebi youth's eyes glittered as he glanced at Naruto, and an expression of utter disdain covering his face. He looked around, heart still filled with suspicion.

"This guy's Cultivation base is at the Foundation Establishment level," he thought. "No matter how weak the Immortal is, there's no way this guy could penetrate his Immortal Sense. Plus, he's slumbering. Even I couldn't forcibly break into the Immortal Sense, not even with the device given to me by the Patriarch. So, could it have been taken earlier by someone else?" Within the Hebi youth's mind appeared the image of the girl surnamed Namikaze. He glanced over at Naruto. "Did you encounter anyone on your way here? Whatever it is you saw, tell me immediately," he demanded. "If you leave out anything, I will wipe you and your Sect and Clan!" He made no attempt to cover over his disdain and superciliousness.

Naruto hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Someone else? Yes, I did see someone, actually, wearing a green robe. I couldn't really see clearly which Fellow Daoist… it was… This place…."

Before he could finish, the Hebi youth seemed to have made his mind up. He flicked his sleeve impatiently. "Screw off!" he said.

Naruto's eyes flickered with an imperceptible coldness. However, a cowardly look appeared on his face, and he immediately backed up, then turned to leave.

It was at this exact moment that suddenly, the wall next to him exploded outward, and a person in green emerged.

Along with this person came an incredibly potent aura, which immediately enveloped the entire area. Not only did it contain power, but also feeling of extreme conceit.

As the aura roiled out, the figure emerged slowly, a young woman. This was none other than the girl surnamed Namikaze, who was also from the Eastern Lands. As soon as she appeared, her eyes fell onto the Hebi youth.

Naruto was standing right next to her, but she completely ignored him. The arrogance which emanated from her was virtually palpable.

"Jirobo Hebi, give the Immortal's scripture to me!" said the young woman coolly. She was beautiful, and emanated icy arrogance.

When he saw the girl appear, Naruto's heart began to thump, and he backed up a few paces. Before he could get very far, the Hebi youth's eyes narrowed.

"Karin Namikaze, it turns out you took the Immortal's scripture, and still…." He only finished half of his thought when his heart suddenly trembled. He abruptly looked at Naruto, and as he did, he blinked his right eye seven times in rapid succession. Suddenly, two pupils could be seen within his eye. They seemed to possess some power of psychic sight! As he looked at Naruto, he immediately was able to see the white diamond in Naruto's dantian.

In addition to the diamond, there was a blurriness. Even the diamond by itself was enough to cause killing intent to spring out from the Hebi youth's eyes. However, just as soon as it appeared, it then vanished.

The speed with which all of this happened was such that if you blinked, you wouldn't be able to pick up even the slightest clue that something was happening.

"Preposterous!" said the Hebi youth with a cold laugh. Ignoring Naruto, he immediately shot toward Karin. As he neared, he waved his right hand, causing a field of stars to appeared behind him. Karin gave a cold snort and also advanced. She lifted her hand, forming a fist and punching out into the air. A huge boom resonated out in all directions.

Naruto immediately tumbled backward, then picked a random direction and sped off.

His face was grim. He could see that Jirobo Hebi had seen through him; he didn't point it out and immediately pursue Naruto because of the Namikaze girl. Instead of saying something, he planned to come after Naruto later, alone.

The walls continued to fill with cracks, although Naruto wasn't sure how long it would take until they completely crumbled. He slapped his bag of holding to retrieve the good luck charm. He pressed down on it, after which a frustrated look appeared on his face.

For the first time ever, the good luck charm was powerless to teleport him away.

"I can't place all of my hope on the collapse of this place…." thought Naruto. He knew full well that before the place fell to pieces, he had somewhat of a chance to flee. However, once the collapse was complete, if Jirobo came after him, he would be in a very bad position.

Jirobo's status, his place in the fearsome Hebi Clan, made it such that if he were killed, it would be equivalent to deliberately invoking monolithic disaster. Naruto wasn't sure if the Violet Fate Sect would even be able to fight back. The two powers weren't even on the same level.

His face grim, Naruto continued on for a bit less time than it takes half an incense stick to burn. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stopped, sitting down cross-legged on the ground. Ignoring the crumbling of the walls around him, he began to meditate, rotating his Cultivation base and pushing as fast as possible toward Core Formation.

"Regardless of anything, I will only be able to seize the initiative… after I reach Core Formation!" A bright glow appeared in his eyes. This was a moment of crisis, leaving him little time to think things through. He closed his eyes and spit out a mouthful of mist, which immediately crackled with lightning as it surrounded him. At the same time, a halo the color of blood emerged from Naruto, and a Blood Clone materialised and began to guard over him.

Naruto's ten Dao Pillars emitted a roaring sound that only he could hear. Massive amounts of Violet Chakra poured forth, causing the Dao Pillars to begin to melt and then merge together.

After the Dao Pillars fully melted he would be able to form his Core. Thanks to the Immortal Chakra, this process would happen much more quickly. Once Naruto reached Core Formation, he would set the record as the fastest person to do so since ancient times.

Time passed by. Naruto wasn't sure when Jirobo would come for him. However, it would happen quickly, he was sure of that. Jirobo had picked up on the clues. Once he shook off the young Namikaze woman, he would be coming for Naruto.

"Must go faster!" thought Naruto, circulating all the power within his Cultivation base. Suddenly, a shocking roar filled his mind. His tenth Dao Pillar was now melting.

As the Dao Pillar melted, vast quantities of Violet Chakra poured out, wrapping around and around the collection of violet mist which already existed around the Immortal Chakra. The globule of violet mist rotated rapidly, emitting countless strands of Violet Chakra throughout Naruto's body.

A brutally powerful aura appeared within Naruto; his physical body grew more powerful, his Spiritual Sense expanded, and most obviously, the Blood Clone and the Blood Death World he was within slowly began to grow stronger.

As the true self grew stronger, so did they!

Naruto wasn't satisfied, though. The speed was too slow. Veins bulged on his face as he pushed everything into rotating his Cultivation base. Amidst the roaring, his ninth Dao Pillar began to melt. More Violet Chakra poured out. The violet mist globule rotated even more rapidly; it was now showing signs of condensing into a Core.

Next, his eighth Dao Pillar, then his seventh. They melted one after another, filling him with rumbling booms. Boundless spiritual energy exploded out, causing the violet mist to roil at even greater speed. It sucked in Violet Chakra. As of this moment, Naruto's body was emitting a bright violet glow.

The globule of violet mist spun at high speed. All signs pointed to it forming into a Violet Core at any moment. Seeing this, Naruto quickly consumed a large amount of Three Mortalities Pills. It still wasn't enough. Naruto could clearly sense that he was… immeasurably close to Core Formation!

"Even faster!" thought Naruto with an inward growl. A thunderous noise could be heard as his sixth Dao Pillar, fifth Dao Pillar and fourth Dao Pill all melted. It was at this time that off in the distance, Naruto could hear a loud noise; someone was using a magical technique.

"It's not Jirobo…." thought Naruto. He was focused on rotating his Dao Pillars, but he had long since sent his Spiritual Sense out into the area. He immediately caught sight of a figure making its way toward him at high speed.

Naruto sighed inwardly and opened his eyes. Off in the distance was Kabuto, wearing a thoughtful smile.

Catching sight of Naruto, he gave a slight smile and said, "I was wondering who it was that Fellow Daoist Hebi wanted me to pursue and delay. So, it turns out it's Grandmaster Kazama." He slowly approached. As he neared, he suddenly stopped and gaped at Naruto. "Core Formation aura? You picked this moment to form your Core?" He laughed, his expression filled with a sneer.

"You really live up to your reputation, Grandmaster Kazama," he said. "Very audacious! However, you took something that belongs to Fellow Daoist Hebi. That's a no-no. The mere sight of you fills me with the desire to kill."

"Make a move against me and you'll cause a war between the Shimura Clan and the Violet Fate Sect," said Naruto coolly, his expression the same as ever. He was in a race against time; his Cultivation base was rotating rapidly, causing his remaining three Dao Pillars to begin to melt away.

"I would of course never attack you," said Kabuto with a hypocritical smile. "I'll just block your way, make sure you stay behind and don't leave. Your life does not belong to me, but rather, Fellow Daoist Hebi. The Clan Patriarchs will be more than happy to allow something like this to happen." He lifted his hand, extending it toward Naruto's forehead.

Naruto sighed. It seemed he would not be able to make his breakthrough at the moment. Killing intent glittered in his eyes, and he was just about to make a move, when suddenly, his face flickered.

At the same time, Kabuto's face also changed. He spun, and then dodged to the side.

Just as he did, a clear, melodious snort rang out, filling the air. A band of white light flashed through the spot where Kabuto had just stood, then shot after him.

Next, a prismatic beam shot toward them, coming to a stop next to Naruto.

There, wearing a white robe, facial expression icy cold, was Hinata.

She glared at Kabuto.

"Make your breakthrough," she said calmly to Naruto. "I'll take care of him." Her voice was cold, but as her words made their way into Naruto's heart, they transformed into gentle warmth.

"Hinata!" Kabuto's eyes glowed brightly. He was not unfamiliar with Hinata; back in the western region of the Southern Domain, he had fought against her.

During that fight, he had suffered a great defeat!

Later, he was able to make a breakthrough and enter the Core Formation stage, but the loss that day had been extremely irritating. Seeing Hinata again now caused his eyes to fill with coldness. Killing intent flickered inside of him, and he lifted his hand. Power of Core Formation emanated out.

Hinata's expression never changed from being cold. Her eyes glittered as a white colored Chakra emanated out from her body, transforming into threads which shot toward Kabuto.

A boom echoed out immediately. Naruto's eyes were closed, and he was completely focused on rotating his Cultivation base. His third Dao Pillar began to melt, sending Violet Chakra surging through his body, permeating it. Naruto's entire body was now violet-colored.

Hinata and Kabuto were locked in a magical battle. Hinata obviously had the upper hand; in reality, in terms of Cultivation base, she had fused with Matriarch Phoenix, making it impossible for Kabuto to even compare to her. She was essentially at the level of a Sect Patriarch.

However, even if Hinata actively attempted to meld, she would be unable to do so in a short period of time. Currently, she was only able to wield about one percent of the full power. Even that small amount still placed her above Kabuto.

No matter what methods Kabuto employed as they fought, Hinata's expression was the same as ever. Were she able to leave Naruto's side, to pursue Kabuto and use all the magical techniques she possessed, then she would easily be able to defeat him.

However, she didn't want to take such a risk. She was worried that if she fully engaged in the battle, Kabuto would use some trick or another to affect Naruto's Cultivation base.

As the two of them fought, Naruto's second Dao Pillar began to melt, and after it disappeared, the first. In the space of ten breaths, the Flying Rain-Dragon Core was visible in his Core Sea. It immediately moved into the violet mist.

The Demonic Core was already small; after merging into the violet mist, the mist globule began to rotate even faster. It was very obviously congealing into a Core at this point.

It was at this very moment that Jirobo appeared off in the distance, flying in their general direction at high speed. His eyes were actually closed, as if he were following the trail of an aura.

His face was pale; obviously he had been injured while battling with the young Namikaze woman. Having shaken her off, here he was now, an intense light glittering underneath his eyelids.

"I'm not sure how that lowbrow Cultivator managed to pierce the Immortal Sense and acquire the Immortal Chakra that the Patriarch talked about. Well, it doesn't matter. With his Cultivation base, he won't be able to absorb it very quickly. As long as I'm able to kill him, then I can take the Immortal Chakra and absorb it myself. Once I do, then I'll definitely be able to be promoted out of the Quasi-Array. Then I can be a true member of the Clan Array!" As he reached this point in his train of thought, he opened his eyes. They gleamed with intense anticipation.

He suddenly turned his head and looked toward Naruto. "Found you!" he said, flying directly toward him.

As for Naruto, cracking sounds could be heard within his body. The violet mist globule within his Core Sea was shrinking. As it did, it began to grow more solid; it emanated a brilliant violet light as a thick exterior began to form.

Once it was completely solid, the Violet Core formed, then Naruto's Cultivation base would rocket up. He would leave Foundation Establishment and enter Core Formation, and the ranks of the truly powerful experts!

Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent…. The rotation of the violet mist globule inside of him began to slow, and looked more and more solid. It was shrinking also; all that remained was about the size of a fist.

It didn't take long before the Violet Core truly began to emerge. As of now, Naruto could feel a throbbing power pulsing through him; far, far greater than anything he had felt before.

This was not a normal Violet Core, but one formed from the ten Dao Pillars of a Perfect Foundation. The moment it appeared, it became the most powerful Violet Core ever seen in the tens of thousands of years that made up the history of the Violet Fate Sect.

This level of power was unheard of. Furthermore, after merging with the Demonic Core of the Flying Rain-Dragon, the Violet Core was even more brutally powerful.

No one in the Violet Fate Sect had even come close to touching such a level of power; even Reverend Violet East, when he was in the Core Formation Stage, had never reached this astonishing level.

In addition to all that… Naruto's Violet Core was formed with the assistance of the breath of Immortal Chakra. This Core… was something that had never been seen in the Violet Fate Sect, the Southern Domain, the Western Desert, the Northern Reaches or the Eastern Lands!

Forty percent, fifty percent, sixty percent…. Naruto could sense the aura of the violet mist within him growing stronger. His heart began to beat faster, his body grew stronger, the range of the Spiritual Sense grew greater. He could sense all these constant changes.

It was at this moment that Naruto suddenly caught sight of Jirobo with his Spiritual Sense. He approached rapidly; in one breath, he was far off in the distance, a moment later he was upon Naruto and the others.

At the same time that Jirobo appeared, a boom filled the air. Kabuto coughed up some blood as he staggered back several paces to stand next to Jirobo. He glared at Hinata, his eyes full of murder.

Hinata's face was a bit pale, but her expression was cold as she stared at Jirobo.

"Excellent job, Kabuto," said Jirobo coolly. "I will notify my Clan regarding this matter, and tell them that your Shimura Clan performed a meritorious deed."

"Please don't be so polite, young master Hebi. It is my honor to be able to assist the Hebi Clan. Young master Hebi, please allow me to take this woman away. She has attacked me twice so far, and today I plan to help her understand what it means to live a life worse than death!" A vile, licentious look shone in his eyes. He liked cold women like this.

"Do as you wish," replied Jirobo coolly. He glanced at Hinata, then looked at Naruto, who was still sitting there cross-legged, meditating.

Looking at his Cultivation base, and seeing that he was forming his Core, caused a look of derision to appear in his eyes.

"If Karin Namikaze hadn't appeared, I might have been fooled by you. Since you have the Immortal Chakra in your body, then I have no choice but to slay you and refine it out of your corpse." With that, he took a step forward. A massive power emerged from his body. An image appeared behind him, that of mountains and rivers and a great land. It was a strange scene; it made it seem as if he were an emperor, and that the land he stepped on was part of his empire.

As he proceeded forward, the violet mist within Naruto reached eighty percent completion, and headed toward ninety percent. The powerful aura within him didn't emanate out from him at all. Instead, it surged throughout his body, filling him.

Hinata set her gaze, and then stepped in front of Naruto to block Jirobo's way.

"You overestimate yourself!" said Jirobo with a cold snort. He took another step, and the massive image behind him of the mountains and rivers suddenly expanded, exerting pressure down into Hinata.

This was the manifestation of Jirobo's Core Chakra. The mountains and rivers made him seem like an emperor exuding a royal aura. Hinata's face went pale under the pressure; her eyes suddenly shined with a blackness that completely covered over the whites of her eyes. Anyone who looked at her eyes now would see only dark emptiness.

Suddenly, the aura emanating from her body was no longer white, but black. Strands of blackness emerged, transforming into a host of vicious, demonic faces. The faces congealed together above her face to form into… a black phoenix!

It immediately charged directly toward the royal will embodied by the mountains and rivers.

Jirobo's eyes narrowed, shocked by what had just happened. A boom rattled out, and blood sprayed from Hinata's mouth. She staggered backward, then grabbed Naruto. It was the same way she had grabbed him all those years ago when she took him from Mount Myoboku. Holding him at her side, she shot off into the distance.

Her face was pale, and blood seeped from the corners of her mouth. Just now, she had used the power of Matriarch Phoenix, a power which did not fully belong to her; as a result, she had significantly injured herself.

She was willing to take the risk, but in truth, she could not employ too much of the power, only a bit of it.

At the same time as she sped away with Naruto, Jirobo, his face pale white, looked down and pulled a damaged jade pendant out from near his chest.

His face was unsightly, his eyes filled with killing intent as well as astonishment.

"Just now, she erupted with power similar to that of a Nascent Soul Cultivation base. She even crushed my life-saving jade…. This girl's aura… is interesting. It must be the power of a discarnate soul. Now I just have to see which discarnate soul of the Southern Domain dares to take shape before me, Jirobo of the Hebi Clan. Who is it exactly that dares to attack me!?" A cruel smile twisted his face as he shot forward in pursuit.

Kabuto followed him, sighing inwardly. Now he knew that Hinata hadn't been using her full power during their fight. If she had, he would without a doubt be dead already.

"Obviously, she didn't use her full power when she attacked just now. That would cost her too much…."

Naruto couldn't physically see what was happening, but because of his Spiritual Sense, he was aware of all the changes in the situation. In fact, things were even clearer than if he had seen it with the naked eye. He saw Hinata's blood, saw her risking her life.

He felt a stab of pain in his heart, and waves of anger surged up in his heart. By the time she coughed up blood for the third time, the violet mist inside of Naruto was ninety percent complete and closing in on one hundred percent.

"Elder Sister," he said, opening his eyes. "Put me down, okay?"

Hinata didn't say anything. She ignored him, speeding forward as quickly as possible.

He looked at her, warmth filling his eyes.

Suddenly, a whistling sound could be heard as Jirobo appeared, flying through the air. By now, the walls in the area were more than half crumbled to pieces. It wouldn't be long before they completely disintegrated.

When Jirobo appeared, a look of determination appeared in Hinata's eyes. She waved her left hand, and her body trembled as massive amounts of black aura shot out, forming into the shape of a black phoenix, filled with countless discarnate souls. Shrill screams filled the air as it shot toward Jirobo.

"Are you blind?!" said Jirobo with a cold snort. "Do you really dare to offend the bloodline of the Hebi Clan?!" He continued forward without hesitation.

By the time the words left Jirobo's mouth, the phoenix, formed from the black aura as well as countless discarnate souls, was around twenty to twenty five meters away from him. Suddenly, it began to tremble.

The previously vicious faces of the discarnate souls were suddenly filled with dread and shock, as if they had suddenly encountered something they found terrifying.

The black phoenix emitted a shrill scream, as if it didn't want to proceed any further forward. It lowered its head, almost like it was bowing to Jirobo.

The expression on Hinata's face immediately changed. She began to tremble, and her eyes filled with disbelief. How could she possibly have predicted that the discarnate souls of the Black Sieve Sect, who were as powerful as the sun at high noon, would prostrate before a Core Formation Cultivator?

"Your bloodline…." Her heart thumped as she suddenly considered the words Jirobo had just spoken.

Jirobo gave a cold harumph, and once again spoke: "Trifling discarnate souls! In front of the bloodline of the Hebi Clan, they don't even count as wild dogs. They're nothing but insects. When they died, they died under the Heavens of the Hebi Clan!" His words were cool, his countenance proud. He never stopped moving forward; as he did, the discarnate souls shrieked. They retreated backward, prostrating, their faces filled with looks of entreaty.

The black phoenix trembled violently as Jirobo approached, and suddenly, a face appeared on its surface.

It was the face of a woman. This was not Hinata's face, but rather the sealed Matriarch Phoenix!

Her eyes were closed, and her expression was one of terror, and even more so, imploring. She wanted to offer an explanation, but it seemed she had lost her power to speak or even open her eyes. Slowly, a bright red sealing mark appeared on her face.

When Jirobo saw the face, he blinked seven times. A bizarre light shone out as he studied her. A strange expression appeared on his face, and then he laughed.

"Interesting," he said, with a meaningful smile. "I've heard of discarnate souls possessing people, but I've never heard of a host taking control of the discarnate soul." He looked at Kabuto. "What is her name and Sect?"

"Black Sieve Sect, Hinata!" replied Kabuto immediately.

"Hinata. Interesting," he said, a wicked smile on his face. "I'm not sure how you did it. You fooled the Black Sieve Sect, as well as the other discarnate souls. You've fooled everyone into thinking that you are the discarnate soul. Tell me, if word of this gets out, what would happen to you?" He proceeded forward, laughing loudly. He waved his right hand, and all the discarnate souls retreated, even the black phoenix. Trembling, they didn't dare to proceed any further forward.

They weren't necessarily afraid of the young man in particular, but rather the fearsome bloodline of the Hebi Clan inside of him!

Hinata's face changed even more, becoming even paler. She well knew that if word spread, she wouldn't be able to flee far enough. She would be dead without doubt. It wouldn't just be the Black Sieve Sect that was chasing her, but all the fearsome discarnate souls.

Whether it be the Cultivators who lived on the surface of the Black Sieve Sect, or the discarnate souls beneath, not a single one would let her go free. There would be nowhere to flee to in the entire Southern Domain. All of her resources in the Sect would be purged. No shelter would be found anywhere in the Southern Domain. Besides, even if she fled, she couldn't physically stay away for very long. The process of fusing with Matriarch Phoenix could only happen within the Black Sieve Sect.

It was only there that she could continue the process. Until Matriarch Phoenix was completely swallowed up, if she stayed away from the Sect for too long at one time, then her Cultivation base would begin to deteriorate. This matter had suddenly turned into a great disaster for her.

Seeing Hinata's change of expression caused Jirobo to laugh. His eyes filled with derision; he loved seeing people like this. It gave him a feeling of power, as if he were a great lord. "And then there's this seal…." he said. "It's very interesting. It can help you control the discarnate soul. I think the Sect Patriarchs will be very interested in this." He laughed as he approached, his face filled with derision, as if everything was under his control.

Hinata's face was pale. Having temporarily lost control of the discarnate souls, and without the power of Matriarch Phoenix, she was just an ordinary Cultivator. Even the power of Core Formation could only be wielded by her with difficulty.

Furthermore, she couldn't retreat. She suddenly felt a binding around her, holding her in place as if she were being sealed. She couldn't move even an inch.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you," said Jirobo. He neared lifting his hand toward Naruto to grab him.

Even as his hand closed in, Naruto's eyes snapped open. A frightening power surged out from his Cultivation base. It ripped through the area like an invisible cyclone, causing Jirobo's face to twist. He retreated backward immediately, nearly thirty meters. His face was dark, and his pupils had constricted.

Next to him, Kabuto's expression was one of astonishment, disbelief and alarm. Body trembling, he stared at Naruto's figure within the cyclone, and a look of venom and shock filled his eyes. He suddenly said, "You're… you're… you're not Kazama! You're Naruto!" His voice was shrill, and his breath came in pants. How could he ever have imagined that the person he had searched in vain for throughout all these years, was actually right in front of him!

As the words left his mouth, thunderous roars filled the air, and the violent winds surged outward. Naruto's figure seemed to surge upward. He was the nucleus of the cyclone; the terrifying winds were coming out from his body.

Naruto's face suddenly changed. No longer was it Kazama's, but rather, his own face, his original face. An intensely terrifying aura suddenly shot up from within him.

Kabuto's face went pale. His mind was reeling; he just couldn't believe what was happening. However, how could he not understand that Kazama was Naruto, and Naruto was Kazama!

"Violet Fate Sect Legacy Apprentice, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, Kazama, Naruto…." He retreated backward, thinking about the pain he had experienced when he lost his arm. It had been restored, but the enmity created in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament was something he considered to be the greatest humiliation in his entire life.

Surrounding by a violet glow, a profound look filled Naruto's eyes. Other than him, no one could know the reason for why he had just switched to his original appearance….

His eyes glowed with coldness. Within him was a Violet Core, about the size of a child's fist. It rested in the position once occupied by his Core Sea, floating there, rotating. Every time it spun in a full circle, vast quantities of violet-colored strands surged out like lightning to every corner of his body.

The violet-colored strands flickered as they surged through his Chakra passageways, filled with a boundless Cultivation base power that far exceeded Foundation Establishment. This was Core Formation Chakra, from a Core Formation Cultivation base!

In fact, this Core Formation Chakra was not the type of Chakra that would be emitted by a Cultivation base that had just entered the Core Formation stage. This was the explosive power of the pinnacle of the early Core Formation stage.

The violet wind screamed as it spun throughout the area. Even Naruto's long hair was now violet as it whipped around his head. Next to him, Hinata sighed; it seemed she had thought of something. Her face changed, and she was about to speak when Naruto suddenly interrupted.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," he said, his voice light. He turned, his eyes glowing with a violet light as he looked at Jirobo.

Jirobo's expession was the same as usual. "Kazama? Naruto? It seems you have quite a few identities. Considering how quickly you entered Core Formation, it also seems that the breath of Immortal Chakra really is incredibly valuable. That makes me happy." He smiled, lifting up his arm and then flicking his sleeve. Suddenly, a field of stars appeared behind him.

The starfield was large, filling the air. It rushed toward Naruto, exerting a suppressive force. It was clear that this field of stars was that which shined above the Southern Domain, including the Western Desert and the Eastern Lands. It was vast and mighty.

As it approached, it enveloped everything, making it impossible for anyone to avoid it.

Naruto lifted his head, his expression a bit blank. He was silent, almost as if he didn't notice the starfield approaching him. As it descended, the blankness on his face disappeared, replaced instead with determination.

As of now, a decision had been made!

He lifted his hand, forming a fist. A red glow suddenly shot out; this was the Blood Death World. It slammed into the starfield.

An explosion filled the air, and Naruto tumbled backward like a kite with its string cut.

"Fool! You…." said Jirobo with a cold laugh, his voice filled with contempt. However, before he could finish speaking, Naruto's tumbling body suddenly changed direction. It was with indescribable speed, before anyone could react, that he suddenly appeared directly in front of Kabuto. Kabuto had been on guard the entire time, but he was still incapable of evading.

Actually, Naruto's initial goal this entire time had been Kabuto. After all, he would be the easiest to exterminate, no matter how prepared he was.

Kabuto's pupils constricted; he was about to shoot backward when Naruto lifted his right hand and pushed it down onto Kabuto's forehead. A boom filled the air, and an exterminating power poured into Kabuto's body, filling him, crushing him, mangling him. He was dead instantly.

"Did you pay attention to the face of the person who killed you?" he asked softly, looking at Kabuto's bloody corpse. He turned to look at Jirobo.

Naruto sighed, then slapped his bag of holding to retrieve his East Pill Division identification medallion. He looked down at it for a long moment, his eyes filled with a complicated, disconsolate look. Finally, determination filled his eyes and he… crushed it.

The instant he crushed the medallion, his Violet Furnace Lord's robe began to disintegrate. A green robe now covered his body.

As of this moment, he was no longer Kazama, Legacy Apprentice of the East Pill Division. Now… he was Naruto from Mount Myoboku in the Five Elements Nation!

The instant Naruto crushed the Violet Furnace Lord medallion, the moment his Violet Furnace Lord robe began to fade away, something happened in the State of Eastern Emergence, Violet Fate Sect, East Pill Division, on Grandmaster Pill Demon's low mountain.

In one particular building were three racks of jade slips.

On the third rack were nine jade slips. Upon each slip was written a name, and if you looked closely, you would see that they belonged to the nine great Furnace Lords, Kotetsu, Teuchi, and the others. These were all of Pill Demon's novitiates.

There was only one jade slip on the second rack. This one belonged to Sakura, his Personal Apprentice.

The first rack also contained one jade slip, upon which was written two characters. Kazama!

His position was the highest. Legacy Apprentice. This jade slip represented the importance of Naruto's place in the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect. Suddenly, Kazama's jade slip began to tremble. Cracking sounds rang out, and fissures sprang out from the middle of the slip. In an instant… it exploded, transforming into flying ash.

The moment the jade slip collapsed, white-robed Pill Demon was sitting cross-legged on the mountain's peak, looking off into the distance. A tremor ran through his body. He turned his head, looking down into the room with the jade slips. He held his gaze for a long time. His ancient face suddenly seemed to grow older; more wrinkles appeared.

Meanwhile, in the center of the Southern Domain, in the middle of the territory of the Shimura Clan, was a location that appeared to be just like the dwelling place of Immortals. Suddenly, a roar filled the air. Along with the roar appeared a figure bristling with rage.

As the figure charged out, seven or eight others appeared behind him. The man held a shattered jade slip in his hand. It emitted a bright glow, in the middle of which was a face… it was none other than that of Naruto!

This was the reflection stored in Kabuto's pupils the moment before he died. Naruto's face.

"Daoyi!" howled the old man, lifting his head to the sky and letting out a howl. A Dao Child of the Clan had been slain. Such a thing was said to have occurred to the Uchiha Clan years ago, but it turned out to only be a rumor. Even still, it had shocked the Southern Domain. Now, it really had happened to the Shimura Clan. This time, it was no falsehood; this Dao Child really had met his death.

"I don't care who you are," the old man raged, "you killed a Dao Child of my Shimura Clan! No matter which Sect you belong to, you shall die!" He and the eight figures shot off into the distance. Behind them, even more Cultivators of the Shimura Clan followed, dozens. They transformed into prismatic beams of light that shot toward the Rebirth Cave at such speed it seemed possible they would tear a hole into the sky.

At the same time, in the Uchiha Clan of the Southern Domain, deep within that endless chain of mountains, was the lava cave of the tenth Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan. Suddenly, the lid of his coffin shattered into pieces, and the tenth Uchiha Clan Patriarch slowly rose to his feet.

He walked into the lava, and as he did, it slowly cooled and grew dark, as did the cave.

"As one of the legendary Uchiha Clan Patriarchs once said, all living things sow Karma. Therefore, Karma must be reaped. With life, comes death…. Today, I will help you. Yes, it's sowing Karma, but in the future, I will consume you, and that is the reaping of Karma that you must pay. Today, you will not die. However, that merely indicates that in the future, you will belong completely to me." The tenth Uchiha Clan Patriarch laughed hoarsely as a red glow surrounded his body.

"I haven't been out in so long…." he muttered lightly, then disappeared.

—

Near the Rebirth Cave, within the mental realm of the Immortal's corpse, in the depths of the maze, Naruto stood next to Kabuto's corpse, breathing heavily.

From the moment he had revealed his true features, Naruto had been in constant deep thought. Kabuto had to die. The instant Naruto had heard Jirobo's words, Kabuto's fate had been sealed; he must be killed!

Only dead men can truly keep secrets.

Hinata had her secret, as did Naruto. Were word to get out, Hinata would face unspeakable danger to her life…. In fact, her death would be certain.

Therefore, Kabuto had to die!

However, there was a polar difference between dying beneath Kazama's hand, and dying beneath Naruto's.

Naruto was no longer the ignorant youth he had been when he first entered the Cultivation world. In his years practicing cultivation in the Violet Fate Sect, his understanding of things had grown exponentially. How could he not understand that the death of a Dao Child of any Sect would instantly be made known to that Sect?

Furthermore, they had techniques to be able to reveal the appearance and aura of whoever did the slaying. Even determining the exact location where it had happened would not be difficult. It might be possible for the meat jelly to help him cover up the truth from the Shimura Clan. However… Naruto wasn't confident enough to take that risk.

Naruto was well aware of the situations, and the ramifications…. Therefore, he could not kill Kabuto while wearing the face of Kazama.

As such… he had no choice but to discard that identity.

As for Jirobo, Quasi-Array member of the number one Clan in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, well, if he died, Naruto could only imagine what the reaction of the Hebi Clan would be. Any powerful and fearsome Clan would take serious action to handle the slaying of one of their Clan members. That was a necessary reaction to maintain the dignity and power of the Clan.

Killing Jirobo would be like killing the prince of an Empire. An Empire might have many princes, but such a thing would provoke severe catastrophe and endless problems.

The Violet Fate Sect would really have no way to fight back against the Hebi Clan. Based on Kotetsu's description, and Naruto's personal understanding, although the Violet Fate Sect was a great Clan in the Southern Domain, compared to the Hebi Clan, it was like… a tiny mayfly.

If a Violet Fate Sect disciple killed a member of the Hebi Clan, that death wouldn't just involve whichever trifling disciple did the killing. Most likely, the entire Sect would collapse because of it.

As Naruto's fingers crushed down onto his Violet Furnace Lord medallion, what he was thinking about was his Master. He also thought about the other Violet Furnace Lords. He thought about the green mountains and clear blue waters of the East Pill Division. He thought about all his experiences through the years there.

Despite all that… Jirobo had to die!

If he didn't, Hinata would be in incredible danger. Furthermore, if the Hebi Clan knew of the existence of a Demon Sealer, well… the mere thought of it caused Naruto's scalp to prickle with danger.

Therefore, Jirobo was doomed to perish. Only his death could ensure Hinata's safety, and allow her to stay in the Black Sieve Sect and completely fuse with Matriarch Phoenix, without anyone suspecting her.

And so, Naruto crushed the Violet Furnace Lord medallion. It represented him casting off all ties with the Violet Fate Sect; he had nothing to do with them now. He was Naruto. Kazama was merely an alias. Once that information was revealed, the Violet Fate Sect would be able to offer a clear explanation.

Most importantly, destroying the medallion indicated that he was forsaking the Sect. It might even offer implication that Kazama was dead.

The only frustrating factor was that when he left this place, the Shimura Clan would be after his head. There would be nowhere in the vast Southern Domain where he could hide. He would be forced to leave, to truly disappear from the Southern Domain.

Furthermore, before disappearing, he must prepare for what would surely be a vast series of storm-like upheavals.

All of this had been rushing through his mind the moment Hinata's identity was revealed to Jirobo. Despite Naruto's breakthrough in Cultivation base, he was still hesitant at first. In the end, though, he was filled with resolve.

"Master," he thought, slowly looking off in the direction of the Violet Fate Sect. "I've been unfilial…. Please view Kazama as… dead!" His eyes flashed as he looked back at Jirobo. For the first time, they flickered with killing intent. It takes some time to analyze all of the thoughts that went through Naruto's head, but in actuality, they flashed through his head in an instant. As they did, they transformed into intense killing intent.

This killing intent caused Jirobo's mind to tremble. This was the first time he had ever seen someone staring at him in such a way. In the past, it didn't matter where he went or which enemy he fought, people would attack him, but never with the desire to exterminate him.

That was because his surname was Hebi. The bloodline of the Hebi Clan pumped through his veins. In the Southern Domain, in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, few people would ever dare to provoke the Hebi Clan!

"You want to kill me? Do you dare?!" His eyes glittered coldly as he lifted his right hand and performed an incantation gesture. Immediately Core Chakra blossomed above his head. Again, the starfield appeared. This time, there were clearly far more blinking stars than there had been before. They covered everything above them, filling the area, then rushing down toward Naruto.

As the bright starlight descended upon him, Naruto's killing intent continued to flicker just as before. The stars approached, and he lifted his right hand, striking forward. As he did, his blood-covered fingers caused everything to shake. Suddenly, a massive blood-colored palm appeared beneath him.

The bloody palm grew larger, expanding; next the Blood Death World came to being, within which Naruto's Blood Clones could be seen. They faced the incoming starlight and starfield, and immediately moved to defend against it.

The Blood Palm shot upward like the hand of a giant, slamming into the starfield.

A boom filled the air. Naruto's entire body trembled, and blood oozed from his mouth. The starfield began to collapse, and the starlight dissipated. However, Naruto's Blood Death World also began to disintegrate.

At the moment, Naruto hadn't yet cultivated Core Chakra. Right now, he was now facing up against a Cultivator who had; however, Naruto was vastly different than the last time he had done so, against the orange-masked Black Lands Cultivator. He would not flee; no, he was much more evenly matched now.

Jirobo's expression changed; blood sprayed from his mouth and he staggered backward. A fierce expression washed over his face, and he waved his right hand out.

"Other than that damned crazy lunatic from the Namikaze Clan, you're the first person to ever injure me! Damn you! Dungeon of Heaven; Incarnate Prison!" As he cried out, his hand flashed an incantation gesture and then waved toward the air above Naruto. Immediately, a blue glow appeared, spreading out to cover everything. It transformed into… a blue sky complete with white clouds, its own Heaven.

Even stranger, this sky covered Naruto only; everywhere else looked just as it had before.

"Let ring the Bell of the East. Nine exterminations; use the will of the Heavens to destroy the body; use the gaze of the firmament to punish the spirit; use the bloodline of the Hebi Clan to punish this person with Heavenly Tribulation!" Veins of blood filled Jirobo's eyes. He lowered his finger, and the blue swath of Heaven above Naruto filled with roiling black clouds. Thunder crackled, and even more shockingly, it seemed lightning would soon fall.

"You want to kill me? You're not qualified!" Jirobo slapped his bag of holding, and a silver bell appeared in his hand. Immediately, a clear ring sounded out.

"Use the bloodline of the Hebi Clan and the guidance of the Bell of the East to call forth the judgement of the will of the Heavens against this Naruto! DIE!" His face distorted with rage as he let out a roar.

As Jirobo's words resonated out, the sky above Naruto's head began to crackle with lightning. A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm shot down with incredible speed, heading directly toward Naruto.

The Violet Core within him rotated rapidly, bursting forth with boundless Cultivation base power. As it surrounded Naruto, his right hand shot upward. Massive amounts of Violet Chakra appeared above him, transforming into a curved shield.

A boom filled the air as the lightning slammed into the shield, causing it to shatter to pieces. Immediately following, a third, fourth, fifth lightning shield… a seemingly endless numbers of shields popped into place to resist the lightning. Soon the lightning bolt was as thin as a finger. Naruto then spit something out of his mouth, and the lightning mist appeared. It immediately swallowed up the lightning.

"Time to finish things!" said Jirobo with a cold laugh. He waved the bell again, causing a chiming sound to ring out. Immediately, within the black clouds in the sky above Naruto, three lightning bolts intertwined with each other, seemingly on the verge of exploding down.

A gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes. He had already reached a good estimation of his true battle power; he had no Core Chakra, but he was definitely capable of fighting someone at the peak of the early Core Formation stage who did.

However, he would not be able to secure victory; he would only be able to match blows. Naruto would have had the upper hand if he was fighting anyone other than Jirobo, who possessed the bloodline of the Hebi Clan.

If he were at this moment to once again encounter the orange-masked Black Lands Cultivator, defeating him would be a simple matter.

Realization flickered within him. "Were I to cultivate Core Chakra," he thought, "or acquire a Perfect Core… then exterminating the early Core Formation stage would be as simple as turning over my hand!"

He calmly looked at Jirobo and said, "You're right. It's time to finish things." He slapped his bag of holding, and the blood-colored mask appeared in his hand.

The mask of the Blood Immortal Legacy. The minimum criteria to wear this mask was to have Cultivation base at the Core Formation stage.

Above Naruto, the three lightning bolts were condensing, preparing to descend upon him. Naruto slid the mask onto his face. As soon as it touched his skin, a tremor ran through his body.

He instantly felt indescribable pain on his face, as if the mask were adhering permanently to his skin. At the same time, everything in his field of vision began to turn blood red.

An evil viciousness suddenly appeared in his mind, replacing his intellect. A billowing killing intent shot up, as if he had been bedeviled.

One word echoed in his mind: "Kill…. Kill…. Kill…." It seemed as if it were being spoken by an innumerable host of people, some men, some women, some old, some young. There even seemed to be the voices of animals and plants. It was if all living things were speaking that one word directly into his ears.

The world in front of him grew even more deeply crimson; within the space of a single breath, everything was completely red!

Within this world of redness, he felt his Cultivation base suddenly explode; he was still of the early Core Formation stage, but in this instant, he was able to form a crimson Core Chakra!

The Core Chakra was incredibly dense as it appeared above Naruto's head. If you studied it closely, you would be able to see that this Core Chakra did not belong to Naruto, but rather to the Blood Immortal Legacy mask!

With the mask on his face, Naruto looked utterly bizarre. There was even a sinister demonic aura about him. Jirobo looked at the mask; there were no facial features on it, only two eye holes, where Naruto's bright red eyes could be seen!

The redness of his eyes was the same color as the Core Chakra hovering above him.

His green robe was now stained with redness; it fluttered about him, making him look like some sort of Blood Devil!

"What magical item is this?" said Jirobo, his expression flickering. An intense feeling of danger appeared inside him as soon as Naruto donned the mask. He actually had not experienced many things in life, so this feeling caused his entire body to tremble. Without thinking, he rang the bell in his hand once more. Above Naruto, the three lightning bolts shot down.

Naruto laughed. The smile produced by his laugh was obscured by the mask, but the laughter itself was grating. He began to raise his right hand up toward the three incoming lightning bolts. His hand clenched into a fist, and as he did, the crimson Core Chakra above him transformed into a massive fist. A rumbling roar filled the air as it shot toward the three lightning bolts.

The resulting boom shook heaven and earth. The three lightning bolts collapsed into pieces. The sky above even trembled.

Jirobo's face fell, and his eyes were filled with veins of blood. The bell in his hand suddenly rang, and he coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. His expression grew fierce, and let out a shrill howl. "Let the will of the Heavens descend! Trial by Tribulation!"

As his words rang out, the clouds in the sky above Naruto suddenly redoubled, layer after layer. Within the thick blackness, nine lightning bolts appeared, seemingly congealing the will of the Heavens as they prepared to strike.

An aura which seemed powerful enough to destroy all living things suddenly spread out. A look of consternation appeared on the face of Hinata, who stood off in the distance.

It was at this exact moment, however, that Naruto spoke.

His voice was hoarse, and bizarrely mesmerizing.

"Without a face…." Naruto only spoke three words of the Blood Immortal Legacy's divine ability. Without a face, a single word, the flames of war unify; Sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that cover the sky; Capture the gods, advance the troops, fire consumes the towers; Forge all spirits and bloodlines into the 9 killing powers!

These words actually contained nine Blood Immortal divine abilities; only by wearing the mask could they be utilized. Right now, a shocking magical technique of the Ancient Doom Clan, not seen for tens of thousands of years, suddenly appeared in Naruto's outstretched hand.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the massive amounts of Core Chakra above his head suddenly began to spread out, transforming into a massive face. The face had no features whatsoever, except for two eyes; it was nothing but a sea of red!

The left eye was also completely red; shockingly, though, within the position of the right… was Naruto!

As soon as the massive face appeared, it shot toward the nine descending lightning bolts.

Everything shook; even though this place was not real, it could still be rocked by frantic insanity. The nine lightning bolts immediately shattered into pieces. The black clouds in the sky began to disintegrate, and as the face collided with the spirit-punishing Heaven, it too thoroughly collapsed.

This magic of facelessness transformed into a gigantic face, with an abstruse left eye and Naruto in the right, with no other features. It caused Jirobo's scalp to go numb, and filled him with the intense sensation of death that inundated his body.

"You…." Jirobo was about to continue speaking, but his words caught in his throat. This was because at this moment, the magic of facelessness, transformed into the enormous face, suddenly appeared directly in front of him. Naruto, standing in the position of the right eye, lifted his hand up and seized Jirobo's neck.

His grip cut off Jirobo's words, causing the young man's expression to twist. He wanted to struggle, but he suddenly found that his Cultivation base was suppressed; he had no way to fight back.

His eyes filled with terror and intense dread; he could sense Naruto's killing intent. Its ferocity was without equal, and yet… he just couldn't believe that in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, someone would dare to slay someone of the bloodline of the Hebi Clan.

This concept was deeply rooted in his heart. It was something that had existed within him since he was very small. At the moment, he was in a crisis, but his fear quickly disappeared, only to be replaced with grimness. He glared at Naruto, and a snide smile appeared on his face.

He couldn't speak, but his eyes spoke the words: "Do you dare to kill me?" The message was immediately transmitted into Naruto's heart.

He did not beg for mercy, nor did he speak any ingratiating words. In this moment of life and death, he could not forget about the dignity and nobility of the bloodline of the Hebi Clan. He lifted his chin and stared coldly at Naruto.

Naruto was quiet for a moment, then hoarsely said, "I really… don't want to kill you…." The redness in his eyes began to fade, replaced instead with that which was Naruto.

Hearing this, a cold smile twisted Jirobo's lips. Suddenly, Naruto's right hand tightened. A popping sound could be heard, and Jirobo's eyes went wide. His neck was smashed into nothing; the power of the Blood Immortal which coursed through Naruto's hand, suddenly poured into Jirobo's body. He trembled, and his body immediately began to wither. All the blood in his body congealed into his forehead; a mark of blood appeared, congealing into a collection of the bloodline of the Hebi Clan, which suddenly flew out into the air!

The blood merged into the forehead of the mask that Naruto wore. The mask rippled, as if it were excited. Naruto loosened his grip, dropping Jirobo's remains.

He closed his eyes, then lifted his right hand to remove the mask. When it came off, it revealed how pale Naruto's face was. The power of the mask was shocking. Were Naruto's Spiritual Sense not as powerful as it was, then he would never have been able to maintain control of his own mind.

In the short period that he had wielded the power of the mask, he realized that he had lost half of a sixty-year cycle of longevity.

The price of wearing the mask was extremely high.

Naruto turned to Hinata, his face pale. Biting down on his lip, he softly said, "We're safe now. No one will know your secret."

Hinata stared blankly at Naruto, her eyes filling with tears. She was a simple person, but she knew the price Naruto had paid to protect her secret.

He had killed a Hebi Clan member, and had thus provoked great calamity. In order to not implicate his Sect, he had forsaken it…. Now, he had no choice but to become a wanderer. He would never be able to return to the Southern Domain, nor would he be able to hide from the Hebi Clan.

Furthermore, he was only a Core Formation Cultivator….

Hinata bit down on her lip, but couldn't hold back the tears. They slid down her face, and yet, never touched the ground; Naruto lifted up his hand to wipe them way.

"Don't cry," he said, smiling. "There's a long road ahead. Who knows when it is that we will meet again." His face was pale as he smiled, which served only to imprint his words deeper in Hinata's heart.

"I'm leaving now," he continued. "This place will be collapsing soon." He looked deeply into her eyes, knowing that after he turned to leave, they would be as separated as if one was alive and the other dead. Even if he made it out with his life, who knew how many years would pass before he could return.

When he was able to return, who knew if the beautiful woman who stood in front of him now, would still be the same as before.

But Naruto had no regrets. Jirobo had to die. Be it for Hinata, or for himself, only Jirobo's death could assure their continued life.

Even if he hid Jirobo's body within the blood-colored mask, Naruto knew it would do no good against the power of the Hebi Clan. In fact, the consequences might be even more severe.

Perhaps there had been a third path he could have trod; unfortunately, things had happened too quickly, and he hadn't been able to puzzle out what that third path might have been. As far as trying to kill using Naruto's identity, then live normally as Kazama, attempting that would show that he didn't understand the terrifying power of the Hebi Clan. That was his judgement based on everything that he had experienced.

Had he attempted to do that, then there was a ninety percent probability that the entire Violet Fate Sect would be sucked into destruction. That was a choice he refused to make.

Naruto turned, and as he did, he suddenly realized someone was embracing him from behind. It felt soft and warm.

"I'll wait for you," said Hinata. Her voice carried persistence. Regardless of past, present or future lives, they would be together forever.

The moment Jirobo died, something happened on the other side of the Milky Way Sea, on the border of the vast Eastern Lands, atop a white mountain. The mountain had no snow on it; instead, the crags which formed it were completely white in color, seemingly without blemishes or impurities.

In the Eastern Lands, this place was called White Mountain.

Somewhere on White Mountain was a cistern. This cistern was so deep, that according to the legends, the waters within went down as far as the mountain was tall.

Sitting next to the cistern was an old man. He was gaunt, his face expressionless, and in his hand he held a fishing pole. The fishing line descended down into the cistern, and at the moment, it was motionless.

Suddenly, the fishing line went taut. The old man's expression didn't change; he simply pulled up with his right hand. A bizarre, miserable shriek pierced the air as the fishing line flew up. Hooked on the end was a globule of light.

If you looked closely at the light, you could see that it was comprised of countless glowing threads. On each of these threads were faces, and in the middle of them all, in the center of the globule of light, was a middle-aged man. His expression was one of terror, and he immediately dropped to his knees and began to beg for mercy.

The old man looked at him and coolly said, "For me to fish your Karma out of all the multitude of living creatures is nothing but good fortune for you, right? Why beg for mercy?" His hand made a clutching motion in mid-air, and the globule of light flew into his hand. As he grabbed it, the middle-aged man within let out a defiant howl, the kind that comes the moment before death. In addition, he emitted the Chakra of the great circle of the late Nascent Soul stage.

The old man allowed the Chakra to emanate out. Then, he popped the globule of light into his mouth. A few crunching sounds could be heard, and then he swallowed. Some blood oozed out from the corners of his mouth, which he quickly licked up. His eyes filled with a bright glow.

"Ah, the flavor of Karma…." he murmured. After some time passed he looked up into the sky, then suddenly dropped to his knees and prostrated himself.

He kowtowed nine times, then raised himself up and looked at the cistern. After a while, he frowned. He thrust his hand out, and a shattered jade slip appeared in his hand.

"Hmm?" His eyes glowed. "A son of Hebi died…. One of the sons of Hebi, of my bloodline. Dead in the Southern Domain…?" He pinched down onto the jade slip, and the image of a face appeared in his mind.

The face belonged to none other than Naruto!

At the same time, a sharp voice echoed out in his mind.

"Patriarch, the person who killed me is named Kazama of the Violet Fate Sect, also known as Naruto!" The voice belonged to none other than Jirobo. This was the last bit of will that remained in him before he died. The voice was sad and shrill, filled with intense resentment.

There was no way Naruto could possibly have predicted that this would happen. The Hebi Clan had a method with which to transmit voices along with their death; Naruto was only aware of the ability to transmit images.

Luckily, extracting the Clan blood from Jirobo before his ultimate death had inflicted quite a bit of pain; as a result, Jirobo's consciousness had been thrown into chaos. The only thing he had been able to do was transmit Naruto's name; he had completely forgotten about the matter of Hinata.

"Useless fool," said the old man with a slight frown. "However, useless as he might have been, the blood of the Hebi Clan still flowed within his veins. How could mortals have killed him so easily? Although, the Violet Fate Sect…." Shockingly, this old man viewed Cultivators as mere mortals!

He flicked his wide sleeve, transforming the jade slip into ash. Then, he leaped up into the air, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Only his sinister voice remained, echoing throughout the mountain: "The Southern Domain. I haven't been there for years."

—

Outside the Rebirth Cave, eight old men sat cross-legged beneath the banner of the Hebi Clan. One by one, their eyes opened. Astonishment and disbelief shined out as they rose to their feet.

Their eyes were filled with veins of blood, and intensely violent killing intent poured out. This shocking sight shook everyone in the area. One by one, Cultivators from the other Sects and Clans looked over in astonishment as they watched indescribable frenzied rage and killing intent rising up from the eight old men.

All of them were Nascent Soul eccentrics, with extraordinary Cultivation bases. Their combined killing intent was enough to shake the Heavens, rock the Earth and change the color of the wind.

"One of the sons of Hebi has perished…." The eight men exchanged glances. Amidst their rising killing intent, they could also sense the mutual fear which caused their hearts to tremble.

Based on the laws of the Hebi Clan, they knew that if they did not find Jirobo's killer, then they would be sent to the grave with Jirobo as burial offerings. In fact, all of the Clan members within their sphere of influence would instantly be exterminated.

That was the price to be paid if they did not find the killer and bring him back to the Eastern Lands!

One among the eight men lifted his hand to slap his bag of holding. Immediately, fragments of a jade slip appeared, eight of them. Each of the other old men took one, and then they held them out to join them together. Immediately, a warm glow shone out.

The light climbed up into the sky, and the faces of the eight old men were incredibly grim as they studied it closely. It wasn't just them; the Cultivators of the surrounding Sects were also closely observing what was happening.

Within the glow appeared a figure; he wore a mask, making it impossible to determine what he looked like. However, the mask overflowed with bloody killing intent. It immediately caused the hearts of all onlookers to tremble.

"That's…."

"That's the mask of the Blood Immortal Legacy! That's the mask of the Blood Immortal of the Ancient Doom Clan!"

"You're right! During the last Blood Immortal Legacy Tournament, I saw it with my own eyes…. But didn't the Shimura Clan say that there was some accident, and that it was lost within the Blood Immortal Legacy zone? Of course, the great Sects didn't believe them, and conducted their own investigations, however, in the end they determined that the Shimura Clan didn't acquire the legacy…."

When the eight old men heard these words, their eyes glittered, and their killing intent grew more intense. They looked at the pillar of light belonging to the Shimura Clan, causing the Shimura Clan members' faces to instantly flicker.

Before any explanations could be made, though, eight beams of light suddenly approached from off in the distance. They screamed forward, and as they approached, it was clear that Shimura Clan Elders were approaching.

The old man in the lead cried, "Shimura Clan Dao Child Kabuto perished in this place. Fellow Daoists, do you recognize this person?" He waved his hand, and an illusory screen appeared, upon which was the image of Naruto.

At the exact same moment, the masked figure within the beam of light protected by the Hebi Clan's had slip suddenly distorted, transforming into another image. Again, it was none other than… Naruto!

Right now, the eyes of everyone in the area were fixed on the two glowing screens, and the person depicted there. Their minds reeled.

They reeled because of the news that the Dao Child of the Shimura Clan had perished.

They reeled because all of the Clans and Sects of the Southern Domain suddenly put the pieces of the puzzle together; now they knew why the Hebi Clan had produced the broken jade slip, and why the figure there was the same as that produced by the Shimura Clan.

One of the Patriarchs from the Golden Frost Clan gasped. "Could it be that… one of the sons of Hebi of the Hebi Clan…."

"If that's true, then whoever did it has provoked a great disaster! The Hebi Clan of the Eastern Lands…. How could they possibly let this matter rest!?"

"Which Sect is the killer a disciple of…?"

Everything was deathly silent. All of the Cultivators present began to slowly back away.

"That… that looks like that guy Naruto who disappeared a few years ago…."

"Naruto? The Sublime Spirit Scripture! I remember! That's Naruto!"

"Naruto…."

A great buzz of conversation filled the area surrounding the basin. Amidst the uproar, the eyes of the old men from the Hebi Clan boiled with killing intent, as did those of the Elders from the Shimura Clan.

The old man from the Shimura Clan gritted his teeth and said, "This Naruto is still within the Corpse's illusory land. Let's seal off the area! Teleportation is prohibited! It doesn't matter what treasures that little bastard has, he won't be able to escape even if he has wings!" The surrounding Nascent Soul Elders immediately shot off toward the north, south, east and west.

Clearly, they planned to seal the area and prevent anyone from teleporting away.

"One of the sons of Hebi of the Hebi Clan has perished here. Fellow Daoists of the Southern Domain, please remain here and wait until all details are brought to light. Until then, no one is permitted to leave." Immediately, four of the eight Hebi Clan Elders dispersed. Obviously, they did not put complete faith in the methods of the Shimura Clan, and would implement their own sealing measures.

"Apparently this person possesses some arts of transformation," said another of the old men from the Hebi Clan, along with a cold snort. "That doesn't matter. Having killed a member of the Hebi Clan, he has been stained with the Karma of Heaven and Earth. Once he emerges into the world, we will be able to sense him."

It was at this moment that suddenly, a freezing Chakra suddenly blasted out from near the Rebirth Cave. It contained a fearsome potency; the might of Spirit Severing. Slowly, a tall figure strode out from within the basin.

He was a middle-aged man, wearing a long, orange robe. As he strode out, he attracted the attention of all of the surrounding Cultivators from the various Sects. They all immediately recognised him; this was the most powerful expert present among the Hebi Clan.

His Cultivation base was at the Spirit Severing level; when all of the other Clan Patriarchs had retreated from the basin surrounding the Rebirth Cave, he had remained behind. He knew that the cave was a fearsome place, even for someone of the Spirit Severing stage, and that unless absolutely necessary, no one would enter it. In fact, none of the Patriarchs from the various local Sects were willing to enter it; at most, they would approach the mouth of the cave.

This man had not retreated, and as such, had engaged in quite a few battles with various strange life forms in the vicinity of the cave. As he emerged from the area, his face was grim. When he reached the eight old men from the Hebi Clan, all of them respectfully clasped hands in salute.

The middle-aged man opened his hand to reveal some shattered powder that was all which remained of a jade slip.

"The killer is Kazama of the Violet Fate Sect, also known as Naruto!" the man said coolly. "That was the message transmitted by Jirobo before his death. This matter has even stirred Patriarch Kimimaro, who is currently hurrying here from the Eastern Lands." Though his voice was calm, it contained an intense threatening air, which caused the hearts of the members of all the surrounding Sects to fill with trembling.

"Kazama…. Naruto…."

"How could that be possible!? Kazama of the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect is also the same guy everyone was looking for throughout the Southern Domain that year, Naruto?!"

"This…. No wonder no one could ever find Naruto. He was hiding in the Violet Fate Sect. He even became a Legacy Apprentice…."

Amidst the commotion, one gaze after another came to fall upon the pillar of light belonging to the Violet Fate Sect. Within, the faces of the Violet Fate Sect Cultivators instantly began to change.

Kotetsu's face fell. Next to him Ensui gasped and rose to his feet. Tazuna stared mutely for a moment, and then his face grew incredibly grim. A profound sense of crisis filled the minds and hearts of all the Violet Fate Sect disciples.

It was at this moment that within the Violet Fate Sect's pillar of light, the eyes of the Spirit Severing Patriarchs slowly opened.

The first Violet Fate Sect Spirit Severing Patriarch was silent for a moment before saying, "I've received a message from the Sect Leader. Kazama of the East Pill Division has forsaken the Violet Fate Sect. We do not know whether he is alive or dead. If he is alive, he has nothing to do with the Violet Fate Sect. Similarly, If he is dead, it similarly does not have anything to do with us."

His eyes glowed brightly as his words echoed out one by one. To speak such words caused him to feel utter humiliation, as well as intense sorrow.

The other Spirit Severing Patriarch said nothing, but a slight frown appeared on his face. There seemed to be a fury in his eyes that was just on the verge of exploding. However, he knew that they could not under any circumstances offend the Hebi Clan.

They were the only people present who knew about the matter of Kazama, and in fact, they really had just received an urgent command from the Violet Fate Sect. The wording in the command was simple. It didn't mention the death of a member of the Hebi Clan, but it did say that momentous changes were about to occur. It said that Kazama had voluntarily forsaken the Sect, and that if any mishaps were to occur, the two Patriarchs were to explain this immediately.

The two of them had assumed something important had happened, and with the developments just now, it was obvious exactly where the problem lay. Each had lived for a thousand years, so it naturally took only a moment for them to ascertain the crux of the matter.

Regardless of whether his name was Kazama or Naruto, the kid apparently had been faced with no other choice than to attack, and had killed a member of the Hebi Clan. In order to not implicate the Sect, he had voluntarily crushed his Violet Furnace Lord medallion, making a clean break.

Such a choice caused the two Spirit Severing Patriarchs to feel pain in their hearts. This was a disciple of their Sect, a Legacy Apprentice of the East Pill Division. In a moment of crisis, he had taken steps to prevent any trouble for the Sect.

Unfortunately… they had no way to protect him. No one in the Violet Fate Sect could do anything for him now. The two Patriarchs had no choice but to coldly distance themselves from him, in front of all of the Cultivators in the entire Southern Domain.

His life didn't matter. His death didn't matter. He had nothing to do with the Violet Fate Sect.

The words they had spoken led to instant silence in the area. Shocked and perplexed looks filled the faces of many of the Cultivators from the other Sects. They could hear the helplessness within the words, and when compared to the domineering power of the Hebi Clan, it caused them to instantly feel sympathy.

The Spirit Severing Cultivator from the Hebi Clan stared coldly at the Violet Fate Sect disciples for a moment, then snorted. Other than that, however, he did nothing.

Silence reigned. No one spoke. Everyone was waiting for the disciples who had disappeared to return.

Restrictive spells had already sprung up all around. As of now, there was absolutely no way for anyone to use the power of teleportation. After a moment, however, within the Black Sieve Sect's pillar of light, Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes began to glitter.

Finally, he spoke up. "Fellow Daoists from the Hebi Clan, and other members of the senior generation. I happen to know that Naruto possesses a good luck charm from the ancient Good Luck Sect. I'm afraid your restrictive spells…." He smiled, but didn't finish speaking.

Hearing these words immediately caused the eyes of the Hebi Clan Elders to flicker as they exchanged glances. The Spirit Severing Cultivator waved his right hand, and a jade pendant appeared.

"Place this within the restrictive spell. It can block the good luck charm."

The faces of the two Violet Fate Sect Spirit Severing Patriarchs grew dark. They glared at Patriarch Violet Sieve, ill intentions flickering in their eyes, barely concealed.

The disciples of the various Sects were so shocked that they were like cicadas in the dead of winter. Various thoughts ran through their heads. They thought of Kazama, and then Naruto, and their expressions flickered through various stages of astonishment.

Kazama was thoroughly famous in the Southern Domain. It was said that he was like the sun at high noon amongst the others of his generation. No one could compare to him. He was Grandmaster Pill Demon's Legacy Apprentice, Dao Child of the East Pill Division, one of the four Grandmasters of the Southern Domain… Pill Cauldron….

As for Naruto, the appearance of the Blood Immortal mask caused everyone's hearts to be filled with a roar of shock.

He possessed the Sublime Spirit Scripture, was son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan, and now, recipient of the Blood Immortal legacy!

Amidst the silence, the faces of the Nadeshiko Clan members were somewhat unsightly as they sat in their pillar of light. Hiruko was there too, frowning and sighing inwardly.

All of the Cultivators present, including the Spirit Severing Patriarchs, were oblivious to the fact than an old man had suddenly joined the crowd. He was emaciated and unimposing in appearance. However, no one noticed that he was there, almost as if he weren't part of the world.

The old man smiled. "You entered the realm of Perfection, kid," he said lightly to himself. "There's a thing called Karma in the world, and today, I will help you to sow it. In the future, I will seize your Perfection, that will be the reaping of the Karma." No one, of course, could hear him. This was none other than the ancient tenth Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan.

Everyone continued to wait silently.

Meanwhile, at the very edge of the Southern Domain, near where the Five Elements Nation used to exist, past the numerous mountain ranges, was a vast sea.

This was none other than the Milky Way Sea, which separated the West and South from the North and East.

Suddenly the air above the Milky Way Sea outside of the Southern Domain began to ripple and distort. A blurry image appeared, a person, who suddenly stepped forward. The figure was indistinct at first, but it rapidly coalesced into an old man.

This was none other than the old man who had been fishing Karma on the peak of White Mountain in the Eastern Lands, Hebi Clan Patriarch Kimimaro!

He hovered in mid-air above the Milky Way Sea, looking out at the Southern Domain. Then, his body flickered, and he shot forward. However, even as he neared the border of the Southern Domain and was about to enter, he frowned and let out a cold snort. He raised his right arm and flicked it out ahead of him.

A boom filled the air, spreading out in all directions, causing the ocean water beneath him to seethe and roar. The land comprising the border of the Southern Domain quaked, and the great boulders lining the seashore cracked and disintegrated.

As the land crumbled and the seawater churned, an old man appeared in front of Kimimaro. He wore a long gray robe upon each sleeve of which was the image of a pill furnace.

The old man's hair was long and white, and he was very thin, with dark blotches on his skin. His expression was placid, yet filled with power. His eyes glowed brightly, and a Heavenly aura seemed to be concealed within them.

The strong aroma of medicinal pills wafted out from him to fill the area.

Kimimaro gave him a cold look and then said, "Should I call you Violet East, or Pill Demon?!"

This old man was none other than Naruto's Master, Pill Demon!

Pill Demon was silent for a moment, then looked back at Kimimaro. "Violet East has perished, I'm Pill Demon."

"Well, it doesn't matter if you're Pill Demon or Violet East," he said coldly, lifting his head slightly, "if you want to prevent the Violet Fate Sect from being destroyed, then get out of my way. Anyone who kills a member of my Hebi Clan must die!"

Pill Demon shook his head. "I'm his Master. He kowtowed to me three times, now it's time for me to do something for him." He waved his right arm, and suddenly a bronze pill furnace magically appeared in his hand. It immediately emanated an ancient Chakra, which spilled out in all directions. A bluish mist poured out from the pill furnace, circling around, making the entire area into a world of fog.

"If you were really Violet East, then I might have some misgivings," said Kimimaro with a harrumph. "But as for you, you're clearly… looking to die!" With that he raised his hand, and the mist grew thicker, immediately inundating both himself and Pill Demon.

It was impossible to see them now. Only explosion after explosion could be heard, echoing out from within the mist. Beneath them, the Milky Way Sea seethed. The borderlands of the Southern Domain quaked. Each and every attack made by either man contained enough power to shake the Heavens and rock the Earth.

A grim voice echoed out from within the mist. "Pill Demon, is it really worth it to do something like this for your apprentice? You might be able to stop me, but can you stop the entire Hebi Clan?"

"He chose to become my apprentice, and I chose to become his Master. That's not something that can be erased by forsaking a Sect. I believe it's worth it. All of it! I can't stop the Hebi Clan, but I can hold you off for a moment. That's enough!"

Another explosion shook the heavens. The battle shook this remote area where the Southern Domain met the Milky Way Sea.

The mist churned, lightning crackled, thunder boomed; the battle rose to a climax.

The walls within Gaara's illusory mental realm were now collapsing. As Naruto disappeared, Hinata bit her lip and closed her eyes.

Naruto left. He was no longer Kazama, but instead looked like he had when he'd left the Five Elements Nation, although now his Cultivation base was at the Core Formation stage. He transformed into a beam of light and shot off into the distance.

He wasn't leaving the maze, he was leaving Hinata.

He didn't look back.

The green mark on the back of his hand flickered. It had appeared after he had formed the Violet Core, and the blood began to circulate through his veins.

It appeared to be a magical symbol. Of course, he had seen it before, back when he reached Foundation Establishment, as well in the Violet Fate Sect when Gaara had called out to him.

As he proceeded forward, more and more walls began to crumble into pieces. The entire maze seemed to be collapsing, and many of the Cultivators stranded within were now able to see each other. They quickly began to form groups based on whichever Sect or Clan they belonged to.

However, anyone who wasn't fast enough to regroup became the subject of attack, causing the entire place to begin to dissolve into chaos.

Naruto whistled through the air, moving faster and faster. No one could make out his face, only the shape of his figure as he shot past.

The rumbling roars grew more intense as the walls continued to collapse. Naruto suddenly paused for a moment. Based on the collapse around him, he knew that it would only be moments before the entire place was gone.

"Because of the deaths of Kabuto and Jirobo, the outside world has been sealed down. It seems my good luck charm… is not going to help me." A glow appeared in his eyes. The instant he had made his move on Jirobo, many thoughts had been racing through his mind.

"My only chance… will be the Rebirth Cave, fifty kilometers away!" He took a deep breath, and then suddenly, his expression flickered. A mist suddenly covered his body, and he shot off in a new direction.

It didn't take long before up ahead of him appeared Sakura, Teuchi, as well as some other Violet Fate Sect disciples. They were surrounded and under attack by Western Desert Cultivators.

"Fellow Daoists from the Violet Fate Sect," cried one of them in a grim voice, "hand over the copy of those inscriptions you just made, and we'll leave you alone. If you don't, then we don't care if you belong to a great Sect of the Southern Domain, we will exterminate you nonetheless!" The totem tattoos on their bodies began to ripple. Sakura, Teuchi and the other disciples, who were from the Violet Chakra Division, were doing their best to defend themselves.

Teuchi was seriously injured, and his face was pale. However, he continued fighting doggedly. Blood oozed out of the corners of Sakura's mouth, and her right arm dripped with gore. Her face was pale, and her jaw clenched.

Everyone else was also injured, and were clearly fighting for their lives.

Next to them, two Violet Chakra Division disciples slumped against the wall, although it wasn't clear whether they were dead or alive.

"This place could collapse at any moment!" said Teuchi, his voice weak. "Once it does, we'll be teleported out!" He was speaking, of course, to the Violet Fate Sect disciples, not the Western Desert Cultivators.

His face was pale, and within the paleness could be seen pulsing black lines. It wasn't poison, but rather some sort of parasitic insect, the result of some bizarre magical technique from the Western Desert. After being infected, the result would be either injury and critical Cultivation base loss, or death.

Were it not for this, Teuchi wouldn't be in the current state he was, not considering the level of his Cultivation base.

Sakura clenched her jaw, slapped her bag of holding, and produced some medicinal pills which she swallowed. The whole group wore expressions of resolve. Unfortunately, other than Sakura, all of them had the strange black lines on their faces; it seemed they had all had been infected by the parasitic insect.

The Cultivation bases of the Western Desert Cultivators were not that much higher than those of Sakura and the others. They were all in the early Core Formation stage, and not even the peak. Therefore, they hesitated for a moment. The reason they hadn't moved in for the kill already was that they didn't want to provoke too much trouble in the Southern Domain. However, the etchings from just now were a precious treasure; seeing the resolve on the faces of the Violet Fate Sect disciples caused them to exchange glances. Finally, killing intent sprang from their eyes.

"Kill them! Before this place collapses!" Eyes glittered and attacks were begun. The power of their totems manifested, transforming into four enormous beasts which charged toward Sakura and the others.

It was at this moment of crisis that Naruto appeared. Mist covered him, making his features indistinguishable. Before the Western Desert Cultivators could even see him clearly, he was standing in front of Sakura and the others. He lifted his right hand and waved it forward. Immediately, a violet glow appeared in front of him which transformed into an enormous curved moon shape.

A violet moon, with the power to sever lives. It slammed into the four beasts, sending out a massive explosion. The Western Desert Cultivators looked on in shock, and then retreated one after another. The totem tattoos on two of them immediately began to ripple, incapable of holding up against the power. The attack then slammed into the Cultivators, ripping their bodies to shreds.

As for the other two, one coughed up a mouthful of blood, narrowly managing to avoid the attack. The other was the most powerful of the group, and the one who had put Teuchi out of commission. His Cultivation base was at the mid Core Formation stage.

Naruto's appearance caused Sakura to stare in shock. Seeing the appearance of the Violet Gibbous Moon filled her with astonishment.

That was an art only the Violet Fate Sect possessed, and that no outsider could ever master.

"Screw off!" said Naruto, glaring coolly at the two unharmed Western Desert Cultivators.

His words were filled with enormous pressure, causing the Cultivator who had avoided the blow to immediately turn to flee. He was a Western Desert Cultivator; to him life was filled with adversity. He had no concept of honor and glory; to him survival was the most important thing. Therefore, since he could clearly see that he had no chance of winning, he chose to retreat.

Before leaving, he clasped hands and bowed to Naruto. He respected strength; it didn't matter if Naruto had just killed his compatriots.

The other Western Desert Cultivator, the middle-aged man with the mid Core Formation Cultivation base, hesitated for a moment. He looked at Naruto, and then at Teuchi and the others. Finally, he turned to depart.

"Leave behind the antidote!" said Naruto coldly.

The man sighed inwardly, then waved his arm to send a black bottle flying out. Naruto wasn't worried about whether or not the man was planning any tricks. The complete collapse of this place was just around the corner; once it did collapse, everyone would be sent out. When that happened, all of the minor problems would be easily solved.

Naruto turned back to look through the mist at Sakura and the others."This place is about to fall apart. All of you… take care of yourselves." His face filled with conflicting emotions, he made his way off into the distance.

"Who are you?" Sakura suddenly asked.

Naruto didn't respond. He made his way off thoughtfully.

Teuchi watched him leaving, and then suddenly said, "Kazama, what happened?!"

His words instantly sent Sakura reeling. The other Violet Chakra Division disciples all looked off toward Naruto.

Naruto paused for a moment. He sighed softly, then called back, "From now on, there is no more Kazama in the Violet Fate Sect…." Then he continued on his way.

Sakura and Teuchi gaped, their faces filled with astonishment. However, it took only a moment for Sakura's phoenix-like eyes to suddenly narrow.

"That voice…." Her breathing suddenly grew ragged as she looked off at Naruto's retreating form.

Rumbling booms echoed out as the collapse of the surrounding walls continued. The walls in the immediate vicinity were completely toppled, revealing nothingness. Some of the Cultivators began to be sucked out into the nothingness, and then disappear.

Naruto looked around with an expression of concentration and cautiousness. He wasn't sure of the exact circumstances outside, but he could guess that there would be extreme danger. He didn't take any sort of reckless action, but instead carefully observed the nothingness beyond the collapse of the walls.

Not much time passed before the roaring grew more intense. Everything was falling apart. Naruto's gaze flickered, and he was just about to fly off into the nothingness when suddenly, his expression flickered. He lifted his hand and waved his sleeve; the two indestructible wooden swords flew out, moving to defend Naruto's side.

It was at this exact moment that a boom resonated out. The fist of a woman punched through the air toward him, seemingly out of nowhere. The fist smashed into the violet mist which surrounded him, causing it to collapse instantly. The fist didn't pause, instead proceeding directly on toward Naruto's swords.

An enormous blast radiated out.

The two swords hummed and shook, spinning back and slamming into Naruto's chest. Pain filled his body, and he flopped backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spraying from his mouth.

He looked over to see that the owner of the fist was none other than the young woman surnamed Namikaze. She wore a long green robe, along with an air of aloof elegance. She slowly approached through the void.

She was beautiful, but she had hit Naruto with an astonishing blow from her fist. The power of the fist far exceeded the early Core Formation stage. Physical power such as this was shocking to Naruto.

The violet mist roiled around Naruto, and as he stared at the woman, his pupils turned violet. His wounds began to rapidly heal, and within the space of a few breaths he was completely back to normal, except for a slightly paler face.

He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up at the woman, his face grim.

"Such power…" he thought. "Such incredible power! That was far beyond Jirobo; I think that blow just now could easily wipe out a normal early Core Formation stage Cultivator!" His eyes narrowed.

"Running away pretty quickly, I see," she said coolly. "I see you killed that annoying Jirobo who everybody hated. Well, I can kill you easily. Take out the Immortal treasure and give it to me. You can't even use it anyway." She was not proud and arrogant the way Jirobo was, but rather aloof. Clearly, she was much more powerful than him as well.

She also seemed to possess an incredibly domineering air, even a bossiness.

She waited for the space of two breaths and then said, "You don't agree? Fine, then you can just DIE!" She stepped forward at incredible speed, and was instantly directly in front of Naruto. She raised her right hand, and the fist descended toward him.

Naruto began an incantation with both hands. A five-fingered Blood Palm sprang up; beneath his feet, the glow of the Blood Death World appeared. Blood Clones popped out and seemed to merge with his body. As the fist neared, he struck out with his palm.

A shocking boom filled the air, and massive power shook the ground beneath the two of them, shattering what remained of any nearby walls. A vortex of nothingness appeared and began to suck everything in.

Naruto coughed up some blood as he tumbled backward. Violet Chakra roiled throughout his body, and his pupils glowed with a blinding violet radiance. His wounds once again healed; however, his face was even paler than before.

This recovery had cost him some of his life force, and life force represented longevity. He retreated, a cold glow emanating from his eyes. He slapped his bag of holding to produce the blood-colored mask.

The young woman took two steps back, a fierce expression filling her eyes.

"You're the first person in the early Core Formation stage that's ever been able to make me fall back!" she said unyieldingly.

"I can make you bleed as well," replied Naruto, his eyes filled with as much coldness as hers. He lifted his hand to place the mask on his face, and as he did, the young woman let out a cold snort. The killing intent in her eyes grew even stronger. Her body flickered as she shot toward Naruto, raising her fist into the air.

"FANG!" She called out only the one word, but the instant she did, the color of her fist changed into green. Countless green lightning bolts surrounded it, and it emanated a shocking and terrifying Chakra that caused Naruto's scalp to go numb.

The speed with which the young woman approached caused Naruto's heart to fill with an intense sense of crisis. He had not experienced such a feeling even when fighting against Jirobo just now. In fact, it had been a very long time since he had experienced such a crushing pressure from anyone in the same generation as himself.

"DIE!" cried the young woman, her voice echoing out in all directions as she neared Naruto.

At this exact moment, Naruto's right hand placed the mask onto his face. A Chakra of blood and death immediately exploded out from him.

It was also at this exact same moment that the back of the hand he had used to place the mask on his face was suddenly facing the Namikaze girl. In addition, the green mark which had appeared on the back of his hand when he formed his Core had not disappeared. It suddenly… flickered slightly.

The green mark flashed like a magical symbol, and the young woman saw it. The instant she did, her eyes went wide, and filled with complete disbelief.

Her fist was almost upon Naruto. She suddenly let out an exasperated grunt. Risking a recoil of energy, she twisted her attack to the side, causing her fist to slam into the ground next to Naruto.

A boom filled the air, and massive cracks filled the ground, revealing nothingness beneath them. Even the nothingness seemed to tremble, threatening to collapse from the power of the fist.

The young woman coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her hair flew about her in disarray, and she turned her head to glare at Naruto, her eyes filled with fury and disharmony.

This caused Naruto to gape at her openly. He wasn't sure what had happened just now in the critical moment to cause her to change the direction of her fist. She must have known that doing what she had done just now would result in injury to herself.

"DAMMIT!" howled the young woman. She was very beautiful, and her appearance before she had attacked just now was charming and gentle. However, her moves had been as explosive as a dragon.

Right now, her howl was filled with potent power, and an aura that seemed to proclaim that she was the most important person in the world. Seeing her like this caused Naruto's scalp to go numb; he had never before witnessed a woman behaving like this.

"DAMMIT!" she roared. She clenched her right hand into a fist and smashed it into the ground. There wasn't much ground left to begin with, and her blow caused it to crumble even further.

"Why couldn't it be black!?"

BOOM!

"Why couldn't it be red!?"

BAM!

"Why couldn't it be violet!?"

With every sentence, she violently slammed her fist down onto the ground around Naruto, causing the ground to begin to disintegrate. Soon, only the spot directly beneath his feet was left remaining.

The slamming fists even caused the nothingness around them to begin to collapse….

Naruto's scalp grew even more numb. This girl was crazy! Such bizarre power… really went beyond Naruto's imagination. He had the feeling that even though he was wearing the blood-colored mask, he still wasn't a match for this lunatic.

Suddenly, Naruto thought back to how Jirobo had described this young woman, and suddenly completely agreed.

Seeing how she was smashing the nothingness into smithereens, Naruto quickly turned and sped off in a different direction into the nothingness. As he charged off, he heard the girl raging.

"Why did it have to be green!?"

BLAM!

His face pale, Naruto prepared to be teleported out of the nothingness. He looked down briefly at the back of his hand, and the mark, which was gradually fading.

"Could it really be because of this mark…." he thought, hesitating for a moment. Thinking back to the fearsomeness of the crazy young woman, he shuddered. From the time he was small until the time he grew up, from when he studied as a scholar to when he began to practice cultivation, this was the first time he had ever been this frightened of a woman.

Naruto's eyes began to grow hazy. When they cleared, he could see a black fog overhead, and could also sense a familiar aura. This… was the region of the Rebirth Cave.

Right now, the Immortal's corpse was rapidly shrinking. From the looks of it, it would very soon return to the size of a normal human.

People were currently being teleported out all over the place, in various positions. The instant Naruto appeared, he pulled out the good luck charm. It took only a moment to test it out, whereupon Naruto frowned. As he had anticipated, it wouldn't work.

Putting the good luck charm away, Naruto immediately shot off in the direction of the Rebirth Cave. Even before emerging, he had made up his mind. He knew that he would be stuck in this area, and as such, was dead without a doubt. There would be no way to flee.

His only chance of survival lay upon the path of death… the Rebirth Cave!

Such a path of death, in comparison to his current predicament, was a chance for survival!

He had no other options. It was a gamble, but he had thought through everything, and as such, charged forward immediately.

The instant he had teleported out, outside of the misty basin, by the more than ten pillars of light, the eyes of the middle-aged man from the Hebi Clan suddenly opened.

"He's here!" he said, waving his right hand. Immediately, a glowing image appeared in front of him; it was none other than the fleeing Naruto. "He's heading north!" he said coolly, flickering off in pursuit. The Nascent Soul Elders of the Hebi Clan followed him into the fog of the basin, their faces grim and filled with killing intent.

The dozen or so Shimura Clan Cultivators also flew into the air in quick succession, faces filled with killing intent as they went in pursuit of Naruto.

Any one of these people could kill Naruto with the wave of a finger. However, each and every one of them joined the chase; pursuing Naruto was a matter which all felt that they must participate in.

They entered the fog, but as they did, not a single one could sense the presence of the tenth Uchiha Clan Patriarch. He smiled as he also moved in the same direction. He was in plain sight, and yet no one noticed him as he joined them within the fog.

The Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Hebi and Shimura Clans proceeded through the black fog, and as they did, their Cultivation bases were slowly suppressed. Soon, they were back within the great circle of the Core Formation stage.

Despite that, any one of them was powerful enough to immediately slay Naruto.

They moved onward with incredible speed. As for the middle-aged Spirit Severing Cultivator from the Hebi Clan, his Cultivation base was even more suppressed. He could fight against it, but not for long. At the moment, his Cultivation base was at the Nascent Soul stage.

He was moving with the greatest speed through the fog. As he whistled through the air, suddenly, he heard a cough that sounded very ancient, coming from off to the side.

The cough was too sudden; it immediately caused the middle-aged man's face to flicker and stop moving temporarily.

"Who are you?!" he said, anxiety and doubt showing on his face. Even though his Cultivation base was suppressed, he was still a powerful Spirit Severing expert; his ability to sense danger had flashed as soon as he heard the cough. It transformed into a droning in his mind, and he had the feeling that the owner of the voice could kill him immediately if he so wished.

"Which member of the senior generation is here?" he asked, his scalp growing numb. He thought of the Rebirth Cave, and suddenly a sense of crisis filled him that caused him to begin to pant. "Sir, I am of the Hebi Clan…."

"How is… Hebi Eleven?" said the ancient voice, seemingly filled with emotion.

"The Eleventh Divine Patriarch…." The middle-aged man's mouth and throat immediately went dry, and his heart began to thump. Hebi Eleven was a name that outsiders didn't know, the name of a person who was a member of a group of the most ancient members of the Hebi Clan.

Any one of that group was an ancestor who the entire Hebi Clan would prostrate in worship to.

"Sir… sir, I have never seen the Eleventh Divine Patriarch…." The man trembled; the seemingly imperceptible pressure coming from the owner of the ancient voice caused him to feel as if the entire world was about to fall apart.

"Very well," said the voice, drifting about like a breeze around the middle-aged man. "I won't cause too much trouble for you. Sit here and meditate for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Then you may leave." The voice was filled with somberness. It caused the middle-aged man's face to instantly flicker. He hesitated for just a moment, then chose to sit down cross-legged.

The tenth Uchiha Clan Patriarch stood right in front of him, staring off into the black fog. However, the middle-aged man couldn't see him at all.

"Child, I've already delayed this person for you," he said softly to himself. "I've fixed your biggest problem for you. The rest of them are suppressed into the Core Formation, which means you still won't be able to escape. That, in turn, means that even if I help you get away, you'll still die on the outside. In that case, I may have no choice but to take your perfection away from you now.

"It's too bad. From time immemorial, it has never been possible to force perfection to develop. I'm not sure what power it was that caused the interference…. If it weren't for that, I could just grab you and let you grow in my custody. After you reached the Nascent Soul stage, then I could take it from you. Well, you'd better not let me down. You need to get powerful quickly, okay?" The old man's eyes flickered with a sinister glow. At this moment, he looked incredibly bizarre.

"Only 60 kilometers…." Naruto's eyes glowed brightly. The spot he had been teleported to was not very close to the Rebirth Cave. Normally speaking, such a distance would be nothing to him.

However, he was surrounded by danger on all sides. This distance of 60 kilometres represented either life or death.

He was currently moving at the fastest speed he possibly could.

55 kilometers, 52 kilometers, 50 kilometers…. Naruto could now see the shrinking corpse of the Immortal. He was about to fly over it when his expression suddenly changed.

A boom filled the air; multiple members of the various Sects suddenly appeared as they were teleported out into the fog, sending it roiling out in all directions. Their expressions flickered as they saw the group of old men speeding through the air after Naruto.

The group included Guy, Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, Chino as well as… Hinata.

They saw what was happening; they saw the old men chasing, and they saw who they were chasing. Off in the distance was… Naruto!

Because the churning fog had suddenly dispersed, Naruto was completely visible. Everyone could see him; furthermore, he had no inclination to conceal his identity. All eyes were now fixed on him alone.

"Naruto… Naruto!" said Guy, staring in amazement. His mind spun as he gaped at Naruto. He had searched for him for years, but had never been able to pick up his tracks after the year he disappeared. How could he ever have anticipated that he would suddenly catch sight of Naruto here?

Sakura's face was pale, and her body trembled. She stared blankly at Naruto's garment. Her face filled with bitterness as she suddenly understood that… Kazama was Naruto!

He was the Cultivator from the Five Elements Nation with whom she had spent half a year stuck inside a ravine. It hit her like a bolt of lightning. In truth, that lightning bolt had begun brewing within the mental realm. She had even begun to prepare herself then; however, as of now, she couldn't control the emotions inside of her. Her heart surged with countless complexities.

There were two people in her life that she considered to be unforgettable. One was Naruto. She could never forget him because of the twisted feelings he caused that year in the volcano; those events had filled her with hatred she found difficult to put into words.

The second person she found to be unforgettable was Kazama. The instant she found out he was Pill Cauldron, she would find herself thinking about him, even though she didn't know why. Sometimes, his face would appear in her mind, and she would find herself giving a light snort, or occasionally, a slight smile. Other times, her face would grow red.

"Kazama…. Naruto…." Two faces appeared in her mind, overlapping. In the end, the only thing that remained was deep bitterness and complex emotions.

Shikamaru looked silently at Naruto. His heart was calm, but deep inside, he recalled the scene from all those years ago in the cave of Mount Myoboku. He remembered sticking his head out, looking up, and seeing Naruto the scholar.

Chino looked at Naruto silently, thinking back to their battle years ago.

Ino sighed. She was clever and farsighted. The instant she saw the expression on Sakura's face, some clues as to their relationship suddenly appeared in her mind, although she had no way to completely solve the puzzle. Naruto, of course, had left her with a deep impression long ago. Her phoenix-like eyes gazed at him.

Naruto…. It was a name that hadn't appeared in the Southern Domain for a very long time. And yet, here he was, blazing as brilliantly as ever!

Naruto's face was grim as he looked around at the roiling fog. He immediately bit down on the tip of his tongue, spitting up some blood. As soon as it flew out into the air, it transformed into a blood mist beneath Naruto's feet.

This helped him to amplify his speed by several times; he immediately reappeared five kilometers away, next to the shrinking Immortal's corpse.

The instant he did, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his once black hair was now white. Just now, he had used one of the multifarious forbidden techniques of the Blood Immortal Legacy. A Core Formation Cultivator could use this technique to instantly gain speed far beyond the normal capability of his body.

It wasn't quite a minor teleportation, but considering the short distance involved, there wasn't much of a difference. Minor teleportation was a divine ability of Nascent Soul Cultivators. As for Core Formation Cultivators, they could use this forbidden art only three times throughout their life.

As Naruto's body disappeared, the position he had just occupied collapsed, the air shattering because of the forbidden technique. He would never be able to do something like this using only his own skill and power.

This was the only way to avoid death!

The entire area was locked down with restrictive spells, making teleportation impossible. However, this forbidden art was not a minor teleportation, but rather an explosive increase in speed. However, it caused him to cough up blood, indicating that he had sustained injuries to internal organs. In addition, cracking sounds could be heard from his legs.

His face was pale white. However, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. His pupils glowed violet as he drew from his longevity to heal his injuries.

Naruto's longevity had increased after reaching Core Formation; ordinarily speaking, he would be able to live to around four hundred years. However, as of now, he had already wasted a significant amount of that longevity.

Because of this price, he still looked young, but his face was pallid, something that could not be altered by the Violet Pupil Transformation.

"They're still gaining." Around Naruto, the Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Hebi and Shimura Clans, despite having been restricted to the great circle of Core Formation, were whistling toward him at top speed.

Naruto had evaded them just now, causing the eyes of this collection of Elders to flicker. The fact that he had avoided death just now filled them with surprise.

Ino, Sakura and the others were watching from a distance, hearts filled with shock.

Hinata's hands were balled tightly into fists, and she was gnawing on her lower lip. She watched Naruto, her face pale, desiring to help him. However, the panting Naruto had just made eye contact with her, and within his gaze was the clear message that he forbade that.

 _Don't make all my painstaking effort be for nothing_ , he told her through the look. She watched on, trembling, tears welling up in her eyes.

One of the old men from the Shimura Clan shot forward, glaring at Naruto. "It's not that I look down on you, junior," he said with a cold laugh. "No wonder you were able to kill our Dao Child. But today, you will not be able to escape! You'll compensate with your life!"

"What a load of crap!" replied Naruto, slapping his bag of holding. The blood red mask appeared, and he slipped it on without hesitation. As it melded with his face, a bloody killing aura emanated out. All who saw it were instantly shaken.

Guy and the others were shocked, too, but not too badly. As the sinister Blood Chakra enveloped the area, they retreated backward a few paces. On the other hand, the faces of the elders from the Hebi and Shimura Clans immediately changed.

Naruto's green robe was suddenly bathed by the red light, making it seem as if he were clothed in blood itself. The crimson glow and the red mask, which was featureless except for the two eyes, immediately caused the Nascent Soul Cultivators to recall depictions they had seen in their Clans' ancient records.

The Blood Immortal of the Ancient Doom Clan!

It looked exactly the same!

Intense killing intent, boiling murderous desire, immediately erupted above Naruto's head into a red-colored Core Chakra. It roiled, emanating out in all directions.

Beneath Naruto, the Immortal's corpse had shrunk down until it was little more than thirty meters high.

The dozen or so old men from the Hebi and Shimura Clans were still approaching at high speed. One of the eight Hebi Clan elders, eyes flashing with intense killing intent, said, "You overestimate yourself!"

In order to ensure his own safety, he had resolved to personally slay Naruto. Without any hesitation, nor having any compunctions about damaging his reputation by bullying someone weaker than him, he shot forward ahead of the others, his killing intent billowing to the heavens.

"DIE!" he cried, his voice sinister. He quickly lifted up his right hand. Normally, Naruto wouldn't even have been able to make out his movements because of the speed. Now, though, he could make out a blur of motion.

The man was approaching with rapid speed!

"Without a face!" Naruto's eyes were bright red as he waved his right hand. His hair was completely white; however, because it was inundated by the crimson grow, it actually looked red!

The Core Chakra seethed, immediately transforming into an enormous face. The left eye was bizarre in appearance, whereas Naruto existed in the right eye. It flew out, heading directly toward the Hebi and Shimuraelders. A boom filled the air.

Put life and death on the line! End the opponent to assure your own existence!

The instant the boom could be heard, the ground heaved. Everything shook, even the black fog. The explosion was audible even outside of the basin.

The eyes of Patriarch Violet Sieve of the Black Sieve Sect glittered. Behind him, the Spirit Severing Patriarch of the Black Sieve Sect had a similar expression. They flew up, and were about to head into the black fog, when suddenly, the two Spirit Severing Patriarchs from the Violet Fate Sect disappeared. When they blinked back, there were directly in front of the two from the Black Sieve Sect.

"If you take another step forward, don't blame us for killing you," said one of the Violet Fate Sect Patriarchs, his voice grim. His eyes glowed with killing intent and fury.

Back within the black fog, the boom continued to echo out. The enormous face which surrounded Naruto disintegrated. Blood sprayed from his mouth as nearly half the bones in his body were broken. Countless lacerations shredded his flesh, from which blood spilled out, causing his clothes to truly turn red. The redness of his garments was no longer caused by the crimson glow in the air; now he was actually wearing a robe of blood!

His body tumbled backward, falling down onto the Immortal's corpse. Trembling, he gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. Right now, Naruto looked very much like he had when he faced up against Sasuke back in the Reliance Sect … His stubborness, his tenacity, and his powerful heart would always exist, regardless of whether or not his body was on the verge of collapse!

A reddish glow flickered in his eyes. Blood dripped off of his body down onto the Immortal's corpse beneath his feet, which was now less than fifteen meters tall.

As for the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Hebi Clan, his body trembled, and his face had fallen. He was not injured, but he looked at Naruto with a serious expression. His attack just now had been backed by the power of the great circle of Core Formation. Even that bit of power should have been more than enough to destroy a Core Formation Cultivator. And yet Naruto… was not dead!

Immediately, intense killing intent flickered in the man's eyes, along with greed.

He could clearly see that Naruto's Cultivation base was merely at the early Core Formation stage; for him to be able to wield the power he had just now… was only because of the blood-colored mask!

He wasn't the only person who realized this; all of the others at his side began to look toward Naruto with flashing eyes.

Naruto's attack now had seriously injured himself. However, considering the level of his Cultivation base, the fact that he could withstand an attack from even a suppressed Nascent Soul Cultivator showed how incredibly powerful the mask was.

You could easily say that with the mask on, Naruto was absolutely, completely different than before.

However… despite that, he was still not a match for his opponent. His body was on the verge of collapse, like an oil lamp with no oil left in it. Beneath the mask, his face was pale and covered with wrinkles. And yet, his eyes burned with frenzy, and emitted a violet glow.

Again, he burned his longevity to heal himself.

He looked at the dozen or so incoming Cultivators, and then suddenly lifted his head to the sky and laughed. His expression contained unyielding pride, the kind of obstinacy which indicated that he would never bow his head.

He was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron! He was the Ninth Demon Sealer! He was Kazama! He… was Naruto!

He was born a scholar, but today, he was a Cultivator of the Core Formation stage. He was fighting against a dozen or more experts with Nascent Soul Cultivation bases. They were suppressed, and because of the blood-colored mask he was almost inhuman. But when you consider the Southern Domain as a whole, for the past thousands of years, he was the only person who could possibly do this!

Therefore, Naruto laughed. It was a laughter of no regrets, a laughter filled with lofty sentiment, a laughter filled with stubborness that soared to the heavens!

Damaging his life force to heal himself, his face beneath the mask rapidly aged. His hair had long since grown completely white. However, from the perspective of an outsider, beneath the crimson glow, his hair was bright red!

Such an image immediately burned a deep impression into everyone who was watching. As all of the Chosen of the Southern Domain teleported out from the crumbling mental realm, the first thing they saw was Naruto. The image was branded into their minds, something that they would never forget for a hundred years, for a thousand, for their entire lives!

At this moment, he was like the sun burning in the noon sky, the representative of a generation. Never again would someone like him appear. Never would someone be able to outmatch Naruto.

This was what each and every one of them was thinking.

Chosen? Dao Child? Wearing his mask, his crimson hair fluttering, facing up against more than ten Nascent Soul Cultivators and laughing…. The rest of them were like insects!

"Now that… is a Cultivator!" It was hard to say who muttered the words first, but it only took a moment for them to resonate throughout the minds of all the Chosen.

Amidst the laughter and the whipping red hair, Naruto lifted his right hand. There between his fingers was a violet-colored medicinal pill! This pill contained a devilish will, and the instant it appeared, rumbling filled Heaven and Earth.

An indescribable aura seethed out from it to fill the surroundings, causing all onlookers' faces to flicker. Without hesitation, Naruto placed the pill into his mouth.

The violet-colored pill dissolved with shocking speed, staining his internal organs as if with ink, filling his viscera.

ARRRGGHHH!

Naruto lifted his head toward the sky and let out a shocking roar. Beneath the mask, his face twisted and distorted. His crimson eyes filled with insanity and billowing killing intent. The blood-colored mask seemed to approve of the aura which surged throughout his body; it caused it to spread out even more intensely!

Pain!

Incomprehensible pain!

His entire body felt as if it were being slashed into pieces, as if he were being punished with death by a thousand cuts. As this happened, it released all of the potential of his latent talent and Cultivation base. It was as if a treasure chest within his body had been opened. A final intense pain rushed through him; it felt as if someone had ripped open his chest, pulled out his beating heart and lifted it up to the sky!

Chaos!

Earthshaking chaos!

An indescribable power seemed to take all of the memories in his head and crush them to dust. His will and his consciousness were thrown into disorder. Within the disorder and chaos, strands of intense and incomparable killing intent filled him!

One strand, one hundred strands, one thousand strands, ten thousand strands, one hundred thousand strands… all the way to ten million strands of killing intent!

The killing intent sent Naruto's mind into chaos. It crushed his Core, sent his soul into insanity, staining it with terrifying frenzy!

The insanity transformed into world-shaking killing dementia. It toppled his thinking ability, melted his mind into nothing, filling him with a devilish will. It turned into a self-destructive desire, which in turn caused his Cultivation base to climb upward.

Mid Core Formation, late Core Formation, great circle of Core Formation…. Naruto's roars filled the area, filling everyone with complete shock.

Naruto was not experiencing a burning of the soul; this superseded that, because this pill… was the Bedevilment Pill! And this will, was a devilish will!

This person, was filled with insanity!

The Cultivation base burned, releasing the soul. The frenzied will and the desire for self-destruction, transformed into devilish insanity. This was Naruto!

His eyes were crimson, filled with blood, with devilishness, with imperceptible malevolence. Beneath the mask, he was growing older. His red hair whipped around him unrestrained.

The image of Naruto in this moment was indelibly branded onto the eyes of everyone who was watching.

At the moment, the ten or more Nascent Soul Cultivators, still suppressed into Core Formation, approached Naruto. They outnumbered him, and their Cultivation bases were inherently greater than his by far. So they still closed in, each and every one preparing to attack.

It was as if each feared that they would not personally be able to exterminate him, and would thus incur trouble within their Clans.

Their killing intent billowed up to the heavens as they whistled through the air. No one was there to help Naruto. In this moment, he was completely alone; the only person who could help him, was he himself. The only person he could rely on, was himself!

Naruto's laughter was filled with insanity. It echoed through the air, and as it did, he waved his right hand in front of him.

"Without a face!"

Heaven and Earth shook, and the enormous face once again appeared around Naruto. It was larger than before, and even more substantial than before. It did not seem illusory in any way now, but real.

The face towered up, blood flowing from its eyes. The sight was startling and shocking. Like a mad devil, it shot roaring toward the dozen or so incoming Nascent Soul Cultivators.

To the onlookers, Naruto seemed like a moth willingly flying into a conflagration, seeking death. And yet in doing so, he unleashed all the splendor of life, causing everyone's hearts to twinge with emotion.

A moth flies into the flame seemingly because the moth loves the flame. It wishes to be reborn within the flame. To onlookers, it would seem that death was unavoidable; however, who could possibly know that this moth had no love of flame? Instead, it wished to use its life to extinguish the flame!

A boom filled the air, rocking everything. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth as the massive face collapsed. Despite the fact that his Cultivation base was climbing up because of the Bedevilment Pill, he was facing the combined attack of ten or more people. How could he possibly measure up to that?

As the blood shot from his mouth, massive injuries wracked his body. His eyes were listless and a wan smile covered his face as he flopped backward like a kite with its string cut. The faces of his more than ten opponents all flickered as they attacked again. Their intense killing intent were like sharp arrows preparing to stab through Naruto.

However, even as they surged forward in attack, Naruto's listless eyes, shone with unbridled frenzy.

"A single word!" he cried, his voice hoarse. Shockingly, he was using the fearsome power of the Bedevilment Pill to fuel the divine ability of the Blood Immortal Legacy.

As the words left his mouth, the collapsing face immediately ceased disintegrating. The cracks which covered it seemed to seethe with ferocity as vast quantities of red mist poured out from them.

The red mist spread out in front of Naruto. The massive face seemed to be rapidly passing through time; it began to shrink, and the cracks disappeared. It was complete once again. And then… in the place where previously no mouth could be seen, two lips appeared.

The mouth opened and seemed to be speaking, although no one could hear the sound it uttered. However… as soon as the noiseless sound appeared, the ten or so old men all felt their minds shaking. Streaks of blood instantly covered their bodies, as if they would be ripped to pieces in an instant.

It was at this exact moment that Naruto spoke the third sentence.

"The flames of war unify!"

 _Without a face, a single word, the flames of war unify!_

This was the first of the three divine abilities of the Blood Immortal Legacy, forcibly pushed into motion by Naruto. Immediately smoke rose up from all directions, along with flames of war, twisting, spiralling, surrounding Naruto with a massive swirling pillar of fire. The roaring of it lifted up to the heavens.

More of Naruto's bones snapped. Blood showered out from his body as his body was swept off of its feet and sent rolling onto the ground. The recoil of power caused the mask to be violently ripped off his face.

Naruto's features were like that of an old man. His face was pale as he lay there on the ground; however, devilish frenzy still flickered within his eyes.

His Cultivation base was already at the point of shattering. His body seemed on the verge of complete ruin. Too much of his longevity had been wasted. However, his heart would not give up. It was with full conscious effort that he chose to continue the burning.

Roars filled the air as the pillar of fire expanded out. The ten or more Nascent Soul Cultivators were slowly pushed away. Shockingly, three of them immediately coughed up blood.

The intense power of this divine ability of Naruto's was incredibly shocking.

"The Blood Immortal Legacy is incredible…." said one of the Nascent Soul Cultivators. The expressions of all of the ten or more old men were grim, especially the three who had sustained injuries. Their injuries were not serious, but they were collectively attacking a single Core Formation Cultivator. For this to have happened to them was something they found hard to accept.

"It's over," said another of the old men. They looked at their opponent; he had no power to fight back; he had sustained severe injuries throughout his body. He was like a lamp with no oil left to burn. They slowly advanced toward him, preparing to end this troublesome confrontation.

Hinata was trembling. She was just about to rush out when Ino reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her back with incredible power.

Hinata turned to look at Ino, when suddenly Naruto laughed.

His skin was pale white, and his features aged; he was no longer young. However, there was something visible inside his face that had always existed there..

His laughter contained something strange, something fierce; it was filled with intense killing intent!

"Awake, my mastiff!" he said. He struggled to raise his right hand and place it gently onto the blood-colored mask. As he spoke the words, his eyes filled with warmth and anticipation.

The moment Naruto had reached core Formation, he had been able to sense the mastiff slumbering. He also knew that although it must remain sleeping, it was possible for it to occasionally awaken from sleep for just a moment.

All he need to do was call to it, awaken it. This… was his true killing intent. In fact, everything Naruto had been doing up to now had merely been to buy time to allow the mastiff to awaken. The entire time, he had been calling to it silently, over and over again.

Starting within the mental realm, all the way until now, all the way until the fierce and deadly fighting, he had been silently calling to the mastiff. He had been calling it the entire time, all the way up until the moment just now when he finally lost all power to fight back. It was then that the mastiff… finally began to show signs of movement.

The signs of movement contained anxiety, as well as a frenzy similar to that which filled Naruto. It seemed as if the mastiff were using all the power it possessed to fight against the slumber which held it. It woke, filled with the same desire it had in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament; it would protect its master.

The ten or more old men shot forward, and as they did Naruto reached out to touch the blood-colored mask. Then, he spoke the words calling the mastiff. The mask instantly began to tremble; it flew up into the air with incredible speed, stopping to hover in front of Naruto.

Suddenly, a massive blood-colored screen appeared, over three hundred meters in diameter.

The blood-colored screen looked like an enormous mirror of blood. When it appeared, the surface of the mirror filled with countless ripples, as well as growling sounds which emanated out from within.

The sound of the growling shook heaven and earth, and immediately caused the faces of the dozen or so old men to fall. It sounded like the mastiff had found an enemy, and was threatening it. The echoing sound filled the air, passing through the black fog to the world outside of the basin.

The Hebi Clan Spirit Severing Cultivator who had been stranded by the Uchiha Clan Patriarch suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils constricted. In front of him, the Uchiha Clan Patriarch let out a light gasp of surprise.

A frenzied, heaven-shaking roar sounded out from within the blood-colored screen. It was the roar of a wild beast, filled with insanity and billowing killing intent. As the roar filled the air, the ten or so old men in front of Naruto immediately experienced unprecedented feelings of life-or-death crisis floating up from their hearts.

It was at this moment that the surface of the blood-colored screen distorted. It protruded… as if something were trying to break out!

The intense feeling of life-or-death crisis caused the elders from the Hebi and Shimura Clans to feel shaken at heart. Their eyes shone with intense astonishment.

Considering their Cultivation bases, age, and vast experience, there were not very many things in the world which could truly cause them to be astonished.

But now, deep feelings of danger welled up simultaneously within their hearts.

For Nascent Soul Cultivators to feel crisis like this also filled them with vast terror.

It was extremely difficult to practice cultivation all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage. Many, many people fell while treading such a path; for these men to reach this point meant that they possessed good luck and had experienced plenty of fortunate circumstances. Now, however, facing this life-or-death crisis had a profound effect on their hearts and minds.

For the first time, these more than ten men suddenly felt regret….

However, before they had the chance to retreat, an intense roaring sound poured out from the three hundred meter wide blood-red screen. It seemed to be filled with enough power to destroy any obstacle in its way.

The sound of it filled the air, causing everyone that heard it to be completely shaken in heart and mind. Some people with less powerful Cultivation bases coughed up blood. The ten or so old men watched on in shock as the massive blood-colored screen suddenly seemed to be rent open.

From within billowed a massive glowing red light. Within the red light… could be seen….

An enormous, paw, stretching out toward them!

It was only one paw, something that belonged to a gigantic wild beast. It possessed long, razor-sharp claws, and was covered with thick, red fur. It carried with it an indescribable, demonic aura. It was only one paw, about thirty meters in size, that emerged from the blood-red screen; it ignored the force which was suppressing Cultivation bases, and shot out.

The instant the claw appeared, an intense, terrifying aura also could be clearly sensed. It exploded out, filling the area, causing the faces of the dozen or so old men to fill with shock. Their pupils constricted, and they retreated backward, minds reeling.

"That's…."

"The aura of Spirit Severing!"

"Dammit! How could this Naruto have a Spirit Severing aura with him!?"

The scalps of the ten or so old men immediately went numb, and the sense of crisis grew even stronger. In the very instant in which they attempted to flee, the paw which had emerged from the blood-colored screen raised into the air. Then, it struck down toward them.

This was of course the paw of the sleeping Blood Mastiff. During the fleeting ten years which had passed, it had been incapable of awakening. However, after Naruto reached Core Formation, a greater connection had appeared between them. Naruto's repeated calls, and the critical moment of life-or-death he faced, were an intense provocation that caused the Blood Mastiff to suddenly wake up.

In this moment, all it could do was extend its paw into the world and strike down.

A roaring sound filled heaven and earth. The mastiff, which had already evolved to the Spirit Severing level, sent its paw whistling down. Three of the elders from the Hebi Clan had expressions filled with insanity as, unable to evade, their Cultivation bases exploded.

The three men emitted blood-curdling screams. Blood sprayed from their mouths, and their bodies began to collapse. Their Nascent Souls made to flee, but before they could get very far, were shattered by the paw.

Among the elders from the Shimura Clan, there were four who were too slow to evade. This slowness resulted in their instant death.

A boom could be heard as the Blood Mastiff's massive paw descended onto the four of them. Their bodies were instantly turned into mutilated flesh; their Nascent Souls were incapable of fleeing, and were immediately crushed into powder!

This scene caught everyone by surprise. In the blink of an eye, of the dozen or so Nascent Soul Cultivators, seven had been instantly slain!

These seven men were incapable of withstanding even a single blow from the paw of the Blood Mastiff, and were thoroughly and instantly exterminated. This instantly caused the rest of the old men to be filled with fear; the blood drained from their faces, their hearts began to race, and their scalps went numb. The only thing they could think of at the moment was to flee as quickly as possible.

Everything was going opposite to expectation, and was exceeding the limits of their imagination. How could they possibly have predicted that Naruto, a trifling Core Formation Cultivator, would be… so difficult to kill!

They had no way of knowing that to Naruto, reaching Core Formation was merely the first stepping stone on his path to the top. After reaching Core Formation, he had a vast array of magical techniques and other methods that he could employ.

You could say that Naruto had saved up everything for an explosive finale!

The boom was still echoing out as the mastiff's paw slowly began to fade away. The massive blood-colored screen also began to disappear. Naruto grabbed the mask as it fell toward the ground.

At the moment, Ino and the others seemed to be incapable of even breathing. They stared at the oilless lamp which was Naruto. None of them had ever imagined that events could turn about in the way they had.

"Blood Divinity!" breathed Chino, trembling. "That was a Blood Divinity!" The others immediately thought back to the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, and the blood-colored mastiff.

Back then, they'd had no idea who the mastiff belonged to. Now, you could say that they understood, but had little time to think about it. Seeing everything that they just had, with their own eyes, caused their minds to spin.

Clutching the blood-colored mask, Naruto produced some medicinal pills, which he consumed. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to his feet. He looked over at the group of people. His gaze lingered on Hinata for a moment, and then, he turned and continued to head toward the Rebirth Cave with as much speed as he could muster.

"Kazama…." cried Sakura. Seeing him turn to leave, she suddenly realized she had no way of knowing when she might see him again. If she didn't call out, perhaps she would never have another chance to do so.

Naruto's body quivered slightly, but he continued onward.

He was well aware that the Nascent Soul eccentrics had been intimidated by the sudden appearance of the Blood Mastiff, and its slaying of their seven compatriots. However, it wouldn't take long for them to realize what was really going on. After a moment's hesitation, they would surely see that Naruto might seem strong on the outside, but was actually incomparably weak. Then, it would only be moments before they went after him again.

As for the Blood Mastiff, after attacking just now, it had instantly fallen back into slumber. Now, it didn't matter how many times Naruto called to it, it wouldn't be able to awaken.

"All paths to the outside are sealed tight. My only option is… the Rebirth Cave." Gritting his teeth, Naruto whistled forward through the air.

It was at this point that the remaining seven or eight old men who had not been slain, suddenly ceased their fleeing. Their expressions were now filled with hesitation. It seemed they were analyzing everything that had just happened. Considering their age and experience, it only took the space of about ten breaths for them to grasp the situation. Unsightly expressions appeared on their faces; they immediately turned and headed back.

In the blink of an eye, all of the fleeing Nascent Soul Cultivators once again headed in pursuit of Naruto.

Naruto was only about twenty-five kilometers from the Rebirth Cave, when from within it, a soft sigh could suddenly be heard.

It was the sigh of a woman. The sound was completely unexpected, but the instant it filled the air, the faces of the remaining Nascent Soul Cultivators flickered, and they coughed up blood as they tumbled backward, bodies shaking. Dumbstruck looks filled their faces; it seemed that whatever they had just encountered was even more intensely powerful than the Blood Mastiff.

Within their trembling bodies, their Nascent Souls also shook, and their fear climbed to the pinnacle.

It wasn't just them. All of the Cultivators outside of the basin also heard the sigh, and it sent their minds and heart shaking. Blood sprayed from their mouths. Unprecedented looks filled the faces of the Spirit Severing Patriarchs from the various Sects.

"That's…."

Their faces fell and blood erupted from their mouths; they appeared to have received severe internal injuries!

Within the fog of the basin, the Spirit Severing Cultivator from the Hebi Clan also coughed up blood. The astonishment on his face could not be any more intense as he heard the sound from the Rebirth Cave.

This was not the voice of one of the strange life forms that existed there; this was the sigh of a woman!

Within the fog, the Uchiha Clan Patriarch, who was invisible to everyone, felt his entire body shaking. "Who is that…? She's… an Immortal!" It was as if a violent storm had kicked up within him; an intensely somber look filled his face, and his eyes glowed brightly. Threads of dread and shock filled his eyes as he looked toward the Rebirth Cave.

It was at this moment that the voice of a woman could be heard coming from the Rebirth Cave.

The voice was warm, and accompanied by another soft sigh. "Years ago, you accidentally loosened the seal which held me. That counts as sowing Karma…. You cannot come to the Rebirth Cave today. Go, I'll help you to escape. This counts as reaping Karma." As the voice echoed out from the cave, a white, glowing light could suddenly be seen flying out.

It was a scale!

A fish scale!

Even as it flew forth, it suddenly also appeared to be a feather.

The feather of a roc!

The scale-like feather flew out with incredible speed, almost immediately appearing directly in front of Naruto. As it did, it immediately branded itself onto his forehead. Naruto's entire body shook as a warm power surged out from the scale-like feather, filling his entire body.

Immediately, his Cultivation base became stable. It was no longer burning and collapsing. Instead, it was completely restored. As before, he was at the early Core Formation Stage. In the blink of an eye, his wounds were healed by nearly twenty percent.

In fact, even his longevity was increased by a bit; Naruto's face was no longer that of an old man. It looked young, as it had before. The paleness of it, however, could not be changed.

The whiteness of his hair was also not possible to change.

"I will lend you the power of a roc. Go. Leave this place…." As the voice echoed out, Naruto's body suddenly felt an incredible power pushing at him, sweeping up against his body, propelling him. Suddenly, he began to shoot forward like a roc.

The eight Nascent Soul Cultivators hadn't the slightest inclination to block him. The voice of the woman from the Rebirth Cave was enough to send terror into the hearts of anyone in the area.

Naruto had no time to think as he suddenly shot out of the basin and appeared in the outside world, in front of the eyes of the Cultivators of all the Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain.

What they saw was something like a shooting star. Within the shooting star was Naruto, his hair white, his robe the color of blood.

Naruto's eyes glowed with confusion, but only for a moment, and then was replaced with understanding. He knew who it was that was helping him.

"The roc…. She's the roc that was flying toward the Rebirth Cave that year…. But why is she saving me? How exactly did I sow Karma with her…?"

"Everyone in the League of Demon Sealers is heartless…." she said with a sigh. "You're on your own now." As her words echoed in his ears, his eyes went wide.

* * *

Thank you for reading. I worked hard to rush this out for you guys.


	4. Unsurpassable Triad of Chaos

In the years to come, the Cultivators outside the basin of the Rebirth Cave would be unable to forget the events they had witnessed.

In their memories, they would always be able to see that shooting star flying out from the fog within the basin. It seemed to be ablaze with heaven-shattering fire, emitting a bright glow that they would never be able to forget.

Within that flame and glow was, of course, Naruto.

Legacy Apprentice of the Violet Fate Sect; fourth Grandmaster of the Southern Domain, Pill Cauldron; owner of the Sublime Spirit Scripture; inheritor of the Blood Immortal legacy. Any one of these would be enough to make a Cultivator famous.

But for all of them to be embodied in a single person… would cause that person to become a legend in the Southern Domain.

By now, Naruto was absolutely a legend. His Cultivation base was not very high, and he had not been in the Southern Domain for a very long time. That didn't matter, though. He could not prevent himself from shining brightly; from that day forward, he was like the sun in the noon sky!

No one would be able to forget that shooting star, nor the massive image of the roc which appeared in the air. The roc was massive, and Naruto seemed to make up its nucleus. It shot out from the basin, flying over the staring Cultivators.

They watched him soar out from the basin, charge through the blockade of Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Hebi and Shimura Clans, and shatter through the swirling sealing spells. The seals collapsed behind him as the shooting star and the roc soared through Heaven and Earth!

Thousands of kilometers off in the distance, they disappeared from the region of the Rebirth Cave, fading off over the horizon.

Soon after, a vortex appeared, into which he flew. Then he was truly gone.

The Cultivators from the Violet Fate Sect, including the two Spirit Severing Patriarchs, looked off into the distance as Naruto disappeared. They saw with their own eyes that he had made it to safety, and, deep in their hearts, heaved sighs of relief.

Tazuna stood there, a complicated look on his face. In his heart, he sighed with emotion, thinking back to Naruto in the Five Elements Nation. He thought about the first time he'd seen him, and the events regarding the iron spear.

It seemed like a dream. As he thought back to it all, Tazuna almost couldn't believe it was real.

Hiruko looked up into the sky, and his expression was as emotional as Tazuna's.

Next to him was Shizuka, who had appeared some time earlier. She was silent as she looked off toward the horizon. As she watched the man who was ostensibly her husband, and yet with whom she had never exchanged even a single word, her furrowed brow revealed the bitterness that she had been unable to dispel throughout the years.

Patriarch Violet Sieve also looked on silently. He shook his head with a bitter smile. The Black Sieve Sect was quite familiar with Naruto. Because of the events in the ancient Blessed Land, and the matter of Ultimate Vexation bonding him as master, the Black Sieve Sect was truly in a hopeless deadlock with Naruto.

However, regardless of any of that, Naruto, wearing the face of Kazama, had dared to swagger back into the Black Sieve Sect and engage in an alchemic battle. Then he even concocted pills for them.

As Patriarch Violet Sieve thought of all of these things, he felt admiration deep in his heart.

The members of the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect and the Uchiha Clan all had various expressions on their faces. Fortunately, Sasuke was not present; if he was, his complicated emotions would overwhelm him like floodwaters.

Throughout the years, all of the five great Clans and three great Sects had unknowingly become familiar with either Naruto or Kazama.

Ino sighed. Images of Naruto and Kazama spun in her mind, gradually overlapping with each other, to create an image of a man in a red robe, wearing a mask, lifting his head and laughing toward the Heavens. It created a truly profound impression on her.

Shikamaru was also silent as he thought back to Mount Myboku, and Konoha County.

Sakura bit her lip, unable to determine what exactly she was feeling. It seemed that inside of her was pain, melancholy, and disappointment. It was like something had slipped through her fingers. She felt as if… she had suddenly lost something.

Ye Feimu lowered his head, refusing to look up into the sky. However, within his eyes was the glow of stubborness. He had faith that Naruto would rise to prominence in some other location. That meant that he could not slack off. There would be a day in the future when the two of them would meet again; when that day came, he would gain victory over Naruto in the Dao of alchemy.

Might Guy let out a light sigh. He now knew that he and his little Junior Brother from the Reliance Sect had long since begun to tread vastly different paths.

In his heart, he held deep admiration for Naruto. He didn't envy his identity, but rather admired his life. It seemed that Naruto's life was… vastly more wonderful than his own.

"Perhaps, he is a true Cultivator…." murmured Might Guy.

A look of astonishment blossomed in Chino's eyes. She thought back to what the mysterious Patriarch had told her the day she left the Sect to come here.

"Will we meet again?" she thought with a slight laugh.

Some distance away, Hinata was gazing off at the horizon. "We'll definitely meet again," she murmured inwardly. Her personality was simple, and her features cold. She wasn't very intelligent, but her stubborness ran much deeper than the average person.

Her stubborness was such that it transformed into a promise.

"I'm waiting for you…." she said in her heart. Then she sighed.

The Milky Way Sea divided the lands of Lands of Ninshu into two parts: east and north, west and south.

The Sky Country in the Eastern Lands, the Qiang Di flute of the Northern Reaches, the outstanding heroes of the Southern Domain, the totems of the Western Desert.

The Sky Country in the Eastern Lands was known for its power, the Northern Reaches for its intrepid barbarians, the Southern Domain for its many outstanding heroes. As for the Western Desert, well, it was known as the Barbarian West with its Western Devils. In fact, its name actually represented madness.

Chaos was the normal state of affairs in the Western Desert. There were no Sects there, only countless Tribes. Some Tribes formed alliances, and then larger coalitions of power.

Because of the infertility of the land, and the scarcity of resources, as well as the deplorable condition of the environment, the Western Desert Cultivators lived a life of merciless killing. They cultivated the power of their totems, longing for the day when they would take over the Southern Domain.

The two great wars between the west and the south had resulted in great sealing spells that separated the two powers. The regions left unsealed became the Black Lands. They belonged to the Southern Domain as well as the Western Desert. As such, there was more freedom there, as well as more ruthlessness.

Some areas there were infertile, but some were the opposite, creating a polarizing effect. Killing occurred at the slightest pretext, causing the land to constantly be filled with the reek of blood.

At this very moment, at a spot roughly a day's journey from the Black Lands in the Southern Domain, was a vast plain overgrown with weeds. It was midday, and a bleak wind blew across the leaves, causing them to rustle slightly.

Suddenly, a vortex appeared, with a gaping mouth like that of a black hole. As it appeared in mid-air, it emitted no sound.

The sudden appearance of a vortex like this would naturally arouse quite a bit of attention. However, few Southern Domain Cultivators ever came to this area.

Moments later, someone emerged from the vortex of the black hole. He staggered forward, then looked back at the vortex, causing his white hair to whip around his head.

On his forehead could be seen a mark that looked both like a scale and a feather.

This was none other than Naruto.

Using the powerful momentum of the roc, he had activated his good luck charm to teleport away from the region of the Rebirth Cave, to reappear here.

He floated in mid-air, watching the vortex disappear, a look of confusion covering his face. Everything around him was quiet, except for the sound of the wind.

After some time passed, he produced a jade slip, and looked down at it with a serious expression. Having confirmed his current location, he let out a sigh. He turned toward the direction of the Violet Fate Sect and gave a deep bow.

He held the bow for the space of several breaths. When he looked back up, the confusion in his eyes was gone, replaced instead with determination.

"I spent roughly ten comfortable years in the Violet Fate Sect," he murmured quietly. "I've almost forgotten what it's like to live life as a lone Rogue Cultivator." He waved his right hand, causing a violet-colored seed to fly out and burrow into the ground. Suddenly, the dirt heaved, and a mass of thick vines flew up to circle around Naruto.

He sat down cross-legged in their midst. Eyes glittering, he passed his will into the vines, and they surged forward, carrying him toward the Black Lands.

He closed his eyes as he traveled as quickly as possible away from the Southern Domain. He would not allow any delays. However, his Cultivation base was unstable at the moment, and he had been seriously injured. His life force and longevity had been restored somewhat by the scale-feather. However, what remained was still less than a sixty year cycle.

Unless it were absolutely necessary, Naruto had no desire to waste or consume it.

"I'll be in the Black Lands soon; once I'm there, I can find a suitable place to treat my injuries…. It's impossible to say for sure how long it will be before people from the Hebi Clan come looking for me to kill me." His expression was calm as he traveled along, sitting cross-legged atop the vines. He permitted them to move forward at the fastest speed possible, which allowed him to spend some time tending to his wounds.

He slapped his bag of holding to produce the copper mirror. He glanced at it for a moment, then put it back.

"As soon as I reached Core Formation," he thought, "I got the feeling that all I had to do was calm myself and cast my sense into the mirror. With that, I would be able to awaken the spirit within…. Unfortunately, the circumstances were far too dire at the time." He wasn't sure what would happen when the spirit within the item emerged. Now, his mind was not at peace, so it wasn't the best time to attempt to communicate with it; he would wait until after he was fully healed.

Next, he produced Jirobo's bag of holding. The first thing he noticed was a magical sealing mark on its surface. It wouldn't be easy to open. After a moment's consideration, he put it back. With the flick of a hand, he next produced a small bell.

This bell was the magical item Jirobo had used. Naruto examined it for a moment, then closed his eyes and focused on dealing with his injuries.

As of dusk of the following day, he had encountered nothing startling or dangerous. Naruto's vines carried him into the Black Lands, which was an easily identifiable area. The ground here was black, as were most of the plants that grew in the area.

This was the reason it was called the Black Lands.

However, the instant Naruto entered the Black Lands, the ancient voice of the Demon Sealing Jade suddenly appeared in his mind.

"An Immortal of the Ninth Mountain; the pinnacle of brushwork; magical symbols of all creatures; collapse of the Heavens…. The power is fused within this land, transformed into destruction, and filled with Demonic life force. This land… can be used to cultivate… the art of Righteous Bestowal!"

Naruto's mind shook, and his eyes immediately snapped open.

He snatched out the Demon Sealing Jade; as soon as he touched it, an icy coldness poured into his fingers, filling his mind. It transformed into a mnemonic, a unique divine ability of the League of Demon Sealers!

Righteous Bestowal, impart Demonic power upon any living creature!

It was dusk in the Black Lands. The sky was pocked with darkness, the land beneath was pitch black. Everything felt desolate.

No mortals could be seen; it was difficult for them to survive in an environment like this. This area was occupied for the most part by Cultivators. If you did occasionally encounter mortals, they would be descendants of Cultivator Clans, powerfully built, with hearty Chakra and blood.

When Naruto entered the Black Lands, he looked back for a moment, and a flash of suspicion appeared on his face. For some reason, he had the feeling that upon entering this land, there was some sort of invisible thread attached to his body that had been covered up.

Before entering the Black Lands, he had been unable to detect it; however, as soon as it was covered up, he could.

Naruto muttered to himself thoughtfully as the vines carried him forward at high speed. Moments later, he cleared his thoughts. His eyes glittered as he cast his Spiritual Sense about.

The region three hundred meters in all directions suddenly appeared in his mind.

"I need to find a quiet place where I can recuperate…. I remember that Shino was taken to the Black Lands…. Furthermore, there should be information about the Eyeless Larva here. I wonder if I'll be able to refine one." Naruto once again produced Jirobo's bag of holding. The magical symbol on it was by no means weak. Naruto was able to suppress it slightly, but was unable to open the bag. He could tell that if he was able to suppress the seal for long enough, then he would be able to.

A long time passed, after which Naruto once again closed his eyes. He allowed the vines to continue forward without rest. Soon, more than a month had passed.

Occasionally he would encounter some Black Lands Cultivators. They were for the most part skinny and bony, with an intensely fiendish aura. They were usually alone, or rarely, in groups of three or five. To Naruto, most of them seemed like lone wolves.

This was very different than the Southern Domain.

It seemed people here were used to treading the line between life and death. The only way to ensure continued existence was to soak one's hands in blood.

However, despite their ferocity, when the local Cultivators saw Naruto, their pupils would constrict. Naruto's white hair was very conspicuous as it billowed around his head. Combined with the paleness of his face, it left people with a very ghastly impression.

When you added the vicious-looking vines, the entire picture was one of powerful maliciousness. Naruto emanated the aura of Core Formation, as well as the reek of blood. Anyone who saw him would immediately come to the conclusion that he was someone not to be trifled with.

Even some Cultivators of the same level as he, after sensing the aura of his Cultivation base, would hesitate for a moment and then get out of his way.

In the Black Lands, killing was a constant part of life, and it was common to see bodies laying about.

As Naruto traveled, he saw dozens of vicious magical battles between Cultivators. He also saw quite a few deaths. Based on his observations, he quickly came to a better understanding of the Black Lands.

What he found the strangest was that after a month passed, despite his constant vigilance, no one from the Hebi Clan came in pursuit of him. He couldn't help but think of the invisible thread that had been covered up the moment he entered the Black Lands.

He hesitated for a moment, uncertain of exactly what was going on. "Could it be that the thread appeared after I killed Jirobo? Is it a mark that the Hebi Clan can use to track me down? If that's the case, why would it be covered up when I entered the Black Lands?"

Time slowly passed. Soon, another month had gone by. Compared to the Southern Domain, the Black Lands wasn't very large. As he traveled, though, Naruto found that there weren't very many cities, which made everything seem much further spread out.

Nearly everything was empty and desolate. The soil was pitch black, permeated with oppressive, deathly stillness. Even fewer places were filled with spiritual energy. Thankfully, Naruto currently didn't have any strong requirement for spiritual energy. One day as he sat cross-legged on the vines, he suddenly opened his eyes to look off into the distance.

With his Spiritual Sense, he could see a short mountain about forty kilometers away, as well as a simple Immortal's cave. The Immortal's cave wasn't located within the mountain, but rather, underneath it, almost like a burrow. Next to the mountain was a spring, the waters of which had pooled together to form a cistern.

The waters of the cistern were muddy and foul, and the whole area was littered with animal droppings and weeds. The place looked abandoned. If Naruto weren't specifically looking for a place to rest and restore his health, he would most likely have overlooked a location like this.

"Actually, it's not that bad," he thought. He transmitted his will to the vines, and they moved off in the direction of the short mountain.

Soon thereafter, he arrived in the area. He approached on foot, allowing the vines to burrow down into the soil and conceal themselves.

Naruto walked through the weeds, passing the cistern. As he did, he noticed a small, black creature drinking from its waters. It looked up at him, emanating a cruel and vicious air.

Naruto ignored it, flying up in the air to inspect the mountain. Afterward, he flew toward a wide fissure on the surface of the mountain, a look of satisfaction on his face.

The jagged fissure led downward, and it took only a moment for the main door of the Immortal's cave to appear in front of him. Naruto waved his hand, causing the door to tremble, then slowly open.

The Immortal's cave wasn't large; almost everything inside was covered in dust. Apparently it hadn't been occupied for some time, although some aura of the fifth or sixth level of Chakra Condensation still lingered inside. It appeared that the original owner of the cave didn't have a very high Cultivation base.

After looking around for a moment, Naruto flicked his sleeve, causing a wind to spring up that instantly cleared away the dust and the damp.

Next, he sat down cross-legged and took a long, deep breath. A thoughtful look filled his eyes, after which his hand flashed in an incantation gesture and he waved his finger toward the main door. It slowly closed, after which magical symbols appeared on it, sealing it.

"My injuries are currently about fifty percent healed. I really was seriously hurt this time…." He produced some medicinal pills, consumed them, and then closed his eyes to meditate. Slowly but surely, his injuries began to recover.

As a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, he was naturally able to concoct the optimal pills for treatment of his own injuries.

Time passed slowly and peacefully. It was quiet inside the Immortal's cave, and dark as well. He sat alone for some time. When he finally awoke from his trance, he opened his eyes and looked out at the darkness. For some reason, the events from his time in the Violet Fate Sect appeared in his mind.

"The Hebi Clan…." A bright glow appeared in his eyes, which he closed once again.

Three months slowly went by, although Naruto wasn't very aware of the passage of time. His wounds were mostly recovered now, at least eighty percent so. According to his calculations, within a few months, he would be completely recovered, and back at the peak state he used to be in. In fact, he might even be able to make a bit of progress.

The absolute strangest thing to him was that in the past three months there hadn't been the slightest bit of pursuit on the part of the Hebi Clan. Naruto couldn't help but draw some of his own conclusions about this.

He suddenly thought of something. "Could it be because of Master…?" He thought silently about this for a while.

Finally, he sighed, closed his eyes, and continued to focus on his injuries. After a moment, though, his expression suddenly flickered, and he focused his attention outside of the Immortal's cave.

About fifty kilometers away from the short mountain was an emaciated man of about thirty years of age, walking along with utmost caution and prudence.

His Cultivation base was not very high, perhaps at the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. A savage gleam could be seen in his eyes. Were this the Southern Domain, few people of the same level would be able to come out victorious against this man.

"I really struck it unlucky this time," grumbled the man through gritted teeth. "What the hell was that place anyway!? Kept me trapped for two years!" His eyes flitted about as he proceeded at top speed toward the small mountain.

Seemingly out of routine, the man took a circuitous route toward the small mountain, glancing this way and that the entire time. Assured that he was in no danger, and seeing no one following him, he hopped into the fissure and made his way down.

"From now on, I'm never going to that damned place ever again. Thankfully, even though I was trapped for two years, at least my life wasn't in danger. Anyone else would most likely have been killed." He sighed, muttered to himself as he climbed down into the fissure. Having seen so much death, he had reached the point where he was perhaps not numb, but at the least took it all as a normal part of life.

"Unfortunately, I still have no medicinal elixir," he muttered. "However, considering that I have my own Immortal's cave, I definitely count as someone who has a lot of good fortune." Looking complacent, he relaxed a bit. Finally, he was back to his Immortal's cave, where he could rest. He lifted up his right hand and produced a command medallion which he tossed toward the door.

His eyes immediately went wide as he watched the medallion clatter to the ground. The main door of the Immortal's cave didn't budge.

"Is it broken?" he thought, gaping. He walked forward, picked up the command medallion, and then looked over it carefully. He was about to try to use it again, when suddenly he noticed some marks in the dust on the ground that made it obvious the door had been opened recently.

Fury immediately burned in the man's eyes. How could he not understand that his Immortal's cave had been stolen by someone!

"I don't know where you came from, you stupid ignoramus!" he immediately shouted. "But this is the Immortal's cave of Grandpa Tenma! Get the hell out of there this instant!" In his estimation, the spiritual energy in the Immortal's cave had long since dried up. High level Chakra Condensation Cultivators would obviously have little interest in it, let alone anyone more powerful than that.

Furthermore, he had occupied this Immortal's cave for many years. Sure, some people had attempted to take it from him before, but all of them were people of a lower level than him, and he had exterminated each and every one. In the end, he was definitely the master of this tiny Immortal's cave.

However, now it seemed obvious that in the two years he'd been away, someone had indeed come to seize it.

"Open the door! Your granny! This is Grandpa Tenma's territory, and Grandpa Tenma's Immortal's cave. Everyone in the entire area knows that I'm the Eight-armed Dragon King, Tenma!"

Within the Immortal's cave, Naruto frowned. The place had looked abandoned before; he'd never imagined that someone was actually living here….

"You've got some big aspirations and the guts of a leopard to try to steal Grandpa Tenma's Immortal's Cave!" howled Tenma. Seeing no response coming from inside, he gave a cold snort and then began to perform an incantation with his right hand. He stretched out his finger, and, face flushed, sent a tongue of fire shooting out. It transformed into a Fire Globe which shot toward the main door of the Immortal's cave.

A boom filled the narrow fissure, after which Tenma immediately began shouting again, "Open the door! You damned…."

Before he could finish speaking, the main door quietly opened a sliver. Tenma gave a cold harrumph, congratulating himself on intimidating his opponent with his magical technique. He was filled with fury, but he didn't immediately charge inside. A look of caution gleamed in his eyes.

He slowly opened the main door. Inside, he saw that there was no dust; instead, Naruto sat there peacefully.

Seeing Naruto alone, he said, "Your grann…" However, in the midst of his fury, he suddenly looked into Naruto's eyes. Within their profundity was an icy dignity.

His hair was completely white, and he emanated a shocking, terrifying aura. His skin was pallid, as if he needed more blood to make it look normal again.

All of this caused Tenma to feel as if a bucket of cold water had just been dumped onto his head. He immediately began to shiver.

"Fellow… um, Fellow Daoist…."

"Uh… Fellow Daoist…." Tenma could not stop the pounding of his heart. His face was pale white, and as he trembled, he pasted a benevolent smile onto his face. Without even thinking about it, he began to edge away.

"Haha, greetings…. What a lucky coincidence that we meet each other. Fellow Daoist, if you want to live here, well, no problem… no problem." Body quivering, Tenma immediately made to leave.

However, as he did, Naruto's calm eyes swept over him, coming to rest on his feet. A tremor ran through Tenma's body. He didn't dare to move even an inch. Beads of cold sweat began to bead up on his forehead and then drip down his pale face. It seemed almost like as soon as Naruto's gaze landed on his feet, they suddenly didn't belong to him any more.

Eventually, Naruto's gaze rose up and he looked Tenma in the eyes. Tenma's brain felt like it was convulsing, as if his soul had fled his body. An intense feeling of dread completely submerged him.

"Foundation Establishment…. This is definitely Foundation Establishment…." The most powerful person Tenma had ever faced in his entire life was of the Foundation Establishment stage. The terror he felt because of Naruto was nearly unfathomable; this in turn caused him to think of the most powerful person he had ever seen.

Before Naruto even said a single word, a flopping sound could be heard as Tenma dropped to his knees, his face devoid of blood.

"Senior, please spare my life. Sir, I spoke rashly just now, I was mistaken. Senior, you are a great man, and truly magnanimous. Please spare my life…." Tenma's appearance was that of the ultimate supplication. The back of his garment was already soaked with cold sweat.

Naruto hesitated for a moment. There was no need to cause trouble for this tiny Chakra Condensation Cultivator. Furthermore, if the Immortal's cave did indeed belong to the man, then it meant he truly had stolen it.

As soon as Tenma saw his hesitation, it immediately filled him with even more terror.

"He wants to kill me!" he thought. "I'm finished. Finished! I've heard of these Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They kill people all the time, and I've even heard that some of them have the habit of eating raw human flesh…." As he thought of this, Tenma's vision suddenly began to grow dim. His heart filled with grief and indignation. He suddenly realized he would rather stay stuck in the place he had just escaped from than be here. At least there his life hadn't been in danger. But now….

Suddenly, Tenma gave a start. He didn't want to die and therefore, several ideas suddenly sprang to being in his mind. Just as it seemed Naruto was about to say something, Tenma let out a shout and said, "Eee? Is this actually my Immortal's cave? How strange, it seems the spiritual energy here is much too dense! Furthermore, everything is so glittering and translucent; it really feels like the dwelling place of an Immortal!

"Senior, you truly are an amazing person! See, this Immortal's cave used to be so ordinary, but once you started living in it, your presence lent it a graceful glitter. It's like some sort of Celestial wonderland!" Hearing Tenma's words caused Naruto to gape.

His gaping caused Tenma's spirit to be roused. It seemed he had managed to grasp hold of a chance at survival. Therefore, he went at it with even more gusto.

"After seeing this Immortal's cave, I don't think I could possibly ever calm down!" He looked around at the extremely ordinary Immortal's cave as if he had seen some type of miracle. His eyes filled with passion and reverence. "Now I suddenly understand what I have been missing, which is nothing other than your stubborn persistence in cultivation, sir, as well as your transcendent temperament which gives birth to such impressive dignity.

"Sir, you truly have the air of a transcendent being. I really can't help but bow to you in my heart. With each bow, my excitement rages out of control, and even my Cultivation base leaps with joy!" The more he spoke, the more excited Tenma became, until spittle flew from his mouth. He seemed to be sparing nothing in his efforts to ingratiate himself to Naruto.

Naruto stared, dumbstruck, and once again hesitated for a moment. Finally, his face began to grow red.

"I was thinking," gushed Tenma, "perhaps this is the will of Heaven. The will of Heaven has caused senior to appear here. Sir, I have no other request than to simply be able to stand in front of you and be touched by your Immortal Chakra. Senior, I beg that you allow me this one request." Glistening teardrops poured down his cheeks as he stared earnestly at Naruto, looking feverishly hopeful.

All of his words had caused Naruto's scalp to grow numb. He had always thought he had learned quite a bit about flattery back in the Reliance Sect, and was more than equal to the task. However, he suddenly came to the realization that there were many more capable people in the world than him.

One such person existed here in the Black Lands…. Unfortunately, such words were useless on Naruto. He looked at the Cultivator standing in front of him, his expression solemn.

The solemnity immediately caused Tenma's heart to tremble once more. Bracing himself, he spoke once again.

"Senior, you have another virtue, your greatest, and that is, when the moment of truth arrives, you are not swayed by flattery. All fawning words are like a slight breeze hitting a mountain. If you wish to get angry, you get angry. You are efficient and decisive. You are truly a great hero, a towering figure."

At this point, Naruto couldn't take it any more. He laughed, and the laugh loosened some of the pressure that had been weighing down upon him because of all of the events back at the Rebirth Cave.

Interrupting any further ass kissing on the part of Tenma, Naruto said, "Very well. I'm accustomed to quiet. Since this Immortal's cave belongs to you, I won't occupy it for free. Whatever you require, I will provide to you as rent."

Tenma's head was soaked with sweat, but finally he felt somewhat relaxed inside. In order to save his own little life, he had used all the mental power he could muster; hearing Naruto's words just now, how could he possibly speak out any sort of requirement?

"Senior, since you've taken a liking to this Immortal's cave, how could I possibly ask for anything? Sir, there's no need, really. Please live here without any hesitation whatsoever."

Naruto looked at Tenma for a moment, muttering to himself for a moment. What he lacked most now was Spirit Stones. He slapped his bag of holding to produce a Chakra Condensation Pill that was not marked with a pill cauldron.

This was a Chakra Condensation Pill that he had concocted a very long time ago, and was of ordinary medicinal strength. It was one of the types he had concocted before becoming famous, and he actually didn't have many left in his bag of holding.

As he pulled the pill out, Naruto got the feeling that it wasn't very much to offer. He was about to put it back and pull out something else, when suddenly he heard ragged panting.

Tenma's eyes went wide, and he was breathing heavily. He stared fixedly at the medicinal pill in Naruto's hand, his eyes filled with intense anticipation. His body trembled, not from fear, but from excitement.

To him, the medicinal pill appeared to be shining and beautiful, plump to the extreme. Its appearance instantly filled the entire Immortal's cave with thick spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy enveloped the Immortal's cave, immediately causing all of the pores on his body to open up; his Cultivation base immediately seemed to grow, causing Tenma's mind to spin.

"Medicinal… that's a medicinal pill!" His mouth and tongue were dry, and he seemed to have lost his faculties, as if at any moment he might lunge forward and try to snatch the pill away from Naruto.

In his entire life, he had only been fortunate enough to consume one medicinal pill. That was long ago when he was with his Master. Upon receiving a serious injury, he and his Master had fled. On his death bed, his Master had bequeathed him with a dark, bumpy medicinal pill.

That medicinal pill had been highly valued by his Master. It was also the first medicinal pill Tenma had ever eaten, and, in fact, the only one.

However, that pill had absolutely no way to compare to the one he was looking at right now. One was the Earth, the other was the Heavens!

The Black Lands were barren and the Cultivators there lived arduous lives. Medicinal plants were not easy to grow, and there were virtually no alchemists, therefore, medicinal pills were extremely hard to come by. Of even more relevance was the polarization of the Black Lands. One half of it was part of the Southern Domain, the other half was of the Western Desert. Cultivators here either never saw medicinal pills, or, like Tenma, caught sight of one once or twice in their lives.

Generally speaking, Cultivators here relied on medicinal elixirs, which were created by repeatedly breaking down medicinal pills until they formed a liquid. Such medicinal elixirs were not incredibly effective, but they were something that Black Lands Cultivators couldn't live without.

"Senior, are you… are you going to give me that medicinal pill?" asked Tenma, his voice quavering. He stared at the pill, panting.

Naruto's eyes glittered. He had been in the Black Lands for several months, but hadn't had much dealings with the outside world. He had seen much while traveling, and had come to understand quite a bit; however his thinking regarding the value of objects was still based on his time in the Southern Domain.

Now, he understood everything. He waved his hand, sending the medicinal pill flying into Tenma's hands.

"One medicinal pill to rent your Immortal's cave for a period of time," said Naruto coolly.

Tenma clutched at the medicinal pill as if it were some sort of treasure. He looked at Naruto, his face filled with intense veneration. He bowed deeply, then remembering how Naruto had said he valued quiet, suddenly was worried that Naruto might change his mind. He quickly took his leave, hurrying out of the Immortal's cave. When he was away from the short mountain, he took a deep breath, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement he had been holding back just now.

"I've struck the jackpot!" he thought. "This medicinal pill… it's a miracle!" He hurried away, preparing, not to consume the pill, but to break it down into medicinal elixir, which could be used for quite some time.

Naruto sat cross-legged in the Immortal's cave, his eyes filled with thoughtfulness. His experience with the Chakra Condensation Cultivator had helped him to realize how scarce resources really were for the impoverished Black Lands Cultivators.

"I still have quite a few medicinal pills in my bag of holding," Naruto thought. "Most are marked with a pill cauldron, but I can erase that. Considering my lack of Spirit Stones, though, I need to be careful. There are no alchemists in the Black Lands, so a sudden influx in medicinal pills would definitely arouse suspicion." He continued to think about the matter for a while. He had left a bit of Spiritual Sense on the Chakra Condensation Cultivator; if the man tried to plot against him, he could immediately activate the Spiritual Sense and kill him.

Eventually, Naruto closed his eyes and focused once again on treating his injuries. As far as the damage to his longevity, Naruto wasn't too worried about it. That problem would be easy to solve, either with the Outlander Pill or the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill, one of the three great pills of the ancient Dao of alchemy.

Time passed, and eventually, Naruto's wounds were fully healed. He opened his eyes, which glittered as he retrieved the copper mirror from within his bag of holding.

"Upon reaching Core Formation, the spirit within this copper mirror should awaken." He looked at the mirror, which he had acquired all those years ago in the Reliance Sect; it had been with him all the way until this day.

Now, it was time for the spirit within to awaken!

You could say that without this treasure, Naruto would not have the Cultivation base he did. Nor would he have been able to travel to the Southern Domain, or join the Violet Fate Sect. He would still be in the Five Elements Nation, floating with that old turtle Patriarch Reliance, off in some unknown location.

Memories flitted through Naruto's eyes. So many things had happened since he had acquired this copper mirror that so loved to emit an aura that browbeat creatures of fur and feather. Furthermore, it had a Heaven defying ability of duplication.

Then there was the painful abhorrence the meat jelly showed toward it. The meat jelly had gone so far as to take the form of a parrot, in which it constantly chattered and gnashed its teeth.

Naruto thought back to the time he had left the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, and had touched the blood-colored mask. Thanks to Danzo, he had almost lost control of his mind; it was only the bird call from within the copper mirror that had enabled him to avoid calamity.

Then there was the time in the ancient Blessed Land, when the power of the copper mirror had enabled him to step foot into the square cauldron, despite the fact that he did not possess an ancient bloodline.

The instant Naruto had reached Core Formation, he had felt an aura awakening within the copper mirror.

"Parrot…." he said, his eyes glittering. His Violet Core began to rotate as he drew on the power of his Cultivation base. Guiding it with his will, he sent it through his right hand and into the mirror.

The mirror gradually began to emit a mysterious glow. The light grew more intense, and then suddenly the meat jelly flew out from the blood-colored mask in his bag of holding. It emerged in a beam of light, and the face of the old man appeared on its surface.

Its eyes glistened with stubborness, determination and sincerity, as if it were about to face its greatest enemy. Its expression also contained a bit of holiness, as if it were its mission to participate in a great battle that would decide the fate of all the stars in existence.

"Evil archenemy, you finally appear," it said, its face filled with a sacred air. "I've been waiting for you for a very, very long time. This time, the first thing you'll see when you awaken is me. I will definitely convert you. I will bring you back from the path of wickedness." The meat jelly actually seemed a bit less long-winded than before. A pedantic air slowly began to grow thicker and thicker around it.

Ignoring the meat jelly, Naruto concentrated, focusing on his Cultivation base and sending a continuous flow of power into the copper mirror, which seemed like a bottomless pit. Time slowly passed by, and soon Naruto was using nearly sixty percent of his Cultivation base.

It was then that the glow in the mirror exploded out. A phantom image began to appear above the surface of the mirror.

It was still very blurry.

"Come out, my archenemy!" said the meat jelly solemnly. "Come out! We are destined to fight this battle. Come out! Uh… hey, Naruto, push a littler harder. He's almost out!"

Hearing the meat jelly's voice caused Naruto to remember something, and he cleared his throat. Actually, one of the main goals in causing the spirit to emerge from the mirror was because he wanted it to deal with the meat jelly. Perhaps it would be able to suppress the thing's chattering.

He took a deep breath, and then sent out more power from his Cultivation base. Seventy percent, eighty percent, ninety percent….

The image above the mirror began to grow clearer. It was now obviously the shape of a bird. It was covered with colorful feathers, gaudy even. Its eyes were closed, and it had a curved beak and sharp claws. Actually, it's appearance wasn't perverted in the way the meat jelly's had been when it assumed the parrot form. Instead, it exuded an air of extreme, wild arrogance. Even asleep, the arrogant aura seemed to buffet against Naruto's face.

"What an evil aura," said the meat jelly, trembling. "That's it! That's its aura. The appearance is dead on! This is my archenemy. This is my mission in life. I will convert it!" The air of holiness swirled around the meat jelly even more thickly.

Naruto suddenly felt weak inside. It caused him a bit of alarm; perhaps it hadn't been the best decision to call to the spirit after having just recovered from his injuries. If he sustained any injuries now, then he wouldn't be able to provide the power the copper mirror needed. That would result in further nasty injuries to himself.

Time passed. Just as Naruto's Cultivation base was almost completely pouring into the copper mirror, suddenly, a shrill cry echoed out from within. It contained vast arrogance and immense bossiness.

The sound of it echoed about, in such a way that would cause any living creature that heard it to bow in veneration.

As the cry echoed out, the parrot above the mirror suddenly opened its eyes. A bright light shone out, along with a blast of aura that felt like Immortal Chakra; it emanated out, filling the entire Immortal's cave.

It had a blank look in its eyes, as well as an archaic air. It only took a moment for haughtiness to appear; clearly, its body was that of a small bird, but anyone who looked at it would get the feeling it could split the Heavens and rend the Earth in two.

Even the very air in the area seemed to grow thicker.

The meat jelly emitted a howl that made it difficult to determine whether it was excited or furious. It immediately appeared directly in front of the parrot and looked it dead in the eye. "Look at me, my archenemy. Do you see who I am?"

The parrot looked back at the meat jelly, and a cool look of contempt appeared. Its expression was arrogant to the extreme as it tilted its head back to look at Naruto.

Naruto didn't move or say anything. He took a few steps back, looking at the parrot and meat jelly, and also working on recovering his Cultivation base. Based on his experience with the meat jelly, he figured that his best course of action was to first observe what was going to happen.

The meat jelly gave an angry howl, then it flickered, moving to block the parrot's line of sight.

The meat jelly stared at the parrot, and as it did, it seemed all enmity bubbled up."Archenemy of my life, the Heavens have opened their eyes, and seen fit to allow us to meet again. You are evil! Immoral! So tell me, do you remember me?" The color of the meat jelly's body changed into a turbulent blur as it shouted, "Speak! Why don't you speak!? You wicked, perverted bird! Why don't you speak!" It had waited many years; now the parrot was here in front of it, but wasn't responding.

Then.

"Are you crazy? Screw your sister, b*tch!" squawked the parrot, its face filled with impatience.

Immediately, the meat jelly's eyes began to gleam; this reaction on the part of the parrot seemed to be in line with the wickedness it remembered.

"Cursing at people is wrong," said the meat jelly solemnly. "You've sinned yet again!"

"Screw your granny! Screw your aunt! Screw your other granny! Screw your uncle! Screw your grandkids! Screw your sister, b*tch!" The parrot slowly said one sentence after another, ignoring the suddenly trembling meat jelly. It flapped its wings a few times, and then flew up into the air, making a few circles around the Immortal's cave. Eventually, it landed on Naruto's shoulder and looked over at him arrogantly.

"So, you're my master in this world? Remember my name, Lord Fifth. I'm an ancient Celestial bird. After being born, I was revered and respected. Even the Heavens bowed their head to me. Before I was born, no living creature wore clothes. After I was born, who dared not to? Before me, no spirit creatures had fur or feathers. After my birth, great aspirations burned, and furred and feathered beasts were required in Heaven and Earth. After that, which creatures in the world dared NOT grow furs or feathers!

"On the outside, I permit you to call upon my name," it said arrogantly. "When the name of Lord Fifth is spoken, all living creatures become terror-stricken. No one will dare to offend you. That is because within the entire world, in and out of the Heavens, if anyone offends me, I screw them to death!" Its domineering air leaked out, filling the area. However… Naruto had a strange look on his face. From his perspective, he was looking at nothing but a colorful, boasting bird.

Off to the side, the meat jelly solemnly said, "Boasting is immoral! You've sinned yet again! I will convert you!" An air of righteousness shot out from it toward the parrot. However, as it neared, a look of disdain filled the parrot's face, and its arrogance grew even thicker, as if it were the boss, and the Heavens were its assistant.

Looking at the meat jelly, it said, "Years ago, countless almighty beings refined the Milky Way into a statue for me in the Flaming Mountains. Do you want to know why? Long ago, deep within the Star Sea, I forced thirty-thousand Great Peace virgin Daoist nuns to bathe in front of me. Do you want to know why they agreed?

"Countless years ago, who was the greatest bully in all the stars? Furthermore, do you remember the fatso who ambushed you that one time, and then kowtowed to me for a hundred thousand years? Do you want to know where he is now? Do you want to learn how to count past one, two, three?" The parrot's words came out slowly, and as they did, the meat jelly slowly began to stop moving. By the time the parrot finished, it was staring mutely, its faced filled with conflict. However, it still seemed able to suppress its curiosity.

The parrot eyed the meat jelly with a look of utmost haughtiness. "If you want to know, then you need to behave a bit better in front of Lord Fifth. Bitch, I haven't seen you for years, and yet you're still completely retarded!"

Witnessing all this, Naruto suddenly realized how the parrot was able to deal with the meat jelly. The meat jelly was incredibly curious, and this was actually its greatest weakness.

That having been said, Naruto had the feeling that the personality of this parrot was a bit different than that portrayed earlier by the meat jelly. He wasn't able to sense any perverted air on it, only wild arrogance.

It was at this moment that the parrot's beak suddenly clicked, and a suspicious expression appeared on its face. It looked around for a moment, then flew into the air, circling a few more times around the Immortal's cave.

"Eee?" it said suspiciously as it flew around. "This isn't right. What smell is that?"

This immediately aroused the curiosity of the meat jelly, and it also began to look around dubiously. When it saw the parrot seemingly sniffing for something, a popping sound suddenly rang out as it transformed into a big white dog. It pushed its nose into the ground and began nosing about, wagging its tail.

"What the heck is it?" the meat jelly asked after sniffing around for a while. "I don't smell anything! What are you smelling?" It looked up curiously at the parrot.

"You don't understand crap! It doesn't matter if you turn into a dog, you wouldn't be able to smell anything. I'm an ancient Celestial bird, esteemed in all the Heavens! These black colored lands have a very curious aura. I've already determined what it is. Amazing! Incredible! Ahh, now I understand what's going on." The arrogant look on its face made it seem as if it understood everything within Heaven and Earth.

The meat jelly's face twisted with unbearable curiosity. It seemed to itch with anxiety. Apparently it didn't matter which form it took, it wouldn't be able to detect this supposed aura.

Off to the side, Naruto watched the commotion. Hearing the dialogue between the two, he suddenly thought back to the words spoken by the Demon Sealing Jade when he entered the Black Lands, and felt a twinge of excitement.

"So what's so special about this place?" he asked.

The parrot glanced back at him; the look said that it was an ancient Celestial parrot, and that it didn't need to explain anything to him. It continued flying around, a look of arrogance on its face, as if it were matchlessly unique in all Heaven and Earth.

Naruto frowned and then coolly said, "Well, anybody can brag. If you don't know the answer, there's no need to go about pretending like you do." He was of the Core Formation stage. On his path to becoming a powerful expert, and having experienced what he did at the Rebirth Cave, he was able to speak his words in a completely dull tone, as if he weren't the least bit upset, and also completely confident in himself.

His words caused the parrot to immediately stop in mid-flight. All of the colorful feathers on its body stood on end, and it glared at Naruto, looking as if it had been woefully dishonored.

"I don't know? I'm an ancient Celestial bird! I know about the Immortals above and the mortals below! You think there's something Lord Fifth doesn't know? I know everything!"

"You really don't need to boast," replied Naruto quickly. His heart trembled, and his eyes shone with a strange light.

"Lord Fifth knows!"

"You don't know!"

"Arrrrhhhh! Fine!" squawked the parrot, flapping its wings. "You shall know how powerful an ancient Celestial bird is!" The parrot's eyes had turned green; its dignity had been questioned! A multicolored light suddenly blazed out from it, filling the entire small mountain in the space of a single breath.

Then, the light returned, as if it had collected something from within the mountain. The light gathered together, transforming into a pile of black soil the size of a fist.

"See?" said the parrot arrogantly, its voice shrill. "The secret of these black-colored lands can be found within this very mountain. This was refined out by me, Lord Fifth, personally!"

Off to the side, the meat jelly watched in a daze, completely quiet, as if it had just been enlightened. Despite its apparent sudden realization, however, it quickly grew more curious.

"What the heck is it?" it said. It rolled its eyes as it considered Naruto's words from just now, and then the arrogant posturing of the parrot. Suddenly, it felt very excited and gushed, "You're trying to use that crap to fool us, you old bird! You don't have any idea at all what it is!"

The parrot looked scornfully at the meat jelly. This time, it didn't react at all like it had toward Naruto, causing the meat jelly to stare dumbfounded.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he looked closely at the soil, which was actually a dark purplish-green. Just looking at it, he didn't see anything unusual; in fact, it seemed quite ordinary.

"You don't even know where this random clump of mud came from, and yet you dare to claim that you're omniscient?" said Naruto coolly. It seemed that the parrot… didn't like to be provoked by people.

Even though the meat jelly had tried this method moments ago, to no effect, Naruto decided to try it out one more time.

Even as the words were leaving his mouth, the parrot's colorful feathers stood up on end, a green light shone from within its eyes, and a white Chakra began to seep out from the top of its head. It seemed that its dignity had been seriously slighted, something it couldn't accept in its arrogance.

Apparently it could ignore whatever the meat jelly said, but not even the slightest bit of provocation from Naruto.

"You dare to look down on Lord Fifth!?" shrieked the parrot furiously. "Lord Fifth is an ancient Celestial bird! There's nothing I don't know! Mountains and Seas, the Heavens, who doesn't know that if you have faith in the Lord Fifth, you can attain eternal life!? You listen to Lord Fifth, buddy. This stuff is Immortal Sense soil! Many years ago, an almighty member of the senior generation painted a talisman out amidst the stars. He threw it down, with the intention of sealing this particular planet. However, someone else blocked it, and as the talisman entered the planet, it was burned into ash.

"However, that almighty ancient had an exceedingly high Cultivation base, and therefore, the magical symbols he painted contained divine abilities. Even though it became ash, it still contained the power of an Immortal. The ash fell down onto this very land. That's why the soil in this place is black, because the land here contains the remnants of that burned talisman! I, an ancient Celestial bird, saw all this happen, so many years ago. How could I possibly be mistaken!?"

After hearing all this, Naruto's pupils constricted, and his heart trembled.

A Cultivator who wielded power great enough to be able to paint magical symbols among the stars, and use them to seal an entire planet…. Before the events at the Rebirth Cave, Naruto would not have easily believed that such a thing could be true. But after seeing Choumen Tai, he now had a much greater understanding of such matters.

Right now, he breathed deeply as he looked at the incensed parrot, having already been seventy to eighty percent convinced of what it was saying.

"Some almighty person capable of painting a seal that can lock down a whole planet, that's just shocking," he thought. "But for someone to interfere with it, to burn it and cause the ash to create the Black Lands… well who was that?" At the moment, the word Hebi was hovering in his mind.

"It can be hard to distinguish illusions from reality," said Naruto coolly. "That's a nice story, but who knows whether it's true or not?" Actually, Naruto was mostly convinced already, but he allowed no change of expression to appear on his face.

The parrot looked even more enraged. It flew around in circles around the Immortal's cave, glaring at Naruto. Then, it opened its mouth and spit out a glowing green light which shot toward Naruto.

It happened so fast that Naruto had no chance to dodge. The green light entered into him through his forehead, transforming into information that branded itself onto his mind.

The information consisted of a few hundred characters. They were complex, but after examining them, Naruto realized what it was: a vision technique.

"Use this technique, and look again! This Celestial technique has been branded onto you, so there's no need for enlightenment or study. Just use it!" The parrot glared at Naruto, apparently unwilling to rest until Naruto believed what he said.

Naruto closed his eyes. When he opened them, the pupil of his right eye shrank. As it did, he felt as if Cultivation base power were suddenly being emitted out of his right eye.

In an instant, it felt as if his Cultivation base were withered, causing Naruto to feel quite alarmed. Suddenly, a strand of the Immortal spiritual energy within his body went toward his right eye, fusing with it.

He felt a stab of pain in his right eye, and tears flowed out of it. His vision grew blurry, but then cleared. Now, the world as he viewed it through his right eye looked very different, although it was hard to describe exactly how.

He looked down at the violet-green clump of soil.

Even at first glance, Naruto's mind was shaken. Slowly, pulses of a golden-colored aura became visible, floating up from the soil and congealing in the air to form faint magical symbols. The symbols, of course, were golden-colored; furthermore, they emitted an intense pressure that only Naruto was able to sense.

Under the influence of the pressure, the magical symbols seemed to transform into tiny people. All of them floated there in front of Naruto, and they appeared to be painting something.

There was only a tiny bit of pressure, but it caused Naruto's mind to fill with a roaring sound, and his Spiritual Sense to grow unstable. He suddenly closed his eyes, cutting off his vision and thus ending the technique. Even still, his face was pale, and it took him a while to recover his senses. When he opened his eyes, his right eye was filled with veins of blood.

"Well, did you feel it?" asked the parrot haughtily. "Lord Fifth knows everything. This is nothing but a clump of dirt with a bit of magical symbols in it. If you had encountered the ash created by the true Immortal Talisman that year, you wouldn't have been struck absentminded, you would have been struck dead!

"You know, soil like this is everywhere in this black-colored land. You can't say there's a huge amount, but there is quite a bit. People like you who can actually gaze upon the will of the Immortal Talisman, well, let's just say you're as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Were it not for the fact that this area is suppressed, it wouldn't have lasted until now.

"If this soil is taken away from this land, then it will become useless. Oh, and let me tell you another secret. If you possess enough fortune and luck, you can collect more soil like this, and then you might gain enlightenment regarding some of the divine abilities within the magical symbols of that almighty senior. Now, please repeat after me in a loud voice: Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife! Many years ago, countless people chanted these very lines!" It looked at the pale-faced Naruto even more egotistically, apparently more and more convinced of how powerful it was.

Naruto ignored the parrot. "Such a powerful aura… especially considering this is just a tiny clump of soil. And yet, it contains such shocking power. To think that there is more of this dirt throughout the Black Lands…." He began to breathe deeply, and his eyes glowed.

He suddenly thought of the words of the Demon Sealing Jade.

"An Immortal of the Ninth Mountain; the pinnacle of brushwork; magical symbols of all creatures; collapse of the Heavens…. The power is fused within this land, transformed into destruction, and filled with Demonic life force. This land… can be used to cultivate… the art of Righteous Bestowal!"

Naruto's eyes glittered. The method for cultivating the art of Righteous Bestowal already existed in his mind. During his time focused on healing his injuries, he'd had no time to work toward enlightenment, but having seen this clump of soil, he suddenly found himself lost in thought.

Time slipped by. Soon, half a month had gone past. The parrot and the meat jelly had disappeared somewhere, and were no longer in the Immortal's cave. The interchanges between these two old enemies usually involved the meat jelly provoking the parrot in some way. However, the parrot was always able to respond with only a few words that would send the meat jelly shrinking in on itself.

Naruto was focused on the art of Righteous Bestowal. Occasionally he would use the vision technique to examine the soil; each time he would come up lacking in some aspect of enlightenment or another. As he continued to study it, he would sometimes take out Jirobo's bag of holding. The magical sealing symbol was still there, but it was growing weaker. After a few attempts at breaking it, Naruto got the feeling that it wouldn't be long before he would be able to open the bag.

Time slowly passed. Other than research, he spent his time thinking. He didn't consume the Outlander Pill that Master had given him. True, it could extend longevity, but more importantly, it could be used to suppress the Resurrection Lily.

He could only consume three in his life, and did not wish to squander those opportunities.

As for the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill, it could also extend longevity, but he only had one. At the moment, he didn't have enough Spirit Stones to duplicate a copy, so after a moment's thought, he sealed it back up. At the moment, he was completely recovered; his longevity was significantly shortened, but it wasn't an extreme emergency.

For now, what he was most worried about was the Heavenly Tribulation that would come with his Perfect Gold Core. Right now, he had all the ingredients he needed to make the Perfect Core Pill, except for one plant.

The plant he needed wasn't extremely rare; Naruto guessed that even in the Black Lands, he would most likely be able to get ahold of one.

However, after thinking for quite a long time about the Heavenly Tribulation, Naruto still had no idea how he would deal with it, other than the meat jelly.

On one particular day, after gaining a bit of enlightenment regarding the Celestial soil, Naruto's mind suddenly quivered. He sent his Spiritual Sense out roughly fifty kilometers out from his Immortal's cave. There, he could see Tenma, very cautiously leading a group of grim, malevolent-looking Foundation Establishment Cultivators in his direction.

"Seniors," he said in a low voice, "up ahead, the four of you will be able to see the place where that guy is staying." His nose was bloodied, and his face swollen, and it seemed he was even missing a few teeth. His expression was very dispirited.

"Cut the crap," said one of the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators with a cold snort. "Keep leading the way!"

"I really want to see if this guy truly has the superhuman abilities you claim!" said another. "And then there's the supposed medicinal pills!"

The four Cultivators' eyes glittered with avarice. Among the four, one was surprisingly of the great circle of Foundation Establishment. The other three were in the mid Foundation Establishment stage. These four held sway over the region with iron fists, and they were quite well-known. Their bodies were festooned with what could almost be called totem tattoos, very similar to those of Western Desert Cultivators, although not quite the same.

The four of them exchanged glances and began to converse in hushed tones.

"We'll need to be careful. With so many medicinal pills, he must not be an ordinary person. Make sure not to damage his bag of holding before he dies, otherwise this trip will have been in vain."

"Right. We'll all attack at once, and wipe him out. Don't give him a chance to destroy his own bag of holding before that!"

Tenma looked furious, but didn't dare to say anything other than to mumble in agreement with them.

Naruto retracted his Spiritual Sense. Tenma was branded with his Spiritual Sense, so Naruto was aware of all of his activities, including the disaster he had brought upon himself because of the medicinal pill, and how he had been captured.

If he wanted to, Naruto could just exterminate all of them. However, after thinking about the Celestial soil which contained the Celestial talismanic symbols, he changed his mind and allowed Tenma to lead them here.

"I need enough Celestial soil. The more the better. That will increase my ability to achieve full enlightenment." Naruto closed his eyes.

It requires a bit of time for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to travel fifty kilometers.

While he waited for them, Naruto sat meditating. He had now gained more experience in researching the art of Righteous Bestowal. As far as enlightenment regarding the Celestial soil, there was no need to be anxious. It would require slow and steady progress. By gradually increasing his collection, he would have time to study it properly. In that way, he would be able to slowly supplement whichever magical symbols he lacked.

He currently sat cross-legged, examining his Violet Core as it slowly rotated. In the blink of an eye, it would send out a massive pulsating aura throughout his body, which would then retract.

It was like lightning; extend, retract, a cycle. This allowed him to burst forth with a type of Cultivation base power completely different and far more formidable than that of the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Master said that after reaching Core Formation, I would be able to fuse the Everburning Flame with my Core. Then I would be able to utilize my personal alchemic flame…." Naruto's eyes glittered. To accomplish that would of course require painstaking effort in secluded meditation.

He hadn't even been in the Black Lands for a year, and yet his time spent recovering in secluded meditation had led to a complete lack of mental focus. However, the matters of the Celestial soil, the art of Righteous Bestowal, igniting his alchemic flame, and Jirobo's bag of holding were all things that he needed to allocate time for now that he was in the Core Formation stage.

Because of his concerns of being tracked down by the Hebi Clan, he was constantly on guard. This entire time, he hadn't been able to relax. However, he already had an inkling as to why no one from the Hebi Clan had come after him yet.

He made his decision. "It seems I need to stay in secluded meditation for a bit longer. When I've accomplished everything I need to, I can go out and track down the final medicinal plant I need to make the Perfect Gold Core Pill."

He lifted his head, and within his eyes could be seen a cold glow. His lips twisted into a meaningful smile that had a touch of a demonic air. It seemed to be filled with frigidness.

At the moment, the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators were flying through the air toward the short mountain. They approached without hesitation, and reached the fissure in the mountain in only a moment, and then shot down inside.

Tenma's face was pale and fear filled his heart. However, he also had an idea. Gritting his teeth, voice trembling, he loudly said, "Just… just down here…."

The Foundation Establishment Cultivators looked at him with killing intent springing from their eyes. "Quiet!" said one.

The four of them reaching the bottom of the fissure in an instant. They looked at the Immortal's cave, and their expressions changed to fill with vigilance.

This was because the door of Naruto's Immortal's cave was not closed. Instead, it was wide open, allowing them to see Naruto sitting inside cross-legged. He slowly raised up his head; his expression was that of complete calm.

He wore an ordinary green robe, but considering how it strikingly framed his white hair, it immediately caused an intense fear to push down onto their hearts.

In addition, his face seemed devoid of any blood. That, combined with the icy coldness of his gaze, made the temperature in the area seem to instantly plummet beyond freezing.

The four Foundation Establishment Cultivators all gasped. Naruto's appearance immediately caused an intense feeling of crisis to rise up inside of them. It made the man sitting in front of them seem to be, not a Cultivator, but an ancient wild beast. His gaze seemed as if it would consume them whole.

Cold sweat immediately began to pour down their foreheads. Their mouths and tongues went dry, and their minds seemed almost lost. They stood there, not moving a muscle.

Naruto didn't say anything. Deathly silence filled the mountain fissure; not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

The silence gradually transformed into an intense pressure, as if the entire mountain were weighing down on the hearts of everyone present. The feeling seemed to place them at the border between life and death; Naruto's gaze filled them with the profound impression that if they moved, they would be dead instantly.

Finally, though, one of the four Foundation Cultivators, the one with the lowest Cultivation base, couldn't take the pressure any longer. Unable to stay standing there, he let out a howl and shot upward toward the mouth of the fissure.

Even as he began to fly up, Naruto lifted the finger of his right hand. "Pipe down."

Two words, one sentence, and a miserable shriek rang out. A corpse fell down to land directly in front of the three other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, causing their faces to grow even more white, and their bodies to tremble even harder.

The corpse that had just fallen down had a bloody hole on its forehead, out from which fresh, red blood gurgled. The corpse's eyes were wide open, and clearly filled with dread and despair.

The scene transformed into a new pressure that caused the remaining three Foundation Establishment Cultivators to be filled with awe. Although they had done their fair share of killing, they knew that it wasn't a simple thing to be able to slay a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. All of them instantly began to shake violently.

"Core Formation…. This guy is definitely in the Core Formation stage!"

"Dammit, why did we have to provoke a Core Formation expert!?"

The three of them exchanged glances filled with bitterness and desperation.

Tenma was trembling even harder than they were, and anxiety filled his face. He had guessed that Naruto was powerful, but he had never imagined that his power had reached the level that he could exterminate a mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Some time passed, and the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators grew so nervous and frightened that it seemed their hearts might explode. Being forced to wait such a long time under the threat of death was something that ordinary people usually can't endure.

Finally, another among the remaining three couldn't take it any more. Seeing that Naruto had long since closed his eyes, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and suddenly flew up into the air. At the same time, he crushed a jade slip, which caused a mist to surround his body and explosively increased his speed. As he seemed on the verge of making his escape, Naruto didn't move; he didn't even open his eyes. A look of excitement appeared on the face of the escaping Cultivator, causing the remaining two to hesitate momentarily and consider following him.

Suddenly, the rocks on either side of the mountain fissure suddenly seemed to loosen. A dark violet vine suddenly erupted out, emanating an intense viciousness. The end of the vine split into a jagged, gaping, bloody mouth. The Foundation Establishment Cultivator let out an astonished scream as he was instantly swallowed up whole as if by a giant snake. After swallowing the man down, massive amounts of gooey fluid flowed down the vine. At the same time, even more vines burrowed out through the mountain rocks.

There were dozens of them, writhing about. They sealed off the mouth of the fissure, and then stretched out to point in the direction of Tenma and the remaining two Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Tenma's face was pale white and completely blank.

The two Foundation Establishment Cultivators were left panting. The scene just now replayed in their minds, and suddenly they had the intense sensation that they were currently in hell.

"S-s-senior… spare me…." said the Cultivator of the great circle of Foundation Establishment, his voice trembling as he dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Naruto.

"Senior, I was in the wrong, please spare me," said the other Foundation Establishment Cultivator, also plopping to the ground and kowtowing.

Both of them were scared out of their minds.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and coolly gazed over the two of them, as well as Tenma. He had long since taken notice of the totems tattoos on their bodies. They weren't the same as those of the Western Desert Cultivators, but they appeared to be able to move just as fluidly.

"Are you here to request medicinal pills?" asked Naruto. He lifted his hand, and two medicinal pills appeared in his palm. They were bluish black, and emitted no medicinal fragrance whatsoever. In fact, faintly visible on the surface of each pill was the image of a ferocious, writhing centipede.

At a glance it was obvious that these were poison pills.

Before the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators could respond to his question, Naruto flicked his sleeve, and the two pills shot out like lightning toward their mouths. They had no time to react; the pills slammed into their teeth and then entered their throats. In the blink of an eye, they had dissolved.

The two men's faces changed immediately. However, they didn't do anything to resist. They could only let out bitter sighs; they knew that at the very least, they were being allowed to live a bit longer.

"Think of this pill as a punishment," said Naruto calmly. "I want the two of you to take Tenma and look around for soil that looks like this. The more you find, the faster I'll dispel that poison. In fact, if you find enough, I'll even give you some medicinal pills." He glanced over at Tenma for a moment.

Tenma immediately gave a start, then loudly voiced his consent.

Naruto flicked his sleeve, sending a bit of violet-green soil shooting out to each of the three of them. Then, the Immortal's cave slammed shut with a boom. The tentacles sealing off the fissure drew back, and everything returned to normal. With bitter smiles, the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators let out quiet sighs. They weren't sure what extraordinary properties were contained in the soil given them by the powerful man in the cave. However, it actually seemed to them that they had come across a bit of luck. Their eyes gleaming, they exchanged a glance, then shot out of the cave, taking Tenma along very politely.

According to Naruto's requirements, they went searching for the soil.

Time passed by. Soon, it was half a month later. During that time, Naruto had become much more familiar with the art of Righteous Bestowal. The power of the art was difficult to fathom. It was similar to being able to touch something and make it become demonic; however, instead of using the word "touch" it used the word "bestow!"

Bestow Demonism upon any living thing, and use it. It also contained the word "righteous," which was the opposite of "evil." And yet, the art itself was clearly very aggressive and oppressive. It seemed like… receiving the Righteous Bestowal of a Demon Sealer gave the beneficiary some sort of official approval!

Furthermore, every time Naruto rotated his Cultivation base, he could feel a faint aura in existence. It seemed that if he wanted to… he could use this aura to perform the Righteous Bestowal and perform Demonic transformation.

The resulting demon would have no spirit, only an involuntary aura; however, Naruto would be able to control it. It would be a strange sensation, similar to the astral projection Naruto had read about in the ancient records of the Violet Fate Sect.

"Compel any living creature to become demonic…." Naruto eyes gleamed with a mysterious light. He lifted his hand and gazed at his finger. After a moment's thought, he pushed his finger down against the floor of the Immortal's cave.

"Righteous Bestowal!" he said. Immediately, ghost images sprang up throughout the Immortal's Cave. Immediately he was able to sense a faint aura inside of the Immortal's cave, set free from within the short mountain.

This aura was strange and filled with variations. Naruto's senses couldn't tell clearly exactly what it was. However, it didn't take long for him to understand that this was… Demonic Chakra of living things!

His eyes flickered as he sent his Spiritual Sense into the aura. A roaring filed his mind, and suddenly his field of vision expanded rapidly; he was now able to see everything for 150-200 kilometers around the short mountain.

By concentrating on the fusion of his Spiritual Sense and the Demonic Chakra, he could sense everything in the area. Just when he was about to retract his vision, he suddenly saw something off to the northwest, what appeared to be a field of rubble. Ordinarily, he wouldn't take note of it, but in this unique state, he suddenly heard a voice coming from within the rubble.

A mournful, archaic voice suddenly boomed out. "Heavens of Hebi do not die; I do not die… Heavens of Hebi…. You've been suppressing me for thirty thousand years, but I still refuse to step foot onto the Immortality Bestowal Dais!" As the voice echoed out, it suddenly said, "Who are you!?" Naruto felt as if a gaze as powerful as the Heavens had suddenly fallen upon him.

Naruto's heart trembled as his eyes snapped open. He pulled his fingers back from the ground; he felt as if some incredible force had battered him out of the strange state he was in just now.

His eyes glittered as he raised his head, allowing his gaze to pass through the rock walls of the Immortal's cave to look toward the field of rocky rubble.

"So it's another enemy of the Hebi Clan. However, this person seems different from the square cauldron in the ancient Blessed Land. The fact that he noticed me shows that his will is still here!" After collecting his thoughts, Naruto rose and left the Immortal's cave. Moments later he emerged from the fissure in the small mountain.

It was midday, and the sun burned brightly overhead, baking the land until it seemed it would bubble with grease. After leaving the mountain, Naruto looked in the direction of the field of rubble. After a moment of thought, he flicked the sleeve of his robe and shot off toward it.

It didn't take long before he floated in mid-air above the field of rubble, looking down at it. It wasn't a very large area, perhaps several dozen kilometers wide in either direction. The entire area was strewn with bizarrely shaped rocks, some of which were more than half sunken into the soil. Some, on the other hand, lay on the surface of the ground.

It gave off a very bleak air, as if each and every stone in this place had been here for ages.

Naruto didn't get too close, choosing instead to remain up in the air. However after some time passed, he still had no idea what this place was. It seemed completely ordinary. Maintaining his attitude of vigilance, he sent out his Spiritual Sense to investigate further, but yet again came up empty handed.

"Of course," thought Naruto. "This is exactly how you would expect it to be. Outsiders wouldn't be able to notice anything unusual, not even me. If I hadn't been in that unusual state, I would never have sensed anything strange here." He decided not to rashly proceed forward, instead choosing to turn and leave.

Absolutely nothing happened as he left.

Back in the Immortal's cave, he thought back to the powerful, archaic voice which had pierced into his mind, and the bone-deep rancor it had expressed regarding the Hebi Clan.

"Heavens of Hebi…." thought Naruto. After all of his experiences, his curiosity had been suppressed for far too long. However, he knew that in the Cultivation world, each step can be fraught with peril; a lack of caution can lead to mistakes that can never be righted.

Therefore, after thinking for a bit longer about the archaic voice, he decided to ignore it until he had a more powerful Cultivation base. At the moment, he was only at the early Core Formation stage, and as such, the situation was just too risky. Even though this person claimed to be an enemy of the Hebi Clan, that didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't harm Naruto.

"With the help of this Demonic Chakra, my Spiritual Sense can be amplified by several times…. Who knows the extent to which I can cultivate the art of Righteous Bestowal? I wonder if I can combine my will with the Chakra to produce an Incarnation of myself?" Giving no more thought to the powerful voice, Naruto focused his attention onto the art of Righteous Bestowal. His first test of the art had left him with the sense that this technique was definitely beyond ordinary.

"I wonder if it might have something to do with cultivating the Dao Divinity Scripture, and how it made my Spiritual Sense far beyond that of any Cultivator of my same level." Naruto continued to analyze the matter calmly. Eventually the sky outside began to turn dark, and Naruto closed his eyes. Enlightenment regarding the art of Righteous Bestowal swirled within his head. He had the feeling that this technique was something extremely important to him.

A month passed, during which time Naruto never opened his eyes. One day, he sensed ten or more Cultivators outside of the Immortal's cave.

They wore deferential expressions, and were kowtowing just outside the cave. Each of them possessed some of the violet-green soil, and two of their number were the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from before.

During the past month, they had returned a few times. Each time, Naruto dispelled some of their poison, to the point where it was more than half gone. He had even bestowed them with medicinal pills. They had long since forgotten their other two Fellow Daoist friends who had been killed. In order to earn even more medicinal pills, they had recruited others they knew, and the group had formed a small-scale power base.

A few in the group had harboured ill intentions. However, after the ground shook and fierce tentacles burst out to rip them to shreds and eat them, anyone else with similar thoughts put them to rest.

When you added in the fact that Naruto gave out real medicinal pills as rewards, which to these Cultivators were extremely rare, it arose a zealous fanaticism among them.

In addition, the fact that Naruto's Cultivation base was deeply unfathomable to them also had something to do with it.

As for Tenma, even though his Cultivation base wasn't very high, he held a special position within the group. At the moment, he stood outside of the Immortal's cave looking complacently out over the group of people. The meat jelly was perched on his head and the colorful parrot on his shoulder.

"I shall impart to you the words of the Patriarch," he said. "You did well, and this is your reward." He produced a small bottle, from within which he distributed a tiny medicinal pill to everyone present. As the Cultivators received their medicinal pill, their faces lit with excitement and they immediately consumed the pills.

Naruto didn't have a lot of low level medicinal pills such as these in his bag of holding. Seeing the increase in the number of people during his month of secluded meditation, he had taken a single medicinal pill and refined it into dozens of smaller pills.

Even still, to these Cultivators, something like that was like a precious treasure, as different from the medicinal elixirs they usually consumed as Heaven was from the Earth.

It was thus not difficult to understand why the area around Naruto's Immortal's cave attracted a dozen or more Cultivators in one short month, all of them willing to join the group.

In fact, they had settled in the area, constructing simple houses that surrounded the Immortal's cave and the small mountain. Eventually the mountain itself came to be a sort of holy ground….

Naruto had never anticipated that something like this would happen. However, this small-scale power base was providing him with more and more of the soil that he needed.

Because of this soil, Naruto ignored everything else. Based on his experience, the Cultivators who took up residence here were doing it not just for the sake of the medicinal pills, but also for protection.

Naruto was a formidable person, and although these people hadn't seen much directly, the ferocity of the vines had been personally witnessed by quite a few eyes. People were able to draw the connection between the two; whoever was able to raise something like the vines must be terribly frightening.

Therefore, they believed this place to be safe.

In the Black Lands, safety was an invaluable treasure.

Actually, at one point during the month, a group of a dozen or so Cultivators belonging to a different local power group showed up. They desired to slay Naruto and take his medicinal pills by force. A single cold snort echoed out from within the Immortal's cave, causing Heaven and Earth to shake, and instantly killing half of the group.

The other half coughed up blood and sustained serious injuries. The most powerful of their number was a Pseudo Core Formation expert. His shock was extreme, and he immediately retreated five kilometers. However, at that point he suddenly lost control of his own body; a powerful force bound him up and dragged him back. After seeing this, other Cultivators immediately swore fealty.

Shocked, even the Pseudo Core Cultivator gave in and became a member of Naruto's group.

On one particular day, Naruto sat cross-legged in his Immortal's cave, a strange light shining in his eyes. Within his pupils, something appeared like a burning fire. This was none other than the East Pill Division's Everburning Flame legacy.

"Feed it with your Core, ignite the Everburning Flame. With this flame, the Spirit Summoning Incantation can be used, and a great path of the Dao of alchemy can be opened." Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he did, tongues of flame appeared on his Violet Core.

They appeared weak, but they did not burn out, and as they flickered there, they gradually grew stronger.

At the exact moment in which Naruto ignited his alchemic flame, off in the Southern Domain, within the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect, Pill Demon sat in the limestone cave next to the Everburning Flame, his face devoid of blood.

"So you ignited the Everburning Flame, huh…? Good. With the legacy of the flame passed on, if I, your Master, end up returning to the dust, then I can smile on his way to the underworld." Pill Demon smiled, a smile filled with kindness, and even more exhaustion. Clearly, he still hadn't recovered from his battle with Kimimaro.

Pill Demon lifted his head to look at the East Pill Everburning Flame, and memories seemed to flicker within his eyes. "So long as this flame before me is not extinguished, then neither shall I be!"

More time passed, three months. In his Immortal's cave in the small mountain in the Black Lands, Naruto was thoroughly engrossed in stoking the alchemic flame. No flame burned on his body, but a broiling heat surrounded him. His skin was as pale as before, but the Violet Core within him was now a ball of fire, burning oh so slowly.

This was none other than Naruto's alchemic flame!

Three more days passed, and when Naruto opened his eyes, flames flickered within. They quickly disappeared, and as they did, Naruto turned his head to look toward the Southern Domain.

"These three months were like a dream," he thought. "I dreamed of the look of kindness and praise on Master's face." As his alchemic flame had kindled brighter during the months, he could sense his Cultivation base growing stronger. He was now definitely at the peak of the early Core Formation stage.

After some time passed, he sent his Spiritual Sense sweeping about, and instantly gaped in shock.

He could see that the area surrounding his Immortal's Cave was inhabited by dozens and dozens of Cultivators. Most were of the Chakra Condensation stage, and six or seven were of the Foundation Establishment stage!

This was no longer a small-scale power, but a medium-scale power. They surrounded the small mountain in all directions; neatly arranged houses had been constructed, and the entire place was quite bustling.

Tenma was now at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, close to Foundation Establishment. With a Foundation Establishment pill, it would not be difficult for him to break through.

That, of course, would require a stroke of luck, or perhaps assistance from totemic power. In the Black Lands, totemic tattoos were a common sight, just like the ones he had seen on those Foundation Establishment Cultivators earlier.

Now Naruto understood. Cultivators here who wanted to enter Foundation Establishment, but who did not have a Foundation Establishment Pill, had no other choice than to use totemic power to increase their chances of doing so.

Naruto had observed a bit of totem cultivation, and had even made some inquiries about it. The initial process didn't seem difficult. Apparently, you simply had to kill some creature, then use its life blood to inscribe an image onto your body. Then, you would be able to wield totemic power.

Such a method seemed problematic. However, Naruto didn't understand totemic arts too well, so it was difficult for him to analyze the specifics.

Outside of the Immortal's cave, the parrot was currently soaring about in the sky, calling out with its shrill voice.

"Listen to me, all of you. Lord Fifth is a Celestial bird, an ancient Celestial bird. I know of the Heavens, and I know of the underworld, because there is nothing that Lord Fifth doesn't know. If I'm in a good mood, then I'll pass on to you a Celestial magic. Celestial magic! Do you know what that means? Now repeat after me, as loud as you can: Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!" As it finished speaking, it landed onto Tenma's head, its expression lofty and proud, as if it were innately above all the masses.

"You're nothing but a flashy bird!" said the meat jelly solemnly. It was currently perched atop the head of a Cultivator of the great circle of Foundation Establishment. "You call yourself Celestial, but you're really just a bird. And what do you mean by the number five Lord? What is number five anyway? At the most you're a First Lord!" The Cultivator beneath it gave a wry smile, his face pale.

"How many lives have I been trying to teach you this!?" said the parrot, glaring with contempt at the meat jelly. "You still can't count past three? You're not even qualified to talk to Lord Fifth!"

"Oh yeah? How high can you count?" asked the meat jelly, sounding both furious and humiliated.

"I can count to nine!" replied the parrot haughtily, glaring with wide eyes. Immediately, the meat jelly stared in shock as it tried to comprehend how vastly high of a number nine must be. It wanted to say something back to the parrot, but seeing its haughty appearance, the meat jelly realized that nine must be an incredibly high number. It suddenly started to feel a bit low in the self-esteem department.

All of the surrounding Cultivators had strange expressions on their faces, but none of them dared to hold back from repeating the words that so recently caused their blood to freeze upon hearing them. After all, they knew how fearsome the meat jelly and the parrot could be.

The meat jelly was completely indestructible. Two months before, yet another greedy nearby group had come, but the meat jelly had transformed into an enormous bubble and surrounded them. No matter what the dozen or so Cultivators inside had done they had been incapable of even leaving a mark.

Eventually, they had had no choice but to just look out helplessly. Eventually, the meat jelly had let them go, giving a provoking look to the parrot at the same time.

Later, another group of Cultivators arrived, and then, the local Cultivators caught a glimpse of what could be called true insanity, and true misery.

One of those Cultivators ended up cursing the parrot, whereupon the seemingly innocuous multicolored bird had… delved into any hole it saw, at top speed. In the blink of an eye, blood-curdling screams filled the air as the invading Cultivators had half their bodies filled with bloody holes as the parrot shot through them.

As for some of the unlucky ones, the parrot ended up shooting in and out of their eyes. Miserable screams rang out that people still couldn't forget.

The man who had cursed the parrot, well, the parrot threatened the meat jelly, forcing it to transform the man into a luxuriantly furred ape.

Then… came a nightmare which continued to plague everyone who witnessed it.

With a howling roar, the parrot shot like lightning toward the hairy ape. Specifically, toward its rear end….

The shrill screams which came out of the mouth of that Cultivator, as well as the sinister and wicked excitement of the parrot, immediately caused everything else to be blanketed with thick silence….

After these two battles, the group's power in the area was established, and no one dared to trifle with them.

The haughtiness of the parrot became well known, as was its love of cursing people, its pettiness, and its unwillingness to forget a grudge.

As for Tenma, every time he saw the meat jelly or the parrot, he would flatter and fawn over them. Eventually, others learned from him. Soon, the entire region became the territory of the parrot and the meat jelly.

From then on, it was on a daily basis that the Cultivators would shout, "Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!"

Their numbers grew, as did the range of their sphere of influence. As such, more and more of the Celestial soil was collected.

Naruto retracted his Spiritual Sense and examined his bag of holding. Actually, having so many people here was a bit of a headache. If any more people joined them, then even if Naruto had more medicinal pills, it still wouldn't be enough.

After thinking about the situation for a while, Naruto stood and left the Immortal's cave. As soon as he appeared, the meat jelly flew over. The parrot seemed a bit unwilling, but also approached and began to circle around Naruto. The vines popped up from the ground and swayed back and forth, seemingly happy to see him. Some of the Cultivators who had previously witnessed Naruto's power also bowed to him in greeting.

The entire area was soon in relative chaos. Most of the people here had never seen Naruto, but had heard of him, and now craned their necks to catch a glimpse.

Naruto looked at the crowd with a frown and then walked over to the cistern located near the Immortal's cave. Suddenly, he had an inspiration; he slapped his bag of holding, sending three medicinal pills flying out.

Before anyone could see clearly what exactly the pills were, Naruto had sent them directly into the cistern. Next, he performed a quick incantation gesture with his right hand, and then pointed at the cistern. The water began to seethe as if it were boiling, and an intense heat could be felt, as if an invisible fire were burning.

After a moment, a thick spiritual energy wafted out from the cistern, enveloping the entire area. The faces of all the Cultivators immediately changed, filling with shock and excitement.

Based on the thickness of the spiritual energy, it seemed like drinking a mouthful of the cistern water would be like drinking medicinal elixir.

"Everyone may drink once from this medicinal cistern!" said Naruto, giving a look toward Tenma and the Cultivator of the great circle of Foundation Establishment. When his gaze passed over them, their hearts trembled; the Dao Pillars of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator trembled, as if they could sense the intensity and fearsomeness of Naruto.

Everyone slowly lowered their heads, and then Naruto turned, taking the Celestial soil that had been collected recently, and returning to the Immortal's cave to study it and gain further enlightenment.

Another month passed. By this time, Naruto was able to study the soil for a sustained time equal to the burning of half an incense stick. During that time, he could observe the tiny figures formed from golden magical symbols, and their paintings.

Based on Naruto's judgement, he had actually only collected one part out of hundreds. In order to gain enlightenment, he would need to collect a lot more of the Celestial soil.

Recently, Naruto had also suppressed the growth of his Core. The reason was that once his Core Chakra appeared, it would signify that his Core was completely solidified; the only following step would be to achieve the Perfect Gold Core.

As far as the essence of his Core Chakra, according to Naruto's understanding, it would be better to develop it after he acquired the Perfect Gold Core. He was confident that at that time, his battle prowess would experience instantaneous and incredible advancement.

On this particular day, after Naruto concluded his research, he rested for a moment, then once again tried out the art of Righteous Bestowal. His recent days had been spent on cultivating these two divine abilities. Of course, whenever he used the art of Righteous Bestowal, he would not go anywhere near the field of rubble.

The more he used it, the deeper his understanding became. He already had a basic mastery, and could fuse his will with Demonic Chakra to create an Incarnation.

He placed his hand onto the ground, and ghost images sprang up everywhere. It took only a moment to merge his Spiritual Sense into the local Demonic Chakra, and then send it out in all directions. At the moment, it could cover everything within a full three hundred kilometer radius. That was equivalent to the Spiritual Sense of the late Core Formation stage.

To reach past five hundred kilometers was possible only for Nascent Soul eccentrics.

As the amalgamation of Naruto's Spiritual Sense and the Demonic Chakra spread out, it was as if he had an invisible body outside the Immortal's cave. This invisible body could go anywhere within the three hundred kilometer radius, directed by his will.

He saw the Cultivators outside the Immortal's cave. They were already seventy or eighty in number, all of various levels of cultivation. There was only one assignment they were tasked with; every day they had to leave the camp and then return with some of the violet-green Celestial soil. They could use any means necessary to do so. The greater amount one returned with, the more they would be allowed to drink from the medicinal cistern.

Naruto took a glance at it all, then ignored it, submerging himself in this strange state, traversing the local area, experiencing what it felt like to utilize the Demonic Chakra.

Before he even realized it, an hour had passed. According to Naruto's experience, the Incarnation he had formed using the art of Righteous Bestowal would only last for a little more than an hour. He was just about to disperse the effects of the art, when his Incarnation suddenly turned its head and looked off into the distance, eyes narrowed. He experienced no alarm, only calmness.

There, off in the distance, was the field of rubble. Shockingly, he could see a fog of black Chakra emanating out, coalescing into the image of an enormous old man.

The old man was huge, as large as a giant, and he was looking at Naruto.

His lower half was formed from black mist, above which, he was dressed in a black robe. His white hair fluttered around him, and his eyes were like lightning. His expression was filled with ancient profundity, and a rift split the middle of his forehead. From within the rift emerged a host of tiny black snakes which wriggled and squirmed and emitted hissing noises.

"Greetings, senior," said Naruto, clasping his hands and bowing.

The old man looked at Naruto for a moment. "I've been watching you," he said. Then he continued, his voice containing no politeness: "Why do you have a Hebi Clan Karma thread attached to you? Answer me!"

"That has nothing to do with you, sir," replied Naruto with a cool frown.

"Oh?" said the old man with a piercing gaze. His aura suddenly flared out, and his entire body seemed to surge with Heavenly might. The black mist seethed, and the host of black snakes protruding from his forehead glared at Naruto. Their forked tongues flicked in and out as they emitted savage screams.

At the same time, over a hundred enormous black pythons appeared in front of the old man, seemingly reflections of the small snakes on his forehead. After they appeared, they spread out in all directions. The sight of it was incredibly shocking.

Of course, no one but Naruto could see this, and his expression was as calm as ever.

"You came here once before," said the old man, continuing to look at Naruto. "You saw the seal which suppresses me. That's why you're so confident, isn't it?" His voice echoed out like thunder, causing even the sky to seem to grow dark.

"Correct," replied Naruto casually.

The man stared at him for a while, then suddenly let out a hearty laugh. "Nice response. You have a Hebi Clan Karma thread attached to you, which means you will have trouble evading their Karma in this life. Cultivators who have achieved enlightenment regarding the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea become prey for the Hebi Clan.

"You're young, so for you to be able to sense the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea means you must be on the path of some great legacy. However, such a path… will lead you into conflict with the Hebi Clan. It seems to me you won't get very far on your journey." With another laugh, he turned and the black fog began to disappear.

Hearing the old man's words caused Naruto to feel a bit confused. Seeing the man was about to disappear, he suddenly blurted, "What is the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea? What does the Hebi Clan want with it?"

"There are nine Mountains in the vastness. Each Mountain has four planets, as well as a sun and a moon which revolve around the Mountains and Seas. One Mountain, one Sea, one Essence. Acquire the Essence of a Mountain and Sea, become the Lord of the Mountain and Sea… The Lord of the Ninth Mountain and Sea was named Lord Asura, but he perished in a great calamity. The Mountain then had no Lord; therefore, all of the Immortals vied for the position!

"Lord Asura had two subordinate Celestial warriors. The most powerful of the two changed his surname. He used the Heavens to cover over Lord Asura, and called himself Hebi. From then on, Ancestor Hebi occupied the Heavenly Palace. He hunted and killed ancient names, changed the positions of the Heavenly bodies, and sealed the hosts of Immortals….

"Tribulation for Mountain and Sea! A great war among the Stars. Immortals perished. There was boundless weeping. All living things raised their heads, but instead of glimpsing the stars, they saw the Heavens of Hebi!" The old man's powerful voice seemed to be filled with both laughter and insanity as he slowly disappeared.

Naruto floated in mid-air staring blankly. His mind spun, echoing with the old man's words, and his bitter laughter, which seemed part song and part lunacy.

After quite some time passed, Naruto's figure gradually disappeared, transforming into a pulsing aura which disappeared into nothing.

Back in the Immortal's cave, he slowly opened his eyes. They were filled with an expression of blankness, as well as a somewhat embarrassing feeling of fear.

His breathing was a bit heavy. Everything the old man had said, every word, every sentence, continued to echo in Naruto's mind like thunder.

Various memories began to flicker through his mind, and his eyes began to glow.

"The boundless Ninth Mountain…. Choumen Tai is from the Seventh Mountain's Planet Tiger Cage, and participated in what he called the great war of the Ninth Mountain…. That must be the great war among the Stars that the old man talked about!

"Also, I remember that the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer said that he came across the legacy of the Seventh Generation Demon Sealer in the Sixth Mountain, which was how he joined the League of Demon Sealers. He said he refined half of the Sea of the Sixth Mountain to form his Demon Sealing Jade!"

Various clues that used to be scattered about in his mind were now being drawn together by the old man's words. Now, he was getting a much clearer image of everything.

"The vastness beyond this world includes Nine Mountains and Seas of indescribable size. Each Mountain has its own respective sun and moon…. Each Mountain even has four planets! According to what Choumen Tai said, I'm on one of the four planets of the Ninth Mountain, Planet Ninshu!" In this instant, the world that Naruto used to know was torn to pieces. Everything was vastly larger than he had ever imagined. Currently, his mind was filled with knowledge of the Heavens that… only Immortals understood.

"The Hebi Clan is powerful not just here on Planet Ninshu, but the other three planets as well. This is because Ancestor Hebi seized the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea and became the most powerful of all, eventually changing the Heavens of the Ninth Mountain! Ancestor Hebi covered the name Lord Asura with the Heavens! How audacious of him!" Naruto took a deep breath; he suddenly felt a great pressure upon him. Could he ever have truly imagined how powerful the Hebi Clan was? It was unimaginably terrifying.

Furthermore, what he was up against was merely a minor branch of the Hebi Clan here on Planet Ninshu.

"Karma thread…." he thought. "That must be the invisible thread that attached to me after I killed Jirobo. With that thread stuck to me, I won't be able to flee anywhere in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Hmm… I wonder what position the Namikaze Clan occupies?" He frowned, having no way to answer the question.

"The Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea…. Could that be the Demonic Chakra I'm able to sense using the art of Righteous Bestowal? Is the Essence of the Ninth Mountain a Demon?" Naruto frowned. Considering his Cultivation base and experience, these were things that he had difficulty comprehending.

"Choumen Tai is from the Seventh Mountain. The Eighth Demon Sealer was from the Sixth Mountain. The Seventh Demon Sealer's legacy was in the Sixth Mountain…. I'm the Ninth Demon Sealer from… the Reliance Sect." Naruto's mind was in complete disorder. It was as if some vast, mysterious scroll was slowly spreading out in front of him. The more he wished to see, the more of the scroll he needed to spread out.

"And then there's that woman from the Solitary Sword Sect, Shan Ling. The Demon Sealing Jade said that she was a stone from the Ninth Mountain who fell to here and became a spirit…." Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose. He felt like his entire mind was in a shambles.

"What kind of people were the previous eight generations of Demon Sealers? By cultivating their magic, I can sense the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. How powerful were they, exactly? And why didn't Ancestor Hebi approve of the League of Demon Sealers…." He frowned again. He liked thinking, but no matter how he thought about everything he knew, he couldn't put all the pieces together. He was just missing too much information.

Using a tiny bit of information to try to understand a huge picture will of course lead to frustration.

"Demon Sealers, Demon Sealers…. If the Chakra Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea is Demonic Chakra, then wouldn't the League of Demon Sealers be in a position above the Ninth Mountain and Sea? If that is the case, then I…." His heart began to pound at the enormity of the question. However, he quickly decided to dispel the notion.

"Impossible. If that were true, then how could the previous eight generations of Demon Sealers have perished? And why would I, the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, be in such dire straits? My only Dao Protector is an old turtle who has long since fled." Naruto laughed bitterly. No matter how he tried to get rid of the idea, it seemed impossible; and yet, it had taken root in his mind.

"The Eighth Demon Sealer had to experience Dao Tribulation in the Nine Mountains and Seas…. He didn't say Ninth Mountain, he said Nine Mountains. He meant all of the Nine Mountains and Seas…." Naruto thought for a while, and then decided to stop analyzing everything. He let out a soft sigh. He knew that speculating would do him no good; he was nothing more than a Core Formation Cultivator.

"Who knows, I might never leave Planet Ninshu. The only way to do so is to reach Immortal Ascension ." He shook his head to clear his mind.

Immortal Ascension was just a vague concept to him; what was of more immediate concern was the path of the Perfect Gold Core.

In the following months of practice with the art of Righteous Bestowal, Naruto never again sensed the old man in the rubble field. However, he consistently had the feeling that he was being watched.

Through the months, the number of outside Cultivators who joined the force surrounding his Immortal's cave surpassed one hundred. It was now the most powerful force in the entire region.

More than one hundred people surrounded the small mountain. The medicinal cistern was the second of the holy locations, the first being Naruto's Immortal's cave.

Every day, they were all required to recite the words regarding faith in the Lord Fifth bringing eternal life. Because of the sheer force of numbers, when they shouted their rallying cry, it sounded like thunder.

The increase in numbers did benefit Naruto. Whenever he needed something, a large group of Cultivators would appear at a single word to handle whatever matter it was. The parrot and the meat jelly seemed extremely interested in commanding all of the Cultivators. Therefore, Naruto didn't need to pay them much attention, and instead left them to their devices.

On one particular day, Naruto sat cross-legged meditating, when suddenly his eyes snapped open. He could sense that the magical symbol on Jirobo's bag of holding had finally completely dissipated.

"I wonder what will be inside the bag of holding of a member of the Hebi Clan…. It's hard to say, considering that Jirobo was just a member of the junior generation." Now that he understood more of the fearsome power of the Hebi Clan, his anticipation was even greater. He took out the bag of holding and scanned it with Spiritual Sense.

His face immediately changed, and he gasped.

"He was definitely worthy of being a Hebi Clansman…." he murmured. "I made out big this time!" He had long anticipated that the contents of the bag of holding would by no means disappoint. However, regardless of the vast power and resources of the Clan, Jirobo was a tiny member of the junior generation. As such, Naruto had assumed he wouldn't be disappointed, but also didn't expect too much.

However, it seemed he had underestimated the resources of a member of the Hebi Clan Quasi-Array….

"Ultra high-grade quality Spirit Stones…." A glow shone over Naruto's right hand as a Spirit Stone appeared. The interior of the Spirit Stone was turbid, not translucent. It looked ordinary, and was something most people had never even seen. However, Naruto was familiar with it.

This was the exact same type of ultra high-grade Spirit Stone he had used to duplicate the wooden sword all those years ago!

Such Spirit Stones were incredibly useful. Naruto had long since run out of them. When he thought back to how he had squandered them that time, his heart hurt. In fact, considering that he felt that particular wooden sword to be only moderately powerful, it really felt like a waste.

He really regretted his ignorance at that time. Having practiced cultivation down to now, he truly understood the value of ultra high-grade Spirit Stones. In all of the Southern Domain, high-grade Spirit Stones could be found, but the ultra high-grade variety were exceedingly rare.

As he looked at the Spirit Stone in his hand, power suddenly surged from his Cultivation base. The Spirit Stone began to glow with a resplendent light. At the same time, an immense amount of spiritual energy emanated out, filling the entire Immortal's cave.

It permeated the cave, spilling outside as well. The more than hundred Cultivators outside all opened their eyes wide with shock as they sensed the spiritual energy.

"Fifty ultra high-grade Spirit Stones!" thought Naruto. He suppressed his excitement; to him, such a collection of Spirit Stones would be incredibly useful. They could serve as the nucleus of certain magical treasures or spell formations.

Furthermore, he could also try to duplicate the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill, which he needed to help recover his longevity. Then, he would be able to use the Blood Immortal mask again, and wield its shocking power.

He began to put the Spirit Stone back. "Alright, so there's Spirit Stones. What else is… oh!?" Suddenly, his body began to tremble, and he rose to his feet, a look of disbelief on his face.

"This… this…." He began to pant, astonishment written on his face. Just now, something had happened which he hadn't sensed in a long time… spiritual energy had flowed into his body!

This place was neither the Blood Immortal Legacy zone, nor the Nadeshiko Clan. But suddenly, he was able to absorb the spiritual energy in the area. It poured directly into his body, seeping in through his pores, filling him.

The sensation of being able to once again absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth caused Naruto to close his eyes. Ever since he had formed the Perfect Foundation, he had been unable to absorb spiritual energy in any place other than the Blood Immortal Legacy zone and the Nadeshiko Clan.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, and they glowed with an intense light. He had already absorbed all of the spiritual energy in the entire area, including that outside the Immortal's cave.

This in itself completely changed his impression of this bag of holding. His mind was spinning even more intensely than it had when he heard the words of the old man in the field of rubble.

"Ultra high-grade Spirit Stones…." He once again looked at the Spirit Stone he held in his hand. He rotated his Cultivation base, and felt boundless spiritual energy surging into him. This proved his assumption; it was not an illusion.

"It must have something to do with my Cultivation base. In any case, it seems that once I form the Perfect Gold Core, I can still use ultra high-grade Spirit Stones to absorb spiritual energy. I couldn't do that during Foundation Establishment. With these Spirit Stones, I won't have to only rely on medicinal pills and the Violet Pupil Transformation to heal myself." He looked back down at the fifty ultra high-grade Spirit Stones in the bag of holding. As of this moment, they were even more valuable to Naruto than they had been before.

Naruto took a deep breath. The glow in his hand lasted for a long time before he finally put away the ultra high-grade Spirit Stone. After that, a silver-colored magical symbol appeared above his palm. It began to emit a silver glow, as well as a faint aura that floated up into the air and transformed into more magical symbols. It gave Naruto a feeling very similar to that given off by the Celestial soil.

The magical symbols emanated powerful ripples which immediately caused Naruto to feel a sense of danger; he examined everything closely before sending the symbol away.

"Exactly as I anticipated. To kill a son of the Hebi Clan, one must not get involved in a prolonged battle. Exterminate like lightning, giving him no chance to use any magical items…. If I hadn't been so decisive in my use of the blood-colored mask, then I'm afraid…." Fear filled him as he thought back to the fight; had he hesitated in the slightest, there might have been a much different outcome.

The Hebi Clan was truly fearsome; Naruto just couldn't believe that they wouldn't have some powerful tricks up their sleeves. The main reason he had achieved victory was because he had attacked like a clap of thunder, giving his opponent little time to react.

Looking at the silver magical symbol, Naruto could tell that it required preparation time to use.

"At its very weakest, this thing is more powerful than my Cultivation base; I'm just not sure exactly how to use it." After thinking for a moment, his hand flickered again; this time, a translucent pill bottle appeared.

Clearly visible inside was a medicinal pill the size of a longan fruit. The pill was branded with the image of a hand. Naruto's eyes glittered as he opened the pill bottle; after sniffing the aroma of the pill, he was visibly moved.

"This is not an ordinary medicinal pill! This is… a one hundred percent consummate pill!" He took a deep breath as he closely examined the pill. A long moment later, a look of amazement filled his eyes.

"Soul Procurement Pill! One of the three great ancient medicinal pills! A consummate Soul Procurement Pill!" Breathing deeply, he examined it once again to confirm he was correct. He was. There was no mistake. His expression filled with wonder.

Of the three great ancient medicinal pills, Naruto already possessed a Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill. Therefore, he would be able to compensate for longevity he had squandered. Also, his Master had given him three Outlander Pills, which he could use to suppress the Resurrection Lily, as well as add to his longevity.

"The Nascent Soul of a Nascent Soul Cultivator is based on the five elements, and is divided into five colors. A Four Color Nascent Soul is actually considered the ultimate. With a Flawless Foundation and a Violet Core, along with a One Color Soul Procurement Pill, then it's possible to add one more element!

"If I had four elements, then this pill could increase it to five. But, if I already had five elements, then… would it be able to become a Six Color Nascent Soul? Too bad it doesn't matter how many times you consume this pill, it will only be effective once." He held the One Color Soul Procurement Pill and stared at it, his eyes glittering. Finally, he carefully put it away.

He had the strong feeling that this pill would be extremely important to him in the future!

Next, he looked down at the bag of holding as he pulled out a fishing rod.

It was long and slender, and completely emerald in color. He hefted it in his hand, not quite sure exactly what function it served. It was glittering and translucent, and also appeared to be very sharp; the hook at its end shone with a cold light.

"This thing…." After a moment's pause, he flicked the rod; immediately an illusory pool of water appeared in front of him. The fish hook flew down into the pool of water, and as it did, a tremor ran through Naruto's body. He heard the sound of infants wailing, the gasping breath of old people just before death, the laughter of able-bodied men, the stubborn oaths uttered by teenagers. He heard the voices of all living things.

The sounds entered his mind and heart, shaking them. He felt as if he would be torn apart. He immediately loosened his hand; the fishing pole fell to the ground, and everything else vanished.

It had only taken that brief moment for Naruto's entire body to be covered with sweat. His breath came in ragged gasps.

"What is this thing?" he thought, looking down at the fishing pole. It didn't look like anything particularly extraordinary at first, but now, it seemed vastly mysterious.

This was especially so when he thought about how terrifying the Hebi Clan was; clearly, this fishing pole must surely be some type of important item.

Some time passed, after which Naruto put the fishing pole away. He looked back at the bag of holding. Other than a collection of ordinary Spirit Stones, there seemed to be only one other noteworthy item.

It was a box.

The box was square, seemingly crafted from jade, and yet not. It was pitch black, and on the right corner was a mark, a word.

Namikaze.

The box seemed ancient, permeated with an archaic aura. Naruto's eyes glittered as he slowly opened it. Inside was a single glove. It was as soft as the wing of a cicada as he picked it up.

He used Spiritual Sense to examine it carefully for a moment before placing it on his right hand. The instant he put it on, he sensed an incredible power exploding out from within it, flowing into his right hand.

He took a deep breath and looked at his hand. There was no glove visible; however, when he made a fist, cracking sounds could be heard, as if the air itself was being pulled toward it. Everything in the Immortal's cave trembled, then flew into the air toward Naruto's closing fist. Even the air seemed to be reduced, by at least half, sucked into the fist.

"What power….?" Suddenly, an image in his mind appeared of the young woman of the Namikaze Clan, and her terrifying fist.

"Namikaze…. This item must be related to the Namikaze Clan. If it is, though, why is it in the bag of holding of a member of the Hebi Clan? Furthermore, why wouldn't he use it?" After much pondering of the matter, he remained puzzled. All of the other items, the ultra-high-grade Spirit Stones, the fishing pole, even the silver-colored magical symbol, were things that required time to use. Jirobo had no time to use any of them.

And yet he didn't wear the glove, which was clearly extraordinary. Had he put it on, it would not have been so easy to kill him.

"I still have his blood," thought Naruto. "When I'm able to create a Blood Spirit, then its consciousness will be linked to me, and I will be able to see his memories. Perhaps then I can find out the answer." He took some time to feel the power of his right hand, then slowly opened it. He looked once again at the bag of holding. Inside were some miscellaneous items. As for the ordinary Spirit Stones, there were about twenty or thirty thousand, not enough to duplicate any of the medicinal pills he needed to copy.

Eyes glittering, he put the bag of holding away.

With these objects, he now had even more ability to rise to power outside of the Southern Domain. He could truly roam free now.

"Except, I can't at the moment," he thought, shaking his head. He retrieved Jirobo's bell, then spit out a mouthful of Chakra from his Core and melded the two together. He then studied it for a while, trying to figure out how to use it. Like the other objects, it seemed that learning how to use it would require a bit of research.

"There's no hurry. My wounds are healed, and the time to emerge is almost here. First, though, I need to duplicate the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill!" At first he was a bit hesitant; he knew that the One Color Soul Procurement Pill could only be used once. Unfortunately, there was no way to test whether the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill had a similar restriction.

If it did, then duplicating it would be a waste. However, if he didn't duplicate it, but could use it more than once, it would be a huge loss.

He had a decisive disposition. Therefore, eyes glittering, he pulled out the copper mirror and the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill. He took a deep breath, and then began to duplicate it with an ultra high-grade Spirit Stone.

The three great ancient medicinal pills were rare in the modern world, and he wasn't sure at first if duplicating it would even work. It pained him a bit to have to spend five of the ultra high-grade Spirit Stones to duplicate one pill.

He immediately put the duplicate into his mouth.

Time passed by. Several days later, his hair slowly began to change. It was no longer white, but black; his face began to show signs of color, and soon shone with life. His entire person glowed, and in fact, his Cultivation base had even grown. It wouldn't be long before he would be able to break into the mid Core Formation stage.

Naruto held back though. His primary goal was the Perfect Gold Core; he could not turn back once Core Chakra appeared and he entered the mid Core Formation stage.

A few more days passed before he opened his eyes. They glowed with a bright and piercing light. His longevity was completely restored. He cast his Spiritual Sense outside, where it was currently early morning. Beneath the dawn sun, the parrot was flying in circles in the sky, continuously calling out orders to the more than one hundred people below.

"Lord Fifth is going to teach you a Celestial spell formation. This Celestial spell formation uses people as its base! I guarantee that if you master the formation, then you will be invincible! Now, cry out the words with me!"

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!" The roaring of the more than one hundred Cultivators was like thunder….

The meat jelly sat off to the side, face filled with disdain. However, it couldn't conceal the envy and jealousy it felt inside.

Naruto had watched similar scenes on multiple occasions recently. He had merely smiled wryly and ignored it. He was just about to retract his Spiritual Sense, when suddenly he frowned. He pushed two fingers down against the ground and invoked the art of Righteous Bestowal. The Chakra in the area poured into him, focusing in his eyes. Combining his vision with his Spiritual Sense, his swept the region with his gaze. There, several hundred kilometers away, was a procession of Cultivators, flying in this direction.

In the lead was a man and a woman. The man wore a gold mask, and Naruto recognized his aura. It was Black Lands Dao Child A!

The woman next to him wore a fine gauze veil; her beautiful features were just barely visible behind the hazy fabric. She seemed to embody all of the beauty in Heaven and Earth.

She had long, slender legs, and a full chest. This, coupled with the somewhat provocative gown she wore, made her emanate a fatal attractiveness.

The garment hugged her slender waist, accenting her curvaceous rear end. On her forehead was a totemic tattoo of a butterfly, which made her appearance even more arousing.

Her arms seemed as if they were carved from jade, and were also decorated with glittering totem tattoos. Behind these two people were four more. Two were masked Black Lands Cultivators of the mid Core Formation stage.

The other two were large-framed; at a glance, it was obvious that these were powerful Western Desert experts. The four of them were obviously the followers of A and the woman.

"This is one of the most infertile regions within the Black Lands," said A. "The only people who live here are lowbred Rogue Cultivators, not decent enough even for you to look at. Goddess Tarui, why exactly does your visit from the Western Desert bring you here?" A's face was hidden behind his mask, but a warm smile could be heard as he spoke. His eyes sparkled with intense adoration as he looked at the woman.

She gave him a graceful smile that looked like a blooming lily. She was without a doubt a natural born beauty. Her smile caused A to breathe a bit more heavily. She was just about to respond to him, when suddenly, her phoenix-like eyes flickered. The butterfly totem on her forehead flickered as if it were about to fly out.

"Who are you?!"

Naruto sat cross-legged in his Immortal's cave, the fingers of his right hand pushed against the ground, eyes closed. His Spiritual Sense was currently merged with the mountain's Demonic Chakra. Not only was the range of his Spiritual Sense now greater, but the sensation that he could form an Incarnation was even stronger than ever.

A of the Black Lands and the woman from the Western Desert were directly in front of Naruto's field of vision. The world in front of him was a rippling blur, both the air, the land, as if it were some other location.

A and the four others were also rippling, blurry figures. As for the beautiful woman, however, as soon as her butterfly fluttered into action, she immediately became crystal clear.

Naruto looked at her, and in that same instant, she looked back at him.

To the woman, however, Naruto did not appear as the image of a person, but rather, a blurry mountain!

The mountain was not very high, but emanated a majestic and vigorous will; it rose up above the earth, exerting a pressure that made the woman's face flicker.

"Demon…." Her eyes flashed and her pupils constricted. "Sir, I am Tarui from the Western Desert. I have no intention of offending you, Demon Lord…." Her voice was soft and filled with fear.

Naruto didn't respond. He looked at her closely for a moment, especially the totem on her forehead.

After a moment the image of the mountain faded away from the woman's vision, disappearing without a trace.

Her entire body shook, and her eyes shined with a bright glow. She began to breathe heavily, which made her chest rise and fall. This in turn caught the attention of A.

"Goddess Tarui," he said, sounding surprised, "what happened?" He could see that her face was somewhat pale. It wasn't just him that noticed; the four people behind them had also seen it.

"Nothing," she replied with a smile, quickly recovering her composure. However, a look of fear still lingered in her eyes.

At the same time, back in the Immortal's cave in the short mountain, Naruto opened his eyes. They glittered brightly as he lifted up his hand to look at his two fingers.

"This is the first time I've entered this state and then seen… the power of totems. It seems as if they have something to do with Demons!" A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. In the past, he had done a bit of research regarding totem variations, but had never been able to determine anything definitive. However, the woman just now had been using totemic power, and had been able to sense him. Furthermore, he sensed Demonic Chakra coming from her totem tattoo.

"Interesting," he thought, closing his eyes again.

Not much time passed before A, Tarui and the four others neared Naruto's group of Cultivators.

Their approach caused the Cultivators in the area to look up toward them. As soon as they saw the golden mask worn by A, and the two green-robed Cultivators behind him, as well as the Western Desert Cultivators, their faces immediately filled with awe and veneration.

In the Black Lands there were two great powers, sort of like empires. One was the Black Lands Palace, the other was the United Nine.

The United Nine was a group of allied cities controlled by different Cultivator Clans. Of the two, however, the Black Lands Palace was the most frightening. Its Cultivators wore masks, the colors of which indicated the level of their Cultivation base.

Orange masks represented Core Formation. Silver masks represented Nascent Soul. Gold masks represented Dao Children.

The Black Lands Palace ruled by force in the Black Lands. It was referred to as the number one power, and was known to have the support of the Western Desert. Because of that, even the Sects of the Southern Domain feared the Black Lands Palace.

A Dao Child from the Black Lands Palace was like a Chosen of the Heavens. One word from him could determine life or death for these Cultivators. He was the Heavens, they were nothing but bugs.

The parrot tilted its head up, looking with contempt at the group flying through the sky. Next to it, the meat jelly had a solemn look on its face. "These people are immoral," it muttered. "They are just too wicked…."

Up in mid-air, A's gaze swept over the group, and he suddenly let out a cold snort.

The sound of it fell upon the group of Cultivators. It felt like the fury of an emperor, causing all of them to silently lower their heads and kowtow.

Seeing this caused a pleased expression to fill A's eyes. He looked over at the incredibly beautiful Tarui.

"Goddess Tarui, what exactly are you looking for?" he said with a smile. "We have a bunch of backwater Cultivators here. I can make them go looking for whatever it is you need." Based on his words, he obviously really did view the Cultivators down below as nothing more than insects.

Tarui's pretty brow furrowed slightly, and she hesitated. She thought about the place she wished to locate, and it was true: having people familiar with the area would be of help. Just when she was about to nod in agreement, her eyes suddenly narrowed. She had just seen that in the middle of the location occupied by the Cultivators, was a small mountain.

At first glance, the mountain seemed strange to her. At second glance, she felt a peculiar sensation that made her think back to the Demon she had just seen….

A happened to see her looking over at the mountain. He glanced at it passingly before his gaze came to fall on the medicinal cistern. As soon as he saw it, his eyes narrowed, and he shot forward through the groups of people to land directly next to it.

He scooped up some water and sampled it, after which his eyes shined brightly.

"This is a natural medicinal elixir cistern! The quality is amazing, the highest quality!" He laughed heartily, ignoring the incensed expressions of the surrounding Cultivators. He waved his right hand, within which appeared a jade bottle that he prepared to fill with the medicinal cistern.

"If I procure some of the medicinal stones from this area," he thought, "I can take this cistern back with me and put in the Palace!" It seemed that escorting this beautiful woman was going to pay off for him after all.

In the blink of an eye, the bottle shot out into the air. The cistern water began to gurgle, and then shoot toward the bottle. The more than one hundred Cultivators in the area were growing more and more furious. It was hard to say who was first, but they all stood up in quick succession, their eyes shining with hatred. Black Lands Cultivators are inherently a cruel and savage lot, and to see someone so brazenly steal their cultivation resources caused their veneration to turn into frenzy.

However, in the exact instant in which all of the Cultivators stood up en masse, one of the mid Core Formation Cultivators floating up in mid-air gave off a cold snort. The sound transformed into something like rolling thunder which swept across the ground, causing the faces of the other Cultivators to instantly go pale. Some of them even coughed up blood.

"You people sure are brazen!" said A with a cold laugh. "I'm a Dao Child, and I've taken a liking to this medicinal cistern. That's good luck for the cistern, as well as you. If I didn't need you to help Goddess Tarui, then based on your actions just now, I would have a mind to exterminate the lot of you!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a calm voice echoed out from within the small mountain. "They may be brazen, but your temper takes the cake."

The suddenness of the voice caused A to immediately turn, a look of concentration in his eyes. The two Black Lands orange-masked Cultivators from up above shot down to appear on either side of him, their eyes flashing. They had already scanned the mountain with Spiritual Sense, but hadn't detected anyone within. This unexpected voice immediately filled them with fear.

As Naruto's voice echoed out, he reached down and touched the ground with one finger. The ground shook, and vast quantities of Demonic Chakra tendrils rose up from the ground. They emanated out from the mountain and began to congeal at its peak.

No one could see this Chakra, not even A and his companions. The only thing they could sense was a crushing feeling of danger. The two Western Desert Cultivators, on the other hand, as well as Tarui, could clearly see it. Their faces flickered as the huge amount of Chakra began to take the shape of a phantom figure.

The phantom figure seemed to be draped with a black robe. His features were indistinguishable, but as he stood there, he seemed to be fused with the mountain, as if he were the mountain, and the mountain was him.

Tarui was experiencing the exact same feeling she had from moments ago.

She looked around and realized that the more than one hundred local Cultivators all had looks of respect on their faces. They were not kowtowing to the short mountain, but, the sight in front of her reminded her of what you might see in a Tribe of the Western Desert.

Such Tribe members were constantly prostrating themselves to the most powerful totems in the tribe. That was how they acquired totemic power…. What she was seeing here was the early stages of such an arrangement.

Suddenly, the black phantom atop the short mountain flickered, gathering together the Demonic Chakra in the area and shooting toward A and the other two people with him. Though they couldn't see it, they could feel the danger, and retreated in shock.

However, the speed of their retreat could not compare to the quickness of the black phantom. Just when they were about to collide, Tarui's face twisted. She could not allow the Dao Child of the Black Lands Palace to die right in front of her. That would most certainly affect her prestige. She lifted her right hand and then waved a finger; the butterfly on her forehead flew out, speeding directly toward A and the others.

At the same time, the two Western Desert Cultivators let out gruff roars. A giant bear totem coalesced, snarling as it charged forward. After that was a giant elephant, which also barrelled ahead.

In the blink of an eye, the phantom Naruto had created with the art of Righteous Bestowal was now racing to attack six individuals at the same time.

An explosion rippled out; Naruto's Demonic Chakra phantom shook and then dissolved. Blood sprayed from A's mouth. The faces of the two orange-masked Cultivators went pale. One of them grabbed A and shot backward. The two Western Desert Cultivators howled as they retreated backward several paces. As for Tarui, her face flushed red briefly before returning to normal.

"Your Excellency, Demon Lord, we're here today…." She actually felt a bit relieved, and was about offer words of mediation when suddenly a cold snort echoed out from within the short mountain.

"My Incarnation is a bit weak," said Naruto lightly. The black Chakra around him covered his body, which suddenly flashed, speeding out of the Immortal's cave like a black smoke.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the bear totem Western Desert Cultivator. He raised his right hand, the one covered in the diaphanous glove, and formed a fist, which then descended down toward his opponent.

Boom!

As the fist descended upon the bear totem Western Desert Cultivator, his face flickered. The first thing that happened was that the giant bear shook violently and then shattered into countless pieces. As the boom echoed out, the man's body caved in. Blood sprayed from his mouth in seven or eight spurts as he was hurled violently backward several hundred meters. Eventually he ground to a halt, coughed up another mouthful of blood, and then sagged visibly, his body covered in blood.

His complexion suddenly seemed to grow older. Before he had even stopped moving, he'd changed from being a middle-aged man, to an ancient one. His hair was gray, his skin covered with wrinkles, and his eyes listless.

Most terrifying of all, the three totem tattoos on his body faded and then disappeared.

Shockingly, a tiny, shrieking phantom version of the enormous bear from just now, floated above Naruto's right hand.

Naruto wasn't finished. In the space of a single breath, he took a step forward and lashed out with three more fist strikes.

The first fist slammed into the elephant totem Western Desert Cultivator. Blood showered from his mouth as he tumbled backward about fifty meters. He groaned, and it sounded like his body might be about to explode. He rapidly grew older; his life force dissipated, and his totems faded. Now a bear and an elephant circled around Naruto's hand.

His second punch slammed into the chest of one of the orange-masked Cultivators. Crunching sounds could be heard, and the man screamed. His mask shattered as blood shot from his mouth. He also was flung backward fifty meters or so; his body aged rapidly, and it seemed as if his Cultivation base might collapse.

The third punch landed onto the other orange masked Cultivator. His Cultivation base was a bit weaker than the other; he had just stepped into the early Core Formation stage and as such, his Core was not completely stable. Naruto's fist strike sent him tumbling back about thirty-five meters; his scalp went numb as he felt a terrifying power surging through his body, destroying everything. His Core shattered, and then his entire body exploded into a haze of blood and gore.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Then, Naruto was in front of A. His diaphanously gloved hand shot out, latching onto A's neck, lifting him up into the air.

Behind his gold mask, A's eyes shone with intense fear and astonishment. His body trembled and he panted raggedly. However, he didn't dare to struggle. He could sense the intense killing intent emanating out from his faceless attacker. The denseness of the killing intent caused his mind to reel.

Seeing Naruto's billowing killing intent, Tarui's face paled and she cried, "Great Demon Lord, please listen to me! We harbor no ill intentions. What happened just now was a misunderstanding. Great Demon Lord, I beg you to forgive our hot-headedness. We did not know this was your territory. Great Demon Lord please stay your hand…. We are willing to provide compensation for our actions just now."

"Great Demon Lord," gushed A, "this… this is all just a misunderstanding. Really, just a misunderstanding…." He felt like he already had one foot in the grave, the same feeling he'd had when facing Kazama from the Southern Domain, about whom he still frequently had nightmares.

That was the first time he'd felt like this. Now was the second.

Except, the feeling this time was even more intense than the first time. All of his arrogance from moments ago had completely disintegrated.

"Misunderstanding?" said Naruto, his voice hoarse, like two rocks rubbing against each other. His left hand reached into his robe to pull out a medicinal pill. He shoved it into A's mouth, and then sent an identical pill shooting over toward Tarui.

"Consume that pill," he said coolly, "and then we can consider this matter a misunderstanding." A's eyes flickered with even more intense fear. He wasn't sure what medicinal pill he had just consumed, but he could imagine what it might be. There was nothing he could do about it now; he would have to wait until he got back to the Black Lands Palace, where the effects could surely be dispelled.

Tarui's face flickered as she hesitated. She didn't care too much whether A lived or died. However, if she didn't consume the pill, then the result of the offense given just now would not be good.

Gritting her beautiful teeth, Tarui lifted up the medicinal pill and then swallowed it down. She looked at Naruto.

He loosened his hand, then flicked his sleeve and turned to walk back toward the mountain. Purposely putting an imperious expression onto his face, he said, "Get the hell out of here. If you ever again enter the area three hundred kilometers in any direction, the poison will kill you! No alchemist under Heaven can neutralize my demonic pills." With that, he disappeared into the Immortal's Cave.

A, Tarui and the others hesitated only for a moment before disappearing off into the distance.

When they were about a hundred kilometers away, they finally stopped and looked back in the direction of Naruto's Immortal's cave.

"Dammit…. Once I get back to the Black Lands Palace, I'll dispatch some people to wipe that place out!" said A, a dangerous look on his face.

"I'll take care of it," said one of the old orange-masked Cultivators through clenched jaw. "Let's see what superhuman abilities that guy really has. I'll…" Before he could finish speaking however, a single word suddenly rang out from nowhere.

"Bestow!"

One word. The instant it echoed out, the orange-masked Cultivator began to tremble. A and the others watched in astonishment as a pulsating black aura emerged from his ears, eyes, nose and mouth. Soon a massive black aura was spreading out from him. As for Tarui, she could see that above the old man's head was a phantom figure; it was none other than Naruto's Righteous Bestowal Demonic Incarnation.

The blurry Demonic Incarnation burrowed into the man's body through the top of his head. The orange-masked Cultivator began to scream, and his right arm suddenly began to quiver. A watched on in astonishment as the man's right arm suddenly struck out toward his own forehead.

A boom could be heard as the man's head exploded, killing him instantly.

"Take care of yourselves," said Naruto coolly before disappearing.

Everything was as silent as death.

A's body shook uncontrollably, and he immediately abandoned any thoughts about what he had just been talking about. The only thing he could think of was that he would never come with three hundred kilometers of this place ever again.

Tarui was panting and her eyes were wide. She had seen some so-called Demon Lords in the Western Desert, but none of them were as bizarrely frightening as this one.

"What if it was turned into a totem…?" thought Tarui. Her heart beat even faster.

Maintaining their silence, the remaining four Cultivators shot off into the distance.

Outside the Immortal's cave, the retreat of A and the others caused the eyes of the more than one hundred Cultivators to fill with fanaticism. Cultivators worshipped the powerful, and the power displayed by Naruto just now left their minds reeling and hearts trembling.

"Did you see that?" squawked the parrot, immediately flying up into the air. Its eyes slowly passed over the amassed Cultivators. "That was none other than Lord Fifth's Celestial magic! If you diligently practice your cultivation according to my methods, then it won't be long before you are just as powerful!"

Back in the Immortal's cave, Naruto's looked down at his right hand, and his eyes filled with a mysterious glow.

"This right hand, coupled with the power of my Cultivation base and the Demonic Chakra, can exterminate the mid Core Formation stage. However, when it comes to late Core Formation, my only option is to use the Blood Immortal mask.

"Either way, considering I'm at the peak of the early Core Formation stage, there aren't many other Core Formation Cultivators who are a match for me. Once I succeed with the Perfect Gold Core and enter mid Core Formation, a Cultivator in the same stage who could deal with me would be a rarity indeed!" His eyes gleamed with self-confidence.

As far as he was concerned, the difference between the power he had wielded in Foundation Establishment, and his power now, was vast.

"Getting the last medicinal plant ingredient won't be hard. But the Heavenly Tribulation which will come after I form the Perfect Gold Core… that will be a problem." Naruto frowned. That was what he had the most misgivings about. The Heavenly Tribulation from back in Foundation Establishment had been terrifying. If the Blood Immortal Legacy hadn't fought against it for him, Naruto would never have been able to form the Perfect Foundation.

Muttering to himself, his eyes glittered as he sent his Spiritual Sense out with a message. A few moments later, flapping sounds could be heard as the colorful parrot flew in from outside, looking a bit impatient.

"What's going on?!" it said, eyeing Naruto. "Don't you know that Lord Fifth is in the middle of training those Cultivators out there? Don't you know how precious Lord Fifth's time is?"

"How do I transcend Heavenly Tribulation?" asked Naruto, not beating around the bush.

"Heavenly Tribulation?" The Parrot stared in shock, and then flew a few circles around Naruto, seemingly sizing him up from various angles. Finally, it made a clucking noise and shook its head. It sighed. "Nobody can transcend it. You're dead. It seems that I, Lord Fifth, ancient Celestial bird, should consider getting a new master."

It was about to leave, when Naruto, his expression the same as ever, calmly said, "So, you don't even know how to transcend tribulation. And you still call yourself an ancient Celestial Bird." His face was clearly filled with a sneer.

When the parrot saw the sneer, its feathers immediately stood on end, and it glared at Naruto.

"I don't know?" it said, panting. "You dare to tell me I don't know? I… I can't be fooled so easily!" Instead of continuing any further, it put on a supercilious expression and began to preen its feathers.

"So, you really are just a flashy old bird!" said Naruto casually, his sneer growing even more obvious. He even went so far as to close his eyes, as if he didn't deign to continue the conversation.

The parrot was instantly furious. Pecking furiously at its feathers as it preened, it roared, "Who said I don't know?! I know a method that can suppress and delay Heavenly Tribulation. There's no Celestial magic like that which I don't know!"

"So, you really don't know," replied Naruto lightly.

"Heavenly Tribulation is nothing but farts!" roared the parrot. "Back in the day, I could transcend tribulation with a single breath! Even now, I know at least ten thousand ways… no, I mean, a million different ways to do it! I'll tell you one of them. All you have to do is find a miraculous life form, the type whose roots and leaves are connected the same way a mother and a son are connected. The roots cannot be destroyed, and the leaves never die. The leaves never die, and the roots cannot be destroyed! You hold onto the roots, and use the leaves to defend against the Heavenly Tribulation. That is how you can transcend tribulation!

"Too bad for you miraculous life forms like that aren't common. Even things similar to it aren't common. They're all extinct. You would have to have an incredible amount of luck and fortune to happen across one. Just from looking at you, I'd say it's not gonna happen. You're not that kind of person. Most likely, you're dead."

Hearing the parrot's words actually caused Naruto's eyes to flicker. After analyzing the parrot's words, they seemed to make quite a bit of sense. Furthermore, his mind was currently reeling. This was because he had thought of a miraculous life form from the Black Lands that was very similar to what the parrot had described!

"The roots cannot be destroyed, the leaves never die. The leaves never die, the roots cannot be destroyed…." Naruto's eyes filled with thought as he put the pieces together. A miraculous life form that inherently displayed the type of relationship between a mother and a son. Rare in the world, almost never seen.

What appeared in Naruto's mind now were words he had heard years ago.

"The larva cannot be destroyed, and the thread cannot be broken. The thread cannot be broken, nor can the larva be destroyed!" These words were describing a creature that, when fed Sieve Net Thunder Mulberry Leaves, would transform from Frigid Snow into the miraculous bug called the Eyeless Larva.

"Besides that larva, there's another way, but their growth isn't complete…." Naruto's eyes glittered as he thought of his Blood Clones.

Because the nucleus of each Blood Clone was the skin of the meat jelly, as long as he himself didn't die, they couldn't be destroyed. Even if they were, they could easily be recreated. It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that they were eternally indestructible, but the fact remained that it would be very difficult to truly kill them.

However, the Cultivation bases of the Blood Clones were too far removed from his own. They might be difficult to destroy, but when it came time to face the Heavenly Tribulation, Naruto knew that the Blood Clones would be defeated.

"Unless I refined nine generations of blood, then added myself in, thus forcing another generation on top of the nine. Then it would be a Blood Spirit. I could not be destroyed, and the spirit would never disperse!"

As Naruto sat lost in thought, the haughty parrot once again looked at Naruto with disdain. "Don't even think about it," it said suddenly. "Only people with incredible luck and amazing fortune can ever have a chance to get a miraculous life form like that. As an example, I, Lord Fifth, once had a miraculous lotus root. Only someone like me could ever get something of the sort."

Naruto ignored the parrot and continued to think. A new thought suddenly flickered in his mind. The parrot's words had opened up the floodgates of his mind regarding transcending tribulation. After all, he was not in the Blood Immortal Legacy zone; this time, he would be facing the test alone.

He had been thinking about the matter for a very, very long time. The parrot's words just now had lit a virtual fire in his mind; all kinds of thoughts and questions exploded inside of him.

"Regarding miraculous life forms," he thought, "there's something else I could do. I could borrow Demonic Chakra from Heaven and Earth to create an illusory Incarnation. After all, the Incarnation can carry my will with it to kill people. I wonder if I could use it to defend against Heavenly Tribulation…. It's too bad the Incarnation is so weak. However, it's an area that could be explored." His eyes lit up as he realized that he actually already had three types of miraculous life forms.

"Plus, I have the meat jelly!" he thought. His eyes contained an imperceptible glitter. Using the meat jelly when transcending tribulation would be his last resort. He had long since taken note of its ability to consume lightning.

"Forget it. Just forget it," said the parrot, looking askance at Naruto. It sighed, its face filled with an expression that exuded omniscience. "That method just now was definitely too difficult. In all the Heavens, I think only Lord Fifth could pull off something like that. For other people, well, it could only happen in their dreams.

"Lord Fifth is an erudite, ancient Celestial Bird. Omniscient. Okay, I'll tell you of another method. This one isn't very hard. Actually, it's pretty simple. However, such a method is also only available to people with extraordinary luck and fortune.

"It's not very complicated. You just need to have a Soul of Lightning next to you. If you do, it will be much easier to transcend the tribulation. However, you'll have to train the Soul of Lightning yourself. Basically, you start out with the soul of a Cultivator with a very profound Cultivation base. Then, you slowly use lightning to transform its soul embodiment. Over time, you gradually increase the amount of lightning. Assuming the soul isn't destroyed, then you eventually force it to transform into a Soul of Lightning that you can use." The parrot yawned and then flew out of the Immortal's cave in a flash of light. Outside, it once again began to instruct the Cultivators about its self-proclaimed Celestial magic.

Naruto sat cross-legged in the Immortal's cave, thinking about what the parrot had said about the Soul of Lightning. A strange expression appeared on his face, and after a while, he slapped his bag of holding. The blood-colored mask appeared in his hand. He sent his Spiritual Sense inside to find Danzo, who had been forgotten by the meat jelly after the appearance of the parrot.

Danzo was no longer listless like before. However, as soon as he caught sight of Naruto, his entire body began to tremble. Clearly, his fear of the meat jelly had reached the ultimate level.

Naruto circled around Danzo, examining his soul embodiment. After a while, his eyes began to shine.

The glow in his eyes struck terror into the heart of Danzo.

"What… what are you planning?!" he asked cautiously. He had a bad feeling, as if something miserable were about to happen to his soul embodiment. After his time spent being tormented by the meat jelly, without even the option of seeking death, he was no longer as proud and haughty as he used to be.

Naruto didn't say anything. After examining Danzo for a moment, he did something with his Spiritual Sense, and a lightning bolt appeared within the blood-colored mask. It crackled down toward Danzo, slamming directly onto his soul embodiment.

"Dammit! What the hell are you doing?!" He trembled, and his soul embodiment flickered as if it were about to dissipate.

Naruto nodded, then used his Spiritual Sense again to summon another lightning bolt, and then another. Rumbling booms sounded out as they fell down onto Danzo, who emitted constant miserable shrieks.

This process went on for about two hours, until Danzo's soul embodiment was growing dim.

"You psycho!" cried Danzo, gnashing his teeth. "You're a damned lunatic! And that meat jelly is nothing but a nightmare! One of these days I'll get my revenge!" He continued to curse, but inside actually felt quite pathetic, and was heaving constant sighs.

In the Immortal's cave, Naruto opened his eyes.

"Danzo has an extraordinary Cultivation base. He meets all the requirements to become a Soul of Lightning. From now on, I'll need to use all methods at my disposal to get him accustomed to lightning. I also need an Eyeless Larva. Before that, though, I should head out and collect the last medicinal plant ingredient I need for the Perfect Gold Core." Having made up his mind, Naruto sent his Spiritual Sense out to find Tenma.

He was currently looking on complacently as the parrot flew around above a group of people who were all running around in various patterns. Tenma's body trembled as Naruto's voice suddenly echoed out in his head. Then, his mind was branded with an image of the plant Naruto needed.

Half a month later, Naruto was looking down at a jade slip, inside of which was information regarding the medicinal plant he needed, a clue uncovered during the investigation carried out by his group of over a hundred Cultivators. Naruto stood and left the Immortal's cave.

"Kumogakure, member of the United Nine Cities." Inside the jade slip was also a map of the Black Lands, marked with the location of Kumogakure, which wasn't very far away.

By now, Naruto was familiar with the power structure of the Black Lands, thanks to his more than one hundred followers. Other than the Black Lands Palace and the United Nine, the Black Lands were inhabited completely by Rogue Cultivators. In some cases, groups banded together to form small-scale powers. Some were strong, some were weak, but regardless, they existed in a state of disunity.

As far as the United Nine, it was made up of nine of the Black Lands' most powerful Cultivator Clans, and the cities that had grown up around them. They had banded together and formed an alliance to stand up against the power of the Black Lands Palace.

The ingredient Naruto needed was a Spirit Orchid Leaf, a medicinal plant that wasn't particularly rare. That having been said, it wasn't something that the small-scale powers would have. It would only be available in one of the nine major cities.

According to the information he'd received, Kumogakure would be holding an auction soon. Medicinal pills would be up for sale, as well as medicinal plants. As for the Spirit Orchid Leaf, it could actually be consumed directly to treat injuries, so of course people would be willing to purchase it.

Naruto flicked his sleeve as he left the region of his Immortal's cave for the first time in more than a year. Transforming into a beam of prismatic light, he shot like lightning off into the distance.

Thanks to the Primordial Heavenly Replenishing Pill, his hair was now black once again and his eyes were filled with abstruseness. He wore a green gown, and his features were handsome and refined. On his forehead was mark that looked both like a scale and a feather, and yet was neither. Overall, he appeared completely extraordinary.

As he flew away from the Immortal's cave, the meat jelly and the parrot followed him.

As they flew along, the parrot continuously chided the meat jelly, who squabbled back endlessly. It went on for a few days, with the two of them occasionally getting into blows. Finally, the parrot used its trump card. It went on with a series of "Do you want to know?" questions, which resulted in the meat jelly transforming into a small bell which the parrot fastened around its leg.

The parrot finally came to rest on Naruto's shoulder, perched there with an arrogant look on its face that said that it was a one-of-a-kind ancient Celestial bird, esteemed in Heaven and Earth, unique in all creation.

The ground beneath them was pitch black, with occasional black-colored plants growing up from the soil. It all looked very sinister. The entire time, Naruto didn't stop once; following the information on the map, he flew straight toward Kumogakure.

On one particular evening several days later, a green city appeared up ahead. It wasn't grand and majestic, but rather, square in shape, and apparently constructed from vegetation.

The city walls were created from interwoven plants. The greenness created by the plants made the city stick out conspicuously from the black soil.

In the middle of the city, trees grew up. All of the trees had massive amounts of branches growing out from them, which were also interwoven to form layers. The city as a whole seemed to be formed of two levels, one on the ground, the other in the sky.

There was a third level, which was formed by a single, enormous tree, the interior of the city. From a distance, the city looked very bizarre. Naruto's eyes began to shine.

As they approached, they saw the city gate, which was formed by eight giant interlocking trees. Cultivators walked in and out of the gate, and inside the city itself were quite a few Cultivators.

Perched atop the massive tree in the center of the city was what appeared to be an enormous phoenix, several dozens of meters in length. It had bright, scarlet feathers, and was incredibly beautiful.

A closer look revealed that it wasn't actually a phoenix, but a peacock.

It would occasionally look around at the city with an arrogant expression. It didn't emit the power of a Cultivation base, but from a distance it still emanated a powerful, threatening aura that Naruto could sense. It caused his pupils to constrict.

The look in the peacock's eyes seemed to say that no one was worthy of its gaze. It looked around arrogantly, seemingly despising all that it saw.

Suddenly, Naruto heard the parrot whisper: "You dare to act like that in front of Lord Fifth, bitch!?"

Naruto had read some information about this scarlet peacock in the jade slip. It was a holy animal of the Kumo Clan. For some reason unknown to outsiders, it would occasionally take to flight and circle around the city; everyone who saw the spectacle would praise its beauty.

Just as they were about to enter the city, Naruto heard the parrot next to him, panting heavily.

"Eee? Now that I'm closer I can see that flirty look in its eyes… Hm, a red bird, I've never tried that out before…." Before Naruto could react or even think about what it meant, the parrot was gone. Naruto watched as ripples spread out in the air, and a multicolored streak shot up through the air toward the peacock.

Everything was happening too quickly. Naruto gaped in astonishment. Before he could react, he saw the multicolored streak flying through the air at high speed. It looked like a shooting star as it headed toward the beautiful, proud Scarlet Peacock.

Within the colorful light was none other than the parrot, shooting forward like a spear, head upraised. Its sharp, curved beak emitted a cold glow, as it clenched its body tight into something that looked like a spearhead.

Naruto wasn't sure if he was mistaken or not, but it very much seemed like its eyes were shining with excitement, as well as determination and lasciviousness….

It moved with incredible speed. In one breath it was quite a distance from the peacock. In the next breath, it was upon it.

All of the feathers on the body of the Scarlet Peacock stood on end as it turned its beautiful head, emanating the powerful might of a phoenix, seeming to warn everyone from encroaching upon its space. Naruto's eyes went wide, and his mind began to spin. He suddenly had a very bad feeling about what was happening. He watched the multicolored streak of light that was the parrot as it charged directly toward the peacocks rear end….

Aaiiieee!

An intense, miserable screech echoed out from the once graceful and beautiful peacock. The sound was wretched, as an indescribable pain washed over it.

All its feathers stood on end, and its expression was twisted and distorted. It was no longer elegant, and its beauty had now been transformed into suffering. It trembled violently as its scream filled Kumogakure, which of course attracted the attention of large numbers of Cultivators. All of them lifted their heads up in astonishment.

What they saw was the peacock, always so graceful and haughty, now trembling violently and screaming miserably. It was flying haphazardly through the air, beating its wings, as if it was trying to shake something off of its body.

Its efforts were of no avail. As it screamed, its eyes turned red, and a billowing Flame Sea appeared around it. Within the fire, the peacock continued to scream intensely. Its feathers bristled to the point where it looked like it might explode from insanity.

All of the Cultivators in the city were staring with gaping mouths, unsure of what exactly was happening to it. However, they could all sense that the peacock was currently experiencing indescribable pain.

It was at this time that members of Kumogakure's Cultivator Clan emerged, looking worried as they flew up toward the peacock. One among their number was a young woman wearing a long, emerald green garment. Her features were beautiful and enchanting, but her phoenix-like eyes were filled with worry and confusion as she approached the peacock.

"Scarlet Peacock, what's wrong…?" she said. Her voice was pleasant, like the song of a lark.

As soon as the Cultivators down in the city saw her, they began to discuss the matter in hushed tones.

"That's Goddess Samui of the Kumo Clan…."

"That's none other than one of the three most beautiful female Cultivators in the Black Lands, Samui!"

By this time, Naruto had ducked his head down and hurried into the city, his scalp slowly growing numb. He blended into the crowd, his face ashen, looking up at the flames in the sky. The miserable shrieks of the peacock continued to ring out.

"Damned parrot!" thought Naruto, grinding his teeth. There was nothing he could do about it, though. He should have considered the parrot's indulgences. Back when it was stuck in the copper mirror, Naruto had to take the initiative to provoke something like this. But now that it was free, it couldn't hold itself back after seeing a pretty, feathered peacock.

"I can't let people find out that I brought it here…." he thought with a frown. Up above, the peacock let out another shriek. Now, everyone could see a multicolored beam of light whizzing through the air near the peacock's rear end. Before anyone could see clearly what was inside of it, it built up some momentum and then shot back toward the peacock.

The peacock tried to dodge out of the way, but was unable to. When people saw this, they could only watch on in dumbstruck silence.

Based on what they had just seen, they now understood why the elegant Scarlet Peacock was emitting such blood-curdling screams.

A buzz of conversation immediately rose up as everyone expressed their disbelief and astonishment.

"This is…."

"What is that thing? What it's doing is… indescribable…."

"That multicolored light is entering…. My god! Is there really a magical item that does something like this? What is it? It's simply too vicious, too malicious, too penetrating…."

Naruto stood in the crowd, his jaw clenched. He felt as if his face were burning, and he was very worried about everyone finding out that the multicolored light had been brought into the city by him.

The Kumo Clan Cultivators floated in mid-air, trying to figure out how to help the peacock. Samui's face was filled with anxiety. However, the sight of the multicolored light caused them to stare in shock.

The Scarlet Peacock's wails were pitiful, its eyes filled with humiliation and pain. Suddenly, it began to fall to the ground, body trembling. The Kumo Clan Cultivators rushed forward in a frenzy. As they neared, the multicolored light disappeared, leaving behind only an exhausted panting sound.

The Kumo Clan Cultivators' faces were extremely unsightly. Samui's was virtually bursting with flames. Moments later, the entire city was sealed down tightly. More Kumo Clan Cultivators appeared, bursting with bestial killing intent and rage as they began to search for the multicolored light.

One could imagine what savage methods they would employ to punish the mysterious multicolored light if they ever found it….

As for the Scarlet Peacock, it was currently being given emergency treatment….

Naruto's face was just as unsightly as he dispersed along with the crowd. He wasn't sure where the parrot had gone to. If it suddenly appeared on his shoulder, then he would have to leave the city immediately.

He suddenly realized that the meat jelly was actually very well behaved….

As night fell upon Kumogakure, word of what had just happened spread through the various Cultivators. Late that night, the wrath of the entire Kumo Clan was burning.

In the Kumo Clan's manor house, Samui stood there with tears in her eyes as she comforted the trembling, sleeping Scarlet Peacock. Every time it trembled, her eyes would flash with killing intent.

"I'm going to find that multicolored light," she said, gnashing her teeth, "and when I do, I'll hack it into pieces!"

Meanwhile, Naruto sat cross-legged in his room in a local inn, his face dark. Finally, he opened his eyes from meditation and let out a soft sigh as the parrot appeared.

It looked the same as ever, multicolored, with the meat jelly bell still attached to its foot. Its expression was one of arrogance, and its eyes flickered with contentment and complacency.

"Heyyy, Lord Fifth is back," it said, strutting back and forth on the table, lifting its head up to stare at Naruto.

"Did you have fun?" asked Naruto coolly, his facing expressionless.

"Lots of fun!" replied the parrot. It took a deep breath, and the haughtiness in its face disappeared, to be replaced by a look of reminiscence.

"I've tried out many different purely colored birds such as that," it said with a sigh. "One year I even tried out their ancestor, the phoenix. However, scarlet is the only color I haven't tried. Not bad. Really not bad."

"Do you know how much difficulty it's going to cause if they found out it was you?" said Naruto.

"What are you scared of?" it said, its face filled with conceited grandeur. "Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life. When Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife? If they dare to mess with me, I'll screw 'em to death! I'll deal with them like I dealt with that bird. I'm not talking about you, of course. Birds have their tenacity, and so do people. Tenacity, that's the key. Look, I have a duty to help you out. Join me in your loudest voice…."

A solemn-looking face suddenly appeared on the bell on the parrot's foot. "You're immoral! Simply too wicked! My life's mission is definitely to convert you, you sinister bird!"

The parrot looked down at the meat jelly with a look of disdain. "Shut up, b*tch! Did I ever not take you with me to do these kinds of things? Do you remember the Space Ape from that year? Did I take you with me, or not? How about the Flame Phoenix? Did I take you with me, or not? What about that big hairy fish in the Star Sea, or that tiger in the Eighth Mountain? What about the great Golden Dragon? Did you forget about that?"

The meat jelly hesitated for a moment, then gritted its teeth and said, "Uhh… You forced me!"

Naruto sat off to the side, watching on silently. Originally he had planned to say a few things about what had happened today, but hearing the parrot list off its "achievements," he suddenly realized he didn't have anything to say. He sighed, shaking his head and ignoring the two, instead closing his eyes and continuing to meditate.

As the night went on, the Kumo Clan used all its power, all their precious treasures, all their Divine Sense, to search every corner of the city. It was all to no avail. As the search continued, three days slowly passed.

During the three days, Naruto went out twice. Each time, the parrot would perch pompously on his shoulder to accompany him. On a few occasions, they encountered members of the Kumo Clan. However, the uncomely parrot didn't seem to attract any suspicions.

"Don't worry," said the parrot. "I've done things like this before on many occasions, and I've never gotten caught. The only things left behind are legends of Lord Fifth. However, no one ever knows my true appearance."

Naruto didn't respond.

On the two occasions he went out, Naruto made inquiries about the auction which was to take place in ten days, and was able to confirm that ten Spirit Orchid Leaves would be up for sale.

He also made some inquiries about the price. This particular plant would appear in the auction every few years, and the price was always a bit over ten thousand spirit stones.

Naruto personally didn't have many Spirit Stones, but Jirobo's bag of holding had ultra high-grade Spirit Stones, as well as a collection of regular Spirit Stones to the number of about twenty thousand. It wasn't much when it came to duplicating medicinal pills, but it should be enough to purchase the Spirit Orchid Leaf and still have some left over.

On evening of the fourth day, Naruto sat cross-legged in his room. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he let out a sigh. As he had anticipated, trouble had come looking for him. He looked up at the door.

It didn't take long before it exploded, shattered to pieces that showered into the room.

The instant the door shattered into pieces, a whooshing sound could be heard, and the parrot disappeared without a trace. Naruto wasn't sure where it had gone to hide, but obviously it had seen the look on his face and knew the trouble it had stirred up. However, instead of cleaning up its own mess, it left it to Naruto. Naruto's mood sank even deeper.

His eyes flickered with coldness. He knew that the law of the jungle was a strict one and was revered as a way of life in the Black Lands. Weakness and retreat gave an opponent even more power and reason to crush you.

In the Black Lands, there was no reasoning, there was only strength.

The strong could plunder cities and enslave Clans. In the Black Lands, you could do anything you wanted and no one would do anything against you unless it was to their benefit. If you didn't encroach on someone's territory, they wouldn't pay attention to you at all even if you slaughtered countless other Cultivators.

For example, the nine Clans that made up the United Nine had changed countless times throughout the years. One would rise, another would fall, down to this very day.

After the door was destroyed, two people charged into the room, accompanied by a cold, glittering light. As they descended upon him, Naruto let out a cold snort. It didn't matter that he was actually in the wrong. He sat there cross-legged, his killing intent flashing. He lifted his right hand up as fast as lightning, and a single finger attack shot out.

A miserable scream immediately filled the air, and a corpse toppled backward out the door. At the same time, his four remaining fingers curled into a claw which latched onto the neck of a black-robed Cultivator.

No matter how he struggled, the man couldn't move an inch. Naruto immediately sent spiritual power into the man's Cultivation base, sealing it down tightly.

When attacking, one cannot hesitate, nor show weakness. That is a fundamental rule in the Black Lands.

Naruto's expression was calm as he looked over at the door. Standing outside were eight Cultivators wearing black robes. Their expressions were serious, but they didn't dare to enter the room. Instead, they stood there looking vigilantly at Naruto.

"Samui," said Naruto coolly, "is this the way the Kumo Clan receives its guests? You'd better provide an explanation, or I'll turn your skull into a cooking pot."

The people outside remained silent as a woman stepped out from behind them. She wore a long, emerald green robe, and was quite beautiful. Her skin was so delicate it seemed a breeze could break it. This was none other than Samui. Her brow was furrowed as she glared into Naruto's room.

"Since you know who I am, then you'd better let my man go immediately. Then we can discuss some matters." Her voice was pleasant, but filled with iciness. Her Cultivation base was beyond ordinary; it appeared to be at the early Core Formation stage.

Naruto grinned. He might have the appearance of a scholar, but looking at him now, he possessed a certain fierceness. He suddenly clenched his right hand. Loud cracking sounds could be heard; the man's body twitched as his neck was crushed into pieces. After he was thoroughly dead, Naruto stood up and turned into a blur as he rushed toward the door.

Samui laughed mockingly. She stood her ground, not moving at all. As she glanced down at the body of the dead man, the eight men around her suddenly moved forward to obstruct Naruto's way. Two of them were white-haired old men. Their gazes were like lightning, their stature tall; shockingly, they even had totem tattoos on their arms. However, they didn't look like Western Desert Cultivators. They had extraordinary Cultivation bases at the mid Core Formation stage. Their bodies flashed as they moved forward to defend Samui.

They were fast, but Naruto was even faster. In the blink of an eye, he was out the door. He flicked his sleeve, and a gale force wind suddenly exploded out. It screamed out in all directions, causing the bodies of the eight Cultivators to shake as they spit up blood. They all retreated, looks of astonishment on their faces.

This caused Samui's face to change and her pupils to constrict before she could even think about it. The faces of two old men in front of her fell.

Naruto was as calm as ever as he neared Samui. The eyes of the two old men flickered as they also advanced, hands flickering in incantation gestures. Their Cultivation bases roared with power as their magical techniques appeared.

"No Core Chakra," said Naruto, his expression intentionally lofty. "Insects." Even as he spoke, his right hand lifted up and then descended downward in a fist.

Boom.

An expression of shock filled the face of one of the men. The magical technique he had been incanting immediately collapsed to pieces. He felt an incredible power slam into him, and blood sprayed from his mouth as he staggered backward several paces.

As for the other old man, his eyes narrowed and he let out a howl as he attacked. Naruto's left hand snaked out, and he tapped the man's forehead lightly. Suddenly, Demonic Chakra rose up, visible only to Naruto. It poured into the man, causing his veins to bulge and his eyes to fill with confusion.

All of this happened in a single instant, and then, Naruto was standing directly in front of the shocked Samui.

Samui knew that she had acted rashly, and that her opponent was far more powerful than her. The only thing she could do now was angrily say, "Do you really dare to offend me in my own Clan's city? You're dead for sure!"

Naruto looked her over coldly. Then he lifted up his right hand and was about to grab her, when suddenly he frowned and paused in mid-motion. Then, he pointed his hand down toward the ground. The entire inn began to shake as invisible Chakra rushed up from all directions to circle around Naruto. It formed into a barrier to protect against a black spear which was currently shooting toward him from off in the distance.

The spear was as thick as the hand of a child, and was covered with complex, swirling patterns. It whistled through the air, slamming into the Demonic Chakra vortex surrounding Naruto. A boom echoed out, and the spear shook, then collapsed into pieces. The pieces transformed into green-colored Core Chakra, which then dissipated in all directions. The spearhead, however, did not disappear; it was still stabbing through the vortex. Just as it seemed it would pierce all the way through, Naruto reached up and tapped the top of the spearhead.

As soon as he touched it, the spearhead trembled and then exploded into fragments of Core Chakra.

Samui took advantage of this opportunity to back up about twenty meters. It seemed she was about to flee. Naruto coolly said, "Get back here."

The words were simple, but the instant she heard them, Samui's face went pale white. She had suddenly discovered that her entire body was incapable of moving.

The old man who Naruto had just tapped on the forehead looked confused, as if his spirit had fled. Seemingly not even under his own control, he bound Samui, grabbed her, and then flew back toward Naruto.

It was at this moment that Naruto lifted his head and looked off into the distance. It was currently dusk, and there were no Cultivators visible anywhere. Even the inn seemed to be empty. However, far off in the distance, a middle-aged man stood on a rooftop. His body was skinny and withered, almost like a skeleton. However, he emitted a dignified aura as he looked toward Naruto.

Their gazes met, and their Spiritual Sense shot out, emanating with massive pressure. Invisible ripples exploded out. Naruto didn't move, but the face of the middle-aged man flickered, and he retreated several paces, coughing up blood.

"So," said Naruto, his voice cool, "mid Core Formation Core Chakra turns out to be slightly more powerful than insects."

"Your excellency, who are you?" asked the stooped, middle-aged man. "Why do you wish to make the Kumo Clan your enemy?" His expression was serious, and it seemed he couldn't see Naruto's Cultivation base.

"Sir, that is exactly the same question I wanted to ask you," said Naruto calmly. "I have no grievance with the Kumo Clan. So why did you send everyone in the area away, and then surround me and try to kill me!?"

Samui ground her teeth and glared at Naruto, her eyes radiating hatred. "From the day the Scarlet Peacock was injured until today, thirteen people have entered the city. I've personally looked into the other twelve. You are the last one, and also the most suspicious!" When she thought about how the Scarlet Peacock couldn't even fly now, and would always tremble and shake as it slept, her hatred toward Naruto seeped into her bones.

Naruto's face sank. His voice cold, he said, "What ultimate absurdity! You're just trying to stir up trouble!" He didn't even make an attempt to explain anything; his simple response made him seem even more awe-inspiring.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment. Finally, he clasped hands and bowed toward Naruto, a bitter smile on his face. "This is all just a misunderstanding," he said with a sigh. "My little sister went off on her own to investigate things. Fellow Daoist, I truly hope you can forgive us. That Scarlet Peacock is my little sister's most beloved pet, and what happened has really aroused our ire. Therefore, we accidentally offended you. Sir, I am Karai. I implore you to give me a bit of face. What do you say?"

Naruto looked hesitant. He waved his right hand, and the old man who had bound up Samui no longer looked confused; he regained his senses, then immediately began to tremble. He looked at Naruto as if he were a ghost.

Samui's body flashed, transforming into a beam of light as she flew over to stand next to the middle-aged man. She glared viciously at Naruto.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist," said the man. "Allow me to give you a Kumogakure command medallion. With this medallion, your time in the city will be much more convenient." Karai pulled out a black command medallion which he tossed toward Naruto. Naruto grabbed it and looked it over. In his time spent in the city recently, he'd learned that in Kumogakure there were five different types of command medallions. Scarlet was the highest, black was secondary, then yellow, blue and white. Each medallion came with various privileges within the city.

For example, in order to participate in the upcoming auction, one needed, at the least, a yellow command medallion.

After Naruto took the command medallion, Karai once again clasped hands and bowed, then grabbed the obstinate Samui and left, along with the other Cultivators. As she left, Samui's features were filled with fury.

"Third Bro, why did you compromise with that guy?" she asked. "We surveilled him for several days. Of the thirteen suspects, he was definitely the most suspicious. Some people even saw him with a multicolored parrot."

Before Karai could respond, a dignified voice suddenly could be heard from off to the side.

"I told him to." Along with the voice, a man appeared. He looked to be middle-aged, but there was also some sort of ancientness to him. As soon as he appeared, Karai and Samui lowered their heads and saluted.

"Greetings Clan Chief."

"The Black Lands are falling into great chaos. The United Nine face imminent danger. At the moment, the last thing we need is to provoke powerful enemies. That guy appears to be in the mid Core Formation stage, but his attack just now was matchlessly ruthless. He dispatched another mid Core Formation Cultivator with no difficulty. He seems like a Rogue Cultivator, but at the same time, not. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter, but for now, we need to exercise caution."

"The Black Lands in great chaos?" said Karai, gaping at the Clan Chief.

Samui also gaped for a moment. For as long as she could remember, the law of the jungle in the Black Lands made it appear on the surface as if there were no rules. However, because of the Black Lands Palace and the United Nine, there was a bit of stability. Superficially, the Black Lands seemed chaotic, but the powers beneath the surface made things much less chaotic than they seemed.

The Kumo Clan Chief was quiet for a moment before looking up at the stars in the sky and saying, "Four days ago in Saturn City, Elder Tumou was killed by Patriarch Death Spirit from the Western Lands…."

His words caused Karai's face to flicker. The surrounding Cultivators all looked shocked and doubtful.

Breathing heavily, Karai said, "Elder Tumou was an almighty Spirit Severing Cultivator…. He…." The nine Clans that made up the United Nine were all very different. Furthermore, various Clans had come and gone throughout the years. However, the main reason the United Nine was able to stand up to the Black Lands Palace was because of their four great mountains.

These four mountains housed four Spirit Severing Patriarchs. The Clans of these four were naturally the leaders in the alliance. With the presence of the four Patriarchs, they had been able to oppose the Black Lands Palace down to this day.

The Kumo Clan Chief slowly continued, "After Elder Tumou perished, the Black Lands Palace immediately invaded his Saturn Clan. In a single day, all the Clan members were slaughtered, and their city was taken over by the Black Lands Palace."

Karai gasped. "The Black Lands Palace…. The Western Desert…." After a moment's thought, his heart and mind trembled. This news caused him to completely forget about the matter of the Scarlet Peacock.

"This matter must be kept a secret…." said Samui, looking at the other surrounding Cultivators.

The Clan Chief shook his head."It won't take long before news of the incident spreads throughout all the Black Lands, even if the United Nine tries to cover it up, the news will spread." He looked tired and very anxious.

Samui was about to say something else, when suddenly, a miserable shriek could be heard coming from the top level of the city, where the Scarlet Peacock was. The cry was one of ultimate misery, as if it were experiencing indescribable pain.

Samui's face immediately flashed. Next to her, Karai gaped in shock. All of the Cultivators immediately looked upward.

As for Naruto, he was sitting cross-legged inside of his room. After the Kumo Clan members left, the staff of the inn returned, giving Naruto a wide, respectful berth. The owner of the inn waited on him nervously, allowing him to change rooms and even giving him some Spirit Stones before making an excuse to leave.

"At first I thought I was going to have to fight my way out and come back in disguise," thought Naruto, looking down at the black command medallion. "Who would have thought that the Kumo Clan would back down?" A puzzled look appeared on his face. "Has something happened I don't know about?"

It was at this point that he heard the miserable shrieks coming from outside. He immediately stood, opened a window, and looked out, a strange expression on his face.

Another scream rose up into the air. This time, it was obvious that it was a different Scarlet Peacock than the one from before. Even as looks of shock filled the faces of everyone in the city, a third shriek echoed out.

At the same time, three figures, blazing like fire, shot out from the second level of the city. It was three more Scarlet Peacocks. The largest was nearly a hundred meters long, the smallest only about thirty. They were letting out shrill shrieks; anyone who heard them could almost feel their pain.

A boom rattled out, and for some inexplicable reason, a massive force seemed to rip through one of the huge trees that made up the second level of the city. It shot in and out several times, until it had cut out a word.

5!

A bang rang out as a tall, strapping man appeared in mid-air, surrounded by a multicolored glow. His features were indistinct, but he gave on an eminently conceited air as he floated there in mid-air looking down on the ground.

The three peacocks trembled. Beneath them, the massive word 5 that had been cut into the tree, was extremely clear.

"You all listen carefully to what Lord Fifth has to say. When I was born, I was the most revered in Heaven and Earth. If I want people to wear clothes, they wear clothes. If I want animals to have fur or feathers, then they grow it immediately!"

The echoing voice immediately evoked the wrath of the Kumo Clan. Furious shouts could be heard from within the Kumo Clan. A ruddy-faced old man suddenly charged out, emanating the power of the Nascent Soul stage. He shot toward the parrot, who was currently utilizing the meat jelly's transforming ability.

"You dare to defame the residence of the Kumo Clan!? Get back here!"

"You old fart!" screeched the man-form parrot. "Lord Fifth is gonna screw you to death!" His body flickered as he shot toward the old man. He radiated a savage potency, as if he were a member of an elite death squad, the most powerful and esteemed person in all the Heavens.

This powerful vigor radiated thickly off of him, as if there were no orifice in the world that he couldn't conquer!

The parrot, in the form of a virulent, muscular man, suddenly appeared next to the old Nascent Soul Cultivator. The speed of his movement left the man shocked, and before he could do anything, they slammed into each other.

As the boom rattled out, the Nascent Soul Cultivator's face twisted. Cold sweat burst out from his forehead as he realized that his opponent had been shooting straight toward the area roughly a handsbreadth below his navel. If he hadn't moved quickly enough….

Before he could continue along with this train of thought, he suddenly felt a cold air on his back.

The man-form parrot was off to the side, raising his head up and giving out a piercing howl.

"You're far too wicked!" said a voice. "Doing this kind of thing is very immoral! Very, very immoral. You shouldn't…."

"Shut the hell up, b*tch! Lord Fifth is gonna screw this guy to death!" The man-parrot's eyes grew green as he glared at the Nascent Soul Cultivator, let out a wild shout, and then charged forward.

The old man's scalp went numb as he saw the strange man approaching him. This was the first time he had ever felt such fear in his heart. However, it was at this exact moment that a cold snort suddenly sounded out from within the Kumo Clan. Two prismatic beams of light flew out, emanating the power of Nascent Soul Cultivation bases. One of these men was even of the late Nascent Soul stage.

A boom echoed out, and the man-parrot tumbled backward. His eyes grew even more green, and its body began to tremble with rage.

"I'm gonna screw you to death! All of you…."

"No need to get so excited," said the meat jelly. "Don't be so impulsive…."

"Asura Fire!" cried the man-parrot as it floated there in the air. Suddenly, black flames leapt into being.

"Sky Walker Slaying!" it cried again. The flames roared up into the sky. In the middle of all the black flames was the man-parrot, its body trembling. Suddenly, a black band of cloth appeared in its hand, which it wrapped around the top of its head, covering one eye. It was really a bizarre sight. Suddenly, it shot down toward the Nascent Soul Cultivators.

It moved with incredible speed. As it did, a black mist emanated out from its body, as well as fire. It gradually transformed into an enormous one-eyed raven, hundreds of meters long. It emanated a shocking power as it charged in a frenzy toward the three Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Everyone who saw this was astonished. Even Naruto's eyes were wide.

The three Nascent Soul Cultivators were pale faced. They all began to perform incantations. Above them, the intensely shocking flames descended down. The faces of the Nascent Soul Cultivators fell, and they retreated. A massive boom shook everything as a huge crater appeared in the ground.

This crater was located in the very center of the city, causing the plants which composed the floor to begin to sway and sag. The entire second level of the city was virtually destroyed. The ground quaked, and all of the Cultivators currently in the city flew up into the air, faces pale with astonishment.

There was nothing alive within the crater, and the enormous black raven had disappeared without a trace.

The only thing left behind was a wildly arrogant voice which broke the silence.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life. When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!"

This was the only sound that echoed out into the quiet. Samui's eyes were filled with fear, and off to the side, Karai was panting. The Kumo Clan Chief had a serious expression on his face as he shot off toward the crater. His solemn voice called out, "Remember this: never, ever provoke that Cultivator. A person like him has a lot of helpers. We've reached a moment of truth. Make friends, not enemies!"

The ground eventually ceased quaking. Naruto stood at the window, his expression strange. Everything that had happened just now made him suddenly think that the parrot was actually kind of funny.

A multicolored light suddenly flashed in the room. The parrot appeared, looking exhausted. It flopped down onto the table and looked at Naruto out of the corner of its eye. It was huffing and puffing, but its expression was as haughty and proud as ever.

"Bitches. If Lord Fifth hadn't just recently awoken from slumber, then he would be much more powerful. I could have screwed the entire city! Then they would know how badass Lord Fifth is! As for you, kid, feel free to express your thanks by offering me some worship. Come, come. Say it with me: Have faith…."

Naruto turned, ignoring the parrot and instead looking once again out the window, his eyes shining with vigilance. He had long since pulled out the good luck charm to see if he could use it.

"It's too bad I haven't been able to harness the power of the roc. If I had, then even a Nascent Soul Cultivator wouldn't be able to keep up with me." He continued to look out in the direction of the Kumo Clan.

As time passed, however, it seemed that the commotion had died down. No one came to cause trouble, and the Kumo Clan didn't seem to be furious. Everything was smoothing over.

This, however, made Naruto even more nervous, although what he was worried about wasn't the Kumo Clan, but whatever momentous event had led to the current circumstances.

If something major hadn't happened, the Kumo Clan definitely wouldn't be acting like this.

Three days later, Naruto finally understood everything. One of the cities of the United Nine had been taken over after its Spirit Severing Patriarch perished. The Western Desert was controlling the Black Lands Palace; it seemed their goal was to devour all of the Black Lands.

This news swept over the Black Lands like storm winds over the following days. Soon, everyone knew about it….

When the day of the auction arrived, Naruto left his room. A cold wind blew outside, and the sky above was filled with dark clouds. It seemed a thunderstorm was approaching.

"The Black Lands are heading towards an upheaval," said Naruto to himself. He looked around to see Cultivators all around him hurrying in the direction of the auction.

The parrot was perched on Naruto's shoulder, looking around proudly as if it knew that one day it would take care of this place once and for all.

The crater in the middle of Kumogakure had long since been filled in with vast amounts of vegetation. The damaged second level was also restored to its normal condition. However, the "5" on the big tree could not be covered up, no matter what the Kumo Clan did.

The auction was being held not very far away from that very tree. As Naruto approached the auction, he couldn't help but see it. The parrot, perched on his shoulder, looked up at it out of the corner of his eye. With an egotistical expression, he lifted his head up as if everything were beneath him.

The auction facility wasn't very large, a far cry from the Violet Fate Sect auction, in which tens of thousands of Cultivators could participate. There were only a few hundred people seated around the auction floor, conversing in whispers. In the middle of it all was a raised platform.

Only Cultivators with the appropriate command medallions from the Kumo Clan could enter. As soon as Naruto produced his black command medallion, he was immediately treated with favor, and escorted to a comfortable seat.

If the auction floor had been set up with private booths, Naruto would have been entitled to one because of the black command medallion.

He sat down, his expression the same as ever, then closed his eyes and settled his mind. There weren't very many people seated near him, nor were there many people in the auction in general. This wasn't a very common sight in Kumogakure.

Because of the latest news circulating around the Black Lands, people were nervous. Many Cultivators had already fled the cities. At the moment, the cities of the United Nine were no longer as safe as the outside world was.

After all, the Black Lands Palace was targeting, not Black Lands Cultivators in general, but the Clans of the United Nine.

Under such circumstances, Naruto knew that any people who had chosen to come attend this auction were people with utmost self-confidence. Considering war had already broken out, an auction like this most likely wouldn't be held again for some time. In fact, this would probably be the last auction in Kumogakure until the war ended.

"I have to attend…." said Naruto to himself. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the auction would begin. More people began to filter in, and as they did, a man and a woman approached Naruto.

As they neared, Naruto opened his eyes and saw Karai and the beautiful Samui. Karai had a broad smile on his face, whereas Samui looked irritated, like she didn't want to be there.

"Fancy meeting you here, Fellow Daoist," said Karai with a grin, approaching Naruto and sitting down next to him. "When last we parted, I was unable to enquire as to your respected name. Would it be possible to find out?"

Samui hesitated for a moment and then sat down on the other side of Naruto.

"My humble surname is Naruto," said Naruto coolly. "I'm a simple Rogue Cultivator." He smiled at Karai. He could sense that the man hadn't come to cause him trouble, but must have some other request, and had chosen this moment before the auction to bring it up.

His presence here was not unexpected; Naruto had actually predicted that something like this would happen.

"Brother Naruto, there's no need to be so modest," replied Karai with a polite smile. "Considering how strong you are, I don't think any other Rogue Cultivators could measure up to you." His glance flitted over the parrot, and an imperceptible flicker of fear flashed through his eyes.

As for Samui, she sat on the other side of Naruto. During the entire time, she had been glaring fiercely at the parrot. If looks could kill, then she would have slain the parrot many times over by now.

Naruto chuckled but didn't say anything. Since Karai hadn't brought up whatever request he planned to discuss, Naruto would just have to remain in the dark. However, he turned the good luck charm over and over in his palm, just as he had been doing for the past several days, never returning it to his bag of holding.

It was at this point that the parrot looked impatiently at Samui and said, "What the hell? Are you crazy? What do you keep staring at Lord Fifth for? Are you looking for a screw?"

Samui's eyes went wide, and the veins on her face bulged out. Her beautiful features went purple, and she lunged to her feet, filled with explosive power. She was so angry that her entire body trembled.

During her entire life, she had never met anyone who she wanted to chop into pieces as much as this parrot. As such, her disgust toward Naruto had also reached an incredible level.

Karai gaped for a moment, then laughed bitterly and was about to say something when the parrot rolled its eyes. "Lord Fifth hates featherless, furless necks," it said in its high-pitched voice. "Lord Fifth also hates waists with no fur or feathers. Nice chest and rear end, but again, no fur, no feathers. Even if you offered yourself free of charge, Lord Fifth wouldn't accept." The expression on its face said that no matter what she said, it would never like her.

Naruto felt a massive headache coming on. He cleared his throat.

The parrot's words just now made Samui feel as if her mind were about to explode. Flames of fire raged in her eyes, and she seemed on the verge of losing control. She was about to spring into action when Karai's face suddenly darkened.

"Fifth Sis, SIT DOWN!"

Samui's head shot up to look at him. Gritting her teeth, she thought about the safety of her Clan, and of Karai's solemn expression. Bottling up her frustration and fury, she could do nothing but sit back down. However, she made a firm decision that in the future, no matter who tried to get her to come see this detestable parrot, she would absolutely refuse.

"We've incurred Brother Naruto's ridicule," said Karai. "Please don't take offense at my younger sister's impulsiveness. Actually, I brought her with me today to offer an apology for the matter from the other day."

"You're too courteous, Fellow Daoist Karai. That was just a misunderstanding, there's no need to bring it up." Naruto smiled, but inwardly, he was on guard. He had anticipated that the Clan would seek him out eventually. Because of the power he had displayed, and the parrot's performance, most likely, he met the qualifications to be recruited by the Clan.

However, based on what Karai had said just now, Naruto could tell that he had something even bigger planned.

"My younger sister lacks discipline, and unfortunately, the Clan is facing upheaval. Brother Naruto, you are handsome and talented. You and I hit it off well right from the start. In fact, I don't even take you to be an outsider. Brother Naruto, I wonder if you would…."

Naruto's eyes suddenly flashed, and he was about to say something when Samui once again shot to her feet.

"What are you talking about, Third Bro? You said you brought me here to make an apology! I get what you're trying to say, and I completely disagree! I don't care if it's your idea or the Clan's idea, I will never comply. If you try to force me, then I'll kill myself! I will never become anyone's beloved, especially this shameless, vulgar, despicable hoodlum!" She turned to glare coldly at Naruto, making no attempt to conceal her hatred, disgust and contempt. "You might as well quit your dreaming. I've taken an oath to never become someone's beloved, but even if I hadn't, there are countless heroes in the United Nine, and you don't measure up to even a single one of them!"

With that, she gave Naruto a final contemptuous look, then turned her supple waist and stalked off. Her slender, lithe figure would cause any man who saw it to feel tremors in his heart.

Naruto frowned. After hearing Karai's suggestion, he had been about to refuse. However, hearing Samui's reaction caused him to smile and hold his tongue. He looked back at Karai.

Karai sighed inwardly. The idea hadn't come from the Clan. It was something he had spontaneously come up with himself. He had the feeling that this Cultivator named Naruto possessed some unfathomable secret. As such, the idea of convincing him to join the Clan had wormed its way into his head.

Seeing Samui's fierce reaction, however, caused Karai to shake his head with a bitter laugh. He gave Naruto an apologetic look, and didn't bring the matter up again. Instead, he sat silently in thought for a moment and said, "I assume you guessed my purpose in coming, Brother Naruto. The Black Lands are falling into chaos. The Alliance of United Nine Cities isn't equal to the Black Lands Palace, but our power is not too far off. Fellow Daoist, join the United Nine, and your every wish will be but a command away."

Naruto didn't immediately refuse. He sat thinking for a short while, before slowly responding, "I can't make a decision immediately, sir."

"No matter," replied Karai. Actually, if Naruto had agreed immediately, it would have aroused his suspicions. An initial refusal was actually the most appropriate response. "The United Nine will be recruiting Black Lands Cultivators throughout the coming days. I want you to know that the United Nine will naturally treat recruits with utmost sincerity. Even though war has broken out between the Black Lands Palace and the United Nine, you should be able to see that the United Nine will not easily be exterminated. Brother Naruto, I will await your decision. You can use that command medallion to notify the Kumo Clan. In addition you can use the medallion to borrow some Spirit Stones for use in the auction today, a gift from me."

It was at this time that bells echoed out from the platform in the center of the auction floor. A glowing light emanated out, and a figure appeared on the platform. The auction was officially beginning.

Karai clasped hands and smiled, then made his way out of the auction area to look for other Cultivators to recruit. The entire Kumo Clan had been mobilized in an effort to get more Rogue Cultivators to bolster the alliance.

There weren't a lot of people present, but the auction atmosphere was still lively. However, Naruto quickly noticed that there were three particular groups of people with whom others would not compete, regardless of what item was up for auction. At the most, they would watch on with dark expressions, but would hold their tongues.

These three groups were located carefully in opposite locations of the auction floor, and would not compete with each other.

Naruto glanced them over, then paid them no further attention. Regardless of where you went, there would be groups of various levels of influence and power. Groups like this would invariably flex their muscles at an important auction such as this.

Perhaps under normal circumstances they would be a bit more cautious. However, considering this was Kumogakure, and also considering the general chaos in the Black Lands, groups such as this were now far more valuable than before.

What Naruto needed, though, was the Spirit Orchid Leaf, of which ten would be available in the auction. Considering the turmoil on the horizon for the Black Lands, medicinal plants that could heal injuries would be increasingly valuable.

Despite that, Naruto still was able to acquire one. When he did, seven or eight Cultivators eyed him greedily.

His expression was the same as ever as he waited for the auction house to deliver the Spirit Orchid Leaf to him, whereupon he prepared to leave.

"Next up for auction is a flag. This flag is a treasure suitable for the Core Formation stage, and is called the Black Days Banner. When unfurled, it unleashes incredible power, and places inky blackness beneath your feet. It can be used both offensively and defensively, and most strange of all, can be fused with your Core Chakra!

"This treasure was acquired from within some ancient ruins. Furthermore, we guarantee that in all the Black Lands, there is only this one." As auctioneer introduced the item, a woman walked out from behind him bearing a copper tray. Atop the tray was a piece of cloth the size of a fist.

Naruto was just about to leave when he heard all of this. Suddenly, the parrot's eyes went wide, and it stared at the flag, its eyes filled with disbelief.

After a moment the parrot didn't speak, but rather transmitted its shrill, disbelieving voice into Naruto's head. "Get it! You have to get it! This is incredible luck for you!"

Naruto paused in mid-step, then sat back and focused once again on the auction, his eyes glittering slightly. There didn't seem to be anything very special about the flag, but for the parrot to show such interest in it left Naruto assured that it was something extraordinary.

"10,000 Spirit Stones!" someone cried in a husky voice, even as the introductory words were still echoing around the auction floor. Naruto glanced around surreptitiously and saw that the owner of the voice was someone among one of the three groups of Cultivators who were dominating the auction.

The opening bid caused everyone to frown. However, nobody dared to offer another bid. Not even the Cultivators from the other two groups did anything more than discuss the matter in low tones.

The auctioneer sighed inwardly. In the past, such a situation would never have arisen in the Kumogakure auction. However, because of the current disorder in the Black Lands, the United Nine wanted to recruit powerful groups of Cultivators just like these ones. Therefore, the auction itself wasn't very important, and matters such as those occurring right now were ignored.

Just as the auctioneer was about to bang his hammer down to set the final price, Naruto's cool voice rang out.

"15,000 Spirit Stones," he said calmly. The instant he did, the entire auction floor went silent, and one gaze after another came to rest on him. This was especially true of the group of Cultivators who had called out the opening bid. There were more than ten of them in the group, three of whom were of the Core Formation stage. The rest were Foundation Establishment, but all of them gave dark looks to Naruto.

One of the three Core Formation Cultivators, whose Cultivation base was about the same as Naruto's, coldly said, "Hand over your 15,000 Spirit Stones to me and then leave. If you do, we won't cause any trouble for you."

His words only caused Naruto to smile. "16,000 Spirit Stones," he said.

This caused the surrounding Cultivators to gasp. They could see a strange light in Naruto's eyes that caused the face of the middle-aged man who had just spoken to darken. Killing intent gleamed in his eyes.

"Are you fool enough to reject a face-saving offer? 20,000 Spirit Stones!"

"21,000 Spirit Stones!" Naruto didn't have many more Spirit Stones, and in fact, this was his limit. After purchasing the Spirit Orchid Leaf, his supply was dried up.

"Interesting," said an old man standing next to the middle-aged man. He was one of the other three Core Formation Cultivators. His Cultivation base was the same as Karai's, at the mid Core Formation stage. "So, it turns out that there's someone in Kumogakure who dares to steal things that belong to one of the three great Sects. I'll offer 40,000 for this flag."

He glared at Naruto as if he were already a dead man.

Naruto was silent for the space of a few breaths and then said, "50,000 Spirit Stones!" The surroundings were completely silent. Even the auctioneer appeared to be shaking with fear. In his estimation, this flag was worth no more than around 40,000 spirit stones. 50,000 was an extremely high price.

Perhaps auctions could reach such a high price in the Southern Domain, but this was the Black Lands. Furthermore, the actual function of the flag was not as amazing as he had made it sound; he had actually exaggerated a bit.

The mid Core Formation old man looked at Naruto, his gaze icy cold. It wasn't just him; many of the surrounding Cultivators seemed to think that Naruto was specifically targeting one of the three major powers of the Kumogakure region, the Yotsuki Clan.

"If you want to make a bid like that, you'll need to show the Spirit Stones," said the old man, his gaze flickering. "Otherwise I could make random bids too." He looked over at the auctioneer, who hesitated for a moment and then faced Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, "according to the rules of the auction, since you've incurred the suspicion of fellow participants in the auction, you'll need to produce the Spirit Stones to prove that you have them. Please, don't make things difficult for me."

"How many Spirit Stones can I borrow with this?" asked Naruto, lifting up the black command medallion.

"100,000," replied the auctioneer, looking back at the Core Formation Cultivator.

"I'll pay 150,000 for the flag," said the Core Formation Cultivator coolly. He looked at Naruto with cold laughter in his eyes. Given the power of the three great Sects, as well the fact that they had received recruitment invitations, a mere 150,000 Spirit Stones was a price that could easily be erased by the Kumo Clan. Therefore, he didn't care too much. What he did care about was having his Sect targeted in front of all these Cultivators. Killing intent already glowed in his eyes.

Naruto was silent for a moment, and then sighed inwardly. He just wanted the flag; he wasn't targeting anybody. However, the auctioneer was now looking over at him, apparently preparing to announce the winner of this lot.

"Just how important is this flag?" Naruto transmitted to the parrot.

"Very important," was the response. "If Lord Fifth isn't mistaken, that's no flag. Whoever it was that refined that thing into a flag is an idiot. He wrecked a precious treasure! Do you remember the guy I told you about who painted a talisman which ended up getting burned? The falling ash from the talisman became the Black Lands. Well, that talisman wasn't completely destroyed; some of it remained and fell to the earth.

"Well, this flag is none other than a remnant of that scorched talisman. If you can get it, it will help you a lot in gaining enlightenment of that Immortal's magical symbols. You could say that getting this flag will make you qualified to practice cultivation based on those magical symbols! If you don't have the money, then just steal it! What are you waiting for! Don't be scared! Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life. Lord Fifth is watching over you. Steal it! That's what I did all those years ago. Steal it! I'll even help you break the shield protecting the platform!" The parrot seemed to be getting more and more excited at the prospect of getting Naruto to steal the flag.

The voice of the meat-jelly bell interrupted the mental conversation between the parrot and Naruto. "Stealing is immoral, wicked, wrong," it said solemnly. "For you two to do this is really bad, I …."

However, having heard the parrot's words, Naruto's eyes glittered and filled with determination. This auction was hosted by the Kumo Clan, and Naruto was even considering joining them. However, he was only one person; how could he possibly compare to ten?

It was hard to tell who the Kumo Clan would side with in the end, which was a problem. Seemingly having no other options, and seeing the auctioneer about to say something, Naruto suddenly stood up.

This caused the auctioneer to stare over in shock. As he did, Naruto's body flickered. In front of the gaping eyes of all of the surrounding Cultivators, he shot toward the platform in the center of the auction floor.

He moved too quickly for anyone to react. As he neared the platform, the parrot continued to grow more excited. It squawked loudly, spitting something out of its mouth.

It was an attack that instantly slammed into the podium, causing a resounding boom to fill the air. The auctioneer stared in shock as the invisible shield protecting the podium shattered into countless pieces. Naruto descended, ignoring the auctioneer and grabbing the flag, then turning and shooting away.

Most of the Cultivators participating in the auction didn't even have time to react. However, the instant Naruto began to make his escape, two roaring howls rose up from the center of the auction floor. Two old men had suddenly appeared and flew to intercept Naruto.

"You dare to steal from our Kumo Clan auction!? You're looking to die!"

"Get back here!" The Cultivation bases of the old men exploded with the power of the late Core Formation stage. Seeing them approach only seemed to make the parrot more excited. It squawked again, and a piercing sound rang out, an attack which spread out explosively toward the two late Core Formation old men. Their bodies shook, and they were incapable of approaching any closer.

Naruto dodged past them, flying like a shooting star above the heads of the other Cultivators. He kicked up a stiff wind that blew across their faces as he transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the sky.

This entire process took only the space of a few breaths. From the moment he snatched the flag until he disappeared, he moved with incredible speed. The method he had used to snatch the flag was natural and smooth, almost rehearsed. The minds of the observing Cultivators reeled and were filled with blankness.

This was the first time they had ever seen anyone rob an auction. Even in the Black Lands, this was something extremely rare, especially considering that it was always major Clans who hosted auctions. All of the Cultivators had strange expressions on their faces.

The people from the three great Sects watched on, stunned. Most shocked of all was the old man who had just made the top bid; how could he have anticipated that his opponent would actually… violate the rules in such a way?

He had no money, so he just stole the item…. Granted, these three great Sects often did similar things, but usually it was in secret. They would never dare to do so publicly.

In fact, now it seemed as if everything the old man had just said was a joke. An angry expression quickly appeared on his face. Even more angry were the two Core Formation old men who had tried to stop Naruto. Their eyes blazed with fury and the veins on their forehead bulged out; they were clearly incensed.

A buzz immediately rose up among the onlookers.

"Who was that? How brazen! He actually stole the item!"

"He's far too daring. He had no Spirit Stones, so he stole it?! Compared to him, we don't even count as Black Lands Cultivators! He is the true Black Lands Cultivator!"

"We need to learn from him!"

Off in the distance, on one particular wall that no one in the auction could see, was a small booth. Inside stood Karai, who was currently staring out in shock. From this booth, everything on the outside could be seen, however, no one could see inside.

He had long since noticed Naruto's lack of Spirit Stones, and had felt a bit embarrassed. After all, Naruto had been competing with the Yotsuki Clan, one of the three great Sects that the Kumo Clan had already made an initial agreement with. Karai had already begun to prepare a diplomatic response if Naruto gave voice to complaint. He had never imagined that Naruto would actually resort to theft!

"What a daredevil…." Another man stood next to Karai. He looked gentle and refined, but he also let out a sigh of praise.

Karai could only make a wry smile.

At the same time….

The old Core Formation Cultivator from the Han River Clan let out a roar. "You dare to steal things at the Kumo Clan auction, and my things at that!? The three great Sects won't let you get away with this!" His body flashed as he flew up into the air He was immediately followed by ten or more people who all transformed into colorful beams that shot up into the air.

The other two groups from the three great Sects exchanged glances. Then, they also flew into the air to pursue at top speed.

As for the remaining Cultivators, they saw that the auction was now over, so they too flew up into the air to follow.

Naruto sped through the air. The parrot gripped his shoulder tightly with its claws, flapping its wings and looking extremely pleased.

"Steal, steal, steal!" it squawked. "That's the way to do it! Steal what you feel like, screw whatever you want. That's the way to live! Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!"

Naruto ignored the parrot. His face felt a bit red. This was the first time he had openly stolen something, and it felt strange. Back when he was a scholar, he would never have been able to brazenly rob in the way he had just now.

Actually, without the urgings of the parrot, he still would never have done so. Even with all the egging on, he had still hesitated. Actually, if he had been able to, he would have tried to sell some medicinal pills first. In the end, though, that didn't seem possible.

Therefore, for whatever reason, he had listened to the parrot, and performed the robbery in the auction….

Such brazen theft made him feel quite nervous inside, but also a bit excited.

He shook his head, laughing bitterly as he moved along at top speed. He suddenly realized that he had been unconsciously influenced a lot by the parrot since it woke up.

"Damned parrot," he thought with an inward sigh. Suddenly, the Cultivators speeding through the air at top speed could be heard from behind him, along with roars of rage.

"You little bastard! You stole my stuff! Are you looking to die?!" The voice echoed and rolled about like thunder. Naruto sent out his Spiritual Sense, and immediately saw the dozen or so pursuing Cultivators, whistling along through the air just behind him. He wasn't sure what technique they were using, but their bodies were surrounded by a red glow, seemingly connecting them all together and lending them greater speed as they pursued.

"I'm not gonna do something like this again," thought Naruto. "Stealing doesn't really suit me. Yeah, next time I'd rather let the old guy buy the item, then find him later and take it from him. That way I can avoid this kind of attention." Naruto was good at problem solving, so he thought for a moment and then sent his Spiritual Sense out again. One of the three Core Formation Cultivators, an old man with a face full of pockmarks was the only one Naruto was paying attention to. He had a Cultivation base at the late Core Formation stage; everyone else Naruto ignored.

The pock faced old man hadn't said a word the entire time. Instead, he had observed everything with cold eyes; this made Naruto feel a bit of pressure.

Unless he put on the Blood Immortal mask, it would be difficult to defeat him.

He looked over and gave the parrot a look. "This whole disaster is your fault!"

"What are you scared of?" said the parrot, looking back at him with an intense look of pride. "Screw them to death!" Suddenly, its claw lifted up toward its face, placing a black band around its head, covering one eye. After that, it flew off of Naruto's shoulder.

It squawked, and suddenly a black fire appeared around its body, which began to grow rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it was now twenty or thirty meters tall. It lowered its head, looking every bit like the member of some sort of elite death squad. With a cry, it made its attack.

Naruto's eyes went wide. He saw the parrot advancing bravely; it only took an instant for it to slam into the dozen or so pursuing Cultivators. A boom rang out, and the red glow which surrounded the Cultivators instantly collapsed. Some of them coughed up blood; the three Core Formation Cultivators scattered.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Without hesitation, he shot forward. In an instant, he was in front of the early Core Formation Cultivator. He lifted his fist and struck out.

The man's mouth twisted into a vicious smile. He made an incantation sign with both hands, and immediately a spinning vortex shot out. It was black, and lightning crackled within. Furthermore, terrifying shrieks could be heard, along with a multitude of spirit faces, which shot toward Naruto, apparently intent on consuming him.

Naruto gave a cold snort. Without hesitation, he landed his punch. A boom filled the air. The faces twisted and screamed, and then collapsed into pieces. The lightning disintegrated, and the vortex broke up into pieces. This magical technique couldn't stand up in the least to Naruto's fist. Before the middle-aged Cultivator could react, Naruto's fist passed through them all and slammed into his chest.

Boom!

The man toppled backward, blood spraying from his mouth and out from his back. His body shook as a massive hole appeared in his chest. He only had time to look down at it before his entire body exploded.

Naruto didn't pause for a moment. His right hand immediately began to form an incantation.

In front of him was the old mid Core Formation Cultivator, who brimmed with killing intent. He waved his sleeve, and nine temples appeared around him, upon the surfaces of which were carved the images of bizarre creatures. Suddenly, countless phantom creatures sprang into being around the temples, filling the sky. They immediately charged toward Naruto.

However, it was at this moment that Naruto cried, "Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!" His finger fell, and immediately, ghost images sprung up everywhere, from everything. It was as if a second phantom world existed on top of the current one. They folded in onto the old Core Formation Cultivator; causing his expression to flicker. His Cultivation base was immediately locked down, as if he had been removed from the world, shoved alive out of Heaven and Earth.

"What magic is this…." His mind spun as the cold-faced Naruto approached. His fist descended, then another, then a third!

By the time the third punch fell, the nine temples had been smashed into smithereens. In the blink of an eye, Naruto's fist was speeding toward the old man's forehead.

Suddenly, an intense feeling of danger filled Naruto's head. Without a moment's hesitation, he transformed the fist into a claw and snatched the mid Core Formation old man. Naruto shoved the man in front of himself and then pushed, using the immobilized old man to propel himself backward.

As he lifted his head, he saw an orange light shining out from the face of the pock marked old Cultivator. It flew through the air to the spot he had just been in, which was now occupied by the mid Core Formation Cultivator. Suddenly, the glowing light stopped.

That orange light was what had just caused the sense of crisis to appear in Naruto's mind.

He laughed coldly as he fell back. The parrot shot over like lightning, and together, they flew off into the distance.

"I'm the Patriarch of the Yotsuki Clan!" said the pock faced old man, his face grim. "Let's see how you try to escape me!" The mid Core Formation Cultivator's Cultivation base was now recovering, but his face was pale white and he looked at Naruto with fear. His killing intent, though, was stronger than ever.

The group of Cultivators once again began to pursue Naruto, this time, with the pock faced old man in the lead.

Naruto's expression was calm. He had the good luck charm in his hand still. It was full of cracks, and he wasn't sure how many times he could use it before it completely disintegrated. Unfortunately, he had discovered long ago that he could not duplicate the good luck charm. However, he would still use it without hesitating if the situation demanded.

"Hold on," said the parrot. "Don't use that thing. I know what it is. Why waste the excellent opportunity we have right now?"

As Naruto sped along, he looked at the parrot, who was clutching tightly to his shoulder.

"What are you talking about?"

The parrot's eyes gleamed as it said, "Don't you want to get rich? Don't you want to get a bunch of treasures? Don't you want to become the wealthiest person under the Heavens?"

Naruto blinked a few times. Ever since he was young, he had dreamed of being rich. For the parrot to mention such a thing at this moment left him feeling a little bit suspicious.

He sent out his Spiritual Sense to glance at the people pursuing him. Given his own current speed, he guessed that it wouldn't be long before the Yotsuki Clan Cultivators caught up with him.

"Lord Fifth doesn't care too much about riches. Lord Fifth loves fur and feathers. Okay, how about this…. You can keep everything, but you have to promise that in the future, you'll find more beautiful furred and feathered creatures for Lord Fifth. Ones similar to that Scarlet Peacock would do nicely." Without waiting for an an answer from Naruto, it lifted up one of its claws and shook it.

"Ultimate Vexation, get the hell out here!"

A face appeared on the small bell that was attached to the Parrot's claw. It looked incensed. "I know what you're planning. This time, I won't do it. I have principles! I won't do it. I won't! Never!"

The parrot yawned and said, "Remember the fatso who attacked you that year? I'll tell you where he is." Its expression was one of complete disdain, as if the meat jelly's consent was a foregone conclusion.

As soon as it heard the parrot's words, the meat jelly's face appeared to twist with indecision.

"That damned fatso. I hate him! It was with complete good will that I spent ten thousand years converting him. Then, he repaid my kindness with enmity. I… I… Fine! I need to finish converting him. For that reason, I'll help you one more time. But only this once! And this is the last time… Really…." As the meat jelly chattered, an impatient look appeared on the parrot's face. It kicked its claw one more time, and the meat jelly flew off.

"Bitch! Will you ever shut up!? Alright, turn into some Spirit Stones for Lord Fifth. I want one million, okay?" When the parrot finished speaking, the meat jelly let out a growl, and then, to Naruto's shock, suddenly exploded.

The sound of the explosion immediately caught the guarded attention of the Yotsuki Clan Cultivators. Even the pock faced old man suddenly stopped moving.

However, a moment later, vast amounts of shining, glittering Spirit Stones appeared. They looked like rain as they descended from the sky all over the place.

They were dazzlingly bright in the sunlight, and a thick spiritual energy emanated out from them, completely shocking. The amazing, brilliant sight of it caused all of the nearby Cultivators to begin to pant.

One million Spirit Stones, and the quality of each one was beyond average; these were not low-grade Spirit Stones! To see them slowly floating down in mid-air caused the Black Lands Cultivators to instantly charge forward with reckless abandon.

Even the pock faced old man's eyes went wide. To him, one million Spirit Stones was a vast number. Behind him were the members of the other two great Sects, and behind them were nearly hundreds of other Cultivators. All of them, rushed forward with wide eyes.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he immediately transformed into a beam of light that shot off at high speed, like a shooting star. He left behind all the people who were suddenly enthralled with the idea of getting rich.

It was as if they had lost their minds, and didn't even stop to think why Naruto would suddenly have so many Spirit Stones. If he did, why would he need to perform robbery at the auction? Actually, Naruto was feeling a bit torn; he couldn't believe he had never thought to have the meat jelly turn into Spirit Stones.

"Heh heh," chuckled the parrot with an arrogant, sinister smile. "Steal away. The more you steal the better. Years ago I forced Ultimate Vexation to use this method on the eight Taiping Dao Patriarchs to rob them blind!"

One million Spirit Stones appeared; brilliant sunlight reflected off of them, creating a radiant glow. This afternoon in this part of the Black Lands, a crazed frenzy rose up among hundreds of Cultivators.

This was especially true of the Cultivators in the very back, who had come along to watch the excitement. Their eyes went red as they immediately used every technique they knew to increase their speed, scattering in all directions to grab Spirit Stones.

The people from the Yotsuki Clan were the closest. The pock faced old man hesitated for a moment; something didn't seem right to him. He thought back to the auction, and how Naruto had apparently been short on Spirit Stones. However, it was impossible to tell whether the Spirit Stones were illusory or real. Seeing how the disciples surrounding him were all breathing heavily, he gritted his teeth, abandoned the chase, and went after the Spirit Stones. His sleeve flicked as he tried to gather together as many as possible.

The other Yotsuki Clan disciples charged forth madly. The disciples from the other two Sects immediately began to struggle for supremacy in taking the Spirit Stones. It only took a moment for hundreds of Cultivators to be flitting about in all directions after Spirit Stones. Soon, they began to fight and plunder.

"Dammit, that's my Spirit Stone!"

"The guy who robbed the auction tossed out these Spirit Stones to save his own skin! They don't belong to anybody. First come first serve!"

The sound of explosions echoed out. One million Spirit Stones seemed like a lot, but considering hundreds of Cultivators were fighting over them, they were divided up very quickly. It was without hesitation that the Cultivators tossed them into their bags of holding.

Suddenly, their excited, complacent thoughts changed, and they looked off in the direction Naruto had fled.

In their opinion, for him to have thrown out a million Spirit Stones just to buy some time, indicated that he must have even more Spirit Stones on his person.

A strange light appeared in the eyes of the Yotsuki Clan Cultivators. They had snatched up the most Spirit Stones of all, perhaps more than two hundred thousand. The expression on the face of the pockmarked old man indicated that he was determined to win. He knew the Spirit Stones weren't fake; after snatching them up, he had carefully examined one. With a hearty laugh, he shot in pursuit of Naruto, his disciples in tow.

Almost all of the other Cultivators in the area did the same. There were a few who hesitated, worried that something untoward would happen if they were too greedy. Some even considered leaving; after all, everyone had gotten some Spirit Stones, which meant that everyone had profited at least some. Some people were surreptitiously examining their bags of holding to count exactly how many Spirit Stones they'd acquired.

It was then that a flabbergasted gasp could be heard.

"Huh? Where are the Spirit Stones? I just took about ten thousand, where did they go?"

"Mine are gone too! What's going on…?"

Others who overheard such remarks immediately looked down to check their own bags of holding, whereupon their faces instantly fell.

"My Spirit Stones are gone! Impossible! I stole at least eight thousand just now!"

"Something fishy is going on…."

A buzz rose up, mixed with miserable cries. As they checked their bags of holding, the faces of all the Cultivators grew deathly pale. Some of the Cultivators even began to shake, and veins began to pop out on their faces. Intense rage and insanity poured out from their eyes.

"My magical items are gone!"

"Dammit, my medicinal elixir! There's none left at all in my bag of holding!"

"Ahhhhhh! My bag of holding has nothing in it! What's going on!? It's totally empty! Even the magical item I just bought at the auction is gone!"

As word spread, the miserable cries grew even louder. The pock faced old man from the Yotsuki Clan flickered as he looked down to his own bag of holding. Then, his face went as gray as ash; he lifted his head up to the sky and let out a desolate howl.

His body shook, and smoke began to rise up from the top of his head. Veins of blood shot through his eyes, which radiated vicious frenzy. How could he not go crazy? His heart virtually dripped with blood, as if someone had literally ripped it open.

His bag had originally contained hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones, which had apparently vanished into thin air. All of his medicinal elixir, magical items, medicinal pills… everything was gone, even the random odds and ends he had collected inside.

His bag of holding had been thoroughly cleaned out. He was now completely empty handed.

His savings of many years, half of the wealth of the Yotsuki Clan, had all been on his person. Now, however… it was gone.

The pock faced Patriarch howled. Behind him, the Patriarch from one of the other great Sects was shaking and howling madly. His bag of holding was equally empty.

The bags of holding of all the hundreds of Cultivators were completely empty. Someone had inexplicably removed their contents, leaving behind not a sound or hint of how it had occurred….

"That Heaven-damned bandit! I won't rest until he's dead!" These words came out even before Patriarch Pockmarks could say anything similar. They came from a rubicund old man whose entire body was quivering. The insanity in his eyes outmatched that of Patriarch Pockmarks'. This was the Patriarch from one of the other Clans.

The source of his madness was the fact that just before the auction, he had filled his bag of holding with a million Spirit Stones. That was the price he had demanded from the Kumo Clan to join them.

In addition to the Spirit Stones, there had been magical techniques from the Kumo Clan, which he had long thirsted for. Now, though… they were all gone. How could he not go mad?

These Black Lands Cultivators weren't stupid. If they couldn't figure out that Naruto was the culprit, then their years of Cultivation had been spent in vain. And the root of the problem was those Spirit Stones….

Hundreds of Cultivators were now in a rage. Their eyes were red, and they used all the power they could muster to shoot at top speed after Naruto.

Revenge must be had! However, there was no sign of Naruto. Fearing that he would escape completely, the hundreds of Cultivators used a variety of methods to call upon friends.

Some arranged for people up ahead to block Naruto. Others contacted people from other power groups or Sects up ahead, requesting either direct assistance, or to borrow jade slips or Spirit Stones.

Of course, none of them realized that Naruto hadn't actually conned them; the parrot had. However, it didn't matter. Naruto and the parrot had both done such things many times in the past.

When you think about how many people Naruto had conned throughout his time in the Cultivation world, well, you could say that he had conned people the whole way….

As a tiny example, there was a certain group of discarnate souls back in the Black Sieve Sect who Naruto could send into instant misery if he felt like it….

As Naruto whistled through the air, the meat jelly reclined lazily on top of his head, looking quite arrogant.

"This is wrong…." It coughed up dozens of magical items.

"This is immoral…." It burped up a vast quantity of Spirit Stones.

"This is too wicked…." In the blink of an eye, it spat up mouthful after mouthful of bottles of medicinal elixir and hundreds of jade slips.

"You two are going to turn me into an evildoer…." With a sigh, the meat jelly coughed up some more items.

Naruto stuffed the belongings of hundreds of Cultivators into his bag of the Cosmos. Only it was large enough to contain so many things.

Seeing such a vast collection of items caused Naruto's mouth and tongue to go dry. The sight of more than a million Spirit Stones caused his eyes to shine. Then there were the jade slips, which surely contained a vast array of information. As for the magical items, none of them particularly caught Naruto's attention. However, if he sold them, he would be able to make a heap of Spirit Stones.

Then there was the random collection of other items, one of which happened to catch Naruto's eye. It was a book, plated in something that looked like gold. It consisted of three pages, and three illustrations.

The first illustration depicted ten swords arranged so that their tips pointed outward to form something that looked like a lotus flower.

The second illustration depicted one hundred swords, formed together to make ten lotus flowers which were arranged into a large ring.

The third illustration depicted one thousand swords arranged into one hundred lotus flowers, creating a massive formation. They circled around each other, forming ten layers which all seemed to be revolving in different directions. The mere sight of it was dazzling.

"A sword formation?" thought Naruto. He glanced at it for a moment, then put it aside. He continued flying on, heart thumping. He really had struck it rich this time, having stolen the wealth of hundreds of Cultivators.

"It's too bad…." he was just whispering this sentence in his heart, when the parrot next to him let out a sigh and spoke out loud exactly what he was thinking.

"It's too bad there weren't very many people," said the parrot. "If there were more, then this transaction would have truly been profitable."

"Don't even think of trying to get me to do it again!" blubbered the meat jelly. With a pop, it again transformed into a bell and attached itself to the parrot's foot.

Naruto looked at the parrot, and the parrot looked back at him. One man, one bird. In this instant, seeing the light in each other's eyes caused them both to experience the feeling of mutual friendship.

"From now on, you are Lord Fifth's master!" said the parrot, its voice sincere.

"In the future, I'll find some more fur and feathers for you."

After exchanging these words, the man and bird looked down at the meat jelly bell. The meat jelly quivered and opened its eyes, as if it had just felt something very cold. After opening its eyes, it saw Naruto staring off into the sky, and the parrot looking down at the earth below.

"You're both evildoers…." said the meat jelly loudly.

"Wow, the weather is great today," said Naruto, looking up at the beautiful white clouds, seemingly entranced, as if he'd never seen them before.

"Eee!" said the parrot, looking down at the ground with an expression of rapture. "The flowers down there are beautiful! They almost look like they're covered with feathers!"

Soon, three days had passed. Naruto proceeded onward at top speed the entire time. Behind him, the hundreds of Cultivators stretched out in a line as they pursued him, based on the level of their Cultivation base.

Their eyes were filled with killing intent. Their hatred for him had not quite reached the point where they refused to live under the same sky with him, but it was close.

Black Lands Cultivators were used to living in constant danger, and as such, usually keep most of their belongings in their bags of holding. That was especially the case… when going to an auction.

You could even say that it was at the very moment when their bags of holding were fullest that they met Naruto. As such, their hatred toward him was incredibly intense.

This was especially true of the three great Sects. The Patriarch Rubicund was the most frenzied of them all. He had taken the lead position in the group. After him was Patriarch Pockmarks. Their eyes billowed with venomous killing intent as they glared ahead toward Naruto. They couldn't wait to tear him to pieces and eat him alive.

"Little bastard, I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth if I have to. You're dead!" screamed Patriarch Rubicund, gnashing his teeth as he thought of his Spirit Stones. His heart bled.

"Look, you old fart, you're the ones who started chasing me. That's what started this whole thing." Naruto's eyes flickered with coldness as he proceeded onward. Off to the side, Patriarch Rubicund whistled toward him.

The man gave a cold snort, then increased his speed. "Stealing auction items is a high crime! Then you used depraved tricks to steal our wealth! You're a disgrace to the Black Lands, which earns you the death penalty!" Behind him, Patriarch Pockmarks' eyes were darkly sinister. Further back, the rest of the Cultivators were all looking at Naruto with intense killing intent.

"Your Cultivation base is in the late Core Formation stage, and yet after three days you've been unable to catch up to a paltry early Core Formation Cultivator like me? How do you have the face to raise such a ruckus?" Naruto also increased his speed.

"You sure know how to run your mouth! It won't be long before I help you to understand what it's like to live a life worse than death!" As he spoke, Patriarch Rubicund used some unknown technique to cause his face to suddenly grow purplish-black. His speed then increased by several times as he shot toward Naruto. At this speed, he would catch up in the space of just a few breaths.

"Greedy to the bones," said Naruto coolly. "Considering your Cultivation base, do you have any face whatsoever?" The parrot opened its mouth and a gale force wind sprung up along, with a shocking roar.

Naruto's speed increased. Facing up against the fierce wind, Patriarch Rubicund and the rest of the hundreds of Cultivators behind him could do nothing except howl in rage as their speed decreased.

Currently, none of them had any magical items. Some of them were able to use secret techniques or Core Chakra to close some of the distance between them and Naruto. However, a single breath from the parrot would immediately increase the gap. Therefore, no matter what they did to increase their speed, it did no good and they were unable to catch up with Naruto.

During the three days, their rage only continued to grow more and more intense.

Seeing the distance between them and Naruto grow once again, the killing intent in Patriarch Rubicund's heart spread to fill his entire body. The Patriarch Pockmarks was exactly the same, as were all the hundred Cultivators behind them.

After three days of travel, Naruto could tell from the landmarks and regions he was passing that he was getting close to his Immortal's cave.

"Considering how pissed off they are, are you sure your idea will work?" said Naruto to the parrot, frowning.

"Of course it'll work," replied the parrot boastingly. "You can never go wrong when you listen to Lord Fifth. Just lead these people into our lair. You can go practice Cultivation and leave everything else to Lord Fifth!" It patted its chest and proudly continued, "Don't worry, the more people there are, the more chaotic the aura will be, and the easier it will be to use that technique I mentioned to delay the Heavenly Tribulation."

The frown remained on Naruto's face. During his three days of travel, he had discussed with the parrot the matter of delaying the Heavenly Tribulation. He knew that the method was a type of deception, using a variety of miscellaneous auras to confuse Heaven and Earth. It was like spreading a gauze over the face of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Therefore, these pursuing Cultivators, more than a hundred of them, would actually be of some use to Naruto and the parrot. However, as to whether the technique would succeed, and as to whether the parrot would really be able to hold off the crowd, well, Naruto wasn't completely certain.

Even as he was thinking about these things, his eyes suddenly flashed. He looked ahead of him, and his eyes narrowed; there he could see a dozen or so beams of prismatic light whistling toward him. He was being blocked in!

There was a blockade up ahead, and people pursuing him from behind. The people up ahead merely had to delay him for a bit, and then the pursuers would arrive. He was encircled.

Behind him, Patriarch Rubicund and many of the others all of a sudden looked very excited. Obviously, they had used various methods to call for help earlier, and the result was this group of people up ahead preparing to block Naruto's way.

Among the approaching Cultivators was a middle-aged man of the mid Core Formation stage. Core Chakra floated above his head, but it appeared to be a muddle of colors; clearly the man had just recently cultivated it. Furthermore, he obviously had a Mixed Core.

His expression was grim as he sized up Naruto. Then, he performed an incantation sign, which caused the Core Chakra to transform into the shape of the head of a wild beast. It roared as it shot forward.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he lifted his hand and then pointed a finger down toward the ground.

"Righteous Bestowal!" A strange light flickered in his eyes; in an instant, ghost images sprung up from the ground everywhere. Now, he could see wisps of Demonic Chakra which were invisible to everyone else. They shot toward Naruto and then began to circle around his body.

The invisible pulsating aura which surrounded Naruto coalesced into a phantom. It was blurry, but after taking shape, it emanated Naruto's aura.

Next, he waved his hand toward the group of Cultivators up ahead, causing the phantom to shoot toward them.

Naruto didn't want to split his attention to control the phantom, so as soon as it neared the group of Cultivators, he said, "Burst!"

The phantom immediately exploded.

A huge boom rocked Heaven and Earth. What everyone else saw was Naruto simply pointing toward the group Cultivators, after which blood sprayed from their mouths. A few people even directly blew up. The face of the Core Formation Cultivator fell, and he retreated seven or eight paces. However, he was powerless to fight back against what seemed like an invisible gale force wind that slammed into him and sent him tumbling backward.

Astonishment filled his face as he was knocked head over heels, blood spraying out of his mouth. Before, he had assumed that even if his opponent was extraordinary in some way, he was with a group of a dozen or more people. Furthermore, all he had to do was delay him, which should be no problem.

And yet Naruto had used an unknown technique to simply point a finger and then unleash some sort of incredible power. The man's heart felt cold as he watched Naruto approach; he didn't dare to do anything further to stop him.

Naruto shot forward, immediately passing the scattered group of Cultivators who had been attempting to block his path.

This scene caused the hundred or so pursuing Cultivators to feel completely shocked. All of them slowed, hesitating. However, when they thought about their empty bags of holding, and the expression 'strength in numbers,' then their killing intent once again billowed up. Not a single one retreated; they immediately shot in pursuit of Naruto, stringing out in a line that resembled a sharp arrow.

Time passed. After three or four more breaths from the parrot, Naruto finally caught sight of the short mountain and the Immortal's cave. He also saw the group of more than a hundred Cultivators living around the mountain.

When they caught sight of him and his pursuers, looks of vigilance and uneasiness appeared on their faces.

The instant they began to feel uneasy, the parrot's shrill voice blared out, "Okay children, Lord Fifth is here with some guests. Get in formation!"

At the same time, Naruto transformed into a beam of light which shot directly toward the fissure in the side of the mountain.

As he did, the parrot loosened its grip on his shoulder and flew into the air. The meat jelly bell attached to its foot made dainty clinking sounds.

When the more than one hundred local Cultivators heard the parrot's voice, tremors ran through their bodies. Gritting their teeth, they immediately rose to their feet. Then, they began to run in a particular order and fashion, coiling around the short mountain as they did so.

A strange expression appeared on Naruto's face as he used Spiritual Sense to watch all of this. He thought back to what the parrot had called a Celestial spell formation, and all the running training it had made the Cultivators do. He hesitated for a moment, then clenched his jaw and sat down cross-legged. He pulled out the medicinal plants needed to make the Perfect Gold Core Pill and began to concoct.

He would make the Perfect Gold Core Pill, consume it, and then replace his Violet Core with a Gold Core. Furthermore, he would go all out, breaking through from the early Core Formation stage into the mid Core Formation Stage, all using his Perfect Gold Core!

"After that happens, I will delay the Heavenly Tribulation and cultivate Core Chakra. If all goes smoothly, then when I leave this Immortal's cave…." Naruto's eyes glowed with a frigid light. "I'll help them to experience true deadly pursuit!" He took a deep breath and then produced the copper mirror, which he used to duplicate some of the medicinal plants he needed.

Before, he would have had to be very careful, considering his lack of Spirit Stones. Furthermore, using the ultra high-grade Spirit Stones would have been far too distressing. Now, however, he had more than a million Spirit Stones in his bag of holding; therefore, he felt free to use them without being miserly.

In addition to that, Naruto felt supremely confident in his Dao of alchemy, far more so than Sakura had been back when she concocted the Perfect Foundation Pill. Using the mysterious legacy technique of the East Pill Division, along with his alchemic flame, Naruto was more than seventy percent confident that he would succeed.

Outside the Immortal's cave, Patriarch Rubicund, Patriarch Pockmarks, and all the others approached, faces filled with murder. They saw Naruto disappear into the short mountain, the detestable parrot flying around squawking, and the group of Cultivators running in circles around the mountain.

All of it caused them to gape in shock for a moment, and then begin laughing uproariously. As more people arrived, they too looked at the Cultivators running in circles, and laughed out loud.

"What are these people doing? Have they gone insane?!"

"Are they jogging for exercise?"

"What kind of Cultivators are they? They're really losing face for the Black Lands!"

The sneering ridicule of the Cultivators who had been pursuing Naruto caused embarrassed looks to appear on the faces of the Cultivators on the ground. However, they didn't dare to stop running. This was the only Celestial magic that the parrot had taught them, which drew its power from people running.

According to what the parrot said, this technique was incredibly, unbelievably amazing. It was supposedly the ultimate spell formation in all Heaven and Earth.

"Come come," cried the parrot excitedly as it soared through the air. "Everyone put your voices together…."

The more than one hundred local Cultivators hesitated for a moment. However, nearly a year of practicing had created a virtual instinct. As soon as one person cried it out, everyone joined together to shout.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!"

Their voices joined together and echoed out in powerful waves. As the sound rose up, so did a wind. It was hard to tell whether the wind was started because of the running, or because of their shouting.

In any case, the wind caused the area fifty kilometers around the Immortal's cave to suddenly become blurry. The blurriness was faint, so faint, in fact, that no one noticed it all, not even Patriarch Rubicund, who was of the late Core Formation stage, or the others of similar level.

"Kill everyone!" cried Patriarch Pockmarks. "Don't even leave a blade of grass left alive!" His words floated through the air lightly, but were filled with shocking killing intent. As they rang out, the Yotsuki Clan disciples behind him, as well as many of the other random Cultivators, transformed into prismatic beams. They shot forward, their faces twisted viciously, their killing intent billowing. It was with ultimate derision that they prepared to vent their venomous hatred of Naruto.

The large group of Yotsuki Clan disciples descended with killing rage and taunting laughter. Eyes beaming with viciousness, they neared the over one hundred Cultivators who were running around on the ground.

"Children, don't look! Ignore them!" cried the parrot as it flew back and forth in the air. The clinking of the bell on its foot could also be heard ringing out. "Come come. Join me in your loudest voice…."

The more than one hundred Cultivators once again joined voices to call out loudly. The Cultivators who had been pursuing Naruto all the way from Kumogakure grew closer. However, as they neared, their expressions flickered as they felt a wind picking up.

The wind brushed against their faces, rippling their clothes, blowing against their hair. It even began to push their bodies about. The charging Cultivators were gradually forced to stop. Their clothes whipped violently, their hair was in disarray, and their expressions were gradually changing to that of shock.

A vortex of slowly moving wind began to spread out from beneath the feet of the running Cultivators. As it extended outward it pushed back against the incoming Cultivators, blocking them. In an instant, it changed from a gentle breeze into a screaming gale force wind.

The screaming of the wind was shocking, and it mixed with the cries of the Cultivators inside to form a power that seemed as if it could rend the very Heavens. The Cultivators from Kumogakure retreated in astonishment. Some were too slow, and were caught up by the cyclone of wind. Blood sprayed from their mouths, and even their organs were broken into pieces.

A dozen of the Cultivators who had weak Cultivation bases suddenly began to scream. Their miserable cries drifted along with the wind, piercing the ears of the onlookers. People watched on in horror as the clothing of their dozen compatriots was ripped to shreds. Their hair turned gray, and their skin was slowly peeled off of their bodies as if they were being punished with death by a thousand cuts. Blood and flesh flew about within the screaming wind. In the blink of an eye…

The skin and muscle of the dozen Cultivators were completely flayed off of their bodies, turning them into skeletons. Cracking sounds could then be heard as the skeletons were smashed into pieces and then disappeared into the wind.

This scene caused the pursuing Cultivators' scalps to grow numb. Their faces shone with intense horror and disbelief. Their breathing came in ragged pants as they hurriedly backed up. No one dared to proceed forward, and complete silence filled the air, with the exception of… the cries of the wind and… the voices of the running Cultivators, joined together and melded into the wind.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth… gain eternal life…."

During this moment of relative silence, Patriarch Rubicund gave a cold snort. From behind him walked out a Cultivator of the mid Core Formation stage. Another mid Core Formation Cultivator appeared at the side of Patriarch Pockmarks, his jaw clenched.

A third mid Core Formation Cultivator appeared along with a Patriarch who was obviously from the third of the three great Sects. This man was tall and well-built. After he stepped forward, the three Core Formation Cultivators turned into beams of prismatic light that shot forward.

They appeared intent on piercing through the massive, foggy whirlwind to destroy the more than one hundred Cultivators within.

However, as soon as they neared the wind, their faces changed immediately. They emitted howls as Core Chakra appeared above their heads, taking various forms as they charged into the foggy wind.

They had advanced nearly half way to the hundred or more Cultivators, and were roughly thirty meters away from them when, suddenly, a gigantic, phantom figure appeared within the whirlwind.

It was formed from wind itself, and was no less than thirty meters tall. Its facial features were indistinct; the only thing visible was its strapping frame and the illusory clothes which rippled on its body. As the phantom appeared, it was running and emitting an indistinct howling sound. It seemed to have not even noticed the three incoming Cultivators.

The killing intent of the three men flickered as they performed incantation gestures. Core Chakra exploded outward, transforming one into a stretch of sandy soil, another into a vast array of flying swords, and the third into a painting of mountains and rivers. The Core Chakra enveloped the area, sweeping directly toward the gigantic phantom.

"Shatter!" cried the three men, their voices cold.

However, their Core Chakra passed directly through the giant phantom, as if it were completely illusory.

This caused the three men to gape in astonishment. The next thing that happened was that the phantom turned and barreled directly toward them.

The phantom was supposedly illusory, and yet it caused the bodies of these three men to tremble violently. Their faces turned ashen, and they coughed up mouthfuls of blood. Looking astonished, they were about to retreat when they suddenly saw a second, a third, a fourth… and in an instant TEN giant phantoms had appeared within the wind. All of them charged forward toward the three men, who immediately began to retreat.

The Core Formation Cultivator from the Yotsuki Clan was a bit slower than the others. Before he could retreat more than a few paces, one of the phantoms was upon him. Eyes filled with viciousness, the Core Formation Cultivator bit down on the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood out into the air. He passed his hands through it, created a blood-colored mark.

He pushed against the blood-colored mark, causing it to ignite and then transform into a massive blood-colored skull. With a roar of rage, it shot toward the approaching phantom. Instead of slamming into each other, the blood-colored skull passed directly through the phantom, and then flew past it through eight more phantoms before finally dissipating.

A look of despair appeared on the face of the Yotsuki Clan Cultivator as the first phantom slammed into him. Blood sprayed from his mouth and he let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Patriarch, save me…." he cried in a voice filled with fear and dread. Patriarch Pockmarks' face fell. He was about to charge forward to save the man, when his eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he felt as if he didn't dare to charge forward, and instead retreated.

The reason for this was that he suddenly caught sight of dozens of phantoms approaching at high speed within the wind. Their approach shook the ground, as if giants were trampling the earth. Howls mixed with bloodcurdling shrieks as the Yotsuki Clan Core Formation Cultivator was trampled to death in a bloody pulp.

This scene caused the hearts of all of the outside Cultivators to begin to pound, regardless of the level of their Cultivation base. The foggy wind was growing more and more blurry; as for their expressions, there was no longer even a hint of derision to be seen. Instead, their faces were filled with terror.

Immediately, people began to consider fleeing. However, what they hadn't noticed was that behind them, another foggy wind had appeared. It surrounded them, completely enveloping them and cutting off their escape.

These Cultivators had pursued Naruto with menacing viciousness, but now, their hearts grew cold.

This was even more so when they noticed that inside the foggy wind ahead and behind were dozens of phantom figures. The figures were running, causing the ground to heave. It was easy to imagine how quickly they would be injured, or even killed, were they to be struck by the phantoms.

After all, the phantoms had just trampled a mid Core Formation Cultivator to death in an instant. This filled the other Cultivators' hearts with dread.

It didn't take long for them to realize that the phantoms running through the wind were actually none other than the more than one hundred Cultivators they had previously derided.

As they circled the area, their voices grew louder and louder.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life. When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!" The shocking sound of the voices shook the earth, causing everything to tremble and the other Cultivator's faces to drain of blood.

"What spell formation is this?!" the words were not spoken by Patriarch Rubicund, whose heart trembled with fear and trepidation as he looked at the foggy wind around them growing less and less clear. Nor were they spoken by Patriarch Pockmarks, who stood there with an unsightly expression on his face.

Instead, they were spoken by another Cultivator. He was short, with a very large head. Because of that, he didn't stand out very much within the crowd. Even Naruto hadn't even noticed him.

When the big-headed Cultivator spoke out, looks of reverence appeared on the faces of many of the surrounding onlookers, who stepped back politely. Patriarch Pockmarks was from the Yotsuki Clan. Patriarch Rubicund was from the Sky High Sect. And this big-headed Cultivator was the Patriarch of the third great Sect, the Talisman Sect.

His Cultivation base was at the late Core Formation stage. His methods were ruthless, and few people in Kumogakure would dare to provoke him. Furthermore, he was known to be very skilled with spell formations. As he stepped forward and looked out at the foggy wind, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a jade bracelet.

Patriarch Rubicund and Patriarch Pockmarks looked at Patriarch Big-head's bag of holding with bitter smiles. They said nothing, but it was obvious that he hadn't been part of the great Spirit Stone theft incident. Clearly, his bag of holding was completely intact.

Patriarch Big-head stared down at the bracelet, the surface of which was murky, but upon which could be seen over one hundred dots of light, moving to and fro. He studied it for a long moment and then took a deep breath. His eyes shone with amazement, and his heart trembled. "What a splendid Celestial spell formation," he said. "This is a legendary magic from ancient times, long since lost to the world. And yet here it is today, being employed in front of our own eyes!

"This Celestial spell formation is based upon humans. Ancient Cultivators used powerful corporeal bodies to form the eye of the spell. The more people in the spell formation, the more power it can employ…. The wind of this spell formation has the potential to slay Immortals. Those phantoms are Human Celestials!" Patriarch Big-head's scalp was numb. He suddenly turned his head to look at the foggy wind behind them, and his eyes began to glitter brightly.

"However, there are only one hundred people powering this particular spell. Furthermore, these are not ancient Cultivators, and their Cultivation bases are varied and weak. In turn, that means… this spell formation can be broken! What is your choice, to break through the wind in front of us and slay the people therein, or break through the wind behind us, retreat and then come up with another plan?" He looked at Patriarch Pockmarks and Patriarch Rubicund, his eyes gleaming.

The three of them exchanged glances, whereupon their eyes filled with determination.

"I don't want much," said Patriarch Big-head with a smile, his eyes filled with avarice. "Just that parrot."

"I want my belongings back, plus half of the contents of that guy's bag of holding," said Patriarch Pockmarks, his voice grim.

"The other half goes to me," said Patriarch Rubicund, his killing intent flickering, "along with his life!"

A brutal glow flickered within the eyes of the three Cultivators. Patriarch Big-head laughed heartily and then once again slapped his bag of holding to produce what appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary grain of rice.

It was plump, glossy and white. At first glance, the sight of it would make you hungry.

The eyes of Patriarch Rubicund and Patriarch Pockmarks narrowed. "That's…."

"This object was pried from the mouth of an ancient Giant Locust," said Patriarch Big-head, his voice cool. "It was passed down through generations to me. After studying it thoroughly, I refined it anew. It can be used to break any spell formation in Heaven and Earth." He waved his hand, and suddenly, waves of rice grains flew out from his hand, pouring in sheets toward the black, foggy wind ahead of them.

The pure white rice instantly began to turn dark. It only took the space of a few breaths for it to become pure black. Patriarch Big-head gasped, and a strange look appeared in his eyes. His body trembled, and he began to shrink as if he were being withered. Veins of blood appeared in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoists, I need power from your Cultivation bases!" He lifted his right hand, and Patriarch Rubicund and Patriarch Pockmarks immediately began to transmit power from their Cultivation bases. Patriarch Big-head absorbed it without hesitation.

Other surrounding Cultivators heard the words uttered by Patriarch Big-head. Patriarch Pockmarks glanced at the remaining Yotsuki Clan disciples, and soon, a mutual understanding was reached by everyone. Power poured out from the Cultivation bases of the hundreds of surrounding Cultivators. Patriarch Big-head turned into a black hole as he sucked in the power. His eyes turned bright red, and he raised his hand straight up into the air and extended a finger.

"Luminous Rice…" he said, his voice hoarse. Instantly, the blackened sheets of rice began to emit blinding rays of light, which shot out, forming together into a vast sheet of brightness. The light illuminated the surrounding darkness of the foggy wind, and if you didn't look too closely, everything suddenly didn't seem as mysterious as before.

Patriarch Big-head bit down on the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood. The glowing blood, which was filled with the power lent by the surrounding Cultivators, melded into the shining rice grains within the foggy wind.

"Heavenly Army Transformation!"

A powerful boom filled the air, and the surrounding Cultivators instantly saw a vast array of emaciated figures appear within the fog. They were short, about half the size of an average person, and did not appear to be any sort of Heavenly Army. In fact, they looked more like evil spirits that had just crawled out of hell. All of the grains of rice transformed into such evil spirits.

In the blink of an eye, there were hundreds of them!

The bodies of the evil spirits were indistinct, as if they couldn't quite fully manifest into the world. Even still, a cruel and bloodthirsty viciousness emanated out from them.

Patriarch Big-head's face was pale as he retreated a few steps, clasped hands and bowed. "Heavenly Army, I beseech you to break this formation! The more than one hundred people inside are my sacrifices to you, oh Heavenly Army!" Up ahead, the fog roiled as the massive phantoms began to slam into the evil spirits. Shocking explosions rang out.

Inside the spell formation, the parrot's eyes went wide with both fear and irritation.

"Dammit! That's an Immortal divine ability that's supposed to turn rice into soldiers. Who was it that changed it into something that summons evil spirits!? That's not something a Core Formation Cultivator could pull off, and it's also not a technique from the Ninth Mountain. That's something from… the League of Hellfire from the Fourth Mountain!

"Somehow that guy managed to get his hands onto an incomplete legacy…. Dammit, everybody else can pretty much ignore these evil spirits, but considering the current state of my body… it could cause some big problems if I ran into them." For the first time, the parrot looked somewhat nervous. "So annoying…." it said, taking in a deep breath.

Meanwhile, back in the Immortal's cave in the short mountain, Naruto's eyes glowed brightly as he looked at the black pill furnace he held in his hand. On the surface of the pill furnace was the face of a youth, which looked back at Naruto with an expression that said it would never yield.

This was none other than the pill furnace he had acquired in the Violet Furnace Lord trial by fire. However, from the moment he had acquired it, it had showed no sign that it would ever submit to him. At the moment, Naruto looked at it with brow furrowed. Finally, he gave a cold snort and performed an incantation with his right hand. Then, he pushed his finger down onto the face of the youth. It twisted and filled with a look of pain.

Naruto was currently surrounded by countless threads of Chakra, visible only to himself. They swirled toward him from all directions to pour into the pill furnace.

"If you still won't give in, fine," said Naruto coolly. "A pill furnace with a spirit inside is a bit better, but I'm already used to the kind without." Naruto pushed down, and the Demonic Chakra in the area poured in, transforming into a cage. The cage surrounded the image of the youth, and then transformed into something that looked like a net, which completely suppressed it.

The youth screamed, filled with anxiety. However, the scream was weak.

"If I want to let you live, then you can continue to exist. If I want you dead, it will take a mere thought." Naruto's voice was cold, and even as he spoke the words, the net tightened, thoroughly restricting the youth in all aspects. The blackness of the pill furnace began to grow dim, to be replaced by a violet color.

Glancing at the pill furnace, Naruto waved his right hand, whereupon a vast quantity of medicinal plants emerged. His left hand flickered like a ghost as he began to catalyze, extract fluids, make adjustments, and feed ingredients into the pill furnace. A flame appeared in his right hand; it was not red, but violet.

This flame was none other than the East Pill Everburning Flame, the legacy alchemic flame stoked by his Violet Core. This ever burning alchemic flame would allow him to employ the Spirit Summoning Incantation.

Just when Naruto was about to begin concocting, the anxious voice of the parrot was transmitted into his mind. Naruto immediately sent out his Spiritual Sense, whereupon he saw the fog in the outside world, as well as the hundreds of vicious evil spirits.

He was silent for a moment, and then looked at the pill furnace. His eyes filled with determination as well as a cold glow.

"I don't care what price you have to pay, give me three days!" he transmitted back. Then he severed his connection with the outside world and began to concoct.

"Three days…" thought the parrot, a feverish light shining in its eyes. A flicker could be seen at its feet, and the meat jelly appeared.

"Lord Fifth gets it, b*tch! How annoying! I never imagined that someone would have a Hellfire legacy. Even though it's not complete, it still… could restrain Lord Fifth!" The parrot eyed the meat jelly earnestly. "Three days. You need to cooperate with me for three days. If Naruto isn't finished by that time, then we'll just have to flee."

Only on rare occasions would the meat jelly not be talkative. However, as soon as it heard about the Hellfire legacy, its eyes grew wide.

The meat jelly shivered and nodded repeatedly. "The League of Hellfire from the Fourth Mountain…. How is it possible for them to appear here?!"

Time passed slowly. Naruto's expression remained calm the entire time. Rumbling sounds were already detectable from outside of the Immortal's cave, the results of the unanticipated problems the parrot had mentioned.

Naruto wasn't the type of person to lay blame on others. True, it had been the parrot's idea to lure all the people here. However, even though unexpected problems had cropped up outside, Naruto was still confident that they could be handled.

This was the self-confidence of a Cultivator.

"As long as there are no Nascent Soul Cultivators, then all I have to do is put on the blood-colored mask, and I can take care of everything myself if I have to. This is a good opportunity to teach the parrot a bit of a lesson." Naruto's left hand flickered as he poured more medicinal plants into the pill furnace, along with a mouthful of Violet Chakra. This Chakra was not Core Chakra, which could give birth to divine abilities, but normal Cultivation base Chakra.

The purpose of this action was to cause his alchemic flame to grow even stronger. A variety of complex thoughts filled his mind as he began to concoct the Perfect Gold Core Pill.

Under normal circumstances, this pill would require quite a bit of time to concoct. However, Naruto was a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy. Furthermore, he had his legacy flame and the Spirit Summoning Incantation. Considering all of that, he was confident that he could reduce the concocting time by quite a bit.

Time passed. Three days later, the squawks of the parrot echoed out throughout the foggy wind. Explosions filled the air. The fog had already subsided by about half. The killing intent of the Cultivators from the three great Sects billowed to the Heavens. They had been trapped for days now, and had constantly been sending power out from their Cultivation bases. They were growing more exhausted, but their hatred for Naruto caused them to intensify their efforts.

Of the hundreds of evil spirits, only about half remained. As for the more than one hundred Cultivators who ran about within the spell formation, many were coughing up blood and their bodies were stooped over. They did not seem to fear for their lives; nonetheless, they slowly began to slip into unconsciousness.

As more and more of them passed out, the forces of the three great Sects grew nearer. Patriarch Big-head pulled out more rice, flinging it out into the air. Darkness filled the area, even the sky itself. There were no clouds; this darkness bore the appearance of a turbid magical river.

"The yellow springs appear…. This is definitely the work of the League of Hellfire…." The parrot laughed bitterly. Inside the fog, a light glittered as the meat jelly appeared. It flew through the air listlessly, looking dispirited. The two of them had used quite a variety of special defensive techniques throughout the past three days, but now they were running out of steam.

"Dammit!" said the parrot hatefully. "If I had just one more year to practice, or five hundred Cultivators, then the power of this trifling incomplete legacy couldn't possibly break through Lord Fifth's Celestial spell formation!" Suddenly, an explosion could be heard from within the Immortal's cave.

Naruto's eyes were bloodshot. He had used all the energy he could muster to concoct the Perfect Gold Core Pill. At the critical moment, the pill furnace began to shake. Strands of golden light began to emanate out from within, bathing the entire Immortal's cave with a golden glow.

Naruto's hair was in disarray, his expression listless. And yet, determination still glowed within his bloodshot eyes. His alchemic flame burned as he continued to refine the pill, increasing its medical strength.

At this moment, the sky in the outside world, which was dark and gloomy to begin with, suddenly filled with massive amounts of black clouds. The black clouds churned and seethed, covering an area fifty kilometers in diameter. The illusory visage of the yellow springs was concealed, and the gruesome darkness banished. However, the Earth below only grew darker. Booming sounds filled the air as countless bolts of lightning writhed up above like silver snakes.

This was not the Heavenly Tribulation of Perfection. This was Pill Tribulation caused by a medicinal pill!

However, if the pill was successfully concocted, and Naruto consumed it, then the Tribulation would change. Its explosiveness would increase exponentially, and it would transform into a horrifying, exterminating Heavenly Tribulation!

When the Pill Tribulation appeared, Naruto sat in the Immortal's cave, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at the pill furnace in front of him. The pill furnace was thoroughly inundated with golden light, illuminating the entire Immortal's cave with the color of gold.

As the gold light spilled out, Naruto could sense cracking sounds.

The sounds came from within the pill furnace; Naruto sensed something like a liquid gold within the pill furnace, rapidly congealing, shrinking. Each time it shrank, a cracking sound could be heard, as if the liquid was being compressed.

It was at this time that the Pill Tribulation appeared in the sky overhead. Such tribulation was unavoidable; Naruto took a deep breath and concentrated on the pill furnace.

In the outside world, the Tribulation clouds spread out in all directions; lightning crackled and thunder boomed up to the Heavens. Outside of Naruto's Immortal's cave, wisps of white Chakra were rising up from the short mountain. They circulated together to form into the shape of a pill furnace that seemed to wish to fly up into the sky.

The sight of it caused the late Core Formation Patriarchs of the three great Sects to stare mutely. However, it didn't take long for their expressions to fill with disbelief.

"That's… Pill Tribulation!"

"That's definitely the legendary Pill Tribulation. I've read about it in the ancient records. They say that when certain medicinal pills appear, or sometimes other precious materials, the Heavens become angry and wish to exterminate the object!"

"That damned Cultivator is concocting pills? Who knew he could do that?! And who would have imagined he could concoct a pill that would provoke Pill Tribulation!?"

Greed appeared on the faces of the three Patriarchs.

The Cultivators behind them didn't understand what the black clouds meant, so their eyes filled with confusion. Then, the booming of thunder began to grow more intense, and their faces filled with fear.

It was at this moment that a huge tremor ran through the earth as what remained of the more than one hundred Cultivators powering the spell formation all coughed up blood and then passed out. As they fell, the fog dissipated.

The short mountain was now visible, as were the parrot and the meat jelly, floating in mid-air. They were currently looking up into the sky, odd expressions on their faces.

When the fog fell, the remaining evil spirits began to scream, as if the lightning and thunder in the sky filled them with terror.

Suddenly, a massive, thick lightning bolt began to descend down toward the earth. As it shot down, over a thousand smaller lightning bolts merged together with it until it was nearly a meter and a half wide. It shot directly toward the short mountain.

The sight of it caused the Patriarchs of the three great Sects, along with the Cultivators who surrounded them, to stare open-mouthed.

However, just when everyone thought that the lightning bolt was about to smash into the mountain, it suddenly began to collapse for no apparent reason. As it did, it split into hundreds of smaller lightning bolts, which then screamed toward the trembling evil spirits.

It seemed these evil spirits were also something that attracted the attention of the Heavenly Tribulation, causing it to split apart and seek to destroy them.

That was the reason for the strange looks on the faces of the parrot and meat jelly. Actually, it was a lucky break that the Pill Tribulation appeared at the exact same moment that the spell formation fell apart.

Explosions filled the air and the ground quaked. The hundreds of evil spirits screamed miserably as over half were instantly smashed into nothing. The other half began to slowly dissipate, intent on leaving.

Not a single spark of lightning headed toward Naruto's pill furnace inside the Immortal's cave. The golden glow shone up from the pill furnace, spreading out in all directions, piercing out through the Immortal's cave, penetrating up through the mountain and the soil.

Suddenly, a blinding golden light appeared outside of the short mountain. In addition, bands of golden light seeped up from within the earth.

The evil spirits who had escaped the Tribulation Lightning and were dissipating, saw the golden light and then began to scream and disappear with even greater haste.

A fathomless golden light!

It shot out from the center of the mountain, as if a sun were buried deep within!

It seemed as if this sun wished to rise up out of hell and charge into battle with the Heavens!

The meat jelly and the parrot had long since flown off. However, the parrot felt bad for the Cultivators who had formed the spell formation, so before leaving, it and the meat jelly carried them off to hide some distance away.

Within the blink of an eye, the mountain was no longer visible; the only thing one could see was the boundless glowing light.

The light pierced up into the clouds above, causing them to churn violently. The lightning danced back and forth, and a second bolt began to form. It shot down toward the center of the golden light, the short mountain which was the nexus of it all.

It moved with incredible speed, and was soon almost directly on top of the mountain.

However, even as that happened….

A popping sound rang out within the Immortal's cave. The lid flew off of the pill furnace, and an unprecedentedly bright golden light emanated out, eclipsing the light from before. Something that had the appearance of a sun flew out, emanating scorchingly hot rays of golden light. Naruto's Immortal's cave seemed as if it would ignite, along with the entire mountain!

What actually was… it began to melt. The stones, the restrictive spells, all the objects within, became ash in an instant. The only thing left behind was the piercing golden light which shone up into the Heavens. The light was impossible to cover up as it shot upward to slam into the lightning bolt.

When the light and the lightning bolt connected, a massive boom ripped out that violently shook Heaven and Earth. The Immortal's cave was gone; Naruto sat there cross-legged, bathed in goldenness. The ground beneath him was beginning to melt. The black soil was transforming into golden liquid, which spread out everywhere to form a lake!

A golden lake!

At the very center of the lake was Naruto, his hair flying about, his Violet Core spinning inside of him, the strange mark on his forehead glittering. His clothes rippled wildly, and his eyes shone with stubborness.

There in his right hand… was a golden medicinal pill!

It might be more correct to say that what he held was not a medicinal pill, but a blazing golden sun!

This golden pill was the Perfect Gold Core Pill!

The Patriarchs from the three great Sects, along with the hundreds of other Cultivators, stood there with hearts pounding. The instant they saw the medicinal pill, the Dao Pillars of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators began to tremble, as if they were aware that the results of consuming this pill would be different from that of any other.

As for the Core Formation Cultivators, especially the three Patriarchs, their bodies trembled violently. They could sense intense hope emanating out from the Cores within their bodies. It seemed as if their Cores wanted to merge with this golden medicinal pill. It only took a moment for the three Cultivators to suddenly understand; were they able to consume this pill, then… they would be able to tread an unprecedented path of cultivation!

Only the three Patriarchs could control themselves; the remaining hundreds of Cultivators instantly went crazy and shot directly toward Naruto, intent on stealing the Perfect Gold Core Pill.

However, even as they approached, the sound of thunder filled the air as three lightning bolts congealed. Naruto's hair whipped in the air as he used all the power he possessed to place the pill in his mouth and consume it!

Here begins the great Dao of the Gold Core!

"No!"

The sight of Naruto consuming the pill sent all of the Cultivators, even the Patriarchs of the three great Sects, into a frenzy. Their minds spun, and they couldn't control themselves; they rushed madly toward Naruto.

Naruto was calm as he placed the medicinal pill into his mouth. However, his eyes shone with an extraordinary light. His hair whipped in the air as the Heavenly Tribulation roiled above him. He sat straight and tall in the middle of the golden lake, filled with a sort of divine grace.

The pill did not dissolve, but instead instantly slid down into his abdomen. When that happened, the descending lightning bolt suddenly stopped in mid-air and exploded. Countless sparks of electricity showered out, forming into something that looked like a face.

The face's eyes were closed, but it still seemed as if it could see everything in the world. And it appeared to be concentrating on Naruto.

The face faded away, and the Tribulation clouds in the sky seethed with unprecedented intensity. The clouds had been 50 kilometers in diameter, but now they grew with explosive speed. 250 kilometers. 500 kilometers. 1,500 kilometers…. It only took a moment for them to cover a radius of 5,000 kilometers.

For 5,000 kilometers in all directions, black clouds covered everything. Thunder boomed and lightning danced. Flashing light from the Heavens seemed to be preparing to sunder the Earth!

A few hundred kilometers away from Naruto, in the field of rubble, the sound of ragged panting could be heard. The old man who was sealed there was observing the proceedings from within his black mist. No one could see him, but as he looked up, he could see the lightning, and it made him laugh. His laughter was hearty and filled with excitement and pleasure.

"A Perfect Immortal Body!" laughed the old man. "One of the three great Immortal Bodies, the Perfect Immortal Body! This kid will reach Immortal Ascension soon!"

Meanwhile, Naruto's body began to shake as the Perfect Gold Core Pill slid down into his abdomen. A fierce expression covered his face, and veins bulged out on his forehead. His body felt as if it were about to be violently ripped into pieces.

The pain was indescribable. After forming his Violet Core, his pupils had taken on a violet hue, but now, the violet was being replaced with gold.

Within him, his Violet Core shook, and cracking sounds could be heard as fissures spread out across its surface. It seemed to be on the verge of breaking into pieces.

At the same time, the hundreds of Cultivators in the area began to descend upon him, their eyes burning red. They seemed to have lost their minds; the only thing that remained was frenzy and greed. Naruto had consumed the golden pill, so they wanted to consume him!

It seemed the thought of even taking a single bite of his flesh was enough to drive them to infinite madness.

However, even as they neared him, Naruto lifted his head up toward the sky and roared. The sound of the roar slammed into the approaching Cultivators like a wave. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they tumbled backward.

Even the Patriarchs of the three great Sects were sent spinning away, bodies shaking and blood shooting from their mouths.

As they spun away, out of control, Naruto's Violet Core shattered. The pain caused by its disintegration caused Naruto's roar to become even more shocking. His pupils were now more than half gold, and a golden light filled his entire body.

Inside of him, where his Violet Core used to exist, a Gold Core suddenly appeared, whereupon it instantly swept up the shattered remnants of the Violet Core.

Massive amounts of golden light poured out from the Gold Core, spreading out through Naruto's Chakra passageways. His entire body was filled with the color of gold.

The pain was instantly replaced with a rapturous feeling. His hair whipped about him as he felt power surging through his body. His heart began to pound. Every rotation of his Cultivation base sent roaring booms in all directions.

His skin was a bit pale, and a bit of a demonic air seemed to seep into his features. He was more handsome, his body taller and straighter. He was surrounded by golden light.

Power! He felt something similar to what he had felt back near the Rebirth Cave, when he reached Core Formation. Back then, the difference between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation had been clear; that was the same feeling he had now.

His Spiritual Sense grew, his physical body became stronger, his bones tougher. Even his mental faculties were quicker than before. Everything about him changed, as if he were going through a massive transformation.

This transformation equated to stepping foot onto a great Dao.

The great Dao of the Golden Core!

Naruto's eyes opened, and when they did, a dazzling golden glow shot out. Golden light shone through his green robe, making his entire person seem like some sort of Celestial warrior!

Off in the distance, the parrot and the meat jelly were cautiously observing. The parrot's eyes were wide and filled shock. It had been with Naruto for years, but most of that time had been spent in the copper mirror; Naruto actually had many secrets that it wasn't aware of.

As for the meat jelly, it really had no idea about Naruto's true level. It only knew that he seemed relatively strong.

Now, both of them watched as he underwent his transformation.

"How bizarre!" muttered the meat jelly. "It's a Perfect Immortal Body! I never noticed it before!"

"Inhuman!" said the parrot, sounding hurt. "What incredible good fortune! What amazing destiny! Only a Sublime Spirit Doyen can have a Perfect Immortal Body, and yet, he actually does! Only big shots like Lord Fifth should have a Perfect Immortal Body!

"Three Heavenly Scriptures: Sublime Spirit, Dao Divinity, Heaven Severing. Each scripture contains secrets of the Heavenly Mountains and Seas. Using them, the three great Immortal Bodies can be cultivated. From ancient times until now, only a Sublime Spirit Doyen and a Dao Divinity Doyen have appeared. A Heaven Severing Doyen has never been seen.

"This kid really has Heaven defying good fortune. A Perfect Immortal Body…. Ahhhhh, with a body like that, if he reaches Immortal Ascension, he could become a Legacy Apprentice of the Sublime Spirit Doyen.

"Ah, Doyens, truly powerful experts within the Nine Mountains and Seas, Cultivators who can oppose the Lords of the Nine Mountains and Seas. Sure, Lord Fifth doesn't care too much about them, but… Lord Fifth is in a weak position now, dammit, so he has to rely on their help."

The parrot was getting more and more animated. "And then there's that damned legend, which is the reason I've met such calamity…. According to the legend, if all three of those scriptures are collected and combined, they will form the Mountain and Sea Scripture! That scripture…." As it started to recall the terrifying Mountain and Sea Scripture of legend, it seemed on the verge of going crazy.

As for Naruto, he took a deep breath as he felt his Cultivation base rotating along with the Gold Core. Great waves of power washed through him, filling him with determination.

"So, is this the power of the Perfect Gold Core…?" he murmured, his eyes glowing with golden light. His entire person radiated dignity. He waved his right arm, and power exploded out of his Cultivation base.

As it did, a vortex of golden wind sprang into being around him, sweeping across everything.

The hundreds of Cultivators stared in shock. The frenzy was still visible on their faces, but they couldn't stop themselves from backing up, pushed away by the invisible power of the golden wind generated by Naruto.

In the blink of an eye, the golden wind swirling around Naruto had turned into a screaming cyclone. As it spun through the air, a face appeared within the wind, that of Naruto.

"As of this moment," Naruto said coolly, "I no longer need to hold back my Cultivation base. It is time to enter the mid stage of the Perfect Gold Core!" The Gold Core within him began to spin rapidly and Cultivation base power surged up. As it grew stronger, the cyclone caused the hundreds of surrounding Cultivators to be thrown backward.

Astonishment filled their faces, especially the Patriarchs of the three great Sects, whose eyes shone with disbelief. It felt to them as if Naruto could crush them at any time; the Cores inside of them were even beginning to show signs of instability.

The same question was spinning in the minds of everyone: "What… what pill did that guy just consume?!"

It was at this moment that Naruto's Cultivation base reached the pinnacle of its climb, and a great roaring filled his mind. It seemed like his Cultivation base had reached a bottleneck, and that at any moment, it would break through.

The golden storm winds surrounded Naruto for a radius of fifty kilometers. He felt himself suddenly break through from the early Gold Core stage to the mid Gold Core stage!

He felt his body grow tougher and his Spiritual Sense stronger. The Gold Core fused with him, forming what seemed like a second soul.

The Gold Core contained his memories, his soul, his life. It was as if his life force and very life itself existed inside of it. In fact it actually felt like a seed.

The seed of a Great Dao!

The instant he entered the mid Gold Core stage, the golden glow around Naruto intensified until it seemed like a golden sun hovered above his head, shining out across the land, turning everything the color of gold.

"It's about time to form my Core Chakra. I wonder what the essence of my Core Chakra will be…." He closed his eyes as the golden cyclone whipped around him. In his mind appeared images… from when he was small until now: the Sky Tower, Konoha County, Mount Myboku, the Reliance Sect, the Five Elements Nation, the Southern Domain, the Violet Fate Sect… all the way to the events at the Rebirth Cave.

"Core Chakra essence can be abstract or literal…." he thought. Suddenly, he recalled the starry sky he had seen just before he met Choumen Tai.

In that land… he had looked up and seen an ancient starry sky.

Naruto also remembered that Jirobo's Core Chakra had taken the shape of a starry sky, except, that was the starry sky of the Hebi Clan.

"The starry sky of ancient times, that is the essence of my Core Chakra." He opened his eyes, and as he did, the golden sun exploded. Massive amounts of golden Core Chakra expanded out. At the same time, the golden tempest around him suddenly shrank inward. In the blink of an eye it melded into Naruto's body, causing the golden glow which bathed the surroundings to disappear.

The only thing left was roiling Gold Core Chakra which took the shape of… a starscape!

It was not a golden starscape, but a black one. However, within the blackness was a myriad of golden stars. Those stars were stars that few people could ever see… the starry sky of ancient times!

The blindingly bright starscape which floated above Naruto's head immediately began to emanate an unprecedentedly shocking pressure. The surrounding hundreds of Cultivators were shaken, especially the Patriarchs of the three great Sects. The instant they saw it, they gasped in astonishment.

"His Core Chakra… its essence… is a starscape!"

"The power of Core Chakra is manifested by the grandness of its essence. What could possibly be more grand than the stars?"

"From ancient times until now, only the truly Chosen of Heaven and Earth have manifested Core Chakra as a starscape. This guy…." The three of them began panting, looks of fear on their faces as they slowly backed away.

Suddenly, thunderous booms could be heard from within the roiling black clouds that stretched out for 5,000 kilometers. A multitude of dancing lightning bolts could be seen within them. In addition, a terrifying aura suddenly appeared. It was an aura that wished to destroy everything, an aura that seemed to desire to wipe out all the people in Heaven and Earth.

Even if it meant destroying the land itself, everyone must die!

Naruto looked up at the vast, churning Tribulation clouds up above. It didn't matter how strong he was, it seemed the Heavens would destroy and kill everything!

An intense golden light shone in Naruto's eyes. There was something different about acquiring the Perfect Gold Core than the time he had acquired the Perfect Foundation. A change had occurred within him, as if a great Dao had opened up in front of him.

However, before anything else, he needed to transcend this Heavenly Tribulation!

"Dammit, Lord Fifth is gonna have to risk it all!" cried the parrot. "This master is different from the others and I can't pull the wool over his eyes. His luck and fortune can't possibly measure up to mine, but after all these years I haven't seen anyone better! He's the one. YOU'RE the one, kid! Lord Fifth is gonna go all out! Let's delay this Heavenly Tribulation!" The parrot's eyes turned red as it suddenly shot forward. At the same time, it lifted its claws up to tie a black band around its head, covering its right eye.

As the parrot flew out, the lightning up above began to coalesce. The sheer amount of it vastly surpassed that from the Pill Tribulation. Furthermore, this lightning was red in color.

Naruto's hair flew wildly around him, and his body shook violently. His eyes turned as crimson as if they had been ripped into pieces. The lake water beneath him boiled, rapidly transforming into myriad golden beads that slowly began to rise into the air.

"Parrot!" roared Naruto. At the same time, he began to use a technique the parrot had taught him to exercise control over his consciousness. In the blink of an eye, the golden light in his eyes vanished, as did all of the Chakra he was emanating. His body suddenly seemed to wither, and his expression grew dull.

The parrot soared up into the air and let out a furious shout: "Deceive the Heavens!"

Along with the shout, its body exploded with countless multicolored beams of light. The nearby Cultivators trembled as wisps of Chakra began to emerge from the tops of their heads. The strands of Chakra floated up into the sky and merged together with the light to form a huge net.

In the middle of its descent, the red lightning suddenly hesitated, as if it couldn't locate Naruto's aura.

"Ultimate Vexation, get over and help, b*tch!" the parrot roared.

The meat jelly hesitated for only a moment. Then, a pop could be heard as its body suddenly transformed into a million illusory phantoms that shot up into the air to form a second net.

The Tribulation clouds in the sky seethed, and more lightning bolts writhed about, apparently searching for Naruto's aura.

"Luckily you're asleep, Heavens of Hebi!" cried the parrot arrogantly. "Only a sliver of your will exists. Maybe I couldn't fool your true self, but you think I can't hoodwink a bit of your will? Lord Fifth is omniscient! Alright, all I have to do is hold on for three days, and this Tribulation can be delayed for sure!" As soon as the words were out of its mouth, the red lightning bolt descended. Being unable to find Naruto's aura, it shot toward the first large net.

A boom could be heard as the illusory net shattered. The hundreds of Cultivators surrounding Naruto spat up blood and then, with the exception of the three Patriarchs, all of them… instantly exploded.

The three Patriarchs coughed up blood, and their bodies shrank and withered. Inside, cracks spread out across their Cores, as if they might collapse at any moment. After a moment, their eyes grew clear and their faces filled with astonishment and fear. They retreated at top speed, scalps numb. The only thing they could think about was running away!

"Bitch! Why don't you keep searching for the correct will!" raged the parrot. "Instead, you're just blowing random things up! You're, you're, you're… you're cheating! Fine, so can Lord Fifth! I'll screw you to death! Tribulation schmibulation! Lord Fifth is gonna screw you to death! Ultimate Vexation, come help me, b*tch! Turn those clouds into my favorite Fluffy!" It seemed to feel its dignity had been severely challenged. With a howl of rage, it bit down on one of its own multicolored feathers, then whipped its head about and threw it down. Eyes brimming with insanity, its body suddenly grew larger and larger, and it shot up into the sky.

It flew at high speed directly into the Tribulation clouds!

At the same time, a beam of light shot out from the meat jelly net, seemingly a bit resentfully. It entered into the Tribulation clouds and spread out through all of them. Suddenly, the clouds began to twist and distort. Naruto gaped open mouthed as he saw the Tribulation clouds begin to change shape.

They changed into… a gargantuan, plump animal, covered with white fur.

The luxuriant furriness of this animal is difficult to describe. The fur draped off of the enormous creature which stretched out for thousands of kilometers in every direction, so large you couldn't see from one end to the other.

As for the parrot, it gave an excited squawk as it dove into the fur. It emerged again in a moment, but showed no signs of being tired, instead diving enthusiastically back in from a different angle. This process repeated over and over again.

As Naruto watched on, his mind went blank. He could never have possibly imagined that the Tribulation clouds could be changed into this appearance….

What had previously been a very solemn and momentous occasion, had suddenly turned somewhat comical….

Naruto shook his head. Suddenly, the furry Tribulation cloud let out a massive boom. The countless lightning bolts dissipated in all directions. Within the cloud, the parrot was visible, its body dark, but still stubbornly persisting.

"Fluffy, I'm gonna screw you to death. Wench! I'm definitely gonna screw you to death!" The excited parrot didn't seem to want to stop.

However, the masses of lightning in the area began to fall, accompanied by thunderous booms. They shot toward Naruto, seemingly without number, tens of thousands of them. Naruto's scalp went numb. The Heavenly Tribulation when he had acquired his Perfect Foundation had seemed solemn and imposing in its desire to destroy all living things.

But this… the seemingly endless amount of lightning gave off an aura that made Naruto feel uneasy. It seemed that this Tribulation sent against his Perfect Gold Core had somehow changed, thanks to the interference of the parrot.

As the lightning descended toward Naruto, the meat jelly net let out a disgruntled howl and moved to cover over Naruto. A massive boom sounded out, shaking the earth. The lightning slammed onto the meat jelly, causing Naruto to shake in trepidation.

A blinding light filled his eyes that made it impossible to see anything around him. After a very long time, the lightning and thunder gradually faded away. Naruto looked back up to find that the massive ball of fur in the sky was gone.

His eyes widened and he took a deep breath. Everything looked placid, but Naruto knew that such massive quantities of Tribulation clouds couldn't possibly vanish like this. The sense of crisis he'd felt because of the Heavenly Tribulation had not departed.

The pitch-black parrot fell to the ground with a flopping sound. It struggled to its feet and then slapped itself roughly on the chest.

It was panting. Its expression was somewhat listless and its aura weak. However, its voice was as arrogant as ever as it said, "Is Lord Fifth badass or what? The Heavenly Tribulation has been delayed for you. Time to give your profound thanks. Without Lord Fifth, it wouldn't matter if you had Ultimate Vexation here. The Heavenly Tribulation would just keep going on forever until he was smashed to pieces.

"Don't get too excited, though. I went all out to delay the Heavenly Tribulation, but there's no way to tell for how long. You need to get ahold of your Tribulation Transcending Life Form as quickly as possible. Alright, it's time for Lord Fifth to rest up. Don't be too moved. Oh, and don't forget to find some more furry, feathered creatures." With that, it fell flat onto its face. Its body transformed into gray ash which drifted away with the wind. However, along with the ash was a multicolored glow that flew into Naruto's bag of holding.

Naruto's mind and heart shook. He quickly checked the copper mirror inside the bag of holding. The parrot loved to brag, and wasn't very reliable, but Naruto would never forget how much it had helped him just now.

Dispersing the Tribulation clouds had seemed simple, but seeing the parrot in the state it had been just now, Naruto knew that it had paid a high price for its actions.

"No need to check on it," said the meat jelly languidly. Its body was tattered and listless. "It's not going to die. After it rests for a few days it'll be fine. Poor me, always struck by lightning. I like eating it, but sometimes I just get so full." It transformed into a hat which settled onto Naruto's head.

"You need to be careful," it continued, its voice growing weaker. "That wicked parrot and I once helped a young girl delay Heavenly Tribulation. Later she got pissed off and tried to kill us. She chased us for years and years. Repaid kindness with enmity. I really hate people like that." Eventually it trailed off into a muffled murmur, and then stopped talking.

Naruto sat there thinking for a long moment. He looked around, and then waved his hand, causing more than a hundred medicinal pills to fly out. They crumbled in mid-air as they shot toward the unconscious Cultivators that the parrot and the meat jelly had been protecting. After the medicine entered their bodies, the Cultivators trembled, and then slowly began to open their eyes.

After coming to their senses, they appeared somewhat confused. It didn't take long for them to compose themselves and begin to look around.

The mountain, and everything around it, was gone. The medicinal cistern was gone, and the buildings they had constructed were now nothing but crumbled ruins. The lake that had formed was also gone; left behind was only a large crater.

They looked at it all silently, bitterness filling their hearts. They had gone to a lot of trouble to seek safety in this place, to find somewhere to practice cultivation in a convenient fashion. But now, everything was gone.

"The Immortal's cave is gone," said Naruto. "But I can find you another one!" The more than one hundred Cultivators lifted their heads up to look at him.

"The medicinal cistern is gone, but I can make you a new one!" This second sentence caused a bright glow to appear in their eyes. It seemed their resolve had been ignited.

"If you are willing," said Naruto, his voice resonating loudly, "follow me! There is vengeance to be had! The time has come to kill!" He flicked his sleeve and shot up into the air. Behind him followed the more than one hundred Cultivators, their eyes flashing with intense killing intent. These were Black Lands Cultivators, and they understood what it meant to exact vengeance!

Naruto's Spiritual Sense spread out to track down the fleeing Patriarchs from the three great Sects.

Naruto was in the lead, followed by well over a hundred Cultivators. They whistled through the sky in formation; the sight of it was very imposing.

Naruto could clearly make out the three fleeing Patriarchs with his Spiritual Sense. They had chosen to flee in different directions. However, their speeds were all different; obviously they were using various secret techniques to go as fast as possible.

"Three directions…." Naruto gave a cold snort and then extended his hand to point down at the ground. Immediately a buzzing sound could be heard. No one else could see anything happen, but Naruto saw ghost images spring up everywhere, after which vast quantities of Demonic Chakra appeared. It swirled up and rapidly began to coalesce in front of Naruto.

In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into two figures. They were indistinct, blurry. The only thing visible was the aura, gradually spreading out. As for everyone else, they saw nothing at all.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he waved his right hand, causing two Blood Clones to materialize in front of him. They moved forward to merge with the Demonic Chakra, which was a shocking sight.

This was a technique Naruto had come up with earlier. By merging a Blood Clone with Demonic Chakra, it would make it both easier to control his Etheric Incarnation as well as simpler to recall it if necessary.

The two Blood Clones' battle prowess was not equal to that of his true self, but the Blood Clone Demonic Chakra combination could explode with incredible power.

If the Patriarchs of the three great Sects were at the peak of their power, they could easily defeat these Blood Clones. However, Naruto could see that, with the exception of Patriarch Big-head, they had all sustained internal injuries as well as Cultivation base reduction. Even more importantly, their minds had been shaken. Combine this with their lowered Cultivation base, and they couldn't be in a weaker position.

Naruto was confident that his Incarnations could definitely exterminate them!

Considering the level of his Spiritual Sense he could definitely control both of these Incarnations; if anything unexpected happened, there were other options he could employ to handle the situation. He sent his will into the two Blood Clone Demonic Chakra Incarnations and then sent them shooting off in two different directions.

He also split the more than one hundred Cultivators into three groups, two of whom he sent to follow the Blood Clones off into the distance.

Then, he raised his head and locked his Spiritual Sense onto the only of the three great Sect Patriarchs who had a bag of holding: Patriarch Big-head. Followed by around fifty Cultivators, he headed directly in the man's direction.

"You followed me for days with murderous intent. You destroyed the spell formation of my Immortal's cave! Do you really think I would let you get away with that!?" Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent. These people had been courting death, and Naruto wouldn't be softhearted with them.

Most importantly, they had seen something they shouldn't have! The consequences for them would be death!

Filled with killing intent, Naruto shot along at top speed.

Meanwhile, in another location, Patriarch Rubicund was zooming along, his face pale. Currently, he was only able to wield about forty to fifty percent of the power of his Cultivation base. Furthermore, his bag of holding was empty; he had no medicinal pills, no magical items, nothing which he could use to recover.

A feeling of desolation rose up in his heart, which then transformed into intense regret. And yet, how could he ever have imagined that the situation would have turned out so opposite to expectations?

"I have to get out of here. I need to go into secluded meditation and cultivate. After my Cultivation base is recovered, I'll recruit some more Fellow Daoists to go kill that guy!" His eyes radiated vicious hatred. All he had to do was spread the word about a man who could concoct golden medicinal pills, and there would be plenty of Black Lands Cultivators willing to go after him.

In fact, there may even be some Nascent Soul eccentrics. If that were the case, it wouldn't matter what superhuman powers the guy had, he would be dead without a doubt.

Suddenly the reflection of a bloody glow could be seen in the old man's eyes. His heart lurched and an intense sensation of imminent crisis filled his mind and heart. He veered off to the side without hesitation.

The instant he shifted his momentum, a bloody beam of light whistled past him at high speed. Ripples emanated out through the air as it passed, causing Patriarch Rubicund's face to flicker. His heart pounded; he knew that if he hadn't evaded at the right time just now, his head would have exploded!

An intense, grim sound filled the air as the rippling passed the old man. As the sound emanated out, the red glow in the air exploded.

"SMASH!"

The ripples transformed into an intense attack. Booms filled the air as the old man, even in the middle of dodging and retreating, coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face pale, he turned around.

The first thing he saw was a blood-red figure. Its hair was red, its robe, even its skin. It approached slowly, and as it did, the old man could sense an invisible but powerful aura. It was bizarre, but as it emanated out, it transformed into an intense dread.

He couldn't see this thing's Cultivation base!

The bloody phantom's eyes seemed to be completely blank, and even more strange, the closer the old man looked, the more he realized it was impossible to tell whether it had cultivated some heretical technique, or was a puppet.

"Who are you, your excellency?" said the old man, sounding frustrated. Were his Cultivation base at the peak of its power, he wouldn't care, but at the moment, he was seriously injured, with an empty bag of holding. The circumstances couldn't be more inauspicious.

The Blood Clone's eyes suddenly flickered and seemed to come to life. The look in its eyes suddenly resembled that of Naruto's. "Did you really forget me so quickly?" it said. "Didn't you say you would chase me to the ends of the earth to kill me?"

Great waves of emotion suddenly flickered across Patriarch Rubicund's face. Without thinking about it, he backed up, his heart racing.

"It's him…. But… but how could he be using a puppet like this? Is it a puppet, or… could it be… an Etheric Incarnation?" When his thoughts reached this point, his mind began to spin, and the blood completely drained from his face. The technique to form Etheric Incarnations was not something Core Formation Cultivators could master. It was a divine ability that only Nascent Soul Cultivators could employ!

As the old man began to flee, he suddenly heard the sound of running. A black mist appeared as the fifty or more Cultivators arrived, running together according to the parrot's spell formation.

"Just who is this guy…?" Patriarch Rubicund's scalp went numb, and his eyes filled with despair and frenzy.

Meanwhile, in another location and a different direction, Patriarch Pockmarks of the Yotsuki Clan was speaking similar words, his face filled with bitterness.

He was surrounded by a red mist, outside of which were fifty Cultivators running in formation. In front of him was a figure dressed in a red robe, with indistinct facial features. The only thing he could make out were two blood-red eyes.

The eyes seemed to contain no emotions at all; they were completely merciless.

Patriarch Pockmark's face was pale; his Cultivation base was actually the weakest of the three; he was of the late Core Formation stage, but his injuries were severe. Cracks covered his Core, and he could only wield roughly thirty percent of his power.

He hesitated for a moment then said, "Look, all of this is just a misunderstanding. Sir…." Suddenly, a boom filled the air, and the entire area was covered in mist.

Off in another direction, Naruto's face was calm as he shot through mid-air in a band of light. Up ahead of him, Patriarch Big-head's scalp was numb as he used everything he could muster to fly forward.

Occasionally he would spit up some blood; Naruto wasn't sure what secret technique he was using, but it continued to rapidly boost his speed. Naruto followed, frowning. At the moment, he was pushing forward with all the speed he could muster, but was still unable to catch up. He could only maintain the current distance.

"Just what technique is he using to achieve such speed?" thought Naruto, his eyes flashing. He suddenly waved his right hand out and pointed with his index finger. "Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!" His finger descended, and ghost images sprang up everywhere as a bizarre power shot toward Patriarch Big-head.

As it descended, the man's expression changed dramatically. However, just a moment later, to Naruto's shock, he spit up a mouthful of blood and used some method to seemingly unfetter his body and shoot forward in a flash.

Naruto was visibly shocked.

Patriarch Big-head's heart trembled. "Dammit! This guy just recently broke into mid Core Formation. He just cultivated Core Chakra! How could he be so inhuman? And what technique was it that he just used? It forced me to use a forbidden legacy technique to get away!" His escape had seemed nonchalant to Naruto, but in truth, the forbidden legacy technique was self-destructive; his injuries were now even worse.

"I can't keep doing this," he thought. "At this rate, he won't even have to make a move. I'll eventually just die from my injuries!" Grinding his teeth, he suddenly stopped in mid-air and slapped his bag of holding to produce a grain of pure white rice. He threw it out in front of him.

Flashing incantations with both hands, he then pointed toward the grain of rice and said, "Luminous rice, transform into a Heavenly army!" His voice was accompanied by a roaring sound which echoed out. The grain of rice transformed into a raging torrent of blackness. Popping sounds filled the air as more than a hundred evil spirits appeared.

Patriarch Big-head's neck was purple, and his extremely large head was covered with cold sweat. His breathing was ragged as he utilized the technique. His injuries had apparently worsened even further; blood sprayed from his mouth and his eyes filled with viciousness.

At this point, he didn't hope to slay his opponent, but just to delay him.

Unfortunately, as soon as the hundred or so evil spirits appeared and shot screaming toward Naruto, Naruto calmly said: "Amateur!"

Suddenly, Core Chakra exploded out above his head. The golden Chakra transformed into a starscape filled with golden, glowing stars. The light from the stars shot out toward the incoming evil spirits.

A booming explosion echoed out; the evil spirits could do nothing to block Naruto. They dissipated along with miserable screams. Patriarch Big-head's face went pale as he continued to retreat. However, Naruto had already lifted up his hand.

Mania poured from the eyes of Patriarch Big-head. Seemingly risking everything, he performed an incantation with his left hand, simultaneously slapping his bag of holding with the other hand to produce a magical item. His heart filled with bitterness, but he knew that he would have to risk it all in this battle in order to have even the slightest chance of making it out alive.

However… just as Patriarch Big-head was about to go all out, the bright, sunny sky was suddenly split by the appearance of a bolt of lightning. The Tribulation clouds were gone, but the lightning bolt shot down toward Naruto nonetheless.

It descended with incredible speed, landing directly onto the hat on Naruto's head. A deafening boom filled the air.

Naruto wasn't hurt, but wisps of greenish smoke rose up from the hat. Naruto gaped in shock. He looked up into the sky only to find it as beautiful as ever. The lightning bolt seemed to have been a fluke.

"That was the aura of Heavenly Tribulation…." thought Naruto with a frown. Thankfully, the lightning bolt hadn't done any damage; it had been absorbed by the meat jelly hat.

The scene also shocked Patriarch Big-head, who looked up into the sky as well. However, he quickly recovered and began to flee with all the speed he could muster. He wanted to establish as much distance as possible between himself and Naruto.

Naruto frowned. He suddenly had a very bad feeling. The lightning bolt just now had been too sudden, without any warning whatsoever. The sky above was a deep, beautiful blue. Naruto's gaze once again came to rest on the fleeing Patriarch Big-head.

Naruto gave a cold snort, then strode forward.

Mustering incredible speed, he shot off, disappearing in an instant.

Patriarch Big-head's face was paler than ever as he fled. He had already been running for an entire day, and his bag of holding was now devoid of medicinal pills used for healing. His internal injuries were getting worse, and he could only employ forty percent of the power of his Cultivation base.

"Dammit, dammit…." His eyes were bloodshot and he gnashed his teeth. Naruto followed behind, stuck onto him like marrow onto bone.

Occasionally, a blast of Core Chakra would whistle toward him, which would leave Patriarch Big-head scared witless. He couldn't think of anything else to do other than to run away with all the power he could muster.

"Just how long is he gonna keep following me!?" Patriarch Big-head felt like he was about to collapse. He could sense nothing but ill tidings regarding Patriarch Rubicund and Patriarch Pockmarks. Of the hundreds of people who had begun this matter, he knew that he was the only one left alive. He was filled with regrets; the dogged pursuit he was enduring left him filled with despair and dread.

Suddenly, a Core Chakra attack shot toward him. In response, Patriarch Big-head spit up a mouthful of blood. The air beneath his feet seethed as a cloud of spectres appeared, boosting his speed and instantly increasing the distance between him and Naruto.

A strange light shone from Naruto's eyes. There had been multiple occasions throughout the day during which he was just about to catch up to his opponent; however, every time, Patriarch Big-head would use some method relating to evil spirits to add distance between them.

Naruto hadn't encountered situations like these very often. Behind him, the more than one hundred Cultivators were also in pursuit. Their speed couldn't compare to Naruto's, but they had Naruto's Blood Clones to lead them, so they were able to follow along nonetheless.

As dusk fell, it grew more difficult to see things clearly. Up ahead was a wide plain which was filled with residences organized in rings and surrounded with a stockade.

The stockade village was home to more than a hundred Cultivators, who had been meditating moments ago, but who had stood up and were now looking out toward Patriarch Big-head as he approached. Three old men flew out to meet him.

"It's the Patriarch of the Talisman Sect from Kumogakure, Senior Yurui!"

"It really is Senior Yurui. But who is he fleeing from?"

The three old men's faces flickered, and they hesitated for a moment. Patriarch Big-head neared, his eyes filled with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Fellow Daoists, please help me by stopping this hoodlum!" said Patriarch Big-head. There was no anxiety in his voice, only calmness, lending much credibility to his words. "I was in secluded meditation when he launched a shameful sneak attack. I was injured and my Cultivation base damaged. Fellow Daoists, if you can just delay him for a few moments, maybe enough time for half an incense stick to burn, then I can recover my Cultivation base. Fellow Daoists, after I slay him, I will definitely be in your debt. I'll even help you to reach Core Formation!"

Without even waiting for a response, Patriarch Big-head shot off into the distance. As for whether these people would comply with his request, he didn't stay around to find out. If they did, great; if they didn't, there was nothing he could do about it.

The three Cultivators were in the late Foundation Establishment stage. After hearing Patriarch Big-head's words, their hearts began to pound. There was little that could entice them more than the prospect of assistance in reaching Core Formation.

They hesitated for a moment. For someone to successfully launch a sneak attack against a Sect Patriarch meant that whoever was chasing him was no weakling. He would definitely be of the Core Formation stage. However, the prospective reward was too enticing; they exchanged glances as Naruto approached, followed by the more than one hundred Cultivators.

The sight immediately caused these late Foundation Establishment Cultivators to grow more nervous and hesitant. One of them finally gritted his teeth and flew forward, clasping hands and bowing to Naruto.

"Senior, please wait a moment, I…."

"Screw off!" said Naruto, his expression cold, flying directly past the man.

The bowing Foundation Establishment Cultivator's face flickered and his scalp went numb. Naruto's glance just now had caused his heart to tremble with fear. However, the reward promised by Patriarch Big-head nagged at his heart.

The other two Foundation Establishment Cultivators held him back, then clasped hands in salute to Naruto. They didn't dare to do even the slightest thing to try to delay him. They, too, thirsted for the reward promised by Patriarch Big-head, but Naruto's words and cold glance left their minds reeling and their Dao Pillars quivering.

Naruto didn't slow down in the slightest. He whistled through the air, followed by the more than one hundred Cultivators who were still being led by the Blood Clones. They glanced at the local Cultivators with cold smiles as they passed, shooting through the air like meteors.

Some time after they were gone, the three late Foundation Establishment Cultivators let loose sighs of relief. Their faces were somewhat pale, because they knew that their greed just now had led them halfway to the grave.

"Who was that guy?" they thought, exchanging glances. "He managed to make Senior Yurui take to flight…."

As he flew through the air, Naruto waved his hand out in front of him. The air rippled as arcs of golden light appeared. They shot toward Patriarch Big-head, but before they could get too close, the man spit up some more blood. The air around his feet grew blurry, and his speed increased, allowing him to evade Naruto's attack. In the blink of an eye, he was roughly three thousand meters away.

"So fast!" thought Naruto, giving a cold harrumph as he continued onward. Throughout the course of this chase, Naruto's interest in Patriarch Big-head's legacy techniques had certainly been aroused.

Patriarch Big-head's face was pale. He gritted his teeth and continued to flee, his heart pounding. A sensation of life-or-death danger floated in his heart. The only thing he could think to do was use every possible means to evade the pursuit and escape death.

Bitterness filled his heart. After reaching Core Formation, he had always been the one to chase and kill others. This was the first time he had been pursued like a stray dog.

"If I can make it out of this, then all of this humiliation will be paid back a hundredfold!" he thought, his eyes filling with madness. He increased his speed, traveling another three thousand meters in the blink of an eye.

After half a day of employing the ultimate speed possible within the Core Formation stage, Patriarch Big-head spotted some earthen walls off in the distance. This city was not as flourishing as one of the United Nine, but clearly a powerful group resided within.

As he neared, Patriarch Big-head cried out, "Fellow Daoist Braindead!" Immediately, a beam of colorful light shot out from within the city. Inside was a muscular, bare-chested man of the mid Core Formation stage, with flowing black hair. When he saw Patriarch Big-head, he gaped in surprise.

"Big Bro Yurui, what's going on…?"

"Fellow Daoist Braindead, please stop the hoodlum that's chasing me!" he gushed as he shot past the muscular man. "You and I have similar Cultivation bases, but I was ambushed while in secluded meditation. I've been poisoned and I need an incense stick's worth of time to suppress the poison. I owe you!"

The muscular man's eyes glittered as he saw Naruto approaching.

Naruto glanced at the earthen city wall, and the muscular man who hovered in mid-air.

"Another person who doesn't know the difference between life and death," said Naruto as he flew forward.

The muscular man hesitated for a moment, but after seeing Naruto, he got the impression that since Naruto's Cultivation base was only at the mid Core Formation stage, he wasn't someone to be too worried about. However, the golden glow surrounding Naruto, as well as the sense of danger that radiated out from him, caused the man to be cautious. "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. There's no flying allowed in my city!"

As the words came out of his mouth, the more than two hundred Cultivators within the city flew out. Their aura billowed out, forming into a sealing power. They stood there glaring hatefully at Naruto.

These people had a variety of different Cultivation bases. Some were Core Formation, most were Foundation Establishment or Chakra Condensation. However, all of them radiated dense killing intent. Obviously they had killed many people in the past.

Naruto didn't care at all about people such as this who were clearly seeking to die. He continued forward without stopping, causing the muscular man's expression to flicker. He lifted his right hand to perform an incantation, when suddenly he saw the look in Naruto's eyes.

It was a coldness filled with killing intent. As the gaze passed over him, the muscular man's heart began to pound. Cracking sounds could be heard coming from his Core, as if it might shatter into pieces. He was astonished, but before he could retreat, Naruto was upon him. Naruto slammed a fist into the man's chest, and then shot past him. As Naruto passed, blood sprayed from the man's mouth; then he trembled and… directly exploded into bloody pieces.

His death caused looks of terror to fill the faces of the rest of the Cultivators from the city.

"Everyone here who pledges allegiance to me will live. Anyone who doesn't…." Naruto knew that in the Black Lands, one could not be softhearted. The only way to establish power and gain respect was through ruthlessness. As his voice rang out, his Blood Clones approached, along with the hundred or more Cultivators, whose killing intent billowed to the Heavens. They shot toward the city Cultivators, and immediately the sound of killing rose up, accompanied by miserable screams and cries.

Naruto glared at Patriarch Big-head, his eyes flashing with killing intent. "Let's see how many people you manage to get killed along the way!" He shot off again in pursuit.

This Cultivator was a strange one. No matter what powers Naruto employed, he was like a loach, slippery and difficult to lay hands on.

This was especially true considering his secret art of speed boosting. He had used it multiple times to put more distance between himself and Naruto. Even more bizarre was his fearsome ability to sense danger. Every time Naruto attacked, he seemed capable of predicting it and dodging out of the way.

"That damned no-good fool, he couldn't even hold the guy up for half a second!" Patriarch Big-head gritted his teeth. Hair in disarray, clothing ragged, breathing heavily, he shot forward. He was exhausted, but Naruto was still chasing him. He lifted his head up to the sky and howled.

Two days later, a black-robed figure flew out from a valley.

"Don't worry, Big Brother Yurui," said the voice arrogantly. "I shall help you take care of this despicable fellow. It won't be long before we can use his skull to drink alcohol together!" The figure shot through the air to meet an incoming beam of golden light.

This person possessed Core Chakra in the form of an enormous mountain. The power of the Core Chakra was joined by a howling totemic Giant Ape which smashed down toward Naruto.

Big-head was off in the distance looking on with an expression of appreciation. He'd finally found a friend willing to do something to help him.

The first thing he did was to turn and flee off into the distance as fast as possible.

However, before he had flown for the space of a few breaths, a blood-curdling scream rang out, which was cut off by a massive explosion.

Heart trembling, Big-head looked back to see the giant ape falling to pieces and the mountain crumbling. The Cultivator who had been attempting to block Naruto's way exploded. All of that was the result of a single fist strike from Naruto.

The sight of Naruto's right fist caused Big-head's scalp to grow numb. Spitting out another mouthful of blood, he went all out to flee as quickly as possible.

"What a psycho! When did someone so inhuman show up in the Black Lands? And how come I had to provoke him…?" Heart filled with bitterness, he lowered his head and shot forward at top speed.

Four days later a dusk….

"Fear not, Brother Yurui!" said a bald Cultivator, lifting up his glass. "We, the Black Mountain Nine Saints, might not measure up to you in terms of Cultivation base, but when it comes to our spell formation, we can trap anyone under the Nascent Soul stage for at least three days."

Big-head, his face pale, reluctantly lifted up a glass of alcohol. However, his glance was drawn off into the distance, where eight figures were shooting toward an approaching beam of billowing, golden light.

"Brother Yurui, you really don't need to worry. Just don't think about going back on your word about the Gilded Lizard totem you said you would give us." The bald-headed Cultivator laughed, but within his gaze was an imperceptible trace of scorn.

According to the rumors he had heard, this Yurui from the three great Sects of Kumogakure had offended a mid Core Formation Cultivator of the junior generation. The two had been involved in a deadly chase across half of the western region of the Black Lands.

Seeing the terrified state of Yurui, the bald Cultivator couldn't help but look down on him, and had come to the conclusion that the man's previous reputation had been considerably inflated.

The bald Cultivator took a drink of alcohol and then said, "How come a trifling mid Core Formation Cultivator is being called Patriarch Golden Light? How laughable! We Black Mountain Nine… huh?" Before he could even finish speaking, a massive boom filled the air, and the ground trembled. Even more shocking to the man was that even though it was clearly midday, in the location where the fight was going on could be seen a starry sky!

Even as the bald Cultivator was shocked into silence, Yurui's mind began to buzz. A forlorn expression appeared on his face as he tossed the glass of alcohol down. He slapped his chest, forcing some more blood out of his mouth to activate his secret technique. He shot off into the distance at high speed, something that had already become a force of habit. The bald Cultivator watched on with gaping mouth.

A mocking look appeared on the man's face. A moment later, while the look was still plastered there, the hair all over his body stood on end. An intense feeling of danger suddenly filled his mind. He spun as if he had been struck by lightning. There in front of him was a scholarly young man bathed in golden light. It was impossible to say when he had arrived. He picked up the flagon of alcohol and took a sip.

"You…." said the bald Cultivator. He turned to look off into the distance, where the bodies of his eight compatriots were still falling down from mid-air.

He gasped, and backed up. Everything began to go dark.

However, before everything went black, the bald Cultivator blurted out: "I'll pledge allegiance to Patriarch Golden Light!" Suddenly, his vision went back to normal.

The chase continued for seven more days!

Patriarch Big-head chose not to return to his Sect; he was a Patriarch, and had brought the Sect Elders with him on his excursion. The only people left back in the Sect were of the Foundation Establishment stage. There wasn't even a single Core Formation Cultivator.

Furthermore, in his current state, he would be incapable of operating the Sect's Grand Spell Formation. Also, he knew that if he stopped anywhere, he was dead for sure.

Therefore, he could do nothing other than flee, seeking out the powerful people he was familiar with in the area. Unfortunately, none of those people had sufficient Cultivation bases; not a single one was of the Nascent Soul stage.

Generally speaking, Nascent Soul Cultivators were the most powerful experts one would see in the Black Lands. Under other circumstances, he should have been able to go plead for help from some Rogue Nascent Soul Cultivators. Unfortunately… because of the chaos in the Black Lands, Nascent Soul Cultivators were now extremely valuable assets to the Alliance of United Nine Cities and the Black Lands Palace. Both forces were using everything they had at their disposal to recruit them; Big-head clearly couldn't compete with that.

So he fled from place to place in bitter struggle. He thought of going to Kumogakure, but he was well aware of the ruthlessness of Black Lands Cultivators. Considering his current condition, he wasn't worth anything to Kumogakure. They wouldn't do anything for his sake. If he had pledged himself to them earlier, it would have made things easier; they would have been forced to help him.

Unfortunately, in order to try to get the most out of the deal, he had told them he would consider their offer, but hadn't formalized an agreement. As such, it would be difficult to solicit their aid.

"Dammit! When did such an inhuman beast appear in the Black Lands!" he thought, cursing Naruto in his heart. Suddenly, he caught sight of a golden beam of light behind him. He spat up some more blood and fled. It felt as if he had spat up a lifetime's worth of blood recently. His face was pale white, and his injuries were even more severe, exacerbated by his blood loss.

However, he had no other options. He couldn't fight, so he had to run.

Behind him, Naruto whistled through the air surrounded by surging golden light. Following him were nearly four hundred Cultivators. These were people from the power groups that Big-head had tried to get help from. Faced with the prospect of death, they had chosen to side with Naruto.

One of them was the bald mid Core Formation Cultivator from Black Mountain. The entire group flew through the air, looking up ahead at Naruto and the golden light.

Strength came with numbers. During the past seven days, this group had gained quite a bit of fame in this western part of the Black Lands. Wherever they passed, their shadows darkened the land and blotted out the sky. When you added in Naruto and the golden light which he intentionally caused to shine out from his body, it was really a shocking sight.

It was hard to say who first called out the name Patriarch Golden Light, but word began to spread, and soon all the powers in the area knew of the name.

A day later, Big-head was exhausted to the extreme. Despite that, he gritted his teeth and flew ahead toward a tall mountain. The mountain was a sinister one, the base of which was surrounded by black waters. Five enormous vultures circled around its peak, occasionally calling out with shrill shrieks.

Sitting cross-legged at the very top were three old men. The one in the middle wore a seven-colored robe and was of the late Core Formation stage; the other two were of the mid Core Formation stage.

Unsightly expressions covered their faces. They sat there cross-legged, seemingly in meditation. However, their Cultivation bases were rotating, and they appeared to be on guard. Their eyes were fixed on the approaching big-headed Cultivator and massive golden glow that was following him.

"Dammit, it's Patriarch Golden Light!"

"The past few days, everyone has been talking about how Patriarch Golden Light is trying to kill Yurui. Anyone who helps out Yurui ends up getting slaughtered!"

"I heard that more than ten Core Formation Cultivators have died at Patriarch Golden Light's hands…. The weakest were of the mid Core Formation stage, and there were two of the late Core Formation stage!"

"Have you forgotten about the three great Sects of Kumogakure? Yurui is on the run for his life, but the Patriarchs of the other two Sects haven't appeared. They must have already met a dark end. If you add them in, it means that the number of Core Formation Cultivators who have fallen to Patriarch Golden Light is incredible!"

Their faces were incredibly unsightly by this point. They were friends with Big-head, but that friendship wasn't enough to get them to stand up to Patriarch Golden Light. And yet, Big-head was clearly heading to them seeking refuge.

"Fellow Daoists, save me!" he cried, his voice filled with a pleading tone. Considering his status and the level of his Cultivation base, for him to cry out in such a manner showed what a wretched position he'd fallen into. His voice reached the mountain peak, and the ears of the three old men. They couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic.

Naruto approached, whistling through the air, surrounded by golden light. "Do the three of you want to get involved too?" he said coolly, his voice echoing out in all directions like thunder.

The faces of the three old men flickered. This was especially true of the two men with the weaker Cultivation bases. Their minds spun and their faces drained of blood. Their Cores quivered inside of them. All three men took in deep breaths.

They couldn't help but think about the rumors that had been spreading regarding Patriarch Golden Light.

He ripped the Cores out of Cultivators and ate them raw! He massacred, leaving no survivors! His methods were cruel and vicious!

It wasn't clear how such rumors had begun to spread about Naruto. He actually hadn't killed very many people in the past few days; most of the deaths were caused by his hundreds of followers.

In any case, as soon as Naruto's words fell upon the ears of the three men on the peak of the mountain, the old man with the highest Cultivation base, the one with the seven-colored robe, shot to his feet. A smile covered his face as he clasped hands and bowed.

"Greetings, Patriarch Golden Light. We will definitely not interfere in the matter between you two." Having said that, he stamped his foot down, causing a glowing shield to rise up around the mountain. Big-head had absolutely no chance to enter.

Big-head let out a plaintive wail. He spit out some more blood to activate his secret technique and speed away. He was now emaciated and frail, which made his big head even more conspicuous. He flew along in the air, so weak he could barely even form a fist, his head drooping down.

Grief and indignation filled his face as he charged onward.

Two days passed. Big-head's indignation continued to grow. No matter where he went, his friends all began to use their magic to block his way. It was like he had turned into some sort of plague.

In fact, there was one power group who had been slow in employing their spell formation. When he slipped in to beg for help, his friend had flipped out and attacked him. Apparently the man had been afraid of causing a misunderstanding with Patriarch Golden Light.

Big-head was now completely without hope. He floated in mid-air looking around in all directions. Unfortunately, there was no one he could turn to for help. He was out of power, and could flee no more. Face ashen, he turned and looked at the approaching Naruto.

After the space of about ten breaths, Naruto came to stop in front of him. "Done running?" he asked coolly.

Big-head stared at Naruto, his heart filled with a feeling of powerlessness. The days on the run, the constant pursuit, the despair he felt after repeatedly begging for help, all of it had left him completely drained and exhausted. He was dog-tired, and the constant use of his forbidden technique had pushed his injuries to the point where they could no longer be fully healed. At the moment, he could only use about twenty to thirty percent of the power of his Cultivation base.

To use such limited power to fight against Naruto, who led a group of hundreds of Cultivators, and who had already killed so many of the people Big-head had recruited to help him… well it was simply impossible. He had no way to resist or fight back, not even in the slightest.

Big-head knew all of this, as soon as Naruto spoke, he let out a roar. This was not an attack, nor was it a self-detonation. It was a roar to release all of the pressure that had been pushing down on him. The sound of it echoed out.

"Even if I, Yurui, die, I won't bow my head to a villain like you! Even if I die today, I'll be a Cultivator again in the future! Destroying my soul won't keep me from the cycle of reincarnation. Maybe I can't decide how I'll be born, but I can decide how I die, you lightning-damned, evil…." Even as his words rang out, even as he gave vent to all his rancor, and seemed about to really lay it on thick, suddenly….

Without any warning, a lightning bolt appeared in the blue, cloudless sky. It shot down toward Naruto at incredible speed, seemingly giving no chance at all for a reaction. The lightning bolt slammed onto Naruto's hat with a boom.

Sparks showered off of the hat, some of them landing on Naruto, which caused his hair to stand on end. A greenish smoke rose up off of the hat.

It almost looked like the Heavens viewed Naruto's pursuit to be immoral. After all, the lightning had struck down right in the middle of Big-head's speech….

Big-head gaped in astonishment at Naruto. This was the second time recently that he had seen lightning suddenly fall from the sky for no reason. The lightning appeared ordinary, but it actually had the power to eliminate an early Core Formation Cultivator.

"Retribution!" roared Big-head. "This is the retribution villains like you receive! To be rent in two by lightning!" Trembling, he began to laugh uproariously. As for Naruto, his face was a bit unsightly. He knew that Patriarch Big-head had already lost all of his will to fight, so his attention was now more focused up above.

"This is the second time," he thought. The bad premonition in his heart only continued to grow more intense. Not even half a month had passed, and two bolts of lightning had already randomly come after him. Their speed was incredible, and they didn't seem to be associated with any particular time or location. Furthermore, each of these bolts of lightning had emanated the aura of Heavenly Tribulation.

Others would have a hard time recognizing such an aura, but Naruto was familiar with Heavenly Tribulation. He was absolutely certain that this was none other than Tribulation Lightning.

"Why is it doing this?" he thought. "It happened twice already. Does that mean it will happen a third time? Perhaps more…?" Suddenly, he thought back to what the meat jelly hat had said shortly after the parrot went to sleep, and before it began to rest. It had said that it and the parrot had helped someone transcend Tribulation once, only for that person to end up trying to kill them.

"Don't tell me… this is the aftermath of delaying the Tribulation? Lightning is going to constantly be falling down onto me?" Naruto's face twisted as he looked back at Big-head and coolly asked, "Do you want to choose how you'll die?"

The soil below churned as vicious vines exploded upward. They swayed about, not approaching; however, the mouths at the end of the vines were filled with razor sharp teeth that dripped with viscous fluid.

Their reddish color, their bizarre undulation, their fearsomeness, as well as the rotten smell that emanated out from them would cause anyone who saw them to feel shocked.

"I…." Big-head laughed coldly and gave Naruto a scornful look. His expression was one of pride as he lifted his hand up toward his forehead.

He had no intention of begging for his life. Considering the bloody path left behind by his pursuer, Big-head knew that he had little chance of escaping this calamity. Therefore, if he was going to die, he would die in robust fashion.

However, the instant his hand was about to press down onto his forehead, another bolt of lightning suddenly appeared out of the blue. It shot down toward Naruto with such speed that in the blink of an eye it was less than ten meters away from his head.

However, because of the previous two lightning bolts, Naruto had already begun to keep some of his attention focused on the sky. In almost the same instant that the lightning bolt began to fall, he slapped his bag of holding and pulled out a semi-transparent soul embodiment.

This soul embodiment was none other than Danzo. A thin thread connected him to the blood-colored mask, making it so that even though he was now floating outside, he would be unable to flee. His life or death could be determined by a single thought from Naruto.

Suddenly being pulled out in this fashion caused Danzo to look around in confusion. This was the first time in many years that he had ever seen the sky in the outside world. However, before he could heave any emotional sighs, he was flung up into the air by Naruto.

A boom rattled out as the lightning bolt slammed into Danzo's soul embodiment. A miserable shriek echoed out as Danzo quivered. A roar of pain and rage bellowed out from him. His soul embodiment had nearly been shattered, giving him quite a scare. He rapidly did everything he could to solidify it.

If the soul embodiment dissipated, then he truly would turn into dust on the wind.

His confusion quickly vanished, forced away by the unfortunately circumstances. He roared, gnashing his teeth as he floated there in mid-air, looking down at Naruto. If hatred itself could kill, then he would rip Naruto to pieces mouthful by mouthful.

The lightning didn't stop at three bolts, however. After a few breaths' time, a fourth lightning bolt descended. Before it could fall, Naruto, his face expressionless, tossed up Danzo.

The lightning slammed into him, causing Danzo to let out a miserable cry. Thankfully, his soul embodiment was vigorous. After being subjected to the torment of the meat jelly, it was actually quite resilient, despite its weak appearance.

After the boom echoed out, Danzo grew almost completely illusory. And yet, before he could even catch his breath, a fifth lightning bolt fell, and another miserable shriek echoed out. Big-head watched all of this with gaping eyes.

For the first time while standing in front of Naruto, he couldn't hide the fear in his eyes. He sympathized with this soul embodiment. As far as he was concerned, Naruto was absolutely the most savage Cultivator in existence. It seemed he would shrink from no evil, and did not shirk from outraging men and gods alike.

"This soul embodiment is already in a wretched state, and yet he does this to it," thought Big-head. "I wonder what great enmity exists between them…. That soul embodiment seems on the verge of dispersing completely." He sighed inwardly, his mind spinning because of Naruto's viciousness. His impression was now thoroughly settled.

"That guy must have just been too attached to life, and wasn't decisive enough. His soul got snatched up by this vicious Cultivator. I, however, have steady resolve. I won't end up like that. If he stole my soul, I would end up like this, tormented into dissolution." Having psyched himself up to this point, Big-head lifted his hand to strike his forehead, when suddenly his body began to shake, and his resolve shattered.

His eyes opened wide, filled with disbelief and intense dread. This was because just as the soul embodiment seemed about to be shattered by the lightning, a violet glow flickered in Naruto's eyes. He spit out a mouthful of golden Chakra, which was filled with his own life force. There wasn't much, but after it merged with Danzo's soul embodiment, all of his wounds began to recover.

Just when he was almost completely recovered, a sixth lightning bolt fell. A thunderclap rang out, accompanied by a miserable cry. Grief filled the eyes of Danzo, along with despair. It was a hopelessness in which the desire for death exceeded the desire to live.

The sight caused Big-head's scalp to go numb and his face to turn pale white. He began to quiver. He had been preparing to say some grand words just now, but now he could only swallow with a gulp. The hand that had been moving toward his forehead fell to his side. The pride in his eyes had been replaced by hopelessness.

He suddenly realized that even if he managed to deliver a deadly blow to himself, he was a Cultivator. In the moments after his death, there were a variety of methods that could be used to extract his soul.

He could attempt to self detonate, but seeing how adept Naruto was with inflicting torment, Big-head could see that dying was not necessarily a way of escaping.

He didn't fear death, but what he did fear, was living a life worse than death.

Naruto was currently ignoring Big-head, and was instead focusing completely on the lightning, as well as Danzo's soul.

What he noticed was that even as the soul embodiment was on the verge of collapsing, sparking remnants of the lightning were fusing into the soul. Thanks to the healing provided by Naruto's life force, the recovery of Danzo's soul embodiment resulted in much more lightning residing within him.

"Refine a Soul of Lightning, huh…? It seems it requires a bit of a sacrifice to refine such a thing!" Naruto's eyes glittered as he looked around for more lightning. After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, a final bolt of lightning appeared. After Danzo absorbed it, Naruto put him back into the blood-colored mask. He cursed Naruto vigorously the entire time.

Finally, Naruto looked thoughtfully back at Big-head. He lifted his hand up and was about to kill him and then let the vines consume him and pull out his special techniques.

After all, Big-head's attitude just now had been one of firm resolution, even willingness to die. No matter how much Naruto tormented him, there would be no way to know of if he was telling the truth about this techniques.

However, even as Naruto lifted his hand up, Big-head began to quiver and his face filled with intense dread.

"Fellow Daoist…. Fellow Daoist, listen to me," he gushed. "I happen to know the location of the secret Treasure Pavilions of all the three great Sects. There's lots of stuff hidden there! I'll give all the treasures of my Talisman Sect to you as a gift. I'll do anything you ask, I'll even face mountains of swords and seas of flames. I, Big-head, won't even frown!" Naruto's methods just now had left him trembling; he had no desire to have his soul tormented after he died.

Naruto gaped at Patriarch Big-head for a moment. This caused the man to begin to pant and get more nervous. He could hear the sound of his own heart pounding. However, a look of resolve appeared in his eyes. He swore a poison oath, and, gritting his teeth, even extracted some soul blood from his forehead which he offered to Naruto. With that, Naruto would be able to kill him at any time.

Big-head believed that it was only with such a resolution that he could truly evade calamity.

Naruto thought about it for a moment; it didn't take him long to figure out what Big-head was thinking. He looked at the man for a moment and then a faint smile touching his face. Finally he reached out and accepted the soul blood.

"Now," said Naruto coolly, "explain to me that bizarre legacy of yours."

Bitterness filled Big-head's heart; however, in order to preserve his life, he put on a delighted expression and then obediently retrieved a small jar from his bag of holding.

It was about the size of a fist, and a handful of holes could be seen on its surface. When wind blew through the holes, they would emit a mournful whistling. There didn't seem to be anything special about the sound, and looking at the jar, Naruto couldn't see anything very unique about it. Even his Spiritual Sense didn't reveal anything special.

In fact, had he slain this Patriarch Big-head, upon searching his bag of holding, even if Naruto happened to pick up the jar, he would most likely have taken it to be some sort of musical instrument and then paid it no more heed.

Apparently fearing some sort of misunderstanding, Patriarch Big-head quickly bit his left index finger, then dropped some blood into nine of the holes which covered the jug, doing so in some specific order.

It appeared as if it were some type of locking mechanism that Naruto had never seen before. Now that it had been opened by Big-head, the jar began to emit a black glow. There was clearly no wind in the area, and yet the jar continued to make the whimpering noises.

Suddenly, streams of magical symbols began to float up from the small jar. They circled around the area, along with a sinister aura.

Naruto took a deep breath. He lifted a finger on his right hand, causing the black jar to fly over to him. It landed on his palm, whereupon he examined it closely.

Gradually, Naruto began to get excited. The magical symbols were forming together to make the images of howling souls. Looking at it, he got the profound sense that this was indeed some sort of legacy.

"This is a treasure I stumbled upon in some ruins many years ago," said Patriarch Big-head, choosing his words carefully, and not daring to leave anything out. "I discovered it on the body of a Demonic Cultivator that had two horns on its head. It also had a jade slip, which I read and then destroyed. Recorded within was the method for using this Evil Wind jar. It also said that the Demonic Cultivator came from some place called the Fourth Mountain, and that before dying, needed to pass on the legacy."

If Patriarch Big-head hadn't mentioned the Fourth Mountain, then Naruto might have continued to be suspicious. But after hearing the term, an imperceptible flicker ran through his eyes.

Matters regarding the Nine Mountains and Seas were not things that average Cultivators knew about. In Naruto's estimation, people who were aware of such topics were definitely extremely scarce.

Without batting an eyelid, he gathered up the small jar and then looked at Patriarch Big-head.

The man immediately began to grow more nervous, and quickly said, "Fellow Daoist, when I'm around, the Treasure Pavilions of the three great Sects should be safe. But since the other two Sects know that their respective Patriarchs are dead, it won't be long before their disciples start dividing up the treasures. Sir, don't you think we should get there as quickly as possible?"

At the moment, hundreds of beams of light were approaching from off in the distance. The impressive sight of so many people made Big-head even more nervous.

His fear of Naruto couldn't become any greater. His trepidation reached deep into his heart; if he could go back in time, he definitely wouldn't ever provoke this inhuman creature.

Even if he did provoke him somehow, he definitely wouldn't do anything to break the man's spell formation. In fact, to save his own life, he would immediately kill the other Patriarchs from the other two great Sects.

Naruto could tell what he was thinking with a mere look. After a moment's thought, he nodded.

Big-head let out a sigh of relief, but then suddenly became nervous once again. He really was worried that the disciples of the other two great Sects would divvy up the treasure. Moments later, he and Naruto became prismatic beams of light that shot back toward the region of Kumogakure.

A few days later, a glowing yellow shield could be seen covering a snowy white mountain which was some distance from Kumogakure. The whiteness of the mountain and the yellow glow mixed together to make a beautiful sight, albeit a bit incongruous.

Naruto hovered outside of the mountain. He hadn't personally attacked. No, that had been left up to Big-head and the bald-headed Cultivator who had once been a member of the nine Cultivators from Black Mountain. They, along with the hundreds of other Cultivators following Naruto, filled the sky. Booming explosions rang out from all directions.

Big-head spared no effort whatsoever. His eyes were bloodshot; he feared that they would be unable to break through the shield to get inside. The bald Cultivator was thinking similar thoughts, and clearly wanted to ingratiate himself to Naruto. The two of them almost seemed to be competing as they went all out with various techniques.

Beneath the powerful attacks of two people like this, bolstered by hundreds of other Cultivators, this trifling great Sect was only able to hold out for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Then, the shield collapsed into countless fragments of yellow light. As the shield disintegrated, the whiteness of the snowy mountain beneath became visible.

No massacre was necessary; after the shield broke, the nearly one hundred Cultivators of the Yotsuki Clan immediately pledged allegiance to Naruto.

Furthermore, they respectfully handed over the wealth and treasures of their Sect. Naruto's forces now numbered nearly six hundred as they headed toward another of the great Sects.

They moved with incredible speed, but this time, they met some resistance. It was a middle-aged man who had three totem tattoos on his body. He was quite tall, and his attacks were accompanied by the illusory image of a mountain and river as well as a writhing Poisonous Flood Dragon. Even as everyone else pledged their allegiance, this man launched a vicious sneak attack. He instantly killed several of the other disciples who had suggested to capitulate, and then attempted to flee.

Even as he attempted to break past the sealing spells to escape, Naruto's eyes glittered coldly. He shot forward, and in the blink of an eye was in front of the man. He punched him lightly with one fist.

A boom filled the air, and blood sprayed from the man's mouth. His eyes filled with venomous hatred, but before he could use any magical techniques, Naruto punched him again. He didn't kill him, but instead took control of his Cultivation base and then knocked him out.

As for the final Sect, the Talisman Sect, there were no problems there. With Big-head present, there were no defenses to break through, and the hundred or so disciples of the Sect welcomed Naruto respectfully.

The main gate of the Talisman Sect was located in a wide basin surrounded by mountains. The Sect was quiet and tasteful, constructed in an orderly fashion. Upon seeing it, Naruto decided to occupy the place for the time being.

A few days later, the parrot and the meat jelly both regained their senses. The parrot was extremely excited to see the roughly seven hundred new followers. It flapped his wings, squawking out orders as it began to train the Cultivators.

As for the meat jelly, it lazily flew onto the head of someone who caught its eye, whereupon it continued to deride and criticize the parrot as usual.

Naruto asked them about the lightning randomly falling down from the sky. However, each time he brought it up, the parrot and meat jelly would glance around quickly and then suddenly disappear.

Finally Naruto intentionally provoked the parrot. Once its honor was challenged, it blurted out something that caused Naruto's face to look unsightly: "So what!" it said. "Lord Fifth delayed the Heavenly Tribulation. Of course some lightning will slip through every once in a while. It's not going to kill you, it's only a bit of lightning!"

With that, the parrot flapped its wings and quickly flew off, leaving Naruto alone in the secluded meditation chamber that used to belong Big-head.

Time flashed by, and soon it was half a month later. During the half month, the name of Patriarch Golden Light had risen to complete prominence in this entire region of the Black Lands. Granted, the name hadn't traveled too far, but all the local Cultivators knew the name.

According to the growing legend, Patriarch Golden Light loved killing Cultivators. He drank alcohol out of Dao Pillars, consumed Cores, and committed any imaginable evil. Such descriptions grew more and more exaggerated, until everyone who talked about him grew pale in the face from fear.

Patriarch Golden Light, a fierce Cultivator and leader of a generation. He was now thoroughly entrenched as a power in the area.

People in the Black Lands were becoming more anxious. Ten days before, one of the eight remaining Clans of what had once been the Alliance of United Nine Cities, was suddenly attacked by the Black Lands Palace. It was completely exterminated, and overnight, the city changed hands. Then, the Black Lands Palace issued a command throughout the entire Black Lands.

It said that the Black Lands Palace was now the only power within the Black Lands. As for the seven other Clans who made up the so-called United Nine, they were to be exterminated.

A great war had truly begun!

Amidst the chaos and general feeling of nervousness, Naruto's power base suddenly became something of a safe haven. More and more Cultivators joined, including some of the Core Formation stage.

During the half month in which all of this happened, Kumogakure grew emptier and emptier. Suddenly, they began to look toward Naruto and his force of nearly a thousand people the same way that a tiger eyes its prey.

A few days later, the term 'Church of the Golden Light' began to spread. Other than the Kumo Clan itself, it was now the most powerful force in the region of Kumogakure.

In this wartime situation, Naruto's force of nearly one thousand men continued to grow. He was thoroughly in command in this area!

Actually, Naruto wasn't really aware of a lot of the developments. The parrot and the meat jelly seemed incredibly interested in recruiting more Cultivators. The meat jelly felt that converting a thousand people at once was definitely something it had never done before, and would be an amazing accomplishment regardless of whether you were talking about past, present or future lives.

As far as the parrot was concerned, when it heard the voices of roughly a thousand people chanting the words regarding having faith in the Lord Fifth to gain eternal life, all of the feathers on its body would stand on end.

It seemed to have already forgotten about how every few days lightning would fall from the sky and shoot toward Naruto.

Boom!

One early morning, a bolt of lightning appeared above the elegant basin, outside one of the buildings.

The roof of this building was long since gone, apparently destroyed. Black ash was visible everywhere. There were roughly a thousand Cultivators here now, and all of them were more or less used to the lightning.

As the parrot soared through the air, it looked up into the sky and gave a sympathetic sigh, then thought about how helpful it had been. After that, it wheeled off with determination to go train the Cultivators in the use of the Celestial spell formation.

"This formation uses people as its base! With hundreds, you can rock Core Formation. With thousands, you can strand Nascent Soul. With tens of thousands, Spirit Severing doesn't count for a fart! With millions, you can shake Immortals! Back when Lord Fifth swept over the nine great Mountains and Seas, no one refused to bow to him!" A wistful look appeared in its eyes, and it sighed as it seemed to recall its past glory. Then, it redoubled its efforts to train the Cultivators.

Inside the building that had just been struck by lightning, Naruto's face was unsightly. Even more unsightly, however, was the face of Danzo, who looked as if he were on his last legs.

"You're my ancestor!" he wailed, his soul embodiment trembling. He seemed to be on the verge of going crazy. "My ancestor, okay?! Just let me go…. I can't hold on much longer. Just let the lightning rend me in half, okay…?"

Naruto didn't say anything. He put Danzo's soul embodiment away, then looked back up at the sky. It seemed clear, completely devoid of any lightning. At this point, he wasn't quite numb to the situation, but had gotten used to it.

After some practice, he had developed some methods to pull out Danzo even more quickly. By now, it had developed into a sort of intuition; as soon as a bolt of lightning appeared, Danzo would be called upon.

Currently, Naruto didn't reach complete success at first. However, the dangerous training method worked, and soon he was able to use the technique almost perfectly each time.

Under these circumstances, Naruto's intuition with the lightning gradually formed into a type of instinct.

At the moment, Naruto couldn't quite keep his face completely calm; it still looked a bit pained, although not as much as Danzo's. Naruto looked over at the middle-aged man who lay in front of him, body trembling, face pale, seemingly locked in place and unable to move. This man was even worse off than Danzo.

This Cultivator was not from the Black Lands, but rather the Western Desert. This was the man Naruto had knocked out earlier, the one who had three totem tattoos. Naruto had taken him here, sealed him to prevent him from moving, and began to study him.

Naruto loved studying. Back when he was a scholar, he would study books. After he entered the Cultivation world, he would study magical techniques or contemplate alchemy.

It didn't matter when, as long as he had some time on his hands, he would take time to study something. This always led to further understanding on his part.

However, this was his first time studying a person.

Naruto had already been studying him for three days, inside and out. Whenever he encountered some area he didn't understand, he would make some cuts and focus further until he understood.

Naruto had learned a lot in these three days, which left him very excited. As for the middle-aged man, however, it was a nightmare, as if he were residing in the depths of hell. The feeling was hard to describe. His coldness had turned into misery, cursing and insanity. Eventually, he just began to wail, and to truly believe that Naruto was the most fearsome person in the entire Cultivation world.

At the moment, Naruto was studying the Cultivator's blood. He reached out toward the man's arm, which was covered in wounds and scabs. Some of it was even missing pieces of flesh. Naruto made a long scratch and then collected some blood.

He placed the blood into a pill furnace and began to refine it.

The man's face was ashen, his eyes listless and filled with despair. He didn't know how much longer this treatment would go on, and his mind was on the verge of collapse. In fact, the previous night when Naruto was preparing to study his brain, the fear caused tears to leak out of his eyes.

At that point, Naruto had hesitated and then decided not to proceed.

Naruto had always been extremely interested in the totem tattoos of Western Desert Cultivators. After much analysis, he had come to the conclusion that they contained a power similar to medicinal pills, a power that came from outside the body of the Cultivator

For example, totems could be used to break through from Chakra Condensation to Foundation Establishment, and then to Core Formation. This realization gave Naruto quite a bit of enlightenment.

Naruto had long since had the feeling that he could break through from the mid Perfect Core Formation stage to the late stage. The feeling only grew more intense. Eventually, he realized that in order to break through to late Core Formation, he would need to allow the Heavenly Tribulation to bear down on him in full. After transcending it, he would then be able to enter late Core Formation.

However, once that happened, he had little confidence regarding the Nascent Soul stage. The Nascent Soul stage was a huge step that few Cultivators were ever actually able to take.

Throughout the years, many Cultivators could reach the late Core Formation stage. However, few were able to break through to Nascent Soul. It might seem like there were a lot of Nascent Soul Cultivators, but that had more to do with their vastly extended lifespan. Few members of any particular generation would ever actually break through.

One of the most critical factors for Naruto was the fact that he was missing the section of the Sublime Spirit Scripture that had to do with the Gold Core. Without the proper technique, it would be difficult to achieve a Perfect Nascent Soul.

It wasn't very likely that he would be able to acquire the manual, either. He had no idea where it was. However, Naruto had the strong feeling that the totems of these Western Desert Cultivators would enable him to forge his own path toward the Perfect Nascent Soul.

Naruto focused on the blood in the pill furnace as it slowly transformed into a mist. Eventually it dissipated, whereupon a bright glow shone in his eyes. "Interesting. There is no totemic aura within the blood."

"Skin, muscle, bone and blood. Without exception, they are all completely ordinary!" Naruto sat in thought for a while and then looked back up at the man in front of him. The man's heart trembled, and he was about to open his mouth to beg for his life when Naruto's right hand descended onto the totem tattoo on the man's arm.

"This totem has faint traces of Demonic Chakra, which is also the so-called Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea." As Naruto lifted his hand back up, the man let out a shrill wail. The totem tattoo slowly separated from his skin, pulling up until Naruto held what looked almost like a patch of skin in his hand. After separating, it rapidly faded away until it was completely gone.

"So once it leaves the body of the Cultivator, the totem vanishes." He frowned. "Just what is a totem? The manifestation of some great Demon of Heaven and Earth?"

Naruto looked outside; it was already evening, and the sky was filling with clouds. A variety of thoughts spun through his head, but no answers.

After a while, Naruto waved his hand; the seals binding the middle-aged Cultivator vanished. He rose to his feet, trembling. He immediately clasped hands and bowed to Naruto, continuing to shake violently.

"You can go," said Naruto coolly.

To the man, the words seemed like those of a Celestial being. His heart was filled with so much appreciation that he wanted to weep. He immediately left, speeding away as fast as possible to leave this land of nightmares.

More time passed. Naruto bowed his head and laughed. "I think I'm getting ahead of myself," he murmured. "I have the power to bestow Demonic Chakra, but to understand totems will require a lot more time. Full enlightenment can't be gained in a short period of time." However, determination gleamed in his eyes; he would not give up on his desire to understand totems.

He smacked his bag of holding to produce an earth-yellow band of soft, cloth-like paper with uneven edges.

This was none other than the object which had led to the rise of Patriarch Golden Light, the flag which the parrot had helped Naruto to steal from the auction. After waking up, the parrot had helped him to refine it.

"A talisman used by an Immortal, which can help me to gain enlightenment regarding the magical symbols in the Black Lands. This will definitely be a huge help." He rubbed the paper as he thought about the vastly expanded area within which his followers could search for the Celestial soil now that he was Patriarch Golden Light. Obviously, it was much greater than before.

Vast quantities of Celestial soil were being delivered to him. Now, all he had to do was touch the soil to this talismanic paper, and it would immediately suck in the aura of the soil, leaving the soil completely ordinary in nature.

After sucking in the aura, magical symbols would appear on the paper, which were gradually forming into the shape of a seal.

Naruto was sure that after enough time had passed, and enough soil was collected, more magical symbols would appear on the paper. With further enlightenment of the symbols, he would definitely be able to employ some shocking divine ability.

It was in this way that he planned to have completely unique Celestial magic prepared for when he reached the Nascent Soul stage!

The next day at dawn, Naruto put away the talismanic paper and then took out the Wooden Time Sword and began to further refine it. He had consistently been working on this particular sword since arriving in the Black Lands, and as of now, it contained three sixty-year cycles of Time.

In addition, he had quite a quantity of Spring and Autumn trees in his bag of holding that contained two sixty-year cycles.

"It's not very difficult to forge a Time treasure that contains a sixty-year cycle," he thought. "It only takes a bit of effort. As for two sixty-year cycles, I only have a thirty percent chance of success. Failure means complete loss of all the resources. That's not really a big deal, though. What's truly scary is the Time treasures of three sixty-year cycles. There's only half a percent chance of success. Without the copper mirror, I probably wouldn't be able to forge even one in my entire life." He looked at the sword in his hand, which emitted a blinding blue light. Its surface seemed to flow like flowing water, and waving the sword through the air caused ripples to spread out. The ripples caused the surrounding structures to immediately show signs of decay.

Naruto was just about to put the sword away when suddenly, he lifted his head up and looked at something far off in the distance. He frowned.

"So, the Kumo Clan really just can't hold themselves back," he muttered. He sent his Spiritual Sense out to find the parrot and impart some instructions. Next, his body began to grow blurry, and ghost images sprang up. Moments later, a second Naruto appeared. One was sitting cross-legged, the other slowly sank down into the ground.

Naruto waved his right hand, whereupon ten Wooden Time Swords flew out from his subterranean chamber to circulate about in the air overhead.

The tips of the swords faced outward, and as they spun, they began to create a vortex in the shape of a lotus flower. The power emanated by the lotus-shaped sword formation caused the building Naruto was in to begin to decay. Soon, it was nothing more than ash. All of the aura in the area soon began to fill with ancientness and decay. The minds and hearts of the thousand Cultivators trembled. They immediately dispersed, looking back wide eyed at Naruto, who sat cross-legged, a giant lotus spinning above his head. Around him, everything in the basin was beginning to decay.

It was at this moment that the moon rose. Moonlight cascaded downward onto the swords, causing them to gleam with a silver glow. They looked like a blooming lotus, bizarre and beautiful…. Everyone who observed the spectacle would remember it for the rest of their lives.

As the lotus rippled, the Patriarch beneath it lifted his head and said in a cool, echoing voice: "This is my Time Sword Formation!"

Naruto gazed at the Lotus Sword Formation. It came from the three-page booklet he'd acquired when conning the hundreds of Cultivators who were chasing him. As for who it had originally belonged to, he had no idea.

However, the small booklet had given Naruto a sense of great enlightenment. Before, he'd never realized that swords… could be organized into formations!

His research in recent days hadn't been limited to totems and the small jar that was a legacy from the Fourth Mountain. He'd also spent significant time studying sword formations. The three-page booklet had no text, only illustrations; if you understood it, you understood it. If you didn't, you never would.

Naruto didn't understand very much, but based on what he did, he could form the lotus that he had just now. Even still, the sword formation was able to emanate shocking, explosive power.

Creating a formation like a lotus enabled him to unleash the deadly power of Time!

He paid little attention to the surrounding thousand Cultivators, but they had no choice other than to pay close attention to him. Naruto was their Patriarch, the soul of the Church of Golden Light. The name of Patriarch Golden Light had long since been placed in the highest position in the area.

Everyone's hearts shook as they observed Naruto, the spinning lotus, and the decaying buildings in the basin. Big-head's face was pale and his breathing ragged. His eyes filled with intense fear. Before, he had assumed Naruto had used all the power he possessed to chase him; however, the sight of this sword formation caused him to tremble in terror.

"Who in the Core Formation stage could possibly stand up against a sword formation like that?" he thought, his heart and mind trembling uncontrollably.

The lotus spun and Time danced. Heaven and Earth were shaken, and everything in the area crumbled. It was impossible for Naruto not to be the center of attention.

The parrot looked on in shock, its eyes filled with an expression that rarely existed there. It stared fixedly at the Lotus Sword Formation, panting. Next to it, the meat jelly gaped with equally wide eyes.

The two of them hadn't noticed the booklet, and had been focused on managing the thousand Cultivators. They hadn't paid attention to Naruto and his research of sword formations. Without thinking about it, they exchanged a glance, whereupon they noticed the mutual look of shock in each other's eyes.

"I've never heard of this Lotus Sword Formation," said the parrot, blinking. "However… looking at it gives me the chills…."

"It's too wicked," said the meat jelly solemnly. "An evil sword formation like this is too domineering. The aura is too bizarre. It should be destroyed! Such a thing should not even exist!"

"Lord Fifth feels a certain lack of understanding regarding this particular Master…." murmured the parrot.

Meanwhile, a group of a few dozen Cultivators hovered in the air at the edge of the basin, looking at the Lotus Sword Formation. One of their number was an old man. He watched on with a look of concentration, his eyes shining with a brilliant light.

This was one of the three Nascent Soul Patriarchs of the Kumo Clan who had infuriated the parrot back in Kumogakure. Behind him were none other than Samui and Karai, as well as other Kumo Clan Cultivators.

All of them watched on in silence. The Cultivators who were under the Nascent Soul stage saw the ripples emanating out from the sword formation, and were shaken. They saw the decaying power contained within; the mountains grew old and even the ground itself was becoming ancient.

It was at this moment that Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. They gleamed brightly as he waved his right hand. The Lotus Sword Formation streaked through the air toward the Kumo Clan Cultivators.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator who floated in the lead position immediately waved his hand. A glowing shield appeared directly behind him and in front of the other Kumo Clan members.

Naruto's expression never changed. His right hand flickered in an incantation gesture, and then he waved a finger toward the sword formation. A buzzing sound filled the air. The lotus no longer rotated; the ten Wooden Time Swords transformed into ten beams of light that shot toward the old Nascent Soul Cultivator.

The man's eyes glittered as he raised his right fist up into the air. Then, he slowly opened it and said, "Stabilize!"

As soon as the word left his mouth, the air seemed to collapse. A boom resonated out, and the land shook. The ten Time Swords suddenly stopped moving; they seemed incapable of flying forward even a teeny bit. However, the Nascent Soul Cultivator's face suddenly fell.

The shield behind him began to fall into pieces, as if it had been in existence for a very long time. As it collapsed, the man's face suddenly seemed to grow older.

It was as if his longevity were being sucked away. Even as his expression flickered, Naruto waved his right hand. The ten swords immediately flew back toward him and then disappeared.

Naruto rose to his feet. His black hair floated in the wind, and his long green robe gave him an elegant, erudite appearance. His refined features contained both the dignity of a scholar and the loftiness of a Cultivator. "I was working on my spell formations just now," he said coolly, "and was a bit careless. Senior, I hope you can forgive me."

It was only at this moment that the surrounding thousand Cultivators realized that dozens of Kumo Clan Cultivators had appeared on the nearby mountain ridges. The eyes of the thousand Cultivators began to glow, and their power merged together to form a crushing weight that emanated out in all directions.

This land was their Sect, a place that outsiders were not permitted to enter without permission. Any visitor should announce themselves and make a formal request to pay a visit. However, the Kumo Clan had showed up without any of the formalities.

Clearly, they came with ill intentions. This was even more apparent… because of the presence of the Nascent Soul Cultivator leading the group.

"Don't worry about it," said the Nascent Soul Cultivator with a laugh. "There's no need to blame yourself, lad." He advanced forward into the basin, followed by the dozens of Clan members. As he moved forward, his expression was normal, but his heart was filled with shock. The thousand Cultivators present all had different Cultivation bases, and yet the feeling they gave off was that they were integrated into a whole.

The feeling caused the heart of the Nascent Soul Cultivator to fill with amazement. Then he saw the decayed buildings in the area, and suddenly began to feel a bit of hesitation.

What caused him to hesitate was not Naruto's Cultivation base, but rather the sword formation that he had just employed.

"This sword formation can absorb longevity…." The Nascent Soul Cultivator couldn't shake the feeling that this place was completely bizarre. The two things that Nascent Soul Cultivators valued most were their lives and their longevity.

They had long lifespans, and because of that, any reduction to their longevity was very bothersome.

The original plan had been to travel to this place and force Naruto and his followers to join the Kumo Clan. Should he refuse, the Kumo Clan would resort to certain methods of force.

Naruto had grown a bit too powerful in the area, leading the Kumo Clan to their current course of action.

However, it only took a moment for hesitation to fill the heart of the Nascent Soul Cultivator. He had just barely made contact with Naruto's Lotus Sword Formation, but could tell that he had lost several months of longevity.

The next thing that happened was that he saw the parrot flying through the air. Suddenly, he sighed inwardly. At this point, he was quite certain that the parrot was the same as the muscular man he had encountered back in Kumogakure, transformed via some unknown technique.

All of these things, however, merely made him hesitate. They by no means made him abandon the plan laid out by the Kumo Clan. He continued to advance until he was a bit more than thirty meters away from Naruto, whereupon he stopped. His eyes suddenly blazed with an aggressive aura as he stared at Naruto.

Hands clasped behind his back, he slowly said, "Unfortunately, lad, if word of your inadvertent actions spread, then it would have an adverse effect on my reputation." He gave Naruto a meaningful look. "I assume you know why I've come here today. Please provide your response. What happens here today all depends on you." His words were filled with an air of authority. Behind him, the dozens of Kumo Clan members glared out in all directions.

It was only Karai who had an apologetic aura to him. Next to him, Samui was the picture of loftiness; her expression was one of scorn as she stared at the hated Naruto, just waiting for him to bow his head in acquiescence.

As the old man's words rang out, one figure after another suddenly appeared in the region surrounding the basin. They simply stood there, not entering the basin, but slowly emanating crushing pressure which descended upon the thousand local Cultivators.

The parrot looked around proudly, even scornfully. The meat jelly was currently perched atop the head of Tenma, who was trembling in fear. A look of dignity covered its face as it attempted to count how many people were surrounding them.

However, no matter how it counted, there only seemed to be three….

As for the thousand Cultivators, their faces were filled with anxiety. It was only Big-head who set his jaw and then muttered to himself, "These Kumogakure people can mess with anyone they want, and they choose to mess with this inhuman villain…."

Naruto looked calmly at the Nascent Soul Cultivator in front of him. His Cultivation base was at the early Nascent Soul stage. He stood there like some kind of mountain, exerting powerful pressure. He held himself like the Lord of this area, as if he were in charge of the thousand Cultivators, as if their lives or deaths could be determined by a mere thought on his part.

His expression the same as ever, Naruto asked, "How will joining the Kumo Clan benefit me?" It was as if he hadn't even noticed the people standing on the surrounding mountain ridges.

"By becoming an auxiliary branch of the Kumo Clan, you will have the right to occupy this position," said the Nascent Soul Cultivator, his voice calm. "You can also receive financial support from the Kumo Clan. Of course, you will need to consume the Clan's medicinal supplements. When the appropriate time comes, we will of course dispel them." He was convinced that Naruto would capitulate; there was really only one option available. Naruto wasn't powerful enough to make any other choice.

Actually, considering the current crisis in the Black Lands, the Kumo Clan had little other choice than to do things in this way. Because of the chaos everywhere, few people would willingly join them. The results of their recruiting efforts lately had been abysmal. Naruto and his thousand followers looked like meek lambs. Furthermore, Naruto's Cultivation base was not high enough to cause them any concern. Even if his military might was strong at the moment, exterminating him wouldn't be very difficult.

"I shall give you three breaths of time to consider," said the old man with the flick of a sleeve. "You're a smart fellow, you should be able to figure out what the right decision is. Even if you don't want to concede, you will!"

"Who the hell are you again?" replied Naruto coolly, his expression the same as ever. "Is the Kumo Clan looking for a new boss?"

Naruto's words boomed out like thunder.

It wasn't just the Nascent Soul Cultivator who stared in shock after hearing them; all of the surrounding thousand Cultivators gaped.

When the words rang out, Big-head was off in the distance reveling in Naruto's misfortune. He gasped. In his opinion, Naruto's words were simply too pretentious.

Samui's eyes went wide; she had never imagined someone could be so wildly arrogant. Karai also stared in shock, along with all of the other Kumo Clan members, who looked on in disbelief.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator started to laugh. His laughter grew louder, and the look on his face became grimmer. His killing intent had long since begun to emanate out.

"You stripling, you really don't know the height of the Heavens and the depth of the Earth! Well, if you're looking to die, I can fulfill your wish!" Even as he spoke, he began to stride toward Naruto.

Simultaneously, the Kumo Clan members on the ridges around the basin transformed into prismatic beams of light and shot downward.

However, even as they sprang into action, the parrot, who was currently soaring through mid-air, suddenly cried out in its shrill voice: "Get into formation!"

The screeching voice slammed into the ears of the thousand onlookers. Immediately, the more than one hundred Cultivators who had been with Naruto from the beginning began to run, almost out of instinct. Their action spurred on the other Cultivators. They had been training for many days with the parrot, essentially developing this skill out of nothing. It was difficult, but they had already started to become familiar with the spell formation; working in unison with others made things much simpler.

At the same time that the Cultivators began running, the Nascent Soul Cultivator was closing in on Naruto. His right hand lifted up, forming a palm which he then closed into a fist. The air around Naruto collapsed, shrinking rapidly, crushing down onto Naruto.

Naruto's eyes glittered sharply. As the old man neared him, the Lotus Sword Formation suddenly appeared and shot forward. A booming rang out, and as it did, Naruto struck out his right hand with incredible power.

The old man frowned. He suddenly stopped moving forward and then disappeared, completely evading Naruto's sword formation. Then, he reappeared behind Naruto, a snide look on his face. He reached out his left hand and closed it into a fist. "Shatter," he said.

Another boom filled the air as the air around Naruto shattered, along with him, slicing his body into infinite pieces.

"Now you know the gap between the Core Formation stage and the Nascent Soul stage," said the old man. "It doesn't matter if you have an amazing sword formation or some bizarre power in your right fist. In the… huh?" Even in the middle of his diatribe, then old man's face suddenly flickered and filled with shock.

This was because Naruto's body had been shattered, not into pieces of bone and flesh, but rather, Chakra.

"A clone!? How could a Core Formation Cultivator have a clone!?" His face twisting, he spun around. Even as he did, he saw a vast fog, within which massive figures nearly thirty meters tall could be seen, running to and fro.

The dozens of Clan members who had accompanied him here were nowhere to be seen.

"This…." The man's face was unsightly. If he didn't understand that he had been trapped, then he didn't deserve to be a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

"This trifling spell formation can't hold me," he said with a cold harrumph. His body flickered, and he disappeared as he employed another minor teleportation. When he reappeared, his face was filled with thorough shock. This was because he had discovered that he was still surrounded by endless fog.

"So minor teleportation doesn't work…." The old man slapped his bag of holding to produce a strip of bamboo. He rubbed its surface, causing it to ignite. A howl rang out from within the flames and smoke; it transformed into the phantom image of a vicious beast, which charged toward the fog.

"Break!" cried the old man.

As the boom resonated out, Samui and the others looked around with fear at the fog. They had all been separated, and occasionally, miserable shrieks could be heard.

The Kumo Clan members who had been charging down from the ridges above all looked shocked. Any of them who entered the fog instantly became lost. As for the Cultivators who didn't enter the mist, they took deep breaths as they looked down at the basin. As of this moment, it looked as if it had become a lake of fog!

Fog had filled the entirety of the basin!

The fog roiled and churned with amazing power; within could be seen tall phantom figures running back and forth. The figures seemed to be chanting something, although it wasn't clear. Their running caused the earth to quake; up above, the sky turned pale and clouds began to amass.

The Kumo Clan members who had not been drawn into the fog were just about to retreat, when they suddenly found that, unbeknownst to them, a fog had appeared behind them! They were trapped! A fatal blow was about to be delivered!

The only people who knew about this spell formation of Naruto's were the hundreds of Cultivators who had tried to kill him. However, almost all of them were dead. Any of them who hadn't died were now part of Naruto's forces, and under the compulsion of poison. Of course, they wouldn't spread any information about it.

Therefore, this spell formation was Naruto's greatest trump card. No one knew about it, and with one thousand people to power it, it gave Naruto a shocking advantage.

At the moment, he sat cross-legged in a secret underground chamber, his true secluded meditation zone. As he looked up, his vision passed through the ground to see everything that was happening up above.

He saw the deaths of the Kumo Clan members and other Cultivators they had brought. He also saw the old Nascent Soul expert frantically trying to break through the spell formation. Unfortunately for him, the power of the spell formation had already been unleashed. When it was completely in play, even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would be unable to break it.

"The Kumo Clan came with vicious intent," thought Naruto. "You can't blame me for responding in kind." He pushed his right index finger down the ground. Immediately, Demonic Chakra coalesced to form an illusory body. In the blink of an eye, it assumed the appearance of Naruto, then passed through all the dirt and soil to join the events in the outside world.

Naruto then stood up and left the secret chamber. When he appeared in the mist, a multicolored streak of light flew toward him; it was the parrot, who landed on his shoulder, its face filled with arrogance and complacency. It looked around with derision.

"Naruto, let's sack the city! Plunder that random Clan, whatever it was called. What's theirs shall be ours! With Lord Fifth's spell formation, we can screw those no-good sons of b*tches to death! Then I can go visit those cute birdies again. Hahaha! Lord Fifth is always the most badass! Birdies, just wait for Lord Fifth, alright? Lord Fifth has already decided that from now on, that Kumogakure is going to change its name to Peacock Screwing City!"

Naruto ignored the parrot. His body flickered as he shot forward. Because of the parrot's help, the fog did absolutely nothing to Naruto. Traversing about within it was as easy as walking down a paved road.

"Are you sure your spell formation can hold a Nascent Soul Cultivator?" Naruto asked coolly as he walked through the fog.

"Of course, no problem," replied the parrot. Slapping its chest with its wing, it said, "Lord Fifth's human-powered Celestial spell formation is unique in all the Nine Mountains and Seas. It draws its power from people. Since we have more than a thousand, well, we might not be able to kill a Nascent Soul Cultivator, but we can definitely trap one inside. Child's play." Its tone was lofty, as if its actions were doubly efficient.

"Can the spell formation move?" asked Naruto, his eyes glittering. He stopped walking for a moment as he caught sight of a Kumo Clan Cultivator of the early Core Formation stage off in the fog. The man was frantically attacking the mist around him, an expression of terror and despair on his face.

He couldn't see Naruto, but Naruto could make him out quite clearly. Naruto shifted into motion again, and within a moment was at the man's side. He waved his hand, and the fog coalesced, surrounding the Kumo Clan Cultivator, enveloping him. When it dissipated, Naruto walked off. Behind him, the Kumo Clan Cultivator had collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

"Of course it can move. As long as our men keep running, then Lord Fifth's spell formation can go anywhere, and take the people inside along with it." An expression of arrogant pride covered the parrot's face.

Naruto nodded and continued to proceed forward. It wasn't long before he found Karai. The man's face was pale and filled with vigilance. He peered around at the fog; his Core Chakra was in full play and he was on guard against any changes.

Naruto looked at him thoughtfully for the space of a few breaths, then shot over. The fog began to seethe, and Karai's face flickered. Before he could react, though, a hand shot out from the fog next to him and pushed down onto his back.

A great power shot through him, sealing his Cultivation base. He didn't even have the strength to turn his head now. Instead, he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Naruto walked out from within the fog and looked down at Karai. He didn't kill him; knocking him out was good enough for now.

Naruto turned and continued to walk off into the distance. Whenever he ran into Kumo Clan members, he disabled them and rendered them unconscious.

Some of them, however, ended up in the paths of the running figures. These ones could only perish with miserable shrieks under the power of the spell formation.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Naruto found Samui within the fog. Her hair was in disarray, and her beautiful features were filled with hopelessness and anxiety. She had used every method she had at her disposal, but was unable to escape. How could she not feel despair?

She couldn't see her fellow Clan members; it was as if the entire world had turned into fog, and she was the only person left. When the massive phantoms went running by, they emitted a great pressure which filled her heart with fear.

How could she ever have imagined that the person who pissed her off so much would have such a fearsome spell formation? She didn't dare to approach the running phantoms; she had already seen a few of her fellow Clan members run into them and instantly be trampled to death.

In fact, she could smell the odor of fresh blood rising up in the air.

Naruto looked at her, his eyes cold. He lifted up his right hand, causing the fog to roil and rush toward her. It immediately enveloped her, then slowly dissipated. She was now unconscious on the ground, completely still.

In addition to the Kumo Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator, there were over seventy Clan Members left in the fog. By now, Naruto had already incapacitated about half of them.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, Naruto slowly lifted his hand up from the middle of the back of yet another listless Kumo Clan member. The man spit up a mouthful of blood and then collapsed unconscious.

"That's the last one," said Naruto. Turning, he looked off through the mist toward the stranded Nascent Soul expert. He was currently shooting divine abilities off constantly, as well as employing minor teleportation. In his mind, he was traveling forward slowly, but from Naruto's perspective, he was merely going in circles.

Going in circles would not enable him to escape the fog.

"The Kumo Clan came with malice," said Naruto, "so let's teach them a lesson. Move the spell formation." Immediately, the parrot on his shoulder lifted its head up and let out a powerful squawking howl.

The fog around them immediately began to roil. The thousand running Cultivators within no longer ran in a circuitous path. Their eyes were closed, as if their wills were fused with that of the parrot. According to the parrot's thoughts, the spell formation began to move toward Kumogakure.

Looking at the fog from outside, it was like a roiling sea within the basin. As it churned and seethed, it slowly began to move, climbing out of the basin, growing at the same time.

The fog sea was huge, tens of thousands of meters in diameter. As it passed along, it was as if an enormous beast made of fog consumed everything it touched.

The fog sea moved forward, and as it did, giant figures slowly became visible. Their roaring voices slowly became clearer.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life…."

The sound of it rolled out, growing louder and clearer. Eventually, it shook Heaven and Earth, drawing the attention of the Rogue Cultivators who resided in the region surrounding Kumogakure. They stared fixedly with wide eyes at the unbelievable sight of the roiling fog.

More and more people began to watch the mass of fog; it seemed to be moving slowly, but actually proceeded on with great speed. Some of the people flew along in mid-air to watch, panting, eyes wide.

Currently, the fog was about five hundred kilometers from Kumogakure, slowly moving forward. Onlookers had no idea what it was, but they could hear the indistinct voices emanating out from within. The sound of it left them shocked.

"What does it mean?"

"What a huge swathe of fog. It looks like there are people inside running around…."

"No, whatever things are inside are much bigger than people. It looks like they're more than thirty meters tall! Just what is this fog?"

By now, there were several hundred Cultivators floating up in the air watching. These were all Rogue Cultivators who hadn't joined any of the local power forces. They stared on with wide eyes, fearfully keeping their distance so that the fog wouldn't envelop them.

The fog moved along, drawing closer and closer to Kumogakure. 500 kilometers, 400 kilometers, 250 kilometers, 150 kilometers….

The fog billowed up high into the sky, and as it moved along, it emitted a thunderous rumbling sound that shook the ground. Dust flew into the air, and an immense pressure emanated out. The Cultivators who were following along in mid-air retreated further away in fear.

Meanwhile, in Kumogakure everything was relatively desolate. Other than the Kumo Clan members, the only other Cultivators in the city were a handful of Rogue Cultivators. As they all became aware of what was going on, their hearts began to fill with consternation.

They had no idea what the fog was; all they knew was that Kumogakure clearly lay directly in its path. Given the speed with which the fog was moving, it would arrive in the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

As it neared, the people inside Kumogakure began to shrink back in fear, as if they wanted to flee.

"What happened? Is it the Black Lands Palace?"

"Dammit, how come it's moving so fast? Just what Black Lands Palace technique is this? This fog is so immense it's frightening…."

Most of the Kumo Clan members were gathered up in the second layer of the city. There were roughly five hundred of them, and all of their faces were filled with unsightly expressions. Standing in front of all of them were two old men with grim faces.

These two old men were the other of the three Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Kumo Clan. Standing next to them was the current Kumo Clan Chief. He was frowning, and his expression was one of anxiety.

Up above them, three Scarlet Peacocks circled about in the air looking uneasy. They emitted plaintive wails as they eyed the incoming fog.

An oppressive aura had come to rest over the entirety of Kumogakure.

One of the Nascent Soul Cultivators standing next to the Clan Chief, a middle-aged man, said, "According to my investigation, all of the forces that Third Elder took with him to the Church of the Golden Light have gone missing…. After that, the Church of the Golden Light was completely empty…. That's when this bizarre fog appeared. Its target is clear: Kumogakure!" He paused for a moment, a look of bitterness, fear and reverence on his face. "I arranged for seven men to investigate the mist from various directions as it approached, but…. Regardless of the level of their Cultivation base, as soon as they touched the fog, they were sucked in. After that, we lost all contact."

The Clan Chief sighed inwardly. He might be the Clan Chief, but even if his opinion differed from that of the Elders, he still had to comply with their wishes. His opinion regarding the Church of the Golden Light had been to cooperate with it and form an alliance.

However, the three Elders viewed the Church of the Golden Light as nothing more than a group of Rogue Cultivators. The Church's founder, Patriarch Golden Light, was only a Core Formation Cultivator, and therefore not qualified to enter an alliance with the Kumo Clan. He could either capitulate or be enslaved, those were his only options.

It was under these suppositions that Third Elder had set out.

Now, the Church of the Golden Light was obviously striking back at them, in a way that far surpassed the predictions of the Kumo Clan. The Black Lands Palace hadn't even come their way yet, but they were already facing a crisis.

The other Nascent Soul Elder coolly said, "Does a firefly dare to compete with the full moon? Employ the Clan's Grand Spell Formation. If the Church of the Golden Light wants to attack us with fog, then the Kumo Clan will break them with our spell formation!"

At this point, the fog was now about 25 kilometers away from the city.

Green beams of light began to emanate out from Kumogakure, transforming into sheets of leaves which covered over the city.

Within the fog, Naruto looked out at Kumogakure. His eyes glowed with coldness. Above his head spun the Lotus Sword Formation. Surrounding him were more than seventy Kumo Clan Cultivators who had previously been unconscious. They were awake now, although, their eyes were filled with blankness. They seemed to have lost their senses, as if their bodies weren't even under their own control.

Naruto had used the art of Righteous Bestowal to take control of them.

"Demon Sealers don't usually exchange blows with others," Naruto murmured. "The blows are delivered by means of Righteous Bestowal." He lifted up his right hand and waved it out in front of him.

The hundreds of Rogue Cultivators floating in mid-air didn't leave; they wanted to stay and watch the battle.

Each and every one could tell that this fog was not the work of the Black Lands Palace. Many of these people had lived in the area for a long time. After making some inquiries, they came to find out that the fog belonged to none other that the burgeoning Church of the Golden Light.

They gazed with intense looks as the speed of the fog increased, drawing it ever closer to the defenses of Kumogakure.

15 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 5 kilometers, 2.5 kilometers….

All the way until a massive explosion shook the land and sent vibrations out through the air. When the fog slammed into Kumogakure, sky and earth turned pale. Kumogakure shook as the leaves surrounding it began to glow. The fog churned violently, and an intense rumbling emanated out from it.

Next, the onlookers stared raptly as the fog began to cover over the leaves, slowly enveloping the entirety of Kumogakure.

As of this moment, Kumogakure was no longer visible; the only thing that could be seen was an all-encompassing fog.

However, those who looked closely could see that even though the Kumogakure defensive spell formation was covered by the fog, it hadn't been broken yet, and wouldn't anytime soon. This was not a battle between Cultivators but a struggle between spell formations.

Booming sounds rang out one after another. Suddenly, a thousand enormous phantoms appeared within the fog, causing the hundreds of Cultivators watching on from mid-air to gasp. These phantoms were roughly thirty meters in height, and they ran with incredible speed, black smoke streaming off of their forms.

As they ran, the fog grew thicker, and rumbling booms filled the air.

Furthermore, the top of the fog layer began to churn, and a figure rose up. He wore a long green robe, and his black hair whipped about in the wind. Golden light emanated out from his body; this was none other than Naruto.

"Patriarch Golden Light!"

"So this fog is the work of Patriarch Golden Light! Is he crazy? He's only at the Core Formation stage, but he dares to pick a fight with the Kumo Clan!"

"That spell formation might be strong, and the Kumo Clan doesn't have a Spirit Severing Patriarch. However, they do have three Nascent Soul Elders. That's more than enough to hold a solid position in the entire area. Nobody around here dares to provoke the Kumo Clan!"

Meanwhile, the fog-covered Kumogakure showed no signs of weakening. The countless leaves surrounded the city, within which were about a hundred Rogue Cultivators who had chosen to side with the Kumo Clan. They were nervous, but having seen the effectiveness of the Kumogakure defenses, they were confident in their decision.

In the second level of the city, the Kumo Clan Cultivators were breathing sighs of relief. The two Nascent Soul Elders' eyes shone with cold light, and they let out cold harrumphs.

The fact that the city's spell formation could resist this bizarre mist put them in an unassailable position. Even the Kumo Clan Chief was feeling a bit more at ease.

One of the Nascent Soul Elders pulled out a jade slip. "I'm interested to see how formidable this guy's spell formation really is," he said, smashing the jade slip between his fingers. A green aura swirled up to form a light that shot out toward the city's leaf defense.

In the blink of an eye, the leaf spell formation began to emit a buzzing sound as hundreds of toxic wasps flew out from within. Each toxic wasp emitted a dangerous aura as it flew out from within the spell formation. However, even as they charged forward, the more than seventy Kumo Clan members in the fog who were under the control of Naruto's Righteous Bestowal shot forward to meet them, their eyes glowing with a mysterious light.

"Dammit!" said the Kumo Clan Nascent Soul Elder, his face falling. Obviously, he was observing the scene outside through the eyes of the toxic wasps. His right hand flickered with an incantation, causing the toxic wasps outside to veer away from the Clan members and search for Cultivators of the Church of the Golden Light.

Within the fog, the parrot let out a sharp squawk; immediately the running phantoms around him changed directions. Instantly, the fog transformed into a vortex, within which danced countless lightning bolts. The parrot's colorful feathers all stood on end and its eyes filled with a feverish look. It pushed the spell formation to the limits of its power in order to break the city's defenses.

"Lord Fifth swore an oath to screw this city!" it screeched, controlling the movements of the spell formation as if it were bewitched. "You just wait, Lord Fifth is coming!" The phantoms ran back and forth, trampling above the city, causing booms to fill the air, and the leaves to tremble.

As the two spell formations fought back and forth, Naruto floated in mid-air, looking down through the fog at Kumogakure within.

He lifted his right hand, flashed an incantation, and then pointed down toward the ground.

"Righteous Bestowal!" he said coolly. As his voice rang out, Naruto saw ghost images spring up everywhere. At the same time, strands of Chakra rose up from all directions to circulate around him. He made a gesture toward the fog, and the Demonic Chakra instantly began to coalesce and shoot toward it. It passed directly through the fog and then into Kumogakure's spell formation.

A boom rang out, causing everything to shake violently. Naruto continued to make incantation gestures with his right hand. More Demonic Chakra surged forth, passing through the fog to slam into the other spell formation.

Everything that was happening caused the observing Rogue Cultivators to shake in their boots. They suddenly realized that Patriarch Golden Light was not someone to be looked down upon in the slightest.

Suddenly, a cold snort rang out from beneath the fog, filled with pride and scorn. "Paltry Church of the Golden Light! Piddling Core Formation child! You dare to use some bizarre fog spell formation to trap my Kumo Clan members!?" The voice caused the air to shudder, echoing out far beyond the region of the fog.

Another voice rang out, that of an old man. "You don't know the height of the Heavens and the depth of the Earth, you little punk!" Suddenly, Kumogakure's leaf defenses began to emanate a bright green glow, within which, the images of leaves could be seen. It swirled around, emanating a booming sound that caused the fog to vibrate. The running figures inside suddenly began to show signs of weakening.

The parrot let out a squawk, and the fog suddenly began to churn. Rumbling sounds emanated out as the attack on the Kumogakure defenses redoubled.

A proud voice rang out: "The Kumogakure spell formation has been at the top for years. It has never been broken! Even the Black Lands Palace would have to pay a heavy price to get through it, let alone some piddling Church of the Golden Light!

"Your spell formation might be incredible, but how long will it last? Once you can't hold out any longer, I'll personally rip the skin off your body and hang it in my bedroom!" The echoing voice rang out to be heard by the hundreds of observing Cultivators, causing their hearts and minds to tremble.

A coldness glittered in Naruto's eyes. The reason he had chosen to use the spell formation to isolate Kumogakure and then use the Kumo Clan members to attack, was because he knew that the general chaos in the Black Lands would prevent the Kumo Clan from going all out.

He wanted to send a warning to the Kumo Clan to not trifle with him. He and they were separate entities, and although blood had been spilled, not all issues needed to be solved with a massacre.

However, the arrogance of the Kumo Clan showed no signs of lessening. In fact, it seemed to be growing more intense. A cold smile touched the corners of Naruto's mouth.

"Well in that case, Naruto understands," he thought. Slapping his bag of holding, he produced a black-colored medicinal pill.

As soon as it appeared, it began to emanate a mysterious glow that seemed capable of sucking in one's consciousness.

This was a poison pill personally concocted by Naruto, one of the more powerful varieties. With the wave of a hand, crushing the pill into ashy powder. It flew down to be sucked into the spinning fog vortex. After a moment, it began to descend onto Kumogakure's leaf defenses.

As the powder descended, the leaves began to contract and show signs of decay. They even emitted squealing sounds.

At the same time, Naruto pulled out another medicinal pill. He crushed this one as well, and as he sprinkled the resulting powder down, a Flame Sea sprang into being. The flames were mysterious and bizarre as they passed through the fog and down toward Kumogakure.

Next, Naruto produced a third pill, then a fourth and a fifth. He crushed them all into powder and sent them floating down, three deadly poisons that merged with the Flame Sea to become a five-colored hyper toxic poison.

The hyper toxic poison was something specially designed by Naruto using his skill in the Dao of alchemy. Poison pills that he created were not necessarily things that Nascent Soul Cultivators would fear, but anyone under that stage who were infected by them would be incapable of dispelling the poison without Naruto's assistance.

This fog was now a poison fog!

Multitudinous hissing noises rose up, and the fog seethed. In the space of an instant, Kumogakure went completely quiet. Everyone inside was looking up at the leaf shield, their faces flickering with various emotions.

The Kumo Clan Cultivators all looked on with unsightly expressions. Even the two Nascent Soul Elders had looks of shock on their faces.

"This guy's also a poison expert!"

"Dammit! How come no one uncovered such an important piece of information!?"

"Poison Cultivators are usually less powerful in direct combat, but in large-scale conflicts, their abilities can determine victory or defeat!"

The Kumo Clan members were shocked, but the hundreds of observing Cultivators could do nothing more than gasp and looked at Naruto, their eyes filling with dread.

"Poison is only part one," said Naruto, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. He waved his right hand, and the Lotus Sword Formation flew out toward the fog. Within the fog, it began to spin rapidly, sending out vast ripples containing the power of Time.

As the ripples spread out, it carried fog with them, which in turn contained Time power. The combination of the ten swords was equal to the power of more than ten sixty-year cycles of time.

The poison alone could cause extreme damage. However, combined with the power of Time, it transformed into a sort of terrifying baptism. The ripples spread out, bolstered by the unimaginable power of the fog spell formation. Poison, the power of Time, the imprisoning power of the spell formation, all of these things caused the spell formation to surge with boundless power.

As the Time ripples spread out, a handful of observing Cultivators who were relatively close by could see the vegetation on the ground withering up. Even the soil itself seemed to fill with signs of decay; signs of it could even be seen in the air.

Before the Cultivators who saw this could flee, the ripples hit them, and their faces flickered. They then employed every method possible to get away as quickly as they could. Even still, they weren't fast enough. All of them suddenly transformed from being middle-aged to being old. One of them even began to emanate a faint aura of death.

All of the observers gasped when they saw this, their faces filled with looks of unprecedented shock. Immediately, they began to fall back, fearful of coming into contact with the ripples.

"What magic is that?!"

"Time! That's Time, the power of Time! It's a divine ability that can cause you to age almost a whole lifetime in the blink of an eye!"

"Patriarch Golden Light is so powerful…. No wonder he dared to provoke the Kumo Clan!"

What is Time…?

Many years later, Karai would never be able to forget what he saw that day as he stood atop that bright green leaf. His eyes were blank, but his mind was awake. He saw his body beginning to grow old. He saw the green leaves around him growing decrepit and old. He saw the land around him becoming ancient.

As the Lotus Sword Formation spun, and its power emanated out, Naruto hovered above the fog looking down inside, observing the effects of the power of Time which he wielded.

On the one hand, it was something of ultimate flexibility within Heaven and Earth. On the other hand, it contained paramount indomitability.

No person, no living thing, no creature could stand up to that gentle onslaught which is Time. It didn't matter if you used spell formations or divine abilities, illusory or tangible items. All of it… would deteriorate under indomitable, smashing Time.

And this was a single Lotus Sword Formation formed with Time Swords. Only one of them contained three sixty-year cycles; the others were incomplete. If all the Time Swords contained three sixty-year cycles, then that combination would be a power of Time equal to one thousand eight hundred years. That was enough to shock the Heavens and rock the Earth.

This is Time!

In this moment, all of the surrounding Rogue Cultivators had lost the power to even breathe. They stared in shock at the land. It looked somewhat yellow, like an old painting which was slowly fading away into dust.

Within the fog, the Kumo Clan members who were under Naruto's control were coming to their senses. However, even as they did, they wished they hadn't. This was because as they recovered, they found themselves on the verge of becoming ancient.

Samui looked down at her hands; they were covered with wrinkles. Her body was withered. All she could do was stare out blankly.

The green shield of leaves surrounding Kumogakure was in the process of rotting. It started to show signs of breakage, and there were some areas where the shield couldn't even cover the city. Fog started to pour inside, along with the power of Time, and the hyper toxic poison.

This all gave birth to intense dread within the city; all of the Kumo Clan Cultivators felt their hearts and minds trembling.

Before they could even take any countermeasures, the fog began to seethe violently. The parrot suddenly shot out from within, flying up into the air and giving out a piercing cry.

Beneath it, the fog began to transform into columns of black smoke. The boundless fog, which was nearly five thousand meters in diameter, congealed into hundreds of bands of black smoke, which shot up to circulate around the parrot. Within them were the more than one thousand Cultivators of the Church of the Golden Light. Their eyes were closed, and they were surrounded by black smoke, as if they were part of the spell formation itself.

The trembling onlookers watched as the black smoke congealed rapidly to form into the shape of an enormous black raven!

The raven's body emanated a black aura. It let out a piercing cry which seemed capable of causing the living to close their eyes and the dead to open theirs. It echoed out throughout Heaven and Earth, then slammed down onto Kumogakure like a meteor falling from the Heavens.

This spectacle was a familiar sight to some of the audience. They had seen something very similar that night some time ago in Kumogakure. Here it was again; however, the amount of power they could sense was far, far greater than that from before.

They watched on in awe as the black raven screamed through the air directly toward the green leaf shield of Kumogakure.

An enormous, deafening boom filled the air. The defense shield had already been weakened. Now, it trembled, unable to stand up to the force which assailed it; it suddenly began to collapse.

As it exploded, vast quantities of trees within Kumogakure also began to fall apart. The leaves shattered. The shield… was completely gone!

At the same time, the black raven began to disperse; it transformed into vast quantities of fog, which once again dispersed out to cover Kumogakure.

Miserable shrieks filled the air, along with explosions. The hyper toxic poison, along with the power of Time, swept through the city. Outside the fog, everything was quiet. No one spoke. The hundreds of observing Cultivators watched on blankly, their minds spinning. Everything that was happening was being sealed onto their minds, never to be forgotten.

Within Kumogakure, the two Nascent Soul Elders stood pale-faced. The vast fog which surrounded them made it impossible to see their fellow Clan members. All they could hear were bloodcurdling screams echoing about.

They were Nascent Soul Cultivators. Compared to everyone else around them, they were at the pinnacle of power. However, within this spell formation, they weren't even able to move. No matter what divine abilities they utilized, they could not escape, nor break through the fog.

Rage sprang into being in their minds, but even their rage was useless against the spell formation.

On the first day, they were still able to come up with ideas about how to break out. On the second day, it was the same. In fact, they maintained this optimism until the fifth day. After that, though, they no longer heard any bloodcurdling cries from their fellow Clan members. Hopelessness filled them, and their expressions filled with complete frenzy.

Their features had been assaulted by the power of Time for over five days. They were Nascent Soul Cultivators, but they were unable to fight the changes that resulted from such an onslaught.

On the sixth day, the fog covering Kumogakure suddenly began to lift. It left the city, no longer filling it, but surrounding it. Not a scrap of fog was left to be seen inside.

What was clearly visible inside of Kumogakure was decay. Trees, leaves, everything looked as if it had been rotting there for hundreds of years.

There were only three people left inside of the city. They were none other than the Kumo Clan's Nascent Soul Elders. The one who had been trapped inside the fog for the longest looked around in surprise as soon as it lifted. Immediately, his breathing grew ragged, and astonishment filled his eyes.

From beginning to end, he had assumed he was still in the basin of the Church of the Golden Light. Only now did he find out where the battle had actually been fought.

At the same time, he caught sight of the other two Nascent Soul Elders. They all exchanged glances, then looked up silently as Naruto strode out from within the fog.

The instant they saw him, the three of them began to grow blurry, as they prepared to use minor teleportation if necessary. Now that Naruto had made an appearance, they were determined to be prepared for anything.

Naruto looked at the three old men, then lifted his right hand. Immediately, hundreds of figures began to emerge from the surrounding fog. They were none other than all the other members of the Kumo Clan, unconscious, dragged out by the fog itself.

The appearance of these people caused the three old men to give up any notions of using minor teleportation. With all of their Clan members here, they wouldn't take the risk.

They stood there silently.

"Enough," said Naruto. "You know, the fault is yours. If I hadn't fought back, you would have assimilated me. Joining you wouldn't be that bad, I guess, except you lack a bit in the sincerity department. I didn't kill very many of your Clan members. They're all here. I'll trade them back to you for this broken down city of yours." He looked at them, awaiting their answer.

The hearts of the three Nascent Soul Cultivators filled with bitterness. They exchanged glances, and then Second Elder gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Things being the way they are," he said, "we agree with everything you've said. Except…." Before he finished speaking, he locked gazes with Naruto. It seemed as if he were engaged in a respectful interchange, but suddenly, the bodies of the three Elders vanished. Using minor teleportation, they reappeared off to the side, looking as if they were going to make a run for it.

Even as Naruto looked over at them, First Elder, who hadn't spoken the entire time, suddenly grew blurry. As he did, killing intent filled his eyes. When he reappeared, he was standing behind Naruto. His hand shot out hatefully, slamming into Naruto.

A boom filled the air as the Naruto in front of First Elder exploded into pieces. However, what dissipated out was nothing more than vast quantities of Chakra.

Next, Third Elder shot toward the mist. He wasn't fleeing; no, his right hand flickered an incantation. His body began to emit a buzzing sound, and an enormous hand appeared behind him. It shot into the mist, where it grabbed someone.

The person it grabbed was none other than Naruto!

"Die!" cried Third Elder. A boom rang out as the man clenched his fist. However… even as the boom filled the air, the Naruto within the fist suddenly dissipated into Chakra.

The three Elders' faces fell. First Elder, Second Elder, who had been speaking just now, and Third Elder, all felt their hearts begin to pound.

They had come up with their plan based on a few mutual glances. However, their plan had been defeated in an instant. Suddenly, roughly a dozen people walked out from within the fog. All of them were Naruto!

Their appearances were completely identical, and all of them glared coldly at the three Elders.

"Patriarch of the Church of the Golden Light," said Third Elder of the Kumo Clan, shamed into rage, "will you only rely on your spell formation? Or do you dare to fight one on one with any of us?!" The frustration he had felt over the past days exploded out. The power of his Nascent Soul Cultivation base also emanated out; his entire body brimmed with power.

One among the dozen of Narutos cleared his throat and said. "No, I don't." He looked a bit embarrassed.

Even as the words came out of his mouth, Second Elder appeared in front of him and launched an attack. Naruto's body dissipated into black mist. But then… ten more Narutos walked out from the fog.

The three old Cultivators were now starting to be inundated with a feeling of helplessness.

"Elders, don't you think your acting this way is a bit improper?" said one of the Narutos, looking a bit bashful. "I'm sincerely trying to discuss a way to resolve the situation. The Kumo Clan is quite well known in the Black Lands. Your position in the United Nine might be weakening as of late, but if your entire Clan dies overnight, that would be really embarrassing for you. I would once again like to request that you three Elders agree to hand over the city to me. What do you say?"

Even as he spoke, the hundreds of Kumo Clan Cultivators wrapped up in the fog started quivering as the fog began to wrap tightly around their necks.

Kumogakure's three Nascent Soul Elders stood there fuming, gnashing their teeth. The hundreds of Cultivators outside of the fog still hadn't left, and were able to clearly see what was happening. Strange expressions covered their faces. Without any sort of consultation, they had all come to think the same thing: Naruto was someone to be intensely feared.

After a long moment, First Elder let out a long sigh and said, "Let all of our Clan members free and you can have the city, okay?!"

The dozens of Narutos all smiled. None of them spoke or moved; they simply looked at the three Nascent Soul Elders.

Not an ounce of respect for the Nascent Soul Cultivators could be seen in their gazes. Naruto didn't need to respect them. During his battle outside the Rebirth Cave, he had fought against more than ten Nascent Soul experts. There was nothing about them that he found awe-inspiring.

Even more importantly, Naruto was supremely confident that if he put on the blood-colored mask, although he would still not match up to them completely, he would definitely be able to fight back.

The First Elder said nothing for a while, but then let out a bitter laugh. He lifted his hand up and then smacked it down hard onto his chest. His body trembled as he spit up three consecutive mouthfuls of blood. With each mouthful, his aura grew weaker. By the end of the process, his Cultivation base was reduced by half.

Even though he was still of the Nascent Soul stage, his actual battle prowess was now at almost exactly the same level as the great circle of Core Formation. It would take him months to recover fully from such a state.

After a moment's silence, Second Elder sighed. He knew there was only one thing he could do; there were no other options available. He also delivered a palm strike to his own chest. After coughing up some blood, his face grew listless.

Third Elder glared venomously at Naruto for a moment, then took a deep breath. He also inflicted self-injuries. As he coughed up blood, his Cultivation base sank.

"Now do you trust us?" said First Elder coldly, wiping the blood from his mouth.

One of the dozens of Narutos gave a shy smile. Nodding, he tapped his bag of holding. Even as he did so, the First Elder's eyes filled with a gleaming light; he suddenly opened his mouth and spit out a beam of light.

This was Nascent Soul Aura, similar to Core Chakra. However, in terms of level, it was the Heavens and Core Chakra was the Earth. This Nascent Soul Aura was red in color and was vastly more intense than any naturally occurring red glow in Heaven and Earth. It wasn't very dense, but carried a brilliant luster. In an instant, it appeared in front of Naruto, then spread out to cover everything.

The glow disappeared in the blink of an eye. As it did, the Naruto who had been tapping his bag of holding, as well as all of the other Narutos in the area, were destroyed. However, what fell to the ground was not blood and flesh, but fog.

The sight caused the Nascent Soul Cultivators' faces to grow even more unsightly. They had used every method at their disposal, but the prudence and deviousness of Patriarch Golden Light defeated them at every turn.

"Of course the one tapping the bag of holding wasn't really me," came a voice from the fog. The fog churned, and Naruto strode out. "Seniors, I know that my clones look transparent to your eyes. The fact that you mistook the clone for the real me is my fault, I guess. Oops."

He waved his hand, causing hundreds of streams of medicinal elixir to fly out. They shot directly toward the bound Kumo Clan members, fusing into their bodies through their foreheads.

"This poison is really harmless," said Naruto with a smile. "It's not fatal, nor will it affect the Cultivation base. Let's just say it's there as… insurance." He stepped to the side, and a path opened up in the fog which led to the outside. The fog unwrapped from the hundreds of Kumo Clan Cultivators, releasing them.

The three Nascent Soul Elders stood there with angry expressions on their faces, glaring at the single Naruto, unable to tell whether he was a clone or not.

After a long moment's silence, they started walking. When they passed him, Naruto continued to smile just as before. Suddenly, they stopped and turned their heads to look at him.

"Don't worry. The city is yours," said the First Elder, his tone sincere. "The Kumo Clan doesn't want it anymore. The chaos of war grips the land, and the Kumo Clan is now too weak to put up a fight. We will go into hiding. However, if any of our Clan members are harmed by your poison, then the three of us will exterminate you, even if we die in the process!" Having finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve and walked off.

Naruto continued to smile the entire time. He watched everyone leave, then suddenly lifted up his right hand. There in his palm was Danzo. Almost at the exact same time that Danzo appeared, a lightning bolt suddenly appeared in the blue sky above. It shot down, slamming onto Danzo's soul.

"Curse you, you goddamned…." Before the old man could continue with his cursing, Naruto put him back into the blood-colored mask.

Naruto's movements just now had been as smooth as floating clouds and flowing water; he was quite proficient now.

The three Nascent Soul Elders looked back. When they saw the lightning fall, and then Naruto's actions, their faces sank and they sighed inwardly.

It was now obvious that the Naruto they had just walked past was the real one.

The entire Kumo Clan left, hundreds of people. They departed what had once been their Kumogakure, leaving it completely and thoroughly empty.

No one knew where they left to. It was only known that several days later, they issued a proclamation in the Black Lands announcing their secession from the United Nine.

The news spread through the Black Lands like storm winds. Furthermore, the name of Patriarch Golden Light rose to complete prominence thanks to their battle.

The Kumo Clan having been replaced, Kumogakure was renamed Peacock Screwing City. This rocked the Black Lands, after which many parties made various investigations and inquiries. In the end, it didn't matter; the Church of the Golden Light was now firmly established as a power.

Local Cultivators rushed to live in Peacock Screwing City. Soon, the Church of the Golden Light was over 1,500 men strong. By now, they were more powerful than the Kumo Clan had been, with the exception of the three Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The city itself was fully repaired. The style was different from what Kumogakure's had been, though. The renovated Peacock Screwing City radiated the style of the parrot; it was now bright and colorful!

Naruto handed everything over to the parrot as he prepared to go into secluded meditation. All aspects, the city walls, the protective spell formation, all began to resemble the gaudy colors of the parrot.

In regard to the burrowing vines, Naruto planted some here, whereupon they became one aspect of the city's defense system.

Anyone who joined the Church of the Golden Light was allowed to live in the city. Of course, the Church of the Golden Light was not a Sect, so as more people arrived, the city was no longer truly a city, but rather, a temple!

Naruto channeled a spring from a local river, which he then transformed into a cistern. After adding some medicinal pills, it turned into another medicinal elixir cistern. This became the root of the entire Church.

The green leaf spell formation had been defiled by the parrot. After becoming the master of the city, the parrot didn't get rid of it, though, but rather, came up with some methods to repair and upgrade it. Now the spell formation could emit crushing pressure.

Also, it was now… multicolored.

The interior of the city was arranged as before, into three levels. There was only one residence on the third level. That was where Naruto currently sat cross-legged in meditation. In front of him was the small black jar which he had acquired from Big-head, the legacy item from the League of Hellfire from the Fourth Mountain.

He had been studying the item for several days. He very much wanted to be able to use it with the same seemingly miraculous speed that Big-head had. The idea was very intriguing.

He rubbed the surface of the jar and then suddenly, information regarding a divine ability popped into his mind. "Bloodburst Flash…?" he said lightly. "Use the power of flowing blood to achieve dramatic speed increase."

Naruto's eyes glittered as he lifted his hand to rub the roc scale on his forehead. No matter how he tried, he had been unable to employ its power a second time.

Several days later, just as Naruto had finished cultivating the art of the Bloodburst Flash, Big-head solemnly delivered a jade slip to him. He scanned it with Spiritual Sense, whereupon his eyes began to gleam.

Naruto had sent Big-head to make some inquiries throughout the Black Lands to find out where Frigid Snow Larvae existed. Such larvae were rare, but not mythical. Thankfully, it didn't take long for Big-head to acquire the necessary information.

"Holy Snow City…." said Naruto with a soft sigh, gazing at the jade slip. A slight smile spread across his face.

There was only one place in all of the Black Lands where Frigid Snow Larvae could be found. It was none other than one of the cities of the United Nine, Holy Snow City!

The city belonged to the Frigid Snow Clan, a Clan that was much more powerful than the Kumo Clan. Their Spirit Severing Patriarchs had ensured their continued existence for many years. In fact, in the past, they had even occupied the most prominent position within the United Nine, with three Spirit Severing Patriarchs!

Unfortunately, recent years had seen quite a decline in their power. They now only had one Spirit Severing Patriarch. According to rumor, this final Patriarch was reaching the end of his life, and rarely appeared. He was now the Dao Reserve of the Frigid Snow Clan.

Apparently, only direct blood descendants of the Clan could acquire a Frigid Snow Larva along with the method to raise it. Most importantly, the moment after coming to life, the Frigid Snow Larva would bond a master. That bond could never be altered. When the master died, the larva would also die.

Naruto put away the jade slip. The Frigid Snow Larva was related to his ability to transcend tribulation, and he definitely needed one. After some mental deliberation, he rose to his feet and left his residence. As he looked out at the riotously colorful city, he felt a bit dizzy.

The parrot soared excitedly through the air, followed by three listless Scarlet Peacocks. From below drifted up chanting regarding having faith in the Lord Fifth to gain eternal life.

As for the meat jelly, it was finally able to begin preaching to the thousands of members of the church. Currently, it was looking solemnly at a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, ignoring the trembling look of despair on his face as it enthusiastically described the beauty of a sunset from many years in the past.

Naruto watched on for a bit and then sighed. It looked to him like the Cultivators in the city were very different than they used to, thanks to the parrot and the meat jelly. After a moment's thought, he turned, transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

When the parrot saw him leaving, it suddenly got very excited.

"Taking off, eh? Hahaha! Lord Fifth will now enact a plan that has been a long time in the making. Come come, children. Lord Fifth will now teach you a second Celestial spell formation. This one is called the Immortal Execution Formation!" The parrot slapped its chest with its wing, its voice roaring out with excitement. "This formation can shake the Heavens and rock the Earth. Employing it isn't dangerous at all, and won't hurt you in the least bit. Lord Fifth was definitely not screwed over by my own spell formation nine times in the past! Therefore, you all have nothing to worry about!"

It was dusk in the Black Lands. Naruto whistled through the air at high speed, like a green shooting star that disappeared over the horizon.

This was his seventh day of travel after leaving the city. He had followed the course laid out on the map in the jade slip, flying without rest the entire time. It was uncommon to find long-range teleportation portals within the Black Lands. If you wanted to travel somewhere, you needed to make the journey with your own power.

Throughout the seven days, lightning would occasionally fall, to be accompanied by the miserable shrieks of Danzo. Naruto wasn't harmed at all. At the moment, he was flying over the smoking ruins of what had once been a town home to a small-scale power. Amidst the smouldering wreckage, Naruto could make out quite a few corpses.

This was the fifth such scene Naruto had encountered during the past seven days. He looked down at it for a moment, and was about to fly past when suddenly he gave out a cold snort. His eyes glittered with coldness and he waved his right hand. A flying sword had just shot out toward him; now it came to a halt about thirty meters away.

A sinister cry suddenly rang out from within the ruins. "Attack!"

Eight beams of light appeared, shooting up toward Naruto. Among the eight people was one late Core Formation Cultivator. Two were of the mid Core Formation stage, and the rest were of the early Core Formation stage. Eight men squads like this were nothing to take lightly in any location. As they flew out, they emanated shocking power.

However, other than the late Core Formation Cultivator, all of the men had listless expressions in their eyes. Their Cultivation bases were powerful, but their movements were rigid, like those of puppets.

They bore down on Naruto, employing blazingly colorful magical items and techniques. Flying swords and magical bottles filled the air, seemingly moments away from slamming into Naruto. Naruto frowned, then utilized the Bloodburst Flash. Instantly, his body flickered, and he disappeared. When he reappeared, he was some distance away.

This was not minor teleportation. However, to move such a distance in such a short time was completely shocking.

Booms filled the air as the position he had just occupied exploded into a pillar of light, the result of the combined attack.

Naruto's expression grew dark. The attack just now had been filled with killing intent; however, he was certain that he had never met these people before.

"So, the chaos in the Black Lands has already reached this level," he thought with a frown. It was at this moment that the group of eight men realized that Naruto had disappeared. They turned around and caught sight of him. The late Core Formation Cultivator gave a cold snort, and a vicious look appeared in his eyes.

"Trifling early Core Formation Cultivator. It looks like you have some nice magical techniques. However, now that you've run into me, you have no choice but to be a good boy and become my puppet. The more puppets I have, the safer I'll be." The man lifted his right hand, and immediately, the seven other Cultivators charged toward Naruto, their faces wooden.

Naruto blinked several times in succession, focusing the power of his Cultivation base into his right eye. Instantly, his view of the world changed. Using the Celestial vision technique, Naruto was able to see vast quantities of gossamer threads attached to the bodies of the seven Cultivators. The threads stretched back into the fist of the late Core Formation Cultivator.

It seemed these people really were all puppets under his control.

As they sped toward him, Naruto lifted his hand. He sliced his fingertip, causing blood to flow out. His face grim, he pointed forward, and everything in his field of view turned the color of blood. A rumbling filled the air, along with a Blood Chakra that transformed into an attack that shot out toward the incoming seven Cultivators.

The rumbling increased in intensity as the Blood Chakra shook the air with power like that of a dragon. The seven Cultivators coughed up blood, and their bodies tottered backward. The face of the Late Core Formation Cultivator flickered. Naruto shot forward once again using the Bloodburst Flash. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of his opponent. Without hesitation or mercy, he lifted his blood-soaked finger and pressed down onto the man's forehead.

Blood Chakra poured into the Cultivator's body, causing him to tremble. Veins bulged out on his skin, and lines of red appeared in his eyes. He twitched a few times, and then exploded.

Naruto flicked his sleeve, preventing any of the blood and gore from touching him. He had slaughtered the late Core Formation Cultivator smoothly and efficiently. After the death of the late Core Formation Cultivator, the other seven people began to tremble. Blood oozed from their eyes, nose and mouth as they slowly died.

Brow furrowed, Naruto collected their bags of holding. The entire battle had been a bit strange.

"It seems everyone in the Black Lands is living in fear. The weak wish to be strong, and will kill without compunction. Slaughtering opponents leads to increased strength." He turned, disappearing off into the distance as he continued on toward Holy Snow City.

"I hope nothing too drastic has occurred to the Frigid Snow Clan of Holy Snow City. They are the only people who can raise Frigid Snow larvae, so if anything has changed, my plan will be ruined." As of now, Naruto truly understood the level of chaos within the Black Lands. He continued forward at top speed.

Several days later, he was traveling through a chain of mountains when a boom suddenly echoed out. Naruto's eyes glowed with killing intent as a dozen or so Cultivators closed in on him. He continued on, and heads flew. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Naruto left, leaving only complete death in his wake.

The attack just now had stemmed from an incident a few days before when Naruto had consumed a medicinal pill to bolster his Cultivation base. The scene had been witnessed by a Cultivator, which led to an explosion of greed among other locals. Now, they were all dead.

Time passed by slowly. Half a month later, Naruto was still traveling along alone. He had faced quite a bit of dangerous situations along the way, but in the end, his grisly tactics left anyone who messed with him dead. Afterwards, he used a magical technique to cause their severed heads to float along behind him as he traveled. It was a road of death and severed heads.

In the end, the floating severed heads grew more and more numerous. There were dozens of them, most of them dried and withered, although some still dripped with blood.

This sight shocked the hearts of many local scoundrels, and enabled Naruto to travel a bit more safely. Fewer and fewer people were willing to provoke him.

Any Cultivator with brains who saw the macabre floating heads would immediately dispel any notions they had of messing with Naruto.

A few more days passed. More than a month had gone by since Naruto left the former Kumogakure. He had nearly crossed the entire Black Lands, and had personally witnessed the anarchy which reigned. There was no order. The forces of the Black Lands Palace and the armies of the United Nine engaged in countless battles which left the land swathed in the flames of war.

The pandemonium was like an even more explicit version of the law of the jungle. There was no need to conceal one's actions, no need for misgivings. Only the strong survived. As for the weak, they were there to serve the strong.

Within a month's time, of the nine cities that made up the United Nine, only four remained. The Clans in the other cities were either exterminated, seized by the Black Lands Palace, or forced to flee into hiding. It was simply too difficult for the United Nine to stand up to the combined forces of the Western Desert and the Black Lands Palace.

It was only the day before that Naruto heard that Holy Snow City had been besieged, which caused his heart to sink.

"I'd hoped there would be no obstructions on my way there," he said, shaking his head. He shot forward as fast as possible. According to his estimation, his current rate of travel would get him to the vicinity of Holy Snow City in about two days.

Currently, he shot across the land underneath the evening sky. The ground below was no longer pitch black, but rather somewhat pale. It was not white soil, but rather, snow.

The air temperature was so low that Naruto could see his own breath.

The wind was bone-piercingly cold, and it had begun to snow.

It had been a very long time since he had seen snowfall. In fact, to his best recollection, the last time had been that snowy night in the Five Elements Nation when he'd shared the horse cart with the scholar and engaged in a lively discussion.

Snowflakes floated down from the sky, and Naruto's eyes glittered as he saw the snow piling up on the ground. Down below was a forest, although there were no leaves on any of the trees. Instead, their withered branches were piled up with accumulations of snow.

Naruto looked off into the distance, and suddenly his expression flickered. He dropped down to the ground and ceased flying. His green robe whipped in the wind as he walked through the forest.

Deeper within the forest were two Cultivators, blood spattered and pale-faced, standing protectively in front of a young woman in her late teens. She wore a white gown and was spectacularly beautiful. However, she seemed to be in a very miserable situation. Her face was also pale, and filled with a miserable expression. In her right hand she held a larva that appeared to be made of crystal. It was currently spinning silk, which transformed into a bright light that surrounded the group of three people. Unfortunately, the larva appeared to be somewhat listless, as if it were on the verge of death.

The group was currently surrounded by a pack of one hundred wolves, all of whom emanated black auras, and had bright red eyes. Behind the wolves was a Western Desert Cultivator, his body festooned with totem tattoos, who was staring greedily at the white-robed young woman.

The Cultivators protecting the young woman consisted of a man and a woman. The man gruffly cried out, "You despicable Western Desert Cultivator! Don't you fear the power of our Frigid Snow Clan's Spirit Severing Patriarch?!"

"There's no need to discuss whether your Spirit Severing Patriarch is alive or not," replied the Western Desert Cultivator in a hoarse voice. "If he's alive, he'll be paying attention to the battle of Holy Snow City. Right now… you're just a regular old Frigid Snow Clan member. Your life or death won't mean anything to him."

The man waved his right arm, and the hundred black wolves pounced, slamming into the shield weaved by the larva. Booms rang out, and the Western Desert Cultivator's eyes brimmed with avarice.

"Your Frigid Snow Clan switched out the word 'blood' in your name with the word 'snow.' But did you really think that would make the Western Desert forget about you?" The man laughed as he stared at the girl.

The Western Desert Cultivator gave the young woman a vicious, greedy smile. "When neo-demons began to be raised in the Western Desert, the Frigid Blood Clan brought forth generation after generation of Grand Dragoneer. When I was small, I heard all of the legends about your clan.

"Grand Dragoneers wield power far greater than that of totems. They are the true pinnacle of the Western Desert. As for me… I'm a mere rank 3 Dragoneer. But, if I can seize the legacy of the Frigid Blood Clan… then I'll have a chance to become a Grand Dragoneer! Koyuki, what do you think of the neo-demons I've raised?" The Western Desert Cultivator laughed heartily as the black wolves in the area all lifted their heads up and howled. They seemed to bristle with ferocity.

The glowing shield surrounding the white-robed young woman was showing signs of breaking apart. Her face was pale, and blood oozed from her mouth. There was despair in her eyes but also determination.

Turning to the two Cultivators protecting her, she said, "Don't worry about me, leave while you can!"

The two Cultivators looked nervous. They were about to say something when the young woman glared, indicating that they shouldn't speak.

It was at this moment that the bodies of the howling black wolves suddenly began to expand, and they charged forward. They slammed into the shield, which was now more than half destroyed. From the look of things, one more attack would thoroughly shatter it.

The wolves were on the verge of attacking again, and the Western Desert Cultivator's eyes were glowing with a bright light. At this exact moment, the sound of footsteps crunching on snow suddenly echoed out from within the forest.

The sound was extremely distinct. Mortals did not live in this area, so the instant the sound of the footsteps could be heard, it caused the white-robed young woman and her companion Cultivators to look toward where the sound was coming from. The Western Desert Cultivator also looked over with a frown.

What they saw was a young man wearing a long robe, with black hair flowing down past his shoulders. His features were refined, and he had a cultured air. This, of course, was Naruto; he walked out slowly, looking every bit like a scholar.

From his bearing, he seemed as if he were simply enjoying a midnight stroll in his own backyard, out to see the beautiful layers of snow that had fallen on his flower garden. He strolled out, carrying a scroll in one hand, which only lent further to his scholarly aura.

The Western Desert Cultivator's eyes narrowed, as if he disbelieved Naruto's profound aura were real. He waved his right hand, and immediately eight black wolves leaped toward Naruto, howling, their crimson eyes glowing brightly.

The white-robed young woman seemed to be upset at the sight of it, but all of her energy was focused on controlling the Frigid Snow Larva, leaving her powerless to provide any assistance. She could only watch silently.

"Excellent fur," said Naruto lightly, glancing at the wolves. "If the parrot were here, he would probably like them." These wolves were not illusory creations of magic, but flesh and blood creatures.

However, there was something different about them, as if totemic power also existed inside them. This was the first time Naruto had seen beasts like this. There were more than a hundred of them, and each one emanated a power similar to that of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Back in the Southern Domain, this pack of black wolves would constitute quite a powerful force.

"Interesting," said Naruto as he walked forward. He patted his bag of holding to produce a red medicinal pill. He quickly crushed it into powder, which he then dispersed into the air with the flick of a sleeve.

A wind picked up, spreading the powder toward the eight wolves that were charging toward him. As soon as they made contact with the powder, they began to howl miserably. A moment later, they exploded into a haze of blood and gore. The blood and gore instantly turned black, and then completely dissolved.

The powder continued to spread out, and more black wolves screamed and began to rot away, their bodies then exploding. The explosion of the bodies sent black blood flying about, staining the white snow and filling the air with the stench of decay. Any other wolves who touched the blood would immediately begin to squeal. Their bodies would shake, and it only took the space of a few breaths before they, too, collapsed.

It was a chain reaction. As Naruto walked forward, more and more wolves began to scream and collapse into death. Black blood sprayed about, floating through the air, spreading out like a dark mist, which rose up into the air to form a cloud.

It took only moments for half of the over one hundred wolves to be killed. The rest retreated, trembling, their tails between their legs. As they looked at Naruto, their eyes filled with unprecedented terror.

The white-robed young woman watched all of this with wide eyes. The two Cultivators next to her also gaped. Even the Western Desert Cultivator stared in shock.

"This…. You…." he stammered, his body trembling, his eyes looked like they might pop out of his head. "So, you're looking to die, huh?!" He then let out a howl filled with ultimate fury. The veins on his face bulged out, and his eyes filled with savagery and blood.

He lifted his right hand, within which appeared a black stone. He crushed it, then waved his arm. A black smoke swirled out, which then transformed into a vortex.

"Rank 2 Reptodragon neo-demons, emerge!" Suddenly, roaring sounds poured out from within the vortex, followed by a bright red reptilian creature approximately three meters long. It was followed by another. Soon there were ten, then thirty!

Thirty red reptilian creatures appeared, emanating shocking power. Their roars caused everything around to tremble.

A strange light shone in Naruto's eyes. He had long since noticed that there was something different about this particular Western Desert Cultivator. He had two totem tattoos on his body, one of a black wolf, the other, a reptilian creature. The totems didn't appear to be any different from the type seen on other Western Desert Cultivators. However, Naruto sensed that there was indeed something strange about them.

"Senior, he's a Western Desert Dragoneer!" said the white-robed young woman anxiously. She could tell that Naruto was unfamiliar with creatures such as these, and continued: "Dragoneers might not have high Cultivation bases, but they command neo-demons. Kill him, and the neo-demons will disperse!"

"After I exterminate this guy, I'm going after you, slut!" cried the Western Desert Cultivator viciously. He waved his hand toward Naruto, and the thirty crimson reptiles charged toward Naruto in a frenzy, their gaping red mouths emanating an odor of death.

Naruto took one more look at the crimson reptiles, then shook his head. He raised his right hand and extended a finger toward the black cloud which still hovered in mid-air. Immediately, vast quantities of black raindrops began to fall down. The rain sprayed over the crimson reptiles, and they began to howl miserably. Their bodies trembled and began to decay. Over the space of a few breaths, all of the reptiles underneath the three hundred meter wide black cloud had transformed into skeletons.

Naruto stood in the midst of the black rain. Not a single raindrop fell onto his green robe or his long black hair. The sight of it was shocking, causing the Western Desert Cultivator to gasp. His eyes filled with a look of disbelief.

"You're… you're a Grand Dragoneer!"

Being unfamiliar with the term, Naruto asked, "What's a Grand Dragoneer?" He walked up to the Western Desert Cultivator, who was currently trembling as he stared with reverence and fear at Naruto.

The person to respond to Naruto's question was not the shivering Western Desert Cultivator, but rather the white-robed young woman, Koyuki. "Grand Dragoneer is the highest title achievable by Western Desert Dragoneers, similar to Totem God. Both are titles which represent extreme levels of power. One breeds rare creatures that are even more powerful than Earthly neo-demons. The other controls five or more totems. The battle prowess of the former is similar to that of the Spirit Severing stage, the latter, almost the same."

The glowing shield surrounding the young woman had already dissipated, and she had put away the listless larva.

Naruto turned to look at her, whereupon she clasped hands and bowed.

"I am Koyuki of the Frigid Snow Clan. I offer many thanks for your kindness in saving me, Senior." The exhausted Cultivators next to her gave Naruto looks of gratitude. However, vigilance could still be seen in their eyes.

After all, the power he had manifested just now had frightened even the Western Desert Cultivator, let alone them.

With the wave of a sleeve, Naruto had killed countless wolves, transformed their blood into a mist which caused a rain to fall that desolated everything within a three hundred meter radius. Nothing alive was left in the entire area.

Such methods left them in complete shock. Furthermore, they couldn't see Naruto's Cultivation base; he emanated a mysterious force which left all of them incapable of showing him anything but respect.

"I'm not a Grand Dragoneer," said Naruto, shaking his head. "However, you do owe me some thanks." He pointed a finger toward the ground and at the same time, pressed down on the forehead of the Western Desert Cultivator.

The man's body instantly began to tremble, and his eyes filled with blankness, as if he had suddenly lost his thinking ability.

"His Cultivation base is only at the early Core Formation stage," thought Naruto, "and yet he can control so many beasts. So this… is a Western Desert Dragoneer?" Naruto now understood the situation, but he was still very curious regarding Dragoneers, so he looked back at the white-robed young woman. "I didn't save you for no reason," he said.

The eyes of the two Cultivators standing at her side glittered with even more intense vigilance. This was especially so after they saw Naruto press down on the forehead of the Western Desert Cultivator. Whatever method he had used to make the man suddenly look so blank was clearly some frightening technique and caused them to become even more nervous.

"Please do not hesitate to state what you desire, Senior," said Koyuki, her voice light.

"I want a Frigid Snow Larva," he replied immediately.

The two Cultivators standing next to her frowned. At the same time, they tried to conceal the irritation toward Naruto that appeared in their eyes.

Koyuki hesitated for a moment.

"Senior, Frigid Snow Larvae bond with a master when they are very young. According to everything I've been told, the Frigid Snow Clan currently does not possess any such young larvae. Of course, I might not be privy to all the information. If you come back with me to Holy Snow City, I can check into the matter thoroughly, and do my best to repay your kindness." She looked at Naruto with her exceedingly beautiful eyes. They didn't seem to contain any duplicity. She was thankful to Naruto for saving her life, however, she also feared him. Everything she had witnessed just now left her with a feeling of profound dread.

Her words did not sound forced, but they were. She had the feeling that if she didn't provide the correct response, this man's kindness would very likely turn into enmity.

Furthermore, she couldn't be certain if his appearance here and now was coincidental, or if he had prepared for this situation all along. In any case, he had definitely saved her life. After returning to Holy Snow City, she would try to repay him.

Naruto thought for a moment as he looked at the young woman, his eyes filled with abstruseness. Then, he gave a slight smile and nodded.

The white-robed young woman gave an inward sigh of relief. With a forced smile, she backed up a few steps. The other two Cultivators continued to observe Naruto with even more vigilance as they left the woods.

The Western Desert Dragoneer followed Naruto with a blank look on his face. He seemed to have lost control of himself, which, of course, filled Koyuki and the others with even more shock.

Holy Snow City was in the northern part of the Black Lands. Although it was some distance from the Western Desert, it couldn't be considered extremely far. The land in the area was blanketed with ice and snow year round, making everything look white.

It was quite a distance from the location Naruto had recently occupied, the former Kumogakure. Despite the fact that both had been members of the United Nine, they actually had few dealings. After all, both Clans' position in the United Nine had been waning in recent years. Despite the recent decline in power of the Frigid Snow Clan, which had once been the leader of the alliance, they still maintained their pride and dignity.

Furthermore, there were still rumors of their Spirit Severing Patriarch, who continued to remain in secluded meditation. He hadn't appeared for several hundred years, but no one was completely sure whether he was alive or dead.

Even the possibility of him being alive ensured that Holy Snow City would not suffer any sort of disaster.

Therefore, although Holy Snow City did not possess the glory it once had, it still shone with splendor.

Right now, though, everyone in Holy Snow City was filled with a certain somberness. A pressure weighed down on them, as if dark clouds filled the sky and pushed down onto the land. The ice-like, crystalline city walls were covered with Holy Snow City Cultivators, all of whom stared out vigilantly into the outside world.

The region outside of the city trembled. Currently, the sky was filled with countless pitch-black, winged Flood Dragons. They twisted about in the air, their crimson eyes glowing with viciousness. They emitted fierce howls that caused the hearts of the observing Cultivators to tremble.

At first glance, the winged Flood Dragons seemed innumerable, but actually, there were only fifty of them circling around Holy Snow City. Down on the ground could be seen seventy or eighty gigantic blue lions, each one twenty meters or so long. Wherever they walked, the ground beneath their feet turned into blue ice.

In addition to these beasts, there were approximately one thousand Cultivators, who stood behind the creatures, staring at Holy Snow City. They wore black clothing, and their faces were covered with masks. Most of them had Cultivation bases at the Foundation Establishment stage and wore white masks. Among the thousand Cultivators, only about thirty wore orange masks.

In the lead position was an old man with flowing white hair and a silver mask. Based on the aura of his Cultivation base, he was at the Nascent Soul stage.

Further off was a snow-covered mountain where several hundred tall men stood. Their faces were expressionless, and totem tattoos could be seen on their bodies, some more than others. Their auras were different from that of the other Cultivators, a bit more wild and bizarre.

These were Western Desert Cultivators.

Between the armies of Holy Snow City and the Black Lands Palace stretched a vast field filled with wind and snow, separating the two of them.

Even further back were tens of thousands of Black Lands Palace disciples, spread out to form a huge barrier around Holy Snow City, completely encircling it.

It seemed that a great battle was about to take place.

It was at this very moment that Naruto and the others appeared off in the distance and saw the scene spread out in front of them. Naruto's expression remained the same as ever, but the faces of Koyuki and the two other Cultivators fell immediately.

They had been traveling for over a day, and during the entire time, Naruto had never asked her why she had left Holy Snow City. Nor had Koyuki taken the initiative to provide any details.

However, based on some of the discussions he had heard between the other two Cultivators, he came to the realization that their party had set out with over thirty members. As of now, they were the only two guards left.

"It seems we won't be able to get into the city," said Naruto coolly. The forces of the Black Lands Palace were arrayed in such a fashion as to completely lock down Holy Snow City. At the moment, no military offensive had begun. Some people might not be able to tell, but considering that the strongest combatant present was of the Nascent Soul stage, it was clear that this was not intended to be a decisive battle, but rather an exploratory attack.

Koyuki was about to say something when, suddenly, the sound of war bugles filled the air. The winged Flood Dragons shot toward Holy Snow City. The gigantic blue lions also sped forward, their bodies glowing with light such that they seemed like gigantic blue arrows.

As the bugles sounded out, the Black Lands Palace Cultivators flew up into the air in succession. Behind them, the ground shook as two giants appeared, each one roughly ninety meters tall. It wasn't clear exactly where they had come from, but they strode forward accompanied by thunderous rumbling. Slung over the shoulder of each giant was a greatsword nearly three hundred meters long.

The swords seemed old, even ancient, but the power they emanated was astonishing.

If that was all there was to it, it would not be a big deal. But as the bugles sounded out, a black sea appeared. This black sea was comprised of several tens of thousands of black wolves which spread out across the land as they charged toward Holy Snow City.

The shield surrounding Holy Snow City sparkled as nearly a thousand Cultivators flew up from within the city. They employed a variety of magical techniques and magical items, the power of which shot through the shield to slice into the approaching beasts and Cultivators.

In addition, a massive beam of white, shining light shot up from within the city. Up above the city, five blinding, shining lights that looked like planets appeared, rotating about. With each rotation, they emanated a curving white light which swept out past the city walls.

Booming sounds shook Heaven and Earth, and everything trembled. Naruto had never witnessed a battle such as this between Cultivators.

As the battle began, Naruto also noticed a group of several dozen people fly out from within the city toward the glittering shield. The instant they passed through it, five flying planets appeared above them. They rotated, emanating an arcing white light which shot through the shrieking beasts in front of them, ripping them to pieces. Up above, the Flood Dragons dodged away, unable to get near them.

It wasn't one such squad that appeared. More than ten groups charged out from within the city to engage in the battle with the Black Lands Palace forces outside the city walls. Explosions filled the air, along with miserable shrieks, and the fighting continued.

It was not that Naruto had never witnessed a large scale combat between Cultivators. However, this type of battle was something he had never seen before. The sight of it caused his heart to start pounding. He was no newcomer to the Cultivation world, though, so he quickly calmed himself down.

What drew his attention most were the two massive giants that strode across the battlefield. Their movements were slow, but every step they took caused the ground to shake. The enormous swords they wielded emanated thoroughly shocking swords auras.

Suddenly, one of the squads of Cultivators from the city changed directions to head toward Naruto and his group. He might have taken it to be coincidence, but when he saw the look of happiness glittering in the eyes of Koyuki, he knew that these people were coming to take her back to the city.

It seemed like the approaching Cultivators were actually preparing to attack. Naruto blinked. "Looks like even though I saved her, no one will believe I did." In the lead was a handsome young man who looked extremely nervous. His Cultivation base was at the late Core Formation stage.

Following him were a dozen or so other Cultivators, the weakest of whom was at the early Core Formation stage. Three were of the same level as the young man, the late Core Formation Stage.

At the front of their group were five rotating planets; the spell formation shone brightly and caused them to speed forward like the wind as they attacked.

Suddenly, Koyuki shot forward. Her speed was incredible, causing Naruto's eyes to flicker. Clearly, she had been concealing the true limits of her speed before. As she flew forward, a cloud of ice and snow appeared beneath her feet, propelling her forward. The other two Cultivators also shot forward, utilizing magical techniques and treasures to increase their speed.

They were obviously worried that Naruto would attack them, or do something else to hold them back. Apparently, their use of these techniques and items were a waste; Naruto did nothing more than watch them go, a faint, enigmatic smile on his face. He didn't even take half a step forward; he just let them speed away.

This caused the two Cultivators to stare in shock. However, they had no time to think much about it; as vigilant as ever, they escorted Koyuki as she flew down toward the battlefield, ready to defend her with their lives. As Koyuki flew along, a silvery glow flew out from her person. Wherever the silver light went, the surrounding beasts would stop moving and being to tremble. This made it possible for them to quickly charge quite a distance.

When Koyuki and her guards were several hundred meters away from Naruto, he saw them meet up with the other young Cultivator and his group. Both seemed quite excited, but obviously knew that this was not the time for any sort of discussion. The Cultivators from the young man's group fanned out to protect Koyuki, and they headed back toward the city.

It was at this point that Koyuki finally breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced back at Naruto off in the distance, a cunning, complacent gleam in her eyes.

However, just as the group set out, Flood Dragons, Black Lands Cultivators, as well as a huge group of black wolves, charged toward them in attack. Off in the distance were some Western Desert Cultivators who also approached, eight of them. The battlefield was in chaos, but Naruto was clearly able to see all of these developments.

"Don't think I'll forget so easily about the fact that I saved your life," murmured Naruto. By this time, even he could see that this was not any sort of decisive battle. Both sides had various misgivings and were holding back.

The most powerful combatant on the field was the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Black Lands Palace, who hadn't even made an attack. The person who had been sent to escort Koyuki was of the late Core Formation stage. Holy Snow City hadn't even deployed Nascent Soul Cultivators at all.

"They're holding back," thought Naruto, scanning the battlefield. "Neither side wants to reveal their true strength. This battle is just a way to feel each other out. I don't see much down there that could cause any problems for me." He began to stride forward, followed by the confused Western Desert Cultivator.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared within Holy Snow City, a figure who shot out past the city walls. It was an old woman with gray hair. The silver-masked Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Black Lands Palace strode forward to meet her, his eyes gleaming. Neither spoke; instead, they immediately attacked with divine abilities.

A boom echoed out, and the sky above the battlefield suddenly grew dim.

At the same time, the slaughtering on the battlefield grew more intense. More Cultivators poured out of Holy Snow City to join the fighting.

As for Koyuki, she was getting more nervous. Despite being surrounded by guards from Holy Snow City, she was still quite some distance from the city itself. Furthermore, the surrounding wolves, lions, Flood Dragons and Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace and Western Desert, were making it difficult to move at all. Out of their group of a dozen or so Holy Snow City Cultivators, three had already died.

The magical Five Planets device rotated rapidly, but even the bright beams of white light that shot out from it were incapable of completely extricating them from the danger they were in. Even more importantly, one of the enormous giants was approaching, brandishing its gigantic sword. In addition, a group of more than a dozen Flood Dragons was currently charging toward the Five Planets, clearly intent on destroying them.

If the magical Five Planets device was destroyed, then they would be in even more danger.

A roaring sound filled the air as the dozen or so Flood Dragons began to howl. Their bodies glowed with flickering light as they shot toward the Five Planets device. Booming sounds filled the air as it began to break apart. Moments later, it completely collapsed.

When the Five Planets device broke apart, four more of the Cultivators surrounding Koyuki died. When she heard their agonized, dying screams, her face went pale. She watched as one of the Cultivators chose to self-detonate before being killed. The powerful explosion spread out, slamming into their enemies, buying them a bit more time.

The young man of the late Core Formation stage anxiously grabbed Koyuki, his eyes bloodshot as he dragged her onward toward the city. He seemed worried that the nearby beasts and Cultivators might also use self-detonation.

The complacency Koyuki had previously shown toward Naruto was now completely gone, replaced instead by grief. She could only bite her lip as she followed the young man in front of her.

It was at this time that Naruto entered the battlefield. Before he had moved too far, nearby black wolves charged toward him, radiating frenzied savagery. Naruto's right hand shot out and grabbed one of them by the neck. Using his left hand, he forced a medicinal pill into its mouth, which caused it to begin to shake violently. Suddenly, the fur began to fall off of its body, which then began to swell. This entire process only took the space of a few breaths. As other wolves closed in, Naruto let go.

A boom filled the air as the hairless wolf let out a miserable shriek, and then exploded. There was no flesh and blood, but rather a black mist that spread out in all directions. As soon as the incoming wolves touched the mist, their bodies began to wither up, and they let out miserable shrieks as their bodies, too, transformed into mist. Very quickly, the area surrounding Naruto was filled with thick mist.

He proceeded forward, his expression as calm as usual. Of course, the scene which had just played out would cause any observer's eyes to fill with astonishment.

As he walked on, the mist roiled out, killing any of the beasts who touched it. It didn't take long before he was surrounded by mist for dozens of meters in each direction. By now, many people on the battlefield were looking over in his direction.

Koyuki also saw what was happening. It was at this moment that a huge blue lion, over twenty meters long, pounced toward Naruto. Before it could get close, though, Naruto's right hand stretched out as fast as lightning, clamping onto the neck of the lion. Once again, he used his left hand to force a medicinal pill into its mouth.

Everyone watched on in astonishment as the gigantic lion's fur suddenly began to fall off. After that, it exploded, not into flesh and blood, but rather, a blue mist.

The blue mist spread out in the cold air, rapidly fusing with the black mist. The new mist expanded, and now, Naruto had no need to personally attack any of the blue lions. As soon as they touched the mist, their bloodcurdling howls would echo across the battlefield.

Gasps could be heard from the nearby Black Lands Palace Cultivators.

"Who is that?!"

"That's… poison? That guy's a poison expert!"

"That's no ordinary poison. Look what it does to the Western Desert neo-demons! This poison… it…."

The Black Lands Palace Cultivators backed up, the faces beneath their masks filled with shock. Considering that even the Western Desert Cultivators' Demonic beasts had no way to avoid Naruto's poison, how could they?

Even more shocked than them were the Western Desert Cultivators, who all looked at Naruto with gazes of astonishment and terror.

Among the Western Desert forces were three people who were clearly not as tall as the others but were still sported totem tattoos. These were Western Desert Dragoneers, men capable of controlling neo-demons.

All of the Flood Dragons, black wolves and lions in the area were under their control. However, they seemed more frightened than anyone else on the battlefield. Their breathing came in ragged pants as they stared at the mist surrounding Naruto; their hearts were filled with astonishment.

"Dragoneer! He's a Dragoneer…."

"Only a Dragoneer could understand neo-demons so well to be able to kill them like that…."

Naruto proceeded onward. Up above, fierce shrieks rang out as three Flood Dragons sped toward him. Naruto looked up, a strange light glowing in his eyes. There was no need to use poison in this situation. All he did was open his mouth in the direction of the Flood Dragons and suck in a deep breath.

As he did, the Flying Rain-Dragon Core that existed inside of his Golden Core suddenly trembled. Suddenly, the illusory image of a massive Flying Rain-Dragon appeared behind Naruto.

It was huge, several hundred meters in length, and it erupted with a domineering air of profound superiority. It was a sovereign of the sky! As Naruto breathed in, the Flying Rain-Dragon opened its mouth and charged toward the Flood Dragons. It seemed to be hungry, starving, as if it hadn't eaten for tens of thousands of years.

The three Flood Dragons let out miserable, desperate shrieks. Now that they faced up against a Flying Rain-Dragon, they trembled, and their expressions were those of dread. They wanted to flee, but it was too late.

The Flying Rain-Dragon swallowed them up, a scene which caused everyone on the battlefield to reel. The Western Desert Cultivators stared with wide eyes, panting, their faces covered with shock.

"He… he consumed those neo-demons!"

"Grand Dragoneer! He's definitely a Grand Dragoneer!"

"That Flying Rain-Dragon phantom is his Heavenly neo-demon! It's definitely a Heavenly neo-demon! The Heavenly neo-demon of a Grand Dragoneer!"

The Black Lands Palace Cultivators, the Holy Snow City Cultivators, everyone was staring at the scene, their minds reeling. The Flying Rain-Dragon behind Naruto lifted its head toward the sky in a soundless roar, then shot toward more Flood Dragons.

Flood Dragons are food for ancient Flying Rain-Dragons, who will chomp them down merrily!

Naruto's Flying Rain-Dragon phantom flew through the air, its massive illusory frame shaking everything.

Dozens of nearby Flood Dragons let out fierce shrieks that were filled with dread. Their bodies trembled, and they were about to flee in all directions when the illusory Flying Rain-Dragon let out another soundless roar. The wolves on the ground began to shake and then lie prone. The enormous blue lions also lowered their trembling heads and let out subservient grunts.

The Flood Dragons seemed to be filled with despair. However, they didn't dare to move. Naruto's Flying Rain-Dragon phantom swooped down and swallowed one of them up.

The battlefield was deathly quiet. Everyone gaped in shock at the scene which was playing out in the sky. The Flying Rain-Dragon swallowed one Flood Dragon after another.

Soon, each and every Flood Dragon had been swallowed up, after which, the Flying Rain-Dragon flew back to Naruto and then vanished.

Everything was as quiet as death.

Naruto cleared his throat, and then proceeded along toward Koyuki. When he arrived in front of her, he saw her face covered with disbelief and dread, as was the face of the young man standing next to her.

"I saved your life," he said, looking a bit embarrassed. "You still haven't paid me back. Before you do, is it really appropriate to go running off?" He felt a little bit awkward saying words like this to a young woman.

Koyuki quivered, her beautiful eyes brimming with terror. In her anxiety, she wasn't sure how to respond.

It was at this moment, however, that her eyes suddenly went wide. It wasn't just her. Everyone on the battlefield who had been paying attention to Naruto were now panting.

A roar echoed out behind Naruto as a ninety meter tall giant charged toward him, waving its enormous sword in the air.

This sword seemed capable of slashing a hole through the air itself. A piercing sound filled the air as it slashed down toward Naruto. It didn't emanate ripples, but instead seemed to be sucking in the surrounding air. The mist surrounding Naruto began to churn.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in only a moment. By the time Naruto finished speaking, the enormous sword was only about thirty meters away from his head!

The sword in its entirety was around three hundred meters long. The giant was ninety meters tall, and bursting with immense power. Although it didn't have a Cultivation base, it was clearly powerful enough to cause anyone to shake in fear.

The sword descended toward Naruto's head, causing the mist surrounding him to roil out in all directions. This made Naruto even more conspicuous on the battlefield.

However, even as the sword was almost upon him, Naruto, without even lifting his head up, reached his right hand out and physically grabbed the sword. A huge boom echoed out.

A massive energy shot from the sword into Naruto, causing his bones to creak, and massive cracks to appear around him in the ground. The enormous amount of energy even caused his feet to sink about eight inches down into the soil.

Naruto's expression never changed. He turned to look at the enormous giant.

"Time!" he said coolly, and ten Wooden Time Swords flew out from his bag of holding to form the Lotus Sword Formation. It rotated in the air, circling around the giant.

The giant howled and tried to wrench back its sword, but it was astonished to find that no matter how much power it used, the sword remained stuck in Naruto's grip. There was no way to take it back.

The giant's eyes glowed with a green light as it howled. It let go of the sword and then curled its hand into a fist which smashed down toward Naruto.

"Interesting," said Naruto with a laugh. "It would be a real pity to kill you." Tossing the greatsword to the side, he retrieved his Wooden Time Swords and then used the Bloodburst Flash to disappear right before the enormous fist slammed down. When he reappeared, he was on top of the giant's head. He pointed down with the finger of his left hand.

"Righteous Bestowal!"

Immediately, Naruto saw ghost images spring up everywhere on the battlefield. Visible only to him were strand after strand of Chakra which rushed to pour into the head of the giant.

The giant howled, reaching toward Naruto with both of its hands. However, the Bloodburst Flash flickered, and he evaded completely. No matter how many times the giant tried to grab him, it couldn't, and he continued to use the art of Righteous Bestowal. This sight caused the eyes of all the onlookers to fill with shock.

"Receiving Righteous Bestowal is good fortune for you, if you keep resisting…." He pushed his hand down onto the top of the giant's head, his eyes shining with a strange glow. He could sense the resistance of the giant's will, but also, a desire for the Demonic Chakra that he wielded. The twisting hesitation seemed to be causing it to hold back.

Naruto could also tell that this giant was not like a human, but more like a type of animal. It had an enormous physical body, but actually couldn't speak out with language. Its sentience was quite limited and it couldn't practice Cultivation.

However, when it attacked, its physical strength was as explosive as the great circle of the late Foundation Establishment stage. In some ways, such pure physical strength was actually much more frightening than Cultivation base power.

Therefore, Naruto had decided to test out his art of Righteous Bestowal. He wanted to see whether his speculations regarding its effects were correct…. As a Demon Sealer, he should be able to use Righteous Bestowal on any living creature in Heaven and Earth, give it his approval, and thusly, help it to become Demonic!

As the words came out of his mouth, the enormous giant began to shake. The glowing green light in its eyes was gone, as if suddenly, it could think. Its expression was no longer one of ferocity, but rather obedience. Now, it permitted the Demonic Chakra to pour into its body.

The Black Lands Cultivators didn't understand exactly what was happening, but the scene was completely shocking nonetheless, although it didn't seem as incredible to them as what had happened moments ago with the Flying Rain-Dragon.

To the Western Desert Cultivators, though, what was happening caused their minds to reel uncontrollably.

This was especially true of the three Dragoneers. Their faces filled with unprecedented looks of disbelief, as if their minds had been completely overthrown. Their brains reeled to the point that they were complete blanks.

"A Wild Giant actually yielded…. That's impossible! Wild Giants never yield! Not even Grand Dragoneers can do that. Even our Heavenly Wilds Tribe is only able to use them because of the special arrangement we have with the Wild Giant faction. Other than us, no one in the entire Western Desert can get a Wild Giant to yield!"

"It doesn't have anything to do with Cultivation base. It's like a rule of the Wild Giants. Their honor and their very blood won't permit it. So… so, what's going on…?"

The Western Desert Dragoneers were shocked as they saw Naruto standing on the head of the giant. He wasn't paying attention at all to the chaos that his presence had given birth to on the battlefield, nor the shock with which people were looking at him. He didn't even notice how the mist he had created had risen up into the air and had transformed into a rain of poison.

Instead, he was looking down toward the pale-faced Koyuki.

"I've saved you twice now," he said with a smile. "You need to think of a way to repay me. Come up here, I'll take you home." The giant suddenly reached down toward the ground, placing its hand down flat in front of Koyuki.

Everyone around her watched on as she stood gaping up at Naruto. Not even sure why she was doing it, she suddenly lifted her foot and stepped up onto the giant's palm. It lifted her up and placed her on top of its head, where she stood next to Naruto. Then, the giant howled and began to stride forward toward Holy Snow City.

Up above in the sky, the two Nascent Soul Cultivators who had been locked in battle were now staring at the strange scene which was playing out below. Naruto also noticed their attention.

The giant charged forward, kicking up a fierce wind and causing the ground to quake. Soon, it neared Holy Snow City's protective shield. The Cultivators inside had seen everything that had happened, and were now at a complete loss, not sure whether to open the shield or keep it closed.

It was at this moment that war bugles suddenly sounded out. The Black Lands Palace and Western Desert Cultivators began to pull back. That included all of the forces surrounding the city, the neo-demons and wild beasts. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, there were no enemy forces visible near Holy Snow City.

This initial probing battle had been intended to give both sides a taste of the other's prowess. The fighting had been limited to below the Nascent Soul stage. However, Naruto's appearance had thrown everything into chaos. The morale of the Black Lands Palace troops had been damaged, so it was without hesitation that they retreated.

A great clamor of joy rose up within Holy Snow City when the Black Lands Palace retreated, although many people understood that the battle had just begun.

As for the old Nascent Soul woman, she flew down to hover in front of Naruto. As she looked at him, silence reigned around them. The shield still had not opened. All eyes were on Naruto.

"What do you want?" asked the old woman.

"A Frigid Snow Larva," Naruto replied with a smile.

"What are you good at?" retorted the woman in an unhurried tone.

"I saved her," said Naruto, pointing at Koyuki.

The old woman shook her head. "That's not enough."

"I saved her twice!" said Naruto, his voice serious.

"Still not enough." The old woman looked at Naruto calmly.

Naruto hesitated for a moment. "I think I might need to save her again a third time," he said.

"Even if you married her, it still wouldn't be enough," said the old woman coolly. "It takes a year to raise a Frigid Snow Larva all the way to the larva stage. Right now, we only have two pupae left in the Clan!"

Naruto thought for a moment. "I'm good with poison," he said.

The old woman gave him a deep look. "If you concoct poisons for the Frigid Snow Clan for a year, then I will see to it that you get a Frigid Snow Larva. However, if I find out that you have some other motivations, then you'll never leave the city alive." With that, she gestured with her right hand, causing Koyuki to fly over to her. Together, they flew back toward the shield.

Before passing through the shield, Koyuki looked back at Naruto.

"Granny gave you her word!" she said. "If you have any evil designs, Heavenly lightning will exterminate your soul. You'd better watch out for yourself!"

Naruto smiled, and was about to say something when his face suddenly flickered. Without a moment's pause, his hand lifted up into the air, within which could be seen Danzo's soul. A peal of thunder rang out, and a bolt of lightning shot down to slam into the soul embodiment. A miserable cry rang out, followed by vigorous cursing. Naruto quickly put the soul away.

He looked around to see everyone, even the old woman, staring at him in shock.

"Uh, that was weird," he said with a slight cough, looking embarrassed. "How unforeseen."

Holy Snow City was much larger than Kumogakure, and was divided into an inner city and an outer city. The inner city belonged to the Frigid Snow Clan, whereas the outer city was for other Cultivators.

The cold climate led to frequent snowstorms. Because of this, the white, snowy scenery was something that you never saw in the southern reaches.

In the eastern section of the outer city was a row of mansions, each of which contained a Spirit Spring. Although the spiritual energy they emitted was not vast, in the Black Lands, such residences could be considered luxurious.

Each residence was self-contained, and was protected with spells to ensure that no unwanted visitors would be able to enter. Even more importantly, the protective spells were actually linked to the primary defensive spell formation of the entire Holy Snow City, making them incredibly powerful.

The people who occupied these mansions were guests of utmost importance. Of course, this was also where Naruto's living quarters were arranged.

His mansion and its courtyard weren't huge, but neither were they small. The Wild Giant currently was sitting like a small mountain, snoring gently. It would occasionally wake up, whereupon it would grab some meat from the big pile off to the side, pop it into its mouth, and swallow it down. If it ever woke up and found no meat around, it would open its eyes wide and roar.

"Meat…. Meat…." it would then say.

Whenever that happened, Naruto would grudgingly run out and find some meat. It didn't take long for Naruto to start wondering which one of the two of them was the master….

In addition to the meat-loving Wild Giant, there was also a middle-aged man in the courtyard. A look of bitterness constantly covered his face, as if he had a bitter melon stuck in his mouth. After feeding the Wild Giant only two times, Naruto decided to pass on that holy task to this man.

He was none other than the Western Desert Dragoneer that Naruto had captured. Naruto had unsealed him, but had then forced him to consume a poison pill, preventing him from doing anything other than sighing and accepting his fate.

One of Naruto's other requirements for the mansion had taken quite some time for Koyuki to manage to comply with. Eventually, she had provided an assortment of lotus seeds, which Naruto catalyzed.

Now, the entire courtyard teemed with lotuses. Of course, ordinary lotuses could not grow here; these were snow lotuses.

Snow lotuses filled the courtyard with beauty. Oftentimes, Naruto would stare at the flowers for the entire day.

By observing their shape, he was able to sense their essence. By gaining enlightenment regarding the essence of the flower, he was able to improve his Lotus Sword Formation.

Such a life seemed strange to the Western Desert Dragoneer. However… Naruto eventually asked his name, as well as other information. He helped Naruto to understand what neo-demons were. And then, the heart of this middle-aged man named Motoi grew cold, and filled with despair.

That was because Naruto enjoyed studying. He liked to study blood, bones, flesh and totems. Each time he studied any of these things, it was like a nightmare for Motoi.

Naruto currently sat cross-legged in front of a lotus. As he studied it, information about Western Desert Dragoneers spun in his mind. "Dragoneers are split into nine ranks, with rank 9 being referred to as Grand Dragoneers. Neo-demons are also split into ranks, and they are simply bizarre creatures that lived within the Western Desert, which eventually came to be called neo-demons.

"After the ranks of 1-9 for neo-demons, is rank 10. Those are referred to as Earthly neo-demons. Rank 11 are Heavenly neo-demons, and rank 12 are… totems!" A strange light shone in Naruto's eyes. Now that he had learned more about neo-demons, his understanding of the totems of the Western Desert was more complete. He was no longer completely ignorant.

According to the legends in the Western Desert, the totems of every tribe originated from rank 12 neo-demons, which could also be considered Heavenly neo-demons. Only neo-demons of such a high rank could become totems. After they did, then blood from their descendants could be used to draw totem tattoos. It was in this manner that totems were passed down from generation to generation.

A large tribe would have many totems. A small, weak tribe might only have one.

That was the origin of totems. You could say that all of the variety of different totems existed because way back somewhere in time, a rank 12 neo-demon had appeared.

"Just how powerful is a rank 12 neo-demon?" thought Naruto. There was no way for him to know, nor could Motoi explain clearly. He could only say that they were extremely powerful; as for the details, few people actually knew.

In the Western Desert, many Cultivators practiced totem cultivation. But the only people who could actually control neo-demons were Dragoneers!

In addition to studying totems, Naruto also continued to acrue enlightenment regarding the magical symbols in the Celestial soil. He almost did it by second nature. If he wasn't engaged in some other research, he would spend his free time outside, trying to gain more enlightenment.

Soon, he had been in Holy Snow City for several days. However, the Frigid Snow Clan had not once mentioned the matter of the Frigid Snow Larva. In fact, they had also not mentioned anything about the concocting services he was supposed to perform. As the days passed, no one came to visit him. He was alone inside the mansion, almost as if they had forgotten him.

He wasn't in a hurry. After his display of power in the battle several days ago, he was sure that the Frigid Snow Clan had plans to use him in some capacity. Someone would come to call on him eventually.

Furthermore, as the conflict escalated, especially when it reached the final stages, Naruto was sure that his poisons would only become more and more useful. He was the guest and they were the host, which would never change; however, as the guest became more powerful, the host would naturally be forced to yield some.

Therefore, Naruto enjoyed the flowers, studied totems, and gained enlightenment of Celestial soil.

Meanwhile, deep within the heart of the inner city of Holy Snow City, the old woman sat cross-legged with three others in the Frigid Snow Clan's main temple hall. In front of them burned an oil lamp, which danced about in the cold wind, casting flickering shadows about the temple hall.

Those four people were the four Grand Elders of the Frigid Snow Clan. All had Nascent Soul Cultivation bases, and wielded much power in their capacity as administrators of the city.

One of the four was a gray-haired old man with a moon-shaped mark on his forehead. The mark glittered as he spoke. "I still disagree with Third Elder's suggestion. Matters pertaining to Frigid Snow Larvae are very serious. Currently, there are only two that will be able to reach the larva stage. How could we possibly give one to an outsider!?"

These four had already been discussing the matter of Naruto for quite some time.

"I concur with Second Elder," said a middle-aged man coldly. He had a grim expression on his face. "First of all, we don't even know where that poison expert Cultivator is from. His Cultivation base is merely at the Core Formation stage, and yet he dares to boastingly demand a Frigid Snow Larva?! Most likely, he sees that Holy Snow City is teetering on the verge of collapse, so he figured he would come and try to extort things from us. In my opinion, we should just go kill him as a warning to others!"

"Look, we've been discussing this matter for a while now," said the old woman. "Whatever this man's objectives, for him to arrive at this particular time is obviously suspicious. However, in the battle a few days ago, he displayed powers that drew even my attention. Can we really shut the door in the face of such an ally? If we do, who else would dare come to our aid? Fourth Elder, you say that we don't know where he's from. But isn't everyone in the Black Lands a Rogue Cultivator? How could he even prove where he came from?

"Furthermore, I already gave my word. I won't go back on it. If his poisons aren't effective, then it won't matter. But if they help to assure victory, then the Frigid Snow Larva will be his!" Her voice was calm but powerful.

The main temple hall was silent for a while. The only Elder who hadn't spoken so far was First Elder. He had white hair and ancient features. He was short and stooped, almost like a midget. Finally, he opened his eyes.

Immediately, they shone with a bright glow, causing the main temple hall to instantly grow brighter. It even seemed to suppress the light emanating from the oil lamp.

The instant he began to speak, all three of the other Elders, even the old woman, bowed their heads.

"Very well," he said. "You three have been debating the subject for quite a while now. Before we make any decisions, let's wait until Sir Shino can identify the poison in that blood!"

Time passed by. Four hours later, footsteps could suddenly be heard in the temple hall. The four Elders lifted their heads to see an old man approaching. He wore a long black robe, and his face was filled with an expression of pride. As he walked toward them, he was followed cautiously by two young women. Their eyes glowed with fervent respect, as if a single word from this man could cause them to do anything.

As the old man entered the temple hall, Second, Third and Fourth Elders all rose to their feet, smiles filling their faces.

"Sir Shino," they said in greeting.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists," said Sir Shino in a cool tone. His expression was haughty, as it usually was. His features were not ancient; instead, his face shone with a healthy glow. Arrogance seemed to radiate off of him. Obviously, he was used to occupying a lofty position, or at least, was used to people flattering him.

Were Naruto present, he would be incredibly shocked. He would recognize this old man. It was none other than East Pill Division Furnace Lord Shino, who had been captured and taken to the Black Lands!

Despite their rocky start, Naruto had eventually developed a good relationship with old man Shino, and the two of them eventually became good friends. He had taken Naruto to visit quite a few Cultivator Clans, where they had been waited upon hand and foot like royalty. The look on the man's face right now was similar to how it had been back then.

His capture had worried Naruto, to the extent that after arriving in the Black Lands, he'd made some enquiries. However, no information had ever turned up. He had always assumed that Shino was being tormented in some unknown location in the Black Lands….

However, it seemed that in all aspects, Shino was even better off now than before. His aged appearance from before had been replaced by a ruddy glow. From the respectful, shy glances being given to him by the two young girls, it was clear that old man Shino was like an old tree that had suddenly blossomed. Blossomed again and again….

"Sir Shino, how goes the poison research?" said the First Elder with a smile. He remained seated cross-legged, but his expression was one of courtesy. He spoke to him as if he were an equal, despite the fact that Shino was only of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"Considering the level of my Dao of alchemy," responded Shino proudly, "there are only two people under Heaven who can exceed me. One is my Master, whom you all know of, Grandmaster Pill Demon! The other is my Junior Brother Kazama Namikaze. Other than these two, I dare anyone to claim to be above me!" He waved his hand, wherein appeared a jade bottle.

"This poisoned blood you gave me is definitely extraordinary. It took several days of thorough research before I was able to completely understand it. In any other location, this person could be considered a Chosen of Heaven. However, in my view, he's little more than a master alchemist. I could disintegrate his poison with a single breath! This man should know that the Dao of poison is not so simple of a subject. When it comes to the elite of the Dao of alchemy, there is only one person in the world whom I admire. That is none other than my Junior Brother Kazama. When his Bedevilment Pill appeared, the name of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron rose up. He could be considered the Patriarch of all poisons in existence!" He ended his speech with his jaw set proudly. Clearly, Shino was implying that if his Junior Brother was so incredible, then his own power could only be imagined.

Serious and courteous expressions covered the faces of Elders, with the exception of the First Elder. Behind him, the two young girls gazed at him with looks of adoration.

"I am fascinated by the illustrious Dao of alchemy of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron," said the old man with the moon-shaped seal on his forehead. "Unfortunately, I have never been fortunate enough to be able to travel to the Southern Domain to pay him my respects." His expression was sincere; obviously he had heard of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, but not the events which had occurred at the Rebirth Cave.

Fourth Elder smiled and politely said, "As a distinguished apprentice of Grandmaster Pill Demon, and Elder Brother of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, your Dao of alchemy can shake the Heavens and rock the Earth. I truly admire you, sir, truly! With you here, Grandmaster, Holy Snow City will never fall!"

Shino laughed. Inwardly, he felt a bit emotional. Back in the Southern Domain, he could never have been so openly arrogant. But this was the backwater Black Lands, a place where continued existence was predicated by respect. Modesty was completely out of the question. Shino had learned this lesson the hard way. So right now, he nodded proudly, indicating that the praise of him just now was absolutely correct.

In his heart, he sighed as he thought back to the despair he had felt after having been taken to the Black Lands. He thought of his bitterness at realizing he would never be able to return to his Sect. There had been no one to serve him, and no Cultivator Clans to give him gifts and take care of him. At that time, his life had seemed as gray as ash.

How could he ever have imagined that after the suffering would come happiness? He had managed to turn things around; he had been taken here because the people here viewed him almost like a treasure. After randomly concocting some medicinal pills, the locals had been shocked. He was provided with food and drink, and anything else he desired. He was even given two young female companions. His life was suddenly very comfortable, perhaps even more than back in the East Pill Division.

As he thought back on everything, Shino sighed. He might never again be able to see his Sect, and yet, that wasn't such a horrible thing….

Thinking up to this point, he cleared his throat and then continued on with his lofty boasting.

"This crappy little poison is nothing," he said. "Just wait until I concoct some of my own poison. I guarantee that those Western Desert Cultivators will have no choice other than to give in." He spoke with an air of self-assured authority.

First Elder thought for a moment and then slowly said, "If Grandmaster Shino is able to both dispel and concoct this same poison, then perhaps we should ask that other Cultivator to just leave."

Second and Fourth Elders nodded their heads at this, and were just about to voice their agreement when the old woman spoke.

"I disagree. Sir Shino is clearly a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy. However, it took several days of research for him to determine the nature of the poison. Besides, I've seen the results of that poison myself! If we make the other Cultivator leave, then we should really determine exactly how effective the poison is. Why not have a little competition between Sir Shino and this other Cultivator? That way the man's true self can be clearly seen." She looked at First Elder.

First Elder hesitated for a moment, then made a gesture to Second and Fourth Elders indicating that they should hold their tongues. He gazed at Shino. "Grandmaster Shino, what do you think?"

Shino laughed proudly. "That's fine. I'm curious to lay eyes on this young mischief-maker and teach him a lesson. I'll help him to understand that the Dao of alchemy of the Southern Domain is boundless, and that alchemists of the Southern Domain are unsurpassable."

As he listened, First Elder nodded and smiled. He happened to very much admire this Grandmaster Shino. He had sampled the man's medicinal pills, and was confident that he was definitely number one in all of the Black Lands.

Laughing, he rose to his feet with clasped hands, as did the old woman and the other Elders. Amidst all the smiles, the old woman sighed lightly. She had done everything she could and had put up a good fight. At least she had done her best to pay back Naruto's kindness in saving Koyuki.

Naturally, people were sent to notify Naruto. The date for the "Dao of alchemy consultation" was set for three days later.

News of the matter spread through Holy Snow City like a whirlwind. Everyone heard about it, both Frigid Snow Clan members and outside Cultivators. Excitement grew. Everyone knew the name of Shino. After all, during recent years in Holy Snow City, the reputation of Grandmaster Shino was like the sun in the noon sky.

In fact, it was because of Grandmaster Shino that so many Rogue Cultivators had been gathering in Holy Snow City. Regardless of the price they had to pay, they wanted to sample his medicinal pills.

Whether openly or in the heart, all of them took Shino to be the number one alchemist in the Black Lands. Actually, many Cultivators who consumed his medicinal pills were so shocked that they claimed Shino to be the ultimate Grandmaster even in the Southern Domain.

Therefore, Shino's name only continued to grow more illustrious in Holy Snow City. Unfortunately, this place was so far from the former Kumogakure that Naruto had never received any information about it.

The news that Shino planned to give a consultation regarding the Dao of alchemy caused quite a stir among the local Cultivators. All of them planned to personally go watch the event, not only to cheer on Grandmaster Shino, but also to see how pill concocting worked.

This news was shocking enough. However, shortly thereafter word was issued from the temple in which Shino resided. Based on recent battle achievements, he would choose ten individuals for whom he would personally concoct medicinal pills! This new bit of information immediately caused a huge sensation.

As the entire city simmered, Naruto sat cross-legged in his courtyard, surrounded by lotuses, looking at the invitation card in his hand. A strange expression covered his face, like a smile, and yet not. Standing across from him was Koyuki, who was completely unable to discern his thoughts.

"Hey, what kind of expression is that?" she said, trying to suppress her nervousness. She wasn't sure why, but ever since the day Naruto had looked down at her from his position atop the giant's head, smiled, and spoken those words, after which she had walked up in a trance to join him, well… for some reason she kept thinking about him.

Actually, as soon as she had heard of the matter of Grandmaster Shino, she had immediately run over to tell Naruto.

"Nothing," he said with a slight smile. "I just think this Shino is kind of funny."

"You!" she cried, stamping her foot and glaring angrily at Naruto. "Shino is at the pinnacle of the Dao of alchemy, the number one alchemist in the Black Lands! He's even famous in the Southern Domain, the personal disciple of Grandmaster Pill Demon! He's also the Elder Brother of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Do you know who Grandmaster Pill Demon is? Have you even heard of him!?

"People such as them are like Chosen of Heaven, and you don't even pay them any attention? All you can do is concoct poison! Aren't you nervous?"

She was a pretty girl to begin with, but when she acted like this, it revealed another side of her beauty, as if she were vying with the surrounding lotuses. Naruto shook his head and smiled, a virtually imperceptible glitter in his eyes as he considered her words.

A perplexed look on his face, he asked, "I've heard of Grandmaster Pill Demon, ma'am, and I very much respect him. But who is this Grandmaster Pill Cauldron of whom you speak?"

"You don't know who Grandmaster Pill Cauldron is?" she replied, her eyes wide and filled with disbelief. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You're just a Rogue Cultivator, so you don't know much about the Southern Domain. I bet you don't even know anyone who's been to the Southern Domain! Your ignorance of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron is understandable.

"Well, let me tell you, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron is the number one Chosen in the Violet Fate Sect of the Southern Domain." A look of adoration filled her eyes as she spoke. "His name is Kazama, and he's Grandmaster Pill Demon's Legacy Apprentice. His Dao of alchemy rocks everything under Heaven. He's an amazing person who will be the stuff of legends in the future. He's an expert in poisons, and has a unique understanding of the Dao of alchemy. There isn't anyone in the United Nine of the Black Lands who doesn't know about him. I have a dream that one day in the future, I'll be able to go to the Southern Domain and pay him a visit. I'll plead with him to concoct a medicinal pill for me."

Naruto gave a dry cough. "You're exaggerating," he said without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, Koyuki's gaze turned dangerous.

"You don't believe me? You're not convinced?" She glared at him with wide eyes. After he had saved her twice, she suddenly found that she was less reserved in front of him, and more open. "You can disbelieve others, or remain unconvinced by their words. But, you are not allowed to disrespect Grandmaster Pill Cauldron! Kazama joined the Violet Fate Sect when he was seventeen years old. When he was just an apprentice alchemist, he utilized the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division techniques to cause a shocking scene! He displayed unprecedented talent, and caused everyone to be shocked.

"In fact, one of the East Pill Division Elders personally endorsed him to participate in the trial by fire to become a master alchemist. He was the first person to ever do so after having joined the Sect for less than a year! The way he became number one in the Sect was something exceedingly rare from ancient times until now!

"Thanks to his absolute superiority, he was promoted to master alchemist, after which he created a Bedevilment Pill, which sent the entire Southern Domain into an uproar. Later, he competed with Grandmaster Eternal Mountain and produced a Myriad Strength Pill, which was impossible to crush. That's when he became a Furnace Lord!" By this point in her tirade, she really seemed to be upset. Her words came out in a rush.

"After that he took place in an alchemy duel in the Black Sieve Sect. His Dao was shocking. Later, he received enlightenment at the Ancient Dao Geyser. He cowed the Dao Child of the Black Lands Palace and slaughtered an orange-masked Core Formation Cultivator, causing his name to ring out under all the Heavens! Later, in the Violet Fate Sect trial by fire for Violet Furnace Lords, he took first place in unprecedented fashion, suppressing Chosen to become a Violet Furnace Lord and the Legacy Apprentice of the East Pill Division!

"He did all that in only a few years. Do you really think you're better than someone like that? You really think you can measure up?"

Naruto stared at her in shock, his face a bit red. He felt somewhat embarrassed.

To be praised and commended in such a way was something he wasn't used to. He almost couldn't believe that Koyuki knew so much about him.

"Could it be that she specifically investigated me?" he thought. He cleared his throat again, feeling a bit complacent. He couldn't help but give a faint smile as he looked at Koyuki. The look on her face said that she would fight to the death if he didn't show respect to Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

"If this Grandmaster Pill Cauldron knew he had a devotee like you here in the Black Lands, I think he would be very happy." He laughed jokingly.

"Hmph! Don't mock my love for Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. So what if I love him? He's my dream beloved!"

Naruto laughed. Now he knew for sure that for some reason, the incident at the Rebirth Cave was not known among the Cultivators in the Black Lands. Perhaps the news hadn't spread, or… perhaps the fact that he had left the Violet Fate Sect and fled for his life… had been suppressed!

Seeing Naruto's expression, Koyuki was about to open her mouth and say something, but then had a sudden thought. A look of pity appeared in her eyes.

Sighing to herself, she thought, "His smile seems normal, but he's obviously covering up his jealousy of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. It's so obvious!" Then she thought about how he had saved her twice, and how he wasn't really very disagreeable in general. And of course there was the scene from the battlefield which kept playing out in her head.

Her heart suddenly softened.

She thought of Naruto's words and bearing from moments ago, and then realized she had actually embarrassed him a bit, which was why he had reacted in the way he did. "There's no need to feel frustrated," she said comfortingly. "Grandmaster Pill Cauldron is a rare talent in the world. Ai, don't let yourself feel discouraged."

Naruto wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. There was no way he could tell this girl that the person sitting in front of her was the very one she adored to the extreme and wanted to marry, Grandmaster Pill Demon's true Legacy Apprentice, possessor of the Everburning Flame, wielder of the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation, and superstar of the Southern Domain, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

Koyuki quickly changed the subject. She had suddenly thought of a problem. Frowning, she said, "What are you going to do? If you lose to Grandmaster Shino, then there's no way you'll be able to get a Frigid Snow Larva. Even granny won't be able to do anything about it. Besides, there are only two young larvae that can be raised, and it will take a year. Otherwise, I would help you to get one. Except, I don't know how to raise them…." She was about to continue when she saw the look on Naruto's face, as if something was unacceptable and he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

The look immediately annoyed her. Looking flustered, she stamped her foot. "Fine, forget it," she said. "If you aren't anxious then what's the point of me being anxious for you?"

Her attitude was something Naruto had never encountered before. Neither Hinata nor Sakura had been so impulsive. He couldn't help but size her up again.

"What are you looking at?" she said, glaring at him again, her young heart beginning to race. Without realizing it, she stood up a bit straighter and put on a menacing expression.

"I'm looking at you, beautiful," replied Naruto with a laugh, winking.

"You…." Her face suddenly flushed red, and her heart seized with panic. She backed up a few steps, holding her tongue for a long moment before bursting out, "You were just coming on to me!"

Naruto scratched his head, his smile growing wider. He suddenly realized that messing with this girl was quite amusing. He cleared his throat and was about to say something else when, suddenly, Koyuki once again spoke, her tone earnest: "Granny told me that according to Clan rules, anyone who comes on to a member of the Frigid Snow Clan will be turned into an ice statue! The only other option is to commit yourself to me!"

Naruto gaped in astonishment. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a ridiculous rule.

"You remember that!" said Koyuki obsequiously. "You owe me a commitment!" Her eyes flickered with craftiness as she stared at Naruto. Covering her smile with her hand, she spun around and walked off. Her slender legs, lithe waist, and perky rear end only served to accentuate her youthfulness, and gave her a profound charm as she stalked off.

Naruto watched her leave, laughing to himself. He then looked back down at the invitation card in his hand, and Shino's name written on the top in flowing calligraphy. As he did, his smile grew even more brilliant.

"Very well. Three days from now I'll go see this Grandmaster Shino. We'll see whether or not his Dao of alchemy has made any progress during his years in the Black Lands." Smiling, he put away the invitation card, closed his eyes and sat cross-legged amidst the lotuses. He meditated on the shape of the lotus flowers and sought enlightenment regarding their essence.

The Wild Giant snored gently as it slept. Off to the side, poor Motoi was butchering some meat to feed it when it woke up.

A forlorn expression covered his face. He missed his life in the Western Desert, and yet, after hearing the conversation between Koyuki and Naruto, he was suddenly filled with the desire to see this mysterious Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

"If I have to be a slave," he thought to himself, "it should be to a Chosen of the Dao of alchemy from the Southern Domain. That would be fitting for the likes of me, Motoi. Oh well. Such a pity…."

Time passed, and soon it was three days later. Koyuki came twice to visit during the three days, but every time she caught sight of Naruto's nonchalant attitude, she got mad. Her last visit came on the third day, the appointed day of the competition. Her face was dark as she stalked over, delivered a jade slip, and then left without another word.

The jade slip contained a pill formula, a simple one. Naruto could sense Shino's Dao of alchemy within the pill formula. Naruto wasn't sure how Koyuki had managed to get her hands on it, but obviously she wanted to give him a chance to study it so that he wouldn't lose too badly.

"She really is a warmhearted girl," he thought with a laugh. He studied the jade slip for a moment before transforming it into ash. Then he rose to his feet and flew up to stand on the head of the Wild Giant. "Alright, let's go. Who knows, maybe I'll end up giving some pointers to Shino. It depends on how much his skill in the Dao of alchemy has regressed." He shook his head as the Wild Giant suddenly opened its eyes. Looking a bit disconcerted, it rose to its feet. Its ninety-meter height made it look like a small mountain. It gave out a loud roar as it reached down, grabbed a big chunk of meat, and threw it into its mouth.

"Meat…. Meat…." it grumbled indistinctly. Then it strode forward, out of the courtyard.

Bells were sounding out within this region of Holy Snow City. As they heard the sound, nearby Cultivators suddenly remembered that today was the appointed day for Shino to concoct medicinal pills. Immediately, excitement began to grow.

In recent days, Holy Snow City had produced large amounts of magical items and techniques, a variety of cultivation necessities, all for the purpose in bolstering the resistance against the Black Lands Palace invasion.

Such items were available based on achievements in battle. Because of their former status as one of the great Clans of the United Nine, the Frigid Snow Clan possessed deep reserves of such items.

Everyone knew that Shino was going to concoct pills for ten people, based on their battle achievements. The news had caused quite a stir. Now that the bells were ringing out, large groups of Cultivators flocked toward Holy Snow Square, in the east of the city.

When Naruto appeared on the stomping Wild Giant, he was quite conspicuous. Even people some distance away could see the giant's huge frame.

Murmuring filled the air as the Wild Giant strode forward at top speed. It didn't need to fly, a single leap would propel it hundreds of meters forward.

Naruto sat cross-legged on top of the giant's head, the wind whistling past his ears. Snowflakes danced about in the cold air. He paid no attention to all the onlookers; he simply transmitted some silent instructions to the Wild Giant, his eyes closed.

Within the space of about ten breaths, he opened his eyes to find the Wild Giant leaping over a frozen river that ran through the city. Then, they arrived at Holy Snow Square.

The square had long since filled with hundreds of Cultivators, packed densely in rings. The sight of the Wild Giant caused them to immediately clear a path. Anyone who saw a ninety meter tall giant running toward them like a charging mountain would fall back without even thinking about it.

The center of the square was empty. Considering his status in Holy Snow City, Shino would obviously not sit around waiting for anyone.

As soon as the Wild Giant entered the square, Naruto's body flashed as he flew forward. The surrounding hundreds of Cultivators' eyes were fixed on him as he soared over them, his expression placid. It was amidst complete silence that he stepped foot into the middle of the square.

It was almost noon; however, snow drifted down from the sky like it always did, landing onto the bodies of the spectators and resting on their hair. Naruto looked out at them calmly as he waited.

"So that's the poison expert who will exchange poison concocting services for a Frigid Snow Larva from the Frigid Snow Clan."

"If that guy was in some other city, he might be able to make a big impression. Unfortunately for him, this is Holy Snow City, and we have Grandmaster Shino."

"On the day of the battle, Grandmaster Shino had reached a critical point in his pill concocting, and couldn't participate. That's why he didn't have a chance to show off the power of his poison like that other guy."

The onlookers discussed matters for a short time before four prismatic beams of light appeared. Four people appeared in the square, followed by dozens of Frigid Snow Clan members.

One was Koyuki, who looked over concernedly at Naruto.

As for the four people, they were none other than the four Grand Elders of the Frigid Snow Clan. First Elder stood there, as short as a midget, but emanating power from his Cultivation base that seemed to suppress the surrounding Cultivators. They instantly stared at him with intense looks of veneration.

Second and Fourth Elders, as well as the old woman, Third Elder, were all Nascent Soul experts. Their appearance instantly caused everyone to cease speaking.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. After the Elders arrived, about five breaths of time passed before Shino appeared. He strode into the square, flanked by the beautiful young women, looking incredibly lofty.

All of the Cultivators in the audience looked at him with respectful expressions, smiled, and clasped hands in salute.

"Greetings, Grandmaster Shino!"

"Many thanks for the medicinal elixir you provided, Grandmaster Shino. I had somewhat of a breakthrough in my Cultivation base. Anything you need, I will provide as repayment!"

"Haha, it's been a few days since we last met, Grandmaster Shino. You are even more elegant and graceful than before."

Words like these filled the air, causing Shino to smile proudly. After entering the square, he greeted the four Grand Elders, and then looked superciliously over toward Naruto.

"What's your name?" he said coolly, looking every bit a senior member of the Dao of alchemy.

"Kazama," replied Naruto with a slight cough. Naruto looked at Shino, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had been worried about the man for such a long time, but from the looks of it, he was definitely doing quite well.

Hearing the name Kazama caused Shino to stare in shock.

Shino wasn't the only one to stare in shock. Koyuki also glared at Naruto angrily with wide eyes.

The surrounding Cultivators were struck speechless for a moment. Then, however, they burst out laughing.

"Kazama? Don't tell me he's talking about the famous Grandmaster Pill Cauldron from the Southern Domain?"

"Hilarious. This guy sure is insulting Grandmaster Shino."

"He really has some guts, and maybe some skills too. It's too bad for him that he ran into Grandmaster Shino. He'll definitely be outdone."

As the laughter continued to ring out, Grandmaster Shino frowned and then gave Naruto a cold harrumph.

"Ignorant rapscallion," said Shino, flicking his sleeve. "It's hard to believe you dare to even speak the name of Kazama. He's my Junior brother, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!" A proud look shone in his eyes; clearly he felt that his status as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's Elder Brother was a very prestigious one. "Originally I merely planned to teach you a thing or two about the Dao of alchemy. However, considering your blathering, you rascal, I will now help you to understand that the grandeur of the Dao of alchemy is not something to be blithely chattered about." With that, he lifted up his hand to reveal a small bottle.

"Contained in this bottle is blood infected with the poison you used the other day," he continued, his voice arrogant. "I've long since analyzed it, and I have to say, it seems very potent, but is in fact quite simple." With that, he tossed the bottle over to Naruto.

"The first lesson I will teach you is regarding the liquified poison in that bottle. You…." Before he could finish speaking, his eyes went wide.

All of the surrounding Cultivators instantly went quiet, too, as their gazes locked onto Naruto. Even the four Grand Elders were watching him closely.

That was because the instant Naruto caught the bottle, it shattered. A putrid, black liquid emerged, along with a mist, which floated above Naruto's hand.

A moment later, a burning tongue of flame appeared in his palm, which instantly caused the black mist to dissipate. The liquid began to writhe, and after the space of about two breaths, had transformed into a medicinal pill! Everyone watching could clearly see the entire process!

The black medicinal pill suddenly began to emit strands of red Chakra, after which, the pill turned violet in color. It was no longer putrid; instead, a fragrant aroma wafted up from it which lifted the spirits of anyone who smelled it.

"Liquid Congealment Concoction!" thought Shino, his heart thumping. He was shocked, but quickly began to rationalize in his head. "It has to be some kind of trick. This guy is simply too young. Liquid Congealment Concoction is something that only Violet Furnace Lords can do."

Naruto coughed lightly, looking a bit embarrassed. He really didn't want to cause problems for Shino. In fact, he was quite happy to be able to see him here. Liquid Congealment Concoction wasn't anything particularly astonishing to see. It was more of a method of extending greetings to another alchemist. Unfortunately, because of the situation with the Hebi Clan, and Naruto's lack of certainty regarding all the circumstances involved, he didn't want to openly be involved with Shino.

"As an alchemist, I won't denigrate your petty gimmick," said Shino, sounding very much like a Grandmaster. In his best reprimanding tone, he continued, "However, in the process of researching that poison liquid, I imbued it with no small amount of medicinal plants. I never imagined you would dare to treacherously use them to make a medicinal pill! We'll ignore your Dao of alchemy for the moment. Such tricks are unacceptable!" The onlookers, including the four Grand Elders, suddenly weren't as shocked as they had been moments before. After all, they had very much faith in Shino, from their outsider's view.

Shino was actually somewhat alarmed inwardly. However, he knew that this was the Black Lands, and he was a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division. Therefore, he was fully convinced that trickery had just been used just now to congeal the pill.

"Come," he said, setting his jaw. "Concoct a pill for me. Use all the skill you have." His tone was arrogant, but inwardly he had decided to use this opportunity to determine the true skill level of his opponent.

Naruto gave a slight smile. He glanced at Shino, then shook his head and slapped his bag of holding to produce an ordinary pill furnace. Then, he produced some medicinal plants, which he tossed into the furnace. After a few moments, a green medicinal pill emerged. The fragrant medicinal aroma was thick. It was really just an ordinary medicinal pill, but it should have been enough to shock the audience.

However, upon the appearance of the medicinal pill, the observers didn't look surprised at all. In fact, some of them even laughed mockingly. The Four Grand Elders frowned, and the old woman sighed and shook her head.

Koyuki also shook her head, then looked at him as if he had lost and she were trying to comfort him.

Naruto gaped at all of this. Something didn't seem right. The green medicinal pill seemed simple, but it emanated a strong medicinal aroma, and was actually an eighty percent medicinal strength pill for the Foundation Establishment stage.

"That's your medicinal pill? Fine, I won't go too hard on you. However, I will now be forced to convince you what a true medicinal pill is!" Shino was actually heaving sighs of relief inwardly. Naruto's Dao of alchemy had long since surpassed his by a vast margin. Furthermore, the medicinal pills Naruto created were not flamboyant. In fact, without holding the pill in hand, Shino would have no way to tell its level. His expression was tranquil and composed as he smacked his bag of holding to produce a pill furnace.

This particular pill furnace was made from jade, and as soon as it appeared, it emanated spiritual energy. Naruto looked at it with surprise. Based on what he knew about pill furnaces, it only took a glance to tell that this one was beyond ordinary.

The surface of the jade pill furnace was carved with auspicious animals. These weren't ordinary depictions, they appeared to be totemic, and obviously served some special function.

Seeing Naruto's gaze caused a self-righteous look to appear on Shino's face. This pill furnace had been gifted to him by the Frigid Snow Clan, and he was quite pleased with it. Despite the fact that his Dao of alchemy was only average, he was still confident in being able to achieve victory because of his consistency. With the addition of this pill furnace, his chances increased even more. As of now, his success rate would be at ninety percent.

The pill furnace appeared along with a glowing red stone. After placing the pill furnace in position, flames leaped up from the stone to emanate out. Next, Shino produced some medicinal plants which he catalyzed to various degrees and then tossed into the pill furnace.

The pill furnace began to glow, and Shino himself began to shine with a light that gave him a Celestial appearance. He looked lofty, even holy. Anyone who looked at him would instantly be convinced of his grandeur.

At this point, he definitely emanated the aura of a transcendent being.

"No wonder he's called Grandmaster Shino. A single glance will tell you that he's Grandmaster material!"

"This is the second time I've seen Grandmaster Shino concoct pills. Every single time, I'm shocked and filled with admiration."

The surrounding Cultivators discussed the sight, eyes filled with open veneration. The four Grand Elders looked on with slight smiles, nodding with respect toward Grandmaster Shino.

A strange expression appeared on Naruto's face. No one else could tell, but it only took a glance for him to see that while the pill Shino was concocting was exceptional, what was even more exceptional was the technique the man was using to make his body glow brightly.

"No wonder he's done so well for himself here," thought Naruto. "That technique is really useful. If I remember correctly, he wasn't able to do that back in the Southern Domain. He must have picked up this technique here in the Black Lands."

A buzz of conversation filled the air as Shino, his eyes shining brightly, slapped the pill furnace. Blinding rays of light shot out, along with a white medicinal pill.

Immediately, a dense medicinal aroma filled the air, spreading out for dozens of meters in all directions. All who smelled it were immediately energized, and felt their Cultivation bases leaping with power.

People continued to gush with conversation.

"Now that is a medicinal pill! You don't even have to consume it to feel your Cultivation base jumping! That pill is incredible!"

"It's definitely extraordinary. In fact it's even more potent than the last set of pills Grandmaster Shino concocted. Hahaha. It seems Grandmaster Shino's Dao of alchemy is even better than before."

Even the Grand Elders were smiling and nodding, with the exception of the old woman.

Naruto gaped openly at the complacent Shino. After a long moment passed, he smiled wryly, finally understanding why the audience had looked at him with such cynicism. Shino's medical pills had always been exceptional. After all, he was a Furnace Lord. However, his final movement in slapping the furnace had seemed to be filled with complacency, but in fact caused the medicinal essence of the pill to begin to emanate out.

After the pill appeared, it was inherently weak; less than half of its original medicinal strength remained. The other half was emanating out into the air.

The dense medicinal aroma caused everyone to feel energized, and even experience tiny leaps in their Cultivation bases. To them, it indicated that this medicinal pill was high quality. However, that just went to show how little Black Lands Cultivators understood about the Dao of alchemy.

Suddenly, Naruto came to understand that when dealing with people who didn't understand the Dao of alchemy, you had to be adaptable.

Furthermore, he also realized that he himself had unwittingly made progress in his own Dao of alchemy. His medicinal pills were no longer as showy, but rather, subdued. This was a realm that exceeded that of ordinary alchemists, let alone ordinary Cultivators.

He put away the green medicinal pill, looked at the glorious Shino and, hearing the excited conversations of the surrounding Cultivators, began to chuckle.

It was at this moment that the voice of the Frigid Snow Clan's Second Elder rang out.

"Grandmaster Shino, there's no need to provide further instruction to this self-proclaimed Kazama," he said coolly. "Any agreements previously made with this callow Cultivator are now invalid." He looked at Naruto. "Because of the kindness you showed in saving Koyuki, we will not look further into your trickery just now." Before the echo of his words could die out, the sound of piercing laughter suddenly filled the entire city.

"So this is your Frigid Snow Clan's alchemist? Wow, such an amazing Grandmaster. You've even outshone Pill Demon! Except, everyone's laughing at you."

Three colorful beams of light suddenly appeared in the sky, sending out ripples as they flew down.

Three people appeared, and just as they seemed about to smash into Holy Snow City's protective spell formation shield, it suddenly opened. When the four Grand Elders of the Frigid Snow Clan saw who these three people were, their expressions immediately changed.

As soon as the voice filled the air, Shino put his pill furnace away. The three approaching figures never saw it clearly, nor the medicinal pills.

The approach of these three people caused the four Grand Elders' faces to fall.

One of them was a middle-aged man wearing a long white robe, with face like white jade. Though he was middle-aged, he stood tall and straight. His features were handsome and beyond ordinary, and a slight, amiable smile could be seen on his face. However, the more you looked at the smile the colder it seemed.

This man had no totemic Chakra on him, but rather, a faint medicinal aroma.

The words he had spoken just now were still echoing around as he stepped foot into the square to stand between Shino and Naruto.

He radiated loftiness, and his white robes were embroidered with glittering pill cauldrons. A condescending expression could now be seen on his face.

"Is this how the Southern Domain's Dao of alchemy works? What a great letdown! I'm afraid I, Indra, will have to return to the Eastern Lands disappointed." The man shook his head. He hadn't actually seen Shino and Naruto concocting pills; he had merely smelled the lingering medicinal aroma in the air, and seen Shino putting away the pill furnace. All of that left him disappointed.

Shino's face was unsightly as he looked over the three new arrivals. In addition to the middle-aged man was an old man wearing an inky green robe, with eyes that flashed like lightning. His expression was cold and haughty. The emanations of his Cultivation base revealed him to be of the great circle of the late Nascent Soul stage.

Even the four Grand Elders of the Frigid Snow Clan couldn't compare to such a Cultivation base.

However, there was a Chakra on the man that was very different from the other Cultivators. It was thick, and did not emanate out, but was clearly visible, like a signal beacon in the dead of night.

On the back of the old man's hand was a totem tattoo. As for any other tattoos, they were concealed by his voluminous robes, and were impossible to see.

The final person among the three was a young man. He didn't seem to be very old, and yet, there was an ancientness to him. He strode forward, occasionally glancing around, a reminiscent look on his face, even the touch of a sigh. His body emanated a fusion of the fluctuations of a normal Cultivator, as well as totemic Chakra.

There were many Cultivators like this young man in the Black Lands, who combined normal cultivation techniques with totem cultivation. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about that; however, there seemed to be something special about him, although it was difficult to say what.

When the Frigid Snow Clan Grand Elders caught sight of the young man, their faces flickered, especially that of First Elder. An anxious, doubtful expression could be seen, along with disbelief.

Naruto looked the three over and then glanced away.

The middle-aged man from the Eastern Lands shook his head in disappointment and was about to leave when suddenly he stopped in mid-stride and said, "Eee?" Suddenly, a brilliant glow appeared in his eyes, a shocked expression covered his face. "That's… that's…." He started panting as he lifted his right hand into the air with a grasping motion. Immediately, strands of Chakra began to drift into his hand and then congeal. Moments later, an illusory mass of Chakra appeared above his palm.

The mass of Chakra was green in color, and looked like a medicinal pill. However, it was merely illusory, the work of this man's magical technique.

When Naruto saw this, his eyes narrowed, and a faint glow flickered therein.

"Illusory Chakra Distillation!" he thought, looking at the man. To be able to distill Chakra into an illusory medicinal pill was an ability that not even all Violet Furnace Lords could employ.

It was a technique a level above the one used by Naruto just now to condense the liquid into a pill.

Naruto's eyes flickered. "This guy's Dao of alchemy is incredible."

Shino's eyes went wide and radiated astonishment. However, he quickly concealed it. His bearing was still one of arrogance, but deep in his heart, great waves of astonishment crashed about.

"That was no gimmick," thought Shino, taking an unconscious step back. "That was real Illusory Chakra Distillation. Dammit, this is the Black Lands. How could an alchemist like this suddenly appear. He's… he's at least at the same level as a Violet Furnace Lord, maybe even halfway to being a Grandmaster!" His heart pounded as he tried to figure out a way to get away. It was at this time when the man from the Eastern Lands suddenly looked up.

"This pill…." The man named Indra took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine with an intense light. "So, such a pill does exist under Heaven. Furthermore, it appears to have been created somewhat frivolously. It seems to me that whoever concocted this pill did not do so in the spirit of an alchemy duel. It seems almost an afterthought, and yet, the result embodies the natural spirit of Heaven and Earth!

"This pill is designed for the mere Foundation Establishment stage. However, it contains a great Dao of alchemy. Even more shocking is that this glittering, translucent pill does not seep any medicinal aroma! Were it not for the special Sect technique I just used, it would have been impossible to distill the illusory pill.

"Even more inconceivable is that the medicinal strength of this pill is above eighty percent. It seems that this isn't anything extraordinary for whoever concocted this pill, and yet, the pill was clearly concocted casually. However… to casually concoct a medicinal pill with eighty percent medicinal strength is… it's…." Indra's face was filled with excitement as he allowed the illusory pill to dissipate. When it was gone, he let out a long sigh.

"Now that is a medicinal pill! Truly an amazing pill of Heaven and Earth! Whoever concocted that pill is a true Grandmaster! The medicinal aroma it emits seems exceptional, but in fact, to compare it to that other vulgar medicinal pill is pure blasphemy! Pills like that are dog crap! Who would even compare the two!?" The man gave Naruto a level look, then turned to Shino. Obviously he took the green pill to have been concocted by Shino.

This was surely because before coming to this place, he had heard inhabitants of the Black Lands speaking of Grandmaster Shino.

Naruto gaped, then shook his head with a wry smile.

It wasn't just him who was gaping. The surrounding Cultivators stared wide-eyed. As for the four Grand Elders, they were completely shaken.

They didn't understand very much about the Dao of alchemy, but the medicinal pill the in the man's hand just now looked very much like the pill Naruto had just concocted.

Furthermore, the man's words regarding a medicinal pill that was vulgar dog crap seemed to have been referring to the medicinal pill concocted by Shino.

"Um…."

"Something seems off. Could it be that Grandmaster Shino concocted two medicinal pills?"

"Well, in any case, Grandmaster Shino is of noble word, and stands at the pinnacle of the Dao of alchemy. Nothing could possibly go wrong."

As strange expressions flitted across the faces of the audience, Indra turned to face Shino, his expression serious, as well as embarrassed. He clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"I spoke disrespectfully just now, Grandmaster Shino, I hope you don't take offense. I'm just obsessed with the Dao of alchemy and can't bear to allow anyone to profane the Dao of alchemy. I was too impulsive now and allowed the trivial to overshadow my view. My eyes were covered by a single leaf, so to speak. Grandmaster Shino, the East Pill Division commands my utmost admiration, and you truly deserve to be called the number one alchemist in the Black Lands. That single medicinal pill is enough to prove your skill in the Dao of alchemy. It has absolutely reached the pinnacle of perfection." With that, he let out a long sigh, then once again clasped hands and bowed deeply, thoroughly convinced of his analysis.

Shino wasn't sure what to do. He subconsciously cleared his throat as his mind reeled. This sudden turn of events was difficult for him to accept, and he was feeling a bit weak at the knees. He suddenly looked over at Naruto.

Seeing the enigmatic smile on Naruto's face made him feel even more apprehensive.

However, as the saying goes, when you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off. That is exactly the situation Shino found himself in. He obviously could not declare the man's words to be untrue. Therefore, he cleared his throat and nodded, not daring to say a word.

After bowing once more, the man named Indra turned to look back at the young man with the ancient air. "Fellow Daoist Hanxue, there's no need for any more analysis. To be able to lay eyes on a true Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy like Grandmaster Shino is enough. From the medicinal pill just now, I was able to confirm that Grandmaster Shino's Dao of alchemy is incomparable. Of this I am certain."

The young man smiled. "Grandmaster Indra, there's no need to underestimate yourself in such a fashion. Although I don't understand much about the great path that is the Dao of alchemy, I do know that victories can only be determined by means of fighting. Furthermore, I haven't been back to this place for many years, and would love to reminisce a bit. Grandmaster Indra, why not engage in an alchemy duel with this Grandmaster Shino?" He made no attempt to conceal the ancientness which emanated out of him. As he spoke, he looked around slowly, and by the time he finished, his gaze had come to rest in the direction of the four Grand Elders, whereupon he said, "Well, you've grown up."

The words caused the faces of everyone in the square to flicker. The appearance of these three people had been far too sudden, especially considering that the old man was clearly a Western Desert Cultivator. Holy Snow City had long since adjusted their invisible protective spell formation so that totem Cultivators could not enter.

And yet, these three people had approached with the greatest ease, in front of the eyes of the hundreds of Cultivators present.

That, in addition to the words of the man named Indra, caused strange expressions to appear on everyone's faces. These three people suddenly seemed to be veiled in even more mystery.

And then came the words of the young man. The Frigid Snow Clan Elders suddenly looked very serious, especially First Elder. The instant the young man had appeared, his expression had been strange, even anxious. His eyes shone with disbelief.

As for the other three Elders, they looked suspiciously at the young man. This was because they were able to sense some of the Chakra of their Clan on him.

"You…." said First Elder, panting.

Meanwhile, the man named Indra shook his head. Obviously he didn't agree with the young man's suggestion. Ignoring the shock on the faces of the surrounding Cultivators regarding the young man, he once again clasped hands and bowed deeply to Shino.

"Grandmaster Shino, I believe that there is no reason for us to compete in alchemy. However, I do have a tiny favor to ask." He clasped hands and bowed reverently. "Would you please produce that pill you just concocted and allow me to bask in its glory? What do you say?!"

Shino's heart was pounding. He kept a smile plastered on his face, but inside, he was on the verge of tears. "Uh… which pill are you talking about?"

Naruto coughed lightly, but didn't say anything.

Indra waited for a long time, but seeing Shino's lack of even a nod, he finally clasped hands and bowed once again. His voice filled with sincerity, he said, "Grandmaster Shino, I'm aware that such a request is a bit boorish. However, considering our mutual affection for the great Dao of alchemy, I am willing to trade one of the pills I personally concocted, just to be able to gaze upon that pill of yours."

His Cultivation base was at the Nascent Soul stage, so for him to bow to Shino in such a way showed the depth of his sincerity, as well as his devotion to the Dao of alchemy.

Everyone watching was of the opinion that for Shino to not produce the pill for the man to look at would be extremely egotistical. After all, the man had made a polite request, and only wished to look at the pill. He was even willing to offer up payment to be able to do so.

Shino's face was turning pale, and he was about to speak when Indra frowned.

"Grandmaster Shino," he said earnestly, "I merely wish to look at the pill. Will you really refuse such a simple request? Grandmaster Shino, please, fear not. I would never go back on my word! I only wish to look at it!"

Naruto blinked, but didn't say anything. A faint smile twitched at the corners of his mouth, and he looked a bit embarrassed.

Anyone else who was bowed to so many times would feel honored. However, with each bow, Shino's heart filled with more trepidation.

Gnashing his teeth, he decided to throw caution to the wind. Things had already proceeded to the point where he couldn't control the matter any more. He smacked his bag of holding to produce the pill he had just concocted, which he then threw over to Indra.

Indra's eyes flashed with excitement as he caught the pill with both hands. He looked down excitedly, filled with his love of the Dao of alchemy. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to settle himself and place himself in the optimal state of mind. He looked as earnest as someone about to go on a holy pilgrimage.

At the same moment as he had gazed earnestly at the pill, the young man from their group of three, the one who had provoked such a nervous reaction from the Frigid Snow Clan's four Grand Elders, glanced around musingly.

"I can still sense father's aura," he said with a smile. "It seems he's not dead after all. Although, his aura couldn't possibly be any weaker. It seems that my father is still asleep."

Theses words didn't provoke any reaction from First Elder, but the faces of the other three immediately changed. They suddenly remembered an event which had occurred a very long time ago, a subject which was taboo within the Clan.

"Doto!" said First Elder gratingly, staring angrily at the young man.

His words echoed out, booming in the ears of the three other Elders and stabbing into the hearts of the other Clan members. They gaped in astonishment and disbelief, apparently all recalling some particular matter.

Suddenly a great commotion arose among the Frigid Snow Clan Cultivators.

"Doto? That guy…. I remember! In the Clan histories there is a record of a Chosen of the Frigid Snow Clan from one thousand years ago. His name was Doto!"

"There was such a person! According to the Clan histories, he was incomparably evil, even cannibalistic! He reached the Nascent Soul stage in less than one hundred years, and then began to absorb the life force and Cultivation base of his own father Sosetsu, who was one of the two Spirit Severing Patriarchs in the Clan at the time!"

"I remember that too. However, the Clan histories didn't say what happened to Doto after he was defeated. Didn't Patriarch Sosetsu kill him?"

All the other Cultivators who were present heard and were shocked. Naruto's eyes glittered. If what the Frigid Snow Clan members said was true, then the young man with the ancient voice was someone truly to be feared.

The young man laughed. "I've been away for so long, I never imagined the Clan would remember me." His eyes glittered brightly as his gaze fell upon Shino.

Shino's face was unsightly. He actually didn't care a bit about the gaze of the young man; his heart was like a pile of ashes as he continuously sighed. The reason for this, of course, was because of the strange look on the face of the Indra Cultivator.

It started out as one of incredulity, then perplexity, and finally disbelief. His body began to tremble.

"I'm finished, finished…." thought Shino bitterly. His heart was trembling.

The man name Indra suddenly took a deep breath and slowly looked back up at Shino.

"That Pill…." began Shino. Before he could continue, however, Indra once again clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Grandmaster Shino, sir, my Dao of alchemy does not compare to yours. However, there is really no need to produce some other medicinal pill with the intention of shaming me." His tone was cool, but deep in his heart he was furious. "I know that you didn't concoct this medicinal pill, Grandmaster Shino. Why would you embarrass me with something so shoddy!?"

"I…." said Grandmaster Shino, feeling even more anxious. He was about to try to explain, but was cut off.

"Grandmaster Shino, I only want to take a look at that one medicinal pill. If you're not willing to show it to me, then would you at least concoct a new pill for me to take a look at? Grandmaster Shino, I plead with you to fulfill my wish!" He continued to suppress the anger he felt at heart. His desire to personally see such a medicinal pill caused him to once again clasp hands and bow.

In his heart, Shino was cursing. He was filled with despair, and wanted to yell out, 'that is the pill I concocted!'

However, everyone was looking at him, including the four Grand Elders. Even more importantly, the two young women behind him were also watching on.

In addition, the surrounding Cultivators were now starting to throw out words of encouragement.

"Grandmaster Shino, why not let this outsider look at your medicinal pill? Let him know how awesome our Black Lands alchemists are!"

"Yeah, that's right, Grandmaster Shino! Teach this guy a lesson, show him that you're a true Grandmaster!"

"Grandmaster Shino, make this Eastern Lands Cultivator's wish come true! Show him what it really means to be a Grandmaster!"

Once voice after another rang out. Normally, such words would cause Shino to feel quite smug. Right now, however, they made him want to weep.

"I… I…." In his heart, Shino was letting loose a torrent of curses, but on the outside, he was smiling. However, his smiling face looked much more unsightly than a crying one. When he looked over and saw Naruto gazing at him with a bashful smile, he felt like he couldn't take it any more. It was then that he suddenly realized that Naruto's embarrassed grin looked very familiar. However, because of his nervousness, he didn't have time to consider the matter.

Gritting his teeth, Shino slapped his bag of holding and retrieved the best pill he had ever concocted in the Southern Domain. He threw it over to the man named Indra.

Indra immediately caught it. After studying it for a moment he frowned. He was losing control of his rage, and it was now seeping onto his face. His body was also starting to tremble.

"Grandmaster Shino, there's no need to repeatedly insult me! Your Dao of alchemy may be incredible, but these second-rate pills you keep producing are nothing compared to the pill from earlier. Have you reached such a level that you refuse to produce pills that you yourself have concocted?! Do I, Indra, really not qualify to even look at your medicinal pills? Grandmaster Shino, to be so overbearing is really going overboard! I… I just want to look at that medicinal pill. Why can't you just do me this one little favor!?"

Indra was extremely frustrated. The favor he had asked was not a very big one was it…? Finally, he suppressed his anger, and once again clasped hands and bowed. "Grandmaster Shino, again, I plead with you to grant my wish. This is the last time I will ask."

This last bow was the straw that broke the camel's back. Shino was on the verge of collapse. Panting, he suddenly exploded in a fury: "Favor! Favor!? All you want is a favor!? I've given you my medicinal pills. You can see that I concocted them myself! My Dao of alchemy is only average. What's it to you?! That's how I am. The pill you were looking at before wasn't concocted by me! That guy concocted it!" He pointed at Naruto. "That was his pill! You think you're pissed off? I'm even more pissed off than you! You're the one who made the mistake! If you want to look at that pill from before, then ask that guy!"

Shino flicked his sleeve. His face was ashen and filled with rage as he turned to leave. His heart was pounding as he scrambled to come up with a way to salvage the situation.

The man named Indra stared in shock, then spun to look at Naruto.

It wasn't just him. Everyone, including the four Grand Elders, and the hundreds of surrounding Cultivators, all slowly turned to look at Naruto. All eyes were now glued on him and him alone.

Most of the gazes were filled with shock and incredulity.

"Whether or not you concocted that pill doesn't matter," said Indra to Shino. "Events today have reached the point that an alchemy duel is required in order to prove who is the alchemist that I so revere!" His glare shifted from Naruto to Shino.

"Grandmaster Shino," he continued earnestly. "After I defeat this guy, I hope that you will no longer humiliate me, but will allow me to look at that pill." Without looking at Naruto, he lifted his right hand up, and a pill furnace appeared.

Shino was on the verge of tears. Even after everything that had happened, he didn't understand why this man just wouldn't believe him. Perhaps the act he had put on before had simply been too convincing. The man apparently really did believe that he was looking down on him.

Naruto cleared his throat and then hesitantly said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not a local alchemist. I just lost a match to Grandmaster Shino, and was told to leave the city. I'm afraid I can't compete with you in alchemy." He sighed, looking apologetic.

Hearing this, Shino's face immediately fell, and he began to howl inwardly with anguish. "You're my ancestor, alright? My ancestor! Can you just not do this to me…."

Second Elder, the one who had previously demanded that Naruto leave the city, now looked angrily over toward Shino. 'Why can't you just take out the medicinal pill, Grandmaster Shino,' he thought. 'Why cause all this trouble?'

Inwardly, Shino was constantly cursing, although he wasn't sure exactly who he should be cursing. He was filled with consternation and regret.

The man named Indra frowned. He was starting to think that this Holy Snow City was really annoying. All he wanted to do was take a look at that medicinal pill. And yet after all this time, he hadn't been able to lay eyes on it for even a second.

Face grim, he turned slowly to look at the young man.

Doto had been watching everything that was happening. He gave a slight smile, and then his body flickered; a moment later, he was standing directly in front of Shino.

First Elder suddenly said, "Doto, I don't know why you're not dead yet, but…."

"But what?" he said with a laugh, cutting off First Elder. "The reason I'm not dead is because the old man was soft-hearted. However, his soft-heartedness hasn't influenced my cultivation. I have nothing to do with the Frigid Snow Clan now. I'm a vassal of the Five Moons Tribe of the Western Desert, and I'm responsible for eradicating Holy Snow City! Furthermore, I've heard of this Grandmaster Shino, and I'm interested in seeing for myself what his Dao of alchemy is like."

The surrounding Cultivators immediately broke out into an uproar. The four Grand Elders' faces were unsightly. After all, the old man among the group of three was at the great circle of the late Nascent Soul stage. His aura was threatening to the extreme, causing great pressure to bear down on everyone.

"Oh, don't worry," said Doto with a slight smile. "Nobody understands Holy Snow City and its resources better than me. But I'm not here today to fight. I just want to see this Grandmaster Shino in an alchemy duel! The stakes are a grand bit of good fortune! Or maybe you could say the difference between life and death. Whoever wins, I promise that the Western Desert Cultivators won't attack the city for three months. That should give you plenty of time to prepare. Although, if you refuse, well…." It was at this point that shouts suddenly rang out from beyond the city walls. Prismatic beams of light shone in the air as a sea of wild animals appeared.

Spell formations glittered in the sky, surrounding everything with an intense pressure.

The Cultivators in the square were all shocked by the sight. Everyone in all of Holy Snow City looked up, minds reeling. The four Grand Elders' faces were extremely unsightly.

Doto's appearance meant that all their previous preparations were now flawed. They would definitely need time to make adjustments. They weren't sure why he was giving them three months' time, but even if it was a trap, the Frigid Snow Clan had no choice but to leap into it. They needed those three months.

Doto laughed as he looked at the Frigid Snow Clan Grand Elders. "However, it seems circumstances are a bit different now. Grandmaster Shino isn't willing to produce his medicinal pill. If Mr. Indra is willing, then why not first have a little competition with this youngster. That way, Grandmaster Shino will be able to see if Mr. Indra's Dao of alchemy can be taken seriously."

First Elder looked a bit embarrassed, and was already quite irritated at Shino. Second Elder was thinking the same thing. They had taken Shino at face value, and determined that he was truly a Grandmaster. But now, it seemed he wasn't willing to show off any of his skill, and was instead pushing someone else to do so.

They weren't sure how to handle the situation.

First Elder frowned as he considered the situation. Finally, he sighed and looked over at Naruto. "Young friend, we would like to request that you concoct a pill. Regarding the matter of the Frigid Snow Larva, we can renegotiate after the current matter is settled. What do you say?"

Naruto smiled. He really didn't want to cause Shino to lose face. But as far as anyone else was concerned, he wouldn't hesitate to humiliate anyone when it came to the Dao of alchemy, especially some self-proclaimed Eastern Lands alchemist.

So, he responded to First Elder with a nod.

Before he could even finish nodding, a flash of irritation could be seen on Indra's face. Obviously, he thought Grandmaster Shino suspected his Dao of alchemy and wanted to use this method to probe him out.

With a cold harrumph, Indra glanced over Naruto and then looked back toward Shino. With clasped hands, he said, "I am Indra, of Mount Alchemy in the Eastern Lands." This, of course, was the formal introduction before an alchemy duel. However, despite competing with Naruto, Indra obviously took it as a duel with Shino.

Shino gave a bitter laugh in his heart. He was even more nervous and perturbed now. As far as he was concerned, everything on this day was a huge misunderstanding. However, there was no way to resolve the issue now.

Naruto's expression was the same as usual. Seeing that this was an official alchemy duel, he took a deep breath and was about to introduce himself in the formal way when Indra flicked his wide sleeve.

"There's no need for you to speak," he said. "I'm not interested in your name or where you're from. Just make the best medicinal pill you can make, alright?"

The disregard made Naruto frown.

Indra lifted up his hand, hovering above which was a pill furnace. Suddenly a flame emerged from his palm. This was no ordinary flame, but rather Nascent Soul fire. Only Nascent Soul Cultivators with a Fire-type Nascent Soul can produce such a flame.

The flame was reddish-orange and sent ripples out through the air. It took only a moment for the pill furnace hovering above his palm to turn bright red. Indra slapped his bag of holding to produce several small white bags, each of which was filled with various powders.

He measured out various portions of powder and then fed them into the pill furnace. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the sight of this, and Shino took a deep breath.

"He's not concocting pills with plants…."

"In Mount Alchemy in the Eastern Lands, we don't concoct pills with plants," said Indra coolly. "We use the five elements as the foundation. By procuring objects which conform to the five elements, then reducing them to powder, we can use the power of the five elements to concoct pills. This is the true great path of the Dao of alchemy!" His pill furnace began to emit intense rumbling sounds. Suddenly, dark clouds began to gather in the sky above and peals of thunder rang out.

Shino's heart began to race with alarm. It was obvious that the clouds up above were Pill Tribulation!

The surrounding Cultivators were shocked, and the four Grand Elders were breathing raggedly. They didn't understand much about the Dao of alchemy, but they had heard of Pill Tribulation. To see it with their own eyes caused their hearts to tremble.

Indra glanced up proudly at the Tribulation. "In the Eastern Lands, we don't worry about Pill Tribulation. In fact, inducing Pill Tribulation lets us harness the power of lightning, allowing the full power of the five elements to be unleashed!" As he spoke, booming sounds filled the air as multiple bolts of lightning shot down toward the pill furnace. In the blink of an eye, the lightning bolts merged together into a massive sheet of lightning

Indra lifted his head up and howled. He slapped the pill furnace with his left hand, causing the lid to open. A six-colored medicinal pill flew out, which Indra grabbed. Immediately, the clouds up above dissipated. However, the lightning continued to fall downward, slamming into the ground around Indra, making him look completely shocking.

"Unfortunately, the process was a bit rushed," said Indra, glancing over at Naruto. "The end result is not the best it could be." He then looked at Shino, his eyes flashing, as if he were throwing down the proverbial gauntlet.

Shino maintained his noble visage, but his heart was trembling violently.

Naruto's eyes flickered in thought for a moment. Then, he waved his right hand to produce a pill furnace.

Indra glanced at Naruto's pill furnace, and his previous tranquil expression began to fill with a proud aura. This was a look he hadn't displayed when interacting with Shino. Now that he was dealing with Naruto, however, he naturally acted differently.

However, after looking at the pill furnace for a moment, a look of surprise flitted across Indra's face momentarily. This was the pill furnace Naruto had acquired in the Black Sieve Sect, the Ten Thousand Refinements furnace.

The instant Shino saw the pill furnace, his mind began to spin. He had seen a Ten Thousand Refinements furnace before that looked almost exactly like the one Naruto currently held in his hand. When it came to pill furnaces, to find two that looked exactly the same, especially a Ten Thousand Refinements furnace, might not be a common occurrence, but wasn't impossible.

Shino hesitated for a moment and then suppressed his suspicions.

As for Naruto, his eyes glittered as he hefted the pill furnace in his right hand. Inside of him, the East Pill Everburning Flame kindled to life and then emerged to fill his palm. The flame itself was invisible, but the air around Naruto's hand twisted and distorted.

The sight of it caused Indra's eyes to narrow. For the first time, a look of doubt appeared on his face.

Based on an alchemist's concocting technique, it was possible to get a vague impression of his Dao of alchemy. Indra could instantly see that Naruto's techniques were beyond ordinary. That was especially true of the intangible flame which Naruto wielded. His heart filled with shock.

"That flame…." he thought. His heart filled with hesitation.

It was not the first time that Shino saw Naruto's invisible flame, but this time, he examined it more closely than the before. After detailed examination, his heart began to flutter. However, his face was still plastered with the same enigmatic expression. He sported a slight smile, along with a look of commendation, as if watching someone of the junior generation concoct pills made him very happy.

The look on his face made everyone in the audience feel reassured that everything that was happening was all part of Shino's plan, and that he really felt it beneath his dignity to let Indra look at his medicinal pill.

Inwardly, Shino sighed. He felt bitter and nervous, and yet, also a bit proud. What he didn't notice was that Doto was looking at him with an expression of intense interest.

Meanwhile, after a moment's thought, Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce a medicinal plant. As soon as it appeared, he crushed it into a powder and fed it into the pill furnace.

For him to do so with only one medicinal plant was nothing special. However, Naruto subsequently pulled out one medicinal plant after another. Each one he crushed up into a powder before placing it into the pill furnace. This caused Indra to frown, and then smile coldly.

"So you want to imitate my five elements method of pill concoction," said Indra coolly. "Well, I think you really overestimate your capabilities. You might be good at concocting pills, but when it comes to my five elements concoction method, unless your skill in the Dao of alchemy exceeds mine, then you will never succeed!" However, as soon as he looked at Shino, his heart began to pound. Shino's expression was one of complete calm. His profoundly mysterious aura made Indra suddenly feel a bit uncertain.

Naruto's expression was calm as he began to use the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation. In the blink of an eye, the flame in his palm split into two sections. Deep inside of him, a vast array of various medicinal pill variations flitted about. He began to make adjustments, and as he did, the pill furnace slowly began to turn bright red.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he repeatedly performed various incantation gestures with his hand and then pushed onto the pill furnace. Every time he touched it, the pill furnace would rumble, and loud cracking sounds could be heard from within. Soon, a medicinal aroma began to emanate out. Strangest of all, almost as soon as the aroma emanated out, people tried to smell it, but couldn't!

The aroma was right there in front of them, but they couldn't smell it! This bizarre phenomenon caused all of the surrounding Cultivators' expressions to change. The four Grand Elders stared with wide eyes.

"What's going on? What pill is this guy concocting? You can sense that there's a medicinal aroma, but it's like it doesn't exist at all!"

"What a bizarre pill. This alchemist may be young, but obviously can't be looked down upon."

"Ah, it's not a big deal. It's probably some kind of illusion magic. Just look at Grandmaster Shino, he obviously knows what's going on."

Shino was inwardly dumbstruck, but without even thinking about it, he smiled, as if all of this was part of his strategy. He seemed to be offering his praise to a member of the junior generation.

He had practiced this expression to the point where the proverbial furnace flame had grown green. It had reached the pinnacle of perfection. At this point, it was as if Mt. Tai was crumbling in front of his very eyes, but even as it did, he calmly let everyone know that it was his doing.

This was one of the reasons he had been able to rise to prominence in the Black Lands. By being able to display an expression like this without even thinking about it, he left all onlookers scared stiff.

Indra's expression was one of extreme concentration as he gazed at Naruto's pill furnace. Slowly, his eyes began to fill with disbelief.

"That's… Self-Contained Pill Aroma! The pill is not yet complete, so the aroma of the pill is illusory. It emanates out for the purpose of absorbing the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth! Everyone can sense it, but are unable to actually smell it! This is a realm of pill concocting that exists in legend! This guy…." The more Indra thought about it, the more shocked he became. He glanced over at Shino. Seeing the man's deep, unfathomable expression caused his heart to pound.

"Just how profound is this Shino's Dao of alchemy?" he thought.

As the onlookers continued to be overwhelmed with shock, Naruto waved his left hand to produce some more medicinal plants. This time, he did not crush them into powder, but rather, collected sap, twigs, and the like, which he then fed into the pill furnace. The red glow of the pill furnace grew even more intense. Soon, an hour had passed, whereupon Naruto finally slapped the pill furnace.

A booming sound filled the air, causing everyone to assume that the pill was finally fully concocted. It was at this time that the ground began to tremble, and suddenly, something like a screaming wind kicked up. However, it only took a moment for everyone to realize that this was no wind!

It was spiritual energy!

All of the spiritual energy in Holy Snow City began to rush in, forming something like a massive vortex.

The nucleus of this raging vortex of spiritual energy was none other than the pill furnace in Naruto's hand.

"This…." First Elder strode forward slowly, panting. He had never before heard of such an upheaval of spiritual energy occurring because of pill concoction.

The other Grand Elders watched on dumbstruck, filled with shock. The other Frigid Snow Clan members, including Koyuki, all watched on with expressions of disbelief.

Everyone was equally shocked, including the hundreds of other Cultivators that made up the audience. Their breaths came in ragged pants, and soon, a buzz of conversation filled the air.

"Can pill concocting really cause such an influx in spiritual energy? What… what pill is this?"

"Just what pill is he concocting, exactly? This is almost completely unbelievable!"

As the conversations filled the air, Shino continued to watch on proudly. He even lifted up his hand to slowly stroke his beard, exuding a look of admiration. It seemed as if the incredible goings-on were all meticulously planned by he himself.

Of course, inside, Shino's heart wouldn't stop racing, and he was on the verge of screaming.

"Inhuman," he thought. "Bizarre! I never imagined that there could be someone besides Kazama who is such a freak when it comes to the Dao of alchemy. Just what exactly is he doing? What pill is he concocting…?" As his nervousness grew, his look of pride and complacency continued to emanate out.

When people saw his expression, Indra included, it only served to increase his standing in their eyes.

"There's no Pill Tribulation," thought Indra, looking up into the sky. "This medicinal pill seems shocking, but actually isn't that amazing." He felt a little bit better because of this.

It was at this point that Naruto casually said, "Ladies and Gentleman, I'm afraid you'll have to wait just a little bit longer. This pill is still lacking the final important ingredient." The pill furnace was bright crimson, and the air around it twisted and distorted. Vast amounts of spiritual energy continued to pour in from all directions, sucked into the pill furnace. It was so bright now that it looked like Naruto was holding a small sun in his hand.

As of this moment, Naruto looked wildly impressive.

The audience was instantly astonished.

"It's missing the final main ingredient? What's that supposed to mean? Why doesn't he just put the final ingredient in right now?"

"Something seems off. Could it be that he's waiting for someone to come deliver the final ingredient?"

The four Grand Elders frowned in confusion and then looked over at Shino.

It wasn't just them. Indra looked over at him with complete perplexity.

In addition, Doto, as well as the late Nascent Soul stage Cultivator, who hadn't spoken a single word so far, were both looking at Shino.

Shino gave an indifferent smile as he continued to stroke his beard. He looked calm and enigmatic, as if he were enjoying watching his plans play out. His ability to project this air of superiority really had been perfected to the limit.

Inside, though, he was nervously cursing everything including Heaven, Earth, and even the audience. Two alchemists had appeared, each one seemingly more inhuman than the other; and yet, everyone who was watching assumed that he was the strongest of all.

Only someone with quite a strong will would be able to prevent themselves from collapsing. Shino cleared his throat. Everyone was looking at him, awaiting his explanation.

"Grandmaster Shino, please clear things up for us."

"Yeah! Grandmaster Shino, what's the final main ingredient that this guy needs for his concoction? Will it be here soon?"

Even Indra clasped hands toward Shino and earnestly said, "Grandmaster Shino, please clear up this confusion."

"I'll clear up your sister's confusion! How the hell would I know what the final ingredient is!" Of course, this was merely what Shino said in his heart. His face remained as proud as ever. He smiled slightly and looked up toward the sky.

"In my estimation," he said, "the final ingredient is incredibly extraordinary in nature. It is simple, and yet mysterious. It is extraordinary in its ordinariness. The Dao of alchemy which requires such an ingredient is not something that the likes of you could understand. Since you can't understand, why do you request an explanation?" Shino maintained his air of superiority as he made this vague explanation. If everyone hadn't already decided that he was an amazing Grandmaster, they would definitely take such an explanation to be poppycock.

However, because of their preconceptions, it actually seemed profound and enigmatic.

In fact, the reason Shino looked up into the sky as he made his explanation was because he had the feeling whatever this final main ingredient was, if it was missing, that meant someone would have to deliver it. And if someone were to deliver it, they would definitely do so by flying over with it.

Even if it wasn't delivered by someone via flight, he had another reason for looking up into the sky. Medicinal plants were a product of Heaven and Earth. Therefore, looking up toward the Heavens could not possibly be an incorrect strategy.

Naruto noticed what Shino was doing, and suddenly got a strange feeling. All of a sudden he realized that Shino was far more amusing in the Black Lands than he had been in the Violet Fate Sect.

Naruto also glanced up at the sky and then thought, "I've been here for about seven or eight days. According to my calculations, the time should be close. I shouldn't have to wait much longer." Even as he was thinking this, his expression suddenly changed. It was without hesitation that he slapped his bag of holding. Danzo suddenly appeared, flung up high into the air.

A boom rang out as a lightning bolt shockingly appeared in the middle of the boundless blue sky. The deafening sound it made far exceeded that of the Pill Tribulation. It slammed down onto Danzo, who instantly let out a miserable shriek. The lightning bolt immediately began to weaken, and before Danzo could even begin to curse, Naruto put him back into his bag of holding. Then, he redirected the weakened lightning bolt directly into the pill furnace.

The final main ingredient Naruto had been waiting for was none other than Tribulation Lightning!

A boom echoed out of the pill furnace. The lightning danced, sending out shocking peals of deafening thunder. The pill furnace began to tremble, and then the lid flew off of it. A medicinal pill shot out, which was surrounded by lightning.

The instant the pill appeared, the sky filled with dense black clouds. These were not Tribulation clouds, but rather naturally occurring ones. It seemed as if this medicinal pill could attract natural thunder and lightning. Up above, the clouds roiled, causing the very earth to quake.

The medicinal aroma which had been emanating out suddenly roiled and was sucked into the medicinal pill, congealing therein. The pill instantly turned translucent and began to emanate blinding light. It was clearly far beyond ordinary.

At the same time, all of the spiritual energy in the area surged like tidewaters. The pill seemed to suddenly give birth to a huge vortex that sucked in all of the spiritual energy. The thunder from up above grew even louder.

Just as it seemed that the lightning was about to begin falling, Naruto reached out and grabbed the lightning-covered medicinal pill. He gave it a close look and then nodded.

This was the first time he had attempted to concoct something like this. After seeing Indra use his five elements concocting technique, he had been inspired to fuse that method with his own. Although he hadn't completely succeeded, it had opened up a new branch of thought within his mind.

"Using this method to concoct pills actually leads to better results," he thought. "Furthermore, the variations within the five elements make it possible to concoct pills according to the theory of creating something from nothing…." With a final glance at the pill, he looked calmly over at Indra.

Everyone in the audience was panting, including the four Grand Elders. They stared at the pill surrounded by lightning, as did all of the hundreds of Cultivators in the square.

Indra was watching on, stupefied. When Naruto had started his concocting, Indra had looked down on him. But as the process continued, his attitude gradually changed. When the illusory pill aroma appeared, astonishment took root in his heart. By the time the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth began to surge toward it, he was thoroughly shaken. When the lightning appeared, he was positively, absolutely stunned.

His breathing was ragged and his eyes wide as he stared at the medicinal pill and realized that the technique used to create it was above and beyond his own five elements concocting technique. This new technique was a true fusion.

"That's impossible! How could it be…? This guy…." Indra glanced subconsciously over at Shino. If he hadn't already come to the conclusion that the man was truly a Grandmaster, then at the moment, he would definitely be thinking that the true Grandmaster was actually Naruto.

Despite his certainty, he was still shaken. After hearing Shino's words just now, it was hard to tell… whether he had planned all of this or whether it just happened because he had been embarrassed by Indra.

Indra wasn't the only person looking at him in this light. The Cultivators in the audience, the four Grand Elders, and the former Frigid Snow Clan member Doto were all inwardly moved by Shino.

As they all looked over at him, what they saw was his cool, indifferent smile, and his expression of praise. He was clearly concerned about the member of the junior generation, which caused everyone to gape in astonishment.

His proud bearing, which exuded the air of a Grandmaster, caused everyone to muse about how Shino truly was at the peak of the Dao of alchemy.

Even Indra was hesitating now. Shino's performance was really too perfect. In fact, it even caused Naruto to feel surprised. If he didn't personally know Shino, then even he would have been fooled.

Shino's tranquil smile actually covered up the quavering of his heart. Inwardly, he was filled with shock and astonishment. How could he ever have possibly imagined that what Naruto was waiting for was a bolt of lightning?

"He used lightning as his final main ingredient for the pill?" he thought. "He's inhuman! A freak! He's even more of an aberration than Kazama!" However, the more his heart trembled, the calmer his face was. This skill which he had been working on over the years in the Black Lands really had reached the acme. In fact, it was at such a level that sometimes he even convinced himself of his own marvelousness.

Most of the time, he was clearheaded about the matter, but right now, he was moaning inwardly. Because of his well-honed skill, he had gazed proudly up into the sky just now, an action which now caused the onlookers' eyes to suddenly realize what had happened.

"So, Grandmaster Shino was looking up into the sky just now because he knew all along that lightning was the main ingredient!"

"That's right! I was wondering about that. Now it's really obvious that Grandmaster Shino is a true Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy!"

Indra took a deep breath, and his face filled with a look of admiration. This was not to mention even the four Grand Elders, and Doto of the Frigid Snow bloodline, who didn't really know much about the Dao of alchemy, but made their judgement of Shino based on Indra's reaction.

"What pill is that?" asked Indra, a serious expression on his face. As of now, there was no look of contempt on his face. Naruto's medicinal pill had thoroughly proven the level of his Dao of alchemy. Indra was now very much interested in him, and even placed him on a similar level as Shino.

Naruto smiled. "Just a simple pill that should be able to release a Lightning Sea." This was not the type of pill that you could consume, but rather more like a magic pill. Naruto had come to the realization that using the five elements concocting method was more effective when used to concoct magic pills.

Indra stood there thoughtfully for a moment. There was no need for him to examine the pill closely. Considering he had observed the concoction process as well as the final result, he was now able to tell without a doubt that Naruto's words were true.

This pill was something he himself couldn't concoct unless he got incredibly lucky and had lightning fall during the concoction process to provide as the main ingredient!

In the past, he had seen lightning used to make pills, but it was usually just a shortcut used to improve the effectiveness of the five elements. It was nothing like what Naruto had done, in which he actually used lightning as the main ingredient.

The difference between the two made the superior and inferior completely obvious.

Shino cleared his throat and then somberly said, "Excellent. That pill concocting technique of yours is very interesting. Going forward, you should put more thought into it. Perhaps you can open up a new path on the Dao of alchemy. When traversing the great road of the Dao of alchemy, one can never be complacent. Alchemy is boundless, and the Dao is infinite. We must maintain an inquisitive heart in order validate the great Dao of alchemy of Heaven and Earth!" His face was filled with the arrogance of seniority, as if he were a great master giving some pointers.

A strange expression was written on Naruto's face, like a smile, but not. Indra took a deep breath and then clasped hands and bowed to Shino.

"Grandmaster Shino, your words are the pinnacle of truth. I, Indra, am now thoroughly convinced. There is no need for me to look at that medicinal pill from before. I also understand why you are not willing to let me look at it. You feel that my Dao of alchemy is insufficient, and that looking at the pill would disturb my heart and mind. Grandmaster Shino, I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life." Once again, he bowed with utmost sincerity.

Shino's expression was as proud as ever as he smiled indifferently. This, in turn, caused the other onlookers to view him with even more admiration. The four Grand Elders now looked at Shino with even more veneration.

All of this caused Naruto to stare in shock. He looked down at the pill in his hand, and then over at Shino. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. The pill he had laboriously concocted was casually commented on by Shino, and then everyone took his words at face value.

"Shino really has mastered some new skills here in the Black Lands," thought Naruto. As he gazed at the man, Shino looked at him, and suddenly began to tremble inwardly. Then, he opened his mouth with the intention of offering some true praise toward Naruto.

However, it was at this moment that the late Nascent Soul Cultivator who stood next to Doto suddenly shot toward Shino.

The four Frigid Snow Grand Elders had been watching this man for some time now, so as soon as he made his move, they flew to intercept him.

They all slammed into each other, and a huge boom echoed out. Blood sprayed from the mouths of the four Grand Elders. The old man from the Western Desert trembled. Suddenly, he changed direction and shot toward Naruto.

The four Grand Elders fell back, flashing incantation gestures, after which they pointed toward Shino. A glittering shield immediately surrounded him.

Shino's heart was quivering, and yet without even thinking about it consciously, he caused utter calm to remain on his face. He looked as supercilious as ever. Seeing this caused Doto to feel even more excited. He also shot forward.

He moved with incredible speed, appearing instantaneously next to the shield protecting Shino. He lifted his hand up and pressed gently down onto the shield; it instantly shattered into pieces. The four Grand Elders howled, and were about to charge forward when Doto waved his right hand and swept them away. At the same time, his left hand snaked out to grab ahold of Shino.

Shino's body suddenly trembled in fear, and he was about to scream.

"There's no need to be alarmed, Grandmaster Shino," said Doto. "I won't hurt you, sir. I just feel that leaving a Grandmaster as talented as you in a place like this is a true waste. Come with me to the Western Desert. The tasks you will face won't measure up to the requirements laid forth in this place. However, if you refuse, then I'll be forced to help you understand what it means to live a life worse than death!"

Having been grabbed in this fashion, Shino was no longer able to keep up the charade. His face was pale white, his body shivered, and intense fear filled his heart.

"This is a mistake!" he blurted. "It's all a misunderstanding. My… my… my Dao of alchemy can't even compare to his!" He raised a trembling hand to point at Naruto. "If you want to take someone, take him! If you take me, you'll be losing out big time!"

A cold light appeared in Doto's eyes. "Grandmaster Shino, you could see the lack of lightning as the main ingredient in that pill. Don't think you can fool me with such words!"

"I'm… I'm really not that good!" shrieked Shino, his heart sinking. "I swear! Look, everything I said was just empty talk, not some sort of absolute truth! Take him! He's the actual Grandmaster! He can compare with my Junior Brother Kazama…. He's exponentially more amazing than me!"

When Naruto saw the Nascent Soul Cultivator approaching, he used the Bloodburst Flash without hesitation, disappearing and then reappearing several dozen meters away.

"Eee?" said the Western Desert Cultivator. He was about to continue in pursuit when Doto flew up into the air, clutching the trembling Shino in hand.

"There's no need to cause trouble for him," said Doto coolly. "We came here to invite only the most outstanding Cultivator to join us. Now that we have Grandmaster Shino, that other guy is unessential."

"I'm not the most outstanding!" cried Shino, his scalp going numb. "Dammit, I'm really not, okay!? This is a mistake! A misunderstanding! I was putting on an act just now. Really, it was an act! I'm not a Grandmaster, I'm just a regular old Furnace Lord from the East Pill division. That guy is the real Grandmaster. It's true, he's the Grandmaster. Take him, okay!?" He wished to weep, but no tears would come out. His deception had been too good and he had completely lost control of it.

He began to tremble and wail mournfully.

"There's no need to act this way, Grandmaster Shino," said Doto, laughing disapprovingly. "I was watching you this entire time, and couldn't possibly be mistaken. Whatever method you used, you were able to spot the clues and identify the final main ingredient. That, is true skill! I, Doto, could not possibly be mistaken. You are the true Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy. The act you are putting on right now, unfortunately, is simply too fake!"

"Correct," said Indra. "From the moment I arrived until now, Grandmaster Shino has been tuned in to all of the fine details, and has grasped each key moment. Whether it be the pill aroma or the lightning as the main ingredient, Grandmaster Shino consistently had an expression of praise for the junior generation. Enlightenment regarding the Dao of alchemy is something that cannot be faked. I do not possess such skill, nor do other alchemists. Only Grandmaster Shino has this skill. There are few people I truly admire, but as of today, there is one more on my list: Grandmaster Shino!" With that, he clasped hands politely and bowed.

By this point, Shino was actually wailing. He felt as if he were the one who had been scammed, not by others, but by himself…. The tears were welling up in his eyes. He looked down at the beautiful girls, and he already missed them. He thought about the barrenness of the Western Desert, and how frightening of a place it was, and he began to tremble and blabber more explanations.

"I'm really not a Grandmaster. I was in the wrong. Truly, in the wrong! I won't pretend to be a Grandmaster anymore. Take him, okay! You should take him! Dammit! He's the real Grandmaster…." Shino's heart grew dark and filled with regret. It didn't matter what he said now, no one would believe him.

"Quit the act, Grandmaster Shino," said Doto, laughing. "Even if he is a Grandmaster, you, Grandmaster Shino, are the very person I have been waiting for!" Holding Shino in hand, he flew up into the air.

The Western Desert Nascent Soul Cultivator gave Naruto a final cold glance, then turned and flew up into the sky. It was at this point that suddenly, a voice filled all of Holy Snow City.

"Screw off!" The words caused Heaven and Earth to shake. The protective spell formations outside of the city fell to pieces as if a massive wind had blown across them. Up in the sky, ripples could clearly be seen that were emanating out from the ground beneath Holy Snow City. As they passed the city walls, they turned into a cyclone that instantly shredded into pieces all of the beasts and Cultivators who were waiting there. In the blink of an eye, everything in the area thousands of kilometers around Holy Snow City was gone.

As the ground quaked, the minds of all of the Cultivators in the city reeled, and their faces filled with shock.

Doto's face fell. The Nascent Soul Cultivator's body trembled as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face filled with astonishment. Indra also coughed up some blood before he hastily shot up into the air.

"Let's get out of here!" said Doto, his eyes flickering grimly and keeping a firm grip on Shino, whose face was stained with tears. Then, glowing light surrounded the four of them, and their bodies began to grow blurry as a teleportation spell activated.

"This is really a mistake, okay? I was really faking, I'm really not a Grandmaster! He is! He…." Shino's plaintive cries echoed out in the air. Down below, the hundreds of Cultivators watched on with looks of fury and helplessness.

"Grandmaster Shino!"

"Dammit, they came for Grandmaster Shino!"

The faces of the four Elders were unsightly, but they could do nothing but watch as Doto and the others disappeared.

Shino's cries fell upon the ears of all the onlookers, causing their hearts to fill with sorrow.

"Who would ever have thought that at the critical Moment, Grandmaster Shino would try to put on such an act," they thought. "If we didn't know him, we might have thought his words to be true."

As for Naruto, he stared with wide eyes. Everything that had happened was completely beyond his powers of prediction.

"This time, I wasn't trying to scam anyone," he thought reflectively. "How could things have worked out this way? Maybe I've just scammed so many people, that I ended up scamming myself?"

Gradually the land stopped shaking. The voice which had emanated from down below faded away, and silence fell upon Holy Snow City.

The crowds of people were gazing up into the sky at the spot where Shino had disappeared. Everyone was taciturn, their moods low.

Grandmaster Shino, the number one alchemist in the Black Lands, had been taken away as simply as that.

He would never return to the Holy Snow City that he loved so much. Perhaps he would end up in a new location, and would continue to build on his reputation as a Grandmaster….

This sudden event was something that no one present could ever have predicted.

Naruto looked thoughtfully up into the sky, contemplating what would have happened if he had prevailed in the alchemy duel with Shino, or if Shino had not acted so superior just now. Perhaps it wouldn't have been Shino who was taken away but…

Naruto himself.

He stood there thoughtfully.

Around him, the hundreds of other Cultivators were similarly thoughtful. Too much had occurred here today, and everyone seemed incapable of absorbing it all.

Surrounded by quietness, Naruto slowly shook his head and glanced at Koyuki, who had a blank expression on her face, and then the old woman, Third Elder. He clasped hands and bowed to her, then turned and slowly made to leave this world of silence.

As he was about to walk off, the surrounding Cultivators seemed to come to their senses. One by one, they turned to look at him.

The four Grand Elders also turned to look at him. Second Elder held his tongue, but Fourth Elder took a hesitant step forward. The old woman said nothing.

First Elder, the midget, put a smile onto his face and strode forward. In a loud voice, he addressed Naruto: "Grandmaster, where are you going?"

Naruto stopped and looked back. "I'm called Naruto," he said. "Earlier, someone said that I wasn't welcome in Holy Snow City. Naturally, that means I need to leave." He sighed, shook his head, and turned to leave.

The words immediately caused the surrounding hundreds of Cultivators to feel shock in their hearts. How could they not reacts to such words? Before, when Shino was present, they all looked down on Naruto. But Shino was nothing but history now. Suddenly, Naruto's position was infinitely higher than before.

Without Shino, there was no Grandmaster here. To Holy Snow City, such a loss was too vast!

First Elder glared angrily at Second Elder, then strode forward laughing to block Naruto's way.

Immediately, the surrounding Cultivators began to cry out to Naruto.

"Grandmaster Naruto, what happened earlier was a misunderstanding. The Frigid Snow Clan was inconsiderate in its treatments of you as a guest. There's no need to bring it up again. Grandmaster, please in no way allow the misunderstanding to remain upon your heart."

"Yeah! Grandmaster Naruto, you are at the pinnacle of the Dao of alchemy. There's no need for you to lower yourself to our level. This place is your home, Grandmaster Naruto!"

"Grandmaster Naruto, why not just stay? If you leave, your talent will never be noticed in the outside world. If you stay here, you can become even more famous!"

"Grandmaster Naruto, we beg of you to stay!"

The voices of hundreds of Cultivators rose into the air, filled with sincerity and cordiality. Naruto immediately appeared moved. He stopped walking, looked around at the surrounding Cultivators, and then clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"I am indebted to your kindness, Fellow Daoists. Generally, I, Naruto, could never refuse. However… there are people here who don't like little old me. I'm afraid I have no choice but to leave." His words caused Second Elder's face to immediately fall; he looked around to find quite a few people staring at him. Gritting his teeth, he strode forward a few paces and then clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto.

"Grandmaster Naruto, please forgive me. I was wrong earlier, and I beg for you to not take offense. In my heart, you are truly at the pinnacle of the Dao of alchemy, Grandmaster. When the Frigid Snow Clan was in dire straits, you thought nothing of the hardships and ignored the danger, immediately coming to our aid. I will never forget your kindness, even when my teeth fall out from old age!

"First Elder," he continued solemnly. "I suggest that we give Grandmaster Naruto a Frigid Snow Larva. That is the only way to properly express the depth of the gratitude of the Frigid Snow Clan."

"One is not enough!" said Fourth Elder. He was a grim-faced man, but he wore a smile now as he took a few steps forward and bowed deeply to Naruto with clasped hands. "One is definitely not enough. We currently have two on the verge of completion. We should give both of them to Grandmaster Naruto, that would be the best. First Elder, I hope that you can agree. This is the only way to express the gratitude of the Clan. As for the larvae, as long as the Clan exists, and time is sufficient, we can always raise more."

First Elder felt a bit anxious as he looked at Naruto. With Shino gone, the only person they had left was this Grandmaster Naruto. He gritted his teeth and said, "You are absolutely correct! Grandmaster Naruto, please, fear not. The Frigid Snow Larva will be delivered into your hands within a year's time!"

Naruto was inwardly rejoicing, but on the outside he appeared to hesitate. This was something he had just learned to do from Shino.

His hesitation caused the surrounding Cultivators to all call out, urging him to stay. Naruto continued to hesitate, and then started to shake his head. A second round of crying out then began, and finally he appeared to be vacillating.

"It's not that I don't want to stay," he said with a sigh. "But this place is very dangerous. My Cultivation base is low, and I'm afraid I won't be powerful enough to protect myself…. Furthermore, I can only stay here for about half a year. There's simply no way I can stay an entire year."

First Elder and the others exchanged glances. Finally, the old woman spoke up, looking at Naruto with a strange expression. "If the four of us work together, we can reduce the time by more than half. We can produce the Frigid Snow Larva in less than half a year."

"After you have the Frigid Snow Larva, Grandmaster Naruto, you can simply leave," said First Elder. "We won't do anything to stop you."

Many of the Cultivators in the audience were continuing to call out to Naruto, urging him to stay. Considering that there were so many solemn requests, Naruto finally reluctantly agreed. This caused vast amounts of respectful words of thanks to ring out.

It was in this manner that Naruto ended up staying in Holy Snow City. It was also how he became famous there. Regardless of outside Cultivators or Frigid Snow Clan members, the name of Grandmaster Naruto resounded in their ears like thunder.

Were it not for Shino's presence in the city earlier, it would not have been so easy for them to accept him, nor to view him with such importance.

Thankfully, Shino had laid a strong foundation, and had caused everyone in the city to develop a healthy respect for the Dao of alchemy. The fanaticism with which the locals viewed alchemists made the Frigid Snow Clan members accept Naruto with complete courtesy.

It was only logical under such circumstances for Naruto to take the foundation Shino had built up and make it completely his own.

If poor Shino knew what was happening, he would surely cough up several mouthfuls of blood and be filled with endless regret. He would certainly sigh and think about how it's impossible to constantly put on an act. Sadly, what he had worked so painstakingly to create, now belonged to Naruto.

However, Naruto also felt somewhat wronged. After all, he hadn't set out to achieve this situation; it was the result of a series of lucky coincidences. Everything had landed directly in front of him, and there had been no way to avoid it. It had just smacked right into him.

In the following days, almost all the Cultivators in the city were talking about Grandmaster Shino. Naruto's residence was under special guard by Frigid Snow Clan members.

During this time, quite a few powerful Cultivators came to pay him a formal visit. They were all extremely polite. The way that Naruto dealt with them was very different than the mysterious vagueness that had been the hallmark of Shino. Naruto would smile and give them actual pointers regarding the Dao of alchemy. With only a few words, he was able to cause the local Cultivators to instantly be lost in thought.

Half a month later, Naruto had thoroughly cemented his place within Holy Snow City. His name was even beginning to spread throughout the world outside the city walls.

As for the ninety meter tall Wild Giant, people already viewed it as Naruto's personal mount. The Western Desert Dragoneer was viewed as Naruto's footman.

Many of the Cultivators who planned to request pill concoction services from Naruto found out that he liked lotus flowers. As such, they spared no cost in searching a variety of locations to find lotuses for him. Soon, Naruto's courtyard was thoroughly festooned with snow lotuses, the aroma of which covered everything.

Regarding the Black Lands Palace invasion, as Doto had promised, they truly would not make any military incursions for three months. This gave the Frigid Snow Clan a bit of a buffer period. As the time slipped by, more protective spell formations were erected. All of the Cultivators in the city were mobilized by the Frigid Snow Clan as they strengthened the various districts of the city.

Only Naruto was relatively idle. Most of the time, he sat in meditation by the lotus plants. Occasionally he would take out some Celestial soil, and the magical symbols within, to study. Other times he would call Motoi over to examine his totem tattoos.

As far as the lightning which would occasionally fall down from the sky, Naruto was completely used to it. He now had a fearsome instinct when it came to sensing its approach. Of course, Danzo was constantly shrieking and cursing. However, as time passed, his soul embodiment was gradually becoming more resistant to the lightning.

According to Naruto's analysis, Danzo was already transforming into a Soul of Lightning.

In terms of everything, Naruto's greatest gain had to do with the Celestial soil symbols. He had been studying them from the moment he arrived in the Black Lands. It was finally at this point that he started to pick out some of the clues.

"These Celestial soil symbols are very similar to totems. I can determine with eighty percent certainty, that the so-called Celestial talisman… was actually a primordial totem!" Breathing heavily, he stared down at the Celestial talismanic paper in his hand, and his eyes began to glow.

"All of my research down to this moment points toward totems!" he thought, his eyes flickering. He closed his eyes for a long moment and then opened them. "The reason I'm so incredibly interested in totems is because after the Heavenly Tribulation, the main conundrum I will face is how to achieve the Perfect Nascent Soul!

"Nascent Souls are divided into the five elements and colors. Four equates to Flawless, five is Perfect… If I could acquire the Gold Core manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, then I would be able to see how to successfully step from a Four Color Nascent Soul into a Perfect Nascent Soul. Unfortunately, the Gold Core manual has long since been lost…." The glow in his eyes grew stronger.

"Other stages can't even compare to the Nascent Soul stage. If you want to get Four Colors… it's very difficult. Even I don't know how to do so. However, the totems of the Western Desert, as well as the five elements pill concocting technique of Indra from the Eastern lands, have given me a new direction to explore.

"Whether or not I can succeed will be determined by further study and research. I need more Western Desert Cultivators so that I can study their totem tattoos. That's the only way to reach a certain conclusion!" Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes glittered with a cold aura.

Three months passed in a flash. During that time, Holy Snow City was a buzz of activity as everyone was mobilized in various preparations. Meanwhile, various momentous events occurred in the Black Lands. The name of the United Nine remained, but in reality, it no longer existed. Other than Holy Snow City, only one other remained: the City of Nets.

The City of Nets still survived because of its Spirit Severing Patriarch, as well as the favorable position they occupied. Furthermore, the city contained nearly ten thousand Cultivators. Because of its significant size, the Black Lands Palace focused most of its efforts there, leaving Holy Snow City alone for the time being.

Of course, Holy Snow City's geographical position had a lot to do with that as well, considering its remoteness, and the snow that covered the area year-round.

The once illustrious United Nine now consisted only of Holy Snow City and the City of Nets. All others had either been destroyed or evacuated. The greater part of the Black Lands now belonged to the Black Lands Palace.

There was actually a third area in the Black Lands that offered hindrance to the Black Lands Palace. That was the location formerly known as Kumogakure, but was now the Church of the Golden Light.

The Church of the Golden Light had risen to fame in all of the Black Lands during these three months. It had five thousand members, along with a shocking spell formation. For the moment, the Black Lands Palace had no choice but to retreat and allow the Church of the Golden Light to stay there.

As for the mysterious, enigmatic Patriarch Golden Light, he was even more famous in the Black Lands, and the legends about him multiplied.

By the end of the three months, the situation in the Black Lands was volatile. It was at this time that the Black Lands Palace's army of Cultivators once again appeared outside of Holy Snow City, along with Western Desert Cultivators. The whole force consisted of several thousand Cultivators and over thirty thousand beasts.

This was no mere probe; it was full-scale war. The land was dotted with utilitarian war chariots which rumbled across the earth, propelled by the power of magic. The chariots bristled with sharp spikes, and emanated a bizarre light, seeming to indicate that they could burst out with shocking magical powers.

As for the more than thirty thousand ferocious beasts, they covered the land and sky in all directions.

Among the Cultivators, the weakest Cultivation base to be seen was Foundation Establishment. As for Core Formation, there were roughly five hundred in the force.

Such an enormous power was enough to shock the entire Black Lands. However, even more shocking was the fact that there wasn't one Nascent Soul Cultivator in the army, but four!

Obviously, the four Nascent Soul Cultivators were there to deal with the four Grand Elders of the Frigid Snow Clan. Two were from the Black Lands Palace, and wore silver masks, whereas two were from the Western Desert.

Spell shields surrounded Holy Snow City, formations that looked like screaming sheets of snow. There were also ten enormous star-shaped objects rotating in the sky high above the city, emanating countless strands of power.

Within the city, there were slightly more than a thousand Cultivators, including the members of the Frigid Snow Clan, a vast difference when compared to the outside forces. The Holy Snow City forces were split into four battle groups, tasked with guarding the city walls.

The faces of the Cultivators in the city were taut with anxiety. They felt nervous, but none of them fled. The four Grand Elders took charge of different areas of the cities. Their faces were also filled with anxiety.

Naruto left his courtyard and made his way to one of the city walls. He looked out at the dark mass that was the enemy force. He had observed large scale battles before, but this would be his first time seeing one from this position.

When it came to a grand war of Cultivators such as this, Naruto's power, though it might be great, was not enough to assure victory or defeat. Only someone of the Spirit Severing stage could do so.

The battle was set to erupt at any moment!

Suddenly, the wails of war bugles could be heard echoing out in the air. As soon as they did, the mass of beasts flying in the air, as well as the neo-demons on the ground, howled and charged.

They were joined by the thousands of Cultivators and their war chariots as they launched their assault on Holy Snow City.

"Lightning Sea Pill!" cried Frigid Snow Clan's First Elder. A booming sound filled the air, and everything went dim. The defensive tempest which surrounded Holy Snow City seemed as if it were splitting apart.

As soon as his words echoed out, four medicinal pills were tossed out from the city. One of them was instantly snapped up by a flying Flood Dragon; suddenly, its body began to tremble, and a boom filled the air as it exploded into pieces. From within the blood and gore, multiple lightning bolts shot out.

They spread out in all directions to form an enormous Lightning Sea, roughly three hundred meters wide.

Any flying beasts who were caught up in the Lightning Sea immediately began to let out shrill shrieks as they were torn into pieces!

The three Lightning Sea Pills which landed onto the ground caused the earth to tremble. Suddenly, three hundred meter wide Lightning Seas erupted up. Beasts and Cultivators alike let out miserable screams as they were shredded apart by the lightning.

At the same time, black clouds appeared in the sky overhead. Even more blazing lightning crackled down, slamming into the ground.

The shocking effects of these four Lightning Sea Pills were actually beyond what Naruto had anticipated. He had concocted them three months before and given them to the Frigid Snow Clan.

In his estimation, the pills should have produced Lightning Seas only several dozen meters wide, not hundreds. It only took him a moment to understand what had happened, though. This area was constantly swathed with snowstorms and tempests. The frozen ground and the howling wind were actually special spell formations of Holy Snow City. They amplified the effects of the Lightning Sea Pills, causing their power to increase exponentially.

"The amplification has limits," thought Naruto. "Using it too much in this capacity will cause the spell formations to break on their own."

Sounds of rejoicing could be heard throughout the city.

"Grandmaster Naruto is amazing!"

"That was a magic pill concocted by Grandmaster Naruto. Such power is unprecedented! It shook Heaven and Earth!"

"Grandmaster Naruto!"

The cries drifted outside of the city walls, followed by groups of Cultivators. As they flew out, one of the star shapes above the city also flew out, slashing into the Black Lands Palace Cultivators and shredding them into pieces.

The ground quaked as death filled the battlefield. Explosions reverberated out, along with bloodcurdling shrieks. Blood showered down like rain. From his position on the city wall, Naruto watched all of this happening, his heart trembling.

Magical light emanated out from the war chariots, slamming into the city defenses. The ice on the ground began to crack, and the sky itself seemed about to be ripped apart.

It was at this time that a Western Desert Cultivator flew up into the air. He was in the late Core Formation stage and had three totem tattoos on his body. One was a Flood Dragon, another was a Mountain Spirit, and the third was a mighty river. As he flew up to hover in the air, he held a severed head in his hand, dripping blood. He looked up toward the city and laughed heartily.

"Grandmaster Naruto, you dogfart, do you dare to come out and fight me!?" Behind the man, a Flood Dragon appeared, roaring as it flew up into the sky. Next to the Flood Dragon was an enormous Mountain Spirit, grinning viciously toward the city. Beneath the feet of the strapping Cultivator, an enormous, world-shaking river appeared.

"I am Weak Scrub, three-totem Cultivator of the Thorn Tribe of the Western Desert. I challenge Grandmaster Naruto of Holy Snow City to a duel! Do you dare to fight me? Don't tell me the only thing you can do is concoct pills!? Naruto, you twerp, do you dare to fight me or not?! You numbskull alchemist! All you can do is concoct pills in some dark room somewhere. Do you dare to come fight me in the open!?"

As his words echoed out, Naruto stood on the city wall, his expression the same as ever as he looked out at the hollering Cultivator and his totems.

"A Mountain Spirit totem," thought Naruto. "It looks like both a mountain and a spirit. I definitely need to study it." Suddenly, his eyes flickered as he looked up into the sky.

Next to him was Third Elder, the old woman. She frowned.

"He's just trying to provoke you," she said. "It's obviously a trick, Grandmaster Naruto, you…." Before she could finish speaking, Naruto's body flickered and he shot off the city wall.

The old woman's face flickered, and she shot into the air to follow him. Even as she did, however, one of the silver-masked Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace laughed viciously, and then disappeared. When he reappeared, he was directly in front of the old woman, blocking her path.

The Western Desert Cultivator with the severed head hovered there watching Naruto approach. Laughing uproariously, he clenched his right hand, causing the severed head to explode and splatter his body with blood and gore. With a vicious smile, he shot toward Naruto.

They closed in on each other at top speed, which of course drew the attention of Cultivators from both sides of the battle. Those from Holy Snow City were all very nervous, and the other three Grand Elders tried to fly over to help, but were obstructed by the other Black Lands Palace and Western Desert Nascent Soul Cultivators.

"Naruto, you twerp, I'm gonna help you understand how Western Desert Cultivators kill people!" The power of the huge man's late Core Formation Cultivation base exploded out to shocking effect. The Flood Dragon behind him roared, the Mountain Spirit radiated ferocity, and the mighty river screamed through the air. All of it was very imposing.

This man had complete confidence that he would be able to kill this opponent. Once this Grandmaster Naruto tangled with him, it would only take a moment or two to ensure that he died.

"Once he emerged from the city walls, his fate was sealed!" thought the Western Desert Cultivator, grinning viciously. In the blink of an eye, they were roughly thirty meters from each other. Naruto's expression was the same as always; however, a bloody glow suddenly emanated out from his body. Suddenly, he disappeared. It was a Bloodburst Flash which suddenly placed him directly in front of the grinning Western Desert Cultivator.

The man's eyes went wide, and without even thinking about it, he moved to retreat backward. However, Naruto's hand shot out like lightning, grabbed his clothing and then lifted him up above his head. He pulled off this move smoothly, as if he had practiced it many times.

It was a bizarre move, and everyone who saw it gaped.

The moment in which Naruto grabbed the shocked Western Desert Cultivator and lifted him up, a lightning bolt suddenly appeared in the sky. This particular lightning bolt looked different from normal lightning.

That was because it was not ordinary lightning; this was Tribulation Lightning!

None of the onlookers even had an opportunity to react. The Heavenly Tribulation descended onto the body of the Western Desert Cultivator. The Flood Dragon shrieked as it shattered into pieces. The Mountain Spirit collapsed, and the river exploded. The Western Desert Cultivator didn't even have time to shriek. The Heavenly Tribulation smashed into his body, turning it… completely black.

He was absolutely dead!

He wasn't Naruto, who was able to resist such lightning for various reasons. Obviously, this man was not equipped with any of those methods, and was killed.

"Too bad about that Mountain Spirit totem," said Naruto, shaking his head. He loosened his grip, dropping the corpse. Everyone looked on, stunned, as Naruto Bloodburst Flashed away, returning to the city wall at incredible speed.

The battlefield was suddenly filled with silence….

There couldn't be anything but silence. This was the first time that these people had ever seen a Cultivator exterminated by lightning. Lightning was powerful, but Cultivators were not weak. Being killed by lightning was something that was usually mentioned when insulting others, but something that few people actually saw happen….

In fact, few people were ever actually killed by lightning, much less legendary Heavenly Tribulation.

Not many people had ever even seen Heavenly Tribulation. The only time anyone did was because of the appearance of certain medicinal pills, or other precious materials, and that was a Heavenly Tribulation that didn't target people….

"Exterminated by lightning…."

"How could that be possible? What lightning was that?! It was terrifying!"

"What was terrifying wasn't the lightning, but that Grandmaster Naruto. Dammit, even lighting from the Heavens helps him? Or, was it some magical technique?"

The Black Lands Palace Cultivators were shocked. This extermination by lightning was incredibly terrifying to them.

Cultivators existed beneath the Heavens, whereas lightning was something of the Heavens. Therefore, it seemed to them that lightning was something that… could not be evaded!

Even the Nascent Soul Cultivators stared with shining eyes. Naruto's actions just now were completely beyond their powers of prediction. If it was a magical technique he had used, well that was shocking in and of itself. However… the way Naruto had lifted the man up into the air with seemingly practiced ease made it seem like it was something he frequently did.

In contrast with the Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace and the Western Desert, those in Holy Snow City had long since become accustomed to the fact that lightning would descend upon their Grandmaster Naruto every few days.

Everybody knew about it. In fact, occasionally, when people went to request pill concocting services, they would even see the lighting.

Seeing the Western Desert Cultivator exterminated by the lightning caused complex thoughts to fill the minds of the people in Holy Snow City…. Their reverence for Naruto grew even stronger.

"Just what shocking things has Grandmaster Naruto done to anger the Heavens? Over the past months, that lightning has constantly been trying to exterminate him."

"That Western Desert Cultivator was really unlucky. Of all the people to piss off, he pissed off Grandmaster Naruto…. You know, over the past couple months, I happened on a few occasions to see a miserable soul embodiment lifted up by Grandmaster Naruto…."

Naruto cleared his throat as he stood there on the city wall. He ignored the gazes that were all fixed upon him. He had long since become accustomed to the lightning, and by now had reached the point where he could predict it.

After a long moment passed, the fighting on the battlefield resumed. The slaughtering continued, but as it did, the Cultivators would occasionally look up into the sky. The booms were usually the result of magical techniques, but many of the Cultivators would dodge to the side nonetheless, clearly fearful that lighting would fall to exterminate them.

It took about three days before such behavior died out. During those three days, the Black Lands Palace Cultivators launched continuous assaults, which caused booms to fill the air, and shook the very ground. On the night of the third day, a huge explosion shook everything as one of Holy Snow City's tempest spell formations collapsed.

As the formation collapsed, vast quantities of Black Lands Palace Cultivators charged in, along with countless ferocious beasts. Western Desert Cultivators also joined them.

A rumbling filled the air as glowing strands shot out from the star-shaped objects in the sky. Although the night was dark, the battlefield was as brightly lit as if it were daytime.

Finally, a critical moment in the battle arrived. The four Grand Elders were there, battling fiercely in mid-air with the Black Lands Palace and Western Desert Cultivators.

Naruto's face was unsightly as he stood atop the city wall. Suddenly, he raised up his right hand. A flash of blood could be seen as a flying creature that had been charging toward him fell to the ground, dead.

"Three months," he thought. "If the city falls, then they will never finish with the Frigid Snow Larva." Whether or not Holy Snow City fell in the end had little to do with him. However, before the six month time period was up, it must not.

It was at this moment that the ground began to tremble as two Wild Giants appeared off in the distance. Following them were several thousand Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace and the Western Desert. Of course, a black mass of howling, beastly neo-demons accompanied them.

"Why hasn't the Spirit Severing Patriarch made an appearance?" thought Naruto. The day Shino had been taken, Naruto heard the howl echoing up from underground. That simple howl had caused the deaths of countless beasts and Cultivators outside the city wall.

Now, even when the tempest spell formation had been broken, the Frigid Snow Clan's Spirit Severing Patriarch still hadn't come out.

"It seems Doto was right, as were the rumors floating about outside. The Spirit Severing Patriarch is obviously dying. However, the Black Lands Palace is still scared of him. They seem ferocious in their attacks, but they are still probing to get information about the Spirit Severing Patriarch." Naruto's gaze flickered as he looked off into the distance at two Western Desert Cultivators who were shooting toward Koyuki, their totems shining. The guards who surrounded Koyuki coughed up blood, incapable of fighting back.

Naruto let out a cold snort as he shot forward with a Bloodburst Flash. In the blink of an eye, he was next to Koyuki. He waved a finger, and the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex appeared, instantly suppressing the Cultivation base and life force of the Western Desert Cultivators. A sword aura appeared as a flying sword shot out from Naruto's bag of holding. It instantly decapitated the two men, then came back to circulate around Naruto.

Koyuki's face was pale as she looked over at Naruto and smiled.

"You saved me again," she said.

Snow began to fall, and a whimpering sound filled the air as the snowflakes danced about in the wind. It sounded like a funeral song. Booms could be heard, along with the sound of intense fighting. The city shook as, one after another, the star-shaped objects up in the sky collapsed. The Western Desert and Black Lands Cultivators fought fiercely. The sky was filled with snow, but the ground was covered in blood.

Naruto didn't respond to Koyuki. He stamped his foot onto the ground, causing countless strands of Demonic Chakra to rise up, visible only to him. They congealed together behind him to form into an obscure mass that blocked a glowing beam of light that had just shot out from a nearby war chariot.

Rumbling filled the air. The Demonic Chakra had blocked the incoming beam, but the power of the attack was still there, spreading out into the area. Naruto wrapped his arm around Koyuki's waist, then shot away toward the city wall to avoid the attack.

Koyuki looked up at the star-shaped objects collapsing, the Western Desert Cultivators who were appearing on various sections of the city wall, and the glow of magical techniques that filled the sky. Her voice bitter, she said, "You should leave. They want to kill the Frigid Snow Clan, not you. With your Cultivation base, it would be easy for you to get out of here right now."

Off in the distance, the old woman, Third Elder, coughed up a mouthful of blood, then gritted her teeth and continued to fight.

"It's useless," said Koyuki, despair filling her eyes. "Even if I went all out and used the Frigid Snow Thorn Rampart, the Patriarch is withering away and barely conscious. There's no way to use the secret Dragoneer technique to catalyze the thorns…." A rumbling sound filled the air as an entire section of the city wall collapsed, and a fierce-looking Western Desert Cultivator shot into the city.

"What Thorn Rampart?" asked Naruto, frowning.

"The Frigid Snow Thorn Rampart is indestructible, and could protect the city for an entire month," she said softly, her voice filled with bitterness. "It's a sacred relic that the Frigid Snow Clan brought with us many years ago when we moved here from the Western Desert. After all the years, it's mostly withered. Only a special secret technique can be used to revive it.

"That technique is only known to Elders and certain others with the right bloodline to master it. Right now, no one can catalyze the thorns. Only the Patriarch has a Cultivation base sufficient enough to do so." She slapped her bag of holding to produce a dried up seed.

"This is one of eight seeds. The Elders all have one, and the rest are with the Patriarch. None of us were ever able to succeed."

"Catalyze?" said Naruto, his eyes glittering. He was about to continue when suddenly a boom filled the air, and the city wall shook. Naruto's face flickered. He grabbed Koyuki, retreating again. Off in the distance, a huge group of Black Lands Cultivators was approaching.

As the city wall crumbled, miserable screams filled the air. Naruto continued to retreat with Koyuki in tow. His voice urgent, he said, "Tell me that catalysis technique. I'm an alchemist, and I already have my own catalysis techniques; perhaps because of that, I will be able to understand yours."

Koyuki gaped at him for a moment. Under normal circumstances, she would never reveal a secret Clan technique. Even Soulsearch would be useless; the technique was a legacy magic that was branded into her very blood. However, after thinking for the space of a few breaths, she made her decision. When the Frigid Snow Clan had existed in the Western Desert, at the height of their power, this was the secret technique used by generations of their Grand Dragoneers! Her voice soft, she began to explain it to Naruto.

The secret technique was not very long, only about a thousand characters in length. As the words entered Naruto's ears, his heart began to shake. It was as if all of the sights and sounds of the battle around him vanished. The only thing left were the thousand characters that made up the secret technique!

"….cause Time to sink, the ebb and flow of the moon, grasp the will of the shining sun, all living things contain the will of eternal life…." Koyuki softly spoke the words that could cause a frenzied commotion if they were revealed in the Western Desert. In fact, when the rebel clan member Doto was spared by his father, all memories of this secret technique were erased from his mind. That was one of his reasons for coming back to settle his old score and eradicate the Frigid Snow Clan. There was no way for him to reacquire the technique other than to have a Clan member personally tell him!

Naruto's mind reeled. He closed his eyes, allowing the various passages of the technique to resonate in his head. He suddenly thought of the Violet Fate Sect's catalysis arts, as well as the Time refining jade page from which he had been able to figure out the Time magic.

Of those two different mnemonics, the catalysis technique was the first layer. The secret Time magic was the second layer. And now… Naruto's mind spun. After hearing the secret technique of the Frigid Snow Clan, he realized that it was the third layer!

Secret Dragoneer technique!

Any of the techniques alone could provide moderate success. But if anyone was able to acquire all three, then the knowledge could be used to mutually increase the effectiveness and power of the others by a vast amount.

Because he knew the secret catalysis method and also understood the secret Time magic, when he heard the Dragoneer technique, he understood it instantly, and it was branded onto his mind.

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Give me the Thorn Rampart seed!"

A strange light gleamed in his eyes, as if Time itself were buried within. Gradually, it turned into an indescribable power, like some sort of magical technique that made it so a single glance from him could cause a person to never be able to forget him.

Koyuki's heart shook. She had seen a gaze like this before, back when the Spirit Severing Patriarch had awoken once. His eyes had contained deep abstruseness, as if they contained Time. A single glance from him was something she wouldn't be able to forget for countless years.

As her mind reeled, she seemed to lose any ability to resist him. Without thinking about it, she reached her hand out and handed over her Clan's sacred relic, the Thorn Rampart seed.

The instant the seed touched his hand, Naruto gasped. His Cultivation base rotated rapidly, and a golden light instantly spread out. His secret catalysis art, the magic of Time, and the newly acquired secret Dragoneer technique were all unleashed inside of him.

The ability to catalyze all plants. The magic to unleash the power of Time. The Dragoneer ability to control all the beasts under Heaven. These three mysterious arts melded together inside Naruto, and as his Cultivation base rotated, the Thorn Rampart seed in his hand suddenly began to expand. It was no longer withered, and in fact, within moments, a sprout appeared, which turned into vegetation. Within the blink of an eye, it had grown to cover Naruto's entire arm.

Naruto's body was no longer shining with a golden light. Shockingly, a thick plant-like aura emanated out from him. This aura instantly caught the attention of the attacking Western Desert Cultivators. When they laid eyes on Naruto, they weren't sure why, but their hearts began to tremble. Immediately, they shot toward him.

The only person near Naruto was Koyuki. Everyone else had long since fled. The city wall was falling, and up above, the four Grand Elders had looks of despair written on their faces.

How could they have imagined that after the three month period, the Black Lands Palace and the Western Desert would launch a full-scale assault? There was no way that Holy Snow City could stand up to it.

Koyuki smiled sadly as she watched the eight Western Desert Cultivators closing in on Naruto. There was nothing she could do to fight back against them. In a moment, they were thirty meters away from Naruto.

Naruto sat there cross-legged, clutching the Thorn Rampart seed. Green vegetation and leaves covered his right arm, and continued to grow, covering the rest of his body.

Thirty meters. Twenty-five meters. Fifteen meters!

When they were fifteen meters away, Naruto's closed eyes suddenly snapped open. They glowed brightly as he reached his right hand out and pushed it down onto the ground.

As he did, the plant material on his body burrowed down into the soil. Suddenly, shocking rumbling sounds could be heard as a three meter long thorn stabbed out from the ground next to the city wall. The speed with which it moved was hard to describe, and made it impossible for anyone to evade it. In the blink of an eye, it stabbed through one of the Western Desert Cultivators.

Next, more thorns burst up around Naruto. Miserable screams filled the air as the rest of the seven Western Desert Cultivators were stabbed through with long thorns and lifted up into the air.

Even more shocking was that after stabbing through the Cultivators, the thorns twitched and trembled, as if they were absorbing the Cultivators' blood and Cultivation base. The eight men rapidly began to wither. Bloodcurdling shrieks filled the air that didn't even sound human, echoing out, causing all of the other surrounding Cultivators to feel extreme shock.

"What is that?" they thought, panting.

Before they had time to react, masses of small thorns exploded out from the shriveled bodies of the eight Cultivators to shoot out in all directions.

Some stabbed into the ground and disappeared. They reappeared moments later, in locations not too distant, where they stabbed into the bodies of more Cultivators.

Others directly shot into nearby Cultivators. Even as they screamed out, their bodies withered, whereupon more thorns would explode out.

Naruto was the center of it all as thorns began to stab out from the city walls themselves. This, of course, caused a great commotion. The thorns actually didn't distinguish between Holy Snow City Cultivators or those from the Black Lands Palace. They stabbed through all of them, absorbing their flesh, blood and life force, and then expanding. Within the space of a few breaths, the area surrounding Naruto for three thousand meters was a world filled with thorns.

This, of course, instantly affected the course of the battle. Vast numbers of Black Lands Palace Cultivators retreated backward in shock. Unfortunately, they were too slow and were still stabbed through by the thorns. Soon, the entire city was bristling with thorns, sharp, fierce and bright red. By this time, the thorns were already expanding outside the city as well.

Back inside the city, all of the Holy Snow City Cultivators stood with pale faces, not daring to move. Everything around them was surrounded by countless thorns. They looked out at the Black Lands Palace Cultivators and their beasts outside of the city. Howling in anguish, they retreated at top speed as thorns burst out from the ground around them.

The sky wasn't safe either. The thorns shot up into the air, stabbing into any living thing that flew about up above.

By now, everything seemed to be covered with thorns. Outside the city, only a few hundred of the Black Lands Palace and Western Desert Cultivators managed to flee without being affected. They stared back at the scene behind them with shock and astonishment.

Up above, the four Grand Elders and the Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace and the Western Desert were no longer capable of fighting. They had split apart, and were constantly blocking the shooting thorns.

As of now, all eyes on the battlefield were fixed on Naruto. In front of him was a ferocious, gigantic thorn, rising straight up into the sky. It emanated a Blood Chakra, and was covered by countless smaller thorns. It was thoroughly sinister.

Naruto seemed to be the very center of it all, and the only place that didn't have any thorns. He seemed to be the source of all the thorns, and as he slowly rose to his feet, countless gasps filled the air.

Around his right hand swirled innumerable leaves, each one of which was covered with thorns. Not a single person would disbelieve that Naruto was the source of all the thorns everywhere.

He took a deep breath. He'd never imagined that the Thorn Rampart seed would be so astonishing. The fact that it couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe was something he couldn't do anything about. It required his power of catalysis to grow, but when it came to sucking the life and blood out of Cultivators, Naruto could do nothing to control it, although he could sense it.

"Grandmaster Naruto…." said a nearby Holy Snow City Cultivator. His left leg had been stabbed by a thorn. As soon as the word left his mouth, a thorn suddenly flew over, and he closed his mouth. The thorn stopped only an inch from his forehead, where it hovered like a snake for a moment before moving away.

Everything was quiet. All of the Cultivators in the area who had been stabbed by thorns, be they from the Western Desert or the Black Lands, stood stock still, not daring to utter a peep.

Up in mid-air, the faces of the Nascent Soul Cultivators flickered, and they also stopped moving, not daring to fly or speak. The reason for this was that they were surrounded by tens of thousands of thorns. From the looks of things, if they made even the slightest move, the thorns would instantly stab through them and kill them.

Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes shone brightly.

On the city wall, and outside the city, were countless Cultivators and beasts who had been stabbed by thorns. Their faces were pale and filled with dread as they gazed over at Naruto.

The few hundred people who had managed to escape the danger looked at Naruto, as quiet as cicadas during the winter. At the moment, everyone on the battlefield suddenly realized that the outcome of the entire battle now lay in one person's hand.

That person was none other than Naruto.

Naruto was the only person among them who knew that the decision actually wasn't his to make. This Thorn Rampart was actually not responding to any of his commands….

He thought silently as he looked around. The thorns were still stabbed through the surrounding Cultivators, who could only stand there with looks of despair on their faces.

It was at this moment that suddenly, a voice entered Naruto's ears that no one else could hear. It was an ancient voice, as weak as if it came from the mouth of someone about to die.

"The destructive Thorn Rampart can exterminate anything under the Spirit Severing stage. Once it takes root, it can't be moved, and will live for one month…. It doesn't matter how you woke it. Right now, you need to still your mind and extract a drop of blood from yourself that contains some of your will. Place it onto the Thorn Rampart trunk in front of you. Remember…. The drop of blood must contain your will. That will allow you to issue an order to the thorns." The voice seemed to have come out from nowhere, but as soon as Naruto heard it, he suddenly recalled the voice he had heard three months ago when Shino was taken.

The voice was one and the same.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he thought. According to the method just described to him, he sliced a cut onto his forehead. A drop of blood appeared, which contained some of Naruto's Cultivation base and will. As it flew forward, Naruto felt a wave of weakness flow through him. He knew that in his entire life, he could produce no more than five such drops of blood!

Anything more than five would be far too much of a loss.

Surrounded by silence, Naruto clenched his jaw. The blood was extremely precious, but, for the sake of the Frigid Snow Larva… he caused the drop to fly forward and enter into the Thorn Rampart trunk. His eyes flashed.

Nothing obstructed its way; it merged into the Thorn Rampart trunk, which then began to tremble.

Instantly, the thorns stabbed into the Holy Snow City Cultivators faded from sight, and their wounds closed up. The thorns actually remained in their bodies, fuel with which to heal their wounds.

As the thorns disappeared, the Black Lands Palace and Western Desert Cultivators outside of the city let out bloodcurdling screams. Their bodies instantly began to wither completely. The sounds of explosions filled the air as some of the dying Cultivators chose to self-detonate.

The explosions caused Naruto's mind to feel as if it were shattering. It seemed as if he had become one with the Thorn Rampart trunk, and that all of the thorns spread about were extensions of his will.

With a mere thought, he could kill everyone.

At the same time, his Spiritual Sense felt as if it were wasting away. Naruto's Spiritual Sense was second only to that of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, far above that of anyone in the same stage as him. Were it not, then the strain would have completely dried it up.

Suddenly, Naruto's will sensed something new. Outside of the city, in a location stabbed through with a handful of thorns, someone spoke in a low voice.

"Grandmaster Naruto, is that you?"

A voice transmitted into Naruto's will. "Grandmaster Naruto, this is Indra…. Fellow Daoist Naruto, after we parted that day, I continued to think about everything that happened, and couldn't help but feel that something was fishy about Shino…. He's already been sent to the Western Desert, though, so there's nothing I can do to corroborate my theory. Fellow Daoist Naruto, I actually came here today to look for you. This isn't my actual body, it's just a sliver of my will.

"Fellow Daoist, I very much admire your Dao of alchemy and, well… this is not the time for a long discussion. I'll just say two more things. With your skill in the Dao of alchemy, we can talk about the Spirit Severing Pill! If you're interested, then meet with me three days from now in the east of the city, and we can discuss it at length."

Naruto's eyes glittered as the voice suddenly disappeared. Outside the city, the miserable cries slowly began to fade away. Only a few Cultivators had managed to escape from the effects of the secret technique; most had been transformed into withered corpses.

Naruto slowly removed his will from the Thorn Rampart trunk, leaving behind only a tiny connection. He caused the rest of the thorns that filled the city to gradually shrink back. Now, the main trunk was even more prominently visible.

The wail of war bugles could be heard in the air; this particular Western Desert and Black Lands Palace attack group had no choice but to retreat. The war was not over. The forces of the Black Lands Palace and the Western Desert were reduced, however, off in the distance, the sky was filled with prismatic beams of light.

It was no longer night; morning was approaching. Everyone in the city was exhausted. Amidst the rare silence, Naruto rose to his feet as the four Grand Elders approached.

They looked haggard, and Third and Fourth Elders were injured. They stood in front of Naruto, looking him over with complex expressions.

After a long moment, First Elder slowly said, "The Thorn Rampart will live for one month. We should be safe during that time. The four of us will do the best we can to finish the Frigid Snow Larva." He gave Naruto a deep look, then turned and left.

The other Elders looked at him without speaking and then walked off. The old woman looked back at Naruto as she departed, but held her tongue.

The surviving members of the Frigid Snow Clan dispersed to make repairs to the city and spell formations. They had a month of time in which there would be relative safety, but there were many things that needed to be repaired.

Everyone was exhausted. After injuries were tended to, there were still mental scars. Most of the Cultivators sat cross-legged in meditation, making the city very quiet.

The newly arrived force from the Western Desert bolstered the enemy forces into the thousands. However, they did not attack, but rather spread out, forming a complete blockade around Holy Snow City.

Naruto was also exhausted. As he walked through the city, the Cultivators he encountered all looked at him with expressions of awe. They would bow to him with lowered eyes, not even daring to meet his gaze.

The appearance of the Thorn Rampart caused everyone to view Naruto as a representation of terror. Despite his status as a Grandmaster, this fear was incapable of being dispelled.

The Frigid Snow Clan members also looked at him with looks of intense veneration. Essentially, Naruto had single-handedly secured victory in the battle. Without him there, Holy Snow City would be nothing but smoldering wreckage now.

Based on the various battle achievements secured in the fight against the Black Lands Palace, the Frigid Snow Clan distributed magical treasures to the forces within the city. Large amounts of Cultivators converged on a palace near the city center, where the records of battle achievements were kept and rewards distributed.

Naruto was tired, but seeing the palace on his way back to his courtyard, he changed course and headed over.

The area was quite bustling, with Cultivators coming in and out. The hundred or so people that Naruto saw made this place seem a lot more packed than the empty areas in the rest of the city.

As soon as Naruto entered, people spotted him, and soon everyone was looking at him, hearts trembling. Without even thinking about it, they bowed their heads and clasped hands, unable to cover up the awe on their faces.

"Grandmaster Naruto…."

"Greetings, Grandmaster Naruto!"

Naruto nodded, walking past the groups of people until he stood before a pillar of light in the middle of the main hall. The pillar was illusory, and inside could be seen lists of names. Next to each name was a number.

These were the battle achievements accrued during the defense of the city. The rewards one could receive depended on how many enemies they had slain.

Next to the pillar of light sat two members of the Frigid Snow Clan. When they saw Naruto, they immediately rose to their feet, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

Everyone in the area grew very quiet.

Naruto said nothing. He simply examined the pillar of light and the list of names.

"Grandmaster Naruto. Battle achievement of 97,542!"

The battle achievement of the person in second place didn't even exceed two thousand. Muttering to himself, Naruto glanced over the reward list.

There were technique manuals, magical items, medicinal elixirs and special materials for concocting medicinal pills and forging weapons. There were some items which caused Naruto's heart to begin to thump after he saw them.

Most importantly, the battle achievements required to acquire these items were almost nothing compared to what Naruto had accrued.

Just when Naruto was trying to decide whether or not take them all, four new items suddenly popped up on the rewards list.

These four items caused the surrounding Cultivators to break into an uproar.

"Thorn Rampart seed. 100,000 battle achievements!"

"Frigid Snow Clan Secret Dragoneer technique. 20,000 battle achievements!"

"Five Planets Snow Formation. 50,000 battle achievements!"

"Demon Nurturing Pill formula. 100,000 battle achievements!"

Naruto's eyes glittered, and the surrounding Cultivators were breathing heavily. They had no idea what the secret Dragoneer technique was, but they did recognize the Thorn Rampart seed. The fearsomeness of the Thorn Rampart in the previous battle was something they could never forget.

"And then there's the Five Planets Snow Formation. That's a special spell formation of the Frigid Snow Clan. You can create a Five Planets Magical Shield…."

As the Cultivators discussed the new items, Naruto stood there thoughtfully. The Thorn Rampart seed was an expendable item, but was incredibly powerful. The seed he had used before had been given to him by Koyuki. If he wanted to use another one in the future, it most likely would not be very easy to acquire.

Even more eye-catching, though, was the Five Planets Snow Formation.

"Is that what those flying Five Planets items above the city were?" he thought. Then he glanced at the Demon Nurturing Pill formula.

"What pill is that?" Naruto smiled. It was obvious that these items had been intentionally put up by the Frigid Snow Clan to attract his attention. "It seems the Frigid Snow Clan really values me because of that battle," he thought. Instead of taking any of the items, he looked at one of the Frigid Snow Clan members standing next to the pillar of light.

"Is it possible to acquire items on credit?" he asked, smiling. The surrounding Cultivators stared in shock at Naruto. They had never thought of doing such a thing.

The very concept of it seemed to cross the bottom line, especially considering the danger that Holy Snow City was in now. The surrounding Cultivators' eyes began to gleam with a strange light.

The Frigid Snow Clan member who Naruto had directed his question to was a middle-aged woman. She gaped at him, somewhat at a loss. It was at this exact moment that suddenly, the battle achievement number next to Naruto's name suddenly increased by one hundred thousand. Now his total was roughly 190,000.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he pointed out the items he wanted. The pillar of light sparkled, and two jade slips flew out. One was the Five Planets spell formation method and the other was the formula for the Demon Nurturing Pill.

After this, Naruto's name was no longer in the first place position in the pillar of light, but rather, last. In fact, now his number was in the negative, to the amount of nearly 50,000.

Jade slips in hand, Naruto left the palace, under the envious gazes of the surrounding Cultivators. He walked back through the city to his courtyard.

He sat down cross-legged amidst the lotuses, then looked down at the jade slips. Time passed by. It was evening when he looked up again, and his eyes were gleaming.

"This spell formation seems pretty amazing. Too bad I don't understand spell formations very well. If I meet someone who does, though, perhaps I can get some help in using it.

"This Demon Nurturing Pill is really interesting. It's not for consumption by Cultivators, but rather, neo-demons and beasts." Naruto put the jade slips away and then closed his eyes in meditation to restore energy.

A few days later, the late night was still and the moon shone brightly up above. The Thorn Rampart had become the final line of defense for the city. On multiple occasions, Black Lands Palace Cultivators had tried to break through but were thoroughly obstructed. Not many were killed or injured, but the effectiveness of the thorns was clear.

In his courtyard, Naruto sat cross-legged, meditating. Suddenly, his eyes opened and he pointed his right index finger toward the ground. Immediately, Demonic Chakra began to congeal. It only took a moment for a figure to appear in front of him that resembled him in every aspect. After it turned into Naruto, it flickered and flew into the air.

In the east section of the city, there was a relatively remote street. It was completely deserted at the moment, until a figure appeared. It was of course none other than Naruto.

He strode down the winding street for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, until he reached an even more remote corner, where he stopped. He looked over his shoulder and said, "You've been following me for a while. How much longer?"

A grating voice could be heard. "Fellow Daoist Naruto, you're not only a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, I think your Spiritual Sense is the most powerful I've seen in any Core Formation Cultivator. It's almost comparable to my own." One of the shadows behind Naruto twisted, turning into Indra. He looked at Naruto with a smile.

"I'll give you three sentences to explain yourself," said Naruto lightly. As he spoke, thorns suddenly emerged from the ground.

Without hesitation, Indra replied, "I happened upon a manual once that contained information regarding the method to concoct an ancient medicinal pill called the Spirit Severing Pill, which, if consumed when breaking through to the Spirit Severing Stage, can ensure success. After years of searching, I was able to discover the resting place of this legacy of the Dao of alchemy; it is located in the Western Desert, in a place I visited once. I can't acquire the pill alone; however, with your skill in the Dao of alchemy, Fellow Daoist Naruto, I'm sure we can succeed, whereupon we can share the pill formula."

"Considering the level of my Cultivation base, such a pill doesn't interest me very much," replied Naruto lightly.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, please reconsider. Considering your skill in the Dao of alchemy, it won't be difficult for you to break into the Nascent Soul stage. If you don't begin to make preparations for the Spirit Severing stage now, the First of your Severings will be difficult. You can't rely on simple enlightenment alone. Besides, the place I intend to go to contains not only the formula, but also a completed Spirit Severing Pill!" Indra waved his right hand, causing a wood slip to fly out. "This wood slip is one of the sections of the manual. Fellow Daoist Naruto, feel free to confirm for yourself whether I'm telling the truth or not. If you change your mind, you can use the wood slip to contact me. The location in the Western Desert is located close to several Tribes. Without my help, you won't be able to conceal your Cultivator's Chakra, and will be unable to enter the area." With that, Indra gave Naruto a final look, then gradually faded and disappeared.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he watched Indra fade away. He reached out to take the wooden slip that hovered in front of him, then turned and left.

He didn't quite trust the man, so he had used his Demonic Chakra Clone to meet him.

Of course, Indra actually feared Naruto quite a bit thanks to the Thorn Rampart. As such, he had also used other means to meet, and hadn't come in the form of his true self.

"Considering neither of us trust each other, why would he invite me to come along…?" thought Naruto as he walked back the way he came. "Of course, there's no great enmity between us, so why would he go to the trouble of trying to trick me? Could it be that there is a bit of truth to everything he said?"

It was very late at night, and this eastern section of the city was very quiet. The hustle and bustle that had existed before the war started was now gone. Almost everything was in ruins.

He had barely walked three hundred meters, when suddenly he stopped and retreated three paces.

Even as he did, green ripples suddenly emanated out from the spot he had just been standing in. At the same time, the distorted image of a person became visible within the ripples. It was impossible to see the figure clearly; however, within the greenish glow, Naruto could sense the emanations of a totemic aura.

"Western Desert Cultivator!" he thought. "The Thorn Rampart isn't complete in this area! So, Indra did have ulterior motives for inviting me here!" A cold light appeared in Naruto's eyes. He shot backward, golden light shining out from his body. His right hand clenched into a fist as he struck out at the incoming green glow.

A boom filled the air. Naruto's fist did not strike anything; however, a powerful attack shot out, toward the green glow. It seemed preparations had been made specifically for Naruto, though. Before his fist attack could strike the green glow, it split into multiple dots of light that spread out into the air. They then shot together, congealing into the image of a green whip that lashed out toward Naruto.

Naruto grunted in surprise. This was the first time he'd encountered anything that could evade a strike from his right fist. True, the fist attack had been illusory, but for his opponent to dodge it showed that he was definitely beyond ordinary.

"This person didn't come with Indra. Indra hid himself, and was clearly aware that I didn't come in person. However, this Cultivator avoided my fist attack… in a way that made it obvious he wasn't aware that it was an illusory strike. Therefore, he doesn't know that this isn't my true self! If that's the case, then clearly running into him here was a coincidence…. The chances of randomly running into this guy here of all places in this big city, are not high. From that, I can deduce that however he got into the city… he must not be alone!" Naruto let out a cold snort as he allowed the whip to wrap around his body.

A boom filled the air as Naruto collapsed into countless Chakra fragments that dissipated into the air.

A sound of surprise could be heard as the green whip retreated backward. A bad feeling suddenly welled up in the heart of the Western Desert Cultivator.

However, even as he began to back up, the fragmented Chakra that had made up Naruto suddenly shot forward and formed back together into a new Naruto. His left hand stretched out to grab the whip, which he then pulled toward him.

"Get over here!"

A rumbling roar filled the air. The whip pulled tight, and as it did, the vague image of a fleeing person could be made out within the green ripples.

Naruto pulled hard on the green whip, and as he did, it began to whither, and then suddenly turned into flying ash.

Naruto watched the ripples disappear into the distance, and coldness flashed in his eyes. "It seems quite certain that it has nothing to do with Indra. However, no one can just attack Naruto and then run away!" His body grew blurry, then suddenly split into ten more Narutos. Immediately, they headed off into different directions in pursuit.

Meanwhile, back in Naruto's courtyard, his true self sat looking at the lotus flowers. Everything here was quiet and peaceful, and he wasn't paying very much attention to what was going on outside with his Demonic Chakra clones.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, he rose to his feet, his expression the same as ever. He walked out slowly into the night, strolling down the street at a steady pace. Soon, he was about three hundred meters away from his courtyard.

It didn't take long for him to reach a random remote street corner, where he stopped, apparently waiting for something. After the space of two breaths passed, a collection of ripples shot through the air toward him. Behind the ripples were ten figures that looked exactly like him, their faces cold as they pursued the ripples.

Sabu was scared witless. He was a member of the Crow Scout Tribe from the Western Desert, and a member of the forces participating in the Black Lands Palace's great war. He was one of the several hundred Cultivators who had survived the Thorn Rampart earlier. Because he possessed wood type totems, he had been dispatched into the city this night on an assassination mission.

There were a dozen or so who came with him. He wasn't too sure the level of their Cultivation bases, but he was in the late Core Formation stage. That, coupled with the secret techniques of his Tribe, and his wood type totems, made it so that even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would have a hard time piercing his concealment technique.

How could he ever have imagined that as soon as he entered the city, the first person he ran into would be none other than Grandmaster Naruto, the person who had summoned the Thorn Rampart? He had assumed that because of his wood type totems, the Thorn Rampart wouldn't be able to detect him, and as such, had chosen to attack.

In his view, if he was able to kill the mysterious Grandmaster Naruto, it would count as an incredible battle achievement. After returning to his Tribe, he would definitely be well rewarded. Even if he wasn't able to kill him, he could at least wound him. Either way, he was completely confident of the safety of making an attack.

How could he ever have guessed that what he attacked was not Grandmaster Naruto's true self, but rather a clone? That in itself caused him to gape in astonishment, and filled his heart with fear. He had fled at top speed, cursing Naruto for coming out in the middle of the night in clone form.

After that, his fear had grown even greater when suddenly ten clones of Grandmaster Naruto appeared, all of whom chased him relentlessly, cutting him off at every turn. If it weren't for his special techniques used for concealment and retreat, coupled with his wood type totems, he would have been captured already.

It was as he went all out to flee from the clones when he suddenly saw Naruto standing up ahead.

"Dammit," he thought, "this Grandmaster Naruto doesn't just concoct pills, he also has a lightning technique AND is proficient with using clones. How could someone as inhuman as him exist in the world!?"

He cursed inwardly as he looked at Naruto, who stood there with a look of contempt in his eyes.

"Well, he might have some weird techniques, but he's not good enough to capture me!" Sabu snorted coldly, his body flashing as he waved his sleeve, causing the ripples surrounding him to shoot out toward what he assumed was another clone. This was the same method he had used previously to disperse other clones.

As Sabu descended upon Naruto, he suddenly heard him speak. "There really is a lot to learn about the Dao of totems."

Before Sabu could react to the words, he saw the Naruto in front of him lift up his hand and point toward him.

A boom resonated out as an invisible, tearing force surrounded Sabu. His heart filled with astonishment, and he was about to retreat when suddenly, a bloody glow filled the area. The glow permeated his body, ripping away the layers of invisibility around him, revealing him to the world.

"Not a clone!" he thought, his mind spinning. His face was ghastly pale, and he was about to employ another magical technique, when Naruto gazed into his eyes. His gaze seemed to contain the power of Time; Sabu's mind reeled, as if he had lost the ability to even think. Everything suddenly seemed to slow down, as if the Time within his body had suddenly changed.

When he came to his senses, he saw Naruto's right hand ripping through the air to latch around his throat. Everything went black as Sabu passed into unconsciousness.

Naruto held Sabu up in his hand. The entire time, his expression hadn't changed. He slowly walked back down the street. Behind him, the ten Demonic Chakra clones faded into nothing. At the same time, a wooden slip flew over, which Naruto took. He glanced at it, then walked off into the distance, carrying Sabu in one arm.

It was not a peaceful, quiet night in Holy Snow City. Over fifty assassinations occurred; even some members of the Frigid Snow Clan died.

Eventually the four Grand Elders unleashed the power of their Cultivation bases. Explosions rang out in the night sky, all the way until morning.

The chaos outside didn't affect Naruto in his courtyard. He extracted some blood from Sabu and also vivisected his totem tattoos to study them.

He wouldn't give up on his desire to understand totems. He had the feeling that they were the key to the path of the Perfect Nascent Soul.

"Wood-type totems… can evade the Thorn Rampart. It must have something to do with its wood characteristics." Naruto held a vial in his hand which contained some of Sabu's condensed life force. It emanated wood characteristics, which caused Naruto to look down at the man, and the green-colored leaf totem tattooed on his arm.

"Wood is one of the five elements," he thought, various thoughts congealing in his mind. "Metal, wood, water, fire, earth. Five elements, five colors. White, green, black, red, yellow. Perfection is a Five Colored Nascent Soul…. A wood Nascent Soul would be green. If I could acquire five totems of different properties, cultivated to the ultimate level, then it would be similar to using the five elements pill concoction technique! With five colors, I could concoct a Five Colored Nascent Soul!" This was the result of all the research he had done into totems.

He had come up with the basis of this idea some time ago, but after his recent research, he felt more confident.

"It's also in accord with my Dao of alchemy. My body is the furnace, my heart is the formula. I will concoct a grand pill of Heaven and Earth, a Five Colored Nascent Soul!" His eyes shone with a bright light. The idea of concocting a Nascent Soul in this fashion was something no one before him had ever done.

Other people used cultivation to produce a Nascent Soul. Naruto's decision, though, was to use pill concocting techniques to concoct a Nascent Soul!

"That is the only way to achieve Perfection!" he thought, his expression one of intense anticipation.

Half a month isn't a very long time. However, as far as Sabu was concerned, the fact that he had encountered a certain Cultivator entranced with the idea of studying totems made it an unprecedented period of suffering. From his blood to his bones, from his totem tattoos to his techniques, his entire body was under the complete control of Naruto.

The more deeply Naruto studied the matter, the more confident he grew regarding the matter of concocting a Nascent Soul. Sabu seemed to have been destined to help Naruto understand how to fuse the Dao of alchemy with his Cultivation base. At the end of the month, it got to the point where he wasn't learning anything new from the man, so instead of causing further trouble for him, Naruto released him.

Before he left, Sabu looked at Naruto, trembling. He vowed to himself that he would never run into this man again, then fled as fast as he possibly could.

"I need more totems to corroborate my line of thinking," thought Naruto as he watched Sabu leave. Rumbling could be heard from outside the city walls. During the past half month, reinforcements from the Black Lands Palace and the Western Desert had continued to arrive. Every day, it seemed hundreds came whistling through the air to join the force outside.

Currently, there were around five thousand Cultivators amassed outside the city. Holy Snow City was thoroughly isolated. Beasts attacked from the sky, and glowing chariots charged on the ground.

The Thorn Rampart, during the one month in which it would survive, was impervious to any attack laid against it. Eventually, though, under the relentless attacks and explosions, it began to show signs of falling apart. Clearly, it wouldn't last for very much longer.

A few days later, a contingent of nearly two thousand Black Lands Palace Cultivators appeared, whistling through the air. They were led by a Cultivator wearing a gold mask. It was none other than Black Lands Palace Dao Child A!

His eyes were grim, and filled with a faintly discernable turbidness. His entire person exuded a strange aura. He had been a vile mood as of late. After being poisoned that year, he had returned to the Black Lands Palace and used every method he could think of to cure himself. Unfortunately, he was unable to dispel the poison. The situation filled his heart with dread; he had the feeling that his life or death all rested in the hands of the person who had poisoned him.

Not daring to publicly reveal that he had been poisoned, he had attempted every method possible to cure himself, all to no avail. After sensing the poison, his Master had even taken an interest in it.

He had invited an Eastern Lands alchemist to examine him. After doing so, a serious expression covered his face and he'd said, "This poison cannot be dispelled by Cultivators. It can only be diffused with medicinal plants."

The mysterious Demon Lord who had poisoned him became something like a nightmare to him. Every time he thought of the man, intense coldness would fill his heart.

Of course, he had been careful to strictly comply with the man's instructions, and did not step foot within three hundred kilometers of him.

In order to prevent any mishaps, he had holed up in the Black Lands Palace for quite some time. This was actually the first time he had left since being poisoned. In his estimation, though, there was no way he would possibly run into the fearsome Demon Lord in this backwater location.

He did the best he could to hide the depression in his heart, but some of it still managed to slip out.

"I heard this Frigid Snow Clan has a beauty named Koyuki," he thought, his eyes shining with debauchery.

Behind him was an old man wearing a silver mask, who emanated the shocking power of the Nascent Soul stage. His presence increased the number of Nascent Soul Cultivators in the battle force to five.

It was difficult to describe how much the addition of one more Nascent Soul Cultivator would change the circumstances of this conflict.

As A and the others arrived, quite a few of the Black Lands Palace Cultivators flew up into the air to receive them.

Beneath his golden mask, A's face was filled with a proud look as he gazed at the Thorn Rampart and the heavily damaged Holy Snow City.

"Fellow Daoists of the Frigid Snow Clan. Ladies and Gentlemen of Holy Snow City. I am A, Dao Child of the Black Lands Palace. I am not here today to join in the battle, but rather, to issue a challenge to all of the heroes under Heaven!" He strode forward until he was standing right in front of Holy Snow City.

"Anyone who is not of the Frigid Snow Clan that can hold their own against me, Dao Child A, for the space of ten breaths, will be allowed to leave unharmed!" His words echoed about in the city.

He was surrounded by a group of Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace, as well as a few from the Western Desert, the most powerful ones present. The five Nascent Soul Cultivators were also there, a short distance away. Should the Nascent Soul Cultivators in Holy Snow City suddenly dare to attack, the five would be ready to deal with them.

"It is an historic moment!" continued A, a lofty expression in his eyes. "Within half a month's time, the Black Lands Palace will topple this city. The day that happens, anyone who remains inside will be buried along with the Frigid Snow Clan!"

Coming from him, a Dao Child, these words were powerful and impressive as they settled down over Holy Snow City.

"Therefore, tell me? Which of you dares to face off against me in honorable battle!?"

Some of the Cultivators at his side began to call out taunting provocations.

Inside the city, the faces of the several hundred Cultivators not of the Frigid Snow Clan were unsightly, although it was impossible for anyone to tell whether or not they were considering the offer.

The four Grand Elders and other Frigid Snow Clan members stood there thoughtfully. They obviously couldn't hold anyone back from leaving; if they did, it would most likely lead to even greater repercussions. Furthermore, A was a Dao Child of the Black Lands Palace, an incredibly high position. His Cultivation base was not at the Nascent Soul stage, but as a Dao Child, he directly represented the Black Lands Palace.

After a moment's thought, First Elder sighed. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Fear not. To each his own. Our city is under threat, and anyone who does not have the will to stand and fight, should not stay. Any Fellow Daoist who wishes to leave will not be stopped. You have already shown great favor to the Frigid Snow Clan."

Naruto stood in the crowd. He looked through the Thorn Rampart at A floating there in mid-air, and a slight smile spread across his face. The poison in A had not been dispelled. Naruto had personally concocted it, and he was confident that few people in the world other than himself would be able to do so.

Silence filled Holy Snow City. Suddenly, someone shot forward. It was a middle-aged man, someone Naruto recognized. He had come before to request pill concocting services, and had a Cultivation base in the mid Core Formation stage. Among the Holy Snow City forces, he could be considered quite powerful. In the outside world, his Cultivation base would put him the position to be quite domineering.

Right now, his face was somewhat wan. The pressure he had come to feel in recent days had pushed him to the breaking point. He shot out through the Thorn Rampart, then let out a sigh.

"I've done everything I can," he thought. "I've definitely paid back the Frigid Snow Clan for their magnanimity that year." He shot forward, clasping hands toward A and then said, "In accord with your will, Dao Child, I will battle you to save my life!"

The instant the man's words left his mouth, a vicious light gleamed in A's eyes. At the same time, three Cultivators standing next to A shot into the air at high speed. The approaching middle-aged Cultivator's face twisted.

He immediately flashed an incantation gesture, and the gleam of a magical technique rose up. A rumbling filled the air as a black sword aura glittered into being. After the space of five breaths passed, the three men returned to A's side. Shockingly, one of them held the head of the middle-aged Cultivator in his hand, which he then presented to A.

"What a pity. He didn't last for ten breaths." A laughed, holding the head up high into the air and then crushing it.

"Is there anyone else who wants to give it a try? If not, then I'll give you another option. Bring me the Frigid Snow Clan's number one beauty Koyuki. Whoever does so will not only be exempt from the death penalty, but will also receive a great reward!" He laughed again as he looked toward Holy Snow City. Inside, there was complete silence. All of the Cultivators had grim looks on their faces.

This was especially true of the Frigid Snow Clan members, and Koyuki. Her phoenix-like eyes flashed with killing intent. She was a pretty girl, and the look on her face was instantly noticed by A. His eyes flashed and he laughed. "The most beautiful woman in the land is here. It turns out my trip here wasn't a waste!"

The Cultivators in Holy Snow City couldn't hold back from crying out in ridicule.

"You're a Dao Child from the Black Lands Palace! How could you be so despicable!?"

"You said you would fight a duel, but it was nothing more than a low-down trick. You people from the Black Lands Palace are all the same!"

As the voices drifted out from the city, A continued to laugh, his eyes filled with arrogance. He didn't give a whit about whether these people lived or died. He had just been toying with them. He knew that Holy Snow City wouldn't mount any sort of offensive while the Thorn Rampart still existed, so he figured he would take advantage of the situation to have some fun.

"Alright, alright," he laughed. "I won't cause you any more trouble. How about this. Fellow Daoist Hanxue, why don't you warm my bed this night. If you do, then I'll take these two thousand Cultivators I came with and leave. That should take a bit of pressure off of Holy Snow City. What do you think?" His eyes gleamed as he looked over Koyuki's beautiful figure, and his heart burned.

Koyuki was so angry she was trembling. She glared murderously at A, but her heart was filled with sorrow. Some of her surrounding Clan Members were looking at her. None of them said anything, but she could see in their eyes what they were thinking, and it filled her heart with pain.

She smiled bitterly, and then, without even thinking about it, she looked at Naruto. It was as if she was wondering what he would do about the situation.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at the three Cultivators who had just charged forward to fight. One was a Western Desert Cultivator. He was the one who had slain the middle-aged Cultivator, and the totem tattoo he had used was that of a sword!

It was a sword totem that created a magical manifestation of a sword, and emanated extraordinary power.

"I wonder if that's a Metal-type totem?" he thought. Suddenly, he took a step forward and then shot up into the air, his gaze coming to rest on A.

His appearance attracted quite a bit of attention. Cultivators quickly clustered around A to impart to him information regarding Naruto. A's eyes shone, and a vicious smile appeared on his face beneath his mask.

"I'd heard about this Grandmaster Naruto who has risen to fame in recent days," thought A, his eyes shining with killing intent. "Eliminating him will ensure that the city falls in a matter of days!" The gazes of the five Nascent Soul Cultivators came to rest on Naruto. Once he emerged from within the Thorn Rampart, they would instantly attack.

However, before Naruto passed outside of the city walls, he stopped. He hovered in mid-air, an enigmatic smile on his face as he looked at A.

"A," he said. "I seem to remember I told you to stay at least three hundred kilometers away from me. Did you forget?"

No one in Holy Snow City understood what Naruto was talking about. They could tell that he must have some sort of history with the Black Lands Palace Dao Child, but they didn't understand any of the details.

However, as soon as the words entered A's ears, his mind instantly began to reel. Beneath his mask, his face filled with a look of complete disbelief. There were two people he feared most in life, one was Kazama of the Southern Domain, the other was the Demon Lord of the Black Lands.

When he heard Naruto's words, he instantly understood their meaning. His pupils constricted immediately.

"It's him! It's definitely him! He's the only one who knows about that incident. Dammit, how could it be him!?" A began to pant, and his eyes grew wide as he recalled the scene from that day. His heart trembled as he remembered the nightmare his life had become after he went back to the Black Lands Palace to try to dispel the poison.

Every month, there was a period of a few days in which his entire body felt like it was being stabbed all over. The pain was difficult to bear, and the only thing he could do was wail constantly in terror. Even his Master was powerless to help him, and all the Eastern Lands alchemist could do was sigh. All of that exploded out in A's mind, overwhelming him.

His mind buzzed, and went blank. Fear filled his eyes. Never could he possibly have imagined that after all his efforts to avoid the Demon Lord, the first time he went out to some remote location, he would run into that very nightmarish figure.

He stood there blankly, his heart filling with indescribable remorse. He wanted to roar out that he was innocent, he really didn't know that the Demon Lord was here. Had he known, he wouldn't have come even under the threat of being beaten to death.

Then he thought about all the things he had just said, as well as the instructions not to come within three hundred kilometers of the Demon Lord, and his entire body began to shake. An unspeakable dread rose up from his heart like a tempest.

He thought about the fearsomeness of the Demon Lord, the feeling the man gave off like that of the underworld, and how he could kill him with a thought. All of these things smashed down onto A like endless gigantic mountains.

Black Lands Palace Dao Child? Honor and glory? Face? All of these things vanished from A. The most important thing was his life. Because of that, A felt the ultimate level of fear.

"Dammit, how could he be here?!"

As A's mind spun, and the fear submerged him, he stood there with a blank look on his face.

The Cultivators next to him were astonished. Naruto's words were filled with an overbearing tone which caused some of the surrounding Cultivators to feel somewhat anxious. Suddenly, someone strode forward and said, "What gall! This is a Dao Child of the Black Lands Palace! The only people to flee three hundred kilometers are the people running away from him, you paltry alchemist! Do you truly dare to rave in such a manner?!"

The words hit A like a lightning bolt. His body trembled, and he suddenly recovered his senses. His heart was still filled with terror, as well as an unspeakable fury. However, before he could give vent to his fury….

Another Cultivator hurried forward, exuding a loyal and devoted aura. Angrily, he said, "Just who the hell do you think you are? Dao Children occupy positions of incredible respect. Your words just now earn you the right to die!"

Their statements entered A's ears, causing him to tremble even more violently. His fury was now billowing to the heavens, and a feeling of infinite fear had completely overwhelmed him. That was because he could see the cold gleam in Naruto's eyes.

His mind felt as if it were about to explode.

Another Cultivator stepped forward. "You…." Before he could finish speaking, A raised his head to the sky and let out a shocking roar of fury.

"Shut up! Dammit, are you trying to get a Dao Child killed!" He shot forward and unhesitatingly slapped the Cultivator who had been about to speak.

A boom rang out, and the Cultivator tumbled back like a kite with a broken string, blood spraying from his mouth and a confused look in his eyes. Fury written across his face beneath the mask, A next spun and flashed an incantation gesture. Immediately the glow of starlight appeared, enveloping one of the other Cultivators who had just spoken up.

A miserable shriek could be heard. It was as if this man was A's enemy, and that he would do anything possible to kill him!

"You damned flunky!" roared A. "You dare to plot against a Dao Child?! You're dead!" Another boom filled the air as the Cultivator exploded into pieces, exterminated directly by A.

"If you want to disrespect me, then fine. But to disrespect the great Demon Lord is the most heinous of crimes! You all deserve to die! You can be disrespectful to anyone in the whole world except for the Demon Lord!" With a roar, he charged toward the first person who had spoken. The man stared in shock, his face pale. He was about to try to explain himself, but, would A really listen? All he wanted to do was kill the man in the hopes of avoiding any misunderstanding with Naruto.

He had quickly reached the decision to vent his hatred on the three. He hoped that the fearsome Demon Lord would understand that he took the words of the three as spoken with the intention of getting A killed.

The sounds of explosions echoed out in the air as A attacked with unprecedented might. He moved like lightning, instantly slaying the Cultivator who had been about to speak. His hair was in disarray, and his eyes red as he trembled and turned toward Naruto. He clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Junior extends greetings, great Demon Lord," he said, shaking. "Those flunkies just now were merely blabbering, junior has already exterminated them. Demon Lord I beg of you… please forgive me, Demon Lord." He spoke quickly, but his voice was tremulous and filled with fear. Everyone in the area could hear it.

Complete silence filled the region both inside and outside the city.

The four Grand Elders stared in shock, as did Koyuki and all of the other Cultivators in the city.

Outside, the Cultivators surrounding A watched on blankly. Off in the distance, the Black Lands Palace Cultivators had strange expressions on their faces. They clearly weren't sure how to react to the strange turn of events just now.

The five Nascent Soul Cultivators' eyes were wide. A was now acting in exactly the opposite way that he should have….

"Junior really did not know that you were in this place, great Demon Lord. Really, I really didn't know. I… I…." A trembled as a feeling of imminent death washed through him. He knew that no one could save him, not his Master, not the Eastern Lands alchemist, not even the five Nascent Soul Cultivators.

His heart filled with regret, complete and utter regret. He should never have left the Black Lands Palace….

Koyuki stared, her phoenix-like eyes wide with intense astonishment. Feeling awe for the powerful was one of the laws of the land. After all of the things that had happened, Naruto's visage was now even more intensely imprinted onto her heart.

That was even more the case considering that in her mind, what Naruto had done just now had been for her sake.

Suddenly, her face flushed, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at him was completely different than before.

The four Grand Elders of Holy Snow City all gasped when they saw the inestimably noble Black Lands Palace Dao Child A virtually prostrating himself before Naruto. They suddenly realized that Naruto was even more enigmatic than they had imagined.

This mysterious aura gave the Grand Elders a completely different feeling than they'd had for Shino. Naruto seemed… far more frightening!

Naruto's Dao of alchemy, which they had personally witnessed, his catalyzing and awakening of the Thorn Rampart, and the fear he inspired in the Black Lands Palace Dao Child, all caused their esteem of Naruto to increase to an unprecedented level.

"Since you didn't know I was here, I'll forget the matter," said Naruto coolly, looking at A. "But only this one time. Don't take this to be a precedent." When he heard the words, A felt as if he had been given a new lease on life. His body relaxed. Trembling and excited, he bowed deeply to Naruto.

He had felt wronged, but now that he saw Naruto's understanding, that feeling transformed into gratefulness. Of course, he had been poisoned by Naruto, so he really should hate him. Complex feelings filled him, and he swore to himself that in this life… he would never again come into this man's presence.

Of course, if he knew that Naruto was also Kazama, then he would no doubt swear with redoubled intensity.

"I like the look of that Western Desert Cultivator over there," said Naruto casually. "Could you lend him to me to study for a few days? I'll give him back afterward." Actually, this was his main purpose in stepping forward. His eyes glittered as he glanced at the Western Desert Cultivator's totem tattoos.

The young Western Desert Cultivator's face fell when he heard Naruto's words. Before he could retreat, A glanced back at him. As far as A was concerned, Naruto's words were orders to be followed without hesitation.

"Grab him!" he cried. The surrounding Cultivators didn't hesitate. Their hands shot out as they grabbed the Western Desert Cultivator. He struggled a bit, but it only took the space of a few breaths for them to succeed in capturing him.

The young man trembled, and fear filled his eyes.

"The great Demon Lord has taken a liking to you," said A, his eyes brimming with viciousness. "That's good fortune for you! Don't struggle!" He didn't care that his actions might cause grudges or ill feelings with the Western Desert Cultivators. As far as he was concerned, Naruto's instructions were the most important.

"Great Demon Lord, you speak of lending, but please, allow me to give this person to you as a gift. I truly hope that you will accept, great Demon Lord." He indicated for the hesitant Cultivators behind him to deliver over the young Western Desert Cultivator. They immediately flew over toward the Thorn Rampart, threw the furious young man over, and then returned.

Having done these thing, A glanced at Naruto, who was looking quite satisfied as he hoisted the young man over his shoulder and turned to head back into the city. At this point, A finally heaved a sigh of relief. He clasped hands and bowed, then turned and shot off at high speed. The two thousand Cultivators who had come with him, including the old man with the silver mask, all left with him. Their masks hid their embarrassed expressions as they did.

As the group was making to leave, one of the two Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Western Desert said, "The Black Lands Palace had better give the Western Desert a good explanation for this." His voice was cool, and did not contain fury, yet was filled with power.

Even as the old man's words sounded out, and A and the others were about to leave, suddenly, a cold snort rang out, filling the air. The snort shook Heaven and Earth, transforming into a rumble that made everything vibrate. Cracks appeared on the surface of the ground, and it seemed as if the very air would be ripped into pieces.

It appeared as if the land couldn't sustain the power of the snort, and was about to fall to pieces.

The snort caused the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Western Desert to stumble backward a few paces. At the same time, A and the others felt their hearts shaking, and stopped moving. A's eyes narrowed, and he started to pant.

Down on the ground, the multitude of beasts dropped onto their stomachs, quivering and wailing. The flying beasts also began to shake, and stopped moving.

The thousands of Cultivators on the ground felt their minds buzzing, filled with the sound of the snort, making them incapable of even thinking.

The sky above changed color and the ground heaved.

The countless thorns which surrounded Holy Snow City began to break apart. Shrill cries rang out as the entire city shook and filled with an enormous roaring sound. The massive city walls of ice and snow began to fall, and the star-shaped devices above the city collapsed.

All of the city's protective spell formations had previously been penetrated, but since repaired. Under the power of this snort, though, they began to shatter and transform into flying dust.

Within the city, countless residences caved in. The Cultivators on the city walls coughed up blood and their faces twisted. There were even about a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators whose bodies directly exploded.

If it weren't for the four Grand Elders' immediate actions to protect their Clan Members, the Clan would have sustained severe casualties. However, the price they paid for this caused them to cough up mouthfuls of blood. The old woman, Third Elder, who had already been injured, felt her Cultivation base suddenly drop. Her body grew weak, and she seemed to be even older than before.

Naruto's face flickered as he shot backward, coughing up four or five mouthfuls of blood. He looked up into the sky, where he saw what appeared to be a sun approaching!

This sun was black, and existed in the sky along with the normal blazing sun. If you looked closely, however, this black sun was actually a Cultivator wearing a black robe!

He appeared to be about forty years of age; however, he radiated an air of ancientness that far belied his young appearance. He was surrounded by a black glow that seemed to suck in all of the light around it. It was this that caused him to look like a black sun.

Along with him came an indescribable pressure which descended down from the sky.

Behind the black-robed Cultivator was a young man whose face was filled with reverence, even fanaticism. This young man was none other than… Doto!

"Spirit Severing!" Naruto's eyes narrowed and he began to breathe heavily.

It wasn't just him. The hearts and minds of everyone present began to tremble.

"Greetings, Spirit Severing Patriarch!" said A excitedly. He immediately began to bow in mid-air. All the Cultivators surrounding him also began to prostrate themselves in shock.

Down on the ground, the thousands of Black Lands Palace Cultivators also dropped to their knees.

"Greetings, Spirit Severing Patriarch!"

The expressions of the Western Desert Cultivators changed. However, they did not kowtow, but merely bowed their heads. The two Western Desert Nascent Soul Cultivators gasped and lowered their heads in greeting.

Naruto's heart sank. The arrival of the black-robed man indicated that this was definitely no longer an opening battle. A Spirit Severing Cultivator had been dispatched to bring things to an end.

Naruto frowned. "There are still two more months left before the Frigid Snow Larva is completed…." He sighed as he pulled the good luck charm out of his bag of holding. "Forget it. It seems there's no way I'll be able to get a Frigid Snow Larva. I'll just have to figure out some other way of transcending the Tribulation." He sighed emotionally. With a Spirit Severing Cultivator here, the situation really was doomed to end in only one way.

"If the mastiff were awake, or if my Cultivation base was at the Nascent Soul stage…." Naruto looked up at the black-robed Cultivator, sighing inwardly. Actually, he knew that even if he were of the Nascent Soul stage, in front of a Spirit Severing Cultivator, he would be nothing more than an insect.

"Spirit Severing…. Gain enlightenment of the Dao, Sever the self three times…." The Spirit Severing stage was a legendary realm that could only be reached through fortune, and not through seeking. Throughout the world, there were many Core Formation Cultivators, and not a few of the Nascent Soul stage. However, Spirit Severing Cultivators were rare, even in the expansive Southern Domain. Often, they would exist only as the Dao Reserve of a great Sect.

When Naruto thought of Spirit Severing, he couldn't help but think of Patriarch Reliance.

As the black-robed Cultivator floated down from up in the sky, Holy Snow City was blanketed with deathly silence. Despair filled every heart and mind, both the Frigid Snow Clan members and the other Cultivators. Each and every one abandoned all hope of fighting back.

A pleased expression filled the face of Doto as he followed the black-robed Cultivator. His gaze swept over the Frigid Snow Clan members, and a callous look appeared in his eyes.

However, as the black-robed Cultivator was still about three thousand meters above the city, he suddenly stopped moving. A profound look appeared in his eyes, as if he were in a position of ultimate authority, as if the great Dao of the Heavens gave him the right to look down on all living things.

As he floated there, it seemed like the Heavens and the Earth were fused together, inseparable. And yet, at the same time, it was as if they were separated, congealed into his own Dao, making the will of Heaven impossible to expunge.

It was as if everything in the world existed because of his will. This was because he had long since reached the Spirit Severing stage, and his first Severing. As for what had been severed, only people of the same stage might be able to pick up on some of the clues.

"Fellow Daoist Hanxue, we haven't seen each other for several hundred years. Still on your deathbed? Why don't you let me see you on your way?" As his eyes swept across the land, it was as if none of the Cultivators there deserved to be within his line of sight. What he was looking at was located deep in a subterranean chamber. There, sitting cross-legged atop a star-shaped altar, was an old man. He was completely withered and looked like a corpse.

"Still sleeping?" continued the black-robed Cultivator in a grating voice. "It seems my attempts to determine whether you are still alive were nothing but a waste. Let's end this farce." He shook his hand and then waved his arm.

The land in all directions began to quake. A Heavenly Pit suddenly appeared in the ground, right in the middle of the city!

It was at this very moment that the same ancient voice he had heard before once again spoke into Naruto's ear.

The entire city began to cave in. Many people were sucked along; they wanted to fly away, but suddenly discovered that their Cultivation bases couldn't be rotated at all, as if they didn't even exist.

At the moment, Naruto's hand was tightly clasped around the good luck charm. It still required a bit more than ten breaths of time to activate and was already emitting a glow. However, it was then that the ancient voice transmitted into his ear.

"Open your mind and connect with your Thorn Rampart. I am on the verge of death, but can bestow upon you an amazing bit of good fortune. Think of it as my way of thanking you for the kindness of protecting the bloodline of my Clan over these past months."

The ancient, weak voice was the same one that had told Naruto how to control the Thorn Rampart. Naruto was well aware who this person was, but nonetheless, he hesitated.

With the good luck charm, he was absolutely confident of being able to leave this place safely. If he listened to the ancient voice, he would be facing up against a Spirit Severing eccentric. No matter how cautious and careful he was, it would still be a perilous situation.

"There's no time," continued the voice. "If I wanted to possess you, I wouldn't have waited so long to do so. What are you hesitating for, lad? Do you really think your ancient good luck charm can help you escape from a Spirit Severing Cultivator?!"

"What good fortune is it that you plan to give me, senior?" transmitted Naruto, his eyes glittering. An intense power suddenly spread up from below. At the same time, miserable cries filled the air. Naruto didn't need to look down; he knew that the city was rapidly sinking down into the Heavenly Pit.

Cultivation bases in the entire area were being restricted; however, Naruto's Perfect Gold Core was not one of them. He could still flee of his own volition if he wished.

"I'm going to give you my Spirit Severing enlightenment. It will open a door for you in the future when you reach Spirit Severing. It will also create some hope for my Clan members…."

A huge rumbling interrupted the ancient voice. Holy Snow City was now more than half destroyed by the Heavenly Pit in the ground. Not too far off in the distance, in the area where the city was crumbling into, Naruto could see a pitch black abyss. It emanated a sinister aura, which turned black as it circulated around.

It was at this time that Naruto's good luck charm finished preparing. Without hesitation, he pushed down to activate it. It was at this time that his face suddenly fell.

The good luck charm didn't work!

A boom filled the air as the rest of the city began to fall to pieces. Miserable cries filled the air. Naruto could feel the gravitational force from within the enormous hole growing stronger. The countless strands of black Chakra were trying to pull him in.

At this critical moment, a look of determination filled his eyes.

"Junior agrees!" The instant he spoke the words, he opened his mind. At the same time, he sent out his Spiritual Sense to reestablish contact with the remnants of the Thorn Rampart that still existed within the city.

As soon as his Spiritual Sense touched the Thorn Rampart, the withered figure who safely sat cross-legged in the subterranean chamber suddenly performed an incantation gesture, causing a sealing mark to appear.

As soon as the sealing mark appeared, Naruto could sense the thorns that existed within the crumbling city expanding. They extended down into the subterranean chamber, which was already beginning to break apart. As they expanded down, they sprouted out with even more thorns, heading directly toward the withered, corpse-like old man who had been sitting there for who knew how many years.

They pierced into him, instantly creating a sort of connection between him and Naruto. The two of them were suddenly sharing a single body!

An unspeakably powerful force exploded out into Naruto's mind.

A booming sound filled his mind, and veins bulged out all over his body. His face distorted, and his eyes filled with veins of blood. He began to shake, and it felt as if his body were about to be ripped into pieces. Pain stabbed into his soul, and it felt as if his Spiritual Sense were about to shatter!

An intensely powerful aura suddenly surged through him.

This aura was not that of Core Formation or Nascent Soul, but rather… Spirit Severing!

The instant the aura exploded out, Naruto's mind reeled, and he heard a snarling roar.

"I am the Patriarch of the Frigid Snow Clan. I gained enlightenment of the Dao during a great tempest, and performed my First Severing a thousand years ago!"

As the voice echoed out in Naruto's mind, an image coalesced. Within the image, Naruto saw a tempest that stretched as far as the eye could see, rising from the Earth all the way up to the Heavens. Lightning crackled everywhere, shaking everything. This was a tempest which could flay a Nascent Soul Cultivator into pieces, and yet there in the middle of it all was a figure who exuded immense profundity.

It was a middle-aged man, tall, wearing a long robe. His head was raised toward the Heavens as he let out a powerful roar.

"Clan descendants, remember me! I am Sosetsu, sixth generation Patriarch of the Frigid Snow Clan. For my first Severing, I severed familial Love. However, I did not sever my love for my Clan! Severing Love and replacing it with the Dao, accomplished my first Spirit Severing, and incurred a half-Celestial Tempest!"

The image faded, leaving Naruto's mind spinning. Around him, a wind suddenly appeared. The wind screamed out from within the giant hole in the ground. The city was now no longer collapsing, and the Cultivators were no longer crying out. The vortex in the Heavenly Pit suddenly calmed. The howling wind filled the hole, pushing the crumbling city back out from within.

The wind was now a tempest, sweeping across everything. An astonishing roar filled the air. The wind seemed capable of crashing through any obstacle; the sky dimmed and the earth quaked.

The beasts that spread out across the land emitted miserable shrieks and fell prone, trembling. The Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace coughed up blood, looks of astonishment on their faces.

The Western Desert Cultivators' faces filled with shock. As for A and his group, their expressions also changed, and they began to pant as they looked at the raging tempest that swirled around Holy Snow City.

In contrast, the black-robed, Spirit Severing Cultivator up in the sky was laughing. As his laughter spread out, an unprecedented, black glow shone out from his eyes. At this moment, it really looked as if he were some type of black sun.

"Spirit Severing Will! Patriarch Sosetsu, I never realized you would display such courage and power on the verge of death! You transformed your Spirit Severing Will into a legacy brand which you then gave to a Cultivator who isn't even of the Frigid Snow Clan! How sad! You severed Love with your first Severing, and yet, when your son betrayed you, you showed empathy, and didn't kill him! You went against your own Dao, and destroyed yourself!

"Well, since none of your Clan members can accept the legacy of your Spirit Severing Will, it seems it will become good fortune for this member of the junior generation. Unfortunately, in the end, the good fortune will not belong to him. This brand, which contains successive generations of Frigid Snow Clan Grand Dragoneers, will be mine! Only someone as powerful as me would be able to connect with more than three generations. At the most, this infant could connect with one. Any more would kill him instantly!

"Disciple, spit up some of your blood! Watch as Master eradicates your kin for you. Your Dao will be completed, and the day of your Spirit Severing will finally come!" The black-robed Cultivator laughed loudly. Next to him, Doto had a complex look on his face. However, without speaking a single word, he slapped his chest and spit up a mouthful of blood.

As soon as the blood shot out from his mouth, the black-robed Cultivator snatched it up. He squeezed it into his hand, whereupon it formed the bloody image of a teenager, a look of fear filling his face, as well as agitation.

It looked very similar to Doto.

As soon as the teenager appeared, his eyes filled with hatred. A bloody glow emanated out from him, and he shot down toward the tempest surrounding Holy Snow City.

As it neared, Naruto lifted his head up and let out a roar of pain. His will still remained, and was still his, but the instant he saw the youth, his heart filled with agony. The pain was indescribable, filled with sorrow, fury and insanity.

He could sense that the tempest around him was beginning to collapse, and that it was happening because of the blood-colored teenager.

"Zong'er…." said the ancient voice in Naruto's head. It echoed about inside him, filled with deep emotions that were impossible to state clearly. All of the tens of thousands of things that needed to be said, were all said in that single name.

As it echoed about inside Naruto, the tempest around him began to fill with raindrops. As the rain fell, Naruto realized that it was not truly rain, but rather, the tears of the sixth generation Patriarch of the Frigid Snow Clan.

"Regrets…? No, no regrets!" The echoes of the voice resonated in Naruto's head as finally, the shocking tempest went mad. It began to collapse, and as it did, it tore everything in its path into shreds, including the blood-colored teenager.

As the teenager shattered into fragments, a new voice suddenly boomed out in Naruto's mind.

"I am the fifth generation Patriarch of the Frigid Snow Clan, Grand Dragoneer Hanxue Ding! I grasped the meaning of Will of Heaven atop a snowy mountain and performed my First Severing in the Ten Thousand Dragons Pool!" This voice was clearly different from that of Sosetsu's. It was somewhat less domineering, and yet a bit more dignified. As the voice reverberated through Naruto, his body filled with an unparalleled, intense pain.

It felt as if his soul were about to collapse, and his body were going to be ripped into pieces. Up above, the sky grew dim, as if it were about to disappear. Suddenly, the image of an immense body of deep water appeared up above.

Ripples moved across the surface of the water, spreading out in all directions. The sound of a multitude of roars could be heard as countless black dragons burst out from the deep waters, which seemed to hang upside down above everything. The roaring dragons caused all of the beasts on the ground to wail mournfully. As for the Cultivators, looks of astonishment filled their faces, and blood sprayed from their mouths.

This was especially true of the Western Desert Cultivators, whose bodies trembled violently. One of the two Nascent Soul Cultivators looked up, and spoke in a weak voice: "The Ten Thousand Dragons Pool! According to the legends, after the Greatfather of the great Frigid Snow Tribe became a Grand Dragoneer, he took the Ten Thousand Dragons Pool as his own. After that, it disappeared from the Western Desert!"

Up above, the black-robed Cultivator's face flickered. "So, this kid has managed to support a second legacy brand!"

The roars of ten thousand dragons emerged from the inverted black waters up above in the sky. The roars were shocking to the extreme, causing blood to spray from the mouths of the beasts on the ground. One by one, they began to bleed from their eyes, nose and mouth. Then, they simply dropped dead.

As for the Cultivators down below, they also coughed up blood. Their bodies grew listless, their minds reeled, the flow of their Chakra and blood was suppressed, and their Cultivation bases hung on the verge of collapse.

A grim look appeared on the face of the black-robed Cultivator in mid-air. He began to perform an incantation with his right hand.

"This is definitely beyond what I anticipated. He can support two generations of legacies. Well, even that will not be enough!

"Life births destruction, Yellow Springs of the Three Worlds! Flowers birth fruit, reveal the Three Worlds!" The black-robed Cultivator's hand turned into a blur, and in front of him, a black orb appeared. The orb began to expand and emanate a black glow in all directions as it transformed into a black sun. It burned as it shot up.

As it neared the ten thousand roaring dragons, the black sun suddenly exploded, shredding the air itself, destroying everything near it as it turned into an all-consuming black hole.

As soon as the black hole appeared, the dragons roared. A rumbling filled the air, and the ground quaked. The dragons didn't seem capable of controlling their own bodies as they were sucked toward the black hole.

"If you really were the Frigid Snow Clan's fifth generation Grand Dragoneer, then I would turn and leave. But you're just a trifling legacy brand. You can't stop me!" The black-robed Cultivator's voice was cool as he flicked his sleeve. Down below, the Heavenly Pit that the tempest had filled in, once again shook and began to open.

Around Naruto in the city were several hundred people, the faces of whom were all pale white and filled with hopelessness. The war had reached the point that they weren't even capable of participating in it. They were like dried out leaves in a windstorm, incapable of acting for themselves.

Beneath the Ten Thousand Dragon Pool, veins bulged out all over Naruto's body. His face was twisted into a vicious expression as he struggled to control the pain inside of him. It surged against him like the tide, and he fought against the urge to simply fade into unconsciousness. Gritting his teeth, he held on.

The ancient, weak voice of Sosetsu spoke his dying words to Naruto: "You must not lose consciousness. When seizing the good fortune of Frigid Snow, one generation makes you a chosen son, two generations makes you a hero, and three generations makes you Chosen of Heaven. As for four, such a thing has never been seen!

"Each glorious brand consists of the most powerful expert of a generation. As the legacy joins your soul, the brand enters the world to accompany you. The more generations you acquire, the more brands. The day you enter Spirit Severing, all of these brands, these first turning points of us powerful Cultivators… will explode out to help you!

"Press on! If you are able to support the third generation legacy, then you may be able to avoid the calamity which bears down on you. This is as much assistance as I can provide. I truly hope that you succeed, and help my Clan to pass through this disaster!"

Naruto lifted his head up and roared. As he did, his clothing ripped into shreds. His hair whipped about, and everything around him seemed to shatter. The only thing left was his roar.

As he roared, the ten thousand dragons, regardless if they were being sucked in by the black hole or not, all joined him. A massive, glorious roar filled the air.

The black-robed Cultivator frowned, then flashed an incantation with his right hand. He then spread his hand out and pushed his palm down toward Naruto.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. That which has passed away, shall pass. What remains, remains for eternity." As the black-robed Cultivators words echoed out, the ten thousand dragons exploded into pieces one by one. Up above, the Ten Thousand Dragons Pool also collapsed.

It seemed as if everything was ending, just as the black-robed Cultivator had said.

However, it was at this moment that a tremor ran through Naruto's body. Whereas his eyes had been scarlet moments ago, they were now pure white.

When the black-robed Cultivator saw this, his face flickered again, revealing an expression of disbelief.

"Impossible!"

Even as his mind was rocked, the voice of a third person could be heard in Naruto's head. This voice was venerable and ancient, and filled all of Naruto's consciousness.

"I am the fourth generation Patriarch of the Frigid Snow Clan, Hanxue Hui of the Yellow Springs. I awoke to myself in a land of ashen death. I gained enlightenment in a forest of bones. I conceived the concept of spawning the silent spirit. I cast away my body to become a Dao Spirit. This was my First Severing! I am Hanxue Hui, fourth generation Grand Dragoneer!" As the voice echoed out, an unprecedentedly strong death aura suddenly appeared in front of Naruto. It spread out, filling the area, causing both the sky and the land to turn gray.

Suddenly, countless roars could be heard in the gray sky. The roars soon took on shape; countless phantom souls appeared. They looked ancient, filled with rancor and madness.

On the ground, all of the beasts that had died just moments ago suddenly began to twitch and then rise to their feet. A gray light shone in their eyes as they lifted their heads up and howled. The ground trembled as all the dead bodies on the ground rose up, even those of the Cultivators, who stood with eyes blank and vacant.

Up above in the sky, a rumble filled the air as an enormous skeletal dragon roared into being. Down below, a gigantic skeletal snake burst up through the soil.

The entire world had become like a world of death. It was at this moment that behind Naruto, a yellow river suddenly appeared out of nowhere. If you looked closely at the surging waters, you would say that they were actually composed of… countless ghosts.

These were no yellow river waters. These were the Yellow Springs!

The Yellow Springs had appeared, something stupefying to the extreme.

Atop the Yellow Springs floated a temple composed of eighteen levels, just like the eighteen levels of hell!

The grayish death aura circulated around Naruto, causing his face to look pale. A death aura even began to radiate off of his body. Suddenly, he opened his eyes!

When he did, it was like a clap of thunder. A rumbling boom rose up to the Heavens as he stared out with his pure gray eyes.

"Yellow Springs Grand Dragoneer!" All of the low-level Cultivators in the area suddenly went pale in the face. They looked as if they had lost their minds. Their bodies were stiff as if their life force were being obliterated.

It was the same with the Western Desert Cultivators. The two Western Desert Nascent Soul Cultivators stood there, bodies trembling as they looked at Naruto floating in mid-air. The looks of stupefaction on their faces exceeded those when the tempest and the Ten Thousand Dragons Pool appeared.

"Six thousand years ago," said one of them, "the legendary Yellow Springs Grand Dragoneer single-handedly caused a foul wind and a rain of blood to pass over the Western Desert; it was a reign of terror! He enslaved millions of dead beasts and even raised a level 10 neo-demon!

"According to the legend, the number of lives he took before he himself perished, was impossible to count! He founded the Land of Bones…. He established the Gray Mountains…. He…." The minds of the two Nascent Soul Cultivators were filled with absolute disbelief.

"Dammit," said the black-robed Cultivator. A look of concentration filled his eyes. Behind him, Doto looked like he was about to go crazy. His heart filled with intense jealousy, and inwardly, he was screaming that all of this belonged to him!

"So, you can support three generations of brands! Your piddling Core Formation Cultivation base does seem to have quite a bit of potential. How rare…. Too bad that still won't be enough!" With that, the black-robed Cultivator flashed another incantation and then waved his hand out.

"I gained enlightenment of the Dao in the blackness of night, under the spinning Cosmos. For my First Severing, I severed Daytime!" His eyes gleamed as he raised his right hand and pointed toward the sky. A lightning bolt suddenly appeared in the grayness. A boom echoed out as the lightning bolt descended directly toward the right hand of the black-robed Cultivator.

This color of this lightning was pitch black!

The black-robed Cultivator snatched it, and as he did, it transformed into a twisted Lightning Blade which stretched all the way up into the sky. The black-robed Cultivator swung the Lightning Blade, seemingly intending to rend the gray sky in two!

A huge boom echoed out as the gigantic Lightning Blade slashed down. A massive breach appeared in the sky as the blade chopped down, directly eradicating the grayness of the world.

Naruto's body shook as pain stabbed through him. Even as the Lightning Blade descended, Naruto subconsciously lifted his hands up into the air. As he did, all of the dead creatures began to float up to form a gigantic sphere of bones!

All of the gray Chakra in the area shot toward the sphere of bones. In the blink of an eye, the sphere was infused with the grayness, and began to emanate a shocking power as it flew to meet the Lightning Blade.

A massive explosion ripped out that caused all of the Cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage to instantly pass out. Some of them even exploded.

As the sound of it continued to reverberate out, the sphere of bones collapsed into pieces, unable to stand up to the Lightning Blade.

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth as he fell and slammed into the ground. Once more, the Heavenly Pit opened up beneath Holy Snow City. Again, the city began to collapse and fall. Naruto laughed bitterly. Three generations were his limit; even that was not enough to allow him to secure victory over a true Spirit Severing expert.

Up above, the black-robed Cultivator breathed in deeply. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth as he looked down to where Naruto had fallen. A strange light gleamed in his eyes.

"The Frigid Snow Clan's Six Generations of Legacy Brands certainly live up to their reputation. Once I get my hands on them, I'll definitely be able to perform my Third Severing. Then I will complete the great circle of Spirit Severing." His eyes radiated determination as he lifted his right hand. Just as he was about to reach down to grab Naruto, his face changed for a third time.

Complete shock filled him!

Even as Naruto landed on the ground, a mark appeared on his right hand!

This mark was not unfamiliar to Naruto. It was the same one that had appeared when he reached Foundation Establishment and Core Formation!

When the young woman from the Namikaze Clan saw the mark, her expression had changed. Instead of striking Naruto, she changed the direction of her blow.

Images from all of these scenes played out in Naruto's mind.

And now… the mark had appeared again!

He felt an intense heat radiating out from the back of his hand. It turned into a stinging pain that spread throughout his body until he was completely submerged in it. Finally, he let out a roar.

At the same time, a sort of boundless life force seemed to be released from within the pain. It spread through him, healing his body. Furthermore, he could sense that it also gave him the chance to accept the fourth legacy.

Suddenly, an archaic voice sounded out in his mind. It was boundlessly ancient, transmitted from ten thousand years in the past. It did not come from the mark on his hand, but rather, the Frigid Snow Clan legacy!

"I am the third generation Grand Dragoneer of the Frigid Snow Clan. My name is Shamon…. I accepted the legacy of the second generation in the frigid cold of midwinter. I gained enlightenment on Mount Agarwood. I severed my Dao on Midwinter Plain. Before me, the Clan was called Agarwood. After me, it was called Frigid Snow…. Clan members, engrave upon your minds: our power was fading, we could not support ourselves. Sadly, we were forced to leave the Western Desert."

As the voice spoke, an image of a mountain appeared in the pupil of each of Naruto's eyes!

This was Mount Agarwood. The same moment that the images of the mountains appeared, up above in the sky, the breach slashed by the Lightning Blade began to split open. An enormous mountain suddenly began to descend.

The size of this mountain was difficult to describe; the power it radiated was boundless and shocking.

Just barely visible on the mountain were two glowing characters that made up the word Agarwood. As the mountain descended, the ground shook and began to crack and sink.

The Heavenly Pit disappeared, and the Lightning Blade shattered. A massive sinkhole appeared on the battlefield, which turned into an enormous basin. The two Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace coughed up blood. Their masks shattered, revealing the shocked faces of two old men. Immediately, they began to flee.

The two Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Western Desert also coughed up blood as they were tossed backward. The shock that filled their hearts was impossible to describe with words.

"Shamon…. Ten thousand years ago, he was one of the three most powerful figures in the Western Desert. He… he was actually a member of the Frigid Snow Tribe?! How is that possible?! How come the ancient records never mentioned anything about this!?"

"Shamon….." The black-robed Cultivator's face flickered. Behind him, Doto stared mutely. He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, a look of disbelief in his eyes. How could he ever have imagined that the Patriarch of his own bloodline was actually a member of the famous Agarwood Clan from ten thousand years ago!

"Why change the name of the Clan?" Doto didn't have any time to think about it further. The black-robed Cultivator, eyes glistening with concentration, lifted his right hand and was about to wave it when suddenly, his face flickered yet again.

"Dammit! How can this kid have so much latent talent? The legacy isn't concluded yet…."

The ground rumbled as the enormous Mount Agarwood descended. Naruto floated there, his eyes shining with a bright light. As of this moment, he knew with absolute certainty this time, he really was experiencing an incredible amount of good fortune.

The Spirit Severing brands remained in his mind. He couldn't employ them except during the branding process, but… when it came time for his own Spirit Severing, it would be vastly easier.

Furthermore, after he reached Spirit Severing, the power he would be able to wield would be unprecedented, and he would be able to use any of the brands that existed in his mind.

Such good fortune was normally something he would never have access to; only Spirit Severing Cultivators should be able to acquire such things.

However, due to chance occurrences, the good fortune fell upon him. As such, he would do everything within his power to acquire even more!

"The legacies of the sixth, fifth, fourth and third generations… are not enough," thought Naruto. "I must acquire the second generation legacy. I will not squander such good fortune. I'll use it to secure my future rise to prominence! I'm not sure why the mark appeared on the back of my hand again just now, but now I have hope. I possess all the requirements, so therefore, I will definitely open up the full potential of these legacies! It doesn't matter if the second generation is Frigid Snow Clan or Agarwood Clan. Second generation legacy, come out!" Naruto lifted his head up and roared. Light shone up from his eyes as he floated there in mid-air, his hair whipping about. The sight of it was shocking and strangely beautiful!

Within his head, a ceaseless rumbling sound could be heard. This sound exceeded that of the sixth generation tempest, swept away the fifth generation ten thousand dragons, crushed the fourth generation Yellow Springs, and shattered the third generation Mount Agarwood. It transformed into eminently domineering, supreme noise.

The sound seemed to be echoing out in response to Naruto's expression of desire.

"I am Reto, second generation Grand Dragoneer of the Agarwood Clan. With the legacy power of the Patriarch, I controlled the power of the four seasons. I am not an Immortal, but by controlling the seasons, I silenced the Western Desert. I am… the Heaven of the Western Desert!"

The voice was common, but it echoed out with a soaring, overbearing aura. The domineering air emanated out from Naruto, changing everything. The patch of sky directly above Mount Agarwood suddenly looked bizarre in appearance.

Within this patch of sky could be seen resplendent Spring flowers, a light Summer rain, dancing, frost-covered Autumn leaves, and bitter Winter snow!

This patch of sky contained all four seasons, and its power spread out over everything, transforming the land, causing everything to tremble. The two Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace coughed up blood, and their bodies began to wither as they slipped into unconsciousness.

Blank expressions covered the faces of the two Western Desert Nascent Soul Cultivators. They couldn't feel or sense anything; their life force was slipping away.

Doto's body shook and his mind reeled; he coughed up a mouthful of blood as his body suddenly aged. Up ahead of him, the black-robed Cultivator's pupils constricted, and his eyes filled with terror and astonishment.

Without even thinking about it, he backed up, panting as he stared at the Four Seasons Sky above Mount Agarwood.

"That's not a Spirit Severing brand, that's… a Dao Seeking brand! Dammit, the Frigid Snow Clan actually had a Dao Seeking expert! How is that possible? A Dao Seeking expert in the Western Desert…. Agarwood…. Agarwood…." The black-robed Cultivator's face fell as he suddenly lost confidence in his ability to seize the legacy. "If I can't seize this legacy now, then it will never belong to me. Even if I kill this punk later, I wouldn't be able to take it. Dammit! How come this kid is so troublesome!?"

A twisted look of madness appeared in his eyes. He had been preparing for this day for a long time, and needed the good fortune of the Frigid Snow Clan legacy for his Third Severing. As such, he wasn't willing to give up so easily.

"Five generations. So, you can support five legacy generations. Dammit, there's only six in total. Don't tell me he's going to acquire them all! This kid's greed is something rarely seen in the world! People as greedy as this deserve to die! I won't let you continue!" The black-robed Cultivator's heart buzzed. As of now, he no longer looked down on Naruto, but rather, was convinced that Naruto would be able to acquire the full legacy. Even though it seemed unbelievable, he didn't have time to think about the matter too much. Eyes glittering with killing intent, his body flashed. Drawing on the full power of his Spirit Severing Cultivation base, he shot in Naruto's direction.

"I don't care what price I have to pay, I will stop you!" Determination filled his eyes as he slammed into the Four Seasons Sky, and Mount Agarwood.

An indescribable pressure weighed down on his entire body, causing the black-robed Cultivator to shake, and his flesh to begin to evaporate.

"BREAK!" he roared. The evaporation of his body suddenly slowed. He gritted his teeth and shot forward toward Naruto. In the blink of an eye, he was three hundred meters away from him!

Those final three hundred meters would be extremely difficult to cross.

Actually, he knew that the best way to handle this situation would be to wait until Naruto couldn't hold on any longer, and self-detonated. As far as interfering with the branding process, the best would be to take some action while at a distance. The most stupid method was what he was doing right now, which was to personally approach Naruto.

Unfortunately, he had no other options. Interfering from outside did no good, and waiting for Naruto to self-detonate wasn't possible. Therefore, he had to move in as he was doing now.

As rumbling sounds continued to fill the air, Naruto completely ignored the incoming black-robed Cultivator. Breathing heavily, he looked up into the sky, his eyes radiating intense determination. He had accepted five generations of legacies from powerful experts. However, as this happened, and the increasing power was revealed, it only made Naruto's desire for the first generation legacy grow even stronger.

"Agarwood Clan, first generation legacy!" he roared.

The sound echoed out into the ears of the black-robed Cultivator, causing his heart to begin to pound. An uneasy feeling filled his heart as he looked at Naruto, whose head was raised in determination. The black-robed Cultivator gritted his teeth, then raised his hand toward the blank-faced Doto behind him.

"Blood and Will Liquefaction!" he cried, pointing at Doto. Doto's body began to shake, and he let out a blood-curdling shriek. His body rapidly withered, and in the blink of an eye, he had turned into a desiccated corpse. All of the blood in his body spurted out and shot toward the black-robed Cultivator. It circulated around his body for a moment; then he shot forward at incredible speed.

The three hundred meter distance began to close. However, the pressure of the five legacy brands pushing down on the black-robed Cultivator was rapidly eating away at the Frigid Snow Clan blood which gave him his speed. Once it completely disappeared, he would be in great danger.

"DIE!" he cried. He was now less than thirty meters away from Naruto. He lifted his hand up, and a billowing Lightning Blade slashed down toward Naruto.

Inside his mind, Naruto used Spiritual Sense to transmit a message out. "The bloodline of Agarwood comes from the Western Desert. Western Desert totems come from countless demons. As for me, I… I am the Ninth Demon Sealer. Agarwood Clan legacy, yield to me as you should!"

"I am the Agarwood, a Spirit from the Ninth Sea. I fell to Lands of Ninshu and into the Western Desert…. I encountered a magical transformation, which reopened my consciousness. Righteous Bestowal made me Demonic. My bloodline remained in Lands of Ninshu and evolved into a Clan. My legacy was passed down from generation to generation, but few nowadays possess my bloodline.

"The Agarwood has two heads, the body of a dragon, and the tail of a phoenix. It never sheds tears; shedding tears ends its life. Now, I am gone. I left Lands of Ninshu to return home…. Other than the League of Demon Sealers, only my descendants can receive my legacy!" The ancient voice echoed out in Naruto's head. Endless amounts of glorious light surrounded him. Suddenly, the illusory image of a creature appeared. It was shaped like a dragon, with two heads, and the tail of a phoenix, and was no less than three thousand meters long!

The instant the two-headed Agarwood appeared, the sky faded, and a roar filled all creation. Naruto could sense a bizarre, unspeakable power pouring into him from the Agarwood.

The descending Lightning Blade of the black-robed Cultivator shattered into pieces. His eyes filled with astonishment, and he immediately fell back, dumbstruck. He could sense an unprecedented aura of fear and terror emanating off of this two-headed beast.

"Run away!" This was the first thing that filled his mind. He had to get away from this place. His Cultivation base was at the Spirit Severing stage, but he was a cautious person. That was why he had done his research before coming here.

His prudence was why he didn't care that he was a Spirit Severing Patriarch, nor that he was facing up against nothing more than a Core Formation stripling. Matters regarding face meant nothing to him at the moment. All he cared about was the acute sense of crisis that filled his heart.

As the black-robed Cultivator fled, a voice filled Naruto's mind. The voice was familiar. It was none other than the sixth generation Patriarch, Sosetsu! "Kill him!"

Next, another voice could be heard, that of the fifth generation Grand Dragoneer! "Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

Voices filled his head. From the sixth generation all the way to the second, Reto. They rang out one after another, and as they did, Naruto's eyes filled with a cold glow. He slowly lifted up his right hand.

The Agarwood which twisted about in the air around him suddenly blurred with speed. It transformed into beams of light that bored into Naruto's body, fusing into him!

Naruto breathed in slowly, and then said, "Tempest!" Instantly, a black tempest sprang into being around Naruto. It spread out rapidly, making it seem as if the entire world were filled with its fury.

Within the tempest appeared the towering figure of Sosetsu. His appearance was somewhat indistinct, but his stature was indomitable. As soon as he appeared, his gaze fell upon the black-robed Cultivator.

The black-robed Cultivator's scalp went numb, and a sensation like death swept over him. He suddenly had the urge to laugh out loud. He was a Spirit Severing Patriarch, and yet here he was, feeling the approach of death in front of a Core Formation Cultivator.

Not only was it terrifying, it was supremely comical.

"Ten Thousand Dragons," said Naruto, waving his right hand. The Ten Thousand Dragons Pool appeared again. Within it, ten thousand black dragons roared. Shockingly, behind them appeared the figure of an old man wearing a black robe, who gazed coldly at the Spirit Severing Cultivator.

This was none other than the fifth generation Patriarch!

"Yellow Springs!" said Naruto, the third in his string of statements. A roaring sound filled the air as the Yellow Springs suddenly appeared, along with the eighteen layers of hell. The world turned gray, and a thick death aura sprang up which transformed into the image of a man wearing a gray robe. He held a skull in one hand, and gray Chakra rippled around him which transformed into the images of all manner of beasts.

This was the fourth generation Patriarch!

"Midwinter!" said Naruto. He felt power bursting around him, all coming from the brands in his mind. This was the bizarre power of the Agarwood that had poured into him!

The third patriarch appeared within a snowstorm, the coldness of which froze the very ground.

Suddenly, crackling sounds filled the air as Mount Agarwood appeared, surrounding by endless snowy winds and lightning. At the very peak of the mountain, surrounding by snow and wind, was an old man who looked down at the black-robed Cultivator.

The black-robed Cultivator's face was pale white. He spit up a mouthful of blood, dramatically increasing his speed. He was trying to create a portal to teleport away, but couldn't.

"Four Seasons!" Killing intent radiated out from Naruto's eyes. As it did, the sky above changed as images of the four seasons appeared, covering everything.

"Agarwood!" This was the last of Naruto's successive words. As he spoke them, his right hand descended, and he pointed directly at the fleeing black-robed Cultivator.

As he extended his finger, the black tempest congealed into the form of two enormous wings!

The ten thousand roaring dragons, along with the Dragons Pool itself, began the head of a dragon!

The Yellow Springs twisted, pulling the eighteen layers of hell along with it to form an enormous dragon-shaped body, nearly three thousand meters long.

Mount Agarwood collapsed, and the pieces formed into the tail and claws of a phoenix!

Finally… the Four Seasons Sky fused together to form a second head. All of these things congealed together to become what in ancient times had rebuked the Heavens… the Agarwood!

Stormy wings, dragons' heads, a body formed from the Yellow Springs, a mountain for a tail, and the Four Seasons!

When the Agarwood appeared, it let out a roar that cracked the sky and shattered the land. It was a force that could annihilate everything, sweeping out in all directions. At this moment, the black-robed Cultivator sensed an unprecedented feeling of life-and-death danger. It was a force of destruction which he could simply not bear.

His pupils constricted, and both hands rapidly flashed an incantation. Magical treasures appeared, and finally a black glow that rose up to the heavens and took on the shape of a black sun.

"If the true self of any of you appeared, I would be dead. Instead, you've formed the Agarwood. Well, I've performed my Second Severing. You can't destroy my reincarnation. The only thing you can do is stop my first body!

"Reincarnation exists, so I will always exist. My Karma cannot be annihilated! The Deification Altar of the Heavens of Hebi has my name on it! You can't hook my Karma! I'll be resurrected!" The black-robed Cultivator raised his head up and howled. The black sun slammed into the Agarwood, and an enormous boom rose up. Everything shattered, destroying the land, killing all of the Cultivators directly below.

A was lucky; around the time Naruto had received the brand of the fifth generation Frigid Snow Patriarch, he'd gotten a bad feeling and had fled. Because of his prudent action, he and a few hundred other Cultivators who went with him were spared.

The explosion rippled out, and the Agarwood slowly vanished.

The black sun also faded. As it did, an image could be seen within of the black-robed Cultivator, which then transformed into ash. The brightly glowing light which had surrounded them slowly sank into the earth, and they were gone.

The black-robed Cultivator was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto wasn't sure if he was alive or dead. Slowly, everything around him started to return to normal. An unparalleled sense of weakness washed through him. His vision started to fade and he began to collapse into unconsciousness.

Before that could happen, though, he bit the tip of his tongue, using the last scrap of borrowed energy he possessed to do something he would normally be incapable of doing… he spit out some Divine Will which then shot off in the direction of the former Kumogakure.

That was his final action before everything faded into blackness and he fell down to the ground.

Holy Snow City was still there, although it was virtually in complete ruins. There were less than three hundred Cultivators left alive, including the Four Grand Elders. All of them stood there, their faces pale, looking at Naruto with expressions of deep veneration.

Naruto couldn't see anything, but he could sense that someone was holding him. He also smelled a delicate fragrance. Within the blackness of his world, an ancient voice slowly echoed out in his mind.

"Successor, remember the Agarwood. I can project to you three times to help you avoid death."

Meanwhile, far away from Holy Snow City, on the other side of the Black Lands, in the former Kumogakure, more than five thousand Cultivators were running and yelling.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!"

The more than five thousand Cultivators were dashing around the city in a circular pattern. The sight of it was quite astonishing. The ground shook as they ran, and a fog roiled around them, deep within which was what appeared to be a bright glow.

The glow bore the semblance of a sword, slowly gathering together. The glow didn't spread out, although it did emanate a frightening aura. Nearby the glow was the parrot, who looked nervous. Its wings flapped as it flew around the bright glow.

"Ah, the Immortal Execution Formation, created by none other than myself, Lord Fifth. Dammit, this spell formation never screwed Lord Fifth over nine times. That never happened!" The parrot clenched its jaw as if it had just made a difficult decision. Just as it seemed to be on the verge of charging into the bright light, the Divine Will from Naruto arrived.

The parrot suddenly stopped moving. It stared in shock for a moment, then let out a shriek.

"Scared me to death! Just about completely broke my concentration. So, you're in trouble, eh Naruto? Need me to rescue you? Alright, alright. We'll have to see what furred and feathered things you can find for me in the future. I guess I'll go save you." With that, the parrot flapped its wings, flying up.

A roaring filled the air and the ground shook. More than five thousand Cultivators who had taken refuge in the Church of the Golden Light stared blankly up into the sky at the parrot as it spoke.

"Listen up, children! Your Patriarch Golden Light is in trouble. Let's go save him! Come come. Start running in the way I taught you. Use the steps of the Immortal Execution Formation. Three circles to the left, three circles to the right. Shake those butts…. Go as fast as you can! Now, call it out with me…."

The Cultivators formed a long line and began running. A billowing fog sprang up that looked like dark clouds, which then whistled off into the distance.

When Naruto woke up, he found himself staring at someone's back.

It was a beautiful silhouette. Graceful curves accentuated beautiful shoulders. A supple waist descended into perfect roundness.

She wore a light pink blouse that Naruto almost didn't notice when he looked at her.

Her hair was long and beautiful, and she emanated a delicate, youthful aroma. Suddenly, the overcast sky seemed to brighten a bit for Naruto.

It wasn't that Naruto didn't enjoy looking at beauty. However, as a Cultivator, the first thing he did when he opened his eyes was not gaze upon the beautiful figure in front of him; instead, he sent out his Spiritual Sense to check whether or not his belongings had been touched after he passed out.

He was surrounded by ruins. However, he could tell that he was still in Holy Snow City. Although, the city itself now consisted only of broken and shattered buildings. There was something strange about everything. A silver light covered the ground, clearly some kind of spell. However, this spell was clearly not complete; it was obviously just beginning to form.

Everything was quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the crackling which came from the bonfires in the area.

Off in the distance, he could see two of the four Grand Elders sitting there cross-legged. In addition, there were a little over a hundred Cultivators, all of them meditating, clearly exhausted.

Almost all of these people were members of the Frigid Snow Clan. There were only a few that didn't belong to the Clan. Naruto remembered glancing toward the ground before passing out and seeing about three hundred people.

The other two Frigid Snow Clan Grand Elders were concentrating on the spell, and were conversing in low tones. Their expressions were anxious, and they occasionally glanced up to look at the sky.

The moment Naruto woke up, the four Grand Elders looked over at him. This, in turn, attracted the attention of the other surrounding Cultivators. Soon, everyone had opened their eyes and was looking at Naruto. The beautiful figure in front of him was, of course, Koyuki, who opened her eyes from meditation to turn and look at Naruto.

Happiness flickered within her gaze, as well as something else, the infatuation of a young girl, and adoration.

Naruto took a deep breath and then slowly sat up. Koyuki approached and then supported him with her arm. He felt weak, but his Cultivation base was intact. He couldn't make himself refuse her assistance.

He could see the haggard expression on her face. It was filled with suffering because of the destruction of her city, the decline of her Clan, confusion regarding the future, helplessness, and concern for him.

All of that would not vanish just because Naruto woke up.

First Elder stood and then approached Naruto. He looked Naruto over, then clasped hands and bowed deeply. "Many thanks for your actions, Grandmaster Naruto. The Frigid Snow Clan will never forget your kindness."

Second Elder, the old woman, and Fourth Elder were all injured. However, they too clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto.

It wasn't just them. All of the surrounding Cultivators rose to their feet and then bowed to Naruto.

Everything that had happened before Naruto passed out had been deeply imprinted onto their hearts. Without Naruto, they would be dead, transformed into a sea of blood.

Naruto had single-handedly saved everyone present here, and the Frigid Snow Clan itself.

Their bows to him were filled with complete and utter sincerity.

He nodded but didn't say anything. It was appropriate to accept their bows but would have been somewhat pugnacious to comment. After a moment passed, Naruto slowly asked, "How many days was I unconscious?"

"Seven days." The person who answered his question was not one of the surrounding Cultivators. The voice came from behind him. It was ancient, and caused looks of veneration to appear on the faces of all the surrounding Cultivators.

Naruto's mind suddenly trembled. He turned to see an old man approaching from within the ruins, accompanied by a dozen or so Frigid Snow Clan members. He was wizened, as if he had just crawled out from the grave. His clothing was simple, and his Cultivation base was not high. However, as he approaching, it felt as if a tempest were swirling around the area.

"Senior…." said Naruto, feeling shocked. At a glance, he could tell that this was the sixth generation Frigid Snow Clan Patriarch, Spirit Severing Cultivator Sosetsu. For this man to suddenly appear was quite a shock. Logically speaking, he should have perished.

He approached Naruto, and, seeing the serious look on his face, explained: "I've dispersed all my skills, and given up on trying to break through. I'm no longer of Spirit Severing. When you absorbed my legacy, I let go of the life force of the Thorn Rampart in exchange for ten years of longevity. In ten years, I will perish." The surrounding Cultivators, including the four Grand Elders, concealed the pain in their expressions, showing only respect.

"You did a good job," said Sosetsu, sitting down in front of Naruto. An affable smile covered his face. "I think perhaps there is only one person on Lands of Ninshu in the entire Core Formation stage that could possibly accept all six legacies of our Clan. Obviously, that person is you."

Naruto's heart filled with gratitude. As of now, he understood that this man truly had no aspirations of possessing him. Naruto really had stumbled onto an incredible bit of good fortune.

He was about to speak when Sosetsu shook his head, cutting him off. Gazing at Naruto sincerely, he said, "If you join our Frigid Snow Clan, under my authority, you will be given Koyuki as your beloved."

Naruto gaped. Off to the side, Koyuki's face went red, and she bowed her head to cover up her embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I won't interfere with your love life. She can be one of many beloved. Become a member of the Frigid Snow Clan, and you will be the Patriarch of this generation!" Sosetsu's eyes glowed with an air of solemnity.

"I will make it worth it for you to join, by offering you three blessings.

"I've dispersed my skills, and am no longer of the Spirit Severing stage. However, I have a lifetime of enlightenment. With my aid, you will have an eighty percent chance of reaching the Spirit Severing stage within five hundred years! That is the first blessing I will give you!

"The blood of the Frigid Snow Clan contains another secret Grand Dragoneer technique. It's more powerful than any other magic you have ever acquired. By passing it on to you, all living creatures will be powerless to do anything but sleep in front of you. That is the second blessing!

"Third, although the Frigid Snow Clan is currently in decline, our Dao Reserve is still here. We cannot remain in this location, so we will travel to the Southern Domain. Long ago, I was friends with Grandmaster Pill Demon from the Violet Fate Sect. We will move our Clan into the Violet Fate Sect.

"Come with us from the Black Lands to the Southern Domain. My reputation can earn the patronage of Grandmaster Pill Demon. You have proved that your Dao of alchemy is strong. If I request it, Grandmaster Pill Demon will surely give me face and accept you as an apprentice."

Sosetsu's voice echoed into Naruto's ears. He sat there thinking, smiling to himself wryly. Other than the Spirit Severing enlightenment, nothing that had been offered him was very appealing. The secret Dragoneer technique was surely powerful, but Naruto already possessed three great secret techniques. As for being Grandmaster Pill Demon's apprentice, well it wasn't that the idea of it was inherently unappealing. However, Naruto, even though he'd long since left the Violet Fate Sect, still considered Grandmaster Pill Demon to be his Master.

He had kowtowed three times to become an apprentice, and that first kowtow lasted for a lifetime.

"You don't agree?" asked Sosetsu, gazing at Naruto. His expression was gradually fading into one of disappointment. Based on his experiences throughout the years, he was able to see the slight hesitation visible in Naruto's otherwise calm expression.

He sighed inwardly and then shook his head, laughing slightly.

"Senior…." said Naruto, feeling a bit guilty. He could sense the sincerity in Sosetsu, and even though it was all for the sake of his own Clan, Naruto knew that he truly was offering a new path to tread.

Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't go back to the Southern Domain for now.

Koyuki's face was now pale white. She held her head up high and forced a smile onto her face, but her mood couldn't be lower. She stood and curtsied to Naruto, then walked off into the distance, her head hanging. It seemed she couldn't stay behind for fear of crying from the grief she felt.

"Well, never mind," said Sosetsu, not wanting to force Naruto to explain. "I put you in an awkward position just now. You have your own path, and don't need me to arrange things for you. That's great." He stood, eyeing the spell that was forming on the ground.

"The Frigid Snow Clan has a total of seven Nascent Soul Elders. You've met four already. The other three went to the Southern Domain last year, where they've been preparing a teleportation spell. Unfortunately, the spell has to penetrate the Black Lands Palace's blockade spell, making the teleportation to the Southern Domain a bit difficult.

"It is only just recently that the teleportation spell was completed on their side. Within about five days, we should be able to activate it. Once that happens, we will leave this place." Sosetsu slapped his bag of holding. Suddenly, everything got very cold, and snowflakes appeared in the air to drift down. Naruto's eyes filled with a serious look as he looked at the object in Sosetsu's hand.

There, in his palm, was a blue silkworm, about the size of his pinky finger. It was translucent, like crystal, and glowed with a blue light. The coldness in the area was emanating out from this very larva.

Naruto's breathing immediately grew heavy.

"You were promised a Frigid Snow Larva. Given the Cultivation bases of the others, they would need half a year to complete it. But time is running out, so I will give you mine! This is a mutated Frigid Snow Larva, with a much more vigorous life force than an ordinary larva. Throughout all the years, our Frigid Snow Clan only ever produced six mutant Frigid Snow Larvae. This is the seventh.

"Because of its mutation, this type of Frigid Snow Larva can bond two masters. Feed it your blood, and it will become yours." He waved his hand, and a blue light shot toward Naruto to hover in front of him. He took a deep breath as he gazed at the blue Frigid Snow Larva floating there before him. Then, he bit the tip of a finger and squeezed a drop of blood out onto the larva.

The instant the drop of blood vanished, Naruto could sense a connection between him and the Frigid Snow Larva. The larva's body glittered as it descended slowly onto his hand. An immense coldness emanated out from it. It felt like he was holding a piece of freezing ice.

Naruto took a deep breath as he bowed deeply to Sosetsu. His entire purpose for coming to this place was now complete. He felt incredibly excited. Now the only thing he had left to do was transform the Frigid Snow Larva into an Eyeless Larva.

Once it became an Eyeless Larva, the larva could never be destroyed, and its thread could not be broken. The thread could not be broken, nor could the larva be destroyed! A miraculous bug like that was a remarkable treasure of Heaven and Earth, one of his most powerful methods for dealing with Heavenly Tribulation.

"Senior, I will be going into secluded meditation," said Naruto, pushing down the excitement which bubbled up in his heart. He bowed again, then turned to walk off. He didn't go too far, but rather climbed deep into a half-collapsed building nearby.

Sosetsu watched him walk off and sighed again in his heart. He really had taken a liking to Naruto, but he knew that he had his own plans and aspirations. Sosetsu then looked over toward Koyuki and sighed yet again.

Within a room in the collapsed house, Naruto sat cross-legged, breathing deeply. He performed an incantation and then pointed toward the ground, causing Demonic Chakra to noiselessly begin to gather. It circulated around him, forming a barrier. Although he was on good terms with the Frigid Snow Clan right now, he still needed to take measures to protect himself.

This was especially true considering that he had just turned down their offer. Covered by the Demonic Chakra, Naruto produced some medicinal pills, then closed his eyes and began to meditate. After a few hours passed, he opened his eyes again, and they shone brightly. His body was now completely recovered from its weak state. His Spiritual Sense had grown, and his Cultivation base had made significant progress.

Naruto was confident that after he transcended the Heavenly Tribulation, he would pass directly into the late Core Formation stage.

With his preparations complete, Naruto took out the Frigid Snow Larva. Then, he took out a Mulberry Thunderclap Leaf and placed it in front of the larva. As soon as the leaf appeared, a tremor ran through the Frigid Snow Larva. It appeared to find the leaf incredibly enticing. In the blink of an eye, lightning surrounded the leaf, and it was completely consumed by the Frigid Snow Larva.

Naruto's eyes gleamed as he produced the copper mirror and began to duplicate more Mulberry Thunderclap Leaves. Thankfully, he had quite a collection of Spirit Stones in his bag of holding. Although he hated to see them disappear as the price of duplication, the thought of acquiring the Eyeless Larva caused him to do so without hesitation.

One leaf, two leaves, one hundred leaves…. Naruto's eyes began to grow wide with disbelief that this tiny little Frigid Snow Larva could consume so many Mulberry Thunderclap Leaves. It didn't seem to show any signs whatsoever of stopping. It appeared capable of eating all of the Mulberry Thunderclap Leaves in existence.

Naruto's heart began to sink a little bit. His information about the larva came from the Black Lands Cultivator he had met in the Southern Domain. After much analysis, he had taken most of the man's words to be true. Now, however, he was starting to feel a bit of skepticism.

He muttered to himself, his eyes glittering as he decided to go all out. He used all the Spirit Stones available in his bag of holding to continue to duplicate Mulberry Thunderclap Leaves to feed the Frigid Snow Larva.

Time passed by. Soon, it was a day later. By afternoon, Naruto's eyes were bloodshot as he continued to feed one leaf after another to the Frigid Snow Larva. From what he could tell, he had fed enough Mulberry Thunderclap Leaves to create a mountain forest.

And yet, the Frigid Snow Larva showed no signs of being full. However, it did appear to be changing! It was still blue, but now had several white circles on its surface!

The circles looked something like eyes, and if you looked at them, it seemed as if they had the power to suck in your mind. By this point in Naruto's process of feeding the larva, it had accumulated five such circles on its body.

Naruto looked at his bag of holding, and his heart filled with pain. He had acquired quite a lot of Spirit Stones after becoming Patriarch Golden Light. However, as of now, they were half gone. Gritting his teeth, Naruto continued to feed the Frigid Snow Larva.

Leaf, after leaf, after leaf….

By morning of the third day, Naruto's eyes were completely filled with veins of blood. The Frigid Snow Larva in his hand now had eight circles. By the time the ninth appeared, Naruto's bag of holding would be virtually devoid of Spirit Stones.

Grief filled his face. A few days ago he'd had a vast accumulation of Spirit Stones that left him confident of being able to purchase whatever he wanted, wherever he was.

Now, he had the exact opposite feeling.

"If I can't create the Eyeless Larva…." Naruto clenched his fists and stopped thinking about the matter. He decided to risk it all. Having gone this far, he might as well continue on to the very end.

By night of the third day, Naruto's bag of holding was completely empty. As the Frigid Snow Larva consumed the very last Mulberry Thunder Leaf, a ninth circle finally appeared, causing Naruto to gape.

"Dammit, I'm out of Spirit Stones, and this thing still hasn't changed yet? Isn't it supposed to transform?" He stared in shock at the Frigid Snow Larva, which lay on his palm, unmoving. Within his mind, Naruto could sense that it wanted to continue to eat. Naruto was on the verge of collapsing.

"My millions of Spirit Stones…." As he looked down into his bag of holding, he realized that the only thing he had left were the ultra high-grade Spirit Stones. They were his final assets, life-saving objects that he could use at a critical moment to absorb spiritual energy.

He went back and forth about it for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. It seemed the Frigid Snow Larva realized there was no food left. It ceased transmitting its desire to eat and began to create silk.

Naruto watched as the Frigid Snow Larva continued to spit out the silk, which looked like snow. This was not the legendary silk of the Eyeless Larva. It took only a moment for the larva to completely cover itself. Soon, it had become a cocoon about the size of the fist of an infant.

Naruto frowned. Something seemed strange. After probing with his Spiritual Sense, his heart began to pound. He continued to examine it for a moment, then began to pant.

"I can sense another aura," he said, his eyes gleaming. "It's not the Frigid Snow Larva, it's much, much more powerful…. There's not even a way to compare the two!" He closed his eyes to think for a moment, and when they opened again, he was smiling.

"Two days, and it will emerge from the cocoon!" He put the precious cocoon away and dispelled the Demonic Chakra in the area. It was currently late at night, and bright moonlight illuminated the land. Naruto took a deep breath as he walked out of his secluded meditation area.

People from the Frigid Snow Clan who were standing guard immediately saw Naruto. They clasped hands and bowed, faces filled with veneration.

These recent days had been very difficult for the Frigid Snow Clan. They weren't sure when Cultivators from the Black Lands Palace would arrive. If they invaded a second time, it would be very difficult to fight back, considering the current situation of the Frigid Snow Clan. All they could do was maintain their vigilance and wait for the spell to activate.

Snowflakes danced about in the moonlight. It had been snowing for two days, and the ground was now covered with a thick layer of snow. Even though it was late at night, the moonlight reflected off of the white snow, making everything look silver.

Naruto breathed in the frigid air as his gaze flitted about. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the back of a familiar figure off in the distance.

It was Koyuki. She sat atop a pile of rubble, looking off into the sky. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Looking at her, Naruto sighed inwardly. Because of the matter of the Frigid Snow Larva, he had completely forgotten about how disappointed this young girl had looked after having been rejected by him.

Murmuring to himself, Naruto thought about the soft arms which had embraced him before he passed out earlier. He also recalled how the concern in her eyes had been replaced by joy when he regained consciousness. The falling snow brushed against his face as he walked toward her. She looked back. Amidst the snow and the moonlight, her pretty face looked even more beautiful. Tears could be seen in the corners of her eyes. She looked at Naruto, then bit her lip and turned her head away.

Naruto stood behind her for a moment, then cleared his throat.

"Hey, I heard you really admire Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Would you like me to help introduce you to him?"

"You know, I heard Grandmaster Pill Cauldron has no beloved," said Naruto teasingly as he looked at Koyuki. "You never know, you might have a chance!"

Koyuki turned her head to look at Naruto. She had a slight smile on her young face, which she quickly covered up.

"Look, I'm pretty close with Grandmaster Pill Cauldron," he continued, smiling as he crouched down next to her. "If I make the introduction for you, it will probably help quite a bit." The cold wind blew across his face and caused his hair to lift up, revealing his distinct profile. Beneath the moon like this, the slight darkness of his skin was not visible. There was something distinctly handsome about him, and also something slightly strange.

Koyuki couldn't keep a straight face. She laughed, giving Naruto a sidelong glance. Her eyes shone in a way that seemed to indicate her mood was lifting, and the despondency which had filled her the past few days was passing.

"It's not like YOU'RE Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!" she said with a laugh. Then, she intentionally straightened her face again, as if she were enduring great suffering. She continued, her tone not exactly polite: "You've never even been to the Southern Domain, how could you possibly be familiar with him?"

Naruto scratched his head, then laughed as he sat down next to her atop the pile of broken rocks. Ruins and rubble surrounded the two of them, and the snow fluttered down from above. The cold wind whimpered as it blew past.

Naruto cleared his throat and allowed an unfathomable expression to fill his face, something he'd picked up from Shino. "You don't understand. Even though I've never met Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, we're both Grandmasters of the Dao of alchemy, and have long since been friends in spirit. After you get to the Violet Fate Sect, when you see Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, ask him if he remembers the person he saw in the snowstorm that year." He looked up into the sky with a look of reminiscence. It would have looked very realistic if not for the fact that he was looking at Koyuki out of the corner of his eye.

Koyuki covered her smile with her hand, looking at Naruto with her beautiful eyes. Seeing his expression, she couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. When she laughed, it sounded like bells. The depression in her heart seemed to be dissolving.

"Alright, alright," she said with a laugh. "After I get to the Violet Fate Sect, when I see Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, I'll ask him exactly that." Then winked and continued in a crafty tone, "I think I should probably add some information, though. I'll remind him of something that person said in the snowstorm that year. He said, 'Every time it snows, think of me.'"

"That sounds a little bit flirty…." said Naruto, coughing lightly. He laughed. "That's fine, though. Ordinary people can't understand the relationship between myself and Grandmaster Pill Cauldron."

Koyuki laughed again. "In Holy Snow City, that's what two people who care about each other say when they part." She laughed again, then rubbed her chest and straightened up.

"Alright, then, I forgive you," laughed Naruto. He gathered together some snow from the ground and held it in his hand, watching it as it melted. It seemed the melting of the snow caused memories to rise up within him; he suddenly thought back to the Violet Fate Sect. The images of all the people he knew there began to flit through his mind.

"I wonder if they're all okay…." he thought, looking off in the direction of the Southern Domain.

Seeing the manner in which he had picked up the snow, Koyuki continued in a low voice, "Actually, I only admire Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, that's all. The things I told you before weren't really true. All I really want is a pill that he personally concocted." Seeing Naruto smiling, her eyes turned hard and she earnestly added, "Just one pill would leave me completely satisfied."

Naruto shook his head with a smile. He looked at her, so delicate and innocent, and then muttered something to himself. Finally, he retrieved a medicinal pill from his bag of holding. It was a Foundation Establishment Day pill that he had concocted some time ago. The quality of the pill wasn't bad; it contained more than eighty percent medicinal strength.

"I'd like to offer you this pill as a gift," he said. After a moment's thought, he used his fingernail to carve the word "Snow" onto its surface. Then he handed it out to her. "This medicinal pill is more valuable than one concocted by Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. The reason is not because of the pill itself, but rather, because it was concocted by me." He smiled.

Koyuki thought for a moment and then took the pill. She held it in her hand and looked down at it. She was about to say something when Naruto suddenly stood up.

"If you run into any problems in the Violet Fate Sect," he said, "you can use that medicinal pill to gain an audience with Grandmaster Pill Demon. After he sees it, he will resolve whatever situation you're in." Naruto smiled as he spoke, but his voice contained hints of melancholy. As for Koyuki, her eyes went wide. His words gave her the unconscious feeling that he was being intentionally mysterious.

"If Grandmaster Pill Demon asks about me…." before he could finish, Koyuki suddenly interrupted.

"I'll tell him that whenever it snows, you think of him."

Naruto was taken aback. He could only imagine the expression that would appear on his Master's face were he to hear such words. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, a laughter that contained happiness. There was something beautiful about it, although no one could possibly understand what it meant except he himself.

Continuing to laugh, Naruto descended from the pile of rubble and began to walk off.

However, before he could take three steps, his expression suddenly flickered. Immediately, he dashed back, grabbed Koyuki, and then Bloodburst Flashed away.

The instant he disappeared, a noiseless beam of mysterious light shot through the night to land in the exact position they had just been standing in. An explosion ripped through the air, causing the ground to tremble. The pile of rubble where Naruto and Koyuki had just been standing on was transformed into nothing but ash drifting on the wind.

Some distance away, Naruto's eyes gleamed coldly as he looked at beam after beam of light approaching from far away. Without hesitation, he held Koyuki in his arms and retreated backward.

The rest of the Frigid Snow Clan members were instantly roused from sleep. The four Grand Elders, Sosetsu, and the more than two hundred Cultivators all leaped out of their beds.

"So, you want to wipe out the Frigid Snow Clan to the last man!" said Sosetsu wrathfully. His Cultivation base had fallen, and he was no longer an eminently powerful expert of the Spirit Severing stage. Now, he could only wield the power of the late Nascent Soul stage. As he spoke, he stamped his foot down onto the ground.

The ground rumbled, and cracks spread out in all directions. The earth showered up as a Thorn Rampart shield emerged. The shocking thorns spread out in all direction, and a massive roaring sound filled the air.

As the Thorn Rampart appeared, nearly a thousand Cultivators came into view outside in the snow. Among this group of a thousand, there were eight who seemed far more shocking than the others. No snow touched their bodies; even as it neared them, it was destroyed.

These eight were Nascent Soul Cultivators. Six of them were from the Western Desert, the remaining two being from the Black Lands Palace. It seemed this deadly attack on the Frigid Snow Clan was being led by the Western Desert.

The exterminating power of a Spirit Severing Cultivator wasn't a threat that faded from people's minds after only a few days. These people obviously dared to attack the Frigid Snow Clan because they knew its true circumstances.

Booms filled the air. The thousand Cultivators along with the eight Nascent Soul Cultivators employed magical techniques and divine abilities, constantly attacking the Thorn Rampart.

The ground quaked, and the Frigid Snow Clan Cultivators' faces flickered as they stood there silently.

"No wonder they came so quickly," said Sosetsu, his cold gaze coming to rest somewhere off in the distance, upon something no one else could see. "They're benefiting from the augury of the Western Desert's Constellation Tribe!"

Naruto approached, holding Koyuki protectively. As he did, he heard Sosetsu's words, whereupon he looked out past the thorns into the snowstorm outside. A moment passed, and then he blinked his right eye seven times. Immediately his view of the world changed. Everything became black and white. At the same time, out in the snowstorm, Naruto caught sight of a figure that he hadn't been able to see before.

It was a man wearing a white robe with a hood that obscured his face. Ripples were emanating out from his hands and floating in front of him was a black bowl, within which churned turbid waters. It seemed to be some sort of magic.

The instant that Naruto looked over, it seemed the white-robed man sensed it. He looked up and directly at Naruto. Naruto's heart trembled. What he saw were eyes with two pupils.

He felt something clawing at his heart, whereupon he immediately ended the technique he had been using. His vision of the world went back to normal.

"Do you see him too?" said Sosetsu, looking over at Naruto.

Naruto nodded seriously.

"The Constellation Tribe is one of the three great Tribes of the Western Desert. They excel at augury, and believe that all the stars in the night sky are Demons."

As soon as he finished speaking, a rumbling sound could be heard. Outside the Thorn Rampart, three giants appeared in the snowstorm. Each one was over one hundred and fifty meters tall, and caused the ground to shake as they moved. They held enormous cudgels in their hands as they charged forward.

Up above in the sky, piercing shrieks could be heard as multiple Flood Dragons appeared.

Further off in the distance, glowing war chariots could be seen charging forward. Magic swirled around the eight Nascent Soul Cultivators, along with magical items.

"Ignore the outside world! Focus on activating the spell!" As Sosetsu's powerful voice echoed out, the four Frigid Snow Clan Grand Elders, as well as the other Clan members, lowered their heads to look at the spell beneath them.

The Thorn Rampart shook and began to crumble. It seemed it wouldn't be able to stand up against a combined attack like this for very long.

A sigh escaped the mouth of Sosetsu. He waved his right hand, catalyzing another Thorn Rampart seed, which grew out to fortify their defenses.

"It's too bad that Constellation Tribe member is here. He's really suppressing the power of the Thorn Rampart." Anxiety seeped onto Sosetsu's face. However, it was at this moment that a bright glow suddenly emanated out from below.

"It's activating! Patriarch, the spell is activating!" Frantic, joyful cries rose up from the Frigid Snow Clan members.

Naruto looked back and saw the glow of the spell in the ground growing stronger and emitting a bright glow. From the look of it, it would fully activate in quite a short time.

The Frigid Snow Clan members were starting to get excited. However, it was at this time that suddenly a huge boom filled the air. Everyone's attention was drawn off into the distance. All of the magical techniques and items of the enemy were being drawn together to form into a massive glow of extermination that resembled a star. It was with indescribable speed that it shot forward, slamming into the Thorn Rampart and smashing it into pieces.

Sosetsu let out a growling roar. He lifted his right hand into the air, causing the Thorn Rampart to reform once again. He shot forward, flashing an incantation signal and then waving his arm. A tempest shot forward, roaring toward the star of extermination, slamming into it and destroying it. Blood sprayed from Sosetsu's mouth, and he staggered backward, his face listless.

"Patriarch!" Grief and indignation appeared on the faces of the Frigid Snow Clan members. Koyuki gnawed on her lower lip, her face pale. After everything she had experienced, she was no longer afraid, just concerned.

Naruto said nothing. He looked at the dawn light spreading out, and the Western Desert Cultivators. A strange glow appeared in his eyes as he looked off into the distance.

"If my calculations are correct, any moment now…." His heart began to thump as he saw a soaring fog appear off in the distance.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life…. Three circles to the left, then three to the right. Shake those butts!" When the faint voice drifted across the air, a strange smile broke out on Naruto's face. It continued to grow stronger until he started laughing.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!

"Three circles to the left, three circles to the right! Shake those butts…. Gaze upon the Immortal Execution spell formation!"

A sound like the rumble of thunder slowly grew louder and louder. Off in the distance, a billowing fog could be seen that covered Heaven and Earth. Within the roiling fog were thousands of huge figures running back and forth, their bodies twisting into strange postures. The sound of it echoed about, and as they ran, it emanated out an indescribable power, such that anyone who laid eyes on the whole sight would be struck speechless.

More than five thousand people were running, causing everything to tremble and shake. The roiling fog seemed to affect everything around it, as if the sky and the land would be sundered. In front of the five thousand running men was a multicolored parrot. It blustered haughtily, its squawks ringing out into the air.

"Come come! Shout out a little louder for Lord Fifth!"

This whole scene completely shook the one thousand Western Desert Cultivators. The eight Nascent Soul experts stared in shock at the bizarre-looking men, and the bird.

As for the white-robed Cultivator from the Constellation Tribe, the bowl in front of him suddenly started to tremble. The turbid waters within began to spill as he stared up at the sight.

As for the Frigid Snow Clan members within the Thorn Rampart, the light from the spell beneath them continued to grow brighter. However, the more than two hundred Cultivators couldn't help but gasp. Their scalps began to go numb at the shocking scene, and all they could do was stare numbly.

The four Grand Elders gaped, as did Sosetsu. Koyuki stared with mouth wide opened, her face filled with disbelief.

Outside of the Thorn Rampart, some of the Black Lands Cultivators within the force from the Western Desert began to cry out in quavering voices.

"That's… the spell formation of Lord Fifth from the Church of the Golden Light!"

Immediately, this caused people to understand what exactly this bizarre scene was.

"The Church of the Golden Light! Patriarch Golden Light!"

Within the Thorn Rampart, the Frigid Snow Clan members were breathing heavily as the voices from outside drifted into their ears. It didn't take long for them to react. Suddenly, some of the Cultivators began to speak.

"They're from the Church of the Golden Light?"

The name of the Church of the Golden Light had risen to thorough prominence in the Black Lands recently, and the stories told about Patriarch Golden Light were completely mysterious and fascinating. To see what they were seeing now caused their minds to fill with shock.

None of the Cultivators present were sure exactly why they were here. Naruto coughed lightly as he thought about the fame earned recently by the Church of the Golden Light. He looked at the approaching group of more than five thousand Cultivators, all of whom were said to be his own followers.

"Church of the Golden Light!" he cried out. "Hear my orders. Surround the enemy Cultivators outside the Thorn Rampart!" Suddenly, a blinding golden glow erupted out from him, which was none other than light from his Gold Core. It circulated around his body, bathing everything around him with golden light. Anyone who was nearby couldn't help but see clearly.

As his voice echoed out, and the golden light began to shine, the Cultivators around him turned to stare at him.

The four Grand Elders' eyes were wide, and even Sosetsu was looking at him with a deep expression.

Even as they stared at him, the five thousand Cultivators flew whistling closer. They heard Naruto's voice, and saw the golden light, whereupon their voices combined with shocking power to cry:

"We shall follow the Patriarch's commands to the death!" Five thousand voices roared the words, which reverberated out. The roiling fog followed the five thousand Cultivators as they ran to surround the area. Shocking booming sounds accompanied their running; the sky above grew gray, and the earth quaked. Layers upon layers of fog rose up, within which could be seen towering, phantom figures that bore the appearance of Celestial warriors.

However… their postures were bizarre, and their rear ends shook in an odd fashion. It gave the whole image a very bizarre tone….

The sight of it thoroughly shocked the surrounding Western Desert Cultivators, as well as the Frigid Snow Clan cultivators. They stared in amazement at Naruto, their minds reeling. If by this point they didn't realize who Naruto was, then they truly didn't deserve to even be alive.

"You're… you're Patriarch Golden Light!" exclaimed First Elder with a gasp, his face filled with disbelief.

One by one, the Frigid Snow Clan Cultivators began to breathe heavily and utter hushed exclamations.

"Patriarch… Golden Light?!"

"Patriarch Golden Light!"

They knew that the Church of the Golden Light had surged up in recent days amidst the chaos of the Black Lands. It had occupied Kumogakure, and caused quite a headache for the Black Lands Palace. Patriarch Golden Light was a figure of complete mystery; his congregation numbered five thousand, and they could form a thoroughly shocking spell formation.

There was nobody in the Black Lands right now who hadn't heard of the name of Patriarch Golden Light; he was completely famous.

To suddenly find out that Naruto was actually Patriarch Golden Light filled them with disbelief.

Koyuki's eyes were wide; just how many secrets did Naruto have? Whether it was his abilities as a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, his power in catalyzing the Thorn Rampart, or his identity as Patriarch Golden Light, at the moment, he continued to reveal layer after layer of astonishment.

Sosetsu looked thoughtful as he stared deeply at Naruto, then clasped hands and bowed.

Seeing him bow, the four Grand Elders and the rest of the Frigid Snow Clan all immediately followed suit, bowing deeply to Naruto.

"Senior," said Naruto, "there's no need for that." He understood the meaning of the bow; it was a means of thanking him for saving the Frigid Snow Clan.

Booms sounded out continuously from the roiling fog outside. The glow from the spell below continued to grow brighter. It seemed that they would be teleported away at any moment.

"The Frigid Snow Clan will forever remember your great kindness, Fellow Daoist," said Sosetsu. "Neither myself nor the successive generations after me will ever forget you." Gazing at Naruto, he lifted his right hand, whereupon a Thorn Rampart seed flew out. "There is really nothing the Frigid Snow Clan can do to repay you. When we reach the Violet Fate Sect, this seed will be of little use to us. However, on the perilous path which you tread, it might be able to provide you with a bit more protection."

Naruto didn't refuse. As far as he was concerned, this seed was very important. He was quite sure that he would be able to have his vines consume the seed, or perhaps use some other transformation technique on it. He nodded as he accepted it.

"Senior, and all other Fellow Daoists of the Frigid Snow Clan. Your spell is ready to activate. I will stay here to protect you as you leave. Once everyone has departed, I will destroy what remains of the spell portal. I sincerely wish that you all… have a safe journey!" He had been with the Frigid Snow Clan for around half a year and had experienced quite a bit with them. He had achieved his goals in coming here, so now he would do one last thing in repayment.

Explosions could be heard in the outside world. Countless figures could be seen within the fog, and the blood-curdling screams of the Western Desert Cultivators echoed about. All of this merged together to form into a sort of song of departure. Naruto looked over the Frigid Snow Clan members as the spell activated. As the Clan members disappeared, they looked back at Naruto, clasped hands and bowed deeply.

These people were no strangers; he recognized the faces of each and every one. Of course, he did not know all their names. But considering how he had defended the city together with them over these months, and had saved them on multiple occasions, it had given birth to a certain camaraderie.

"I will forever remember your kindness, Grandmaster Naruto!"

"Grandmaster Naruto, I hope that a day comes in the future when we can meet again!"

"Grandmaster Naruto, please take care of yourself!"

One by one, the Frigid Snow Clan members disappeared into the teleportation spell. The four Grand Elders gazed at Naruto, giving him deep bows. Their expressions were somewhat wistful as they disappeared into the spell.

Koyuki stood there; she did not bow, nor did she speak. She couldn't prevent the tears from flowing down as she looked at him, and he looked back at her.

They stood looking at each other, separated by the spell, their figures slowly glowing blurry to each other's eyes.

In the moment before the entire world faded into a blur, Koyuki mustered her courage and spoke out to Naruto's disappearing figure. "Every time it snows, you must think of me."

Naruto knew that she couldn't see him, but he smiled and nodded nonetheless.

A sigh welled up within Sosetsu's heart, and he shook his head. He was now the only Frigid Snow Clan member left who hadn't entered the teleportation spell. He looked around at the ruins around him, and then at the churning fog, from within which could be heard both howls of rage and shrieks of misery. All of it suddenly seemed very far away.

"Are you sure you won't come with us to the Southern Domain?" he projected to Naruto.

"I can't. Thank you for your kindness, senior. I wish you a safe journey." With a slight smile, he clasped hands and bowed to the disappearing Sosetsu.

Sosetsu didn't reply. He closed his eyes as he disappeared. Blinding lights of teleportation shot up into the air, transforming into ripples that emanated out and then vanished.

Naruto watched them as they disappeared. After a thoughtful moment, he waved his right hand toward the spell portal. A boom filled the air and the ground shook as the portal shattered, transforming into ash that would never be reformed.

He turned to look at the surrounding fog. Suddenly, a multicolored streak of light appeared. It was the parrot, which flew over to perch on Naruto's shoulder. It was followed by the meat jelly, which was in the form of a hat.

The ground quaked as vines erupted up to surround them. At the moment, Naruto's figure was thoroughly Demonic.

It was at this moment that cracking sounds could suddenly be heard from within his bag of holding. He slapped his right hand, whereupon the cocoon flew out. The cracks covering its surface suddenly collapsed, and a white larva emerged!

This larva was as white as winter snow. It was the size of a pinky finger, and its entire body was as translucent as crystal. It was not cold, but instead, emanated a strange, shocking power that seemed capable of shaking Heaven and Earth.

The Eyeless Larva!

Its empty eyes emanated a cold light, and as it crashed out from within the cocoon, it emitted a cry which caused everything to vibrate!

Larvae make no sound. But this Eyeless Larva did!

This was a sound which it would emit only once in its life!

As the Eyeless Larva cried out, shockingly, everything trembled. The Black Lands. The Southern Domain. The Western Desert. Even the Eastern Lands shook.

Larvae are living creatures which cannot produce sound. However, in this instant, the metamorphosed Eyeless Larva emitted sound. This was a sound which would only be heard once.

It was the voice of the Larva!

When the voice called out, Naruto's ears buzzed.

In that instant, the entire world seemed to grow still…. The Eyeless Larva spoke only once, and when it did, it silenced the world!

During this space of one breath, everything around Naruto, the wind, the people, the sky, the land, everything… grew still….

The five thousand running Cultivators, the dust they kicked up, the ripples of the magical techniques, everything in the area. The effect spread out to cover all of the Black Lands.

It spread to the Western Desert, covered over the Southern Domain, swept across the Milky Way Sea to enter the Eastern Lands, even the Northern Reaches. In this moment… everything grew still.

This was an absolute stillness. Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, even Dao Seeking experts were all the same. In this moment, within this silence… one breath was stolen from all of them!

This theft was incredibly difficult to detect!

It was a manifestation of the frenzied and indescribable dominance that the Eyeless Larva manifested upon its appearance. The Eyeless Larva had no life force, therefore, it needed to steal it. It plundered life from all existence. All living things which existed in the flow of time… lost one breath.

Plants, animals, mortals, Cultivators… all living things. Everything grew still and motionless, and then lost one breath.

One breath was not much, but when you combine everything in the entire world, it adds up to a myriad of years!

In all of the Southern Domain, all of the Western Desert, all of the Eastern Lands, all of the Northern Reaches, there was nothing in existence that sensed this breath being stolen. Even experts at the peak of the Dao Seeking stage had no way to sense the loss of the breath or the stillness in the world.

Only Immortals could!

Other than Immortals, no one had any clue!

Although they could not sense it, their life force now lacked one breath. Their time in the world slipped down; the higher the Cultivation base, the greater the loss.

That breath belonged to the Eyeless Larva, and Naruto!

During the stillness, ripples suddenly emanated out from the Rebirth Cave in the vast lands of the Southern Domain. They spread up into the air, and a figure appeared, formed from countless strands of Chakra. It looked toward the Black Lands.

"The Eyeless Celestial Larva…."

In the vast Western Desert, in a profoundly mysterious location, was a stretch of ruins and rubble. Countless years ago, this place had a name which shook Heaven and rocked the Earth. It was called… the Bridge of Immortal Treading!

Now, it was nothing but rubble. Even still, it was one of the most profound and mysterious places in the Western Desert.

Currently, within the endless ruins, an incredibly ancient voice heaved a sigh.

"Has the Celestial Larva appeared…? It doesn't seem like it, it seems too weak…."

In the Eastern Lands, the Northern Reaches, the Milky Way Sea, it was the same. A faint aura appeared and then vanished.

During this moment of silence, a gargantuan face flashed across the sky above the Milky Way Sea.

On a forested mountain in the Western Desert, an old man sat there painting a picture of the distant mountains and rivers. During this moment of time, his paintbrush suddenly stopped moving and he lifted his head.

"The Celestial Larva… and that kid…. So, they're bound by Karma. I guess I'll help you once again." Shaking his head, he waved his paintbrush, causing some ink to fly out and splash onto the ground.

This was Sai.

A moment later, in the Eastern Lands, the old man from the Hebi Clan who had battled with Pill Demon was holding his fishing rod out over the Pool of Heaven. Suddenly, a bang sounded out as the line snapped.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and astonishment filled on his face.

"What just happened…?"

In the Milky Way Sea, there was an island floating among the waves. An entire nation existed on this particular island. There were mountains, the North Sea, Konoha County, and Cultivators. It was, of course, the Five Elements Nation.

And this was none other than Patriarch Reliance!

As the world returned to normal, the island trembled. At the far end of the island, a gigantic head suddenly emerged from the shell and looked up into the sky, shocked.

All across Planet Ninshu, things like this happened in various locations, although not many.

Back in the Black Lands, Naruto was panting as he stared blankly at the Eyeless Larva that rested on his palm. Earlier, when he had fed the Frigid Snow Larva, it had seemed completely normal. But all of a sudden, Naruto's heart was filled with fear.

Granted, he had gotten the information regarding how to create the Eyeless Larva by means of interrogation. He knew that perhaps ninety percent was true and ten was false, although it was impossible to determine which parts were which.

Therefore, he had done things very carefully.

However, even the Black Lands Cultivator who had given him the information would have had no way to know how truly fearsome the Eyeless Larva would be when it appeared!

Actually, one of the bits of information that he had intentionally left out was the fact that in order to get the Eyeless Larva to appear, one needed an unimaginably vast amount of Mulberry Thunderclap Leaves. In fact, all the Mulberry Thunderclap Leaves on Planet Ninshu were probably not enough.

How could he possibly have imagined that Naruto would be so inhuman as to actually be able to metamorphose an Eyeless Larva?

It was actually something impossible to do!

The truth was, once a Frigid Snow Larva consumed a Mulberry Thunderclap Leaf, if it did not continue to feed until a certain point, then it would explode with shockingly destructive power. The force unleashed would be powerful enough to annihilate everything within a three hundred kilometer radius.

That was his true plan. He didn't covet the legendary Eyeless Larva, but rather the fearsome, destructive power. It was a precious treasure that would give him incredible powers of threat.

Naruto took a deep breath as he sensed what the Eyeless Larva was doing. It lay there in his palm, unmoving. However, Naruto could sense a vast, strong power of life force, incredibly intense. He suddenly thought about that moment of silence.

This life force exceeded anything he had ever seen before. Not even the Blood Mastiff could compare to the Eyeless Larva in this respect. Even if he faced up against a Spirit Severing expert, that person would not be able to compare to the life force of the Eyeless Larva.

No outsider would be able to sense such an intense life force. Only Naruto could do that, because of the unbreakable bond that now existed between the two of them. It had begun with the Frigid Snow Larva. By the time it metamorphosed into the Eyeless Larva, though, the connection was deep-rooted, branded upon the very life of the thing.

Because the brand emerged at the same time as it metamorphosed, it was something that exceeded the imaginations of normal people, and the power of magic. You can say that there were very few powers under the Heavens which could extinguish the connection which now existed between Naruto and the Eyeless Larva. It was as if the larva was now a part of him. Because of this, Naruto could now sense the thick and fearsome life force which existed inside of it.

It was because of this life force that, after its metamorphosis, the Eyeless Larva could employ its shocking divine ability!

The larva would never be destroyed, and its thread could not be broken. The thread could not be broken, nor could the larva be destroyed!

It was as if there was some inexplicable cycle that existed, within which appeared a type of rule. Because of this, the Eyeless Larva could never be killed, nor could its silk be destroyed. It was truly miraculous.

"This creature is a defiance of the Heavens…." After feeling the connection with the Eyeless Larva, Naruto's eyes began to shine, and his heart pounded.

Lord Fifth looked crestfallen and filled with envy as it looked at Naruto, as if its heart was on the verge of exploding. It was something extraordinary and special, and was also able to sense what had just happened. Its gaze fell onto the Eyeless Larva, and after a long moment passed, it let out a sigh.

"Lord Fifth is so handsome and debonair," it said, continuing to sigh, "esteemed in all Heaven and Earth, a unique, beautiful bird. During this life, I've never been able to have such a miraculous, heaven-defying creature. Why does Naruto suddenly get one…. It's not fair, you dog-fart of a Heaven! It's not fair!"

Naruto lifted his head up to look into the sky.

"Parrot, it's time to remove whatever force you put on me to conceal me from the Heavenly Tribulation. The time has come to transcend my Gold Core Tribulation!" His eyes glittered with an unprecedented glow. It was the glow of self-confidence, as well as a virtually imperceptible look of disdain.

The parrot glanced at Naruto, then flapped its wings. A multicolored glow shot out from it to cover Naruto's entire body.

As the multicolored glow passed over him, an aura suddenly emanated out from him with great intensity. This was not an aura from his Cultivation base, but rather undulations placed upon him by the parrot to conceal him from the Heavenly Tribulation.

Now that the undulations had revealed him, intense rumbling sounds immediately filled the sky. Deafening thunder rang out, reverberating out in all directions, covering everything for thousands of kilometers in all directions, shaking the land.

The lightning seemed to be furious, as if it had been searching for Naruto for a long time, and now that it found him, was filled with an awe-inspiring desire to crush him out of existence.

The sound of thunder reverberated around in the air; as it did, immense black clouds filled the sky, covering over everything. Layer upon layer rose up, emanating shocking sounds of thunder. Lightning twisted and crackled amidst the layers of clouds. The sight of it was astonishing.

As for the Western Desert Cultivators trapped within the spell formation, expressions of astonishment covered their faces. The face of the white-robed man from the Constellation Tribe, also caught within the fog, immediately fell.

"That's… Heavenly Tribulation!"

Naruto looked up at the Tribulation clouds filling the skies, and the countless bands of silver lightning, twisting about like snakes. As the ear-splitting thunder sounded out, he coolly said, "Get the Cultivators of the Church of the Golden Light out of here! Retreat them to a position fifteen hundred kilometers away! The rest of you, get fifteen hundred kilometers away too. For this Tribulation… I will not need your assistance. This is MY Gold Core Tribulation!"

The parrot hesitated for a moment, then flew up into the air. The meat jelly hovered off to the side, looking at Naruto. "I hope you don't get killed by the lightning…." it said solemnly. It put on an ancient and wizened appearance. "If you do, there will be one less evildoer in the world. Don't worry, though, if the lightning does kill you, I won't be too heartbroken. In fact, I…." Seemingly reveling in Naruto's misfortune, it was just making to leave when Naruto grabbed it.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" it howled furiously.

"You don't get to leave," replied Naruto calmly. The vines surrounding Naruto instantly burrowed down into the ground and were gone in the blink of an eye. The parrot also shot away at top speed; within an instant, it was five hundred kilometers away.

At the same time, the parrot transmitted the information to the Cultivators of the Church of the Golden Light who were in the fog. They immediately began to scatter, fleeing as far away as possible. Soon, the only people around Naruto were the Western Desert Cultivators, emerging from the fog, expressions of shock on their faces.

During the same moment in which they caught sight of Naruto, massive thunderous booms sounded out from up above. The brutality of the sound itself threatened to cause everything around to collapse. Roughly thirty percent of the Western Desert Cultivators coughed up blood and then let out miserable shrieks as they realized they had been deafened.

Simultaneously, a bright red lightning bolt shot down toward Naruto from up above. As it descended, it attracted other nearby lightning toward it. By the time it was about to slam into Naruto, it was as thick as a human thigh.

The instant it was about to hit him, Naruto lifted his hand up with blinding speed. There in his hand was the meat jelly.

A boom echoed out, along with the miserable cry of the meat jelly, who instantly turned black. Naruto's body quivered as massive amounts of red sparks danced down his arm and then covered his entire body. They then passed down his feet to crawl across the ground, turning the snowy ground three hundred meters in all directions into a red lake of lightning!

"So this is Heavenly Tribulation…" said Naruto, lifting his head up to laugh. "Bring it on!" His hair whipped around him, and his eyes filled with disdain as he laughed uproariously toward the Heavens.

"Dammit, he's transcending the Tribulation! He's actually doing it!" The nearby Western Desert Cultivators' faces filled with shock. It was without hesitation that most of them retreated backward, their scalps numb. The only thing that they could think to do was flee.

However, some of them had a different idea. Killing intent flickered in their eyes as they shot toward Naruto.

"Kill him, and the Heavenly Tribulation will go away!" This was what they were thinking as they shot toward him as fast as possible, unleashing magical techniques to attack him.

"How naive!" said Naruto with a cold laugh, ignoring the incoming Cultivators. Even as they closed in on him, massive rumbling could be heard from the sky as another lightning bolt descended toward him.

This time, Naruto didn't use the meat jelly. That was because this particular lightning bolt, when it was about three hundred meters away from him, suddenly broke apart. It transformed into a dozen or so smaller lightning bolts that fell like rain onto both him and the Western Desert Cultivators who were charging him.

BOOM!

"Ahh, that's really scratching my itch," said Naruto with a laugh. After all his time dealing with the Heavenly Tribulation attacking him at intervals over the past months, his skin had grown a lot tougher. A bolt of Heavenly Tribulation lighting that could easily kill a Western Desert Core Formation Cultivator wouldn't so much as hurt Naruto.

He was used to it. Having experienced Heavenly Tribulation in a way that ordinary people could never even imagine, his body was now much more used to lightning.

As for these smaller lightning bolts, they really did feel like they were scratching an itch. When the lightning hit his body, all he felt was a little numbing sensation.

In fact, it was somewhat comfortable.

As for the dozen or so Western Desert Cultivators who had been trying to kill him, when the boom rang out, they were all instantly blackened into ash. Their magical techniques and treasures were destroyed like rotten wood.

Almost at the same time as Naruto's words rang out, their charred corpses toppled to the ground. Seeing this caused the other surrounding Western Desert Cultivators to gasp with shock.

Even the pupils of the eight Nascent Soul Cultivators constricted.

"Is he even human?"

"Dammit, it looks like he's actually enjoying the Heavenly Tribulation. This guy is inhuman!" The surrounding Cultivators were in an uproar. More were beginning to flee, wanting nothing more than to get out of the region of the Heavenly Tribulation. They could tell that only if they could get thousands of kilometers away would they be safe, and not attract the Heavenly Tribulation.

Suddenly, Naruto's voice echoed out, filled with coldness and killing intent. "Congregation of the Church of the Golden Light! Encircle the surrounding three thousand kilometer area with the spell formation. Trap these people here! Do not let them step half a foot outside!" Now that they were here with him, Naruto was disinclined to let them leave.

It didn't matter if they were Core Formation, Nascent Soul, or even the mysterious white-robed man from the Constellation Tribe. Naruto would keep them here to share in transcending the Tribulation!

"Abide by the holy commands of the Patriarch!" cried out the five thousand Cultivators. The sound of their voices turned into a powerful wave which fought back against the thunderous roars of the Heavens. It echoed out in all direction, filling the three thousand kilometer area. The five thousand Cultivators of the Church of the Golden light then began to run. As they did, a billowing fog suddenly rose up, and rumbling could be heard.

"People are always asking me if I dare to fight. Well today, I ask you, who is there… that dares to fight with Naruto!?" He flicked his sleeve and accompanied the echo of his own voice as he flew forward toward the other Cultivators.

As he charged toward them, the sky rumbled with furious, crackling lightning that seemed to contain the might of the Heavens. A red bolt of lightning, even thicker than before, began to fall. It was when this happened that Naruto arrived in front of a group of a dozen or so Cultivators.

Their faces twisted, and in their hearts filled with enough curses that if they had the time, they would give voice to them for three days and three nights. Booms echoed out everywhere as the Heavenly Tribulation lightning bolt split, slamming into everyone present. Instantly, Naruto was surrounded by corpses. His body vibrated as sparks flowed down past his feet and across the ground. Again, he was surrounded by a lake of lightning dozens of meters in every direction. Naruto's laughter once again rang out.

"Who dares to fight me!?" he cried.

"Dammit, this guy is a supernova of evil!"

"Stay away! Stay away!"

More booms filled the air. Everywhere Naruto went, lightning roared. Anyone within three hundred meters of him all became selfless, bosom buddies of Naruto, there to help him transcend the Tribulation….

Just as a bolt of Heavenly Tribulation lightning was descending to slaughter a dozen or so more people, killing intent suddenly gleamed in the eyes of the eight Nascent Soul experts. The Heavenly Tribulation had thrown the Chakra in the area into chaos, making it impossible for them to use minor teleportation. Therefore, they all flew toward Naruto from different directions.

They couldn't use minor teleportation, but their speed was incredible. It took only a moment for them to be right on top of Naruto. The eight of them combined their powers into a single attack all aimed at Naruto.

"DIE!" they screamed. They hated him to the bones. First he had trapped them, then directed lightning against them. All of that was caused by someone of the trifling Core Formation stage. They were determined to shred him to pieces, to make him understand that regardless of any circumstances, Core Formation Cultivators were like insects compared to the Nascent Soul stage.

Seeing this, the white-robed Cultivator from the Constellation Tribe's face suddenly flickered. Immediately, he cried out, "Stop!" However, he was too late.

With a slight smile and a cool look, Naruto ignored the eight attackers and looked up into the sky.

"Just what is the might of the Heavens…?"

hunderous roaring rose up as the divine abilities of eight Nascent Soul experts descended upon Naruto. Vicious expressions covered their faces, and their intense killing intent radiated out.

Each and every one could imagine the scene in a moment as Naruto's weak body shattered like porcelain, exploding into countless pieces. After that, the Heavenly Tribulation would disperse, and this farce of a battle would be over.

Naruto's gaze lowered from the Heavens to the approaching Cultivators. "The Heavens are not to be offended. Not to be provoked! Not to be superseded! The Heavens are trying to slay me! Who do you think you people are? What qualifies you to try to replace the Heavens in an attempt to exterminate me?" He laughed proudly.

His laughter caused the faces of the Nascent Soul Cultivators to instantly fall. It was with great astonishment that they discovered their divine abilities had no effect whatsoever on Naruto. They disappeared like an ox tossed into the sea with rocks tied around its feet.

Simultaneously, an indescribable sense of danger suddenly appeared. Lightning began to amass in the sky, to a far greater extent than before. A roaring sound could be heard as a massive bolt of lightning three meters thick began to fall. It looked like an enormous pillar of light.

It immediately split into nine parts which descended downward.

Naruto lifted up his right hand, within which was the shrieking meat jelly. The eight Nascent Soul Cultivators' scalps went numb; Naruto's laughter had turned everything into a nightmare. They immediately retreated from the incoming Tribulation Lightning.

It didn't matter how quickly they evaded. The lightning descended, slamming into them with a huge boom. Blood sprayed from their mouths and their faces went white. They shot backward at high speed, staring at Naruto with immeasurable dread.

The white-robed Cultivator from the Constellation Tribe frowned, his face unsightly and pale. "The ancient records say that whoever is transcending Tribulation is an inauspicious life form of Heaven and Earth. Everything within five thousand kilometers of him will be turned into nothing but ash. However, until then, he is still an inauspicious life form! Anyone near him will be dead for sure!

"Furthermore, it will be impossible to kill him. The Heavens are difficult to fathom, especially in regards to dignity. The Heavens will exterminate this person, how could they possibly allow others to assist? Attempting to kill him now is making yourself an enemy of the Heavens!

"The instant he gets killed by the Tribulation Lightning, his body will explode into a ball of lightning…. According to the ancient records, when that explosion of lightning occurs, everything within the Tribulation transcendence zone will be reduced to nothing.

"The only hope of survival is to make sure that he transcends the Tribulation. Furthermore, you can't let the Lightning infect your body. If it does, and you don't die, then you are evoking Karma…. If you evoke such Karma, then the Tribulation Lightning won't stop until you're dead. You eight Nascent Soul Cultivators… are dead beyond the shadow of a doubt!"

Face grim, the white-robed Cultivator retreated at top speed.

The Heavenly Tribulation boomed as one lightning bolt after another shot down onto Naruto, who held the meat jelly upraised in his hand to defend himself. The lightning would subsequently disperse into the area around him. Any nearby Cultivators would let out bloodcurdling screams. Soon, the air filled with the sounds of cursing and reviling.

Naruto didn't care. This was something he had learned from Patriarch Reliance. When you con someone and then end up getting cursed by them, you must maintain your cool. It was really a realm unto itself.

Throughout the years, Naruto had conned many people, and had refined that skill to the very pinnacle. Therefore, he continued to redirect the descending lightning to the various Cultivators in the three thousand kilometer region.

Wherever he went, he was surrounded by a lake of lightning, along with plaintive cursing. What he left behind was scorched corpses.

To the Cultivators here, it was nothing but a massacre, a slaughter in which no one could do anything to fight back. They couldn't attack him, nor could they flee as… they were horrified to discover that Naruto' speed was incredible, even if he was being struck by lightning!

Time passed, and the Heavenly Tribulation continued to fall, and nearly all of the surrounding Cultivators had been conned into death thanks to Naruto. There were roughly a hundred left, all of whom had split off toward different areas, their faces pale. If Naruto even looked their way, they would flee at top speed in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately… the lightning fell continuously, there were some people who couldn't avoid it. That was especially true of those Cultivators who had at some point attacked Naruto. Naruto didn't even have to get near them to attract the falling lightning.

The eight Nascent Soul Cultivators, for example, soon found that no matter where or how they fled, whenever lightning shot toward Naruto, they would also be struck.

Each lightning bolt contained incredible power. Even though they were of the Nascent Soul stage, if things kept up as they were, they wouldn't be able to take it.

"Dammit, that Heaven-damned bastard is too sadistic! This is his Tribulation, we're innocent…."

"I'm gonna kill him! Kill him!"

"If he doesn't die, then I swear that he will be the greatest archenemy in my entire life!"

The roughly one hundred surviving Cultivators howled continuously amongst the roaring of the thunder. Whenever the lightning sought out Naruto, they, too experienced lightning.

Naruto coughed lightly as he lowered the meat jelly. It seemed to be full, almost bulging. It glared furiously at Naruto.

"You're immoral, you're too wicked…."

Boom!

"Aiiiiiii! You evil bastard…."

Boom!

"Let me go, okay, Master? You're the best Master in the world. Forgive little old me, okay? I'm full. Really, I'm full. I can't eat any more…."

Looking at the wretched condition the meat jelly was in, Naruto held it up to block one final lightning bolt, then flicked his sleeve. The meat jelly instantly turned into a prismatic beam of light that shot of toward the fog.

"Dammit Naruto," it roared. "You just wait, you wicked, immoral bastard. I'll definitely convert you in this life!" Feeling very wronged, it was continuing to curse when Naruto transmitted a single sentence to it.

"If nothing unexpected happens, then when I reach Nascent Soul, I'll need your help with the Tribulation Lightning again."

The meat jelly suddenly trembled, and an ingratiating expression appeared on its face. Not saying another word about the subject, it flew into the fog. It feared Naruto, feared him completely. It was worried that if it spent any more time talking back, it would be forced to get so full that it would explode.

Naruto looked around the three thousand kilometer area and didn't see anyone else. The remaining hundred or so people had long since dispersed and found places to hide. If Naruto couldn't find them, then it indicated that the Heavenly Tribulation couldn't either.

He took a deep breath as a look of concentration filled his face. Now the true transcending of Tribulation was to begin. This was because the Tribulation Lightning was no longer pure red; now it contained, an additional color.

It could be described as abstruse, and pitch-black!

Abstruse, pitch-black lightning!

Each bolt now had doubly destructive power. As it roared down, Naruto could see that within the red and black was incredible power of annihilation. He lifted his right hand into the air, wherein appeared Danzo.

The explosion echoed out, accompanied by a miserable shriek. The soul embodiment twisted, but did not disperse. After all the time Naruto had spent getting it used to lightning, while it wasn't a complete Soul of Lightning, it was more than halfway there.

"Damn you Naruto, I'll never let you get away with this!" Danzo's roars were shocking and filled with grief. During the last half year, he had experienced torment and pain like nothing he had experienced in his life. He had been born into a lofty status, and in the Shimura Clan was considered a Patriarch. However, with Naruto, he had experienced untold suffering.

At the moment, even as the grief welled up from his heart and he reviled Naruto, he was lifted up again. A boom filled the air, along with a miserable shriek.

In fact, he now felt that spending time with the meat jelly was much better than being with Naruto. Before, he used to consider the meat jelly to be the biggest nightmare in existence. He had long since changed his mind. Now, the meat jelly actually seemed somewhat charming. Naruto was the true ultimate nightmare.

Booms rang out as one lightning bolt after another fell down. Even with Danzo, and Naruto's increased resistance to lightning, it was still difficult to take.

Naruto's body trembled. The ground around him was thoroughly destroyed, and much of it had crystallized. It looked like blackish-red gems, horrible and fearsome in appearance.

When the lightning slammed into this new type of ground, it would ricochet off, inflicting even more injuries onto Naruto. As such, he needed to constantly change locations. The pressure bearing down on him was growing increasingly greater, as well as upon the hundred or so other people who were still in the fifteen hundred kilometer area.

As the lightning continued to rain down, occasionally, bloodcurdling screams would rise up. Just now, five hundred kilometers away, blood sprayed from the mouth of a man festooned with totem tattoos. Lightning smashed down onto him until he couldn't take it any more and died. In the end, he'd had no choice other than to help Naruto transcend this tribulation.

After the man died, even more lightning fell from the Heavens.

Two hundred and fifty kilometers away, three Western Desert Cultivators were currently sitting cross-legged, converging their power, along with a total of nine glittering totems and dozens of magical items, to create a shimmering shield above their heads. Lightning bolts continued to fall down onto the shield. Suddenly….

Three successive bolts of black-red Tribulation Lightning smashed into the shield, shattering it to pieces. Their magical treasures collapsed into pieces, and the nine totems were split apart. The three Cultivators' bodies spasmed and blood sprayed from their mouths. Moments later, they were nothing more than ash drifting in the wind.

A thousand kilometers away was a Western Desert Cultivator who had fled into a subterranean chamber. Above him hovered rings composed of thousands of human skulls, his attempt to conceal himself. It had worked up until now, when bolt after bolt of black-red lightning smashed the skulls into pieces, which were then transformed into ice crystals. Moments later, the man was nothing more than a collection of crystals fused with the ground.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Naruto coughed up some blood, then lifted his head up and laughed. His hair whipped around, and his body was covered with lightning wounds. However, his maniacal laughter had not reduced even in the slightest.

Of the hundred or so people who had joined him in this transcending of Tribulation, only twenty or so still held out. The rest were dead.

After enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn, a boom rang out from Naruto's body. Danzo seemed on the verge of death. Having accomplished all he could with him, Naruto put him away. After this particular round of lightning, Naruto's body felt as if it were on the verge of collapse. It was at this point that Violet Chakra appeared in his eyes, and his body began to recover.

"Bring it on!" he roared, holding his head back as he laughed and laughed. His laughter was shrill but filled with determination and even a touch of madness. As the laughter reached the ears of the five thousand running Cultivators of the Church of the Golden Light, it seemed completely brutal.

The parrot stared blankly at Naruto as he stood there surrounded by Heavenly Tribulation. Within the three thousand kilometer region, the ground had been completely transformed into ice crystals. The sky was thick with black clouds, and lightning fell down like rain, shaking Heaven and Earth.

Naruto was in the middle of it all, head thrown back as the brutal sound of his laughter rose up into the face of the Heavens. The parrot was breathing heavily as it recalled a figure it had seen once, also laughing in the face of Heavenly Tribulation. The only difference was that Naruto was on the ground, and the person in its memory was in mid-air.

Apparently infuriated by Naruto's laughter, the clouds in the Heaven seethed, and another color appeared in addition to the red and black.

Green!

Shocking green lightning mixed in with the red and black. Three-colored lightning descended upon Naruto, twenty bolts at the same time!

The eight Nascent Soul Cultivators had lost even the power to curse. They were doing everything to fight back against the lightning. Amidst the booms, Naruto's laughter rang out as slender, white strands began to fly about in the air around him. The lightning was completely incapable of breaking these strands, not even a bit.

Of the Cultivators in the three thousand kilometer area, only the eight Nascent Soul Cultivators could resist the three-colored lightning, as well as… the white-robed Cultivator from the Constellation Tribe.

All of the other Cultivators who had lasted up to this point were now dead.

The white-robed Cultivator's heart filled with alarm. He had exercised utmost caution up to this point, and yet in the end, had been infected by Karma. He was now sucked into being part of the Tribulation. His eyes filled with venomous hatred, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Dammit, how could it be three-colored Tribulation Lightning? Just what did this guy do to offend the Heavens to invoke legendary Tribulation Lightning like this!?"

A roaring sound rose up again as bolts of three-colored lightning continued to fall relentlessly. Naruto's body shook. Silk swirled around him continuously.

The silk thread spit out by the Eyeless Larva is neverending, and is impossible to break!

The thread could be long or short; at the moment it spun to surround Naruto, creating layer after layer. When the lightning fell from the Heavens to slam into it, giant booms filled the air. The lightning seemed to be split into pieces by the silk, which was not breaking. However, the resulting reverberations slammed into Naruto.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood as sparks danced through the air around him and then slammed into the ground, only to ricochet back up and hit Naruto. Cracking sounds could be heard from his legs as shattered bones suddenly poked out through his skin.

Naruto's vision was starting to grow dim. Blood filled his mouth, but he simply spit it out and then started laughing again. His eyes were filled both with determination, and a violet glow. Using the power of the Violet Pupil Transformation, and borrowing from his longevity, he healed himself. In the blink of an eye, he was back to normal.

As of this point, there was no land within the three thousand kilometer region which had not been crystallized; this led only to further injury for Naruto.

Given this situation, there was no reason not to simply… fly straight up into the sky!

This action caused the parrot's eyes to grow wide. As of now, he was having difficulty separating the previous image in its memory with that of Naruto's.

"This is my Gold Core Tribulation, and I'm gonna last until the end! No more hiding! No more fear and awe! If fear and awe exist in the heart of the Cultivator, then how can any great Dao be cultivated!? How can self-confidence be cultivated!?

"When I reached Foundation Establishment, I ran away. When I reached Core Formation, I hesitated. Well now… I will retreat no further!" A roar echoed up from deep within Naruto, filled with his determination to become powerful.

"When this Tribulation is over, I will be even stronger!" He held his head back and roared as he floated there in mid-air. His black hair danced around him, and his back was straight. His appearance was that of lofty heroism. The silk of the Eyeless Larva swirled around him, unbreakable by anything under the Heavens.

As Naruto roared, more three-colored lightning fell, heading directly for him. He laughed, his eyes shining with confidence as he lifted his right hand, formed it into a fist, and directly punched the Heavenly Tribulation.

This was his first attempt to actually fight back!

Such resistance seemed simple, but few people would ever think to use this method to attempt to transcend Heavenly Tribulation. It was a rare thing for someone to attempt to actually destroy the Heavenly Tribulation.

Almost the same moment that Naruto's fist slammed into the lightning, it was as if some new part of him were suddenly ripped open. His will and heart moved in accord, and his Cultivation base mobilized. As soon as he put to action his intent to fight back against the Heavenly Tribulation, his Cultivation base suddenly exploded up!

He was no longer in the mid Gold Core stage. He had broken through into the late Gold Core stage. Granted, he was not at the peak, but had without any doubt stepped into the late stage. Such willingness to undertake actions that can lead to grave consequence, and the resulting instant breakthrough, were shocking to the extreme!

Seemingly endless amounts of golden light radiated out from his body. His eyes shone with a dazzling golden brilliance. Without hesitation, Naruto produced an ultra high-grade Spirit Stone. The instant it appeared in his hand, he absorbed the spiritual energy within, then crushed it into dust. He roared, drawing upon the new power of his Cultivation base, the energy within the Spirit Stone, and the bizarre force in his right hand, to shoot directly up toward the Heavenly Tribulation.

A roaring sound filled the air and Naruto coughed up blood as one, two, three… five bolts of Heavenly Tribulation slammed into him, shoving him downward. Silk spun madly around him, and Violet Chakra exploded in his eyes. The injuries he was sustaining were constantly being healed. Among the eight Nascent Soul Cultivators who remained in the three thousand kilometer region, three of them suddenly coughed up blood and then were killed by the lightning.

They had no magical items with which to defend against the Heavenly Tribulation, nor any experience standing up to lightning. Neither did they possess wild, stubborn determination; the only path for them was the one that led to death!

Even Nascent Soul Cultivators could not flee this Heavenly Tribulation; their bodies exploded into pieces.

Naruto's body was shaking, and it seemed as if every inch of him was covered in blood. He shot down toward the ground, and yet even as he did, the Violet Pupil Transformation went to work. He quickly consumed a vast collection of medicinal pills; when he was a mere nine meters away from the ground, he suddenly stopped in mid-air. Shockingly, hoarse laughter once again filled the air.

Suddenly, the sky above went black. Ten lightning bolts shot down, carrying with them all the pretentious dignity of the Heavenly Tribulation. They descended directly toward Naruto, and as they did, the sky above suddenly burst into chaos. The massive clouds began to rotate to form a vortex. Shocking rumbling filled the air. If this scene could be painted onto a canvas, anyone who looked at it would never be able to forget it.

"Naruto is not the type of person to passively take a beating!" laughed Naruto. He lifted his hand up and pointed toward the sky. Suddenly, the power of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex poured out from Naruto. Ghost images sprang up everywhere as the power shot up toward the Heavens.

"Demonic Chakra! Art of Righteous Bestowal! Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!"

Heaven and Earth shook. An aura visible only to Naruto himself surged up from the crystalline ground and shot toward him. The countless strands immediately congealed together to form a churning mist.

This Demonic mist surged out to completely surround Naruto, as if he was calling upon the very essence of the land, and it was following his direction. It shot toward the incoming ten bolts of lightning.

A massive boom rocked everything above and below. The lightning descended, causing a shocking roar to fill the sky. It slammed into the Demonic Chakra surrounding Naruto, causing it to shatter, layer by layer. As it did, the lightning slowly began to dissipate.

In the blink of an eye, only three of the ten Tribulation Lightning bolts remained. The Demonic Chakra crumbled away, and the three remaining Tribulation Lightning bolts screamed toward Naruto. Immediately, the silk of the Eyeless Larva surrounded him, and yet, some of the lightning still managed to slip through.

A tremor shot through Naruto's body, and a vast quantity of blood sprayed out of his mouth. His body shot down toward the ground like a meteor. A huge boom could be heard as he slammed into the crystalline ground. The ground shattered, cracks spread out, and a crater was suddenly visible.

The Tribulation Clouds up above churned, lightning dancing about within. Suddenly, the lightning began to congeal together, its color changing once again. Now the lightning had four colors. Peals of thunder crackled out.

Within the three thousand kilometer region, the remaining five Nascent Soul Cultivators coughed up blood. Two of them directly exploded. Their weakened Nascent Souls attempted to flee, but were obliterated by lightning.

Begrudged screams could be heard before they died. Now, there were only three Nascent Soul experts left in the area. Their bodies trembled and their eyes filled with despair. Hatred for Naruto filled their hearts; unfortunately for them, there was nothing they could do about it.

It was at this time that the four-colored lightning began to descend from within the churning clouds. It sped toward the crater, and yet, even as it neared its destination, a fist suddenly flew out from within to slam directly into the lightning bolt.

A huge explosion filled the air and everything trembled. Naruto emerged, his body scorched black, blood everywhere. However, the violet glow continued to shine in his eyes, healing his body. He chuckled hoarsely and then, heart filled with valiance, flew up into the air.

"Gold Core Tribulation. You've already let loose around a hundred lightning bolts. Please, feel free to bring on some more!" As his voice echoed out, madness glowed within his eyes.

The Tribulation Clouds up above seethed, roaring with thunderous superciliousness and fury. Suddenly, everything up above turned bright red; simultaneously, countless bolts of red lightning fell like rain toward Naruto.

They slammed into him, transforming into endless sparks. And yet, Naruto remained floating in mid air, his grandeur only continuing to grow.

Suddenly, another color appeared up above. Black!

The sky was half black and half red! The rain of lightning now included black lightning. Thunderous roars filled the sky. Next, green appeared!

Red, black and green. Three colors interlocked in the sky, and the rain of lightning was now that of these three colors!

It wasn't over, though. A fourth color appeared!

White!

Four colors now could be seen in the sky. White-colored lightning now descended from this sky of four colors. The ground shook as the lightning slammed into it.

Amidst this four-colored lightning, Naruto floated, the silk of the Eyeless Larva spinning around him. He rotated his Cultivation base as he fought back against the Heavenly Tribulation.

It was at this moment that everything shook, as if some invisible person was roaring. Suddenly… a fifth color appeared in the sky!

Yellow!

Red, Black, Green, White, Yellow!

A Five-Colored Sky, and Five-Colored Tribulation Lightning. This was the final Heavenly Tribulation Naruto would face in his Gold Core Tribulation. He suddenly had the intense feeling that if he could transcend this lightning of five colors, then this Heavenly Tribulation would end.

"So, the final Heavenly Tribulation!" His eyes glistened with intense determination.

"Heavenly Tribulation has five colors, and the five elements have five colors…. I wonder if there's some connection between the two." Naruto's eyes glittered. Now was not the time to worry about such things. As soon as the five colors up above finished merging together, a five-colored bolt of Tribulation Lightning appeared and began to descend.

At first glance, this five-colored Tribulation Lightning bolt looked to Naruto almost like a gigantic tree falling down from the sky. However, it quickly changed into something that resembled a golden sword. It pierced through the air, changing again, this time into a massive sea that seemed poised to wipe away everything in sight.

After a brief moment, it changed another time. Now it was a Flame Sea that could burn away everything in existence, within the midst of which was an enormous bird formed from clay!

These five changes happened instantly, and then vanished. However, Naruto saw them all; instantly his heart trembled as he understood what was happening.

Boom!

The five-colored Tribulation Lightning bolt slammed into Naruto. He had the Eyeless Larva and its silk. He had the Violet Pupil Transformation. He had a Perfect Cultivation base, exploding intense power. He had the glove on his right hand, which even Heavenly Tribulation could not destroy. A massive boom filled the ears of the five thousand running Cultivators, a boom that rose up all the way to the Heavens.

When the five-colored Tribulation Lightning descended, one among the remaining three Nascent Soul Experts in the three thousand kilometer region shook and then exploded into a cloud of flesh and blood, which then dissolved into ash. His Nascent Soul was also exterminated.

"Five-Colored Sky!" cried the white-robed Cultivator from the Constellation Tribe. "It's the legendary Five-Colored Sky!" By now, the man's clothing hung in tatters on his body, and his ancient face was revealed. The most shocking thing was that his facial features were all deformed, and his ear was covered up with his own skin!

His eyes shone with a red glow, and his body was trembling as he looked up into the sky. A look of unprecedented fear and awe could be seen in his eyes.

Naruto's body was also trembling. He clenched his jaw tightly as the five-colored lightning showered over him. It danced about, seemingly intent on ripping him to shreds and blotting out his soul. It wanted to bore into his flesh and smash his blood and Chakra passageways.

But the Eyeless Larva fought on tenaciously, like an ultimate treasure of Heaven and Earth, sending out layer after layer of unbreakable silk to shatter the five-colored Heavenly Tribulation.

Thanks to the silk, the five-colored lightning gradually disappeared. Not a single lightning bolt could be seen anywhere. Naruto raised his head up and roared. Violet Chakra surged, once again restoring his body. However, on his face, wrinkles of age were now visible.

"Five-colored Tribulation Lightning cannot break the will of Naruto!"

The Five-Colored Sky rumbled, and the seething clouds suddenly began to congeal together. As the clouds moved, it seemed as if Time itself were dancing within. Peals of thunder filled the Heavens as countless bolts of five-colored lightning appeared. All of them gradually began to merge.

At the same moment, an unspeakable pressure could be felt from up above. As the clouds contracted, it seemed as if they were now filling with an unprecedented lightning of annihilation.

"Hold on, Naruto!" squawked the parrot from its position outside the three thousand kilometer region. "This is the final bit of lightning!"

The lightning rumbled as the final collection of Heavenly Tribulation formed. Within the space of about ten breaths, no more Tribulation Clouds could be seen in the sky. The only thing visible now was the glow of the five colors!

This five-colored glow… was not lightning. Instead, it had taken the shape of a gigantic hand. Each finger of this hand was one color, making it a gigantic Five-Colored Palm. It was Heavenly, and of lightning; after all, it was formed out of five-colored lightning itself. Upon examination, this massive palm truly seemed incomparable.

Strangely, it had no palm print whatsoever!

Rumbling filled the air as the Five-Colored Palm began to fall down from the sky.

As it neared, the ground shook, shattering the land within the three thousand kilometer area. Everything collapsed. The remaining two Nascent Soul Cultivators who held on until now could do so no longer. With blood curdling shrieks, they exploded. Their Nascent Souls, along with every trace of their life force, were completely eradicated.

As for the white-robed member of the Constellation Tribe, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face filled with despair.

The palm descended, and Naruto could feel an unprecedented pressure. His body trembled, his face paled, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He hovered there in mid air, shaking, slowly being pushed down by the immense pressure.

The descended palm seemed capable of crushing a mountain into nothing; Naruto felt as if he couldn't take it. He would soon be squished flat.

"The final lightning," said Naruto, his body trembling as he was pushed down. "You wish to exterminate me? Well, how about I seal you!" He suddenly threw his hand out. He emanated viciousness and madness as he pointed down to the ground.

"Demonic Chakra! Art of Righteous Bestowal!"

Demonic Chakra once again poured up from the land in the three thousand kilometer area. What Naruto wasn't aware of, however, was that this time, there was simply not enough Demonic Chakra. He continued to descend, until finally he landed directly onto the shattered earth.

"Not enough Demonic Chakra!" he exclaimed, his facial features twisted. With a cry, he produced the Demon Sealing Jade. A deafening roar filled the air, and the earth trembled. At the same time, the Demon Sealing Jade in Naruto's hand began to emanate ripples which extended out. Three thousand kilometers, five thousand kilometers….

Naruto's face twisted with savagery. Power poured out from the Frigid Snow Clan's Agarwood legacy, as well as Immortal Shows the Way, which he had received during the events near the Rebirth Cave. The power shot out of him and then into the Demon Sealing Jade.

Naruto's mind spun. The ripples from the Demon Sealing Jade spread out. Five thousand kilometers. Fifteen thousand kilometers….

A complete fifteen thousand kilometers!

Suddenly, Naruto could sense all of the vegetation that existed in this area. All living things existed within his will. Every change and fluctuation was under his control.

"Demonic Chakra! Art of Righteous Bestowal!" He looked up at the enormous Five-Colored Palm that was descending onto him. As his voice echoed out, all of the Demonic Chakra within the fifteen thousand kilometer region rushed madly toward him.

It congealed around Naruto, creating a vortex of Demonic Chakra. It started out thirty meters wide, then three hundred, then three thousand, finally thirty thousand meters!

Naruto's eyes glowed with brilliance and determination. He slowly lifted his right hand up and then extended it toward the massive palm up above.

As he did, the Demonic Chakra vortex lifted up, forming into a hand that was visible to no one except Naruto.

This palm seemed capable of sealing anything in Heaven and Earth!

"I am the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer! I SHALL SEAL THE HEAVENS!"

He struck his right hand up toward the descending Five-Colored Palm.

His strike carried along with it his stubborness, his dream of treading the path of Cultivation until he became a powerful expert, and in addition, his very life force!

After all, if he could not transcend this tribulation, then he would be dead without a doubt!

This strike also carried with it Naruto's Immortal Shows the Way, the Agarwood legacy of the Frigid Snow Clan, and his own madness.

Such madness was required! This was not a battle of magic, but a sealing of the Heavens!

This strike was filled with the dignity of the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, with the power to seal the Heavens, and the explosive power of all the Demonic Chakra of the land within fifteen thousand kilometers!

In addition to all this, Danzo emerged, along with the howling meat jelly. Every tool he had to fight back against the Heavenly Tribulation was now in play!

The parrot was clamouring excitedly, its eyes bloodshot. This was the moment it had been waiting for. It was only when the final lightning bolt descended that it could make a move, and lead in the five thousand Cultivators. This way, they would not be infected by the lightning.

The five thousand Cultivators shot toward Naruto, circling around him. Massive amounts of fog rose up to fight back against the final bolt of Heavenly Tribulation Lightning.

An immense roaring, louder than anything that had occurred up to this point, pressed down onto the five thousand Cultivators, covering over even their shouts. It was the only thing that could be heard… and it echoed five times!

This sound was none other than the sound of the two gigantic palms slamming into each other and shattering.

Upon the first echo, the five thousand Cultivators coughed up blood. They were thrown tumbling across the ground in all directions, and the fog dissipated. The white-robed man from the Constellation Tribe screamed as he was shredded into pieces, his body and spirit annihilated.

Upon the second echo, the sky and land shook. Everything on the surface of the land was transformed into ash and ruins. All the crystalline ground became a huge crater….

Upon the third echo, the meat jelly let out a plaintive howl, and Danzo teetered on the verge of destruction.

Upon the fourth echo, the parrot let out a disconsolate shriek as all of the colorful feathers on its body were shattered. Everything visible was now a world of five colors.

Upon the fifth echo… Naruto saw his Demonic Heaven-Sealing Palm slam into the Five-Colored Palm. It looked as if a massive sealing mark were preparing to seal up the Heavenly Tribulation.

Amidst the roaring, the two palms collided. One was of the Five-Colored Sky. One was from a Demonic Sealer of the Heavens. One wished to destroy. One wished to seal the Heavens. The amount of power involved was impossible to describe. In this moment, the Heavens were not the Heavens, the Earth was not the Earth, and the Demonic was not Demonic!

The air itself shattered. As the roar filled everything, the five-colored world suddenly faded into complete blackness….

Within the blackness, Naruto's eyes shone with faith. He glared up at the black Heavens, and softly said, "So, you can seal the Heavens!"

With that, an incredible sense of weakness poured out from within his heart. Smiling, he closed his eyes, employing the Eyeless Larva's ultimate protective ability. Endless amounts of silk shot out, transforming into an enormous cocoon!

Naruto's body was completely encased inside the cocoon.

There was no sound. No Heavenly Tribulation. There within the crater, was a cocoon that seemed as if it would be there for an eternity.

Gradually, the sky regained its color. The Five-Colored Palm was gone. Naruto's Demonic Sealing Palm had transformed into ash. The only thing that remained was that which had formed the nucleus of the palm, the Demon Sealing Jade. It banged down onto the ground near Naruto's cocoon.

The pressure exerted by the Heavenly Tribulation was now gone. The area which the Tribulation had descended upon… was now completely soundless and motionless. The Tribulation had been transcended.

The parrot and the meat jelly, as well as the surrounding five thousand Cultivators, all looked weary and listless. They gathered around the cocoon to stand guard for Naruto and wait for him to break out.

Time passed. Soon, an aura of transformation emerged from the cocoon. Inside, Naruto was sleeping, but his body was gradually changing. He was now even more accustomed to lightning. In fact, occasionally, bolts of lightning would shoot out from his body to dance around the cocoon and then spread out into the region beyond.

Meanwhile, the Frigid Snow Clan had long since teleported onto a high mountain peak in the Violet Fate Sect of the Southern Domain. The Violet Fate Sect had arranged for this mountain to be the new home for the Clan.

Because of her beauty, Koyuki had already attracted quite a bit of attention from the alchemist Cultivators of the Violet Fate Sect. The Clan assimilated into the Violet Fate Sect, and Koyuki chose to join the East Pill Division, and follow her dream of becoming an alchemist.

After arriving, she finally learned the news that Grandmaster Pill Cauldron had forsaken the Sect. It was difficult to describe how she felt about that. There was some amount of loss, but also tranquility.

If she hadn't met Naruto, perhaps she would have felt more loss. Now, though, whether or not she got to see Grandmaster Pill Cauldron wasn't very important.

Koyuki stood atop the mountain, looking off toward the Black Lands, when suddenly, a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Little sis Shan, I heard from your fellow Clan members that you met a certain Grandmaster Naruto back in Holy Snow City."

Koyuki looked back to see an incredibly beautiful woman standing behind her, wearing a long blue gown. Her features were bright and alluring, so delicate it seemed like the slightest breeze could break them. It was as if Heaven and Earth had taken all favor and placed it upon her, as if she were something stepped out from a painting into the mortal world.

"Greetings, Senior Chu," said Koyuki, lowering her head and then bowing from the waist. Standing in front of her was none other than Sakura, the most beautiful woman she had seen since arriving at the Violet Fate Sect. Her beauty was such that Koyuki sometimes found it somewhat distracting to look at her.

She had also heard some of the gossip about past events regarding Senior Chu and Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

"Perhaps someone like her is really worthy of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron," she thought. Seeing Sakura just now made Koyuki's thoughts suddenly shift to that of her own relationship with Naruto. His face suddenly appeared in her mind.

"Shan?" said Sakura softly, walking a bit closer.

Koyuki's face reddened, and she immediately bowed her head. Deep in her heart, she felt somewhat embarrassed, wondering why she was thinking about Naruto in this way. He was the kind of person who couldn't take a hint at all when it came to love.

"Yes, I did meet Grandmaster Naruto," she replied quietly. "He is good at concocting pills. Without him, the Frigid Snow Clan would have been wiped out, and I wouldn't be here."

"Is this Grandmaster Naruto a Black Lands Cultivator?" asked Sakura, gazing at Koyuki.

"Yes, he's a local Black Lands Cultivator known as Patriarch Golden Light." As she spoke, her face continued to grow redder. "His Cultivation base is unfathomable. He was even able to catalyze our Thorn Rampart. The Dao Child of the Black Lands Palace was afraid of him…. Even Grandmaster Shino couldn't measure up to him when it came to pill concoction. Senior Chu, why is it that you ask about him?"

Sakura laughed. She looked at Koyuki and could tell based on her own experience that this young girl had clearly fallen in love. Obviously, her heart was entangled with this Black Lands Cultivator, Grandmaster Naruto.

"Oh nothing," she responded with a slight smile, shaking her head. "It's just that I've heard him mentioned quite often by your Fellow Clan members, and I'm interested in his Dao of alchemy. I'm curious what realm he has achieved. Unfortunately, he's not here, so I figured I would ask around a bit." Considering this Grandmaster Naruto was a Black Lands Cultivator, he must not be the person she'd assumed. She was just about to turn and leave when Koyuki continued speaking.

"Well, Grandmaster Naruto isn't too fond of the Southern Domain. However, I happen to have a medicinal pill he gave me. Senior Chu, do you think you could tell the level of his Dao of alchemy by looking at it?" Hope suddenly lit up her face. After arriving in the Violet Fate Sect and joining the East Pill Division, she now had a much better understanding of the ranking system for alchemists. Her curiosity regarding Naruto's skill in alchemy had been piqued.

"Yes, I can help," replied Sakura with a smile and a nod. "Let's see what realm this Grandmaster Naruto that you like so much is in." Considering her status, she would normally never do something like this. However, Koyuki reminded her of herself all those years ago. She sighed inwardly.

Hearing Sakura's words caused Koyuki to feel even more embarrassed. Head bowed, she immediately produced the medicinal pill given to her by Naruto. As soon as she handed it over to Sakura, she felt regret.

She recalled what Naruto had said regarding showing the pill to Grandmaster Pill Demon. "He was probably just bragging. To expose him in this way really isn't the right thing to do…."

At the moment, she hadn't noticed the incredible change in Sakura's facial expression when she laid eyes on the medicinal pill. She began to breathe heavily, causing Koyuki to raise her head in astonishment. Sakura staggered back slightly, a blank look on her face.

"Senior Chu…."

Sakura closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them again. She looked at the word "snow" scratched onto the side of the pill, and then back up at Koyuki. For some reason, a wave of irritation rose up in her heart.

"What is his name?" she asked, gritting her beautiful teeth.

Koyuki was suddenly a bit frightened. Her voice low, she said, "Naruto… Naruto…."

"Damnable Naruto!" growled Sakura through clenched teeth, unable to control her reaction. Her voice was filled with a complicated tone, including both irritation but also gratification. Now she knew that Naruto was not only safe but also doing quite well.

This caused the irritation in her heart to grow even stronger.

Koyuki looked at her. Sakura was far above her in terms of both Cultivation base and status in the Sect. However, the anger on Koyuki's face was clearly visible.

"Why are you getting mad for him?" said Sakura with a sigh. "Naruto IS Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. He and Kazama are one and the same!" Sakura gave Koyuki a final look, then handed the medicinal pill back to her and left.

Koyuki looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She stood there with a blank look on her face, her mind spinning.

"He is Grandmaster Pill Cauldron…."

At the same time that these events were occurring, far off in the Western Desert was a stretch of desert plagued year round by sandstorms. The wailing, sand-filled wind rolled over the land, making it dark both day and night.

Anything that entered this place instantly could tell that it was like some sort of forbidden danger zone.

In the depths of this stretch of the desert was an altar complex half-buried in sand. Located inside the altar complex was a box the size of a hand. Suddenly, the box began to glow with dazzling light. At the same time, the wind outside grew more intense as it swept across the land. The flickering light began to transform into something that looked like a black sun capable of sweeping in everything around it.

A roaring sound emanated out from within the altar as the box suddenly flew out from inside. It shattered into pieces, whereupon a writhing mass of blood emerged from inside. The blood slowly began to take the shape of a person. This person appeared to be very weak. Eventually, the facial features became clear.

This was none other than the black-robed Spirit Severing Cultivator who had been killed by the Frigid Snow Clan's Agarwood legacy!

He was not truly dead! His body had been killed, but his Dao remained. His essence was not exterminated, nor his life extinguished.

As time passed, the body finished growing. He lifted his right hand, causing a black robe to cover his frame. He slowly lifted up his head, and a look of grim rage could be seen in his eyes.

"A person who can accept the full branding of that legacy is not someone to be casually trifled with," he said. "But just wait until I extricate myself from this place…. We will meet again!"

The former Holy Snow City was now nothing but a deep crater. Snow drifted about in the air, covering the bodies of the five thousand Cultivators who were located in its depths.

Located in the middle of all these Cultivators was a cocoon roughly three meters long. A boundless, pulsating aura emanated off of it. Over the past several days, the aura had grown stronger and stronger.

Suddenly, cracking sounds could be heard. The surrounding Cultivators all looked over at the cocoon, which was now shrinking. It sounded as if a wind had suddenly kicked up; its whimpering cry echoed out in all directions.

If you looked closely, you would see that there was actually no wind. Instead, the silk strands which made up the cocoon were beginning to unravel from the inside out. Soon, the cocoon was very thin, and speed of the shrinking increased rapidly until it was no longer like a wind, but a whirlwhind.

It prevented the surrounding Cultivators from seeing anything, but it did not prevent the intense aura from emanating outward.

The Cultivators began to back up slowly, watching the process for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Slowly, a person appeared within the whirlwind. Lightning danced around him, and beneath his feet was a lake of lightning. It appeared as if this person now understood the will of lightning and exercised command over it.

After emerging completely, the Cultivators could now clearly see this person's face. It was, of course, Patriarch Golden Light… Naruto!

His long hair fluttered, and he wore a long green robe. His features were handsome. Beneath his feet was a crackling lake of lighting, and countless sparks writhed over his body, making it seem as if his green robe were a cloak of lightning.

Naruto had completely transcended the Heavenly Tribulation. His Cultivation base rotated; it was at the very peak of the late Gold Core stage. He was now only… a mere step away from the Nascent Soul stage.

Naruto took a deep breath. His Cultivation base was now completely different than it had been before. After transcending the Heavenly Tribulation, his Perfect Gold Core was now even more firmly condensed. The power emanating from his Cultivation base gave him an utter confidence of his place in the Core Formation stage.

Even more shocking was that having experienced the refinement of the eleventh level of Chakra Condensation, the distillation of the Foundation Establishment, and now this baptism of Heavenly Tribulation, his physical body now far exceeded that of any ordinary Cultivator. In fact, not even the body of a Nascent Soul Cultivator could compare to his in terms of strength and durability.

All of this, however… was merely secondary!

What was most pleasing to Naruto was that after experiencing this Heavenly Tribulation, his body was now much more resistant to lightning, to an astonishing degree. In fact, lightning even existed inside of him, and his magical techniques contained the aura of Heavenly Tribulation.

This was truly luck for him, gained in the midst of Heavenly Tribulation. This was not the type of good fortune that anyone could acquire. It was the type that you got when you looked death in the face, and came out only by sacrificing some of your life force.

Naruto took a deep breath as he strode forward. The vortex faded away, and the Demon Sealing Jade flew up to disappear into his bag of holding. The Eyeless Larva drifted up and then transformed into a white ring which slipped onto Naruto's finger.

He rubbed the ring, cognizant of the fact that without the Eyeless Larva, he would have been incapable of transcending the tribulation.

"From now on, my path is as boundless as the sea and the sky. With my Cultivation base, as long as I'm careful, I can go anywhere."

As Naruto lifted his head, the surrounding five thousand Cultivators immediately dropped to their knees to kowtow.

"Congratulations Patriarch!"

* * *

 **This was gunna be much much loger, but I was farced to cut it dwn to sze. Plz review guyz.**

 **Actully, If u guyz gimme 20 reviews ill push out the next part early**


	5. Unsurpassable Prince of All Demons

Several days later, in the border region between the Black Lands and the Western Desert, green-robed Naruto sat cross-legged atop the Wild Giant, which roared as it sped forward.

In the Wild Giant's hand was a Western Desert Cultivator, his face awash with grief and indignation; this was none other than Motoi.

During the collapse of the city, he and the Wild Giant had been buried inside of the Heavenly Pit created by the magic of the black-robed Cultivator. The magic had disappeared, but the Wild Giant and Motoi had remained buried within.

If Naruto hadn't remembered them, he and the Wild Giant would never again have been able to see the light of day.

The parrot was perched on Naruto's shoulder, the meat jelly was, once again, attached to its ankle in the form of a bell. The parrot's face was as wildly arrogant as ever. It proudly looked up into the sky, occasionally sighing with emotion and regret.

What it regretted was that Naruto had left the five thousand Cultivators of the Church of the Golden Light back in the Black Lands, in the former Kumogakure.

Wrapped around the Wild Giant was a vine. The vine was somewhat listless, and thorns would occasionally protrude from its surface and then sink back in. According to his previous idea, Naruto had the vine consume the Thorn Rampart seed he had acquired. Unfortunately, that made it temporarily impossible to control. At the moment, it seemed to be on the verge of death. It would definitely need some time to recover and completely absorb the abilities of the Thorn Rampart.

"The Black Lands is in complete chaos," he said softly. He had been sitting perched on the Wild Giant for several days now as they traveled through the Black Lands. He had made quite a few inquiries, and now knew that after the fall of Holy Snow City, the only remaining city in the former United Nine had finally capitulated and joined the Black Lands Palace.

After a few days of hesitation, Naruto had decided to arrange for the Church of the Golden Light to do the same. The general course of events had already been determined, and to struggle against it was useless. Doing so would only result in being crushed and destroyed.

On the surface, it seemed as if the Black Lands Palace had unified the Black Lands. However, the truth of the matter was that the true great turmoil was just beginning.

Seven powerful Tribes from the Western Desert had openly entered the Black Lands, and seemed intent on completely transforming the place. Everywhere they passed was left in ruins.

Naruto muttered to himself, and his facial expression flickered as he looked off into the distance. He immediately sent out his will, causing the Wild Giant to stop moving. In the blink of an eye, it began to glow with a yellowish-brown light as it transformed into what looked like a hill.

This shape-changing art was a natural ability of Wild Giants. Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would have to spend some effort to identify it now.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, piercing cries could be heard from off in the distance. A patch of black clouds soared through the sky, in the middle of which were several condors. Their eyes were red, and they emitted a putrid odor. They were surrounded by a mist of decay as they flew through the air.

Down below, a veritable sea of beasts caused the ground to shake as they ran along. Behind the sea of beasts sped several thousand Western Desert Cultivators.

A huge banner whipped about in the air above. The banner was emblazoned with the mark of their Tribe, an image of a skull, pale white and emanating an aura of death. This was one of the Western Desert Tribes which was invading the Black Lands.

After the Tribe disappeared off into the distance, the hill shape began to slowly transform back into the Wild Giant and Naruto. Naruto looked off toward the horizon and frowned.

"That's the fourth Tribe so far," he thought. This was indeed the fourth Tribe he had encountered in the recent days. "Is it because the Black Lands is part of the Western Desert, and that's why Tribes are coming to occupy the area?" Naruto's frown deepened. Something didn't seem right about the whole thing. The passing members of the Tribe had looks of relief on their faces, which made Naruto question the situation even more.

"Well, it doesn't really matter if there's something fishy with these Western Desert Tribes. At the moment, I can't go back to the Southern Domain, and the Black Lands is simply too small and in too much chaos. It's not suitable for cultivation right now. The only place I can go to for the moment is the Western Desert." He lifted up his head and looked off in that direction.

"The Western Desert. That's my destination!" Having declined the offer made by the Frigid Snow Clan, Naruto was now convinced of where he should go next. Only in the Western Desert would he be able to continue his research into totems, and finalize his theory regarding the five elements. He would use pill concocting techniques to concoct his own Five-Colored Nascent Soul.

No one had ever gone down such a path before!

"Metal, wood, water, fire, earth. I need five totems, one for each of the five elements. That will be the foundation, just like the medicinal plants you need to prepare before concocting a medicinal pill!

"Unfortunately, the difference between Western Desert and Southern Domain cultivation is too obvious. They use the power of totems, the resulting aura of which is completely different. One glance, and they will recognize me." A ponderous look appeared in Naruto's eyes. Some of the most important aspects of Western Desert cultivation would be very difficult for a Southern Domain Cultivator to uncover. If he wanted to research totems, the best way would be to infiltrate the Western Desert under the guise of a Western Desert Cultivator.

He consulted with the meat jelly about this, but after helping him transcend the Tribulation, it was completely worn out. According to its explanation, it needed to rest for some time before it could provide any more assistance to the wicked and immoral Naruto.

Naruto even played his trump card and mentioned three bullies, which caused the meat jelly to tremble with excitement. However, tears also covered its face, as if it had seen some precious treasure, only to have it taken away.

Naruto sat there silently as the Wild Giant proceeded forward. However, a moment later, his eyes suddenly glittered and filled with determination.

"It seems that I really do need to work with Indra after all. He said before that he had a way around this aura problem. If he really has been working on this matter for years, then presumably, he is trustworthy." His eyes flashed and filled with determination.

"With my current Cultivation base, along with the Bloodburst Flash and the Lotus Sword Formation, there is some distance between myself and the early Nascent Soul stage. However, if an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivator wanted to kill me, it wouldn't be an easy task. If you add in the blood-colored mask… then I can definitely battle the early Nascent Soul stage!" He produced Indra's wood slip and transmitted some Spiritual Sense into it. After that, he patted the Wild Giant on the head. It roared and then changed directions according to Naruto's instructions.

Several days later….

In the border region between the Black Lands and the Western Desert is a region with endless mountain chains. In the middle of a dense forest was a stream with flowing waters that let off a silver glow. During the nighttime, this glow was particularly conspicuous to anyone who was able to use a particular method of rotating the Cultivation base.

Currently, Indra sat next to the little stream, smiling at the two middle-aged men in front of him.

Both men had Cultivation bases at the early Nascent Soul stage. One wore a long blue robe, the other, a black gown. Along with Indra, they formed a triangle as they all sat there cross-legged.

"Fellow Daoist Indra, when will we begin?"

"No need to be anxious, Fellow Daoist Sakon. There are still two other Fellow Daoists en route. Based on my calculations, they should be here within two days. When they arrive, we can begin."

"Fellow Daoist Indra," said the black-robed Cultivator in a cool voice, "you should consider this matter carefully. Every additional person will indeed increase the chances of success, but will also mean dividing the rewards even more."

"Fellow Daoist Ukon, don't worry," said Indra with a smile. "I've thoroughly researched our destination. I'm absolutely certain that the Spirit Severing Pill can be split between five people.

"I truly hope you are telling the truth, Fellow Daoist Indra," said the Cultivator in the blue robe, the one named Sakon. He laughed, but the threat in his words was clear.

Indra also laughed. His voice cool, he replied, "Fellow Daoist Sakon, you saw the wood slip with your own eyes, and can make your own decisions. If you don't trust me, then even if I tried to convince you, you wouldn't stay."

The Sakon Cultivator gave a cold harrumph, but didn't say anything in response.

The moon soon appeared, causing the three people to look up. Suddenly, off in the distance, a prismatic beam of light could be seen streaking through the darkness. Moments later, an old man appeared next to the three Cultivators.

This man's Cultivation base was at the early Nascent Soul stage, and clearly at the peak, placing him above Indra and the others.

"Patriarch Transmutation, Hagoromo!" said the Sakon Cultivator, his eyes narrowing. A serious expression filled his eyes.

The black-robed Cultivator next to him, the one surnamed Ukon, also had a grave look on his face as he narrowed his eyes.

The old man Hagoromo calmly glanced over the two of them and then smiled. It was a sinister smile, filled with coldness.

"So Fellow Daoist Sakon and Fellow Daoist Torune are here. When we last parted, years ago, the both of you were already so intimate. Now it seems you've gotten even closer? When will I be able to toast you at your wedding feast?" His voice was grating, and his eyes radiated condescension.

When they heard his words, the two men's faces didn't change in the slightest. It seemed they were used to the man speaking in such a fashion.

"You have always paled in comparison to us, Fellow Daoist Torune," responded the Cultivator named Sakon. "Throughout your years of Cultivation, it's hard to say how many female disciples from various Sects you've ruined. You don't even dare to step half a foot into the Southern Domain nowadays. You're like a stray dog, constantly on the run. I guess you must enjoy that type of life, Fellow Daoist Torune." He feared Hagoromo in his heart, but his words were incisive nonetheless.

Hagoromo's eyes glittered with coldness. He gave a gruff laugh but said nothing more.

Seeing that the three of them would speak no more, Indra cleared his throat.

"Fellow Daoist Torune is a trustworthy person," he said with a laugh, clasping hands. "On this journey into the Western Desert, all Fellow Daoists must work together."

"Very well," said Hagoromo in a jarring voice that sounded like iron rubbing on stone.

Indra smiled and was about to say something else when suddenly, old man Hagoromo's face flickered and he turned his head.

"Who's that?"

Even as his voice was sounding out, a beam of blood-colored light streaked through the forest toward them. Within an instant, it was a dozen or so meters away from the group.

The appearance of this newcomer was too sudden. Indra, Sakon, and Ukon didn't even sense anything until Hagoromo said something. It was at that point that suddenly they realized something was amiss.

Almost the same instant that the newcomer appeared, Hagoromo gave a cold snort. He immediately lifted his right hand to perform an incantation. Black strands of Chakra swirled out to form a black crane. Emitting a piercing cry, it shot directly toward the blood-colored figure.

"Without a face," said the blood-colored figure, waving its right hand. Instantly, an enormous face appeared. The face was indistinct but emanated shocking power. When the black crane slammed into it, it suddenly looked angry, and a booming sound echoed out.

The roaring sound caused Hagoromo's face to twist. Coldness still radiated out of his eyes, but now, within that coldness existed fear.

The blood-colored figure retreated a few paces and nonchalantly flicked a sleeve. The image of this person underneath the moonlight was instantly etched into the memories of all present.

The mask had two eyeholes, but no other features. Even the eyes themselves were bright red. However, they were not filled with madness, but rather ruthless coldness.

As the moonlight fell onto his green robe and long, black hair, he exuded a powerful air as well as something slightly Demonic.

This, of course, was none other than Naruto wearing his blood-colored mask!

"Your excellency, who are you?" said Hagoromo in his grating voice. Next to him, the eyes of Sakon and Ukon narrowed as they looked at Naruto. Inwardly they were on full alert; they were unable to see the mask's extraordinary abilities, but they could see that Naruto's Cultivation base was only at the Core Formation stage. In contrast, the attack just now, while seemingly rather casual, had actually displayed ripples of power comparable to the Nascent Soul stage.

Therefore, everyone here was suddenly somewhat hesitant regarding Naruto's Cultivation base.

Indra's eyes flickered as he looked at him. There was something familiar about Naruto that caused shock to well up within his heart.

"Fellow Daoist Indra invited me here," Naruto said coolly. "Is this how you receive guests?" Behind him, the Wild Giant slowly approached through the forest. As for Motoi, Naruto had rendered him unconscious earlier; the matter at hand was not something for his ears.

The Wild Giant was enormous, but nothing that the Nascent Soul Cultivators would care a whit about.

Indra's eyes flickered with understanding as he recognized Naruto's voice. "Fellow Daoist Naruto!" he said. He took a deep breath. Deep inside, he suddenly realized that Naruto was much more mysterious than he had realized. His previous appraisal was that Naruto was of the Core Formation stage and a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy. But the scene from just now could not possibly have left him unmoved.

"Just what secrets is he hiding…?" thought Indra, realizing that there was much about Naruto that he didn't know. Suddenly, he let out a loud laugh and then clasped hands and said, "I didn't realize it was you, Fellow Daoist Naruto. A simple misunderstanding, nothing more. Fellow Daoists Torune, Sakon, and Ukon, allow me to introduce you to Fellow Daoist Naruto. He is the last member of our party, a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy to whom even I cannot compare. With Fellow Daoist Naruto here, our undertaking will have a much higher chance of succeeding."

Hagoromo and the others exchanged slight nods. There was much less hostility in the air than there had been moments before.

As far as Naruto joining the group, they might have looked down on him because of his Cultivation base was at the Core Formation stage. However, Nascent Soul Cultivators are generally an eccentric lot. Most knew that many of their fellow Nascent Soul Cultivators liked to conceal their true Cultivation base, and very much did not like it when others saw their true level.

Indra did not offer any further explanations regarding the matter as the party gathered next to the silver stream.

Naruto's expression was cool. He had chosen to wear the mask at the expense of some of his life force, the reason being his previous experience in a similar situation in the Southern Domain, in the Black Sieve Sect's ancient Blessed Land. Because his insufficient Cultivation base, he had been attacked. Although the matter had been resolved, it had led to some awkwardness and unfavourable situations.

This time, he figured he might as well lead off with a tough posture. After all, by donning the blood-colored mask, he was much stronger than normal.

"With Fellow Daoist Naruto here," said the man named Sakon, "all are accounted for. Fellow Daoist Indra, would you mind explaining in detail the matter regarding the Spirit Severing Pill?" He looked at Naruto, then glanced over at the black-robed Cultivator named Ukon. When he did, his eyes flickered with irritation and killing intent.

He made no attempt to conceal his expression, which caused Hagoromo to chuckle. Indra also noticed. He gave a wry smile, unsure of what to say.

Naruto was taken aback. The Sakon Cultivator's killing intent seemed completely inexplicable, leaving Naruto astonished. It was then that he noticed that the Cultivator named Ukon was looking at Naruto with a look of appreciation, even curiosity. The man was middle-aged, but his skin was as white as jade, and his features handsome, filled with a certain gentleness.

The gaze of the Ukon was surprising, but as soon as he heard the chuckle of Hagoromo, he seemed to think of something which terrified him. He coughed lightly and stepped back to avoid Sakon.

Indra shook his head. He could only smile wryly and clear his throat, then say, "Fellow Daoists, I'm indebted to the four of you for the trust you have shown me. Your arrival here has ensured that we can definitely accomplish our task in the Western Desert. However, I, Indra, will not attempt to pull the wool over your eyes. This undertaking will be very dangerous!" He looked around at the four others, noting their expressions, then continued.

"The ancient Dao of alchemy vastly exceeds that of modern times. Much has been lost, and currently, it is only common to find medicinal pills that are effective up to the Nascent Soul stage. Medicinal pills useful for the Spirit Severing stage are very rare. Nowadays, one can acquire medicinal pills that have survived since ancient times or even remote antiquity, then re-concoct them to make pills that are, at best, not even ten percent as effective as the original.

"The greatest dividing mark between the ancient Dao of alchemy and modern days, is none other than the Spirit Severing Pill. Upon consuming this pill, which is also known as Resurrection Day, the Cultivator will be submerged in an enlightenment of Heaven and Earth. He will be able to clearly understand himself and then accomplish his First Severing.

"You can review all of this information on the wood slip I gave to you all. Throughout the years, I, Indra, have traveled to many places, and finally confirmed that a location connected to the ancient Dao of alchemy exists in the Western Desert!

"Perhaps its existence is connected to the rise of the Crow Divinity Tribe. I've attempted to secretly enter their Sacred Mountain but was unable to even get near it. I could only observe from a distance. Even still, I could verify that it is connected to the ancient Dao of alchemy!"

As Indra slowly made his explanation, Naruto's expression remained the same. However, deep in his heart, he was analyzing Indra's words, trying to determine how much was true and how much was false.

"The Crow Divinity Tribe has long since fallen into decline and split apart. It now exists as five separate powers, each of which now exists as a Tribe in its own right. They are the Crow Soldier Tribe, the Crow Fighter Tribe, the Crow Scout Tribe, the Crow Flame Tribe and the Crow Gloom Tribe!"

Hearing this, Naruto's expression remained the same as always. However, a tremor ran through his heart as he thought back to the man he had captured, Sabu, who was from the Crow Scout Tribe.

"What's the point of all of this?" said Sakon somberly, his face expressionless. "Just lead us to this Crow Divinity Mountain, and we can enter it together."

"Fellow Daoist Sakon, the matter is not that simple," responded Indra, shaking his head. "The Crow Divinity Tribe might have split apart, but atop Crow Divinity Mountain is a Totem God, in other words, a Spirit Severing Patriarch. With him on Crow Divinity Mountain, do you really think we can just barge in?

"No, we must employ a different tactic. The Crow Divinity Tribe was split up into five sub-Tribes. Every so often, according to a predetermined schedule, the five tribes will enter their Sacred Mountain to pay obeisances to their ancestors, and to acquire totemic power.

"That is the only way to openly enter Crow Divinity Mountain. Therefore, our job is to infiltrate the Tribes and then make names for ourselves. We must gain their trust by joining their Tribes as vassals, and then acquire the right to enter Crow Divinity Mountain! After we get into the Mountain, we will reassemble and work together to acquire the pill of the ancient Dao of alchemy!" Indra's eyes shone with a bright light. Clearly, he had been working on this plan for a long time in order to assure that it would go off smoothly.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and Hagoromo appeared to be lost in thought. Sakon and Ukon exchanged a glance; both seemed to approve of the plan.

Indra looked around at the ground and then laughed. "As for how to make a name and gain their trust, I'm sure all of you Fellow Daoists will have your own ways to do that!"

"How do we resolve the problem of our auras?" asked Naruto.

"For that matter, we will have to prevail upon Fellow Daoist Torune. He has resided in the Western Desert for a hundred years, and all the way until now, no one has ever been able to determine which Tribe he is in, nor what he looks like. Clearly, he is quite skilled in this regard." With that, Indra clasped hands and bowed to Hagoromo.

"Absolutely no problem," said Hagoromo coolly. "Before coming here today, I used a secret art to create five rare treasures. These objects can alter your aura and conceal your Cultivation base for three years. Using this object will also enable you to manifest a totem tattoo that completely resembles that of Western Desert Cultivators.

"However, I will not blithely dole out such treasures. Indra, you are the leader of our party, so I will offer one to you with no questions asked. However, if the other three Fellow Daoists wish to acquire my treasure, you will explain to me what use you will be in this mission regarding the ancient Dao of alchemy." Hagoromo's eyes glittered. The message was carefully worded, but it was obvious that he wanted to pry into the private details of the others.

The Sakon Cultivator gave a cold snort and said, "The two of us can analyze and explain all of the complex spell formations in Crow Divinity Mountain. The rest of you won't have to move a finger."

Hagoromo laughed, then waved his right hand. Three beams of white light shot out toward, two of them landing into the hands of Sakon and Ukon, the other flying to hover in front of Indra.

"What about you, Fellow Daoist Naruto?" asked Hagoromo, looking over at Naruto. All of the people present feared Naruto. His casual attack earlier had clearly impressed dread upon their hearts.

"I am a master of all Daos of alchemy," said Naruto, his expression placid. His words caused Hagoromo's pupils to constrict. Sakon and Ukon suddenly looked very serious.

Indra smiled wordlessly. After a long moment passed, Hagoromo waved his sleeve, sending a white light shooting toward Naruto.

"As for how to use the item, you all can figure it out on your own."

"Very well," said Indra. "Since we are all in agreement, we should now make our way toward the five Tribes. I will go to the Crow Flame Tribe.

"I choose the Crow Soldier Tribe," said Sakon.

"The Crow Scout Tribe!" said Naruto, his expression the same as always, not revealing even an ounce of anything.

"Then I shall select the Crow Fighter Tribe," said Hagoromo.

That left the Crow Gloom tribe for Ukon. The assignments having been made, Indra produced an eight-sided esoteric Compass, which he placed onto the ground. The glow of teleportation magic immediately rose up.

"After entering the five Tribes, we will keep any communication to a minimum," he said. "We will reassemble in Crow Divinity Mountain, using the wood slips to communicate." He next produced jade slips which he handed over to the others. "Here is a detailed introduction of the five Tribes and the Western Desert. Incidentally, all five of the Tribes are currently recruiting large numbers of vassals. Infiltrating them should pose no difficulty." With that, he stepped into the teleportation spell and disappeared.

Sakon and Ukon followed in succession. Naruto's eyes flickered as he carefully examined the teleportation spell. After hesitating for a moment, he summoned the Wild Giant, who was still holding Motoi in hand. He then entered the spell under the watchful eyes of Hagoromo.

Colors blossomed in Naruto's eyes as he was teleported away. He felt as if his body were being pulled apart, as if he were suddenly adrift in Time. He wasn't sure how much time passed before a buzzing sound filled his head. He felt like he was being torn into pieces. Then, everything went back to normal. He reappeared in a stretch of barren, greenish mountains.

There was no one around, only silence. It was late at night, and as soon as Naruto emerged from the teleportation, his body flashed and he was gone. He reappeared atop a tree off in the distance, whereupon he examined his surroundings.

The Wild Giant and Motoi were nowhere to be seen, which caused Naruto to frown.

Muttering to itself, the parrot burrowed out from within Naruto's robe. It flapped its wings and sniffed about, whereupon an intoxicated expression appeared on its face.

"There is an ancient aura here. Ahh, Lord Fifth likes this place. I suddenly feel like reciting some poetry…."

"You wicked, immoral, shameless bird! You think you're gonna recite poetry!? More like recite crap!" Of course, the meat jelly bell wouldn't miss out on any opportunity to attack the parrot. It continued to jabber on loudly.

Naruto swept the area with Spiritual Sense. After confirming that there was nothing dangerous nearby, he removed the blood-colored mask and took out the jade slip given to him by Indra. After looking at it closely, he found that it contained a map, as well as short introductions of the five Crow Divinity Tribes.

Naruto examined the map, then looked up and off into the distance.

"Some slight inconsistencies, but nothing too great. They seem intentional. It seems Indra doesn't trust everyone that much after all." Naruto laughed coldly, then produced the glowing ball of light from Hagoromo. He examined it closely with several different methods before finally interrupting the parrot and meat jelly and asking their opinion.

That was the best method to get information regarding the thing. The parrot slapped its chest and then spit out a multicolored glob of light which it examined before waving it away.

"No problem. Don't worry, when Lord Fifth takes action, one Lord Fifth is equivalent to two!"

"Two of you?" said the meat jelly complacently. "You have the skill to split into two? Humph. You should really say, 'When Lord Third takes action, one Lord Third is equivalent to three!" Its body suddenly made a popping sound as it transformed into three bells, all attached to the parrot's foot.

The parrot's eyes narrowed with disdain.

"You know, the reason I'm called Lord Fifth is an allusion to the fact that I'm a parrot. Do you know what parrots are, huh? The last word in the word 'parrot' is the same pronunciation as 'fifth.' That's why I'm Lord Fifth. What about you? Bitch!"

The meat jelly was furious. It truly felt as if it were being discriminated against. All three bells simultaneously let out furious shrieks.

"I'm called Lord Third, and that's an allusion too, because I can count to three! That's why I'm Lord Third! So what? You have a problem with that?!"

In this instance, the meat jelly really did seem to be quite bold and confident in its conviction, leading to a rare occurrence; the parrot gaped.

Naruto cleared his throat and ignored his clownish companions. He looked back at the ball of light in his hand and thought for a while. Next, he glanced at the ring on the finger of his right hand, which was, of course, the transformed Eyeless Larva. He quickly took it off and transformed it back into the Eyeless Larva, which he then combined with the glowing light.

The Eyeless Larva gradually disappeared. The glowing light transformed; moments later it was a totem, within which was the Eyeless Larva.

Naruto scanned it with Spiritual Sense, and after confirming that nothing was suppressing the Eyeless Larva, he lifted up his right hand and pressed it down onto the totem, which then covered the back of his right hand. It slowly sank into his skin, after which, a totem tattoo appeared.

As soon as the totem tattoo appeared, Naruto could sense his aura rapidly changing. It was no longer that of a normal Cultivator, but rather, the aura of totems.

It was exactly like that of a Western Desert Cultivator!

Upon closer examination, Naruto's eyes filled with understanding. His Cultivation base was still there, but it was surrounded by a protective layer. Whatever magical technique this was, it was touched with totemic aura. Because of that, Naruto appeared to be, not a Southern Domain Cultivator, but a local from the Western Desert.

"This Hagoromo really does have some skill," thought Naruto. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this technique really was extraordinary.

A moment later, Naruto's eyes glittered as he transformed into a colorful beam of light that shot off into the distance. The parrot and the meat jelly hastened to follow, arguing the entire way. The parrot, of course, continued to come out on top.

However, the meat jelly would never admit defeat. It continued to clamor on that it would convert the parrot, and never lose.

Naruto examined the introduction to the Crow Scout Tribe from the jade slip. There wasn't much to it. "The Crow Scout Tribe is not the most inferior of the five Tribes that originated in the Crow Divinity Tribe," he mused. "However, they are not that particularly amazing. At best, they rank in at second from the bottom…. Considering such a situation, it was unavoidable for hidden struggles to break out between the various Tribes.

"Obviously, some of the larger Tribes wish to restore the former glory of the Crow Divinity Tribe. As such, there are internal struggles as the various Tribes attempted to swallow up the others. Such internal power struggles… are often at times more brutal and bloody than the wars on the outside.

"This particular Tribe focuses on Wood-type totems and is proficient in concealing arts…. So Sabu really was a member of this Tribe." Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes filled with anticipation. One of the primary reasons he had selected the Crow Scout Tribe was because of Sabu's Wood-type totems.

"Wood-type totems are a good fit for me. If I can acquire a Wood-type totem here, then I will have taken my first step on the path to the Five-Colored Nascent Soul!" Naruto increased his speed as he shot off into the distance. As he did, he slowly pushed down his Cultivation base until it reached the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

This was the most appropriate level to use to enter the Tribe. As a vassal, it wouldn't be good to have too high of a Cultivation base. Contrariwise, with too low of a Cultivation base, he would be looked down upon, and it would be difficult to be accepted.

At dawn, the first rays of light spread out across the land to push back the darkness. Night transformed into the warmth of day; the vegetation swayed in the wind, within which could be detected a fragrant aroma.

The Crow Scout Tribe was located in a basin below a mountain. The basin wasn't very large, but was big enough to house roughly one thousand members of the Tribe. Smoke curled up into the air from the houses below. The sound of children playing could be heard in the peaceful morning air.

At first glance, it looked less like a Tribe and more like a village. There were no walls surrounding it, only some vines clumped together. However, the vines, though they seemed ordinary, were actually enough to entangle even someone of the Core Formation stage who tried to break through them.

At the very center of the Tribe was an enormous statue of a tree!

The tree was covered with countless leaves, each one of which glittered with magical symbols. Some had red strings tied around them, upon which were hung small bells and bottles. When the wind blew, the tree wouldn't move, but the bells and bottles would clink out a melodious song.

Stone stairs could be seen snaking around the mountain located behind the basin. Apparently there was another area behind it which also belonged to the Crow Scout Tribe.

In front of the main gate was a pillar of light that shot up toward the Heavens. Even from a distance, it was possible to see that countless leaves swirled about within the light. A powerful pressure also emanated out from within.

Sitting cross-legged below the pillar of light was Atsui. Every year around this time was a ten day period in which the Tribe recruited vassals. Local Rogue Cultivators, or even travelers from further distances, could choose to join the Tribe. All of them had their various reasons for doing so.

As far as vassals were concerned, the Crow Scout Tribe had never been very keen on accepting them. However, in the past three years, they had expended quite a bit of resources in that regard, and had even issued special instructions regarding recruitment. Atsui wasn't quite sure the reason for this.

"It's really not necessary," he thought with a sigh. "Unless there's a war going on, what's the point in recruiting so many vassals?" Every time he laid eyes on the ten or more new vassals who had joined the Tribe in recent years, he felt a bit irritated. That was especially the case because quite a few of the women in the Tribe seemed very interested in the vassals. Atsui really didn't like that.

Even as Atsui was stewing in his discontent, he saw a beam of light approaching through the sunlight. As it whistled through the air, he saw a young man within, handsome, wearing a green robe and a bright smile.

"Hello Fellow Daoist, is this the Crow Scout Tribe?"

Atsui blinked as he glanced over the handsome young man. In his heart, he felt disdain; Western Desert Cultivators were usually tall, but not always. There were many who closely resembled Cultivators from the Southern Domain.

From the aesthetic point of view of the Western Desert, such Cultivators were not the type that women preferred. Therefore, although Naruto had pleasing features, there was nothing about him that Atsui found particularly threatening.

Atsui liked this type of vassal. What he hated were the ones who were taller than himself.

He rose to his feet, revealing his tall and sturdy frame. He had two totem tattoos; one was of a leaf, the other a vine. He emanated the Cultivation base aura of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"That's right," he said. "This is the Crow Scout Tribe. Fellow Daoist, do you wish to become a vassal of the Crow Scout Tribe? Our legacies stretch back long into the past. We are descendants of the Crow Divinity Tribe, which was one of the four most respected Tribes in the Western Desert.

"There is no other Tribe which contains the resources of the Crow Scout Tribe. True, the Crow Divinity Tribe split up into several other Tribes, but that was because each of those Tribes excels in different types of totems. However, none of them can measure up to the Crow Scout Tribe." Atsui slapped his chest, looking very proud to be a member of the Crow Scout Tribe.

Naruto smiled as he looked him over. Then, he turned his head to look at the Tribe, especially the tree statue; a look of concentration appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Atsui continued, "Becoming a vassal of the Crow Scout Tribe is the best decision you could possibly make, Fellow Daoist. As soon as you become a vassal, you'll receive half a Spirit Crystal. After a half year probation, if you're approved, you'll become a full vassal, with access to Crow Scout Tribe totems and techniques.

"What do you say? There are a lot of benefits, right? Are you interested?" Atsui laughed heartily. The words he'd spoken had been from the heart. It had been many years since the Crow Scout Tribe had expended such thought and resources on recruiting vassals. It was just in the last two years that the stingy Greatfather and the others suddenly got so generous.

Naruto was a bit taken aback. Before coming here, he had thought about the matter from a variety of angles, and had prepared a whole series of explanations to ensure that he wouldn't blow his cover. Only after doing all of that had he actually come to the Crow Scout Tribe.

Now, though, it seemed that all of those preparations were pointless. Becoming a vassal of the Tribe was so easy that Naruto almost couldn't believe it.

It seemed all he had to do was nod, and he would become a vassal. It seemed almost too easy.

"Don't tell me the Crow Scout Tribe isn't worried that people might come with ill intent?" thought Naruto. "A half year probation, huh…. Well, that must be the key. Even still, it seems unbelievable." His first reaction was to hesitate. As far as he was concerned, the matter just seemed too simple, so simple, in fact, that he felt uneasy.

This was completely different than what he had experienced in the Southern Domain and the Black Lands. It was almost like the people here… were somewhat naive.

"No way," thought Naruto. "Aren't the Western Desert Cultivators supposed to be cruel and ruthless? I thought that because the land is barren, everything existed in a state of chaos." He really couldn't figure it out. Even as he hesitated, he suddenly saw a streak of light off in the distance. It transformed into a middle-aged man who wore a haughty expression. He was tall and strapping, and after landing, he immediately expressed his desire to become a vassal.

Atsui seemed to have some apprehensions, but nonetheless, he handed the man a command medallion and then let him enter.

Seeing this happen caused even more disbelief to fill Naruto's heart.

Seeing Naruto continuing to hesitate, Atsui laughed and then said, "Fellow Daoist, you still haven't made up your mind? Come, join the Crow Scout Tribe! Glory awaits you!"

"Considering the level of my Cultivation base, what exactly will I have to do if I become a Crow Scout Tribe vassal?" asked Naruto, hesitation visible in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist, your Cultivation base is excellent. Generally speaking, vassals of the Crow Scout Tribe have two options during their probationary period. The first is to become a Battle Cultivator and join the Vassal Corps. If you serve the Tribe well in that capacity, your probationary period may even be shortened.

"The other option is to raise low-level neo-demons. I personally think that you are more suitable for the latter. What do you say? There's no danger involved in being a Neo-Demon Kennelist. Furthermore, you also have the option of lessening the probation period if you do a good job raising the neo-demons. Besides, after officially becoming adults, all members of the Tribe need neo-demons, and will likely come to you for help.

"Brother," he said loudly, slapping his chest, "listen to Atsui, and you can't go wrong!"

An imperceptible flicker passed through Naruto's eyes when he heard the word 'neo-demon.' He suddenly thought of the beasts and Dragoneers he had seen back in Holy Snow City. After a moment's thought, he also recalled something from the jade slip with the introductions to the various Tribes.

In the Western Desert, the strength of a Tribe was determined by three factors. The first was its manpower, the second was the number of neo-demons it possessed, and the third was the level of Cultivation base of its powerful experts. Weakness in any of these areas would directly affect the overall power of the Tribe.

It also revealed the importance of neo-demons in the Western Desert.

After considering these points, Naruto made his decision. Regardless of how unbelievably easy it was to become a Crow Scout Tribe vassal, and even if there was some hidden secret lying therein, he was here. He had no real reason not to proceed.

Just as he was about to nod in agreement, a tremor ran through his mind and he looked up into the sky.

Simultaneously, four prismatic beams of light could be seen whistling toward them through the air. Inside were four Western Desert Cultivators who were all glaring at each other coldly, but were flying together nonetheless.

Atsui also saw the four beams of light, and his expression suddenly changed. His voice urgent, he said to Naruto, "What do you say, bro. You need to decide quickly whether or not you want to join the Crow Scout Tribe…." Before he could even finish speaking, the four beams of light had arrived.

"There's no need to answer so quickly, Fellow Daoist! The Crow Soldier Tribe is the best decision for you!"

"Nonsense! The Crow Gloom Tribe is the most powerful!"

"Shut up, you two! The Crow Fighter Tribe is the true successor of the Crow Divinity Tribe!"

All four of the newly arrived Cultivators appeared to be roughly thirty years of age. Each one was in the Foundation Establishment stage, and they continued to talk incessantly.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Smiling, he said nothing.

Atsui looked furiously at the four newcomers, his eyes beaming with ill will.

"Hey, do you want to start a Great War of the Crow Divinity today?" he said, taking a step forward and emanating power from his Cultivation base. The four newcomers laughed as they approached.

"Don't blame me! The Crow Fighter Tribe found me first, and then we went around to the other Tribes. After making a big circle, we came around here."

Atsui was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He had actually participated in similar affairs quite a few times recently. "Dammit," he thought, "Whenever it comes time to recruit vassals, the Tribes will go to any lengths to snatch vassals away from the others. They'll do anything, above board, sneaky, sometimes even both."

One of the four once again spoke up. "Fellow Daoist, don't listen to him. The Crow Flame Tribe is the most powerful of all the Tribes. If you become a vassal of the Crow Flame Tribe, you will receive much better compensation than you will get here."

Based on his experiences, it was easy for Naruto to understand what was going on between the Tribes. With a slight smile on his face, he took two steps back, opting not to involve himself in the conversation.

"Fine," said Atsui with a cold laugh. Emanating power from his Cultivation base, he slowly said, "So, you do want to use a Great War of the Crow Divinity to decide which Tribe this Fellow Daoist chooses!"

The other four exchanged glances, serious expressions filling their faces.

Quite a few members of the Crow Scout Tribe had noticed what was happening, and approached, forming a ring around them. No one made any moves, but rather, had expressions of interest on their faces. It seemed this situation was not only something they were used to, but something they found amusing.

"Great War of the Crow Divinity?" thought Naruto. "Great, I can use this chance to see how these five particular Tribes differ from each other." He once again backed up a few steps, curious as to why all of the surrounding Tribe members had such relaxed expressions on their faces.

The Cultivator from the Crow Soldier Tribe stepped forward suddenly and said, "The Crow Soldier Tribe will go first this time. The Crow Soldier Tribe was the first Tribe to form after the dissolution of the great Crow Divinity Tribe. Our totem is a Demonic Soldier, and we are the inheritors of the Western Desert! In all the Western Desert, if the Crow Soldier Tribe can't accomplish something, then who can!?"

The Tribe member from the Crow Fighter Tribe stepped forward, his face filled with both determination and a bit of madness. "The Crow Fighter Tribe is the true successor of the great Crow Divinity Tribe!" he cried. "We hold the entire Western Desert in the palm of our hand! Who could possibly compete with us!"

Suddenly, some of the onlookers began to cry out curses.

"How brazen!"

"Too shameless! How could you possibly describe your Tribe in such terms!"

Naruto stood off to the side, his brow furrowed. It seemed this Great War of the Crow Divinity was not going at all how he had expected it would.

"Hmph! It doesn't matter if you're the true successors or not. All I know is that before the Crow Divinity Tribe even began its rise, only Crow Flame Tribe existed. Our ancestor set the entire Western Desert aflame for a hundred thousand years!"

"You people are all nothing! The only reason the Western Desert is even called the Western Desert is because of the existence of the Crow Gloom Tribe. It wouldn't be here without us!"

As they continued to talk, Naruto's expression continued to grow stranger. Then, he began to sigh inwardly. He finally realized that the reason everyone was gathered around was because this so-called Great War of the Crow Divinity was nothing more than a bragging contest!

There was no use of magical techniques or Cultivation base. It was all boasting.

Whichever Tribe managed to brag good enough in front of the vassal….

Naruto coughed slightly. He had never seen any sort of competition like this before.

"You people are nothing! The Crow Scout Tribe is the inheritor of the Western Desert. We understand the Cosmos. Our totem is a magnificent tree that supports the sky above the Western Desert!" Atsui finished with a roar. In terms of both his wording and his style, he was obviously not equal to the others. As soon as the words left his mouth, sneers appeared in the eyes of the others.

Inwardly, Naruto was shaking his head. Atsui's words showed that he didn't really understand the basic tenets of bragging. After Atsui finished speaking, Naruto cleared his throat, then clasped hands toward the group.

"Many thanks for the honor you have shown me, Fellow Daoists," he said. "Unfortunately, my final decision is to join the Crow Scout Tribe." He smiled and bowed to them.

Atsui's expression instantly lifted. However, the faces of the other four were unsightly.

"Don't tell me you despise the Crow Flame Tribe, Fellow Daoist!"

"Yeah, are you looking down on us? If we hadn't started the Great War of the Crow Divinity, it wouldn't matter. But now that we have, if you pick a Tribe, you have to state the reason why!"

All four of the others were now staring at Naruto, looking annoyed.

A slightly bashful look appeared on Naruto's face. He now felt obliged to help these people to understand what bragging truly was.

Bragging was something that was eternally a part of Heaven and Earth. It had existed for as long as life itself. No person could escape its talons; no Cultivator alive could resist its enticement.

It was omniscient; after all, its existence was eternal.

Naruto cleared his throat. The bashfulness on his face was now covered with a layer of something that looked like holiness.

"The reason I picked the Crow Scout Tribe, is because it supports the sky above the Western Desert. The great tree totem that they control, is actually the Spring and Autumn tree, the ancient World Tree, that great ancient bridge between the Heavens and the Earth!

"In its eyes, the Western Desert is nothing more than a wrinkle in the great stream of Time. In its heart, the entire world is nothing more than a blink during one of the countless times that it awakens and opens its eyes.

"The Crow Scout Tribe has mastered the eternity of Time, and controls the four seasons of Heaven and Earth!" Naruto's voice echoed back and forth. The four Western Desert Cultivators stared in shock. It felt as if some great power were shaking their hearts, causing their scalps to go numb. They were looking at Naruto as if he were some kind of ghost.

"Shameless!"

"Too brazen! I've never seen someone so shameless. You're not even a member of the Crow Scout Tribe, how could you possibly describe them in such an exaggerated way!"

"Dammit, according to his description, the Crow Scout Tribe is even more grand and unfathomable than the Crow Divinity Tribe! Completely brazen!"

As the four Cultivators cursed Naruto, Atsui looked at him with wide eyes. He suddenly started to feel a bit flushed. The surrounding members of the Crow Scout Tribe were all looking at him with expressions of disbelief.

His voice filled with emotion, Naruto continued, "The great tree of the Crow Scout Tribe has given birth to innumerable lives. The Sky Country in the Eastern Lands came into being because a spring was formed by a drop of water that fell off of a leaf of the great tree of the Crow Scout Tribe. The disconsolate call of the Qiang flute of the Northern Reaches exists because of a single frowning glance from the great tree of the Crow Scout Tribe.

"All of the fertility in the Southern Domain is because the great tree of the Crow Scout Tribe bestowed it with a single grain of soil. And as for the Western Desert… it is the home of this great tree, and home of the Crow Scout Tribe!

"The Crow Scout Tribe is worthy of the greatest admiration, holy. It is the sky of the Western Desert, the clouds of the Southern Domain, the object of worship of the Northern Reaches, and the saint of the Eastern Lands!" As Naruto's voice echoed out, Atsui's face grew red, and his expression somewhat blank. A single question filled his mind.

"Is he really talking about the Crow Scout Tribe?"

It wasn't just him that was thinking this. It was all of the Crow Scout Tribe members. Each and every one had strange looks on their faces, and couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

Two old men stood at the peak of the mountain that belonged to the Crow Scout Tribe. They were currently looking down at the scene playing out below. Both had white hair, but radiated extraordinary vigour. Each had four glittering totem tattoos which stretched out over their bodies, to the point where even their faces were covered.

"Hahaha! What a genius! Well played, well played."

"This kid really has a way with words. What a sharp tongue! After he becomes a vassal, we should give him the position of recruiting other vassals."

The two old men exchanged a smile. Actually, Naruto's performance wasn't something they would remember deeply. Every year during vassal recruiting, members of the junior generation would participate in the so-called Great War of the Crow Divinity. Other Tribe members were always more than happy to observe the excitement.

Sometimes, listening to the members of the junior generation bragging and boasting was just pure entertainment.

Meanwhile, back down below….

"Too brazen!" cried the Crow Flame Tribe member, unable to restrain himself. His words caused the onlookers to all suddenly look at him. Everyone else present was from the Crow Scout Tribe, and they didn't look happy.

The Crow Flame Tribe member continued, "You claim that the Crow Scout Tribe's tree of Heaven and Earth gave birth to the Eastern Lands, the Northern Reaches, the Southern Domain and the Western Desert. Well, the Crow Flame Tribe is a flame of the highest of the Heavens, a fire that can burn everything! It could turn all the lands into rubble, and transform all living things into ash!"

The Crow Gloom Tribe member didn't seem to care that they were surrounding by a crowd. "The Crow Gloom Tribe is the moon of our world! Its light shines over all life. All flames and even the sun itself exist merely to serve as foils to the radiance of the moon that is the Crow Gloom Tribe!"

They had obviously been inspired by Naruto's words. Their arguments now were much different than they had been before.

Off to the side, Atsui was furious. In his view, they were the acting with complete shamelessness to brag in this way. He wanted to offer up a retort, but wasn't sure what to say. He looked over at Naruto.

Naruto was smiling, and his expression was one of coolness.

"It doesn't matter if you're talking about the Western Desert or the Eastern Lands," he said, a pious expression on his face. "All are simply solitary fallen leaves. The grand tree of the Crow Scout Tribe contains millions upon millions of leaves. As for the flames of which you speak, and the moonlight, they, too, are simply leaves on the tree!

"The grand tree of the Crow Scout Tribe is an Immortal above all living things. It supervises Heaven and Earth, and oversees the millions upon millions of trees that exist in the entire world!

"It is our light when we are in the darkness.

"It is our strength when we feel weak.

"It is our comfort when we wish to grieve.

"It is our wisdom when we are perplexed.

"It is our hope when we feel despair.

"It is our shield when we face evil!

"It provides safety when we charge into war!"

Everything was quiet as all the onlookers stared blankly. Atsui, the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members, as well as the four representatives from the other Tribes were all the same.

In fact, the two old men at the peak of the mountain were also stunned.

Everyone had strange expressions on their faces. The four Cultivators from the opposing Tribes felt their brains spinning, and couldn't think of a single word to say.

Normally speaking, they counted themselves as experts in the Great War of the Crow Divinity. However, they were now astonished to discover that bragging… had realms beyond even them. They had been rendered utterly speechless.

"Therefore," continued Naruto, "I choose to join the Crow Scout Tribe. I will bow to the Immortal who oversees millions upon millions of leaves. I will bathe in his light, and then spread that light to every corner of the Western Desert.

"Let all people in the world call him Immortal! Let the Great Tree come! His Will shall be done on Earth as it is in Heaven!"

Naruto took a deep breath as his words echoed back and forth amidst the silence of the Tribe. Everyone around had looks of complete disbelief covering their faces. Atsui was trembling; it seemed he had discovered the path he wished to tread in the future. He would memorize the words he had heard just now. From now on, whenever he participated in the Great War of the Crow Divinity, he would be invincible! No one would be his match! He could even look down on the Crow Divinity!

His expression filled with piety, Atsui called out in a loud voice: "Let all people in the world call him Immortal! Let the Great Tree come! His Will shall be done on Earth as it is in Heaven!"

The faces of the four other Cultivators were extremely unsightly. They exchanged grim glances and then sighed. With final hateful looks at Naruto and Atsui, they turned, transforming into colorful beams of light that shot off into the distance.

As they left, the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members looked over at Naruto with strange expressions. After a long moment, they began to disperse. Atsui grabbed Naruto's arm excitedly. This was the first time in his life that he had looked so excited.

"Brother, that was amazing. I think you were born to be a member of the Crow Scout Tribe. Listen, for now, forget about the Neo-Demon Kennelist thing. You need to come with me to some of the other Tribes. We're going to start some Great Wars of the Crow Divinity. I truly believe that we can spread the Will of the Great Tree throughout all creation!" His eyes shone with an unprecedented glow, one of devoutness as well as indescribable stubborness.

It actually bordered on madness.

Seeing this, Naruto felt incredibly strange. "He can't possibly actually believe it, can he…?" he thought to himself.

It was only after a multitude of explanations, along with solemn usage of the phrases regarding the Great Tree being an Immortal, that Naruto was able to extricate himself from Atsui. He went with some other Tribe members to perform a series of formalities that were required for new vassals. Finally, he was given a stone tablet and escorted to the area behind the mountain.

This area was actually quite large and was divided into many districts, all of which were separated by fences formed from branches. Without the proper identification medallion, it would be difficult to pass from one district into another.

The district in which the low-level neo-demons were raised was actually relatively remote in comparison to the other areas. As soon as he arrived, Naruto smelled an odd odor.

It was a strange, acrid smell that seemed to be a mixture of excrement and sweat. The Crow Scout Tribe member next to him frowned and squeezed his nose shut as he led Naruto forward. Obviously, were it not for the admiration he felt toward Naruto because of his performance earlier, he would never have personally escorted him here.

He could have called for someone to lead Naruto, but instead did it himself; the difference between the two was clear.

As they walked along, a variety of howls and shrieks could be heard; this was obviously a location where large numbers of neo-demons were reared.

Eventually, they reached a very out-of-the-way location, and a crude courtyard. They stopped, and his escort called out. Moments later, the courtyard door opened and an old man emerged. He wore a long robe made of sackcloth and was somewhat dirty. As he looked them over, the Crow Scout Tribe member introduced Naruto. The old man nodded and eyed Naruto, noting that he had been personally escorted over.

Finally, it seemed the Crow Scout Tribe member couldn't take the smell anymore; he turned and left.

"This used to be my courtyard for raising Greenwood Wolves," said the old man lightly. "From now on, this place belongs to you. There are five wolves inside that you can take care of. In half a year, the results of your probation will be determined by how well you took care of them. Then you will become a full vassal." With that, he tossed a command medallion to Naruto and began to stroll away. Just as he passed Naruto, he stopped, suddenly remembering that Naruto had been escorted here. Throughout the years, that was something that didn't happen very often, which meant that Naruto must have some special connections.

With a lofty expression, he said, "I'm not sure if you have any experience raising neo-demons. Either way, don't forget that if the Greenwood Wolves die, you'll have to provide compensation. Also, the five Greenwood Wolves were just recently born. They can only eat fresh meat, which you can acquire from the beasts in the surrounding mountains. As for the water they drink, it can only be melted snow from the peaks of the snowy mountains outside.

"In addition, you must mix some Tree Nurturing Grass into their food. You can find that type of grass in the mountains also. Furthermore, you will need to give the Greenwood Wolves Tui Na massage treatment every day to help them grow. Finally, you are responsible for making sure they maintain their ferocity and don't become too domesticated."

With that, he paid Naruto no further heed and left.

Naruto looked at the courtyard. The place did have an odd odor, but it wasn't something that Naruto couldn't handle. Furthermore, its remote location meant that not many people would be around, which suited him nicely.

After entering, he immediately heard some threatening yipping sounds. Looking around, he saw a row of small wooden kennels, standing in front of which were five little, green wolves. Each one was only about as big as his hand. They stood there glaring at him maliciously.

As soon as he saw the little wolves, Naruto smiled. It was a warm smile, because as soon as he saw the little buggers, it instantly made him think of the Blood Mastiff when it was small.

Their furriness made them incredibly cute.

As soon as he smiled at them, they turned into green blurs as they charged over. Naruto laughed and waved his hand. The green blurs instantly dissolved into the images of the tiny wolves, which he now held by the scruffs of their necks. Being held in this position, they tried to bite him, but couldn't. They only let out their threatening yips, which then turned into pleading whines.

Naruto tossed the little wolves back into their wooden kennels, and then examined his surroundings further. The echoing cries of various beasts could be heard in the air, but other than that, everything was relatively peaceful.

Within the courtyard were the wooden kennels as well as a simple wood cabin. He opened the door and, seeing the place was in quite a mess, waved his hand. A wind sprung up which cleansed everything in a matter of moments. Everything was gone; the only thing that remained was a wooden bed.

"The word 'neo-demon' is basically a general term that covers all the various beasts in the Western Desert," he thought as he sat down cross-legged on the bed. "In any case, they are very important to Western Desert Cultivators." It was midday now, and the sun shone brightly. However, this place was located in the deep mountains and surrounded by forest, which broke up the sunlight and made the whole area shady.

Naruto really liked the scenery. He took out a jade slip which contained Indra's introduction to the Western Desert. He focused on the part regarding neo-demons and began to study it. Combined with the understanding he had gained in the Black Lands, it only took about half a day before he raised his head from the jade slip. He was now relatively familiar with neo-demons.

"Neo-demons are a very important part of Tribal culture in the Western Desert. The number of neo-demons a Tribe possesses determines how flourishing the Tribe is considered to be. To Western Desert Cultivators, neo-demons aren't just partners in battle; they are used when transporting goods, when sealing agreements, or even when food is needed." Naruto's eyes gleamed with understanding.

If necessary, low-level neo-demons could even be used as food. That part Naruto understood immediately.

"Ordinary totem Cultivators can use totems to harness the power of neo-demons. However, when it comes to actually controlling neo-demons, that is something that can only be done by… Dragoneers! Only they can control large numbers of neo-demons. In fact, a low Cultivation base can be made up for in such a way. Of course, Dragoneers don't just fight with neo-demons, they raise them. In fact, they also use a variety of different techniques when it comes to training, and even killing them.

"So that's why the Western Desert Cultivators mistakenly thought that I was a Dragoneer when they saw my poison at work outside of Holy Snow City. Furthermore, they mistakenly took the illusory image of the Flying Rain-Dragon to be a Heavenly neo-demon!"

Naruto's eyes continued to glitter with enlightenment.

Naruto continued to peruse the jade slip.

"Neo-demons are very unique. They're initially broken up into nine levels. The first three are equivalent to the Chakra Condensation stage. The middle three are similar to Foundation Establishment, whereas the final three are like Core Formation…. Neo-demons which possess power equivalent to Nascent Soul Cultivators are Earthly neo-demons!

"Earthly neo-demons are relatively uncommon. However, even rarer are neo-demons that are as powerful as Spirit Severing Cultivators. Those are Heavenly neo-demons!" Naruto thought back to the Flying Rain-Dragon, and how people had assumed it was a Heavenly neo-demon. Now it made more sense.

"Above Heavenly neo-demons is a twelfth level, as rarely seen as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Neo-demons like that are totems, and are as powerful as the Dao Seeking stage, only a step away from being Immortal!

"Do totems really come from Immortals?" thought Naruto. He thought back to all the totems he had seen and studied, and also of the great tree in the Crow Scout Tribe. Suddenly an image appeared in his head of an ancient totem composed of the magical symbols of the Celestial soil. He shook his head.

"Maybe that's only where some totems come from. In any case, when it comes to totems, there are weak and strong ones." He suddenly looked up from the jade slip toward the five little Greenwood Wolves, who sat sitting trembling in their wooden kennels.

"Newborn wolves who have level 1 power. These Greenwood Wolves have pretty good latent talent; beasts like these would be relatively rare in the Southern Domain. It seems the Western Desert really is a suitable place for neo-demons to exist." He closed his eyes to sink into contemplative meditation.

Late in the night, Naruto suddenly began to hear various whimpering and crying sounds. They turned into howls that sounded almost like the tantrum of a child. They started out slowly, but by the time dawn lit the sky, the cries were continuous.

The sound of it was now mournful, as if filled with discontent at the most unjust thing in all Heaven and Earth which had occurred.

Naruto's brow was furrowed as he opened his eyes. The sky above was hazy as he looked out at the kennels in the courtyard. The five little green-colored wolves were currently scratching frantically at the door of the kennel area. They were even gnawing at the wood, their eyes shining green. They were… hungry!

They let out continuous anguished howls, and their bodies shivered weakly. Most melodramatic of all was that the door was half gnawed away!

"Oh shut up!" said Naruto, glaring at them.

The five little wolves instantly shrank back, looking anxiously at him with their huge, glittering eyes. They appeared to feel wronged, and also starving. From the moment they had been born until now, they had never gone hungry for an entire day! The feeling of hunger filled them with fright.

Naruto's scolding made them feel completely maltreated.

Five little wolves, and one person, looking at each other underneath the hazy sky.

After the space of about ten breaths had passed, however, the five little wolves once again began to let out mournful howls. They were being abused! They were hungry! They had never gone a day without eating before, and now they were being scolded by Naruto. Their high-pitched sobbing rose up into the sky, and their little bodies shivered as if with cold. Some of them even had wood chips on their mouths. Seeing this, Naruto rose to his feet and walked over. As he neared, the little Greenwood Wolves pressed up against the door to their kennel area, staring anxiously at Naruto and wailing as loud as they could.

Naruto reached out and grabbed one of the little wolves. The others suddenly seemed to get extremely nervous, and shrank back into the corners of the their kennels.

The little Greenwood Wolf that Naruto had grabbed had a white mark on its head. It wasn't very obvious at first, but if you looked closely, it was clearly visible.

After picking up the little wolf, it began to cry out miserably and tremble. Its wide eyes were filled with helplessness and fear.

"Still howling? I think you were howling the loudest just now." He glared commandingly down at the little wolf.

The little Greenwood Wolf with the white scar continued to let out victimized yips. Naruto could hear grumbling of its stomach. He reached out to touch it and found that its stomach really did seem to be completely empty.

He cleared his throat, abashedly. "It seems I forgot that they're not the Blood Mastiff. They actually need to eat…." It really had completely skipped his mind.

The Blood Mastiff didn't need to eat, and Naruto had long since reached the state where he abstained from food. The little wolf could sense that Naruto's attitude had changed, and instantly began to howl even louder. The pained expression in its eyes became even more obvious. Naruto suddenly felt a bit guilty.

"Okay, okay, stop crying," he said, stroking the little wolf's fur. "It's my fault, okay? Just hold on a bit, I'll get you something to eat." He put it back into the kennel and then immediately turned and hurried out of the courtyard. Recalling the words spoken by the old man as he left, he headed off toward the mountains.

He returned at midday, a forced smile on his face. After entering the courtyard, he saw the five little wolves laying there listlessly in their hunger. He hurried over, going from kennel to kennel. After prodding each little wolf awake, he picked up their wooden feeding bowls and then produced some of the food he'd acquired that morning and put it inside for them to eat.

As soon as the little wolves smelled the fresh meat, all the latent power in their bodies seemed to explode out as they charged forward and began to gulp it down.

Naruto stood off to the side watching. He basically hadn't accomplished anything the entire morning other than searching around to find some food. This was going to be a problem.

"I'm not sure how the other Cultivators raise their neo-demons, but if I have to keep doing this, it's going to be really inconvenient…." Naruto frowned. However, thinking back to the plaintive howls of the little wolves, he realized that he couldn't possibly allow them to starve to death.

He watched as the little wolves quickly consumed the food that he had spent the morning acquiring. Then, they started to howl again. Suddenly he felt a headache coming on.

"You guys are all little Patriarchs…." he said with a sigh. He quickly produced some water to give them. After lapping it up, their expressions were that of content. They immediately ignored Naruto and started to play.

Naruto looked up at the afternoon sky, then went back to his wood cabin, where he sat down cross-legged to think. After a moment, his eyes suddenly opened wide, and were filled with a bright glow.

"Even though they're neo-demons, they still have Cultivation bases. Since they do… then I can start feeding them medicinal pills at any time! In the Western Desert, they view medicinal pills as precious treasures and don't use them often. Of course they wouldn't feed them to low-level neo-demons." It was at this point that he thought of the Demon Nurturing Pill of the Frigid Snow Clan.

The pill formula for the Demon Nurturing Pill was very strange. In fact, medicinal plants only made up a small portion of the formula. The rest of the ingredients required refinement of the blood and flesh of various high-level neo-demons. Originally, Naruto had been a bit confused by this, but now it made sense.

"The Frigid Snow Clan used to be one of the most powerful Clans in the Western Desert. They produced generation after generation of Grand Dragoneer. The reason for that surely had to do with their secret Dragoneer technique along with some special medicinal pill formulas.

"The Demon Nurturing Pill uses the blood and flesh of various different neo-demons, and can actually be concocted to a variety of levels." Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce the enormous corpse of a Flood Dragon.

Back on the battlefield of Holy Snow City, Naruto had taken the opportunity to collect some bodies of various neo-demons with the intention of researching and using them in some way. This Flood Dragon had a cultivation base at the early Core Formation stage; according to the ranking system, that would make it level 7.

"Concoct some Demon Nurturing Pills and try out the secret Dragoneer technique on these little wolves, and they should be fine." Naruto looked back at the kennels, and the little wolves play fighting with each other.

He waved his hand, and the Flood Dragon corpse began to shrink. A moment later, it had transformed into a collection of blood mist. At this point, Naruto produced his black pill furnace.

The face of the teenager that existed on the pill furnace looked listless. It glanced at Naruto, and this time, did not dare to display any rancor. It obediently faded away, allowing Naruto full use of the pill furnace and not obstructing him in any way.

He sent the blood into the pill furnace. As for the medicinal plants, he had quite a few, but not every single one that was required. If he was an ordinary alchemist, he would be at a loss. However, being a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, he was able to extract medicinal properties from other medicinal plants that he combined together to meet the requirements of the formula.

Medicinal plants emerged, and Naruto continued to concoct until late in the night. He held the pill furnace in his right hand, heating it with the invisible Everburning Flame and staring into it as he made occasional adjustments.

This was his first time concocting a Demon Nurturing Pill, so time went by relatively slowly. The following morning at dawn, the five little wolves started to howl in hunger once again. Naruto's eyes glittered brightly as he slapped the pill furnace. It let out a booming sound, and then a red-colored medicinal pill shot out.

The instant it appeared, the image of a snarling Flood Dragon could also be seen inside it. It seemed as if the Flood Dragon wanted to take control of the medicinal pill and fly away with it. However, Naruto reached out and grabbed the pill. No matter how it struggled, it wasn't able to escape his grip.

"Eighty percent medicinal strength. There's still room for refinement!" Naruto tossed the pill back into the pill furnace and began to use the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation to further refine it. After two hours passed, a deep red medicinal pill emerged that emitted no medicinal aroma.

However, as soon as it appeared, a smell began to waft out that Cultivators would not be able to detect, but that neo-demons could. They could clearly smell it, and as soon as the aroma appeared, the five little wolves stopped their howling and suddenly looked over. They pushed up against the kennel door, staring through the cracks at the pill in Naruto's hand. Their bodies trembled and they seemed to be on the verge of going crazy. They started bashing against the door, as if they were willing to die to get ahold of the pill.

At the same time, in all the surrounding areas of the Crow Scout Tribe that were devoted to raising neo-demons, which included roughly one hundred courtyards, roars began to sound up. All of the neo-demons from level 1 to 6 began to go crazy. Their howls lifted up to shake Heaven and Earth. It seemed that the appearance of this medicinal pill was like some indescribable blessing in their eyes.

Hundreds of neo-demons were all roaring. The intensity of the sound immediately shocked all of the Neo-Demon Kennelists in the various courtyards. Looks of confusion appeared on their faces, and they began to cast various spells on the neo-demons in their unprecedented madness.

The old man who had acted so arrogantly to Naruto before was now panting, his eyes wide. He stared at the level 4 neo-demons he was raising, his face filled with astonishment at how crazy they were acting.

A multitude of voices rose up in the area.

"What's going on…?"

"What happened?"

"Are the neo-demons rioting?"

As the sound rose up into the air, Naruto's eyes glittered. He could sense the mania that had arisen because of the Demon Nurturing Pill. He glanced down at the pill and then looked over at the five little green-colored wolves. Then, he reached out his left hand and pushed it down onto the ground.

As he did, an invisible shield sprang into being that covered the several dozen meter area around him. It immediately cut off the strange Chakra that the neo-demons could sense but the Cultivators couldn't.

However, his actions were a bit too late. Even as the shield appeared, seven or eight booms could be heard as nearly twenty different types of neo-demons suddenly appeared nearby, roaring. These were level 6 neo-demons, with power equivalent to the late Foundation Establishment stage. Their eyes were red and filled with madness as they flew back and forth in the sky.

However, they were unable to find the source of the Chakra, which of course Naruto had covered over. In addition, the Neo-Demon Kennellist Cultivators immediately flew up to try to placate them. After a bit of time passed, things eventually grew quiet again.

By this time, it was getting late, and night had fallen over the land. Everything was growing dark. Naruto looked out at the calmness outside and then back at the little green-colored wolves in their kennels. Their eyes were bright red, and if the wooden door wasn't sturdy enough, they would have broken through it.

It seemed this medicinal pill he had concocted was incredibly enticing to them.

"Interesting. The Frigid Snow Clan… or should I call it the Agarwood Clan, must have produced so many Grand Dragoneers not only because of their secret Dragoneer technique, but because of this medicinal pill!

"Neo-demons…. That time ago back in the Black Lands, I absorbed Demonic Chakra using the art of Righteous Bestowal. That's why that woman from the Western Desert thought I was a Demon Lord. Demonic Chakra really is bizarre. There must be some connection between all of these things." After thinking about the matter for a while, he duplicated some Demon Nurturing Pills and then suddenly pointed down toward the ground.

"Righteous Bestowal!" Immediately, invisible Demonic Chakra seethed up, although not too much. Naruto only stirred the Demonic Chakra in a roughly three hundred meter wide area.

The Demonic Chakra rushed over to swirl around Naruto's finger. He looked over to find strange expressions on the faces of the five little wolves. It almost seemed as if the enticement they felt because of the Demon Nurturing Pill had lessened. They were all staring dead at Naruto.

His eyes flickered. Muttering to himself for a moment, he put the medicinal pills away and then dispelled the invisible shield that surrounded him. He silently sent the Spiritual Sense of his peak Perfect Gold Core out in all directions. There was no neo-demon or Cultivator who could possibly sense this Spiritual Sense.

With his Spiritual Sense, he could see all of the hundreds of neo-demons in the area. They seemed restless, but not crazy like they had been before.

"Interesting…." Naruto thought for a moment, whereupon a completely audacious plan sprung into his mind. He set up the shield again, then produced a Demon Nurturing Pill. His eyes glinting, he took the Demonic Chakra that was swirling around his finger and tapped it onto the medicinal pill.

Doing this required no pill furnace. His invisible alchemic flame gradually fused the Demonic Chakra into the medicinal pill. As soon as that happened, the silence of the night was broken as the hundred Neo-Demon Kennelist courtyards all erupted with roars. This was despite the shield that Naruto had put up!

The level of the frenzy vastly exceeded that from before. Roaring echoed out, an indescribable howling that shook everything.

This was not just a handful of neo-demons roaring; it was all of them! In a split second, a shocking roar filled the entirety of the Crow Scout Tribe!

The sound of it vastly exceeded that of the riot caused by the first pill.

Atsui was there among his fellow Tribe members, a blank look on his face. He wasn't sure what was happening, nor did anyone else around him. What could possibly make all the neo-demons act in this way?

Within the Crow Scout Tribe, one Tribe member after another woke up and was instantly shocked.

"All of the neo-demons are roaring. What happened?"

"What's going on over in the Neo-Demon Kennelist district?"

"Something must have happened. This is impossible! This is.. hundreds of neo-demons all roaring together!"

However, even in the midst of their shock….

The tall mountain which separated the front area of the Tribe from the Neo-demon Kennelist district in the rear was suddenly split by one shockingly powerful roar after another.

In total there were five. The roars filled the air and echoed out as five beams of light shot up. Within each was a neo-demon dozens of meters long. Three were green wolves, one was a black turtle, and the last was a ferocious green-colored tiger.

The power emanating from these five neo-demons was shockingly equivalent to the late Core Formation stage; these were level 9 neo-demons! The roars they emitted mixed together with those of the hundreds of other neo-demons to create a massive sound that rose up to the Heavens.

If that were all there were to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, as the shocking roar lifted up into the sky, within the thousands of members of the Crow Scout Tribe, many Tribe members' faces suddenly filled with astonishment. At this very moment, the totem tattoos on their bodies began to burn. The neo-demons that had already been bonded to them suddenly magically appeared, roaring to the skies as they charged forward.

The sight of it was astonishing to the extreme. Nearly half of the thousands of Tribe members watched as their totem tattoos began to glow, and then neo-demons popped out, roaring.

"My Greenwood Wolf is out of control!"

"Dammit, my Phoenix Hawk is going crazy!"

"Just what is going on!? Is this a neo-demon revolt!?"

Buzzes of conversation filled the air. One by one, the Cultivators who had bonded neo-demons flew into the air.

As they did, a dozen or so powerful figures shot up from the mountain toward the neo-demons.

"It's the Elders! Even they showed up!"

"The Elders are usually busy with Tribal affairs, they hardly ever come out. But here they are!"

The events of this night would be engraved in the hearts of the members of the Crow Scout Tribe for the rest of their lives. People began to cry out in alarm as a roaring sound suddenly emanated out from the top of the mountain, a sound which many of them hadn't heard for a very, very long time.

As the roaring echoed out, the mountain shook and the earth around it quaked. Suddenly, a tree branch flew out; it was ancient and withered, and emanated a profoundly archaic Chakra. The branch flew out, emanating a flickering green glow, which then transformed into a roughly nine-meter tall Treant!

The Treant's face was ancient, and its body was formed from an incredibly thick tree branch which was covered with a vast quantity of dried leaves. It seemed to be in the decline of power. It hovered there in mid-air and then let out a massive roar.

The instant the roaring began, the faces of all the Crow Scout Tribe members filled with astonishment and disbelief. Panting, they dropped to their knees.

In addition to all of this, three more figures suddenly flew out from the mountain. Each one had a Cultivation base at the Nascent Soul stage, and one was in the mid Nascent Soul stage. They immediately shot toward the Treant, and as they did, the Crow Scout Tribe members below recognized them. One was the Greatfather of the Tribe and the other two were High Priests!

Priests and Greatfathers were the pinnacle of power in any Tribe!

"Greetings, oh Ancestor Greenwood!" said the Greatfather, an old man. As for the two High Priests, they wore long, enveloping green robes that hid their features. However, all three of these people emanated powerful Chakra, and yet, looks of apprehension and fear could be seen in their eyes. It had been roughly two sixty-year cycles since they had seen the Greenwood Ancestor. It was with shocked hearts that they clasped hands and bowed toward the Treant.

"Demon. I sense a Demon…." said the enormous Treant. It let out a roar which echoed out, instigating even more roaring from the Crow Scout Tribe's neo-demons.

The five Tribes that had once made up the Crow Divinity Tribe surrounded a restricted area in the centre of them all, almost like the five fingers of a hand. It was at this moment that in the next Tribe over, the Crow Soldier Tribe, all of the neo-demons lifted their heads up into a roar.

The Crow Soldier Tribe was a metal-type Tribe, so the vast majority of their neo-demons were also made from metal. Flying swords, magical treasures and even giant Metal Golems. All of them suddenly flew out of control, as did the other neo-demons that the Tribe members had branded to exercise control over. One by one, they flew up into the air.

Even more shocking, a golden light appeared at the top of the Crow Soldier Tribe's mountain. It transformed into a gigantic gold trident that blazed with brilliant golden glow, along with a shocking Chakra.

"Demonic Chakra… I sense Demonic Chakra!"

Chakra exploded out simultaneously as the neo-demons of the Crow Fighter Tribe, Crow Flame Tribe and the Crow Gloom Tribe began to roar. In the Crow Fighter Tribe, Earth-type ripples appeared. Suddenly, mud fountained up like a volcano. It floated there in mid-air, a mud lake hundreds of meters in diameter.

Within the Crow Flame Tribe, a sea of flame shot through the air, within which was an enormous flaming black horse. It stared with scarlet eyes toward the Crow Scout Tribe.

Within the Crow Gloom Tribe, a vapor emanated out, turning into clouds and rain!

At this point, all of the Tribe members of the five Tribes, the Elders, Priests, Greatfathers, all stood there, their minds filled with unprecedented trembling. The Nascent Soul Patriarchs who had infiltrated these other Tribes also stood there in absolute shock, filled with various speculations about what was going on.

As the shock rippled through the various Tribes, Naruto's face was also surprised. He too had sensed how shocking the Chakra was.

"Wow, I really set something off this time…." He had long since begun to attempt to seal the pill, but nothing was working. Not even putting it into his bag of holding did the trick. It was almost like the protective shield around him didn't even exist. He could clearly sense that he had at the most twenty breaths worth of time before all the fearsome things in the outside would be able to determine his exact location.

It was at this time that an even greater development occurred. An incredible pressure suddenly appeared!

ROOAAARRR!

A new sound could be heard from deep within the endless, forested mountains. The roar drifted out, seemingly filled with the power to rip everything into shreds!

It sounded like bolts of lightning fighting each other, which then coalesced into a howl, and then, a voice.

"Outlander!" The voice sounded like countless other voices combined together. The strangest thing was that anyone who heard it could tell that this was not the roar of a Cultivator. No… this voice was not human!

The instant the voice appeared, it echoed out in all directions, causing all other sounds within the mountains and forests to instantly cease.

The hearts and minds of the members of the five Tribes were instantly shaken. Their faces immediately revealed astonishment.

"That's…."

"That's the Outlander Beast! The Outlander Beast with the roar of an Immortal!"

"I can't believe the Outlander Beast with an Immortal roar is in this area! It was born as a level 7 great neo-demon, and then grew up into a level 11! Was it branded by a human, or is it actually a Greater Demon?"

In the Western Desert, if a creature was branded and sealed by humans, it was referred to as a neo-demon. Those which were not were Greater Demons!

As the members of the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity were all discussing the matter, the peak level neo-demons were trembling. The roar just now only served to further fuel their own roars. It was as if they wanted to proclaim to this Outlander Beast that the region it was passing through belonged to them!

Suddenly, the ground began to quake and tremble violently. Something that seemed like a giant was speeding through the forest. Among the shocked members of the five Tribes, people began to employ secret magical techniques to view what was happening in the mountains around them. Within the rugged mountains was a vast sea of beasts, madly charging toward them.

The beasts were made up of a variety of levels, and all of them had eyes red and filled with madness as they ran. Up in the sky was a vast collection of strange flying creatures. They, too, were shrieking. From a distance, it seemed as if a huge wave of beasts was surging toward the five Tribes from all direction.

They filled the sky and land in all directions, with the five Tribes in the center. They would obviously be completely crushed.

For the five Tribes, this was a monumental disaster, a calamity that had sprung up so suddenly that they didn't even have time to react.

Ripples spread out in the air as the flying beasts roared. The thunderous sound created an echo which suppressed everything as it neared.

All of this happened in the space of only fifteen breaths!

Naruto could feel the ground shaking, and could hear the roars from outside, including that of the Outlander Beast. Because of everything that was happening, it actually gave him a bit more time than before.

Shaking his head, he thought, "I never imagined that combining Demonic Chakra with the Demon Nurturing Pill would cause such a shocking scene. This medicinal pill… will apparently drive any neo-demon completely crazy." With a bitter smile, he looked over at the five little wolves, who were frantically trying to break through the wooden planks to get at him. Cracking sounds suddenly rang out as they succeeded.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he waved his right hand. The medicinal pill shot toward the wooden kennel. The five little wolves emitted cute howls as they charged toward it. In recent days they had played a lot with each other, but there was no affection in them now. They nipped and bit at each other violently as they ran.

It was at this point that the little Greenwood Wolf with the white scar on its head gave full vent to its power and ferocity. It slashed at the other little wolves and then transformed into a green beam of light that shot forward. It directly swallowed the medicinal pill.

As soon as it did, the crowds of beasts outside the five Tribes began to emit mournful howls. A collection of black clouds seethed up above in the sky, and then suddenly shot forward. As they did, the roar of the Outlander Beast shook everything.

All the Cultivators in the five Tribes had pale faces. That was because….

Located in the center of the five Tribes was their Holy Land, the former location of the Crow Divinity Tribe. Suddenly a beam of light shot out into the dark night from that very place!

It was a five-colored beam that spread out to cover over all five Tribes. From within the light emerged a black crow.

The crow raised its head and let out a shrill screech that was like a violent tempest. Ripples spread out in all directions, seemingly filled with the power to crush everything.

As the ripples seethed out, many of the huge trees in the forest were ripped up by the roots. The land heaved, and great boulders were ripped up from the earth. It was like an unspeakably powerful tempest had risen up around the five Tribes.

It quickly transformed into a vortex which swept across everything.

Naruto was panting as he looked off toward the former location of the Crow Divinity Tribe, and his eyes glowed brightly.

By this point, he wasn't worried anymore. All traces of the medicinal pill that had instigated the disturbance had disappeared as soon as the little wolf consumed it. Naruto was quite sensitive to Demonic Chakra, so he was able to confirm that this was the case.

Apparently, the Demonic Chakra had already been absorbed by the little wolf with the white scar, who by this time had lapsed into unconsciousness.

Despite being unconscious, though, its life force was soaring up vigorously.

The tempest outside covered everything, making the only thing visible the five-colored light. The sight of it caused Naruto to think of his own Five-Colored Tribulation.

Two days ago, when Naruto had come to the Crow Scout Tribe, he'd sent the parrot and the meat jelly away. It was impossible to say what they were up to in the surrounding mountains.

Thinking of them being in the tempest caused Naruto to feel a bit nervous. However, after considering the parrot's eccentricities and the meat jelly's indestructibility, he realized he didn't need to worry.

"Even if this entire place were completely destroyed, they would be happy and healthy." Naruto was certain of this point.

The tempest lasted for about two hours. When it subsided, much of the surrounded forest was gone. Vast quantities of neo-demon corpses could be seen. As for the Outlander Beast, there was no sign of it.

The crow was gone, and the five-colored light had faded away. This was the first time Naruto had experienced the true mystery and power of Western Desert Cultivators and their totems.

The members of the five Tribes gradually spread out around in their respective areas to collect the neo-demon corpses.

As for the Neo-Demon Kennelist district, it was searched several times with Divine Sense, but nothing out of the ordinary was found.

Naruto also came under investigation. However, the treasured magical item of Patriarch Transmutation Hagoromo proved to be extremely useful. Nobody noticed anything even slightly unusual about Naruto.

For the five Tribes, the fact that they had narrowly escaped disaster meant that a simple investigation would most likely not uncover the truth of the matter. Secret probing continued for the next month. Whenever Naruto went out into the mountains, he would be questioned.

However, even after a month, no information had been uncovered. Gradually people began to come to the conclusion that some strange object had appeared that attracted the neo-demons and then the wave of beasts. As for who had finally acquired this object, no one knew for sure, but all the five Tribes were now suspicious of each other.

During the month, Naruto focused on taking good care of the little Greenwood Wolves. He mixed meat with Demon Nurturing Pills, which caused the little wolves to continuously grow bigger and stronger. However, Naruto was also careful to control their growth so that it wasn't too fast.

As for the little wolf who had consumed the Demonic Chakra Pill, externally he didn't seem very different. However, he was now more fierce, and his eyes shone with a cold glow. He seemed more bloodthirsty, and the other little wolves clearly revered him. All he had to do was let out a growl, and the other little wolves would start to tremble.

The changes in him continued to manifest, and Naruto couldn't come up with any method to suppress them. In any case, as the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, Naruto's ability to sense Demonic Chakra was incomparable.

After the month passed, all of the investigations, both the public and the secret ones, ceased. Everything around Naruto once again grew calm, and he began to use his own methods to raise the neo-demons.

Time passed by. Soon, Naruto had been in the Crow Scout Tribe for five months.

Currently, he sat cross-legged in his courtyard. Suddenly, a threatening howl filled his ears, and he opened his eyes. There in the courtyard, one of the Greenwood Wolves was facing off against the other four. It looked somewhat thin and weak, but the threatening howl it emitted caused the other Greenwood Wolves to tremble in fear.

"Big Hairy," said Naruto coolly. As soon as the words left his mouth, the weak-looking Greenwood Wolf turned to look at Naruto. There on its forehead, the white scar was clearly visible.

When it looked at Naruto, the coldness in its eyes vanished and turned into a charming expression of cleverness. It transformed into a green beam that shot like lightning over to Naruto. It lay down next to him, sticking its tongue out to lick Naruto's leg, just like the mastiff used to do.

"Hairys #2, #3, #4, and #5, all of you come over here," Naruto said with a laugh. The other four Greenwood Wolves cautiously trotted over.

Naruto's Greenwood Wolves could now no longer be called little. Each of them was roughly two meters long and looked very intimidating. Their eyes glowed with cold savagery, and their bodies were covered with green fur. The speed with which they moved was like lightning, and their personalities exuded cold-bloodedness. Everything about them seemed incredibly powerful.

They were no longer level 1 neo-demons, but level 2. Despite that, they were strong enough to slaughter level 3 neo-demons, and even hold their own against level 4.

Most shocking was Big Hairy. Though he looked skinny and weak, and was only level 2, he was actually stronger than other level 4 Greenwood Wolves. He could easily defeat any that he faced up against, and unless Naruto stopped him, would kill them.

With the exception of the big hubbub at the beginning, Naruto didn't cause any problems in the Tribe. He didn't have much contact with others, and few people other than Atsui had anything to do with him.

As for Atsui, he thoroughly admired Naruto, and would come often to ask him for advice. Each time, he left feeling enlightened. Gradually, a friendship formed between the two.

Atsui wasn't sure exactly what techniques Naruto used to raise the Greenwood Wolves, but he could see that they were different from normal Greenwood Wolves. He didn't understand, but in his eyes, it was amazing, and only served to cause him to further approve of Naruto.

Naruto learned a lot about the Crow Scout Tribe from Atsui. He now knew that the Tribe had a rank 7 Dragoneer, which was a very high and respected position. Even the Greatfather and the Priests were polite to him.

He also learned that the Crow Soldier Tribe had recently recruited a rank 7 Dragoneer who was accompanied by a Wild Giant. This new Dragoneer immediately occupied a position of extreme honor in the Tribe, and caused quite a sensation in the other Tribes.

When he heard this news, a strange expression appeared on Naruto's face and he thought of Motoi, who had disappeared during the teleportation here.

It was in this way that the half year finally passed. Naruto felt quite at peace in the Crow Scout Tribe. It reminded him of back when he had first joined the Violet Fate Sect.

Similar to that time, no one bothered him and nothing extraordinary happened. His secrets were his own to keep, and he could pursue his own plans with no one the wiser.

Suddenly, Naruto laughed as he looked down at the five Greenwood Wolves. One of his greatest accomplishments in the past half year was that he had a much deeper understanding of what it meant to be a Demon Sealer.

This understanding came both from his personal perceptions and his experiences with sealing and Righteous Bestowal!

He knew that if he wanted to, he could seal Big Hairy in the blink of an eye. The Chakra inside of Big Hairy was Demonic Chakra, which lay within the realm of what he could seal.

Similarly, if he wanted to, he could cause the other Greenwood Wolves to be just like Big Hairy.

Regarding the art of Righteous Bestowal, Naruto thought a lot about it during the half year. By now, he was certain that as far as all neo-demons were concerned, Righteous Bestowal truly was a type of approval and good fortune.

It was almost like bestowing them with a title!

The higher the level of a neo-demon, the more it would thirst for Righteous Bestowal. Anything that did not crave Righteous Bestowal, was not truly a Demon!

In addition to gaining a deeper understanding of Demon Sealers during the half year, Naruto also managed to fill his courtyard with lotuses. Soon it became very much similar to his courtyard back in Holy Snow City.

Outsiders didn't pay much attention to this. Cultivators in general command a certain level of freedom that others wouldn't interfere with. In any case, no one had any idea the significance of lotuses to Naruto.

Of course, they were critical to his understanding and enlightenment regarding the Lotus Sword Formation. From the moment he had acquired the sword formation until now, he had constantly been studying how lotuses bloomed and withered. As of now, lotuses were firmly planted within Naruto's mind.

The feeling he experienced because of this was hard to describe. If he closed his eyes, it was as if lotuses were blossoming inside his head. He hadn't employed the sword formation since reaching this state, but he was convinced that if he did, the result would be very different than from before.

Naruto did no further research regarding totems. However, he continued to make more profound speculations about them.

At the moment, it was dark outside. Looking out, it was hard to tell whether it was night, or if the sky was just obscured by dark clouds. However, he could sense moisture in the air.

"It's starting to rain again," he murmured. Recently, it had been raining a lot. Sometimes it came down so hard that it pooled up on the ground and created streams and rivulets. The sound of the pouring rain made it seem as if it were fighting against Heaven and Earth.

Sometimes it hit the ground with so much force that the water shot back up into the air, as if it wished to return to the Heavens above. Instead, it simply turned into water vapor.

However, it seemed as if the mist retained the same stubborness that the rain showed.

Naruto looked outside at the shattering raindrops and was able to faintly sense the unyielding will of the rain. Even after being turned into a mist, it still wished to fly back up into the Heavens.

"Entombed on the Earth, but desirous of a return to life in the Heavens…." Naruto looked up at the dark clouds which obscured the Heavens. After a long, long time passed, he closed his eyes.

"Perhaps that is also the path of a Demon Sealer," he murmured. Having achieved the level of Cultivation base that he had, Naruto was now able to sense some of the truths that existed in Heaven and Earth. Each bit of enlightenment represented a development in his psyche. It became cognition that would later be power to be used in Spirit Severing.

"But which is better… sealing all the Demons under Heaven? Or approving them with Righteous Bestowal?" Naruto sat there lost in thought. His five Greenwood Wolves lay around him, silently accompanying him as he watched the rain.

It wasn't until dawn that the rain finally began to lessen. At that early hour, the Neo-Demon Kennelist district was quiet. There were no cries of neo-demons; everything was silent.

It was at this time that footsteps rang out to break the silence. The sound of water splashing in the puddles could be heard, and an unfamiliar smell arrived that caused the silence to end.

It was a young man of a little over twenty years of age. He wore clothing that only elite members of the Tribe could wear, a long green leather robe, trimmed with what looked like silk or satin. It gleamed beneath the morning sunlight, causing the young man to look quite extraordinary despite his relatively low Cultivation base.

At the moment, he was frowning as he endured the unpleasant odor in the area. He held an umbrella in his hand as he hurried toward a distant courtyard.

"Barui has gone too far this time. When my father was alive, people of his bloodline would always be completely courteous and respectful when they saw me. But now…." The young man clenched his jaw in fury as he walked along.

This was Darui of the Crow Scout Tribe, a member of one of the Tribe's three great bloodlines. The three great bloodlines were where the successive generations of Greatfathers came from. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the future Greatfathers would be selected from such descendants.

Darui, of course, was just such a person. His father's name had rocked the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity years ago. Unfortunately, he had died a few years ago while outside of the Tribe, and the resulting legal matters had still not been settled. As a result, his bloodline lost its position as the most powerful. As for Darui, his previous prestige was now nothing but an illusion; it was impossible to conceal the sore straits he was in.

Because of the law of the jungle in the Cultivation world, any bloodlines without a powerful expert, no matter how prestigious, would become a target. This was the truth even in the Crow Scout Tribe.

Over the past years, Darui had fallen far from his previously high position. This was something he couldn't accept in his pride, but really, there was little he could do about it. He was forced to endure the scoffing of his rivals and the increasing level of disrespect shown to him by fellow Tribe members. There was no way for him to do anything about it except to follow the wishes of his older sister and lower his head.

However, he could not remain reconciled to such a situation. In his mind, his sister's choice was the wrong one. He had just made a breakthrough in his Cultivation base, and was now in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. He was now willing to pay any price to acquire a level 3 neo-demon, even secretly borrow large amounts of Spirit Crystals from other Tribes.

"With a level 3 neo-demon, all the members of my generation in the Tribe will have no choice but to pay attention to me. All the rest of them have rank 3s, I can't be left behind!" He clenched his jaw and ignored the pain in his heart. Choosing not to think about how he would possibly pay back his debt, he strode forward.

His plan was to find rank 3 Dragoneer C, which was the only way he would be able to acquire a cheap, level 3 neo-demon.

All members of the Crow Scout Tribe would receive a level 1 neo-demon after reaching a certain level of Cultivation base and making a contribution to the Tribe. The higher one's Cultivation base, and the better the contribution, then the greater the compensation would be.

Members of the three great bloodlines were even more special. They could acquire a level 1 neo-demon at no cost. Furthermore, the higher their Cultivation base climbed, the better neo-demons they could get, all for free.

The key was to be powerful; there really was no limitation. However, if one wanted to acquire a very expensive neo-demon, then, of course, a contribution would have to be made.

As for Darui, he could acquire level 2 neo-demons for free. If he wanted a level 3, he would have to pay some Spirit Crystals.

All of the Neo-Demon Kennelists, including Naruto, were part of the Crow Scout Tribe. Their job in the Tribe was to raise the neo-demons; that didn't mean they actually owned them.

In principle, anyone could come with a command medallion and take the neo-demons away. That was just in principle, though. In actuality, there was an unwritten rule that prevented that from happening. Neo-Demon Kennelists were actually low-level Dragoneers whose rank was determined by the highest level neo-demon they could raise.

Because of that, and because of the respect for Dragoneers, who were not to be offended, all Tribes in the Western Desert ended up having the same custom. Dragoneers had the right to decide whether or not to give the neo-demons they raised to others.

Furthermore, Dragoneers also had the first right to buy any of the neo-demons they raised.

Grim-faced Darui hurried along toward the courtyard that was his destination. The aroma that drifted about in the early morning air left him feeling uncomfortable. Because he had disturbed the peace by coming here just now, the howls of neo-demons began to rise up from the various courtyards in the area.

This caused Darui to feel a bit annoyed. He hurried along through the area occupied mostly by level 1 and 2 neo-demons and then entered the area where many level 3 neo-demons could be found. It was at this point that he walked past the entrance of Naruto's courtyard.

Just as he was about to continue on, Naruto's Greenwood Wolves joined the other neo-demons in their howling.

The sound of it seemed ordinary, but as soon as Darui heard it, his heart and mind trembled, and his facial expression changed to one of shock. The howling of the Greenwood Wolves wasn't very high-pitched, but he was very close, and the sound of it sent his head spinning. He suddenly felt himself trembling, as if there were some great pressure weighing down on him.

He gasped, turning to look toward Naruto's courtyard. He had heard the howls of level 2 neo-demons before, and never before had they shook him in such a way. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door and looked inside. He saw a gentle, scholarly youth sitting there cross-legged, looking back at him with eyes as clear as the night sky.

The youth was surrounded by five Greenwood Wolves who were also staring back at Darui with eyes cold and filled with ferocity. There was one in particular who looked somewhat skinny; when he looked over, Darui's body began to tremble uncontrollably, and his face filled with shock. An intense pressure bore down on him, and he began to pant. His heart pounded as if he were about to die.

Darui was almost incapable of handling the pressure exuded by the Greenwood Wolves in the courtyard. It felt like he was going to explode.

"How can I help you, Fellow Daoist?" asked Naruto, his tone cool.

As soon as his lightly spoken words rang out, the pressure suddenly vanished. Darui felt his body go limp, and he almost fell down onto the ground. His face was pale, but he lifted his chin sanctimoniously, and an arrogant expression covered his face.

"I am Darui, Tribe member of one of the three great bloodlines. Your level 2 Greenwood Wolf over there now belongs to me!" He was actually a bit nervous and excited. He'd already abandoned thoughts of level 3 neo-demons. He was going virtually wild with joy, because he could see that these Greenwood Wolves were far beyond ordinary. From what he could sense, they probably couldn't match up to level 3, but were definitely the absolute highest quality of level 2.

He was just about to reach his hand out to point at skinny Big Hairy, but then hesitated for a moment and instead pointed to one of the other Greenwood Wolves that looked a bit more impressive.

Darui pointed at Hairy #4.

Hairy #4 was conspicuously larger than the other Greenwood wolves by a little bit. This had been the case since the wolves were small. However, Naruto had named the wolves based on their strength, with #5 being the weakest.

Hairy #4 was neither the most nor the least powerful. Being pointed at by Darui caused his eyes to shine with a fierce, cold glow, and he let out a threatening growl. In his limited consciousness, only his master could point at him in such a way. Nothing else in existence qualified to do so.

"Your Cultivation base isn't sufficient," said Naruto coolly. "You can't control him. Go pick something from another courtyard." He stroked Hairy #4's furry head. Hairy #4 lowered his head obediently in a very charming fashion. If Naruto weren't here right now, he would have immediately charged forward and ripped Darui to pieces.

"You!" cried Darui, his face twisted. Looking at Naruto, he had the feeling his Cultivation base was profound. However, he was a member of the Crow Scout Tribe, and a descendant of one of the three great bloodlines. Considering his identity, it didn't matter if he was a bit down on his luck, he was still above virtually any vassal in the Tribe.

"I'm already in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation! I can control any level 2 neo-demon. Greenwood Wolves are known for their speed, not for their close-quarters fighting. What the hell makes you think I couldn't control it!" Darui ground his teeth as he glared at Naruto.

Almost the moment he finished speaking, Hairy #4's cold eyes flickered. Suddenly, a green blur appeared, and in the blink of an eye, Hairy #4 was standing directly in front of Darui. His mouth was wide open, and right in front of Darui's nose, almost touching it. Darui's face instantly filled with shock; he let out a cry of alarm and backed up.

Cold sweat had broken out all over his body, and his face was as pale as death. Breathing ragged, pupils constricted, he stood there, his mind spinning. Just now he had felt an intense sensation of imminent death. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and it caused his entire body to tremble. Lingering fear continued to fill him.

Naruto gave a reprimanding harumph, which Hairy #4 heard, causing him to immediately go limp. He lowered his head, unwilling to even look at Naruto.

Darui took in a deep breath. A bright light shone in his eyes as he stared fixedly at Hairy #4. He was breathing even more heavily now. His heart began to thump as he looked at Hairy #4's more than three meter long frame, his green fur and mighty disposition.

"I've seen a lot of level 2 Greenwood Wolves," he thought to himself, "even ones belonging to other bloodline Clan members. None of them were even close to being this fast. This… is definitely a mutant Greenwood Wolf.

"It must be! The only way it could be so fast is if it were mutated! It could have killed me in the blink of an eye!" At this point, he looked over at Naruto.

"According to the rules, this Greenwood Wolf belongs to the Crow Scout Tribe. I have the right to take it away!" His words sounded stalwart, but in reality, his heart was trembling. If it wasn't for the fact that the wolf frightened him so much, he wouldn't speak in such a way, quoting the Tribe rules to get his way.

Naruto laughed inwardly and shook his head. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, he wouldn't stoop to arguing with a mere eigtht level Chakra Condensation Cultivator.

"If you're capable of taking him, go ahead," he said, then closed his eyes and paid no more heed to the goings on.

"Fine, it was your suggestion!" replied Darui, unable to conceal the wild joy which filled his heart. Other than being a descendant of the three great bloodlines Darui wasn't too extraordinary. However, his particular bloodline excelled in neo-demon branding techniques, which he had been studying since a young age. He actually had mastered dozens of various branding techniques.

Therefore, he was supremely confident that he could succeed even with level 3 neo-demons, not to mention level 2. Even though this was a mutant neo-demon, it was still only level 2, and Darui didn't have even the slightest doubt in his mind.

Laughing out loud, he slowly approached Hairy #4, anticipation gleaming in his eyes. He cautiously began to perform an incantation with his right hand, which created a bizarre branding mark that looked like a wolf's head.

When the branding mark appeared, a look of confusion appeared in Hairy #4's eyes. Seeing this caused Darui to grow even more confident. The branding mark flickered and then transformed into a beam of light that shot toward Hairy #4.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into Hairy #4's forehead.

"It worked!" cried Darui exuberantly. The first part of the process was done, after which there was another procedure. When that was finished, this neo-demon would become his totem beast.

Naruto still had his eyes closed, and wasn't paying attention at all to what was happening. He did nothing to stop Darui from approaching Hairy #4. Darui lifted his hand up to touch him, but even as he did, Hairy #4 suddenly lifted up his enormous head. His face was filled with ferocity, and his eyes glowed with a cold, cruel light.

His gaze instantly caused Darui's face to fall. His heart began to pound, and he immediately backed up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"No way, how could it have failed…?" He immediately decided to switch branding techniques. Soon, an hour had passed. Darui tried seven or eight different brands, but in the end, none were successful.

The ferocity in the eyes of Hairy #4 continued to grow thicker. Finally, Darui sagged, his face pale and filled with disbelief. Hairy #4 let out a howl and then shot forward. His mouth opened wide, heading directly toward Darui's neck.

Intense killing intent and ferocious cruelty emanated out. He moved with such speed that Darui had no way to dodge. A green glow filled his eyes, which then began to grow dark. There wasn't even time for a sense of danger to well up in him.

In this critical moment, Naruto opened his eyes and said, "Get back here, Hairy #4."

Hairy #4 let out a yelp and then began to tremble. The razor sharp teeth in his mouth had been just about to latch onto Darui's neck.

Instead, Hairy #4 moved backward, returning to lay down next to Naruto, his face cute and charming.

Darui's face was completely devoid of blood, his entire body was shaking, and his mind was in chaos. After coming to this terrifying courtyard, he had nearly died twice. Then he experienced the unthinkable situation of all his brands failing; the only thing he could do was stare at Naruto. As of this moment, Naruto had become completely unfathomable in his mind.

The image of Naruto sitting there, surrounded by his five Greenwood Wolves, was something that Darui would never be able to forget. It was branded permanently into his brain.

"Senior…. I…." Darui wasn't sure what to say. He stared at Naruto and the Greenwood Wolves for a moment. Trembling, he clasped hands and bowed deeply, then hurried out of the courtyard. He closed the door on his way out, and then stood outside and bowed again a few times. Feeling both perturbed and amazed, he turned to leave.

"A master! A true master who can raise mutant neo-demons! He's definitely a real Dragoneer! There must be a reason why he's hiding out here…. I can't tell anybody. Maybe if I run into some real problems in the future, he'll… give me some good advice!" Having made his decision, Darui took a deep breath and rushed off into the distance.

Naruto watched the young man leave, his expression the same as ever. It was impossible to hide the fantastic qualities of his Greenwood Wolves, nor did he plan to. In his opinion, being known as a Dragoneer wasn't a bad thing.

Actually, Naruto's methods of controlling the neo-demons actually far exceeded that of Dragoneers. That was because he was no Dragoneer, but actually… a Demon Sealer!

A Demon Sealer masquerading as a Dragoneer was like a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy pretending to be an average alchemist. They were two completely different levels that were vastly separated.

Of course it wasn't very difficult to pull off something like that. Everything that Dragoneers could do, Demon Sealers could also do. However, it absolutely didn't work the other way around.

"I've always thought there are a lot of similarities between Dragoneers and Demon sealers. The former are much lower, though." His half a year of study regarding this matter left him even more certain of his conclusion.

"The secret techniques of Dragoneers allow them to rapidly raise neo-demons. They speed through youth and grow up very quickly. The average person would be amazed by such a thing. However, regardless of the method used to accomplish this, a neo-demon can only grow within the confines of its normal lifespan. That can't be exceeded.

"However, Righteous Bestowal using Demonic Chakra vastly exceeds Dragoneer arts. It can break through those normal confines. It can actually transmogrify the fundamental nature of a neo-demon." Thinking about this, Naruto couldn't help but smile.

The more he researched this matter, the more he got the feeling that Dragoneers were like Demon Sealers who were on a different path, and were doing their best to imitate true Demon Sealers.

"I wonder if back in the days of the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer, someone left behind some collateral legacy that spawned the Dragoneers?" It was an interesting idea. Unfortunately, there was a big gap between himself, the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, and the Eighth Demon Sealer. He was missing a lot of legacies, and suffered from quite a lack of understanding of the previous Demon Sealers.

"I wonder if traces of the Demon Sealers can be found in the Western Desert…." His expression was tranquil as he considered this. "In any case, I need to take every chance I get to get noticed within the Crow Scout Tribe. I need to make sure I get into the Crow Divinity Tribe's Holy Land."

The Crow Scout Tribe had three Nascent Soul Cultivators, but Naruto was pretty sure that if he put on the blood-colored mask, only the Treant from the mountaintop could pose any threat to his life.

Therefore, he was being cautious about his actions, but wasn't expending too much effort to conceal anything.

"In the past, whenever I encountered something that has to do with the Demon sealers, it would provoke a reaction from the Demon Sealing Jade. However, after entering the Western Desert, there was nothing whatsoever. Perhaps… I just haven't been to the right places here." He slapped his bag of holding and produced the Demon Sealing Jade. He held it in his hand and examined it closely.

It felt warm and smooth in his hand, as if it were actually a part of him. Looking at it made him feel calm, and he slowly slipped into a strange state.

After a long time passed, he put the ancient piece of jade away and closed his eyes to meditate.

Several days later….

On the mountain in the middle of the Crow Scout Tribe was a string of extravagant houses. Although they were constructed from wood, the wood came from Spirit Trees in the surrounding forests that had grown for hundreds of years. Eventually, they built up a certain amount of spiritual energy, and when they were used to build houses, could provide quite a few benefits when it came to practicing cultivation.

The only people who could live here were descendants of the three great bloodlines of the Tribe.

This, of course, was where Darui resided. At the moment, he was lividly throwing a ceramic jar onto the ground, where it shattered into pieces. Darui's infuriated voice roared out throughout the house.

"Barui, you've gone too far!" Darui's hair was in disarray, and his eyes radiated venomous madness. His body was shaking and he oozed killing intent. He slammed his fist into the wooden wall next to him, causing the entire house to shake. Ripples of spiritual energy appeared, resisting the power of his Cultivation base and even rebounding back into him. Darui's hand was now injured and dripped blood.

Ignoring the blood, he clenched his fists and continued to vent: "That totem medallion was awarded to my father years ago because of his service to the Tribe. Why the hell are they giving it to you now!?"

Despite his venting, his heart filled with helplessness. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he looked at the sky outside. As far as he was concerned the entire world was filled with darkness.

It was at this point that the front door opened. Sunlight spilled in, piercing into his eyes. A woman entered, someone very familiar to Darui.

"Sis…." he said, his voice filled with pain.

The woman was tall and had long black hair. The clothing she wore was utilitarian, but it was impossible to conceal her natural beauty. However, the constant furrow in her brow made it seem like she was in a state of perpetual thought.

"I've already arranged everything for you," she said, her voice gentle. "You and Barui will have a fair neo-demon duel. Whoever wins will receive the totem medallion."

She looked down at the fragments of pottery on the ground and then back up at Darui.

"WHAT?!" cried Darui, his eyes bloodshot. "That medallion was given to father for his meritorious service!" His expression filled with savagery. His dissatisfaction with the Crow Scout Tribe couldn't be greater. For the past few years, he had done everything his sister asked him to do. He had endured it all. But now, even his father's totem medallion was being taken away. He truly valued the totem medallion, which made it much easier to congeal totems. It was actually a precious treasure that even had the ability to pass on some legacy power from the Tribal Ancestor.

Seeing Darui in virtual hysterics, his sister soothingly said, "The whole matter was set by the Tribe Greatfather, so you have to comply. Listen, I'm going to go find Grandmaster C, the rank 3 Dragoneer. I'll buy a level 2 neo-demon for you, that way the duel will be fair."

"Barui's neo-demon is a level 2 Flying Bat. It was personally raised by a rank 5 Dragoneer. An ordinary level 2 neo-demon couldn't possibly beat it! Neo-demon duel…. Some 'fair' duel this is going to be!" Darui felt like he just couldn't accept it. It was at this point that an idea flashed like lightning in his head.

"Neo-demon duel…. Neo-demon…. Greenwood Wolves!" His eyes suddenly filled with an intense glow, as if suddenly he had risen from the depths of despair.

"If I beg that senior, maybe he'll help me," he thought. "Trifling Barui will be defeated for sure! Then I can get the totem medallion that is rightfully mine, and begin my rise to prominence." Darui began to pant, and the glow in his eyes grew brighter. Filled with intense hope, he stood up and left, intent on seeking out that mysterious figure whom he found completely unfathomable. Of course, it was none other than the person he viewed as a master of the senior generation, Naruto.

Darui's sister frowned as she watched him walk off. She did nothing to stop him, but instead followed along behind him.

Darui didn't hesitate at all. Ignoring the fact that his sister was following him, he sped down the mountain toward the Neo-Demon Kennelist district. As he looked at the rows of courtyards, and smelled the strange odor in the air, his mind filled with worries regarding the potential losses and gains.

It didn't take long for him to reach Naruto's courtyard. He stood outside, his beautiful sister behind him, frowning. His sister didn't understand why Darui had suddenly rushed here as soon as she mentioned neo-demons.

"Darui…." she said softly.

He completely ignored her as he looked at the closed door leading into the courtyard. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward and, putting his most respectful expression on, clasped hands and bowed, making no move to open the door.

"Darui is here to pay respects, senior," he said.

His voice was loud, and echoed about. His sister's eyes narrowed immediately. She knew her younger brother well, and was used to how aggressive he usually acted because of the grievances he felt. There were few people he would actually treat courteously.

She hadn't seen him act as respectfully as this in a long time. Actually… she could clearly see that the respect he was showing was not an act, but existed deep in his heart.

"This place…." She looked closely at the courtyard and the shut door.

A long moment passed. Darui gritted his teeth and continued loudly, "Darui of the junior generation pays respects to the senior generation. Senior, I would like to request an audience." His voice echoed out, immediately attracting the attention of other nearby Neo-Demon Kennelists. Quite a few opened the doors of their courtyards to look over.

When they saw Darui and his beautiful sister, it only took a moment's thought to recognize who they were.

Darui's sister was starting to feel a little irritated. From her perspective, Darui was a descendant of the three great bloodlines. Vassals weren't even members of the Tribe, so there was no need to show them such veneration. And yet, Darui had bowed twice in greeting to the owner of this courtyard. She frowned and let out a cold harumph. She was just about to push the door open to see how skilled this Cultivator was, who her brother showed such politeness to.

However, as soon as she stepped forward, her brother moved to block her, an imploring look on his face.

When she saw his expression, her heart softened. With an inward sigh, she stepped back. Deep in her heart, her irritation at whoever was in the courtyard continued to grow.

More Cultivators were looking at them now, and some of them were discussing the proceedings in low tones.

"Those are descendants of the three great bloodlines. I've heard of the two of them. Why would they possibly come here to pay respects to a mere Neo-Demon Kennelist?"

"If they were going to pay respects to anyone, it should be Grandmaster C. The Cultivator in that courtyard is called Naruto, and there's nothing special at all about him."

"Maybe Grandmaster C isn't as polite as he seems, and refused to part with a neo-demon. Then, they had no choice but to lower their standards. Even still, why would they pick a Neo-Demon Kennelist with absolutely no reputation?"

Darui and his sister could hear what people were saying. As for Darui, it didn't change his mind at all. His sister, however, was looking grimmer and grimmer.

She had already endured about as much as she could when the courtyard door slowly opened without a sound. From within, a pleasant voice could be heard: "Enter."

Darui immediately got excited. He took a deep breath and then organized his garments. Bowing once more, he cautiously entered the courtyard. His sister followed, her face dark.

Naruto was sitting there cross-legged, surrounded by his five, napping Greenwood Wolves.

When she saw the wolves, Darui's sister's eyes went wide. With the exception of one, the entire group seemed to be high quality level 2 neo-demons. Now, she understood why her brother was being so polite.

"But there are a lot of Cultivators in the Western Desert who are skilled in raising neo-demons," she thought. "Darui isn't very experienced, so he mistakenly assumes that this guy is special. I wonder what this guy did to fool Darui so well." Her eyes glittered coldly, and in her heart she snorted coldly.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Darui dropped to his knees. "Senior, I beg of you to save me…."

This caused his sister to frown even more deeply.

Naruto opened his eyes. He looked over Darui and his sister, taking note of her antagonistic bearing. Ignoring her, he focused on Darui.

"You really aren't capable of controlling these Greenwood Wolves," he said calmly.

"Senior, I'm not here to request control of the Greenwood Wolves," he said, his voice filled with cordiality and entreaty. "I need your help. Barui is being an intolerable bully. I have to engage in a neo-demon duel with him. Senior, I have no neo-demons that are capable of standing up to him. Senior, please save me! I beg of you to stand at my side as a Dragoneer. I'll do anything you want, even pledge my life to you!"

"Darui, get up!" said his sister, her voice harsh.

Darui ignored her and continued to stare fixedly at Naruto, his eyes pleading.

Naruto looked at him silently for a moment, his eyes glittering.

"I want the totem branding technique of the Crow Scout Tribe," he said.

Hearing his words, Darui's sister immediately replied, "Impossible! You're just a vassal! Such a request is preposterous!" Two totem tattoos glittered on her, indicating that her Cultivation base was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Naruto ignored her, continuing to look at Darui as he waited for him to respond.

Darui hesitated for a moment. A totem branding technique was a Conclave magic of a Tribe. It would normally be very difficult for a vassal to acquire such a technique. According to custom, Darui shouldn't reveal such a technique to an outsider. Unless he was willing, the technique could not be extracted from him even by Soulsearch. Every Conclave Tribe member was blessed with a totem, which was branded onto their very soul.

However, when he considered all the injustice he had experienced in the past years, Darui gritted his teeth. A look of madness filled his face.

"I agree!" said Darui, clenching his jaw.

Ignoring his sister, Darui reached up to tap his forehead. Immediately, a glob of blood emerged from his mouth, which then transformed into a red leaf. The veins of the leaf were clearly visible and emitted a strange glow. Wood-type Chakra emanated off it. As soon as Naruto saw it, his eyes flickered with a barely perceptible glittering.

"So, it has something to do with the bloodline…." he thought. "No, that's not it. It's that object. So it has to be fused with the body?" The leaf shot over from Darui to Naruto.

Darui's sister's face immediately darkened and she took a step forward.

"Sis, this is my decision!" said Darui, setting his jaw.

His sister looked over at him. Seeing the expression on her younger brother's face, she thought about all the hardships they had endured. Finally, she sighed inwardly and closed her eyes.

The leaf hovered in front of Naruto. He reached out and touched it, whereupon the leaf disappeared. It transformed into a red aura that merged into his hand and then appeared as an image in his mind.

The image contained the technique necessary to plant the leaf firmly within his body. The description was very detailed, and could be considered a secret magic. People not of the three great bloodlines would never be able to figure it out.

After a long moment passed, Naruto's eyes began to shine, and he nodded. He rose to his feet.

"Okay, let's go."

Darui took a deep breath, then rose to his feet and bowed deeply to Naruto. Giving over his Tribe's secret magic had been a huge price to pay. Darui didn't even dare to think what would have happened if Naruto had suddenly refused to help him afterwards.

To Darui, all of this was… a huge gamble!

Taking this risk required him to suppress everything and go all out!

"Senior, this is my older sister, Mabui." Darui actually didn't even dare to look at her at the moment.

Mabui glared at Naruto and then, one word at a time, said, "It's a violation of Tribe rules for Darui to give you that secret magic. If you're cheating him in any way, then I, Mabui, swear on the Tribe totem that I will not rest until you are dead!" She still believed Darui to have been deceived, and radiated a strong killing intent toward Naruto.

In her opinion, Naruto's evil intentions had been revealed the instant he mentioned his desire to have the secret magical technique. People like this couldn't be allowed to live. Besides, if any news spread that he had acquired the technique from Darui, it wouldn't matter that Darui was a descendant of the three great bloodlines, it would be impossible for him to escape punishment.

The reason she hadn't prevented him from doing so just now was to protect his sense of self-respect. Secretly, though, she was thinking of various ways that she could kill Naruto to shut him up.

"If you want to blame someone," she thought, "blame yourself for being so greedy!" She gave him a deep look. In her mind, he was already dead.

Naruto gave a slight smile but didn't respond. Clasping his hands behind his back, he strode off. As he did, his five Greenwood Wolves lazily got to their feet to follow.

Darui led the way. As for Mabui, seeing how Naruto ignored her caused her to snort inwardly. Her eyes flashed with killing intent as she followed.

Eventually, they passed the courtyard of rank 3 Dragoneer Grandmaster C. Mabui called out to Darui, then entered the courtyard. Moments later she emerged, followed by an old man.

The old man wore a haughty expression; this was the same person who had instructed Naruto regarding how to raise neo-demons. He was quite famous in this stretch of courtyards, and was in charge of all the Neo-Demon Kennelist vassals. Of course, he was rank 3 Dragoneer Grandmaster C.

A bright green snake rested on his shoulders. It almost looked like it was made of crystal; however, its forked tongue flicked in and out of its mouth, and its eyes shone with a cold glow.

"Many thanks, Grandmaster C! I, Mabui, will never forget this kindness!" An expression of veneration filled Mabui's face. Even though she was a descendant of one of the three great bloodlines, she still would not dare to do anything to offend a rank 3 Dragoneer. Furthermore, she had paid quite a high price to get his help, all for the sake of Darui.

The arrogance was plain on the old man's face as he responded, "Considering you came with a command medallion, and since I owe you a favor, I might as well help out. It will only be this one time, though. Don't think it will happen again. Also, I make no guarantees regarding victory or defeat."

Old man C's gaze suddenly came to rest on Naruto and he suddenly appeared to be annoyed. Then he looked at Naruto's Greenwood Wolves, and his eyes glittered. This wasn't his first time seeing them; he had noticed long ago they seemed extraordinary. However, they weren't enough for him to truly care about.

C looked over at Mabui and frowned. "What's he doing here?"

Mabui hesitated. "He was invited by my younger brother," she said softly. "Grandmaster C…."

C's annoyed expression grew even more obvious and he let out a cold harumph. "Considering that you've invited others, then I'm afraid I won't be participating." His expression dark, he flicked his sleeve, turned, and walked back into his courtyard. In his mind, it was inconceivable that he, a Dragoneer, could possibly participate in any activity with a mere Neo-Demon Kennelist.

Naruto's eyes flickered slightly as he watched C turning to stalk off. He said nothing, but rather waited to see how Darui and Mabui would handle the situation.

Mabui was starting to get really nervous. She had spent a lot in her efforts to get help from Grandmaster C. Glaring hatefully at Naruto, she followed after C, her face filled with an expression of entreaty. She rattled off an endless stream of words as she tried to convince him to come back. Eventually, she gritted her beautiful teeth and offered even more compensation. C eventually gave a begrudging nod, then returned, walking past Naruto without giving him a passing glance.

Mabui breathed a sigh of relief. However, the bitterness she felt in her heart only deepened. She gave Darui a meaningful look, and then shook her head slowly. She was disappointed, she really did feel that it had been a big mistake on Darui's part not to listen to her advice from the beginning.

Sighing, Mabui followed behind Grandmaster C as he walked off. Naruto smiled indifferently as he followed. As for Darui, he looked thoughtful as he walked. The small group left the Neo-Demon Kennelist district and made their way up the mountain to an open square which was cut into the side of the mountain. Its surface was smooth granite.

Naruto looked around as they walked, whereas Darui was lost in thought. Up ahead, Mabui took out a branch, which she waved out in front of her. A green beam of light appeared that shot up into the sky and then exploded.

The resulting boom seemed to shake Darui out of his reverie. He took a deep breath and the looked up toward the explosion. Ten beams of light immediately shot out from ten different houses located on the mountain. Moments later, ten people emerged. In addition, various other Crow Scout Tribe members from down below the mountain began to make their way up. Darui turned toward Naruto, a look of determination in his eyes. He clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Grandmaster, please, help me."

Naruto smiled and gave a slight nod. His impression of Darui was growing. The young man was a bit impulsive, but his determination and perseverance were admirable.

People began to arrive, the first being from the group of ten.

One of their number was an old man dressed in a long white robe. His white hair floated in the wind, and his body was festooned with tattoos. One of the tattoos was that of a tree.

He seemed to be the most powerful in the group, the rest of whom emanated thick totemic power. Their Cultivation bases were extraordinary, most of them being around the early Core Formation stage.

As for the old man, he emanated power equivalent to the mid Nascent Soul stage.

Standing next to the old man was a smiling middle-aged man with grayish hair. His body was also festooned with totem tattoos, and emanated shocking power. He seemed to be slightly weaker than the old man; his power was analogous to the early Nascent Soul stage.

Mabui stepped forward and clasped hands toward the old man. "Mabui, descendant of the three great bloodlines, extends greetings to the Earth Priest. The command of the Greatfather stated that any time during this three day period, my younger brother Darui could initiate his neo-demon duel with Barui. The winner will receive the totem medallion!"

C stood next to her looking proud as he clasped hands in greeting to the old man.

Darui looked nervous as he stepped forward to stand next to Mabui, head bowed.

This old man of the mid Nascent Soul stage was none other than one of the two High Priests of the Crow Scout Tribe, who spent most of his time handling Tribal affairs. He looked Mabui over, glanced at Darui, and then sighed inwardly. On an emotional level, he felt sorry for the two of them. However, whatever decisions were made by the Greatfather had to be complied with. The Earth Priest would never argue with him unless it was some matter of great importance. He gave them slight nods, then looked over at Naruto. As for the Greenwood Wolves that were gathered behind him, his eyes flickered as he studied them. However, he said nothing. Instead, he turned to C.

"Thank you for your assistance, Dragoneer C."

Hearing this caused C to suddenly feel a bit excited. He quickly clasped hands and bowed.

"To be able to assist descendants of the three great bloodlines is an incredible honor for someone as lowly as me."

As these words were being exchanged, the rest of the ten people arrived. One of them was a young man wearing clothes very similar to those worn by Darui. He was tall and strapping, with handsome features and a somewhat proud expression. As he neared, Naruto could sense coldness emanating from Darui's eyes.

The young newcomer gave a cold snort and then said, "Darui, that totem medallion belongs to me, Barui. However, since the Greatfather decreed it, I have no choice but to defeat you and settle the matter once and for all!" After this he clasped hands and bowed in greeting to the Earth Priest, as well as the middle-aged man standing next to him.

The middle-aged man smiled approvingly and nodded. He was the Grand Elder of the Crow Scout Tribe, a position below that of High Priest, but one of great power nonetheless. He was also a powerful expert of the same bloodline as Barui. It was because of him that Barui had become so aggressive recently, and attempted to take the totem medallion that belonged to Darui.

It was at this point that a small crowd of other Crow Scout Tribe members arrived from below the mountain. There weren't too many, so it didn't take long for a group of close to one hundred people to surround the square.

Darui was nervous. He took a deep breath as he stared over at Barui. He was about to say something when Barui gave a cold laugh and then waved his hand. A green light shot out to circle around in mid-air. Piercing cries rang out.

Suddenly, the light stopped moving and transformed into a little green-colored bat the size of a human hand. It had sharp fangs, and its eyes glowed with a cold light. All in all, it looked quite fierce, and caused the eyes of all the onlookers to glow.

"This is my level 2 neo-demon, a Greenwood Bat!" said Barui arrogantly. "Darui, produce your neo-demon. If you don't have one, then go ahead and ask your Dragoneer to help you.

Conversations immediately broke out.

"Greenwood Bat! Of the three Greenwood totems, none are technically stronger than the others. What's most important is the Cultivator's connection with the neo-demon. In my opinion, Barui has more potential than anyone else in his generation. It's said that his Greenwood Bat was raised personally by rank 5 Dragoneer Sakumo!"

"I've got my eye on Barui too. Normal Tribe members can acquire Greenleaf totems, but only the three great bloodlines have access to the special totems, the Greenwood Wolves, Greenwood Bats and Greenwood Snakes! The Greatfather and the Priests can combine all three totems into a totem of the Ancestor Tree. It seems to me that Barui is definitely going to grow up to be a Chosen."

"There's no need to even mention Priests. They appear without any sign or indication. Whenever a Priest dies, his consciousness will return to Ancestor Greenwood Tree to be reincarnated. In any case, that Greenwood Bat sure does look extraordinary. Any neo-demon raised by rank 5 Dragoneer Sakumo will definitely be the most powerful in its level. Probably the only thing that could be most powerful would be something raised by Sakumo's father. He's the most powerful Dragoneer in the Tribe, level seven Grandmaster Homura…."

Hearing all the discussions made Darui feel as if all the blood in his body was rushing into his head. He took a step forward and was about to say something when Mabui suddenly called out.

"Grandmaster C, your assistance is requested!"

Mabui truly did not believe Naruto to be capable of securing victory. In order to prevent any loss of face, she spoke before Darui could. As soon as she did, all gazes fell upon old man C.

C gave a dry cough. Actually, this was his first time to engage in a neo-demon duel with someone of the three great bloodlines. Although he talked a big game, inwardly he was very focused on the opportunity present here. He had a chance now to increase his reputation, as well as gain other benefits, especially if he won.

He waved his right hand, causing the Greenwood Snake on his shoulder to fly into the air. It was like a green bolt of lightning that shot out to hover in front of the Greenwood Bat, its forked tongue flicking, its eyes radiating coldness.

The Greenwood Bat's expression didn't change at all, although the coldness in its eyes grew more intense.

"I am C. Presumably you all are familiar with my name, Fellow Daoists. I have been raising this Greenwood Snake for an entire year. The reason it took so long with this particular neo-demon is that I tested out a special technique on it to bring forth some mutations!" C pointed with his right hand, causing the Greenwood Snake to begin to tremble. Suddenly, a horn emerged from the middle of the snake's flat, glossy forehead.

This instantly caused a small commotion among the surrounding Cultivators, even the High Priest, who did a double take.

Naruto's eyes flashed as he examined the snake. Then, he began to laugh inwardly. Obviously, the horn was no mutation, but rather, a simple transplant. It was hard to say what beast it had been taken from, but it obviously had simply added it onto the snake. There were some people in the audience who realized this and paid the thing little heed. However, most of the onlookers appeared to be very interested in matter.

Seeing the looks of interest caused C to get even more excited. It was at this point that the High Priest cleared his throat. "Very well. Let's begin," he said.

Immediately, C waved his finger, causing the Greenwood Snake to fly at top speed toward the Greenwood Bat.

Barui was feeling a bit nervous. Before, he had never paid the slightest attention to C, but considering the man had raised a neo-demon that had a horn, it suddenly made him feel uneasy. Focusing his thoughts, he caused the Greenwood Bat's eyes to shine with coldness and then shoot forward.

In the blink of an eye, the two green beams of light slammed into each other. Booming sounds echoed out, along with a sharp shriek. Green-colored ripples spread out in all directions.

Darui looked up, his face filled with anxiety, and his fists clenched tightly. He had been a bit irritated that his sister cut him off earlier, but now he had little time to consider it. His eyes were fixed on the two green beams of light in mid-air.

Mabui stood off to the side, feeling extremely anxious. Although she constantly told Darui to endure the suffering silently, she was actually extremely furious. It was only to keep the both of them safe that she counselled him to show restraint. As for this neo-demon duel, she had fought hard to earn the right to have it. All her hope rested on Grandmaster C. Hopefully, a victory here would ensure that the totem medallion stayed safely in their bloodline.

Naruto looked up at the Greenwood Snake and its horn. It was currently radiating reddish light that increased its speed. He nodded. "So it is somewhat useful after all."

It was at this time that a miserable shriek suddenly filled the air as one of the green beams of light suddenly split into two, and a shower of blood filled the air.

The green beam was none other than the Greenwood Snake. Part of its body fell toward the ground, which the Greenwood Bat snatched up and ripped into shreds with its sharp teeth. It then looked back up at the Greenwood Snake in the air above, which currently only had half a body left.

The Greenwood Bat let out a cry as it charged up. The Greenwood Snake tried to avoid it. Unfortunately, even with the aid of the glow emitted by the red horn on its head, it was unable to dodge. In the blink of an eye, the Greenwood Bat was right at its side. It bit into the snake, which let out a miserable shriek. Its body began to wither, and within the space of a few breaths, had turned into a shrivelled corpse, its essence absorbed by the Greenwood Bat.

Darui's face fell, and he staggered backward as if the weight of an entire mountain had just slammed into him. He laughed bitterly.

Mabui's eyes filled with grief as she looked around helplessly.

Conversations immediately broke out among the audience.

"This defeat was destined to occur. There wasn't even a need to have a duel between Darui and Barui!"

"One is useless trash, the other is a Chosen! What's there to compare!?"

"Barui controlled his neo-demon with as much skill as a Dragoneer, and took the upper hand. You can see from this that Darui doesn't even have the confidence to control neo-demons."

Of course, all of these various conversations could be heard by Darui and Mabui.

As for Grandmaster C, his expression was calm. He shook his head and said, "It seems I still need to work on my Greenwood Snakes," he said coolly. "However, as you can all see, the changes I made to the snake increased its speed quite a bit. It may have been defeated by the Greenwood Bat, but the main reason would be that the Greenwood Bat was raised personally by rank 5 Dragoneer Sakumo. How could my Greenwood Snake have possibly defeated it?" He smiled as looked around at the audience, many of whom still had looks of interest on their faces. He had accomplished his goal, and was now certain that it wouldn't be long before more people began to seek out his services.

Seeing the ashen look on Darui's face tore at Mabui's heart. She turned toward C and angrily said, "Grandmaster C, you told me you were eighty percent certain you could achieve victory! If you had told me before what you said just now, then I wouldn't have gone to the Greatfather to beg for permission to hold this neo-demon duel!"

"So childish!" said C with an annoyed flick of a sleeve. "Neo-demon duels are filled with countless unpredictability. Even if I said I was ninety percent certain, that's just my opinion based on my judgement. After all your years practicing Cultivation, do you really not understand something so simple?"

"You!" she cried, glaring at C. However, a bitter smile slowly appeared on her face. C was a level 3 Dragoneer, and an official vassal. Despite her being a descendant of the three great bloodlines, she was currently in a very poor position. She knew she had been used, but there was really nothing she could do about the situation except laugh bitterly.

"Definitely a bit childish," said Naruto with a light cough.

As soon as his voice rang out, C gave a cold harumph. Darui's pale face suddenly flushed with blood as he looked over at Naruto. The look in his eyes was like that of a drowning man who suddenly saw a piece of wood floating in front of him.

Panting, Darui walked forward. Bowing deeply, he said, "Grandmaster, I beg for your assistance!"

Mabui looked over at him, flames of rage dancing in her eyes. One word at a time, she said, "How certain are you that you can win?"

"About eighty," replied Naruto with a smile. He looked over at his Greenwood Wolves and then pointed at Hairy #5.

Hairy #5 suddenly looked up. His eyes radiating a cold glow, he shot forward. He performed no flashy moves, but instead transformed into a green beam of light that sped directly toward the Greenwood Bat.

Barui's eyes filled with scorn. Of the three great bloodline totems, Greenwood Wolves were the largest and also excelled in speed. However, in his mind, they couldn't compare to Greenwood Bats at all, and he felt absolutely confident that his Greenwood Bat could sweep across all over level 2 totems. He sent his will out, already able to visualize the desiccated corpse of the wolf.

He laughed coldly. Moments before, he had been a bit nervous facing up against Grandmaster C. However, Naruto was nothing but a random stranger who he didn't care a bit about.

As he sent his will out, the Greenwood Bat let out a piercing cry and shot toward Hairy #5.

However, before it could barely even move, Hairy #5 increased his speed. This was not an increase of double or triple, but rather a multiple of ten!

He blurred into something that looked like a ghost, a speed which shouldn't be possible for level 2 neo-demons. A screaming sound like that of a thunderstorm filled the air. Amidst the roaring, and before the Greenwood Bat could even react, Hairy #5 was directly in front of it. His eyes radiated coldness as he bit down.

A bloodcurdling shriek poured out of the mouth of the Greenwood Bat. The sound only lasted for a moment before suddenly stopped. Hairy #5 swallowed down the hand-sized bat in a single gulp.

There was a green blur, and then Hairy #5 was back at Naruto's side. From the time he had left Naruto's side until the time he returned, only a single breath of time had passed!

This was a complete fatality of the same level!

Everything was deathly silent. The surrounding audience's eyes were wide, and they looked like they couldn't even breathe. Their minds spun with unprecedented shock.

Darui stood there in a daze, and Mabui's dainty mouth was wide open. Her expression was one of shock and blankness, as if she were dreaming.

Barui stared blankly. The Greenwood Bat had died too quickly for him to even react.

Atsui was also in the crowd. Moments ago when he'd seen Naruto getting ready to make a move, he had been worried. Now, however, he was staring wide-eyed, his mind a complete blank.

Barui and the rest of the members of his bloodline stared, stupefied, their minds spinning. Things had happened so quickly they didn't even have a chance to tremble.

As for the Grand Elder, his eyes instantly filled with an unprecedented glow as he stared at Hairy #5. The Earth Priest took a deep breath and looked over at Naruto, his gaze glowing as brightly as the sun.

A long moment passed before a buzz filled the air.

"Instant… instant fatality? An instant fatality of the same level!"

"That's a mutated Greenwood Wolf! Heavens, that's a mutated Greenwood Wolf!"

"It was so fast! Its speed… is even greater than that of a level 3 neo-demon! This wasn't a neo-demon duel, it was an absolute slaughter!"

"The only people who can raise neo-demons like this… are high level Dragoneers!"

It was at this moment during the reactions that all eyes came to rest… on Naruto.

Darui had the sudden urge to cry out. Moments ago he had been the object of ridicule; a breath later it was the exact opposite. He couldn't speak, and in fact, tears welled up in his eyes and began to flow down his face. He started to laugh. This laughter was a release of all the pressure that he had felt over the past years.

At the moment, he didn't even care about the totem medallion. All he cared about was this feeling of finally rising up, the feeling of no longer being below others.

Disbelief filled the eyes of Mabui, and her brain felt as if it were being struck by a hundred thousand lightning bolts. What had happened just now didn't seem possible, and all she could do was stare with wide eyes at Naruto.

Her mind was a complete blank; the only thing she could think about was how staunchly Darui had insisted on asking Naruto for help.

Slowly, her face grew pale as she thought of all the things she had said. Then she thought about the things she hadn't spoken out but only thought, and of her plans to kill Naruto.

All of these things filled her with complex emotions, as if everything she had said and done up to now was one big joke.

Conversations continued among the audience.

"The strangest thing is that Mabui asked for help from Grandmaster C when there was a powerful expert like this in the Crow Scout Tribe."

"Even more strange is how the brother and sister looked so hopeless after Grandmaster C was defeated…."

Hearing these conversations caused Mabui's beautiful face to begin to redden. It wasn't a flush of bashfulness, but rather, deep shame.

She wasn't sure what she should say. All her words and actions were exactly as Naruto had said, childish. There really was no other words that could describe them.

Barui's face was deathly pale, as if it didn't contain even a single tiny drop of blood. He had been branded to the neo-demon at the time of its death, and it seemed he had been injured as a result. His Cultivation base was even unstable and on the verge of suffering injury.

The Crow Scout Tribe's Grand Elder, the middle-aged man, gave a cold harumph. Immediately, other members of his bloodline stepped forward to settle the shaking of Barui's Cultivation base. All of them looked at Naruto with killing intent.

Off to the side, C was panting, his eyes filled with disbelief. What had happened just now filled his mind with buzzing. Then he heard what people were saying around him, and it was as if a viper were inside of him biting into his heart. His eyes instantly became bloodshot.

Being defeated by the neo-demon of a rank 5 Dragoneer wasn't too bad. In fact, it was almost an honor. But the fact that the neo-demon he had raised didn't measure up at all to Naruto's filled him with intense jealousy and hatred.

"That's only one of the five neo-demons you've raised!" he said through gritted teeth. "I predicted such extraordinariness when they were young and I was raising them. Although I didn't know it would mutate, and I could see that it was extraordinary!" His words caused the expressions of the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members to change.

"Don't tell me it was all just a coincidence?"

"That would certainly explain why this guy isn't famous. He really just struck it lucky and got a mutated neo-demon."

As the discussions continued, Barui glared at Naruto. His voice hoarse, he said, "I refuse to admit defeat! If you really have what it takes, then switch to another neo-demon and we'll have another duel!"

As he spoke, he slapped his chest and then stretched out his hand. Immediately, a black skull appeared in his palm. He threw it out, whereupon it exploded with a boom, transforming into a black bone dust which spread out in all directions. The bone dust emitted a strange and unique aura.

As soon as the aura appeared, a roaring could be heard from further up on the mountain. Next, a black beam descended. It took only the space of a few breaths for it to arrive in the square. As it did, the black beam of light transformed into a black bat!

The bat was black, but green veins could be seen all over its body. A black aura pulsed off of it, and its eyes were bright red. It emanated a malevolent aura, and emanated the pressure of a level 3 neo-demon.

The appearance of the bat caused quite a commotion among the audience, which immediately buzzed with conversation.

"A level 3 Greenwood Bat! And it's mutated! If it weren't, it wouldn't be black!"

"I recognize that bat! It's a venomous Greenwood Bat raised by Grandmaster Sakumo! It's actually only level 2, but because it's mutated, it emanates the pressure of a level 3 neo-demon."

"I remember some people offering an exorbitant price for that bat a few years ago, but Grandmaster Sakumo wasn't willing to give it up…."

The bat floated there in mid-air, gazing around with its crimson eyes, which came to rest on the five Greenwood Wolves next to Naruto. The bat opened its mouth to reveal a set of sharp black teeth. It let out a howl, then flickered as it shot toward Naruto.

The speed with which it approached seemed comparable to the Greenwood Wolf from moments ago.

"Hairy #4," said Naruto coolly, standing there as if he didn't even see the incoming black bat. Moments ago, Hairy #4 had been standing there looking bored, but as soon as he heard Naruto's command, he suddenly lifted his head up and howled.

Immediately, ripples spread out in all directions. The instant the ripples touched the bat, it began to tremble. Whereas moments ago it had been speeding forward, it now involuntarily stopped.

As soon as it stopped moving, Hairy #4 shot forward with explosive speed that exceeded that of Hairy #5 by double. In the blink of an eye, it was upon the black bat, whereupon it slashed out with its claws.

A boom filled the air, along with a miserable shriek. Just now, everyone had taken this black bat to be beyond ordinary. It was even mutated! Now, though, it took only a moment for its entire body to explode. Under the claws of Hairy #4, it died in an instant.

The entire fight lasted for only the space of one breath.

This was another… instant fatality!

Hairy #4 turned into a green blur as he returned to Naruto's side. The surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members were all breathing raggedly, and their eyes were wide. The scene just now left them in complete silence for a moment, after which a great commotion exploded out.

"That one's also mutated!"

"He… he has five Greenwood Wolves. Don't tell me they're all mutated!?"

"The way he's raising those Greenwood Wolves… just what rank of Dragoneer is he?!"

Amidst the commotion, Darui and Mabui stared in astonishment. Barui's face was pale white, and without even thinking about it, he backed up a few paces. These two neo-demon duels far exceeded his capacity for thought; they left his mind a spinning blank.

The Crow Scout Tribe Earth Priest once again gazed thoughtfully at Naruto. Next to him, the Grand Elder was frowning as he glared at Naruto.

As for old man C, his jaw had dropped and he was staring blankly at Naruto's Greenwood Wolves, his mind a complete blank. After a moment of mental struggle, he cried, "So, it wasn't just one mutated Greenwood Wolf, but two. Just as predicted…." Inwardly he was gnashing his teeth, but on the surface, he put on a profound and mysterious air.

"You predicted that too?" said Naruto, a cold light gleaming in his eyes. He was starting to get annoyed at this old man's arrogance.

"Hairy #3!" As soon as Hairy #3 heard Naruto's voice, he lifted his head up and emitted an astonishing howl. As it echoed out, the faces of the Crow Scout Tribe members immediately filled with shock. In addition, all of the Tribe members of the Foundation Establishment stage or lower were shaken.

Beneath the power of Hairy #3's howl, all Cultivation bases of Foundation Establishment and lower began to involuntarily rotate. The totems tattoos of those Cultivators began to shine brightly, and they felt an enormous pressure.

The power of the howl shook everything. In the blink of an eye, this scene, coupled with the actions of Hairys #4 and #5 just now, caused an even greater commotion.

"That's… that's another mutant!"

"Three mutants! That guy has a total of three mutant Greenwood Wolves!"

"Each one is more powerful than the one before it! This Greenwood Wolf is even more powerful than the peak of a level 3. It's almost the same as level 4!"

As the commotion broke out, C's face flickered with various emotions. He felt as if someone were violently smashing at his heart with a hammer. He staggered back a few paces.

Before he could say anything, Naruto's voice could be heard. "So, did you predict that too?" he asked coolly. C felt his mind reeling. Gnashing his teeth, he was about to respond that he had, when Naruto patted Hairy #2 on the back.

Hairy #2 slowly looked up. He did not fly forward, nor howl. All he did was emit a green glow from his body. The glow turned into a pillar of light that shot up into the sky. Up above, it transformed into an illusory body that lifted its head up to howl….

This howl caused all of the level 3 neo-demons in the Crow Scout Tribe to tremble. They couldn't stop themselves from prostrating and emitting simultaneous howls of reverence.

The sound caused everyone's hearts to tremble violently. No one spoke even a single word!

People could accept one mutant. Two was shocking. But three…. It was almost impossible to believe. And four…. The members of the Crow Scout Tribe seemed to have lost their ability to even think. They stared blankly at the four Greenwood Wolves standing next to Naruto.

"Rank 3 Dragoneer Grandmaster C, was this another thing that you predicted?" asked Naruto, his voice cold. His words caused all eyes to shift onto the old man.

C's face twisted and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Then, he pitched over and fell unconscious onto the ground. There was nothing else he could do in response to Naruto's incisive words. As shameless as he was, it was impossible for him to actually say that he had predicted that all four of the Greenwood Wolves would be so incredible.

The moment C fell onto the ground, a cold voice suddenly drifted down from the lofty position high up on the mountain from which the black bat had flown from.

"Those four Greenwood Wolves will be given to me, Sakumo."

As soon as the sound echoed out from the mountain peak, a figure could be seen descending. A middle-aged man strode forth, wearing a black robe. His features were handsome and filled with a certain grimness. He came to a stop next to Barui, his hands clasped behind his back.

The surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members instantly recognized him.

"It's Grandmaster Sakumo!"

Barui took a deep breath as he clasped hands and bowed deeply to the man. At the same time, the faces of the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members filled with veneration as they also clasped hands in greeting.

A smile covered the face of the Earth Priest as he nodded slightly toward the black-robed man. Next to him, the smile on the face of the Grand Elder was even more exuberant.

This black-robed man was none other than the Crow Scout Tribe's rank 5 Dragoneer Sakumo, who occupied a very high position within the Tribe. He looked over at Naruto, then back at the Earth Priest and the Grand Elder.

"These four mutated Greenwood Wolves appear to be excellent. My horde currently lacks some good attack neo-demons. If I raise those Greenwood Wolves for a while, they should meet my requirements. Could I prevail upon the Earth Priest and the Grand Elder to fulfill my desire?"

The entire time he spoke, it was obvious that his words were not directed toward Naruto. The arrogance with which he spoke made it clear that he took no note whatsoever of Naruto. This was the disregard of a highly ranked Dragoneer.

It didn't matter that it was Naruto who had raised the four mutated Greenwood Wolves. In his opinion, Naruto was nothing but an insect. Such an attitude was something Naruto had seen quite a bit of in the past. He gave a faint smile in response to Sakumo's disregard, an expression much similar to the one he had directed toward Mabui earlier.

The Crow Scout Tribe's Grand Elder gave a slight smile in response to Sakumo's words, but didn't say anything. He simply looked over at the Earth Priest.

The Earth Priest's expression was thoughtful. According to Tribe rules, neo-demons were usually raised by only one person, unless they were taken by a Tribe member.

Sakumo's request put him in somewhat of a difficult position. Were it some other Dragoneer, he would tactfully decline the request. But Sakumo was different. He was only rank 5, but his father was the number one vassal in the entire Tribe, rank 7 Dragoneer Homura.

Because of that, the Earth Priest really had no choice but to make some sort of compromise.

But then he looked over at Naruto, and especially his right hand, and smiled.

"I'm not authorized to make such a decision. These four neo-demons were raised by this Grandmaster here. You'll have to see if he's willing."

The words of the Earth Priest caused the Grand Elder's eyes to flicker and narrow imperceptibly. He looked at Naruto. Sakumo turned his head to truly look at Naruto for the first time, and his expression was one of shock.

The Earth Priest's words caused the surrounding Cultivators to think a variety of things. Their eyes flickered as they all looked at Naruto.

Naruto smiled. "If you can get these Greenwood Wolves to follow you, then I won't stop them. But if you can't, then according to the rules, I, Naruto, will have to select a few neo-demons to take from your horde." As far as Naruto was concerned, this was his opportunity to make his mark in the Crow Scout Tribe. Sakumo had appeared, looking to make a fool of himself; Naruto would naturally accommodate him.

Sakumo glared superciliously at Naruto and said, "You'll never get a chance to select a single one of my neo-demons. As a Dragoneer, I will help you to understand the meaning of controlling neo-demons!"

With that, he flicked his sleeve and strode in Naruto's direction. Smiling, Naruto took a few steps back, allowing him full access to the Greenwood Wolves.

Sakumo was getting excited. As a rank 5 Dragoneer, he had a variety of techniques to use to control neo-demons. This was especially true of his particular bloodline, which had produced a rank 9 Dragoneer in the past; that was one step away from Grand Dragoneer. In the end, he had perished, but before doing so, had passed down his secret techniques as a legacy for successive generations.

It might not compare to some of the other Western Desert Dragoneer legacies, but here in the five Crow Divinity Tribes, it was quite outstanding.

"Greenwood Wolves are Wood-type neo-demons that are born at level 1 and can grow to level 7. Within the lists of Western Desert neo-demons, they are in the 891st position. Their original ancestor was born beneath the ancient Greenwood Tree, thus the reason they are called Greenwood Wolves.

"They move with blinding speed and have sharp fangs. They also enjoy the fragrant smell of forest leaves. The thrice refined Green Incense of a rank 5 Dragoneer can cause all masterless Greenwood Wolves under level 5 to submit." The surrounding Cultivators' eyes were filled with looks of reverence as Sakumo arrogantly explained himself.

Naruto's face was covered with his usual slight smile. He said nothing, but merely watched as Sakumo produced a green incense stick. The incense stick seemed to have been created using various plant and vegetation materials. As soon as it appeared, a faint, fragrant aroma drifted out.

However, the aroma seemed to have absolutely no effect on the five Greenwood Wolves. They continued to laze about on the ground, not paying it the slightest heed.

"Not bad," said Sakumo. "The fact that they can stand up to this high level Green Incense shows that these neo-demons are beyond ordinary. However, it will be a much different story after I light the incense with my secret Dragoneer kindling magic! Fellow Daoists, please observe!" Setting his chin, he suddenly flashed an incantation with his right hand. Soon, ripples of magic could be seen which spread out toward the Green Incense that he held in his other hand.

An intangible flame appeared, causing the Green Incense stick to begin to smolder. The aroma was immediately ten times thicker than before as it emanated out in all directions. All of the surrounding Cultivators who had Greenwood Wolf totem tattoos were shocked to find the totems within their bodies surging involuntarily. The Cultivators backed up away from the horrifying fragrance.

However, the five Greenwood Wolves who lay directly in the middle of the aroma didn't react even the slightest bit, except for Hairy #5, who lifted his head and yawned lazily.

Everything was quiet. Quite a few people were looking at Sakumo, whose face was flickering slightly. He'd never imagined that something like this could happen. With a cold snort, he suddenly snapped his fingers, causing the Green Incense to collapse. The aroma of the incense then grew several time stronger and thicker as it emanated out.

And yet… Big Hairy and Hairy #2 didn't even bat an eyelid. As for Hairy #5, he actually nudged Hairy #4 playfully, completely ignoring Sakumo.

Naruto coughed dryly. The aroma was completely ineffective because of their mutation; previous flaws that existed within ordinary Greenwood Wolves were now gone.

"Not bad," said Sakumo, clearing his throat. "These Greenwood Wolves are very good at resisting this incense. But that doesn't matter. I, Sakumo, have many techniques. If the simplest doesn't work, who cares?" Suddenly, he waved his right hand, causing a red glow to appear in front of him, within which could be seen a huge lump of meat.

The fresh meat dripped with blood, the smell of which spread out to fill the area. Hairy #5 suddenly looked up. Hairys #4 and #3 also looked over. The surrounding audience members who had Greenwood Wolf totem tattoos backed up, their faces filled with fear. They could feel the Greenwood Wolf totems inside of them moving about in agitation. It seemed like they might go completely out of control and burst forth at any moment.

Sakumo laughed. "The blood and meat of the Searchtree Deer is irresistible to Greenwood Wolves. That is especially true of this lump of meat, which I, Sakumo, have been refining for eight months!" Hairy #5 had an odd expression on his face as he looked over. He sniffed the air a few times, then turned back to play with Hairy #4. Hairy #3 studied the lump of meat for a moment, then seemed to find it boring and looked away.

Naruto chuckled. During his training of these wolves, Naruto had only fed them meat like this once, that first time in the beginning. Afterward, he only fed them meat when he secretly took them out into the mountains and let them kill and eat live beasts. To them, it was somewhat of a habit. When it came to meat that wasn't fresh, they wouldn't find it interesting at all. The only reason Hairy #5 had looked over earlier was because of curiosity.

Sakumo's eyes went wide. However, the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members were all looking at him, so he merely coughed and covered his face with an expression of praise.

"So, it seems I'll actually have to use something really powerful!" he said through gritted teeth. He waved his hand, causing a green liquid to appear. This provoked no reaction from Big Hairy and the others.

Sakumo was starting to get anxious. He quickly performed an incantation with both hands, employing a magical technique that caused glowing bands of light to shoot out toward the five Greenwood Wolves. The wolves, however, didn't even so much as glance at the bands of light. They continued to play around, except for Big Hairy, who had closed his eyes to nap.

The surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members had strange expressions on their faces. They had seen Sakumo use incense, meat, water and even magic. He was using so many methods that he had started to sweat…. However, none of them provoked any reaction at all on the part of the Greenwood Wolves. They continued to ignore him.

Darui, Mabui and the others all watched on with odd expressions. Even the Grand Elder was frowning. As for the Earth Priest, a thoughtful smile could be seen on his face as he looked again at Naruto's right hand.

"As of now, I think I can confirm his identity," thought the Earth Priest. He was beginning to grow very happy.

Sakumo glared at the five Greenwood Wolves, his eyes a bit bloodshot. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his bag of holding, which caused a bloody glow to emerge. It came to rest on his hand in the form of a blood-colored medicinal pill.

The instant the medicinal pill appeared, the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members' faces lit with shock. Their totem tattoos began to glow as one neo-demon after another appeared. They lifted their heads up to the sky and howled, then stared fixedly at the blood-colored pill in Sakumo's hand. If their masters weren't holding them back, it seemed as if these neo-demons would charge forward in attack.

The Grand Elder's eyes narrowed. "That's…."

Even the Earth Priest narrowed his eyes.

Holding the pill out, Sakumo arrogantly said, "I have been refining this pill from the day I became a rank 1 Dragoneer. This is a Demon Nurturing Pill!"

This was his trump card as a Dragoneer, a method specifically targeting neo-demons.

"Demon Nurturing Pill!"

"So it's a legendary Demon Nurturing Pill! It's said that this type of pill has long since vanished from the face of the Earth. And yet Grandmaster Sakumo is holding one right there!"

Everyone was completely shocked.

His voice filled with pride, Sakumo said, "Although this is not a real Demon Nurturing Pill of legend, it has been handed down from my ancestors. True, it might not measure up to the pill of the Frigid Snow Clan. However, their formula was actually flawed. My pill can definitely outdo any other pill in the Western Desert. It can cause all neo-demons within a three hundred meter area to go crazy!"

As far as Sakumo was concerned, now that he had produced this pill, there was nothing to worry about. If it wasn't for the fact that he was in a bind, and everyone had watched him pull off a string of failures, he would never have dared to pull it out.

All of the neo-demons in the area were howling. Naruto's Greenwood Wolves looked over at the pill, strange expressions in their eyes.

Sakumo held out the Demon Nurturing Pill, his expression aloof. As far as he was concerned, there was now nothing to worry about. He had never heard of any neo-demon capable of resisting a Demon Nurturing Pill.

However, it took only a moment for his expression to fill with shock. It wasn't just him; all of the surrounding members of the Crow Scout Tribe were all staring with wide eyes at the five Greenwood Wolves. They simply couldn't believe it.

Big Hairy hadn't even opened his eyes, and was still napping. Hairy #2 and the others had odd expressions on their faces. They sniffed the air and then looked with confusion over at Naruto.

Naruto didn't say anything. All of the wolves, except for Big Hairy, resumed their playing. As for Sakumo and his Demon Nurturing Pill, they were completely ignored.

The neo-demons of the surrounding Tribe members were going crazy, whereas the Greenwood Wolves were completely calm. The sight of it caused Sakumo's brain to be filled with what seemed like the explosion of thunder.

Nobody spoke. Nearly a hundred people all seemed as if they couldn't even breathe.

"Impossible…." said Sakumo. "How could this be? This… this is a Demon Nurturing Pill. There's not a single neo-demon that could possibly resist it…." His face was pale; what was happening was a huge blow to him. He staggered backward, muttering to himself and staring at his most precious, treasured Demon Nurturing Pill. Then he looked back at the five Greenwood Wolves.

His felt his mind reeling, and a look of confusion filled his eyes. Suddenly, he began to doubt himself.

Naruto gave a dry cough. He felt a bit bad for Sakumo. If the man had pulled out some other item, perhaps it could have attracted the attention of Big Hairy and the other wolves. But to the wolves, this supposedly precious Demon Nurturing Pill was absolutely valueless.

From the time they were small, they had been raised on the Frigid Snow Clan's Demon Nurturing Pill. Most importantly, even the Frigid Snow Clan couldn't concoct a Demon Nurturing Pill of the same quality as Naruto, unless they had a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy like him.

By way of analogy, it was as if these Greenwood Wolves had been raised on gold and silver, only to have someone pull out a chunk of copper or iron to try to get their attention. How could they possibly care about something like that…?

That was especially true of Big Hairy, who had eaten a real Demon Nurturing Pill!

Actually, the pill formula from the Frigid Snow Clan was not flawed. However, they were not capable of using it to create a true Demon Nurturing Pill, because they were not Demon Sealers!

Only Demon Sealers could use the Demonic Chakra of Heaven and Earth, merge it into the medicinal pill, and thus, concoct a real Demon Nurturing Pill.

That was the type of pill that Big Hairy had consumed. The changes to him had been earth shattering, beyond that which exists in the mortal world.

"If Grandmaster Sakumo has no other methods to try out, then I think it's time for me to select some of his neo-demons. Earth Priest, could I bother you to bear witness?" Naruto smiled at Sakumo, then turned to bow toward the Earth Priest with clasped hands.

How could Naruto not have noticed the man studying the totem tattoo on his right hand earlier? That had been his plan from the very beginning, and also the identity he had chosen to assume.

A descendant of the Frigid Snow Clan!

The totem tattoo on Naruto's right hand was none other than the Eyeless Larva, which looked very similar to the Frigid Snow Larva. People who didn't know the difference would naturally confuse the two. Of course, Tribes who uses larvae as totems were not very common in the Western Desert, but Naruto was sure that, if he showed off the talents of a Dragoneer, people would be able to put two and two together.

Earlier, this was exactly what had happened in the mind of the Earth Priest.

The Earth Priest thought for a moment and then looked over at Sakumo. He didn't need to actually say anything. Not just his gaze, but the gazes of all the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members all fell onto Sakumo. It is difficult to get off a tiger once you start riding it, and that is just the situation Sakumo was in right now.

He glared over at Naruto. As of now, the hostility he felt had reached an incredible level. After a long moment, he ground his teeth. He couldn't possibly violate Dragoneer custom in front of all these people. At the same time that he'd had received approval to attempt to take Naruto's neo-demons, he had agreed to the possibility of Naruto taking his.

Sakumo gave a cold harumph as he thought to himself, "His neo-demons are just too bizarre. However, even though I have no way to make them follow me, if he thinks he's going to take my neo-demons away, he'll be sadly mistaken!" Thinking of the strength of his own neo-demon horde, he felt quite confident. With that, he waved his right hand, causing a special bag of holding to appear. This bag of holding appeared to be constructed from the skin of beasts. It began to tremble, and suddenly multiple beams of light flew out, accompanied by powerful cries.

In total, there were 23 Greenwood Wolves, 19 Greenwood Snakes and 13 Greenwood Bats. They flew out to surround around him, emanating shocking power. The observing Crow Scout Tribe members all had looks of profound veneration on their faces.

That caused some of Sakumo's embarrassment to lessen. His eyes glittered as he produced another bag of holding, which he waved in front of him. Three deafening cries suddenly shook everything as three thirty meter long neo-demons emerged. One was a burly Greenwood Python and another was an Greenwood Wolf whose body crackled with lightning.

The final of the three caused the entire horde of neo-demons to tremble. It was a gigantic bat!

This bat emanated an ancient aura, as if it had been alive for a very, very long time. Although it floated there in mid air, its wings were actually folded up, and it stood upright like a person. It glared about, its eyes cold and piercing. Anyone upon whom it gazed wouldn't be able to stop from trembling.

The surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members couldn't help but stare at Sakumo with deep veneration.

"Three level 5 neo-demons! All three of them are mutated! And look at that Black Bat…. It's as strong as the late Foundation Establishment stage!"

"There are even a lot of level 4s, although most of them are level 3. Not a single one is level 2!"

In the Western Desert, a level 5 Dragoneer could be considered a powerful expert. For example, this Sakumo actually only had a Cultivation base at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. However, when it came to his fighting prowess, he would be able to cause quite a headache even for someone of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"This is my neo-demon horde! If you think you have the skill, just try to take them away!" Sakumo's voice echoed about, filled with self-confidence. His expression was one of pride. He was sure that at the very most, Naruto would take away some of the weaker level 3 neo-demons. After acquiring these neo-demons, had expended virtually all of his resources to raise them. They had been with him for years, giving him supreme confidence that they would not capitulate to Naruto.

Naruto gave a slight smile. Considering his own Cultivation base and identity, he didn't find it inappropriate to teach a lesson to this trifling little Cultivator. His gaze swept across the neo-demons.

"To become one of Naruto's neo-demons can only be described as luck and good fortune. I'll give you the space of three breaths to decide. If you want to follow me, come over here." He spoke the words indifferently, but as he did, he caused Demonic Chakra to begin to emanate out.

Even this small amount of Demonic Chakra immediately caused a dozen or so of the neo-demons to begin to tremble and look over. It also caused the totemic neo-demons of the Crow Scout Tribe members to begin to howl. The sound of it filled the air as almost all of them left the sides of their masters to fly in the air, howling with hope.

The face of the Tribe's Grand Elder fell as the totem tattoo on his body began to glow and then the Greenwood Snake within charged out, howling.

The face of the Earth Priest also fell as his own totem tattoo began to emit a glow. Gasping, he waved his hand, causing the power of his Cultivation base to explode out. Invisible shields suddenly sprang up everywhere, preventing the totemic neo-demons of the Tribe members from charging forward.

Sakumo's face was filled with thorough disbelief, and he was breathing rapidly. He stared at the neo-demon horde which had moments ago been obediently standing at his side. Now, they were howling crazily and charging toward Naruto. In the blink of an eye, only the three level 5 neo-demons were left behind struggling.

After the space of one breath passed, the Greenwood Wolf and the black Greenwood Snake shot over toward Naruto. Now, only the bat remained, staring fixedly at Naruto with its cold eyes. However, within those eyes could be seen both intelligence and shock.

"Come here," said Naruto, staring back at the bat. He could tell that the bat was suffering from some hidden injury that others would find it difficult to be able to detect. Naruto was also able to sense a faint Demonic Chakra emanating out from it.

The feel of it was very similar to that of Big Hairy.

However, the Demonic Chakra was in disorder, which was why Naruto was able to detect the strange injury.

As soon as Naruto spoke to the bat, the gigantic creature's eyes flashed with a glow of intelligence. Suddenly, its body shot into the air and it flew to stand next to Naruto.

"Impossible!" shouted Sakumo, blood spraying from his mouth as he staggered backward several paces. He felt like he was on the verge of going insane.

All of this was simply impossible to accept. His eyes were bright red and his hair was completely disheveled. Even as he roared, his eyes filled with intense killing intent. How could he possibly accept that in front of all these people, some completely unknown Dragoneer would defeat him in this way? Killing intent flared in his eyes and he suddenly lifted up his right hand.

There on his wrist was a black bone bracelet. The bracelet shattered into pieces, which exploded out into a bone ash mist.

The bone ash mist then began to congeal. As it did, it started to glow brightly and emit the light of teleportation. Roaring sounds could suddenly be heard within the teleportation spell; at the same time, streams of ash-colored light appeared, which then transformed into a gray Giant Ape, roughly twenty-five meters long.

The ape's eyes were bright red, and its fur was long and luxuriant. The instant it appeared, it let out a frightening roar, along with an aura equivalent to the Core Formation stage, that filled the area. The faces of the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members were instantly filled with shock.

"A level 6 neo-demon!"

"That's a level 6 neo-demon!"

His voice filled with rage, Sakumo cried, "Kill all his neo-demons, and kill him!"

Immediately, the Giant Ape rose up and let out a shocking roar. Then, it charged directly toward Naruto.

Its face was filled with ruthlessness, as if there was no living thing that it couldn't rip to shreds.

Naruto's eyes grew cold.

"Big Hairy," he said coolly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Big Hairy, who had been napping the entire time, lifted his head. His body looked skinny and weak, but then suddenly exploded with shocking power. His cold eyes filled with brutality and madness that soared to the Heavens.

His savagery was usually kept suppressed by Naruto. Without a direct command, it would never appear. Now, it exploded out, and as it did, a bloody aura swirled out from his body. It was in this moment that his green-colored fur suddenly…

Turned white!

A white streak of light shot forward at incredible, indescribable speed. In a split second, it was directly in front of the Giant Ape. A boom rattled out, shaking Heaven and Earth, and waves of ripples spread out in all directions, kicking up dust and causing a howling wind to sweep about.

A howl followed by a groan could be heard from the Giant Ape's mouth. It was as if its enormous body had suddenly slammed directly into a mountain. It fell back, blood spraying from its mouth as its shrill cry echoed out around it. Its chest was now awash with blood; an enormous chunk of flesh had been violently ripped out of it.

The white light flickered, and Big Hairy was standing off to the side, holding the chunk of meat in his mouth. He swallowed the meat down and then licked the blood from his lips.

His expression was one of pride, coupled with cold ruthlessness. He looked at the Giant Ape for a moment, then raised his head to the sky and howled. Suddenly, a field of illusory shadows appeared around him, within which the image of an enormous tree could be seen.

The tree began to twist, its branches intertwining with each other to change into the image of a huge wolf's head. As Big Hairy leaped forward, the Giant Ape looked terrified. Nonetheless, it let out a roar, causing its body to expand as it shot to meet him.

Big Hairy's body flickered as he once again neared the Giant Ape. His ghastly mouth opened wide and then clamped down onto the ape's neck. This time, the Giant Ape's shrieks couldn't be any more miserable.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed out, along with a cracking sound….

Blood shot out of the Giant Ape's head as Big Hairy ripped it clean off the body. Holding the head in his mouth, he turned and flickered back to Naruto. Dropping the head to the ground, he licked some blood off of it and then looked around with coldness and savagery at the surrounding onlookers. Of course, he would only attack if Naruto uttered another command.

The other neo-demons surrounding Big Hairy backed away from him, trembling, not daring to be near him. Even Hairy #2 and the other Greenwood Wolves did so. As for the level 5 Lightning Greenwood Wolf and the python, they also slowly backed up, their expressions filled with vigilance and reverence.

It was only the enormous Black Bat that looked coldly at Big Hairy. Big Hairy looked back, savagery dancing in his eyes.

The two neo-demons faced off, sizing each other up.

Further away in the square, Sakumo stood there with a blank look on his pale face, his body trembling.

The Giant Ape was now only a headless body. Blood surged out from the neck, filling the entire square with its smell.

After a long moment, people finally started to breathe again. Everyone's eyes were glued onto Big Hairy; their expressions were that of astonishment, shock and excitement.

"White Wolf!"

"It turns out that it's a White Wolf! The Crow Scout Tribe's ancient records mention a Crow Divinity White Wolf! According to the legend, that's the same color as the ancestor of all Greenwood Wolves. Don't tell that this is… the reincarnation of the ancestor?"

"A mutated, reincarnated ancestor! That's something you rarely see even in a hundred years! In ten thousand Greenwood Wolves, you might only find one! The Crow Scout Tribe hasn't had a White Wolf appear in ages!"

The Crow Scout Tribe members were in an uproar. The minds of each and every person was filled with shock, to a level far exceeding that caused by anything that had happened earlier.

As for the Tribe's Grand Elder, he was breathing heavily, and his eyes filled with a bright glow of greed that he couldn't suppress.

The Earth Priest's body trembled and his eyes glowed with astounding brightness as he stared at Big Hairy and the white fur that covered his body. He panted for a moment before recovering his composure.

"Earth Priest," said Naruto coolly, "I asked you to bear witness, so I'm afraid I'll need an explanation regarding this Giant Ape neo-demon. Otherwise, you can't blame me for handling the matter myself." He waved his hand, causing a handful of neo-demons to shoot forward, latch onto the Giant Ape's corpse with their sharp teeth, and drag it back to Naruto.

Naruto clasped hands and bowed, then, in front of all the surrounding Cultivators, turned and began to walk down the mountain. As he did, the Tribe members who stood in his way moved off to either side to make room, their faces filled with veneration. Quite a few even bowed their heads to him.

In the Cultivation world, respect is shown toward the powerful. Such was the case no matter where one went. In fact, in the vast lands of the Western Desert, this was even more the case.

As for old man C, he had regained consciousness by this point. He looked at Naruto as he walked off, and the dozens of neo-demons that were following, and his eyes filled with awe. No longer was he jealous or envious. He knew that the difference between them was far too vast, to the point where he no longer felt any rancor. Instead, there was only fear inside him.

The Crow Scout Tribe Grand Elder watched Naruto leaving with all the neo-demons, and his eyes flickered coldly. "You're going to leave just like that?" he said coolly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, ripples of pressure emanated out, enveloping the area Naruto stood in. The Grand Elder's body flickered, and a moment later, he was standing directly in front of Naruto, blocking his way. "That White Wolf is a sacred relic of ours. Leave it behind, and then you may depart." The Grand Elder's eyes flickered across Big Hairy, and his heart started to pound with eagerness. It was impossible to prevent some of that eagerness from showing on his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you clearly. Could you say that again?" As he spoke the words, Naruto's eyes looked the same as they usually did. However, there was just a hint of coldness as well. Immediately, killing intent from the surrounding neo-demons filled the air. This was especially true of Big Hairy, whose pupils suddenly turned completely white.

As for the Black Bat, it floated there in mid-air, its eyes red. It too was emanating killing intent.

If that was all there was to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, totemic light suddenly flashed up from the back of Naruto's right hand. The aura of the Eyeless Larva emanated out. The Eyeless Larva lived because it had plundered a breath from every living thing in the world. Its existence was shocking to the extreme, and the instant its aura emanated out, the Grand Elder's face fell.

Even more shocking to the Grand Elder was that he could sense two more hidden types of profound aura within Naruto. He wasn't sure which if any of them was Naruto's. One was a like a sea of blood that rose to the heavens. The other was like the disdain of a sovereign of the sky.

"High level Dragoneer!" thought the Grand Elder, his face flickering with emotion. "He has at least a few incredibly powerful, horrifying neo-demons!" He might be able to look down on Naruto himself, but could not look down on his status as a high-level Dragoneer.

Dragoneer Cultivators were not inherently strong, but their neo-demons were!

The Grand Elder was now hesitating inwardly. It was at this time that the Crow Scout Tribe's Earth Priest suddenly coughed.

"Grandmaster Naruto, please, stay here with us in the Crow Scout Tribe. Everything that happened just now was a misunderstanding. As for the matter of that ape, Grandmaster, I can offer you an explanation."

The Earth Priest's wording was polite, which instantly caused the Grand Elder's eyes to narrow. It seemed to him that there was something fishy about the way the man had been acting today. Eyes flickering, the Grand Elder said nothing, and actually stepped to the side to make way.

Naruto turned to look back at the Earth Priest, then clasped hands and bowed. Then, he continued on his way down the mountain. Slowly, the crowd in the square dispersed, included ashen-faced Sakumo. The Grand Elder could not settle the doubts he felt in his heart as he turned toward the Earth Priest.

"Fellow Daoist Yarui, just now that Dragoneer named Naruto was certainly extraordinary. However, Sakumo is the son of Grandmaster Homura. Weren't our actions just now a bit inappropriate?"

"How were they inappropriate?" replied the Earth Priest indifferently. "You saw the totem tattoo on the back hand of Dragoneer Naruto. Could you really not put two and two together?" He chuckled, looking at the Grand Elder.

"Totem tattoo? It was a larva…." The Grand Elder's eyes glittered, then filled with a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, he looked toward the Earth Priest with an expression of disbelief.

"Don't tell me…."

The Earth Priest smiled slightly. "If my speculations are correct, he is none other than a descendant of the Frigid Snow Clan. I received some news recently that Holy Snow City in the Black Lands has fallen, and the Frigid Snow Clan has left for the Southern Domain. From the look of things, some of the Clan members have instead decided to return to the Western Desert.

"This also explains why we have been unable to uncover any information about him during his six months as a vassal. He just recently fled the Black Lands, and is fearful of being followed. Therefore, he has been unusually cautious, and chose the Crow Scout Tribe as a place of refuge."

"Well that's just…." The Grand Elder was now palpitating with eagerness. He clearly remembered some rumors he had heard of a fearsome Dragoneer named Kazama in the Frigid Snow Clan.

"I'll discuss the matter with the Greatfather," said the Earth Priest. "However… even though the Crow Scout Tribe is small, I think we can still offer protection to a descendant of the Frigid Snow Clan! The main thing to worry about is not what enemies he might have, but rather, how to convince him to continue as a vassal of the Crow Scout Tribe. As a descendant of the Frigid Snow Clan, he possesses the innate skills of a Dragoneer. With enough resources and luck, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become a level 9 Dragoneer!

"In fact, perhaps he will gain a chance to receive enlightenment from the Tree Ancestor. Grandmaster Homura was the first to do so that year, which rose him to rank 6 Dragoneer." His eyes thoughtful, the Earth Priest flicked his sleeve and then transformed into a beam of light that shot toward the top of the mountain.

Even as they were discussing Naruto's identity, Naruto arrived back in his courtyard in the Neo-Demon Kennelist district behind the mountain. The entire way, he was followed by his scores of neo-demons, which of course caused quite a stir among all of the Cultivators in the area. They looked over with blank expressions of shock as Naruto walked past them.

When Naruto finally entered his courtyard, the shocked spectators began to discuss the matter in low tones. Soon, news of the neo-demon duel between Naruto and level 5 Dragoneer Sakumo spread throughout the entire Tribe. Everyone learned that Naruto had five mutated Greenwood Wolves. Everyone gasped after hearing this, and their expressions were those of astonishment.

Back in his courtyard, Naruto ignored the neo-demon horde. Instead, his gaze came to focus on the Black Bat. His eyes flickered slightly as he closely examined the Demonic Chakra within it.

Suddenly, Naruto's heart began to tremble, and a strange look appeared in his eyes. As he looked closer, he gradually was able to make out something within the Black Bat's body.

It was a wooden sword!

The instant he sensed the wooden sword, Naruto's eyes began to glitter brightly. Shock welled up in his heart. Whereas he had been sitting there cross legged, he suddenly rose to his feet.

The instant he stood up, it was as if the whole world grew smaller. Everything was replaced by Naruto. His rising up caused a tempest to spring into being. His rise even caused thunderbolts to shoot up to the Heavens.

Naruto's mind reeled and his heart shook. His aura immediately exploded out of him, enveloping the courtyard, causing the entire neo-demon horde to begin to shake and stare at him in fear. They began to whimper and prostrate themselves on the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

Even Big Hairy was shaking and his head was bowed. The Black Bat also shook as it hovered there in mid-air. There was definitely something extraordinary about it, but Naruto was in the late Gold Core stage and was also a Demon Sealer. Because of these two things, a simple thought from him could annihilate it and transform it into nothing but floating dust.

For the Black Bat, this made Naruto completely different than its previous master.

Currently, lightning was crackling in the air above the courtyard, multiple bolts which danced back and forth. The aura in the courtyard had been thrown into absolute chaos, as if the whole area had been carved away from the world, and now existed on its own, as part of Naruto.

Golden light began to emanate out from him. When this happened, there was absolutely no scholarly aura remaining in him, not even a scrap. It was instead replaced by the soaring will of a powerful expert of Heaven and Earth. In this moment, he was no longer a scholar, but an almighty expert of the late Gold Core stage, someone who could stand toe to toe with a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

All of this… could not be seen from the outside world. On the outside, the breeze blew gently and the clouds floated about. Only on the inside of the courtyard, however, was the will of a powerful expert emanating out from Naruto.

He gazed fixedly at the trembling Black Bat for a moment, then closed his eyes. It lasted only a moment, though. Then his eyes snapped back open. The lightning disappeared without a trace, and the tempest was gone. Naruto's body returned to normal. No longer was he a stalwart, powerful expert. Instead, he once again looked like a gentle scholar.

"A wooden sword…." he breathed lightly. His right hand reached out into the air, and suddenly the Black Bat began to tremble, unable to resist. It shot toward Naruto, who then grabbed ahold of it.

Intense fear floated within the Black Bat, terror of Naruto emanating from its eyes. As far as it was concerned, the seemingly Heavenly might, along with Naruto's faint Demonic Chakra, transformed into an unmatchable pressure that bore down onto it.

Naruto held onto the bat, his eyes thoughtful. After a moment passed, he lifted his left hand and then stabbed it into the body of the Black Bat. The wounded bat began to squirm; its life force was already beginning to slip away. However, at the same time, Demonic Chakra began to pour from Naruto's left hand, restoring the very life that the Black Bat was losing as he ripped it apart.

His hand gradually shoved deeper into the bat's body. Eventually, deep within the blood and flesh, Naruto's hand closed around the hilt of a wooden sword. The instant it did, he wrenched the sword out of the bat's body.

Blood showered out, and the Black Bat let out a bloodcurdling shriek as it backed up and struggled to fly into the air. Instead, it flopped to the ground, panting, on the verge of death. At the same time, a look of gratitude appeared in its eyes. Although its body was trembling, its majestic life force was now soaring upward.

It seemed that the sword had actually been blocking its life force and obstructing the bat's cultivation. Now that Naruto had removed it, its Cultivation base was immediately restored, and its life force exploded out. This, coupled with the Demonic Chakra from Naruto, caused the bat's life force to become even stronger.

It appeared weak at the moment. However, its wound was rapidly healing, and an increasingly powerful aura billowed up from it.

The gratefulness in its eyes gradually faded, replaced with coldness as it stared at Naruto.

Naruto's expression was indifferent, and he completely ignored the bat. Apparently its sudden mightiness wasn't of the least bit interest to him.

Instead, Naruto gazed at the wooden sword he had just pulled out from within the bat. He flicked it, causing the blood and gore that had covered it to disappear. The sword now looked as it normally did. It appeared ordinary, as if there were nothing unusual or special about it. However, the spiritual energy in the area suddenly began to suck in toward the sword. The sword quickly became what looked like a vortex of spiritual energy, all of which ended up being consumed by the sword itself.

Naruto looked at the sword, a strange expression on his face. He slapped his bag of holding, and instantly, two black beams shot out, which then transformed into two swords identical to the one he was holding in his hand.

Three wooden swords now hovered in front of Naruto. His eyes shone with a strange glow.

"I found a wooden sword in the body of the Flying Rain-Dragon all those years ago. Now, I find another wooden sword in the body of this Black Bat. These wooden swords must have some incredible origin…." His gaze passed over the three of them. Unless you knew that one was a duplicate, it would be impossible to tell them apart.

"It's too bad I spent so many Spirit Stones making this duplicate. Although, if I had enough more, I could use them to create the first form of the Lotus Sword Formation!

"I wonder how powerful such a sword formation would be…. Probably not any weaker than the Time Sword Formation. After all, the wooden swords that absorb spiritual energy cost a vast amount of Spirit Stones to duplicate. This sword… is terrifying!"

His eyes glittered as he waved his right hand, causing the three wooden swords to fly back into his bag of holding. He looked back at the Black Bat.

The Black Bat's wound was now mostly recovered. Its aura was also much more powerful than before. Now, it was no longer at the late Foundation Establishment stage, but rather the early Core Formation stage. It seemed clear that after some time passed, it would continue to recover and become even stronger.

"Beasts slain by wooden swords such as this couldn't possibly be ordinary. Take the Flying Rain-Dragon for example…. Given that, one can only imagine how powerful this bat was…. Who knows how many years it was plagued by the sword until it finally fell to its current level. After it recovers and reaches its peak, how powerful will it be…." Naruto smiled. It didn't really matter how powerful the bat became; as long as it had Demonic Chakra, Naruto would be able to control it.

That was especially true considering… the Demonic Chakra Naruto had just given it to absorb had been kept intentionally weak. After all, Demonic Chakra was his primary method with which to control it.

As Naruto studied the Black Bat, it looked back at him with flickering eyes. After a moment, it lowered its head, signalling its compliance. It was impossible to tell how much of this was genuine and how much was false, but as of this moment, it had chosen to capitulate.

A few days passed. News of the Dragoneer duel between Naruto and Sakumo had spread throughout the entire Crow Scout Tribe. In the blink of an eye, Naruto's name had risen to prominence. He was now completely famous within the Tribe.

On one particular evening, the Earth Priest personally came to Naruto to deliver him a command medallion. This indicated that Naruto was now an official vassal of the Crow Scout Tribe.

In addition to the command medallion, Naruto was also to be given a chance to gain enlightenment from the Crow Scout Tribe's sacred tree. This sacred tree had a name: the Greenwood Tree….

Naruto thought about this totemic life force which could create a magical force to protect the entire Tribe. He also thought about the enormous Treant he'd seen. He needed a Wood-type totem, and although any would do… when it came to the five totem tattoos relating to the five elements, obviously, the stronger the totems, the stronger he would be when it came time to concoct his Five-Colored Nascent Soul.

His chance at gaining enlightenment of the holy Greenwood Tree would come in seven days.

During those seven days, the Crow Scout Tribe carried out various grand ceremonies. They were not related to Naruto becoming a vassal, but rather, to offer sacrifices to the ancestors and to prepare a Greenwood brand. It was only in this manner that Naruto could enter into the enlightenment state.

To any Tribe member, such enlightenment was very important. Every adult Tribe member went through the process, which refined their very life force. Obviously, it was also considered luck for any vassal.

On the seventh day, a whole series of complicated rites were performed. Several thousand Crow Scout Tribe members gathered to sit cross-legged atop the mountain peak. They sat in concentric circles, softly chanting a strange incantation. The sound of it filled Heaven and Earth, and caused roiling layers of clouds to fill the previously clear skies. It felt as if Time itself were passing by. Naruto wore a long green robe as he walked up the stairs up the mountain leading to the altar.

The Earth Priest stood there, flanked by an old woman, who was the Crow Scout Tribe's Sky Priest. They both smiled as Naruto approached.

"The Crow Scout Tribe treats people with sincerity," said the Earth Priest, his voice soft. "In all matters, one must pay a price before receiving gain. Fellow Daoist Naruto is not an ordinary person, and can surely sense the good faith of the Crow Scout Tribe."

"Many thanks," replied Naruto with clasped hands.

"Let's begin!" said the Sky Priest. The old woman waved her arm; a rumbling sound filled the air and a rift opened up in the middle of the altar. Immediately, a green beam of light shot up into the air, from within which emanated dense Demonic Chakra.

The appearance of this Demonic Chakra instantly caused Naruto's pupils to constrict. Also within the green light rose up an enormous Treant. Its color was an archaic green, and it stood several dozen meters tall. Wilted leaves covered its body, and it emanated a profound ancientness….

It was as if it had existed within the flow of time for very, very long time. It was as if traces of the passage of time could be seen within its eyes. As it floated up, its body radiated a boundless life force.

The intensity of its life force was such that all Wood-type life forms would instantly prostrate before it and call it ancestor. However… within the flourishing life force, Naruto could sense decline and decay. It was as if the life force was reaching the end of its path.

The Treant's body was also covered with countless scars. It emanated a powerful aura that caused the color of Heaven and Earth to change, the clouds to seethe, and the surrounding forest to sigh.

Its eyes were filled with wisdom as it looked at Naruto.

The instant it appeared, the chanting of the surrounding thousands of Tribe Members grew louder, and they began to kneel and bow.

The Earth Priest and the Sky Priest clasped hands and bowed to the Treant.

Naruto was unable to take his eyes off of the enormous creature. His heart trembled; he was now certain that this Treant was a great Demon of Heaven and Earth. It was similar to the North Sea; a true Demon!

The giant Treant suddenly began to speak. "Foreigner…. Thou hast received the approval of the Tribe which I protect. Thus, I… shall bestow luck upon thee. I shall take thee to experience some of my memories, from an eternity ago…." The Treant slowly raised its right hand up and placed it in front of Naruto.

It held its hand there, waiting for Naruto to step into it. Even as this happened, the Demon Sealing Jade within Naruto's bag of holding finally reacted, the first time it had done so in the Western Desert.

The archaic voice of the jade sounded out within Naruto's mind.

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!"

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!

"Ancient Dao; Study Demons of Myriad Variations; Tread not the Path of Immortals; Face the Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Dao is Eternal; The Masses Have Erred but My Dao is True; My Fate is the Aeon!

The ancient voice reverberated in Naruto's mind like thunder, booming and echoing. Naruto's eyes glittered and he took in a deep breath. He looked at the enormous Treant hand extended in front of him, and then his eyes filled with determination. He strode forward, directly onto the creature's palm.

As soon as he stepped onto the hand, the Treant lifted its head up toward the sky and roared. The roar shook Heaven and Earth, causing the clouds which filled the sky to scatter and disperse. Blue sky appeared overhead, along with a vortex, where another world was visible.

Simultaneously, the Treant closed its hand in a way that did not hurt Naruto in the slightest. Next its body turned into a green beam of light that shot up into the sky. In the blink of an eye, it had entered the vortex. Its body began to expand. Naruto watched on as the gigantic Treant grew larger and larger. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a massive tree of Heaven and Earth.

The instant the tree appeared, Naruto's mind filled with a rumbling sound. His consciousness seemed to expand; Time flowed and the Heavens shattered. The stars rushed toward him.

As he looked up, he saw that the sky was no longer the sky, but rather stars. Down below, he could see the vast lands of the Western Desert. However, they were not split from the Southern Domain. On the other side of the azure Milky Way Sea, the Eastern Lands were quaking, and a great tempest roiled between them and the Northern Reaches.

These were the lands of Planet Ninshu, a scene from who knew how many years ago.

The vast lands below were not flat, but rather, spherical, a planet.

The echoing, archaic voice of the Treant suddenly filled his mind.

"This is… Planet Ninshu!

"Adjacent to the Ninth Mountain and Sea are four eternal planets. Lands of Ninshu. East Victory. North Reed. West Felicity. According to primordial will, they orbit eternally around the Ninth Mountain….

"As for me, I come from an island in the Ninth Sea called Lightgreen. I am Master of the Greenwood from Lightgreen Island!"

Naruto took a deep breath. As the Treant spoke, he saw the lands below shrinking into the form of a planet. At the same time, off in the starry distance, he saw….

An immeasurably immense, endlessly tall mountain!

The size of this mountain vastly exceeded that of Planet Ninshu. It was like the difference between a giant and a bug! The instant Naruto saw it, his mind began to reel. It felt as if his consciousness were being ripped apart. Roaring filled his heart and mind.

Although he didn't completely understand the Ninth Mountain and Sea, or Planet Ninshu, he wasn't completely ignorant. At this moment, though, he was actually looking at… the majesty of the Ninth Mountain!

He gazed up at the Ninth Mountain, as well as the four planets that circled around it, including Plant Lands of Ninshu. On either side of the Ninth Mountain, stretching out seemingly forever into the stars, were… two enormous seas!

Perhaps these seas weren't made of seawater, but great waves were visible crashing on their surface, waves that seemed large enough to crush even the planets.

This scene caused Naruto's mind and heart to tremble with unprecedented intensity.

At the same time, he saw a green beam of light flying out from within one of the seas. Inside the green beam, he saw an enormous green tree that seemed capable of fighting against the Heavens themselves.

The tree shot out from the great sea, crossing through the firmament toward Lands of Ninshu. However, as it neared, a rumbling sound could be heard in Naruto's mind. Suddenly, an enormous face appeared upon Planet Ninshu.

The face bore the semblance of an old man with his eyes closed. It was as if Planet Ninshu was his body, whereas his head was illusory, and superimposed upon the planet. Suddenly, his mouth opened, and he said something to the incoming green tree. Naruto wasn't quite able to make out exactly what he said.

As soon as the word left his mouth, the Greenwood Tree within the beam of light began to crumble apart and disintegrate. The resulting fragments began to fall down toward Planet Ninshu.

Most of the pieces were transformed into ash as they neared. But one small piece survived. It shot through Naruto, causing his body to shatter. It then fused with him and they both fell down into the Western Desert. Next, a root appeared.

Naruto was a bit confused. He felt no pain; rather, he was filled with the sensation that he had turned into that tree. Countless years passed, and he eventually became a Greenwood Tree.

As the years came and went, a white wolf, a colorful snake, and a tiny bat all made their homes beneath the tree. Years passed. Finally, one rainy evening, a person approached.

It was a middle-aged man carrying an umbrella. He came to a stop in front of the tree and looked at it.

"So, yet another being come to Lands of Ninshu to confirm their Dao. Body and spirit destroyed, but a seed of the soul left behind, striving to prove itself on Lands of Ninshu….

"Very well. Since we're in the Western Desert of Lands of Ninshu, I will use the power of my League to bless you all with the ability to pass down totems. Just like the Demonic Dao Pill of the Southern Domain…. The path of an ancient Dao, my fate is the Aeon." The man sighed, lifted his hand up, and placed it on the tree. After a long time had passed, he turned and walked off into the distance.

As he did, countless shimmering strands emanated out from him. They were dim and faint, but each one seemed to be connected to his body. They circled out and disappeared into the air. These strands seemed to be nothing other than Karma threads.

"I am the Fifth Generation of my League, the Fifth Generation Demon Sealing Daoist Master. My Dao is different from that of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. With different Daos, accords cannot be reached. Whether they are right or wrong doesn't matter. My Dao will exist forever!

"I shall face the Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas." The man looked back and gazed at the Greenwood Tree. As he did, it seemed to Naruto almost as if he were looking directly at him. His mind suddenly began to buzz. The man continued, "To meet you before I depart… is fate. It seems our destinies shall become a point of enlightenment for one of my successors in the future.

"It's not that the line of the League of Demon Sealers can't be broken. If the younger generation can gain enlightenment, it will continue on. If not, then the Dao Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas will arrive, and then the people will remember the will of the Demon Sealers."

The buzzing in Naruto's mind lasted for a long time. When it finally disappeared, everything that he had seen was fading.

He… was standing upon the palm of the Treant. The sky was filled with clouds as it had been before, and the air echoed with the chants of the Crow Scout Tribe members. Everything that he had just experienced seemed to have happened in only an instant. However, Naruto had experienced an eternity.

His eyes were filled with a blank expression. Tuning out everything around him, he stepped off of the Treant's hand and then sat down cross-legged onto the altar. He closed his eyes.

A green glow gradually began to rise up from his body. Within the green glow, branches could be seen. They burrowed into the stone surface of the altar; Naruto almost looked as if he were becoming a Treant himself.

When the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members saw this, their hearts and minds began to shake, and they stared mutely. The Earth Priest and the Sky Priest began to pant, and their eyes filled with disbelief.

It was at this point that a beam of light approached from off in the distance. It transformed into an ancient old man. The ripples of his Cultivation base placed him at the mid Nascent Soul stage. The instant the old man appeared, his gaze fell upon Naruto, and his expression flickered.

After a long moment passed, the old man said, "Ancestor Greenwood is bestowing a totem…." The two Crow Scout Tribe High Priests looked at the man. Serious expressions filled their faces, and they nodded.

"Considering that he is receiving a totem from Ancestor Greenwood, cancel all investigations into him. It doesn't matter where he is from, nor how much of what he has said is true or false. He is now an eternal vassal of the Crow Scout Tribe!"

Time passed by slowly. By the time Naruto's eyes opened again, it was seven days later.

He saw that the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members had dispersed. It was evening, and not a single person was in sight. He was alone on the altar atop the mountain's highest peak.

His eyes were filled with confusion. He looked down at his body and could see countless branches attached to it, spreading out in every direction, as if he was now a tree.

After a long moment, he took a deep breath. The tree branches slowly retracted, fusing back into his body. Eventually, he rose to his feet.

His expression was one of calm as he looked up into the sky and let out an absentminded sigh.

"There are 3,000 Daos. The Dao of Alchemy. The path of Demons. Totems. Various techniques and methods. All are great Daos. Be it totems or Demon sealing, even the Celestial talisman that made the Black Lands….

"It's like the three pages of secret arts I acquired. The first is regarding catalyzing and the concocting of medicinal pills. The second, the crafting of Time treasures. The third, the Dragoneer arts, which can transform Demons. All three connect to each other on various levels, but in reality, they all stem from the same source!

"They all have something to do with the sealing of Demons!" Naruto's eyes shone with a strange light. As he gained enlightenment, he realized that it didn't matter if you were talking about the Southern Domain or the Western Desert, when it came to Heaven and Earth, it was all about Immortals and Demons!

If one wanted a clear example of Immortals, there could be none better than the supercilious Hebi Clan of Planet Ninshu. If one wanted a good example of Demons… the best would be the mysterious and multifarious Demon Sealers!

"The unusual thing is, Demons are characterized by their multifariousness…. Therefore, in the great lands of Lands of Ninshu, they are represented by the Dao of alchemy in the Southern Domain. They are the talismanic symbols in the Black Lands, and totems in the Western Desert. Certainly the Eastern Lands and the Northern Reaches have their own Demon variations.

"In the end, all are Demons!

"They are different from Immortals. Immortals have their dignity, but Demons have their variations. With Immortals there is only one path, any of the other myriad paths are Demonic!" Naruto's mind buzzed as if lightning were striking around inside as he suddenly received this unprecedented enlightenment.

His thoughts having reached this point, although his body was on this mountain peak in the Crow Scout Tribe, his consciousness expanded out, soaring up to the highest Heavens. The thoughts which had begun to circulate in his mind when he first entered the Black Lands, suddenly coalesced into a single conclusion.

"Everything has to do with the Chakra of the Nine Mountains and Seas. Immortals call this Chakra the Essence. However, the League of Demon Sealers calls it Demonic Chakra. In that case… perhaps the Ninth Mountain and Sea is in actuality an indescribably powerful, massive Demon of the Heavens!" Naruto's eyes glittered brightly.

"If the Ninth Mountain and Sea are collectively a Demon, then its Chakra would fill the planets which surround the Mountain. Regardless of the Hebi Clan or some other powerful experts, all such Immortals would desire to acquire the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and thus become its Lord.

"On the other side of the coin, Demon Sealing is just another path of cultivation, and has nothing to do with acquiring the Chakra of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. If it's a Demon, it can be sealed or approved based on my whim!"

"Or it could be that long, long ago people did not understand the truth of the natural mechanisms of the Nine Mountains and Seas, of this entire starry realm. They thought that the Nine Mountains and Seas were the key to developing the body. After feeding upon the Mountains and Seas, they grew stronger, and stronger, and eventually broke through to the next level of life. Their lives fused with that of the Mountains and Seas, and they became Immortals!

"People who viewed matters in such a way eventually came to be the majority. However, there was always a small group who believed that the Nine Mountains and Seas were Heavenly Demons whom they could either seal or approve. Seal them as a path to power, or approve them and become their masters.

"That group of people were… the earliest Demon Sealers!

"These two groups of people had different philosophies, and strode different paths to power, but were not at odds." Naruto took a deep breath as he gained this enlightenment.

After acquiring the Demon Sealing Jade and becoming the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, Naruto's path had always been one of confusion. This was especially true when it came to Demon Sealing. The puzzlement he had felt in the steady attempts to uncover the truth, finally led to understanding.

"I came to the Western Desert because of the Five-Colored Nascent Soul. I will fuse the five elements totems with my pill concocting technique. I will use my body as the pill furnace, and totems as the pill recipe. I will concoct my own Perfect Nascent Soul!

"This is my main purpose in coming to the Western Desert!

"My life has been one of treading the path of the multifarious Demons. The concept of myriad variations is the path of the Demon Sealer! The end of this path is that of sealing both the great Demons of Heaven, and Immortals!

"Similarly, it is a path of conferring Demonism upon the countless living things in creation as well as… Bestowing mortals so that they can achieve Immortal Ascension!"

Naruto's mind buzzed. His Cultivation base seethed in accompaniment with this enlightenment. It rose up from the late Gold Core Stage into the great circle of the Gold Core.

He was now even closer to the Nascent Soul stage. If it weren't for the fact that he pursued the Five-Colored Nascent Soul, he would already have begun his attempt to congeal a Nascent Soul. However, such a checkpoint was one that countless Cultivators had never stepped past.

Although Naruto had not experienced the difficulty of congealing a Nascent Soul, he had read about it in the ancient records of the Violet Fate Sect. He knew that only people who possessed immense luck and latent talent could be like the proverbial carp who leaped over the dragon's gate, and step into that profound and refined stage.

Nascent Soul…. It was a stage vastly beyond that of Core Formation. Nascent Soul Cultivators possess magical techniques that far exceed the ordinary; their mastery of the principles of Heaven and Earth made them nearly divine abilities.

The most obvious example was their art of minor teleportation. This magical technique could even be referred to as almighty. Because of it, any Nascent Soul Cultivator who wished to retreat could easily do so. Unless they were restrained by a restrictive spell formation, it would be very difficult to surround or kill them.

Another key aspect was that after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, Cultivators could almost instinctively use a certain divine ability called… possession!

The Nascent Soul could emerge, because the body was only secondary. Cultivation was focused on the Nascent Soul itself; if the body perished, it could be abandoned, and a new body could be seized. Because of this, tangling with a Nascent Soul Cultivator was much more difficult than battling the Gold Core stage. In the Nascent Soul stage, confidence in being able to stay alive on the great path of the Dao was much more assured.

These were just some of the many advantages the divine abilities manifested in the Nascent Soul stage, the tip of the iceberg really. According to the popular understanding, only people who were actually in the Nascent Soul stage could possibly truly understand how powerful they were!

Naruto's eyes filled with bright glow that swept about. His body suddenly flickered and he transformed into a beam of light that shot off toward his courtyard behind the mountain. As he whistled through the air, several streams of Divine Sense emerged. After sensing Naruto, they stopped, and merely observed him leaving.

"It seems that this particular bit of enlightenment from Ancestor Greenwood Tree, and the resulting changes, put me in a somewhat special position here…." Naruto was able to speculate quite a bit after noticing that the streams of Divine Sense did nothing more than watch him leave. Although he couldn't be for sure, he was able to make quite a few correct guesses.

After arriving back in his courtyard, his neo-demon horde was fairly leaping with excitement. Big Hairy charged toward him and then ran around him in circles, howling happily. Naruto laughed and patted him on the head. After the neo-demon horde quieted down, he sat down cross-legged, his eyes glittering. After a moment of thoughtfulness, his eyes began to shine.

"When I woke up earlier, a vast collection of Wood-type branches were spreading out from my body…." Naruto closed his eyes and rotated his Cultivation base. After the space of a few breaths passed, his body began to shake. Veins bulged out of his skin and tiny, tentacle-like branches began to poke out. The branches twisted down to burrow into the ground, then spread out in all directions. As of this moment, Naruto was emanating a very dense Wood-type aura. He also shone with a bright green glow as if he himself were about to transform into the ancient Greenwood Tree.

All the neo-demons in the courtyard looked at Naruto in shock. Their eyes were also filled with confusion. However, all of a sudden, they had the feeling that this Master of theirs was now much more familiar than he had been before. They began to run in circles around this Greenwood Naruto, leaping and carousing playfully.

Time passed. On dawn of the second day, Naruto opened his eyes. It seemed as if he was awakening from some sort of trance. The instant he opened his eyes, the green glow surrounding him flickered and glowed with boundless radiance.

"According to the information given me by Darui regarding Wood-type totem branding, it seems that I… have already passed the first critical juncture. I am now merged fully with Wood. There's no separation…." Naruto looked at his Greenwood body; this was obviously the luck with which he had been gifted by the Treant, the personification of the ancient Greenwood Tree.

Perhaps this also had something to do with that Fifth Generation Demon Sealing Patriarch. In any case, Naruto was now fully focused on this matter, and this matter alone.

The main reason he had come to the Crow Scout Tribe was to acquire a Wood-type totem. Now, he had managed to acquire, not an ordinary Wood-type totem, but the ancient Greenwood Tree. To Naruto, this was an excellent first step on his path to the Five-Colored Nascent Soul.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. According to the steps and techniques in the information given to him by Darui, he rotated his Cultivation base slowly and began to complete the last step with the Wood-type totem… the actual tattoo branding.

Time passed. An hour later, the green glow emanating out from Naruto began to flicker. As it did, his hands rose up to perform an incantation. He suddenly pushed his hands out, and his eyes snapped open, filled with a brilliant glow.

The moment he pushed his hands out, a rumbling sound filled him. Green light rose up to slowly congeal overhead; at the same time, the branches attached to him began to twitch and grow even longer. It was at this time that the ghost image of a tree appeared around Naruto. At the moment, what Naruto needed to do was to separate this illusory tree from himself.

First melt it, then separate it, finally, brand it. Different Tribes will use different methods, but the basic concept is the same throughout the Western Desert. Totem branding is always accomplished in this fashion.

As the green light slowly began to separate from Naruto's body, the branches also began to disappear. As they did, the image of the tree began to coalesce within the green glow. It began to grow more and more tangible, as if an enormous green tree were actually coming into being.

Despite the fact that it was illusory, the tree emanated a thick Wood-type aura. It spread out in all directions, churning, causing all of the neo-demons in the area surrounding Naruto's courtyard to grow silent. Simultaneously, the grass in the ground and the trees in the surrounding forest suddenly began to wriggle and grow. A thick, indescribable life force began to billow out from the illusory tree in front of Naruto.

This aura was enough to shake Heaven and Earth. Quite a few nearby Cultivators noticed and began to look around with serious expressions.

Naruto took a deep breath. Actually, even if everything around him started to shake even more violently, he wouldn't pay it any heed. He was completely focused on the first step of his Five-Colored Nascent Soul, the Wood-type totem branding.

"Congeal!" His eyes glittered as both hands flashed incantation gestures. He then pointed toward the green tree in front of him; immediately, it began to shrink.

The shrinking process was very slow; it happened one inch at a time. At the same time, the shocking changes to the surrounding land grew even more intense. Soon the effect spread out even wider, until all the members of the Crow Scout Tribe noticed and were shocked.

They could clearly see the green glow rising up into the sky. At the same time, a huge, green tree had magically appeared, filled with dense life force that caused the surrounding vegetation to grow wildly.

It was at this moment that four beams of light shot down from the mountain. In the lead was none other than the Greatfather of the Crow Scout Tribe, the white-haired old man. His expression was serious as he rushed toward Naruto's courtyard and then hovered in mid-air up above.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, please don't get the wrong impression! I am the Crow Scout Greatfather, I will stay here to stand guard over you!"

Even as his words rang out, two of the incoming beams of light transformed into none other than the Earth Priest and the Sky Priest. They, too, hovered cross-legged in mid-air to stand guard over Naruto.

The final person was the Grand Elder. Although he was rather reluctant, he also hovered cross-legged, facing a fourth direction to stand guard while Naruto was completing his totem branding.

Actually, from the moment Naruto had acquired the Greenwood Tree totem, they had been preparing for the moment when he awoke and began the totem branding, whereupon they would stand guard.

The Greenwood Tree totem was no ordinary tree. A totem branding like this would surely cause a variety of shocking changes in Heaven and Earth. In fact, it would likely even cause various neo-demons to come investigate. As such, it was necessary to have people stand guard to ensure nothing would go wrong.

Naruto looked up at the four Crow Scout Tribe Nascent Soul Cultivators facing out in the four different directions. He was silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. Regardless of whether or not the Crow Scout Tribe had any hidden agendas, everything they had done in the past days showed an incredible amount of good faith. Naruto could clearly see this.

He took a deep breath. Ignoring everything up above, he focused completely on completing the branding of the Greenwood Tree totem tattoo. As his Cultivation base flickered, he continued to perform incantations. The enormous illusory tree in front of him continued to shrink, and as it did, the aura grew stronger. Soon, the Greenwood Tree was only about twenty or twenty-five meters tall. The life force it emanated was intense enough to shake everything around. By now, it had attracted the attention of the other Tribes in this mountain range.

Several streams of Divine Sense suddenly rose up from within the Crow Flame Tribe. They gathered together in mid-air to observe the Crow Scout Tribe. "For a Greenwood Tree totem like that to appear in the Crow Scout Tribe means… perhaps someone is forming a totemic Nascent Soul?"

Similar scenes played out in the other Tribes. The Crow Soldier Tribe seemed to be especially affected; five beams of prismatic light shot out toward the Crow Scout Tribe.

Although these five tribes were all connected by blood, there were certain conflicts between them that were impossible to dispel. As it turned out, the Crow Soldier Tribe hated the Crow Scout Tribe more than any of the other Tribes.

The five beams of light from the Crow Soldier Tribe whistled through the air as they shot toward the Crow Scout Tribe. As they neared, even before they could be seen clearly, an enormous shield of light suddenly appeared from within the Crow Scout Tribe. It enveloped the entire Tribe, covering it over and blocking the Crow Soldier Tribe.

The awe-inspiring voice of the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather rang out: "The Crow Scout Tribe is busy at the moment. Other Tribes are prohibited from entering. Any who does… will be shown no mercy."

The Crow Soldier Tribe members outside the shield exchanged glances. There was nothing they could do but laugh coldly; passing through the shield was not an option.

Naruto was aware of everything that was happening on the outside. However, the majority of his energy was being spent on the totem branding and the Greenwood Tree in front of him, which was slowly growing smaller and smaller. Soon it was only three meters tall. Everything was shaking, and up above in the sky, lightning suddenly appeared, dancing back and forth. The life force emanating out caused the vegetation in and around Naruto's courtyard to burst out wildly.

In fact, it was even affecting the vegetation on the mountain, the front district of the Crow Scout Tribe, and the forest that surrounded them all. The plants and vegetation everywhere grew rapidly, which of course caused even more shock on the parts of the other Tribes. Black clouds churned up above, and howling sounds began to echo out within the forests. The surrounding neo-demons could sense the life force and were beginning to feel greedy.

It was at this moment that suddenly a thunderous roar sounded out that shook Heaven and Earth: "Outlander!"

The faces of the Crow Soldier Tribe members suddenly flickered. Without hesitation, they shot backward in retreat, gloating expressions filling their faces.

On the other side of the shield, the face of the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather suddenly filled with anxiety. He looked up into the sky at a collection of black clouds that was heading toward them at high speed.

"Dammit, the Outlander Beast was injured by the Crow Divinity half a year ago, but it didn't actually leave. It's been hiding in the area this whole time! Unless we join forces with the other four Tribes to summon the Crow Divinity ancestor, we can't possibly be a match for the Outlander Beast!

"This Grandmaster Naruto's Greenwood Tree totem has reached an incredible level. Could it be that Ancestor Greenwood actually bestowed him with some of its essence?!"

The four powerful Crow Scout Tribe experts who hovered there in mid-air were all filled with shock.

The Grand Elder looked up at the approaching black clouds and said, "Greatfather, if the Outlander Beast is here for this vassal called Naruto, and we are incapable of fighting back against it, wouldn't it be best to just hand him over and alleviate…."

Before he could finish speaking, the white-haired Greatfather interrupted him with a cold snort.

"Don't mention anything like that ever again. This person was selected by Ancestor Greenwood. If we can't protect him, how could we ever have the face to offer worship to the ancestor? Our Crow Scout Tribe might not be classified as a great Tribe, but we keep our promises. I already said that we would offer protection. Only if we are absolutely certain that we cannot resist it will I renege! Unleash the full power of the mountain protection spell formation!"

The Greatfather flicked his sleeve, causing a beam of green light to shoot out toward the mountain peak. The mountain trembled as a green light rose up to merge with the existing shield. The light rose up higher and higher into the sky, forming the image of a gargantuan tree!

The Crow Scout Tribe was contained inside of this tree, which would protect it from anything on the outside.

Naruto's face was pale. He had never imagined that branding the Greenwood Tree totem would be so difficult. The Greenwood Tree in front of him was now about three meters tall. However, each time Naruto rotated his Cultivation base, it only shrank one inch.

"When it comes to branding totems, the optimal size is one inch…." Naruto wasn't an expert when it came to totems, but he knew all the fundamentals. His eyes filled with determination. Golden light erupted out from him and he pointed his finger toward the ground, suddenly utilizing Righteous Bestowal. Imperceptible ripples flowed out across the ground as strands of Demonic Chakra arose. They merged into Naruto, assisting in the branding of the Greenwood Tree.

Three meters. Two and a half meters…. Soon it was only two meters tall. Then one…. Naruto let out a roar, followed by a mouthful of blood. The blood contained Demonic Chakra, and as soon as it splashed onto the Greenwood Tree, the tree trembled and then shrank down to the size of roughly half a meter.

Naruto was panting, and stubborness radiated from his eyes. It was at this exact moment that the Crow Scout Tribe's shield shook under the force of a mighty blow. An enormous roaring sound filled the air. Naruto looked up to see a patch of black clouds slamming into the shield.

A roar sounded out from within the clouds: "Outlander!"

Heaven and Earth shook as ripples spread out. Cracking sounds could be heard as the clouds once again slammed into the shield.

The Greatfather, the High Priests and the Grand Elder all looked shocked. Their bodies shook, and they coughed up blood. They were the ones supporting the shield, and would bear the effect of any blows levelled against it.

Suddenly, the fearsome pressure of Spirit Severing spread out from within the clouds. This was the terrifying power of the Outlander Beast!

It takes some time to describe, but the black clouds moved with incredible speed as they struck again. An enormous roaring filled the air. Cracking sounds turned into the rumbling of an explosion as the enormous shield tree formed by the Crow Scout Tribe's defensive spell formation collapsed into pieces. As the spell dispersed, the Greatfather and the others coughed up blood and were sent tumbling backward, their faces unsightly.

The black cloud patch hovering in mid-air shot directly toward Naruto.

As it shot forward, two glowing, red eyes could be seen within. They were filled with avarice and insanity. As it shot through the air, the black clouds dissipated, revealing the Outlander Beast's luxuriantly furred body.

It was like a giant ball covered with thick, dense fur that draped off of it. As it shot forward, the fur rippled in the wind, almost like a tail. The whole image made the Outlander Beast look like a long, furry comet.

At a glance, it was obvious that no one would be able to move to block the thing. The Greatfather and the others could only watch wide-eyed as the Outlander Beast approached. The powerful experts from the other Tribes watched the scene playing out, clearly taking joy in the calamity that was befalling the Crow Scout Tribe.

Meanwhile, Naruto's body was shining with golden light. The Greenwood Tree in front of him was only half a foot tall. Even as the Outlander Beast approached, Naruto lifted his finger, congealing the invisible Demonic Chakra in the area and then pushing down onto the Greenwood Tree.

"Shrink!" he bellowed. The congealed Demonic Chakra exploded out with shocking pressure. In the blink of an eye, the Greenwood Tree shrank to the size of an inch. At this point, the Outlander Beast let out a fearsome roar. The Greenwood Tree shot toward Naruto's forehead, instantly branding onto him.

A Wood-type totem! The first of the colors of the five elements, a green tree!

The instant the branding formed, Naruto's Cultivation base began to rotate. It suddenly grew until it was only a hair's breadth from the Nascent Soul stage…. His life force abounded to a fearsome extent. In fact, it grew to the point that some of the injuries Naruto had sustained in the past from wasting his own life force were now completely recovered. Even more shocking, the incredible level of Naruto's life force made it so that no matter how ancient he grew in later years, he would always be able to maintain his current physical appearance.

Such terrifying life force also made Naruto's magical techniques even stronger than they had been before.

"This proves that my choice to tread the path of the five elements is the correct one. This path allows me to use an alternative method to create a Perfect Five-Colored Nascent Soul that belongs… solely to Naruto!"

Naruto turned, lifting his hand. Totemic power flashed as the Eyeless Larva appeared. Layers of silk suddenly began to spin around him, forming a shield roughly three meters large.

A massive boom shook everything as the Outlander Beast slammed into it. Naruto was shoved backward, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He looked up at the Outlander Beast, which hovered in front of him in mid-air, its eyes wide. It appeared shocked that the power of its attack was incapable of shattering the silk shield.

An ominous glint appeared in its eyes. It could sense two different fluctuations of power on Naruto, fluctuations that frightened even it. However, the life force emanating from the Greenwood Tree brand on Naruto's forehead contained healing powers that caused greed to emanate up from within its heart.

Furthermore, the Demonic Chakra on Naruto's body was driving it crazy. Its eyes began to glow red and it howled as it once more charged toward Naruto.

Naruto shot backward. As he did, he took note of the thick, luxuriant fur that covered the Outlander Beast, and suddenly, his eyes flickered.

Next, he let out an enormous shout which echoed out in all directions, filtering out into the surrounding mountainous forest: "Parrot, there's a great furred beast here that you've definitely never tried out!"

Almost as soon as his voice echoed out, a squawk could be heard. This squawk caused the Outlander Beast to suddenly stop in its track. A look of vigilance appeared in its eyes as a multicolored streak shot toward them from off in the distance, moving with blinding speed.

Within the colorful streak, the parrot's eyes emitted a bright glow, and its body quivered with excitement. A dubious expression covered its face as it looked over the Outlander Beast's luxuriantly furred body. It shivered with anticipation.

"I haven't tried out this before. I really haven't! Ahhhhhhh! Lord Fifth is happy!" The parrot seemed on the verge of going crazy. It exploded forward, utilizing all the power it possessed to shoot toward the fearful, vigilant Outlander Beast.

Naruto had a strange expression on his face. A short distance away, he stopped moving as he watched the parrot approaching. Suddenly, he sighed inwardly.

"It seems certain unique indulgences really can release the ultimate potential power. It didn't even notice that the Outlander Beast has a Cultivation base with power similar to Spirit Severing…"

The members of the Crow Scout Tribe, including the Greatfather, the High Priests and the Grand Elder, all watched the multicolored light approaching at rapid speed. It closed in on the Outlander Beast, radiating frenzy and determination.

"That neo-demon certainly is loyal to its master…." said the Earth Priest with a soft sigh. He had seen many neo-demons, but few that would show such care for a master, that would display such madness and ignore everything else in order to protect him.

The parrot's excitement actually appeared to others as determination. Furthermore, its joy at being able to try out a new furred beast made it seem as if it were loyally protecting its master.

It wasn't just the Earth Priest that was thinking in this way. Many of the other Crow Scout Tribe members saw the scene that was playing out, and the parrot within the multicolored light, and were filled with admiration.

They watched as the multicolored beam of light that was the parrot shot toward the Outlander Beast, which roared as it approached. The parrot ignored everything, seemingly ignoring any potential threats to its life, willing to die together with the Outlander Beast. It whistled through the air, circling around behind the Outlander Beast, whereupon it charged in to attack.

"That parrot neo-demon is extraordinary!" said the Earth Priest, flabbergasted. "It actually knows that the Outlander Beast's only weak spot is not its front but its back!" The admiration in his eyes grew stronger.

The Grand Elder's eyes grew wide as he watched what was happening. He too was astonished by everything that was happening. The Greatfather's face flickered, and his eyes grew wide. He glanced at the Earth Priest, and then at the parrot. He suddenly started to look a bit suspicious.

Off to the side, Naruto heard the Earth Priest's words and coughed lightly. He looked over and could see that the Earth Priest really did deeply admire the parrot. Naruto sighed inwardly at the man's simplicity, realizing that he himself really had changed quite a bit over the years.

Meanwhile, the determined parrot looked like it was about to fulfill its dream. Looking like the member of a suicide squad, its eyes red, trembling with excitement, it shot toward the Outlander Beast. However, at the critical moment, the Outlander Beast suddenly flickered and then disappeared. A moment later, it reappeared in a different location.

Apparently, it could sense the parrot's motives. It's eyes filled with fury and it roared: "Outlander!"

The roar completely disoriented the parrot, and sent it tumbling backward through the air. It couldn't even get close; it looked like this Outlander Beast really was causing it some problems. However, the parrot wouldn't let some slight setbacks knock it out of the game. It let out a shrill squawk, and its eyes glowed with anticipation. Its appearance was that of both excitement and lechery fused together. The combination made it look quite vulgar and lewd. Once again, it shot toward the Outlander Beast in a colorful glow.

"What a loyal neo-demon!" cried the Earth Priest, clearly moved. "A truly rare neo-demon of utmost loyalty! Look everyone, despite being injured, it persists, bravely defying death!"

Many of the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members felt the same way.

"Grandmaster Naruto sure is lucky to have a neo-demon as loyal as that!"

"That's right. It looks a little bit ugly, but its moral word is definitely worthy of praise!"

They looked at the parrot with envy in their pure, simple hearts. They wished that they, too, could have such a devoted and faithful neo-demon.

However, even as the Earth Priest and the various envious Tribe members were watching the parrot and sighing emotionally….

"Don't run, darling!" cried the parrot, speeding up. "Lord Fifth is here to vanquish you!"

As his words echoed out and entered the ears of the Crow Scout Tribe members, strange expressions appeared on their faces. Their mouths dropped open as they realized what the parrot meant by its words. They could scarcely believe it.

The Earth Priest looked shocked for a moment, but then a look of realization and then admiration appeared. "So, it can even employ strategy!" he said, and then let out a long sigh. "What a noble display of word to use such a tactic to prevent its master from being injured by the Outlander Beast!"

Although the conclusion reached by the Earth Priest didn't seem very plausible, there were still some of the Crow Scout Tribe members who seemed to agree. However, most had strange looks on their faces. The Sky Priest looked over at the Earth Priest and was about to say something, then hesitated and simply smiled wryly.

The Grand Elder was looking in shock at the Earth Priest as if he didn't even know the man.

As for the Greatfather, the expression on his face grew even more strange, and he also could do nothing more than smile wryly.

Naruto coughed lightly once more. The naiveté of the Earth Priest was something one didn't see very often.

Up in mid-air, the parrot squawked as it shot toward the Outlander Beast, which roared and sent out an attack which manifested as terrifying ripples. They slammed into the charging parrot, making it impossible for it to near the Outlander Beast. However, its determination and excitement only continued to grow in the face of these setbacks. It seemed even more determined to try out this Outlander Beast.

"Heyyy, you really can put up a fight. Struggle if you wish, my darling. That just makes Lord Fifth more excited!" With a roar, the parrot charged again.

It shot forward with incredible speed. As it neared, a popping sound could suddenly be heard as hundreds of parrots appeared, all of which shot toward the Outlander Beast.

"Struggle away, my darling! Struggle and beg for mercy under Lord Fifth's pounding!" The parrot roared with excitement as it neared the Outlander Beast, which howled back. The illusory parrots all exploded, but there was one parrot left which managed to successfully penetrate the Outlander Beast.

The instant the penetration occurred, the Outlander Beast's body trembled, and a look of confusion filled its face. The look quickly turned into one of humiliation and unprecedented madness. It let out a howl that shook everything, louder than anything that had been heard up to this point. The loudness was such that it kicked up a violent tempest!

A popping sound could be heard as the parrot suddenly appeared in mid-air off to the side. It was trembling excitedly, and its eyes were glowing. "Scream, scream your throat out! No one will come to save you!"

By this point, the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members were watching on dumbstruck. Many of the ones who had previously thought the parrot to be loyal and brave, now had faces completely pale. It was as if their whole world had been overturned. They stared blankly up into the air at the indescribably vulgar parrot.

The Earth Priest gaped again. However, it took only a moment before a bright glow began to shine in his eyes. It was a glow of admiration, and understanding.

"In order to provoke a reaction from the Outlander Beast, the parrot neo-demon is taunting it! What wisdom! What praiseworthy courage!" The Earth Priest sighed. "Fellow Daoist Naruto, you truly have incredible luck to possess a neo-demon like that!"

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather couldn't take it any longer and was about to say something. However, he then noticed the intense admiration in the eyes of the Earth Priest. The Greatfather sighed and held his tongue.

As for the Grand Elder, he stood there with wide eyes, staring in shock at the Earth Priest. The Sky Priest also had a very strange expression on her face. The two of them then exchanged a wry smile.

At the same time that the Earth Priest spoke, the parrot let out another squawk. It shot again toward the Outlander Beast, which let out another howl. Subsequently, the beast and the parrot engaged in a back and forth battle. The parrot, of course, did the giving and the Outlander Beast did the taking.

Howls continued to ring out until finally the parrot let out a roar. It was unclear what technique it used specifically. Ignoring any potential injuries, it smashed through, once again penetrating into the Outlander Beast. The Outlander Beast let out a shocking howl, accompanied by a look of terror. It hovered in mid-air, trembling. As of this moment, it was no longer paying attention to Naruto's Demonic Chakra. Instead, it turned and began to flee.

The parrot once again materialized, trembling and looking excited. It looked proud at its subjugation of a beast that it had never tried out before. It let out a squawk as it shot in pursuit of the Outlander Beast.

"Don't run away, darling!" it shouted. "Come come, there are a few positions Lord Fifth hasn't tried. Don't run!" With that it turned into a prismatic beam of light that raced after the Outlander Beast.

The Crow Scout Tribe members witnessed this whole scene, as did the powerful experts from the other Tribes, via Divine Sense. All of them were left with trembling hearts and indescribably bizarre feelings.

To see the mysterious Outlander Beast flee instead of fight… was thoroughly shocking. Even more astonishing was the parrot, who apparently didn't even fear death. Its method of attack was of course unimaginably bizarre.

Seeing the parrot heading off into the distance, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Having called the parrot over, he had prepared himself for the worst. Looking around at the strange expressions on the Crow Scout Tribe members, and the look of admiration in the eyes of the Earth Priest, Naruto made a firm decision to never again call the parrot unless it was absolutely necessary….

As the crowds of people dispersed, the Greatfather gave Naruto a wry smile, and then forced out some words of praise regarding his totem tattoo. Then, shaking his head, he made his way off.

The Grand Elder looked over Naruto with a serious expression, then gave him a rare bow. After that, he and the equally conflicted Sky Priest left the district behind the mountain.

As for the Earth Priest, it looked like he wanted to say a few words to Naruto. However, when he noticed that Naruto didn't seem concerned at all regarding the safety of the parrot, he simply gave him a stern and disapproving glare and then turned into a prismatic beam of light that shot off in the direction the parrot had disappeared.

Naruto smiled wryly, not sure of what to say. He simply watched the Earth Priest disappear.

"If that naive Earth Priest ever realizes what the parrot is really like, the man's sky will no longer be blue, and he will no longer view life as beautiful…." Naruto thought about what that scene might look like, and then felt somewhat sorry for the Earth Priest. Finally, he turned and made his way back to his courtyard.

Two days passed. On evening of the second day, the Earth Priest returned. He looked somewhat distracted, and his face was pale as if he had been the subject of a vicious attack. After returning, he went directly into secluded meditation.

During the two days, Naruto found that whenever he went out, the Crow Scout Tribe members that caught sight of him looked at him with awe. Sometimes it even bordered on fear, as if they feared offending him, and didn't dare to approach him. As soon as they saw him, sweat would break out on their foreheads and they would hurry off in the opposite direction.

At long last, the wickedness of the parrot was having an effect on Naruto. It didn't take long before the entire Crow Scout Tribe knew about the events regarding Grandmaster Naruto's wicked neo-demon. The news rapidly began to spread to the other four Tribes.

The parrot never came back. Naruto wasn't too concerned about this. Who knew how many long years the parrot had lived, and yet it inherently seemed to like courting death. Nonetheless, it still hadn't died. Naruto was quite assured in its ability to survive.

Furthermore, the meat jelly bell was with the parrot. If anything, the one to worry about wasn't the parrot, but the poor Outlander Beast.

Several days passed, during which Naruto spent most of his time in his courtyard, studying his Greenwood Tree totem tattoo. It flickered there on his forehead, radiating boundless life force throughout his body. Every time he closed his eyes to meditate, it seemed that even his heartbeat could create ripples throughout the land and sky around him.

"This is only one of the five elements, a Wood-type totem. It's already propelled my Cultivation base much closer to the Nascent Soul stage…." When his eyes opened, they glittered brightly.

After carefully examining the totemic power within him, he had reached a new understanding.

"If I can acquire a second five elements totem, then my Cultivation base, despite being at the full circle of the Gold Core, will actually be strong enough to fight the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, even without the blood-colored mask!

"In fact… by using the power of the totems, I should be able to employ some of the divine abilities that belong to the Nascent Soul stage!"

During the same period of time, Naruto also experimented a bit with the neo-demon horde he had acquired from Sakumo. He fed them with Demon Nurturing Pills, and also took them out to hunt. In a relatively short period of time, they began to grow fiercer and tougher. Of course, due to the restraints of time, there was still a large gap between them and Big Hairy and the other Greenwood Wolves.

However, if things kept progressing the way they were, although they might not compare to the five Greenwood Wolves, they would continue to transmogrify and grow stronger.

Finally one afternoon, Naruto was sitting cross-legged meditating when suddenly, an enormous roaring sound shook the rear mountain district of the Crow Scout Tribe. As the roaring echoed throughout the air, an enormous black python over twenty meters long shot toward Naruto in a beam of blackness.

The black snake emitted a powerful aura, filled with savagery. Its forked tongue flicked in and out of its mouth, and its mere presence sent the aura in the area into chaos. Furthermore, a black, churning mist with a Celestial appearance seethed around it as it flew.

Standing on top of the black snake was an old man in a black robe. His expression was grim, and his eyes were filled with arrogance and contempt as the black snake neared and then floated in the air above Naruto's courtyard. The old man looked down with a condescending look at Naruto.

The old man's Cultivation base was not extremely high, only at the mid Core Formation stage. However, his body was festooned with complex totem tattoos, which emanated shocking ripples. Because of them, the man actually emanated an aura similar to that of the Nascent Soul stage.

"So, you're Naruto!" boomed a voice like that of rolling thunders. It didn't sound like the voice of a human, but rather, like the combined roaring of countless beasts. The sound rolled out in all directions, causing all of the Cultivators in the rear mountain district to tremble in their hearts. All of the neo-demons began to tremble in fear.

There were people who immediately recognized the man who rode on the black snake.

"Rank 7 Dragoneer Grandmaster Homura!"

"It really is Grandmaster Homura! So, he's come looking for Grandmaster Naruto!"

"Grandmaster Naruto took away Sakumo's neo-demon horde. It won't do any good even if the Greatfather and the others interfered now. This will be the Crow Scout Tribe's first battle between Dragoneers. Grandmaster Sakumo versus Grandmaster Naruto!"

Naruto sat cross-legged in his courtyard. He slowly opened his eyes, and they gleamed with coldness. He looked up indifferently at the black-robed old man who floated in mid-air atop the black snake.

He merely looked up; there was no shocking sharpness in his gaze, nor did he say any Heaven-shaking words. He just looked over. As his gaze passed over the wildly arrogant and fierce black snake, it suddenly began to tremble.

Terrifying waves of fear suddenly rose up in its simplistic mind. Naruto's gaze had seemed relatively casual, nor could the old man see any clues as to what was going on. But the black neo-demon snake shook violently, and its mind and heart reeled. Fear and awe welled up from its very soul.

It almost seemed like pressure was bearing down on its life force. The fear and awe it felt in its soul… would most likely also be present even in the ancient ancestor which gave birth to this creature's bloodline. It too would tremble in fear in front of Naruto. The unspeakable aura he emanated made the black snake hold him in as much awe as the Heavens.

It took only one look, and the black snake let out a shrill howl, then immediately retreated backward. The shocked old man in the black robe did everything he could, but the black snake was completely incapable of recovering.

It was only after Naruto looked away a moment later that the black snake managed to straighten itself up. If Naruto had looked at it any longer, it would probably have simply fallen down out of the sky.

No observer could see what had happened. However, Homura's heart trembled, and he could barely prevent himself from gasping. His eyes were wide. He had come here in an overbearing fashion in order to punish Naruto and take back the neo-demon horde. Suddenly, all of his plans completely changed. He floated there in mid-air, glaring down at Naruto, a multitude of thoughts running through his head.

"Dammit," he thought, "no wonder the Greatfather, Grand Elder and others did nothing to stop me from coming here. It turns out this guy is a high level Dragoneer! Just what rank is he….?"

"How can I help you?" asked Naruto coolly. His voice was calm, but his eyes were filled with coldness. He looked up at rank 7 Dragonner Homura, and suddenly realized that the totems on the man's body were quite interesting.

"I am Homura. Fellow Daoist Naruto, my son is not a good student, but he spent half his life painstakingly collecting his neo-demon horde. I demand an explanation regarding this matter. However, we are both Dragoneers. In one month, the day will come in which the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity go to worship their Ancestor.

"At that time, the order of who enters the Ancestor's land will be determined by a competition between the five great Tribes! On that day, I hope to experience your secret Dragoneer arts!" Homura didn't know what rank Dragoneer Naruto was; having come here, however, he couldn't just leave immediately. Therefore, he forced these words out, then turned and left with his black snake.

As he left, he made up his mind. "I must determine for sure what rank Dragoneer he is. I can't do anything rash. I'll use the five great Tribe's competition to determine how much of him is true and how much is false."

He arrived abruptly and left quickly. The surrounding onlookers saw everything that happened and could only watch on in shock.

Naruto also stared in surprise for a moment. It only took a moment's thought to realize why rank 7 Dragoneer Homura had come here. However, his motives in coming and going were quite contradictory. Naruto smiled coldly, and his eyes glittered.

"So, the awaited time has come; the five great Tribes will offer sacrifices to their Ancestor…. The only way to do that is to enter the Crow Divinity Holy Land. That is the prescribed rendezvous point with the others.

"However, now that I have my Wood-type totem, getting into the Holy Land isn't that important. Furthermore, the Crow Scout Tribe has actually treated me quite well." After a moment's thought he closed his eyes to continue his research on his Greenwood Tree totem.

The next day at dawn, when light was just appearing in the sky, Naruto emerged from his trance. He looked around at his silent neo-demon horde. Currently, his dozens of neo-demons were organized into three groups. The first was the Greenwood Wolves, led by Big Hairy.

Another was the Greenwood Bats, led by the Black Bat. There was a big difference in the numbers populating the two groups. There were a few more Greenwood Wolves; however, the Greenwood Bats had more mid-level neo-demons. The two groups weren't necessarily evenly matched, but there was a clear delineation between the two. They didn't get along very well, and a bit of hostility existed.

The third group was comprised of Greenwood Snakes. Their numbers lay between those of the Greenwood Wolves and the Greenwood Bats. However, in terms of strength, they didn't measure up to either of the others. Being the lowest position, they showed complete awe for Big Hairy and the Black Bat.

Naruto looked thoughtfully for a while at the three groups of neo-demons. Then, his body flickered as he left the courtyard. Behind him, Big Hairy looked up, then also turned into a blur as he followed, along with the rest of the Greenwood Wolf neo-demon horde. The Black Bat's eyes flickered, and it flew up into the air, bringing the Greenwood Bats with it.

The Greenwood Snakes took the flanking position as Naruto left the rear mountain district. The entire way, any of the Crow Scout Tribe members who saw Naruto would look at him in awe, then lower their heads and do their best to avoid him.

After leaving the Crow Scout Tribe, Naruto found himself in the surrounding mountain forest. As he usually did, he sent the various neo-demon hordes in different directions to hunt for food. As for himself, he sat down cross-legged underneath a tall tree to meditate.

Big Hairy didn't leave, but rather lay down next to Naruto. He looked lazy, but in truth, his eyes were filled with vigilance and coldness as he looked around.

Naruto had been in the Crow Scout Tribe for more than half a year now. During that time, he had often taken his Greenwood Wolves out to hunt; each time, Big Hairy would keep a close watch on Naruto. As for food, it was usually brought back to him by the other Greenwood Wolves. Unless Naruto ordered him, he would never leave his side.

Now, Naruto's neo-demon horde had grown much stronger and larger; nonetheless, Big Hairy continued to act the same as before.

Naruto petted Big Hairy's head. As he did, he thought of the mastiff. He suddenly sent his mind into the blood-colored mask. Sensing that the mastiff was still in a state of slumber, he sighed.

"When will you finally wake up?" he thought. He retracted his Spiritual Sense, then looked at the surrounding forest. A breeze wafted through the trees, giving rise to a rustling sound.

At first glance, it almost looked like the Southern Domain. However, there was also something unfamiliar about it; it didn't feel like home at all.

"After leaving the Black Lands, the power of the Celestial talisman that was interfering with the Hebi Clan's search for me must have vanished. From now on… I need to be ready at any time for the Hebi Clan to come after me. Although, despite being away from the Black Lands, perhaps I have enough Celestial talisman power on my person to continue to provide interference." He looked up into the sky, his heart filled with questions. During the past more than half year, he hadn't seen a single person from the Hebi Clan. Now he was starting to come to the conclusion that acquiring the Celestial talisman symbols and using them to gain enlightenment, must be one of the main reasons that the Hebi Clan wasn't coming after him.

"The Hebi Clan…." he thought, his eyes filling with coldness. "One of these days, I will become strong…. Then the Hebi Clan will be forced to acknowledge my superiority!" He took a deep breath, and determination filled his eyes.

It was at this moment that Naruto's mind suddenly flickered. He turned his head to look off into the distance. In addition, a high-pitched voice suddenly drifted into his ears from off into the distance.

"It doesn't matter if the first person to spot that Ironblack Snake was you or me. My Master is rank 7 Dragoneer Motoi. Do you really dare to contend with this Young Master!?"

The wooded mountain where Naruto was located wasn't close to the Crow Scout Tribe. Actually, it was some distance away in the boundless mountain chain. In accord with his usual custom, Naruto took his neo-demon horde to increasingly remote areas. Hearing the voice, he didn't move, but rather just listened for a while.

Usually, Naruto didn't run into people out here. He was usually alone; therefore, after hearing the voice, Naruto sent out some Spiritual Sense to check out the situation.

Not far off, separated from Naruto by a medium sized mountain, was a group of seven or eight Crow Scout Tribe members. Currently, they were facing off wrathfully against a group of three others. From their clothing, it was obvious these others were Crow Soldier Tribe members.

In the middle position of these three people was a young man. His Cultivation base was at the early Foundation Establishment stage. The two people flanking him were a bit older, and their faces were covered with cold grins, as well as contempt, as they stared at the Crow Scout Tribe members.

Surprisingly, Darui and Mabui were among the Crow Scout Tribe members. Atsui was also there, as well as a few others with whom Naruto was familiar. All were outstanding figures in the younger generation of the Crow Scout Tribe.

They were surrounded by neo-demons, all of whom radiated fierce auras and glared at the three Crow Soldier Tribe members.

Situated between the two groups was an indistinct, shimmering net. Laying unconscious and motionless within the net was a small, black snake.

Mabui gritted her beautiful teeth and said, "We found that Ironblack Snake! We paid a heavy price for it, too. We captured it, so what the hell gives you the right to take it!?"

The young man from the Crow Soldier Tribe laughed coldly, virtually ignoring the members of the Crow Scout Tribe. He walked toward the black net and then waved his hand, clearly intent on taking it away. Mabui clenched her jaw and then performed an incantation with her right hand. Instantly, the Greenwood Wolf next to her leaped forward. At the same time, totemic power billowed out from Mabui's body.

When this happened, a look of disdain appeared in the eyes of the Crow Soldier Tribe youth. He waved his left hand, whereupon a pitch-black, decomposing Zombie Wolf materialized. It lifted its head up and roared as it shot toward Mabui.

The faces of all of the Crow Scout Tribe members instantly flickered, and they attacked simultaneously. A huge boom rang out, and the Crow Scout Tribe members staggered backward spitting up blood.

"Level 6 neo-demon…." cried Atsui bitterly.

Darui's face was ashen. Mabui looked like she knew what she was doing, but unfortunately, there was nothing they could actually do. The rotting Zombie Wolf stood there looking at them coldly.

"My Crow Soldier Tribe and your Crow Scout Tribe have the same roots. If it weren't for that, all of you would die today for provoking me!" The young man looked scornfully over the Crow Scout Tribe members, then snatched up the black net. He turned to leave, then suddenly looked back. He had just caught sight of Hairy #5, who lay off in the forest, observing the goings on.

Hairy #5 was usually relatively high-spirited, and was deeply curious about all sorts of matters. Moments ago, he had been passing by, and his attention had been caught by the putrescent Zombie Wolf. He couldn't help but look on with wide eyes.

"Whoah," said the young man, his eyes suddenly brightening with pleasure as he looked at Hairy #5. "That wolf… is extraordinary! I can't believe I ran into a Greenwood Wolf like that in this place. If I can take it back as a gift for Master, he'll definitely be extremely pleased!" He laughed loudly. His two fellow Tribe Members next to him looked at Hairy #5 with expressions of pleasant surprise.

Hairy #5 was no longer small, and had quite a mighty bearing. They could instantly see that he was far from ordinary.

"Hairy #5!" said Darui, recognizing him instantly. After staring in shock for a moment, his heart suddenly filled with joy. He looked around, and though he didn't see anything in particular, he knew what it meant if Hairy #5 was in the area.

Atsui's expression also filled with joy. It was only Mabui who had mixed feelings. As for the other Crow Scout Tribe members, they all recognized Hairy #5 as well, and were instantly filled with happiness.

Hearing them call out his name, Hairy #5 turned his head in surprise. He looked at them for a moment, then turned back with curiosity to stare at the Zombie Wolf.

A look of savagery appeared on the face of the young man. He couldn't care less that the Crow Scout Tribe members recognized this Greenwood Wolf. As far as he was concerned, anything he looked at, especially things that he wanted to give as a gift to his Master, he could take. The entire Crow Soldier Tribe would definitely approve. As far as the other Tribes went, there was hardly anyone who could possibly contend with his Master.

"Get me that wolf! I want it alive!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the two people standing next to him sprang into action. Simultaneously, the rotting Wolf Zombie shot toward Hairy #5.

As the two Cultivators flew through the air, their totem tattoos shone brightly, transforming into an enormous net which flew to encircle Hairy #5.

Hairy #5's eyes flashed with coldness, and then his body flickered, exploding forward in attack. His mouth opened wide as he bit toward the youth. His speed was such that the young man had no time to react. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of the young man. As this happened, a black light sprung out from the young man's body.

The black light slammed into Hairy #5, who let out a miserable cry. Immediately, black aura began to emit from his body, and he quickly retreated. As he did, the putrefying Zombie Wolf closed in on him, its eyes glowing with grim coldness. It opened its mouth wide as it prepared to bite into Hairy #5.

It was at this moment that a howl suddenly could be heard from the nearby forest. A green beam of light shot out to slam into the body of the Zombie Wolf. It shook as it flew backward like a kite with its string cut. As it was thrown off to the side, Hairy #4 suddenly appeared to stand next to Hairy #5. He looked toward the three Crow Soldier Tribe members, snarling at them to reveal his sharp teeth.

"Two! Haha! There's two!" cried the young man. "If I present them both to Master, he'll definitely be thrilled!" The young man was actually shocked inwardly. The attack just now had been too fast for him to even react to. Were it not for the protective totem his Master had given him, he would have been torn in two just now. This only made him more desirous of Hairy #5. His eyes glowed with coldness.

He waved his right hand, causing a black bracelet to fly out. It suddenly let out a bang as it disintegrated in mid-air. It then transformed into a vortex, from within which multiple growling roars could be heard. Several black beams of light suddenly shot out, which transformed into more than twenty completely putrescent Zombie Wolves.

"Attack! I don't care who lives or dies, just make sure the bodies of the Greenwood Wolves don't get too torn up!" Vicious hatred emanated out from the young man's eyes.

As soon as the Zombie Wolves appeared, a noxious reek billowed out. Furthermore, the forest floor in all directions began to wither and turn black. The faces of the Crow Scout Tribe members instantly fell.

"Hairy #4, Hairy #5, get out of here!" cried Darui urgently.

"DIE!" cried the young man, laughing as he pointed toward Darui and the others. Immediately, four of the Zombie Wolves turned toward the Crow Scout Tribe members, then turned into black beams of light as they shot forward in attack.

The rest of the Zombie Wolves radiated savagery and madness as they charged toward Hairys #4 and #5.

Naruto frowned as watched all of this happen. Finally, he gave a cold snort. Big Hairy looked up and began to howl. Immediately the sound of the howl filled the forest. Hairys #2 and #3, as well as the rest of the Greenwood Wolves, were all in the area. Hearing the howl, they immediately charged in the direction of Hairys #4 and #5.

Their speed was such that it only took a blink of an eye for the young man as well as the Crow Scout Tribe members to see multiple beams of green light shooting toward them from within the surrounding forest. Suddenly, more than twenty Greenwood Wolves were there, each one beyond ordinary, emanating incredible might. This was especially true of two of their number, which were more than nine meters long and emanated flickering green glows. The savagery and coldness which shone in their eyes filled the entire area.

The young man's face immediately fell. The rotting Zombie Wolves that were flying through the air sensed the sudden impending crisis, and immediately stopped and looked around vigilantly.

"Hairy #2! Hairy #3!" shouted Darui excitedly.

The young man from the Crow Soldier Tribe looked shocked. The other two Tribe members next to him also looked around in surprise at the approaching Greenwood Wolves.

"I never thought my luck would look so good," said the young man after a moment, laughing loudly. "So many excellent Greenwood Wolves to present to Master! In his heart, I will definitely surpass Second Elder Brother and First Elder Brother!"

However, even as his laughter rang out through the woods, a savage howl ripped through the air in the forest. It circled about in all directions, along with an arrogant aura which immediately caused the neo-demons in the area to begin to tremble. Even the Cultivators of the Crow Scout and Crow Soldier Tribes felt their minds trembling.

At the same time, a white blur appeared, shooting with such speed that nothing was visible but whiteness. The white blur slammed into seven or eight of the Zombie Wolves, whereupon booms echoed out along with bloodcurdling shrieks. The Zombie Wolves all exploded, sending a stinking black mist roiling out in all directions. The world-shaking white blur then transformed into a White Wolf who stood there with utmost grandeur, as if he could look down upon all Heaven and Earth.

The White Wolf's body wasn't very large, and even looked somewhat weak. But the instant he appeared, all of the other Greenwood Wolves immediately fell prone, emanating an air of allegiance.

The White Wolf raised its head up and howled, and as it did, the other Greenwood Wolves joined him. Within an instant, the entire wolf pack was howling in unison, causing everything in the area to shake. Even the trees were trembling. The Zombie Wolves began to quiver, and their listless eyes filled with veneration and submission.

"A White Wolf King!" This was what each and every one of the observing Cultivators was thinking at the moment.

White Wolf King!

The young man's facial expression immediately changed, and he began to breathe heavily. He stepped back a few paces, looking at the White Wolf King, his eyes filling with unprecedented madness and avarice.

"White Wolf King! Who could have imagined that this place would have a Wolf King! Once Master finds out, he's going to be delighted! It doesn't matter who this Wolf King belongs to, now that it has appeared, it belongs to me!" The young man roared as he suddenly stretched out his right hand, within which he held a jade slip. Using the fastest speed he could muster, he crushed it, which sent a message to his Master, Motoi.

Naruto, who was still observing the proceedings with Spiritual Sense, finally gave a cold snort and then strode forward.

At the same time that the young man crushed the jade slip….

Not too far away in the same mountain chain were two peaks that seemed to wish to climb up into the highest heights of the clouds. They towered over the earth, looking out in all directions, two powerful magical warriors the sight of which would send shock into anyone's heart.

Every day at noon, when the sunlight was densest, these two mountains would shine with a silver light. This light was the type that could split Heaven and Earth. It circulated around in the area, sending off powerful ripples.

This was none other than the home of the Crow Soldier Tribe!

On the second peak of the Crow Soldier Tribe was a limestone crag upon which sat seven or eight members of the Crow Soldier Tribe, all smiling respectfully. Sitting in their midst was a middle-aged man who joked and laughed with the surrounding Tribe members.

He wore a black robe, and was clearly beyond ordinary. His eyes contained the stars, and if you looked at them long enough, you could sense a certain sharpness. All of it made him like the sun; without even trying, he became the center of attention.

"… and that is just a fundamental quality of the magic of Dragoneers," said the man coolly. "If you want your Dao of Dragoneering to live forever, and wish to experience progress, then the only option is to look for the answer within your own flesh and blood and bones. That is where you will find the path you must tread." He wore a smile on his face, although there was no kindness in it; rather, he emanated a lofty and proud air. If you looked closely, however, you would be able see a bit of an emotional sigh contained within them.

The people surrounding him were for the most part outstanding members of the Tribe. All had Cultivation bases at the Core Formation stage; each and every one wore thoughtful expressions.

"Grandmaster Motoi, you truly deserve to be a rank 7 Dragoneer. Although we've never heard anything like this before, after some thought, it really makes sense!"

"That's right! Grandmaster Motoi, it seems you've truly found your own path as a Dragoneer. You have limitless future potential. I think that in all of the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity, to find someone who could match you in terms of secret Dragoneer arts would be as difficult as finding phoenix feathers or qilin horns."

The proud, middle-aged man engaging in the lively discussion was none other than Motoi, with whom Naruto had lost contact during the teleportation to this region. At that time, Naruto had rendered Motoi unconscious during his meeting with the other Nascent Soul eccentrics regarding the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity. Therefore, Motoi was completely unaware of any of those matters. All he knew was that when he woke up, he was back in the Western Desert.

Most importantly, there was no sign of that terrifying, inhuman person who plagued him with fear during the day and roamed in his nightmares at night. At first, Motoi had stared in shock. Then he had searched around, filled with disbelief. However, the only thing he had found was the unconscious Wild Giant.

After repeated searches of the area without finding Naruto, his body had begun to tremble, and finally, he lifted his head up and let out a roar.

He had thought about all the torment and maltreatment he had endured in the past. He thought about how many times his flesh and blood had been studied. All of it caused tears to stream down Motoi's face as he roared.

These were the tears of happiness seen on the face of someone who survived a great disaster. Strangely, he also found that for some reason, his skills in the Dragoneer arts had increased, and he was now rank 7.

In his belief, everything that he had endured had moved the Heavens. Finally, a conscience had appeared in that inhuman being, and the man had decided to let him go. Therefore, he left the mountains with the Wild Giant. Soon, he experienced a vast change in situation as he became a famous Dragoneer of the Crow Soldier Tribe.

As the surrounding Crow Soldier Tribe members continued to speak, Motoi laughed proudly and was about to continue speaking when suddenly his expression flickered. He slapped his bag of holding to produce a jade slip. The instant it appeared, cracking sounds could be heard. Everyone's gaze came to focus on the jade slip as it collapsed into pieces.

"Oh?" said Motoi, a cold light shining within his eyes. His voice cool, he continued, "That would be one of my three apprentices. It looks like one of them has run into some trouble on the outside." He waved his right hand, causing the remnants of the jade slip to transform into fragments. The resulting powder began to glow, and then turned into a faintly discernible image. Within, Big Hairy could be seen charging forward, emanating the elegant bearing of a Wolf King.

Seeing the image, the eyes of all the surrounding Crow Soldier Tribe members immediately went wide, as did Motoi's. He stared fixedly at Big Hairy, then began to laugh loudly.

"It seems my Third apprentice really is ingenious. He truly is an outstanding member of the Crow Soldier Tribe. He's even gone and found a Wolf King for me. Excellent, excellent!" Continuing to laugh, Motoi shot up into the air, followed by the chuckling Crow Soldier Tribe members.

"Congratulations, Grandmaster Motoi! It looks like you've acquired another neo-demon Wolf King!"

"However, that particular Wolf King looks like a Greenwood Wolf. Could it possibly have something to do with the Crow Scout Tribe?"

"Even if it does, who cares? If Grandmaster Motoi takes a fancy to something, even Homura from the Crow Scout Tribe could do nothing but bow his head."

Amidst the chatter and laughter surrounding him, Motoi laughed loudly and tilted his head up with an expression of pride.

"I, Motoi, will not blithely take a beast away from someone without paying. Whoever the master of that Wolf King is, I will obviously offer some compensation. In fact, if he's talented enough, then I might even accept that person as an apprentice." With that, Motoi, flicked his sleeve and shot off into the air.

The surrounding Crow Soldier Tribe members' faces filled with admiration as they clustered around Motoi and flew away with him in the direction indicated by the jade slip. All of them transformed into prismatic beams that shot off into the distance.

Meanwhile, back in the thick mountain forest, even as Naruto strode forward, and the White Wolf made its grand entrance, the young man from the Crow Soldier Tribe crushed the jade slip and then ripped open the front of his garment. Immediately, a black stone could be seen hanging around his neck. He grabbed it and threw it out in front of him.

"I summon Demon Doyen Flood Dragon!" cried the youth, his eyes filled with madness. At the same time, he bit down on the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Simultaneously, his fellow Tribe members next to him also spit up some blood. The blood from the three people was sucked into the black stone, which then exploded, transforming into ripples that spread out in all directions, along with a Heaven-shaking roar.

Within the roar, a Flood Dragon emerged. Its body was several dozen meters long, and its appearance caused everything in the surrounding mountainous forest to shake. A massive pressure rolled out, pushing down onto everything.

This particular dragon was actually not complete; portions of it were in a state of decay. In fact, bones were visible in quite a few areas. A rotten stench emanated out as it appeared, filling the area.

"Demon Doyen, exterminate these things!" The young man's eyes radiated madness. This Flood Dragon was a life-saving neo-demon gifted to him by his master. It was not level 6, but rather level 7. It was incredibly powerful, and in the eyes of the young man, once this Demon Doyen appeared, he should be able to finish the battle before his Master arrived.

"That's… level 7!"

"He actually has a level 7 neo-demon! Impossible!"

The faces of the surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members immediately flickered, filling with disbelief. Even Sakumo from the Crow Scout Tribe didn't have a level 7 neo-demon. Such creatures were very difficult to control.

"My Master is Grandmaster Motoi. To him, nothing is impossible!" The young man laughed uproariously as the Flood Dragon roared and shot toward Big Hairy.

Naruto strode through the forest, using his Spiritual Sense to observe what was happening. Seeing everything happening, a strange expression appeared on his face. As soon as the rotting Zombie Wolf had appeared, Naruto was astonished at how different Motoi's neo-demons were from everyone else's.

Then the Flood Dragon appeared. Naruto recognized it instantly. It was, in fact, a Flood Dragon that he himself had killed and then given to Motoi as food for the Wild Giant.

Even as Naruto scanned the area with Spiritual Sense, Big Hairy let out a growling roar. His body flickered and he transformed into a white blur that shot toward the Flood Dragon. At the same time, the surrounding Greenwood Wolves instantly fell upon the putrefying Zombie Wolves, and a vicious, deadly battle erupted.

Booms rang out, accompanied by howls and roars as the Greenwood Wolves tangled with the Zombie Wolves. At the same time, Big Hairy and the Flood Dragon fought back and forth fiercely. Because of Big Hairy's fierceness and incredibly high life force, it didn't matter that the Flood Dragon was level 7. It couldn't do anything to even scratch Big Hairy.

In fact, it continued to retreat, until finally Big Hairy had had enough. He let out a tremendous roar, and began to shake. In the blink of an eye, his body expanded to a size of over thirty meters. He looked like a small, white mountain. His aura emanated up endlessly so that in an instant, he suddenly exerted tremendous pressure down onto the Flood Dragon.

Big Hairy's aura spread out in all directions, giving rise to a white-colored tempest that rose up to the Heavens. Accompanied by an Earth-shaking roar, Big Hairy charged toward the Flood Dragon, slamming into it and causing it to let out a miserable shriek. Its already damaged body began to collapse and fly about in all directions. Big Hairy's jaws latched onto the Flood Dragon's head, and he ripped it off with a howl.

Squeals filled the air as the Greenwood Wolves attacked relentlessly. It took only a moment for all of the rotting Zombie Wolves to be torn to pieces.

The Crow Scout Tribe members spirits were instantly lifted; Darui clenched his fists, his face filled with excitement.

On the other hand, the face of young man from the Crow Soldier Tribe, as well as the faces of his two companions, instantly went deathly pale. Without thinking about it, they backed up, breathing heavily. Complete disbelief filled the eyes of Grandmaster Motoi's Third apprentice.

"That's… a level 8… level 8 Wolf King!"

It was at this exact moment, that a black streak of light appeared from off to the side. It shot toward Big Hairy, and then transformed into the shocking Black Bat, as well as a large group of other Greenwood Bats.

A horde of Greenwood Snakes also appeared, hissing loudly as they emerged from the forest.

"That's… that's a Bat King!" said the young man, his face filled with dread as he continued to back up. How could he ever have imagined that he would manage to provoke such a horde of neo-demons?

"It doesn't matter if there are two neo-demon Kings! You've run into me today, so now your lives belongs to me!" said the young man through clenched teeth. His eyes filled with venomous hatred as he slapped his bag of holding to produce a chunk of black-colored meat.

As soon as the meat appeared, a shocking sound rumbled out from the surrounding forest. It was a roar that sounded as if it could shred the Heavens.

"Meat…."

The roar rumbled out, shaking the Heavens and causing the land to tremble. The surrounding forest burst into chaos, as if a tempest had sprung into being and was preparing to shred all life into ash.

Within the roar contained a mighty pressure that all Cultivators could sense. It instantly caused the faces of the Crow Scout Tribe members to fall; blood sprayed from their mouths and their ears rang.

All of the white fur on Big Hairy's body stood on end, and shockingly, he emanated an aura of vigilance. His eyes were filled with freezing coldness, and not even the slightest scrap of feeling could be detected therein, only killing intent.

He lowered his head and instinctively began to emit low-pitched, threatening growls.

The Black Bat next to him looked equally serious. It glared off toward where the growl came from, its eyes flickering mysteriously. It slowly opened its mouth, baring its sharp, vicious teeth.

They were the only neo-demons in the area who had such a reaction. The rest of them began trembling as soon as they heard the roar. One by one, they dropped prone to the ground, as because of the mighty pressure, they didn't dare to move.

Even Hairy #2 and the others had to force themselves to even lift their heads up. Their eyes were filled with fear and struggle as they let out low-pitched howls.

As for the young man and the other two from the Crow Soldier Tribe, their faces flickered and they trembled. The young man quickly took the piece of meat he held in his hand and prepared to throw it out in front of him.

"You're dead!" he cried. "Nobody can save you now!"

As the roar echoed toward them from off in the distance, Naruto finally emerged from the forest to stand in front of everyone.

The Crow Scout Tribe members looked over one by one, and their expressions were the same as if they had just seen a blood relative. They immediately began to clasp hands and excitedly bow to him.

"Grandmaster Naruto!"

"It's Grandmaster Naruto!"

"Greetings, Grandmaster Naruto!"

This was especially true of Darui. He was the first one to catch sight of Naruto, and his expression was one of extreme excitement. Catching sight of Naruto here filled him not just with simple respect, but something bordering on fanaticism.

Atsui gave a slight, inward sigh of relief. Next to him, Mabui had a complex expression and subconsciously lowered her head.

Naruto gave smiling nods to everyone. Then, his gaze shifted off into the distance. He could sense the pressure weighing down on everything, and as he did, he smiled. There was no need for him to even check with Spiritual Sense; he could tell that off in the distant forest was none other than a Wild Giant. It was striding toward them at top speed, most likely drooling at the same time.

As soon as Naruto appeared, it was as if all the pressure suddenly lifted from the neo-demons. One by one, they stood up, their dignity and might restored. Hairy #2 trotted over to Naruto, a happy expression in his eyes. It only took a moment for Naruto to be surrounded by neo-demons.

Big Hairy's body flickered as he, too, returned to Naruto's side. He no longer looked completely savage, but rather, clever and charming.

The Black Bat hesitated for a moment, then flew over to Naruto's side. However, it continued to glance with cold eyes off into the distance.

"Grandmaster Naruto?" said Motoi's Third apprentice, his bearing arrogant and disdainful. "Since when did your Crow Scout Tribe get somebody named Grandmaster Naruto?! Presumably this neo-demon horde belongs to you. Well, my Master is rank 7 Dragoneer Grandmaster Motoi of the Crow Soldier Tribe. If you're smart, you'll hand over the neo-demon horde to me immediately. If you don't, you'll have to face my Master, who's on the way here right now. And guess what, there's also a Wild Giant coming!"

Even as he spoke, the ground trembled, and another roar from off in the distance shook everything.

"Meat…. Meat…." The voice was like thunder, sweeping across everything. The Crow Scout Tribe members continued to appear to be at a loss as the ground heaved. The neo-demons next to Naruto, with the exception of Big Hairy and the Black Bat, all began to growl as they sensed a feeling of imminent crisis.

"Do you hear that?" said the young man excitedly. "That's the roar of a Wild Giant! That's none other than my Master's Demonic Dharma Protector, an ancient neo-demon that he personally subjugated years ago. A Wild Giant!" He laughed boisterously. "Wild Giants eat other neo-demons for lunch, and are rarely seen in the Western Desert. According to legend, they rarely bond masters. However, my Master was able to bond this one, and that's why it follows his commands!"

The ground trembled once again, and the roar of the Wild Giant seemed even closer. The Crow Scout Tribe members began to back up, and the growling roars of the neo-demons grew louder. Naruto was the only one who just stood there smiling as he looked out into the forest.

"It seems Motoi really does have some talent," thought Naruto. "After giving him the job of feeding the Wild Giant, he realized after we got split up that he could use food to control it."

"Scared yet?!" cried the young man. "Once the Wild Giant appears all of you are dead!" He lifted his head up and laughed uproariously as the ground shook beneath him. Off in the distance, an enormous figure could already be seen striding with great steps through the forest.

Its frame was gigantic, and it emanated a barbaric aura as it roared viciously. As of now everyone present could see it.

"Meat…. Meat…." Another roar filled the surroundings, circling around and echoing like thunder. At the same time, the Wild Giant suddenly leaped up into the air. It shot out of the forest, flying up until it obscured the sun with its enormous frame. Beneath, the Crow Scout Tribe members' eyes were wide and filled with shock and amazement. They couldn't even breathe as they looked up at the shocking Wild Giant.

Motoi's Third apprentice stood there cool and composed. However, he was actually nervous inwardly. If it wasn't for the fact that it was absolutely necessary, and also that he knew his Master was on the way, he would never have called the Wild Giant here.

The Wild Giant was an irascible neo-demon who only showed up because of food. Even his Master Motoi treated the Wild Giant very politely and was constantly feeding it. He would even scratch its back when it was preparing to sleep.

"Esteemed Wild Giant, they are your food!" he cried, sounding very much like his Master. Body trembling, he let out a roar and then tossed the piece of meat he held directly toward Naruto.

At the same time, he retreated back. The other two Crow Soldier Tribe members made to follow, their faces pale and their bodies trembling.

However, they were a bit too late. The Wild Giant descended like a storm. Even while it was still in mid-air, its huge hand shot down toward the ground and snatched up one of the two Crow Soldier Tribe Cultivators. The man screamed as the Wild Giant tossed him into its mouth. Crunching sounds could be heard, and then the man was swallowed down.

"Meat! Meat!" roared the Wild Giant. In its eyes, it didn't care at all about Cultivators or neo-demons. Its eyes were fixed on the chunk of small meat whistling through the air. Its hand shot out to snatch it up.

Seeing his fellow Tribe member grabbed and eaten caused the young apprentice's heart to fill with alarm. Even stronger, though, was the cruelty that welled up within him. He saw the Wild Giant's hand moving toward Naruto, and began to laugh wildly.

"The neo-demons that Young Master wanted are just about…." Before he could finish speaking, his eyes suddenly went wide and filled with disbelief. He stared, gaping, first confused and then struck dumb with amazement.

This was because Naruto suddenly spoke.

"All you think about all day is eating meat! Get your butt over here!"

Then the young man saw what Naruto did!

He reached out and grabbed the piece of meat and watched the Wild Giant nearing. Shockingly, as soon as the Wild Giant heard Naruto's words, its entire body began to tremble.

It was as if to the Wild Giant, Naruto's voice contained Heavenly pressure. It seemed as if no matter how hungry or wild it became, it would never be able to forget Naruto's voice for its entire life.

The Wild Giant's eyes went wide as it recalled the scene of the man standing on its head, rousing the Demonic Chakra in the area, and asking it if it was willing to capitulate and pledge allegiance.

Its enormous hand suddenly came to a stop only a meter away from Naruto. It stared at Naruto for a moment, and as it did, the frenzy in its eyes faded. It turned instead into happiness, as well as a bit of frustration, as if it were nursing a grievance. It let out a massive roar.

The happiness was because of finally being able to find its Master. The frustration was because it was never able to eat until being full recently, and was depressed because it had been unable to find Naruto. All of these feelings leaked out into the massive roar.

"Shut up and get over here," chided Naruto.

The enormous Wild Giant immediately quieted down and stepped over to Naruto's side, as obedient as a kitten. It carefully avoided all of the other neo-demons and then squatted down next to Naruto.

Its face was filled with happiness as well as obedience. This caused the minds of everyone present to reel. Everything seemed to be happening opposite to expectation, and it caused their minds to be complete blanks.

Moments ago, the Wild Giant had been filled with incomparable mania. Now, however, it was clearly very obedient, and not the least bit ferocious. In fact, it really looked as if it had just found its master.

The ease with which it squatted down seemed to come from force of habit, as if it had done so many times in front of Naruto.

All of this caused a complete silence to fill the air. Darui stared. Atsui panted. Mabui gaped.

As for Motoi's Third apprentice, the young man, he simply was incapable of reconciling the image of the frenzied, man-eating Wild Giant that even his Master was careful around, with the obedient, puppy-like thing that he saw just now. His mind reeled, and he suddenly had the feeling that this Wild Giant… was not his Master's after all, but instead belonged to this Grandmaster Naruto whom he had never seen before.

"I let my Wild Giant roam free in this area, and you called it here to attack me?" said Naruto, looking at the young man with an expression that was a smile, and also not a smile.

The young man opened his mouth, but his brain was empty. He couldn't think of anything to say. Everything that had happened had turned his mind and heart inside out. However, it was at this moment that seven or eight beams of prismatic light appeared off in the distance. In the lead was none other than Motoi, a look of dignity covering his face as he shot booming through the air. Immediately, the young man came to his senses. He looked up into the air with a look of excitement.

"Master, save me!"

"What are you losing your head over? I'm here! Who is there that would dare to harm my apprentice!?" Motoi was wearing a luxurious robe, and his hair floated in the wind as he flew down from up in the air. His expression was one of pride and aloofness, as if he were the most esteemed person under Heaven.

This was especially true considering he stood atop a thirty-meter long Flood Dragon with violet scales. The Flood Dragon's fierce eyes were pale white making it so that even though the dragon emitted a strong aura of death, it still looked divine and mighty, anything but ordinary. Its domineering aura was enough to cause anyone to take it very seriously.

Motoi stood there atop the Flood Dragon, emanating billowing aura. Next to him, the other Crow Soldier Tribe Cultivators all had Cultivation bases at the Core Formation stage. Clearly, none were ordinary Tribe members, but rather influential figures.

They clustered around Motoi as he shot down from the sky. Motoi glanced coolly over the situation, his expression one of authority. The first thing he saw, naturally, was the enormous figure of the Wild Giant.

However, because of the angle, he was unable to see Naruto standing on the other side of the Wild Giant. All he could see was the Wild Giant's obedient posture, which seemed a bit odd.

Regardless of anything, however, he was incapable of connecting the Wild Giant's obedient behaviour to Naruto. In his mind, this was the Western Desert, and that inhuman freak had forgotten about him long ago in the Black Lands. There was no way he would reappear.

Half a year ago, he would not have been so firm in his conviction. But after all this time had passed in comfort and safety, this way of thinking was deeply rooted in Motoi.

The second thing he noticed was Big Hairy and the Black Bat, as well as the rest of the neo-demon horde which stood beneath the shadow of the Wild Giant.

As for the Crow Scout Tribe members, Motoi completely ignored them.

"Those two neo-demon Kings are extraordinary! Having roamed the Western Desert for years, I can say that such neo-demons are rarely seen." Motoi smiled, not paying too much attention to his pleading apprentice. Hands clasped behind his back, he stood there looking down at the scene.

As he spoke, Big Hairy looked up at him; cruel and cold killing intent shone in his eyes. Even his white fur seemed to emanate an icy desire to kill.

The Black Bat's mysterious eyes narrowed. It could sense an intense pressure emanating from Motoi. It stared at him, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth.

As for the rest of the neo-demons, they trembled beneath the mighty pressure emitted by the Flood Dragon which floated above them.

As for Darui and the others from the Crow Scout Tribe, their faces were pale. Seeing the group from the Crow Soldier Tribe arrive, as well as the terrifying Flood Dragon and Motoi, they all began to breathe heavily.

"That's… that's rank 7 Dragoneer Grandmaster Motoi from the Crow Soldier Tribe!" blurted Darui. He looked over at Naruto, and, seeing his calm expression, suddenly felt a bit better.

Meanwhile up in mid-air, the other Crow Soldier Tribe members started laughing in response to the words Motoi had just spoken.

"Those two neo-demons really do look extraordinary. Hahaha! Congratulations Grandmaster Motoi, you've acquired two neo-demon Kings today. You're going to be even more powerful than before."

"Great! Your luck is astonishing, Grandmaster Motoi. Those two are definitely rare neo-demons!"

From the pleasant laughter, it was clear that they meant what they said; these neo-demon Kings really were rare. Hearing their words and laughter, Motoi's face filled with complacency and happiness. He was truly excited after having seen Big Hairy and the Black Bat.

"Apprentice offers greetings to Master!" said the young man down on the ground. Seeing Motoi arrive, he heaved an inward sigh of relief. Suddenly a feeling of arrogance and superiority rose up within him.

"Master," he continued, backing up even as he shouted, "I accidentally happened upon these two neo-demon Kings. I was just attempting to capture them to give to you as a gift when this guy showed up. He even attacked me and tried to take them away! Master, please take charge of administering justice!" He glared at Naruto with venomous hatred the entire time, a cold smile covering his lips.

"I don't care who you are in the Crow Scout Tribe," he went on, unable to contain his pompous complacency. "You provoked Young Master and dared to lay in ambush to take the neo-demons Master took a liking to. You're dead for sure!"

Motoi looked over at the Wild Giant and noted its strange obedience. However, his line of sight was blocked, and still couldn't see Naruto. Then he thought about his status in the Crow Soldier Tribe, and cooly said, "This is a bit improper. Apprentice, these are Fellow Daoists from the Crow Scout Tribe. You really shouldn't say such evil things about them."

"I acknowledge my mistake, Master," said the young man, lowering his head and putting on a victimized appearance. "However, this guy is really strong. If you hadn't arrived in time, I would definitely have been a corpse already."

Having heard what was being said, Naruto chuckled, then slowly took a step forward, emerging from the cover of the Wild Giant. Now, everyone up above could see him clearly. He looked up toward the proud, dignified Motoi.

Even as Naruto began to step out, Motoi heard his apprentice's words and began to respond, his expression dignified, his jaw lifted up. "Well then, let's see who exactly it was that would possibly dare to mess with Motoi's discip… uh? What?! URGHK!"

Motoi's eyes went wide. The first part of the end of his sentence, "uh," represented shock.

The second part, "what?!" represented disbelief.

The third part "URGHK" … was an enormous gasp

Suddenly, he couldn't breath. His face instantly twisted as if he had suddenly caught sight of an evil spirit just arisen from the Yellow Springs. As he stared down, his mind filled with a roaring sound, as if thunder boomed about inside of it.

The roaring inside his mind was actually similar to that of ten thousand horses galloping about inside his skull. His consciousness was trampled, shattered, as he suddenly realized why the Wild Giant was acting so obediently.

"Damn you, Wild Giant," he thought, weeping inwardly. "I took care of you all this time in vain. You, you, you… you ran into that inhuman jinx first, why the hell didn't you at least tip me off?"

At the same time as this was happening, the surrounding Crow Soldier Tribe members saw Naruto. Their expressions were that of indifference as they began to call out.

"Fellow Daoist from the Crow Scout Tribe, your actions are beyond proper. Since Grandmaster Motoi's apprentice saw these neo-demons first, that means he had the right to capture them. For you to steal them in such a fashion is taking advantage of the Crow Soldier Tribe in an extreme way!"

"It turns out the trifling Crow Scout Tribe is full of bandits! I bet that guy is a Crow Scout Tribe vassal. Piddling vassal, do you really dare to be so aggressive? I'd love to see if you have the gall to try to kill any Crow Soldier Tribe members while we're around?!"

Of course, the Cultivators who had accompanied Motoi had no idea who Naruto was. Although he had caused a stir in the Crow Scout Tribe, the Greatfather and other powerful members of the Tribe had interfered with the spread of news. This enabled Naruto's identity to remain a mystery; no outsider knew any of the details.

Even news of his battle with Sakumo had been suppressed on strict orders from the Tribe. Not a scrap of information had leaked out.

Trembling, Motoi suddenly said, "Hahaha! Actually, I'm pretty tired today. Take care everyone, I'll take my leave." He immediately began to back up, and was about to turn and transform into a beam of light and flee at top speed when he was blocked by some of the nearby Crow Soldier Tribe members.

"Grandmaster Motoi, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, what's going on Grandmaster Motoi? Those two neo-demon Kings are matchlessly divine and mighty. It's impossible to be mistaken, completely impossible. They're definitely neo-demon Kings!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter," gushed Motoi, his heart shaking. "I suddenly remembered that I forgot to feed one of my neo-demon hordes. That's… um, see you…." He shoved off the restraining hands of the Crow Soldier Tribe members and was about to ignore everyone and leave.

However, his young apprentice, seeing Motoi about to leave, suddenly shot into the air to block his way. "Master, this guy didn't just attack me, when I mentioned your name, he suddenly got all arrogant and bossy. He even insulted YOU, Master. This is intolerable!"

Naruto watched all of this with a smileless smile. Patting the Wild Giant next to him, he suddenly realized that this new version of Motoi was much more amusing than before.

Darui and the others from the Crow Scout Tribe were all staring in shock as the scene unfolded. Confused expressions covered their faces. They couldn't understand why Grandmaster Motoi would arrive in such an impressive, overwhelming fashion, but then act like this. Without even thinking about it, they looked over at Naruto.

It wasn't just them. The group from the Crow Soldier Tribe also could tell that something fishy was going on.

"Screw off!" roared Motoi. He lifted his hand and was just about to push the young man out of the way when Naruto's voice again could be heard.

"Since you're here," Naruto said with a laugh, "there's no need to rush off."

These words immediately caused Motoi to begin to quiver. He slowly turned, forcing a smile onto his face that made it look almost like he was crying. His body began to shake violently, and his mind roared. A roar of frustration and rage echoed out within his heart.

"How could it be…?" he thought. "This is the Western Desert…. It's not the Black Lands…. How could he be here…? I, I, I…." Images began to flicker through his mind. That of the first moment he had met Naruto, to all the research he had been subjected to, and finally his recent happy days. Now, however, the good times had evaporated into a nightmare that would never go away.

"How could it be…?" Motoi felt grief and indignation, but he had no choice but turn blinking to look at Naruto and pretend that he had just noticed him. His expression was one of happiness, although all ability to think or even speak had left him.

Before he had a chance to say anything to Naruto, Motoi's Third apprentice noted the fact that his Master was turning around and then let out an inward sigh of relief. The he turned to glare viciously at Naruto.

"You're dead! You provoked a rank 7 Dragoneer. Even if you are from the Crow Scout Tribe, they won't protect you now!" The young man was growing even more aggressive. At the moment, he wasn't paying any attention to the two neo-demons next to Naruto. In his mind, few people in the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity would possibly dare to enrage his Master.

Motoi's expression changed, and his heart began to pound.

As the young man's words echoed in Motoi's ears, his eyes went wide. He suddenly thought of occasions in the past in which people had paid the price for offending Naruto.

His body began to tremble as he glared at his Third apprentice. He suddenly started wondering if this person… was his Third apprentice, or his enemy.

"Motoi, what do you think?" said Naruto, smiling as he looked up at Motoi. Motoi's body was like a sieve, not just shaking, but also pouring out cold sweat. He was just about to open his mouth to reply when…

"What gall!" shouted the young man, once again cutting off his Master's explanation. "You dare to call my Master by his personal name? What makes you think you're qualified to do that?!"

"You!" cried Motoi, his eyes red. He was especially frightened because Naruto had just frowned. His frown suddenly made Motoi feel like a hundred thousand lightning bolts were exploding around inside his heart and mind. His face completely changed as he let out a terrified howl. "SHUT UP!"

His voice echoed around in the area, causing the faces of the surrounding Crow Soldier Tribe members to fall as they instinctively edged away from Motoi.

The young man stared mutely at Motoi for a moment before quickly saying, "Master, what's wrong. This guy is arrogant to the extreme. Earlier, he was being endlessly sarcastic! Master…"

The rage in Motoi's heart billowed to untold heights. Flames of fury seemed to be on the verge of exploding out of his eyes, and he looked like he wanted to swallow his apprentice alive. This was the first time he started wondering how his apprentice could be such an idiot. Couldn't the kid see Motoi's expression, and hear the words spoken by the inhuman freak?

"Master? Dog farts! When was I ever your Master? You damned punk, you're not my apprentice! You're my enemy!" At the same time that Motoi's rage burned, he also felt a profound sense of deadly crisis. His entire body was tingling as he thought of how he had been cut into bloody pieces that year. A massive roar exploded out of his body as he struck out in front of him with his palm.

A slapping sound rang out as the young man flew backward with a miserable shriek. He coughed up a huge mouthful of blood as he slammed into the ground off in the distance, then passed out.

That wasn't enough to ease Motoi's anger. His body flickered toward the unconscious young man and began to trample him.

A cracking sound could be heard, and the young man suddenly regained consciousness. He let out another scream, then passed out a second time.

Seeing this happened caused the faces of the surrounding Crow Soldier Tribe members to immediately grow sharp even as they backed up again.

"Grandmaster Motoi, what's the meaning of this!?"

Motoi pretended not to hear them. He leaped into the air, flew over, then flopped onto his knees in front of Naruto. Tears streamed down his face, which was filled with an expression of boundless happiness.

"I've finally found you Young Master. Young Master… your old servant has been looking for you for the better part of a year…. I really thought that you had abandoned me. I… I…."

As soon as Motoi's words filled the air, cries of astonishment could be heard. Whether it be Darui and the others from the Crow Scout Tribe, or the group of Crow Soldier Tribe members up in mid-air, all of them could not possibly have anything other than expressions of complete astonishment when they heard Motoi's words. They almost couldn't believe it.

One by one, they started to breathe heavily as they looked at Motoi and Naruto.

Darui and the others from the Crow Scout Tribe were staring with wide eyes.

"Just… just what is the relationship between them?"

"It turns out that Grandmaster Naruto is actually Grandmaster Motoi's Master…. So it turns out Grandmaster Naruto is even more prestigious than we thought!"

"No wonder Grandmaster Naruto's secret Dragoneer arts are so profound. He can even raise neo-demon Kings. If his servant is a rank 7 Dragoneer, then just what rank is he?"

However, even more shocked than the Crow Scout Tribe members were the influential people from the Crow Soldier Tribe who had accompanied Motoi here.

"Grandmaster Motoi actually called that guy Young Master…. Just… just what exactly is going on here!?"

"Is it really true…? If that guy is Grandmaster Motoi's Young Master, well, considering how powerful Grandmaster Motoi is, then what about his Master…?"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he looked at Motoi with a mysterious smile. Obviously, Motoi was worried that Naruto would exact some sort of punishment on him. He clearly regretted everything that had happened before. Now, he kneeled there, looking anxiously at Naruto, his expression one of bereavement and pleading.

"You've taken good care of the Wild Giant," said Naruto coolly. "When I need you, I'll call for you." He turned toward the Wild Giant and patted it. Then, he flicked his sleeve and turned, walking off into the distance. The Wild Giant seemed reluctant to part with him.

Big Hairy, the Black Bat, and the rest of the neo-demon horde followed Naruto. As for Darui and the rest of the Crow Scout Tribe members, they quickly followed along too, panting.

Motoi bowed respectfully toward Naruto, then loudly said, "Young Master, your old servant pledges to follow your orders to the death!"

With that, Motoi let out a sigh. His body was no longer trembling, but he had been nearly frightened to death just now. He watched Naruto leave before rising to his feet, the proud and lofty expression once again appearing on his face. Hands clasped behind his back, he turned toward the shocked, gaping Crow Soldier Tribe members.

"The young prince of our House is yet young, but as dignified as ever. I've never told you who I am. I am the Dao Protector of a mysterious Western Desert legacy. I have been tasked with protecting the young prince of our House. Half a year ago, we were separated when teleporting to this area." Rolling his eyes at them, he patted the Wild Giant, then took it to head back toward the Crow Soldier Tribe. Although Motoi seemed to have recovered, the look in his eyes was the same as a person who had survived a great disaster. As for the Wild Giant, it continued to roar for meat.

"Dammit," thought Motoi, "I can't stay in this place for much longer. I have to flee in the night. Get as far away from that inhuman Naruto…." Countless ideas sprang into Motoi's head, however, he then began to hesitate. He recalled the words Naruto had spoken just before he left, and he began to struggle inwardly. A moment later, he let out long sigh.

In the end, he just didn't have the courage to flee secretly.

Meanwhile, Naruto proceeded along through the mountains, followed by his neo-demon horde. Darui and the others from the Crow Scout Tribe followed cautiously. They couldn't help but look at Naruto with respect, Mabui included. Of course, Darui's respect for Naruto had long since turned into fanaticism.

Everyone was quiet. Naruto didn't speak, so neither did anyone else dare to make any noise. Eventually they emerged from the mountain forest; off in the distance, the Crow Scout Tribe was now visible.

Finally, Darui couldn't take it any more. After a moment's hesitation, he hurried forward and said in lowered voice, "Grand… Grandmaster Naruto…. Grandmaster Naruto, sir, just what exactly is the relationship between you and Grandmaster Motoi?"

Behind him, the eyes of the others began to shine. This was the same question all of them had been hesitating about the entire time.

Naruto didn't pause for even a moment as he proceeded forward. Instead, he smiled.

"When I came to this place, I brought along a Wild Giant who happens to be addicted to meat. Feeding it was quite bothersome. Thankfully, I had an attendant in charge of taking care of the Wild Giant. He was none other than Motoi." Having given this simple explanation, Naruto continued onward.

When Darui heard the explanation, it resounded like thunderclaps in his ears. The others gasped, and they all looked at Naruto with expressions even more fanatical than before.

From what they could tell, the Wild Giant was a neo-demon, and a shocking one at that. But even more shocking was that Naruto had a rank 7 Dragoneer raising it for him!

All of this immediately turned into cloak of mystery that enveloped Naruto in their eyes.

As they neared the Crow Scout Tribe, Naruto turned back to look at Darui and the others. With a smile, he said, "I don't mind you all knowing about this matter, but please don't spread the word to others." Then he turned, transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance along with his neo-demon horde.

Darui and the others clasped hands and bowed as he left. Each and every one decided in their hearts that since Grandmaster Naruto did not wish the events which had occurred today to be spread about, they definitely wouldn't mention them to anyone.

Darui and the others watched him until he disappeared. All of them had indescribable feelings within them; what they had experienced today was something far beyond anything they had experienced in many years.

Sighing emotionally, they continued onward toward the Tribe. In contrast to the fanaticism of Darui, Mabui was thoughtful as she walked silently through the Tribe. She had a dark, torn look on her face, as well as a bit of hesitation. However, after glancing back at Darui, her eyes filled with determination that added a certain special beauty to her looks.

After night fell, Mabui's figure turned into a beam of light that shot directly toward Naruto's courtyard.

She arrived quickly, whereupon she stood outside beneath the moonlight, beautiful enough to make anyone's heart pound.

Biting her lip, but eyes filled with determination, she stepped forward and then softly said, "Mabui requests an audience with Grandmaster Naruto."

Naruto sat cross-legged in the courtyard. His eyes opened, and he scanned the area. When he caught sight of Mabui, his brow furrowed. However, he didn't refuse her. Without saying a word, he waved his hand, causing the courtyard door to open.

Mabui's beautiful silhouette could be seen hurrying in.

She stood there nervously, and, seeing Naruto's cold expression, quickly said, "Many thanks, for allowing Mabui to enter, Grandmaster Naruto."

Naruto looked at her, expressionless.

"Last time, when Darui came to ask for your help, Mabui did not understand matters, and made many improper remarks. Grandmaster Naruto, please don't take offense…." She was starting to get even more nervous, and was now unconsciously gripping the corner of her garment. She lowered her head.

Naruto frowned.

She was now panting a little bit. Her mind felt as if it were in chaos. All the words she had prepared before coming here just wouldn't come out. "… Regarding the matter today, please don't worry, Grandmaster Naruto. I will make sure they understand not to spread the word."

"Why are you here?" barked Naruto coldly, cutting her off.

Mabui was now completely nervous. Naruto's loud words caused her heart to tremble. Gritting her teeth, she looked up.

As she did, her right hand reached up and unfastened her outer garment. The garment immediately fell to the ground, revealing her yellowish-pink underclothing. Beneath the moonlight, her beautiful curves suddenly seemed to emanate a soul-stirring air of seduction.

Her face was pale, but her eyes were determined. She stood there beneath the moon, trembling slightly, but staring at Naruto with gritted teeth.

Naruto stared in shock. Without realizing it, his eyes gazed down at her body. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, he suddenly found himself thinking about Sakura.

"Grandmaster Naruto, I'm willing to do anything for my younger brother." Her body trembled, but she held her head high nonetheless. The moon accentuated her beauty, making her particularly enticing.

Naruto didn't say anything. Mabui's purpose was clear; she wanted to help her brother acquire a proper position and status within the Crow Scout Tribe. Accomplishing something like that wouldn't be difficult for Naruto. Be it in terms of his Cultivation base or his identity as a Dragoneer, if he threw his support behind someone from one of the three bloodlines, it would be enough.

After a long moment passed, Naruto looked back up and said, "I'm not very interested in your body." Having reached his current level of Cultivation base, he could ignore the changes wrought by time. Because of that, his interest in certain matters had cooled. He had never experienced the passionate love between a man and a woman, and as such was able to look down on such carnal temptations.

With a simple nod of his head, vast numbers of women with low Cultivation bases would throw themselves at him to acquire the protection of powerful expert of the great circle of the Gold Core, a person who could contend with the early Nascent Soul stage.

However, Naruto's heart was not focused on lust. His ambitions lay in the Eastern Lands and the Sky Country, in Immortal Ascension, in superseding the Hebi Clan, in assuring that no one under Heaven could interfere with his plans, in preventing the Heavens from ever suppressing him.

These were his dreams. From the moment he had entered the Cultivation world, he had staunchly stuck to pursuing the path of his dreams.

In this life, he would not be an insect to others!

In pursuit of these dreams, he had entered the Southern Domain. In pursuit of these dreams, he had gone to the Black Lands. In pursuit of these dreams, he had traveled to the Western Desert to search for the path of his Five-Colored Nascent Soul.

With the passage of time, these things had become indelibly imprinted on his heart. This was his path.

Mabui's face was ashen, and she bit her lip. She could see Naruto's calmness, and could see that his gaze wasn't the bit affected by her body. She knew what he said to be true. He didn't care about her body.

The moonlight poured down onto her, and she clenched her jaw as she looked at him bitterly. It was at this point that Naruto's eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked directly at her chest.

Just now, moonlight had fallen on her neck, and a pendant which hung there, something he hadn't noticed before.

It was a silver pendant, which let off a gentle aura beneath the moonlight. The design was that of a flower with ten petals. A small, silver flower.

Almost the same instant that Naruto caught sight of the pendant, he suddenly sensed the imminent awakening of the Resurrection Lily, which Sai had sealed such a long time ago.

The signs of awakening were sudden; in the blink of an eye, an intense pain suddenly filled his body, causing his face to immediately flicker.

Naruto's Cultivation base back then couldn't even compare to his current one. Despite the fact that the pain washed over him like floodwaters, the only thing that Mabui could see was a slight flicker before his expression returned to normal.

Naruto's hand suddenly lifted up and made a snatching motion. The necklace which the pendant was attached to snapped, and it turned into a beam of silver light as it shot toward Naruto. He grabbed it out of the air.

"Where did you get this?" Even as he asked the question, his body filled with pain, and his Cultivation base trembled as it fought back and forth with the Resurrection Lily. One tried to shake off its seal, the other tried to push back with full strength. Despite all that was happening, not a trace of it could be seen on Naruto's face.

Mabui stared in shock and unconsciously raised her hand up to her neck.

"My mother gave that to me…."

"You can leave now," said Naruto. "As for the matter regarding Darui, I will consider it." With that, he closed his eyes. He didn't return the pendant.

Mabui hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head and put her garments back on. Giving Naruto a slight curtsy, she turned and left, feeling disconsolate and frustrated.

It was about the same time that Mabui left the courtyard that Naruto finally couldn't control himself anymore. His face instantly went pale, and sweat drops as big as beans began to pour down. It only took an instant for him to be completely soaked. He waved his left hand, causing the Greenwood Tree totem to magically appear on his forehead. The Eyeless Larva could be seen on his right hand, and the surrounding neo-demon horde suddenly looked extremely vigilant. A gently glowing shield appeared, with Naruto at its center. It completely surrounded the entire courtyard as Naruto trembled, then coughed up a mouthful of blood.

This blood was not red, but rather, was made of four colors. It transformed into a mist which hovered in mid-air before him, forming into a Resurrection Lily. It faced Naruto and let out a soundless shriek that was filled with ferocity and obstinacy.

Naruto's eyes glowed brightly. He began to rotate his Cultivation base with full power, and then closed his eyes. He did everything he could to suppress the Resurrection Lily. Soon, enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, whereupon a tremor ran through his body.

"You wanna come out? Fine!" Naruto gave a cold harrumph, then slapped his bag of holding to produce a scroll painting. It floated in front of him and slowly unfurled, seemingly under the power of some invisible force that wanted to open the Resurrection Lily painting.

Naruto's eyes widened as he stared coldly at the painting. It trembled as a howl emerged from within that only Naruto could hear. They stared at each other, one man, one painting, for nearly an hour within the confines of the protective shield.

Eventually, the unyielding howl began to fade slowly away. Finally, the painting fell to the ground with a flop. Naruto let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. After a long moment passed, he opened them again and looked recovered. A grim look appeared in his eyes.

"So, it's actually been awake for a while!" An angry glint flickered in his eyes. The power exhibited by the Resurrection Lily in their struggle just now was extremely intense, and was obviously nothing like the power that would manifest had it just awakened. On the contrary, it seemed it had waited and built up its strength in an attempt to break through its seal in one fell swoop.

"And here I thought it was sealed and sleeping this entire time. Instead, it actually awakened for some reason, and then remained there motionless, waiting for the perfect critical moment, when I was least prepared, to fight with all its might…." Naruto took a deep breath, then looked down at the pendant in his hand.

"Is it possible that this thing provoked some instinctive reaction on the part of the Resurrection Lily? Once I noticed the signs of its awakening, it couldn't hold back any more, and launched its fatal blow!?" Naruto sat in silent contemplation. He was well aware that if it weren't for the chance occurrences today, if the Resurrection Lily had been given more time to grow strong, then there would have been a high likelihood that at the critical moment, his lack of preparation would have led to the Resurrection Lily casting off its seal and taking over his body!

Thinking of this caused lingering fear to spread throughout Naruto, despite the level of his Cultivation base and mental strength.

"What is this thing?" he thought, studying the pendant. "After hiding so carefully, the Resurrection Lily instinctively broke its cover because of it." His eyes glittered, and he sent out his Spiritual Sense, only to come up with nothing.

After some thought, Naruto lifted his hand and pushed down onto his left eye. Because of the presence of Immortal Shows the Way inside of him, he was able to rotate the scrap of Immortal Chakra within. It coalesced into his eye, which he then blinked several times in succession. Suddenly, it glowed with brilliant light as he examined the pendant.

Instantly, the pendant looked vastly different than it had a moment before. In fact, it was obviously not just a pendant; shockingly, it was a Resurrection Lily.

It now had seven petals, but all were the same color. Furthermore, it was emanating a faint death aura. Only a very faint bit of life force remained within.

It seemed to be in some sort of special state, as if that life force were struggling, and wished to truly live once again.

Naruto suddenly understood. "This… don't tell me that this… is a Resurrection Lily seed!?"

His left eye flickered, then returned to normal. His face was pale white as his right hand clenched around the pendant.

He was breathing heavily now, and it took a long moment for him to recover his composure.

"Just what is this pendant? It actually provoked some instinctive change in Resurrection Lily even in the midst of its fear of being detected by me." Coldness filled his eyes, and he was about to crush down on the seed with his fist to smash it, when suddenly, something flickered in his mind. After a moment's deliberation, he lifted the seed up once more and examined it closely. His eyes then began to shine with a strange light.

"Crushing it would solve the main problem, but, that would be quite a pity. This seed is the best object of reference I have to study the Resurrection Lily and find its weakness." His eyes glittered as he put the Resurrection Lily seed away.

"I owe a great debt to Darui and his sister," he thought. With that, he waved his hand, causing the protective shield to disappear. It was already early morning.

"In terms of the five elements, the Crow Scout Tribe's totems attach importance to the Wood-type. All others are simply collateral branches. I've acquired the Greenwood Tree totem, and originally I didn't plan to partake in any other matters relating to the Tribe. In fact, I wasn't even going to enter the Crow Divinity Holy Land to meet Indra and the others. I was going to just leave. But now…. I think it might be good to stay a little bit longer. I can do some more research to find out how Mabui's mother ended up with a Resurrection Lily seed! Plus, if I'm lucky, maybe I can get my hands on a Metal-type totem."

When it came to matters relating to Wood-type and Fire-type, through Naruto's more than half year of observation and enlightenment, his most important clue had come from the Golden Crow that flew out from the Crow Divinity Holy Land the previous year. From what Naruto could tell, it emanated not a will of Fire, but rather, a shocking Wood-type will.

Having made up his mind, Naruto closed his eyes and began to meditate. He rotated his Cultivation base and began to examine himself inwardly. Finally, he took out the painting to study for a moment. Eventually, a cold smile turned up the corners of his lips, and he put the painting away.

He wasn't sure if the Resurrection Lily was actually sleeping at the moment, or just pretending. However, he was now prepared. Even if the Resurrection Lily sprang into action suddenly, he was confident that he could repress it a second time.

"In fact, I will suppress it to the point where, it won't be absorbing me; instead, I will force it to merge with me! When that happens, I will be the Resurrection Lily, but the Resurrection Lily will not be me!"

Naruto's face filled with determination as he muttered to himself.

"The day the Resurrection Lily blooms with seven colors, the flower falls, Immortal Ascension, one thousand years…. If I can fully master the secrets of this Resurrection Lily, then Immortal Ascension… might not be so far-fetched…." Naruto lifted his head to look up at the sky. He suddenly felt an intense desire to reach that stage of Immortal Ascension.

"It doesn't matter whether it has to do with Demon Sealing or Immortal Ascension, without reaching that stage… I'm nothing but an insect in Heaven and Earth." With that, he closed his eyes, covering up that growing hope which could be seen inside.

Time flashed by. Soon, it was half a month later. The day was swiftly approaching in which the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity would offer sacrifices to the Ancestor.

To the five Tribes, this day of sacrifices was an extremely important occasion. That was because in addition to being a day of ceremonies and rites, it was also the time when the Tribes determined their ranking in terms of strength.

The most important reason for the whole ceremony was because of the totem legacy within the Crow Divinity Holy Land. This legacy was not some imaginary thing, but rather something called the Pool of Destiny!

This pond was actually a deep cistern that would fill with clear waters every few years. The water was very strange. Any member of the Crow Divinity Tribes who entered the waters and meditated therein would experience incredible growth in totemic power.

The water in the pond was not of the five elements; however, it would change to become one of the five elements, depending on who entered it. In fact, throughout the years, the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity had experienced many situations in which Tribe members experienced Cultivation base breakthroughs thanks to the increase in their totemic power.

The Pool of Destiny was the most important object to the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity, and also one of the reasons so many vassals chose to join one of the five Tribes.

However… the waters of the Pool of Destiny were not infinite. The water was limited, even from the very beginning of the rite. Therefore, the first person to enter it would receive the greatest benefit. The benefits received by those who entered after would increasingly lessen.

Therefore, the so-called Ancestor Rite Competition was used to determined the order in which various members of the five great Tribes would enter and seize the fortune of the Pool of Destiny.

Currently, the voice of the Crow Scout Tribe's Greatfather rang out from the top of the mountain: "For three hundred years, the Crow Scout Tribe has always been the last to enter. During those three hundred years, it was always the Crow Soldier Tribe who entered first…."

Naruto stood down in the square along with rank 7 Dragoneer Homura and his son Sakumo. They were joined by the Crow Scout Tribe's Sky Priest and the Grand Elder.

As for the Earth Priest, he had been in secluded meditation the entire time since he had returned to the Tribe, and had still not emerged.

Additionally, there were several Western Desert Cultivators who, as could be seen from their clothing, were obviously not members of the Crow Scout Tribe. All had incredible Cultivation bases, and radiated killing intent. These people were similar to Naruto, vassals. Obviously, though, they were not Dragoneers, but Totem Cultivators.

There were several dozen members of the Crow Scout Tribe also present, including Darui, Mabui, and Barui. All of them looked both nervous and excited.

Mabui would cast frequent glances toward Naruto, whose expression was the same as ever as he stood there silently, with eyes closed. It seemed he didn't even notice her.

"The Ancestor Rite Competition will begin soon," continued the Greatfather. "According to the rules set forth by the Ancestor, spilling the blood of fellow Tribe members is prohibited in the Holy Land, as is killing. Therefore, as has been the custom throughout the successive Ancestor Rite Competitions, it is you vassals who will participate in the contest, and earn the chance to step foot into the Pool of Destiny. I offer my profound thanks to all of you." He looked over Naruto and the other vassals and then clasped hands and bowed deeply.

Next to him, the Sky Priest and the Grand Elder gave deep looks to everyone and then also clasped hands and bowed.

The rest of the Crow Scout Tribe members also bowed, looks of veneration covering their faces.

Homura was not the first to respond, but rather, Sakumo. "Fear not, Greatfather, with my father and I here, I dare not claim that we will take first place in the Dragoneer competition, but we will definitely not take last." As he spoke, he cast a grim glare in Naruto's direction.

As for Grandmaster Homura, he gave an indifferent chuckle. "I, Sakumo, will do my best." His grating voice was filled with obvious self-confidence.

Naruto's eyes opened, and his expression was the same as usual. He did not respond to Sakumo's provocation, but rather, ignored him. He looked over the other vassals, taking note of one man in particular who was large, but rather unimposing in appearance. His Cultivation base appeared to be in the Core Formation stage, but there was something strange about him. Naruto could sense that there was something almost like a mist circling around him that could not be seen through.

When Naruto looked at him, the man looked back. Their gazes locked for a brief moment before the man looked away. However, it was at this point that Naruto's eyes began to glitter.

"That guy has the aura of a neo-demon," he thought. "It's faint, but he definitely is not emanating the power of totems. It's as if… he himself is emanating a neo-demon aura!"

Suddenly, the sound of bells and horns filled the air. It came from Crow Divinity Holy Land, which was located in the center of all the mountains. The sound circled out in all directions, along with waves of ripples which kicked up massive winds. Soon everything up above and down below was shaking.

Next, ripples could be seen emanating out, as if everything was being sealed. Next, a golden light shot up from the Crow Divinity Holy Land. It shot up into the Heavens, spreading out and emitting massive pressure.

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather took a deep breath as he looked at the golden light. Determination filled his eyes as he said, "Let us depart!"

He flicked his sleeve and flew up into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot off toward the area where the golden light was emanating from.

Everyone else flew up as well. Quite a few of the other vassals had bodies festooned with totems, that were now flickering and glowing. As for rank 7 Dragoneer Homura, he flicked his sleeve, causing an enormous two-headed Flood Dragon to magically appear in mid-air. It lifted its heads up into the air and roared. Homura stood on its back, and Sakumo approached to do the same.

The two-headed Flood Dragon was clearly incredibly powerful. The instant it appeared, it attracted the shock and astonishment of the surrounding Cultivators. Quite a few people looked over at Naruto, curious as to what mount he would ride.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he slapped a green-colored bag of holding. A beam of white light instantly shot out, which transformed into Big Hairy. He seemed skinny and weak, but was over ten meters long. As Naruto hopped onto his back, he lifted his head up to the sky and howled.

The sound was extremely shocking as it drifted out in all directions. The surrounding Crow Scout Tribe members were filled with shock. Even the two-headed Flood Dragon backed up a bit.

Homura gave a cold snort, patting the two-headed Flood Dragon, which transformed into a colorful beam as it shot off.

Naruto sat atop Big Hairy, his eyes focused on the golden glow off in the distance. He actually wasn't very interested in the Crow Divinity Holy Land, but figured that since he was here, he might as well investigate a bit.

As he proceeded onward, the dozens of Crow Scout Tribe members flew off from the mountaintop. Up in mid-air, Naruto could see groups of Cultivators flying out from the directions of the other four Tribes, all of them heading toward the central location.

There were several hundred members of the five Tribes in all, heading toward the golden glow at top speed.

Naruto also caught sight of Motoi, standing on top of the Wild Giant. His face was proud, as were the faces of the Crow Soldier Tribe members who surrounded him.

There were also Dragoneers from the other Tribe. Among the Dragoneers from the Crow Fighter Tribe, the most conspicuous was an old woman upon whose face could be seen dark greenish freckles. She wore a long robe, and was relatively ugly. However, she was riding a gigantic Cyclops Ape which emanated a fiendish aura.

The Crow Flame Tribe had three Dragoneers, one of whom was a white-robed old man who had the extraordinary bearing of a transcendent being. The neo-demon he rode was an enormous white crane, elegant and beautiful. It soared through the air as if it had just descended from the world of Immortals.

Last was the Crow Gloom Tribe. They only had two Dragoneers; one of them was dressed completely differently than the others. He wore a conical bamboo hat that hid his features, along with a woven rush raincoat that made him look like an old fisherman. Beneath his feet was a gigantic earthworm several dozen meters long, which was covered with a shocking, viscous liquid. As the earthworm whizzed through the air, it emitted a very peculiar smell.

"I doubt that Indra and the others are with the Dragoneers. They're most likely with the totem vassals from the various Tribes." As he sized the others up, he could see that they were looking over at him and Homura.

Homura looked over at the nearing Dragoneers and grimly said, "Grandmaster Naruto, you'd better not disappoint me in the competition." With that, the two-headed Flood Dragon shot forward toward the golden light.

Naruto frowned slightly and then sighed inwardly. Ever since coming to the Western Desert, he had very rarely taken the initiative in provoking others. However, as he slowly revealed more and more power, it was only natural for others to take note of him. Disputes would obviously rise up, although that was not Naruto's intention.

"I'll have to settle this dispute sooner or later," he thought, a vicious look appearing in his eyes. Having practiced Cultivation up to his current point, he very well understood the law of the jungle. When decisiveness was required, Naruto would not be softhearted.

Soon, everyone was nearing the golden glow. There, a floating golden platform could be seen that looked almost like an arena. It was surrounded by swirling, golden shield.

Before long, all the members of the five great Tribes arrived to float around the golden platform. The various Greatfathers and Priests did not exchange many words. They looked at each other coldly, and without any hint of politeness, chose to let the fighting begin.

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather looked back at his vassals, and said, "There are two rounds of fighting, each of which could be considered a battle royal. One is for Totem Cultivators, the other is for Dragoneers! We must win both battles!

"During each battle royal, every Tribe can send three people into battle. If a Tribe wins in both battles, then they naturally will take first place. As for who takes second, that will be based on the performance of the vassals; there are a few who are still deciding on whether or not to attend.

"Throughout the history of these battles, there have been deaths. Vassals, I urge you, if you find yourself outmatched… please forfeit the match. The importance of victory or defeat cannot be overstated, however. I encourage you to work together with a sense of camaraderie.

"The first battle is for Totem Cultivators!" After the Greatfather finished speaking, three vassals emerged from the others. They clasped hands to the Greatfather and then shot toward the golden light.

One of the three was none other than the strange, unimposing man Naruto had noticed earlier. Naruto observed him as he shot forward, his eyes flickering. He circulated the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way, then blinked his right eye several times in succession.

This time when he looked at the man, his pupils constricted.

He could now clearly see that this man was no Western Desert Cultivator. A cloud-like mist covered his body, within which… was the Outlander Beast, which the parrot had chased after months before.

Even more astonishing, he could also see traces of the meat jelly on the Outlander Beast. With his Celestial Vision technique he could even see the aura of the parrot.

"The parrot never came back after it went chasing the Outlander Beast. It's impossible to tell what happened between the two of them. In any case, it seems… they came to some sort of agreement?" He ended the Celestial Vision technique. He was astonished, of course, but considering the parrot's personality, anything was possible.

All of a sudden, Naruto felt a bit sorry for all the people from the other tribes who were making their way onto the platform within the golden shield.

"I would imagine Indra and the others are in that group…." he thought, looking the group over. Of course, Indra and the others were wily old foxes who would obviously have taken precautions to prevent anyone from realizing who they were. After looking at the twelve vassals from the other Tribes, even Naruto couldn't discern any clues.

This was a battle royal with fifteen Totem Cultivators from the five Tribes. As they stepped into the golden shield on the platform, they did not speak. Instead, booming sounds immediately filled the air as the fighting began.

Each group of three formed a unit, instantly become comrades-in-arms as they joined forces. At least, this was what happened with the other four Tribes. However… as for the three people from the Crow Scout Tribe, it was a different story.

The man-form Outlander Beast stepped onto the platform, lifted his head with a roar, and then charged forward. He didn't even look at his two compatriots, which caused them to stare in astonishment. They had a mind to follow in the charge, but the ferocity emanating from the man-form Outlander Beast seemed to indicate that he intended to fight solo. The two immediately backed up, trembling.

This development caused the Cultivators from the other Tribes to stare wide-eyed in surprise. In fact, many of them assumed that this was some sort of pre-planned tactic on the part of the Crow Scout Tribe.

However, the Greatfather and Priest of the Crow Scout Tribe, as well as other influential members, were all clearly stunned. The Tribe members from the other four Tribes looked on thoughtfully.

Rumbling filled the air, and Naruto's eyes glittered. However, what he was looking at was not the man-form Outlander Beast, but rather the vassals from the other Tribes. He was still trying to figure out which ones were Indra and the others.

Suddenly, the man-form Outlander Beast howled, "You bunch of immoral bastards! I represent Outtie and my fifth kid bro! I'm here to convert all of you!"

The sound of it was like thunder. In the blink of an eye, the man was in front of one of the three-man units. Immediately, a boom could be heard, and magical totemic lights sprang out.

These three men were from the Crow Flame Tribe. They watched the man approached, then simultaneously attacked without hesitation. At once, an enormous boom rattled out as magical techniques collided.

"Waaaaaahhhhh!" shouted the man, sounding as if he felt wronged. "One, two, three… dammit! There's three of you! THREE! Three against one is immoral!" Hearing this caused strange expressions to appear on the faces of the surrounding Tribe members.

They watched on as the big man retreated. As he did, his expression suddenly changed; now it looked somewhat vile.

"Bitches!" cried the man. "It looks like you people lack screwing! Well you wait. You just wait!" He no longer looked hurt, but rather, wildly pompous and arrogant. This time, he headed toward a different group of three.

"I thrust!

"I screw!

"Hahaha. And I thrust again!" The large man's voice was now piercing, and even more arrogant. It was with incredible speed that he shot back and forth among the various people. He seemed to be incredibly thick skinned; no matter how people struck him, it didn't do anything. The vassals were growing more furious; this man's attacks were completely despicable and shameless. All his divine abilities seemed to be focused on one finger.

And that finger… specialized in attacking rear ends.

Furthermore, he didn't differentiate between Tribes. He attacked anyone in his field of vision, even the two people from the Crow Scout Tribe. They, too, were jabbed by the man, which caused them to burst forth with fury. After all, they were from the same Tribe and shouldn't be attacking each other.

Because of this provocation, the battle royal immediately… was no longer a battle royal. Now, all of the members of the various Tribes were ganging up on this one, large man.

Subsequently, the faces of the Crow Scout Tribe members in the audience were quite unsightly. The Greatfather and the Priest, even the Grand Elder, all had extremely grim expressions on their faces.

Throughout all the years that this Ancestral Rite Competition had been held, nothing like this had ever happened. This was no battle royal; instead, it was a beat down.

Naruto gave a dry cough, and looked a little bit guilty. After all, if he hadn't brought the parrot to this place, then this competition would not have turned out this way.

"The meat jelly can't die…. The parrot's twisted vices…. I'm afraid the savagery of the Outlander Beast is the next thing we will see. Heyyy… if nothing else out of the ordinary happens, the Crow Scout Tribe will most likely be the winner." Even as Naruto was thinking these thoughts, a roar of rage could suddenly be heard from the platform as one of the other Crow Scout Tribe vassals charged in attack.

He couldn't take it any longer. Having been jabbed three times in succession was too much of a humiliation. Roaring furiously, he charged the large man, completely ignoring the fact that they were fellow vassals from the same Tribe.

The other vassal next to him was about to block his way when suddenly, the large man flickered into being next to him. His finger jabbed out.

"Dammit, we're together! You, you, you…." Infuriated, the vassal's eyes turned red and he let out a furious shout. "Fine! To the death!"

Once again the scene of the battle taking place inside the golden shield on the platform changed. Now, everyone was bombarding the big man. This was not even to mention the Tribe members on the outside, who were also preparing to attack him. After all, his attacks were completely shameless, despicable to the extreme.

In their entire lives, none of them had ever seen someone as vulgar as this.

Immediately, the members of the other Tribes began to ridicule the Crow Scout Tribe members.

"This is the Ancestral Rite Competition! For the Crow Scout Tribe to have recruited a vassal like that, it's… intentionally causing trouble!"

"Maybe the Crow Scout Tribe couldn't find anyone else, and then this shameless fellow showed up!"

The faces of the Crow Scout Tribe members were extremely unsightly. They wanted to offer up retorts, but there was really nothing they could say. The Greatfather's eyes were filled with fury as he glared at the man up on the platform.

Naruto sighed inwardly, and felt even more guilty. However, he continued to study the members of the other Tribes up on the platform, hoping to see pick up on some clues as to the identities of Indra and the others.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered as they came to rest on a vassal standing with the Crow Gloom Tribe. It was a middle-aged man, tall and stalwart, his face filled with savagery. However, when the man-form Outlander Beast attacked him, his face looked different from that of the others. He looked a bit hesitant, even somewhat absentminded.

The look quickly disappeared, to be replaced with fury. However, even as the fury filled his face, one of the vassals from the Crow Soldier Tribe suddenly shot forward in pursuit of the Outlander Beast.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Based on this development, he could now tell who these two people were. "Ukon and Eccentric Sakon!"

The howling man-form Outlander Beast was now surrounded.

"Outtie, you wimp, it's your turn!" Suddenly, a tremor ran through the man's body. It was at this exact moment that the surrounding vassals all attacked.

A shocking boom echoed out. From the perspective of everyone watching, there was no way the man could possibly escape death. It was only Naruto that let out a sigh; he knew that the Outlander Beast was coming.

Within the booming sound, an astonishing roar suddenly lifted intensity of the roar turned into an attack that rippled out in all directions on the platform. The sight of this attack caused the observing members of the five Tribes to stop breathing and stare in disbelief.

What they saw was all of the vassals who were attacking the large man suddenly tumbling backward, their faces filled with disbelief and shock.

The man who everyone had assumed would die stood there with an expression of savagery, his eyes bright red and his hair flying about. He lifted his head to the sky and roared with the madness of a neo-demon.

His body flickered, and he suddenly appeared in front of one of the other vassals, his face filled with cruelty. His hands reached out with a strange motion and grabbed ahold of the vassal, who had no chance to evade. Then, he ripped.

A bloodcurdling scream filled the air as the Cultivator's body was torn completely in half. Blood showered everywhere, and the large man flickered again.

Miserable screams filled the air. The gory scene instantly caused the surrounding members of the five great Tribes to feel incredible shock. They began to pant, their eyes wide.

It took only a moment for three people to die. The big man was like an unmatchable Celestial warrior; to approach him was the same as approaching death.

"I forfeit!" cried a vassal from the Crow Flame Tribe as he saw the man approaching him. Trembling, his body suddenly disappeared through the golden shield as he left the battlefield.

"I forfeit!"

"I forfeit!" The shouts rang out one after another, although some people were too late, and ended up getting ripped into pieces by the frenzied man.

"I for…." One vassal from the Crow Soldier Tribe was just beginning to speak when the man-form Outlander Beast appeared in front of him. The Outlander Beast opened his mouth wide and directly bit down onto the vassal's neck, causing his words to instantly change into a bloodcurdling shriek.

It took only moments for the platform to be completely empty except for the big man. He stood there, looking around savagely and roaring.

"Crow Scout Tribe," he cried, "I have secured victory for you! Now give me the Pool of Destiny!"

The Crow Scout Tribe members' minds were reeling. The Sky Priest was panting and the Grand Elder was staring with wide eyes. As for the Greatfather, his eyes flickered and he started to laugh.

"Exactly as it should be," he said. "Fellow Daoist, you have secured yourself a spot in the Pool of Destiny!"

The man gazed at the Greatfather and then nodded. He took a step, and then his body flickered and he left the golden shield. When he reappeared, the surrounding Tribe members all backed up and made room for him. Their hearts trembled as they avoided him. As the man neared, he seemed to almost be attempting to avoid Naruto's gaze.

Everything was quiet for the space of about ten breaths. Finally, a grim voice called out from the Crow Fighter Tribe.

"Second battle, Dragoneer Duel!"

Naruto looked up.

"What a pity," thought Naruto. "I was only able to identify Ukon and old devil Sakon. There was no way to figure out who Indra and Genma are."

"Grandmaster Naruto," said rank 7 Dragoneer Homura coolly, "you need to be careful. This is a battle of life and death. When the time comes, hopefully you'll have enough time to say the word 'forfeit.'" He passed by Naruto, glaring at him with a sinister expression.

Next to him was Sakumo, who looked at Naruto with a look of deep fury and the clear desire to kill.

As the father and son shot past him into the golden shield, Naruto's expression was calm. Of course, that was the nature of Naruto's personality; the calmer he looked, the more likely he was to kill.

Considering his opponents had bared their fangs, then as far as Naruto was concerned, it was time to break those fangs!

Mabui looked nervous as she watched Naruto. Darui stood next to her, his eyes filled with fanaticism. He had ultimate confidence in Naruto, almost to the point of blind faith. In his heart, Naruto's strength was incomparable.

Naruto's body flickered as he and Big Hairy turned into a white beam that shot toward the golden shield. As they entered, Naruto's eyes flickered. The shield was like water passing over his skin. He could very clearly feel the Wood-type power within it. It seemed as if he could even utilize the power of the Greenwood Tree totem to exercise some simple level of control over it.

At the same time, there also appeared to be Metal-type power within the golden light, which caused Naruto no small bit of surprise.

Almost at the same time that Naruto stepped foot onto the platform, Dragoneers from the other four Tribes arrived in groups of threes. Motoi, the old woman, the old fisherman, and others. All of the Dragoneers who would be participating in the battle now stood on the platform. It was at this moment that….

Roars immediately shook Heaven and Earth as Motoi waved his hand, causing nearly a hundred neo-demons to appear around the howling Wild Giant. Among the shocking group were more than ten Flood Dragons as well as a gigantic Zombie Wolf which emanated a boundless death aura. This immediately set Motoi apart from the others in shocking fashion.

The continuous roars of the Wild Giant caused the observing members of the five great Tribes to be filled with shock.

Next was the old woman. The giant Cyclops Ape she rode let out a howl as she seemed to open up a door in the air itself. Instantly, a horde of apes appeared, every single one of them a Demonic Cyclops. There were nearly a hundred in total, the sight of which was just as shocking as that of Motoi.

After her was the white-haired old man with the demeanor of a transcendent being, who rode the mighty white crane. He waved his hand and was suddenly surrounded by a vast collection of tiny white snakes. The number of snakes he possessed vastly outnumbered that of the neo-demons of the other Dragoneers. There were hundreds of them, all of whom had forked tongues that flicked in and out. The aura of a hyper toxic venom drifted out from them.

Most shocking of all, however, was the old fisherman. The enormous earthworm he stood atop of let out a noiseless roar as massive amounts of silt magically appeared around the both of them. Within the silt burrowed countless vicious-looking earthworms that swayed back and forth, making the whole scene look like an illusion.

Then there was Homura. As the roaring, two-headed Flood Dragon circled around him, distortions appeared in the air. A neo-demon horde emerged from within, a vast collection of howling Flood Dragons, none of which were small.

As for Naruto, he didn't look quite as impressive as the others. His horde only contained a few dozen Greenwood Wolves and Bats, which was not enough to shock anyone when compared to the other five.

As of this moment, all the members of the five great Tribes outside of the golden shield were paying close attention. This was especially true of the Tribe Greatfathers and Priests. The Dragoneer Duel was much different than the battle of Totem Cultivators. Totems represented personal strength. However, in many aspects, Dragoneers could influence the Tribe as a whole.

Whichever way you looked at it, Dragoneers were in a far higher position than Totem Cultivators.

The first battle of the Ancestor Rite Competition could be ignored to some extent; the truly important part of the whole thing was the second battle!

Mabui looked extremely nervous. Darui looked excited and passionate. The rest of the members of the five great Tribes exchanged anxious glances….

It was at this point that the battle royal began!

In the past, Naruto had always waited for others to take the initiative in battle. But after coming to the Western Desert, things were different. He would be the first one out of the gate. And when he attacked… it was with the intent to kill!

His first attack was actually not levelled against any of the Dragoneers from the four other Tribes, but instead, toward Homura.

Bear your teeth? Then you're looking to die!

That was Naruto. If you attack, you must do so with decisiveness and killing intent.

He waved his sleeve, and immediately, Big Hairy howled as his body began to expand. The wolfpack next to him, as well as the Black Bat, all transformed into beams of light that shot toward Homura and his neo-demon horde.

Naruto's attack caught Homura completely by surprise. He had never imagined that Naruto would be the first one to make a move, let alone against him. His plan all along had been to launch a sneak attack against Naruto during the thick of battle, so that he would have a good excuse in case anyone called him out on the matter.

Naruto's attack had thus caught him completely unawares.

"Are you looking to die!?" he roared. Flood Dragons from the horde next to him roared and shot toward Naruto's neo-demons. Off to the side, Sakumo's face filled with intense rage as he glared at Naruto. Then a cold smile twisted his face.

"You're dead!" he said.

Rumbling sounds immediately rose up into the sky.

Naruto's attack filled the other Dragoneer vassals with shock. Everyone outside of the golden shield also watched on, eyes flickering with astonishment.

"What's going on with the Crow Scout Tribe…?"

"They have another turncoat? Don't tell me that this guy is just like that guy from before, so powerful that he can beat everyone else?"

"No way! Dragoneer Tian Chakra is too powerful, and could never be defeated by that guy."

The shocked members of the other Tribes slowly looked over to the members of the Crow Scout Tribe. What they saw was the Crow Scout Tribe members in complete astonishment. This was especially true of the Greatfather and the Priest, whose expressions were very similar to their expressions during the first battle.

This prompted further discussions.

"Dammit, something's wrong here. Look at their expressions!"

"The first time was understandable, but for the same thing to happen again means it has to be some kind of trick on their part!"

"But…. What trick exactly is it? To kill each other first?"

As the discussion continued on the outside, inside the golden shield Homura was laughing uproariously.

"Naruto, you twerp, since you're looking to die, don't blame me for accommodating you. We're both vassals of the same Tribe, but considering how you're attacking me, you must be a double agent! In that case… I'm going to kill you even if you do try to forfeit!" Homura had sent half of his Flood Dragons, as well as the two-headed Flood Dragon, charging forward in attack.

A huge boom resonated up into the sky. Big Hairy was a blinding white beam of light, filled with savagery. The Black Bat flickered forward. Its sharp teeth glinted, and the body of one of the Flood Dragons immediately shrivelled up. It died with a miserable shriek.

Homura's face immediately fell. He had predicted that Naruto would be strong, but he never imagined that the White Wolf and Black Bat would be so shocking. In fact, he almost couldn't believe that this was the same bat that used to belong to him. In his recollection, its latent talent didn't match up to the Flood Dragons, which was why he had eventually given it to his son to protect him.

How could he ever have imagined that under Naruto's control, the Black Bat would exhibit such astonishing power!?

"Things are just beginning," he then said with a cold laugh. "I'd originally planned to use this next trick on an outsider, but I guess you'll do nicely." With that, he slapped his bag of holding. Immediately, hundreds of howling Flood Dragons emerged, ten of whom were two-headed.

When the other Dragoneers saw the aura emanating from these Flood Dragons, it filled their faces with shock. Of course, those on the outside of the shield were even more surprised.

Naruto looked indifferently at the Flood Dragons and then said, "Wrong. Things aren't beginning, they're ending."

His hand flashed an incantation gesture, and then pushed down onto his dantian region. Immediately, his Gold Core trembled as a roar emanated out from the ancient Flying Rain-Dragon Core.

In accompaniment with the roar, the illusory image of a three hundred meter long Flying Rain-Dragon appeared above his head. It had a long tail, wings with sharp tips, and blood-red eyes. Immediately, a shocking aura emanated out.

Even the golden shield began to ripple and distort. The surrounding Dragoneers stared in shock.

"That's…."

"A level 11 neo-demon! Heavens, that's… the illusory spirit projection of a level 11 neo-demon!"

"Such pressure…. This guy… don't tell me he's a Grand Dragoneer!?"

All of the other Dragoneers on the platform were shocked. They and their neo-demons were all trembling with intense fear as they looked at the Flying Rain-Dragon.

The intense pressure emanated by something vastly above them suddenly filled the area.

This intangible pressure covered everything within the golden shield on the platform. The instant the Flying Rain-Dragon appeared, the Flood Dragons around Homura began to shake and emit plaintive shrieks. They seemed to be shrieks of fear bordering on phobia.

They all shrank back, shaking, as if they couldn't stand up to the pressure weighing down on them. Their miserable shrieks were such that it seemed as if their bodies might begin to collapse.

Naruto's face was cold as he waved his right hand. Immediately, the Flying Rain-Dragon let out a shocking howl which caused the golden shield to shake, and the sky outside of the shield to grow dim. The ancient Flying Rain-Dragon was a sovereign of the sky, and its pride and dignity were now on full display as it charged toward the trembling Flood Dragons.

When it passed, there were no miserable shrieks. The Flood Dragons did nothing to prevent the Flying Rain-Dragon from swallowing them up. Regardless of whether they had two heads or one, in front of the Flying Rain-Dragon, they were so weak that they couldn't do anything to resist. Within the space of a few breaths, they had all been completely consumed.

Homura cried out in alarm and disbelief. His face was pale white as he staggered backward. As the Flying Rain-Dragon neared him, his eyes filled with frenzy. His eyes radiating with manic desire to continue living, he suddenly grabbed Sakumo, and shoved him out in front.

"I, Homura, have submerged myself in the Dao of Dragoneering for many years. I have expended my heart's blood in my pursuits, in my research in how to produce shocking neo-demons. Naruto, you twerp, I refuse to give in!" Roaring, he performed an incantation with his left hand as the Flying Rain-Dragon neared. Then he pushed his hand down onto the head of his son Sakumo. A look of disbelief and confusion could be seen on Sakumo's face as blood sprayed from his mouth. Suddenly, his head exploded.

"Take my son to give birth to a new neo-demon! Use my son's soul to bring forth the Retard Clan's Dragoneer Legacy, the eight-headed retarded Flood Dragon!"

Roaring could be heard as Sakumo's body shook. Suddenly, the black head of a Flood Dragon emerged from within. It flew out into the air.

One. Two. Three…. It took only a split second for eight heads to burst out from within Sakumo's body.

Sakumo's body exploded into pieces. However, his flesh and blood did not disappear, but rather congealed together. In the blink of an eye, it formed eight Flood Dragon heads. Another moment later, a three hundred meter long, eight-headed Flood Dragon was there in front of Homura.

Homura's eyes were bright red as he lifted his head back and howled. The Flood Dragon in front of him let out a roar as it sped toward the incoming Flying Rain-Dragon.

"Kill them!" cried Homura frenziedly.

The eight-headed Flood Dragon was much different than an ordinary Flood Dragon and was just barely able to stand up to the pressure exerted by the Flying Rain-Dragon. It charged forward with a howl, then slammed into the Flying Rain-Dragon.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he watched on coldly. The surrounding Dragoneers observed the scene with shock. Outside of the golden shield, the members of the five great Tribes were panting. All of them were paying close attention to this battle of dragons!

A boom rose up into the sky, along with a miserable shriek. Three out of eight of the Flood Dragon's heads transformed into clouds of blood and gore as the Flying Rain-Dragon swallowed them up. The remaining five heads let out frantic cries and tried to bite the Flying Rain-Dragon. The Flying Rain-Dragon lifted its head up to the sky and roared. It sounded as if its dignity had been encroached upon! Its body began to grow larger until it was several hundred meters larger. Then it slammed once again into the Flood Dragon.

Everything shook as a massive explosion rippled out. The rest of the Flood Dragon's five heads let out shrieks, and its entire body trembled. Looks of terror appeared on its faces, and it was just beginning to retreat when a huge boom could be heard. The entire Flood Dragon began to explode into blood and flesh. In response, the Flying Rain-Dragon sucked all of it in and swallowed it in one huge gulp.

Homura was scared out of his mind. His brain spun as he backed up.

"I forfeit!" he cried, completely overcome by his terror. It was at this moment of crisis that a golden light swirled out toward him from the golden shield, preparing to pull him out of the platform.

The Flying Rain-Dragon roared again. Suddenly flames appeared, as if its body were about to burn up. The flames rose up into the sky as the Flying Rain-Dragon shot toward Homura. The instant Homura was about to be pulled out from within the golden shield, the Flying Rain-Dragon slammed into the golden light, blocking it.

"When Naruto wants to kill someone, nobody can interfere!" said Naruto coolly. He slowly lifted his right finger. Immediately the image of a Greenwood Tree became visible on his forehead. Wood-type power emanated out, following the direction of Naruto's finger to shoot toward the golden shield.

Because the golden shield was made up of Wood- and Metal-type energy, the power of the Greenwood Tree caused it to begin to ripple and distort. The Flying Rain-Dragon stretched its head out. Just when Homura was heaving a sigh of relief as he thought he was about to escape, everything went black.

That was because the Flying Rain-Dragon's mouth had latched onto him.

A miserable shriek could be heard from Homura, which was cut off by crunching sounds. The top half of Homura's body was swallowed down by the Flying Rain-Dragon.

This was what it meant to break the fangs!

The Flying Rain-Dragon slowly dissipated. The shocking scene immediately caused a huge commotion among the members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes outside of the golden shield.

"He's… he's a Grand Dragoneer!"

"That dragon…. What kind of dragon is it? I've never seen a neo-demon like that before!"

"Even the ancestral shield was powerless. Homura obviously forfeited, but still got killed!"

Slowly, the eyes of all the Tribe members came to rest on Naruto.

The Greatfather of the Crow Scout Tribe stared in shock, panting. The Sky Priest quickly looked over at the Greatfather, who looked back. Both of them could see the astonishment in each other's eyes.

Both were thinking exactly the same thing: "Grand Dragoneer! He must have been injured in the past, and that's why his neo-demon could only appear in illusory form. He's currently incapable of summoning its true form!"

They weren't the only ones thinking along these lines. Apparently the Greatfathers and Priests from the other Tribes were all coming to the same conclusion.

The Grand Elder of the Crow Scout Tribe took a deep breath as he looked at Naruto. No longer were his eyes filled with hostility and contempt. Instead, he now looked at Naruto as if he were looking at someone of similar status to himself.

Mabui was panting, her face flushed with excitement and hands clenched into fists. She was once again reminded that Grandmaster Naruto was the most powerful person she could rely on in her attempts to raise herself and Darui to prominence within the Tribe.

As for Darui, his eyes were filled with zeal. In his eyes, Naruto wielded the might of the Heavens; there was no one whom he had esteemed more in his entire life.

As for the man-form Outlander Beast, he stood there with wide eyes, muttering to himself.

Everyone else had similar reactions. This was not to mention all of the people inside of the golden shield. Motoi took a deep breath, and his eyes filled with pain. At long last, he had resigned himself to his fate. A figure as powerful as Naruto was not someone who he could afford to provoke. There was really no other option than to just accept his lot. At the same time, he was actually somewhat happy.

"The Young Master has grown even stronger. It seems following him won't be such a bad choice." His eyes turned to the side thoughtfully as he considered how to perform some meritorious deed that would propel him up from being little more than Naruto's zookeeper.

It was at this moment, when everyone was still in the throes of shock, that the old woman, the white-haired old man, and the Dragoneer dressed like a fisherman all made a move at the same time. Their neo-demons roared as they shot toward Naruto, who was now without his illusory Flying Rain-Dragon.

Looks of greed could be seen in their eyes. As Dragoneers, they were able to read between the eyes; they knew that something was wrong with Naruto's illusory dragon neo-demon. It couldn't exist for very long before disappearing. If they could kill Naruto, then they would be able to seize the rest of his neo-demons.

"He's an injured Grand Dragoneer! He wields the might of a Grand Dragoneer, however… he is not like the true legendary Grand Dragoneers who are impossible to kill!"

"To run into an injured Grand Dragoneer like this is actually good fortune for me!"

The three people who attacked did so in unison, clearly having reached a common understanding. As for Motoi, he had only been a part of the five Crow Divinity Tribes for a short time. The other Dragoneer vassals were not very familiar with him, and therefore, did not include him in their decision.

As they attacked, Naruto turned, cold, killing intent radiating from his eyes. He waved his right hand, causing the Eyeless Larva totem tattoo to spring into action. Strands of silk flew out to surround him.

Naruto didn't move at all as the attacking neo-demons from the other three Dragoneers screamed toward him.

"Shameless!" shouted Mabui furiously, her expression one of anxiety. The others from the Crow Scout Tribe looked completely indignant. The Greatfather and the Sky Priest, even the Grand Elder, all flew up in the air to go rescue Naruto. Unfortunately, they were immediately obstructed by the Greatfathers and Priests from the other Tribes.

Meanwhile, up on the platform, Motoi watched as all of this was happening. His face flickered, and without hesitation, he sent his neo-demon horde whistling through the air toward the other three Dragoneers.

At this critical juncture, a massive roaring sound ripped out through the air from the direction of Naruto. The source of this sound was none other than the strands of silk from the Eyeless Larva, which spun rapidly through the air. Suddenly, they shot outward in all directions, slashing through the incoming neo-demons and turning them into a cloud of blood.

Moments later, Naruto strolled out from within the sea of blood. Silk continued to spin around him as he looked coldly at the three who had just attacked him. As for them, their faces flickered and they began to step backward.

It was at this point that the old woman's eyes flickered with anger. Suddenly, the giant Cyclops Ape which she had held in reserve charged in attack toward Naruto.

"Wild Giant?" said Naruto, his voice indifferent. Immediately, the Wild Giant roared and dashed forward. It directly picked up the giant Cyclops Ape and then viciously bit into the creature, sending blood spraying everywhere. As the Cyclops Ape screamed, the old woman's face twisted. She was about to try to retreat when a white flash of light appeared. Suddenly, Big Hairy was standing behind her, his eyes cold and grim. Without hesitation, he savagely bit down onto the woman's neck.

She wanted to struggle, but then the Black Bat appeared. Its fangs sank into her, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream as her life force was sucked away. In the blink of an eye, she was turned into a withered corpse.

Even as this was happening, the transcendent, white-haired old man atop the white crane shot toward the golden shield in an obvious attempt to flee the platform. As soon as he appeared outside, he looked back at Naruto, his face pale. He then let out a sigh of relief.

Back atop the platform, Naruto ignored the man and began to walk toward the old fisherman. However, at the same time, he said, "Parrot?"

Immediately, the large man who was standing among the Crow Scout Tribe members outside the shield let out a roar and charged toward the old man who had just emerged from the shield. The man's cry of alarm turned into a miserable shriek as he was torn to pieces. As for the white crane, its cries were even more bloodcurdling.

Back on the platform, the other weaker Dragoneers were all fleeing. The only ones who remained were Naruto, Motoi and the old fisherman.

The old fisherman's face was ashen and filled with astonishment as Naruto strode toward him. It was as if Naruto's feet were trampling upon his heart and mind. He felt an increasingly intense pressure, and was well aware that he could not flee in this situation. He also knew that even if Naruto was an injured Grand Dragoneer, he still was not someone who could be provoked.

However, the fisherman also knew that this was a critical life-or-death moment. The fight to survive lit his eyes. He waved his right hand, causing his enormous earthworm to let out a vicious shriek. At the same time, the countless earthworms within the magical silt suddenly flew up and attached themselves onto the giant earthworm. Now they were tentacles, making the giant earthworm look even more ferocious.

At the same time, the old fisherman spit up a mouthful of blood and then began to perform an incantation with both hands.

"Occult Karma Magic!" he cried. Immediately, the enormous earthworm lowered its head, opened its mouth and did something that came as a complete shock to all the onlookers…. It swallowed the old fisherman whole. After that, the top of the earthworm's head began to bulge, and suddenly the face of the old fisherman appeared there.

"I can't hope to fight back against a Grand Dragoneer," he cried. "But this Occult Karma Magic that I acquired years ago allows me to merge my body with a neo-demon and become a new life form! Even if you are a Grand Dragoneer, you can't fight me now!"

Naruto's expression flickered, and he immediately retreated, an expression of unprecedented seriousness filling his face. His Cultivation base was now in full rotation, and his eyes shone with a bright gleam. What he was looking at was, not the old man, but something else in up in the air!

What had caught his attention was actually… the Occult Karma Magic!

Within this Occult Magic, Naruto could sense the aura of the Hebi Clan!

Suddenly, a gigantic vortex appeared up in the sky, within which a silver string appeared that looked very much like a fishing line. It shot down toward the old man who had merged with the earthworm.

Instantly, everything went silent. Naruto noticed with astonishment that everything, including the Greatfathers, were all completely motionless. It was as if everything in the entire world had been frozen in place!

It was like everyone in the world had become fishes on the chopping block, just waiting for that fishing line to hook them and take them away.

Apparently, he was the only person in the world capable of seeing this silver thread.

The world was silent. Nothing moved. Even the golden shield seemed to have become part of this perpetuity; the rays of light shining out from it also stopped moving.

The members of the five great Tribes in the area were all like clay statues, absolutely motionless.

Even the old man who had used the Occult Karma Magic to merge into the gigantic earthworm was frozen in mid-air like a statue, a maniacal laugh plastered onto his face.

The only things that could move were Naruto and the silver line in the air!

A profound sense of danger appeared in Naruto's mind. One of the main reasons he had been forced to flee the Southern Domain and go into hiding was the Hebi Clan. And yet here again they appeared in the sky above the Western Desert.

Silver light floated lazily off of the line as it whistled down from up above. Ripples emanated out that seemed capable of ripping apart the very air. As it turned out, Naruto was not the target. Instead, the line hooked up the old earthworm man. This all happened in front of everyone present, although it seemed they weren't able to see it happening.

Naruto started to breath heavily. He didn't dare to move. He stood in place, watching, trying to look exactly like everyone else. He remained completely motionless, attempting to not even think.

He could see that at the end of the silver line was a hook. The hook was currently stabbing effortlessly through the body of the earthworm, piercing all the way through. It was almost like the old earthworm man was now bait on the hook….

Naruto's mind spun and his heart was pounding.

"It's not a thread, it's a fishing line, the same type you would use to go fishing!" Naruto remained motionless, but was able to clearly see everything happening. After the old earthworm man was completely stabbed through by the hook, he was suddenly wrenched up into the sky.

Suddenly, an archaic voice could be heard from up above, where the fishing line originated from. In a leisurely tone, it said, "So, it turns out there are Cultivators in the Western Desert who practice Occult Karma Magic. Turned your body into bait, huh? I guess I can use you to go fishing. Maybe I can snag a big fish from the Western Desert. Since you're fish bait now, you have no need for Karma."

As the voice echoed out, Naruto was astonished to find that he could suddenly see threads attached to the bodies of everyone present. They were faint, indistinct and flickering, and seemed to contain fate itself. If you looked closely, all of the threads seemed to be connected to each other.

Regardless of neo-demon or Cultivator, even the mountains and rivers, all things in the world, were filled with vast quantities of these threads. They spread out, connected together, even to the earthworm man up in the air. Everything and everyone was connected together into something like an enormous, living web.

Anything seen or remembered caused a merging of Karma strings, connecting everything.

"Henceforth, let your Karma be extinguished," said the ancient voice in the sky. Suddenly, Naruto could see that the threads attached to the earthworm up in the sky were suddenly beginning to collapse and be destroyed!

As these threads of fate were being eliminated, it caused a huge chain reaction. All of the other threads connected to everything else—mountains, rivers, the land, the neo-demons, the Cultivators—began to tremble.

Even more shocking to Naruto was that the surrounding Cultivators were all trembling, and their faces were pale. The threads attached from them to the earthworm began to shatter into pieces. It wasn't all the threads attached to everything; rather, any connection or memory they had regarding the existence of the old earthworm man, was collapsing.

Now it seemed as if the balance of Karma had been disturbed. By forcibly erasing the Karma that had been sown, it affected the rest of Karma in all creation.

It was at this moment that Naruto's mind began to tremble; he had just noticed that the threads attached to his own body were trembling and seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. An unspeakable power seemed to be spreading out through the world. It seemed any vestige or memory of the old earthworm man was being completely wiped out.

Even as his mind reeled, the Demon Sealing Jade suddenly began to vibrate inside his bag of holding. A warm, gentle power emanated out from it to envelop Naruto's entire person. It appeared as if the threads attached to Naruto were collapsing, but in truth, as that massive power washed over him, the memories of the old earthworm man were not wiped away.

Suddenly, the earthworm man up above transformed into a beam of light that shot up into the sky and then disappeared.

Finally, the previously still world once again began to move.

As things returned to normal… everyone shuddered.

The golden light once again emanated up around the platform. Motoi had a look of confusion on his face, which was quickly replaced with happiness. With a loud shout, he proclaimed his forfeiture, after which he was enveloped by golden light and pulled off of the platform.

Nothing existed in his memories regarding the old fisherman. He only remembered Naruto's fabulous victory over the other Dragoneers.

Outside of the golden shield, the Greatfathers of the five great Tribes were completely recovered. All of them had different expressions as their gazes came to focus on Naruto. Their memories did not contain anything regarding the old fisherman either. It was as if the old fisherman… had never even existed.

"The Crow Scout Tribe has recruited a Grand Dragoneer!"

"The Crow Scout Tribe must have paid a hefty price in preparation for this Ancestor Rite Competition. Otherwise, they would never have been able to convince a Grand Dragoneer to work for them!"

As the buzz of conversation rose up from the members of the five great Tribes, Naruto stood on the platform, his face ashen. Nobody that he could see looked even a little bit different than from before. In fact, it seemed as if… none of them were even aware that everything had stopped moving moments ago.

Furthermore, they had no reaction whatsoever to the sudden disappearance of the old earthworm man. Apparently, his life did not exist at all within their memories.

It seemed as if all the causes and effects of the old man's Karma had been completely severed from everything, the neo-demons, the mountains, the rivers and even the land. Not a trace remained of him in any consciousness whatsoever.

Naruto looked around, panting, face pale. An unprecedented feeling of fear filled him. "Now that is death… true death. To be erased from the memory of anyone you ever met, as if you had never existed in the world…. So that… that is the Karma Line of the Hebi Clan!"

Suddenly, Naruto recalled the fishing rod in his bag of holding, the one he had acquired when he slayed one of the sons of Hebi. Now he understood the function of that rod.

He also realized that if that fishing line had come for him, and hooked him instead, then perhaps all traces of his own existence would have been erased from the world.

"The Hebi Clan…." Naruto's face was pale. He waved his right hand to collect up his neo-demon horde, then strode off of the platform. The Wild Giant accompanied him as he left.

Naruto paid no attention to the gazes and words directed toward him. Instead, he looked up into the sky, his face unsightly. Of course, no one could understand what he was feeling. Even the parrot seemed unaware of what had just happened.

Perhaps this wasn't because the parrot wasn't powerful enough, but rather because it didn't care enough about the old earthworm man to notice. Perhaps it had even been willing to allow it to happen.

Maybe it would have been different if the Karmic Severing was directed at someone important to it.

Finally Naruto looked back at the members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes who stood around him. As of now, everyone had to admit that the Crow Scout Tribe had clearly won the right to be the first to enter into the Crow Divinity Holy Land.

Using their bloodline powers along with a special technique, the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity fully opened the Crow Divinity Holy Land.

The Crow Scout Tribe members cheered as the Greatfather and the Sky Priest politely clasped hands and offered thanks to Naruto.

After that, all of the Crow Scout Tribe members, along with Naruto, turned into colorful beams as they shot toward the golden light. Up ahead, the tall platform was fading away, replaced by two massive doors that were slowly opening.

In front of the doors, the Greatfather clasped hands to Naruto and the man-form Outlander Beast. "Many thanks, Grandmaster Naruto and Fellow Daoist Out. In accord with our promise, you may follow the Tribe members to enter the Pool of Destiny!"

Naruto nodded distractedly as he looked at the opening doors.

"The Karma Line of the Hebi Clan is so powerful. Being destroyed by it actually erases every trace of your existence. Wow…." Naruto was lost in thought as the massive doors opened within the golden light. When they were about half opened, Naruto suddenly felt a tremor running through him. He couldn't stop his face from flickering.

That was because he had suddenly been struck with a new realization.

"Oh no! The Karma Line severs Karma, completely erasing it. It prohibits anything from remembering what was severed. That is a complete erasure. However… if someone happens to remember something about the person who was erased, that would mean that the technique was incomplete, not perfect. Essentially, it means the technique failed…. Not good!"

Having reached this point in his train of thought, Naruto's face completely fell. He could imagine a situation in which whoever it was that employed the technique detected the fact that it had in fact failed. He had little time to continue thinking about the matter. His body flickered as he shot toward the huge doors.

Almost the instant he flew forward, the entire world suddenly grew still. Suddenly, the fishing line which had so recently disappeared… could be seen again up in the sky. This time, it was shooting down toward Naruto!

"So a little fish slipped through the net," said the archaic voice, chuckling. "You dare to spoil my Karmic Severing? Thankfully, you left some clues behind that I noticed, nor are you capable of causing my technique to backfire against me. The Heavens are large and the Earth is wide, but do you really think you can escape me?"

Around Naruto, everything was silent and unmoving!

Naruto had practiced Cultivation for many years. From the day his journey began on Mount Myboku all the way until now, he had experienced many deadly situations. However, this particular crisis was the greatest he had ever experienced by far!

The consequences of killing one of the sons of Hebi had been enormous. Recently, he had sensed signs that the Mastiff might be beginning to awaken, which gave him a bit of confidence. Except now….

Having seen the old earthworm man's death, Naruto knew that there was absolutely no way for him to fight back against this unheard of Karmic Severing!

His face was pale as he realized that everything around him was once again completely still. The members of the five great Tribes, the neo-demons, even the clouds in the sky were completely motionless. Only the fishing line and Naruto could move.

He shot as quickly as possible through the golden light, passing through the massive doors with all the speed he could muster. He exploded with the power of the great circle of the Gold Core, vanishing inside.

However, even as Naruto entered the doors, the fishing line came in after him. The speed with which it moved was incredible as it followed him.

This door was no teleportation device, but rather a passageway. When Naruto emerged from the other side, he saw that he was surrounded by mountains.

These mountains were a murky golden color, and a faintly discernible pressure could be felt from them. In the distance in front of him were a collection of mountains that had no peaks, but rather, gaping holes at the top. What appeared to be scorching heat billowed out from the holes; these were volcanoes!

In total, there were seven of them, all linked together. This place… was the Crow Divinity Tribes' Holy Land, and also the domain of the Golden Crow.

After entering, Naruto didn't pause for even a moment. However, even as he shot forward, the air around him started to fill with what looked like cracks.

The cracks emanated a fearsome Chakra. Naruto got the feeling that if he ran into one of them, his body would most likely be torn into pieces.

Naruto could actually sense a strange Chakra filling this entire volcanic realm. It was strange and multifarious, as if countless neo-demons were present.

As Naruto flew forward, he suddenly caught sight of a black wind off in the distance. It seemed as if it sensed his encroachment into this area, and was flying to intercept him. This black wind was actually composed of countless black crows. There were more than a thousand of them, blotting out the sky as they flew. Their speed was incredible, and as they neared, Naruto could see that their eyes were bright red and filled with frenzy.

In fact, from the Cultivation base ripples emanating out from the more than one thousand crows, Naruto could tell that they were level 7, comparable to the early Core Formation stage. There were even ten of them who were level 9!

Naruto's face flickered. However, it was at this point that the silver fishing line shot out into the Crow Divinity Holy Land. It emanated an intense rumbling that spread out with the power of stillness. Soon, everything within the Crow Divinity Holy Land… began to grow quiet and still.

The grass stopped swaying, and the cracks appearing in the air suddenly seemed to have been slowed to a standstill. As for the approaching flock of black crows, it stopped moving completely. Even the waves of heat erupting from the volcanoes ceased moving.

However… up ahead, in the centermost of the seven volcanoes, was a location that seemed to be a point of freedom within all the stillness!

"There's life force there!" thought Naruto, his eyes glittering. He immediately began to fly in that direction.

Behind him, the silver line pursued at incredible speed. At its end could just barely be seen the glint of what must be a hook!

This takes some time to describe, but happened extremely quickly. Naruto exploded forward with all the power of his Cultivation base. He used the Bloodburst Flash without hesitation, causing him to flicker in and out of the air as he moved. He moved in jumps of hundreds of meters, not holding anything back in this moment of grave crisis.

In the blink of an eye, he was directly next to the flock of motionless black crows. He was just about to continue on his way, when suddenly he felt a tremor in his heart.

"Because of the presence of the fishing line, everything has stopped moving, even these neo-demons. You could say that this is the kind of opportunity that comes around only once in a thousand years. In the entire time that the Crow Divinity Holy Land has existed, something like this has most likely never occurred…. It would really be far too much of a shame to let this opportunity slip by. It's a risk… that I'm willing to take!"

His eyes shone with a bright light that transformed into determination. Immediately, he waved his right hand toward the motionless crows. They had absolutely no control of themselves as they turned into beams of blackness that shot into his bag of the Cosmos.

That having been accomplished, he once again proceeded forward.

Behind him, the fishing line neared!

Panting, Naruto bit the tip of his tongue and then sprayed some blood out of his mouth. His body flickered as the Bloodburst Flash activated, propelling him off into the distance. His face was pale, but he didn't hesitate at all. In an instant, he had reached an area that grew thick with grass. There, he could see a group of seven or eight poisonous wasps hovering motionless in mid-air. Behind them was a gigantic wasp nest which was surrounded by dozens more wasps.

Seeing them, Naruto gritted his teeth, then waved his right hand. Immediately, the wasps and the wasp nest were gathered up. Then, he Bloodburst Flashed again.

"This is an extremely rare opportunity, I have to take advantage of it!" Naruto was shouting inwardly, but at the same time, somewhat conflicted. This was a moment of extreme, grave danger, perhaps the most critical he had experienced since he had begun practicing Cultivation. However… this moment of crisis had transformed this Crow Divinity Holy Land into an unprecedented bit of good fortune!

This good fortune had caused everything in the area to become motionless, allowing Naruto free access to a variety of neo-demons. Such an opportunity caused even Naruto's heart to begin to pound.

That was especially true… when he happened to look into the mouth of one of the motionless volcanoes. There he could see an enormous lizard, half emerged from the volcano. It was dozens of meters long. Naruto was now even more conflicted.

"Put everything on the line!" he roared. His body flickered as he shot toward the lizard. With the wave of a right hand, he collected it into his bag of the Cosmos. Then, he spit some more blood out of his mouth to shoot away at incredible speed. At this moment, it was almost like Naruto had forgotten about the danger to his life. Whenever he saw a neo-demon he would shoot toward it and collect it up.

One neo-demon horde and super-powerful neo-demon after another, things which had existed for countless years within the Crow Divinity Holy Land, creatures which no one had ever been able to collect even throughout all the years in which the five Tribes had offered sacrifices to the Ancestor, dangerous beasts which normally could only be avoided with special techniques… were all completely motionless, making it extremely convenient for Naruto to seize them.

A group of more than one thousand green mosquitos were sitting stock still within the mouth of a volcano, apparently just on their way inside to fight a gigantic crocodile that was half submerged in the lava inside.

The mouthparts of the mosquitos emitted a mysterious glow, and their bodies were ferocious looking, covered with countless fur-like spikes. They were completely shocking in appearance.

As for the crocodile, it was bright red, with two pitch-black eyes. It lay half-submerged in the lava, emanating shocking ripples.

"How… how many neo-demon hordes are in this place?!" thought Naruto, his eyes widening. The twisted feeling inside of him could not be any more intense. Behind him, the silver line whistled toward him with increasing speed. It was no less than a hundred and fifty meters away.

"Dammit!" Naruto's eyes were red as he once again utilized the Bloodburst Flash. He reappeared at the mouth of the volcano, where he waved his right hand. Immediately, the mosquitos and the shocking red crocodile were sucked into his bag of the Cosmos.

His body flickered once again as he fled away. By now, the silver line was about a hundred meters away from him, and moving even faster through the air.

The sense of grave crisis was incredibly intense. Naruto's eyes were completely bloodshot, and he now had no time to consider any surrounding neo-demons. Instead, he continued to head forward toward the apparently active volcano which was his goal.

Except… even as he neared it, he noticed that up ahead was, shockingly, a burial mound!

The burial mound was covered in cracks, making the coffin inside clearly visible. Inside the coffin was a corpse which was half human and half beast, completely bizarre in appearance.

What set Naruto panting, however, was that laying on top of the corpse's chest was a wooden sword!

The instant he saw the wooden sword, his eyes went wide. Naruto could tell that this corpse was not in fact dead. In fact, its eyes were open. Also, despite the stillness everywhere, he could still sense a threatening aura coming from it, and a powerful pressure similar to the Spirit Severing stage.

"This is the third wooden sword I've found!" he thought, breathing heavily. Having seen the sword, he knew that he must have it. Including his duplicate sword, it would increase the number of wooden swords he had to four.

As for the origin of this sword, Naruto wasn't sure. But his intuition told him that considering it cost two thousand ultra high-grade Spirit Stones to duplicate, it was obviously beyond ordinary. As for why it hadn't manifested its true majesty, perhaps it was because he hadn't acquired enough of them yet.

Naruto had the intense sensation that if he did not take advantage of this peculiar situation, then he would never again have a chance to snatch the wooden sword from this bizarre corpse.

Feeling both miserable and happy, he bit down viciously on his tongue, changing directions and shooting toward the corpse. As soon as he neared the burial mound, his hand shot in through one of the cracks and grabbed the wooden sword. As he wrenched it out, he could faintly hear a snarl of profound rage coming from the corpse.

There was no time for any further examination. Naruto's body flickered as he shot toward the volcano in the very center. Almost in the exact moment that he entered it, the pursuing silver line did the same.

The archaic voice boomed out from the sky to echo about within the volcano.

"Flee to the remotest corners of the Earth and you will still be incapable of evading me!"

Naruto was only about ten meters ahead of the silver line, his face pale.

It really seemed as if what the voice said was true. Naruto… was incapable of evasion!

There was lava inside this volcano, as well as one location deep within that appeared to be a cistern. The rock surrounding the cistern had been chiseled into stone steps, which in turn formed a pool of water.

Naruto neared, he passed through multiple restrictive spells. These restrictive spells were set up to prevent anyone not of the Crow Divinity Tribe from nearing. Any outsider who attempted to approach without the help of a Crow Divinity Tribe member would be killed.

However… Naruto was being followed by the fishing line. As it neared, it caused everything to cease moving, even all of the bizarre and fantastic things inside of the volcano.

The restrictive spells were also static now, and any hindering power was rendered useless. Naruto shot forward with all of the speed he could muster. From ancient times until now, he was the first outsider to ever come to this place alone!

This event was unprecedented. As Naruto neared the Pool of Destiny, waves and ripples could be seen on its surface. However, Naruto had nothing to be happy about. His eyes radiated despair. Earlier, he had hoped that there would be something here he could use to fight back against the silver line, which was why he had headed in this direction.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the pond was the only thing here.

"Nowhere to go…." His gaze flickered about, and he sent his Spiritual Sense billowing out. After confirming that there really was nothing else in the area besides the Pool of Destiny, he gave a wan smile.

"The Pool of Destiny…. It seems I have nowhere to go and no other options. Well, if I'm really going to perish, then I'll go out fighting. And I'll do it in this Pool of Destiny!" His eyes shining with vicious determination, his body flickered and he stepped foot into the Pool of Destiny.

The very moment that he did, the silver line finally reached him. It wrapped him up immediately, binding him tightly!

As soon as the line touched him, Naruto's mind filled with a roaring sound, and he felt as if his soul was about to fly out of his body. It was as if his mind and his body were completely split apart. A sensation of icy coldness appeared within his soul. He suddenly had the sense that a deadly crisis was imminent.

"As I said, you're not strong enough to hide from me. Do you really think you can measure up to the people in the past who tried to evade my grasp? When I've hooked your Karma, everything is over!

"Eee? Hold on… you already have traces of Karma from the Hebi Clan? It's faint, and it looks like you're almost on the verge of completely erasing it. Since it's still here, though, I think I'll just take a look and see who you are. Let's see…. Naruto…. Killed one of the sons of Hebi…. Wanted by the Hebi Clan. Oh, so it's you…. I guess it's just your destiny to run into me here. I might as well settle the Karma you have with the Hebi Clan.

"I am Hebi Nineteen. I shall bequeath thee with… the Hebi Clan's Karmic Severing!" Naruto's body was trembling. He felt as if his consciousness and his body were being ripped apart. His soul felt as if it were in fetters as if some massive force were preparing to wrench it out of his body.

He was filled with confusion, and his Cultivation base vanished. Even his Demon Sealing powers disappeared. It was as if he was nothing more than a mortal, so weak that he could do absolutely nothing to fight back.

The only thing he was aware of were the words spoken by the archaic voice, which echoed about in his head.

"Karmic Severing…."

He could vaguely see a vast assortment of faint, flickering threads connected to his body. These threads were his fate and Karma, massed together and stretching out into the air, connected to who knew what.

Suddenly, Naruto could see that deep within him, a power was spreading out to these threads, and to his very life force….

"SEVER!" said the archaic voice. The instant the word came out of his mouth, the world shook as if it were being struck with lightning.

Naruto's body trembled violently as he watched the threads connected to his body beginning to collapse, as if some intangible blade were beginning to chop through them. They shattered, causing a chain reaction which destroyed even more of the threads. It was impossible to say whose memories these threads connected to, but in this instant, they were falling into pieces.

It didn't matter how much distance was involved, the threads were destroyed. The effect began to spread about throughout all the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

In the Western Desert, outside the golden light, everything was completely still. All the members of the five great Crow Divinity Tribes suddenly shivered. Their faces went pale and filled with blankness. Within their memories, any trace of Naruto was erased, almost as if it were completely severed away.

Mabui, Darui, Atsui, all of the Tribe members from the five great Tribes suddenly had not even a scrap of a memory of Naruto within their minds.

Ukon and old devil Sakon, even Indra and Eccentric Genma all trembled as the Karma threads connecting them to Naruto were destroyed.

It was like a gigantic invisible blade was slashing down. As it headed toward the man-form Outlander Beast, it met up against a powerful force that struggled back against it. The man's body shook, but in the end… the blade descended nonetheless.

The voice of the parrot suddenly came out of the man's mouth in a faint roar: "Hebi Clan Immortal, this time Lord Fifth will not forget!"

The blade swept past, slicing across Motoi, erasing Naruto's existence. It spread out toward the Black Lands. As for the stillness, it did not touch the Black Lands; it was limited to the area in the Western Desert surrounding the Crow Divinity Tribes. At the moment, Black Lands Palace Dao Child A was sitting cross-legged in meditation. His body suddenly shook, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He looked up, an expression of confusion on his face.

In the Church of the Golden Light, the members of the congregation all began to tremble and cough up blood. Perplexed looks appeared on their faces, as if they had forgotten something, but weren't sure what.

The invisible blade swept across the Black Lands, erasing any vestige that Naruto had ever been there. It continued on toward the Southern Domain.

Currently, Fatty was contentedly filing away at his teeth and holding a pretty girl in his arm. He was murmuring something to her when suddenly his body trembled and his face flickered. He then coughed up seven or eight mouthfuls of blood. His face was ashen as he looked around in confusion.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl, looking alarmed as she rubbed him gently.

"Nothing…. It seems like… like I just forgot someone…. Weird."

During this moment, it wasn't just Fatty who was affected. Might Guy and all the other people within whose memories existed the image of Naruto, suddenly coughed up blood and then looked around in confusion.

As of this moment, all traces of Naruto that existed within their memories were blotted out. All Karma threads of theirs which were entangled with Naruto were crushed.

As of now, their lives did not contain anyone who went by the name of Naruto, or of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

"Dammit, just how famous is this guy in the Southern Domain!?" said the archaic voice, sounding shocked. "There are so many people connected to him by Karma!" He sounded flustered and disbelieving. The art of Karmic Severing is a magic which consumes energy in correlation to the amount of connections that are severed. It was definitely an astonishing technique, but one needed to be careful when using it.

Hinata sat meditating in her Immortal's cave in the Black Sieve Sect. It was evening outside. Suddenly she opened her eyes and let out a soft sigh. Her hand reached into her robe, where a small pill bottle was stored, within which was a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill.

It was at this moment that a tremor ran through her and she coughed up not one, but a total of nine mouthfuls of blood. Her face was pale, and she was shaking violently.

She could feel the existence of Naruto within her memories beginning to shake and collapse, forcibly being erased.

"NO!" she cried. Her hair was instantly thrown into disarray, and she began to flash an incantation gesture to fight back. The only result was more coughing up of blood.

"Naruto…. Naruto…." Her Cultivation base began to rotate rapidly, as she prepared to use all the strength she could summon to resist.

However, even as her Cultivation base began to move, she said, "Naruto…. Who's that?"

She sat there mutely, a blank expression on her face. She tried to remember who Naruto was, and why she was rotating her Cultivation base. She could tell that her heart was in the process of breaking, and unconsciously reached up to her face. She felt tears.

"Why do I hurt so much?" she thought. "Why am I crying?"

Throughout the Southern Domain an invisible Karmic storm raged. The raging tempest was strongest in the Violet Fate Sect. Everyone in the entire Sect trembled and coughed up blood.

Sakura's face was pale, and her fists were clenched tightly. She laughed bitterly as she felt her memories changing; Naruto was being completely wiped away. She quickly lifted her hand up and then bit her tongue. Spitting the blood onto her finger, she began to write two characters onto the wall next to her: Naruto.

However, after she wrote the word Naruto… her hand stopped moving and a look of bewilderment appeared on her face.

"What was I writing?"

Pill Demon sat in his short mountain, looking off into the sky. It wasn't clear what he was thinking, but as the invisible blade neared him, he sat there and sighed.

"So, this day has finally come, has it…?" He shook his head bitterly, but a brilliant light shone in his eyes. He lifted his right hand, within which appeared a medicinal pill. The pill emanated an archaic Chakra, and was clearly incredibly old.

"If you sever my apprentice's Karma," he thought, "then I will absolutely never give in and become an Immortal of the Hebi Clan!" With that, he closed his eyes and watched in anguish as everything within his memories that existed regarding Naruto was turned into nothing but ash.

The pill in his hand emanated shocking aura, which caused these drifting pieces of memory ash to suddenly be reformed a new, unaffected.

"Dammit, he has something like that as his Master!" echoed the archaic voice. It sounded furious. "It's a pity my Cultivation base isn't sufficient. If it were, then everything would be wiped out!"

The blade continued to sweep across the Southern Domain. However, when it reached the Rebirth Cave, the cold voice of a woman could be heard.

"A false Immortal from the Hebi Clan. Do you truly dare to try to wipe out my memories? Screw off!"

The sound echoed out into the air. The archaic voice, filled with disbelief and alarm, weakly responded. "He's even connected to that figure in the Rebirth Cave! Dammit! Dammit! Who else does this guy know? How come his Karma is so hard to sever!?"

Out on the Milky Way Sea floated an island. If you looked at the island from up above in the sky, it had the appearance of a turtle. This island had been quite a mystery in the Milky Way Sea during past years. It floated about here and there, surrounded by mists.

Suddenly the floating island stopped, and an astonishing bellow of rage could be heard from within.

"SCREW OFF! Bastard! I just fell asleep, and now you come bothering me? You think I want those memories of that twerp Naruto? Dammit! SCREW OFF!"

Patriarch Reliance's thunderous voice echoed out, kicking up huge waves on the Milky Way Sea.

The archaic voice anxiously said, "How could something like that even exist!? How do I accomplish this severing? How?!"

He sounded completely flustered and exasperated, shaking because of Naruto's very existence. On another island in the Milky Way Sea was a stooped old man who was currently standing in front of an artist's easel, painting a picture of the tall, strapping man who stood in front of him.

In the middle of making a brushstroke, the old man suddenly frowned and looked up into the sky. A profound glow suddenly appeared.

"People who exist in my memory cannot have their Karma severed by the Heavens of Hebi," he said softly. He lifted his right hand into the air and then waved his paintbrush. A drop of ink flew out which then merged into the air.

Suddenly, the entire sky in the region turned completely black.

A miserable shriek could be heard echoing out from the void. The voice was none other than that of ancient Hebi Nineteen.

As the shriek filled the air, all of the Cultivators who were affected by the destruction of the Karma threads suddenly shook. The threads connecting them to Naruto, suddenly began to recover. They returned from absolute destruction to form once again. In fact, because they were being reformed out of destruction, they were even stronger and more tenacious than before.

Sakura's face was pale white. Her closed eyes opened, and she looked silently at the word 'Naruto' written on the wall. She slowly lifted her hand up and wrote the word 'Hao.'

Pill Demon put away the medicinal pill and looked wordlessly off into the distance. However, his eyes were filled with staunchness and determination.

Fatty rubbed his head as he thought confusedly about past events. Suddenly, his body trembled and he gasped. There were now many more memories of the past. His face flickered as he recalled Naruto.

Might Guy was the same, as was the entirety of the lands of the Southern Domain. In the Black Lands and the Western Desert, all of the Cultivators whose Karma threads had been affected, were suddenly recovered.

Hinata gnawed at her lip silently. She looked at the pill bottle in her hand, and her eyes filled with deep anxiety. She now remembered everything that had happened, and was filled with coldness. She could only imagine the loneliness she would experience if Naruto's image did not exist within her memories.

Within her silence, she clenched her teeth. She knew that power was the only way to truly resolve problems. She was now more determined than ever to fully fuse with the memories of Matriarch Phoenix, and increase the level of her Cultivation base.

Back in the Western Desert, in the Crow Divinity Holy Land, within the depths of the volcano, Naruto stood trembling in the Pool of Destiny. He, too, heard the miserable shriek. As it echoed about, he opened his eyes to see the silver fishing line turning black. The blackness spread, and as it did, the line turned into smoke and ashes. The ash and smoke spread out amidst the shriek.

The sound of the shriek caused Naruto's eyes to glow with coldness. He hadn't been able to see what had happened just now, but he had witnessed the severing of the Karma of the old earthworm man. He could only imagine the death he had just experienced.

Killing intent radiated out from his eyes as he caught sight of an indistinct figure in front of him. It was the image of a Cultivator surrounded by black flames, screaming as he struggled to disappear from this place.

The indistinct figure was repeatedly calling out a name. "Sai, it's Sai…."

Naruto's eyes glittered. His left hand raised up and placed the blood-colored mask onto his face. Massive, frenzied power exploded from his Cultivation base. Blood Chakra emanated out in waves as he charged forward.

Blood Finger. Blood Palm. Blood Death World!

They all appeared, causing massive roaring to fill the air as they descended upon the illusory figure. Naruto's killing intent soared as he waved his hand again. The Lotus Sword Formation appeared; as it rotated, the power of Time rippled out.

"DIE!" shouted Naruto, his voice ice cold. His hand flickered an incantation and he pointed forward.

The Violet Chakra Guillotine, Violet Chakra Garrote, Violet Gibbous Moon exploded out with a roar, causing violet light to billow up.

"Without a face, a single word, the flames of war unify!" Naruto lifted up his left hand and pressed down onto the mask. Immediately, a gigantic face appeared. It opened its mouth and spoke a voiceless word. A roaring sound filled the air as it shot toward the illusory figure.

As the miserable screaming continued, Naruto charged forward, slipping on the Namikaze Clan glove. He punched, and a massive rumbling could be heard. Naruto's killing intent soared as he punched over and over again, more than a hundred times.

Each of these fists contained incredible power. Rumbling sounded out without end, and the illusory figure seemed to be on the verge of bursting into pieces. It appeared to have been sealed, rendering it incapable of making any moves whatsoever; even its Cultivation base was weak beyond compare. It was still trying to disappear and escape, but Naruto performed another incantation, and the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex appeared.

As the figure suddenly stopped moving, Naruto's face distorted with the desire to kill. None of his magical arts seemed to have any effect on this figure. And yet, Naruto was not willing to let him escape.

He had killed one of the sons of Hebi, and he wasn't afraid to kill this Hebi Nineteen. That was especially true considering that if he didn't kill him right now, when he was at his weakest, then the man would no doubt cause endless troubles in the future.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto pressed down again onto the blood-colored mask.

"Flag of three streamers!" he growled. This was the most powerful magical item he possessed!

Considering the current level of his Cultivation base, he could, with effort, wield one streamer. This time, it didn't appear in illusory form, either. As soon as the words left his mouth, power filled the area as a long, blood-colored streamer appeared. As soon as it left Naruto's hand, Heaven and Earth shook. It shot forward, wrapping around the figure of Hebi Nineteen, dragging him.

Hebi Nineteen let out a horrified scream filled with shock, fear, and disbelief.

"This… this is… the Mountain and Sea Emperor's Banner!" He cried out in alarm as roaring shook his body. Suddenly, what had been illusory, only partly in the same world as Naruto, was now forcibly dragged out. There, standing directly in front of Naruto, was an old man.

He was clearly in very sore straits; his face was covered with a burning, black ink, and his aura was in absolute chaos. Currently, it seemed he was being forcibly repressed, and was now only able to wield the power of Core Formation.

His face was filled with astonishment. He could scarcely believe that he had actually been pulled into this world.

"Impossible! It can't be the Emperor's Banner. The legendary Emperor's Banner was destroyed…."

"What Emperor's Banner, b*tch!?" said Naruto, his face contorted with fury as he thought about how he had just basically died. Then he recalled what Sai had said years ago, that people he remembered could not have their Karma severed by the Hebi Clan. He was certain that without Sai, he would most likely be dead.

In his fury, he unthinkingly imitated the parrot's wording. With that, he clenched his hand into a fist and punched. A boom filled the air, and the old man let out a cry.

"You trifling mortal, do you dare to injure me? You…."

BOOM!

"Do you dare to kill me!?"

BOOM!

Naruto struck out repeatedly with his incredibly powerful fist, pummelling the old man until his body was on the verge of exploding. However, the man's Cultivation base was fundamentally intrepid. Despite being attacked in such a way, his body was recovering rapidly.

"Puny mortal, you injured me and dragged me out from the world of Hebi. But just wait until I'm fully recovered. I'll kill you with my bare hands!"

Naruto's eyes flickered with coldness, and retracted his right hand. He glared coldly at the old man, which caused the old man to stare in shock. Then, the old man began to laugh coldly.

The instant he began to laugh, however, Naruto's right hand flickered an incantation and then he pushed down onto the old man's forehead.

"It would be a pity to kill you. However, your blood, along with the blood of that son of Hebi that I killed, can help me to create my Blood Spirit!"

"My recovery will quickly outpace whatever tiny injuries you inflict on me," said the old man, his tone vicious. Suddenly, Naruto waved his hand, and the Lotus Sword Formation appeared. Rippling power of Time flowed out, relentlessly pounding against the old man.

The old man's face fell, but he let out a cold snort nonetheless.

"If it were twice as powerful, maybe it could affect me. But that level of Time power is simply not enough!"

"Not enough?" asked Naruto, his eyes flickering icily. He instantly produced his four wooden swords and stabbed them into the man's body to hinder his recovery.

The old man was inherently tyrannical and haughty, but the instant he saw the four wooden swords, and especially when they stabbed into him, he had no choice but to scream miserably.

"Dammit! Dammit! Those are… Immortal Murdering Swords! You, you, you… just who are you?! How can you have so many! Although they're not completely unsealed… they really are Immortal Murdering Swords!" His injuries suddenly worsened, and his recovery slowed down to a crawl. Thanks to Naruto's many forms of torment, Hebi Nineteen was in an incredibly wretched predicament.

"There's still more time to cause you suffering!" said Naruto, coldness flickering within his gaze.

Meanwhile….

In the Sky Country in the Eastern Lands exists a luxurious mansion. Sitting inside was the girl with the explosive temper that Naruto had met that year, Karin. She was currently wiping some blood off of her mouth; how could Hebi Nineteen ever have imagined that the effects of his Karmic Severing would reach all the way to the Sky Country in the Eastern Lands, and Karin?

Karin's face filled with fury, and she rose to her feet. She was about to walk out the door when suddenly a woman's voice could be heard, shocking and furious to the extreme. It came from the restricted area in the back of the mansion.

"Hebi Clan!"

When she heard the voice, Karin's face flickered. She saw someone flying out from the restricted area toward her. It was an elegantly dressed middle-aged woman. Her face was beautiful, but grim. As soon as she appeared, everything grew dim, and the air itself began to vibrate. The land quaked, and cracks appeared on the surfaces of the nearby buildings, despite the restrictive spells that protected them.

"Mom…." said Karin, trembling. She feared no one in the world more than she did her mother.

"You, come with me!" said the woman. This woman was none other than the woman who had appeared in the Nadeshiko Clan back in the Southern Domain. Her eyes radiated killing intent as she turned toward the Hebi Clan mansion which existed in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands.

"Mom, don't do anything rash. Dad said before that…."

"Don't talk to me about your dad. Are you coming or not?!" The woman's phoenix-like eyes radiated intense killing intent.

Moments later, a massive roaring sound filled this luxurious mansion in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands. The entire mansion shook, and then began to crumble into pieces. Large groups of people quickly emerged, although they seemed quite calm. In fact, some were even having pleasant conversations in low tones. Some held books, and there was even one man who had an abacus, and was walking and making calculations at the same time.

Everyone seemed completely unperturbed. There was only one conclusion that could be reached…. This mansion often experienced such thunderous collapse….

As the mansion fell apart, the beautiful woman and Karin transformed into beams of light that shot off in the direction of the Hebi Clan Ancestral Mansion.

A sigh could be heard from within the collapsing mansion as a middle-aged man in scholar's clothing emerged, shaking his head. He looked at his wife and daughter disappearing in the distance and then sighed again, but did nothing to hinder them.

As she flew through the air, the beautiful woman's face was filled with killing intent. She moved with shocking speed. Next to her, Karin looked nervous, but she was actually quite excited inwardly.

After a bit of time, the two of them neared a sprawling walled city, the entirety of which was pitch black. It was square in shape, like a giant seal that had been pressed down into the land.

Located within the city was an imperial palace, which from a distance, looked magnificent. Palatial structures sprawled around it, and in front was a large square in which could be seen eighteen dragon statues that emanated shocking auras.

This imperial palace had only one main gate, which was completely gold. Protruding from the surface of this gate were 3,927 golden nails. Each of these nails was completely out of the ordinary, and obviously could be considered a precious treasure.

The gate was also carved with soaring clouds and auspicious beasts. Everything was gold, making it look like some sort of Celestial gate.

This was the number one ancestral mansion of the Hebi Clan in all of the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands. In total, they had nearly one hundred, each one of which looked like an imperial palace, although it wasn't. After being erected, these palaces stood mightily for years, never weakening. They were like a figurative shield for the entire Clan.

In any case, surrounding this imperial palace, the Hebi Clan members had also erected an enormous wall.

The approach of Karin and her mother send out shocking ripples through the air, as well as a screaming wind. Immediately, the Cultivators within the Hebi Clan noticed this.

"Halt immediately!"

"If you take a step further you will be executed without hesitation!"

Karin looked over at her mother anxiously. "Mom, don't do anything rash…."

Even as the words left her mouth, the beautiful woman lifted up her right foot and violently kicked the city gate. Immediately, a roaring sound echoed out in all directions as the entire city shook. The gate immediately collapsed into pieces, crumbling downward into dust. A gale force wind swept out, carrying the rubble with it.

"What gall! You dare to make a move against the Hebi Clan!?"

As the gate collapsed, howls could be heard within the city and crowds of people appeared, shooting through the air toward the gate. "Are you looking to die!?"

"Mom, don't be rash, you must not under any circumstances be impulsive…."

"Shut up!" cried the beautiful woman, glaring at Karin. She clenched her right hand into a fist and then slammed it into the ground, which rippled like seawaters as a massive boom echoed out. Cracks spread out in all direction, ripping the ground apart in shocking fashion.

The woman, radiating killing intent, shot toward the incoming Cultivators. All it took was a single punch from her, and they went flying off one by one like kites with their strings cut. They tumbled through the air, crying out miserably.

The woman was like an explosively violent dragon. Everywhere she went, everything shook. It was like a whirlwind that none of the nearly thousand approaching Cultivators could do anything to stop.

Karin stood off to the side. She continued to call out to her mother to not do anything rash but her face radiated a killing intent quite similar to her mother's, along with excitement. It got to the point where she ran over and, anyone who her mom had already taken care of, she would take care of again.

After the space of a few breaths passed, the sky suddenly grew dim. The city wall seemed on the verge of being completely destroyed, and the land itself was covered with countless cracks. Finally, the city wall collapsed into dust. The beautiful woman transformed into a whirlwind that swept out toward the imperial palace.

In the blink of an eye, she reached the Celestial gate of the imperial palace, and the enormous plaque which glowed with golden light and was covered with the more than three thousand nails, as well as auspicious animals. Suddenly, a roar could be heard from within the city as dozens of figures shot out. Their Cultivation bases emanated shocking power as they emerged.

"Madam Namikaze, are you here as a representative of the Namikaze Clan to declare war on the Hebi Clan!?" One of the approaching figures was a white-haired old man who spoke with a grim voice. Next to him was none other than Hebi Eleven, whose face was written with astonishment. He stared in shock at the mother-daughter pair as they approached.

"I'm not here representing the Namikaze Clan. I'm here as a mother, representing myself!" The beautiful woman's jaw was set, and her phoenix-like eyes radiated killing intent. She punctuated her words by once again slamming her fist down onto the ground.

Heaven and Earth filled with roaring, and it seemed like the air would collapse. A black wind spread out in all directions, slamming into the approaching group of dozens of Hebi Clan members.

Their expressions immediately flickered. At the same time, Karin urgently said, "Mom, don't do…"

Before she could finish, the beautiful woman charged toward the Celestial gate of the imperial palace and punched it directly with her fist.

When the blow landed, a shocking boom rang out that shook nearly half of the entire Eastern Lands. This Celestial Gate of the Hebi Clan had stood here in its majesty for who knew how many years. But now, cracking sounds rang out as, layer by layer, it began to completely disintegrate. As it transformed into crumbling fragments, the more than three thousand golden nails shot toward the imperial palace, to slam into the eighteen dragon statues which were actually in the process of coming to life.

Rumbling filled the air, and the eighteen dragons let out miserable shrieks. Their bodies were unable to withstand the attack, and they exploded. By this point, half of the palace was a wreck, and the entire city was in an uproar.

"… anything rash…." finished Karin. She stared mutely at her mother, and the destroyed golden gate.

"Kushina Uzumaki! Are you crazy!?"

Howls of rage could be heard from the approaching group of a dozen or so old men. Their eyes radiated killing intent and fury, but also a bit of helplessness.

"You dare to harm my son?! I will dismantle this entire Hebi Clan Ancestral Mansion and cut down your Lands of Ninshu Gate! Others fear you Hebi Clan people, but not me!" The killing intent boiling in the woman's eyes seemed to have no end. She had suppressed it for a long time, but could do so no longer. She strode directly in through the crumbling main gate.

Karin hurried after her. The mother-daughter team passed through the Celestial gate, and suddenly they were in a different world.

In front of them, a mountain range spread out, completely white in color. From a distance, they looked like they were covered with snow, but if you looked more closely, you would see that they were in fact made from jade.

The entire mountain range was the same, and at its very highest point was a simple house. The house was encircled by palatial structures, and half way down from the house could be seen an enormous gate-like bridge. It was richly ornamented with jade and marble, and on its surface, three characters were carved in flowing script that made the words look like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes.

"Lands of Ninshu Gate!"

Steps were carved into the jade mountain that led under this bridge, all the way down to the bottom of the mountain where a lake existed. The reflection of the imperial palace above could be seen on the surface of the lake. No waves existed on its surface, making the reflection very realistic. If you didn't look very closely, you might not even be able to tell the difference between the two. The mountain and the reflection of the mountain in the lake were almost identical.

"Mom…." said Karin as soon as they entered. Normally, she was quite audacious, but as of this moment, she was a bit taken aback. Everything that had happened up to now was incredibly shocking. She looked at her mom, almost in a daze.

The beautiful woman gave a cold snort as she looked up at the white jade mountains. At this point, a bit of dread could be seen even in her eyes. However, the dread quickly vanished, wiped away by fury and killing intent. She took a deep breath, during which time, a terrifying, frenzied power suddenly rose up within her.

Her hair whipped about, and her eyes glowed brightly. Everything around her changed, and even the sky grew blurry as a massive pressure radiated out. Shockingly, she now had a sword in her hand!

And this sword… was a wooden sword!

It was not the same as the four wooden swords that Naruto had acquired. Instead, it was covered with characters written in an ancient style.

Sunder!

Gripping the sword tightly in hand, the beautiful woman swung it toward the Lands of Ninshu Gate up on the mountain. The sword strike caused the sky above to turn black, and the ground to turn into nothingness. It was as if all of the power in the world were being sucked into this one sword and transformed into cascading Sword Chakra. This shocking Chakra whistled through the air directly toward the Lands of Ninshu Gate.

It was at this exact moment that the dozen old men neared. They were filled with fury, but as soon as they saw the sword, their faces filled with shock.

"Dammit! Immortal Sundering Sword!"

"You crazy Uzumaki! You, you, you… you dare to wield that Immortal Sundering Sword here on Planet Ninshu!?"

The speed of the Sword Chakra was such that it arrived at Lands of Ninshu Gate in the blink of an eye. However, at some unknown time, directly next to Lands of Ninshu Gate, a young man had appeared. Based on his appearance, he was not very old; however, his body radiated an intangible ancientness.

He looked at the incoming Sword Chakra, and then at the beautiful woman. Shaking his head, he did nothing to block it. The Sword Chakra slammed into Lands of Ninshu Gate, causing the entire structure to shake and then collapse into pieces.

The Lands of Ninshu Gate had stood from the moment the Hebi Clan arrived on Planet Ninshu, and represented their position of rulership. This was the first time it had ever collapsed.

The young man looked at the collapsing gate and then coolly said, "For the sake of your father, Senior Kushina, I won't go too hard on you. Go ahead and vent your anger. But… it will only be just this once!"

The young man waved his sleeve, and everything in the world began to grow blurry, and everyone began to disappear.

Before she completely disappeared, the beautiful woman's voice rang out throughout the entire world, filled with determination and staunchness.

"I will issue a warning too," she said, "and it had BETTER be just this once!"

"It doesn't matter whether we're talking about family love or one's temper," the young man said lightly. He smiled slightly. "Everything is Karma. Sooner or later, everything becomes empty after it has been severed and annihilated." With that, he waved his right hand. Time almost seemed to flow in reverse as the crumbled Lands of Ninshu Gate instantly reformed, as good as new.

Of course, the young man knew that although the gate itself could be repaired, its collapse earlier had caused harm to the Cultivation bases of all living Hebi Clan Cultivators connected to it. Such losses would not be easily recovered.

That was the true importance of this gate; it allowed all Cultivators who were part of the Hebi Clan to utilize power of the Heavens of Hebi to achieve Cultivation base breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, back in the Western Desert, outside of the Crow Divinity Holy Land, the stillness which had gripped the world was gone. Because of the failure of the Karmic Severed, the members of the five great Tribes once again had their memories of Naruto.

However, they were left with no sense whatsoever regarding the stillness. The last thing they remembered was Naruto suddenly flying up through the shining golden doors.

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather shook his head and laughed heartily. "Grandmaster Naruto is being a bit hasty, but there's no harm in that. Let's go meet up." With that, his body flickered and he entered the glowing golden doors. He was followed by the Priest, the Grand Elder and the others, including the man-form Outlander Beast. The large man's face was grim, and his eyes flickered with rage and humiliation.

At the moment, the parrot was the dominant one. It remembered everything that had happened, and understood the truth. This caused its fury to billow up as it urgently entered into the golden light.

As for the rest of the Tribes, they didn't care a bit whether Grandmaster Naruto barged in, nor did they say anything. In fact, were they in the place of the Crow Scout Tribe, they would do nothing about the matter. After all… Grandmaster Naruto had displayed the power of a Grand Dragoneer. A person like that would be treated like an esteemed guest in any Tribe.

The members of the Crow Scout Tribe passed through the golden doors and entered the Holy Land with the seven volcanoes. By this time, Naruto had Hebi Nineteen thoroughly bound up. The four wooden swords were continuously crippling his Cultivation base, making it impossible for him to recover.

In fact, out of fear that his Cultivation base would rise too high, Naruto decided to use some additional methods. From within his bag of holding, he retrieved a large collection of poison pills that he had concocted. The power of these poisons was terrifying, not to mention any possible interactions they might have later. Naruto knew that even he himself would have a difficult time dispelling them. Without hesitation, he fed them to Hebi Nineteen.

Hebi Nineteen's eyes went wide as he was forced to consume the vast quantities of poison pills. His face turned purple, and seven tremors ran through his body. With each tremor, he withered a bit, until his very aura seemed to ooze with poison. His eyes were green, and filled with terror.

"You…. Dammit! How many poison pills do you have? How many did you give me!?"

Naruto snorted coldly.

"We will end your torment for today. Once the poisons are fully fused into your body, I'll concoct some more for you." With that, Naruto waved his hand, wrapping Hebi Nineteen up in the flag of three streamers and sucking him into the blood-colored mask.

Only binding him in such a way allowed Naruto to set his mind at ease. Otherwise, how could he feel safe, considering Hebi Nineteen's incredible power?

"Once he's weak enough, I can use his blood to make a Blood Spirit. Also, I can use his soul to make a Soul of Lightning, just like Danzo. If I can use some special methods, I can turn his body into a puppet. A high level expert like him is a treasure through and through. I can't waste any part of him. The sad thing is, he didn't have a bag of holding…." After a long moment of consideration, he came to the conclusion that he truly hadn't wasted any opportunities. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction.

It was a good thing Hebi Nineteen didn't hear the conclusions he had reached, otherwise blood would spray from his mouth as he realized that being killed by Sai would have been much better.

"This time I really did profit from misfortune." He looked down at his bag of the Cosmos, and his heart began to twitch with excitement. On the way here, he had taken advantage of the power of the fishing line to collect a huge assortment of ferocious neo-demons. There were some that, normally speaking, he would have had great difficulty in acquiring on his own.

That was especially true regarding some of the hordes he had acquired. In his opinion, he really had profited wildly.

"And then there's the sword!" He started breathing heavily as he thought of his fourth sword, which was currently stuck into Hebi Nineteen. Technically speaking it was the third he had found.

Naruto now knew that the swords must contain some incredible mystery. If he could somehow acquire more of them, he would probably be able to solve the puzzle.

"Immortal Murdering Sword, huh? And then there's the flag of three streamers. Hebi Nineteen called it a much different name than the meat jelly did. The Mountain and Sea Emperor's Banner." After more thought, Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce a green fishing pole. Hefting it in his hand, his eyes began to shine with a bright glow.

"When Hebi Nineteen launched his Karmic Severing, he used a fishing line. I'm guessing that the fishing pole he used was the same type as this one!" He looked thoughtfully at the fishing pole. All of a sudden, the same cacophony of life he had heard before, once again began to sound out in his mind. There were babies crying, old people gasping for breath, men and women laughing and arguing.

He quickly released his grip on the fishing pole. His eyes flickered as he muttered to himself for a moment, then put the fishing pole back into his bag of holding.

"I wonder how you use the thing? Maybe I can get the answer from Hebi Nineteen." Naruto glanced at the mouth of the volcano and then looked at the Pool of Destiny.

His heart suddenly quivered. Earlier, he had stepped into the pool because of the Karma Line. As such, he hadn't noticed anything too extraordinary about it. Now, his eyes glittered as he once again shot back to enter the pool. Once inside, he closed his eyes for a long moment. When they opened, they were filled with excitement.

"So, it contains totemic transmogrification powers…. If I cultivate here, my Greenwood Tree totem will grow even stronger. With enough power, I should even be able to transmogrify the totem itself! It should even provide benefits to the Eyeless Larva. It should be able to make it into something like a true totem. I won't need Genma's magic to cover it up!" Naruto's eyes glittered brightly. The Wood-type Greenwood Tree totem was a legacy handed down to him from Ancestor Greenwood of the Crow Scout Tribe. Naruto wasn't sure what it would turn into if he transmogrified it further.

He stood there thoughtfully for a moment, his eyes filling with determination. Then he sat down cross-legged in the waters to meditate. When he closed his eyes, the Greenwood Tree totem tattoo on his forehead and the Eyeless Larva totem tattoo on his hand immediately appeared.

The waters in the pool began to seethe as if they were boiling. A whirlpool formed, with Naruto at the center and the water rushing around him.

Within the pool waters surged totemic power. As it circled around him, it fused into Naruto's body and then, into the Greenwood Tree totem and the Eyeless Larva totem.

After the fusion began, the pool waters were clearly lessening. Moments later, mist began to rise up from the seething water. The mist rose up to surround Naruto and then fill the entire inner part of the volcano.

At the same time that Naruto was performing the fusion, the group from the Crow Scout Tribe was cautiously making its way through the region outside.

The Greatfather, the Sky Priest, and the Grand Elder all looked suspicious as they traveled through the Holy Land. Things weren't exactly the way they remembered from previous occasions. Everything seemed much emptier.

"How strange. I remember last time there was a flock of crow neo-demons in this area. By using a special method, there was a high chance of acquiring a few of them."

"Yeah, that's right. And I remember that over there was a group of green mosquito neo-demons, completely fearsome in appearance. That year, the group I was leading happened to see someone from the Crow Fighter Tribe accidentally provoke them. He was drained up and turned into a withered corpse in the blink of an eye."

"Weird, it's much quieter than usual in here this time…."

They encountered almost no neo-demons during their entire way, nor did they need to use any of the ancestral techniques. They simply flew directly toward the centermost of the seven volcanoes.

According to the Tribe records, the center volcano housed the primary pool. If the water in the Pool of Destiny in the center volcano was reduced, then the water in pools in the other volcanos would also be reduced.

As soon as the Crow Scout Tribe members neared the volcano mouth, they saw the mist within in. They also heard a growling roar coming from within.

It was none other than the voice of Naruto. His long cry echoed out as the image of an enormous Greenwood Tree suddenly emerged from within the mist.

At the same time, the mist in the volcano began to shrink down, absorbed. Soon, the image of Naruto became visible, seated cross-legged within the pool, sucking in all of the mist.

The image of the Greenwood Tree existed directly above him.

"It's Grandmaster Naruto!" cried the members of the Crow Scout Tribe, instantly recognizing him. Their hearts trembled as Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. He took a deep breath, and the waters around him lessened further. Wisps of white Chakra rose up to be absorbed by Naruto and the Greenwood Tree image, causing the tree to become even more lifelike as if it really existed there.

It was at this point that rumbling sounds could be heard from the other six volcanos. White Chakra rose up from them and shot toward the region of the Crow Scout Tribe members. It shot into the volcano mouth and directly toward Naruto.

The Greenwood Tree above him suddenly began to shake, and it expanded outward. Its bark began to look older and older, as if years were passing. It seemed as if at this moment, the tree was growing so high it could reach the Heavens.

In fact, to anyone observing, it seemed… the tree wasn't just growing. The ancient scars and marks on the tree's surface seemed to be naturally occurring. This indicated that the Greenwood Tree….

The Sky Priest gasped. "Ancestral Awakening!" she said faintly. "Grandmaster Naruto's Greenwood Tree totem is experiencing an Ancestral Awakening!"

"Greenwood Tree Ancestral Awakening!" cried the Greatfather, shocked. He began panting, his eyes wide.

Down inside the pool waters, Naruto's eyes snapped open again. Even he had never imagined that by absorbing the totemic power of the pool and fusing it into the Greenwood Tree totem would actually give birth to… the power of Ancestral Awakening!

Naruto was astonished. "What will be awakened in the end? An ancient Greenwood Tree?"

"Or perhaps it will turn into the tree that emerged from within the Ninth Sea all those years ago and crossed the stars to Planet Ninshu… the supreme Greenwood Tree!" Naruto's eyes glittered as the Chakra continued to rush into him. Outside, the other six volcanoes were rumbling as white mist continued to shoot out toward Naruto.

The more Chakra he absorbed, the brighter his eyes grew.

He looked up at the enormous Greenwood Tree floating in mid-air above him, which emanated a boundless green glow. It dyed the sky, covered the land, filling everything with the aura of the Greenwood Tree. Throughout the Crow Divinity Holy Land, all of the plants and vegetation were writhing.

The members of the Crow Scout Tribe panted as they stared at the scene. Meanwhile, outside of the Holy Land, back in the region of the Crow Scout Tribe, the enormous Treant looked over at the green glow rising up to the Heavens.

"Wood…." it said softly.

Even the members of the other four Tribes who were waiting outside of the golden doors were filled with shock. Although they couldn't see clearly everything that was happening inside, they were filled with a sense of baffling wonderment. Each and every one had faces filled with shock.

At the same time, the various totemic Sacred Ancients atop the mountains of the other four Tribes appeared. They stared toward the Crow Divinity Holy Land, and one by one all uttered the same word.

"Wood…."

Even as this word filled the air, the plants and vegetation in the surrounding mountain ranges were whipping about wildly, despite the fact that there was no wind. They flickered, emitting rustling sounds that seemed to form voices of submission. It was as if they were offering obeisance to the sovereign of all Wood-type entities!

The four bizarre life forms from the other four Tribes slowly bowed as if in salute to the miracle which was occurring.

As they were saluting, the members of the Crow Scout Tribe back in the Crow Divinity Holy Land actually stopped breathing momentarily. They watched as the gigantic Greenwood Tree rapidly began to shrink in size. The smaller it got, the more intense was the green light it emitted.

By the time it shrank to three hundred meters in height, it was like a green sun, filling everything around it with intense green light. Naruto breathed deeply as he watched the Greenwood Tree shrinking. Three hundred meters, one hundred fifty, one hundred… until it was thirty meters!

Fifteen, ten, three… half a meter, one third… three inches, two inches….

It seemed to be shrinking in correlation to the reduction of water in the pool. Massive amounts of mist were absorbed by Naruto; in the blink of an eye, the Greenwood Tree was only one inch tall!

The light it emitted was so bright that it penetrated out of the Crow Divinity Holy Land. The plants and vegetation outside which were grovelling in reverence, the five saluting life forms, and all of the Cultivators who had Wood-type totems, felt a profound impulse to prostrate themselves in worship.

Back within the Crow Divinity Holy Land, the one inch tall, brightly glowing Greenwood Tree in front of Naruto shot toward him, branding onto his forehead. A massive roaring noise filled the air, and green light shot out in all directions. As soon as everyone was able to see again, they looked at Naruto's forehead and saw… a type of totem that no one had ever seen before!

This totem tattoo was of a single ancient word!

Wood!

There was no green tree, no picture, no resplendent glow. It was smooth and ordinary. A single ancient word. Wood!

However, this word Wood represented everything Wood-type under Heaven. Because of this, it didn't need some picture representation of a plant or tree, because it… was the essence of Wood!

All Wood-types in Heaven and Earth!

Everything shook as all plants and vegetation bowed in worship. All such living things paid respect.

"Wood…." Naruto floated up out from within the Pool of Destiny, the Wood word on his forehead glittering with green light. He suddenly had the sensation that he could communicate with all plant forms in the world. He had the intense feeling that by merely exercising his will, he could magically manifest any type of wood.

He also felt a type of calling from the Pool of Destiny beneath him. The pool had always born the semblance of a pool, but when Naruto looked down at it, what he saw was a path.

The call originated from the end of the path, where Naruto had the strange sensation that there existed… a Heavenly Wood word.

His eyes flickered thoughtfully, and then his body flashed. The Crow Scout Tribe watched panting as he suddenly shot back down toward the Pool of Destiny, toward the path. Then, he completely disappeared.

It wasn't until Naruto disappeared that the Crow Scout Tribe members finally reacted. In fact, it was the man-form Outlander Beast who did so first. Eyes wide, he looked at the scant amount of water left in the Pool of Destiny, and then let out a roar and charged toward the water.

The Greatfather's face flickered. He waved his hand, indicating for the others to follow as he headed toward the Pool of Destiny. There was already very little water left, but even absorbing a bit would be very beneficial.

Almost at the same time that the Crow Scout Tribe members were charging toward the Pool of Destiny, the faces of the members of the four Tribes on the outside flickered. This was especially so when they noticed that the golden doors were growing dim. The four Greatfathers and the Priests looked shocked.

"How could it be happening so quickly?! Dammit! The Pool of Destiny is going to disappear!"

"The golden light is fading! That means the waters in the Pool of Destiny are already running out!" As of now, the Greatfathers and Priests of the four Tribes did not feel it necessary to abide by the previous agreement. They immediately began to lead their various Tribe members toward the golden light. In an instant, more than one hundred colorful beams of light shot through the doors.

Within the Crow Divinity Holy Land, the members of the four Tribes scattered, heading in the direction of the various volcanoes.

Everything was quite chaotic. However, amidst the chaos, there were four people who happened to have a special means of communication. Suddenly, they all began to whistle through the air toward the seventh volcano.

These four people were none other than Indra and the other Nascent Soul Eccentrics. They moved with great speed, but cautiously, so as not to make themselves stand out. They entered the volcano and looked around, killing intent flickering in their eyes as they immediately attacked the other Tribe members who had entered the volcano at the same time.

Considering the level of their Cultivation bases, and the fact that the Tribe members were caught unawares, it only took the space of a few breaths before they wiped them out. There wasn't even time for miserable cries to ring out.

Now that they didn't have to conceal their identities anymore, the four of them revealed their true appearances.

The reek of blood filled the air, but Hagoromo waved his hand, causing it to disappear instantly. At the same time, Ukon and old devil Sakon performed double-handed incantations. In the blink of an eye, a magical shield covered over everything, making it impossible for anyone else to enter the volcano.

"I have the feeling that Grandmaster Naruto is none other than our Fellow Daoist Naruto," said Indra coolly, looking at the others.

"He was the first to enter this place," said Hagoromo, frowning. "He must definitely have picked up on some clues already. We need to move faster."

"According to my understanding," said Indra, "this seventh volcano has the weakest restrictive spells. May I prevail upon you Fellow Daoists to break the spells? Then we will be able to enter the location of the ancient Dao of alchemy."

The four exchanged glances, then rushed down to the bottom of the volcano. According to the previous arrangement, Ukon and Sakon began to use their magical techniques to break down the restrictive spells.

As the party of four got to work, the rest of the five Tribes were struggling over the Pools of Destiny. Even as the man-form version of the Outlander Beast, parrot and meat jelly was absorbing the waters, Naruto magically appeared in a world that seemed to supercede anything that even remotely resembled it.

The instant he appeared, he looked around, stunned. His eyes began to shine.

Shockingly, he was… in exactly the same place he had been before. He was in the same volcano he had just left. The water beneath his feet was none other than that of the Pool of Destiny. However, the waters were murky, and impossible to absorb. Everything around him seemed tinged with gray, as if that were the only color that existed in this world.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he loped around for a moment and then flew up toward the mouth of the volcano. Outside, everything looked the same; there were still seven volcanoes. The land and the forests, everything looked just exactly the same as the Crow Divinity Holy Land. Except… located in the middle of the seven volcanoes was a gigantic tree.

This enormous, ancient tree towered up so high that it seemed as if it were supporting the very Heaven. And it was golden!

If you looked closely, the tree was not made from wood, but rather, metal. At the very top of the tree was a gigantic Golden Crow, standing there, staring at Naruto.

At the bottom of the tree was a corpse, leaning up against the tree and facing a decrepit pill furnace.

There was no one and nothing else in the area, only the great tree and the Golden Crow. No lives were present, nor any life force… nor any presence of death.

Everything was quiet, so quiet that many people would find it terrifying.

Naruto focused on the great tree and the Golden Crow. Then he looked at the corpse and the pill furnace. Were it not for the corpse and the pill furnace, Naruto would have come to the conclusion that everything Indra said was incorrect.

Thoughtfully, Naruto flew forward toward the great golden tree.

As he neared, the Golden Crow atop the tree suddenly moved its head. A golden gleam could be seen in its eyes.

Naruto stopped and stood stock still. He could sense that it was the golden tree upon which the Golden Crow stood that was calling him.

The Golden Crow glanced at Naruto, then closed its eyes. Naruto clasped hands in a bow, and then neared it.

He didn't examine the great tree first. Instead, he looked down at the corpse. There in the corpse's hand was a jade slip.

Naruto picked it up and scanned it with Spiritual Sense. Three characters suddenly appeared in his head.

"Spirit Severing Pill!"

His eyes glittered as he looked down at the pill furnace. As soon as he did, a strange expression could be seen on his face. There on the back of the furnace was a large hole.

Within the pill furnace, no medicinal pill could be seen. However, even though countless years had passed, as a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, Naruto could tell from the residue left behind that before being destroyed, there had indeed been a medicinal pill inside.

Looking at the hole, he suddenly had the sense that whatever pill had been concocted inside in ancient times, had burst out of its own accord. "It definitely is of the ancient Dao of alchemy, something from primordial times. But… where did the pill go?

Naruto looked around, muttering to himself. He then scanned the area with Spiritual sense. However, other than the golden tree and the Golden Crow, there was no trace of anything else.

"Could it have left this place entirely?" thought Naruto. As a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, he had concocted sentient medicinal pills before, the kind that attempted to wrest away good fortune from Heaven and Earth, the type that the Heavens attempted to destroy with Tribulation.

Lost in thought, Naruto considered how most such ancient medicinal pills had withered up long ago, and were no doubt nothing more than dust. "Most likely it already shrivelled away into ashes."

Naruto couldn't imagine how a pill that could break out of the furnace in such a manner could possibly still exist after so many years had passed. He put the matter aside and turned his head to look at the great tree.

After a long moment, he reached out his hand and placed it softly on the surface of the tree.

The instant he touched it, it began to vibrate and slowly emit a golden light. At the same time, the Wood totem tattoo on Naruto's forehead began to emit a green light.

There was no communication or interaction. Instead, there was a sliver of will that had existed for who knew how long in this great tree that, at this moment, was set free. It had encountered something similar to itself that it approved of, and had decided to say its final goodbyes.

Naruto looked at the tree and could see that it no longer had any life force left in it. The only thing that remained were the traces of the passage of time.

After a long moment passed, Naruto sighed.

"So, this is the place that Indra and the others are dying to get to…. No medicinal pill, only a corpse and the remains of a great tree. Even the pill formula in the jade slip is of ancient times. Nowadays, you wouldn't even be able to find the right medicinal plants. The only thing here worth looking at is that Golden Crow." Naruto looked up at the bird sitting on top of the tree overhead.

Finally, he shook his head and was about to pull back his hand, when suddenly a tremor ran through his body. The previously closed eyes of the Golden Crow snapped open. Powerful life force streamed out, entering into the great tree. Suddenly, power seemed to emanate out from the tree, as if it was… still alive.

Because Naruto's hand was touching the tree, he was able to sense the power of the life force. In that instant, his eyes went wide with disbelief. He looked up again at the Golden Crow, his mind blank. It was an ancient sacred relic of the Crow Divinity Tribe, something that had existed for many years, and was powerful enough to give birth to an entire Tribe.

Nowadays, that once powerful Tribe was fading away and had already begun to split apart.

"This life force…." Naruto was struck dumbfounded for a long moment. Finally, he took a deep breath. As a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, he was very familiar with medicinal pills. Just now, he could tell that the life force emanating from the Golden Crow actually contained… the aura of a medicinal pill!

It was not emanating life force, but rather, the power of a medicinal pill!

"Is it because it consumed the medicinal pill, or… is IT the medicinal pill?!" The possibility of the latter sent Naruto's mind and heart reeling. Before coming to this place, he could never have imagined that the Golden Crow of this once powerful Tribe… originated from what had started out as a medicinal pill.

He was a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, and as such, could accept that lakes and mountains could become Demons. However, perhaps his own deep knowledge of alchemy covered over his own eyes in a way that made it impossible for him to conceive of the same thing happening with medicinal pills.

He began to breathe heavily. He was now almost certain that of the two different possibilities he had just considered, it was virtually impossible for the first one to be correct. After consuming a medicinal pill, its aura could not exist for a very long time.

The only correct conclusion was that the medicinal pill had turned into a Demon, which then could exist forever!

Panting, Naruto looked up at the Golden Crow and the great tree. Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind. Within the image was an ancient Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, sitting beneath a Greenwood Tree, preparing to pass away in meditation. As death neared, he produced the most glorious pill he had ever concocted.

Unfortunately, by the time the pill emerged, the Grandmaster had already breathed his last breath.

Years later, when the sentience of the pill reached a certain point, it suddenly broke out of the pill furnace. It seemed as if this action might even have had something to do with the Greenwood Tree. From the moment it appeared in the world, its only friend and partner was none other than the Greenwood Tree.

Year after year passed. After the passage of an innumerable amount of time, when the pill had matured and risen to prominence, it founded the Crow Divinity Tribe. Many more years passed. Eventually, the Greenwood Tree's life began to waste away, and it died.

The medicinal pill could not accept that the tree had perished. It used its powers to transform its color, and every so often, it would sacrifice some of its own life force to feed the tree.

However… the tree truly had perished. Regardless of what was done, the only thing that could be brought back was something empty, lifelike though it might seem.

Even still… although the medicinal pill understood this, it refused to give up.

Naruto considered all of this for a long moment, and then let out a soft sigh. His hand dropped to his side as he stepped back a few paces. He clasped his hands and bowed deeply to the great tree and the Golden Crow.

He could see that the Golden Crow was currently growing weaker and weaker. Soon, its life force would be exhausted, and it would transform into dust on the wind. When that happened, the great tree would have nothing to support its empty but lifelike existence, and it too would transform into dust.

Perhaps both of them were simply waiting for that moment when they both turned into dust together, and could drift up into the empty sky.

Naruto looked at the Golden Crow and the great tree. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason the look in the eyes of the Golden Crow reminded him of certain aspects of Grandmaster Pill Demon. The crow stood atop the great tree; Pill Demon stood on his short mountain. The crow gazed upon the tree; Pill Demon gazed upon the statue of Violet East.

It was a strange feeling that caused Naruto to stand there thoughtfully for a moment before sighing.

"Since I'm here, I might as well employ some of my power…." He lifted his right hand into the air and performed an incantation. Then, he took a deep breath and pointed at the tree.

"By my command as the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, I bequeath you with Righteous Bestowal!" Immediately, a tremor ran through Naruto's body, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. When it landed on the tree, a strange light began to glow in the Golden Crow's eyes, and it stared at Naruto.

"Righteous Bestowal causes your path to become that of a Demon!

"Righteous Bestowal causes your Dao to become unceasing!

"Righteous Bestowal causes your spirit to return from emptiness to become a Demon!

"My approval represents the approval of the League of Demon Sealers…. This is Righteous Bestowal, a true blessing."

Such was the true usage of Righteous Bestowal. After being enlightened regarding it, Naruto had never truly used its full power on any Demon. At the most, he had used only some of its bestowing power.

Righteous Bestowal was a type of approval. Any Demon of Heaven and Earth that received the approval of a Demon Sealer would be able to temporarily absorb some of the essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Even if that Demon were dead, its soul would not disperse.

This Golden Crow had not done any favors for Naruto. However, its emotions and thoughts had stirred Naruto. They touched him in a way that made him believe that providing assistance with Righteous Bestowal… was the right thing to do.

After the power of Righteous Bestowal was manifested, Naruto took a deep breath. He looked at the great tree and the Golden Crow and then turned to leave. It was at this point that the Golden Crow suddenly emitted a sound. This was the first sound it had made since Naruto entered this place, a shrill cry.

This cry sounded something like the grating of metal against metal. Naruto looked back to see the Golden Crow shaking. As it shook, ghost images sprung up, and a golden light surged out. The light slammed into Naruto's torso, transforming into a gold-colored brand.

It was a totem tattoo that was somewhat similar to his previous totem tattoo of the Greenwood Tree, an image of a Golden Crow. This was a Metal-type totem, which, if Naruto was lucky and could accomplish an Ancestral Awakening, might eventually turn into the ancient word for metal!

After sending out the totem, the Golden Crow seemed to have been weakened by at least half. Its body shook on the verge of collapse for a moment before it collected itself and then looked at Naruto.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, although he wasn't sure what. However, it was at this exact moment that, within this world of grayness, a boom echoed out from the mouth of the seventh volcano. Four figures suddenly became visible.

"Hahaha! We're here!"

The booming sound echoed out through the air as four figures shot out from the mouth of the seventh volcano. In the lead was a man wearing a long white robe. His hair whipped about him, and his eyes flickered as if with lightning. His expression was one of excitement. This was none other than Indra.

Behind Indra was Hagoromo, whose eyes shone brightly with vigilance. He whistled through the air like a Black Dragon, his black robe flapping in the wind. He really did look like a dragon; the sight was incredibly imposing.

Behind him were Ukon and Eccentric Sakon.

When the four of them appeared, they were instantly filled with interest regarding this gray world. The next thing they saw was the great tree, plus Naruto and the corpse beneath it!

What caught their attention more than anything else, though, was the pill furnace!

"So, it is here!" said Indra, his eyes flickering with coldness. Next to him, Hagoromo's eyes were grim as he hovered in mid-air and stared at Naruto.

Ukon and Sakon also floated in mid-air, glancing around with flickering eyes. After seeing that Naruto was the only person present here, their eyes filled with a strange light.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, you're so fast," said Hagoromo, laughing mirthlessly. "You're not wearing your mask today, but we're all old friends, right? There's no need for any disguises. You beat us here, which is well and good, but according to our previous agreement, please produce whatever treasures you've acquired. It's time to split our shares." As he spoke, he moved forward toward Naruto. Indra, Ukon and Sakon also neared, surrounding Naruto.

Naruto frowned as he looked at the approaching Nascent Soul eccentrics. His face grew dark and he let out a cold harrumph, then suddenly kicked out with his right foot, sending the pill furnace flying into the air.

The instant his foot began to move, Hagoromo's right hand shot up and he pointed at Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, what are you doing?!" A black blur shot out from his finger. As it flew out into the air, it transformed into a rotating black flower with five petals. Each petal of the flower looked like a sinister face. They emitted mournful cries as they shot toward Naruto.

Naruto waved his right hand. A bloody light erupted up as the air in front of him turned the color of blood and a massive hand appeared. It instantly shot toward the black flower, slamming into it. A massive explosion ensued.

As the sound of the explosion rippled out, Naruto retreated backward. Indra and the others continued to approach. It was at this time that Naruto finally spoke.

"Fellow Daoist Torune, I would like to ask YOU a question. What exactly are YOU doing? Why don't the lot of you go look at that pill furnace!"

He flicked his sleeve, his expression grim. Having heard his words, Indra and the others suddenly stopped moving. Hagoromo's eyes narrowed and came to fall on the pill furnace. The others looked over as well, and instantly saw the hole in it.

The hole was obviously not recently made. Indra and the others were all wily old foxes, and it only took a glance for them to realize that the hole had been created long, long ago, not recently.

"This is…."

The four of them frowned and breathed with seeming difficulty.

Naruto's expression was one of extreme displeasure, even rage. "I haven't been here for long. After coming to this tree, I saw only this corpse and that damaged pill furnace!"

He had noticed earlier that the weakened Golden Crow had long since concealed itself atop the tree. Even if you looked closely, you wouldn't be able to see it.

"If I said I didn't find anything, you wouldn't believe me. Well, I did find something!" Laughing coldly, he lifted his right hand up to reveal a jade slip. As everyone watched, he took out another jade slip, a white one, and then branded the information from the first one onto it. After that, he threw the first jade slip out in front of him.

Indra caught it, then looked at it with furrowed brow. He then handed it to Hagoromo and the others, who also examined it and began to frown.

They should be able to tell at a glance whether the jade slip was real or a fake. But even Indra, an expert in the Dao of alchemy, was unfamiliar with most of the ancient medicinal plants listed therein.

Naruto's face was dark, even filled with rage. His wording sharp, he said, "You want to cause a big fuss over a single jade slip? How disappointing! I'll take my leave now. From now on, my path is not connected to any of you!"

His awe-inspiring display and sharp words left Indra and the others incapable of offering any sort of response.

Naruto gave a cold snort. Then, his body flickered as he turned into a beam of colorful light and shot off into the distance.

Before he could get very far, Hagoromo suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was directly in front of Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Exactly what else did you acquire? Don't expect that a few trite words will convince us that you didn't take the medicinal pill that burst out of that pill furnace."

Naruto stopped. Now, his expression was no longer grim, but calm. His eyes were ice cold as he looked at Hagoromo.

"Well, Fellow Daoist Torune, what brilliant opinion do you have?"

"I won't dare to use the word brilliant, Fellow Daoist Naruto," he replied slowly, staring Naruto in the eye. "But since you got here before us, it will be difficult for you to avoid suspicions. Just hand over your bag of holding and let us search it, that should be enough."

Naruto looked back at him, then started to chuckle. His chuckle turned into uproarious laughter, that eventually began ripples that shook everything in the area. Hagoromo's face flickered; Indra and the others suddenly looked very serious.

"You want to search my bag of holding? Hagoromo, have you suddenly reached the Spirit Severing stage?!" Killing intent blazed within Naruto's eyes. He began to lift his right hand, but even as he did, Hagoromo flashed an incantation gesture with both hands and then shoved them forward.

As he shoved his hands forward, a black mist surged up, which then transformed into a long black spear. Rumbling filled the air as the spear shot toward Naruto. It moved with incredible speed, but even as it neared Naruto, the Wood totem tattoo on his forehead glittered. Suddenly, an enormous Wood word appeared in front of him.

Simultaneously, boundless Wood-type aura erupted out. Instantly, the approaching spear began to shake.

Rumbling filled the air as Naruto's body shot backward at high speed. His left hand slapped his bag of holding, and Wooden Time Swords flew out to form the Lotus Sword Formation. The formation rotated in mid-air, its appearance like that of an enormous lotus!

This formation embodied both the shape and the will of a lotus. In addition, it contained the natural properties of intelligence embodied by a lotus, something that Naruto had come to gain enlightenment regarding throughout his years of observing lotuses.

Propelled by the power of the Wooden Time Swords, the glowing, ten-meter wide lotus shot through the air toward Hagoromo, rumbling the entire way.

"Time!" said Naruto softly, his expression cold.

Immediately, the shocking power of Time emanated out toward Hagoromo. Hagoromo's face fell as he suddenly sensed his body growing older. Everything within the region of the lotus experienced the passing of time. Everything seemed to be moving faster than the world around it; in the blink of an eye, an entire sixty-year cycle was gone.

Hagoromo had never encountered any magical technique like this before. His face flickered, and he flashed an incantation gesture with his right hand. As he waved his hand, black light poured out from his body to resist the Wooden Time Swords. He performed a minor teleportation, reappearing several hundred meters away.

Even as he tried to flee, Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent. He took a step forward and then utilized the Bloodburst Flash. Moving such a short distance made it seem almost like he had used minor teleportation, and he was suddenly directly in front of Hagoromo. His right hand clenched into a fist and he punched out.

A boom echoed out. Hagoromo's face fell and he spit out a mouthful of Nascent Soul aura. The brightly colorful aura transformed in mid-air into the image of a small person that looked exactly like Hagoromo. The figure let out a sharp cry as it shot toward Naruto.

BOOM!

Naruto's body trembled as he retreated seven or eight paces, his face ashen. As for Hagoromo, he retreated about four paces, his face flickering. His expression was one of ferocity, but fear glimmered within his eyes.

"Fellow Daoists Indra, Ukon and Sakon," he said. "What are you standing there watching for!? If you're really willing to let this guy leave, then I'll hold back."

Before Indra and the others could even react to Hagoromo's words, Naruto laughed coldly and once again shot forward.

"It's too late to hold back now!" Five figures appeared around Naruto that looked identical to him. These were none other than Naruto's Blood Clones, each of which could wield an untold amount of Naruto's.

Simultaneously, a golden glow sprang into being around Naruto. The full power of the great circle of the Gold Core exploded out. Up above Naruto's head appeared an ancient starry sky. Within this starfield magically appeared a shocking great Greenwood Tree.

Naruto's Cultivation base was at the great circle of the Gold Core stage. However, even with only the Wood-type power he possessed, he could fight back against the early Nascent Soul stage. Now that he had acquired Metal-type power as well, there was very little difference at all between him and the early Nascent Soul stage, although there were some divine abilities he could not employ.

Moving forward rapidly, Naruto pointed out with his right index finger. The Blood Finger, Blood Palm and Blood Death World, along with his starfield Core Chakra and Wood-type totem, all fuelled the Lotus Sword Formation. In the blink of an eye, its power was increased exponentially.

It droned as it rotated through the air. At the same time, Naruto cried out, "Time!"

"This magic again!?" Hagoromo's face flickered. Although his Cultivation base was higher than Naruto's, and he had more divine abilities at his disposal, there was little he could do when facing up against the magic of Time. He didn't even dare to near it. His longevity was already nearing its end as it was. To him, this art was like Death itself. Feeling his aura being ruined, he had no choice but to retreat.

Seeing the rotating Lotus Sword Formation about to fall, Indra and the others finally took action. They shot forward to appear near Hagoromo. The mighty pressure of the Cultivation bases of four Nascent Soul Cultivators emanated out like a flash flood.

"Fellow Daoist Torune, Fellow Daoist Naruto, please let me say a word!" said Indra, looking directly at Naruto.

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever, but inwardly he heaved a sigh of relief. Even if he put on the blood-colored mask, he was no match for four Nascent Soul Cultivators all at the same time. However, based on the current situation, he had no choice but to fill the others with misgivings by putting on the air of someone who others did not dare to provoke.

"There's no harm in speaking your mind, Fellow Daoist Indra," he said, his voice cold.

"I believe what you said to be true," Indra said quickly. His words caused Hagoromo to frown. The eyes of Ukon and Sakon flickered. "That's because the treasure is in fact here! It hasn't gone anywhere!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but his heart filled with vigilance.

"If you're talking about the Spirit Severing Pill," said Hagoromo grimly, "then where exactly is it?!"

"It will appear on its own," said Indra. He suddenly turned, his eyes glowing with avarice. He was looking in the direction of the great tree. He suddenly lifted his right hand up, within which appeared a jade bottle. He crushed it, causing a black liquid to emerge from within, along with a rotting stench.

Within the black liquid could be seen a maggot-like bug roughly the size of a finger. Its segmented body was wriggling, and as soon as it appeared, it lifted its head up and let out a shrill cry. Its body turned into a black streak that shot toward the top of the tree.

The sight of the thing shooting toward the treetop caused Naruto's face to flicker.

Suddenly, a sound could be heard like that of metal scraping against metal. It drifted out from the top of the tree along with a billowing golden light. The weakened Golden Crow suddenly flew out to meet the black bug and prevent it from getting near the great tree. A rumbling sound filled the air as the Golden Crow opened its mouth. A golden glow appeared that surrounded the black bug. It shrieked as it was submerged and then crushed into ash.

The Golden Crow's body was now flickering, clearly weakened further. However, its eyes were filled with sharpness and dignity as it glared around at everyone. Behind it was the great tree, which it apparently would sacrifice anything to protect.

"The legendary Golden Crow Pill is real!" said Indra, laughing. "After it was created that year, it acquired a spirit and transformed into a Golden Crow. At one time it had the chance to achieve Immortal Ascension, but in the end it chose to grow weak. Instead, it used its life force to protect a great, dead tree!" His eyes glittered with greed as he stared at the Golden Crow.

Hagoromo's eyes also glittered, and by now, he was completely ignoring Naruto. His breathing came in pants as he stared at the Golden Crow. In his mind, he was looking at a Spirit Severing Pill from ancient times, something that could arouse a wild frenzy among countless Cultivators.

The eyes of Ukon and Sakon were also shining brightly.

"It's been weakened to the point that it resembles little more than the Nascent Soul stage," said Hagoromo. In a meaningful tone that lacked his previous hostility, he continued, "Fellow Daoists, this is good fortune for us. Let's catch it quickly and then discuss how to divide it up. Don't let it get away!" Laughing loudly, he strode forward.

Indra chuckled. "The pill won't flee, not with the tree here. Even though it's dead, the pill won't leave it." He, too, began to walk forward. Ukon and Sakon transformed into beams of light as well. All four began to converge on the Golden Crow.

At this point, none of them were paying any attention at all to Naruto. He remained off in the distance, a complex expression on his face. He could leave now, and no one would stop him. However… he was currently hesitating.

Booming sounds filled the air as the four ganged up on the Golden Crow. It let out a metallic cry which turned into a golden shield that enveloped the area around itself and the great tree.

The booming sounds were coming from the attacks the four levelled against the golden shield. Blow after blow was causing the shield to slowly shrink. A look of exhaustion filled the eyes of the Golden Crow. Its life force was simply too faint. It looked back at the great tree, a look of profound longing in its eyes.

More booms could be heard, and the shield shrank even further, forcing the Golden Crow to back up. Even the tree seemed to be decaying; its illusory life force was fading, and it was now starting to look more and more like nothing but a dead, dried-up tree.

"Look!" called Indra. "The only thing it can do is protect the tree. Be careful, though. Logically speaking, the Golden Crow can't possibly be THIS weak. Something strange is going on…." Booms continued to echo out.

However, the four attackers all had various thoughts running through their heads. Also, they were clearly not attacking with full strength, but were rather being guarded in their moves. They seemed to fear this Golden Crow. Such a bizarre spirit would no doubt attack back before it died, most likely with ferocity that could leave them dead.

The Golden Crow looked at the withering tree and seemed to sigh. It flew up to perch at its top, trying once again to use its life force to restore the tree. Unfortunately, it just didn't have enough life force at its disposal. Its actions caused the golden shield to grow even weaker and weaker. Its body trembled.

Naruto's hands clenched into fists, and veins of blood appeared in his eyes.

"It's weak because of me," he thought. "Otherwise Indra and the others could never force it down to this degree. If I leave, I'll be safe. But if I did that, I would be letting myself down!" He looked at the bird. It was in a grave situation and was about to perish, but it was still watching the great tree. Naruto saw its medicinal pill aura waning, and once again thought of his Master.

He wasn't sure why he suddenly thought of Master a second time, but as of this moment, his eyes filled with determination.

"There are some things that rationally speaking you shouldn't do, but you still do them anyway…." He lifted his head up and then slapped his bag of holding. The blood-colored mask appeared. He placed it onto his face and immediately a bloody aura billowed out. A blood-colored mist roiled into being around Naruto, turning into red sea. As the seawaters undulated, a shocking killing intent exploded out of Naruto.

"Without a face, a single word, flames of war unify!" As Naruto strode forward, he lifted his right hand. Behind him, an enormous face appeared. Its closed eyes snapped open, along with its mouth, as it uttered a soundless song of mourning. It then shot toward Indra and the three others.

Almost the instant the face began to fly forward, Indra and the others looked back.

Considering that the shield was just about to burst, Hagoromo's eyes instantly filled with coldness and killing intent. "Are you looking to die!?"

The group of four exchanged glances and then began to unleash divine abilities toward Naruto.

As soon as the divine abilities shot forward, the face collapsed into pieces. It was incapable of resisting the power of four Nascent Soul Cultivators. However, it was at this moment that Naruto wave his right hand. The flag of three streamers temporarily unraveled from around the body of Hebi Nineteen. It unfurled behind Naruto, long and black. Immediately, one of the streamers spread out. It was old and dilapidated, but it transformed into a massive black canopy that swept out.

The overwhelming aura caused the faces of Indra and the others to flicker. Hagoromo's pupils constricted. Ukon and Sakon began to pant in shock. All three of them could instantly feel a sudden, intense sensation of deadly crisis.

A massive rumbling filled the air as the black streamer shot forward. Blood sprayed from Indra's mouth as he was sent tumbling backward, his face filled with astonishment.

Hagoromo's right arm was instantly torn into shreds. Blood spouted from his mouth as he shot backward in retreat, face pale and filled with disbelief.

Blood-curdling shrieks could be heard from Ukon and Sakon; blood shot out from their torsos as they were slammed into each other. Their wounds immediately healed, but their faces were devoid of blood. They shot backward in retreat, staring at Naruto with shock.

Thanks to the blood-colored mask, Naruto's Cultivation base had climbed up much higher. Now he could fully utilize the power of the first of the flag's three streamers. Although he had not been able to slay any of his four opponents with the attack, it was stunning enough to shake Heaven and Earth.

It came at a price, though; Naruto's hair was once again white. However, because of the boundless life force of his Wood word totem, he was not injured on a fundamental level. His face was pale, and blood seeped out of the corners of his mouth. Despite the injuries, after his attack swept Indra and the others away, Naruto stood with his back to the tree.

Hagoromo gritted his teeth against the pain of his lost arm. Wiping the blood from his mouth, he grimly said, "Fellow Daoist Naruto, you certainly have some wild ambitions. You want to kill the four of us and then take the medicinal pill for yourself." Just now, he had attempted to directly stand up to the attack, and had thus received this serious injury.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, you're going against our agreement," growled old devil Sakon, his eyes thick with killing intent.

Indra looked thoughtfully at Naruto for a long moment before finally saying, "Fellow Daoist Naruto, why are you doing this?"

"This pill has already achieved Demonic Ascension, and yearns for the great tree," said Naruto calmly. "Even if you consume it, it will do you no good. It has no medicinal strength left, because… it's not a medicinal pill anymore."

"Pills are pills," said Indra gruffly. "And what's this talk of Demons? At the most, it has a spirit. Fellow Daoist Naruto, you're a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy and have concocted many pills and consumed even more. Don't you understand? Pills will forever be nothing more than pills!"

Naruto was silent as he thought about Grandmaster Pill Demon for a third time. The feeling he got from the Golden Crow continued to seem more and more like… the same feeling he got from Pill Demon.

"There are some things I hesitate to do, but after I do them, I feel no regret." Naruto said these words in a somewhat hoarse voice. As they echoed about, he offered no explanation as to their meaning.

What Naruto didn't notice was that behind him, a strange light had appeared in the eyes of the Golden Crow. A soft, warm look could be seen in its eyes. It was no longer as cold and emotionless as it had been earlier. There was a warmth present that hadn't been there even when it gave Naruto the Metal-type totem as repayment for his Righteous Bestowal.

That act had been one of exchange; the Golden Crow did not want any Karma to exist between itself and anything else other than the great tree. As of this moment, the warm glow in its eyes was very different.

Suddenly, it spoke. Its voice was that of a woman, ancient and gentle. "I can sense upon you the aura of a life force the same as mine….

"As for you and me, we have seen very different lives…. Thank you for using Righteous Bestowal on the Greenwood Tree, and for standing up for us.

"When I was born, the Greenwood Tree was here to keep me company. When I was happy, he was here. When I was confused, he was here. It doesn't matter if he dies, I will always be by his side, this life, or in the next life. When living, when dying… we will be together.

"That is my Dao. I will never become a false Immortal who shall exist as long as the Heavens exist. I will walk my own path…. I will be myself….

"In a thousand years, no one would be here to witness our funeral. Because of you, our time together has been reduced by a thousand years. However… the Greenwood Tree and I are deeply grateful to have you here to observe our death. As for these other people, they can accompany us in death!

"As means of repayment, I will give you my Golden Life Tattoo!"

As the voice of the Golden Crow echoed out, an intense glow began to emanate from its body. It was so bright that it made it seem like the only thing in this entire world of gray, was this one beam of golden light.

At the same time that Naruto turned around in response to the voice of the Golden Crow, the beam of light fused into the Metal-type totem tattoo on his chest.

As it did so, Naruto's body trembled, and he was locked in place, looking backward. A roaring sound filled his head as boundless, indescribable Metal-type power burst into him.

Now, the Metal-type totem tattoo on his chest was experiencing the same type of transmogrification that the Wood-type totem had!

"This is my Golden Life Tattoo," said the Golden Crow in its soft voice. "With it, you will forever be able to wield the complete power of Metal."

Indra and the others watched in astonishment as the transmogrification occurred. Suddenly, an unprecedented feeling of crisis exploded out within them.

Hagoromo was panting, and his pupils were tiny dots. He had spent most of his life on the run, and had keen intuition. Heart pounding, he instantly burst into motion. He did not move forward, but rather, began to flee in the direction of the seventh volcano.

Indra hesitated for a moment. Next to him, Ukon and Sakon exchanged a glance and then began to retreat.

Right at this moment, a sigh suddenly came from atop the golden tree from the Golden Crow. At the same moment, the golden glow that could be seen with the naked eye suddenly vanished, as though all of it had suddenly been retracted away, starting from the roots of the tree and condensing at its crown.

As the golden light flowed upward, the original color of the tree was slowly revealed. It was a grayish color, the grayness of death.

Soon, all of the golden light from the tree had coalesced onto the body of the Golden Crow. Now, the Golden Crow emanated a shocking golden glow.

Within the glowing goldenness, the body of the crow began to change. Soon, it was a young woman wearing a long, golden robe. Despite her young appearance, she emanated an aura of ancientness. She stood there at the crown of the tree, looking down with an expression of grief.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…." she murmured. Then she stepped forward. As she moved, ripples spread out through the air. Each move she made caused change. Everything began to turn to gold; even the sky seemed to become solid. The whole place was turning into a world of metallic gold.

As of this moment, every part of this world–every life, all existence–became a part of this golden metal.

Currently, Hagoromo was fleeing at top speed, and had almost reached the mouth of the seventh volcano. It was at this point that his face suddenly filled with complete terror and astonishment. Despite the fact that the woman-form Golden Crow didn't seem to be moving very quickly, she suddenly appeared directly in front of him.

"You…." Hagoromo began to pant, and his pupils constricted. A sudden, intense feeling of grave crisis swept over him like floodwaters. Without a moment's hesitation, he began to flash an incantation sign. A vast quantity of magical items burst forth from his bag of holding. He shoved his hands out, using all the power he could muster to summon a black fog that emanated terrifying ripples.

"If you're gonna die, then just die! You're not taking me with you!" he roared. However, even as his divine ability manifested and a shocking aura emanated out, a golden hand shot through the air. It pierced through the black mist, distorting the ripples. The hand was then right in front of Hagoromo. A finger tapped down lightly on the top of his head.

The woman turned to look at Naruto. Her voice soft, she said, "Remember, this is the first wyrd of my Golden Life Tattoo. Convergence Wyrd. Any life that I touch will turn into gold."

Hagoromo's entire body shook in response to her touch. Suddenly, a golden light began to emanate from his forehead. His eyes went wide as the light covered his entire body. His face distorted with terror and then, his entire body turned into a statue of gold.

Even his Nascent Soul had no time to escape, and was sealed within him. The Metal-type power flowed into it, and it was transformed into a Gold Soul.

All of this happened in the space of an instant. The speed was so shocking that no one had a chance to react. In the blink of an eye, an awe-inspiring Nascent Soul eccentric, a person who could shake the outside world wherever he went, a top-notch expert….

 _Disperse the aura, exterminate the Chakra, eliminate the body!_

A clattering sound could be heard as the golden statue of Hagoromo fell to the ground. It was completely incapable of movement, and the look of shock on its face was permanent as it stared off toward the withered great tree.

This turn of events made Indra, Ukon, and Sakon feel as if thunderbolts were slamming around inside their hearts. Their faces immediately fell. Indra, his mind spinning, immediately shot backward. His right hand slapped his bag of holding to produce a command medallion which he then crushed.

As for Ukon and Sakon, the glow of a spell appeared around them, wrapping around them with layer after layer of brilliant light. It seemed to invoke some sort of pulling power that instantly caused ghost images to spring up around them. It looked like they would shoot up into the sky at any moment.

The entire time, Naruto stood there motionless as the Metal-type power continued to roar into him. Within the golden light around him appeared a massive, life-like Golden Crow.

As the golden light continued to flicker and the Metal-type power flowed into him, Naruto could sense the transmogrification, as well as the increase of his Cultivation base.

Then he saw Hagoromo die, and watched as Indra and the others made to flee. Silently, Naruto looked up into the sky.

Up in mid-air, the woman's body looked blurry, as if she might disappear at any moment. The golden glow around her was fading, and she wasn't looking at Indra and the others as they fled. Instead, she gazed at Naruto.

"Next, my Golden Life Tattoo's second wyrd. I call it Net of Heaven." With that, the woman extended her right hand and pushed it down toward the ground. Immediately, the golden ground began to quake, and cracks spread out. As the land began to crack and break, countless fragments flew up into the air, each and every one made of pure gold. It transformed into a rain of gold that shot toward Ukon and Sakon.

At the same time, this entire world, with the exception of the area occupied by Naruto and the great tree, began to collapse. All of the rocks, plants… everything fell into pieces. These tiny chunks of gold then coalesced into countless oddly-shaped blades that began to spin around to form a towering tempest.

Caught within the tempest, the faces of Ukon and Sakon filled with despair. The golden tempest seemed to have them trapped, motionless and ready to collapse.

The two of them roared as they went all out in their attempt to activate their spell, causing a rumbling sound to fill the air. However, no matter how they fought back with their spell or the power of their Cultivation bases, they were incapable of resisting this massive golden tempest formed from the land itself!

The giant golden tempest swept over them, and the golden rain formed something like a massive net that no one could break through. When the net finally dissipated, nothing was left of Ukon and Sakon except two skeletons.

Not far away from their bodies, their Nascent Souls were attempting to flee. However, they couldn't get far enough away, and were also destroyed by the tempest.

 _Turn the world gold and collapse the land into a tempest. Use this power to form the Net of Heaven, which can exterminate all wills._

"There is a third wyrd, called… If Not a Pill." The woman was now very faint and blurry as if she were about to disappear. In unison with the softly spoken words, her graceful hand pointed at Indra, whose body was almost transparent as he utilized the power of a jade slip to escape.

He screamed as something like a giant invisible hand wrenched him back out from the void he was disappearing into. His previously transparent body instantly became clear as he was pulled back into the golden world.

His face was pale, and his eyes were filled with madness.

"If I'm going to die!" he howled, "I will choose the way I perish!" Suddenly, his body burst into flames and the power of self-detonation appeared.

The self-detonation of a Nascent Soul Cultivator unleashes intense, indescribable power.

However, the instant in which he seemed about to self-detonate, the woman-form Golden Crow softly said, "If Not a Pill…."

At the same time, she waved her hand, causing the golden shrapnel tempest to shoot toward Indra, where, shockingly, it formed into… a gigantic pill furnace, with Indra inside!

Caught within the pill furnace, the force of Indra's self-detonation was not only blocked, but turned into transformative power!

Naruto began to pant with shock.

He could clearly see that within the pill furnace, the force of Indra's exploding body was turned into a vortex that spun rapidly within the pill furnace. Incredibly… it was transformed into a single, blood-colored medicinal pill!

 _Concoct a person into a pill, be nostalgic of one's past. If Not a Pill._

The pill furnace vanished, and the blood-colored medicinal pill flew over to land on the woman's hand. She looked down at it, then crushed it into ash.

By this point, her body was clearly about to dissipate. She turned, not even looking at Naruto, but rather gazing at the withered, dead great tree as she walked toward it.

As she neared, her body continued to fade away. With each step, more of her life force disappeared. As for the great tree, it began to rot away and turn into dust.

"Live together, die together," the woman murmured as her body disappeared.

The tree had completely rotted into floating ash.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust….

In that instant, everything in front of Naruto grew blurry. He was no longer locked in place, but could move once again. Suddenly, in the void in front of him, he saw a man wearing a long green robe. Next to him was a golden woman. They were smiling and laughing as they stepped out into the nothingness.

 _You are a pill and I am a tree. The year you appeared before me… my life became more than just greenness._

 _I am a pill and you are a tree. The year I opened my eyes for the first time, I saw you and… my life was no longer lonely._

Sometimes, the meaning of an entire life can be only because of a chance meeting.

His expression serious, Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply toward the two departing figures.

As he bowed, the golden light around him shrank down, and the golden world around him began to collapse. At the same time, the Metal-type totem tattoo on his chest transformed into a word.

Metal!

When the Metal-type totem tattoo reached its zenith, the ancient word for "metal" appeared!

The word was branded onto Naruto's chest, right over his heart. In fact, his heartbeat caused it to undulate. It let out a golden glow similar to that emitted by his Gold Core. In this instant, his Cultivation base suddenly exploded up. He was still in the great circle of the Gold Core, but his true battle prowess had now climbed up until it was truly analogous to the Nascent Soul stage.

When it came to the path of concocting a Five-Colored Nascent Soul, if you considered it to have five stages, then as of now, Naruto had completed two!

He took a deep breath as he looked up. The crumbling world of gold was now gone. He was back in the Crow Divinity Holy Land. Everything around him was colorful again; however, the entire place was now showing signs of collapse.

Rumbling sounds echoed out in the air, and the seven volcanoes were beginning to break apart. The powerful neo-demons that still existed in the area were roaring and out of control. The shocked members of the five great Tribes were now doing everything they could to flee.

Naruto's sudden appearance didn't attract any attention. All of the Cultivators present were flying at top speed toward the exit.

Naruto joined the crowds, his eyes glittering. Booms echoed out constantly as the land began to crumble and the mountains began to fall. Suddenly, lava erupted out from the seven volcanoes and black smoke filled the sky. Everything around was now choked with dust. The ground quaked and the neo-demons roared.

Naruto flew at top speed along with the crowd. The Crow Divinity Holy Land seemed on the verge of complete destruction. When he reached the exit, his body grew blurry, and then he was outside of the great golden doors.

The members of the five great Tribes all wore looks of astonishment. The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather caught sight of Naruto. Sighing inwardly, he flew over.

Rumbling sounds could now be heard from within the golden glow as the great doors shattered into small pieces. At the same time, the golden light winked out.

The members of the five great Tribes were all crying out in alarm. This sudden turn of events had completely shocked them. They were pale-faced and panic-stricken.

"The Holy Land…. The Holy Land collapsed!"

"The Holy Land is gone! Our Crow Divinity Holy Land has fallen. Could it be some inauspicious portent!?"

The Greatfathers and Priests of the Five Tribes had grim expressions on their faces, and their hearts were filled with uneasy feelings. The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather's expression fell, and he ceased his approach toward Naruto and instead went to confer with the other Greatfathers and Priests.

Naruto floated in mid-air, staring thoughtfully at the fading golden glow. He thought of the Crow Divinity Holy Land concealed within the mountain range. He also thought of the Golden Crow and the great tree, and after a long moment, he sighed.

As he sighed, the voice of the parrot suddenly sounded out next to him as the man-form Outlander beast appeared.

"Dammit. That Hebi Clan guy tried to wipe out my memories again. Lord Fifth won't stand for it! I'm going to screw the Heavens of Hebi! Screw the Heavens!" From his tone of voice it seemed like this had become his new purpose in life.

Naruto turned to look at the big man and frowned. "Who exactly are you? The parrot, the meat jelly or the Outlander Beast?"

"Obviously I'm Lord Fifth, b*tch!" said the man, a conceited expression appearing on his face. "Listen, Naruto, I'm issuing you a staunch warning. From now on, you're not allowed to call Outtie the 'Outlander Beast.' She's become my beloved concubine. From now on you have to call her Lady Fifth!"

Seeing the look on the big man's face, Naruto glared at him and said, "Screw off!"

"You, you, you… I can't believe you dare to disrespect Lord Fifth! Even worse, you disrespect Lord Fifth's beloved concubine, your Lady Fifth! Don't tell me… don't tell me you want to steal Lady Fifth away from Lord Fifth!" Having suddenly reached this conclusion, the parrot was furious.

Even as the parrot's ire was provoked, the Greatfathers and Priests of the five great Tribes split apart, their expressions serious. They made their way back toward their respective Tribes, followed by the other Tribe members.

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather and Sky Priest approached Naruto, bitter smiles on their faces.

It was the Greatfather who spoke first. "The Crow Divinity Holy Land has collapsed and the protection of the Ancestor has disappeared. Such an event is impossible to cover up. It won't be long now before other Tribes in the region find out."

The Sky Priest then continued, "There are large and powerful Tribes that have had their eyes on us for a while, but were frightened off by the Holy Land. They will certainly be itching to cause trouble. For us five Tribes, this is a huge catastrophe. If we can't hold out against them, our Tribes will be completely wiped out.

"You two are the most powerful vassals in the Crow Scout Tribe. At this moment of crisis for our Tribe, I truly hope that you will be kind enough to provide assistance. The Crow Scout Tribe will definitely provide liberal compensation."

With that, the two of them clasped hands and bowed to Naruto and the man-form Outlander Beast.

Naruto said nothing in response. Instead, he transformed into a beam of light and followed the other Crow Scout Tribe members as they returned to their Tribe. After reaching the rear mountain district, he entered his courtyard.

As soon as he did, he slapped his bag of the Cosmos, causing Big Hairy and the rest of his neo-demon horde to fly out. Then he looked down into the bag at the collection of other neo-demons inside.

They included the black crows, the group of fierce mosquitos, the crimson crocodile and the enormous lizard, all the other neo-demons he had acquired in the Crow Divinity Holy Land.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he examined them.

"If I can really absorb all of these neo-demons into my collection, then my status in the Western Desert as a Grand Dragoneer will be much more valid." Having reached this conclusion, he slapped the bag, causing a black crow to fly out. Eyes glittering, he pointed his finger out.

Immediately, the Demonic Chakra in the area congealed onto his finger, transforming into pressure that weighed down onto the black crow.

Time slipped by. Naruto sent some of his neo-demon horde outside to prevent anyone from interfering with his seclusion. A month passed.

During that month, everyone in the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity were all on edge. The strife and struggle that had existed previously between the Tribes had vanished. The Greatfathers and Priests had frequent talks behind closed doors. In the end, they chose to stand together and form an alliance.

At the same time, the vassals from the various Tribes came to the realization that the collapse of the Crow Divinity Holy Land was going to lead to all sorts of trouble. Gradually, they began to leave.

They were only vassals, not true Tribe members. Faced with imminent disaster, it was only natural that they would be unwilling to stay behind. In less than half a month, more than half of the vassals were gone.

However, the alliance between the five Tribes had restored some of the former grandeur of the Crow Divinity Tribe. Furthermore, although many vassals had departed, the Tribes still had many powerful experts, and their overall power actually increased. As for the leadership of the five great Tribes, including the Greatfather of the Crow Scout Tribe, their attention was now focused primarily on Naruto.

As a Grand Dragoneer, Naruto had already astonished them. A Grand Dragoneer might not personally be very strong, but the power he wielded in battle was very important.

To the Five Tribes, although Naruto was an injured Grand Dragoneer and didn't have a large quantity of neo-demons, it didn't really matter. If necessary, they could vastly increase the size of Naruto's neo-demon horde, which could in turn win them a victory in battle.

As of now, the entire region behind the mountain now belonged to Naruto. Even Tribe members were prohibited from entering; the entire district had become like a restricted area. This applied to the Crow Scout Tribe as well as the other tribes in the alliance.

Because of Naruto's standing, he didn't need to take the initiative to ask for this. The five great Tribes took the initiative to offer it up willingly. Even more respectful of Naruto was Motoi. He had moved over to the Crow Scout Tribe, and now sat cross-legged outside of Naruto's district behind the mountain. It was as if he was standing guard. The Wild Giant was there too, and it would occasionally let out shocking roars that shook Heaven and Earth.

As for the big man who was actually the parrot and the others, he stuck around at first, but after awhile ended up venturing out, to return only occasionally. After some time passed, the Wild Giant, who found it hard to stay in one place for a long time, would join Big Hairy and the others when they went out into the mountains.

Another half month passed, and Naruto was still in seclusion. It was at this point that a long beam of light flew through the air in the sky outside of the mountain range occupied by the Five Tribe Alliance.

Within this beam of light were 32 gigantic spiders. Each one was hundreds of meters long, and completely fierce in appearance. They were brightly colored, making it obvious that they were extremely poisonous. At first it looked like they were flying, but actually, an enormous web filled the sky wherever they went.

The web glowed with a mysterious light that made it stand out in contrast to the blue skies and white clouds. Seated cross-legged atop the 32 gigantic spiders was a group of people wearing identical robes, whose bodies were festooned with totem tattoos.

Behind the 32 spiders was a massive round, stony meteorite. A hole had been excavated in the middle of the gigantic rock, revealing an interior of crystal that looked like agate. It glowed with a violet light, and even seemed to have liquid circulating about inside.

Slouching there was a middle-aged man in a long white robe. He was surrounded by several coquettish women who were currently massaging his shoulders.

This man's features were handsome, but he had a large black mark on his face that completely changed his appearance.

Lines of silk attached the gigantic meteorite to the 32 spiders, who were pulling it through the air. Behind them all, the sky was darkened with a vast quantity of spider neo-demons.

On the back of one of the giant spiders up ahead was a young man. Looking back at the agate meteorite, he clasped hands and bowed toward the white-robed man. In a loud voice, he said, "Your excellency Dragoneer, up ahead are the ruins of the Crow Divinity. It is currently occupied by the five lesser Tribes."

"The old fogeys back in the Tribe are being too cautious," said the man languidly, his expression proud and aloof. "These trifling Five Tribes only managed to gasp their way until now because of the protection of the Crow Divinity. The Priests figured out that the Crow Divinity is gone now, so what's the point in mobilizing such a big force to destroy them!? And how come I got sent to probe them out!?

"Whatever. Since I'm here, I'll handle things like I usually do. Before they die, I'll offer them a little bit of hope, and then crush it! My Demonspiders love to eat the flesh of depressed humans. Spider Apprentice, bring forth the Crimson War Declaration!" It seemed that to this white-robed man, considering his identity, being dispatched to this place was somewhat of a humiliation.

The man's voice echoed out to the Western Desert Cultivators who sat on top of the 32 giant spiders. When they heard the Crimson War Declaration mentioned, their vicious faces filled with the thirst for blood. They licked their lips.

The eyes of the youth who had spoken moments before turned red, and his lips twisted into a vicious smile. The Crimson War Declaration had only one purpose.

It meant that the entire Tribe, including Tribe members and vassals, would have three chances to fight. If they were defeated three times in a row, the result was a slaughter and the complete destruction of the entire Tribe!

The sky overhead was instantly filled with bright colors, as well as wailing cries. The faces of the members of the five Tribes flickered as they looked up.

The Greatfathers, Priests, and Grand Elders of the five Tribes made up quite a group of Nascent Soul experts, more than twenty in total. In the Southern Domain, they would count as a mid-sized Sect. Of course… without a Spirit Severing Cultivator, they couldn't be considered a great Sect.

In the Western Desert, the Five Tribe Alliance could be considered a powerful force, equivalent to a mid-sized Tribe. However… all of the powerful experts were looking up at the enormous spiders in the sky, and their faces grew dark.

"That's… the great Five Poisons Tribe!"

"To be able to control such a large number of spiders, that guy must be… Maroi, rank 9 Dragoneer from the Spider Branch!"

"I've heard that he's haughty to the extreme. His Cultivation base is only in the mid Core Formation stage, but as a rank 9 Dragoneer, he controls a vast amount of neo-demons, plus 32 level 10 giant neo-demons who are comparable to the Nascent Soul stage! In recent years, he single-handedly exterminated quite a few Tribes!"

At the same time that the faces of the members of the Five Tribes fell, and the Nascent Soul experts' hearts sank, the cries from up above grew even more intense. Tens of thousands of ferocious spiders poured down from above to hover in mid-air. The savage aura that emanated from this black mass spread out to cover the entire mountain range.

At the same time, the 32 level 10 neo-demons, each of them hundreds of meters long, whistled through the air emanating a powerful aura similar to a Nascent Soul Cultivation base. The explosive power of it shook everything.

In addition to the 32 level 10 spiders, there was the gigantic meteorite that flew along behind them. It was about three hundred meters up in the air, its exterior pitch black, but its interior lit with a violet glow that made it seem as if the man sitting inside was completely violet.

Powerful pressure emanated out, causing the members of the five great Tribes to grow pale as they looked up into the sky. Mabui, Darui and the others began to breathe heavily, and their faces filled with fear.

The young man atop the huge spider who had spoken earlier, suddenly called out in a sharp voice: "My Lord, the exalted Dragoneer Maroi of the Five Poison Tribe's Spider Branch, desires to battle any Cultivator in the world! You have three chances to win. If you fail, your five Tribes will be washed clean with blood!" His expression was one of arrogance as his voice echoed out in all directions. He waved his right hand, causing a red jade slip to shoot down toward the ground. It suddenly exploded and transformed into a red mist that billowed out to form a red battle platform three thousand meters wide.

"You have the space of twenty breaths. If no one steps forward to fight, it will be taken as a forfeiture, and the cleansing by blood will begin!" The young man licked his lips, and a bloodthirsty glint appeared in his eyes. Around him, the 32 gigantic spiders with Cultivation bases similar to the Nascent Soul stage had cold-blooded expressions and emitted vicious auras.

The Five Tribes were silent. The twenty or so Nascent Soul Cultivators, including the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather, all exchanged glances.

Considering the combined might of the Five Tribe Alliance, it would be impossible for trifling Maroi to exterminate them, even with his 32 level 10 neo-demons. Whether in terms of the five Tribes' defensive spell formations or their Sacred Ancients, they were more than enough to handle this one crisis.

However… what they truly were worried about was the fact that Maroi represented… the Five Poisons Tribe.

Considering these Nascent Soul eccentrics were all Greatfathers, Priests, and Grand Elders, it was obvious that they were wily old foxes. They could immediately tell what was going on. "They're probing us out!"

"The Crow Divinity Holy Land just collapsed, so the Five Poisons Tribe is a bit hesitant in coming here. Therefore, they decided to feel us out!"

"That's right. If we fight and win, then perhaps we can frighten them. Then we'll have a bit more time. Even better would be if we won and killed him. That would be perfect. Alternatively… we could just not fight; we could immediately activate the protective spell formation and let them attack us. The latter has various advantages and disadvantages. The former would be the most direct route."

The Nascent Soul Cultivators were silent for a moment. Glances were exchanged, and many of their gazes came to fall on the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather. Since Naruto was a Grand Dragoneer, that put the Crow Scout Tribe in a high position within the Five Tribe Alliance.

"Constantly running away from conflict reveals your weakness to the enemy," he said. "The great Five Poisons Tribe isn't stupid, and will be able to see the true situation. Then, when the true conflict begins, we would really be weak. This battle… must be fought! Furthermore, that man must be killed. If we strike like lightning and exterminate him, it will give rise to fear!"

A gleam of ruthlessness appeared in the eyes of the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. "Fight!"

Just when the Five Tribes Alliance was preparing to attack, a howl could be heard from the mountainous forest off in the distance. Big Hairy suddenly shot out carrying a small, dead animal in his mouth. In the blink of an eye, he was in the area locked down by the myriad of spiders overhead.

Behind Big Hairy were the rest of the Greenwood Wolves, all of whom were dashing along at top speed carrying animals in their mouths. They often went hunting for food, and after having fun for a while would return to rest outside the courtyard where Naruto was currently in seclusion. At this exact moment, they were returning from such a jaunt.

Their appearance was quite sudden, and immediately caused a disturbance among the spiders. As for the 32 giant spiders, their auras suddenly retracted, and cold looks appeared in their eyes.

"Eee!" said Maroi, a look of surprise on his face as he sat up straight inside his meteorite, his eyes glittering as he looked at Big Hairy.

"That's… a Wolf King! Furthermore, it's been mutated! Excellent, excellent. I never imagined that I would find a neo-demon like that in this place. The ones behind it aren't as good, but still not bad." Even as Maroi was muttering to himself, the ground suddenly shook and a roar could be heard from within the forest. Then, the Wild Giant appeared, crashing out from the trees.

Its enormous frame was shocking to the extreme, and the instant it appeared, the surrounding spiders emitted strange calls. Even the 32 giant spiders were shrieking and assumed vigilant and threatening postures.

"That's… a Wild Giant!" said Maroi, his eyes going wide. "There's actually a Wild Giant here!" He stood up, a look of disbelief on his face. His eyes shone with fervor and greed as he stared at the Wild Giant.

"According to legend, the blood of a Wild Giant can increase the bizarre power of secret Dragoneer arts. Furthermore, when mixed with neo-demon food, it can have an amazing effect on their progress! Even more important, if I can subjugate a Wild Giant, then my status and position in the Tribe will be completely different!"

Maroi started laughing uproariously. Eyes shining, he pointed at the Wild Giant.

"Bring me that Wild Giant and those Greenwood Wolves immediately!" By now, he had completely forgotten about the Crimson War Declaration. As soon as his words rang out, the surrounding spiders shot through the air toward Big Hairy and the others.

Shocking, ferocious power emanated out from the 32 giant spiders as they shot spiderwebs out toward the Wild Giant. In addition, the Five Poisons Tribe members on their back flew forward in attack.

As for Maroi, he immediately sent his meteorite flying forward, completely ignoring the members of the Five Tribe Alliance.

When this happened, the Five Tribe Alliance members all stared in shock. The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather and the others exchanged delighted glances.

"Of all the people to provoke, this Maroi picks Grandmaster Naruto!"

"It seems we won't have to do a thing today. This Maroi will definitely be thwarted!"

Big Hairy swallowed the animal he held in his jaws and then howled. His body suddenly expanded, and his eyes filled with savagery as he charged toward the incoming spiders. Hairy #2 and the others also let off successive howls. The Wild Giant's eyes went wide as it roared and attacked.

Instantly, roaring sounds echoed out in all directions. Facing an onslaught from so many spiders, which included the 32 terrifying giant spiders, Big Hairy, the Greenwood Wolves and the Wild Giant were all in great peril.

Huge webs descended onto Hairy #2 and the other Greenwood Wolves, making it impossible for them to even struggle. No matter how they howled, they couldn't shake off the webs.

Big Hairy lifted his head up and let out a powerful howl. Now, the level 10 spiders turned their attention to the Wild Giant. After being covered with hundreds of huge webs, it let out a cry of pain. As for Big Hairy, his eyes were red as he glared at Maroi sitting there in his flying meteorite. Big Hairy's body flickered as he dodged one of the giant webs. Then, he turned into a beam of white light that shot directly toward Maroi.

Maroi stood in his meteorite, laughing as Big Hairy approached. He raised his right hand and gestured forward.

"Secret Dragoneer art, Burst the Void!"

Immediately, the indistinct image of a huge spider magically appeared in the air in front of Maroi and then slammed into Big Hairy.

Big Hairy let out a miserable shriek as all of the white fur on his body suddenly burst into flames. These flames were not red, but rather black, and seemed to be poisonous in nature. Big Hairy's body shook and blood sprayed out of his mouth. Looking suddenly dispirited, he spun around and then transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

"You seem quite intelligent, but now that you've been poisoned by my secret Dragoneer art, where do you think you're going to flee to? Based on neo-demon behavior, you'll most likely go looking for your master. Very well, I'll kill him and use his blood to sever the connection between the two of you." Laughing, Maroi flicked his sleeve, causing the countless spiders to fly with him in pursuit of Big Hairy.

The sight of it was quite impressive as they took up the chase.

Big Hairy's expression was dismal as a black aura emanated off of his body. Had he not consumed a real Demon Nurturing Pill, then he would have already been transformed into a pool of blood. Right now, his body was trembling and he let of growling howls as he shot through the air. After circling around the mountain, he neared the area that had been surrounded by mist for the entire past month.

Motoi was also sitting there cross-legged. Suddenly, his eyes opened and he saw what was happening. His face immediately fell.

Big Hairy, his eyes filled with grief and sorrow, howled disconsolately as the massive spider horde closed in on him.

The instant the shocking howl echoed out, deep within the mist, Naruto, who sat cross-legged in his courtyard, suddenly opened his eyes.

At the same time, thousands of other pairs of eyes within the mist suddenly opened as well.

There were more than ten pairs among that group which emanated shocking auras!

"Is this where your Master lives?" asked Maroi, smiling calmly within his meteorite. His expression was one of extreme aloofness, as all living things were nothing more than insects in his eyes, and few things existed that could catch his interest.

His eyes then flickered over toward Motoi.

"A rank 7 Dragoneer? Presumably this is your Master." With a smile, Maroi neared the seemingly weak and dying White Wolf, and then shook his head.

He was surrounded by more than ten thousand spiders, all circulating around his body and even blotting out the sky. A shocking aura spread out, especially from the 32 giant spiders who continued to emanate ripples comparable to the early Nascent Soul stage that caused the auras in the area to change.

Motoi began to breathe heavily as he stared at the scene. When his eyes came to rest on Maroi, he gasped. It wasn't too difficult to identify the man. Based on the power emanating from him, if he wasn't a Grand Dragoneer, then he was definitely a rank 9 Dragoneer.

"Sticking with a rank 7 Dragoneer like that can't compare to following me," said Maroi, his eyes flickering with contempt. He waved his right hand, and instantly one of the three hundred meter large spiders flew toward Motoi, emanating killing intent as it neared him.

"First I'll exterminate your Master," Maroi said coolly, "and then use his blood to sever your bond. From now on, you're going to be with me."

As the words left his mouth, the three hundred meter large spider descended upon Motoi. As it did….

A cold snort suddenly echoed out from within the mist. It started out very faint, but in the blink of an eye it transformed into something like thunder. It then began invisible waves that shot toward the incoming spider.

This giant spider, whose power was similar to the early Nascent Soul stage, instantly began to tremble. It let out a miserable shriek and then, astonishingly, retreated. Before it could move more than a few meters, however, it began to shake so violently that its body exploded into bits.

A simple sound caused a three hundred meter large spider to collapse into pieces. Maroi's facial expression completely changed, filling with grave astonishment.

At the same time, Naruto's figure slowly became visible as he walked out from within the roiling mists. His pace was slow, but as he walked, the mists seethed, making it seem almost like he was cloaked in the stuff. His powerful aura soared up into the Heavens.

After acquiring two totem tattoos, Naruto's Cultivation base was powerful enough to tangle with the early Nascent Soul stage, but certainly not so strong that he could kill an early Nascent Soul Cultivator with a single snort. Unfortunately for the spider, it was a neo-demon, not a Cultivator!

As a Demon Sealer, Naruto was innately capable of emitting pressure upon neo-demons. This was a technique he had come to master during the past month in which he took command over all the neo-demons in his bag of holding.

Naruto had come to call it… Demonic Pressure!

Now that he could use Demonic Pressure, Naruto was a Grand Dragoneer in more than just name only!

As he strolled out, Maroi's face flickered again. Without even realizing it, he backed up a few paces. The more than ten thousand spiders around him began to tremble. It was as if to them, Naruto was the most powerful neo-demon in the world. In addition to trembling, some of them even let out miserable shrieks.

"Grand Dragoneer!" Maroi was panting as he looked at the reaction of the neo-demons around him. A buzzing sound filled his mind, a feeling that he had experienced before only when meeting Grand Dragoneers in his Tribe.

Despite his change in facial expression, Maroi abruptly said, "Well, so what if you're a Grand Dragoneer? How many neo-demons do you have, you…."

Before he could finish his statement, droning sounds could be heard from the black mist behind Naruto as nearly a thousand green mosquitos appeared.

Each of the mosquitos was about three meters long and had long, sharp mouthparts. Their bodies were covered with bristly fur, and they looked matchlessly malevolent as they blotted out the sky.

"Demonsquitos!" gasped Maroi, his eyes growing wide. Such creatures were rare in the Western Desert. In fact, in his entire life, Maroi had only ever seen ten in total. Not only did they have the fearsome ability to drain the blood of the bodies of creatures vastly larger than them, but even more shocking, they were extremely poisonous!

Actually, in some aspects their poison wasn't really a poison, but a plague!

These Demonsquitos were incredibly divine and mighty, and the shocking fact that there were over a thousand of them caused Maroi to breath deeply.

Simultaneously, the ten thousand spiders in the area began to shriek, and some of them even fell prone on the ground, not daring to move.

Behind the thousand Demonsquitos, a black light appeared. Within the black light were countless black crows flying through the air. Their eyes emanated a shocking, bright red glow.

"Those are… Demoncrows!" Maroi's brain was once again filled with a buzzing sound. Crows such as these were not often seen in the Western Desert. Most frightening of all were the legends told about them. Supposedly, these Demoncrows had some connection with the dead! According to the stories… they could bring dead people back to life!

Some of the spiders next to Maroi were now completely ignoring any of his commands. They prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to move even a muscle.

Next, even more neo-demons appeared behind Naruto. Each one that did caused Maroi's expression to flicker. When the red crocodile appeared, Maroi gasped and his face filled with unprecedented astonishment.

"Searing Demondile! That's… a neo-demon from ancient times, a Searing Demondile! They're born at level 8, within the depths of volcanoes!"

After that, the giant lizard crawled out. As soon as it appeared, it let out a bellowing roar that caused the surrounding black mist to congeal and be sucked into its mouth.

"That's… that's… another ancient neo-demon! Heaven Slaughtering Lizard!" Maroi's entire body was shaking. By this point, each and every one of his spiders were frightened to death. Even the three hundred meter large spiders were trembling and prostrating themselves, not daring to move.

"Who… just who exactly did I manage to provoke…? A Grand Dragoneer with so many fearsome neo-demons…. Dammit, even the Grand Dragoneers back in the Tribe don't have neo-demons that can compare to these!"

Maroi's face was ashen as he said, "Sir…."

Before he could finish, Naruto, his face expressionless, flickered forward with incredible speed to appear next to Big Hairy.

Completely ignoring Maroi, Naruto squatted down and gently petted Big Hairy's back. As he did, the poison completely vanished from within him. After the space of a few breaths, Big Hairy was completely back to normal. He rose to his feet and let out some yipping sounds as he rubbed Naruto with his huge head.

"I understand," said Naruto, nodding his head. He then pointed out with his finger, causing one of the nearby three hundred meter long spiders to instantly explode. Then he pointed at another one. It too exploded.

One after another, Naruto exterminated six of the three hundred meter large spiders. Those were the ones who had injured Big Hairy. Now they were nothing more than ash floating in the wind.

"Any more?" asked Naruto, looking at Big Hairy. Big Hairy nodded and let out a few more yips.

Seeing this, Maroi's scalp went numb. He was now scared out of his mind.

"I'm from the Five Poisons Tribe, I…." Even as he began to speak, Naruto suddenly looked over at him.

Naruto stepped forward, and in the blink of an eye was directly in front of Maroi's meteorite. He reached out and slapped it lightly.

The slap caused a roaring sound to fill the air. The meteorite tumbled backward, emanating cracking sounds as it did. Huge fissures covered its surface. Although it didn't break into pieces, a deep palm print was now clearly visible on its surface.

"Hmph," said Naruto, his eyes glittering.

Maroi's mind and heart were reeling, and blood sprayed from his mouth. His eyes were filled with disbelief and complete astonishment. This meteorite was a precious treasure of the Dragoneers in his Tribe. Dragoneers of the Western Desert seem powerful because they can control large quantities of neo-demons; however, they have a fatal weakness.

That weakness is the fact that Dragoneers generally lack a powerful Cultivation base!

Because of that weakness, they can be easily killed. That is why Dragoneers in the Western Desert take special care to protect themselves. This meteorite was exactly such a precious treasure, capable of withstanding a blow from the early Nascent Soul stage without being harmed.

However… just now Maroi could clearly sense that his precious treasure had been cracked. That could only mean one thing. This Grand Dragoneer had a Nascent Soul Cultivation base!

"The Grand Dragoneers in my Tribe are only of the great circle of Core Formation. Grand Dragoneers who have Nascent Soul Cultivation bases, are… almost completely invincible! They are rare in the Western Desert and their secret Dragoneer arts are capable of summoning Spirit Severing neo-demons!" Maroi was so scared that his whole body was shaking. He let out a shriek as he pushed his meteorite to go even faster. Clearly, he was planning to flee.

By this time, the members of the Five Tribe Alliance, including the Nascent Soul eccentrics, had arrived on the scene. Seeing everything that had happened caused them to gasp. They knew Naruto was strong, and had assumed that if they all joined forces they would be able to suppress him if necessary. Now, their faces fell and their hearts filled with foreboding as they realized that their lack of action before had led to the White Wolf and the Wild Giant being injured.

Before they could even begin to think of how to make up for their actions, Naruto's body shot forward toward Maroi. His right hand formed a fist, which punched out. A boom filled the air, and more cracks appeared on the meteorite.

"Senior, please spare me! Sir, everything just now was an accident, a misunderstanding…."

Shocking roars filled the air as Naruto punched out three times in succession. Finally, a splintering sound could be heard as the meteorite disintegrated into pieces. Maroi was pale faced and incapable of fleeing. Naruto reached out and grabbed him by the neck.

He then looked back at Big Hairy. "Was it this arm?" he asked.

Big Hairy nodded, letting out some more yips as he recalled the humiliation he had endured.

Naruto nodded and grabbed hold of Maroi, who let out a bloodcurdling scream as his arm was directly ripped off of his body and transformed into a haze of blood and gore. Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he hovered there in mid-air. He was just about to release Maroi, when he suddenly noticed the Wild Giant, Hairy #2 and the others who were currently bound up and injured within the spider webs.

Seeing this, a cold light appeared in his eyes. He suddenly clenched his fist. A cracking sound could be heard as Maroi's neck was instantly crushed. His eyes went wide, and he was dead.

Naruto released Maroi and then turned to face the Nascent Soul eccentrics of the Five Tribe Alliance.

"Well, hello," he said.

Even as Naruto spoke, he waved his right hand, causing a gale force wind to sweep across the land. It only took a moment for the wind to sweep the spider webs off of the Wild Giant, Hairy #2 and the others. The webs became nothing but ash. Having been freed, the Wild Giant lifted its head up and roared.

In turn, all of the neo-demons that belonged to Naruto began roaring. The spiders who remained in the rear mountain district all continued to remain prone on the ground, not daring to even lift their heads.

At this moment, Naruto's might billowed to the Heavens as he hovered there in mid-air glaring coldly at the Five Tribe alliance.

Facing up against his power, and hearing his words, the Greatfathers, Priests, and Grand Elders of the Five Tribe alliance felt shaken inwardly. Their breathing became ragged in pants. The strength of this Grandmaster Naruto vastly exceeded their expectations. Furthermore, they had no idea when he had unexpectedly acquired so many neo-demons.

Not only was this group of neo-demons large in number, but they all looked very familiar. Upon closer inspection, they were shocked to find that these were neo-demons from the Crow Divinity Holy Land.

"Grandmaster Naruto…." said the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather with a wry smile. Before he could finish, Naruto pointed toward the ground, causing invisible Demonic Chakra to rise up from the earth below.

The appearance of the Demonic Chakra caused the surrounding neo-demon hordes to roar with even more intensity. That was even more true of the more than ten thousand spiders. Now, they were no longer suppressed. Instead, Naruto's Demonic Chakra exerted incredible attractive force on them. Following the lead of the twenty or more three hundred meter large spiders, they filled the sky as they flew over to Naruto, circling around him with expressions of submission on their faces.

Naruto floated in mid-air, surrounded by a mixed neo-demon horde nearly twenty thousand in number. Their aura billowed to the heavens as they let out unceasing roars. Naruto didn't look angry, and yet radiated power. Some of his Grand Dragoneer aura suddenly exploded out, causing everything nearby to shake.

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather gasped, incapable of continuing to speak. The faces of the other Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Five Tribes fell. As of this moment, Naruto was vastly more powerful to them than Maroi had been!

"Fellow Daoists," said Naruto flatly. "Ever since I arrived in your Tribe, I have abided by your rules. Never have I offended anyone or violated any laws. Therefore, I don't understand why, when my neo-demons were being captured, not only did you do nothing to stop it, you even facilitated the matter…. I require an explanation within three days. If I don't get it, then my close relationship with the Five Tribes of the Crow Divinity will end, and I will leave this place." With that, he and his twenty thousand strong neo-demon horde whistled through the air as they left. The black mist once again appeared, billowing up into the sky like a hurricane. It was visible even from a great distance away as it stretched up above.

Seeing Naruto leave did not cause the pressure weighing down on the Five Tribes to lessen. Rather, it grew even stronger. The Greatfathers and Priests exchanged glances. Bitter smiles appeared on their faces as they began to confer with each other using Divine Sense.

They had no desire whatsoever to offend Naruto or cause him to leave. A Grand Dragoneer with so many high-level neo demons among his horde of twenty thousand, was indescribably important to the Five Tribes.

It wasn't just their Tribes that would feel this way. Any tribe would place great importance onto a Grand Dragoneer like this. Even a great Tribe would feel this way.

It must be known that for a Tribe to be classified as a great Tribe, they not only had to have a sufficient population and number of neo-demons, but another critical factor was that they had to have a Grand Dragoneer.

The Five Tribes discussed the matter until dawn of the next day. Then, the Nascent Soul Cultivators all went to stand outside the black mist in the rear mountain district. They clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"We humbly request an audience with the Grand Dragoneer, Grandmaster Naruto."

They stood there listening to the sound of their voices echoing into the roiling black mist. After a moment passed, Motoi strolled out, his jaw set with pride and condescension, his hands folded behind his back.

He was followed by the roaring Wild Giant, as well as a vast collection of spiders, which flew out to surround the Greatfathers, Priests, and others.

The indistinct shape of some gigantic spiders became visible, their power comparable to a Nascent Soul Cultivation base. There was also the red crocodile, which emanated viciousness as it crawled out. Further back, black crows whistled through the air followed by the green mosquitos.

The sight of all this caused the faces of the Greatfathers and Priests to fill with serious expressions.

"The Young Master is currently practicing cultivation. Before going into seclusion, he made it clear that if the Five Tribes came without sufficient intention for reconciliation, then when he emerged from seclusion, he would depart this place and sever all ties with you!" Motoi looked them over, feeling extremely excited and complacent. The feeling was much greater than the feeling he'd gotten after acquiring power on his own. This surpassed that by far.

As of this moment, he was quite happy to be a follower of Naruto.

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather smiled wryly, but gave an inward sigh of relief. He was well aware that their actions yesterday had in fact been a way of forcing Naruto's hand. After exchanging glances with the others, the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather stepped forward.

"First of all," he said with a slight smile, "we would like to congratulate Grandmaster Naruto on recovering all of his powers as a mighty Grand Dragoneer. Regarding the slaying of Maroi, we Five Tribes will stand as witnesses of the event. Furthermore, each of our Tribes would like to offer you a congratulatory gift of two thousand neo-demons, a mix of levels 3 to 7."

Hearing this caused Motoi's heart to begin to beat wildly.

Two thousand neo-demons wouldn't count for much to a great Tribe, but to a small Tribe, it was an incredible show of good faith. After all, neo-demons were the most important thing for Dragoneers.

Dragoneer cultivation was not based on personal strength, but rather, controlling neo-demons. Neo-demons were the basis of power, and for each of these Tribes to give two thousand meant that it was a total of ten thousand. Such a vast number caused Motoi to begin to breathe heavily.

"Well…." said Motoi, hesitating for a moment.

"Grandmaster Naruto is a Grand Dragoneer, and we feel very honored that he picked our Five Tribe Alliance. We know that the position of Grand Dragoneer is an esteemed one, so each Tribe is also willing offer him 300,000 Spirit Stones in order to help facilitate his daily cultivation. That will only be the first payment! From now on, the Five Tribe alliance will provide him with an equal sum every three months as compensation for his assistance." With that, the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather once again clasped hands and bowed deeply.

Obviously, he wasn't bowing to Motoi, but toward the churning black mist.

Motoi's eyes were wide, and he couldn't stop himself from panting in nervousness. His eyes began to glow, and his mind was reeling, filled with nothing but the thought of Spirit Stones. If each Tribe provided 300,000 Spirit Stones every three months, that was a total of 1,500,000. Essentially, that meant that every month Naruto stayed in the Five Tribes Alliance, he would get 500,000 Spirit Stones.

That was a vast number that Motoi had a hard time even imagining. Of course, he had no way of knowing that if it wasn't for the imminent danger facing the Five Tribe Alliance, they would never possibly offer up such an unimaginable number.

"This matter…." Motoi's mouth and tongue were almost too dry to speak, and he didn't know what to say. Despite the fact that he had actually come prepared to strike out with deadly force against these people, he could never have predicted that before he even struck a threatening pose, such incredible gifts would be offered.

"Furthermore," continued the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather, "considering that Grandmaster Naruto is a Grand Dragoneer and vassal of the Crow Scout Tribe, we would like to earnestly request that he assume the position of Grand Elder of the Five Tribe Alliance, a position equal to that of us Greatfathers!"

Motoi was panting and his mind was shaking. A position like that, equal to that of the Greatfathers of the Five Tribes, was incredibly high and vastly meaningful.

Suddenly, the Greatfather of the Crow Scout spoke again: "All of the resources of the Five Tribes Alliance will be poured into fulfilling Grandmaster Naruto's needs. Furthermore any spoils of war will be split six ways, with one part of that belonging to Grandmaster Naruto."

These words only served to add to the roaring that filled Motoi's head until it was on the verge of exploding.

This last benefit seemed almost unreal. In fact, though, it was real, and vastly exceeded anything from before. This truly was good faith on the part of the Five Tribes Alliance, to split all future spoils with him.

At the same time, it would also tightly bind Naruto to the Five Tribes.

"In addition," said the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather, continuing on with the last item the Five Tribes had agreed to offer, "if Grandmaster Naruto becomes the Grand Elder, then the Five Tribes agree to provide food for all of his thirty thousand neo-demons!"

Motoi didn't know what to say. Thirty thousand neo-demons could eat a small mountain of beasts in a very short time. That amount of food was no small number, and when you added it all together, could easily drain a small fortune.

That was why Grand Dragoneers usually attached themselves to a great Tribe; both benefited from such an arrangement.

Motoi subconsciously looked back toward the black mist. The Greatfathers and Priests of the Five Tribes also looked toward the black mist, awaiting Naruto's response.

"Lastly, as a show of good faith, if Grandmaster Naruto agrees to all of this, and the Five Tribe Alliance survives for the next year, then we are willing to allow Grandmaster Naruto to be our sole representative to enter the Bridge of Immortal Treading!" The person who uttered these words was not the Greatfather of the Crow Scout Tribe, but rather that of the Crow Soldier Tribe. He was the only of their number to have a Cultivation base at the mid Nascent Soul stage, and was their most powerful expert.

Almost the same moment that he finished speaking, the mist began to seethe, and then shrink back. The surrounding neo-demons quickly retreated along with it. In the space of time of a few breaths, the mist had completely vanished, along with neo-demon horde.

Now, all eyes were focused completely on the person slowly walking toward them.

It was Naruto, wearing a long black robe. His hair fluttered in the wind, and his eyes were cold. On his skin could be seen a dense, endless amount of totem tattoos. They even existed on his face. Each and every one of these totem tattoos depicted neo-demons.

20,000 neo-demons, all transformed into totem tattoos, branded onto Naruto's body. His aura was thoroughly Demonic at this point, filled with a barbaric savagery that drifted slowly out from his body.

If the people in the Southern Domain who were familiar with Naruto were to see him now, it would be difficult for them to recognize him. As of this moment, anyone who looked at him would take him to be a powerful Western Desert Cultivator!

Such power, although it wasn't of the Nascent Soul stage, was enough to slaughter anyone of the early Nascent Soul stage!

"The first kindness shown to me by the Crow Scout Tribe was the Greenwood Tree totem," said Naruto as he strolled out. His voice contained a certain bizarreness, as if it were filled with the indistinct sound of countless beasts roaring in unison. "The second was the water of destiny of the Crow Divinity Tribe, which raised me to the full circle of Wood-type power. Within the Holy Land, I encountered the Crow Divinity and acquired a Metal-type totem tattoo. That was the third kindness.

"Naruto clearly distinguishes between gratitude and grudges in taking action. You tested me out and even allowed enemies to attack me. However, it was all for the safety of your Tribe, and you had no choice. That, I can understand.

"I don't want your Spirit Stones. As for your neo-demons, they will definitely be much more powerful if they are under my control. However, if the Five Tribes still exist after the fighting is over, then I will return them to you.

"Regardless of splitting spoils, or anything else, I, Naruto, will stand by your sides during this war, Fellow Daoists. The reason I shall do so… is because of those three kindnesses. Therefore, please, no more investigations and no more incidents like that which happened yesterday. Otherwise, I will truly sever the relationship forged through those kindnesses."

Having finished speaking, he clasped hands and bowed deeply to the various members of the Five Tribes.

They looked back at him in stunned silence for a moment. Then their faces filled with shame. At this point, it was impossible for them to not realize that all of this had been a warning, not a request for payment. The only thing Naruto wanted was the proper attitude.

 _I will help you in order to pay a debt of gratitude. The only price I demand… is respect!_

That was what Naruto wanted, and also the reason why he had not appeared, but rather sent Motoi out to meet them.

"In addition," Naruto continued, "I would like to hear more about this Bridge of Immortal Treading that the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather referred to."

Naruto's body was covered in totem tattoos, and he had the aura of a powerful expert. Having heard his sincere words, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather slowly said, "The Bridge of Immortal Treading is a stretch of ruins. According to legend, there used to be nine bridges in the great lands of the Western Desert. As for who built them, it is impossible determine. Some people say that they formed naturally from soil that came from the stars.

"As for these bridges, they were used for Immortal Ascension. By treading on three of them, you could form an Immortal Body. By treading on six of them, you could form an Immortal Soul. By treading on nine of them, you could achieve Immortal Ascension.

"Allegedly, these bridges were connected to the stars, and were located next to a mountain and a sea…. Unfortunately, these bridges met with great Tribulation. The Heavens were not pleased, and destroyed them with lightning. The roaring lasted for 937 years before the bridges finally collapsed and transformed into a world. Later generations called that world… the Realm of the Bridge Ruins!

"Within the Realm of the Bridge Ruins is the wreckage of the Bridge of Immortal Treading. There is also Celestial soil which contains Immortal Chakra. To us Cultivators, such Immortal Chakra is like a rare tonic, far superior to all medicinal pills. Also available in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins are high-grade Spirit Stones, to which nothing on the outside can compare.

"Furthermore within the wreckage of the Bridge of Immortal Treading that exists in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins can be found countless Celestial magics and divine abilities. There are even creatures which have been extinct in the outside world since ancient times. The Realm of the Bridge Ruins is one of the most precious treasures of the Western Desert!"

Up to this point, Naruto's expression hadn't changed, and he continued to listen calmly.

"The Realm of the Bridge Ruins opens every thousand years. When it does, people from the Southern Domain, the Eastern Lands and the Northern Reaches cannot enter it! Only Western Desert Cultivators with totems are capable of entering this world and seizing the good fortune therein!

"However, not every Western Desert Cultivator can enter. According to information in the ancient records, throughout the generations, there have only ever been twenty three spots. That is because in ancient times, there were twenty three Tribes which were officially recognized as great Tribes. Though they have long since fallen into decline, their bloodlines still survive!

"When the time comes for the Realm of the Bridge Ruins to open, an Immortality Bridgestone will descend to each of those great Tribes, which thus allows them to enter!

"The Crow Divinity Tribe was once one of the approved great Tribes of the Western Desert. Therefore, we have always had a spot to be able to enter the Realm of the Bridge Ruins.

"As long as the blood of our Tribe continues to exist, that spot will also be. It is also another reason why the Five Poisons Tribe stirred into action when the Crow Divinity Holy Land collapsed.

"If they can enslave us, consume our totems, and imprison our Tribe members, then… they will be able to secure the Crow Divinity Tribe's spot in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins." The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather made no attempt to conceal any of the facts. He was telling Naruto everything, including secret matters known only to them.

As Naruto listened to the explanation, his eyes began to shine brightly. He could tell that what the man was saying was most likely true. Furthermore, the mention of Celestial soil had definitely sparked his interest.

"Based on our calculations, there is about one year left until the Realm of the Bridge Ruins opens. Before that happens, an Immortality Bridgestone will fall down to us. If you help us, Grandmaster Naruto, then we will deliver that stone to you in one year!" With that, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather clasped hands and gave Naruto a deep bow.

Naruto was silent for a moment as he pondered the so-called Celestial soil. He already had a collection of Black Lands Celestial Talisman soil.

"In terms of my five elements totems," he thought, "I'm currently missing Water, Fire and Earth. I need them to reach the level in which they manifest an ancient word; then I can concoct my Five-Colored Nascent Soul. I wonder if the Celestial soil in this Realm of the Bridge Ruins… could be used for one of my totem tattoos?"

Meanwhile….

If you left the mountain range containing the five Crow Divinity Tribes and flew about a month's time, you would reach an area that was still considered the Western Desert North region, but was actually nearing its Central region.

There were no mountains here, only a vast plain called the Blood Wastes. The reason for the name was that the soil of this plain was red in color.

Within the red soil grew tens of thousands of varieties of poisonous grasses. During the rainy season, poisonous mists would fill the sky, turning the area into a sort of prohibited zone for Cultivators.

There were also vast quantities of enormous, poisonous neo-demons here, which made this plain somewhat like a pit of poison.

It was difficult for Cultivators to exist in a place like this. That is, except for… the largest of the Western Desert North region's two great Tribes, the great Five Poisons Tribe!

It was a huge Tribe divided into five branches, each one named after a different poisonous creature. They were like an enormous black flower with five petals, spread out in terrifying fashion over the plain.

Each of these branches were equivalent in size to a medium sized Tribe. Together, they formed the great Five Poisons Tribe, whose name rocked the entire Western Desert North region.

They were very different from the five Crow Divinity Tribes. These Five Poisons Tribes were not fractured. Rather, because of the different totems they possessed, they were organized into five different auxiliary Tribes called branches. In the central-most location in the plain was a Sacrificial Rites Assembly Hall, where fifteen High Priests would make decisions regarding important matters to the Five Poisons Tribe.

The branches themselves did not have Chieftains, only Priests. As far as Chieftains went… there was only one in the entire Five Poisons Tribe.

In past times, the Western Desert North regions had three great Tribes, the Crow Divinity, the Five Poisons, and the Scorching Ice. After all these years, the Five Poisons and Scorching Ice still existed; in contrast, the Crow Divinity was in decline. After having been split into the five sub-Tribes, they were much weaker and reduced to an inferior position.

Were it not for the existence of the Crow Divinity Holy Land, they would long since have been picked apart, their totemic power stolen, and the Tribes themselves forced to become auxiliary branches of other stronger Tribes.

Unfortunately, the Crow Divinity Holy Land had fallen. There was no need for word to be spread about this. Totemic Sacred Ancients could sense each other; therefore, the Poison Patriarchs that the Five Poisons Tribe had worshiped for the past ten thousand years immediately sent their will out to inform members of the Tribe that the Crow Divinity Holy Land was destroyed. The Crow Divinity… was dead!

Despite that, one of the reasons the Five Poisons Tribe had survived for such a long time was because of their cautious nature. They didn't immediately just go to war, but rather decided to feel out the Crow Divinity Tribes first. That was why they had dispatched rank 9 Dragoneer Maroi from the Spider Branch.

The instant Maroi died, his Lifesoul jade slip shattered. The Spider Branch immediately sensed this; roars of rage filled the air to echo about in all directions. The Five Poisons Tribe immediately called a Sacrificial Rites Assembly.

During their meeting, the fifteen High Priests from the five Branches decided to dispatch the Spider Branch to declare war on the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity.

After three days, the official resolution was issued, and the entire Spider Branch began to make preparations for war. More than three thousand Totem Cultivators, three rank 9 Dragoneers, and a vast quantity of neo-demons entered a teleportation portal in the Blood Wastes and headed toward the Crow Divinity Mountains.

By using a teleportation portal, they were able to save quite a bit of time. The month-long journey was now reduced to only seven days.

That was how the war began!

Of course, this war attracted the attention of other Tribes within the Western Desert North region. Many eyes turned to observe. Wars between tribes were common in the North, but… the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity had once been a great Tribe. As such, this particular war was of much more interest than normal.

This was especially true when it came to the other great Tribe in the area, the Scorching Ice Tribe. They were paying very close attention. Were it not for the fact that they were much farther away than the Five Poisons Tribe, they too would have participated. Others might have thought such actions would be taken in an effort to grow their own Tribe. However, the Scorching Ice Tribe knew that the main purpose the Five Poisons Tribe had for going to war… was for the spot in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins.

Seven days later, war loomed over the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity.

On that day, Naruto sat cross-legged in his courtyard behind the mountain. In front of him were three flickering totems. One was a Flame Thrush, the other a Water Drop, the third a Stone Golem.

These totems came from the Crow Flame, Crow Gloom and Crow Fighter Tribes respectively.

Comparatively speaking, they didn't match up at all to the Greenwood Tree that Naruto had acquired before. Nor were they even comparable to the earliest seed of the Metal-type totem that the Golden Crow had given him. That was why Naruto was hesitating about whether to fuse with them.

The seed would determine what type of transmogrification the totem could manifest later. In making his selections, how could Naruto not be careful?

After a long moment, his eyes filled with determination. He gathered up the totem seeds and put them away. If he really couldn't get any better totems in the future, then he would have no other choice but to use them.

After putting the totem seeds away, his eyes flickered and he lifted his head. He could see that a seething mist was suddenly beginning to spread out through the previously clear and boundless sky. The mist was enormous, covering everything, and rapidly approaching as it expanded out.

From a distance, it was still possible to see that, shockingly, this boundless mist was actually made up of incomparably fierce spiders.

At the same time, a rumbling sound filled the sky, shaking Heaven and Earth, causing even the mountains to tremble. Any vegetation that the mist touched instantly withered and died.

"Well, they arrived quickly!" thought Naruto, his eyes glittering coldly.

Almost at the exact same time as the mist neared, five beams of light shot out from five different directions within the mountain. All of them were different colors; these were none other than the totemic Sacred Ancients that resided in the tallest peaks of the mountains of the Five Tribes.

Simultaneously, five protective shields sprang up, covering the entirety of the Five Tribes, cutting them off completely.

Next, the members of the Five Tribes unleashed the power of their various totems. Their eyes were bloodshot and filled with vigilance; clearly these people were prepared to die for their Tribe. The Greatfathers, Priests, and Grand Elders from the Five Tribes, all of them Nascent Soul Cultivators, emanated intense killing intent. Their faces were grim as they looked out at the churning black mist.

It was at this point that the black mist slammed into the protective shield. Booming sounds filled the air, and the ground quaked. The once emerald forests in the areas withered and turned black.

Miserable shrieks could be heard from the various beasts that lived in the area. Their bodies began to rot and they turned into pools of black liquid.

It only took a few moments for the entirety of the Crow Divinity Mountains to be filled with a death aura.

Suddenly, a sinister voice echoed out from within the churning black mist. "Five Tribes of the Crow Divinity, we are the Five Poisons Clan Spider Branch. You may surrender… or die!" The voice rolled out in all directions, transforming into a thunderous roar. A powerful, domineering will could be sensed within this voice; this was the power of a mid Nascent Soul Cultivation base. It echoed into the ears of the members of the Five Tribes, causing the blood to drain from the faces of many. Even with the protective shield in place, it still caused blood to ooze out of their mouths.

"To the death!" cried the Crow Gloom High Priest. He was a middle-aged man with a look of keen wit shining in his eyes. His words rang out, filled with determination. This was all the answer they needed to provide to the Five Poisons Clan.

"To the death!" All the members of the Five Tribes joined their voices into a powerful roar.

"TO THE DEATH!" the shocking sound transformed into grim, cold determination. It rose up into the sky and charged into the black mist, and the ears of each and every Cultivator of Spider Branch of the Five Poisons Tribe.

Among the three thousand Cultivators of the Spider Branch, twenty were Grand Elders and one was a green-robed High Priest. All of these people were currently looking at a young woman who was surrounded protectively by more than ten cold-faced Cultivators, all of whom had green totem tattoos on their faces.

The woman appeared to be a little more than twenty, with long, beautiful hair and a bright red robe. She was beautiful, and her red robe could not hide the voluptuous curves beneath. Her beauty almost seemed demonic; her eyes were cold and seemed completely ruthless. This ruthlessness was quite a contrast to her beauty, causing her to be even more sexually attractive.

On her forehead was a white spider totem tattoo; as it glittered, the spider it depicted almost seemed to be moving.

This woman was one of the five Holy Daughters of the great Five Poisons Clan, Tsume of the Spider Branch.

The white spider on her forehead was called Wisdom Spider; only natural born Holy Daughters could acquire it.

"Revered Priest," she said lightly, "commence with the attack! First, deal with the shield. Call forth the totemic Sacred Ancient!" Just like her name, her voice was like an orchid, beautiful but cold.

This particular High Priest of the Spider Branch was an old man in a long green robe who held a black, wooden wand in his hand. Having heard Tsume's words, he nodded and then pointed the wand out. Instantly, the surrounding mist began to roil and then transformed into a gigantic spider that shot toward the shield.

A boom filled the air, and the shield rippled. However, it did not fall. The High Priest frowned, and then flashed an incantation with his right hand. The gigantic spider dissipated and then reformed into five black spears, each of them three hundred meters long. He waved his wand, causing the five spears to scream through the air toward the five beams of light shooting up from the five mountains in the area.

"Five Tribes totemic Sacred Ancients, please appear!" cried the Crow Gloom Tribe Priest. A jade slip appeared in his hand, which he crushed. Immediately, roaring sounds could be heard from the five mountains. The Sacred Ancients immediately emerged: the Crow Scout Tribe's Treant, the Flame Sea of the Crow Flame Tribe, as well as the others. However, the instant they appeared….

Spider Branch Holy Daughter Tsume, behind her ring of guards, looked at the Crow Gloom Tribe Priest, her phoenix-like eyes glittering. Their gazes locked, and it was clear that both were aware of the identity of the other. These were the two in charge of this battle.

"Summon the Spider Sacred Ancient!"

A thunderous roaring sound filled the air as the clouds up above began to roil, and a massive crack appeared in mid-air. Five colossal spider legs, each one several thousand meters long, suddenly emerged from within the crack. It was impossible to see what existed past the crack; in any case, as soon as the legs appeared, they shot toward the five mountain peaks. In the blink of an eye, massive explosions could be heard as the spell formations cracked. The earth quaked and the mountains shook.

All of the totemic Sacred Ancients of the five Tribes roared and flew directly up into the sky. Then, up high in the sky, a shocking, bright red spider shot forward to slam into them.

"Spider Branch Battle Cultivators," said Tsume softly, "there's no need for battle formations. Use the totemic Demonspider webs to seal this entire area!"

"The Holy Daughter's commands shall be followed!" cried the three thousand Spider Branch Cultivators, their eyes shining with savagery. They lifted their heads up to the sky and roared as the radiance of their totems exploded out. Immediately, illusory Demonspiders appeared, and the air filled with countless strands of silk that flew out in all directions. Hissing sounds filled the air as they shot toward the glowing shield; it seemed these threads also contained poison.

"Elders, please join forces to destroy the spell formation," said Tsume, toying with her hair. "Get the Greatfathers of these Five Tribes to show their faces!"

"The Holy Daughter's commands shall be followed!" Immediately, a dozen or so old men shot out from within the Spider Branch forces. The totems on their body glowed brightly, exploding with the power of the Nascent Soul stage. The ripples merged together to form a strange pattern, a spell formation that then shot directly toward the Five Tribes' protective shield.

Just as it was about to impact, the Crow Gloom Priest's eyes flickered.

"Greatfathers of the Crow Scout and Crow Flame Tribes, please lead the Priests and Grand Elders of the other three Tribes into battle!"

Immediately, the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather roared and charged forward. He was followed by more than ten Priests and Grand Elders, as well as the Crow Flame Greatfather. They shot forth to intercept the incoming Cultivators, intent on preventing them from collapsing the protective shield.

It was at this point that the Crow Gloom Priest suddenly began to bark orders: "Members of the Five Tribes. According to our pre-war strategy, form into fifty-man squads. Five squads will form a company. Five companies will form a battalion! 1st Battalion will defend the northwest, 2nd Battalion the northeast, 3rd Battalion due north! Slay them with extreme prejudice!

"Remember, do not fight to the death! If you are injured, return immediately to the area behind the shield for healing.

"4th Battalion, 5th Battalion, please rotate in and out of the battle as needed. 6th Battalion, stand guard within the shield! This battle will not be concluded quickly. Tribe members, we fight for the Crow Divinity!" Immediately, thousands of Five Tribes Cultivators shot out of the shield, their eyes bloodshot.

"FOR THE CROW DIVINITY!" the roared as they charged to meet the incoming three thousand Cultivators from the Spider Branch.

The flames of war instantly raged into the Heavens. Magical techniques flared up everywhere. High up in the sky, the Five totemic Sacred Ancients were locked in battle with the Spider Branch's Sacred Spider. That battle was something that far exceeded the Nascent Soul stage. Ripples spread out to cover the entire scene, making it impossible for anyone down below to see how the battle was faring.

Below them, the Nascent Soul Cultivators were locked in vicious combat. Mist spread out in all directions, making it difficult to see anything other than shadows. However, there was no doubt that the fighting was deadly.

Even further below, outside of the shield, thousands of Cultivators from both sides had created a rain of blood. To the Spider Branch, this was a battle to defend their pride as undefeated conquerors. They must win!

For the members of the Five Tribes, though, they were fighting for their home and their people. They could not retreat, and could not lose. If they did have to die, they would fight to the bitter end. That was because… behind them, beneath the protection of the shield, their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, and other relatives were all watching.

"Fight!"

"To the death!"

"For the Crow Divinity and for our Tribes!" Fierce cries echoed out. This lowest level of the battle was the fiercest. Bloodcurdling screams and blood flew about in all directions.

Inside the shield, the rest of the members of the Five Tribes were watching with clenched fists. Children were crying out in fear, and girls were weeping. Mothers' hearts were breaking, and tears rolled down the faces of fathers.

Much further outside the shield, within the Spider Branch forces, Tsume gave a soft sigh. For a moment she looked disturbed. However, the negative emotions drifted away with her sigh. The right and wrong of war all depended on your perspective.

"Dragoneers! You are aware of the mysterious Dragoneer described in our top secret documents, the one who slaughtered Maroi. The time has come to draw him out from within the Five Tribes!"

Among the Spider Branch Cultivators were three Dragoneers, located at the back of the battle group. They wore black robes and emanated gruesome auras. Furthermore, all of them were surrounded by various protective items that would shield them from any deadly attacks in battle.

Having heard Tsume's words, the three smiled and flicked their sleeves. Immediately, the roar of neo-demons filled the air and beam after beam of light appeared. Roaring filled the air as a horde of nearly ten thousand neo-demons appeared next to each of these people.

When the Crow Gloom Tribe Priest saw this his face began to flicker. Something about the rhythm of this battle seemed off, but he really had no other choice at the moment. Turning toward the rear mountain district, he clasped hands and bowed deeply. "Grandmaster Naruto, your assistance is requested!"

Naruto was sitting cross-legged in his courtyard, observing the battle. He had seen everything happening in the sky overhead, as well as the storm of blood on the battlefield. It made him think of the battle of Holy Snow City back in the Black Lands.

Then he thought about the Golden Crow and the great tree.

After a long moment, he sighed.

"Because of your kindness… I will do my best to ensure that the Tribe you created continues on into the future." Sighing softly, he rose to his feet and walked out of his courtyard. He was followed by the Wild Giant, who lifted its head to the sky and roared, a bloodthirsty look in its eyes. Battles like these were exactly where Wild Giants liked to be!

Outside of the shield, the three rank 9 Dragoneers from the Spider Branch began to attack. Vast numbers of neo-demons blotted out the sky and land. There was something very special about these Dragoneers; their neo-demon hordes all consisted of a single type of neo-demon.

One of them possessed a huge flock of vicious gray seabirds that whistled through the air. Bizarrely, each of these birds had three claws and the image of a human face on its chest.

Astonishingly, another of the Dragoneers was surrounded by multiple giant ants. The largest of these ants were roughly six meters long; as for the small ones, there were too many to even count. They looked savage as they swarmed forward, blanketing over everything.

The final Dragoneer was an old man with a proud expression on his face. Nine wasp nests floated in the air around him, and he was surrounded by a cloud of poisonous wasps. The shocking sound of their buzz was enough to cause anyone's scalp to go numb.

Uniform neo-demon hordes were the standard for orthodox Dragoneers. These were the types of Dragoneers who each benefited from a legacy. Many such legacies had been passed down through various Dragoneer bloodlines for generations.

Considering that they could summon vast hordes of uniform neo-demons, it was very easy to see the difference between them, and Rogue Dragoneers, most of whom had mixed neo-demon hordes.

After seeing these three Dragoneers appear, Naruto's face was calm as he stood atop the Wild Giant's enormous frame. It howled as it charged forward, instantly attracting the attention of everyone outside of the shield.

His appearance immediately caused Tsume's expression to flicker. She examined Naruto closely for a moment and then frowned.

At the same time, the three rank 9 Dragoneers from the Spider Branch looked over at Naruto, then exchanged glittering glances. They all began to flicker incantation gestures, causing several thousand neo-demons from each of their hordes to suddenly shoot directly toward the shield.

These three groups of three different types of neo-demons formed together to make a neo-demon horde nearly ten thousand in number. Their shocking roars lifted up to the Heavens as they advanced. Naruto gave a cold snort. The howling Wild Giant suddenly leaped up into the air, shooting out through the shield, its eyes filling with the thirst for blood as it charged toward the incoming neo-demon horde.

In mid-air, Naruto's right hand waved, causing the totem tattoos on his right arm to begin to glow. Suddenly, intense light shot out, flickering into a flock of black crows.

The instant the black crows appeared, they let out piercing cries. Suddenly, all the corpses on the battlefield began to emanate a pulsing black aura, which was then sucked upward toward the black crows. It was like a black mist that swirled around the crows and then shot toward the incoming neo-demons.

Simultaneously, a green light began to flicker around Naruto. Big Hairy and the rest of the Greenwood Wolfpack appeared, along with the Black Bat. They too shot out in attack.

As for the Black Bat, it almost appeared like Naruto didn't care about it; in reality, he attached a lot of importance to the creature. It was a neo-demon that had been suppressed by a wooden sword. He was quite certain that the power it was revealing now was not the full extent of what it was capable of. Either it was intentionally holding back, or needed more time to recover from the serious injury.

If it was the latter, then that meant it was very weak right now. Even still, its weakness allowed it to employ a Cultivation base of roughly level 7.

Shocking booms filled the air as the two neo-demon hordes slammed into each other and then dissolved into fierce fighting.

Naruto himself had attracted quite a bit of attention on the battlefield. Dragoneer battles were large in scope, and gave rise to powerful auras. Within the blink of an eye, this Dragoneer showdown had turned into the fourth of the great battles occurring.

One of the three Spider Branch Dragoneers let out a cold laugh and then said, "You trifling Rogue Dragoneer. You killed Maroi by a fluke! Your mixed neo-demon horde might have some fantastic neo-demons in it, but you don't stand a chance against the three of us!"

Naruto was their only enemy, and their only mission was to draw him out and kill him.

Seeing him fighting back against them, the three exchanged another glance, then all began to flash incantation gestures. Immediately, the rest of the neo-demons around them lifted their heads up and roared, then charged forward.

The impressive sight and the thunderous roaring caused many of the surrounding combatants to suddenly look over to watch this part of the battle.

Laughing coldly, the three Spider Branch Dragoneers performed more incantations, causing the totems on their bodies to begin to shine. Suddenly several hundred level 10 neo-demons magically appeared in the air around them. In unison, they charged toward Naruto.

"We will help you to understand the truly crushing power of Dragoneers!" Even as the words left their mouths, their neo-demon hordes, nearly thirty thousand in number, closed in on Naruto. It truly seemed as if Naruto's own neo-demon horde would have difficulty fighting back. They would surely be completely consumed.

His face as calm as ever, Naruto's cold eyes glanced over the incoming neo-demons. With that, he casually shook his arms and legs. Immediately, totemic light began to emanate out from him. Within the glowing light were several thousand howling Greenwood Wolves, as well as Flame Thrushes and Stone Golems. There was also an innumerable group of neo-demons whose bodies were surrounded by rippling shields of water.

A shocking roar then filled the air as the savage red crocodile crawled out onto the battlefield.

Then, a shriek could be heard as black mists billowed up. Within the black mist crawled a black lizard that looked like it had just emerged from the yellow springs of the underworld. Its appearance immediately caused the air to vibrate.

Next, a droning sound could be heard as the fierce, green Demonsquitos appeared around Naruto.

As one neo-demon horde after another appeared, the faces of the three Spider Branch Dragoneers instantly fell. At the same time, Naruto began to stride forward. As he did, the air around him rippled as twenty of the three hundred meter large spiders appeared, along with over ten thousand smaller spiders. They whistled throughout the air, a vast horde of nearly thirty thousand neo-demons that caused everything to shake. They instantly charged toward the three Dragoneers.

As soon as Naruto's neo-demons slammed into the hordes from the Spider Branch, miserable cries filled the air. The three Dragoneers' hordes were completely incapable of blocking Naruto's. Facing the slaughter and injury, they tried to fall back. Unfortunately for them, Naruto's neo-demons quickly surrounded them.

The three Dragoneers' faces fell and grew ashen. At the same time, Tsume's eyes went wide and filled with an expression of disbelief. Then, her soft voice could once again be heard.

"High Priest, it seems that if we wish to kill this man, we will first need to draw out their most powerful expert, the Greatfather of the Crow Soldier Tribe. Only when he is also present can I execute our plan to completely exterminate these Five Tribes. High Priest, please take action!"

The Spider Branch High Priest, the old man in the green robe, smiled in response to her words. He waved his wooden wand, and then employed minor teleportation. When he reappeared, he was directly in front of Naruto. As soon as he arrived, Naruto's eyes flickered. Having sensed the man's imminent arrival, Naruto was ready. He shot backward, his eyes cold.

Back inside the shield, the Crow Gloom Priest could tell that something fishy was going on, but he wasn't sure exactly what. Unfortunately, there was no time to analyze the situation to try to figure out the source of his strange feeling.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, please intercept that High Priest to buy some time for Grandmaster Naruto!"

Next to him, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather's eyes glimmered with coldness. His body disappeared in a minor teleportation. When he reappeared, he was blocking the Spider Branch High Priest, preventing him from nearing Naruto. The two looked at each other, and, without a word, instantly employed divine abilities. Booming sounds filled the air as the fifth major encounter began on the battlefield.

As for Naruto, he also could tell that something strange was going on. He had participated in a similar Cultivator war back in the Black Lands. Based on how that war went, it could be said that such wars were usually not finished in a short period of time. Usually, protracted battles went on for days before the situation began to favor one side or the other.

Unless one side was clearly in a position of superiority in terms of power, allowing them to crush the other side, then the only option was to try to slowly weaken the other side.

However, despite clearly not being in the position to crush the Five Tribes, the Spider Branch, after not even a single day of battle, was using this strange tactic to try to force the Five Tribes to play their trump cards.

It appeared as if the Spider Branch were going all out, regardless of being assured of victory. Such impulsive attacks must surely be a part of some greater plan.

"There must be some deadly gambit waiting to be sprung. If I were them, what would be my tactic?" Naruto controlled the neo-demons surrounding the hordes of the three Dragoneers and simultaneously glanced around the battlefield. The first thing he took note of was the rippling scene up above. That was where the Five Tribes' Sacred Ancients were locked in battle with the fearsome Demonspider that was attempting to emerge.

"It most likely won't involve them…. The totemic Sacred Ancients are not Cultivators, but rather powerful neo-demons who can spawn totems. Their battle exceeds my understanding." Frowning, Naruto looked at the thousands of battling Cultivators, then back at the shield. Finally, he looked up at the battling Nascent Soul Cultivators.

"Then there's me. I count as one of the major parts of the battle. However, if they wanted to kill me specifically, they would do so with decisiveness. If you look at it that way…." Naruto's face suddenly flickered. Without hesitation, he shot backward, both hands flickering an incantation. Flickering protective shields immediately appeared around him.

Almost at the exact moment that Naruto began to retreat, Tsume's eyes began to glow with a cold light. She took a deep breath as she carefully lifted up her right hand to reveal a wooden box.

When she opened the box, a black glow instantly emanated out. At the same time, a tremor ran through Tsume's body. She bit her tongue with her beautiful teeth and then kneeled down on one knee, holding the box up above her head with both hands.

As soon as she lifted the box up, the black glow spread out in shocking fashion. A painful radiance appeared which seemed capable of consuming and replacing all other light.

The Spider Branch Cultivators all suddenly produced black, pasty medicinal pills which they then consumed. After they did, their eyes suddenly turned completely black.

The Cultivators from the Five Tribes suddenly felt something pulling at them, causing them to involuntarily look over.

The instant that they did, their hearts all began to tremble.

The faces of the Tribe members within the shield flickered. They could feel nothing; only those outside the shield could sense the pulling power of the black glow. However, it was this very fact that made the Crow Gloom Priest's face suddenly go pale white.

His voice hoarse, he said, "Exotic Heartdevil Flower!"

Naruto's pupils constricted. However, he was already on guard. A bloody glow surrounded him as he directly employed the Blood Death World to defend against the calling of the black glow.

It was at this point that Naruto's face flickered. This was because it was at this very moment… that the Resurrection Lily chose to explode out with power.

Naruto instantly sent his will out to call all of his neo-demons. They immediately began to rush back toward him.

Inside the shield, the Crow Gloom Priest's face went pale and he began to murmur. "Exotic Heartdevil Flower!

"The Five Poisons Tribe wants to exterminate the five Crow Divinity Tribes so bad they're using the Exotic Heartdevil Flower! It must not be looked at! Looking at it causes a Heartdevil to rise up, which then transforms into a devilish will that burns you away…."

How could he not understand that he had been defeated from the very beginning…! Played and defeated. He had known something was off, but hadn't been able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Exotic Heartdevil Flowers were rare. During Spirit Severing, if a Cultivator had such a flower, the chances of success were greatly increased, which made it an extremely precious treasure.

Furthermore, the flower itself was extremely brutal. Anyone under the Spirit Severing stage who looked at it would lose virtually all life force and then be burned alive by a devilish will. The end result was always death.

In some ways, though, the flower was weak. Although it was difficult for a person to defend against it, the Tribe's protective shield was enough to keep its power on the outside. None of the Tribe members inside would be affected.

However, as soon as the Exotic Heartdevil Flower appeared outside, everyone on the battlefield suddenly stopped moving, with the exception of the totemic Sacred Ancients and the Sacred Spider.

After consuming the special medicinal pill, the Spider Branch Cultivators were temporarily safe from the effects of the flower. However, they were forced to first sit cross-legged in meditation. The members of the Five Tribes, on the other hand, began to scream in pain.

Almost immediately, more than three hundred members of the Five Tribes began to tremble. Blood oozed from their eyes, nose, and mouth as something like an invisible fire raged in their bodies, withering them up. It took only a moment for their life force to be extinguished, and their bodies transformed into desiccated corpses. In the last moment before death, they let out tragic, blood-curdling shrieks.

After that, more and more of the Tribe members began to scream and die. It was a massacre. No enemy made a single attack, and yet the ruthlessness of scene exceeded the previous fighting by a hundredfold.

The members of the Five Tribes within the shield looked out at their fellow Tribesmen dying, and could only tremble. Their eyes turned bloodshot, and they howled in anguish. Unfortunately… they could not charge out to provide aid.

As soon as they left the shield, they too would die. Not only would they be incapable of helping their fellow Tribe members, but they would be charging to their death!

The Grand Elder of the Crow Scout Tribe was shaking, and he coughed up blood as his body withered up. Even Nascent Soul Cultivators were incapable of evading. In front of him, he saw a shapeless form, laughing ruthlessly as it sucked away his life force and consumed it.

As the members of the Five Tribes died, the black light emanating out from Tsume's wooden box grew even more intense. It seemed that after consuming enough blood, it was turning violet.

Everything was going according to Tsume's plan. The slaughtering, the attack on the shield, all of it had been a ruse to draw out the powerful experts. Once they were out of the shield… she would exterminate them with the Exotic Heartdevil Flower.

At the moment, Tsume's face was pale as she held aloft the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. A strange look appeared on her face as she spit out a mouthful of blood. As the blood flew out, it transformed into strands of Blood Chakra, which spread out toward all of the Spider Branch Cultivators who sat cross-legged meditating on the battlefield.

"Nascent Soul seniors," said Tsume softly, "I cannot exempt you from the effects of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. However, all other ordinary Cultivators, my mouthful of Heartdevil Blood can temporarily allow you to move about freely."

With the exception of the Nascent Soul Cultivators, all of the other Tribe members whom the Blood Chakra entered suddenly shook. They opened their eyes, and the lucidity therein instantly transformed into savagery. They leaped up roaring, and began to slaughter the surrounding Five Tribes members, who were now powerless to fight back.

Now the true massacre had begun.

Mournful cries instantly could be heard from within the shield.

"NOOO!"

"Five Poisons Tribe, you are now the arch nemesis of the Crow Divinity Tribe! We two cannot exist under the same sky!"

The surviving Five Tribes members within the shield were trembling, and their eyes were bloodshot as they felt their hearts tearing apart. They could do nothing but watch on helplessly as the Tribe members outside the shield were being slaughtered. The tearing pain within them caused their voices to be filled with indescribable grief.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Five Tribes Cultivators were viciously cut down by the Spider Branch. As for Naruto, he immediately attracted the attention of the Spider Branch Cultivators. However, the vast quantity of neo-demons surrounding him caused them to hesitate.

It was at this moment that the three Dragoneers opened their eyes from meditation. When they saw Naruto's current position, they went wild with joy and immediately sent forth all of their neo-demon hordes to slaughter his.

It was in this fashion that the cruel Spider Branch Cultivators descended upon Naruto.

Naruto was sitting there meditating, his eyes closed tightly and his body trembling.

His thirty thousand neo-demons were situated around him on the battlefield. All of them began to roar. The Exotic Heartdevil Flower had little effect on them. Therefore, they immediately began to fight back against the enemy Cultivators and neo-demons.

Instantly, booming sounds filled the air, although Naruto was incapable of paying any attention to it. At the moment, his body was shaking as the Resurrection Lily unleashed all of its power against him in its attempt to take over his body. In return, Naruto was using all the strength he could muster to suppress it.

The inward struggle raged on. By this point, eighty to ninety percent of the Five Tribes Cultivators had been massacred. Blood soaked the ground, which was littered with corpses. The reek of blood rose up into the sky. The Five Tribes within the shield felt their hatred for the Five Poisons Tribe growing to an indescribable level.

It was at this point that the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather coughed up a mouthful of blood. He laughed bitterly as his body withered up. Facing up against an Exotic Heartdevil Flower without making advanced preparations, even Nascent Soul Cultivators would find it difficult to resist it. They wouldn't even be able to self-detonate. They could only stand there and be consumed by the flower.

In the moment before he died, the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather bit the tip of his tongue. A green light began to shine out from all of the totems on his body. Fatally damaging his own body and spirit, he sent some of his life force shooting back toward the Crow Scout Tribe Priest.

"We can't… all perish here!" cried the Greatfather. He continued to laugh bitterly as his body withered up completely. He was unable to extricate himself, but what he was able to do was impart some of his boundless life force to his fellow Tribe member. The stream of life force entered the person behind him. Unfortunately, he was not able to extricate himself from the power of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower either. Merging his own life force with that of the Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather, he sent it out to the next person. And so it went on….

The Crow Flame Greatfather, Priest and Grand Elder and other Nascent Soul Cultivators outside of the shield all perished, more than ten in total.

They died laughing bitterly, and hearts filled with rancor. Before withering away in death, the last person in line took all of the combined life force and passed it on to the most powerful expert of the Five Tribes, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather.

The life force fused into the body of the gray-haired Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, who was currently fighting back against the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. It was a final gift from his fellow Tribesmen upon their death. Within the life force was also their combined hatred of the Five Poisons Tribe. It combined together to form one word.

"REVENGE!"

The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather lifted his head to the sky and roared. His eyes were completely bloodshot, but at this moment, the power of restoration flowed through him. He shook off the glow of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he unhesitatingly fell back at top speed. Even as the power of the flower once again attempted to envelop him, he shot back through the shield, and then immediately sat down cross-legged to heal himself. His expression was one of extreme malevolence, but in fact, his heart felt as if it were breaking.

Beneath the dim light cast out by the Exotic Heartdevil Flower, all of the Five Tribes members had perished except for Naruto. The tragic turn of events caused the hearts of the Tribe members inside the shield to fill with thoughts of despair. The shadow of genocide loomed over them, and they began to weep.

As of now, the Five Tribes only had seven Nascent Soul Cultivators left inside the shield. They immediately went to stand guard around the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. They said nothing, but within their bitterness, hatred boiled up into the sky. The Crow Gloom Tribe Priest laughed woefully and then muttered to himself, "Defeated… thoroughly defeated…."

Back outside the shield, Tsume opened her eyes and looked out at the blood-soaked, corpse-filled battlefield. When she saw that the Crow Soldier Greatfather had escaped with his life, she let out a soft sigh. A sliver of pity appeared in her eyes, but she quickly shook her head and it disappeared. Then her phoenix-like eyes fell upon Naruto, who was still sitting cross-legged in meditation.

"Spider Branch Cultivators, hold nothing back! Cooperate with our three esteemed Dragoneers to slaughter the Five Tribes' Dragoneer!"

In response to her words, the more than three thousand Spider Branch Cultivators shot toward Naruto. As for the Grand Elders and High Priest, they simply sat there with legs crossed. Considering their status, they completely ignored Naruto, and instead looked with glittering eyes at the Five Tribes' protective shield.

"Seniors," said Tsume in her soft voice, "please exert full power to destroy the shield. We will allow the glow of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower to shine inside, whereupon today's battle shall be concluded. The Spider Branch has suffered few losses, and secured victory. My trial by fire is over, and the Tribe can be notified."

Booms filled the air as the powerful experts of the Spider Branch, including the High Priest, levelled attacks against the shield. Naruto's neo-demons fought fiercely against the three Dragoneers and the rest of the three thousand Cultivators who surrounded them.

The injuries they were sustaining grew more severe, and the tide was turning against them. Without Naruto and his Demonic Chakra, their battle prowess was significantly lessened.

The Five Tribes' shield was rumbling and showing signs of breaking. At this point, Big Hairy let out a sad howl and coughed up some blood.

Just when it seemed everything was going to go wrong, Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. They were completely bloodshot and radiated intense killing intent. Despite the Resurrection Lily's fierce struggles, Naruto had once again managed to suppress it.

As soon as Naruto suppressed the Resurrection Lily, the Exotic Heartdevil Flower suddenly had no effect on him whatsoever. Perhaps this had something to do with the Resurrection Lily itself, although it was impossible to say for sure.

The instant Naruto opened his eyes, his neo-demons all let out powerful roars. The eyes of the three Dragoneers narrowed, and the hearts of the surrounding three thousand enemy Cultivators trembled. However, they continued to attack as relentlessly as before.

Naruto looked around thoughtfully. He saw the thousands of corpses of the Five Tribes members, and also noted that the shield was about to collapse. Of his original group of thirty thousand neo-demons, more than half were dead.

Although he had witnessed the desperate war in Holy Snow City, seeing this scene caused his heart to fill with the same grief as the rest of the Five Tribes.

"Considering that the battle has reached this point, I should really leave," he murmured softly. "However… I have no desire to do any fleeing today!" He lifted his right hand and pushed down onto the ground.

"Demonic Chakra, art of Righteous Bestowal!" Immediately, endless amounts of Demonic Chakra erupted up in all directions. He waved his hand, causing the invisible Chakra to immediately fuse with the more than ten thousand neo-demons of his that remained.

The neo-demons' bodies all began to tremble. The Demonsquitos swelled to several times their original size and emitted a shocking aura. In addition to emanating Demonic Chakra, an aura of transmogrification suddenly appeared.

Under the power of this aura, the Demonsquitos suddenly grew an extra pair of wings. In addition, the tails of the mosquitos sprouted green spikes!

The sight of it was incredibly fearsome!

As for the black crows, they trembled and then emitted fierce cries. They glowed with a black light, and the fierceness of their auras grew exponentially. Not only did their bodies grow larger, but ghost images sprang up around the Demoncrows, forming what looked like mirror images behind each one.

This ghost image was a result of the transmogrification, a sort of evolution. With the ghost image there, it was like each crow had two life forces.

Big Hairy howled into the sky as his body grew to three hundred meters in size. He already had Demonic Chakra within him, but this addition didn't just cause him to grow larger; his blood began to pump harder and the image of a floating moon appeared above his head. Beneath the light of this moon, his coat of white fur suddenly turned silver. He was now a Silver Wolf!

As for the spiders, they let out fierce cries as their bodies grew more powerful and their appearances even more savage. On their rear torsos, the images of human faces could suddenly be seen. Their fangs grew even longer until they looked like giant pincers!

The red crocodile's scales grew bigger, and its head began to change shape to look more like a dragon. The flesh on its back began to bulge out and then suddenly, two wings appeared. It flew into the air, no longer a crocodile, but rather, something like a red Flying Rain-Dragon!

Although it didn't form the spitting image of a Flying Rain-Dragon, its aura was extremely similar.

Roaring, the lizard's body grew until it was the size of a small mountain. Black smoke poured out from its mouth, as though fire burned in its belly, just ready to be shot out.

It now looked completely different than it had before; its aura was vastly more powerful.

The Wild Giant let out an intense roar as its body grew even burlier. It lifted its hand into the air, and shockingly, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky. As the Wild Giant grabbed it, it transformed into a lightning whip, shocking to the extreme.

All of the neo-demons experienced transmogrification. Such changes were things that since ancient times had happened only occasionally in the Western Desert. To see all of these transmogrifications occurring simultaneously was unprecedented.

The scene immediately caused the neo-demons of the three Dragoneers to be shaken. Looks of fear appeared in their eyes and they didn't dare to move forward.

The three thousand Spider Branch Cultivators' minds were filled with a buzzing sound. To suddenly see more than ten thousand neo-demons experience transmogrifications that turned them into a mutated horde filled them with incredible fear.

Tsume's eyes were wide and filled with a bright glow. Naruto's sudden explosion of power left her shocked.

It wasn't just her. The Spider Branch High Priest and Grand Elders, who were currently attacking the shield, suddenly looked back. When they saw Naruto and his neo-demons, their hearts and minds trembled.

The faces of the Spider Branch's three Dragoneers filled with disbelief, and they began to pant. Shock completely filled their hearts and they gave out hoarse cries of alarm.

"Grand… Grand Dragoneer!"

"He's a Grand Dragoneer! Only Grand Dragoneers could wield such a fearsome secret Dragoneer art!"

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes swept over them, and their faces went deathly pale. Scalps numb, they retreated at top speed.

Even as they began to fall back, Naruto's neo-demons let out shocking roars and then fell upon the Cultivators and neo-demons who surrounded them.

Amidst the thunderous roaring, Naruto also moved forward with incredible speed, using a Bloodburst Flash. His body seemed to disappear. As it did, all of the neo-demons and Cultivators between him and the nearest of the three Dragoneers suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood and flesh. Naruto reappeared directly in front of the Dragoneer.

The speed with which this happened was incredibly shocking. It wasn't a minor teleportation, but rather, an explosive burst of speed over a short distance, leaving behind a path of destruction and death.

"You…." The Dragoneer's face fell, and his mind filled with a buzzing sound. He was just about to shoot back when Naruto's hand snapped out and latched onto his throat. A cracking sound rang out as Naruto, his face completely expressionless, crushed the man's neck.

When he dropped the Dragoneer, a thorn-covered vine suddenly snaked out from the Wild Giant. In one giant gulp, it swallowed the body of the Dragoneer. The ferocious vine then began to spin around Naruto, turning into what looked like a gigantic sphere of thorns that swept about in all directions.

This single kill instantly shook the entire battlefield. The faces of two of the Spider Branch Nascent Soul Elders who were attacking the shield, flickered. Without hesitation, they performed minor teleportations to suddenly reappear near Naruto.

The instant they reappeared, a group of Demonsquitos screamed through the air to defend Naruto. The two Nascent Soul Elders combined forces to attack, which instantly defeated the Demonsquitos. However, by this time, a bloody glow had appeared around Naruto and he once again Bloodburst Flashed. This time, he appeared next to the second fleeing Dragoneer. He waved his hand, causing a golden light to surge forward. The man screamed as the golden light completely surrounded his body. After the space of a few breaths passed, the light faded, revealing that the man had been completely turned into gold. He slowly fell down out of the sky.

The last Dragoneer was an old man who was currently scared witless by Naruto's unprecedented ferocity. He immediately began to tremble violently.

"Save me!" he cried, shooting as fast as he could toward Tsume.

"What incredible guts!" cried one of the two Nascent Soul Cultivators. The fact that Naruto had killed another rank 9 Dragoneer right in front of them, filled them with fury. Their bodies flickered as they once again shot toward Naruto, their killing intent billowing out. Even before they neared him, divine abilities were magically appearing.

"My guts are actually pretty ordinary…." said Naruto lightly. As the Nascent Soul Elders neared, he lifted his right hand and pointed toward the two. The Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was immediately unleashed. Invisible strands of Demonic Chakra shot toward the two men, instantly binding them.

The two Nascent Soul experts' faces fell. Although it wouldn't take long for the explosive power of their Cultivation bases to free them, their brief moment of shock allowed Naruto to once again use the Bloodburst Flash. A bloody glow surrounded him as he shot toward the final Dragoneer.

"How dare you!" cried another of the Nascent Soul Elders. He immediately teleported away from the shield to appear next to the old Dragoneer. Roaring, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing a colorful glow to spread out toward Naruto.

"No one can save someone that I want to kill," said Naruto calmly. Without a scrap of hesitation, he clenched his right hand into a fist and struck out toward the Nascent Soul expert.

A boom filled the air. Naruto's body trembled and he fell back three paces. The Nascent Soul Expert's face fell and blood sprayed from his mouth. He fell back seven or eight paces, disbelief shining in his eyes. He watched in shock as Naruto approached the Dragoneer. Before the Dragoneer could do anything at all, Naruto grabbed his neck and crushed it.

Completely surrounded by an army of thousands, Naruto slaughtered three Dragoneers. Not even three Nascent Soul Elders could do a thing to stop him. In fact, one of the Dragoneers had been slain directly in front of one of the Nascent Soul Elders. This scene caused everyone to be filled with shock, not just the Spider Branch Cultivators, but also the members of the Five Tribes within the shield. All of a sudden their blood began to boil as their despair turned into hope!

"Grandmaster Naruto!"

"Grandmaster Naruto!"

Cries rang out from within the shield, carrying with them the hope and excitement of the surviving members of the Five Tribes.

Tsume was panting as she looked at Naruto. His actions completely exceeded her anticipations, and as of now, he was turning into a critical factor in the battle.

"Grand Dragoneer…. One who can directly shake a Nascent Soul Cultivator…. This man has to die!" Even as killing intent sprang into her eyes, her heart trembled and a feeling of grave danger filled her. That was because she had just seen Naruto's eyes!

In this moment, Naruto's gaze passed over the battlefield, soaring over the vast gulf created between him and her by the three thousand Cultivators.

His gaze was filled with killing intent. And it was directed at her!

"He wants to kill me? Those three Dragoneers were too close to him, making them easy targets. He's much too far away from me, plus there are three thousand Cultivators between us. I have more than ten bodyguards, plus the High Priest and the Elders. How exactly… does he plan to kill me!?"

"There's no need to even think about it," continued Tsume. "With a barrier of three thousand Cultivators, he'll get tangled up before he can even get close to me. Unless he can perform minor teleportation, it won't do him any good. Even relying on that Blood Chakra art won't get him across such a distance!

"If he flew, it would require incredible speed to break through three thousand Cultivators. Having seen his speed just now, I can tell it's not sufficient." It was at this point in her train of thought that Tsume saw Naruto lift his head up and let out a long cry.

In response to the cry, the Wild Giant came running. It roared as its muscles swelled and its body grew to the height of three hundred meters. The muscles on its right arm began to writhe, as if all the blood in its entire body was being collected there. The arm continued to grow in a bizarre and exaggerated way; soon it comprised more than half of the Wild Giant's entire body!

The arm was completely out of proportion to the rest of its body. Blue veins popped up all over the surface of the arm, and it looked like it was almost about to explode. There appeared to be terrifying physical power filling the arm. The sight of it was completely shocking. The Wild Giant snatched up Naruto with its arm and hurled him into the air in the direction of Tsume.

All of the fearsome power contained in the body of the Wild Giant was now transferred to Naruto, causing him to shoot through the air like a lightning bolt. As he sped through the air, the power of the Wild Giant bolstered his innate speed, causing his figure to rip through the air… like a blazing sun!

At the same time, a cloud of Demonsquitos circled around him, transforming into a vortex. Black crows also approached, turning into a mist. The red crocodile also approached, becoming a giant wing. The enormous lizard transformed into a body, and the Black Bat became another wing. Naruto's speed once again increased explosively as the neo-demon horde pushed him forward.

A shocking drone spread out in all directions as Naruto shot through the sky surrounded by his vast neo-demon horde. He sailed over the three thousand Cultivators, who stared up, their minds spinning, too shocked to react. It was at this time that…

Naruto's neo-demon horde transformed into a long, sharp arrow, with Naruto as the arrowhead. They shot forward, filled with the desire to kill and emanating fierce killing intent. It was with explosive speed that they shot through the sky toward Tsume, seemingly capable of ripping open the Heavens.

In this moment, the members of the Five Tribes within the shield couldn't even breathe. The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, now recovered from his injuries, stared with wide, bloodshot eyes. The other seven Nascent Soul Cultivators next to him were panting.

In this moment, three thousand Spider Branch Cultivators watched on with red eyes that were filled with shock.

In this moment, the expressions of the Nascent Soul Elders outside of the shield, as well as of the High Priest, completely changed!

Tsume's phoenix like eyes went wide and she began to pant as she stared at Naruto. In this moment, Naruto's figure could be seen reflected in her eyes as it was burned deeply into her mind and heart.

A figure leaping, sailing over three thousand Cultivators,

A demonic arrow, shooting directly toward Tsume!

The incredible speed made the over one thousand meter distance between the two of them suddenly less than three hundred! The Cultivators with the green tattoos who surrounded Tsume braced themselves to contend with this formidable foe. Killing intent could be seen in their eyes.

Tsume held the Exotic Heartdevil Flower up above her head. As she stared at Naruto, her expression grew calm, and her eyes filled with coldness. At the moment, she couldn't move. If she did, it would cause the power of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower to dissipate. Once that happened, the remaining Five Tribes Cultivators within the shield would charge out. Including the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, that would be eight Nascent Soul Cultivators, more than enough to entangle the Spider Branch Elders.

Such a circumstance would put them in truly grave danger.

"I bet… he won't make it!" thought Tsume, her heart filling with decisiveness.

The rest of the Spider Branch Elders now abandoned their attempts to destroy the shield and exterminate the Five Tribes. More important to them was their Branch's Holy Daughter.

Three of the nine Elders immediately teleported toward Naruto, their bodies exploding with power. The other six began to fly forward without hesitation.

The three Elders suddenly appeared next to Naruto's shocking figure. They immediately began to perform incantation gestures, causing totemic light to spring out from their bodies. It transformed into a massive, illusive figure which shot toward Naruto.

"Back off, you!" The growling roar of the three Nascent Soul Cultivators was like thunder.

"Screw off!" replied Naruto, accompanied by a howl that sounded like the combination of the howling of all the neo-demons that surrounded him. The sound of it shook Heaven and Earth, and pressed down onto the three Nascent Soul Cultivators. Suddenly, the flock of black crows, the cloud of Demonsquitos, as well as the red crocodile all changed direction and shot toward the three.

Amidst the thunderous roaring, Naruto continued onward, not pausing even a tiny bit. The neo-demon horde obstructed the path of the three Nascent Soul Cultivators, allowing Naruto to pass by them unhindered.

He was now only about two hundred meters from Tsume!

Furious roars could now be heard as the other six Nascent Soul Elders appeared near Naruto. They employed the full power of their Cultivation bases, causing totemic divine abilities to manifest. Roaring filled the air as the power of these six men combined to create an enormous golden bell that shot toward Naruto, preparing to crush him.

As the golden bell flew forward, massive pressure filled the air, along with an ear-splitting rumble. Naruto's eyes glittered as he suddenly waved out with both hands. Big Hairy and the gigantic lizard, as well as all of the other neo-demons, shot through the air toward the incoming golden bell.

From a distance, Naruto's neo-demon horde appeared to transform into something like a black wind that swept out from his body. Now Naruto was completely visible there in mid-air.

Without hesitation, he lifted his right hand up, within which appeared a blood-colored mask. He slipped it onto his face, and a rumbling sound could be heard as a shapeless Blood Chakra exploded out from his body. It shot out in all directions, completely shocking all the onlookers.

The Blood Chakra billowed out, transforming into an enormous red vortex with Naruto in the middle, flashing an incantation gesture. Suddenly, the rapidly spinning vortex changed into the image of a face.

The face shot out from behind the neo-demon horde, directly toward the golden bell and the six Nascent Soul Cultivators.

A massive, shocking boom shook everything. The neo-demon horde scattered and the golden bell shattered. The faces of six men immediately turned pale with astonishment as they retreated backward.

Naruto spat some blood out of his mouth; his speed now increased as he Bloodburst Flashed away from the six Nascent Soul Cultivators to appear only a hundred meters away from Tsume. The two of them could see each other very clearly, even down to the threads in their clothing.

Tsume's expression was the same as ever, and her eyes were filled with coldness. Even Naruto had to admire such a mental state. However, his killing intent grew even thicker as he flickered toward her through the air.

The more than ten Cultivators with green totem tattoos immediately shot forward, transforming into a green light that charged toward Naruto.

Tsume's expression didn't change in the least as she looked at Naruto approaching her. She saw his mask, his green robe rippling in the wind, and his white hair whipping in the wind. But her eyes were like deep, still waters, filled with coldness.

Surrounded by an army of thousands, he had come alone. Nine Nascent Soul Elders were incapable of hindering him in the slightest. The image of a person like this would forever be imprinted in Tsume's heart.

You could say that in terms of this great battle between Tribes, Tsume had calculated all possibilities. The only thing she hadn't calculated… was Naruto.

Naruto raised a fist and slammed it into the chest of one of the green-faced Cultivators. The man's Cultivation base was immediately suppressed. His body didn't explode immediately. Instead he was thrown backward, where he slammed into the person behind him and they both exploded into a cloud of blood and gore.

Naruto's body flickered, and he reappeared behind another of the Cultivators. He didn't strike out. Instead, he flashed an incantation gesture, and sounds rang out like the crunching of bones. A golden light appeared, and three of the people were instantly transformed into statues of gold.

Efficient, clean extermination, without any messiness. Having accomplished this, Naruto took a deep breath and increased his speed, passing through the surviving five Cultivators as he closed in on Tsume.

The surviving green-faced Cultivators let out successive roars, their eyes filling with determination as they opted to… self-detonate!

Booms filled the air as five Cultivators of the great circle of Core Formation exploded. Such power would cause even Naruto to be shocked if it hit him. However, his expression didn't change in the least bit. Even as the power of the self-detonation swept toward him, layers of silk threads appeared around him. This was… Eyeless Larva silk!

The silk whistled through the air as it surrounded Naruto. The silk was indestructible, therefore, Naruto sustained no injuries. He shot onward like lightning, bursting out from within the self-detonation explosions. He was now only thirty meters away from Tsume.

By this point, everyone in the area was completely astonished!

It was at this moment that a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of him. Something like a green boulder and a black wooden branch seemed to step out from the void. A wand pointed toward Naruto.

"Begone!" The voice was archaic and booming, and belonged to none other than the High Priest of the Spider Branch. He glared at Naruto, gripping a wand in his hand that contained power seemingly sufficient to crush mountains. Naruto was incapable of dodging, and the power of the wand slammed into the silk of the Eyeless Larva.

His eyes flickered as the nine Nascent Soul Elders behind him managed to shake off the neo-demon hordes and close in on him with murder in their eyes.

When Tsume saw the High Priest appear, she heaved a sigh of relief. The fact that Naruto had made it within thirty meters of her had filled her with an unprecedented sense of crisis.

A boom filled the air and Naruto's body trembled as the silk of the Eyeless Larva continuously fought back against the explosive power of the mid Nascent Soul Cultivation base power from the High Priest. Blood seeped out of the corners of Naruto's mouth and he was forced to retreat several paces.

However, that was the extent of it; a bit of blood seeping out, and a retreat of a few steps. This was all that happened in the face of an onslaught from the full power of a mid Nascent Soul stage attack.

The Spider Branch High Priest's pupils constricted.

"Just what magical item is that!? Well, it doesn't matter how powerful your magical item is, if you think you can get past me, you're dreaming!"

"Mid Nascent Soul stage!" thought Naruto, his eyes narrowing. Of the Cultivators he had personally battled with, the highest Cultivation base he had faced was that of Eccentric Hagoromo. Even Hagoromo had only been at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage. There was a vast difference between that and the mid Nascent Soul stage.

The difference between the various levels of the Nascent Soul stage was far greater than the difference of the various levels of the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stage. Naruto possessed two totems and was wearing the blood-colored mask, which enabled him to slay early Nascent Soul stage Cultivators; however, battling the mid Nascent Soul stage would be very difficult.

However, considering that he had chosen to attack Tsume, how could he not have been on guard against the Spider Branch's High Priest? At the same time that he backed up, both hands flickered in an incantation gesture, and then he pointed forward.

"Eyeless Larva!" he said coldly. Immediately, the Eyeless Larva silk surrounding him opened up, and the Eyeless Larva itself appeared in front of Naruto. It flickered, then shot toward the High Priest. As it did, massive amounts of silk appeared, wrapping around the High Priest, entangling him.

"You're right, I can't beat the mid Nascent Soul Stage," said Naruto coolly. "But that doesn't mean I can't tie you up!" The High Priest frowned, and he prepared to perform a minor teleportation. But then, Naruto waved his hand.

"Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!" he cried. Immediately, Demonic Chakra covered over everything, rumbling as it shot toward the High Priest. The High Priest's face fell; although he could shake off the effects of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex rather quickly, the slight delay was all the time the Eyeless Larva needed to wrap him up in layer after layer of silk. Soon, he was almost completely covered.

Booming sounds could be heard as the High Priest employed divine abilities. However, the Eyeless Larva was incredibly powerful, and its silk was indestructible. The silk whipped around faster and faster, completely covering the High Priest.

Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood; this was the power of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex backfiring on him because of exceeding the limits of his Cultivation base. However, Naruto ignored it, shooting past the High Priest even as the nine other Nascent Soul Elders closed in on him from behind. He was now directly approaching Tsume.

Tsume's face finally flickered, and she began to breath heavily. Now that Naruto was almost upon her, she finally moved, shooting backward. She continued to hold the Exotic Heartdevil Flower above her head so that it could emit the power of its blooming.

She was well aware that she could not allow the glow of the flower to fade; if that happened, she would truly be on the path to death. Her current situation seemed dangerous, but she knew that all she had to do was hold out for the space of a few breaths. Once the nine Nascent Soul Elders caught up, the situation would be resolved.

As she retreated, she began to speak the words of some bizarre spell.

The spell caused the air in front of her to distort and turn into ripples that spread out in all directions. These ripples suddenly caused a dozen or so different images of her to appear in front of Naruto. It was almost impossible to tell the difference between any of them.

Naruto gave a cold snort. Not pausing for even a moment, he lifted his right hand. At the same time, golden light erupted out from the Metal-type tattoo on his chest, which caused his entire right hand to turn into the color of gold. He pointed toward the ripples, sending out a will of gold which infected the ripples, dyeing them the color of gold.

The golden color rapidly spread out to the dozen or so retreating images of Tsume. Each time the gold completely covered a figure, it would shatter.

In the blink of an eye, the figures disappeared. Then, the distorted ripples popped like a bubble, revealing a shocked Tsume. She coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Naruto's body flickered as he shot forward. He was now about ten meters away from Tsume. The incredible pressure and feeling of imminent death felt by Tsume was greater than any she had experienced in her life. Her face was pale and her lips quivered. Suddenly, a white glow emanated out from her, transforming into a protective shield that began to surround her….

Naruto snorted coldly, pulled his right arm back, and then unleashed a punch. A massive boom filled the air as the white shield collapsed into fragments. Some of the pieces shot backward, slashing across Tsume's body and leaving behind bloody cuts.

When the shield shattered, more blood sprayed out of Tsume's mouth. However, she continued to hold up the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. As Naruto closed in, she flickered an incantation with her right hand. Then, her phoenix-like eyes flickered with killing intent as the white spider totem tattoo on her forehead began to emit a white glow.

As the glow emanated out, a spider magically appeared. It imitated a shrill call which transformed into a raging wind that swept across everything. Naruto's body trembled, and it felt like his soul was about to be ripped out of his body by the wind.

However, it only took a moment for Naruto to suppress the feeling. He was capable of suppressing the Resurrection Lily, so some trifling Soul Extermination wind was like nothing. Had Naruto not dealt with suppressing the Resurrection Lily in the past, or if the wind was created by someone with a higher Cultivation base, it might have been a different story. His soul would immediately have been absorbed, and he would have been left in a trance.

However, because of the various factors in play, this totemic divine ability, which only a Holy Daughter of the Spider Branch could gain enlightenment of, was incapable of shaking Naruto in the least.

He flicked his wide sleeve, causing Wood-type totemic power to manifest. A green glow shot toward the white spider, slamming into it. The white spider let out a miserable shriek and then turned into a white beam of light that returned to Tsume's forehead. Once again, Tsume coughed up some blood. For the first time, despair appeared in her eyes.

It quickly vanished, though. She bit the tip of her tongue to spit out a glob of blood. The blood instantly began to emanate a thick odor of gore. Tsume suddenly looked older than before. She watched listlessly as a bloody aura rose up into the sky.

Naruto suddenly felt an intense feeling of crisis. Behind him, the nine Nascent Soul Elders were howling as they began to teleport toward him. Then, they stopped all of a sudden, shocking Naruto. However, it was at this time that, up in the sky, a huge roar could be heard from the area where the totemic Sacred Ancients of the Five Tribes were locked in battle with the Holy Spider.

In concurrence with the roar, an enormous black shadow suddenly appeared as something began to descend from the sky toward the area Naruto was in. If you looked closely, you could see that it was nothing other than a spider leg!

It moved with incredible speed as it approached. Naruto sensed grave danger, and could feel everything shaking. An aura of death filled the area fifteen hundred meters in every direction.

It was at this same moment that Tsume took her chance. Utilizing the power of the blood she had spit out, she rapidly increased her speed as she retreated. Considering how fast she was moving, she would be able to escape the danger zone in the blink of an eye.

Her body began to grow blurry, as if she were being stretched out. Naruto now had two choices. The first choice was to abandon his pursuit and dodge the attack of the fearsome Holy Spider. The other choice… was to continue to try to kill her.

The situation was urgent, and there was no time to sit around thinking. Naruto's eyes gleamed with coldness and he suddenly shot forward. He lifted his hand and grabbed onto Tsume's slender arm, the one that held aloft the Exotic Heartdevil Flower.

Her arm was as graceful and smooth, but also so ice-cold that touching her was shocking. Nonetheless, killing intent glittered in Naruto's eyes.

"Get back here!" he said, wrenching her arm violently and at the same time flooding it with power so strong it could crush Cultivation bases.

Up above, the sky seemed to fill with dark clouds as the leg of the Holy Spider descended like a gigantic sickle. It moved with incredible speed, and seemed as if it were cutting open the very air.

Tsume's face flickered in surprise. However, this was a critical moment, and her eyes filled with vicious determination. She suddenly lifted her left hand, within which appeared a flying sword. She knew that she was no match for Naruto, so when she chopped down, she did not target him, but rather, her own arm, which he was holding. It was already numb, and filled with terrifying power that threatened her entire being.

The sword fell and blood sprayed everywhere. The instant the exterminating power from Naruto appeared, Tsume had made the difficult decision to sever her own right arm. Her body suddenly shot away at incredible speed. Soon, she was fifteen hundred meters away, where she coughed up eight mouthfuls of blood. Her face was pale, and the flesh and blood contracted around the stump of her severed arm. Her aura was weak and her Cultivation base in decline. This was the most severe injury she had ever received in her entire life; she had narrowly escaped death!

Her hair was in disarray; her entire person in extremely poor straits. Her beauty was now twisted because of the pain of having her arm severed; it was almost enough to render her unconscious. She lifted her head and glared at Naruto, her entire body shaking.

"I will pay you back ten times over for this!"

The nine Nascent Soul Elders teleported into being next to her to protect her as she retreated. All of them were staring at Naruto with intense killing intent in their eyes.

Naruto's eyes flickered. He knew that as of this moment, it was highly unlikely that he would be able to kill her. Her determination made an intense impression on him; from the time he had begun to practice Cultivation until now, he had not run into many people who could show such decisiveness at a key moment.

If she had hesitated for even a moment longer, or reacted slightly slower, then the only thing she would have found was death.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he gestured with his right arm, causing Tsume's severed arm to fly over. She obviously had a very high position in the Five Poisons Tribe; perhaps he would be able to benefit from studying the totemic power contained within the arm.

Now that enmity existed between the two of them, he would no doubt need to figure out how to kill not just her, but her entire Tribe. In the Cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevails. When fighting against Heaven and Earth, when forcing one's will upon the masses, soft-heartedness gets you nowhere.

It was without hesitation that, in addition to the severed arm, Naruto also collected up the box containing the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. He immediately closed it, causing the glow of the flower to cease. This instantly affected the entire battlefield. Without hesitation, he put the destructive precious treasure into his bag of holding.

Precious treasures like that were not frequently seen in the world. As a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, Naruto would no doubt make significant progress by studying it. Perhaps he could even concoct medicinal pills with similar properties. There was no way he would pass up such an opportunity.

Naruto looked up at the gigantic black shadow descending toward him and at the same time pointed toward the bound up High Priest.

The Eyeless Larva silk suddenly dissipated, revealing the shocked High Priest. He had used virtually every method he could think of but had been astonished to find that he wasn't able to even make a mark on the silk.

The silk rapidly shot back toward Naruto and began to wrap around him. He stood there, his hands clasped behind his back as the black shadow loomed over him. He flicked his sleeve, and his eyes filled with coldness.

"My Eyeless Larva can stand up to Tribulation Lightning. I don't care how profound your Demonspider's Cultivation base is, do you really think it can measure up to Tribulation Lightning?"

Up above, the sky looked like it was filled with black clouds as an enormous spider leg descended upon this fifteen hundred meter area.

The ground trembled as massive pressure bore down in all directions. All life forms within the fifteen hundred meter area were completely incapable of evasion. Everything was crushed into nothing more than ash beneath the shocking power.

"He'll die for sure!" thought Tsume. She was surrounded by the nine Nascent Soul Elders, but her face was completely white. Suddenly, she frowned.

Her frown was because of the pain of her severed arm. The pain not only caused her face to pale, but affected her mentally. It took all the effort she could muster to ignore the pain of her lost arm and focus on analyzing Naruto.

"That silk of his can bind up even the High Priest, which shows how powerful it is. All of his hope rests on that silk, and he probably knows exactly how powerful it is. Therefore, he's actually most likely NOT going to die!

"His Cultivation base is profound, he's as clever as a fox, and is extremely decisive too. He's the type of person who is calculating and vicious. As a Grand Dragoneer, any Tribe should be wary of provoking him…." Tsume sighed lightly. Had she known that the five Tribes of the Crow Divinity had the backing of someone as powerful as Grandmaster Naruto, then she would have adjusted her plans.

"Actually, it doesn't really matter if he lives or dies. The blood I spat out just now will notify the Tribe that my trial by fire has failed. The main forces from the Tribe will be arriving soon."

Even as she mused regarding these things, the spider leg arrived at Naruto, slamming into the tightly sealed silk cocoon surrounding him. From a distance, the leg looked like an enormous black sickle.

However, when it was about ten meters away from Naruto, it was suddenly obstructed by the Eyeless Larva silk. A massive boom echoed out, transforming into a shockwave which swept out across everything. A massive wind kicked up, battering into the surrounding Cultivators and forcing them backward.

Naruto's body trembled and he coughed up blood. The black sickle pushed down from the ten meter position, slowly nearing Naruto. Despite its slowness, it still emanated intense, destructive pressure that pushed down onto Naruto.

His body trembled as the sickle reached the five meter mark.

Four meters, three meters, two meters, one meter, half a meter….

Naruto looked up at the sickle as it approached, his eyes radiating coldness. Although his body shook as he gazed up, when you compared this pressure with that of Heavenly Tribulation, it was simply…

"Too weak!" said Naruto coolly. The sickle was now only three inches away from the top of his head.

That three inch gap was like the difference between Heaven and Earth. It was an unbridgeable gap! The Eyeless Larva silk was wrapped too tightly. Nothing in Heaven or Earth could destroy it!

No matter how the sickle tried to break it, it couldn't. Soon the sickle began to tremble. In the blink of an eye, all of its power was gone, and it transformed into ash, right there, three inches away from Naruto.

A howl drifted down from up above in the sky. Everything grew dim and the clouds seethed as a gigantic spider with legs like sickles magically appeared up above. It seemed to rip itself out from the void, followed by the roaring totemic Sacred Ancients of the Five Tribes, who were pestering it in a way that made it impossible for the thing to descend any further.

The instant that the black sickle disappeared, the members of the Five Tribes within the shield let out powerful roars. There were seven Nascent Soul Cultivators, as well as all the other surviving Tribe members.

The archaic Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, who had the combined desire for revenge of more than ten fellow Nascent Soul Tribe members imprinted on his heart lifted his head up, his eyes bloodshot, and roared:

"Revenge!"

All of the members of the Five Tribes who charged into battle screamed with rage and sadness.

"Revenge!"

"REVENGE!"

Led by the Greatfather, the rest of the Tribe members charged out of from behind the shield.

Their world was now a world ruled by revenge as they charged toward the three thousand Spider Branch Cultivators. Their bodies exploded with a madness that made it clear they would bring the Spider Branch to ruin even if it meant they died in the process.

A moment later, the close-quarter fighting began. Unfortunately, the deaths of the three Dragoneers had been quite a blow to the morale of the Spider Branch.

Naruto's intrepidness had also left a deep impression on their hearts. He had slaughtered his way through thousands, then soared overhead above the crowds to pursue the Holy Daughter. Nine Nascent Soul Cultivators were incapable of stopping him, and even the High Priest had been captured. People could only watch on wide-eyed, as their lofty, sacred Holy Daughter's face filled with despair and her arm was severed, after which she fled in a panic.

All of it had been a huge blow to the Spider Branch Cultivators. Naruto was now not simply burned into their mind, but indelibly fused there!

If that was all there was to it, it wouldn't be a very big deal. However, even the fearsome attack of the Holy Spider, which they assumed would surely destroy Naruto, did nothing. They had seen with their own eyes that the Holy Spider was incapable of exterminating him.

As of now, Naruto was like a nightmare to them. An unbeatable, invincible nightmare!

Now, just when their confidence and morale was lowest, the members of the Five Tribes fought back with full force. Their hatred and killing intent boiled up to the sky. Earlier, they had watched with wide eyes as their fellow Tribe members were slaughtered. The dead included children, parents, and other relatives. Right now, the eyes of the surviving Tribe members were bloodshot, and they seemed on the verge of weeping. Within the redness of their eyes, living fury could be seen. That was because… the time for revenge had arrived!

When the two sides slammed into each other, there was no leadership, nor any tricks. It was mutual slaughter.

A boom suddenly filled the air. One of the Five Tribes members slaughtered one of the enemy, but was mortally wounded in the process. Laughing madly, he chose to self-detonate. Even as his body exploded, a vicious smile twisted his face as he saw that his self-detonation would kill three of the enemy in front of him.

Booms continued to sound out in the air as one member of the Five Tribes after another, after having reached their final moment in battle, chose to use self-detonation. This was their way of sending a message to the Spider Branch: observe the staunch vengeance of the Five Tribes of the Crow Divinity!

One of the Five Tribes members lost his legs, and an arm. Even his dantian region was damaged beyond repair, making it impossible for him to self-detonate. But he still had teeth. Soon, his entire body was destroyed, and yet, his teeth were still clenched viciously into the throat of the enemy. Regardless of anything, mutual destruction would be achieved!

In a very short period of time, the Spider Branch had already lost over a hundred members. The viciousness of the scene, the explosive madness of the members of the Five Tribes to get revenge even in defiance of death, thoroughly shook the hearts of the Spider Branch Cultivators.

They were scared witless, and began panting. Facing the savagery of the Five Tribes suddenly filled them with feelings of cowardice!

They began to retreat. Off in the distance, the nine Elders watched on with wide eyes. They too were moved, but before they could even think about the situation, the seven Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Five Tribes were shooting toward them.

The High Priests, the Greatfather of the Crow Soldier Tribe, and the others, all had eyes filled with blood as they whistled through the air. This… was truly a war between two Tribes. It was different than the killing before. This… was a deadly massacre.

Naruto looked around at everything that was happening. He saw the Five Tribes rise up, and saw their determination to exact vengeance. It was at this time that an undulating sound could be heard. This was not the sound of war bugles, but rather, the voices of all members of the Five Tribes who had stayed behind within the protection of the shield. There were less than a thousand of them, but their voices joined together and drifted out onto the battlefield.

Most of this group of nearly a thousand people were children. The rest were the elderly. The majority of them did not have Cultivation bases; they were simple, ordinary Tribe members. However… considering all the sacrifices that had been made by the five Crow Divinity Tribes, they were hope. They were the hope of the Tribe.

Nearly a thousand people began to weep. As they wept, their feet stamped the ground and they began to sing. This song was the Tribe's funeral dirge, the song sung to accompany the soul of any Tribe member into death.

A thousand voices joined together, filled with the sound of youth, filled with tears.

" _Perhaps you are still here. Perhaps you are watching your family. Perhaps you will return…._

" _We hope that the Heavens will not obstruct your path. Let the land guide your way. The living, golden light of the Crow Divinity will cause your glorious bloodlines to remain in the world…._

" _We hope to prevent you from being buried by the sands of Time, to prevent the devils from snatching you away, to prevent the Demons from frightening you, to prevent any living thing from disturbing your rest…._

" _You are the warriors of the Crow Divinity! You are the pride of the Crow Divinity! You will exist forever in the lands of the Crow Divinity… we… will await your return!"_

The song echoed out across the battlefield, and as it did, Naruto could almost make out the image of countless souls appearing. They seemed to be slowly looking back at their home, their Tribe.

As the sound of the funeral dirge rose into the air, the members of the Five Tribes who were locked in battle found that tears were flowing down their faces. They began to laugh madly and slaughter with even more savagery. Their laughter and their tears caused the faces of their enemies, the Cultivators of the Spider Branch, to fill with dread. In the past, they had slaughtered Tribes, but never before had they seen the type of explosive insanity that they were seeing now.

Now, they were scared.

"For the Crow Divinity!" This was the end of the funeral dirge sung by the nearly one thousand Tribe members within the shield. Outside the shield, their fellow Tribe members roared as they fought on, laughing madly.

"For the Crow Divinity!" murmured Naruto. He lifted his right hand, and a cold glow appeared in his eyes. He suddenly looked at Tsume, who was still fleeing under the protection of the Nascent Soul Elders.

Her face was extremely pale, and the Nascent Soul Elders around her had looks of extreme vigilance.

Naruto looked at her coolly, then looked away. It seemed she would be able to escape calamity this day. He did not have the same advantages from earlier; therefore, it would be too difficult to slay her right now.

Naruto's body flickered as he shot into the force of nearly three thousand enemy Cultivators. The Lotus Sword Formation rotated next to him, sending out the power of Time. Everywhere he went, time seemed to flow by, and all Spider Branch Cultivators caught within the range of the formation suddenly grew older. Their faces instantly filled with astonishment.

This time, Naruto truly did cause a massacre. He donned the blood-colored mask, then waved his hand, sending the Time Sword Formation toward a group of seven or eight Core Formation Cultivators. They instantly grew old, and their eyes faded. It was like a wind had blown over to extinguish the flame of their life.

Naruto waved his hand again, and the shocking light of the Blood Finger could be seen. Anyone who touched it felt their blood decaying, and then they exploded into death.

Naruto took a few more steps forward, then pointed out with his left finger, stabbing it into the forehead of a rampaging Spider Branch Cultivator.

He killed neatly and efficiently. With the wave of a sleeve, he summoned what remained of his neo-demon horde. Ten thousand neo-demons roared out to join the chaotic battle. They fought side by side with the members of the Five Tribes. As the sound of the funeral dirge continued to echo out, they fought to the death with the Spider Branch!

The Black Bat did not exhibit any of the strangeness it had in the previous battle. Its eyes glowed coldly as it disappeared in a flicker, to reappear behind a Spider Branch Cultivator. It wrapped its wings around the man, who struggled with astonishment. Two sharp fangs plunged into the Cultivator's neck, and the man's flesh instantly withered up.

Every time it did this, a bloody glow would appear in the eyes of the Black Bat, and its strange aura would grow a bit stronger. In the beginning it sought out the weakest Cultivators, but gradually, its gaze began to fall on early Core Formation Cultivators.

When Naruto occasionally looked over at it, it would suddenly restrain itself, and not reveal any hints about what it was doing. However, it didn't take long before Naruto caught onto the vigilance being shown by the Black Bat in this regard.

"There's definitely some big mystery regarding this creature!" thought Naruto. Now was not the time to think about such matters though. After confirming that the brand connecting him to the bat was still intact, he continued on with his extermination of the Spider Branch Cultivators.

Within this chaotic battle, it wasn't just the Black Bat who fought dazzlingly. Big Hairy, his fur shining like silver, descended into the fighting like a silver moon. The cloud of Demonsquitos spread out, their vicious mouthparts guzzling fresh blood.

The red crocodile who was now the shape of a Flying Rain-Dragon, as well as the gigantic lizard, and all of Naruto's neo-demons experienced a sort of baptism by means of the fighting. Every one who survived only continued to grow stronger.

Fueled by the madness and ferocity of the Five Tribes members, a stunning massacre was underway. The Spider Branch Cultivators' morale plummeted. Once Naruto joined the battle, the tide clearly turned in the favor of the Five Tribes.

When the neo-demons appeared, the Spider Branch experienced an unprecedented feeling of devastation. It didn't take long before only one thousand were left from the original force of three thousand. Blood soaked the ground, and the reek of gore filled the air.

It was then that a miserable shriek could be heard from up above. Except for the two Nascent Soul Cultivators protecting Tsume, the rest of the Spider Branch's Elders were now locked in deadly combat with the Five Tribe's seven Nascent Soul Cultivators. Just now, the cry had come from one of the Spider Branch Elders.

He was a middle aged man whose face was currently ashen. His pupils constricted as he retreated backward, a massive wound on his chest, within which his beating heart was actually visible. Directly in front of him was the Crow Gloom Grand Elder, his hair disheveled, his body covered with serious injuries. His shocking expression was one of madness, like that of a wild beast.

A boom filled the air as the Crow Gloom Grand Elder's body suddenly exploded as another of the Spider Branch Elders took advantage of the situation to exterminate him. However, before he died, he lifted up his right hand, within which was the severed head of the middle-aged Nascent Soul Cultivator.

This was the first of the Spider Branch Nascent Soul Cultivators to die in the battle. His death immediately caught the attention of the remaining thousand Cultivators down below. As of this moment, it seemed that any remaining will to fight was now completely gone. All of them began to do everything in their power to flee.

It was like tide waters. Their faces filled with panic as they gave up attacking and focused completely on defense and full-speed flight. Even the remaining Nascent Soul Cultivators up above seemed to have lost their will to do battle, and were about to flee.

Although the Five Tribes now had the upper hand in the battle, the price they had paid was an incredibly heavy one, far more than what could be made up for by capturing the Spider Branch.

Therefore… how could they possibly allow the Spider Branch to flee?!

"Kill them!"

"Kill them!"

Their eyes red and filled with both frenzy and the comfort of revenge, the Five Tribes shot in pursuit. Many of the Tribe members still had tears streaming down their faces.

All the Tribe members, both the ordinary Cultivators and the Nascent Soul experts, joined in the chase. Naruto had no way to understand the pain they felt from of the loss of their friends and family. However, what he could feel, was the desire for revenge. For some reason, this also made him think of the Hebi Clan!

Suddenly, another of the Spider Branch's Nascent Soul Cultivators died. Hundreds of other Cultivators were being slaughtered by Naruto's neo-demons and the other Five Tribes Cultivators.

They were like an avalanche, completely unstoppable!

It was at this moment that all of a sudden, a raindrop fell onto Naruto with a light plopping sound. The color of this raindrop was somewhat strange. It was violet, and as soon as it landed on him, it stained his garment, soaking through to touch his skin.

As soon as the raindrop hit him, he stopped in his tracks. The place where the raindrop had hit him felt cold. The cold aura seemed as if it had the power to exterminate life force. However, it was only one drop, so as far as Naruto was concerned, it was harmless.

"Violet rain?" he thought, frowning. He looked up into the sky to see some random raindrops falling down from up above.

"Don't tell me that because so many people have died here that the aura of blood and hatred has merged together and transformed into clouds? Is that where this violet rain is coming from?" After a moment of thought, he suppressed his doubts. Looking around, he saw that scattered raindrops were falling, not just on him, but on the bodies of others. Even some of the Spider Branch Cultivators were getting hit.

It didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but for some reason, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that the rain had the power to exterminate life force. The thought of it swirled in the back of his mind.

Tsume also noticed the rain.

Earlier, she had been biting her lip as she watched her fellow Tribe members dying. There was nothing she could do, unfortunately. No order from her could secure victory in this battle.

The fighting had descended into chaos. Then the funeral dirge began, and Tsume understood. The Spider Branch… was suffering a complete defeat.

She felt as if her heart were tearing apart. What stuck out most in her mind though, the figure which had shocked her more than anything in her life, which had caused her trial by fire to become a complete failure, and had almost killed her… was of course Naruto.

However, it was then that a drop of violet rain landed on her face and then slowly flowed down her cheek. It felt cold, and caused a tremor to run through her body. Without thinking, she reached up to wipe away the raindrop. When she looked down at the water on her hand, she frowned and suddenly looked even more anxious.

"Violet rain?" She gaped in shock.

The violet rain was very light, and was quickly forgotten by everyone except for Tsume and Naruto. Tsume had the same feeling that he did. Something about this rain… seemed strange. All of a sudden, their gazes met across the vast battlefield, and they could see the vigilance in each other's eyes.

"It's not him."

"It's not her." Naruto and Tsume could both sense each other hesitating. Their gazes separated, and it was in that instant that….

Suddenly, sharp sounds could be heard coming from off in the distance. This was not the sound of a funeral dirge, but rather, war bugles. The sound instantly lifted the spirits of the Spider Branch Cultivators. Their will to fight suddenly surged up again, and they lifted their heads to the sky and roared.

Even the Spider Branch Nascent Soul Elders up above could not conceal their excitement. The two Elders next to Tsume heaved sighs of relief. Only Tsume seemed taciturn as she looked up at the sky.

Off in the distance could be seen a black streak that looked like seawaters as it whistled through the sky toward them. Up above, seemingly standing within the black seawaters, was an enormous red scorpion, emitting a shocking cry.

"The Scorpion Branch!" cried the High Priest, who was currently locked in battle with the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. When the Greatfather saw what was happening, his pupils constricted and he gasped. His expression was now filled with profound grief. If it weren't for the Exotic Heartdevil Flower, the Five Tribes might have been powerful enough to hold out through this war. But, now….

In mid-air, the members of the Five Tribes ceased their pursuit and began to group together. Their faces filled with madness as they look off into the distance at the approaching scorpion!

As the black streak beneath the scorpion neared, it became clear that it was not a black sea. Instead, it was a group of roughly five thousand Cultivators, all of them wearing long black robes, organized in formation. An army of blackness.

They blotted out the sky as they arrived, accompanied by the sound of war bugles, which drifted out in all directions. In addition, the Cultivators shouted out intense roars, the sound of which caused the gigantic illusory scorpion above them to suddenly let out an incredible shriek.

As it shrieked, it suddenly shot through the air with incredible speed toward where the Holy Spider and totemic Sacred Ancients were battling it out, the area that was distorted and impossible for anyone to see into.

Booms filled Heaven and Earth. The scorpion was of the same level as the Holy Spider, which meant that the battle with the Sacred Ancients was instantly thrown out of balance.

In years past, the totems of the Five Tribes had also been of the same level as the scorpion and the Holy Spider. But after the passage of time, the Crow Divinity began to fade and the Tribes grew smaller. Thus, they were now much weaker, which was why it took five of them just to fight the Holy Spider.

And now, things were even more different than before!

No one could see them battling. The only thing outsiders could see was the scorpion charging into the area of distortion up in the air. After the space of about ten breaths passed, before the Cultivators of the Scorpion Branch could even arrive, a deep sigh could be heard from up above. Then, an enormous Stone Golem suddenly shot out from within the distortion.

Its body began to collapse, and black strands could be seen emanating off of it. There was a gigantic hole in the middle of its chest. This was the Crow Fighter Tribe's totemic Sacred Ancient. And as of this moment… its body was surrounded by an intense aura of death.

With a sigh, it shot out from within the distortion. Before it could get very far, the shocked members of the Five Tribes watched as a black shadow emerged after it from within the distortion. It transformed into a scorpion tail which then slammed into the Stone Golem. Poison shot into the Stone Golem's body, and an explosion could be heard as cracks spread out over its entire body, from within which an earthy yellow glow could be seen. The glow transformed into an earth-colored totem, which then filled with cracks and then exploded with a bang.

"The Crow Fighter Tribe's totemic Sacred Ancient!"

"It… perished…." The blow this dealt to the members of the Five Tribes was no less than what they had experienced when forced to watch their fellow Tribe Members slaughtered beneath the power of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. This was because the totems of the Tribe were legacies from the totemic Sacred Ancient. The connection between the two was deep and profound!

Right now, the members of the Crow Fighter Tribe were all trembling. They felt as if their faith was crumbling. Blood sprayed from their mouths as their Stone Golem totem tattoos from the Sacred Ancient began to fade away.

As the totem tattoos faded, their Cultivation bases immediately dropped an entire stage. Nascent Soul became Core Formation. Core Formation became Foundation Establishment. Foundation Establishment… dropped directly to Chakra Condensation.

The entire Crow Fighter Tribe dropped, which of course immediately affected the entire battle!

It was at this moment that disconsolate howl could be heard. At the same time, clouds of vapor suddenly could be seen expanding out from the area of distortion up above, which then dissipated into the surroundings.

At the same time, every member of the Crow Gloom Tribe began to cough up blood. Their bodies sagged as their Water-type totem tattoos faded. All of them experienced an immediate Cultivation base drop of a full level.

The Crow Gloom Priest's face was pale as he coughed up blood and staggered backward. A sad smile could be seen on his face as he felt his Nascent Soul power rapidly vanishing and weakness spread throughout his body.

All of the members of the Five Tribes knew what this meant as soon as they saw it…. The Crow Gloom totemic Sacred Ancient… had perished!

All of this takes quite a bit of time to explain, but actually happened in the space of a few dozen breaths. As the events occurred, the Scorpion Branch Cultivators whistled through the air, growing closer and closer. Naruto looked toward the five thousand incoming Cultivators and noticed that one of their number was a young man wearing a red robe.

The young man's clothes and bearing made him seem completely different from the other Cultivators. Naruto suddenly sensed something about him that seemed very much like Tsume.

"He's the Holy Son of the Five Poison Tribe's Scorpion Branch?" Naruto's eyes glittered. He knew that Tsume was a Holy Daughter, so it was easy for him to come to the determination who this handsome, extraordinary, and somewhat sinister-looking young man must be.

As the Scorpion Branch neared, the Holy Son waved his right hand, immediately causing four thousand of the Cultivators to shoot toward the battlefield. Naruto's eyes flickered, and in response to his will, the neo-demon horde began to roar.

As the roaring shook Heaven and Earth, the Scorpion Branch Holy Son ignored the bitter fighting and approached Tsume, a slight smile on his face.

As he neared her, he said, "The Tribe gave the honor of this trial by fire to the most talented Holy Daughter, Tsume. In the end, all you got was a lost arm. Soon everyone in the Tribe will know about it. Tsume, I actually feel sorry for you. I'm afraid that even after we take this trifling five Crow Divinity Tribe's spot in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, there still won't be space for you."

Tsume's expression was cold as she looked over the Holy Son.

"Who was it that cut your arm off?" he continued with a smile. "You even requested the use of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower, and yet still failed. Such a pity, such a pity."

"Are you done, Gaku?" said Tsume coolly. "My victory or defeat is no concern of yours. If you can subjugate these five Crow Divinity Tribes, then I will offer you my congratulations."

"The two of us look at things very differently," said Holy Son Gaku. "If this battle had been led by me and the Scorpion Branch, then we would have long since secured victory. I wouldn't even have to use a precious Exotic Heartdevil Flower. Just destroy their totems, and everything will be over! Why go to the trouble of doing anything else? Tsume, your soft-heartedness is your biggest weakness!" He gave a sinister laugh.

The sound of bitter fighting rose up into the air as the four thousand Scorpion Branch Cultivators dove into battle. They had hideous grins and sinister looks in their eyes. Totemic light shone out from their bodies, and they attacked with even more viciousness and cruelty than the Spider Branch.

Were it not for the resistance provided by Naruto's neo-demons, the members of the Five Tribes would have instantly sustained heavy casualties. Naruto looked around to see that despite the fact that only two Sacred Ancients had died, causing two Tribes to be weakened, the members of the other three Tribes had ashen faces filled with despair. If things went on the way they were, their defeat was inevitable.

Suddenly, Naruto spoke, his voice as powerful as thunder.

"You don't need to fight for the Crow Divinity!" As soon as they heard his words, the members of the Five Tribes looked over at Naruto.

"Look down at the blood and corpses that litter the land. Those are your friends and your fellow Tribe members. Fight for them!

"Look back at the elderly and the young behind that shield! They are your family and blood. Fight for them!

"Hold your heads high as you look at those Five Poisons Cultivators. Fight for your friends! Fight for your family! You are the last line of defense. If you give up, then your families will be completely exterminated!

"The time has come to go all out! We might not win, but if you don't take the risk, then your defeat is assured. Fight for them…. All of you, will you really hold back now!?" Naruto lifted his head up and roared, a roar that entered into the ears of the Five Tribes and shook their hearts and minds.

Madness once again burned in their eyes. Their exhaustion, their hopelessness, and all of their negative emotions did not disappear. Instead it transformed into an explosive, mortiferous despair!

"TO BATTLE!"

"KILL THEM!"

The remaining two thousand members of the Five Tribes roared. Their madness blazing to the point that they no longer feared death, they charged toward the Scorpion Branch.

Naruto led the charge, surrounded by his neo-demons. Roaring filled the air and the intent to slaughter spread out everywhere. You could definitely say that without Naruto, the Five Tribes would have long since been defeated!

Without Naruto, they would have been ruthlessly slaughtered on a mass scale. The only ones who would have survived would have been the ones enslaved by the Five Poisons Tribe.

By this point, Gaku had taken notice of Naruto. He looked at him for a moment and then began to chuckle.

"Ah, so he's a Dragoneer," said Gaku. "You, of course, would hesitate about whether or not to kill him. That's why he's still alive. As for me, there is only one course of action that I would take. Strike like lightning and exterminate him immediately!" Killing intent glittered in Gaku's eyes as he lifted his right hand and pointed toward Naruto out on the battlefield.

"18 Stealth Guards, you have the space of ten breaths to kill that man!"

Tsume's face was the same as ever, but she backed up a bit nonetheless, seemingly wanting to put some space between herself and Gaku. The two Nascent Soul Elders standing next to her hesitated for a moment. However, after looking at her, they didn't say anything.

When Gaku pointed his finger out, Naruto sensed something, and looked over with cold eyes. He waved his right hand, and a Blood Chakra emanated out, enveloping two Scorpion Branch Cultivators. Immediately, they began to scream as their bodies withered up.

"I let Tsume scurry away, but I can't believe that this newly arrived Holy Son will be able to do the same!" Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes as he came up with a plan for how to kill Gaku. Suddenly, his pupils constricted, and his body disappeared as he used the Bloodburst Flash. When he reappeared, he was about ten meters away.

The moment he appeared, the place he had just been standing was suddenly filled with sixteen glowing bands of light that looked like needles. If he had been standing there just now, the sixteen black needles would definitely have pierced through him.

Naruto's eyes glowed coldly as he lifted his right hand to punch out into the air. Surprisingly, the air in front him seemed to sink inward as the figure of one of the assassins was forced to appear. It was at this point that Naruto's fist landed. The figure was actually that of a woman, her appearance sweet and charming. Surprise filled her eyes as his fist slammed into her and her body exploded into pieces.

Naruto's expression was the same as always. After making the kill, he shot backward to avoid another black needle which whistled through the air. He gave a cold snort and lifted his left hand, which was surrounded by a bloody glow. He shoved his hand out in front of him, whereupon another miserable shriek could be heard. Another woman appeared, whose head Naruto now held in his hand. Suddenly, Naruto moved forward, rapidly lifting his leg to slam his knee into her head.

There was a bang, and another person was dead.

"Here to assassinate me, eh?" said Naruto, a cold smile twisting his lips.

Two people had been killed quickly and efficiently, causing Gaku's eyes to flicker slightly. However, his expression was the same as before.

It was at this moment that Naruto released the head he held in his hand. Eyes flickering, he lifted his right hand up and then gestured toward the ground. Immediately, a blinding bloody light shone out from Naruto's body, rotating to cover the area for dozens of meters in each direction. Within this Blood Death World, fifteen figures were instantly made visible.

As soon as they appeared, Naruto stepped forward. With two fingers of his left hand emanating a will of blood, he tapped onto the forehead of one of the figures. A boom could be heard as, at the same time, he punched another of the figures with his right hand.

Blood showered out everywhere, accompanied by one bloodcurdling scream after another. Naruto's entire figure had turned the color of blood. He flicked his right sleeve as he reached out to grab another of the women. His left hand slapped his bag of holding to produce a medicinal pill, which he shoved into the mouth of the terrified woman.

After the space of a few breaths, the woman's body began to swell until it exploded, sending blood out for a dozen or so meters in every direction. Blood landed on four or five nearby assassins, causing the women to emit miserable shrieks as their bodies dissolved into pools of blood.

"Poison Cultivator!" cried the remaining four women. They were tall, slender and beautiful. As of this moment, though, their faces were completely filled with astonishment at seeing Naruto's ruthless slaughter.

Their faces were pale, and they immediately began to retreat. No longer were they attempting any sort of assassination, but instead were trying to flee what they now viewed as the most terrifying figure in existence.

"Want to run?" said Naruto, his face expressionless. These women had bizarre forms; if it wasn't for the Blood Death World and Naruto's faint Demonic Chakra, he might not have been able to prevent them from getting close to him.

Even as his words rang out, Naruto moved forward. As he neared them, the faces of the four women filled with despair. However, the hopelessness quickly changed into viciousness. Just when they were about to attack, Naruto smiled. Suddenly, the Blood Death World began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, it was as if a gigantic hand were clenching down viciously on the four women.

A rumbling sound could be heard as the fist crushed them to death. Naruto floated in mid-air; the area for dozens of meters surrounding him was completely empty. No other person could be seen. The Scorpion Branch Cultivators off in the distance looked over at him, fear written across their faces.

As for the members of the Five Tribes, they were starting to get excited, and continued on with their slaughter.

Gaku chuckled and coolly said, "It's not over y…."

Before he could finish speaking, his face suddenly filled with astonishment.

Just now, a dark figure had appeared directly behind Naruto. It made no noise and let off no ripples, and was completely bizarre in appearance, like a ghost. It shot toward Naruto at incredible speed that almost looked like minor teleportation. However, just as the figure was almost upon Naruto, it let out a bloodcurdling scream. Its right hand, with which it had just been preparing to stab into Naruto's back, was suddenly shredded to pieces as if by some massive rotating blade.

Naruto's right hand shot back and grabbed hold of the throat of this final, wounded assassin. Dragging her in front of him, he clenched his fist, and then looked over at Gaku, his eyes filled with killing intent.

When Gaku saw the killing intent his heart was filled with coldness. Naruto had just killed eighteen Stealth Guards, which left Gaku completely shaken. What he didn't notice was that off to the side, on Tsume's face, a sneer could be seen.

He also didn't notice that Tsume had quickly backed up even more, putting more distance between the two of them.

"9 Grand Elders! Supreme Priest! Spare nothing. Kill that man!"

In response to Gaku's words, ten figures immediately teleported toward Naruto. Nine of them were of the early Nascent Soul stage, one was of the mid Nascent Soul stage. The combined attack of this ten people was enough to shake Heaven and Earth.

However, it was at this moment that suddenly, a bitter sigh could be heard echoing out from up above.

"Tribe, I have protected you for many years, but unfortunately, I can accompany you no more…. Before I return to the dust, I will give you a final chance to live…." A rumbling sound echoed out that caused Naruto's entire body to shake. He looked up to see that now, just like the Earth and Water totems of the Five Tribes, the Crow Scout Tribe's Treant was breaking apart into death.

As it died, vast quantities of life force turned into an aura which shot down toward the Five Tribes, fusing into their bodies and transforming into healing power.

What was unavoidable, however, was that because of the death of the Treant, the totem tattoos on the members of the Crow Scout Tribe began to fade away. As they did, the Cultivation bases of the Crow Scout Tribe members began to show signs of dropping.

Before that could happen, though, the Wood word totem tattoo on Naruto's forehead began to emanate a mighty, glowing light. Suddenly, the illusory image of a massive tree magically appeared above his head.

Close up, it looked like a great tree. But from a distance, it actually looked like the word 'Wood.'

Now, the Crow Scout Tribe members' totem tattoos were no longer disappearing, but rather, transforming. In the space of a few breaths, the entire force of Crow Scout Tribe members felt their totems becoming stable. However, what they had were no longer Greenwood totems, but… the Wood totem that belonged to Naruto!

This strange scene was something that even Naruto would never have imagined could happen. As soon as the Wood word totems appeared, a tremor ran through him as he suddenly realized he could sense all of the Crow Scout Tribe members. He could feel their zeal and passion. Furthermore, it seemed as if there was a continuous flow of life force being transmitted into his own body. At this moment, his aura suddenly expanded rapidly.

His Wood-type totem tattoo emitted boundless, shocking light. Not only were the Five Tribes stunned, the Cultivators of the Scorpion Branch were shocked and in disbelief.

Tsume's eyes went wide, and she began to pant. Gaku stared blankly, his eyes filled with incredulity.

As Western Desert Cultivators, they all knew that totems… could only arise from neo-demons. Cultivators… practice Cultivation, and could never produce totemic power!

What was happening exceeded anything they could ever imagine. What they were seeing could only indicate one thing: Naruto had become the Crow Scout Tribe's totemic Sacred Ancient!

His totem was now the Crow Scout Tribe's totem! The explosive growth of his aura meant that… just like the magical totemic neo-demons, he could absorb the power of worship directed toward him by the Tribe members!

It was mainly because of this incredible power that such neo-demons could bestow totems.

Up above in the sky, where the battle of totems was taking place, a sigh could be heard. Down below, people began to express their shock.

"Since he has become a totem, his totem is now the Sacred Ancient of the Tribe. He… can absorb our power!"

"Could it be that he's not a Cultivator but actually a neo-demon?!"

This shocking scene sent the entire battlefield into a completely commotion. One moment ago, the Crow Scout Tribe members were losing their Cultivation bases because of the death of their Sacred Ancient, the Treant. Now, their Cultivation bases were no longer disappearing. They were a bit weaker than before, but had not slipped down an entire stage.

As of now, there was an indescribable connection between them and Naruto. They looked at him, their hearts filling with incredible zeal and reverence.

"Sacred Ancient!"

"We members of the Crow Scout Tribe offer our respect, Sacred Ancient!"

One by one, the members of the Crow Scout Tribe began to shout out, roaring. Instantly, they began to fight with increased ferocity.

Naruto was panting, and his mind reeled. But then, everything became clear. His eyes flickered as he took advantage in the sudden increase in his aura to point his hand up into the air.

"Without a face!"

An enormous face suddenly appeared, its eyes closed. A bloody glow rose up and spread out in all directions, transforming into attacking power that slammed into the nine Nascent Soul Cultivators who were charging toward him.

Their faces flickered, and they immediately backed up in retreat.

"A single word!" Naruto suddenly felt an unimaginable power welling up within him. He could sense that this power did not come from him, nor was it something he could store up or fuse with his Cultivation base.

It was as if doing that would break some sort of rule, making it impossible to accomplish. This power was something he could only use, or perhaps borrow. It came from the members of the Crow Scout Tribe. There weren't very many of them, only a few hundred, but their zeal made the power potent to a shocking degree.

This borrowed power could sustain him and enable him to unleash the second form of the Blood Immortal divine ability that previously had sucked away at his life force!

Naruto's Spiritual Sense was also increased dramatically. He caused it to spread out, pointing out in front of him. Suddenly, the giant face that was currently beginning to break up, became clear. The eyes that had been closed before, opened, along with the mouth.

It was like a sound came out, a strange sound that entered the ears of the people in the area. Each person heard exactly the same thing as Naruto pointed down toward the ground. The air there began to ripple. The face of the Scorpion Branch mid Nascent Soul stage Supreme Priest filled with disbelief.

He suddenly began to tremble, as if he were being injured by some invisible force. He immediately began to back up, but before he could get farther than a few paces, blood sprayed from his mouth. Panting, his eyes filled with fear, and he hoarsely said, "Joss Flame! He can actually wield the power of Joss Flame! Only totem neo-demons can do that!"

The Supreme Priest wasn't the only one to cough up blood. The faces of the other nine Nascent Soul Elders from the Scorpion Branch filled with shock and terror as they coughed up three successive mouthfuls.

Naruto floated there, his hair whipping about, his clothes flapping. A strange glow shone in his eyes. With every breath he took, he could sense the power from the zealous Crow Scout Tribe members pouring into him.

"Joss Flame, huh…." murmured Naruto. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. They were filled with a fierce glow.

"Flames of war unify…."

Without a face, a single word, flames of war unify! These were three Blood Immortal divine ability forms. Thanks to the power of the Joss Flame, Naruto… was now able to truly unleash the third form. Flames of war unify!

These three Blood Immortal divine ability forms immediately caused black smoke to appear on the bodies of the nine Nascent Soul Elders. It rolled off of them up into the sky, seemingly completely beyond their control. Seeing this caused their faces to fall immediately.

It took only a moment for them to realize that this smoke was caused by an invisible burning of their own life force. Their life force was the fuel and this black smoke was the result!

The sight of it caused the nine men to be filled with shock. They immediately began to utilize various techniques and divine abilities, but to their horror… they were completely incapable of preventing their life forces from being burned up. The black smoke continued to billow off them.

Within the black smoke was vast quantities of thick aura of death, making the smoke a mass of inky blackness. From a distance, it really did look like the flames of war were burning in the area. The sight was shocking to the extreme.

As for the Supreme Priest, even he had black smoke coming off of him. The ten Nascent Soul Cultivators' faces were filled with shock at this strange divine ability which apparently couldn't be evaded. Then their faces filled with hatred, and they once again used minor teleportation to charge toward Naruto.

Ten people closed in on Naruto from ten different directions.

Naruto closed his eyes. He had noticed something familiar within the black smoke from the burning life forces. He had seen something just like that after his glimpse at the world above the Sky Tower in the Five Elements Nation, when he had been infected by the death aura from the fallen Immortal whom he later encountered outside the Rebirth Cave.

"There must be some similarity between the two…." A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he performed an incantation gesture with both hands and then waved his hands out. Flames of war shot up into the sky. The power he had absorbed from the hundreds of Crow Scout Tribe members poured through the mask, causing rumbling sounds to fill the air as the flames exploded up to shocking effect.

The ten Nascent Soul Cultivators immediately coughed up blood. The closer they approached in their charge toward Naruto, the more life force they wasted.

It was as if Naruto had turned into some destructive force that could consume all life forces.

Unfortunately, they had no choice but to continue to charge toward him. Retreat was not an option. The only chance they had was to kill Naruto.

Even as they roared and charged forward, Naruto closed his eyes and sensed the boundless, so-called Joss Flame power within him. Suddenly, the enormous face once again magically appeared. This time… the face was different. This time, it bore the semblance of Naruto.

Naruto's eyes suddenly opened, and so did the face's eyes. Its lips quivered, and just as it seems more flames of war would rise up, a single word was uttered.

"Collapse!"

The instant Naruto's voice could be heard, rumbling sounds filled the air. In that instant, the black smoke coming off of the ten Nascent Soul Cultivators roared with an earth shaking sound as it exploded with intensity. This was an explosion of their life forces, as if they were being harmed by their own power!

Surrounded by roaring sounds, nine of the Nascent Soul Cultivators coughed up blood as their bodies tumbled backward violently like kites whose strings had been cut. They were thrown three hundred meters away, and their bodies were listless, older. Their life forces were now dim; they had lost nearly half of their longevity.

When they finally came to a stop, their faces were unsightly. Their hearts trembled; fear for Naruto had already taken root inside of them. It seemed to them that they weren't fighting a Cultivator, but rather… a totemic Sacred Ancient!

Furthermore, the power of Joss Flame was incongruous with their own Cultivation base power, which came from the totems of their Tribe. This, combined with Naruto's Blood Immortal divine abilities, allowed him to thoroughly shake these ten Nascent Soul Cultivators.

As for the Supreme Priest, blood sprayed from his mouth. He was obviously stronger than the other nine, but he too had been severely injured.

All of them were thoroughly shaken inwardly.

Naruto gave an inward sigh of disappointment. Just now, he had attacked with the full force of the Joss Flame power. Even that was only enough to injure his opponents. After all, these were ten Nascent Soul Cultivators. If he were only fighting one or two, Naruto was confident that with his borrowed power, he would be able to slay them.

However, as soon as all of them came to a stop, the killing intent in their eyes grew even stronger. Their bodies flickered as they approached him once more!

It was at this point that suddenly, a massive sea of flame exploded out from within the distorted ripples that blocked the view of the battle of totemic Sacred Ancients up above. It spread out to cover half of the sky. The massive flames lit up the faces of everyone down below on the battlefield, astonishing everyone.

Astonishingly, within the massive spread of flames a figure could be seen, reclining there in mid-air. A golden light rose up, and it was impossible to see what was inside, but it was clear that the golden light was melting and dissipating.

That golden light was the Metal-type totemic Sacred Ancient of the Crow Soldier Tribe. The Flame Sea was the Crow Flame Tribe's Fire-type Sacred Ancient. It was impossible for everyone down below on the battlefield to not look at the scene up above.

An archaic voice suddenly echoed out from up above. "I cannot continue to protect you of the five Crow Divinity Tribes. However the Flame Totem and I… will fight to put you in a good position. As such, our ten thousand years of Karma must be dispersed…. We wish you… peace and safety."

The sea of flames rapidly began to contract. It shot toward the golden light at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it completely surrounded the golden light, wrapping it up, transforming into… a gigantic sun!

A death aura swirled within the sun. Down below on the ground, the members of the Crow Soldier Tribe were trembling, as were the members of the Crow Flame Tribe. Their totems were rapidly beginning to dissipate. Intense feelings of grief and sorrow welled up in their hearts.

"Sacred Ancient!"

"Sacred Ancient!"

Wails of grief rose up into the sky. Unfortunately, neither the Metal-type nor the Fire-type totems could hear them.

Even as the members of the Five Tribes cried out in grief, golden light and the glow of flames combined within the burning sun up above. Soon, everything was illuminated by its billowing light. Shockingly, just barely visible within the enormous sun was… a Golden Crow!

The instant the Golden Crow appeared, Naruto's eyes went wide. He was able to sense a somewhat familiar aura on it, and yet, most of it was unfamiliar.

"It's not her," he murmured with a soft sigh. "It's only a tiny sliver of consciousness left behind in the world. Gold and Fire ended their own lives to transform."

The Golden Crow lifted its head to the sky and roared as it shot out from within the sun. It closed in on the spider and the scorpion, which in turn shot toward it, intent on destroying it.

Such a totemic battle was something that Cultivators couldn't interfere with. The instant the three of them slammed into each other, the Golden Crow's body burst into flames. Golden light and the glow of flames spread out. The Golden Crow began to expand. In the blink of an eye, it was three hundred meters, three thousand, thirty thousand meters!

It filled the sky and covered over the land, completely enveloping the spider and the scorpion!

"Totems, I call upon the vestiges of the power of the Crow Divinity to seal you and the root of your totemic power! Totemic Demons of the Five Poisons Tribe, be sealed!" The archaic voice was filled with weakness as it used the last of its power to speak. The gigantic Golden Crow was now completely enveloping the spider and the scorpion. It transformed into an enormous golden shield almost like a bubble. The frantic spider and the scorpion were trapped inside, and were madly attacking in all directions as they tried to escape.

"SEAL!" The enormous golden bubble glittered as if with flames as it shot away with the spider and the scorpion. All the onlookers were breathing heavily as it flew out of the mountains, carrying the Sacred Ancients of two branches with it!

Its destination? The plains which housed the Five Poisons Tribe, where it would use the last bits of its power to interfere with the other three totemic Sacred Ancients.

This was the final price paid by the great totems of the Crow Divinity, a final protection for the members of the Five Tribes!

This seal would last for half of a sixty-year cycle. They had burned their own life forces to create this seal. However, their deaths, and the burning of their life force which had unleashed such incredible power, had caught the attention of the Golden Crow's sliver of will, which would exist for half of a sixty-year cycle.

As for the Sacred Ancients from the other three branches of the Five Poisons Tribe, they would meet similar fates as the other two. Even if the Five Poisons Tribe made another move, they would not be able to employ the strength of their Sacred Ancients.

Tsume coughed up a mouthful of blood. It wasn't just her; all of the surviving Cultivators from the Spider Branch did the same as their Cultivation bases instantly dropped an entire stage.

When the Sacred Ancients were sealed, their auras were also sealed as if in death, and were incapable of bestowing any of their power. This was the cause of this instant Cultivation base drop.

Gaku also coughed up a mouthful of blood, along with the rest of the Scorpion Branch Cultivators. Their expressions were that of shock as their Cultivation bases also fell.

The faces of the ten Nascent Soul Cultivators who Naruto was facing up against instantly fell. They began to pant as their Cultivation bases began to weaken and fall. It wouldn't be long before they were no longer of the Nascent Soul stage!

That was a unique feature of Western Desert Cultivators. They could borrow the power of totems, but if a Sacred Ancient died, then they would lose a totem tattoo, which would result in Cultivation base loss. In contrast, the Cultivation base of Southern Domain Cultivators belonged only to them. That was why practicing Cultivation was much more difficult there than in the Western Desert.

Of course, the Crow Divinity Tribe was in the exact same situation because of the deaths of the Metal-type and Fire-type totems. The Crow Soldier Tribe members' totem tattoos began to vanish; however, at this exact moment, when their Cultivation bases were beginning to fall, a golden light suddenly sprang out from Naruto.

It was as if a previous generation had died, so a new one arrived to replace it. Golden light radiated out of Naruto from his Metal-type totem tattoo, the ancient word 'metal' which existed on his chest!

The instant the light appeared, the Crow Soldier Tribe members' bodies began to tremble. Although their previous Metal-type totem tattoos were disappearing, a new one appeared. It looked different than the previous totems; it resembled Naruto's in every aspect. This was the ancient word for metal!

Immediately, boundless and intense Joss Flame power erupted from the members of the Crow Soldier Tribe to shoot toward Naruto. It covered his golden body, causing his aura to rise up even higher.

His hair whipped about wildly, and brilliant beams of green and gold light swirled around him. In front of him, two massive characters appeared, wood and metal. They emanated shocking power.

Filled with excitement, the Crow Soldier Tribe members clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto. The roar of their voices filled the air.

"Sacred Ancient!"

"Greetings, Sacred Ancient!"

It was at this moment when Naruto's Wood- and Metal-type power was displayed in spectacular fashion that… the power of the Joss Flame around him grew thicker and suddenly… a flame appeared within him!

This was not Joss Flame, but rather something that had been inside of him this entire time… the East Pill Everburning Flame!

The East Pill Everburning Flame had been inside of Naruto all along. It was a flame gifted to him by his Master Pill Demon, for use in pill concocting. He had observed the flame for quite some time that year, and had eventually fused the seed of the flame with his Core. After igniting it fully, it became an everburning fire inside of him.

When he finally became convinced to tread the path of the Five-Colored Nascent Soul, it didn't seem to have anything to do with the Everburning Flame. Naruto hadn't thought much about it. Naruto had assumed that in his pursuit of the five elements, he would need to find different types of totems. However… in the blink of an eye, this flame suddenly exploded out, causing Naruto to be completely shaken mentally.

He suddenly realized that he had made a mistake. The Five-Colored path, and the attributes of the five elements, weren't necessarily limited to totems. Any blessing in Heaven and Earth had the possibility of becoming part of his Five-Colored path.

The Everburning Flame, drawn out by the power of the Joss Flame, and because of his two great totems of Metal and Wood, burned out in all directions. It melted the air itself as it raged around Naruto.

Suddenly, the word for fire appeared near his dantian region. The instant it appeared, the flames around him rose up into the sky. Suddenly, the Fire-type totem seed given to him by the five Crow Divinity Tribes flew out from from within his bag of holding. The tiny tongue of flame had already dissipated by more than half by now. Naruto instantly began to rotate the Everburning Flame, causing it to envelop the tiny seed and then assimilate it.

The moment Naruto absorbed the Fire-type totem seed, the Crow Flame Tribe members all looked at him, trembling.

The Fire-type totem tattoos that had been disappearing from their bodies moments ago, were suddenly changed! Now, they looked exactly like Naruto's Fire word!

Immediately, Joss Flame power shot out from their bodies toward Naruto.

The Crow Flame Tribe members were shaking with excitement. Their voices came out in loud shouts as they dropped to their knees to kowtow to Naruto.

"Sacred Ancient!"

"Greetings, Sacred Ancient!"

Naruto's entire body was filled with roaring sound. His aura was shocking as his body floated there in mid-air. The Joss Flame power from the more than 1,000 members of the Crow Scout, Crow Soldier and Crow Flame Tribes coalesced together and shot toward Naruto's Flame-type totem tattoo.

The ancient fire word suddenly grew even clearer. Within the space of a few breaths, it was sharp and bright and sent out a sea of flames that surrounded Naruto.

Naruto's aura once again climbed upward. Three characters floated around him. Metal. Wood. Fire. Three totems that emanated blinding light. The moment the Fire-type totem began to emit light, Naruto's Cultivation base rose up explosively.

As this happened, the view in front of Naruto began to grow blurry. It only took a moment for the blurriness to pass, though. Naruto suddenly noticed that the world around him was filled with what looked like countless streaks, as well as nodes like sparks of electricity. It seemed that, if he wished, he could… make himself appear at any of these glowing nodes!

"Minor teleportation…." Naruto's mind spun as he looked around with intensely glowing eyes. Excitement filled his heart, and he took a deep breath. He didn't test it out right away, but he was sure that if he wished, he could merge himself into the air. He knew that he… now possessed a divine ability that only the Nascent Soul stage could employ. Minor teleportation!

With this divine ability, he effectively increased his life force. If he faced up against a powerful enemy, he could rely on this ability to evade.

"My decision to pick the path of the Five-Colored Nascent Soul was the correct one. This path will let me forge my own Dao!" He took a deep breath, and his eyes filled with a bright glow of confidence!

What Cultivators cultivate is… confidence!

Naruto breathed deeply as he sensed the power of the three great totems circling around him. He lifted his right hand and waved it forward, causing the sea of flames to spread out. He merged Wood-type power into it, causing it… to rage even higher. Any Scorpion Branch Cultivator that it touched let out a bloodcurdling scream and then shot backward in astonishment.

As for the ten Nascent Soul Cultivators, they had long since fled. Their Cultivation bases were unstable, and they didn't dare to fight Naruto at the peak of his power.

Naruto's left hand flickered an incantation and he pointed out, fueling the flames with Metal-type power. They congealed together, filled with golden liquid that suddenly shot out like a golden rain. Everywhere it went, the will of Metal followed.

The appearance of these divine abilities instantly changed the circumstances of the battle. Although there were more than three thousand Scorpion Branch Cultivators, their hearts were filled with fear. Much the same as the Spider Branch Cultivators before them, they suddenly lost their will to fight.

By this point, it wasn't just the Crow Scout, Crow Soldier, and Crow Flame Tribe members who were bowing deeply to Naruto. The other two of the five Crow Divinity Tribes saw what was happening and felt deep approval for Naruto. They also turned toward him and bowed.

The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather and the remaining five Nascent Soul Cultivators all looked at Naruto with deep respect. They didn't want to put too much thought into the matter; at the moment, they were able to force their Cultivation bases to remain at the Nascent Soul stage, but in reality, once the battle was over, only three of them would be able to continue to do so. The Cultivation bases of the Crow Gloom and Crow Fighter Nascent Soul Cultivators would soon fall down, and they would no longer be of the Nascent Soul stage.

"Sacred Ancient…." Tsume watched on silently with her phoenix-like eyes. Next to her, Gaku's face was pale, and the other Five Poisons Tribe members around him were starting to back up in retreat.

Meanwhile, some distance away, an old man was watching the scene that was playing out on something that looked like a giant mirror. This old man stood at the lead of an army of nearly twenty thousand Cultivators.

"A change in Sacred Ancients. A Dragoneer turning into an Ancestor. If… if we could research this matter and figure out how this person accomplished such a feat, it would be an unprecedented windfall for the Five Poisons Tribe!

"Pass the order down," the old man continued coolly, a strange light gleaming in his eyes. "Spare no cost! Employ teleportation! I WILL lay eyes on this man in the time it takes an incense stick to burn!" As his voice echoed out, the Tribe members at his side immediately began to spread the word throughout the Tribe. Roaring sounds filled the air along with the glow of teleportation. Even as all of them began to disappear, a violet raindrop landed on the old man's body.

"Violet rain?" said the old man. He looked at it in shock for a moment, then frowned as his body vanished.

Violet rain once again began to fall. It wasn't just in a small area this time. All of the mountains and even the plains that were home to the Five Poisons Tribe, experienced the rainfall.

It contained an exterminating coldness, the will of extinction, although it wasn't very intense, but rather, scattered in fragments.

The rain splashed down onto the ground in front of Naruto, mixing with the blood there. Currently, few people noticed it. It was only Naruto and a few others who, after seeing it, suddenly hesitated. However, considering that a battle was going on, Naruto didn't have much time to think. Floating there in mid-air, his gaze slowly turned cold as he looked across the battlefield toward Gaku.

When this happened, Tsume's pupils constricted. She had been slowly and unobtrusively edging away from Gaku this entire time. However, when she saw Naruto look at him, her face flickered. Not caring if her actions were obvious, she immediately shot backward, putting a greater distance between her and Gaku.

Gaku also noticed Naruto's gaze, and his heart trembled. When he saw Tsume falling back, his heart and mind filled with a roaring sound, as he suddenly realized that the person who cut off Tsume's arm… was probably this new Sacred Ancient of the five Crow Divinity Tribes.

"He wants to kill me!" he thought, his scalp growing numb. Everything that had just happened with Naruto caused his heart to tremble. Naruto had slaughtered his eighteen Stealth Guards. Even nine Nascent Soul Elders along with the Supreme Priest hadn't been able to shake him. All of this caused Gaku to begin to pant, and he immediately backed up.

"Nine Grand Elders, Supreme Priest, save me!"

However, almost in the exact same instant that Naruto looked at Gaku, he began to move forward. He shot through the air like an arrow. The nine Elders and the Supreme Priest from the Scorpion Branch hesitated. It only lasted for a moment, however. Gritting their teeth, they shot once again toward Naruto.

A cold smile twisted the corners of Naruto's lips. The main reason he had not employed minor teleportation right away was to attract these people over. Gaku was nothing more than bait. Unlike Tsume, he wasn't important enough at the moment that Naruto needed to kill him. The people Naruto wanted to kill were none other than… the nine early Nascent Soul stage Cultivators and the one that was of the mid stage.

As they neared him, killing intent flickered in his eyes. All of a sudden, he teleported. When he vanished, the faces of everyone who was watching instantly filled with shock. This was especially true of the ten Nascent Soul Cultivators, as they realized that what Naruto had just done was not the Bloodburst Flash but rather… true minor teleportation.

"Not good!" said the Supreme Priest, his face flickering. He looked over at the nine Elders to see Naruto suddenly appearing directly behind one of them. His right hand lifted up and then smashed out with the power to destroy a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

That Nascent Soul Cultivator's face fell. His body immediately began to grow blurry as he attempted to flee via minor teleportation. At the same time, he spit out a colorful beam of light which transformed into talisman paper that shot toward Naruto. However, at the same time, Naruto's fist, filled with exterminating power, landed.

A boom filled the air along with a miserable cry. The talisman paper collapsed, giving the Nascent Soul Cultivator just enough time to finish his teleportation. As he disappeared, Naruto let out a cold snort. He moved forward and then performed his own teleportation. The two figures grew blurry, and in the blink of an eye Naruto had caught up. Once again, his fist descended.

Another boom could be heard. The Nascent Soul Cultivator spit out a mouthful of Nascent Soul aura. Within were eight magical items, all of which began to explode. Even his body exploded, as he used self-detonation to attempt to kill Naruto. A flying sword swept up his Nascent Soul, which borrowed the momentum of the self-detonation to flee away at top speed, clearly weakened.

The power of self-detonation was useless against Naruto because of the Eyeless Larva. After the explosion dissipated, Naruto looked at the panic-stricken, fleeing Nascent Soul, and then waved his right hand. Eyeless Larva silk whistled out through the air to surround it. The Nascent Soul's face filled with despair, and its hands flashed an incantation. Immediately, brilliant light surrounded it as it tried to fight back. However, the instant it touched the Eyeless Larva silk, the light shattered. The Eyeless Larva silk wrapped crushingly around the Nascent Soul, strangling it into death.

A miserable shriek could be heard as this Scorpion Branch Elder first lost his physical body, and then experienced complete death as his Nascent Soul was crushed into tiny pieces.

His death caused the minds of all onlookers to reel. The viciousness of Naruto's tactics, and his cold-blooded attacks, made it clear that he desired to exterminate them all. When you added in the fact that he could teleport, that meant that he was firmly in the position to be able to battle with Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators had already sustained injuries. Furthermore, the sealing of their scorpion, cutting it off from the outside world, made their Nascent Souls unstable. The Supreme Priest's face flickered with hatred, but he retreated unhesitatingly, no longer willing to be entangled with Naruto.

The other eight Nascent Soul Cultivators were scared witless. Were their Cultivation bases at the peak of their power, they could join hands to fight Naruto. But now, they had sustained severe internal injuries, and were no longer willing to fight. They began to back up, vigilantly putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Naruto.

Seeing this, Naruto inwardly gave a sigh of relief. Just now, he had known that he must either kill with extreme speed or kill more than one person. These were Nascent Soul Cultivators, each of whom had risen up to supersede countless contemporaries. They were crafty and scheming, and difficult to kill.

He had pulled a fast one just now to quickly exterminate one of their number. As a result, they didn't wish to continue to fight. If they did, it would be difficult to continue killing them.

"So they don't want to keep fighting? Fine," thought Naruto. "The seed has been planted in their minds. If I ever face them again, it will be even easier to kill them!" He took a deep breath, confidence shining in his eyes. This was the first time that he alone had killed a Nascent Soul Cultivator. As of this moment, his feet were truly planted firmly in the Cultivation world.

Before acquiring the Metal-type totem, Naruto could have killed a single early Nascent Soul stage Cultivator. However, he would not have been able to do so very easily. With the addition of the Fire-type totem, he now had three totems. Even though he was still of the great circle of Core Formation, in terms of battle prowess, he had already bridged the gap between Core Formation and Nascent Soul, that supposedly uncrossable divide!

Naruto once again disappeared. When he reappeared, he was standing next to Gaku. Gaku screamed, and his pale face was filled with terror.

"Well, since I can't catch any of the big fish, then I guess there's no need for the bait anymore," said Naruto coolly. He slowly raised his right hand. Gaku could do nothing to resist him as he tapped his forehead.

The slight tap turned into a roar as Gaku's head exploded. His body fell to the ground, twitching.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, the fighting was growing more intense between the five Crow Divinity Tribes and the Scorpion Branch. After successfully killing a Nascent Soul Cultivator, none of the other Nascent Soul Elders were willing to get near him. Then, he slew the Scorpion Branch Holy Son. The Scorpion Branch's will to fight was now completely shattered. As they slowly began to retreat, the five Crow Divinity Tribes began to gain the upper hand. The sound of slaughter rose up as they seemed to forget their exhaustion. As of this moment, there were less than a thousand of them left, but they continued to attack with wild abandon.

Naruto's neo-demon horde was a critical factor in the battle. Without his remaining seven thousand or so neo-demons, the five Crow Divinity Tribes would not be able to continue on with the fight.

Naruto stood on the battlefield, looking around until his gaze came to fall on Tsume. Instantly, her face paled. The two Nascent Soul Elders who stood next to her, as well as the High Priest, who had long since approached to protect her, started looking nervous.

Naruto's valiance had shaken them to the core.

Suddenly, thunder could be heard from up above. The sound of it was very unique; it almost seemed to be like the sound of countless people wailing. It was so shocking that it even caused the soul to begin to tremble.

After the thunder rumbled out, rain began to fall. The rain was violet in color, and this time it didn't fall in just scattered bits like before. This time the rain began to pour down heavily, splashing all over the ground.

The rain contained a cold, destructive will, as if it wished for all life to become extinct. The rainwater fell down and spread out on the ground, and suddenly, it turned into an omen.

Naruto suddenly felt a sense of crisis. He looked up at the falling violet rain, and frowned.

"This rain… there's something not right about it."

Almost at the same time that the rain began to fall, a blinding light appeared up in the sky not far away. Countless figures began to emerge at top speed. These people were none other than members of the Five Poisons Tribe.

Their appearance instantly caused the looks of despair on the faces of the Scorpion Branch Cultivators to vanish.

Naruto's pupil's constricted, and he shot backward with the flick of a sleeve.

"Members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes, fall back to the area behind the shield!" His voice caught the attention of the all the five Crow Divinity Tribes on the battlefield. One by one, they silently looked up into the sky, and then began to retreat. Suddenly, a huge gap appeared on the battlefield between the two forces.

The twenty thousand Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators whistled through the air toward the battlefied, smiling coldly, eyes filled with the desire to kill. Their numbers seemed to blot out the sky.

The group included quite a few Dragoneers, each one of whom possessed thousands of neo-demons, and in the case of a few, even tens of thousands. The neo-demons flew behind the Cultivators like a gigantic sea.

Among the group were more than thirty Nascent Soul Cultivators, including six Priests. Even more impressive, one of their number was an old man in a white robe. His skin was dark brown, and his eyes shone with a threatening light. Shockingly, this man was of the late Nascent Soul stage!

This man was the leader of all the Priests in the Five Poisons Tribe. He was the High Priest of the entire Five Poisons Tribe, a position similar to Greatfather.

"Greetings, High Priest!"

"We offer you our respects, High Priest!"

It didn't matter if they were from the Spider Branch or the Scorpion Branch, all of the remaining Cultivators on the battlefield dropped to their knees and kowtowed to the old man.

So did Tsume.

The Crow Divinity Tribes were clearly not capable of fighting back against someone so powerful. Furthermore, the source of their shield was already gone, and the shield itself was growing thin. From the look of it, it would only last another four hours.

Naruto stood there outside of the shield. Next to him were the remaining Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Five Tribes, including the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. All of them had extremely unsightly faces.

Under Naruto's command, the remaining seven thousand or so neo-demons in his horde were positioned protectively around the shield. Everything was very quiet, making the battlefield seem almost like a graveyard. The violet rain began to fall even harder.

Amidst this deathly silence, the Five Poisons Tribe's High Priest, the brown-skinned old man, coolly said, "Leave none alive!"

All of the Five Poisons Tribe's twenty thousand Cultivators and their neo-demons roared. As they did, they surged forward like seawaters toward Naruto and the others.

As the enemy neared, Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes filled with coldness. He did not summon the Agarwood. That was something he could only use to protect himself, and was not a tool for a battle like this.

From beginning to end, Naruto had been filled with confidence regarding this battle. That was because, the entire time, he had kept one card up his sleeve. One trump card, yet to be played.

Suddenly, Naruto's voice echoed out:

"Vines! Thorn Rampart!" As soon as the words filled the air, a howling noise could be heard coming from the body of the Wild Giant. There was a blood-colored vine wrapped around it that suddenly shot out. Instantly, thorns sprang out from its body as it burrowed into the ground.

The moment the vine burrowed into the ground, the earth in front of the attacking Five Poisons Tribe army exploded up as countless thorns exploded out. The shortest of the thorns were roughly twenty five meters long. The largest were over three hundred. They shot out in waves to protectively surround the Crow Divinity Tribes!

Even more bizarre, each of these thorns quickly began to bristle with even smaller thorns. Even as the Five Poisons Tribe charged, these vines formed a protective barrier, completely covering over the Crow Divinity Tribes!

These thorns were a sacred relic of the Frigid Snow Clan. Upon leaving Holy Snow City, the Patriarch of the Frigid Snow Clan granted them to Naruto as a reward. Later, Naruto fed them to his vine. After the passage of much time, the vines absorbed the thorns, and then mutated.

The appearance of the Thorn Rampart caused the face of the Five Poisons Tribe High Priest to fill with shock. "That's the Annihilation Thorn Rampart of the Frigid Snow Clan! Supposedly, nothing under the Spirit Severing stage can break through it…. Well, let's see if that legend is true or false!" With a cold snort, he waved his right hand. Immediately, the surrounding Cultivators and neo-demon hordes proceeded to attack the Thorn Rampart.

Naruto took a deep breath and then sat down cross-legged. He coagulated a drop of life blood which he then fused into the Thorn Rampart. Once his Spiritual Sense merged with it, he used this method to fight against the Five Poisons Tribe.

Roaring filled the air outside as the neo-demon horde slammed into the Thorn Rampart Shield. Rumbling rose up, along with the miserable cries of the neo-demons.

With the Thorn Rampart in place, nothing under the Spirit Severing stage could step even half a pace beyond it.

Outside, booms filled the air, along with the light of magical treasures and the glows of totems. Everything shook violently, and even the mountains seemed on the verge of collapse. The Thorn Rampart vibrated, and some cracks even appeared, but it did not fall!

At the same time, thorn shot out from the vines. In a relatively short period of time, a vast number of neo-demons had been killed. Of the twenty thousand Cultivators, more than three thousand had been stabbed through with thorns. They could only let out bloodcurdling shrieks as their life force was sucked away and they were transformed into desiccated corpses.

It seemed the battle would not stop until one side had been exterminated. However, it was at this time that suddenly more thunder filled the sky. It sounded like countless people weeping. The violet rain grew even harder. A bit of the rain was absorbed into the earth, but most began to pool up on the ground. Now, puddles were forming in some of the lower areas.

This caught the attention of Naruto as well as Tsume. The Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Five Poisons Tribe also noticed, as did the High Priest. He stared in shock for a long moment at the rainwater, and then suddenly… his face fell!

Thoroughly and completely fell!

"This… this is…." The High Priest's body began to tremble. Considering his intelligence and the level of his Cultivation base, even something that could lead to the destruction of his Tribe would not cause him to lose control of his facial expression in such a way. The only thing that could… would be something shocking that far exceeded the destruction of a Tribe!

There was a legend in the great lands of the Western Desert, the source of which was impossible to determine. In any case, over the years, this legend came to exist in the minds of all Tribes in the Western Desert. It was even recorded in the ancient records of the Tribes and passed down from generation to generation.

But then, even more time passed. Eventually, people began to forget about the legend. It wasn't that there was no knowledge about it at all, just, most people didn't remember….

According to the legend, at a time many, many years in the past, the Western Desert was not a continent, but rather, a sea. The sea existed for thirty thousand years before vanishing to reveal the continent beneath. During that time, the Western Desert… was not called the Western Desert, but rather a different name. The Western Sea.

This sea was not the same color as the Milky Way Sea. Rather, it was violet, and its waters had the power to cause all life to become extinct. It even cut off spiritual energy, making the area a prohibited zone for living things.

There was an area of division between the Milky Way Sea and this Sea, as if they intentionally did not want to mix.

According to the legend, the Western Sea was not completely without any land mass. There was one area with land, a part that was connected to the Southern Domain. That was none other than… the Black Lands.

In terms of elevation, the Black Lands were relatively high. Such high elevation was something that Cultivators wouldn't pay too much attention to. However, the Black Lands were actually the highest place in the entire continent, including the Western Desert and the Southern Domain. It was so high that even after the Western Desert became a sea… it still existed.

The legend said that long before the Western Desert, and even before the Western Sea, the entire land was filled with abundant resources and dense spiritual energy. However, it eventually experienced a fall of violet rain that lasted many years. The rainwater did not soak into the earth, but rather began to collect on its surface.

Gradually the waters turned into streams, which then formed lakes, and eventually turned into a sea.

The violet rain had the power to destroy the life force of any living thing it touched, and could even cut off spiritual energy. All spell formations ceased to function, and it became difficult for Cultivators to survive there. Everything was plunged into destruction.

Countless varieties of vegetation died, and an innumerable amount of animals became nothing more than skeletons. Multitudinous life forms… reached the end of their path. This was a catastrophe that affected the lives of all Tribes in the Western Desert, an Apocalypse of Heaven and Earth!

This was the legend that existed within each and every Tribe.

Right now, the body of the Five Poisons Tribe High Priest was trembling, and his face was pale. He slowly reached his hand out to catch some violet raindrops. He stared blankly; it felt as if this rain was causing his Cultivation base to slowly fade away.

He was now shaking, and his eyes filled with dread. He looked down as the rainwater collected on the ground, mixing together with the blood. There were some places in which cracks existed in the ground where the water drained into. However… most of the water appeared to be just floating there, mixing with the blood.

The High Priest's face was completely ashen, and he was panting.

"This is… this is impossible…." he murmured. There were some of the Five Poison Tribe's Nascent Soul Cultivators who also seemed to be reaching the same conclusion as the High Priest. Their faces began to flicker as they looked at the violet rain.

Tsume suddenly staggered backward a few steps, staring blankly at the rain. Clearly, she too had just come to a certain realization.

At the same time, inside the Thorn Rampart, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather was staring at the rain in stupefaction. His face completely fell as a despair filled him even that was even more terrible than that which could be caused by the destruction of his Tribe.

"Apocalypse…."

"The Western Desert Apocalypse…."

"According to the legends, an Apocalypse will come that will exterminate all life and change the Western Desert into the Western Sea!"

The Five Poisons Tribe High Priest backed up a few steps. At that moment, the war, the spot in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, the spoils… none of them were important.

Without hesitation, he began to activate the teleportation spell again as a means to test whether or not the stories about the violet rain were true. Before, the teleportation spell had worked, but now… no matter what he tried, he couldn't get it to work. It was as if something were blocking its power, making it completely useless.

The sight of this turned into a roaring sound that filled the minds of the Five Poisons Tribe High Priest.

"Migrate. The Tribe must migrate!" he murmured to himself. "The Western Desert North is the lowest place in the whole Western Desert. This is the first place where the sea will rise up! The Tribe must migrate, migrate to south. We… must go to the Black Lands near the Southern Domain!" The rain continued to grow heavier. Already, the Cultivators were beginning to sense that the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth was becoming thinner. This immediately caused the faces of the Five Poisons Tribe members to fall.

"The Black Lands… the Black Lands! Now I understand!" A tremor ran through the High Priest; his eyes went wide and filled with even more urgency. "It makes sense. All those years ago, the three great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs made an alliance and invaded the Black Lands. They even joined forces with some of the powers in the Black Lands.

"They were careful not to offend the Southern Domain in their war! After the war, many of the other Tribes connected to them also migrated to the Black Lands!

"They knew! They carved out an area for themselves in the Black Lands, making it even easier to have dealings with the Southern Domain. Or, maybe they had some other purposes.

"In any case, it all makes sense now!"

The High Priest's panting grew even more intense as he murmured to himself.

"Those three enormous great Tribes knew all along that the Apocalypse was coming. They occupied the Black Lands. Now, anyone who wants to go to the Black Lands will only be able to do so with their approval!

"Without spilling a drop of blood, they wrested control over all the powers in the Western Desert! They will be able to control the fate of thousands of Tribes during the Apocalypse!"

The High Priest's eyes filled with anxiety.

"The Black Lands is small. There's no way it can hold all of the Tribes of the Western Desert. But any who don't go there… will be exterminated without a doubt. The Five Poisons Tribe is in the north. So far away…."

He suddenly raised his voice loudly. "All Five Poisons Tribe members, hear my orders. We must leave this place immediately. Whatever the cost, employ the greatest speed possible to return to the Tribe!" This was a critical moment in which every bit of time was important. The war with the broken remnants of the Crow Divinity Tribes was now inconsequential. In fact, now he felt regret over having gone to war in the first place!

The members of the Five Poisons Tribe heard his words and gaped in astonishment. However, based on the ashen expressions of the various Elders, they had guessed that something was going on. Without hesitation, they followed orders and flew up into the air.

Soon, not a single member of the Five Poisons Tribe was fighting. Nearly twenty thousand Cultivators and tens of thousands of neo-demons all roared through the air to disappear off in the distance. Tsume was amongst them. However, as she flew off, she looked back at the Crow Divinity Tribes and the protective Thorn Rampart, and her eyes filled with a sharp glow.

"You will pay tenfold for severing my arm!" she thought. Then she turned and followed the rest of the Five Poisons Tribe members off into the distance.

After the Five Poisons Tribe left, the Thorn Rampart slowly began to retract and disappear. Naruto rose up from his cross-legged position and looked off at the horizon. Behind him, the more than two thousand surviving Tribe members let out cries of relief at their sudden new lease on life.

However, their happiness could not dispel the shadow that lingered over Naruto's heart. Next to him, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather had a bitter look on his face.

"Is it true?" said Naruto slowly.

"For the Five Poisons Tribe to make such a hasty exit indicates that the legendary Apocalypse is mostly likely coming. Spell formations will become inoperable and the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth will be extinguished. All life will be destroyed…. The only hope….

"The only hope is to migrate to the south," said the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, his voice low. "Head south and keep going all the way to the Black Lands."

"The Black Lands…." Naruto's body suddenly shook. Like the Five Poisons Tribe High Priest, Naruto also thought of the war that the Western Desert had participated in back in the Black Lands. He thought about the Western Desert Tribes he'd seen entering the Black Lands during his departure.

"So, this is the reason for all of it!" he thought. Finally, he understood something that for so long had been a point of confusion.

This was why war had broken out in the Black Lands. This was why the Western Desert had participated with such gusto. And this was why the Southern Domain did nothing to stop it. They allowed the Western Desert to occupy the Black Lands. A great Apocalypse of Heaven and Earth was coming. If the Southern Domain attempted to obstruct the Western Desert, a full scale war would have broken out. That was something the Southern Domain wouldn't want.

Naruto looked up at the increasingly heavy rain. A gleam suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"The spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth is being extinguished. All living things will be destroyed. The continent will turn into a sea…. For me, it's not that bad. After the experience of using the East Pill Everburning Flame to form my Fire-type totem tattoo, I know… that all things in Heaven and Earth exist on the path of the five elements, and have the potential to give enlightenment.

"What better type of water could you use than a sea!? And what better sea could there be than one referred to as the Western Desert Apocalypse!?

"As for the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth being extinguished… with the exception of the ultra high-grade Spirit Stones, I've already gone for many years without absorbing it. That's why I've supported myself by consuming medicinal pills. Every time I attack, I must very carefully control the spiritual energy I use. Furthermore, I've constantly been improving my pill concocting skills.

"For the same reason, I was always inclined toward being a Dragoneer. Only Dragoneers can grow strong without wasting very much spiritual power!

"The main thing I need to be careful of is that the rain can exterminate life force…. In any case, I am definitely the most suitable person to exist within the Western Desert Apocalypse!" Naruto's eyes glittered for a moment. However, he then looked at the rejoicing members of the Five Tribes. They didn't know about this Apocalypse. Seeing the happiness of the children caused him to think for a long moment.

"Golden Crow," he said, closing his eyes. "I have accepted your legacy. Your Tribe calls me their Sacred Ancient, and I am connected to them through totems. Is this… is this the protection you wish me to give them…?"

As of this moment, all sky and land of the Western Desert North regions was filled with violet-colored rain. No sun could be seen in the sky, and everything was dark. This was a dusk that would last a very, very long time….

Down on the ground, the water slowly began to pool up. More and more puddles could be seen.

It wasn't just in the North region of the Western Desert. In the East, West and South, it was just the same. Violet rain began to fall, and as it did, more and more cries of alarm could be heard. Hearts shook.

The Western Desert Apocalypse was nigh!

Migration.

Throughout the lands of the Western Desert, it took only a short period of time for a multitude of Tribes to all reach the same bitter decision!

To make such a decision was easier said than done. However, as far as the Crow Divinity Tribes were concerned, migrating… was the same as death!

Throughout the Western Desert, teleportation spells rapidly ceased to function. This was especially true of the low-lying Western Desert North, where vast amounts of violet rainwater was collecting. One could easily imagine how the rain which fell in the West, South and East would flow down and accumulate within the North.

The Western Desert North was definitely the first place that the sea would begin to rise!

Had the five Crow Divinity Tribes not experienced the war with the Five Poisons Tribe, then they would surely have been powerful enough to migrate. Unfortunately… even including all the young children and elderly Tribe members, their total population was now around two thousand.

Considering that they used to have more than ten thousand Tribe members, their overall power had been critically reduced. As of this moment, they only counted as a small Tribe when compared to the rest of the Western Desert.

Furthermore… because teleportation portals were no longer functional, and more than half of the Tribe members were ordinary people with no Cultivation bases, there was no way for the Tribe to fly. They would be forced to travel on foot.

The Greatfather stood next to Naruto, his hair gray and his expression one of exhaustion. He smiled bitterly and said, "We can't travel on foot to the Black Lands…. We're simply too far away. Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator who flew continuously without sleep or rest would need at least ten years to get there. If we went on foot… it would take more than a thousand. More than a thousand years to migrate. Would the Crow Divinity Tribes even still be around by that time?"

He looked even older than he had before. He turned his head back to look at the Tribe members behind him who were erecting wooden shelters, and continued, "The violet rain will continuously extinguish the spiritual energy. Eventually we would all become mortals. The will of extermination in the rain would corrode our bodies, weakening us to the point of death.

"That's not even to mention what the rain would do to the children and the other ordinary Tribe members. They… would be the first to die. After that… the deaths would only continue to increase. The entire Tribe would eventually be wiped out during the course of the migration.

"In addition, virtually all of the other Tribes in the Western Desert will be migrating at the same time. Because of food, resources and other reasons, the road will be filled with chaotic battles! Tribes will be constantly contending with each other in order to ensure their own existence. Right now, the Crow Divinity Tribes… simply could not survive such an ordeal.

"Also, even if we managed to travel for more than a thousand years, even if by some fluke we weren't swallowed up by some other Tribe, then… once we got to the Black Lands… what would qualify us to enter? There is limited space in there. How could we get in?

"How could we possibly distinguish ourselves… amongst so many great Tribes and mid-sized Tribes. With so many big shot Tribes controlling the Black Lands, how could we get them to accept us?"

Naruto stood there silently. He had already seen some of the children who were physically weak to begin with growing even weaker after being touched by the rainwater. This violet rain was going to exterminate everything.

"It is because of all of this, exalted Sacred Ancient, that I urge you… to leave!" The Greatfather's voice was so decisive that it could sever nails and chop iron. "Leave this place and leave the Crow Divinity Tribes. Sacred Ancient, given your Cultivation base and your status as a Grand Dragoneer, any Tribe would be happy to accept you during this critical time and bring you with them to the Black Lands.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, this is your only hope. As for us…." The Greatfather once again looked back at the Five Tribes members building huts to shelter themselves from the rainwater. Their eyes were filled with sorrow and grief.

"We will not leave our homeland. If we are doomed to be exterminated, then we will die together and be buried here with our forefathers and fellow Tribe members. At least this way, maybe some of those children will have a chance to grow up." The Greatfather looked even older now, as if his life force were slowly flowing away.

Naruto continued to stand there quietly, unsure of what to say. He looked over his shoulder at the silent Five Tribes members. Darui was there, as was Mabui. There were sleeping children, who occasionally called out for their mothers. Tears were being shed. There were elderly ones longing for loved ones. As Naruto looked at them all, he realized that there were many, many familiar faces.

Right now, he had only two choices. Go… or stay!

If he did leave, then he was essentially the most likely person to be able to survive within the violet rain, considering all of his special abilities.

But if he stayed….

Naruto let out a soft sigh. He said nothing, but rather, turned and walked over to where the Tribe members were gathered. As he neared, they all looked toward him, eyes hot with zeal. With a slight smile, Naruto continued around to the back of the mountain, and his courtyard.

Here, the rain was falling heavily. He sat down beneath the eaves, surrounded by his neo-demon horde. Big Hairy lay on the ground next to him, letting out light yips. He was wounded, but not fatally.

Naruto now had only six thousand neo-demons left in his horde. All were wounded, and were currently healing naturally.

Motoi braved the rainwater to bustle about, giving them food and treating some of their minor injuries. The sky above was dim, and the rain… only continued to fall harder and harder.

The vast sky and land gradually transformed into a depression that weighed down on the hearts of both Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe members.

"Perhaps I should wait for the parrot to return… and then leave. Leaving really is the best decision. However…." He lapsed into silence again. During his entire time in the Western Desert, he had lived amongst the five Crow Divinity Tribes. He had achieved his goals, and yet, the ones to pay the price had been them.

Objectively speaking, everything that was happening was not Naruto's fault. However, when it came to his heart, Naruto found it hard shake off the deep emotions that he felt.

The Crow Soldier Greatfather's words made sense. The five Crow Divinity Tribes had no ability to migrate, and even if they did… they would never be able to enter the Black Lands.

When he thought of the Black Lands, Naruto recalled the war he had seen there, and the Western Desert Cultivators who had fought in them.

"What an incredible plan," Naruto thought, his eyes flashing. "Because of this Apocalypse, the eyes of the entire Western Desert will be focused on the Black Lands. It seems that the time will soon come for those great Tribes who control the Black Lands… to bare their fangs."

Time passed by slowly. Two months were gone, and the violet rain never ceased to fall. It only grew harder. Naruto could no longer stay behind the mountain, because… it had already turned into a small stream as deep as one's knees.

The five Crow Divinity Tribes had moved to the top of the mountain peak. There, they built huts to shelter themselves from the rain. More than two thousand people lived their lives silently inside these huts.

Already, there were Tribe members who were visibly weakening….

Naruto sat cross-legged on the mountain peak, looking at the mountains off in the distance. They had once been green and verdant, but now they were a deathly dark gray. All of the vegetation had withered up and died.

Every day, it was possible to see neo-demons running or flying away from within the deep mountains. It wasn't just Cultivators who were migrating during this Apocalypse, but neo-demons as well.

The land in many areas around had already turned violet. Streams flowed together to form rivers. It was easy to imagine how, after some bit of time passed, the rivers would merge together to form lakes. Eventually, the lakes would turn into… a sea.

"If I can't take you with me," said Naruto, "then I will stay with you here. We will await death together. I will not allow the violet rain to bury you. The tombstone of the five Crow Divinity Tribes should have all of your names carved on its surface." Naruto felt deeply melancholy, but he really could not think of any other options. The five Crow Divinity Tribes really had no hope to hold in front of them anymore.

The Black Lands might count as hope. However, it was an intangible hope, a stagnant hope. Besides, the path to the Black Lands would be rife with countless other Tribes all charging toward the same destination. The five Crow Divinity Tribes would have much difficulty fighting for a place amongst all those other Tribes.

"Maybe there is some other hope to be had!" murmured Naruto, lifting his head up to look at the violet rain.

More time passed. A month later, hope suddenly appeared one day…. It appeared, not just for Naruto, but for all the members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes.

That hope came in the form of a voice!

The voice echoed out throughout the entire Western Desert, from North to South, East to West. It was impossible to say if it was a magical technique or divine ability, nor was it possible to determine the profundity of the speaker's Cultivation base. The voice was archaic and ancient as it echoed out.

"To all fellow countrymen in the Western Desert, greetings….

"We are the Heavenly Court Alliance of the Black Lands, formed by the great Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, great Wild Flame Tribe, and great Demon Butterfly Tribe. This is our first public announcement to all Cultivators in the Western Desert…."

Naruto looked up. The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather suddenly opened his eyes from meditation. All of the Tribe members gazed out at the sky.

At this moment, all Tribes in the Western Desert stopped what they were doing. Some were like the great Scorching Ice Tribe, currently on the road in the midst of migration. Others were camped out, resting. Others, like the five Crow Divinity Tribes, had decided to return to the dust in their homeland. All Cultivators in the Western Desert began to tremble as they looked up to the sky.

Everyone, even the Five Poisons Tribe. Everywhere, West, East, North and South. All members of all Tribes… looked up.

"The violet rain has come, and the Western Sea Apocalypse is here. This violet rain will exterminate all life, and extinguish all spiritual energy. At the moment, roughly ninety percent of teleportation portals in the great lands of the Western Desert are not functional.

"There is only one hope for life amidst this great Apocalypse, and that is the Black Lands. Thankfully, many years ago, the Heavenly Court Alliance enacted plans to carve out a suitable place for Western Desert Tribes to survive within the Black Lands!

"Naturally, the space is limited, and not all Tribes will be permitted to enter. Furthermore, we do not have the right to decide who is most qualified to do so. Therefore… we will give all of you a chance… to find a Demon Spirit!

"According to information gleaned from the augury of the Heavenly Court Alliance, as well as details recorded in countless ancient records, we know that whenever the Western Desert turns into a sea, Heaven and Earth experience changes. Demon Spirits emerge in the great lands of the Western Desert, no more than ten of them.

"Any Tribe who appears outside of the Black Lands with a Demon Spirit, will be qualified to enter the Black Lands. We will only accept… Demon Spirits!"

The voice stopped speaking, but the sound of it continued to echo out throughout the Western Desert. The countless people who heard the voice all began to breathe heavily, and their eyes instantly grew bloodshot.

Naruto's eyes began to shine brightly.

"Now that's hope!" thought Naruto, his eyes glittering brightly. He didn't care why this Heavenly Court Alliance in the Black Lands needed these so-called Demon Spirit. He only knew that they were required to enter the Black Lands!

Whoever could get one, would have a chance to live through this Apocalypse and evade destruction.

One could only imagine how short a period of time would pass before the Demon Spirit were surrounded, and great wars would engulf the Western Desert.

Naruto stood up, and then turned his head back to look at the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. An unprecedented glow appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Naruto.

After they looked at each other for a moment, the Greatfather stood up and approached Naruto to stand at the mountain's peak.

"I'm not sure where the Demon Spirits will appear in the great lands of the Western Desert," said the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, breathing heavily, "nor have I even heard the term 'Demon Spirit' before. However, I do know that if the words of this so-called Heavenly Court Alliance are true, then there is a place that is eighty percent or more likely to have them!

"The Realm of the Bridge Ruins!"

Naruto nodded, and his eyes glittered as he stood there thoughtfully for a moment.

"Except…." started the Greatfather, and then stopped. He could tell what Naruto was thinking. However, he knew that if he himself had reached this conclusion, then many of the other Tribes in the Western Desert would also be able to.

As such, this particular foray into the Realm of the Bridge Ruins would be fraught with even more danger than usual, danger not from that world itself, but rather, the other Cultivators who entered it.

"I've made my mind up already," said Naruto slowly, looking at the old man. "If I can't acquire a Demon Spirit, then I will accompany you to the end of the road, and I will carve your names onto your tombstones.

"But, if I can get a Demon Spirit, then I, Naruto… will lead you in migration. Regardless of whether or not the migration is successful, I will not disappoint you by leaving you!"

The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather listened. He looked quietly over at Naruto, his eyes shining with an indescribable brightness. Next, he flicked his sleeve and, disregarding his own mid Nascent Soul Cultivation base, and the difference in age between himself and Naruto, dropped to his knee, clasped hands and bowed deeply!

"For generation after generation to come, the five Crow Divinity Tribes will never forget your kindness, Sacred Ancient. For generation after generation to come, we will offer worship to your statue. If my words are not true, let the five Crow Divinity Tribes be destroyed by fire!"

There were two other Nascent Soul Cultivators in the Tribe, as well as two whose Cultivation bases had dropped to the great circle of Core Formation. They, too, heard the words spoken by the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather.

It wasn't just them, but all of the Tribe members. They all were watching on, listening to the conversation between the two.

No one said a word. It was hard to say who did it first, but one by one, they all began to drop to their knees to kowtow. Soon, the entire Tribe was on their knees.

All the Cultivators of the Tribe, including the Core Formation and Nascent Soul Cultivators, had dropped to their knees in worship.

No one spoke a word, they simply kneeled to him. There were, in fact, no words that could express the appreciation that existed in their hearts. They could only use a kowtow, along with the glistening teardrops in their eyes, to show Naruto… how deeply thankful they were.

As Naruto looked out at them, thunder rumbled in the sky, and the violet rain continued to plotter platter down from up above.

"What Cultivators truly cultivate, is self-confidence, and even more importantly, self-awareness. I have to say that … I, Naruto, do not dare to call myself a straightforward and upright person. Nor am I a gentleman, or a man of honor. But I always repay the kindnesses shown to me!" With that, Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply to the members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes.

Time trickled by. Three months passed. The streams down below were already beginning to merge together to form rivers. Looking down at it all from the top of the mountain, there were already seven or eight such large rivers that could be seen.

The river water churned, lifeless. In some places a thick aura of death rose up.

The spiritual energy in the area was already very scant. The will of extermination was even more obvious. The world was becoming desolate….

Three more months went by. Of the two thousand Tribe members, there were already a hundred who were gravely weakened, and could do nothing but lay there in bed. Even their power to simply breathe seemed on the verge of disappearing.

Because of their relationship with Naruto, Darui and Mabui now had a distinguished position in the Tribe. They were the new blazing suns who presided over all matters relating to the Crow Scout Tribe. They were also taken in as disciples by the two other Nascent Soul Cultivators.

After Naruto asked the Crow Soldier Tribe about Mabui's necklace, he finally understood its origin. It did not come from the Crow Divinity Holy Land. Rather it was a treasure acquired thousands of years ago from the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, back when the Crow Divinity Tribe had been at the peak of its power.

Having learned this, the Realm of the Bridge Ruins became even more mysterious in Naruto's mind. Naruto also learned something very strange from the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. When people returned from the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, they could remember everything that happened inside. However, regarding what happened on the way there, and on the way back, no one ever remembered anything clearly. It was as if something interfered with, or even erased, those memories.

"A Resurrection Lily seed, so-called Demon Spirits, and even a legendary Bridge of Immortal Treading from ancient times…. The whole place is ruins. Regardless of what special functions might be contained within the stones that formed the Immortality Bridge, if they contain the Earth of the five elements, then I might have the fortune to obtain the Earth-type elements I need." Naruto's eyes shone brightly. His anticipation regarding Realm of the Bridge Ruins continued to grow even stronger.

The parrot finally returned during this time. However, it only took a few days before it went back out, full of enthusiasm. Naruto wasn't sure how it was amusing itself, but the violet rain didn't seem to stop it.

One afternoon, half a month later, a shocking rumbling sound filled the sky. Silver-colored lightning appeared up above, crackling with such intensity that it seemed it would rip the sky apart. All the Tribe members looked up with shock as the violet rain which had fallen for months on end… suddenly stopped!

When the rain stopped, everyone was filled with shock. Naruto's eyes glittered as he looked up. What he saw caused his entire body to tremble, and he began to breathe heavily.

There in the sky was a bridge!

The bridge seemed to fill the entire sky, with neither the beginning nor the end visible. Inexhaustible light shone out from the bridge; it was this light that broke up the rain. On this day, no rain fell within the Western Desert.

If you looked closely at the booming lightning, you would be able to see that it existed only within the bridge. None of it was on the outside. In fact, the lightning actually seemed like countless cracks that existed on this enormous bridge.

"The Bridge of Immortal Treading!" thought Naruto as he looked up at the boundless structure. Although it was actually illusory, it seemed incredibly realistic.

Countless magical symbols glittered on the surface of the bridge. Each one seemed to contain rippling power capable of exterminating even a Nascent Soul Cultivator. An incredibly archaic aura emanated out from the bridge, an aura that contained the feeling of Time itself. This aura was different from spiritual energy; it seemed more rich and full, as though even a tiny bit of it was the same as a large amount of the spiritual energy that existed in the outside world.

Naruto could tell that this aura far outmatched the aura of the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, and would shock any Cultivator who absorbed it. Even more shocking… he himself could absorb it as well!

This caused Naruto's mind and heart to reel with incredible intensity. The shocking light cast by the bridge expanded out for tens of thousands of meters in all direction. It spread out over the entire sky, making it seem almost as if a curtain was opening up to reveal… a starry sky!

Naruto panted as he looked up at the stars. He was certain that this starry sky was the true world that existed outside of Lands of Ninshu.

It was at this moment that an indistinct figure suddenly appeared on top of the bridge. It was a woman wearing a long robe. Her features weren't clearly distinguishable, and her body shone with a brilliant glow.

She looked down at the lands below her, then lifted up her slender hand. A strangely shaped stone appeared in her hand which seemed ordinary, lacking any special features. The woman tossed the stone out in front of her, where it floated in the air.

The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather stood next to Naruto. "To step onto the bridge, seize the Immortality Bridgestone," he said urgently. "Then, you may enter the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. To return, you must also use the same stone."

As for how to enter and leave the bridge, Naruto had learned the details earlier from the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. Naruto looked up into the sky with glittering eyes. He waved his right hand, and suddenly the Thorn Rampart vine appeared. It circled around the Crow Divinity Tribes, piercing into the rocky mountainside. With it in place, the Crow Divinity Tribes would be protected in the days after Naruto left. No migrating Tribes would be able to raid or attack them.

Naruto was aware that ordinary Dragoneers were not able to enter the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. The reason for that was because neo-demons were incapable of existing there.

This point had only been revealed to him apologetically later on by the Crow Soldier Greatfather.

The instant that Naruto saw the Bridge of Immortal Treading, he could sense an aura that repelled neo-demons. It was as if the bridge was designed for the Immortal Ascension of Cultivators only, and not Immortal Demons. Although it had been destroyed, its primary laws still remained.

As such, Naruto left his neo-demon horde behind within the five Crow Divinity Tribes. He took a deep breath and then flew up into the sky. He transformed into a beam of light that shot up toward the Bridge of Immortal Treading. Below, the more than two thousand Tribe members watched him go.

Meanwhile, across the rest of the Western Desert, people flew up into the air from the other twenty or more Tribes qualified to enter the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. The representative from the Five Poisons Tribe was there too. It was none other than… Tsume.

Her right arm had been restored, and she wore a white robe. She looked incredibly beautiful as she flew up toward the Bridge of Immortal Treading.

Although it appeared as if there were only one bridge, in fact, identical bridges appeared above each and every qualified Tribe. None of the participants could see any of the others. The only thing they could see was the woman on top of the bridge, and the Immortality Bridgestone in front of her.

In different areas, different people all shot up into the sky. Naruto suddenly appeared directly in front of the woman. He reached out and took hold of the Immortality Bridgestone.

The instant he did, a buzzing sound filled him. It felt as if something had grabbed his body, and he was suddenly shooting forward at incredibly high speed.

Naruto wasn't the only one experiencing such a thing. The exact same thing happened to everyone from all the other Tribes. The woman in front of them did not seem to be a Cultivator, but rather, something more like a puppet. As for the bridge, it had turned into something like a flying shuttle, carrying them off to some other location.

No life force whatsoever could be detected coming from the woman. In fact, if you observed how she moved, it seemed stiff. In Naruto's estimation, she must not be a real person, but a puppet, another mysterious aspect of the Bridge of Immortal Treading.

As he whistled through the air, Naruto saw twenty or more figures appearing around him.

These figures were the representatives from the other qualified Tribes. However, because of the incredible speed with which they were moving, their features could not be seen clearly.

The world flashed by as they shot through the air and clouds. The speed with which they moved was incredible. Soon, Naruto couldn't even breathe. His mind was spinning as he looked down at the lands beneath them. They rapidly shrank, until the Crow Divinity Tribes were only a small dot.

Soon, he could see about half of the entire Western Desert!

Such indescribable speed filled Naruto with a sense of grave danger. He had the feeling that if he wasn't able to keep a firm grip on the Immortality Bridgestone, his body would be crushed into smithereens.

Even as this thought entered his mind, he saw a nearby figure suddenly lose contact with the Immortality Bridgestone. Instantly, a fountain of blood appeared. There wasn't even time for a bloodcurdling scream. Death came in an instant.

This caused Naruto's mind to tremble. He kept a tight grip on his Immortality Bridgestone, his eyes glowing brightly.

The temperature was dropping rapidly. The coldness stabbed into his bones; were these people not Cultivators, they would barely even be able to move their bodies at this point.

By now, it wasn't just Naruto that was looking at the scene down below. Everyone was gazing at the lands beneath them. By now, Naruto could see all of the Western Desert, plus the Black Lands and even the Southern Domain. He was also able to see the Milky Way Sea!

There were a multitude of islands on the Milky Way Sea, but Naruto's gaze happened to come to rest on one particular island. By now, it was only a small dot, but Naruto was shocked to realize with a certainty that this island was none other than the very unreliable Patriarch Reliance!

His gaze flickered back to the Southern Domain, and the region of the Violet Fate Sect. Although he couldn't see the Violet Fate Sect clearly, his eyes were fixed on that particular area.

The Southern Domain continued to grow smaller and smaller. Naruto was now able to see that in addition to the Southern Domain and the Western Desert, there was another continent!

As soon as he laid eyes on it, his heart trembled. A host of indescribable thoughts filled his mind, to the point where he almost forgot to keep a firm grip on the Immortality Bridgestone. He could only stare blankly.

He was looking at… the Eastern Lands!

"So, at long last… I get to look at the Eastern Lands," he murmured inwardly. That had always been his dream as a child, and his dream when taking the imperial examinations. In fact, it was still his dream.

The Eastern Lands, the Sky Country!

He thought about his father and mother who had gone missing that day, and he thought about the violet wind. He also recalled the stories his mother had told him about the Eastern Lands, and the legends of the Sky Country.

"Dad, mom… is that where you are…?" He watched the Eastern Lands grow smaller and smaller until the entire continent looked like a small arc-like shape. It was at this point that suddenly a booming sound filled his body, and he felt as if he had just slammed into an invisible wall. The intensity of the blow caused his mouth to fill with blood. Instead of coughing it out, however, he swallowed it back down.

His vision grew blurry as everything around him became unclear. It was impossible to even send out Spiritual Sense. Everything was violently suppressed. The only thing he could do was hold on tightly to the Immortality Bridgestone and not allow his grip to loosen in the slightest.

This process in which everything grew blurry lasted for an indeterminable period of time. Eventually, a roaring sound began to echo out, and Naruto coughed up some blood. Gradually, the blurriness faded away. When Naruto's vision returned to normal, all he could do was gape.

The blood he had just coughed up floating in front of him, and was speeding along with him.

Everything around him was black, blackness dotted with countless stars. The starlight was resplendent, shining out within the pitch black, allowing Naruto to see something far off in the distance.

He saw… a bridge!

A ruined bridge!

It was immeasurably large, and throbbed with an ancient will. It was as if it contained countless years of time. The bridge was made of stone, and spread out into vast depths of the blackness and the stars, making it impossible to see where it ended.

The bridge was not complete, but rather, had long since been reduced to countless chunks of rubble. The chunks of rubble had not been scattered about, though. Instead, they retained the original shape of the structure, making the bridge seem almost like a complete one if you looked at it from a distance.

The closer one came, however, the more easy it was to see the gaps between the various chunks. The gaps looked small, but upon nearing, it became clear that they were actually incredibly wide.

Countless fragments of dust drifted about in the gaps between the various chunks. They glowed brightly, causing the entire bridge itself to also glow.

"The Bridge of Immortal Treading…." murmured Naruto inwardly. Even as he neared the bridge, something shocking suddenly neared his field of vision.

Eight dark, blurry figures suddenly appeared up ahead, surrounding the puppet-like woman. As soon as they did, their Cultivation bases began to emanate ripples. The ripples far exceeded anything that Naruto could ever have imagined, and gave him the same feeling he'd gotten from the Immortal who had fallen out of the Heavens that year.

These eight figures were Immortals!

As these eight Immortals appeared up ahead, surrounding the woman, they all began to attack. Everything around them trembled as a blinding light appeared, filled with an indescribable feeling of extermination.

Naruto had originally assumed that the stiff woman who did not seem to be a Cultivator wouldn't even move. However, it was at this point that countless ripples suddenly emanated off of her body, spreading out to slam into the divine abilities of the other eight. As a booming sound echoed out, Naruto and all the other Cultivators who were holding stones in their hands, coughed up blood. Although they couldn't see each other clearly, it was possible to sense the shock and injury being experienced by the others.

"She's not a puppet?" thought Naruto, shock filling his heart. At the same time that the boom echoed out, something like a fierce gale swept across everything. Naruto's body did not feel stable, almost as if he were not capable of holding onto the Immortality Bridgestone anymore. The glow in the area began to flicker, and darkened by about half.

"Dammit, dammit…." thought Naruto, his fury burning. This was all he could do, however; rage inwardly and hold on tightly to the Immortality Bridgestone.

The booming caused the eight to be sent tumbling backward. In the blink of an eye, the woman proceeded forward with Naruto and the others, shooting off into the distance. However, it only took a moment for the eight to return. This time, their bodies were surrounded by bright glows. They looked like eight suns as they charged toward the woman.

The woman's expression suddenly flickered. Her body disappeared, then reappeared off in the distance, whereupon she transformed into a beam of prismatic light that shot off at high speed.

One of the eight suddenly spoke, his voice cold: "Demoness Tsukino of the Immortal Demon Sect, you were able to con Young Master out of his precious treasure. We've been chasing you for a whole sixty year cycle, and it turns out you were hiding here, pretending to be a puppet of the Bridge of Immortal Treading. Your little ruse fooled us before, but let's see how exactly you plan to elude us this time!"

With that, the eight of them completely ignored Naruto and the others as they sped off in pursuit of the woman.

"She's a Cultivator who was masquerading as a puppet to avoid pursuit? Immortal Demon Sect? What Sect is that…?" Naruto watched them disappear off into the distance, his mind and heart reeling. The Immortality Bridgestone in his hand had not ceased moving. It continued to carry the group of Cultivators toward the Bridge of Immortal Treading. They flew closer and closer, at a speed that Naruto had a hard time wrapping his mind around.

It was at this moment that suddenly, a furious roar could be heard from off in the distance. Behind them, eight colorful beams of light could be seen racing toward them. Their speed was such that they would obviously be able to catch up in a short time.

Naruto looked back and his pupils constricted. "Just what divine ability is that? The speed they can achieve while flying amongst the stars is…." He watched as the eight figures would move an incredible distance seemingly in a single movement.

It was almost as if the space beneath their feet was being shrunken.

"Shrunken… shrunken…." murmured Naruto. He suddenly thought back to when he had left Planet Ninshu and how the land had seemed to shrink. Ignoring the true size of his body, it made it seem as if with a single step he could cross a huge divide.

Even as the eight people sped in pursuit, Naruto suddenly felt a tremor run through his body. Roaring sounds could be heard as some massive, invisible force seemed to emanate out from the Immortality Bridgestone in his hand and then suck Naruto inside.

The same thing happened to the others. All of the Western Desert Cultivators from Planet Ninshu suddenly vanished as they entered the true Bridge of Immortal Treading.

As for the eight Immortals, when they arrived, they found nothing but empty space. They looked around at the rubble, but dared not enter.

"So, she got away again. This Demoness's craftiness knows no bounds. This time, however, she abandoned her physical body and paid a heavy price to fuse her soul into the body of one of those ants from Lands of Ninshu."

"The Bridge of Immortal Treading was destroyed by Ancestor Hebi long ago. However a mighty force protects it and reforms it every one thousand years. The starry sky cannot go against it and Hebi Immortals cannot enter it. We cannot go in, but, she will be forced to come out eventually. When she does, we'll be waiting for her!" The eight Immortals gave a final look at the Bridge of Immortal Treading before turning and disappearing.

Naruto's vision blurred. As soon as everything became clear again, he sent out his Spiritual Sense as he looked around vigilantly.

"Is this the Realm of the Bridge Ruins?" He hesitated for a moment as he looked down at the Immortality Bridgestone he held in his hand. It was this object that had brought him to his current location.

He was surrounded by destruction. A variety of colors could be seen in the sky which was sometimes red and occasionally pitch black. Lightning danced about up above, leaving behind what seemed like cracks.

The land was in complete ruins. There were corpses lying about which had been there for who knew how many years. Vestiges of the passage of time could be seen everywhere. Where he stood now was apparently once a city.

An aura of death filled the air; this world seemed to be like a cage, a place where, if you got stuck too long, you would end up being entombed there just like the death aura.

Naruto frowned slightly as he put away the Immortality Bridgestone. He looked around as he carefully reviewed the events which had led up to him arriving here. After a long moment, his eyes glittered as he recalled the scene outside when the eight Immortals left, only to suddenly return.

Muttering to himself for a moment, Naruto proceeded forward carefully. This place seemed to make his Spiritual Sense much weaker. It was difficult to see very far in any direction. In fact, his range now seemed to be limited to about fifteen hundred meters. Looking up at the lightning in the sky, Naruto dispelled any notions of flying up.

Time passed. Soon it was a month later. During that time, Naruto had been able to explore about half of the entire location. He encountered no other life forms, including any of the other Cultivators from the Western Desert.

This world was very small, and did not seem to have a regular shape. Its borders were formed by jagged edges, beyond which was nothingness. Naruto currently was standing on one such border.

In front of him was pitch blackness, gloomy and cold. It seemed capable of swallowing up anything and everything as it surrounded this region. Muttering, Naruto lifted up his hand and made a grasping motion. A nearby rock immediately flew up into the air and landed into his hand. He tossed it out toward the blackness. As soon as it touched the blackness, it bounced back to land in Naruto's hand. He looked down at the rock and noticed that the part that had touched the blackness looked as if it had been sliced with a knife. It was completely flat and smooth.

Naruto's frown deepened as he slowly backed up. This black void gave him a sense of incredible danger. He could only imagine what would happen to his body if he happened to run into the blackness.

"Something's not right. If this is the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, then why am I the only person here? Besides… this place seems too small. Furthermore, there is none of the Celestial Soil that the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather mentioned!

"Other than the ruins of that city, I haven't seen any of the remains of the Bridge of Immortal Treading!" Naruto turned to once again continue his careful explorations of this world.

By the time another half month went by, Naruto's face was grim. He stood in the very center of the world, looking at a stone stele.

The stele was cracked, but not broken apart. It was in relatively good condition, and on its surface could vaguely be made out some rather large characters.

"Harmony City…." said Naruto softly. A ponderous look appeared in his eyes. He suddenly thought back to the eight Immortals he had seen on his way here, as well as the woman, Demoness Tsukino.

"Immortal Demon Sect. Masquerading as a puppet. Demoness Tsukino, trying to evade a deadly chase…." Sinking into thought, Naruto sat down, crossing his legs.

"That Demoness Tsukino comes from a Sect called the Immortal Demon Sect. She conned the Young Master of those eight Immortals out of his treasure. Then she turned herself into a puppet to evade their pursuit.

"After she fled, why would the eight of them pursue us again, looking flustered and exasperated…?" Suddenly, a look of concentration filled his eyes.

"Actually, she didn't flee! She used some other method to trick her eight pursuers and lead them away. They quickly realized something fishy was going on and returned as quickly as they could. Although, if you look at it from that perspective… well, perhaps she did something completely different that I couldn't possibly imagine. Or perhaps she came to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins on her own power, to explore it. The final possibility… is that she is actually among us Cultivators who came from the Western Desert!" Naruto sat there silent and unmoving. This Demoness was someone who was being chased by eight Immortals, and clearly had a sublime Cultivation base.

A person like this was someone that Naruto had no desire to provoke. There was little need for further analysis. Naruto determined he would need to be vigilant and on the lookout. Although the Western Desert Cultivators seemed to have been scattered, he had the feeling that his third guess was the most likely one to be true.

"Who is she hiding with…." thought Naruto. Suddenly, he looked up into the sky to see a dark figure approaching at high speed. This dark figure was not a Cultivator, but rather, an enormous rock!

The rock was no less than two thousand meters wide. It whistled down from up above, causing lightning to spring up wherever it passed, and shattered the air. It seemed as if some incredible crushing force were descending.

It moved with incredible speed as it bore down. A huge pressure formed, causing the land to shake. Naruto's pupils constricted, and he was just about to retreat when he suddenly sensed that this two thousand meter wide rock was actually not going to strike into the world he was in. Actually, it became an arc, changing directions and shooting off into another area of the sky.

Naruto stared in shock before taking a deep breath as he watched the enormous rock slam into the blackness that lay at the border of this world.

As it did, the void of the blackness seemed to shatter, and a huge gap became visible. The rock sailed through it and then disappeared.

All of this happened in the short amount of time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Naruto had little time to think about the matter. When the rock disappeared into the black void, his pupils constricted and his mind felt as if lightning were crashing around inside of it. He suddenly thought back to when he had been approaching the Bridge of Immortal Treading, and had seen the gaps between the various bridge stones, and the dust therein.

"That three thousand meter rock was one of the countless pieces of dust that I saw earlier. They are constantly flying about in the gaps between the stones which make up the Bridge of Immortal Treading!

"In that case, I am definitely on the Bridge of Immortal Treading. The year it collapsed, it broke apart into countless fragments. If I want to leave here, then the only way… will be with the aid of that dust!" His mind reeled as he came to this new understanding. He took a deep breath as he sat down cross-legged to wait quietly.

Time went by. According to Naruto's understanding, time passed differently in this place than in the outside world. If months or years actually passed on the outside, that would be something that the Cultivators who entered this place could not hide. Furthermore, the Crow Soldier Greatfather wouldn't have left that part out.

Three months passed, during which time, Naruto saw six huge rocks come and go. He did not act rashly, but rather, carefully observed what happened to the rocks after they slammed into the black void. Finally one day, a rock suddenly neared that was roughly two thousand meters wide.

When this particular rock appeared, Naruto took a deep breath. His body suddenly vanished. When it reappeared, he was in mid-air, stepping down onto the rock that was shooting through the air.

The instant he set foot onto it, Naruto suddenly felt as if there were some terrifying force getting ready to pull his body apart. He rotated his Cultivation base and the glow of three totems emerged. In this manner, he was able to force himself into a state of stability. He immediately sat down cross-legged and stared out straight ahead.

The rock moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it passed over the land. In the space of about ten breaths, it reached the black void. Naruto's heart beat nervously. This endeavor was a gamble; however, having observed what happened with all the other rocks, he was confident.

In the blink of an eye, the rock was upon the black void. It slammed into it, causing a rip in the blackness, a gap which it then passed through. As it shot through, Naruto settled his Chakra and concentrated. Sitting there cross-legged atop the rock seemed frightening, but was actually not dangerous. He was now out in the black void.

The moment he entered the void, Naruto suddenly felt coldness. The intensity of this coldness was such that it could freeze the soul. Naruto quickly rotated his Cultivation base to fight back against the cold.

His eyes were wide as he looked around. The blackness seemed endless. However, he was able to see beams of colorful light flying about here and there.

Each of these beams was an enormous rock!

"This method should work great. This Realm of the Bridge Ruins contains the remains of the Bridge of Immortal Treading. The people who come here move about between the remnants of the Bridge of Immortal Treading by means of these rocks!" His body began to quiver because of the cold. He rotated his Cultivation base, but that alone did not suffice. His body was starting to grow stiff. Eyes glittering, he circulated the power of his fire totem, forcing his body to not be stiff with cold. Despite this, a layer of frost appeared on his skin. It looked almost like he was turning into a statue of ice.

"With this method, I should be able to hold out for quite a bit longer. Thankfully I have the Everburning Flame. Otherwise, without preparing cold-repelling items ahead of time, it would be difficult to survive here." The cold continued to grow more intense around him. Naruto sat there motionless, ensuring that none of the heat left his body, and his life force continued to remain.

Time passed by. Naruto wasn't sure how long the rock had carried him through this world of blackness. Suddenly, a rock nearly one thousand meters large appeared off in the distance. From the way it whistled toward him, it seemed it would brush past Naruto and his rock.

As the two rocks got closer and closer, a light "eee!?" noise suddenly could be heard.

"So I've run into someone who didn't come with a cold-repelling treasure! What good fortune! Hahaha!" This voice belonged to a man, and as the other rock neared, Naruto could sense that a middle-aged man sat cross-legged in meditation upon it.

His Cultivation base was at the early Nascent Soul stage, and his body glittered with totem tattoos. On his forehead was a golden totem tattoo that looked like a lion. He was surrounded by five white stones which emitted a shield, enveloping the man and fighting back against the cold.

As the man's words rang out, he licked his lips. His eyes filled with a sharp glow, and as his rock neared Naruto's, the man suddenly stood up. He vanished, and when he reappeared, he was standing on Naruto's rock. He lifted his hand, and a golden lion magically appeared. It roared as it pounced toward Naruto.

"I'll kill you to put you out of your misery, and then I, Deadmeat, will have one less person to compete with, and a greater chance at success!"

The golden lion roared as it neared. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes snapped open. They had been closed the entire time in his efforts to not waste even a scrap of energy. It was in this manner that he could use the power of the Everburning Flame to fight back against the bitter coldness of the void, and prevent his life force from being exterminated. After all, he had not come prepared with any cold-resisting magical items.

When he saw the middle-aged man and felt his killing intent, Naruto had maintained his motionlessness.

He was waiting; waiting for the man to near him. That way, he could conserve the most amount of energy when killing him. The man wanted to rob Naruto of his life; how could Naruto not prepare to take the man's cold-resisting treasure after that?

Almost the same moment that Naruto opened his eyes, he sprang into motion. His body immediately disappeared, then reappeared next to the man. The man's face filled with surprise as he realized that his previous assessment of the situation was incorrect; Naruto's sudden movement proved this.

"His soul hasn't been frozen by the cold!" the man thought, his scalp growing numb. "The ice on his body isn't fake. Neither is the cold emanating off of him; that's impossible to fake. In that case… he really doesn't have a cold-resisting magical item. But, without that, how could he possibly stay alive?!" The man instantly shot backward, trying to put some distance between himself and Naruto.

Naruto gave a cold snort. He suddenly shook his body, causing layer after layer of ice to crumble off of him. The Everburning Flame exploded with power, expelling massive amounts of coldness out of his body. It merged with the chunks of ice around him to transform into a frigid ice tempest that shot toward his opponent.

The man's face flickered as the tempest slammed into his golden lion. A boom could be heard, and blood began to ooze out of the corners of the man's mouth. His face turned green as coldness entered his body.

He continued to fall back with urgency, using minor teleportation to return to his own rock. However, even as he reappeared, Naruto also popped into being on the same rock. He lifted his right hand, causing the Lotus Sword Formation to appear.

The power of Time rotated out explosively. As it neared the man, his face fell and he slapped his bag of holding. A black statue of a closed-eyed monkey appeared. It immediately began to emanate a black glow; at the same time, the man began to mutter an incantation. Suddenly, the statue opened its eyes to reveal a bloodthirsty gleam.

The man's expression became savage and he said, "Statue, kill this… huh?"

Suddenly, his expression changed and his body began to tremble. His hair immediately turned white, and his skin began to dry up and whither. It was as if countless years had passed by in an instant.

"This…." The man was panting as he once again retreated. Without hesitation, he spit out some heart blood and used its power to try to get out of range of the power of the Lotus Sword Formation. Unfortunately, he failed, and his body continued to wither. During this critical moment, his eyes filled with despair. He suddenly lifted his hand up and levelled a blow against his own head. A boom could be heard as his Nascent Soul suddenly emerged. It used a minor teleportation to attempt to get out of range of the Lotus Sword Formation.

"What magical item is this!?" he said, his voice shrill and filled with an unprecedented level of terror. His Nascent Soul began to shake violently; it wouldn't be able to survive very long in the bitter cold.

As for his physical body, it died in the blink of an eye, transformed into nothing more than ash, obliterated by Time itself.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened faster than the spark flying off of a piece of flint. The power of the Lotus Sword Formation was vastly increased in this place. Not even Naruto had been aware that something like this would happen. He stared in shock.

It took him only a moment to come to his senses, though. With a cold snort, he moved forward and grabbed the man's bag of holding, including the monkey statue, which the man had only half activated. He also collected up the five small, white rocks. Then he flashed an incantation gesture with his left hand, causing the Lotus Sword Formation to return.

After that, his body flickered as he returned to his two thousand meter wide rock. He looked back at the middle-aged man's Nascent Soul, and the killing intent in his eyes faded.

"Fellow Daoist, save me…" he said, his voice shrill with fear. "I'm from a sub-Tribe of the Western Desert's great Goldenroar Tribe. What happened just now was a misunderstanding, you…." The man's Nascent Soul trembled; cracking sounds could be heard as ice began to form on its surface.

The two rocks were only temporarily near each other. As of this moment, they were now moving apart, each one heading off in a different direction. Naruto realized that taking the time to kill the man completely would be a waste, and as such, had returned to his own large rock.

The man now only had his Nascent Soul left, and no cold-resisting treasure. He would die for certain.

Therefore, Naruto did nothing. He sat down cross-legged on his large rock. He then took out the five small rocks and studied them for a moment. He was about to erase the branding seal on them, when it suddenly began to fade away on its own. Naruto looked thoughtfully back toward the smaller rock which was disappearing into the void. The middle-aged man's Nascent Soul was now completely frozen solid.

"The cold in this void is shocking," thought Naruto, quickly branding the small stones to himself. Immediately, a glow appeared, surrounding Naruto and reducing the cold by more than half. Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Now, his confidence in being able to proceed through the void on this large rock was even greater.

Sitting there cross-legged, he produced the man's bag of holding, opened it, and glanced over the contents. There were quite a bit of Spirit Stones and a random collection of odds and ends. There were quite a few magical items, but Naruto ignored them, searching instead for jade slips.

He found a total of eight. After glancing them over, he selected one, which he began to study closely. After a moment, he lifted his head up, and a bright glow appeared in his eyes.

"So, the great Tribes really are well-equipped to come to this place. They even have maps!" The jade slip he held in his hand contained a simple map. The map depicted four locations in which the fragments of the bridge formed large land masses. One of them was the place that Naruto had just come from.

"It seems this guy was heading toward Harmony City. However, I explored the place thoroughly and didn't find anything unusual." Naruto frowned. He continued to look through the bag of holding, eventually pulling out a jade box.

The box emitted a soft glow. Naruto didn't open it immediately, but studied it closely to make sure there wasn't anything dangerous about. Finally, he opened it, whereupon a dense Chakra sprang out. The Chakra contained a medicinal aura that seemed capable of moving his spirit. In addition, it gave him an indescribable feeling that was similar to ultra high-grade Spirit Stones, except, even stronger.

After taking only a single breath, Naruto's spirit was shaken, and his skin went tight.

Inside of the box was a finger sized clump of black soil which was where the powerful Chakra was emanating out from. After examining it closely, two characters sprang up in Naruto's mind.

"Celestial soil!" His eyes glittered as he examined it. After doing so, he was now certain that this soil did contain the power of the five elements.

"Too bad there's so little. If I had a lot more, I could use the same method I used with the Fire-type power to make my own Earth-type totem!" Naruto's heart was beating as he closed the box and then put it away.

"If I want to get more Celestial soil, it will require robbing others. Well… then rob I shall!" His eyes filled with determination. To Naruto, the matter of forming his Earth-type totem was just as important of a reason for coming to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins as was acquiring a Demon Spirit. He looked out into the void and began to recall the shocking power of the Lotus Sword Formation earlier.

"The power just now far exceeded the ordinary power of Time. It was able to cause a Nascent Soul Cultivator to abandon his physical body in the blink of an eye. It made time pass so quickly that even minor teleportation wouldn't work. The only way for him to get away was to cause his Nascent Soul to emerge. Just now, the Lotus Sword Formation emitted Time power equivalent to one thousand years!"

Naruto began to pant as he took out his Wooden Time Swords to look at.

No matter how he studied them, however, they appeared normal. Naruto couldn't find any signs of change whatsoever.

"Could it have something to do with this void?" he thought. "Or is it because, as I speculated, time flows differently in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins than outside in the Western Desert?" After thinking about the matter for some time, Naruto couldn't come up with any more clues. Nonetheless, his eyes flickered with a bright glow. If he could figure out the true reason for the increase in power, then maybe he would be able to cause the Lotus Time Formation to permanently increase its power.

"In any case, even if it only has this effect in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, it's still an incredible advantage for me!"

Naruto put away the Wooden Time Swords and look out into the black void. Up ahead, a large land mass was approaching. The rock he was on was tiny when compared to this immense, unmoving mass.

"I'm here!" said Naruto, rising to his feet. The jade slip he had acquired from the man had a description of the location up ahead. Just like the place Naruto had come from, this was… one of the broken remnants of the Bridge of Immortal Treading.

Of course, the Bridge of Immortal Treading was incredibly massive, so each of the tens of thousands of fragments were so large they were like continents.

Naruto's two thousand meter wide rock shot rapidly through the void toward the giant land mass, emitting a piercing shriek. Naruto once again sat down. He collected the cold-resisting magical item, once again igniting the Everburning Flame to battle against the suppressive cold.

Closer…. Closer….

A massive boom could suddenly be heard. Naruto felt the rock shaking beneath him, a tremor which ran up into his own body. The rock shredded through the void; as it burst through, a bright light suddenly became visible.

Naruto instantly sent his Spiritual Sense out. Lightning filled the sky in this world, permeating it with cracks. However, as he looked around calmly, he realized that this world seemed more stable than the one he had been in before.

Mountains rose and fell off into the distance. There were even lakes and rivers. The whole place was very large. From his vantage point up in mid-air, it seemed this land mass was probably about ten times bigger than the previous one.

As the rock whistled through the air, Naruto stood up and examined his surroundings. Suddenly, a look of concentration filled his eyes, and he frowned.

Off in the distance, he could see seven beams of light twisting through the air, locked in battle.

Of the seven people within the beams of light, the two highest Cultivation bases were of the mid Nascent Soul stage. Those two were fighting back and forth, causing rumbling booms to fill the air. As for the other five, they were obviously allies of the two who were fighting.

The two mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators were both men. One wore a violet robe, the other a white one. Both were handsome, and had extraordinary bearings. They continuously unleashed various divine abilities as they attempted to prevent the other from snatching… a white glow that floated in the air not too far away from them!

Within the glow, Naruto could see a finger-sized clump of Celestial soil.

At the same moment in which Naruto caught sight of this group of people, they also looked up into the sky at the two thousand meter rock whistling through the air. They saw Naruto standing there atop of the rock, his hair whipping about, his face expressionless.

His eyes shone with a bright light as he suddenly teleported from atop the rock to reappear about thirty meters away from the group.

Naruto made a slight noise of surprise. He had originally intended to teleport directly next to the clump of glowing Celestial soil. His appearance in this location seemed to indicate that something had interfered with his minor teleportation.

Almost the same instant that Naruto reappeared, one of the seven, a ruddy-faced old man, gave a cold harrumph. He waved his right hand, causing a red sea to magically appear. It shot up into the air and then began to descend as a red rain which roared toward Naruto.

"Since I can't teleport, well…." A bloody glow suddenly rose up around Naruto. It flickered, and then Naruto disappeared. Shockingly, when he reappeared, he was directly in front of the ruddy-faced old man. The speed with which he moved was astonishing, causing the old man's pupils to constrict. He fell back, raising his right hand up to summon another red sea. It almost looked like a sea of blood as it roiled around him.

A booming sound filled the air as Naruto shot forward. Eyeless Larva silk whizzed around him, emanating a silver glow. It sliced into the incoming red sea, blocking it completely.

The ruddy-faced old man's face flickered and he continued to back up. Unfortunately, he was too slow. Naruto's hand formed into a fist which slammed out into the air. The motion caused a violent windstorm to rise up and sweep out in all directions. Facing up against this attack, the old man's hands flickered in an incantation, causing his totem tattoos to begin to glow as he attempted to defend himself.

The sound of an explosion ripped out, and blood sprayed from the mouth of the old man. His expression was one of astonishment as he continued to retreat, obviously incapable of blocking Naruto.

Naruto ignored the man and instead headed back toward the group of people, obviously intent on taking the Celestial soil.

At the moment, none of these people were capable of ignoring Naruto. Everything that had happened just now had occurred with incredible speed. The fact that Naruto had just forced a Nascent Soul Cultivator to retreat left them filled with shock.

Even the two mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators were frowning. Unfortunately, they were at a critical point in the battle. The clump of Celestial soil was right next to them, and neither was able to snatch it away.

"Kill that man!"

"Exterminate him!"

The men actually yelled out at exactly the same time, simultaneously unleashing divine abilities on each other. One of them summoned a violet crocodile. As for the other, a white crane materialized next to him. The two continued to fight.

As for the four others who were fighting around them, they didn't hesitate for a moment. They all suddenly changed directions and shot toward Naruto.

As the four neared, the Wood word on Naruto's forehead flickered. Suddenly, an enormous tree appeared around him, which in turn was covered with shapeless flames that shot up into the sky.

"Disseminate!" Naruto's hands flashed an incantation, then jerked his arms out wide. A flame sea roared into being, with Naruto at its center. It roiled out in all directions, setting everything aflame. Within the manifestations of Naruto's Wood- and Fire-type totems, golden droplets suddenly became visible. The flame sea continued to spread out, filled with the shocking power of Metal-, Wood-, and Fire-type totems.

His four opponents' faces flickered, and they used various methods in response. Next to one, an enormous Genbu turtle appeared. Another waved his hand, causing a red gigantic centipede to roar into being next him.

As for the other two, each of them caused a howling Cyclops to magically appear to fight the flame sea.

The flame sea was like an enormous mouth, waiting to sweep over the four and consume them, and the roaring it caused was shocking. It swept over the Genbu turtle, which let out a miserable shriek as its body was ripped into pieces. The Nascent Soul Cultivator controlling it tumbled backward, blood spraying from his mouth.

As for the gigantic centipede, it was actually fire-resistant. However, when the golden droplets hit it, it was transformed into a golden statue, which was then melted by the flames. The Cultivator controlling it was astonished to find that his entire arm had turned the color of gold. An immense pressure weighed down on him that seemed capable of turning his body to gold in an instant.

As for the two Cyclopses, their screams were the most wretched of all as their bodies were torn to shreds. The fragments were then transformed into gold, which then evaporated into the air.

This was the first time Naruto had truly unleashed the full power of his three great totems. As soon as the magic spread out, the four Nascent Soul Cultivators were forced to retreat, coughing up blood the entire time.

Naruto's body turned into a long beam that whistled through the air amidst the flame sea. The fire stretched out behind him almost like a cloak. The golden droplets and the flaming tree seemed like decorations on the cloak.

If you could paint a picture of the scene, Naruto's imposing manner would be shocking to the extreme!

The scene shook the two mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators. They glanced at each other, and simultaneously stopped fighting. Instead, they unleashed their divine abilities in the direction of Naruto.

These two mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators were beyond the compare of the early Nascent Stage Cultivators from moments ago. Both the fearsome totemic crocodile and the gigantic white crane instantly shot toward Naruto, emanating ferocious auras that mixed with the crushing weight of the mid Nascent Soul Stage to descend onto Naruto.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Moments ago, he had been watching these people fighting over the Celestial soil while he flew along on top of the two thousand meter large rock. During that time, he had already formulated a plan for how to achieve his objective, which was not to kill these people, but to snatch the Celestial soil!

Even as the two mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators neared, Naruto waved his right hand, causing ripples to suddenly emanate out. They instantly turned black in color, and then solidified into the first streamer of the flag of three streamers. Hebi Nineteen was temporarily unbound as the streamer shot out.

The flag of three streamers was the most powerful magical item that Naruto possessed. When it appeared, the sky grew dim. The violet-robed man's face fell, and he immediately retreated. Unfortunately, despite flashing incantations, employing various divine abilities and producing magical items, he was incapable of fighting back against the sweeping blackness which shot toward him.

A boom echoed out, and blood sprayed from the man's mouth. Killing intent, but also shock, filled his eyes as he was flung backward several hundred meters before finally being able to come to a stop.

At the same time, Naruto continued forward at top speed. Lifting his hand toward the white-robed Cultivator, he suddenly pointed out.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

As soon as the Demon Sealing Hex appeared, the white-robed man's expression flickered. Countless strands rose up that only Naruto could see. They immediately bound the man up, completely sealing him down.

Of course, the sealing would not last for very long, only the space of a single breath. However… that was all the time Naruto needed.

As he shot forward toward the Celestial Soil, the surrounding seven Nascent Soul Cultivators all watched on, eyes filled with killing intent and even more so, anxiety.

However, it was at this exact moment that ripples suddenly appeared in the middle of the air not too far off. A figure appeared, a young man wearing a long black robe. His head was unusually small and completely out of proportion with the rest of his body. He looked somewhat like a rat; his expression was somber, and his eyes glowed with bloodthirstiness. Laughing evilly, he shot forward with speed that exceeded Naruto's, heading directly toward the Celestial soil.

He had been using some special technique to remain hidden in the area, undetectable. He had originally planned to wait until the two fighting parties were at a deadlock, and then suddenly make a move and wipe them all out.

But then Naruto showed up. The way he swept the people aside was shocking, but also opened up a chance for this young man. Without hesitation, he made a decisive move.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!" cried the small-headed Cultivator. "It would be impolite for Hidan to turn down a gift like this Celestial soil!" As he reached out to grab ahold of it, killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. The Eyeless Larva suddenly flew out. Its silk began to wrap around the clump of Celestial soil at the exact same time that the Cultivator Hidan grabbed onto it.

A bang could be heard as the finger-sized clump of Celestial soil suddenly split into two pieces. One was dragged back toward Naruto by the Eyeless Larva, the other was grabbed by Hidan, who immediately turned and shot off in the other direction.

When the seven Nascent Soul Cultivators saw the small-headed Hidan, their expressions immediately filled with shock.

"Hidan!"

"That's Hidan, the guy who betrayed and then slaughtered the entire Gryphon Tribe!"

"Dammit! He's evil to the core! I heard he made living sacrifices of his own Clan to further his cultivation!"

Naruto grabbed the Celestial soil and then slapped his bag of holding to produce the blood-colored mask. He immediately put it on, causing his Cultivation base to explode with power, and a Blood Chakra to rise up. His aura spread out in all directions, causing the Cultivators to feel complete astonishment. The pupils of the two mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators constricted. As of this moment, they had no desire whatsoever to participate in the conflict between Hidan and Naruto.

"Nobody owns the Celestial soil," said Naruto, "so it belongs to whoever manages to snatch it! If you have the skill to escape with it, then it will belong to you!" With that, he shot forward with incredible speed. The distance between the two immediately lessened. Naruto waved his right hand, causing a blood-colored face to appear. Rumbling filled the air as it shot toward the fleeing Hidan, whose face immediately fell. He quickly performed an incantation with his left hand, causing a glistening fish scale to appear in his palm. He threw it out behind him, where it instantly began to expand until it was about ten meters tall.

A boom rattled out as the power of Naruto's Blood Immortal face slammed into its blocking force. Hidan coughed up some blood, then suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already three thousand meters away. He turned back, a sinister smile on his face.

"Draconic Vulture Transformation!" he cried. Immediately, the fish scale exploded out in size. Black Chakra boiled up into the sky, transforming into an enormous vulture. The vulture's eyes were bright red as it charged toward Naruto.

Naruto's face was completely expressionless as he said, "A single word."

Instantly, the face once again appeared. Its lips began to move as amorphous ripples began to spread out. The seemingly horrifying vulture suddenly began to tremble, then suddenly collapsed into pieces. Naruto, moving as fast as lightning, shot through the collapsing pieces of the vulture.

This caused Hidan's face to fall. He immediately spun around and once again began to flee.

"Dammit, how come that bastard has so many divine abilities. He has three totems, Metal, Fire and Wood. And what magical item was that mask just now?"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he employed a minor teleportation as he shot in pursuit of Hidan.

Two people, one chasing the other through the air at top speed.

Naruto wore the blood-colored mask, and his eyes glowed with coldness. Eyeless Larva silk circulated around his body, emitting a droning sound. Occasionally he would employ minor teleportation to get closer to Hidan.

As for Hidan, he shot forward with all the speed he could muster. His Cultivation base was at the mid Nascent Soul stage, and he possesed extraordinary divine abilities. He had a vicious personality, and was actually quite infamous throughout the Western Desert.

He was once a member of the Gryphon Tribe. Through a chance bit of good fortune, he had acquired an evil magic. In order to cultivate this evil magic, he had secretly begun to sacrifice members of his own Tribe to the totems on his body. The enticement of this secret technique was impossible to resist. When the matter was discovered, he confessed his guilt and managed to acquire the forgiveness of his fellow Tribe members. However, he then secretly used a ruthless method to kill the Greatfather of the Gryphon Tribe, who was none other than his own father!

After that, he cold-bloodedly slaughtered the rest of the Tribe. Regardless of young or old, they were all cut down and sacrificed to mutate his totems. It was in this fashion that he was able to acquire an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base.

When all of those things happened, a full sixty-year cycle previous, it had caused a huge sensation throughout the Western Desert. The Gryphon Tribe was a small Tribe, but such matters of Tribe betrayal were appalling to the extreme. Because of that, Hidan immediately became infamous throughout the Western Desert.

During the following sixty-year cycle, he appeared three more times in the Western Desert. Each time, he slaughtered a Tribe. The first two times had been small Tribes, but the third time was a mid-sized Tribe. It was that occasion which allowed him to step into the mid Nascent Soul stage. After that, he disappeared without a trace.

As he shot through the air like lightning, Hidan thought to himself, "If I get enough Celestial soil, I can use it with my secret technique to stimulate the power of my totems. After that, I'll need a hundred thousand blood sacrifices! That will give me the chance to enter the late Nascent Soul stage!" Each time Naruto used a minor teleportation, so did he.

As time progressed, he was able to maintain the distance between himself and Naruto, making it impossible for Naruto to catch up to him!

The giant face around Naruto suddenly expanded to an even larger size and then shot forward, radiating attack energy. Hidan's face flickered, but he didn't slow down in the least. Instead, he actually started to go faster.

"Dammit, how can this guy be so fast!?" he thought. Howling inwardly, Hidan continued to flee. It had been a long time since he had gone all out like this.

"Want to catch me? You're still not qualified!" Hidan gave a cold harrumph and then employed the pride of his divine abilities to increase his speed once more.

At the same time, however, Naruto suddenly lifted his hand to employ the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. The instant it appeared, Hidan suddenly stopped in mid-air. This sudden stop scared him out of his wits. Although he quickly recovered, by the time he did, the rippling power of Naruto's Without a Face had arrived.

A boom filled the air as blood sprayed out from Hidan's mouth. However, five fish scales suddenly appeared, which then exploded, giving him a burst of speed that allowed him to escape once more.

"Dammit, what divine ability was that?!" thought Hidan, his face pale. Lowering his head in determination, he continued to move along at the fastest speed he could muster.

Time passed by, and soon it was a day later.

Naruto was frowning. He looked up ahead at Hidan, who moved with increasingly greater speed. The killing intent in Naruto's eyes grew even stronger. This Hidan was one of the fastest Cultivators that he had ever encountered. He also seemed to excel in one particular escape art which allowed him to merge into the air. When coupled with minor teleportation, its power was even further increased.

Seeing the distance between them once again grow greater, Naruto caused a bloody glow to surround him. A Bloodburst Flash caused his speed to increase dramatically. His body blurred until it looked like a ghost, and then he used a minor teleportation to close the distance again.

Unfortunately, as soon as he neared the man, Hidan would once again disappear, transforming into a green smoke that moved a hundred times faster than before.

In the midst of this incredible increase in speed, he used teleportation, causing the effect to be even greater.

"That art again!" thought Naruto. Now the distance between them was once again increased. Naruto was shocked, and his killing intent grew even greater. He continued to alternate between Bloodburst Flash and minor teleportation. He was now around three thousand meters away from Hidan, who was just about to use his escape art.

Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce a series of magical items. Many of these he had acquired after coming to the Western Desert. Some were from the Five Poison Tribe's war of invasion, and quite a few were from the Goldenroar Tribe Cultivator.

He waved his arm, causing the items to turn into beams of light that shot forward.

"Boom!" growled Naruto, his eyes flickering coldly. Instantly, the dozens of magical items began to tremble and then explode. Naruto hated to lose such valuable items. However, now was not the time to sit around thinking about such things. As the magical items exploded, a roaring sound rose up and intense ripples spread out in all directions.

As the power of the explosion spread out, Naruto caused the Lotus Sword Formation to appear. Spinning Wooden Time Swords transformed into a beam of light that shot forward.

Naruto could have borrowed the momentum of the exploding magical items to increase his speed. If he did, he would instantly have been propelled hundreds of meters closer to Hidan.

However, even using that method, he would not have been able to catch up. Therefore, Naruto did not use the blast to increase his own speed, but rather… the speed of the Lotus Sword Formation.

The Wooden Time Swords within the formation were already fast. However, with the additional momentum from the explosive attack, the three thousand meter distance was closed in the blink of an eye. Even as Hidan was utilizing his escape art, the sword formation appeared behind him, rotating out with the explosive power of Time.

The power of Time caused ripples to spread out in the air. Then Naruto frowned. Hidan's escape art was truly bizarre; even the power of the Time Sword Formation could do nothing to prevent Hidan from turning into a green stream of smoke that began to shoot off into the distance. That was when the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex suddenly activated.

In the sudden pause it caused, a miserable shriek could be heard. However, the green smoke continued off into the distance nonetheless, whereupon it transformed back into Hidan.

As soon as he appeared, he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. His face was ashen, and his hair had suddenly turned white. His body was clearly older, and shock covered his face. He trembled violently, his eyes filled with dread.

"That bizarre divine ability again!" he said, his scalp going numb. "And… another magical item!" He had just suffered a loss of three hundred years to his longevity. This fact left him completely terrified, scared out of his mind. He coughed up another mouthful of blood and then surged again in retreat.

"Dammit, dammit! This is only half a piece of Celestial soil. Is it worth it? Well, is it?!" Hidan ground his teeth as he whistled through the air.

Naruto's eyes were cold and hard as he frowned.

"The power of the Lotus Sword Formation is indeed much greater here than in the outside world, but not as much as it is in the void. It's about seventy percent weaker.

"Could it be that the Time power in the sword formation will only reach the terrifying amount of one thousand years when it's out in the void?" Naruto was lost in thought as he once again continued in pursuit of Hidan.

Time passed; another day went by.

"How come it's not here yet," thought Hidan. "According to my calculations, it should be right here, right now!" Hidan looked haggard. That was especially so considering that Naruto was continuously consuming medicinal pills. Hidan had an mixed feeling; however, when he stole something, he would die before giving it back. That was his rule. Gritting his teeth at Naruto's continuous pursuit, he once again used his escape art.

It was at this moment that off in the distant sky, a beam of light appeared. This shooting beam of light was no Cultivator, but rather, a one thousand meter wide rock. This rock was moving at high speed along its orbit. From the look of it, it was near the edge of this particular land mass.

"It's here!" thought Hidan, his eyes filling with delight. Even as Naruto frowned, Hidan suddenly leaped up into the air. Naruto watched as he performed an incantation gesture, preparing to employ who knew what magical technique. Suddenly, the flying rock off in the distance changed direction and shot toward him.

"So, he can control the rocks in this place!" thought Naruto, his pupils constricting. Seeing Hidan heading toward the rock, Naruto's eyes suddenly filled with a bright glow. At this critical moment, it was without hesitation that he pointed out with his finger and, just as Hidan was about to land on the rock, employed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.

It happened just as Hidan was about to transform into green smoke. Hidan had long since guessed that his opponent would most likely use this bizarre divine ability. Therefore, he transformed into the green smoke and then reappeared on the surface of the rock.

"Hope to see you again someday, Fellow Daoist!" he cried, laughing uproariously. However, it was at this moment that his expression suddenly filled with shock as he noticed that the rock beneath his feet… had suddenly stopped moving.

Naruto's Eighth Hex had not been aimed at Hidan at all, but rather, the enormous rock.

The moment the rock stopped moving, Eyeless Larva silk suddenly began to spin, binding up the rock. A moment later, the rock recovered its momentum and shot forward. As it did, it pulled Naruto in tow.

Being pulled at the same speed as the rock, Naruto instantly landed on its surface. He lifted up his right hand and punched out with an explosive fist. Hidan's face flickered and he clenched his jaw as he prepared to fight back.

A boom filled the air. Hidan was sent tumbling off of the rock, blood spraying from his mouth. The Eyeless Larva silk loosened, and Naruto teleported off of the rock. When he reappeared, he was directly next to Hidan. His right hand snaked out to exterminate the man.

However, it was at this moment that the entire sky suddenly turned gray, and a gray mist rolled out to cover the land. Everything became a sea of gray.

At the same time, Naruto was astonished to discover that his entire body… was completely incapable of moving. Hidan was in exactly the same situation.

It was as if everything in the entire world had suddenly been rendered motionless.

At the same time, a crowd of figures could be seen moving through the mist. They had blank looks on their faces, and they carried chunks of Immortality Bridgestones on their shoulders as they trudged through the mist.

Faint, odd voices could suddenly be heard echoing throughout the world. "When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?"

All of these figures were somewhat blurry, nor did they seem to have Cultivation bases. There were old people and young people, men and women. All of them seemed frustrated as they hauled along the chunks of Immortality Bridgestones. They trudged through the mist like specters.

As Naruto watched the spectacle, a sense of intense danger rose up within him. It made him feel as if he had encountered a dangerous predator. He had the feeling that if these bizarre figures ran into him, he would be dead for sure!

"What are they…?" he thought as he looked at the ghostly figures. There were more than a hundred of them walking through the mists. As they neared and then passed Naruto, he felt an intense coldness, similar to what he had felt out in the void.

Next, Naruto saw one of the strange figures within the group pass through the giant rock that was floating there in mid-air. When it came out the other side, it was carrying an illusory rock on its shoulders that was completely identical to the gigantic rock.

It was as if it were carrying the soul of that rock as it made its way off into the distance.

Although the one thousand meter wide Immortality Bridgestone still hung there in the air, Naruto could sense that it was somehow dead, as if it had lost its power to travel through the void.

As the figures moved off into the distance, their voices continued to echo out.

"When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?"

The voices gradually faded away. The churning mist suddenly transformed into storm winds. The storm caused the gray cracks in the sky to begin to spin together, sucking in Hidan, Naruto and even the one thousand meter Immortality Bridgestone.

In fact, many of the ruins and objects within the area were also swept up into the tempest.

There was no resisting it; everything was sucked up. Then, the storm suddenly collapsed, sending everything inside shooting out in all directions.

Naruto got the same sensation he had all those years ago when he had been swept up by the wings of the roc. Wind tore at his body, threatening to rip it to pieces as the storm sent him shooting off into the distance.

Were he an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator, he would have been killed beyond the shadow of a doubt. However, Naruto had three totems of the five elements, which pushed him across the gap that existed between Core Formation and Nascent Soul. He gritted his teeth and rotated his Cultivation base to dispel the effects of the wild wind.

After about two hours passed, Naruto was able to suppress the force of the wind. He performed a minor teleportation to escape from within its devastating power.

When he finally removed himself from the region affected by the wind, blood sprayed from his mouth and his face turned ashen. He had teleported into a mountain range, where he quickly excavated an Immortal's Cave and sat down cross-legged to meditate.

A few days later, the wind gradually died down. Naruto left the Immortal's Cave and flew up into the air. He floated there, looking at the chaotic scene left behind by the wind. The wind had swept across the entire land, causing even many mountaintops to crumble.

"Just what exactly are those specters…?" Naruto frowned. He had a strange feeling about this mysterious Realm of the Bridge Ruins.

He could find no traces of Hidan. Considering the level of the man's Cultivation base, he was likely capable of escaping from the wild wind. Furthermore, since he was so fearful of Naruto, it was highly likely that he had left this land mass as quickly as possible.

Muttering to himself, Naruto looked off into the distance. He was suddenly shocked to find that not too far off, a glowing mass could be seen. Within the glow were some granules of dirt. It was Celestial soil!

His body flickered as he shot toward it. He quickly collected it up, his heart beating wildly. Next, he sent Spiritual Sense out in all directions. Shockingly, he found three more locations in which Celestial soil was floating in mid-air.

Although they were only granules, they were still Celestial soil nonetheless.

"Now I get it," he thought. "That wind kicked up the Celestial soil that was concealed in the area…. In that case, there must be quite a bit of Celestial soil in the air right now!" His eyes gleamed with joy. Without hesitation he teleported away. It didn't take long for him to collect the three pieces of Celestial soil, after which he shot off into the distance.

After some time, Naruto began to breathe heavily. It had only taken a short while for him to collect together enough Celestial soil to form a clump the size of a fist.

During this time, he saw other Cultivators who were also madly rushing around looking for Celestial soil kicked up by the wind. Some of them were even fighting, although it was never more than a blow or two. After all, time was better spent searching than fighting.

"Celestial soil is critical to forming my Earth-type totem!" thought Naruto, his eyes bloodshot as he snatched up every bit of Celestial soil that he could find. If anyone tried to compete with him, he would attack explosively without hesitation.

Two hours later.

Naruto's fist descended onto a Cultivator of the early Nascent Soul stage, sending him flying backward. Naruto grabbed the Celestial soil in front of him and then proceeded on his way.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator looked at Naruto as he left, and his eyes filled with fear. The blow just now had rattled his Nascent Soul and filled him with shock.

"Who is that…?"

Six hours later.

Three figures were locked in combat in mid-air. Naruto was one of them. He flashed an incantation gesture with both hands, causing a flame sea to roar up. It shot out in all directions, forcing his two opponents to fall back. Naruto flicked his sleeve, collecting up the Celestial soil and then shooting off into the distance.

The other two Cultivators gritted their teeth. Their hearts were filled with dread, and they didn't dare to take up chase. The only thing they could do was stamp their feet and then head off in another direction to search for Celestial soil.

Time want by. A day later, Naruto's eyes were completely bloodshot. He had snatched enough Celestial soil to form a clump the size of a baby's head. All of it was in his bag of holding. He continued to fly through the air, searching for more. However, it had been almost four hours since he had seen any at all. It seemed all of it had been collected.

"Others collected it up? No problem!" he thought, killing intent filling his eyes. In the Cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevails. Robbing Cultivation resources was common, and something that Naruto had long since gotten used to. His eyes shining with killing intent, he shot off to search for other Cultivators.

A day later, the sound of explosions filled the air. An enormous face could be seen collapsing in mid-air. As it did, a middle-aged Cultivator coughed up blood, his face pale and his eyes filled with astonishment. Without hesitation, he pulled a handful of Celestial soil out of his bag of holding and threw it out in front of him, then turned heel and fled.

Naruto emerged from roiling mists to snatch it up. Without a moment's pause, he sped off in another direction to search for more Cultivators.

Two days later, a ruddy-faced old man, flanked by two Nascent Soul Cultivators, savagely slaughtered another Cultivator to snatch up his Celestial soil. The moment they joyfully collected up his bag of holding, a red mist suddenly appeared off in the distance. From within the mist, an enormous face suddenly appeared.

As soon as the ruddy-faced old man saw the face, his heart and mind filled with a roaring sound, and his scalp went numb. He recognized this face. It had appeared days before when he was involved in the 7-person battle, and then met that fearsome Cultivator who had nearly crushed them all.

The two Nascent Soul Cultivators next to the ruddy-faced old man saw the roiling mist. Voices hoarse, they exclaimed, "It's Eccentric Bloodface!"

Their faces immediately fell, and they turned around to flee.

During recent days, the name 'Eccentric Bloodface' had been spread about quite a bit. According to the rumors, he was a fearsome Cultivator who wore a blood-colored mask. His Cultivation base was astonishing, and he robbed people of their Celestial soil. Victims of his robbery were numerous, making it so that few people were willing to stay in this region.

Any who did were extremely vigilant. As soon as they saw the blood-colored mask, they would flee.

The three men from just now immediately began to flee in three different directions. Booming sounds filled the air, and two of the men coughed up blood. Without hesitation, they retrieved the Celestial soil from their bags of holding and threw it out. They knew what Eccentric Bloodface wanted: Celestial soil! If you gave it up to him, he wouldn't kill you. However, if you fought back, then your death was assured.

"Dammit…. If I had known this would happen I would have left with what I acquired earlier. Damn you, Eccentric Bloodface!" The two fleeing Cultivators were panting, and had hearts filled with frustration. However, there was nothing they could do about the situation except consider leaving this area.

A few days later, there were no Cultivators left in the area, only Naruto. He had robbed the majority of the Cultivators, and now had a clump of Celestial soil the size of a human head, as well as a fearsome reputation.

After attempting to gain enlightenment regarding the soil, Naruto realized that he still had not collected enough!

Unfortunately, all the other Cultivators had fled, and further searching turned up nothing. It was at this point that a three hundred meter wide rock came whistling toward him. He immediately teleported onto the rock and sat down cross-legged to meditate. The rock shot out into the void as it proceeded on toward the next land mass.

Naruto didn't know that the fleeing Cultivators had taken the name 'Eccentric Bloodface' with them and spread it to other regions. It was only a matter of time before almost all of the Western Desert Cultivators heard about him.

As the rock shot through the void, everything turned black. Naruto sat there cross-legged, his eyes glittering.

"I ran into a lot of people, but I didn't see that Demoness Tsukino with any of them…. Although, I didn't see Tsume either. I wonder where she is." Lost in thought, Naruto pulled out the jade slip map and looked it over to confirm his destination. He was currently heading toward the largest of the Immortality Bridgestones in the whole area.

"The Realm of the Bridge Ruins is huge. Every Immortality Bridgestone is a whole world, and there are probably tens of thousands of such worlds. However, the Western Desert Cultivators are only able to explore a few dozen of them."

A few days later, the void was growing even colder. Even with his cold-repelling treasure, Naruto was forced to continuously ignite his Everburning Flame to stay conscious. As he looked out into the blackness of the void, his eyes suddenly went wide.

Off in the blackness, he saw a man moving through the void. He wore a long azure robe, and had a sword strapped to his back. He held a flagon of alcohol in one hand as he strolled directly through the void. He took occasional sips of alcohol, his expression morose and filled with melancholy.

The coldness of the void seemed to be reduced to nothing more than a crisp breeze around him. It blew his hair, and did nothing to cause his stride to falter. He was simply walking along as if everything were normal. The void around him seemed to ripple and distort, and the coldness didn't seem willing to near him, but rather, avoided him of its own volition.

Naruto's mind was reeling, and his expression was one of astonishment.

He looked at the man, and the man looked back.

The instant their gazes met, Naruto suddenly couldn't see the azure-robed man anymore. When he reappeared, he was standing next to Naruto.

Naruto's scalp went numb; it was impossible to see the level of the man's Cultivation base. Trying to do so gave Naruto the same feeling you might get when looking into a deep ocean.

He immediately stood up and bowed deeply toward the azure-robed man. "Naruto of the junior generation greets senior."

The man looked over at Naruto, then sat down off to the side. He took a sip of alcohol, and, his face as disconsolate as ever, said, "Are you on your way to Sealbreaking Continent?"

"Sealbreaking Continent?" replied Naruto, a blank expression on his face. He thought back to the jade slip map, and the description of the place he was headed to. Finally, he nodded.

"So, we happen to be heading in the same direction," said the man with a slight nod. After that he said nothing more. Leaning up against a protruding rock, he drank and looked off into the blackness of the void.

Naruto looked at the man hesitantly for a moment, then made his way some distance off and sat down cross-legged. Unfortunately, he couldn't slip into a meditative trance. All he could do was sit there as time passed.

One day, two days, three days…. In the blink of an eye half a month had passed.

During that time, the azure-robed man continued to recline there, drinking. It seemed the alcohol in his flagon was endless. He drank and drank, looking out into the blackness, his expression morose. His bleakness continued to grow more and more apparent.

The stubble of a beard could be seen on his face; it seemed as if it had been a very long time since he was inclined to clean up. His robes were wrinkled, and although the man should have cut a sorry figure in his state of disarray, his aura was filled with an indescribable charm. As such, he seemed… lonely, but not a mess.

The alcohol flagon he held in hand was crafted from wood, and the woodgrain was even visible on its surface. It was impossible to determine how much he drank during the half month.

He did not speak, nor did Naruto. It seemed that this azure-robed man really was just heading in the same direction and didn't feel like walking. Therefore, he had decided to share the rock with Naruto.

They maintained their mutual silence for another month as they proceeded onward.

Naruto was finally able to slip into meditation. However, he left a sliver of will on the outside. He knew that doing so was essentially pointless, but he was used to the practice and it wasn't something he would stop doing.

One day as the three hundred meter wide rock flew forward, the previously listless and melancholy azure-robed man suddenly sat up and looked off into the distance.

The movement immediately caused Naruto to open his eyes. He looked out into the blackness, but saw nothing. The azure-robed man, however, seemed very intent, as if he was completely focused on looking off into the distance.

Naruto was puzzled, but didn't show it, and instead continued to look out into the void. Time passed, three days in which the azure-robed man and Naruto both looked out into the blackness.

It was on that third day that the world of blackness around them suddenly turned gray. At the same time, the three hundred meter wide rock they were on suddenly stopped moving. Naruto's mind trembled as a thick mist began to spread out in all directions. Soon, everything was like a sea of mist.

Naruto's scalp prickled as he realized that he couldn't move a muscle. How could he not understand what was happening? Off in the mists, a group of figures could be seen, shouldering rocks as they marched forward.

They looked frustrated, confused as they approached. Soft voices could be heard echoing out in the mists.

"When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?"

Surrounded by the echoing sound, the figures floated through the mist. Men and women, elderly and young, all looked confused. As they neared Naruto, he felt a coldness that seemed capable of freezing the soul.

Naruto gradually grew colder, until it seemed as if his very life force were about to be extinguished. It was at this point that Naruto noticed that this group of people was not the same group that he had encountered on the last land mass, when he was chasing Hidan.

Next to him, the azure-robed man continued to sit there, occasionally sipping alcohol. As he looked at the group of people, the melancholy in his eyes grew deeper, and the corners of his mouth twisted with bitterness.

He examined them closely, as if he were looking for something. He examined each figure closely, and when he reached the last one, his loneliness seemed to grow deeper. He frowned and took another drink.

The figures moved toward the rock Naruto was on, and as they grew close, they suddenly stopped. The blankness and confusion in their faces suddenly turned into viciousness. They looked over at the rock, and the azure-robed man.

The man looked back at them, and then waved his hand. As he did, the figures continued to float on by. They moved off into the distance, their confusion once again restored. Faint voices were again heard.

"When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?"

The sound faded off into the distance, and the grayness in the void disappeared. There was no tempest like before. The silence was restored.

As everything returned to normal, the three hundred meter wide rock that Naruto was on once again began to move forward at top speed.

Naruto's body trembled as he recovered. His heart shook because of this second encounter with these bizarre figures. Without thinking about it, he turned to the azure-robed man and asked, "What are they…?"

After asking the question, Naruto realized that, considering the man's Cultivation base, and the days of silence, it was likely that he might not get an answer to the question.

"Bridge Slaves," said the azure-robed man, his voice soft.

"After the Bridge of Immortal Treading was destroyed by Ancestor Hebi, the surviving will of the bridge settled in this spot. People who coveted eternity and sought to extend their lives found their wills dissolved, and they became Bridge Slaves.

"They achieved the eternal life they sought, but the price… was that they became slaves of the bridge. Day and night, throughout their eternal lives, they slave away to rebuild the Bridge of Immortal Treading, which of course, can never be rebuilt."

Hearing this explanation caused Naruto's mind to spin. He turned to look in the direction the figures had departed in, but all he could see was blackness, as if an enormous screen of darkness were covering over everything.

The man began to mutter bitterly, "Everything in the world comes with a price… a price…." He held the alcohol flagon in front of him, gripping it tightly.

Time passed. Naruto asked no further questions, nor did the man say anything further. He reclined there in his silence, staring off into the void, disconsolately drinking his alcohol.

Naruto sat there thoughtfully. The term Bridge Slave certainly seemed appropriate. They acquired eternity, but the price they paid was a great one. When he thought of this, it caused Naruto to recall the Bridge Slaves' faint voices.

Two more months passed. Up ahead in the void appeared an enormous rock. This was another Immortality Bridgestone, its vastness virtually indescribable. It appeared to be about ten times larger than the land mass he had just come from.

An incredible pressure radiated out from it, enveloping everything in the area as it floated there in the void. Its edges were irregularly shaped, causing Naruto to think of the image of the enormous, broken bridge he had seen stretching boundlessly out in the starry sky.

It was at this moment that the azure-robed man suddenly stood up.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, turning his head to look at Naruto. His eyes were clear and filled with a profundity like that of the stars in the sky. This was the second time the man had taken the initiative to speak. The first time was when he had arrived. Considering this was the second time, Naruto understood… that he was about to leave.

Naruto stood up, clasped hands and bowed deeply. He looked at the azure-robed man, his eyes glittering. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.

The man smiled, then waved his hand, causing the alcohol flagon to fly over to Naruto. Naruto grabbed it and, without hesitation, drank a mouthful.

As the alcohol flowed down his throat, a burning sensation exploded out. It felt like fire, and caused Naruto's Cultivation base to rotate wildly.

"A bit greedy, aren't we, boy? Well, it doesn't matter. I'll just consider it to be traveling expenses." The man pointed a finger at Naruto, causing his body to tremble. The mouthful of alcohol inside of him instantly formed into something similar to his Gold Core. Strands of Alcohol Chakra began to emanate out from it, fusing it with his Perfect Gold Core. He did not experience any growth in Cultivation base, however, he could tell that something inside of him was now different.

"The Alcohol Core within you will enable you to twice wield my Dancing Sword Chakra. It can slay anything under the Immortal stage."

With that, the flagon flew back into the man's hand. He turned and stepped off of the three hundred meter wide rock, walking toward the enormous land mass formed by the Immortality Bridgestone.

As he stepped into the void, he sighed and said, "You ask when will you lay eyes upon me again…? I've searched for you for three thousand years…."

The voice echoed out with unspeakable melancholy and an indescribable loneliness.

Naruto's mind reeled. All of a sudden, he could sense a sword skill within his mind. It was branded onto him in the form of a magical symbol. He didn't understand it, but he could tell that he could rotate his Cultivation base to unleash the Alcohol Chakra within his Gold Core. He could do this twice to cause the brand to explode out.

As the man headed off into the distance, Naruto suddenly cried out: "Senior, may I respectfully ask your name?!"

"Han Shan."

His voice echoed out, filled with pensiveness. The man sighed and then disappeared into the void. Naruto stood there, bowing deeply in his direction.

After a long time passed, Naruto straightened back up. The three hundred meter wide rock he was on slammed through the barrier to enter the enormous land mass formed by the Immortality Bridgestone. There in front of Naruto was an enormous world.

Of all the worlds formed by Immortality Bridgestones in this area, this was the largest one listed on Naruto's jade slip map. Naruto stood on his three hundred meter wide rock and glanced around the area.

The sky above seemed extremely stable; there were only a few cracks visible. Mountain ranges rose and fell, and ancient ruins could be seen all over.

As the rock shot through the air, Naruto looked down at the ground. Suddenly, his gaze flickered as he noticed that the mountains down below did not seem to have been formed naturally. They were connected together in what appeared to be a pattern.

This wasn't the first time Naruto had noticed something like this. The previous worlds he had explored also contained similar sights. However, those worlds had been far too small, so the phenomenon was much less obvious.

This world, however, was much larger. As he continued to look down at the mountains from up in mid-air, the more he got the feeling there was something very strange about them.

"They look like magical symbols." That was what made the most sense. He thought back to when he had first come to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins and seen the countless rocks which formed the shape of an archaic bridge that stretched through the stars. He had also seen magical symbols at that time.

Obviously, the mountains that made up this mountain range were nothing other than magical symbols. Because of the vast size of this world, Naruto was able to see them clearly.

"The Bridge of Immortal Treading was covered with magical symbols, each of which was most likely a Celestial talisman." Within Naruto's body, the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way rotated, and he rapidly blinked his left eye several times as he employed the Celestial Vision technique imparted to him by the parrot.

As soon as he employed the technique, his body trembled. Using his left eye to look down at the land below, what he saw was not a collection of mountains, but rather multiple black dragons, lifting their heads up to the sky to roar.

Many of the dragons were broken, but some were mostly intact. Their roaring was shocking to the extreme.

Naruto's entire body trembled, and he began to pant. He felt as if an invisible mountain were crushing down onto his body. Suddenly, the Celestial Vision technique was ended.

However, just before it did, Naruto managed to catch a glimpse of something off in the distance that was obviously not a black dragon, but shockingly, a black-colored butterfly. The butterfly was indistinct and invisible to any onlooker. Every time it flapped its wings, nearby black dragons would be sucked toward it and be consumed.

Inside the body of the black butterfly was a large area that was made up of… Celestial soil!

As the image disappeared, beads of sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead. He had never imagined that using the Celestial Vision technique would allow him to see such a shocking scene.

As his vision returned to normal, he looked around the land to find that it was just the same as before. The mountains were mountains, and not roaring black dragons. The area off in the distance where he had seen the black butterfly consisted of nothing more than ordinary mountains.

The only unusual thing about that particular area was that it was a point of convergence for several mountain ranges.

"Bridge Slaves, black dragons, butterflies…. this Realm of the Bridge Ruins is so full of mysteries." Naruto stood thoughtfully atop the large rock as it whistled through the air. As it began to veer off in a different direction, he looked back toward the area where he'd seen the butterfly.

"What I saw just now was most likely Celestial soil. I couldn't possibly be mistaken about that…. If I could get a chunk of Celestial soil that big, then I maybe I can form my Earth-type totem!" The area he had seen with the Celestial Vision left his heart shaken and excited.

"Rewards come only when you take risks. If you want to rise above others, you have to pay the price!" His eyes filling with determination, he transformed into a prismatic beam that shot off at top speed toward the area where he had seen the butterfly.

According to Naruto's analysis, of the more than twenty people who had come to this place from the Western Desert, it was unlikely someone else had Immortal Shows the Way and a Celestial Vision technique. Therefore, it was most likely that he was the only one able to see the butterfly.

As such, the chances were relatively small that he would have to fight over the Celestial soil.

Since that was the case, Naruto would of course not be willing to give up this opportunity. Without the slightest hesitation, he continued on forward. Time passed by, and soon seven days had passed.

During that time, Naruto never stopped moving. On two occasions, he employed the Celestial Vision technique to once again observe the black butterfly consuming the black dragons. He could sense the boundlessness of the butterfly's aura. It was on the eighth day that he finally arrived.

It was a place where ten different mountain ranges all converged together. There in the middle was an enormous basin, which was filled with roiling white mist. It prevented Spiritual Sense from extending out very far, and seemed to be imbued with a spirit that could conquer mountains and rivers.

Naruto flew around it once, and then began to frown. He observed the flowing mist with flickering eyes. Finally, he produced a flying sword which he flung out, causing it to whistle through the air toward the mist.

The instant it entered the mist, Naruto sat cross-legged on the border of the basin. He closed his eyes and sent out a fine thread of Spiritual Sense to connect to the flying sword as it shot down through the mist.

The mist was dense, and the flying sword continued on through it for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Finally, it emerged into the basin below. Naruto could see a dazzling glow. Stretched out below him was a shocking scene; buildings constructed entirely of Celestial soil. Suddenly a figure loomed up within his Spiritual Sense. A booming sound could be heard as the flying sword exploded. A force of extermination then began to shoot back through the Spiritual Sense toward Naruto.

His face flickered, but he was prepared. Almost the same instant in which the flying sword was destroyed, he severed his connection, preventing the exterminating force from reaching him.

Having cut off the Spiritual Sense himself, Naruto's face went pale.

"Buildings constructed completely from Celestial soil…. Just what place is this exactly!?" Naruto was breathing heavily, and his eyes glittered. Although he had only been able to glimpse the area beyond the mist for a brief moment, it was enough to completely shock Naruto.

"After the Bridge of Immortal Treading was destroyed, it transformed into the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. After all these years, who knows how many times Western Desert Cultivators have come here….

"I can't believe that after all these years, no one found this place. And yet, here it is. For there to be much Celestial soil shows how dangerous this place must be! Anyone who tried to enter in the past must have died!"

When Naruto's train of thought reached this point, his heart suddenly quivered. He waved his hand, and he suddenly vanished.

Not very long after he vanished, a beam of light appeared off in the distance. It was a woman wearing a long black garment. Her features were beautiful and her skin was like jade. It was none other than… Tsume!

She made her way along with caution. After arriving in this place, she did the same thing Naruto had done; she flew around in a circle, then found a place to sit near the edge. She was just about to employ a technique to scout out the mist when suddenly her phoenix-like eyes flickered. She waved a beautiful hand, causing a white spider to shoot out in a beam of whiteness and head toward the mist.

Just when it seemed on the verge of running into the mist, it suddenly jerked into a different direction and shot… directly toward the spot where Naruto had vanished from.

"Don't dare to show your face?" she said coldly. "Get out here!" The white beam of light shot toward the seeming emptiness. Just as it was about to reach it, ripples appeared, from within which stretched out a finger.

The finger tapped onto the beam of whiteness, and a miserable shriek could be heard. The light faded away. Naruto emerged, his eyes filled with hard coldness.

"It's you!" said Tsume; her pupils constricted and her eyes filling with cold killing intent. Her arm had long since been restored, but her expression still radiated stabbing hatred.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. For Tsume to show up here caused many questions to fill his mind. The fact that she was being so cautious indicated that she knew about the bizarreness of this location.

Even more importantly, when he'd met her before, her Cultivation base had been merely at the great circle of Core Formation. Now, however… it was in the mid Nascent Soul stage. From the ripples of her Cultivation base, he could tell that she was at the peak of that stage, on the verge of stepping into the late Nascent Soul stage.

In less than a year of time, she had experienced incredible progress. Naruto was well aware that such a feat was something rarely seen in the world!

"Well, that leaves only one possibility," thought Naruto, his eyes flickering.

As for Tsume, killing intent flickered within her eyes. She actually admired Naruto, but that only served to fuel her desire to kill. The instant she saw him, she leaped up into the air. A three hundred meter wide white glow surrounded her, and an enormous white spider magically appeared. She immediately shot toward Naruto.

Obviously, the influence of the sealing of the Spider Branch's totemic Sacred Ancient was now gone.

As Tsume shot toward him, Naruto donned the blood-colored mask. An enormous face appeared, sending out ripples in all directions.

A roaring sound filled the air, but then Naruto vanished. When he reappeared, he was directly next to Tsume. His fist descended, but even as it did, Tsume grew blurry and disappeared. She reappeared behind him, and raised her hand. Her thumb and forefinger were touching, and the other three fingers were raised. Killing intent radiated out from her eyes as she tapped down toward Naruto's back.

He gave a cold snort. Looking down, his body flickered as blood colored ripples spread out in all directions beneath him. A bloody glow rose up into the sky as five figures became visible, none other than Naruto's Blood Clones.

Rumbling sounds filled the air, and Tsume's face flickered. She once again disappeared.

The two of them teleported back and forth in mid-air as they fought. Booming sounds echoed out in all directions as a dance of divine abilities played out.

Moments later, Tsume disappeared in the midst of an explosion to reappear three hundred meters away. She lifted her delicate hand, on which could be seen, shockingly, a drop of blood.

She tossed out the blood drop, and a sound like the shrill cry of a bird filled the air. The blood drop expanded, transforming into a red phoenix. It spread its wings, and flames leaped up everywhere. Surrounded by fire, the phoenix let out a powerful cry and then shot toward Naruto.

As it passed through the air, an astonishing, scorching heat roiled out in all directions. Naruto's face was grim as he fell back. Eyeless Larva thread spun around him even as the Flame Phoenix engulfed him.

As soon as the flames engulfed him, killing intent appeared in his eyes. His cold voice echoed out in all directions.

"Fire? I have that too!"

As soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, the Flame Phoenix enveloped him. Suddenly, his Fire-type totem tattoo caused shocking flames to erupt off of Naruto.

Using fire to defeat fire!

The fire exploded out, instantly encircling the Flame Phoenix. Naruto stood there in the midst of the sea of flames, looking like some sort of devilish divinity. He waved his hand, causing the enormous image of a tree to magically appear around him. It melded into the flame sea, causing the intensity of the flames to increase rapidly. Naruto flicked his sleeve, sending the flames shooting toward Tsume.

It moved with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, was closing in on Tsume. Her delicate brow furrowed, and she waved her hand to cause a small white shield to appear.

The shield immediately began to expand, spreading out in an instant to completely cover her. The flame sea slammed into it, but was completely blocked.

Naruto's eyes glittered coldly. With a cold harrumph, he caused his Metal-type totem to appear, melding it into the flame sea. Golden droplets appeared which shot toward Tsume. She once again used the white shield to defend herself. However, the golden droplets began to spread out and merge with each other outside of the white shield.

In the blink of an eye, while the white shield expanded out to completely cover her body, she was, in turn, completely surrounded by the golden droplets, which formed something like a sphere. All of this happened before Tsume could do anything.

"You…." she said, her face flickering.

Moving at incredible speed, Naruto shot out from within the sea of flames, appearing directly beneath the white sphere. He lifted his hand up, causing the golden sphere to begin to vibrate. He roared as he used all the strength he could muster to heave the golden sphere in the direction of the mist.

"Since you like to hide in the protection of that shield, well, I'll add another layer of protection for you!" he said as the golden sphere whistled throughout the air toward the mist, with Tsume inside.

All of this takes quite a bit of time to describe, but actually happened in an instant. In the battle between the two, neither had been able to acquire the upper hand. However, Naruto's quick thinking prevailed; as soon as the golden sphere touched the mist, the mist began to churn violently. Suddenly, a sharp cry could be heard coming from inside the golden sphere.

The sound of it was shocking, causing much of the mist to roil away. In fact, now the buildings down below were somewhat visible.

Cracks spread out over the surface of the golden sphere, and within the space of a single breath, it shattered. The sound of the cry entered Naruto's ears and caused his mind to tremble. It was like a sharp blade was stabbing into his brain, causing blood to seep out of his eyes, nose and mouth. His mind became a blank.

It only lasted a moment before fading away. As soon as the sound was gone, Naruto's body returned to normal. Tsume emanated fierce killing intent as she appeared in front of him. Her delicate hand rose up and pushed down onto the Eyeless Larva silk which was surrounding him.

A bang sounded out and Naruto tumbled backward, blood spraying from his mouth. Before he could fall backward very far, Tsume teleported toward him. A white glow rose up from her hand as she pointed her finger out. For some reason, the Eyeless Larva suddenly stopped moving momentarily.

As the finger attack descended on Naruto, a bloody hole appeared on Naruto's chest, and strands of black Chakra began to spread out through his flesh.

Naruto's mind was spinning. He was sure that her finger hadn't actually touched him. However, it had injured him, and in a bizarre way at that. The black threads burrowed into his flesh, rapidly sucking away at his life force.

Naruto's face fell. From the time he had left the Southern Domain, be it during his time in the Black Lands or in the Western Desert, he had never been injured like this. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the Eyeless Larva rapidly continued to spin silk. Were it not for the Eyeless Larva, Naruto would surely be dead by this point.

Even still, her divine ability just now was something he couldn't fight back against. He needed a buffer, time with which to retrieve a magical item from within his bag of holding, or perhaps perform an incantation.

However, time was not something that Tsume would give him. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth as she continued to press closer to him, once again raising a finger.

This time, it did not touch him, but he coughed up blood nonetheless. The bones in his left arm shattered, and the black strands continued to spread out through his body. Vast amounts of life force were vanishing, and his hair had turned white. Death Chakra filled him.

Tsume got even closer, her killing intent extremely intense. For a third time, she raised her delicate hand. A sense of deadly crisis washed over Naruto like floodwaters. His eyes suddenly glowed with a bright light.

With all the strength he could muster, he roared: "Are you Tsume, or Demoness Tsukino!?"

At this moment, Tsume's hand suddenly stopped moving.

Taking advantage of this sudden pause, Naruto ignored the wounds to his body. He knew that this was a critical moment, and that his best option now was to teleport away. He needed to heal his injuries, otherwise his life would be in danger. However… he did not choose to do that.

When it came to lifesaving measures, he had the Agarwood as well as the Alcohol Core and the Dancing Sword Chakra. However, Naruto had experienced many things throughout his years of practicing cultivation. As far as this particular deadly crisis was concerned, it had not reached the point where he needed to use those lifesaving methods.

Instead, he chose to use this precious instant of time to slap his bag of holding. The Lotus Sword Formation appeared, rotating rapidly and exploding with the power of Time.

Even Tsume could never have predicted that during the short moment in which she paused, Naruto would actually choose not to flee. Instead, laughing in the face of death, he actually chose to attack.

This caused her to hesitate in surprise. She and Naruto were relatively evenly matched. The only reason she had been able to dominate him so easily just now was because she had managed to get the upper hand by taking him by surprise.

Killing intent flickered in her phoenix-like eyes. She was just about to make an attack, when suddenly her face fell. As of this moment, she could feel her longevity slipping away. Her face flickered as she abandoned any thoughts of attack and suddenly shot backward.

Despite that, her moment of hesitation just now had caused three hundred years of longevity to disappear. As she fell back, face flickering, a look of savagery appeared on Naruto's face. He quickly produced a medicinal pill which he popped into his mouth, and then shot forward.

"Now, it's my turn!" he said. Followed by the Lotus Sword Formation, he appeared in front of Tsume. He pulled his fist back and then punched her in the pit of the stomach.

A boom rang out. Tsume was able to avoid being hit in a vital spot. However, blood sprayed from her mouth as she was flung backward. Naruto continued to move forward, once again attacking her with the Lotus Sword Formation. Another three hundred years of longevity vanished. Tsume's face was deathly pale as she continued to retreat.

"Allow me to help you retreat," he said. His fist slammed into her belly, causing blood to shower out of her mouth. She tumbled backward, now in much the same position Naruto had been in moments ago. She had lost her position of superiority and couldn't even fight back. Now she was being dominated.

Naruto's body flickered, and he appeared in front of her once again. Intense killing intent roiled out as Eyeless Larva silk shot out toward Tsume. It was at this point that she let out a disconsolate wail. At the same time, an indistinct figure appeared on her shoulder. It was very small, about the size of a hand. It looked like a small person, a woman. However, it was not Tsume.

She wore an anxious expression, and as soon as she appeared, she let out a scream. The scream caused Naruto's mind to reel once more. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he backed up. He employed the full power of his Cultivation base to send the Eyeless Larva silk out to strangle Tsume.

Seeing the Eyeless Larva silk nearing, the eyes of the tiny person on Tsume's shoulder filled with a fierce look.

"You insect, do you really dare to mess with an Immortal!?" A mysterious glow appeared in the little person's eyes. Suddenly, a bizarre red flower appeared in front of Tsume. Faces could be seen on the petals of the flower… Naruto's face!

The flower… suddenly shattered. As it did, Naruto's mind reeled. It felt as if his soul were about to shatter.

"Immortal? So what?!" he responded. It was at this moment that Naruto suddenly caused the Alcohol Core within him to begin to rotate. Using the method that was fused into his mind, he spit out a mouthful of Alcohol Chakra. Instantly, it began to transform into the shocking will of a sword. Rumbling sounds immediately emanated off of Naruto.

The sword will roiled up, instantly filling the entire continent he was on. All of the Cultivators here felt their hearts shaking and trembling.

The face of the tiny person on Tsume's shoulder instantly filled with fear and disbelief.

"That's Sword Immortal Han Shan's Dancing Sword Chakra!"

The Alcohol Chakra swept about outside of Naruto. Within him, Sword Chakra began to condense. At the exact moment in which the Sword Chakra was about to explode out… the sky suddenly turned gray, and a mist began to rise up.

"Dammit! The Bridge Slaves again!" Naruto's entire body was suddenly stuck in place. However, this time, he wasn't completely incapable of motion. The Alcohol Chakra spread out, and the Sword Chakra continued to condense inside of him. He could still move, but it felt as if he were trudging through mud.

Tsume's face instantly fell. The little person on her shoulder vanished. Suddenly, Tsume, like Naruto, was capable of slow, simple movements.

Alarm filled her eyes.

At the same time that this was happening, a group of figures appeared within the mist in the basin. Faint voices could be heard as the Bridge Slaves walked past Naruto and Tsume to head off into the distance.

"Don't tell me this place is where the Bridge Slaves reside?" thought Naruto as he watched the Bridge Slaves walking out from within the basin. His mind and heart reeled. It was at this point that he noticed the last Bridge Slave in line. It was a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old. As she walked, she suddenly turned and looked at Naruto and Tsume. Her expression shifted from one of frustration and confusion, to viciousness. Her body flashed as she shot toward them.

An intense coldness instantly pressed down onto Naruto, filling him with shock.

Tsume suddenly began to speak, her voice filled with unprecedented fear. "Naruto, we need to join forces. Otherwise we will both die this day!"

Naruto's pupils constricted. He was in front of Tsume, and the person the Bridge Slave girl was charging toward was none other than him.

As the words came out of Tsume's mouth, the tiny person magically appeared once again on her shoulder. The little figure's expression was one of anxiety as it performed an incantation with both hands and then pointed forward.

Instantly, a red flower materialized in front of Naruto. Shockingly, on each petal of the flower could be seen the face of the girl. As soon as it appeared, the flower began to disintegrate.

At this point, Tsume coughed up a mouthful of blood. The body of the tiny person on her shoulder flickered and grew even more blurry; it seemed to be extremely exhausted.

At the same time, the charging girl's body suddenly stopped in place. An expression of pain filled her face and she let out a soundless scream. Then, her face grew even more vicious, and a fearsome aura exploded out of her. Everything in the area suddenly flickered, and the surrounding mist seethed.

"Quickly… use your Dancing Sword Chakra to cut her down! Don't let her get near us…."

At this critical moment, Naruto's eyes filled with resolve. He caused the Alcohol Chakra to surge out, and then caused the congealed Sword Chakra to emanate out as well. The two of them merged together into a shocking sword-shaped amalgamation of Alcohol Chakra. It shot through the air toward the girl's head, then passed directly through it.

Her body trembled, and the mist around her churned. Suddenly, she stopped. The vicious expression on her face disappeared to be replaced by a look of catharsis.

"Daddy, mother…." she said softly. "Are you still here…? Where are you…? Why did you leave me alone here…? It's been so long… so long…." The girl no longer seemed evil, but rather, lonely and helpless. Murmuring the entire time, her body slowly disappeared.

In the spot where the girl had disappeared, a slender strand slowly took shape.

Naruto was touched by the girl's words, and suddenly thought back to Han Shan's story regarding the Bridge Slaves. Sighing, he reached out and grabbed the slender strand.

The other Bridge Slaves off in the distance didn't seem to have noticed anything, and continued to move off into the distance.

After they were gone, the grayness disappeared, as did the mist. Strangely, there was no tempest this time.

After the colors returned to normal, Naruto's eyes flickered. He clenched his fist and once again punched out. Simultaneously, Tsume's lips opened and a beam of white light shot out of her mouth toward Naruto.

The two magics slammed into each other and a huge boom rattled out. Both parties fell back. The tiny figure on Tsume's shoulder performed an incantation with both hands, preparing to once again materialize the power of her bizarre flower.

It was at this moment, however, that the Alcohol Chakra once again began to roil within Naruto.

Immediately, the tiny figure stopped moving and stared at Naruto. As of now, Naruto could see that this figure was shaped like a woman. She was extremely beautiful; not even Tsume could compare.

She sat on Tsume's shoulder, looking very much like a Nascent Soul. However, she was far more limber than a Nascent soul, plus, her body emanated a pleasant aura very much like Celestial soil.

There was a thin, transparent line connecting her hand to Tsume's body. It appeared that Tsume currently had no mind of her own, but rather, was being controlled as a puppet.

As of this moment, Naruto felt rather confused. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on between Demoness Tsukino and Tsume.

Tsukino suddenly smiled and then spoke in a charming, melodious voice: "Little bro, your Dancing Sword Chakra could definitely hurt me. In fact, there's a seventy percent chance that it could slay my Immortal Divinity. However… in the end, your Cultivation base just isn't strong enough to evade my final counterattack before dying.

"In that case, what's the point of us fighting? This place is one of the locations where the Bridge Slaves live. Instead of one of us dying, why don't we explore the place together? What do you say?"

He looked over at the tiny Demoness Tsukino. For her to call him 'little bro,' didn't seem very appropriate. However, he had to admit that what she said made sense.

"Just now, her actions against the Bridge Slave weren't fake," he thought. "I was closer, but she still took action to protect herself. She thought I simply had one strand of Sword Chakra, but when she found out that wasn't the case, she changed her mind." He glanced over at the mist in the basin. When it came to the bizarreness of the mist, regardless of whether it was in terms of experience or technique, he simply wasn't powerful enough to handle it on his own. Joining forces with her wasn't necessarily out of the question.

As he was considering the matter, Tsume looked at him and frowned. Inwardly, she said: "Big sis Tsukino, this guy is endlessly crafty. Plus, he's cruel and merciless, completely cold-blooded. Also his decisiveness is incredible. If you work with him, you have to be very cautious."

Tsukino's reply echoed out inside of Tsume's mind. "Well, now I know that you really do love your big sis, my precious darling."

Tsume blushed.

Sensing that her face was growing red, Tsukino laughed, causing Tsume's blush to deepen.

"Little bro, what do you think? There are plenty of treasures here. Big sis isn't greedy. I just want half. You can have the rest. What do you say?" With that, the tiny figure on Tsume's shoulder laughed lightly. She lifted a hand and pointed toward the mist. A strand of Chakra shot toward the mist, causing it to seethe and then slowly grow thin. Tsume's body shot down into the mist.

"If you agree, then come on over. Big sis is waiting for you!" Demoness Tsukino's voice carried with it a touch of allure, causing Naruto to frown again. Then, his eyes glittered. Filled with caution, and keeping the Sword Chakra prepared, he followed down into the mist.

They flew down in single file, piercing through the mist. Eventually they were able to make out the basin, and the luxurious buildings. Each of these buildings was completely constructed from Celestial soil, filling the basin with a thick aura of Celestial soil.

"Immortals used to live in this place," said Tsukino from her position on Tsume's shoulder. "It's one of the palaces used by the ninety-nine preeminent Immortals as a guard garrison for the Bridge of Immortality. After the bridge was destroyed, the ninety-nine Immortals died and merged into the Bridge of Immortality. They wished to restore the bridge and its position in the world. When they came back to life, they had no physical bodies. However, their palaces remained, filled with treasure." As they neared the palaces, a glimmering shield suddenly appeared, blocking their way. A powerful aura radiated out, emitting thick pressure along with magical shadows.

Tsume spit out a mouthful of blood, and Demoness Tsukino lifted her right hand and waved it toward the blood.

"Congeal!"

Immediately the blood turned into a red mist which then formed into a gigantic red flower. The flower floated forward and touched the shield. As soon as it did, it sank into the shield, merging into it.

The entire shield began to distort. In the blink of an eye, veins seemed to spread out through the shield. It began to flicker rapidly and then, dissipated. The power that blasted out upon its dissipation caused Naruto to narrow his eyes. He would not have been able to break this shield unless he used the Dancing Sword Chakra.

"I've suppressed the defences," said Tsukino, "but it will only last for four hours. All of the palace structures here should have garrison treasures. Little bro, as you can see, there is a main hall in the center, with palace buildings stretched out on either side. You take one side, and we'll meet in the middle.

"As for how many treasures you can acquire, that will depend on your own skill." Tsukino laughed, and Tsume gave Naruto a cold glance. Then, they headed directly for the palace buildings on the right side.

Naruto looked at the suppressed shield and the giant red flower floating there in mid-air. It was this flower which was suppressing the power of the shield, allowing them to enter.

"Four hours? I can't trust her on that point. At most, it will probably last for two hours." Naruto's eyes glittered. After a moment of observation, decisiveness filled his eyes and, without hesitation, he shot forward toward the group of palace buildings on the left.

"With my Cultivation base, I would normally never be able to get into a place like this. Whatever treasures are in the buildings, they are not things I could take. If I get too greedy, then I might end up paying a horrific price.

"Therefore, I will stick to my original plan. I don't need treasures, I just need Celestial soil!" Eyes shining brightly, his body flickered and he appeared in front of one of the palace buildings. After looking it over carefully, he saw that the main door was shut tight with the power of some type of sealing.

Naruto did not spend time thinking about how to open the door. A flying sword appeared in his hand and he knelt down. Rotating his Cultivation base, he used the flying sword to try to pry up one of the floor tiles. Unfortunately, a cracking sound could be heard as the flying sword snapped in two.

Frowning, Naruto's body flickered as he flew up to the roof and began to try to pull up one of the roof tiles. Unfortunately, the roof tile was extremely tough, and no matter what he did, he couldn't pull it up.

"This stuff is really sturdy," he thought, his eyes flickering with sharpness. He rotated his Cultivation base with full power, causing the Time Sword Formation to appear and unleash its power on the tile. A moment later, he pulled up on the tile. Crack! The tile was pulled up successfully by Naruto.

His heart pounded with excitement. The tile was only the size of a hand, but the entire thing was made from Celestial soil. He put it away and immediately began to use the same method to continue dismantling the building.

Very quickly, all of the tiles on the palace building's roof had been collected up by Naruto. Next, he went to work on the floor tiles. It didn't take long before they were all placed into his bag of holding.

"Rich! I've really struck it rich!" Panting, eyes gleaming, Naruto's eyes next moved to the palace building's guardian lions. Having successfully collected them up, he next looked over at the building's eaves.

Soon, the eaves were gone. Next, Naruto's gaze came to fall upon the steps leading up to the palace building. After that were the columns. Next, the wall coverings.

It didn't take long for a previously extravagant palace building to be completely blank and clean. The main structure was there, but now, it looked completely different, to a very shocking degree.

Every single thing that could be taken off of the outside surface, was gone….

Were it not for the restrictive spells and seals protecting the inside of the palace building, Naruto would tear down the entire structure. Trying to contain his excitement, he looked over at the next palace building. Filled with excitement, he leaped toward that building and began to dismantle it.

As for the Immortals who built these palace buildings, before their consciousnesses merged into the bridge, they placed the restrictive spells and seals in place because they were well aware that people might be interested in the items within. However, they had never imagined that someone like Naruto would happen to make his way into this place. He wasn't interested in the treasures inside, but rather, wanted to plunder the construction materials….

Time passed by. With bustling industriousness, Naruto proceeded along from one palace building to the next, completely dismantling their exteriors, leaving them stark and bare…. The only thing left behind were the bare palace structures; anything that could be pried up was taken by Naruto.

Even the grass on the ground seemed to have absorbed some of the Celestial Soil Chakra. Seeing how extraordinary it was, he collected it up without hesitation.

"If I don't keep grabbing stuff until my hands cramp, then my name isn't Naruto!" he said, his eyes gleaming as he wrenched up a floor tile. If any of Naruto's acquaintances saw him now, they might think they were looking at a stranger. The look in his eyes was completely different than the coldness that usually resided there.

This was a part of his personality that he kept buried deep within, the part of him that lusted after anything valuable.

Despite having reached his current level of Cultivation base, one cannot forget about the matter in which he owed Steward Ebisu three pieces of silver. Of course, after beginning to practice cultivation, the fervor he had shown toward that silver had shifted to cultivation resources.

For example, Celestial soil. At the moment, there was nothing he was more passionate about than Celestial soil.

After all… aspirations are a good thing. With aspirations, Naruto could be happy despite being tired or in pain. Right now, he was like a locust in human form. Every extravagant palace building that he encountered would be seemingly engulfed in a storm. After the storm passed by, the building would be completely bare.

Gradually ten buildings, twenty buildings, thirty buildings… after two hours had passed, more than seventy palace buildings had been completely dismantled by Naruto.

His expression was one of excitement, and he was breathing heavily. At the moment, there weren't even thirty buildings left. Naruto was just getting ready to go at the rest of the buildings with a final spurt of energy, when Tsume suddenly staggered out from a large palace building on the opposite side of the basin.

After she emerged, the entire palace building collapsed with a rumbling sound. Tsume looked excited. The tiny Tsukino perched on her shoulder appeared even more excited. Shockingly, she held a small green flask in her hand.

"It took two hours to get this one item," said Tsukino excitedly. "However, this small flask is a treasure that once belonged to one of the nine most preeminent of the Immortals. Two hours is a long time, but it was worth it. Precious darling, we must quickly go to the next… uh…? Huh? What?" When her gaze fell upon Naruto, her eyes went wide and she gaped. She even rubbed vigorously at her eyes, not daring to believe what she was seeing.

When Tsume saw the strange scene, her eyes also went wide as they filled with astonishment and shock.

Both of them… could do nothing other than be completely shocked. The tableau that faced them now was completely different from that which they had seen before entering the palace building earlier.

The previously lush and verdant grass in the area was completely gone. Only bare, uneven ground remained….

The Celestial tiles were nowhere to be seen. The floors were completely barren….

The auspicious beasts protecting the palace buildings, so imposing and extraordinary, had vanished….

The columns, carved with dragons and phoenixes, were now missing….

The matchlessly extravagant wall decorations, which had once covered the outside of the palace buildings, were as bare as if they had been swept over by a fierce tempest….

There were thirty or so palace buildings which retained their original appearance. However, the other seventy or more had become nothing more than empty frames…..

Completely clean; spick-and-span.

Demoness Tsukino stared in shock, and began to murmur to herself subconsciously, "Is the Heavenly Hound from Planet East Victory here? Or the Locust Immortal of Planet North Reed?"

Everything was too bare, as if it had been licked clean by a dog, or swept over by an army of locusts.

Even as Tsume and Tsukino were struck motionless from shock, they saw Naruto standing in front of an intact palace building, viciously prying up a floor tile with a flying sword. The sword was broken and twisted, and seemed to emit shrieks of humiliation.

A bang could be heard as the floor tile popped up. Naruto waved his sleeve to collect it up. Licking his lips, he used the same techniques he had picked up while dismantling the other seventy buildings to continue his work. The floor tiles were sturdy, but once you got one up, collecting the rest was simple.

Naruto had long since caught sight of Tsume and Tsukino. However, he didn't spend any effort paying attention to them. He was immersed in his work of prying up the floor tiles. The two women watched on, stupefied.

Tsume was breathing heavily, her phoenix-like eyes filled with disbelief. It was as if this was her first time ever seeing Naruto. How could she ever have imagined that the cold, astute, vicious, and merciless Naruto, would do something like this?

"This guy really might have some Heavenly Hound blood in him. Or maybe he really has practiced some of the cultivation of the Locust Immortal. Dammit, he doesn't even leave the floor tiles behind." Tsukino was panting. She could see the concentration in Naruto's eyes, which caused her to feel a bit suspicious. "Isn't he afraid of the curse?"

Tsume stared at the strange scene and suddenly started to think that this new Naruto was actually more terrifying than the usual Naruto. The fervor with which he was dismantling the palace buildings was beyond her comprehension. Because of that, she found the situation even more horrifying.

This was even more the case when Naruto finished with the floor tiles and then took away the guardian lions. After that, he cut down the pillars and then started to pull off the wall decorations. Tsume took a deep breath.

She almost couldn't believe it. In fact, she was certain that if Naruto somehow found his way to the Five Poisons Tribe, something completely terrifying would occur. It would probably only take a few hours for the entire Tribe to be uprooted and wiped clean.

Tsukino was filled with misgivings and hesitated for a moment. Finally, she called out, "Um, hey… Fellow Daoist…."

"Stop bothering me!" said Naruto, not even turning his head. He ripped a wall decoration off, then pulled out a flying sword to continue his work.

"You know," replied Tsukino immediately, "the big main hall in the center is made from even better material. That Celestial soil is even more refined."

Her words caused Naruto to suddenly pause in the middle of pulling off a wall decoration. He turned to look over at Tsume and Tsukino.

Tsukino immediately continued, "Compared to the main hall, all the other materials in this place are like trash. The Celestial soil over there… um, the floor tiles over there are worth a hundred times more than the ones over here!

"Fellow Daoist, you're clearly innately skilled and beyond ordinary. You have unique hobbies and are obviously a great man, an amazing hero! I think we really need to cooperate one more time, what do you think?

"You dismantle the main hall, and I'll open the restrictive spells. That way, your dismantling work will go even faster. Then, we can split the treasures inside fifty-fifty. What do you say?"

When Tsume heard Tsukino's words, her face grew taciturn. There was no way she could associate the terms 'great man' and 'amazing hero,' with Naruto. The only thing she could see was a monster of dismantling.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he said nothing for the space of a few breaths, and then said, "Just wait a moment."

"No problem," replied Tsukino excitedly. "Fellow Daoist, I understand that you need to meditate for a moment to rest yourself. No problem at all. As for me I can…." Suddenly, her eyes went wide with disbelief. As soon as Naruto finished speaking, he went back to ripping the wall decorations off. Only, this time, he went at it even faster than before.

Tsukino was breathing heavily as she watched Naruto sweep over the palace building, and then moved onto the next one. In the following hour, the rest of the thirty or so remaining palace buildings were completely swept clean. Finally, he looked over at the nearly hundred palaces in the area Tsume and Tsukino had come from, and a look of regret appeared on his face.

He looked back toward the majestic palace building in the center. "Is that the main hall you mentioned?" he asked.

The palace building was surrounded by walls, inside were four majestic structures that were completely beyond ordinary. Naruto's professional eyes swept the place over and noticed that the floor tiles were nearly two square meters and shined like gold. The Celestial Soil Chakra that they emitted was thick to the extreme.

Then he noticed the columns, which were thick and solid. The wall decorations were transparent like jade, shocking to the extreme. He glanced at the palace building's main door and could tell that the Celestial Soil Chakra that it emitted was incredibly dense.

Under Naruto's professional gaze, the places on the walls that were appropriate to begin deconstructing were apparent. As for the floor tiles, he quickly identified the best one to start with. He also took note of which roof tiles to take without disturbing the restrictive spells.

His sharp gaze fell upon Tsume, causing her to take a deep breath; she suddenly felt as if her clothes were being stripped away. Noticing that Tsukino wasn't paying attention, she casually lifted up her hand and held up her pinky finger. When she was sure that Naruto saw it, she slowly lowered her pinky finger.

Off to the side, Tsukino had an expression of admiration on her face.

"So, it turns out this guy has a specialty. His name is Naruto? He seems to be a Grandmaster of dismantling ancient Immortal palaces without touching the restrictive spells."

Tsukino suddenly looked very serious. "Grandmaster Naruto, this Bridge of Immortal Treading was built by the Immortal Demon Sect many years ago. The place we are in now is the lowest of the three worlds that compose the Bridge of Immortality, the residence palace of the 99 Immortal Demons. This most majestic of the palace buildings is a local spell locus, and most likely one of the hubs of the Bridge of Immortality.

"There are 3,600 such hubs here. There are precious treasures sealed inside, used in past years to provide a constant supply of the power of the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"The restrictive spells here are the most powerful. Even if I were here with my physical body, opening this building would be quite difficult. However… with your assistance, Grandmaster Naruto, it should be much simpler.

"Grandmaster Naruto, would you please tell me which parts of the outer wall would be the easiest to remove?" This was the first time she had acted so politely toward Naruto.

Naruto had noticed Tsume's obscure gesture with her pinky finger, but his expression didn't change at all. He looked at Tsukino, thinking for a moment about why she was calling him Grandmaster Naruto. It only took a moment for him to realize that it must be because the ease with which he had dismantled the buildings earlier left her shaken.

He cleared his throat and then once more looked regretfully back at the other section of buildings. Then, he returned his attention to the main hall, studying it for a moment. Finally he pointed toward a certain section.

"Right side, row seventy-three, ninth piece from the top!" Naruto's eyes glittered with sharpness as he looked at the particular piece he had just referred to. Based on his previous experience, that was definitely the best place to start.

Hearing this, Tsukino looked over silently for a moment before her eyes filled with determination. She quickly began to perform an incantation. Tsume took a deep breath and also began to incant. The two of them pushed their arms out at the same time, causing two beams of light, one white and one red, to shoot through the air toward that particular piece.

In the blink of an eye, they landed, causing the entire wall to glow brightly.

"Left side, row thirty-three, seventh piece from the bottom!" said Naruto. Once again, Tsume and Tsukino released attacks.

"Right side, row one hundred fifteen, second piece from the top!" This, of course, was all based on Naruto's previous experiences. The wall glowed and began to shake.

Suddenly a booming sound rang out. Finally, a section of the wall exploded, causing the wall's spell formation to crack, flicker, and then disappear.

Tsukino took a deep breath and looked somewhat tired out. However, her face quickly filled with enthusiasm. Tsume hurried over, with Naruto following close behind. Without the slightest hint of anxiety, Naruto began to collect up the pieces. Tsume and Tsukino waited just outside the main hall, watching as the perimeter wall surrounding the palace building disappeared rapidly. After collecting up the final piece, Naruto contentedly walked over and began to examine the floor tiles, completely ignoring Tsukino and Tsume.

The two women watched on, not daring to interfere. After a moment, Naruto stood above one particular floor tile, then squatted down to examine it closer. He took a few steps back toward where there was a small crack on the border of the tiled area. He looked up.

"I'm not sure how to break the spell formations in this place, but as far as the floor tiles go, I have to say that this is the place to target with your divine abilities. Hitting it there will send a crack out that will loosen all the tiles in the area." Having said this, Naruto took a few steps back.

Tsukino's eyes glittered. She flickered an incantation, causing a beam of light to fly out toward the cracked tile. A boom filled the air. At first, it didn't seem like anything had happened. Tsukino frowned, and a sharp look appeared in her eyes. Both hands flickered in an incantation, and she spit out a mouthful of Chakra.

Tsume instantly reacted to this. Trembling, she spit out a mouthful of blood, which fused with the Chakra to transform into the image of a finger.

The finger obviously was filled with shocking power. The instant it appeared, Naruto's pupils constricted, and the Dancing Sword Chakra within him began to circulate. Naruto's reaction seemed casual, but in fact he was constantly considering ways in which to cause his opponents to drain their Cultivation bases. Throughout this situation, he had constantly been on guard; even though they were working together, it was all because of mutual profit, not because of some impregnable alliance.

The finger seemed to be filled with power that could harm even the Heavens; as soon as it appeared, the sky dimmed and an incredible pressure weighed down on the area. It shot toward the crack, slamming into it, and causing everything to tremble. Cracking sounds echoed out as the floor tile filled with cracks. One of the cracks spread out in just the way Naruto had described. More intense roaring sounds filled the air.

The shaking was so intense that the other floor tiles of this palace building filled with three more gigantic cracks.

A moment later, the shaking stopped. As of this moment, all of the restrictive spells outside of the palace building were gone. Tsukino's face was pale, and she was breathing heavily.

"You need to go faster," she urged Naruto. "My technique to suppress the shield won't last for much longer. We need to get into the main hall as quickly as possible."

Naruto's eyes glittered. Feeling somewhat anxious, he quickly produced a flying sword and began prying up the floor tiles. Without the restrictive spells in place, there was nothing protecting the floor tiles. With Naruto's professional technique, the floor tiles quickly began to disappear into his bag of holding. However, it was at this moment that his eyes suddenly narrowed.

The earth beneath the floor tiles was not smooth. Instead, complex magical symbols became visible as he collected up the tiles. The symbols bore the appearance of a sealing mark, a seal that looked like a butterfly.

Tsukino looked down at the butterfly seal and then casually remarked: "That seal is the restrictive spell covering this area. However, I've disabled it; it doesn't function anymore."

Naruto nodded, then pried up the final floor tile. Suddenly, he looked up and then performed a Bloodburst Flash and then a minor teleportation. In the blink of an eye, he was far off in the distance.

Once he was away from the main hall, he blinked his left eye several times in succession, pouring the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way into his left eye. Immediately, his view of the world changed.

The majestic palace hall was now a mass of black mist, the source of which was the butterfly seal in the hall's square. An enormous black butterfly was visible, struggling against the silver strands which were wrapped around its body. It looked like the strands were on the verge of collapsing.

It seemed that the floor tiles in this place had been suppressing the butterfly's true form. Now that the tiles were gone and the restrictive spell broken, it was in the process of freeing itself.

At the same time, countless roaring black dragons were flying toward the butterfly, intent on consuming it. However, as they neared, the bizarre butterfly sucked them in, using them as power to assist in freeing itself.

Standing next to the butterfly was Tsume, who for some reason had a bitter smile on her face, and grief in her eyes. A despair existed therein that was no longer possible to cover up.

Shockingly, with his Celestial vision, Naruto could see that Tsukino, perched on Tsume's shoulder, had a red thread coming out of her to wrap around the butterfly, as if she were attempting to make some sort of connection with it.

Naruto immediately began to fly away. There were still a handful of floor tiles that he hadn't collected up. As for Tsukino, her face flickered, and when she looked up and saw Naruto, she laughed coldly.

Her face was grim, and she obviously knew that Naruto had some clues as to what was happening.

"This guy is profoundly astute!" she thought. "However, there's something unique about him. He's capable of taking away the Celestial soil that the Immortal Demon Sect cursed for all time. From ancient times until now, he must be the first person who came here unprotected and not only evaded death, but also took away the Celestial soil!"

Tsukino frowned. It was for this very reason that she had opted to enlist Naruto's help in disabling the restrictive spells. However, at the most critical moment she had been found out by him and he seemed to be leaving. Although he had taken most of the floor tiles, there were a few left that, while seemingly random, were actually cleverly positioned.

"Grandmaster Naruto, what is the meaning of this?" asked Tsukino lightly. Her voice seemed sweet, but also filled with allure.

"There's no special meaning," he called back. "It's just that my bag of holding is full." He quickly flew out of the palace building area.

He had acquired enough Celestial soil for now and did not wish to participate in any more of Demoness Tsukino's scheming. As for Tsume, he now understood what was going on. Earlier, outside the basin, he had had his doubts.

Granted, there was some rancor between him and Tsume. However, it hadn't reached the point where he felt he needed to attack her to resolve the situation.

After all, the war between the Five Poisons Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribes had started because of an invasion. He had tried to kill her that time, but only once, not twice.

Despite that, Tsume had immediately attacked him earlier. At first glance it might seem that she had plenty of reasons to do so, but upon careful analysis, her actual motives were unclear.

In fact, now that he thought about it, perhaps the gesture she had made earlier with her pinky finger had been an intentional distress signal.

In any case, Naruto had no intention of staying behind in this place in some attempt to rescue Tsume.

A sharp look appeared in Tsukino's eyes and she gritted her beautiful teeth.

"Well, considering the situation, it looks like I have no choice, right…?" she said with a sigh. "What a pity. Youlan, precious darling, it goes without saying that I'm going to have to possess you." She suddenly flew off of Tsume's shoulder. Tsume began to tremble. It only took a few breaths worth of time for her aura to completely change. She was no longer cool and elegant, but rather bewitching and charming.

Her body flickered as she reached out and pushed down five times onto the ground. Booms rang out as five floor tiles suddenly cracked into pieces. At the same time, the silver strands holding down the black butterfly suddenly dissipated. The butterfly flew into the air!

As it did, flames erupted on its body. It was now no longer invisible; thanks to the burning, it was now colorful in appearance and visible to anyone who looked its way. It had now transformed into a colorful, hand-sized butterfly, completely eye-catching in all aspects.

In the instant that the butterfly appeared, it flapped its wings, causing an enormous windstorm to sweep across the entire land mass. Simultaneously, an incredibly intense Demonic Chakra rolled off of it.

It had Demonic Chakra and possessed consciousness. Even as he retreated, Naruto saw the black butterfly transform into a colorful one, and it caused his mind and heart to shake. Suddenly, two words appeared in his mind.

"Demon Spirit!"

There was no other term which could be used to describe this colorful butterfly which floated in mid-air. It had transformed from blackness, almost as if it had been reborn from within death. No intense feeling of danger emanated off of the colorful butterfly. The only thing it radiated was intense, natural beauty.

As it fluttered its wings, a thin, colorful dust could be seen floating around it, as well as a bright glow. The butterfly immediately began to fly up into the air.

Tsume… or perhaps it would be better to say Demoness Tsukino, flew up in pursuit, her eyes glittering. The main reason she had come to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins was for this very Demon Spirit!

"With it, I will be qualified to enter the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane. As a disciple of the current generation of the Immortal Demon Sect, I will definitely be able to snatch some good fortune once I get into that ancient plane!" Tsukino performed a minor teleportation, and in the blink of an eye was next to the butterfly.

Naruto's eyes shone brightly. As of this instant, he gave up any notions of fleeing. As far as he was concerned, this thing… was exactly what he had come to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins to acquire.

With a Demon Spirit, the two thousand members of the Crow Divinity Tribes would be qualified to enter the Black Lands, and would thus have a chance to survive the Apocalypse.

There was no time to think. Naruto's body flickered as he Bloodburst Flashed and then teleported. All the Blood Chakra in his body rose up as he shot toward the butterfly Demon Spirit.

As he sprang into action, he circulated the Alcohol Chakra within him, preparing to use the Dancing Sword Chakra.

Killing intent flickered within Tsukino's eyes. However, in the exact moment in which both of them shot up into the air after the colorful butterfly, the butterfly shot forward, its body becoming a blur. A moment later, it was a few hundred kilometers away. Were it not for the intense, glowing light that emanated off of it, it would have been able to disappear without a trace.

Naruto's face flickered as he teleported once again; Tsukino pulled back the divine ability she had been about to use. Both ceased thoughts of attacking as they shot in pursuit of the Demon Spirit.

They moved with incredible speed, although Tsukino was a bit faster than Naruto. However, her merging with Tsume was not complete. Furthermore, Tsume was actually still only at the Core Formation stage; Tsukino had been able to force her Cultivation base up to the Nascent Soul stage. Even still, it was impossible for Tsukino, an Immortal, to employ her full level of power using this body.

Even if she could push Tsume to Spirit Severing, it wouldn't match up to her speed in Immortal Divinity form. If she pushed the body too far, it was very likely that it would shred to pieces in mid-air.

Every time the butterfly Demon Spirit shot forward, it moved a few hundred kilometers. In fact, in one particularly stunning moment, it traveled over five hundred kilometers in one shot.

Fortunately, the colorful glow it emitted was like a bright lamp on a dark night, clearly pointing it out. Were it not for that, Naruto would have been incapable of tracking it down.

Unfortunately, the butterfly Demon Spirit's frantic flight did not go unnoticed for very long. Soon, it began to attract the attention of other Western Desert Cultivators in the area.

As the Cultivators became aware of the butterfly, they immediately came to think of Demon Spirits. All of them had come to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins with one of their goals being to search out the Demon Spirits that came to being here.

Instantly, the eyes of these Cultivators turned red. This Demon Spirit represented a chance for survival for their respective Tribes. It only took one glance for any Cultivator in the area to cause the full power of their Cultivation bases to explode as they shot toward the butterfly.

On this land mass, the colorful butterfly instantly gave rise to a storm of fighting.

Naruto frowned. Seeing this happening, he decided to hold back from joining in the fray. However, he did not lessen his speed at all as he continued in pursuit.

As far as Tsukino went, she had long since disappeared. Naruto knew that she was definitely in the area of the Demon Spirit, waiting for the perfect moment to make her move, most likely when the butterfly slowed down a bit.

At a certain point, an area of distortion suddenly appeared in front of the butterfly Demon Spirit, and a man appeared. His body was festooned with totems, most noticeably his forehead, upon which could be seen a black dragon. The aura and ripples coming off of this man made him seem thoroughly frightening.

Furthermore, his Cultivation base was at the late Nascent Soul stage!

This was the first person of the late Nascent Soul stage that Naruto had seen in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. He was tall and strapping, his features somewhat crude, with thick, bushy eyebrows and large eyes. As soon as he appeared, he let out a roar and lifted both of his arms up. His body suddenly began to expand; green veins bulged out on his skin, and an enormous, lifelike black dragon suddenly exploded out from behind him.

The butterfly Demon Spirit was only the size of a hand, and had no Cultivation base. It obviously couldn't count as something powerful. Anyone could grab it and take it away. However, its speed was indescribable, giving it an incredible power. As soon as the man appeared in front of it, it shot forward, slamming into him. An incredible boom filled the air.

Amidst the booming, the burly man's body trembled. All of his totem tattoos flickered. The black dragon lifted its head into the air. The man lifted his head up and roared as he shot back a full three thousand meters before coming to a halt.

However, he still held the butterfly firmly with both hands.

There were more than ten people in the area who had been attracted by the butterfly Demon Spirit. All of them recognized this man and were thrown into a commotion.

"That's Fukuyama of the great Black Dragon Tribe!"

"The great Black Dragon Tribe is from the Western Desert East region, and has a Spirit Severing Patriarch, a true great Tribe!"

"Great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs do not need a Demon Spirit to be qualified to enter the Black Lands. Fukuyama is a powerful expert of the great Black Dragon Tribe. Word has it that he is the next Tribe member likely to rise to Spirit Severing. Why does he want to snatch a Demon Spirit!?"

Naruto's eyes glittered. The scene just now had shaken him inwardly. This burly man named Fukuyama had already made quite an impression on him. It seemed that the majority of his Cultivation base power was focused on his physical body, which was something very unique.

However, as soon as Fukuyama took control of the Demon Spirit, a soft laugh could be heard coming from seemingly nowhere. Ripples suddenly flickered, and a red glow could be seen. Within the red glow was a man wearing a long red robe. He was thin and possessed a feminine air. The instant he appeared, magical symbols appeared all around him, all of which were unique, and emanated a bizarre glow. Actually, upon closer inspection, each of these magical symbols seemed to be a life force.

Even more bizarre, there was no totem tattoo on the man's forehead. Furthermore, in the places of his body not covered by his robe, a vast assortment of magical symbols could be seen.

As he laughed softly, his femininity seemed to increase. In concurrence with his appearance, he lifted his right arm and waved it gently in front of him. Instantly, a vast array of magical symbols appeared and began to converge together. As they did, they transformed into a gigantic hand made of magical symbols. It immediately shot at top speed in the direction of Fukuyama.

As it neared, it seemed to be closing in on the butterfly Demon Spirit, as if to snatch it.

"Nadare!" roared Fukuyama.

As his voice echoed out, the other surrounding Cultivators' faces were instantly filled with astonishment.

"Nadare? That's Nadare from the great Demon Talisman Tribe. He reached the late Nascent Soul stage two hundred years ago!"

As the rumbling echoed out, Fukuyama's face filled with ferocity. He loosened his grip, and the butterfly flapped its wings, extricating itself and dodging away from the gigantic hand formed from magical symbols.

It was at this exact moment in which the butterfly freed itself that suddenly, Tsukino's figure appeared. She reached out her delicate hand and grabbed the butterfly, then flickered and disappeared.

The speed with which she moved made it so that nobody could detect her beforehand. The faces of Fukuyama and Nadare instantly filled with shock. To have the Demon Spirit snatched away in front of their very noses left both of the men feeling completely humiliated.

However, the moment in which Tsukino disappeared, Naruto's eyes filled with a cold glow.

"Drop it," he said coolly, Alcohol Chakra spreading out from within him. Tsukino's cold laugh could be heard echoing out in the air.

"If you hadn't used the Dancing Sword Chakra before, then using it now all of a sudden would have worked on me quite well. Unfortun…." Before she could even finish speaking, she stopped. That was because the Alcohol Chakra had ceased spreading out of his body; not even a scrap could be detected. Despite that, shocking ripples were suddenly emanating off of Naruto.

The ripples filled the entire area for fifteen thousand meters in every direction. The sky dimmed and all of the surrounding Cultivators' faces fell. As for Nadare and Fukuyama, their pupils constricted as they felt an intense sense of crisis.

It was in this shocking moment that a three thousand meter long beast appeared in front of Naruto.

Its body was that of a dragon, while its tail was that of a phoenix, and it had two dragon's heads. The shocking, three thousand meter long creature instantly emanated a horrifying aura that pressed down on everything within fifteen thousand meters.

This was none other than the Agarwood!

Naruto possessed the Agarwood legacy and could use it three times to avoid death. When the Agarwood appeared, its body flickered and it began to roar. Its body actually disappeared at this point, but its power transformed into an attack that shot forward, causing everything around it to shake.

The air for fifteen thousand meters in every direction seemed about to collapse. Tsukino's body was instantly forced to reappear in mid-air. Blood sprayed from her mouth and her face was covered in shock.

"Agar… wood…" she thought, her expression one of complete disbelief. She had long since ceased to look down on Naruto. His usage of the Dancing Sword Chakra caused her to be vigilant. Then there was the fact that he wasn't affected by the Immortal Demon curse. That had filled her with suspicion, and caused her to change her plans. But now…. In the short time in which she had known Naruto, everything she had seen and experienced, including Naruto's scheming and his fighting, caused him to occupy a place of extreme importance in her heart.

Blood continued to spray from her mouth as she shot backward involuntarily. The attack just now caused her to lose her grip on the butterfly. Naruto's eyes gleamed brightly as he shot forward, flicked his sleeve and collected up the butterfly.

Fukuyama's face flickered as he tried to retreat. However, the power of the attack caught him up too, and he was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut. He ended up several hundred kilometers away, where he coughed up eight mouthfuls of blood.

Nadare met a similar fate. Despite retreating and trying to use a magical technique to protect himself, he ended up several hundred kilometers away, coughing up blood.

Considering that this happened to the two of them, there is no need to go into detail regarding the other ten people present.

All of them felt rumbling throughout their entire bodies. The bodies of three or four directly exploded and their Nascent Souls fled. The others sustained severe internal injuries. All of them immediately pulled out the Immortality Bridgestones that had brought them to this place and crushed them. As they did, their bodies began to disappear.

This was not a minor teleportation, but rather, greater teleportation. It was a way of leaving this place, the only method of returning to the Western Desert. Any Cultivator in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins could use this method to escape at any time. However, once they left they could not return. In essence, it was a way of giving up.

As soon as Naruto laid hands on the Demon Spirit, he placed it into his bag of holding. Then he turned, transforming into a beam of colorful light. Moving as fast as lightning, he shot past the group of people who had been forced to fall back by the Agarwood attack.

There were only three people present who could pose a threat to Naruto: Tsukino, Fukuyama, and Nadare.

At the moment, though, Fukuyama and Nadare were coughing up blood. Their retreat had momentarily cost them the chance to give chase. However, considering they had Cultivation bases at the late Nascent Soul, it wouldn't be long before they could collect themselves and begin to pursue him.

As for Tsukino, she was definitely a most formidable adversary, difficult to contend with and worthy of being called Demoness by others.

If all three of them worked together, he would be forced to use the Agarwood and the Dancing Sword Chakra. Otherwise, it would be difficult to escape with his life.

Even still, in Naruto's analysis, the end result of such a situation would be mutual loss for everyone.

At the moment, there seemed to be one more possible choice in front of him. That was to take out his Immortality Bridgestone and use it to teleport out of this place.

That option, though, was something he would pick only as a last resort. He had obtained a lot of Celestial soil, but right now it was impossible to tell if he had enough to create his Earth-type totem.

Once he opted to leave, there would be no way to return, and he would have lost this fortunate chance.

Therefore, he whistled off into the distance at top speed, brow furrowed.

Behind him, the eyes of Fukuyama and Nadare glittered as they took in deep breaths. After the Agarwood attack and Naruto's sudden departure, they had no time or inclination to heal their wounds. Instead, they unleashed minor teleportation as they began to chase Naruto.

They were determined to acquire that Demon Spirit!

As the two of them began to give chase, Tsukino transformed into a beam of light. Three people, one in the lead, and two bringing up the rear, all shot off with incredible speed in the direction of Naruto.

Naruto frowned. Right now he had to decide what to do. He could keep ahold of the Demon Spirit for the sake of the Crow Divinity Tribes. The price he would pay would be that he might not have enough Celestial soil. His other choice would be to think about himself first, and abandon the Demon Spirit.

After the space of a few breaths passed, his eyes began to shine with determination. To make his Earth-type totem become a reality didn't necessarily require the use of Celestial soil. A multitude of different types of soil existed in Heaven and Earth. However, right now there was only one Demon Spirit!

The instant he made his decision, he slapped his bag of holding. Immediately, the Immortality Bridgestone appeared. He was just about to crush it when, suddenly, Tsukino's voice transmitted into his head.

"Naruto, even if you have some more clever moves, considering you're being pursued by me and two late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, then the only way to keep your hands on that Demon Spirit is to leave the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. You have no other options.

"However, I can tell that you have some other reasons for coming here. That's why you don't want to leave, right?

"Therefore, I have a proposal. Why don't we team up? I know that our last cooperation didn't go very well, and that no matter what I say to you right now, you won't trust me. Therefore, let me present you with a show of good faith!" The instant Tsukino finished transmitting her words, her body suddenly stopped. She spun in place and then began to perform an incantation with both hands. Two red flowers instantly materialized in front of her.

The two flowers floated toward Fukuyama and Nadare. The petals of these two flowers resembled the faces of none other than those two men.

Then, the flowers began to collapse into pieces. In the space of a single breath, the pieces transformed into gray ashes. Immediately, blood sprayed from Fukuyama's mouth, and his body sagged. Next to him, Nadare trembled and coughed up blood. The two of them immediately stopped in their tracks, their faces filled with both viciousness and astonishment.

Tsukino wasn't finished. Her phoenix-like eyes glittered as the two men stopped in place. She lifted her right hand and pointed toward them. Immediately, both Fukuyama and Nadare coughed up blood. Looking even more flabbergasted, they began to retreat.

They had realized that even as she had raised her hand, they had already been injured. It was as if they had fallen into a bizarre reality with a new set of rules.

"Injure first, attack second?"

"Everything's been turned around. It's a divine ability that bends the rules of reality? That's a Spirit Severing technique!" Their faces immediately filled with shock, and their minds spun. Without hesitation, they fled at top speed.

Tsukino lowered her hand and watched indifferently as the two left. Then she turned and shot back toward Naruto.

With his Spiritual Sense, Naruto could detect some of the things that had just happened. However, he did not stop moving, and kept his Immortality Bridgestone held tightly in hand, ready to crush it at any moment.

"That was my show of good faith," said Tsukino. "They won't be able to heal their wounds in a short period of time, and surely won't have the gall to continue to pursue further.

"Naruto, this time, I sincerely wish to cooperate you. Last time, I truly made some mistakes. This time… why don't we truly work together in the spirit of cooperation?

"You don't need to respond, nor tell me your decision. In the easternmost region of this land mass is a mountain crag that juts out. I will wait for you there for one month. If you come, then we can work together, and you can acquire a lot more Celestial soil. If you don't wish to come, then I won't force the matter." Tsukino didn't pursue him. Having finished her transmission, she stopped and watched Naruto shoot off into the distance. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. After a long moment passed, she turned and headed toward the east.

Naruto frowned. He was having a hard time analyzing Demoness Tsukino's words and actions. She was just too changeable. One minute they were fighting each other, the next she was acting like this.

Although he was hesitating, he didn't reduce his speed at all. He proceeded onward for eight days, until he was absolutely certain that no one was pursuing him. It was only then that he stopped to rest.

Three more days passed, and then he proceeded onward. Six days later, he stopped again. By this point, he was about eighty percent certain that Tsukino was in fact not following him.

"Could it be that she really changed her mind?" he thought with a cold laugh. He was currently sitting cross-legged in an Immortal's cave that he had carved out. As far as leaving the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, he really wasn't willing to do so. Eyes glittering thoughtfully, he produced some Celestial soil and sent his consciousness into it, slowly attempting to gain enlightenment.

He used the same method he had used to study the fire. He closed his eyes, and the structure of the Celestial soil appeared in his mind. When the structure was complete, he would be able to use the Earth-type totem seed given to him by the Crow Divinity Tribes to fully congeal his Earth-type totem tattoo. That was the method he planned to use.

Time passed. During the following ten days, everything around Naruto was quiet and peaceful. No one disturbed him. On the outside, many of the other Western Desert Cultivators had already left this place.

Finally, Naruto opened his eyes, and they shone with a bright light. In his mind, he had already completely outlined the basic structure of what could be referred to as a grit formed from Celestial soil.

"Not bad…." he thought, taking in a deep breath. From within his bag of holding, he produced the weak Earth-type totem seed that he had acquired from the Crow Divinity Tribes. It was flickering, and about to fade away; he had been carefully protecting it this entire time. Clenching his teeth, he branded it onto his right arm.

The instant the Earth-type totem seed was branded onto his arm, Naruto's will caused the Celestial soil grit in his mind to merge with the five Crow Divinity Tribes' Earth-type totem seed.

All of this was controlled by Naruto's will, but even he wasn't sure if he would succeed. All he knew was that he had used this method with the Fire-type totem, and based on his analysis, it should work similarly with the Celestial soil.

The merging process took a few days. Shockingly, when it was complete, something that looked like an indistinct vortex appeared on his right arm. It was yellowish-brown in color, and as soon as it appeared, an incredible gravitational force emanated out from it.

This gravitational force didn't attract spiritual energy, but rather, the Celestial soil in front of Naruto. Instantly, the Celestial soil was sucked into the vortex and consumed.

Naruto's mind shook. He immediately began to produce more clumps and chunks of Celestial soil. As soon as they appeared, they were sucked into the vortex. A few more days passed. Naruto had produced every bit of Celestial soil in his bag of holding, and all of it had been sucked into the vortex. Afterwards… the gravitational force was still there!

Furthermore, the force had not lessened, but rather, become stronger, as if it were transmogrifying.

Naruto had the intense feeling that if he'd had enough Celestial soil, he could cause this vortex to transmogrify into a totem tattoo. It would be the fourth of the five elements totem tattoos, the Earth-type.

When that happened, his Cultivation base would shoot up again, allowing him to easily crush the early Nascent Soul Stage, and surely defeat the mid Nascent Soul stage. As for the late Nascent Soul stage, he would at least be able to hold his own in a fight.

As of now, he was a truly powerful expert of the Gold Core stage. He was absolutely powerful enough to ignore the divide between the stages. From ancient times until now, he was the only Core Formation Cultivator who could ever do something so shocking.

In order to reach this point, a Perfect Gold Core was required, and the five elements needed to be refined to their ultimate form. Enlightenment based on being a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy was also required, not to mention that being a Demon Sealer was a prerequisite!

The only person who could possibly tread this path was Naruto. He now had a peak Perfect Gold Core that could battle the Nascent Soul stage!

One could imagine that one day, when he possessed all five elements, and his Cultivation base was at the Perfect Five-Colored Nascent Soul stage, he would be in a realm that completely defied the Heavens. He would absolutely be the most powerful person on Lands of Ninshu who was underneath the Spirit Severing stage.

Chosen from all the great Sects, and all the Clans, could be crushed beneath his feet.

Naruto's Nascent Soul path was that of the Five-Colored Nascent Soul, a path forged by himself, a path of Perfection!

"I need more Celestial soil!" he thought. He covered the vortex with his sleeve, but the gravitational force was still there, and growing stronger. Naruto's eyes glittered as he walked out of his Immortal's cave and transformed into a colorful beam of light that shot through mid-air.

Several days later, he returned to the basin. He stood on the edge, frowning. There was no longer any mist there. All of the palace buildings below had been reduced to ash and wreckage.

Frowning, he walked down into the wreckage, whereupon bits of Celestial soil floated up into the air and then shot toward Naruto's arm. However, the place had been destroyed, and there was not much Celestial soil remaining. After the vortex sucked it all up, its gravitational force grew even more terrifying.

He stood there silently, his face filling with determination.

"When practicing cultivation, Cultivators must not allow dread into their hearts. They must always proceed forward! That Demoness Tsukino is an Immortal… but for the moment, she's fallen into the mortal world. There's no reason not to cooperate with her one more time."

Days later, in the eastern part of this land mass, was an area with a mountain crag that jutted out, forming a platform. The long, thin platform stretched out past the border of the land mass into the void beyond.

When you stood on this platform, you were surrounded on all sides by blackness.

A woman sat cross-legged at the far end of the platform. She was beautiful and had a look of indifference on her face. This was none other than Tsukino, who had been sitting here meditating for more than a month.

After ceasing her pursuit of Naruto, she'd come here to wait in the peace and quiet.

After an entire month passed, she'd continued to wait, confident that Naruto would come. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Naruto had left an incredibly deep impression on her.

Suddenly, Tsukino opened her eyes and looked off into the distant sky. A slight smile appeared on her mouth when she saw a beam of colorful light shooting toward her.

Within the beam was Naruto. His green robe and long black hair danced about in the wind as he flew, making him look less like a Cultivator and more like a scholar. However, his grave, stern face and cold eyes also made Naruto seem as if he were like a sharp, unsheathed sword.

She saw him, and he saw her.

It must be said that Tsume had been beautiful, but not consummately beautiful. However, after being possessed for a while, Tsukino's Immortal Divinity began to meld more firmly with her. Slight changes could be seen within Tsume's body. Most were changes in disposition. In any case, these changes made this mixture of Tsume and Tsukino show signs that in the future, she might reach that level of consummate beauty that Tsume never had.

One could imagine that in the future, this combination of Tsukino and Tsume would change, and become completely different.

Naruto looked at Tsukino and thought about Tsume, and the ruthlessness that existed in the Cultivation world. Tsume had tried to get him to save her. However, their relationship was not such that Naruto would risk death to attempt to rescue her. It was out of the question.

In the Cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevails. Naruto would do nothing.

Looking around, his expression was the same as ever. He strode forward across the jutting platform, nearing the Tsukino-possessed Tsume.

"I knew you would come," said Tsukino with a slight smile that contained a mysterious allure.

Naruto came to a stop next to her. His expression cool, he calmly said, "How could you be so sure?"

"Because you and me, we're the same type of person," she said, turning to look at him. Within her eyes could be seen a rare gleam of admiration. "When people try to kill us, we run. When facing death, we possess the will to live. In the midst of our struggles, we seize good fortune. In order to further our cultivation, we charge into the most dangerous of situations. We achieve our goals by fair means or foul!"

Naruto declined to comment.

Tsukino spoke again, her voice soft and pleasant like a beautiful bird. "I know that you need vast quantities of Celestial soil. Unfortunately, the records maintained by you Planet Ninshu Cultivators only have information about a few of the Immortality Bridgestone worlds. The Bridge of Immortal Treading contains tens of thousands of worlds. Comparatively speaking, what you know of counts for little. Even the expression 'a single hair out of nine ox hides,' does not suffice to describe it.

"Throughout all the years that the Western Desert Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu have been exploring the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, they have only been to those few places. The Celestial soil that remains is negligible.

"The only way to get your hands on the amount that you need is to leave this land mass. Don't confine yourself to this one area; go to places further away, places that the Planet Ninshu Cultivators have never been to.

"That is where you will find great quantities of Celestial soil. In fact, there is one land mass which is completely constructed entirely of Celestial soil." When Tsukino spoke, her expression was not one of flattery. Instead, her eyes were bright and glittering, like deep impenetrable pools of limpid autumn waters.

"It's not that the Planet Ninshu Cultivators who have come to this place do not wish to explore more regions. Rather, those areas unknown to them are full of danger and peril. That, coupled with the fact that they are unaware of the paths leading to them, ensure that they never go there." Tsukino smiled faintly. She couldn't actually see Naruto from where she was sitting, nor could she see that he was listening intently. The breeze caught her hair, causing it to dance about. She reached up and twirled a strand of hair around her fingers. Other strands of hair fell to partially cover her face, making her look even more charming than before.

Naruto glanced over at her, but said nothing.

"The correct paths cannot be traveled by riding randomly on the dust rocks that flit about the void. That is because the dust rocks which lead to those worlds do not appear in a set place or time. They can only be located by means of a special augury technique.

"That special technique requires constant adjustments, and is something that Planet Ninshu Cultivators have no ability to master. Luckily, I happen to know of one such path. Although it does not lead to the deepest areas of the Bridge of Immortality, it does go twenty thousand worlds deep.

"This is my second expression of good faith, and proves that I don't care about you acquiring that particular Demon Spirit. Actually, I hope that you can help me to get a second one!

"In return, I'll take you into the depths of the Realm of the Bridge Ruins to get more Celestial soil." She turned and looked at Naruto, her expression one of sincerity. It seemed as if this partnership was, as she said, very different than the first.

Naruto smiled slightly. How could he possibly trust this Demoness Tsukino at the drop of a hat? Trust was a difficult thing to exist between Cultivators. Most of the time, partnerships were forged out of necessity.

"What good is a Demon Spirit to you?" asked Naruto suddenly.

Tsukino hesitated, then looked at him one more time. Finally, she seemed to reach a decision.

"This partnership will be a manifestation of our mutual good will. If it ends happily, then we can enter into a yet another partnership… and I can once again manifest my good will. Very well, I will tell you why I need the Demon Spirit.

"Demon Spirits are good for only one thing. They are keys which can be used to enter the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane. Anyone who possesses a true Demon Spirit is qualified to return two hundred years after the opening of the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. At that time, the truly blessed location can be entered, the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane!"

"The Primordial Immortal Demon Plane…." said Naruto thoughtfully. Her words seemed quite plausible, and would also explain why the Heavenly Court Alliance of the Black Lands wanted Demon Spirits.

"The Bridge of Immortal Treading was created many years ago by the ancient Immortal Demon Sect. The purpose was to lead the branches of the Sect which existed on the four great planets toward Immortal Ascension. However, in the war with the Hebi Clan, the bridge was destroyed. Members of the ancient Immortal Demon Sect set up an all-powerful spell formation, sacrificing their own lives to ensure that the Bridge of Immortality would manifest once every thousand years. It also ensured that the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane would remain intact…. After the war, the surviving Cultivators, after experiencing the vicissitudes of time, founded a new Immortal Demon Sect.

"I… am disciple of that Sect."

Naruto's eyes glittered, and his expression flickered slightly.

"Because of the life sacrifices made for the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane, a curse was left behind. Any Cultivator who touches items from the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane would die a horrible death. However, you… dismantled a spell locus on the third level of the bridge. Unexpectedly, the curse did nothing to you. That is why I think we should work together.

"Even the Hebi Clan fears the curse, and as such, permits the Realm of the Bridge Ruins to exist, and to manifest every thousand years." Having said all this, Tsukino looked over at Naruto.

Naruto kept silent for a moment, then indifferently said, "It opens once every thousand years. Countless years have passed. I wonder, how many times has it manifested so far?"

"The Primordial Immortal Demon Plane truly does only open every one thousand years," Tsukino explained slowly, "and can only be entered with a Demon Spirit. However, a Demon Spirit is born only once every thirty thousand years. So, for all intents and purposes… this is actually only the third time it has opened.

"As for Demon Spirits, they don't exist only within the Realm of the Bridge Ruins; they can also be born on the outside. It is possible for them to appear in any place that contains vestiges of the ancient Immortal Demon Sect.

"Therefore… in two hundred years, there will no doubt be quite a few people who go to the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane. In fact, people will most likely come from all the four great planets. Even some of the secretive great Sects from the Ninth Mountain and Sea will probably appear.

"After all, long ago, the ancient Immortal Demon Sect… was the number one Sect of the Ninth Mountain and Sea! One of its members was the Lord of the Ninth Mountain. At that time, the Hebi Clan was under its command. Later, the Lord of the Ninth Mountain and Sea went missing. That was when the Shimura Clan was covered over by the Heavens. The Hebi Clan occupied the Mountain, seized its Essence and forged the Immortality Bestowal Dais. Within the Ninth Mountain and Sea, anyone who wishes to practice Cultivation must tread the path of the Hebi and become an Immortal of the Hebi Clan. Anyone who refuses to follow their path is a renegade Immortal.

"Such matters do not have much to do with you. That you are aware of them is enough. If you ever have the chance to reach Immortal Ascension, then you will be forced to make a choice at that time.

"However, based on my observations, sooner or later, you will be an Immortal among these stars!"

She concluded her speech very calmly. However, Naruto's heart and mind were trembling. As he thoughtfully considered everything she said, he realized that it didn't matter whether or not he believed her. He had put a lot of thought into the matter before making the decision to come here. He turned to look at Tsukino.

"When do we set out?"

Tsukino's eyes filled with a bright light. She realized that for some reason, her admiration for Naruto only continued to grow. Such decisiveness and lack of hesitation was only possible for people who were extremely stupid and narcissistic, or… extremely confident in their path of cultivation.

"So," she said to herself smiling, "he's not afraid of schemes and intrigues. In any case, I'm an Immortal…. This arrangement is good. We'll work together, and I won't hide anything more from him. Our partnership should work well this time!"

"I'd planned to wait for you for three more days before leaving."

"Three more days?" he said, looking at her. "Very well." With that he walked off to the side and sat down cross-legged to meditate, declining to comment further.

Three days passed in a flash. It was at this point that far off in the sky, a meteor could be seen. It moved with incredible speed toward them.

"That's the rock!" said Tsukino as it neared. She suddenly sprang into action, shooting toward the giant rock. Almost at the same time, Naruto teleported.

The two of them appeared on the rock and exchanged a glance. Immediately, the rock tore a hole into the border of the world and shot out into the void.

Out in the boundless blackness, one man and one woman rode the huge rock off into the distance.

Meanwhile, far out ahead of Naruto and Tsukino, an azure-robed Cultivator with a sword strapped to his back strode out through the void. He held an alcohol flagon in his hand from which he occasionally drank. He looked lonely and bleak.

"You ask when you will gaze upon me again…? I've been looking for you for three thousand years…. Where are you? Thirty thousand worlds, countless Bridge Slaves. I've already been to twenty thousand worlds, and I've encountered countless Bridge Slaves. But you… where are you?

"Xue'er, answer me! I will take you away from this place. It doesn't matter who tries to stop me. It doesn't matter if I die the cruelest death. It doesn't matter if my body and spirit are annihilated. I will… take you away!"

In the blackness of the void, there exists an indescribable coldness. This was a coldness that could, in the briefest of moments, freeze the body of a Nascent Soul Cultivator until it cracked into pieces.

Anyone who possessed a physical body but no cold-resisting treasures would be destroyed.

Only someone who cultivated a divine ability related to fire, and also had a fitting magical item, would be able to survive for long here.

At the moment, Tsukino was sitting cross-legged on the large rock. She looked over at Naruto with her phoenix-like eyes. This was their tenth day traveling through the void. During that entire time, they hadn't spoken to each other at all. Each sat on one end of the rock, some distance away from each other.

A glittering shield surrounded Naruto, preventing the cold on the outside from entering. At first, it had been quite stable, but as the rock continued further into the depths of the void, the shield formed by the five small white stones was gradually beginning to flicker. The further they went, the more it seemed as if it might collapse.

On previous occasions in which Naruto had ventured into the void, he had always spent more than ten days in the darkness. This time, however, was different than those previous times.

The cold here was many times stronger than before. Furthermore, the deeper they traveled into the void, the more shocking the cold became. It was so fearsome that even with the protective treasures, it was getting to the point that it was becoming unbearable.

Naruto had long since noticed that the rock he was sitting on had actually turned white. The frost which covered everything was growing thicker and had turned into thick ice.

Tsukino didn't seem to be having any problems dealing with the cold. She was sitting there cross-legged, surrounded by the freezing cold, looking the same as ever. She had nothing to protect her; she simply rotated her Cultivation base, seemingly sucking in and absorbing any of the coldness that neared her.

This caused Naruto to feel even more vigilance than before regarding her.

He could sense that she had looked at him just now. His eyes opened and their gazes met. Cracking sounds could suddenly be heard from Naruto's protective shield. Fissures appeared on its surface, spreading out and growing in quantity. Soon, they covered the entire thing. The shield did not collapse, but it obviously would in a short period of time.

Once it shattered, the coldness would instantly rush in toward Naruto.

A contemplative look appeared in Tsukino's eyes as she thought to herself, "Perhaps I thought too much of him. I overlooked the problem of the cold; if he can't get across the void on his own power, then I guess we'll need to change the terms of our partnership. After all… power is the foundation of any cooperation, and also the basis of respect." Despite this, she smiled.

Tsukino's eyes glittered as she looked at Naruto and his shield, which was clearly about to shatter. It really had never occurred to her that he might not be equipped to cross the void in this way. "Fellow Daoist Naruto, the coldness here is not something that ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivators can resist. You may have a strange Cultivation base, but I'm afraid you won't be able to survive either. Why don't you come over here by me? Anything within ten meters of me will be kept safe."

Even as the words came out of her mouth, cracks spread out like a spiderweb over his shield. It didn't seem as if it would last much longer. It was at this point that Naruto spoke coldly: "There's no need."

His voice was calm and yet powerfully shocking. It seemed to carry an unspeakable confidence as well as grim feeling. When Tsukino heard his response, her eyes filled with a look of concentration.

She watched as Naruto slowly reached his hand out and pushed against the shield. A boom could be heard as the shield trembled and then collapsed. As it did, the five white rocks around Naruto all exploded.

The shield disappeared, causing Tsukino's eyes to go wide. Naruto's actions completely exceeded her powers of anticipation. How could she have guessed that Naruto would dare to personally destroy his own protective shield in such a way?

The instant that the shield collapsed, the surrounding cold from the void rushed in toward Naruto. In the blink of an eye, it completely covered him.

However, he continued to sit there cross-legged just as before, his expression placid. He lowered his right hand and closed his eyes to meditate quietly. It was as if he didn't feel the surrounding cold whatsoever.

Tsukino looked at him for a long time, having been completely shaken by Naruto. She was an Immortal, so she could ignore the cold. But Naruto had decisively destroyed his own useless shield, and then relied on only himself to fight back against the cold.

She looked over at him, once again filled with the same admiration as before, if not more. "Ordinary Cultivators, faced with a disintegrating shield, would all take the chance and hope that the shield held. However, this guy did no such thing. He is thoroughly decisive!"

She took him even more seriously now that she could see how he resisted the cold. It seemed that at the moment, he was not out of sorts in any way.

As she sat there thoughtfully, Naruto closed his eyes. They didn't speak any more, but rather sat in silence as the rock continued to fly onward. Half a month passed, and the fearsomeness of the cold continued to grow.

At one point, Tsukino opened her eyes and performed an incantation with her right hand. As she did, Naruto looked over and watched. In recent days, Naruto looked the same as he usually did, but actually, being in this cold was like training in a type of cultivation.

His Fire-type totem tattoo was fused with his Everburning Flame. The words Everburning represented life. In the icy cold of this void, an eternal fire burned inside of him, igniting his spirit, making his own will everburning.

Although the cold pressed down upon him, his spirit burned with eternal flame. All he had to do was exercise a thought, and his body would restore itself. This was what qualified him to cross this void.

He continued to watch Tsukino's fingers flash in an incantation. Her eyes shone with a glimmer that indicated she was performing augury. Suddenly, she stretched out her left hand and then pushed it down toward the rock. Before it could touch the surface, Naruto's eyes glittered. Immediately, Alcohol Chakra spread out through his body, and the shocking Dancing Sword Chakra appeared. It seemed that if Tsukino touched the rock, then the Dancing Sword Chakra would explode out.

Seeing this caused Tsukino to pause and turn her beautiful head to look at him.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, what is the meaning of this?"

"Why don't you tell me, Fellow Daoist Tsukino?"

After thinking for a moment, Tsukino slowly replied, "Based on my augury, I can tell that we have arrived at an unfixed intersection node. I must cause this one thousand meter dust rock to stop temporarily. Then, we will wait in this position for seven days."

"How exactly can you persuade me to trust you about this?" said Naruto coolly, his expression the same as ever.

Tsukino frowned, then gave him a deep, thoughtful look. Finally she laughed.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, if you want to learn my augury technique, you can just say so, there's no need to go about it this way." Despite her words, she still sat there thoughtfully for a moment. She knew that Naruto was endlessly crafty and viciously decisive. He was not a person who could be easily fooled. After a bit of thought, Tsukino decided that what was most important was that their partnership proceed smoothly. The fact that he was not affected by the curse was something that would prove very helpful to her later. She clenched her jaw and then made a grasping motion toward the void. Immediately, the coldness in the area rushed toward her palm, then coagulated into a crystalline jade slip.

She branded it with some information, then tossed it over toward Naruto. Naruto grabbed it and scanned it with Spiritual Sense. It contained information about how to use augury to find one's position within the void. It also contained a large map which now floated in his mind.

His expression was the same as ever as he crushed the jade slip, then performed an augury incantation, which gave him the same information Tsukino had just referred to. After this, he closed his eyes.

"He looks young," thought Tsukino, "but is astute and acts with foresight. He's as wise as a Demon! A person like this who reaches Immortal Ascension will be completely inhuman!" Resigning herself to this fact, she snorted internally and then pressed her right hand down onto the big rock.

A rumbling sound could be heard. The ice on the rock shattered as layers of power surrounded the rock, causing its speed to suddenly reduce. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, it was completely motionless within the void.

Seven days later, a white beam of light approached from off within the distance. Another dust rock was now shooting toward them. When it neared, both Naruto and Tsukino performed minor teleportations. After they appeared on the surface of the new dust rock, it changed directions and headed off into the distance.

It was in this manner that the following five months passed. The two of them switched rocks at least ten times, proceeding through void.

Unfortunately, at one point they failed to encounter a passing dust rock at an intersection, and as such were unable to proceed along in the way they had originally intended. After performing various auguries, Tsukino and Naruto changed their path. Eventually, an enormous land mass appeared in front of them.

The borders of this land mass were red, like some bizarre shield. It was huge, containing mountains and ruins. The whole place was very peaceful; it seemed to have been a very long time since anyone had been here.

"The paths of the dust rocks of the Realm of the Bridge Ruins are not eternally fixed," said Tsukino calmly. "Even though we suffered a setback, with both of us performing augury, I'm eighty percent confident that we can find a dust rock in this place that will allow us to proceed. I've never been to this particular land mass before, but from the look of it, few people have been here in the past tens of thousands of years. After all, we are now approaching the twenty thousand worlds area."

Naruto nodded. They stood on their rock, allowing it to shoot toward the red shield. In the instant it passed through, a rumbling filled the sky. The echoing sound caused Naruto's expression to suddenly change.

It wasn't just him. Upon entering this strange new world, Tsukino's eyes went wide with astonishment.

"Do you wish to attain eternal life?"

"Are you qualified to defy the Heavens and live forever?"

"Do you want to have a type of life that is unique in all Heaven?"

Naruto's mind buzzed. As soon as he entered this world, three sentences entered his ears. They were not spoken by the same person, and they resounded like thunder into his mind and heart.

At the same time, he saw that the sky of this world was a familiar gray color. No gray mist covered the ground, but Naruto could see hundreds of thousands of figures, all of them Bridge Slaves, moving at high speed in the direction that he and Tsukino were standing in.

They moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, these hundreds of thousands of Bridge Slaves neared. However, they did not even glance at Naruto and Tsukino. Their expressions were frustrated, even anxious, as if they had just received a summons. They charged past Naruto and Tsukino, pouring out through the border of the world and into the void.

In the space of about ten breaths, hundreds of thousands of Bridge Slaves had all charged out into the void. After they were gone, the only thing that remained were the faint echoes of their voices.

"When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?"

To have so many Bridge Slaves whistling through the air directly next to him caused Naruto's scalp to go numb. He panted as the rock he stood on suddenly stopped moving. Tsukino looked over at Naruto, obviously shaken by the huge number of Bridge Slaves in this world.

Both Naruto and Tsukino heard the voices of the Bridge Slaves, although the voices didn't seem to be directed just toward the two of them. The words uttered by the hundreds of thousands of Bridge Slaves seemed to be a collective expression of their heartfelt wishes.

Naruto and Tsukino remained motionless as the Bridge Slaves swept past them like spectres. As they left, the world returned to normal. The grayness disappeared, and normal color returned. Naruto found that he was completely soaked with cold sweat.

As for Tsukino, her expression was still one of fear. Even for her, her first thing she thought upon seeing so many Bridge Slaves was that she was going to die.

"According to my understanding," she said, "it is only because of their hellish destiny that the Bridge Slaves of the Realm of the Bridge Ruins instinctively gather together in groups of a few hundred. But there were so many just now. Could it be that this place… is some immense historical remnant of the ancient Immortal Demon Sect?

"Is that why there were so many of them gathered here? If my speculations are correct, then why would they all leave so suddenly? Their expressions looked anxious. Such emotion should be impossible. Unless…." Suddenly, her eyes filled with terror.

"Unless they were summoned?" said Naruto slowly, his eyes glittering as he gave voice to his own speculation.

The two of them stood there silently. As they did, the restored world around them all of a sudden began to tremble violently. Everything shook as the previously clear sky suddenly filled with fissures. The fissures grew bright as a piercing shriek suddenly filled the air.

The ground was quaking so hard that it seemed it might collapse. This entire Immortality Bridgestone land mass seemed to be emitting a shocking howl which echoed into Naruto's ears, shaking him and causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.

He lost control of his body. It felt as if some incredibly powerful force had slammed into his face. He was tossed backward with a bang, slamming into the border of the void with a bang.

Fortunately, this part of the border had been ripped open, and wasn't completely restored. Naruto flew like a kite with its string cut, directly out into the void.

Simultaneously, blood also sprayed from Tsukino's mouth. Several tremors ran through her and it seemed she was incapable of standing up to the force. However, she was apparently still in control of her body as she tumbled backward out through the gap, into the void.

Naruto's face was pale and his mind spun. The coldness of the void surrounded him completely, and his body instantly began to grow stiff. Even worse, his torso was mangled bloodily; numerous bones were broken. Blood spurted out of countless wounds.

It was a critical moment. As for Tsukino, she was tumbling backward, but clearly wasn't seriously injured. A violet light appeared in Naruto's eyes as the Violet Pupil Transformation took effect. By sacrificing some of his life force, he was able to heal some of his serious injuries.

The faster the healing went, the more life force was drained away.

Naruto's chest quickly recovered, and all of his injuries vanished. Even his Cultivation base was at the peak of its power. However, the price had paid… was the loss of a sixty-year cycle's worth of life.

Naruto's instant recovery caused Tsukino's eyes to flicker. She could tell that whatever technique he had used to force such a quick recovery would have come at some great cost. As the two of them continued to fall back, they exchanged a glance and then looked back toward the enormous, trembling land mass.

The only thing they could see was the gigantic land mass shaking. Occasional roars could be heard, which grew stronger and stronger until finally, a gray mist rose up from within the land mass.

The gray mist looked like a gigantic mushroom cloud. As it exploded out, it churned and seethed, transforming into an enormous beast. It looked like a qilin, completely formed out of mist. However, if you looked closely, it was clearly… a Bridge Slave.

Except, this enormous qilin was vastly more powerful than an ordinary Bridge Slave.

After it appeared, the mist-qilin lifted its head up and roared. It suddenly charged forward, its expression anxious, as though it had been summoned.

Naruto and Tsukino were extremely close. Even if they used minor teleportation, even if Tsukino relied on her incredible speed, there was no time to evade. They could only stare blankly as the gigantic qilin beast shot toward them. In the blink of an eye, its mist had enveloped them.

Roaring sounds filled the air. More blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth. He quickly summoned the Lotus Sword Formation to rotate around him rapidly. The power of Time radiated out in waves.

By the time Naruto had coughed up four mouthfuls of blood, the Lotus Sword Formation radiated the fearsome power of a thousand years of time, which managed to melt all the mist its range — thirty meters in every direction. Of course, compared to the entire massive frame of the qilin beast, that was a paltry size.

The result was that Naruto was carried along with the beast as it shot forward.

At the same time, Tsukino coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Then, she employed one of her own Immortal Divinity techniques to resist the mist. Just like Naruto, she cut out a space for herself within the body of the enormous qilin beast.

They exchanged a mutual glance, and could see the somber look in each other's eyes. They had been put into this situation involuntarily. However, there was no need to discuss how to extricate themselves. At the moment, that would leave them out in the void, directionless, exiled. If that happened, it would mean being lost forever, with no choice but to use an Immortality Bridgestone to give up and leave.

"Why do that when I can just hitch a ride on this qilin beast?" thought Naruto, his eyes glittering. "Let's see what sort of thing it is that can summon Bridge Slaves!" Although the situation seemed to have taken a turn for the worse, he didn't really have any other options. Since he still had his Immortality Bridgestone, if anything went truly bad, he could leave in an instant.

It was impossible to say what Tsukino was planning. Most likely, after possessing Tsume, she too could use the Immortality Bridgestone to leave.

The two exchanged no words, but simply went along with the roaring qilin beast as it flew onward.

The coldness of the void was incapable of penetrating the mist. The blackness outside almost seemed like black waters as the qilin shot forward with fearsome speed.

The qilin beast moved far, far faster than the dust rocks. It was incredibly huge in size, making Tsukino and Naruto seem like nothing more than mosquitos within it.

It carried Naruto and Tsukino with it as it sped deeper and deeper into the Realm of the Bridge Ruins.

Time passed. After seven days, they had traveled further than they could have traveled in a month on a dust rock.

A month later, Naruto's mind trembled. Up ahead in the void, he had just caught sight of a matchlessly huge giant waving its arms. Its body was made of mist, and it bore the semblance of a Bridge Slave. Furthermore, it was charging… in the exact same direction as the qilin!

At the same time, Naruto saw a vast army of spectre-like Bridge Slaves, hundreds of thousands of them, all flying at top speed in the same direction.

As they continued to travel, he saw more and more scenes like this. It seemed almost as if all the Bridge Slaves in the entire Realm of the Bridge Ruins, big ones, small ones, were all appearing and heading toward the same place.

Naruto wasn't the only one who was shocked by this. Tsukino was panting. Her understanding of this place was even greater, and her speculations gave rise to a gripping fear inside her heart.

"Don't tell me… that they're going… to Bridgesoul Mountain!?"

Even as Tsukino's heart trembled, a mountain appeared off in the distance.

The mountain let off a mysterious glow as it hung there in the middle of the void. There were no Immortality Bridgestones near it. There was only the gigantic, enormous mountain!

Countless names were written onto the mountain, each one of which let out a mysterious glow. They looked like magical symbols, covering the entire mountain. It was hard to say, but it appeared as if there were several million names written there.

Every time the names pulsed with light, the faces of the Bridge Slaves who were nearing the mountain would grow more anxious, and they would fly forward with greater speed.

At the top of the mountain was a palace that brimmed with an aura of archaic rot. Within the palace was blackness, and silence.

In another location near the mountain was a person. He stood there, an azure sword swirling through the air around his body, and alcohol flagon in his hand. He wore a long, azure robe, and his hair danced in the air. His eyes gleamed with a fierce glow.

This was none other than… Han Shan!

He suddenly spoke, his voice filled with an icy cold that made the coldness of the void seem warm. "I'll say it one more time. I want my wife… returned to me this instant!"

His voice echoed out within the void, slamming into the incoming millions of Bridge Slaves. However, it didn't hurt them, but rather bounced off of them, turning into countless echoes. It was as if millions upon millions of voices were responding to Han Shan.

Because of the way he spoke, his aura exploded out in a way that the word 'monstrous' couldn't even begin to describe. Even the greatest heroes could only accomplish half of what was currently occurring!

Naruto's mind reeled when he saw Han Shan and the result of his one sentence. He also saw that the Bridge Slaves were not capable of defending themselves against the power of Han Shan. Rather… Han Shan wasn't willing to hurt them.

Or you might even say that he feared accidentally injuring them!

He feared accidentally injuring the person he sought!

Naruto thought back to when he had first caught sight of Han Shan, and the expression in the man's eyes when he looked at the Bridge Slaves. It was a searching look, a disconsolate look; it seemed as if he was seeking for the only woman in his life.

It was a woman named Xue'er, his wife.

His lonely search had lasted for three thousand years….

Even as Han Shan's voice echoed about, he suddenly lifted his hand. A grim glow appeared in his eyes as he suddenly made a chopping motion toward the mountain. Instantly, Alcohol Chakra roared up.

Naruto also had Dancing Sword Chakra, but if you compared it to the amount Han Shan wielded, it was like comparing a firefly to the brilliant moon!

Alcohol Chakra spread out, filling Heaven and Earth. Inside, figures could be seen, all of them resembling Han Shan. As the Chakra continued to multiply, more and more figures appeared, until there were no less than a hundred thousand!

These hundred thousand figures of Han Shan all began to spit out Alcohol Chakra. As they did, a vague image started to become visible.

The vague image was a depiction of a world. It was a complete world, with a sky, land, living people. All of it was very realistic, as if this world belonged to Han Shan.

An azure sword suddenly appeared in Han Shan's hand. It chopped down, emitting a monstrous Sword Chakra, which spread out and transformed into the image of an azure dragon. Its roar ripped into the void and it began to congeal the Alcohol Chakra and absorb the image of Han Shan's world. Then, it shot urgently toward the palace at the top of the mountain.

Deadly ripples spread out as it moved. It focused its power, something that far exceeded the divine abilities of normal Cultivators.

In the blink of an eye, the roaring azure dragon shot through the void shattering everything. At the same time….

A cold snort could be heard from within the palace. The instant the snort echoed, the coldness out in the void increased to a terrifying level.

The azure dragon stopped in mid-air, its body already pure white. In the space of a single breath, it was turned into a statue of ice.

Next, the void began to fill with a sheet of whiteness. The whiteness was frost which appeared out of nowhere. The frost began to merge together into a shapeless mass which spread out in the void. It seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, with no end, filling the void to create a huge land mass.

A land mass of Frost soil!

The land mass of Frost soil was not ice, but rather, a specific type of soil. It contained dense Immortal Chakra, several times more so than Celestial soil.

"Frost Soil Demon Emperor!" said Tsukino, her voice hoarse, her face filled with shock and disbelief. She immediately produced an Immortality Bridgestone and crushed it.

However, once she did, her face immediately fell. The teleportation power of the Immortality Bridgestone did not manifest.

Tsukino's face drained of blood.

"The Frost Soil Demon Emperor could not possibly be alive! Didn't he die in battle against the Hebi Ancestor?!

"His corpse was taken away and transformed into one of the Immortality Bestowal Daises on one of the four great planets, Planet Ninshu! His Immortal Divinity was ripped out and refined into one of the Hebi Clan's Nine Treasures, the Frost Lamp!

"All of his disciples and his entire bloodline were taken by the Hebi Clan and refined into the Frigid River, which flows through the main gate of the Hebi Clan and can never freeze over!"

Tsukino's face grew even paler as she murmured these words. Even though her words were soft, they echoed out within the misty body of the qilin beast and drifted over to Naruto, who was relatively close to her.

At the same time, a voice echoed out from within the palace. When it did, the Frost soil land mass quaked, and the faces of the surrounding Bridge Slaves were no longer filled with frustration. Instead, they brimmed with viciousness. Their eyes turned red and began to emanate crazed killing intent.

A cold voice could be heard: "Enter my Immortal Demon world, and life or death no longer rests in the hands of the Heavens. With eternal life, what is the point of fate?" As it stopped speaking, it gave a light sigh.

Next, the masses of Bridge Slaves in the area began to charge toward Han Shan. The qilin beast in which Naruto and Tsukino sat roared, along with the dozens of other beasts similar to it that were present, and charged toward Han Shan.

Han Shan gave a dour, bitter laugh filled with grief. It grew louder and louder until it seemed to be the only sound in Heaven and Earth.

"Enter the Celestial Demon world and sever all mortal fate…. I have no such faith!" Han Shan lifted his flagon up to take a drink of alcohol, then turned and shot toward the mountain. As he did, he made another chopping motion.

The movement of his hand caused everything to shake. A massive fissure opened up ahead of him which then transformed into a sword aura that shot toward the mountaintop. As it got closer, it transformed from something amorphous into something with a shape. However, it quickly became white and, like the azure dragon, exploded into pieces.

At this moment, the Bridge Slaves were closing in on Han Shan, millions of them. Han Shan's eyes were red as he turned to face them. He waved his arm, causing a blast of Alcohol Wind to sweep out across them.

"I don't want to hurt you. Just bring out my wife…. All of you, don't force my hand!" He turned and sent more prismatic bands of Sword Chakra flying out. In quick succession, nine swords appeared.

The first band of Sword Chakra was three thousand meters long!

The second band of Sword Chakra was thirty thousand!

By the time the ninth sword appeared, the vast, boundless Sword Chakra permeated the entire world of the void. The nine bands of Sword Chakra then combined, transferring into an enormous azure Sword Soul which stabbed toward the mountain.

As the Sword Soul neared, it began to turn white. Cracking sounds could be heard as it got closer and closer. It began to turn dim, and frost appeared on its surface, which cracked and collapsed. This exterminated eight bands of Sword Chakra, leaving only one behind. This one slashed down toward the palace.

Roaring sounds filled the sky. Everything shook, and the palace twisted as an ancient hand appeared from within its depths. The forefinger of the hand pointed out, and the Sword Chakra collapsed.

Han Shan coughed up some blood. He looked up toward the palace, a savage look on his face as he roared: "Bring her out!"

Naruto's mind was reeling, and his breath came in ragged pants. He could only watch the scene, his face blank. Everything that was happening far exceeded the comprehension level of a Gold Core stage Cultivator.

Even Tsukino was like a cicada in winter, cautious and solemn. She did understand what was happening, but this only served to fill her with more fear. "Sword Immortal Han Shan, a new almighty force who rose up in the Ninth Mountain during the past several thousand years…. And that old man…. He… he looks like the image which hangs in the ancestral shrine of the Sect. He looks exactly like the Frost Soil Demon Emperor….

It was an old man who had shattered the Sword Chakra. He now stood there outside of the palace, wearing a white robe, looking like a transcendent being. His expression was cold, and a mysterious fire burned within his eyes. He gazed coolly down at Han Shan.

"I will give you a single chance. If you can kill all the Bridge Slaves in the space of one hundred breaths, then your wife will appear for you to see. Furthermore, I can guarantee that your wife is not among the Bridge Slaves outside this mountain."

Han Shan glared up at the old man. It was in this moment that the eyes of the Bridge Slaves grew bright red and their faces filled with madness, as if they wished to devour Han Shan alive. It was also in this moment that the first of the Bridge Slaves actually reached him.

"Screw off!" cried Han Shan, his killing intent billowing up to the Heavens. The sword in his hand swept out, causing a prismatic Sword Chakra to appear, along with billowing Alcohol Chakra. Everywhere it passed, thousands of Bridge Slaves would explode.

His killing will had erupted, and Han Shan was going mad. His guilt, his three thousand years of torment, overwhelmed him with madness. He shot toward the Bridge Slaves.

At some point, a boy had appeared next to the old man. He stood there, smiling and counting aloud, "One, two, three…."

Booms echoed out as Han Shan's slaughter reached a pinnacle. It was as if he possessed no powers of reasoning. Everywhere he went, the only thing that existed was a man and a sword. Vast quantities of Bridge Slaves were being slaughtered.

Sword Chakra rocketed up, and a gigantic python was slashed. Mist collapsed, dispersing everywhere.

However, no matter how Han Shan went about the killing, exterminating millions of Bridge Slaves was not easy to do in the space of one hundred breaths. By the time the boy had counted to thirty-seven, there were still many more left.

Han Shan roared as he lifted up his right hand and tilted the alcohol flagon over. Alcohol flew out, transforming in mid-air into multiple flying swords. Apparently, this alcohol flagon did not contain alcohol, but rather, a sword.

One hundred thousand swords appeared. Behind each of these swords was a figure that looked exactly like Han Shan. Each and every one lifted up their swords, and their eyes filled with madness. They scattered, one hundred thousand people slaughtering millions of Bridge Slaves.

Roaring filled the air as massive numbers of Bridge Slaves died. Gigantic beasts were felled and collapsed into pieces. Eventually, the giant qilin beast that Naruto was in was slain by one of Han Shan's clones. It was at this point that Naruto personally experienced the fearsomeness of the Sword Chakra.

It instantly cut the qilin into two pieces. A boom resounded out and blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth. He watched as the Sword Chakra neared him. He immediately lost all power to fight or struggle. However, just before the Sword Chakra hit him, it stopped for a moment, then went around him.

Naruto's face was pale. Although the Sword Chakra was gone, he was now surrounded by bitter cold. It enveloped him in an an instant, and he lost control of his own movements. He fell down onto the surface of the Frost Soil land mass. In that instant, his body… was instantly covered in frost.

A sense of deadly crisis swept over him. He didn't have any time to think; he immediately ignited the Everburning Flame. The power of his Fire-type totem set his Wood-type totem ablaze, adding to the conflagration.

However, even as the Everburning Flame roared into being, the Earth-type totem vortex on his arm suddenly began to suck in the Frost soil!

Despite that, Naruto's body was still transformed into a statue of ice. He stood there motionless within the layers of ice; the only thing he was capable of focusing on was ensuring that his mind was not exterminated. However, the vortex on his right arm suddenly exploded with intensity.

Naruto could feel the force of the Earth-type power rising up within the vortex. The gravitational force seemed inexhaustible; in fact, you could even say that it approached the point where it could exterminate the power of the Frost soil.

As for Tsukino, she was an Immortal Divinity who had possessed a physical body. However, at this moment her level of weakness was not much different than Naruto's. The Sword Chakra avoided her, but she too fell down and instantly became an ice statue. The main difference was that she could hold out for much longer than Naruto.

Up above, the boy standing next to the old man smiled and said: "…. one hundred."

In the exact instant that his voice rang out, Han Shan's one hundred thousand clones finished exterminating all the Bridge Slaves in the area.

However, it was at this moment that suddenly, within the aura of bitter cold, one figure after another began to appear. These figures were none other than the Bridge Slaves that Han Shan had just slain. They… reappeared with no injuries at all. Not a single was dead.

In fact, when Naruto looked out from within the ice statue at the Bridge Slaves, there was one girl who looked familiar.

"So, do you understand?" said the old man coolly.

Han Shan stood there, taciturn. With a bitter look on his face, he lifted up the alcohol flagon and took a drink.

The next person to speak was not the old man, but rather, the boy. "In my world, if you exercise faith in me, you will never die, can never be slain. Isn't that a good thing? Eternal life. Indestructibility. The only requirement is that you rebuild me."

More voices rang out, not those of the boy, but rather, from the surrounding Bridge Slaves, all in unison. It was almost as if all of these Bridge Slaves were one person.

"Exercise faith in me, and you can life forever!

"Exercise faith in me, and you can never be destroyed!

"Exercise faith in me, and you can exist with Heaven and Earth!

"Exercise faith in me, understand my Dao. My Dao is your Dao…."

Next, the old man, the boy and the Bridge Slaves all spoke together.

"I am the spirit of the Bridge of Immortal Treading. You came here three thousand years ago to prostrate yourself before me. You made a promise to me. You wanted everlasting life, limitless life force so that you could cultivate your Solitary Sword Song.

"At that time, you had only ten years of longevity left. My response to you was that you should exercise faith in me…. However, you… went back on your word!" The last three words came out in a roar of endless fury, filled with madness.

"You clearly consented, then went back on your word, all because of the woman who was with you. She begged and pleaded with you to change your mind. Her persuasion distracted you, and then what she did… made you go back on your promise!

"I never imagined that in order to ensure that you would never exercise faith in me, she suddenly would shout out those very words, right in front of you. She became a Bridge Slave….

"That was what woke you up…."

The voice thundered up to the Heavens, roaring and echoing out in all directions. Han Shan's face was pale and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. This blood was not because of an injury he received; rather, it was from the intense, violent pain he felt in his heart. His memories suddenly opened up. He saw an image of his wife at his side, begging and pleading, grabbing ahold of his robe as she tried to persuade him.

But he was obsessed. He wanted eternal life. It wasn't until he saw her walking away in front of him, that he… became clear-headed.

"I've thought about it a lot for the past three thousand years…." sighed Han Shan. He lifted his head, and his eyes were filled with decisiveness and determination. He began to walk forward.

The instant he began to walk, the Bridge Slaves around him began to roar, and once again charged toward him. As they did, Han Shan took a deep breath. His azure sword roared, and of the one hundred thousand clones around him, ten thousand disappeared.

His sword swept about, causing the Frost aura in the area to rise up. In an instant, millions of Bridge Slaves were frozen in place.

When this happened, much of Han Shan's hair suddenly turned white and he grew older. This sword move was the Solitary Sword Song which he had created himself. This song was not something that anyone except him could hear. It was sung in his heart, something only he could enjoy, only he could hear.

The song could only be sung once in a lifetime. That one song did not burn of life force, but rather, took life force and merged it into the song, creating a solo of life!

"My choice that year was a complicated one, and in many ways irrational. It was as if I was bedevilled…." As he strode forward, Han Shan waved his sword again. Ten thousand more clones disappeared and more Bridge Slaves became statues of ice. As of now, his hair was completely white.

At the same time, Han Shan's aura exploded up. Because of his solo of life, his Cultivation base and his life force, all exploded up.

Naruto had no idea what realm Han Shan's Cultivation base was in, but as of this moment, his level of power completely exceeded anything that Naruto could comprehend.

 _Life… is simply about how time flows._

 _Life… is summed up in ten sword blows!_

"Later, I wanted to understand if it was really because of your summons…." Han Shan said lightly, walking toward the mountain. He waved his sword a third time. It whistled out, and the frost was unable to block it. It slammed into the mountain, causing the entire thing to shake. The faces of the old man and the boy suddenly flickered.

As for Han Shan, his hair was beginning to fall out, and his body was old and decrepit. He was now far from being middle-aged; he was an old man, his skin sagging and covered with wrinkles. He was no longer majestic and heroic in appearance. However, his eyes and his will were more resolute than ever. They were filled with stubborness and a lack of regrets…. Even if it meant walking to his death, he would rescue his wife!

"I regret ever bringing Xue'er here…. I originally came with her so that both of us could acquire everlasting life…." His voice was soft as a fourth sword swept out. The names on the mountain were growing dim; the palace on the mountain top was quaking, and cracks appeared on its surface.

"Han Shan, what are you doing?!" cried the old man, his expression bursting with fury and viciousness. Next to him, the boy also wore a savage expression as he glared at Han Shan.

Naruto watched on silently from within the ice statue. The vortex on his right arm was madly sucking in the Frost soil. His majestic Cultivation base was slowly beginning to rise up. As this happened, he looked at Han Shan and saw what could only be described as a persistence that would shock Heaven and Earth.

Such persistence was like faith.

"What is my persistence like?" thought Naruto.

"I will never forget what happened that day…" said Han Shan. His fifth sword swept out with power to rend the Earth. When it landed on the peak of the mountain, a roar filled the air and the boy was slain.

The boy was filled with disbelief as he transformed into ice. The last thing he heard before his consciousness disappeared was a voice that, despite seeming on the verge of death, was calm and terrifying.

"I also pondered why you called me here," said Han Shan. "Back when I completed my Solitary Sword Song, it started to snow. My whole world was frozen over. Everywhere my sword touched, became ice. Then I understood. Then, some old memories came to me….

"I am the Frost Soil Demon Emperor!" A sixth sword blasted out. The boy's head was completely lopped off, and the palace exploded. Cracks appeared on the mountain top. By now, Han Shan looked ancient; he was surrounded by a thick death aura, and his entire body was withered.

"More accurately, I am his clone. Countless years ago, I was able to evade the pursuit of the Hebi Ancestor. I lived in the world of mortals for countless generations until I finally understood it." His seventh sword descended and the mountains peak began to shatter into pieces. The old man was shaking, and his eyes filled with dread.

It was at this moment, when the mountaintop shattered, that two butterfly Demon Spirits flew out from within, seemingly birthed from the destruction of the mountain. They fluttered in the air as they shot off into the distance.

No one paid any attention to the butterfly Demon Spirits. Han Shan didn't, the old man didn't. Not even Naruto paid them any attention. Only Tsukino noticed, but she was locked in ice, and could do nothing but watch as they sped off into the distance.

"I don't care what your goal is. I only want my wife back." An eighth sword descended, chopping into the mountain, slashing toward the old man's body.

The old man seemed to have no inclination to block or fight back against the sword. However, as the sword neared him, the space in front of him suddenly began to grow blurry, and a woman appeared to stand in front of him. She looked up at the sword, and then at Han Shan.

Han Shan suddenly stopped in his tracks. The sword ceased moving. Everything seemed to disappear; the only thing he was looking at was this woman.

She was not consummately beautiful, but rather, exceedingly gentle. She gazed down at Han Shan.

"I won't go with you," she said softly. "Nor can I go. I am a Bridge Slave. Starting that year, I became a Bridge Slave for all eternity…." She looked somewhat confused.

"When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?" As the woman's murmuring voice echoed out, the old man began to vanish. As he did, he looked calmly at Han Shan.

"I am the soul of the Bridge of Immortality," he said. "All of the Bridge Slaves are a part of me. If I give up my memories of this time, then when I die, your wife will become the new Bridge Soul.

"There is no enmity between me and you. All of this was part of our mission, to restore the Bridge of Immortal Treading. Originally, you should have been the Bridge Soul. That is why the esteemed Demon Emperor hid you all those years ago. Now, however, the task will fall to your wife.

"My mission is complete, although not perfectly. My task was to find you and bring you back. This was the final command of the esteemed Demon Emperor before his death: find you, and make you a Bridge Slave." With that, he faded away.

The instant he disappeared, the confusion in the woman's eyes faded away. Her eyes were now clear. She saw Han Shan, and recalled her old memories. This was perhaps the first time since she had chosen to become a Bridge Slave, the first time in her everlasting life, that she suddenly saw everything clearly.

With a bitter smile, she looked at Han Shan.

"Kill me, allow me to be released…."

Her words echoed out. When Naruto heard them, and saw what was happening, he sighed.

The clearness only lasted a moment. In the moment when a Bridge Slave becomes the Bridge Soul, the Bridge Slave would have one moment of clearness. After that moment, the Bridge Slave would be awake and conscious, but would no longer be the same person they were before.

That person would be the new soul of the Bridge of Immortal Treading.

At the moment, the vortex on Naruto's right arm was absorbing the power of the Frost soil in the area. This Frost soil, which seemed to be filled with the power to exterminate anything, caused the vortex to gradually begin to coagulate. A glowing white word for Earth was now starting to appear.

When the ancient word for earth became clearer, Naruto's Cultivation base began to roar as a new power began to make Naruto suddenly… even stronger!

Every beat of his heart sent blood coursing through his veins. A boundary had been reached, and now his Cultivation base grew mower powerful; his Gold Core was even stronger than before.

"It's still not enough…. The aura of this Frost soil is actually much more intense than that of the Celestial soil." His eyes glittered with determination as he rotated his Cultivation base. He focused all his energy on absorbing more power from the Frost soil.

"I've really struck it lucky here to be able to absorb this Frost soil…. If I can use it to form my Earth-type totem tattoo, who knows how much more powerful it will be than a Celestial soil totem…?" His eyes filled with anticipation.

Roaring filled his body. Despite being stuck in the ice statue, the Frost soil in the area continued to be sucked in, causing it to grow thinner and thinner. However, the effect wasn't too noticeable; after all, the land mass formed by the Frost soil was enormous.

Tsukino wasn't too far away in another ice statue. At this point, she couldn't help but look from Han Shan and the woman over toward Naruto.

"What's he doing?!" she thought. Because of the shocking scene that had been playing out just now, she hadn't notice Naruto's aura earlier. However, now she did.

She stared with wide, disbelieving eyes, shaken by Naruto's audacity.

"He's absorbing… the Frost soil!

"Frost soil is unique in all the Ninth Mountain. According to the legend, long, long ago, even before Cultivators existed, a land mass was born that was completely white and infinitely cold.

"Eventually, countless years ago, when Cultivators were just beginning to appear in the Ninth Mountain, it gained consciousness. However, as the land of Frost soil expanded, it eventually… turned into a person.

"He swept over the Ninth Mountain and Sea for countless years, and was known as… the Frost Soil Demon! Eventually, he came to be called an Emperor…. The Frost Soil Demon Emperor!

"Now, Naruto is actually absorbing the power of the Frost soil! Although this particular area of Frost Soil was created by the Bridge Soul of the Bridge of Immortal Treading, clearly, this whole area is the work of the Frost Soil Demon Emperor! If it wasn't, then the Frost soil could not possibly appear!

"What Naruto is absorbing is not true Frost soil, but rather an ornamental version of it. However, it still far, far exceeds Celestial soil. There's really not even any way to compare the two.

"According to the ancient records in the Sect, not including Lord Asura, there were three Greater Demons in the ancient Immortal Demon Sect. They were the ones who built… the Bridge of Immortal Treading!

"Isn't he worried he's going to take it too far and die?!" Tsukino had really never imagined that the day would come in which she would be envious of a mere Core Formation Cultivator. True, he could slay Nascent Soul Cultivators, but to see him absorbing Frost Soil was shockingly extraordinary, enough to arouse the jealousy of an Immortal.

Even as Naruto absorbed the power of the Frost soil, Han Shan's soft sigh could be heard.

He was looking at his wife, his expression one of warmth. He had heard her words just now, and could also see that her expression was no longer clear, but rather, frustrated again. Deep in her eyes burned a mysterious fire, similar to that which had burned in the eyes of the old man.

"Come be with me, okay?" said the woman softly. There was something very strange in her voice as she looked at Han Shan.

Han Shan closed his eyes and was silent for a moment. Then he smiled, a smile filled with warmth. He knew that the person in front of him was no longer his wife. She had truly become the soul of the Bridge of Immortal Treading.

He knew that the only thing he could do was to kill his own wife. It would be a release; she would no longer be the Bridge Soul, and she would no longer have everlasting life. She would finally be herself.

Han Shan sighed. He was old now, and his face was filled with wrinkles. His aura was no longer how it had been. He was an old man, seemingly on the verge of death.

Perhaps his azure robe could conceal the loneliness he had felt for so long, but it could not conceal his ancientness, nor his exhaustion.

He had searched for three thousand years, had felt guilty for three thousand years. However, when he finally found what he was looking for, it was like this….

Shaking his head, Han Shan waved his hand. Instantly, the ice surrounding Naruto and Tsukino shattered. Tsukino immediately retreated backward, blood seeping out of her mouth.

With each step she took, her face grew more pale; the coldness was once again pressing down oppressively onto her.

The instant Naruto's ice statue shattered, the Frost soil in the area began to shoot toward him. It transformed into an enormous white vortex that surrounded him.

As the vortex spun, the Frost Soil in the area began to disappear as it was sucked into Naruto's body. The coldness was oppressive, and an Earth-type aura rose up to the sky.

The sight of this caused Han Shan's wife, the new Bridge Soul, to glance over at Naruto.

Han Shan turned his head to look. When he saw Naruto, he suddenly laughed.

"It is what it is," he said. "It seems the two of us are bound by Karma…. Let me bestow a bit more good fortune upon you." With that, he lifted his right hand and then pushed it down toward the Frost Soil land mass. Han Shan's body immediately began to tremble as a white and blue aura began to emanate out from his body and rush down toward the land mass.

As the aura spread out, Han Shan weakened even further, as if his Essence were being drained. He became even older.

The blue and white aura merged into the land mass and instantly, the Frost Soil began to change.

It was no longer just white, but glowed with a blue light. Its aura was completely shocking, and the coldness of it exploded up. The entire land mass began to tremble because of this ancient, archaic aura. It seemed to have existed for a very, very long time.

It had seen countless forms of life, and knew the warmth and coldness of the world. It had experienced life and death, and had existed throughout the ages. It seemed as if… this Frost Soil land mass which had previously not been true Frost soil, suddenly had transformed into that unique, true Frost soil which had once existed in the Ninth Mountain!

The white and blue aura was none other than the true power of the essence of Frost Soil Demon Emperor's clone. Now that he had sent out this power, the land mass below truly was the real Frost soil.

The land shook as it suddenly began to crumble in on itself and grow smaller. As it did, it quickly became more refined and pure. If you were able to stand far up above the Bridge of Immortal Treading, you would be able to see this process happening.

The Frost soil which had once stretched out to cover the entirety of the Bridge of Immortal Treading, shrank down in the space of a few breaths. In one moment, Naruto could see the edges of the land mass.

After the space of a single breath passed, it shrank down to a mass of blue soil only three hundred meters wide!

The whiteness was gone; it was now pure blue. This was the true Frost soil which had given birth to the Demon Emperor in the Ninth Mountain!

In the blink of an eye, three hundred meters became thirty meters. Thirty meters became three meters. Finally… the three meter wide clump of dark blue Frost soil shot directly toward the vortex on Naruto's right arm, merging into it.

Roaring filled Naruto's mind as his body slowly floated up into the air. His hair whipped about, and an increasingly intense aura rose up from him.

Tsukino backed up, her expression one of shock. Considering that she knew Naruto was now absorbing true Frost soil, she was thoroughly astonished.

It was at this point that the vortex on Naruto's arm completely solidified into a blue Earth word. As soon as it appeared, an enormous land mass of Frost soil magically appeared behind Naruto.

Upon the land mass was a huge tree, which blazed with raging fire. Above the tree was a great metallic, golden river. This was a depiction of Metal, Wood, Earth and Fire!

Naruto's Cultivation base soared. By now, it had completely sloughed off the Gold core. Naruto's aura merged with the magical image behind him as immense power roared through him. As of now, if Fukuyama and Nadare, those two late Nascent Soul Cultivators, battled Naruto, it was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to determine who would live and who would die!

"Take my legacy, take my sword, and take my flagon," said Han Shan. "Leave this place. If ever the day comes in which you can shake this bridge with your Cultivation base, then don't forget to repay my kindness. If my wife and I are still here when you return, then I hope you can rescue us." With that, Han Shan laughed. He was aged and decrepit now, but his will once again surged, a will which despised Heaven and Earth. He flicked his sleeve, causing an azure sword to appear. This sword had never left his side during the past three thousand years. But now, it turned into an azure beam of light that shot toward Naruto.

He flicked his sleeve again, and the alcohol flagon, seemingly filled with boundless sword will, also flew into Naruto's hands. Naruto felt his heart stirring. He looked up at Han Shan, somewhat in a daze.

What he saw was Han Shan's back. It looked very much the way it had when Naruto first saw him. Lonely, bleak, and desolate….

Han Shan waved his hand, and a cold wind sprang into being. It picked up Naruto and the shocked Tsukino, and carried them off into the distance.

The cold wind was incredibly strong. Neither Naruto nor Tsukino could do anything to resist the power of the wind as it began to carry them off into the distance. Despite the force of the wind, Naruto managed to turn his head around for one last look.

Han Shan's gentle voice could just barely be heard.

"Three thousand years ago, it was because of you that I refused to become a Bridge Slave. Three thousand years later, it is because of you that I make the opposite choice. I will accompany you in such a life. What harm is there in that…?

"I will lose my consciousness. I will lose any chance to return. However, as long as I can be with you, neither life nor death are of any consequence….

"During these three thousand years, I thought a lot. Legacies and Cultivation bases don't really matter. What matters, are dreams…. Without you by my side, I have no world.

"You are my everything.

"I'm willing. I am perfectly happy… to exercise faith."

When Han Shan opened his eyes, they shone only with confusion. All of his loneliness and bleakness were gone.

His wife stood next to him. The two of them turned and made their way off into the distance. They were followed by millions of Bridge Slaves, an army of specters… moving further and further away.

"When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?"

"Senior Han Shan…." murmured Naruto. He had Han Shan's sword, Han Shan's flagon, and on his right arm was a totem tattoo made from Han Shan's Frigid soil. These were all physical things. However, deep in Naruto's heart existed the image of Han Shan and his wife.

That image was not desolate or lonely. There was no confusion, only… a husband and a wife, accompanying each other as they walked off into the distance.

"I, Naruto, solemnly swear a vow here in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. If in this life the day arrives in which I can shake this Bridge of Immortal Treading, then I will without fail repay this kindness!" Within the bitterly cold wind, Naruto clasped hands, looked back toward the Bridge Slave specters, and bowed deeply.

To Naruto, his principles demanded that he repay kindness. Kindnesses shown could never be forgotten!

Naruto continued to meet people who showed kindness to him in life. If he forgot them, then he did not deserve to be a Cultivator. It was the same with enmities…. Enmities must be repaid many times over.

 _I will do everything in my power to repay my benefactors!_

 _I will bring tenfold vengeance upon my enemies!_

 _If people do not attack me, I will not attack them. But if someone does attack me, that person shall die!_

This was Naruto.

In Confucianism, there is a concept of a path of justice that contains two parts. One part involves being kind and tolerating others. The other involves taking action when necessary. After entering the Cultivation world, Naruto also had his own path.

This path had nothing to do with Cultivation, but rather, personal principles. Naruto's principles also contained the concept of justice, a justice with two parts. One was the law of repaying kindnesses. The other was bringing death in response to attacks!

Cultivation is about developing confidence.

Cultivation is about learning how to conduct oneself!

Naruto clasped hands and bowed for a long, long moment. Next to him, Tsukino suddenly flew away at top speed, emerging from the cold wind and moving off into the distance. She lifted her right hand, causing a red flower to suddenly appear. She was not attacking Naruto; instead, her flower transformed into a sea of flowers that enveloped… a butterfly Demon Spirit that happened to be flying in this area!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. She laughed as she collected up the butterfly Demon Spirit, her eyes filled with excitement. Suddenly, another butterfly Demon Spirit appeared not too far off in the distance. As soon as it realized it had been noticed, it seemed to suddenly be frightened. It flitted its wings and flew off.

Tsukino's eyes glittered as she shot pursuit for a moment, but then stopped. This was because Naruto had suddenly exploded with Dancing Sword Chakra. The threat of the Sword Chakra caused Tsukino to feel quite annoyed. She looked over at Naruto. This was not the first time he had done something like this.

She frowned, then suddenly laughed and sped off into the distance away from the butterfly. As she did, her voice drifted back to Naruto.

"Naruto, although our cooperation has come to an end, based on what you now know, if you're interested, then we can come back to this place in two hundred years to enter the Primordial Immortal Demon Plane!

"Perhaps you might even learn of a way to rescue senior Han Shan while you're there. As for that Demon Spirit, if you want it, I won't fight you over it." Her body flickered and then transformed into a red beam of light that disappeared off into the void.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he watched Tsukino leave. He did nothing to stop her, nor did he respond. Instead, he himself shot out into the void toward the Demon Spirit.

Far off in the distance, Tsukino performed a minor teleportation, reappearing in the void far away from Naruto's location. Suddenly, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her body began to tremble slightly, and suddenly a ghost image of her own face appeared. Shockingly, this image was Tsume's soul, struggling to get free!

"I have no intention of merging with your soul, precious darling. However, you need to abide by our agreement. I'll borrow your body for only two hundred years. Two hundred years later, I'll give it back to you.

"Furthermore, I won't borrow your body without offering repayment. I will ensure that you stay at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage." With that she jabbed her finger down onto her forehead.

This movement caused Tsume's soul to suddenly grow weaker. A look of fear appeared, and it began to shrink back. Eventually it disappeared; there was no ghost image any more.

"I was injured by Frost soil, and twice had bitter cold enter my body. Just now, I even circulated quite a bit of my Immortal Essence in my attempt to get that Demon Spirit. This Naruto is as crafty as a fox and diabolically cruel.

"If I didn't get out of there, there's no saying that that the kid wouldn't actually attack." Tsukino's eyes glittered. She wasn't sure when, but at some point she had actually come to view Naruto as a worthy opponent.

"However, the fact that the curse doesn't affect him will be a great advantage if he helps in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane two hundred years from now. My plan to acquire a Demon Immortal Body will be much more likely to succeed." With that, Tsukino slapped her bag of holding to produce the Five Poisons Tribe Immortality Bridgestone. She crushed it, and instantly, her body began to grow blurry. Before long, she was completely gone.

Further back in the void, Naruto proceeded along alone. The frigid wind had disappeared completely, and the coldness of the void crushed down onto him. However, to Naruto, that coldness actually felt warm.

His Earth-type totem was the unparalleled Frost soil. Compared to that, the surrounding coldness could be regarded as boiling hot.

After his huge success in acquiring the Earth-type totem tattoo, Naruto's Cultivation base had skyrocketed. His speed was now much faster than before. Furthermore, the void could do nothing to impede him; he was quite used to it now.

He chased the butterfly for about an hour before catching it and putting it into his bag of holding. With that, he stopped and began to think.

"Two Demon Spirits. One can be used to get the Crow Divinity Tribes into the Black Lands. As for the second… I can decide what do to do with that one in two hundred years when the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opens!" With that, his eyes filled with determination, and he proceeded onward.

As he moved, he pulled out Han Shan's sword. The sword seemed commonplace, completely ordinary. But Naruto had seen this sword slice open Heaven and Earth, chop through the void, and unleash the shocking aura of the spirit of a mountain.

"This is an Immortal's Sword!" He ran his left hand across the smooth blade, causing a drone to echo out. The drone contained feelings of grief, farewell, and the hope to reunite.

Hearing the drone caused Naruto to think about Han Shan. He sighed.

"Compared to senior Han Shan, I am tiny and weak. Right now, I can't wield you. However, you were gifted to me by him. From now on, you… are my sword!

"I promised senior Han Shan that I would save him in the future. Now, I promise you that when I do save him, I will bring you with me. The day that I succeed in rescuing him, I will return you to senior Han Shan."

The droning faded away. The azure sword slowly grew quiet. Then, it transformed into an azure beam of light that flew into the air and shot back toward Naruto. He did nothing to stop it. The azure glow hit him, causing a drop of blood to appear on his forehead.

The drop of blood touched the azure sword, and instantly Naruto could sense a clear connection between the two of them. His eyes glittered and he extended his right hand. Instantly, the azure sword's aura rose up to the Heavens as it shot off into the distance.

It moved so quickly that Naruto couldn't see it clearly. It shot directly toward a three thousand meter wide rock that was approaching. In the blink of an eye, it shattered the rock into pieces. A boom echoed out, and even before the shattered pieces could explode outward, the sword shot back to hover in front of Naruto.

Naruto stared in shock and extended his right hand. The sword slowly began to shrink down until it was about the size of a fingernail. Naruto swallowed it, causing the sword to merge into him. This was now one of Naruto's trump cards, something that, if kept in his bag of holding, would strip it of the element of surprise when being used.

Even as the shattered remnants of the thousand meter rock shot toward him, Naruto pulled out his chunk of Immortality Bridgestone, the one that had transported him here to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. He crushed it in his hand, and instantly, he faded and disappeared.

The North region of the great lands of the Western Desert were rapidly turning into a vast body of water. In the most low-lying of the areas, violet lakes could be seen. The violet rain continued to pour down in buckets. It only continued to grow heavier.

The sky was dark, and no sunlight was visible whatsoever, making it seem like dusk. The whole scene turned into an oppressive weight. A coldness spread out everywhere, a coldness that could exterminate life.

The mountains were all deathly silent. No signs of life could be seen anywhere. The entire Western Desert North region was now devoid of spiritual energy. Rotting corpses of beasts could be seen scattered about in the rainwater.

Off in the distance, a group of people could be seen moving rapidly through the air. This was a group of about four or five thousand people, all in the process of migration. They were silent, their faces sallow. In recent days, migrating groups like this were a common sight in the Western Desert North region.

However, it was at this moment that a bright beam of light could be seen off in the distance, along with an oppressive aura. It moved at high speed through the air, causing a loud booming sound. It seemed matchless aggressive.

The beam moved with incredible speed toward the group of migrating Tribe members, instantly catching their attention. All of them looked up toward the figure within the beam. The Five Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Tribe instantly looked shocked.

"Hidan!"

"He completely slaughtered seven or eight Tribes in the area recently! He uses the people he kills as blood sacrifices to further his cultivation!"

"If Heaven wishes to exterminate our Tribe, then all we can do is be cautious. How come we have to run into this damned Hidan!"

This approaching beam of light was none other than Hidan, who Naruto had chased in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. In the midst of the chase, the Bridge Slaves showed up, giving rise to a huge tempest. Otherwise, the man would have been killed by Naruto.

His head was very small, but he was quite tall and looked like a rat. His appearance made it so that others could recognize him instantly. He flew through mid-air, a vicious expression on his face.

Half a month earlier, he had returned from the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. When he reappeared, he found himself in the same place where he had left, which was on the border of the Western Desert North region. He was not pleased with his journey into the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, and had been left with a thorough fear of Naruto.

That was actually the reason he'd come back so early; he could only sigh at his misfortune in running into Naruto. Back in the Western Desert, he kept trying to figure out where Naruto came from, fearful of running into him again.

After much thought, he came to the conclusion that there was no way Naruto could possibly be from the North region. After all, the Cultivation base of the Tribes in the North region was the weakest of all. It had been years since someone had appeared who could be considered Chosen of Heaven. Hidan also figured that the North region would be most severely affected by the Apocalypse, and would have the greatest collection of migrating Tribes. It was quite suitable for him.

Therefore, he came to the north.

Booming sounds echoed out as the group scattered. It took only about two hours for vicious looking Hidan to hold up five severed heads and then begin his blood sacrifice of the rest of the Tribe down below.

The blood sacrifice lasted for two days, after which Hidan waved his hand to collect up all the spoils. After performing the blood sacrifice, his Cultivation base was creeping toward a breakthrough.

"All I have to do is kill a couple dozen thousand more people, and I can have my breakthrough and reach the late Nascent Soul stage! I don't know the name of this particular Tribe, but they sure were vicious. Of the four or five thousand people, all of them turned out to have Cultivation bases. They must have left the ordinary Tribe members behind to let nature run its course." Hidan's eyes flickered as he pulled out a jade slip. Inside was a map which depicted the Western Desert North region and described it in detail.

"I can't afford to provoke the great Five Poisons Tribe, or the great Scorching Ice Tribe. Without a late Nascent Soul Cultivation base, gaining a victory against them would waste too much of my Cultivation base.

"Damn this violet rain. If it weren't for the blood sacrifices combined with a bit of Celestial soil, I would have run out of spiritual energy and then died." Mumbling to himself, Hidan licked his lips and then looked over the jade slip again.

"Five Crow Divinity Tribes? They used to be the great Crow Divinity Tribe, which means they should have sent a representative to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. They just went to war against the great Five Poisons Tribe.

"This is the Tribe! It's hard to say how many people they have left, but they used to be a great Tribe. And since they were able to fight back against the Five Poisons Tribe, they must have a lot of resources at their disposal. Most important is that if their representative to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins didn't die there, then he probably came back with some Celestial soil. Maybe I can get a bit more Celestial soil for myself." Eyes glittering with a ruthless glow, he was just about to go through with his plan to travel to the five Crow Divinity Tribes when a tremor ran through his body.

"The person the five Crow Divinity Tribes sent to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins couldn't possibly be that damnable bastard Naruto, could it? I couldn't possibly be that unlucky, could I?" After thinking about it for a moment, he suddenly laughed at how overly cautious he was being. Twenty three people went to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. Not counting himself, there were twenty two, all scattered about throughout the whole of the Western Desert. The chances of running into Naruto again were extremely small.

Having reaching this point in his train of thought, Hidan's eyes filled with cruelty. His body flickered as he shot off into the distance. During his traveling, he would occasionally run into other Tribes which he instantly slaughtered. His entire path was one of blood sacrifices.

Along the way, his Cultivation base grew stronger and stronger. At the same time, his temperament grew more and more ruthless. This was even more the case as he felt himself getting closer to the point of breakthrough. His massacres grew even more savage.

He also moved with greater and greater speed. Soon, he was getting very close to the five Crow Divinity Tribes.

"I can already smell the odor of flesh and blood…." said Hidan, licking his lips as he whistled through the air. Suddenly, a mountain appeared up ahead.

The mountain was bare, and beneath it could be seen a body of water. It wasn't extremely large, more a large lake than a sea.

The mountain stuck up out of the middle of the huge lake. At its peaks, a large group of huts had been erected to provide protection against the rainwater. This was the location of the Crow Divinity Tribes. It was now a full five months since Naruto had left.

Of the two thousand Tribe members, there were only a bit more than a thousand left. Several hundred Tribe members had died in the past five months, their life forces exterminated. They had been buried in the mountain, accompanied by weeping, and the funeral dirges of their fellow Clan members. Everyone knew that it wouldn't be long before the entire mountain… existed at the bottom of the sea.

Every day, a Tribe member was sent down the mountain with the specific task of measuring how much the water had risen. This way, they could calculate roughly how much time was left.

"The water has risen less than a meter since yesterday," said the Crow Gloom Tribe Grand Elder. He sat in a hut next to the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather.

The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather's hair was gray, his face sallow, and his body emaciated. He sat there silently, looking out at the seemingly endless violet rain. When he spoke, his voice was bitter but low, in order to prevent many people from hearing his words. "Five months. Perhaps the exalted Sacred Ancient has already left us. The power of the Thorn Rampart vine is fading…. If he left, that's fine. However, he promised he would return to us with hope." The man's voice was hoarse, and his expression blank.

"Hope…." said the Crow Gloom Tribe Grand Elder. He looked around at the other Tribe members in the huts. They were silent and gloomy. Their eyes were open, but didn't seem to look very different than if they were closed. Many of them had bodies as thin as firewood.

None of them had any hope at all.

As the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth faded, as the violet rain fell harder, life was exterminated. This made it difficult for the ordinary Tribe members to survive. Even the Cultivators felt their Cultivation bases withering, making it difficult to maintain their place in their current stage.

"He'll come back," said the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather softly. He didn't speak very loudly, but his voice was filled with passion. He believed what Naruto said, and he trusted that Naruto would definitely return.

The Crow Gloom Tribe Grand Elder let out a soft sigh and was about to say something more when suddenly his expression flickered. He looked up into the air. At almost the exact same moment, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather suddenly lifted his head up. Within his withered body, his Cultivation base once again began to rotate. His dismal eyes suddenly began to shine with an aggressive glow.

It wasn't just these two. Behind them were two other Tribe members whose Cultivation bases exploded out threateningly as they looked up into the sky.

During these five months, they were always on guard, always filled with extreme vigilance. Three groups of people had come to attack them, and two had been repelled by the Thorn Rampart vine. As time passed, though, the Thorn Rampart vine began to weaken. In the end, it was submerged by the lake and disappeared.

By the time the third group came, the Crow Divinity Tribes were forced to fight. During the battle, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather wasted much of his Cultivation base to kill an opponent of the early Nascent Soul stage. His action had ended the conflict.

After all, in this Apocalypse of Heaven and Earth, mutual loss and death were equivalent.

In the blink of an eye it seemed, a fourth group had come against them. This time, it was only one person; however, in the current circumstances, one person was even more dangerous!

This one person approached in a beam of light, emanating a shocking aura. Booming sounds echoed out which carried the power of the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage. Obviously, this person was just a hair away from the late Nascent Soul stage.

When the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather sensed this Cultivation base, his face flickered with shock. Next to him, the Crow Gloom Tribe Grand Elder was even more astonished.

The faces of the two behind them instantly turned ashen.

Considering their level of power, even if the five Crow Divinity Tribes went all out, they would still be unable to protect themselves.

When Hidan saw the more than thousand remaining members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes on the mountain peak, he frowned.

"How could there be so few?" he said with a cold harrumph. Such a small number of people left him feeling that this trip had been somewhat of a waste. Nonetheless, he continued on toward the Tribes.

"Not many people, but there's no need to waste," he said, his eyes glinting with cruelty. As he neared, he stretched out his hand and pointed a finger.

Immediately, ripples spread out, transforming into a gigantic hand made of black mist. It shot directly toward the mountain.

Seeing the black hand approaching, the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather immediately shot forward at top speed. In the blink of an eye, he was up in mid-air. Roaring, he waved his right hand, causing explosive totemic power to explode out.

His Metal-type totem roared with power as it shot toward the black mist.

A boom rattled out, and the black mist hand collapsed. The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather coughed up a mouthful of blood as he tumbled backward. When he reached the mountain peak, more blood came out of his mouth, and his body withered. His Spiritual Energy was almost completely dried up. As he laughed bitterly, the rest of the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes rose to their feet, looks of despair filling their eyes.

"Don't tell me your Cultivation bases are all withered?" said Hidan arrogantly. "Well, even if they were normal, killing you would be a simple thing for me. I can't believe the great Crow Divinity Tribe is so weak! Where are your totemic Sacred Ancients? Where are your magical weapons? You're so weak you can't even handle a single blow. A Tribe like this doesn't even deserve to exist. However, dying in the Apocalypse isn't as good as being a blood sacrifice to advance my cultivation!" Hidan actually had a special method for dealing with totemic Sacred Ancients, which was one reason he had been able to sweep across the Western Desert and exterminate so many Tribes.

Darui stood among the crowds. His body trembling, he shouted, "When the exalted Sacred Ancient returns, he will definitely not let you go! If you dare to raise a hand against the Crow Divinity Tribes, then you will face the wrath of the Sacred Ancient!"

His echoing words immediately caused the fire of hope to burn within the eyes of the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes.

"The Sacred Ancient will definitely return!"

"The Sacred Ancient will come back carrying hope!"

Hidan laughed scornfully. "Your Sacred Ancient is going to come back? So, even your Sacred Ancient abandoned you. Even if it does come back, I can seal it and make it watch as I sacrifice all of you." He raised his hand again.

This time, ripples spread out in four directions to transform into four black mist hands. They linked together into something that looked like a black dragon bursting with killing intent. They immediately shot toward Crow Divinity Mountain.

Just as despair filled the faces of the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes, just when the hand was almost upon them, four tentacles suddenly erupted out from the water below. They moved with incredible speed toward the four hands. At the same time, thorns suddenly spread out around the mountain, completely encircling it.

Unfortunately, the weakness and exhaustion of the vines and the thorns was readily apparent.

It was at this moment that, about four hundred kilometers away from the five Crow Divinity Tribes' mountain, up above a rushing river, an area of distortion suddenly appeared. It was like a tear in the very air that opened up into a hole.

From within the hole, a figure emerged. He wore a green robe and had long black hair that whipped about in the wind. He was handsome and had an energetic demeanor. This was… Naruto!

He had returned in much the same manner as he had left, having been teleported back some distance from where he left. Generally speaking, this was normal. The return spot was usually within about five hundred kilometers of the point of departure.

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose as he looked around. Having confirmed his position, he sent his Spiritual Sense out. He immediately sensed the vine, and through it, could see in image of what was happening currently in the Crow Divinity Tribes.

Naruto's eyes immediately filled with with an unspeakable, raging anger. When he spoke, his voice was like like a freezing wind. His Cultivation base exploded out, immediately causing much of the rain in the vicinity to turn into ice!

"Hidan!"

Outside of the Crow Divinity Tribes' mountain, explosions filled the air. The Thorn Rampart spread around the mountain, forming a protective layer. Vines shot out to fight against Hidan.

Amidst the booms, the four black mist hands collapsed. Hidan's eyes suddenly glittered, filling with ruthlessness.

"So, you have a protective treasure like this! You're truly worthy of being a former great Tribe," he said with a laugh. "Unfortunately, in this violet rain, your vines are like a lamp that's running low on oil…. If I add it to the blood sacrifice, the results will be even better." It was at this point that a black moon suddenly appeared behind him.

This moon radiated darkness, and was instantly surrounded by a seething mist. The sight of it made Hidan seem like some sort of devil. His aura roared up into the sky as he shot at high speed toward one of the vines. As the vine swept toward him, Hidan licked his lips and then pointed out with his finger.

Suddenly, a black moon magically appeared on his fingertip. When it touched the vine, a roaring sound filled Heaven and Earth. The vine trembled, and then exploded. Massive amounts of viscous fluid sprayed about in all directions. The rest of the vines let out sad and shrill calls.

Hidan laughed a loud, arrogant laugh. Emanating potency, his expression one of contempt, he neared the mountain's peak. As he closed in, the other vines, ignoring their injured state, once again move to defend.

The vine was a simple life form. Even after fusing with the Thorn Rampart, it was not very intelligent. However, it never forgot the mission assigned to it by Naruto before he left.

Protect the Crow Divinity Tribes….

In its primitive mind, it knew that it would accomplish its mission even if it meant dying the cruelest death in the process!

Several vines whistled through the air toward Hidan, who let out a cold snort and flicked his sleeve. The black moon appeared in front of him, emanating a black glow which spread out rapidly in all directions. As soon as the vines touched the black glow, they began to melt. Anguished screams could be heard, causing the more than one thousand remaining members of the Crow Divinity Tribes to clench their fists tightly. Grief and indignation filled their eyes.

They knew that the only reason the vines were dying in battle was to protect them.

As the vines were melted by the black glow, and the miserable shrieks echoed out, suddenly, a black beam of light shot out from the violet lake beneath the mountain. It moved with such incredible speed that, in the blink of an eye, it pierced through Hidan's black glow and shot directly toward his forehead.

Hidan's expression flickered as a profound sense of deadly crisis filled him. Eyes wide, he let out a roar, the waves of which turned into an attack that battered against the beam.

Then, the black moon once again magically appeared in front of Hidan. It shot toward the black beam of light, and when they hit each other, a huge boom filled the air. The black moon collapsed, and the black beam of light continued on toward Hidan.

This black beam was a sharp thorn. This thorn was different from the others; it emanated a strong life force. Actually, this was the main life force essence formed by the amalgamation of the vine and the Thorn Rampart.

Unfortunately, the exterminating power of the violet rain had weakened the vines to a tremendous degree. The same was true of this life force thorn. The fact that it had been blocked twice gave Hidan enough time to prepare. Even as the thorn shot toward him, he dodged to the side. The sharp thorn cut his cheek as it shot past. Hidan suffered a flesh wound, but nothing serious.

His eyes turned red as a savagery appeared that hadn't been present before. A bloodthirsty glow radiated out as he licked some blood out of the corner of his mouth. His entire expression radiated killing intent.

"Any living thing that harms me gets turned into a blood sacrifice…." His eyes flickered with a cold glow as he waved his hand toward the violet lake below. A booming sound could be heard as water exploded up. Ripples radiated out as a thirty meter long vine trunk was wrenched up out of the water by Hidan.

"So it's you…. Well, time to die!" He licked his lips, and cruelty glowed in his eyes. He raised his left hand, causing a black moon to magically appear.

He was just about to send it chopping down toward the vine trunk when the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather and the other powerful experts of the Crow Divinity Tribes teleported out to block Hidan.

"Screw off!" cried Hidan haughtily. He waved his right hand immediately causing the Greatfather and the others to tumble backward, blood spraying from their mouths, bodies shaking.

Just when the looks of despair appeared on their faces as they realized that they were powerless to fight back, the howl of a wolf rose up. Big Hairy, Hairy #2, and the rest of the Greenwood Wolves shot out from a cave in the mountain. Their expressions were listless, but they flew through the air toward Hidan.

There was also a red, winged crocodile and an enormous lizard, joined by a flock of black crows and a cloud of green mosquitos. All of them looked downcast, and their auras were weak. Under the continuous onslaught of the violet rain, with its life force of extermination and weakening of spiritual energy, they had been quite seriously injured.

Even still, it was without hesitation that they shot out, filling the sky. The sight was shocking, even to Hidan, whose pupils constricted.

However, it only took a moment for him to sense the aura of the neo-demons. Then, his expression filled with scorn and cruelty.

"Shrimp soldiers and crab generals," he said. "Useless troops!" Filled with haughtiness and cruelty, Hidan waved his left hand to pull the vine trunk up into the air. Then he shot forward, flashing an incantation with his right hand. Multiple black moons magically appeared and shot forward.

Roaring filled the air, echoing out. Blood sprayed out of Big Hairy's mouth, and his body was sent tumbling backward. Hairy #2 and the other Greenwood Wolves let out miserable cries as they shot backward like kites with their strings cut.

The black crows and the mosquitos were instantly sealed by a misty wind. Were they at their peak it might have been a different story. Now, however, no matter how they struggled, they weren't able to free themselves from the mist wind.

The winged crocodile and the lizard also let out mournful cries. The power of this black moon divine ability sent them tumbling backward, their bodies on the verge of falling apart.

Hidan's laughter filled the air. None of the neo-demons, none of the Cultivators, were capable of resisting him even the slightest bit. They couldn't even get close to him. The vine trunk, which was floating there in mid-air, was snatched up by Hidan. It was now only a hair's breadth away from death.

All of the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes up on the mountaintop had looks of despair and misery on their faces. The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather wiped the blood off of his mouth and give long, bitter sigh.

His expression filled with arrogance, Hidan said, "When Hidan wants to exterminate a Tribe, no one can escape being part of the blood sacrifice!" Looking scornfully at the neo-demons and the Tribe members, his mouth twisted into a cruel smile. He lifted his left hand up and slowly clenched it into a fist.

The vine trunk struggled, but as Hidan clenched his fist, all it could do was writhe. It was clearly moments away from exploding.

"Die!" cried Hidan, laughing heartily. However, it was at this moment that a piercing sound suddenly could be heard from off in the distance.

"You die, b*tch! You little rat! Are you trying to get me in trouble with Naruto, b*tch!? Dammit, Lord Fifth just went out to get some lunch! You think that means you can wipe this place out?" As the shrill cry echoed in the air, a multicolored streak whistled through the air toward Hidan's rear end. As it neared, the sound of a ringing bell also could be heard.

Hidan at first stared in shock. Then his face fell. Having no time to continue to crush the vine, he dropped it, allowing it to fly away.

An incredible sense of deadly crisis appeared once again. Hidan's body flickered as he fell back. As he did, a multicolored blur shot through the air in the position he had occupied moments before.

Cold sweat broke out on Hidan's forehead and his heart filled with doubt and dread. He could clearly see that if he hadn't dodged away, the multicolored streak would have charged directly into where his rear end had just been.

Thinking about what the horrific result would have been caused even ruthless Hidan to gasp.

"Dammit, what is that thing?"

The multicolored glow materialized into the parrot, who glared threateningly at Hidan.

"Bitch, you dare to try to get me in trouble?! I'll screw you! Screw you to death!" A bizarre glow appeared in the parrot's eyes as it squawked at Hidan. Its expression and its voice, coupled with its actions moments before, caused Hidan's scalp to grow numb.

Shouting, the parrot charged forward at incredible speed toward Hidan. Hidan gasped and fell back in retreat, flashing an incantation gesture with both hands. Immediately, a black moon magically appeared in front of him as he attempted to defend himself.

A boom filled the air as the parrot slammed through the black moon. In the blink of an eye, it appeared in front of Hidan. As it neared, Hidan could see that it was actually turning through the air… to shoot directly toward his rear end!

"What is it trying to do!?" Hidan was scared witless. At this critical juncture, his body suddenly transformed into a mist that shot off to reappear three thousand meters away in the distance. Once again, the parrot's attack met with no results. Immediately, it grew furious.

"Haiyaaa! You dare to dodge me!? Lord Fifth is definitely going to screw you!"

The parrot's appearance, and its actions, caused all of the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes to stare up in shock.

Hidan wiped the sweat from his brow. As of this point, he realized that there was more to this Tribe than met the eye. It seemed weak, but it had vines and neo-demons and then this fearsome thing that apparently liked to attack rear ends.

Even as Hidan was filled with shock, the Parrot, enraged by its two fruitless attacks, suddenly let out a mighty, squawking howl. "Beloved concubine!"

As soon as the two words rang out, a cloud mass shot toward them from the sky off in the distance. It moved with incredible speed as it neared. Within this cloud mass was none other than the enormous Outlander Beast.

"Outlander!"

The roar of the Outlander Beast shook Heaven and Earth. Hidan's eyes went wide, filling with astonishment and fear. He was instantly sent tumbling backward, his eyes shining with disbelief.

"Dammit, there's an Outlander Beast here. Just… just what Tribe is this? They even raise Outlander Beasts! I can't stay here. Dammit! If I had known about all of this I would never have come here. The don't have many people, but they're incredibly difficult to exterminate." Hidan's scalp was numb as he unhesitatingly fell back. He immediately transformed into a wisp of green smoke as he utilized his escape art to shot thousands of meters away in the blink of an eye.

The instant his body reappeared, a cold snort could be heard off to the side. It was at this point that Naruto suddenly appeared, having just employed minor teleportation.

When Hidan saw Naruto, his face immediately filled with shock and then, he screamed. Since returning from the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, he had never screamed like this. It was filled with terror and dread, fuelled by the massive trembling of his own soul.

"You…. How could you be here!?"

The instant Naruto appeared, everyone on the mountain saw him. Immediately, the Crow Soldier Greatfather began to tremble, and a look of excitement shone in his eyes.

The other powerful experts next to him were the same. To them, Naruto's appearance finally gave them some bit of hope.

If these men acted in such a way, there is no need to even describe how the despair in the hearts of the other Tribe members was suddenly swept away by excitement.

"Sacred Ancient!"

"The exalted Sacred Ancient has returned!"

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, we offer you respect upon your safe return!"

The voices of more than a thousand people called out, seemingly unburdening themselves of the great pressure that had been weighing down on them. It turned into a huge roar like that which you might hear coming from a crowd of ten thousand. They were joined by Big Hairy and all the other neo-demons, who after seeing Naruto lifted their heads up to the sky and howled with excitement. The sound of it all shook Heaven and Earth.

Hidan's face was instantly devoid of color. He stared blankly at Naruto, his mind buzzing. Then he screamed as he backed up. He didn't even notice the parrot approaching with a look of disdain.

When the parrot slammed into his rear end, a blood-curdling shriek filled the air. He felt pain… intense pain that he had never experienced before in his life, unspeakable, unforgettable…. In addition to the pain was a feeling of humiliation that caused Hidan to lift his head up and shriek.

Even as his voice echoed out, the parrot excitedly shot back for another round. Scared out of his mind, Hidan immediately transformed into a green smoke as he prepared to flee at top speed.

It was impossible to describe how much he regretted having come to this place. It was a deep, utter regret. How could he have ever imagined that a tiny Tribe like this, would actually… be full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons!?

"Dammit, dammit…. this place has a wicked vine, tons of neo-demons, a perverted parrot, that shocking Outlander Beast, and most ridiculous of all, that Patriarch Bloodface!" His heart was filled with sorrow to the point that he was about to cry. He had already decided that he would flee this place and never again in his life ever step even half a pace into the Western Desert North region.

However, even as his body turned into the green smoke, just when he was about to flee, Naruto lifted his right hand. Instantly, a freezing wind blew out which contained the power of Frigid soil. In that instant, Hidan in his green smoke was instantly frozen in place in mid-air.

His body was then forced out of the smoke. The astonishment and disbelief on his face was apparent as he wondered how his opponent could have become so much more powerful in such a short time. He could even nullify the effects of his escape art.

As his body was forced out of the smoke, Naruto's cold face radiated icy killing intent. He shot forward, clenched his hand into a fist and punched Hidan directly in the chest.

Hidan had no way to avoid the blow. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and the sound of cracking bones could be heard coming from his chest. With a miserable shriek, he was sent tumbling backward.

"How could he be so powerful?!" Hidan was scared out of his mind. A droning sound filled his body as Naruto's cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Before, you dared to steal things that belong to me. I let you get away once, how could I possibly let you do so again today?" He immediately charged Hidan again and punched him a second time.

A boom could be heard. Hidan coughed up more blood, and his face went pale. Before he could even say anything, Naruto's fist once again slammed into him, injuring not just his physical body, but also his Nascent Soul. Even his totem tattoos seemed on the verge of collapse.

At this critical moment, Hidan let out a piercing howl. His Spiritual Sense suddenly emanated out, and the evil magic in his body began to circulate. Suddenly, a black moon appeared on his forehead. As soon as this happened, all of his Spiritual Sense converged onto the black moon, causing it to begin to rotate. Shockingly, a reflection of the black moon appeared on Naruto's forehead as well.

Hidan coughed some blood out of his mouth then shouted, "Sense Slaying!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the inverted image of the moon on Naruto's forehead shattered, and an intense power surged into Naruto's mind. In response, Naruto let out a cold snort. The power was fierce, and was obviously Hidan's trump card. If Naruto hadn't already formed his Earth-type totem tattoo, then his mind would be reeling right now.

Instead, he quickly recovered. His own Spiritual Sense was far more powerful than Hidan's. Backed by the power of four of the five elements, the effect of Hidan's attack was easy to dispel.

Another fist descended, and Hidan's body exploded with blood and gore. His shocked Nascent Soul flew out, surrounded by the protection of the black moon.

"How could he be so powerful! Why? Why?! Dammit, he must have seized some blessing in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins." Even as his terrified Nascent soul tried to retreat at top speed, Naruto snatched Hidan's corpse and put it into his bag of holding.

As Hidan's Nascent Soul tried to flee, suddenly, the Outlander Beast arrived. A boom filled the air as it struck out. Hidan's Nascent Soul screamed and then spit out a mouthful of Nascent Soul life Chakra. The Nascent Soul itself grew fuzzy and extremely weak. The black moon shield collapsed, and the other protective treasures that he had pulled out moments ago also were destroyed.

"Despicable!" shrieked Hidan. "You people are despicable! I demand a one-on-one duel!" His face twisted with fear as he was surrounded on three sides by the Outlander Beast, the parrot and Naruto.

"One-on-one duel? Yeah right, b*tch! Lord Fifth always wins by outnumbering the enemy. Who's gonna duel you, b*tch! How could you be so naive?" The parrot squawked as it charged once again in attack. The Outlander Beast roared and struck out. As for Naruto, he did nothing except for seal off Hidan's escape route with freezing wind every time he tried to flee.

It was at this point that the meat jelly suddenly let out an excited shout. "Don't kill him! I have to convert him! I've been looking for someone as evil as this for years! I've always wanted a challenge like this!" The meat jelly's eyes glowed and filled with excitement.

"What's your name? Fear not! Come come. Tell Lord Third your name."

A boom filled the air as the Outlander Beast struck out again. Hidan's Nascent Soul was injured again. More life Chakra sprayed from his mouth. The Nascent Soul was incredibly weak at this point, and his eyes were filled with desperation. With an angry cry, he tried to perform a minor teleportation, but even as he did, the air around him froze like ice, blocking the minor teleportation. Next, the parrot charged toward him.

A miserable scream rose up into the sky. The scene was tragic beyond compare. Even the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes were shocked.

"Let me go, I was in the wrong! Let me go…."

Boom! The Outlander slapped out playfully.

"Give me a chance, I will… aaiiiii…."

The parrot, manly and vigorous, pierced him through.

"I…."

"What's your name? Eee? You're not answering me! So, you look down on me, eh? Despise me? You, you, you, you are simply too evil! You are too immoral! I must convert you! I will convert you. Why won't you say anything…?" The meat jelly continued to blabber on continuously.

Within the space of about ten breaths, Hidan's Nascent Soul continuously let out miserable shrieks of despair. The parrot and its concubine, and the meat jelly, were tormenting him until he was about to collapse.

In the end, Hidan let out a furious roar and chose to self-detonate. However, in the moment before he did, the Outlander Beast opened its mouth and swallowed him down. A faint explosion could be heard, after which the Outlander Beast opened its mouth and burped out some mist.

This was the way in which Hidan was ultimately killed. He was not cut down by Naruto, but rather toyed to death by the parrot, Outlander Beast, and meat jelly.

"Ahh? He died?" The parrot seemed to think that it was a pity.

"Ai. I can't believe he died before I was able to convert him." The meat jelly had a pained expression on its face as it sighed.

The Outlander Beast wore a strange expression as it looked back and forth between the meat jelly and the parrot. It said nothing.

Naruto turned and headed back toward the mountain, surrounded by his neo-demon horde. He waved his hand and instantly, totemic life force flowed out in all directions, fusing into the neo-beasts as well as the vine trunk.

They immediately began to recover. As they did, Naruto produced a large collection of medicinal pills to treat not only the wounds of the neo-demons, but also strengthen the weakened Crow Divinity Tribe members, who instantly looked much more energetic.

"Greetings exalted Sacred Ancient!" The more than one thousand Tribe members all began to kneel and kowtow to Naruto. Even the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather got to his knees to kowtow. When they lifted their heads back up, their faces were filled with anticipation. They were aware of Naruto's goal in going to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, and now, they all looked at him with anxiety.

"I've brought back hope," he said, looking around at them. "We will migrate… to the Black Lands!" The surrounding Tribe members gasped and began to tremble. Tears streamed down their faces and they cried out in joy from the bottoms of their hearts.

A few days later, the Crow Divinity Tribe's life-saving migration began.

With the fall of the violet rain, life force was exterminated and teleportation portals stopped working. Spiritual energy was scant, which made it so that the Crow Divinity Tribes had to travel on foot. There was no way for them to fly through the air.

Furthermore, there were still ordinary Tribe members with no Cultivation bases. That made it impossible to travel at any high rate of speed.

For a Cultivator to fly from the Western Desert North region to the Black Lands in the South region would take many years. To walk… would take a thousand. There was no time for that. The only way migrate successfully…. would be to acquire a flying machine that could carry one thousand people.

They needed a flying machine that could be powered by Spirit Stones, not the spiritual power of Heaven and Earth. Only a large flying machine like that could facilitate their migration and make it a reality.

Before departing, Naruto looked back at the mountains. After having returned, he hadn't seen the Black Bat. From what Motoi had told him, it had disappeared only a few days after he left for the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. As to where it went, nobody knew.

"You fled without my permission. Well, I can find you if I wish." Naruto look at the mountains, his eyes glittering. Then he turned and walked off into the distance with the Crow Divinity Tribes.

Most Rogue Cultivators would not have a large reserve of Spirit Stones. But to the five Tribes that once made up the great Crow Divinity Tribe, a Tribe which had passed down legacies for many years, well, Spirit Stones…

Were something they had a lot of!

They might not have enough to keep a large flying machine going for many years, but it would at least get them half way. After the arrival of the violet rain, the spiritual energy grew scarce to the point where it virtually didn't exist. Therefore, Spirit Stones, which were in fact an expendable resources, became the only way to replenish spiritual energy. Therefore, some were wasted in this way.

Thankfully, the fact that there were not many Cultivators in the Crow Divinity Tribes meant that the consumption was reduced by quite a bit. At the moment, there were plenty remaining. Currently, the main problem was how to acquire a large flying machine that wasn't powered by the spiritual energy of Cultivators.

Naruto looked around thoughtfully at members of the Crow Divinity Tribes as they trudged along. "Right now, many Tribes are migrating through the Western Desert North region. A treasure like that… would certainly be incredibly expensive if it were to be purchased!"

It was already the tenth day of the Crow Divinity Tribes' migration. These mountains were where the Tribes had lived from generation to generation. Other than occasional Tribe members who went out to travel in the great lands of the Western Desert and never came back, or a few random other members, most members of the Crow Divinity Tribes never left the mountains.

The rain continued to fall heavily. Everyone, both Cultivator and ordinary Tribe member alike, had to do everything possible to prevent the rainwater from touching them. Otherwise, their life force would slowly be burned away.

Even the neo-demons were the same, although they were able to hold out much longer. Anything that was alive, though, would slowly die if exposed to the rain.

When the thorns were broken off of the vines, they became something like bark, which were then used to make articles of clothing that resembled woven, rush raincoats. These coats became an essential item to the Tribe members.

The migration included not just the thousand members of the Crow Divinity Tribes, but also Naruto's neo-demon horde. Thankfully, the neo-demons could survive inside Naruto's bag of holding, which made things much easier.

That was a special trait of neo-demons. Unfortunately, Cultivators could not survive inside of a bag of holding. Therefore, the road they had to travel along during the migration was difficult and packed with frustrations.

The sky above was dark and filled with the sound of falling rain. They moved in silence along a road that seemed to have no end.

A month later, they entered the borders of the mountains. Naruto led the way, wearing a woven rush raincoat like everyone else. It draped about him like a cloak, covering his entire body. He also wore a wide, conical hat, which made his appearance very bleak.

The Wild Giant panted as it walked along behind Naruto. It's massive frame was too big to fit inside a bag of holding, so it was forced to walk along in the outside world. Motoi walked next to the Wild Giant, coughing, his face pale. His life force was dimming, but luckily, it showed no signs that it would sputter out.

However, in this violet rain, he, like the other Cultivators, were gradually becoming like mortals.

One could imagine, that before too long, they would be Cultivators who could not perform any magic whatsoever. At that time, they… truly would be mortals.

A black crow suddenly appeared. It flew through the air, shrinking in size until it was small enough to land on Motoi's shoulder.

Motoi looked at the bird for a moment, and then said, "There's a Tribe that's been following us for three days….

The Crow Scout Tribe Greatfather turned to look behind them. Frowning, he said, "It's most likely a local Tribe called the Grand Fusion Tribe. They are a mid-sized Tribe…."

The Outlander beast, the parrot, and the meat jelly had once again fused into one body. At the moment, it was the voice of the parrot which said, "Do you want Lord Fifth to go screw them?"

Naruto didn't reply. He continued to walk, pulling out a jade slip. The jade slip was simple and unsophisticated; it was something he had acquired from Hidan's bag of holding, a description of the blood sacrifice magic that Hidan had cultivated.

It also described the method to cultivate the black moon totem, as well as his escape art. In addition, it detailed a vicious magic known as the Blood Sacrifice Soulsearch, a brutal and ruthless technique that left the victim alive but crippled.

Naruto had been studying it thoughtfully during the traveling, and now understood it quite well.

When the others saw Naruto acting like this, they didn't say anything more. The group of a thousand continued to walk for seven or eight days until they reached what looked like a sea.

More precisely, it was an enormous lake. This was the very edge of the mountains, and before the rain had come, was actually an enormous basin that led out of the mountains. Before, it had been filled with neo-demons as well as lush vegetation. Now, it was nothing more than waters stretching out as far as the eye could see.

Naruto looked out at the lake for a moment, then turned. "They're here," he said coolly. The other turned with vigilant eyes to stare back in the direction they had just come from.

The members of the Crow Divinity Tribes scattered out, creating a wide, open space. Their eyes flickered with displeasure, especially the members of the Crow Fighter Tribe. After Naruto's return, he had branded them with his Frost soil totem, causing their Cultivation bases to advance, returning them to where they had been before.

Not too much time passed before footsteps could be heard, mixed with the sound of grunts and growls.

A tribe of roughly three thousand people appeared, many of whom were mounted on fierce beasts that looked somewhat like lions. They charged across the ground as they approached.

Among their numbers were five Nascent Soul Cultivators, one of whom was in the mid Nascent Soul stage. All five of them were covered with totem tattoos, although their faces were somewhat wan and thin. Nonetheless, they radiated fierceness as they approached. The thousands of Cultivators all came to a stop about three hundred meters away to stare darkly at the Crow Divinity Tribes.

The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather stepped forward, his eyes gleaming coldly. He had been nearing death before, but after returning, Naruto had give him some medicinal pills to restore his life force. His voice was cold as he said, "You must be the Grand Fusion Tribe. We are the Crow Divinity Tribe. You've been following us for some time. If you just happen to be traveling in the same direction, then please be on your way."

Given that his Cultivation base was at the mid Nascent Soul stage, the sound of it echoed out completely clearly.

No one responded to the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather's words. Of their five Nascent Soul Cultivators, the one with the mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base was an old man wearing a black robe, who carried a Esoteric compass in his hand. After glancing at the compass, he suddenly looked up at the crowd of people in front of him. Eventually, his gaze came to rest on Naruto, whose Cultivation base was obscured. In this man's estimation, the person who was the greatest threat to him personally was the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather. After a moment's thought, he clenched his jaw. Killing intent and greed instantly shone in his eyes.

"That guy has it! As for everyone else, do not leave a single one alive!"

In conjunction with his words, the Tribe members at his side roared as they pulled out Spirit Stones from which they quickly absorbed spiritual energy. The neo-demons they rode also roared, and then the entire group of three thousand people charged toward Naruto. The five Nascent Soul Cultivators flew forward, using power from their Cultivation bases that they were normally reluctant to part with.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he gave a cold snort. He waved his right hand, instantly causing the power of Frost soil to magically appear. A frigid wind blasted out along with Frost soil. He instantly moved forward with a minor teleportation, reappearing directly next to one of the early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. He waved a hand, causing the power of his Fire-type totem tattoo to boil out. Attacked with both freezing cold and burning hot, the early Nascent Soul stage Cultivator's body instantly exploded.

The sight immediately shocked the entire Grand Fusion Tribe, causing their expressions to fill with astonishment. This was something that they couldn't possibly have predicted would happen. Naruto's attack had exterminated one of their Priests!

The black-robed old man gasped, and his heart started to pound. However, he had little time for consideration. He burst into action, heading directly toward Naruto.

The Cultivators of the Crow Divinity Tribes chose this moment to launch their assault.

Naruto attacked swiftly and violently. He teleported, reappearing directly in front of the black-robed old man. His right hand lifted up, and a flame sea roared up. Then he lowered his hand, and the golden rain of this Metal-type tattoo appeared. As it shot forward, the black-robed old man performed an incantation with two hands. Shockingly, a nine-headed liger suddenly appeared in front of him, roaring as it shot toward Naruto.

Naruto gave another cold snort and punched out with his right hand. A boom echoed through the air as the nine-headed liger exploded into pieces. A cold wind gusted out as Naruto appeared again in front of the black-robed old man. The old man's face immediately fell. He pulled out a Spirit Stone to replenish his spiritual energy, shooting backward at the same time. Naruto's eyes flickered and he pointed out with his finger. The black-robed man's face filled with astonishment as he realized that his body and even his Cultivation base had been sealed. Naruto approached calmly and took the Esoteric compass out of the man's hand. He looked it over, whereupon his face grew dark.

On the Esoteric compass was a bright dot, indicating Naruto's location.

"Where did you get this thing?" asked Naruto coolly.

The black-robed old man had recovered control of his body. Panting, but not speaking a word, he backed up.

"Not going to tell me? Well, I'll just keep it." With that, he slapped his bag of holding. Instantly, his neo-demon horde emerged. "Other than the neo-demons, leave none of them alive."

Thousands of neo-demons blotted out the sky and shot forward, whereupon miserable shrieks began to fill the air.

During this great migration in the Western Desert, it was a situation of "if you don't die, then I don't live." There was no room for benevolence. If they showed mercy, the Crow Divinity Tribes would be destroyed.

In the moment when Naruto had decided to protect the Crow Divinity Tribes, his heart had grown cold regarding any enemy who attacked them. Since they had chosen to attack, they would die.

As he strode forward, his body suddenly turned into a green smoke as he used Hidan's escape art. He immediately appeared in front of the black-robed old man. His lifted his hand and the Lotus Sword Formation appeared.

After returning from the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, the power of Time had returned to its normal level. However, the world was now one in which the power of extermination and the lack of spiritual energy were constantly making almost undetectable attacks on the life force of Cultivators. The power of the Lotus Sword Formation spread out, instantly causing a sixty-year cycle worth of time to fade away from the black-robed old man.

"This is…." his face immediately fell, and his mind reeled. His life force was already weak enough as it was. For a sixty-year cycle worth of time to vanish made him even older than he had been before. He was also shocked to discover that while the amount of spiritual energy he consumed when employing divine abilities could not be replenished fast enough via Spirit Stones, this young man against whom he was matched hadn't used even a single Spirit Stone at all.

It was with incredible speed that Naruto neared him. His right hand lifted up and suddenly a strange, mysterious glow appeared that resembled a black moon. Even as the old man's life force was vanishing, the moon came to rest on the top of his head.

"Soulsearch!"

A bloodcurdling scream could be heard coming from the old man's mouth. His body shook violently, and just as he was trying to struggle, the Lotus Sword Formation once again spun, sucking away yet another sixty-year cycle of life. The old man's eyes went wide as he felt his memories slipping away like flowing water as Naruto looked them over.

Naruto's face suddenly grew dark and icy.

Within the memories of the black-robed old man, Naruto saw many complicated things. They were his recollections of his life. Even as the man screamed and trembled, a death aura slowly spreading out from him, Naruto found what he was looking for.

The Esoteric compass was one of many distributed throughout the Western Desert by the Heavenly Court Alliance. Because the Crow Divinity Tribes had not left their mountains during the Apocalypse, they were not up to date on everything that was happening in the outside world, and were unaware of this aspect.

Actually, more than half of the Tribes in the Western Desert had such a Esoteric compass.

It served only one purpose; it would reveal the location of any Demon Spirits within the area.

Because Naruto had two Demon Spirits in his bag of holding, his position was visible on the compass.

Having detected a Demon Spirit, the Grand Fusion Tribe came with killing intent, hoping to slaughter them and take the Demon Spirit.

Naruto's face was grim. He flicked his sleeve, and the Lotus Sword Formation rotated. A shrill scream could be heard as the old man's body grew ancient. He wanted to evade, but after the Soulsearch, his mind had been severely damaged. Even his Nascent Soul was weak and on the verge of collapse.

As Naruto turned to walk off, a banging sound could be heard as the man's body turned directly into ash. Body and spirit were destroyed underneath the Time power of the Lotus Sword Formation.

The battle didn't last for very long. With Naruto's powerful Cultivation base, it didn't matter that the Grand Fusion Tribe had Spirit Stones to counter the effects of the waning spiritual energy. Their three thousand Tribe members quickly turned the ground into a river of blood.

Naruto felt no sympathy for them whatsoever. He knew that if his own Cultivation base were not strong enough, then the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes, including himself, would be the ones to form a river of blood.

The bags of holding and other resources of the Grand Fusion Tribe became fuel to keep the Crow Divinity Tribes going for longer. As for the thousands of neo-demons, thanks to Naruto's Demonic Chakra, they capitulated and became part of his neo-demon horde.

After assigning more than a thousand of the neo-demons to be mounts for the Tribe members, they crossed the huge lake and once again continued with their migration.

However, dark clouds filled Naruto's heart. Because of the matter of the Esoteric compasses, he knew that their migration would now be even more difficult. No matter how he tried to hide or seal the Demon Spirits, he was incapable of preventing the compass from detecting them.

Thankfully, the memories of the black-robed old man had revealed to Naruto the various announcements made by the Black Lands Heavenly Court Alliance during the time that he was in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins.

For example, he knew that as for the great Tribes with Spirit Severing experts, they were welcomed into the Black Lands with no stipulations whatsoever.

Because of that, most great Tribes naturally didn't care too much about Demon Spirits. Even those that did care somewhat, did not care so much that they would spare no price to get one.

"The Tribes that need the Demon Spirits the most are the mid-sized Tribes. Or Tribes like the Five Poisons Tribe, who don't have a Spirit Severing expert." Naruto was lost in thought regarding these matters as they crossed the lake and then continued onward.

Time flowed by. Three months later, the Crow Divinity Tribes were now far from the mountains that had been their home. Naruto's neo-demon horde once again numbered 20,000.

In Naruto's estimation, the neo-demon horde was one of the biggest factors in his ability to protect the Crow Divinity Tribes. Right now, the Crow Divinity Tribes were not capable of engaging in battle with the powerful mid-sized Tribes on their own. When it came to dealing with the great Tribes, their biggest advantage was that Naruto was a Demon Sealer, a status which placed him above even a Grand Dragoneer.

Demonic Chakra allowed him to attract and control more neo-demons; this often made his ability to change the course of a battle even stronger.

The three months of travel were anything but peaceful. After the Grand Fusion Tribe, they encountered three more mid-sized Tribes. Without exception, all of those tribes came after them with bloodshot eyes and killing intent, determined to seize a Demon Spirit.

After three battles, three Tribes were exterminated.

Naruto's neo-demon horde reached 20,000 in number, and the Crow Divinity Tribes did not lose a single member. In each of the three battles, it was Naruto and the neo-demons who did the fighting.

"Grow strong through battle," said Naruto, looking back at the mountains far behind.

They were now in a wide plain.

"By continuous battle, we acquire more resources and more neo-demons. If one day I can build my horde up to 100,000 neo-demons, then we would be able to shake even great Tribes." His eyes glittered with determination.

The Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, the Crow Gloom Grand Elder, Motoi, and the others all saw Naruto's decisiveness, and it caused them to sigh with relief.

To them, Naruto was not just a Sacred Ancient, but also, the sole hope of the Crow Divinity Tribes.

"Esteemed Sacred Ancient," said the Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather with an anxious frown, "if we continue on this path, it will only be a few months before we reach the lands of the mid-sized Eternal Universe Tribe. Their totem is a blue-faced Ghoul, and their Tribe members are cruel and savage. There is no way to know if they are still there. If we want to avoid them, we can make a detour, but that will take us into the lands of the Five Poisons Tribe."

"There's no need for detours," said Naruto coolly. His eyes shone with killing intent. "If the Eternal Universe Tribe is still there and has malicious intentions, well, I still need more neo-demons, and can use them to bolster my horde."

On this road of migration, Naruto had long since grown used to killing.

"So…." said the Crow Gloom Grand Elder, his eyes shining with a fierce glow.

"Proceed onward!" replied Naruto calmly. His decisions were the decisions of the Tribe. Originally, there had been more than a thousand members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes. However, during recent battles, hundreds of enemies had surrendered, opting to become slaves in order to save their own lives. The Tribe, which now numbered nearly two thousand members, continued onward in formation.

Time passed. Two months later, they faced a river of violet rainwater. Further off in what had once been a flat plain was a crudely constructed city.

The city wasn't extremely large, but seemed capable of housing over 10,000 people. It was made from rocks and dirt which were covered with fading magical symbols. In the very middle of the city were nine enormous statues. The statues, all clustered together, had vicious-looking faces, like Ghouls.

This was none other than the Eternal Universe Tribe. They were a mid-sized Tribe, but this was the Western Desert North region. The Tribe had experienced quite a few internal conflicts as they tried to decide whether or not to migrate. In the end, they had chosen to send a vanguard up ahead, leaving some members of the Tribe behind to decide later whether or not to migrate.

At the moment, the Eternal Universe Tribe's Greatfather, High Priest, Grand Elder, and other important members were standing on the city wall, staring excitedly off into the distance.

"Are you sure?" growled the Greatfather.

"Absolutely sure," replied the High Priest, who held a Esoteric compass in his hand. A bright dot could be seen on its surface. "They're very close. This migrating Tribe is most likely the Crow Divinity Tribe, and they have a Demon Spirit!"

"According to the scouts, they are about two thousand strong. Some of that number includes ordinary Tribe members. They also have about one thousand neo-demons.

"They have one mid Nascent Soul Cultivator and two of the early Nascent Soul stage. The rest are Core Formation or lower. According to the intelligence we gathered regarding their war with the Five Poisons Tribe, they lost all of their totemic Sacred Ancients, which is why they are in such a state of deep decline.

"Considering that the spiritual energy has become so scarce, their road will end here in death!"

The Greatfather's eyes shone with a bright light. "Heaven will not exterminate our Eternal Universe Tribe! Such a fine gift has been delivered right up to us. Notify the rest of the Tribe. We attack in full force. After we get that Demon Spirit, we will leave this place no matter the cost. We will meet up with the vanguard force and go to the Black Lands!" The Priest and the others around him all looked very excited.

The nearly 10,000 members of the Eternal Universe Tribe emerged out onto the plain, filled with the desire to slay Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribes and take their Demon Spirit.

Meanwhile, across the plain was a bleak area which at one time had been filled with poison. These were the lands of the Five Poisons Tribe, a place where outsiders never entered.

The Five Poisons Tribe had long since chosen to migrate. However, it was not the entire Tribe that did so. Only four of the branches of the Tribe had left; the Scorpion Branch had chosen to stay behind.

At this moment, the Scorpion Branch's High Priest held a Esoteric compass in his hand. For a long moment, he silently looked at the dot representing a Demon Spirit.

"We need to think of a way to notify the migrating branches that a Demon Spirit has appeared. If they can come up with a way to rob it, excellent. Unfortunately, our Scorpion Branch…." He shook his head. "So, the Crow Divinity Tribes left their mountains after the war, and even managed to get a Demon Spirit…. It doesn't matter who choses to tangle with them. Our Scorpion Branch has already decided to die here in their ancestral land. There's no need to step into turbid waters."

Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribes traveled on for seven days. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes glittered. His expression was calm as he slapped his bag of holding. Immediately, the vine trunk appeared and burrowed down into the ground. Moments later, thorns shot up from the soil, completely encircling the two thousand members of the Crow Divinity Tribes. They spread out to connect up above, forming a dome.

It was like an upside down bowl, completely protecting the Tribe inside.

All of it took only a moment to accomplish as, up ahead, a black cloud mass could be seen. Within the cloud were tens of thousands of neo-demons. Bright beams of light were thousands of Cultivators. The ground shook as thousands of Cultivators rode neo-demons to follow.

Everything trembled and the sky grew dark. The whole time, the violet rain continued to fall!

No words were exchanged. The incoming eight thousand Cultivators whistled through the air. The tens of thousands of neo-demons let out roars that spread out in all directions.

"He thinks he alone can hinder our army of tens of thousands? He overestimates his power! Eternal Universe Tribe Cultivators, hear my command. Slaughter all of these people! Do not leave a single one alive!"

Roaring filled the sky as the army charged into battle. Four Nascent Soul Cultivators shot toward Naruto at top speed, filled with killing intent.

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever as he faced up against nearly ten thousand Cultivators and tens of thousands of neo-demons. Behind him, the Thorn Rampart covered the two thousand members of the Crow Divinity Tribes like a dome. He took a deep breath and then pointed his hand toward the ground.

"I've been waiting for you for a while now," he said coolly. "Righteous Bestowal!" Instantly, this land which was cut off from spiritual energy, suddenly seethed with Demonic Chakra. As Naruto waved his hand, the Demonic Chakra exploded out.

The Demonic Chakra instantly caused the approaching neo-demons to begin to tremble. Their expressions were that of fear as they suddenly stopped moving and began to emit plaintive shrieks.

The sudden change caused the expressions of the aggressive, violent members of the Eternal Universe Tribe to immediately change.

This was the first time that Naruto had unhesitatingly unleashed all the power of the Demonic Chakra he had at his disposal. This was a power that did not belong to Grand Dragoneers, but to Demon Sealers. This was a truly momentous Heavenly power!

Cultivators could not sense this Chakra, but to the neo-demons, it couldn't be clearer.

What they saw was Naruto, seething with shocking Demonic Chakra. The Chakra soared up into the sky; even the violet rain seemed to be distorted by it. Naruto was the center of a storm of Demonic Chakra that burst out in all directions.

In the world that only the neo-demons could see, Demonic Chakra roared up from Naruto, transforming into a massive figure. This was a figure composed completely of Demonic Chakra, and it looked like… Naruto.

As of this moment, Naruto did not appear to them to be a Cultivator, but rather a Greater Demon of Heaven and Earth!

This Demon could shake the world, and had monstrous Demonic Chakra. It was like a king who arrived and made any land he stepped on part of his domain.

The neo-demons in the horde were shaking so badly that even their souls trembled. Suddenly, memories within their blood were awakened. The neo-demons suddenly began to cry out. The sounds of their cries were filled with reverence and allegiance.

They submitted before the master of the neo-demons, before an aura of a Greater Demon, an aura that was just like that of their own ancestors!

The tens of thousands of neo-demons of the Eternal Universe Tribe, regardless of their level, were all roaring continuously, their expressions filled with veneration and respect. They were no longer charging across the ground, but rather prostrating themselves on it! The neo-demons who had been flying in the sky also fell to the ground.

Regardless of how their Masters tried to control them, they all acknowledged their allegiance to Naruto, without exception.

This scene caused the members of the Eternal Universe Tribe to pant with shock. Before they even had time to react, Naruto waved his hand, causing the shocking Demonic Chakra to surge toward each and every one of the neo-demons.

As the Demonic Chakra entered their bodies, their roars grew frenzied and their bodies grew larger and fiercer. Their auras were now many times more powerful than before. All of them even began to show signs of Ancestral Awakening!

One of the neo-demons in the horde was a blue-faced Ghoul neo-demon. It lifted its head to the sky to roar; as of this moment, it no longer walked along on all fours, but rather stood up on two legs. Its blue, hairless body emanated shocking ripples. Its eyes became bright red, and it grew nearly ten meters taller. Even more shocking, a horn suddenly grew out of its forehead.

The spiraling horn crackled with arcing sparks of lightning, and it emanated an astonishing aura. The appearance of this neo-demon very closely resembled the nine statues back in the Eternal Universe Tribe's city.

Its appearance immediately caused the members of the Eternal Universe Tribe to be filled with shock. Their hearts trembled and cries of astonishment filled the air.

"Sacred Ancient! It… it looks exactly like the Sacred Ancient!"

"Who is this person? He causes our neo-demons to mutate and go out of control…."

Amidst the commotion, Naruto's calm, bizarre voice echoed out: "From now on, you follow me. To battle!" In response, the tens of thousands of neo-demons roared, shaking themselves loose from their masters and turning on them with vicious expressions. It seemed… they really were switching sides.

At the same time, Naruto waved his arm, causing his own 20,000 neo-demons to suddenly appear, howling to the sky. They instantly shot toward the Eternal Universe Tribe members.

Nearly 60,000 neo-demons all absorbed Demonic Chakra, which caused a variety of mutations. They quickly surrounded the eight thousand trembling Cultivators, all of whom had completely lost their will to fight. One can well imagine the end result of the battle.

Naruto's face was calm as he watched the savage slaughter erupt. Booms and screams filled the air. At the same time, the five Nascent Soul Cultivators shot toward him, emanating killing intent.

These people were all of the early Nascent Soul stage; to deal with people like that, Naruto didn't even need to don the Blood Immortal mask any more. His hand flashed with an incantation gesture and he pointed forward. Instantly, the power of Frost soil shot out, followed by a raging sea of flames, a gigantic tree and a golden rain. Totems of four of the five elements exploded out as he pointed.

Before the five approaching Nascent Soul Cultivators could even get near to Naruto, their bodies trembled under the attack of his four great totems.

Blood sprayed from their mouths and their faces filled with astonishment. It was at this point that two roaring figures suddenly shot through the air toward Naruto, sending out ripples in all directions. Any neo-demon that got in their way was transformed into a cloud of blood; none were capable of even causing pause for these two figures.

It was two old men, filled with intense killing intent as they closed in on Naruto.

"He's a Grand Dragoneer! Kill him and the neo-demon horde will disperse!"

As they neared, Naruto slipped on the Blood Immortal mask. Instantly, Blood Chakra exploded up, completely changing his aura. Radiating killing intent, his body flickered as he turned into a black moon. A wisp of smoke could be seen as he suddenly appeared directly in front of the two old men.

For him to appear in this way was bizarre and shocking. They almost couldn't believe what they were seeing with their own eyes, and their hearts filled with foreboding.

As the faces of the old men fell, Naruto casually clenched his right hand into a fist and then launched a blow!

Boom!

One of the old men was sent tumbling backward. He quickly summoned seven or eight magical treasures to try to defend himself, but they were crushed, the fragments of which slammed into his chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth and the totem tattoos on his body flickered.

At the same time, Naruto turned. Black moons flashed within his eyes and suddenly, a black moon like an eye magically appeared on his forehead as he looked at the other old man. This old man urgently employed divine abilities, and was instantly surrounded by Ghouls. This was actually the Greatfather of the Eternal Universe Tribe; the man Naruto had struck moments ago was the High Priest.

When the Greathfather's eyes met Naruto's, his expression flickered and his mind filled with roaring as suddenly, the reflection of a black moon appeared on his own face. He felt stabbing pain in his Sea of Perception, as if a great invisible blade were stabbing into it.

He let out a miserable scream. Unable to attack, mind filled with buzzing as he shot backward in retreat.

This black moon eye was none other than Hidan's life saving treasure. However, in Naruto's hands its might far exceeded what it had in the hands of Hidan. Although Naruto did not cultivate the blood sacrifice magic, after putting on the Blood Immortal mask, the power of his Blood Chakra far exceeded that of Hidan's.

He needed no blood sacrifices. Everytime he killed a person, the redness of the mask would grow deeper.

Bloodcurdling screams could be heard continuously as 60,000 neo-demons ruthlessly attacked and killed the besieged Eternal Universe Tribe.

What shocked the Eternal Universe Tribe most was that within the neo-demon horde was a flock of extremely bizarre black crows. They didn't attack anyone, but rather flew around, seemingly absorbing something. However, it didn't take long before the corpses on the ground began to twitch and rise to their feet.

The dead came back to life and stood up. Within the eyes of each corpse could be seen the image of a crow. Immediately, the corpses charged toward their former Tribe members in attack.

Most astonishing of all was that these corpses… still had Cultivation bases!

Although they could only use their Cultivation bases instinctively, these corpses did not fear death. Even if all they had left was a head, they would still try to bite their opponent. The battlefield instantly grew even more brutal.

The situation quickly grew hopeless, causing some of the Eternal Universe Tribe members to bite their tongues and spit out blood. After performing quick incantations, they pointed up to the sky.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, help us!"

The High Priest, the five nascent Soul Cultivators, and the rest of the Tribe members all bit their tongues and spit out blood. One by one the roared up into the sky: "Exalted Sacred Ancient, help us!"

The voices of thousands of Tribe members joined together, transforming into a thunderous sound that rolled out in waves, shaking Heaven and Earth. Suddenly, a roar could be heard from the sky off in the distance.

It was a black cloud, within which was a living Ghoul!

Its skin was blue, and it was fully three hundred meters in length. It had a spiraling horn, and its body was covered with scales. This neo-demon Sacred Ancient's aura shot out explosively, and when it appeared, it stared toward Naruto with its red eyes.

"You an aura similar to mine…." The creature roared, and then shot its claw-like hand directly toward Naruto.

At the same time that the Ghoul roared, another roar could be heard. "Outlander!"

It was none other than the Outlander Beast. It suddenly shot through the air to slam into the Ghoul.

Amidst the resulting boom, the parrot flapped its wings and let out a shriek. Its eyes glowed with a look of disgust and detestation.

"Dammit! No fur or feathers! You, you, you…. Why don't you have any fur or feathers!? Beloved concubine, put it to death! This damned bastard has no fur or feathers, that's the most heinous of crimes! Show no mercy! AAHHHHH! You dare to not have fur or feathers!"

In response to being slammed into by the Outlander Beast, the Ghoul roared and fell back. The Outlander Beast whistled through the air to slam into it again. The parrot was off to the side, continuing to call out excitedly.

On the ground, Naruto chuckled. He had been waiting for quite some time for the Eternal Universe Tribe to come. How could he not have made certain preparations? He lifted his right hand to perform an incantation gesture and suddenly, a blood-colored face magically appeared around him. It spread out and then shot forward in attack.

The attack instantly slammed into the several Nascent Soul Cultivators, causing blood to spray from their mouths. They retreated, faces filled with astonishment. It was at this point that the thorns suddenly began to spread apart. From within, the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes as well as the several hundred slaves, all emerged, shouting battle cries.

At this point, Naruto knew that the Eternal Universe Tribe was completely defeated.

The battle lasted for several long hours. The Eternal Universe Tribe Greatfather perished and the High Priest was destroyed. Of the remaining five Nascent Soul Cultivators, three died and two attempted to flee.

They didn't get very far before Naruto caught up with them and exterminated them.

He had no other choice. The only chance they had to live was to surrender, change totems, and exercize faith in Naruto by becoming a slave member of the Crow Divinity Tribes. Naruto could well imagine that if he didn't kill those who chose instead to flee, news of the matter of the Demon Spirit would quickly travel far and wide.

They were in a bad enough situation as it was, if news spread even farther, then it would be even more difficult to successfully migrate.

Only about two thousand members of the Eternal Universe Tribe remained from the original force of seven or eight thousand. These members chose to surrender and pay allegiance to Naruto, becoming slave members of the Crow Divinity Tribes.

Of the 60,000 neo-demons, 50,000 survived the battle. They blotted out the sky as they surrounded Naruto, who stood there, hair whipping about, his faced filled with killing intent. He truly looked bizarre in these circumstances.

Several days later, the Crow Divinity Tribes, now four thousand members strong, arrived at the city formerly controlled by the Eternal Universe Tribe. They stripped the city of anything useful and then proceeded on their way.

They headed south, following a path that would eventually lead them out of the Western Desert North region.

The violet rain only continued to fall harder and harder…. The corrosive properties of the rain, its ability to exterminate life force, also increased. More and more lakes could be seen covering the land. From the look of it, it wouldn't be long before the lakes joined together to become a sea.

Time flashed by. Two years passed. During the two years, the Crow Divinity Tribes continued on relentlessly toward the south. They crossed huge lakes and made their way through mountain ranges. During the journey, they faced battle seven times.

These seven battles caused the Crow Divinity Tribes to completely rise to prominence. Their numbers grew from four thousand to over 10,000. Only a thousand of those were original members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes. The other Cultivators were captured in battle and then chose to pledge allegiance to the Crow Divinity, to exercise faith in Naruto, and to become slaves.

Their totems were forcibly changed. Prostrating in worship to Naruto, they received either a Metal, Wood, Fire or Earth totem, and called Naruto Sacred Ancient.

Through the successive battles, Naruto's neo-demon horde gradually increased in size. It now numbered 80,000.

As far as Nascent Soul Cultivators went, before they had only three. Now, there were seven, an increase of four. They were Cultivators from other Tribes who had chosen to surrender. To these Cultivators who chose to join the Crow Divinity Tribes, it was actually a chance to survive through the Apocalypse.

If the Crow Divinity Tribes managed to make it to the Black Lands, then they too would be able to enter and survive.

The shocking sight of the neo-demon horde soaring through the sky made it so that the glory of the Crow Divinity Tribes had now been restored to the level it had been back in the days of the Five Tribes. Now that more people were joining, and resources were more plentiful, Naruto began to concoct medicinal pills. Because his medicinal pills could restore spiritual energy, they became an essential part of life in the Crow Divinity Tribes.

It was also the reason that the more than 10,000 Cultivators could continue to endure the violet rain. After all… despite their abundance of resources, they still had not been able to acquire a flying machine.

Large-scale flying magical items were considerably expensive, and not something that mid-sized Tribes would possess. Only great Tribes would have such magical items.

Naruto was hopeful of being able to acquire a flying machine. However, during the two years, his face only continued to grow grimmer and grimmer. He was well aware that because of the Apocalypse, many Tribes in the Western Desert North were in the process of migrating. That was why they had run into the seven other Tribes that they battled with.

However, as they continued to travel, they would eventually leave the North region. When that happened, they would be facing up against even more Tribes, many of whom would have Esoteric compasses. Once the Demon Spirit showed up on a Esoteric compass, it would give rise to shocking violence.

The only way to resolve situations like that was by killing!

Naruto's eyes shone with a cold light. During the two years, he had become completely accustomed to carrying out massacres.

"If the Crow Divinity Tribes cannot make it all the way to the Black Lands, it will be because I have done everything in my power, but failed. At that point, my debt to the Golden Crow will be paid. I will prove myself worthy of the blessings I have received from the Crow Divinity Tribes." Naruto was already doing everything he could to fulfill his moral obligations. Regardless of whether or not he was able to achieve the pinnacle of his goal, there was now little more that he could do.

During the two years in which Naruto observed the violet rain falling, he was slowly beginning to attain bits of enlightenment. He was able to use the Everburning Flame to give birth to his Fire-type totem, and the framework of the Frost soil to create his Earth-type totem. As for his Water-type totem… perhaps he really could use the violet rain to acquire it!

After all, the violet rain contained the power of an Apocalypse. Such Water-type power could exterminate life and cut off spiritual energy. It was extraordinary to the extreme. If he could control that power and use it to create a Water-type totem tattoo, then Naruto would not only have completed the great circle of the five elements, but would have done so with five elements that could shake Heaven and Earth!

Metal came from the Golden Crow, a medicinal pill from ancient times that became a Demon, something exceedingly rare in Heaven and Earth!

Wood came from a powerful expert from the Ninth Sea, who collapsed upon reaching Lands of Ninshu. Its consciousness was reborn in the form of a tree, the Greenwood Tree!

Fire came from the East Pill Everburning Flame. It was a fire that could never be extinguished, that would exist eternally. Its origin was a mystery, such that even Naruto wasn't sure where it came from!

Earth came from the power of the Frost soil and the Frost Soil Demon Emperor, a legendary soil which, according to the legends in the Ninth Mountain, was magically birthed from a patch of dirt, and eventually became unique and unmatched.

"Water…. The violet rain Apocalypse exterminates life and cuts off spiritual energy, leaving everything desolate!" Naruto's eyes shone with a strange light.

10,000 Cultivators of the Tribe followed him in this Apocalyptic migration. The speed with which they traveled was significantly faster than two years before. After all, all of the people who surrendered and offered allegiance were Cultivators, not ordinary Tribe members. As for the original group of one thousand Crow Divinity Tribe members, the few hundred ordinary Tribe members were assisted by others, and didn't influence the general speed of the migration.

Not many people noticed the rise of the Crow Divinity Tribes. After all, everyone was anxious to carry out their own migrations, and didn't pay too much attention to what was happening elsewhere. Furthermore, because of the chaos of the Apocalypse, all Tribes were very vigilant when it came to dealing with outsiders.

However, there was one Tribe that did notice the five Crow Divinity Tribes. That Tribe was none other than the old enemy of the Crow Divinity Tribes, the Five Poisons Tribe!

On the border of the Western Desert North region, the Five Poisons Tribe had set up temporary shelters. In the central pavilion sat the Tribe's Priests, who numbered thirteen in total. In the center position were two old men.

The first was the Greatfather of the Five Poisons Tribe. The other… was the man who had led the great army in an attempt to exterminate the five Crow Divinity Tribes. The High Priest.

He broke the silence in the tent with his raspy voice: "We are certain that the Crow Divinity Tribes have a Demon Spirit."

Conversations immediately broke out within the central pavilion.

"We have already contacted the great Cloud Sky Tribe. They have a Spirit Severing Patriarch, which qualifies them to enter the Black Lands. If we choose to join them, then… from now on, we will lose the right to govern ourselves, and will become an auxiliary branch of their Tribe. The exalted Sacred Ancients are reluctant to agree to such an arrangement."

"If we choose not to join the great Cloud Sky Tribe, then the only hope we have to survive is to exterminate the Crow Divinity Tribes and seize their Demon Spirit. Furthermore, our only chance is to do so… before news of this Demon Spirit spreads to other areas outside the Western Desert North region!"

"That's right. Once the words spreads out, it will reach the Central region, where large quantities of Tribes are congregating. The further south one goes, the more Tribes there are to be found. Once the Crow Divinity Tribes enter the Central region, the fact that they have a Demon Spirit will be impossible to hide."

"If we acquire the Demon Spirit, we could use it to make a deal with the great Cloud Sky Tribe. We could offer it to them in exchange for the chance of autonomy if we join them."

As the conversations continued, the Greatfather sat there taciturnly.

"In accord with our previous agreement, the emissary from the Cloud Sky Tribe will be here in two months."

"However, according to our secret inquiries, the Crow Divinity Tribes are now over 10,000 in number. They also have tens of thousands of neo-demons. Furthermore, their Grand Dragoneer Naruto is worth a thousand regular Cultivators! Such a war will be no simple thing."

"They're nothing but a disorderly mob. If we attack with all our might, we can definitely wipe out the Crow Divinity Tribes within three days, and seize the Demon Spirit before anyone else can!"

Finally, the Greatfather cleared his throat, instantly causing the pavilion to grow quiet. All gazes shifted to fall upon him.

"The Sacred Ancients are not willing to join another great Tribe. Neither are we…. Therefore, prepare for war! We will fight the Crow Divinity Tribes and seize their Demon Spirit. That Demon Spirit is the key to our future survival!" His eyes filled with determination as he spoke. Afterwards, all of the Priests kowtowed deeply to him.

"As for that Grand Dragoneer Naruto… the Tribe still has a drop of Heavenly Blood. Use the blood to fuse the spirits of the tens of thousands of Tribe members, and slay Naruto!"

The High Priest stared in shock and said, "Heavenly Blood. That's…."

"I've already made up my mind. The Crow Divinity Tribes' Grand Dragoneer Naruto will die as soon as we make our assault!" The Greatfather's voice was resolute. The others sat there silently for a moment, then began to nod.

Soon thereafter, the Five Poisons Tribe's temporary residence area buzzed as 50,000 Tribe members prostrated themselves around five statues. If you could look at the scene from up above, the Five Poisons Tribe looked like a giant petal with five flowers. In the very center were the Greatfather and the others. Suddenly, a drop of blood appeared in the hand of the Greatfather, which he flung up into the sky.

At the same time, the tens of thousands of prostrating Tribe Members began to chant an incantation. The sound of it was extremely bizarre as it floated up into the air. The sky dimmed, and the violet rain in the area seemed to begin to undulate.

"Spirit Fusion!" cried the Greatfather. Immediately, 50,000 Cultivators bit their tongues and spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood immediately shot up into the air to fuse together with the violet drop of blood which had been thrown up earlier. The mass of blood grew larger and larger; in the blink of an eye it was a few dozen meters wide. Then it began to shrink down until it was barely two meters tall, and bore the semblance of a human.

Soon a face appeared. Its eyes opened, and a bloody glow rose up into the sky. It looked around and, seemingly sensing the will of the surrounding 50,000 Cultivators, turned its head and then shot off into the distance.

After the figure of blood shot off into the distance, the members of the great Five Poisons Tribe rose to their feet. The Tribe happened to have a gigantic magical item capable of flight. It was a colossal, extremely life-like viper.

It was roughly three thousand meters long and emanated pressure in all directions. This flying magical item was actually the transmogrified corpse of a Sacred Ancient which had perished many years in the past. The Five Poisons Tribe paid an exorbitant price to the great Heaven's Work Tribe to use their skill to transform the corpse into the flying magical item.

Normally speaking, its capacity was several thousand people. However, in their fervor to slaughter the Crow Divinity Tribes, the Five Poisons Tribe spared no amount of Spirit Stones, and even ignored any possible damage it might cause, to overload it with more than 30,000 Cultivators. They, along with the Greatfather and nine Priests, immediately headed in the direction they knew Naruto to be.

Among their number was Tsukino. After returning from the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, she had maintained a low profile and concealed her Cultivation base. No one had picked up on anything out of the ordinary. At the moment, she stood there, eyes glittering, her brow slightly furrowed.

"I never imagined that this Five Poisons Tribe would have a drop of blood of the Hebi Clan. The Blood Chakra is viscous; it seems to be from a powerful expert of the Hebi Clan from ancient times. It has grown weak over the years, to the point where the power of the bloodline won't even spread out. That must be why the Hebi Clan is unaware that some of their ancestral blood is on the loose.

"Even still, it is still Immortal blood…. Well, it still won't be sufficient to kill Naruto." Eyes flickering, she maintained her silence.

The giant viper flew through the air for a few days. Eventually, it reached a lake, which it quickly crossed.

The Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather sat there cross-legged atop the giant viper. "I can sense that the Heavenly Blood is already nearing its target," he said. "It will go in for the kill tonight! Since the Crow Divinity Tribes' Grand Dragoneer will die, we must make top speed and arrive in less than a day!" With that, he closed his eyes.

That night, the sky was dark and there was no moon. Everything was pitch black. The Crow Divinity Tribes were resting, having erected simple tents which were organized in concentric rings.

Regarding the miscellaneous affairs of the Tribe, the Greatfather of the Crow Soldier Tribe had recently been elected to serve as the Crow Divinity Tribe Greatfather. Various rituals were performed which the other Nascent Soul Cultivators also attended. During the past two years, the Crow Divinity Tribe had become a well-oiled machine.

At the moment, Naruto sat cross-legged in his own tent, which was located in the very center of the encampment, an indication of the venerated position he occupied. Outside of the tent, Crow Divinity Tribe Cultivators stood guard day and night.

Currently, his eyes were closed, and he held an alcohol flagon in his right hand. Throughout the two years, he had kept Han Shan's flagon close at hand. Inside was an unending supply of alcohol. Although drinking it did not give him any Dancing Sword Chakra, it left him with a warm feeling inside that kept him quite comfortable despite the violet rain.

He couldn't drink too much, though. At the most, he would drink three small mouthfuls per day.

He sat there cross-legged, his eyes closed. His attention was currently focused inside the blood-colored mask, on Hebi Nineteen, who was still bound by the flag of three streamers. Whenever he had time these past years, Naruto would take the time to study him. The four deadly wooden swords were kept stabbed into him the entire time. Despite Hebi Nineteen's raving and cursing, his Cultivation base was incapable of restoring itself. It was completely restricted by Naruto's wooden swords.

Next to Hebi Nineteen was Danzo, who sat there rubbing his hands together excitedly. His body was covered with crackling lightning that danced back and forth. After experiencing the Heavenly Tribulation those years ago, he was almost completely transformed into a Soul of Lightning.

In compliance with Naruto's requirements, he had turned into a sort of jailer, responsible for keeping an eye on Hebi Nineteen. Every time Naruto came to torment Hebi Nineteen, Danzo would get extremely excited. He would even offer bits of advice to Naruto to help him transform Hebi Nineteen into a Soul of Lightning.

As far as Hebi Nineteen was concerned, all of that was not the worst of the situation. The worst was that during the two years, the meat jelly had taken a strong interest in him. Every few days it would come in and try to convert him. Hebi Nineteen was on the verge of collapse. Every time the meat jelly came to try to convert him, Danzo would get even more excited, and his face would be covered with a sinister smile.

"Tell me, how does one use the Karma of the Hebi Clan? If you tell me, I'll keep the meat jelly away for an entire month. What do you say?" Naruto spoke slowly and methodically, but all he got in return from Hebi Nineteen was raving and cursing.

Naruto's face began to grow colder. His Cultivation base was not weak like it had been all those years ago. He had already reached the point that he was strong enough to kill this weakened Hebi Nineteen. Right now, his eyes flickered with coldness for a moment before turning calm again. He was just about to go call for the meat jelly when suddenly, his body completely disappeared. Simultaneously, back in the tent, a fissure suddenly opened up in the air in front of seated Naruto.

As soon as the fissure opened, a blood-colored hand stretched out from within, completely silent and undetectable by anyone. This hand was very strange looking; it had no prints on the fingers or palm, and in the very center of the palm, tens of thousands of magical faces could be seen. This bizarre hand immediately shot toward Naruto, extending its finger to in an attempt to tap him on the forehead.

When the blood-colored hand was only about seven inches away from Naruto's forehead, his eyes snapped open. A profound sense of deadly crisis filled him, wrapping up his mind. He instantly moved backward, but the blood-colored finger followed at the same speed. As it did, a blood-colored arm and then a body emerged from the fissure.

As Naruto retreated, he hit the wall of the tent. His eyes flickered as Metal-, Wood-, Water-, and Earth-type totems magically appeared in front of him, slamming into the blood-colored finger.

A boom rang out, shaking everything and echoing out into the silent night. The tent instantly exploded into bits as Naruto shot out from within. The more than 10,000 shocked members of the Crow Divinity Tribe all began to emerge from their tents. When they looked over, they saw their Sacred Ancient, Naruto, shooting through the air in retreat.

Pursuing him was a blood-colored figure which emanated a bloody glow. Its finger was only seven inches away from Naruto, blocked by four great totems, which prevented it from moving any closer.

Naruto's face flickered as he retreated. The blood-colored mask instantly appeared; when he donned the mask, a bloody glow shot out of Naruto to rise up into the air. A gigantic face appeared which shot toward the blood-colored figure.

A rumbling boom could be heard as the blood-colored figure pierced directly through the face. Now, it was not seven inches away from Naruto, but five.

"What is this thing!?" thought Naruto, his pupils constricting. At this crucial moment, an azure glow suddenly appeared in his eyes. He opened his mouth, causing an azure Immortal's Sword to fly out. It shot like lightning to slam into the blood-colored figure.

A boom could be heard as the speeding sword slashed into the figure. Suddenly a sound could be heard that resembled tens of thousands voices all screaming at the same time. The blood-colored figure instantly exploded into countless fragments. Naruto saw tens of thousands of magical faces twisting and shattering.

As the boom echoed out, the Crow Divinity Tribe members down below looked up with anxious expressions. When they saw the blood-colored figure finally collapse, they heaved sighs of relief.

Naruto floated there, his expression grim.

"That thing showed up far too unexpectedly. So strange. It wanted to kill me, which would then cause the Cultivation bases of the entire Crow Divinity Tribe to fall…

"Ah?! Wait, something else must be going on. No matter what Tribe it is that wanted me dead, they would not pass up an opportunity to attack after my death. They would definitely follow up in attack! That means the Crow Divinity Tribe is still in danger!" Having reached this conclusion, Naruto's face flickered. He looked off into the night sky and was just about to summon his neo-demon horde when the grave danger he had predicted appeared. His eyes narrowed as his body transformed into a black moon, which then shot forward in a wisp of green smoke.

Right behind him in mid-air, countless dots of blood suddenly began to form back together into a blood-colored bloody glow was a bit weaker this time, but the feeling Naruto got was that it was purer. The sense of deadly crisis he felt was even stronger now!

The blood-colored flickered as it suddenly shrank down into a single, dark drop of blood. The drop of blood instantly caused Naruto to begin to breathe heavily.

"Soul Blood! That's a drop of Soul Blood!"

The Soul Blood turned into a streaking line as it shot toward Naruto with indescribable speed. As it did, an incredible, overwhelming aura emanated out. At the same time, the feeling of Karma could also be sensed within the blood.

It was in this instant that inside the blood-colored mask, the flag of three streamers suddenly began to tremble. It emanated a feeling of hope, and an aura that suggested it had suddenly encountered its archenemy!

As for Hebi Nineteen, a roaring filled his body, and his face filled with disbelief.

"Ancestral aura? It's ancient, extremely ancient, maybe even more ancient than the Hebi Clan itself…. This is impossible. What generation does this patriarchal blood come from? Whose blood is it?!"

"Hebi Clan blood!" thought Naruto. His eyes went wide as he realized that all his divine abilities, all his magical techniques, and all his totems were useless against this blood. Even using the green smoke escape art, he wasn't fast enough to evade it. In the blink of an eye, it was upon him.

Naruto didn't even have time to use the Dancing Sword Chakra.

The only thing he had time to do, in the moment just before the blood reached him, was wave his hand. Immediately 80,000 neo-demons emerged. Upon Naruto's order, they shot down to protect the Crow Divinity Tribe.

He just had time to accomplish this. Then, the blood hit his forehead, filling him with roaring pain.

It was at this time that Naruto roared: "Agarwood!"

Instantly the power of the Agarwood exploded out from within Naruto, fighting back against the power of the blood drop. It was unclear exactly what was happening, but the blood was incapable of killing Naruto. After hitting him, the boundless might of the Agarwood expanded out, enveloping Naruto.

It was in this exact moment that the Five Poison Tribe's gigantic viper could be seen up in the sky, whistling through the air. Tens of thousands of Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators transformed into beams of colorful light that shot down toward the ground.

They were joined by tens of thousands of neo-demons which were under the control of a handful of Five Poisons Tribe Dragoneers. In addition, powerful Nascent Soul Cultivators teleported down, filled with determination to eradicate the Crow Divinity Tribe.

Off in the distance, the air rippled as the Five Poisons Tribes totemic Sacred Ancients, with the exception of the spider and scorpion, appeared.

In the blink of an eye, the one thousand Crow Divinity Conclave Tribe members recognized who these people were. The Five Poisons Tribe. Instantly, their eyes turned red.

When you face up against your archenemy, you won't rest until they are dead!

"Kill them!"

The more than one thousand Crow Divinity Conclave Tribe members' eyes were red. The former Crow Soldier Tribe Greatfather, who was now the Greatfather of the entire Crow Divinity Tribe, as well as Darui, Mabui, and all the other Tribe members who had participated in the bloody war, all let out unbridled roars of fury.

Killing intent sprang out from their eyes as all the enmity from the past exploded out within them. They shot forward, totems magically materializing. Immediately, booms filled the air.

Behind them, the rest of the more than ten thousand members of the Crow Divinity Tribe all joined them as they charged into battle.

The Crow Divinity Tribe members had experienced many battles in their two years of migration. In the beginning, they had been small and weak. Over time, they had grown stronger and more powerful in their rise to prominence. It wasn't just the physical strength of the Crow Divinity Tribe which had grown, but also the strength of their hearts!

As for the Tribe members who had surrendered to the Crow Divinity Tribe and exercised faith in Naruto, his totems not only caused their Cultivation bases to soar up, they also benefited from his medicinal pills. This caused their faith in the Crow Divinity Tribe as a whole to grow strong.

Most importantly, after joining the Crow Divinity Tribe, they had hope. This was especially so considering that their former Tribes did not exist any more. As of now, the Crow Divinity Tribe was their only hope.

They looked forward to the day when the Crow Divinity Tribe would enter the Black Lands. After two years of constant victories in battle, their hope was incredibly strong.

In the blink of an eye, the battle began…. The Crow Divinity Tribe did not shrink back in the slightest. Even as the Five Poisons Tribe was still nearing, the more than ten thousand Crow Divinity Tribe Cultivators, joined by 80,000 neo-demons, instantly charged into battle. That was when the slaughter began!

No words were exchanged. The Five Poisons Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe were long-standing enemies. The enmity which existed between the two had been interrupted by the arrival of the violet rain Apocalypse.

Were it not for that war, the Crow Divinity Tribe would never have sunken into such decline and would already have been able to migrate out of the Western Desert North region. As far as the Five Poisons Tribe went, it was because of the war that the Scorpion Branch split off, and their Sacred Ancients now lacked a spider and a scorpion!

Of the Five Poisons, two were gone. To the Five Poisons Tribe, this was a catastrophic blow. At any other time, it wouldn't have been too much of a problem. With time, they could have recovered. But at that critical juncture, the violet rain arrived, forcing the Five Poisons Tribe to migrate. Their overall level of power was reduced, causing further complications for their migration.

This was why the desire to destroy the Crow Divinity Tribe was so strong in the hearts of the Five Poisons Tribe.

Shocking booms filled the air. Heavy casualties were immediately inflicted in the initial fighting. There were even members of Crow Divinity Tribe who chose to self-detonate, causing the Five Poisons Tribe to recall the frenzied fighting from years ago.

However, the Five Poisons Tribe also fought with madness. The war years ago had been one of invasion; this battle, however, was one in which they were fighting for their own survival as a Tribe. Even some Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators began to self-detonate.

The Crow Divinity Tribe only had seven Nascent Soul Cultivators, whereas the Five Poisons Tribe had more than ten Priests. However, the Crow Divinity Tribe's advantage was not in the number of Cultivators they possessed, but rather, their neo-demons.

They had powerful neo-demons. 80,000 of them. There were even high-level neo-demons in the horde who could compare to Nascent Soul Cultivators. As of this moment, the two Tribes were relatively evenly matched.

The Crow Divinity Tribe Greatfather faced off against the Five Poisons Tribe High Priest. Their battling shook Heaven and Earth. The Greatfather was actually not a match in terms of his Cultivation base. However, he had long since chosen to burn his Cultivation base and life force, all of himself, to temporarily increase his level of power. Only by doing so could he hold his own against the High Priest.

In truth, what he was trying to do was hold up the High Priest and prevent him from attacking anyone else.

As for the Five Poisons Tribe's totemic Sacred Ancients, they were missing a spider and a scorpion. However, their viper, toad, and centipede still emanated explosive pressure.

Before the Apocalypse, their presence would have been astonishing. However… because of the years of violet rain, as well as the totemic sealing of the Crow Divinity Tribe years ago, they were much weaker than before.

Right now, their level of power exceeded that of the Nascent Soul stage, and they were incredibly powerful. The ones to match up against them were the Outlander Beast, the parrot, and the meat jelly. As the battle began, it became apparent that, whether it be it in terms of their top fighters, or even the ordinary Tribe members, the Crow Divinity Tribe was slightly at a disadvantage. Although it couldn't be said that they were being crushed, it was quite close to that. Thankfully, Naruto's 80,000 neo-demons were there, allowing them to just barely hold on.

However, it was clear that they would only be able to hold on for a short period of time!

In the middle of the battlefield was a bizarre area that no one could enter. It was an empty area roughly three hundred meters across.

In the very middle of the three hundred meter area was an enormous, rippling sphere of blood. Roaring sounds could be heard emanating out from it, as if someone inside were struggling, trying to break out.

This blood sphere was formed by none other than the Hebi Clan blood. Because of the power of the Agarwood, it had changed forms in this way. Instead of recklessly trying to kill Naruto, it was now acting like a seal, trapping him inside.

"Kill them!" roared the Crow Divinity Tribe members.

"Press on! The Sacred Ancient will definitely break out!" To the Crow Divinity Tribe members, Naruto was their Sacred Ancient, almost like a god.

With Naruto there, all dangers and all catastrophes could be overcome!

They had staunch faith in Naruto. They truly believed that all they had to do was endure; their Sacred Ancient would break free from the blood sphere. Once he appeared, he would lead them into victory over the Five Poisons Tribe!

The Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather's eyes glittered. His Cultivation base was at the late Nascent Soul stage. With a cold snort, he charged into the battle. Wherever he went, death followed. Any Crow Divinity Tribe member who tried to block his way exploded into death.

His body turned into a beam of light as he shot directly toward the three hundred meter wide area. No one could stop him. As he neared, he flashed an incantation with both hands, sending an attack to roar toward the blood sphere.

This was a special technique, a divine ability which could actually pass inside of the blood sphere. He wanted to kill Naruto and acquire the Demon Spirit!

Moments ago….

Roaring echoed out. Within the blood-colored sphere, Naruto's face was grim. He looked around him at the rippling, bloody light that surrounded him like a wall. It was like a gigantic seal, with him locked in the middle, unable to emerge.

Naruto's hands flickered as one magical technique and divine ability after another slammed into the blood-colored wall. The sound of it all was deafening, but the blood-colored wall wasn't harmed in the slightest.

He also had no way to know what was happening outside. Just before being sealed inside, he saw the Five Poisons Tribe approaching. It was in that moment that he knew that this battle… was a disaster for the Crow Divinity Tribe!

Naruto was worried and anxious. It wouldn't matter if he was stuck inside this place for a short period of time. But if too much time passed, he knew that the Crow Divinity Tribe would not be able to hold out against the Five Poisons Tribe.

The Five Poisons Tribe had obviously planned things out well. Their goal was obvious; eradicate the Crow Divinity Tribe and snatch their Demon Spirit. You could say that in the past two years of battle, they had never faced a situation as dangerous as this.

Even as Naruto was frowning in thought, the blood-colored wall suddenly contracted, and then moments later, expanded outward. During this period of contraction and then expansion, three strands suddenly bored through the wall. As soon as they entered, they transformed into a gigantic viper, centipede and toad. Three of the five poisons magically appeared. Instantly, they let out piercing cries and shot toward Naruto.

On the bodies of each of these three creatures, Naruto could see the image of an old man.

That old man was none other than the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather, who was outside of the blood-colored seal.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he waved his hand. Instantly, his Cultivation base exploded out with the power of four of the five elements. A ferocious, gale-force wind swept across the three poisons. The viper instantly broke apart and disappeared.

Naruto let out a cold snort. Cracking sounds could be heard from within his body as he moved forward like a fiend. A fist descended, and the toad let out a miserable shriek as it exploded into pieces.

At the same time, the centipede's body twisted as it shot like lightning toward Naruto. Naruto's eyes flickered as he spit out a mouthful of Alcohol Chakra.

The Alcohol Chakra was like a mist that instantly enveloped the centipede. Its body began to wither, and it let out a shriek. It was at this point that a mark like a black moon appeared on Naruto's forehead.

Employing the evil magic, the moon flickered as it branded down onto the body of the centipede, using it as a conduit with which to attack the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather to whom it was currently connected. The black moon Spiritual Sense attack bubbled forth rapidly.

Moments ago, the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather was outside of the blood-colored seal, flashing an incantation with both hands, his expression vicious and filled with killing intent. However, his face suddenly flickered as the viper was killed!

Without thinking about it, he backed up a bit. Before he could barely move a single pace, his expression suddenly filled with shock. That was the moment that Naruto's fist slammed into the toad, causing it to explode.

Then, his eyes suddenly widened.

"Not good!" Without hesitating, he made to retreat. His hand moved as he prepared to sever his magical connection to the centipede. Before he could complete his action, the image of a black moon suddenly appeared on his forehead.

The instant the seal appeared on his forehead, violent, explosive pain like lightning filled the Five Poison Tribe Greatfather. It felt like an invisible blade were stabbing into his Sea of Perception. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he tumbled backward, face filled with astonishment. He instantly severed the connection between himself and the centipede.

After the connection was severed, the Greatfather coughed up another mouthful of blood. His face was pale and filled with intense shock.

"His Cultivation base is so powerful!" he thought, panting. It was at this point that intense ferocity emanated from within his eyes.

"It's a good thing that in my planning I told the Heavenly Blood to seal him if it couldn't kill him. If he weren't sealed right now, then we would have to pay a heavy price to win this battle!

"He must absolutely not be allowed out of that seal! The Demon Spirit is most likely on his person; therefore, we must keep him sealed while we slaughter the Crow Divinity Tribe. Afterward, we will use all of the power of the Tribe to destroy him, body and soul!" A vicious smile twisted the lips of the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather. He no longer made any attempts to attack through the blood-colored seal. Instead, he began to add further seals on top of the original seal, determined to keep Naruto thoroughly trapped inside.

As the battle between the Crow Divinity Tribe and the Five Poisons Tribe continued, it slowly became more evident who was in the losing position. The casualties amongst the Crow Divinity Tribe increased, including the neo-demons.

Of course, the Five Poisons Tribe paid a heavy price, but not as much as the Crow Divinity Tribe. Because of the fierce pressure of the battle, the Crow Divinity Tribe forces were now showing signs that they might fall apart.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still stuck within the blood-colored seal. Unfortunately, no matter what ideas he came up with for how to escape, nothing worked. Minor teleportation and magical items, even the flag of three streamers could not even temporarily put a dent into the seal.

He tried everything, the Lotus Time Formation, the three strange wooden swords. He even tried Han Shan's Immortal's Sword, but based on his observations, it would take three days for it to break through the seal.

There seemed to be only one option left; that was the Dancing Sword Chakra. Naruto's eyes turned red as he began to condense Alcohol Chakra outside of his body.

"This blood contains the power of Karma. It must be the some blood from a Hebi Clan Patriarch of an ancient generation. If this drop contains such power after all these years, just how strong was this person when he was alive?" Naruto's mind trembled as the Alcohol Chakra swept out and the Dancing Sword Chakra began to congeal inside of him.

He could think of no other method other than using the Dancing Sword Chakra, which was somewhat of a pity. He actually didn't know if even the Dancing Sword Chakra would enable him to break out; however, he did know that the Crow Divinity Tribe could not hold out for much longer.

He took a deep breath and was just about to cause the power of the Dancing Sword Chakra to explode out, when suddenly he looked at the wall created by the blood-colored seal. He looked at the rippling blood and then suddenly felt a tremor run through his body.

"Blood… blood…." In this moment it felt as if lightning were coursing through his head. An audacious and perhaps even insane idea had suddenly risen up in his mind.

The idea caused him to suddenly begin to pant, and hesitate regarding using the Dancing Sword Chakra.

"Soul Blood. This is Hebi Clan Soul Blood. I already have Soul Blood from that Hebi Clan Quasi-Array Cultivator. If I add this blood, that's two drops!

"I have Hebi Nineteen sealed up inside the blood-colored mask. If I extract some Soul Blood from him, that means I have three generations of Hebi Clan blood. Using the Blood Immortal magic, I can form a Blood Clone!

"Three generations of blood can form a Blood Clone. Nine Generations can make a Blood Divinity. A Blood Divinity… should possesses the power of Ancestral Awakening. The manifestation of powerful Hebi Clan experts could once again appear! I would be able to wield some of the strength of one of their Immortals!"

Naruto began to pant. The idea continued to develop in his head, quickly filling his entire brain. All of a sudden, he realized that his current situation was a golden opportunity!

If he missed this chance, it would most likely be very difficult to acquire more Hebi blood. Furthermore, this particular drop of Hebi blood was not ordinary; it clearly had an incredible background.

"I don't necessarily need to break open the blood seal; instead I can choose… to use it to make myself a Hebi Clan Blood Clone!" Panting, a bright light began to shine in Naruto's eyes.

"What I need right now, then, is some blood from Hebi Nineteen!" After a moment of deliberation, decisiveness filled his eyes.

He lifted his hand and pushed it down onto blood-coloured mask. He sent his Spiritual Sense inside, causing himself to instantly appearing directly in front of Hebi Nineteen.

Hebi Nineteen looked incredibly weak, but his eyes shone with a strange glow. He could sense the aura on the outside world and knew that the will of a Hebi Clan ancestor was there.

"Who is it…?" he wondered to himself. "It's impossible. It's so ancient! How could the blood of such an ancient ancestor exist…. It exceeds the history of the Clan itself. Just who could it be?"

Hebi Nineteen was so shaken that he didn't even notice that Naruto had arrived. Naruto materialized in the world of the mask, a vicious expression on his face. He reached out his right hand and unhesitatingly pushed down onto Hebi Nineteen's forehead.

A ferocious expression suddenly appeared on Hebi Nineteen's face. Before he could even begin to struggle, the aura of the Lotus Sword Formation emanated out from Naruto, entering the blood-colored mask and approaching Hebi Nineteen.

"You can struggle and fight back if you want," said Naruto grimly. "Right now, I don't care if I can't get any more information about the Hebi Clan from you. I want a drop of Soul Blood. Struggle, refuse, fight back… all such actions will be futile.

"If you cooperate, then I'll take the blood and leave. Resist me, then I will exterminate your soul and take a drop of Soul Blood by force!" With that, he closed his eyes and rotated his Cultivation base. Four great totems magically appeared. He focused all the power of the great Blood Immortal magic. Everything was focused on extracting Soul Blood from Hebi Nineteen.

The aura of the Lotus Sword Formation neared, and the power of Time suddenly began to rotate. To ensure his success in the matter, Naruto even called out to the sleeping Blood Mastiff!

The mastiff was sleeping, but as the years had passed, Naruto could sense that… it would soon awaken!

Hebi Nineteen's face fell. He could hear the killing intent and coldness in Naruto's voice, and could tell that Naruto without a doubt was speaking the truth to him.

His mind trembled. Maybe he wouldn't struggle, but how could he be willing to comply? However, the power of Time neared, causing his face to flicker. The flag of three streamers tightened around him, causing him to pant. Finally, the aura of the mastiff neared, filled with the power of Spirit Severing. Hebi Nineteen could sense Naruto's decisiveness, and suddenly was filled with an intense sense of grave crisis.

He suddenly realized that Naruto wasn't necessarily incapable of killing him. He just didn't want to at the moment. Hebi Nineteen knew that going against Naruto in this moment meant that he would most likely die in the blink of an eye.

Sensing Naruto's determination, he suddenly began to waver.

Even as Naruto forced the Soul Blood out of Hebi Nineteen, the battle between the Crow Divinity Tribe and the Five Poisons Tribe was reaching a climax.

The Outlander Beast was not a match for the all three of the totemic Sacred Ancients. Even with the parrot and the meat jelly, it was still injured. Its body trembled and its aura was growing weak. However, it still roared as it fought back against the Sacred Ancients, preventing them from passing it.

In mid-air, the Nascent Soul Elders of the Crow Divinity Tribe were pale-faced. They coughed up blood as they sustained serious injuries. They were like lamps that were running out of oil.

The rest of the Tribe members were locked in bitter combat. Casualties were heavy as both sides killed back and forth. The booming of self-detonation could be heard everywhere. Even the neo-demons were in sore straits. Big Hairy was severely injured and the Wild Giant was coughing up blood. Motoi's face was pale, and his aura was nothing more than a slender strand.

As for the Greatfather, he had burned his life force almost to the limit. His body emanated a strong aura of death. However, he still went all out to restrain the High Priest.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient…. We can't hold on for very much longer…."

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, please, break through that seal!"

"Exalted Sacred Ancient…."

These words were not spoken out loud. Instead, they were the prayers of the Tribe members, words spoken in their hearts, containing their will. They merged together, to form a power of will.

As the power of their will reverberated out, Naruto, inside the blood-colored seal, suddenly opened his eyes. A drop of Soul Blood flew out from inside the blood-colored mask to land in his palm.

Naruto's face was pale. It had not been easy extracting the Soul Blood from Hebi Nineteen. Had he not become so much stronger than when he first captured Hebi Nineteen, it would have been virtually impossible. Even still, he was as exhausted as if he had been battling for days against a powerful opponent.

Now was not the time for rest, though. He waved his right hand, and immediately, another drop of Soul Blood appeared next to Hebi Nineteen's. This was the blood he had acquired that year from the Hebi Clan Quasi-Array Chosen outside of the Rebirth Cave.

In addition to the blood in the blood-colored seal, he now had three drops in total!

Naruto took a deep breath and then began to perform an incantation gesture with both hands as he employed the great Blood Immortal magic to form a Blood Clone!

"Merge!" he growled. Instantly, the two blood drops fused together and then shot into the blood-colored wall in front of him.

All of these drops of blood had a common origin. The instant they fused together, Naruto crossed his legs and closed his eyes. As he performed continuous incantation gestures, drops of sweat as large as beans began to pour down his face. His hands moved faster and faster, causing streams of sealing marks to float out. At the same, the blood-colored seal around him began to shrink.

As the bizarre shrinking process began, shocking, indistinct screams of rage began to emanate out from the blood-colored seal. Instantly, the battlefield was shaken. The faces of the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators instantly fell. Even the three totemic Sacred Ancients looked astonished.

When the Crow Divinity Tribe members heard the sound of it, they were instantly invigorated.

Tens of thousands of people watched as the surface of the blood-colored sphere was covered with bizarre ripples. As the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather watched on, his heart filled with inexplicable fear and trembling. He suddenly had a very, very bad feeling.

With a roar, he performed a two-handed incantation gesture as he continued to reinforce the seal.

Despite that, a roaring sound filled the air as the blood sphere rapidly shrank from thirty meters wide to only fifteen. As it did, 20,000 distorted faces suddenly appeared on the surface of the sphere. These faces were the spirits that the Five Poisons Tribe members had merged with their drop of Heavenly Blood, as a means to control the its will.

Rumbling filled the air as 10,000 of the faces were expelled. The blood sphere shrank again. Now it was only about ten meters wide. A sense of shocking purity suddenly appeared within it.

At the same time, a horrifying aura blasted out from inside. This aura vastly exceeded that which had resulted from Naruto's previous Blood Clones. This aura shook Heaven and Earth, and caused the entire sky to turn red, as if something completely inhuman were about to come into existence!

The intensity of the aura exceeded that of the Spirit Severing stage, reaching an indescribable level that caused the faces of everyone present to fill with astonishment. The powerful experts of the Five Poisons Tribe gasped in stupefaction.

They knew now exactly what was happening. The spirits of the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators were being expelled from the blood sphere. That meant that the blood was no longer under the control of the Five Poisons Clan!

A roaring sound like thunder rolled out in all directions, shaking all of the Cultivators on the battlefield, as well as the neo-demons and the Five Poison Clan's totemic Sacred Ancients.

Even as faces flickered in astonishment, another roar sounded out as another 10,000 of the Five Poisons Tribe spirits were expelled from the blood.

A fearsome aura rose up into the sky! Everything grew dim, and the clouds were swept away. The entire world became a blood-colored hell!

"He must not be allowed to emerge!" roared the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather. He shot forward, going all out to prevent Naruto from breaking free. Blood sprayed from the mouth of the High Priest as he managed to extricate himself from the Crow Divinity Greatfather. Face filled with fear, he too shot forward to assist.

An aura which shocked even the three totemic Sacred Ancients of the Five Poisons Clan danced out madly from the blood sphere. Astonished, they went all out, using all the faith power they could muster, sparing no effort as they broke past the seal that was the Outlander Beast. They too began to strengthen the blood sphere seal.

"We must not allow him to come out! Do not let him out!"

The rest of the Five Poisons Tribe's Priests also sustained injuries as they shot toward the shrinking blood sphere. Five of them broke through and, filled with astonishment and fear, began to bolster the sealing.

The combined force of seven Nascent Soul Cultivators and three totemic Sacred Ancients all poured into the sealing power of the blood sphere.

The surrounding Crow Divinity Tribe members were in a frenzy as they also tried to break through. The Five Poisons Tribe members desperately fought back. The intensity of the battle instantly increased.

However, despite the fact that peak of the Five Poisons Tribe's power was focused on the blood sphere seal, it continued to shrink. Soon, it was only three meters wide. By this time, virtually all of the Five Poisons Tribe spirits had been forced out. The magical faces had expressions of torment as they dissipated into the area.

Even more shocking, a horrifying aura exploded out from the blood sphere, the strength of which instantly started to suffocate the seven Nascent Soul Cultivators. Their faces were pale as the aura slammed into them, causing a roaring sound to fill their minds as they coughed up blood.

The faces of the three totemic Sacred Ancients filled with an unprecedented level of fear and shock, to the extent that… their bodies even began to tremble!

There were now absolutely no spirits of the Five Poisons Tribe on the blood sphere; in the blink of an eye, all consciousness within it disappeared, replaced by the magic of the Blood Immortal. At the same time, it shrank down into the form of a person!

That person bore the semblance of Naruto!

"Kill him!" roared the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather at the top of his lungs, seemingly on the verge of going mad. He had now abandoned any attempts at sealing, and instead unleashed deadly divine abilities against the blood-colored figure.

The others did the same. Booms echoed out as the three totemic Sacred Ancients attacked. However, the blood-colored figure didn't even react. That in itself caused the face of the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather to fill with astonishment.

"This Naruto refined the Heavenly Blood! He… he's actually refining it into a creature of blood!"

"That's impossible! That Heavenly Blood was acquired by one of the ancestors by a fluke. The power it contains is fearsome to the extreme. How could a Cultivator possibly fuse it…? Throughout the years, all those in the Tribe who tried to fuse it died! The best we could do was come up with magic to control it!"

The Greatfather and the others felt their minds reeling, and their expressions were that of shock.

Even more bitterly painful was that their Tribe's prized treasure, their secret weapon to destroy the enemy, had been refined successfully. It was almost as if they had handed over their precious treasure as a gift. This thought caused them to feel incredible vexation.

This was a critical moment for Naruto in the refinement process of the Blood Clone. He suddenly had an intense feeling that this Blood Clone was completely different from the other Blood Clones he had created in the past. They were like fireflies and this was like the bright moon!

"So, this Hebi Clan Blood Clone turns out to be THIS powerful…." Such an incredible level of power far exceeded Naruto's imagination. Right now, he could detect faint signs that as he continued with the refinement, the will of the blood was slowly awakening.

This was one of the functions of the Blood Immortal magic. Based on some factors which Naruto didn't fully comprehend, it was able to force out the bloodline power concealed within the blood!

The more ancient the blood, and the purer the bloodline power, then the more powerful the Blood Clone would be!

Naruto took a deep breath. He knew that what he needed to do now was find something to act as the core of the clone. If that core was indestructible, then the clone was indestructible!

The Blood Clones Naruto had created in the past looked crude, and had been refined using the meat jelly skin. However, their usefulness to Naruto had been significant.

The successful refinement of this particular Blood Clone, and its fearsome level of power, was something that even the information about the Blood Immortal magic did not discuss. Even the Blood Immortal had never anticipated that something like this could happen. Even the Blood immortal had never created a clone like this particular… Hebi Clan Blood Clone.

After all, the Blood Immortal completely looked down on ordinary Hebi Clan members. The main goal was to refine the blood of direct descendants of the Hebi Clan. Even Blood Clones created from the blood of direct descendants, however, would pale in comparison to the Hebi Clan Clone which was about to appear!

That was because one of the drops of blood that made this clone was from a Chosen of the Hebi Clan. Another was from the ancient Hebi Nineteen. The final drop, the drop that determined exactly how fearsomely powerful the Blood Clone would be… had an origin that even Hebi Nineteen couldn't ascertain. The only thing he could tell was that this drop of blood came from primordial times, and was as powerful as the blood of an original ancestor!

It was that final drop of blood that made this Blood Clone completely different. In fact, if Naruto was able to get six more drops of blood in the future, and fuse them into this blood Clone, then he could form a complete Blood Divinity. In that case, the power of Ancestral Awakening would be unleashed, and that mysterious Hebi Clan ancestor would appear!

When that time came, it might be possible to recognize this person… and determine his true identity!

Echoes filled the air as the peak of the Five Poisons Tribe's power was unleashed in attack. The blood-colored figure which surrounded Naruto was writhing in a bizarre fashion. However, it didn't matter what divine ability was leveled against it, nothing could stop the figure from fully forming.

The blood figure slowly became more refined; Naruto's features slowly became clearer. In the blink of an eye, a bloody glow suddenly began to extend like water out from the figure.

The face of the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather fell. He could sense a shocking aura that was currently being held back by the blood-colored figure that surrounded Naruto.

"Don't hold anything back. Exterminate him!" bellowed the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather. He flashed an incantation with both hands and then spit out a mouthful of blood. His body instantly withered a bit, but in exchange, a five-colored mist suddenly appeared that roiled toward Naruto.

The High Priest's face flickered as he flashed an incantation with his right hand. The totems on his body magically manifested into a creature that was the amalgamation of all of the five poison creatures. It instantly charged toward Naruto.

The rest of the other five Nascent Soul Cultivators all unleashed their most powerful divine abilities.

As for the three totemic Sacred Ancients, their bodies suddenly began to shrink until they were each no more than a meter or two long. This meant that their bodies were now refined and pure. They charged toward Naruto, fully able to sense that the bloody glow coming off of him was something so shockingly powerful that it could constrain and crush even them. Such constraining force was shocking to them, and they instinctively knew that they needed to destroy it before it fully appeared. It was a premonition that arose from within their souls and their blood. Once the bloody glow fully took shape, it wouldn't matter that the three of them were totemic Sacred Ancients. In front of such attacking power, they would be crushed like dried reeds or rotten wood.

It was an instinctive premonition, a fearsome intuition!

However, even as their divine abilities and magical techniques descended, the bloody glow which surrounded Naruto suddenly shrank down to form a red dot on his forehead. Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open.

The instant his eyes opened, the glowing bloody dot on his forehead flew out. It emitted a shocking, high-pitched howl that sent sound waves roaring out. Banging sounds could be heard in all directions as all the seals which had been in place were shattered.

The glowing, bloody dot instantly transformed into a bloody beam of light that shot toward the viper totemic Sacred Ancient. The viper Sacred Ancient immediately recoiled, a look of astonishment and despair written on its face. A trembling shook it which arose from its very soul, washing over it like floodwaters. Faced up against this bloody beam of light, it was as if it had lost all its power to fight back, as if it in its awe, it lost all confidence!

The bloody beam of light moved with indescribable speed as it slammed into and then passed directly through the viper Sacred Ancient.

The viper Sacred Ancient's entire body turned pale white as its essence, its life force, its blood, everything was instantly sucked away by the bloody figure.

This level of potency was like Heavenly might. If it wanted you dead, then you had no choice but to die. This Blood Clone was a Hebi Clan Blood Clone, and the Hebi Clan was the Heavens of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

If it wanted to take everything away from you, then any resistance you offered would be futile. To the Hebi Clan, any person who was not of Hebi, was a heretic!

For example, this totemic Sacred Ancient, which originated from the ancient Immortal Demon Sect, a Sect that… the Hebi Clan had been forced to eradicate!

The death of the totemic Sacred Ancient instantly turned into a clap of thunder that shook the hearts of the Five Poisons Clan Cultivators! The faces of the Greatfather and the High Priest and the others all fell!

"Impossible!"

"Sacred Ancient…. The exalted Sacred Ancient was absorbed…."

"This is… this is…." Even as the corpse of the viper Sacred Ancient began to fall to the ground, there were around ten thousand of the Five Poisons Tribe members who coughed up blood and began to wail. The totems on their bodies began to fade and their Cultivation bases began to drop.

There were even several among the more than ten Priests who coughed up blood and began to tremble, their faces filled with disbelief.

"The Sacred Ancient… perished!"

As the bloody beam of light swept through the air, a strange, shocking sound rang out that sounded like something was being swallowed. The echoing sound caused everyone, even the other two Sacred Ancients, to instantly cease any attack and immediately fall into retreat. A blood-coloured face suddenly appeared around Naruto. Rumbling could be heard. He fell back a few paces, then used minor teleportation to suddenly appear off in the distance, where he charged into the besieging Five Poisons Tribe.

"Blood Clone…" he said coolly. "You may continue to feed." Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. The bloody beam of light emitted a shout, then suddenly materialized into a figure.

It looked exactly like Naruto, except that it emanated a bloody glow and had bright red eyes. Its body flickered as it shot at incredible speed toward the other two totemic Sacred Ancients.

The two Sacred Ancients fell back almost instinctively, moving as fast as possible. Unfortunately, even if they moved faster than that, they would be unable to go faster than the Hebi Clan Blood Clone.

"Neo-demons…" cried Naruto, his voice echoing out. "I am your Demon Patriarch. Today, you may slaughter to your heart's content!" 40,000 neo-demons remained in his horde. Nearly half had been killed. At this moment, however, those remaining 40,000 neo-demons lifted their heads up and roared a roar that shook the Heavens. Boundless Demonic Chakra suddenly rushed toward Naruto and then spread out to be absorbed by the neo-demons. In addition, the neo-demons of the Five Poisons Tribe suddenly began to tremble and emit subservient whines.

Under this sudden counterattack, the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators were thrown into complete chaos!

"Exercise faith in me! Tribe members who offer worship to me, I am your totemic Sacred Ancient. Those who show faith in me, have my totems…. The Five Poisons Tribe is our archenemy. It is time to settle our differences once and for all!" He waved his sleeve causing a Greenwood Tree to magically appear. A sea of flames roared up into the sky. A golden rain spread out. Frigid soil began to freeze everything!

The thousands of Tribe members who remained of the Crow Divinity Tribe had bright red eyes. It was with complete madness that they charged the terrified Five Poisons Tribe members!

Naruto's eyes glinted with harshness, and his voice echoed out like thunder, causing Heaven and Earth to split: "Kill them!"

The Hebi Clan Blood Clone shot in pursuit of the two great totemic Sacred Ancients. The Sacred Ancients cut sorry figures as they frantically fled. The morale of the Five Poisons Tribe had been severely damaged.

At the same time, Naruto's 40,000 neo-demons roared as they absorbed the thick Demonic Chakra coming from Naruto. All of them began to mutate, growing fiercer as they screamed through the air toward the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators.

Suddenly, more than a thousand corpses on the ground suddenly rose to their feet. Upon the head of each of these corpses, an illusory crow could be seen. These crow automatons' eyes glowed with gray light as they suddenly flew up into the battle.

Booms echoed out as a deadly battle ensued between the two groups of neo-demons. The battle was once again being fought at a fever pitch.

The vast majority of the thousands of Crow Divinity Tribe members were wounded, but it didn't matter. Eyes red, they charged forward with madness. Regardless of whether they were original members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes, or new members who had pledged allegiance in the past two years,each and every one exerted all the Cultivation base power they could muster. They knew… whichever side lost this battle would have no survivors!

There would be no opportunity for surrender in this fight. Regardless of Five Poisons Tribe or Crow Divinity Tribe, both were destined to be arch enemies. Whichever of these two Tribes lost the battle… would be completely wiped out!

This was an extermination!

Complete and utter extermination!

As the slaughter continued, Naruto went into action. The killing intent in his heart ran deep. The seal that had been placed in just now would have been incredibly difficult to break out of unless he just so happened to have the Blood Immortal magic and the two drops of Hebi Clan Soul Blood. The Five Poisons Tribe had planned to wipe out the Crow Divinity Tribe, and as such, the desire to kill that Naruto felt right now had reached a pinnacle.

Leave none alive!

Accept no surrender!

His eyes glinted with a cold glow as he shot forward toward the peak level fighters of the Five Poisons Tribe, the Nascent Soul Priests. His speed was incredible as he transformed into a black moon and then a green smoke.

The Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather's face was pale white. The fact that Naruto had extricated himself had slammed into his heart and mind like an iron hammer. Then, there was the terrifying appearance of the blood-colored figure, which had in a scant moment sucked dry one of the Five Poisons Tribe's totemic Sacred Ancients. All of these things were stupefying, and transformed into an intense figurative attack that caused all of the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators to grow pale in the face.

"Today… will decide if the Tribe survives or perishes…." The Greatfather gave a bitter laugh. Then, his eyes filled with reckless abandon. He glared at Naruto and then ignited his Cultivation base. The intrepid aura of a late Nascent Soul Cultivation base exploded out as he charged toward Naruto.

The High Priest's eyes flickered with coldness as he joined the Greatfather to attack Naruto.

A massive roaring could be heard as the three people prepared to slam into each other. Naruto, in the shape of a black moon, shot forward in a green smoke, passing directly between the Greatfather and the High Priest. He moved so fast that the two other Cultivators' faces filled with shock.

"So fast!" Their eyes went wide as they suddenly looked over their shoulders. Bloodcurdling screams could be heard from not too far away. It was one of the Five Poisons Tribe's ordinary Priests. With his Cultivation base at the early Nascent Soul stage, he would normally be able to lord it over others. However, Naruto only needed to use the first form of the Blood Immortal divine abilities to cause the man to explode, killing him instantly.

"That was the first!" Naruto said coolly. He waved his arm, causing the fragments of blood and gore in front of him to fly away. He gave a cold look toward the Greatfather and High Priest, who glared back. They instantly pointed out toward Naruto, causing a five-colored mist to fly toward Naruto and surround him.

A mocking smile appeared on Naruto's mouth as the mist enveloped him. Suddenly, a miserable scream could be heard. Naruto had suddenly disappeared and then reappeared in front of another of the Priests. His hand currently gripped the man's neck. He lifted him up and then crushed his throat.

A boom could be heard as flesh and blood flew out in all directions. Naruto disappeared, but just before he did, his cold voice echoed out.

"That was the second!"

The Five Poisons Tribe High Priest lifted his head and howled. His face distorted as he performed a double-handed incantation and then gestured forward. A five-colored glow to spread out in all directions. Suddenly, ripples began to emanate out from Naruto, who was just about to disappear into the air.

"There won't be a third!" cried the High Priest, intense killing intent emanating out from him as he shot forward toward Naruto.

It was at this point that suddenly, a shocking roar of despair filled the sky. The voice belonged to none other than one of the Five Poisons Tribe's Sacred Ancients.

The sound of the cry was miserable; it contained the fear and astonishment felt by the totemic Sacred ancient in the moments before death. Onlookers could just barely make out the figure of an enormous toad in the midst of a red light. Its body withered as all of its life force was sucked away.

Simultaneously, a large number of Five Poisons Tribe members suddenly began to tremble and cough up blood. Hopelessness shone in their eyes.

Despairing cries rose up from the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators.

"The toad Sacred Ancient… perished…."

"Of the five Sacred Ancients of the Five Poisons Tribe, two were sealed and two have perished. Only the centipede Sacred Ancient is left…. But it is currently being pursued…."

"Could it be that the Heavens wish for the Five Poisons Tribe to be destroyed…?"

The fighting did not stop. However, the weakened position of the Five Poisons Tribe grew even more severe.

The Priests near Naruto were all coughing up blood, and were unable to continue to prevent their Cultivation bases from falling. As for the High Priest who was charging Naruto, his body trembled, and he too coughed up blood.

Even as he was coughing up blood, Naruto suddenly appeared directly behind him, eyes glittering with killing intent. He formed a fist and punched.

A boom rattled out as at this critical moment, the High Priest's body twisted, and a black mist shot out to cover him. Naruto's fist slammed into the black mist, not shattering it, but causing cracks to appear on its surface. It quickly reformed, condensing down into the image of the High Priest, his face pale. He coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his eyes filled with fury.

"Naruto!" he roared. Even as he did, the eyes of the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather went completely bloodshot. Filled with madness, he exploded toward Naruto with all the power he could muster.

Naruto gave a cold snort. He ceased pursuing the High Priest, transforming into a black moon and a green smoke as he suddenly shot off into the distance.

His speed was such that neither the Greatfather nor the High Priest could possibly match up. Hearts boiling with rage, they followed after him. However, it was at this point that a third bloodcurdling scream filled the air. Then a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth.

The surrounding early Nascent Soul stage Priests were simply not a match for Naruto. They didn't even qualify to try to fight back against him as he slaughtered them. In a moment, he had destroyed them as easily as crushing dried weeds or rotten branches.

"The third!"

"The fourth!"

"The fifth and the sixth!" Every time he killed a Priest, Naruto's cold voice could be heard echoing across the battlefield. The Cultivators of the Five Poisons Tribe had faces completely drained of blood and filled with increasingly intense despair. Many of them were even beginning to flee. On the other hand, every time Naruto called out, the Crow Divinity Tribe Cultivators grew more inspired. The slaughter was monstrous.

"Naruto!" roared the High Priest. "You're a Grand Dragoneer, how can your Cultivation base be so profound!?" In his anxiousness, the High Priest didn't even take the time to think about what he was saying. "As the Sacred Ancient of the Crow Divinity Tribe, you have a high status. Don't you think that killing early Nascent Soul stage Priests is a huge loss of face for you!?"

"Nope," replied Naruto. His body flickered and he suddenly appeared next to another Nascent Soul Priest. The shocked man actually decided to self-detonate, but before he could, the first two fingers of Naruto's right hand pointed out as he used the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. Its power instantly sealed the man's Cultivation base and preventing him from self-detonating. Naruto's fingers stabbed into the man's forehead, instantly smashing the man's Cultivation base.

"Naruto!" shouted the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather. "Do you dare to fight one-on-one with me!?" The man's heart was filled with anxiety, but Naruto's speed was such that he was completely incapable of catching up.

The rest of the Nascent Soul Priests were currently fleeing, but their speed couldn't possibly match up to Naruto's. He was already fast to begin with, but now that he possessed Hidan's escape art, his speed was increased to a terrifying level.

It was at this moment that, off in the distance, another bloodcurdling scream could be heard echoing out, shaking everything. Suddenly, an enormous centipede could be seen writhing up above in the midst of a red glow. A red light passed through the creature's body, sucking away all of its life force. The centipede's body went stiff and its scream was suddenly cut off.

The Five Poisons Tribe's centipede Sacred Ancient, the last of the totems, had been destroyed!

All of the Five Poisons Tribe's totems disappeared as if they had been directly erased. There… was not even one left!

"Sacred Ancient!"

"My Cultivation base…. The exalted Sacred Ancients are all dead. The Five Poisons Tribe is dying…."

All of the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators coughed up blood. Their bodies sagged as all of their Cultivation bases sank downward. Core Formation became Foundation Establishment! Foundation Establishment became Chakra Condensation!

They let out howls of despair. What they felt now was a feeling that the original Crow Divinity Tribe members were deeply familiar with. However, back when that happened, Naruto was there, and became their new totemic Sacred Ancient. Right now, the Five Poisons Tribe… had nothing like that to rely on.

The remaining five or six Nascent Soul Priests were locked in combat with the Crow Divinity Nascent Soul Elders. Their faces were pale; they could do nothing to prevent their Cultivation bases from wasting away. In the blink of an eye, they were no longer of the Nascent Soul stage, but rather, had become Core Formation Cultivators.

The instant their Cultivation bases dropped to Core Formation… in the blink of an eye, their bodies shook. If it wasn't a head lopped off, it was a body exploded. All of them were slaughtered in an instant by the Crow Divinity Tribe Nascent Soul Elders.

The massacre continued as the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators' Cultivation bases shot downward.

As of now, the only Nascent Soul Cultivators that remained in the Five Poisons Tribe were the High Priest and the Greatfather. However, even they were forced to pay a steep price because of the death of the totemic Sacred Ancients.

Their Cultivation bases declined; they were no longer in the late Nascent Soul stage, but rather the mid stage. From the look of the situation, they wouldn't be able to stay there long. The decline would continue until they reached the early Nascent Soul stage.

The green smoke suddenly congealed into Naruto. He put on the blood-colored mask and then turned around to face the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather and High Priest.

"Did you just say you wanted to fight me?" he asked coolly.

"Despicable!" said the Five Poisons Tribe High Priest, his face flickering as he stared at Naruto. He ground his teeth as he subconsciously edged backward. He was now no longer of the late Nascent Soul stage, so facing up against Naruto caused his heart to be half filled with fear.

Even as the words left his mouth, a whistling sound could be heard from off in the distance. It was none other than the Blood Clone. Having slaughtered the two great totemic Sacred Ancients, it was returning, its lust for blood unsated.

All of a sudden, Naruto realized that he couldn't sense a connection to the Clone. In the blink of an eye, the bloody figure was pouncing on the Five Poisons Tribe High Priest.

This was the same man who had stood lofty and proud outside of the Crow Divinity Tribes those years ago. Now his face filled with shock and he cried out in alarm. Power exploded from his Cultivation base as divine abilities and magical items appeared. He held back nothing in an attempt to block the Blood Clone. However, the Blood Clone charged directly through all the divine abilities and magical items to pounce onto the man. In that instant, time seemed to slow down for a moment.

When the Blood Clone left the High Priest, the man's body was withered. His life force had been sucked away; even his Nascent Soul was dried up and dead. His body was now nothing more than a desiccated corpse, completely drained of every drop of blood.

The dried up corpse fell to the ground; the expression on its face was the same expression it had worn before dying, one of dread, shock, and deep regret.

The Blood Clone shot through mid-air toward the battling Tribe members, slamming into the Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators. It passed through the battleground like a sea of blood, leaving behind only desiccated corpses.

The Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather watched what was happening, and his aged figure seemed to emanate even more Death Chakra. He seemed so old that he might fall into a grave at any moment.

"The Five Poisons Tribe has lost this battle," he said, as the miserable screams continued to echo out. Pain filled his heart as he turned to Naruto, clasped hands, and bowed deeply. "I would like to earnestly request that the Crow Divinity Tribe totemic Sacred Ancient leave a bit of hope for the Five Poisons Tribe…."

Naruto looked back at him silently. More and more bloodcurdling screams filled the air. After a long moment, Naruto calmly replied, "If the Crow Divinity Tribe were the loser, and I made such a request, would you comply?"

The Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather was filled with bitterness. He knew that such a thing would never happen. If the victor in the battle had been the Five Poisons Tribe, then the Crow Divinity Tribe would have been completely wiped out, including the old, the young and the ordinary Tribe members. The entire Tribe would have been completely eradicated, wiped clean off the face of the earth.

This was not a personal vendetta; it was a war between Tribes. There would be no mercy, no pity. There was only life… and death!

"I understand. In that case…. You and I shall fight!" He took a deep breath as he lifted his head up. His eyes filled with the will to go to battle. However, deep within that will to fight was actually a desire for death.

"To be killed by the hand of the Crow Divinity Tribe totemic Sacred Ancient is a worthy death," the Greatfather continued lightly. "As the Greatfather of the Five Poison Tribe, I curse you and the Crow Divinity Tribe…. On the other hand, despite having met death on this path to the Black Lands, we are both Cultivators of the Western Desert…. I hope that in the coming days, the Crow Divinity Tribe… will surpass even its former glory. After all, we are all Western Desert Cultivators!" With that, his body flickered as he shot toward Naruto.

Naruto saw the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather's desire to die, and inwardly, he sighed with regret. However, this caused no sloppiness in his actions. His eyes glittered coldly as he strode forward.

The two met in mid-air, causing booms to echo across the battlefield. The Greatfather unleashed one divine ability after another, like a flower who had reached the point of death and wanted to shine with as much life as possible.

Amidst the booming, magical techniques slammed into each other and divine abilities exploded. Five Poisons Tribe Cultivators were dying everywhere on the battlefield. However, the miserable screams were now growing more faint, weaker, and fewer.

After the space of ten breaths passed, the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather coughed up a mouthful of blood. Laughing uproariously, he once again charged toward Naruto.

After twenty breaths, he had lost one of his arms. Still laughing toward the Heavens, he stubbornly charged Naruto again.

Thirty breaths later, a deafening roar filled the air as a gigantic mist rose up into the air. Naruto slowly slipped off the blood-colored mask, turned, and walked off. Behind him, the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather exploded into countless chunks. In the moment before his death, confusion filled his eyes. Within that confusion, was a release from worldly cares.

He was dead, body and spirit!

It was impossible to say whether it was by some previous plan, but the instant that the Five Poisons Tribe Greatfather died was the same moment in which the Blood Clone sucked the life and blood out of the very last Five Poisons Tribe Cultivator on the battlefield.

The battle with the Five Poisons Tribe was now completely over.

However, even as Naruto heaved a sigh of relief, his pupils suddenly constricted. His body suddenly flickered to reappear in front of one of the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe. He lifted his hand up and pushed it out in front of him.

"Screw off!" he said, his expression vicious. The sound of his voice was like thunder, shaking everything and echoing out in all directions. His gesture just now seemed to cause the air to rip; ripples spread out to reveal something shooting through the air that Naruto had just blocked… the Blood Clone!

This was a Hebi Clan Blood Clone which looked like Naruto in all aspects except for the bloody glow which emanated off of it. When it appeared, it stood there in front of Naruto, its eyes shining with displeasure and struggle. Its lust for blood after killing the final member of the Five Poisons Tribe had caused it to instinctually seek to consume the nearest living thing to it.

As of this moment, the Crow Divinity Tribe members began to let out sighs of relief. As the frenzy of battle wore off, they quickly fell back, taking the neo-demons with them.

It took only a short moment for all of the Tribe members and neo-demons to be behind Naruto. Even the Outlander Beast retreated, panting, instinctively fearful of the Blood Clone.

Only the meat jelly and the parrot dared to stand, one on each of Naruto's shoulders, arrogantly looking at the Hebi Clan Blood Clone who stood up ahead.

"This bastard is too ugly," said the parrot appraisingly. "No hair at all, not even one! How could something like this even exist? Although, why does his aura seem so familiar? I just can't seem to place it…."

The meat jelly gave the Blood Clone strange, measuring look, and then greeted it in a very amicable fashion. "Heyyy. Hi there! Hello! I'm Lord Third. Let me tell you something, do you know how high I can count? I can count to three…."

The Blood Clone stared at Naruto, completely ignoring the parrot and the meat jelly. There was an innate haughtiness within the thing that seemed to be at odds with the seal connecting it to Naruto. That conflict caused its face to twist and the suddenly let out a howl toward Naruto.

Its Cultivation base was special. It was impossible to sense anything like Core Formation, Nascent Soul or Spirit Severing. It was as if it didn't even have a Cultivation base. All it had was an aura, a fearsome aura that exceeded a Cultivation base. This aura made it seem as if it were a horrible enemy to anything in which life existed.

Furthermore, it seemed that absorbing the blood and life force of powerful experts caused its aura to grow even stronger. Naruto had the feeling that even though he had created it, were it not for the legacy magic of the Blood Immortal as well as various other control techniques, it would be taking instinctive, terrifying actions.

Looking at the Hebi Clan Blood Clone growling there, his heart sank a bit. From the records of the Blood Immortal legacy, he knew that there was always a chance of a revolt occurring when using blood to refine spirits. Generally speaking, that would happen when a Blood Divinity emerged. It rarely happened with Blood Spirits. The chances of it happening with a Blood Clone were virtually nonexistent.

However, this Hebi Clan Blood Clone, which although definitely only in the Blood Clone phase, was suddenly showing signs of revolt. This was no doubt a situation that the Blood Immortal had never anticipated.

This situation instantly caused Naruto to think about that mysterious drop of Hebi blood.

It was at this moment that the Hebi Clan Blood Clone's red eyes flickered. It howled and charged directly toward Naruto. However, in that instant, Naruto's eyes shone with a red light. His pupils turned bright red and magical symbols appeared within them.

This instantly caused the Blood Clone to scream and back away from Naruto.

Naruto gave a cold snort. Lifting up his right hand, he performed an incantation, without the slightest hesitation, using a Blood Immortal legacy technique. All of his power poured into a restrictive seal that he had placed inside the body of the clone during its refinement.

The Blood Clone screamed miserably and began to tremble. After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, it's body suddenly collapsed, transforming into a drop of blood. Naruto waved his hand to collect the seal, then picked up the drop of blood.

As soon as the blood touched his palm, it transformed into a strand of silk. This was a strand of Eyeless Larva silk, which was what Naruto had used to form the core of the Hebi Clan Blood Clone.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he took care of the Blood Clone. However, his heart was filled with somberness. This was the first time that the Blood Clone had shown any signs of revolt, causing Naruto to unleash the full power of the restrictive seal. If it happened again, Naruto feared that using the same restrictive seal as before would be ineffective.

His eyes flickered in his thoughtfulness.

"If I refined the Blood Clone using the conjuring method for Blood Spirits, then the effectiveness of the restrictive seal should increase quite a bit." His mind settled, Naruto led the Crow Divinity Tribe and the neo-demon horde off of the battlefield. He collected the corpses of the totemic Sacred Ancients, as well as the Five Poisons Tribe's flying machine, and slowly moved off.

After they left, a ripple appeared in the air atop a mountain not far away from the battlefield, an area that was nearly completely submerged in violet rainwater. Tsukino magically appeared. She chuckled as looked off in the direction of the departing Crow Divinity Tribe.

"It seems I've underestimated him again…. I assumed that he would have to pay a higher price to achieve victory, perhaps waste some Dancing Sword Chakra. I never imagined that all he would have to do was use the power of the Agarwood.

"Just how many times can he summon the Agarwood. And how much of the Sword Chakra does he have?" Lost in thought, Tsukino stood there for a while, her brow furrowed. Finally she smiled.

"It doesn't matter. What's the point of trying to figure those things out? There are still many years to go before the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opens again. I might as well enjoy myself in Lands of Ninshu." Laughing, her body flickered and she disappeared.

The moment she disappeared, Naruto, who was leading the Crow Divinity Tribe groups, suddenly glanced over his shoulder, his eyes shining brightly.

Having experienced the battle with their archenemy, it could be said that the Crow Divinity Tribe had won a great victory. They had exterminated the Five Poisons Tribe. Unfortunately, that victory had come at a heavy price.

Of their force of ten thousand Cultivators, they now only had a bit more than three thousand left. However, those who remained had undergone a sort of baptism. Whether in terms of Cultivation base or in just the impression they left on others, they were now as sharp as swords… deadly, unsheathed swords!

All the battles they had fought made it so that even death meant little to them. Amidst the blood and the killing, even what it meant to be a Cultivator changed in their hearts.

The Crow Divinity Tribe had experience tumultuous change. These more three thousand survivors could all be considered to be a match for the most powerful members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes years ago.

War can wipe out a Tribe. At the same time, it can also cause a Tribe to rise to prominence! It can kill people. At the same time, it can give birth to new life!

In the blink of an eye, the Crow Divinity Tribe had been reborn. As of now, it was possible to predict that if they carried on this way, by the time they reached the Black Lands, they would be a great Tribe, risen to prominence within the Western Desert Apocalypse. Based on their battle prowess and decisiveness, they would become a Tribe that even other great Tribes would come to fear.

At the same time, Naruto's personal strength continued to grow. Every time he fought through a desperate crisis, it caused wild faith to grow in the hearts of the members of the Crow Divinity Tribes. It turned into a piety, a faith power that constantly circulated around Naruto and fused into his body.

Although he could not actually absorb it, its continued existence inside of him cause his life force to flourish and the power of his divine abilities and magical techniques to increase dramatically.

Naruto could tell that the faith of the Crow Divinity Tribe members had the potential to increase his power. At the same time, his own might caused the Crow Divinity Tribe members' Cultivation bases to rise.

"The amalgamation of the five elements will give rise to a mighty leap up for the Crow Divinity Tribes!" thought Naruto. Currently, he sat on the head of the flying viper. The wind beat against his face as he looked out at the lands below.

After the battle, Naruto had absorbed the remainder of the Five Poisons Tribe's neo-demons. Although many of them had died, his horde now contained a total of around 50,000.

In addition, they had acquired quite a bit of resources from the Five Poison Tribes. Most importantly… was this precious treasure, a flying machine that could hold thousands of people!

This gigantic viper whistled through the air, carrying all of the Crow Divinity Tribe members as they continued on their journey.

The incredible speed with which it moved filled the Crow Divinity Tribe members with hope, and allowed them to put aside about the horrific brutality of the battle they had just fought.

It had taken them two years to walk out from within the depths of the Western Desert North region. They had experienced many battles, and in the end, had fought it out with the Five Poisons Tribe. Now, it was as if a door had opened for them.

After passing through this door, the glory of the Crow Divinity Tribe would once again be known in the Western Lands.

The giant viper shot through the air for many days. They passed over quite a few Tribes who had no flying machines, and soon had gone farther than they could have traveled in ten years on foot.

The further south they flew, the fewer lakes they saw, and the more rivers. The reason for this was because the further south one got, the higher the elevation. Contrariwise, many areas in the lands in the north were already becoming seas.

Several days later, a mountain range became visible up ahead. It was black, and stretched out seemingly endlessly.

Sitting next to Naruto was the Crow Divinity Tribe Greatfather. His face was pale, and his body aged. As he looked off into the distance, he coughed, and then slowly said, "This is the true demarcation between the Western Desert North region and the Central region, the Ink Qilin Mountain Range…."

During the battle, the Greatfather had chosen to burn his own life force in order to delay the enemy High Priest. Despite months of treatment by consuming medicinal pills concocted by Naruto, as well as healing power from his Wood-type totem, he had harmed his foundation. He knew that the time of his death drew close. He only had about half of a sixty-year cycle left.

He felt no regrets. Half of a sixty-year cycle was enough that he might be able to watch with his own eyes as the Crow Divinity Tribe entered the Black Lands. He might even be able to spend some time living with the Tribe after they got there.

To him, that was enough. During the few months of travel, he had not practiced Cultivation, but rather, lived like an ordinary person. He would sleep, and sometimes dream, something he hadn't experienced in many years. Within his dreams he saw images of himself and the other Greatfathers with whom he had fought and schemed against for so many years. In his dreams, they were smiling and beckoning to him, inviting him to leave with them.

They had fought for a lifetime, but now, he was the only one left. He would wake up from his dreams feeling lonely and alone.

"After we pass these mountains," he continued, his voice low, "we will be in the Western Desert Central region. Right now, that is probably where the largest groups of Cultivators are gathered." After that, he coughed a few more times.

"Our stockpile of Spirit Stones is sufficient," he went on. "Unfortunately, this Five Poisons Tribe flying treasure probably won't be able to keep going for a very long time. Because it was overloaded earlier, it was damaged. I'm afraid it won't be able to sustain flight for more than half a year. After that, it will stop working." The Greatfather frowned anxiously.

Naruto nodded, but did not respond. As the flying viper treasure shot over the Ink Qilin Mountains, a vast tableau opened up in front of Naruto's eyes. It was an enormous plain that was completely different from the lands in the north.

Although the violet rain fell here, there was still greenery visible, areas where the violet rain had not exterminated all the vegetation.

As they proceeded further south, the previously extinguished spiritual energy suddenly began to sparkle to life. This caused the Crow Divinity Tribe members to instantly be enlivened.

Naruto frowned. Because the spiritual energy had not been completely cut off in the Western Desert Central region, and because not all life had been exterminated, it meant that there would be more Tribes here.

"Now that we're here, we need to be more cautious," he said. With that, he sent the flying viper forward to search for a place in the plains where the Tribe could rest and reorganize.

At the same time, he waved his hand, causing a large group of black crows to appear and fly toward the west, south and east. They shot off into the air and quickly disappeared.

Time passed by. Half a month later, they still had not run into any local Cultivators. Nonetheless, the Crow Divinity Tribe remained vigilant, constantly keeping watch in all directions.

One afternoon, Naruto sat there cross-legged as a black beam of light appeared up in the sky. It shot toward their flying magical treasure, and then appeared in front of Naruto in the form of a black crow. It hovered in the air in front of him, emitting a soundless call.

Naruto looked at the crow, and then his eyes began to glow. A moment later, he lifted up his hand. The crow landed on his palm and then disappeared.

Another half month went by. Similar events occurred over and over again as the black crows that Naruto had sent out returned at high speed with reports from the surrounding areas.

Naruto was also able to see the surrounding lands through the eyes of the crows. Using their bodies, he was essentially able to increase the range of his Spiritual Sense.

Several days later, when all the crows had returned, Naruto was now as familiar with the area as he was the back of his own hand.

He waved his hand, causing a screen to appear in front of him upon which was sketched a map. "There are seven Tribes in the area, all mid-sized Tribes. The smallest of them number in the thousands, the largest is 20,000 strong…."

The Greatfather and the other Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Crow Divinity Tribe were seated around Naruto. They looked with interest at the map.

"Right now, these two Tribes are the closest to us," Naruto continued. "They no doubt are already aware that we have a Demon Spirit. However, Tribes who have managed to migrate this far into the Central region will have experienced many hardships. They won't make a move lightly, and will certainly attempt to scout us out.

"In recent days," he said calmly, "I have sensed at least two waves of Divine Sense sweep over us, which are assuredly from the totemic Sacred Ancients of those two Tribes." None of the surrounding Cultivators said anything.

"What interests me most in this area is this place," said Naruto, pointing to a spot on the map. It was a relatively large location about two weeks away via flight, which Naruto had circled on the map.

"This place seems very strange, and is occupied by seven or eight Tribes. Based on the observations of my neo-demons, it seems they have constructed something of a trade outpost." He frowned.

"They must have formed an alliance!" said one of the Nascent Soul Cultivators. He was a middle aged man, not one of the original members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, but a more recent addition.

"Because of the Apocalypse," he continued, "and the increasing heaviness of the violet rainfall, there will definitely be some Tribes who choose to form alliances instead of fighting with each other. The members of such alliances will be stronger as a whole, and will have a better chance of surviving.

"The group the exalted Sacred Ancient referred to is surely just such an alliance. As for the trade outpost… that seems simple enough to explain. I've passed through this part of the Central region before in the past. The Tribes in this area tend to form mobile trade outposts. In fact, some Tribes are nothing more than such trade outposts."

"Elder Temujin is correct," said the Crow Gloom Tribe Grand Elder. "I've also heard of this matter. After these particular Tribes formed their alliance, they constructed a trade outpost to engage in resource trade. They all have their various needs and desires, but together, they are more confident of making it to the Black Lands." The Crow Gloom Tribe Grand Elder had already switched totem tattoos. He now had Naruto's Wood-type totem. This had caused his Cultivation base to climb back up into the early Nascent Soul stage.

"Logically speaking," said Elder Temujin, "a trade outpost created by an alliance like that won't stay in place for too long. They'll continue moving forward, growing stronger and more powerful, continuously engaging in business with people they encounter.

"That is exactly the type of place we need to go to. We might even be able to purchase a long range flying magical treasure. There may be some other items we can acquire that will be useful for our migration.

"I've even heard that in the trading outposts of some of the great Tribes, you can purchase Sacred Ancients from Tribes that have been wiped out….

"The main question is, do we engage in trade with this alliance? Or… do we rob them!?" His words caused everyone's eyes to begin to shine brightly and then look toward Naruto to await his decision.

Naruto was quiet for a while before coolly saying, "If the alliance chooses to trade with us, then we trade. If they want to go to war with us, then we will bring them war!"

Naruto's words caused the surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Crow Divinity Tribe to sit thoughtfully for a moment before cold glows appeared in their eyes, and then killing intent. This was especially true of Elder Temujin, who licked his lips, his eyes glinting viciously.

Naruto closed his eyes and then pointed his finger down towards the ground. Instantly, Demonic Chakra shot up from the plain, swirling around to form a figure. This was none other than Naruto's Demonic Incarnation.

The illusory figure contained Naruto's Spiritual Sense. It flickered as a black cloak suddenly wrapped around it, turning it into a black-cloaked man.

The black-cloaked man floated there in the air, his facial features indistinguishable. Naruto's voice suddenly spoke out from within the hood: "The Tribe as a whole, as well as my true self, will not move. I'll send this clone ahead to that alliance."

The surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators nodded. Regarding Naruto's bizarre divine abilities, they were already used to them. To them, it was simply how things should be.

The black-cloaked figure turned to Elder Temujin. "You've traveled through this area before, Elder Temujin. Why don't you accompany me on this little expedition?"

Elder Temujin took a deep breath as he rose to his feet and then bowed.

The Greatfather of the Crow Divinity Tribe also rose to his feet. He produced a bag of holding which he handed over to Naruto. This bag of holding contained a portion of the Tribe's Spirit Stones and other resources.

Naruto's black-cloaked Demonic Incarnation turned and flew off into the sky, followed by Elder Temujin. In the blink of an eye, they turned into beams of colorful light that shot off into the distance.

After the Demonic Incarnation left, Naruto, who was still seated there cross-legged, opened his eyes.

"We'll rest and reorganize here for a few days," said Naruto coolly. "Afterwards, whether we engage in business or war will depend on the will of the Tribe." Considering his position within the Tribe, his words actually counted as the voice of the Tribe.

The surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators nodded, and the Crow Divinity Tribe began to station themselves in the area. This would be their first period of prolonged rest during the entire migration.

Meanwhile, Naruto's black-cloaked Demonic Incarnation flew through the air of the Western Desert Central region, along with Elder Temujin.

They moved at high speed, occasionally employing minor teleportation as they headed directly toward the alliance of Tribes.

A few days later, Naruto asked, "Elder Temujin, do you have any former acquaintances in this area?" He'd come to find that Elder Temujin seemed very familiar with the region. Occasionally the man would look around at the scenery with what appeared to be a wistful expression.

Elder Temujin chuckled. "To be honest with you, exalted Sacred Ancient, I actually made a few enemies in this area some years ago. They chased me around, trying to kill me, which is how I came to be more familiar with the area." Elder Temujin was skinny and wizened, and had a mustache shaped like the word 八. On the left side of his face was a scar that stretched all the way down to his neck, making his appearance especially sinister.

Naruto nodded, and declined to make further inquiries. The two of them continued to fly through the air in beams of colorful light.

Time flashed by. They were able to move with incredible speed, traveling in ten days what it would take the flying machine one month.

Actually, it took that long because of Elder Temujin. Were Naruto traveling alone using his Demonic Incarnation, it would only take five days.

One day, an area appeared up ahead on the plain. More than ten thousand tents were arranged in concentric rings around a city. They were densely packed in special patterns that made it look like a spell formation with protective powers.

The more than ten thousand tents were organized into groups that made up eight different patterns like sealing marks, which of course represented the eight different Tribes which formed the alliance.

The city was located in the very center. From his position up in the air, Naruto could see quite a few Cultivators coming and going. The whole scene was quite lively.

When Naruto and Elder Temujin were about three thousand meters away, the voice of an old man suddenly called out from the direction of the allied Tribes.

"Welcome to the Eight Branch Alliance. We are an alliance formed by eight different Tribes, and are camping in this area for five months. During that time, flying is prohibited for three thousand meters in all directions. Fellow Daoists, if you have come to do business, then you are welcome here."

Even as the words could be heard, an old man suddenly appeared in front of Naruto and Elder Temujin. On his face could be seen some blotchy, brown marks. He looked over Naruto and Elder Temujin and then continued, "I am Sumaru. Fellow Daoists, you don't look familiar. I'm curious as to where you might have come from." After examining Elder Temujin, his eyes came to rest on Naruto, whereupon his pupils constricted.

Sumaru was at the early Nascent Soul stage, so the fact that he could not see the Cultivation base of this black-cloaked man caused his heart to fill with vigilance.

Seeing that Naruto did not plan to speak, Elder Temujin laughingly clasped hands and said, "I am Temujin. Our Tribe is migrating from the Western Desert North region, and are passing through the area. We heard that the Eight Branch Alliance built a city in the area, and thus decided to come trade for a few necessary items."

Sumaru's eyes shifted away from Temujin to look behind him and Naruto, where of course there was nothing. His expression ordinary, he suddenly smiled.

"The Eight Branch Alliance welcomes all Fellow Daoists who wish to engage in business. Welcome, both of you!" With a laugh, he turned and gestured welcomingly. The three of them descended to the ground and began to walk toward the Eight Branch Alliance.

"That fact that you managed to migrate from the Western Desert North region all the way to here indicates that your Tribe is definitely extraordinary, Fellow Daoist Temujin."

"Ai, there were many twists and turns along the way, and we experienced many things. But, let's not talk about that. Fellow Daoist Sumaru, from the look of things, your Eight Branch Alliance seems highly likely to be able to enter the Black Lands. I offer you my congratulations."

"Thank you for your auspicious words, Fellow Daoist Temujin. May I inquire, what sort of items are you looking to acquire?"

"Oh, nothing special. Just some odds and ends, although if there are any neo-demon hordes for sale, that would be excellent."

Laughing and smiling, Temujin continued to chat vaguely with Sumaru as they walked along.

The entire time, Naruto remained silent, allowing Temujin and Sumaru to feel each other out.

When they reached the border of the allied Tribes, Sumaru smiled and clasped hands and watched as Temujin and Naruto entered the city. Afterwards, a dour look appeared on his face.

Suddenly, a man's voice could be heard: "Brother Sumaru, is there something fishy about those two?"

The air rippled next to Sumaru as a man and a woman appeared. Both were middle-aged. The man wore a long scholar's robe and the woman was dressed in a Lady's gown.

Sumaru glanced over at the two and then slowly said, "They say that they came from the North region. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about that Cultivator named Temujin. As for the black-cloaked man next to him, I couldn't see the level of his Cultivation base. Furthermore, his aura was cold and dark.

"In order to forestall any mishaps, I suggest we allow them to be on their way of their own accord and…" Before Sumaru could finish, he was interrupted rather impolitely.

"There's nothing to worry about," said the woman in the Lady's gown. "He couldn't possibly be a Spirit Severing Patriarch. Even if he's of the late Nascent Soul stage, he's only one person. The net has already been cast out. When it comes time to draw it in, no mishaps will occur. Fellow Daoist Sumaru, there's no need to worry."

The scholarly looking man laughed, and his eyes flickered coldly. "He's only one trifling person. Brother Sumaru, there's no need to take him to heart. We will let the net remain cast a few more days, and then, according to the agreement reached by the Elders, we will draw it in. If those two really came from the North region, along with their Tribe, then we'll be able to catch quite a big fish!"

The man laughed, and the woman continued, "When the time comes to draw in the net, their Tribe will be revealed, and will become resources for our Eight Branch Alliance. Then, our months of rest here will not have been in vain.

"All of it will just count as bad fortune for them! They won't be able to blame anyone but themselves!" With that, the man and woman departed.

Sumaru frowned. After a long moment, he shook his head. "Maybe I really am just thinking too much into it." With that, he turned and disappeared.

After entering the city, Naruto and Temujin split up. Temujin had practiced Cultivation for many years, and was experienced and astute. He was adept in making discreet inquiries and collecting news, so Naruto decided to stroll about the city alone. When he saw all the people, and the proliferation of various shops and stores, he was astonished.

This place was quite large, and although you couldn't say that it had everything, there was quite a variety of things to purchase, from neo-demon hordes, to powerful solitary neo-demons, even a quite a bit of rather shoddy medicinal pills. There were even flying magical items.

Unfortunately, there were no prices listed, only indications that these items could be purchased through auction. Even still, Naruto was able to get a feel for the majesty of the city. There were many Cultivators; it seemed the city could hold nearly ten thousand people, making the place quite bustling.

As he walked, Naruto's pupils suddenly constricted as he noticed what appeared at first to be a simple structure, but was actually a luxurious shop. This shop happened to specialize in totems!

Different Tribes had different totem branding methods, and this place happened to sell a variety of such methods for a variety of prices. This shop instantly caught Naruto's attention.

After careful examination, he found that most were relatively cheap, and were only designed for functionality, not for providing Cultivation base breakthrough.

After looking around for a while, he felt that he understood the city a lot better. About two hours later, he had managed to stroll through about half of the city, when suddenly, he stopped in place.

He had just sensed a bit of Demonic Chakra coming from a shop nearby. After looking over, he was able to identify which shop; it was a place that sold totemic Sacred Ancients!

Perhaps a better way to say it was that these were incredibly powerful neo-demons that could be turned into totems!

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he was just about to enter the shop when suddenly a man appeared in front of him. He was dressed like a scholar; this was none other than the man who had been speaking with Sumaru earlier.

The man laughed and blocked Naruto's way.

"Fellow Daoist, the things in this shop will be up for auction in seven days. If you want them, you can purchase them at that time."

Naruto looked at the man with cold, glittering eyes. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

The middle-aged scholar's pupils constricted. When Naruto had looked at him, the man had used Divine Sense to try to feel Naruto out. However, all the Divine Sense could make out regarding the black-cloaked man was rippling nothingness. It couldn't pierce inside, not even the slightest bit.

"That man is very strange…" said the scholar, his eyes narrowing.

Naruto's expression didn't change as he walked through the city. However, deep within his cloak, his eyes gleamed with coldness.

"This place is pretty interesting. It seems almost everything is purchasable only at the auction…. Everything seems ordinary, but if you think about it carefully…."

As evening fell, the violet rain fell down onto the tents in the area that had been set up specifically for visiting Cultivators.

After spending a few Spirit Stones, Naruto and Temujin had been able to acquire a tent, within which they now sat cross-legged.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient," said Temujin in a low voice, as he reported his findings to Naruto, "I made a lot of inquiries earlier today. The Eight Branch Alliance has been in this spot for four months now. During the last few days of each of those months, they have hosted an auction.

"They've already held four such auctions. When popular items appear, deaths sometimes occur. However, none of the deaths are connected to the Eight Branch Alliance.

"Such deaths are usually caused because of personal disputes and thefts. Generally speaking, it seems that the Eight Branch Alliance is really just interested in business, and has no malicious intentions.

"The final auction will be held ten days from now. When it concludes, the Eight Branch Alliance will move on. As such, many local Tribes will be attending the final auction, and many valuable treasures will be up for purchase."

Naruto sat there cross-legged, his face concealed within this black cloak. After listening to Temujin's report, he said, "You think there's nothing unusual about this place?"

Temujin's eyes flickered. "There doesn't seem to be anything particularly unusual. However, we do need to be on guard. It's possible the Eight Branch Alliance is spreading bait to attract some big fish, which they can then collect together in one fell swoop.

"The surrounding Tribes couldn't possibly be that off-guard," he continued. "If the Eight Branch Alliance wanted to swallow them up, it would be difficult to accomplish. Besides, to survive in this Apocalypse, Tribes have to experience war and battles. Such Tribes wouldn't possibly fall for something so stupid. Even if they sent people here to trade, they wouldn't send too many Spirit Stones or other resources with them. If I were a local Greatfather, I would send a large group so that there would be safety in numbers. As for Spirit Stones, they would be secondary.

"Furthermore, if the Eight Branch Alliance truly had the power to swallow up an entire Tribe, then what is the point of the city? Why not just sweep over the surrounding tribes and plunder them dry? That would certainly save a lot of effort." Temujin looked puzzled.

"That's why I think that there's a seventy percent likelihood that they are actually focused on doing business, and not on maliciously robbing people." He looked over at Naruto.

Naruto was silent for a short time before giving a hoarse laugh.

"If you came to this conclusion, then likely other Tribes will too. It is because of that understanding that this city houses over ten thousand outsiders. Most are members of the other seven Tribes that exist in this region, as well as some Cultivators from even more distant regions.

"However, did it ever occur to you that the true goal of the Eight Branch Alliance, is neither business, nor robbing Spirit Stones and other resources?" Cold, glowing eyes looked out at Temujin from within the black cloak.

Temujin was taken aback, and sat there lost in thought.

At the same time, several dozen days of travel away where the Crow Divinity Tribe was resting, Naruto's true self sat cross-legged. Suddenly, his eyes opened to reveal a brilliant glow, and he rose to his feet.

"Members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, after enough time passes for a single incense stick to burn, we will mount our flying treasure and move at top speed toward the Eight Branch Alliance!" Immediately, all the Tribe members emerged from their meditative trances. Without asking any questions whatsoever, they rose to their feet. In the short amount of time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the thousands of Tribe members stepped onto the gigantic viper. A piercing cry rose up as the flying viper treasure shot through the air. Spirit Stones were used unhesitatingly, causing the viper to speed as fast as possible toward the Eight Branch Alliance.

As the Crow Divinity Tribe made their way toward the Eight Branch Alliance, time passed by slowly for Naruto and Temujin. Casting aside their previous prudence, they made their way throughout the Eight Branch Alliance city and began to make purchases.

Within the space of a few days, they had spent quite a bit of Spirit Stones to purchase various supplies that would be needed for the migration. The Eight Branch Alliance was constantly announcing the auction to take place in a few days. In fact, each day, various shops and stores would put on display some of the items which were to be auctioned.

Naruto saw three flying machines, one of which was a 25,000-meter treasure shaped like an actual ship, that could hold around ten thousand people.

It was protected by a glittering shield, and was capable of astonishing speed. Although a terrifying amount of Spirit Stones was required to operate it, it was essentially the only type of item that the Western Desert Tribes could use at the moment. Anything that normally operated on spell formations that absorbed the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, was now inoperable.

There were a few special totem branding techniques that were the topic of heated debate within the city. However, what caught Naruto's eyes the most were the neo-demons.

The Eight Branch Alliance had over a hundred thousand neo-demons of all varieties. The mere sight of them was shocking.

In fact… there were three totemic Sacred Ancients that the Eight Branch Alliance had on display. One was a three-headed Genbu turtle. Another was a three hundred meter long golden eagle. The final one was a blind crow. This crow was very similar to Naruto's other black crows; however, its aura was vastly, vastly more powerful.

Unfortunately, these three totemic Sacred Ancients seemed extremely weak and listless. Clearly, the Tribes and Tribe members who had exercised faith in them had been slaughtered. Therefore, the faith power they had stored up was thoroughly exhausted, and had not been replenished.

In addition, they were bound by fine, silver chains that pierced through their bodies. Their previous aloofness and haughtiness had changed. Now they were items for sale that anyone could glance upon casually.

Every day, a voice would ring out through the entire city, filled with sincerity. It didn't seem to contain even a scrap of hypocrisy, and sounded completely credible.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists. The Eight Branch Alliance will be holding our final auction in six days. After the auction, we will be leaving this area. During this final auction, we will be selling all of the items that you have had a chance to look over recently. Some of these items belong to the Eight Branch Alliance, but the majority have been entrusted to us by other parties to sell.

"In some cases, these items will not be sold for Spirit Stones, but rather other special items that we require. After all, it is such items that we will prepare to auction off in the next location we travel to."

Considering the reputation built up by the Eight Branch Alliance, as well as the extremely attractive items up that were to be put up for auction, more and more Cultivators arrived each day.

These people didn't just come from the neighboring seven Tribes, but even Tribes from further south. Of course, for safety's sake, large groups of Cultivators had been dispatched, all well-known figures. The leaders of all of these groups were of the Nascent Soul stage.

Three days before the auction was set to begin, the foreign population of the city had already swelled to twenty thousand. The city was packed, and the atmosphere extremely lively and out of the ordinary. In fact, some Tribes had already begun doing business secretly.

Temujin was as happy as a fish in water; he immediately began to interact with the other Tribes as he attempted to gather together all the supplies they needed. As of the day before the auction, Naruto had already spent all the Spirit Stones he had brought in order to acquire the various items they needed.

The more people arrived, the more Temujin seemed to think the area was safe. As for Naruto, he felt exactly the opposite. During the past seven or eight days, he had not actually engaged in any of the purchasing. Instead, he walked around the city, observing and studying it. In the end, he was convinced that under the surface of this entire area was a huge spell formation!

The spell formation was very complex. Even with many people working at it, it would take months to set up. Considering how long the Eight Branch Alliance had been in this area, Naruto was certain that the spell formation… had been put together by none other than them!

Most curious of all, this spell formation seemed to be able to stir and congeal Demonic Chakra!

The spell formation was so well hidden that even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would be incapable of detecting it. The only reason Naruto could sense it was because of the Demonic Chakra that was congealed inside. Obviously, the body Naruto was using was illusory, materialized from Demonic Chakra; naturally, he was extremely sensitive to Demonic Chakra.

Demonic Chakra was shapeless, which Naruto well knew. No one could see it, nor feel it. Only neo-demons or totemic Sacred Ancients would be able to sense it. However, considering the weakness of the Demonic Chakra in the spell formation, it would probably be difficult even for Sacred Ancients.

Unfortunately, it could not escape detection of Naruto, Demon Sealer.

"A spell formation that attracts Demonic Chakra is not the type of formation that an ordinary Cultivator would set up. The actual skill used in creating the formation is secondary to the mere fact that it contains Demonic Chakra. Whoever made it has some level of understanding of Demonic Chakra." Naruto thought about it for eight days as he walked about observing the city. It seemed as if he were examining the items which were being sold, but in truth, he was carefully observing the spell formation.

The more he observed it, the more interested he got.

At the moment, it was now one day before the auction. Naruto was standing in the center of the city, where there were no shops, but rather, an altar. The altar appeared ordinary. Placed on top of the altar was a huge statue that depicted a Cultivator with outstretched wings on his backs.

This was the totem statue of of one of the eight Tribes that made up the Eight Branch Alliance. Similar statues could be seen throughout the city, each one of which represented one of the eight Tribes.

As soon as he neared the altar, Naruto could sense at least ten streams of Divine Sense fall onto his body. It was impossible to tell what type of cultivation was practiced by the owners of these streams of Divine Sense. It was too deeply hidden. The level of the Cultivators was also impossible to determine. There was even a strand of Demonic Chakra present, which stuck out to Naruto. Inwardly, he gave a cold laugh. He knew that if he did anything out of the ordinary, this place would instantly be filled with at least ten Nascent Soul Cultivators.

He looked up at the statue with glittering eyes as he walked past casually. He didn't stop. However, what he did do was secretly merge his Spiritual Sense in the Demonic Chakra down below. It slowly spread out underground, undetectable. Based on his several days of study and observation, Naruto was now certain that this altar was the center of the spell formation.

As the Spiritual Sense spread out, Naruto could see the majestic spell formation. Furthermore, at the center of the spell formation was a pulsing black mist. Whatever was inside that black mist was impossible to see.

It was at this moment that a tremor ran through his mind, the source of which was inside his bag of holding. It was an archaic voice that he had not heard for a long time during his time in the Western Desert. It echoed out to fill his mind.

"Third Generation Demon Sealer blood refinement, Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

"The League of Demon Sealers! The First Generation is the Ancestor. The Second Generation is the Inheritor. The Third Generation is the most powerful. After the Fourth Generation, the successive generations grow weaker…. But the Ninth Generation is the ultimate! If the Ninth Generation is not slain, it is the pinnacle!"

The voice did not just echo out in the mind of Naruto's Demonic Incarnation in the Eight Branch Alliance, but also in the mind of his true self, which was currently speeding through the air in exactly that direction.

Naruto's mind in the Demonic Incarnation trembled, but his expression did not change in the slightest. He turned and walked off slowly. His inspection of the spell formation, and his sudden shock, was not noticed by any observers. As he walked off into the distance, the Divine Sense which had latched onto him slowly vanished.

Deep in the night, Naruto sat quietly in the tent, eyes closed.

Temujin was already in a meditative trance. Although he was not one hundred percent at ease with this place, he felt it to be fundamentally safe. He was eighty percent sure that the Eight Branch Alliance was only interested in doing business.

Meanwhile, the fact that the Crow Divinity Tribe had a Demon Spirit was not possible to conceal from the other seven Tribes that made their home in this part of the Western Desert Central region. They all became aware of it.

"That's…."

"A Demon Spirit! It's a Demon Spirit!"

"A Demon Spirit has actually appeared! We have to get it!"

Two of the Tribes sensed the Demon Spirit first. The other five took longer but were equally shocked. Of the seven, five immediately dispatched people toward the place indicated on the Esoteric compass.

In a very short period of time, the entire region was sent into a turbulent commotion.

The glowing dots on the Esoteric compasses held by the High Priests of the various Tribes caused their hearts to fill with astonishment. Even as they dispatched their forces, the Eight Branch Alliance called a parliament of the Greatfathers and High Priests of the eight Tribes. Instantly, a heated debate discussion.

"Dammit! Why did a Demon Spirit have to appear at this time!?"

"According to our scouts, the surrounding Tribes have already taken action. Furthermore, the Demon Spirit is heading directly toward our Eight Branch Alliance! If nothing unexpected happens, the Demon Spirit will be on top of us in two days, which is exactly when the forces of the other Tribes will arrive! There will definitely be fighting and robbing!"

"Should we delay the bringing in of the net…? After all, our plan is extremely important, but a Demon Spirit… is equally important!"

"The ideal situation would be one in which we successfully bring in the net AND acquire a Demon Spirit…."

As the discussion continued, an old man sat in the seat of honour. He wore a red robe and had his eyes closed. After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes.

"Enough!" he said, his voice ringing out like a clap of thunder. All of the other individuals in the tent instantly went silent.

"Demon Spirits are well and good. However, to the Eight Branch Alliance, what is most important is restoring the power of the Sacred Ancient. In the Western Desert East region, our Eight Branch Alliance's strength was significantly damaged. All of you received serious injuries. Even more importantly, we must not be rash when it comes to our Cultivation bases. If our totems are damaged, it could put us in danger of Cultivation base loss.

"That's also the reason why we are resting in this location; exterminating the other tribes in the area is not something easy to do.

"Have you forgotten the main point of the plan? We attract more and more Cultivators to this area, and then use the power of the spell formation to carry out a blood offering. That will restore the glory of our totems! Actually, for the Demon Spirit to come is a good thing!

"In fact, there actually couldn't be a better way to get more people to come here!" By the time the man finished speaking, his eyes were glowing with a cold light.

The other Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance began to nod silently.

Final preparations were made. Two days later at dawn, the Eight Branch Alliance began the auction.

A huge crowd of people was present, more than twenty thousand. As such, there was no special location for the auction; instead, it took place throughout the entire city.

Early in the morning, all of the buildings and shops in the city disappeared without a trace. What was left behind was a vast, empty square. Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators emerged from the surrounding tents to maintain order.

Everyone who was to participate in the auction held a jade slip in hand. These jade slips had been distributed a few days before, one for each person, including Naruto and Temujin Daihai.

"It's going to begin!" said Temujin excitedly. Despite being a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he had never participated in an auction before.

Naruto, on the other hand, was quite used to such affairs. The pill auction back in the Violet Fate Sect had been attended by a hundred thousand Cultivators. That auction was above and beyond this one in both terms of scale and grandeur.

A glowing screen appeared up above, from within which appeared a man. His handsome face was as white as jade. Smiling, he clasped hands and bowed to the thousands of Cultivators below.

"We meet again, Fellow Daoists! I am Dong Hanzi, with whom which many of you are already acquainted, since I presided over the previous four auctions.

"Today's auction is the final auction to be held by the Eight Branch Alliance. The rules are the same as ever. All of you have a jade slip, which you can brand with a value. That value will appear up here.

"There's no need to prattle on. Our first lot for the day…." As Dong Hanzi's voice rang out, the auction officially began. The first lot instantly caused quite a commotion. Prices branded onto jade slips immediately began to appear on the illusory screen up in the air. The prices instantly began to climb higher and higher.

Temujin's eyes went wide as he stared at the prices on the screen. As for Naruto, he didn't pay much attention to the auction. Instead he was looking around the area thoughtfully.

Time went by and the excitement in the auction continued to grow. After four hours had passed, when it was almost high noon, Dong Hanzi offered up a totemic Sacred Ancient for auction. It was at this point that the auction seemed to reach its peak.

Regardless if it was in terms of values being called out verbally or branded on the jade slips, the price continued to rise shockingly. It seemed relatively chaotic, but order was actually being maintained. By this point Temujin was thoroughly wrapped up in his excitement; he held his jade slip in hand as he participated in making bids.

All of the twenty thousand people in the area seemed to be going crazy. Only Naruto, his face hidden within the depths of his black cloak, seemed to remain calm.

"This Demonic Chakra spell formation really is something!" he thought, his eyes glittering coldly. Earlier in the morning, when the auction had just started, he saw the spell formation beginning to operate. By now, it was rotating rapidly, congealing large amounts of Demonic Chakra, then sending it undulating out invisibly to influence the emotions of the Cultivators in the area.

These undulations were causing the twenty thousand participants to slowly act like lunatics.

In complete contrast, the Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance, who had recently been the shopkeepers and other shop workers, were circulating in the area, cold, mocking smiles on their faces.

Suddenly, Naruto caught sight of a boundless mist approaching from off in the distance. It impossible to say when it appeared, but it spread out to cover the area. Furthermore, there were sixteen Cultivators floating up in the air, looking down coldly at the crowds.

Of these sixteen people, half were of the early Nascent Soul stage, and four were of the mid-Nascent Soul Stage. Shockingly, two were of the late Nascent Soul stage.

One of them was Sumaru, another was the man dressed like a scholar, and a third was the woman dressed in a Lady's robe.

The power of the Cultivation bases of these sixteen people began to spread out. However, Naruto could tell that all of the Cultivation bases were unstable, as if they were being held together with great difficulty. A few of these people actually emanated a faint Demonic Chakra.

Naruto's expression was cold after glancing over them and then looking back at Temujin. He suddenly spoke out Temujin's name. As soon as the man heard his name being called out, a tremor ran through his body. The crazed look faded from his eyes and turned into confusion, then astonishment. He knew that there was something wrong with his behaviour just now.

Panting, he looked around, his heart filled with caution. When he saw the crazed look on the faces around him, and the prices climbing rapidly, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He subconsciously turned to look at Naruto and then said, "Sacred An…."

"Come with me," said Naruto calmly. Temujin immediately followed Naruto as he worked his way through the crowd. They didn't draw much attention, and very quickly reached a certain location where Naruto came to a stop.

"This position is safe. If something unexpected happens, don't forget to sit down here and meditate. Don't take a single step away."

Temujin was a shrewd and astute person. Earlier, he had been under the influence of the spell formation, but now that he had come to his senses, he could sense the strangeness in the area. Having heard Naruto's words, he nodded in agreement. He had already decided that no matter what happened, he would not move away from this spot.

At the same time, his admiration for Naruto grew to even greater heights. He looked at Naruto, and although he couldn't see his face within the blackness of his cloak, he could sense Naruto's eyes looking toward the center of the trade outpost city.

Naruto merged his Spiritual Sense with Demonic Chakra and sent it out into the ground. He watched the spell formation rotating faster and faster; at the same time, the mist in the area continued to grow thicker.

"High noon is when the earth is aligned directly with the sun. At this moment of extremes… Yin is at its hardest and Yang as at its softest!

"Demonic Chakra, or whatever kind of Chakra it is, regardless of whether it is hard or soft, will appear at noon!" Naruto quickly calculated the current time.

"Only three more breaths of time…. Three, two, one…." A bright light shone in Naruto's eyes as he watched the wildly rotating spell formation cause the mist in the area to churn. At the same time, the ground below began to change color. Now it was red, like fresh blood.

Strands of Demonic Chakra began to float up to fill the air. Shockingly, the Demonic Chakra started rotating, transforming into a huge vortex that filled the sky.

Of course, Temujin couldn't see any of this. To him, everything seemed normal. The sky was still the sky and nothing was different.

To Naruto, however, what he was seeing was shocking to the extreme.

As for the sixteen Cultivators in mid-air, they were performing incantation gestures. Then, they began to let out growling roars as sixteen streams of magical symbols suddenly began to spread out toward the vortex up in the sky.

No one could see the gigantic vortex, only Naruto. The sight of it was actually somewhat familiar, as if he had seen something similar before in another place.

As the vortex spun rapidly, a black hole suddenly appeared in its middle. Within that black hole… another world suddenly became visible!

As the world became visible, Naruto's heart filled with astonishment, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. He suddenly realized what that place was!

The Sky Tower in the Five Elements Nation!

The year that Naruto left the Reliance Sect, he went to the capital city of the Five Elements Nation. There, he had stood atop the Sky Tower, fulfilling his lifelong dream of looking out from its enormous height toward the Sky Country in the Eastern Land.

After that, when he was preparing to leave, the sovereign of the Five Elements Nation and the others prostrated themselves in worship to the Sky Tower. As he left, he had inadvertently looked over his shoulder to see an enormous vortex appear in the sky. It was something that no one could see but him!

Within that vortex was another world, a battlefield filled with countless corpses, as well as a gigantic black coffin. The whole scene was incredibly shocking. Sitting next to the coffin, a shrivelled figure sat crosslegged. Naruto could never forget how as soon as he looked at the withered corpse, it suddenly opened its eyes.

That one look had caused a burning of his life force which lasted for months. Naruto now knew the purpose of that magic. It was a seal, locking onto his position.

Later, outside the Rebirth Cave, Naruto came to understand everything. He knew that the corpse's name was Choumen Tai. He had acquired Immortal Shows the Way from Choumen Tai, and knew that the world in that vortex was actually an ancient battlefield.

That war had been fought because of the previous Lord of the Ninth Mountain, of the Shimura Clan, as well as the current Lord of the Ninth Mountain who was of the Hebi Clan. It was in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins that Naruto put even more pieces together, learning that the war of supremacy regarding the Lordship of the Ninth Mountain also had to do with the Immortal Demon Sect!

As he looked up at the vortex, his mind filled with astonishment as he realized that the world he was looking at was, shockingly… the exact same world he had seen when in the Five Elements Nation!

However, this time, the ancient battlefield did not contain a coffin, but rather a sea of corpses….

In the very center of the sea of corpses was a huge altar, which was filled with a black mist. The mist made it impossible to see what was inside, but mournful shrieks could be heard coming from the mist. Soon, faces became faintly visible on its surface. It seemed as if they wanted to fly out from the mist, but were unable to. It seemed as if they had been stuck with the mist for countless years, unable to do anything except mourn and cry out.

Among the faces in the mist were Cultivators as well as neo-demons!

Naruto's mind filled with a roaring sound, and something like a powerful call suddenly welled up from his heart. It was actually impossible for him to tell whether this feeling was the black mist calling him, or if it was him calling the black mist!

It didn't matter at the moment. Naruto's heart and mind trembled as he thought back to the black mist he had seen in the center of the spell formation earlier, as well as what relationship it had with the vortex.

It was at this moment that looks of fanaticism filled the faces of the surrounding Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance. All of them kneeled down and began to bow toward the vortex up in the sky.

Even the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators up in mid-air also began to prostrate themselves.

At the same time, the redness that filled the ground began to spread out. The mist roiled as it enveloped everyone in the area, including Naruto. Vast amounts of Demonic Chakra suddenly began to pour out from within the spell formation.

The instant the Demonic Chakra appeared, it poured into all of the Cultivators in the area. They continued to act completely crazy, as if they had sunk into some dreamland from which they were unable to emerge. As the Demonic Chakra filled them, their faces twisted and distorted.

The Demonic Chakra poured into them, causing their bodies to tremble, and their expressions to turn vicious. Naruto's eyes glittered; after closer observation, he could see that the Demonic Chakra was actually fusing with the life force of the Cultivators.

Next, all of these people lifted their heads up toward the vortex. At the same time, the sixteen Cultivators in mid air used their incantations to cause the life force fused with Demonic Chakra, to shoot toward the whirlpool. It was instantly sucked in and headed toward the black mist inside. The faces in the mist suddenly looked excited, and began to consume it rapidly.

Naruto could clearly see all of this happening. He turned to look at Temujin, who remained sitting cross-legged in that particular position. His eyes were closed and he was meditating; his position was one of a few in the area that had no Demonic Chakra in it. That location was one of the nexus points of the spell formation; Demonic Chakra would not enter it, making him temporarily safe.

"Just what exactly is that mist…?" thought Naruto. "Why do I have this feeling of calling? I can tell that it's not the mist calling me. But rather… somehow I am inadvertently calling the mist." He looked around as the Demonic Chakra continued to pour into the surrounding tens of thousands of Cultivators. It merged with their life force and then shot up into the vortex.

At the same time, the surrounding tens of thousands of Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance began to speak in a bizarre language. The sound of it rose into the air, merging together to transform into sound waves that rolled out in all directions.

As their voices sounded out, the mist in the area churned even more violently. More Demonic Chakra shot up into the vortex, causing the faces on the black mist to emit excited roars.

The whole scene was incredibly bizarre. That was especially so as the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators up in the air shouted out excitedly and performed double-handed incantations to produce sealing marks which flew out.

Even more shocking, totem tattoos suddenly began to appear on the foreheads of the sixteen Cultivators. These totems looked like… faces!

They were the same twisted faces that existed on the black mist in the vortex!

Similar totem tattoos could suddenly be seen appearing on the foreheads of all the tens of thousands of Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators. Each face was different. Some were old, some were young. Some were Cultivators, some were neo-demons.

"Those faces are their totems!" thought Naruto, his heart filling with shock. He would never have imagined that the faces filling the black mist in the vortex could be totems.

"This Eight Branch Alliance is incredibly bizarre. Not only do they have a spell formation that can absorb Demonic Chakra, as well as Cultivators who actually have Demonic Chakra in their bodies, but their totems are connected to things inside the world of that vortex.

"Even stranger… that black mist has something to do with Demon Sealers!" His eyes filled with a strange light.

It was at this moment that the Demonic Chakra in the area suddenly began to cover the spell formation nexuses, and Temujin suddenly began to tremble. Demonic Chakra was already beginning to bore into his body.

Naruto frowned. He lifted his hand, and immediately the Demonic Chakra spread away from Temujin. Although it only caused a slight change to the dense Demonic Chakra in the area, there were suddenly seven streams of Divine Sense that shot over.

"What?"

"That guy is still conscious!"

"It's him…."

Almost at the same time that the seven streams of Divine Sense flew over, three of the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators up above flickered and began to fly down. It took only a brief moment for them to near Naruto.

Of the three, one was the man dressed as a scholar. Killing intent flickered in his eyes.

Naruto gave a cold snort. Waving his hand, he caused the Demonic Chakra in the area to shoot toward himself. It transformed into an invisible attack which swept toward the incoming three Cultivators.

Amidst echoing booms, the three Nascent Soul Cultivators' faces filled with shock, and they were forced to stop moving.

"Demonic Chakra! That guy can manipulate Demonic Chakra!" Immediately, the astonished Nascent Soul Cultivators began to perform incantations. Illusory faces suddenly appeared in front of them. They pushed out with their hands, causing the three faces to twist with fury. Savage laughter erupted from the mouths of the faces as they shot toward Naruto.

The Demonic Chakra wielded by Naruto had little effect on these three bizarre faces. They even consumed the Demonic Chakra as they approached. Even by increasing the power of the Demonic Chakra attack, Naruto was only able to make one of the three faces grow a bit blurry and fade away. The other two continued to shoot toward him.

A bang could be heard, and ripples spread out in all directions as Naruto's Demonic Incarnation suddenly shot backward. He snatched up Temujin and then continued to fly back.

The faces of the three Nascent Soul Cultivators were grim as they flew in pursuit of Naruto.

"Your Cultivation base is definitely extraordinary, but do you really think you can escape from the Eight Branch Alliance!?"

"It might be strange that you can manipulate Demonic Chakra. But we'll catch you and sacrifice you to the Sacred Ancient! The Sacred Ancient will definitely be very happy!"

It was with vigilance that the three Cultivators shot after Naruto. At the same time, another from the group up above shot down toward Naruto. It was Sumaru, turning the group that was pursuing Naruto into a group of four.

Using minor teleportation, the four worked together to employ Divine Abilities. Ferocious, magical faces appeared, shooting toward Naruto and devouring Demonic Chakra at the same time.

Naruto said nothing, nor did he even pay attention to his four pursuers. He held Temujin in one hand and performed an incantation with the other, causing a host of sealing marks to appear on Temujin's body.

At the same time, he flew away like a specter, completely avoiding the four Nascent Soul Cultivators.

After about ten breaths worth of time passed, Naruto placed his hand onto the top of Temujin's head. Suddenly, a shield appeared around him, whereupon Naruto loosened his grip, allowing Temujin to fall into the mist below.

With the shield in place, Temujin would not be affected by the attacks of the Demonic Chakra. Next, Naruto turned and waves his hand toward his four pursuers. Instantly, Demonic Chakra appeared to attack them.

The five of them flitted back and forth with minor teleportations, unleashing endless magical techniques, divine abilities, magical faces, and Demonic Chakra. Sumaru and the others were quickly filled with shock. Naruto danced back and forth, his attacks bizarre, causing them to feel more and more frustrated.

"Where did this guy come from? How could he be so weird?"

Even as the four of them were beginning to feel more and more frustrated, two more Nascent Soul Cultivators frowned and teleported down from the remaining group of twelve up above. Now, a combined force of six people was attacking Naruto. Six enormous faces appeared and then began to merge together. This killing move, combining the power of all six of them, caused a massive rumbling to fill Heaven and Earth. The sky dimmed and the clouds up above seethed. Naruto stopped moving as his black cloak was shredded into pieces. For the first time, his body beneath was revealed to the outside world.

It… was not actually a body! It was a mass of Demonic Chakra, congealed into the shape of a body. It was a human-shaped body of Demonic Chakra that looked like mist!

When the onlookers saw the body of mist, their minds trembled. The eyes of the six attackers, as well as the ten people up in air, went wide. Their expressions filled with astonishment.

"A Mist Clone!"

"Impossible! What we've been working so hard to kill is actually a Mist Clone!"

"If a mere Mist Clone is so powerful, then what about his true self… He must be completely fearsome!"

Sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators' faces completely fell. This was especially true of Sumaru, whose face went pale when he thought back to his earlier premonition.

Naruto's misty body began to fade away, but his face was filled with derision and coldness.

"I'll be back!"

"I'm already here!"

The first sentence was uttered by the disappearing misty figure. The second echoed out from far off in the distance, causing a rumbling that shook everything.

To the people who heard it, it sounded like thunder exploding up into the Heavens.

The sound echoed out like thunder throughout Heaven and Earth. As it did, a three thousand meter long gigantic viper appeared flying through the air!

Standing on top of the viper were several thousand Cultivators. Their eyes flickered with cold glows. This was the Crow Divinity Tribe who, after years of warfare, had been forged into cold-blooded warriors.

None of them spoke a single word. From the elderly to the children, all of them wore grim expressions, ruthless and bloodthirsty. They stared out coldly at the Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance….

It was obvious that there were only a few thousand of them. But when the Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance looked at them, they seemed like an army of tens of thousands. The closer they came, the more obvious it was that the Crow Divinity Tribe was surrounded by a killing intent that could rock Heaven and Earth!

This intense killing intent was an invisible aura that could manifest after countless enemies had been killed. The fire and blood that had been experienced by the Crow Divinity Tribe had lit a burning madness in them that seemed on the verge of shaking the entire Western Desert.

"Who are they? What Tribe is that?!"

"For a whole Tribe to look like that is something that will never last long in the Western Desert, not even in the Central region. Such word is difficult to forge!"

"They… could it be… don't tell me it's caused by the Demon Spirit!?"

The sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators looked over, faces filled with shock. The Crow Divinity Tribe obviously only had a few thousand Cultivators, but their aura was incredibly intense. The killing intent they emanated was too strong, making the Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators feel as if they were being suffocated.

This… was the Crow Divinity Tribe!

They had experienced the fires of war, had been bathed by the flames into a rebirth! A new Crow Divinity Tribe!

The viper flew through the air at top speed. Originally, they should have taken one day longer before arriving. However, the Crow Divinity Tribe had pushed with full force to increase their speed and arrive a day earlier. In the blink of an eye, they were suddenly here!

A man stood on the head of the enormous viper, in front of the Crow Divinity Cultivators. When the Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators saw him, in their hearts, they felt as if they were looking at a god of death.

He wore a green robe, and more than a few white hairs could be seen in his black, floating hair. He emanated the air of a scholar, and yet, his eyes were sharp and cold. His face was as cold as ice, making his aura bizarre to the extreme. It almost seemed as if his entire body was filled with the cold of winter.

His mere presence could cause everything to freeze over. This man was the well-spring of the Crow Divinity Tribe's killing intent. If you likened the Crow Divinity tribe to the blood which stains a sharp blade, then this man… would be the sharp tip of that blade!

This… was Naruto!

His appearance instantly caused the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators to begin to pant. Their eyes went wide, and their hearts filled with an instinctual fear. They felt as if they were being submerged by floodwaters as they realized that they recognized his face! His face looked exactly the same as the Mist Clone that they had just killed!

The scene instantly caused the minds of the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators to explode with roaring.

The faces of eight Greatfathers instantly fell. Eight High Priests began to pant. Among their number, Sumaru's pupils constricted. Next to him, the man who looked like a scholar was filled with trepidation. As for the woman in the Lady's garment, her face was filled with disbelief.

"Who are you people?!" These words were uttered by one of the two most powerful of the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators. They echoed out with thunderous power, along with a powerful aura. However, the pressure of this aura could do nothing to suppress the billowing killing intent of the Crow Divinity Tribe.

"We are the Crow Divinity Tribe!" The voices of thousands of members of the Crow Divinity Tribe joined together to roar back in response. The sound of their roar turned into a sound wave even more powerful than thunder and lightning. It shot out from the gigantic viper as they descended upon the Eight Branch Alliance. It echoed out in all directions, shaking the Heavens with such loudness that nothing could compare!

It was as if some shocking giant had let out an enormous shout. A gale force wind sprang up, transforming into an attack which rippled out and sent the mist in the area into chaos.

Even as the roar of the Crow Divinity Tribe rang out, the gigantic viper emitted a cry. The thousands of Crow Divinity Tribe members instantly turned into beams of colourful light that spread out in the air. From down on the ground, the sight of it would make one think of the expression "the Celestial Beauty Scattering Flowers." Except, these flowers were the color of blood, making it seem as if what was being scattered were spattered drops of blood!

Boom!

A massacre started instantly as the thousands of Crow Divinity Tribe members shot down into battle. They had long since grown used to war, to blood, and to slaughter.

In war, there is no speaking. There is no cursing. There are no faceoffs. There is only… fighting!

As the Crow Divinity Tribe members charged into battle, Naruto whistled through the air like a meteor as he lead the Crow Divinity Tribe's six Nascent Soul Cultivators to stab directly into the midst of the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance.

One of late Nascent Soul Cultivators among the sixteen, an old man, grimly said, "A trifling few thousand. Even if you have some extraordinary qualities, the fact that you dare to come here shows that you truly overestimate your…"

Before he could finish speaking, Naruto, looking all the bit a shooting star, waved his right hand, causing all of the Nascent Soul Cultivators, as well as their fellow Tribe members below, to gasp.

60,000 roaring neo-demons spread out to blot out the sky. Big Hairy, the lizard, the red crocodile, the black crows, the green mosquitos, as well as a vast collection of Five Poisons neo-demons, shook the Heavens.

Furthermore, the furiously howling Outlander Beast appeared. A shrill, frenzied squawk could be heard which was the parrot, emanating his haughty air. A garrulous chatter could also be heard coming from somewhere within the neo-demon horde, which was the meat jelly.

The shocking neo-demon horde shot through the air like a tide of beasts, sweeping over everything.

The scene was like a sledgehammer that slammed into the hearts of the Eight Branch Alliance.

"Life or death is on the line. Eight Branches, COUNTERATTACK!" These words were uttered by the red-robed late Nascent Soul stage Cultivator who had just spoken. His face flickered, and his heart filled with regret. However, there was nothing else to be done. He could only let out a furious roar as he shot toward Naruto.

The sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators immediately began to perform incantation gestures as they teleported toward Naruto. The glow of magical items rose up around them, as well as savage magical faces. The faces howled as they shot toward Naruto.

However, even as they neared, Naruto waved his hand. A blood-colored mask suddenly appeared, which he quickly slipped onto his face. He waved his hand again, and an enormous face suddenly materialized around him.

The giant face bore the semblance of none other than Naruto himself!

The instant the face appeared, Naruto took a step forward. That step caused everything to tremble; the giant Blood Immortal face that now looked like Naruto rumbled forward, transforming into a massive attack. Everything shook; of the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators, ten could only watch as their magical items shattered into pieces and their divine abilities were crushed. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they were tossed back like kites with their strings cut.

"The great circle of the Nascent Soul stage!" Shock filled the faces of these ten people, and they didn't even have the wherewithal to wipe the blood from their mouths.

"You are the ones… who killed my clone!" said Naruto coolly. He continued forward, taking a second step. As he did, the gigantic face appeared again. Its closed eyes suddenly opened, and it seemed to be speaking a single, soundless word!

As soon as the word appeared, the other six Nascent Soul Cultivators who remained felt blood pouring out of their mouths. Their minds reeled as if a sharp blade were being stabbed into their brains. The soundless sound wave passed through their minds, causing their entire bodies to shake. Life force essence was even squeezed out of their Nascent Souls.

"He's halfway to Spirit Severing!" Four of them coughed up blood as they were sent tumbling backward, bodies shaking. Dread washed over them, and intense astonishment filled their eyes.

"If you want to do business, Naruto will do business with you. If you want war… then I will give you war!" Naruto's voice was cold as he took a third step. This third step caused flames to spring up on the bodies of the ten Nascent Soul Cultivators who had been thrown backward moments ago. Writhing black smoke began to emanate off of their bodies. The flames of war were now burning away at their life forces.

Even the most powerful of the Eight Branch Alliance, the two old men with the late Nascent Soul Cultivation base, felt their ears ringing. Although they were not sent tumbling back, their minds were filled with waves of roaring, and flames of war appeared on their bodies too.

"Flames of war unify!" The instant Naruto spoke the words, a sound like thunder exploding into pieces suddenly rose up. The ten people who were farthest away emit bloodcurdling screams as their bodies exploded. Their Nascent Souls emerged, fearfully trying to flee at the highest speed they could muster. However, before they could barely move at all, they fell to pieces as if they had been crushed.

A cold wind swept over them, and they disappeared.

Sumaru, the man dressed like the scholar, and the woman in the Lady's robe all felt their bodies collapsing in a cloud of blood and gore. Their Nascent Souls managed to flee off into the distance, where they looked back toward Naruto, shaking with fear, their eyes filled with despair.

The two old men of the late Nascent Soul stage had the highest Cultivation bases, but even they coughed up blood and fell backward, bodies shaking as they did their best to prevent from exploding.

Their tens of thousands of fellow Tribe members had originally occupied a position of superiority. But facing up against 60,000 neo-demons caused them to immediately begin to suffer defeat after defeat in the fighting. They had their own neo-demons of course. However, like Naruto's Crow Divinity Tribe, his neo-demons had experienced figurative foul winds and rains of blood. Furthermore, they had been bolstered by Naruto's Demonic Chakra on multiple occasions. The neo-demons of the Eight Branch Alliance simply couldn't compare.

Mournful cries filled the air constantly. The land was soaked with blood. Facing up against the Crow Divinity Tribe, the Eight Branch Alliance despairingly found… that they were incapable of fighting back.

Regardless if it was terms of aura or Cultivation base, they were weaker. When it came to the coldness and bloodthirstiness of the Crow Divinity Tribe, that was something that only the elite members of great Tribes would have. And yet, every single member of the Crow Divinity Tribe was like that.

It was something the Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance had never seen or even heard of. They couldn't even imagine that in the great lands of the Western Desert, a Tribe like this could possibly exist!

"This is… a Battle Tribe!"

It was in this moment that Naruto's words from moments ago once again echoed out within the minds of the Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators.

"If you want war, I'll give you war!"

In the very moment that the slaughter began, when ten of the sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators were killed, two of the remaining six, the retreating late Nascent Soul old men, exchanged a glance. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they could see the frenzy in each other's eyes.

They both performed incantations, spit out blood, and the pointed down toward the ground, their expressions savage.

"Activate the spell formation!"

Instantly, a deafening roar could be heard coming from the ground. The mist roiled, and the twenty thousand auction participants surrounded by the mist began to wither rapidly. Their life force was still being congealed into the Demonic Chakra. Suddenly, bands of bright light started to appear on the ground.

The bands bent and twisted and then suddenly connected together to reveal an enormous spell formation!

It was exactly the same spell formation Naruto had observed earlier, although previously, it had been formed only of Demonic Chakra. As it became visible, a column of black mist suddenly shot up in the exact center.

One of the Eight Branch Alliance's late Nascent Soul Cultivators shouted, "Crow Divinity Tribes, since you're looking to die, then the Eight Branch Alliance will help you achieve your aim! Henceforth, there will be no Crow Divinity Tribe in the Western Desert! All of you… will be destroyed in spirit and body! You will be expunged!"

A roaring sound filled the air as the black column shrank in on itself and transformed into a black figure.

"Sacred Ancient," said the second late Nascent Soul Cultivator, his face covered with a vicious expression, "please exterminate these people! Expunge this Tribe!" At the same time, totem tattoos depicting faces appeared on the foreheads of all the Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators on the ground. There was one expression that covered each and every one of those faces.

Awe!

All the totemic faces were filled with intense awe, as well as enmity. Clearly, though, no matter how much hatred they felt, they were incapable of not feeling deep awe for the figure which had coalesced out of the black column of mist.

Tens of thousands of voices suddenly caused Heaven and Earth to shake: "Sacred Ancient, please, let your projection come to exterminate these people! Expunge this Tribe!"

The figure that had congealed out of the mist floated in mid-air. At first it looked blurry, but its features quickly clarified into that of a middle-aged man wearing a black robe. His face was expressionless, and he exuded an archaic aura. After having appeared, he flickered back and forth between being clear and being blurry. Sometimes he would even momentarily disappear before becoming clear again.

This flickering back and forth caused all the Cultivators who looked at him to have a very strange feeling. Their hearts were filled with disorder, and their eyes felt stabbing pain.

Naruto took a deep breath. As of this moment, the calling inside of him grew incredibly strong. Furthermore, the Demon Sealing Jade inside of his bag of holding was beginning to shake.

Naruto was well aware that this figure was what had been concealed in the center of the spell formation, and was also what had elicited the reaction from the Demon Sealing Jade.

The black-robed man turned his head, and his eyes came to fall upon Naruto. Instantly, Naruto's mind filled with a roaring sound, and his vision swam. He no longer saw the Western Desert. Instead, he stood in a world with a red sky. He was in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by wailing and shouting. He saw a black spear, shooting with incredible speed directly toward him.

His mind and heart trembled, and he had the sudden sensation that they were shattering. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as a finger appeared directly in front of him. The finger belonged to the black-robed man.

Boom!

In the moment of ultimate crisis, Eyeless Larva spun around him rapidly. The incoming finger attack slammed into it, and, in the resulting boom, Naruto tumbled backward several hundred meters, blood spraying from his mouth. He came to a stop and then looked up. His eyes narrowed, and a cold glow erupted out from within them.

At the same, up in the invisible vortex, in the world filled with corpses, the black mist on top of the high altar suddenly began to churn. An anxious, indignant howl suddenly echoed out from it.

As the howling echoed out, the expressions on the countless faces of Cultivators and neo-demons in the mist suddenly changed. They distorted and twisted, as if some unknown force was suppressing the howling within the mist.

Simultaneously, the expression on the face of the black-robed man who stood up ahead from Naruto also flickered. He looked up toward the vortex, his eyes flashing. Then he looked back toward Naruto, and a strange glow could be seen in his eyes.

It appeared to be a look of disbelief. Even more than disbelief, there was apparently an unprecedented excitement and greed.

At the same time, one of the remaining six Nascent Soul Cultivators up in mid-air, an old man of the mid Nascent Soul stage, having seen Naruto forced back by the black-robed man's finger attack, excitedly shouted, "Sacred Ancient, please exterminate this vicious, cruel Cultiva…."

Before he could finish speaking, the black-robed man's right hand suddenly shot up to form a claw, which he pointed toward the mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivator. The old man suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was shocked to find that the black-robed man's hand was wrapped around his neck.

"Pipe down," said the Black Robed man, his voice cool. He squeezed his hand, and a cracking sound could be heard. The mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivator's eyes went wide as his body instantly withered up. His life force was sucked out by the black-robed man, and in the blink of an eye, he was transformed into nothing more than a desiccated corpse. His eyes were wide open the entire time, and filled with confusion. In the end, a poof could be heard as his body transformed into black ash. He was completely dead, in both body and spirit.

"He… is not someone you qualify to dishonor with your words," said the black-robed man, his voice soft as he looked at Naruto.

Everything suddenly became quiet. The Crow Divinity Tribe members and neo-demons all began to back up. The Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators were stupefied. Suddenly sapped of their will to fight, they edged backward. All eyes were now upon Naruto and the black-robed man, both of whom floated there in mid-air.

The remaining five Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance had pale faces. In their recollection, the Sacred Ancient never seemed to possess consciousness. His incisive attacks were almost like that of a puppet. He also never spoke. But today… not only did he speak, but his expression had changed, and he even seemed to be showing emotion. This was beyond anything they had ever imagined, completely unprecedented. They were scared witless, and couldn't help but back up.

The black-robed man smiled and continued, "Isn't that right, _exalted_ Demon Sealer?"

His smile was filled with savagery, as well as excitement. The excitement apparently made the flickering of his body even more intense, causing him to look even more bizarre.

The black mist on the altar within the vortex once again churned. The howling sound grew more furious, as if something wished to burst out from within the mist. Despite that, the faces still seemed capable of suppressing it.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but inside, he was trembling, as if great waves were slamming against his heart. What was the most shocking of all to him was that he had finally run into someone who instantly recognized that he was a Demon Sealer.

"Who are you?" asked Naruto, staring at the man.

"Who am I? You're asking me who I am?" The black-robed man stared in shock for a moment, and then suddenly laughed. It was an uproarious laughter filled with excitement, as well as a greed that even the Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance could also see.

"You're actually asking who I am?" he asked, continuing to laugh. "You don't recognize me? Don't tell me the First Generation Demon Sealer severed the legacy? Don't tell me…." Suddenly, an arrogant squawk could be heard from behind him.

"Don't tell me nothin', bitch!" A multicolored blur suddenly appeared, which headed straight toward the rear end of the black-robed man and… shot directly through.

A pop could be heard as the parrot suddenly appeared on Naruto's shoulder. It glared fiercely at the black-robed man.

"You're just a Devil Construct, bitch! Dammit! Bitch! Lord Fifth hates Devil Constructs!"

Not willing to be outdone by the parrot, the meat jelly, who was still in the shape of a bell attached to the parrot's foot, suddenly cried, "Lord Third also hates Devil Constructs! All Devil Constructs should be converted!"

The black-robed man stared in shock. He looked down at his misty body, and then looked back up, his eyes filled with the desire to kill.

It was at this point that another furious cry could be heard from behind the black-robed man: "Outlander!"

The enormous Outlander Beast, in a fair imitation of the parrot, shot directly toward the black-robed man.

Even as it closed in, however, the black-robed man waved his arm behind him and coldly said, "Demonic Shattering."

He only spoke two words, but in response, massive amounts of invisible Demonic Chakra from the surrounding area shot toward him and congealed in front of his right hand. Then, it shattered.

The Outlander Beast let out a miserable shriek as nearly half of its body was shredded into a haze of blood and gore. It appeared to be on the verge of being completely wiped out.

"Beloved concubine!" cried the parrot, its eyes bright red. It suddenly shot forward, its body expanding until it was several dozen meters long. It shot toward the black-robed man, then passed through him, picking up the Outlander Beast flying rapidly off into the distance in retreat.

The black-robed man did not counterattack. Instead, he looked coldly at Naruto, smiling as he began to move forward.

"I never imagined that I would meet the current generation of the Demon Sealers…. After I consume you, who else could possibly suppress me!?"

Naruto's heart trembled. His opponent's aura was monstrous, and emanated shocking ripples. Naruto could feel an intense pressure weighing down on him. Panting, he stared at the black-robed man. Just now, everyone else had seen the black-robed man simply lift his hand to cause the Outlander Beast to suddenly shatter into a mass of blood and gore.

Only Naruto clearly saw what really happened. This was a new way to use Demonic Chakra that he had never seen before!

"So Demonic Chakra… can actually be used like that!" It felt like lightning was crashing around inside of his head. It seemed as if the black-robed man's divine ability had suddenly opened up the door to a new Dao belonging to Demon Sealers.

Naruto suddenly began to retreat. At the same time, the black-robed man increased his speed, his expression of viciousness and greed more visible than ever.

"A Demon Sealer separated from his legacy! You would do well to remember my name…. I am Lonelytomb!" The instant the man spoke out his name, the mist in the vortex suddenly emitted a furious shriek. It seemed that it was struggling to burst out; nonetheless, the faces seemed willing to be destroyed to prevent it from escaping.

The black-robed man's dark, sinister words rang out, carrying a bizarre, devilish power that seemed capable of causing anyone who heard it to be shaken inwardly. All of the Cultivators in the area had blank looks on their faces. Their minds suddenly seemed to be filled with a whirlwind; their memories were thrown into chaos. It was as if they heard what the black-robed man said, but couldn't remember it.

A feeling of contradiction filled them, as if fantasy and reality were being mixed. All the surrounding Cultivators' faces paled.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he sensed the fearsomeness of his opponent. He knew that this was a power that he could not fight against. He fell back. The power of his opponent's words did not affect him too much, but his mind still shook. The reason for this was that the man's voice was bolstered with Demonic Chakra, and transformed into complex magical symbols that spread out in all directions.

"The way I've been using Demonic Chakra is far too simplistic…." thought Naruto, panting. "I never thought it could be used that way!" His eyes glowing brightly, he shot backward, even as the black-robed man flew like lightning toward him.

Suddenly, the black-robed man lifted his hand and pointed at Naruto.

Instantly, surrounding Demonic Chakra rushed to congeal around the finger. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a spear which screamed through the air toward Naruto.

No one else could see this happening. What they saw was the black-robed man pointing at Naruto. However, Naruto could very clearly see everything. A sudden, intense feeling of grave danger swept over him. However, even as that happened, Naruto looked at the black-robed man and suddenly thought of Patriarch Reliance.

"Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, refined from blood by the Third Generation Demon Sealer…. Patriarch Reliance, a Demon sealed by past generations for me, to be my Dao Protector…. I am the Ninth Generation….

"Things didn't work out well with Patriarch Reliance, but he still wouldn't kill me. All he could do was run away. This Demon Weapon refined by the Third Generation Demon Sealer wants to consume me so that he can live forever. This situation seems different than that of Patriarch Reliance, but actually, it's fundamentally very similar!"

Naruto took a deep breath and then began to speak.

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!" He uttered the words of the scripture with a strange, Demonic cadence that gave birth to bizarre ripples. Every word seemed like a unique magical sealing symbol that connected with the Heavens and the starry sky!

As he spoke the words, a look of astonishment and disbelief appeared on the face of the black-robed man. His body trembled and massive amounts of black mist began to fall away from him. A miserable scream emanated from his mouth.

"Demon Sealing Scripture!?" howled the black-robed man. "Impossible! Haven't you lost your legacy?! How could you know that damned Demon Sealing Scripture!" He reached toward the vortex in the sky and made a grasping motion. Suddenly, on the altar in the vortex, the faces began to howl and push down onto the mist. For some reason, the black-robed man's body was no longer in a state of distortion, but rather, stable.

Despite that, his aura was weaker than before, by more than half.

"You're dead!" he said, glaring murderously at Naruto, well aware that his time was running out. As of now, he could only temporarily suppress the power of the Demon Sealing Scripture. His right hand suddenly lifted up and he pointed again toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered as his opponent suppressed the power of the scripture. He gave a cold snort. Before, the man was at the peak of his power, and was able to shatter the Outlander Beast with a single blow. At that time, Naruto was no match for him. But now, he was weakened. This Demon Weapon Lonelytomb… was now someone Naruto could fight!

"I am a Demon Sealer," thought Naruto, "sensitive to Demonic Chakra and able to use it. I should be able to exceed this so-called Demon Weapon Lonelytomb. If he can use the Demonic Chakra in that way, then so can I!" He took a deep breath and lifted his hand. He thought back to the scene in which the Outlander Beast had been defeated, and that great door that had suddenly opened in his mind. Instantly, the Demonic Chakra in the area rushed toward him and began to congeal. A rumbling sound could be heard as it suddenly slammed into the Demonic Chakra spear that was closing in on him.

As the explosion rang out, Naruto was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth. After he came to a stop, he coughed up three mouthfuls of blood. His face was pale, but he was laughing.

Although his ability to control Demonic Chakra was not as refined as that of his opponent, he had now achieved a new understanding.

"Bring it on!" he said, his eyes shining brightly. As he floated there in mid-air, he lifted his right hand, causing more Demonic Chakra to rush toward him. It surrounded him, transforming into a gigantic vortex of Demonic Chakra.

The black-robed man's eyes flickered, and inwardly he was shocked. He never imagined that his opponent would be able to learn something new and then make so much progress in such a short period of time. The difference in rudimentary knowledge of Demonic Chakra and the ability to use it as it had been just now, was not that of a single step, but more like the huge gap between Heaven and Earth.

"With powers of insight like that, you deserve to be called a Demon Sealer. But if you want to learn how to control Demonic Chakra from me…. Too bad! I won't give you the chance! I don't have to use Demonic Chakra to kill you. I can slay you with only three forms of my divine ability!" The black-robed man made a grasping motion, and a long, black spear magically appeared in his hand.

"First Form, Butcher the Shocked Immortal!" As the man spoke the words, he suddenly waved the spear. It instantly transformed into a black dragon which roared, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws as it twisted majestically in the air. It emanated Demonic Chakra as it shot toward Naruto. Even as it flew through the air, it flickered, multiplying into nine separate dragons!

Nine deadly dragons shook Heaven and Earth as they shot toward Naruto.

The sky dimmed and the cloud seethed as nine black dragons screamed through the air. Visible in their claws were corpses, all of whom emitted mournful wails and screams of agony.

The sound of it pierced Naruto's mind, causing him to think of the slaughter of a battlefield. His eyes glowed brightly as a feeling of unease swept over him. He waved his right hand, and instantly Wooden Time Swords flew out to form the Lotus Sword Formation. A droning sound could be heard as it rotated, sending out the explosive power of Time.

Naruto had been using this Time Sword Formation for a long time, and was very familiar with it. The instant it appeared, the air was distorted and twisted. Time changed. As the nine dragons closed in, Naruto performed an incantation with both hands and then pointed forward.

The Lotus Time Formation blossomed into the image of a lotus which shot toward the nine dragons.

A huge boom could be heard!

"Time Termination!" he cried, biting his tongue and spitting out some blood. He waved his hand, causing the blood to transform into a blood mist which shot toward the Lotus Time Formation. This heart blood caused the Time power of the sword formation to instantly explode out. At the same time, Naruto slipped on the blood-coloured mask, causing a red glow to flicker into being. Next, four wooden swords flew out.

These were the swords that Hebi Nineteen had referred to as Immortal Murdering Swords!

The four wooden swords shot forward, merging into the Lotus Sword Formation; instantly a powerful killing intent radiated out…. These dragons must die!

A rumbling sound filled the entire sky and Naruto's body trembled as he retreated backward. The Lotus Sword Formation fell about and the four wooden words were sent spinning. However, the nine dragons also exploded, shattering into countless pieces.

"Second Form, Reincarnation Extermination!" A mysterious glow appeared in the eyes of the black-robed man. His body shot back as he waved his right hand. The black spear instantly transformed into a black beam of light which shot at incredible speed toward Naruto.

As it neared, it seemed as if it were shattering the various layers of air that it was shooting through. The deadly spear neared, seemingly capable of shattering everything.

If that were all there were to it, it wouldn't be a very big deal. However, as the spear got closer, shattering through the successive layers of air, images began to appear. Each of these images seemed to be from a different time. However, in all of the images, Naruto could be seen! Different versions of Naruto from different times periods, as if these were various reincarnations of him throughout the ages!

His past life, the life before that, all past lives! It was impossible to tell if the images were real or fake, but they certainly looked incredibly realistic!

Naruto's mind trembled as he looked at what appeared to be thousands of past lives. At the same time, he had the feeling that he wasn't looking at anything. A profound sense of deadly crisis rose up in him, as if any ability to dodge or flee had been sealed off. It was as if this spear was going to destroy all of his thousands of past lives!

He watched the black spear approach, and an enormous pressure weighed down on him, weakening his Cultivation base.

Suddenly, his forehead began to glow. All of the great totem tattoos on his body erupted out. Metal, Wood, Fire, Earth. A sea of flames appeared, along with an enormous tree, a rain of gold, and archaic Frost soil.

As the Reincarnation Extermination spear attack neared, Naruto opened his mouth; an azure blur shot out which transformed into an Immortal's Sword which smashed through the air, emanating shocking Sword Chakra. This was not the Dancing Sword Chakra, but rather the sword will which was embodied within the sword itself.

"Instead of you severing my reincarnation," said Naruto, "how about I do it myself!" He waved his hand, and a glow of determination appeared in his eyes.

The sword will merged with the power of his four great totems, and then began to emit a shocking azure light. The sword shot forward in the blink of an eye, faster than the black spear, to slice through the reincarnations!

A massive boom lifted up from the Reincarnation Extermination, shaking everything.

The azure Immortal's Sword was sent flying backward. It transformed into an azure glow that returned into Naruto's mouth. His body trembled and he fell backward, coughing up a huge mouthful of blood. When he looked back up, his gaze was cold as he stared at the black-robed man.

The black-robed man's heart and mind shook as he glared back at Naruto. He also retreated backward, the long, black spear in his hand crumbling into pieces.

"Dammit, first he used that scripture to weaken me. Then, my Demonic Chakra attacks, which have fearsome exterminating power on just about anyone, are virtually useless against him because he's a Demon Sealer. If it weren't for that, this fight wouldn't be so troublesome!" The man suddenly reached up to push his hand down on his forehead. His body became blurry, almost illusory. At the same time, another black spear magically appeared in his hand.

The spear was just as black as before, and seemed to be connected to the mist that formed his body, as if they were the same thing.

"Third form…." Before the black-robed man could finish speaking, the killing intent in Naruto's eyes suddenly flared.

"What third form, bitch!?" Naruto had already come to notice that in both speech and action, he had been influenced quite profoundly by the parrot…. For example, the words he had just spoken had actually come out quite naturally.

Even as he spoke them, he moved forward, pushing down onto the blood-colored mask. Then he extended his arm, and everything began to turn black. It was as if a massive flag were covering over the sky and the land!

This was Naruto's most powerful magical item, the flag of three streamers!

The flag rumbled out, sweeping over everything, distorting the air, causing the sky to shake, rocking the land. In the blink of an eye, the astonishing flag… shot toward the black-robed man.

His face instantly filled with disbelief as he was sent tumbling backward. He was fast, but not fast enough to avoid the flag of three streamers. Booms filled the air as the flag wrapped around his body and began to strangle him to death!

Popping sounds filled the air as the black spear the man held was shattered into pieces. However, after that happened, the man suddenly coalesced out of the air again off in the distance. This time, he was even more illusory and flickered even more. He was clearly much weaker.

"That flag… that flag…." His eyes were wide as he stared at the flag circulating around Naruto.

The man's body had been exploded by the flag, and weakened greatly. Naruto strode forward and once again recited the scripture which he had used against Patriarch Reliance, that tool of the Demon Sealers to make death tremble, the Demon Sealing Scripture:

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!"

The instant the scripture was uttered, the black-robed man once more retreated backward and let out a miserable howl.

"Dammit! Dammit! You're too despicable!" he roared. At this point, how could he not understand that Naruto's purpose in using the flag was to distract him from suppressing the scripture? It had been a very, very long time since he had felt frustration such as this. He had originally stood in a position of ultimate superiority, but in the blink of an eye had been severely weakened. His body had been shattered, and before he could even reform himself, he had been suppressed with the scripture as this damned, despicable bastard once again recited the Demon Sealing Scripture.

Almost at the exact same time as the black-robed man began to retreat, Naruto's eyes suddenly flickered. _Take advantage of weakness; take the opponent's life!_ That was Naruto's doctrine of fighting. Without hesitation, his right hand waved through the air, causing a band of blood-colored light to shoot toward the black-robed man with incredible speed.

Shockingly, within this bloody beam of light was a Blood Clone!

Hebi Clan Blood Clone!

As soon as it appeared, everything in the area was stained with a crimson glow. The black-robed man was suppressed by the scripture; his body trembled as the Blood Clone pounced onto him.

His face completely fell; there was a bang, and his body exploded into pieces. Massive amounts of black mist that made up his devilish will and life force, were absorbed by the Blood Clone.

"I won't accept this!" Off in the distance, the black-robed man once again appeared, this time, even weaker than before. He raised his head up and howled. He really couldn't accept the situation. In his former peak of power, he could easily fight back against even this Blood Clone. But now, he had been weakened even further.

Instantly, a feeling of imminent death flared up in his mind. He could never have possibly imagined that a day would come in which he would actually be slain.

As the Blood Clone closed in on him again, madness filled his eyes. He suddenly raised his hand and pointed toward the vortex up in the sky.

"Lonelytomb!" he howled.

As the words echoed out, his body flashed. At the same time, the mist on the altar up in the vortex began to roil. It seemed to be struggling with the faces that existed on its surface. However, the faces suppressed it with the same insanity as before.

As they suppressed the mist, massive amounts of life force and Demonic Chakra began to emanate out from the tens of thousands of people that had been surrounded by the mist of the Eight Branch Alliance. All of these Cultivators who had come to participate in the auction began to tremble. Their bodies withered and they aged rapidly. Their life force oozed out from their orifices to merge with Demonic Chakra, which then shot toward the whirlpool.

The life force of tens of thousands of people transformed into countless bands of Chakra which shot into the whirlpool. After it was madly consumed by the faces; suddenly, nearly half of the faces suddenly shot out from within the mist. They… charged out from within the vortex, shooting through the sky toward the black-robed man.

As they left the vortex, the mist on the altar began to emit intense howls. It was as if there was something inside struggling madly to break out from being sealed.

In the blink of an eye, the faces reached the black-robed man and began to circulate around him. They were filled with cruelty, madness and a thirst for blood as they fused into the black-robed man. As they did, his aura rose up, increasing with shocking intensity.

A billowing black aura roiled, filled with massive amounts of vicious faces. Each one of these faces was a totem toward which the Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators exercised faith.

"I am Lonelytomb, I am a Devil Construct…. I am Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, formed from the grievances of the lives I have exterminated throughout the countless years, a Devil Construct!

"Lonelytomb destroys, the Devil Construct rises!" A strange light shone in the eyes of the black-robed man. His aura suddenly exploded out, and black Chakra filled the area. The Hebi Clan Blood Clone suddenly stopped in its tracks, staring at the black-robed man. It seemed to have sensed something threatening.

Naruto took a deep breath, and a look of unprecedented concentration appeared on his face.

It was at this moment that suddenly, beam after beam of colourful light appeared off in the distance. Suddenly, tens of thousands of Cultivators suddenly appeared.

These were the Cultivators from the local Tribes that were after the Crow Divinity Tribe to rob its Demon Spirit. After they appeared, their killing intent soared to new heights. However, when they saw the condition of the battlefield, they couldn't help but gasp and suddenly grow silent.

Their eyes were instantly fixed on Naruto and the black robed man who was billowing with a massive black aura.

"DIE!" cried the black-robed man, taking a step forward. He lifted his right hand, causing the black Chakra to seethe and then transform into an enormous, ferocious face which shot toward Naruto.

At the same time, more black Chakra swirled out and shot toward the Blood Clone.

Naruto slipped the blood-colored mask back on. A glint of determination could be seen as he took a deep breath, flashed an incantation gesture with this right hand, and then pointed out.

"Without a face!"

An equally large face suddenly appeared, which was none other than the Blood Immortal divine ability. It was Naruto's own face which shot through the air toward the face of black Chakra, which was formed from countless smaller vicious faces.

Shocking rumbling filled the air as Naruto spoke again.

"A single word!" Instantly, the lips of the face he had summoned began to move. Sound waves rippled out.

"Flames of war unify!" He lifted both hands up and then pushed them toward the ground. Immediately smoke rose up in all directions, along with something that looked like the flames of war. This was the third form of the Blood Immortal legacy.

Amidst the booming sounds, Naruto's eyes shone with a brilliant light.

"I need… your faith power!" he cried out. One by one, the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe began to kowtow. The totem tattoos on their body, which were part of Naruto, began to glow with light.

"Sundered clouds…." Boundless faith power poured into Naruto from all directions. It exploded in intensity, allowing Naruto to utilize something he had never used before, the fourth form of the Blood Immortal legacy!

The sundered clouds from "sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that cover the sky!"

Sundered clouds! Clouds that were once whole but then sundered. The power of these sundered clouds would give rise to a wind of sundered clouds that could crush Heaven and Earth. This power clearly vastly exceeded that of the first three forms of the Blood Immortal legacy. The shocking intensity of the power caused countless layers of clouds to suddenly spring out around Naruto. They spread out, causing a thick fog to fill the entire area.

This fog, was actually made of clouds.

The power of sundered clouds came from… the breaking of clouds!

Rumbling echoed out as the cloud fog in the area suddenly looked as if it were being ripped apart by giant, invisible hands. They shattered, and in that instant of shattering, the face that had been magically summoned by the black-robed man's divine ability, suddenly fell to pieces.

The black-robed man staggered back, still unable to accept the situation. He was now only able to wield thirty percent of the power of his Cultivation base. The rest had been constantly weakened during the course of the battle.

When he saw his magic once again being shattered, he lifted his head up and howled. Both hands performed an incantation gesture, and once again, roughly half of the faces on the mist in the vortex flew out and fused into his body. Yet again, his aura exploded out.

His face suddenly grew incredibly vicious, and he pointed down toward the tens of thousands of auction participants down on the ground.

Desolate shrieks resulted as all of the Cultivators, with the exception of Temujin who was protected by Naruto's shield, had their life forces completely sucked out of their bodies and fused into the Demonic Chakra. The Demonic Chakra, and even the mist that surrounded the Cultivators, all shot toward the black-robed man.

As the mist was sucked away, it revealed tens of thousands of desiccated corpses lying about everywhere!

The black-robed man howled as the mists fused into his body, causing his Cultivation base to begin to recover. He lifted his hand and made a snatching gesture toward Naruto.

In response to this snatching gesture, black mist exploded out from his body to transform into an enormous hand three thousand meters wide that shot toward Naruto.

"A bloody rain!" said Naruto, performing a double-handed incantation gesture. At this critical moment, he employed the fifth form of the Blood Immortal divine ability. Under Naruto's control, the Blood Clone exploded, transforming into countless beams of bloody light that shot toward Naruto. They fused with the bloody rain that Naruto had just summoned, causing the entire area to actually… rain with blood.

Every single drop in this monstrous rain of blood was filled with the power of the Blood Immortal divine ability. It all shot through the air toward the mist hand summoned by the black-robed man.

The sight of it caused everyone in the area to be shocked to the core. A boom rang out that could be heard for tens of thousand of kilometers in every direction. Blood sprayed out of Naruto's mouth as he was sent tumbling backward. His divine ability collapsed. The bloody rain flew out in all directions. The Blood Clone was now listless. The black-robed man's body trembled as he was yet again weakened to the point that it seemed it might disappear at any moment. Because he had been weakened by the scripture, this battle was turning out to be quite challenging. However, victory was in sight. His face twisted savagely, he went all out, causing another black mist hand to shoot toward Naruto.

"Die, Demon Sealer!"

It was at this exact moment that….

"Devil Construct, dost thou dare!?" An enraged voice echoed out like thunder, seemingly containing the might of the Heavens. It came from within the world of the vortex, like a raging torrent emerging from within the black mist on the altar.

As the voice exploded out, the remaining faces that were trying to suppress the black mist suddenly emitted miserable shrieks. They instantly collapsed into pieces, causing the mist to suddenly spread out in all directions to reveal… a pale white spear that was stabbed into the middle of the altar.

This spear was… the true Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

The spear stabbed into the altar was roughly ten meters long!

Its name was Lonelytomb!

Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

Refined from blood by the Third Generation Demon Sealer, it was impossible to say how many Cultivators and how many ancient Demons had been transformed into a sea of blood by this spear!

The length of ordinary spears could not compare to the length of this spear. It was completely pale white, as if it were constructed from bones. There were no decorative patterns on its surface, no magical symbols. The only thing that could be seen were faint marks that looked like blood vessels, making its appearance very bizarre.

An indescribable aura emanated out from the long spear, shaking Heaven and Earth. It caused the mist in the world of the vortex to tremble. The aura emanated out from the vortex in to the Western Desert.

Amidst the rumbling drone, the spear did not move. It seemed as though it could not leave the world of the vortex. However a beam of pale white light shot out from it, as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, it shot out from within the world of the vortex.

In that instant, the black-robed man's face fell. His body trembled violently as countless faces burrowed out from within him. All of these faces wore unprecedented expressions of awe and terror.

Countless screeches could be heard, rising up into the sky.

The pale white light neared with indescribable speed, piercing through the black hand that was shooting toward Naruto. In that instant, the shocking, powerful hand of black mist acted as if it had just been slammed into by fire. It dissolved in an instant, causing the countless black faces within to screech, their expressions that of terror and unprecedented hopelessness.

In life, they had been killed by this spear. After death, they had congealed into a Devil Construct, but were still in complete fear of the spear.

Having been killed by the spear, they would never be reincarnated. All generations were imprisoned inside it. There was not a more fearsome punishment that could be inflicted upon them!

A boom echoed out as the huge mist hand was pierced and destroyed by the beam of pale white light. After, the pale white light shot over toward Naruto.

Naruto's mind was filled with roaring. Moments ago, his body had been on the verge of exploding with Alcohol Chakra. His last bit of Dancing Sword Chakra had been fermenting for some time, a trump card which exceeded the life-saving power of the Agarwood!

However, there was no need for him to do a thing. The pale white light appeared, Demon Weapon Lonelytomb personified. Heaven and Earth shook with rumbling roars!

Naruto looked at the beam of white light in front of him and felt a powerful calling. The calling felt familiar as it filled his mind. He was calling this spear, and the spear was calling him!

With this sudden appearance of good fortune, Naruto was now thinking clearly. He lifted his hand up and took hold of the pale white light. Instantly, it transformed into an illusory, but extremely realistic… pale white spear!

As he gripped the pale white Lonelytomb, a rumbling suddenly filled his mind.

"Regardless of which generation Demon Sealer you are," said an archaic voice. "I am Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, refined from blood by the Third Generation Demon Sealer, sealed in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane. My will sleeps, and thus, the Devil Construct was born….

"The Devil Construct is also me. As for my life, from the moment I was forged, it was determined that I would have a total of nine Masters. From the First Generation Demon Sealer to the Ninth, these were to be my Masters!

"Whichever generation you are, come to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane. I'm waiting for you here…. The Third Generation Demon Sealer completed his ancient Dao and broke through the Nine Mountains and Seas. However, in that moment, he was buried in the starry sky. As for his death… there are clues that have been left behind that relate to a shocking secret. His legacy is here with me…. I can't hold on for very long. You… must come here!

"At the moment, I am only capable of sending out this small bit of my life will. In a moment, I will return to my slumber and conserve my will. I will wait for you or other Demon Sealers to come. Exalted Demon Sealer, grasp my life will, recite the ancient Demon Sealing Scripture, and subdue this Demon Construct.

"It will be… your way of communicating with me in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane! If you are unable to come to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane in this life, then pass this spear down as a legacy, all the way to the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer!

"Before the Third Generation Demon Sealer died, he said… that the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, if he is not killed, will be the pinnacle! He will have the chance to defy the Heavens and change fate, he will be the last ray of hope for the great Nine Mountains and Seas!" The voice sounded weak as it echoed out in his mind. Within his bag of holding, the Demon Sealing Jade began to shudder, as if it could feel the death of the Third Generation Demon Sealer. A sense of grief suddenly emanated out from it.

As the sound faded away from Naruto's mind, he slowly looked up.

"I… am the Ninth Generation."

As he spoke the words, his eyes shone with a strange light as he looked over at the black-robed man, who was retreating in astonishment.

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas…." He spoke the words slowly, and as he did, he raised up the pale white spear. A white glow surged out of it which stabbed toward the black-robed man.

Naruto's voice was filled with strange power. Others could not sense it or hear it, but to the black-robed man, or even Patriarch Reliance, it was like a magical curse!

The black-robed man let out a miserable shriek as his body began to collapse into pieces. Black mist spread out in all directions.

He raised his head and let out a mad howl toward the sky.

"Shut up! Shut up! Stop reciting it!" he cried. His eyes were bright red as he shot toward Naruto in an attempt to kill him. However, before he could even get within three hundred meters of Naruto, he let out a horrible shriek, and his body rapidly began to dissipate.

He was struck through and through with fear and astonishment. He suddenly turned to flee off into the distance, no longer harboring any thoughts of killing Naruto. The only thought that was in his mind was the same thought that rose up in the mind of Patriarch Reliance that year. He must flee, and never lay eyes on Naruto again.

"…. My Fate is the Aeon!" Naruto completed reciting the ancient Demon Sealing Scripture almost in the same moment that the man made to flee. As he spoke the final words, the black-robed man let out a miserable shriek, filled with complete mournfulness. His body continued to collapse. He was so weak that he couldn't evade now. His eyes filled with shock and desperation, and he completely lost control of himself. It was as if an enormous, irresistible gravitational force had sprung into being from the long spear in Naruto's hand. The black-robed man could not stop himself from being pulled relentlessly toward Naruto.

"You damnable League of Demon Sealers! The Nine Mountains and Seas cannot tolerate you! You all deserve to meet horrible deaths!"

As the man shrieked, Naruto looked at him with ice-cold eyes. Then, he slowly began to recite the second verse of the Demon Sealing Scripture.

"Ancient Dao; Study Demons of Myriad Variations; Tread not the Path of Immortals; Face the Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas…."

Even more black mist poured out from the black-robed man's body. His miserable shrieks sounded out as he tumbled toward Naruto, completely unable to control his movements. There were now 3,000 meters between the two of them.

2,500. 2,000. 1,500….

The black-robed man howled as his body collapsed more. Suddenly, massive amounts of faces could be seen within his body. Each of the faces was filled with savagery and also fear as the emanated out and attempted to pull the man's body away.

"… My Dao is Eternal; The Masses Have Erred but My Dao is True…."

The words echoed out like words from the Heavens. When they reached the black-robed man, the faces around him shrieked and twisted, as if they were about to be blotted out. The black-robed man was pulled closer.

1,200 meters. 1,000 meters…. 300 meters!

The black-robed man was thoroughly mad, filled with a sense of deadly crisis. He roared, causing the tens of thousands of Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators in the area to begin to tremble. Suddenly, the totems on the bodies of over a thousand of them suddenly began to suck away at their life force. In the blink of an eye, they were transformed into withered, dried up corpses. Their totems flew out, transforming into blood-colored faces that shot toward the black-robed man.

More and more Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators were affected in this way. Popping sounds filled the air along with bloodcurdling screams. In the blink of an eye, more than ten thousand Cultivators died miserable deaths as they were transformed into desiccated corpses.

Their life forces, their very lives themselves, were sucked dry by the totems, which then flew out toward the black-robed man. They circulated around him, transforming into a power that resisted the force which was pulling him toward Naruto.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient…." The remaining five Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Eight Branch Alliance all wore expressions of grief. They could sense the totems in their bodies sucking away at their life force. The saw their fellow Tribe members dying. In the space of just a few breaths, more than ten thousand Tribe members became dried up corpses.

This feeling of grief, the feeling caused by a Sacred Ancient exterminating its own Tribe, caused the foundation of the entire Eight Branch Alliance to collapse.

What was happening completely exceeded the imaginations of the other Cultivators who were watching on. That was especially true when it came to the black-robed man. His mighty existence caused them to feel as if they were suffocating. However, despite his incredible power, he had been forced down into his current situation. All of a sudden, these tribes felt complete astonishment regarding the owner of the Demon Spirit, Naruto.

Rumbling filled the air. By this point, more than ninety percent of the Eight Branch Alliance Cultivators were dead. Massive amounts of their totems circulated around the black-robed man, causing his body to suddenly have the power to resist, and stop moving.

Just as the black-robed man was heaving a sigh of relief, and gathering his power to make a final attempt to flee, Naruto's eyes glittered with killing intent and he uttered the final part of the second line of the Demon Sealing Scripture.

"… My Fate is the Aeon!"

Something like a thunderclap exploded out within the black-robed man. It transformed into a bloodcurdling scream. The faces surrounding him all began to collapse. His body flew through the air like a shooting star.

300 meters. 150 meters. 30 meters…. In the blink of an eye, the black-robed Devil Construct let out a roar of despair as its body slammed into the pale white spear. He was turned completely into a black mist which was then absorbed into the spear.

The color of the pale white spear began to change. Soon, it was completely black. Furthermore, it was no longer illusory, but real!

As of now, it was no longer Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, but rather, a Devil Weapon!

Sealing marks with the power to obliterate will exploded out within the spear. The black-robed man's will was erased. This Devil Construct was now not a construct. Only a Devil was left behind!

As Naruto hefted the spear, a rumbling sound filled the area. A black wind suddenly kicked up, causing his hair to whip about. His green robe now looked completely black because of the black wind.

With the Devil Spear in hand, the black wind transformed into a black mist that spread out in all directions. Within the mist could be seen thousands upon thousands of faces, twisted with pain and roaring out. They were fearsome, but also filled with an unprecedented awe of Naruto.

Whoever held the spear would have control of the countless vengeful ghosts of those slain by Lonelytomb!

Thousands upon thousands of faces shot out in all directions. They had no choice other than to submit to Naruto, which of course caused the remaining thousands of members of the Eight Branch Alliance to begin to tremble as the totems in their bodies forced them to kneel down and bow to Naruto.

The five Nascent Soul Cultivators, including the two of the late Nascent Soul Stage, were also shaking, unable to control themselves as they began to kowtow to Naruto.

Totems are the source of incredible power to Western Desert Cultivators, and also the reason why there are so many more high level Cultivators there than in the Southern Domain. At the same time, though… they are also a deadly weakness!

When a totem dies, any Cultivators who exercise faith in it will experience a drop in Cultivation base. Furthermore, when a totem surrenders, so will the Tribe members connected to it. This is a condition, perhaps even a restriction.

In some ways, Western Desert Cultivators are actually slaves of their totems!

Were it not for that, the Western Desert, given its vast population, would have long since expanded out of their lands and overrun the Southern Domain.

A perfect example was this situation; now that Naruto had the Devil Spear, he was in control of the totemic faces. You could say in some ways that Naruto was now the Sacred Ancient of the Eight Branch Alliance!

"Sacred Ancient!" cried the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe. Expressions of excitement could be seen on their faces as they kowtowed to him. The surrounding tens of thousands of neo-demons roared, causing the ground to shake and their aura to shine brightly.

The other Tribes who had come for the Demon Spirit were shaken, and their faces flickered with various expressions of fear and astonishment. They had personally witnessed Naruto's battle right now, and also saw the Eight Branch Alliance capitulate. Considering all of that, they no longer felt themselves to be in any position of superiority.

Naruto floated in mid-air, clutching the Devil Spear in hand. He looked at the vortex up in the sky as it slowly shrank down and then disappeared. In the moment that it winked out, an archaic voice filled his mind.

"I am waiting for you in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane…."

The winds and clouds up above tumbled and turned, and the vortex was gone. Everything was returned to normal. The invisible vortex that no one except for Naruto could see, was now thoroughly vanished.

Naruto looked around thoughtfully, his eyes shining brightly, the Devil Spear gripped tightly in his hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen who have come for the Demon Spirits, shall we fight, or not?" His cool voice echoed out, causing the Crow Divinity Tribe members' killing intent to radiate out visibly. The neo-demon horde roared. They were like a crossbow, cocked and ready to fire!

The Greatfathers from the other Tribes felt their hearts pounding. Naruto's power seemed sharper than a needle, and they didn't possibly dare to try to fight back against him. They exchanged glances, and then one of their number quickly said, "You misunderstood, we actually came here to exterminate the Eight Branch Alliance…. However, they seem to have been absorbed by you, Fellow Daoist, so we'll take our leave now."

After he finished speaking, the others voiced their agreement. The Tribe members were surreptitiously edging backward. From the look of things, there would be no more fighting, although it was impossible to tell for sure.

Naruto looked around at the Tribes, and then slowly said. "Each Tribe will leave behind ten thousand neo-demons, then you may leave." Instantly, a black mist began to spread out from the Devil Spear.

When the Greatfathers heard his words, they frowned and hesitated. Finally, a cold snort could be heard from one of the Greatfathers off in the distance.

"Are you kidding? If my Radiance Sifting Tribe wants to leave, nobody can stop us!" The Greatfather of the Radiance Sifting Tribe was actually an old woman, making her a Greatmother. Having spoken, she flicked her sleeve and began to fly away with her thousands of Tribe members.

She truly was confident that if she left with her Tribe, there was no one that could do anything to stop them. Even though Naruto had the Devil Spear, and was clearly mighty, he had just experienced a difficult battle. It was impossible for him not to have sustained injuries; obviously, he was just posturing.

Believing herself to have seen through his ruse, the idea of giving up ten thousand neo-demons seemed like a joke. Not only would she not hand them over, she would leave to spread news about the Demon Spirit to some of the great Tribes, who would no doubt compensate her.

Seeing the reaction of the Radiance Sifting Tribe, Naruto began to move forward, his expression completely the same as usual. He hefted the Devil Spear and then tossed it straight out ahead of him. Instantly, a shocking screaming sound could be heard as it shot through the air. Black mist roiled out from inside, which in the blink of an eye, transformed into a black cloud.

Inside the black cloud were countless savage faces, howling as they shot toward the retreating Tribe. The Greatmother's face flickered, and her eyes went wide. However, she merely let out a cold harrumph as, together with the Tribe's five Nascent Soul Priests, she shot to meet the black mist.

Power exploded from the Cultivation bases of all six people as they combined forces to attack the black mist.

"Break!" cried the Greatmother.

A massive boom could be heard which shook everything. The black mist spread out and slammed into the six. The five Priests' faces fell, and blood shot out of their mouths. Their bodies tumbled back like kites with their strings cut. However, before they could fall back too far, the mist had surrounded them. Vast quantities of savage faces pounced onto their bodies. The sound of biting and chewing mixed with blood-curdling screams, creating a ghastly scene.

Within the space of a few breaths, the five Priests had been completely consumed. The old woman coughed up blood as she retreated back toward her other Tribe members. When she reached them, she lifted her head up to the sky and howled as she slapped her bag of holding to produce a tortoise shell.

She tossed it out and spit a mouthful of blood onto it. Instantly, it began to spin and expand, growing to the size of several thousand meters. An ancient, simplistic aura emanated out from it, along with countless streams of glowing magical symbols, as it spread out to surround her and the members of the Radiance Sifting Tribe.

"Let's see you break through this!" she said hoarsely, a ferocious expression on her face.

Seeing this tortoise shell caused the surrounding Greatfathers from the other Tribes to look on with serious expressions. They recognized the tortoise shell, and were instantly shocked.

"It has a totemic aura…. That's the corpse of a totemic Sacred Ancient, refined into a protective treasure. Once it's activated, nothing can break through it. With that, they should be able to leave this place with ease!"

"No wonder the Radiance Sifting Tribe dared to defy that fearsome Cultivator. It turns out they have a…."

Even as the surrounding experts recognized the tortoise shell, the Devil Spear shot toward it. The black mist arrived first, slamming into the tortoise shell, causing a massive rumbling to fill the sky. The tortoise shell immediately began to radiate bright light, but it didn't collapse. The black mist began to spread out and cover the tortoise shell.

When the members of the Radiance Sifting Tribe saw this, they were shocked, especially the Greatmother.

"This enemy of the Radiance Sifting Tribe…." Before she could even finish speaking, the Devil Spear within the black mist arrived. In the blink of an eye, it reached the tortoise shell.

A massive boom rose up to the Heavens, causing the wind and clouds to churn and the sky to dim. A shock wave rumbled out from the tortoise shell, and cracking sounds could be heard as fissures spread out from the area the spear had slammed into. This continued for the space of three breaths, after which a huge roar could be heard as the tortoise shell exploded into countless pieces.

The Devil Spear continued on its way, radiating killing intent and black mist. It shot in… stabbing directly through the disbelieving Greatmother and heading toward the other Tribe members behind her. Black mist spread out, enveloping the thousands of Radiance Sifting Tribe members. Countless excited faces appeared, spreading out in all directions, clearly thirsting for blood. Just when they were about to begin feeding, some invisible force seemed to hold them back.

Naruto looked at the remaining thousands of Radiance Sifting Tribe members within the shattered tortoise shell. "Surrender?" he said slowly, "Or be buried alive with the rest of the dead?"

After a moment of brief silence, the thousands of Radiance Sifting Tribe members chose to surrender. They wiped out their totem tattoos, exercised faith in Naruto, and became an auxiliary branch of the Crow Divinity Tribe.

The Greatfathers of the rest of the Tribes, fearful that Naruto would change his mind, immediately began to hand over hordes of ten thousand neo-demons. Then, they left as quickly as possible. Considering they had abided by his demands, Naruto did nothing to block their way.

The path to this point had been one of killing. Even though Naruto had developed a cruel and cold heart, he was now extremely tired.

As the other Tribes made their way off into the distance, the members of the Eight Branch Alliance stood there quietly as they too became a sub-Tribe of the Crow Divinity Tribe. As of this moment, the Crow Divinity Tribe was now over 10,000 strong.

At the same time, Naruto's neo-demon horde was bolstered up. He now had 150,000 neo-demons!

It was a huge neo-demon horde, but in reality, many of them were low-level neo-demons. Even by absorbing Demonic Chakra, there was no way for them to experience incredible growth in a short period of time. 150,000 neo-demons required a terrifying amount of food to sustain. The actual number that could fight in battle was only about 100,000. The rest became food.

Everything that had belonged to the Eight Branch Alliance now belonged to the Crow Divinity Tribe. They had three enormous flying magical items as well as vast quantities of resources. All of this only served to cause the Crow Divinity Tribe to be even more powerful.

Several days later, all members of the Crow Divinity Tribe mounted onto the enormous ship-shaped flying magical item. It whistled through the air, streaking through the clouds as it headed south at top speed.

The current power of the Crow Divinity Tribe far exceeded that of the previous five Tribes of the Crow Divinity. Although it could not currently compare to the great Tribes, they could now be considered to be at the peak of the mid-sized Tribe range.

As far as their migration went, they had now traveled about a third of the way to their destination. The rest of their path would take them through the Central Region of the Western Desert, to the South Region. The end of the path would of course be the Black Lands!

The parrot, in compliance with Naruto's request, began to pass on to the Crow Divinity Tribe the same spell formation that it had taught to the Church of the Golden Light!

Of course, the parrot completely agreed with the idea. In fact, because of the fact that Naruto wasn't paying attention, it had actually already started to teach the spell formation. Now that Naruto directly brought up the notion, it immediately got very excited.

"Little Haowie, don't you worry," it said, eyes shining brightly. "My dream is that, upon entering the Black Lands, there will be people there shouting the name of Lord Fifth. Then, my two great armies will join together to become like my wings!"

The violet rain fell harder.

Half a year later, the lakes in the Western Desert North region all connected, transforming into a great, Violet Sea. The great sea exterminated all life and cut off all spiritual energy.

The North region… was now completely devoid of any neo-demons. There was nothing alive. Any Tribes which had chosen not to migrate were now buried at the bottom of the sea.

The entire Western Desert North region was covered with a surging, Violet Sea, beneath the surface of which, mountain peaks were just barely visible.

Now that the North region had become a sea, the Western Desert Apocalypse exploded out with its first true display of shocking power. Massive, powerful waves rolled across the sea, spreading out to smash into and collapse the mountains separating the Central region from the North region. As the mountains fell, the Violet Sea expanded out into the East, West and Central regions.

As the Violet Sea expanded, the lakes in the East, West, and Central regions began to combine. The seawaters gradually grew more majestic, and rose with increasing speed.

The shaping and expanding of the sea was like a whip, lashing at the backs of the migrating Tribes. They had to move faster, and plunder more.

The number of dead and wounded… was impossible to count.

The effect of the spiritual energy being cut off spread throughout the Central region, as well as into the East and West regions. With the exception of the South Region, spiritual energy everywhere grew rarer and rarer.

Because of the lack of spiritual energy, the Cultivation base of Cultivators fell and led to deaths. Such deaths caused the totemic Sacred Ancients of the various Tribes to begin to weaken.

The weakening of the Sacred Ancients in turn caused the Tribe members to weaken. As such, any deaths caused a vicious cycle that was impossible to break out of.

During the half-year period, the Crow Divinity rode its flying magical item through the Western Desert Central region. They experienced dozens of battles, during each of which, their opponents came at them with the full power of an entire Tribe.

A defeat in any of these battles represented the destruction of an entire Tribe. And yet, the battles could not be avoided.

That was because the Crow Divinity Tribe had a flying magical item, which other Tribes wanted. They also possessed a Demon Spirit. As soon as a Demon Spirit appeared, other Tribes would go mad with greed. Even Naruto was worried about this phenomenon.

During the half year, Naruto's neo-demon horde shrank to 70,000, and that was even after bolstering them up along the way. That having been said, these 70,000 neo-demons were incredibly powerful.

As for Tribe members, there were 8,000. However, those 8,000 Tribe members were now veterans of countless battles!

Naruto ended up getting seriously injured twice during the half year period. However, with deliberate effort, he was able to cause his totemic power to grow more refined. Furthermore, his control of Demonic Chakra reached a completely new realm.

It is only in that fine divide between life and death that battle prowess can be elevated. In addition, it was during this time that Naruto continued along on his path of enlightenment regarding the Violet Rain. Although his progress was slow, he was gradually getting more and more results.

Because the violet rain cut off the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, Naruto's superiority grew even more obvious. That was why it was so easy for him to slaughter a late Nascent Soul stage Cultivator.

The thinning of the spiritual energy actually allowed Naruto to gradually increase his own power.

Naruto currently stood at the prow of the magical flying ship. His face was pale, and his body somewhat thin. The years of campaigning had truly changed him. He looked off into the distance and then sighed, "The day when there is no spiritual energy left at all in the Western Desert, is the day when I will truly make my rise."

During the half-year period, three other momentous events occurred. Three Demon Spirits appeared in the great lands of the Western Desert. It instantly drew the attention of various tribes, and resulted in plundering and fighting.

Naruto was well aware of what happened when a Demon Spirit suddenly appeared; that was exactly what had led to his two serious injuries along the campaign trail.

However, these other Demon Spirits relieved some of the pressure placed on Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe. No longer were they being attacked from all sides. They only continued to grow stronger and stronger.

Meanwhile, about half a month's journey up ahead of Naruto, three black flying machines that looked like swords were shooting through the air.

They were pitch black, and emanated pulsing, cold auras. Each of these sword-shaped magical ships were several thousands meters long, and were covered with black-robed Cultivators, all seated cross-legged.

Their faces were expressionless and their eyes closed as they sat in meditation. Occasionally, some of them would open their eyes, and a bright flashing could be seen.

Shockingly, these Cultivators' totem tattoos were all swords!

Huge black flying swords and totem tattoos depicting weapons were not things frequently seen in the Western Desert. In fact, in all of the great lands of the Western Desert, there was only one tribe had had black sword totems…. This Tribe was obviously the great Cloud Sky Tribe.

They had a Spirit Severing Patriarch, and were the most powerful Tribe in the Western Desert Central region. The Five Poisons Tribe had acquired the opportunity to become an auxiliary branch of this Tribe, but before the emissary could even reach them, they had been wiped out by the Crow Divinity Tribe.

Of the three black sword magical items, one flew in the lead position. Sitting cross-legged at the very tip of the sword was an old man. Unlike the other Tribe members, his robe was white. He had the bearing of a transcendent being, and proud expression covered his face. Sitting on either side of him were two middle-aged men who wore cautious, obsequious smiles on their faces.

"How much longer?" asked the transcendent-looking, white-robed old man, his voice cool. In both his facial expression and temperament, this man manifested an aloof proudness. It was as if years of being in a position similar to royalty had ingrained itself onto his very personality.

This was especially true of his transcendent aura. Each and every one of the members of the great Cloud Sky Tribe had looks of awe on their faces when they looked at him.

One of the middle-aged men sitting next to him replied, "Grandmaster Shino, I'm happy to report that in approximately five days, we will reach that despicable Crow Divinity Tribe. Grandmaster Shino, it is truly an honor for the Main Tribe to send you to direct the military operations of the Battle Branch."

The Cloud Sky Tribe was a great Tribe, and commanded thirteen auxiliary Tribes. The Cultivators on these three black swords belonged to one of those thirteen Tribes, a Battle Tribe. As for this transcendent-looking old man, if Naruto were here, he would definitely have a strange expression on his face. He would instantly recognize the man to be Shino.

Shino, Furnace Lord of the Violet Fate Sect's East Pill Division. Shino… had lived quite an odd life. He had drifted from place to place, and had experienced things that other Furnace Lords would find hair-raising.

He had been captured and taken to the Black Lands, where he eventually ended up being taken in by the Frigid Snow Clan as an esteemed guest. He became Frigid Snow City's Grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy, surrounded by a host of concubines. His reputation grew until he became known as the greatest alchemist in all the Black Lands.

After that… he was taken prisoner again. He passed through many hands in the Western Desert. After all these years, it was impossible to know what exactly he had experienced. However, as of this moment, it was obvious that he was a member of the great Cloud Sky Tribe. Clearly, he occupied an extremely high position.

Obviously, it didn't matter where you went in the wide world, possessing pill-concocting skills could lead you into miracles….

A haughty expression filled Shino's face as he nodded in response. Actually, it was of his own accord that he requested to lead this expedition. In recent years, life in the Tribe had become somewhat tedious. He wanted to get out and stretch his legs. Thankfully, the great Cloud Sky Tribe had arranged a mission for the Battle Tribe to go exterminate the Crow Divinity Tribe. One reason was because of the fact that the great Cloud Sky Tribe had made an agreement with the Five Poisons Tribe, only to learn that they were exterminated on the way by the Crow Divinity Tribe. In order to preserve their ability to intimidate others militarily, they had to wipe out the Crow Divinity Tribe. Another aspect, of course, had to do with the Demon Spirit.

Therefore, Shino took on the mission. He would represent the Main Tribe to direct the military operations. That was why he was here. Because of his position, and the might of the great Cloud Sky, he was actually quite safe within the current Apocalpyse.

He was well aware of that fact, as were the Greatfather and the High Priest of the Battle Tribe, who sat on either side of him. They knew that their mission here was actually secondary. The main purpose of the outing was to please Shino, who occupied such a high position within the Tribe.

As for the Demon Spirits, even Naruto knew about the other three that had appeared in the past half years. However, the great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs actually had even more accurate information. They knew that it was not just three that had appeared in the last half year, but rather, five!

The Heavenly Court Alliance in the Black Lands did nothing about the five Demon Spirits. Instead, vast amounts of Tribes fought and plundered over them. In the end, three of them were actually acquired by Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs, after which, those Tribes entered into negotiations with the Heavenly Court Alliance.

The great Cloud Sky Tribe was one of the Tribes who had acquired a Demon Spirit. The other two were acquired by other great Tribes which did not have Spirit Severing Patriarchs. Other Tribes sent spies to get information about them, but because they were great Tribes and incredibly powerful, no one dared to try to do anything.

For Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs, acquiring a Demon Spirit wasn't incredibly important. Such Tribes would be able to get into the Black Lands whether they had one or not. Therefore, it wasn't worth paying a heavy price to get one.

In the end, this was how two great Tribes with no Spirit Severing Patriarchs were able to keep ahold of the Spirit Demons they had acquired, and earn the right to enter the Black Lands.

"Grandmaster Shino," said one of the middle-aged men next to him, speaking very cautiously, "if there is anything you require during the journey, please don't hesitate to speak up. We will spare no effort in meeting your needs."

"That's right, Grandmaster Shino. The battles in the Apocalypse have been chaotic. With so many Tribes migrating, many treasures are out in the open. If you see anything you like, we can get it for you."

Shino laughed heartily, his expression one of complacency. In recent years, he had often sighed emotionally when he thought about his journey of life and how miraculous it had been.

"If there's something I really need, then I won't hold back from telling the two of you. Very well, let's push forward with as much speed as we can muster. I'm very interested in that Demon Spirit that the Crow Divinity Tribe has." With that, Shino closed his eyes.

The two men next to him said nothing more. The three black swords shot forward at incredible speed, growing ever closer to Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe.

Time passed, and soon five days had gone by. On this day, the violet rain poured down the same as ever. Down below, rivers and lakes could be seen. The spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth was thin. It was around dusk when the Crow Divinity Tribe and the great Cloud Sky Tribe… finally caught sight of each other in the air above the Western Desert Central region!

The three black swords moved with incredible speed, using a method that was beyond the comprehension of the Crow Divinity Tribe. They pierced through the air, appearing directly in the path of the Crow Divinity Tribe's magical airship.

The Crow Divinity Tribe's massive airship suddenly stopped in place. Thousands of sharp gazes came to fall upon the three black swords. The two sides faced off against each other, not moving a muscle.

The violet rain fell around them, and a wind blew that carried with it the power of extermination. A bitter cold pressed down on everyone; however, this coldness paled in comparison to the killing intent of both of these Tribes.

The eyes of the Crow Divinity Tribe members had gone wide when they saw the three black swords. Nearly ten thousand people had all risen to their feet simultaneously. They had experienced many, many battles, so death was something they had become accustomed to. Killing intent exploded out, along with countless ice-cold gazes.

No one spoke. There was no calling out. There was only a deathly silence and killing intent that seemed capable of affecting even the clouds and wind!

For such a shocking scene to arise, it was clear that neither of these two Tribes had any kind intentions!

The instant the killing intent of the Crow Divinity Tribe members rose up, bright glows appeared in the eyes the eight thousand Cultivators of the Cloud Sky Tribe on the three black swords. These people looked like sharp, unsheathed swords, their desire to kill rising up to the Heavens.

The wind and clouds seethed and the air rippled as the killing intent of these eight thousand sharp, unsheathed swords exploded out. It was in this moment that, shockingly, on the forehead of each and every person a black sword appeared. The black swords flickered brightly; obviously they possessed some unique totemic power.

In terms of their bearing, these two Tribes seemed to be evenly matched.

One was a famous Battle Tribe from a great Western Desert Tribe with a Spirit Severing Patriarch. It was only an auxiliary Tribe of the great Cloud Sky Tribe. However, in terms of battle prowess, even the Main Tribe completely respected them.

The other Tribe had fought countless battles, and had experienced life and death. They had undergone constant transformation, existing in a state of perpetual war that had turned their blood into iron!

In this moment, the two Tribes could sense each other's valiance and power. The eight thousand members of the Cloud Sky's auxiliary Battle Tribe comprised about eighty percent of their entire Tribe. Right now, they could clearly see a will to fight emanating from the bodies of the Crow Divinity Tribe members. It was something they didn't see often.

When the two middle-aged men sitting by Shino saw the Crow Divinity Tribe and sensed their valiance, intense looks appeared on their faces.

"The entire Crow Divinity Tribe has the same will! It's a killing intent that has been distilled into pure essence!"

"You usually only see something like this in the elite members of great Tribes! Who could ever have imagined that the Crow Divinity Tribe would have an aura like this!"

It wasn't just them. The rest of the Tribe members all had a similar reaction.

Both the Crow Divinity Tribe and the Battle Tribe could be described with the same words. Taciturn! Cold-blooded! Ruthless!

At the same time, when the Battle Tribe appeared in front of the Crow Divinity Tribe, they could instantly see that they were vastly different from any other enemies faced up against in the past. The pressure that emanated out from them caused an intense desire for battle to gleam in the eyes of the Crow Divinity Tribe members.

There were now thirteen Nascent Soul Cultivators in the Crow Divinity Tribe. In addition to Sumaru and the other of the five from the Eight Branch Alliance, during the past year of war, the Crow Divinity had picked up a few more.

Of the thirteen Nascent Soul Cultivators, two were of the late Nascent Soul stage, five were of the mid Nascent Soul stage and six were of the early Nascent Soul stage. A force such as this put the Crow Divinity Tribe on the border between a mid-sized Tribe and a great Tribe that lacked a Spirit Severing Patriarch.

The Battle Tribe saw all of this. The power of the Crow Divinity Tribe far exceeded what they had anticipated. They knew that this battle… would be extremely violent and bitter.

A deathly silence filled the air as the two parties faced off against each other. The killing intent from both sides slammed together, causing the aura in the entire area to be thrown into chaos. In this moment of imminent crisis between the two parties… a strange expression suddenly appeared on Naruto's face as he caught sight of Shino sitting there right in the middle of everything on the black sword.

Shino's eyes went wide when he saw Naruto.

The two of them were separated by several hundred meters, but their gazes instantly locked. It only took a moment for wry smiles to appear on their faces.

The Battle Tribe High Priest had of course not noticed that Shino and Naruto were looking at each other. The oppressive atmosphere had reached a peak. He suddenly opened his mouth and broke the deathly silence: "KILL THEM!"

However, even as the Battle Tribe members behind him, as well as the Crow Divinity Tribe members, were about to roar and charge into battle, Shino suddenly leaped up and slapped the Battle Tribe High Priest across the top of his head.

"Shut up!" cried Shino, flying into a rage. "Did I tell you to start fighting?! Everybody, stay your hand! Dammit! The orders from the Main Tribe were to do everything possible to induce them to surrender! I haven't said a single word and you're already trying to kill them!?" The Battle Tribe members all stared over at him with cold eyes. In this critical moment in which their killing intent was exploding out violently, their gazes seemed sharp enough to rip everything to pieces. Instantly, Shino felt his mind trembling. However, it only took a moment for his eyes to widen.

"Disobeying orders?" he asked, his voice as cold as ice.

The Battle Tribe High Priest looked up, seemingly on the verge of being shamed into rage. Although the slap just now had not contained any force, it had happened in front of all the members of the Tribe, and was a huge humiliation. However, when he thought about Shino's status, he did nothing. The Battle Tribe Greatfather took a step forward and glared out at the other Tribe members. He gave a cold snort, causing them all to fall back silently.

Although the Battle Tribe Greatfather was secretly infuriated, he didn't let it show on his face. At least not too much. His expression somewhat unsightly, he said, "Grandmaster Shino, please, what are your orders?"

At the same time that the Battle Tribe had been on the verge of charging into the battle, many members of the Crow Divinity Tribe were also on the verge of exploding out with the power they had built up. However, unlike the Battle Tribe, as soon as Naruto gave the word, they instantly backed down.

This caught the attention of the Greatfather and High Priest of the Battle Tribe, and instantly shook them. They exchanged glances and could see the thoughtful look in each other's eyes.

They knew that a Battle Tribe like the Crow Divinity Tribe had reached a shocking level of power.

Naruto stood, and then his body flickered as he moved out. This instantly caused the Battle Tribe to be filled with vigilance. Shino gave a cold harrumph. His expression one of haughtiness, he moved off of the huge black sword to head toward Naruto.

The two of them flew up into the air, quickly becoming two tiny dots up above.

The two Tribes down below stared at each other with killing intent, but made no moves.

Up above, Naruto and Shino were tiny specks in the air, and it was impossible for the Tribe members below to hear anything they were saying. Naruto gave a wry smile as he looked at Shino. He clasped hands and bowed.

"Elder Brother Shino," he said teasingly, "it's been many years, but you look as graceful as ever,"

Shino cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed, and even more emotional, as he gazed back at Naruto. "I never imagined that we two fellow disciples would meet here after parting ways all those years ago in the Southern Domain." He sighed, his expression one of reminiscence.

Naruto sighed softly. He couldn't help but recall past events. He thought about the return trip from the Black Sieve Sect, when he and Shino ran into the Black Lands Cultivators and been forced to separate. He had never imagined that after that separation, they would meet again in the Black Lands and then again in the Western Desert.

"So, that alchemist in the Black Lands really was you?" asked Shino with a wry smile. After the event had occurred, he had realized that the only person who could possibly have been so powerful in pill concocting was of course the person in front of him right now.

When Shino thought back to how Naruto had consistently backed down in Holy Snow city in the Black Lands, allowing him to maintain his reputation, it actually caused him to be filled with gratitude. Over the years, that gratitude had fused with his previous feelings of friendship to form a warmth that had endured for years and years.

You could say that in all the Western Desert, Naruto was actually Shino's only family.

When Naruto looked at Shino, he thought about the Southern Domain. He thought about his Master, Sakura, and all the people back in the Violet Fate Sect. He thought about all his other close friends in the Southern Domain, about Fatty and Might Guy.

And… Hinata.

Their faces floated in his mind, clear and not blurry at all. As he saw their faces in his mind's eye, he realized that he… missed home.

Except, his home was in the Five Elements Nation, which had long since disappeared from the Southern Domain.

Naruto and Shino sighed and began to chat. Sometimes they smiled and laughed, sometimes they got excited and passionate. As they recalled past years, Naruto felt was awash with feelings that he rarely experienced. It was the same with Shino.

When Naruto recounted some of the bitter difficulties he had faced, Shino was shocked. To Shino, Naruto's life was like an exhilarating adventure. As for Naruto, when he heard about Shino's experiences, they seemed almost as miraculous as his own.

After hearing Shino's story, Naruto smiled and said, "So, you are the Cloud Sky Main Tribe Elder of the Dao of Alchemy… a position comparable to High Priest. In the great Cloud Sky Tribe, you definitely wield much power and influence…. Elder Brother Shino, I can't help but admire you, truly."

Shino laughed, sounding quite pleased with himself.

Without even realized it, they had allowed four hours to passed. While the two reminisced about past times, the two Tribes down below simply had to wait.

The Crow Divinity Tribe seemed to take the situation in stride. Naruto was their totemic Sacred Ancient, and they were fanatically loyal to him. Even if they had to wait longer, they wouldn't mind.

The Battle Tribe was a bit different. They stood there, taciturn. The Greatfather and the Grand Priest exchanged suspicious glances. They looked up at the black dots up in the air that were Shino and Naruto. They couldn't understand why Shino had already taken four hours trying to convince the enemy to surrender. By now, the sky was growing dark….

Shino looked up and then frowned. "It's getting dark, Naruto…. Enough chit-chat. You've gotten yourself into some big trouble here. The great Cloud Sky Tribe dispatched their Battle Tribe to wipe you out because of the incident with the Five Poisons Tribe that year, and also your Demon Spirit."

When he heard the words "great Cloud Sky Tribe," it caused a cold glow to suddenly appear in Naruto's eyes. He said nothing.

"Thankfully, I happen to be the leader of this group, so you don't have to worry. I won't let anything happen to my Junior Brother." He slapped his chest vigorously. Shino was not young, but because of the twists and turns of life, he had lived quite comfortably, and actually looked much younger than he was.

"How many concubines do you have now?" laughed Naruto.

"Not many, not many. Last month I accepted an eighth." Shino's face glowed a healthy red color and he coughed dryly. "There's no need to talk about that, though. Look, Junior Brother. The two of us are going to put on a little act…." He lowered his head and began to explain things to Naruto. Naruto's eyes went wide, and he put on a forced smile.

"Is that… really a good idea?" he said, hesitating.

"Don't worry about it! You listen to your Elder Brother!" Shino looked very serious, so Naruto could do nothing but mutter and nod his head.

A few moments later….

"So, it turns out that you are the Crow Divinity Tribe, who crushed over a thousand Tribes to rise to prominence! You are the most powerful force in the Western Desert North, a force that strikes fear into the hearts of even great Tribes!

"My heart holds nothing but admiration for you! If we battle each other, there will surely be deaths and injuries. I, Shino do not like to see blood. Therefore, I will use virtue to make you surrender!

"I will give you ten years, during which time I, Shino, will use virtue to make you surrender!" Shino's shouting echoed out in all directions to be heard by both Tribes. The Crow Divinity Tribe reacted better than the Battle Tribe, who all stared in shock.

Although they didn't know Shino very well, they were members of a great Tribe, and had heard many stories. No matter which way you looked at him, he did not seem to be the type of person who won others over with virtue.

The Battle Tribe's Greatfather and High Priest had eyes wider than anyone. They were completely stupefied, and had no clue what Shino was trying to accomplish.

After flying down from their position up above, Shino and Naruto separated. Naruto suppressed the awkwardness he felt inside to clasp hands and bow to Shino.

"So, it turns out that you are from the great Cloud Sky Tribe, the illustrious Grandmaster Shino, invincible in the Dao of alchemy and possessor of eight concubines. I truly admire you, sir. Very well, I accept your wager. I will give you ten years to try to use virtue to make me surrender." The more he spoke, the more awkward Naruto felt. Coughing dryly, he headed back to his airship.

The words he had just spoken caused the eyes of the Crow Divinity Tribe members to widen. It felt very strange to hear such words coming out of the mouth of their totemic Sacred Ancient. To them, their Sacred Ancient was someone who could kill without batting an eyelid. How could he possibly say something like he just had?

"Excellent!" cried Shino vigorously as he stepped back onto the black sword. He flicked his sleeve and continued in a determined voice: "Unfortunately, there must be a clear winner and loser between the two of us. If it weren't for that, we could drink and chat merrily, and would surely become friends for life…." His emotional expression made it seem that he truly felt it to be a pity.

"I truly admire you," he continued loftily. "It turns out you want to see exactly how I plan to win you over with virtue. Very well, please proceed on your way. Three days from now, I'll catch up with you. This is my promise, and my first step in the process of using virtue to make you surrender." Next to him, the faces of the Greatfather and High Priest instantly flickered.

"Grandmaster Shino, we can't do that. If we let them go, who knows where we will have to go to find them!?"

"Are you trying to prevent me from using virtue to make them surrender!?" said Shino, glaring.

Naruto cleared his throat and looked at Shino with a strange expression. He recalled the lines Shino had give him to speak, but after thinking about them, he just couldn't make himself say them. He cleared his throat again and then said nothing more. The Crow Divinity's airship immediately shot off into the distance.

"Grandmaster Shino!" cried the Battle Tribe Greatfather anxiously. As the Crow Divinity Tribe flew off, Shino's expression was one of loftiness. The Greatfather had no choice but to stand there and refuse to allow the Battle Tribe to pursue.

"You need to have faith in the great Cloud Sky Tribe. We WILL use virtue to make them surrender!" Shino was sighing inwardly. He had prepared even more words for himself to say in response to Naruto just now.

"But the mission we accepted was to destroy the Tribe…." said the High Priest furiously.

"Could it be that you have no faith in the great Cloud Sky Tribe?" replied Shino solemnly. "Or is it me you have no faith in? Hmm?" Regardless be it in terms of status or position, he was much higher than anyone present, and also the general of this force. Were the Greatfather to take unilateral action, Shino could report him, and then the entire Tribe would be in trouble.

Shino's simple response caused the Battle Tribe Greatfather and High Priest to say nothing further. That was how three days of time was bought.

Three days later, the black swords once again whistled through the air.

A few days later, the three black swords were shooting at top speed toward Naruto. Shino roared out: "So, we meet again! Crow Divinity Tribe, do you surrender or not?"

Killing intent instantly boiled out from the Crow Divinity Tribe. Clearly they felt the battle would begin at any moment.

The Battle Tribe was the same. They suppressed their irritation at the situation, and allowed their killing intent to roar up to the sky.

Naruto smiled wryly. He took a deep breath and then responded the way Shino had indicted he should.

"We don't surrender…."

"Hahaha! I guessed you wouldn't. If you had, I would have assumed something fishy was going on. Very well. This time I'll give you seven days before I start chasing you again. This is how you use virtue to get someone to surrender!" In response to Shino's lofty words, Naruto turned around with a wry smile. The airship once again shot off into the distance.

The Greatfather and the High Priest were enraged. There were even some Battle Tribe members who howled and charged forward to block the way of the Crow Divinity Tribe.

"Hold your hands!" roared Shino. "Are you really planning to rebel against the Tribe!?"

Shino's shocking roar caused the Battle Tribe members to instantly stop in place. The eyes of the Greatfather and the High Priest were bloodshot as they turned back to glare at Shino.

Shino gave a cold snort and then set his chin. His expression said, "What do you think you can do to me?" He slowly pulled open his robe to reveal the command medallion of a Tribe Elder. After seeing it, the Greatfather and the High Priest could do nothing more than suppress their rage and lower their heads.

It was in this manner that three months slowly passed by.

"Do you surrender?!"

"You're still not ready to surrender?"

"There's no need to say it. I know that you won't surrender. It doesn't matter…."

During the three months, every time the Battle Tribe caught up, Shino would come up with a vast array of excuses and reasons to let the Crow Divinity Tribe leave. Soon, the three black swords, despite being dispatched from a great Tribe, were beginning to run out of resources. Their speed was slowly being reduced to the point where soon, they wouldn't be able to catch up with the Crow Divinity Tribe.

As the months went by, the Crow Divinity Tribe became used to the situation. Every time the Battle Tribe caught up, they would watch on curiously. By now, they could see that this old man named Shino was actually a good person….

In fact, on one occasion, the Crow Divinity Tribe ended up being surrounded by another mid-sized Tribe. At the critical moment, the Battle Tribe appeared. Shino roared and, using the pretext of using virtue to get the Crow Divinity Tribe to surrender, forced the Battle Tribe to attack. Finally, they were able to vent their recent frustrations on that mid-sized Tribe.

In the end, Shino allowed the Crow Divinity Tribe to end the battle. Citing the desire to use virtue to make them surrender, he let the Crow Divinity Tribe take all the spoils of war. Their eyes gleaming with a strange light, they then made their ways off into the distance.

Another month passed. The Battle Tribe Greatfather and the High priest were no longer so upset. It wasn't that Shino wouldn't let them fight. What he wouldn't allow was a full-scale battle. Duels were permitted….

Therefore, during the following months, the two Tribes traveled almost one on top of the other. Occasionally, solitary Cultivators would fly out to engage to duels.

Each duel consisted of two fighters, no more….

Furthermore, as soon as the battle reached a critical, dangerous moment, Shino would immediately end the fight….

As time passed, the Battle Tribe grew numb to the situation. They had long since figured out that Shino and Naruto knew each other, and clearly, had a deep relationship. Even the Greatfather and the High Priest eventually gave tacit approval to the situation.

They knew that in terms of position and status, they were inferior to Shino. Furthermore, he was the general. Therefore, all of the responsibility for the mission would naturally fall onto his shoulders.

Therefore, they gave up on their desire to exterminate the Crow Divinity Tribe. Whatever orders Shino gave, they followed.

Eventually, it got to the point that Shino and Naruto felt no need for any pretense. They would often set up a table in mid-air to chat and drink together. Slowly but surely, the members of the two Tribes came to acknowledge each other.

Soon, they even came to exist in harmony with each other….

What caused the Greatfather and the High Priest to be even more speechless was the fact that over the months of interaction, there were even members of both Tribes who ended up becoming friends. There would often be visitors from either Tribe who dropped by the other to exchange views regarding cultivation. The Greatfather and High Priest could only smile wryly.

After all, both of these Tribes possessed strong killing intent. They had experienced countless battles, and therefore took each other very seriously. They were worthy adversaries, and on top of that, in addition to being veterans of many battles, they were all Cultivators. To be able to experience half a year of peace and calm like this was very rare.

Everything was harmonious….

Whenever they met enemies, there was no need for Shino to say anything. Instantly, the Battle Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe would join forces to go into battle. The Greatfather and High Priest knew that their mission was a failure, so they did their best to ingratiate themselves with Shino. That way, they might be able to build up more good will with the Main Tribe.

It was in this way that time went by. The Battle Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe put on a strange show with their close interaction and occasional pretense of fighting. By now, the Crow Divinity Tribe had passed through most of the Western Desert Central region, and were approaching the border of the South region….

One day, a succession of three jade slips arrived to the Battle Tribe. They contained wrathful messages from the Cloud Sky Main Tribe demanding an explanation and ordering the Battle Tribe and Shino to return immediately.

The mission to destroy the Crow Divinity Tribe was now given to another auxiliary Tribe. Shino sighed. He knew that he would not be able to escort Naruto any further than this.

When it came time to leave, it wasn't just Naruto and Shino who were reluctant to part. The members of the two Tribes stared at each other silently. Neither harbored any further desire to fight each other anymore. Instead, they respected and appreciated each other.

As far as the Battle Tribe went, they were in somewhat of a better situation. They knew that soon, the Crow Divinity Tribe would be facing up against another auxiliary branch of the great Cloud Sky Tribe, and after that, the fearsome South region.

Each and every one of the Tribes who managed to slaughter their way into the South from the East, West, North and Central regions, were incredibly valiant. The ones that did not have Demon Spirits roamed the area near the Black Lands, hoping for other Tribes to arrive that did. It was just like the saying, "waiting by the tree stump, waiting for more rabbits to come and dash themselves against it."

That was the only hope for survival for such Tribes.

The Greatfather of the Battle Tribe had recently gotten to know the two late Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Crow Divinity Tribe. Now that the time had come to part, he sighed emotionally in his heart.

No one could possibly have predicted that these two Tribes would form such a strange relationship over the course of half a year.

The members of the Battle Tribe clasped hands. "Take care!"

The members of the Crow Divinity Tribe clasped hands and bowed in response.

Shino was quiet for a moment as he looked at Naruto. Finally, he sighed. "Junior Brother, if you ever make it back to the Southern Domain, please find Master and kowtow to him for me. The year he came to the Black Lands, he accepted me as an apprentice. He told me that my path is not in the Southern Domain, but out in the rest of the world….

"I really want to go back to the Southern Domain. One day, if I don't perish, then I, Shino, will definitely return there, and return to the East Pill Division….

"Junior Brother, you must take care of yourself on your journey. I can only escort you to this point. In three days, the Flying Locust Tribe will arrive. Their mission is to exterminate you….

"Junior Brother, the time has come to part. I have nothing that I can offer to you as a gift except for this…." Eyes glittering, Shino waved his right hand, causing 10,000 neo-demons to fly out from within his bag of holding. Each one possessed incredible Cultivation bases. They instantly flew out into the air, roaring, their auras clearly extraordinary.

"This is my personal neo-demon horde, although I can't control them. In the Western Desert, neo-demons are valuable resources, so I will give them to you!" As soon as they appeared, they began to dissolve into chaos. Naruto glanced them over, and then caused Demonic Chakra to emanate out from his body. The neo-demons instantly began to quiver as they looked over at Naruto. They roared, but they were no longer in a state of disturbance.

Shino looked over at the Battle Tribe. "Battle Tribe Greatfather and High Priest, I will never forget the spirit of cooperation you have shown these days. I will take all responsibility for this mission.

"However, at the moment, I would like to ask you to lend me some neo-demons. When we get back to the Tribe, I will think of a way to repay you!"

Eight thousand Battle Tribe members stood there silently. Slowly, each and every one produced two or three neo-demons. In total, 20,000 were delivered over.

They had no Dragoneer, only personal neo-demons, each of which was not low level. The sight of the 20,000 neo-demons caused Naruto to be visibly moved. To any Western Desert Tribe, this represented a vast amount of wealth. Naruto looked at Shino.

Shino looked back. He took a deep breath and then began to speak in a tone that you would use with family, "There's no need to refuse, Junior Brother. This is the only way I have to help you. Naruto… take care!" Deep warmth filled his heart. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Shino gave Naruto a firm embrace.

"Take care…." Shino turned and flicked his sleeve. The members of the Battle Tribe gave the Crow Divinity Tribe one last deep glance before the black swords whistled off into the distance to disappear over the horizon.

Now, only the Crow Divinity Tribe was left floating there in midair along with 30,000 neo-demons. Naruto watched Shino leave. After a long moment passed, he took a deep breath and then turned. He slowly wiped the emotion from his face, causing it to once again become ice cold.

He waved his hand, sucking the 30,000 neo-demons into his bag of holding. During the past half year, he had lost 50,000 neo-demons, including ones that had been consumed as food. With this replenishment, his horde now numbered 150,000!

When a horde of 150,000 neo-demons spread out, it was enough to shake the entire Western Desert. Such a vast number exceeded that which even great Tribes like the Five Poisons Tribe would have. If Naruto had possessed a neo-demon horde this large, then in the battle that year with the Five Poisons Tribe, he would have completely crushed them!

In the vast lands of the Western Desert, only great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs could sustain such a large accumulation of neo-demons like this.

Despite that, there was no Dragoneer who could possibly control 150,000 neo-demons at once. Even the legendary Grand Dragoneers would not be able to do so.

Naruto, however, could control that and even more.

150,000 neo-demons didn't count for much as far as he was concerned. He wasn't using his Cultivation base to control them, but rather, Demonic Chakra. He could control 150,000, or 300,000, even 500,000.

Right now, Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe had reached a point on their campaign trail in which they had completely risen to prominence from within the flames of battle. They could now thoroughly rock even great Tribes.

"We are more than halfway to our destination…." said Naruto. "Once we leave the Western Desert Central region, the only thing in front of us will be the Western Desert South region. Beyond that… are the Black Lands!" Naruto flicked his wide sleeve, and a gleam of determination appeared in the eyes of the Crow Divinity Tribe members. Their airship whistled into motion.

A rumbling sound could be heard as it transformed into a beam of colorful light.

Three days later, Naruto looked off into the far distance toward the area that was the border between the Western Desert Central and South regions. In recent days, the Western Desert North region had completely been turned into a sea. Of course, the East, West, and Central regions had no way to escape the disaster. The seawater flowed into those areas as well; the lakes were joining together and rising up.

No plains were visible. Mountainous valleys had long since been turned into underwater graves. The violet rain continued to pound down, inundating the land. The seawater grew deeper and deeper…. Everywhere was turning into a sea.

In some areas were places that resembled islands. However, the extermination of life force caused a thick aura of death to rise up everywhere. As for spiritual energy….

It was no longer extremely thin, but rather… not there.

The only hope lay in the South. The South region had the highest elevation, and was the only place that wasn't being run over with seawater. However, Naruto could only imagine how many Tribes must be gathered there. Although it might not be correct to say it was overrun, but probably close.

Now, though, the Crow Divinity Tribe were not the weaklings they had once been. They were fierce and intrepid. They were the type of Tribe that others took seriously, even feared.

"We're now on the final home stretch of our journey…." Naruto took a deep breath as the airship shot through the air. Even as they neared the border, Naruto's eyes suddenly glittered with killing intent. He turned back to look off into the sky.

A yellowish glow could be seen shooting toward them from off in the distance. Before it even got close, buzzing sounds could be heard echoing out. It was now possible to see that the yellow glow was actually made up for countless winged locusts. Each one was about the size of a hand, and they were extremely fierce in appearance. There were tens of thousands of them, seemingly enough to blot out the sky.

Scattered about among the locusts were more than seven thousand Cultivators. All of them had expressions of disdain on their faces as they shot with the locusts toward the Crow Divinity Tribe.

Among the seven thousand Cultivators were twelve old men with cold, arrogant expressions. One of them suddenly said, "We are the Flying Locust Tribe of the great Cloud Sky Tribe! Crow Divinity Tribe, hand over your Demon Spirit. We will give you the space of three breaths to convince us why we shouldn't exterminate your entire Tribe!"

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, someone began to speak: "One, two…."

Before the third word could be uttered, the killing intent of the Crow Divinity Tribe exploded out. At the same time, Naruto, his expression the same as ever, waved his right hand.

As he did, 10,000 and then 30,000 neo-demons appeared, roaring.

"Small Tribes are small Tribes," said another of the twelve old men. "If you dare to attack the great Cloud Sky Tribe with a trifling horde of 30,000 neo-demons then…." Before he could finish speaking, his eyes went wide with disbelief.

That was because the neo-demons didn't stop at 30,000. Instead, their numbers grew to… 40,000. 50,000. 60,000.

By the time 60,000 neo-demons appeared, half of the group of twelve old men had serious expressions on their faces. Nearly half of the Cultivators they led were also panting. They could tell that if they wished to win a great victory in the coming battle, they would have to pay a steep price.

The man who appeared to be the leader among the group of twelve old men had a calm expression as he coolly said, "60,000 neo-demons. It seems the Main Tribe underestimate this Crow Divinity Tribe. Even still, we…." Before he could finish speaking, the faces of all twelve men completely fell. Even the man who had just been speaking couldn't stop from gasping and opening his eyes wide in disbelief.

70,000. 80,000. 90,000. 100,000!

The sight of 100,000 neo-demons caused Heaven and Earth to shake. Their roars filled the sky, causing the sky to dim and a strong wind to kick up. The more than seven thousand Cultivators' faces went pale and filled with astonishment. Even the twelve old men were panting and could feel their hearts pounding in their chests.

"100,000 neo-demons…. They're all level six and above. This… this…."

"They have a neo-demon horde of 100,000! Dammit! How do we fight that!?"

"This is impossible. Even a Grand Dragoneer can't control a 100,000 strong neo-demon horde. How can that guy pull this off?!"

Even as the members of the Flying Locust Tribe, including the Greatfather and Elders, panted in shock, their minds were then blown by the next thing that they saw. It was as if an invisible arrow had been shot directly into their brains. They were filled with shock and astonishment.

110,000. 120,000. 130,000…. Finally, all 150,000 neo-demons filled the sky. There is literally no way to describe the situation except with the expression "blot out the sky and cover up the earth."

The members of the Flying Locust Tribe were struck completely speechless. They stared in shock, in stupefaction. A long moment passed before they began to breathe again.

The twelve Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Flying Locust Tribe felt their scalps going numb as feelings of despair washed over them. Moments ago, they felt as if they were far above anyone else. To them, exterminating this Tribe was a trivial matter. In the blink of an eye, they suddenly found that the fierceness of this opponent made the entire situation the opposite of what they had thought. The truly trivial matter was how easily their opponent could exterminate them. Instantly, the entire Flying Locust Tribe began to tremble in their boots.

The vast difference between the two Tribes made it so that the Flying Locust Tribe Members could not muster even an ounce of fighting spirit. Their faces were completely devoid of blood.

Naruto's cold voice echoed out: "Flying Locust Tribe, I'll give you the space of three breaths to convince me why I shouldn't exterminate your entire Tribe!" The 150,000 neo-demons began to roar.

The roar transformed into sound waves that battered across the Flying Locust Tribe members. Their locusts let out plaintive howls and fell backward. The clothing of the Tribe members whipped about under the force of the roar and they retreated back. Their minds reeled, and they felt as if they were being suffocated.

The faces of the seven thousand members of the Flying Locust Tribe were pale white, and they were shaking in fear. They almost couldn't believe their eyes as they stared at the neo-demons blotting out the sky.

150,000 neo-demons. A force this powerful could sweep over any mid-sized Tribe. Even some great Tribes that lacked Spirit Severing Patriarchs would be routed by such a force.

No Tribe would willingly go into battle against such a fierce neo-demon horde. It didn't matter that they were one of the thirteen auxiliary Tribes of the great Cloud Sky Tribe, nor that they had more than seven thousand Cultivators and tens of thousands of locusts.

There was no deadly Karma that existed between them and the Crow Divinity Tribe. They said that they were here because of the Five Poisons Clan. But the Five Poisons Clan had been exterminated long ago. Even the Flying Locust Clan didn't quite approve of such logic.

Clearly, the great Cloud Sky Tribe had simply made up a reason to attack, all for the purpose of saving face. And obviously, it made sense to take the Demon Spirit while they were at it.

If the matter were truly important to them, they could dispatch a Spirit Severing Patriarch to finish the matter quickly.

"One, two, three!" said Naruto, his voice cool as he stared icily at the members of the Flying Locust Tribe. When he finished speaking, he lifted his hand and pointed at them. The 150,000 roaring neo-demons were just about to charge the petrified Flying Locust Tribe when one of the twelve Nascent Soul Cultivators suddenly cried out.

"Fellow Daoist from the Crow Divinity Tribe, please wait a moment!" This was the Flying Locust Tribe Greatfather, the one in the lead position.

Naruto's hand stopped moving, and his eyes flashed with coldness.

"This is all just a misunderstanding," said the Greatfather with a bitter smile. "Fellow Daoist from the Crow Divinity Tribe, please give just a moment. I'll contact the Main Tribe and ask them to offer you an explanation. As for this battle… there's no need to actually fight. What do you say, Fellow Daoist…?" He sighed inwardly. If he had known that this opponent possessed such a fearsome neo-demon horde, then no amount of persuasion would have convinced him to accept the mission.

"Don't forget," he continued, "you could attack and wipe out the Flying Locust Tribe. However, if one of the great Cloud Sky Tribe's thirteen auxiliary tribes is destroyed, the enmity created… would never be wiped clean." The Greatfather produced a jade slip and then rotated his Cultivation based, sending power into it.

Naruto didn't interfere. In truth, Naruto was well aware that the best way to resolve the situation was to intimidate them, not engage in battle.

The Cloud Sky Tribe was a great Tribe after all, and had a Spirit Severing Patriarch. Naruto knew that, considering the level of his Cultivation base and the state of the Crow Divinity Tribe, even 150,000 neo-demons did not make him a match for the almighty Spirit Severing stage.

Not unless… the mastiff woke up!

Although signs had appeared recently that the mastiff would awaken, it was not fully awake.

Therefore, showing off some power to intimidate this opponent was the best choice. All actions taken by the Tribe would be decided based on the resulting cost or benefit. Naruto knew from Shino that the great Cloud Sky Tribe wasn't extremely interested in Demon Spirits. They could do with one or without.

As such, if they could acquire a Demon Spirit without paying too much of a price, they would. But after considering, if they found that acquiring one would come at a heavy price, according to Naruto's analysis, they would most likely give up on the Demon Spirit.

After all, there was no true enmity between the two Tribes. Furthermore, the Apocalypse was reaching a critical juncture. Even great Tribes were in danger of being consumed by it; obviously they would not want to suffer damage for no good reason.

All of this was what gave Naruto his current confidence.

The jade slip that the Greatfather held suddenly began to glow with a green light. The light expanded out, quickly becoming blinding. Gradually, it began to form into the shape of an illusory figure.

The Greatfather and High Priest of the Flying Locust Tribe, along with all the other Tribe members, immediately dropped to their knees in worship.

"We offer respectful greetings, exalted Emissary!"

As their voices echoed out, the green light congealed together. Suddenly, a man appeared. He appeared to be a bit over thirty, with handsome features and long, thin eyes that glowed with coldness. Although his body was illusory, his Cultivation base still rippled out with fearsome power that enveloped everything in the area.

His body glittered with a green light as he looked over Naruto and the 150,000 neo-demons. His pupils constricted, after which he then looked at the Crow Divinity Tribe members. He could sense their killing intent, and was clearly surprised.

A neo-demon horde like this left him shocked, and a Tribe like the Crow Divinity Tribe truly left him with the feeling that he was looking at a Battle Tribe.

Finally, his gaze came to rest on Naruto, and his eyes narrowed.

"Eccentric Bloodface!" he said slowly, using the title that people in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins had given him.

Actually, the rise of the Crow Divinity Tribe had not gone unnoticed in recent years. Of course, during that process, with more and more people paying attention, how could Naruto's identity not have been revealed? After all, a blood-colored mask was something quite unique.

Of course, the origin of Naruto's Demon Spirit had also been uncovered.

"It's too bad that during the last appearance of the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, I was in secluded meditation. Therefore, I didn't go. However, I heard of the matter afterward from Fukuyama of the great Black Dragon Tribe and Nadare of the great Demon Talisman Tribe. They were never able to forget the fact that you were able to snatch that Demon Spirit away, leaving them capable of only gnashing their teeth."

Naruto's expression was cold as he looked at the illusory image of the green-robed man. He said nothing. However, the coldness in his eyes seemed to grow deeper.

"You may choose to exterminate this Flying Lotus Tribe that you see in front of you," continued the man slowly. "However, the price you will pay is that the Cloud Sky Tribe will employ all of its forces to completely wipe you clean off the map.

"On the other hand, you could chose to come over and pledge allegiance to us, thus becoming an auxiliary branch of the great Cloud Sky Tribe. You have two paths to chose from. I await your response." The man looked over, smiling.

The killing intent of the Crow Divinity Tribes grew even more apparent. They stood there silently, as did Naruto. When it came to the two options presented to them by the great Cloud Sky Tribe, the only one which allowed them to continued to exist involved surrendering.

As one could imagine, if they surrendered and pledged allegiance, then it would secure them a spot in the Black Lands, as well as safe passage there. However, what they would lose, would be freedom. For generations to come, there would be no freedom.

Naruto did not have the right to make such a decision. He looked over his shoulder to look at the ten thousand members of the Crow Divinity Tribe. There were less than a thousand who were original Cultivators of the five Crow Divinity Tribes. Darui was there, as well as Mabui. They had experienced the fires of war, and had long since grown up.

As for all the other new members of the Tribe, on this long road of war, they had come to rely on the Crow Divinity Tribe. At first, it seemed as if they had lost their freedom; in truth, they had long since become an integral part of the Tribe.

Naruto's gaze swept over them. What he saw was reticence. It was a reticence filled with pride. It said, "I would rather die than live without my freedom."

That was their decision.

The 150,000 neo-beasts let out agitated howls as they hovered there, filling the sky. Their eyes glowed with the thirst for blood.

Naruto looked back at the green-robed man. When he spoke, his voice echoed out in all directions.

"The Crow Divinity Tribe will not choose to become an auxiliary Tribe…. If the Cloud Sky Tribe wishes to fight, then the Crow Divinity Tribe will fight!" As he spoke, the killing intent of the Crow Divinity Tribe exploded up.

All the members of the Flying Locust Tribe began to pant nervously, their faces pale. In terms of strength, they really did not measure up, which meant that they were in a hopeless situation. The green-robed man's eyes narrowed. He looked at Naruto for a long moment before suddenly laughing.

"My intentions were good in making my offer," he said. "However, if you and the Crow Divinity Tribe do not wish to become an auxiliary Tribe, Fellow Daoist, then let's just drop the matter. It seems there really have been too many misunderstandings here. Fellow Daoist, I wish you and the Crow Divinity Tribe good fortune. Please be on your way to the Black Lands." The green-robed man smiled once again, and then slowly vanished. After seeing the Crow Divinity Tribe and the 150,000 neo-demons, he knew that a war with them… was not something that the great Cloud Sky Tribe would pursue.

The power of the Crow Divinity Tribe had grown to the point where it now truly was qualified to possess a Demon Spirit. The great Cloud Sky Tribe was not willing to pay such a heavy price only for a Demon Spirit. The end result would be that the great Cloud Sky Tribe would lose multiple auxiliary Tribes. Even many members of the Main Tribe would also surely perish.

Recently, there had been many strange developments in the Black Lands. Everything seemed peaceful, but in fact, there were a lot of secret struggles going on. The great Cloud Sky Tribe couldn't afford too many losses at this point. In fact, the Spirit Severing Patriarchs currently in the Black Lands couldn't afford to step foot back out into the Western Desert. If they did, with the spiritual energy cut off, there was a high likelihood they could encounter other hostile Spirit Severing experts from great Tribes, which would result in deadly slaughter.

In such a time of momentous change, caution and prudence were the foundation of a great Tribe's ability to survive and thrive.

The Flying Locust Tribe Greatfather was finally able to let out a sigh of relief. He suddenly had a much better understanding of why the Battle Tribe hadn't been willing to go fight earlier. In his opinion, opting not to fight was definitely the sensible choice. Anyone who ran into a Tribe as fearsome as the Crow Divinity Tribe would surely feel their scalp go numb immediately.

He looked at Naruto, clasped hands and bowed. Then, he retreated at top speed, taking his seven thousand Tribe Members and tens of thousands of locusts with him. They transformed into a yellow cloud that shot off into the distance. In a short moment, there was no trace of them at all.

Naruto waved his hand, not to collect the neo-demons, but rather, causing them to fly in formation around the airship. The airship then began to speed through the air, accompanied by 150,000 neo-demons as it headed forward. Finally, it shot out from the Western Desert Central region into…

The Western Desert South region!

From this point, it was only half a year to the Black Lands.

As the Black Lands grew nearer and nearer, Naruto's eyes began to grow brighter and brighter. The members of the Crow Divinity Tribe were filled with excitement and anticipation, and their killing intent even more intimidating.

Each and every member knew that the difficulty of this last leg of the journey would vastly exceed anything from before.

Right now, the Crow Divinity Tribe was completely different than it had been before; it had completely risen to prominence. This Tribe could cow great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs. It could sweep over mid-sized Tribes. As for great Tribes that had no Spirit Severing Patriarch, if they dared to block their path, then the Crow Divinity Tribe would fight!

They would not shrink back. They continued ever forward, their killing intent shocking. They were like a sharp, unsheathed sword. 150,000 neo-demons roared and howled, shaking everything around them, like a Heavenly sea of beasts. Standing atop their battleship, the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe proceeded onward, ready to brave any wind or waves that battered against them.

Three months had passed.

They were now deep into the Western Desert South region. Originally, the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe had assumed that they would experience an unprecedented campaign of constant battles. During the three months though, they only saw a few dozen Tribes. Two of them were great Tribes with no Spirit Severing Patriarch.

However… not a single battle resulted.

The reason for this was that the sight of Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe was simply too fierce. Their savagery had reached the point that when people saw them, they gasped. It didn't matter that the Crow Divinity Tribe had a Demon Spirit, no one dared to recklessly attack them.

The tribe numbered over ten thousand, with killing intent that reached to the Heavens. They had experienced a baptism in the fires of war; each and every member seemed equivalent to the elite experts of great Tribes. It was enough to intimidate anyone who looked at them. That was not even to mention… the 150,000 neo-demons. The sight of them was enough… to cause anyone to go numb, to send their mind spinning and their hearts to fill with astonishment.

Such an enormous neo-demon horde was large enough to trample any Tribe in the area. It was huge enough to determine whether or not a Tribe lived or died. Such power was something that no other Tribe would dare attack.

Because of all the battles, the name of the Crow Divinity Tribe had long since spread throughout the land. As of now, they were completely famous in all the Western Desert.

Virtually all Tribes knew of this group that had started out only one thousand strong. It had emerged from the Western Desert North region and traveled a path of war, slaughtering countless other Tribes. They fought for years, winning again and again, growing stronger and stronger. Now, they had reached a terrifying level of power.

Such fame and influence made it so that after the Crow Divinity Tribe reached the Western Desert South region, no one dared to even get in their way during the entire three months!

In fact, many Western Desert Cultivators now viewed the most powerful Tribes without Spirit Severing Cultivators to be the Crow Divinity Tribe, the Black Dragon Tribe and the Heavenly Wind Tribe.

Coincidentally, it was well known that all three of these Tribes possessed Demon Spirits.

One was from the East, one was from the West, and one was from the North. These three shocking Tribes had slaughtered their way out from three different directions.

The Crow Divinity's fame was astonishing, and their rise to prominence was already a legend!

As for the Black Dragon Tribe, years ago, they actually did have a Spirit Severing Patriarch. Unfortunately, his longevity had reached its end, and he was barely able to force himself to remain among the living. When the violet rain came with its power to exterminate life force and cut of spiritual energy, this previously all-powerful figure, a Spirit Severing expert, passed away and returned to the dust.

His death caused the Black Dragon Tribe to lose their qualification to enter the Black Lands. Despite that, they were still able to snatch a Demon Spirit. Now, they once again were the focus of attention.

When it came to the Heavenly Wind Tribe, they were a mysterious lot. They came from the east, and little information was known about their campaign of battles. It wasn't until they managed to snatch a Demon Spirit up that they suddenly rose to prominence.

Currently, these three great Tribes were generally acknowledged to be the most powerful.

During the three months of travel, nothing shocking happened, and they didn't stop to rest. Right now, they stood atop their airship, finally having arrived at a shocking stretch of mountains which rose up in front of them.

This mountain range stretched out as far as the eye could see in both directions. Lightning fell from up above down onto the mountain in constant waves, sending crashing booms out in all directions. It made the entire thing seem like the wall of a prison, completely sealed tight.

This was the location of South Cleaving Pass!

These mountains split the entire Western Desert South region into two parts. One part was considered completely part of the Western Desert. The other part was adjacent to the Black Lands. As such, you could not get to the Black Lands without going through this pass.

The fact that this mountain range swept across the land in both directions this way was because it was not a naturally occurring mountain range. Tens of thousands of years ago, when Southern Domain Cultivators made counter incursions into the Western Desert, they slaughtered their way to this point. It was then that all the Tribes of the Western Desert, and all of their powerful experts, spent several hundred years to raise up this mountain range.

It contained ancient spell formations that caused the lightning to exist permanently. In fact, what appeared to be lightning, was really a collection of countless sealing spells created by divine abilities and magical techniques. This place completely sealed off the rest of the continent; it was a door that, once shut, was impossible to break through.

Because of that, the great army of the Southern Domain was stopped outside, and eventually choose to leave.

This pass which led to the Black Lands became famous, and was kept in place after its initial creation. There was only one way in and out, and in that key spot, an enormous city was built.

That city was named South Cleaving City.

Any Tribe or group who wished to step foot into the Black Lands would have to pass through this city. Therefore, it became a very strategic point, and was naturally under heavy guard.

Currently, it was guarded by a great Tribe of the Western Desert, the Sea Demon Tribe.

This great Tribe had no Spirit Severing Patriarch, but in terms of overall power, they were intrepid and valiant. Because they were in the South all along, they had experienced few losses. Furthermore, they occupied the city, which enabled them to grow only more and more powerful.

During the years in which it occupied the city, the great Sea Demon Tribe had eventually made a rule. That rule was that any Tribe who wished to travel through the pass had to pay them one half of all their resources, including Spirit Stones and neo-demons.

Only in this way would they be permitted to travel through.

Any Tribes who were inferior to the Sea Demon Tribe and chose not to travel through the pass, would camp in the area in the hope that the higher elevation in the area would prevent the seawater from spreading to them.

Any Tribes who chose to travel through the pass could only patiently bear the exploitation of the Sea Demon Tribe.

As for Tribes who were powerful enough to threaten the great Sea Demon Tribe, the only thing they could do was begrudgingly pay the price. They knew that in front of them was the Sea Demon Tribe, and behind them were powerful bandit Tribes who were encamped in the area.

Only someone incredibly stupid or egotistical would dare not to pay the price.

According to the rumors, behind the great Sea Demon Tribe lurked the shadow of one of the three leaders of the Heavenly Court Alliance, the great Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

On this particular day, the Crow Divinity's battleship shot through the air, parting the clouds as it entered South Cleaving Pass. They were accompanied by 150,000 neo-demons. Below, many of the scattered Tribes camped at the bottom of the pass looked up with shock as the Crow Divinity Tribe approached.

Tens of thousands of Cultivators were camped out down below, all of them from various different Tribes. As they looked up, discussions instantly broke out.

"That's the Crow Divinity Tribe…."

"That guy in the front must be Eccentric Bloodface. According to the legends, he's vicious and merciless. He's not even a Cultivator! He was incarnated from a neo-demon, the totemic Sacred Ancient of the Crow Divinity Tribe!"

"Three months ago, when the Heavenly Wind Tribe faced up against the Sea Demon Tribe, they had no choice but to give up half of their valuables in order to be able to travel through. I wonder what the Crow Divinity Tribe will chose to do?"

Meanwhile, within South Cleaving City, the members of the great Sea Demon Tribe were looking out with expressions of scorn and disdain as they pointed toward the Crow Divinity Tribe. The Elders of the Tribe looked out coldly from their position on the city wall, contempt clearly written on their faces.

As for the Greatfather and the High Priest, they didn't even appear. To them, the Crow Divinity wasn't worthy of their presence.

"Halt!" As the Crow Divinity Tribe neared, one Sea Demon Tribe Elders appeared, an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivator. His expression was one of haughtiness, as if everything he saw was beneath him. The sight of 150,000 neo-demons shocked him, but he didn't lose any of his lofty pride.

As his voice echoed out, the Crow Divinity Tribe's airship came to a stop. Naruto stood on the prow, looking at South Cleaving Pass with a frown.

"If you wish to travel through the pass," said the Elder coolly, "produce all of your valuables. After a thorough check, we will take half as payment. Then you may travel through the pass. The same goes for your neo-demon horde." As his voice rang out, the Cultivators from all the other Tribes grew silent. Their eyes glowed brightly as they looked at the Crow Divinity Tribes.

Of course, they didn't dare to tangle with the Crow Divinity Tribe. However, if the neo-demon horde of the Crow Divinity Tribe were reduced by half, effectively diminishing their power by a huge amount, then… they might have the guts to attack.

It was not a minority who thought in this way. A black cloud formed on the other side of the pass as three Tribes appeared, each one numbering over 10,000, with tens of thousands of neo-demons. Their desire to slaughter was quite evident as the hovered about in the air near South Cleaving City. They looked like rapacious plunderers, just waiting for a Tribe to emerge from the pass. Their gazes locked onto the Crow Divinity Tribe, the greed in their eyes growing more and more intense.

Naruto saw them, and his frown deepened. The coldness in his eyes grew sharper. As for the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, they stood there silently, their killing intent spreading out.

On the other side of the pass, the Greatfathers of the three bandit Tribes exchanged glances and then looked at Naruto with cold, mocking smiles.

"After all these months, we finally hooked a big fish…."

"That's right. Three months ago, some of the other Tribes tried to rob the Heavenly Wind Tribe. Although they let them go in the end, they still managed to snatch up some good loot."

"The richer they are, the more powerful they are. Even if they don't have Demon Spirits, that doesn't mean they can't get a chance to enter the Black Lands…. Although, in this case, the Crow Divinity Tribe actually does have a Demon Spirit." The Priests and Elders of these tribes were now panting, and their eyes shone with a bloodthirsty glow.

They were confident that the Crow Divinity Tribe would not dare to defy the rules of South Cleaving Pass. After all, according to the stories, the Heavenly Court Alliance itself supported the arrangement.

"The Crow Divinity Tribe has a Demon Spirit. They'll definitely travel through the pass… and sooner rather than later. After all, even more bandit Tribes are gathering behind them."

"When they emerge from the pass, they will have lost half of their resources and neo-demons. Faced up against three bandit Tribes, the fighting will be fierce. However, they are flanked by even more bandit Tribes, so the result would be the same. I wonder what they'll choose?"

The Tribes within the pass who had no option of traveling through to the other side, or perhaps were hesitating about whether to do so, could see the black cloud on the other side, and the three Tribes radiating killing intent. This caused their faces to flicker, and their minds to fill with a droning sound.

The entire Crow Divinity Tribe was silent, including Naruto. Up above on the walls of South Cleaving City, the members of the Sea Demon Tribe were all chatting and laughing as they looked contemptuously out at the scene playing out within the pass.

The solitary Sea Demon Tribe Elder was beginning to look impatient. His voice cold, he said, "You're the Crow Divinity Tribe, right? If you're not going to go through the pass, then screw off this instant!"

Naruto slowly lifted his head. When he spoke, it was calm, although the sound of his voice was like thunder. It echoed about, creating massive sound waves. "Would you pipe down?"

As soon as his voice echoed out into the ears of the Crow Divinity Tribe, the heads of the more than ten thousand Tribe members all suddenly snapped up. Their eyes radiated killing intent. Naruto's gaze was icy cold as his hand stretched out. Suddenly, a long, black spear appeared in his hand.

This was the spear given to him by Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, refined from the Devil Construct, and filled with ten percent of its power… the Devil Spear!

As soon as the spear appeared, the clouds in the area began to roil, and shocking killing intent appeared.

The response of the Crow Divinity Tribe, and the appearance of Naruto's Devil Spear, instantly attracted the attention of the three great Tribes on the other side of the pass. Smiles appeared on their faces as they looked at Naruto. Although they hoped the Crow Divinity Tribe would fight with the Sea Demon Tribe, deep inside, they felt this to be impossible. The Crow Divinity Tribe would only dare to attack… if they were crazy.

Their smiles were noticed by the tens of thousands of Cultivators inside of the pass. In this moment when anything could happen, those tens of thousands of people instantly began to discuss the matter anxiously.

"Those Tribes on the other side of the pass have no way of getting into the Black Lands. They roam about in the area outside of it, plundering and killing. Their main goal is to rob the Tribes that have just emerged from the pass…."

"A lot of Tribes have been destroyed in such a way. It looks like those people really do believe the rumor that people have been talking about. Who knows who started it…."

"We believe the rumor too. Supposedly, in the final moments of the Apocalypse, when the lands are on the verge of being submerged, whichever Tribe survives the final chaotic battle will have a chance to enter the Black Lands! As long as the three leaders in the Black Lands approve of that Tribe's power, they will be pulled in as an auxiliary Tribe!"

This rumor had been spreading throughout the past few years, and was now deeply ingrained in the hearts of the local Cultivators. Many of the Tribes who were here without Demon Spirits had come to truly believe in the rumor.

As the discussions continued, Naruto stood on the prow of the battleship, Devil Spear in hand. Instantly, black mist began to roil and seethe around him. Within the mist could be seen countless faces, each and every one was vicious and savage. Ear-piercing laughter could be heard that sounded like the cries of nightbirds. It sounded almost like skulls being grated together, cold and hair-raising.

The Crow Divinity members behind Naruto all began to stand up. Killing intent roiled off their bodies, and their bloodshot eyes began to burn as if with fire. Their desire to kill was intense, but their hearts were exceedingly calm.

As of this moment, each and every one looked like a heroic veteran of hundreds of battles!

"What do you think you're doing?" said the Sea Demon Tribe Elder who stood there in the middle of South Cleaving City. He gave a cold, disdainful snort.

"You want to attack the Sea Demon Tribe of South Cleaving Pass?" he said arrogantly. "You've got guts, but if you dare to make even a single attack, or spill even a drop of Sea Demon Tribe blood, then your entire Tribe will be exterminated within three days!" He was convinced that the Crow Divinity Tribe would not dare to attack. All of this was just posturing in an attempt to reduce the price that would have to be paid to go through the pass.

He had seen a lot of Tribes like this. Up to this point, not a single one had dared to actually make a move. All had ended up bowing their heads in compliance.

It wasn't just him who thought in this way. The members of the Sea Demon Tribe up on the walls of South Cleaving City were all laughing coldly, their scorn and disdain clearly visible.

At the same time, the tens of thousands of other Cultivators within the pass were all panting as they stared at the Crow Divinity Tribe and Naruto.

"Will the Crow Divinity Tribe actually dare to attack? I just don't believe it!"

"Ever since the Apocalypse began and the Sea Demon Tribe took over the South Cleaving Pass, there has never been a single Tribe who attempted to attack and storm the pass…. I think the Crow Divinity Tribe is just doing some saber-rattling."

Even as the sound of the discussions echoed out, the atmosphere up above in mid-air couldn't be more tense. Suddenly, coldness sprang out from Naruto's eyes.

The Sea Demon Tribe, his arrogance at its zenith, suddenly said, "Why haven't you attacked yet? I'm waiting for you, you trifling Northern Tribe. You dare to act ferocious, but I'm waiting to see if you'll actually have the gall to attack!

"In fact, as of now, I forbid you from saying that you won't attack. Even if you get on your knees and beg, you can forget about paying only half of your resources to get through South Cleaving Pass. You will pay ALL of your resources and ALL of your neo-demons…."

It was at this moment that Naruto suddenly flung out the Devil Spear. The pitch black spear shot like lightning through the air. Rumbling filled the air.

A shrill, screaming sound could be heard, and a sound like something being ripped through, as if the air were being torn to pieces. The Cultivators down below saw a black beam ripping through the air, emanating a shocking aura as it shot directly toward South Cleaving Pass.

Black mist surrounded the Devil Spear, within which were maliciously laughing faces. The sound of the laughter echoed out, causing all hearts to tremble. In the blink of an eye, the Devil Spear crossed the distance between Naruto and the Sea Demon Tribe Elder. The Elder's face filled with shock as the spear appeared directly in front of him.

His heart trembled as a fierce wind blasted against his face, as well as a sharpness that caused his chest to fill with stabbing pain. His clothing whipped about, his hair was thrown into disarray, and he felt as if he were being strangled. Without even thinking about it, he retreated. Even in his wildest dreams, he would never have imagined that… the Crow Divinity Tribe would actually dare to attack!

Waves of astonishment filled his mind, along with countless questions, making it impossible for him to have the time to dodge. At this point, he couldn't dodge even if he wanted to.

"They actually attacked?"

"They did! They attacked!"

The Sea Demon Tribe Elder's eyes went wide and his pupils constricted. His vision was suddenly filled by a black mist. All the onlookers watched wide-eyed as the long, black spear stabbed directly into his chest, tearing apart his clothes, shredding his flesh and blood. It stabbed through his heart, piercing him through, carrying him with it as it continued to scream through the air.

Blood sprayed from the old man's mouth. He looked down in disbelief at the Devil Spear vibrating in his chest as it carried him through the air.

"How is this possible…." He still almost couldn't believe what was happening.

At the same time, massive amounts of mist poured out from the spear. It looked like countless black snakes as it poured into the Elder's eyes, ears, nose and mouth. It even burrowed into the pores on his skin. As the mist sank into him, countless bloodthirsty faces pounced. The sound of chewing echoed out, accompanied by the bloodcurdling screams of the old man.

Those screams were filled with indescribable pain. One could only imagine the unprecedented brutality that would cause an early Nascent Soul Cultivator to scream in such a way.

BAM!

The Devil Spear slammed into the city wall of South Cleaving City. Cracking sounds could be heard and fissures spread out across the wall as the Sea Demon Tribe Elder was impaled directly onto its surface.

Looking at the scene, however, the only thing that could be seen was a black mist. As for the horrific screaming, it had long since ceased.

Everything was deathly quiet. Naruto's expressions was the same as ever as he lifted up his hand and made a grasping gesture. Instantly, a droning sound could be heard as the spear dissipated. A black mist of countless vicious faces dispersed and then shot back toward Naruto, seemingly eager to report their success.

At the same time, it was revealed that in the middle of the mist… was no body! There was only a skeleton!

The bones of the skeleton were covered in bite marks, as if they had been chewed upon. Some were even completely crushed. Without the Devil Spear to hold it in place, the skeleton crumbled apart and fell to the ground. Only a few pieces were left, stuck in the cracks in the city wall. The sight was thoroughly astonishing.

The Sea Demon Tribe members were instantly shaken. The tens of thousands of Cultivators down below in the pass stared with wide eyes and open mouths.

The three bandit Tribes on the other side of the pass had similar reactions. The scene was completely shocking, causing them to pant and look on with disbelief.

Not a single person could have predicted that the Crow Divinity Tribe would actually dare to make a move, and that Naruto… would be so audacious as to slay an Elder of the Sea Demon Tribe.

Everyone who saw it happen felt as if their heads were about to explode. Each and every one was thinking the exact same thing.

"The Crow Divinity Tribe… did the unthinkable!"

The tens of thousands of Cultivators within the pass stood as still as if they were dead. Only panting could be heard as they looked at Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe. It was as if this was their first time seeing them. They were overwhelmed with shock. Naruto's decisiveness, the awe-inspiring Devil Spear, the shocking attack, all of these things transformed into something like lightning that crashed around inside their minds. The scene just now was something that they would never be able to forget.

The three Tribes on the other side of the pass, who moments ago had been greedily eyeing the Crow Divinity Tribe, even laughing at them, now felt thunderstruck. Ordinary Tribe members, Priests, and even the Greatfathers were breathing heavily and had looks of amazement plastered on their faces.

How could they ever have imagined that the Crow Divinity Tribe… would really dare to make a move! Furthermore, they didn't just simply attack. They actually killed someone!

Such decisiveness, such killing intent, such a desire to exterminate, caused the hearts of the members of these three Tribes to fill with madness. The confidence they had felt moments ago regarding their ability to defeat this opponent, was instantly shaken with grave intensity. Fear suddenly blossomed in their hearts.

The most shaken of all was the Sea Demon Tribe. Every Tribe member who saw what happened was unable to even react. From the very beginning, they had been literally incapable of believing that the scene they had just witnessed could possibly unfold. They just didn't believe that someone would actually dare to attack the Sea Demon Tribe….

After a long moment of deathly silence, enraged cries could suddenly be heard from within South Cleaving City. More than a dozen figures emerged to charge forward, followed by tens of thousands of neo-demons and twenty thousand Tribe members!

Among their number was a red-haired old man, the Greatfather of the Sea Demon Tribe. His face was filled with shock, but also fury. He was clearly flustered and discomfited.

Before he could even say anything, Naruto's black mist returned to him and formed once again into the Devil Spear. He pointed it forward and cried, "Fight!"

No more words were necessary. Only one word…. Instantly, the eyes of the more than ten thousand Crow Divinity Tribe members turned red, and they began to shout.

"Kill them!" As the shocking sound rose up, the entire Crow Divinity Tribe shot forward. They looked like a group of fiends and monsters who had fought and survived hundreds of battles. Their charge was accompanied by dense killing intent which caused even the sky to dim. Clouds amassed up above, making it seem as if they were surging out from the depths of the yellow springs as they charged toward South Cleaving City!

Even more shocking, it was at this moment that 150,000 neo-demons appeared, bloodthirsty and furious. They blotted out the entire sky as they charged South Cleaving Pass!

Obviously, they saw that Naruto had been injured, which changed the tide of the battle. Now was their chance to slaughter and plunder!

Almost at the same moment in which the three bandit Tribes charged forward, further off back in the pass, a black dragon roared. This black dragon was several thousand meters long; atop it stood over ten thousand Cultivators. Around the wrist of each one of these Cultivators was a black cord.

Killing intent pulsed out from within the black cords. The garments worn by the ten thousand Cultivators were simple, and hard looks could be seen on their faces. Their gazes were cold, and at first glance, looked very similar to the expressions of the Crow Divinity Tribe.

The main difference between the two was that, shockingly, on their foreheads could be seen the mark of a black dragon.

This was… the great Black Dragon Tribe!

Before, they had a Spirit Severing Patriarch, and had shined gloriously for a thousand years. Unfortunately, their Spirit Severing Patriarch had perished. After that, they had relied on their own strength to plunder a Demon Spirit, and had then slaughtered their way out from within the Western Desert East region. Now they had finally arrived at South Cleaving Pass!

During their journey, their Tribe of close to one hundred thousand had been reduced to only about ten thousand. More than seventy percent of their Tribe had perished. Even still, this was the great Black Dragon Tribe. This was still that Tribe that was strong enough to strike fear into the hearts of Western Desert Cultivators.

Behind the Black Dragon was a rope that was festooned with… skulls!

More than one hundred thousand skulls were threaded onto the black rope which was woven together to form something almost like a cape. It fluttered in the air as the black dragon flew, casting a shadow over the land beneath.

An aura of death surrounded it, and it was even possible to hear the sound of mourning souls that were sealed within the skulls, struggling to free themselves.

These were the skulls of enemies killed by the Black Dragon Clan in the battles on their journey. They were trophies of war, used to shock the surrounded thieves and robbers!

On the head of the black dragon were eight Cultivators. Most were old men with cold eyes, who made the Tribe as a whole seem like a sharp, unsheathed blade.

Among the eight men was a younger man who stuck out from the rest. He was extremely muscular and very tall, about a head taller than the average Western Desert Cultivator. He wore a simple black garment, and a fierce black dragon totem tattoo could be seen on his forehead. He looked rugged, and his eyes shone with a bright light.

Around his right wrist was wrapped a black cord. It seemed ordinary, and didn't appear to have any unusual characteristics, as if it were just a traditional ornamentation of the Black Dragon Tribe.

This person was none other than Fukuyama!

Years ago in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, he and Nadare of the great Demon Talisman Tribe had attempted to snatch a Demon Spirit only to have it grabbed by Tsukino. In the end, the three of them had watched wide-eyed as Naruto attacked, and then managed to grab the Demon Spirit for himself.

They gave chase, but Naruto was too fast. Then, Tsukino interfered, forcing Fukuyama and Nadare to give up. It was with great regret that Fukuyama left the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. At the same time, he was left with a deep impression of Naruto and Tsukino.

As the Black Dragon Tribe neared, it instantly attracted the attention of the tens of thousands of Cultivators who were watching the battle between the Crow Divinity Tribe and the Sea Demon Tribe. As soon as they looked over, they recognized the Black Dragon Tribe. Instantly, their faces began to flicker as they wondered what the Tribe would choose to do.

Fukuyama looked at the battle unfolding in South Cleaving Pass, and lightning seemed to dance in his eyes. He saw Naruto retreating from the bizarre statue, blood oozing out of his mouth.

Fukuyama saw Naruto, he saw the Sea Demon Tribe, he saw the strange, eight-armed statue, and he saw the three bandit Tribes whistling toward them from the other side of the pass.

He was quiet for the space of about three breaths, after which he lifted his head back and laughed.

"Eccentric Bloodface, Naruto…. I've heard your name mentioned a lot recently. I've been following the rumors with quite some interest…. You led the Crow Divinity Tribe out from the Western Desert North region all the way to here. You… have really caused me to admire you!" His laughter was bright and crisp, without any feeling of insincerity. He truly did feel incredible admiration for Naruto. After all, stories about the Crow Divinity Tribe, Naruto and the events in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, had long since spread far and wide.

In some ways, his feelings toward Naruto could be summed up in the expression, "those who have the same illness sympathize with each other," or maybe even, "people of talent appreciate one another." The Black Dragon Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe started out in much the same situation, although the Black Dragon Tribe was a bit better off. After the Apocalypse began, their Spirit Severing Patriarch perished and they lost their qualification to enter the Black Lands. The Tribe members abandoned themselves to hopelessness and despair. In addition to that, old enemies besieged and attacked them. However, the Patriarch had made certain preparations before death, and then Fukuyama rose to prominence, leading the Tribe on a path of slaughter that caused their faith to once again grow strong. At that point… the great Black Dragon Tribe was firmly entrenched in the history books.

This was how they were similar to the Crow Divinity Tribe, and also the reason why Fukuyama next lifted his hand and pointed.

"I, Fukuyama, detest those who interfere in the battles of others. Crow Divinity Tribe, allow my Black Dragon Tribe to obstruct the path of these three bandit Tribes!" Instantly, the black dragon roared, and the ten thousand members of the great Black Dragon Tribe poured forth, transforming into black beams of light as they charged. They were accompanied by a sizable number of neo-demons. They shot into the battlefield, but didn't stop. They continued onward, directly toward the incoming three bandit Tribes.

The Greatfathers of the three other Tribes instantly shouted out.

"Fukuyama, what are you doing?! There are no ill-feelings between us…. We didn't attack you either! We're only helping South Cleaving Pass! Don't tell me that you're also trying to break through the pass like the Crow Divinity Tribe!?"

"Great Black Dragon Tribe, you need to think things through clearly! If you start fighting us, then it means you're declaring war on all the bandit Tribes! Once you leave the pass, you won't be able to move a single step!"

"I've already thought things through clearly," replied Fukuyama, his voice cool. Rumbling killing intent spread out from the members of the Black Dragon Tribe. The faces of the members of the three bandit Tribes fell as intense fighting suddenly began!

Fukuyama laughed coldly. He truly had thought things through clearly. Even if the situation hadn't played out this way, he knew that after traveling through the pass, he would be surrounded by bandits. He also really did admire Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe. The fact that they dared to defy the South Cleaving Pass was something even he would not have been able to do.

In fact, before coming here, he had already grudgingly made the decision to hand over half of the Tribe's belongings.

But now, an opportunity existed that Fukuyama naturally could not pass up. He would never attack the Crow Divinity Tribe. That was because fundamentally speaking, in this Apocalypse, the Black Dragon Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe… were the two most suitable Tribes to form an alliance!

Fukuyama had thought the matter through thoroughly. "Divided, we fall. Forming an alliance is the best decision. If we can find the Heavenly Wind Tribe, and form a three-Tribe alliance, then we could fight directly back against those damned bandit Tribes outside of the Black Lands!" He was certain that the Crow Divinity Tribe and the Heavenly Wind Tribe were also thinking the same thing.

The slaughter began. Booms filled the air. Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth as he ground to a halt. He didn't pay any attention to the great Black Dragon Tribe. That was because at the moment, he had to devote complete attention to this bizarre statue that he was up against.

His Devil Spear had stabbed into the statue's forehead, causing its head to crumble half apart. Furthermore, three of its arms had been shattered.

However, as the Devil Spear circled back around and then stabbed through the statue again, it didn't seem to inflict any damage. It was as if it had suddenly lost some of its effectiveness.

This caused Naruto's heart to tremble. The statue's remaining eye glittered coldly as it once again looked at him. Without hesitation, Naruto produced the blood-colored mask and put it on. Instantly, a bloody aura billowed up around him.

"Hebi Clan Blood Clone!" Naruto's eyes flashed and a bright red glow of blood shined out from his forehead. At the same time, a long, blood-colored strand appeared which turned into a drop of blood. It wriggled as it suddenly expanded, transforming into a Blood Clone that looked exactly like Naruto. The statue's mouth was open as if it were about to speak again, when suddenly the Blood Clone shot toward it.

Instantly, the statue closed its mouth. It allowed the Blood Clone to pounce, and yet strangely, no injury was inflicted, not even the slightest. Naruto found this difficult to believe. The Blood Clone, having passed through the statue, was taken aback, as if it didn't understand.

It was at this point that the multi-armed statue's ghastly voice once again could be heard. "Destruction!"

A thunderous roar filled Naruto. Suddenly, his mind exploded with a burst of power that was a full three times stronger than his own five elements type power that he had used previously. It felt as if a sword were tearing through his brain, stabbing into his mind, ripping everything apart. Blood sprayed from his mouth and his face went pale. He suddenly felt incredibly weak.

This statue's divine ability was extremely bizarre, and Naruto was powerless to block it. He bit the tip of his tongue, using the pain to clear his head. His eyes were bloodshot as he, instead of retreating, turned into a beam of light that shot directly toward the statue.

"The Blood Clone doesn't work…." he thought as his speed increased. He transformed into a green smoke and a black moon. As he neared, he lifted his right hand up. Suddenly, Blood Immortal divine abilities manifested. Booms filled the air as he unleashed them all. However, just as was the case with the Devil Spear, none of them hurt the statue even the least bit.

This caused Naruto's face to fall. He waved his hand and the Lotus Time Formation appeared. It spun rapidly, rumbling as it unleashed the power of Time. It was not effective either.

"Divine abilities are useless. Magical items are useless. The Devil Spear only worked once…. Just what exactly is this statue made of!?" Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent as he endured the splitting pain in his head.

"Why did the Devil Spear work once…? When the Blood Clone neared, it was obviously about to speak, but then shut its mouth!" Hundreds of ideas and possibilities flickered through Naruto's mind. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

"Don't tell me…." He gritted his teeth and then, without hesitation, shot toward the statue, mentally preparing himself.

The statue's expression was as cold as ever. The remaining eye on its half-destroyed head gleamed with mysterious coldness as it once again spoke, a third time: "Incantation!"

Psyche Destruction Incantation!

As soon as the third word began to leave its mouth, Naruto lifted his hand and employed the power of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. His finger pointed toward the Statue's open mouth. Even as the sound was coming out, and it suddenly stopped moving, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. Four wooden swords appeared, which instantly transformed into prismatic beams that shot toward the statue.

Simultaneously, in response to Naruto's advanced preparation just now, the Blood Clone pounced. Screaming sounds could be heard as the Devil Spear shot forward in attack. The Time Sword Formation rotated. The Blood Immortal divine abilities were unleashed. As soon as the word "incantation" left its mouth, booming could be heard!

A massive rumble shook everything as the entire statue began to tremble. The four wooden swords caused it to lose any power to resist. Boom! It began to collapse as the Devil Spear slammed into it. The Blood Clone absorbed its life force. The Time Sword Formation transformed it into ash. Naruto's Blood Immortal divine abilities then destroyed the ash!

At the same time, Naruto was coughing up blood. After the statue spoke the final word, a power three times more powerful than before exploded out inside of his body. Thankfully, it only lasted a brief instant. The statue was destroyed, making the pain last for only a short moment. Even still, blood oozed from Naruto's eyes, nose, ears and mouth. Even as he tumbled backward, he produced handfuls of medicinal pills, which he instantly consumed.

He looked up at the disappearing ash, and his eyes gleamed with coldness.

"When its mouth was closed, it couldn't be hurt. When its mouth opened, it revealed its weakness!"

The destruction of the eight-armed statue was like a death knell, ringing out to declare what the future of the Sea Demon Tribe would be. The ten thousand Crow Divinity Tribe members fought fiercely. 150,000 neo-demons screamed through the air. This was not a battle between two Tribes; this was a slaughter.

Miserable shrieks filled the air, the cries of the dying. A strange mixture of violet rain and fresh blood showered down onto the ground, pouring down through South Cleaving Pass, seemingly mixing with all the blood of previous battles in the area….

Naruto floated in mid-air, his eyes shut as he rotated his Cultivation base with full force to absorb the power of the medicinal pills and heal himself. His mind was still filled with a pain that felt like countless stabbing needles. The eight-armed statue had been powerful. If Naruto hadn't noticed its weakness, and it opened its mouth a fourth time, even though he was at the great circle of four of the five different elements, he still would have been powerless to resist. His soul would have been ripped apart, his mind exploded. His body might not have been destroyed, but his soul would have.

Thinking back, Naruto was actually shocked. He suddenly realized that he had to be vigilant in regard to the Western Desert and all the bizarre things which existed therein. Gone was the arrogance he had felt because of his powerful Cultivation base.

His eyes were closed as he went about healing himself. Around him, a shocking massacre played out. The powerful experts of the Sea Demon Tribe were trying to break through to interfere with Naruto's healing. Before they could even get near, they were intercepted and prevented from getting even within three hundred meters of him.

Bloodcurdling screams echoed out as the Sea Demon Tribe members were beaten back and killed ruthlessly. As of this moment, there were less than one thousand Tribe members left. Despair washed over them as they realized that… the moment of complete Tribal extermination was approaching.

There was nothing they could do. The valiance and brutality of the Crow Divinity exceeded their imaginations over and over again. This Tribe was possessed with a madness that caused them to self-detonate rather than be slain, something that few members of the Sea Demon Tribe could make themselves do.

Overall there were too few who chose to self-detonate, and it did little good. Within the space of a few breaths, rumbling sounds filled the battlefield as all of the Sea Demon Tribe members, except for the dozen or so Nascent Soul Cultivators, were exterminated!

The Sea Demon Tribe's neo-demons had long since been wiped clean away, having been viciously consumed by Naruto's neo-demons, who hadn't eaten in months. Even the bones were not left behind, but were crushed and eaten.

The sight of this shook the minds of the tens of thousands of Cultivators down below in the pass. They panted and watched on in a daze, completely shocked by the Crow Divinity Tribe.

What they were witnessing was something that would be branded into their minds for the rest of their lives. It was a feeling that told them that the Crow Divinity Tribe would never, ever be defeated.

As these tens of thousands of Cultivators panted, the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe rushed over to plunder South Cleaving City. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pass, the Black Dragon Tribe was locked in combat with the three bandit Tribes, whose minds were spinning from what they had just seen. They were astonished to find that the Crow Divinity Tribe members were like gods of war. An intense fear and shock rumbled in their minds as they started to retreat.

It was at this moment that Naruto's eyes opened. In that instant, he transformed into a green smoke, within which was a visible green moon. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind a Sea Demon Tribe mid Nascent Soul stage Elder who was in the midst of fighting Sumaru.

As soon as Naruto appeared, the Elder's face fell. Just as he was about to dodge to the side, the Devil Spear in Naruto's hand shot forward. It pierced through all the Elder's defenses and plunged into his chest, stabbing directly through his heart.

Devilish mist exploded out, along with countless excited, savage faces that swarmed around the man. Within the space of a few breaths, Naruto pulled the devil spear back. He disappeared, leaving behind only a skeleton which fell down to the ground.

Sumaru took a deep breath, then shot off to find other fellow Tribe members to assist.

When Naruto reappeared, he was next to another Sea Demon Tribe Elder. The man's face fell and he instantly began to retreat. However, before he could get very far, a bloody flash of light appeared in front of Naruto as the Blood Clone appeared. Considering the Blood Clone's speed, the old man was incapable of evasion. In the blink of an eye, the Blood Clone pounced on him. It departed a moment later, taking all of the old man's life force along with it.

Naruto attacked like lightning. Wherever he went, powerful experts of the Sea Demon Tribe perished screaming. In a short period of time, three defiant howls could be heard. The Sea Demon Tribe Greatfather, High Priest and Grand Elder all shot backward in retreat, each one moving in a different direction as they attempted to escape.

The moment they began to flee, though, a despairing, plaintive roar echoed out. This roar came from none other than the Sea Demon Tribe totemic Sacred Ancient!

Because of the death of all the Tribe members, the totemic Sacred Ancient's strength suddenly decreased rapidly. Furthermore, the Blood Clone had long since cast its eyes toward it. Taking advantage of another of the Outlander Beast's attacks, the Blood Clone finally pounced, sucking away its life force and essence. In the blink of an eye, the Sea Demon Tribe totemic Sacred Ancient let out the miserable shriek just now.

As the Sea Demon Tribe totem was destroyed, blood shot out of the mouths of the Greatfather and the others, who were in the midst of fleeing. Their faces were pale, and their expressions desolate as they let out bitter laughs. Even as they fled, Naruto flung the Devil Spear out in front of him, causing it to fly through the air with a rumbling sound.

Off to the side, the Blood Clone licked the blood off of its lips and then began to pursue. In addition, the two late Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Eight Branch Alliance shot in pursuit, their eyes glittering.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three massive bangs could be heard, and three dying screams ragn out. The Devil Spear stabbed through the Greatfather. The High Priest became food for the Blood Clone. As for the Grand Elder, his Cultivation base was falling, and he was instantly killed by the combined attack of the Eight Branch Alliance Greatfather and High Priest.

It was in this manner the entire Sea Demon Tribe was thoroughly exterminated. Not a single person remained!

The tens of thousands of Cultivators within the pass were left completely shocked. Their gazes were filled with awe as they looked toward the Crow Divinity Tribe.

Meanwhile, Naruto turned his head to look toward the other side of the pass, where the four tribes were fighting each other.

The three bandit Tribes were currently in a state of retreat, trying to leave the battlefield. However, the might of the great Black Dragon Tribe had them pinned down.

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent. He had just exterminated the Sea Demon Tribe, so he would naturally show no softheartedness toward these three Tribes who had planned to take advantage of the situation.

Naruto didn't even need to say anything. He lifted his hand and made a clutching motion, causing the Devil Spear to materialize. He pointed forward, and the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe instantly charged forward into the battlefield outside the pass, their eyes red with death.

Naruto strode forward, instantly picking up speed as he transformed into a beam of light that passed through South Cleaving City and South Cleaving Pass. As he neared the battlefield, he saw that the great Black Dragon Tribe was primarily battling one of the three Tribes. The other two were simply pinned down and couldn't leave.

He glanced over the battlefield, whereupon his gaze came to rest on Fukuyama. Fukuyama saw him, and instantly, both of their eyes began to shine brightly.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and then gave a slight smile. His body turned into a beam of light as he shot toward the Tribe that was engaged in fierce battle with the Black Dragon Tribe. Following the lead of Naruto, the thousands of members of the Crow Divinity Tribe also flew in the same direction.

Fukuyama laughed heartily, and the glow in his eyes grew more intense. He fell back two paces. Following his lead, so did other members of the great Black Dragon Tribe. They stepped aside to create a path so that Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe, like a long dragon, could thread through them.

There was no need for any words to be exchanged between the Black Dragon Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe. There was no prior consultation or discussion. Instead, both Tribes instantly began to inflict fatal blows upon the bandit Tribe.

The sound of the slaughter echoed about. Black Dragons circulated around Fukuyama as he made extremely vicious attacks. As for Naruto, with the Devil Spear in hand, every place he went echoed out with bloodcurdling screams.

Either of these two Tribes were incredibly powerful and valiant. When they joined forces, they were like two sharp sabers, stabbing directly into the bandit Tribe.

In the blink of an eye, screams of pain rose up. The faces of the Greatfathers of the other two bandit Tribes instantly filled with fear. Without hesitation, they took advantage of what was happening to try to retreat from the battlefield with their Tribes.

"Dammit! The great Black Dragon Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe actually have the gall to be so domineering! But it doesn't matter; they'll inevitably be outmaneuvered later by other Tribes!"

"We don't need to do anything! The path ahead of them is filled with other bandit Tribes that will look at them like tigers eyeing prey!"

The two bandit Tribes retreated as fast as they could. However, the instant they left the battlefield was the same instant in which the final members of the first bandit Tribe were surrounded by the Crow Divinity and Black Dragons Tribe, and killed.

The entire bandit Tribe was completely eradicated!

This development slammed like a lightning bolt into the hearts of the Greatfathers and other Tribe members of the other two Tribes. They began to flee even faster.

The moment the first Tribe was exterminated, Fukuyama laughed and said, "Brother Naruto, why don't we have a little competition!?"

"That's just what I was thinking!" replied Naruto coolly.

"Great! These remaining two Tribes are about equivalent in power. Let's see which of the two of our Tribes can wipe one out first!" Fukuyama's eyes glowed brightly. He could tell that Naruto also harbored thoughts of forming an alliance. However, in such an alliance, one of the two of them would be in the lead position, the other would be in the secondary position.

This competition would choose which of them would be the leader, and which would be secondary!

The instant Fukuyama's words left his mouth, he pointed out with his right hand. In response, the members of the great Black Dragon Tribe shot forward with killing intent toward one of the bandit Tribes.

Naruto smiled faintly. The killing intent of the Crow Divinity Tribe rose to unprecedented heights as they roared toward the other fleeing bandit Tribes.

As for Naruto and Fukuyama, they floated there in mid-air, refraining from attacking.

"Brother Naruto, I often think about what happened that year in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins," said Fukuyama with a laugh. He looked over at Naruto.

Even as he spoke, the great Black Dragon Tribe began to slaughter its respective bandit Tribe.

Naruto looked back at Fukuyama and chuckled. His voice as calm as the breeze, he replied, "Oh, that was just a fluke. Brother Fukuyama, you were able to singlehandedly stop that Demon Spirit from moving. I truly admire you for that."

The rumbling of intense combat rose up from either side of them. At the moment, the great Black Dragon Tribe was going all out in their massacre.

The Crow Divinity Tribe was the same. They had no desire to come in second to the great Black Dragon Tribe and cause their totemic Sacred Ancient to lose all face. That was especially true of the Nascent Soul Cultivators. They were all crafty and cunning, and as soon as they saw what was happening in this critical moment, they understood that this simple battlefield bet… was in reality a foreshadowing of an alliance, and would decide who held the dominant position.

Therefore, it was without hesitation that they used the full power of their Cultivation bases to wrest away the lead position of the alliance.

Both sides attacked with gusto on this battlefield-cum-gambling hall. The bandit Tribes let out grievous cries; they were forced to fight, and yet, were capable of doing nothing but being defeated.

Naruto's 150,000 neo-demons obfuscated the sky. In an instant, the Crow Divinity Tribe took the lead. However, moments later, the great Black Dragon Tribe's totemic Sacred Ancient, as well as the two bandit Tribes' Sacred Ancients, suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and the Crow Divinity Tribe began to fall behind.

But then, three beams of light suddenly appeared within the Crow Divinity Tribe. These were three beams of colorful light that had not appeared in the previous battle with the Sea Demon Tribe. Instantly, powerful cries rose up to the Heavens as… three totemic Sacred Ancients appeared!

These were three totemic Sacred Ancients that Naruto had absorbed into his force that year along with the Eight Branch Alliance. Instantly, the intensity of the slaughter ratcheted up.

"Brother Naruto," said Fukuyama, his voice cool, "you and your Crow Divinity Tribe fought your way down here all the way from the north. I've heard many stories. However… this last leg of the journey will be the most difficult.

"In the end, all the most powerful Tribes will gather together. Whether they want to or not, if they have no Demon Spirit, they all will become bandit Tribes in the end.

"They will all attempt to snatch a Demon Spirit and rob the resources of other Tribes, slaughtering their way into being noticed by either the Heavenly Court Alliance, or other great Tribes who have resources capable of surviving in the Black Lands. Any of them would chose to become auxiliary Tribes in exchange for the chance to survive." The fierce fighting had now reached a critical juncture. The Crow Divinity Tribe was gaining an even greater lead, and if nothing went wrong, it seemed the great Black Dragon Tribe would fall clearly behind.

"The only option for us is to form an alliance," continued Fukuyama slowly. "The Crow Divinity Tribe and the Black Dragon Tribe need to find the Heavenly Wind Tribe to from a three-Tribe alliance. If we push forward together, then after reaching the Black Lands, our Tribes can continue on forever. That is the only way that we can ensure our ability not only to get to the Black Lands, but to stay there safely. I'm sure you understand all of this already, Brother Naruto. I don't even really need to bring it up."

Booming sounds could suddenly be heard from the direction of the Crow Divinity Tribe. By now, eighty percent of the enemy were dead. The remainder were scattered and attempting to flee for their lives.

Obviously, it wouldn't be very long before the entire bandit Tribe was exterminated.

As for the great Black Dragon Tribe, they had only destroyed about fifty percent of the bandit Tribe they were fighting; they were clearly going a bit slower.

Fukuyama frowned. Inwardly, he was shocked, and his respect for the Crow Divinity Tribe grew. Even as Naruto mulled over the things he had just said, he cleared his throat and looked deeply at the members of the Black Dragon Tribe.

This look caused the eyes of the members of the great Black Dragon Tribe to turn red. It was as if they felt ashamed, as if some great pressure had been put onto them. All of the Tribe members instantly unraveled the black cords that were tied around their wrists. In that moment, they lifted their heads to the sky and roared; their Cultivation bases exploded up by nearly fifty percent. It was with explosive madness that they continued to battle against the fleeing bandit Tribe.

The rampage of the great Black Dragon Tribe suddenly reversed their situation. The casualties among the bandit Tribe soared, shocking them completely. The surviving members of the bandit Tribe were filled with despair and terror, and began to retreat in chaos.

"Kill them!" roared the members of the great Black Dragon Tribe as they continued the massacre. The Crow Divinity tribe also advanced. After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, the two Tribes completed the slaughter at about the same time. Still burning with killing intent, both Tribes returned to stand behind Fukuyama and Naruto.

The two Tribes faced off; it seemed neither was willing to give in to the other.

Fukuyama looked at the Crow Divinity Tribe and took a deep breath. Deep inside, he was shocked. He knew that it was only by unsealing the black ropes that the great Black Dragon Tribe had been able to secure a draw. However, he was still of the opinion that if they had opened the seal in the beginning of the battle, the Crow Divinity Tribe would not have been able to measure up.

But then he glanced at the neo-demon hordes. It was at this point that he noticed that the Crow Divinity neo-demon horde was no longer 150,000 in number. It was now larger by 20,000 which caused him to gasp. His heart trembled and he began to breath heavily.

"No wonder the rumors say that the Crow Divinity Tribe… feeds off of battle!" he thought. "Every battle makes them stronger! Furthermore… their most powerful totemic Sacred Ancient, Naruto, didn't even make a move! This Crow Divinity Tribe is far more powerful than I ever imagined."

As for Naruto, he had already put a lot of thought into what happened after the Black Dragon Tribe remove the seals. This caused his admiration for the Black Dragon Tribe to grow even stronger.

Fukuyama's hearty laughter echoed about. It was genuine sincerity that he looked at Naruto and said, "Brother Naruto, let's form an alliance. What do you say?!"

"I say yes!" replied Naruto without hesitation. The benefits of such an alliance far, far outweighed the drawbacks. Besides, Naruto knew that after reaching the Black Lands, the Crow Divinity Tribe could merge with the Church of the Golden Light. At that time, he would actually not go with them, but would part ways.

Therefore, in the end, adding another ally would only provide further safety for the Crow Divinity Tribe.

"Men, make preparations for a sacrifice and a blood oath!" cried Fukuyama. To the Black Dragon Tribe, an alliance was very important. Even as the words were leaving Fukuyama's moth, the Elders and Priests of the Black Dragon Tribe approached. As for the Greatfather of the great Black Dragon Tribe… that was none other than Fukuyama.

On Naruto's side, all the Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Crow Divinity Tribe approached. The sacrifice was made, and an oath was sworn by smearing blood on the lips. An alliance was formed just like that which existed in the legends of the Western Desert. The neo-demon ancestors and the totemic Sacred Ancients swore oaths, and a bilateral alliance was formed with no primary and secondary party!

The next day was a day of rest and reorganization. The two parties redistributed their resources evenly. As for Naruto, at the moment of truth, it was revealed that he could in fact control the 70,000 strong neo-demon horde of the Black Dragon Tribe. As such, when the time came for battle, Naruto's neo-demon horde would number 240,000!

A black dragon and a battleship shot through the sky toward the south.

The final leg of the journey would only take three months to complete. However, those three months would without a doubt be the most difficult military campaign that the great Black Dragon Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe had ever carried out!

In the first month, they went into battle seven times, against nine different Tribes. Roughly every three to five days, they ran into bandit Tribes. Despite all the warfare the Crow Divinity Tribe had experienced, such frequency of battle was unheard of.

It was the same for the great Black Dragon Tribe. Were it not for the fact that the two Tribes were allied, they would surely have experienced significant losses, perhaps even more than half. It might not have been as bad for the Crow Divinity Tribe, because of their neo-demons. The great Black Dragon Tribe, however, would have found the situation much more difficult.

However, because of their two-Tribe alliance, the month of campaigning left them exhausted, but prevented significant losses.

There were three occasions in which the course of the battle was changed because of Naruto's neo-demons, which now included the neo-demon horde of the great Black Dragon Tribe.

The fearsome power he was able to wield caused the members of the Black Dragon Tribe to be filled with shock, and even more so, excitement. Even Fukuyama was astonished by Naruto. He had never heard of any Dragoneer who could do what Naruto did.

During that first month, even though both Tribes sustained some losses, Naruto was able to grow his neo-demon horde even larger. Because of this, the great Black Dragon Tribe cooperated in an arrangement of not attacking enemy neo-demons. In the end, Naruto's neo-demon horde reached 300,000 in number!

When such a vast number of neo-demons appeared, Heaven was shaken and the Earth trembled!

In the second month, they experienced more than twenty battles. On two occasions, they encountered bandit Tribe alliances. However, faced up against Naruto's terrifying neo-demon horde, the bandit Tribes were crushed like dried weeds.

By the end of the second month, Naruto's neo-demon horde numbered… a shocking 400,000!

400,000 neo-demons was something never before seen or heard of in the Western Desert. Even a great Tribe with a Spirit Severing Patriarch could never have such a large neo-demon horde. It was simply impossible for a Dragoneer to brand so many neo-demons. In fact… the food required to sustain 400,000 neo-demons was enough to cause even a great Tribe to go completely broke in a very short period of time.

When Naruto's neo-demon horde reached 400,000, battles… became simple. During the last month, they encountered virtually no hostile Cultivators. They sped across the land unimpeded as they headed toward the Black Lands.

In fact, it seemed there were to be no repercussions for the extermination of the Sea Demon Tribe in South Cleaving Pass.

Nonetheless, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling of impending crisis that continued to float within his heart. Even Fukuyama frowned continuously. Something didn't seem right. The other Nascent Soul Cultivators also had similar reactions.

At the end of the third month after leaving South Cleaving Pass, the great Black Dragon Tribe and the Crow Divinity Tribe finally… laid eyes on the Black Lands!

The instant they did, the faces of Naruto and Fukuyama, as well as all the members of their Clans, instantly became extremely unsightly.

The Black Lands was like a plateau, shoved high into the sky seemingly by geological forces. Far down below was the Western Desert.

This was Naruto's first time seeing the border between the Black Lands and the Western Desert. Years ago when he left the Black Lands, he had not traveled through this area, but rather, had been teleported through an ancient portal to the Western Desert North region.

Seeing the lay of the land for the first time caused Naruto's eyes to subconsciously widen slightly. Now, he finally understood why the Black Lands was the only place where one could escape from the Western Desert Apocalypse.

The Western Desert South region was much, much higher in elevation than the northern parts. That was why right now, the West, North, and East regions had already been completely submerged and transformed into a Violet Sea. In those areas, it even smelled like a salty sea. Here in the south, however, rivers had not yet even formed.

All of the falling rain continued to flow down toward the north.

The Western Desert South region was high enough as it was, but the Black Lands… were even higher. They jutted up thousands of meters into the sky, cliff-like, as if formed by an earthquake.

Needless to say, endless mountain ranges existed along the edge of the Black Lands. Those mountains seemed to connect to the sky itself, preventing the violet-colored tempest up above, along with any other living thing, from entering.

Those mountains made the Black Lands' total elevation reach a shocking height. It could prevent the spread of the Violet Sea, and furthermore, there was only one way in….

Blackgate Fort!

It was eighty thousand meters wide, right in the middle of all the mountains. It stood there, tall, straight, enormous. All the Cultivators who saw it would gasp.

Blackgate Fort was the color of night, and its gate shut tight. Atop the eighty thousand meter wide fort stretched a battlement, upon which could be seen tens of thousands of Cultivators, bunched together in groups. They were chatting and laughing, as they looked out over the battlement, occasionally pointing down below.

What caused Naruto's pupils to constrict was that the violet rain which he had grown so accustomed to over the years did not fall on Blackgate Fort. Outside, it continued to pour down, but not a drop fell onto Blackgate Fort or that enormous battlement.

Outside of Blackgate Fort, the land was filled with fog and mist, and was hazy. In fact, it had been years since Naruto even caught a glimpse of the sun. And yet there, within Blackgate Fort, a majestic blue sky could be seen, even fluffy white clouds.

Blackgate Fort was like a division between two different worlds.

What caused Naruto and Fukuyama's faces to become extremely unsightly was that between Blackgate Fort and their two Tribes could be seen… more than twenty bandit Tribes positioned in formation across the land. These Tribes were currently looking at the Crow Divinity and great Black Dragon Tribes with avarice, ridicule and killing intent.

Twenty bandit Tribes, with a total of 200,000 Cultivators and 400,000 neo-demons. They were positioned in front of the fort, and it was clear that they intended to prevent anyone from entering the Black Lands.

Within their eyes, Naruto could see greed, savagery, and also a message.

"If we can't get in, then you can forget about going in yourself! If we will die… then you will die with us!"

Naruto stood there silently. Then he noticed something located in front of these more than twenty Tribes. Tens of thousands of bamboo poles had been erected and were swaying slightly in the wind. All of these poles were covered with dried blood that had already turned black.

Atop each bamboo pole was a head. This was an entire Tribe, including old people and children. Further up could even be seen an enormous neo-demon head, which was obviously… this Tribe's totemic Sacred Ancient.

All dead.

This was none other than the Heavenly Wind Tribe.

Even closer to Naruto and Fukuyama were more than 20,000 bamboo poles stuck into the ground, completely bare. The significance of these poles was obvious… they were there for the heads of the Crow Divinity and Black Dragon Tribes.

The battlefield in front of them was deathly silent. No one spoke. Only the soft whimpering of the wind could be heard. Hundreds of thousands of Cultivators began to breathe heavily, and their killing intent rose up into the sky.

Blackgate Fort… was not easy to enter!

Another sound could be heard. It came from the tall battlement on the Black Lands. Tens of thousands of Cultivators were there watching the proceedings as if it were some sort of play.

To the people atop the battlement, the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, the Black Dragon Tribe and the more than twenty bandit Tribes were nothing more than actors on a stage, putting on a performance for their enjoyment.

Some of them were members of the Heavenly Court Alliance. Others were members of Western Desert great Sects with Spirit Severing Patriarchs. Naturally, they could stand apart from the masses and watch down at the life or death game playing out in front of them.

Shino was on the battlement, fists clenched tightly, expression sorrowful. There was nothing he could do to change anything about what was happening. He could only watch Naruto in silence.

Standing next to Shino was the young man from the Cloud Sky Tribe named, who had appeared to Naruto in illusory form to parlay in front of the Locust Tribe. He sighed as he looked over the lands down below, as well as Naruto and the Crow Divinity Tribe.

"What a pity," he said, shaking his head.

On another section of the battlement stood a woman who was surrounded by powerful experts. Clearly, she occupied a very high position. This was none other than… the woman who by chance had met Naruto in the Black Lands and had been frightened away by him. This was a Chosen of the great Demon Butterfly Tribe, one of the three forces that made up the Heavenly Court Alliance. Goddess Tarui!

She was currently frowning as she looked over the lands below. Her gaze eventually came to fall on Naruto.

"Tarui, why are you frowning? Don't tell me this person offended you?" The gentle voice came from a young man standing next to her. He was big and tall, with handsome features and long hair. With his long, spotless white robe and charming smile, he was the spitting image of a Chosen.

He was surrounded by three old men who had profound Cultivation bases. Clearly this young man had an illustrious status.

This was the Chosen from the great Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, another of the leaders of the Heavenly Court Alliance. Momoshiki!

"Oh nothing," replied Tarui coolly. "He just seems familiar. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, but can't seem to remember where."

Momoshiki smiled as he stood there next to Tarui, looking at Naruto.

"A trifling insect," he said, looking back at Tarui with a brilliant smile. "If you can't remember, there's no need to even think about it. It's meaningless."

Tarui didn't seem to be used to him being so close to her. Without thinking about, she took a few steps back. What she didn't notice was off in the distance in the crowd on the battlement, someone's gaze shifted from her to Momoshiki. That person's gaze was filled with hatred.

The hatred quickly vanished without a trace. The gaze belonged to none other than former Black Lands Dao Child A. He stood there in the crowds, his expression the same as ever, but inwardly gnashing his teeth. His former Sect had become an auxiliary branch of the Heavenly Court Alliance, and he had lost his former position. Although he was of the Core Formation stage, such a Cultivation Base was nothing outstanding.

"Slut!" he thought to himself. "And you, damnable Momoshiki! You dare to touch the woman I've taken a liking to? One of those days I'll see you dead!" It was at this point that suddenly he stared in stupefaction out at the lands below. He rubbed his eyes vigorously as he looked at Naruto. Then, he began to pant.

"It's… it's him? How is it possible…."

Meanwhile, back in the Black Lands, in the area controlled by the Heavenly Court Alliance, was a completely unremarkable Sect. Its name was Church of the Golden Light.

Currently, the Church of the Golden Light had around seven or eight thousand disciples. All of them had excited expressions on their faces as they ran to and fro through mid-air. A bright glow gradually began to spread out, along with a shocking aura.

"A message from Lord Fifth has arrived! The Patriarch has returned! Let's go receive the Patriarch and Lord Fifth!"

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!"

Back on the border between the Black Lands and the Western Desert, outside the enormous Blackgate Fort, Naruto and Fukuyama stood amidst the deathly silence.

Naruto looked over at Fukuyama and slowly said, "The last battle."

Fukuyama was silent for a moment, then laughed. It was clear and bright laugh, filled with stubborness. He looked back at Naruto and nodded.

"The last battle! Victory means we can enter the Black Lands. The announcement was made promising entrance into the Black lands for anyone who brought a Demon Spirit. There is no need for any regrets on our part. If we lose….

"Naruto, if I end up dying, will you allow the great Black Dragon Tribe to become a part of your Crow Divinity Tribe? What do you say?" Fukuyama's expression was pure sincerity as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto looked back at Fukuyama and then nodded deeply.

"In that case, what need is there to fear death?! This is going to be one delightful battle!" Laughing heartily, Fukuyama leaped off of the black dragon. A thunderous sound could be heard as muscles bulged and his frame grew larger, revealing the shocking power of his physical body.

"Black Dragon Tribe!" he cried, looking back at the members of his Tribe. All of them lifted their heads to look back at him. "Remove the seals. Fight!"

The entire Black Dragon Tribe responded: "FIGHT!"

The members of the Black Dragon Tribe followed Fukuyama as he charge forward. They untied the black cords tied around their wrists, causing an incredible aura to roar out. All of them instantly began to grow larger. This seal held back the true power of the great Black Dragon Tribe's physical body training method. After opening the seal, the Tribe members' bodies grew a full head taller. They looked like fierce, black dragons as they shot forward.

As for Naruto, he took a deep breath. He lifted his right hand up, within which appeared the Devil Spear. He looked back at the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, and beyond, toward the Western Desert North region. That was the home of the Crow Divinity Tribe. He thought of the Golden Crow and the great tree. He thought about his promise to them, and about the long road upon which he had led the Crow Divinity Tribe, all the way to here.

Many images flitted in his mind, eventually transforming into the current moment. This was… the last battle!

"FIGHT!" This one word spoken by Naruto boomed out like thunder. The members of the Crow Divinity tribe felt their blood burning with righteous indignation. Killing intent boiled up, flared out. The Tribe knew… that this was the final moment which would decide the difference between life and death.

400,000 neo-demons filled the sky, emitting Heaven-shaking roars. Big Hairy was there. By now, he was a level 10 neo-demon. Hairys #2, #3 and the others weren't quite a match for him, but they were intrepid nonetheless. The Wild Giant could also be seen. Motoi, as a true Dragoneer, had been of much assistance to Naruto throughout the journey. Right now, his eyes were bright red.

400,000 neo-demons charged roaring into battle.

The parrot's shrill squawk suddenly rang out.

"Get into formation! Remember, get into formation…."

20,000 people versus 200,000!

This was a battle in which the difference between the two forces was immense. To many onlookers, it seemed as if it would be nothing more than a crushing.

Even though the Black Dragon and Crow Divinity Tribes were veterans of hundreds of battles, to face ten times as many bandit Tribes as their own number made the odds of victory too small. It appeared that the only thing they could do was work hard to kill as many of the bandit Tribe members as possible before being killed themselves.

That seems to be the only option.

But… as far as the Crow Divinity and Black Dragon Tribes were concerned, there was still another option…. Naruto, the totemic Sacred Ancient of the Crow Divinity Tribe, had an amazing ability to control and attract neo-demons. The Crow Divinity Tribe had started out with only a thousand members, but had grown to its current valiant state because in each battle, Naruto's neo-demons would become the linchpin to victory.

400,000 neo-demons, a power that no other Tribe could possibly possess, would without a doubt be a deciding factor in this battle.

A shocking roar filled the air as slaughter broke out between the two sides on the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, the Crow Divinity Tribe and the Black Dragon Tribe were like sharp blades that slashed into this alliance of twenty bandit Tribes.

The sound of the fighting rocked Heaven and Earth. The Crow Divinity Tribe's battle tactics seemed different during this battle than from previous battles. They would occasionally stagger their positioning, as if they were fighting in a unique battle formation.

The wind whistled and the sky dimmed. Broken patches of clouds drifted to and fro. It seemed as if some great change was occurring in the Heavens.

The ground quaked and the mountains trembled. The sound of shouting caused the sky to tremble. The violet rain fell down onto a scene of a ruthless slaughter!

The great Black Dragon Tribe seemed crazy. More than 10,000 Tribe members exploded out violently. Not a single bandit Tribe member could do anything to stand up against them.

As for the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, their killing intent rose to the Heavens. Their eyes were shot with blood. This was the last battle, which would decide whether they lived or died. If they didn't live… then what did it matter if they died!?

Their only chance was to enter through the Blackgate Fort up ahead. Otherwise, their spiritual energy would waste away in the violet rain and they would wither up like mortals. Therefore they exploded out with all the scorching fire their life force could muster. Even dying, they laughed uproariously.

Booming sounds could be heard as magical techniques exploded out. Growling roars filled the air. All of it mixed together to form a joyous song of battle. There was no music, only the majestic sound of fighting. There were no lyrics, only shaking and rumbling.

Fukuyama lifted his head up to the sky and laughed heartily as he shot forward through the battlefield. He was unstoppable, and spattered with blood. Some of the blood was his own, but most belonged to enemies. His laughter contained some sadness, but also stubborn hopefulness. It also said, "If I can't survive, then I will die in battle!"

Naruto looked over the scene, and his heart trembled. The blood in his veins boiled and veins of blood appeared in his eyes. This was the last battle, and it had his life force boiling.

"What happens in front of Blackgate Fort is like a play…. All the people on top of the battlement are the audience members, looking down at a play. He looked at the twenty Tribes of killers, hundreds of thousands of Cultivators, so thickly gathered that you could hardly see their end. They were like tidewaters of extermination, boiling with killing intent as they roared into battle.

Violet rain fell down endlessly, spattering onto the bodies of everyone present.

"It doesn't matter if you're watching the play or in the play…. It's still nothing more than a battle." Killing intent exploded out of Naruto's eyes. He waved his arm and 400,000 roaring neo-demons shot toward the bandit Tribes.

In total, there were more than a hundred Dragoneers among the bandit Tribes. They floated in mid-air under heavy protection, using all their power to control their own force of 400,000 neo-demons to fight back against Naruto's.

It was at this point that the Nascent Soul Cultivators of the twenty bandit Tribes all began to fly out. They radiated ruthlessness as they shot toward the Black Dragon and Crow Divinity Tribes.

They moved with such speed that they were nothing more than blurs. Almost as soon as they appeared, they were in the middle of the battle. The sound of slaughter rose up, along with the booms of divine abilities and magical techniques. The Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Crow Divinity and Black Dragon Tribes did not even number thirty in total. Compared to the number of Nascent Soul Cultivators from these twenty bandit Tribes, they were at a serious disadvantage.

However… Naruto's neo-demon horde was large enough that he could afford to send some extremely powerful neo-demons to join that battle. Instantly, they began to cause havoc on the battlefield.

Next, the totemic Sacred Ancients from the twenty bandit Tribes whistled into battle. They were of a variety of appearances, but they all emanated shocking auras. As they arrived, the totemic Sacred Ancients of the Black Dragon Tribe and Crow Divinity Tribe both appeared. Along with the Outlander Beast, they charged to fight back.

The battle had just begun, and already, it was shocking to the extreme.

Four totemic Sacred Ancients and twenty Nascent Soul Cultivators suddenly appeared to lock down Naruto and Fukuyama. This was especially true of Naruto; three of the totemic Sacred Ancients and seven of the Nascent Soul Cultivators targeted him specifically. They knew who he was and also knew that if they killed him, his neo-demon horde would disperse. If that happened… the battle could be won easily.

As they closed in on him, Naruto's eyes glittered with killing intent. He waved his right hand and a flicker of lightning could be seen as the soul of Danzo suddenly was unleashed by Naruto.

As soon as the soul emerged, red lightning crackled about with Danzo at its center. Boundless lightning shot out in all directions, instantly enveloping everything for hundreds of meters in every direction, creating a lake of lightning.

Within the lightning, the seven Nascent Soul Cultivators who had been so intent on killing Naruto, as well as the four totemic Sacred Ancients, all trembled violently. This was not ordinary lightning, this was Tribulation Lightning that had been absorbed by Danzo as a Soul of Lightning.

Rumbling could be heard as the bodies of Naruto's enemies shook. Instantly, he transformed into a green smoke and a black moon. He shot with incredible speed towards a nearby early Nascent Soul stage Cultivator in the forces of the bandit Tribes. He was upon him in the blink of an eye. The Devil Spear appeared in his hand, and a seething devilish mist rolled out, filled with countless savage faces.

Miserable screams echoed out as the Devil Spear stabbed through the chest of the early Nascent Soul stage Cultivator. Mist enveloped him and savage, laughing faces began to consume him. Naruto disappeared again.

A howl could be heard as the seven late Nascent Soul stage Cultivators along with the four totemic Sacred Ancients charged toward Naruto.

As they closed in on Naruto for a second time, a blood-colored face magically appeared next to Naruto. As the Blood Immortal divine ability roared out, a rain of blood filled the area. The two sides clashed, and Naruto's body trembled. Blood sprayed from his mouth and he tumbled backward, coming to a stop and coughing up more blood. His host of opponents instantly stopped in place, their faces pale. A moment later, they continued forward in pursuit.

Naruto's eyes glittered. He had no time to even wipe the blood from his mouth. His body transformed into a green smoke, and he even added on the Bloodburst Flash. When he reappeared, he was behind an early Nascent Soul Cultivator. His right hand clenched into a fist which slammed into the man. The Cultivator's body shook and all of his defenses crumbled as Naruto's fist plunged directly into his body and smashed his Nascent Soul.

"Naruto!" roared one of the late Nascent Soul Cultivators that was chasing him, his eyes brimming with killing intent. "Do you dare to fight with us?!"

"I'm not an idiot," replied Naruto, a bit of disdain flickering within his eyes. "Seven late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators versus only one me? And you ask if I dare to fight you? Why don't you first see if you can do anything to stop me?" He once again used the Bloodburst Flash and disappeared.

At the same time that he disappeared, two more totemic Sacred Ancients suddenly appeared in the same spot. Even as Naruto fled, they joined the group of other totemic Sacred Ancients to pursue him.

In just a few moments, Naruto danced back and forth across the battlefield, evading one deadly attack after another. Although he was hit a few times, after coughing up some blood, he would consume some medicinal pills. His speed didn't reduce in the least bit.

Any feeble early Nascent Soul stage enemies that he saw were doomed to die.

Slowly, more and more late Nascent Soul stage Cultivators joined the group which were trying to kill Naruto. Currently, there were nineteen of them, as well as nine totemic Sacred Ancients. They charged Naruto from all directions. Further off in the distance, one of the most powerful of the enemy Cultivators also began to approach with killing intent.

A scornful smile could be seen on Naruto's face. He flickered away, reappearing next to one of the bandit Tribes' early Nascent Soul stage Cultivators. That person's face fell, and before he could do anything, Naruto waved his hand, causing the flag of three streamers to appear. It instantly wrapped the man up and began to hurl him away.

Even as the flag unfurled, the man's body exploded into pieces!

Such provocation on Naruto's part, especially the appearance of his 400,000 neo-demons, instantly had a huge effect on the battlefield. More and more Cultivators joined the force that was trying to slay him.

At the same time, because the most powerful members of the enemy force were focused on him, much of the pressure was taken off of the Crow Divinity Tribe and the great Black Dragon Tribe. In the initial clash just now, both Tribes had sustained losses of more than thirty percent. There were even Nascent Soul Elders who perished.

Similarly, the bandit Tribe alliance had paid a heavy price, having lost nearly 30,000 Tribe members in death.

As of this moment, it was becoming more obvious that the Crow Divinity Tribe members were setting up a formation. In fact, it was now possible to see a fog forming within their ranks!

"Naruto, don't tell me the only thing you can do is run away!? If you keep fleeing and killing our Tribe members, then we'll have to go slaughter some of the ordinary Cultivators of your Crow Divinity Tribe!"

"That's right! We can slaughter people just as well as you!"

Naruto completely ignored the cries of the people chasing him. His body continued to flicker at top speed.

Meanwhile, back on the battlement of Blackgate Fort, the Cultivators of the Heavenly Court Alliance and the other great Tribes were laughing and chatting.

"That guy can control 400,000 neo-demons! What a talent! However, it's also completely idiotic to have only one person controlling so many."

"He will definitely die sooner or later."

As such conversations proceeded, A stood there with his fists clenched. He had very complicated feelings regarding Naruto….

Tarui frowned, but said nothing. Next to her, Momoshiki was smiling just as he had been the entire time. The people engaged in battle down below were nothing more than ants to him.

Meanwhile, down on the battlefield, the late Nascent Soul stage experts realized that Naruto was ignoring them. Enraged, they were on the verge of splitting up to go slaughter the regular members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, in order to force Naruto to fight them.

Currently, the seven thousand remaining members of the Crow Divinity Tribe had finished preparations for the spell formation. No longer were they emanating killing intent. Instead, they began to run. As they did, fog rose up to roil out in all directions.

At this moment, the parrot shot up to soar through the sky. Its face radiated arrogance and complacency as it squawked:

"Come, come. Recite along with Lord Fifth. Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!"

Voices joined together to instantly shake the surrounding Cultivators of the alliance of twenty bandit Tribes. They stared in shock, along with the members of the Black Dragon Tribe. Everyone was flabbergasted.

At the same time, the seething fog began to grow thicker and emanate a shocking aura. The surrounded members of the bandit Tribes had no choice but to fall back. Some who didn't move fast enough were sucked into the fog. Instantly, bloodcurdling screams could be heard as they were trampled to death.

It wasn't just the Cultivators of the twenty bandit Tribes that gasped. The members of the Black Dragon Tribe were the same, and even the Cultivators of the Heavenly Court Alliance and other great Tribes who were on Blackgate Fort. Everyone was completely shaken.

"What are they yelling?"

"Who is Lord Fifth?"

"How come I feel like I've heard this before…?"

As of this moment, Naruto was now the only member of the Crow Divinity Tribe who was on the outside. His body was a wisp of green smoke that flickered back and forth, taking advantage of this opportunity to slay more of the early Nascent Soul Elders.

Even as miserable cries rang out, countless bloodshot gazes suddenly came to rest on Naruto as all of the Nascent Soul Cultivators suddenly turned to look at Naruto.

Given that they could no longer attack the Crow Divinity Tribe, Naruto was suddenly a glowing target. Instantly all of the bandit Tribes' Nascent Soul Cultivators shot toward Naruto, along with more than ten totemic Sacred Ancients. They radiated killing intent as they neared him.

These powerful experts were a force that could cause anyone under the Spirit Severing stage to be dumbstruck. Even Naruto would not be able to stand up to their combined attack. In fact… if they managed to attack him from all sides, then he would certainly be torn to pieces and completely exterminated.

The forces aligned against him were far more than he could handle. However… that was exactly what Naruto wanted.

Roughly seventy percent of the bandit Tribes' most powerful experts and totemic Sacred Ancients were now closing in on Naruto, filled with killing intent, their eyes shining with the desire to slay him. It was at this point that Naruto suddenly stopped moving. For the first time, he hovered there in mid-air, not moving even an inch.

The fact that he had stopped instantly attracted countless looks from the majority of the members of the twenty allied Bandit tribes. Virtually all of their most powerful experts looked at Naruto with vicious killing intent, and then shot toward him. Instantly, he was being charged from all directions.

"DIE!" came the grim cries as the people came closer and closer. In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded Naruto. It was at this point that Naruto slapped his bag of holding with his right hand. Instantly, a wooden box appeared which he held high up into the air. His expression was dark as he slowly opened its lid.

Within the wooden box was a blooming flower.

Exotic Heartdevil Flower!

In this instant, all eyes subconsciously looked over at the flower. When that happened, an intense rumbling filled the minds of all onlookers. Instantly, the whole battlefield turned deathly silent.

Within that deathly silence, the Exotic Heartdevil flower began to wilt. This flower was extremely powerful, but there were simply too many Cultivators present. The vast number of people in the area was causing the flower to begin to wither.

Of course, Naruto had long since predicted that this would happen. After acquiring the flower, he had studied it and come to understand it. All he wanted was this one brief moment.

During that moment, the only people who weren't affected were the members of the Heavenly Court Alliance and the members of the great Tribes up on the battlement of Blackgate Fort. It was as if they were in a different world.

However, their expressions were filled with shock. Absolute silence reigned. They looked down at the Exotic Heartdevil Flower, and the deathly still that covered the battlefield.

"Exotic Heartdevil Flower…."

"Who could ever have imagined that the Crow Divinity Tribe would still have that flower!?"

"It's a rare flower, but actually somewhat weak. However, if you use it cleverly it can be considered a precious treasure!"

Tarui was breathing heavily as she looked down at the scene. The sense of deja vu she was experiencing continued to grow stronger. However, she still could not figure out who exactly Naruto was.

Next to her, Momoshiki seemed to be paying attention to the scene below, although only slightly.

As for A, he was panting as he looked down at Naruto. Within his complicated feelings was a touch of admiration.

Shino was blinking. He had never imagined that Naruto would have a treasure such as this.

Even as everyone up on the battlement of Blackgate Fort was shocked, down on the battlefield, the Nascent Soul Cultivators who had been chasing Naruto, as well as the totemic Sacred Ancients, were all trembling, motionless. It was at this point that Naruto made his move.

A Blood Clone appeared. Its expression was one of greed, as if it thirsted to drink up lives. As it shot toward the group of more than ten totemic Sacred Ancients, Naruto stepped forward and hurled the Devil Spear out. A towering devilish mist rose up, filled with countless faces, to shoot toward the crowds of people.

Next, Naruto took a deep breath as his Wood-type totem tattoo magically appeared on his forehead. A sea of flames roared into being and freezing Frost soil spread out. The all-conquering power of the his Metal-type totem tattoo was fused in as well. Four of the five elements instantly exploded out.

The sea of flames burned everything. The gigantic tree extinguished lives. The power of metal slashed through the air. The Frost soil kicked up a frigid wind that froze the sky.

Booming filled the air as all of these things happened in the exact same moment. There were no bloodcurdling cries. However, one totemic Sacred Ancient after another withered up. One Nascent Soul Cultivator after another felt their bodies exploding.

All of it happened in the space of only eight breaths. During those eight breaths, Naruto was able to completely reverse the situation on the battlefield.

For four breaths of time, the power of Naruto's four elements totems swept out explosively in all directions. The power transformed into an attack which slammed into the Nascent Soul Cultivators.

One bandit Tribe Elder after another felt their Cultivation base burn under the power of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. Their bodies were not under their own control, and their wills were lost. Any power they had to resist Naruto's divine abilities and magical techniques was completely weakened to the point where they could not withstand even a single blow.

Massive booms echoed out across the battlefield as the ordinary Cultivators of the bandit Tribes trembled, their faces filled with confusion. They felt as if they were experiencing an out of body experience, as if their bodies were mere husks.

Naruto knew that the entire battlefield would belong to him for the space of time of eight breaths.

At the same time, discussions broke out on the battlement of Blackgate Fort.

"This guy is completely cruel and diabolical!"

"He intentionally caught the attention of all the powerful experts, then took advantage of the situation to take out the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. He's not just vicious, he's adept at scheming. However, if he thinks he can turn the tide of the entire battle with only that flower, then he's a bit naive!"

"That flower has it limits. At the most it will probably last for the space of ten breaths before vanishing. Maybe he can kill some people during that time, but, exactly how many? For example, those late Nascent Soul stage experts are fundamentally powerful enough to last for even sixteen breaths under the influence of an Exotic Heartdevil Flower."

By this time, five breaths of time had passed. The Exotic Heartdevil Flower was half withered, and its power was beginning to wane. The late Nascent Soul stage Cultivators were showing signs of intense struggle; it seemed it wouldn't be long before they were able to shake off the effects of the flower. Naruto's eyes flickered. He did not continue with any slaughtering, but instead began to perform an incantation. He pointed his finger down toward the ground, causing boundless Demonic Chakra to instantly rise up. A vortex appeared that only he could see as it then began to rotate soundlessly. Naruto became the center of a raging tower of Demonic Chakra.

Under the crushing pressure of this Demonic Chakra, the 400,000 enemy neo-demons, who were no longer under the control of their Dragoneers, and were also being affected by the Exotic Heartdevil Flower, also began to tremble.

In their eyes, Naruto was like some sort of Demon Emperor. Because of the Demonic Chakra, they had no choice but to yield to the pressure. As the last of the eight breaths ran out, one neo-demon after another lowered their heads and began to approach Naruto.

The Exotic Heartdevil Flower was fully wilted; it transformed into ash which then drifted away with the wind.

Everyone on the battlefield seemed to wake up as if from sleep. Their bodies trembled as they looked out in confusion. It took only a moment for the members of the bandit Tribes to suddenly gasp. Their expression instantly filled with complete disbelief.

The moment that they woke up, the Blood Clone finished consuming a fifth totemic Sacred Ancient. At the same time, thirteen of the Nascent Soul Elders who had been surrounding Naruto, exploded into showers of blood under the power of Naruto's four elements totems.

If that were the extent of it, it wouldn't count for much. However, before the Cultivators of the bandit Tribes alliance could even recover from their shock, they saw Naruto floating there in mid-air, surrounded by 400,000 neo-demons.

At the same time, shocking roars could be heard as the bandit Tribes' own 400,000 neo-demons shot toward Naruto. This was not an attack, but rather, they joined to circulate around him, emitting subservient cries.

As of this moment, 800,000 neo-demons were completely shaking Heaven and Earth!

From ancient times until now, there had never been a person who could control an 800,000 strong neo-demon horde. To everyone watching, this was virtually inconceivable.

Nonetheless, the sky outside of Blackgate Fort was now filled with 800,000 roaring neo-demons. The sky shook, and everyone on the battlement of was thoroughly astonished. Within Blackgate Fort itself, the Heavenly Court Alliance was startled. As for the powerful experts of the great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs, their minds were all filled with profound trembling.

In fact… four streams of indescribably powerful Divine Sense suddenly spread out from within the Black Lands. These were… streams of Divine Sense belonging to Spirit Severing Patriarchs!

These streams of Divine Sense were filled with intrepid, savage power. They passed through Blackgate Fort to sweep across the lands of the Western Desert, eventually coming to rest on Naruto and his horde of 800,000 neo-demons.

As of this moment, the tide of the battle truly had turned!

Everyone who stood atop Blackgate Fort was panting and staring in shock. It was in this moment that a tremor ran through Tarui. She suddenly realized why Naruto seemed so familiar.

"He's…." Her face filled with an expression of complete disbelief.

Next to her, Momoshiki's face was now filled with concentration. As he looked at the 800,000 neo-demons, his scalp went numb.

As of now, the Crow Divinity Tribe didn't even need to attack. Nor did the Black Dragon Tribe need to fight. Naruto waved his hand, causing the 800,000 neo-demons to charge toward the allied bandit Tribes. The land trembled and the sky shook. The clouds in the sky roiled as the sounds of slaughter began to spread out.

Miserable shrieks rang through the air one after another as the bandit Cultivators, as well as their totemic Sacred Ancients, Greatfathers, and other powerful experts, were instantly stupefied.

They wanted to kill Naruto, but he was now hidden behind 800,000 neo-demons. How could they possibly kill him!?

They wanted to slaughter the members of the Crow Divinity and great Black Dragon Tribe, to cause Naruto to show his face. However, the fog of the Crow Divinity Tribe's spell formation towered up, within which could be seen the shadows of running figures. The members of the great Black Dragon Tribe were quickly absorbed into the fog of the spell formation, concealing them completely.

When he had first laid eyes on these twenty allied bandit Tribes, Naruto knew that in this last battle, despite the unsurpassable battle prowess of the Crow Divinity and great Black Dragon Tribes, they would be defeated in the end.

There were just too many Cultivators in the bandit Tribes.

Even if by some miracle the more than ten thousands members of the Crow Divinity Tribe did not die, and a few hundred managed to enter into the Black Lands, by that time, they would no longer be the Crow Divinity Tribe.

On the other hand, if the Crow Divinity Tribe was able to continue on with majority of its strength, after it entered the Black Lands, it could combine with the Church of the Golden Light. Then, they would be a powerful force, and would thus be able maintain their self respect and continue on.

That was exactly the outcome Naruto hoped for. And there was only one way to make that happen…. That method had nothing to do with strength or weakness of Cultivation base. It had nothing to do with strength in numbers. No, Naruto knew that in the Western Desert… there was only one thing that was considered the source of true power.

His greatest strength did not lie in the five elements totems, nor in the power of his Cultivation base or his magical items. People who exceeded him in terms of such aspects were not rare. Even his position as a totemic Sacred Ancient did not count for much.

His Blood Clone was strong, but how could it possibly stand up to 200,000 Cultivators?

The Devil Spear was domineering, but he only had one!

Naruto knew that his most powerful asset, the greatest strength he had to rely on, was his identity as a Demon Sealer. In the great lands of the Western Desert, the fact that Naruto was a Demon Sealer meant that he could congeal and manipulate boundless Demonic Chakra.

He could cause great changes in neo-demons, make them even more powerful than himself. He could control them and use them to accomplish things that he alone could not accomplish.

That was his greatest asset. It was also why the Crow Divinity Tribe had been able to leave the Western Desert North region and travel all the way to here.

Therefore… the Exotic Heartdevil Flower had appeared. Slaying totemic Sacred Ancients and Nascent Soul Elders was secondary to his true goal. While everyone was paying attention to him, he needed a brief pause in the battle, only four or fives breaths of time while he was being surrounded.

That brief amount of time was crucial. To ensure success, he needed to make sure that the hundred or so Dragoneers of the allied bandit Tribes lost control of their neo-demons. It was in that way that Naruto could perfectly pull off his plan.

That was the entire reason why he had pulled out the Exotic Heartdevil Flower!

His goal was not to cause confusion for the ordinary Cultivators, nor was it to bewilder the Nascent Soul experts. Instead… he had been targeting the one hundred Dragoneers, who were hidden within their neo-demon hordes. These were the Cultivators who, seemingly from the beginning, had been completely ignored by Naruto, as if he didn't care about them one bit.

As of this moment, he had accomplished his goal.

800,000 neo-demons shook heaven and earth, completely rocking the battlefield. The Heavenly Court Alliance was shocked, as were all of the other Western Desert Cultivators who were watching.

The neo-demons instantly charged towards the well over 100,000 shocked bandit Tribe members.

This last battle was destined to be filled with foul winds and rains of blood. It was something the likes of which had never occurred in the history of the Western Desert. Everyone atop Blackgate Fort watched on in silence, even the four streams of Divine Sense from the Spirit Severing Patriarchs.

As the 800,000 neo-demons closed in, the eyes of the 100,000 bandit Tribe members went red. they also charged forward, howling: "Kill them!"

At the same time, all of the totemic Sacred Ancients and all of the Nascent Soul Cultivators shot forward, transforming into something like a sharp arrow, piercing through the neo-demon horde toward Naruto.

"Kill Naruto and the neo-demon horde will collapse!" In this critical moment, the Greatfathers of the twenty bandit Tribes roared, congealing the peak power that existed on the battlefield as they shot toward Naruto.

Naruto was there within the neo-demon horde, looking around with cold eyes as neo-demons circulated around him. Miserable shrieks sounded out constantly as Cultivators were ripped to shreds by neo-demons.

As of this moment, Naruto could sense the intense ruthlessness of warfare. It was no exaggeration to say that the world in front of him was awash in redness.

That redness was blood. The blood of neo-demons and the blood of Cultivators. The land turned red, so red that even the violet rain that fell could not wash it away.

This was a true massacre!

The vast amount of neo-demons in the horde made it so that even though neo-demons were constantly dying, there were always more to attack the bandit Tribe Cultivators. Bloodcurdling screams filled the air as the deaths intensified. Right now, it was like the yellow springs of the underworld had turned completely red.

"Blood…." thought Naruto as he looked down at the ground. Suddenly, he reached a bit of new enlightenment. Blood… was also water, correct? It was a type of water that contained life; it was in fact the source of life force.

Having blood didn't necessarily mean you were alive, but without it, you would certainly not be.

"It seems that I'm bound to blood by Karma. The Blood Immortal legacy, all the slaughtering that resulted from my practice of cultivation…. Blood, is also a kind of totem.

"Besides, what are totems anyway? Totems… are not a manifestation of my own will and enlightenment. No, they are a force of power of the Nine Mountains and Seas. They are a seed of power!"

Muttering to himself, he closed his eyes, ignoring the powerful experts of the bandit alliance who were going all out to try to reach him and kill him. As they neared, neo-demons attempted to block their way, resulting in even more blood showering about.

It was at this moment that suddenly, the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe moved forward along with the spell formation. Fog churned, and the sound of running echoed about. Massive golden figures could be seen within, charging into the battle.

As soon as the fog reached the members of the bandit Tribes, miserable shrieks could be heard.

A howl could be heard as the excited parrot suddenly appeared in mid-air. In a squawk that the entire battlefield could hear, it said, "Come come. Shout out with me! Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife…."

As soon as the voices began to echo out from within the spell formation fog, another batch of roiling, cloudy fog could be seen within the Black Lands. It was exactly the same in appearance, and loud, clear voices rang out from within. They were filled with excitement and determination.

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife! Lord Fifth, we welcome you back with respectful hearts! Patriarch, we welcome you back with respectful hearts!" These resounding voices caused the observers on the battlement of Blackgate Fort to stare in shock. When they looked over, they could see that within the approaching fog were seven or eight thousand enormous figures. They charged through mid-air, passing out from the Black Lands to enter the Western Desert and charge down toward the battlefield.

"That's…."

"The Church of the Golden Light!"

"The spell formation of the Crow Divinity Tribe is exactly the same as that of the Church of the Golden Light!"

When the Church of the Golden Light appeared, it was like a sharp blade that stabbed into the already scattered and battered bandit alliance. Together with the Crow Divinity Tribe, they began a slaughter of spell formations that hit the enemy from two directions at the same time.

The members of the great Black Dragon Tribe also charged out from within the center of the Crow Divinity Spell Formation, engaging in bloody slaughter down to the very end.

The battle was now completely one-sided. Any position of superiority the bandit Tribes had was completely lost because of the 800,000 neo-demons. Hopelessness and terror filled their hearts and minds. Miserable screams filled the air as they completely lost any will to fight.

The slaughter continued nonetheless!

150,000. 130,000. 100,000… 80,000… 50,000!

It did not take long for the bandit Tribes' numbers to be reduced to only 50,000 Cultivators. The other 150,000 were nothing more that corpses. Their blood flowed out, causing the area outside of Blackgate Fort to become a lake of blood!

The reek of gore filled the air. As for the top experts and totemic Sacred Ancients of the bandit alliance, they were seriously injured and virtually going mad as they slaughtered their way through the neo-demons to grow closer and closer to Naruto.

The slaughter down below wasn't actually drawing much attention. The eyes of the Cultivators on the battlement of Blackgate Fort were all drawn toward the neo-demons that were protecting Naruto, who floated there in mid-air.

Naruto was the key to everything. If he died… then the bandit Tribes could still secure victory in the battle!

Booming filled the air as dozens of Nascent Soul Cultivators and more than ten rapidly weakening totemic Sacred Ancients mowed their way through the crowds of neo-demons. They carved out a bloody path as the neo-demons, giving no thoughts to their own lives, threw themselves in front of the enemy. The enemy had no choice but to continue the slaughter as they tried to near Naruto.

The distance between the two was still several hundred meters, packed close with crazed neo-demons. Unfortunately the enemy Cultivators weren't able to get to Naruto. There were just too many neo-demons. The Demonic Chakra of a horde of 800,000 neo-demons was something that the Nascent Soul Cultivators couldn't see. However, they could sense that there was some unspeakable pressure in the area that made minor teleportation impossible.

All they could do was charge physically and try to kill their way to Naruto.

Naruto's closed eyes suddenly snapped open. When they did, his pupils glowed with a red will of blood that seemed to be a reflection of the lake of blood down below. It was the same color as his mask, as if it was in fact, merged with the mask.

"Blood is water…. As it turns out, I had the totem with me all the time, I just never realized it…. It has aways been here." His skin was now completely the color of blood. It almost seemed as if the Blood Immortal mask had disappeared. Naruto's entire body was the same color as the blood-colored mask. It was no longer a mask, but rather, Naruto's true face.

In this moment, his long robe had also turned red. Even his hair was crimson. Right now you could actually say that he looked… exactly like a Blood Clone.

"Not quite there," he murmured. "Unfortunately… this blood totem will belong to the Blood Immortal, not me…." He raised his right hand, causing the Hebi Clan Blood Clone, which was off in the distance pouncing toward another Cultivator, to suddenly tremble. It seemed unwilling to respond, but also unable to control itself. It disappeared, and when it reappeared, it was directly in front of Naruto.

Naruto pointed at the Blood Clone, and instantly, it transformed into a beam of light that fused into Naruto's finger. Shockingly, a totem tattoo suddenly appeared on Naruto's finger in that same spot!

A red totem tattoo. A blood totem!

As soon as the totem appeared, Naruto's Cultivation base exploded up. It was as if it had been restrained for too long, and now it was finally able to climb high. In the blink of an eye, it exploded out in a way that caused the approaching bandit alliance experts and totemic Sacred Ancients to be filled with stupefied astonishment.

Naruto's hair whipped about his head despite the lack of wind. His eyes glowed with a profound light. Everything around him was bright red. The lake of blood below began to boil and rise up into the air.

If that were all there was to it, the true fearsomeness of the blood tattoo would not have been made manifest. However, all of the cultivators in the area suddenly felt that the blood inside their bodies was suddenly out of control, as if it were about to burst out from within them!

The bandit Tribe members felt this way, as did the Cultivators atop Blackgate Fort!

Everyone was instantly shocked by this development.

Everything dimmed; up above, winds blew and clouds roiled. A fountain of blood could be seen in mid-air within the neo-demon horde, focused on Naruto's index finger!

At the same time, in the Southern Domain, some distance from the border of the Black Lands….

A bloody glow rose up into the sky from the Ancient Temple of Doom. This glow instantly caused the great Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain to stir into action.

All of the deity statues within the Ancient Temple of Doom began to weep tears of blood. It was a bizarre sight which shook the entire Southern Domain.

It almost seemed that these statues were commemorating the power of the Blood Immortal as it returned into the world!

Meanwhile, back in the great lands of the Western Desert, outside Blackgate Fort.

Naruto slowly looked up at the shocked peak experts of the bandit alliance.

"With the Hebi Clan Blood Clone, I can congeal a blood totem. It can't compare to the violet rain, so I don't want it to be permanent. However, to temporarily reach the full circle of the five elements will do nicely. Or perhaps… I can use the blood totem as the foundation and fuse it with the violet rain. Then I can reach the great circle of the Water-type totem!" Eyes filled with anticipation, Naruto lifted his hand up and pressed his index finger onto his forehead.

"Five elements…. temporarily combine!"

The power birthed of the spirit of the Golden Crow! Metal!

The boundless life force of the Greenwood Tree! Wood!

The Frost soil which gave birth to the Frost Soil Demon Emperor! Earth!

The Everburning Flame! Fire!

And now, the legacy power of the Blood Immortal, transformed into blood. Water!

In this instant, the five elements reached their great circle. I might only be a temporary great circle, but it caused Naruto's Cultivation base to soar up nonetheless. His Perfect Gold Core emanated with limitless golden light. A transformation began during which it seemed… a Nascent Soul became visible!

At the same time, the five elements began to combine!

Metal. Wood. Water. Earth. Fire. Five elements fused together, both promoting and restraining each other as they united to form a primeval Chaotic will. Within this primeval Chaos appeared a single strand of light!

This light was golden in color, the same gold as the metal of the five elements, and the same color as the Metal-type totem tattoo. It also was the same color as Naruto's Perfect Gold Core. As soon as the golden light appeared, Naruto's Cultivation base roared up.

It climbed up ceaselessly. In the blink of an eye… he broke out from the Gold Core stage and into the early Nascent Soul stage!

His Perfect Gold Core began to melt, from within which emerged a Nascent Soul that belonged uniquely to Naruto!

As of now, Naruto could slay the early Nascent Soul stage, shock the mid Nascent Soul stage, and hold his own against the late Nascent Soul stage. It was hard to say if he would be able to come out victorious against the latter. In any case, this was a power that the Core Formation stage simply could not possess. The power of Naruto's Five-Colored Nascent Soul had been completed one step at a time as the various totem tattoos appeared. As of now, he possessed a battle prowess that was completely unprecedented and thoroughly frightening in the Cultivation world.

Surprisingly, in the view of the Divine Sense of outsiders, Naruto actually appeared to be of the great circle of Core Formation. However, no one could deny that he was of the Nascent Soul stage. Many people actually assumed that Naruto was deliberately putting on a front to make it look as if he was of the Core Formation stage.

Currently… in the moment that Naruto's Cultivation base exploded upward, causing him to enter the early Nascent Soul Sage, a Nascent Soul was formed within his Gold Core. The faces of all the Cultivators who were watching instantly filled with disbelief, and they gasped.

"He… had a Cultivation base breakthrough? He's in the Nascent Soul stage?"

"How… how is this possible? He reached the Nascent Soul stage? Don't tell me that before, he really was just a Core Formation Cultivator!?"

"That's impossible! Perhaps he was already a Nascent Soul Cultivator before, but because of some unforeseen circumstances, experienced a Cultivation base drop, and only now is faintly able to recover?" Astonished conversations spread out on the battlefield as well as among the audience up on the battlement of Blackgate Fort, and even among the groups of bandit Tribe peak experts who were trying to fight their way through the neo-demon horde.

Even as they were locked the throes of astonishment, a second beam of light rose up from Naruto, in addition to the golden light.

Green!

Flickering green light interlocked with the golden light. Naruto's hair whipped about as boundless life force suddenly began to emanate out from him. In this moment, his Cultivation base soared even higher. As of now… he was at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, only a step away from the mid Nascent Soul stage!

This sudden explosion instantly shook the minds of everyone who was watching. Even as Naruto lifted up his head and roared, three colors appeared behind him, a three-colored sky!

Gold, green, plus the color which represented his Water-type blood totem, red!

The three colors of the sky that appeared behind Naruto were reflected in the firmament up above as Naruto's Cultivation base once again leaped higher. It climbed up ceaselessly, breaking through from the early Nascent Soul stage to the mid Nascent Soul stage.

As of this moment the faces of each and every person observing were filled with disbelief. Tarui's eyes were wide, as if she was seeing something unimaginable. Even Momoshiki's eyes were flickering with deeper and deeper concentration.

Next, a fourth, world-shaking color suddenly appeared. Yellow!

Behind Naruto, a four-colored sky could be seen. His Cultivation base did not stop climbing, but rather, continued to rocket up. It was as if all the methodical preparations he had made were now being unleashed with explosive results.

His energy exploded out and his aura grew vastly more intrepid as behind him, five beams of light interlocked to form a Five-Colored Sky!

That fifth color was… black!

Five elements, five colors. In this moment, they transformed into a Five-Colored Sky that circulated around Naruto. His clothes rippled, and his hair was in chaos. His eyes glowed with a bizarre, brilliant light.

Naruto floated there, his body emanating radiant five-colored light, a Five-Colored Sky behind him. As of this moment, there were no totem tattoos visible on his body. All he possessed… was the Five-Colored Sky and an indescribably fearsome aura!

These five colors stemmed from Naruto's five elements. Gold came from the Metal-type tattoo. Green came from the Wood-type. The Water-type blood made red. The soil of Frost was black!

Finally came fire. It was not red, but yellow, a raging flame that rose up into the sky.

His Cultivation base rocketed up a final time. His aura exploded out with incredible intensity, profoundly affecting all the Cultivators who were watching. Deep in their hearts, it caused all onlookers to feel fear and trembling.

Finally, he reached the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage. His distance from the late Nascent Soul stage was… only a sliver. At last, the rocketing climb of his Cultivation base came to a stop. Everyone on the battlefield was shaken as they looked at Naruto.

This explosive Cultivation base growth came after years of suppressing his Gold Core. In this instant, he experienced meteoric growth into the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage as he unleashed all that had been pent up before.

Earlier, he could battle with the late Nascent Soul stage. As of now… Naruto was powerful enough that, although he might not be able to shake the Spirit Severing stage, he could crush any Cultivator under that stage like dry weeds or rotten wood. He would be able to cut through any of them like a hot knife cutting through butter!

Despite all that, Naruto let out a sigh.

"If I can understand this violet rain, then I could merge it into the blood totem and create a great circle Water-type totem. When that happens, my Cultivation base will definitely be able to break through from the mid Nascent Soul Stage!" Naruto knew that his current Cultivation base was not truly of the great circle of the five elements and thus, could not propel him past the mid Nascent Soul stage.

That was not what he truly wanted. The water of these five elements contained part of the blood of the Blood Immortal. What he wanted was the violet rain of the Western Desert Apocalypse.

That was his choice.

At present, his five elements Cultivation base was only a temporary fusion. In fact, his Nascent Soul was actually illusory, and the five elements were not fully combined. He had not concocted his Five-Colored Nascent Soul. Once he did, then his Cultivation base would be completely stable.

Suddenly, a bizarre light shone in his eyes. He looked off into the distance at the countless neo-demons and the astonished experts and totemic Sacred Ancients of the bandit tribes.

"I think it's time to test out the battle prowess of this temporary combination of the five elements!" Even as he murmured to himself, the neo-demons roared and pounced onto the bandit Tribe experts, forcing them to defend themselves. Suddenly, one of the Nascent Soul experts was separated from the others by the neo-demons. A wide-open space was then cleared, an empty lane providing a clear line of sight from him to Naruto, who was a few hundred meters away.

The old man and Naruto looked at each other for a moment, and then Naruto coolly said, "Bring it on."

"Such arrogance and conceit!" roared the old man, who happened to be a High Priest. His eyes flickered coldly as he used minor teleportation to shoot toward Naruto.

The rest of the members of his Tribe, including the Elders and the Greatfather, had been killed because of the Exotic Heartdevil Flower. As of now, he was the only peak level expert left from his Tribe. He shot forward, his eyes flickering with intense killing intent. As he neared, his totem magically appeared above his head. It was an immense star which then transformed into a gigantic boulder three thousand meters wide. Rumbling sounded out as it shot through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto hovered there, his expression tranquil. He waved his right hand, causing the Five-Colored Sky to flicker. A swooshing sound could be heard as a five-colored light expanded out and then disappeared. A moment later, the incoming boulder shook and then disintegrated.

The sight of this caused everyone watching to be shocked, especially the charging High Priest. His face filled with disbelief. It was at this point that Naruto distractedly waved his hand and pointed forward.

As he pointed, the Five-Colored Sky rippled and then disappeared. When it reappeared, it had congealed onto Naruto's finger. Then his finger descended, and blinding five-colored light shot toward the old man.

He was a High Priest, but his face flickered nonetheless. He roared as he unleashed divine abilities and magical items. He shot backward, using several minor teleportations to suddenly disappear and then reappear off in the distance.

He reacted quickly and moved with incredible speed. It seemed as if no matter how swift and fierce the five-colored beam of light was, it wouldn't be able to touch him. However… suddenly he found that his entire body was trembling. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as a five-colored glow appeared on his chest. He stared down in disbelief, unable to do anything except gape.

"How is this possible…?"

"As you can see," said Naruto softly, his eyes shining with enlightenment, "you cannot evade the power of the five elements."

The old man said nothing, but a bitter smile appeared on his face. Suddenly, his entire body turned red as all the blood inside exploded out. Popping sounds could be heard as it was transformed into a bloody mist. At the same time, a golden light flew out from within him, transforming his entire body, from inside to out, into a statue made of gold. However, he still wasn't dead. The fact that he theoretically had a chance to survive was like a bitter torment as he fell toward the ground. But then, a sea of flames erupted out from inside of him, burning him dead, body and soul.

"Different combinations of five elements will have different manifestations…." thought Naruto, having gained new enlightenment. He looked up at the pale-faced bandit Tribe experts and totemic Sacred Ancients. They wanted to kill him, but were now surrounded and cut off by countless neo-demons, and were severely weakened.

They really had no way to get to him. They were surrounded by hundreds of thousands of neo-demons. They couldn't even reach Naruto, let alone… kill him.

"We're defeated…." said one of the old experts bitterly. As of now, they knew they had lost and knew that Naruto fundamentally could not be killed.

Naruto was not an impulsive person, and despite his sudden increase in battle prowess, he would still act cautiously. They knew that he would only allow one of them to attack at a time, and would not presumptuously try to take them all on at the same time.

Facing up against an enemy like this caused these bandit alliance experts to be filled with a sensation of powerlessness.

As soon as the old man's words echoed out, the scattered bandit Tribe members down below on the ground slowly began to give up. They ceased fighting back, and stood there silently.

Of the original 200,000 Tribe members, not even twenty percent remained. This battle had not been won single-handedly by Naruto. Rather, the unstoppable crushing power of the 800,000 neo-demons he wielded was a force capable of causing any enemy force to be moved.

Now that he had defeated the bandit alliance, Naruto did not continue to contain or slaughter them. He allowed the broken remnants of the Tribes to leave the battlefield. As they disappeared off into the surrounding plains, Naruto led the Crow Divinity Tribe, the Church of the Golden Light, the great Black Dragon Tribe and 800,000 neo-demons forward to stand in front of Blackgate Fort. He lifted his head up to look at the battlement up above.

"The Crow Divinity Tribe has arrived with a Demon Spirit!" he said slowly, his voice echoing out into the Black Lands!

Fukuyama stood next to Naruto. He looked up at the enormous gate leading into the Black Lands, took a deep breath, and said, "The great Black Dragon Tribe has arrived with a Demon Spirit!"

There was a brief moment of silence, after which…

An enormous rumbling could be heard as Blackgate Fort's huge gate… slowly began to open!

As the gate opened, the crowds on top of the battlement looked down. Virtually all of the gazes swept over the people down below and came to rest on Naruto.

Conversations immediately began to spread out.

"It seems that from now on, the Black Lands is going to be a bit more lively than before."

"This Naruto has an extraordinary Cultivation base and bizarre divine abilities. His totems are even more shocking. He can even slay late Nascent Soul stage Cultivators. He will definitely rise to even more prominence in the future here in the Black Lands!"

"The Western Desert Apocalypse has reached its culmination. It won't be long before we will be able to see the sea from Blackgate Fort…. The Crow Divinity Tribe and the great Black Dragon Tribe slaughtered their way here from the Western Desert. They are the only two Tribes that actually gained entrance to the Black Lands this way with a Demon Spirit. Very unusual…."

Hearing their conversations caused A to roll his eyes. He occasionally looked back down into the crowd of people below at Naruto. As for what he was thinking, it was impossible to tell.

Shino's expression was one of excitement as he looked down at Naruto, a wide smile splitting his face.

Tarui was frowning at first, but quickly caused her face to relax. She continued to look deeply at Naruto.

Next to her, Momoshiki was smiling. Shaking his head, he said, "Five elements totems, combined together…. An interesting idea. Unfortunately, it's only temporary. It won't be long before it floats away like a rootless lily pad. He's definitely not Chosen material.

"When I meet him in the future here in the Black Lands, I'll have to help him understand why combining the five elements is nothing more than a joke." He smiled.

At the moment, the massive rumbling continued to sound out as the gate finished opening completely to reveal an opening that looked like a door, roughly three hundred meters wide. Sunlight poured out from within. On the other side was the Black Lands. It was as if this door was the separating point between two worlds.

Fukuyama took a deep breath and then turned to Naruto. Clasping hands, he bowed deeply. "Brother Naruto," he said, "words cannot express the depth of my gratitude for your kindness. The alliance between the two of us will never change! For now, I, Fukuyama, will lead my Tribe into the Black Lands. After we have time to reorganize, then the two of us can find some time to chat!"

Naruto laughed and nodded in response, but didn't say anything.

With that, Fukuyama led the thousands of members of his great Tribe toward Blackgate Fort. They quickly disappeared inside and entered into the Black Lands.

As the Black Dragon Tribe made their way in, Naruto looked back at the members of the Crow Divinity Tribe behind him.

After a long moment, his gaze finally came to rest on the members who had once been part of the Five Tribes. There were only a few hundred left. Darui and Mabui were among them.

There was also the Greatfather who had burned his life force all those years ago. He was now very old, with not much longevity left.

Naruto looked at them. They looked back. No words were exchanged. After all the years spent together, they knew Naruto quite well. Within the silence was a deep melancholy.

After a long moment, Naruto smiled.

He looked at the few hundred former members of the five Crow Divinity Tribes, as well as the other Tribe members they had picked up along their journey. His voice warm and amiable, he said, "At long last I have led you here. Now, I deliver your hope to you."

He had traveled with these people for many years, had fought by their side to reach this point. At long last, they had reached their destination, the great gate which led into the Black Lands.

The gate had been opened, and was just waiting for them to walk through it.

"You may continue to practice cultivation with my totems," he continued. "In addition, I have branded the other totemic Sacred Ancients that we acquired so that the Crow Divinity Tribe may form totems from them.

"My vines… have recovered. I will give them to you as a protector and guard." He waved his hand, causing a Thorn Rampart Vine seed to appear. He quickly branded it with a mission.

 _Protect the Crow Divinity Tribe!_

After that, he gave the vine seed to the Crow Divinity Tribe Greatfather. The old man looked silently at Naruto and thought back to all the scenes from years past, and to what Naruto had said about giving hope to the Tribe.

All of the things that had happened flashed through his mind, causing his vision to blur somewhat as he looked at Naruto.

"Starting today," said Naruto softly, "the Church of the Golden Light will be part of the Crow Divinity Tribe. From now on… the Tribe will not be called Crow Divinity, but rather, the Golden Crow Clan!" The members of the Crow Divinity Tribe began to tremble. It was hard to say who did it first, but they all began to drop to their knees and kowtow to Naruto.

No one spoke. However, the tears in their eyes and the looks on their familiar faces made clear their deep respect, fanaticism, and gratitude for Naruto.

Naruto looked at them and smiled. It was a smile that said, "The time has come to part."

He turned and looked at Motoi. "Motoi…. Henceforth, you are free. Before releasing you, though, I must say that I truly hope you remain as a member of the Golden Crow Clan, to be their Dragoneer."

Motoi trembled as he dropped to his knees and stared at Naruto in a daze. On the long road of travel, his past grievances had long since vanished. He wore a strange expression at the moment, one filled with reluctance to part ways. After a moment, he lowered his head and voiced his agreement.

"I give you the Wild Giant," continued Naruto. "Treat it well." Naruto looked over at the Wild Giant. Throughout the years, it had been injured over and over again, and its body was now covered with scars. Despite that, it was mighty. It looked at Naruto with a blank expression, as if it didn't quite understand everything that was going on.

"As for these 800,000 neo-demons, I will not take any of them with me. I give them to all of you, to form the backbone of the Golden Crow Clan's battle prowess. I will personally brand all of them so that you don't need to control them. They will be here to protect the Golden Crow Clan." With that, he waved his right hand. Immediately, 800,000 neo-demons roared a shocking roar. Each one of them looked at Naruto, as if they were communicating with him….

Grievous whines could be heard from Big Hairy and the others, as if they were unwilling to separate.

Naruto looked at the Greenwood Wolves with a soft smile. He thought back to all the years ago when he had joined the five Crow Divinity Tribes, and had first laid eyes on the five Greenwood Wolf pups.

He could still remember their plaintive yips after going hungry for a whole night.

He thought about how he ran out into the mountain forest to find food for them.

"You've grown up now," he said softly. "You don't need to follow me any more…. Where I'm going… the five of you can't go."

Their mournful howls seemed to cause the surrounding members of the Golden Crow Clan to be roused from their prostration. They raised their heads to look at Naruto with expressions of grief.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, please, do not leave the Golden Crow Clan…."

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, can't you stay with us in the Black Lands?"

"Without you, exalted Sacred Ancient, we would have long since perished on the way here. Sacred Ancient, the Golden Crow Clan will forever remember your kindness!"

Hearing the all their words caused Naruto to stand there silently for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head and looked at them earnestly.

"There is no need for you to thank me," he said quietly. "Everything I did was to pay a debt of gratitude to the Golden Crow and the great tree. It was also my way of making an apology. Perhaps… this is Karma." He waved his hand, causing one of the Demon Spirits he had sealed to fly over into the hands of the Greatfather.

"Take it and enter in the Black Lands!" He gave a deep look to the Golden Crow Clan, then glanced at the Black Lands. He knew that the remaining Demon Spirit he possessed would soon lead to conflicts. Deciding not to remain behind any longer, he turned his back on the Black Lands and strode off. Taking advantage of the temporary five elements combination, he quickly shot off into the distance and disappeared.

"Beloved concubine," said the parrot, in a fair imitation of Naruto, "You stay behind here to recover from your wounds. Please take care of the Church of the Golden Light for me. Lord Fifth… will come back for you." Looking both sad and arrogant, it flapped its wings as it shot off into the distance to follow Naruto.

"Haha! Freedom, bitches! My beloved concubine is too protective. I can't deal with that. Finally I'm free…. Ah, the smell of freedom! How lovely!"

"Exalted Sacred Ancient!" As Naruto left, all of the members of the Golden Crow Clan turned and once again prostrated themselves toward him. After a long time passed, they slowly rose to their feet. Filled with melancholy, unsure of the future, they took their 800,000 neo-demons and entered the Black Lands.

Naruto's departure caused the faces of crowds on the battlement above to be filled with shock. Momoshiki's pupils constricted. He suddenly realized that his judgement of Naruto had been completely off.

"Where is he going…?"

Tarui was shocked. Shino stared with wide eyes.

Far off in the distance, Naruto proceeded onward. His expression was calm, his entire bearing completely different than it had been before.

"If I hadn't chosen to go to the five Crow Divinity Tribes that year, the Golden Crow could have lived for another thousand years. My arrival was the sowing of Karma. The reaping of that Karma was the death of the Golden Crow. However, that reaping was another sowing. Because the Golden Crow perished, the Crow Divinity Tribes declined, and narrowly escaped being exterminated. They were nearly wiped away in the Apocalypse. That was a reaping of Karma.

"Sowing contains reaping, reaping contains sowing. Everything that happened before was all sowing. Karma was reaped after I led the Crow Divinity Tribe out of the north all the way to the Black Lands.

"It is similar to repaying kindnesses. The kindness is the sowing of Karma, and the repayment is the reaping of it!

"Karma is about cause and effect. I… understand now." As he traveled along, his eyes began to glow with enlightenment. It was as if he could see the faint Karma threads attached to all living things!

Laughing, Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce the Hebi Clan fishing rod. As he cast it out, within his heart floated the sense of the Karma of all living things.

Starting in the north and then extending to the east and west, the great lands of the Western Desert slowly became a violet-colored sea. The sea spread out to eventually cover the south as well. It stopped outside Blackgate Fort. At this point, it was truly a boundless sea.

Blackgate Fort was eventually submerged by the water. Ten thousand years later, after the seawater vanished, a new land would be revealed.

That would be the true end of the Western Desert Apocalypse. The seawaters would disappear, and the Western Desert would once again appear.

Perhaps by that time, the land would be unfamiliar to the Western Desert Cultivators residing in the Black Lands. However, there would definitely be people who would go to search for the roots of their Tribes from ten thousand years before.

Right now, Blackgate Fort's gate was closing, signifying an official end to the migration….

Naruto's laughter rang out as he gained enlightenment regarding Karma. He saw the Karma threads. By casting out the fishing line, he could control the treasure just like a member of the Hebi Clan. To Naruto, this was an extra, unexpected benefit.

"So Karma has been with me all along…." He shot through the air, the parrot perched on his shoulder. The meat jelly was attached to the parrot's foot like always. One man, one parrot, and one meat jelly shot through the downpour of violet rain. They were surrounded by the power of extermination. Spiritual energy was completely cut off.

After parting ways with the Golden Crow Clan, Naruto chose not to enter the Black Lands. He made a different choice. He would stay behind within the Violet Rain Apocalypse in order to form his Water-type totem.

As for the blood totem, that was not Naruto's choice of totems. He would place himself within the Violet Rain Apocalypse in order to to gain enlightenment and understand the true meaning of the Violet Sea.

As he shot through the air, his eyes suddenly glittered.

"Now that I've left the plains outside the Black Lands," he murmured, "the pursuit should be catching up…." He suddenly stopped in mid-air, turning to look behind him.

"I'm probably being chased, not by the Nascent Soul stage, but… Spirit Severing!" His eyes glowed brightly as he looked around, and he smiled.

A long moment passed before his gaze came to be fixed at a spot not too far off.

"It will most likely be Spirit Severing. After my display back at Blackgate Fort, no ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator would be willing to try to interfere with me." As Naruto thought about the Spirit Severing stage, his eyes suddenly filled with a burning passion.

Spirit Severing… was an indescribably powerful stage!

It was something that Cultivators sought after with passion secondary only to Immortal Ascension!

The mysteries of Spirit Severing had nothing to do with variations in divine abilities, but rather the manifestation of the Domain. Each of the three Severings were an instance of the use of the Domain.

Only within the Spirit Severing stage was it possible to have the qualification to call one's cultivation… a Dao!

In the cultivation of the Spirit Severing stage, medicinal pills were secondary. The most important thing was… enlightenment regarding the Domain.

Every Spirit Severing Patriarch had a different Domain. Based on their different experiences in life, the Dao of the Domain chosen by the Cultivator transformed into a blade of Severing. The first Severing was the early stage, the second Severing was the mid, the third Severing was the late!

Each of these Severings would cause the Cultivation base to rise to a new realm. When all three Severings were completed, the great circle of Spirit Severing was complete. After that, there was only one path to follow… and that was Dao Seeking.

The reason why it was called Dao Seeking was that the body of the Cultivator contained a Dao. Within the three Severings of the Spirit Severing stage, one's Dao was discovered, then questions arose…. Once the Dao was solidified, then one was qualified for Immortal Ascension.

Unless… doubts arose during Dao Seeking. Then the Dao vanished and the body perished. Everything became emptiness.

There is a saying that once enlightened, one can die happy. That is how one could describe the Dao Seeking stage. Once enlightenment was gained, and one's own Dao was solidified, then one could smile even in death.

Spirit Severing, Dao Seeking, Immortal Ascension!

Those were the ultimate pursuits of the Cultivators in the great lands of Lands of Ninshu. Three stages, each one of which could lead to death. However, when the final goal of Immortal Ascension was reached, the Cultivator would then be qualified to leave Lands of Ninshu and travel among the stars. There, one's personal Dao could become even more strong, and blossom like a resplendent flower!

When such a beautiful flower blossomed, one could die laughing at the Heavens, having lived a life not in vain!

That was the path of Immortal Ascension!

Naruto's path. Hinata's path. Sakura's path. Might Guy, Fatty and all the others all were treading such a path….

Objectively speaking, though, whether you looked at the Western Desert or the Southern Domain, Dao Seeking experts were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns…. Even Spirit Severing experts were not common. Generally speaking, even great Tribes in the Western Desert would have only one Spirit Severing Patriarch, which was the reason why they could sustain their legacies throughout the years and become truly powerful.

It was similar in the Southern Domain. Spirit Severing experts were not common. Furthermore, the majority… remained within the First Severing. Those who reached the Second were less common and as for the Third… they were even rarer.

That was because… each Severing could be fatal. Lack of success… meant certain death. In fact, many Cultivators who became Spirit Severing Patriarchs… chose not to continue on with further Severings.

Failure… meant death!

The power of the Spirit Severing stage lay in the Domain. It could influence divine abilities, could change the laws of nature, could accomplish whatever the heart desired. From the perspective of Nascent Soul Cultivators, it could do things that seemed impossible.

Take for example Patriarch Reliance. The fact that he could carry away the Five Elements Nation with him had something to do with this Cultivation base. However, that action was actually a manifestation of Spirit Severing!

Another example was the Patriarch of the Frigid Snow Clan. Of his own power, he could shake everything in the area. However, once his Cultivation base fell, it instigated an attack.

If one wished to enter the Spirit Severing Stage, the initial step was the first Severing, which could not be avoided.

It was an enormous obstacle that had to be passed by any Cultivator who wished to proceed beyond the Nascent Soul stage. In fact, it was an obstacle that many Nascent Soul Cultivators could not pass. Because of that, they ended up staying within the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage until their longevity expired, whereupon they became skeletons and returned to the dust.

If one could not live past one thousand years, and could not defy the heavens, how could one be of the Spirit Severing stage?

The longevity of the Nascent Soul stage was roughly one thousand years. Even with the use of shocking medicinal pills that could increase longevity, it was impossible to exceed one thousand years of life. That was one of the laws of Heaven and Earth. One thousand years was the absolute limit to the longevity of a Cultivator.

However, with the First Severing of Spirit Severing, five hundred to a thousand years of longevity could be hewn out. As to exactly how much, that depended on the person as well as the Domain…. In any case, the longevity would definitely exceed one thousand years!

Passing beyond one thousand was a defiance of the Heavens!

That was why reaching Spirit Severing was so difficult. It was difficult… to an ultimate degree!

Naruto took a deep breath, taking the stubborness and desire that shone in his eyes and concealing it deep within his heart. He would continue down this path to Immortal Ascension… in a way that had never been done before. That was the determination in Naruto's heart.

The Five-Colored Nascent Soul was only the first step!

Naruto looked out into the air, but could only see the downpour of violet rain. Everything was deserted, with no one visible except for him. Naruto was quiet for a long moment, ten breaths of time to be exact. Suddenly, a translucent figure slowly began to appear in mid-air several thousand meters in front of Naruto.

As the figure became visible, a strange, invisible power seemed to affect the violet rain in the area. It was pushed aside, ensuring that not even a single drop landed on the figure.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. However, it was at this moment that the parrot opened its eyes wide. All of the multicolored feathers on its body stood on end. The meat jelly bell on its foot began to tremble, causing tinkling bell sounds to ring out.

"Dammit, Spirit Severing!" said the parrot, gaping. It was impossible to tell exactly what it was thinking. It looked down ruthlessly at the meat jelly bell and said, "Shut up! Quit shaking! Your shaking is really annoying Lord Fifth!" In response, the meat jelly's shaking grew even more intense.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He had long since predicted that after the Crow Divinity Tribe entered the Black Lands and handed over the Demon Spirit, the fact that there was a second Demon Spirit would quickly be discovered.

Considering that the Heavenly Court Alliance wanted Demon Spirits, it was possible that other great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs would grow greedy. That meant there was a high possibility that they… would try to catch and kill him.

Such circumstances would have been even more difficult to avoid if he had entered the Black Lands himself. Furthermore, it would have implicated the Crow Divinity Tribe. His only option was to leave…. Even leaving, though, would likely result in people coming after him.

However, it now had nothing to do with the Crow Divinity Tribe. The scene of Naruto leaving Blackgate Fort had been witnessed by too many people. From that moment on, it was tantamount to Naruto severing his Karma with the Crow Divinity Tribe.

"Do you know why I'm here?" asked the transparent figure, slowly opening its eyes. The opening of its eyes caused everything in the vicinity to suddenly change. It was as if some indescribable, invisible force of law had enveloped the entire area. The figure did not open its mouth to speak. Instead, its voice resonated in Naruto's mind like thunder.

An intense aura caused Naruto to feel as if he were about to suffocate. A mere thought on the part of this figure caused the violet rain in the area to stop moving. It paused, motionless in mid-air. The sight of the drops of water floating there motionless in midair was truly shocking.

This was something that no Nascent Soul Cultivator could do. This was not a divine ability, but rather but a command of laws. This was… a Domain!

Only Spirit Severing experts were possessed with Domain!

Naruto's eyes glittered as he looked at the translucent figure. "So, I have been pursued, not by a Nascent Soul Cultivator, but someone of the Spirit Severing stage!"

"Hand over that Demon Spirit," said the translucent figure, staring at Naruto. "Then you can be on your way." Its expression was one of neither happiness nor anger. It continued to stand there, its mouth closed but its voice echoing in Naruto's mind.

"Hold on a second!" squawked the parrot. It suddenly flew up into the air. At the same time, the meat jelly bell on its foot continued to chatter.

Flapping its wings rapidly, the parrot continued, "Heh heh. Look, big brother. Lord Fifth is not on the same side as this kid. Aiya. Now that I think about it, my beloved concubine is back at home waiting for me. See you later!"

"Big brother," gushed the meat jelly, "Lord Third is not on the same side as this kid…."

Naruto's expression was unsightly as he glared at the parrot and meat jelly. "That is the Demon Spirit!" he suddenly said, pointing at the parrot.

Suddenly, the semi-transparent figure looked over at the parrot.

"Naruto, we're on the same side, bitch! You, you, you…." The parrot began trembling, having been instantly sent into a fluster.

"This is wrong," howled the meat jelly. "This is immoral! This is going to provoke Heavenly Tribulation. You…."

At the same time that the parrot and the meat jelly were howling, the translucent figure suddenly opened its mouth in a cold harrumph.

This time, it was not a sound that echoed out only in the mind. It really did open its mouth to emit a sound. The sound reverberated out like magic, shaking everything!

The parrot and meat jelly were instantly silenced.

Everything in the area was completely still and silent. Naruto seemed incapable of even breathing. This was not the first time Naruto had faced a Spirit Severing Cultivator. However, this was the first time… that he truly faced up against one completely on his own. It was his first time relying only on himself to stand up to the crushing pressure of the Spirit Severing stage.

Years ago when he faced Patriarch Reliance, Naruto did it as a Demon Sealer. The only thing Patriarch Reliance did in the end was flee in frustration.

Later in Holy Snow city, the legacies of the Frigid Snow Clan enabled Naruto to fight against a Spirit Severing Patriarch. In reality, though, that battle was not fought by Naruto, but by the legacies of the Frigid Snow, and the Agarwood!

This was the first time doing it while truly alone.

The intensity of the pressure felt to Naruto like Heavenly might. His Cultivation base was rotating rapidly and five-colored light glittered out of his body, a manifestation of the power of the five elements. However, despite this, his eyes were instantly shot with blood.

"A five elements totem. Nice idea," said the semi-transparent figure, its voice cool. "If you could stabilize it, it might be considered stunning and peerless. Unfortunately, you can't. With your current combination, you could sweep across the Nascent Soul stage, but you wouldn't be able to stand up to a single blow from me. Very childish." Its tone was not one of arrogance, but rather one of unquestionable strength. It was a strength that spread out into the area and caused cracking sounds to ring out as fissures split the air in all directions.

"These two trashy neo-demons are in no way Demon Spirits. If you don't hand it over willingly, then I'll just take it. Although, I do have to say that this physical body of yours is pretty good…." Except for the cold harrumph from earlier, the translucent figure hadn't opened its mouth again. Its voice continued to echo in Naruto's mind. As it finished speaking, it casually lifted up its hand and pointed toward Naruto.

The finger instantly caused a cold, emotionless feeling to fill the area. A tremor ran through Naruto's body, along with an icy coldness.

At first, the coldness seemed to be something that affected his physical body. But actually, it was a coldness that filled his heart and soul. It was a coldness that affected the seven emotions and six pleasures. This coldness seemed to affect all of Naruto's feelings, freezing them over, transforming him into a state of true cold-blooded unfeeling.

This transformation almost seemed to be putting him to some sort of special state, a state which was suitable for possession.

"Enough, enough!" squawked the parrot. "Spirit Severing my ass! This isn't Spirit Severing, bitches! Naruto, even though you tried to con me, if you say the word, I'll run off to find someone to get revenge for you…." At the same time, the meat jelly was howling out some complaints.

Naruto ignored them. His face was calm as he suddenly understood the meaning of the coldness inside of him.

"So this is the Domain?" He took a deep breath, and then his eyes began to fill with a bright light. "Tsukino, if you don't do something, then you'll have to go by yourself to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane." As soon as his voice echoed out, the eyes of the translucent figure flickered, but its hand did not stop moving. Naruto's body continued to fill with coldness; his heart slowly stopped beating, and his emotions turned as cold as ice.

This was not a divine ability or a magical technique, but merely the pointing of single finger. Everything seemed calm, but incredible changes were occurring, changes that influenced the laws of reality. Naruto felt as if he were bound up, incapable of resisting. It was as if his Cultivation base existed in name only, and was incapable whatsoever of resisting this surprise onslaught from the Domain.

The only thing he could do to fight against it would be to employ the Agarwood for the final time to escape death, or his final bit of Dancing Sword Chakra. However, Naruto would not act rashly. Besides, it wasn't absolutely necessary for him to use his trump cards when facing up against the Spirit Severing stage.

That was because he had Tsukino!

He wasn't nervous at all. He knew that before going the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, there was someone who was very interested in whether he lived or died.

Besides, even if his guess about the situation was wrong, he was still prepared to take other action. The will of the Agarwood was currently swirling in his mind, ready to awaken.

That was another reason why he had been so casual, first about leaving, then about waiting in this spot.

At the same time, his eyes slowly started to turn blue. However, in that moment, an annoyed, cutesy snort suddenly filled the air. At the same time, a blooming white lotus appeared in front of Naruto. The translucent figure's face fell.

Cracking sounds echoed out as fissures filled the air around Naruto. They spread out with a boom, transforming into countless fragments which then exploded.

Strangest of all, the explosions were actually illusory. This collapse was not a true collapse, but rather ghost images. Even as everything shattered, it faded away.

Naruto took a deep breath as his body returned to its normal state. The coldness, however, remained behind. It seemed that Tsukino, annoyed as she was, wasn't willing to help him dispel it.

Naruto didn't care. He smiled as the color of his eyes returned to normal. Even as his body returned to normal, he retreated backward. Suddenly, he turned into a green smoke and a black moon. He even employed minor teleportation as he fled off into the distance!

The translucent figure frowned, and was just moving forward to pursue, when it stopped in place. That was because it suddenly found that a grim-faced woman was directly ahead, floating in mid-air.

The woman was incredibly beautiful. She wore a light green gown, the sleeves of which were embroidered with light blue peonies, and was hemmed with silver thread in the shape of auspicious clouds. The front of the garment was covered with light yellow brocade. She floated gracefully in the air, her garment swirling around her, like a willow tree fluttering in the wind.

Any man who looked at her would surely feel his heart pounding with desire and would be virtually intoxicated with her beauty. Her skin seemed delicate enough to be punctured by even a slight wind. Her face was immaculately beautiful, as if all other beautiful things in the world would be like dirt in front of her. Her beauty was the kind that caused her to be the focus of all gazes, wherever she went.

However, at the moment, she was grinding her teeth in apparent anger…. Her beauty seemed to contain the desire to kill, and her face was serious. She did not seem coquettish and seductive; her face was nearly half filled with coldness.

As she moved forward, the area around her swirled with countless flower petals which swirled like a vortex. They danced about her, some of them coming to fall on her shoulders; the entire scene was incredibly picturesque.

This was none other than Tsukino!

After the Five Poisons Tribe was exterminated, it seemed as if she had gone off on her own. In actuality, for this the entire time, she had been keeping tabs on Naruto's Tribe from off in the distance. She didn't want him to reach an untimely end. If that happened, she would be much less confident about her chances of success in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

She had watched Naruto deliver the Crow Divinity Tribe to the Black Lands, and had also sensed the Spirit Severing Cultivator's Divine Clone pursuing him. At that point, Tsukino knew that she had no choice but to take action.

She didn't really want to, but considering that Naruto had called her out, her hand had been forced. She had no choice but to reveal herself. Despite her irritation at Naruto, she had no other options.

"Your excellency, who might you be?" asked the translucent figure with narrowed eyes. This was the second time it had actually opened its mouth. Its voice was ancient and archaic.

"I'm the badass bitch who's gonna kick your ass!" she said. Her voice sounded like the singing of a lark. Unfortunately, her wording… was quite the opposite.

The eyes of the translucent figure flickered coldly. It took a step forward and then raised its right hand and pointed its finger.

"You trifling clone!" spat Tsukino grumpily. "You see a badass bitch and you don't hightail your ass out of here immediately?!" Even though she was cursing, it was the kind that didn't make one mad, but actually was somewhat enjoyable.

Even as she spoke, she waved her sleeve, causing the flower petals circulating around her to suddenly fly toward the semi-transparent figure.

Off in the distance, Naruto was flying through the air in a wisp of green smoke. He suddenly heard an enormous boom coming from behind him. At the same time, Tsukino's voice suddenly echoed in his ear.

"I spent a lot of effort building up this little bit of Immortal power, you bastard. Now it's all wasted! Naruto… if you stand me up on the day that the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opens, then you're dead!"

Naruto's expression was the same as usual, almost as if he hadn't heard anything. He utilized the Bloodburst Flash to suddenly shoot off into the distance.

He didn't care how Tsukino did it. Even if another Spirit Severing Patriarch emerged from the Black Lands and she had to pay a further price, she would still have to stop that person to give him a chance to flee. Once he escaped from the Southern region and disappeared into the Apocalypse and the boundless sea, finding him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Any Spirit Severing Patriarch would think twice about coming out after him alone; after all, once they left the Black Lands, the disputes and fighting that could break out in their absence would be too much of a cause for hesitation.

Naruto had thought through all of this thoroughly. He employed all the speed he could muster to shoot off into the distance.

Time passed by. Naruto wasn't sure what Tsukino did to intercept any enemies. However, for an entire month, he didn't encounter any pursuit. By this point, having employed the fastest speed he could manage, he had already crossed half of the Southern region.

Even more violet rain fell. At this point, no sea was visible, but the aroma of seawater could be detected. The violet rain was causing everything to erode. No plants could be seen on the ground below. Life force was being exterminated and spiritual energy had faded; not a bit was left.

Occasionally, he saw bandit Tribes below. Eventually, Naruto caught sight of South Cleaving Pass.

He stopped there for a moment, looking at the pass with a soft sigh. He didn't stay for very long, and during that time, the Cultivators that remained in the region didn't even notice him.

His body flickered as he shot off toward the north at top speed.

During his traveling, his Cultivation base continued to weaken. The Five-Colored Sky was faded. He was now no longer at the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage, but rather, the early Nascent Soul stage.

According to Naruto's calculations , it wouldn't be long before the five elements dissipated, whereupon his Cultivation base would return to the Perfect Gold Core stage.

What he needed to do next was to gain enlightenment regarding the sea of violet rain, and how to fuse it with the blood totem. Then, he would have his own Water-type totem, and would be able to tread… the path of the Five-Colored Nascent Soul!

At that time, he would truly be able to make a meteoric rise!

Naruto took a deep breath, hunching over as he shot forward at top speed. Three months passed. His Cultivation base was now completely back to the Perfect Cold Core stage. He finally left the Western Desert South region and was in the Central Region. Here, the only thing visible in all directions, was a boundless, endless…

Violet Sea!

* * *

 **Nice job fulfiling my reqiremints.**

 **Ok here's the deal, if u guyz giv me 25 more reviws, then u guyz get another quick relesee lik this one.**

 **Ahhhhhhhhh**

 **Ya ya yaaaah Ya ya yaaah**

 **Yaaah ya yah Ohohohohoooo Oh ya yaaah Ya ya yaaah Yaaah ya yah Ye-ye-ye-ye-yeh Ye-ye-yeh Ye-ye-yeh Ohohohohoh Ye-ye-ye-ye-yeh Ye-ye-yeh Ye-ye-yeh Ohohohohooooooooooo Aaaaoooooh aaaooo Hooo haha Nah nah nah nah Nuh nuh nuh Nuh nuh nuh Nuh nuh nuh Nuh nuh nah!**


	6. Unsurpassable Adoption

The sky was dark, and violet rain fell in buckets. The only thing Naruto could see in all directions was a vast sea.

Waves undulated across its surface, pushed along by a cold wind. His hair drifted up and his clothes rippled as he floated in mid-air looking out soundlessly at the sea.

It seemed as if all life in the entire world was completely gone and buried. The only thing left behind was his loneliness. It floated in his heart for a moment before he shook his head, causing it to fade away.

He proceeded on at top speed. The parrot followed, occasionally letting out an arrogant squawk.

"La lala la la, I'm a seagull…!" The parrot suddenly dove into the water, only to shoot up into the air again off into the distance. It seemed extremely happy.

The vast sea seemed endless. Naruto continued on for a few more months until he was deep into what had once been the Western Desert Central region. Here, he could see the very tips of what had once been tall mountains, but were now islands.

There were no Cultivators and no neo-demons. There were only… occasional floating corpses.

Everything was deathly still.

Another seven days passed. Up ahead of Naruto appeared a rather familiar-looking mountain peak that was now an island. Naruto stopped in mid-air. After examining it for a long moment, he realized that he recognized this particular mountain.

He had passed it when traveling with the Crow Divinity Tribe. As of now, the mountain itself was buried under the sea. All that was visible now was about sixty meters of its top which made up the island.

"This place should do." He didn't proceed any further north. Continuing on would only mean fewer islands, and deeper waters. The current water level was what had been mid-air in the past.

He landed on the mountain-island and sat down cross-legged. He took a deep breath and looked out at the sea around him. As far as he was concerned, this was the perfect place to practice secluded meditation. It was very safe.

Because of the exterminating power of the violet rain, it was an Apocalypse to Western Desert Cultivators. To Naruto, though, it offered no inconvenience. In fact, once he gained enlightenment and produced a violet rain totem, this place would be like his own personal sea.

After some time passed, Naruto closed his eyes. There was no longer any five-colored glow about him. He was completely of the great circle of the Gold Core stage. His five elements tattoos glittered brightly as he began to meditate.

The parrot flew around, occasionally flying off into the distance, occasionally returning. No matter where it went, it seemed capable of finding things to amuse and entertain itself.

At the moment, it was pretending to be a seagull, squawking and crying out in delight. The meat jelly wasn't willing to be outdone. A pop rang out as it also turned into a seagull and then rolled its eyes superciliously at the parrot.

It was at this point that the two buffoons began to have a contest….

Time passed. Months went by. Naruto's Cultivation base continued to remain at its peak. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and a brilliant glow could be seen within his pupils.

He looked down at the blood totem tattoo on his right index finger, and as he did, an expression of determination appeared on his face.

"My final totem!

"Blood represents life, and fights back against all forms of death. This is the part of the Water-type totem tattoo which exemplifies life.

"The violet rain represents death, and destroys all life. This is the part of the Water-type totem tattoo which exemplifies death.

"Life and death oppose each other but also exist in a cycle. Without life, how could there be death? And without death… what could serve as a contrast to life!?

"The fusion of life and death. The blending of blood and the violet rain. That will be Naruto's… great circle Water-type totem!"

As he murmured to himself, his eyes radiated an incredible light. It was currently night, and the rain was falling as usual. However, as he sat there in the rain, his eyes glowed with a light like that of lightning.

"If I truly want to gain enlightenment regarding the violet rain totem that represents death, then I can't just sit here looking at the sea. I need to immerse myself in it, so that I can personally experience…

"What death is!

"In that way, when there is no distinction between myself and the Violet Sea, when our wills are congruous, then I will have the chance to understand it. When I can control its power, then I can brand myself with a totem tattoo classified as part of the Violet Sea!" Having reached this point in his train of thought, Naruto felt absolutely no hesitation. That was Naruto's personality. When he made a decision, he would not easily change his mind.

That was especially true after beginning his path of cultivation. He had never looked back, but instead, continued forward at all times. If one gets in a rut, or hesitates to make a decision, then death is not far off.

Eyes glittering, Naruto stood up and looked at the competing parrot and meat jelly. Then he strode forward and jumped directly into the Violet Sea.

As soon as his body touched the violet seawater, an intense aura of death completely surrounded him.

Naruto's body trembled as he managed to cross his legs. After sinking down more than thirty meters, he opened his eyes and stopped moving.

He had already reached the limit of what he could endure. If he sank any further, the death will would become too intense. To this sea, he was something alive, and therefore something it was diametrically opposed to.

Naruto was incapable of fighting against the entire Violet Sea.

Even sinking down thirty meters was something that if others heard about they would react to with complete disbelief. The Violet Sea was a place that Cultivators simply couldn't enter. Even sinking six meters into the sea for a short period would be like plunging into flames of destruction, let alone thirty meters.

To an ordinary Cultivator who sank down thirty meters, it would only take about ten breaths of time before their life force vanished. The aura of death here was qualified to destroy all life.

As for Naruto, the fact that he could sit there cross-legged for much longer than ten breaths worth of time had a lot to do with his Perfection. The realm of Perfection made it so that he did not absorb power from Heaven and Earth. He was his own cycle. His ability to survive far exceeded that of others.

Even still, after twenty breaths worth of time, Naruto's body began to shake. The will of death congealed around him, growing thicker and thicker. This collision between life and death turned into an extermination, a power that would thoroughly extinguish and bury him.

It was like ice water being poured onto a red-hot branding iron. The two were incompatible. Ice and fire opposed to each other created a force… either the ice water would turn into steam, or the branding iron would experience a complete end.

This was extermination!

After thirty breaths of time, the power of extermination was so intense that Naruto was forced to open his eyes and shoot up out of the sea. After flying up into the air, he returned to the mountain-island, his face pale. He coughed up a mouthful of blood. The collision between his life force and the death aura had transformed into an extermination that Naruto found difficult to endure.

However, his eyes were now shining brightly.

"Now I understand. The Violet Sea Apocalypse does not inherently contain the power of extermination. Its primary will is that of death. When it encounters life force, extermination erupts. That extermination is not inherently created by the Violet Sea, but rather when it is combined with life force.

"The opposition of life and death transform into the power of extermination…. That will be the true power that the great circle of the Water-type totem will be able to unleash when it is completed!

"It requires time for life and death to create such extermination.

"The life within my blood totem tattoo needs to coexist with the death of the violet rainwater, not extermination. To truly gain enlightenment, I need to negate the power of extermination. In that way, I can truly understand the will of death!"

Naruto took a deep breath and then sat back down cross-legged. After three days, he was fully recovered. When he opened his eyes, they shone brightly. After sitting in contemplation for a moment, he once again strode forward and dropped into the seawater. He returned to the same position thirty meters down where he crossed his legs and experienced the extermination that came with the seawater.

Time passed. A year went by in the blink of an eye.

During that year, Naruto did not see any Cultivators or any other form of life. It felt as if he was the only person alive in the world.

Negating the power of extermination was not easy. Even being sustained because of the realm of Perfection, it was very difficult for him. He would not use his blood totem unless it was absolutely necessary. If he did, then the gap between life and death within the Violet Sea would swell, allowing the power of extermination to rush in and threaten to wipe him away.

"I cannot use life to be enlightened regarding death. In order to understand death, I must truly die!" Naruto could now descend almost one hundred meters into the Violet Sea, and stay there for the space of 170 breaths before speeding back up to the surface.

He had made a lot of progress during this year, but he was still far from thoroughly understanding the Violet Rain.

"This death is not just some blind perishing, though. I have to go about it methodically. I need to slowly decrease my life force under the power of the extermination. Then, make a complete turnabout. By surviving only my own aura of death, and thus not being influenced by the exterminating will, then I can truly experience the Violet Sea's death aura." After having reached this new enlightenment, Naruto rested for a few days, then once again entered into the Violet Sea to meditate cross-legged.

More time passed. One year. Two years. Three years….

Ten years.

Naruto was now cross-legged more than six hundred meters beneath the surface of the Violet Sea, completely motionless, as if he were dead. An aura of death circulated around him. Occasionally, the power of extermination would explode out, but it was quite subdued, obviously much, much weaker than it had been ten years ago.

A month passed. Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. The power of extermination around him suddenly grew incredibly intense. Before it could explode out, he shot up out of the Violet Sea.

"Still not enough…." he murmured. "When I'm able to sit on the seafloor permanently, then I will be able to begin to comprehend the truth of the Violet Sea!" During the ten year period, his Cultivation base had not experienced much change at all. However, his whole body and aura had experienced earthshaking transformation.

He was more tall and slender, and within his scholarly disposition was a bit more of something Demonic and bit less Confucian. His life force was reduced, and his deathly aura increased.

His skin was bright and clear, his features were more handsome, even Demonic.

After ten years, the violet rain was still falling, but the sea had not grown much deeper. The islands still existed…. By this time, the Western Desert South region had also become part of the sea. The entirety of the great lands of the Western Desert were now covered by seawater. Any Cultivators who had been unable to enter the Black Lands, were now nothing more than skeletons buried by the Violet Sea.

As of now, they were much like the Bridge Slaves in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. They were like specters who would occasionally appear on the surface of the waters. Occasionally entire Tribes would appear, floating about, taking away any life force. They were like emissaries of the Violet Sea.

Naruto had encountered such specters several times throughout the ten years.

In fact, this moment in which he burst out from within the Violet Sea, he saw a group of several hundred specters off in the distance, drifting across the surface of the sea with vacant looks on their faces. As soon as Naruto appeared, they suddenly stopped moving and looked over.

The specters looked at Naruto, and he looked back. They appeared to hesitate, as if they were confused about something.

Naruto's expression was the same as normal. However, he looked closely at the specters, paying attention to see how they would react.

After a moment, a towering death aura rose up from them. Their bodies flashed into motion as they shot toward Naruto.

He frowned, then sighed lightly. As the specters neared, he pointed out with his right hand, causing a bloody light to explode out. Within this bloody light was an intense life force which shot forward. In the blink of an eye, it slammed into the specters.

When that happened, an exterminating will exploded out that caused everything to shake. A sound like a thunderclap echoed out as the specters' bodies collapsed into pieces. They were now dead in soul as in body.

This exterminating will was created when the will of life touched an aura of death.

Ten years ago, Naruto could never have done this. Now, though, after ten years of enlightenment, although he could not completely reverse his own life force into an aura of death, he did understand the method with which to produce extermination.

"If these Violet Sea specters can sense my life force, then there's no need to even mention the sea itself." He shook his head. During the past ten years, along with his increase in enlightenment, he had also come to find that when encountering these specters, they always looked puzzled for a moment. It showed that he was at least making progress.

"Such a phenomenon also seems to indicate that I've indeed picked the correct path." He looked up into the sky, lost in thought. He had no idea where the parrot and meat jelly had gone off to. In the past ten years they had frolicked and played to their hearts content.

They would often disappear without a trace for half a year or more. Considering their usual vices, Naruto wasn't worried for their safety. There was nothing in the area that had fur or feathers, so no matter what stories they made up, they actually couldn't accomplish much.

Naruto rested for a few more days before once again sinking down into the Violet Sea.

It turned out Naruto was so focused on his cultivation that he actually miscalculated regarding the parrot and meat jelly….

While it was true that there was nothing in the area that had fur or feathers, well, the Black Lands was another story…. The parrot and meat jelly had gotten tired of the ocean years ago, and had secretly left and flown back to the Black Lands.

After entering, they immediately caused a violent commotion that eventually became a legend.

Time passed, another ten years.

Naruto had already spent more than twenty years trying to understand the violet rain. By now, he could submerge nearly three thousand meters and sit there cross-legged for several months.

His life force was currently incredibly weak. Were it anyone else, such a lack of life force would mean they weren't alive at all. Naruto was different, though. Although his life force was weak, his thick death aura actually became something like a different type of life.

Such life was similar to that of the specters, except that it possessed a fleshly body, and a soul.

The reason Naruto could endure for so long underneath the sea was that as his life force grew weaker, the power of extermination in the seawater was reduced. The will to expel him from his position within the water was also weakened.

Another ten years passed. When Naruto had spent an entire half of a sixty-year cycle trying to gain enlightenment of the violet rain. At long last, he could sink all the way to the very bottom of the sea.

He could now step foot onto what had once been… the great lands of the Western Desert!

On the seafloor, Naruto could feel pervasive, indescribable auras of death surrounding him in all directions. The auras were incredibly thick, and were even accompanied by numerous specters.

When these specters saw Naruto, though, they completely ignored him, and would simply pass on, sometimes drifting directly through his body.

The life force in Naruto's body had already been suppressed almost completely. The only thing left was a tiny sliver upon which his entire life hung. His body was now filled with an abundant aura of death, causing his skin to turn an ashen white, almost the exact same color as a corpse.

He sat cross-legged on the seafloor, on what had once been the surface of the Western Desert. This time, year after year passed.

To understand the violet rain, one must become the violet rain. Only in such a manner could enlightenment be gained. After thirty years of attempts, Naruto was finally able to achieve some success.

That sliver of life force that sustained the fire of his life was now surrounded by an aura of death. However, it was not exterminated. The surrounding will of extermination was now incredibly weak.

Naruto was now finally able to understand what it felt like to die within the violet rain.

He did not move. He sat there cross-legged, making no attempt to leave the Violet Sea. Another ten years passed.

Naruto's process of understanding how to form his Water-type totem had already lasted forty years. To a mortal, forty years is half a lifetime. To Cultivators, though, forty years… could not be considered short… but neither could it be considered very long.

After forty years, the rainfall in the Western Desert was no longer a downpour. It was now showing signs of letting up. The rain itself would not last for ten thousand years. According to the records kept in the Western Desert, the rain would last for a hundred years at the most.

Unfortunately, even though the rain would cease to fall after a hundred years, the spiritual energy would not be restored. The Violet Sea would still be like a restricted area for Cultivators. It would be possible to fly in mid-air above the waters, but… it was impossible to step a single foot into the sea.

Furthermore, because of the death of the vast numbers of Western Desert Cultivators who hadn't been able to enter the Black Lands, there were countless specters that filled the Violet Sea. As they flew about, any living thing they encountered would cause them to feel extreme grievance. They would instantly attack in an effort to exterminate the life force.

Even still, these specters were actually something that Cultivators could use. Because they were congealed out of an aura of death, they could be sealed. Some of the more powerful of the specters could even be refined into Death Aura Crystals. Such crystals could be used when practicing cultivation to stimulate the latent power of the body.

During that forty year period, many great upheavals rocked the Black Lands. The one thing that didn't change, however, was that the Heavenly Court Alliance still held sway as the most powerful force in the Black Lands.

In addition to the Heavenly Court Alliance, six other powerful forces gradually rose up. These were of course the great Tribes who had Spirit Severing Patriarchs.

Actually, one of them, the sixth, did not have a Spirit Severing Patriarch. The name of this force was the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan.

This Clan was a combination of the Crow Divinity Tribe and the Black Dragon Tribe. In terms of the power structure, the Golden Crow Clan was the primary power, the Black Dragon Tribe the secondary, and the Church of the Golden light was tertiary. Together, they formed a powerful Clan.

Although they had no Spirit Severing Patriarch, they did have 800,000 neo-demons. As such, the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan possessed such fearsome power that no one dared to look down upon them.

That was especially the case when it came to their spell formation. Over the course of forty years, many people spied upon them, but all were forced to dispel of any thoughts of trying to take the Clan out.

The Clan also had the Thorn Rampart vine. Any enemy under the Spirit Severing stage would be completely incapable of doing anything against it.

If a Spirit Severing expert arrived, it might be able to handle the Thorn Rampart, but 800,000 frenzied neo-demons was something that no Tribe would dare to test out.

Because of this, there was a balance in the Black Lands…. Because of that balance, the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan was able to not only exist, but rise to a position of power.

There is probably no need to even mention how their totemic Sacred Ancients grew. With the Outlander Beast acting as a guard, the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan was a force that everyone was forced to take seriously.

This was even more the case when some of the neo-demons from the horde of 800,000 gradually grew to the point of becoming totemic Sacred Ancients!

Thirty years ago, Big Hairy reached level 11 and became a totemic Sacred Ancient! On that day, all neo-demons in the Black Lands could sense a powerful Demonic Chakra which spread out thickly in all directions from the Golden Crow Clan.

After another ten years, the red crocodile and the enormous lizard successively became totemic Sacred Ancients.

As for the crows, mosquitos and some of the various other neo-demons, they grew like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. All of them reached level 11 and became totemic Sacred Ancients!

Under their guardianship, the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan truly was worthy to be called powerful. They became one of the six greatest powers in the Black Lands underneath the Heavenly Court Alliance!

Ten years ago, the parrot and the meat jelly used some unknown method to escape the detection of Spirit Severing Divine Sense and re-enter the Black Lands. They instantly began to sow chaos. Vast numbers of neo-demons met with disaster. With the exception of the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan, neo-demons from any Tribe who sensed the aura of the parrot and meat jelly would instantly wail mournfully and then flee in the opposite direction.

No matter what any Dragoneer did to try to control them, they were powerless to block them in any way. Their neo-demons would quickly flee, and the lonely Dragoneer would be left hovering alone in mid-air, trembling.

"The Bane of Dragoneers" was a name that quickly rose to prominence in the Black Lands.

During that forty year period of time, the Southern Domain remained on guard against the Black Lands. However, disciples often came from the various Sects of the Southern Domain to have dealings with the six great powers. On the surface, things seemed peaceful. In reality, both sides were being vigilant regarding the other.

The Sect with whom the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan had the most dealings with… was the Violet Fate Sect!

The reason for this was that legends began to spread of what had happened forty years ago. The Western Desert Cultivators soon learned that the totemic Sacred Ancient who led the Crow Divinity Tribe out of the North, Naruto… was once a disciple of the Violet Fate Sect!

He was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron of the Southern Domain, a person completely illustrious and famous.

As soon as word of this began to spread, it caused a huge stir. After all, everyone who had seen Naruto combine the five elements outside Blackgate Fort had been thoroughly shaken.

However, as time passed, the stories about Naruto soon came to be legends of the past. No one had seen or heard from Naruto for forty years. All they knew was that he had disappeared into the depths of what had once been the Western Desert. As the Violet Sea spread because of the violet rain, many people came to believe that Naruto had already perished.

As for the reason why he did not enter the Black Lands, but instead chose to travel out into the Violet Sea, it gradually came to be accepted that it was because of the Hebi Clan from the Eastern Lands!

The enmity between Naruto and the Hebi Clan quickly became common knowledge.

During the forty years, the lands of Lands of Ninshu changed quite a bit. The Naruto who so many people were beginning to forget, was currently sitting at the bottom of the Violet Sea, attempting to gain enlightenment regarding the will of death. Meanwhile, also at the bottom of the sea, far away from Naruto in what had once been the Western Desert North region, in the location of what had once been the home of the Crow Divinity Tribe, another young man in a black robe sat cross-legged on the ocean floor. Occasionally he would open his eyes, and they would glow with a red light.

If you looked closely at this young man, you would see that his appearance… was very similar to that of Naruto's. The difference was that he seemed much, much more cold and sinister.

He wore a black robe, and on his forehead could be seen a mark that looked like a bat. As he sat there cross-legged, he actually looked very much… like a black-colored bat!

"Seven spirits managed to slip through to the holy barriers of the Heavens. They transformed into seven ancient true spirits…. After tens of thousands of years passed, their spirit wills ascended, and their spirit bodies transformed into seven Immortal Murdering Swords. Naruto, by what right of virtue do you possess four of them!?

"The true spirits are not visible in the world. We discarnate spirits are the real power. By recapturing the spirit bodies, we can then have the ability to tread the path of the true spirit!" The eyes of the black-robed youth glittered. His left eye actually had no eyeball, but instead, was a vortex. Within the vortex was a corpse which was half human and half beast. This was the exact same bizarre corpse from which Naruto had acquired the Immortal Murdering Sword years ago within the Crow Divinity Tribe's Holy Land.

As of now, that corpse had become nothing more than nourishment for this black-robed youth. Perhaps it was by consuming that corpse… that the Black Bat was able to transmogrify and change its shape!

40 years flashed by. There were still people who remembered Naruto, but most people only recalled a scene in which someone brought 800,000 neo-demons through Blackgate Fort.

As far as what Naruto looked like, most people barely remembered.

As time passed, Naruto was slowly being forgotten.

In truth, it was the same even with him. Not even his shadow was seen upon the Western Desert Violet Sea. He had been submerged at the bottom of the sea for years now.

He sat cross-legged on what had once been the land of the Western Desert. This time, it lasted for a very long time.

He didn't move, nor did he breathe. There seemed to be no signs of life coming from him whatsoever. He sat in the darkness of the bottom of the sea, secluded in meditation.

The surrounding will of extermination was increasingly reduced. Even if you looked for it closely, it was difficult to detect its existence. At the same time, the scant life force remaining in Naruto's body slowly lessened. There was only one tiny strand that kept his life from being snuffed out.

It was in exactly this fashion that twenty more years passed.

From the time Naruto had begun his attempt to understand the Violet Sea, a full sixty year cycle had passed. More and more people in the outside world were forgetting about him. Even in the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan, many people who joined the Clan or were born during that time took the stories of Naruto to be nothing but exaggerated legends. The exception were the people who had actually associated with Naruto years ago.

Slowly, friction began to develop between the members of the Black Dragon Tribe and the Golden Crow Tribe. However, Fukuyama was able to forcefully suppress this trend, and smooth out the conflicts.

It was understandable considering that the two Tribes did not have a common origin. They had been forced together because of the pressures of the outside world. The Golden Crow Tribe occupied a position of leadership above the Black Dragon Tribe. Although things seemed as peaceful as the waters of a windless sea, in reality, the wild hearts of the Black Dragon Tribe were awakening.

More years passed. One day, Naruto sat there cross-legged and motionless in the depths of the seas. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

As soon as they did, they began to shine with a brilliant light. After a long time, his expression began to weaken.

"So many years…." he murmured softly to himself, looking around at the world of the pitch black seafloor.

"Unfortunately I… still haven't thoroughly grasped the meaning of the Violet Sea's death will. The will of extermination is weak, but still there. Until it completely vanishes, I will be separated from the Violet Sea, incapable of fusing together with it.

"Although there is only a tiny bit of life force left in me, it is still there. As such, the extermination power will not disappear.

"Don't tell me, that I really… have to die?!" He shook his head as he looked out thoughtfully at the blackness around him. Occasionally, specters would appear. During the more than sixty years that had passed, more and more specters had begun to awaken and roam about in the seawater.

They would float past Naruto without making even the slightest hint of an attack against him. It was as if they couldn't see him, or perhaps, in their judgement, Naruto was like them, completely lacking any life force whatsoever.

As Naruto looked at the black sea water, an image coalesced in his mind. It was the vague image of his father and mother from when he was a child. He saw himself as a boy, reading books in front of the window. He felt the disappointment of failing over and over again in the preliminary rounds of the imperial examinations. And then there was the point on Mount Myboku where his entire life changed.

The Reliance Sect. The Blood Immortal Legacy. The Violet Fate Sect. The Black Lands… all the way down to the great lands of the Western Desert. All of these things flashed through Naruto's mind. It was endless. Endless unforgettable memories. It was now almost one hundred years since he had encountered Hinata on Mount Myboku.

A hundred years of time had flowed by. It had passed by so quickly that Naruto barely had time to recall all the memories. Just like that, the entire life of a mortal passed gone by.

Gradually, Naruto's life seemed to coalesce in front of him. He saw many figures. It didn't matter whether they were enemies or friends, the Karma threads which invisibly connected him to all these people started to become visible.

After a while, Naruto smiled. Within that smile, determination suddenly shined out.

He had picked this path, and would unflinchingly continue on down it to the end. When risks are taken, the results can be death, or incredible rewards!

Naruto closed his eyes. In that instant, he unhesitatingly crushed that last tiny strand of life force.

There can be no growth without destruction! Without death, how can there be new life?!

When the strand of life force vanished, Naruto's body seemed to fill with a soundless roar. His life force disappeared, completely gone. The flame of life inside of him had been snuffed out. As of now, he was completely… dead!

This was true death, a state of existence without any life force, without any consciousness, without any aura or ability to perceive anything. It was as if he were buried deep in the bottom of the Violet Sea.

The instant in which death occurred, the will of extermination which had been blocking him from fusing with the Violet Sea, suddenly vanished. It completely disappeared without a trace.

The removal of this blockage seemed to indicate that he had received approval. He… was just like the Violet Sea, a will of death.

Without the extermination cutting him off, Naruto's body was enveloped by the dense death aura of the Western Desert Violet Sea. It poured into him, swirling around within him, boring through him. It began to circulate, moving about in cyclical fashion.

Naruto possessed no consciousness. It was as if he had been cleanly severed away from the world, as if he had nothing to do with the world any more. He had forgotten it; it had forgotten him.

The only thing that remembered Naruto was the dense death will of the Violet Sea. It continued to congeal around him, to pour into his body. Finally one day, his pale flesh became completely gray and filled with an aura of death. He was now… one with the Violet Sea.

His internal organs, his body parts, all of it was fused with the Violet Sea.

He had become the Violet Sea.

However, the Violet Sea had not become him yet.

Time passed.

One year. Five years. Ten years…. Eventually thirty years passed. As of now, around ninety years had passed since Naruto began to seek enlightenment of the violet rain.

Recently in the skies above the Western Desert, the violet rain which had fallen unceasingly for nearly a hundred years now seemed to be on the verge of ceasing. The signs grew more and more apparent. A year passed and the Violet Rain… finally stopped.

The sky was still overcast, but the rainwater ceased to fall. It was not a complete end; occasionally some rain would fall here and there. Generally speaking, though, the violet rainfall had passed.

When the violet rain stopped falling, there was something different about the Violet Sea of the Western Desert. In that moment, all of the specters which had been floating about above and below the sea suddenly stopped. Everything became silent. Their faces became even more blank than before, as if they were listening respectfully to something.

That period of listening lasted for three months.

After the three months, everything returned to normal. However, there was something… different about this Violet Sea, something that no one could sense.

It was as if within the sea, each swell of the waves contained a will.

That will belonged to Naruto!

Naruto, however, was not aware of it. He was not sure of when exactly he had awoken. He didn't remember who he was, nor did he possess any of his memories. All he remembered was that he had awoken, and become the Violet Sea.

He was the Violet Sea.

The Violet Sea… was also him.

Confused, he looked around. He didn't remember any time having passed. He saw the rain stop falling, until not even a drop could be seen. He also saw a young, black-robed man sitting cross-legged in the depths of the sea.

The instant he saw the young man, the young man also sensed Naruto, and a look of disbelief and astonishment filled his face. His body began to tremble as if from cold. Although Naruto didn't understand why, the young man suddenly transformed into a black colored bat and then began to flee in terror.

Every time Naruto shifted his attention to him, he would tremble with indescribable terror and flee at top speed.

Naruto truly did not understand. He looked away and began to examine the world around him again, somewhat in a daze. Soon, Cultivators began to appear above the sea, arrived to hunt the specters.

Naruto saw all of this very clearly. He also saw some of the Cultivators fall into the sea, whereupon they lost their lives.

Naruto watched everything with confusion. More and more Cultivators arrived. They were careful not to touch the seawater. By using their divine abilities and magical techniques, they were able to find some of the mountain-islands that had not been completely submerged. They began to construct cities around the peaks, above the seawater.

They called them cities, but they were really more like outposts.

Soon, a total of ten such outposts were constructed above the Western Desert Violet Sea.

Naruto observed them. At one point, a strand of will rose up, and huge waves rolled across the surface of the sea to suddenly submerge one of the outposts that was being constructed.

The rise of the outposts caused even more Cultivators to come to the great Western Desert Sea to carefully hunt specters….

After observation, Naruto gradually came to feel bored. He grew silent, and time once again began to pass… although he didn't know how much.

With no one disturbing him, and no unforeseen occurrences, Naruto could exist like this for ten thousand years. Then the Violet Sea would vanish, and his consciousness would return to his body. Finally he would be reborn.

Naruto didn't know that what he was experiencing, although it seemed as if it were enlightenment, was actually something that in ancient times was called… Demonic Transmigration!

The fleshly body was abandoned, as well as the Cultivation base. Consciousness was shattered and then reawakened in a new form of life. Everything was forgotten as one became a Greater Demon of Heaven and Earth.

Everything about the past was completely cleaved away.

 _Within the sea, time is forgotten. Endless coldness, knows no years._

Naruto saw many people. One of them was an old man wearing a long white robe. His body emanated a medicinal aroma, and he had the bearing of a transcendent being. On one day of one particular year, he appeared above the Violet Sea.

He stared down blankly at the waters, and Naruto stared blankly up at him. There was something familiar about this man….

He floated there silently in mid-air, looking down at the sea. Three months passed. Finally, the man let out a soft sigh.

"Apprentice, you… are in the midst of Demonic Transmigration…." He shook his head, then turned and left, clearly filled with complex emotions.

Naruto's corpse sat on the sea floor, cross-legged. In that moment, he trembled a bit. He now felt even more confused.

After that, Naruto saw many familiar people appear, none of whom could he quite seem to remember.

Fukuyama came, as did Might Guy and Fatty. Even… Big Hairy.

By now, Big Hairy was a totemic Sacred Ancient. However, he was only level 11 not level 12. Nor had his Cultivation base reached that legendary realm of Heavenly Neo-demons similar to the Spirit Severing stage.

Instead, he was at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. In the great lands of the Western Desert, there are a total of 12 levels of neo-demon growth. According to historical records, the peak was generally considered to be level 11 neo-demons who were similar to the Spirit Severing stage. Level 12 neo-demons, also called totems, were comparable to the Dao Seeking stage. Neo-demons like that had only existed during the golden age of the Western Desert. The true power of a totemic Sacred Ancient had almost everything to do with the faith that was exercised in it.

However, what goes up must come down. That was all in the past. After the Apocalypse hit the Western Desert, even great Tribes with Spirit Severing Patriarchs could not compare to how they had been before, during the heyday of the Western Desert. Therefore, level 11 Heavenly Neo-demons were similar to the great circle of the Nascent Soul Stage. Level 12 were similar to Spirit Severing, and possessed the power to bestow totems. Most Western Desert Cultivators were not even aware of this; only Tribal Greatfathers and High Priests understood the matter thoroughly.

It was the same with Naruto in his role as totemic Sacred Ancient. With more Tribe members, there was more faith power, which allowed him to grow stronger.

When the Western Desert Apocalypse came, life force was exterminated. Neo-demons were affected, and even more so, totemic Sacred Ancients. All totemic Sacred Ancients were weakened severely. Thankfully, Naruto had nourished Big Hairy and the others using Demonic Chakra. Because of this, Big Hairy and the other totemic Sacred Ancients of the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan developed the ability to bestow totems earlier than usual.

They were able to do so at level 11!

Big Hairy stayed for quite some time in the Violet Sea. He let out yips and calls as he looked for Naruto. He ended up with nothing, and left sadly.

One day, another old man came. His face was grim, and his Cultivation base was not clear. Naruto could see that he was surrounded by incredible killing intent as well as an ancient, archaic aura. The intensity of it caused Naruto's Cultivation base to tremble.

The man looked at the sea for a long time before frowning. In the end, he gave a cold laugh and then left.

That man was none other than the tenth patriarch of the Uchiha Clan!

Many people came. One day it was a woman in a red garment. Although she was incredibly beautiful, her face was filled with a frown. Her gaze swept about and then she looked down at the Violet Sea. She happened to be directly above the position in which Naruto was sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the sea.

"I've been waiting for you for years only to find out that you're here, in the midst of Demonic Transmigration!? Instead of working hard at being a Cultivator you decide to become a Demon? What the hell?

"Are you crazy, you moron?! Are you a man or not? First you take advantage of me, and then just go on your merry way? How irresponsible could you be? I, I, I… What the hell am I gonna do in ten years? What the hell is a lone badass bitch gonna do by herself in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane!?" There was nothing the red-robed woman could do other than grind her teeth. A few days later, she left angrily, clearly incredibly frustrated.

A few more days passed, whereupon a woman came who wore a long green garment. She was pretty, and emanated a medicinal aura. She hovered in mid-air for a long time as she looked out at the sea.

"Naruto, where are you exactly…?" she said softly. A very long time passed, she sighed and prepared to leave.

Before making her way off into the distance, she looked at the Violet Sea and then threw a medicinal pill down into the waters. This was a medicinal pill that she had personally concocted, and it represented her personal Dao of Alchemy, which had reached its peak.

The medicinal pill fell into the water and dissolved.

Suddenly, Naruto felt something tugging at his heart. A tremor ran through his corpse, which was still sitting cross-legged on the seafloor.

Another dim morning, a white-robed woman flew out across the sea from the direction of the Black Lands. She seemed neither angry nor happy, but rather, cold. She hovered quietly in mid-air, looking around at the sea. After a long moment passed, she slowly looked down at the violet seawater.

What she didn't know was that she was actually looking at Naruto himself.

Naruto couldn't quite grasp that the woman he was looking at was… Hinata.

Being separated from someone is not the most helpless feeling in the world. Even worse is when you are directly in front of the person you miss, but can't actually see them.

For the first time, Naruto's emotions trembled. That tremor ran through the entire Violet Sea. Moments ago it had been calm, but now, huge waves rolled across its surface.

Hinata stared blankly down at the sea. For an entire year.

During that year, she did not leave, but instead passed the time on a mountain-island. Every day, she looked out at the sea. Every day, Naruto looked back at her.

During that year, Naruto continuously tried to remember who she was….

Hinata wasn't aware of it, but in order to prevent her from being disturbed, Naruto made the area surrounding the island a zone in which life was not permitted. No Western Desert Cultivator could step foot into that area.

It became a world that belonged only to Naruto and Hinata.

A year later, a jade slip that Hinata possessed began to glow brightly. It seemed to be a summons. The glow flickered with increasing frequency, causing her to rise to her feet. She looked quietly out at the sea before turning to leave.

The instant that she turned, a single teardrop rolled out from the corner of her eye and fell down into the sea.

The teardrop merged into the seawater.

Sakura left behind a medicinal pill.

Hinata left behind a single teardrop.

The medicinal pill caused Naruto to tremble. The tear, however, dropped into the sea and then caused the Western Desert Violet Sea to suddenly explode with unprecedented tsunami waves.

"Who was she…?" Naruto asked himself. As he asked himself this question, the tsunami waves grew even more shocking. They rolled across the entire Western Desert Violet Sea, causing all the Cultivators in the Black lands to tremble.

"Why am I in such pain…?

"What have I forgotten…?

"Who was that woman…?

"Who were all those people…?" As Naruto murmured to himself, storm winds raged and huge waves battered the surface of the sea. Roaring filled the air.

Even as he asked himself these questions, Naruto let out a soundless, frenzied roar. As the teardrop moved down, the seawater parted to make way for it, creating something almost like a path.

The teardrop proceeded unobstructed. It was as if it were being guided down into the depths of the Violet Sea. It continued down into the blackness toward where Naruto's corpse sat cross-legged.

The teardrop neared Naruto and then landed onto his pale, bloodless lips. Then, it seeped into his mouth and transformed into a deep bitterness.

The bitter tear spread out within Naruto's mouth, causing his corpse to suddenly move. An indescribable aura suddenly exploded out from him.

As it did, the tsunami waves on the sea grew even more astonishing!

After a long, long time passed, Naruto's eyes suddenly… opened!

When his eyes opened, a roaring sound filled his mind. Countless memories, countless images, poured out, filling his mind, restoring him.

"Death is not the end of life, but rather, the beginning…. I am Naruto!" After a long moment passed, he looked quietly out at the black seafloor. However, what he saw with his eyes was actually the sky above the surface of the ocean.

He was awake! He was enlightened!

In the instant of his enlightenment, he realized that ten years had passed since that teardrop fell. As for how much time had passed since he began his process of understanding the Violet Sea, a full… one hundred and fifty years had passed!

Without that teardrop, Naruto would not have awakened. He would have continued his Demonic Transmigration. Ten thousand years later, he would have awoken. When that happened, the world would have had one less Cultivator. The legacy of the Demon Sealers would have been severed. At the same time, a new Greater Demon of Heaven and Earth would have appeared!

The instant he woke up, the great waves on the surface of the Violet Sea calmed. All of the specters sank down into the seawater, vanishing from the world above.

The entire Violet Sea became deathly quiet.

Down in the depths of the Violet Sea, Naruto's life force once again burned vigorously. After a few days passed, he had already surpassed his previous pinnacle. Before, such intense life force would have provoked an incredible reaction from the will of extermination in the violet Sea. He would have been completely and thoroughly exterminated.

But now, the Violet Sea did nothing to get rid of him.

That was because Naruto was the Violet Sea. And in many ways, the Violet Sea… was Naruto!

He slowly lifted up his right hand. As he did, the entire Violet Sea quietly sank down a full thirty meters.

The majestic Western Desert Violet Sea sank down thirty meters, making more of the island-mountains visible.

This scene caused all of the Cultivators in the Black Lands to be completely shocked. One group of people after another came out to investigate. However no one could figure out or even guess why the sea had suddenly sunk by thirty meters.

The real reason was because that was how much seawater was needed to congeal a violet word for water on the back of Naruto's hand.

This mark signified that Naruto could control the power of death of the Violet Sea. This was his… Water-type totem tattoo!

As he looked down at his hand, Naruto waved it, causing the seawater that surrounded him to part, creating an opening three hundred meters wide. Within that opening, no water existed.

At the same time, a bloody light sparkled on his index finger. This light represented the life force of the blood totem as it magically made its appearance.

Under Naruto's control, a ghost image of the blood totem slowly appeared on the back of his right hand. Slowly it began to fuse with the Violet Sea totem, which represented death.

As they fused, as the ghost images sprang up, Naruto's body suddenly shook.

"Blood represents life!

"The Violet Sea represents death!

"When life and death collide, that is extermination. When life and death mix together, it is the source of all life…. This is my fifth element Water!

"It represents life, and also represents death. It is a source of extermination, and also a source of life!

"My Water-type totem will form my first Nascent Soul. Its color is a combination of violet and blood. It… is my fifth element, Water, my Blood-Violet Nascent Soul!" His eyes shone with a strange light as he suddenly clenched his right fist. The Water-type totem tattoo disappeared. It didn't dissipate, but rather sank down into Naruto's body, branding itself onto his Perfect Gold Core.

At the same time, Naruto's eyes flickered with determination. As of this moment, he suddenly looked, not like a Cultivator, but like an alchemist!

As of this moment, he was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!

"My body is the pill furnace…." he murmured. His blood began to circulate rapidly. Tremors ran through his flesh, making it seem as if he truly had become a great furnace of Heaven and Earth.

Inside of him, there was no flame, but rather… his life force!

Using his life to concoct pills, and using alchemy to concoct a Nascent Soul, he would create his own Five Colored Nascent Soul!

"My heart is the pill formula!" He placed his hands onto his knees and closed his eyes. Within his heart existed a method that had never been used before, and probably never would again, to begin his Cultivation base breakthrough. This was a way to acquire a Perfect Nascent Soul even though he had never been told the true method for forming such a Nascent Soul.

This was Naruto's pill formula!

"Concoct a Five-Colored Nascent Soul! The first step is to make not one but five Nascent Souls!" Naruto's body filled with a roaring sound as he used pill concocting techniques to begin to refine his own body.

After fusing the Water-type totem onto his Perfect Gold Core, Naruto used his own body as the pill furnace and his heart as the pill formula, to be able to concoct a Nascent Soul.

This was something that had never occurred in the Cultivation world before Naruto. It was his own path, his own way of practicing cultivation. It was a road that would reach the peak of perfection!

Time passed. Suddenly, cracking sounds could be heard from his Perfect Gold Core. Fissures appeared. Moments later, his Perfect Gold Core suddenly exploded, transforming into a primordial Chakra vortex.

Suddenly, a Blood Violet glow could be seen!

Within the Chakra vortex, Naruto's body radiated Blood-Violet light. The light spread out of the vortex and then began to congeal together. Soon, a vague outline became visible.

The shape of the outline swirled continuously. The Violet Sea surged around Naruto, also turning into a vortex, which grew larger and larger until the entire Western Desert Violet Sea was affected! Roaring filled the air!

All of the Cultivators who happened to be on the Violet Sea, regardless of where they were, were instantly filled with astonishment. In their shock, they had no way to even guess what was causing this phenomenon.

Naruto's eyes were closed at the moment. The Blood-Violet light continued to radiate out intensely. The interlocking beams of light that were forming the outline, began to grow more and more clear. Soon it was obvious that the outline….

Astonishingly, it was congealing into the shape of a small person.

This person looked exactly like Naruto, only much, much smaller. It was about seven inches tall, its body completely transparent and emanating a Blood-Violet glow! An incredible aura was also detectable!

The intensity of this aura far exceeded that possessed by virtually any other Nascent Soul Cultivator. It was even comparable to the Flawless Nascent Souls of Cultivators from great Sects!

Upon its appearance, the Nascent Soul's expression was one of confusion. However, it quickly came to its senses and stretched out its arms and legs. Naruto's heart began to pound as the power of an early Nascent Soul Cultivation base suddenly exploded out within him!

Back at Blackgate Fort, he had temporarily possessed a similar, but unstable, Cultivation base. This time, it was permanent, and completely of his own!

Furthermore, although this was still the early Nascent Soul stage, in terms of aura, the power was even more intense!

This was a Blood-Violet Nascent Soul!

As soon as the Nascent Soul appeared, it flew out from Naruto's body to float in the air in front of him. Its eyes glittered as it sat cross-legged in mid-air, its body radiating Blood-Violet light up into the sky.

When looking at the Cultivation world of Lands of Ninshu as a whole, all Nascent Soul Cultivators generally cultivated a single Nascent Soul. That single Nascent Soul would become the focus of their path of cultivation.

Only a few almighty practitioners possessed special techniques or incredible Cultivation bases that made a single Nascent Soul insufficient, and would therefore refine a second Nascent Soul.

People like that were the strongest among the strong. Each and every one of them were people who left indelible marks on the pages of history.

As of this moment, Naruto was taking his first steps down just such a path!

The appearance of his Blood-Violet Nascent Soul caused a red glow to suddenly appear in Naruto's eyes. He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. By now, his Perfect Gold Core was completely shattered and had turned into a vortex that spun constantly and emanated a primordial aura.

Suddenly, Naruto's Metal-type totem tattoo began to flicker and then slowly fade away. It sunk down into his body, transforming into a golden light which then fused into the primordial vortex.

"Metal-type power from the spirit of the Golden Crow, an unbreakable metal," murmured Naruto, "Using my pill concocting methods, I will use this to concoct Naruto's… second Nascent Soul!" Using his body as the pill furnace and his heart as the pill formula, he once again began to concoct a Nascent Soul.

Moments later, a rumbling sound emanated out from his body. Thankfully, Naruto was at the bottom of a sea. Were he not, the sound would have echoed out far into the distance. Despite being on the seafloor, it still caused huge waves to suddenly explode out in all directions.

At the same time, the primordial vortex within Naruto emanated an intense golden light, which radiated out through his skin, making him look like a statue of gold.

Next, an outline became visible within that golden light. It grew clearer and clearer as it transformed into a small person that looked exactly like the Blood-Violet Nascent Soul!

It was seven inches tall, completely transparent, and had a blank expression on its face. It looked exactly like the Blood-Violet Nascent Soul, except that this second Nascent Soul emanated a golden glow!

Its bearing was one of righteousness and utter holiness. After the space of a few breaths, the tiny golden figure's eyes suddenly flashed with clearness. It stretched its body, causing golden light to explode out along with incredible power. Naruto's Cultivation base suddenly exploded with power.

It shot upward, climbing up to the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, just a tiny step away from the mid Nascent Soul stage!

The tiny golden figure was the second of Naruto's Nascent Souls, a five elements Metal Nascent Soul!

The Nascent Soul flickered as it shot out from within Naruto. It flew out just like the Blood-Violet Nascent Soul, except in a different direction, where it then stopped and then faced the first Nascent Soul.

An incredible aura rippled out in all directions. Naruto's Cultivation base undulated with incredible intensity. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the Wood-type totem tattoo on his forehead began to fade away.

"Metal and Water have been concocted into Nascent Souls," he murmured to himself. "Now it's time for Wood…. The Greenwood Tree from the Ninth Sea will become my third Nascent Soul…. Wood Nascent Soul! With this Nascent Soul, my progress down the path of the Five-Colored Nascent Soul will be almost complete!" Naruto focused all of his mind and heart on the Chakra vortex inside of him. Using his Spiritual Sense like his own hands, he again began to concoct a Nascent Soul.

It only took moments before the primordial Chakra vortex within him to begin to shine with a green light!

It seemed as if lightning were dancing about within it. Incredible roaring sounds emanated out that seemed to contain life itself within them. It became life force, an overwhelming life force that seemed to stem from the beginning of all creation. At the same time… a beam of green light shot out from within the primordial vortex.

The beam of light swirled around to form an outline of four limbs and a head. Facial features emerged. The eyes suddenly snapped open and began to shine with a blinding green light!

Naruto's Wood Nascent Soul suddenly appeared!

The moment that the Wood Nascent Soul appeared, Naruto's Cultivation base shot up, breaking out from the early Nascent Soul Stage and entering fully into the mid Nascent Soul stage!

Three Nascent Souls. If any outsider could look upon this scene, that person would definitely be flabbergasted, filled with incredible disbelief. From ancient times until now, Cultivators who possessed three Nascent Souls were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Perhaps only ten people had ever done so, and that was ten thousand years in the past.

Right now, Naruto had successfully concocted a third Nascent Soul. However… in terms of the path of concocting a Five-Colored Nascent Soul, the first step wasn't even fully complete! From this, it could be seen that Naruto's Nascent Soul concocting method was truly something completely new!

All of this, with the exception of Naruto's acquisition of the various five elements totem tattoos, was almost completely because of his position as a Grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy. Only with such an identity could he be qualified to use pill concocting techniques to concoct a Nascent Soul!

Most importantly… was Naruto's overall base. He had reached the great circle of Chakra Condensation. He had ten Perfect Dao Pillars. He had completed the great circle of the Perfect Gold Core. With a base like that, he was completely unique in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Such a base was the reason that a primordial vortex spun about inside of him. It sustained him as he concocted one Nascent soul after another. Were anyone else in this situation, without such a foundation, they would be completely incapable of doing this.

He was now about to enter a place that throughout the history of the great lands of Lands of Ninshu, only a few Nascent Soul experts had ever entered. Throughout countless years and among endless Chosen and heroes, this was the most Nascent Souls anyone had ever possessed. Four Nascent Souls.

Throughout innumerable years, only three people had ever possessed four Nascent Souls!

As of now, that number would be increased to four!

"East Pill Everburning Flame," murmured Naruto, "which is just like the eternity of my Dao of alchemy and my everburning heart. I will congeal the fire of the five elements of Heaven and Earth. This fire represents my Dao of alchemy, and the determination with which I practice cultivation!

"This fire will be used to concoct my fourth Nascent Soul. Fire Nascent Soul!" His voice was soft, but filled with unhesitating decisiveness that could chop nails and sever iron. At the same time as he had spoken, the Wood Nascent Soul flew out to sit cross-legged in the air with the Water and Metal Nascent Souls. Three Nascent Souls circled through the air around Naruto.

Suddenly, a yellow light began to shine out from Naruto's Fire-type totem tattoo as it slowly vanished. It also merged into the primordial vortex.

A sea of fire appeared within Naruto, completely enveloping the primordial vortex. It spread out from within him to fill the entire area.

He was completely surrounded by a sea of fire. Within the flames, the Chakra vortex spun as a band of fire shot out. It quickly transformed into a small person, seven inches tall. This was Naruto's five elements Fire Nascent Soul.

As soon as it appeared, the flames in the area fell in on themselves, rippling back into Naruto and congealing onto the body of the Fire Nascent Soul. It was at this point that the Nascent Soul's eyes opened.

When that happened, Naruto's Cultivation base exploded upward, climbing all the way to the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage.

Back at Blackgate Fort, when he first combined the five elements, his Cultivation base had climbed up to the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage. Now, with only four Nascent Souls, he had already reached the same level he had before when combining the five elements.

Naruto took a deep breath. His eyes glittered as the Fire Nascent Soul flew out to join the other three Nascent Souls that floated around his head. They were now formed into a four-sided spell formation.

The exact center of that spell formation was none other than Naruto.

"The essence of the power of the Frost Soil Demon Emperor was the Frost soil, which existed even before primordial times, at the beginning of everything. That essence… will form my fifth Nascent Soul. Earth Nascent Soul!" He took a deep breath. Filled with unprecedented confidence, he closed his eyes once more. His final totem tattoo vanished and then merged into the Chakra vortex within him.

Time passed. Moments later, an intensely cold aura began to emanate out from Naruto to fill the area. Cracking sounds could be heard as the Violet Sea around him was frozen!

Naruto's Cultivation base exploded up again. Now, he was no longer at the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage, but rather, had broken through into… the late Nascent Soul stage.

His hair whipped about and his clothing rippled. At the same time, a intense howling sound could be heard coming from within him. A seven-inch-tall person floated up out of the top of his head. Its expression was one of solemnity, and it radiated a frigid aura, just like that of Frost soil.

This was… Naruto's five elements Earth Nascent Soul!

The five elements Earth Nascent Soul floated out. As of now, Naruto was surrounded by five Nascent Souls. Metal. Wood. Water. Fire. Earth. His five elements Nascent Souls were finally complete!

The first step of the Five-Colored Nascent Soul was now finished.

As of this moment, Naruto had reached an unprecedented point along the path of the Nascent Soul stage in the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

There was no one more powerful than him!

His Spiritual Sense increased several times over. 300 meters. 3,000 meters. 15,000 meters…. Soon, it was 27,000 meters! However, if he focused all of the Divine Sense into one line, instead of spreading it out in all directions, that distance would be multiplied by ten!

This was no longer Spiritual Sense. No Spiritual Sense could reach this point. The only thing that could was… Divine Sense!

This was a speciality of Nascent Soul Cultivators. Divine Sense!

An ordinary Cultivator of the late Nascent Soul stage possessed Divine Sense that had a limit of 21,000 meters. The line of demarcation with the Spirit Severing Stage was 30,000.

Only Spirit Severing Cultivators had Divine Sense with a range of 30,000!

Right now, though, Naruto's Divine Sense already could reach 27,000 meters!

Naruto looked up at the five Nascent Souls hovering around his head. Right now, the primordial Chakra vortex formed from his Perfect Gold Core was greatly reduced. However, from the look of it, it seemed sufficient to actually concoct a sixth Nascent Soul!

Naruto looked thoughtfully at the five elements Nascent Souls, and felt the boundlessness of his late Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base. He took a deep breath. He had practiced cultivation for less than two hundred years. He had started out as an insignificant Cultivator in the Five Elements Nation. The path which he had traveled led down to this very moment in which he was a late Nascent Soul stage expert. All of the memories along the way seemed almost like a fantasy.

His five elements Nascent Souls were assembled. The first step was complete. Now, the second step was about to be taken. That second step was combining the five elements!

Once combined, he would be a Five-Colored Paragon!

However, a flash of hesitation appeared in Naruto's eyes, and he frowned.

"The thirteen level of Chakra Condensation formed a great circle. My Perfect Foundation, my Perfect Gold Core, my entire path… consisted of reaching the pinnacle of each stage. All of that made it so that I could exceed anyone else in the same stage!

"Therefore, I now have my five elements Nascent Souls!

"Nascent Souls of the five elements and five colors can be broken down as follows. Three elements are Cracked. Four elements are Flawless. Five elements are Perfect…. Logically speaking, I should be in the realm of Perfection.

"Divine Sense with a range of 27,000 meters seems to exceed other Nascent Soul eccentrics by far. However, I wonder what the true range of the Divine Sense of a Perfect Nascent Soul really is?" This was what was causing Naruto to hesitate. He looked at the five elements Nascent Souls, lost in thought.

The fact that his five elements Nascent Souls were successfully concocted caused him to be both extremely happy, but at the same time, thoughtful. Divine sense with a range of 27,000 already proved that his choice of paths was correct. Correct, and yet… there seemed to be some difference between this path, and the Perfect Nascent Soul of legend.

Naruto didn't know exactly how powerful the legendary Perfect Nascent Soul was, but considering he was familiar with the Perfect Foundation and Perfect Gold Core, it was possible to come up with a general, theoretical answer to the question.

"A Perfect Nascent Soul requires all of the five elements. The result is one Nascent Soul with five elements and five colors. I, however, chose to concoct five different Nascent Souls based off of the different totems. When I combine the five elements, I should be able to achieve a Perfect Nascent Soul!

"However… I still have the feeling….

"I can't know for sure, but bet the true range of a Perfect Nascent Soul is 29,999 meters!" Naruto's eyes shone with a strange light. The method he had created to concoct a Nascent Soul became the path of the five elements Nascent Soul. This method did not become a new technique for creating a Perfect Nascent Soul. Actually, it appeared to exceed that path.

"My Divine Sense has reached 27,000 meters after successfully producing the five elements Nascent Souls, which is still slightly less than a Perfect Nascent Soul. Well then… I'll just have to add another Nascent Soul to close the gap!" Naruto's eyes shone with determination as he sat there cross-legged on the seafloor. He lifted his right hand up, within which appeared, shockingly, a medicinal pill!

This medicinal pill was something he had acquired from the bag of holding of the member of the Hebi Clan he had killed all those years ago…. It was one of the three great medicinal pills, a One Color Soul Procurement Pill!

This pill was incredibly rare, something miraculous from ancient times. After consuming it, there was a high likelihood to increase the quality of a Nascent Soul. By adding an extra color, it was like adding an extra level of power to the five elements.

"I already have all of the five elements. Perhaps consuming this pill will do nothing. On the other hand, perhaps a sixth element will appear that I'm unaware of!" Naruto was silent for a moment before his expression filled with determination. He had to try at least once. Not trying wasn't an alternative he could accept.

Without hesitation, he produced the copper mirror. He had a lot of Spirit Stones in his bag of holding, wealth he had accumulated over the years of leading the Crow Divinity Tribe.

With no trace of irresoluteness, he duplicated the medicinal pills. It took a vast amount of Spirit Stones to produce only a single copy. Now he had two One Color Soul Procurement Pills, one of which he immediately popped into his mouth.

The moment it entered his mouth, a roaring filled his body. The medicinal pill dissolved, instantly transforming into something that seemed like a unique type of Divine Sense. It swept through him as if it were searching for something.

Moments later, the power of the medicinal pill vanished along with that unique Divine Sense. Apparently it hadn't found what it was looking for.

Naruto frowned and opened his eyes, lost in thought. The pill's ineffectiveness showed that his five elements really were of the great circle. There was no base for the pill to be able to randomly create a new element.

"The three great ancient miraculous pills couldn't possibly be so useless, could they?" he thought. Disregarding the loss of Spirit Stones, he produced another duplicate and then consumed it. He experienced the same feeling as before, but in the end, nothing happened. However, the power of the bizarre Divine Sense seemed to overlap with the power from before, making it even more powerful.

Naruto consumed another One Color Soul Procurement Pill, just to make sure that wasn't passing up an opportunity that he would regret later. He had already decided that he would consume at least ten of the pills. If he didn't succeed at that point, then he would give up and combine the five elements he already had.

It was merely a guess on his part that Divine Sense with a range of 27,000 meters was a different from the Divine Sense of a Perfect Nascent Soul. For all he knew, a Perfect Nascent Soul really did have Divine Sense with a range of only 27,000 meters.

Based on this line of reasoning, he continued to consume One Color Soul Procurement Pills. After consuming the ninth pill, the strange Divine Sense once again appeared. It was at this point that Naruto suddenly felt a stab of pain on his forehead.

The pain came suddenly, as if it had been hiding within his body all along, undetectable. After consuming the ninth One Color Soul Procurement Pill, the overlapping layers of fearsome Divine sense were finally able to detect it.

When the stab of pain appeared, Naruto's mind trembled. As soon as he felt the pain, he immediately duplicated another One Color Soul Procurement Pill. Even in ancient times, few people would ever have been able to possess so many of these kind of medicinal pills.

In fact throughout history down until this day, no one ever had!

Only Naruto would be able to consume them in such a manner. Of course, it also indicated that his accumulation of Spirit Stones in his bag of holding was rapidly growing smaller and smaller.

It wouldn't be long before Naruto was flat broke.

Although that pained Naruto, he didn't care too much. The pain he felt in his forehead gave him hope that the One Color Soul Procurement Pill had found the traces of the sixth element it was looking for.

The instant in which he consumed the tenth One Color Soul Procurement Pill, the combined power all ten pills congealed into a terrifying Divine Sense. It swept throughout Naruto's body until finally… it found the power of a sixth element that it needed, right there on his forehead.

Naruto's own Divine Sense focused on the same spot where the power of the One Color Soul Procurement Pills was focused. A rumbling sound filled Naruto's mind.

What he was looking at was none other than… a roc!

Perhaps it was more correct to say that it was a strand of wind. A wind shaped like a roc, white in color, clearly visible within Naruto's Divine Sense. Suddenly, he thought back to what happened that year outside of the Rebirth Cave in the Southern Domain. A woman in the Rebirth Cave had given Naruto the power of a roc.

After that, Naruto had never been able to find that bit of roc power, no matter how he checked. But now, under the overlapping power of ten One Color Soul Procurement Pills, the wind of the roc suddenly was revealed.

"This roc wind is my Wind-type totem! It will be my sixth Nascent Soul, the Wind Nascent Soul!" He instantly rotated his Cultivation base. The five Nascent Souls rotating around his head began to perform incantation gestures. Fueled by the power of the five elements, Naruto's body became the pill furnace as he suddenly began to concoct a Nascent Soul!

The Chakra vortex formed from his Perfect Gold Core swirled rapidly and began to emit a gravitational force. Along with the power of the Soul Procurement Pill and the conjuring power of the five elements Nascent Souls, the power of the roc in Naruto's forehead, the power that had been concealed there for years and years, was finally forced out and sucked toward his dantian region.

The moment the roc wind entered his dantian, a rumbling roar filled Naruto's body. The Chakra vortex there roared as it spun faster and faster.

"Time to concoct my Wind Nascent Soul!" Naruto's eyes snapped open. A pounding sound filled his body as the Chakra vortex suddenly shrunk down on itself and transformed in a white, seven-inch-tall person!

It looked exactly like Naruto. This was Naruto's sixth Nascent Soul… Wind Nascent Soul!

As soon as it appeared, Naruto's Cultivation base suddenly rocketed up, pushing him from the late Nascent Soul stage higher and higher until he was now at the peak of the stage. His distance from the great circle was…

Only a single step!

At the same time, Naruto's Divine Sense expanded madly. 27,300 meters. 27,900 meters. 28,000 meters….

Finally, when it reached 29,700 meters, it began to slow down. Eventually, it stopped at… 29,999 meters!

Naruto lifted his head and stood. As he rose to his feet, the Wind Nascent Soul emerged from the top of his head to join the other Nascent Souls. Light shone out from them to form a star with six points!

Perfect Nascent Soul!

Naruto was bursting with excitement from having created his own path of the perfect Nascent Soul, of being the first person from ancient times until now who possessed six Nascent Souls. He was the first person… to create his own path of the Perfect Nascent Soul, to combine six Nascent Souls together. Even at this very moment, however, Naruto's face suddenly flickered.

It was at this point that suddenly, the effects of Time within his body were multiplied by six. Time disappeared, causing his longevity to rapidly disappear. He suddenly realized that his longevity would run out in only one hundred years!

"This…." A bright glow began to shine in his eyes.

"Because I have six Nascent Souls, it's like I have six lives, six animas…. Therefore, my longevity must be divided into six parts…. As such, one year for me is like six years!

"That is the price of the Perfect Nascent Soul!"

It was also at this same moment that the Resurrection Lily inside of Naruto seemed to think that now was the perfect opportunity to make a move. It suddenly rose up with unyielding explosiveness.

In this moment, the clouds in the sky above the Violet Sea were churning. There was no more violet rain, but the sky was still dark and overcast. Suddenly, bolts of lightning could be seen approaching from off in the distance.

As the lighting neared, astonishingly, countless Tribulation clouds began to roil into being. More and more Tribulation clouds could be seen, which caused the Violet Sea to be whipped into a frenzy. A massive aura of death began to emanate off of it.

The aura seemed as if it were preparing to fight back against the Tribulation Lightning. Instantly, an archaic madness seemed to be rising up!

The Cultivators in the ten outposts that had been built up over the past years all looked up into the sky with expressions of astonishment.

"Is that… Tribulation Lightning?"

"Don't tell me someone is transcending Tribulation? How could that be possible? Only Immortals can transcend Tribulation. How could there be someone in the great Western desert who could transcend Tribulation?!"

"This isn't someone transcending Tribulation. Obviously a precious treasure is appearing in the world!"

Such scenes played out in all of the ten outposts. However… the Tribulation Lightning over the Violet Sea was actually only detectable by the people actually in the area of the Violet Sea. Cultivators in the Black Lands seemed to be cut off and unable to detect it, even Spirit Severing Cultivators.

It was at this moment that in the second outpost, inside of a lofty building, a bare-chested, middle-aged man was embracing a beautiful female Cultivator. As they chatted and laughed, he occasionally caressed her body with his hands. Her coy reaction caused his desire to grow stronger and stronger.

Behind the man, seven old men sat cross-legged. Their eyes were closed and they did not speak, as if they didn't even notice the obscene sounds that could be heard in the room. The seven old men had incredible Cultivation bases. Four were in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, two were in the late Nascent Soul stage, and one was of the great circle!

Cultivators like these were the most powerful you could find under the Spirit Severing stage. This was especially so in an age when it was not a simple thing to reach the Spirit Severing Stage; Cultivators of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage could completely rock the world.

Right now, though, it was clear that these seven men were nothing more than a retinue!

There was only one type of person who could make Cultivators of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage to act as a retinue. That would be… a Spirit Severing Patriarch! The middle-aged man's Cultivation base was only at the early Nascent Soul stage, not the Spirit Severing stage. That meant that this man's status was shockingly high!

This man was the son of Spirit Severing Patriarch Hashirama of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, one of the three powers of the Heavenly Court Alliance! Tobirama! He had left the Black Lands three months ago to go sightseeing in the ten outposts and chase after women.

Just as Tobirama was about to throw himself on the female Cultivator, a bolt of red lightning suddenly shot through the air and then headed off into the distance. Before it disappeared, an enormous, intense pressure could be felt. Instantly, the seven old men all opened their eyes. The red-robed old man of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage slowly lifted his head and looked off into the distance, frowning.

A tremor ran through Tobirama and he suddenly looked up.

"Miracle Lightning? Don't tell me some precious treasure has suddenly appeared? Or maybe some neo-demon is transforming?" Tobirama laughed heartily. Suddenly, he leaped up into the air, holding the shocked woman in one arm as he flicked his sleeve with the other. Instantly, four black-robed bodyguards appeared bearing a luxurious sedan chair on their shoulders.

Tobirama immediately entered the sedan chair, taking the woman with him.

"Yamato, let's go take a look, alright?" His laughter mixed with the gasp of the female Cultivator as she saw the sumptuous interior of the sedan chair.

The man who Tobirama referred to as Yamato was the old man of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. He frowned and let out a quiet sigh. Slowly, he stood up and, along with the other six old men, escorted the sedan chair off.

Tobirama's procession headed off in the direction the lightning had flown, which was of course the location where Naruto stood at the bottom of the sea. Currently, Naruto's expression was grim as he looked at the six Nascent Souls flying around the level of his head. He frowned.

"Longevity of one hundred years…. Not even two hundred. Well, I'm already at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage. I guess I have to reach Spirit Severing within a hundred years!

"Now, as for this Resurrection Lily…." A cold smile suddenly twisted his lips. He had long since predicted that the Resurrection Lily would not let a crucial moment in his cultivation pass without trying to make a move.

He knew that it would appear!

Originally he thought it would attempt to possess him when the Heavenly Tribulation hit. However, apparently it thought right now was the best opportunity.

"For you to appear right now is actually quite convenient! If Heavenly Tribulation really does come, you could cause me quite a bit of frustration." Smiling coldly, he sat down cross-legged. Ignoring the Resurrection Lily's explosive rise, he lifted his hand and pointed at one of the Nascent Souls.

Immediately, the Metal Nascent Soul floated down. Its face was covered with a cold smile just like Naruto's as it sank down into the top of his head. It sank down to appear in the empty space in his dantian region that his Gold Core had previously occupied.

"This time, I'll give you a chance to… have a full on fight!" As Naruto closed his eyes, majestic Cultivation base power exploded out from the Metal Nascent Soul to crush down onto the Resurrection Lily.

The Resurrection Lily seemed to go mad and it let out a soundless roar. Shockingly, directly behind Naruto appeared the image of a blindingly bright four-colored Resurrection Lily, swaying back and forth ferociously.

It was in this moment that the Resurrection Lily seized control of Naruto's legs. Naruto lost all feeling in them as the struggle for control over his body erupted. The feeling quickly spread into his arms.

The four-colored Resurrection Lily swayed back and forth in a very bizarre fashion. It seemed as if it had been preparing for many years to make this counterattack against Naruto. When it made its move, it would attack with complete ruthlessness.

"I have to give you some credit," said Naruto coolly. "You're much better this time than you were before." After all this time, he was very familiar with the Resurrection Lily, and knew that it was sentient.

Even as he spoke, the Wood Nascent Soul began to emanate a green light as it sank into the top of Naruto's head. It quickly reached his dantian region, whereupon Naruto unhesitatingly superimposed it over the Metal Nascent Soul. The two… combined into one!

As soon as the two Nascent Souls combined into one, a roaring sound filled Naruto's mind. He instantly felt his Cultivation base… rising up rapidly!

He was still in the late Nascent Soul stage. Despite not having made a breakthrough, he could sense that his battle prowess…. had exploded upward by double or more!

At the moment, Naruto wasn't surprised. That was because… this was the power of a Perfect Nascent Soul, a power that placed him above anyone else in the same stage!

However, in unison with his sudden increase in battle prowess, Naruto could tell that the corrosive effect on his longevity, which previously was limited to a multiple of six, was now even greater.

The Resurrection Lily let out another soundless roar as its struggling increased in intensity. Whereas before, it had occupied a position of incredible superiority, it was now forced to defend relentlessly against Naruto. It did not want to allow Naruto to retake the parts of his body that it had already possessed.

"This is merely a combination of two Nascent Souls…." said Naruto, his eyes glittering. Suddenly, the Water Nascent Soul floated down, emanating a red glow as it sank into the top of his head. Moments later it appeared in his dantian region where it superimposed over the Metal and Wood Nascent Souls. They fused together, three Nascent Souls combining into one.

BOOOMMM!

Naruto could clearly sense his battle prowess climbing up with incredible intensity from the foundation of the early combination of two Nascent Souls.

Originally, he had possessed the power equivalent to only a single Nascent Soul. As of this moment, though, his power was equivalent to four peak late stage Nascent Souls! In addition, the wasting away of his longevity was also increased.

This was not an increase in Cultivation base, but rather, battle prowess. It was natural strength, arisen from the ability to use spiritual power. This increase could be likened to water in a bottle. The bottle might not get bigger, but more water could be forced inside, creating a pressure that exceeded anything normal!

The Resurrection Lily was emitting a piercing howl. The sound of it could not be heard by any outsider, only Naruto, who could hear it quite clearly. The Resurrection Lily was completely incapable of standing up to the power of Naruto's three combined elements. It instantly lost control of Naruto's arms, and was forced to retreat back to its position within Naruto's possessed legs.

"I don't need to expend much effort to suppress you," said Naruto coolly. "After all, this is a direct conflict, and you aren't even close to being a match for me! What makes you think you're qualified to even TRY to possess me!?

"You are me, but I… am not you!" A sea of flames erupted from the Fire Nascent Soul as it floated down and merged into his body. It then appeared in his dantian region, where it overlapped and then combined with the Metal, Wood, and Water Nascent Souls.

Shocking rumbling sounds caused Naruto's entire body to shake. Blue veins popped up all over as blood rushed through them at high speed. His body suddenly began to expand. It appeared as if he were taller. Although he was still slender, it seemed as if every bit of his flesh and blood was virtually bursting with terrifying power.

His battle prowess… doubled once again!

In this moment, he now possessed the same power as eight Nascent Souls at the peak of the late stage. The power of four combined elements exploded out, causing the Resurrection Lily to writhe and let out a miserable shriek. It was easily pushed back once again by suppressive power, losing control over Naruto's legs and being forced into his most remote extremities.

However, even in the moment in which it retreated back as far as it could, an aura rose up from the Resurrection Lily that caused Naruto's pupils to constrict.

The aura grew more and more powerful, and even seemed to contain some remnants of the One Color Soul Procurement Pill. Suddenly, the four-colored Resurrection Lily which Naruto had suppressed to the limit began to glow… and then develop…

A fifth color!

When the fifth color appeared, Naruto's mind and heart trembled. But then, his eyes glowed with pleasant surprise. He knew that this Resurrection Lily was incomplete, and could never grow to the point where it could bloom with seven colors and reach Immortal Ascension. Three colors was its limit. It had acquired four colors by means of a miracle. But now… it actually developed a fifth color.

This fifth color obviously had something to do with Naruto's Nascent Soul concocting and the One Color Soul Procurement Pill, as well as his place in the realm of Perfection. Because of all of these different things, the Resurrection Lily was suddenly able to make a meteoric rise.

When the fifth flower petal appeared on the Resurrection Lily, it let out a fierce howl and then erupted out from its position of retreat. It expanded out, clearly wanting to take control of Naruto's entire body in possession. It wanted to control Naruto and make him a true host that it could control!

Naruto could feel the madness of the Resurrection Lily, and it caused him to smile. He wanted it to grow more powerful, because he had long since decided to use this Resurrection Lily at the critical moment when his time came in the future to reach Immortal Ascension!

Even as the Resurrection Lily exploded out with power, Naruto lifted his head up. The Earth Nascent Soul suddenly erupted with shocking coldness. It merged in through Naruto's forehead, appearing moments later in his dantian region. Five elements overlapped. Five elements… combined!

The moment in which the five elements combined, Naruto's Cultivation base did not change, but his battle prowess instantly doubled again. At first, he started with power equivalent to one peak late Nascent Soul. Now, he had power equivalent to sixteen!

Such terrifying battle prowess far exceeded the scope of the late Nascent Soul stage. Even someone of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage would crumble like dried weeds before Naruto's power of sixteen peak late Nascent Souls.

That was the fearsomeness and incredible power of the realm of Perfection!

However, for Naruto, such terrifying power came at the price of longevity. To maintain his grip on such power meant that his longevity was no longer one hundred years, but rather, six!

After all, he was not truly in possession of a Perfect Nascent Soul. He had acquired it by alternative methods…. But actually, not even a true Perfect Nascent Soul could come close to this unbelievably fearsome power.

On this new path of the Nascent Soul that Naruto had forged, he possessed Perfect battle prowess that far exceeded even the extraordinary power of the Perfect Nascent Soul. Because he had been operating only on speculation and not research, he hadn't been clear about what the end result would be. But having sensed the battle prowess that existed within him, he now realized that his path was incredibly astonishing.

Battle power erupted out and his aura was swift and fierce as he fought back against the five-petaled Resurrection Lily. His body was the battlefield upon which the two forces slammed into each other.

As soon as they collided, the Resurrection Lily let out a miserable howl. It didn't matter that it had suddenly sprouted a fifth petal. Under the power of Naruto's fearsome battle prowess, it was… incapable of withstanding even a single blow.

Intangible explosions rippled out as the Resurrection Lily collapsed under Naruto's attack. It had been beaten back repeatedly, and had retreated completely from its former position of superiority. Now, all it could do was hide in Naruto's extremities, give up any notions of rising up, and hope Naruto did not attack any further.

Naruto took a deep breath as he looked up at the sixth Nascent Soul hovering near his head, the Wind Nascent Soul.

After a moment, his eyes gleamed with determination.

"Since I decided to be powerful, I might as well acquire the pinnacle of power!" Without hesitation, he lifted his right hand up and pointed at the Wind Nascent Soul. Instantly, it flickered and moved with incredible speed. It wasn't minor teleportation; it actually exceeded that. It immediately appeared inside of Naruto where it fused with the other Nascent Souls.

BOOMMMM!

The great circle of six elements! Six-Colored Nascent Soul!

Incredible battle prowess rocketed up, once again double. A fearsome aura equivalent to thirty-two peak late Nascent Souls emanated out, causing the Violet Sea to tremble. Everything shook. This was… Six-Colored Paragon!

Naruto could sweep across all Nascent Soul Cultivators. He was only a short way away from the Spirit Severing stage, and yet in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, he was definitely… the number one person under the Spirit Severing stage!

If his Cultivation base could break through the late Nascent Soul stage to the great circle, then with his battle prowess of thirty-two times normal, then facing up against Spirit Severing Cultivators… he would not be so weak. He could be considered powerful enough to defend himself.

That might seem of little note, but Spirit Severing… was a stage of Cultivation that could be considered a major area of demarcation. Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul. These stages were actually still called the stages of… mortals!

By using incredible power, momentum was built up… all for the purpose of breaking through to a new type of life. Spirit Severing!

Spirit Severing, Dao Seeking, and Immortal Ascension were three stages that were called the stages of… Immortals!

The difference between mortals and Immortals was such that for someone in the mortal realm to actually be able to fight back against an almighty member of the Immortal realm would cause an incredible commotion in the entirety of Lands of Ninshu if word of it were to spread.

Normally something like that would only be possible with the aid of precious treasures. Only relying on one's body would make it impossible!

As of this moment, it was possible for Naruto.

When he reached the Six-Colored great circle, the Resurrection Lily inside of him began to tremble. Before it could tremble for too long, though, Naruto battered at it with all of the battle prowess of his Cultivation base.

Indescribable, shocking booming filled Naruto, like towers of thunder. The Resurrection Lily let out an unprecedented scream. All its defenses crumbled, incapable of standing up against Naruto's battle prowess and Divine Sense, which bore down into its very core.

It screamed and trembled, terrified. It possessed consciousness of its own, and in its memory, it couldn't recall ever feeling this hopeless. Originally, it should have been in a position above all other living things. Naruto was nothing but a host body for it. As of now, though, it was actually being possessed. It… was becoming a part of Naruto.

There was nothing it could do. Naruto's battle prowess of thirty-two peak late Nascent Souls made it so that the Resurrection Lily could only watch in shock as Divine Sense was driven into its core. At this moment, its life or death was completely in Naruto's hands.

Naruto did not exterminate the Resurrection Lily, though. Instead, he branded its consciousness with a seal of his own.

"This seal is not indelible. A hundred years from now, if I can't figure out a way to make a sixth petal appear, then I'll exterminate you.

"If a sixth petal does appear, the seal will dissipate, and then you'll have another chance to try to possess me. Then, you will be qualified… to try to fight me again!" Naruto's cold words echoed out within the seal that he had placed on the Resurrection Lily's consciousness. It trembled, in awe of Naruto but also filled with fierceness and lack of reconciliation. Suppressing its wild heart, it slowly calmed down.

Actually, what Naruto wanted was just that: the Resurrection Lily's wild heart.

Having suppressed the Resurrection Lily, Naruto sat down cross-legged to study his expanding Cultivation base. As of now, he could clearly sense that his longevity, if it remained as it was now, would only last for three more years, perhaps a bit more.

"It's too bad I don't have a seventh Nascent Soul. It would leave me with only one year of longevity, but with a seventh Nascent Soul, I wonder… if I would be able to battle the Spirit Severing stage?" A bright gleam appeared in his eyes.

Suddenly, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a wooden box.

Looking at the box made him think of his Master, Pill Demon. The box had been given to him by Pill Demon, and it contained a medicinal pill which could not only suppress the Resurrection Lily, but also help him achieve Cultivation base breakthroughs. It could also add to his longevity.

Throughout all the years, Naruto had never consumed even one. Now, however, he unhesitatingly took the pill out, made some copies, and put one in his mouth. He sat there cross-legged, meditating as the medicinal pill dissolved. His Cultivation base grew more stable, and his life force more vigorous. The power of growth appeared, fusing into his Six-Colored Nascent Soul, causing his longevity to instantly be replenished.

Moments later, after the pill had been fully absorbed, he made some more copies and then began to consume them. Several days passed, after which, he opened his eyes from meditation. They glowed with a shocking brightness; his life force was now restored to what appeared to be roughly half of a sixty-year cycle.

His bag of holding was now devoid of Spirit Stones, and he had consumed many medicinal pills. However, he had actually managed to add almost one thousand years to his longevity. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the medicinal pills was growing continuously weaker. In the end, they stopped working at all. That was generally how such longevity-increasing medicinal pills worked.

After all, life could not go past one thousand years. That rule could never be changed, and mortal power could never fight against it!

"It might seem like thirty years, but if I keep the six Nascent Souls dispersed under normal situations and only combine them under special circumstances, then my problem with the longevity will be resolved." Now that Naruto didn't have to worry about the longevity, he gave a long sigh. If only he had a seventh Nascent Soul… that would be far better.

Naruto stood up. As he did, popping sounds could be heard coming from within his body. He was now a full three heads taller than before. His shoulders were wider, but his body was even more slender.

His muscles hadn't grown, but he was now clearly stronger and tougher. All of his blood and flesh was filled with shocking power. Blue veins bulged out, and every beat of his heart sent hot blood pumping throughout his body.

His physical body had also experienced an unprecedented increase in its toughness.

At the moment, he looked strange and bizarre, radiating an indescribably imposing bearing and force of attraction. He looked like something beyond the mortal world, something unprecedentedly mighty.

Suddenly, cracking sounds could be heard coming from his right hand. Naruto looked down to see the diaphanous Namikaze Clan glove exploding into tiny pieces.

The power of Naruto's own fist now exceeded that of the glove.

He quickly gathered up the pieces of the glove and put them into his bag of holding.

"Well then, this will now count as one my Divine Abilities. Six Animas Soul Transformations! Under normal circumstances, I will only reveal the power of the First Anima!" His eyes glittered, and the Six-Colored Nascent Soul within him trembled. Ghost images appeared; within the space of a few breaths, they broke apart, transforming once again into six different Nascent Souls. They sat cross-legged in Naruto's dantian region, meditating and cultivating.

Naruto's aura suddenly dropped down. His Cultivation base was once again at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage. His body also changed. He was no longer so tall and mighty. He returned to his previous height, and the power in his flesh and blood returned to normal. His entire person now emanated the scholarly aura that it usually did.

After studying his Cultivation base for a moment to ensure that his method was correct and that the problem with the longevity had been solved, he looked up at the Violet Sea. There was no need for him to send out Divine Sense; the entire Violet Sea was his eyes. He could see the tempest growing in the sky above the Violet Sea. Lightning danced and Tribulation clouds surged.

His body flickered. Sounds like explosions could be heard in all directions as the Violet Sea around him turned into a huge vortex around. His body transformed into a beam of light that shot up from the depths of the Violet Sea toward the surface.

As he moved up, the vortex grew larger, causing the surface of the sea to roll with massive waves. It was as if the entire Violet Sea were letting out a cry that rose to the Heavens, welcoming Naruto as he rose up!

This was the first time in the more than one hundred years since Naruto descended to the depths of the seafloor… that he finally emerged in the outside world!

BOOM!

The Violet Sea roared as massive waves rolled out in all directions. Naruto stood there on the surface of the water, looking up at the Tribulation clouds up in the sky.

Boundless lightning crackled and boomed. It was as if upon finding Naruto, the Heavenly Tribulation was roaring at him.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he coolly said, "Heavenly Tribulation… I haven't seen you for ages!"

"Up to this point, my life consisted of two parts," Naruto murmured.

"The first part was beneath Mount Myboku, along the path of the Imperial examinations…. When I stood on top of Mount Myboku, wrote down my dream and stuffed it into that gourd bottle, then tossed it into the river below, I had no idea…

"That that very moment represented the beginning of the second part of my life.

"That second part was cultivation!" Naruto stood on the surface of the Violet Sea, wearing a spotless green robe. He did not sink down even a bit into the seawater. Instead, he looked up at the boundless lightning dancing about up above like red serpents. They interlocked, forming Tribulation Clouds.

"This past hundred years or more of cultivation allowed me to experience death and escape. I have experienced things that the old me would never have been able to experience, walked paths that before, I could never have walked to the end of.

"As for Heavenly Tribulation… I've experienced that too, more than once.

"This time, I will not be nervous like I was when I experienced the Heavenly Tribulation of the Perfect Foundation. I won't take it as seriously as the year I faced the Perfect Gold Core Heavenly Tribulation. I've been waiting for today's Heavenly Tribulation… for a long time." A slight smile suddenly broke out on his face. Even as he murmured the words, a massive rumbling sound roared out from within the Tribulation clouds. At the same time, a red lightning bolt shot down toward Naruto.

As it neared, even more lightning bolts fused into it. By the time it was about thirty or so meters from Naruto's head, it was as wide as a person's arm. As it roared toward him, it carried with it the awe-inspiring power of Heavenly Tribulation, a detached desire to destroy.

Naruto looked up at the incoming Tribulation Lightning. Then, he lifted his right arm and waved it toward the sky. Instantly, life force collided with death will, transforming into a power of extermination that shot toward the lightning bolt.

A shocking boom filled the Heaven and the sea. The arm's-width sized lightning bolt instantly collapsed into countless arcs of electricity that scattered about into the air above Naruto.

"Before, Heavenly Tribulation like this would have destroyed me in both body and soul. Now, however… it doesn't even qualify to make me enter my Second Anima." Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he stood there motionless. He then… looked back up at the Heavenly Tribulation.

Naruto's behavior seemed to infuriate the Heavenly Tribulation. The lightning and thunder crashed about in the sky. One red lightning bolt after another began to form together and then fall down. This time, there were four bolts that descended. An earsplitting roar filled the air as the area for thirty meters around Naruto was transformed into a lake of lightning.

Each of the four red beams of lighnting contained enough power to eradicate some of the late Nascent Soul stage. As they fell down, Naruto simply stood there and waved his sleeve, allowing the four lightning bolts to strike.

Red lightning danced around Naruto, spreading out across the Violet Sea, filling everything for several hundred meters in each direction.

As for Naruto, he simply stood there in the middle of the lightning, his entire body glowing with electrical light. The light quickly faded. In the space of only a few breaths it was completely gone. Naruto's expression was the same as ever, without even the slightest bit of change.

Currently, he was in the First Anima of the Six Animas Soul Transformations, with the full power of a peak late Nascent soul. Naruto had long since decided that this would be his normal state.

Although the lightning surrounding him was incredibly powerful and out of the ordinary, it still was incapable of hurting him, despite the fact that he was only in the First Anima.

Naruto gently shook his arms and legs, feeling the power of lightning that had fused into his physical body. He had experienced this feeling in previous encounters with Heavenly Tribulation, so he wasn't surprised. He looked up, his eyes shining with a bright light.

Simultaneously, an enormous sound like an enraged roar filled the sky. Eight lightning bolts merged together in the air up above. The Tribulation Clouds seethed and then began to pull back. Thunder boomed as the eight lightning bolts began to fall.

These eight lightning bolts were bright red, almost like blood. Then fell down with intense destructive power, causing enormous pressure to bear down on Naruto. The pressure didn't cause Naruto to fall back, though. Instead, he began to laugh. A Demonic-looking glow radiated from his eyes.

"Now it's getting interesting. Second Anima!"

Of the six Nascent Souls inside Naruto, two overlapped and fused together. In the same moment, popping sounds could be heard from within Naruto as it swelled out. He grew half a head taller, and in the blink of an eye, he looked bigger than before.

His majestic aura exploded out, doubling. Now he possessed the battle prowess of two peak late Nascent Souls. Waves kicked up in the Violet Sea around him, sweeping out in all directions. It was as if a whirlwind had erupted out because of Naruto entering his Second Anima.

Laughing, Naruto did not retreat, but actually shot up into the air to attack the eight lightning bolts!

This was not passively reacting to the enemy, but taking the initiative to attack head on!

A huge boom echoed out as the eight lightning bolts slammed into him. An explosion of lightning burst out for hundreds of meters in every direction. Naruto was the center of it all, meeting the full force of the Tribulation lightning head on. He rocketed forward, completely unharmed by the eight lightning bolts. They didn't even qualify to cause blood to ooze out from his mouth.

The Heavenly Tribulation seemed as if it possessed intelligence, and was currently furious. The sound of thunder filled the air. This time, eighteen red lightning bolts appeared. They looked like eighteen ferocious red dragons as they crackled through the air toward Naruto.

"Third Anima!" Naruto's eyes were now surging with an intense desire to fight.

His body grew again. He was now more than a full head taller and his body more cut and rough. Only a scrap of the aura of a scholar was left, and now, his aura was much more Demonic .

He flew up, performing an incantation gesture with his right hand as the eighteen lightning bolts fell. Suddenly, a multicolored light spread out, distorting the air as it slammed into the eighteen lightning bolts.

A huge boom caused everything to shake. Naruto laughed as the area for nearly three thousand meters became a maelstrom of lighnting. However, it was powerless to obstruct his path. He continued to shoot upwards, his voice echoing out: "Fourth Anima!"

Instantly, roaring filled his body as it expanded again. He was now even more brutally powerful, two heads taller than before, his shoulders wide, his frame slender. The scholar's aura was completely gone, and the Demonic air was growing more intense.

He gave off the feeling of a Demonic monster; even though he was currently smiling, Naruto now looked evil.

Four Nascent Souls were overlapped and combined, equipping Naruto with the power of eight peak late Nascent Souls. He continued to shoot through mid-air toward the Tribulation clouds in the sky.

Even as Naruto increased his speed, the Tribulation clouds roiled. More than twenty bolts of lightning shot down, causing everything to shake, even the sea below. They continuously slammed into Naruto, but were incapable of affecting him in any way. His right hand suddenly made a grasping motion in front of him, and an azure Immortal's Sword appeared there. His left hand slapped his bag of holding, and an alcohol flagon appeared.

He took a drink, then waved the sword, causing an azure beam of light to flicker out. Bolts of Tribulation Lightning exploded as they hit Naruto, causing countless sparks of electricity to fly about flickering into the air. More than a few fused into Naruto's body. Gradually, a will of lightning was building up inside of him.

Suddenly, the Tribulation Lightning being formed was no longer just red. More colors were added, a total of seven. They formed into a Seven-Colored Tribulation Lightning. It was one single bolt that seemed capable of ripping the air into pieces, a fierce Seven-Colored Dragon that pounced toward Naruto.

"Fifth Anima!"

Shocking popping sounds rang out from his body. He was now two and a half heads taller. His body was far more powerful, and the aura of his battle prowess exploded up. He now possessed power equivalent to sixteen peak late Nascent Souls. The sky and land dimmed, and the clouds seethed.

Naruto's body brimmed with incredible power. His hair whipped about and his eyes shone with a strange glow. As the Seven-Colored Heavenly lightning neared, the azure Immortal's Sword in his hand suddenly shot forward into it.

The Devil Spear magically appeared in his hand like a fierce dragon. Majestic black mist burst out, along with countless ferocious faces. It followed the azure Immortal's Sword toward the seven-colored Tribulation Lightning.

When the two forces slammed into each other, a huge boom could be heard. The seven-colored Tribulation Lightning exploded. The azure Immortal's Sword was sent spinning. The Devil Spear in Naruto's hand trembled and then exploded with a bang, transforming into a mist that surged out. The mist seethed, then formed back again into the Devil Spear.

The shattered remnants of the seven colored Tribulation lightning became a seven-colored rain of lightning. It fell down in all directions, many of which fused into Naruto's body. The lightning that was building up inside of him was growing thicker and thicker.

A tremor ran through him, and blood oozed out of his mouth. He hovered there in mid-air, looking up. Suddenly, the Tribulation clouds began to shrink in on themselves. Seven-colored light spread out as the clouds rapidly began to transform into seven-colored clouds. Furthermore, from within the Tribulation clouds suddenly emerged a…

Gigantic finger formed from seven-colored lightning!

The enormous finger was fully three thousand meters long and completely composed of flickering, seven-colored lightning. Anyone who saw it would be completely astonished. As soon as it appeared, the enormous finger emitted a destructive pressure that bore down on Naruto as if it wished to squash him like an insect.

Even as the finger neared, Naruto's eyes narrowed and he cried, "Sixth Anima!"

All six Nascent Souls within him were now overlapped and combined. Six colors combined!

Boom!

He instantly grew taller, and his body more valiant. His shoulders were wide, his frame slender. There was now no scholar's aura whatsoever. The only thing he possessed… was breathtaking Demonic evil!

Beneath him, the Violet Sea roared. The vortex spun, sending crashing waves out. In his Sixth Anima, Naruto possessed more over thirty times the power of a peak late Nascent Soul. He now fully deserved to be referred to as the most powerful person under Spirit Severing in the lands of Lands of Ninshu!

Naruto kicked down violently into the air. A bang rang out as ripples appeared, and he shot up straight toward the seven-colored finger.

His right hand clenched violently into a fist. As the finger neared, a fierce glow appeared in his eyes. Then, he…

Punched!

It wasn't even worth describing how Naruto compared to the enormous finger if you looked at them from off in the distance. He really did look like a bug.

But who would care about that!?

When Naruto's fist struck the finger, an enormous boom shook the Heavens and the Violet Sea. Giant waves rolled out across the surface of the waters. Of course, only Naruto was there to see it; if anyone else did, it would probably be the most shocking thing they would ever see in their life.

As the explosive bang rang out, blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth. Although he was sent shooting backward, his laughter continued to echo in the area.

As he laughed, he looked up at the seven-colored finger and watched as it collapsed into countless pieces. A seven-colored lake of lightning was formed, composed of endless seven-colored arcs of electricity. Many of them bored into Naruto's body. Even as Naruto laughed, the Tribulation lightning…

Was completely destroyed!

Amidst the lingering echo, the Tribulation clouds up above were thinning, and seemed to be on the verge of dissipating. Apparently, this Heavenly Tribulation was quite simple for Naruto to overcome.

In truth, it was not. It was actually much more intense than the previous Tribulations. However, Naruto's feeling regarding it… was influenced by the fact that his more than one hundred years of secluded meditation ended with him rising to what was virtually the peak of the mortal realm in Lands of Ninshu!

Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth. In the Sixth Anima, he was at his strongest. He hovered for a moment in mid-air and then once again kicked down with his foot. A bang could be heard as he flew up toward the dissipating Tribulation clouds.

Naruto knew that when the Tribulation clouds were spreading out like this, their destructive power was actually growing stronger. They seemed to be dissipating but actually…. if he wasn't careful, he would surely perish.

In the moment in which Naruto charged in attack, a roaring sound suddenly could be heard from the thin Tribulation clouds. Suddenly, all the clouds rapidly contracted to form… a shocking, enormous fist!

The fist was formed completely of Tribulation clouds, within which swirled innumerable lightning bolts. Seven colors swirled about. This was no longer just lightning… it was the direct power of Tribulation clouds!

All the Tribulation clouds had formed together into a Heavenly Tribulation, here to exterminate everything in existence.

Naruto rocketed through mid air, looking at the seething Tribulation clouds that had formed into an enormous fist. He could clearly sense the complete will of destruction therein.

His eyes glowed brightly as his left hand suddenly gestured down toward the sea beneath him.

"Violet Sea!"

The Violet Sea was him, and he was the Violet Sea!

Even as the words left his mouth, the entirety of the Violet Sea that was the Western Desert Apocalypse suddenly began to move. A huge vortex spun, causing massive waves to surge across the surface of the waters.

In the center of the vortex, which was directly beneath Naruto, a gigantic column of water suddenly rose up. It was thousands of meters wide and surrounded Naruto, making him its center as it shot into the air.

As the column of water shot into the air, the rest of the surface of the Violet Sea sank down. At the same time, the index finger of Naruto's right hand pointed down.

"Specters!"

The specters of all the neo-demons and Cultivators who had died in the Apocalypse now existed parasitically within the Violet Sea. Right now, they responded to Naruto's summons, instantly surging in from all directions. They shot into the column of seawater, filling it, forming a soul of the column!

Except, that soul was fragmented. The true soul… was Naruto!

Boom!

The column of seawater, thousands of meters wide, shot out past Naruto, magically transforming into a gigantic arm!

Further up in the direction of the sky, the arm ended in a fist.

A violet fist and a violet arm. This was like… the arm of the Violet Sea!

If there had been any eyewitnesses observing from a distance, they would have felt an unprecedented level of shock, and would have had the image forever engraved in their minds.

What they would have seen was Tribulation clouds transformed into a fist, representing the Will of Heaven. Another fist stretched out from within the sea, representing the heart of the Apocalypse. One of these two enormous fists was descending from up above. The other rose up from the middle of the sea. There in mid-air… they slammed into each other.

The boom rang out in all directions, shaking Heaven and Earth, causing the Violet Sea to vibrate. This scene was indescribably shocking, so monstrous it was impossible to describe.

Transcending Tribulation in this fashion was unprecedented!

Before Naruto, no one had ever done anything like this, and after this day there would not likely be someone else who did!

The will of the Violet Sea had transformed into an arm that exterminated Heavenly Tribulation. The arm contained the pinnacle of the power of extermination, a power like that belonging to an enormous Greater Demon. If Naruto had not engaged in Demonic Transmigration before, he would never have been able to do this.

Suddenly, the Tribulation Clouds emitted shocking, explosive claps of thunder. The lightning inside of the clouds exploded out, transforming into a roar that could be heard clearly even in the ten outpost cities on the surface of the sea.

Countless lightning bolts slammed into the power of extermination, and were then transformed into innumerable sparks of electricity. The electricity merged into the Violet Sea, causing large numbers of specters to vanish. Some of the electricity also merged into Naruto's body and spread out to fill it.

Finally, after the last bit of lightning dissipated, no more fist was visible. The lightning vanished. Since it was incapable of destroying Naruto, it seemed the Heavenly Tribulation chose to retreat.

As for the Violet Sea arm that Naruto was in, it lost its spirit, lost its will, and collapsed back down into the sea. A huge boom could be heard as the water spread back out into the sea, causing it to rise up once again.

Naruto hovered in mid-air, lightning sparking constantly through his body. He coughed up a big mouthful of blood and then shot back down toward the sea. Just when he was about to splash directly into the waters, he stopped to stand on its surface. Lightning danced about on his body. His face was pale as he looked up into the sky; the disappearing Tribulation clouds suddenly stopped in place.

It seemed that the Heavenly Tribulation had a bit of power left after all, and wanted to make one final strike of lightning!

Naruto's eyes narrowed and his Cultivation base began to rotate. Sharp pains stabbed out in his body and he coughed up some more blood. However, when he coughed up the blood, his mind suddenly trembled.

The reason was that within the blood he had just coughed up could be seen vast quantities of electric sparks. He could only imagine that right now he must look almost like a… human-shaped lightning bolt.

"Thunder. Lightning…." Naruto's mind shook, ignoring the Tribulation clouds overhead, and everything else. His mind suddenly seemed to be filled with primordial chaos as an incredible, even astonishing, idea took form.

"Lightning is a manifestation of power, something that could form a totem tattoo…. In that case… it could also make… a Nascent Soul! My seventh Nascent Soul…. Lightning Nascent Soul!

"If I can really form a seventh Nascent Soul, then when I entered the Seventh Anima, I would be able to wield battle prowess equivalent to sixty-four peak late Nascent Souls!

"No, that's not right. It wouldn't be a peak late Nascent Soul, it would be of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage!" Naruto was panting. Without hesitation, he produced all his remaining One Color Soul Procurement Pills from his bag of holding. Leaving only one as a backup, he placed the remainder into his mouth.

The instant the medicinal pills entered his mouth, he felt that special Divine Sense sweeping through his body. Suddenly, he experienced pain everywhere in his body.

As the pain appeared, strands of lightning were forced out of him. This lightning contained the power of Heavenly Tribulation both from the current Tribulation, as well as remnants left behind from the Perfect Gold Core and Perfect Foundation Tribulations. All of the lightning was forced out and then sucked into his dantian region.

In the blink of an eye, all of the sparks of electricity began to merge together. Naruto immediately sat down cross-legged on the surface of the sea. He ignored the Tribulation clouds up above and focused completely on meditation. More and more lightning sparks began to coalesce in his dantian.

All of the lightning in the entire area stopped moving and then was sucked toward Naruto. Lightning in both the air and the sea writhed and glowed as it bore into Naruto's body and came to his dantian.

Using his body as the pill furnace, his will as the pill formula, and his life as the flame, he began to concoct!

The process was quick. In the blink of an eye, a roaring sound filled Naruto's mind as the lightning in his dantian region coalesced into a gigantic ball. The ball began to writhe and then shattered into pieces. A small, seven-inch tall person appeared!

The person looked exactly like Naruto in all respects. This was Naruto's seventh Nascent Soul, that by a random chance he had been able to concoct…. Lightning Nascent Soul!

As soon as the tiny person appeared, Naruto's Cultivation base exploded upward. This was no longer the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage. He had now broken through into… the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage!

His hair whipped about him as he rose up to the pinnacle of Nascent Soul power!

At the same time, the thin Tribulation Clouds up in the sky seemed to have been thoroughly provoked. No one ever dared to have a Cultivation base breakthrough in the middle of Heavenly Tribulation! On top of that, who had ever dared to absorb the power of the Tribulation itself!?

All of this caused the Tribulation clouds to disperse and then transform… into a human-shaped lightning bolt!

The lightning bolt wasn't complete, and was in fact a bit blurry, its features unclear. However, it still emanated a terrifying and shocking pressure. Instantly, it shot toward Naruto.

"Seventh Anima!" Naruto's eyes shone with a destructive light as the Lightning Nascent Soul overlapped and then combined with the other Nascent Souls to push Naruto into the Seventh Anima.

Boom!

Naruto's body was already incredibly powerful. But now, it changed again. He was again taller, even more valiant. He was now not Demonically evil, but rather, more like an Immortal Devil!

His long hair whipped about and his body radiated a fearsome aura of destruction. Now that he had entered the Seventh Anima, he exploded with… the power of sixty four great circle Nascent Souls.

As of this moment, Naruto… was not just the number one figure under the Spirit Severing stage. Right now, if he ran into a Spirit Severing Cultivator… he might lose in the end, but he could still offer up a fight!

In the Seventh Anima, Naruto's power was completely unprecedented. His body was mighty, fearsome, and shocking. With wide shoulders and slender frame, he was almost three meters tall. It made him look completely like an Immortal Devil.

A fearsome aura erupted out from him, transforming into an invisible whirlpool that swept about, shaking everything. The Violet Sea churned and the sky dimmed.

The Tribulation clouds disappeared, having given birth to the human-shaped lightning bolt, which shot through mid-air toward Naruto. Naruto looked up at it, his hair whipping about. His appearance seemed to contain a force of attraction that no living thing could resist. He suddenly stamped his foot.

Boom!

The entire Violet Sea jumped up as a huge crater appeared in the water beneath Naruto, nearly three thousand meters wide. Seawater surged out in all directions as Naruto shot up.

His expression was cold, his eyes icy. In this moment, he was experiencing a completely unheard type of power as the battle prowess of sixty four great circle Nascent Souls coursed through him.

Such power could not even be compared to sixty four peak late Nascent Souls. As of now, he was thoroughly up above everything else… definitely rated as… the number one person under the Spirit Severing stage, among all Sects, all Clans, and all Chosen in the great lands of Lands of Ninshu.

In fact… you could say that he was halfway to Spirit Severing!

"Seven Animas combined. Seven Nascent Souls combined…." His expression was cold as he shot forward in attack. As he closed in on the human-shaped lightning bolt, he did not employ any Divine Abilities nor any magical techniques. It seemed as if every movement he made was with a deliberate and calculated. As they neared each other, Naruto lifted his hand and pointed a finger.

The pointing of the finger caused a huge roaring sound to be heard. The human-shaped lightning bolt looked as if it were being slammed by an incredible force. It was sent tumbling backward twenty or twenty-five meters, where it then exploded. Moments later, it reformed about thirty meters away, even more blurry than before.

At the same time, countless lightning bolts exploded on Naruto's body, writhing about on his skin. Naruto suddenly laughed.

"That's all you've got?" he said, killing intent glittering in his eyes. In the Seventh Anima, he had the power of sixty four great circle Nascent Souls; he was so powerful that this type of electricity couldn't possibly hurt him.

Even as he spoke, the human-shaped lightning bolt reappeared off in the distance. Naruto began to move forward, and a rumbling sound could be heard as his body disappeared. When it reappeared, it was directly in front of the human-shaped lightning bolt. The speed with which he moved was incredible; it happened literally in the blink of an eye.

Naruto's eyes were cold as he clenched his right hand into a fist and then slammed into into the chest of the human-shaped figure.

BAM!

The human-shaped lightning bolt's body began began to explode. Before it completely shattered into pieces, however, its hand shot out claw-like to scrape viciously at Naruto's chest.

The sound that was emitted sounded like metal crashing against metal. Naruto's clothing was torn to shreds, and the claw ripped his skin. However, it couldn't penetrate any further than that. All it could do was scratch him.

The human-shaped lightning bolt stared in shock. A booming could be heard as it completely exploded. Innumerable flashes of lightning roiled out. Thirty meters away, they once again congealed together.

Naruto didn't even glance at this injury. To him, such a flesh wound was inconsequential. His body flickered and then disappeared. Moments later, he reappeared in the air above the human-shaped lightning bolt.

"Time to end this!" he said coolly as he hovered there in mid-air. He raised his hand up and then chopped it down.

Violet Chakra Guillotine!

This was a simple magical technique which coalesced Violet Chakra into an enormous curved blade, hundreds of meters long. As it chopped down, the human-shaped lightning bolt felt a sense of deadly crisis. Instantly, its body exploded out with the glow of lightning. The light then coalesced into an enormous lightning globe.

The instant the lightning globe appeared, the Violet Chakra Guillotine sliced into it. In that moment, popping sounds could be heard from the lightning sphere, seemingly the roar of countless bolts of lightning. However… it was incapable of preventing itself from being chopped apart.

During the space of a few breaths, rumbling booms filled the air as the gigantic lightning sphere collapsed into pieces. Within was revealed the human-shaped lightning bolt, which was now so blurry it was almost transparent. Before it could even move, the Violet Chakra Guillotine was upon it, slashing onto its body. A boom could be heard as the figure was cut directly in half!

Rumbling sounds echoed about as the human-shaped lightning bolt, having been cut in half, collapsed into pieces, transforming into a lightning-like glow that spread out in all directions and then faded.

By the time the human-shaped lightning bolt vanished, the Tribulation clouds up had long since dissipated, and the sky was now back to normal.

Naruto now returned from the Seventh Anima back to the First Anima. His face was a bit pale, and he looked extremely tired.

"The Seventh Anima really does a number on my body and longevity. I can't stay in it for too long without injuring myself." He descended down to the surface of the Violet Sea where he sat cross-legged to breathe deeply and restore his body.

"Compared to the Seventh Anima, the Sixth Anima is a bit less draining. The less Nascent Souls I combine, the less waste there is, and the more I can ignore it.

"So, these are my Seven Animas Soul Transformations!" His eyes shined with a bright light. Everything that had happened, the struggle with the Resurrection Lily, the battle against the Heavenly Tribulation, the creation of the Seven Animas Soul Transformations, were all testimony to the fact that he had stepped foot onto the path of a truly powerful expert.

"From now on, my travels in the great lands of Lands of Ninshu will be as boundless as the sea and sky. Naruto can go… anywhere he wants!" He looked up and toward the East, the direction of the Eastern Lands and the Sky Country.

His dream in the past had always been to travel to the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, and he had never forgotten that.

At the moment, he was finally qualified to cross the Milky Way Sea and visit that very place.

Naruto's heart suddenly quivered. His Divine Sense sank into the blood-colored mask and coalesced near the mastiff. He was pleasantly surprised to find that along with his own rise in Cultivation base, the mastiff was almost awake.

In fact, Naruto could tell that it wouldn't be long before it would be able to leave the world of the blood-colored mask, and exist in the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Naruto retracted his Divine Sense. Smiling, he took a deep breath and then closed his eyes to continue adjusting his Cultivation base. During the process of pacifying the Heavenly Tribulation, he actually had sustained some internal injuries.

For the past hundred years or more, the skies above the Western Desert had been dark and overcast. Now, perhaps because of the Heavenly Tribulation, they were now sunny and bright, for the first time in a very long time.

Light pierced through the clouds to fall onto the Violet Sea and down into its waters. The result was a scene of indescribable beauty. Naruto sat in the middle of all of it on the surface of the sea. His body was no longer fearsomely powerful. Instead, the air of a scholar once again emanated out from him. He sat there peacefully, his eyes closed.

In this moment, the entire world seemed beautiful and calm. Only the gently undulating waves could be seen moving….

Unfortunately, a few days later, some uninvited guests disturbed the tranquility.

There was a sedan chair carried by four black-robed men who looked somewhat distorted, as if they existed halfway between being illusory and real. The sedan chair's curtains had long since been opened, and within could be seen a middle-aged man dressed in expensive clothing.

He was currently drinking some fine alcohol. Laying next to him was a withered corpse. The corpse was naked and looked old, as if it had just been dug out of a grave. If you looked closely, though, you could see that the desiccated corpse had once been a beautiful woman.

As of now, her life force had long since vanished. A fatal wound could be seen, a dark bruise on her neck. Her neck itself was twisted at an odd angle, making the entire picture a ghastly sight.

The person who had killed her was currently leaning up against her corpse, drinking fine alcohol and gently caressing her.

"How strange," said the man. "The Miracle Lightning was obviously gathering in this area. It's gone now, though, as of a few days ago. How come there doesn't seem to be anything at all in the area?" This middle-aged man was none other than the man who had left the second outpost city that day, Tobirama. He was the only son of Spirit Severing Patriarch Hashirama of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, one of the three major powers of the Heavenly Court Alliance!

Surrounding the sedan chair were seven old men, who followed along silently. Among the seven, the strongest was an old man named Yamato, who was shockingly of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. A Cultivation base like that would make him an incredible power in any area. Even Spirit Severing Patriarchs would pay close attention to such a figure, and spare no effort to enlist their services.

Having heard the Tobirama's words, the old men instantly began to chuckle and offer up words of encouragement.

"Young Master, there's no need to be anxious. There are no living people in this part of the sea. If a precious treasure really did appear in the area, then it will belong to nobody except you."

"That's right. Besides, when we arrived, we checked the area and even set up spell formations. We could tell from a distance that the undulations of the Tribulation Lightning had vanished, and that was when we entered. We are certainly the first people to enter the area to investigate."

The only person who didn't speak was Yamato. He frowned as he looked around. He wasn't sure why, but after entering this area, he seemed to have the jitters. It was as if this was an area of grave danger, as if some terrifying presence were lurking about.

The feeling was indistinct and mysterious. However, Yamato couldn't stop thinking about it. Even as the group was proceeding along as normal, they all suddenly stopped.

All eyes came to fall on a young man off in the distance. He wore a green robe, and was sitting cross-legged on the surface of the water, meditating.

He looked like the type of person who would bring harm to neither humans nor animals. He seemed clean and peaceful, and exuded the air of a scholar as he sat there cross-legged and unmoving.

It was impossible to clearly see the level of his Cultivation base. At first glance it was of the early Nascent Soul stage, but upon closer inspection it seemed to be of the mid Nascent Soul stage. After that, it jumped to the late Nascent Soul stage; for a moment it even seemed as if it might be at the great circle!

The sight of it instantly caused Yamato to be on guard. In fact, looking at Naruto caused him to feel as if a needle were pricking the back of his neck. The feeling caused his eyes to glow.

For some reason, he had the feeling that there was something not quite right about this person.

The other six Nascent Soul Cultivators were all surprised and wore serious expressions. For a strange Cultivator to suddenly appear in a bizarre place like this was something that would obviously cause them to be cautious.

Despite their caution, their end judgement was that even if this person had a high Cultivation base, they were seven in number, one of whom was of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, two were of the late Nascent Soul stage, and four were of the mid stage. Such a force could be referred to as ultimately powerful.

If that weren't the case, why else would Hashirama send them to escort his only son in the outside world?

Even still, all of them felt as if something were off, although they couldn't place the reason.

"Hey hey, so there's someone out here meditating!" said Tobirama with a scornful laugh. He leaned up against the corpse of the woman as he looked out at Naruto. "Look up at me and tell me your name. Also, take out your bag of holding. Presumably, whatever precious treasure caused the Miracle Lightning will be on your person!"

He couldn't see Naruto's Cultivation base, but in his entire life, he never actually looked at anyone's Cultivation base. That was because he didn't need to. It wasn't necessary. His father was a Spirit Severing Patriarch. That was enough in and of itself.

Throughout his life, it didn't matter who he was dealing with, he never cared about that person's Cultivation base. Because of the stage his father was in, anyone who dared to provoke him would end up dead in body and spirit.

That point had been proven countless times. It also caused Tobirama to grow quite comfortable with such lofty arrogance.

However, even as the words left his mouth, Yamato's face flickered and his body quivered. He suddenly realized why he had such an odd feeling.

"This young man… is sitting cross-legged on the Violet Sea itself!"

Yamato gasped, and his mind trembled. Earlier, he had felt something was off, but had overlooked the Violet Sea. Now, all of a sudden, he realized that this man was sitting directly on top of a thick aura of death. Even he himself feared touching the sea and would not continue to do so for any length of time.

At the same time, the faces of the other six Nascent Soul Cultivators also fell. Their eyes went wide as they realized how fearsome and bizarre Naruto was.

In the same moment in which the seven of them came to the same realization, Naruto's eyes snapped open. He looked over the group of people, his gaze eventually coming to fall upon Tobirama.

With the exception of Yamato, the seven Nascent Soul Cultivators all felt their minds shaking. Naruto's gaze was like a stabbing sword that pierced into their minds and transformed into roaring.

Even Yamato had a look of intense concentration.

"The great circle of the Nascent Soul Stage!"

"He's of the great circle!" All of the other six Nascent Soul Cultivators had the same reaction when they realized the level of Naruto's Cultivation base. Deep in their hearts they all breathed sighs of relief.

The intrepidness of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage… was something that they didn't fear. Yamato was also of the great circle. Furthermore, they were backed by the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe and Patriarch Hashirama.

As soon as Naruto's gaze fell onto Tobirama, a roaring filled the man's brain, and his body began to tremble. The wine cup in his hand dropped to the floor, spilling alcohol all over him in the process. The hand that had been stroking the corpse suddenly began to shake.

Naruto retracted his gaze, ignoring the group. He coolly said one sentence: "What you're looking for isn't here. Go away."

Naruto had sensed this group long before they had arrived. Their goal in coming was clear, and the piercing gaze he had given them moments ago was merely a threat and a warning. Having finished speaking, Naruto closed his eyes again.

Now that Naruto had retracted his gaze, Tobirama came to his senses. He took a deep breath, and after a final quiver, his eyes went wide and he glared hatefully at Naruto. "Such gall!" he cried.

Facing an intimidating threat like Naruto, some people would retreat to avoid any difficulties. Others, however, due to their background, would be unable to accept such a threat being levied against them. People like that, with low Cultivation bases but incredible arrogance and haughtiness, would only have their pride wounded.

Tobirama was just such a person. The shame just now was fueling his anger. He could not accept being threatened to the extent that he actually felt fear. He was the only son of Patriarch Hashirama. He was a noble Chosen of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Virtually no one in the entire Black Lands would dare to provoke him. No matter where he went, he was a blazing sun that everyone respected.

And yet here today, in this place, he had been threatened by the gaze of a Cultivator. Tobirama's dignity had been threatened!

From the time he was small until now, there had never been even one Cultivator who dared to act aggressively toward him. Naruto's actions might seem normal to any other person, but to Tobirama, it was wild arrogance!

For years, he had existed in a position far above others. No one had ever dared to level such a gaze against him, nor to cause his mind to tremble. In his mind, he had just been humiliated in a way that he couldn't accept.

"Kill him! Kill him for me this instant!" he roared, rising to his feet, his face twisted with rage as he glared at Naruto. "No one has ever dared to act in such a way in front of me. You're DEAD!"

Yamato's face sank, and inwardly, he was cursing. He had known all along that Tobirama never thought things through, and on top of that, was arrogant and despotic. However, he had never imagined that he could possibly be this idiotic.

There was really no good reason for Tobirama to make such a demand. Just now, this man had merely looked at them and then spoken some non-threatening words. Considering he was of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, his vague words were not out of the ordinary.

Yamato was just about to speak up when, suddenly, the eyes of the four black-robed men near Tobirama suddenly filled with killing intent. Instantly, the men vanished. When they reappeared, they had Naruto surrounded. Within the hand of each black-robed man was a gleaming flying sword. Filled with killing intent, the men charged at Naruto.

Naruto sighed softly. He hadn't desired to do any killing today. He was like a tree who wanted peace, except the wind wouldn't stop blowing.

"Well in that case, I guess you won't be leaving," said Naruto coolly. His eyes opened, although he completely ignoring the incoming flying swords.

The moment his eyes opened, and indescribable killing intent rose up to the Heavens. It exploded out with shocking intensity, causing the clouds to churn and everything to dim. He was like some sort of primordial beast, climbing up out from the depths.

The killing intent was thick, and invisible, but as it emanated out, the faces of the four black-robed instantly fell. They were vicious Cultivators who would kill without batting an eyelid. Over the years, they had killed many, many people. Normally speaking, they were cold and detached. However, facing such indescribable killing intent such as Naruto's caused their faces to fall.

Compared to Naruto, their tiny collections of killing intent were like fireflies, whereas Naruto… was the bright moon!

What they didn't know was that this was actually only ten percent of Naruto's killing intent.

Bang!

Four flying swords exploded into fragments that then transformed into ash. The bodies of the black-robed men began to shake, and then blood sprayed from their mouths. Their minds felt like paste, as if some massive power were crushing down onto them. They tumbled backward, but before they could fall back more than thirty meters, their heads suddenly exploded.

Their mangled bodies fell down into the Violet Sea, sinking down beneath the waves, never to be seen again.

A deathly silence filled the air. Tobirama's eyes went wide and filled with disbelief. The seven Nascent Soul Cultivators' faces were filled with unprecedentedly serious looks. Swishing sounds could be heard as six of them instantly moved to surround Tobirama. Yamato appeared in front of all of them, his face grim as he looked at Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist," said Yamato, clasping his hands, "we are from the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe of the Heavenly Court Alliance in the Black Lands. Everything before was a misunderstanding, Fellow Daoist. Please forgive us."

Naruto looked at him coldly, then looked at the people behind him. Having heard that they were from the Heavenly Court Alliance in the Black Lands, he suddenly thought of the Golden Crow Clan. He then slowly nodded his head. "Since it was just a misunderstanding, we can let the matter drop. Please take your leave posthaste."

Yamato heaved an inward sigh of relief. Even though he was of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, the pressure he felt pressing down from Naruto was incredible. He had no desire whatsoever to fight him.

However, even as Yamato was about to clasp hands and fall back, Tobirama's eyes suddenly filled with a savage light.

"So, it turns out this guy puts on a strong front but is actually a weakling!" Tobirama had been incredibly shocked and even filled with fear when Naruto killed his four black-robed guards. However, seeing that he was willing to compromise after hearing that they were from the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, his heart filled with evil thoughts.

"I said before to kill him!" he said, his voice grim. "All of you, get out there and kill him!" He laughed coldly. "Yamato, you promised my father that you would keep me safe during our journeys. You even promised to help me with my cultivation. This guy's Cultivation base is obviously incredible, and I've taken a liking to it. Kill him for me, and before he dies, I'll consume it!"

His eyes radiated an intense light as he lifted his hand and held out a command medallion. "I order all of you. Kill him!"

Naruto's expression never changed. He watched calmly as the scene unfolded. After the medallion appeared, the faces of Yamato and the six other old men instantly fell. Moments later, four of the group performed minor teleportations as they approached him. They figured that it didn't matter that they weren't a match for Naruto. All they had to do was pin him down. The person to do the actual killing would naturally be Yamato.

"Oh well," sighed Yamato. "I guess this guy is just unlucky!" Clenching his teeth, he turned toward Naruto. Suddenly, his great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation base exploded with power.

"You're dead!" Tobirama began to laugh maniacally.

As the four mid Nascent Soul Cultivators neared, Naruto's eyes glittered with the desire to kill. The killing intent that exploded out from him this time was thirty percent! His voice cool, he said, "Looking to die?"

The killing intent roared out, causing the faces of the four mid Nascent Soul stage old men to fill with astonishment. Suddenly, Naruto vanished like a ghost. When he reappeared, he was behind one of the mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators. His expression was cool, and his hair whipped about as he lifted up his right hand and tapped the man.

Death aura and life force mingled, transforming into a fearsome power of extermination. The Nascent Soul Cultivator was absolutely powerless to resist, and instantly exploded.

From the very beginning, Naruto had kept his Cultivation base in the First Anima, which possessed the battle prowess of one great circle Nascent Soul. However, because of his incredible foundation, his battle prowess actually far exceeded anyone in the same stage as him.

His attack exploded with the power of extermination.

The exterminating power stemmed from Naruto's Violet Sea and blood totems. They combined to form a powerful Water-type totem that contained both life and death. In Naruto's hands, it formed an essence that could send a life back to the dust.

The mid Nascent Soul Cultivator's death happened incredibly quickly, literally in the blink of an eye. Everyone watching was instantly shaken mentally. Even Tobirama just stood there with that wicked smile of his plastered on his face.

Yamato took a deep breath. As he thought about, he realized that although he could kill a mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivator, it wouldn't be possible for him to do so as casually as Naruto just had.

"Now that we've attacked, we have to kill him!" thought Yamato, sighing inwardly. His eyes glittered with killing intent as he went on the attack, shooting toward Naruto. As he neared, his right hand lifted up in a clawing gesture. Instantly, the air around him transformed into a yellow river filled with roaring waters and yellow sand. It looked like a yellow dragon as it swept out in all directions. In the blink of an eye, it had enveloped the entire area. Shockingly, it then became a spell formation.

Within the spell formation, yellow sand roared up into the air. A raging wind screamed, transforming into a vortex. It was like a Wind Dragon and a Yellow Dragon, interlocked, pinning Naruto down inside.

At the same time, killing intent radiated out of Yamato's eyes. His body flickered as he entered the spell formation, his right hand flashing an incantation gesture. Countless green leaves magically appeared, each one of which contained destructive power. They swirled around, congealing together rapidly to form one sharp sword after another.

Almost in the same moment that the spell formation finished forming, Yamato was closing in on Naruto. At this point, Naruto suddenly disappeared again. When he reappeared, he was next to another of the mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivators. He reached out in a seemingly leisurely fashion toward the shocked man, then tapped on his forehead.

BAM!

The power of extermination once again appeared. The old mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivator's body instantly exploded.

As he died, another Nascent Soul Cultivator suddenly appeared behind Naruto. Around his body rotated nine spinning awls which send out pulsing whimpers and were surrounded by a pulsating green aura that seemed to be filled with extremely toxic poison. The green aura blasted against Naruto's face.

Naruto's expression was calm as he completely ignored the poison weapons. He simply raised his hand and pointed.

Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex.

The single finger cast a powerful hex which caused the late Nascent Soul Cultivator's body to shake. He suddenly stopped moving, and was stuck there in midair. Having lost his connection to his magical items, they then fell down into the Violet Sea. The man's body hovered in the air motionless. Shock filled his face as he realized that even his Cultivation base was completely sealed.

"This…." He couldn't feel shocked for long, because Naruto passed him and flicked his sleeve. Roaring waves suddenly surged up from the Violet Sea below, completely submerging the old man.

Meanwhile, Yamato was closing in. Naruto turned, completely ignoring him. He waved his arm, causing a bloody glow to rise up into the sky. Shockingly, an enormous blood-colored face suddenly appeared.

This was the Blood Immortal divine ability. As of now, Naruto didn't need to wear the mask to unleash it. As of this point, the mask… could be done without.

The battle power of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage gathered within the blood-colored mask. Yamato's face filled with shock as the face slammed into him with an enormous boom. The leaves surrounding him shattered into pieces, and he was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth. Before he could emerge from within the sandstorm spell formation, Naruto teleported behind him, then lifted up his right hand and pointed.

Boom!

A jade slip appeared in front of Yamato. It emanated a soft glow which resisted Naruto's finger. However, it only lasted for the space of three breaths before it collapsed. Yamato coughed up more blood. However, he used the three breaths worth of time to employ a blood escape technique to speed away. Even as the blood escape technique was unleashed, Naruto's cold voice could be heard in his ear.

"Blood?"

It was only a single word, but it caused a roaring to fill Yamato's body. Even in the midst of using his magical escape technique, he was injured again. His face fell. Disregarding the pain, he quickly retrieved a second jade slip from his bag of holding which he violently crushed between his fingers. Another protective shield spread out to surround him and defend against Naruto's second finger attack.

A popping sound rang out as the second shield shattered. Yamato was finally able to flee outside of the sandstorm spell formation. In that instant, he lifted his head up and roared. Hair disheveled, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the spell formation's sandstorm to whip about and block the area between him and Naruto.

As soon as the sandstorm touched Naruto, he stopped moving, unable to continue forward. He looked up and saw Yamato on the other side, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth and staring back tenaciously at him.

Yamato was filled with shock. Just now, their brief encounter in the spell formation caused him to realize just how valiant and fearsome Naruto was. If it weren't for the two life-saving jade slips bestowed upon him by Patriarch Hashirama, he would certainly have perished just now.

"Guard the spell formation with all your power," he said through clenched teeth. "This man must die!"

The faces of the remaining three Nascent Soul Cultivators were pale. The scene they had just witnessed had left them completely shaken. Tobirama's eyes were wide with disbelief.

The sandstorm was filled with shocking killing intent as it closed in around Naruto. On the outside, Yamato's eyes filled with a strange glow. He flashed a double-handed incantation, causing the sandstorm to tighten around Naruto. The other three Nascent Soul Cultivators went all out with the power of their Cultivation bases to assist.

Naruto began to move forward. Booming sounds filled the air as the Wind Dragon and the Yellow Dragon inside of the spell formation roared and interlocked. Naruto's body trembled and he was forced backwards a few paces, his eyes shining with a strange light.

"Interesting," he said coolly. "It has some impressive sealing power." Outside the spell formation, Yamato smiled coldly. He performed an incantation with his right hand and then pointed forward.

"Eight Dragons Defense Expulsion!" Suddenly, a second Wind Dragon appeared within the spell formation, then a third, then a fourth. Three more Yellow Dragons also appeared.

In total, there were eight dragons cycling about. Their appearance caused the spell formation to be even more shocking than before. Each grain of sand in the storm was equipped with the power of an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base. The dense masses of sand suddenly began to congeal together, rapidly transforming into more than ten figures. More sand began to congeal, and more figures appeared.

This spell formation was Yamato's trump card. Considering how seriously he took Naruto, he didn't hesitate to use the spell formation's true power.

This aspect was not actually a formation, but rather, the magical manifestation of a divine ability. In the past, he had relied on its intense power to kill three powerful experts of the same level as himself.

Seeing that Naruto was incapable of escaping from within the spell formation, Tobirama breathed a sigh of relief. He stood there in the sedan chair, laughing.

"Let's see how you charge out now! Yamato's Sandstorm Noose has been praised even by my father. You're dead! No one has ever dared to provoke me. Since you did, since you dared to threaten me, you're going to die!"

Naruto smiled a cold smile. As the spell formation rotated around him, four of the dragons emitted roars of shocking power. There were now over twenty congealed sand figures as well. Each of the figures possessed a Cultivation base of the mid Nascent Soul stage. Harboring no fear of death whatsoever, they immediately charged directly toward Naruto. They did not unleash divine abilities, but rather….

"BURST!" howled Yamato. This was the deadly function of the spell formation, the self-detonation of the divine ability!

Every detonation was completely equivalent to the self-detonation of a mid Nascent Soul stage Cultivator. The power of twenty mid Nascent Soul stage self-detonations was something that would strike fear into the heart of even someone of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage.

By relying on the power of this spell formation's divine ability, Yamato had earned a high reputation in the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Throughout all the Black Lands, he was ranked as one of the most powerful experts under the Spirit Severing stage. Were that not the case, Patriarch Hashirama would not have assigned him the job of protecting his only son.

Right now, his expression was calm and his heart proud as he looked coldly at Naruto within the spell formation.

"It doesn't matter how shocking your Cultivation base is. Within my eight dragons spell formation, you can only curse your own bad fortune. There is no one else to blame."

The other three old men outside the spell formation wore expressions of pleasant surprise, along with vicious, murderous intent. They smiled coldly as they looked at Naruto, who seemed to be trapped like a cornered beast within the spell formation.

Tobirama's laughter became ear-splitting.

Within the spell formation, Naruto watched on as the twenty mid Nascent Soul figures began to self-detonate, then coolly said, "Interesting. I never imagined that after coming out of secluded meditation that I would run into someone so strong. It looks like you have the qualifications to make me enter my…

"Second Anima!"

Boom!

Naruto's body instantly grew more powerful. He grew half a head taller, and his shoulders widened. His physical body grew stronger as he was filled with the battle prowess of two great circle Nascent Souls. When he looked up, his eyes shone brightly. Popping sounds could be heard coming from within his body as his aura climbed up. Instantly, the faces of the Cultivators outside of the spell formation filled with intense shock.

It was at this moment that the more than twenty mid Nascent Soul self-detonations exploded out. The power unleashed was shocking, but Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He moved forward through the explosions, which didn't even cause him to tremble in the slightest. The sight caused Yamato to gasp. His pupils constricted; he was stupefied.

As for the three other old men, they were even more astonished and filled with disbelief.

"Just… just what level Cultivation base does he have?!"

Even as shock caused the four men's hearts to tremble, Naruto shot up into the air. He flew with incredible speed toward Yamato. A boom could be heard as he burst out from within the spell formation. The eight dragons roared and tried to encircle him, but Naruto waved his hand toward them. Instantly… eight enormous blood-red faces appeared. As soon as they appeared, they exploded, transforming into an attack that swept out in all directions.

Eight bloodcurdling howls could be heard as the dragons were shredded into pieces. The sandstorm spell formation shuddered three times, and then collapsed into fragments. Everyone on the outside of the spell formation was filled with shock. Naruto suddenly disappeared, then reappeared directly in front of shocked Yamato.

The collapse of the spell formation caused Yamato to cough up a mouthful of blood. However, he was an old hand at close-quarters combat. Without hesitation, he fell back, both hands flashing in an incantation gesture. Instantly, wind and sand surrounded him, forming a shield, along with a third jade slip, adding even more protective power.

Unfortunately… as soon as Naruto appeared, he pointed with his finger. The shield of wind and sand was ripped apart. The light from the jade slip lasted only for the space of a single breath before collapsing. Yamato let out a miserable, despairing cry as Naruto's finger tapped onto his forehead.

All it took was one tap.

Bam!

The power of extermination exploded out within Yamato. His body exploded out in all directions. It didn't matter that he was of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. Naruto was currently equipped with twice that level of power. As for Yamato… how could he possibly fight back?!

As of this moment, the three old men off to the side were shaking, and their faces were filled with dumbstruck despair. Fear inundated their hearts; this shadow of death which lurked over them far exceeded the mission they had been given by Patriarch Hashirama.

Without the slightest hesitation, the three Nascent Soul Cultivators turned and used their most powerful escape arts to flee at top speed. They went all out. One of them, of the mid Nascent Soul stage, crushed a violet-colored jade slip between his fingers, causing a violet glow to surround his body and then propel him away with explosive speed.

Another mid Nascent Soul Cultivator, having witnessed the failure of Yamato's blood escape art, and how he was even injured by using it, didn't dare to use the same technique. Instead, he drew upon the life power of his own Nascent Soul, ignoring the fact that it began to wither as a result. He shot away at incredible speed off into the distance.

The final Cultivator had the highest Cultivation base of all, the late Nascent Soul stage. As he fled, he produced a crude Feng Shui compass from his bag of holding which he tossed out in front of him. It immediately emanated three glowing bands of light which stabbed into the air up ahead and then… ripped open a fissure!

Without looking back, he dove into the fissure, the only thing on his mind being escape.

He was already completely shaken and filled with ultimate dread by Naruto.

As for Tobirama, he was completely stunned by everything that had just happened. His body was shaking and his breath came in ragged pants. His scalp was numb, and his heart was filled with intense regret.

Seeing Yamato explode caused his face to drain of blood, and cold sweat to break out all over.

Naruto flicked his sleeve, sweeping away the gore that was all that remained of Yamato. At the same time, he pointed out with his right index finger. Instantly, several drops of blood flew toward him from the mass of gore that was flying in the opposite direction. It congealed on his fingertip into a glittering drop of blood.

This blood was heart blood produced by the death of a great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator. Naruto looked at the blood for a moment and then flung his hand, causing it to split into three parts that shot toward the fleeing Cultivator who was surrounded by the Violet Chakra.

The drop of blood transformed into a streak of red as it shot through the air.

At the same time, Naruto made a grasping motion with his hand. The Devil Spear appeared along with an excited howling sound. Instantly, black mist roiled out, filled with ferocious faces. Strangely, once the faces saw Naruto standing there, they began to tremble and suddenly grew very quiet.

Naruto hefted the spear and then tossed it out into the air. Instantly, the ferocious faces within the mist once again began to howl as they shot toward the cultivator who was burning his Nascent Soul in order to flee.

Having done these things, Naruto looked over at the late Nascent Soul Cultivator who was now already halfway through the fissure in the air. The fissure itself seemed to be on the verge of closing. Naruto slapped his bag of holding, causing an emerald glow to appear. Suddenly, a very ordinary looking fishing rod appeared in his hands.

As soon as he held the fishing rod, Naruto's entire aura changed. It grew blurry, as if his body were somehow merging into the air around him. When Tobirama looked at him, he got a cold feeling, as if he were looking at some sort of predator that he was helpless to resist.

Except, this was not a predator. This was a crushing power from a life force that was levels above him, something that could wrest away his life at any moment.

It was impossible to perfectly describe the feeling in Tobirama's heart. He was panting, and his body was trembling. The fear he was experiencing now far exceeded any fear he had felt before in his life.

It wasn't just him who was feeling such fear. The two fleeing mid Nascent Soul stage old men were also trembling, and could sense a pressure bearing down on them that far exceeded their own level. It quickly enveloped their entire hearts and minds.

Their bodies trembled, and their souls shook. Their Karma… was suddenly visible!

"What is this…?"

Most frightened of all was the late Nascent Soul Cultivator who had just passed through the fissure. Although he was on the other side of the fissure from nightmarish Naruto, in a different world, the trembling of his soul had reached an intense peak. It was as if some incredible, irresistible coldness were blasting across his body.

"What is this…?"

Naruto's expression was calm as he gripped the fishing rod. The world suddenly looked different, colorless. However, bright, colorful lights were visible on top of the heads of the people in front of him.

Naruto looked at Tobirama. On top of the man's head was a mass of bright, colorful threads, all grouped together. Shockingly, one of the threads was bright red, and incredibly thick. It was clearly different than the other threads.

At the moment, Tobirama's body was trembling violently. Naruto's gaze and aura were thousands of times more terrifying than they had been before. His look earlier had merely been a threat, but this time, Tobirama felt as if his soul were growing cold. It was as if his entire life, all his secrets, were clearly visible to Naruto.

It seemed to him that all Naruto had to do was wish it, and he would instantly die. He could also tell that such a death would not be an ordinary death, which filled him with indescribable fear.

It was as if… death was frightening enough as it was, but dying at Naruto's hands would be infinitely more miserable and horrifying.

When Naruto looked at the other two fleeing mid Nascent Soul Cultivators, they experienced the exact same feeling as Tobirama.

Naruto could clearly see the brightly colorful threads attached to the tops of their heads. They too had an incredibly thick, red thread that was different from the others.

Those thick threads caused Naruto's face to flicker almost undetectably.

"So these are Karma threads," murmured Naruto. He looked at the trembling old man on the other side of the disappearing fissure.

He had even more threads attached to his head.

"What a pity," said Naruto, shaking his head. "Based on my understanding of Karma, I can't do what Hebi Nineteen did, and sever the Karma…. However…." His eyes glinting fiercely, he waved the fishing rod out in front of him.

Instantly, a fishing line flew out. It moved so fast that it didn't seem to move at all. It instantly appeared in front of the trembling old late Nascent Soul Cultivator. The old man suddenly felt something infinitely terrifying. Others could not hear the bloodcurdling scream that came out from his mouth, but Naruto could.

Naruto saw the line wrap around the old man. When he pulled back on the line, the man's soul was ripped out of his body. His Nascent Soul rapidly withered, and his body turned pale white as he died.

As the fishing line returned to Naruto, he reached out and grabbed the soul, then crushed it!

As the soul dissipated, Naruto's mind filled with a roaring sound. All of a sudden, he realized that he had a much deeper comprehension of Karma now, although he wasn't sure he could explain exactly how.

When Tobirama saw everything that was happening, he could only scream with intense terror. The other two mid Nascent Soul Cultivators were shaking as they fled madly.

Next, however, the pursuing drops of blood caught up with their target. They stabbed through the Cultivator, then exploded along with the man's body.

As for the other Cultivator, despite the incredible speed with which he moved, he could not move faster than the Devil Spear. It whistled through the air and then stabbed into him. Instantly, black mist enveloped him. Excited, ferocious faces pounced, and a bloodcurdling scream filled the air. When it finally faded away, only a skeleton remained.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually, from the time the three men began to flee until the moment they were all dead only took the space of about ten breaths.

Naruto put the fishing rod away, and then turned to look at Tobirama.

When Naruto's gaze fell onto him, Tobirama fell backward, trembling. He quickly bumped up against the back of the sedan chair.

"Early Nascent Soul Cultivation base," said Naruto coolly. "What a pity." This was actually the weakest early Nascent Soul Cultivation base that he had ever seen. "Alright, who's your father?" he continued, his expression the same as ever. He had long since matured to the point where he did not act impulsively. Naturally, he could tell that for this man to have such intrepid guards meant that he had a background beyond the ordinary.

Furthermore, the thick, red threads attached to the heads of these people led to a lot of questions. Furthermore, earlier, the man had made a comment indicating that his father had praised the spell formation of that great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator. He had revealed the information inadvertently in the midst of bragging arrogantly. However, Naruto easily put the pieces of information together. How could he not understand the underlying meaning?

Tobirama stared in shock. Originally, he had planned to roar out the information about his father in an attempt to shock Naruto. Who could ever have imagined that Naruto would actually ask for the information of his own initiative?

"My…." Tobirama was perturbed and trembling. However, he still shouted out anyway: "My father is Hashirama, Spirit Severing Patriarch of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, from the Heavenly Court Alliance in the Black Lands! If you dare to kill me, my father won't let you go! It doesn't matter where you're from, or who you are, if you dare to hurt me, you're dead beyond the shadow of a doubt!" As he blathered on, the words came more smoothly. This was what he had originally planned to say to Naruto. The fact that Naruto had asked for the information of his own initiative had thrown his rhythm into a bit of chaos.

"I have no plans to kill you," said Naruto with a chuckle. "You may leave." Killing a few Nascent Soul Cultivators was a small matter, and as for this man, Naruto had no feud with him. It wouldn't be worth it to kill him.

Besides, he was the heir of a Spirit Severing Patriarch. He would definitely be equipped with life-saving magical items. If Naruto really did try to kill him, it would not only be troublesome, but his own identity would also surely be detected. It was not as if Naruto had just entered the Cultivation world. He well knew that if Tobirama died, then Patriarch Hashirama would track him down to kill him. Although he might be able to evade Patriarch Hashirama, his identity could not be kept concealed.

When that happened, the whole Golden Crow Clan's safety would be in danger, and Naruto could not allow that to happen.

That was the original reason why he had chosen to allow Yamato and the others to leave. Unfortunately, Tobirama didn't know what was best for his own good and took advantage of his powerful bodyguards to attack Naruto. Naruto quickly slaughtered them, and now that Tobirama was left on his own, he would presumably be a bit more cool-headed.

Even he knew that some people were not to be provoked.

Naruto came to the conclusion that since he hadn't killed the man, he wouldn't harbor further resentment. Tobirama had obviously been completely shaken by the scene from earlier.

In addition, Naruto left a strand of Divine Sense on Tobirama. Once he returned to his father, Patriarch Hashirama, the divine sense would be discovered and provide a complete explanation.

Only people of extraordinary intelligence can reach the point of becoming Spirit Severing Patriarchs. Naruto was confident that the man would accept the matter silently and not fly into a rage.

"You're not going to kill me?" asked Tobirama, staring in shock. All of a sudden, he got the feeling that the reason this person wasn't going to kill him had nothing to do with fear of his father, although he had no idea what the real reason was. Without hesitation, he clenched his teeth and shot away at top speed. As he did, he produced a jade slip which he quickly used to send a summons to other Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members in the area.

Naruto ignored Tobirama's departure. He once again crossed his legs and began to meditate quietly. He had already decided to wait here quietly before meeting up with Tsukino to go to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

As he meditated and inspected his seven Nascent Souls, a daring idea suddenly began to form in his mind.

"Right now I have seven Nascent Souls, and a Divine Sense with a range of 29,999 meters. 30,000 meters is the range of Spirit Severing…. I wonder if the possibility exists to form an eighth Nascent Soul? What about nine…? If that happened, and I had a breakthrough in Divine Sense, I would be comparable to the Spirit Severing stage…. Could it be possible that doing so would aid in my understanding of Spirit Severing?" Having reached this point in his train of thought, Naruto began to pant a little. His eyes suddenly began to shine brightly. After a moment, though, he realized that such a possibility wasn't very realistic.

"I really need to think about the matter more closely. After I give it a try, I'll have a much better idea of how feasible it is. The One Color Soul Procurement Pill is quite interesting. Based on my understanding of the legends, it's only supposed to be effective once. However, it clearly worked twice for me." He had thought about this matter earlier, and had thought of a few possible explanations.

Actually, the foundation he had built up would most likely be a rare thing even in ancient times. He had reached the thirteenth level of Chakra Condensation, had formed a perfect Foundation with ten Dao Pillars, reached the great circle of the Perfect Gold Core, and had successfully combined the five elements. Although you couldn't say it was completely unprecedented, it wasn't far off.

"Furthermore, the three great miraculous medicines are also rare. Even in ancient times, few people would have the chance to consume even one of them. As far as the One Color Soul Procurement Pill goes, consuming two wouldn't really be very much different than consuming one. Only by consuming a large number would the cumulative effects be seen. Ancient Cultivators would have no way to be so wasteful, so would naturally assume that it would only be effective if consumed once. That would of course be their understanding. Thus, the rise of the legends." Naruto continued to sit there, lost in thought.

Tobirama fled for several days without stopping. By now, he had received replies from several Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members, who were now speeding toward him. They should arrive within the amount of time it takes an incense stick to burn.

As of this point, Tobirama could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now that he knew Naruto really was going to let him go, he thought back to Naruto's fearsomeness, and laughed bitterly. The grave terror that he had experienced had enlightened him quite a bit. He felt a touch of resentment, but recalling the terror that was Naruto, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Might as well forget about it," he thought. "To tell the truth, it was me who provoked him. He might be willing to let me go, but if I keep acting the way I did before, eventually I will run into someone who WILL kill me. Even if my father gets revenge afterwards, that wouldn't help me at all…. This whole experience is going to be a major turning point in the life of Tobirama! From now on, I won't be like that ever again. I'm going to rise to prominence!"

His eyes filled with a stubborn glow as he made his decision. After he got back to the Tribe, he would immediately go into secluded meditation. He would change his arrogant personality, and would focus everything on increasing his Cultivation base. He would never allow himself to experience such terror again in the future.

However, even as Tobirama was murmuring to himself and making his decision, a cold laugh suddenly rang out from behind him.

His face flickered as he spun around. What he saw behind him was a black-robed youth. The instant Tobirama saw his face, and the killing intent in his eyes, he could only hoarsely stammer: "You… you said you were going to let me go!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the black-robe youth grabbed Tobirama's neck and then crushed down viciously.

A cracking sound could be heard. Tobirama's eyes went wide and filled with an unyielding regret, as well as confusion. He didn't understand why he had been told he would be set free, only to be then tracked down and attacked like this.

He didn't understand why the life-saving treasures his father had given him didn't activate….

As his eyes grew dim, death neared and the lights began to fade. He suddenly realized that this person in front of him was different than the fearsome Cultivator from before.

He looked the same, but in truth, there were differences.

However, he could not give voice to any of those thoughts. A boom rang out as his body exploded into a haze of blood.

The black-robed youth smiled, and his eyes filled with a red glow. Just when he was about to make his way off, the Violet Sea beneath him suddenly surged with massive waves. He heard a distant roar of fury coming from within the seawater.

"Dammit, this far away and he can still sense things!? So, he was in the midst of Demonic Transmigration earlier!" The youth's face fell, and his heart began to pound. His body suddenly disappeared. However, in that moment in which he disappeared, three day's journey away, Naruto sat cross-legged on the surface of the sea, his fury burning. He suddenly shot into the air, the power of a roc exploding out within him. He flew forward at incredible speed. Sonic booms split the air as he shot toward the black-robed youth.

"You dare to try to frame me!?"

Naruto's voice seemed to ring out from the Violet Sea itself. It roared like shocking thunder, causing the face of the black-robed youth to instantly fall. He turned and transformed into a streak of black that shot off into the distance.

"If I'd known he could detect me, I would have held off for longer," said the black-robed youth through gritted teeth. "Dammit… I wasted an opportunity! Now he knows about me earlier than expected!" His face flickered as he pushed forward with all possible speed.

This was none other than the human-form Black Bat Cultivator!

Years ago, he had been astonished by the will of Naruto's Demonic Transmigration and had fled. Later, after sensing that Naruto had returned, it cleverly did nothing to attract his attention.

It knew that relying only on its own power to wrest the true spirit sword away from Naruto would be difficult. Therefore, it had decided to make use of one person to get rid of another. The result was the death of Tobirama.

"Even though he detected me… my plan still worked. Patriarch Hashirama will certainly sense his son's death!" The black-robed youth's eyes glittered as he pushed forward even faster.

Even as he fled, Naruto's face grew incredibly grim. The power of a roc exploded out around him, transforming into incredible speed. Sonic booms continued to echo out as he shot forward toward the location of the black-robed youth.

The reason why he was able to lock down such a specific location had to do with the Violet Sea, as well as… the strand of divine sense that he had left on Tobirama. It didn't matter that the black-robed youth was quite a distance away; he was still directly within Naruto's line of sight.

"Who is this person?" thought Naruto, his face dark. "Why does he look so much like me? It doesn't seem as if he's in disguise. That seems to be his true appearance…." Naruto spent some more time to analyze the young man using the power of his locating technique. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, his eyes widened.

"The Black Bat!"

Although the Black Bat had changed a lot from before, there was still a faint branding on it, placed there by Naruto years ago, and impossible to wipe away.

Naruto's eyes glittered with killing intent. Killing Tobirama was obviously a bald-faced attempt to frame him, and would be difficult to explain. It would all come down to how Patriarch Hashirama chose to react.

Naruto's face darkened, and his eyes filled with determination. He chose not to spend any more effort thinking about the situation with Tobirama. Instead, he focused all his killing intent on the black-robed youth.

The distance between the two of them grew shorter. Naruto's speed seemed without limit. The black-robed youth was also incredibly fast, although he couldn't possibly compare to Naruto.

"I'm going to have to change my plan…." he thought. "I can't stay in the Western Desert any more. In any case, even though he discovered my plan to frame him, he still won't be able to catch up to me for another day, no matter how fast he is. One day from now, I won't be in the Western Desert any more!" In the middle of speeding along, the black-robed youth suddenly stopped in place. He looked around, a cold smile on his face as he calculated something on his right hand.

"It should be near here. I discovered the teleportation rift leading to the Milky Way Sea in this area all those years ago. Even if it moved a bit, it can't be too far away." His body turned into a flash as he began to search the surroundings.

After enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn, his eyes filled with a happy expression. He stopped in mid air to perform a double-handed incantation, then pointed straight out. Instantly, the air in front of him filled with ripples which spread out in layers to reveal a dim, gray rift.

The rift didn't seem to be anything remarkable. It was apparently sealed; despite being visible, it flickered as if it were unstable.

"Dammit, the rift is on the verge of dissipating. I need some time to stabilize it before entering…. If I remember correctly, there are three teleportation rifts like this in the Western Desert. The next closest one is about seven days away. There's not enough time…." The black-robed youth's face flickered and he ground his teeth. According to his calculations, Naruto wouldn't be able to catch up to him within a day. To repair this rift would take about ten hours.

His eyes flickering, the black-robed youth immediately sat cross-legged next to the rift. He spit out some blue-colored blood which he used to brand the rift. The blood transformed into magical symbols, which, when they landed on the rift, fused into it and began to repair it.

Naruto sped along above the surface of the Violet Sea. As soon as he sensed that his target had stopped moving, he couldn't help but frown.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he realized that the area around the black-robed youth contained the power of teleportation. Unless something happened, a teleportation portal would open up in the area very soon.

"Second Anima!"

Boom!

Two of Naruto's Nascent Souls merged together, causing his battle prowess to leap up, and his body to grow stronger. The power of two great circle Nascent Souls caused his speed to double.

Such speed, combined with the wind power of the roc, caused Naruto to move with dramatic speed.

"Third Anima!

"Fourth Anima!

"Fifth Anima!" Naruto roared through the air with shocking speed. He went faster, his body grew stronger, and his battle prowess neared its peak.

The combination of the five elements made so that the previous distance of three days between him and the black-robed youth was now reduced to only fourteen hours.

That wasn't good enough for Naruto, though. Every moment that passed was a moment in which his quarry might flee. Naruto's eyes glinted coldly with killing intent as he entered the Sixth Anima.

Roaring could be heard as Naruto's body expanded again. The battle prowess of thirty-two great circle Nascent Souls surged through him, and his speed exploded, doubling yet again.

Cracking could be heard as the air around him shattered. The speed with which he was moving was indescribable. In the blink of an eye, he was tens of thousands of meters away. As of now, he was only about six hours away from his target.

"I can still go faster! Seventh Anima!" With the wave of an arm, he entered the Seventh Anima. Instantly, his appearance became that of an Immortal Devil. He now possessed the battle prowess of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls. Yet again, his speed increased explosively.

The speed of the Seventh Anima neared that of the Spirit Severing stage. After only two hours passed, Naruto seemed to almost teleport across the Western Desert's Violet Sea. Suddenly, he appeared in the region of the black-robed youth.

By the time he arrived, the black-robed youth had only completed about twenty percent of the necessary repairs on the teleportation rift. Suddenly, he sensed something like a screaming wind. The Violet Sea down below roared and began to swirl into a vortex. An intense sense of deadly crisis suddenly filled the young man, and his heart began to race with fear. Not taking the time to even look behind him, he vanished as he shot off into the distance.

"Who's chasing me? Don't tell me it's Patriarch Hashirama! Impossible! When I killed Tobirama, I used an ancient time restriction technique. Patriarch Hashirama won't detect his son's death for another two days."

The black-robed youth's heart trembled and his face fell. A gale-force wind screamed toward him from behind with shocking speed. Rumbling filled Heaven and Earth. Within the wind was a tall figure that looked like an Immortal Devil. He moved with shocking speed, and was on top of the black-robed youth in the blink of an eye. The hair on the body of the black-robed youth all stood on end as he looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened, and a grim face could be seen reflected in his pupils, along with an incoming fist.

Having seen Naruto's face, the black-robed youth screeched: "Impossible!"

BAM!

Naruto's fist slammed into the young man's belly. It was a punch delivered when in the Seventh Anima, backed by the battle prowess of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls. The power exploded out through the body of the black-robed youth.

A massive roar lifted up into the air. Blood sprayed from the young man's mouth, and his body began to fall apart. His stomach completely caved in, transforming into a mass of mangled, bloody flesh. His entire person shot backward, and continuously coughed up multiple mouthfuls of blood. His expression was one of astonishment and utter disbelief, and his face was pale white.

The power he sensed in Naruto was one that could annihilate anything. It was an indescribably fearsome aura that caused him to tremble with incredible fear.

"What's impossible, bitch?!" said Naruto, his body flickering to appear in front of the black-robed youth. "You dare to frame me?!" His right hand clenched into a fist again.

BANG!

The black-robed youth let out a bloodcurdling shriek as he was once again sent tumbling backward. This time, his abdomen literally exploded, ripping off the bottom half of his body, wiping it away in a haze of blood.

The only thing left was his upper torso. Suddenly, his back ripped open, and two huge bat wings unfurled. They virtually blurred as he shot away at high speed.

"Wanna run?" snorted Naruto, his eyes flickering with intense killing intent as he continued to stay within the Seventh Anima. The sound of the snort caused the Black Bat turned black-robed youth to cough up more blood. Suddenly, Naruto disappeared, only to directly appear behind him. His heart trembled as Naruto reached out to grab onto him.

The black-robed youth let out a miserable shriek. He didn't turn, but rather contracted his wings in an attempt to block Naruto's hand. Killing intent glittered in Naruto's eyes as he casually grabbed both the wings and then pulled hard.

A bloodcurdling scream could be heard as the two wings were completely ripped off of his body. Blood showered from the young man's mouth. He suddenly flashed, reappearing off in the distance. The bottom half of his body had been ripped off, along with his wings. He was in a dire situation. However, it was at this point that within his left eye suddenly appeared the image of a corpse.

"How can you be so powerful?" he said, his face pale. "This is impossible!" Even as he spoke, he performed incantation gestures. Suddenly, a ghost image sprang up around him.

Naruto flicked his hand to toss away the two wings, then looked coldly at the black-robed youth.

"You backstabbing bastard," said Naruto. "I helped you unseal yourself that year, giving you the power to recover. Despite all that, you still try to secretly harm me?!" With that, Naruto blasted forward. He moved so fast that you couldn't even see him. The only thing that was visible was the black-robed youth tumbling backward again.

It didn't matter that the Black Bat was something from ancient times. In front of Naruto's Seventh Anima, it was completely incapable of making a counterattack. As it retreated, its body suddenly broke up into countless pieces, transforming into thousands of bats.

The bats instantly scattered in all directions in retreat.

Naruto was currently consumed with the desire to kill. He gave a cold snort and then waved his right hand. The Devil Spear appeared in front of him. He slapped it, sending power from his Cultivation base exploding inside. The spear instantly exploded.

The resulting black mist expanded out, filled with innumerable vicious faces that shot toward the fleeing bats and began to consume them.

In the blink of an eye, countless miserable shrieks filled the air. After only a few breaths of time, there were only a few hundred bats left from the original group of thousands.

The remaining bats quickly reformed. A pop rang out as they transformed back into a physical form. This time, it did not look like the black-robed youth, but rather, the enormous Black Bat.

The Black Bat's eyes were filled with terror. The instant in which it appeared, it tried to flee, but Naruto shot forward, appeared directly in front of it. The Black Bat gave a cry of despair as Naruto lifted his hand up and pushed a finger down into its forehead. The power of extermination exploded out. It was like layered ripples of destruction that swept through the body of the Black Bat.

Booms rang out ceaselessly as the Black Bat screamed. Its body directly exploded into a haze of blood which spread out in all direction. Only the head remained, which Naruto grabbed and put into his bag of holding.

After the death occurred, the surroundings slowly grew quiet and peaceful.

Meanwhile, nearly a year's travel away in the Western Desert North region, far down at the bottom of the sea, a corpse sat cross-legged.

Half of its body was human, the other half, beastly. This was the creature from which Naruto had acquired the third wooden sword in the Crow Divinity Holy Land all those years ago. It was also the same creature that the black-robed youth had absorbed into his left eye and then suppressed.

Now, however, the corpse looked different than before; it had conspicuous bat wings sticking out from its back. It sat there motionless on the seafloor, lifeless, filled with an aura of death that was much like the Violet Sea around it.

Suddenly, the empty eyes of the corpse began to glow with light. The glow grew more and more obvious as an aura of life suddenly rose up within its body. Cracking sounds could be heard as it suddenly moved its neck.

Its rotten lips suddenly curved into a cold smile.

"Petty Cultivator," said the corpse in a grating voice. "He thinks he's clever and shrewd, but compared to a spirit like me, he's nothing. In the moment he was congratulating himself on his victory, I managed to slip out like a cicada shedding its skin.

"He's definitely powerful, though. Thankfully, I was doubly prepared with an extremely realistic second body. Even the will of that body actually wasn't aware that my true self was doubly prepared. Too bad it really was killed.

"However, that's also a good thing. Because he thinks that I've perished, I can watch on secretly to see what conflicts develop between him and Patriarch Hashirama.

"When the crane and the clam fight, it's the fisherman who benefits. And I… am the fisherman!" The corpse's smile grew even colder and grimmer.

This corpse was the true Black Bat. Even as it sat there at the bottom of the sea, Naruto was back at the location in which he had killed the black-robed youth, frowning.

Everything had happened too smoothly, almost like water being poured down a gutter. It was like nothing had even happened at all. The profundity of Naruto's Cultivation base made everything incredibly simple.

However, Naruto still felt as if something weren't right.

Muttering to himself, his eyes flickered as he pulled out the Hebi Clan fishing rod. The instant he touched the rod, a strange light flickered in his eyes. He watched as the bits of flesh and blood which were scattered around, the remains of the Black Bat, suddenly stopped moving.

On each piece of flesh or blood, Karma threads could be seen. Shockingly, almost all of the Karma threads were heading in the same direction.

Naruto's eyes flashed in concentration. His will began to follow the Karma threads through the air until they sank into the Violet Sea. They continued onward north, to the seafloor, where he finally saw the corpse with its grim smile.

As soon as his gaze fell upon the corpse, its face flickered and it looked up in disbelief.

At the same time, Naruto's will vanished from the Karma threads. He returned to his normal state and put the fishing rod away, his face extremely dark.

"So, something WAS going on!" he said, looking toward the Western Desert North region, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Back in north, the Black Bat's eyes shone with a mysterious light, and its expression was one of fear, then suspicious. Finally, it grew even grimmer than before.

"I musn't underestimate this guy. Just what method did he use to find me so easily? It gives me a very strange feeling." It rose to its feet thoughtfully, then shot up out from within the Violet Sea.

"It doesn't matter. I can't stay here any more. I need to go hide in the Milky Way Sea. This Naruto… is too bizarre!" Its body flickered as it flew off into the distance.

A year's travel away, Naruto took a deep breath and then slowly sank back down into the Violet Sea. He sat down cross-legged on the seafloor, his eyes shining with an intense desire to kill.

"I might be far away, but… I still have ways to kill you!" He closed his eyes. In that instant, he sent his will out to combine with the Violet Sea.

As of now, Naruto was being incarnated into the Violet Sea in a way much similar to what had occurred when he was in the midst of Demonic Transmigration. This time, he was fundamentally awake, so he would not lose himself.

Because of that, however, he would be incapable of wielding the complete power of the Violet Sea.

The instant in which Naruto's will fused with the Violet Sea, the entire sea instantly churned with enormous waves, and roaring filled the air. In the Western Desert North region, the corpse was speeding along. All of a sudden, streaks of blood appeared on its body. Down below, the Violet Sea roared and transformed into a whirlpool. The corpse's face instantly fell.

At the same time, a powerful roaring voice could be heard coming from within the whirlpool.

"You want to frame Naruto and get away scot free? I don't think so." The voice became a roar like that of thunder, causing the corpse's face to fall even further. It took a deep breath. After pausing for a brief moment, it shot off as fast as possible.

As it fled, the water on the surface of the Violet Sea in the Western Desert North region began to congeal together. A gigantic hand suddenly began to stretch up out from the deep waters. The hand shot up toward the fleeing corpse.

The instant that the hand touched the corpse, the corpse opened its mouth to speak strange, complex words. The words transformed into a power that seemed to be of a different world, filled with ancient archaicness.

BOOM!

The explosive power of the words caused ripples to surround the corpse. Within the ripples could be seen reflections of an ancient world that had existed an indefinite amount of years in the past. The view was indistinct, but a roaring sound filled the air nonetheless.

The Violet Sea hand collapsed. However, the corpse's aura had clearly been weakened.

Without hesitation, it shot away at top speed. However, even as it did, eight more enormous hands suddenly began to rise up out of the sea, stretching out toward the fleeing corpse to reach toward it.

Booms rose up into the sky and echoed out across the sea waters. The corpse, its face filled with astonishment, spit out some life Chakra. It performed a double-handed incantation, causing an undulating power to appear, some type of magical technique Naruto had never seen before.

It was formed of numerous bizarre magical symbols, each one of which seemed to pulse with a unique power that the Violet Sea was incapable of resisting.

Down in the Violet Sea, Naruto gave a cold snort. Even as the Black Bat corpse, grew weaker and weaker, an enormous face suddenly began to bulge out of the surface of the sea.

The face was none other than Naruto's!

Naruto might have been submerged on the bottom of the seafloor, but his will was engaged in fierce battle with the Black Bat corpse.

Meanwhile, back in the Black Lands, in a mountain valley filled with peach blossoms, was the enormous temple gate of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

The valley was filled with birdsongs and the lovely fragrance of flowers. It was like a realm of Immortals. In one particular pavilion were two middle-aged men.

One was sitting in meditation, the other was standing. One wore a black robe, the other a white one.

However, their facial features were exactly alike.

The white-robed man sat cross-legged in meditation, unmoving. It seemed as if his will were eternally fused into the world. Unless some shocking event occurred that rocked the entire Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, he would remain there, unwaking.

He was completely immersed in secluded meditation, having spent years stabilizing himself after Severing his first Spirit and recovering the damage to his body.

Generally speaking, daily affairs were handled by his Divine Clone, who was of course the black-robed man who stood there across from him.

The black-robed man's face was extremely grim as he looked down at the shattered jade slip he held in his hand. His eyes radiated grief, and then… a towering viciousness.

"Someone dared to slay my only son…. He was a bit arrogant, and often handled himself poorly. But… he was my only son, the only son of Hashirama! It doesn't matter what he did, no one is qualified to chide him, much less kill him!"

The white-robed man who sat there in meditation was none other than Tobirama's father, the only Spirit Severing Cultivator of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, Patriarch Hashirama.

The black-robed man, the Divine Clone, was also the translucent figure that Hashirama had sent after Naruto that year to rob him of the Demon Spirit.

"If someone cuts off the line of Hashirama, then I will exterminate his entire Clan!" The black-robed man flicked his sleeve and disappeared. When he reappeared, he was in mid-air above the Black Lands. His body flickered, and he was then outside of Blackgate Fort. Shockingly, he used greater teleportation again, and was now in mid-air above the Violet Sea

His Divine Sense shot out, sweeping about the area, looking for the location where Tobirama had been killed, as well as the person who killed him.

A few hours later, he found the location. As he floated there thoughtfully in mid-air, his face grew grimmer and grimmer. He waved his hand, causing Tobirama's life slip to transform into ash. As the bits of ash floated out to fill the area, they began to glow.

The softly glowing lights began to interlock, transforming into a screen. Visible on the screen was none other than the black-robed youth!

Patriarch Hashirama looked down at the screen which was formed from the dust of the jade slip, and his eyes began to shine brightly. There was something about the person depicted that seemed familiar. He studied the face for a moment, whereupon his aura suddenly grew dark and cold.

"It's him…. The totemic Sacred Ancient of the Golden Crow Tribe. He had a second Demon Spirit which I went after, only to be stopped by that strange woman. She left me with no choice but to flee."

He thought for a moment before his eyes suddenly glittered and he suppressed the grief in his heart. He had suddenly noticed a few odd things.

"Before Tobirama died, none of the lifesaving treasures that I gave him activated. That's the first strange thing.

"Furthermore, he clearly died a day ago. However, something was deliberately preventing me from detecting the death until now.

"This image is very clear, almost as if this person were deliberately making sure that Tobirama would remember his face." After thinking for a moment, Patriarch Hashirama began to perform an incantation with his right hand. After a long moment passed, he looked up and then vanished.

It wasn't long before he reappeared in the location where Naruto had destroyed Yamato and the others. He looked around carefully for a while before his eyes began to glow with killing intent.

"Yamato died here, as well as the others… Clearly, they were killed by a Cultivator of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. His battle prowess is beyond ordinary.

"However, Tobirama was killed in a different location." Patriarch Hashirama had lived for many years, and was as crafty as a fox. Were he not incredibly intelligent, he would never have been able to achieve the illustrious position of Tribal Patriarch. Based on the clues, he was immediately able to piece together what really happened.

It was obvious to him that the great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator had only killed the men in this location. Afterward, he had allowed Tobirama to leave.

"Let's check the appearance of the person who killed Yamato and the others, and everything will be made completely clear." Patriarch Hashirama waved his sleeve, causing the air to ripple. Moments later, another screen appeared, upon which was visible the image of Naruto killing Yamato.

Although the image was not incredibly clear, Patriarch Hashirama recognized Naruto at a glance. At the same time, he could see some differences between Naruto and the black-robed youth.

"So, it wasn't the totemic Sacred Ancient of the Golden Crow Clan who killed Tobirama." Now that he understood this, Patriarch Hashirama turned and sent his Divine Sense shooting out in all directions across the Violet Sea.

Unfortunately, he was incapable of sensing Naruto down at the bottom of the sea, nor could he detect the fighting that was occurring a year's travel away in the Western Desert North region. After searching the immediate area, Patriarch Hashirama gave up. Face grim, he began to fly back to the Black Lands.

"Although this Naruto wasn't the actual perpetrator, the fact that he was being framed by that strange person shows that the two of them have some sort of connection.

"If I can't track down the true killer, then I need to find Naruto. I'll use Soulsearch on him to discover the identity of the killer. That is how to solve this problem!

"As for Naruto, there's no need to go looking for him. I can force him to be a good boy and come out! Whether or not he lives through the Soulsearch has nothing to do with me. He can only blame… his own bad fortune!" Patriarch Hashirama's eyes flickered with killing intent. His plan to force Naruto to show his face was simple; he would simply put some pressure on the Golden Crow Clan.

With a cold harrumph, Patriarch Hashirama turned; his body flickered as he shot toward the Black Lands.

Meanwhile, booming roars filled the air in the Western Desert North Region. Naruto's face rose up from the water. His eyes glowed with a bright light as he stared fixedly at the corpse which hovered in mid-air.

Soon, the somewhat indistinct face had completely emerged from the water. Beneath it was an enormous column of water that surged up toward the corpse, which was incapable of avoiding it. The column of water instantly enveloped the corpse.

There was a boom, and then popping sounds could be heard from inside the body. The corpse's eyes flickered brightly. It suddenly used some unknown technique to cause its body to shockingly be surrounded by eight glittering magical symbols that resisted the manifestation of the Violet Sea.

After the space of four or five breaths, the water cascaded back down into the sea. Trembling, the corpse spit out a large mouthful of life Chakra. Its body was beginning to fall apart. One of its legs directly transformed into ash. Its expression was ferocious as it turned and shot off into the distance.

Naruto's will was locked onto the corpse. Were his true self here, then the corpse would have no hope whatsoever of getting away. At the moment, his will was fused with the Violet Sea. However, because he had not completed the Demonic Transmigration which would have resulted in him losing himself in the process, then the battle prowess he could wield was not sufficient to restrain the corpse.

"If you want to get away, you'll have to pay the price!" Naruto's face once again appeared on the surface of the water. The eyes of the face flickered, then closed, and suddenly the entire face disappeared. At the same time, drops of violet seawater began to rise up into the air.

Naruto's voice then rang out, filled with killing intent: "Blood Rising!"

Massive amounts of water shot up, covering the sky as it shot toward the corpse.

The corpse's eyes widened and it immediately began to perform an incantation gesture. Magical symbols poured out of its body, swirling out to meet the incoming seawater. Incredible booming echoed out. The corpse fell back, spitting out mouthfuls of life Chakra. In the end, the seawater dispersed, and the corpse heaved a huge sigh. It was just about to continue fleeing off into the distance when suddenly, a gigantic fist shot out from within the sea. The previous mass of water had concealed its presence, so as it moved with incredible speed, the corpse was instantly overwhelmed.

Cracking sounds could be heard, and the corpse emitted a miserable shriek. As it tumbled backward, its other leg exploded, forcing it to flee with only half of a body.

Unfortunately, even as it made to leave, a huge wave appeared in front of it. The seawater then congealed together into an enormous head. The facial features of this head belonged to none other than Naruto. This was not just a face, but a full head, fully three thousand meters wide. It rose up out of the depths of the sea to block the path of the Black Bat corpse.

"Dammit!" The heart of the Black Bat corpse was completely shaken, and its scalp was numb. It began to tremble as it turned and changed directions. It was now thoroughly in fear of Naruto. Back when it had planned to frame him, how could it possibly have imagined that even being doubly prepared, it would still be powerless to prevent Naruto from killing it.

In fact, Naruto wasn't even here in person. By merely fusing his will into the Violet Sea, he was still able to push the Black Bat into this difficult situation. Because of this, it felt incredible fear of Naruto.

Before it could even employ any divine abilities, a roaring sound could be heard as the sea suddenly began to churn. Two gigantic arms composed of vast quantities of seawater rose up from within a boundless whirlpool. The two arms moved with astonishing speed as they suddenly clapped their hands toward the Black Bat corpse.

Each of these speeding hands was several hundred meters long, and kicked up a huge wind, along with mighty waves. It was as if the entire area was sealed. The Black Bat corpse was terror-stricken. The shadow of death seemed to loom up within its heart.

In this moment of grave crisis, the Black Bat corpse suddenly lifted its head back and let out a mournful shriek. "Bat Asura True Spirit!"

Suddenly, a black beam shot out of its forehead.

As soon as the beam appeared, everything began to tremble. The Violet Sea shook, and something like a ghost image of the entire world suddenly appeared. A power that seemed to stem from an otherworldly aura instantly shot out from the forehead of the Black Bat corpse.

Meanwhile… in the starry sky outside of Planet Ninshu was an enormous altar. The altar had been circling around Lands of Ninshu for innumerable years. This was Planet Ninshu's most mysterious…

Immortality Bestowal Dais!

The vast collection of names carved into the Immortality Bestowal Dais suddenly began to flicker with glowing light. An archaic aura was awakening!

The rumble of an ancient voice, filled with countless years, suddenly could be heard. "The will of a true spirit. An actualized body in Lands of Ninshu…. So, a true spirit Immortal Murdering Sword must have appeared in the world! As to whether or not I am a false Immortal, I should be able to find out after receiving a stab from that sword!"

Meanwhile, back in the Western Desert, the Black Bat was letting out a miserable howl. The black beam emanating from its forehead gradually expanded, enveloping its entire head, seemingly growing weaker as it did.

At the same time the two arms of seawater grew closer. Two gigantic hands slapped down onto the Black Bat corpse.

A huge boom could be heard. An intense aftershock spread out, causing the two hands to collapse into pieces, along with the arms. The water cascaded back down into the sea. The head of Naruto, which appeared almost to be bleeding from its orifices, also shattered.

Simultaneously, the Black Bat corpse completely exploded, with the exception of its head. Its head continued to emit a black glow as it shot off like a meteor. A shrill, hateful shriek could be heard as it disappeared.

The instant it disappeared, the huge waves on the surface of the sea died down. Everything returned to normal. Naruto retracted his will from the Violet Sea. Back in the location where his true self sat cross-legged in meditation, a tremor suddenly ran through his body. His face was pale white as he retreated from the Seventh Anima to the First. His eyes snapped open.

"It's too bad I couldn't completely destroy that Demonic thing. If my true self had been there it would have been a different story…. That having been said, it was seriously injured. It's going to take it quite a bit of time to recover. Next time we meet, I'll definitely kill it!" His eyes shone with a bright light, and his jaw was set with determination.

"Just what power was it that it used at the end…. It was very strange." Lost in thought, he looked down at his bag of holding. As of this moment, he could clearly sense that one of his Immortal Murdering Swords was filled with an intense, trembling yearning.

"Perhaps I can get some answers about these wooden swords from that Black Bat." Naruto shot up and was about to emerge from the sea when suddenly, his eyes widened and he sank back down. Without hesitation, he fused his will into the Violet Sea, concealing himself.

It was at this moment that an ancient Divine Sense from far up in the Heavens suddenly began to sweep across the Western Desert. It seemed to be looking for something, but was thankfully obstructed by the Violet Sea. Because Naruto was currently merged with the Violet Sea and also concealed inside of it, the intrepid Divine Sense passed by and didn't detect him. Instead, it began to move in the direction the Black Bat had fled in.

The power of the Divine Sense reminded Naruto of the eight Immortals he had seen outside the Realm of the Bridge Ruins that year!

"What was it looking for?" he thought, his eyes glittering. He did not leave, but rather, sat there for several more days. During that time, the Divine Sense appeared three more times; clearly it was looking for something. However, after several more days passed, it completely vanished.

Naruto waited even longer. When he was sure that the Divine Sense was truly gone, he shot up out of the sea to stand on its surface. By this point, he had a vague sense that the Divine Sense from up in the Heavens had been looking for the Immortal Murdering Sword!

Naruto slowly reached up to slap his bag of holding. Instantly, a head appeared in his hand. This was the head of the black-robed youth form of the Black Bat.

Although, at this point it actually didn't look much like a human, but rather, more like a bat. Its eyes were blank, but there was still a bit of terror and despair visible within them. Anyone who looked at it would definitely have an indescribable, violent reaction.

Naruto had intentionally kept the head for the purpose of resolving any unnecessary disputes. Tobirama's death had been perpetrated by the Black Bat with the specific intention of framing him. Naruto had no idea of knowing whether Patriarch Hashirama would be able to sort through the clues. Therefore, he kept the head to be able to answer any questions.

His body turned, flickering as he headed toward one of the Western Desert Violet Sea's ten outpost cities that he had become aware of when his consciousness was merged with the sea.

The nearest one was the seventh outpost.

"All of the outposts are guarded by Black Lands Cultivators. Obviously, the only people who would have the resources to build such towering outposts as these would be backed by the Heavenly Court Alliance.

"I'll deliver the head up there. There will certainly be people who can then send it to Patriarch Hashirama." Naruto moved along at top speed for three days. It was at that point that off in the distance he noticed a collection of what looked like airships floating above the water, roped together to form a crude outpost.

There were quite a few wooden structures built on top of them, and what appeared to be over a thousand Cultivators. The hubbub of voices and conversations echoed out across the waters, making the whole scene very lively.

There were a handful of Cultivators patrolling the perimeter with cold expressions. They wore black robes embroidered with decorations of butterflies flying within layers of clouds. These were of course the city guards.

Cultivators often engaged in trade here. The powers in the Black Lands planned to use these outposts as a foundation to build hundreds more such locations in the coming years.

There were of course spell formations protecting the outpost from Divine Sense. Unless Naruto went past the First Anima, he would have difficulty extending his Divine Sense inside.

Naruto neared the city at around noontime. His approach instantly attracted the attention of the Cultivators in the outpost, especially the city guards, whose eyes went wide. Naruto's great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation base instantly put them on guard. They did nothing to block his way, instead allowing him to enter the city unobstructed.

As soon as he entered the city, Naruto could feel the power of a spell formation sweep over him, much like Divine Sense. It covered his entire body, then suddenly paused, as if it were preparing to lock him down in place so that he couldn't move.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He had come for the Heavenly Court Alliance. If the people here were looking for him specifically, then it meant that in response to Tobirama's death, Patriarch Hashirama had made advanced preparations. It would also mean that he knew Naruto's identity.

If nobody was specifically seeking him out, then that would provide some additional food for thought.

Even as Naruto arrived, two old men sat meditating in a particularly luxurious airship among the numerous airships that made up the outpost.

One of the men wore a long red robe, and was of the late Nascent Soul stage. The other old man next to him wore a black black gown, and had some brightly colored totem tattoos on his face. His eyes were closed, and he emanated the fluctuations of a Nascent Soul Cultivation base that was nearing the great circle, but was still some distance away.

These two men were the most powerful experts dispatched to this location by the Heavenly Court Alliance.

As soon as Naruto stepped foot into the outpost, a flickering, glowing screen suddenly appeared in front of the two old men.

They both opened their eyes to look at the screen, whereupon they saw Naruto.

On the screen, Naruto was surrounded by pulsing red lights. The lights were not coming from Naruto, but rather, the outpost's spell formation. They were marking out his location!

"Level red on the wanted list…. This person…."

"It's him! That's the guy that Patriarch Hashirama personally put onto the wanted list a few days ago." The eyes of the two old men widened as they looked at each other. Both of them had expressions of concentration and thoughtfulness.

"I remember that according to the information on the wanted list, if you notify Patriarch Hashirama, you can acquire a magical item personally created by him! And if you capture this man alive, then Patriarch Hashirama will owe a personal debt!"

The fires of anticipation burned within the eyes of the two men. They were clearly both thinking the same thing.

They looked at each other for a moment, and their faces filled with determination. As Cultivators, they did not fear danger. What they feared was lacking the courage to face danger. After all, great rewards… come only from facing great danger!

Earning a personal debt from a Spirit Severing Patriarch was definitely worth facing danger in this situation. Even though this Cultivator seemed to have a strange Cultivation base that was at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, they had the cooperation of other Nascent Soul Cultivators, plus the spell formation. It was not an impossible task.

"Activate the spell formation!"

"All Nascent Soul Cultivators, the time has come to make our move!"

Almost at the same moment in which all the Nascent Soul Cultivators in the seventh outpost were receiving the message of the two old men, Naruto was walking through the crowds in the middle of the outpost. He looked around at all the hustle and bustle, somewhat in a trance. Now that he thought about it, he had just emerged from more than a hundred years of secluded meditation.

"More than a hundred years…." He sighed softly. Memories slowly flooded up like the tide. Suddenly, he recalled all the familiar faces he had seen when he was fused with the Violet Sea.

He thought about that teardrop.

Filled with melancholy, he walked through the outpost until he was nearing its far edge. It was at this point that he suddenly stopped in place and looked up. For the first time in more than a hundred years… a tremor of anger ran through his body.

Up ahead of him, hanging from a rack… were more than fifty people.

More than fifty people. Many were gasping and on the verge of death. Half, though, were actually dead. Their corpses hung there, exposed to the elements, surrounded by an aura of death.

Their bodies were covered with scars and bruises. It was impossible to say how much torment they had endured. Those who hadn't died wore vacant expressions, as if they were looking at something far, far away.

None of them emitted any wails or screams. All of them maintained silence.

One of the people was an old woman. Her face was wrinkled, her body withered and covered with lash marks, her hair pure white. She was clearly in very sore straits. However, if you looked closely, you could tell that when this woman had been young, she had been beautiful.

She gazed off into the distance, her eyes filled with despair. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. However, her heart clearly burned with an ever burning life force. It was as if her heart raged with incredible hatred.

A roaring sound filled Naruto's mind, and an intense, unprecedented coldness filled his face, the likes of which hadn't appeared for more than a hundred years. Even when facing the Black Bat, Naruto's fury was nothing compared to the feeling he was experiencing now.

His body trembled as his rage began to reach a pinnacle, a place where he could not control it. Coldness began to radiate off him in pulses. Ice appeared on the wooden planks beneath his feet, and enormous waves began to roll across the surface of the Violet Sea outside the outpost.

His brain suddenly filled with memories of the past.

"Senior, this is my older sister, Mabui."

"If you dare to deceive my little brother, then I won't rest until you're dead!"

"Senior, I, Mabui, am willing to do anything for my younger brother, anything! I can even be your…." The echoing voice in his mind seemed to transform into the old woman in front of him.

She had once been nothing but a young girl. The passage of time, however, had transformed her beauty into ancientness.

Naruto was just barely able to recognize this old woman as none other than… Mabui!

As for the other people who were hanging on the racks, Naruto recognized four or five of them. They were none other than… members of the Golden Crow Tribe!

As Naruto looked at the members of the Golden Crow Tribe, some of the surrounding Cultivators watched on and sighed. They glanced at the hanging Golden Crow Tribe members and talked about them in low voices.

"There are members of the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan hanging in all of the ten outposts. They shouldn't have provoked the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe and Patriarch Hashirama."

"The real one to blame is their former totemic Sacred Ancient. He actually killed Patriarch Hashirama's only son. That's simply too much of a provocation. All of the powers in the Black Lands were completely astonished when it happened."

"Heh heh. This collection of corpses and half-dead Cultivators is all to force the old Golden Grow Tribe totemic Sacred Ancient to show his face. If I remember correctly, his name is Naruto, right?"

"I even heard that the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe made an announcement that for every day Naruto doesn't show up, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe will kill one hundred members of the Golden Crow Tribe."

The words stabbed into Naruto's heart like sharp knives. His heart felt as if it were being ripped open. His face was pale white, and the ice beneath his feet grew even thicker.

His breath came in sharp stabs, and his eyes filled with veins of blood and a glow of red.

He had never imagined that Patriarch Hashirama would actually… do something so heartless. Such deeds showed that he completely disregarded Naruto. This was the action of someone who felt himself to be in a position of vast superiority. Even though he knew that the crime had not been committed by Naruto, he still dragged him into the issue.

"Golden Crow Tribe…." The roaring of the Violet Sea grew even more intense. Quite a few of the Cultivators were looking out in astonishment. There were also some who had noticed that something seemed a little bit off about Naruto.

Among the group of fifty hanging on the racks, Mabui suddenly seemed to sense something. With great effort, she turned her head and… looked at Naruto.

The instant she saw him, an expression of shock filled her face.

Slowly, a smile spread out. Naruto looked at her, his expression one of guilt, but mostly, of unsurpassable fury.

As of this moment, the hushed conversations in the area had been interrupted by the churning of the Violet Sea. There were two sentences, however, which rung out into Naruto's ears.

"The Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan actually split because of this matter. The Black Dragon Tribe took the opportunity to once again stand on their own. The Golden Crow Tribe barely managed to escape complete calamity. I heard that the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe actually went to war with them, and that the war is still raging even as we speak. There is no clear winner right now, but recently, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe managed to capture about five hundred members of the Golden Crow Tribe."

"The Golden Crow Tribe is still amazing, though. They are even more powerful than the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe anticipated. The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe has suffered quite a few casualties, and finally mobilized their entire Tribe to go to war."

After hearing these words, the roaring Violet Sea outside the outpost suddenly exploded up. The coldness beneath Naruto's feet swept out in all directions, covering the entire outpost.

Everything had changed!

Naruto's body trembled and his mind filled with roaring. Intense fury exploded out from within his heart.

"Heavenly Pursuit Tribe!

"Hashirama, you cretin!"

The Violet Sea roared and coldness spread out in all directions, causing something that appeared like snowflakes to appear in the air. Within the outpost, all of the Cultivators were incapable of preventing a shudder from passing through their bodies. As for the ones near Naruto, they started to shake as they looked over at Naruto.

Figures appeared, surrounding Naruto, nine Nascent Soul Cultivators. The two old experts who were in charge of the outpost also appeared, floating in mid-air.

Next, the spell formation in the outpost activated completely. Roaring sounds echoed about as the entire area was enveloped with an enormous pressure that constantly pushed down on Naruto.

"Naruto," said the black-robed old man, "you ruthlessly slaughtered Conclave members of the Heavenly Court Alliance. Now you dare to show your face in this outpost? We have come here today to take your head!" Even as his voice echoed about the city, dozens of Alliance members appeared in the area. They sat there cross-legged, maintaining the rotation of the spell formation.

Naruto's eyes were bright red, and his heart dripped with blood. He did not kill Tobirama; in fact, in an attempt to prevent any misunderstandings, he annihilated the Black Bat and brought its head to offer explanation.

He simply didn't believe that Patriarch Hashirama, with his level of Cultivation base and powers of insight, would not be able to read the clues surrounding Tobirama's death. Now he could see clearly that the damnable Hashirama had no intention of discussing matters rationally.

"Patriarch Hashirama, since you're so dead set on dragging me into the matter, then… go ahead and consider Tobirama to have been killed by Naruto!" Setting his jaw with determination, he slapped his bag of holding to produce the head of the Black Bat. Before, he had viewed the head as all the proof needed to explain things clearly. Now, he simply waved his hand, causing it to explode into ash.

As the head transformed into ash, the killing intent in Naruto's eyes exploded to incredible heights. His aura suddenly became icy to a shocking extent.

"Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, as long as I, Naruto, am alive on this earth, I will wipe out your Tribe and all your bloodlines!" With that, Naruto waved his sleeve, causing a powerful wind to kick up. It swept the dozens of Golden Crow Tribe members up off the racks and then deposited them on the ground.

After that, the wind transformed into life force, which nourished Mabui and the others, restoring them to health. As for the dead Tribe members, there was nothing that could be done for them now.

Including Mabui, there were four or five original Crow Divinity Tribe members who had traveled the long campaign trail with Naruto. When they saw Naruto, their bodies trembled and their eyes filled with intense excitement and determination. They immediately knelt and kowtowed to Naruto.

In the loudest voices they could possibly muster, they shouted out, releasing all the pressure and hope that existed within their hearts.

"Greetings, Sacred Ancient!"

The other Tribe members were people who had been born in the past hundred years. They had never seen Naruto before, but they had seen his statue. Now that they were able to personally lay eyes on this most senior member of the Tribe, they began to tremble. Their faces pale, they ignored the weakened state of their body to drop to their knees and kowtow. They too shouted:

"Greetings, Sacred Ancient!"

Their voices echoed out in all directions. When you added the words spoken by the black-robed old man, whose tone made it sound as if he were facing a mortal enemy, the rest of the Cultivators in the seventh outpost felt their hearts shaking. Their eyes went wide as they looked at Naruto. Now that they thought about it, all of them had heard legends about Naruto during the past hundred years.

Without a single exception, the legends spoke of how Naruto had single-handedly led his Tribe out from the Western Desert North region.

"That really is Naruto!"

"The totemic Sacred Ancient of the Golden Crow Tribe! So, that's him!"

As Naruto's aura billowed up, and the surrounding Cultivators recognized who he was, cries of alarm could be heard. The faces of the nine Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Heavenly Court Alliance, as well as the two old men, instantly changed. They clenched their teeth and attacked, shooting directly toward Naruto.

At the same time, the roaring power of the spell formation descended onto Naruto. It was like some sort of intense pressure that caused his Cultivation base to weaken, limiting him to the mid Nascent Soul stage.

This was the full power of a spell formation that had been constructed by a Spirit Severing Patriarch of the Heavenly Court Alliance. Its power was extraordinary. Were it not, it wouldn't have been set up as the ultimate weapon of the great outpost.

Even someone of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage would be severely weakened by the intense pressure from the spell formation. It was also this incredible power that caused the two old men stationed here to be so confident in being able to fight Naruto!

At the same time that the power of the spell formation descended, eleven Nascent Soul Cultivators appeared near Naruto, filled with killing intent. A blast of brilliant color could be seen as magical items, divine abilities, magical techniques, and totems were all unleashed in attack.

"You might be a totemic Sacred Ancient, but once you enter our outpost's spell formation, your fate is sealed…. You're dead for sure!" Cold laughter rang out, only to be interrupted by a shocking roar that exploded out from none other than Naruto.

As the sound roared out, Naruto's voice could be heard, filled with sinister coldness and killing intent: "Third Anima!"

His voice could be heard almost at the same time that the attacks of the incoming eleven Nascent Soul Cultivators appeared. These men were clearly going all out against Naruto. It was also then that all of their faces instantly flickered, and their hearts filled with an unprecedented feeling of terror. The feeling was such that they had no choice but to instantly retreat.

As they retreated, the light caused by the various divine abilities and magical items dissipated to reveal, right there in the middle of the spell formation, a man who looked like somewhat like an Immortal Devil. Naruto!

His hair whipped about his head. Now that he was in the Third Anima, he was filled with the power of four great circle Nascent Soul Cultivators. The spell formation which enveloped him, while previously invisible, could now be seen in the form of a large net.

The net glittered brightly and emitted groaning sounds as if it were under great strain. Popping sounds rang out, and fissures appeared. As the fissures spread out, Naruto's aura exploded out fearsomely. The aura caused all of the Cultivators in the city to be completely astonished.

That was especially true of the eleven Nascent Soul Cultivators. Their faces immediately filled with looks of disbelief, and they gasped. They couldn't imagine how a Nascent Soul Cultivator could possibly fight back so strongly against the spell formation. From the look of it… the spell formation would be able to pin him down for only a very short period of time.

Unfortunately for them… their guesses were incorrect. Even as their faces fell and they speculated that Naruto wouldn't be held in the spell formation for very long, the gigantic web suddenly collapsed into pieces and vanished.

As the spell formation vanished, the entire outpost suddenly shook. Blood sprayed from the mouths of the ten Alliance Tribe members who had been maintaining the spell formation. A moment later, their bodies directly exploded, transforming into hazes of blood and gore.

The spell formation was simply not qualified to hold out against Naruto. In the blink of an eye, it was completely destroyed.

The moment the spell formation was wiped out, Naruto strode forward and waved his arm toward the astonished eleven Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The waving of his arm caused four times the battle prowess of a great circle Nascent Soul to explode out. It fused into the raging wind and exploded out. Bloodcurdling screams drifted out as nine of the eleven Nascent Soul Cultivators… were incapable of avoiding a force like that of crushing mountain. They could not dodge, nor could they resist. The wind cleaved the flesh from their bones and wiped away their screaming Nascent Souls.

Nine people… dead in an instant!

Blood sprayed from the mouths of the most powerful Cultivators, the two old men, as they tumbled backward.

"Just what kind of Cultivator is he!?"

"That's not an ordinary great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation base…. That's halfway to Spirit Severing!"

As they tumbled backward, their physical bodies were shredded into pieces, leaving behind only their Nascent Souls. Letting out unprecedented shrieks of regret, they spared nothing in their attempts to flee at top speed, their hearts filled with ultimate terror.

The scene caused the rest of the Cultivators in the city to be filled with shock. They began trembling, their gazes filled with intense alarm and astonishment as they looked at Naruto.

He stood there, tall, hair flying about, his aura shocking to the extreme. The berserk aura of an Immortal Demon rose up, filled with killing intent. All of his fury had transformed into the desire to kill. All of that killing intent was focused on one thing…

Wiping out the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe!

 _If you kill one of my people, I'll kill a hundred of yours. You kill a hundred of mine, I will wipe out all of yours!_

 _I didn't want to fight. I wanted to resolve the issue. I even came to this place with the head of the Black Bat for that very purpose. But, you place yourself on a pedestal. You believe yourself to be invincible. You saw no reason to talk reasonably with me. Well then, I might as well go to war!_

Naruto's body suddenly flew up into the air. His eyes were red as he looked toward the two fleeing old men. He did not pursue them. Instead, he closed his eyes. His fury, his desire to kill, his determination, all transformed into an intense stimulation. It was a stimulation like tidewaters which poured into the blood-colored mask that rested inside his bag of holding. It reached inside and touched… the Blood Mastiff which had been asleep for nearly two hundred years!

It had now slept until the point that it was ready to awaken. The sensation had continued to grow stronger to Naruto after the Heavenly Tribulation. At that time, he felt that even without outside stimulation, the Mastiff would awaken within a few months.

"I need you, my mastiff….

"Awaken, my Blood Mastiff…. Together, we will bring war to the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe!

"Mastiff… AWAKEN!"

In that moment, the blood-colored mask inside his bag of holding began to shudder. The mastiff could sense Naruto's wrath. It could feel how much he desired to slaughter the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. It could tell that Naruto needed it.

In that moment, a tremor ran through the mastiff's body. The blood-colored eyes which it had not opened for nearly two hundred years, suddenly… completely opened!

The mastiff had awakened!

As soon as it opened its eyes, a boundless bloody glow erupted out from Naruto. It filled the sky in all directions, rapidly covering the entire area.

Before the two fleeing Nascent Souls could get very far, they were covered over by the bloody light. Piercing screams could be heard as the Nascent Souls melted into nothingness.

There is a phrase that goes like this: "rewards come only with risk." However, there is a second line to the phrase: "Risk can also bring death!"

Even as the two Nascent Souls died, the red glow, which filled the surrounding tens of thousands of meters, transformed into a red mist. The mist churned and seethed, rising up into the air in shocking fashion.

It changed; no longer was it wide and flat, but rather, spherical. In fact, from a distance, it looked like… an enormous red eyeball!

Anyone who looked at the eye would feel extreme fear and shock, and would even lose the ability to think clearly. The sight would cause the brain to fill with roaring, as if one were in the middle of a sea of blood, incapable of freeing oneself.

It seemed as if in this instant, all lives became the color of blood.

The eye was incredibly realistic, and was filled with a strange, demonic air. Red mist seethed, as if the eye were blinking. It was frightening to the extreme. In the very center of the gigantic eyeball appeared a vortex. It spun rapidly, transforming into a black hole.

The black hole seemed capable of consuming anything and everything. As soon as it appeared, the air in the area distorted, as if all the light in the area were being sucked in. Anyone who could see the scene would be horrified.

As the vortex spun, the black hole grew larger. 30 meters. 150 meters. 300 meters… 900 meters. In the end, it expanded outward until it was no less than 3,000 meters.

A red eye 30,000 meters wide. A black hole 3,000 wide, like a pupil. The vortex was the border between the pupil and the eye.

All of this completely shocked everyone who was in the outpost. The local Cultivators were trembling, their expressions that of utter astonishment and disbelief.

"What is that?!"

"The Nascent Soul Cultivators are all dead, and it only took a moment! This Naruto… he's… just what level Cultivation base does he have?!"

"Just what horrifying thing is he summoning?!"

Cold sweat began to drip down the foreheads of everyone present, and their breath came in ragged pants. A profound sense of deadly crisis filled their hearts. As of this moment, they were filled with an indescribable dread of Naruto. It was like they were in a nightmare from which they couldn't awaken, something that would be forever branded in their souls.

The surrounding Violet Sea was covered with huge waves. From within the black hole in the enormous eye, a roar could suddenly be heard.

AAAOOOOO!

The roar sounded like the howl of some type of beast. Everything shook and the air vibrated. The pupil within the gigantic red eye seemed to contract and then rapidly expand. Everything distorted, and the crowds of people in the outpost felt their hearts shaken.

It was a single roar, but it was as shocking as thunder. As it echoed out in the world, half of the people within the outpost began to bleed from their eyes, nose, mouth and ears, and then passed out, unconscious.

They were simply incapable of resisting the roar, which contained a Cultivation base power capable of filling the heart and mind with shock. One sound was filled with such intense pressure that it rendered people unconscious.

Cracking sounds could be heard coming from the airships and wooden planks that made up the outpost. The entire structure began to sink down. The surrounding Violet Sea churned violently, as if it, too, were roaring in response to the howl coming from the red eye.

The remaining Cultivators who had not been rendered unconscious all had extraordinary Cultivation bases. However, their faces were pale as they expended incredible effort to endure. Their Cultivation bases rotated and they panted as they stared at the scene up above.

The instant the roar could be heard, a gigantic paw began to stretch out from the black hole. It had razor-sharp claws and luxuriant, long fur. The paw continued to stretch out revealing an entire limb.

The long hair flowed loosely and was filled with a barbaric, wild air, and the claws seemed capable of ripping the air open. Another ear-splitting roar could suddenly be heard from within the black hole.

A second paw appeared from within the black hole, and then a gigantic head. The roar shook everything.

The head was… incredibly large!

Red fur, ferocious fangs, and a savage, barbaric aura that exploded out.

The head was clearly that of a dog!

It waved back and forth, as if it were using all the power it could muster to emerge from the black hole. It surged forward, emerging in full, accompanied by a Heaven-shaking roar.

All that could be seen was a beam of red light that shot out violently from within the black hole. A vast, red mist rose up, and then just as quickly, disappeared. When it did, an enormous red figure could be seen standing there, straight and mighty.

It was huge, covered with loose, red fur. Bone spurs stuck out all over its body, making its appearance even more ferocious. Its gaze was filled with bloodthirstiness, like a Qilin or a Bloodlion. The level of incredible fierceness that it emanated was difficult to describe!

This was… the Blood Mastiff!

As soon as it appeared, an aura similar to the Spirit Severing stage exploded out from its body, and even emanated the feeling of a Domain. Naruto knew that this Domain was not inherently the mastiff's, but rather, branded to it by the Blood Immortal as part of its bloodline, and the Blood Immortal legacy.

Such a brand existed in all Blood Spirits. However, because of the unprecedented fusion it had experienced, it was able to completely manifest it. It was for the same reason that the mastiff had fallen asleep for nearly two hundred years. Now, though, it was fully awakened.

The mastiff lifted its head and roared, a sound which shook Heaven and Earth. The sky dimmed and everything trembled. The Violet Sea seethed. All of the Cultivators who remained conscious in the outpost passed out.

Naruto looked at the mastiff, at its enormous frame, its fierce appearance, and its intrepid Cultivation base. However, even if the mastiff grew more fierce in appearance, to Naruto, it was the same, fluffy little puppy that had run along at his side all those years ago.

It was still his partner, the partner who had fought with him in the Blood Immortal legacy tournament, and had refused to leave his side.

It was the same mastiff who had stood guard over him atop that lonely mountain in the Blood Immortal legacy tournament. No matter how exhausted or injured it grew, even when it was on the verge of death, it refused to leave. It put its own life on the line to protect Naruto. Even when exhausted and nearing the point of death, all it wanted was for Naruto to lift his hand and pet its head.

Naruto would never forget all of that. He had watched as the mastiff, its body broken and nearly destroyed, crawled over to him and then exerted all the effort it could muster just to lick his hand.

Then he thought about how it had saved him during the encounter with Danzo, using all its power to fling him out of the portal. Innumerable hands had stretched out to grab it, and it was pulled down into the sludge. Just before it disappeared, it had stuck its tongue out, as if in a final attempt to lick its master.

How could Naruto… possibly forget such things?!

"Blood Mastiff," he said softly, looking at the gigantic, ferocious mastiff. He saw the shocking spurs, and the astonishing aura it emanated.

His voice was soft, but the instant it left his mouth, the mastiff suddenly trembled. It turned its head and looked in confusion toward Naruto. But then, its expression turned gentle, even happy. It slowly lowered its head, allowing Naruto to rub its nose. It carefully extended its tongue to lick Naruto's hand.

As Naruto rubbed its nose, it emitted a contented growl, just like it had when it was tiny.

Naruto smiled as he gently pet the mastiff. He thought about that time outside the Rebirth Cave when the mastiff, despite being asleep, had exerted all the power it could to extend a single paw.

"Hey buddy, I haven't seen you for more than a hundred years…." he said softly. "Let's go wipe out that damned Heavenly Pursuit Tribe!" His killing intent suddenly boiled up. At the same time, the mastiff's killing intent exploded to the sky. It roared, the sound of which was like thunder. Naruto leaped up into the air, flying up to stand on the mastiff's head. He waved his right hand, causing a massive wave to sweep out and pick up the Golden Crow Tribe members, as well as the bodies of their dead.

Under Naruto's control, the Violet Sea's power of extermination was restricted, ensuring that the Golden Crow Tribe members would not be harmed in any way.

Naruto looked at Mabui and the others. "We're going together. There's a debt of blood that can only be paid back… with blood!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the mastiff roared again and then shot up into the sky, taking Naruto with it. Mabui and the other old-timers felt their blood beginning to grow hot, just like it had in the old days. They and the other Tribe members shot forward within the wave.

They did not leave for the Black Lands. Instead, they went to the nearest outpost, the ninth.

Under the orders of Patriarch Hashirama, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe had gone to war with the Golden Crow Tribe in order to force Naruto out. It had cost them quite a bit, but in the first battle, they had managed to capture five hundred prisoners. Those captives had been subjected to endless forms of torture. Their Cultivation bases had been ruined, and they were then sent to the ten outposts in the Western Desert Sea to be strung up!

They were hung out in the open, exposed to the elements. The entire purpose… was so that Naruto would see it. In Patriarch Hashirama's estimation, once Naruto saw, he would be forced to appear.

If he didn't, then his totems would be severely weakened and he would lose his faith power. In actuality, Naruto had long since reached the point where he didn't need either of those. He had successfully formed his Nascent Soul. As such, he was both a totemic Sacred Ancient, and… wasn't.

In any case, Patriarch Hashirama had severely miscalculated. Naruto… would definitely appear.

However, the reason was because of sentiment, and because of the Golden Crow Tribe!

"Our slaughter… will begin with the ten outposts on the Violet Sea!"

The mastiff roared as it shot forward with the incredible speed of Spirit Severing. Naruto stood on top of its head, the wind whipping his clothes about. The killing intent in his eyes only continued to grow thicker, and his determination to exterminate the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe grew even stronger.

BOOM!

The second outpost soon became visible. After consulting with the former members of the Crow Divinity Tribe, he now knew that although the tenth outpost belonged to the Heavenly Court Alliance, it was mostly controlled by the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

The second, fifth, and ninth outposts were all the same. As for the seventh outpost which Naruto had already destroyed, the blame for that could be placed squarely on the shoulders of the two old men who had tried to kill him.

"I don't care what Tribe they belong to," said Naruto, his eyes glowing coldly, "anyone who dares to string up my Golden Crow Tribe members… deserves to die!"

There was no need for an order from Naruto. The Blood Mastiff's eyes glowed with red light as it neared the second outpost.

AAAAOOOOOOOO!

The sound of the roar created a sonic boom which sent mad, invisible power sweeping out. As it slammed into the outpost, a spell formation activated. However, it could only stand up to the roar for the space of a single breath before it collapsed into pieces.

At the same time, the Cultivators of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe within the outpost began to fly into the air, looks of shock on their faces. Before they could even react, a gale force wind swept toward them. Each and every Cultivator was instantly shredded into pieces, completely destroyed in body and soul.

An off-kilter roar of despair rose up from within the outpost. It belonged to a Cultivator who was at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage. His body was trembling, and he was surrounded by the reek of blood. To see so many people slaughtered in front of his eyes was like something from a nightmare.

He knew that for a single roar to do that could only mean that he was facing… Spirit Severing!

"Your Excellency, who are you? We are Cultivators from the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe of the Heavenly Court Alliance!"

"I am the totemic Sacred Ancient of the Golden Crow Tribe, Naruto. I'm here to save my people and to eradicate the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe!"

Naruto's voice was like a cold wind that blasted out in all directions. He pointed with the index finger of his right hand, causing a massive collection of Violet Chakra to amass up ahead and form into the shape of a blade. It shot forward directly toward the peak late Nascent Soul Cultivator who had just spoken.

The Cultivator's face fell as he heard Naruto's cold, echoing words. His scalp went numb and he shot backward in astonishment, both hands performing an incantation gesture. Vast quantities of magical items appeared as he attempted to fight back.

When all of his defenses met Naruto's Violet Chakra Guillotine, it was clear that they were so weak they couldn't stand up to a single attack. One after another, they shattered into pieces. Booms could be heard as the Violet Chakra Guillotine sliced through the body of the Cultivator.

Blood exploded out into the air. The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Cultivator trembled and looked down to see that his body had been completely cut in two. Even his Nascent Soul was destroyed.

The corpse splashed down into the Violet Sea and the mastiff let out another astonishing roar. The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe city guards in the outpost began to bleed from their eyes, ear, nose and mouth. One by one, regardless of the level of their Cultivation base, they dropped dead.

Regarding the other Cultivators in the city, Naruto didn't kill them.

He strode down from off of the mastiff until he stood in front of the fifty Golden Crow Tribe members strung up within the outpost.

More than twenty of them were already dead. The rest slowly opened their listless, sallow eyes. When they saw Naruto in front of them, they gaped.

Among the group were two old ones whose bodies began to tremble. Their eyes filled with unprecedented emotion.

"Exalted… exalted Sacred Ancient!"

"Senior, it's you…."

These two old ones had accompanied Naruto during the long migration and campaign of war of the Crow Divinity Tribe. They almost didn't dare to believe what they were seeing. They had never imagined that it might be possible see their Sacred Ancient once again during their lives.

Naruto looked back at them, and his expression softened. "It's me. I've… returned."

He waved his right hand, sweeping up all the Golden Crow Tribe members into a wind that gently placed them onto the ground. The wind carried life force which nourished them. Mabui and the others who were being carried along by the wave instantly rushed over.

Excited shouts instantly could be heard from the members of the Golden Crow Tribe. Many of these people had never seen Naruto before, only his statue. However, as soon as they heard his words, indescribable emotions filled the hearts of everyone present. "Exalted Sacred Ancient… we offer our sincerest greetings!"

As for the old people, it suddenly caused them to recall all the struggles of the past years.

Naruto looked at them with similar thoughts. However, when he saw the corpses of the Tribe Members who had not survived, his heart filled with stabs of pain. His rage toward the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe grew only more intense.

"I've returned to take you with me… to collect a blood debt!" He turned and flew back up into the air. The Violet Sea roared as it swept up the Tribe members. Together, they moved onward.

Shortly thereafter….

The Blood Mastiff roared toward the first outpost. Massive paws rose up to attack the spell formation. A boom could be heard as it shattered into pieces. The Heavenly Court Alliance Cultivators who were maintaining it instantly exploded, destroyed in body and spirit.

As soon as Naruto arrived, the slaughter began. It didn't matter the Cultivation base involved. Core Formation. Nascent Soul. Any member of the Heavenly Court Alliance in the ten outposts who had dared to string up the Golden Crow Tribe members… were swept over by Naruto and exterminated.

The Tribe in control of the first outpost was the Wild Flame Tribe of the Heavenly Court Alliance. They watched the slaughter in shock. Two middle-aged men with the highest Cultivation bases recognized who Naruto was, and knew of his hatred and desire for revenge against the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. It was without hesitation that they instantly turned and fled.

However, before they could get very far, two enormous arms suddenly stretched up from within the Violet Sea. The men were grabbed and then violently crushed. Bloodcurdling screams rang out, but were quickly cut off.

The wooden planks of the outpost ran with blood, which then flowed down into the Violet Sea.

After rescuing the Golden Crow Tribe members, Naruto led them all to the third outpost. Then the fourth, and the fifth….

Everywhere he went, the slaughter rose up to the sky. However… no amount of killing appeared capable of lessening Naruto's fury. Instead, he began to grow even more berserk.

The reason was because each outpost he went to, he found more and more corpses of the Golden Crow Tribe, and fewer survivors. In fact, at the eighth outpost, of the group of fifty, all had passed away. The corpses had even begun to rot.

The sight of it caused Naruto's body to tremble. He felt as if his entire person were on fire. Among the dead Tribe members were five whose faces he recognized. They had died with their eyes open, and within those eyes could be seen an enmity and desire for revenge that could not be wiped away even by death.

They would not close their eyes, nor would Naruto force them to. He would allow these dead Golden Crow Tribe members to watch with their own eyes as the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe was eradicated.

Only then… could they close their eyes in death and be content.

Naruto flicked his sleeve and then headed toward the ninth outpost.

By now, several days had passed. Naruto was sure that his appearance had been noticed by certain parties. If his suppositions were correct, Patriarch Hashirama would be arriving soon.

And that was exactly what Naruto was waiting for! Patriarch Hashirama was of the Spirit Severing stage, but…. So what!?

With the mastiff here, and Naruto being the master of the Violet Sea, he could battle with the Spirit Severing stage. Not fighting was something he couldn't comprehend. Not fighting would leave his heart unsettled. Not fighting… was something he refused to do!

 _You want to drag me into the matter? Well, since there is no way to avoid a fight, then all of my explanations are useless. Fine, then… let's fight!_

 _Patriarch Hashirama, I am in the Violet Sea, waiting for you!_

To Naruto, the Violet Sea was the most advantageous location to do battle. That was why he he had exterminated the members of the Heavenly Court Alliance in the outposts. He wanted the battle to be fought in the Violet Sea, not the Black Lands.

"You've forced me to fight, Patriarch Hashirama. Well then, I will force you to fight on my home ground!" Despite the fact that his fury boiled up into the Heavens, Naruto was as calm as ever. He knew that his current actions would quickly be relayed to Patriarch Hashirama, who would personally come, and soon.

The Devil Spear appeared in Naruto's hand. He hurled it out, causing a towering mist to appear as it shot toward the ninth outpost. By this point, Naruto had possessed the Devil Spear for more than a hundred years. Despite the fact that he had been in secluded meditation most of that time, the spear had continued to fade away.

Even still, after a hundred years had passed, it had not faded away completely.

The power of the spear slammed into the spell formation, inside of which were the Heavenly Court Alliance Cultivators of the ninth outpost, all ready to do battle.

It was impossible to tell exactly how the Heavenly Court Alliance had pulled it off, but there were even Cultivators inside who were not of the alliance, staring out at Naruto with intense killing intent. Within their eyes was also greed. There were seven hundred people in total, all of them brimming with the desire to slay Naruto.

Obviously, they had been promised of an enticing reward by the Heavenly Court Alliance if Naruto were to be killed.

As the Devil Spear neared, an arrogant voice rang out from within the outpost.

"Pour full power into the spell formation! Patriarch Hashirama knows that this villain is here, and is on his way!"

BANG!

Even as the voice echoed out within the spell formation, the sound of an explosion rang out, interrupting the words. The spell formation shook violently; at the same time, vast quantities of black mist spread out, causing the spell formation to erode. Countless vicious faces could be seen consuming everything.

In only the space of a few breaths, the spell formation grew incredibly weak because of the corrosion of the Devil Spear. The faces, filled with excitement and persistence, suddenly burst through and shot toward the seven hundred Cultivators. Miserable screams suddenly lifted up into the air.

The area of the spell formation that the Devil Spear had struck corroded away until there was a huge hole. The black mist suddenly congealed together into the form of a face, exactly the same face that had belonged to the Devil Construct from years ago.

The face, filled with a greedy thirst for blood, transformed into a devilish mist that spread out to cover the entire ninth outpost. The only safe place was the location where the Golden Crow Tribe members were.

Naruto floated in mid-air. This was the first time he had completely wiped out the population of an entire outpost. In this case, these Cultivators had made their own choice to deliver themselves up to death.

The black Devil Spear mist roiled and churned. Intense, bloodcurdling screams could be heard for a few moments. Suddenly, seven or eight figures shot out from inside. Even as they did, Naruto waved his hand, causing them to scream and then explode into pieces.

The surrounding Violet Sea surged up with huge waves that submerged the outpost. The black mist shrank down to surround the Golden Crow Tribe members and bring them to Naruto.

There were only eight Tribe members who were still alive. As Naruto treated their injuries, his killing intent grew even more intense.

He turned, returning to stand on the mastiff's head. A great wave rose up in the Violet Sea to take the Golden Crow Tribe members as they headed toward the last of the outposts.

Almost in the same moment in which Naruto headed off, a black beam suddenly appeared near the Black Lands. It employed speed that far exceeded the Nascent Soul stage, even employed greater teleportation as it moved.

Within the black beam was a man wearing a black robe. This was apparently nothing more that Patriarch Hashirama's clone!

His face was grim, and he did not speak. His body flickered as he teleported, growing ever nearer to the tenth outpost.

"Tobirama," he murmured, "today, father will achieve only half of the vengeance you deserve. Soon, I will find the person who actually killed you, and that person will die the most cruel death imaginable.

"Tobirama, no one in the world is qualified to kill you. Only me… Only I have that right." His eyes were filled with kindness. For some reason, however, the kindness was bizarre. Anyone who saw it would feel cold, and their hair would stand on end in terror.

The tenth outpost was waiting, its spell formation fully activated in preparation to meet this deadly foe.

It was night now, and the light of the spell formation was not soft, but rather, resplendent. It shone out onto the waters of the sea with brilliant colors. The radiance of the light emanated a mighty aura which made it clear that this spell formation was far more powerful than the formations from the other outposts.

In fact, there was no way to compare them. The spell formation of the tenth outpost seemed so incredibly powerful that it would surely make it very difficult for Naruto to break through it.

In the middle of the spell formation, the Cultivators waited vigilantly, their Chakra settled and their minds calm.

There were sixteen Nascent Soul Cultivators present who sat cross-legged, meditating. Three were at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage. Those three sat in three different directions, each sharing a portion of the recoil caused by the spell formation.

There were even more Cultivators maintaining the general operation of the spell formation. The entire outpost was completely silent.

They knew of the destruction of the other nine outposts, and of the slaughter carried out by Naruto. They knew that they were about to face up against something completely terrifying.

However, they weren't very afraid. They knew that Patriarch Hashirama was coming, and so had made up their minds to not leave the spell formation. They had quite a bit of trust in its strength, and believed that as long as they stuck together, Naruto would not be able to quickly break through.

As long as they could hold out until Patriarch Hashirama arrived, then the sky would become clear after the storm, so to speak, and everything would return to normal. Naruto would assuredly be killed!

Virtually everyone in the tenth outpost felt the same way. Also within the spell formation was a tall rack, upon which hung the corpses of fifty members of the Golden Crow Tribe. Not a single one remained alive. They were all dead….

They had died days before, actually. Especially noteworthy was that one of the dead tribe members had no body, only the head, that of an old man. His Cultivation base had clearly been destroyed before he died, rendering him nothing but a mortal.

Also within the spell formation were two enormous war chariots shaped like crossbows. They glowed with a black radiance, and had an indistinct, fierce aura. Cultivators were mounted on the chariots, ready to use them at a moment's notice.

Time passed. Soon, the deepest hour of night approached. The sky was pitch black. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle rise and fall of the waves. All of a sudden, a beam of bright light appeared in the sky. It instantly caught the attention of all the Cultivators.

"He's here!"

"This Naruto has really got some guts. However, it doesn't matter that he dares to attack us. He'll never be able to break through the spell formation!" Quite a few people were looking up with cold smiles on their faces. However, even as they looked up at the red glow….

The Violet Sea around the tenth outpost suddenly surged into a huge whirlpool. The whirlpool spun faster and faster, causing the faces of everyone in the outpost to flicker. The water seethed and the airships bobbed up and down. Booming filled the air.

Next, the bright beam of light in the air neared, and the mastiff's enormous frame became visible. The crowds could also see Naruto standing on its head. He wore a long green robe, and his face was extremely grim and dark. An astonishing killing aura rose up around him.

Naruto's eyes swept across the tenth outpost, then suddenly came to a stop. His pupils constricted as he stared at the corpses of the Golden Crow Tribe members hanging from the rack, and the head.

When he saw the head, his heart filled with stabs of pain.

It was Motoi!

"Patriarch Hashirama…." he murmured. "Heavenly Pursuit Tribe." The killing aura in his eyes changed, becoming ruthlessly dense. He looked down at the tenth outpost and pointed his finger.

Instantly, the Violet Sea roared as the whirlpool that surrounded the tenth outpost suddenly rose up into the air.

A massive pillar of seawater, three thousand meters in area, completely enveloped the outpost. Roaring filled the air. It was like the eruption of a geyser. The outpost's spell formation was utterly incapable of standing up to such power. It immediately exploded.

At the same time, the vast collection of airships began to shatter into pieces. The crowds of Cultivators in the outpost were screaming miserably. They couldn't even control their own bodies as they were swept into the seawater. As soon as they touched it, the death will in the seawater collided with their life forces, causing the power of extermination to erupt.

In the blink of an eye, before any of the Cultivators could even use a divine ability, their bodies burst. The could not fight back, or block, or evade!

All of their power had been focused in defending against attacks from above. All their plans had been based on the reports regarding Naruto's Cultivation base and the fearsomeness of the mastiff. They hadn't prepared for… an explosive attack by the Violet Sea!

How could they ever have imagined that someone could actually control… the Western Desert's Apocalyptic Violet Sea!?

It was impossible to believe that someone could even enter into the Violet Sea. Therefore, the outpost's seemingly fierce and powerful spell formation had a fatal flaw: it had no bottom!

Roaring filled the air as the entire tenth outpost was completely scattered and smashed. All the advanced preparations that had been made were crushed like dry weeds under the power of the Apocalyptic Violet Sea. The two war chariots weren't even able to make a single attack before they were crushed by the seawater and destroyed.

Crowds of people died without Naruto having to make a single attack of his own. A mere thought on his part caused the Violet Sea to explode out, completely burying the tenth outpost.

This was his home ground!

The Western Desert Violet Sea!

The corpses sank down, and the wreckage floated about. Not a single person in the tenth outpost was capable of existing within the exterminating power of the Violet Sea. All of them… were dead!

Death is oftentimes quite simple.

Life is oftentimes quite fragile.

People who have never witnessed death might not understand these two statements. Sometimes, only after witnessing many deaths can one truly understand life.

Naruto hovered in mid-air looking down at the death below him. He said nothing. The waters of the Violet Sea that had shot up into the air now transformed into a violet rain that slowly fell back down onto the wreckage below.

Naruto slowly lifted his head to gaze off into the distant sky.

In the gigantic wave on the Violet Sea, there were now more than a hundred living members of the Golden Crow Tribe. The rest… were all corpses.

The living members were only there because Naruto had saved them. Had only a few more days passed, all of them would have been dead.

This number of deaths was actually somewhat trivial when compared to how many people had died during the migration. However, these deaths were fundamentally avoidable. Furthermore, the entire matter actually had nothing to do with the Golden Crow Tribe.

Even Naruto was a victim in this case. By now, Naruto was certain that Patriarch Hashirama knew the truth of what had happened.

He stood there silently atop the mastiff, glancing around coldly.

He was waiting. Waiting for Patriarch Hashirama to arrive!

Before too much time passed, a black beam appeared in the sky that was even blacker than the night. As it approached it kicked up a shocking windstorm.

Within the windstorm was a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe. His hands were clasped behind his back as he strode through the air.

His long hair whipped about in the wind, and his eyes were piercingly bright. The aura that he emitted made him seem as if he were fused with Heaven and Earth. It seemed to contain its own law of nature that, in the blink of an eye, made the man suddenly translucent.

Suddenly, a Domain which exterminated emotion began to interfere with Heaven and Earth, enveloping everything. Around Naruto, black snowflakes suddenly began to flutter down.

This was Patriarch Hashirama!

"Naruto!" he said coldly as he strode through the air. Cracking sounds could suddenly be heard from the Violet Sea beneath him as layers of ice formed.

Even the surrounding air began to freeze as a black snowstorm surrounded Patriarch Hashirama. Another sound rang out, something that was like tens of thousands of voices all calling out Naruto's name.

A power Naruto had never encountered before suddenly descended. It was like a natural law within the area. It appeared in Naruto's mind and then transformed into an unprecedentedly loud noise that exceeded that of thunder and lightning.

It was as if it were calling out to deceased souls, trying to collect together the broken spirits. Actually, Patriarch Hashirama's divine ability could better be described as…

A shocking call of broken souls!

The coldness in the area seemed to be filled with emotionlessness. The coldness of the voices seemed to contain a heavenly might based on the lack of emotion. The sounds fused together, transforming into something like a rule of law… that could not be ignored!

This was the Spirit Severing stage. A simple sound was enough to exterminate all Nascent Soul Cultivators. Even someone of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage was puny to the extreme in front of a Spirit Severing Cultivator.

Boom!

Naruto's mind trembled, and his soul felt as if it were going to shatter and explode out of his body. The flame of his life flickered, as if it were about to be snuffed out. However… he was not an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator. He had a Perfect Nascent Soul Cultivation base with Divine Sense that had a range of 29,999 meters.

His seven Nascent Souls sat cross-legged in his dantian region, eyes closed, almost as if sleeping. Suddenly, all of their eyes snapped open.

In that instant, the power of Naruto's Divine Sense exploded up within him, fighting back against the power of law that was being levied against him.

Roaring filled the air as Naruto retreated backward. He lifted his head up, and his eyes were bright and clear.

"So, you're Patriarch Hashirama!" he said slowly, looking at the approaching middle-aged man. Naruto's eyes shone with a fierce glow. He had seen this man before, of course. It was the same person who had tried to kill him when he left the Black Lands.

Even as he spoke, Naruto's expression began to radiate killing intent. He remembered hearing Tsukino say that this man… was merely a clone!

Patriarch Hashirama's eyes glittered, as if he found it very strange that Naruto was able to recover from his power of law. He continued forward nonetheless, not stopping for a moment as he approached Naruto.

Such action had a lot to do with his personality, and Hashirama's special fighting style. Any time he fought someone, he would push down on them with an intense pressure.

As he neared Naruto, it seemed as if his aura grew even stronger, fusing together with the surroundings, becoming inseparable.

The might of Spirit Severing was impossible to overlook. The surroundings seemed to be changing only because of him.

Patriarch Hashirama didn't even look at the wreckage floating on the surface of the Violet Sea, as if he didn't care about it at all. "Answer me. Who killed my only son, Tobirama?"

He suddenly stopped in mid-air. His voice echoed out, and his expression was calm, even cool. He glanced over Naruto, and then the mastiff. At that point, his pupils constricted.

After hearing Patriarch Hashirama's words, Naruto's expression was the same as ever. That was his personality. The more he wanted to kill someone, the less he spoke. From the words Patriarch Hashirama had spoken just now, it was obvious that he was well aware of what had actually happened.

"What's the point in more talk?" said Naruto coolly. "You want to fight? Let's fight." As he spoke, he lifted up his right hand and made a snatching motion. Instantly, the black Devil Spear appeared in his hand. He hurled it out, causing a boom to ring out as the spear shot forward at an incredible speed.

As it screamed through the air, roaring sounds could be heard coming from the spear as boundless black mist appeared. Within the mist were innumerable vicious faces. Their bloodthirsty smiles were filled with greed.

In some indistinct way, the mist actually seemed to be forming into an enormous head. It was the head… of the Devil Construct!

The Devil Spear had now completely unleashed the explosive power of Demon Weapon Lonelytomb's Devil Construct. It shot through the air with a droning sound.

The spear had nothing to do with Naruto's Cultivation base. Its mightiness was completely self-contained. However, it was still nothing but a strand of a Devil Construct that couldn't even compare to the real Demon Weapon Lonelytomb.

Even still, when the Devil Spear exploded out, it was powerful enough to slay any Nascent Soul Cultivator. As for Spirit Severing… Naruto wasn't sure. Therefore, he had decided to test it out.

"Area," said Patriarch Hashirama, his voice calm and his expression unchanging. He lifted his right hand and then gestured forward. Instantly, everything within three hundred meters turned into his own Area world!

This divine ability was little different than natural law. It was a magical ability belonging to the Spirit Severing stage. The Area was not large, only three hundred meters. A three hundred meter Area which was a world only his own. Within that world, Patriarch Hashirama had ultimate power. No divine abilities or magical techniques would be capable of breaking open the Area to harm him in any way.

This is what sets Spirit Severing completely above Nascent Soul. In the Spirit Severing stage, divine abilities become natural laws!

Nothing within the three hundred meter Area seemed unusual. However, in that instant, Naruto could sense that Patriarch Hashirama had turned the space surrounding him into his own world.

A boom could be heard. As soon as the Devil Spear entered the three hundred meter region, it was defeated and transformed into a black mist. The mist spread out as if it were trying to infect the area, but Naruto could tell that it was actually fighting back against the world around it.

Such formidableness, such usage of natural law, was the first time that Naruto personally experienced the mightiness of Spirit Severing. Patriarch Reliance ran away without fighting. At Holy Snow City, he had been fused with the Agarwood legacy.

Outside of Blackgate Fort, Tsukino had stepped in.

This was the first time Naruto was truly facing up against a Spirit Severing expert.

"Childish," said Patriarch Hashirama. He moved forward, causing the sense of pressure to grow even more intense. He didn't even attack; he simply advanced. As he did, the three hundred meter Space went along with him. The mist that was the Devil Spear seemed to be completely suppressed by the world around it. Popping sounds could be heard from inside as it shrank down on itself. The countless faces sucked inward, transforming into the head of the Devil Construct.

The expression on its face was one of unprecedented seriousness. Underneath the suppressive pressure, it began to howl. It then started to back up, dissipating the entire time, as if it were on the verge of being destroyed. Patriarch Hashirama neared it, and it was at this moment that the Devil Construct exploded into action. Suddenly, Demonic Chakra began to shot toward it from all directions, transforming into ripples that fought against the Area world and enabled the Devil Construct to successfully escape.

It fled, surrounding by roaring sounds, to return to Naruto. The black mist was now extremely faint, as if it were on the verge of dissipating completely. Naruto collected it up grimly. As of this point, Patriarch Hashirama was about three hundred meters away from Naruto.

Naruto backed up. Even at this distance of three hundred meters, he could clearly sense the fearsomeness of a Spirit Severing expert.

"There's no need to feel resentment," Patriarch Hashirama said calmly as he looked at Naruto. "I understand how Karma works. If you want to blame something, blame your own bad fortune."

At this moment, the mastiff lifted its head up and howled, the sound of which caused everything to shake. Suddenly, power exploded out, revealing its Spirit Severing aura.

As soon as the aura appeared, Patriarch Hashirama's pupils constricted. He looked over at the mastiff with a serious look.

At the same time, a bloody glow began to shine out from the mastiff's eyes. It suddenly shot forward, entering into Patriarch Hashirama's three hundred meter Area. As soon as it entered, the Area began to distort.

It roared again, causing red-colored ripples to emanate out from its body. They spread out in all directions, coming into contact with Patriarch Hashirama's Area. Patriarch Hashirama's face went pale, as if all the blood in his body were suddenly flowing in reverse.

A fierce glow shone up from his eyes. This entire time, he had been moving forward, but now, he stopped.

He gave the mastiff a closer look and then slowly said, "One moment of contact, and it cost me ten percent of my Essence Blood. This Immortal Beast isn't bad at all. It clearly has gained enlightenment from a Spirit Severing legacy, but isn't of Spirit Severing itself. Still… such a will of undeath is truly rare."

A tremor ran through the mastiff's body as it was suddenly pushed back several paces. It let out a threatening growl as it stared fixedly at Patriarch Hashirama.

The Blood Mastiff's Domain was exactly as Patriarch Hashirama had said. It was acquired via a legacy, and had not been gained from personal enlightenment. However, the legacy Domain of the Blood Immortal was no trivial matter; it was a will of undeath!

The First Severing had been a Severing of blood! All the blood in the body, Severed!

Blood represents life. Therefore, Severing blood is equivalent to severing life! Life without death is… undeath!

Therefore, this Domain of undeath could affect natural laws, and create a world in which blood was prohibited!

Almost in the same moment in which the invisible struggle between the Blood Mastiff and Patriarch Hashirama unfolded, Naruto's eyes glittered. Having tested out Patriarch Hashirama's strength, he was now able to form somewhat of an image in his mind, clarifying the differences between himself and Spirit Severing.

"I… CAN fight it!" He strode forward two paces. With those two steps, roaring filled his body as he entered the Second Anima. The power of two great circle Nascent Souls exploded out in his body.

His aura radiated out like a whirlwind. His body grew taller and more intrepid. He took a third step, and instantly, entered the Third Anima of his Seven Animas Soul Transformations. The combination of three Nascent Souls caused his body to explode with battle prowess equivalent to four great circle Nascent Souls. He grew taller and even more powerful.

"Even if you do possess some temporary way to magically power up," said Patriarch Hashirama coolly, "it is still… thinking far too much of yourself!" He waved his sleeve, causing the three hundred meter Area to distort in ripples toward the mastiff. The mastiff let out a growling roar as bloody light exploded up from its body. It also manifested an Area world to fight back, although it was only about 250 meters.

Battles of Spirit Severing were different from those of Nascent Soul Cultivators. All Spirit Severing Cultivators have Area worlds. Without breaking the Area world, the Spirit Severing Cultivator is incapable of being harmed.

Between the Mastiff and Patriarch Hashirama, the Area worlds opposed each other. Naruto's wind whipped about, and his aura shot up. He took a fourth step forward.

Four Nascent Souls combined. Popping sounds rang out in waves as Naruto's body grew even taller and stronger. The aura of a scholar was now gone, replaced instead by the evil sense of an Immortal Devil. The battle prowess of eight full circle Nascent Souls exploded out.

Such battle prowess, such energy, caused the wind in the area to scream into a vortex that swirled around Naruto. His clothes danced in the wind, and his eyes shone with a blinding light. At this point, even Patriarch Hashirama couldn't help but be visibly affected by such power.

Patriarch Hashirama had never encountered another great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator as powerful or shocking as Naruto. Such fearsome strength would enable him to sweep across the entire Nascent Soul stage.

"You have an excellent temporary power up magic…." said thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing.

It was at this point that Naruto took a fifth step, his eyes fixed dead on Patriarch Hashirama. As of this point, he had now entered Patriarch Hashirama's three hundred meter Area.

The instant it happened, Naruto felt an incredible sense of pressure weighing down on him from the Area world. It felt like a mountain had suddenly been dropped onto his body, to crush it into a pulp. As soon as that incredible pressure weighed down on him, however, Naruto's body emitted a roar as five colors united and he entered the Fifth Anima!

With the Fifth Anima came sixteen times the battle prowess of a great circle Nascent Soul. Such explosive power fought back against the enormous pressure exerted by the three hundred meter Area, causing distortions to ripple out.

The sight of it made Patriarch Hashirama to feel thorough astonishment.

The three hundred meter Area was something that would make the heads of any Nascent Soul Cultivator bow, even one of the great circle. All Patriarch Hashirama would have to do is exercise a thought, and that person would be crushed into pieces.

Naruto, however, was using some astonishing technique to make himself terrifyingly powerful and fight back against his three hundred meter Area.

"I can't let him live," thought Patriarch Hashirama. "He's only at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, and already has such terrifying power. If he ever Severs his Spirit…."

It was the first time he seemed to be taking the situation seriously. His killing intent grew, and he let out a cold harrumph. He immediately took a portion of the three hundred meter Area which was resisting the Blood Mastiff, and sent it crushing down onto Naruto.

"You'll be reaching your limit any second now, won't you!? In front of Spirit Severing… it doesn't matter how powerful your Nascent Soul, you're nothing but an insect!"

Even as Patriarch Hashirama sent the Area pressure bearing down onto Naruto, Naruto set his jaw. A tremor ran through his body, and his eyes shone with a cold, fierce light.

"Sixth Anima!"

Boom!

Six colors combined. Naruto grew taller, and looked just like an Immortal Devil. An indescribably aura of valiance skyrocketed up. He now possessed a Cultivation base equivalent to thirty-two great circle Nascent Souls. This was a level of Nascent Soul power that had never been seen before in the Cultivation world!

As he faced up against the pressure from the three hundred meter Area, Naruto focused all the power of his Sixth Anima Cultivation base into his hands. He lifted them up and then made a ripping motion.

In response, the air in front of him distorted, and a snapping sound could be heard. It was as if some shapeless obstacle had suddenly been torn. Naruto's body suddenly grew more relaxed, as if the invisible pressure had suddenly been removed.

"Mastiff!" said Naruto, charging forward. The mastiff howled, causing its two hundred fifty meter Area to focus around Naruto, following him as he shot toward Patriarch Hashirama.

For the second time, Patriarch Hashirama's expression changed because of Naruto.

He gave a cold harrumph. As Naruto and the Mastiff neared, he lifted his right hand and flicked his sleeve out in front of him. No magical item appeared, nor any divine ability. The sleeve was flicked casually. However, for a Spirit Severing Patriarch, the simple flick of a sleeve would explode out with incredible power.

The three hundred meter Area shrunk down to only one hundred fifty meters, causing its strength to double in intensity. The Area pushed down on everything with an incredible pressure that could suppress all divine abilities. Roaring filled the air as it slammed into Naruto and the mastiff and the one hundred fifty meter mark.

Booming sounds rose up into the sky. Naruto's right hand clenched into a fist and punched down. Roaring filled his body, as if this fist was capable of causing mountains to tremble. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, but his eyes glittered with a cold light. Thanks to this battle, he was now forming a much better understanding of Spirit Severing.

The mastiff's entire body trembled as it exploded with increased ferocity. The bloody light emanating from it pierced into the one hundred fifty meter Area. It also surrounded Naruto, forming a mighty power, allowing him to push forward with irresistible force.

Naruto shot directly toward Patriarch Hashirama. He stabbed clean through the one hundred fifty meter Area until he actually made contact with Patriarch Hashirama!

BAM!

Blood flowed out from Patriarch Hashirama's mouth, and he was forced to retreat several paces. The bright glow in his eyes grew more intense. His one hundred fifty meter Area suddenly shrunk under the power of the attacks against it. It rebounded into a seventy-five meter Area before finally counterbalancing the attacks from Naruto and the mastiff.

"This Immortal Beast is incredibly devious! It was actually concealing its true power!" Patriarch Hashirama's eyes glittered with killing intent. His expression gradually became tranquil again. However, despite the calm look, he was shaken inwardly. To encounter a Nascent Soul Cultivator who could shake his Spirit Severing Area in such a way caused his desire to kill Naruto to grow even stronger. Before Naruto could back up, Patriarch Hashirama advanced toward him along with his seventy-five meter Area.

"After I kill you, I'll skin this Immortal Beast and then debone it!" he said, his voice calm. Although his words contained no ripples of power, the killing intent they contained was incredibly obvious.

The seventy-five meter Area was like a restricted zone; entering it would result in immediate injury. As it moved forward, the air vibrated. Seeing that it was about to reach Naruto, the mastiff howled, and its eyes filled with a fierce glow. It had grown up with Naruto, so in terms of conning people, you could say that it had inherited the ability from its master.

Its own Area shrank and then shot forward. Its paws lifted into the air as it charged in a vicious attack.

Its claws were incredibly sharp. They slashed through the air toward Patriarch Hashirama's advancing Area. Booms filled the air, and Patriarch Hashirama's entire body shook. He suddenly stopped moving. At the same time, the Blood Mastiff trembled and coughed up a mouthful of life Chakra. Then, without even the slightest fear of death, it charged again.

This time, it didn't attack with its claws. It did not use its teeth either. Instead, it butted viciously with its head. This was Naruto's mastiff, and even if it died, it would protect Naruto and kill his enemies!

BANG!

More blood oozed out of Patriarch Hashirama's mouth, and he was forced backward again. He looked at the fierce and increasingly vicious mastiff, and his killing intent soared to the Heavens. He now felt an unprecedented jealousy regarding Naruto.

"Damnable Immortal Beast! It… it was hiding even more power than it revealed before! Immortal Beasts as treacherous as this are hard to come by!"

Even as Patriarch Hashirama defended himself yet again, Naruto's cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Seventh Anima!"

Boom!

Naruto's body grew rapidly once again. A violent, raging tempest sprang up around him. The sky dimmed and everything shook. His fleshly body grew even more powerful, to an astonishing degree. He now had far more power than thirty-two great circle Nascent Souls. Now he had… sixty-four!

A Nascent Soul Cultivator like this was unparalleled in history. Most likely, there would never be someone similar in the future, either. Naruto's hair whipped about. He was incredibly tall now, like an Immortal Demon. The strength of his fleshly body, his majestic battle prowess, and his incredible aura could shake the Heavens and Earth.

As of this moment, he was the most powerful of Nascent Soul Cultivators, someone who could fight the Spirit Severing stage!

He was now over half a meter taller than his original height. His shoulders were broad, his posture ramrod straight. He looked like a Devil Divinity, emanating an aura that would cause anyone to pant. His eyes were cold and sharp in such a way that made it seem as if everything in the area would surely freeze.

"Impossible!" Patriarch Hashirama's face fell. As of this moment, Naruto was emanating an unprecedented pressure, something that Patriarch Hashirama would only expect to see when facing up against someone of the same stage as himself!

At the same moment in which Patriarch Hashirama's seventy-five meter Area neared Naruto, Naruto unhesitatingly shot forward. Relying only on the strength of his fleshly body, he charged directly into the seventy-five meter Area.

BANG!

Distorted ripples spread out through the seventy-five meter Area. It shrank down, turning into a thirty meter Area. Naruto, the spitting image of a Devil Divinity, immediately appeared thirty meters away from the shocked Patriarch Hashirama. He clenched his fist and punched.

This was not a divine ability, or a magical technique. There was no magical item involved. This was just the terrifying power of his fleshly body. The battle prowess of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls, fused together. It formed… a shocking punch that had never before been seen in the Nascent Soul stage of the Cultivation world!

BOOMMMMM!

Naruto's punch completely shattered the thirty meter Area, breaking it up into countless pieces that exploded out in all directions. A Spirit Severing Area, shattered!

In the same moment, the mastiff howled and shot forward like lightning. Even as the Spirit Severing Area collapsed, it charged Patriarch Hashirama, its sharp, awe-inspiring fangs savagely biting down.

BAM!

Patriarch Hashirama waved both hands forward to block. His body shook violently, and he was sent tumbling backward, his face filling with an expression of utter disbelief and shock. He could never have possibly imagined that his Spirit Severing Area would be broken to pieces by a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Even as it was happening, he could scarcely believe it. As of now, his desire to kill Naruto had reached a pinnacle. In fact, deep in his heart, he had begun to regret provoking Naruto.

A powerful expert like this, someone from the Nascent Soul stage who could battle against the Spirit Severing stage, was like a nightmare to any Cultivator. If he were not killed, it would likely result in the calamitous extermination of an entire Tribe.

"You WILL die this day!" howled Patriarch Hashirama. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Naruto, who was currently behind the mastiff. Naruto's intrepid fleshly body caused Patriarch Hashirama to pause momentarily as feelings of jealousy rose up within him. He suddenly performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing the image of an enormous wheel to suddenly appear in front of him.

It was in this moment that Naruto shot forward through the air with another punch.

In the blink of an eye, he was closing in on Patriarch Hashirama….

"Wheel of Time, Universal Death! First Rotation, Time Destruction!" He performed a final incantation and then pushed his hand forward. The illusory image in front of him suddenly became clear. It was a black chariot wheel!

It emanated the archaic feeling of time, and was branded with countless magical symbols. The magical symbols flickered with light as the wheel suddenly began to rotate.

Naruto's fist descended, and was just about the slam into the wheel, when suddenly an intense feeling filled his mind. The mastiff sensed it a bit faster; it suddenly grabbed him with his mouth and shot backward with him in retreat.

At the same time, boundless Time power exploded out from the wheel. This type of power was different than than the type that Naruto wielded. This power was that of reversal. Naruto was astonished to see that even as he retreated, the Area which he had shattered was being restored. After having retreated more than sixty meters, Naruto's Seventh Anima was beginning to dissolve.

Patriarch Hashirama smiled coldly, and his eyes shone with a cold disdain. He suddenly vanished, then shockingly reappeared right behind Naruto. He reached out and then gestured forward with his finger. The mastiff howled, and red light expanded as it shot forward to block the finger attack.

Patriarch Hashirama frowned and cursed inwardly as he forced the attack to complete. Booms could be heard as the red light shattered. Ignoring the incoming Blood Mastiff and its gaping mouth, Patriarch Hashirama continued to stab his finger toward Naruto's back.

The finger attack landed, and a roaring could be heard. However, what it hit was layers of Eyeless Larva silk! The silk prevented ninety percent of the force of the blow from hitting Naruto.

The remaining ten percent slammed into Naruto, causing blood to spray from his mouth. As he tumbled forward, Patriarch Hashirama was just about to pursue when the mastiff bit down. Patriarch Hashirama trembled violently and blood sprayed from his mouth. He was forced to retreat backward several paces and abandon pursuit of Naruto.

"Tough little bastard!" said Patriarch Hashirama through gritted teeth. He could only watch as Naruto sped away from him, while he was held up by the frenzied, crimson mastiff. Unable to pursue, he could only let out a cold harrumph. He knew that the power of Time was still going to envelop Naruto, and that there was nothing he could to do escape it.

"Since that's the case," said Patriarch Hashirama, performing an incantation gesture, "I'll just slaughter this little animal of yours!" Booming filled the air and the mastiff howled as its Area was shattered. However, the red glow coming off of its body suddenly transformed into countless red spikes that shot toward Patriarch Hashirama. The battle between the two instantly exploded out. At the same time, Patriarch Hashirama's eyes flickered as he continuously sought an opportunity to kill Naruto.

All of these things happened in the time it takes a spark to fly up off of a piece of flint. The blood that had sprayed from Naruto's mouth as he was sent tumbling suddenly seemed as if it was about to return into his mouth.

This power of Time gave Naruto an intense sense of grave crisis. As the blood moved backward toward him, violet light suddenly flickered in his eyes. The East Pill Division catalysis technique, the Time magic from Ino of the Black Sieve Sect, and the technique he had learned from the jade page, all combined into a branding mark that Naruto placed onto the mouthful of blood.

This was also a power of Time. However, instead of causing Time to flow backward, it did the opposite. The power exploded out, fighting back at the power from the Wheel of Time. Roaring rose up into the air. At the same time, Patriarch Hashirama was incapable of avoiding the mastiff, which teleported in to once again wound him with its slashing claws. Naruto's body was currently recovering. He suddenly transformed into a green smoke and a black moon, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Patriarch Hashirama made a slight, "Eee?" sound. By this point, Naruto had already reappeared in mid-air, blood seeping out of the corners of his mouth. There was no time to wipe it away. He looked over at Patriarch Hashirama, his eyes glittered with killing intent.

"Blood Mastiff!" bellowed Naruto. He shot up into the air, performing an incantation and then waving his arm. Instantly, an enormous face appeared. Simultaneously, the mastiff began to glow with a bright, bloody light that merged into the blood-colored face.

Combining the Blood Immortal divine ability with the power of the Blood Mastiff resulted in… a true Blood Immortal magic!

Before the mastiff had awakened, what Naruto could utilize could be counted as skills lacking true magic. Now, however, he was using true magic, a true divine ability!

The fact that Naruto was able to evade the Wheel of Time left Patriarch Hashirama amazed yet again. That was especially so because the method he had used to escape the Time reversal technique… was also Time!

"Your name isn't Naruto! It's Han!" said Patriarch Hashirama. This caused Naruto's pupils to constrict, and gave birth to a new idea. He did not respond to the words. Instead, he caused the battle prowess of sixty-four Nascent Souls to explode out. Instantly, the blood-colored face transformed into sixty-four separate faces, which transformed into ghost images that then superimposed over each other. Then they combined and shot toward Patriarch Hashirama.

As the blood-colored faces whizzed forward through the air, Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce his Wooden Time Swords. He did not employ their power of Time, but rather treated them as ordinary flying swords. They stabbed through the blood-colored face and then shot toward Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama frowned. He had a sneaky suspicion about what was going on. His right hand lifted up as he flashed an incantation gesture then pointed toward the Wheel of Time. Instantly, the ancient, black chariot wheel began to spin again. The power of Time then exploded out.

A massive roaring sound could be heard. Ripples caused the Violet Sea down below to seethe. Naruto's Blood Immortal divine ability face suddenly began to whither. In the blink of an eye it transformed into gray ash.

It was at this point that the Time Sword Formation appeared. The formation trembled as it shot out. For some reason, the formation seemed somewhat different than it had in the past.

It was as if encountering this new power of Time had somehow changed the Time Sword Formation.

At the same time, Patriarch Hashirama's Wheel of Time suddenly stopped moving and seemed to fade. The Time power inside of it was as boundless as ever, though. Patriarch Hashirama performed an incantation and pointed, causing the black wheel to fly screaming through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto continued to shoot backward in retreat. He spit out a mouthful of blood and then produced a medicinal pill which he immediately consumed. He then made a grasping motion with his right hand, causing the Devil Spear to appear. Although it appeared to be much more faint than before, there were still countless vicious, howling faces within its mist.

Without hesitation, Naruto shot backward, hurling the Devil Spear out. It buzzed through the air as it headed toward the black chariot wheel.

Next, Naruto's eyes began to shine with a strange light. He flicked his right sleeve, and at the same time, sent his Divine Sense into the Blood Immortal mask. Considering that he was currently in the Seventh Anima, as soon as his Divine Sense touched the flag of three streamers, he was able to fully employ the true power of the first streamer of the flag.

The air around him vibrated and distorted as a streamer as red as the color of blood suddenly appeared in Naruto's hand. It rippled in the air as Naruto waved it, causing a blood-like wind to suddenly rise up!

This was different from the times Naruto had wielded the flag of three streamers on previous occasions. This was the true manifestation of the first streamer, and was not illusory like before. The blood-colored tempest that the treasure gave rise to caused Patriarch Hashirama's face to fill with astonishment.

"That flag…. Dammit! How could you have an Immortal treasure like that!?" Even as Patriarch Hashirama was expressing his disbelief, the flag unfurled, transforming into a red banner that stretched out in front of Naruto toward the Wheel of Time.

Although it takes some time to describe, the Devil Spear and the flag of three streamers instantly shot toward the black chariot wheel. There was no hesitation on Patriarch Hashirama's part as he performed a double-handed incantation in an attempt to control the wheel treasure.

However, even in the middle of the incantation, the mastiff suddenly pounced toward him. It had reached a frenzied state, as if it didn't fear death at all. As it neared, the bloody light shining off of it flickered in intensity and transformed into countless threads that slashed toward Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama was cursing inwardly. His hatred for the mastiff had already sunk deep into his bones. Yet again, he realized that if it weren't for the damnable Immortal Beast, the battle would have gone much more smoothly.

While Patriarch Hashirama was being pinned down by the mastiff, Naruto's eyes glittered with a red light. His aura exploded up into the heavens. He was utilizing sixty-four times the battle prowess of a great circle Nascent Soul, and Divine Sense with a range of 29,999 meters. Together, they formed into… a divine ability!

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!" His hair whipped about and his Cultivation base rotated rapidly. Demonic Chakra in the area seethed as he lifted his hand up and pointed his index finger straight out ahead of him toward Patriarch Hashirama.

As he pointed, blood oozed out of Naruto's nose, ears and eyes. Popping sounds could be heard within him, and his brain and body filled with a roaring sound.

Naruto's eyes were awash with madness. However, beneath that madness was utter calm. He was sealing a powerful Spirit Severing expert, so he would of course have to pay… a heavy price.

But, why did that matter?

A tremor ran through Patriarch Hashirama's body. The Demonic Chakra in the area was boundless and majestic, and formed into something like a sea. In the blink of an eye, it wrapped around Patriarch Hashirama, transforming into a seal. His Cultivation base was suppressed and he suddenly… ceased all movement.

"What divine ability is this!?" Patriarch Hashirama was completely shocked. The mastiff seized this opportunity to strike out with its paw. Roaring could be heard, and blood sprayed from Patriarch Hashirama's mouth. His expression was one of savageness.

However, the brief pause imposed upon him damaged his connection to the Wheel of Time, almost as if his Divine Sense had been severed. Only a tiny connection remained. However, it was at this moment that the Devil Spear bore down onto the wheel. It stabbed directly into it, causing a massive explosion to ring out. Even though the spear was greatly weakened, vast quantities of mist still poured out of it, causing the wheel to tremble violently and then move about a third of a meter to the side.

It was a small movement, but it instantly weakened the final scrap of Divine Sense which connected the Wheel of Time and Patriarch Hashirama. This caused Patriarch Hashirama's face to flicker once again. It was in this moment that the flag of three streamers hit the wheel. A boom rose up into the air. Naruto shouted, and the flag…

Completely wrapped around the wheel, then heaved it to the side. Booms could be heard. The wheel turned into a black, trembling beam of light that moved a full thirty meters off to the side. The movement caused any remaining connection with Patriarch Hashirama to be completely destroyed!

All of this took place in the amount of time it takes for a spark to fly up into the air. The effect of the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was already vanishing from Patriarch Hashirama. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth as he once again used the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, ignoring any injuries he would receive in the process.

Just when Patriarch Hashirama recovered use of his Cultivation base, it was once again sealed! At the same time, the Blood Mastiff, in response to Naruto's Divine Sense, roared. Bloody light shot up, and the power of its Spirit Severing Cultivation base rocketed out as it charged again toward Patriarch Hashirama.

As of now, Naruto was completely ignoring Patriarch Hashirama. Instead, he shot directly toward the Wheel of Time. The single flag streamer teleported to join him.

A fierce light gleamed in Patriarch Hashirama's eyes. In this critical moment of the battle, the power of his Cultivation base suddenly exploded out. He raised his head up and howled as the Demonic Chakra seal surrounding him collapsed. He had extricated himself and restored his Cultivation base. But now, the mastiff was upon him, and he was forced to fight.

Temporarily, Patriarch Hashirama was incapable of completely freeing himself. His fury burned like raging fires, consuming him as he howled in rage.

As for Naruto, he was just now slamming into the Wheel of Time.

He flicked his sleeve, causing the single streamer to wrap up the Wheel of Time, which Patriarch Hashirama had lost control of…. Then, he collected up the streamer and… put it into his bag of holding!

He… shockingly captured Patriarch Hashirama's precious treasure!

Earlier, when Patriarch Hashirama had claimed that his surname was actually Yamanaka, it instantly made him think of Ino. He also thought about that Patriarch of the Yamanaka Clan who could control the power of Time.

All of the various threads of information formed together to give Naruto the audacious idea of stealing Patriarch Hashirama's treasure!

All of his actions up to this point had been aimed at snatching away the treasure! He even allowed himself to be injured in the process! The benefits of acquiring such an item were indescribable!

"Naruto!" roared Patriarch Hashirama, his eyes filling with veins of blood along with killing intent. He wanted to pursue Naruto, but the howling Blood Mastiff then attacked him once again. Pinned down, Patriarch Hashirama could do nothing but be consumed by his indescribable rage. This mastiff, which seemingly didn't fear death in the least, had the power of Spirit Severing. Patriarch Hashirama wasn't capable of killing it, nor even sealing it. He could only watch helplessly as his treasure was stolen away by a great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator. The shame and rage that he felt were virtually driving him insane.

In all the years he had practiced cultivation, he had almost never been put into such a difficult position. His rage could not grow any more.

Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent. He had made a lot of preparations with the intent of facing Patriarch Hashirama. As of this moment, his preparations had been used by about half. He still had more tricks up his sleeves. His trump card of fusing with the Violet Sea, had not been brought into play yet.

Naruto's expression was calm. He had no time to personally do anything about the effects of the Wheel of Time. He let the flag of three streamers suppress it, then turned and lifted up his hand. The tip of his finger turned bright red.

It then transformed into a red colored totem tattoo. This was the Hebi Clan Blood Clone aspect of his Water-type totem. After absorbing it and gaining enlightenment regarding the Blood-type totem, it hadn't disappeared. Rather, Naruto had completely suppressed it inside of his own body.

It was now that, without hesitation, he released the Blood Clone. A bloody light shone out from his finger, flying out into mid-air to transform into the Hebi Clan Blood Clone. As soon as it appeared, its body exploded with bloody light that shot up into the sky. It turned its head to look at Naruto, as if it planned to attack him. In that moment, Naruto gave a cold snort.

The sound of it sent rippling tremors through the body of the Blood Clone, as if it weren't stable. Actually, when Naruto suppressed the clone within his body, he had also branded it with vast amounts of restrictive spells.

An expression of struggle appeared on the Blood Clone's face for a moment. Then it turned, howling as it shot toward Patriarch Hashirama. It seemed it planned to vent its frustration with Naruto onto Patriarch Hashirama.

The instant the Blood Clone appeared, Patriarch Hashirama once again looked shocked. He could not help but tremble inwardly at Naruto's continuous succession of shocking methods. First was his astonishing Seven Animas Soul Transformations, then his Time Sword Formation and the flag of three streamers, and finally this Blood Clone. All of it left Patriarch Hashirama thoroughly shaken inwardly.

The Blood Clone shouted as it neared. Together with the Blood Mastiff, it had Patriarch Hashirama essentially flanked on both sides. Patriarch Hashirama's face fell. He raised up his right hand and pointed out in front of him. Instantly, the Blood Clone exploded, only to reform a moment later.

"Dammit! It also has a will of undeath!" Patriarch Hashirama's face flickered as the Blood Mastiff pounced toward him from behind. He was not in a position to evade; the mastiff's razor sharp fangs sank into his body, ripping open a wound from which blood sprayed out unimpeded.

At the same time, Naruto made his move. As he neared, a divine ability suddenly manifested.

"Without a face, a single word, flames of war unify!" More than sixty enormous faces appeared. They superimposed over each other, transforming into a divine ability backed by the power of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls, a power that could rock Spirit Severing.

The face's eyes opened, and its mouth moved. Roaring sounds pulsed out within Patriarch Hashirama's mind. Streams of black smoke suddenly rose up from his body, sixty-four in total. They billowed up into the air as Naruto's divine ability closed in.

One man, one clone, one dog, battling Spirit Severing!

Booms continued to explode out. Patriarch Hashirama's aura expanded out to transform into an enormous vortex which slammed into Naruto, the mastiff and the clone.

Roaring filled the area and kicked up huge waves on the surface of the sea. The air itself seemed to be on the verge of splitting open. Patriarch Hashirama was infuriated. Never since reaching the Spirit Severing stage, had he ever been in such a bad position. His Spirit Severing Area had been shattered, his Wheel of Time stolen. And to top it all off, his opponent… was only a great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator. Even though he had a Spirit Severing Immortal Beast, even though he had a strange Blood Clone, this was all a complete humiliation to Patriarch Hashirama!

"My Dao…." said Patriarch Hashirama. He took a deep breath, causing all of his emotions to disappear. He became completely calm.

"My Dao of severing emotions…

"When speaking of human emotions, love for one's family is the most powerful. By Severing family love, one can sever the Dao of a lifetime." A freezing, emotionless cold suddenly rose up from Patriarch Hashirama. This coldness was unfeeling, almost like it was… a funeral for the seven emotions and six pleasures.

"My parents died when I was young," murmured Patriarch Hashirama, "so there was no way to Sever them. My feelings for my beloved are dispensable as far as I am concerned, so that Severing would have been useless…. Only my feelings for my sons would conform to my Dao of severing emotions.

"My First Severing was of that Dao of feelings. It is common knowledge that I have an only son. What is not common knowledge is that I actually had nine sons in total. I killed the first eight with my own hands in order to create my Dao of extinguishing emotions!

"I placed all my hopes in my final son, Tobirama, and did everything for him. I concentrated all my fatherly love on him. When that love reached its pinnacle, I would kill him, and the resulting pain would be intense to the extreme. Only by experiencing such pain and grief could I… complete my first Severing and become… totally emotionless!

"By killing my son, you have ruined my Dao! Nothing could possibly compare to the towering hatred which I feel toward you!

"My Dao… is a Severing of emotion!" Patriarch Hashirama's aura suddenly exploded out.

His Spirit Severing Domain, his first Severing, was of emotion!

That emotion was not romantic love, nor friendship. Instead, it was the most powerful of all emotions, the love for blood relatives!

Before Spirit Severing, Patriarch Hashirama had been an emotional and loving person. Afterwards… he chose to slaughter his own sons for the sake of his Dao. The only one that remained was Tobirama.

His choice for this Spirit Severing Dao was actually very similar to that of Patriarch Hanxue of the Frigid Snow Clan. However, in the end Patriarch Hanxue chose not to continue with the Severing. Patriarch Hashirama, on the other hand, was more resolute.

He concentrated all of his fatherly love onto his son, Tobirama, holding none in reserve. It was like he took all of the family love that existed within his person and focused it solely on Tobirama.

As far as Tobirama was concerned, Patriarch Hashirama had indulged him in every way, tolerated anything. It had been a boundless fatherly love.

Only in that way could he sever pain, sever his heart, and truly complete his first Severing. By extinguishing family love, he could form… his Dao of extinguishing emotions!

But now, Tobirama was dead, killed by another. Because Patriarch Hashirama hadn't killed him, it meant that Patriarch Hashirama's First Severing could not be completed perfectly unless he spent much time reversing the setback.

The easiest method would be to slay the person who had killed Tobirama, to get revenge.

But that wasn't enough. What he needed… was a rain of blood that would allow him to express all of his fatherly love… and release himself from worldly cares.

"Severing emotions," he said, his voice low. Instantly, everything in the area became extremely cold. An emotionless Domain erupted out from him.

This was a unique divine ability of the Spirit Severing stage, the Domain!

Patriarch Hashirama's Domain was one in which the only thing that could exist was an extinguishing of emotions. Any scrap of emotion or passion would be extinguished inside, dispersed. As the Domain spread out, the Blood Clone trembled. It recovered a moment later, not having been affected very much. That was because it… was innately an emotionless creature.

As for the mastiff, however, it began to shake violently. The bloody light which surrounded it began to flicker. The will of undeath which filled it fought back fiercely, but was clearly not a match. It began to tremble more and more violently, and emit fierce howls.

The one to be affected the most, though, was Naruto.

Naruto's mind filled with roaring. Blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. His eyes shone with confusion. Suddenly, his mind began to fill with images. His childhood and his parents. His friendship with Fatty and the others. The blur that existed between Hinata and Sakura. The emotional connection between apprentice and Master that he felt for Pill Demon.

All of these things completely filled his mind, transforming into a blade that hung there within his mind.

An archaic voice suddenly filled his mind.

"Sever your emotions, and you can exist….

"Emotions are a hindrance, they burn away at your flame of life….

"Sever them….

"Sever them…."

The voice seemed to carry some mysterious power. It caused Naruto's entire body to tremble. He felt as if his soul were about to be shredded into pieces. He couldn't help but let out a scream of anguish.

At the same time, all the images in his mind, all the people, began to distort. They transformed into black flames that set Naruto's mind on fire. He felt pain…. the kind of pain that comes from watching your parents dying and being helpless to save them!

It was the pain that comes from watching your beloved coldly turn away into the embrace of another!

It was the pain of watching your best friend smile maliciously while plunging a knife into your back!

It was a pain formed from all of those various emotions, rising to the pinnacle!

The pain transformed into black flames which burned at Naruto's very soul.

"Sever them…. Sever the emotions, and you can exist. Refuse… and your soul will be destroyed." The voice echoed out in Naruto's body as he trembled. It seemed as if he were existing in an illusion, but was unable to distinguish the difference between the illusion and reality.

Confusion filled his eyes. Blood oozed out of his mouth. He lost control and fell down, down into the Violet Sea.

This was Patriarch Hashirama's emotionless Domain, which severed both emotions and pain. It severed the emotions of the enemy, smashed the soul, crushed the fleshly body. Facing Patriarch Hashirama with emotions led only to death.

Giving in to the demands of the Domain led to becoming a puppet. Refusing to give in, led to death in body and spirit.

Naruto sank down into the Violet Sea. As he did, his mind's eye was filled with various images from his life. The joys, the sorrows, the partings, the reunions. Pain. Betrayal. They all seemed to swirl into a cycle of pain.

When Naruto's body suddenly hit the seafloor, his eyes opened. As of this moment, they were clear. However, it was a clearness filled with exhaustion.

"Emotions… are not a hindrance," he murmured. "Emotions… are what make life complete." He closed his eyes. In the instant that he did, the Violet Sea began to roar, and its surface roiled. The mastiff was trembling in mid-air, its eyes bright red. The Blood Clone was actually not impeded at all. However, as it neared Patriarch Hashirama, confusion suddenly filled its eyes.

Patriarch Hashirama hovered there in mid-air, his Domain spreading out, filling the entire area. It was at this moment that the Violet Sea began to roar, causing Patriarch Hashirama's brow to furrow.

As he frowned, the waters of the Violet Sea began to collect together. An enormous head suddenly began to emerge, then a body, then two legs. In the shocking blink of an eye, an enormous giant made of seawater rose up from within the Violet Sea.

The giant looked like Naruto in every way. Its closed eyes suddenly snapped open. They emanated a bright glow as it lifted up its right hand. The gigantic hand, formed of massive quantities of water, formed into a fist and then punched out toward Patriarch Hashirama.

A massive boom echoed out across the waters. Patriarch Hashirama's face fell and he instantly retreated. He managed to avoid the fist, but his Domain was completely shattered.

"Emotionless? You actually transformed into something emotionless…. No! This isn't you! This is the Violet Sea! He actually… actually fused with the Violet Sea. This… this…." Patriarch Hashirama's eyes went wide and filled with disbelief. Only emotionless beings could exist within his domain. This Violet Sea Giant, was just such an emotionless creature. After all, the Violet Sea was fundamentally death.

In death, what dies is not just the body, but also emotion.

Currently, far up above in the air, three streams of powerful Divine Sense were paying very close attention to battle down below.

These streams of Divine Sense far exceeded the Nascent Soul stage. Each one seemed to contain different natural laws and different Domains. Shockingly, these were… three streams of Divine Sense belonging to Spirit Severing Patriarchs.

All three were from the Black Lands. Two were from the great Wild Flame Tribe and great Demon Butterfly Tribe respectively. The other was a patriarch from the great Cloud Sky Tribe, the Tribe Shino was a member of.

The streams of Divine Sense hovered there in mid-air, staring down at the battle with both concentration and shock.

"Patriarch Hashirama's clone is going all out."

"This kid has really got some extraordinary battle prowess! Patriarch Hashirama's clone is different from our clones. Our clones only possess thirty percent of the battle prowess of our true selves. Patriarch Hashirama's clone, however… possesses its own Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal! It's a Divine Clone with seventy percent of the battle prowess of his true self! It's like a second life for Patriarch Hashirama. It required years of refinement to create something he can exchange his life with!"

"Seven superimpositions. A Spirit Severing Immortal Beast. The will of the Violet Sea. This kid is incredible!"

As the three streams of Divine Sense discussed the goings on, they only continued to grow more serious.

Down on the surface of the sea, booms echoed out into the air. Naruto, in the form of the Violet Sea Giant, clenched his hand into a fist again. He punched out into the air, which kicked up a violent tempest that swept out in all directions, with the power to destroy all Domains in the area.

The mastiff howled, and bloody light exploded up from its body, transforming into eighteen sharp fangs which then shot directly toward Patriarch Hashirama, seemingly capable of ripping holes in the air.

A boom could be heard and blood sprayed from the mouth of Patriarch Hashirama. He fell back once again. Even as he did, the giant-form Naruto slapped his hands together in exactly the same way he had when he killed the Black Bat.

Next, another giant began to rise up from within the Violet Sea. Then a third, followed by a fourth, a fifth and then a sixth….

In total, seven giants towered above the Violet Sea, each one of them thousands of meters tall and shocking to the extreme.

Each of the giants looked exactly like Naruto. As soon as they appeared, they charged toward Patriarch Hashirama. This was… a divine ability that Naruto could employ after fusing with the Violet Sea.

Seven giants roared. The mastiff's Cultivation base exploded out with all its power. The Blood Clone trembled, then exploded with killing intent. All of them charged directly toward Patriarch Hashirama.

As they approached, destructive power exploded up. The power of extermination raged. Patriarch Hashirama's Domain was no longer effective, having been shattered by Naruto using the Violet Sea. Patriarch Hashirama's eyes were red and his hair was in disarray. He looked completely out of sorts as he suddenly howled.

Instantly, a divine ability magically manifested. It coalesced into a three thousand meter long Heaven Saber. As the blade chopped down, it caused roaring sounds to fill the air. Of the seven giants, four exploded. Of the fangs shooting toward Patriarch Hashirama from the mastiff, five were shattered. All the rest continued on to slam into Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama's entire body shook violently, and he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. He tumbled backward in astonishment, his hair flying around, his eyes filled with madness.

"You're good, Naruto, I'll give you that…. To be able to fight back against me to this extent shows that you are truly powerful.

"However… you are not of the Spirit Severing stage! Not yet! You have no Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal. You are doomed…. You cannot slay me. Instead… you have assured your own death!

"Spirit Severing!" Patriarch Hashirama lifted his head up and roared. Along with the sound of the roar, his aura exploded up, revealing the power of his Spirit Severing Cultivation base. As this happened, his body began to wither. In the blink of an eye, it withered up and he began to disappear.

Instantly, his body completely turned into ashes and was gone. However, as his fleshly body disappeared, what appeared in its places was a Spirit Body!

It was like a Nascent Soul, but fundamentally different. It was translucent, and possessed Immortal Will!

This was the Spirit Immortal of Patriarch Hashirama's clone!

Spirit Severing can also be referred to as Mortality Severing. Everything beneath Spirit Severing is mortal. However, Spirit Severing and above can be considered Immortal. After severing Mortality, the Nascent Soul disappears, and is transformed into a Nascent Divinity. This can also be referred to as a Spirit Immortal!

This Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal is not something that is easily revealed. Only by casting off the fleshly body would it be able to appear. Actually, a Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal can only truly connect properly with one's true physical body, not a clone.

Therefore, by casting off the clone's physical body, the Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal would be able to truly employ Spirit Severing divine abilities!

Bright glows appeared in the eyes of giant-form Naruto. He stared at Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal. Naruto had actually gained quite a bit throughout the course of this battle; his understanding regarding Spirit Severing was now much deeper.

"So, there is no Nascent Soul in Spirit Severing, but rather, a Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal is formed!" Naruto's eyes glittered as his enlightenment deepened. Thanks to this battle, the path of Spirit Severing was now much clearer in his mind.

Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal began to perform an incantation gesture, touching its left thumb with its right forefinger, and vice versa. This formed a rectangle which it used to surround Naruto's image. "Spirit Severing Banishment!" it shouted.

As the words left its mouth, rumbling filled Heaven and Earth, and the sky dimmed. Giant-form Naruto began to shake, as if explosive power from Heaven and Earth were forming to expel him.

Such an expulsion made it seem as if the entire world, as if all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, viewed Naruto as an enemy. It was as if in this moment, all living things, even the plants and animals, all existence, were filled with an intense desire to expel Naruto.

All of a sudden, a sound like countless murmuring voices suddenly joined together to form an echoing shout.

"Begone!"

The sound was such that it seemed as if the will of the entire world was focused on expelling and banishing Naruto!

Naruto's giant-form exploded into countless pieces, as did the other remaining giants in the area. The mastiff whined as roaring also filled its body and its life force rapidly began to drain away. It, however, did not explode. After all… it was of the Spirit Severing stage!

Such a banishment could only be resisted by the Spirit Severing stage!

Anything beneath Spirit Severing would be killed by this banishment. That was the power of a Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal.

The Blood Clone also exploded, although it quickly reformed, only to explode once more. The Violet Sea churned. Deep beneath the surface, blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth. Roaring filled his mind as he heard all living things roaring.

"BEGONE!"

More blood exploded from his mouth. Popping sounds rang out from his body as he shot up from within the waters. The voices continued to echo in his ears.

"BEEGOOONNEEE!

"Begone from this place! Begone from these lands! Begone from Lands of Ninshu…!" An indescribable power of expulsion caused Naruto to retreat at full speed. He coughed up blood continuously. The magic of this divine ability was incredibly powerful, far beyond anything Naruto could have imagined.

The power of expulsion continued to grow more intense, causing an enormous vortex to appear in midair. The gravitation force of the vortex latched onto Naruto, as if it intended to completely banish him from the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

"I live in the lands of Lands of Ninshu," said Naruto. "This is my home! You trifling Spirit Severing Cultivator! What gives you the right to banish me!" A look of determination filled his eyes as he slapped his bag of holding to produce the blood-colored mask.

After entering the Seventh Anima, Naruto didn't actually need the mask. However, now that the mastiff had awakened, Naruto could actually sense that within the mask… was a shocking divine ability!

Originally, Naruto had planned to keep this divine ability as a trump card, but now he had no other options.

Without hesitation, he placed the mask onto his face. When that happened, his green robe instantly turned the color of blood, as did his hair. In the blink of an eye, a glow of blood rose up from him.

"Blood Mastiff, my Blood Immortal Spirit…. My Dao Protector…. Use the primordial Blood Immortal law to merge with this mask. Make your Cultivation base… my Cultivation base!

"Let the Domain change! Let the primordial transform! Let the image of the Blood Immortal… come!" As Naruto spoke, his voice seemed to carry an archaic will. The mastiff trembled, and a strange glow appeared in its eyes. Without hesitation, it shot toward Naruto. As it did, its body transformed into a red glow. It shot like lightning toward Naruto and then… merged directly into the mask.

As soon as the mastiff merged into the mask a tremor ran through Naruto's body. His aura suddenly expanded out, and his hair whipped about him. His robe fluttered madly.

His Divine Sense… suddenly was no longer 29,999 meters, but rather… 30,000!

It was only an increase in one meter , but that meter… made all the difference compared to the previous 29,999 meters. That one meter gap represented the difference between mortality and Immortality!

Naruto's Cultivation base suddenly exploded up. Shockingly, a blood-colored figure suddenly appeared behind him. It was a figure seated on a throne of bones, wearing a mask, hair floating in the air. Also, it was a woman!

The woman was none other than… the Blood Immortal of the Doom Clan!

In this moment, Naruto was fused with the Cultivation base of the Blood Mastiff. On top of his great Circle Nascent Soul Cultivation base appeared another Cultivation base that did not belong to him. It fused with his, causing thunderous roars to fill his body. His aura exploded out… with the power of Spirit Severing!

In this moment, it seemed as if Naruto suddenly came to a new realization. He looked up into the sky, but then just as quickly retracted his gaze.

At the same time, the three streams of Divine Sense belonging to the Spirit Severing Cultivators emanated powerful ripples, caused by the shock of realizing that they had been spotted by Naruto.

"He saw us! I would never have imagined that he could actually borrow the power of Spirit Severing!"

"It seems Patriarch Hashirama's Divine Clone is going to perish!"

"This kid… well, perhaps we shouldn't call him that. This Fellow Daoist Naruto might not know us personally, but he is qualified to sit as equals with us at the same table."

The three were now paying rapt attention to Naruto.

Ripples of Spirit Severing Power expanded out in all directions. Naruto's hair whipped about as his Cultivation base roared upward.

The Spirit Severing power did not belong to him; he could only possess it temporarily. Even the Domain was not his, but rather, that of the Blood Immortal.

After the Spirit Severing Cultivation base growth, shockingly, an Area world appeared around Naruto. Within his mind, he could also faintly sense the Domain of the Blood Immortal.

However, he could not utilize them. All he could do was vaguely sense them…. The Domain actually had nothing to do with blood. Strangely, it contained a sense of waiting, as well as of glorious pursuit. It was like a blooming, blood-colored flower….

In the moment that Naruto borrowed the Spirit Severing power, the expulsion power around him instantly grew weaker by more than half. The vortex in mid-air vanished without a trace.

An expression of disbelief appeared on the face of Patriarch Hashirama. Never could he possibly have imagined that the battle would go the way it had, or that he would end up being so shaken by Naruto.

"How is this possible?! How can he be so terrifying!? Don't tell me that he's… a Dao Seeking reincarnation!? Or maybe… he's an Immortal's Soul in a mortal body!?" Even as Patriarch Hashirama was reeling in shock, Naruto looked up. He could sense the undefinable power that was surging within him. He couldn't sustain such power for long, only about the space of twelve breaths.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate. The glow of blood surged up around him as he lifted his right hand up and performed an incantation gesture, then pointed forward.

"Sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that cover the sky!"

Three forms of the Blood Immortal legacy divine ability. The body of the Blood Immortal. A Spirit Severing Cultivation base. In this moment, the power of all of these things exploded out.

The sky was now the color of blood!

Beneath the red glow, the Violet Sea turned black.

From a distance, all that could be seen was a black sea and a red sky, with just a glimmer of violet in between the two. Even an expert artist would have a hard time depicting such a scene.

There were clouds in the sky, sundered clouds.

There was rain as well, a rain of blood!

A sea of blood roared with huge waves that seemed to wish to fly up to the heavens. The sea of blood merged with the Violet Sea, transforming into black blood!

Sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that cover the sky. These three things were Blood Immortal divine abilities, majestic and shocking.

The sundered clouds surged into motion, causing vapor to instantly rise up around Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal. From within the thick clouds emerged… sundering!

A boom could be heard as the sundering mist exploded. Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal emitted a shrill cry. It was shocked to discover that it couldn't evade and was powerless to fight back! The natural law in the world seemed to have completely changed.

These rules did not belong to him, but rather, to Naruto. Or perhaps… to the woman who sat behind Naruto on the throne of bones.

The sundered clouds surged endlessly. That was because they were propelled by a wind of sundering. Roaring filled the air as, within the short space of time of a few breaths, Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal was battered dozens of times. He was forced backward several hundred meters. Explosions and booms echoed out; it seemed as if the Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal was on the verge of being destroyed.

He was shocked, filled with disbelief as well as an intense sense of deadly crisis.

In this moment, a rain of blood appeared in the midst of the sundered clouds. It carried with it a shocking power, seemingly another expulsion power. The raindrops fell down from all directions toward Patriarch Hashirama.

A bloodcurdling scream could be heard. Patriarch Hashirama was flabbergasted and shaking with fear. Booming could be heard as his body began to fall apart. He quickly pulled it back together, only to have more blood rain whistle toward him. As of this moment, the entire world, everything in the area, was transformed into a world of blood rain.

Within that world, all life would be submerged, buried in the blood rain!

But… this was not the greatest danger. The greatest danger… was within the black sea!

The sea roared up into the sky. The sky roared down into the sea. The blackness of the once violet-colored sea, merged with the blood rain, turning it black!

The black sea rose up into the sky, making it impossible to determine what was the sky and what was the sea. It was as if everything had been turned upside down, as if everything had been twisted about.

Within all the booming and roaring, the sundered clouds, the blood rain, the black sea, became… Blood Death!

Patriarch Hashirama was filled with a sense of grave danger. He had the intense premonition that if he didn't do something immediately, then he… would definitely die!

If someone had told him before that he would die at Naruto's hands, he would have mocked and ridiculed that person to no end. But now… such a scene was playing out in front of his own eyes. As of this moment, though, there was no time for shock and astonishment. Heart pounding, he suddenly looked up into the sky and roared.

"Fellow Daoists, the three of you must help me slay this man! Regardless of whether you succeed or not, I vow to present you with precious treasures as gifts in return!"

Hearing this caused the streams of Divine Sense to instantly reveal intense glows. They immediately began to discuss the matter.

"There's really no need to continue watching the battle," said the Spirit Severing Patriarch from the great Cloud Sky Tribe. "The clone is doomed to perish. This Naruto has fused his will with the Violet Sea. He's not someone to be provoked lightly." His words contained deeper meaning, which was obvious.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, don't worry. True, we're allies, and therefore can't go back on our word to help each other. However, the best thing to do would be to leave with the promise of treasure from Patriarch Hashirama, and at the same time get Naruto to owe us a favor. Sowing some good Karma would be the best outcome!"

"That's right. It was of his own accord that Patriarch Hashirama provoked a powerful foe. He can't blame anyone else. If the Heavenly Court Alliance loses the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, but then gains the great Cloud Sky Tribe, it will still be a Heavenly Court."

After discussing the matter, the three streams of Divine Sense began to chuckle. Three forms began to take shape out of nothing. In the blink of an eye, three figures could be seen.

One was a white-haired old man. Another was a middle-aged man with a luxuriant beard. The third was a young boy in a red robe.

As soon as they appeared, they exchanged smiling glances. These were all clones, the likes of which most Spirit Severing Cultivators possessed. They were different from Patriarch Hashirama's clone, which was a type that was rarely seen.

Moments later, the three figures appeared in front of Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity. Without even a pause, they charged Naruto.

Each of these clones possessed roughly thirty percent of the power of the Cultivation base of their true selves. However, even thirty percent should be enough to crush someone of the Nascent Soul stage. They instantly turned into three fierce beams of light that shot toward Naruto's three great Blood Immortal divine abilities.

Naruto's eyes glittered in response to the attack. For these three people to make a move wasn't something unforeseen. He waved his sleeve. The sundered clouds roared, the blood rain howled, and the black sea screamed. The three forces slammed into the three clones.

"This guy is incredible! Now that I'm experiencing his power, it's obvious that he's far stronger than I imagined after simply observing him fight!"

"If our clones met him by themselves, and he unleashed his full power, it would only take a few moves for him to completely eradicate us!"

The three exchanged another glance, then performed incantation gesture, causing their own divine abilities to blast into Naruto's Blood Immortal divine abilities. During the space of a few breaths, booms filled the air. The three clones exploded, completely destroyed.

Before they completely vanished, all of them cast meaningful glances toward Naruto.

Patriarch Hashirama stared in shock, and then began to tremble. He lifted his head up and howled. How could he not see through the plan the three crafty old foxes had just carried out?

The three clones weren't as strong as Patriarch Hashirama's clone, so if they were fighting solo, they might be destroyed relatively quickly. But how could it be possible for them to be defeated so quickly while fighting together?

The only explanation was that all three had actually been unwilling to attack. Everything they had done was just an excuse to get their hands on the treasure that he had promised.

Patriarch Hashirama's expression was one of livid fury.

"If I'm going to die, there's no way I'll die by his hand!" he roared.

"Totems combine…." he cried. Suddenly, five and a half totems appeared within this Nascent Divinity and then suddenly flew out. Within the half totem could be seen several souls that bore an eerie resemblance to Patriarch Hashirama. They formed together to… form the eight sons that had been personally slain by Patriarch Hashirama.

Unfortunately, because Tobirama had died in the way he did, the totem was incomplete.

With the appearance of these totems, Patriarch Hashirama's expression was suddenly one of complete resolve.

"Ancestral Awakening, commence!" As Patriarch Hashirama roared, the five totems shattered, transforming into countless fragments that instantly fused into the Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal. Patriarch Hashirama's roar turned into a wail as the Nascent Divinity began to turn blurry, and then suddenly exploded.

The exploding pieces almost looked like human flesh. They shot out, but then just as quickly began to form back together. In the blink of an eye, an indescribably gruesome aura suddenly spread out to fill the area.

At the same time, Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity was reforming, turning into a body formed out of countless chunks of flesh.

It looked like innumerable patches of flesh were sewn together, as if the body were covered with countless centipedes. It was thoroughly savage in appearance, especially the forehead, where three golden scales could be seen that emanated blinding golden light.

The bizarre, gruesome aura completely matched the bizarre, gruesome body. This was Patriarch Hashirama's Ancestral Awakening body, the result of the most powerful divine ability that his clone could employ.

The head had no facial features, only the three golden scales which were almost like eyes. They glowed with golden, flickering light that transformed into an enormous vortex.

The vortex spun, seemingly powerful enough to shatter the air. As it expanded out, everything for thousands of meters around instantly began to shatter.

The sundered clouds shattered, the blood rain dissipated and the black sea was destroyed. Naruto's three Blood Immortal divine abilities were completely dispelled.

Patriarch Hashirama was burning his life force. His Cultivation base was blurry, and his appearance bizarre in this Ancestral Awakening form, which could explode out with power to destroy anything and everything.

After the Blood Immortal divine abilities were destroyed, Patriarch Hashirama's strange body disappeared. When he reappeared, he was directly in front of Naruto. He lifted up his hand and pushed out.

Naruto's eyes flickered. Without hesitation he waved his sleeve, borrowing explosive Spirit Severing power to shoot backward.

"I only have about seven more breaths worth of time before I run out of Spirit Severing power!"

His eyes glowed with coldness. Setting his jaw, he stared at Patriarch Hashirama. From the look of it, this version of Patriarch Hashirama was not sentient, but rather, was acting on instinct. The strange divine ability would only last for a certain period of time before it ran out of life force power to burn.

"Going all out?" said Naruto with a cold laugh. "Unfortunately for you, I still have a lot of tricks up my sleeve."

Seeing that Patriarch Hashirama was going all out caused killing intent to flicker within Naruto's eyes. Patriarch Hashirama was in a state of mindless madness, but his battle prowess had leaped up, and was now completely beyond what it had been before!

Considering that Patriarch Hashirama had entered such a state, Naruto had the option of simply dodging his attacks, then waiting for enough time to go by for this version of Patriarch Hashirama to dissipate naturally. However, the desire for battle was thick in Naruto's eyes. This was a fight to prove the power of his Cultivation base and achieve mastery of his divine abilities and magical arts through actual use.

To Naruto, this battle was a way to gain understanding and control over himself, to grow more perfect. Now that he was facing Patriarch Hashirama's most powerful divine ability, Naruto… had absolutely no desire whatsoever to flinch away. He would fight!

Even as the desire to engage in battle overflowed from Naruto's eyes, Patriarch Hashirama's body flashed in yet another charge. Naruto's lips turned up in a vicious smile as he did not retreat, but rather, counterattacked!

They slammed into each other, making continuous attacks that sent shocking booms to fill the area. The Violet Sea churned violently, and the air rippled with distortions. As the battle continued, popping sounds rang out from within Naruto's body. He was suddenly sent tumbling backward. His borrowed Spirit Severing power was now growing unstable. According to his calculations, he had only three breaths of time left before it was gone.

In the final critical moment, Naruto suddenly rocketed up into the air. He looked down toward Patriarch Hashirama, who was shooting toward him from the surface of the Violet Sea.

"I've gained a lot from this battle. Therefore, I think I'll use the trump card that I recently mastered… to bury you!" A strange light burned in Naruto's eyes as he spoke the words. In the final moment in which his borrowed Spirit Severing power was about to disappear, he took a deep breath. The image of a magical symbol suddenly flickered within his eyes.

It seemed as if his entire person had slipped into some indistinct state. He lifted his right hand, causing an enormous illusory image to appear behind him. That image was… a magical symbol!

It was blurry, but in the instant it appeared, the Violet Sea roared as it was pushed away. It was as if some shapeless pressure was pushing it away, forming a huge crater down below.

The air all around twisted with distortions. It was as if in the entire world, nothing existed except for this magical symbol.

The symbol's origin was Naruto's eyes, and his heart. This was none other than the magical symbol that Naruto had been trying to gain enlightenment regarding for years and years, the magical symbol from… the Black Lands Celestial soil!

Its true origin was the talisman from the Heavens that was destroyed, falling onto the Black Lands, where it transformed into black magical symbols.

Naruto still had not gained complete enlightenment. Therefore, to employ it required forceful use of his Cultivation base. However, with the borrowed power of the mastiff, he was able to do just that.

His expression was blank, as if he had lost use of his faculties. Within Naruto's mind's eye, he suddenly saw an image of a boundless starscape. In the middle of it all was an indistinct figure who bore the semblance of a transcendent being.

The figure stood there above Planet Ninshu, waving its finger to summon talismanic paper. It began to write on the paper and then, with indescribable hatred, waved its sleeve, causing the talisman to shoot toward Lands of Ninshu.

As soon as the talisman began its descent, an aura appeared from some unknown location in Lands of Ninshu. The two slammed into each other, causing vibrations to ripple out through space, filling Planet Ninshu with an enormous roaring sound.

Along with the roaring, the talisman began to burn into pieces, which then became ash. The ash fell down, transforming into the Black Lands. Within the remnants of the ash was the will of a Celestial talisman!

As Naruto hovered there in mid-air, he waved his right hand down. The magical symbol behind him turned black, then passed through Naruto's body as it shot down toward Patriarch Hashirama.

In that moment, Naruto seemed to have turned into the Immortal from all those years ago. As his hand descended, the magical symbol roared. At the same time, the blood-colored mask fell off of his face. The mastiff flew out, and Naruto's Cultivation base fell down from the Spirit Severing stage to return to its previous level.

Patriarch Hashirama's body trembled. The three scales on his forehead flickered. It was as if his consciousness had been restored a bit in the face of this imminent crisis.

However, even as he recovered his faculties, the magical symbol closed in on him, emitting shocking roars. It slammed into Patriarch Hashirama, causing the sound of an enormous explosion to lift up into the sky. An intense howl of despair could be heard from Patriarch Hashirama as the magical symbol shoved him down into the Violet Sea.

The water seethed as it surged out in all directions. The magical symbol descended, shooting through the water until it slammed onto the seafloor.

Everything shook. Patriarch Hashirama's aura was nothing but a thread, and his body was virtually completely shattered, sealed tightly onto the bottom of the Violet Sea.

His Ancestral Awakening body was disappearing. As it did, his Nascent Divinity slowly became visible. Struggling, it began to transform into glittering dots of light that slowly dissipated out into the Violet Sea.

However, even as the Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal was about to disappear, Naruto made a grasping motion toward the Violet Sea. A power of sealing appeared. It branded down onto Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity before it could die, instantly sealing it within the blood-colored mask.

"Want to die? It's not that easy," said Naruto coolly as he sealed it. "It would be too much of a pity to let a Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal like this disappear. I think I'll turn it into my third Soul of Lightning."

Next, he produced some medicinal pills which he immediately consumed. He then closed his eyes for a moment and hovered there in mid-air. After some time passed, his eyes snapped open, and they glowed with a brilliant light. He suddenly slapped his hand onto the blood-colored mask.

The flag of three streamers appeared in Naruto's hand, as well as a glowing black wheel that resembled a chariot's wheel.

As the surroundings returned to their normal appearance, Naruto inspected the wheel with glittering eyes. Then, he sent his Divine Sense inside it, branding it with multiple layers, to make it completely his own.

It was an extraordinary treasure. Despite having its connection to Patriarch Hashirama severed, Naruto still encountered some resistance when he was trying to brand it. He gave a cold snort, causing the Time Sword Formation to appear and emanate intense pressure. He also entered the Seventh Anima, causing its Divine Sense with a range just a hair away from 30,000 meters to bore into the Wheel of Time.

Naruto took a deep breath as the power of the successive brands caused the Wheel of Time to shrink down. It turned into a black glow that Naruto then swallowed. It sank down into his dantian region, suppressed by the seven Nascent Souls there.

Meanwhile back in the Black Lands…

The same moment in which Naruto sealed Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity Spirit Immortal, Patriarch Hashirama's white-robed true self was sitting cross-legged in meditation. Suddenly, a tremor ran through his body.

His face grew red, and although his eyes did not open, he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood.

As he coughed up the blood, his features changed. Before, he looked like a middle-aged man. Now, he seemed older. His hair was gray, and his skin wrinkled. An aura of decay suddenly emanated out from his body.

The aura was intense, and seemed to cause the flame of Patriarch Hashirama's life force to darken by quite a bit.

For his clone to be sealed, and its connection to him severed, had caused severe internal injuries to Patriarch Hashirama. Were it an ordinary clone, it wouldn't matter. Clones such as that were dispensable. But this Divine Clone was different. It was like a second life for him. As of this moment, his longevity was reduced, and his Cultivation base sank. It was no longer at the peak it had been before, and he could no longer wield the same level of power as earlier.

His face was pale. His body trembled as he took a deep breath. Even as he was about to begin treating his injuries, another tremor ran through him, and his eyes snapped open.

This was the first time he had opened his eyes during his secluded meditation of a hundred years. They did not open to shine with an expression of success. The entire hundred years of secluded meditation had been wasted, causing something that seemed like a tempest to appear in his eyes as soon as he opened them.

He glared at the space in front of him where three figures were materializing. One was an old person, another sported a luxuriant beard, and the third was a young boy in a red robe.

"So, Fellow Daoist Hashirama, where are the precious treasures?" asked the red-robed boy, smiling at Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama took a deep breath and suppressed his fury. These three people had obviously joined forces; that was the only way they could have gotten past the Tribe's defenses. If Patriarch Hashirama hadn't decisively given up on his secluded meditation by opening his eyes, who knew what other machinations they might have attempted….

After all, despite being fellow Spirit Severing Cultivators who seemed to be on good terms with him, everything in such an arrangement had to do with mutual benefit. His Divine Clone had been destroyed, and his Cultivation base had just slipped from its peak. Although they might not have come here to outright attack him, they would definitely think of some ways to extort him to their benefit.

Patriarch Hashirama's face was grim as he waved his right hand. Instantly, three glowing beams of light shot out toward the three. One was a sword, the other a tree branch, and the third, a medicinal pill bottle.

The red-robed boy was the one to receive the pill bottle. It emanated a rippling aura, and was clearly very different from the other two.

As he tossed out the magical items, Patriarch Hashirama coolly said, "As of this day, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe secedes from the Heavenly Court Alliance. However… are the three of you really so sure that I will perish by the hand of that Naruto?"

The red-robed boy's eyes glittered. The other two exchanged a glance and smiled. No one said anything. The three of them turned and left, vanishing, leaving behind nothing but ripples in the air.

After they disappeared, Patriarch Hashirama coughed up a mouthful of blood, the price paid for forcefully ending his secluded meditation. His body suddenly grew blurry for a moment, and he aged even more. His eyes began to shine with a cold hardness.

"Considering how devious they are, they could obviously tell that I was willing to remove myself from the Alliance in order to prevent the Patriarch of the Cloud Sky Tribe from attacking me to get his way in. Furthermore, those three treasures were to ensure that the Wild Flame and Demon Butterfly Tribes don't support that thieving Naruto!" Patriarch Hashirama was shrewd and astute. During his battle with Naruto, he had seen that he might not necessarily be a match if he fought alone. He also could tell that Naruto would definitely come to the Black Lands looking for him. His main goal all along had been to come up with a reason to give out the three treasures, and thus ensure that the other three did not side against him.

Of course, everyone realized this. There was no need to point it out directly.

"Naruto!" growled Patriarch Hashirama, grinding his teeth. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes once more. He needed to restore his power to its peak so that he could battle with Naruto.

As of now, not only did he hate Naruto down to his bones. He also felt… unprecedented fear!

Naturally, Danzo was the first to receive the honor of becoming one of Naruto's Souls of Lightning. He had long since enjoyed quite a bit of freedom, and was quite comfortable in the Blood Immortal mask. As long as he wasn't being struck by lightning, or tormented by the meat jelly, he was actually quite happy.

He had long since abandoned any expectations of Shimura Clan members coming to rescue him. He felt numb toward any such hopes. Recently, his greatest enjoyment came from tormenting Hebi Nineteen.

Being able to take the pain he had suffered and inflict it exponentially on someone else made Danzo more happy than he had ever been.

Of course, Hebi Nineteen was fated to become Naruto's second Soul of Lightning, although not voluntarily. In fact, it had taken quite a bit of pleading on the part of Danzo to convince Naruto to bestow such an honor upon Hebi Nineteen….

The third Soul of Lightning was of course Patriarch Hashirama, who had just been pulled into the blood-colored mask, completely out of sorts and on the verge of dissipating completely.

As soon as he saw Patriarch Hashirama, Danzo grew extremely excited, and his body started to crackle with lightning.… Once the torment began, it naturally couldn't be minimized in any way.

Naruto retracted his Divine Sense from his dantian region, having finished his observations of his seven Nascent Souls refining the glowing Wheel of time. He floated there in mid air, the Blood Mastiff next to him, licking its wounds. A brutal expression filled its eyes. It could sense that Naruto's killing intent had not faded, but instead, had grown more powerful as they carried out their slaughter.

Naruto's gaze swept across the Violet Sea. Patriarch Hashirama's clone had not possessed a bag of holding. At first, Naruto did not understand why that was. However, after borrowing the power of Spirit Severing, he suddenly understood.

Some Spirit Severing experts might use bags of holding, but most of them opened up a space in their Nascent Divinity. This was another difference between the mortal and the Immortal.

However, Naruto had destroyed ten outposts, and killed many Cultivators. Within the bags of holding he had collected were a host of items, which helped make up for everything he had wasted to acquire his seventh Nascent Soul.

Voices could be heard as the members of the Golden Crow Tribe approached. They looked at Naruto with excited expressions. They had stayed off in the distance for the course of the battle, and hadn't been able to see what was happening. However, they could sense the shocking nature of the magical battle.

"I'm not sure what percentage of true Cultivation base was possessed by Patriarch Hashirama's clone…." Naruto mused to himself. "However, this clone was clearly different from the average clone." He smiled. It didn't really matter what percent power the clone had, or how much Patriarch Hashirama's true self possessed. Naruto would not shrink back from a fight just because his opponent was powerful.

"Those other three Spirit Severing experts sure were interesting. Patriarch Hashirama seemed to have some ulterior motive in asking them to attack. It seems all Spirit Severing experts are filled with schemes and foresights. I definitely cannot look down on them." After a moment's thought, he looked down toward the Golden Crow Clan members down below, and his eyes glittered brightly.

"Let us return… to the Black Lands!" he said. He waved his right hand, causing the entire Violet Sea to fill with a rumbling sound. An enormous Violet Sea Giant suddenly rose up. Water poured off of its surface, crashing down onto the surface of the sea below. Next, a second, then a third Violet Sea Giant appeared.

In the blink of an eye, there were seven. Seven towering Violet Sea Giants, each one three thousand meters tall. Although their facial features were somewhat indistinct, it was obvious that they resembled Naruto.

"Let's go!"

Naruto sat cross-legged on the mastiff as it flew through the air. The Violet Sea Giants began to run, kicking up huge waves, which swept the members of the Golden Crow Tribe along with them as they headed toward the Black Lands.

From a distance, it was also possible to observe the Violet Sea seethe as Naruto sent his will expanding out.

A wave sped out across the Violet Sea, causing countless specters appear on the surface of the waters. By the time the wave reached Blackgate Fort, their numbers had grown into the hundreds of thousands.

Some of the specters began to congregate around the seven Violet Sea Giants as they all charged toward the Black Lands.

They proceeded forward with the power to crush anything. Nothing could possibly obstruct their path. Roaring echoed out constantly, to the point that the Black Lands were now on high alert. All the powers therein were sent into a commotion.

When the seven Violet Sea Giants appeared off in the distance, the tens of thousands of Cultivators gathered atop Blackgate Fort could only watch out as if they were facing an incredible foe. Down below, massive waves surged across the surface of the sea.

It was in this moment that one particular enormous, furious wave smashed into Blackgate Fort. The resulting boom rose up to the sky, and Blackgate Fort itself shook. The surrounding mountains trembled, and massive rockslides occurred. The people gathered atop Blackgate Fort were astonished.

At the same time, the Blood Mastiff screamed through the air, Naruto seated cross-legged atop it. A few dozen Cultivators flew out to block the way.

However, in the instant that they appeared, the Blood Mastiff let out a huge roar. A Spirit Severing aura appeared, along with an Area. Booms could be heard as the dozens of Nascent Soul Cultivators were sent tumbling back, blood spraying from their mouths, their faces filled with astonishment. Their disbelief and terror couldn't be greater.

"A Spirit Severing neo-demon!"

"That's… a Spirit Severing Beast!"

Even at the same time that the Nascent Soul Cultivators were retreating, the mastiff roared again and shot through the great gate of Blackgate Fort and into the Black Lands. Simultaneously, seven Violet Sea Giants leaped out from within the waves, also passing through the gate into the Black Lands.

"What… what are those? They're giants made from the Violet Sea?!"

"He… he can actually control the Violet Sea!"

"That's impossible! How could someone control the Violet Sea! Hey, I recognize him! That's the totemic Sacred Ancient of the Golden Crow Tribe…."

When the seven Violet Sea Giants stepped foot onto the Black Lands, everything quaked. Even as the Black Lands Cultivators atop Blackgate Fort were sent into an astonished commotion, Naruto's voice could be heard echoing out.

"I am the totemic Sacred Ancient of the Golden Crow Tribe. The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe wants to eradicate my Golden Crow Tribe. That is the only reason I have come to the Black Lands this day. I will wipe out the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe!

"I've already exterminated Patriarch Hashirama's clone. If any Tribes here stand in my way, I will see to it that the ruthless Violet Sea spreads throughout all the Black Lands!" In response to his words, enormous waves rose up on the Violet Sea outside Blackgate Fort. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of specters whistled through the air to enter the Black Lands.

Even as Naruto's words rang out, the seven Violet Sea Giants took booming strides forward. Hundreds of thousands of specters screamed through the air, obscuring the sky above. All of this caused the tens of thousands of Cultivators to gasp. Not a single one of them made any move to stop Naruto.

They were simply… incapable of doing so. Whether it was in terms of the seven Violet Sea Giants, the hundreds of thousands of specters, the Spirit Severing Beast or the roaring Violet Sea outside of Blackgate Fort, all of it… was far beyond anything that they could do anything to resist.

That was especially true considering what Naruto had just said. The fact that he had slaughtered Patriarch Hashirama's clone transformed into a roaring that filled their minds and hearts. In fact, many of them… simply couldn't believe it.

Regardless, none of them could block Naruto's way. It was without hesitation that tens of thousands of Cultivators immediately began to send news of what was happening back to their respective organizations. As to how each individual Tribe would respond, that would be up to the leadership of the Tribe.

What happened next astonished everyone. Without exception, all of the Tribes immediately responded to the messages with strict orders not to participate in any way in the conflict between the Golden Crow Tribe and the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

As he moved on, Naruto did not meet any interference. All the Black Lands Tribes made way for him. Booming echoed out as the seven Violet Sea Giants stomped through the land.

Hundreds of thousands of specters obfuscated the sky as they flew along. As for Naruto's Blood Mastiff, wherever it passed, a matchless aura would spread about. On this day… Naruto's name thoroughly shook the entirety of the Black Lands.

With Mabui providing directions, Naruto headed directly toward the area of the Golden Crow Tribe, where the war was still underway.

The Black Dragon Tribe had left, reducing by thirty percent the force that had once been the Golden Crow Black Dragon Clan. The Golden Crow Tribe's battle power had been significantly reduced. Furthermore, they had already been fighting for more than half a month.

It left the Golden Crow Tribe with roughly 50,000 members, almost all of whom had been mobilized. Vast amounts of neo-demons fought viciously. Big Hairy and the other totemic Sacred Ancients fought like mad, seemingly unaware of their own exhaustion.

As for the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, they had mobilized nearly all of their forces. There were more than 100,000 Cultivators, along with massive hordes of neo-demons, along with totemic Sacred Ancients. As the two sides battled back and forth over the days, heavy casualties had been inflicted on both sides.

Originally, the Golden Crow Tribe would not have been a match. However, the Thorn Rampart vine had continued to follow the mission it had been entrusted with by Naruto all those years ago. It surrounded the Golden Crow Tribe, causing thorns to spread out. Over and over again it had blocked the deadly attacks of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

Blood soaked the ground as the war between the two parties slowly raged into a fever pitch. Booming echoed about as people died left and right.

The spell formation of the Church of the Golden Light was another reason that the Golden Crow Tribe had been able to hold their ground for so long. The attacks of the parrot, meat jelly and Outlander Beast also turned the battlefield with the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe into a sea of blood.

Both sides fought with bloodshot eyes. Neo-demons flew about in mid-air massacring each other.

However, as time had passed, the situation for the Golden Crow Tribe continued to grow more critical.

Currently, more than a hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe flew about in mid-air, emitting truly crushing pressure. There were also more than twenty totemic Sacred Ancients, who, although were not of the Spirit Severing stage, only the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, were still astonishingly powerful.

When you added in the ordinary Cultivators and the roaring neo-demons, it caused the sky to dim.

The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe was a great Tribe after all, with deep, powerful resources. Considering that the entire Tribe had been mobilized, the Golden Crow Tribe fundamentally weren't a match for them. They had no choice but to slowly fall back into the perimeter of the Thorn Rampart. All the neo-demons and Cultivators were deeply exhausted, but not in despair.

Within the confines of the Tribe, the Tribe members gathered around Naruto's statue and called out the name of their Sacred Ancient. It was at this point that they began to feel their blood burn with righteousness. They felt just the way they imagined the old-timers, who were now the leadership of the Tribe, must have felt during the days of the migration.

However, the situation continued to decline. The protective Thorn Rampart began to show signs of collapse, although… it continued to hold on.

Big Hairy and the Wild Giant continued to fight on, absolutely no fear of death within their hearts. They fought with madness, with determination, also incapable of forgetting the mission Naruto had entrusted them with. Even if they died, they would continue to protect the Golden Crow Tribe.

Big Hairy, covered in blood, howled as he fought. The Wild Giant lost an eye, but was still as fierce as ever.

Meanwhile, within the forces of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, Momoshiki looked coldly out across the battlefield.. He then waved his right hand, snatching up a member of the Golden Crow Tribe by the neck. He squeezed down violently. Cracking sounds could be heard as the neck was crushed.

He suddenly cried out: "Tower Toppling Tribe, Cloud Mountain Tribe, Nine Crystals Tribe. The three of you, attack the right flank!

"Flying Cloud Tribe, Vast Mountain Tribe, Peng Lai Tribe, attack the left flank!

"This battle is about to end! Members of the main Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, attack the center…. Crush the Golden Crow Tribe. Men, women, elderly, children… don't leave a single one alive!" Killing intent flickered in Momoshiki's eyes. He, of course, was the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Chosen who was taking the lead in the battle.

Up in mid-air, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's Greatfather and High Priest looked down coldly at the battlefield. They were exhausted, but their killing intent filled the air. They very much approved of Momoshiki's plans….

"This battle will be over soon," said the Greatfather.

In accord with the orders issued by Momoshiki, the Tribe slashed into the Golden Crow Tribe from three directions. The sounds of slaughter immediately intensified.

War chariots constructed from magical treasures pulsated with prismatic light as they crushed anything in their path, instantly putting the Golden Crow Tribe in grave danger.

The peak level battle prowess of the more than one hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators and twenty totemic Sacred Ancients emitted crushing pressure that weighed down on everything. It was a force that would be equivalent even to a great Sect from the Southern Domain.

As the brutal battle raged, the Golden Crow Tribe was forced to shrink back. The Thorn Rampart vines were in a frenzy, and the brilliant glow of magical techniques and divine abilities rose up into the sky.

The parrot soared through midair, its eyes red. As more and more members of the Golden Crow Tribe perished, the parrot felt worse and worse. Everything that was happening made it think of a painful memory from the past.

The meat jelly trembled as it looked around. Although its body was indestructible, when it saw the Cultivators dying all around, it felt grief similar to the parrot's.

"Hey old bird, why the hell haven't you opened the seal and gotten rid of these enemies?!"

"I can't open it, bitch! It won't open!" shouted the parrot, charging in attack.

The Golden Crow Tribe fell back again. Booming roars rose up into the sky. They had long since given up on the thought of advancing. Everything was focused on defense. They were completely surrounded by the forces of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. The combined power of more than twenty totemic Sacred Ancients and over one hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators caused the Thorn Rampart vines to begin to collapse. From the look of things it wouldn't be long before they died completely.

It was at this moment that suddenly, a roaring sound could be heard from off in the distance. Thirteen Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Cultivators came into view, carrying with them a black-colored pillar that even five people couldn't encircle with their arms.

The pillar was carved with countless ferocious beasts, and emanated a primitive, archaic aura that made it seem as if it had existed for countless years. The thirteen Cultivators slowly proceeded forward with the pillar, their faces red and dripping with sweat. Apparently the pillar was incredibly heavy, and even with their combined strength, it was difficult to bear it on their shoulders for very long.

As it turned out, there wasn't just one column heading toward the battlefield. There were three!

They slowly approached the Golden Crow Tribe from three directions, each one roughly three hundred meters in length.

From up above, the three black pillars looked like three gigantic spikes, pulsing with a black aura. They seemed to be filled with the rancor of countless ferocious beasts.

Up in mid-air, Momoshiki's eyes glittered and he suddenly cried out, "Crush them!"

In response, all of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members instantly began to cry out strange incantations. The sounds of their voices shook everything, creating a roar that turned into a sound wave.

As it echoed out, the three gigantic black spikes responded to the power of the incantation. They suddenly flew up of their own accord to drift in mid-air.

The Greatfather and High Priest of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe lifted their hands to press down hard on their foreheads. Their bodies trembled and blood sprayed from their mouths. Their faces twisted bizarrely as they uttered the final, awkward-sounding words of the incantation: "Hongmosan!"

The incantation sucked in some of their life forces. The sound of it filled the entire battlefield, causing anyone who heard it to suddenly feel bedazzled, as if their souls were being tugged at.

Next, the three enormous black spikes suddenly shot downward. A rumbling bang could be heard as they stabbed into the ground.

Instantly, a black field of light sprang up between the black spikes, connecting them and completely enveloping the Golden Crow Tribe.

In that instant, all of the members of the Golden Crow Tribe, men and women, the elderly and children, even the neo-demons, all felt signs of withering within their bodies.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients split into three groups, each one of which moved into the direction of one of the black spikes. After arriving, they unleashed the full power of their Cultivation bases to slam into the spikes.

Each successive blast sent the three spikes further into the ground by several meters. The black field of light grew stronger, and countless bolts of lightning appeared. The Golden Crow Tribe was completely enveloped, and the signs of withering grew stronger. The Tribe members' faces filled with despair. It seemed as if what the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe said was true; they really were going to eradicate the entire Tribe and leave not a single person alive.

"Three Lives Spirit Extermination Spikes…." said the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's Greatfather. "They are precious treasures of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Were it not for the fact that the Golden Crow Tribe has fought back the entire time and not given in a bit, we would never have used them."

"Hopefully the life forces of this Tribe will be of some use to the Patriarch," said the High Priest.

The two of them let out soft sighs. The war had gone on for roughly half a month, but now it was finally going to conclude.

They weren't the only ones who heaved sighs of relief. Most of the surrounding Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members were the same, with the exception of Momoshiki, whose expression was cold. The desire to kill still flickered in his eyes.

"They really are tenacious. However, the more they struggle, the more quickly their life forces will be drained, and the sooner they will die."

Roaring filled the air as the spikes were driven deeper into the ground. The Golden Crow Tribe members were wasting away, even the Outlander Beast and Big Hairy. There were no exceptions.

There was despair, but as they struggled, their eyes were filled enmity and frenzy. They fused together to form a hatred that could only be washed away with the blood of their enemies. All their enemies.

"There's no need to struggle," said the High Priest coolly.

"If you want to blame someone," said the Greatfather, "blame that totemic Sacred Ancient of yours. He killed someone he shouldn't have killed, and provoked someone he shouldn't have provoked, the Patriarch of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. In fact, he's most likely already dead at the hands of Patriarch Hashirama's clone." He smiled, his expression one of arrogance and scorn as he looked down at the Golden Crow Tribe.

The parrot flew in mid-air beneath within the field of light. "Who's dead, bitch? If anyone died, he wouldn't… uh… eee?" In the middle of its cursing, the parrot suddenly stared in shock. It immediately stopped speaking and looked off into the distance.

Even as the Golden Crow Tribe was struggling on the verge of collapse, even as the parrot stared in shock, suddenly, the ground began to shake. The shaking was not caused by the spikes being driven down. No, this shaking was much more intense, much more large in scale. It was as if the entire world was being turned upside down!

Off in the distance, huge forms could be seen, running with enormous strides that caused the entire land to quake.

Soon, the aroma of saltwater blasted against the faces of everyone present. A wild wind sprang up that caused dust to fly up all over the place. A towering killing intent spread out in all directions.

The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Cultivators sensed the shaking almost immediately. One after another, the more than one hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators and twenty totemic Sacred Ancients in mid-air looked up.

What they saw… was a gale force wind sweeping through the air!

The wind was dark and sinister as it screamed toward them, and within it could be seen hundreds of thousands of specters!

When they saw the specters, the Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients gasped. The rest of the surrounding Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members were also shocked.

At the same time… the shaking grew more intense. Finally, the crowds could clearly see the seven giants leaping through the air. Every step they took slammed into the ground and caused it to quake. These were the three thousand meter tall Violet Sea Giants!

The aroma of saltwater grew stronger. The appearance of these seven Violet Sea Giants caused all of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members to gasp.

"What are they…?" Zheng Wenzu was dumbstruck, his eyes wide and filled with astonishment. Then his mind began to fill with a roaring sound as he realized what the giants were made from.

The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe High Priest, his voice hoarse and filled with disbelief, said, "The Violet Sea…. They're giants made from the waters of the Violet Sea!"

"Violet Sea Giants…. And the one in the lead position is holding something in its hand. It's…." The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Greatfather's eyes narrowed as he looked off into the distance.

It was at this point that the High Priest and all the Nascent Soul Cultivators also looked closely in the same direction. In that instant, they suddenly stopped breathing for a moment.

"Golden Crow Tribe members!"

"Those are the ones we captured and sent to the ten outposts!"

Even as the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members felt complete and utter astonishment, an enormous red shape appeared in the approaching wind. It moved with incredible speed and emitted intense killing intent. The sky dimmed and the clouds were thrown into upheaval. An intense, hair-raising pressure radiated out toward the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

The intensity of the pressure felt to them like the strength of the Heavens.

It was an enormous, blood-colored mastiff. Standing on its head was a man in a green robe. His hair whipped about in the wind, and his eyes were as cold as ice. His expression was grim, and he suddenly exploded with seemingly infinite killing intent.

"Naruto!" Momoshiki's breath came in ragged pants. He recognized Naruto from that day outside Blackgate Fort. Naruto had left a deep impression on him at that time.

The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Greatfather and High Priest also recognized Naruto, as well as some of the Nascent Soul Cultivators. As soon as they saw Naruto, their minds filled with roaring.

They were well aware that the Patriarch's Clone had gone to kill Naruto. However… here was Naruto now. There was only one thing that meant, and everyone knew it.

It was in this moment that among the trembling Golden Crow Tribe members caught in the black field of light, older members of the Tribe finally caught sight of Naruto, standing there atop the mastiff. These were old-timers who had accompanied Naruto during the long migration years ago.

He looked almost completely the same as he had a hundred years ago. Immediately, the old-timers began to tremble with excitement.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, we welcome you back with deep respect!"

The other Golden Crow Tribe members who had been born in the past hundred years, or perhaps had joined the Tribe, all gaped in astonishment. The instant they saw Naruto, they connected his visage to that the of the statue in the middle of the Tribe. They too were filled with excitement.

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, we welcome you back with deep respect!"

"Exalted Sacred Ancient, we welcome you back with deep respect!" Their voices roared out in all directions, filled with hope and frenzy. As the sound echoed about, Naruto's voice could be heard.

"I've returned."

The two simple words rang out from Naruto's mouth to fill the entire battlefield. When the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe heard the words, the sound of countless gasps could be heard. As for the Golden Crow Tribe members, their hearts filled with wild excitement.

The two words contained guilt as well as killing intent directed toward the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Even as his words continued to echo about, Naruto's eyes fell upon the bedraggled, listless Big Hairy.

Then he saw the trembling Wild Giant, and many other faces within the crowd that he recognized from the migration.

He saw Darui. He saw the remnants of his neo-demon horde. He saw the members of the Church of the Golden Light. Many images shone brightly inside his mind. More than a hundred years of separation hadn't seemed like a long time to Naruto, but for the Golden Crow Tribe, it had been like an eternity.

"I've… returned," he murmured. The Karma that existed between him and the Golden Crow Tribe could not be broken. When he saw their sorry state, the killing intent visible on his face grew even more intense.

At the same time, among the panting members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, the Greatfather's eyes glimmered with the desire to kill.

"So, you were able to evade the Patriarch," said the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe High Priest. "You've clearly got some skill! However, since you've delivered yourself up, today will be the day you die!

"Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Cultivators, kill this man! Eradicate the Golden Crow Tribe!" As soon as they heard his words, the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe roared.

Momoshiki's eyes gleamed with the desire to do battle.

"So, you appear again! This time… we will fight!" Momoshiki had been left with a deep impression of Naruto that year. Right now, his will to fight exploded out.

Killing intent roared up from the more than one hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators and twenty totemic Sacred Ancients. They were just about to charge into battle when suddenly, the mastiff gave them a look of disdain and then let out a roar.

The roar was backed by the mastiff's Spirit Severing aura. As it exploded out, an invisible tempest sprung up with the mastiff at its center. All the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members that the aura touched, including the Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients, were filled with astonishment. Their faces fell; they almost couldn't believe that it was true!

"Spirit Severing!"

"That's… that's a Spirit Severing neo-demon!"

At the same time, the seven huge Violet Sea Giants finally reached the battlefield, striding forward at top speed, the ground quaking beneath them.

The hundreds of thousands of specters also neared, emanating grimness. The entire battlefield was suddenly filled with extreme coldness.

As the mastiff sped forward, it turned into a beam of crimson light that shot toward the black field of light that was enveloping the Golden Crow Tribe.

Naruto's body flickered as he transformed into a green smoke and a black moon. Moments later, he appeared directly next to one of the black spikes. At the same time, he entered the Third Anima.

The parrot and the meat jelly instantly flew out at top speed to perch on Naruto's shoulder. They seemed as if they had suddenly found their backbones. They looked around the battlefield, their expressions triumphant and arrogant.

"Come on, bitches! Well, what are you doing?! Who's the tough one now? You dare to provoke Lord Fifth, bitches? Little Haowie, get out there and screw them!"

"Humph! Lord Third isn't going to convert you! Lord Third is gonna beat you to death! Little Haowie, get out there and screw them!"

Naruto's face was grim as he ignored the parrot and meat jelly. Now that he had entered the Third Anima, the power of four great circle Nascent Souls rose up within him, causing ripples to emanate out in all directions.

BANG!

As his Cultivation base exploded out, he waved his index finger through the air. It looked like an ordinary movement, but suddenly, violet Chakra boiled up. This was none other than Naruto's Violet Chakra Guillotine.

The blade descended onto the body of one of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Nascent Soul Cultivators. His eyes went wide and a booming sound rang out as his body was cleaved entirely in half.

"Screw 'em! SCREW THEM!" squawked the parrot excitedly, finally able to vent a bit after all this time.

Naruto shot forward with a boom. At the same time, within the red glow surrounding the mastiff, countless bright red hairs suddenly appeared in the air. They began to rotate around the mastiff, shockingly transforming into a red tornado. It moved forward unimpeded, crushing anything that got in its way as easily as if it were dried weeds. It didn't matter if it was a Sacred Ancient or a Nascent Soul Cultivator, anything that it touched screamed and then exploded, destroyed in both body and soul.

This was not a battle. This was a massacre!

As for the hundreds of thousands of specters, they were grim and emotionless as they pounced on the ordinary Cultivators of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. They could do nothing but tremble as their life force was exterminated.

Most shocking of all were the seven Violet Sea Giants. After arriving on the battlefield, they sprang into motion. When their fists descended onto the surface of the ground, enormous craters appeared. Even more astonishing was the power of extermination that existed within them. Any living thing they touched was exterminated.

The battlefield was instantly thrown into complete chaos!

The sudden change caused the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Greatfather and High Priest to gasp with disbelief. Momoshiki's eyes were wide as he stared, his mind a complete blank. Originally, he wanted to duel with Naruto, but now he could only watch as Naruto faced up against the Nascent Soul Cultivators. Not one could last for more than a single breath against him. At the moment, he watched as one of the illustrious Tribe Elders, who was in the late Nascent Soul stage, was so weak that he exploded under a single finger attack. As the man's bloodcurdling shriek echoed in Momoshiki's ears, he began to tremble, and abandoned all thoughts of fighting a duel with Naruto.

"Stop them from pulling up the Spirit Extermination Spikes!" he cried.

Despite their shock and widened eyes, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Cultivators howled and charged toward Naruto. Currently, Naruto was surrounded by thirty Nascent Soul Cultivators and seven or eight totemic Sacred Ancients, all of whom were attempting to prevent him from nearing the black spike.

"Screw off!" he cried. The killing intent in his eyes boiled as he waved his hand, causing a wild wind to spring up that was filled with the power of four great circle Nascent Souls. It shot out, causing eight or so Nascent Soul Cultivators in front of him to tumble backward, blood spraying out of their mouths. Two of them even screamed and then directly exploded.

At the same time, Naruto made a grasping motion. The Devil Spear appeared in his hand, and he tossed it backward. It instantly became a black **mist** filled with vicious faces which began to consume eight or so incoming opponents.

Naruto didn't pause for even a moment. He next appeared in front of one of the totemic Sacred Ancients, which bore the semblance of a rhinoceros. The killing intent in his eyes sparkled as his right fist descended.

BAM!

The totemic Sacred Ancient's face was filled with disbelief in the moment before it exploded into a haze of blood and gore that Naruto passed directly through. Gasps could be heard from the other eight or so Nascent Soul Cultivators who had been attempting to block Naruto. They were filled with intense shock and their minds reeled. They suddenly stopped in their tracks, not daring to get in Naruto's way.

Naruto proceeded forward as if he were walking through a field of dry weeds. In the blink of an eye, he was directly above the black Spirit Extermination Spike. He reached down and grabbed ahold of it, then wrenched up.

The spike let out an intense rumbling sound as it slowly moved upward. However, it was at this point that the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Greatfather approached. Intense killing intent filled his eyes. He knew that he must under no circumstance let the Spirit Extermination Spike be pulled up. If he did, then the Golden Crow Tribe would be able to charge out, which would be like adding snow onto frost, disaster upon disaster.

"Do not hold anything back! Stop him!" roared the Greatfather. The surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators gritted their teeth, and, joined by eight or so totemic Sacred Ancients, charged toward Naruto.

In the blink of an eye, they were bearing down on him. However, Naruto's mouth curved in a cold smile.

"Fourth Anima!"

Roaring filled the air as he entered the Fourth Anima. Battle power equivalent to eight great circle Nascent Souls exploded out within Naruto. As his enemies neared, they were blasted by the explosive aura.

Blood sprayed out of the mouths of all of the surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients. Even the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's Greatfather coughed up blood and was sent tumbling backward, his face written with shock.

He watched with wide eyes as Naruto heaved up again. A booming sound reverberated through the air as the spike was wrenched completely up out of the ground. As it emerged, it began to shrink rapidly, until it fit completely in Naruto's palm.

Now that one of the three spikes was gone, the black field of light which enveloped the Golden Crow Tribe rippled and distorted. Some of the life force that the black field had stolen now began to descend back down toward the excited members of the Golden Crow Tribe.

The sight of it caused the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe to be filled with shock.

"This man… just what level is his Cultivation base?!"

"This isn't the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, this is… halfway to Spirit Severing!"

Even as everyone expressed their shock, another booming sound could be heard from the direction of the second of the Spirit Extermination Spikes. The ground quaked as the mastiff completely destroyed all the Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients who defended it. Then, the mastiff smacked the spike violently with its paw. The blow was filled with such power that the spike was torn out the ground and sent flying, leaving behind a massive fissure.

Having lost two of the spikes, the black field of light was now covered in distortions. It was no longer sucking away life force, but restoring it! It took only moments for all of the life force it had stolen to be returned.

As the black spike whizzed through the air, Naruto's body flashed and he waved his right index finger into the air. Immediately, the enormous black spike trembled and began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, it landed on Naruto's palm.

Without pausing for a second, Naruto continued toward the third black spike. Anyone who tried to block his way would suddenly notice a red glow speeding toward them. The mastiff would appear and bat them away with its paw.

Of course, anyone who received a blow from the paw of the mastiff ended up being transformed completely into a haze of blood and gore!

BOOM!

Naruto's hand slammed down onto the surface of the third black spike. Rumbling filled the air, along with a popping sound, as he heaved it out of the ground.

The black field of light completely shattered, and the Golden Crow Tribe members, their bodies fully recovered, charged out, killing intent rising to the Heavens.

"KILL THEM!"

The massacre intensified!

The members of the Golden Crow Tribe emerged with excited roars. This was especially true of the old-timers who had accompanied Naruto through the migration. Their veins burned with passion as they recalled the blood and fire they had experienced on that long road years ago. Ah, the glory of life!

As for the new members of the Tribe who had appeared throughout the last hundred years, they too felt their blood boiling. It was almost like the stories that they had heard from the elder generation were suddenly playing out right in front of them. Except, it was all real!

They were no longer the Five Crow Divinity Tribes that needed the protection of Naruto's neo-demon horde to survive. Even the great Heavenly Pursuit Tribe needed to exert all their power to destroy them.

Once they charged out in attack, their killing intent soaring up, and that old intrepid madness that existed deep in their bones once again exploded out.

Tens of thousands of Golden Crow Tribe Cultivators charged directly into battle, joined by the neo-demon horde, Big Hairy, the Wild Giant, their Nascent Soul experts, and totemic Sacred Ancients. They instantly slaughtered their way into the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

Booming roars filled the air. It was an awe-inspiring massacre.

Naruto hovered in mid air, looking down for a moment at the third black spike as it landed onto his palm. He put it away, and then looked around, his eyes glinting with a cold glow.

The Blood Mastiff roared, and then suddenly vanished. It didn't kill anyone, but rather, transformed into a blinding red light that spread out like a gigantic blanket to cover the entire area.

The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's path of retreat was now completely sealed off!

The only strange thing was that before the mastiff transformed into the red seal, the parrot suddenly looked at it with gleaming eyes. It stared open-mouthed at the mastiff, its body trembling. A burning excitement suddenly appeared in its eyes.

Meanwhile, the seven Violet Sea Giants continued to crash their way across the battlefield. Reddish glows emanated out from them as, everywhere they went, Cultivators around them were exterminated. The hundreds of thousands of specters flew about, surrounded by icy coldness. Every place they visited on the battlefield, lives were extinguished.

This was a complete and utter bloodbath!

The members of the Golden Crow Tribe became a blade of butchery that savagely attacked with complete determination to secure revenge.

Naruto's body flickered and he suddenly reappeared next to a Nascent Soul Cultivator. It was an old woman wearing a long, emerald robe. Her face was pale with shock because of everything that had happened. Naruto's sudden arrival to the battle had left her completely shaken. She looked around at the slaughter going on, and her scalp went numb. She had been just about to flee when Naruto appeared next to her.

Her pupils constricted and she instantly bit down on her tongue and then spit out some blood. She slapped her bag of holding, causing ten magical items to appear in front of her. In this moment of critical danger, the old woman did not hold anything back. Along with the appearance of her magical items, all the power of her totems magically manifested, transforming into a variety of totems. At the same time, her body grew even more withered as she burned a large portion of her life force.

Rumbling surrounded the two of them. The old woman's face grew fierce, whereas Naruto's expression was cold. He did nothing to evade her attack, but simply strode forward and lifted his right hand into the air. The Devil Spear instantly shot forward.

The spear roared through the air, shattering the magical items, destroying the old woman's totems. It stabbed into her forehead, passing completely through to the other side.

The old woman's eyes went wide and she stared blankly at Naruto. Suddenly, her body exploded as her weakened Nascent Soul shot away in flight. Naruto reached out quickly with his left hand to grab it and crush it to pieces.

The sight of all this caused three totemic Sacred Ancients who had just been planning to launch a sneak attack, to gasp. Then they fell back in astonishment. Naruto turned his head, and his eyes flashed as if with electricity.

"Lightning," he said. Considering the massacre being carried out on the battlefield around him, it seemed at first as if Naruto's voice was not loud enough. However, in response, seven enormous lightning bolts suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

These were seven red-colored lightning bolts which were filled with the will of Heavenly Tribulation. At the same time, they also contained Naruto's will. The lightning bolts shot toward the three totemic Sacred Ancients, filling the three neo-demons with astonishment. Without hesitation, they employed their various divine abilities, causing layers of multicolored lights to appear in the form of a shield. Demonic Chakra also swept out.

However… in the blink of an eye, the three neo-demons let out miserable shrieks as the red lightning smashed through all of their magic. It didn't matter if it was divine abilities or magical techniques; all were crushed like rotten wood. The three totemic Sacred Ancients were not able to avoid the seven bolts of red lightning, and were instantly inundated.

The sound of crashing thunder caused everything to shake. Everyone on the entire battlefield could see what was happening, and all of them gasped, faces filled with astonishment.

This was especially true of the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, most especially the Nascent Soul Cultivators and the totemic Sacred Ancients. Their faces fell and were filled with terror. Some of them even began to flee the battlefield. However, as soon as they slammed into the red barrier, they screamed, and their bodies dissolved.

This place… had long since turned into a complete dead end for them!

The High Priest of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe was an archaic old man with the bearing of a transcendent being. He held an enormous wooden staff in his hand and wore a long, gray gown. Right now, though, he was trembling in his boots, and his eyes overflowed with despair. However, that despair quickly vanished, replaced with determination.

"Members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, hold on just a little longer! The Patriarch will definitely come to save us!"

As his words drifted out across the battlefield, the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe who had been so stricken with fear of Naruto, suddenly felt flickers of hope burning within their hearts.

"The Patriarch is currently on his way here!" cried the Greatfather. "He will eradicate this villain and destroy his Tribe. The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe will not fall!" The Greatfather was an ancient man who wore a long violet robe and whose eyes shone with a fierce light. His Cultivation base was similar to a totemic Sacred Ancient, and he was in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage.

Momoshiki took a deep breath. The words of the Greatfather and the High Priest caused his heart to calm a bit. His face grim, his eyes suddenly shone with derision as he looked across the battlefield toward Naruto.

"The Patriarch will definitely come," he thought. "Then what will he do? We are one of the three great Tribes of the Heavenly Court Alliance. Naruto hasn't picked a fight with just the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, but the entire alliance!

"We have three Spirit Severing Patriarchs. This guy… is definitely going to die!"

Naruto's body vanished. When he reappeared, his hand snaked out to latch around the neck of a totemic Sacred Ancient. This was a human-shaped neo-demon, which, after Naruto grabbed it, struggled fiercely. However, Naruto's "Fire 火" word glowed faintly, causing the thing to burst into black flames that burned with an indescribable temperature, causing it to emit a blood-curdling scream. In the blink of an eye, the neo-demon was turned into nothing more than ash drifting in the wind.

Naruto didn't even look at it. Having heard the words of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Greatfather and High Priest, his mouth twisted into a smile.

"You're waiting for that cretin Patriarch Hashirama…?" he said, looking across the crowded battlefield at the Greatfather, who was several hundred meters away.

The instant his gaze fell upon the violet-robed Greatfather, all the hair on the man's body stood on end, and his heart filled with a sense of deadly crisis.

As he looked at Naruto, his mind trembled and filled with an ominous sense of foreboding. His action of looking over at Naruto was actually completely subconscious, but as soon as their gazes locked, the Heavenly Pursuit Greatfather's brain filled with an intense pain. It was as if Naruto's eyes were sharp knives that stabbed through his eyes into his brain, preparing to eradicate him.

Blood began to ooze out of the Greatfather's eyes, ears, nose and mouth. He started backing up, his eyes widening.

Naruto took a step forward and said, "I have no idea whether or not that patsy Hashirama will be coming. But you won't be here to find out, of that I'm certain."

"Protect the Greatfather!" cried the surrounding Tribe members. Alarmed, they formed a protective circle around the Greatfather. Many of the group were Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients.

Naruto smiled as he moved forward toward the Greatfather.

His path was one of explosions and annihilation. No one who stood in his way was able to impede him for even a moment. His finger reached out to tap on the forehead of a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Blood poured from the man's mouth and he was sent tumbling backward. By the time he exploded, Naruto had already moved more than three hundred meters. He flicked his sleeve, and the word "Wind 风" appeared, transforming into a screaming wind that instantly became a cyclone. It raged out around Naruto, slamming into seven or eight nearby Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients. Blood sprayed from their mouths and they were sent flying back.

There was not a single person on the battlefield who could do anything to stop Naruto. He proceeded forward another three hundred meters. He gestured off into the distance, and immediately, a frosty soil 土 appeared. It spread out rapidly toward the nearby Cultivators. Booming sounds could be heard as their bodies quivered and then completely froze!

Naruto moved a third time, another three hundred meters. By this time, he was directly in front of the rapidly retreating Greatfather. Even as the people surrounding him instantly charged in attack, the blank look on the Greatfather's face was replaced with despair. Naruto lifted his hand up and pushed forward.

"Metal 金!"

In response to this single word, a golden light exploded up around Naruto's right hand. The glow of it filled the battlefield, and, in the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Greatfather was completely transformed into a statue of gold.

A bang rang out as the statue slammed into the ground below, where it came to rest, unmoving. The look of despair was still clear on the man's face…. The sight of it caused all of the remaining Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members to gape. Their bodies trembled and were filled with icy coldness.

The Golden Crow Tribe members, on the other hand, were growing even more excited.

"Sacred Ancient!"

"Sacred Ancient!"

Their roars echoed out in all directions, filled with anger and indignation, as well as their determination to eradicate the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

 _You want to wipe out our Tribe? Allow us to wipe out YOURS!_

Such enmity could not be reconciled. It was simply impossible to do so. The only option was for the bloodlines of one of these Tribes to be completely removed from the lands of Lands of Ninshu!

"The Patriarch is on his way!"

"The Patriarch will come to save us!"

"Hold on just a bit longer!"

The death of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Greatfather filled the other Tribe members' hearts with despair. The only thing that kept them from completely collapsing was the hope that Patriarch Hashirama would come to save them.

They truly believed that Patriarch Hashirama would come to save them!

Hashirama was THEIR Patriarch!

The slaughter intensified yet again. The sound of killing rose up to the Heavens. Naruto was the peak power on the battlefield. Not a single Heavenly Pursuit Cultivator dared to get close to him. No totemic Sacred Ancient had the gall to attack him. Wherever he went, enemy Cultivators scattered immediately.

Finally, Naruto's gaze came to fall upon Momoshiki. In that instant, Momoshiki began to tremble, and without pausing for a moment, he fled backward. His mind was reeling with shock, and yet, even as he began to flee, Naruto turned into a green smoke and then appeared directly next to him.

"I surrender to the Golden Crow Tribe!" cried Momoshiki, his face flickering. The pressure bearing down on him from Naruto was too intense, filling him with a sense of deadly crisis. Fearing that Naruto wouldn't believe him, he actually dropped all of his defenses.

"I surrender!" he gushed anxiously. "I'm the Chosen of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. If I join the Golden Crow Tribe then I can give you…." Before he could finish, Naruto's hand flashed out like lightning to grab his neck with an iron grip.

"I remember you," said Naruto. "You were there that year at Blackgate Fort."

Momoshiki's body trembled, and his face filled with fear. It felt as if an enormous vice were clamped down onto his neck. In response to Naruto's words, he instantly nodded.

"Unfortunately," said Naruto, "the Golden Crow Tribe doesn't need turncoats." With that, he tightened his grip. Momoshiki was the Chosen of this generation of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. He had practiced cultivation for two hundred years to reach the early Nascent Soul stage. Right now, a tremor ran through his body as his Nascent Soul was crushed and he died in both body and spirit.

Naruto loosened his grip and turned. Currently, only ten thousands members remained of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Of the previous force of one hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators, only twenty were left.

As far as totemic Sacred Ancients went, only five remained.

The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe could already be considered destroyed. However, with Patriarch Hashirama still around, they could still count as a great Tribe!

Under the leadership of the High Priest, the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe had all formed together. In fact, they were now in much the same position that the Golden Crow Tribe had been in before. They were surrounded by enemy Tribe members, hundreds of thousands of specters, and seven Violet Sea Giants.

In the very middle of the group from the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe was the High Priest. His face filled with grief, he held his staff aloft and then plunged it down into the ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he sat down cross-legged.

His voice shrill, he cried, "Patriarch, why haven't you come!?"

"The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe is about to be destroyed… Of 80,000 Tribe members, only 10,000 are left! Patriarch, why… why haven't you come!?"

Even as he howled up to the Heavens, the staff in front of him began to glow with a white light that then shot up into the sky. As soon as it slammed into the red light of the mastiff, it vanished. However, despite the fact that it vanished, it was still able to use a special bloodline method to pierce out into the outside world. It shot toward the location of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe directly into the mind of Patriarch Hashirama, who sat there cross-legged.

Meanwhile, Naruto hovered there in mid-air, looking out over the scene. His eyes glittering, he waved his right hand, causing the three Spirit Extermination Spikes to appear. He sent his Divine Sense into the spikes, then, borrowing the power of the Mastiff, wiped the brands off of them and replaced them with his own.

"What you did to the Golden Crow Tribe," he said coolly. "Naruto will do to you. It's only fair." With that, he tossed one of the black spikes out into the air, where it rapidly increased in size. Roaring could be heard as Naruto waved his hand, causing the spike to be stabbed half-way down into the ground.

Instantly, a black field of light sprang up to envelop the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

Next, a second spike flew out in a different direction to then stab down into the ground. The black field of light grew stronger, and the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe began to tremble and whither.

A third spike stabbed down. The Spirit Extermination Spike spell formation having been fully activated, all of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members were now in the same position the Golden Crow Tribe members had been. Their flesh withered, and their life force drained away at a rapid pace.

They stood there shaking, expressions of despair appeared on their faces as they looked toward the High Priest. In turn, the High Priest looked up into the sky. As his body wasted away, his voice once again raised out, filled with hopelessness.

"Patriarch… save your people….

"Patriarch, why haven't you come…? Have you forsaken us…?"

Naruto looked at the spectacle from up above, but said nothing. He looked off into the distance, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The surrounding Golden Crow Tribe members watched on silently. They were not inherently fond of killing, but when they saw the hopelessness on the faces of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe Cultivators, they couldn't help but think of their own situation earlier.

If Naruto had not returned, then perhaps they would have begun to cry out just like the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe.

Time passed. Within the black field of light, the life forces of the withering members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe were beginning to wink out. They turned into corpses which toppled to the ground. As they died, their life forces were completely absorbed by the spell formation, causing a white cyclone to gradually appear.

As more Tribe members became shriveled corpses, the High Priest continued to waste away. He now looked like a body just climbed up out of a grave, emanating a strong aura of death. Despite that, he continued to gaze up listlessly into the sky. His voice echoed out continuously.

"Patriarch… Did we make a mistake…?

"Patriarch, please respond. Did we err? Why haven't you come…?"

1,000. 3,000. 5,000. Finally, all 10,000 Tribe members became desiccated corpses and toppled to the ground. Soon, only the Nascent Soul Cultivators and the totemic Sacred Ancients were left. They trembled and cried out helplessly, and the High Priest began to laugh bitterly.

The laughter became sadder until it was filled with resentment.

"Patriarch, why haven't you come for us!?" Even as his resentful words rang out, the remaining Nascent Soul Cultivators lifted their heads up to release the last howl they would release in their entire lives.

"Why… haven't you come?!"

Boom!

The Nascent Soul Cultivators in the field of light were now dried up corpses. The totemic Sacred Ancients were all dead. The only person left was the High Priest. He continued to chuckle hatefully as the flame of his life force was finally extinguished.

After they were all dead, the white cyclone floating within the black field of light transformed into a white pearl. Naruto had assumed the pearl would disappear, but it did not. It remained there, floating in the air until members of the Golden Crow Tribe approached to take it away.

The scene caused Naruto to frown and look off into the distance.

"Just what are you planning, Patriarch Hashirama…." he thought. After a moment, a tremor ran through his body. He looked down into his bag of holding at the Demon Spirit he had acquired all those years ago in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins. It was now shining with a brilliant light.

It grew more and more intense, and began to emanate a gravitational force.

Naruto's eyes glittered. After calculating the days, he realized that the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane would be opening soon.

"Patriarch Hashirama, I don't care what you're planning. The fight between the two of us cannot be avoided!"

He looked over the Golden Crow Tribe. Big Hairy was there, and the Wild Giant too. Finally, he waved his hand, causing the glowing red shield to shrink back down and transform back into the mastiff.

He stood on the mastiff's head and looked off into the distance.

Eventually he looked back at the members of the Golden Crow Clan, and they looked back with expressions of fervent ardor. Naruto could clearly sense the intense faith power in the area. "I'm going to the Heavenly Pursuit Sect. As for all of you… there's no need for you to come along."

Faith power circled around Naruto, transforming into ghost images that superimposed with his body. It slowly fused into his Cultivation base in such a way that no magical technique could cause it to diffuse.

Naruto looked over at Big Hairy, who floated there in mid-air, and gave him an encouraging look. Big Hairy let out a few yips in response.

The Thorn Rampart vines swayed back and forth in the air, seemingly looking up into the air as Naruto prepared to leave.

Naruto turned and opened up his bag of the Cosmos to suck in all the bodies of the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Then he and the mastiff flashed and shot up into the air.

Behind him, all the members of the Tribe clasped hands and bowed. Darui and Mabui were there. They watched Naruto, their hearts filled with dolorousness. It was Darui who finally spoke. The gratefulness in his heart toward Naruto was different than the others.

"Sacred Ancient, sir… will you return to us?"

"… Yes!" was the soft reply.

The old-timers who had accompanied Naruto during the migration felt deeply melancholy. They knew that it would be years before any of them would have a chance to see him again. They themselves might not even be alive at that time.

As Naruto sped off into the distance, the parrot and the meat jelly looked back from their position on his shoulder toward the Outlander Beast, who stood there amongst the Golden Crow Tribe members.

They had the sudden premonition that it would be hundreds of years before they met again, or perhaps even longer…. However, it was at this point that the parrot suddenly looked at the mastiff, and its eyes began to shine with burning passion. When the meat jelly sensed this, it shuddered.

The mastiff seemed to sense it as well, and gave the parrot a look. The parrot suddenly struck a graceful pose and smiled benevolently toward the mastiff. Subconsciously it looked back at the Outlander Beast. The Outlander Beast's emotional expression caused the parrot to let out a sigh.

Meanwhile, far, far away a fissure suddenly opened up in mid-air above the Western Desert Violet Sea. A beautiful woman dressed in a flowing pink gown emerged. She looked irritated..

"The Primordial Demon Immortal Plane is opening and the teleportation power is strong. Everyone with Demon Spirits will be entering." This was none other than Tsukino. She ground her teeth as she looked down at the Violet Sea.

"Naruto, there is one badass bitch who hasn't forgotten about you! Eee? You stopped the Demonic Transmigration?" She stared in shock for a moment, and then raised her eyebrows happily.

"So you do have some conscience after all. You still owe me, don't forget it." With a snort, she picked a mountain-island and sat down cross-legged to wait for the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane to completely open.

Back in the Black Lands, there were other forces who noticed the teleportation power, and were similarly waiting.

At the same time that the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe met their grievous end within the field of black light, back in the main temple of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, Patriarch Hashirama sat cross-legged, shielded off in a restricted area. When the last Tribe member died, his eyes opened.

A cold, emotionless glow could be seen therein.

Around him, souls formed from grief began to appear. These were discarnate souls; their main souls had already been destroyed. These were only bits of will left behind in the temple.

As the maltreated souls floated around Patriarch Hashirama, they let out voiceless cries. Patriarch Hashirama's looked calmly at the maltreated souls. His voice was cool as he murmured, "Your deaths are not meaningless. In fact, they were very important to me.

"Don't look at it as me not going to save you. Rather… you needed to die. The more miserable your deaths, the more emotionless I can be. The more grief you felt in dying… the stronger my Dao becomes!

"Tobirama's death made it so that my Dao cannot be completed perfectly. The only thing I can do now is to find someone to replace Tobirama. You 80,000 members of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe… are none other than that replacement.

"I watched you die, capable of saving you, yet choosing not to. I watched you die, watched you clamoring for help, and it filled my heart with stabs of pain. However, the deeper those stabs of pain, the more emotion can be obliterated.

"You will not have died in vain. You will make my Dao… reach the peak of the First Severing!

"As far as the Tribe goes… as long as I am alive, there will always be a Tribe." Patriarch Hashirama closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, booms rang out with every step the seven Violet Sea Giants took as they ran through the Black Lands. From off in the distance it almost looked like the churning Violet Sea itself, radiating boundless energy. Naruto stood on the mastiff, which shot through the air, surrounded by a crimson glow.

Their destination was none other than the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's temple in the Black Lands!

Naruto's face was incredibly grim as they made their way forward. His eyes twitched, and subconsciously, his hands clenched into fists and emanated cracking sounds. The reason for all of this actually had nothing to do with Patriarch Hashirama, but rather… the parrot.

"Heyyy. Hi there! You can call me Lord Fifth. Let's get to know each other, okay?" The parrot was flying in front of the mastiff, trying to look very graceful and gentlemanly. However, no matter how you looked at it, it looked perverted. Currently, it was peering tenderheartedly at the mastiff.

The mastiff had a strange expression in its eyes as it looked back at the parrot, puzzled.

When its gaze fell upon the parrot, the parrot suddenly seemed as if it couldn't control itself any more. It clutched its talons to its chest and let out an impassioned cry.

"This is it! This is the true love I've been waiting for my entire life! Look at the fur! So tempting! Look at that expression! So pure! Look at that figure! So enchanting!

"This is the true love of my life!" Tears appeared in the parrot's eyes as it looked at the Blood Mastiff with an expression of fanatical infatuation.

"Beautiful little darling, please allow me to introduce myself again," it said loudly, its eyes shining brightly. "You can call me Lord Fifth. From now on, you're my little girl. From now on, you…"

It was at this point that Naruto's grim voice could be heard through clenched teeth.

"SCREW OFF!"

The sound caused the parrot to fall back with a squawk. However, it quickly flew back, glaring angrily at Naruto. From out of nowhere, a black cloth appeared in its claws, which it quickly tied around one of its eyes. Its aura suddenly exploded up.

"You want to duel with me?!" the parrot raved. "Little Haowie, let's do this, right now! Duel with Lord Fifth. This beautiful little darling will belong to whoever wins!" The frenzied parrot's appearance was one of ultimate arrogance. It appeared to have gone crazy for love. It truly believed that by challenging Naruto, it could attract the attention of what it referred to as the beautiful little darling.

Naruto felt his temples pulsing. The headache he was experiencing was almost too much to take. He had to admit that he had forgotten about the parrot's unique addiction. After looking at the mastiff, he also had to admit that to the parrot, it must be incredibly alluring.

"It's male," he explained with a forced smile.

The parrot looked hurt. "Male, female, it doesn't matter. Lord Fifth lives for true love!" it roared. Its multicolored feathers stood on end, making it look almost like a gamecock. In truth, it was feeling very pleased with itself. In its estimation, it looked extremely handsome and dashing at the moment. It couldn't help but glance at the mastiff out of the corner of its eye to see the expression on its face.

Naruto said nothing. The pain in his head only continued to grow. As far as he was concerned, the parrot needed a good spanking. He waved his right hand, causing a gale force wind to sweep out and surround it.

Within the whipping wind, the parrot struggled and then roared, "This is true love! True love is invincible!"

"Screw off!" cried Naruto, waving his sleeve again and trying to ignore the pain in his head. The wind screamed, but the parrot's persistent voice once again rang out.

"Naruto, you're shameless! You wanna be the third wheel! You wanna break us up!"

Naruto's face grew even darker. Finally, he shrugged and punched out. The response was a frenzied roar from the parrot.

"Lord Fifth's love will never change! Lord Fifth's love will last forever!" The parrot held nothing back as it roared at the top of its lungs to vindicate itself. Then, it let out a pained cry as it fell back a few paces, after which it looked passionately at the mastiff and yelled, "Little darling, Lord Fifth will travel to the ends of the earth for love! Let's elope! What do you say?" Its eyes burned with passion.

The Blood Mastiff's Cultivation base was at the Spirit Severing stage, and it was quite intelligent. At first, it was confused about what was going on. Now, though, this intrepid Blood Mastiff trembled as it looked at the parrot. Suddenly, its rage exploded up to the Heavens. It appeared to feel provoked, humiliated, as if it had been taken to be a female. Such intense provocation immediately caused the mastiff to fly into a rage.

It roared and shot forward toward the parrot, then batted it with a huge paw.

With a bang, the parrot was sent flying backward. Moments later, it flew back persistently.

"I will go to the ends of the earth for love! I live for my dream of love! I am the mighty, the passionate, the one and only Lord Fifth!"

Even as the parrot declared loudly everything it would do for love, the mastiff disappeared. It reappeared directly in front of the parrot. It grabbed the parrot in its paw, forcibly shutting it up, and then opened its gigantic mouth to let out a threatening roar. Compared to the mastiff's giant head, the tiny parrot was so tiny that it could be considered negligible.

The parrot was about to struggle, but the crushing Spirit Severing pressure instantly caused it to settle down. Its eyes opened wide as the mastiff's huge face grew close. As for the parrot, it almost looked intoxicated. Seemingly incapable of controlling its passion, it stretched out with its pointed beak and… gently kissed the mastiff.

The mastiff gaped in astonishment. Naruto stared in shock. Even the meat jelly was dumbfounded.

Everything was deathly quiet.

The parrot's eyes glowed with an intense light as it looked at the mastiff. "Lord Fifth loves your power, little darling," it said loudly. "The more powerful you are, the more you fight back, the more Lord Fifth loves you."

The mastiff lifted its head up and roared. Its fury had reached a pinnacle. Its eyes radiated fierceness as it bit down, ripping the parrot into pieces. Moments later, though, the parrot reformed and shamelessly began to once again shout out:

"I will go to the ends of the earth for love!" it declared. "I live for my dream of love! Even if you kill Lord Fifth a thousand times, it's like tempering steel! My love for you… is eternal!"

The mastiff roared, charging once again to tear parrot into pieces. And then, it all began again….

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose, and chuckled bitterly. At some point, the meat jelly had taken up a position on his shoulder. Similar to Naruto, a hand appeared, and it too rubbed the bridge of its nose. Its expression was exactly the same as Naruto's.

"Now do you see why it takes Lord Third an entire lifetime to convert it?" said the meat jelly somberly. It looked at Naruto with an enigmatic expression that said, 'you know what I mean….'

"Yes, I get it now," replied Naruto, sighing. In that moment, a tremor ran through his body as he suddenly realized that he had just made a massive mistake. He had actually… started a conversation with the meat jelly!

The meat jelly's eyes lit up, its desire to chat suddenly aroused.

"You get it? You really get it? Heavens! You really do get it! You understand me now! Okay, then, let's talk about something that happened 30,000 years ago. It was just too much. Infuriating! Oh, wait. Before that, let's talk about the weather from 70,000 years ago…."

The meat jelly trembled with excitement as it began to chatter. It turned into a droning sound in Naruto's ears. He watched the mastiff and the parrot battling, and listened to the garrulous meat jelly.

Suddenly, a feeling rose up in Naruto's heart that gave him the sensation that he was about to go insane. Any normal person who spent a lot of time with the parrot and meat jelly would definitely become abnormal.

All of a sudden, he felt a twinge of sympathy for Danzo.

Naruto sighed and obediently maintained his silence. He said nothing, but rather, allowed the meat jelly to talk endlessly, allowed the parrot to continue to be battered around by the mastiff. Every time the parrot was smacked away, it would return and say all kinds of things that Naruto could not help but hear. Soon, he started to go numb.

And that was how time passed by oh so slowly…

Half a day later, even as the parrot continued to pay court to the mastiff, who continued to violently refuse it, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's temple appeared up ahead.

The temple itself was an enormous mountain shaped like a bottle gourd. It looked like a gigantic stone bottle gourd placed directly onto the surface of the land. The mountains that surrounded it were bare and infertile. The only entrance was at the very top of the mountain, at the mouth of the gourd.

Seeing the bottle gourd mountain caused Naruto to feel an indescribable sense of release. He shot directly toward the mouth of the gourd, and as he neared, he could sense an incredibly powerful restrictive spell.

The mouth of the gourd was like that of a volcano, and was roughly three hundred meters wide.

An enormous magical symbol could be seen stretching across the opening, floating there in mid-air, preventing anything from entering, be it a person or a stream of Divine Sense. Shockingly, just barely visible beyond the illusory mouth of the gourd, Naruto could see another world.

He saw a vast number of houses, exquisitely ornamented palace buildings, countless temples, and one Tribal district after another….

There were nearly 10,000 people sitting cross-legged atop the houses. It seemed as if all the power of their Cultivation bases was emanating out. Their bodies were withered, to the point where they seemed fused with the houses. Apparently, these people were sparing no cost, giving up even their life force, to maintain the operation of the restrictive spell.

Naruto wasn't able to make out any more concrete details.

Almost the same moment in which Naruto arrived at the mouth of the gourd, he was shocked to discover that in the air around him were multiple streams of Divine Sense.

There were even streams of Divine Sense that didn't belong to Spirit Severing, but were valiant nonetheless. Apparently these were the result of magical items that could allow Cultivators from various Tribes to lock onto this position from a distance, and thus observe the proceedings.

Naruto ignored them. The fact that no one had interfered during the battle against the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe revealed the attitudes of the others.

Right now, the appearance of these streams of Divine Sense made that attitude even more obvious. These people were here to see… exactly what would happen in the end between him and Patriarch Hashirama!

Some people clearly had a vested interest in what was going on, although Naruto didn't want to know why.

The mastiff, having just endured the aggravation of the parrot the entire way here, needed no orders from Naruto. A bright red glow emanated from its body as its Spirit Severing aura exploded out. It swiped out with its paw, slamming at the magical symbol restrictive spell.

A boom echoed out. Cracking sounds could be heard as the magical symbol collapsed into fragments. However, even as it disintegrated, another restrictive spell became visible. The mastiff's fiendish will expanded out. It roared and swiped out its paw again. And then again. The entire gourd mountain shook for the space of ten breaths as the mastiff destroyed hundreds of layers of restrictive spells. However… by this point, they had only proceeded about a hundred and fifty meters down into the mouth of the gourd.

Shockingly, the entire gourd… was completely filled with restrictive spell formations!

The mastiff was about to continue destroying them, but Naruto calmly prevented it. He hovered outside of the mouth of the gourd and looked down inside. Then, his eyes filled with a cold light. He waved his right hand, and instantly, one of the seven Violet Sea Giants moved forward. In the blink of an eye it entered the mouth of the gourd and then transformed into a majestic Violet Sea that began to drain down into the gourd.

"If the people die," Naruto said calmly, "the restrictive spells will shatter on their own." In the Southern Domain, Naruto had not mastered the art of cruelty. However, his experiences in the Black Lands and the Western Desert, and especially the migration with the Crow Divinity Tribes, had forced him to shed his former naivety. Because of his surroundings and his experiences, he had slowly, almost imperceptibly, changed. He now truly acted like a Cultivator.

When dealing with enemies, any tactic is acceptable! When dealing with benefactors, debts of gratitude must be repaid, regardless of the cost!

Even as the word left his mouth, the Violet Sea poured down into the gourd. The power of extermination exploded out, transforming into what sounded like rumbling voices. The entire gourd mountain began to tremble violently.

Life and death collided, and the power of extermination roared out. Even if the restrictive spells of the gourd bottle were powerful, they would still contain life force. It might not be something that the restrictive spell innately possessed, however, as the Violet Sea sank down into the gourd, the life forces of the 10,000 Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members became explosive linchpins.

Roaring could be heard from within the world of the gourd. The Cultivators sitting cross-legged on top of the houses trembled and began to visibly break into pieces.

Massive explosions echoed about as the successive layers of restrictive spells were destroyed. At the same time, the second of the Violet Sea Giants neared, transformed into seawater and then poured into the gourd's mouth.

After that, it was a third, then a fourth. In the end, five of the Violet Sea Giants became seawater and poured down into the mouth of the gourd. Rumbling sounds completely filled the world inside the gourd.

The restrictive spells were now completely defeated and dispersed. Seawater completely filled the first level of the world of the gourd. Everything, all life, all Cultivators, were submerged within the Violet Sea and wiped out by the power of extermination.

Hundreds of thousands of specters now charged into the Violet Sea to sweep about the world of the gourd.

Gradually, an enormous spell formation began to emerge.

It could be called a spell formation, or perhaps, a door.

It was a door that led to the second level of this world.

It was a simple, unsophisticated door, and it was closed tightly. Outside the mouth of the gourd, Naruto waved his hand toward the seawater within. Instantly, it swirled into a whirlpool, which rotated faster and faster. The water, along with the hundreds of thousands of specters, roared as they transformed into a massive cyclonic power that shot toward the door leading to the second level.

The cyclonic power erupted with massive power as it slammed against the door. A boom could be heard as the door was smashed into countless pieces. All the seals and all the restrictive spells were completely destroyed.

When the door collapsed, fierce howls could be heard coming from within the second level of the world. Shockingly, two thousand Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members could be seen within. There were even several Nascent Soul Cultivators and totemic Sacred Ancients. However, as they charged out in attack, the Violet Sea poured in. The power of extermination exploded out, whereupon bloodcurdling screams could be heard.

The cries echoed out for a moment within the gourd, and then faded away. Soon the entire mountain was completely quiet.

The Heavenly Pursuit Tribe had been completely eradicated.

Even still, Patriarch Hashirama was nowhere to be seen within the world of the gourd.

Naruto frowned, then gave a cold snort. He waved his hand toward the gourd mountain, causing the Violet Sea within to seethe. It rapidly transformed back into the Violet Sea Giants, which then began to strike at the mountain with their fists.

The ground quaked as more restrictive spells were destroyed. After the amount of time it takes half an incense stick to burn, the entire mountain began to fall apart and collapse. A huge roaring sound could be heard as it crumbled into ruin.

As of this moment, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's temple had been completely destroyed!

The collapse of the mountain caused dust to fly out in all directions. As Naruto hovered up above in mid-air, he slapped his bag of holding, causing massive amounts of corpses to appear. Shockingly, they all fell down onto the destroyed temple, collecting together into something like a small mountain.

A mountain of corpses!

The corpses of the members of the Heavenly Pursuit Sect all piled together to form a mountain that rose up over the land.

"Leaves return to the ground to become nourishment for roots. Rest in peace. Although you said you would not rest until the Golden Crow Tribe was dead, as of this moment, your Tribe has been exterminated. All enmity is vanished.

"This place was your temple, now, your corpses will be buried here." Naruto waved his sleeve, causing several huge chunks of the gourd mountain to fly up into air. He stacked them up around the corpses, transforming the area into… a tomb!

Heavenly Pursuit Tomb!

This tomb would stand here to time indefinite, a witness to all the Black Lands. For years and years, this place and this tomb would strike terror into the hearts all the inhabitants of the Black Lands.

It also bore witness to the rise of the Golden Crow Tribe.

The instant the tomb came into being, the surrounding streams of Divine Sense became even more serious than before. Naruto was fairly certain that the scene playing out here was probably being observed by more than half the Tribes in the Black Lands.

Actually, it was exactly as Naruto imagined. In almost all of the Tribes in the Black Lands, all Cultivators of the Core Formation stage or higher were using various precious treasures to watch Naruto.

As of this moment, Naruto's return to the Black Lands caused him to become thoroughly famous in the hearts of all Cultivators of the Western Desert and the Black Lands. He had long since risen to prominence; to them, he was no longer a mere Nascent Soul Cultivator in terms of seniority. No, he was a Patriarch.

How could the Black Lands not pay extra attention to him?!

Naruto looked at the tomb for a long moment before turning to stare off into the sky. There, off in the distance, was a black cloud, approaching with indescribable speed.

As the cloud neared, the previously bright sky instantly began to turn as black as night. Clouds covered the sky, as if the night was consuming the daylight!

"Naruto… Hao…." As the night consumed the day, a deep voice rang, filled with a rancor that seemed to be etched upon the very bones of the speaker. It rang out like thunder from within the black night.

Naruto looked up calmly at the rapidly approaching darkness. A fierce glow appeared in his eyes, and the desire to battle raged up within him.

"Patriarch Hashirama," he said calmly, directly entering the Seventh Anima.

BOOM!

As the seven Nascent Souls combined, he grew taller by several heads. His body became stronger, his shoulders wider. His frame was slender, his long hair bizarre and Demonic. He radiated the air of an Immortal Devil, shocking and audacious.

The strength of his fleshly body caused the surrounding air to ripple and distort. It was as if the area around him was not compatible with the rest of the world

This intrepid fleshly body contained the battle prowess of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls. Since ancient times, there had never been someone like this, and in the future, there likely never would. It was a path Naruto had forged, something unique and one of a kind in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

This was not a Perfect Nascent Soul, but was virtually exactly the same!

By now the sky was completely black. A cloud shot directly toward Naruto, who did not flinch back in the slightest. In fact, he stepped forward, performing an incantation with his right hand, and then pointing forward.

"Wind!" he said.

As he spoke, an unspeakable gale-force wind sprung up around him. It raged into spinning winds that seemed to stretch from the ground all the way up to the Heavens. From a distance, it looked like an enormous tornado raging around Naruto.

The spinning winds shook everything and caused a huge roaring to rise up. It picked up countless huge boulders and endless amounts of dust which instantly shot toward the incoming cloud.

During his battle with Patriarch Hashirama's clone, he had used magical items as well as the Blood Immortal divine abilities. However, he had not used his own creation, the magic of his seven Nascent Soul totems.

In some respects, the power unleashed as Naruto used them right now was much more appropriate for him than the Blood Immortal divine abilities.

That was especially so now that he was in the Seventh Anima. His power was thoroughly shocking in all respects.

Massive roaring spread throughout half of the Black Lands, shaking fully seventy percent of the Tribes, filling the hearts of the Cultivators with astonishment.

A glowing screen magically appeared on an altar in the great Demon Butterfly Tribe. Visible on the screen was Naruto fighting Patriarch Hashirama's true self!

Tarui sat there, calmly watching everything that was happening. Her eyes glowed with a bright light as she focused especially on Naruto.

At the same time, in the great Wild Flame Tribe, a similar screen could be seen. It was the same in the great Cloud Sky Tribe, where Shino and others were watching the proceedings.

Throughout the Black Lands, roughly seventy percent of the experts from the various Tribes were all paying close attention to the fight.

Virtually all of the Spirit Severing Patriarchs had sent out Divine Sense to circle around the region of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe to observe the battle. What they were most closely focused on were the various divine abilities and magical techniques being used, especially those of Naruto.

The sounds of booms rose up into the air. When Naruto's enormous tornado stretched high enough to touch the clouds of Patriarch Hashirama's night, a huge explosion rattled out. The black clouds were torn apart, and the tornado collapsed.

In that instant, Patriarch Hashirama suddenly appeared in mid-air. His face appeared ancient, filled with a sensation of age that was vastly different from the appearance of his middle-aged clone.

His clothes were white, seemingly spotlessly clean. As he looked at Naruto, the aura of a Spirit Severing expert exploded out from him.

Naruto glanced back at Patriarch Hashirama. During the slaughter of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe earlier, Naruto had secretly collected some blood from various Tribe members. The blood was enough to cover five generations, which was enough for Naruto to conjure a Blood Clone. Were he able to collect some blood from Patriarch Hashirama, then he would have enough to form a six generation Heavenly Pursuit bloodline Blood Clone.

Although the Hebi Clan Blood Clone was mighty, the opportunity he had now was not one that he would come by often. Naturally, Naruto would take advantage of the situation. His eyes flickered as he exploded out with the power of the Seventh Anima and sixty four great circle Nascent Souls. As he closed in on Patriarch Hashirama, he waved his right hand and said:

"Metal!"

As the word left his mouth, a blinding golden light appeared within the night's darkness. The area around Naruto was filled with a golden glow that spread out with intense Metal-type power. It instantly honed in on Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama didn't say a single word. His face was grim, and a cold, emotionless glow could be seen in his eyes as he raised his hand and then chopped it out toward the golden glow.

In response to the chopping motion, the air in front of him was filled with intense coldness. It seemed to be a coldness that could extinguish will and sever emotions. This attack was none other than Patriarch Hashirama's emotion severing!

Naruto's eyes remained calm. However, the seven Violet Sea Giants around him lifted their heads up and roared. Instantly, their bodies collapsed and transformed into a Violet Sea, which then surged toward Naruto. It instantly enveloped him, then shrank down and stuck to his skin, forming into compressed water shield that formed a barrier against the emotion severing Domain.

At the same time, the black night consumed Naruto's golden light, which vanished without a trace. Naruto raised his right hand and pointed again.

"Water!"

As the word left his mouth, blood and seawater, life and death, the will of extermination circulated around him. Patriarch Hashirama snorted, then lifted his hand and performed an incantation. He touched the forefinger of each hand to the thumb of the other forming a rectangle, then gestured forward.

Immediately, an intense power of expulsion shot out.

"BEGONE!"

The power of worldly expulsion echoed out, transforming into an attack that headed directly toward Naruto. It slammed into him, forcing him backward. Booms filled the air and he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. When he finally looked up, his eyes were shining with a bright light.

He could tell that Patriarch Hashirama's true self was quite a bit more powerful than his clone. Divine abilities and magical techniques that the clone needed time to prepare, could be casually employed by his true self.

"However, I have power that I didn't use in the fight with your clone!" thought Naruto as he retreated, his eyes shining with a strange light. He quickly performed a double-handed incantation gesture and then pushed his hands out forward.

"Metal. Wood. Water. Fire. Earth. Five elements totems! Wind. Lightning. Activate! Seven totems!" As he spoke, a huge green-colored tree appeared in the air, along with a reddish-violet sea, a myriad of golden weapons, a raging sea of flames, and a stretch of frozen Frost soil!

Next, a roc magically appeared, surrounded by raging winds. Up in the darkness above, countless snake-like bolts of silver lightning could be seen. The lightning bolts instantly transformed from silver into red as they congregated in mid-air.

This was the divine ability most suited to Naruto, what he himself had created, the Seven Souls Totem Transformations!

They were perfectly suited to his Seventh Anima. Having fully unleashed all of them, Naruto waved his hand forward, causing them to transform into seven bright beams of light that shot toward Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama's face flickered, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes flickered as he performed an incantation in which he drew a large circle in the air in front of him.

"Seven emotions and six pleasures. Dao of Thirteen Transmigrations!

"Happiness. Anger. Sorrow. Consideration. Sadness. Fear. Shock. Dao of Seven Emotions Transmigrations!" When the circle was completely traced in front of Patriarch Hashirama, it shattered, becoming seven parts.

Each part was a different color, and radiated bright light as it floated through the air. Patriarch Hashirama pointed forward, causing the Seven Emotions Circle to shoot directly toward Naruto's Seven Souls Totems.

Naruto's pupils constricted. This was a divine ability that Patriarch Hashirama's clone hadn't used. However, Naruto wasn't surprised. Patriarch Hashirama was a cunning fox, and had held back moves in much the same way Naruto had. He was obviously well-prepared.

Seven Souls Totem Transformations. Dao of Seven Emotions Transmigrations. These two very different divine abilities shot toward each other in mid-air. Fundamentally speaking, the Seven Souls Totem Transformation could be considered the most ultimate powerful art of the Nascent Soul stage. That was especially so considering that the transformations were fueled by the power of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls. Because of that, Spirit Severing power could even be sensed within it.

As for the Seven Emotions Transmigrations Dao, it was a Spirit Severing divine ability. It goes without saying that when the two slammed into each other, roaring filled the air and the ground shook. The black night was ripped apart and Naruto coughed up blood. Next, Naruto looked up and performed a double-handed incantation, then pointed forward.

"Seven totems combine!"

The seven totems merged together, magically transforming into one, a totem that was a mass of primordial chaos. It had no pattern, but if you looked closely, it almost looked as if it were formed from countless other patterns.

Naruto knew that the seven fused totems was most suitable for his use in his Seventh Anima, when he combined seven Nascent Souls!

Inside of him were seven fused Nascent Souls. Outside were seven combined totems. As a result, a state could be achieved in which the interior and the exterior were in unison. As of now, the true battle prowess of his sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls could thoroughly explode out.

Other than his final use of the Agarwood or Dancing Sword Chakra, this was Naruto's most powerful trump card.

This was also his first time unleashing the magic. He had rehearsed mentally in the past, but now that it was truly being employed, a roaring sound rose up into the Heavens. One totem, seven characteristics!

It was at this point that Naruto's eyes suddenly went wide as he noticed that the seven totem combination was somewhat unstable.

"Although this is my first time utilizing this art, I've employed it mentally on several occasions. Furthermore, considering that my seven Nascent Souls are merged, there's no reason for the totem combination to be unstable." His eyes flickered as he realized that although his five elements were at the great circle level, when he added in the wind and lightning, the combination was not at the great circle. That was the source of the instability and incompatibility.

When Naruto mentally practice with the Seventh Anima, he hadn't noticed this point. Now that the totem combination had truly appeared, though, it was immediately obvious.

Next, contrary to expectations, the wind and lightning suddenly changed. They stabilized, which caused Naruto's mind to fill with shock. Apparently the transformations in the five elements totems had been provoked by the wind and lightning.

This made it so that the combination of seven totems produced a completely unexpected transformation, a transformation that would shock the entire world!

Naruto's mind suddenly filled with sharp stabs of pain that instantly inundated him. His mind reeled and, even in the middle of this battle with Patriarch Hashirama, a blank look suddenly appeared in his eyes.

All of a sudden, he saw a battlefield in front of him, littered with countless corpses, the ground soaked with blood. It was impossible to tell how many years of battle had been fought in this place, but the corpses seemed endless.

Dead bodies filled the ground for as far as the eye could see.

The only thing that was different was directly in front of him; a gigantic coffin. It was fully thirty thousand or more meters long, and pitch black. Naruto was familiar with this coffin; it was exactly the same one that he had seen in the sky above the Sky Tower in the Five Elements Nation!

Most shocking of all, he could now see that carved onto the surface of the coffin… were nine butterflies!

Nine butterfly carvings which were indescribably beautiful.

The instant in which Naruto saw the butterflies, a roaring sound filled his mind, and the vision disappeared.

At the same time, the black sky above seemed to be ripped apart. Throughout all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, including the Eastern Lands, the Southern Domain, the Western Desert, and the Northern Reaches, a bizarre power seemed to be stirred into action by Naruto's Seven Souls Totems.

Outside of Planet Ninshu, the carved names on the Immortality Bestowal Dais began to flicker with shining light. Murmuring voices pulsated out and echoed around the Immortality Bestowal Dais.

"The five elements are fundamental. There is no sixth element in the world. Regardless of wind or lightning, both will turn the five elements upside down…. Except, this wind…. What is this wind? This is not a wind of the five elements, this is wind from the outside world!

"And what lightning is this? It is not lightning of the Nine Mountains and Seas. It comes from outside the Mountains and Seas!

"How could this be? What is happening…? Could it be that a life form from outside the Nine Mountains and Seas has descended, bringing this wind and lightning with it!?"

The trembling of the Immortality Bestowal Dais affected all the regions of Lands of Ninshu.

A woman walked out of the Rebirth Cave in the Southern Domain and looked off into the distance.

In the Milky Way Sea was an ancient boat that had been floating there for tens of thousands of years. On the prow of the boat was a corpse wearing a set of decaying armor. Suddenly, its eyes opened.

In the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, in the ancestral mansion of the Hebi Clan was a young man with skin like jade, the same young man who had blocked the path of Naruto's mother all those years ago, sitting on an altar made from a cauldron. His eyes opened slowly, and within could be seen hesitation and confusion as he looked off into the distance.

Throughout all the lands, as everything shook mysteriously. Back in the Southern Domain, deep within the Rebirth Cave, was an area that even the woman-form roc would not be able to reach. Laying there in the pitch-black darkness was a corpse.

This corpse… was none other than he who had gifted Naruto with Immortal Shows the Way. Choumen Tai!

He had been dead, but in this moment, his eyes suddenly opened. Within them was a sharp, glowing light that seemed capable of causing the starry sky to shake, and even crush the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

As of this moment, there seemed to be no weakness about him whatsoever; clearly he was at the peak of power.

"Well, I woke up quickly," he said. "I came to this world to spread the Dao. I sent out millions of seeds of the Dao, and in two hundred years, only this person awoke!

"Perhaps, this kid really is the one I've been waiting for all these years… to bring HIM back to life!" The instant in which Choumen Tai said the word 'him,' his expression filled with a look of recollection, as he recalled the image of a man looking at him and smiling.

When it came to the incredible changes happening throughout the lands of Lands of Ninshu because of Naruto's Seven Souls Totem combination, Naruto noticed, but Patriarch Hashirama didn't.

However, in the moment that Naruto regained consciousness, he looked at the combination of seven totems, the solitary primordial chaos totem, and a strange light appeared in his eyes. He could tell that some undetectable transformation had occurred to his seven Nascent Souls and seven totems.

As to whether the transformation was good or bad, it was impossible for him to tell. However, he had the faint sensation that it had caused him to take a first step down the true path of seven Nascent Souls.

Actually, up to now, whenever he entered the Seventh Anima, the seven Nascent Souls in his body appeared to be unhampered by anything. Obviously, he could enter the Seventh Anima and explode out with the power of sixty-four great circle Nascen Souls.

In truth, though, he had to force them to fuse together, which he could accomplish only because of his profound foundation. The instability of the combination of the seven totems caused Naruto to become aware of his oversight. However, a strange, unfamiliar aura had emerged from his seven Nascent Soul totems, causing them to bind together. Now the solitary totem was stable.

Somehow, Naruto was able to solve this problem that, in the future, would surely have led to great danger.

Right now, though, he was in the middle of fighting Patriarch Hashirama, and had little time to think about the matter. He put the matter to rest in his heart and then performed a double-handed incantation. Instantly, the solitary totem in front of him began to pulsate with a shocking aura.

The totem had no shape, and was constantly changing. Sometimes it was big, sometimes small. The primordial chaos inside of it looked almost like droplets of water, but also like a sea of flames. It was blurry, and impossible to see clearly.

However, the aura spreading out from within the blurriness only continued to grow more powerful.

Patriarch Hashirama was astonished, as were the streams of Divine Sense from the Patriarchs of the other Tribes.

The instant the seven Nascent Soul totems combined, Patriarch Hashirama's eyes flickered with shock. He once again drew circles in front of him, and then gestured forward sharply.

"The seven emotions are needed by the heart. But within the soul, there are only three types of emotion. Family love, friendship and romantic love. I severed family love, extinguished friendship, and cut off romantic love. From then on I was… emotionless!" With that, the seven circles of emotion shattered, transforming into a blade.

The blade was illusory, but was capable of extinguishing all types of life. Suddenly, the blade lifted high up into the air, and then descended down onto the solitary combination totem.

The chopping blow was imbued with an aura that could conquer mountains and rivers. This blade… was a blade of emotionlessness! All of the cultivation that Patriarch Hashirama had practiced in his entire life transformed into a Spirit Severing blade that could shake Heaven and Earth. The entire world seemed to disappear in the face of the resplendently glowing blade that shot toward Naruto's combination totem.

The blade hit the totem. In the instant that they struck each other, an indistinct, unclear aura erupted out from the solitary totem. The aura caused all the wind and clouds in the area to stop moving. Everything up above and down below grew still.

A strange, otherworldly feeling spread out with incredible intensity.

When Patriarch Hashirama sensed it, his heart filled with shock. This aura made him feel as if an incredible pressure was weighing down on him. His heart began to pound.

The feeling came so quickly that he had no time to do anything. Nor was he prepared for it; his mind filled with roaring, and blood oozed out of his mouth.

At the same time, cracks began to spread out across the blade that had chopped down onto the solitary totem. The cracks eventually joined together, and then a popping sound could be heard as the blade shattered into seven pieces that shot out in all directions.

The seven pieces represented the seven emotions, and their shattering caused a tremor to run through Patriarch Hashirama's body. He coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, and his face went pale. He staggered backward more than thirty meters, whereupon he looked up with a face full of shock and disbelief.

He had long since ceased to look down upon Naruto. However, it was only at this moment that he suddenly realized that he himself… still didn't fully understand Naruto. The sight of Naruto combining seven totems into one, and the resulting aura that erupted out, left Patriarch Hashirama profoundly shocked.

"What totem is that?! What is that aura?!"

It wasn't just Patriarch Hashirama who felt his heart trembling. Equally shaken were the other Spirit Severing Patriarchs who had gathered to watch the battle.

One of those patriarchs was the red-robed boy from the great Cloud Sky Sect. His eyes shone with a strange light, and his stream of Divine Sense quivered. "Where did this guy come from?" he thought. "Even I would be shaken by that aura."

The Spirit Severing Patriarchs from the great Wild Flame Tribe and the great Demon Butterfly Tribe made an undetectable mutual communication. As of now, they dispelled any notion of joining forces to make a sneak attack.

The aura of Naruto's solitary totem was shocking, and they were unable to see through it.

At the moment, Patriarch Hashirama was in full retreat. Naruto's solitary totem gradually faded away. It wasn't destroyed by Patriarch Hashirama; in fact, his blade hadn't hurt it even in the least.

The reason it was fading was because, even in the Seventh Anima, Naruto was incapable of sustaining it for very long. At the most, it could last for the space of a handful of breaths. That was, in fact, a bit different from what he had estimated before actually combining the totems during this battle.

"Only three breaths of time!" he sighed, his eyes shining.

"Internally, seven Nascent Souls combine, allowing me to enter the Seventh Anima. Externally, seven totems combine to form primordial chaos, my solitary totem!

"Alone, either the internal or the external change can be sustained for a long period of time. However… when both the internal and the external reach a peak simultaneously, it can only last for three breaths of time!

"During those three breaths, my battle prowess…." Naruto was panting as he thought back to what he had experienced moments ago. However, just as quickly, he looked back at Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama was breathing deeply. As he shot backward, he tapped his right foot down into the air. A boom rattled out as he stopped in place, finally diffusing some of the recoil power in his body. He looked at Naruto and smiled.

"A Nascent Soul Cultivation base that can shake the Spirit Severing stage. If you had enough time, who knows, you might actually be able to achieve Immortal Ascension in Lands of Ninshu.

"But I will use all the power I possess to smash you to death. Regardless of whether or not I succeed, the process will give birth to Dao Fruit. I can enjoy that flavor even in the yellow springs." Patriarch Hashirama laughed and slapped his chest.

Boom!

The slap caused Patriarch Hashirama's aura to explode out, growing more and more intense. His hair was no longer white, but black. His skin were no longer old, but rather sleek and smooth.

He was now not an old man any more, but middle-aged, his countenance dignified. Then, his aura continued to become even more shocking. Now, he looked like a young man.

His robe was black, his eyebrows sharp and slanted, and his eyes shone as brightly as the stars. As of this moment, Patriarch Hashirama seemed to have recovered his youth. His aura was intense, capable of shaking the Heavens, causing everything to dim and a huge wind to kick up.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as this indescribable, formless aura exploded out from Patriarch Hashirama.

The handful streams of Spirit Severing Divine Sense were now all looking at Patriarch Hashirama.

"The great circle of the First Severing!" said the Spirit Severing Patriarch from the Wild Flame Tribe. He was a tall, stalwart old man, within whose eyes could be seen an expression of intense concentration.

"Patriarch Hashirama never reached the great circle before…." said the red-robed boy from the great Cloud Sky Tribe. "Oh, I understand. He used the eradication of his Tribe to complete the great circle. How cold-blooded, this Hashirama!" Shocked, the boy looked at Patriarch Hashirama with a frown.

Meanwhile, in the other Tribes in the Black Lands who were observing the goings-on, most of the Cultivators weren't able to tell the exact extent to which Patriarch Hashirama's aura had grown. However, it was shocking to them nonetheless.

In the great Cloud Sky Tribe, Shino's eyes went wide and his heart began to beat nervously. After learning that Naruto had returned, he had felt happiness, but even more so, worry.

In the great Demon Butterfly Tribe, Tarui sat quietly off to the side, gazing at Naruto. A stubborn gleam could be seen in her eyes. During the past more than one hundred years, she had learned a lot about Naruto. She was a Chosen, and although she hated to admit it, the distance between the two of them was vast.

The moment in which Patriarch Hashirama's Cultivation base exploded up to the great circle of the First Severing, everyone who was watching, be they Spirit Severing Patriarchs or Cultivators from other Tribes in the Black Lands, were thoroughly shaken.

Within Naruto's eyes, a strong desire to battle was suddenly ignited.

A moment later, though, he frowned.

Deep within his bag of holding, he could sense the Demon Spirit emanating an intense teleportation power. It seemed that it could teleport him away at any moment.

Naruto couldn't do anything about, but neither could he ignore it. He slapped his bag of holding, producing the blood-colored mask, which he slipped on his face. At the same time, the mastiff lifted its head up and howled. It transformed into a red beam of light which shot toward Naruto.

The red light fused into the mask, causing Naruto's robes to whip about and his hair to float up. His aura instantly burst out violently.

Such eruption instantly caught the attention of the Spirit Severing Patriarchs, as well as all the observers from the other Tribes in the Black Lands.

Amidst the roaring sound, Naruto's robes became blood red, as did his hair. A glow of blood surrounded him, and behind him, a red throne appeared. Seated there was a woman wearing a mask identical to Naruto's. As she became visible, she sat down coldly onto the throne.

The Blood Immortal!

In this moment the entire world was crimson. Even people who were merely watching the scene on a screen suddenly felt as if all the blood in their bodies wished to burst out.

Naruto looked up, and an oppressive glow could be seen in his eyes.

When Naruto looked up, the eyes of this youthful version of Patriarch Hashirama glinted with killing intent. However, at the same time, hesitation could be seen.

That was because Patriarch Hashirama had a Demon Spirit in his bag of holding as well. As of this moment, he also could sense the power of teleportation pulsing out. It instantly caused him to hesitate as to whether or not to continue fighting.

After all, now that he had reached the great circle of the First Severing of Spirit Severing, it meant that there were some incredibly important things for him to do in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

There was little time to consider the matter, though. Naruto's aura was incredibly shocking. Their gazes locked and they both began to move.

Rumbling filled the air as they unhesitatingly slammed into each other.

Area fought Area.

Domain fought Domain!

Divine abilities fought divine abilities!

This was nothing like the fighting from before. This was Spirit Severing carnage! That was especially true of Naruto's Blood Immortal divine abilities. He had almost been able to slaughter Patriarch Hashirama's clone with them. As of now, he instantly employed them. Deadly sundered clouds roiled out in all directions, filling the sky with rumbling sounds.

A blood rain fell, and a Violet Sea raged.

Even more shocking to Patriarch Hashirama was that Naruto's battle prowess was actually greater than when he had fought his clone.

Furthermore, in the middle of all his mightiness, Patriarch Hashirama could, for the first time sense… faith power!

It was at this point that he recalled that the person in front of him was a Cultivator, but at the same time… a totemic Sacred Ancient who could absorb faith power!

This faith power made Naruto's battle prowess even more explosive, absurdly powerful. It was powerful enough that it could fight back against the First Severing.

"Dammit, I forgot that he's a totemic Sacred Ancient who can absorb faith power," thought Patriarch Hashirama. "This time, he's much closer to his Tribe, not far, far away like last time. That means the faith power is much stronger!

"Before, in the Violet Sea, the great distance made the faith power incredibly weak!

"The best place to kill him would be a place where he can't absorb faith power…." Even as he mused in shock over these matters, they continued to fight back and forth. Patriarch Hashirama relentlessly employed divine abilities, used emotion severing, his Spirit Immortal, and various magical techniques.

At the same time, the Spirit Severing spectators could also sense the faith power in Naruto, which caused them to gasp. Their minds could not help but be shaken.

"Even I overlooked Naruto's other identity," said the red-robed boy, a strange look gleaming in his eyes. "He's a totemic Sacred Ancient!" He suddenly had an idea. A person like Naruto was someone he should make friends with. The best thing to do would be to send charcoal during snowy weather, so to speak, and provide some timely help. That would be the best way to forge deeper ties.

All of the Spirit Severing experts in the area were having similar thoughts. In fact, all of the Cultivators in the seventy percent of the Black Lands Tribes who were watching were nervously thinking the same thing.

Fukuyama of the Black Dragon Tribe was now an old man. After the Black Dragon Tribe broke away from the Golden Crow Tribe, they joined the great Demon Talisman Tribe. As of this moment, the majority of the Demon Talisman Tribe was gathered in their public square, watching the proceedings on a large screen. Fukuyama sighed inwardly.

Standing next to him was an effeminate man, a male Cultivator who was gentle and soft, but also cold. This was none other than that Nadare of the great Demon Talisman Tribe, who was one of the ones who fought over the Demon Spirit that year in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins.

"Having second thoughts?" he asked. "This Naruto…. He truly supersedes all of us."

Fukuyama was silent for a moment. Finally, he nodded his head and said, "Perhaps. As I look back, I don't think I made the right decision."

In the great Demon Butterfly Tribe, Tarui's wide eyes were fixed on Naruto.

In the great Cloud Sky Tribe, Shino was panting. Next to him was Hayate, another member of the great Cloud Sky Tribe. He had a similar expression to Shino.

Roaring filled the air as the raging fight continued.

Even as the two of them fought back and forth fiercely, each of them could sense the other's Demon Spirit. In fact, whenever they got closer to each other, the power of teleportation grew stronger.

Patriarch Hashirama's eyes flashed with killing intent. The power of teleportation was pulsating out of his Demon Spirit with increased frequency, almost as if it were urging him to finish the fight more quickly. The desire in his heart to kill Naruto had reached its pinnacle. He suddenly raised his right hand up into the air and pointed to the sky.

"Heavenly Pursuit!" he roared. As the words echoed out, a crackling like that of thunder could be heard in the sky.

"Heavenly Pursuit!" he roared a second time. Shocking claps of thunder could be heard, and his body grew slightly indistinct. A savage and unmatchably brutal aura roared out of him.

"HEAVENLY PURSUIT!" he shouted a third time. The sky up above suddenly seemed to rip apart as a colossal three-headed anaconda bored out from within the void.

The anaconda was fully thirty thousand meters long and was violet in color. The three heads radiated cruelty and had forked tongues that flicked in and out. Furthermore, each head sported a long horn.

The instant it appeared, intense pressure bore down onto the Black Lands.

This was not a Spirit Severing aura. Nor was it the aura of Dao Seeking. This was… the aura of an Immortal!

This violet-colored, three-headed beast was shockingly equipped with Immortal will!

Its appearance instantly filled the land with thunderous roaring.

Conversations instantly broke out.

"Heavenly Pursuit Dragonsnake!"

"That's the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's bloodline ancestor, the Heavenly Pursuit Dragonsnake!"

"According to the legends, every Western Desert Tribe has a bloodline that traces back to an Immortal. As the legacies get passed down through the generations, there is always a small chance to set off the bloodline and be able to summon the ancestor!"

The surrounding Spirit Severing experts were not shocked by this development, but when the Cultivators from the other cities in the Black Lands saw, most were completely astonished.

As roaring filled the Black Lands, Patriarch Hashirama began to bleed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The summoning he had just performed had put quite a strain on him.

It was as if this world did not consent to the appearance of such a beast as this. As the three-headed anaconda approached, an enormous illusory net appeared around it. This net appeared to be some sort of natural law, something seemingly unbreakable and unblockable!

The Heavenly Pursuit Dragonsnake roared and struggled, and blood sprayed from Patriarch Hashirama's mouth. Finally, for a fourth time, he shouted:

"Heavenly Pursuit!"

BOOM!

The six eyes of the Heavenly Pursuit Dragonsnake glittered. With a mere glance, they sent Naruto's mind completely reeling. At the same time, the centermost head suddenly bit down on its own tail and then ripped it off.

The severed tail suddenly began to blaze with fire. In the blink of an eye, the burning power broke through the enormous illusory net. Even as the giant net tightened around the Heavenly Pursuit Dragonsnake, it flung its tail directly toward Patriarch Hashirama.

It burned as it flew through the air, scorching away the flesh and blood, purifying the tail until it was only bones. By the time it reached Patriarch Hashirama, shockingly, it had transformed into… a violet-colored bone whip!

It floated there in mid-air, just waiting for Patriarch Hashirama to take control of it. It undulated slowly, sending out ripples into the air along with cracking sounds. The air around the whip continuously shattered in successive layers. A terrifying, almost infinitely powerful aura instantly exploded out from the snake tail.

All of this takes quite some time to describe, but actually only five breaths of time had passed during the fight between Naruto and Patriarch Hashirama.

Patriarch Hashirama reached out excitedly toward the floating whip to grab it.

The whip was obviously a precious treasure. Naruto and the surrounding Spirit Severing experts in Divine Sense form could all sense this. The streams of Divine Sense undulated greedily.

However, their greed quickly vanished, to be replaced with pity. This particular precious treasure might be mighty, but it was a bloodline treasure. Objects such as that could only be used by members of the Heavenly Pursuit bloodline.

Furthermore, even ordinary bloodline members would be unable to use it. Only people in whose veins the blood ran thick and pure would be able to, and that was only after reaching the Spirit Severing stage. Anyone else who attempted to do so would receive grievous injury.

With so many restrictions on the snake bone whip, the precious treasure became an object of little value to spectators, as valuable as chicken ribs.

However…. When Naruto saw it, his eyes shone with a strange light. While others might view it as nothing more valuable than chicken ribs, that was not the case with him. Naruto had not just eradicated the entire Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. During the slaughter, he had retrieved some blood samples.

That blood contained five successive generations of Heavenly Pursuit Tribe members. If he could get some blood from Patriarch Hashirama, then he would have six generations of blood, and could create a six generation Blood Clone. Furthermore, it wouldn't be an ordinary Blood Clone but, rather, a Blood Spirit. If he could get nine generations of blood, it would be a Blood Divinity with the potential for Ancestral Awakening.

Whatever happened, if he made such a Blood Clone, then it would be able to wield the snake bone whip!

After all these thoughts passed through his head, he finally said, "I have to risk it!"

As Patriarch Hashirama reached out to grab the snake bone whip, Naruto's eyes began to glow with a light that would make anyone who saw it feel a sense of danger. He took a step forward and raised his hand. Filled with determination, he pointed at Patriarch Hashirama.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

When the divine ability appeared, it caused Patriarch Hashirama to be entwined with invisible Demonic Chakra. Instantly, a tremor ran through him.

"This move again!" said Patriarch Hashirama, his face growing dark. He had considered many methods for dealing with the strange divine ability, but none were truly capable of standing up against it. The only thing he could do was to be on the lookout for it. At the moment, he was sealed, but it would only last for half a breath. Then, the strands of Demonic Chakra would began to fall apart.

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth. In half a breath's worth of time, he was only able to get within a few dozen meters of the snake bone whip. Patriarch Hashirama, on the other hand, was only about seven inches away, well within reach!

The surrounding Spirit Severing experts as well as the other observing Cultivators were watching closely as Patriarch Hashirama seemed about to lay his hand onto the snake bone whip,. There were many who had already guessed what Naruto was trying to do. Some still hadn't figured it out, and were slightly confused.

It was in this exact moment that Naruto suddenly opened his mouth. A black light flew out at incredible speed, kicking up a powerful wind. The black light immediately transformed into a black colored wheel.

This was… the Wheel of Time.

At the same time, Naruto's Wooden Time Swords appeared and began to rotate around the wheel. Rumbling sounds could be heard as the Wheel of Time began to spin.

Instantly the power of Time reversal erupted out. A tremor ran through Patriarch Hashirama's mind. His face twisted, and he was about to struggle against it when suddenly his body, completely beyond his own control, began to move backward.

It was as if time were reversing. Even as Patriarch Hashirama fought back against the power, Naruto once again used his Demon Sealing powers, injuring himself in the process.

BANG!

Patriarch Hashirama's body trembled as he suddenly lost his Cultivation base. It was only for a moment, but that, combined with the time reversal, pushed him half a meter away from the snake bone whip.

As for Naruto, he transformed into a green smoke. Coughing up blood the whole time, he appeared in front of the snake bone whip. Eyes filled with determination, he reached out and grabbed it!

"How dare you!" roared Patriarch Hashirama. His body flickered as he shook off the power of the time reversal and then shattered Naruto's Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.

Patriarch Hashirama's eyes were filled with scorn. He actually wasn't worried about the snake bone whip being taken away. It had been refined from a bloodline ancestor of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Other than people of that particular bloodline, no one could use it.

Even back in the time before the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe had been eradicated, Patriarch Hashirama would still have been the only one qualified to activate the bloodline power to use the precious treasure.

There was no need to even mention the current circumstances.

Therefore, Patriarch Hashirama wasn't anxious at all. In fact, he acted a bit playfully, ignoring the snake bone whip and instead raising his right hand to summon a divine ability which then shot directly toward Naruto.

Backlash from the Wheel of Time and the Eighth Hex slammed into Naruto, causing blood to spray from his mouth. His face was pale as his Blood Immortal Spirit Severing state vanished. The blood-colored mask fell off of his face, and the weakened mastiff appeared. Naruto's Cultivation base dropped from Spirit Severing back into the Seventh Anima.

However, the expression of determination and resolve on his face did not lessen, but rather, grew more intense. He closed in on the snake bone whip and then grabbed it, the first person to have ever done so.

The instant he touched it, his heart trembled. An intense tremor ran through his body, the source being the snake bone whip. Having examined him and found that he didn't possess the requisite bloodline to control it, it seemed to feel as if it were tainted. The entire whip filled with a shocking, explosive power of destruction.

"Looking to kill yourself, huh?" said Patriarch Hashirama, his scorn deepening. His divine ability spread out, clearly on the verge of slamming into Naruto.

The surrounding Spirit Severing experts were all confused. When the Cultivators observing throughout the Black Lands saw what was happening, expressions of disbelief appeared on their faces.

"What is he doing?" thought Tarui. "Why would he possibly decide to do that?!"

Shino was growing increasingly nervous, and was almost unable to restrain himself from shouting out. "Junior Brother, what's wrong with you? Aiiiii, how could you be so insensible! Of what use is that whip to you?"

Fukuyama's eyes were wide and Nadare's pupils constricted. They exchanged a glance, and could instantly see the confusion in each other's eyes.

"From what I know of him," said Fukuyama in a resolute voice that could sever nails and chop iron, "he never takes action unless he's confident of success!"

A tremor ran through Nadare's heart. "Don't tell me… he actually has a way to use the Heavenly Pursuit snake bone whip!?" Such a possibility seemed inconceivable. "Even if he does, how could he possibly evade Patriarch Hashirama's current deadly counterattack?"

Even as everyone was shocked, even as the backlash from the snake bone whip surged, even as Patriarch Hashirama's divine ability closed in… Naruto suddenly slapped his bag of holding to produce his Demon Spirit.

He violently crushed it, causing the Demon Spirit to explode into innumerable dots of glittering light that spread out to cover his body. As for the parrot and meat jelly, they had disappeared into the copper mirror as soon as the fight began, so the light also covered them as well.

It spread out to the mastiff too, and they all began to turn transparent.

The backlash from the snake bone whip pierced through the air, passing completely through Naruto. Patriarch Hashirama's divine ability actually reached him, but by that time, he was illusory, so it passed directly through.

The surrounding streams of Spirit Severing Divine Sense were thoroughly shaken. They watched as Naruto rapidly vanished, along with the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe's precious treasure.

The experts from the other Black Lands Tribes who were watching on various screens all gasped. Strange light shone from their eyes. All of a sudden, they were struck even more deeply than before by Naruto's methods.

"So, that was his plan!" said Nadare, his eyes narrowing. Inwardly, he had to admit that Naruto's tactics were excellently planned.

Fukuyama said nothing, but inwardly, he mused, "Maybe he simply wanted the whip. Or, more likely, since he knew the battle was about to end, he took it as a means of ensuring the safety of the Golden Crow Tribe."

Shino breathed a sigh of relief. As for Hayate of the great Cloud Sky Tribe, he was mentally shaken and his expression flickered. He looked down at his bag of holding as his own Demon Spirit flew out. It transformed into dots of flickering light which began to surround his body.

A Demon Spirit also flew out in front of Tarui. The glittering lights slowly spread out over her body, causing her to fade away. The power of teleportation emanated out all around her.

Meanwhile, back where Naruto and Patriarch Hashirama were fighting….

As Naruto slowly disappeared, he looked at Patriarch Hashirama and calmly said, "Patriarch Hashirama, it would be impolite of me to refuse your gift. You also have a Demon Spirit. I'll be waiting for you in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane to continue our battle!"

Patriarch Hashirama glared at him with bloodshot eyes. His desire to kill grew even more intense. The Heavenly Pursuit snake bone whip was a precious treasure of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, and had been intended as a trump card for use in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

In fact, one of his main goals in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane had been to find a similar article that could be used alonside the whip. Together, those two items would help him to begin looking for clues regarding his Second Severing.

By now, Patriarch Hashirama's fury was at a pinnacle, and his hatred had seeped into his bones. Not only had Naruto stolen the Wheel of Time from his clone, but had also stolen this precious treasure from his true self.

For these things to happen to a Spirit Severing Cultivator, and in front of all those other Cultivators from the Black Lands, was a galling shame and a deep humiliation.

He suppressed his rage and coldly said, "Taking my treasure? I'll eradicate your Golden Crow Tribe!"

"Too late," replied Naruto coolly. Patriarch Hashirama's face flickered as, of its own volition, his Demon Spirit flew out of his bag of holding, radiating rapid pulses of light. It transformed into countless dots of glittering light which enveloped Patriarch Hashirama and caused him to begin to fade away.

"By the way," continued Naruto, "contact with the Demon Spirit makes the teleportation power activate faster."

Patriarch Hashirama breathed in deeply, his expression calm as he stared deeply at Naruto. Without another word, his body flickered as more power of teleportation surged. Then, in the blink of an eye, he activated the teleportation, transforming into a beam of light that shot upward and then disappeared amidst a surge of teleportation ripples that spread out in all directions.

The look he gave Naruto before disappearing caused Naruto's brow to furrow.

It was at this point that a voice transmitted by Divine Will could be heard in Naruto's mind. It came from the direction of the streams of Spirit Severing Divine Sense, and belonged to none other than the red-robed boy from the great Cloud Sky Tribe.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, please proceed without worry. I will watch over the Golden Crow Tribe for the time being."

By this point, Naruto's body was more than half faded. He was unable to control the speed with which he moved upward, so he was forced to look down toward the collection of Spirit Severing Divine Sense streams.

"I've grown old," said the voice, "and I've long since given up on the thought of performing my Second Severing. I just hope that the great Cloud Sky Tribe will continue on as long as I live, and that I will have the chance to see someone else reach the Second Severing.

"I'll help you by taking care of the Golden Crow Tribe. With me around, no one will dare to provoke them. However, you must promise me that while you are in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, you will take care of my… Holy Son Hayate!

Naruto was silent for a moment. Then, just before rocketing up into the Heavens, he responded via Divine Will: "I will take no responsibility for his death if the situation exceeds my capabilities!"

"Just take care of him as best you can," responded the red-robed boy, his tone casual. "I trust that you will keep your word."

Naruto didn't respond. He would by no means refuse such an offer. A rumbling sound could be heard as he was propelled up at high speed into the boundless sky. In the last moment before he disappeared, he looked back down at the lands beneath.

He could see the Black Lands, including the area occupied by the Golden Crow Tribe. At the same time, he could also see four bright beams of light shooting up into the air at high speed.

One of those beams of light contained Hayate of the great Cloud Sky Tribe. Another was Tarui of the Demon Butterfly Tribe, with whom Naruto was somewhat familiar. The third was an old man.

There didn't seem to be anything special about the old man, but, shockingly, he was of the Spirit Severing stage. Strangest of all, he was not flying up from the Black Lands, but rather, a position in the Southern Domain where it bordered the Black Lands!

The fourth beam of light came up from some distance away in the Western Desert Violet Sea. Naruto couldn't see who was inside, but in his estimation, it was most likely Tsukino.

He looked away. It was at this moment, just before he disappeared, that a tremor ran through his mind as he looked toward the Southern Domain.

From that direction, Naruto could see a fifth beam of light. However, it was so far away, that he was unable to see clearly who was inside.

However, he had the faint sense that there was not just one beam of teleportation light rising up from the Southern Domain. There were more.

"I wonder who from the Southern Domain will be going to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane…." Naruto was curious, even excited at the prospect of encountering some of his old friends. It was at this moment that he completely vanished.

Although Naruto couldn't sense it, people were teleporting from more regions than just the Southern Domain and the Black Lands. In the vast Eastern Lands, beams of light were also visible, shooting up into the sky.

Three came from… the Namikaze Clan!

In the beams of light shooting up from the Namikaze Clan were two men and one woman. The woman was none other than the one who had left a deep impression on Naruto. It was violent-tempered, overbearing… Karin!

In the Hebi Clan ancestral mansion, an illusory youth stood atop the highest point of the main temple, looking down at a group of nine people, five men and four women, all of whom wore expressions of deep respect. A sparkling Demon Spirit glow was currently beginning to surround them. The power of teleportation rumbled loudly, but the gaze of the illusory youth prevented them from moving upward even a bit.

"The Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opens once every thousand years," he said. "Because of the Western Desert Violet Sea, only Cultivators from the lands of Lands of Ninshu can participate, not anyone from the other three planets. The opening of this ancient plane also indicates that the millennial struggle for Immortality has begun.

"According to the rules of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, on each planet, every one thousand years, one person is permitted to achieve Immortal Ascension!

"When the struggle for Immortality begins, the Immortality Bestowal Dais will slowly awaken. It will automatically suppress the various Dao Seeking experts, using the threat of death to prevent them from engaging in battle for the path to Immortality. Of course, there are always bound to be fish who slip through the net, people who risk their lives to fight for their goal.

"Although the path to Immortality exists in front of all of you, you will face opponents. Those opponents are not just fellow Cultivators of your own generation. There will also be members of the older generation, Spirit Severing and Dao Seeking experts. All of them wished to tread the path of Immortal Ascension during these thousand years.

"The coming millennium will be very interesting. Many people will fight. All will fail except for one. That one person will achieve Immortal Ascension!

"Those who gain fortune in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane will be a step ahead of the others on the path to Immortality. It is my hope that during this thousand years, the person to achieve Immortal Ascension will be from the Hebi Clan!" With that, the youth waved his hands. The bodies of the nine others trembled as power of teleportation exploded out, and they surged up into the sky.

All of the members of the Hebi Clan who were on their way to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane were Chosen. However, these were not Clan members like the one Naruto had killed that year, of the Quasi-Array. Rather, these were full Array Chosen.

Teleportation beams could also be seen above the Northern Reaches.

Obviously, the opening of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane was not exclusive to the Western Desert. It was a matter of extreme importance to all the lands of Lands of Ninshu. It was a grand gathering of Chosen from the Southern Domain, Western Desert, Eastern Lands, and Northern Reaches!

This indicated that as of this moment, the path to Immortality had opened!

Multiple beams of teleportation light shot up from the great lands of Lands of Ninshu, causing ripples to spread about in all directions. The sky trembled. Light of teleportation spread out, filling the firmament with brightness and causing the clouds to churn.

For three full days in Lands of Ninshu… there was no night!

For three days in the Southern Domain, Black Lands, Northern Reaches, and Eastern Lands, even in the Milky Way Sea, Patriarchs in various Sects and Clans all looked up into the sky.

All of them knew full well that as of this moment, the path of the struggle for Immortality… had fully opened.

After the three bright days passed with no night, many people could sense that the spiritual energy in the lands of Lands of Ninshu was suddenly stronger. With the exception of the Western Desert, the spiritual energy in almost all locations increased by triple!

There were even some places which experienced an explosive tenfold increase in spiritual energy, and other extremely special locations where the increase approached the level of being terrifying. The lands of Lands of Ninshu were now vastly different than they had been before. The strength of the spiritual energy made cultivation easier. In fact, throughout the land, more than a hundred Spirit Springs were restored from states of being dried up to that of explosive abundance.

The strengthening of spiritual energy wasn't the only thing that happened. The natural law of Heaven and Earth seemed to have been diluted to the point where it almost seemed as if it could be rewritten. Although reaching such enlightenment would be very difficult for Cultivators, the change made it so that it was easier to personally brand such shapeless laws.

Most shocking of all was that when the night returned, the starry sky up above had changed slightly. Stars were in different positions, almost as if the starfield up above was a different one than before. When people looked up at it, they had the feeling they were back in ancient times.

This was the true starry sky, and its appearance seemed to indicate that some sort of seal had been removed. As of now… Immortals could appear in the lands of Lands of Ninshu!

All of these various changes caused a huge stir among the Cultivators of Lands of Ninshu. Most of them were either confused or pleasantly surprised. It was only in the eyes of some of the most powerful of experts that intense stubborness suddenly shone forth.

It was important to them too, that this path to the struggle for Immortality had opened. All of them had lived longer than a thousand years, and had experienced the previous struggle for Immortality a thousand years ago. After failing, they had no choice but to continue to wait until this day.

There were even some among them who had lived, not for a thousand years, but for thousands!

Those people weren't anxious. Having lived for so long, they knew that after the path to the struggle for Immortality opened, the natural laws of Heaven and Earth would only continue to grow weaker as the end neared. Immortals would appear, and chances of success would grow greater.

Therefore, although they were filled with expectation, they were not anxious!

The great lands of Lands of Ninshu were thoroughly shaken!

While all those things were happening down below, up in the boundless starry sky was a great river. The river was composed of innumerable, resplendent stars that surged through the sky.

The stars that made up this great river were actually made up of uncountable motes and fragments. Within those motes and fragments were an assortment of a few dozen who were… Cultivators being teleported from the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Naruto was one of them. However, his eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving. All of the other people in the river of stars were in exactly the same state.

None of them could see each other, and therefore didn't know… who exactly made up the group that would enter the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

An unknown period of time passed. The starry sky was calm and quiet. There was no aura, only the flowing river of stars. The group of people left Planet Ninshu and gradually grew near to a place where Naruto had been before, the Bridge of Immortal Treading.

This collapsed Bridge of Immortality hung there among the stars just as it always had. It did nothing as the river of stars neared it, then began to pass it by.

However, as the river of stars passed, suddenly… countless dots of light appeared on the surface of the Bridge of Immortality. They spread out throughout all the areas of the bridge, growing thick and dense, seemingly without end. However, their flickering seemed to be in accord with some pattern. Somewhere deep within the Bridge of Immortality, on a chunk of broken rock that no one could see, were two particular shining lights among the masses of others that bore the semblance of eyes.

Imagine that you could solidify all of this into a physical picture, and then zoom in on the Bridge of Immortality. What you would notice is that the vast chunks of rock were actually something like continents or land masses. If you zoomed in again, then you would see that in the very center of it all was a mountain. On top of that mountain were two dots of light that looked almost like electricity. Shockingly… they were two people!

A man and a woman!

The man was scholarly and refined. He wore a green robe, and his expression was, for the most part, indifferent and blank, although it would occasionally shine with clarity of mind. The woman stood with her arms wrapped around the man. The blankness in her eyes was occasionally dispelled by a faint smile.

This man was none other than Han Shan!

Reborn Demon Emperor Han Shan!

In this moment, his eyes suddenly became clear. He looked up into the sky, and apparently, could see that within the river of stars drifting past, among all the countless fragments of light that it contained, was a familiar face.

"So we meet again," he said, his voice both light and hoarse. "Ah, Karma!" Although there was no loneliness to him any more, he was just as bleak and desolate as before. Yet, when he looked down at the woman next to him, the bleakness would transform into tenderness and… a lack of regret.

Han Shan lifted up his right hand and waved it toward the sky above. Instantly, all of the Bridge Slaves in the entire Bridge of Immortality lifted their heads up and roared a soundless roar.

No outsider could hear the sound of their roars. Nonetheless, the sound shaped together into something completely shocking. It shot out from the Realm of the Bridge ruins, out of the Bridge of Immortality, and up toward the river of stars.

It pierced into the river, shooting through the countless fragments of light and motes of dust until it found… Naruto!

"Wake up!"

"Wake up!"

"WAKE UP!"

The roaring of the innumerable Bridge Slaves echoed about in Naruto's mind, transforming into thunderous roar capable of splitting Heaven and Earth. It filled his mind, his heart, to the point of explosion.

The explosion originated in the sound created by the countless Bridge slaves. It transformed into vast amounts of sharp thorns that pierced all of Naruto's body. The provocation filled his brain and caused tremors to run through his body. After eight such tremors, Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open.

At first, his eyes were lit with confusion. The voices of the Bridge Slaves had been cut off without a trace.

As of this moment, Naruto was the only person who was awake within the river of stars. He looked around in confusion for the space of three breaths before his gaze shone with clarity.

In the moment he gained clarity, Naruto realized that he couldn't move. It was as if he had been awakened with only enough power to open his eyes. His Divine Sense was being suppressed intensely, and was restricted to a space about thirty meters.

Even paralyzed, he could still see the stars, and the countless fragments of light and dust speeding along. Then he noticed someone off in the distance, floating there with his eyes closed. It was none other than Hayate, who the Spirit Severing Patriarch of the great Cloud Sky Tribe had entrusted him with protecting.

"Am I the only one awake? But… why…?" Naruto suddenly caught sight of the Bridge of Immortality. When that happened, the image of Han Shan suddenly flashed through his mind.

Meanwhile, back on the Bridge of Immortality, the countless dots of light were beginning to fade away. The lights that represented Han Shan and his wife gradually disappeared.

Naruto's eyes gleamed with understanding as he realized that the reason he had awoken was most likely… because of Han Shan.

Although he couldn't be absolutely certain what had led to this state of clarity, Naruto couldn't help but ponder how it might be useful to him in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane. In any case… there couldn't be a downside. In fact, now that he was clear-headed, he was sure that there must be a way to use this opportunity to get an advantage.

"If I can seize some unique opportunity, I might be able to get ahead. Perhaps this simple awakening of mind with have a big influence on other matters." Naruto's eyes gleamed as the river of stars passed the Bridge of Immortality and then shot out into the star-studded sky behind it.

As it passed into this region of the starry sky, an intense roaring sound echoed out. Naruto's body shook, completely beyond his control, and the entire river of stars trembled. He slammed into countless motes of dust, although none of them harmed him in the slightest.

Ignoring the fact that he couldn't control his own body, Naruto fixed his eyes up ahead.

He could just barely make out what was happening. Apparently, as it entered this particular area, the river of stars had slammed into an invisible barrier, causing everything to shake as if it were sustaining an attack.

At the same time, Naruto could sense that the river of stars… had actually slammed through the barrier, almost as if it had entered into another world.

When that happened, Naruto noticed that all of the dust motes around him suddenly stopped moving. Even he was suddenly motionless. Outside of the river of stars, a variety of bright colors could be seen shining.

What was strangest of all to him, while he was stuck in this state of motionlessness, a woman had appeared off to the right, although he had no idea when exactly it had happened.

She wore a long, blue gown, and was quite pretty. Her eyes were closed, and her features were so delicate it seemed as if a gentle breeze could shatter her. In addition, she seemed to be filled with a certain coldness.

This woman was unfamiliar. Naruto looked at her for a moment, then glanced away toward the colorful lights outside. Time passed. The river of stars was motionless, and yet somehow, Naruto felt the sensation of movement.

He pondered this point for a while as he looked around at this world of silence. After a bit of time passed, he suddenly came to an understanding. The river of stars wasn't moving. What was moving… was Time!

Time was moving. Not forward, but rather, in reverse! Time… was moving backward!

This discovery caused Naruto's mind to tremble. As he looked at the brightly colored lights, he suddenly had the intense premonition that if he could gain enlightenment regarding this strange place, he would have a much more profound understanding of Time, as well as matters relating to the usage and branding of Time treasures.

He also knew that such an opportunity… was exceedingly rare.

After much time passed, Naruto's mind grew blank as he immersed himself in enlightenment regarding the reversal of Time. By combining this new information with what he had observed regarding the changes to Time in the Realm of the Bridge Ruins, his understanding grew deeper.

Suddenly, the river of stars shook again. Again it felt as if it had struck up against some invisible obstacle. After passing through, Naruto suddenly caught sight of a shocking world!

In the same instant in which he caught sight of the world, all the dust motes and fragments of light within the river of stars trembled. The movement suddenly caused the closed-eyed woman off to the right to bump into Naruto.

Naruto's head, his face, was suddenly touching something very soft…. A delicate aroma washed over his face.

Naruto felt a bit awkward.

However, the matter was completely out of his control. The woman had floated over and bumped into him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Most vile of all was that she was blocking his view.

Now, he couldn't see even a bit of the world outside.

She smelled wonderful, and her body was supple and lithe. Naruto's face slowly pressed down into softness, which almost completely buried him.

His eyes went wide as he realized that, just barely visible when he looked down, was an exquisite sight that he rarely had a chance to gaze upon. And yet, the only thing that existed in Naruto's mind was fury.

What he wanted to look at was not this woman, but the world behind her. Being able to observe that world ahead of time was the entire source of his advantage. However as of this moment, his advantage… was being ruined.

"This is ridiculous!" Naruto grumbled to himself. Then, he took a deep breath of the wonderful fragrance surrounding his face.

"Extremely ridiculous!" He wanted to lift his head up, but was incapable of moving his body at all. All he could do was breathe in that fragrant aroma. Naruto now existed in a world, not of a starry sky, but of this delicate fragrance that, regardless of whether he wanted it to or not, was permeating deep into his soul.

Naruto had no other option than to do his best to commit to memory the image of the outside world that he had seen briefly. Gradually, a picture appeared within his mind.

The picture was all based on his memories. It depicted a mountain range that stretched farther than the eye could see. Mountains rose and fell, actually growing taller in height as they stretched off into the distance.

It seemed as if this mountain range was actually an entire world. If he remembered correctly, there were actually seven mountain peaks. The last of them seemed high enough to connect Heaven and Earth.

The tallest mountains Naruto had ever seen in the lands of Lands of Ninshu were tens of thousands of meters high. However, even the smallest of these seven mountain peaks were so much grander that the two things could not be compared.

Cultivators could be seen on the mountains; they looked as small as ants.

Between each of the seven mountain peaks stretched staircases that connected the countless luxuriously decorated buildings. Innumerable temples and temples could be seen. All of it was filled with a deeply archaic atmosphere. It was completely silent, deathly still, as if it was a tomb.

There was no life.

This was the image that floated in Naruto's mind, based on his single glance. This was his opportunity.

Even as he grumbled, the river of stars once again trembled. The trembling caused Naruto to suddenly regain some control over his body. His heart filling with joy, Naruto used his head to push against the softness in front of him.

What ended up happening was that his face merely sank further into the softness. However, the softness seemed to have a shocking bounciness, causing the woman to finally move away from him. It was hard to tell whether it was because of the force of Naruto's action, or the shocking bounciness, but… the woman seemed to frown as if in pain.

Naruto cleared his throat and then quickly looked out at the outside world. Ancient mountains rose and fell. Mountain peaks stretched up loftily. The image of the seven mountains was not very much different than what had existed in his memory. Naruto looked out again, and this time, he noticed that there was not a scrap of vegetation in the entire mountain range. They were completely bare, and emanated a strong aura of death that pervaded all of the mountains….

Everything was in ruins. Buildings were collapsed. The elegant structures were decrepit. There were no weeds present; clearly, the passage of time ensured that they turned into nothing more than dust, along with all other life.

The entire place was in complete ruins. The ruins of a Sect!

The sight of it caused Naruto to take a deep breath. It took some effort, but he managed to lift his head, whereupon he noticed that, carved onto the first mountain were three characters!

These three characters were red, as if they had literally been painted with blood.

Demon Immortal Sect!

The moment Naruto saw those characters, his heart and mind trembled. Although he had long since speculated regarding the final destination, he could now be certain…. This place was the Demon Immortal Sect. Or, more accurately speaking… the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

And this place was naturally the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane!

A whole Sect. An entire world!

Unfortunately, the Sect had been completely destroyed. This once majestic Sect of the Ninth Mountain and Sea had long since disappeared into the river of history, a Sect that at one time had been occupied by more than a million disciples!

Naruto began to pant as he noticed that atop the first mountain peak could be seen the corpse of a Flying Rain-Dragon. However, this dragon was far, far bigger than the one he had seen back in the Reliance Sect. It was nearly ten thousand meters in length, and was incomparably shocking in appearance.

Naruto had a special affinity for Flying Rain-Dragons. As he looked at this one, he felt somewhat at a loss for a moment before recovering and looking at the second mountain peak.

When he looked at the second peak, his mind trembled, and he once again began to breathe heavily. Earlier when he had glanced over the mountain peaks, he hadn't studied them carefully. Now, he noticed that there was an enormous corpse on this mountain as well.

This corpse was human-shaped. However, its frame was enormous, and on its back… were wings!

It was impossible to see what color the wings were, because the corpse was directly facing Naruto. The facial features of the corpse were not clear. However, in that instant, the image of the Black Bat suddenly rose up in Naruto's mind!

On the third mountain peak were three corpses, which for some reason seemed familiar to Naruto. Suddenly, his mind reeled. These corpses were half human and half beast, and looked exactly like the creature he had taken the third wooden sword from in the Golden Crow Holy Land!

On the fourth mountain peak was… an enormous dragon, fully thirty thousand meters long!

The dragon was nothing more than a corpse, but it was still thoroughly shocking.

Dragons were legendary creatures, even in the Cultivation world. Naruto had seen them in the form of magical techniques or divine abilities. However, as for an actual dragon, he had never seen one with his own eyes.

The fifth mountain peak was quite a distance away from Naruto, so he couldn't clearly see the corpse which lay atop it. However, the shock he felt even from just seeing the first four mountains was completely and utterly unprecedented.

He suddenly had the feeling that he had some very strong connections to this Primordial Demon Immortal Plane!

"Three wooden swords. Don't tell me… they all came from here?" Having seen this enormous Demon Immortal Sect, Naruto could only imagine how intrepid it must have been in ancient times.

Even as his heart and mind trembled, his pupils suddenly constricted. That was because… he had just caught sight of a person on the fourth mountain!

It was a middle-aged man whose back was turned to Naruto. He seemed to be filled with infinite ancientness, as well as deep loneliness. Naruto was sure that the man was standing there on the peak of the fourth mountain, but when he blinked, the man was gone. This caused Naruto's eyes to glow brightly.

Suddenly, this once intrepid Demon Immortal Sect, which was now nothing more than ruins, began to grow blurry. It was as if a vast mist had begun to cover over the entire world.

Even Naruto and the river of stars also began to grow blurry. Naruto's heart began to pound.

He now had the feeling that the most critical point in the journey to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane had arrived.

His eyes were fixed on the world up ahead as he rotated his Cultivation base. However, everything was just as blurry as before. Naruto clenched his jaw as he then employed the Celestial Vision technique that the parrot had taught him.

Suddenly, he could see!

What he saw caused his mind to be filled with shock. What existed beyond the blurriness was still the Demon Immortal Sect. However… it was no longer in ruins, but rather… bustling with activity!

Countless figures could be seen flying back and forth within the mountains. There were innumerable Cultivators practicing cultivation on the mountains, and the glow of magical techniques spread out in all directions. In the azure sky, countless elegant Immortal Beasts could be seen flying about.

The Flying Rain-Dragon on the first peak lifted its head up and roared. It suddenly moved, causing a huge gale-force wind to spring up. However, to this Flying Rain-Dragon, all it had done was stretch its neck.

When he saw the second mountain peak, Naruto had thought of the Black Bat. Sure enough, there was an enormous black-colored bat there now. It was shocking in appearance, and emanated an intense aura. As soon as Naruto saw it, he was shaken to the core.

The entire world, the entire Sect, contained not even a scrap of an aura of death. Everything was bursting with life. Off on the fifth mountain, voices rose and fell, as if sermons were being given regarding scriptures.

A bridge-like rainbow spanned the sky, glowing radiantly. People sat cross-legged in all locations, listening to scriptures being recited or gaining enlightenment of the Dao.

These Cultivators all had different appearances. Some were people, but others… were Demons!

Even as Naruto reeled with shock, he suddenly looked over at the fourth mountain peak. Yet again, he saw the same man, standing with his back toward him. He radiated ancientness, and caused Naruto to begin to breathe heavily.

It seemed almost as if the man could sense Naruto looking at him. He slowly turned to look at Naruto.

He couldn't clearly see what the man looked like, but Naruto's brain filled with roaring nonetheless. Suddenly, the world he was looking at began to shatter, layer by layer. It quickly vanished, like smoke into thin air. Instead of the flourishing Sect of ancient times, everything was now wreckage and ruins.

At the same time, the river of stars flowed toward the ruins of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. As it swept across the ruins, all of the dust motes spread out and then began to descend down onto the enormous Sect.

Naruto was among the falling dots, as were the several dozen Cultivators from the great lands of Lands of Ninshu. All of them were scattered into different locations.

Naruto, of course, was the only one among their number who was awake. His mind spun as his body, completely out of his own control, shot down toward the ruins at incredible speed. The mountains in front of him grew larger and larger. An aura of death and rot blasted against his face, and then, he was shooting toward the second mountain peak. A roaring sound could then be heard, and it was in this instant that Naruto suddenly regained control of this body. The power of his Cultivation base exploded out, and he lifted up his right hand.

He landed onto the ground on one knee. Dust shot away from him in all directions, and his hair whipped about. When he looked up, his eyes were gleaming.

Naruto knew that all of the others had not awakened the way he had. As of the state they were in now, it was impossible to tell. Without hesitation, Naruto sent out his Divine Sense sense to scan the area.

Moments later, his face grew grim. In the outside world, his Divine Sense had a range of 29,999 meters. Here, however, it was only 299 meters. It had been reduced down by a full one hundred times.

"The Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opens once every thousand years. The Chosen from other Sects will no doubt have inside information, and therefore understand the area quite a bit better than me. My understanding, on the other hand, will be significantly less in comparison.

"Right now, I need to do everything possible to understand the situation as it is. Then I can go look for some fortune." His eyes glittered as he looked up into the air. After a moment of careful consideration, he did not rashly fly up into the air, but rather proceeded forward on foot.

The ground in the area was covered with crack-filled limestone. Ancient bloodstains could be seen that had clearly been there for countless years. There were also corpses lying about, the sight of which left Naruto shocked.

There were collapsed buildings, broken pillars, and occasionally, deep craters. At first, it seemed as if this place were relatively close to the second peak, but soon, Naruto realized that he was actually quite some distance away.

In a short period of roughly two hours, Naruto saw thousands of corpses. Some were large, some were small. Some were complete, some were not. Some were Cultivators, some were Demons.

As far as bags of holding were concerned, he saw several dozen. However, when he scanned them with Divine Sense, they instantly turned into ash. Clearly, they had long since decayed during the years that had passed since primordial times. The items inside those bags of holding became ash as well.

"That these bags of holding turned into ash shows what an incredible amount of time has passed since the ancient Demon Immortal Sect still existed. However, these corpses, although merely broken remains, are still here. I wonder if there is something special about them?" He squatted thoughtfully down next to one particular corpse that was half human, half beast. Although this Cultivator had been dead for ages, Naruto was still able to sense incredible power within its fleshly body.

Muttering to himself, he reached out with his right hand to grab the corpse's arm. He exerted a bit of pressure, then more, until he was using all the power he possessed within in the First Anima. Despite that, he could not move or damage the corpse's arm in any way.

This left Naruto visibly shaken. His eyes flickered as he jumped directly into the Fourth Anima. He twisted on the arm again, and the result was only a tiny crack.

Naruto left the Fourth Anima and stood up thoughtfully. Then he quickly headed off. As he proceeded, he would stop to inspect every corpse he came across.

By the time he had inspected roughly a thousand, he finally sighed, and his eyes shone with a strange light.

"For one corpse to possess an incredible fleshly body is one thing. Maybe you could take it to be unique. But all one thousand of these corpses are the same! There wasn't a single exception.

"The cultivation practiced by this ancient Sect is clearly very different than the cultivation practiced today. They didn't just practice internal cultivation, but also cultivation of the fleshly body. Even after being dead for such a long time, these corpses can even cause problems for my Fourth Anima. There were even a few that I think could resist my Sixth Anima without being damaged.

"If they were alive… I wouldn't be a match for them even in the Seventh Anima. Such incredible power! And there are thousands just like this, perhaps even tens of thousands. Or hundreds of thousands…." Naruto smiled somewhat bitterly as he finally realized just how fearsome the disciples of this ancient Sect were.

Most relevant of all, these people had died during a vicious attack that had actually caused many of the bodies to be split up into pieces. From the look of them, these were not Inner Sect Disciples. Most of them were… ordinary disciples.

Naruto's eyes began to shine brightly, and his interest in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect continued to increase rapidly. Originally, he had chosen to come here because of Tsukino, and Demon Weapon Lonelytomb.

Now, though, there was something else that drew him to this place. He wanted to know what technique these Demon Immortal Sect disciples cultivated, and whether related legacies still existed.

"If I could acquire a legacy from ancient times…." Naruto's heart was palpitating with eagerness. His eyes flashed as he continued onward at top speed. Time passed. When Naruto had arrived here, it was around noon. By now, evening was falling.

Looking up, Naruto was unable to see any similarities between this sky and the sky of Lands of Ninshu. It really seemed as if he were in a different world, a world that belonged solely to the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

As he walked along, Naruto would occasionally look up at the darkening evening sky, or around at his surroundings. "The entire Sect is a world. I wonder how many majestic Sects like this exist in Heaven and Earth, or out in the starry skies…."

Perhaps because the ancient Demon Immortal Sect was so incredibly large, or maybe for other reasons, Naruto did not encounter any other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators. The only thing he saw was collapsed temples and corpses.

The richly ornamented buildings were long gone. The once luxurious and elegant halls were now nothing more than ruins. There were some locations that clearly were covered by restrictive spells. Although many years had passed, the power of those spells was still shocking enough to give Naruto pause.

According to his speculations, even someone as powerful as Patriarch Hashirama… would be instantly killed beyond the shadow of a doubt if he touched those spells.

"The Demon Immortal Sect… has the word Immortal in it. Don't tell me that all the members of the Sect… were actually Immortals?!" The mere thought of that possibility shook Naruto. His eyes glittered as he proceeded on cautiously. He continued to see more and more restrictive spells. Some were more powerful, some were weaker. However, even the weakest were enough that Naruto had no chance against them.

At one point he caught sight of an Immortal's cave that seemed to be completely intact. However, the sense he got from the incredible restrictive spell was similar to that he had sensed from the eight Immortals he had encountered when going to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins.

Evening was fading into the darkness of night when Naruto suddenly stopped in place. He looked off into the distance, toward a crumbled palace. Shockingly, on opposite sides of the palace ruins, two women could be seen.

One of them was the exact same blue-robed woman within whose bosom Naruto's face had encountered such incredible softness. Even when her eyes were closed, she had seemed cold. Now that her eyes were opened, they flashed with killing intent.

When Naruto saw the woman next to her, he frowned. Other than Tsukino, there was no woman in existence whom he would rather see less.

Karin!

This exceedingly violent young woman had left a deep impression on Naruto that year. The quaking and craters left behind by her punch, the intense desire to do battle which shone in her eyes, all caused Naruto to feel as if a frigid air was washing over him.

This was not only the most violent woman he had ever met, but also the person he least wanted to run into again in his entire life!

Naruto cleared his throat, and subconsciously began to back away. He didn't want to face either of these women. One had blocked his line of sight like some tall mountain, the other was a Cultivator who, without speaking even a single word, could transform into an explosive dragon.

However, in the exact same moment in which Naruto caught sight of them, they both turned to look at him.

The icy woman in the blue gown glanced him over. Seeing that he was at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, she looked away disdainfully to stare once again at Karin.

In her opinion, the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage was definitely beyond ordinary. However, in the Hebi Clan, a Cultivation base like that, although it could get you into the Array, would put you in one of the lowest positions possible. This woman, although she was not truly of the Spirit Severing stage, had performed half of a Severing. She was one of the nine people in the Hebi Clan in the last thousand years who had the most hope of breaking through into the Immortal realm.

Her main competition, other than the other eight members of her own Clan, was the Chosen of the Namikaze Clan, against whom she faced this moment.

When Karin caught sight of Naruto, she gaped in shock. Regardless of anything, she would never have possibly guessed that she would run into Naruto in this place.

As soon as she saw that he was backing up, she quickly called out, "Don't go anywhere!"

If she hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have left. However, as soon as she spoke, he turned on his heel and began to flee.

"You really dare to disobey me!?" she cried, her eyes wide with anger. She was just about to offer pursuit, when the icy-cold woman, who had just been watching in shock, gave a cold laugh and then vanished. When she reappeared, she was blocking Karin's way.

"Guren, you slut, why don't you go screw off!" Karin pulled her arm back and then slammed a fist down into the ground. A shocking boom rattled out, causing the ground to shatter in successive layers. A shockwave attack proceeded to blast out in all directions.

As Naruto fled, he felt the explosive discharge of energy coming from behind him, and he instantly increased his speed. He had no desire whatsoever to exchange blows with this explosive dragon, and it had nothing to do with a question of who was strong and who was weak. There was no enmity between the two of them, and if they started fighting, it would be of no benefit to Naruto or his plans in this place.

Roaring echoed about as the attack spread out. The land in the area was destroyed, and as ripples of power spread out in all directions, the cold woman waved her hand to block. As for Karin, she glanced at fleeing Naruto for a moment and then got even angrier. Gritting her teeth, she instantly produced a glove from her bag of holding which she slipped onto her hand. She then viciously smashed her fist out toward the other woman.

She shot forward, punching the entire time. The air filled with a red glow, and the cold woman's face instantly fell. She dashed backward, waving her hand to resist the power of seven or eight punches before finally vanishing. She reappeared some distance off, blood oozing from her mouth.

"Karin, are you insane? We might not like each other much and I did steal your jade pendant back in Chang'an. But that doesn't mean you have to go all out the instant you see me!"

"SCREW OFF!" roared Karin, her anger raging as she shot off to chase Naruto. Apparently she didn't care at all about Guren.

Guren gaped in astonishment as she looked off in the direction which Naruto had fled. Suddenly, she smiled. When she did, her icy prettiness seemed to blossom into shocking beauty.

"Karin has always been proud and arrogant. She has a bad temper, but I don't think I've ever seen her so mad at a man. I wonder what sort of relationship she has with him….

"Hmph. Ever since we were small, it's been the same. Whatever the two of us see, we end up fighting over it. Well this time, it's no different!" Guren's eyes were like crescent moons that shone with radiant beauty. Her slender frame flickered as she shot off in pursuit.

Naruto fled at top speed, sighing inwardly at his own bad luck. The fact that the cold woman had completely disregarded him was actually somewhat excessive. However, he was used to such things. Under normal circumstances, he would have just dealt with the situation; it wasn't really that bad.

After all, it wasn't intentional on her part. Therefore, it could be forgiven.

Naruto knew that as a scholarly person, he should be magnanimous and tolerant.

However, how could he have imagined that he would actually run into Karin? When he thought of her violent disposition, he took a deep breath and pushed himself even faster.

Behind him, he heard a whistling sound nearing him. A mighty whirlwind was approaching, and in the middle of it was the furious Karin.

Fundamentally speaking, Karin had a beautiful voice. To Naruto, though, she currently sounded more like an evil poltergeist. "Naruto, you stop this instant! Do you really dare to disobey me!? I'm gonna beat you to death, do you hear me!"

Boom!

The ground off to the side suddenly exploded, smashed by a fist blow from Karin. The explosion turned into an attack of its own which instantly slammed into Naruto. Without hesitation, he entered the Second Anima, increasing his speed dramatically.

He sighed. "Stop chasing me. There is neither gratitude nor grudge between us. Why are you acting like this? Besides, there's no guarantee that you could win out over me."

"What did you just say?!" she roared. She suddenly slapped her bag of holding to produce a bottle of medicinal pills. She popped one into her mouth, and her body erupted in flames. At the same time, her speed increased dramatically. Yet again, her fist descended. Although she was furious, this strike was not a deadly one. It slammed through the air in an attempt to get Naruto to stop.

However, even as the power of the fist strike descended, Naruto entered the Third Anima. As his speed exploded, he transformed into a green smoke and shot off into the distance. Karin's fist attack struck nothing. She stared for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"You little bum. In all the years I haven't seen you, it seems you really have developed some skill."

Even as she spoke, she continued to pursue him. They moved with incredible speed. Every time Karin got close, Naruto would explode out with even greater speed. It made it impossible for her to actually catch up to him.

However, it also served to allow her temper to cool down. Eventually a happy smile appeared on her face. She would throw out occasional punches, and, seeing Naruto increase his speed even more, she finally started laughing.

Karin laughed happily. Naruto smiled bitterly.

"Why did I have to end up pissing off a girl like this?" thought Naruto. "A hundred years have passed and she's actually… almost in the Spirit Severing stage!" As far as Naruto was concerned, it just didn't seem fair. He had spent a hundred difficult years in secluded meditation, had transmigrated into the Violet Sea, had formed seven Nascent Souls, had experienced multiple Heavenly Tribulations, and had slowly achieved Perfection.

Even despite all of that, he was still only halfway to Spirit Severing. And yet, Karin… was the same as him.

"Chosen of the great Clans are all like this," he sighed. Then he realized that even when he saw her more than a hundred years ago, her level of power had been incredible, and things seemed a bit more balanced.

Even as the two of them proceeded along, one pursuing, one fleeing, they began to near the second peak. Suddenly, a beam of green light appeared in mid-air and shot toward Karin.

The speed with which it moved caused Karin's face to flicker. She immediately turned and punched out with her right hand.

A bang could be heard, and then Karin retreated backward several paces. The green beam of light was sent spinning backward, during which time it transformed into a whip. Simultaneously, a man appeared out of thin air. He was tall and thin, with long hair and a handsome face. A long mark could be seen on his forehead that glittered brightly. It almost looked like lightning.

He wore a green-colored robe, and upon his shoulder perched a crow. The crow was bizarre in appearance; it had three eyes, all of which were staring coldly at Karin.

In addition to the crow, a white-colored wolf stood next to the man, emanating a piercing aura as it stared around coldly.

The instant the man appeared, eight pillars of light suddenly rose around Karin. They shot up with incredible speed, causing the entire sky to fill with colorful lights.

"Eight Point Illumination!" the green-robed man said, his voice cool. The eight pillars of light immediately transformed into a seal, which firmly locked Karin in place.

"Kidomaru!" said Karin, her face falling. A cold snort could be heard from behind her. It was none other than Guren, who approached slowly, her phoenix-like eyes flickering with killing intent.

"Don't tell me your Namikaze Clan ancestors neglected to tell you that you can't simply run around wildly in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane?" said Guren. "Karin, did you really forget that Hebi Clan Dao Children are adept at augury arts?

"The fact that we ran into each other was coincidental. If you had left immediately, then I couldn't have done anything. Instead, though, you gave me a chance to notify Mingfeng. With his skill in augury, pinpointing your position was no problem!"

Naruto had stopped moving already, and was observing coldly from off in the distance. Seeing that Karin had been ambushed and sealed, he frowned.

"Do you really dare to hurt me?" replied Karin calmly. There was no anger visible in her eyes; rather, a fearsome aura emanated out from her which continued to grow more and more intense.

"Hurt you? Why?" said Guren with a slight smile. "The Namikaze Clan might be all alone here in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, but on Planet East Victory, they are the most illustrious, number one Clan. We don't need to hurt you, just trap you for three days. Then your path back into ancient times will be cut off. Preventing you from finding a host body is good enough."

Off to the side, Kidomaru was also smiling. He said nothing, but even from his position off in the distance, Naruto could tell that he was much more dangerous than Guren.

In fact, when looking at Kidomaru, Naruto felt as if there was a needle poking into his back.

Guren looked at Karin for another moment and then turned to look at Naruto. She smiled broadly and said, "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist. It seems we were fated to meet this day. Unfortunately, there's no time to properly entertain you today, but if Karma wills it, we will meet again one day."

Kidomaru glanced over at Naruto, smiled and nodded. However, Naruto could clearly see the scorn in his gaze.

Karin also looked over at Naruto.

He stood there silently for a moment before turning to leave. He had no desire to participate in what was happening. Karin's being sealed didn't put her life in danger. Considering she was neither kith nor kin, it would not be worthwhile for him to take any action.

Besides, he wasn't completely confident in being able to take on two members of the Hebi Clan at the same time. That was especially so considering that Kidomaru gave Naruto the same sense of danger that Patriarch Hashirama had.

As he turned around, the smile on Guren's face grew even wider. Her smile right now made her seem vastly different than the cold version from earlier. When she saw the complex emotions in Karin's eyes, the despair and the pain, she grew even happier. She looked at Naruto walking away, and admiration could be seen in her eyes.

The thought suddenly popped into her mind that in the future, she could use him to continue to provoke Karin.

Naruto took three steps, then suddenly looked back at Karin.

He saw the despair and complex emotions in her eyes, as well as the pain. There was nothing romantic about the pain; actually it seemed to be more the type of pain one might feel when being abandoned by a family member. The look caused Naruto's mind to suddenly tremble.

He said nothing, but his eyes suddenly began to shine brightly. For some reason, he couldn't just brush aside the pain he saw in her eyes. He wasn't sure why, but in that instant he made a decision. The killing intent inside of him instantly shot up.

Guren frowned. Next to her, Kidomaru's lips turned up in a cold smile.

It was in this moment that Naruto entered the Seventh Anima.

BOOM!

His body instantly swelled. His hair grew longer and his aura rocketed up. Two times, eight times, sixteen times… all the way until his battle prowess was equivalent to sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls. A brief instant was all it took for the explosive power to cause a whirlwind to scream into existence, filling the entire area with clouds of dust.

Naruto was now several heads taller. He was taller, and his demeanor was thoroughly that of an Devil Immortal.

Guren's face fell, and Kidomaru's pupils constricted.

Karin's eyes began to glow brightly.

A roaring sound exploded out from Naruto as he shot forward with all the speed he could muster.

He was upon them in the blink of an eye. Guren lifted up her hand and pointed forward, causing an enormous bubble to appear in front of her. It instantly shattered in Naruto's face.

BAM!

The shattering of the bubble caused Naruto to tremble, but it didn't cause him to pause even the least bit. As he pressed forward, Kidomaru casually pointed out, causing the white wolf to lift its head up and howl. As it pounced toward Naruto, the mastiff turned into a beam of red light that suddenly appeared at Naruto's side. It lashed out toward the white wolf, which instantly started quivering. Before the wolf could do anything in reaction, crunching sounds could be heard as the mastiff chomped it up into its mouth.

Everything happened so fast that Kidomaru could only gape in astonishment. Next, intense killing intent appeared in his eyes.

Guren was flabbergasted; the mastiff's Spirit Severing aura caused her face to fall immediately.

At the same time, Naruto reached the seal which was holding Karin. He glanced at her, and she back at him, and they almost seemed to be communicating. Karin clenched her hand into a fist, and then her aura exploded up as she punched directly toward the seal.

Naruto's fist also slammed down. Their fists simultaneously punched down onto the exact same pillar of light, in exactly the same position!

The pillar immediately began to shake. Cracking sounds echoed out, and in the blink of an eye, the pillar exploded.

In response to the explosion of the first pillar, the other seven pillars began to automatically reinforce themselves. Karin, filled with rage, instantly shot out from within.

She charged toward Guren, punching her before she could even react. Guren fell back, blood spraying from her mouth. Kidomaru gave Naruto a deep glance, then smiled and turned, taking Guren with him as he headed off into the distance.

Karin was about to give chase when Naruto blocked her way.

She turned to look at him and, her tone one of rebuke, said, "What are you holding me back for?! You have no respect for your elders! And don't you know that showing off your full power so early will lose you any advantage you have!?"

Naruto shook his head and smiled wryly. "Fine, Fellow Daoist Karin. If you want to chase after them, I won't stop you."

"Don't take that tone with me!" she said, glaring at him. "And what kind of address is that!? Call me big sis!"

Naruto gave another wry smile. He suddenly had the feeling that rescuing her had been a mistake.

"Not gonna call me big sis?" she said. Her hands clenched into fists, and cracking sounds could be heard. A dangerous glow could be seen coming from her face, as if she might turn into an explosive dragon at any moment.

"Big sis!" he said with a sigh, backing up a few steps. "Happy…?"

"That's better. Doesn't hurt, does it?" As she spoke, her eyes slowly began to fill with gentleness, although her tone of voice still seemed angry. Naruto had no idea where that anger came from. "Alright," she continued, "forget about that for now. How did you end up here? Did you decide which host body you're going to pick?"

"Host body?" said Naruto, gaping. It was the second time he had heard such a term, the first being when Guren said it. His eyes glittered as he suddenly thought of the Resurrection Lily's parasitic existence.

Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if that had anything to do with the term 'host body' mentioned by Karin. He intentionally made his expression one of confusion, but inwardly, he was extremely vigilant.

Seeing his expression, Karin frowned for a moment. Then she reached her hand up as if to smack him on the head. The movement seemed incredibly practiced, as if it was something she did all the time. Without even thinking about it, Naruto backed up a few steps. Karin glared at him, but eventually lowered her hand.

"You don't know anything," she said angrily, "and yet dare to come to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane? You…." After a moment, she finally started to explain to him what she meant by 'host body.'

As he listened to her explanation, his eyes slowly began to glow brightly.

According to her description, every time the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opened, it meant fortune for those who entered. However, the extent of that good fortune depended on how far any given participant was able to get into the various planes.

"When the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opens," Karin explained, "there are initially two different planes. The First Plane is where we are now, the ruins of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Here, virtually all the locations which contain good fortune are protected by restrictive spells. This plane will only remain open for seventy-two hours!

"In the First Plane, none of the participants will find any techniques or legacies. Nor will they find even the tiniest treasure. Well, that's not a hard and fast rule, but basically, considering how many times the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane has opened, anything that could have been taken away has long since disappeared into the hands of people in the past.

"The only thing we can do here is related to the fundamental purpose of the First Plane. And that is… we have to find a proper host body. Such host bodies are none other than the corpses you see around you! Each and every one of these corpses could be a host body!

"Seventy-two hours is all the time we Cultivators have to find a proper host body!

"After the seventy-two hours, the Second Plane will automatically open, and we will be able to recall ancient times!" Seeing that Naruto seemed to be paying rapt attention to her, Karin couldn't help but smile. She continued on to explain in further details, not concealing anything at all from Naruto.

What she didn't know was that Naruto was actually only half paying attention to her. The other half of his attention was focused on Karin herself, as he tried to determine why exactly she was expending such special effort to help him.

"Uhhh… she couldn't possibly have fallen in love with me, could she?" he thought. He suddenly felt an icy feeling tingling up his spine. The more he thought about it though, the less likely it seemed. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but subconsciously rub his right hand as he thought about the first time the two of them had met.

"The Second Plane is sort of like a hallucination that we will all experience at the same time," Karin continued. "However, it's incredibly realistic. During that time, we will enter the once flourishing Demon Immortal Sect. As for which specific era we visit, that cannot be determined.

"It will be almost as if we have actually returned to ancient times. Furthermore, when inside the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, we will not be ourselves. Instead, we will assume the identity of whichever body we have chosen as a host. Using that person's identity, we can search for good fortune in the chimerical version of ancient times." Karin's eyes began to gleam with anticipation.

"Therefore, one's choice of host body is extremely important. If the host body's status is high, then naturally you will be presented with better opportunities, maybe even Heaven-defying ones! The host body is the key to it all! With the right status, the good fortune you can acquire defies imagination!" By this point, the anticipation in her eyes was incredibly strong.

Having heard the explanation up to this point, Naruto's eyes flickered. "An ancient dreamland?" he said. "If it's just a dreamland, then can there really be so much good fortune?"

"The fact that it is a dreamland has been confirmed by those who entered in the past," Karin said earnestly. "Also, once inside… anything is possible!"

"The existence of the Demon Immortal Sect spanned many years," replied Naruto. "Also, there is a vast difference between the ages of the various disciples. Some might have just joined the Sect at the time of their death, others might have been around for ten thousand years. Since that's the case, how could it be possible for everyone to enter the same era?"

Hearing this question caused Karin's eyes to gleam with admiration. She was obviously quite pleased to hear such a question.

"It all depends on your luck. In past generations, people who got unlucky ended up selecting host bodies of disciples that didn't exist in ancient times. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to enter the Second Plane, and were cast out early.

"Therefore, it doesn't matter whether you are worried about your chances of seizing good fortune, or even just the opportunity to enter the Second Plane, you have to find a corpse that had been around a long time before dying."

Naruto thought about this for a moment.

"It's just like I said before," Karin went on, "selecting a host body is incredibly important. You might as well forget about getting a host body of a Sect Elder or Priest, or one of the seven incredible Elite Apprentices. That likelihood is incredibly small.

"It's even rare to find a Conclave disciple; even if you went looking, you wouldn't be able to find one except by chance. The best thing to do is to fight for one of the Inner Sect disciples.

"Throughout the years in which the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane has opened, the Hebi Clan has come to occupy the best position. They have located the corpses of five Inner Sect disciples, and one Conclave disciple.

"As for the Namikaze Clan, we have only been able to locate four Inner Sect disciples.

"Most of the rest of the Sects in Lands of Ninshu," she said calmly, "only have records of one or two Inner Sect disciples."

Naruto took a deep breath. Now he fully understood the importance of the host body. A host body with a high status meant better chances for good fortune in the Second Plane. Some ancient legacies and techniques would only be available to people with special positions.

"Furthermore," said Karin, "upon entering the Second Plane, all of us will temporarily lose all of our memories. For a short period time, we will believe ourselves to be whoever the host body is. However, based on the skill and ability of each individual, we will awaken within a matter of hours or days.

"That period of time is the most dangerous!" When she reached this point, Karin's voice was very serious. "The reason is because if you wake up too slowly, you lose out on certain opportunities. Furthermore, your life will be in danger because of others who wake up before you!

"The Second Plane is where the true dangers of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane begin. However, the benefits to be gained are enormous. According to the legends, the ancient Demon Immortal Sect has one thousand types of Daoist magic, one thousand orthodoxies, and one thousand heterodoxies. In total, there are three thousand great Daos. Each one of these divine abilities and Daoist magics are a legacy.

"Throughout the years, the greatest legacy ever acquired was when a Hebi Clan member acquired the identity of a Conclave disciple and thus, the Underworld Seance Magic. By gaining enlightenment, he was able to take the technique out with him. Such a divine ability is well suited to the Hebi Clan Dao of Karma.

"In the ranking system of the 3,000 great Daos of the Demon Immortal Sect, the Underworld Seance Magic is listed as number 408. That means there are four hundred even more powerful divine abilities. That is especially true of the top ten, each of which can be described as a great Dao!

"According to the legends, the top ten are powerful enough to rock the Heavens and shake the Earth."

When Naruto heard this, his expression was the same as ever, but his heart pounded wildly. He looked at Karin and asked another question. "You're talking about the Hebi Clan of Lands of Ninshu?"

Karin hesitated for a moment and muttered to herself. Finally, she replied, "In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the Hebi Clan has five branches. The branch on Lands of Ninshu is not the main branch, but rather, one of the subsidiary branches."

"Okay," said Naruto. Seeing that Karin apparently didn't want to talk about the Hebi Clan, he decided to ask a question about something else he was curious about. "So, about those top ten divine abilities and Daoist magics. What exactly are they?"

"I'm not sure," replied Karin, shaking her head. "I just know that the number one position is occupied by… the Mountain and Sea Scripture!" As soon as she spoke the words 'Mountain and Sea Scripture,' her eyes began to glow with a brilliant light. "However, even if you had some Heaven-defying good luck, it would be impossible to achieve enlightenment regarding it and then take it out. By the way, if you don't achieve enlightenment regarding a given Daoist magic, then it's impossible to brand it, and therefore impossible to remember. Once you leave the dreamland, you would completely forget it."

When Naruto heard her mention the Mountain and Sea Scripture, he recalled what the parrot had spoken of. According to the parrot, the origin of the three classic scriptures was none other than something called the Mountain and Sea Scripture.

At this point, Naruto asked yet another question. "You've mentioned a First Plane and a Second Plane. Could it be that there is also a Third Plane?"

"Yes. However, according to the Clan records, the most probable likelihood is that we will not be able to meet the requirements to open the Third Plane. At a certain point in the Second Plane, the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane will close, we will all be teleported back to the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

"Throughout history, there have only been five occasions in which the requirements were met and the Third Plane appeared!"

Naruto watched her closely as she continued her explanation.

"The Third Plane occurs after awakening from the Second Plane. All of the restrictive spells throughout the ancient Demon Immortal Sect will become unstable and even disappear. During that time, anyone can enter those previously sealed areas to acquire treasure left over from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect!

"When entering the Third Plane, the previous identity of the host body will vanish. However, according to the various legacies and techniques learned in the Second Plane, it would be possible to remove some of the restrictive spells from places that still have them, and acquire shocking good fortune."

Naruto took a deep breath. He was now much clearer about the various matters regarding the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane. The First Plane was about preparation. The Second Plane was a place to acquire the good fortune of immaterial techniques and legacies.

The Third Plane was a place to take advantage of the good fortune and preparation from the first two Planes to acquire physical treasures.

Everything was connected!

"So, now you understand what will happen in not so many hours. Right now, time is limited. During the seventy-two hours that the First Plane is open, people will be using information from the secret records of their Sect or Clan to find various corpses.

"You come with me. I'll take you to one of the Inner Sect Disciples that the Namikaze Clan knows about. You hide yourself there and wait for the Second Plane to open." With a final look at Naruto, Karin turned and sped off.

Naruto stood there thoughtfully for a moment. Based on his analysis, about eighty percent of what Karin had told him was probably true. He was still a cautious person, and was aware that gullibility was a weakness. However, in the end, he chose not to refuse her offer.

The two of them sped off toward the second mountain peak.

Time passed, and the sky grew darker. Naruto continued to glance around cautiously, but the ancient Demon Immortal Sect was simply too big. They didn't run into anyone else. At this point, Naruto started to think about who else might have come to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane from… the Southern Domain.

"Hinata. Elder Brother. Fatty. Sakura. And then there are the Dao Children from the three great Clans, as well as the other Chosen from the Sects. I wonder who I might run into here." He thought about these things as he and Karin continued to speed along until dawn of the following morning. By this time, they had traversed about thirty percent of the path between the second and third peaks.

Everywhere they passed, they saw wreckage and corpses, as well as areas with restrictive spells that glowed brightly in the darkness. The dangerous, flickering auras of the restrictive spells were things that even Karin would not be immune to.

At one point, Karin said something that caused Naruto's eyes to go wide.

"Ever since we were small, Guren was always trying to compete with me. That's why I yelled out to you earlier, to get her to notice you. If my plan works, she'll definitely take a liking to you.

"Heh heh. Little bro, you have to help me turn the tables on her and screw her over royally. Of course, if you don't want to, I won't force you."

Naruto felt as if a cold wind had just gusted down his throat. He coughed dryly a few times and looked up ahead at Karin. Inwardly, he felt even more assured that this woman was someone he should not provoke in the future.

She might be overbearing and have a fiery temper, but those things didn't matter. Just now, she… had set up a huge con for Guren to fall into, all without letting out a single hint or clue. It immediately caused Naruto's back to feel ice cold.

Throughout his years of Cultivation, Naruto had conned people left and right, starting from the very beginning in the Reliance Sect. Of course, he actually had no idea how many people would gnash their teeth in hatred whenever they thought of him and how he had conned them.

What was even more frightening was that Naruto's lack of awareness regarding this point meant that he didn't really think of himself as conning people. To him, conning people had become a habit, and then that habit had turned into instinct.

For such an instinct to appear led to a fearsome outcome… as soon as he encountered an opportunity to con someone, he would immediately begin to do so….

"That's… uh, big sis, that's probably not a good idea," he said, clearing his throat.

"No need to be bashful," she said with an enigmatic smile. "Do you really think your big sis didn't notice what part of Guren you looked at when you saw her for the first time?" Naruto almost felt as if he were being stabbed by her words.

He wanted to explain himself, but he knew that the more he tried to explain matters, the more it would make them worse. He finally just gave a wry smile.

"You help me con her," she said, her eyes shining more brightly than ever, "and you won't be sorry. Guren may be a shameless, narrow-minded, devious, vicious tart, but… she's still quite pretty and also self-respecting. She would make a good concubine for you. I have to admit that I approve." She really seemed to think her plan was a good one. Then she noticed Naruto's wry smile, and her eyes went wide. "Fine, it's settled, we're doing it!"

"I…." Naruto was about to respond when Karin shot off up ahead, leaving Naruto behind in the dust. A complacent smile could be seen on her face, and her eyes shone brightly. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she truly was shrewd and intelligent. She really had set up that damnable Guren to be viciously conned….

Naruto continued to smile wryly and pretend that he hadn't heard what she said in the end. He sped along after her, his expression amiable, but inwardly on guard. After all, he had long since learned to hide his true state. Instead, he usually kept a light smile on his face to prevent others from knowing what he was truly thinking.

"She truly isn't on guard against me at all," he thought. "Or is that just an act?" A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes as he thought back to the scene from outside the Rebirth Cave that year.

Again, he subconsciously looked down at the back of his right hand. More uncertainties bubbled up in his heart.

"Maybe everything will be made clear once we arrive at this corpse. I can make my final decision then." An imperceptible gleam flickered within Naruto's eyes.

Dawn had fully broken, and the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane was no longer dark. Rays of sunshine climbed up into the sky as Naruto and Karin reached a stretch of ruins that existed in the middle of the second and third peaks.

The damage to the place was considerable. Corpses lay about everywhere, and a pervasive sensation of ancientness filled the air, along with an aura of decay that seemed unwilling to depart.

The limestone that covered the ground had long since been crushed into countless pieces. The richly ornamented buildings looked as if they had been shattered by some giant palm slamming down from up above. The force had completely shattered the buildings, and then turned into a shockwave which caused everything for tens of thousands of meters in all directions to be destroyed.

"Okay, we're here," said Karin. "Only three members of the Namikaze Clan came this time. I'll notify the other two not to select this place. This is the corpse of an Inner Sect disciple with a relatively high position. Although it's not a Conclave Disciple, the previous generations of Namikaze Clan Cultivators who came here said that this person had a lot of friends. If you play your cards right, you should be able to find some good fortune." With that, she took out a jade slip and handed it over.

"Recorded in this jade slip are seven paths taken by various members of the previous generations of the Namikaze Clan. Everything they did and said is inside. Because the time period we're traveling to is not set, the contents will most likely not relate directly to you. However, you might want to study it nonetheless."

With that, Karin looked around, studying the area before proceeding forward. As they moved, Karin explained everything in detail.

"Pay attention to the path I take. For example, see there? That's a protective spell formation which is very difficult to penetrate. It should actually keep you safe.

"Oh, don't touch that! There's a hidden restrictive spell in there!

"Don't touch this either.

"You have to wait here for the amount of time it takes an incense stick to burn. Pay attention to the shadows on the ground."

Naruto nodded in response to her explanations. Inwardly, his suspicions continued to increase as he realized that Karin really wasn't concealing anything from him.

They took a circuitous route into the center of the ruins. A few hours later, when it was afternoon, Naruto suddenly stopped in place and looked off into the distance. There, in the middle of some wreckage, was a jade slip that emanated a bright blue light. It was floating above the ground, surrounding by countless streams of magical symbols.

At first glance, it was extremely beautiful.

Surrounding it for dozens of meters in all directions was the glow of a restrictive spell.

"Don't even think about it," said Karin. "From the Namikaze Clan's very first records of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane down until now no one has been able to get past that restrictive spell. If you pay attention closely, you can sense that the Daoist magic contained in that jade slip is definitely in the top one thousand legacies and divine abilities." She sounded as if she viewed this to be quite a pity.

"See all the corpses around the glowing light? Quite a few of those are people from past generations who got greedy and tried to break through the restrictive spell…." When Naruto heard this, he nodded calmly. He had long since noticed that some of the corpses in the area looked different than the corpses of the members of the Demon Immortal Sect.

"How many times has the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opened?" he asked suddenly. "Is it possible that there are still members of the Sect left alive in here?"

"Impossible," replied Karin, shaking her head. "Everyone is dead. Other than a few people who managed to escape before the calamity struck, everyone died. Although everything happened long, long ago, the ancient records offer clear proof that the entire Sect was wiped out."

"If it opens every thousand years, isn't it possible that people returned and then stayed?" he followed up, his eyes flickering.

Karin didn't seem to be the least bit fazed by Naruto's question. "The only people who can stay behind are the dead. Anyone else who enters gets expelled when the plane closes. It's no coincidence that I happen to know this. I was curious about the very same thing, and the person who answered my question happened to be the only remaining elderly member of the Clan who had been to this place."

Naruto asked no more questions. He turned back and followed Karin as she proceeded forward. This time, they walked for about two hours before they finally reached one particular house that was only half collapsed. After looking around for a moment, Karin produced a jade slip which she then crushed. Immediately, a blurriness surrounded the house. When the blurriness faded into clarity, the house was gone. In its place was an enormous crater.

This didn't surprise Naruto at all. During the course of their journey, he had watched Karin do this same thing about seven or eight times. She had also done other things to ensure that they weren't being followed.

In the middle of the crater was a corpse. Upon nearing, it became clear that the muscles and blood had long since faded away. What remained was essentially a mummified corpse, with its head turned to look up into the air. It seemed that before it died, it had been looking up into the sky. Despite the long passage of time, the look of fear and aloneness on its face was still clear to Naruto.

"His name was Hiruzen, and he was a member of the Demon Immortal Sect for a long time. He started in the Outer Sect to eventually be promoted to the Inner Sect. He ended up sacrificing his life during the calamity.

"Were it not for the calamity, he may have eventually become a Conclave disciple." Karin held out her hand, in which could be seen eight jade slips, all of which contained information regarding the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane. One by one, she handed them over to Naruto.

"It won't be much longer now," she said. "You should be safe here. I'm going to go find a corpse in a different location." Karin gave Naruto a deep look, making no attempt to hide the thoughtfulness in her eyes.

Naruto looked at the jade slips and then watched as Karin turned and made her way off.

After a long moment, he took some time to examine his surroundings. Clearly… there were no real dangers in the immediate vicinity. Obviously, this was a place that few people came to in search of a host body.

"Don't tell me that she really didn't have any ill intentions," he murmured softly. He turned to look at the corpse, then walked over thoughtfully and squatted down to examine it closely.

Gradually, his expression changed, and it was clear that he was moved inwardly. This corpse was actually far, far more powerful than any of the ones he had seen before. Even after entering the Seventh Anima, he couldn't even put the tiniest crack in its skull.

This caused his mind to reel. He was even able to sense a slight pressure emanating off of the corpse, which caused his hair to stand on end. His entire body felt as if it were filled with coldness, and an indescribable weight pushed down onto his heart.

After a long moment, he awoke from his reverie and stepped back a few paces, cold sweat dripping down his face. He looked down at the corpse, his face grim.

"So this is an Inner Sect disciple of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect…. It's completely different than the other corpses I inspected. It's far, far more powerful! That must mean that all the corpses I saw on the way here were nothing more than Outer Sect disciples." He took a deep breath as he sat down cross-legged.

"Karin really didn't have any evil designs. Interesting. Well, as of now, there are only about forty hours left. If I stay here, then there is a high likelihood that I will be able to get into the Second Plane. However…." His eyes glittered as he looked in the direction of the third and fourth peaks.

There was no way that he could forget everything he had seen after awaking in the river of stars as it made its way here to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, especially the man he had seen on the peak of the fourth mountain.

He wasn't sure how many times the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane had opened in the past, nor how many Cultivators had entered it through the generations. Among those people, had anyone ever woken up in the manner that he had? If there were, it would certainly have been an incredibly rare occurrence. After all, he was very much convinced that he had only awoken because of the help of Han Shan.

Furthermore, even if there really were people who had awoken in the past, it didn't necessarily mean that they would have seen the same man that he had.

It was entirely possible that Naruto himself was the only person to have ever stayed awake and then seen the man.

"That is my advantage, the place where my unique opportunity lies. If I wait here, I might be out of danger, but that means I'll be giving up my chance to seize a unique chance." He felt hesitant.

"That person on the fourth peak… Who was he…?" After a long moment's thought, Naruto's eyes filled with the glow of determination.

Naruto stood up and looked at the corpse of Inner Sect Disciple Hiruzen for a moment. Then, he didn't hesitate any longer. He turned and, following the same path he had to get to this location, sped away.

He just could not resign himself to ignoring that strange person.

The Primordial Demon Immortal Plane might be a dangerous place, but he was here. Picking a path of danger was well in line with the expression, 'rewards come only with risk.' The only way to continue to maintain an advantage in the Second Plane was to make a difficult choice such as this right now.

If he was more concerned with safety, and unwilling to take risks, why had he come to this place to begin with? To stare at a mountain of treasure while wringing one's hands would cause even mortals to sigh in regret, let alone Cultivators!

Naruto would much rather go all out in risk than worry about safety, especially when he had a chance to fight for good fortune!

Who could possibly settle for mediocrity? Members of the Namikaze Clan had long since experimented with the identity of Inner Sect Disciple Hiruzen, and of course acquired good fortune, although they had not done so perfectly.

Regarding the potential different time periods, and the seven paths taken with Hiruzen as a host body, all of that information was recorded in the jade slip. After glancing it over, Naruto wasn't certain that he could do any better than the others had. Therefore, if he chose to go with this Inner Sect disciple's identity, all he might acquire was Daoist magic that the Namikaze Clan had long since already acquired.

Anything else would be very difficult. Many times, one's starting point will determine one's final destination.

The successive generations of the Namikaze Clan were clearly intelligent, and had already done all that could be done. Any further gain would come only from good luck. As far as that was concerned, Naruto would rather rely on his own luck to gain his own opportunity.

Therefore, he chose to abandon the path of Inner Sect Disciple Hiruzen. There wasn't a single scrap of hesitation as he used Karin's method to safely leave the area. It took him about four hours before he was finally clear. Without even looking back, he headed toward the fourth peak.

After calculating the time, he thought to himself. "I still have thirty-four hours left." Employing all the speed that was possible, he cautiously made his way through the various ruins and corpses.

Time passed. Ten hours later, he was at the third peak. He didn't see anyone the entire time, which didn't cause him any pause for thought. More than half of the seventy-two hour period had passed, and presumably, most of the other had already found the host bodies they were looking for, and were waiting there.

"Twenty-four hours left," he thought, looking toward the fourth peak far off in the distance. He pushed himself faster.

Ten more hours went by, and he had already passed the halfway point between the third peak and the fourth peak. Suddenly, a rumbling broke the silence. Based on how faint it was, it was obviously coming from quite some distance away. However, Naruto could feel it instantly.

Mixed in with the sound were pulsating ripples of divine abilities and magical techniques. By the time they reached Naruto, they were very weak, but he was still able to to sense a familiar aura within them.

He stopped in his tracks for a moment and then frowned. After examining the aura further, his frown deepened. He knew who this aura belonged to.

"Hayate of the great Cloud Sky Tribe." He looked off in the distance, a thoughtful look in his eye. Currently there were only fourteen hours left until the First Plane closed.

He could tell that he needed ten hours just to get from his current location to the fourth mountain. That meant he only would only have four hours to get to the top of peak. Time was tight, and he couldn't afford to waste it.

He proceeded forward. However, after going about three hundred meters, he suddenly turned and headed in the direction of Hayate's aura, his expression extremely cold. He had made a promise to Patriarch Cloud Sky, and they had a deal. The extent to which he followed up on his promise was the extent to which the other party would respect the agreement.

There was no one around to police the arrangement, but it existed in his heart.

Conducting oneself properly often amounts to maintaining a clear conscience.

He shot through the air at top speed for the amount of time it takes half an incense stick to burn. Soon he caught sight of two Cultivators locked in battle in the ruins up ahead.

One of them was Hayate. He was clearly in a very poor position. His expression was one of fury. His clothes were stained with blood and his face was pale. Clearly, he had been injured.

He was fighting a man who wore a white robe and had long, voluminous hair. He was slender and handsome, and was clearly the type of man whom any woman would cast glances at. Three flying spikes circulated around him, leaving behind trails of colorful lights as they flew through the air. They also emanated a penetrating aura that made the white-robed man seem even more elegant.

Actually there weren't just two people up ahead. About thirty meters or so behind the white-robed man was a woman in a violet garment. She was beautiful, with a shrewd smile and an intelligent air to her. Anyone who looked at her would instantly be able to tell that she was cunning and resourceful.

She watched the magical combat with a smile on her face. She made no move to attack, but when she looked at the white-robed man, a profound look occasionally flickered within her eyes. It was not romantic admiration, but… something else.

"This host body belongs to the great Cloud Sky Tribe!" Cried Hayate. "You want to steal it from me? Despotic!"

Another boom could be heard; Hayate coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered backward. He glared at the man in the white robe, killing intent flickering in his eyes. As he had said, the great Cloud Sky Tribe had discovered this location. However, almost as soon as he had arrived, this man and woman appeared and attacked him.

Obviously, they wanted to take control of the location. If it weren't for the fact that the woman had ceased hostilities after her initial sneak attack, he would surely have been dead already.

"Nobody owns anything in the Demon Immortal Sect," said the white-robed man coolly, looking at Hayate with a look of coldness and disdain. "If you insist that I, Itachi, am stealing it, then so be it. Why don't you just screw off? If you attack me one more time, I'll kill you."

Hayate had the most latent talent of anyone in the great Cloud Sky Tribe. Although luck was important in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, so was latent talent. The greater the latent talent, the easier it would be to gain enlightenment regarding various techniques and legacies.

Before being sent here, Hayate was in the mid Nascent Soul stage. Just before leaving, though, the Patriarch had personally used various magical techniques to temporarily raise him to the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, a state which would last for three months.

The corpse that he was defending was no ordinary Inner Sect disciple. It was much rarer, a disciple who was half way into the Conclave status. The reason was that this particular disciple had a relative of the elder generation who was already a Conclave disciple.

The information regarding that relationship was something the great Cloud Sky Tribe had expended much effort to acquire.

Hayate's eyes were bloodshot. Unfortunately, the man he faced up against currently really was of the late Nascent Soul stage, whereas he himself had reached that level only by the use of force. He could fight back, but his opponent had too many magical items, and he knew that he wasn't a match.

That was not even to mention the woman. Although she was only at the early Nascent Soul stage, Hayate sensed something even more threatening about her than the man. It was a strange feeling that filled him with shock.

Just as Hayate was gritting his teeth and angrily resigning himself to the fact that he would have to leave, a popping sound could suddenly be heard. Dust was kicked up in all directions, followed by a pulsating pressure that caused the white-robed man's face to fall and his eyes to widen.

The violet-robed woman's beautiful face was also filled with a look of shock. She cocked her head to look of into the distance.

Hayate gaped as a green smoke shot through the air, within which was a black moon. It moved with incredible speed as it approached.

As soon as he caught sight of the black moon, Hayate nearly went wild with joy. In the last moments before leaving for the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, Patriarch Cloud Sky had transmitted information to him regarding Naruto's agreement to help.

"Elder Brother Naruto, please help me!"

Almost in the same moment that his words rang out, the green smoke and black moon arrived. The moon vanished and the smoke dissipated to reveal Naruto, wearing a green robe. He stood there looking around coldly at the three people present.

When the violet-robed woman saw Naruto, her eyes went as wide as saucers. A look of astonishment and disbelief appeared on her face, as well as something that rarely could be seen on her features; intense emotion and confusion.

"Naruto… Naruto?" she said, her voice hoarse. Her mind filled with great waves of roaring.

When the white-robed man saw Naruto, he also stared blankly. Apparently he found Naruto's features to be familiar, but couldn't place where he had seen him before. However, when he heard what the woman said, he suddenly realized who Naruto was.

Hayate's heart was pounding, not having expected these two to be familiar with Naruto.

Naruto's expression was one of indifference as he looked over at the violet-robed woman. After a moment, he smiled.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Ino. You look as graceful as ever."

This violet-robed woman was none other than the bizarre Ino of the Black Sieve Sect. She stood there breathing heavily, a look of disbelief on her face when she heard Naruto's words.

"Is it really you?" she said. She had been left with a profound impression of Naruto all those years ago. In her memory, he had brought about one miracle after the next. First, there were the events inside the square cauldron in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land, then his activities within the Black Sieve Sect itself as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, and finally what happened outside the Rebirth Cave when he killed the Shimura Clan Dao Child and the Quasi-Array member of the Hebi Clan. All of these things caused great waves of change to sweep across the Southern Domain.

Each one of those events had left Ino completely in shock. Although many years had passed, the impression left was still deep and intense. Of course, much of that had to do with the warnings and analysis of the soul of the Yamanaka Clan Patriarch.

"Your… your Cultivation base!" she said, her mind spinning. The shock she felt after sensing the level of his Cultivation base was even more intense than before. Naruto was actually of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage!

She well knew that of the current generation of Dao Children in the Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain, most were of in the early Nascent Soul stage. A few were in the mid Nascent Soul Stage, and only Uchiha Clan Dao Child Itachi was of the late Nascent Soul stage, although he concealed that fact most of the time, and had revealed it only in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

Once word spread into the Southern Domain, Itachi's status would be propelled to the number one person of his generation.

And yet, here stood Naruto. Ino was shaken and could scarcely believe her eyes.

Naruto looked over at the white-robed man, who looked just as shocked as Ino. Considering how much this man's face resembled that of Sasuke, Naruto instantly knew who he was.

This was Sasuke's older brother, Uchiha Clan Dao Child, the person who had feigned death in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament!

Itachi!

Naruto was no longer a novice in the Cultivation world. He now understood a lot more about the Dao Children and Chosen of the Sects and Clans. Although his understanding wasn't absolutely correct in terms of every single detail, he now had a general understanding of what a Dao Child was and what a Chosen was.

Actually, 'Dao Child' and 'Chosen' were merely titles, an indication of approval and status. Such approval was evidence of that person's ability to maintain their strength within the Sect. It was also proof to the outside world as to the future good prospects of the Sect itself.

If a Sect had many Chosen, it would be possible to predict that it would experience incredible growth in the future.

Regarding Dao Children, that was a title given to the most illustrious of any given stage of Cultivation within a Sect or Clan. They would represent the Sect or Clan when it came to dealing with most affairs on the outside.

Every Sect and Clan would have three Dao Children and no more; a Foundation Establishment Dao Child, a Core Formation Dao Child, and a Nascent Soul Dao Child.

There could only be one Dao Child in any given stage, and because of their special status, Sects and Clans would usually dispatch powerful Dao Protectors along with such individuals when they ventured outside.

In the outside world, Dao Children were incredibly impressive, even famous. They had a status that would cause all other Cultivators to be endlessly envious.

However, when a Dao Child entered a new stage, then it meant two Dao Children existed, which would result in brutal competition. Generally speaking, unless the original Dao Child of that particular stage ceded their position, it would be difficult for the newcomer to maintain their status. Because of this reality, Dao Children were proud and arrogant when in the outside world. However, within the Sect or Clan, they had to tread as carefully as if they were walking on thin ice.

If a Dao Child wanted to maintain their status, they would constantly be forced to take advantage of Cultivation resources from other Cultivators. They might even need to rely on the power and influence of other experts within the Sect to improve their Cultivation base and become more powerful. That was the only way to maintain their position above other members of their generation, and perhaps even exceed their predecessors.

Regarding Chosen, the competition was even more ruthless. The grandeur of their status in the outside world was second only to that of Dao Children, and they received more and better resources from their Clan or Sect. At the same time, they had to deal with the possibility of being stripped of their title due to falling behind in the rankings or not advancing fast enough in their Cultivation. Also, they had to compete with other experts of the same stage for resources.

Because of all of that, Chosen also found themselves treading on thin ice, and had no other choice but to work as hard as possible to grow more powerful.

Naturally, all Sects and Clans had different rules. However, the general situation was always one of competition. Of course, killing was strictly prohibited.

Itachi was, of course, a Dao Child of one of the three great Clans of the Southern Domain, the Uchiha Clan. He was a patient person, and didn't make a practice of showing off in his cultivation. Back when rumors of his demise were circulating in the Southern Domain, he was the Foundation Establishment Dao Child of the Uchiha Clan. Upon reaching Core Formation, he actually lost his status. However, after patiently waiting for many years, he suddenly made his comeback, defeating the Uchiha Clan's Nascent Soul Dao Child in a single blow. When he reclaimed the position of Dao Child, it caused quite a commotion in the Southern Domain.

Currently, Naruto held a jade slip in his hand. The moment he had decided to intervene in the situation, he had pulled out this very jade slip to make a record of everything that was happening. He looked over Itachi and thought back to the events outside the ancient Dao Geyser, when he had challenged this very same Uchiha Clan Dao Child. He actually looked much the same as he had back then, except that the feeling of time on his body was much stronger.

When Naruto looked at him, Itachi's mind trembled, and he felt jittery with fear. Were it not for his iron will, he would have already lost control of himself.

His pupils constricted as he stared at Naruto. His heart felt anything but calm. He now recognized who Naruto was, and he also thought back to their battle all those years ago. A battle he had lost.

Of the three times in his life that he had lost a fight, that was the first. It was also one of the reasons he had been so persistent in his practice of cultivation over the years. Before, he had viewed himself as powerful enough to sweep over anyone in the same stage as him. He thought that he was at the pinnacle, above even the other Dao Children in the Southern Domain, the number one person.

But now that he saw Naruto, and felt the power of his Cultivation base, Itachi's mind began to spin.

His pride crumbled. His self-confidence felt as if it were being crushed. He took a deep breath, then clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.

"It's been years, Elder Brother Naruto. You look as dignified as ever."

Off to the side, Ino, although she had regained some of her composure, was still breathing heavily. Images of past encounters with Naruto floated in her mind. Their initial encounter, their meeting in the Nadeshiko Clan when they had almost touched faces. There were other things too, all of which made it impossible for her to stay completely calm.

Naruto stood there, his long, green robes rippling like water. His expression was one of indifference as he looked at Itachi, and then nodded.

"Since we're old friends, I'll allow you to take your leave," he said calmly.

Ino breathed in deeply. She clasped hands, bowed, and then looked Naruto deep in the eyes. Her expression was one of shrewdness, and her eyes flickered with beauty.

"Elder Brother Naruto, we've just met and you're already sending us away?" she placed her hand over her mouth as she chuckled. "You really don't want to chat about old times with me? Very well, then. I'll take my leave." Completely ignoring Hayate and Itachi, she turned and flew up into the air like a beautiful swallow.

"Elder Brother Naruto, the news about Fellow Daoist Zhao's Tribe finding the location of this corpse had already spread far and wide. Even if the two of us leave, it's hard to say whether or not others will come." The softness of her voice seemed to indicate that she had completely recovered from her shock from earlier. As she began to fly off into the distance, she added another thought.

"One more thing, Elder Brother Naruto," she said, her voice filled with a strange tone. "I have a final gift I'd like to give you. I'm not too sure who else came here from the Southern Domain. However, there was one person who came with me. That is… Hinata." Chuckling, she disappeared off into the distance.

Naruto seemed surprised, but didn't say anything. He looked back at Itachi.

Itachi stared at Naruto, and as their gazes met, Itachi's eyes suddenly flickered with the desire to do battle.

He took a step forward, and his aura exploded up. He looked at Naruto, clasped hands and bowed. "Elder Brother Naruto, considering your words, I naturally rescind any claim on this place. However, multiple sixty-year cycles have passed since our match that year. Since we happen to have run into each other again here, Elder Brother Naruto, I hope you can give me some pointers!" With that, his aura shot up with even more intensity.

Naruto frowned. Time was limited, and he didn't have much to spare. Almost the same moment in which Itachi expressed himself, Naruto flicked his wide sleeve and took a step forward. The incredible pressure of the great cycle of the Nascent Soul stage instantly shoved down onto Itachi.

Boom!

Itachi instantly fell back seven or eight steps, his face pale. With a final deep look at Naruto, he turned and left.

Naruto watched Itachi leave. The man had left quite an impression on him, this Uchiha Clan Dao Child.

"My First Anima puts me an entire phase above someone in the late Nascent Soul stage," mused Naruto thoughtfully. "His face paled, that was it. No blood. It seems Itachi's battle prowess is actually equivalent to someone of the great circle." Finally he turned to look at Hayate.

Hayate immediately began to get nervous. He knew how fearsome Naruto was; after all, he could hold his own against Patriarch Hashirama. Could it be possible that the tiger, having driven away the wolf, would now eat the man?

Stepping back a few paces, Hayate began to speak, choosing his words carefully. "Senior Naruto, many thanks for your kindness in saving me. I of the younger generation will definitely report this matter to the Patriarch. He will assuredly reward you handsomely, senior." Of course he didn't dare to refer to Naruto as 'Elder Brother,' and thus chose a more respectful form of address.

Naruto understood the meaning behind Hayate's words. However, considering that Naruto had abandoned the Inner Sect disciple provided to him by Karin, he certainly wouldn't be interested in the corpse here, even if it was slightly higher in status. "I promised Patriarch Cloud Sky to take care of you as best I could. It seems I've already accomplished that task. This place isn't safe. If you chose to stay here, you need to prepare to defend your own life."

Hayate hesitated for a moment, and then steeled himself. "Many thanks for your concern, senior. I know my limits, and the Patriarch also helped me to make some special preparations…."

Naruto look at Hayate for a moment, which made Hayate feel even more nervous.

Naruto finally nodded. "I can't stay here. If that's your decision, then do your best to take care of yourself." With that, he put away the jade slip. Within was a complete record of everything that had happened, which he would provide later to Patriarch Cloud Sky as proof of what had occurred.

Paying no more attention to Hayate, Naruto turned and made his way off.

Seeing that Naruto had truly left, Hayate breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around the area cautiously, and a bit hesitantly. Finally, he clenched his jaw and decided not to leave. He would stick to his original plan and methods to conceal himself near the corpse and wait nervously for time to pass.

Naruto continued on without pause toward the fourth peak. Ino's words continued to echo out in his head. A warm light suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"Is Hinata really here too…?" Naruto looked around thoughtfully at the Demon Immortal Sect and then increased his speed.

Several hours later, the third day was almost gone. There were now only four hours left until the First Plane closed. It was at this point that Naruto reached the foot of the fourth mountain.

He looked up toward the towering mountain in front of him. It was huge, so big that he couldn't see the top. He was like a tiny insect, completely insignificant. However a brilliant light glowed in his eyes. He took a deep breath and then began to ascend the mountain.

Most of the locations within the First Plane of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane contained restrictive spells. Simply touching one would give birth to deadly danger. As he ascended the mountain, Naruto encountered many such an area, forcing him to take a meandering route. More than two hours later, he finally caught sight of the peak of the mountain.

"I still have one hour left…." he said. He was currently standing on a crag that jut out from the side of the mountain, looking up at the peak. He suddenly felt a bit of hesitation. Time was almost up, and as of now, he wasn't sure if he had made the right choice.

If it was the wrong choice, everything was for naught. Before leaving the corpse of Hiruzen, he had attempted to physically bring the corpse with him. However, he had quickly discovered that the corpse was apparently locked in place permanently. Nothing he did could move it even a bit.

"What's mine is mine completely. I won't accept things from others even if begged. At the very least, I won't have any regrets." He let out a casual laugh, and then stopped worrying about matters of gain or loss. He used his last hour to continue on toward the top of the mountain. As he moved, he looked around at the ruins, taking in all the former grandeur of the Demon Immortal Sect.

Because he wasn't worried about winning or losing, he no longer felt nervous, and took his time. By the time he reached the top of the fourth peak, there were only one hundred breaths of time left!

He stepped onto the stone dais located at the top of the fourth peak. From a distance, this part of the mountain looked sharp and pointed, but in actuality, it was flat.

It was like a large square, surrounded by nine huge cauldrons, all covered with fissures. In the direct center of it all was a wooden coffin. The coffin was lidless, and was carved, not with magical symbols, but with ancient depictions of auspicious clouds and beasts. There were also mountains and rivers, even a vast starry sky.

At first glance, the carvings seemed very complicated, but after closer inspection one could find simplicity within the complexity.

It gave one an indescribable feeling of both contradiction and harmony.

Naruto approached the coffin and, nearing the side of, looked down inside. It was empty. There was no corpse. No remains. Nothing.

There was no host body here.

As of this moment, only eighty breaths of time remained until the opening of the Second Plane. Naruto stood next to the coffin and looked down silently at the emptiness. Then he sighed.

It would be impossible for him to say that he wasn't disappointed. He had abandoned the Inner Sect disciple host body provided by Karin. He had stuck with his own ideas, and the brutal reality made it so that he could only sigh and stand there with complex emotions filling his heart.

Silently, he turned his gaze to the scene below the mountain. There were now only seventy breaths of time left. There was no way he would be able to find another suitable corpse now. On his way here, he found that about halfway up the mountain, there were absolutely no corpses to be seen.

From his vantage point atop the mountain, he could now see that the entire mountain was covered with dense restrictive spells. They were so tightly packed that it almost seemed as if the entire mountain were covered with one gigantic restrictive spell that would prevent anyone from reaching the top.

Any one of the various restrictive spells would have completely destroyed Naruto had he even touched them. The sight of the densely packed spells caused Naruto to feel somewhat confused.

"How did I actually make it up here?" It was the first time he had considered the question. During the journey up the mountain he hadn't really paid attention. The four hour trip up from the foot of the mountain had seemed relatively easy.

Now that he looked back down, though, the entire mountain seemed like a forbidden zone that no one could even enter.

He could see that it would take astonishing luck to be able to traverse a path successfully and not trigger even a single restrictive spell.

"Unless there was someone that allowed me to come here…." he thought, his eyes glittering. As of this moment, only thirty breaths of time remained. Naruto looked away from the fourth peak toward the temple on top of the distant first peak.

According to what he remembered after waking up, he was now standing in the same position as the man he had seen. He looked off in the distance, his hair and robes fluttering gently in the wind.

When only ten breaths of time remained, determination appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"You let me see you," he said, "and you… allowed me to successfully reach the top of this mountain. Perhaps your identity isn't even important at this point." Five breaths of time remained. He turned and strode over to the coffin. After taking a deep breath, he crawled in calmly, laid down, and closed his eyes.

Three breaths. Two breaths. One breath….

RUMBLE!

A massive rumbling sound suddenly filled the air of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. It far exceeded the sound of thunder as it rolled about the entire world. Ripples suddenly spread out from the sky, covering everything as far as the eye could see.

With the exception of Naruto, everyone else who had come to this world sat closed-eyed and cross-legged next to the various host bodies they had selected. When the ripples reached them, the corpses began to glow. Ghost images of both the host bodies and the Cultivators sprang up and then began to superimpose and merge together.

As for Naruto, he lay there with his eyes closed. As the rumbling filled the sky, he lost consciousness. The ripples that spread out throughout the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane did not seem to affect him at all.

However, it was at this moment that a white-robed man appeared, standing in exactly the same spot Naruto had just been standing, which was also the same spot Naruto had noticed when he awoke in the river of stars.

The man's hair was disheveled, and his long white robe was spattered with bloodstains. His hair covered his face, making it was impossible to see his facial features. The only thing that was possible to distinguish was that he was not a woman.

As the wind blew, his hair lifted up a bit, revealing two ancient eyes filled with both perplexity and regret.

The aura of decay that rose up from him seemed to fuse with that of the entire Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, making it impossible to distinguish between the two.

The man looked over in the direction of the fifth peak. His eyes awash with memories of the past, he softly said, "Night… let him in, okay?"

As the words left his mouth, the entire ancient Demon Immortal Sect trembled.

A droning voice suddenly echoed out. It sounded almost as if it weren't awake, like the words were spoken by someone who was dreaming. "That does not conform with the rules."

"He is the only person to see me after all these years. Perhaps it is some destined Karma. Allow him… to represent me in the past. Allow him to speak those words to the old man… the words that I didn't understand how to say back then." The white-robed man's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were warm. However, within that warmth was an ancient thoughtfulness, a yearning and deep regret that he clearly could not free himself from.

"I've been keeping those words buried in my heart for ninety thousand years already," the old man said softly.

The entire world was quiet for a very long moment. Finally, the droning voice could be heard once again. The sound of the voice rose and fell like the waves of the ocean. "He has no identity."

"Give him my identity," replied the white-robed man.

The world once again went silent.

"Make time pass back into that year…." The white-robed man closed his eyes, covering over the pain that lay inside. Unfortunately, he was not able to cover the sorrow and longing within in his heart.

RUMBLE!

Each bit of light in the world suddenly came from all directions to pour into Naruto. He gradually grew transparent, and then disappeared. In that instant, a huge sound, like endless thunder, echoed about.

At the same time, a warm glow spread out to fill the entire ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Suddenly, a new world became visible within the glow, a world that was a memory of ancient times!

The manner in which Naruto vanished was entirely different from that of the other Cultivators from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. All of them fused with host bodies whereas Naruto… actually entered the Second Plane with his own body!

The others were merely borrowing the identity of someone else. As for Naruto… he was not borrowing another identity. He was acquiring it!

Borrowing and acquiring are two very different things.

As the light spread out to fill the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, the white-haired man stood in place, back toward the first peak, just like before. What he saw in his mind's eye was an old man, looking at him with a smile on his face.

 _I can see in your eyes that you will forgive me of anything, forgive for any mistakes I make. It's as if you are always watching over me, waiting to silently correct all of my blunders._

 _Back then, if I made a mistake, one word of criticism from you would send me into a rage._

 _Back then, I ran amok with the silkpants and acted tyrannically. I never saw the wrinkles in the corners of your eyes, nor the look of disappointment in your gaze._

 _Back then, I unhesitatingly gave a precious Sect treasure to a woman, but didn't notice that your once proud head was now bowed in shame toward the rest of the Sect._

 _Back then, I would polish my sword to flaunt my identity. I never noticed that you had suddenly grown old._

 _Finally one day, you passed away in meditation. Your body turned into ash. I cried. My heart broke. My world was gone. Heaven and Earth were no more. Father… you were gone._

 _I can see your aged face, and I can see how you doted upon me. I can see that throughout all the years, it didn't matter what mistakes I made, you always forgave me. I realize now that… I have always owed you a certain commitment. I have always owed you… some special words._

 _Those words, have been waiting with me for ninety thousand years._

….

The sky in ancient times was blue.

When Naruto opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was that blue sky. Then he saw white cranes flying about. Auspicious beasts circled about in the air. A din of conversation and activity could be heard everywhere, echoing about.

He saw countless enormous pillars of light rising up into the sky. Everything was bright and colorful.

Beams of light shot through the air in all directions.

Off in the distance was a mountain. It was green and full of life and vigor. It was at this point that Naruto suddenly heard an ancient voice ringing out to fill the world.

"I give a sermon regarding the Dao every ten thousand years. This time, I will speak to you of a legend. The legend tells of a true spirit whose name is Night. When he closes his eyes to sleep, the world is his dream. When he opens his eyes, he awakens from the dream. Heaven and Earth are boundless…."

The ancient voice slowly grew softer. It seemed as if it was only a murmuring in the ear, but at the same time, echoing throughout the world.

"Time is like a dream. It's impossible to tell what is true and what is false. When you dream, you see others. Perhaps in the world of others, the dream version of you appears.

"Or perhaps our lives are like an invisible bubble that could pop at any time, and cause us to awaken. Who dreams of you, and who you dream of… this is truly a difficult riddle to explain…."

The voice of a young woman could suddenly be heard in Naruto's ears. "Eldest Brother?"

The voice sounded both astonished and anxious. "Eldest Brother!"

A tremor ran through Naruto's body, as if his soul were suddenly returning from outside. When it slammed into him, he felt as if he were being torn apart. Pain pulsed through him, and ghost images sprang up everywhere.

He panted as the sensation went on for the space of several breaths. When it vanished, the sky was blue again, and the world… once again appeared.

"Eldest Brother, what are you doing?!" In front of Naruto stood a young woman wearing a long, pink garment. Her eyes were wide and filled with confusion. She appeared to be both puzzled and also furious as she looked at Naruto.

He looked down at himself. He was wearing a white robe and had long hair, and was seated cross-legged on top of an altar that was located at the peak of a mountain. He was surrounded by nine cauldrons, from which green smoke slowly ascended.

This was the very top of the Fourth Peak!

Naruto's mind trembled. Although his head was filled with splitting pain, his eyes shone brightly. As of this moment he knew that he… had entered the Second Plane. What caused him the most shock, however, was that he actually… had not lost his memories the way Karin said would happen.

Furthermore, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind, announcing his identity as clear as day.

"Muku… of the Fourth Peak… one of the seven Elite Apprentices of the Demon Immortal Sect!"

Naruto sat cross-legged at the top of the Fourth Peak, wearing a long white robe. He rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment. It felt as if extra memories were suddenly available inside his head. The memories were not his, and were rather obscure. The addition of these new memories caused Naruto's head to ache and be filled with an intense muddle-headedness.

A gentle breeze pulled at his hair and caused his robes to ripple. However, he was unable to dispel the incredible shock that filled him, nor the absent-mindedness he felt because of this new identity.

One of the seven great Elite Apprentices!

He remembered from what Karin had told him that acquiring an identity like this was virtually impossible. In the Demon Immortal Sect, a person with a status like this could summon wind and rain, so to speak, and stir up a lot of trouble. They were above other disciples in all ways, and even wielded the power over life and death!

From the very beginning of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane until now, no one had ever acquired such a fearsome identity. Regardless of who its was in the past, the very highest identity ever acquired was that of a Conclave disciple.

However, in the face of the identity Naruto currently possessed, Conclave disciples… were like insects!

Such an identity only existed in legend, and really was impossible to acquire. The Demon Immortal Sect had Legacy Apprentices, which were also referred to as Elite Apprentices, seven of them in total.

Elite Apprentices actually outranked Sect Elders, and were second only to eminently respected Grand Elders and Sect Priest Paragons of the various peaks!

Naruto's heart trembled. He truly had never imagined that he would be able to acquire fortune such as this. He now possessed an identity that was fearsome to the extreme, had never been acquired before in the past, and most likely never would be again in the future. It was absolutely one-of-a-kind!

Elite Apprentice of the Fourth Peak, Muku!

"Apparently, that person I saw before was none other than… Muku!

"Even after the Demon Immortal Sect was destroyed, he didn't die. He gave me his identity, but for what purpose I wonder…?" Naruto's eyes glittered and his throat felt tight.

"Ellldeesstt Broootherrrrr!" Based on her tone of voice, the woman seemed extremely irritated. She was almost screaming by the time she finally interrupted Naruto's train of thought. He raised his head to look at her.

Seemingly completely dissatisfied with his reaction, the woman stamped her foot and then turned to leave.

Her leaving didn't faze Naruto at all. He was still in shock regarding his identity. After a long moment passed, he sighed and looked around.

The mountain peak was beautiful, covered with lush vegetation. The blue sky up above looked almost like lakewater. The air was filled with thick spiritual energy, and countless disciples could be seen, meditating, dueling, and chatting. The entire place was buzzing with activity.

Up in the sky, an enormous, resplendent Flying Rain-Dragon flew back and forth. Everywhere it passed, wind gusted. There were all sorts of Immortal Beasts that soared about. It truly looked like a place of Immortals.

Far off in the distance an old man was visible, floating cross-legged in the air above the Third Peak. He was giving a sermon regarding the Dao, and speaking of truths of various scriptures.

It all looked exactly like the blurry scene he had witnessed earlier when entered the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane. The only difference was… Naruto's pupils suddenly constricted.

He had just noticed that high up in the sky, shockingly… three inverted mountains could be seen!

Each of these three mountains almost seemed bigger than all the lands beneath. Unless you looked at them from a distance, you wouldn't be able to take in the entire sight. Green vines hung down from them, and each of them seemed like three worlds unto themselves.

"This is…." He had seen nothing similar to them in the First Plane. Upon first glance, all he could do was gape in astonishment.

Of the three mountains, one appeared to be an ice mountain covered with frost. Another looked like a lava-filled volcano. The third mountain… was crimson, almost as if it were a mountain of blood!

Naruto once again kneaded the bridge of his nose. The three mountains were bizarre, and his memories were fuzzy and mixed. He couldn't quite get himself to think straight at the moment. Muttering to himself, he looked away.

"The Demon Immortal Sect…. I wonder what unforeseen things might happen because of my status as a Demon Sealer…? Also, I wonder if Demon Weapon Lonelytomb exists in this era." A mysterious glow flickered deep within Naruto's eyes.

"Eldest Brother, what's wrong? Have you thought back to what you did?" Apparently, the young woman who had left earlier had returned. She stood in front of him, seeming to be a bit unwilling to be there.

Naruto took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. With a smile, he said, "Thought back to what I did? Uh, I'm not really sure. I think I was dreaming just now."

"Dreaming? Of what?" she responded, sounding even more curious.

"Now that I've woken up, I can't remember," he said. Seeing that the woman was about to ask more questions, Naruto looked at her with a solemn expression and said, "You are about to reach a critical point in your cultivation. I think you need to go meditate."

Hearing his words caused the woman's eyes to go wide. "You dare to lecture me?! Humph! You've got yourself into a lot of trouble this time. The Sect Priest sent me here to ask you if you'll admit your mistake!"

With that, the woman gave him a wink, then turned to leave.

Seeing the woman making her way off, Naruto frowned. He actually understood her deeper meaning.

"Karin said that when people enter the Second Plane, they don't awaken for a few hours at the soonest, and sometimes even a few days.

"In the time before everyone else wakes up, my advantage is virtually limitless!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he thought no more regarding what the woman had said just now, and instead thought about this ancient, illusory world.

"Considering my status, none of the others are even close to being a match for me. If I find any of them, I could see them dead with a mere thought!" A cold glow appeared in his eyes. Regarding the exact rights enjoyed by an Elite Apprentice, the chaos of his memories made it impossible for him to recall all the details clearly. However, he had a general sense.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure what host bodies were selected by the others. Although, I do know that the best one would be that of the Hebi Clan, the Conclave disciple. In that case… I'll go find that one, and bring that person to ruin!" With that Naruto stood up. However, in the instant he rose to his feet, thunderclaps filled the sky as eight lightning bolts shot down toward him. Instantly, they slammed into him.

The lighting fell too quickly, causing his entire body to tremble as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He instantly fell down onto the ground, a look of shock on his face. The intense power of the lightning was fearsome. Despite the fact that this world was illusory, he still felt a sense of deadly crisis that caused him to gasp.

"What's going on?!" he thought. He quickly looked up into the sky. It was as blue as ever, except… the area surrounding him was filled with various disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect. Some were human, other had the bodies of Demons. All of them wore strange expressions.

Some of them even appeared to be gloating in his misfortune. Those ones also appeared to be stifling rage, although they apparently hoped that he wouldn't notice. They quickly put looks of indifference on their faces and then departed.

Naruto gaped. Something didn't seem to be right. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and then quickly rose to his feet. Instantly, the surrounding nine cauldrons began to emit a buzzing sound. Nine chains of lightning appeared, quickly binding Naruto and then raising him up into the air.

Naruto's scalp went numb. Up in mid-air, eight lightning bolts boomed down to slam onto him. Blood sprayed from his mouth and his face went pale. It was at this point that he noticed all of the Demon Immortal Disciples in the area staring at him.

Each one wore a strange expression. Some seemed to be enjoying themselves. Others appeared to be venting their anger. All of them seemed quite happy to watch him be struck with lightning. Some even looked like they were on the verge of bursting into applause.

"Dammit! What the hell is going on?! Aren't I an Elite Apprentice? What's happening?!" By this pointing Naruto was really starting to get scared. The power of the second round of lightning was such that his body felt as if it were on the verge of exploding.

Suddenly, he recalled what the woman had said earlier about thinking back to something he did. She had also mentioned he'd gotten himself in a lot of trouble. At the moment, he really did seem to be in a lot of trouble. In fact, it seemed quite apparent that he was being punished!

At the moment, quite a few Cultivators were now approaching the Fourth Peak at top speed.

Hundreds of people arrived, all of them looking quite nervous, even pained. When they saw Naruto, they all began to talk.

"Eldest Brother, don't fight back. You're really in a lot of trouble this time. You… you still won't admit it, huh…?"

"Yeah, Eldest Brother. The Sect Priest is really furious this time. Ai, you really should not have gone through with it. I can't believe you dared to steal the precious treasure of the Sixth Peak to give to that Demoness of the Zhao Clan!"

"Nonsense! Eldest Brother was obviously seduced into wrongdoing by that Demoness. The person in the wrong isn't Eldest Brother, it's the damned Demoness!"

As their voices drifted out, Naruto's mind spun. All of a sudden, memories began to awaken in his mind. Now that the memories were clear, Naruto understood that originally, Muku of the Fourth Peak didn't always have that name.

Some people think three times before they act. However, Muku's father, in his fury, had changed his son's name to Muku, which meant 'think nine times.' He had hoped that changing the name would remind his son to thoroughly consider all matters before taking action.

Clearly, though… a change of name did not have any effect whatsoever on Muku. In the Demon Immortal Sect he was an arrogant silkpants who ran amok at will.

Yes, he was an Elite Apprentice. However, he had the lowest Cultivation base of all the Elite Apprentices. Furthermore, of all the Elite Apprentices, he was the one who embraced his silkpants lifestyle the most. There wasn't a single person in the entire Demon Immortal Sect who didn't know that he had a violent temper, got into fights easily, acted tyrannically, and was known as the number one Demon Immortal Sect bully.

He had earned such a reputation that his name alone was enough to cause any Outer Sect disciple to drop to the ground and kowtow. Even Inner Sect disciples became terror-stricken when hearing of him, and Conclave disciples would tremble. The other Elite Apprentices frowned because of him, and all the Elders in the Sects, as well as the seven great Sect Priests, all felt headaches coming on whenever they heard his name mentioned.

His life up to now had been filled with countless preposterous events. The things he did forced his father, Mui, Sect Priest and Paragon of the Fourth Peak, to constantly be remedying his blunders. All of the disputes caused by him ended up being mediated by his father.

A few days ago, he had stolen a precious treasure from the Sixth Peak, and given it to an outsider. The matter could be considering poking the Heavens in the eye. Even his father had been unable to do anything but let go of his pride to smooth the matter over.

Naruto could only smile bitterly as the lightning chains once again pulled him back down to the center of the platform. After a moment, the chains vanished. However, Naruto knew that if he dared to stand up again, the movement would cause more lightning to fall.

"Little Patriarch, Eldest Brother, just admit your fault. Don't butt heads with the Sect Priest…." The other disciples neared, looking at Naruto with expressions of pain on their faces. Although Muku ran wild on the outside as a silkpants, in the Fourth Peak, he was viewed almost like a child. Everyone held deep feelings for him.

More and more disciples were rushing toward the Fourth Peak to try to convince Naruto of what to do.

His face was pale, and he suddenly felt deeply depressed. How could he ever have imagined that things would end up in this way?

"You think you can convince me to say I'm wrong? Forget about it!" But then, Naruto's eyes filled with determination. He quickly took a deep breath, and then hurriedly continued, "Muku was wrong! This time, Muku really was wrong!"

The words instantly caused everything to go quiet. Everyone's eyes went wide as they stared in disbelief at Naruto. Although they had all been trying to convince him to admit his fault, they were well aware of the Little Patriarch's temperament. He would rather die before admitting he was wrong.

And yet, he just had.

It wasn't just them who were staring in shock. Suddenly, a violent wind whipped down from mid-air in the shape of a gigantic illusory hand. The hand reached down to grab the shocked Naruto, wrenching him up toward an Immortal's cave on the Fourth Mountain.

At the same time, an ancient voice, filled with wrath and even pain, echoed out throughout the Demon Immortal Sect.

"Old Sixth, my son admitted his fault. From now on, if anyone breathes even half a word of this matter, don't blame me for flipping out!"

The voice was filled with an intensely domineering air as it rumbled out in all directions. The gigantic wind hand dragged Naruto into a spacious Immortal's cave, then slammed him violently onto the ground. When he landed, however, the power dissipated so that, although he tumbled a bit, he wasn't hurt at all.

His eyes rolled around, and his brain spun in circles. Inwardly, he was worried that his cover might be blown. However, after reminding himself that this was an illusory world, he felt a bit more at ease. Dusting himself off, he stood up and looked around.

The Immortal's cave was so simple that it couldn't possibly be any more simple. It was large, but only contained a single stone bed. Sitting cross-legged on top of the bed was a middle-aged man.

This was the Lord of the Fourth Peak of the Demon Immortal Sect. He was one of the Paragons of the First Heaven, a person famous in all the Ninth Mountain. Mui.

Next to him was an oil lamp that flickered brightly, completely illuminating the entire Immortal's cave. If you looked closely, you would be able to see that the wick of the lamp was, shockingly, a phoenix, shrunken down so small that it was roughly the size of a finger!

The oil lamp was not crafted from bronze, but rather, was made of a shrunken down golden dragon. This appeared to be a real golden dragon, its mouth open, its whiskers undulating, as if the entire dragon had been transformed into an oil lamp!

With a dragon as the lamp and a phoenix as the wick, were an object like this to be revealed in Naruto's era, it would cause a huge commotion throughout all the lands of Lands of Ninshu. It might even cause shock among the starry skies.

The man sitting on the stone bed had handsome features. It was obvious that when he was young, he had been even more dashing. Right now, his expression was dignified, and he wore a long gray robe. Currently, he was frowning a bit helplessly at Naruto.

"Did it hurt?" he asked softly.

Naruto hesitated for a moment and then, with great caution, nodded his head.

Seeing Naruto's response caused Mui to give an exasperated chortle. "Do you know anything about fear? Isn't there anyone you're afraid of? Quit pulling this kind of crap with me!

"Fine. For the time being, don't go near the Sixth Peak. And keep a low profile, too. Muku, stop fooling around so much! You're not a kid any more. Soon, it will be time to find you a beloved and pass on the Daoist magic of mine that you've mastered. Got it?!" The more he spoke, the more angry he seemed. However, when he looked at his son, he couldn't help but sigh. His gaze softened, and his anger passed.

"Very well," he said, his tone warm. "I want you to demonstrate some of the Daoist magic I've passed on to you. Go ahead, show it off."

Naruto swallowed hard. He was actually very nervous at the moment, so nervous that he couldn't control himself. As far back as he could remember, he had never felt such nervousness. As he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, he couldn't help but think of his own father.

The memories were blurry, but still there.

"What's wrong?" asked Mui, frowning.

"I… I forgot," replied Naruto, bracing himself. There was really nothing he could do. Muku's memories really did not contain any Daoist magic.

Mui stared at Naruto for a very long time before sighing again. His eyes flickered with disappointment. However, seemingly worried that his expression would hurt Muku, he caused a warm look to cover his face.

"Muku, you can't be like this…." As he spoke, he waved his finger through the air, causing the spiritual energy in the area to condense together. It formed into countless magical symbols in front of him, which then transformed into a jade slip that came to hover in front of Naruto.

"This is the Soul Divergence Incantation. Go gain enlightenment regarding it. Go." As Mui stared at him, Naruto's heart began to beat rapidly. He thought about his identity, and all the good fortune that was available within this ancient Demon Immortal Sect. How could he ever have imagined that he would receive some so quickly?

He took the jade slip, then bowed his head and clasped hands. When he turned to leave, Mui's voice could suddenly be heard again, filled with exhaustion and an indescribable feeling of age.

"Lord Asura's Heavenly decree dictates a limit on the longevity of living things. Your father… will not be able to accompany you for your whole life. You need start acting a bit more sensibly…." The love in his words was palpable. Clearly, he carried deep longing that his son succeed in life.

Naruto stopped in place. For some reason, he felt moved inwardly. He looked back at Mui and suddenly noticed that just in this short period of time, some of the man's hair had turned white.

"Go," said Mui with a smile. "I'm fine. Go find those friends of yours and have some fun." He waved his hand dismissively. Naruto's heart trembled, and he left silently.

After emerging from the Immortal's cave, he looked off into the sky toward the temple of the First Peak. He suddenly had the feeling he understood why the man he had seen on the Fourth Peak of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect had allowed him to come here.

"Was it because of regret…?" he murmured. Moments later, a grim light flickered in his eyes that had nothing to do with Mui or Muku, but rather, the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators.

"The world of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect is all about competition. Since I've acquired this identity, then I should do everything I can to anyone who might be a menace to me. Smother them before they have a chance to sprout.

"The only sad thing is that each one of the peaks has tens of thousands of Inner Sect disciples. It would be impossible to search all of them. However… the Hebi Clan has a Conclave disciple, so I should be able to pick up on some clues." Naruto's eyes flickered as he recalled the brief scuffle involving Kidomaru. Before leaving, he had smiled. However, apparently because Naruto had ruined his plans, a bit of killing intent had shone through in that smile.

"You want to kill me? Then you'd better hope I don't find you first," smiled Naruto. As he continued on his way, quite a few people came to ask about his well-being. Eventually, he was surrounded by a group of more than thirty.

Naruto was unable to see the Cultivation base of any of these people. However, what he could sense was unbelievable power. Some of them even had strong killing intent.

Many of them had Demonic Chakra which swirled around them freely. Some of them appeared to be ordinary Cultivators, while others were Demonic Cultivators. Those ones had bodies covered with scales or fur, and looked extremely fierce.

"Let's go around to all the peaks," he said suddenly. "There's a Conclave disciple who offended me, and then got away. We're gonna find him!" The surrounded crowd smiled, as if they didn't find this strange at all. Obviously, they were used to such things. Rumbling filled the air as Naruto and his Junior Brothers and Sisters grouped together and shot up into the air toward the Third Peak.

En route, quite a few people flew out from the Third Peak, all of whom had arrogant and despotic bearings. Clearly very familiar with Naruto, they looked toward him and offered greetings, then joined the group. Naruto then thought back to what Mui had said about finding his friends and having some fun. It seemed these friends of his… were other silkpants from the Demon Immortal Sect.

A young man with a fish scale on his forehead seemed eager to get into action. "Muku, should we call some others? I heard there's a Conclave disciple who offended you. Who the hell does that moronic fool think he is to dare to provoke you?"

Naruto immediately nodded in agreement. "Call everyone! Just now when I was getting struck by lightning, he was laughing the hardest!"

The Cultivator from the Third Peak instantly smiled and waved his hands. Immediately, an enormous white lotus appeared up above in the sky, radiating light.

As soon as the white lotus appeared, all of the disciples in the Demon Immortal Sect who saw it felt their hearts trembling. They immediately ducked their heads down as if they had important matters to attend to, and then headed back to their residences.

They understood that when the white lotus appeared, the silkpants fiends were about to appear….

Simultaneously, seven or eight beams of light appeared coming from each of the mountain peaks of the Demon Immortal Sect. There were men and women, all of whom wore luxurious garments. They were people with incredible status, each one of different appearance. Some had wings on their backs, others had enormous swishing tails, and some were incredibly beautiful or handsome Demons. Each and every one of them had ancestors who were powerful experts within the Sect.

When they saw the white lotus, smiles appeared on their faces and they headed in its direction.

Back on the Fourth Peak, Mui sat cross-legged on his stone bed. He looked up, saw the white lotus, and shook his head. His expression grew a bit more weary, and his hair, a bit more white.

Not too much time passed before seventy or eighty people neared Naruto. He was shocked by this, but it didn't last long. His eyes glistened as he looked over the people who were under the sway of his power. As of this point, he knew that he really did have the qualifications to sweep over the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators who had come to this place.

"Here, with Muku's identity," he thought, "even getting the Mountain and Sea Scripture… does not count as an impossibility!" He instantly started to breathe heavily, and his eyes glowed.

"However, the Demon Immortal Sect has three thousand Daoist magics. With the exception of the top 100, the rest can be acquired by performing meritorious service to the Sect. Deeds such as that… are not easy to accomplish." All of this information resided within the memories of Muku that existed within his head. He had quite a good understanding of the Demon Immortal Sect.

The Daoist magics he referred to were not weak, and thus required deeds of merit to acquire. Unfortunately, unless a war was going on, even a Conclave disciple who accumulated merit for years would perhaps be able to acquire two or three at the most.

As far as Inner Sect disciples, it didn't matter how many meritorious deeds they accumulated, they would never be able to acquire anything other than fundamental techniques.

"If it's difficult for me, then others will find it even harder," he thought. "It seems the Second Plane of the Demon Immortal Sect all depends on meritorious service in order to get techniques and legacies." He continued to think about the matter as he led the group closer to the Third Peak.

In the vast stretch of land between the Fourth and Third Peaks, there was an enormous pit in the ground that emanated pulsing coldness up into the air.

As he flew through mid-air, Naruto noticed it immediately. Even more eye-catching were the numerous green vines that could be seen near the pit. They glowed almost like treasures, each one as wide as a person and bursting with incredible power.

"What's in that pit, I wonder…?" he thought. Naruto wasn't sure why, but when he looked in the direction of the deep pit, he suddenly felt a sensation that made it seem like the entire world was blurry and overlapping on itself. Although his mind quickly returned to normal, he was still left completely shocked.

Gradually, because of his identity as a Demon Sealer, and his sensitivity to Demonic Chakra, he came to realize that the entire Demon Immortal Sect was filled with shocking Demonic Chakra. Furthermore, the Demonic Chakra in the giant pit was even more astonishing.

"Back in the First Plane, when I went from the Third Peak to the Fourth, I didn't see any bizarre pit like that." Naruto's eyes glittered when he realized that Muku's memories also did not contain any information regarding the pit.

Flying next to Naruto was a young girl as pretty as silk, with pointed ears. Her eyes glittered with a charm that seemed capable of seducing any soul into wrongdoing. When she saw Naruto looking at the pit, she said, "Muku, don't attract the attention of the Demon Chasm…."

Next to the young woman was a handsome young man with two black wings that flapped silently as he flew. Sighing, he said, "Last time we went to the Demon Chasm, we wasted a lot of treasures, but only managed to get the vines to extend a few thousand meters. Who knows how deep it actually is."

On the other side of Naruto was a young man whose fingers intermittently sprouted sharp claws. He shook his head and said, "According to legend, that pit is the dwelling place of the Demon Divinity who protects the First Heaven of the Demon Immortal Sect.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. Everyone put thoughts of the Demon Chasm aside as they proceeded onward toward the Third Peak.

As they neared, the Third Peak silkpants immediately began to call out to the Conclave disciples. Regardless of whether or not they were willing, when the Sect's number one bully showed up, they had to come out.

Naruto glanced over the several thousand people in front of him, frowning slightly. He didn't recognize any of them as being the Hebi Clan host body. Muttering to himself, he moved a bit closer. After looking them over one more time, he led his group on to the Second Peak.

Eventually, he reached the First Peak, but despite looking at thousands of Conclave disciples, he still had met no success, causing him to sigh inwardly. By this time, several hours had passed, and no doubt, many of the others were beginning to wake up.

Just in the moment when Naruto was about to make his way to the Fifth Peak, as he flew over the congregated Conclave disciples, suddenly, a weak rippling sensation appeared in Naruto's mind. He was instantly shaken to the core, and stopped in his tracks. He looked down toward all of the Conclave disciples.

He inched closer to them, and his gaze fell onto the body of one particular young man. His features were handsome, and he stood there, expressionless. When Naruto looked at him, he gaped back, seemingly apprehensive.

"That's the one!" cried Naruto. As he neared the young man, the faint feeling grew more noticeable. Although Naruto couldn't be sure of the details, he was sure the feeling had something to do with host bodies.

The young man's face was pale as he stammered, "Fourth Little Patriarch, I…."

Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. However, the shadow of his punishment earlier still loomed heavy around him. He didn't want to kill anyone out in the open; after all, Sect rules strictly prohibited such an act. It would lead to a lot of problems.

The young man suddenly started trembling, and a look of confusion appeared in his eyes. At the same time, a unique aura that no one else could sense suddenly seemed to awaken within him.

Naruto could instantly see a vague, shadowy image appear behind the young man. The image was that of a handsome man with a crow perched on his shoulder. The unique aura of the Hebi Clan emanated off of him.

Naruto instantly recognized him. "Kidomaru!" he thought. The killing intent suddenly flickered in his eyes as he realized that the man was about to wake up.

"There's no time," thought Naruto, looking at the man. "Once he wakes up, too many unforeseen circumstances could unfold.

"When it comes to the Hebi Clan, killing two is no different than killing one. Hebi Clan Dao Child, huh? Kidomaru, you will have no chance to awaken!" Naruto acted with complete decisiveness. His body flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Kidomaru. To the shock of everyone watching, he instantly slammed his palm into the young man's chest.

Considering the level of Naruto's Cultivation base, a palm strike like this was fundamentally not capable of harming the host body. However, the image of Kidomaru, which only Naruto could see, was trembling, and visibly struggling to open his eyes.

This was the Demon Immortal Sect!

Sect rules were strict and rigid. In the past, Muku, despite being a silkpants, would never go beyond fighting someone in public. Although he had killed people, it was always in secret. If he had conflicts with people, he would use his status to get them outside of the Sect, where he would then kill them.

Therefore, Naruto's actions now led only to some cries of alarm. In fact, the over one hundred people who had followed him here were chatting and laughing, and did nothing to stop the goings-on. Even the other Conclave disciples of the First Peak simply frowned. They knew of Muku's dark reputation within the Sect, and that he was someone who should never be provoked.

After all, any large Sect like this would have people like Muku. It was something unavoidable. All Sects were the same.

However, when Naruto's palm landed on the Kidomaru's host body, the young man trembled violently and tumbled backward. The faces of all the surrounding Cultivators instantly flickered.

They could tell that the soul of this First Peak Conclave disciple was on the verge of being destroyed. Such a thing left everyone completely astonished.

Destruction of the soul is different than the death of the fleshly body. When the soul is destroyed, the only thing left behind is a living corpse. In many ways, it is more terrifying than true death.

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent. He could see that Kidomaru's soul was trembling violently, and that he was on the verge of opening his eyes. Naruto gave a cold snort, approached him again, and then struck out with another palm.

Booming rose up as Kidomaru's host body once again shook violently. At first, it didn't seem to cause him any cause for concern. However, the illusory image of Kidomaru's soul was now even more unstable. It trembled violently and let out soundless howls. It was apparently sparing no effort whatsoever in the attempt to wake up.

Naruto was about to strike out again when the other First Peak Conclave disciples moved to block his way. Even some of his own followers moved to hold him back.

"Muku, you can't do this."

"Muku, don't attack again. We can find a chance another time to pin this guy down for good. Why kill him in front of all these people…?"

Naruto looked at the people trying to obstruct his way. The aura of Kidomaru's awakening soul was growing stronger and stronger. In fact, his eyes were beginning to glow with light.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and his voice grew cold. "This guy colluded with that Demoness to bewitch me! He tried to get me punished on purpose! I swear that I will not stop until he is dead. Today!"

The silkpants disciples behind him hesitated. After a moment, though, they ground their teeth and once again blocked his way.

As Naruto frowned at them, the dozen or so that were blocking his way transmitted messages via Divine Will.

"Are you sure he has to die?"

"He must die!" was Naruto's resolute response.

"Fine. You just received punishment, but, regardless of why you need this guy dead, we'll do it together!"

"It doesn't matter if we get punished too. We'll share the responsibility! That will be better than you taking all the blame yourself!" These dozen or so rogues were Naruto's closest friends in the Sect. As soon as they made their decision, they turned and shot toward Kidomaru.

Naruto gaped in astonishment for a moment and then moved to follow. They easily swept over the First Peak disciples who were blocking the way, and then appeared around Kidomaru. The instant in which his soul's eyes finally snapped open, booming sounds echoed out.

Both Kidomaru and his host body instantly were inundating with roaring sounds. As for Kidomaru, the moment in which he opened his eyes, he let out a piercing cry that only Naruto could hear.

His soul grew blurry, and his expression was one of confusion and fear. He stared around wide-eyed for a moment until his eyes came to rest on Naruto. In that instant, his pupils constricted.

"It's you!"

In that instant, roaring once again filled the air. The attacks slammed down like storm winds. Kidomaru's host body exploded, transformed into nothing but ash by the astonishing divine abilities levied against it.

Kidomaru's soul was being torn into shreds. The bloodcurdling scream which only Naruto could hear echoed about. Naruto's right hand snatched the soul and then crushed into into dust.

A popping sound could be heard as this Dao Child of the Hebi Clan, a blazing sun of his generation, an Array member upon whom many hopes of the Clan rested, was thoroughly destroyed in this illusory ancient world, the Second Plane of the Primordial Demon Immortal Planes.

Death in this place, was true death of the soul!

In the moment in which Kidomaru died, outside of the Demon Immortal Sect, back in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, in the ancestral mansion of the Hebi Clan, was a tall altar. Sitting cross-legged on the altar was the First Patriarch of the Lands of Ninshu Hebi Clan, the same youthful-looking Cultivator who had seen the Hebi Clan members off to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane. His closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

In that instant, bizarre clouds began to churn in the sky above the lands of all of Lands of Ninshu. Everything dimmed and changed color.

The young man slowly lifted his head up to look at the nine jade slips in front of him. He stretched his left hand out to grab the first one up, but before he could even touch it, cracking sounds could be heard, and the jade slip shattered.

The young man's hand stopped moving.

His face instantly grew incredibly dark. At the same time, lightning crackled in the air above the Eastern Lands, the Southern Domain, and the Northern Reaches. It was as if the changes to the young man's expression caused endless black clouds to roil up.

"Perished…." he murmured. His voice was hoarse, and his face slowly filled with disbelief. Considering his Cultivation base and position, such a change in facial expression was something that hadn't happened for a very long time.

"How could he… have perished?" The young man's face grew even grimmer. As he looked off into the distance, lightning seemed to dance within his eyes, as if his body was filled with roaring thunder and electricity.

"The Primordial Demon Immortal Plane isn't very dangerous," thought the young man. "There may be disputes in the First Plane when it comes to selecting a host body, but who is there that would dare to provoke the Hebi Clan?" Based on the look in his eyes, it was clear that he truly didn't understand. Also visible in his eyes were deep pain and fury.

Kidomaru was the best of the best in the younger generation. Many hopes had been placed in him. Who could ever have possibly imagined that he would die in the Demon Immortal Sect!?

"The Second Plane is an illusory realm. It might seem dangerous, but the chances of truly life-threatening situations are extremely small, and could only come about by chance or coincidence. Hmmm, if my calculations are correct, the Second Plane should have just opened. Considering Mingfeng's latent talent, he should have been one of the first ones to awaken. How could he have perished?

"Throughout the tens of thousands of years in which the Hebi Clan has sent our Cultivators into the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane… no one has ever died!

"Mingfeng… how could you have perished?" The young man sat there silently, his eyes radiating such icy coldness that snowflakes began to fall upon the entirety of Lands of Ninshu.

Without speaking a word, he stretched out his right hand, within which appeared a Feng Shui compass. In the center of the Feng Shui compass was black-colored sun, which caused the compass itself to emanate a black glow.

He stared down at the compass as he used his left hand to make various adjustments. The glow of augury appeared in his eyes. Within the space of a few breaths, his expression changed. A cracking sound could be heard from the Feng Shui compass as a huge fissure appeared on its surface.

The young man gasped, and a look of disbelief appeared in his eyes.

"An anomaly! The only thing I can determine is that in this particular instance of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane… an anomaly has appeared which has never before existed within the last 90,000 years!

"This anomaly could possibly influence the passage of time! It might even affect events that have already occurred, and have flowed past in the great river of time!

"What could be the cause of this?!"

Meanwhile, back in the Demon Immortal Sect, in the Second Plane, on the First Peak….

Because of the death of Kidomaru's host body, everything was absolutely quiet. All of the First Peak's Conclave disciples looked on silently, an icy glow rising up in their eyes. The people who had come with Naruto, but had not taken action just now, also looked on with expressions of shock, their minds spinning. Everything had happened far too quickly, such that they didn't even have time to think about what consequences might result because of what happened.

Then, their minds began to reel as they realized that the death of a First Peak Conclave disciple… was nothing other than… a complete disaster.

Naruto hovered there in mid-air, looking around at the dozen or so others who had joined him in the attack. They were all silkpants from the various other peaks, and were about the same age as Naruto. They were his gang of scoundrels, and after all their ridiculous antics throughout the years, a strong friendship had developed between them.

Naruto looked at them, and they looked back. Then they started laughing.

An hour later, bells tolled throughout the Demon Immortal Sect. At the same time, an enormous screen appeared in mid-air upon within which could be seen a cage. In that cage were Naruto and the dozen or so of his friends who had joined him, all of them bound up tightly.

All of the disciples in the Sect were watching the proceedings. Floating there in mid-air, his eyes closed, was a burly, bare-chested man. After the bells tolled a fifth time, the burly man's eyes snapped open. They shone with an oppressive glow as he lifted his right hand up into the air and made a grasping motion. A black whip suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was fully three thousand meters long, and as it undulated, the air itself was shattered. Lightning danced on its surface, and it emitted astonishing crackling sounds throughout the entirety of the Sect.

"According to Sect rules, the punishment for murdering a fellow disciple is death," said the burly man, his voice cool. "However, considering the services rendered to the Sect by your various ancestors… you will be spared death, but not punishment!

"According to the orders of the seven great Paragons, Muku will be stripped of his title of Elite Apprentice. Dango, Ittan… all the rest of you sub-Elite Apprentices will be demoted to the Inner Sect. Your positions will not be restored for ten thousand years!

"You will also receive three lashes from the Purgatory Whip. Each lash could be fatal. This is your punishment! As for Muku, he will receive four lashes!

"If such a crime should be committed again in the future, you will compensate with your lives!" As his words echoed out through the Sect, those who heard were shocked. Such a punishment was incredibly severe. Their titles were stripped for ten thousand years, although that could be considered secondary. Most severe of all was the Purgatory Whip; few people withstand more than two lashes from it!

In the memories of everyone present, a punishment of three lashes had not been doled out for a thousand years. As for Muku's special punishment of four lashes, that type of punishment had not been seen… for at least three thousand years.

As of this moment, all of the disciples within the Sect were completely quiet. They looked up at the scene playing out in mid-air, especially those from the First Peak, within whose eyes hatred flickered.

When Naruto and the dozen or so others heard the burly man's words, their faces immediately fell.

"What the fudge! This is messed up. Three lashes…."

"Hah! I was the one who struck the first blow. Three lashes? Who cares!?"

"Sub-Elite Apprentice? Psshhh. If I want some techniques or legacies or even treasures, all I have to do is ask. I don't give a crap about what level of disciple I am!"

"Muku, we're brothers, so we'll accept the punishment together! Those old fogies can only hurt our flesh, they can't really kill us. Although, you still need to tell me, why exactly did we have to kill that First Peak Conclave disciple?"

Naruto looked around at his dozen or so friends. He knew that this world was illusory, but he was still moved nonetheless. He could tell that these were the kind of people who would stick with him through thick and thin. It almost made him want to forget that this place wasn't real, and that he wasn't really Muku.

Except… he wasn't sure exactly how to respond to the question. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth.

"That punk seduced one of my Junior Sisters!"

Strange looks filled the faces of the others. After a moment passed, they all started laughing.

As their laughter rang out, the burly man coldly said, "First lash."

With that, he raised his hand, and the whip flew out, causing distortions to ripple out in the air. A piercing crack rang out.

The sound of it was crisp and clear, and echoed back and forth at least ten times, accompanied by shocking rumbling like that of thunder.

One whip blow slashed across Naruto and the others.

Naruto's entire body shook, and it felt as if his soul were about to explode out of his body. Indescribable pain surged through him, stabbing into his mind, causing his vision to swim. At the same time, miserable cries could be heard around him.

Meanwhile, off in the distance, seven figures could be seen standing on the Seventh Peak. They looked like seven blazing suns. One of their number was Mui. His face was somber, and his fury burned to the Heavens. His gaze was fixed on Naruto, who was being whipped to the point that it seemed as if he wanted to die.

Standing near Mui was a middle-aged woman. Her body emanated a beautiful glow, and as she stood there, it seemed as if she were fused with Heaven and Earth. She was the Paragon of the Sixth Peak. Her expression cool, she turned to Mui and said, "Lord Asura is sleeping now, but we are all still subject to his Heavenly will. The Dao Realm is sealed, and cut off from us. However, momentous events will soon occur. If you are too kind, Elder Brother Mui, then in the future, your son will definitely fall into great calamity."

The Paragon of the Third Peak was an old man with a long face. His entire person radiated ancientness as he shook his head and said, "Elder Brother Mui, your son really is… well, if he wants to break Sect rules, that is his concern, but why does he have to get others in trouble too? I guess that's just his word…."

The Paragon of the First Peak was a handsome young man with long, narrow eyes. His body emanated a golden light that made it seem as if he were surrounded by countless swords that in turn transformed into a bright sun. His voice itself sounded like sharp, stabbing swords as he calmly said, "This kid is clearly a deviant at heart. For years now he's bullied his way around. There have been at least ten or more disciples who have died by his hand. The only reason we didn't go after him for those deaths was for your sake, Elder Brother Mui. For him to brazenly kill someone in the open, though, that is far too excessive!"

After the three other Paragons spoke, Mui's enraged voice could be heard.

"Rebel! REBEL!

"The instant I let him go, he goes and does something completely devoid of conscience! I don't care if he gets whipped to death! At least I wouldn't have to deal with this only son of mine!

"If he doesn't die, then he'll drive me to my death eventually! Because of Lord Asura's Heavenly decree, living creatures all have lifespan limitations. The Dao Realm cannot be tread. My longevity is withering away, and the time of my death approaches. Fellow Daoists, your patience regarding my deviant son has not been forgotten.

"Let him die. Because of the endless slaughtering which occurred in the nine wars of the Mountains and Seas, of my fifteen sons, only he is left. His entire life, he was spoiled, so it's no wonder he turned out to be a disaster.

"Forget it. Just forget it. Let him die!" Mui turned away, and as he did, his entire body seemed to age. The death aura which spread out all around him grew even stronger.

The other six Paragons stood by silently. The Paragon of the Seventh Peak was an ancient, white-haired man with the bearing of a transcendent being. He sighed softly as he looked off into the distance at the burly man with the whip.

The burly raised the whip up into the air and then paused for a moment. Then, he delivered the second lash.

The sound that rang out was intense and shocking to the extreme. However, it was clear that the blow had not been delivered with as much force as the previous one.

By the time the third lash fell, the skin of Naruto and the dozen or so others was completely torn and lacerated. Their expressions were haggard, and they could barely lift their heads. They bitterly looked over at Naruto, knowing that he was about to receive a fourth lash.

Naruto chuckled bitterly as the fourth blow descended. It slammed onto his body and his alone. At the same time, the furious words spoken by Mui suddenly echoed into his ears.

"Still won't cry out?!"

Naruto gaped for a moment before letting out a scream that was tragic beyond description. When his companions heard the sound, they were astonished….

The punishment was over, and people came from the various peaks to support Naruto and the others as they left. They were quickly taken away to have their wounds treated. Soon, Naruto was back at the Fourth Peak, where he heard Mui's voice echoing throughout the mountain.

"Don't help him. Screw off, you rebel!"

The Fourth Peak disciples who were helping him hesitated for a moment. However, Naruto indicated to them that they should release him. He smiled bitterly, but inwardly, felt warm at heart. Sighing, he began walking up toward Mui's Immortal's cave.

Naruto felt as if this identity he had acquired did come with its advantages, but also a lot of pressure. As a silk-pants, he could act virtually without the slightest scruple. However, this was an enormous Sect, and Sect rules could not be blithely ignored.

"It's too bad I couldn't find Patriarch Hashirama…. I won't be able to track down any of the others any time soon either. In that case, there's no need to work so hard to try to find them. I'll just focus on acquiring Daoist magic legacies right here."

When he entered the Immortal's cave, Mui was sitting cross-legged on his stone bed. He looked at Naruto and gave a cold harrumph.

"Do you know what your mistake was this time?" asked Mui, his voice cold.

Naruto looked back at him but didn't say anything.

"Your mistake was that you shouldn't have brazenly killed a fellow disciple!" continued Mui slowly.

Naruto's eyes glittered.

"Your mistake was that you should have picked some other time to attack!" Mui waved his hand dismissively, clearly disappointed that Naruto was like iron who had failed to turn into steel, and had completely fallen below his expectations.

"Killing is nothing," he continued. "I've killed countless people in my life. When we Cultivators practice cultivation, we must do so with a clear conscience. You surely had a good reason to kill him, that I know. You normally act with cleverness, but in this situation, were crude and rash. Did you need to get rid of him in fear that he would go into hiding?

"Well, whatever your enmity with him, considering your status, you can't simply go killing people in broad daylight in front of a big crowd!"

As Naruto looked at Mui, his heart trembled. The trembling originated from his very soul, and from the vague image of his own father that existed within his memories. Suddenly, he laughed.

Perhaps he had forgotten for a moment that he wasn't really Muku. Perhaps Muku wanted to remind him that he wasn't really a member of the Demon Immortal Sect.

After all… I am Naruto, and I am also Muku.

He suddenly spoke. "I think my real mistake… was attacking with my own hand."

"Eee?" said Mui, looking at Naruto.

"I shouldn't have killed him myself," said Naruto softly. "I should have talked to you about it, sir. A word from you, and he would have been dead. Then things wouldn't have been so problematic."

Mui stared at him with wide eyes. After a moment, he started chuckling. His chuckling grew louder and louder until it wasn't clear whether he was furious, or actually laughing uproariously. He suddenly waved his hand, causing a gentle breeze to spring up that healed all of Naruto's wounds.

After that, he sighed deeply, and then made a grasping motion toward that oil lamp that had the body of a dragon and the wick of a phoenix. Instantly, two glimmering streams of light shot out. At the same time, the power of Heaven and Earth in the area grew intense to the extreme. It began to converge, forming together in front of Mui as if weapons were being constructed. Soon, two large stone statues could be seen.

Each of the two statues were as tall as a person, and pitch black. They held greatswords in hand, and looked like the type of soldiers buried with dead bodies in tombs. Banging sounds could be heard as they dropped down to slam onto the ground.

Their aura was enough to cause Naruto to begin to pant. He felt an incredible pressure weighing down on him that exceeded that from any powerful expert he had ever felt.

At the same time, Mui pointed at Naruto. His forehead suddenly split, and two drops of blood flew out. They swirled through the air toward the two statues, then merged into them.

As soon as that happened, the eyes of the stone soldiers flickered, as if they now possessed consciousness. As Naruto looked at them, he got the feeling that with a mere thought on his part, he could control these two terrifying soldiers.

"These two stone soldiers have your soul blood inside of them," he said, giving Naruto a deep look. "No matter how many tens of thousands of years pass, no matter how many difficult situations they go through, no matter how many Masters they have, when you stand in front of them, they will recognize you as their most supreme and ultimate Master!" Mui's face was a bit ruddy, and his hair seemed a bit more gray, even white.

"When the Sarutobi Clan kills people, we don't ask for help from outsiders. Now, get out of here. Do your best to gain enlightenment regarding the Soul Divergence Incantation. Oh, and… don't cause any more problems for your old man, okay? You're not a kid any more, try to act a bit more mature…." He sighed.

Naruto coughed dryly and nodded. His eyes were glowing with a strange light as he suddenly looked up at Mui, a bashful expression on his face.

"Dad, do you have the Mountain and Sea Scripture?"

Mui stared in shock, then slammed his palm down onto the stone bed.

"You little brat! The Mountain and Sea Scripture? Do you think I founded the Demon Immortal Sect?"

"Oh. Well, even just a bit of information about it would do," Naruto replied quickly.

"You can't even get the Mountain and Sea Scripture from the three great Demon Mountains of the Second Heaven, or the two Holy Lands of the Third Heaven!" he said angrily. "Do you really think that your dad, mere Lord of the Fourth Peak of the First Heaven, could really request the Mountain and Sea Scripture from the slumbering Lord Asura in the Fourth Heaven?

"If you really want the Mountain and Sea Scripture, there's only one way to get it, and that is to acquire the legacy of Lord Asura that he left behind before going into slumber. Whoever can reach the Fourth Heaven and stand directly in front of Lord Asura, can get that legacy!" With that he waved his hand dismissively.

"If you don't have the Mountain and Sea Scripture, that's okay," said Naruto quickly. He didn't mind settling for second best. "Dad, you know those 3,000 Daoist magics that you can only get through meritorious service to the Sect? Do you think you could use your influence… to get them for me?"

Mui's eyes widened and he stared in shock at Naruto.

"3,000 Daoist magics?" Mui spluttered furiously. "Do you really, actually believe that the Demon Immortal Sect was founded by me?"

"2,999 would also be okay, but not any less than that," replied Naruto, grinding his teeth.

"Screw off! I don't have them!" roared Mui, waving his right hand.

"If you give me enough techniques, then I can focus on calmly practicing cultivation on the Fourth Peak…." said Naruto, using his trump card. When he said this, Mui's hand suddenly stopped moving. He hesitated for a moment as he looked at Naruto. Then he let out a long sigh.

"Considering my status, the best I can do is give you three hundred Daoist magics. If you can fully gain enlightenment of all of them, then I'll see what else I can do." Shaking his head, he made another grasping motion. His hand seemed to disappear into the air, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he pulled his hand back, it was holding a jade slip. He tossed it toward Naruto, and then waved his wide sleeve, causing a raging wind to pick up Naruto and the two stone soldiers and send them out of the Immortal's cave.

In the middle section of the Fourth Peak was a luxurious area filled with glittering lights and exotic plants. The large door of the Immortal's cave there was imposing to the extreme. This was none other than Muku's Immortal's cave.

Naruto's heart was beating with excitement as he carried the jade slip toward the Immortal's cave, as well as the two stone soldiers, which had shrunk down and now fit in his palm. There were about a dozen footmen waiting for him inside. Once they caught sight of him, they all smiled and clasped hands in greeting.

Naruto quickly found that no matter what he wanted to do inside his Immortal's cave, there would always be someone to help him.

He couldn't help but sigh emotionally. He had never experienced such luxury, not even when he was a Violet Furnace Lord back in the Violet Fate Sect. It was something he couldn't quite get used to. After a bit of time, he sent the footmen away.

Finally alone in his huge Immortal's cave, he sat down cross-legged to examine the stone soldiers and the jade slip.

Even after trying, he was not able to put any of them into his bag of holding. However, he was able to take items from within his bag of holding and bring them out.

At first he hadn't noticed anything unusual about his bag of holding. However, after he thought about it, he realized that there was something odd about Kidomaru. What was odd was that he had no bag of holding. In fact, Kidomaru had been nothing but a soul.

His soul had fused with the host body, but was still nothing more than that; a soul fusion.

Muttering, Naruto thought about what Mui had told him about Lord Asura, the three great Demon Mountains, and the two Holy Lands…. The information regarding those things contained in Muku's memories were rather vague.

"I remember Tsukino also told me a few things…." Eyes glittering, he committed the new information to memory to think about another time. As for Tsukino, he was confident that she would come looking for him eventually. After all, Tsukino… was a true disciple of the Demon Immortal Sect!

"When that time comes, I can get answers to everything!" He didn't consider the matter any more. Currently, there were quite a few strange things going on with his body. His Cultivation base was only of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, which was actually quite weak in the Demon Immortal Sect. And yet, neither Mui nor anyone else seemed to notice that. When they looked at him, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

There were other strange things that Naruto could only attribute to the fact that this was the Second Plane of an ancient illusory world. This was all just a dream of the Demon Immortal Sect.

Although the dream seemed incredibly realistic, and was filled with limitless possibilities, a dream… was still just a dream, not reality.

A thought suddenly sprang into being in Naruto's mind. "What if it could be real…?

"What if all of this could be made real…?

"What if all of it could become true…. What if actual changes could be made to the great river that is the flow of time?" Then he looked at the stone soldiers, which clearly could not be put into his bag of holding, and he sighed. He knew that such an outcome was impossible. After all, this place was just a dreamland.

However, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pity regarding the two stone soldiers. If he could take them out with him after he left the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, it would make him incredibly happy.

"Daoist magic legacies are the most important part of the Second Plane!" he thought, his eyes glowing with determination. Forgetting about the impractical matters, he took out the jade slip, closed his eyes, and began to attempt to gain enlightenment.

After a moment, his eyes opened, and they were filled with blankness.

"Lightning Spirit Incantation…. Borrow the will of Heavenly lightning, fuse it into the body to create a soul. Use the Soul of Lightning to refine a Spirit of Lightning. Transmogrify the fleshly body to form a bolt of lightning of Heaven and Earth, benefit from an eternally indestructible Divinity…." Muttering to himself, Naruto continued to study the jade slip.

His expression grew more and more serious, and he was breathing heavily. Occasionally, he would open his eyes, shocked by what he had learned of the various Daoist magics. He had never imagined that there would be such a variety of divine abilities and magical techniques in the world, and that they could be so unimaginable.

There was one magic that could take the rainbows which appear after the rain and transform them into a Seven-Colored Fish. With that fish, one could leap into the starry sky and swim about the Mountains and Seas as a greater Demon.

There was another that focused on observing the clouds and wind to perform augury within the Earth and the Yellow Springs. By using an Imperial will, one could understand the Will of Heaven. By understanding the Will of Heaven, the natural law of Heaven and Earth could be changed. Planets could be destroyed, and a mere thought could shatter even the most ancient of things.

There was an entire host of divine abilities and magical techniques.

One of them was called the Fish Roc Will. It was entirely based on the use of Divine Will. When the myriad of transformations were cultivated to the very peak, one's body could become that of a roc!

The technique made him think of the strange roc in the Rebirth Cave.

Everything filled Naruto with an unimaginably fantastic feeling. As time passed, he gradually came to realize that of the techniques of the Demon Immortal Sect, more than half were actually… Demon magic!

Cultivators could cultivate this so-called Demon magic. In fact, any living thing could. However, the end result was that one would become a Greater Demon.

Naruto was especially shaken after seeing the Mountain Consuming Incantation. It was a technique imbued with a spirit that could conquer mountains and rivers. It was no mere embellishment, but rather, a technique that could actually consume mountains and rivers! Success could lead to one's own path to Immortality, and becoming a Human Immortal!

Many of the techniques relied on Chakra of Heaven and Earth that was actually Demonic Chakra. There was one technique in which refining Demonic Chakra into the body allowed one to create a personal Heavenly Demon Transformation. There were nineteen levels of such transformations, each one resulted in becoming a Greater Demon that could shake Heaven and Earth.

Naruto studied the information, and soon, an entire night had passed. Dawn was breaking, but he was not even aware that so much time had passed by. The Daoist magics had left him completely shaken. He suddenly realized that within his world, his life, his everything… a door had suddenly been opened. Beyond that door, was the true Heaven and Earth.

Such good fortune was something that, in the tens of thousands of years that the Primordial Demon Immortal Plan had opened, no one else had acquired. He was the only one… and it was all because of his special identity. In this world of limitless possibilities, he was the first person to ever use such a technique to gain access to three hundred Daoist magics.

From ancient times until now, from now into the future, he was the first and the last!

If the others who had come with him to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane found out that he had three hundred Daoist magics, they would surely go crazy. That would even be true for people who had come in past times.

Even a single one of these three hundred Daoist magics would be something most Cultivators from the great lands of Lands of Ninshu could only dream about. Even with the most incredible luck, most would have trouble acquiring one. And yet… Naruto had three hundred. Furthermore, he could tell that these were no ordinary techniques…. These techniques were definitely from the top 1,000 Daoist Magics out of the total of 3,000!

There were some that surely were in the top 500. As for the Mountain Consuming Incantation and the Heavenly Demon Transformation, they were definitely within the top 200.

Such divine abilities and Daoist magics would send anyone mad with jealousy. Legacies and good fortune like this were unheard throughout the past tens of thousands of years.

Others might acquire random techniques in this place, but even after exerting incredible power, they still might not be able to gain enlightenment. If that happened, then when they left, all memory of the technique would be wiped out, much as if it had just been a dream. After awakening, they would only be able to remember that the technique existed, but not the details.

It was the same with Daoist magics. Only by gaining full enlightenment could one truly possess them, and remember them after leaving.

Therefore, if one had no way to gain enlightenment, then any effort spent would be wasted. The only thing to be done would be to work hard to find an additional Daoist magic to study.

Of course, that would be incredibly difficult.

However, Naruto… didn't have to worry about any of those problems. He had three hundred Daoist magics. If he couldn't gain enlightenment with one, he could simply move on to the next. Within the three hundred, there were definitely magics that suited him, ones that he could master and gain enlightenment of.

It was afternoon before he finally looked up. Gripping the jade slip tightly, his eyes filled with a strange glow. He took a deep breath and rose to his feet.

"I'm going to try out this Mountain Consuming Incantation. The first step in the incantation is to observe a mountain!" With that, his body flickered and he sped out from within the Immortal's cave. By this point, he had lost interest in seeking out the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators. As of now, killing them was his last priority. The most important thing was to focus on his own good fortune.

Although, if he could find Patriarch Hashirama, well, he wouldn't violate Sect rules. He would instead seek out Mui to have him eliminated.

"By this point, there should be a lot of people who are awake…" he thought. As he made his way through the paths of the Fourth Peak, all of the disciples he encountered smiled and nodded at him. He smiled back as he sped toward his destination. It didn't take long before he finally just flew up to float in mid-air and look back at the Fourth Peak.

"Observe the mountain…. Observe the shape of the mountain. Feel its will. The mountain exists in the eyes, and is concealed in the heart. Therefore, the body can be incarnated into a mountain.

"That is the only way to reach the second stage, in which I am the mountain, and the mountain is me!"

A strange glow appeared in Naruto's eyes as he looked at the Fourth Peak. The Mountain Consuming Incantation floated within his mind's eye.

"After the second stage, the third stage can be reached and the mountain… can be consumed. The will of the mountain can shape my spirit, and the mountain can refine my body!

"A spirit that conquers mountains and rivers! When I turn away, the mountain may no longer be within my eye, but whether or not it exists in the eyes of others, has nothing to do with me!

"That much would be just a small achievement!" Naruto sat cross-legged in mid-air looking at the Fourth Peak. Several hours passed. He looked at the mountain, and the disciples there looked back at him.

More and more disciples of the Fourth Peak noticed him, this Little Patriarch of their mountain peak.

There were quite a few female disciples who would occasionally look over at him with flirty smiles.

"The Little Patriarch is actually practicing cultivation!"

"Oh, that only happens once every few years…."

"Don't tell me that the Little Patriarch's temperament has actually changed?"

All of the disciples found the scene quite odd. In fact, many continued to stop their own cultivation to glance over at him hovering there in mid-air.

It was evening at the moment, and there were currently a dozen or so Fourth Peak Outer Sect disciples making their way up a set of stone stairs that wound up the Fourth Peak. It was an arduous task for them, and they were obviously participating in an examination for promotion into the Inner Sect.

There were nine stages to the examination, and this particular stage, I Shall Climb to Soar in the Heavens, was the last of them all! Whether or not they ended up being promoted to be a Fourth Peak Inner Sect disciples was based on how long it took them to reach the very top of the mountain, as well as their performance in the previous stages.

One of the participants was a young woman wearing the long robe of an Outer Sect disciple. Her face was pale white, but she gritted her teeth, and despite her incredible exhaustion, pushed forward with unswerving determination. Her vision swam and her body trembled, but she continued on, one stone step at a time.

The exam might seem easy, but anyone who participated would understand the incredible pressure and difficulty.

There were Inner Sect Disciples overseeing the situation to ensure safety. If anyone gave up, they would quickly be escorted away.

The young woman with the pale face stepped up onto another stone step and then happened to look up into the air toward Naruto, who sat there cross-legged meditating.

Not too far away from her was an Inner Sect disciple charged with the safety of the Outer Sect disciples. Having noticed who she was looking at, he coolly said, "That's the Little Patriarch of our Fourth Peak."

"Little Patriarch…." replied the woman, staring. She hadn't been a member of the Sect for very long, but how could she not have heard of the Little Patriarch? The difference between her status and his was incredible, like that between Heaven and Earth. She glanced at him for only a moment before lowering her head in exhaustion to continue on the path toward promotion.

This was the only path she could tread. To get this chance for promotion, she had pawned a precious family heirloom, a magical item. She had also borrowed a lot of Demon Stones to practice cultivation. If she failed now, it would take many years to pay everything back.

In fact, if she failed, those vicious and greedy Outer Sect disciples who had been pestering her would make her life a living hell. The only option she had was to pass the competition examination and become an Inner Sect disciple.

She took a deep breath and was about to continue climbing when suddenly, Naruto's gaze… fell on her.

The young woman didn't notice, and she wasn't even looking up into the sky anymore.

However, Naruto's eyes were fixed squarely on her. The instant he had noticed her, his heart had trembled.

He was no longer observing the mountain; his full attention was focused on her.

She wore the robe of an Outer Sect disciple, and had eyes filled with determination. Although she was pretty, she was not unmatchably beautiful. However, there was something about her that caused Naruto to be deeply drawn to her.

It was as if this young woman had a soul on her, a soul from a previous life that hadn't awakened yet.

In that previous life, there were ties of Karma that affected the whole world.

Naruto didn't need to examine it closely to know that he was looking… at Hinata.

Within Naruto's heart was a teardrop. When he was transmigrating into the Violet Sea, that teardrop sank to the seafloor and then into his mouth. Then, Hinata's teardrop had fused into his heart.

She was a simple young woman, who had a simple type of love. There was nothing about such love that could shake Heaven and Earth. There was no raging fire. Instead, it was like water, calm and tranquil as it passed through the years.

Naruto looked at the young woman there on the mountain, and it felt as if tidewaters were surging up within his heart. It was as if this woman's appearance caused a huge stone to splash onto the surface of a calm lake. Ripples spread out, causing the calmness to be broken. At the moment, there was nothing he could do except to feel incredible shock.

That huge stone was like a catalyst that caused Naruto's thoughts and mind to spin. Within his memory, an image appeared. He saw a woman standing on an island above the Violet Sea. As she looked off into the distance, a tear welled up in the corner of her eye and then fell down.

That one tear sent the entire Violet Sea boiling.

The teardrop contained pain, confusion, longing, recollection, as well as an unprecedented, unspoken, profound feeling of attachment.

It was the unforgettable look she gave him on Mount Myboku. It was when she suddenly caught sight of him from within the crowd of Black Sieve Sect disciples. It was the pain felt outside the Rebirth Cave, when they looked at each other and didn't know when they would see each other again.

In the end, all of that transformed into a teardrop, which then turned into massive waves.

It was as if everything between them had been ordinary, and yet that ordinariness had at some point turned into a fundamental part of their lives. It was as if, without even realizing it, both of them had suddenly come to exist permanently as a part of each other's hearts.

"It's Hinata," murmured Naruto. A smile broke out on his face. It was the smile caused by an imminent reunion after having been parted for more than a hundred years. His body suddenly flickered, and he disappeared from the sight of all the disciples present. When he reappeared, shockingly, he was standing on the stone step directly in front of the female Outer Sect disciple.

She almost bumped directly into him. His sudden appearance caused her to subconsciously edge backward a few steps.

The nearby Inner Sect disciple's eyes went wide. His voice hoarse, he said, "Little Patriarch… you…."

He was so close to her that Naruto could feel his heart thumping. He looked at the yet still sleeping Hinata, and softly said, "From now on, you are a Conclave disciple of the Fourth Peak!"

The woman stared in shock, confusion, and panic. She was nervous, disbelieving, and frightened. She glanced at the Inner Sect disciple as if to ask for help.

The Inner Sect disciple took a deep breath and then immediately bowed his head in compliance. He immediately produced a jade slip and asked,

"What's your name?"

Before the woman could respond, Naruto's voice could be heard.

"Her name is Hinata. She'll be practicing cultivation in my Immortal's cave from now on."

"Huh?" said the girl, her eyes wide. "My… my name is…."

In the Fourth Peak, Naruto's status made it so that his words were like the will of Heaven. The Inner Sect disciple nodded, made a brand mark onto the jade slip, then clasped hands and left.

Everything happened so quickly that the young woman was left standing there at a loss. She didn't even notice as Naruto grabbed her by the arm.

That seemed to wake her up.

"Hey… hey, what are you doing?!" she said, her eyes going wide. A look of terror appeared inside of them as she suddenly recalled who this person was, and the stories she had heard told about him within the Sect. She was about to struggle against him, when he wrapped his arms around her and flew up into the air.

As Naruto flew over the Fourth Peak, the disciples who looked up to see him holding the young woman had strange expressions on their faces. Many of them looked at each other in dismay.

"Who is the Little Patriarch holding…?"

"I've never seen her before. From her garments she seems to be an Outer Sect disciple."

"No way! He was so peaceful earlier today. The sky isn't even dark, and he's already back to his old self?"

Meanwhile, up in mid-air above the Fourth Peak.

"Put me down!" said the young woman, her face bright red. A look of rage had appeared in her phoenix-like eyes. She continued to struggle against Naruto, but he seemed to have no intention of releasing her. She could only look at his face, inches away from her own, her fury growing more and more intense.

When the two of them finally landed outside of his Immortal's cave, the woman opened her mouth and bit viciously down onto his arm. He looked at her for a moment, smiled, and released her.

"You're going to practice cultivation here for a while," he said with a smile, giving her a deep look. "It will only take a few days for you to realize who I am."

"You're the Eldest Brother of the Fourth Peak, Elite Apprentice of the Sect! Don't tell me that gives you the right to arbitrarily humiliate other disciples!?" The woman backed up, staring at Naruto angrily.

"I was an Elite Apprentice yesterday, not today," he said, laughing. With that, he sat down cross-legged and looked at the young woman.

That got her even angrier. But then, she thought of his status, and the stories she had heard, and she began to tremble. She backed up further, putting herself even more on guard.

She had heard far too many stories about this person. Any one of them was enough to cause an Outer Sect disciple like her to tremble with terror.

Time passed. Soon, it was evening, and then night. Bright stars twinkled into being up above. They were dim at first, but quickly grew clear and bright.

Perhaps it was because of the icy night wind, or the young woman's panic-stricken state. In any case, she shrank into a corner against the stone wall, looking quite helpless.

Naruto looked at her and then stood up.

"Don't you move!" she cried, suddenly growing even more nervous. Ignoring her demands, Naruto walked over to her, retrieved a set of clothing from his bag of holding, and gently laid it over her.

The softness of his movement caused her to gape in surprise.

He smiled, returned to where he had been sitting before, and continued to meditate.

The woman looked at him silently, her expression one of confusion and doubt. Even more confused were the surrounding Fourth Peak disciples who had hidden themselves in the area to watch the proceedings.

They were all whispering to each other curiously about his compassionate action just now.

Another person who was completely confused was Mui.

"Has the kid really had a change in personality?" he murmured in astonishment.

No words were exchanged through the entire night.

The young woman was incredibly nervous the entire time. She didn't dare to meditate, nor close her eyes. She was too frightened of what she feared might happen if she did.

However, her nervousness, coupled with the exhaustion from climbing the mountain during the test earlier, caused her to unwittingly fall asleep.

When the first rays of dawn light touched her face, her eyelashes flickered and she slowly opened her eyes. Then she began to tremble. She quickly rose to her feet, causing the two robes which had been placed on top of her to tumble to the ground.

The robes were thick, and were obviously quite warm.

One of them had been placed on her by Naruto when she was awake. As for the other, he had covered her with it after she fell asleep.

Just in front of her was a small ball of fire that emanated pulses of heat. The heat was filled with the power of Heaven and Earth, and relieved some of the exhaustion that had filled her body.

Seeing this, the woman stared in astonishment. She looked up at Naruto.

He was striding down some of the stone steps on the mountain, some fruit in hand. These were Spirit Fruits, something that Outer Sect disciples had no qualification to enjoy. Only Elite Apprentices could have access to them.

Naruto put one down in front of the young woman.

Her expression was complex. After having a night of rest, she seemed to have come to terms with her current situation. She still felt apprehensive, though, unsure of how she had attracted the attention of this Chosen of Heaven. She also wasn't sure why he had changed her entire fate with that single sentence.

"Try the Spirit Fruits," he said, popping one into his mouth. "The flavor is incredible." He handed another over to her.

She hesitated for a moment, then accepted and bit down onto one of the fruits. Suddenly, her eyes began to glow, and when she squinted, they looked like two crescent moons.

"Good?" asked Naruto with a smile.

The young woman's face flushed, and she nodded.

"The Outer Sect is pretty chaotic," he continued, looking up into the sky. "I'll help you pay back the debts you owe."

The young woman's hand stopped in mid-air, clutching at a Spirit Fruit. She bowed her head, saying nothing in response.

"Those Outer Sect disciples who have been treating you poorly have already been taken care of," he went on softly.

The young woman's body trembled slightly. After a long moment passed, she looked up at Naruto, almost in a daze.

"Why?" she asked. "Why are you treating me like this? I'm just an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple, and you're…. Why?"

Naruto shook his head but didn't say anything.

"Is it because of Hinata? Who is she?" the young woman asked. She rose to her feet and looked at him, her gaze filled with stubborness. She wanted to know the answer.

Naruto was quiet for a moment. Today was the third day, and unless something unforeseen occurred, Hinata should be waking up soon. Then this young woman would disappear. After all… she had long since already perished.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Naruto's eyes slowly grew blank, as if he was recalling the past. In his mind's eye, he saw the events outside the Rebirth Cave, the killing of Jirobo, and Hinata's tears. He saw himself raising his hand to wipe them away. He heard those voices from years ago.

"We're safe now. No one will know your secret."

"Naruto. Will we… see each other again?"

"Don't cry. There's a long road ahead. Who knows when it is that we will meet again."

Naruto still remembered how he had been about to turn around that day, when a warm, supple body embraced him from behind.

"I'll wait for you."

Hinata's voice, filled with determination, was strong enough to last through past, present, and future lives.

"You could think of Hinata as your next life," Naruto said softly. "Regarding the two of us… we have an agreement to meet each other in the next life."

The young woman seemed to understand the words themselves, but not their true meaning. She looked at Naruto silently, then lowered her gaze to the Spirit Fruit in her hand. After a long moment, she took a few steps back to lean up against the rock wall. She put the fruit in her mouth and ate it. A smile appeared on her face.

"I'm not sure what exactly you mean when you say 'next life,'" she said with a light smile. "All I do know is that this Hinata of whom you speak is truly blessed." The wind suddenly tousled her hair, which she tucked behind her ear.

Having finished speaking, she sat down and took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. Without any further words, she concealed within her eyes the enlightenment she didn't wish anyone else to see.

She was an intelligent young woman, more intelligent than most other young women her age.

From the way Naruto spoke, she could tell that he was referring to something related to death.

"If you and Hinata have an agreement to meet here," she murmured to herself, "if she is destined to awaken within my body. Well then… I am willing to let that happen. I am willing to let you reunite with her here."

In this moment, in the Demon Immortal Sect, during that split second in which she, of her own initiative, expressed such willingness, a rare change suddenly occurred.

The Cultivators of Lands of Ninshu entered the Second Plane via host bodies. That was something that didn't require the consent of the host bodies themselves. After all, they had long since perished, and were nothing more than corpses on the outside.

However… despite having been dead for so many years, the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane was special. Their spirits existed within the plane, and those spirits… if they were willing, could allow the outside Cultivators to completely take over their identity.

Normally speaking, the techniques cultivated by the host body that they had gained enlightenment regarding, would be available to the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators as vague memories. They could use them, but could not take them away.

It was like they were… outsiders.

Except now, something different was happening. A change was underway that would produce something more like… an insider.

The young woman's eyes were closed hard, and did not reopen.

Everything was quiet. Naruto did not speak. He sat there cross-legged, looking up into the sky, waiting silently as time slipped by, waiting… for Hinata to wake up.

Under his protection, nothing would happen to her, and no one would be able to harm her in any way. Naruto did not cultivate any techniques. He simply watched as the sunlight grew brighter in the sky. He looked around at the world of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Within his heart, the feeling of being a part of this place only continued to grow stronger.

He suddenly felt very envious of Muku.

He envied the family that Muku had in this Sect. He envied all of his Brothers and Sisters. He envied the fact that Muku had friends who would even kill for him. However, what he most envied was… that Muku had such a good father.

Muku had a father who would bend over backward for him. He would work hard behind the scenes to erase the scrawlings that were the errors committed by his son. He was a father whose tolerant heart could accept any errors on the part of his son.

And then, there was the white hair that filled his temples, and the death aura that he did his best to hide. Clearly, Muku's father, Paragon of the Fourth Peak, was reaching the end of his life.

"This is all just a play… and I'm merely observing it," he thought. "But if that's true, then why do I want so much to become a part of the play, to become one of the people here?"

He thought of Mui, and his stern gaze. Deep within that gaze, Naruto could sense a deep love that somehow made him lose his way. He thought back to Mount Myboku and Konoha County. He thought back to his own childhood, and his own father and mother.

Back then, he had been very happy, completely without a care in the world. But then the violet wind swept through Konoha County, and everything vanished.

"Who is my father…?" he thought. As he gazed off into the sky, his mood sank. "Is he still alive in the world? Does he know that his image still exists in my thoughts, in my memories?"

Submerged as he was in this sea of bitterness, Naruto produced a flagon of alcohol from his bag of holding. He lifted it to his lips and took a long drink.

"Dad. Mom. Do you know that I'm already starting to forget what you look like…? It's been too many years. The image of your faces is starting to fade away.

"I don't want it to be that way. It's just what happens when time passes. Sometimes I want to hold on to those images, but I can't…. I really envy Muku…." Naruto took another long drink of alcohol. It burned as it slid down his throat and into his anxiety.

Naruto rarely slipped into a mood such as this. Starting the year his father and mother went missing, he'd had no choice but to learn to be independent and strong. In this moment, though, because of Hinata, he had started thinking of the past. The memories of the Southern Domain, of Mount Myboku, and the relationship between Muku and Mui, all struck a chord within him. He couldn't help but think of Konoha County, his happy childhood, and of his parents.

He suddenly felt as if he understood this tyrannical silkpants, Muku. If Muku really was still alive, then perhaps after all the tens of thousands of years, this dead ancient Demon Immortal Sect was the only place where he truly existed.

He had never left. He was here to protect the Sect, to protect the Fourth Peak. Year after year, for an eternity, he was here to protect that Pure Land which existed in his heart.

Most likely, the people around Naruto in the Demon Immortal Sect would never be able to imagine what Muku would be like tens of thousands of years later.

"He saw his father die. He watched his Sect become desolate. He looked on as his friends perished. In the end, he bore witness to the absolute destruction of the Sect.

"If I were him, what would I do…?" Thoughtfully, Naruto took another long drink. Evening was falling. An entire day had slipped by while Naruto wallowed in his emotions.

"Muku sent me back here, to the era in which his father was dying. I think I understand… what he wants me to do." A look of enlightenment filled his eyes. He was just raising the alcohol flagon to take another drink when suddenly, a hand reached out from behind him to grasp his wrist lightly.

As he turned his head, he felt someone embracing him tightly from behind. It felt just like the embrace from back by the Rebirth Cave, that embrace which was filled with the fear of loss.

A smile broke out on Naruto's face. He didn't speak, but rather, allowed the beautiful woman behind him to embrace him. She pressed up against his back, as if she were trying to hear his heart beating.

It was as if the only way she could prove that everything that was happening was real… was to hear his heart beating. Perhaps everything around them was a dream, but within that dream, the two of them had each other.

 _I thought that when I saw you, I would have the world. I didn't know that within your dreams, you already had me._

It was evening, and soft, orange light shone down onto the Fourth Peak, creating dark shadows on the opposite side of the mountain. Within those dark shadows were two people, embracing each other.

They seemed to wish that time could stop forever. Their longing, their promise, were no longer like sand floating in the wind.

A long time passed. Soon, the sky was dark. Naruto looked at the woman in front of him. The features he saw were different from Hinata's, but the soul was the same ever.

"You're awake," he said.

Because her soul was different, her facial features suddenly seemed to change a bit. She grew colder, less timid and nervous. She grew more simple. Less a stranger.

She was Hinata.

She was not intelligent like Ino. She was not incredibly beautiful like Sakura. She was Hinata. Simple and cold, like her heart. When she loved someone, she didn't need a reason. She only needed to know that somehow, that person was part of her.

She wore the robe of an Outer Sect disciple and had long, beautiful hair. Her features were delicate, and although they couldn't be described as immaculately beautiful, they caused Naruto to think of that one person who was always in his heart… Elder Sister Hinata.

Hinata looked at Naruto, and a smile broke out on her face. A warmth could be seen in her pupils, as well as longing, and over a hundred years of memories. She looked at Naruto, and recalled their past.

He carried the look of someone who had experienced great changes, and was no longer young and inexperienced.

She gazed at Naruto for a long time. She didn't ask why he was here, nor did she seem surprised to see him here as she woke up.

It was as if to Hinata, it didn't matter where she saw Naruto, or when. Any time she encountered him, she felt at ease, calm.

 _Surrounded by bustling crowds, you look at me, I look at you, and we smile at each other._

It was as if such a meeting had happened a million times for her already. It was as if from beginning to end, even that time in the Violet Sea, she had complete and utter faith that the two of them would in fact meet again one day.

"Not surprised?" said Naruto, smiling.

"Why would I be surprised?" she said, shaking her head and smiling. "You made a promise, and we had an agreement… to meet again."

As Naruto looked at her, much of the bitterness in his heart faded away. His smile grew wider. This was Hinata. Plain and simple Hinata.

She believed that they would meet again. Because of their agreement with each other, it didn't matter when or where it was, she wouldn't be surprised. It was all because of her firm belief.

"It's been many years…. Have you been well?" she asked softly. To her, Naruto might be a few years younger than her. However, despite the fact that more than a hundred years had passed, his image never left her heart.

She could never forget that time she watched as he leaned out over the edge of the cliff, holding down a rope to Shikamaru and the others, and at the same time, making fun of them.

She could never forget what he looked like in the ancient Blessed Land, when he stood protectively in front of her during her moment of helplessness.

Even more unforgettable was the time in the Black Sieve Sect when, after merging with Matriarch Phoenix, she had woken up. Naruto had been about to leave the Sect when he turned and smiled at her.

Never in her life would she be capable of forgetting what happened outside the Rebirth Cave.

If secrets could count as accumulated emotions between two people, then she and Naruto had many. There were many secrets that only the two of them could understand.

"I went to the Black Lands, and the Western Desert," Naruto said with a smile. As the evening wind blew Hinata's hair into disarray, Naruto reached up and grasped her wrist.

She lowered her head, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

"So did I," she said, looking back up at him.

"I know," he replied, grinning.

The soft moonlight shone down on the two of them, covering them like a layer of silver sand. The beautiful wind lifted up their long hair.

Hinata looked at Naruto, then suddenly gaped in astonishment as she realized something. Her eyes filled with a strange look.

"Wait…. Why… why do you look the same as before?"

Naruto was shocked by Hinata's words. His eyes flickered, and then narrowed. He didn't respond immediately.

He focused his attention on examining his physical appearance. His facial features really were his own. There was no change whatsoever.

It was at this moment that he realized he had completely overlooked this point!

Hinata, Kidomaru, and most assuredly, the rest of the Cultivators from the lands of Lands of Ninshu, all looked completely different. In coming here, their souls had fused with another body.

But that was not the case with Naruto. He could open his bag of holding and remove items from within. Although he couldn't take things from here and put them inside, he was still clearly in a completely different position than the others.

Earlier, he had hesitated a bit regarding this matter, but hadn't given it too much thought. However, Hinata had just hit the nail on the head with her observation. Naruto's heart and mind suddenly felt as if it were being struck by lightning.

He began to breathe heavily. Hinata looked at him and, seeing that he was lost in thought, did not ask any further questions. He was clearly thinking about some matter that was important enough to cause his countenance to change.

Naruto thought back to what had happened in the First Plane. After stepping onto the top of the Fourth Peak, he had found no corpse, only an empty coffin.

"Don't tell me… that I actually came in person to this place?!" he thought.

"Others came by means of a host body, which means that their souls entered into a dream. But I have no host body, which means that I am actually here!" Naruto almost couldn't believe it, and could think of no possible explanation.

"But that's the only way to explain why I can open my bag of holding, and why my appearance hasn't changed! Although… if my appearance didn't change, then how much Mui and the others didn't notice…?" After a long moment of thought, an answer occurred to him.

"Because Mui, and this place… are nothing more than an illusory version of ancient times." He sighed lightly and kneaded the bridge of his nose. There were too many contradictions to be had in all the different aspects of the situation. The only thing he could do was come to this much of an understanding. Complete understanding was beyond him currently.

"If all of that is true, then when the others wake up, does that mean they will be able to tell who I am?" Naruto's eyes flickered with a cold light. The light faded away quickly, though, and he suddenly chuckled.

"Well, who cares if they do? Considering my status, even if they do recognize me, they'll be the ones hiding from me, not the other way around." Having reached this point in his train of thought, Naruto looked at Hinata and was about to say something when suddenly, an audacious, almost insane, thought occurred to him.

As the idea began to develop, Naruto realized that it was virtually unthinkable, almost delusional. However, he couldn't stop thinking about it. The idea sank deeper and deeper into his mind, and his eyes began to flow with a fearsome glow.

Hinata looked at him and hesitated for a moment before softly saying, "You…."

"I'm fine," Naruto said with a smile. The glow disappeared from his eyes, to be replaced by a profound expression.

"If you have something you want to do, go take care of it," Hinata said. "You don't need to worry about me." She rose to her feet and then pointed toward the door of the Immortal's cave. "I'll need to use your Immortal's cave," she said.

Naruto nodded. He retrieved a jade slip from within his robe, the one that contained the three hundred Daoist magics from Mui. He handed it to Hinata.

"Take a look at these Daoist magics and see which ones you can gain enlightenment regarding," he said.

Hinata took the jade slip and scanned it with Divine Sense. Her eyes instantly went wide with disbelief. She stared blankly at Naruto, her mind spinning. She was well informed about the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, but that caused her to be even more shocked by the jade slip.

"These… these…."

"They are all Daoist magics of the Demon Immortal Sect," said Naruto, chuckling.

Hinata looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. A strange expression could be seen on her face as she began to search through the fused memories of her host body. Finally, she found information regarding Naruto's identity.

After becoming aware of who she was, Hinata realized that as far as Naruto was concerned, it wasn't necessarily impossible for him to eventually acquire all three thousand Daoist magics….

As Hinata entered the Immortal's cave, Naruto stood there staring out at the lands. A bizarre glow could be seen in his eyes as he rubbed his bag of holding.

"To everyone else, this is an ancient, illusory world, like a dream…. But I am actually here. Does that mean that it's possible to make changes that could affect history?" Naruto knew that such a prospect was outrageous, and also paradoxical.

However, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about the possibility.

"Although there is a 99% chance that I'm wrong, even that slight possibility…." He began to breathe heavily, and his eyes glowed.

"Even that slight possibility means that a gamble would be worth it!" With that, he left the area of his Immortal's cave to search around the Fourth Peak for what he was looking for.

It didn't take long before he ran into an Inner Sect disciple, floating through the air like a ghost as he patrolled the mountain. When he saw Naruto, he instantly stopped in place and clasped hands.

"Greetings, Little Patriarch," he said.

Naruto may have been stripped of his status as Elite Apprentice, but in the Fourth Peak, being an Elite Apprentice was secondary to his eternal status as Little Patriarch.

"Do you have any medicinal pills?" asked Naruto, his eyes gleaming. The disciple seemed a bit confused, but immediately nodded his head and produced a medicinal pill bottle from his bag of holding, which he then handed over to Naruto.

Naruto nodded and departed, leaving the Inner Sect disciple behind, confused.

After returning to his Immortal's cave, he sat down cross-legged and took a deep breath. He opened the medicinal pill bottle, within which were seven medicinal pills the size of longan fruits, that pulsed with a medicinal fragrance. After smelling them, Naruto realized that most of the ingredients were unfamiliar to him. However, he could still reach the general conclusion that these were pills which could increase Cultivation base.

The quality of the medicinal pills was incredible; they had at least eighty percent medicinal strength. Most importantly, these pills were no ordinary product. They were medicinal pills belonging to an Inner Sect disciple of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. To Cultivators from the lands of Lands of Ninshu, they could be described as Immortal Pills.

In fact, if this pill bottle surfaced somewhere within the lands of Lands of Ninshu, it would cause a huge commotion even among the various great Sects.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, gritting his teeth before finally taking one of the pills and putting it into his mouth. Even before the pill could dissolve, a roaring sound filled Naruto's mind. At the same time, and indescribable, boundless power completely inundated him. It was like an endless, furious sea, and he was a tiny, leaf-like boat, weak enough to be destroyed with a single blow.

Naruto immediately spit the pill out of his mouth. A few hours passed, and it was light outside, before he finally opened his eyes.

After opening his eyes, he checked his Cultivation base, and quickly frowned. It hadn't increased even in the slightest. It was as if everything truly was illusory.

"Useless…." he said, sighing. Although he had assumed this would happen, he still couldn't help but feel some regret. He stood and looked out at the rising sun, and suddenly, his heart trembled.

"Medicinal pills don't work, and I can't increase my Cultivation base. However, what about the various techniques and regions of the Demon Immortal Sect focused on cultivating the fleshly body?" It was not very likely that techniques existed that could quickly be learned and used to increase the power of the fleshly body. However, there were areas in the Sect specifically set aside for fleshly body cultivation. Naruto knew this from Muku's memories.

One of them was none other than the Underworld Cave of the Fourth Peak.

Within the Underworld Cave was an inexhaustible supply of Underworld Death Sand, which came from the Underworld River. Any Cultivator who entered the Underworld Cave without a powerful body would have their skin shredded off, their blood and muscles ground into a paste, and their bones crushed.

At the same time, because the Underworld Death Sand was filled with the pinnacle of death, that meant it was also filled with the pinnacle of life. It contained the power to cause one's Chakra and blood to develop with vigor. By practicing cultivation inside the Underworld Cave, it was possible to cause one's fleshly body to grow stronger and stronger.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he headed toward the cave. As soon as he arrived, the guards, two Fourth Peak Conclave Disciples, instantly stared in shock. In all the years they had stood guard here, they had never once seen the Little Patriarch step foot inside.

They immediately greeted him with clasped hands. After hearing his demands, the Conclave Disciples' foreheads began to drip with cold sweat. They immediately tried to advise him against such a course of action, but seeing that he was determined, could only brace themselves and begin to open the cave.

"Little Patriarch, it's very dangerous in there. You… you could always find some other places to temper your fleshly body, you know? You really shouldn't go inside…."

Naruto nodded in response. As the Conclave disciples opened the cave, a glowing light appeared in the stone wall. Naruto strode forward into the light.

As soon as he entered, everything went pitch black. Before he could see anything clearly, stabbing pain covered his entire body. It seemed as if an innumerable amount of gritty sand covered everything, surrounding his body. In the blink of an eye, Naruto's body was on the verge of collapse.

Enduring the pain, he instantly entered the Seventh Anima.

Boom!

His body grew larger as the battle prowess of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls filled him. His fleshly body exploded with intense power. However, the pain that he felt only continued to grow stronger.

After ten breaths of time passed, blood spouted from his mouth and he tumbled backward. He shot out of the exit at top speed, leaving the terrifying world of flying sand.

As soon as he emerged, he sat down cross-legged to meditate. His entire body was a bloody mess, and looked shocking to the extreme. The Conclave disciples responsible for the Underworld Cave felt their hearts pounding with fear that he might unexpectedly pass away.

Four hours passed. Naruto's fleshly body was now completely recovered. He opened his eyes, and although he looked exhausted, he quickly checked his body. An intense light gleamed within his eyes, a look filled with excitement.

"My fleshly body… can be cultivated!" Although he wasn't sure he would be able to keep such a powerful fleshly body after he left this place, he did know that the feeling of power he was experiencing in his fleshly body seemed completely real.

"If I can combine some body refining techniques like the Mountain Consuming Incantation or the Demon Animas Nine Transformations… then my efficiency would be incredible!" His eyes shining with anticipation, he turned and headed back toward the Immortal's cave. The instant he stepped foot inside, Hinata opened her eyes and looked with excitement at Naruto. A warm smile appeared on her face.

Time passed by. In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had gone by. The Fourth Peak disciples gradually came to notice that their Little Patriarch, the number one silkpants bully, had experienced a change of temperament recently. Unexpectedly, he hadn't stepped foot out of the Fourth Peak at all recently.

He would spend all day gaining enlightenment of Daoist magic, or would temper his fleshly body in the Underworld Cave. It was actually so unusual that the Fourth Peak disciples were alarmed. Even Mui could scarcely believe it. After observing Muku a few times, a contented smile could be seen on Mui's face.

Naruto was thoroughly immersed in practicing cultivation. He completely ignored all outside matters, even the awakening of all the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators.

The fleshly body tempering caused him to grow much stronger with each passing day. At the moment, he maintained his place in the First Anima, and yet, the strength of his fleshly body was equivalent to that when he entered the Second Anima.

Such an increase caused Naruto to realize which direction his path lay!

"If I could reach the point where my fleshly body in the First Anima was as strong as it normally is in the Seventh Anima, then even if I have no change in Cultivation base, my fleshly body might be able to reach the point of… Spirit Severing!" His heart beat rapidly. As of this point, he truly felt that the fleshly body cultivation of the Second Plane was just as important as mastering techniques.

It was an incredible opportunity available only to him. In the past, there had never been a Cultivator who could acquire such good fortune in the Second Plane.

Naruto took a deep breath, and a bright glow appeared in his eyes.

Recently, he and Hinata had been spending time gaining enlightenment of the three hundred Daoist magics. Of course, they each focused on different specific types of Daoist magic. When Naruto came to the conclusion that he couldn't gain enlightenment with one, then he would immediately switch to a another.

During the ten days, he managed to look through all three hundred. In the end, there were three that he chose to initially focus his attention on. One was the Mountain Consuming Incantation, the second was the Heavenly Demon Transformation, and the last was…

None other than Muku's Soul Divergence Incantation!

"The Mountain Consuming Incantation is both an internal and external cultivation technique. However, the main focus is cultivation of the fleshly body. By practicing such cultivation to the pinnacle, one could become a Human Immortal!

"As for the Heavenly Demon Transformation, it is ranked 96…. It's terrifying, a magical technique that requires a Demon Soul. By fusing the Demon Soul into one's body, one can incarnate into a Greater Demon. There are nineteen levels, each of which can incarnate a different Greater Demon of Heaven and Earth!

"Regarding the Soul Divergence Incantation… it is an undying Dao!" Naruto's eyes glowed with a strange light. Of these three Daoist magics, the Soul Divergence Incantation was the most mysterious. It was actually not one of the Demon Immortal Sect's three thousand Daoist magics, but rather, something Mui had acquired on his own by chance. Based on his own Cultivation base and knowledge, he knew that it could be considered a precious treasure. However, it was not suitable for him in terms of cultivation, which was why he had recommended it to Muku.

The Soul Divergence Incantation enabled one to cultivate an undying soul. The reincarnation of Heaven and Earth could do nothing to destroy such a soul. Even when one died, in a matter of years, a flesh and blood body would be reborn.

This art… defied Heaven!

The more Naruto understood these various techniques, the more he realized how magnificently shocking the Demon Immortal Sect was. During the ten days that passed, he took time to observe some of the other disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect as they practiced their cultivation. During that time, he was actually able to sense a totemic aura.

In fact, there were some of the three hundred Daoist magics that, when he examined them more closely, obviously required totem tattoos once a certain level of cultivation was reached.

This discovery validated some of Naruto speculations from years ago. It seemed that the totemic neo-demons of the Western Desert likely originated somehow from the Immortal Demon Sect.

Naruto's shock only continued to grow as he learned more about the Demon Immortal Sect. He focused on cultivating the Mountain Consuming Incantation and the Heavenly Demon Transformation, although he placed the most emphasis on the former. As for the Heavenly Demon Transformation, he didn't intend to thoroughly gain enlightenment of it, although he had noticed some similarities between it and his Seven Animas Soul Transformation.

As far as the Soul Divergence Incantation went, it was a shocking art, but something that he would be incapable of success when it came to enlightenment.

Time passed quickly. Soon, Naruto had been in the Second Plane for a whole month. During that time, Hinata did not leave the Immortal's cave. She was fully immersed in gaining enlightenment of Daoist magic. Eventually, Naruto completely gave up on the Soul Divergence Incantation and the Heavenly Demon Transformation, and instead focused complete attention on cultivating the Mountain Consuming Incantation.

He would also take time to visit the Underworld Cave, where he continued to temper his fleshly body. By now, he could stay inside the Underworld Cave for a full thirty breaths of time. The strength of his fleshly body was now quite obvious.

In fact, when the other silk-pants who had been punished with Naruto came to visit him on the Fourth Peak, they were astonished by the huge change that had occurred in the past month.

"After getting punished, I thought of something," said Naruto. "If my fleshly body was strong enough, then maybe that punishment wouldn't have hurt so much." When he saw the strange expressions of the faces of the other silkpants, he cleared his throat and then continued on honestly, "I have the feeling that one of these days, I might experience five lashes, maybe even six or more. If I don't temper my fleshly body enough before that happens, I'll have no choice but to be lashed into a pulp." Hearing this, the other silkpants seemed lost in thought. Apparently, what Naruto was saying made sense to them.

A while after that, Naruto called Hinata. Together with the other silkpants, they left the Fourth Peak for the first time in a month. As soon as they appeared outside, a rumbling sound could be heard, and a white lotus appeared up in the air.

When other disciples on the various peaks saw the lotus, they lowered their heads vigilantly. They all knew that the Sect ruffians who had been quiet for the past month, were now going to make another appearance.

Naruto stood in the crowd, exchanging greetings with the various friends who approached. It didn't take long before he was surrounded by over a hundred people. Together, they flew wildly through the Demon Immortal Sect, the sound of their talking and laughing drifting out with the wind. When the others saw that Hinata was with Naruto, they exchanged understanding smiles, and did their best to pay special attention to her.

Soon, the group neared a squat mountain that was part of the Seventh Peak of the Demon Immortal Sect. This mountain was an unofficial restricted area within the Sect.

It was not officially a restricted area; it was actually a location that the Sect silkpants had taken over to serve as their headquarters. Afterwards, it became a restricted area as far as other disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect were concerned.

On top of the squat mountain was a luxurious temple. Naruto sat in the seat of honor, surrounded by a crowd of people. Some arranged themselves in places according to the ranking of their various Clan ancestors. Soon, there were roughly seventy or eighty people seated about. They laugh and chatted about gossip from within the Sect, or their interesting experiences on the outside.

Next to Naruto sat a handsome young man with black wings who was embracing a smiling female disciple. "Muku," he said, "my kid brother knows a few Inner Sect disciples who want to join our Demon Entente. I told him to bring them here today for us to have a look at. If there aren't any problems, we might as well let them in."

Naruto was not unfamiliar with the Demon Entente. He knew from Muku's memories that it was nothing more than an alliance formed by the silkpants. All members who joined would enjoy the protection offered by other silkpants.

Of course, a price needed to be paid, considering that the operation was privately run by the silkpants.

The Demon Immortal Sect turned a blind eye to the matter, and would ignore them, unless they caused too much of a ruckus. After all, the Elders of this Demon Entente were all silkpants who had deep roots within the Sect. Although they might do a lot of absurd things, when it came to loyalty, theirs was far greater than that of the ordinary disciples.

Naruto nodded his head in response to the young man's word. He lifted up a glass of alcohol and took a drink. Sitting next to him was Hinata, who was looking around curiously at the crowds. She still almost couldn't believe the identity Naruto had acquired.

Not too much time passed before the disciples who wished to join the Demon Entente arrived. They entered the temple trembling, looking nervously at the silkpants around them. After quickly handing over the gifts of entry they had brought, they clasped hands and bowed to everyone.

One group after another entered. After a bit of time past, Naruto caught sight of a group of three Cultivators, two men and a woman, all of whom seemed very nervous. However, from what Naruto could tell, the nervousness was an act. Deep in their eyes, it was possible to sense that they actually despised everyone they were looking at, and Naruto could see that.

As soon as he saw them, Naruto started laughing. It was at this point that the three people saw that sitting in the seat of highest authority among the silkpants was none other than Naruto.

When they saw him, the three Inner Sect disciples began to shake, and their eyes filled with disbelief.

They recognized Naruto, and Naruto recognized the aura of their souls.

The woman in the group of three was none other than Guren. One of them was a stranger to Naruto, but he gave of a similar feeling as Kidomaru had. Naruto was certain that he was a member of the Hebi Clan.

Naruto was a bit surprised to see the last person. He had to think for a moment before he realized who it was. Sagiri Nadeshiko!

He was none other than the Dao Child of the Nadeshiko Clan of the Southern Domain. During the Nadeshiko Clan search for a son-in-law, Naruto had come in first place, and had actually become the husband of the beloved daughter of the Nadeshiko Clan, Shizuka. Although he had never thought about the matter much, after seeing Sagiri here today, he recalled who the man was.

"Interesting," said Naruto, his eyes shining coldly. "Who would have thought that I would meet the three of you here?!"

Next to Naruto, Hinata smiled as she looked at the group of three.

These three could never have imagined that they would run into Naruto in this place. Their faces instantly fell. Naruto's identity also caused them to be thoroughly astonished. They were well aware of what it meant that Naruto was sitting in such a position as he was.

However, the more shocked they were, the more difficult they found it to believe. They also were completely astonished when they realized that Naruto's appearance hadn't changed.

"He… he actually acquired the identity of an Elite Apprentice!" thought Guren, her eyes widening. "Muku! To get Muku as a host body, that's… that's impossible! Elite Apprentice! That's the kind of host body that exists only in legend!" She began to pant as her mind reeled.

Next to her was the other member of the Hebi Clan. He didn't know Naruto, but he knew that the person sitting in that position could only be the legendary number one bully of the Sect, Muku. His heart trembled as he realized that Naruto was just like him, an outsider.

That in itself was enough to leave him flabbergasted. However, even more shocking was that he suddenly recalled that Muku had killed a Conclave disciple of the First Peak nearly a month ago.

Instantly, he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together….

"He killed Kidomaru!" he cried inwardly. "This is bad! If he knows that I know, he'll kill me to shut me up!" The Hebi Clan member's face fell. In actuality, he had wanted Kidomaru dead more than anybody else, but nobody knew that.

Sagiri stood there in a daze. Although Naruto's appearance hadn't changed, he instantly began to suspect if what he was seeing was true. But then Naruto laughed. That expression caused Sagiri to recall the image from that year of the person who had become his brother-in-law, Naruto.

"Elite Apprentice…. He's actually… an Elite Apprentice!"

The young man with the black wings was named Amagi. He looked thoughtfully at the group of three for a moment, then turned to Naruto. "Muku, do you know them?"

The other surrounding silkpants naturally looked over at the strange scene, their eyes glittering. They were now no longer chatting.

Instantly, the entire temple hall grew silent. Within the silence, Guren and the other two felt an intense pressure, causing an unprecedented sense of deadly crisis to fill them.

"Cheater!" thought Guren. "He's a cheater! Otherwise he could never become an Elite Apprentice!? How… how are other people supposed to acquire legacies here? How are other people supposed to survive!?" Her eyes were wide and sweat poured down her forehead. She looked like she was about to cry as she edged backward. However, the looks being given to her by the surrounding silkpants, who in her view were already dead, caused the sense of deadly crisis within her to climb to the pinnacle.

The male member of the Hebi Clan was proud to the extreme, but at the moment… he couldn't summon a scrap of pride. "This isn't fair!" he thought. "How did he get his hands on such an identity…? How are the rest of us supposed to acquire any good fortune? Just from the look on his face you can tell that if he gets pissed off, he can say a word and… we'll all be dead! If our souls die in here, then we're truly dead!"

"Of course I know them," said Naruto, smiling and standing up. "Close the doors!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the main doors of the temple hall slammed shut. Glowing lights enveloped the doors, and at the same time, virtually all of the silkpants in the hall rose to their feet.

This was the Demon Entente. This was their headquarters. If they killed people here… it wouldn't be without repercussion, and there would certainly be punishments doled out. But they had plenty of measures to evade such punishment. If they wanted to, they could crush these three where they stood.

Naruto smiled and said, "I remember that the Third Peak has a Soul Scorching Cave. I can tell the three of us are bound by destiny. That doesn't happen very often. Therefore, I'll send you to the Soul Scorching Cave to train for a month.

"If you succeed, you're into the Demon Entente. If you fail, then your death has nothing to do with us." As his voice echoed out throughout the hall, the other silkpants burst out laughing.

The faces of the three Lands of Ninshu Cultivators instantly went pale. Sagiri reluctantly said, "Can we… think about it?"

"Think about it? Entering the Demon Entente temple clearly shows your intentions. If you back out now, then you're directly humiliating the Demon Entente. Do you dare to humiliate the Demon Entente? Do you dare to humiliate US?!" Naruto's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, causing dark looks to appear in the eyes of all the other silkpants.

"Brothers from the Third Peak, please take them away. As for this one…." His eyes fell onto Sagiri, and it almost seemed as if he were looking at a dead person. "Forget about him."

Sagiri heaved a sigh of relief. Only a short moment had passed, but his entire body was already soaked with sweat.

Laughter filled the air as a dozen or so Third Peak silkpants flew out. They grabbed Guren and the other person, and then started to fly off. In this moment of crisis, Guren gritted her teeth and then anxiously called out, "I know where Kidomaru's corpse is! He has a bag of holding with treasures in it. I can take you there!"

The other Hebi Clan Cultivator's face fell, and he also called out, "Kidomaru was unlucky! He picked the wrong time and then died before he came here! Nobody killed him! He died naturally! I witnessed it myself! Since I was there, I couldn't possibly be mistaken!"

The words spoken by the two of them essentially meant the same thing; they were giving their dark vow to join this shady organization.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he pointed at the male Hebi Clan Cultivator and said, "Take him away."

The face of the Hebi Clan member flickered, and he was about to offer more explanations when the dozen or so Third Peak silkpants, having already been roused into action, whisked the man off before he could do anything further.

Sagiri's face was pale, and his mind was reeling.

Breathing raggedly, Guren pushed her hand down onto her forehead, causing a soul strand to fly toward Naruto. Naruto looked at her with an enigmatic smile and then accepted the soul strand.

"Welcome to the Demon Entente," said Naruto with a smile. The doors of the temple slowly opened. The observing silkpants knew that not all was as it seemed. However, everything was a matter of perspective, and to them, Muku was part of their group, whereas everyone else was an outsider.

Guren forced a smile, then clasped hands and bowed. Inwardly, she sighed. She understood that from now on, she would have to try to convince other members of the Hebi Clan that Kidomaru had died because of an error in selecting the time period. That was why he had been killed the instant he appeared.

If anyone didn't believe her, then as soon as Naruto faced any trouble, she too would be in a bad situation. Having reached this conclusion, killing intent flickered in her eyes. Some of it was for Naruto, the other was for her fellow Clan members.

Outside, the sun was beginning to set. As everyone began to depart, Naruto noticed Sagiri's absentminded expression, and suddenly realized that, considering Guren's ruthlessness, this Nadeshiko Clan Dao Child was surely heading for a catastrophe.

Naruto shook his head, then paid the matter no more heed as he headed back toward the Fourth Peak with Hinata.

More time passed.

Everything was peaceful. Each morning at dawn, Naruto would go to observe and study the Fourth Peak to gain enlightenment of the Mountain Consuming Incantation. Other times, he would go to the Underworld Cave to practice fleshly body tempering.

Another month passed. Naruto wasn't sure how the passage of time in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane compared to that in the outside world. In any case, he had acquired quite a bit during these two months.

The Mountain Consuming Incantation was now in an embryonic form within him. He had succeeded in branding it into his mind. Furthermore, his fleshly body tempering had also succeeded to quite a degree. By now, his normal body was as tough as it had been in the Third Anima.

"It's too bad the Soul Divergence Incantation… seems like a normal technique, but actually requires a very special environment." Naruto felt it to be somewhat of a pity. He was starting to get the feeling that if he could master the technique, he would be able to make shocking gains within the Demon Immortal Sect.

In fact, he was now beginning to suspect that the Soul Divergence Incantation was the reason Muku was still alive within the First Plane.

"The cultivation of this art is filled with profound mysteries. An undying soul…."

As for Hinata, she was completely submerged in the three hundred Daoist magics. Naruto did not disturb her. After all, gaining enlightenment of such Daoist magic was the most important thing for her and the others.

Naruto could tell that Hinata was extraordinarily qualified to seek enlightenment of the Daoist magic. Some of it had to do with the latent talent of her own soul, and some of it had to do with her host body.

Several days later, Naruto was floating cross-legged in mid-air, studying the Fourth Peak. All of a sudden, Mui's voice could be heard in his ears.

"Come see me," said the low voice. Naruto's eyes instantly snapped open.

Without hesitation, his body flashed as he headed toward Mui's Immortal's cave. It didn't take him long to arrive, and when he entered and saw Mui, his face fell.

Mui now looked nothing like the middle-aged man he had been two months ago. He was much older, thoroughly ancient, his head full of white hair.

He sat cross-legged on the stone bed, just like he had before. However, the oil lamp next to him was much dimmer than before.

When he saw the look on Naruto's face, Mui said, "Don't worry, your dad isn't dead yet." He smiled, his eyes filled with kindness and expectation, and even more so, a reluctance to part.

Naruto wasn't sure why he felt the emotions that he did. He had known all along that something like this would happen; but to see Mui change into a white-haired old man in front of his own eyes, to see the aura of death around him grow stronger and stronger… it filled his heart with emptiness.

Not much time had passed, but the fatherly love from Mui that Naruto felt made him think of his own father. At the moment, all he could do was stand there silently.

"You've done well recently," said Mui. "You haven't brought about any more disasters for me to deal with. Since you've decided to focus on body tempering, then let me tell you about one of the three thousand Daoist magics that should be especially useful to you. It's called the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal. It's a Daoist magic that fuses magical items into your fleshly body, turning it into a treasure. By combining it with the Mountain Consuming Incantation, you can make your body into something like a mountain.

"In the rankings of the three thousand Daoist magics, it is number 9!" His voice was very dignified by the time he finished speaking.

"There is another art called Fleshly Sanctification! It is extremely extraordinary. It would be better to call it a technique than a secret art. If you can master it, then your fleshly body can grow exponentially powerful in the blink of an eye, and stay that way forever.

"Such a mysterious art is extremely rare. In my entire life, I've only heard of two such arts. As far the specific details of how much it can strengthen your body, father doesn't know. What I do know is that among the three thousand Daoist magics, it is ranked… number 7!

"Regarding the top ten Daoist magics among the three thousand, even I have no way to acquire them, not even with further service to the Sect. Lord Asura has set rules regarding the top ten. All of them, with the exception of the legacy of the Mountain and Sea Scripture, can only be acquired by entering the Demon Immortal Temple.

"It is not easy to open the temple. The seven great Sect Priests must all join hands to do so. The temple has 99 levels. Every ten levels, there is a chance to acquire a Daoist magic.

"I've paid a heavy price to convince the other six Sect Priests to agree to open the temple for you two times. You need to seize these two chances, and fight to acquire the Daoist magic that you need!" Mui spoke all these words casually. However, from the fluctuations on his ancient face, Naruto could guess that despite his light tone, he really had paid an incredible price.

If he hadn't, the other six Sect Priests would never have agreed to open the Demon Immortal Temple.

"Furthermore," continued Mui, "although both instances of the Demon Immortal Temple opening have been arranged specifically for you, in order to cut down on gossip, others will also be allowed to enter.

"You don't need to worry. Although the difficulty level within the temple is extreme, father has prepared quite a few magical items for you. I spared no cost to give you your chance to get the special body tempering Daoist magics." As he spoke, a reddish glow appeared in Mui's face. The glow was not ordinary, and almost looked like the last glow of light before sunset. He waved his hand, and a beastskin bag flew out in front of Naruto.

"Inside you will find 5,000 magical items, 30,000 Demon Weapons, 150,000 talismanic seals, and 1,000,000 Demon Stones. Take them. Even if you have to force your way through, then do it! Get to the top for me! Get those Daoist magics that you need!" From the way he looked at Naruto as he spoke, it was clear how much he doted upon him. Naruto's heart began to tremble as he looked at the beastskin bag. He took it in his hand and then scanned it with Divine Sense. His entire body shook.

It was clear that virtually all of the items inside emanated a fresh, new aura. Within that aura could be sensed a bit of Mui.

Shockingly, all of these items… had been personally forged by Mui during the past two months.

Even as his allocated lifespan reached its end, he had spared no effort to refine all of these objects for his son. Embodied here was the love of a father for his child; after all, of the items had been refined with his own life force.

When Naruto spoke, his voice was not carefully controlled like it had been before. As of this moment, he had forgotten about Muku. This time… the words came up from the depths of his heart. He was so moved by Mui, so envious of this life, felt so many complex thoughts and emotions, that all he could do was look up and softly murmur, "Dad…."

"Stop acting like a little kid," said Mui, the love in his eyes growing even deeper. "Concentrate wholeheartedly on your cultivation. It's a good thing! I just wish… that you had started acting like this a bit sooner.

"Alright, go. The Demon Immortal Temple opens in three days. If you can get some of what you want, then it won't have been in vain that I got them to open it for you." He gave Naruto a deep look.

Naruto bowed his head, then clasped his hands. Clutching the beastskin bag in his hand, he left, taking his melancholy and other complex emotions with him.

As he watched Naruto leave, Mui's face was no longer ruddy, but pale white. More wrinkles appeared, and the death aura surrounding him grew stronger. It seemed as if his flame of life could be snuffed out at any moment.

"Muku, your father can't be with you forever. Soon… you'll have only yourself to rely on…. I hope that you can learn to be a bit more sensible…." Mui only continued to grow older. Originally, his Cultivation base had nearly limitless longevity. However, Lord Asura had returned the Heavenly life to the masses. In the end, all life would wither and die. As for Mui, he had existed for a very, very long time. Currently, he was running out of energy to continue existing.

Actually, he should have withered up and died many years ago. However, because of his concern for Muku, he continued to endure. Eventually, though he found that, no matter how much he wanted to continue on, he wouldn't be able to do so for much longer.

"Lord Asura, I will respect your decision. However… are you sure it is the correct one? If we powerful experts do not have limitless life, then what we are cultivating is not longevity. In that case, what is the end purpose of it all?" Mui sighed and closed his eyes. However, only a moment passed before they opened again. Exhaustion could be seen within, but also, a bright glow, like the last flickering of a bright fire before it went out.

"Now is not the time for me to close my eyes. Before returning to the dust, I need to finish refining that true lifesaving treasure for Muku. I've been working on it for years, and only have a bit more work left…. Once it's complete, then even if he hasn't successfully refined the Soul Divergence Incantation, even nine Tribulations couldn't kill him. In fact, it might even help him to finish cultivating the Soul Divergence Incantation!"

After returning to his own Immortal's cave, Naruto saw that Hinata was still sitting there meditating, silently focusing on cultivating enlightenment. Naruto sat down and glanced around at the extravagant decorations on the walls of the Immortal's cave.

After a long time passed, he looked down at the beastskin bag. It actually wasn't very heavy, but for some reason, in Naruto's hands, it felt very heavy indeed. What truly filled the bag wasn't actually magical items, but rather, a father's love for his son.

It contained his very life, and the truest of his feelings.

Finally, Naruto sighed. He closed his eyes and thought once again about his own father and mother, and the vague images of them that still existed within his memories.

Time passed. Three days were gone in the blink of an eye.

The echoing of bell tolls could be heard throughout the entire Demon Immortal Sect. Countless disciples, awoken from their sleep, flew out of their residences. All of them were astonished, and wanted to know what was going on. What they found was that in mid-air above the Demon Immortal Sect, pulsating, multicolored lights had suddenly appeared.

Rays of light spread out in all directions, covering the sky. The light made the three inverted mountains which hung up above to be even clearer.

As the light grew more intense, innumerable Cultivators appeared on the seven peaks of the Demon Immortal Sect. All of them were shaken inwardly. Some were old veterans of the Sect, whose expressions slowly began to change, as if they had suddenly recalled something. Their eyes filled with disbelief.

The bright glow lasted for a full quarter of an hour. Then, in the very center of the glow appeared an enormous fissure. It looked like a huge mouth with no beginning or end. The instant it appeared, a shocking rumbling sound echoed out as a glowing, bronze temple slowly emerged from within the fissure.

Each level of the temple had four iron chains stretching out into the air. There were a total of 99 levels, and therefore, nearly four hundred iron chains. Anyone who laid eyes on such a shocking scene would definitely be left astonished.

In the blink of an eye, the enormous temple had emerged. Rumbling echoed out in all directions and the ground quaked. The bronze temple slowly lowered down from the sky, growing larger and larger, until it seemed to blot out the sky above. Even though it was early morning, it almost seemed like the dead of night.

Finally, the enormous temple descended toward a spot between the Fourth and Third Peaks, directly above… the deep pit, which according to legend, housed the great Demon Divinity that protected the entire Sect.

It did not touch down onto the land, but rather, hovered up above. A huge shadow filled the sky above the Demon Immortal Sect. The temple appeared to be above the deep pit, but that was actually only the center location. In reality… if you looked at it from a distance, the temple seemed to cover the entire Demon Immortal Sect.

Beneath the darkness of the temple was not just the deep pit, but all seven peaks and the lands around them!

All of the Demon Immortal Sect disciples were panting and staring numbly.

Shockingly, on the 1st level of the temple was a huge bronze door covered with carvings of countless auspicious beasts, which emanated an archaic and primordial will.

The gigantic temple was shocking to the extreme. Compared to its huge size, the Cultivators below were nothing more than ants. Even the seven peaks looked like children in comparison.

It was at this point that seven suns, each one a different color, flew out from the seven peaks. As they slowly flew up into the air, the disciples in the Demon Immortal Sect all dropped to their knees to kowtow.

Within these seven suns sat seven cross-legged figures. They… were the seven Paragons of the seven peaks!

Within the fourth sun was none other than Mui.

As the seven Paragons flew up into the sky, each one raised a hand and pointed toward the bronze temple. Instantly, a roaring sound could be heard as the huge bronze door on the 1st level suddenly… opened slightly!

Although the door only opened a crack, this temple was enormous. What appeared to be only a tiny sliver was actually three hundred meters wide!

The deep voice of the Seventh Peak Paragon suddenly rang out, "The Demon Immortal Temple has opened. In total, there are 99 levels. There is a chance on every level to acquire one of the 3,000 Daoist magics. Every ten levels, there is a chance to get one of the top 100. In the higher levels, there is even a chance to acquire Daoist magics from the top 10! The 70th, 80th, and 90th levels all provide that chance!

"If you pass the 99th level… you may select any of the top 10 Daoist magics, with the exception of the Mountain and Sea Scripture!

"Every time the temple is opened, it requires a vast consumption of Sect resources. Today, all of you will have a chance. Whichever of you has good luck, will be able to acquire good fortune." The voice echoed throughout the entire Demon Immortal Sect. As it faded away, a deathly silence spread out among the million disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect.

It only took a moment, though, before an incredible commotion exploded out.

"The Demon Immortal Temple…. Is that the Demon Immortal Temple? Heavens! It's… it's huge!"

"That's the most important temple in the First Heaven of the Demon Immortal Sect. It's a precious treasure of the same level as the Mountain and Sea Scripture!"

Amidst the rise and fall of conversation, there was a female Cultivator who stood on the Fifth Peak, her fists clenched tightly. It was none other than Karin, her eyes shining with determination and wild joy.

"I never thought that there would be such good fortune this time!" she thought. "The Demon Immortal Temple has actually appeared in this period of time!" Her eyes glowed with stubborness.

At the same time, a middle-aged man stood at the foot of the Seventh Peak. He was an Inner Sect disciple honor guard in charge of Outer Sect disciples. He stood, looking up at the enormous Demon Immortal Temple up in the sky, his hands clasped behind his back and a strange light gleaming in his eyes.

"I thought my good fortune would be restricted to the gains in the Seventh Peak, and that it would be difficult to acquire at that. But now that the Demon Immortal Temple has appeared, my chances have improved quite a bit!" This middle-aged man was the same person Naruto had been looking for: Patriarch Hashirama.

Throughout the Demon Immortal Sect, Itachi, Ino, and the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were all shaken. It didn't matter if they were from the Eastern Lands, the Northern Reaches, the Southern Domain, or the Black Lands. All of them were astonished.

Amongst their number was an Inner Sect disciple from the Third Peak. He was a young man who up until this moment had spent his time bowing obsequiously to everyone around him. However, in the blink of an eye, he suddenly stood ramrod straight. Within his eyes flickered a bright glow, and an aura that almost seemed to contain the will of a monarch flickered out from his body.

This young man was from the Northern Reaches, and was of the Imperial Bloodline Clan!

He was not the only such blazing sun within the Demon Immortal Sect. There were others, all of whom suddenly rose up with lofty wills.

One of them was on the Sixth Peak. It was a young woman who shockingly wore the robes of a Conclave disciple. Other than Naruto, she had a higher position than anyone else from the Southern Domain.

She blinked a few times as she looked over toward the Fourth Peak and the Demon Immortal Temple. Then she smiled.

"Naruto really does have some pretty good luck. He found the corpse of one of the Elite Disciples, and in the few months before Mui passed away in meditation at that.

"For the Demon Immortal Temple to appear in this Second Plane of limitless possibilities is nothing strange. It's just like the real world. After all, with the Night Demon in existence, Heaven and Earth can create something from nothing. Even the traitorous Lord Hebi was rather frightened."

Naturally, this woman was Tsukino.

"The Demon Immortal Temple has been opened!" As the archaic voice of the Seventh Peak Paragon sounded out, thousands of figures instantly flew up into the air toward the temple.

Naruto and Hinata walked out of the Immortal Cave and looked up at the towering temple. Hinata's eyes filled with a glow of determination. She looked down at the jade slip in her hand and chuckled silently.

"I won't be going," she said. "These three hundred Daoist magics are good enough."

Naruto nodded. He knew Hinata's disposition, so he did nothing to try to persuade her to change her mind. He took a deep breath and looked up toward Mui's sun up in the sky. He could see the silhouette of the ancient man he had spoken with only three days before. After a moment of silent contemplation, his eyes flickered with decisiveness.

"Whether it's for me or for Mui, I'm going to go absolutely all out!" His body flickered as he flew up into the air toward the Demon Immortal Temple that had been opened especially for him. Up above, the figures in the seven suns, the seven Paragons, all looked at Naruto.

Within Mui's eyes could be seen hope as he watched Naruto disappear into the temple.

At the same time, more and more figures flew up and entered. In a very short period of time, more than 100,000 people had entered the 1st level of the Demon Immortal Temple.

Down below were even more people who chose just to watch. Since they only had this one chance, they decided to first observe for a while to see if they could derive any benefits.

"Back in the Sect, there's a detailed description of the Demon Immortal Temple," thought Tsukino. "The temple doesn't test the level of one's Cultivation base, nor the quality of one's latent talent. What it tests is a person's overall battle prowess.

"The level of difficulty is the same for every person, regardless of the level of their Cultivation base. A Cultivator in the Chakra Condensation stage and an Immortal would both have the same chance. Each participant will face different opponents, based on their own strength.

"I'm curious how far that brat Naruto will get. What level will he reach?" Tsukino didn't immediately enter the temple. As far as she was concerned, while it was shocking enough to shake Heaven and Earth, at the same time, it wasn't something very important to her.

Her main purpose here was not to seek out Daoist magic. No, she was here… for the number one battle body of the Demon Immortal Sect, that which could shake the Ninth Mountain and Sea… the Demon Immortal Body!

Regardless of past times or present, the Demon Immortal Body was incredible and illustrious. In fact, Lord Asura possessed such a body in the past. According to hearsay, if one wished to acquire the Mountain and Sea Scripture, one had to possess the Demon Immortal Body!

Tsukino made her decision. "When the matter with the temple is over, I'll go find that brat!"

Outside the Demon Immortal Temple, a million Cultivators scattered to the area outside of the various mountain peaks. That was the only place where they could view its exterior.

A million disciples formed a ring around the temple, which they all stared at fixedly.

What they saw was nearly a 100,000 bright dots of light appear on the 1st level of the temple. They were densely packed together, and each one represented a disciple of the Demon Immortal Sect.

"I wonder what it's like inside?" murmured a Conclave disciple from the First Peak as he looked at the dots of light.

Similar questions were going through the minds of all the disciples who were watching the Demon Immortal Temple.

However, before they could put much thought to it, roughly half of the 100,000 dots of light suddenly vanished. A moment later, tens of thousands of Cultivators were ejected out into the air, blood spraying from their mouths as they tumbled backward.

There were even some who were knocked completely unconscious.

The sight immediately caused everyone to gasp. However, at the same time, a dot of light appeared on the previously dark 2nd level!

"Someone made it past the 1st level!"

"How much time has passed? Someone already made it past the 1st level!" The buzz of conversation filled the air.

Karin's pupils constricted as she watched on silently.

Itachi was also in the crowds of people, frowning.

The young man from the Northern Reaches stood there, his eyes glittering brightly. Generally speaking, Lands of Ninshu Cultivators would not be the first ones to rush into the Demon Immortal Temple. Most would wait on the outside to observe.

After the first person made it to the 2nd level, gradually, more lights began to appear. All of the observers settled their Chakra and calmed their minds as they focused completely on the proceedings.

Some, feeling confident in their ability and experience, decided to enter the temple.

When Naruto entered the 1st level of the temple, the first thing he saw was a land covered in blackness. The reek of blood wafted through the air, as if he were standing on some ancient battlefield.

Looking around, he suddenly noticed that the air up ahead was rippling. Ten figures appeared, all of them blurry and unclear. However, their Cultivation bases were all at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage.

The ten figures emanated a raging killing intent as they charged toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered, and suddenly he laughed as he realized what was being tested in the Demon Immortal Temple. As the ten figures neared, he did not retreat, but instead shot forward to meet them.

Rumbling echoed out as Naruto transformed into a green smoke. All it took was a fist or a finger attack. The ten great circle Nascent Soul figures were incapable of fighting back. In the blink of an eye, they were destroyed.

All of it lasted only the space of five breaths, and ten opponents were slaughtered.

Next, however, black smoke began to rise up from their bodies. It seethed and churned, forming together into one single pitch-black figure. He wore a long black robe, and a black mask. His black hair floated up into the air, and an aura emanated out from him that caused Naruto's pupils to constrict.

Even more shocking was that although this man also had a Cultivation base at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, it was completely different than those of the figures from before. If you likened those figures to fierce dogs, this man was a lone wolf.

He eyed Naruto coldly, then suddenly raised his hand up. Shockingly, a mountain appeared above his hand.

The instant the mountain appeared, Naruto recognized it. This was the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

Next, the mountain vanished, and the man appeared directly in front Naruto. A palm strike descended. Naruto's eyes flickered; it was as if he saw a mountain rushing directly toward him.

"A great circle Nascent Soul expert from ancient times!" Naruto's eyes shone with the desire to do battle. Any of the items inside the beastskin bag he carried could instantly wipe out this expert. However, Naruto just couldn't make himself use the items given to him by Mui on the 1st level.

Without even entering the Second Anima, he struck out with his fist. He wanted to use this opportunity to test out exactly how strong or weak he was compared to a person of the same stage as himself, except from ancient times.

A booming rang out as the two of them fought back and forth. Divine abilities and magical techniques caused multicolored light to explode out shockingly in all directions!

A moment later, the black-robed figure turned and then made a strange writhing movement to appear directly in front of Naruto. Naruto laughed, not retreating, but rather, punching out with full force.

The two of them fought back and forth within the 1st level of the Demon Immortal Temple. After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, an explosion could be heard. The black-robed figure shook and then collapsed into pieces. It transformed into a stream of magical symbols that quickly surrounded Naruto.

Naruto panted a bit, and his eyes glinted as if they contained lightning. The battle hadn't lasted for too long, only the time it takes an incense stick to burn. However, during that short time in which he had battled with the illusory figure, he had gone all out with his magical techniques before finally shaking his opponent and eventually destroying him.

Most importantly, Naruto's body was currently as strong as it normally would be in the Third Anima. Were it not for that, he would never have been able to achieve victory while only in the First Anima.

"A powerful Nascent Soul expert from ancient times. Incredible!" Naruto took a deep breath as he looked at the magical symbols floating around him.

There were thousand of them, flickering between lightness and darkness, emanating fearsome pressure. In the blink of an eye, one of the magical symbols rushed toward Naruto.

It was as if the symbol had chosen him; eyes flickering, Naruto did nothing to evade the incoming symbol, but rather, allowed it to fuse into his body. Gradually, it transformed into a Daoist magic.

"Demonfire?" Naruto took some time to feel it out. This art was not one of the three thousand Daoist magics, but rather, a simple, miscellaneous technique.

Well, it could be called simple as far as the Demon Immortal Sect was concerned. However, if you revealed such a magical technique to the Sects of the lands of Lands of Ninshu, even this simple Demonfire would be incredible and extraordinary.

A strange glow appeared in Naruto's eyes. He closed them thoughtfully for a moment, and when they opened, they shone with enlightenment. It was an enlightenment that had nothing to do with the Demonfire technique, but rather, this examination as a whole.

"This examination is different for every person, based on the level of their Cultivation base. The difficulty will be the same for everybody!"

"If I were in the Dao Seeking stage, then I would have faced ten Dao Seeking experts…. Actually, my true prize from the 1st level is not the Demonfire technique, but rather… a look into how the Mountain Consuming Incantation is used!

"I never realized that the incantation could be utilized in such a way." With that, his body flashed as he headed toward the 2nd level.

Even as Naruto stepped into the 2nd level, the disciples surrounding the Demon Immortal Temple were all observing with rapt attention. All of them had looks of determination in their eyes.

In order to acquire the good fortune that lay within the Demon Immortal Temple, what was required had nothing to do with Cultivation base, but actually, destiny!

By now, everyone could see that more than half of the remaining dots of light from the 1st level had already vanished and reappeared on the 2nd level. There were even few that had reached the 3rd level.

The greatest cause for envy among the Demon Immortal Sect disciples, however, was that there were more than ten dots of light on the 5th level.

The scene caused the hearts of the observers to seethe with excitement. Quite a few finally decided to enter the temple themselves.

The young man from the Imperial Clan of the Northern Reaches watched on, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.

"All these illusory people are actually dead. They don't even know that they don't exist. Yet even in an illusory world, their greed can be aroused. How amusing!

"Unfortunately, even if somebody does manage to reach the 99th level, only those of us with living souls can actually acquire good fortune for ourselves!" A bright light glittered in his eyes as he flew up into the air. An air of scorn emanated off of him as he shot toward the Demon Immortal Temple.

Itachi, Ino, and Karin all watched with flickering eyes. They didn't fly out toward the temple. As for the rest of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu, some hesitated, some had looks of decisiveness on their faces.

Hayate's face was pale, and his eyes glowed with an intense light. The identity he had acquired was not that of the Inner Sect disciple he had originally been watching over, but rather, an Outer Sect disciple.

Even the corpse of this Outer Sect disciple had been difficult to come by when the critical moment arrived. Although Naruto had scared off Itachi, in the end, a Cultivator from the Northern Reaches had come to snatch it away.

"The hope of my Tribe rests on me! I WILL acquire some Daoist magic!" Gritting his teeth, Hayate flew up into the air toward the Demon Immortal Temple.

At almost every moment, more disciples flew up from the Demon Immortal Sect to charge toward the temple. As everyone else watched the dots of light on the various levels, Naruto finally ascended to the 2nd.

As soon as he entered the 2nd level, he instantly found himself surrounded by a huge sea. Massive waves rolled across its surface. Crashing sounds could be heard as ten statues rose up from within the waters.

Shockingly, each statue seemed as powerful as the black-robed expert he had just faced up against. Apparently, the difficulty level had just increased by a factor of ten!

Naruto's eyes flickered, exploding with an overflowing will to fight. What he needed right now was an unrestrained, massive battle. He would refine his Cultivation base with fire, temper his fleshly body, making it so that the two worked together in perfect harmony.

As soon as the statues appeared, their eyes opened. An incredible aura blasted out as they shot toward Naruto.

"Second Anima!"

BANG!

Naruto's body expanded and his Cultivation base exploded out. His battle prowess rocketed up, revealing the power of two great circle Nascent Souls. As for his fleshly body, it also exploded up in power. Now that he was in the Second Anima, its strength was comparable to that of the Fourth Anima. He directly shot toward the incoming statues.

The ten statues were incredibly realistic; Demonic Chakra roiled out from them, just barely discernible on their foreheads were totem tattoos.

Roaring sounds exploded out across the sea as the battle raged. It lasted for a little less than an hour. One statue after another was crushed by Naruto's Second Anima attacks. Their magical techniques landed onto a body that was comparable to the Fourth Anima, and were completely blocked.

When the last statue exploded into pieces, the seawater which had formed them rose up into the air and formed together into a shocking, enormous mountain peak!

The mountain was the color of the sea. This was a sea mountain, and when it appeared, it shone with brilliant, colorful light as it smashed down toward Naruto.

The mountain neared and the wind raged. A crater-like depression appeared in the seawater below. Naruto's hair whipped about, along with his robes. He looked at the descending sea mountain, and his eyes filled with a strange light.

"The Mountain Consuming Incantation again?"

Circulating cross-legged in the air around the Demon Immortal Temple was the Paragon of the Fourth Peak of the Demon Immortal Sect's First Heaven, Mui. White hair swirled around him, and his eyes shone with a radiant glow.

He seemed to be in high spirits; however, far back within the recesses of his eyes was an imperceptible exhaustion and ancientness. No aura of death emanated out from him; however, deep within his heart existed a sea of death.

Outsiders could not observe what was happening within the Demon Immortal Temple. Even the seven Paragons couldn't sense the ripples of what was happening. However, all of them were well aware of why the Demon Immortal Temple had been opened this time.

Their gazes swept over the temple, and, although they could not see what was happening inside, based on the aura coming from the dots of light, it was possible for them to determine who was who.

Mui was watching the 2nd level, and his eyes shone with determination.

"Muku, your father can only do this much for you…."

In addition to the seven Paragons, the rest of the disciples in the Demon Immortal Sect's First Heaven were all congregated around the temple. One by one, the disciples flew up to enter the temple. Everything was in a great commotion. A few moments later, a dot of light appeared on the 7th level, leading to an outburst of discussions.

Naruto had no way to know about any of this. He was still on the 2nd level, looking at the enormous mountain formed of seawater that was hovering in mid-air. A bright glow shone from his eyes as the mountain shot toward him. He leaped upward, not in evasion, but rather, relying completely on the Second Anima, he charged in attack.

A massive boom rose up into the air. Naruto didn't destroy the mountain, but rather pierced inside of it.

Rumbling filled the seawater mountain, and countless ripples spread out, as if to seal Naruto inside. As the ripples surrounded him, he suddenly closed his eyes.

Then he waved both arms out in front of him. A boom filled the sea mountain as it exploded apart. Naruto shot out from within, his face pale, but his eyes shining with a strange light.

"Mountain Consuming Incantation…." he said, panting a little. By this point, Naruto could tell that if you looked at the enlightenment of the Mountain Consuming Incantation in terms of percentage, then he had mastered roughly five percent.

As the sea mountain fell apart, no magical technique appeared. Naruto looked up as a beam of soft light appeared up in the air in front of him. A mere glance and he understood that this dazzling light was the entrance to the 3rd level.

As the light neared, he shot up into the air. He entered the void, and when everything became clear, he was in the 3rd level.

The moment he appeared, a towering sea of flames could be seen, as well as ten enormous figures. Naruto shot out from within the flames, his eyes glittering.

"Third Anima!"

BOOM!

His fleshly body expanded and his Cultivation base began to transform. The power of four great circle Nascent Souls instantly exploded out from within him. Fearsome and intense power roared up from him, especially from his fleshly body, as he strode forward.

4th level. 5th level. 6th level….

Without hesitation, Naruto charged up all the way to the 7th level. By this time, he was in the Fourth Anima.

In the outside world, there were simply too many people participating in the event, so few people noticed Naruto's dot of light moving up. Most were focused on the 10th level.

There was only one dot of light there, attempting to break through.

At the moment, just about all of the disciples' eyes were focused there. Their eyes shone brightly as they watched to see what transformations might occur if the 10th level were passed.

After all, the Demon Immortal Temple had 99 levels, and every 10th level gave a chance at one of the top 100 Daoist magics. Any one of those could be considered a shocking magical technique, enough to cause anyone's heart to pound.

That was especially true for the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu. They were completely focused on the 10th level, even more so than the other disciples from the Demon Immortal Sect. Ino and Itachi, the Hebi Clan, the Namikaze Clan, the Cultivators from the Eastern Lands and the Northern Reaches, all those who had not entered the Temple were observing closely.

Time passed. Apparently, the 10th level was quite difficult. The Cultivator who was there still had not broken through. With the exception of Mui and Karin, few people had noticed that there was one particular dot of light that had just disappeared from the 7th level and then appeared in the 8th. Then it was in the 9th.

Finally… everyone gaped, and their stares focused even more intently on the 10th level, because…. Suddenly, another dot of light had appeared there!

A second dot of light was now in the 10th level!

Of course, it was Naruto.

"Who's that…?"

"Who could that be? Whoever it was that just entered the 10th level, no one was paying much attention to him before!"

As the buzz of conversation filled the air, all gazes focused on the dot of light that represented Naruto.

Meanwhile, back in the 10th level, a golden glow filled the area. The sky was gold, the land was gold. Everything was the color of gold. Ten swords sped toward Naruto from all directions, filled with shocking power.

These ten swords exploded with the power of Spirit Severing. They were matchlessly brutal, and their killing intent rose to the Heavens.

In the moment before the ten swords reached him, Naruto's pupils constricted and he unhesitatingly cried, "Sixth Anima!"

BOOM!

His Cultivation base shot up and his fleshly body exploded with power. His battle prowess was now equivalent to thirty-two great circle Nascent Souls. As for his body, it was now more powerful than the Seventh Anima. According to Naruto's speculations, the level of power it now reached was equivalent to an Eighth Anima!

Such shocking power, especially when it was all synthesized together, made it so that Naruto could now attack with roaring power equivalent to the Seventh Anima.

Naruto unleashed divine abilities, one of which made a small, illusory mountain appear above his hand. The golden world he was in seemed to transform into a sea of rage, churning and seething.

A moment later, ghost images sprang up from the ten swords. The golden glow that filled the world swept toward them, changing the ghost images into something like a black hole that seemed capable of swallowing all light. All the light in the world was sucked in, leaving behind only the swords themselves. Surrounded by a shapeless glow, they slashed down toward Naruto.

Furthermore, they even began to emanate the ripples of a Domain!

Naruto's pupils constricted. The instant the swords began to near him, he unhesitatingly entered the Seventh Anima!

BOOM!

The Seventh Anima exploded out, filling him with sixty-four shocking levels of power. Sounds like cracks of thunder exploded out from Naruto's fleshly body, which did not grow any larger, but rather, more tight. The feeling of an Immortal Devil grew even more intense. In Naruto's judgement, he currently had a fleshly body that was equivalent to a Ninth Anima.

He was only a tiny step away from having a fleshly body that was actually of the Spirit Severing stage!

Naruto moved toward the descending swords and punched.

A huge explosion filled the air, causing everything to tremble and shake. Naruto coughed up some blood as he shot backward. Everything up ahead of him shattered into pieces; at the same time, countless magical symbols flickered out. Three thousand great Daos. Three thousand magical symbols. They swirled around Naruto for a moment before one of them sparkled and shot toward him.

The mark had the appearance of a small mountain. Naruto recognized it as soon as he saw it; this was none other than the Mountain Consuming Incantation which he already had partly gained enlightenment of.

His eyes glittered, and he did nothing to dodge the magical symbol. It neared him and then fused into his body, filling his mind with a roaring sound. Something like the shapes of countless mountain peaks filled his mind. It felt as if he was currently personally observing and emulating hundreds of millions of mountains.

At the same time, the glow of enlightenment filled his eyes. He sat down cross-legged for an hour before opening his eyes. Shockingly, the image of a mountain could now be seen in Naruto's pupils!

His aura also changed. All of the images and memories regarding the Mountain Consuming Incantation merged together into his mind to form a brand mark that was like a seed.

This was a seed of Daoist magic that he could take with him when he left the Demon Immortal Sect's Second Plane!

The appearance of this seed proved that Naruto had achieved initial enlightenment of this art!

"Consume the soul of the mountain, emulate the soul of the mountain; seize the body of the mountain, refine my own body!" Naruto stood up and waved his right hand. Instantly, the illusory shape of a mountain peak burst into being above it. A strange light appeared in his eyes as he looked up and then shot toward a glowing screen up above.

As soon as he touched it, a roaring sound echoed out within his body. He felt as if he were trying to move forward through water, as if there were something pushing back against him. The feeling lasted for the space of a few breaths before he pierced out of his current world. Everything in front of him grew clear, and shockingly, he could see an entire new world in front of him.

This world was an ancient battlefield. The instant he appeared, many of the figures on the battlefield suddenly turned and looked directly at him.

There were several dozen of them, each one a Cultivator. When he saw them, Naruto's pupils constricted. They instantly began to near him, whereupon, without hesitation, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a large amulet which he flung out in front of him.

Booming sounds echoed out, and half of the lands of this entire world quaked. Massive fissures appeared, with Naruto at the center. As they spread out, thundering booms could be heard, and countless bolts of lightning rained down. It was as if the entire world had turned into an armageddon.

Naruto took a deep breath. Although he had anticipated that the amulets given him by Mui would be powerful, now that he could see one in action, he was shaken. The entire world of the 11th level vanished, completely toppled and destroyed. Everything was wreckage; the figures on the battlefield had been transformed into nothing but drifting pieces of ash.

Only Naruto remained behind.

"Force my way to the top?" Naruto blinked, and then a shy expression appeared on his face as he shot toward the 12th level.

12th level. 13th level. 14th level…. Naruto was surrounded by explosions as he proceeded onward. Everywhere he went, he shook Heaven and Earth, and was surrounded by the boundless glow of magical items. Even from the perspective of those on the outside world… it was starting to become obvious what was happening.

All of the disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect watched with wide eyes as, within the space of only a few breaths, a glowing dot rose from the 11th level all the way to the 15th level. Everyone gaped in astonishment.

That was especially true when a glowing aura appeared in the area around the dot, along with the clear, rippling aura of magical items.

"How many… how many magic items does that guy have?"

Amidst the deathly silence, a complaining voice suddenly cried out. It was from none other than the Cultivator from the Northern Reaches: "Who is he? Don't tell me he's one of those Elite Apprentices? But, even if he is an Elite Apprentice, he… he still shouldn't be able to squander magical items like that.

"Just… just how many magical items has he actually used? Cheater! He's cheating!"

What happened next caused everyone to watch on in a daze. The glowing dot on the 15th level, surrounded by a powerful glow of magical items, flickered up to the 16th level.

Next was the 17th level, the 18th level, the 19th level. Incredible amounts of jealousy filled the hearts of the onlookers as the glowing dot finally reached the 20th level before finally stopping. Apparently this level was incredibly hard.

Seeing this, the audience finally breathed sighs of relief. All of them had very conflicting emotions as the sounds of their discussion began to spread out.

"Hey, I said it, didn't I? There's nobody that could last like that for too long. Even if that guy has more magical items, he won't be able to break past the 20th level!"

"Thank goodness he finally stopped. Otherwise how could any of the rest of us measure up to him?!"

Ino and Itachi also secretly sighed in relief. The scene they had just witnessed caused them to be jumpy with fear. It wasn't just them; the others from the lands of Lands of Ninshu felt the same.

And yet, even as everyone was still in the midst of discussing the matter, before they could get to the third sentence in their conversations, a booming sound could be heard from the 20th level. It was so powerful that it echoed outside of the temple.

As the roaring sound echoed out, nearly thirty percent of the 20th level was covered with a magical glow that surrounded Naruto's dot of light. From a distance, the glow seemed boundless!

The scene instantly caused everyone in the area to gasp as a roaring sound filled their minds. All of them seemed to be wondering about the exact same thing.

Just exactly… how many magical items had been detonated to create a glow that encompassed thirty percent of the entire level?

Karin's eyes were wide and her expression was one of complete envy. "It's only because of that awesome dad of his!" she thought.

Mui sat cross-legged in mid-air, a complacent smile on his face as he completely ignored the strange looks on the faces of the other six Paragons.

"Attaboy, Muku! Force your way up to the top. Get to the 90th level for your old man!" Mui almost shouted this out. Even if everyone else knew that cheating was involved, as a father, he couldn't help but be happy as he watched the scene playing out.

In the 20th level, Naruto, tattered and bedraggled, shot backward at high speed. He was surrounded by an enormous shield that glowed with incredible brightness. A host of vicious Heavenly dragons charged him constantly, any one of which was enough to shock Naruto to the core. All of them, though, were blocked by the huge shield.

Unfortunately, the shield was rapidly fading. Naruto's left hand clutched a bag that happened to be filled with Demon Stones. They were similar to Spirit Stones, and were what Naruto was using to sustain the magical treasures and talismans that he was wielding.

Just now he had slipped up, which caused him to almost be buried in a divine ability. Currently, he was in full retreat, at the same time pulling out vast quantities of talismans that he was slapping onto his body.

Boom!

The fading shield once again surged with strength. Immediately, hundreds of layers burst out, then superimposed over each other to block all of the divine abilities that were shooting against him.

Naruto let out a sigh. This shield was the main reason he had been able to charge into this place. Furthermore, of all the magical items and talismans that Mui had refined, this type of shield was what he had created the most of. He has used his own life force to refine such shields; they contained his Chakra, blood, and aura. It was as if he himself were here, protecting Naruto with his magical arts.

Because of this shield, Naruto was able to proceed from one level to next as easily as walking down a level path.

This really was just as the people on the outside has said; cheating. And it was not a small cheat either, but rather, major cheating.

Naruto looked around at the Cultivation bases of the figures around him, and was shocked. He immediately produced a vast quantity of talismans from another bag, which he then tossed forward.

Booming sounds rolled out, and thousands of huge hands appeared in the air, each one of which was thoroughly shocking. They instantly descended downward, sweeping across everything.

The glow of magical items spread out to fill nearly half of the entire 20th level.

As Naruto shoved aside everything, the glowing light of the 21st level began to spread out. At the same time, the magical symbols of the three thousand Daoist magics once again appeared. They swirled around Naruto, after which, a red symbol shot toward Naruto.

As soon as it touched his forehead, his mind filled with a roaring sound. An ancient voice filled his mind.

"Daylight Incantation!"

The voice didn't just echo in Naruto's mind, but rather spread out from within the 20th level of the Demon Immortal Temple to fill the entire Sect. The sound echoed out so that all disciples could hear, filling their minds with shock. Quite a few people began to pant, and their eyes filled with avarice and greed.

"Daylight… Daylight Incantation!"

"Dammit! DAMMIT! He actually got the Daylight Incantation in the 20th level!"

"In the rankings of the 3,000 Daoist magics, the Daylight Incantation is number 31! It's said that if you gain enlightenment, that when you use it, all you have to do is turn your hand over, and the sky will turn dark. Flip your hand back, and it becomes day! He actually got the Daylight Incantation. I can't accept this!"

All of the disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect were completely in a frenzy. Most crazy were those who had arrived from Lands of Ninshu. Ino, Itachi, the Cultivators from the Eastern Lands, the Southern Domain, and the Northern Reaches, all of them were filled with intense longing. None of them were willing to wait any longer. Their bodies flickered as they shot toward the Demon Immortal Temple.

The Hebi Clan, the Namikaze Clan, including Karin, all of them shot up into the air.

It wasn't just them. Many other disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect were no longer willing to just observe. They charged forward, clearly unable to take the intense stimulation caused by Naruto's acquisition.

In the blink of an eye, more than 100,000 people rushed into the Demon Immortal Temple. At the same time, Naruto sat there in the 20th level. Suddenly, a tremor ran through his body, and his eyes opened. The Daylight Incantation was now there in his mind. However, despite being an excellent incantation, it wasn't the Daoist magic that he really wanted.

After a moment of considering, he gave up trying to gain enlightenment. His body flickered as he shot toward the 21st level.

22nd level. 23rd level…. In the amount of time it takes an incense stick to burn, Naruto shot with incredible speed all the way to the 29th level. Everyone watched, hearts burning, hands clenched tightly into fists. Their fury continued to rise, and cries of disbelief began to join together to form an uproar.

"This is definitely cheating!"

"How could he have so many magical items!? How could he move so quickly!? It's almost like he has an endless supply of treasures for each level!"

"This isn't fair!" By now, almost all of the disciples were shouting out. Even more began to charge toward the temple. However, people continued to be ejected out from within. There were at least ten empty levels between Naruto and his nearest competition.

One of the Cultivators from the Eastern Lands, who had met with failure on the 7th level, was filled with frustration and shouted, "Let's go break open the temple and drag that guy out! The Demon Immortal Temple is for everyone! We demand fairness!"

However, even as the fury of the crowd raged, the light of magical items completely covered the 29th level, where Naruto was currently. Most outrageous was that the glow of treasures directly reappeared on the 30th level.

Then, after the space of only seven or eight breaths. The 30th level… was passed!

The sky in the 30th level suddenly took on a bizarre appearance. Seven enormous statues appeared, each of which had three heads and six arms. They were completely ferocious in appearance. A voice that seemed to echo out from the netherworld with Heavenly might suddenly filled the entire land.

"Our Daoist magic, Dao of Seven Bodhisattvas!"

As soon as the voice echoed out, the eyes of the disciples outside of the Demon Immortal Temple went completely red as their madness increased. The Dao of Seven Bodhisattvas was a divine ability ranked number 67 in the 3,000 Daoist magics of the Demon Immortal Sect.

It was an art completely and thoroughly shocking. Anyone who gained enlightenment could advance by leaps and bounds and move beyond the bounds of mortality.

"This isn't fair!" cried the Cultivator from the Northern Reaches. More and more people were becoming enraged.

"This is incredibly unfair!"

"The Demon Immortal Sect is fair and upright! Kick that guy out!"

However, even as their voices rose up, Mui looked coolly down at them and gave a light snort. The sound descended, turning into what sounded like Heavenly Thunder. Blood sprayed from the mouths of everyone present, especially that Cultivator from the Northern Reaches. His soul shuddered on the verge of collapse, and his face filled with astonishment. He suddenly looked up toward the seven Paragons in mid-air.

Mui's archaic voice echoed coldly throughout the Sect: "If anyone else talks crap, they'll be kicked out of the Sect."

Everything went completely silent. When a Paragon spoke, no one would dare to offer retort. However, everyone was still suspicious as to why Mui, who usually paid little attention to outside matters, would suddenly open his mouth now.

Time passed. The 10th level of the Demon Immortal Temple seemed to be a line of demarcation that ninety percent of participants couldn't pass. Of the few who were actually able to pass it, the 20th level was the second line of demarcation. Only 15 people had managed to force their way past that point.

As for the 30th level, currently… only Naruto had made it that far.

As time passed, the majority of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu experienced defeat. Itachi was stopped at the 9th level, after which he emerged, pale faced and wounded.

In his attempt to pass the 9th level, he had employed all of the hidden techniques he possessed, and yet had still failed. Now, he could only grudgingly admit the vast difference between himself and the Cultivators from ancient times.

As for Hayate, he wasn't even able to get past the 5th level.

Ino was one of the few who made it to the 10th level before meeting defeat, unable to acquire the good fortune of one of the top 100 Daoist magics.

Among the group from Lands of Ninshu, including those from the Hebi and Namikaze Clans, only three people were able to make it past the 10th level.

One was Karin, the second was Patriarch Hashirama and the third was the young man from the Imperial Bloodline Clan of the Northern Reaches. These three managed to make it past the 10th level, but were stopped at the 11th.

Unable to proceed, they were forced to accept defeat and leave.

At the moment, Naruto's dot of light went onward, surrounded by the glow of magical treasures, all the way to the 40th level.

When he reached the 40th level, an archaic voice could be heard. The crowds outside of the Demon Immortal Temple were now jealous to the extreme and filled with incredible discontent. However, none of them dared to give voice to vent their feelings.

If looks could kill, though, then the 40th level would have long since been reduced to nothing but wreckage.

By this point, all of them could hardly wait to find out who this person was, this damnable cheater who had relied on an inexhaustible supply of magical items to get to the 40th level. It wasn't just the disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect who wondered about this; all of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were also dying to find out.

Although some people had already guessed that it was Muku, there was no way to confirm that. In addition, they didn't dare to give voice to their suspicions.

Right now, regardless of whether the crowds admitted it or were willing to accept it, and despite how many people had entered the Demon Immortal Temple this time, it was now the battlefield of a single individual.

That person's existence caused their gums to itch. On the one hand, they hated him down to their bones, but on the other hand, they envied him to death.

If things went on like this, then perhaps in the end, when they found out that the glowing light was Naruto, there might be an "unforeseen occurrence." Although, at the moment, Naruto had already run into an unforeseen situation on the 40th level.

1,000,000 Demon Stones was gradually proving to be insufficient. After all, Naruto wasn't really Muku. These Demon Stones were only here for him to borrow; he couldn't absorb them. Therefore, he had no qualms about wasting them.

"This isn't gonna work," he thought anxiously. "I'm going to need a few more Demon Stones…."

Currently, his supply was down to only about thirty percent. After reducing the 40th level to ruins, Naruto thought about it from a hundred different directions, and yet couldn't come up with any ideas except for one. He decided to give it a shot. Employing the power of his Cultivation base, he tossed out vast quantities of magical items. Using their glow, he arranged them all to form a string of words.

Close up, you wouldn't be able to make out much. However, from outside the temple, the glow of the magical items filled nearly half of the 40th level. Gradually, a string of twelve words became visible.

"Dad, I don't have enough Demon Stones. Please send a few more."

As soon as the words became visible, the disciples outside of the Demon Immortal Temple gaped in astonishment, especially the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu.

In the blink of an eye, the entire world was filled with deathly silence.

When everyone finally realized the meaning of the words, they were filled with complete astonishment.

"This is beyond belief! Ridiculous!"

"This is bald-faced cheating! He's not even trying to hide it any more! It's infuriating!"

"So someone's going to send more Demon Stones in?! Damned bastard! Who does he think he is? Does he really think that that this instance of the Demon Immortal Temple is entirely for him!?"

The Demon Immortal Sect disciples were panting, and their fury had reached a boiling point.

Most furious of all were the Cultivators from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. Their rage was filled with frustration and vexation. However, they had to admit that they had obviously lost to the people of this long dead, illusory world.

Furthermore, they had lost in a fashion that was virtually impossible to accept.

Karin was the exception. She stood off in the distance covering her mouth to conceal her chuckles. She was almost shaking from laughter, and her eyes had turned into beautiful crescent moons that glowed with beauty.

As for the other six Paragons, they appeared to be a bit embarrassed as they looked over at Mui, wry smiles on their faces.

Mui sat cross-legged in mid-air, staring blankly at the string of words. His expression flickered a few times, and he muttered to himself. Then his body flickered. Under the shocked gaze of hundreds of thousands of Demon Immortal Sect disciples, he flew toward the temple.

"Paragon Mui, what are you…." said one of the other Paragons.

"He's definitely going to punish that guy!" said someone in the crowd. "For someone to cheat so brazenly is something that he can't accept!"

"I'm not sure. All of a sudden I started thinking about Muku…."

As the crowds of disciples hesitated, Mui neared the Demon Immortal Temple. He stopped outside the 40th level, then calmly pulled a bag of holding out from within his robe. Everyone gaped in astonishment as he pushed the bag up against the surface of the temple. Then he pulled out his Paragon's medallion.

Instantly, the bag of holding sank into the temple.

"Keep it up, son," he said with a laugh. "Force your way up to the 90th level for your old man!" With that, he returned to sit cross-legged up in mid-air, completely ignoring all the crowds who were watching him.

After a moment of silence, a huge commotion exploded out.

"It's Muku! Dammit! I knew there was something going on behind the scenes!"

"Not fair! This is brazen cheating! I can't accept this!"

"So, it was Muku all along!" said a First Peak Conclave disciple, gnashing his teeth. "That guy!"

"Only he could have so many magic items," said a Second Peak Inner Sect disciple, his heart filled with madness and jealousy. "He forced his way to the 40th level. This is… it's just…."

"Cheating is one thing," said another disciple. "But how could you be so unabashed about it? He's actually refilling Demon Stones in the middle? Ridiculous!"

The disciples were in an uproar. As for the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators, their hearts were pounding. Quite a few of them had gotten the feeling recently that something fishy was going on with Muku.

That was especially true of those who knew Naruto. Most of those people could tell at a glance that something strange was happening. After all, the matter of Naruto becoming Muku was not a secret among the group from Lands of Ninshu.

Even the people from the Hebi Clan knew. However, for some reason, perhaps because of Guren, the people from the Hebi Clan did not have any excessive amount of killing intent toward Naruto.

Ino could only smile wryly and try to control her ragged breathing. She couldn't think of anything to say. However, her admiration for Naruto had reached the pinnacle.

Itachi's face twisted, filled once with frustration, then fury, and finally, helplessness.

Patriarch Hashirama's pupils constricted. He had long since found out that Naruto was Muku, and had intentionally avoided him. Although his own identity hadn't been revealed, his jealousy toward Naruto had reached a pinnacle, and transformed into flames of rage.

As for Karin, she had a strange expression on her face as she looked at the 40th level. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

The feeling which prevailed in the hearts of the Cultivators from the Eastern Lands, Northern Reaches, Southern Domain, and Black Lands was… helplessness. Facing up against a cheater like this, there was really nothing else that they could feel.

Although many of the Demon Immortal Sect disciples were furious, there were quite a few who spoke out for Naruto. These were the Sect silkpants, and the members of the Demon Entente. Their support for Naruto caused the uproar to grow even more tumultuous.

Amidst the clamor, the Paragon of the Seventh Peak, the old man with the transcendent demeanor, slowly cracked open an eye, let out a cold snort, and then said, "PIPE DOWN!"

The shocking sound caused everything to shake.

Immediately, the disciples of the Sect closed their mouths. Their minds trembled violently.

"The Demon Immortal Temple shouldn't even be opened in this age," continued the old man. "It was arranged today especially for Muku."

There was no further explanation, only this direct statement of fact. However, the minds of everyone present were sent spinning. At the same time, they all were thinking of the same question.

Why did no Elders or even Elite Apprentices appear to enter the temple?

Obviously, the temple had been opened specifically for Muku. There were clearly people in the Sect who already knew that, and thus opted not to participate. Regardless of Elite Apprentice or Elder, if they participated, then they would owe a huge favor to the Fourth Peak.

Everyone watched on silently as the glow of magical items surrounded Naruto on the 40th level. Magical items and talismans were unleashed freely as Naruto shot out from the 40th level.

Another one of the top 100 Daoist magics appeared, causing the crowds outside to smile bitterly. They could only watch Naruto, unable to say anything.

They looked on as the glow of magical items within the Demon Immortal Sect went from the 40th level to the 41st. Then the 42nd, 43rd… it only took a brief moment for it to appear on the 50th level.

Then the 60th….

The entire way, the glow of magical items lit the sky. As everyone watched, they gradually began to grow numb. The exception was at every ten levels, when the Daoist magic was announced, and their hearts filled with madness and envy.

Cheating. And replenishing along the way. What could compare to chicanery like that…?

As for anger, once the Seventh Paragon openly said that the Demon Immortal Temple had been opened specifically for Muku, then who present qualified to be angry…?

Moments later, though, people simply couldn't control themselves, and began to discuss the matter amongst themselves.

"Humph. Even if the Paragons do help each other, cheating to obtain good fortune isn't as good as making progress yourself one step at a time!"

"That's right! Besides, who's to say whether or not he'll be able to get past the 70th level!"

The most frustrated of all were the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu. They were by far the most jealous and also the most angry.

In truth, the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were all cheating. They were like people who went to take a test, but knew what the questions would be ahead of time. But then, they entered the exam room only to discover that someone else had a teacher standing off to the side to help. Well… that sort of feeling was difficult to describe.

The young man from the Imperial Bloodline Clan of the Northern Reaches ground his teeth. "I curse you to die in there!" he thought.

Also in the group from Lands of Ninshu was a young woman. Her face was calm, but her eyes shone with a bright light as she looked at the Demon Immortal Temple.

"My Master told me there was something special about him…." she murmured to herself. "In fact, before coming here, he especially entrusted me to keep my eyes on him. Naruto, what is it about you that's so special my Master would show so much interest in you?" This young woman was none other than the Dao Child of the Blood Demon Sect of Lands of Ninshu, Chino! 1

61st level. 68th level. 69th level!

Naruto was scared out of his mind the entire time. The opponents he faced now were no longer Cultivators, but rather, bizarrely shaped Greater Demons. Some of them were enormous, big enough to squash him to death with a single swipe.

Without his shield, Naruto would have been dead many times over. It was amidst massive roaring sounds that he finally stepped into the 70th level.

Starting with this level, he was guaranteed one of the top 10 Daoist magics if he passed!

The top 10 Daoist magics were shocking in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, even in ancient times. In the modern Cultivation world, they were legends among legends!

As soon as he entered the 70th level, Naruto, before his vision even became clear, he suddenly heard a proud, lofty voice.

As soon as he heard the voice, Naruto gaped. The reason was because this particular voice filled him with a sensation of incredible unreliability.

"Hello, child. You want to pass through here? My Daoist name is Patriarch Reliance. Come, come. Allow the Patriarch to bestow you with some good fortune…."

As the familiar voice echoed in Naruto's ears, he felt as if a gentle wind were blowing him back to those wonderful days in the vicious Reliance Sect.

Within that Sect was a wicked, wretched, duplicitous, unreliable old turtle….

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a dark shadow appear up ahead. At the same time, the sky darkened, and snapping sounds could be heard.

The shield surrounding Naruto began to collapse, and nearly exploded. Then, a screech of pain could be heard, and the area up ahead of Naruto became light once again, revealing… a huge, fierce turtle, retreating at top speed.

The turtle was fully several thousand meters wide, with an anxious expression on its huge face. It then glared fiercely at Naruto.

Shocked, Naruto fell back a few paces as his cracked shield quickly repaired itself. As of this moment, he realized that without the shield, he would currently be crushed inside of that damnable Patriarch Reliance's mouth.

The Patriarch Reliance in his memory was far larger than this turtle in front of him. However, the unreliable appearance, his sneak attack method, and his tone of voice were all exactly the same as the Patriarch Reliance that Naruto knew.

A strange expression appeared on Naruto's face as he looked at this Patriarch Reliance. New hatred piled up in his heart. He thought back to the untold trials and tribulations he had gone through to help Patriarch Reliance, only to be ripped off in the end by the stingy old turtle.

In the end, Patriarch Reliance even tried to eat him! It was only because of the reminder from Guyiding Tri-Rain, and his recitation of the Demon Sealing Scripture, that unreliable Patriarch Reliance was sent running.

"How strange," said Patriarch Reliance, glaring at him. "Something about your expression seems a bit off. Don't tell me you recognize this old Patriarch?" His expression was strange as he looked at Naruto and the shield surrounding him. He gritted his jaw, looking inexplicably hateful.

"The Patriarch hates cheating children more than anything else, and you're obviously a cheater! You, you, you… you dare to try to pass through here with a shield! Bamboozler!"

Naruto backed up a few steps. Looking Patriarch Reliance over carefully, he suddenly said, "Ancient Dao; tenacious desire to seal the heavens…."

After speaking a few words, there was no reaction whatsoever from Patriarch Reliance. In fact, he seemed even more astonished, confused, and curious.

"What the fudge! What are you doing, cursing me?"

Naruto backed up a few more steps, abandoning the Demon Sealing Scripture. After another look at Patriarch Reliance, he suddenly laughed.

The laugh contained a bit of bashfulness; at the same time, a strange light could be seen shining in his eyes. The entire expression caused Patriarch Reliance to tremble with astonishment.

"What the fudge! What gives? What the hell! What kind of fishy thing is going here? Kid, there's something wrong with your expression…."

"Listen, bitch!" cried Naruto, "I'm not just gonna curse you, I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!" Roaring, he leaped up into the air and slapped his bag of holding, causing a vast quantity of talismans to appear.

Every single talisman emanated shocking power, blinding light, and incredible pressure. Patriarch Reliance's eyes went wide.

"Too vicious!" cried Patriarch Reliance, retreating backward at top speed. The feeling he got from the talismans caused his heart to race with fear. Before he could retreat too far, Naruto waved his hand, causing the talismans to ignite. An immense, red glow could be seen, from within which exploded countless Thunder Dragons. Their roars filled the air as they shot toward Patriarch Reliance.

Amidst the echoing booms, Patriarch Reliance shrieked and hollered, dodging back and forth. His rage billowed up, and he was about to say something when Naruto waved his hand again, causing seventy or eighty more talismans to fly out. As they exploded chaotically, the air shook and the ground was torn to pieces. Patriarch Reliance howled and charged toward Naruto's shield.

Naruto clearly had no intention of evading or dodging. He allowed the old turtle to slam into his shield, after which a huge explosion could be heard along with a miserable shriek. Patriarch Reliance immediately tumbled backward, during which time Naruto waved his arm, causing more than a thousand talismans to be hurled out.

These were all talismans personally created by Mui. They needed no direction from Naruto. All he had to do was throw them out, and they would voluntarily transform into divine abilities and Daoist magic. Up above in the air, more than a thousand statues suddenly appeared, all of which instantly dove down toward Patriarch Reliance.

This barrage of attacks had Patriarch Reliance knocked into a daze. He shot backward relentlessly, his shell on the verge of being shattered, his heart filled with astonishment, as howls of rage emitted from his mouth.

"I surrender! The Patriarch surrenders! … Fudge, you're such a cheat! I never cheat like this!"

"I don't accept surrender!" growled Naruto. No matter what was said, he would have his revenge. He waved his hand again, causing another thousand talismans to appear. Bloodcurdling shrieks continued to echo out. Patriarch Reliance trembled as he attempted to flee this way and that. The feeling of frustration in his heart had reached a pinnacle.

"Dammit, DAMMIT!" howled Patriarch Reliance, "Is there a grudge between us?!"

BAM!

Naruto produced several hundred more talismans.

"What did I do to piss you off? Huh? Come on, tell me!" Patriarch Reliance was on the verge of tears. He was incapable of evasion, and could do nothing more than retract his trembling limbs and head into his shell. "I was just born recently, I haven't even grown up yet. How could I have pissed you off?!"

"You haven't pissed me off," said Naruto. "But that doesn't mean you won't piss me off in the future!" He waved his hand again, causing more miserable shrieks to come from Patriarch Reliance.

"Stick your head out of your shell," commanded Naruto, producing another large amassment of talismans and staring at Patriarch Reliance.

"I won't stick my head out even if you beat me to death! You're just a big bully! You're incomparable! You… you're impossible!"

"If I don't bully you now, then you'll bully me in the future!" said Naruto coldly. He produced even more talismans, which he continuously tossed out. Booming filled the air, along with Patriarch Reliance's miserable shrieks. He retreated more, weeping.

His shell was now almost half destroyed, and his body quivered as if from coldness. His head was pulled back tight inside, as if he really refused to stick it out even if he died.

Naruto looked at him, then leaped up onto his shell. He slapped his bag of holding to produce another magical item that Mui had made for him. It was a small blade, seemingly dull, but in fact equipped with a fiercely sharp coldness. Naruto hefted the blade then squatted down and began to carve some words into Patriarch Reliance's shell.

"Naruto's turtle!"

After carving the three words, Naruto patted the turtle shell, then smiled complacently.

"We'll call it quits today. It might be difficult for you, but I hope that in the future you'll remember that you're MY turtle!"

Patriarch Reliance glared at him, clenching his jaw. He knew that Naruto had carved something onto his back, and had long since made an inward determination to pay back this insult.

Naruto stamped his foot and flew up into the air, preparing to move on to the 71st level. However, as soon as he flew into the air, he suddenly seemed to think of something. He looked down just in the moment in which Patriarch Reliance stuck his head out of his shell.

Naruto suddenly smiled, then subconsciously pulled out a talisman. Frightened, Patriarch Reliance retracted his head as fast as lightning, then howled, "Didn't you say that we would call it quits today?! You, you, you… you tricked me!"

Naruto's body flashed and he suddenly appeared directly in front of Patriarch Reliance, who was retracted in his shell. His powerful shield made it so that he wasn't afraid at all of any sort of sneak attack by the turtle.

"I'll let you off this time," said Naruto earnestly, "but I'm still trying to decide whether or not to destroy you to get the reward for this level."

Patriarch Reliance trembled within his turtle shell. He then opened his mouth to spit out golden beam of light that shot toward Naruto. It pierced through the shield, transforming into a magical symbol.

The magical symbol was something that looked like a seed, which emanated colorful light as well as an indescribable pressure. It gave off a feeling of splendor, which instantly caused the rest of the world to grow dark, as if the sky itself had dimmed.

Because it contained a Dao of Heaven and Earth, existing in a place above the natural laws of the world, anyone who cultivated it would have a great Dao!

This was one of the top 10 Daoist magics of the 3,000!

Even in the Demon Immortal Sect, this was truly an incredible and shocking magical technique. Its origin was unclear, and even in ancient times few people understood it clearly.

Naruto took a deep breath as he examined the magic. His heart began to beat out of control. Other than the Soul Divergence Incantation, this was the most powerful Daoist Magic that he had seen in the entire time he had been in this ancient world of the Demon Immortal Sect.

"I wonder what Daoist magic this is?!" he thought.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand to push his finger down into the magical symbol. Instantly, his brain filled with a roaring sound.

The mark required no enlightenment. As soon as his finger touched it, it rushed into his body to his heart, where it transformed into a seed.

This… was the seed of a great Dao, one of the top 10 Daoist magics. It required no enlightenment. In fact, enlightenment was useless. This seed would only sprout in the mind of someone destined to receive it!

If destiny existed between him and this seed, it would always be there. Were there no destiny, then forcing it would be useless!

The illusory seed rapidly transformed into nine parts, seven of which rushed toward his seven nascent souls.

The other two remained in his heart.

The instant the seven seeds made contact with his Nascent Souls, they began to tremble. Shockingly, they rapidly began to solidify from something illusory into something real. It seemed… that Naruto had acquired their approval, and that they had chosen to sprout within him!

Meanwhile, in the outside world, the eyes of all the Demon Immortal Sect disciples were fixed on the glow of magical light on the 70th level of the temple. This was especially true of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu.

Even Mui's expression was one of increased anticipation. As for the other Paragons, they were watching closely as well. All of them knew that this was a chance to get one of the top 10 Daoist magics.

In this moment, the sky above the Demon Immortal Sect suddenly filled with roiling clouds. A red glow filled the lands, and a beam of bright light shot down. As soon as the beam of light appeared, the Seventh Peak Paragon suddenly opened his eyes, which glowed brightly.

"This is…."

The light fell, turning blurry, and then splitting into three parts.

The meaning of such a sign was something that most people wouldn't understand. However, the Paragons present all watched on with serious looks.

Mui began to pant slightly. Any other matter that occurred would not have left him so visibly shaken. However, since it affected Muku, he couldn't help but be moved. His eyes shone with a strange light, and he almost couldn't bring himself to believe that what was happening was true.

The three beams of light split again, turning into nine beams of light. In the blink of an eye, those nine beams of light… shockingly merged together into the form of an enormous figure.

It was a somewhat indistinct figure, but it was still possible to see that it was Naruto's face!

It was like a gigantic, magical image, shocking enough to cause Heaven and Earth to tremble.

Next, the magical image opened its mouth and began to speak with an archaic voice that filled the entire Demon Immortal Sect.

"One bloodline, transformed into three souls. Three souls tempered into nine divinities. Nine divinities refined into my true self. I am… Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!"

In this same instant, for some apparently unfathomable reason, one of the three inverted Demon Mountains hanging up above the Demon Immortal Sect, the mountain which seemed to formed of molten stone… suddenly trembled!

Everyone, including the Seven Paragons and all the disciples, were completely shaken.

Three inverted Demon Mountains. One was completely formed of ice and frost, containing boundless coldness. The second was crimson red like blood, almost like an immense pile of corpses. Between those two was a mountain of molten rock, like fire, that brimmed with the most supreme dignity.

The mountain that was currently trembling was none other than the Demon Mountain of molten stone.

It trembled only slightly, but the incredible rumbling shook the minds and hearts of everyone within the Demon Immortal Sect. The seven Paragons, including Mui, could not be taking the matter more seriously. All of them actually rose to their feet to look at the Demon Mountain.

The rest of the disciples didn't quite understand what was happening, but what they did know was that considering the Demon Mountain was trembling, obviously… whatever was happening inside the Demon Immortal Temple involved Heaven-defying good fortune.

The faces of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu all changed dramatically. Most were filled with mad jealousy, as well as the wish that they could become Muku.

Karin took a deep breath. Although she had been somewhat unsure regarding Naruto's identity, now that she saw the enormous magical sign in the sky, she suddenly realized that he was indeed Muku.

"That little brat…." she thought, a smile brightening her eyes.

Off on the distant mountain peak, Tsukino was panting as she looked up at the Demon mountain of molten rock. Her eyes widened.

"Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao… so it's that art. Just what sort of Heaven-defying lucky opportunity has Naruto come across? He's actually acquired a Daoist magic that has a deep connection to Molten Rock Demon Mountain!"

Everyone had different thoughts and reactions. The one similar thing shared by everyone was intense jealousy and frustration regarding Naruto.

In the moment that the Molten Rock Demon Mountain trembled, a muffled voice spoke out from within it, seemingly from within a seal. Its cadence was odd, and the sound of it echoed out everywhere.

"The Withering Flame Demon Magic once again appears under Heaven. We sealed the unresolved Karma, and cultivated the True Self Dao. Finally, everything will… eee?" The voice suddenly stopped talking in mid-sentence.

After a long moment, a light sigh could be heard from within the Molten Rock Demon Mountain. "Night…."

The sound echoed out throughout this world, causing everyone to feel shocked. Within the Demon Immortal Temple, Naruto's eyes snapped open, and they were filled with a strange light. In his mind, the seed of the Daoist magic was solidified, and would never fade.

This Daoist magic seed was separated into seven strands which were connected to his seven Nascent Souls. Although his Cultivation base had not changed, Naruto felt as if there were something different about it.

Muttering to himself, he rose to his feet and looked down at Patriarch Reliance, who was still tucked away cautiously in his shell, looking out at Naruto. Naruto chuckled.

"Old turtle Reliance, we'll be meeting again in the future. See you later." With a laugh, he shot up toward the descending beam of light.

Just when Naruto was about to touch the beam of light, Patriarch Reliance stuck his head out of his shell and arrogantly shouted, "You're the old turtle! Your whole family are all turtles! Come on! BRING IT! I'll give you some good fortune! Since you came you … AHH!?"

Even in the midst of his self-righteous rant, just when he thought he was able to earn some face back, before he could even finish speaking, Naruto, who was just about to fuse with the glowing light, stopped in place and turned to glance back at him.

That glance caused Patriarch Reliance to start shaking all over. A whizzing sound could be heard as he retracted his neck and head at top speed.

"You damned, perverted cheater!" he grumbled within his shell. "Get outta here…! One of these days, I'm gonna grow up, and then, I'll get my revenge!"

Naruto looked thoughtfully at the several thousand meter wide turtle Reliance, and his eyes lit up.

"The previous generations of Demon Sealers captured this unreliable old turtle to be my Dao Protector. That basically means that they prepared a mount for me. However, after all these years, I still haven't gotten a real mount….

"I wonder what it would feel like to have an old turtle as a mount?" Having reached this point in his train of thoughts, he suddenly began to palpitate with eagerness. After all, he knew that once he got back to the lands of Lands of Ninshu, it would be impossible to further punish the old turtle.

With that, Naruto moved out from within the light and shot back down to stand on Patriarch Reliance's back. The instant that happened, Patriarch Reliance quivered. Inwardly, he was filled with intense regret, and was scared witless. He had no idea what Naruto was planning to do.

"Alright, spit it out," said Naruto with a smile. "Do you admit it or not? You're my turtle!"

Patriarch Reliance remained in his shell, gnashing his teeth. After a long moment of thought, he suddenly realized that this Naruto had suddenly begun to emit an enormous and terrifying aura. It was obvious that he had produced another vast quantity of talismans.

On the verge of going mad, Patriarch Reliance, feeling even more in the wrong, shouted, "I admit it! I admit it, alright? You big bully! I'm… I'm just a tiny little turtle, that's all! You'll, you'll, you'll… you'll get what's coming to you!"

"As long as you admit it, then I'm happy," said Naruto, finding a comfortable position and sitting down. He still held all of the talismans in his hand. "Now, let's go. Take me out of the 70th level!"

Patriarch Reliance stood stock still, stunned. No matter what he had imagined, he could never have predicted that Naruto would make such a demand. Even as he stood there stupefied, Naruto tossed out the talismans.

When they landed on Patriarch Reliance, a huge booming echoed out. Divine abilities and magical techniques shook everything. The sky above was rent, and Patriarch Reliance let out a miserable shriek and instantly began to move at top speed.

"Yeahhhh, that's the right attitude," laughed Naruto. "Come, come. Fly up into the air!" He held talismans in his hand like a whip. Beneath him, the turtle was like a little pony, completely under his control. Patriarch Reliance was on the verge of tears as he carried Naruto up toward the bright light.

He felt intense regret. He regretted his own courting of death. Just when his opponent had been about to leave, he had to shout out those last few words. The result… was that the damned, inhuman creature had returned for him.

Filled with a feeling of maltreatment, Patriarch Reliance let out a venting roar as they fused into the light. In the blink of an eye, both of them vanished.

When they reappeared, they were in the 71st level.

On the outside world, everyone, including Mui and even Tsukino, stared, dumbfounded at the 71st level.

In addition to the glowing dot which represented Naruto, they could also see an additional, massive glow that looked like… the outline of a turtle.

Soon, it became apparent that Naruto was riding the turtle.

The Demon Immortal Sect disciples seemed to be on the verge of going insane.

"How could there be a turtle in there?"

"That turtle is huge! It must be several thousand meters wide! Dammit! DAMMIT! Muku has gone way overboard. He's a cheater? Fine. He has an incredible dad? Okay. But, but, but… but how could he cheat even more WITHIN his cheating!?"

"What exactly does he think he's going to accomplish with such a gigantic turtle?!"

Even more in a frenzy were the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu. Their organs almost seemed to be on the verge of exploding out of their bodies, and their expressions filled with intense envy and jealousy. The jealousy even turned into hatred, filling them with very complex feelings.

"Patriarch Crow Divinity sure lives up to his reputation…." thought Hayate with a bitter smile. He looked at the 71st level and sighed.

Itachi's hands were clenched tightly into fists, and his eyes brimmed with frustration and, even more so, helplessness.

Ino could only blink, completely at a loss for words regarding Naruto. His current actions overlapped with the deep impression he had left on her years ago; it suddenly gave her the intense premonition that, in the future, he would have limitless possibilities.

"Relying on his status and the power of his Clan? Could he piss me off any more?" said the young man from the Imperial Bloodline clan of the Northern Reaches. "Even more brazen, he is riding such an enormous turtle as a mount! That's only because the identity he got has a great dad! Dammit!" Usually, it was other people in the Northern Reaches who had such thoughts about him. This was the first time in his life that he had ever felt jealous of another person.

However, at the moment, he had no choice but to admit that he felt intense jealousy toward Naruto, and even felt as if what was happening was unfair.

Mui cleared his throat and looked at the other six Paragons. He made no attempt to explain, and was in fact also somewhat puzzled. At the same time, though, he was quite happy.

Even as everyone watched on with complicated emotions, Naruto and the giant turtle were surrounded by the glow of magical items. They rose up from the 71st level to the 72nd. Then the 73rd, and the 74th….

When they reached the 80th level, all of the disciples in the Demon Immortal Sect, including the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu, felt their hearts tightening. What they were thinking about wasn't whether or not Naruto would be able to pass this level. Instead, they were wondering about what good fortune he would seize as he did.

To watch with their own eyes as someone seized all of the good fortune that they had dreamed about for their entire lives was truly driving them mad.

If Naruto were doing by means of his own skill, then it would be one thing. In that case, at least they could console themselves in some way. But instead, he relied on his identity, and cheating, to the extent that they almost coughed up blood.

"I refuse to accept this!" said one of the Hebi Clan members through gritted teeth, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

Similar reactions could be seen in both the Hebi and Namikaze Clans, with the exception of Karin. The sizable group of Cultivators from other areas in the Eastern Lands were the same. In the end, it didn't matter what they were thinking, though. They could do nothing to prevent the blinding glow they currently saw on the 80th level.

Inundated by that glow of magical items, the 80th level seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Everyone could just barely make out the image of the turtle charging around violently. A moment later, a boundless glow shone out from the 80th level, along with an incredible roaring sound. An ancient, undulating voice began to speak, its cadence odd, its pace neither quick nor slow.

"Since you have passed the 80th level of the Demon Immortal Temple, you shall be bestowed with one of the top 10 Daoist magics… Nine Heavens Destruction."

This voice caused everyone to stare blankly, not because of the ancientness of the voice, but rather, because of the voice's manner of speaking.

Tsukino's eyes went wide, and she began to pant, a look of disbelief written on her face.

"That's…."

The seven Paragons, including Mui, all stood up. Their expressions all changed, even more so than they had when the previous Demon Mountain had been shaken.

The suns around them trembled and distorted. Clearly, they had been thoroughly shaken by the appearance of this voice.

"That's…."

"That's the voice of Lord Asura!"

The Seven Paragons instantly began to grow even more shocked.

"The voice of Lord Asura!"

"Impossible! Lord Asura is sleeping! If he had woken up, then the three Demon Mountains would immediately shine for tens of millions of meters in all directions, and the two Holy Lands would be unsealed. Everyone would know, and all the experts in the Ninth Mountain and Sea would come to offer their respects!"

"This isn't Lord Asura, but it's definitely his voice? But why?"

"Something about the voice seems off… as if it's weak?"

As everyone in the outside world was astonished, in the 80th level of the Demon Immortal Temple, everything was collapsing. Naruto sat cross-legged on top of Patriarch Reliance. Up ahead of him was a violet-colored mark that flickered with violet light.

As the light spread out, the collapsing world grew silent, and everything stopped moving.

The voice echoing about in the outside world could also be heard around Naruto, and its source… was none other than the violet mark in front of him.

The top 10 Daoist magics didn't require enlightenment, just good luck. After acquiring one of them, if destiny called for it, it would become a seed of Daoist magic. If there was no connection, no amount of pleading would do any good.

Naruto raised up his right hand silently. As soon as it touched the violet mark, a tremor ran through his body. The violet mark fused through his finger into his body. Then, it magically appeared in his mind, transforming into an illusory scene.

Within that scene, he could see a vague figure lifting its hand up. As it lifted its hand up, a first Heaven arose. Another wave of a hand caused it to split into two, forming two Heavens.

In the end, there were nine. Nine Heavens Destruction. All things become ancient.

"You have a destiny that is connected to this magic. I deliver this Dao to you…. It complements the Withering Flame Demon Magic…. I've been waiting a long time. Could it be that you're the one I've been waiting for? Come. Pass the 99 levels. Pass the three mountains. Pass the two lands. If you can come to stand in front of me… if you can win my approval… then you… are my successor." When Naruto opened his eyes, the voice seemed to continue to echo in his ears. His eyes were filled with blankness, but they quickly grew clear.

Within his mind, the violet symbol transformed into the seed of a great Dao. However, it was rough, unrefined. Naruto would need to continue to contemplate it before being able to unleash it fully.

As he opened his eyes, the world in front of him resumed its collapse. As it did, the 81st level neared.

"That voice…." thought Naruto, his eyes filled with a touch of perplexity. "Something seemed odd about the voice. His status was definitely different than the average person. The way he spoke was the same. He… who was he?" He took a deep breath and looked at the bag of holding given him by Mui. The Demon Stones, talismans, and magical items therein were already running low. However, the two Daoist magics that he most wanted to acquire hadn't appeared.

"The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal, and the secret technique of Fleshly Sanctification…." Naruto's eyes glittered. Without hesitation, he slapped his hand down onto Patriarch Reliance. The turtle, feeling as wronged as ever, shot toward the 81st level.

As soon as they entered it, roaring filled the area and rose up into the sky. Naruto's protective shield was surrounded by the vast quantities of talismans and magical items that he tossed out into the air. Wailing and shrieking, Patriarch Reliance used all his evasion abilities as they roared along.

81st level. 82nd level….

Naruto charged forward, forcing his way up. He used the magical items and talismans given him by Mui to force his way through every barrier. As he proceeded onward, the disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect panted. As of now, they had to admit that… Naruto was obviously about to reach the pinnacle!

83rd!

84th!

85th!

The glow of magical items seeped out from within the temple, shining on everything in the area. By the time Naruto reached the 87th level, the entire area was filled with a bright glow. He was using up even more Demon Stones, as well as vast quantities of talismans. More than half of his magical items had been destroyed.

Using this unsightly method in which no cost was spared, he finally forced his way to the 89th level.

As soon as he entered, the view around him changed. What appeared in front of him was, shockingly, an ancient battlefield. Countless Cultivators could be seen in all directions, all of them engaged in fierce warfare.

As soon as Naruto appeared in the middle of the battlefield, the Daoist magics of all the surrounding countless Cultivators roared directly toward Naruto's shield, instantly causing it to almost be destroyed.

The level of difficulty here was unprecedented as far as Naruto was concerned. Heaven and Earth shook; all he could do was throw out more and more talismans, and destroy more and more magical items.

Despite everything, the 89th level was difficult beyond compare.

He was currently positioned in the exact center of the battlefield, the ends of which were not visible. Besieged on all sides, this was a position the he was fundamentally incapable of reaching on his own. Even with all the talismans and magical items forged with Mui's life force, it was still difficult for him to make even the slightest progress.

Countless Cultivators and innumerable divine abilities seemed to be on the verge of completely overwhelming him.

His face was pale white, and Patriarch Reliance appeared to be on the verge of gasping his last breath. As it turned out, he actually had no hatred for Naruto. During their path of battle up to this point, they had even come to form something almost like a friendship.

"At the most, I can hold out for twelve more breaths…." thought Naruto, his face flickering. He would quickly run out of Demon Stones, talismans, and magical items. In twelve breaths of time, he would no longer be able to fight back, and he would be teleported out in defeat.

"Don't tell me I'm really going to have to wait for that second chance…." he thought, breathing in deeply. He didn't want to have a second chance. He wanted to get everything he needed in one shot. If he was forced to try a second time, it would mean Mui would have to forge even more magic items for him. Naruto wasn't willing to see that happen.

In this critical moment, the Demon Immortal Sect disciples on the outside were watching with rapt attention. Everyone was thinking different things; however, virtually, all of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu were hoping beyond hope that Naruto would fail.

They desired nothing more than Naruto to falter here. It was a case of 'if I can't have it, then nobody else can have it either.' Almost as if their negative thoughts were actually effective in some way, Naruto had already wasted nearly an hour in the 89th level.

From the perspective of the onlookers, the glow of magical items was beginning to shrink and grow dim. This caused the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators to start to get a bit excited.

One of the Array Cultivators from the Eastern Lands Hebi Clan was usually quite proud of the fame of his name. However, he apparently forgot that momentarily and suddenly said, "He's gonna fail! Hahaha! He opened the devil's gate and strode a crooked path with his corrupt methods! But in the end, he has no way to achieve victory. He definitely won't be able to get past this level!

"Heaven and Earth are deep and profound; the wind is vast and mighty. Cultivators like us must rely on our own power! How could we possibly rely on the power of others? This guy has had an unfair advantage today, so he will certainly meet defeat in the end!"

Even as everyone railed against Naruto, as everyone hoped that he would fail, the glow of his magical items continued to shrink down and get darker.

However… it was at this moment that Mui's eyes filled with determination. He suddenly sprang into motion, moving with incredible speed to appear outside the 89th level. He lifted his hand, within which appeared his Paragon's medallion. His expression was solemn, and his hair whipped about him as he raised the medallion up to push it against the surface of the tower.

The other six paragons saw what he was doing and instantly began to speak to attempt to stop him.

"Mui, you can't!"

The Seventh Paragon, the old man with the transcendent demeanor, seemed especially moved. He directly appeared next to Mui and said, "Mui, think three times before you do this!"

Mui was silent for a moment. Looking at the Seventh Paragon, he said, "My limit has been reached. I won't live more than a few more months."

The old man hesitated, looking at Mui for a long moment before finally sighing. "If you do this, I'm afraid you won't even last that long."

"Old Seventh, you have lived your life for the Dao, and have no children. You don't understand the responsibility of being a father. Right now, I only have one child, Muku. It doesn't matter when exactly I return to the dust. I just hope that after I leave, he can be as happy as before.

"Muku has always been a silkpants, and I've never been able to rest at ease because of that…." Mui sighed and glanced at the other Paragons. "But now, he's chosen the path of body tempering. Since that's the case, I will spare no effort to help him acquire the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal and… the mysterious art of Fleshly Sanctification." Without any further hesitation, he shoved his Paragon's medallion up against the outside of the temple.

When they touched together, Mui's body suddenly trembled. He was old to begin with, but now he grew even older. His aura instantly grew weaker.

It was at this same time that, Naruto, within the 89th level, ran out of talismans. His magical items were exhausted, and his protective shield was virtually completely faded. Booming sounds could be heard as it began to explode.

"It's over…." he sighed. He watched as the shield exploded, and countless magical techniques threatened to overwhelm him. However, it was at this moment that a towering figure suddenly appeared to stand in front of him.

The figure's face was the same one that Naruto had seen when he first arrived in this world…. Mui.

Mui stood by Naruto, as if he were his entire world. He was like a tree, protecting Naruto from the wind, blocking all of the countless divine abilities shooting toward him.

The divine abilities, Daoist magics, and countless figures, all suddenly came to a standstill. Everything grew still; the entire world became quiet.

When Naruto saw the figure, he trembled. His heart seized as he realized that he recognized the figure as…. Mui.

Mui smiled at Naruto, then reached out and tousled his hair. A doting smile appeared on his face. A look appeared in his eyes that seemed to say that no matter the occasion, the person there in front of him was his young boy, still not yet grown up.

"Muku, don't be afraid. Daddy's here to take you the rest of the way."

It was a simple sentence, but as soon as Naruto heard it, it caused uncontrollable emotions to swell up within him. He thought of his own father, but at the same time, the image of his own father that existed in his mind seemed to overlap with Mui. In this moment, he actually forgot that he wasn't really Muku!

"Dad…." he said, gaping at Mui. One breath earlier, he had been on the verge of failure. The next breath, he had hope. The intensity of the reversal was such that the image of Mui was branded onto his heart…. It was the image of… a father.

"Don't worry," laughed Mui. "Your dad isn't dead yet. We're going to get through this battle together. Our dad and son team is going to pass this level together!" With that, he turned and waved his hand. Heaven and Earth began to collapse, and a terrifying, indescribable power transformed into a roaring whirlpool that began to sweep about. As it expanded, everything it touched, collapsed. The sky grew blurry, and all the figures in the area were transformed into flying ash.

Next to Mui suddenly appeared a floating oil lamp. The wick of the lamp was a phoenix and its body was a dragon!

Naruto took a deep breath, and his heart filled with incredible enthusiasm. He nodded his head, then stood up by Mui, by his father, and proceeded forward.

One in front, one behind. One father and one son!

Patriarch Reliance's eyes went wide as he stared at Mui. His mind trembled, and his expression filled with fear. His head shrank back into his shell as the gleam of realization filled his eyes. Now he understood Naruto's background.

"Dammit. His dad's a Paragon! No wonder he's so crazy. No wonder he can bully me so easily!"

Mui took up the lead. As of now, he seemed to have returned to the way he was in the prime of his life. His Cultivation base was at its peak, although Naruto had no way to comprehend what realm it was in.

"Muku, in the great Nine Mountains and Seas, the path of cultivation is comprised of Spirit, Immortal, Ancient, and Dao!" He waved his hand, and the world collapsed. The 89th level, which had been so difficult for Naruto, was destroyed in an instant.

As the 90th level neared, another battlefield spread out in front of Naruto. It was boundless, such that in the sky above, nine suns could be seen. The land was ancient and archaic. Naruto could see countless giants on the battlefield, and even giant Demons!

It seemed as if this battlefield were even more ancient than the Demon Immortal Sect.

"This place is a reflection of the Archean world. It is neither real nor false. It exists within a thought…. According to legend, the Archean world is the origin of the Nine Mountains and Seas." Mui moved forward, waving his hand. Countless incoming roaring figures instantly turned into ash.

Naruto stood behind Mui, his expression one of excitement.

"It is said that the Nine Lords of the great Nine Mountains and Seas actually come from the Archean world. They are not spirits of the Nine Mountains and Seas. That includes our Lord Asura of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

"Of course legends are just legends. They might be true, they might be false. Either way, you should know the story." Mui stamped his foot down, and a roaring sound filled the air. Ripples expanded out in all directions. Everything that existed for tens of thousands of meters in all directions began to shake, and then directly exploded into pieces.

"Your father is at the peak of the Ancient Realm, half a step into the Dao Realm. Originally speaking, I should have limitless longevity and be able to… enjoy a life as long as that of the Nine Mountains and Seas." He proceeded forward, and the land beneath his feet began to shrink. He pulled Naruto along by his arm, striding forward with seemingly boundless steps.

Patriarch Reliance watched them from far off in the distance, and his heart suddenly trembled. He plastered himself down onto the ground, praying that Naruto had already forgotten about him.

Naruto moved along with Mui, having completely forgotten about Patriarch Reliance. In a single moment, they were now in a completely different location on the boundless battlefield.

"However, Lord Asura returned the life of Heaven to the masses," he said softly. "He believes that for Cultivators to cultivate eternal life is an injustice to Heaven and Earth. He buried the path to the next life, sealed the Dao Realm so that it cannot be tread. In the end, we must forfeit our lives. That is how… the limit on longevity began."

He stood there, his long hair draped around him, looking very much like a Paragon.

Or, you might say that… he truly was a Paragon. He pushed his hand down toward the ground. Instantly, it began to rumble, shattering into multiple layers, which then collapsed into each other.

"This level… is now passed," he said. He lifted his hand, and the entire world was shattered into fragments. All the lives on the battlefield were destroyed, and a huge crater spread out on down below. There, in the deepest part of the crater, a coffin could be seen.

When Naruto saw the coffin, his entire person filled with rumbling. The surface of the coffin was carved with nine butterflies.

"According to legend," Mui said coolly, "a coffin existed in the Archean world. Although it existed for countless years, no one ever knew who rested inside of the coffin, nor did anyone know where it came from." The entire world around them vanished. At the same time, a seal appeared, flying out to float in front of Mui.

Mui looked at it, and smiled. He turned, waving his sleeve to cause the seal to shoot toward Naruto.

"Assimilate this seal. Father will stand guard over you."

As soon as the seal touched his forehead, it vanished. Naruto's body trembled, and, shockingly, five huge characters appeared in his mind.

Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal!

This was exactly what Naruto had wanted to acquire, one of the top 10 Daoist magics specifically focused on body tempering!

The seal spun in a circle in Naruto's mind, surging up with a power of expulsion. It almost seemed as if this Daoist magic was not destined to be with Naruto, as if it was not something he could gain enlightenment of to turn into a great Dao seed.

Seeing the Daoist magic suddenly beginning to grow faint, Naruto's mind shook. It was in this moment, however, that a warm hand clasped down onto his shoulder.

"Don't worry, father will help you subjugate the magic!" As soon as the gentle voice entered Naruto's mind, he grew calm. At the same time, an indescribable pressure exploded out from Mui. As it bore down on Naruto, he did nothing to interfere with it. However, the seal in his mind began to tremble and struggle in frustration.

In response to the struggling, Mui let out a cold snort. All struggling was destroyed, completely shattered. The seal lost any will of its own. It remained in Naruto's mind, slowly fusing in, transforming into the seed of a great Dao.

"I erased its will," said Mui with a smile. "Although the Dao will is gone, it still does not conform to your spirit. You won't be able to cultivate it right away. Since it insisted on disobeying you, I had no choice but to destroy it.

"Okay, let's go. On to the next level!" With that, he turned and headed forward. Naruto took a deep breath and followed in his tracks.

The two of them passed the 91st level, the 92nd level, and the 93rd level….

Naruto didn't need to do anything the entire time. Everything was handled by Mui. He was cool and unhuried, waving his hand to destroy worlds. The sight of it left Naruto completely shaken.

If Mui could do this here, there was no need to even mention what he could accomplish in the outside world.

Earlier….

The Demon Immortal Sect disciples outside watched Mui push his hand against the surface of the temple and then close his eyes in meditation. As soon as he closed his eyes, shockingly, a second dot of light appeared on the 89th level.

In addition to Naruto, there were now two glowing dots. This dot, however, was incredibly shocking. It might even be better to call it a sun than a dot of light.

"That's… that's Paragon Mui? It's… it's really him! This is too… too…"

"That's definitely Paragon Mui…."

Everyone could do a little more than stare in complete stupefaction. Never could they ever have imagined that cheating… could possibly be carried out to this shocking extent.

Almost as soon as the sun appeared on the 89th level, the level collapsed. Naruto and the sun then proceeded on to the 90th level. Within a few breaths of time, a brilliant glow filled the sky as the 90th level was passed!

At the same time, countless beautiful flowers descended down in the area around the Demon Immortal Temple. They merged together to form one gigantic lotus.

Many people instantly recognized what this was. This was one of the top 10 Daoist magics. It didn't count as a secret technique; this was the one and only body tempering Daoist magic known as the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal.

Even as an unprecedented surge of jealousy filled the hearts of the onlookers, suddenly, the beautiful flower began to show signs of instability. Immediately, the hearts of all the onlookers quivered.

"Incompatible! It's incompatible! Hahaha! Muku has no way to gain enlightenment of this particular Daoist magic!"

"The will of Heaven! This is definitely the will of Heaven!"

Yet, even as their hearts raced, suddenly, pressure from Mui spread out. Everyone watched dumbfounded as the pressure exerted by a Paragon caused the will of the previously unstable flower to be erased, and it was forced into submission.

The scene instantly caused the Demon Immortal disciples to stare with wide eyes. The ones who had just spoken instantly revealed expressions of incredible frustration.

Odd looks filled their eyes, and the exact same question spun through all of their minds.

"Dammit! Why couldn't I have such an awesome dad!?"

A second question then filled the minds of some of the onlookers.

"How come my dad isn't a Paragon…?"

By this point, they had no energy left to cry out about things being unfair. Mui's actions had obliterated any such arguments to the point of being dust and ash. It didn't matter what anybody cried out, this father and son team would battle together….

It didn't matter if you were talking about the Namikaze Clan or the Hebi Clan, the Eastern Lands, the Northern Reaches, the Southern Domain, or the Black Lands. Everyone watched in a daze at the Demon Immortal Temple floating there in the sky.

They watched as Mui, Paragon, escorted Muku through the levels.

Karin blinked, her heart feeling a bit unsettled.

"I can't let dad find out about this…." she thought.

Tsukino's eyes were wide and she was panting. At the moment, even she was filled with intense jealousy toward Naruto.

Everyone was filled with complicated feelings as they watched the bright, sun-like dot of light on the outside of the Demon Immortal Temple. It charged through the levels. 94th. 95th. 96th….

Finally, it reached the 99th!

All of the observing Demon Immortal Sect disciples who were watching began to pant. It was as if they had forgotten about everything else except for this highest level of the temple.

The 99th level exceeded anything Naruto could have imagined. There was no danger here, no battlefield. There was only a valley. Within the valley was a lake, next to which was a house. Sitting cross-legged outside of the house was an old man.

The old man was fishing, and as Mui and Naruto approached, he paid them no attention.

Naruto stood silently behind Mui. Mui came to a stop by the old man, and likewise said nothing.

After a long moment passed, the old man finally spoke.

"This does not conform with the rules."

"I don't have much life left in me," replied Mui coolly. Hearing this caused Naruto's heart to tremble.

"It still doesn't conform with the rules," said the old man. He sighed.

"I've made many sacrifices for the Demon Immortal Sect. I've carried out Lord Asura's commands without hesitation. That's not enough?" He turned his head to look off into the distance.

The old man said nothing at first. After a long moment, he sighed, then made a grasping motion with his right hand. Instantly, a seal appeared in the palm of his hand. It seemed to be formed of countless magical symbols, and contained a sense of shattered beauty.

"Fleshly Sanctification," said the old man. "It is a secret art, not really a Daoist magic." He looked at Naruto for a moment, and Naruto's mind shook. That single glance was enough to pierce completely through him.

"Interesting," said the old man, a serious look filling his eyes. He waved his hand, causing the seal to shoot toward Naruto and enter into his forehead.

"Night would have difficulty creating a copy of this art. However, since I approve, then after you leave this place, as long as I still exist, you can fully activate it. If I've already perished…." The old man shook his head, but said no more.

As for Mui, he didn't ask any questions about what had just been said. He turned to leave with Naruto.

As they made their way off, the old man suddenly looked up at Naruto once more. His eyes seemed to be filled with both understanding, and sorrow.

"Mui," he thought, "considering you know the truth of it all, why are you doing this…?"

Mui took up the lead and Naruto followed. The two of them left the valley and headed off into the void.

Naruto felt a bit uneasy. Considering his personality and ability to concentrate, it shouldn't be this way. After all, everything here was illusory. Furthermore, he hadn't attempted to deceive Mui. Therefore, there was nothing to feel uneasy about.

And yet, he was still somewhat nervous. He feared losing this identity. You might say that his original goal had been good fortune; now that he had acquired it, there was no reason for such uneasiness.

But the feeling didn't go away. He feared waking up from this dream. He feared that after Mui discovered that he was not Muku, he wouldn't look at him with that thoughtful, loving expression ever again.

 _In one breath, I can call you father. With the next breath, I can't even open my mouth._

This was the feeling that caused Naruto to feel such uneasiness.

He feared losing what he had acquired.

Fatherly love. In Naruto's memory, the image of his father was already blurry. During his time spent in this illusion, he continued to be distracted to the point that he was forgetting that he wasn't Muku.

"Dad…." he said softly. His heart was filled with bitterness as he saw Mui moving forward, getting further and further away from him.

Mui stopped and turned back, his eyes filled with a smile, and that same old doting expression. He softly tousled Naruto's hair.

"Don't let your imagination run wild," he said.

Naruto stared back, somewhat in a daze. His eyes felt moist, and at the moment, he didn't want to think about whether or not Mui knew the truth about everything. He didn't want to consider all of that. There was only one thing he wanted to consider.

 _If there really is such a thing as destiny that caused us to become father and son in this place, then… I really am your son._

 _If this illusory world can count as my previous life, then you are my father from my previous incarnation._

 _Perhaps I am doomed to leave this ancient, illusory world, doomed to no longer have you as my father, doomed to no longer be your son. In that case, let the feelings we have between father and son that exist in this illusion… be something that I never forget._

 _Sir, you are my father._

 _I, sir, am your son._

Naruto nodded his head.

With a smile, Mui clasped his shoulder and then the two of them flickered, disappearing from the 99th level and appearing outside of the Demon Immortal Temple.

As soon as they appeared, they became the focus of attention of all of the Demon Immortal Sect disciples. The gazes were filled with envy, jealousy, internal conflict and helplessness.

As soon as Mui and Naruto left the Demon Immortal Temple, it began to shrink down, eventually transforming into a beam of light that shot up into the fissure up in the sky. As it did, the fissure rapidly began to mend itself; in the blink of an eye, there was no fissure at all left behind.

There was only….

A transparent staircase. It was hard to say when it appeared, but it stretched down from the heavens all the way to the ground, floating there above the pit between the Third and Fourth Peaks of the Demon Immortal Sect.

The light of the staircase did not emanate out, but rather, seemed to circulate about inside. It rose up far into the heavens, and if you looked closely, you could just barely make out a huge vortex at the top.

When he saw the staircase, Naruto gasped in shock. However, he quickly realized that the other Demon Immortal Sect Cultivators seemed completely indifferent to its appearance, almost as if… they couldn't see it!

However, as Naruto glanced out at the crowds, he suddenly saw Guren. From her expression, he could guess that she had seen the staircase.

"Could it be that only outsiders can see it?" he thought.

Now that Naruto had appeared, the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were now concealing themselves within the crowds of other Demon Immortal Sect disciples.

They had no choice but to hide from and avoid Naruto. Although they had been going wild with jealousy moments ago, and despite the fact that this was an illusory version of ancient times, considering that Naruto had the identity of Muku, if they tried to fight him, they would lose, even if they had a hundred lives.

They could only avoid him with great care. If they revealed their identities, they put themselves in critical danger. In contrast, of course, Naruto had no qualms about revealing himself.

That was because… with their identities, none of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators could do anything to threaten him even the slightest bit.

Even still, despite how they were all concealing themselves, they could all see the staircase stretching up into the sky above the mountain peaks, and it caused their minds and hearts to tremble.

"That's…." The young man from the Imperial Bloodline Clan of the Northern Reaches once again lowered his head and hunched his back. However, he was now panting, and his eyes glowed with a bright light.

"Could that be…?" Karin's pupils constricted. After a moment's thought, her eyes went wide.

"The critical element needed to open the Third Plane!" thought Tsukino. She stood off in the distance, breathing heavily, her hands clenched into fists and her eyes shining with excitement.

Even further off in the distance was Patriarch Hashirama, who had left quietly much earlier. He was also starting to get very excited.

Even as everyone was thinking their various thoughts, Mui led Naruto away. The ripples from the Demon Immortal Temple faded. There were others who had acquire some smatterings of Daoist magic. However, the Demon Immortal Temple had been opened specifically for Naruto, and he was the only one to have acquired the indescribable good fortune that he had.

Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao, Nine Heavens Destruction, Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal, and finally, the secret technique of Fleshly Sanctification. These were Naruto's shocking acquisitions.

That was not even mentioning how he'd gotten the chance to punish Patriarch Reliance, as well as many other subtle matters. To Naruto, the Demon Immortal Temple had been nothing less than Heavenly destiny.

He returned to the Fourth Peak without stopping anywhere along the way. When he got back to his Immortal's Cave, Hinata was there meditating, her body surrounded by swirling light. A slight smile could be seen on her face; clearly she was immersed in gaining enlightenment of Daoist magic.

He didn't disturb her, but rather, sat down cross-legged to study the seeds of Daoist Magic which existed inside of him.

There was one that looked like a crimson flame, which was none other than the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

As for the Nine Heavens Destruction, the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal, and the last one… the secret art of Fleshly Sanctification, these arts existed in Naruto's mind, and could be seen, but not felt.

Naruto had the feeling that these three great Daoist magics would require continued contemplation before he could employ them. Thankfully, he would not forget them after he left this ancient, illusory world.

Having reaching this point in his train of thoughts, Naruto started to get excited. That was because in addition to all of that, there was one more thing he had acquired… the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

As of now, Naruto had fundamental control over the technique. Although he could only employ it up to the first level, according to the introductory information, that was enough to incarnate the body of a mountain outside of his fleshly body.

That in and of itself would make the power of his fleshly body exponentially higher.

"By cultivating it to the peak, I can extract the souls of mountains and then incarnate their wills, and cause the power of myriads of mountains to descend!" Naruto's eyes filled with a look of satisfaction. It was truly possible to say that his journey into the Demon Immortal Temple had pushed his good fortune to the pinnacle.

There were other magical techniques, restrictive spells, and other miscellaneous methods that he had picked up. Currently, they all existed in his mind. However, unless he actively gained enlightenment, then once he left this place, they would disappear.

He tried to brand the information onto a jade slip, but experienced no success and eventually gave up.

"The Mountain Sea Scripture… is most likely impossible to acquire," he thought. A bright glow appeared in his eyes as he contemplated the matter for a moment. In the end he put it aside. However, within his mind, he could remember that voice he had heard in the 80th level.

Time passed, half a month. Naruto sat in meditation in his Immortal's cave for the entire period of time, gaining enlightenment of the Daoist magic.

Hinata emerged from meditation a few times. They would simply look at each other and smile. They knew that their time here was limited, and that they needed to take advantage of every moment possible to be enlightened regarding Daoist magic. There was little time for idle chatting.

Finally one morning, Naruto sat cross-legged outside of his Immortal's cave, studying the Fourth Peak. Within him, the enlightenment of the Mountain Consuming Incantation had already been branded on his mind. The first level of the incantation was almost completely cultivated when someone arrived, who, although he hadn't been expecting, did not surprise him.

It was a female Conclave disciple from another of the peaks. She was pretty, with bright, flickering eyes. She carried herself with a graceful bearing, and as she neared Naruto, she attracted quite a bit of attention from the other Fourth Peak disciples.

What they saw was a young woman, blushing, apparently finally have overcome her shyness and mustered some courage. She came to a stop before Naruto and bashfully said, "Big bro Muku, I have a few questions about cultivation that I was hoping you could help me with."

Her features, her voice, and her figure transformed into something shockingly alluring. Anyone who looked at her would feel their heart pumping with eagerness. Quite a few of the Fourth Peak disciples were looking at her, and all of them seemed to view her as being so amazing that she was nearly god-like.

Her face was beautiful, as was her body. Her skin was so delicate it seemed the wind could break it. She had a pure expression that was at the same time naturally charming. All of it made it so that the term 'extraordinary beauty' couldn't even be used to describe her.

Naruto recognized her instantly. His entire body covered with goosebumps when he heard her speak. "I don't have the time," he replied.

She looked delicate and charming, as if she might fall over from the slightest blow. She bit her lip, seemingly mustering her courage. Anyone watching on would surely feel that it was a crime to refuse this young woman.

Naruto was about to do just that when he suddenly noticed a flicker of ill intent in the young woman's eyes. Clearing his throat, he rose to his feet and then proceeded forward.

The young woman was none other than Tsukino. She lowered her head and followed Naruto off into the distance, surrounded by the envious murmuring of the other Fourth Peak disciples.

As they proceeded along, all of the Demon Immortal Sect disciples who saw the two of them stared with wide eyes, their hearts filled with fury.

"Another female disciple has fallen into his hands!"

"Dammit! How many has it been so far? When will it be my turn for something like that to happen?!"

Eventually they reached the vicinity of the Second Peak, whereupon Naruto turned impatiently to look at Tsukino.

"Alright," he said, "tell me how I can help you."

"Straight to the point, I see," she said with a smile. "Well, you're a man, and you know that you owe me. However, what I'm most curious about is, what exactly did you encounter in the 80th level to cause the voice of Lord Asura to bestow you with Daoist magic!?" Although she spoke with a smile, she clearly took her words very seriously.

When Naruto heard this, his pupils constricted. He looked at Tsukino, his heart thumping.

"That was… the voice of Lord Asura?" he thought.

Although inwardly his mind was racing, his expression didn't show any trace of that. He simply looked at Tsukino with an enigmatic smile.

She blinked. Considering Naruto's expression, it was impossible to determine what he was thinking, and she could only inwardly curse his craftiness.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me then just forget about it," she continued with a laugh. "Let's change the subject. The two of us had an agreement, and you owe me some help." A shrewd look appeared on her beautiful face.

"Actually," replied Naruto with a casual laugh, "the truth of the matter is that we don't have any formal agreement with each other. However, considering how you've helped me out throughout the years, I don't mind returning the favor. I can help you out a little, but regarding anything too complicated, my hands are tied."

"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse," Tsukino said carefully. "If you help me, you'll also benefit. Considering your personality, I know that you'll require a thorough explanation before you make your decision." Naruto did nothing to prevent her from continuing.

"Let me tell you the current facts of the matter. Afterward, you can make you own determination about whether or not to help me. Either way is fine with me." A sudden breeze caused Tsukino's hair to suddenly spread across her face, making her look indescribably seductive.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He didn't speak, but instead waited to hear what she had to say.

"We first encountered each other in the Bridge of Immortal Treading. I assume you're already aware that the bridge was created by one of the three Demon Emperors of the Demon Immortal Sect!

"Those three Greater Demons were the Frost Soil Demon Emperor, the Withering Flame Demon Emperor and the Blood Coral Demon Emperor. All you have to do is look up and you can see the dwelling places of those three Greater Demons here within this illusory ancient world." In accompaniment with her shocking words, she pointed up into the sky.

Naruto's mind reeled. He had never expected Tsukino to reveal such shocking matters. He looked up at the three inverted Demon Mountains up above. The first time he had caught sight of the Demon Mountains, he had had his own speculations. Now that he heard Tsukino's explanation, he could combine it with what he already knew to be relatively certain that she was not lying!

Of the three Greater Demons of the Demon Immortal Sect, the one who created the Bridge of Immortal Treading was none other than Frost Soil Demon Emperor Han Shan!

Naruto's pupils constricted. He looked up at the distant mountain of frost, and got the feeling of some type of separation, as if it had sealed itself away from the world.

"A long time ago in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the Demon Immortal Sect was the number one great Sect. That was because it had Lord Asura, who was in fact the person who founded the entire Sect!

"He was the Lord of the Ninth Mountain before the Hebi Clan…. Among Lord Asura's subordinates were two great generals who supported the Heavens, and three Greater Demons to act as Dharma Protectors! Of course, one of those generals was none other than the later Lord Hebi." Tsukino spoke all of these words calmly, but they caused Naruto's mind and heart to tremble.

He kept his expression solemn as he looked back from the three Greater Demon Mountains up above. As he returned his gaze to Tsukino, he realized that he was suddenly much more curious regarding her goals and motives here in the Demon Immortal Sect.

"I am a disciple of the Demon Immortal Sect," she went on. "So, I know quite a bit about all these matters. The Demon Immortal Sect has a total of four Heavens. The First Heaven is comprised of the Seven Peaks. The Second Heaven is comprised of the three Greater Demon Mountains. The Third Heaven is made up of two Holy Lands…. As for the Fourth Heaven, that is where… Lord Asura is!

"That is the Demon Immortal Sect, which was once… the number one Sect in the Ninth Mountain and Sea!" By this point, Tsukino's eyes shone with a strange light that seemed to contain pride and dignity.

"Assumably, you have already made some speculations about the two so-called two Holy Lands. They are actually the lands of the two great generals, and their Clans. Because of their extraordinary service, Lord Asura eventually bequeathed their lands with the word 'Holy.'

"Therefore… those two lands are two great Holy Lands of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

"As for the names of these two great Holy Lands, one is Namikaze, and the other… is a name that cannot be spoken out in the world without incurring great calamity. As of now, we can only say Hebi!" As Tsukino's words filtered into Naruto's ears, his mind filled with a roaring sound. At long last he understood this most ancient of stories!

He had long since become aware of the matter of the Hebi Clan seizing the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and becoming its new Lord. However, this was his first time hearing that the other of Lord Asura's generals came from a Clan named Namikaze! Naruto's mind was spinning.

He immediately thought of Karin, and of the Namikaze Clan in the Eastern Lands!

For some reason, he had the feeling that this Namikaze Clan was the same Namikaze as the name of that great general, as well as the Holy Land. How could he ever have imagined that the Namikaze Clan would have such an astonishing origin!

"Considering how astonishing the two generals' Clans were, and how shocking the three Greater Demon Emperors were, then… since they were in subservient positions to Lord Asura, I can't help but wonder just how powerful Lord Asura must have been!?" All of a sudden, he recalled the words he had heard within the 80th level of the Demon Immortal Temple.

"When Lord Asura achieved his Dao, he decided to no longer monopolize the life of Heaven, but returned that life to the masses. He caused the Dao Realm to become invisible, and imposed restrictions on longevity. He sealed the path one could tread to see him, and no longer appeared in the flesh. The two Holy Lands were forced to seal themselves!

"After that, the three Greater Demon Mountains were also sealed!

"Later, Lord Asura fell. Some people say he went missing, others say he died in battle. There are many legends. Eventually, war was waged over the two Holy Lands. That war affected all of the Ninth Mountain, and in the end… the Heavens were placed on top of Asura, and the Hebi Clan gained victory!

"The Demon Immortal Sect was part of that war, and as a result, it was destroyed…. The Bridge of Immortal Treading was also shattered. The three Greater Demon Mountains collapsed, and the three Greater Demons perished. The Hebi became the new Lord, and the Namikaze Clan was out.

"As the Demon Immortal Sect reached its end, a handful of survivors managed to flee, sticking together to form the modern-day Demon Immortal Sect.

"That war was like a foul wind and a bloody rain of carnage for the Ninth Mountain and Sea…. Obviously, I didn't experience it, but the records within the Sect contain clear descriptions." At this point, Tsukino stopped speaking.

Naruto stood there silently for a moment, breathing somewhat raggedly. Great waves surged through his heart. Based on everything he knew, it seemed to him that the things Tsukino was telling him, although perhaps not completely accurate, were at least seventy to eighty percent true.

"That is the story of the Demon Immortal Sect!" continued Tsukino.

"Within the Demon Immortal Sect, there are two great legacies. One is that which was shockingly famous throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the great… Mountain and Sea Scripture. According to legend, the scripture is formed of nine manuals, any one of which gives you the right to be a Mountain and Sea Lord!

"Years ago, Lord Asura possessed the ninth manual!

"Unfortunately, the only way to acquire the Mountain and Sea Scripture is by means of a special method prescribed by Lord Asura. After he fell, the legacy dissipated. Even the current Lord Hebi only possesses a smattering of knowledge of the Mountain and Sea Scripture, not the true scripture itself.

"That is why among the nine Lords of the great Nine Mountains and Seas, Lord Hebi is the weakest!

"As for the other legacy of the Demon Immortal Sect, many restrictions were placed on it. Nowadays, it is rare to find anyone who can meet all the requirements. Although… I do meet the requirements! That is why I am here to acquire… the Demon Immortal Body!" Although she was speaking softly, by the time she reached the final three words, her eyes glowed with a strange light.

Hearing all of this caused Naruto's eyes to glitter.

"Long ago," continued Tsukino slowly, "Lord Asura used his own body to form a type of physique cultivation called the Demon Immortal Body. Those who possess such a body will find it much easier to practice Demon magic cultivation. In fact, one can return to a truly natural state, incarnate a spirit of a Demon, and then transform into a matchless Greater Demon!

"In this manner, the Demonic Chakra of the Ninth Mountain and Sea can be consumed, and good fortune can be split with the Hebi Clan!

"What I want to accomplish can't be done alone. In order to get this one chance, I have the backing of the full power of everyone in the Demon Immortal Sect. Therefore, if you help, you won't just be helping me, but rather, the entire Demon Immortal Sect.

"When it becomes necessary, later on after you achieve Immortal Ascension, we can offer you shelter in the outside world. In fact, we might even recruit you to join us!"

Naruto looked at her for a moment. "Why me?" he asked.

"I don't need much help from you here in the Second Plane. However, in the Third Plane, if you're willing to assist, you can help me increase my chances of success significantly.

"Actually, I'm not too certain of exactly what you can do. Perhaps, the fact that you have Muku's identity shows that you have some mysterious destiny connecting you to the Demon Immortal Sect…. Perhaps that is why the curse power in the Bridge of Immortal Treading didn't affect you!

"That curse power is nothing other than the rancor of those who died in the Demon Immortal Sect that year. They feel rancor toward Lord Asura, Lord Hebi, and toward everything living. Such feelings have fermented for ninety thousand years, eventually transforming into a curse.

"Because of that curse, anyone who touches objects of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect at the wrong time, will disturb the dead souls and die instantly!

"It is only when the Third Plane opens that good fortune can be acquired. During that time, the curse is the weakest.

"Even still… there are some core areas in which the curse power will not be reduced at all, no matter what. So, I need your help… to forge a path to the place I need to go in the Third Plane!"

"Third Plane?" said Naruto, his eyes glinting sharply.

Tsukino gave a cool laugh, apparently not fazed at all by the question. Her expression the same as ever, she replied, "The first two Planes of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect are guaranteed to open. However, the Third Plane depends on destiny or luck. To enter that Plane requires a lucky coincidence. However, all it takes is for one person to enter, and then the path will be opened to everyone who is within the Second Plane.

"For example, after you barged your way through the Demon Immortal Temple, a ladder appeared that we could all see, stretching up into the Heavens. That is destiny, and the entrance into the Third Plane. However, that entrance is only for you. You are the only one who can use it to enter the Third Plane.

"Once you enter the Third Plane, then the illusion around us will fade away. Everyone will appear along with you in the Third Plane."

Having heard this, Naruto chuckled, but didn't say anything. However, Tsukino responded with a beautiful light laugh of her own.

"Don't worry," she said, "I don't need your help getting into the Third Plane. The ones who need your help for that are all the other people from Lands of Ninshu. The Demon Immortal Sect has been preparing for this for a long time, and finally have uncovered a method to get me into the Third Plane on my own. Although, as soon as I enter successfully, so will all the others."

Naruto thought for a moment. "Not many upsides for me," he said.

Tsukino looked at him for a moment. Actually, his words just now had caused her heart to start beating with excitement. She didn't fear requirements being made on his part; it was only by mutual benefit could they work together smoothly.

"Within the Demon Immortal Sect is the Demon Immortal Cistern. That cistern is the key to the legends. I plan to go there while in the Second Plane, in order to secure the qualification to enter it later. Only by a bit of deception can I go to the true location of the Demon Immortal Cistern in the Third Plane…. That is where I can acquire the good fortune to transform my body into the Demon Immortal Body!

"If you help me, then you'll be helping yourself. We can share the Demon Immortal Cistern. By bathing within, even if you don't qualify to get the Demon Immortal Body, you can still experience incredible strengthening of your fleshly body!

"In other words, this good fortune can be acquired by both of us!" Having made her greatest expression of good faith, she looked at Naruto expectantly.

Naruto was silent for a moment as he analyzed how much he could trust everything Tsukino had said. After a long moment, his eyes filled with determination.

"I have one condition," he said. For some reason, a somewhat bashful expression appeared on his face. People who didn't know him very well might think it made him look very charming. However, to those who truly knew him, such an expression was enough to fill one with abhorrence….

"What condition?" replied Tsukino, gaping. When she saw the bashful look on Naruto's face, she suddenly smiled seductively, and her eyes glittered with a charming light.

"You sly fox!" she laughed. "So young and yet quite the ladies' man already." Suddenly, her expression turned solemn. "However, I warn you. I may speak a bit frivolously, but I know how to maintain my chastity. I've long since sworn myself to live for the Dao. I won't even talk about matters of illicit love.

"Therefore, you might as well get rid of those dirty thoughts of yours, kid! I won't agree!"

Naruto gaped in astonishment at Tsukino.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't try to cover it up. Do you really think I couldn't see that look in your eye? Humphh! I've encountered many similar situations before in my life." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then gritted her teeth and continued, "Fine, fine. Since there's obviously some destiny between us, then I suppose I can promise to hold hands with you. However, that's my bottom line!" It seemed that to her that this was a great price to pay. Without even waiting for Naruto to respond, she reached out and clasped his hand.

She just as quickly released it and then stepped back a few paces, her face somewhat flushed.

"Okay?" she asked.

"Huh?" It was only after a moment that Naruto finally put all the pieces together. He suddenly laughed bitterly. That wasn't at all what he was interested in….

"I don't really have any feeling toward older women…." he said with a dry cough.

When Tsukino heard this, her eyes went wide, and a cold air suddenly began to spread out around her. Naruto blinked, then leaned forward and, said in a low voice, "My condition is that I want to be the first one to step into the Third Plane."

Tsukino frowned, then gave Naruto a look.

"Do you mean…? Oh!" It took Tsukino only a moment to react. She smiled mysteriously at him.

Looking a bit embarrassed, Naruto said, "I've been running a bit low on Spirit Stones recently."

Tsukino placed her hand in front of her mouth to cover up a smile. Such a condition was no trouble for her whatsoever, so she had no reason to refuse. As far as she was concerned, as long as Naruto agreed to help, it would be easy to comply with.

She went on, "The Demon Immortal Cistern is an important place in the Demon Immortal Sect. Because of the help of my Sect, I'm one hundred percent confident that within a few months, I can acquire qualifications for you to enter.

"The only thing you need to do is just need to come with me. If we familiarize ourselves with the place now, then when the Third Plane opens we can go back.

"How about this? Give me a month. I'll do my best to acquire an identity that can get you into where we need to go, then…." Before she could finish her sentence, Naruto interrupted her.

"In the First Heaven of the Demon Immortal Sect," he said coolly, his voice dripping with a domineering air, "I can go anywhere other than the Immortal's Caves of the other six Paragons. I don't need any identity from you."

Tsukino's eyes widened as she stared at Naruto. Gradually, a look of envy and jealousy appeared. Even she couldn't help but feel indignant at the situation. She'd already forgotten that the person in front of her had a Paragon for a father.

Then she thought of her own identity, and how the Sect had prepared for years, how they had expended vast resources and personal wealth, just to give her these few months of time in which to succeed.

However, compared to Naruto and his identity, all of that counted for almost nothing….

"In the ancient records of the Sect," she said, "there is information regarding certain people in the Sect. One of the entries is about Muku. You were an overbearing silkpants who commited countless unimaginable misdeeds. Anywhere you went within the Sect, chaos followed. You oppressed the people, both men and women alike. According to the estimates, by the time the Sect fell, you had over four hundred beloved, and more than three thousand children!

"You were definitely a…." She didn't finish this particular sentence.

"For the most part, your life was a joke," she continued calmly, "something no one would keep a record of. However, in the final war, you went all out, even expending your longevity. You didn't fear death in battle, and ended up making illustrious achievements in the fighting. All of your beloved died, and you buried them in the First Peak.

"Your sons all died too, and you personally buried them in the Second Peak. As for the Fourth Peak, that is location of your father's tomb. You ended up deciding to bury yourself there too.

"The day the Sect was destroyed, you and a few others chose to perish along with the Sect. You slaughtered many Hebi Clan Immortals, and as death loomed over you, Lord Hebi himself personally arrived. Because he prized your valiant heart, he offered you a way to keep on living. All you had to do was bow your head, something you had done many times in the past.

"But you didn't bow your head. Instead, you lifted it up and laughed to the Heavens, then charged into battle once again. When the moment of your death arrived, you fell from above and landed into your coffin. In the last moment before you died, you uttered one final sentence."

As he listened to all this, Naruto's expression grew more and more complex. In the end, it almost looked as if he felt all of the things she was describing had happened to him. He said nothing.

Tsukino continued. "You said… 'Father, are you proud of me?'"

When he heard this, Naruto's mind felt as if it were exploding. He closed his eyes for a long, long time before opening them. For some reason, tears were streaming down his face.

They were tears that did not belong to him, but rather, came from another life.

"You can stop now," he said. His mood was dark as he suddenly spun and walked off into the distance, filled with sentiment.

Suddenly, Tsukino regretted upsetting him. She was about to say something when she heard his voice drifting back.

"We'll meet back here in three days to go to the Demon Immortal Cistern."

Naruto returned to the Fourth Peak. He stood outside his Immortal's cave and looked up at the darkening sky. Evening was falling, and the sun was setting. Within his mind, Naruto saw the images of everything that had happened with Mui after he came here.

"He is my father in this life…." murmured Naruto. He thought again about how Muku must have felt. It was a complexity that no outsider could possibly understand. In this world, in this Heaven and Earth, from ancient times until modern, only Muku could possibly have understood. Except now… there was one more person who could.

Only the two of them could have such a sympathetic resonance. Only they had experienced such similar things, and such similar complex emotions.

"A son wants to care for his parents, but they aren't there any more…." Naruto closed his eyes. If he didn't understand the Soul Divergence Incantation, he would believe Muku to be dead. However, now that he did understand it, and heard Tsukino's story, Naruto suddenly had a strange feeling.

He could imagine how Muku's flesh and bones had faded as the years passed. The Demon Immortal Sect became nothing more than corpse-filled ruins. Finally one day, Muku's body slowly formed back together from nothing inside that coffin. He opened his eyes.

He finally saw the sky again, and his Sect. He looked around at all the things that had once been so familiar, only to realize that everything was now different. He was the only person left. He missed his father, and regretted his silkpants lifestyle. That regret then transformed into tears.

He had most assuredly wept for a long time atop the Fourth Peak.

He had most assuredly looked out at everything and felt as if he were living a life filled with pain.

He had most assuredly drunk alcohol in front of his father's tomb, blabbering like an idiot and knocking his head against the ground as he kowtowed.

He had most assuredly visited all the grounds of the Demon Immortal Sect. He had seen all the corpses, including those belonging to his relatives and friends, the people he had hated and the people he had liked. All of those people had become corpses, and their thoughts were nothing more than wisps on the wind.

After returning to the Fourth Peak and looking out at everything, he had realized that he was the only protector of this world.

Perhaps the most correct thing to say was not that he was the protector of the Demon Immortal Sect, but rather, the protector of his beautiful memories, especially the memories of his father.

As of this moment, Naruto understood. He understood Muku's heart, and what he was thinking.

"You're definitely next to me," thought Naruto, "or perhaps within my soul. You're watching me live this version of your life, treading a different path than you. Every time I look at father, you are most assuredly using my eyes to look at him too."

Naruto glanced up again at the evening sky for a moment, then closed his eyes again.

Two days later, it was the appointed time to meet Tsukino. Naruto left the Fourth Peak and traveled with her toward the Seventh Peak!

This was the final peak in the First Heaven, and also the most important one.

Behind the Seventh Peak was a vast, hazy forbidden zone. Disciples without the proper authorization were not permitted to step even half a pace inside. In fact, few people actually knew what lay inside the haziness.

After entering it, nothing would be visible. One could only use a command medallion to find one's way through the mists to the destination.

Tsukino had such a command medallion, but Naruto didn't.

When the two of them reached the indistinctness, they caught sight of two enormous stone statues that looked like Demons. They had eight arms and four heads, and were fully three hundred meters tall. They glared out fiercely in all directions.

Each of the two statues held a gigantic stone greatsword in hand. They were criss-crossed, stabbed down into the earth to form a door of swords.

The enormous door didn't seem to offer any hindrance to any who wished to pass through it. However, if anyone attempted to do so without the proper qualifications, they would be instantly killed.

Tsukino's face was covered with an expression of piety and awe. She kneeled in front of the statues and used both hands to hold aloft a purple-black jade slip. It was a command medallion that emanated a warm glow as it floated up into the air toward the right-hand statue. As it landed in one of the statue's hands, the statue's eyes suddenly flickered and opened. It slowly pulled its sword up out of the ground, revealing a path.

A powerful, rumbling voice filled the air. "Third class qualifications. Where do you intend to go?"

"The Demon Immortal Cistern!" replied Tsukino immediately.

"According to the regulations," said the awe-inspiring voice, "you may travel thirty percent of the paths in this place, and may stay for no more than 38 hours."

Tsukino took a deep breath as she tried to stifle her excitement. It had taken quite a bit of power from the Sect, plus a special technique as well as a hefty price, to be able to bring this command medallion with her into the Second Plane.

It was a command medallion which provided third class qualifications. Even that was something rare, and was one of the reasons she was convinced she would be able to acquire great rewards in this place.

As she stood up, the command medallion flew back to her. She carefully reached out to take it; after all, it represented third class qualifications, which made it incredibly valuable. After putting it away, she bowed deeply to the two statues. Then she walked forward to step onto the path between the two swords. She looked back at Naruto with a bit of a snide look. As far as she was concerned, the Muku from this time period would most likely only be able to acquire fourth class qualifications.

Naruto looked up silently at the statues for a long moment before walking forward. As he neared the door of swords, the sword belonging to the right-hand statue suddenly began to rumble.

A blinding light shot out from the eyes of the statue as it looked down at Naruto, its gaze filled with seeming intelligence.

After only a glance, it seemed to be able to examine him inside and out. It slowly lifted up the stone sword to reveal a path.

"Paragon's qualifications. You may go anywhere you wish, and stay inside indefinitely."

Tsukino's eyes went wide, and her brain filled with a roaring sound. She stared blankly at Naruto, madness rising up in her heart.

"How can you have Paragon's qualifications?!" asked Tsukino angrily, glaring at Naruto as he strolled up to her through the door of swords.

As soon as she asked the question, though, she instantly felt stupid. How could she have asked such a nonsensical question…?

The fact that he really did have Paragon's qualifications no longer left her feeling shocked, but rather, humiliated. It wasn't just a personal humiliation, either, but a humiliation of her entire Sect.

All of the power of her Sect had been utilized, vast resources had been wasted, all to get her a third class qualification command medallion. However, in the blink of an eye, someone had appeared in front of her who had qualifications that vastly exceeded her own; Paragon's qualifications.

Anyone who faced such a situation would go crazy and be filled with jealousy and envy. Who wouldn't feel that the situation was frustrating and unfair? Tsukino was now feeling exactly what everyone else had felt outside the Demon Immortal Temple not so long ago.

"I just asked my dad," said Naruto casually.

The more he acted in this way, the more Tsukino felt repulsed. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands tightly into fists.

"The most annoying people I've ever met in my life are silkpants like you," she said with disdain. "So what if you have Muku's identity? So what if you have a Paragon for a dad…?" By the time she reached this point in her tirade, even Tsukino could sense the acrid tone in her words.

Naruto chuckled, but said nothing. Tsukino watched fuming as he walked forward through the mist looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Finally, she had no choice but to suppress her anger and follow him.

After only a few steps, though, Naruto suddenly stopped in place and looked at Tsukino.

"You lead the way," he said. "I can go anywhere I want, but your path is limited to the Demon Immortal Cistern. I'll follow you."

Tsukino had just managed to suppress her indignation, only to have it explode out again. She took a deep breath, trying to console herself by looking at the bigger picture. She angrily nodded her head and walked forward.

Naruto followed, watching Tsukino's lithe figure as she made her way through the mist. There was something strange and beautiful to the scene.

As the two of them hurried forward, the mists parted ways for them, revealing a twisting path. Tsukino took the lead position and Naruto followed. They proceeded onward for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Eventually, the mists once again began to spread out, revealing an area roughly three thousand meters wide.

A mountain was visible, although it wasn't very tall.

A waterfall fell down the side of the mountain into a pool of undulating water. Upon first laying eyes on the scene, there was no sound whatsoever. However, moments later, Naruto could hear the sound of rippling water.

The water poured into the pond, the sounds of birds drifted about, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. Everything was overwhelming to the senses; there even seemed to be an aura of Immortal Spirits in the air, fragrant and sweet. Naruto took a deep breath, and all the Chakra and blood in his body surged.

"So this is the Demon Immortal Cistern?" he asked. He glanced around, his gaze eventually coming to rest on the waters themselves. They were clear, making it possible to see all the way to the bottom. A faint, strange kind of mist rose up from the surface, making the entire scene look like a multicolored illusion.

Ancient, ornamental rock formations were scattered about, many of them carved with Demonic creatures that seemed to be imbued with Demon Spirits. The entire scene seemed like something celestial.

"If it's not the Demon Immortal Cistern, then what is it?" said Tsukino grumpily. "Your backyard fishing pond?" The complex jealousy and envy she felt had only dissipated by about half.

Ignoring Naruto, she walked forward, looking somewhat excitedly at the Demon Immortal Cistern. She raised her right hand to brush against some of the ornamental rocks, a look of piety filling her face.

"It all seems so simplistic, doesn't it?" asked Naruto.

"Simplistic?!" Tsukino shot back, spinning to glare at him angrily. She looked quite provoked. "It might be simplistic to you, but my Sect spent countless years preparing, and expended vast resources to get me here! This is the culmination of generations of hard work and persistence. All the hopes and dreams of an entire Sect all come down to this place.

"My Sect paid a steep price for this 'simplicity,' and many people even died!

"You say this place is simplistic, but that's only because of your identity. Anyone else but you would be completely destroyed by the mists, even Immortals. The restrictive spells here would even cause people in the Dao Realm to frown.

"In the past, those two sword-wielding statues outside slew no less than ten Dao Realm Paragons!"

Naruto frowned, looking at Tsukino with cold eyes.

"Watch your tongue," he said. "You're the one who invited me here."

Tsukino took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, she bowed to Naruto.

"I forgot my manners," she said. "I'll make it up to you."

With that, she bowed again, then turned and pushed her hand up against one of the ancient rocks. Naruto watched as she sent her mind inside of it. Then, he approached the edge of the cistern, squatted down, and looked into the waters, a strange light shining in his eyes.

"So this water can alter the makeup of your body?" he thought. "If a person is qualified, it can transform their body into a Demon Immortal Body? Presumably, such qualifications are not the same as the qualifications needed to enter this place, but rather, possessing some strange body type." Thoughtfully, he dipped his right hand into the water.

As soon as he touched it, a tremor ran through him. He felt something like a cold current surging in through his fingers into the rest of his body.

Tsukino opened her eyes. "The both of us came to this ancient time in soul only," she said coolly, apparently having recovered her composure. "Everything here looks real, but is in fact false. As such, there is no need to test out the waters. You can't absorb anything. It's useless.

"Alright, I've left my mark, now I need to familiarize myself with the area so that we can return here after we reach the Third Plane. You also need to leave a mark here. That way, your aura will be here in the Third Plane, and you can come back." With that, Tsukino began to make her way around, observing the area, studying it. It seemed as if she wanted to commit everything about the area into memory.

Naruto ignored her. Eyes glittering, he suddenly walked into the cistern waters.

Soon, he was floating chest-deep in the water, whereupon he closed his eyes. Around him, he could sense a pulsating coldness within the water that surged toward him and entered his body.

With a frown, he left the pond, water vapor pouring off of him.

"It really is useless," he said coolly. "It seems this cistern is designed specifically for the fleshly body, and is useless to souls." Following Tsukino's directions, he left a mark in the corner of one of the nearby stones, then turned to leave.

Tsukino didn't seemed to have any suspicions at all about his behavior. In fact, if he hadn't tried out the cistern, she would have found it to be odd. To test out the water personally was only natural.

The two of them didn't speak as they made their way back and then eventually parted. Earlier, Naruto had never thought that the casual words he had spoken would cause Tsukino to be so upset.

After leaving the hazy world, Naruto returned to the Fourth Peak where he meditated for a few days. Then one evening, he quietly returned, entering the mists with a strange look in his eyes. Retracing his steps from earlier, he hurried back.

It didn't take long for him to once again reach the Demon Immortal Cistern.

"There are definitely things about the Demon Immortal Cistern that Tsukino is hiding from me. I can't believe that such an important cistern can be entered so simply.

"There definitely must be some mysterious aspects to the waters.

"In any case, the cistern waters can temper the fleshly body, and in a much gentler way than the Underworld Cave. This really does suit my needs as far as strengthening my fleshly body!" With that, he took a deep breath and strode directly into the cistern waters. Only his head floated above the surface as he closed his eyes and felt the massive cold current around him.

It felt as if strings of ice were boring into his body. In the blink of an eye he was shaking; his Chakra and blood surged. Gradually, he began to absorb the coldness.

His fleshly body was already strong; he had experienced the tempering of the Underworld Cave, and had come to master the Mountain Consuming Incantation. However, for quite some time he had not been able to break past a certain point. No matter how hard he tried, when he was in the First Anima, the most power his fleshly body could wield was that of the Third Anima.

"Maybe this place can make me even stronger," he thought. As his Chakra and blood raced, mist began to rise up on the surface of the water. The mist formed into streams that poured into his mouth and nose until it looked almost like he was breathing smoke.

His physical body gradually began to grow stronger. Every strand of coldness that burrowed into his flesh and blood exerted stimulating power that seemed to temper his body from the inside out.

This was a completely different method than that of the Underworld Cave.

Time passed. Naruto wasn't sure how long it was before he opened his eyes. A rumbling sound filled his body as the bottleneck he had previously been stuck at suddenly burst. Finally, he could achieve a fleshly body strength equal to the Fourth Anima, while he was only in the First Anima!

Pulses of power filled Naruto. He could sense that with the terrifying, explosive power within him, he could destroy metal or stone with a single punch.

"The further down I go, the more cold it gets," he thought, his eyes filling with determination. He had long since decided that he needed to take advantage of his time in this ancient world to strengthen his fleshly body as much as possible. In his analysis, his fleshly body was the most important thing other than Dao magic enlightenment that he could take out from this place.

Taking a deep breath, he sank down further, until he was at the midway point in the waters. His body trembled, and cracking sounds could be heard from within. Something about his body seemed irregular as the cold currents pressed down onto him.

The cold was boundless, majestic, and mad as it poured into him. He didn't even need to make an effort to absorb it. The cold streams found him, as if they thirsted to become a part of him.

Naruto trembled as he caused his Chakra and blood to continue to flow.

What Naruto didn't know was that although the Demon Immortal Sect of this time period was not at its most flourishing point, it was in a much better state than it would be later, during its period of decline. Right now, it was filled with abundant resources, for example, this cistern. Its state of accumulation during the past tens of thousands of years had led to its current state of boundlessness.

The accumulation of coldness here… was terrifying. Similarly, the nourishing power it provided to the fleshly body was incredibly shocking.

Naruto's body had reached a fearful state, and only continued to grow stronger and stronger.

"If I could keep this up, then eventually, I could have a fleshly body equivalent to the Seventh Anima while only in the First Anima! Wouldn't that mean that… I would have… a Spirit Severing fleshly body!?" Within the cistern waters, Naruto's eyes opened to reveal a bright, hair-raising glow.

Naruto closed his eyes again as he floated there. Coldness poured into him, burrowing inside, fusing with his Chakra and blood, circulating through him. He could sense his fleshly body growing stronger.

There seemed to be something strange in these waters, some Heavenly power that could use gentleness to cause the fleshly body to be remolded. There was no pain, but the coldness from the cold currents gradually caused Naruto's body to grow stiff. After fifteen or twenty hours, even his soul was showing signs of growing hard.

It was at that point that Naruto, floating there in the middle section of the pond, suddenly opened his eyes. Without hesitation he shot up, bursting out from the surface of the water to appear outside. His body quivered, and white mist floated up off of him. Cracking sounds could be heard from the ground beneath his feet as ice began to stretch out in all directions, with him at the center.

He sat down cross-legged to meditate. A few days passed before he opened his eyes. Within them could be seen a bluish glow, which came from the poisonous coldness inside him that he still hadn't dispelled.

"This place is excellent for tempering the fleshly body. However, it also contains a poisonous coldness, which takes time to dispel from within. If I don't dispel it, it would eventually cause grave danger to my life." Frowning, he sighed and then looked at his bag of holding.

"It's too bad this is an illusory world, so consuming the medicinal pills from here doesn't do any good. The only thing of value are the places here for training and cultivating the fleshly body.

"If I was able to consume the medicinal pills here, well, considering the Dao of alchemy in this age, my results would be exponentially better." After a few more moments of thought, he rose to his feet and left. He planned to return to the Fourth Peak to rest and wait for the poisonous cold to be completely expelled. Then he would return again to immerse himself in the cistern waters.

As he passed back through the mists, Naruto was filled with a feeling like that when you can see a great treasure right in front of you, but have no way to take it. He was a bit depressed.

Gradually, he left the hazy area. As he passed the two statues and the door of swords, he suddenly stopped in place. A brilliant glow could now be seen in his eyes.

His eyes sparkled and his mind raced as a new idea suddenly began to form.

"The medicinal pills here are illusory, and therefore useless to me…. However, there is an endless supply of medicinal plants, even types that are extinct in my time, but are common here.

"In that case… what if I concoct my own pills?" He began to pant with eagerness.

"Illusory medicinal plants can be used to create real medicinal pills. In fact… I've done that before!" He took a deep breath, and his eyes seemed to shine as brightly as if they contained suns. His heart trembled from the shock of this new idea. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like he could do it.

If he did, Naruto wasn't sure if he could… actually influence the fundamental structure of this ancient, illusory world!

"Back in the Violet Fate Sect, I made something from nothing! During my Violet Furnace Lord promotion, I used an illusory item to concoct… a medicinal pill made from nothing!

"I wonder if I can use a similar method here to concoct… a similar pill made from nothing, that conforms to the nature of this place!?" Naruto's fists clenched and his body trembled. This idea seemed almost like lunacy and he wasn't sure if he could succeed. Speaking purely in terms of the Dao of alchemy, though, it was possible!

"It is difficult to create something from nothing even just once, and even with my skill in the Dao of alchemy. A lot depends on destiny and luck!"

He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they shone with determination. His body flickered as he shot toward the Fourth Peak. As he sped along, those who caught sight of him felt jealously pricking at their hearts. Because of what had happened at the Demon Immortal Temple, Naruto's reputation as a Demon Immortal Sect silkpants had grown even beyond what it was before.

After returning to the Fourth Peak, he found that Hinata was still sitting there meditating. Compared to Naruto, Hinata possessed a level of diligence that he could never attempt to overtake.

However, every person's destiny and fortune is different. Techniques that suited Hinata might not necessarily suit Naruto. The opposite was also true.

Several days later, all of the disciples in the Fourth Peak knew that their young Lord had apparently gone crazy. He unexpectedly had begun concocting pills, which caused a huge stir on the Fourth Peak. Eventually, word spread to the other peaks, and soon everyone knew about it.

It didn't take long for all sorts of thoughtless gossip to begin to spread. Of course, no one dared to say anything openly; after all, the silkpants members of the Demon Entente were all very supportive of the matter.

When Naruto mentioned his desire for mass quantities of medicinal plants, the Demon Entente sprang into action. Once the huge amounts of medicinal plants began to roll in, Naruto's entire life consisted of four things.

Daoist magic enlightenment, medicinal pill concocting, body tempering in the Demon Immortal Cistern, and dispelling the poisonous coldness.

When it came to concocting medicinal pills, he used the Fourth Peak's pill concocting workshop, which belonged to Mui. Once Naruto took it over, the entire Fourth Peak began to fill with the sound of exploding medicinal pills.

The sounds might echo out in the dark of night or in the middle of day. Whenever they were heard, everyone knew that the young Lord had once again failed to concoct a batch of medicinal pills.

Naruto was a bit ashen-faced; this was not the outcome he had hoped for. His Dao of alchemy came from a time tens of thousands of years in the future. The current Dao of alchemy was different, and he needed time to adjust before he could unleash his full potential.

Worst of all, Naruto found that so far, he could only concoct illusory pills, and was unable to truly create something from nothing. Perhaps it was because of the illusory nature of the world he was in.

It almost seemed as if there was some force interfering with him, making it so that the medicinal pills here were eternally categorized in a different way. Unfortunately, Naruto's concoctions were outside of that scope, and were thus not permitted to appear.

However, he didn't allow himself to become dejected, nor did he give up. He continued to experiment, trying to find that same feeling he had experienced back in the Violet Fate Sect. Time went by, and soon an entire month had passed.

By the end of that month, there wasn't a single person in the Seven Peaks of the Demon Immortal Sect that didn't know Naruto was concocting pills. The rumblings coming from the Fourth Peak became just another one of the sounds of the First Heaven of the Demon Immortal Sect.

Considering how many countless times he had failed, and the unthinkable amount of medicinal plants he had wasted, it was good that the Demon Immortal Sect had such vast resources. Such wastage would cause even most mid-sized Sects to groan in complaint.

That was especially so considering that… he was using medicinal plants which were considered precious even in this age. Every failure of his caused other disciples to secretly feel stabs of pain in their hearts.

Although he hadn't succeeded yet, Naruto had actually gained quite a bit. His Dao of alchemy was gradually assimilating into ancient times. Slowly, a new path appeared in the Dao of alchemy that consisted solely of Naruto. Furthermore, he had attempted so many concoctions that his proficiency with the process actually vastly improved.

Also during that month, he gained complete enlightenment of the first level of the Mountain Consuming Incantation. It was firmly branded in his mind, and could be taken away when he left the Second Plane.

As for the poisonous coldness within him, it was now more than half expelled from his body. If it weren't for his continued immersions within the cistern, it would have long since completely vanished.

Actually, his control over the poisonous coldness had reached the point that as long as he didn't have contact with the cistern water, it would naturally dissipate.

During the month, Naruto's fleshly body experienced incredible changes. Even he was shocked by the outcome. The bizarreness of the Demon Immortal Cistern was thoroughly shocking. Right now, even when in the First Anima, his fleshly body had the power of the Fifth Anima.

According to his estimation, if he could reach a level of fleshly body strength equal to the Seventh Anima while in the First Anima, then when he actually entered the Seventh Anima… his fleshly body would truly be that of Spirit Severing.

If he encountered Patriarch Hashirama in such a state, Naruto was confident that the battle would not be as difficult as before, and he would be able to destroy the man in soul and body.

"Unfortunately, to reach the level of the Sixth anima with my fleshly body would involve sinking down to the very bottom of the cistern… after which I would need a month to recover from the poisonous coldness.

"Furthermore, if my calculations are correct, I would need to go through that process at least ten times. Essentially, that's almost a year of time." Naruto continued to think about the matter as he walked through the various districts of the Demon Immortal Sect.

As he was walking, he suddenly stopped in place. In that instant, ghost images sprang up from everything around him, the sky, the land and the world. It lasted only for the space of a few breaths, and then everything went back to normal.

"That's the third time this month," Naruto thought with a frown. He could sense that the Second Plane was reaching the point of dissipation. When it vanished, all of the people from Lands of Ninshu would leave, and their journey into the Demon Immortal Sect would reach its conclusion.

"If it comes quickly, it will be within days. At the slowest, it might last two more months." Naruto felt a bit of regret. There simply wasn't enough time for him to reach the incredible strength of the Sixth Anima.

His body flickered, and he reappeared on the outskirts of the Demon Immortal Sect. It was a relatively remote location, deserted and quiet, a place where few people ever came.

He looked down at the ground, then glanced around the area again. Finally, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a Wooden Time Sword. This particular sword was branded with multiple seals that he had used in recent days to reinforce it.

He looked at the sword, and then the ground. A gleam of decisiveness filled his eyes.

"If I don't give it a shot, then I'll always regret it. Although I'm eighty to ninety percent sure it won't work, there's always that slight possibility…." With that, he waved his right hand, causing the Wooden Time Sword to stab down into the ground. In the blink of an eye, it was buried deep down.

"Of all the magical items I possess, only the Wooden Time Swords need to be immersed within the power of Time. Even the slight chance of success would mean….

"When I return to reality, I might be able to have a sword with tens of thousands of years of Time! With the power of such a sword, a single slash could cut away tens of thousands of years! Even slaying Immortals wouldn't be difficult!

"A treasure like that is worth a bit of a gamble!"

Naruto's eyes flickered. He turned and made his way off into the distance. In the end, he picked three other similar places in the Demon Immortal Sect where he concealed Wooden Time Swords in the ground.

Currently, he had a total of ten Wooden Time Swords, which he could use to unleash the first form of the Lotus Sword Formation.

To bet four of the swords on a possibility that was most likely impossible was a huge gamble for him.

"Each one of these Wooden Time Swords represents a vast collection of Spirit Stones…." he thought. Enduring the pain of it, he hid one sword after another. Every time he did, he buried his dreams and hopes along with it.

Naruto selected the four locations very carefully. In fact, the four different locations were places that, according to his memories of the First Plane, were still relatively intact.

That way, just in case the swords really did appear in the Third Plane… then they would be easy for him to recover.

As night fell, Naruto hovered in mid-air, looking out across the lands. He glanced at the four places where he had buried the swords, and the anticipation in his eyes grew stronger.

"If I succeed, then my path of cultivation can continue even more smoothly. If I don't succeed… then at least I will have no regrets." He made one more final look to ensure that he had committed the various locations to memory. Then, he made his way to the Fourth Peak.

More time passed by. Another half month was gone. The ghost images continued to occur with increasing frequency. The interval between the occurrences was shorter, and every time they occurred, they lasted for several breaths of time.

In fact, on one occasion a few days ago, Naruto had been concocting pills when the ghost images sprang for a few dozen breaths of time. During that time, he almost had the feeling that he had left the illusory ancient world.

He hadn't seen Mui recently. Even when he went to pay his respects and wish Mui good health, it was only through the closed door of the Immortal's cave. When Mui spoke to him from inside, his voice seemed somewhat tired.

He wasn't sure what Mui was doing, but whenever he heard the man's voice, he felt calmer. Mui was his father in this life, and as far as Naruto was concerned, the most valuable thing he had acquired in this illusory world.

Hinata still had not finished with her secluded meditation. However, she had clearly experienced success in her enlightenment. Every time Naruto looked at her, she was experiencing different transformations of the soul.

She seemed completely immersed in Daoist magic. Although she was not consummately beautiful, there was now a vague air to her that was both unforgettable and fascinating.

"It should be any moment now," murmured Naruto as he sat there cross-legged in the Immortal's cave. "The ghost images are growing more intense and more frequent. Everybody must be getting very antsy by now." He looked out at the evening sky and the dark clouds that were gathering up above.

Recently, he had not of his own initiative sought out any of the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators. He had kept to himself, trying to concoct his medicinal pill from nothing, or achieve enlightenment of the Daoist magics.

Of course, all of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu were extraordinary individuals. Each one had inside information from their various Sects or Clans, as well as methods to evade Naruto. He was well aware of that. He could either mobilize the entire Sect to try to find them, or just not look for them at all. He preferred the latter.

Naruto was confident that they… would come looking for him.

When they did, it would be the whole group, except perhaps for Patriarch Hashirama, who Naruto would kill at first sight.

Sheets of rain began to descend onto the Demon Immortal Sect. The entire world turned hazy, and as Naruto looked out at it, he had a strange feeling. He wasn't sure if the world he was in was hazy, or if the rain was hazy… or if it was both.

It was much like how he viewed the future.

The rain fell until the third night watch before it started to lighten up. The land was covered with coldness that transformed into fog. When the sun rose, the fog slowly began to grow thin and then dissipate, transforming the haziness into clarity. Everything looked like a beautiful oil painting.

At dawn, a sword came!

It was impossible to say where the sword came from, but it shot directly toward Naruto. None of the protective spell formations on the Fourth Mountain did anything to stop it; apparently there was something special about this sword.

The sword came to a stop a meter or two in front of Naruto, where it hovered in the air. A mottled glow emanated up from its surface. Just barely discernible on the sword were the traces of a mark made by a soul.

It was one word.

Namikaze.

Naruto smiled. The people he had been waiting for were finally showing their faces.

He made a grasping motion with his right hand, causing the sword to fall into his hand. He sent out his Divine Sense to sweep it over, and immediately, a message transmitted into his mind.

After hearing the message, his smile grew even wider. After a long moment, he closed his eyes.

Noon passed, and evening was approaching by the time he opened his eyes again. His body flickered, transforming into a beam of light that shot past the First Peak and out of the mountainous region toward an area near the main part of the Sect where the Outer Sect disciples resided.

When Naruto finally arrived, no one was out and about. Everything was quiet as he headed toward a set of three connected residence buildings. As he neared a location between the second and third residence buildings, he waved his hand, causing a door to open up. Without hesitation, he entered.

Instantly, dozens of gazes fell upon him.

The residence was large and filled with dozens of waiting people. As Naruto looked around, he could see that they were separated into various groups.

Even within those groups, there were various subdivisions based on whichever area the people were from. After all, even though some of them might wish to kill others, they knew that they had to look at the bigger picture, and the trouble that it would cause if something like that happened.

The largest group of all, shockingly, was the Hebi Clan. They had seven people, all of whom were Inner Sect disciples. Their eyes shone brightly, and although they didn't speak, they made no effort conceal their extraordinary demeanors, nor their arrogance and pride.

Of the group of seven, three were women and four were men. There were two among them who were the most conspicuous. One was Guren, the other was a young man who had the glittering mark of a trident on his forehead. He emanated a sense of danger, and reminded Naruto a lot of the Hebi Clan member he had killed most recently, Kidomaru.

This young man was none other than Hebi Clan Array member, Kigiri!

However, of the seven Hebi Clan members, the one that drew Naruto's attention the most was neither Guren nor Kigiri. Instead, it was an ordinary looking youth of short stature who stood behind them, smiling.

The youth seemed ordinary, but after looking at the seven Hebi Clan members, that youth was the only one who caused him to feel a sense of danger.

It was merely a sense of danger, though. Naruto could not detect any bone-deep hatred from any of them, the type that said they wouldn't rest until he was dead. Apparently, they did not have any idea at all that Naruto was connected to the death of Kidomaru.

He glanced at Guren. She looked back at him silently.

In addition to the seven members of the Hebi Clan, there was also the Namikaze Clan. Karin looked at Naruto with a slight, enigmatic smile. Behind her were two men whose eyes glistened with displeasure as they coldly measured up Naruto.

Naruto recalled what Karin had told him about three members of the Namikaze Clan coming to the Demon Immortal Sect. Obviously, these were the other two from the Namikaze Clan.

What was most intriguing to Naruto was that, although the right hands of these two men seemed ordinary, he could tell that they were not. He was familiar with the usage of the diaphanous Namikaze Clan glove. A single glance and he could tell that they were wearing just such gloves.

In addition to the Hebi and Namikaze Clans, there were four or five others from the Eastern Lands. Most of them were grouped near the Hebi or Namikaze Clans, but were eclipsed by those blazing suns of that part of the world. They didn't look very extraordinary at all in comparison.

However, their Cultivation bases were clearly beyond ordinary. As Naruto looked them over, his gaze came to rest on a tall, slender man who stood next to Karin. He was smiling, but within the gentleness of his look was a viciousness buried deep down. Inside, he was obviously an ambitious and ruthless person.

As for who he was, Naruto wasn't quite sure. However, considering where he was standing, he could formulate some guesses.

"Don't tell me this guy is chasing after the explosive dragon?" he thought. He suddenly felt a bit of admiration for the man's bravery.

In another direction were the people from the Northern Reaches. From what Naruto understood, the Northern Reaches was a savage and uncivilized region. In some ways, it might be better than the Western Desert, but it was vastly different from the Southern Domain or Eastern Lands.

Actually, Naruto knew that the so-called Northern Reaches were actually a land of exile. The Cultivators there were mostly people that other locations couldn't tolerate, who eventually sought their fortune in the Northern Reaches.

Of course, what the Northern Reaches proclaimed to have was freedom. Complete and ultimate freedom.

Most of the Sects there were rebel Sects from other areas. The Clans were usually formed from scattered remnants of other Clans. One example was the so-called Imperial Bloodline Clan.

According to rumor, that clan had previously given rise to several Immortals. Because of that, descendants had a strong foundation and were able to expand and grow. Eventually the group split. One half perished and the other half traveled to the Northern Reaches where they became this new Clan.

There were a total of eight Cultivators from the Northern Reaches. All of them looked very bizarre, and none of them grouped together. Each one remained isolated.

The tyrannical and haughty air that they emanated was readily apparent. Of the eight of them, three were women and five were men. Each one seemed like a viper, cold and grim. There was one of them, a young man, who stuck out more than the others. He had the eyes of a phoenix, and beautiful features. He appeared to be smiling, but it was a cold smile that made one feel as if a frigid wind was blowing through you.

This was none other than the member of the Imperial Bloodline Clan.

There was another young man who had a strange birthmark that almost didn't appear to be a part of his body at all. It seemed to be slowly wriggling across his face, a shocking image that would make anyone who glanced at it look twice.

Next to that group were the people from the Southern Domain.

As he laid eyes upon them, Naruto's eyes softened a bit. The Southern Domain… was his home. Most accurately speaking, he was someone from the Southern Domain.

There were a total of seven people from the Southern Domain. From the way they were organized, Naruto could quickly see which alliances now existed between various Sects and Clans.

Itachi and Ino were together, which meant that the Uchiha Clan and the Black Sieve Sect were in cooperation.

Sagiri was nowhere to be seen. If Naruto's guesses were correct, Sagiri had most likely met his fate at the hands of Guren. She surely had killed him to remove him as a witness.

Eventually, Naruto's gaze came to fall on one of the women from the Southern Domain. Although her physical features were unfamiliar, as soon as their eyes met, Naruto gaped.

"It's her…."

Naruto's memories of her were somewhat vague. He had actually not interacted with her much at all. In fact, if he recalled matters correctly, they hadn't even met each other.

There was only one thing connecting them, and that was the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law. In the end, although they were clearly strangers, they were still connected together.

Most accurately speaking, this was… Naruto's beloved from the Nadeshiko Clan.

Because she was a daughter of the Nadeshiko Clan, it was impossible for her to have a second beloved, not after the search for a son-in-law. Her reputation and the face of the Nadeshiko Clan could not permit that.

After Naruto fled, the Nadeshiko Clan did not speak of the matter to outsiders. However, to the young woman, the entire matter came as quite a blow.

She had always been a tender and delicate girl. Although she had outstanding latent talent, her heart was weak. That made it hard for her to be strong. She was like a flower in a greenhouse, who feared the rain of the outside world.

That was how Naruto remembered Shizuka. She was beautiful and had gentle eyes, with a tender weakness deep within her expression.

Now, however, a hundred years had passed. Shizuka had changed. Her eyes were filled with strength, and the weakness that she had concealed deep in her heart all those years ago had been shed. She had grown up.

She had been left with no choice other than to grow up. After the matter with Naruto, she had no chance to choose a new beloved. Strangely, the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch made no extra demands of her, and in fact treated her quite politely. It made her feel almost like she was an outsider.

She hadn't understood it back then, but many years later she came to realize that none of it had anything to do with her. Starting with that search for a son-in-law… everything had changed.

She had come to understand that in addition to her identity as a member of the Nadeshiko Clan, she had acquired some other mysterious background. The power of that background made it so that everyone in the Nadeshiko Clan trembled like cicadas in winter when they faced her. It was as if they didn't know what to do with her.

All the resources of the Clan came to be at her disposal. In fact, it came to the point where she seemed to be even more important than her older brother, Sagiri. All her demands were complied with, which led to increasingly intense jealousy on the part of her older brother. The more he pushed against her, the more she had backed down. However, by the time the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane arrived, Sagiri had only become more aggressive than before.

In fact, in the First Plane, were it not for her being completely on guard, she might very well have died at his hands. That matter had filled her heart with intense pain.

She immediately recognized Naruto. The complicated feelings in her heart had been knotting up there for more than a hundred years. When their gazes met, she gave him a slight nod.

Naruto gazed back silently for a moment and then looked away.

When he saw Chino, he instantly thought of Shikamaru, who joined the Reliance Sect along with Naruto that year. He also thought of Little Tiger, who he hadn't seen after leaving the Five Elements Nation. Perhaps he had left along with old turtle Reliance.

Before he realized what was happening, the feeling of the passage of time appeared in Naruto's heart. He sighed inwardly. Sometimes, it is only when encountering old friends that such a feeling will give rise to sighing and sobbing.

Chino smiled slightly, looking very cool and collected. Naruto nodded, then glanced over the other Cultivators from the Southern Domain. The rest were people he didn't recognize.

However, one of them gave him a feeling that reminded him of the Shimura Clan Dao Child who had died at his hands, Kabuto.

This new man was tall and strapping, with a gaze like a blade. He stood there like a sheathed sword, ready to burst into action and split apart Heaven and Earth.

This was the current generation Dao Child of the Shimura Clan, Torune!

There was another Cultivator who didn't look very impressive. It was an old, gaunt man who appeared to be all smiles, but whose expression was one of envy as he looked at Naruto. Naruto didn't recognize him, but as he stood there among the other Southern Domain Cultivators, he caused a feeling of loathing to rise up within Naruto.

He didn't see anyone from the Violet Fate Sect, the Solitary Sword Sect, or any disciples from the other Sects. He was a bit puzzled by that, but this was not the time to make inquiries.

Finally there were Cultivators from the Western Desert, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say the Black Lands.

There was Hayate and Tarui, as well as two others that he didn't recognize. He didn't see Patriarch Hashirama anywhere.

There were quite a few people he didn't know here; in contrast, everyone here seemed to know exactly who he was.

He was Muku, son of a Paragon, the number one silkpants in the Demon Immortal Sect, one of the Masters of the Demon Entente. He was famous, which of course filled everyone here with envy.

That was especially so after the shocking events of the Demon Immortal Temple. The envy in some of these people was rooted deep in their hearts, and had transformed into deep jealousy.

To these people, Naruto was the Chosen of the illusory ancient Second Plane, brilliant and splendorous.

Glancing over them all, he grinned and leaned up against the doorframe. With a smile, he said, "Hello, Fellow Daoists. What matter is it that you wished to discuss here with humble old me?"

He truly looked like a silkpants now, especially the way he leaned up against the doorframe. He seemed at ease, which caused everyone present to frown.

However, there was nothing they could do about it. They were Inner Sect disciples, and the difference between their status and Naruto's was like the difference between Heaven and Earth. In fact, many of them would never even dare to meet Naruto in person.

If it weren't for the fact that they were being forced by urgent circumstances, and faced with the potential of incredible profit that they couldn't simply abandon, then they would never be willing to allow Naruto to see them in such a position as they were.

Some of them had even considering trying to hide their faces, or use other methods to attend this meeting. However, as soon as they got near to Naruto, he would be able to sense who they were, so any attempts at concealment would be useless.

The only way to be completely safe was to stay far away from him. However, this meeting was far too important. They need to show the spirit of good faith, otherwise, there wouldn't even be the slightest chance of success.

That was why the Namikaze Clan and the Hebi Clan had joined forces along with all the others. Their alliance had only one adversary, Naruto. They would combine all their power and then bring it to bear in the negotiations to come.

That was the only way they all would dare to meet with Naruto in person.

Such frustration was something that blazing suns like them would find difficult to accept in the outside world.

As Naruto's words echoed out, everyone was silent. Nobody responded. All of them began to exchange glances, until finally, the gazes began to fall onto the Hebi and Namikaze Clans.

As for the Hebi Clan, they maintained their silence and looked over at the Namikaze Clan.

Karin cleared her throat and looked at Naruto.

"There's something we would like to ask you to go the trouble of helping us with," she said. "Of course there will be compensation, and a lot of it!" It wasn't clear how Karin seemed to understand Naruto so well, but as soon as the words came out of her mouth, his interest seemed to be sparked.

"It's actually quite a simple thing," she continued. "You've surely seen the staircase floating above the pit between the Third and Fourth Peaks. All you have to do is climb that staircase to the top, and then leave this place. That's all.

"In exchange, each of us here will give you 100,000 Spirit Stones as compensation. Look… there are dozens of people here. Therefore, we're talking about millions of Spirit Stones. That's quite a bit of profit for very little work, don't you think? You really need to listen to your big sis here." She winked at him, after which he began to perform some calculations.

"Hmm. I don't think so, big sis. I've been getting a lot of headaches lately…. Also my shoulder got twisted while I was practicing cultivation. And my legs. I think it might be that I just can't acclimate myself to this place. Every day they ache constantly." He rolled his eyes, pulling a long face.

As soon as he said this, unsightly expressions appeared on the faces of the others present. Although no one spoke, they were murmuring to themselves. A Cultivator getting a headache? Who would possibly believe that?

A twisted shoulder because of cultivation? It's not like he was practicing the Spider and Toad Skill. How could he possibly twist his shoulder…?

And then there was the expression 'can't acclimate.' This made them want to curse him. None of them had experienced anything like that, and yet Naruto had?

Furthermore… all of them had entered here in soul only. Who had ever heard of a soul that 'couldn't acclimate.'

"Look here, at my neck. It hurts really bad, right here." Massaging the spot, he sighed and continued, "I think I need to go back to my Immortal's cave and lay down for a bit. I'll have my dad call some of the Junior Sisters over to do some massage and other blood-flow invigoration techniques. As for this favor of yours, I'm afraid I really can't help out."

Everyone else was on the verge of going crazy, but had no choice other than to suppress their fury. From their perspective, Naruto was brazenly showing off his own identity and the fact that he had a Paragon as a dad.

He was going to call some Junior Sisters to massage him and stimulate his blood flow…? This caused all of the male cultivators to clench their jaws tightly.

Next, Naruto said something that arose even more fury. "Well then, it's starting to get dark out. Dad's waiting for me to eat dinner, so I should go. See you!" Yawning, he turned to leave.

"ENOUGH!" roared Karin, clenching her fists tightly. "You're constant yapping about 'my dad this' and 'my dad that.' Is Mui really your dad?!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Karin regretted speaking them.

Naruto stopped in place. He turned to look at her coldly. "Even though I don't actually know who my father is," he said, "that doesn't have anything to do with you."

Karin truly wished to enter the Third Plane. However, she also was looking out for Naruto's best interests. The words she had spoken just now had only come out in the heat of anger.

"Look…." she continued quickly, "all we want you to do is climb a staircase. Then you can lead us out of the Second Plane and into the Third Plane. It's a simple thing for you! Besides, you can acquire a lot of good fortune in the Third Plane. In addition, it will put you on good terms with everyone here. When you get back to Lands of Ninshu later on, then your path…."

Naruto understood all of that. Furthermore, he felt no ill will at all coming from Karin, and as such, also felt no hostility toward her. His expression softened a bit.

"I can take you all into the Third Plane," he said coolly.

"However, 100,000 Spirit Stones isn't enough. I want half of what you acquire within the Third Plane!

"If all of you agree, then we can conclude this bargain now. All of you can swear an oath from your heart; if you break it, you will become one with the Dao. We Cultivators place a lot of importance on oaths, especially ones that have to do with cultivation. You don't want to cause entanglements that will hinder progress in your Cultivation base and eventually cause you to be destroyed in body and soul.

"If you don't agree, then I'll consider the matter ended, and we can just wait peacefully for the Second Plane to collapse.

"Whatever choice you make, make it quickly." With that, Naruto turned to leave.

"Don't you want to go to the Third Plane?" called out Itachi.

Without even looking back, Naruto said, "What I've acquired in the Second Plane is already sufficient. It doesn't matter at all whether I go to the Third Plane or not." With that, he made his way off into the distance.

Everyone left behind stood there silently, wrestling with their thoughts and emotions. Their fury toward Naruto might be raging to the Heavens, but they were also left with no other alternatives. The staircase had appeared because of Naruto, and he was the only one who could climb it.

They had tried, of course, all of them. But all they could do was see it, not touch it.

A few days later, they all met again. Everyone stood in front of Naruto and swore an oath promising that after the Third Plane ended, they would give him the share that he had demanded initially.

Oaths were made and witnessed, all based on the Dao. In the future, it didn't matter what these Lands of Ninshu Cultivators acquired in the Third Plane, they would have no basis for complaint. If they broke their promise, the oath would still stand. Any hesitation on their part could influence their Cultivation base.

If it was just some words, or an ordinary oath, it wouldn't be anything extraordinary. However, when the time came to speak the oath, Naruto unexpectedly produced a seemingly simple, and yet also dangerous and vicious Daoist magic.

It was something that anyone at the Foundation Establishment stage or higher could cultivate, called Dao Certification.

A few days ago outside Mui's Immortal's cave, Naruto had requested to have this very Daoist magic. It was specifically used in this ancient age to bind agreements using Daoist magic.

With it in place, if the agreement was broken, the soul would be shredded, great Daos would be unattainable, and the Cultivation base would decline.

There was nothing anyone could do. In order to get into the Third Plane, they had to cautiously swear their oaths, using the Dao Certification as a pledge, and then complete the agreement. There were some people who refused at first, but Naruto didn't need to do anything. All it took was some pressure from the others, and they finally gritted their teeth and accepted.

After all, nobody was willing to be the one to pay a heavy price while others paid nothing.

There was one thing nobody seemed to notice. Although everyone assumed that everyone else was present, Tsukino and Patriarch Hashirama were missing.

Naruto also swore an oath. According to their requirements, he would climb the mighty staircase. However, he would pick the exact time. He also promised that in the coming days here in the Second Plane, he would not use his power and influence to exert pressure on them. They would no longer need to be so cautious and do everything from within the shadows.

They had been waiting for such a promise for a long time. Many wondered if anyone from their Sect or Clan who had come here in the past had ever deal with anything as frustrating as this.

Up to now, they hadn't dared to make any public appearances, or go anywhere near the Fourth Peak. In fact, whenever they saw any silkpants flying through the air, they would duck their heads for fear of Naruto showing up.

Their days had passed in this manner for months now, and they had endured as long as they could. At long last they could relax a bit and enjoy sunlight of this ancient time….

After the agreements were all formalized, Naruto realized that the time to leave this place was fast approaching. He would depart from this ancient, illusory world, and return to reality.

In truth, none of the things here were things he couldn't part with. The silkpants lifestyle, his identity, all of it was merely a dream. When waking up from the dream, it could all be forgotten.

However, there was one thing that he wasn't willing to forget; his father from this life, Mui.

The fatherly love that he displayed made Naruto want to be immersed here and never wake up. He didn't want the dream to end, and didn't want to forget Mui. In this illusory ancient world, he had finally experienced what it felt like to have a father at his side.

That feeling made up for some of the sorrow that had lurked in his heart for so long.

He gave up on Dao magic enlightenment. Other than concocting pills, he spent most of his time sitting cross-legged outside of Mui's Immortal's cave. Although Mui never opened the door, Naruto stayed, occasionally saying one thing or another.

That was how life went on, peacefully and quietly. There were no shocking events. Everything was ordinary. Hinata was still in secluded meditation, never having opened her eyes even once. Naruto was used to such a lifestyle by now. In fact, on more than one occasion, he thought to himself that if things continued on this way forever, it wouldn't be so bad.

Half a month later, the ghost images were appearing just about every day. Naruto knew that he needed to leave. The unwillingness to part, and the complicated, embarrassing thoughts, all sent him into a melancholy state of mind.

He looked up at the sky. He looked out at the lands around him. He looked at the Seven Peaks of the First Heaven. He looked at the Fourth Peak. He looked at Mui's Immortal's cave. Then he closed his eyes and thought about all the things that had occurred here.

In the very beginning, he had admitted that he was wrong. Later, he was whipped. After that, inside the Demon Immortal Temple, he was doted upon by Mui, his father in this life. All of these things were unforgettable memories for Naruto.

He suddenly had the strong desire to offer thanks to Muku. He wanted to thank him for sending him to this place. He wanted to help Muku achieve his aim, and do the same for himself.

"The love of a father is like a mountain…." Perhaps this new line of thinking influenced his Dao of alchemy.

That night would be the last night he concocted pills in the Second Plane.

As for what medicinal plants he used to concoct the batch of pills, Naruto didn't even remember. He was submerged in his respect for Mui, in the beauty he had experienced in the past days, and in the emotions that existed between father and son. That was what he was thinking about as he placed the ingredients into the pill furnace.

The flavor and aroma of these medicinal plants represented various shades of Naruto's heart. They mixed together as he began to concoct, and he completely disregarded any thoughts of success or failure. There were only memories. Memories of everything that had happened in his place. Memories of Mui and his fatherly love. Memories of his own childhood, and the vague image of his own father.

No moon hung in the night sky.

Naruto concocted without even thinking about it. Soon, the pill furnace began to thrum with an indescribable sound. It sounded like a song of Immortals, like a funeral dirge, sometimes cheerful, sometimes melancholy.

The song contained reluctance to part as it slowly drifted out. It echoed about the Fourth Peak, causing everyone to suddenly lift up their heads and look toward the location atop the mountain from which the song originated.

It was like a wind that swept over the hearts of everyone present. It caused ripples to appear that nudged the memories in their hearts, making them recall their past.

Within the depths of their own memories, everyone was different.

Some were like children who had just grown up. Such ones looked at the stooped figure of their father and realized that he was already an old man, and then… they felt pain in the depths of their heart.

Others remembered how they used to be when they were young. When their father was strict, rebellious thoughts would bubble up in their hearts and they would grumble inwardly: "Would you just stop blabbering!?"

However, after many years passed, when they faced their white-haired father as he lay sick in bed, they would clasp his emaciated hand. Tears would stream down their face, and they would moan to themselves, "Father… please, just talk to me a little bit more, okay?"

There were many people who subconsciously ceased to practice cultivation. As they recalled the past, they stared up at the mountain peak and began to weep silently.

Hinata opened her eyes. As she looked around blankly, pain rose up within her. She thought about her home, and the vague image of her long dead parents.

"I want to go home…." she murmured.

The song echoed out from within the pill furnace to fill the entire Fourth Peak. Naruto didn't know it, because he was completely lost in thought. Concocting pills is like making music, or carving wood. One can take inexpressible thoughts and feelings and pour them inside the creation.

The sound of the medicinal pills being concocted had started out ordinary and mediocre. But now, it contained emotion. It contained Naruto's thoughts and feelings, almost as if it had a life of its own, a spirit. The music of it exceeded all the sounds that nature could produce.

After all, the most moving thing of all is love…. And although romantic love is beautiful, it pales in comparison to the selflessness of family love.

Gradually, the disciples on the Third Peak and the Fifth Peak heard the song of the pills being concocted. The song needed no explanation; as soon as they heard it, they stopped cultivating and stood there mutely. Everyone began to think of their father.

More and more disciples grew silent as the song washed over them, various images rising up from their memories to fill their minds.

 _Father is right there, a pipe in his mouth, his face covered with wrinkles. As he turns his head, he smiles in a way that calms me. Then he tousles my hair._

 _The sun is shining and I'm sitting on father's shoulders, high up in the air, laughing happily. Back then, I didn't know that my laughter was my father's happiness._

 _I don't want to see his strong, steady hands slowly grow thin and wrinkled…._

Itachi heard the song and immediately stopped meditating. He looked off into the darkness of the night, and then thought back to his own strict father.

Ino sat there silently, and her heart suddenly felt as if it were tearing into pieces. She lowered her head as she thought of her father, and how he had limped as they strolled together through the Black Sieve Sect all those years ago.

Soon, people in the Second and Sixth Peaks also heard the song. It was filled with the love of a father, fierce and incapable of being dispersed. Even the most evil person in Heaven and Earth would begin to reminisce when they heard this song.

 _I remember when you raised your hand at me, sir, and I glared back furiously. I fought back, then left and slammed the door. I never saw your trembling body, and the look of disappointment in your eyes._

 _One rainy evening, I was sick in bed. I opened my blurry eyes to see you, your hair white, prostrating in front of the statues of the gods, praying for me to be restored to health. You bustled about, you sold everything, all to make sure that I recovered properly._

 _When I saw that, my hands started to shake, and my heart tore. I wanted to open my mouth and say… father, I was wrong._

The song of the pills being concocted gradually reached the First Peak and the Seventh Peak. All of the regions of the Demon Immortal Sect's First Heaven could hear it. Everyone was listening, including Outer Sect disciples, Inner Sect disciples, Conclave disciples, Elders… everyone. Even the most powerful people in this world, the Immortals, were affected by the song, and began to reminisce.

A resonance was created, and memories floated up. In this instant, the entire Demon Immortal Sect was completely silent, except for the song…. Everyone was listening to it, and thinking of the past.

The Paragons of the First, Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Peaks… six Paragons, all heard the song. They looked up toward the Fourth Peak, their expressions mournful. They could see Naruto concocting pills, and they could hear Naruto's voice within.

Even the Paragon who hated Muku the most, could do nothing more than sigh.

"He's… finally grown up. Brother Mui… I wish you… good luck on your journey."

It was in this moment that another sound rose up within the Demon Immortal Sect. It was the sound of bells… a death knell….

On the Second Peak, Shizuka leaned up against a pine tree, staring blankly in the direction of the Fourth Peak. At some point, perplexity had filled her eyes, and tears had begun to stream down her face.

The song of the medicinal pills echoed within her ears, giving rise to layer after layer of ripples within her heart. One scene after another rose up from her memories.

She saw images of her father, and images of herself….

Some people call a daughter a 'pearl in the palm.' From what Shizuka remembered, she… was the pearl in her father's palm.

The song of the medicinal pills echoed out, rising and falling, floating throughout the First Heaven. A million people heard it and were affected, even Karin. She sat there silently, complex emotions filling her. She felt both agitated and reminiscent. She reminisced of her father, scholarly, seemingly gentle but also very strict. She also reminisced about her childhood, along with all the soft and sweet things that had happened.

What made her most agitated was that within the song coming from the Fourth Peak, she could clearly sense a family love coming from Naruto toward someone that wasn't actually his father.

"Dad," she murmured, "did you really make the right choice back then?" At some point, her eyes had filled with tears. She thought back to when she was small, how she would often see her mother weeping, while her father stood at the window, looking off into the distance, a profound, complex look in his eyes.

Within that look was a type of love that Karin didn't understand back then. After growing up, when she thought back to it, she realized that it was love. It was not love for her, but love for someone far, far away, someone who existed in some unknown place.

The love of a father and the love of a mother are completely different. The love of a father is more reserved, more silent, like a mountain. When you are a child, your father is your guardian angel. When you are a teenager, things change. He becomes an obstacle. After that, you come to view yourself as the superior, with him beneath you.

Once you reach middle age, though, you look at that mountain and you suddenly realize that he has been there all along, watching you proudly. However arrogant you were, however selfish and narrow-minded, he would forgive you. Forgive you without even saying a word.

You will feel forlorn, and will suddenly come to a realization. That… is the love of a father.

When you have it, you might not feel it deeply. However, once you lose it, you lose the Heaven of your heart!

When a child wishes to care for a parent, only to find that the parent is no longer there, well… that is a sorrow that gives rise to the most profound of weeping.

As Naruto concocted, the song of the medicinal pills echoed throughout the First Heaven. Throughout the seven great mountain peaks, a million disciples were immersed in silence. Even the Paragons were lost in thought.

They listened to the song and recalled images of the past….

 _In the past, I viewed myself as incredible. Sir, you said many things back then. You tried to involve yourself in my affairs, but at that time, I felt that you had changed from before. I felt that I was capable of flying on my own._

 _But then, my wings were broken, and I became very exhausted. After flying for a long time, I suddenly looked back and thought of you, sir, and about all the things you told me. By the time I looked back, however, all I could see was your tomb. I stood in front of your tomb and wept. I wanted to say: "Father… I was wrong."_

 _In the past, I looked down at you, then turned away, leaving you to prove myself. Years later, after I conquered the world, I came back to you in all my glory to look at your shocked face. Instead, what I saw was how proud you were of me, sir. Pain filled my heart. By that time, your hair had long since become white. I embraced my aged father, and whispered:_

" _Father, I'm back."_

Tears rolled down Guren's face as she immersed herself in her memories. She thought of many things….

Within Chino's mind floated the image of her Master. She didn't know who her father really was. When she had opened her eyes for the first time, the first person she saw wasn't her Master, but someone else.

However, at some point in her life, she had come to view her Master like a father.

She called him Master, but in her heart, she called him father.

She was adopted, having lost her parents when she was still wearing swaddling clothes. As she grew up, she became beautiful. However, from a young age, she had been cursed with a strange deformity. It was only because of her Master's efforts over the years that she was able to live a normal life.

Without her Master, there would be no Chino.

Once, long ago, he had taken her to look for clues about her hometown. After much searching, Chino finally spoke up, her voice soft. "Master, there's no need to search any more. In this life, you are my Master. I hope that in the next life, you can be my father."

The song of the pills being concocted continued to echo out. Every single person was moved emotionally; everyone was affected, influenced….

Naruto's expression was blank. These medicinal pills, this batch, this pill furnace and its song, were all filled with reluctance to part from Mui, as well as Naruto's desire for that love of a father.

He was completely unaware that at some point, a white-robed figure had appeared behind him. The figure had long hair, and was emaciated. His entire person emanated an aura of time, and archaic ancientness.

It was none other than Muku.

He stood behind Naruto, staring at the pill furnace as if he could see into eternity.

The medicinal pills were being concocted by Naruto. The song of the pills, though, contained the voices of both Naruto and Muku.

Then, the death knell began to toll. The sound rang out again, and again, and again….

A death knell was not rung upon the passing away of every disciple. Even Conclave disciples did not qualify for something like that, nor Elite Apprentices.

Only people who had rendered incredible services to the Sect would qualify to receive the death knell of the Demon Immortal Sect, as a means of protection on the way to the underworld.

Other than such people… only when a Paragon perished would the ringing of the death knell be heard in the Sect….

When the ninth bell tolled, Naruto suddenly trembled. He slowly lifted up his head, as did Muku.

"Bells…." he murmured. Fear filled his heart, and suddenly he didn't care about anything. He didn't care about the pill concocting, or the illusion, or the ancient times. He didn't even care if this batch of pills really were Celestial Pills, nor whether or not he succeeded in concocting them.

His body shook, and a realization as dark as night swept over him. Trembling, he rose to his feet.

In that instant a roaring sound could be heard from the pill furnace. The medicinal pills and the furnace itself suddenly exploded; their connection to Naruto was broken, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. The blood spattered down onto the exploded remnants of the medicinal pills; this was blood filled with his indescribable thoughts, thoughts that carried his unceasing love for a father.

"Dad…." Without hesitation, Naruto rushed outside.

He left the pill concocting workshop, completely unaware that within the shattered remnants of the pill furnace were nine destroyed pills. However, the batch had been a batch of ten. All of the medicinal strength of the nine destroyed pills had merged into the tenth pill.

That tenth medicinal pill appeared, glittering brightly as it began to transform from something illusory into something real!

The pill also absorbed Naruto's blood, which contained his true feelings and emotions. Because of that, the pill… began to thoroughly transmogrify. This was creating something from nothing!

However, it didn't matter that the medicinal pill was something from nothing, nor that it met all the qualifications that Naruto had dreamed of. Within his mind, there was no medicinal pill. There was only his anxiety, an anxiety so intense that he forgot who he was….

He rushed out of the pill concocting workshop, out of the Immortal's cave, out of the entire area he was in. He transformed into a beam of light that shot with incredible speed toward Mui's Immortal's cave.

The death knell sounded out throughout the seven great mountain peaks of the First Heaven…. DONG…. DONG…. When the thirteenth toll was reached, Naruto arrived at Mui's Immortal's cave.

Seeing that the door was sealed shut tightly, tears began to pour down Naruto's face. He kneeled in front of the door.

"Father!" His voice wasn't very loud, but it filled the entire Fourth Mountain. His eyes were wet. He wasn't sure when, but at some point, he had thoroughly immersed himself into this ancient, illusory world. Mui had appeared to fill a void of fatherly love that had existed in his heart since he was young.

That void was something that Naruto usually kept carefully hidden away. He did not want anyone to touch it, not even himself.

But then, Mui had appeared in this ancient illusion, and that void… had been filled.

Naruto's heart was being ripped into pieces. To him, Heaven and Earth had lost all color. An indescribable feeling surged over him; he felt like his body had been turned into a black hole that was consuming his soul and his life. His everything.

"Father…." Tears streamed down his face as he looked at the door of the Immortal's cave. The death knell continued to echo about. It had now tolled nineteen times. Every bell toll caused a green beam of light to surround the Fourth Peak. Currently, nineteen glowing rings of light surrounded the mountain.

As the tears rolled down Naruto's face to drop to the ground, the door to the Immortal's cave began to open silently. Mui's exhausted voice could suddenly be heard from within.

"Don't cry."

Naruto's head shot up immediately, and his body began to tremble. Without any hesitation, he rushed inside. The Immortal's cave was dark, but he could still see Mui sitting there cross-legged on his stone bed.

Mui was even more ancient than before. He seemed to emanate an aura of complete decay. White nodes of light pulsated out from him; it seemed his body was currently in the processes of passing away into meditation.

As for the lamp next to him… the oil was exhausted and the lamp was dry. Its light was weak, as if the slightest wind could blow it out.

An enormous coffin rested off to the side, its surface carved with auspicious beasts. It seemed ordinary, but if you looked closely, you would be able to see how incredible it was.

"Muku, don't cry…." he said hoarsely, looked at Naruto with a tender expression. "You've grown up. Daddy can't stay with you forever. From now on, you'll need to rely on yourself…. However, there is one last thing I can do for you. Before I pass away into meditation, I will give you the precious treasure of a lifetime, forged personally by me!"

The death knell outside had reached the fifty-seventh toll. When it reached ninety-nine, the soul would disperse. Along with the ninety-nine rings of light created by the bell tolls, it would return to Heaven and Earth, and enter the underworld….

"With the Soul Divergence Incantation, you can cultivate an undying soul. Unfortunately, the difficulty level is too high for you…. However, this coffin can help you to cultivate the art. With it, even should great calamity arise, you… can continue to live!"

He only spoke a few sentences, but even that left Mui gasping for breath. His face was pale, and the white nodes of light flying around him grew more dense. They circulated around his body, making it look almost like a glowing halo surrounded him.

He looked kindly at Naruto, his gaze filled with doting kindness and the reluctance to part. And love…. He feared the child he left behind might be bullied, might be lonely or taciturn.

Naruto bit his lip as he kneeled wordlessly in front of Mui, tears flowing.

"There's no need to cry," said Mui. "If men cry too much in our day and age, then their Dao becomes unstable. Come here, kid…." He raised a shaky hand, and Naruto, tears dripping, walked forward to stand in front of him.

Mui's hand, covered with so many wrinkles, gently patted Naruto's head.

"You've grown up…."

"Dad…." Naruto looked at the pervasive death aura, and withered Mui, and his heart felt as if it were tearing into pieces. His body trembled as his heart suddenly filled with the intense sensation that his father was about to leave him.

He… had long since taken Mui to be his own father.

"Everyone dies eventually, that is something we can't change. Lord Asura returned life to the masses, and considering my position, I must respect his decision…."

"Why?" murmured Naruto, the tears pouring down. "Why do you have to respect it!? We Cultivators practice cultivation to gain eternal life, don't we? What's the point in abandoning eternal life?!"

Mui was silent for a moment before raising his head. His gaze seemed to penetrate out of the Immortal's cave to some distant place in the future. The death knell outside had reached the sixty-ninth toll. The sound of it echoed out endlessly.

"We Cultivators don't just practice cultivation to gain eternal life. No, we pursue the Dao…. For those who strive after the Dao, life is a morning and death is an evening. For those who seek the Dao, when evening comes, of what use is longing…?" Mui lowered his head to look at Naruto.

"Death and life are not important to me. Without Lord Asura, your father would have long since died countless times over…. I do not fear death. The only thing I am uneasy about… is you…." Mui tousled Naruto's hair. He was already running very low on energy, but his eyes were filled with kindness, and an increasingly strong doting indulgence.

"I should have perished many years ago," he continued. "But I was worried about you, so I put things off until today. If it were possible, I would accompany you a bit further, just like in the Demon Immortal Temple, me in the lead, you following… off into the distance." He smiled, but his face was pale. More and more white nodes floated around him, making his smile seem somewhat distant.

"Dad…." said Naruto, pulling at Mui's hand.

"All of your brothers and sisters have already gone. Now that I'm leaving, you won't have any relatives left in the world…. I hope that in the future… you will learn to be a bit more sensible." As Mui gazed at Naruto, the kindness in his eyes grew stronger, as did the reluctance to part. It was exactly as he said; what he was concerned most about in his life, was the child who kneeled in front of him now.

If there were even a little bit of hope to buy more time, he would seize it, and watch Muku truly grow up.

Naruto wasn't able to give voice to what he was feeling deep in his heart. He felt stabs of pain, as if his world were falling apart. It was as if there were a vortex inside of him, sucking in all of his thoughts.

He could only clasp Mui's hand tightly with his own. He could only cry. He opened his mouth, but no words came out, not even one.

"Don't be sad. Your brothers and sisters are waiting for me. I'm their father too. I need to spend some time with them, also…. Muku, daddy hopes that one day, when I'm in the underworld, you'll make me proud…."

Outside, the bells had tolled eighty-nine times. Mui's body was now completely surrounded by spinning white nodes of light. The hand that Naruto held began to grow faint. The only thing that was clear now, was Mui's kind smile.

His eyes had begun to fade. During the last ten tolls of the death knell, they would lose all of their brightness. They would transform into countless dots of light that would then vanish into the air.

Naruto's heart felt as if it were being torn into pieces. His body quivered as he attempted to hold tight to Mui's disappearing hand.

"Dad….."

Suddenly, Mui's fading eyes once again seemed to focus, as if he were using all the last bits of his life force to look at Naruto. He looked almost as if he were in a daze.

There in front of him, he saw a figure slowly materializing behind Naruto. It was a man in a white robe, whose features looked completely different than Naruto's. He had long hair, and looked young, but also seemed to be filled with an endless ancientness.

This was none other than… Muku!

Muku looked at his father with tears in his eyes. He slowly kneeled down, his body superimposing with Naruto's.

A smile appeared on Mui's face. He had long since put all the pieces of the puzzle together. He nodded, and slowly reached his hand out to touch Naruto's forehead. Or… perhaps he was touching Muku's forehead.

In that instant, images appeared in Mui's mind. He saw the destruction of the Demon Immortal Sect and Muku's shocking final battle. He saw how Muku returned to life and watched over the Demon Immortal Sect alone for tens of thousands of years.

Muku looked at Mui. Tears streamed down his face as he softly said: "Dad…. I learned to be a bit more sensible…. I'm sorry for everything before…. I'm sorry. Father… everything was my fault…."

At long last, he was able to see his father again. At long last, he was able to say those words to his Father.

The words were Muku's, and they were also Naruto's. Two people, one set of words. It was hard to tell if Muku was borrowing Naruto's mouth, or Naruto was borrowing Muku's soul.

"Dad…. I've grown up. You can stop worrying, sir. I will always make you proud…."

Mui looked at Naruto and Muku for a long moment. His face filled with a kind smile, a smile filled with admiration, and even more so, deep content.

"Thank you," said Mui, his voice hoarse. "You, also, are my son. We are father and son in this life." He gave Naruto a profound look, and within that gaze could be seen doting indulgence and kindness. It was in that moment that the innumerable white nodes of light completely surrounded his body.

Naruto trembled as he realized that the hand which had been holding Mui, was now holding nothing. The final lick of flame in the oil lamp, was extinguished.

"DAD!" Tears rained down Naruto's face as he watched Mui fade away. Outside, the ninety-ninth bell toll of the death knell could be heard!

One less than a hundred. Perfection was not permitted. The death knell protected the path, guarded the way. It could not have one too many, or one too less. Ninety-nine paths to the underworld.

That is the death knell which tolls when a Paragon perishes.

The sound of the death knell continued to echo about throughout the seven great mountain peaks of the First Heaven. In that moment, the million Cultivators in the Seven Peaks were kowtowing toward the Fourth Peak. Everyone, including the other Paragons, bowed deeply.

On the Fourth Peak, the sounds of weeping rose up. All of the disciples turned toward the direction of Mui's Immortal's cave and began to kowtow on bended knees.

Mui had perished.

As Naruto watched Mui vanish completely, the sound of wailing drifted in from outside. He knelt there silently for a very long time before finally rising to his feet. Clutching his chest, he walked out of the Immortal's cave. Outside, he saw that all of the Fourth Peak disciples were present, looking in his direction. As he looked back at them, an expression of profound grief filled his face.

He looked up into the sky, and the sunlight poured into his eyes. For a moment, he thought he could see Mui's shadow. Ninety-nine beams of light swirled around him, escorting him away. As Mui made his way off into the distance, he turned his head slightly to glance at the lands below, and at Naruto.

As the sunlight poured down onto Naruto, he saw the image of himself when he first arrived in this illusory world. He remembered the first time he saw Mui, and the kindness he had seen in his eyes, a kindness that could forgive anything.

After he killed Kidomaru, he was whipped. He remembered hearing Mui's voice transmitted into his ear, asking why he hadn't cried out yet. His heart had trembled.

Then, there were the magical items and talismans personally forged with Mui's life force. In the Immortal Demon Temple, Naruto reached the point where he was sure he was defeated. It was then that a figure appeared in front of him, tousled his hair, and then kindly said, "I'll take you the rest of the way."

Naruto saw all of these things, and they transformed into a final image of parting….

Now, he finally realized that Mui knew all along that he wasn't Muku.

In the end, he had even thanked him. That proved everything. Then he had said that Naruto was also his son. He approved of Naruto….

All of it seemed like a dream. But it was a dream that Naruto wanted!

"The old man… is gone," he murmured. The light in his eyes turned into darkness, superseding everything else in the world. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then collapsed onto the ground.

Naruto was in a coma for two days. When he finally awakened, he saw Hinata watching over him anxiously. He didn't say anything. Hinata accompanied him to Mui's funeral. The tomb was in a valley in the Seventh Peak, a tomb that contained no corpse, only an extinguished oil lamp.

Naruto was no longer an ordinary disciple. Nor was he an Elite Apprentice. He was now the Lord of the Fourth Peak, although he was a Lord who was not a Paragon.

He did not concoct any more pills, nor did he seek enlightenment of Daoist magic. He sat outside his Immortal's cave looking out into the darkness of night, and the bright sky of day. He wasn't sure what he was looking at. He just stared.

Several days later, the ghost images were appearing multiple times per day in the ancient, illusory world. Naruto knew that this place… was about to vanish.

"Living and dying. It can be a departure, but also a beginning." Naruto felt as if he had experienced a flash of insight. He closed his eyes and did not open them for a long time. When he did, he decided to head to the great staircase that led up into the sky. Before leaving, he happened to notice the medicinal pill which had been created from nothing. It brought him no joy. He gazed at it blankly for a moment, then carefully put it into his bag of holding.

As he stood before the great staircase, he looked back at the Fourth Peak one more time. In that glance he placed the image of the Fourth Peak firmly in place in his memories.

Then he turned and stepped onto that staircase which none of the other disciples of the Sect could see. He began to walk up, one step at a time. As he did, all the Cultivators from the great lands of Lands of Ninshu watched him.

They were waiting. Waiting for Naruto to reach the very top of the staircase. Then the Second Plane would reach its conclusion, and the Third Plane… would open.

Naruto walked slowly, higher and higher. Soon he was high up in the sky, and almost at the top. He stopped just before he reached the final stair, looking down at the mountain peaks of the Demon Immortal Plane. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, they were filled with resolve.

"Dad, I'm leaving now…." he said softly. Then he strode forward onto the final stair. A shocking rumbling sound filled the air, and the entire world began to shake.

Naruto could see and feel the shaking, but all of the Demon Immortal Sect disciples who weren't from Lands of Ninshu had no clue at all that such things were occurring.

The Lands of Ninshu Cultivators could feel it, of course, and their faces began to fill with excitement and intense anticipation at the prospect of seeing the Third Plane with their own eyes!

When it came to the Demon Immortal Sect, the first two Planes always appeared. The Third Plane, however, had only appeared a few times throughout all history. It required great destiny or good fortune to make it open.

To be able to personally see the opening of the Third Plane made their hearts burst with passion.

Of course, the only one who could most truly witness the disappearance of the Second Plane and the opening of the Third Plane, was Naruto.

As of this moment, he was the only person who stood up in mid-air, looking down at all the people in the world below. When he reached the pinnacle of the great staircase, he looked down at everything, at the increasingly intense shaking, and the ghost images.

The ghost images would only appear for a moment before disappearing.

An invisible, imperceptible, illusory wind sprang up from nowhere. It did not cause anyone's hair to lift up. Instead, it stimulated time.

Naruto watched all Seven Peaks of the First Heaven pass through ten thousand years in the blink of an eye. The lush vegetation on the mountain peaks withered and then bloomed again, completely changing in appearance.

He saw more extravagant buildings erected on the peaks, and he saw countless lives, people being born, growing old, dying. Ten thousand years.

Then he saw everything go pitch black. An enormous hand appeared, covering over the entire world. Within that hand, he could just make out an old man in a gold robe. He waved his sleeve, and the Heavens changed. The land was bathed in redness, and the stars tumbled about.

The ground shook. Naruto couldn't see much within the darkness, but he could see the two Holy Lands collapsing. The three Greater Demon Mountains shattered. The Seven Peaks of the Demon Immortal Sect's First Heaven split and cracked. Although the mountains were still in place, many parts were destroyed.

Buildings fell to pieces and disciples died. Naruto witnessed a great war that shook all of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. The war was fought in the pitch black, so he could not see things clearly, he could only sense them.

Soon everything faded away. After a long time, Naruto caught sight of a coffin on the Fourth Peak. A man emerged from within the coffin; he had long black hair and wore a white robe.

He stood silently on the Fourth Peak, as if he were watching over the lands below him, for an eternity.

All of this was tens of thousand of years of history, all passed in the blink of an eye. Naruto eventually closed his eyes, and when he opened them, reality had been restored to the world. There were corpses everywhere, just like before, and ruins.

Everything… was back to normal.

Naruto quietly closed his eyes again for a while. When he opened them, he was no longer up in the air, but rather, reclining in the coffin on the Fourth Peak, looking up at the sky.

The sky was broken, just like he remembered it had been when he first lay down into the coffin.

It was like everything had been a dream, and now… he was waking up from the dream. Quietly, he recalled the images of everything that had happened in the ancient, illusory world. Eventually, tears began to seep out of the corners of his eyes.

"Was it really all just a dream?" He wasn't sure how to tell. He slowly sat up and then crawled out of the coffin. As he began to walk away, he suddenly looked back, his mind trembling.

The coffin was familiar to him. It was the exact same coffin that Mui had made for him back in the illusory ancient times…. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that he made it for Muku, the precious treasure to be able to cultivate the Soul Divergence Incantation.

Naruto looked a bit absent minded as he stood there. After a long time passed, he turned and looked over the Fourth Peak. As far as what the place had looked like when he first arrived, he couldn't quite remember clearly.

Now, though, even though everything was in ruins, it was all familiar to him. Every little thing was something that existed in his memories, unforgettable.

He silently walked to the edge of the top portion of the Fourth Peak, to the place where he had first seen Muku. He stood in the same place, his back to the First Peak, and gazed toward the Seventh Peak.

It wasn't the first time he had stood here. Back in the First Plane, he had wondered what Muku was looking at. Now that he stood here looking out in the same direction once again, he knew all too well.

"You were looking at Father Mui's tomb." In the Seventh Peak was a mountain valley where one of the most powerful experts in the history of the Demon Immortal Sect had been buried after he perished. It was none other than… Mui.

Naruto looked away, and then began to walk down the Fourth Peak. All the various details weren't exactly the same as they had been that year, but even still, Naruto was able to find places that he was familiar with.

As he walked, his face flickered with an expression of reminiscence. His heart felt heavy. He was like someone who had just awoken from a dream, a bit distracted, somewhat unsure of what was real and what was not.

The Fourth Peak was filled with ruins, and there were many areas that still had the restrictive spells from before. Just such a place suddenly appeared in front of Naruto. Gentle, warm light drifted out. It didn't look like much, but if he ignored it, or tried to enter it without using the proper method, then it wouldn't matter how powerful his fleshly body was, he would perish without a doubt.

The restrictive spell blocked Naruto's path. On the other side was a narrow mountain path filled with corpses. Naruto was very familiar with this path; it was none other than the way that led to his Immortal's cave on the Fourth Peak.

He stood outside the restrictive spell, his expression growing more complex. After a long moment, he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he lifted his right hand up and performed an ancient sealing incantation. Ghost images appeared, and he pressed out lightly up ahead of him.

There was no sound. The light of the seemingly eternal restrictive spell suddenly began to flicker rapidly. Gradually it grew thin, until finally, an opening appeared.

Naruto sighed, and stepped inside. A melancholy expression appeared on his face as he looked around at the corpses that littered the path. At the end of the path was the Immortal's cave in which he had lived for so many months in the Second Plane.

The door to the Immortal's cave was collapsed. The inside of the cave was empty, filled with dust. The stone soldiers that Mui had given him in the Second Plane were nowhere to be seen.

"Perhaps they don't even exist anymore," he thought to himself as he sat there in the Immortal's cave. This was the spot he usually meditated in the Second Plane. From here he could see the sky and the lands. He sat there for a long time.

He knew that the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were using every method at their disposal, including methods gained in the Second Plane, to dig up treasures that remained in the Third Plane.

You could say that the Third Plane was like a Treasure Pavilion that had been broken open. Anyone who came here would be certain to have chances to acquire good fortune.

After a long time passed, Naruto finally stood up. He left what had once been his Immortal's cave, and began to walk toward… Mui's Immortal's cave.

There were now no restrictive spells here. All of them had been destroyed in the great war. In fact, the door of the Immortal's cave hung in fragments. Except… the sight of the interior of the Immortal's cave left Naruto gaping.

The layout of the Immortal's cave looked exactly the same as he remembered it being from the Second Plane….

However, the entire place was untainted by even a speck of dust, as if someone came frequently to clean it.

Naruto stood there looking at the Immortal's cave for a long time, almost as if he wasn't even aware that time was passing by, and he had forgotten that this wasn't the illusory Second Plane. Three days later, he finally clasped hands and bowed deeply.

He bowed for the dream. He bowed for the father during that lifetime. He bowed for having fully awoken from the dream.

The feelings for his father during that life were ingrained in the depths of his heart, and were now a part of him. They could not be cut away, or lost.

He rose to his feet, his eyes filled with determination as he walked down the Fourth Peak.

After leaving the mountain, he took a deep breath and then flew into the air. His heart had now recovered by more than half from the experience in the illusion. His eyes glittered as he shot off into the distance.

Rumbling echoed out as he increased his speed. Then, when he was far, far off, he suddenly stopped in place. He looked down at himself, for the first time sparing a moment to examine his body.

"So, the results of the fleshly body cultivation in the ancient illusion… are still there!" His eyes flickered with a bright light. His time spent cultivating his physical body had not been wasted. As of now… even in the First Anima, he had a fleshly body that was as powerful as the Fifth Anima.

"I gained the most in the First Plane. In the Second Plane, I also exceeded everyone else, leading to my superiority and advantage.

"Well then. I think that in the Third Plane… I also need to be the biggest winner!" With that, his body flickered, and a screaming sound filled the air. Before it could emanate out very far, Naruto was already nowhere to be seen.

"If my fleshly body cultivation remained in place, then…." He shot forward, his gaze coming to rest at stop off in the distance. He didn't realize it, but a bright glow had appeared in his eyes. Within his gaze could be seen anticipation, as well as a bit of nervousness.

"Well, I wonder if my plan of burying the Wooden Time Swords… has succeeded!?" He took a deep breath. If his plan had succeeded, then the rewards he could acquire would definitely be a defiance of Heaven.

Daoist magics and fleshly body cultivation were all good, and in fact, Naruto was quite content. However, what he looked forward to even more were the Wooden Time Swords. If he had succeeded, the he would be in possession of a precious treasure that could slay Immortals.

If he had succeeded with the swords, then Naruto would have a much deeper understanding of everything that had occurred within the ancient, illusory world. He would then be able to determine whether or not… he really could change the future.

Although he was aware that the possibility of success was small, he was still filled with expectation. His body flashed as he shot off into the distance at top speed. It didn't take long for him to find one of the four locations where he had buried a Wooden Time Sword.

The locations he had selected were all remote corners of the Demon Immortal Sect, places he had noticed in the First Plane, which he was sure would survive.

As he neared the first location, he began to grow more nervous. Moments later, he arrived. He looked over the ruins in the area, and then took a deep breath and descended downward.

After looking around for a while, he looked down at the ground beneath him. He lifted a foot up into the air and then stamped down, again and again. Booming could be heard as the surface of the ground was destroyed. Countless bits of dirt and rock exploded up into the air as a huge crater appeared beneath Naruto.

Unfortunately, nothing could be seen within the crater….

Naruto's face was unsightly as he turned and began to search the entire area. It didn't take long before he had turned virtually everything upside down, and yet still hadn't found a single thing.

It appeared as if from the very beginning there had not been any sort of Wooden Time Sword buried here.

"I failed…?" he thought, his eyes flashing with an unyielding glint. He flew up into the air and shot toward the second location where he had buried one of the other swords.

After arriving, he searched the area thoroughly, but the result was the same. No matter how he searched, he could not find any trace of a Wooden Time Sword.

Next he went to the third area, but the result was the same.

His heart had now sunk down into his chest, and a bitter smile could be seen on his face. He was now very much certain that the idea he had come up with in the ancient illusory world, had failed.

Sighing, he headed to the last of the areas where he had buried a sword. It was an area relatively close to the Seventh Peak. Back in the illusory world, the path to this place had been easy to follow, but now things were different. Danger lurked in all directions, even for Naruto. It took him several days to reach the Seventh Peak and the place where he had buried the fourth Wooden Time Sword.

At one time, it had been a mountainous forest. However, the forest had long since been burned into ash. After searching the ruined remnants of the forest for some time, Naruto finally found the place where he had hidden the sword.

After overturning the area, he found nothing but an empty pit. He let out a long sigh, and finally gave up all hope. He knew that this time, he had thoroughly failed.

He suddenly frowned. "Well, if I failed, then where are my Wooden Time Swords?" He opened his bag of holding and, sure enough, there were only six Wooden Time Swords inside. The four swords that he had buried were definitely gone.

There was something very strange about the whole matter, something that exceeded his imagination. There were many possible explanations, but the one that made the most sense was that although he had succeeded in burying the four Wooden Time Swords, someone else had come along and taken them before him.

He shook his head and was about to leave when suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the very edge of the deep pit he had just made. He saw something there that instantly caused a tremor to run through his body. He immediately began to breathe heavily as he stared at what appeared to be an ordinary, finger-nail sized fragment of wood sticking out of the mud.

That fragment of wood appeared to be rotten from the passage of time. It looked completely ordinary, stabbed as it was into the mud….

"That's…." Naruto panted as he suppressed the excitement in his heart. Exercising great caution, he picked up the wood fragment. It was irregularly shaped, but the tip was actually sharp.

It was almost like a sword tip!

"This is a Spring and Autumn tree! This is the tip of a wooden sword!" His breathing grew more ragged, and his mind roared chaotically. Although he desired nothing more than to succeed, he wasn't even sure how to tell if he had.

Right now, his mind was spinning as he closely examined the sword tip resting there on his palm.

"Eee? No… it looks like… this isn't the wooden sword I originally buried here?" As he examined the sword tip, he realized that shockingly, it contained 30,000 years of Time power.

However, the wooden fragment was too small, making the power of Time unstable. Naruto could tell that if he tried to wield it, it would gradually fade away.

"If I had succeeded with my wooden swords, they would have been buried here for almost 100,000 years. However, this wooden fragment only has 30,000 years. Also, the physical appearance seems a bit different." Naruto wasn't quite able to determine exactly what was going on. Now he suddenly wasn't as certain that he had failed in his attempt.

Without being able to look at the entirety of the sword, there would be no way to make a final determination. However, he did know that there was absolutely no sensation of the brand he left on his own wooden swords.

He carefully put the tiny wooden fragment away. It was impossible to determine if the fragment was part of the sword he had left here to pass through the years. However, considering that there were 30,000 years of Time power collected inside the tiny fragment, it could still be regarded as a precious treasure.

"If I truly failed, then all I lost were four Wooden Time Swords. By spending a few Spirit Stones, I can make more copies. If I succeed, though, then even if someone else took the swords away before I could, they were still personally created by me. If I ever run into them again, I'll know, no matter how many times other people try to refine them.

"The heart of the swords contains my Time power. I will always be the original master of those swords." Naruto's eyes flickered. Although he still didn't understand exactly what had happened, he didn't want to spend any more time thinking about it. Looking up, he saw the Seventh Peak, and a sentimental look appeared in his eyes.

"That's where Father Mui's tomb is." With that, he transformed into a beam of colorful light that shot off toward the burial location of the powerful experts of the various generations of the Demon Immortal Sect.

Along the way, he heard the sounds of explosions coming from various districts within the Demon Immortal Sect, as well as the occasional din of battle.

To the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators, the Third Plane was like a storehouse of treasures. There was good fortune to be acquired everywhere. However, that good fortune was not the same for everyone. It depended on how well prepared each individual was in the Second Plane, who had the greater understanding, and who had mastered more techniques to open restrictive spells.

Those were the keys to success. However, considering treasures were involved, it would be difficult to avoid friction and fighting. Therefore, fierce battles were to be expected.

Naruto ignored all of that. He didn't actually need to do anything. Thanks to the oath-enforced agreement, whatever the others acquired in here, he would acquire far, far more.

As he proceeded forward, the sky gradually began to grow dark. Outside of the Seventh Peak was the Demon Immortal Sect's graveyard. As he neared, a bright beam of light shot out from the middle of the Seventh Peak. At first, it wasn't heading toward Naruto. However, at some point it seemed to realize who he was, then changed directions and headed toward him.

Naruto stopped in mid-air, his expression normal as he coldly watched on.

The beam of light moved with incredible speed, and emanated a potent aura. It screamed through the air toward him, and as it neared, a young man became visible inside. It was none other than the Cultivator from the Imperial Bloodline Clan of the Northern Reaches.

His eyes flashed like lightning, and his face was filled with an expression of ferocity and coldness. He shot toward Naruto and was upon him in the blink of an eye. He flashed an incantation gesture, causing six illusory black dragons to suddenly shoot forth. Their shocking roars filled the air as they intertwined with each other. A terrifying pressure emanated out, slamming down toward Naruto.

Each of these six black dragons exceeded the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. When they merged together, the pressure they emanated was similar to a Cultivation base half a step into Spirit Severing. This young Imperial Bloodline Clan Cultivator clearly had an incredible Cultivation base.

In the blink of an eye, the six dragons neared, filling up the entire world in front of Naruto. Each of the dragons was hundreds of meters long. Rumbling filled the air as their combined power shot toward him.

He gave a cold snort, and did nothing to dodge them or retreat. Instead, he strode forward and lifted his right hand up. His fleshly body seemed ordinary, but suddenly it exploded with a power equivalent to the Fifth Anima. Such strength was also the same as being a half step into Spirit Severing.

A fist descended, and a thunderous boom filled the air. The roaring of the six black dragons suddenly ceased as the shocking explosion rolled over them. Naruto's fist seemed to have kicked up a tempest capable of ripping them into shreds.

In addition, within Naruto's fist could be seen an illusory mountain. This was none other than manifested power of the first level of the Mountain Consuming Incantation that Naruto had gained enlightenment of. The fist shot out, a tempest raged, and a mountain descended.

BOOOOMMMMM!

The six black dragons were ripped into pieces. The face of the Imperial Bloodline Clan Cultivator from the Northern Reaches instantly fell. His eyes glowed with astonishment. He obviously had never even considered that Naruto could possibly be so powerful.

His original plan had been to kill Naruto in one decisive attack. If he failed, at least he would be able to feel Naruto out. Currently, though, when he saw Naruto's Cultivation base, his heart sank.

He immediately fell back in retreat.

"Elder Brother Naruto, this was just a misunderstanding…." he said, his eyes flickering.

"First Anima," said Naruto coolly. His body roared as it exploded with the fearsome power of the First Anima. His fleshly body was now similar to the Sixth Anima. In the blink of an eye, Naruto's battle prowess exploded by double.

He took a step forward, then transformed into a green mist, within which was a black moon. He appeared directly in front of the young man, who he then punched without hesitation.

A boom could be heard. The young man from the Northern Reaches tried to block with both hands, and a black glow appeared around him. However, the black glow immediately collapsed, and he was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth and a look of astonishment filling his face.

"You doubled your power in an instant!?" This young man from the Imperial Bloodline Clan of the Northern Reaches was named Shinobu. Normally, he was wildly haughty, but at the moment, he was shocked to the core. Not a scrap of arrogance could be found in him.

Coughing up more blood, he forced himself to a halt. His eyes filled with ferocity as he wiped the blood from his mouth and glared at Naruto.

"Whatever," he said. "You're most likely already at your limit. To explode with double battle power is pretty incredible. You qualify to be my opponent. Well then, allow me to introduce you to something that's called the Imperial Body…." Before Shinobu could finish his lofty speech, Naruto coolly interrupted him.

"Second Anima!"

BOOM!

Naruto's body instantly became even more shocking. His fleshly body was now equivalent to the fearsomeness of the Seventh Anima. His explosive battle prowess caused the sky to dim, and a fierce wind to spring up.

Shinobu's eyebrows shot up, and a roaring filled his heart. His mouth went dry, his mind spun, and his eyes went wide. He looked at Naruto with complete disbelief, his scalp completely numb.

"Dammit, dammit, this guy's Cultivation base is freakish! This is definitely some Daoist magic from the Second Plane. It might even be one of the top 10!" Shocked, Shinobu retreated without hesitation.

He fell back quickly, but Naruto was even quicker. He took a step forward and then waved a finger. Instantly the image of a mountain appeared, to shoot rumbling toward Shinobu.

Shinobu coughed up some blood, and his body nearly exploded. A profound sense of deadly crisis filled him. He was scared witless. He pushed his hand viciously down onto his chest, causing a pearl to be vomited up. The pearl transformed into a wide net that quickly enveloped Shinobu. There almost seemed to be some power of the underworld fueling the net as it wrapped around him and shot off into the distance.

Because of that, Naruto's illusory mountain only grazed past, and didn't completely smash into him. Even still, Shinobu coughed up some more blood. His heart was in chaos, and filled with terror as he shot away.

Naruto didn't pursue him. Instead he stood where he was and coolly said, "You now owe me eighty percent of your gains. If you disagree, I'll kill you…."

As Shinobu fled off into the distance, he heard what Naruto said. If Naruto hadn't made a move against him just now, he surely would have laughed coldly with disdain. Right now, though, he could unquestionably sense Naruto's killing intent deep in his bones.

It didn't matter what type of identity he had, if Naruto said he was going to kill someone, he would kill them!

The words Naruto had spoken just now were filled with the intent to slaughter, and left Shinobu's mind trembling. All of a sudden, he regretted trying to feel out Naruto.

"Dammit," he thought, suddenly depressed. "It's not like I'm the only person he made an agreement with. Everyone did! Why did I have to pick him to test out?" He did not dare to do anything to cause Naruto to question him. Here in the Demon Immortal Sect, if he dared to disrespect Naruto, he would be dead for sure.

"What if I could form an alliance with him…?" thought Shinobu. His eyes glittered for a moment, but then grew dark. He suddenly realized, based on the short battle just now… there was no way for him to know Naruto's true strength.

He knew that Naruto was unfathomable, and had not unleashed his full potential. As for how much of it he had revealed, it was impossible to guess.

"The smartest thing to do is never provoke someone like him."

As Shinobu fled into the distance, Naruto retracted his gaze and left the Third Anima, returning to the First. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them; they shone with the brilliant glow of a powerful expert.

"It's difficult to judge how weak or powerful I am exactly. However, if I could achieve the fleshly body strength of the Seventh Anima while only in the First Anima, then when I entered the Seventh Anima, I would definitely have a Spirit Severing fleshly body!

"That would be a complete and thorough Spirit Severing fleshly body, compatible with my Cultivation base…. I could definitely slaughter someone of the First Severing!" His eyes flickered and he took a deep breath. With that, he continued to fly on toward the graveyard.

It didn't take much time before he arrived at a large stretch of ruins. This was the graveyard. There were corpses laying about everywhere, and the tombs of many of the past experts had been transformed into nothing but pits.

Funerary objects had long since been disturbed and taken away. There were few restrictive spells here now.

As Naruto looked around, his heart throbbed with pain. He continued on forward until he caught sight of a familiar location up ahead. The glow of a restrictive spell could be seen glittering, and Naruto's heart calmed down a bit.

It was the tomb of Mui!

The tomb of a paragon. Inside was no corpse, only a small bronze lamp, long since extinguished.

Outside of the tomb were layer after layer of restrictive spells. They filled the entire area with flickering light, and would prevent any outsider from entering.

Naruto landed just outside the restrictive spells and looked at Mui's tomb silently. An indeterminable amount of time passed. Tears rolled down his face.

After a long time, he kneeled down and gently knocked his head against the ground three times as he kowtowed to Mui's tomb.

Then he looked up and murmured, "Thank you, sir. You're not really my father, but in that ancient illusion, you allowed me to feel the love of a father. You allowed me to be your son during that life." Finally, he stood up and turned around. He no longer felt melancholy, but rather, his face glowed with the unswerving determination of a Cultivator.

As of this moment, Naruto was now fully awakened from the dream!

"Come on out," he said lightly. "You've been waiting for a while now. If you don't reveal yourself, then I'll just leave."

As his voice echoed about, a completely ordinary area not too far off suddenly began to ripple and distort. A woman appeared. She was… incredibly beautiful, with bright eyes, and a way of moving that exuded feminine charm. It was none other than Tsukino.

"I guessed that you would come here to offer your respects to Mui," she said with a smile. "Waiting here saved me a bit of effort in tracking you down."

Naruto didn't respond, but looked toward the area behind the Seventh Peak. Past the graveyard was the area that previously had been enveloped by boundless mists. Now, though, there was no mist to be seen whatsoever.

The two enormous statues were also gone. The only thing visible was an enormous bright shield that shot up from within the ground and emanated an imperceptible glow.

This was a restrictive spell that covered a massive area. It might seem ordinary, but it was powerful enough to eradicate Immortals!

The area it protected was so important that the restrictive spell was fearsomely powerful even down to this day. In fact… throughout all the years in which the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane had been opened, no one had ever been able to enter the area beyond.

That was a truly forbidden area! No one was allowed to enter inside. Anyone who tried to do so ended up dead.

"Let's go," said Naruto coolly. As he began to move forward, Tsukino smiled and then sped off into the air with him.

As they shot forward, Tsukino felt a bit proud of herself. Back in the Second Plane, when they traveled this same path, she had been filled with incredible excitement. Now that they were in the Third Plane, she was sure that she wasn't the only one to be feeling excited.

Thinking about this caused Tsukino to smile. She increased her speed, passing up Naruto. He watched her as she passed, but didn't say anything.

The two of them proceeded on in that way, moving at top speed until they reached the glowing restrictive spell shield. This was actually the same location where the statues and the door of swords had been located previously.

Tsukino's face was solemn. She took a deep breath as she pulled out her third class qualification command medallion from within her robe. She cautiously extended the command medallion forward until it touched the glowing shield. Suddenly, the shield in front of her began to flicker. Ripples spread out which then turned into waves that spread out across the entire restrictive spell.

A droning sound could be heard, echoing out in all directions. At the same time, a faint, low-pitched voice could be heard, filled with weakness and exhaustion.

"Third class qualifications. Where do you intend to go?" The rumbling voice sounded incredibly weak, and yet still awe-inspiring.

"The Demon Immortal Cistern!" replied Tsukino immediately, taking in a deep breath.

"According to the regulations, you may travel thirty percent of the paths in this place, and may stay for no more than 38 hours."

The wording was exactly the same as before. Tsukino was nearly exploding with excitement as a wide fissure appeared in the shield in front of her. She took a deep breath and then looked over at Naruto with a look of complacency.

In accordance with his agreement with her, Naruto followed her into the fissure, his expression the same as ever. His expression was normal, but inwardly, he was on guard, unsure of whether the method being used by Tsukino would actually work.

As soon as she reached the fissure, Tsukino passed through effortlessly. However, as for Naruto, a beam of light from the restrictive spell shot toward him. It instantly enveloped him, almost like a bubble, locking his feet in place.

He was stuck inside the light, incapable of moving, but able to speak. His eyes cold, he said, "Tsukino, what is the meaning of this!?"

Tsukino turned back suddenly, her expression one of shock and worry.

"Impossible," she said. "You left a mark inside, plus I have third-class qualifications. I should be able to take an extra person inside, especially one who left a mark. Could it be… that your mark was somehow erased?"

Naruto's eyes glittered. It was at this exact moment that the weak voice suddenly could be heard again.

"Paragon's qualifications. You may go anywhere you wish, and stay inside indefinitely."

As soon as the voice could be heard, the bubble popped. His body returned to normal, and he walked forward through the restrictive spell as easily as if he were walking down a level path.

Tsukino stared, her eyes wide with disbelief. She took a few steps back and looked blankly at Naruto.

"This is impossible! We're in reality now, not the ancient illusion. In the ancient illusion, you had the identity of Muku, but here in the Third Plane, you're you! How could you be a Paragon?!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but inside, he was filled with great waves of shock and confusion. It was exactly as Tsukino said, and yet, what had happened just now really had happened!

He was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "We were able to leave marks here. Apparently, leaving vestiges of an identity isn't that hard either. It's just something special that you can do in the Second Plane, right?"

"But this is different," said Tsukino, her eyes wide. "The ancient illusion is Night…. It's… it's illusory. The marks are like memories. Hmm…." Suddenly she gasped and looked at Naruto with a complicated expression. "I understand. It's Night! Night remembers you!"

"Night?" asked Naruto, his eyes glittering. He had long since come to the conclusion that Tsukino knew a lot more about the Demon Immortal Sect than what she had told him.

For example, Night.

Naruto thought back to when he had first entered the Second Plane. He had heard someone on one of the mountain peaks giving a sermon about the Dao. He had mentioned a true spirit whose name was Night! 1

"It's not that I was trying to hide something from you," she said. "According to Sect rules, we aren't allowed to divulge such information to outsiders. However, since Night remembers you, then it doesn't really matter if I tell you. In Heaven and Earth, there are true spirits. As to how many exactly there are, I'm not sure.

"I only know that they are very, very uncommon. In fact, there are only ten or less!

"True spirits are completely unique in all Heaven and Earth!

"There is one whose name is Night. According to the legends, when it closes it eyes, the world is a dream. When it opens its eyes, the dream is shattered, and everything returns to the void.

"There is some destiny that exists between it and the Demon Immortal Sect. Therefore, it took up residence within the Sect, and became its true Demon guardian.

Naruto was shaken inwardly. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Where is it…?"

"It is beneath our feet, within the lands of the First Heaven. As for what it looks like, I don't know. All I know is that according to the stories that have been passed down from ancient times, true spirits are inauspicious. Some people have even said that the reason the Demon Immortal Sect fell was because of it. When the Sect was destroyed, no one could kill it, not even Lord Hebi. Although, even if he had the power to do it, killing a true spirit is an extreme taboo.

"Therefore, Night has been in the Demon Immortal Sect all this time. Occasionally, it will reminisce, and that is the origin of the ancient illusion of the Second Plane…."

Great waves of shock roared through Naruto. He began to breathe heavily as he looked at Tsukino.

"You're telling me that the ancient illusion we experienced was simply Night's dream?"

Tsukino looked at Naruto thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. It seemed that at that point, she suddenly thought of something else. She hesitated for a moment.

"It's all legend," she continued. "No one really knows if it's true or not. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't…. Furthermore, true spirit Night's bizarreness can actually appear during any time.

"In the original Demon Immortal Sect, countless Chosen disciples attempted to research it. In their belief, Night possessed an ability like teleportation. However, it teleported, not through the physical realm, but through time.

"Therefore, many people staunchly believed that Night's dream was no dream, but an actual teleportation through time. There was even much evidence collected to support that view."

Naruto stood there thoughtfully for a moment, then closed his eyes. A long time passed before he opened them again. No trace could be seen of any change in his thinking.

"Whether it was an illusion or real doesn't matter," he murmured inwardly. "As long as I believe it was real, and is still connected to me, then Karma exists in my heart. Regardless of the facts, that is the most important." Just now, he had felt somewhat confused, but after closing his eyes for a moment, he felt enlightened.

"Let's go," he said coolly. "The Demon Immortal Cistern awaits."

Tsukino looked at him for a moment and then nodded. They walked onward in single file, following the same path from before as they headed toward the Demon Immortal Cistern.

Before much time passed, they reached the location of the same cistern they had visited within the Second Plane.

The area was damaged and worn. Cracks could be seen everywhere, and many parts had completely fallen apart. Many of the stones had been crushed, quite a few of which hovered about in mid-air. All of it made it seem as if it would be very difficult to approach the pond waters. Even the waters themselves were not as clear as they had been in the Second Plane; there appeared to be silt built up in some parts.

Most relevant of all, the waters were much shallower….

At first glance, the cistern looked like a huge pit. Before, it had been filled with water, but now, only a bit was left at the bottom, perhaps only ten percent of what had been there in the Second Plane.

When she saw that remaining ten percent of water, though, Tsukino's eyes filled with excitement, and she let out a huge sigh. What she had feared most was coming here with the proper qualifications only to find that because of the passage of time, the cistern waters were completely gone.

Were that to have been the case, it would have meant she had completely wasted all of her effort. All of the preparations made by her Sect would have been completely for naught.

Everything had been a gamble, in which success could lead to a meteoric rise. However, failure, and the losses thus incurred, would have led to the decline of her Sect.

Tsukino suppressed her excitement as she looked around the area. When she caught sight of the rock upon which she had left the mark in the Second Plane, she began to quiver and breathe heavily. She had to work hard to try to suppress her excitement.

Everything had worked out perfectly, even more smoothly than she could have possibly imagined. The key to it all was the stone with her mark on it. To enter this area, one needed the qualifications. To enter the Demon Immortal Cistern itself, one needed a second qualification.

That second qualification could only be acquired within the Second Plane, but not used there. Instead, the qualification could be retrieved in the Third Plane, and then cultivated.

If there was no Second Plane, and one went directly to the Third Plane, at first, there wouldn't seem to be much difference. Tsukino and her Sect, however, had used augury to ascertain with relative certainty that, because of the passage of time, and the great catastrophe, the restrictive spells in the area were thoroughly sealed, and would not approve of any intruder.

The only method of success was to get qualifications in ancient times!

Tsukino took a deep breath, then turned toward Naruto, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, many thanks for all your assistance. I would now like to once again ask for your expertise in opening up a path. Please remove the curse power from the area and allow me to… succeed in entering the cistern waters!" She bowed to him once again.

Naruto understood that this was the extent of the help she needed from him. The entire area was broken and in ruins. It all seemed quite messy and chaotic, and even quite dangerous. Tsukino was nervous because of the same thing that had made her nervous back in the Bridge of Immortal Treading; invisible curses.

The further one went along, the more terrifying the curses became. Anything that touched them would receive an intense jolt of backlash.

"Let me try," he said with a nod. He had given Tsukino his promise, and would not go back on his word unless he came across something that was truly beyond his control.

Thinking back to his experience in the Bridge of Immortal Treading, he had some speculations as to the reason why he was not affected by the curses; perhaps it had something to do with him being a Demon Sealer. His eyes glittering, he walked forward, waving his right hand to cause some of the stones that were blocking their way to lift up into the air. The stones did not appear to be equipped with any sort of curse; it seemed to take almost no effort to lift them up and move them over.

Naruto continued forward, taking care of all the stones, even the ones that floated in mid-air. soon a path emerged, leading directly up to the cistern waters.

"Like that?" he asked, looking back at Tsukino.

She gaped in astonishment, suddenly uncertain about whether or not the curses actually existed. If there were no curses… then it mean that bringing along Naruto for help was actually just giving him good fortune for free.

When this occurred to her, she felt distress in her heart. After all, she had promised Naruto that he could immerse himself in the waters with her. And yet, the water was quite low now…..

"There couldn't possibly be NO curses, could there?" she thought. "Don't tell me that if I got the proper qualifications, and my identity was acknowledged, then the curses wouldn't target me?" With that, she ground her teeth and began to walk forward.

However, before she could take three steps, her face suddenly flickered. The color of her skin suddenly turned black; blood sprayed from her mouth and she retreated backward quickly.

She fell back four or five steps and then sat down cross-legged. She waved her right arm, causing a hundred golden needles to appear, which then stabbed into her body from various directions. Vast quantities of black blood oozed out, emanating a foul, rotten stench. Tsukino's face was as pale as death as she produced a small clay pellet. Enduring the pain of losing such an item, she crushed it, causing an amber-colored medicinal pill to fly out, which she immediately consumed.

A long moment later, she still felt incredibly weak, but the black color was fading away from her skin. When it finally disappeared, and her injuries were recovered, she looked up with an expression of fear toward Naruto. There was only about thirty meters or so between the two of them, but to her, it was a shocking distance.

Just now, she had neared a curse that hadn't fallen. If she had truly entered into it fully, she would long since have been transforming into pool of black liquid.

Having seen what just happened to Tsukino, Naruto began to think. He felt a little bit bad. He quickly began to inspect the area, but couldn't see anything particularly strange about it. It was as if the area really was a forbidden zone, except, the effects didn't apply to him at all.

"What do we do now?" asked Tsukino. She was more than thirty meters away, her expression anxious, her eyes wide. Success was only a short distance away, and yet that distance seemed like the vast gully between Heaven and Earth, impossible to cross.

In fact, she hadn't even noticed yet that her clothing had already begun to rot. A wind blew past, causing some of it transform into ash and reveal the skin beneath.

Naruto wasn't any surer than her what to do at this point. He looked at the brackish water in the cistern and then glanced back at Tsukino. "What if you hold onto me and I try leading you in?" he asked.

Tsukino was silent for a moment. What had happened just now had left her completely shocked, and without any ideas of what to do. Even asking Naruto to bring the water to her would have been useless; to acquire the Demon Immortal Body required that she meditate within the cistern itself.

She clenched her teeth, and determination appeared in her eyes. The Sect had made far too many preparations to reach this point. All hope was placed in her. She would rather die in here than simply give up.

She took a deep breath, then nodded her head with an expression that meant she was ready to go for broke. She looked toward Naruto and then clasped hands once again and bowed.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Elder Brother Naruto. Tsukino will remember your kindness for the rest of her life!" The way she bowed caused the previously partially covered skin to be even more revealed to Naruto. All of a sudden, he caught sight of a thoroughly soul-stirring sight.

Suddenly becoming aware of this, Tsukino's face reddened. She straightened up and then coolly said, "It's just a little bit of skin. If you like it, Elder Brother Naruto, I can offer it to you as a gift."

The 'generousness' of Tsukino's words caused Naruto to cough dryly a few times, and a strange look appeared on his face. He calmed himself inwardly. From the very moment he had met Tsukino, he had felt her to have somewhat of a changeable disposition. Every time he ran into her, it was like she had had a different personality.

She was flirty at first, then licentious. Sometimes candid, and now… almost like a man in the way she spoke.

"No, forget about it…." he replied, clearing his throat. He walked toward Tsukino, and as he neared, she raised her hand and clasped his arm. Then she took a deep breath, and a look of decisiveness filled her eyes.

He glanced at her again, then, without another word, turned and led her forward one step. Then two steps. Three steps….

Her body was trembling, and by the time they reached the place where her expression had changed the last time, she was incredibly nervous. However, this time she could not sense the curse like she could before. Although, her clothes were now rapidly disappearing….

By the time they had taken seven or eight steps, they were completely within the cursed area. Tsukino's clothes were now totally gone, revealing a beautiful body that would cause any man to begin to pant.

It was curvaceous and beautiful beyond compare.

Naruto glanced her over and saw everything. In his recollection, this was his second time to see a woman's body. The first time had been when he saw Sakura's. Right now, though, the feeling he experienced was completely different.

As he compared the two, he occasionally smiled and nodded, occasionally frowned, and occasionally revealed an expression of wonderment.

Tsukino looked at him, clenched her teeth, and then said out of the corner of her mouth. "What part do you like? I'll give it to you."

Naruto smiled and pointed.

Tsukino's eyebrows raised up. She suddenly formed her right hand into the shape of a blade which then shot toward the part on her chest that he had pointed to.

Naruto's eyes went wide and he quickly stopped her. "Fine, you win. I don't need it, even if you keep chopping."

Tsukino glared hatefully at him for a moment but didn't say anything else. She held on to him as they proceeded forward toward the cistern waters. Soon they entered the waters themselves, proceeding into the very center.

Although the waters were clearly brackish, something strange happened. A delicate fragrance began to emanate out of Tsukino. As it spread about, it fused into the waters, causing them to churn. In the blink of an eye, they were no longer brackish, but instead, perfectly clear. In fact they even began to emanate their own delicate fragrance.

If analyzed it carefully, you would realize that the fragrance was the same as Tsukino's.

Naruto's eyes flickered as Tsukino dragged him into the waters and then sat down cross-legged. There was not much water, only enough to reach Tsukino's supple waist.

She pulled him to sit down cross-legged in the waters across from her. When his gaze fell onto her body, he cleared his throat.

"While I absorb the power of the Demon Immortal Cistern," she said lightly, "you can also temper your body. As it happens, I have a special type of physique; during the process of transforming my body into a Demon Immortal Body, I will emit a unique fragrance.

"That fragrance can be considered something like a precious material when you fuse it into your fleshly body. Therefore… you can build up a lot of synergy with your best body tempering magics when you use them here.

"It would be much better for you to absorb the fragrance than simply let it go to waste.

"In addition, please do not disturb me during the process. As for the curses, according to the research of the Sect, once I begin the transformation process, they won't affect me.

"If you finish before me, you can wait for me outside. I'm not sure how long the process will take, so I hope you can stand guard over me until I finish." With a final look at Naruto, she closed her eyes.

The instant she did, a strong fragrance suddenly emanated out from her. It fused into the waters, causing a white mist to rise up. The mist, too, was quite strong, and in the blink of an eye, had covered the entire cistern, completely concealing both Naruto and Tsukino.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked around. He quickly realized that while the pulsating coldness in the water had originally been somewhat weak, after the mist rose up, the coldness was increased by more than ten times.

From the look of it, that coldness was only continuing to increase. Naruto knew from his time immersing himself in the waters back in the Second Plane that the more intense the coldness, the better the results he would experience. He took a deep breath as he rotated his Cultivation base. A moment later, he realized something else. It seemed as if the mist in the area was adding nourishment to his fleshly body. As it poured into him, his fleshly body began to experience a shocking transformation, slowly becoming more powerful.

"Tsukino wasn't lying," he thought, his eyes shining with a bright light. Both the mist and the cistern waters were extremely beneficial to his fleshly body. He hadn't even employed any magical techniques, and yet was already receiving incredible gain.

Although it didn't seem likely that he would be able to achieve a Seventh Anima fleshly body while only in the First Anima, it did seem possible to reach the Sixth Anima.

According to his speculations, reaching the level of the Seventh Anima would be simply too difficult….

"I wonder if Fleshly Sanctification… can be cultivated in this place. It can only be cultivated once, but when it is, it will cause a one-time increase in fleshly body power that is astonishing to the extreme…. Furthermore, the atmosphere in this place is extremely well-suited to fleshly body tempering. This truly seems the best time to use it!" His eyes flickered with a bright light. After all, when it came to Fleshly Sanctification, the stronger one's body, the more power would result.

Furthermore, Naruto had the feeling that regardless of whether it was a Daoist magic or a secret technique, since it had been acquired in the Demon Immortal Sect, it needed to be cultivated here. Trying to do so in the outside world would be useless.

Considering that, there was no reason to hesitate. Now was the time to use it!

Beams of light were shooting out of Naruto's eyes as he closed them. Within his mind, he unleashed the secret art of Fleshly Sanctification!

RUMBLE!

Naruto's mind thundered as the secret art spread out. His body instantly began to shake, and the mist around him churned. Instantly, an enormous vortex sprung up around Naruto, like clouds kicked into motion by the wind.

The cistern waters also surged into a vast whirlpool.

Tsukino was immersed in her own body transformation, but she could still sense what was happening on the outside, and was shocked. Her mind filled with a similar roaring, and her entire body began to emit vast quantities of Demonic Chakra. As the Demonic Chakra was unleashed, it caused the mist to grow thicker. Tsukino felt an indescribable sense of stimulation throughout her body because of the transformation she was about to experience.

Time passed. Naruto forgot about everything, as did Tsukino. They sat cross-legged in the cistern waters, surrounded by mist. Nothing was clearly visible, not even their own bodies. They could only sense themselves growing more powerful.

Naruto's fleshly body continued to grow larger. When it reached a pinnacle, it would then rapidly shrink back down. This continued to happen back and forth, creating a cycle. When each revolution of the cycle was completed, his fleshly body would exude terrifying fluctuations.

His fleshly body continued to grow more and more powerful!

Innumerable illusory magical symbols began to wink in and out around him. There were many; all of them apparently born from the void, pulsating with an ancient aura as they circulated around him. The entire scene made Naruto look completely strange and bizarre.

In contrast to Naruto, Tsukino's body radiated pulses of Demonic Chakra. They were incredibly dense, and as they condensed together, seemed to take the shape of numerous living creatures.

These living creatures all had differing appearances, but each of them had existed for countless years. These Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth had all fallen by now, but they were still remembered by the heavens of the Nine Mountains and Seas.

As they appeared, they shrank down in size, then sat cross-legged around Tsukino, performing incantations gestures that caused indistinct beams of light to shoot out and fuse into Tsukino's body.

As for Naruto, he was sitting quite close to Tsukino. As a result, he was also located within the region of light cast by the Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth. Many of the indistinct beams also hit his body.

Even as he trembled, the magical symbols swirled around him rapidly, then shot toward him and fused into his body.

As the light and the magical symbols merged into him, Naruto's mind continued to shake. His aura grew stronger, and his fleshly body emanated terrifying fluctuations.

Sometimes, he would grow large and strong to a shocking degree, and sometimes, he would shrink down into something completely unremarkable. His clothes had long since been shredded into pieces during the growth stages. As of this moment, he wore no clothes whatsoever, and like Tsukino, he sat there completely naked.

The first thing to be strengthened was his skeletal system. It was a special kind of change that made the skeletal system incredibly tough and resilient, to the point where it could be considered something similar to a magical item.

The constant nourishment pouring into his body made Naruto's bones increasingly terrifying. However… he was still very close to Tsukino. The illusory Greater Demons sitting cross-legged around her continued to emanate the indistinct light that was actually in direct opposition to the magical symbols surrounding Naruto.

The light was not nourishing, but rather destructive. The essence of the Demon Immortal Body was to stimulate potential by means of destruction, and thus, mold out the most powerful fleshly body.

The secret art of Fleshly Sanctification was based on nourishment. The stimulation of potential was accomplished by nourishing the body, making the strong stronger, until the ultimately powerful fleshly body was consolidated.

They were two completely different methods that, from ancient times until modern, had never been simultaneously cultivated. It is not that no one wanted to try, but rather, had no way to practice such cultivation.

At the moment, though, Naruto, by lucky coincidence, had achieved a strange balance. The light from the illusory Greater Demons continued to destroy his skeletal system, causing his bones to be slowly shattered.

However, that did not conform with Fleshly Sanctification. Therefore… the art that normally should only have required a few magical symbols, suddenly began to pour out more magical symbol seals. They shot into Naruto to repair and perfect his skeletal system.

This process of destruction and replenishment caused Naruto to feel indescribable pain. At the same time, the benefits he received were completely without precedent!

It was hard to say how much time passed. However, because of the constant cycle, Naruto's skeletal system became thoroughly stable and firm. Roaring filled his fleshly body as he broke through into the power of the Sixth Anima.

As of this moment, Naruto didn't even need a Cultivation base. His body itself was shockingly powerful. He was not tall and thin like before, but rather thick and bulky, and looked almost like a small mountain.

It was at this moment that the tempering of his fleshly body expanded out from his bones into his flesh and blood!

Bones, blood and flesh, veins and arteries. All three of these areas experienced tempering. By combining them together, it led to explosive strength of the Chakra and blood!

Naruto's entire person shook. The light from the Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth caused his whole body to wither to the extreme, until he seemed like nothing more than a bag of bones. But in the next breath, the incredible power from the magical symbols poured into him, causing his body to be completely restored.

As the cycle continued, the magical symbols around Naruto began to lessen. Soon there weren't very many left. However, at the same time, an enormous fissure suddenly appeared in the sky above the Seven Peaks of the Demon Immortal Sect.

As the fissure ripped open, an incredible booming sound could be heard that caused everything in the Demon Immortal Sect to shake. All of the Cultivators from the lands of Lands of Ninshu looked up, their expressions that of astonishment.

Each of them could clearly see that within the fissure up above was something enormous. As it neared… they could see a gigantic, indescribably large temple!

It was… the Demon Immortal Temple!

All of them had seen the temple in the Second Plane, but this time, there was something different about it. The temple… was struggling to keep itself whole. There were some areas that were destroyed and collapsed. There were even some parts where the only thing holding it together was stretches of glowing light.

The entire temple was in ruins. Apparently, it had been almost completely destroyed during the ancient war.

However, the temple… still continued to exist. As it neared, it let out a boundless, invisible pressure that caused everyone beneath to be shaken inwardly and wonder what was happening.

As the Demon Immortal Temple neared, suddenly, a great beam of light appeared from inside that was made up of magical symbols!

The countless magical symbol seals turned into a river of stars that swept throughout the air, like a shocking bolt of unfurling white silk. It flew toward the Seventh Peak and the Demon Immortal Cistern. It roared through the air, shooting toward the area which none of them could see, surrounding the Demon Immortal Cistern and then pouring into Naruto's body!

Fleshly Sanctification was a secret art that came from the Demon Immortal Temple. The Demon Immortal Body was a physical body created by Lord Asura. As for which of the two was more powerful, it would be difficult to say clearly.

At the moment, an unprecedented battle seemed to be taking place, with Naruto's body being the battlefield. The secret art versus the Demon Immortal body; the two fought back and forth.

Would destruction win out over nourishment, or was nourishment incapable of being destroyed? It was like a paradox!

Naruto's flesh and blood expanded, then withered. The cyclical process gave birth to an indescribable pain that caused Naruto to tremble and sweat profusely.

However, his eyes were filled with unprecedented staunchness. He clenched his jaw and persisted on. Refusing to lapse into unconsciousness, he immersed himself in the sensation. His fleshly body constantly withered and then expanded, giving rise to a terrifying power.

Boom!

The indistinct light from the Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth drained his body to the point of collapse and destruction. His hair fell out, and he looked like an oilless lamp, like a withered corpse.

Boom!

The secret art of Fleshly Sanctification and the magical symbols from the Demon Immortal Temple swirled into his body, causing it to expand and grow until he looked like a giant.

The paradoxical transformation was something that had never been seen from ancient times until modern times, an unprecedented molding of the fleshly body. As the cycle continued, Naruto continued to grow more and more powerful!

Tsukino's body was also trembling. She did not have any secret art of Fleshly Sanctification. She only had the pure transformation of the Demon Immortal Body. At the moment, her body was withered, but within the withering was shocking Demonic Chakra.

The two of them each practiced their own type of cultivation, constantly growing more powerful. As for the waters of the Demon Immortal Cistern, they were slowly shrinking down.

After some period of time passed, a rumbling sound could be heard, echoing out in all directions. Naruto suddenly raised his head, although his eyes were closed. Right now, his body was no longer expanding dramatically, nor was it withering to the point of death. Instead, he was tall and thin.

He currently looked almost like he didn't have any power at all in his body. However, deep inside was hidden a fearsome and indescribable strength that far exceeded the previous limits of his fleshly body.

He was now in possession of an extraordinary, enchanting power. Every single scrap of muscle was filled with shocking, explosive power. His bones were solid to an indescribable degree. As Naruto lifted his head, his entire body erupted with an intense aura.

The wind whipped about as the vortex screamed. Shockingly, Naruto's aura… had the fleshly body power of the Seventh Anima!

However he had not entered the Seventh Anima, but rather remained within the First Anima.

The mist around him seethed, and the vortex rotated around and around. In the middle of it all, Naruto inhaled deeply and took a moment to sense the power within him. Although his Cultivation base was still the same as ever, his fleshly body power and his battle prowess were now completely different than before.

His eyes glittered as he entered the Second Anima.

Boom!

Third Anima, Fourth Anima…. As he sat there cross-legged, it was without hesitation that he went all the way to the most powerful state in which he could exist, the Seventh Anima!

His body shook as the same power as before surged through him, that of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls. However… his fleshly body instantly reached an incredible, unprecedented state.

His fleshly body, his skeletal system, his physical frame, were now thick and strong in a way that did not conform to any rules. He was far taller than before, to the point where even sitting cross-legged as he was, he was still taller than previously.

The fearsomeness of his physical body made him seem to be, not a Cultivator, but something Demonic!

His facial features were vicious. Countless veins popped up all over his body, and his hair was even longer than before. When he looked up, his eyes radiated a ferocious will. It looked like a single punch… could shatter the earth.

Naruto wasn't sure exactly how to describe the current state of his fleshly body. He clenched his fists as the explosive, terrifying feeling of power exploded out from inside of him. He could tell that his current state of power far, far exceeded that from before.

"However…" he thought, "a fleshly body as powerful as this is still not Spirit Severing…." Although his fleshly body was terrifyingly powerful, he still had the feeling that for some reason, he had reached a bottleneck.

The appearance of the bottleneck did not cause him to be disheartened, but instead filled his eyes with excitement. He knew that the bottleneck could only be one thing….

The bottleneck of… acquiring a Spirit Severing fleshly body!

Once he broke through the bottleneck, he would have a complete Spirit Severing fleshly body, and would truly be able to fight back against First Severing Cultivators. He would truly be within the Spirit Severing stage!

Although his Cultivation base would be different, his fleshly body would definitely have that terrifying power.

"I should be able to break through!" he thought, his eyes glittering. After taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. The Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth once again unleashed their indistinct light.

One beam of light after another passed into Naruto's body. This time, they did not stir his skeletal system, nor whither his flesh and blood. Instead, they wreaked fatal havoc onto his Chakra and blood vessels.

Naruto wasn't Tsukino, who possessed a special physique and constitution. She could turn the fatal transformations into something not fatal, and thus acquire something like a rebirth in the form of the Demon Immortal Body.

However, Naruto had something even more special and shocking than Tsukino when it came to his physique. He had a secret art that was completely incompatible with the Demon Immortal Body, and was even something like an enemy to it!

That secret art was something that Mui had described as being extremely rare in Heaven and Earth, with an origin veiled in mystery.

Even as Naruto's blood and Chakra passageways were being destroyed, the inexhaustible supply of magical symbols around him poured into his body. In the blink of an eye, his blood and Chakra passageways were thoroughly restored.

The cyclical paradox once again exploded out inside of his body. Naruto had gotten used to the destruction of his skeletal system and the rending of his flesh and blood. Therefore, this feeling was something he could handle.

The only thing that happened was that he trembled a bit; his expression didn't change in the least.

Rumbling filled his entire body as his blood and Chakra passageways were destroyed and then restored and strengthened. He became stronger, causing his fleshly body to experience yet another meteoric rise.

This rise grew stronger and more stable, transforming into an explosive power that could break through a bottleneck.

Boom!

His body trembled and blood oozed out of his mouth. The bottleneck was like an enormous battlement. As he bashed against it, cracks appeared, but it didn't collapse.

"One more time!" he said, his eyes glittering. He focused all the power he could muster, combining it together. The magical symbols in the area were few, and as Naruto gathered his power, the Demon Immortal Temple on the outside began to shake and erupt with even more magical symbols. The tower itself was beginning to grow dark and faded.

The magical symbols joined together to form a silver river that shot toward Naruto, pouring into his body, causing it to shake. The light from the Greater Demons destroyed his blood and Chakra passageways; the secret art and the magical symbols poured into him to reforge them. He surged with more power, and then once again lashed out against the bottleneck.

BOOM!

The bottleneck trembled violently, and the cracks spread out even thicker. Just when it seemed on the verge of collapsing, more light from the Greater Demons poured into Naruto, along with boundless magical symbols.

Roaring filled Naruto's body. He lifted his head up and let out a soundless howl. As of this moment, his body was no longer expanding dramatically, but rather, shrinking at high speed. He now seemed completely weak and thin.

At the same time, the blood and Chakra vessels within him were completely restored.

The light from the Greater Demons was incapable of any further destruction, and the increasingly scant numbers of magical symbols could offer no further assistance.

His blood and Chakra vessels having been completely restored, the bottleneck within him… directly shattered into pieces!

As the bottleneck vanished, Naruto's fleshly body experienced an incredible, shocking rise. He grew more and more powerful, to a world-shaking degree!

However, what caused Naruto to frown was that after breaking through the bottleneck, he didn't get any sensation that he was in a Spirit Severing state. That caused him to feel a bit confused.

However, even as he frowned, a completely unpredictable sensation suddenly rose up within him. Naruto suddenly noticed a transformation occurring that caused the sky to fade, the wind and clouds to seethe, the surrounding mist to shoot up into the air, and the vortex surrounding him to suddenly stop in place.

The transformation was caused by the increase in the three aspects of his fleshly body; his skeletal system, his flesh and blood, and his veins and arteries. He had the special aspects of the Demon Immortal Body, but also Chakra and blood of a fleshly body forged from Fleshly Sanctification.

This was a never-before-seen combination that was essentially a paradox. It created… a shocking transformation that had never been seen before Naruto, nor would ever be seen again.

This transformation was not one of his fleshly body. Instead, it occurred within his dantian region. Next to his seven Nascent Souls, shockingly… a thick coagulation of Chakra and blood appeared, shaped like a person.

Because his fleshly body had reached such an incredible pinnacle of power, he had formed… a Chakra and Blood Nascent Soul!

When the Nascent Soul appeared, Naruto's Cultivation base immediately began to emanate ripples. His hair whipped about, and his Cultivation base exploded with power. In this instant, Naruto… could sense the fluctuations of an eighth Nascent Soul!

"Spirit Severing is within… the Eighth Anima!" he thought, panting as he gained enlightenment.

Meanwhile….

An old man sped along beneath the Seventh Peak, nearing the forbidden area where Naruto and Tsukino were.

The old man came to a stop and looked up, his eyes gleaming coldly.

This man was none other than Patriarch Hashirama.

"I can sense that little bastard Naruto inside there," he thought. "He has my precious treasure…. However, it belongs to the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, so even though he stole it away, he won't be able to use it.

"When I was in the Second Plane, I was able to acquire the information I sought regarding its secrets…." He smiled coldly as he took a few steps back. Lifting his right hand, he quickly began to set up restrictive spells on the ground around him.

"Naruto, I'm going to bury you in this place. I'll wait here for you to come out, and when you do, I'll splatter your blood everywhere!" Smiling coldly, he finished setting up the spells, then took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged.

"Not even of Spirit Severing, yet you dare to fight with me!? In the Third Plane, the Demon Immortal Sect seals all personal items. Your mastiff won't be able to appear, so you won't be able to fuse with it to borrow the power of Spirit Severing.

"Well then, you shall die." Intense killing intent appeared in Patriarch Hashirama's eyes.

"I'll kill you, then I'll go back and wipe out that Golden Crow Tribe of yours to join you in burial!"

Naruto closed his eyes, then opened them again moments later. A strange glow could be seen within them as he looked over at Tsukino, who sat there pale-faced and trembling.

It was clear that she had reached a critical juncture.

Naruto looked away and then stood up. He walked out of the pond, through the mists, and to the outside world.

As he left, the pressure bearing down on Tsukino increased. Earlier, the shapeless light of the Greater Demons had been shared between her and Naruto, but now all of it was focusing on her.

Actually, she was incredibly lucky to have encountered Naruto. Without him there to share the burden, she might not have been able to handle it alone. Not only would she have failed to acquired the Demon Immortal Body, but she would have faced grave danger to her life.

That hadn't been part of her plan regarding Naruto; she could never have predicted that things would turn out the way they did. After all, she came from the Demon Immortal Sect which was started by people who escaped death all those years ago. Their understanding regarding the forbidden areas of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect wasn't absolutely complete. When you added in the passage of time, and all the changes that had occurred, it was impossible to know everything.

Naruto left the cistern waters and stood in the outside world. He was tall and slender, and his skin was no longer dark like it had been all those years ago. It was white and clear, causing him to look completely refined and cultured. His scholarly air was even more obvious and intense than ever.

He slapped his bag of holding to produce a long, green robe, which he quickly donned. Now, he looked absolutely different than before.

He was even more handsome, more naturally graceful, more youthful. However, deep within his eyes flickered a dim ancientness.

After a long moment, he closed his eyes and focused on his dantian region, and his eighth Nascent Soul.

Chakra and Blood Nascent Soul!

After a moment, his eyes opened, and he slowly merged the eight Nascent Souls together. This was just a test, but even still, his mind shook as if lightning were smashing about inside. An indescribably powerful Cultivation base, and a terrifyingly strong fleshly body appeared.

Furthermore… his Divine Sense also increased, spreading out to cover the entire area.

"Eee?" said Naruto. The first thing he noticed was that deep within the forbidden zone was something emanated strange ripples. As soon as his Divine Sense touched the ripples, a backlash spread out that caused his Divine Sense to collapse.

As for everywhere else, they were all areas that had been destroyed during the war.

At the same time, Naruto's Divine Sense noticed a person outside of the forbidden zone…. As soon as he caught sight of him, killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes.

Sitting there cross-legged and meditating was Patriarch Hashirama, wearing a cold smile on his face!

"Laying in wait to ambush me, huh?" thought Naruto. His eyes glittered, and a smile appeared on his face. The smile was one of ridicule, and was filled with coldness and killing intent that was impossible to cover over.

The killing intent still flickering, Naruto turned to look back at Tsukino. The area was safe, and Tsukino was in the midst of transmogrification. No one would be coming around to disturb her. Naruto swept the area with his Divine Sense one more time, then turned to head toward Patriarch Hashirama. It was time to resolve the Karma between the two of them. However, it was at this point that he suddenly paused in mid stride, and looked back into the depths of the forbidden zone.

He had swept the place twice with Divine Sense, and it was in exactly the same location both times that his Divine Sense had collapsed apart. It made it impossible to even get some clues about what existed in that particular area. The only thing he could see was blurriness, and what appeared to be a corpse.

His eyes flickered, and he temporarily did not continue on toward his battle with Patriarch Hashirama. Instead, he turned and headed deeper into the forbidden area. After all, he had promised Tsukino to stand guard over her; therefore, he needed to ensure that the area really was safe.

It didn't take too long before Naruto reached the place that had caused his Divine Sense to collapse. There was a boulder here, and beneath the boulder lay a corpse. Clearly, it was a woman.

In her hands, the woman held a wooden sword.

The sword emanated a faint glow, which was the source of the collapse of his Divine Sense. In fact, it might be less proper to say that it collapsed, but rather, was consumed.

As soon as Naruto laid eyes on the wooden sword, a tremor ran through him. It was not one of his Spring and Autumn tree Wooden Time Swords, but rather… one of those other swords, the ones he always found next to a corpse… an Immortal Murdering Sword!

Currently, he had four Immortal Murdering, and was now looking at a fifth.

His eyes glittered, he stared at the corpse for a very long moment. However, it was decayed beyond recognition, making it impossible to tell who it belonged to.

Naruto silently made a grasping motion with his right hand, causing the wooden sword to fly out to hover in front of him. He waved his sleeve to collect it up, then stamped his foot onto the ground, causing a deep pit to appear.

After placing the woman's corpse inside and laying her to rest, Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply toward the tomb. Then he turned, sending his Divine Sense out once more. This time, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. His body flashed as he transformed into a beam of light that shot out of the forbidden zone.

"Patriarch Hashirama, the time has come to settle matters between us!" he thought, his eyes flickering with killing intent as he shot forward at top speed. "I'm going to use him to prove whether or not my Eighth Anima can exterminate the Spirit Severing stage!"

He shot through the air like a lightning bolt. Even in the First Anima, his fleshly body was even more fearsome than it had been in the Seventh Anima. As he shot forward, the air collapsed, and roaring sounds filled with air.

The roaring grew stronger until it seemed powerful enough to shake Heaven and Earth. When it reached the region outside of the forbidden zone, Patriarch Hashirama heard it, and his eyes went wide. It was at this point that he saw Naruto appear.

"Naruto!" he said, with a vicious smile. Without hesitation, he performed an incantation gesture and then pointed forward.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he proceeded forward. He pierced directly into Patriarch Hashirama's spell formation, instantly causing multiple black-colored figures to rise up and pounce toward him.

Within each of these figures could be sensed a faint, shocking power. However, as they neared Naruto, his expression didn't change in the least bit. He continued forward, giving rise to an intense roaring. As soon as the figures touched him, the intense backlash from his fleshly body instantly destroyed them.

Exploding figures surrounded him as he proceeded forward.

The sight of it caused Patriarch Hashirama's eyes to narrow slightly. He was shocked inwardly, but then recalled Naruto's identity in the Second Plane, and suddenly felt at ease. A cold smile appeared on his face.

"You're stuck in my net now," he said. "I don't even need to attack. I can just watch while you slowly march to your death."

"Oh really," replied Naruto coolly. As he moved forward, the area around him rumbled as countless illusory blades appeared. Their sharp tips whistled through the air as they slashed directly toward Naruto.

Up in mid-air, countless bolts of lightning appeared. They looked like silver snakes as they lashed out toward him.

As the rumbling booms filled the air, Naruto continued on without even pausing. As he walked forward, all of the restrictive spells within the spell formation collapsed as soon as they touched him, completely incapable of impeding his progress.

This caused Patriarch Hashirama's face to flicker. However, before he could do anything in response, Naruto's eyes flickered and his speed increased rapidly. He transformed into a beam of light that sped across the ground toward Patriarch Hashirama.

Booming sounds rose up into the sky. The restrictive spells and the spell formation seemed to be howling in anguish, as though a blade were slicing through them. They then exploded into pieces, and Naruto was standing in front of Patriarch Hashirama.

"I thought I was going to have to track you down," said Naruto. "I never imagined that you would come to me of your own volition. This battle is going to last for eight finger attacks." With that he lifted his hand and waved a finger.

An illusory mountain appeared on Naruto's fingertip. Although this was only the power of a single finger, that power was like the might of a mountain.

BOOM!

Patriarch Hashirama's face fell. He waved his left hand to block, and when the attack slammed into him, he was sent flying backward, his face pale. Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he waved his right hand in front of him.

"Area!"

"Second Anima!"

Patriarch Hashirama's Area seemed to cause everything in the area to be confined as if with shackles. An intense pressure weighed down, and everything slowed; it almost felt as if everything were underwater. However, it was in that same instant that Naruto erupted with the power of the Second Anima. The increase in his Cultivation base was secondary to the intense strength of his fleshly body, which was the most important part.

Naruto broke through the confinement of the Area. A crisp sound rang out like the shattering of a mirror as the Area was completely defeated.

This defeat was something Patriarch Hashirama almost couldn't believe. He remembered that Naruto had been powerless to face up against his Area before, but now, it had simply shattered.

One breath of time later, Naruto was directly in front of Patriarch Hashirama.

"Here's the second finger attack," he said. Backed by the power of the Second Anima, he waved his finger down. Patriarch Hashirama's face flickered, and he performed an incantation with his right hand. Instantly, a black mist appeared on his body, which formed together into a black shield that he used to defend against Naruto's finger attack.

A popping sound rang out as the shield collapsed. Naruto's finger landed directly onto Patriarch Hashirama's chest.

Patriarch Hashirama's face filled with shock as he tumbled backward. His mind reeled, but deep down, he knew that this was not the time for contemplation. He began to perform another incantation, his hair whipping about. He lifted his head up and shouted:

"Seven Emotions and Six Pleasures. Thirteen Transmigrations Dao. Seven Emotions! Seven Daos!" Instantly, a prismatic beam of light shot out from his body up into mid-air. There, it split apart into seven different streams of light, like unfurling bolts of silk. They shot toward Naruto, radiating killing intent.

If you looked closely, you would be able to see that within each of the seven beams of light could be seen, shockingly, an evil spirit that looked almost like a Nascent Soul. Each of these figures resembled each other, almost as if they were related in some way.

"Third Anima," said Naruto coolly, shaking his head. Instantly, his Cultivation base exploded up. However, the power of his fleshly body exceeded that of his Cultivation base. It did not expand and grow like in the past; instead, it sent out terrifying ripples of incomparable power.

Naruto took another step forward. He watched the incoming seven beams of light, allowing them to slam into his body. In that instant, a roaring sound exploded up into the sky. The seven beams of light collapsed into pieces and the evil spirits inside let out miserable shrieks as they were sent tumbling backward. With another step, Naruto… once again appeared directly in front of Patriarch Hashirama.

"Third finger attack," he said, waving a finger.

Patriarch Hashirama's eyes went wide. He raised up both hands, causing a glowing shield to appear to resist Naruto. A boom could be heard as the shield exploded. Patriarch Hashirama tumbled backward like a kite with its string cut, blood oozing out of his mouth. His face was filled with astonishment.

"What… what type of Cultivation base do you have?!"

"The type that can kill you," responded Naruto calmly. He took another leisurely step forward.

"Kill me? You overestimate yourself!" despite his words, Patriarch Hashirama was actually inwardly shocked. His face was grimmer than ever as he retreated. Then his Cultivation base exploded with full power as he prepared to unleash a divine ability.

"Overestimate myself? Fine, I'll show you what it's like when I overestimate myself!" His voice calm, Naruto said, "Fourth Anima!"

A rumbling sound could be heard from his body as he entered the Fourth Anima. His Cultivation base was that of eight great circle Nascent Souls. As for his fleshly body, it had a terrifying power that exceeded that of his original Seventh Anima.

As Naruto charged in attack, ghost images sprang up around him. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Patriarch Hashirama. He waved his right index finger, causing it to stab onto Patriarch Hashirama's upraised right hand. His left hand reached out to push into Patriarch Hashirama's chest.

A boom could be heard. Patriarch Hashirama fell backward head over heels, blood overflowing from his mouth. His expression was one of astonishment and complete disbelief. What he feared was not Naruto's Cultivation base, but the power of his fleshly body.

Such a frightening fleshly body was something that vastly exceeded his imagination, and was something he had never even heard of before!

Even as the power of the finger attack caused Patriarch Hashirama to tumble back, Naruto strode forward again.

"Fifth Anima!"

He now had a Cultivation base equivalent to sixteen great Nascent Souls, and an even more shockingly powerful fleshly body. He was surrounded by a rumbling roar, and although there were no physical changes to his appearance, distortions and ripples appeared in the air around him.

This was a fleshly body that could cause anyone to be completely shocked. Combined with his Cultivation base, it made it so that Naruto's steps could shatter the air. He appeared again in front of Patriarch Hashirama, lifting his right hand up to make a fifth finger attack.

Patriarch Hashirama raised his head up and howled as a sense of grave crisis swept over him. He bit violently down onto his tongue, causing blood to spray out of his mouth and then transform into magical symbols that spread out in all directions.

"Seven Emotions and Six Pleasures. Thirteen Transmigrations Dao turns into Thirteen Killing Forms. Consolidate into… Emotion Severing Extermination!" The blood magical symbols in front of Patriarch Hashirama shockingly began to form together into the shape of a Heavenly saber. Instantly, it slashed down toward Naruto!

In the following moment, Naruto's finger slammed into the blood-colored Heavenly saber, and a huge boom rolled out. The blade shook for a moment and then exploded into countless pieces, completely destroyed. As for Naruto's finger, it continued to descend until it tapped onto Patriarch Hashirama's chest.

Blood sprayed from Patriarch Hashirama's mouth, and his chest turned into a bloody mass. Roaring filled his body as he shot backward at top speed. His face was pale white as he gave up all thoughts of fighting and focused completely on fleeing as fast as possible.

He was in absolute fear of Naruto's fleshly body. It turned into an intense dread as he realized that such a fleshly body was shocking to the extreme. His own divine abilities and magical techniques were incapable of even causing it to tremble.

In the same instant that Patriarch Hashirama decided to flee, Naruto's voice once again drifted through the air.

"Sixth Anima!"

Boom!

The instant Naruto entered the Sixth Anima, his body trembled. He lifted up his head and roared. To him, Patriarch Hashirama could be killed any time he wanted. What he desired to do was to test out the Eighth Anima which he had created.

As he entered the Sixth Anima, the power of thirty-two great circle Nascent Souls counted for almost nothing. What was truly shocking was his fleshly body. In the Sixth Anima, his power was now truly exploding out, as of this moment, a Spirit Severing aura was gradually beginning to seep out of him.

The air around him filled with distortions, and the soil in the area was jumping up and down. A vortex began to form, like a mad tempest. The mad tempest could do nothing to cause even a single of Naruto's hair to rise up, though. Within the tempest, he was the only thing that wasn't moving!

As soon as Patriarch Hashirama saw this, despite his Cultivation base, his age, and his powers of concentration, he couldn't help but shout out in alarm. "Fleshly body Spirit Severing! This is impossible!"

As far as he could remember, a Spirit Severing fleshly body was a legendary stage that only existed in ancient times. It was both Spirit Severing and, not Spirit Severing, because it did not have a Domain. And yet, even without a Domain, such a fleshly body could compare to the peak of anyone in the Spirit Severing stage.

Were he to also possess a Spirit Severing Cultivation base, then, any other Spirit Severing Cultivator would surely view him to be nothing less than… a nightmare!

"Body cultivation is not a focus in the current generation. Such a thing has long since become a thing of the past. Don't tell me that this guy… acquired some type of body tempering good fortune in the Demon Immortal Sect!?" Patriarch Hashirama's scalp was numb, and he was scared out of his mind as he fled at top speed. He was already well aware that Naruto's magic had a Seventh Anima.

As of this moment, Naruto's Sixth Anima was already shocking enough. If he changed to the Seventh Anima….

Patriarch Hashirama wasn't willing to risk his life and go all out here. He had more things to accomplish, so he ignored all matters of face and fled at top speed. However, no matter how fast he went, Naruto… was faster!

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, Naruto appeared ahead of Patriarch Hashirama. In addition to blocking his path, he lifted up his right hand and waved his finger again.

"We're not finished here yet," he said. "What are you getting so anxious for?"

Patriarch Hashirama's face fell. Without hesitation, he performed a double-handed incantation, connecting the forefinger of each hand with the thumb of the other, with his palms facing away from each other. He immediately stretched his hands out toward Naruto.

A four-sided collection of lines sprang into being, which was in accord with the Domain he cultivated. A power of expulsion rose up, with one side being Heaven and Earth, the other side being a person, to be expelled.

The four-sided lines flickered as they shot forward, shooting against the wind as they expanded out to surround Naruto.

At the same time, a shockingly intense power of expulsion seemed to fill the four-sided lines. This power of expulsion was intense enough to crush Naruto into pieces.

"BEGONNEEEE…."

The bizarre voice seemed to come from nowhere, and echoed out like thunder within Naruto's ears. The sound caused the shocking power of expulsion to seem to grow even stronger.

This was not Naruto's first time to encounter this magical technique of Patriarch Hashirama's.

Currently, he was in the Sixth Anima, and had terrifying fleshly body power. His eyes suddenly glittered. He opened his mouth and let out a roar toward the incoming four-sided lines.

"Screw off!"

The sound created something like waves that instantly suppressed all of the lightning up above. It rolled out, causing fissures to appear in the air, and rumbling sounds to be heard in all directions. The incoming four-sided line shape directly exploded into fragments.

Its power of expulsion, having faced someone who it couldn't possibly shake, was now nothing more than a joke!

It was like a tiny stream that wanted to become as powerful as a mountain. How could it possibly succeed!?

As the four-sided line shape collapsed, Naruto's finger once again tapped onto Patriarch Hashirama's chest. A boom could be heard. Blood sprayed from Patriarch Hashirama's mouth, and his chest caved in bloodily. Even his back was a bloody mess as he staggered backward. He looked at Naruto, his face twisted with savagery.

"I feel like leaving," he growled. "You won't let me? Seems you actually think I'm scared of you!" With that, Patriarch Hashirama performed another incantation with his right hand. He pushed down onto his forehead, then opened his mouth to spit out a small, black-colored blade.

As soon as the blade appeared, everything dimmed. It began to spin faster and faster in his palm, then grow rapidly in size. Shockingly, it transformed into a huge greatsword, upon which was carved the severed head of a dragon!

Patriarch Hashirama waved his right arm. His face was covered with a savage expression that seemed to say he was willing to go all out, even risk death, as he shot toward Naruto.

"DIE!" The power of Patriarch Hashirama's Cultivation base exploded out. In fact… the level of power he wielded now was multiple times greater than before. The area around him filled with ripples of ancientness that even seemed to contain natural law!

Natural laws of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane!

These natural laws contained a power of expulsion that had nothing to do with the four-sided line shape. This was a true power of expulsion from the world of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

The blade descended, shocking Heaven and Earth!

"You will fear me," said Naruto coolly as he entered… the Seventh Anima!

The power of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls exploded out within him. His fleshly body unleashed even more Spirit Severing aura. Together, they caused the air around Naruto to begin to collapse. Roaring could be heard around him, almost as if this body of his was something that didn't belong in this broken Demon Immortal Sect.

It was as if there were invisible restrictions in this place, and any Cultivation base or battle prowess that exceeded those limitations were not permitted at all.

With the battle prowess he was now displaying, Naruto had already touched that world limitation.

"So, I don't actually need to enter the Eighth Anima," thought Naruto. "I've already reached fleshly body Spirit Severing!" As he took a moment to experience the sensation, he came to the realization that he…

Was already in the Spirit Severing stage!

Although he had no Domain, he was still of Spirit Severing! In fact, he was even stronger than when he had borrowed the power of the mastiff, put on the Blood Immortal mask, and used the power of the Blood Immortal.

He faced up against Patriarch Hashirama's descending blade, lifting his right hand without hesitation and pushing out with his finger.

In this moment, everything suddenly seemed to freeze. The roaring sound that filled the air seemed to cease for a moment. And then, everything returned.

Crashing booms echoed out one after another into the silence. They filled the entire Demon Immortal Sect, to be heard by each and every one of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu.

Patriarch Hashirama coughed up blood and tumbled backward. The huge black-colored blade in his hand broke up into fragments. His face was pale, and, ignoring any possible ramification that might give rise to expulsion, he employed the full power of his Cultivation base… to destroy his opponent!

"You're already at your limit with your Seventh Anima!" he said, his eyes filling with a streak of madness. "This is the strongest you can get!" He was panting now, the killing intent in his eyes strong. "Since that's the case, let me escort you the rest of the way down your path!"

Patriarch Hashirama lifted his right hand up and pushed it down onto his chest. When he lifted it up, a red glow appeared, seemingly pulled out from his body itself.

It was a red-colored whip, completely illusory and capable of lashing the soul. It looked exactly the same as the whip Naruto had stolen earlier from Patriarch Hashirama, except that its color was different!

As soon as the whip appeared, Patriarch Hashirama's fleshly body began to wither rapidly, as if all of his life force were being collected together in the whip. By now, his killing intent had reached a peak.

Naruto stood motionlessly in the same place as before, the wind and dirt whipping around him, his hair flying about.

In the space of a few breaths, the sand and wind around him dissipated….

"DIE!" howled Patriarch Hashirama. His withered frame flickered, and a bizarre sound could be heard coming from the whip. It lashed down toward Naruto, filled with a bloodthirsty and terrifying aura.

Naruto looked up. Not a tiny bit of sentiment could be seen in his eyes, only calmness as he observed the incoming soul whip and Patriarch Hashirama, who emanated terrifying ripples. Naruto had tested out his new magical techniques; what he needed to do now was see… exactly how powerful he was!

Closing his eyes, he coolly said, "Eighth Anima!"

As soon as Naruto spoke the words, a roaring filled his head. His body shook, and the air around him twisted and filled with fissures. Everything dimmed, and an invisible whirlpool instantly sprang up around him. As it rotated, it gave rise to an enormous hurricane.

As soon as the illusory whip snapped onto the hurricane vortex, it whipped backward. Down beneath the vortex, all of the sand and dirt floated up into the air and began to sweep around. As for Patriarch Hashirama, his face thoroughly fell, and he staggered out of control several paces backward.

His eyes were filled with astonishment and shock, and his mind was reeling.

"Impossible! This magical technique has Seven Animas. How could… an Eighth Anima appear!?"

Even as Patriarch Hashirama reeled with shocked, Naruto's body was seemingly filled with distortions. Intense, pulsing pain overwhelmed him. He had never imagined that the Eighth Anima would be… so painful!

His body felt as if it were being ripped apart. Wave after wave of power surged through him at indescribable speed, rapidly increasing in intensity.

His eight Nascent Souls were fully superimposed, and now burst forth with a power that vastly exceeded the terrifying Cultivation base power of the Seventh Anima.

In the Seventh Anima just now, Naruto had unleashed the power of 64 great circle Nascent Souls. That had been the previous limit, something that couldn't be exceeded. But now, even as the combination had just fused, that previous limitation was completely toppled.

65, 66…. In the blink of an eye, Naruto's body possessed the power of 70 boundless great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation bases. That power continued to grow. The feeling of intense power, as well as a terrifying aura, spread out through Naruto. As his Cultivation base and fleshly body continued to transform, the power exploded out.

Everything around him was twisted and distorted. The wind and clouds were in fluctuation, and the hurricane that surrounded Naruto seemed to stretch from the ground up into the sky. Endless booms echoed out, exploding with incredible intensity.

He trembled, and blood began to seep out of his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. His visage was ferocious to the extreme, and his long hair whipped about madly. He could clearly sense his Cultivation base climbing upward. In the blink of an eye it had the power of 93 great circle Nascent Souls.

And it was still climbing!

Every level of power which was added caused booming sounds to fill him, and more pressure would weigh down on him. The energy which he could employ was even more shocking. At the same time, the wastage to his longevity increased rapidly.

However, none of that could do anything to supersede the wildly intense rise he was experiencing. It gave him an incredible confidence which caused him to lift his head up and roar.

ROARRR!

The sound of it seemed to cause all of the pain that wracked him to be diffused out into the Demon Immortal Sect. As his body trembled, his Cultivation base rose up from the previous level of 93 great circle Nascent Souls to… 99.

The color of Naruto's hair began to change. It was no longer black, but now gray. His facial features were no longer that of a youth, but rather, ancient. His stature was tall and thin as before, but his aura was now completely different.

99, 100!

The full power of one hundred great circle Nascent Souls Cultivation bases exploded out within him. As Naruto roared, his hair grew longer and longer, soon reaching his lower back. The tempest around him grew in intensity, causing Naruto to slowly float up within the midst of the hurricane.

Lightning and thunder fell down to circulate around him, causing the hurricane to turn into a lightning storm, shocking to Heaven and Earth.

The sight of it caused Patriarch Hashirama to pant rapidly. His eyes went wide and filled with a look of disbelief. His mind filled with roaring.

"How could this be…? He… he…."

In the midst of Patriarch Hashirama's astonishment, more roaring exploded out from Naruto as his Cultivation base rose again!

101, 102, 103… all the way to 115!

Naruto's hair now stretched to his knees as his shocking roar echoed about in all directions. The tempest around him continued to expand until it was three hundred meters wide. It was at this point that the Heavenly expulsion force suddenly appeared.

The air around Naruto was continuously shattered. The fearsome aura surrounding him continued to rise up, almost as if some primordial wild beast was awakening.

116, 117…. In the blink of an eye, the power of 128 great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation bases exploded up. His roar was now the roar of Spirit Severing.

His power was that of Spirit Severing!

The aura around him was now an aura of Spirit Severing!

The tempest was now nearly a thousand meters wide. Lightning had transformed the area into a sea of electricity. His hair was longer and his frame taller. His gray hair floated about, and his visage was one of ancientness. His eyes suddenly focused, and within them seemed to circulate a power to exterminate life.

As soon as Patriarch Hashirama saw those eyes, his mind trembled, almost as if he had just been subjected to a powerful attack. His body began to shake, and he fell back several paces, blood spewing from his mouth. Within the astonishment on his face could now be seen a trace of dread.

"You…." he said hoarsely, his body shaking.

"I'm not finished yet," said Naruto, whose eyes were still closed as he experienced the shocking Cultivation base power of 128 great circle Nascent Souls. This power far exceeded the absolute pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage. This was… the power of Spirit Severing!

It was a situation in which quantity changed into quality. With enough Nascent Soul Cultivation base built up, he was able to leap into a realm that was previously only occupied by true Spirit Severing.

However, even as Naruto had said, his Eighth Anima wasn't finished yet. Just now, his growth had been in Cultivation base only. His fleshly body was still growing, rapidly flying toward a true Spirit Severing fleshly body.

Fleshly body Spirit severing was a stage for ancient Cultivators. In modern times, there were few people who could temper their body to the stage of Spirit Severing. In fact, you could say that it was virtually impossible, the difficulty level being just too high.

For Naruto, it was only by a series of lucky coincidences that he could reach this legendary stage. As of this moment, his fleshly body appeared to be normal, but in actuality, every strand of muscle was being shredded. Every inch of bone was being crushed. Every vein and artery was collapsing.

However, no matter how they were shredded, crushed, or collapsed, it didn't cause any problems for Naruto. In fact, all of that destruction caused his body to reform, making his Chakra and blood reach astonishing levels!

Within the space of time of a few breaths, the thumping of a heartbeat could be heard, like thunder rattling out in all directions. It caused Patriarch Hashirama to stop and look at Naruto. As of this moment, it appeared as if there were a shocking Chakra and blood fighting back against the natural law of Heaven and Earth!

Chakra and blood exploded up shockingly!

As of this moment, every beat of Naruto's heart caused the tempest around him to pause, caused the air to vibrate, caused the land in the area to quake.

Along with his Chakra and blood, his body broke through some invisible barrier. As he truly entered the Spirit Severing stage, Naruto's Spirit Severing aura exploded into the sky!

He took a deep breath as he realized that his view of the world was now completely different.

He could see innumerable dust motes dancing about in the air. He could hear countless sounds around him in the world, like the whisperings of innumerable deceased souls. He could feel all of the indescribable sorrow that filled the Demon Immortal Sect.

Most importantly… he could hear the sound… of breathing.

It was the breathing of something asleep, coming from deep, deep within the ground. It was faint, as if there were some enormous creature far beneath the surface of the earth, sleeping. Every breath it took echoed about.

All of these things take quite a long time to describe. However, it was a very short period of time from the moment in which Naruto entered the Eighth Anima until he could sense everything.

128 great circle Nascent Souls pushed Naruto's Cultivation base into a state which could be considered the world of Spirit Severing!

Because of the endless good fortune that had tempered his fleshly body, now that he had entered the Eighth Anima, his body truly had reached the legendary… Fleshly Sanctification. Figuratively speaking, that sanctification was none other than the Spirit Severing of his body!

"I am not in the Spirit Severing stage," he murmured. "But I possess the power of Spirit Severing." His power now vastly exceeded that which he had experienced before, when he had merged with the mastiff.

"Now, the time has come to have a little test. Let's see… exactly how powerful I am!" With that, his eyes began to glow with a cold light. He glanced at Patriarch Hashirama, whose mind began to tremble. At that point, Naruto vanished.

Patriarch Hashirama's scalp numbed, and he was scared witless. He retreated rapidly, waving his arm to cause the whip to flail about in all directions. However, it was at this point that a reflection appeared in his pupils as Naruto appeared directly in front of him.

Naruto's left hand lifted up, forming a claw that snatched ahold of the whip. The whip let out a whimpering sound, but could not extricate itself.

"You… are too weak," said Naruto, his voice cool. He lifted his right hand up and tapped down lightly on Patriarch Hashirama's forehead.

Patriarch Hashirama's body trembled as he was suddenly lifted up into the air and soared in the direction of the forbidden zone. Before he even began to fall to the ground, his head directly exploded. Blood and gore formed a haze that spread to his chest, and then his limbs, and finally his entire torso.

All of that was accomplished by a mere tap from Naruto in his Eighth Anima. Patriarch Hashirama was ripped into shreds before he could even scream, and his fleshly body was completely destroyed.

His half-transparent Nascent Divinity fled out, a large hole visible on its forehead. Life force and aura trickled out of the hole, beyond its control. It was incredibly weak as it retreated backward. Its death was only a matter of time; within the space of ten breaths, it would certainly perish!

It was with astonishment and indescribable fear and despair that the Nascent Divinity let out a miserable scream. Although it knew fleeing was useless, it still attempted to run away.

However, it was in this moment that, from within the forbidden zone, what appeared to be a consummately beautiful jade-like hand suddenly reached out with incredible dexterity. The delicate hand stretched out through the air…

To grab ahold of Patriarch Hashirama's Nascent Divinity.

"My Cultivation base suffered damage. With this Nascent Divinity, I can concoct some pills to help with that. Do you mind?" A woman walked out from within the forbidden zone. She had Tsukino's voice, but her appearance was nothing like the woman Naruto remembered from before.

She was as pretty as a flower, bewitchingly charming, matchlessly beautiful, unrivaled in elegance and demeanor. She… was the new Demoness Tsukino!

To use the expression "indescribably beautiful and striking" to describe Tsukino would only be enough to portray part of her. Naruto had no choice but to admit that in his entire life… he had never seen a more beautiful woman.

This was not a situation of her being "one of the most" beautiful women. Any other woman placed next to her would pale in comparison, and could do no more than play a supporting role.

She wore a light red gown, along with a wide smile. Her each and every move was dazzling, and her body let off a unique aura, resembling both the air of a Demon and a spirit.

The feeling Naruto got was that her body had become something like a precious material. It was something that completely stood out from the masses, and the aura she emitted seemed to fill the entire area.

Her current body did not belong to anyone except herself…. This was the true Tsukino.

Because of her earlier fall in Cultivation base and the various plans to be carried out by her on behalf of the Demon Immortal Sect, her Immortal Realm Cultivation base had been degenerated back to the edge of Spirit Severing. In fact, most of the time, she only revealed the power of the Nascent Soul stage. Right now, though, it was obvious that she had succeeded with the Demon Immortal Body.

Because of her success, her Cultivation base had now begun to restore itself. In a very short period of time, she would once again have… the power of an Immortal!

When the time came, the others would return to the lands of Lands of Ninshu, but she… would leave by a different route. She would return to the Demon Immortal Sect of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

There was even a high likelihood that the Cultivators of the Demon Immortal Sect were already gathering at some unknown location to prepare to receive her.

Upon hearing Tsukino's request, Naruto's expression did not change at all. He nodded slowly.

She gently bit her lip and smiled, then took Patriarch Hashirama's rapidly fading Nascent Divinity and crushed it. A popping sound could be heard. Patriarch Hashirama, a Spirit Severing Patriarch in his generation, had his Nascent Divinity crushed into tiny pieces. They transformed into dots of shining light that Tsukino then slowly absorbed in through her forehead.

Tsukino's countenance became a bit more beautiful, enough to cause anyone who looked at her to be shocked and feel their heart palpitating with eagerness.

"Thank you," she said. She lifted her hand up to place a veil over her face, covering over the features that would cause anyone to be infatuated with her at first sight. Her eyes flickered with a bizarre light as she looked at Naruto.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Tsukino. I am the Holy Daughter of the Demon Immortal Sect. However, I prefer it when people call me Demoness." With a smile, she gave a curtsied bow to Naruto.

Her words were simple, as were the movements she made. However, an indescribable energy wafted off of her, forming together into an incredible pressure, which weighed down on the entire area.

"You owe me," said Naruto coolly. "And not just a simple favor."

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Naruto. I acknowledge it, as does the New Demon Immortal Sect of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. We will absolutely never forget it." She cocked her beautiful head as she looked at him. Then her beautiful hand waved, causing a jade slip to fly out.

The jade slip was ancient and crude; on one side could be seen the word 'Demon,' and on the other side the word 'Immortal.'

"This is the command medallion of a Demon Immortal Sect Elder. Whoever holds this medallion is a vassal Elder. Fellow Daoist Naruto, if you need assistance in the future, you may come to the Demon Immortal Sect at any time."

Naruto accepted the command medallion, looked it over, and then put it into his bag of holding. He nodded toward Tsukino, then, without another word, turned to leave.

"I would like to thank you in a more personal way, Fellow Daoist Naruto," said Tsukino with a smile. "Therefore, I'll give you a bit of information. The pit located between the Third and Fourth Peaks is critical to entering the Fourth Plane."

Naruto stopped in place and turned to look back at her.

"Most likely, the other Sects and Clans have this information already. In fact, the Fourth Plane will never close. Anyone in the Third Plane who has the requisite skill can enter it.

"Without the skill, one can only gaze at the figurative ocean and lament one's inadequacy." Tsukino chuckled, once again bowing to Naruto. Then she turned and disappeared.

Naruto's eyes flickered. He could sense Tsukino's power, and he knew that she was completely different than before. A thoughtful look appeared as he looked down at his bag of holding, and thought back to all his previous contact with Tsukino.

In his heart, he was eighty percent certain that the small bit of assistance he had provided here would later result in receiving help from Tsukino and the Demon Immortal Sect, although it was impossible to predict whether that help would be of great use or not.

A relaxed smile appeared on his face. He had long since come to realize that in the Cultivation world, one must rely on oneself. One could not expect too much help from outsiders. Therefore, whether the New Demon Immortal Sect provided him with a lot of help, or just a little, it didn't really matter to him.

His greatest acquisition in this affair was not the promise of Tsukino and the New Demon Immortal Sect. Instead, it was his Eighth Nascent Soul, and his incredibly powerful fleshly body.

He took a deep breath as he examined his body, as well as the fearsome damage done to his longevity while in the Eighth Anima 1. As for the power of worldly expulsion that he had felt, he wasn't sure when, but it had vanished. That caused his eyes to glitter brightly as he looked over at the Fourth Peak.

After a moment, he looked away, and his body flickered as he left the Eighth Anima state and returned to the First Anima.

Then he took a step forward. Before speeding off into the distance, he collected up the soul whip. From what Naruto could tell, it looked as if it was meant to be part of Patriarch Hashirama's other whip.

At the moment, though, he would not allow them to fuse together. Instead, after he left this place, he would take some time to thoroughly study both of them.

Right now, he wanted to see if he could find any more of good fortune within the Third Plane. He whistled through the air as he passed the Seventh Peak and then the Sixth Peak.

As he neared the Fifth Peak, his eyes suddenly glittered, and the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. He changed directions to speed directly toward the Fifth Peak. Not much time passed before, shockingly, the light of a restrictive spell appeared up ahead of him.

The restrictive spell had three layers. The outer layer was dim, the light of the mid layer was flowing smoothly, and the inner layer was completely solid.

The three-layer restrictive spell covered an area of about three hundred meters. Clearly visible underneath it was a house, leaning up against the wall of which was a corpse.

The corpse was different than most of the corpses on the outside. It was not completely dried up, but rather, retained some life-like qualities.

It was an old man, who had been looking regretfully off into the distance when he died. As for what he was thinking, it was impossible to tell, but in his hand he held a bamboo flute. The flute was no magical item, but rather, completely ordinary. It even seemed to be a bit shriveled.

In front of the old man was another object, a drum about the size of a person's head. It was completely violet-colored, and emanated a faint glow. Just barely audible was a pulsating thrum from the drum that echoed about the entire area.

Outside of the restrictive spell were eight or so frowning Cultivators from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. A few of their number were currently trying to break through the restrictive spell.

Among their number were four members of the Hebi Clan, including Guren. Also present was Shinobu from the Imperial Bloodline Clan of the Northern Reaches, who Naruto had frightened earlier.

The others were from the Eastern Lands or Northern Reaches, and all were frowning as they looked at the violet drum inside of the restrictive spells. Their expressions were that of desire.

Naruto's arrival in a beam of multicolored light instantly disturbed the quiet in the area. The group of people immediately went on guard and began to look around. However, once they saw that it was Naruto, their faces filled with unsightly expressions.

The way Naruto had extorted them in the Second Plane had caused all of them to gnash their teeth. Shinobu was the only one who immediately backed up a few steps, trembling.

"You're all here, huh?" said Naruto, laughing heartily as he approached. "I haven't seen you in quite a few days, but I missed you! I hope you've all acquired a lot of items here in the Third Plane!" Naruto's expression was sincere; in fact, he really did sincerely want for everyone to acquire a lot.

However, the more he expressed himself in such a way, the more unsightly were the expressions on the faces of the others. They stared at Naruto, faces filled with displeasure. Some even seemed to be contemplating trying to attack and kill him, to solve all troubles in one fell swoop.

Naruto didn't seem to notice this. He was all smiles as he sighed and then said, "Eee? How come you're all ignoring me? Well, it doesn't matter. Fellow Daoists, I, Naruto, truly desire for all of you to make great acquisitions here. In that way, I will also benefit a bit more."

By now, killing intent was flickering in the eyes of the others, and a few people stepped forward, their tempers seemingly on the verge of exploding.

Naruto still didn't seem to notice this point. He had a bashful smile on his face, and even looked a bit emotional. However, from the point of view of the others, he was clearly showing off, and was in the need of a bit of punishment. His expression might even be one of courting death.

Only Shinobu felt his heart pounding nervously, and was crying out inwardly:

"Contemptible! Far too brazen! This bastard… this bastard is somebody I absolutely cannot afford to provoke. He has obviously grown powerful to the point of Spirit Severing, and yet he only shows off this level of power….

"He's obviously… obviously provoking the others into attacking him! How shameless!" At this point, Shinobu couldn't help but think back to his own grievous situation earlier. He could only imagine that if some of these people attacked Naruto right now, they would quickly find themselves in exactly such a miserable state.

As he looked at Naruto's smile, he only found it more and more horrifying. Yet, at the same time, he somehow was looking forward to seeing these other people meet a similar fate as he had….

"Brothers," continued Naruto, "I know that I displeased you in the Second Realm. Please, don't take it to heart. Now that we're in the Third Plane, I hope that we can all work together toward a common purpose. Brothers, whether or not I can find sufficient good fortune here, depends all on you."

After he finished speaking, Naruto, looking incredibly appreciative, and even clasped hands to bowed to them.

The bow caused everyone including Guren to clench their teeth. As for Shinobu, his face merely twitched, but everyone else seemed to be on the verge of exploding into a rage.

"Oh, there's also…." Naruto had straightened up and was about to smilingly continue when one of the Cultivators from the Northern Reaches couldn't hold back any longer. His temper flared and, with a howl, he shot forward.

"Shut up, bastard! So, you admit that you displeased us in the Second Plane?"

As soon as the Northern Reaches Cultivator went on the attack, Shinobu's eyes went wide and filled with a look of anticipation.

"Take him out! Drop him dead!" he thought excitedly.

The Northern Reaches Cultivator closed in on Naruto, his face twisted viciously. His right hand lifted up to perform an incantation gesture and then pushed out toward Naruto.

At the same time, another of the Northern Reaches Cultivators shot forward, as well as a member of the Hebi Clan. Eyes flashing, they fell upon Naruto.

Another bashful look appeared on Naruto's face.

Even as the bashful expression appeared on his face, his right palm flew up into the air. It moved with such incredible speed that the burly man from the Northern Reaches had no time to react before it slapped him across the face.

A boom could be heard, and the burly man felt as if an entire mountain had collided with the side of his head. His mind was reeling.

Originally, the blow should have sent him flying, but at the last moment, Naruto caused his hand to move back down. He grabbed the man's head and directly slammed it into the ground.

The burly man first shot up into the air and then struck the ground, causing a rumbling sound to echo out. The bashful expression still on his face, Naruto lifted his right foot up into the air and then began to trample on the burly man.

Even as the sound of the beating echoed out, the burly man began to struggle furiously. His Cultivation base exploded with power as he attempted to fight back. However, in the blink of an eye, the fearsome power of Naruto's fleshly body caused him to begin to scream miserably. He shrank back down, shrieking in shocking fashion.

Naruto grabbed the man's head and bashed it into the ground, causing blood to spray from the man's mouth.

"Ready to be reasonable!?" said Naruto angrily. He bashed the man's head into the ground again.

"I was congratulating the lot of you. Congratulating you! And in return, you want to kill me!?" Naruto slammed his head into the ground again. The burly man's shrieks were sad and shrill, and his body was trembling. An expression of shock covered his face, and his heart was in turmoil as he was beaten senseless.

"That's wrong!" said Naruto. "That's immoral!" He jumped up into the air and then began to stamp down onto the burly man, leaving footprints with each stamp of his foot.

The burly man covered his head with both hands, screaming beneath Naruto's anger.

"You don't even know what's good for you! Is that the right way to act? I congratulate you and then you repay my kindness with enmity!?" The scene of Naruto viciously trampling the man caused Shinobu's eyes to gleam with excitement. His heart was trembling, but with excitement. After all, it felt a lot better to be unlucky with a group of people than to be unlucky alone.

Most afraid out of everyone was the other Northern Reaches Cultivator who had also stepped forward just now, as well as the Hebi Clan member. Although they had both charged in attack, watching the scene playing out in front of them caused their scalps to go numb.

They were just about to back up when Naruto looked up at them, an expression of pain on his face.

"Do people really hate me that much?" he said. "I was clearly wishing you all well! If this guy was the only one to be ungrateful, it wouldn't matter. But it seems… you two also don't appreciate my kindness!" He appeared to be more and more torn by grief. The two Cultivators' scalps became even more numb as they backed up. However, it was in that moment that Naruto lifted up his right hand and made a grasping motion.

"You need to explain yourself clearly, otherwise, you're not going anywhere." The two were shocked to find that Naruto's grasping motion immediately caused their bodies to go out of control. They were pulled up to Naruto, where upon he slapped them with full strength. After they slammed down into the ground, he continued to rain blows down onto them.

"WHY?!" howled Naruto, sounding grieved. He grabbed the Hebi Clan member and slammed him seven or eight times down into the ground. The Hebi Clan Cultivator was furious, but it didn't matter how much Cultivation base power or how many magical items he tried to use, a few slaps from Naruto would cause everything to collapse. The Hebi Clan member was now panting from astonishment.

Even in the midst of his astonishment, Naruto grabbed his head and slammed his face into the ground again.

The other Northern Reaches Cultivator shrieked. He watched wide-eyed as the Hebi Clan member and the other Northern Reaches Cultivator were like nothing more than baby chickens in Naruto's hands, completely powerless to strike back at all. The man was so scared that he began to beg for mercy.

However, he could not escape Naruto's punishment. Every time Naruto leaped up, the three men would let out miserable screams, and blood would spatter about the area….

"You hurt me and then just smiled it off!" cried Naruto. "That's unforgivable! I was being sincere!" The sight of Naruto punching and kicking caused those looking on to be thoroughly shaken. The other Hebi Clan members, as well as the other two Northern Reaches Cultivators, were all panting. Expressions of extreme shock could be seen on their faces.

They were also rejoicing at their luck in having not made a move earlier. That was especially true of the ones who had almost stepped forward just now. They felt as if they had just evaded a huge disaster.

Their eyes were filled with unprecedented levels of fear as they looked at Naruto. It was a fear that made them feel even more grievous than they had in the Second Plane. That was because they had suddenly discovered that… they could be bullied here in the Third Plane too!

Guren's eyes were wide and she was panting with shock. As she stared at Naruto, she suddenly had the sensation that she was looking at a madman.

As the sensation appeared, it was coupled with fear. It was as if the Naruto that she remembered from the Second Plane had been perfectly extended down here into the Third Plane.

Shinobu stood in the group, his expression one of excitement. Inwardly, he shouted, "Take him out! Drop him dead!"

His face filled with grief and indignation, Naruto continued to mop up the three. The two Hebi Clan members other than Guren, hesitated. One of them was an older man who gritted his teeth and said, "Elder Brother Naruto… they were definitely in the wrong, but… considering it was their first offense…."

"Yeah," said one of the other Northern Reaches Cultivators. "Elder Brother Naruto, if you keep beating them, they're going to die…."

It was just as the man said. The three offenders lay next to Naruto, soaked in blood, gasping as more breath came out than went in. Despite being Cultivators, they had just been literally beaten to the verge of death.

"Do you also wish to repay kindness with enmity?" asked Naruto, looking up at the Hebi Clan Cultivator who had spoken first.

That look caused the old Hebi Clan member to begin to tremble. He quickly backed up a few steps, then angrily cried, "These people went way too far! What I hate most in life is people who repay kindness with enmity! Elder Brother Naruto, feel free to continue, just ignore me."

As for the other Northern Reaches Cultivator, the one who had spoken up second, he was now even more nervous. He began to fill with panic as he watched Naruto slowly look over toward him. Immediately, the man yelled, "Elder Brother Naruto! Get rid of the rascals and protect the good folk! I couldn't be more pleased. I truly wish I could be more like you, with such incredibly lofty sentiments!"

Off to the side, Shinobu's heart filled with disdain. He still felt himself to be far more powerful than these other people.

The bashful look appeared on Naruto's face once more. His right foot was up in the air, just about to descend again. Down below, the Hebi Clan member, who was covering his head with his hands, suddenly felt as if his moment of good fortune had arrived.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, listen, my… my acquisitions, you can have sixty percent!"

As soon as Naruto heard this, his foot stopped moving. Apparently convinced by the man's words, he bent over at the waist and shyly patted the man's shoulder.

"Brother, oh, good Brother," he said. "I really hate to say this but, you know, I have my principles. How about eighty percent? No? Well never mind…."

"Huh?" The Hebi Clan member's face was covered with both blood and a look of shock. He was just about to say something when one of the Northern Reaches Cultivators shouted out.

"Eighty percent! Elder Brother Naruto, eighty percent of my acquisitions are yours!"

Hearing this, Naruto instantly shoved the Hebi Clan member back to the ground and then helped the Northern Reaches Cultivator to his feet. His now looked even more bashful, and somewhat apologetic.

"I feel a bit guilty for such kindness, Brother," said Naruto. "Very well, since you trust me so much, then I truly wish you well. Please acquire many many things here in the Third Plane…."

The Northern Reaches cultivator wanted to cry, but had no tears to shed. He looked at Naruto and nodded vigorously.

The Hebi Clan member who had just been shoved back down suddenly yelled out: "Eighty percent! I'll give eighty percent, too!"

The other of the three also gritted his teeth and yelled out similarly.

Naruto looked visibly moved as he helped them all to their feet.

"Fellow Daoists, I am truly indebted to your kindness," he said with an emotional sigh. "I feel a bit guilty. However, since all of you insist, then, fine, fine, I accept." From the look in his eye, it seemed Naruto felt that good people truly did exist everywhere under Heaven.

The three Cultivators stood there unsteadily, looking at Naruto. Although inwardly they might be cursing him to the pinnacle, they did not dare to allow it to show on their faces. As of this moment, they were in complete dread of Naruto.

Everyone else had merely watched the proceedings, but these three had experienced it personally. Every blow from Naruto contained not the slightest ripple of a magical technique. All of it was completely from the power of his fleshly body.

He had used only the power of his fleshly body to put them in a position where they didn't even have a single chance to fight back. Even stranger, his fists and feet were actually capable of completely scattering their magical techniques.

Such a fearsome fleshly body was enough to cause anyone to feel hopelessness. The bashful look that they saw on Naruto's face right now would become the source of their most profound nightmares in the future.

The three had no choice but to clasp hands in respect to Naruto. Then, supported by the various members of their groups, hobbled their way back to their original position. Naruto glanced at Guren with a profound expression. A tremor ran through her, and she suddenly grew even more nervous. No one else would understand, but Guren was well aware that Naruto had just reminded her of her promise to take him to Kidomaru's corpse.

Everything was silent. Everyone stood there quietly, having completely lost interest in the restrictive spell off to the side. All of them looked nervously at Naruto.

As for Naruto, he looked at the restrictive spell for a while. Then he examined the house, and the well preserved corpse. All of a sudden, he realized that the corpse looked familiar.

He was silent for a moment as he looked at it. Then he recognized who it was, and his face grew a bit melancholy. This old man existed in Naruto's memory as a youth. Back in the Second Plane, he was one of Naruto's silkpants friends, a Demon Immortal Sect disciple with two wings on his back.

Naruto remembered that his name was Gotta.

After a moment of silent thought, Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply toward the corpse. "Fellow Daoist Gotta," he said, "perhaps you don't recognize me, but in my memories, we are friends…. If your spirit is in the underworld, please open the restrictive spell. I would like to bury you so that you can rest in peace."

As of this moment, he wasn't thinking about any magical items. He spoke the truth. He wanted to bury his friend from the Second Plane, so that he could rest peacefully.

After a long moment, Naruto rose to his feet. He didn't check to see if the restrictive spell had changed in any way. Without a word, he turned to leave. However, it was in this moment that behind him, the restrictive spell suddenly began to glitter and shine. A riot of colors could be seen as a rift appeared, which opened up soundlessly!

It opened for Naruto!

A tremor ran through his body as he looked back.

Everyone watched on, eyes wide and minds filled with unprecedented shock and disbelief.

"The restrictive spell… is actually opening on its own!"

"Could it be that Naruto was right about the spirit in the underworld?"

"If that's what's really happening, then wouldn't it mean that we could use the personal relationships we forged in the Second Plane to open other restrictive spells!?"

Everyone was shocked and almost couldn't believe what was happening.

This matter exceeded their imaginations, and in fact, their comprehension. The whole matter didn't seem complicated, and yet, if you analyzed it deeply, there was clearly some incredibly complex cycle of Karma at work.

After all, the Second Plane… was illusory!

And yet, things that had occurred in the Second Plane, and people met there, had apparently created a resonance with reality. It was bizarre to the extreme!

Even as everyone stood there in their fear and shock, Naruto looked back at the rift in the restrictive spell. After a moment of thought, a look of decisiveness appeared in his eyes. As everyone watched, panting, he strode forward toward the restrictive spell. His body almost flickered as he… entered inside of it.

The instant he entered, the rift twisted and then rapidly closed up. As for Naruto, he now stood there inside of the restrictive spell.

He was now fully separated from the outside world, and the onlookers.

Completely ignoring how shocked everyone was, he looked at Gotta's corpse, then silently approached it. He stood there for a moment, then clasped hands and bowed deeply. Then he began to dig a hole next to the house.

He carefully placed Gotta's corpse into the deep hole. As for the flute and the drum, he did not take them for himself, but instead, placed them in the pit next to the body.

"Gotta, whether or not you recognize me, in my memories, we are friends…. I hope that you can rest in peace. If there is a reincarnation… I hope that we can meet again." He looked at the corpse in the deep hole, and his eyes filled with a look of reminiscence. He thought back to the Second Plane, his silkpants friends from the other mountain peaks, and how they had all been whipped together.

After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh. Just as he was about to begin filling the hole up with dirt, the violet-colored drum suddenly let out a thump. The sound was like that of a heartbeat, clear and distinct as it echoed around.

Naruto's brows furrowed in concentration. He watched as the violet drum, which was emanating a slight violet-colored glow, slowly floated up out of the hole to hover in front of him.

The drum was about the size of a head. The drum head itself was black, and the sides were violet. Just barely visible were countless faint magical symbols rising up from the drum head. Also visible on the the drum head was a totem.

The totem was that of a black toad with a vicious appearance. Its long tongue was sticking out of its mouth to wrap around a black dragon!

The black dragon was struggling, but apparently it was powerless to fight back against the toad.

It was obviously a totem, but when he looked at it, Naruto felt almost as if it were moving. On the other side of the drum head was another totem.

This totem was an enormous crocodile with vicious looking scales. Its appearance was ferocious to the extreme, and its mouth was open to emit a soundless roar….

This drum was extremely extraordinary!

Naruto was silent for a long moment before reaching out his hand. The violet drum flickered a few times, then slowly landed onto his palm.

As soon as it touched him, he heard a buzzing sound in his mind. It was like the call of a toad, the shriek of a black dragon, and the coldness of the crocodile.

A moment passed, and then everything went back to normal. However, as everything faded away, Naruto realized that the method of how to use the drum now existed in his mind.

When everyone on the outside saw what was happening, their eyes went wide with astonishment. Although they were completely envious and jealous, they didn't allow it to show on their faces.

The fearsomeness Naruto had just displayed was now indelibly branded onto their minds. The impression he had left was something that was deeply imprinted within them, and could never be wiped away.

Naruto quietly put away the violet-colored drum. Then he looked at the corpse, and once more clasped hands and bowed.

"Many thanks for your help, Fellow Daoist," he said. "I will not allow anything unworthy to occur to this object." As he spoke, a warm wind seemed to blow through the area. Naruto's hair lifted up, and it almost seemed like a murmuring voice could be heard within the wind.

Finally, he buried the corpse. He piled together a small grave mound, then waved his hand, causing a wooden plank to fly over. He used his finger to carve the wood, instantly transforming it into a grave marker which he pushed down deeply into the grave mound.

Here lies Gotta.

"Fellow Daoist, I wish you a safe journey," he said quietly. Then he turned and began to walk toward the restrictive spell. He did not disturb anything else in the area, nor did he search it. He had entered this place because of Gotta, and because of the memories. He had no other purpose than to bury his friend.

As Naruto neared, the restrictive spell flickered and the rift appeared again. After he walked out, the rift disappeared again. Everyone looked at Naruto with odd expressions.

Deep in their hearts, they couldn't help but feel that Naruto was truly enigmatic.

Ignoring everyone else, Naruto continued to walk along. Suddenly, he stopped and looked back at Guren.

As soon as he looked at her, her heart trembled. Silently, she gritted her beautiful teeth, then turned to speak to the other Hebi Clan members in hushed tones. Then, to the shock of all them, her body flashed as she moved to join Naruto.

Naruto laughed as he flew up into the air. Guren followed, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared off in the distance. Everyone left behind exchanged speechless glances. The intense impression left upon them by Naruto was deep and profound.

Naruto flew in the lead position and Guren followed. After disappearing off into the distance, where no one would be watching them, Naruto looked back and gave Guren an enigmatic smile.

He still remembered the scene from the river of stars, before coming to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, when he had been stuck up against her body.

Seeing his smile caused Guren to feel goosebumps. She quickly began to explain. "Kidomaru's host body was a Conclave disciple from the First Peak. However, his body is not located at the First Peak, but rather, beneath the Third Peak."

"Lead the way," replied Naruto coolly. Actually, he didn't really care at all about Kidomaru's corpse. He was merely using this method to thoroughly bind Guren to him.

In this way, he was essentially inserting a mole into the Hebi Clan. If any mishaps occurred, Guren would not be able to escape unharmed. Because she was an actual member of the Clan, if she betrayed the Clan, the results would be even more miserable.

As for Guren, how could she not understand this? However, she had little room to maneuver. Originally, she took her actions in the Second Plane to be a temporary stopgap that she could adjust in the Third Plane. But when she discovered how fearsomely powerful Naruto's Cultivation base was, she truly understood that… she had no way to fight back against him.

Therefore, since she couldn't fight back, there was no need to struggle.

They sped along together, Guren compliant, Naruto using his Divine Sense to avoid anyone else. Soon, they neared the Third Peak.

Although Guren didn't detect what Naruto was doing, she did notice that they didn't run into anybody whatsoever. As such, she could only assume it had something to do with Naruto, which of course filled her with even more dread.

As for Naruto, his brow was furrowed. As they moved along, he had actually sensed a total of six or seven others. All were alone, and all of them seemed to be moving in the same direction; they were headed toward a place somewhere between the Third and Fourth Peaks.

Naruto thought back to what Tsukino had told him, about true spirit Night, and the pit between the Third and Fourth Peaks. That pit led to the entrance of the Fourth Plane.

His eyes glittered, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

"Considering that they aren't looking for any more good fortune in the Third Realm," he thought, "but are instead hurrying toward the Fourth Realm, it shows that they must have acquired quite a bit already.

"In that case, it's just about time for me to go make them live up to their agreement."

Up ahead, Guren stopped. "We're here," she said, looking back at Naruto. "This is the place. There are restrictive spells in place, so follow me."

Naruto suddenly lifted his right hand and flicked his finger. A red medicinal pill flew out at top speed to appear in front of Guren. Her face flickered.

There was still time for her to dodge out of the way, but when she saw the cold streak in Naruto's eyes, her heart seized. She did nothing to evade, instead allowing the medicinal pill to enter her mouth. As it dissolved, an acrid liquid spread out through her body.

"Let's go," said Naruto with a smile and a nod. He looked around at the ruins and the countless flickering restrictive spells.

Guren's face was extremely unsightly. She said nothing, but merely turned and proceeded forward. As she did, the curves of her body made a scene of soul-stirring beauty.

She proceeded on through a specific route for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Soon, a well appeared up ahead of Naruto. Shockingly, two corpses could be seen together at the bottom of the well.

One was Kidomaru, the other was the host body.

A three-eyed crow was perched atop Kidomaru's body. In almost the same instant in which Naruto looked down at the crow, the crow turned to look at him.

Kidomaru also had two bags of holding. One was white, the other was black. Even as Naruto looked at the black bag of holding, Guren spoke up.

"The black bag of holding has Kidomaru's collection of Demon beasts. As for that three-eyed crow, it long since gained sentience. When Kidomaru was only three years old, it flew in from the outside, and accompanied him ever since.

"You got lucky in killing Kidomaru. If we were in the outside world, even if you were of the Spirit Severing stage, it would still be very difficult. He… is actually the Nascent Soul stage Dao Child of the Hebi Clan.

"He even had a Patriarch's brand on him, although sadly, it's faded since he died."

Naruto's eyes glittered. Suddenly, the crow flew up into the air, transforming into a black beam of light that shot toward Naruto.

Before Naruto could react, an excited voice could be heard coming from the copper mirror inside his bag of holding.

"Bitches! Lord Fifth is awake, little bitches! Hey, I see a lovely three-eyed concubine here!"

Apparently, the three-eyed crow knew the parrot….

Otherwise, it wouldn't have flown out it in such an overbearing fashion, only to, upon hearing the voice of the parrot, begin shaking, the feathers on its body standing on end. Apparently something had gotten it quite worked up. It let out a miserable shriek, then suddenly turned around in mid-air and then fled in the opposite direction.

At the same time, the parrot flew out from inside of Naruto's bag of holding. It seemed to be in high spirits, as arrogant as ever to once again be on the scene.

Its eyes glittered with an excited glow as it raised its head up and squawked a few times. Then it shot forward toward the three-eyed crow.

"Long time no see! What are you running away for? If you keep running, Lord Fifth is going to screw you!

"Beloved concubine, don't run away!" it continued excitedly, "Husband and wife for a day means mutual benefactors for endless days to come! Although we couldn't remain as husband and wife for a long time back then, that doesn't mean you need to flee! Every time I think of you, I can't help but wallow in my memories!"

The parrot seemed to be on the verge of overtaking the crow. Suddenly, though, tears appeared in the crow's eyes. It seemed ready to die rather than be violated. In this instant, it used some unknown magical technique to cause all of its black feathers to suddenly fall off of its body….

In the blink of an eye, there was no longer a black crow in front of Lord Fifth and Naruto. Instead, it was a… flesh-colored, completely bald bird.

The sight of the completely featherless bird was appalling and almost too horrible to look at.

However, the miserable shriek which rang through the air next did not come from the three-eyed crow, but rather the parrot. The bloodcurdling scream seemed to emanate from a deep, deep pain. The parrot stopped in mid air, staring at the feathers that were fluttering down to the ground, and then let out another miserable cry.

"Wh-wh-wh… why did you do that!?" The parrot didn't seem to be able to accept it. One breath of time before, the crow had been its true love, completely in line with his sense of beauty. The next breath, everything was turned completely around in a completely upsetting fashion.

Its entire body was shaking, even its nerves. What had happened just now was something too intensely upsetting.

Taking advantage of the parrot's sudden loss of spirit, the three-eyed crow used some other method to disappear into mid-air. It vanished without a trace.

The parrot seemed on the verge of going insane. It raised its head up to the sky and let out a roar.

"DAMNATION! Lord Fifth will not let you off the hook!"

Naruto suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for the parrot, especially considering how it had just changed its use of bad words. Clearly, the parrot was not just a little bit upset at the moment.

A face suddenly appeared on the bell attached to the parrot's foot. The meat jelly's voice could be heard, filled with a bit of a wicked tone. "Happy? According to Lord Third, that crow is actually quite honest and sincere. For example, what if it had used that move just now when you were in the middle of screwing it? What would you do then?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto could only stare blankly. The parrot trembled a few more times before a look of intense alarm appeared on its face.

Naruto had long since gotten used to the antics of the meat jelly and parrot. He had also put some thought into the matter of why the two of them hadn't made an appearance in the First or Second Planes. He had assumed that there was something special about the Demon Immortal Sect that made it impossible for them to reveal themselves.

Based on the voice of the parrot just now, it seemed to Naruto that it had just woken up. However, even after trying, he couldn't cause the mastiff to appear. Then he thought back to what Patriarch Hashirama had said before, and realized that the origin of the meat jelly and the parrot really was unfathomable.

As for Guren, this was her first time seeing the parrot. Her eyes were wide, especially after she heard what the meat jelly said. Although she had always been a brazen person, she was still a young woman, and couldn't help but flush a bit and make a reprimanding "pei" sound.

Yet, she continued to look down on Lord Fifth….

The instant she made the "pei" sound, the parrot turned its head to stare at Guren. A deadly gleam appeared in its eyes, as if it desired to vent its frustration and pain on her.

Panting, it looked her over.

"No fur or feathers! Dammit! Absolutely no fur or feathers! Dear Heavens, why do you punish me this way!" The parrot howled and then clenched its jaw. Even the mere thought of the crow shedding its feathers caused it to feel profound pain.

Although Guren didn't have the fur or feathers that the parrot liked, as far as she was concerned, the damnable things gaze was far too penetrating.

Naruto ignored the parrot. His right hand made a grasping motion, causing Kidomaru's two bags of holding to fly up out from within the well and into his hands. He glanced them over, opting not to open then at the moment. Instead, he put them away.

Then, eyes glittering, he snatched the wailing parrot and ignoring whether it wanted to or not, shoved it back into his bag of holding. Then he looked at Guren.

"It's time for me to go collect some treasures," he said. "If you have nothing else to do, you can come with me. My destination just so happens to be the entrance to the Fourth Plane."

Guren hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She didn't seem to be surprised at all to hear about the Fourth Plane, as if she had known about it all along.

As he gazed at her, Naruto thought about the resources of her Clan, and how information about the Fourth Plane wouldn't be hard to come by. The two of them left, Naruto taking the lead as they shot toward the pit, which lay between the Third and Fourth Peaks. It wasn't very far away. About two hours later, they arrived.

There were quite a few people already gathered together. There were a handful from the Hebi Clan, one of whom was Kigiri, who looked at Naruto with a strange glow in his eyes. Chino and Ino sat cross-legged not too far off, as did Itachi. As soon as Naruto neared, their expressions flickered.

Naruto was all smiles as he waved to everyone in greeting.

"Hahaha! What a small world, huh! We meet again, Fellow Daoists. So, tell me, how did things go for you in the Third Plane? What did you acquire?" Behind him, Guren's cheek twitched a little as she realized that Naruto… was about to con some more people.

"Naruto offers his most sincere well wishes to all of you Fellow Daoists," he continued. "I hope that you can really profit well in the Third Plane. That way, I can also bask a bit in your glory, right? Thank you, Fellow Daoists. You are all truly good people." Naruto seemed a bit emotional and even somewhat embarrassed. A bashful expression appeared as he looked over the increasingly grim-faced crowd, then clasped hands and bowed.

As for the group from the Southern Domain, their eyes flickered. That was especially true of Ino. When she saw Naruto's smile, a tremor ran through her body and she quickly lowered her head.

She knew all too well what Naruto's smile meant. It must be stated that it was quite well known in the Southern Domain that Naruto had conned many people with that bashful grin….

Although Itachi had never seen Naruto's bashful side, he had heard of his conman's personality. When he saw the smile, and Ino's reaction, he instantly went on guard.

Chino put on a forced smile. She looked at Naruto but didn't say anything.

Shizuka was also there. She looked at Naruto with a complex expression. It didn't matter how Naruto smiled, to her, it was all the same.

As for the Dao Child from the Shimura Clan, Torune, he was the only Southern Domain Cultivator who didn't notice anything special about Naruto's smile. He frowned, and killing intent suddenly sprang up in his eyes.

In contrast, the members of the Hebi Clan seemed to have received news about what happened earlier. Although all of them wore completely ordinary expressions, deep in their eyes, vigilance could be seen.

Naruto looked around at everyone, then suddenly seemed a bit discouraged. He was just thinking that it seemed his extortion attempt had failed when he noticed the look in the eye of the Shimura Clan Dao Child, Torune. Suddenly, he seemed a bit livened.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, "I don't think I recognize you." He quickly walked toward Torune, a smile on his face. "Tell me, did you acquire much in the Third Plane? Come, come, open your bag of holding so that Brother can select his share."

"Screw off!" said Torune coldly.

A moment ago, Naruto had worn a sincere smile and a bashful expression. A moment later, his face completely changed. The instant Torune spoke, a ruthless expression appeared on Naruto's face. His right palm instantly shot out toward Torune.

A cold light of derision flickered in Torune's eyes. His Cultivation base was extraordinary. If you looked at the Southern Domain as a whole, it didn't matter if you were talking about members of his current generation, or even Kabuto who had already passed away, Torune's Cultivation base was extraordinary. He gave a cold snort and then made a grasping motion with his right hand. Instantly, a blade of white light appeared in his hand.

However, before he could even unleash the power of the blade, Naruto's palm, moving with indescribable speed, slapped onto his face, letting out a huge bang.

One slap sent Torune completely senseless. He was furious, and wanted to struggle back. However, his fate was the same as the Cultivator earlier from the Northern Reaches. Naruto directly slammed him down onto the ground.

Punches and kicks rained down onto him, the sound of which echoed out in every direction. Torune let out miserable shrieks. He tried to fight back, and even tried to wield his blade against Naruto. However, all it took was a slap from Naruto to cause the Heavenly blade to shatter into pieces.

The sudden violence caused the eyes of all the spectators to grow wide.

"You actually dare to cuss at me!" cried Naruto, emphasizing his words with kicks. "I was sincerely wishing you well, and you respond with curses!? Ridiculous!" His expression grew more vicious and intense, causing all the onlookers to grow increasingly shaky with fear.

Torune was livid, but gradually, that lividity was replaced by terror. Soon, it turned into despair. Blood spouted from his mouth as the shadow of death loomed over him.

Finally, Ino blinked, cleared her throat and offered up a quick reminder. That finally provoked a reaction from Torune who, despite feeling wronged to the extreme, shouted out that he would pay a higher price.

After the matter was resolved, Naruto once again smiled sincerely and then took two of the total of three magical items that Torune had acquired.

Furthermore… those two items were the very best of all of them. Even as Torune felt pain in his heart, Naruto clasped his shoulder, then sighed and bashfully expressed his deep thanks.

After that, Naruto looked around at everyone else. Considering what had just happened to Torune, everyone else had no choice but to suppress their curses inwardly, open their bags of holding and produce the items that they had acquired. With their oaths in place, there was no way to go back on their words, and no way to hide things in violation of the agreement.

Despite their pain, they could only watch on in fear as Naruto carefully selected one incredible magic item after another.

"Wow, this looks amazing!

"Eee? It's actually a scale shield! Excellent, excellent!

"This flower vase is incredible! With one glance you can tell it's a precious treasure!

"Ooh, look at this clay figure! It's missing an arm and a head, but I'll just have to suck it up and take it. Yep."

Naruto circled around, making acquisitions that would cause anyone to be shocked. Every person from whom he took treasures had faces filled with unsightly looks. If it weren't for the fact that none of them felt capable of taking him on, they would surely attempt to attack him. The hatred they felt rose up to the Heavens, and their hearts dripped with blood.

To them, Naruto wasn't just taking away magical items, but their most prized possessions….

Eventually he came to stand in front of Shizuka. He looked at the jade pendant she held out, as well as the complicated, cold look in her eyes. He stood there thoughtfully for a moment, then took out one of the magical items he had acquired and put it in her hand.

Shizuka frowned, and was about to say something when, all of a sudden, three prismatic beams of light whistled through the air toward them from off in the distance. The person in the lead position was none other than Karin. Behind her were the two other men from the Namikaze Clan.

The two men wore excited expressions; clearly, whatever objects they had just acquired left them very happy.

Naruto's eyes gleamed and he turned. With a smile, he clasped hands and bowed to the three incoming members of the Namikaze Clan. "Well, if it isn't the three Fellow Daoists from the Namikaze Clan. It seems these two Brothers can't quite cover up the joy in their faces. They definitely must have acquired quite a bit in the Third Plane…."

Karin's face was a bit unsightly as she stared angrily at Naruto. The way he looked right now caused her fury to flare up.

"No, we didn't!" she said, glaring at him.

"Oh, that's not good," replied Naruto with a wink.

"It doesn't even count as not good!" said Karin, clenching her teeth, an uncompromising expression appearing on her face. "Look at you, you acquired all kinds of things, but big sis put everything on the line and only got two items! You still want to take advantage of me?"

"Okay, how about this…." said Naruto, looking a bit embarrassed. However, before he could finish speaking, one of the two men from the Namikaze Clan who stood behind Karin suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"We try to give you face, but you insist on acting shamelessly, huh? You think this is still the Second Plane? Screw off posthaste, you little bastard! Otherwise, you won't be leaving the Third Plane alive!"

The other Namikaze Clan member stepped forward, an expression of scorn and disdain on his face as he said, "You really don't know your own limitations. Don't you know that even the Hebi Clan would think twice before trying to steal away the things acquired here by the Namikaze Clan? As for you… well, take out half of everything on your person and hand it over. Otherwise…."

As the two men spoke, Naruto's gaze came to be fixed upon them.

However, before he could even get angry, Karin's face filled with fury. She spun to face the two fellow Clan members.

"You want him to screw off?" she said. Clenching her teeth, she vanished, to reappear directly next to one of the Namikaze Clan members. Suddenly, her fist descended.

Before the Namikaze Clan member could even say anything, a boom could be heard, and he tumbled backward, blood spraying from his mouth as he looked at Karin in astonishment.

"Karin, what are you doing!?"

"Shameless you say!?" she cried, fires of rage burning in her eyes. As of this moment, she truly looked like an explosive dragon. Her body flickered as she neared the man again. He was shaking, and was about to fight back when another boom echoed out and he was sent flying.

"You dare to threaten him!? You say he won't leave the Third Plane alive?! Well then… I'll make sure YOU don't leave the Third Plane alive!" Killing intent flickered in Karin's eyes. Before the Namikaze Clan member even landed on the ground, she once again vanished to reappear directly next to him. Her fist smashed out again. This was no perfunctory blow, but rather, contained all of her explosive power.

A boom could be heard that rattled Heaven and Earth. Everyone watched on in shock as the blood sprayed from the mouth of the Namikaze Clan member, and then his entire body exploded into bloody pieces. His Nascent Soul emerged, fleeing and screaming at the same time.

"Karin, you dare to slaughter a fellow Clan member!? You're dead! You actually dare to kill me over an outsider!?"

"So what if I kill you?" said Karin with a cold snort. She performed an incantation gesture, then waved her right hand. Instantly, an enormous square cauldron magically appeared. It instantly shot toward the fleeing Nascent Soul of the Namikaze Clan Cultivator. When they slammed together, a miserable shriek could be heard, and the Nascent Soul shattered.

At the same time, the man's bag of holding flew out to be snatched by Karin. She quickly erased the brand mark on it, and then tossed it over to Naruto.

The scene which had just played out in front of everyone left them completely shaken. That was especially true of the Hebi Clan, whose eyes were wide and filled with disbelief. Killing a fellow Clan member was a high crime in any Clan!

They truly couldn't understand why Karin would respond so viciously to the handful of words that had just been spoken.

Karin turned and looked at the other Namikaze Clan member.

The man trembled and took a few steps back. His heart pounded with nervousness and vigilance as he quickly said, "Elder Sister Karin, this was all just a misunderstanding. I…."

"You said he doesn't know his own limitations?" she said, her eyes flickering with killing intent. The Namikaze Clan Cultivator's scalp was numb as he fell back nervously. Before he could get more than a few steps, Karin was upon him, and her fist descended.

A boom could be heard; blood sprayed from the man's mouth as he fell back.

"Elder Sister Karin, I was in the wrong. Really, it was my mistake!"

"Didn't you tell him to take out half of his belongings and hand them over?" she said coldly. She performed an incantation with her right hand, causing the illusory square cauldron to fly toward the man. Under the incredible pressure, the Namikaze Clan Cultivator's face fell. Even as he shot backward, he pulled out his bag of holding and threw it to Naruto.

"Elder Brother Naruto, allow me to atone for my crime. Junior Brother admits his mistake!"

Naruto grabbed the bag of holding with a frown. It was impossible to tell exactly what he was thinking.

"You're clever," said Karin. "Therefore, you can avoid the death penalty. But that doesn't mean you're… exempt from punishment!" She glared at the Namikaze Clan Cultivator as the square cauldron descended. A boom could be heard as blood poured from the man's mouth. He staggered backward, his face pale. Although he didn't fear for his life now, he was still scared witless. He immediately clasped hands and bowed to Karin.

Naruto gathered up the two bags of holding, then looked over at Karin. She looked back at him.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"None of your concern," replied Karin. With a frown, she gritted her teeth and continued, "In any case, my things are mine, and I'm not going to give them to you. There's no use in even thinking about it. It's not gonna happen!"

Naruto looked at her deeply for a moment, but didn't speak again about the matter. Everyone around were lost in various thoughts, and didn't speak.

It was in this moment that the deep pit they stood next to suddenly emitted a shocking rumbling sound. It almost sounded as if something deep inside was roaring. The ground shook, and the countless vine-like objects that surrounded the area began to twitch and writhe in bizarre fashion.

The vines grew thicker and longer as they surrounded the area, looking almost like snakes. The Demonic Chakra from the surrounding area surged in toward the pit, transforming into an enormous pillar of light that towered up into the sky.

As of this moment, the enormous pillar of light was visible from any position within the First Heaven of the Demon Immortal Sect. It was like a summons that echoed out in the hearts and minds of all the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators.

A message resounded out to everyone. It clearly told them… that the way to the Fourth Plane was now open!

The possibility now existed to enter the Fourth Plane!

Naruto's mind trembled, and the Cultivators around him began to pant. Their eyes flickered, and yet, no one wanted to be the first one to make an attempt. Everyone stood watching, not willing to act rashly.

Time passed, and more people began to arrive, attracted by the column of light. Of course, not a one could evade Naruto's extortion. Eventually Hinata arrived, which meant that the area was now filled with the majority of the Cultivators who were here in the Third Plane.

Their gazes flickered as they looked thoughtfully around at each other.

The first person to make a move was an unimposing, emaciated old man from the Southern Domain. He flew out to stand on one of the vines. After grasping ahold of it, he looked back at the crowd of onlookers and then smiled. Then he produced a magical item, a fan, which he pushed up against the surface of the vine.

Instantly, a green glow surrounded the fan, and it began to disintegrate. It transformed into dots of scintillating light, which then were absorbed into the vine. At the same time, the vine began to grow longer. It extended down into the pit, taking the old man with it.

Karin looked over at Naruto and then spoke, her words directed not just at him, but at everyone around. "According to the Namikaze Clan's understanding, one needs magical items to be able to enter the Fourth Plane. Magical items from the outside world aren't quite as effective as items acquired in the Demon Immortal Sect. Offer them as sacrifices to the Demon vines, and, depending on their value, the vines will extend down.

"If you leave the vine and try to descend on your own, you will die without a doubt!"

With that, Karin's body flashed, and she neared a vine. In much the same way as the old man moments before, she produced a magical item which she pushed up against the vine. The vine began to grow, extending down into the pit.

One by one, more people began to fly forward. The Hebi Clan members, the Northern Reaches Cultivators, the group from the Southern Domain. One after another, they stepped onto the vines, produced treasures, and then sank down into the pit. As all of this happened, Naruto cleared his throat. Looking embarrassed and a bit bashful, he began to speak.

"Fellow Daoists, allow me to say something. Considering that you need to offer continual sacrifices to the vines, I must say that I actually have quite a few magical items. However, if I loan them out, if you take one, you'll have to repay me with two. I'm honest with all customers. It's a reasonable price.

"Now, who's to say what incredible acquisitions you will make in the Fourth Plane?" he continued. "Therefore, before going in, you should really think about this. Buy one, repay with two is definitely reasonable!" As soon as the others heard him, grim expressions could be seen on their faces.

"Buy one, repay with two is reasonable?"

"I've never seen extortion of this level!"

"What a joke! Even if I have to give up half-way to the Fourth Plane, I swear I will never again get entangled with this black-hearted Naruto!"

Glaring hatefully at Naruto, they completely ignored his offer and quickly grabbed onto the vines and then sank down into the pit.

Hinata stood next to Naruto, covering her smile with a hand. She remembered all of the things Naruto had done back in the Reliance Sect, and as she looked at him now, her smile only grew sweeter.

"They're going to be sorry," said Naruto, clearing his throat a few times. "I really did have good intentions just now." He looked blinking at Hinata, and her smile grew wider. Shaking her head, she flew over to grab a vine, then sank down into the pit.

Naruto wasn't the last person on the outside. Some of the people chose not to attempt to enter the Fourth Plane. Some decided to just give up where they were.

Seeing that no one else was going to enter the pit, Naruto walked around the edge of it, eventually decided on a position somewhat in the center. He reached out to grab a vine, then produced a magical item which he slowly pushed onto its surface. As it absorbed the item, the vine began to grow, taking him down at high speed into the pitch black of the pit.

As soon as he entered the pit, Naruto could sense coldness coming from all around him. At the same time, he saw that it was not completely pitch black. Glittering dots of glowing light could be seen in the walls, making everything in the area visible.

Around Naruto could be seen dozens of vines sinking downward, upon each one was a Lands of Ninshu Cultivator.

Far down below was completely pitch black, and it was impossible to see. Occasionally, a roaring sound could be heard, shooting up from down below like a wild wind. When that happened, everyone held tightly to their vines to stabilize their shaking bodies.

A wind blew, as cold as the underworld. As it passed by, everyone's hearts grew as cold as if they were stuck in the middle of winter. Even more shocking was that the frigid wind made the Cultivators almost like mortals. Everyone began to tremble as they clung to their vines.

Their breath turned into ice, which then cracked and shattered, causing everyone to feel extremely astonished.

Were it not for the vines, and the warmth which pulsed out from within them into the bodies of everyone present, then they wouldn't be able to proceed downward for very long, not even if they had higher Cultivation bases.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he clutched the vine. He had long since come to the conclusion that these vines were a critical element in being able to reach the Fourth Plane. Many others had come to the same conclusion.

Although not everyone had chosen to attempt to enter the Fourth Plane, everyone who had come to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane were outstanding figures from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. As for those who did chose to enter the Fourth Plane, they definitely wouldn't just give up halfway.

As they produced more and more treasures to sacrifice to the vines, the vines twisted and writhed, extending downward at high speed.

Time passed by slowly. Naruto was the last in line. As he descended he glanced around to inspect the area. As far as he could tell, the pit seemed bottomless. It was impossible to tell how far they had gone down, and yet they still couldn't see any end in sight. The frigid wind grew more intense, seemingly increasing the number of treasures required by the vines.

Not too far off from Naruto was Torune. His face was gradually filling with apprehension. Although he had come prepared with a good supply of magical items, he was finding it difficult to keep up with how much needed to be sacrificed. By this point, it didn't seem to matter the quality of the magical items being sacrificed. Almost anything would do.

Even still, the miscellaneous collection of magical items in Torune's bag of holding were not very plentiful. If things kept going with no bottom in sight, then he would soon have to begin sacrificing important magical items.

To him, it was something impossible to accept. He frowned and gritted his teeth, a look of determination gleaming in his eyes. He suddenly stopped, apparently preparing himself to start climbing back up. It seemed he planned to give up on his attempt to enter the Fourth Plane.

However, almost as soon as he began to climb up, before he had even gone more than a meter or so, his face flickered. The frigid wind around him suddenly grew ten times as powerful. His hair and his eyebrows became snow-white in the blink of an eye. Ice crystals even formed on his skin; clearly he was on the verge of being transformed into an ice statue.

The intense sense of grave crisis he felt caused Torune to immediately pull out one of his important magical treasures. It was a glowing blue sword that somewhat resembled a saber. A single glance was enough to tell that this was anything but an ordinary treasure.

Forcing down the pain he felt, Torune placed the sword onto the vine, whereupon it sank down inside. The coldness around Torune vanished and his body slowly returned to normal. However, his expression was one of astonishment.

"We're only allowed to go down, not up?" he grumbled inwardly. "Or is it that going back up requires an even higher price?" Everyone around was aware of the strange event which had just occurred, and were shocked. They all began to think various thoughts.

It was at this point that Torune saw that his own vine was no longer moving down but retracting back upward.

This provoked a reaction from the others.

"That can't be right. It's not that you can't go up. Once you enter this place, even if you want to quit, you still have to sacrifice treasures!"

"That must be the situation. It seems getting into the Fourth Plane isn't so easy after all…."

Naruto had the best view of the situation. His eyes flickered thoughtfully, and he rubbed his bag of holding. Suddenly, a bashful smile appeared on his face. He said nothing, but simply allowed his vine to slowly continue on downward.

Torune hesitated thoughtfully for a moment. Right now, he had two options to pick from. Go up, or go down. Either way, he would have to spend all of his magical items.

After a moment of hesitation, Torune clenched his jaw.

"Since I have to waste the magical items, I might as well risk it all," he thought. "If I don't, then everything I already spent will have been a complete waste. However, if I succeed, I can make up for everything with gains in the Fourth Plane!"

Many of the other Cultivators were thinking the same thing as Torune. They clenched their jaws, eyes shining with determination. To them it was a gamble; however, if they gave up now, then they would definitely end up with nothing. By holding on for a bit longer, they would at least have a chance… to make up for what they had already spent.

Since that was the case, there was no reason not to gamble!

Time passed. A day later, the group was deep into the pit. However, they still couldn't see the bottom. It really seemed as if there was no end at all. By this point, quite a few of their number had already used up their supply of random magical items. If they wanted to continue, then they would either have to use up the magical items they had discovered in the Demon Immortal Sect, or draw on their own store of important personal magical items.

The dilemma they faced caused the faces of quite a few of the Cultivators to look extremely unsightly. Before stepping foot into this place, all of them had believed themselves to be extremely well equipped with magical items. Now, though, they realized that they simply didn't have enough.

Compared to them, Naruto really did have it very easy. He had vast amounts of magical items in his bag of holding. He casually produced treasures to sacrifice to the vines. Not only did they continue to move downward, Naruto actually caused his vine to change course occasionally to hand over magical items to Hinata.

This caused the eyes of everyone else present to burn with anger and extreme jealousy.

"Ai, I just have too many treasures," said Naruto with a sigh. The sound of his voice echoed around, causing everyone's gums to itch with hatred.

"Fellow Daoists," he then announced, "if any of you are running low on treasures, all you have to do is speak up. We're all in this together, through thick and thin. No matter what happens, I won't ignore your plight while I am in a good position.

"If you need to borrow some magical items, I'll lend them to you without hesitation!

"Don't worry, my prices are reasonable, and I'm honest with all customers. Buy one, pay back three!" His voice echoed about loudly within in the pit. Everyone could hear, even the old man in the lead position. Their faces immediately twisted.

Karin looked back with glaring eyes, and yet a smile could be seen on her face.

As for the Hebi Clan members, their faces were unsightly. If they had such reactions, then there was no need to mention everyone else. When the crowds heard Naruto, their hearts filled with both hatred and helplessness.

"You crafty, shameless villain!" someone said. "Even if our magical items run even lower than now, there's no way we'll ask for your help!"

"That's right!" said someone else. "Outside, it was buy one pay back two, now it's buy one pay back three?! Raising prices like that is despicable to the extreme!"

"I'll die before asking for your help!"

Naruto heard the furious reactions, and simply sighed. "You're all wrong," he said. "Each and every one of these magical items represents an important memory to me. I'm offering to lend you, not my magical items, but rather, the true love of my life." He let out another emotional sigh.

"In all honesty," he continued, "my intentions truly are good. Look at these magical items of mine! Their glow is so resplendent and entrancing! These are high quality products!

"Think about it, all of you. With some of my magical items, you can get into the Fourth Plane without a hitch! Once you're there, you can acquire things so valuable that you can pay back what you owe me in the blink of an eye.

"It's completely worth it!

"Brothers and Sisters, you have to look at things objectively. The price you will be paying now is nothing. The most important thing is to look at what you have to gain! Without paying a price, how can you gain anything, am I right?" Naruto was using all his skills to try to persuade everyone. These, of course, were the same skills he had used in his shop back in the Reliance Sect. However, those who heard only continued to get more angry.

Hinata was off to the side, covering her smile with a hand. The gaze with which she looked at Naruto continued to grow warmer and warmer.

"Fellow Daoists, how can this tiny price possibly compare to the chance to step into the Fourth Plane?" Naruto's final sentence was full of meaning. His words echoed about, filled with an air of good faith. Many of the various Cultivators were actually moved inwardly, and they suddenly felt conflicted.

Torune gritted his teeth. He currently only had four magical items left, and to sacrifice any of them would cause him incredible pain. His expression filled with determination and he said, "I'll take three!"

Hearing this, Naruto's expression shook visibly. He immediately pulled out a magical item and placed onto the surface of his own vine, causing it to change directions and head toward Torune.

"Elder Brother Torune, you are truly experienced and knowledgeable, talented and bold. Alright, listen. This is my first transaction of the day, so I'll give you a bit of a discount. I'll give you these three magical items, and you only need to pay me back with eight.

"These three magical items have a value of 30,000 Spirit Stones. In that case, you need to pay me back 80,000 Spirit Stones." With that, he produced three ordinary-looking random magical items, as well as a promissory note. Then he used the same method he had used in the Second Plane, the Dao oath.

Torune gritted his teeth. After completing the formalities, he took the three treasures and then pressed one onto the surface of the vine. Instantly, it descended downward at rapid speed, alleviating his anxiety for the moment.

"Did you see that, everyone?" said Naruto, setting his head nobly. "Naruto is a gentleman. The gentleman loves money, and earns it righteously. I'm not forcing anybody, and am even willing to sell things on credit! That's right! You don't need to pay me back now. A simple promissory note can solve all your problems.

"You can simply pay me back after we leave this place. What a great deal!"

Everyone around couldn't help but think that Naruto truly had reached the pinnacle of shamelessness. More time passed, over half a day. There was still no bottom in sight. By this time, Torune owed Naruto more than 400,000. It was at that point that… Itachi couldn't hold back from calling out.

"Give me ten!"

"I'll take ten too!" said Chino, gritting her beautiful teeth.

"Ten for me too!" said Ino with a sigh.

Naruto immediately looked quite enlivened. He adroitly produced the magical items and promissory note, watched as the three swore their Dao oath, then smilingly handed over the magical items.

"When you purchase from me, you can rest your heart at ease. The quality of all products is guaranteed, and I deliver everything directly to you!"

The three collected up the magical items they had purchased and then completely ignored Naruto. They began to feed the items into the vines and descend down further.

Another day passed. Soon more people began to run out of treasures. Either that, or they weren't willing to sacrifice the treasures they still possessed. No matter how much they hated Naruto, they had no choice but to call out to him.

"Buy one, pay back five! Fellow Daoists, I'm starting to run low on magical items, so I have no choice but to raise the price…. Furthermore, I have to announce that when I am down to only ten magical items, then I will have no other choice than to begin an unprecedented, never before seen in history, never again to be repeated… auction!" Although Naruto sighed, his eyes actually shone with a brilliant light.

As soon as the words left his mouth, it gave rise to furious complaints. Despite the anger, people gritted their teeth and spent the price of one to five to acquire large amounts of magical items.

"What a profit!" thought Naruto. "Hahaha! I never thought that the ancient Demon Immortal Sect would turn out to be my Blessed Land!" He hung onto his vine, clutching a thick stack of promissory notes. When he looked at the numbers written on them, his eyes glowed brightly. His addiction to making money existed deep in his bones, and had not been reduced in the slightest, regardless of his advances in Cultivation base.

"I'm rich!"

"Hopefully this pit goes even deeper," thought Naruto, his eyes shining. "The best would be if we keep going for about nine or ten days." His bag of holding didn't have much else in it other than the vast, random assortment of magical items.

Many of them were things completely useless as far as Naruto was concerned. There were even treasures he had acquired when he was in the Chakra Condensation stage, but hadn't discarded even down to this day. He had kept them because… he just couldn't bear to part with them.

Back in those days, when he was young, he had been completely impoverished, unwilling to even part with a single Spirit Stone. These magical items were each worth dozens of Spirit Stones, so how could he possibly have simply discarded them?

He had always been searching for a way to dispose of them. However, the Black Lands and the Western Desert were both poor and barren places. Therefore, such items had accumulated there within his bag of holding.

If an outsider could glimpse the inside of his bag of holding, they would be completely shocked. The inside was completely chaotic, filled with anything and everything. After all… these were all of Naruto's belongings. Every time he ran out of Spirit Stones, he could still look inside the bag of holding and feel a little bit of contentment.

The opportunity he had now was something completely rare, and had him thoroughly excited. One Cultivator after another gritted their teeth and then called out to purchase magical items, and Naruto rushed to peddle them.

Naruto wasn't worried that they would refuse to acknowledge their promissory notes. These people were all Dao Children and Chosen of great Clans and Sects. They didn't lack Spirit Stones, plus, there was a Dao oath in place. They wouldn't dare to not pay him back.

Next to Naruto was one of the Northern Reaches Cultivators. His eyes were bright red as he glared at Naruto, clutching a small, glittering sword in his hand. His voice filled with madness, he cried, "Dammit! Naruto! This is a Chakra Condensation magical item! You, you, you… you actually charged me 10,000 Spirit Stones for this! I wouldn't pay ten Spirit Stones for this thing! You're such a swindler!"

"Yeah, look at this! This is a magical item for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. You charged me 20,000 Spirit Stones, and I have to pay back 100,000!"

"Look at this fan! What the hell! It's broken! It might be a Core Formation magical item, but… you charged me 50,000 for this piece of crap!? Why don't you just outright rob me!"

In response to the ire of the crowd, Naruto blinked.

"These things might be trash to you people," he said coldly, "but I worked hard to collect them! I often went without food and water just to collect together these possessions!

"If you don't want them, then you can return them. Then, you'll go onto my list of unwelcome customers!"

The others were fuming with anger, but they could only gnash their teeth and eventually let out long sighs. Then they angrily shoved the magical items onto the surface of the vines, causing them to sink down further.

Eventually, even the Hebi Clan members began to call out to Naruto. Soon, there were few within the crowd that didn't owe Naruto huge amounts of Spirit Stones. As everyone proceeded on, they looked at Naruto with eyes that desired to cry but contained no tears.

They proceeded on impatiently for another day. Eventually, far down below, they caught sight of a glow of light. Finally, they glimpsed the bottom of the pit.

In that instant, those who owed Naruto vast quantities of Spirit Stones began to weep with excitement. Naruto was the only one who let out sighs of regret.

"How can this pit be so shallow?" he mused with a frown. "If only it were a bit deeper. I never got to start my auction." He watched as everyone around him excitedly followed along with the vines as they continued on toward the bottom. It didn't take very long for them to reach the end of the pit.

The bottom of the pit was actually far larger than anyone could have imagined. It seemed that the pit was actually a tunnel, beyond which was an enormous world!

The world seemed to have no end. Even Divine Sense was incapable of finding any borders to it. After everyone reached the bottom and stood there, their minds trembled.

Naruto's pupils constricted, and he began to pant. Next to him, Hinata arrived, and her mind reeled.

Nobody spoke. Complete silence reigned. Everyone was completely and thoroughly astonished by what they saw.

A continent stretched out in all directions, sleek and smooth. Its surface was like that of a mirror, which was the source of the light that everyone had seen earlier.

If the continent could be described as a mirror, then the group from Lands of Ninshu could be described as standing outside of that mirror. Furthermore, when they looked at the mirror, what they saw was not their own reflection, but rather… an ancient battlefield!

Shockingly, an ancient world existed inside of the mirror. It was impossible to say whether or not it was an ancient world that existed before the time period of the Second Plane, or after. In any case, the group was now staring at boundless, majestic battlefield.

Countless Cultivators could be seen on the battlefield, all engaged in mutual slaughter. Heaven and Earth were filled with riotous colors, and booming echoed out through the sky. Cracks spread out through the land, and the fearsome glow of magical shields covered everything.

In the sky were innumerable war chariots flying about, as well as armored Cultivators who fought each other feverishly. Off in the distance, several gigantic dragons could be seen, as well as countless Demon beasts, hunkered into various positions throughout the land.

Many things could be seen.

A person could be seen waving a hand. A huge chunk of the earth collapsed, and then an enormous land mass flew out. It turned into a shooting star which smashed out into the air.

A person could be seen punching. Stars collapsed, and countless flames burned the world.

A person could be seen surrounded by millions of magical items. They formed a tempest that caused blood to splash about wherever it went. The tempest itself was the color of blood!

A person could be seen flashing an incantation gesture. A finger was pointed up into the sky, and countless characters appeared, glowing with a golden light. They formed together to into various ancient characters that radiated a shocking aura which led to endless slaughter.

A person could be seen holding tight to an evil spirit. The spirit's body was three thousand meters long, and had countless faces that appeared and disappeared, howling and glancing around with disdain.

This was… a great battle between two different parties!

One side was made up of Cultivators. Countless, innumerable Cultivators, each one capable of employing destructive divine abilities, of summoning Dharma incarnations, and endless magical items that could shake the Heavens.

The other side was made of up of Demons. These were bizarre Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth, surrounded by sundered winds that rose up into the sky, creating a storm of blackness wherever they went….

Further off in the distance was, shockingly… an enormous coffin. The coffin appeared to have fallen down from the Heavens. Brilliant, multi-colored light swirled around it, within which was something astonishing. Nine butterflies could be seen floating about!

Countless figures could be seen in the area around the coffin. Incredible slaughter was being carried out, as if neither side was willing to allow the other to step even half a pace closer to the coffin!

The coffin was the main cause of the combat on the battlefield. All of the fighting and mad slaughter was because… that coffin needed to be seized!

All of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators, including Naruto, were floating up in mid-air, looking down blankly at the lands within the mirror. They looked down at the shocking battle, and the figures who could topple mountains and invert seas with the wave of a hand, who could crush stars and grab moons with their divine abilities. The hearts of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators filled with shock.

There were three people on the battlefield who, no matter how grand the scale of the battle was, no matter how intense the slaughter, could not be eclipsed. The gaze of anyone who looked down at the battle would instantly be drawn to these three figures.

It was as if… they were the most powerful sovereigns of the battle. They were like venerated suns that everyone had to look up to!

One of them was a Cultivator wearing a Daoist robe, with a full head of white hair. His features were ancient, and when he lifted up his hands two rotating pearls could be seen, one of which was black, the other of which was white!

Behind the man was an illusory starry sky that he had apparently magically summoned. He stood in the middle of the sky, alone, capable of striking fear into the hearts of any within the Demon Tribes.

The second figure was within the Demon Tribes. It was a Greater Demon who looked like a winged bat. Its eyes were bright red, and seven globes of flame rotated around it. Each of the globes of flame was a different color, and, shockingly… a wooden sword could be seen inside of each one!

The Demon was surrounded by an astonishing aura. As it stood there, it seemed capable of making the Earth, the Heavens, and all life therein, prostrate in worship!

Naruto was unsure of the level of Cultivation base of these two, but his breathing was unprecedentedly ragged. He wasn't sure if he was perceiving things incorrectly or not, but when he saw the old Cultivator and the black and white pearls in his hands, he suddenly thought of something.

In his mind, he saw an image from back in the Five Elements Nation. He saw… the pearl in the hand of Little Tiger!

Little Tiger's pearl, and the white pearl in the old man's hand, looked… completely the same! The sensation that Naruto got when he looked at the pearl held by the old man… led him to believe that they were definitely one and the same!

Furthermore, the man-shaped bat looked very similar to the Demon that he had fought so long ago. Even more relevant were the wooden swords inside the seven globes of flame that surrounded it. When Naruto saw them, his mind shook. Those swords were clearly… the same as his Immortal Murdering Swords!

Right now he had five such swords, four originals and one copy!

What gave Naruto even more cause to pant was the third figure within the world of the mirror. That person caused his mind to reel and fill with a roaring sound.

That person… was a homely-looking middle-aged man. He wore a white robe, and his long hair was half black and half white. He did not emit any aura of a Cultivation base, but rather floated there in mid-air, looking almost like he was sealed. The air around him was completely calm and still.

When the Demon Tribes saw him, they trembled, and their Demonic Chakra was thrown into chaos, as if it was completely out of control.

When the Cultivators saw him, their eyes filled with reverence. It was almost as if as soon as they looked at him, an intense pressure bore down on them, causing their Cultivation bases to decline!

He was not a member of either side in this battle. He floated there in mid-air, making it seem as if the battlefield were split into three parts, with him being one third!

Within the man's hand was a long, silver spear that appeared to be covered with overlapping scales. The spear was not completely silver; occasionally the scales would turn black.

As soon as Naruto caught sight of the spear, a voice immediately echoed out in his mind.

"Demon Weapon… Lonelytomb!"

Although Lonelytomb's Devil Construct was on the verge of dissipating completely, Naruto still had it. It emanated a buzzing sound, like an intense summoning.

In that instant, Naruto suddenly realized who that middle-aged man was floating there in mid-air. Staring fixedly at him, Naruto thought, "Third Generation… Demon Sealer!"

It was in this moment that Naruto suddenly realized that the copper mirror in his bag of holding—the same copper mirror that had been with him since the Reliance Sect, that precious treasure which had provided him with such incredible help over the years—had begun vibrating.

The vibrating was not like what had happened in the presence of furred or feathered creatures. This vibration was intense, and seemed to encompass the entire mirror, starting from within.

Naruto was shocked, but his expression didn't change. His gaze flashed as he looked at Demon Weapon Lonelytomb.

The first time he encountered Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, he had received the Devil Construct, incarnated into the Devil Spear. He had also learned how the real Demon Weapon Lonelytomb was sealed within an ancient battlefield.

Naruto also knew that the ancient battlefield had something to do with the Demon Immortal Sect. Once inside the Demon Immortal Sect, he should have been able to use the reaction of the Devil Construct to locate Lonelytomb!

However, throughout all his experiences in the First, Second and Third Plane, he hadn't been able to find even the slightest trail to follow. And yet here… in the lands of the Fourth Plane… he finally had a trail!

The white-robed man with the black and white hair was none other than… the Third Generation Demon Sealer! And the spear in his hand was none other than… Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

One man, one spear, hovering in mid-air, splitting everything under Heaven into three parts!

His energy shook the Demon Tribes and leveled immense pressure onto the Cultivators. It was as if in Heaven and Earth, although he might not be the ultimate supremacy, he was still esteemed and respected to the utmost degree.

Naruto's mind trembled as he looked at the Third Generation Demon Sealer, and he began to breathe heavily. This truly was… a Demon Sealer!

When he saw the Third Generation Demon Sealer's energy, Naruto suddenly felt intense anticipation regarding his own path as the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer. He suddenly wished to one day be able to hover in mid-air and split everything under Heaven!

Everything that was happening inside the mirror continent filled Naruto with shock, and also astonished all of the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu, who were all breathing heavily. It was at this point that the eyes of the emaciated old man flickered. This was none other than the old man who had been first to enter the passageway from the Third Plane. He performed a minor teleportation as he headed toward the mirror below.

The movement immediately attracted the attention of the others. Naruto's eyes glittered as he watched him.

The emaciated old man moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was standing on the surface of the mirror that made up this huge continent. Then he began to move forward. It almost looked as if he were about to enter the ancient battlefield. However, he actually was only moving across the surface of the mirror.

He abruptly came to a stop after a few breaths of time. He pushed his hand down onto the surface of the mirror, which seemed to stimulate it, causing distortions to appear. Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared across from the old man, except within the ancient world. He wore a suit of battle armor, and when he lifted up his hand, a fireball appeared, within which could be seen a crimson bird.

Originally, everything visible existed only within the mirror. However, due to the stimulation provided by the old man, and some other unknown reasons, the crimson bird suddenly flew out from inside the mirror.

It seemed to have broken through some sort of seal to fly out from inside the mirror and then appear on the outside!

It was currently shrinking in size, and its flames were growing dim. It looked quite different than it had inside the mirror. And yet, as soon as it appeared on the outside, it emanated a powerful aura!

It wasn't just the flame bird that appeared. Shockingly, a moment later, four beams of light shot out through the distortions. Within these beams of light could be seen two swords, a fan, and a flying shuttle.

The four items flew out explosively just behind the flame bird. As for the old man, he laughed and flew into the air, waving his sleeve toward the flame bird to capture it.

Everyone was shocked at what was happening, and yet, they didn't hesitate. In the blink of an eye, dozens of people flew up into the air toward the four beams of light and the magical items within.

Naruto moved the quickest. Even as the old man was subduing the flame bird, Naruto passed everyone to lay hands on the green-colored flying shuttle.

It was shaped like an awl, and glittered with blinding light. The coldness which emanated off it was oppressive. As soon as Naruto touched it, he felt as if his body was filled with winter. Eyes glittering, he entered the Second Anima and held tightly to the flying shuttle.

His body flickered and he stretched out his left hand. A gale force wind screamed out, causing the Hebi Clan members and Northern Reaches cultivators who were pursuing the fan to be sent tumbling backward. Even as they came to a stop, Naruto closed in and swept his arm to snatch the fan.

The moment he touched it, an indescribable heat exploded out within him. Naruto gave a cold snort and, without hesitation, entered the Fifth Anima!

His powerful fleshly body and shocking cultivation base instantly suppressed the flying shuttle and the fan. They struggled, but couldn't fly out of Naruto's hand. He quickly put them into his bag of holding.

At the same time, the two flying swords were snatched up by others. Karin managed to get one, Kigiri the other. Everyone else could only watch on with unsightly expressions at the others who had acquired treasures. Then they looked over at the emaciated old man.

The old man finally put away the flame bird. His acquisition was clearly the best of all, which anyone could see. The flame bird was a precious treasure. As for the other items, although they were extraordinary, they couldn't compare.

The old man laughed hoarsely, then glanced over the group from Lands of Ninshu. His gaze stopped for a moment on Naruto, whereupon it seemed to fill with dread. Finally, he looked back at the others.

"Fellow Daoists, there is quite a bit of good fortune to be had in this place. There's no need to stare at me collecting things, don't you think?" He chuckled, then backed up a few paces. He lifted up his right hand, and although the move seemed casual, pulsating rings of light could be seen within.

Kigiri's position amongst the Hebi Clan members had been second only to the now deceased Kidomaru. He looked at the old man and growled, "There may be more good fortune, but you seem to know a lot more about it than we do."

His words caused the eyes of everyone present to begin to glitter brightly. Clearly, everyone was extremely interested in how the old man had extracted items from within the mirror.

The old man laughed, then slowly began to speak: "Well, it's actually easy to explain. Any of you can do exactly as I did. This is the Fourth Plane, and not many people ever make it here. Therefore, few people in the outside world know much about what it's like.

"The mirror-like continent beneath us is actually a seal. Sealed inside is a battlefield, or perhaps, an entire world.

"Within the seal, time is eternal. If you can stimulate it from the outside, and open a breach, then you can create a storm within the eternal time inside.

"It's like causing a reverse black hole. The objects inside will be sucked out to scatter into the outside world. Of course, that process will cause said objects to be weakened.

"As for exactly how to do it, I don't think you need me to go into a detailed explanation. The battlefield beneath us is enormous, and the potential acquisitions all depend on your own luck." Having finished his explanation, the old man gave a final glance to the crowd of people, then flashed off into the distance at top speed.

Everyone else looked down at the mirror with flashing eyes. They all had their own judgements regarding what the old man had said. However, regardless of anything, it seemed that of what the man had told them, eighty to ninety percent was probably true.

In that case, this place… was a once-in-a-lifetime source of good fortune for all of them!

Everyone exchanged glances. Then the Hebi Clan members scattered, flying in opposite directions. The Cultivators from the Northern Reaches, Southern Domain, and Western Desert also sped off in different directions. Naruto looked at Hinata.

"I'm fine by myself," she said with a slight smile. She turned and flew off into the distance, looking for good fortune of her own.

Naruto took a deep breath. He looked down at the world within the mirror for a moment. Then his eyes flickered. He picked a direction and shot off at high speed.

He only had one objective, and that was the Third Generation Demon Sealer!

As for everything else, although it was interesting to him, when compared to the League of Demon Sealers, it was all secondary.

He proceeded onward for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn. His brow was furrowed as he considered how strange this place was, especially the three most powerful experts that he had seen. They hovered in mid-air in the world inside the mirror, clearly visible, but unapproachable!

Down below, the mirror continent seemed to be endless and without borders. However, it was possible to sense that far off in the distance, there was in fact an end to it all. However, once on the actual surface of the mirror continent, it truly seemed limitless. Even after moving forward for a long time, the Third Demon Sealer still seemed far, far away.

Naruto was muttering to himself about this when suddenly his eyes flashed. Not too far away he had caught sight of a magical battle taking place within the world of the mirror.

There were two Cultivators fighting with a mass of black fog. Magical techniques spread about in all directions and magical items slammed out in attack. When he caught sight of the magical items, Naruto's eyes began to glitter.

One of the items was a golden leaf that he wouldn't originally have paid much attention to. However, Naruto happened to have noticed that upon the surface of the golden leaf was a pattern that looked like a lotus.

It was a made up of ten swords, shaped together to look like a lotus!

It looked exactly like Naruto's own Lotus Sword Formation. He couldn't help but make an "eee?" sound as soon as he saw it. He looked at it closely for a moment, then lifted up his right hand and punched down. The punch caused the surface of the mirror to tremble. Distortions appeared, transforming into something that looked like a vortex. However, they quickly dissipated.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he entered the Fifth Anima. A boom could be heard from his fleshly body as he punched down again. The vortex instantly formed again, along with a black hole. An enormous gravitational force appeared inside of the mirror world, causing three magical items to suddenly be sucked in.

Next, those very three magical items flew out beneath Naruto's feet. One of the items was cracked in the process and instantly exploded. The other two shot off in two different directions at top speed, apparently possessed of sentience.

Naruto performed a minor teleportation, then transformed into a green smoke and a black moon. He reappeared in mid-air, and snatched his hand out to grab the golden leaf. It emanated a buzzing sound as well as a blinding light, and apparently intended to cut Naruto's hand in half.

Naruto let out a cold snort, then flicked his sleeve to collect up the golden leaf. He pushed two fingers down hard onto its surface, preventing it from struggling and flying away.

A look of happiness appeared in his eyes as he collected it up. But then he looked back down at the world in the mirror, and his mind trembled.

It was at this point that he noticed that the golden leaf he had just acquired, as well as the item which had exploded and the other item which had escaped, were… still inside the world of the mirror.

"Are they simply ghosts?" he thought. "Or are the items which flew out perhaps not real?" He frowned as he thought back to how the copper mirror had begun to vibrate earlier.

After some more thought, Naruto suddenly trembled and looked back down at the lands inside the mirror world.

"This continent is like a mirror, and within the mirror is a battlefield," murmured Naruto. "The objects on the battlefield can emerge into the outside. However… those same objects still remain on the battlefield inside the mirror….

"This… this…." Naruto's mind was filled with intense rumbling. He was starting to feel that he knew what was happening, but the explanation caused him to begin to pant, and his face to flicker.

"Strange, it's so similar to the copper mirror and its duplication powers!" That was what caused him to be so agitated.

He was the only person who could make such a connection. No one else had his copper mirror, nor did they know of the mirror's Heaven-defying qualities. Therefore, it would naturally be impossible for anyone to reach the same conclusion.

After all, everyone's thinking is limited by the scope of what they know. Thinking outside of one's own scope is something extremely difficult.

Naruto's breathing grew heavier the more he thought about it. The situation just seemed to become more and more bizarre. His eyes flickered, and he suddenly leaped up into the air. He did not proceed along in the same direction he had been traveling, but rather, went straight up into the air.

As he rose up, his heart began to pound faster, and he grew more nervous. He had possessed the copper mirror for many years now, and in the past, he had often wondered where it came from. However, the meat jelly and parrot were always very enigmatic when it came to the subject. Every time he brought it up, they acted like it was some type of taboo. The parrot would even begin to fume with rage.

Naruto had tried to get information about it on numerous occasions, all to no avail. Eventually, he put the matter to rest inwardly. Now, however, he had the feeling that he suddenly had an opportunity to understand more about the copper mirror!

It was in such a mental state that he flew higher and higher. Moments later, he had reached the highest area possible. Down below, the continent stretched out in all directions. He took a deep breath as he lowered his head to look down.

As before, the continent looked completely endless. The surface was sleek and glossy, and it was impossible to see what the continent actually was shaped like.

"I could keep going and look for the border. Maybe I can find some answers there.

"Or, I could take out the copper mirror and shine it down. Perhaps… that would reveal some clues!" He thoughtfully rubbed his bag of holding, a profound look gleaming in his eyes.

He had the feeling that if he produced the copper mirror, but nothing happened, then it wouldn't really matter. However, if any types of transformations did occur, then… they would certainly be enough to shake Heaven and Earth. In fact, considering how many people were here, it would be impossible to keep the matter of the copper mirror hidden unless he killed everyone.

"The copper mirror is the most mysterious object I possess. I can't let anyone know that I possess it, otherwise it will lead to terrible calamity.

"'The innocent man will be lead to disaster by possessing a treasured object!'" Naruto's eyes glittered. He had been intelligent even as a child, and had experienced the law of the jungle in the Cultivation world. The truth of what would happen should he reveal the copper mirror was something he knew all too well.

After some thought, Naruto's eyes flickered, and he turned to look off into the distance, a cold smile tugging at his lips.

Even as he smiled, distortions appeared in the air in the direction in which he was looking. An old man emerged. It was none other than the emaciated Cultivator from before. He had been approaching in secret, but as soon as he neared, had been detected by Naruto. Without waiting for Naruto to say anything, he revealed himself.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, your Cultivation base is extraordinary. It seems I've incurred your ridicule." The old man laughed and then clasped hands and bowed.

Seeing that Naruto wasn't going to say anything, the old man smiled and continued, "My name is Kokuto, a rogue Cultivator from the Southern Domain. Your fame has resounded like thunder in my ears for many years, Fellow Daoist Naruto. Grandmaster Pill Cauldron is an example for all Cultivators like myself. I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to meet you here in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect."

"Did you really secretly follow me just to say some fawning words?" said Naruto, a cold glint in his eyes. "State your purpose."

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, you don't beat around the bush!" He laughed, apparently ignoring Naruto's tone of voice. "I could see you hesitating about what to do earlier. I'm not sure exactly what you were thinking about, but I was curious, so I followed you.

"However, now that you mention it, I actually do have something interesting to share with you.

"The greatest treasures hidden in this place are not the magical items of the Cultivators and the Demon Tribes, but rather… the objects held in the hands of those three Paragons. Whether it be the spear, the seven globes of fire and wood, or those two pearls, each and every one are shocking precious treasures.

"Any one of them would enable a Cultivator to murder an Immortal!" As Kokuto spoke, he observed Naruto to see how he might react. However, Naruto's expression did not reveal even the slightest bit of a change in his mood.

"This guy is smart and has a rock-hard will," thought Kokuto with an imperceptible frown. "I won't be able to fool him easily…."

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he looked coldly at the old man. For some reason, the old man caused a feeling of vigilance rose up within him. He appeared to be at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, not very far from Spirit Severing.

However, what he had accomplished earlier with the flame bird was not something that a great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator should be able do. This man clearly was hiding something mysterious. Perhaps others might not be able to sense it, but as the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, Naruto could tell that the man actually had two auras.

The first contained the ripples of a Cultivator's Cultivation base. The other… was deeply hidden, and had… Demonic Chakra!

This Demonic Chakra was borderline vile!

Kokuto looked at Naruto and said, "I can't get the treasured items of those three Paragons by myself. That is why I hope to form a cooperation with you, Elder Brother Naruto. After we acquire the treasures, we can split them evenly."

"Which one do you want to acquire?" asked Naruto, his eyes glittering.

"The seven globes of fire belonging to the Demon Tribes Paragon, of course," said Kokuto with a smile. "At the very least, we can extract one for each of us. That way we won't waste any energy."

Naruto also smiled. He did not refuse, but instead, nodded in agreement.

Seeing Naruto agree so easily caused vigilance to rise up within Kokuto. Previously, of all the people who came from Lands of Ninshu, he had paid closest attention to Patriarch Hashirama.

However, he had recently been shocked to sense that Patriarch Hashirama had been killed. Later, when laid eyes on Naruto, he understood that Patriarch Hashirama was most likely killed by him.

When he thought about his own techniques and trump cards, Kokuto felt at ease. With a hearty laugh, he and Naruto turned into colorful beams of light that shot off into the distance.

Naruto didn't speak at all. He temporarily suppressed any notions of producing the copper mirror. Now was not the time. He needed to wait until the right critical juncture had arrived, then he would pull out the copper mirror to see if it provoked any transformations.

It seemed that Kokuto was bringing him to just such a critical juncture.

Of course, Kokuto was wrapped up in his own thoughts as the two of them proceeded onward. Before long, they reached what was actually the very center of the whole continent.

"The locations of the three Paragons are actually where the seal is strongest over this ancient battlefield," said Kokuto with a smile. "There are some special restrictive spells which prevent anyone from even getting close.

"However, I happen to know of a special technique. I tested it out earlier, and it seems possible to bypass the restrictive spells. However, it requires a certain level of Cultivation base. Elder Brother Naruto, considering how extraordinary your Cultivation base is, I don't think you will have any problems." With that, he shot down toward the continent below. He quickly performed an incantation with his right hand, then pushed down onto the surface of the continent.

Instantly, the land shook, and Naruto could see a vortex forming inside the mirror. There was no black hole within it, though, and it maintained its shape. At the same time, Kokuto took a deep breath and lifted his hand back up. Then he stood; the vortex remained within the mirror.

Kokuto turned to look at Naruto.

"Elder Brother Naruto, presumably, you know what to do. I'll wait for you up ahead." With that, his body flickered and he moved forward. As he moved, the vortex beneath his feet followed him.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he watched Kokuto proceed onward for what appeared to be several hundred meters. However, he had actually not traveled for several hundred meters, but several hundred kilometers!

"Interesting," murmured Naruto. He moved down toward the surface of the land, then landed on its surface. After that he lifted his foot up and slammed it down onto the ground. A boom could be heard, and then, shockingly, a vortex appeared beneath his feet inside the world of the mirror.

It maintained its vortex state, not forming into a black hole, but rather, connecting to Naruto's Cultivation base. Then Naruto proceeded forward. For every meter he moved… he actually moved half a kilometer!

"What a technique!" he thought, his eyes flickering. He couldn't help but think that if this technique could be used in the outside world, it would definitely be considering an incredibly powerful divine ability.

Using this technique, Naruto and Kokuto moved what appeared to be several hundred meters, but was in fact hundreds of kilometers. They sped along at top speed within the center region of the mirror continent.

At the same time, the other Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu were in other locations, attempting to acquire their own bits of good fortune. They continued to stimulate the surface of the land, attempting to cause it to spit out magical items. However, most of the magical items ended up being destroyed in the process of emerging.

Few of the Cultivators were actually able to acquire anything.

Even still, the mirror-like land was like a huge treasure trove for everyone. All of the Cultivators who had come to this place were profoundly wise and intelligent, and soon, their glittering eyes came to be drawn to the center region of the land. That was clearly the location of the three most powerful experts who split everything under the Heavens.

In fact, there were more than a few people who were trying to make their way in that very direction.

Two hours passed. Shockingly, Naruto and Kokuto had just appeared in the area near the Greater Demon with the seven rotating globes of fire.

A strange light appeared in Kokuto's eyes. He took a deep breath as he exchanged a glance with Naruto. At the same time, he began to rotate his Cultivation base. Naruto directly entered the Fifth Anima; his fleshly body was shocking, and his Cultivation base boundless. Kokuto's eyes flickered as he too unleashed his full power. The twisted Demonic Chakra within him also began to circulate.

The two attacked the surface of the land together, causing an enormous rumbling to fill the air. The two vortexes beneath them in the world of the mirror suddenly touched each other. They merged, then suddenly ripped open an enormous black hole.

The gravitational force that suddenly surged out was impossible to describe. However… it was incapable of causing the seven globules of fire to even tremble in the slightest. In contrast, quite a few other magical items in the area were sucked into the vortex.

Ten magical items were sucked in, but only five flew out. They shot up into the air in beams of prismatic light. Kokuto's eyes flickered, but he did nothing to attempt to take them. Naruto's eyes also flashed, yet he did not chase after the items either.

Both of the men were wrapped up in their own thoughts as they watched the five beams of light shoot like beautiful pearls up into the sky.

At the same time, the other Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu watched on in shock. The looked at the five beams of light, and could sense the intense ripples emanating out from within.

"Incredible treasure!" That was the thought that ran through all of their minds. Their eyes shone brightly as they flew up into the air. In the blink of an eye, nearly all of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators flew from all directions toward the five beams of light.

Rumbling echoed out in all directions. As the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators flew toward the five beams of light, fighting broke out. The sounds of magical techniques and divine abilities resounded through the air, mixed with growls and cold snorts. In the time it takes for a spark to fly off of a piece of flint, the five incredible treasures were divided up.

Kokuto looked up into the air and then said, "Fellow Daoists, those five incredible treasures were released by the combined effort of Fellow Daoist Naruto and myself. For you to act in such a way is somewhat improper…."

By now, the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators up above had taken notice of Naruto and Kokuto down below.

"If you are interested, Fellow Daoists, we can all work together to open up the greatest treasures hidden in this place. We can release them together. What do you think, Fellow Daoists?" Kokuto wore a smile on his face, but within his eyes was a strange, imperceptible glow. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched Naruto carefully.

That was because he hadn't consulted with Naruto before speaking, and his offer just now did not fall in line with his previous explanation. Clearly, what he needed was not just the help of Naruto alone, but rather, the combined assistance of almost all of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators.

At the moment, Kokuto was simply incapable of reading Naruto's expression. From the very beginning until this moment, it hadn't changed at all. The more Naruto acted in such a way, the more Kokuto felt unsure of himself.

The main reason he had sought out Naruto was because of his Cultivation base. It wasn't just him who looked at Naruto in such a way. Although no one would admit it, most of them had already taken Naruto to have the most powerful Cultivation base of the entire group.

Therefore, having Naruto at his side made Kokuto's words even more persuasive. After all, when an expert planned some sort of scheme, it would by no means be a small plan.

Up in mid-air, the eyes of the other Cultivators flickered, but no one spoke. Although these people had all been conned by Naruto earlier, that was because of the circumstances. It was impossible for them to not get excited right now. Of course, in the outside world, any one of the group could be considered extraordinarily intelligent. As such, they only believed about one third of what Kokuto told them.

Karin suddenly spoke up, "If some precious treasure appears, how do we split it up?"

"I will swear a Dao oath, I will vow on my heart of cultivation. It doesn't matter how many precious treasures appear, I only want one fire globe!" Kokuto spoke with decisiveness that could chop nails and slice iron.

"Besides," he continued solemnly, his words ringing out like the peals of a golden bell, "if I violated my oath, if I went back on my word, not only would it sever my path of cultivation, but I would never be able to find safe haven in any of your various Sects and Clans back in the lands of Lands of Ninshu."

The Lands of Ninshu Cultivators up in mid-air looked on thoughtfully. It was actually exactly as Kokuto said. Although their Cultivation bases might not be incredibly high, they were all backed by Sects and Clans that could be considered major powers. Therefore, in some ways, they weren't worried at all about Kokuto reneging on his promise.

Everyone exchanged glances. All were thinking different things, but of course, they wouldn't casually allow others to see that based on their facial expression. Gradually, all eyes came to fall on Naruto.

"I too simply require a pledge in the form of a Dao oath," he said coolly.

At first everything was quiet, but after a moment, the Hebi Clan members flew down toward the surface of the ground. After that was Karin, and then the other Cultivators from the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches. Their eyes flickered as they neared.

However, it wasn't each and every Lands of Ninshu Cultivator that came. Hinata as well as some of the others weren't present.

Kokuto smiled and then began to explain to everyone how to approach the center district. As they waited for everyone to arrive, Kokuto clasped hands and bowed apologetically to Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto," he said in a sincere tone, "it's not that I changed my mind. As you can clearly see, by relying only on our power, it would be difficult to cause the precious treasures to appear. Only by combining power with the others will we be able to succeed.

"I hope you can forgive me." He bowed deeply once more. Then he lifted up his right hand, within which could be seen a jade pendant shaped like a dragon.

"I acquired this pendant earlier which can be considered an excellent treasure. It can summon an enormous dragon which spits out a sea. Fellow Daoist Naruto, please accept it as a token of my apology." With that, he sent the pendant floating out toward Naruto.

Naruto's face was expressionless as he first looked over the pendant and then scanned it with Divine Sense. There didn't seem to be anything suspicious about it, so he casually waved his sleeve to collect it up.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Kokuto," he said coolly.

Kokuto watched calmly as Naruto accepted the pendant. Inwardly, he was a bit suspicious. Naruto's completely expressionless demeanor made it difficult for him to keep his thoughts straight.

"Hmph," he thought to himself. "He's just some kid from the younger generation. Although he might be a profound schemer, he has his limits. Besides, I already made it clear to everyone that all I want is one globe of fire. I simply don't believe that this Naruto will be able to create problems for me out of nothing." He was laughing coldly on the inside, but on the outside, he was smiling from ear to ear.

The two of them sat down cross-legged to meditate. Two hours passed, after which the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators arrived one after another. No one spoke. They focused their power together to stab into one particular spot on the surface of the ground. Intense rumbling resulted, and a gigantic whirlpool appeared inside the world of the mirror.

The vortex spun rapidly, and then transformed into a black hole. Immediately, an assortment of magical items were sucked in. Many were shattered in the process, but more than ten beams of light appeared in the outside to shoot up into the sky.

The light from the treasures was blinding, and instantly attracted the attention of the crowd. However, just as quickly, everyone, including Naruto, looked back at the world of the mirror. Inside, the vortex was still there, as was the gravitational force of the black hole. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be powerful enough to suck away the seven globes of fire surrounding the Greater Demon.

And yet… it was obvious that the two globes of fire nearest the black hole were beginning to ripple and distort. From the look of it, if the power of the black hole was increased, they might actually move.

"One more time!" snapped Kokuto, staring fixedly at the globes of fire. The full power of his Cultivation base exploded out. As the power built up, the eyes of the others flickered, and they too began to unleash the power of their Cultivation bases.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he was in the Sixth Anima.

BOOM!

Everyone attacked again. This time, the intensity of the vibrations seemed enough to cause earthquakes and shatter mountains. A vortex appeared inside the world of the mirror that was even larger than before. The black hole that magically appeared afterward caused the two globes of fire nearest the black hole to begin to distort violently. Finally, they began to move.

As the globes moved, everything dimmed, and the majestic aura of a precious treasure poured into the black hole and was then released in the outside. A thunderous roar filled the air, and as they sensed the aura, everyone was completely shocked. The intensity of this aura was such that it seemed it could extinguish Immortals!

Naruto's pupils constricted. The aura he was sensing from the wooden swords in the seven globes of light far, far exceeded that of the wooden swords in his bag of holding. However, it was also clear that they were… one and the same!

There was no need for Kokuto to say anything else. A gleam of longing appeared in the eyes of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators as they once again unleashed the explosive power of their Cultivation bases, along with their most powerful divine abilities and magical techniques.

As for Kokuto, he took a deep breath. The borderline evil Demonic Chakra on him that only Naruto could sense suddenly superseded the fluctuations of a Cultivator that existed within him. It was as if he had just become a Demon!

Naruto entered the Seventh Anima, which meant that he had a Spirit Severing fleshly body. Along with the others, he continued to levy attacks against the surface of the ground.

The entire area was covered with cracks. Although they sealed back up almost immediately, a huge vortex nearly thirty meters wide exploded out inside the world of the mirror.

The edges of the vortex seemed to be just on the verge of actually touching the wooden swords within the globes of flame.

Everyone was panting, and their eyes were focused on the spinning vortex as it transformed into a shocking black hole!

When the black hole appeared, shockingly, three of the seven globes of fire that contained wooden swords, began to ripple and vibrate. Suddenly… they started moving!

The scene caused the gazes of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators to grow as sharp as knives. Their Cultivation bases were in full rotation as they waited for the precious treasures to emerge, whereupon the fighting would begin.

Time passed. It was only the space of about ten breaths, but in the minds of everyone present, it seemed like an eternity. They watched the three globes of fire moving gradually closer to the black hole. They seemed to be struggling, but the power of the black hole caused them to slowly get closer and closer.

The power source of the black hole's gravitational force was not the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators, but rather, the interaction between the world outside of the mirror, and the world within. The function of the Cultivators was merely to release that power.

The gravitational force exerted by the black hole was so strong that it wasn't just the three globes of fire that were affected. Also affected was the extremely lifelike Greater Demon around whom the fire globes rotated.

Nearer…. Nearer….

In the blink of an eye, one of the wooden swords within the fire globule vanished into of the black hole. Everyone stopped breathing momentarily. In that instant, shockingly, a wooden sword shot out from beneath their feet. It burst up toward the sky in a beam of light that resembled an unrolling bolt of silk.

The Hebi Clan members instantly shot up into the air to pursue the beam of light.

Next, two more swords shot out, their Sword Chakra shining like a rainbow. Coldness radiated out, causing everyone to feel as if they were freezing. However, the burning within their hearts could not be frozen over. Karin, the group from the Northern Reaches, and all the other Cultivators, instantly shot up into the air to pursue the treasured wooden swords.

In the instant in which they flew up in pursuit, the three wooden swords began to emanate an even more shocking energy. Boundless ripples shot out into the sky, which caused anything within fluctuations to suddenly move exponentially slower. It was as if the swords created their own area of time and space.

Naruto immediately shot up after the three wooden swords, and Kokuto followed.

It appeared that the two would begin to fight over the wooden swords. However, it turned out that Kokuto only appeared to have been moving up. He almost immediately sank back down. As everyone else shot after the precious treasures, he prostrated himself on the ground, biting his tongue to spit out a mouthful of blood. The blood instantly turned into a thin stream which extended out toward the black hole in the world of the mirror. It emerged from the black hole in the mirror world, and then neared the body of the Greater Demon which had been sucked toward the black hole.

"Ancestor Spirit, your posterity of the younger generation have not forgotten you! I have come today to welcome your power back into the world!" As his words rang out, the eyes of the Greater Demon flickered with intelligence. It allowed the stream of blood to circle around its body, then tighten around it and begin to drag it toward the black hole.

Everything shook violently, and booming sounds filled the air. Suddenly, an enormous vortex appeared in front of Kokuto, thousands of meters wide. A strange, demonic sound emerged from within the vortex; it sounded like people both weeping and laughing.

Suddenly, an enormous head, fully three hundred meters large… began to rise up from within the water-like surface of the world beneath!

Demonic Chakra…

Exploded up into the sky!

Scattered patches of hair could be seen on the enormous, three hundred meter large head, as well as three, pitch-black horns. It was as gray as death, and wrinkles covered its skin. The facial features somewhat resembled a man, but even more-so, a lion.

It emanated a fearsome, archaic aura that, as soon as it appeared, swept across the entire Fourth Plane, which began to shake violently.

An enormous vortex, tens of thousands of meters wide, circulated around the entire area. Amidst the rumbling, a wild wind swept through the entire area, shaking everything.

Kokuto prostrated himself beneath the head, his expression one of excitement. His appearance was now changing, and he no longer looked human. Three black horns had sprouted from his head, and he looked very similar to the enormous head up above him.

"Your posterity of the younger generation welcomes the return of the power of the ancestry!" cried Kokuto excitedly. As his voice rang out, he seemed to form a connection with the enormous head. A shocking power began to fuse into his body!

His hair whipped about, his clothes flapped. He should have been tossed about like a leaf within the maelstrom, but instead, from his aura, it seemed that he was accepting some type of legacy.

The head appeared to be three hundred meters large, but in the blink of an eye it was suddenly far larger. It was now three thousand meters large. A breath of time later, it was back to three hundred meters. They were like ghost images, distorting the world. Rumbling rose up into the sky. All of the crowds up in mid-air who were chasing after the wooden swords didn't even have a chance to begin fighting over the precious treasures before the scene unfolding caused them to be thoroughly astonished.

The wild wind raged, sweeping across everything. Everyone up above was sent spinning out of control, causing their faces to fill with unprecedented expressions of astonishment.

"What… what is that thing!?"

"Dammit! He's actually trying to release a Greater Demon from inside the mirror!"

"Isn't that Demon one of three major powers inside the mirror world? Who is this guy!?"

Shocked, everyone began to fall back. The rest of the Cultivators in the land, the ones not participating in the events in the central region, including Hinata, were all incredibly shocked. They, too, were incapable of preventing themselves from being swept up. They transformed into beams of light that shot through the air.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he hovered in mid-air in the Seventh Anima, with a Spirit Severing fleshly body and a Cultivation base of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls. Such power made it that, although he hovered unstably, he was still able to remain in place and balanced within the vortex and the tempest.

As he looked down at the surface of the land, and his eyes narrowed. He knew that Kokuto had been plotting something, but he had never imagined that the plan would be so astonishing!

As of this moment, a deafening roar filled the enormous vortex, the source being none other than the enormous head emerging from within the world of the mirror. The sound echoed back and forth like thunder.

It caused everyone, even the Cultivators off in the distance, to cough up blood. Kokuto was unaffected, and Naruto's face was only a bit pale. Other than the two them, everyone else felt their mind spinning, as if they were stuck in some interminable illusion.

By now, the head of the Greater Demon was more than seventy percent emerged. Its nose was visible, and its facial features were clearer. There was an enormous, ferocious-looking wound ripped into its face.

Anyone who even glanced at the Greater Demon would immediately feel as if their mind was being absorbed. Before they even realized it, pulses of terror would be racing through them.

Demonic Chakra exploded up, filling the area, intrinsically potent. In the blink of an eye, all other power of Heaven and Earth was expelled from the world by this powerful Demonic Chakra.

All of a sudden, the entire world became… a Demon world!

Kokuto trembled, his face burning with passion. The physical changes to him continued at high speed. His aura exploded up, and his connection to the head grew even more complete.

At the same time, all of the power of Heaven and Earth that was not Demonic Chakra rushed up to the top of the world, which was none other than deep tunnel everyone had traveled through to get to this place.

A rumbling sound could be heard as the energy successfully entered the tunnel. The countless vines inside withered in the blink of an eye. They vanished without a trace as the expelled power of Heaven and Earth shot out into the outside world.

If you could stand outside of that deep pit, what you would see would be an exploding pillar of Chakra that shot up into the sky. Successive layers of ripples then emanated out in all directions, sweeping over everything.

Although the process had just begun inside the Fourth Plane… it is easy to imagine how quickly everything was changing because of the emergence of the Greater Demon from within the world of the mirror.

When the changes were complete… everyone else inside would either be dead, or would be transformed by the Demonic Chakra. Their souls would be transformed, and their Cultivation bases would change on a fundamental level. They would no longer be Cultivators, but Demons!

Naruto's face flickered as he looked up into the sky at all the people from Lands of Ninshu. The vortex was spinning faster, and as it did, everyone was lapsing into a stupor. Karin, the Hebi Clan, the Cultivators from the Northern Reaches and Southern Domain, Itachi, Ino, Torune, Chino, and also Hinata….

Everyone seemed to be lapsing into an illusion. Their faces were twisted, and their teeth were clenched. Occasionally they let out cold laughs, other times their expressions were blank. It was bizarre to the extreme.

Demonic Chakra was coalescing around their bodies, clearly beginning to make some illusory changes.

Kokuto continued to prostrate himself on the ground. "Land of the Three Saints. The power of the ancestor returns, a legacy for me, Kokuto. Everyone here are my sacrificial objects. Their bodies will be changed, their spirits will be assimilated. If they don't die in the process, then they will no longer be Cultivators, but Demons!

"They will become my Demon horde, and will follow by my side as I use the power of the ancestor to battle with the Heavens!" He trembled as his words echoed out through the vortex.

At the same time, the vortex which spun around the head of the Greater Demon was no longer tens of thousands of meters wide. It expanded again until it was nearly three hundred thousand meters wide, shocking to the extreme. By this point, the top lip of the Great Demon was now visible.

It was now possible to see that the head did not just have one wound on it, but rather, three. One of the wounds appeared to be on its lips, making it so that the creature did not have two lips, but four!

Also visible… were sharp, black fangs! This Greater Demon's physical appearance was savage to the extreme!

More Demonic Chakra roiled about, and the rumbling sounds grew more intense.

Naruto's eyes glittered. "This is the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Muku isn't dead. He couldn't possibly ignore what is happening here, could he? And what about Tsukino? Her attitude is difficult to discern.

"So… why hasn't Muku made an appearance?

"It doesn't matter. I can't place all my hope in him…." Although he could afford not to care too much about the others, Hinata was here. Also, the others owed a lot of Spirit Stones. If a few died, he could handle it. However, if they all died… well, that was something Naruto just couldn't agree to let happen.

His eyes filled with a bright glow and he took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them.

The moment he opened his eyes, Naruto entered… the Eighth Anima!

BOOM!

In the Eighth Anima, his fleshly body grew even more powerful. In the Seventh Anima, it was of the Spirit Severing stage, but in the Eighth Anima, it reached an even more terrifying level. His Cultivation base exploded out, not with the power of sixty-four great circle Nascent Souls, but rather, one hundred twenty-eight!

Such incredible power caused profound changes. Naruto suddenly appeared in mid-air in the wild vortex, buffeted by the spinning winds. Roaring surrounded him as what appeared to be countless shapeless bolts of lightning exploded out.

His right hand formed into a fist that punched directly toward the passageway high up in the sky. The punch contained not just the full power of his Cultivation base, but also, the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

An enormous mountain peak appeared, which was none other than… the Fourth Peak! The image was somewhat indistinct, but as soon as it appeared, roaring sounds echoed out. It shot toward the passageway. As it flew through the air, parts of it disintegrated and fell apart, but by the time it reached its destination it was still half intact.

The mountain shot at top speed toward the passageway, and as it neared, Naruto uttered a single word:

"Collapse!"

As soon as the word left his mouth, the illusory mountain stopped in mid-air and exploded, sending out a sound like endless thunder. The volume exceeded the rumbling of the vortex, transforming into shocking sound waves that swept across the world.

Because of the sound, all of the others, including Hinata, were mentally shaken. The illusion which gripped them temporarily vanished, and their eyes grew clear. Then their faces filled with astonishment.

Naruto looked up at them and roared, "Why haven't you left yet!?" He performed a double-handed incantation, and immediately tempest winds exploded out from him to fight back against the vortex. Instantly, the vortex was weakened.

Karin gasped and looked down at Naruto. She looked anxious, but at the same time determined. Her body flickered as she neared Hinata. Even as Hinata was gazing at Naruto, Karin grabbed her.

"Let's go," she said. "He won't stop worrying until you're out of here!"

Hinata hesitated, but didn't struggle. She looked back at Naruto one more time, and an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart. She thought back to that year outside the Rebirth Cave. It was a scene just like this one, in which she… was no help at all to Naruto.

The Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were panting in astonishment at the terrifying scene playing out. One by one, they began to fly up toward the passageway over head. As they shot through the air and then entered into the passageway, they heard Naruto's voice.

"I saved your lives, which means you owe me. If you dare to not pay me back, things won't be finished between us!"

As everyone disappeared into the passageway, the expulsion power shoved them up, causing them shoot upward. It was in that same instant that the head of the Greater Demon completely emerged from within the mirror!

Off to the side, Kokuto looked up at Naruto, and at everyone leaving through the passageway.

"They can't escape from within the Land of the Three Saints," said Kokuto. "Although this is only a Divine Clone of the ancestor, if I can unseal it, it will still be beneficial for the Demon Immortal Sect. The spirits of the Demon Immortal Sect won't offer help, but won't resist either. Not even true spirit Night will wake up because of this. Sleeping Night is intelligent, but awakened Night has no mind. It will not awaken, because it does not wish to awaken!

"This is the body of true spirit Night, where its brain exists. They won't be able to escape, nor flee the Demon Immortal Sect. When the ancestor's Divine Clone is fully fused with me, they will become my Demon horde!

"As for you, Naruto… you will be beneath the sacred ancestor and myself to act as Dharma protector!"

"Oh yeah?" replied Naruto, looking coldly at Kokuto. He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, then pointed down at the land. At the same time, the Demonic Chakra in the area began to swirl around Naruto.

Whistling sounds could be heard intermittently. Naruto suddenly began to perform an incantation gesture which seemed to cause everything in the area to tremble.

In that instant, all of the Demonic Chakra in the entire world began to rotate, as if it were being pulled. Every region began to distort, making the entire world seem as if it were being twisted.

The sight of it caused Kokuto's face to fill with a look of shock.

"You… you can actually affect Demonic Chakra!" he said hoarsely. "How can that be? You're a Cultivator, you cultivate the power of Heaven and Earth. That's different than Demonic Chakra. They can't be mixed! How can you manipulate Demonic Chakra!?" He was thoroughly shaken, as this was his first time ever seeing Demonic Chakra being manipulated by a Cultivator.

As far as he was concerned, it was inconceivable and unbelievable. Most importantly, it was clear that Naruto's manipulation of the Demonic Chakra was real, and not an illusion. It was in complete contrast to himself. Whereas his apparent manipulation of Demonic Chakra was actually trickery, Naruto really was stirring all of the Demonic Chakra in the entire world.

Even as Kokuto was feeling shaken, Naruto took a deep breath. He could sense a resonance between himself and this world. In the outside world, he was incapable of absorbing the power of Heaven and Earth. However, in this place, it was as if a hole had been opened up, and all the Demonic Chakra was rushing into it without the slightest impediment.

And yet, it didn't cause any transformations within him whatsoever. Inside of him, it turned into pure power. It was not Demonic Chakra, nor was it spiritual energy. It was a unique power that belonged only to Naruto.

That power circulated about within him, filling him with an indescribably pleasurable sensation. A bizarre light shone in his eyes as he looked down at Kokuto and the giant head floating there in mid-air.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!" said Naruto slowly. It almost sounded as if he were issuing orders. The words echoed about like the peals of thunder.

Four words exploded like thunder. Four words… spoken by Naruto!

As the words sounded out like thunder, all of the Demonic Chakra around Naruto began to coalesce together. In the blink of an eye, the enormous word for 'seal' appeared directly in front of him.

The word was fully three hundred meters tall, and it absorbed more and more Demonic Chakra as it shot down toward the ground.

In this moment, within the Eighth Anima, Naruto was… the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer!

The speed with which the word moved was indescribable. Kokuto's face filled with disbelief as he felt an unprecedented pressure weighing down on him, along with a sense of deadly crisis. All of a sudden, he realized that Naruto was his archenemy.

Or perhaps it could be said that he was the archenemy of all Greater Demons!

Kokuto began to pant, and suddenly, he recalled a legend.

"According to legend, within the Nine Mountains and Seas, there are a people who can cultivate the Dao and can also fuse with Demons. No type of expulsion is effective on them. They call themselves… Demon Sealers!

"The word 'seal' has two meanings. One is to restrict, the other is to aid!" Kokuto's mind trembled as the 'seal' word formed of Demonic Chakra descended. All of the Demonic Chakra seemed to be affected, making it so that Kokuto was incapable of dodging or evading. He could only try to fight back directly.

A huge boom lifted up into the sky. Blood sprayed from Kokuto's mouth as, in the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by glowing hex light. From a distance, the hex light looked liked strands of silk, binding up Kokuto.

It sealed his life force, sealed his Cultivation base, sealed all of him. It sealed him, and it sealed the enormous head.

Shockingly, the light of the Eighth Hex also thoroughly enveloped the enormous head. From a distance, it looked as if there were some enormous net covering over it.

The giant net was fused with the ground in the area, and pulled down viciously. Blood oozed out of Kokuto's mouth, and he trembled. Unable to control his body, he kneeled down onto the ground, his expression vicious. It sounded like he wanted to roar with rage, but was incapable of making a single sound come out of his throat.

Beneath the power of the Eighth Hex's giant net, the head slowly stopped emerging out. In fact, it began to show signs of sinking back. Naruto hovered in mid-air, trembling slightly, his finger still pointing down at the ground. From the time he became a Demon Sealer until now, this was his first time… truly sealing a Demon.

The Demonic Chakra in the area continued to rush toward him. He alone had shaken the world and used its power to push down a Demon.

Kokuto was pushed down closer toward the ground, his face pale, his eyes filled with frenzy and an unyielding look. The giant head sank back, and soon, half of its mouth was back in the other world.

However it was then that… the Greater Demon in the world of the mirror suddenly looked up. Its gaze seemed to pierce out from the mirror into the outside world.

A strange look appeared in its eyes, and its mouth twisted into a smile.

"TAI!" it said. As the bizarre word echoed out, a change occurred to the giant head emerging from within the mirror world. The aura of death which had previously swirled around it, suddenly seemed to fill with the power of life. Although it did not open its eyes, it did open its mouth.

The voice which emerged was the exact same voice which had been heard moments ago.

"TAI!"

The sound turned into an attack which spread out in all directions, sweeping over everything. Heaven and Earth filled with roaring, and countless fissures spread out everywhere. The net of the Eighth Hex that covered the head began to shatter into small pieces. In the blink of an eye, it was destroyed and dissipated.

The Eight Hex which suppressed Kokuto was also swept away, completely destroyed!

The Demonic Chakra in the world began to roar like exploding thunder. Up in mid-air, Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood and his face went white. He staggered back several paces.

"So, you're a Demon Sealer!" said Kokuto. A strange light appeared in his eyes, and he lifted his head back to laugh, then shot up into the air.

"Who cares about Demon Sealers!? I'll kill you, take your blood, absorb your soul, and make a Demon Sealing precious treasure!

"It's just the will of Heaven!" Kokuto seemed overjoyed as he shot up into the air. Demonic Chakra surged toward Naruto, and at the same time, the head began to emerge again. All of a sudden, a neck and two shoulders could be seen!

"The will of Heaven, huh?" said Naruto, stabilizing himself. He looked coldly at approaching Kokuto, and the gigantic Greater Demon that he apparently couldn't prevent from emerging. "There was no enmity between us. Neither you absorbing the power of that Demon, nor the prospect of bringing it back to life, have anything to do with me.

"What I want isn't you or that Demon, but rather… this entire place!" A bizarre light shone in Naruto's eyes. The current situation now fit in perfectly with his requirements. There was nobody left, so he felt confident enough to… take out the copper mirror!

Even as Kokuto closed in, Naruto slapped his bag of holding with his right hand. Instantly, the copper mirror appeared, the same mysterious copper mirror that he had acquired back in the Reliance Sect all those years ago, which had accompanied him all this time!

It didn't look like anything special at all, and was even a bit rusted in places. It looked like a completely ordinary item.

"A crappy mirror?" laughed Kokuto. "Don't tell me that's supposed to be some kind of precious treasure or something?!" He stopped in place, looking as if he didn't care at all about Naruto and his mirror. However, inwardly, the fact that Naruto had retrieved this magical item in a critical moment left him worried in a way that was quite the opposite to the way he made it look.

As soon as the copper mirror appeared, the mirror continent below suddenly trembled. Ripples spread out, looking almost like waves on the surface of the mirror-like continent.

Within the world of the mirror, everything that was alive suddenly stopped moving.

Even the head which was emerging from inside stopped in place. However… it was in this moment that the eyes began to twitch, as if they were struggling to open and awake.

"What is that!?" gasped Kokuto. He was just going to attempt to stop Naruto when Naruto pointed the mirror directly down toward the mirror continent.

The two mirrors shone on each other, and anyone who could see them would be able to spot an majestic black hole inside each one. Each black hole seemed endless, as if it contained truths inside that no one would ever be able to understand.

The great mirror land below began to rumble and shake. The ripples continued to spread out, thicker and more numerous. At the same time, the mirror Naruto held began to grow warm, as if it were thirsting for something, as if it… wanted to consume the entire mirror continent below

It was then that the mirror continent, which Naruto could not even see the ends of, suddenly began to shrink. It grew smaller rapidly, accompanied by a roaring sound that lifted up into the sky.

It shrank and shrank, and if you were able to stand in a position far far above, you would see that the lands below… shockingly, were actually shaped like a mirror! And as of this moment, the mirror… was shrinking down at a rapid rate.

As the mirror continent shrank, it was possible to see that the shape of the mirror was… absolutely identical to the copper mirror that Naruto held.

Kokuto's face fell. Even as he was about to charge at Naruto, his body began to be pulled back by the great mirror continent. His body was out of his own control, and he was incapable of nearing Naruto. Instead, a gravitational force pulled him down toward the lands below.

At the same time, the eyes of the Greater Demon head that was emerging from the mirror land suddenly… cracked open. An indistinct, growling voice echoed out, filled with ancientness.

"You… actually have… the Mountain and Sea Mirror…."

The sound seemed to echo out from ancient times. In fact, as Naruto looked over, what he really saw was not a head with eyes opened, but rather, a virtually dead Greater Demon.

It was almost as if everything from before had been an illusion!

However, the ground was still shaking and rapidly shrinking. That was no illusion. Naruto could see, and even detect with Divine Sense, that the mirror, which was the continent, had shrunk down to only several tens of thousands of meters wide.

From his vantage point, it was now possible to see that the land was rapidly… turning into an actual mirror!

It included all of the lives and magical items on the battlefield. All of them shrank down to become exponentially smaller along with the mirror.

The head of the Greater Demon could no longer emerge, but rather, sank back down, taking Kokuto with it. His face was filled with terror and astonishment as he tried every method possible to break free. All were useless. He screamed miserably, hopelessly as he looked down at himself. It was at this point that he realized that… he was also… sinking into the mirror!

When his feet touched the land, they sank directly into the water-like surface until he was as far down as his ankles.

"No!" he cried out in alarm. "How can this be!? This is impossible!" He howled and struggled, but it did absolutely no good.

Naruto trembled. The mirror was now incredibly hot, to the point where white steam was now pulsing off of his hand. He had no choice but to grip it with both hands.

By now, Naruto could sense the indescribable gravitational force being exerted by the mirror. It wasn't targeting Kokuto, but rather, the entire mirror land.

"It…. Don't tell me it wants to suck in the entire mirror land of the Fourth Plane of the Demon Immortal Sect?" Having reached this conclusion, Naruto began to pant, and his mouth was parched and dry.

If that was really what was happening, then it would mean that he had gained a colossal amount of good fortune in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect! Such good fortune would be simply unimaginable to anyone else, completely beyond anticipation or expectation.

Naruto palpitated with eagerness as he clutched the copper mirror tightly in his hands and watched the mirror continent below shrinking. An unprecedentedly loud rumbling could be heard filling the entire world. Kokuto let out a bloodcurdling shriek. He was already sunk halfway down into the surface of the mirror. Next to him, the head of the Greater Demon had sunk back down to the point where its nose was covered.

"How could this be happening! This is impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!" Kokuto had gone mad; his expression was one of terror. He shouted out toward Naruto, begging for mercy and help.

However, because of the intense rumbling, his voice was virtually undetectable; Naruto didn't even notice it.

The Demonic Chakra in the area churned. The shrinking of the land was like the lifting of a veil, revealing something beneath…. When Naruto looked down, he saw something that caused his mind to reel!

There below… was a gigantic brain!

The brain seemed limitlessly huge, sleek and white, with black spots visible in various locations. There were also some areas where brightly colored lights flashed back and forth.

Every flash of light seemed to contain countless images, almost like memories!

The sight was completely shocking to Naruto. His breath came in ragged pants, and he glanced once again at the shrinking land. Suddenly, he recalled something Kokuto had said.

"This mirror continent is placed on top of the brain of true spirit Night!" Naruto took a deep breath and looked down again at the boundless, colossally huge brain.

"Is this place really the head of true spirit Night? If so, what exactly is that passageway?" His scalp was numb and his body trembled as he looked around. The mirror-land seemed to be in the final process of shrinking.

It was now only about 30,000 meters wide, and looked almost exactly like the copper mirror he held, except much larger!

Kokuto was almost completely sunk into the surface of the mirror. His face was pale, and he was no longer howling. Instead, he stared at Naruto with a venomous, insane look.

As for the head of the Greater Demon, it had sunk down past the eyes. Only the top of its head remained, along with the three black horns, which emanated a bizarre glow.

The entire world was shaking.

30,000 meters. 25,000 meter! 20,000 meters!

By this point, sweat was pouring down Naruto's forehead. His entire body shook as he clutched at the copper mirror. Were it not for his incredible fleshly body, it might not have been possible to prevent the mirror from slipping out of his hands.

And yet, even in the Eighth Anima, Naruto was incapable of holding on for very much longer.

It was at this point that suddenly, out of nowhere, a sound could be heard. It was like a baby crying, and it seemed to be coming from the outside world, and yet, at the same time, seemed to be coming from inside, all around him. It started out somewhat weak, and then grew stronger and stronger.

At the same time, Naruto's mind filled with a roaring. Simultaneously, the dancing flashes of electric light on the surface of the brain of true spirit Night suddenly increased by tenfold, as did the speed with which they moved!

An aura of awakening suddenly covered over everything. Naruto's face twitched.

"Hahaha! You're dead!" cried Kokuto. "You shook the seals of the three Holy lands, and thus have awoken true spirit Night! When it awakens, it brings calamity!" He began to laugh maniacally.

Meanwhile, outside of the the Fourth Plane, in the Demon Immortal Sect, the ground was quaking and the mountains were shaking. Rumbling could be heard in all directions as huge cracks and fissures suddenly appeared to spread out across the surface of the land.

The huge cracks and fissures, the massive rumbling, all of it made it seem as if the Demon Immortal Sect was experiencing doomsday. Ruins toppled and dust flew up in all directions, covering everything and making it hazy.

Off in the distance, the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators fled in shock toward the Demon Immortal Sect's exit gate past the First Peak. They had no idea what was happening, but they could guess. Obviously, something incredible was happening in the Fourth Plane that was connected somehow to the goings on.

Everything grew dark and the sound of rumbling rose to the Heavens. As the land was shattered, a boundless aura seeped out to flood the entire area. Rifts even began to appear in the air, one after another!

A middle-aged man stood atop the Fourth Peak, wearing a long white robe. He looked around at everything that was happening, his expression complex. Occasionally, killing intent would fill him, sometimes gentleness could be seen. This was Muku.

"If it was anyone else who awoke Night and caused the legacy of Lord Asura to appear, I would be forced to kill him. Outsiders cannot acquire the legacy of Lord Asura. But him…." Muku thought back to what he had experienced in ancient times, when he had superimposed with Naruto.

In the end, his father had recognized Naruto, acknowledged that they were father and son in that life. The killing intent in Muku's eyes slowly dissipated, to be replaced by gentle warmth.

"If he was my father's son in that life, then that means he… is my little brother. Maybe I can't acquire the legacy of Lord Asura, but if he can, it's the will of Heaven." Muku sighed.

As everything shook, and even more rifts appeared up in the sky above the Demon Immortal Sect. Gradually, the shocking sight of the peaks of three inverted mountains became visible!

As they appeared to descend, an incredible pressure could be felt. The entire Demon Immortal Sect shook violently. The Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were arriving at the exit gate past the First Peak. In their shock, there were already quite a few who had chosen to use their Demon Spirit to leave.

However, that would take time. As the world shook more and more violently, the sound of a wailing infant suddenly filled the air. It sounded as if there was a baby sleeping deep, deep under the ground, its eyes closed. But then, as it began to awaken, it started to cry.

Once the sound could be heard, the destruction grew even more intense.

By now, the three inverted mountains were visible by more than half.

Meanwhile, back in the Fourth Plane, the great mirror continent had now shrunk down to only about 10,000 meters wide. Kokuto was now completely submerged inside, gone.

As for the head of the Greater Demon, only a tiny bit was left visible; the rest had sunk back down into the mirror.

Naruto's face was pale, and his body was slowly moving forward. He was not moving of his own volition, but rather, was being pulled by the copper mirror!

Closer and closer!

The mirror continent continued to shrink. 10,000 meters. 5,000 meters. 2,500 meters…. 1,500 meters…. 1,000 meters…. 300 meters!

The head of the Greater Demon had completely sunk back into the mirror. Back in the calm lands inside the mirror, that Greater Demon who split the Heaven into its third, continued to look up coldly at Naruto.

Its gaze seemed eternal, and as Naruto looked at it, his mind trembled. However, there was no time to think deeply about the matter right now. As of now, he was only about 100 meters away from the 300-meter-wide mirror.

As he got closer, it continued to shrink. 150 meters. 100 meters…. 30 meters!

25 meters. 15 meters. 5 meters…. 3 meters!

When the mirror land reached a size of three meters, suddenly, it began to distort. Naruto watched as it twisted into what looked like strands of silk that then shot toward his own copper mirror.

The copper mirror seemed to consume them, bit by bit, until they were all sucked in. Within the space of only a few breaths, the entire continental mirror was sucked in by Naruto's copper mirror!

It acted almost like a tonic for the mirror. After the consumption occurred, the copper mirror experienced an unprecedented transformation; all of the bits of rust on its surface completely disappeared!

The ancient decorative patterns on its surface grew deeper and more profound. Pulses of light could be seen circulating within, and murmuring sounds could be heard like the singing of Immortals.

Naruto's mind trembled. As he looked closer at the mirror, he saw multiple cracks on its surface. They intersected with each other to form nine areas!

Right now, in the upper left part of the mirror, there was an area that looked completely different from the others. It… actually looked like the surface of a mirror. It glowed with the light of magical items, and within, a vortex could be seen, slowly rotating. That vortex seemed to contain the secret of the origin of the world!

Within the vortex, shockingly… was… the ancient battlefield!

At the same time, the Fourth Plane now had no land left in it at all. Instead, the brain was fully revealed. The electric light danced about on its surface a thousandfold more than before. A shocking sound could be heard that far exceeded the wailing of before.

Night, had been provoked… into awakening!

By now, ten thousand times as many arcs of electric light were dancing back and forth on the brain of true spirit Night.

At the same time, the brain began to twitch. Bursting howls could be heard echoing in from outside, howls that shook the mind.

Naruto's face flickered as an intense sensation of grave crisis appeared inside of him. He could sense terrifying fluctuations, and an aura that seemed capable of destroying him in a single explosive burst.

Numbness washed over his scalp as, without hesitation, he put the copper mirror away and then flew at the highest speed possible toward the exit passage.

The passage had once seemed to be a deep pit, but because of the aura of awakening Night, it had changed dramatically. It was moving, wriggling, as if the passageway was actually some part of the body of true spirit Night!

Naruto's face fell, and he pushed himself to go even faster. He was now at the pinnacle of the Eighth Anima, and he moved even faster than lightning as he shot into the passageway. In the blink of an eye, he was speeding along inside.

ROAR!

A shocking roar echoed out from both below and above. Everything in the Demon Immortal Sect shook violently and began to fall into pieces.

The destruction was clearly visible to Naruto. He could see it with his own eyes, because the walls that surrounded him seemed to be covered with a partially transparent filament. Through that, Naruto could see the lands cracking and shattering by layers, then falling downward.

As he looked back through pit-like passageway, Naruto suddenly realized that it looked more like a tube!

It was a tube that ran to the brain of true spirit Night, and he was right in the middle of that tube, moving with unprecedented, maddening speed.

As he sped along, he began to pant. That was because he was astonished to find that the tube he was traveling through was actually lifting up into the air.

"It's not just this passageway that's lifting up into the air. Actually… this passageway… is part of the body of true spirit Night! When it moves, it will appear from within the land!" Naruto's mind trembled as he looked through the semi-transparent walls of the passageway to see the land collapsed everywhere. He could also feel the sensation of the passageway moving upward.

After more than ten breaths of time passed, a blinding white light filled Naruto's vision. A huge roar filled the passageway he was in as it was completely lifted up from the ground until it was in mid-air above the Demon Immortal Sect!

By this point, Naruto had traversed roughly seventy percent of the passageway, placing him thirty percent of the distance away from the exit. The passageway was now trembling violently, and Naruto's face was pale white. Through the semi-transparent walls, he could see that outside…

Fissures covered all of the lands of the Demon Immortal Sect. Most of the various areas of the Sect were completely collapsed. In fact, most of the lands seemed to be caving in, as if some enormous creature were rising up.

Rocks tumbled down the sides of the seven mountain peaks, as if even they would not be able to survive this incredible catastrophe.

The first to collapse was the Third Peak!

As the lands around it collapsed and caved in, the mountain peak began to slant to the side and sink…. However, as he looked at it, Naruto got the strange feeling that… the Third Peak was not actually collapsing. Actually, there appeared to be some incredible force causing it to tilt to the side.

He couldn't quite be sure, but the sensation was intense.

Then, even as the semi-transparent passageway vibrated rapidly, Naruto suddenly saw something… that he would never be able to forget.

He saw an incredibly large head. It was so large that it was impossible to estimate exactly how large it was. And only half of it was visible!

It looked like a human head, except it had no hair, and was instead completely covered with pitch-black scales. Shockingly, this head… seemed to encompass all of the lands of the Demon Immortal Sect!

Naruto's scalp went numb and his mouth was completely dry. He was thoroughly incapable of determining how large this head was!

He also saw that the semi-transparent passageway he was in, was actually an enormous antenna attached to the top of the head! It was an tube-like antenna, apparently used for breathing!

What caused Naruto's mind to tremble with even more disbelief was that the previously tilting and toppling Third Peak… actually… had stopped after reaching a certain angle, and was no longer falling.

That was because… the Third Peak was not actually part of the land at all. It was connected to the head. More accurately, the Third Peak was actually an enormous horn growing out from the top of the Head!

"This… this is… true spirit Night?" thought Naruto, staring with wide eyes.

He wasn't the only one seeing this. The other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators who were congregated outside of the First Peak watched on with pale faces. At the same time, the location where they stood began to collapse. A huge hole appeared, a passageway out to the starry sky that everyone unhesitatingly entered.

As they flew into the passageway, their bodies began to emit a white light. The light seemed to be separating them from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Their bodies began to grow transparent; apparently, it wouldn't be long before they completely disappeared.

At the same time, bands of starlight descended from all directions, transforming into a river of stars. The appearance of the river of stars indicated that the return to Lands of Ninshu had begun. It was time to leave the good fortune of the Demon Immortal Sect.

"Naruto!" cried Hinata inwardly. She bit down her lip as the soft light began to envelop her. Gradually she grew transparent, but her anxious eyes were focused in the direction of Naruto back in the Demon Immortal Sect.

Similarly anxious was Karin. Her hands were clenched into fists as she watched the Demon Immortal Sect collapsing. "Hurry up, Naruto. Get out of there!"

As for the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators, all of them were filled with complex emotions. They were overwhelmed with astonishment at the sudden drastic turn of events in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. At the same time, they were also filled with unspeakable, conflicting thoughts regarding Naruto.

They wanted Naruto dead, so that their debts would be absolved. However, were it not for Naruto's actions just now, all of them would be dead. That was a kindness on his part.

Various thoughts filled them as they watched on silently.

Naruto was scared out of his mind. As far as he could tell, he had really set something epic into motion….

"All I did was pull out a crappy mirror, right…?" he thought, clenching his jaw. He continued to speed along as fast as possible toward the exit of the semi-transparent passageway.

However, it was at this point that, surrounded by the collapsing lands, the head of true spirit Night slowly began to lift up. A reverberating wail even more shocking than before echoed out in all directions.

The Second Peak, the Fourth Peak, the First Peak, the Fifth Peak….

All shook violently and rose up into the air. Countless stones and boulders fell down, as four, shocking horns were revealed!

The antenna undulated, and at the same time, the exit appeared just up ahead of Naruto. Even as he was about to break free… Night, whose head was now half emerged from the collapsing lands, suddenly inhaled.

The breath caused an enormous sucking force to rush through the semi-transparent passageway. Naruto was completely incapable of controlling his body. His eyes went wide as he felt himself himself being sucked in.

Filled with shock, he unleashed the full power of his Cultivation base. His right hand reached out the side and grabbed hold of a vine….

How could Naruto not see that these vines were actually like hairs that existed within true spirit Night's antenna…?

As soon as he grabbed ahold of it, he stopped moving. However, only a moment later, the vine snapped. Naruto's eyes went wide as he was once again sucked back. All of these things happened in only the space of ten or so breaths. To Naruto, though, it seemed like an eternity.

"If this is the breathing of true spirit Night…" he thought. "Breathing involves inhaling and exhaling. If this is the inhaling, then it must be followed by exhaling! Time to gamble!" With that, his eyes filled with determination. There was little else he could do now except gamble.

He continued to grab onto vines, and continued to employ the full power of his Cultivation base to try to slow his movement. Ten breaths of time passed. Beneath him, Naruto could see the end of the passageway, and once again, the brain of true spirit Night. However, it was at this point that the inhaling ended. It was then followed by an intense, explosive force in the opposite direction.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Roaring filled his body and blood sprayed from his mouth. Underneath the power of the force, he shot upward. His eyes filled with madness and his Cultivation base exploded, adding even more speed.

The entire process didn't even take ten breaths of time. Naruto's body rumbled as he suddenly… shot directly out from within the antenna.

By the time he flew out, the lands of the Demon Immortal Sect were completely collapsed and destroyed. The Sixth Peak and the Seventh Peak shook violently. Beneath them was revealed… a head that was as large as more than half the lands of the Demon Immortal Sect.

It had human features, but was covered with pitch-black scales. It had seven enormous horns, and a long antenna, the end of which glowed with a green light.

Its eyes were half open, and inside could be seen the blankness of awakening. There was also a shocking, indescribable energy pulsating off of its body.

This was… true spirit Night!

It had seven horns that could form mountains, and even though the head was only half emerged, its shocking aura was such that anyone who looked at it couldn't help but feel their mind tremble.

Naruto shot back at top speed. He himself was nothing in comparison to true spirit Night. He couldn't help but think back to the only thing which could possibly compare in size to true spirit Night, and that was Patriarch Reliance, with the Five Elements Nation on his back.

"All I did was take out a crappy mirror! Could that really stimulate this thing into awakening?!" Sweat poured down Naruto's forehead as he shot toward the location of the other Lands of Ninshu Cultivators, all of whom were staring in astonishment at true spirit Night.

Their minds were filled with roaring, and they were incapable of even speaking half a sentence. At the same time, they were on the verge of becoming completely transparent, making them appear like shadows.

Naruto flew as fast as he could, using all of the power of his Cultivation base, the green smoke, the black moon. However, almost the same moment in which he reached the exit, behind him, true spirit Night uttered the first sound that was not a wail.

"NIGHT!"

In the same moment in which the voice of true spirit Night echoed out, the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu were being surrounded by starlight. Within the starlight were countless motes and fragments, which mixed with the starlight to cover everything and transform it all into a river of stars.

The river of stars was like a beam filled with countless motes of light that gathered momentum as it unfurled, sweeping up all of the Cultivators in preparation to return to Lands of Ninshu. After all, they had been swept up and carried to this place by the river of stars, it was only natural that they would be taken away in the same method.

Upon seeing the river of stars, everyone felt a little bit more relaxed, although they wished it would finish forming up faster. Considering how quickly things were going out of control, they wanted to leave as soon as possible to get out of danger.

As of now, this was not the Fourth Plane of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. This was… the hitherto unknown Fifth Plane!

The Fifth Plane, the awakening of true spirit Night!

As true spirit Night's voice echoed out, the land and sky in all directions twisted, and ghost images seemed to appear. The entire world seemed to revert to ancient times. Countless figures flew about, and everything flourished. But then sometimes, everything would become ruins, filled with corpses. And then it would simply be Night, head raised, the Seven Peaks turned into horns!

Ghost images flickered over the entire world. True spirit Night… had now thoroughly lifted up its head from within the land.

When true spirit Night slept, the world was a dream. When true spirit Night awoke, calamity came to Heaven and Earth!

Naruto panted, and the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators watched on in alarm. Although the bodies of the crowd were half transparent, they couldn't help but back up nervously and wish fervently that they could teleport away as soon as possible.

After letting out an incredible roar, the colossal head of true spirit Night suddenly… spoke, its voice indistinct: "Give my precious mirror… back to me!"

The voice echoed back and forth, causing Naruto's mind to tremble as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Lands of Ninshu Cultivators mind's felt as if they were being exploded by lightning; the sound of the voice was deafening.

A moment later, the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators all looked over at Naruto. One by one they began to express their astonishment.

"What treasure did Naruto take?!"

"Don't tell me he stole a precious treasure from that Demon beast, causing it to awaken!?"

"Precious mirror… could it be… could it be that it's talking about the continental mirror we saw in the Fourth Plane?"

As their voices rang out, their eyes began to fill with shock and amazement, as well as intense jealousy.

"Take out the continental mirror… and return it to me!" said true spirit Night. This time, its voice was clearer. As it spoke, massive amounts of lightning began to rise up around the seven mountain peaks.

Before Naruto could open his mouth to speak, the group from Lands of Ninshu began to pant as they understood the meaning of Night's words.

The continental mirror of the Fourth Plane, which contained innumerable precious treasures, had actually… been taken away by Naruto!

The eyes of virtually all of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators instantly went red. Even Karin was breathing heavily and looking at Naruto with an expression of disbelief.

Itachi, Ino, Chino, and the others all appeared to be in complete disbelief, their minds shaken to the extreme.

They couldn't even begin to imagine how Naruto had managed to take away the continental mirror.

The Hebi Clan members' eyes were wide. The Cultivators from the Northern Reaches and the Southern Domain were panting. Everyone was completely flabbergasted by this new information.

Hinata's face was also filled with disbelief. She looked at Naruto, and then a smile broke out on her face.

Naruto frowned. Without saying a single world, he employed as much speed as he could to shoot out into the outside world. Most of his body was already starting to grow transparent, and he could clearly sense the power of teleportation.

At the same time, the river of stars was now almost completely materialized, seemingly endless and filled with innumerable motes of light. It began to sweep through the void, picking up the crowds of Lands of Ninshu Cultivators, including Naruto. It then spun and began to shoot off into the distance.

In the same moment in which Naruto and the others were swept up by the river of stars, the eyes of true spirit Night suddenly opened completely. Any sense of blankness within those eyes was completely wiped away, to be replaced with awareness. True spirit Night… was now fully awake!

The instant the complete awakening occurred, true spirit Night let out a roar that caused the entire world and even the void to instantly cease moving. Even the river of stars trembled and then stopped in place.

Naruto's face fell, and the expressions of the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were that of complete astonishment.

Suddenly, the land down below began to rumble and disintegrate as a gigantic arm slowly rose up. It was black and covered with scales, and only had four fingers. As it rose up from the ground, it left behind a gigantic pit. It was so long that it was almost impossible to see the entire arm, and as it stretched out, its palm was so large that it seemed big enough to cover up the entire sky.

The arm stretched out, snatching toward the river of stars.

"Get back here!" said true spirit Night, its voice rumbling up into the Heavens. Naruto's body was completely out of his control as it flew out, pulled from the river of stars to shoot toward the giant hand.

In the blink of an eye, shockingly, he was standing on top of the giant hand. Naruto's face was pale white, and his eyes shone with a sharp light. Now that Naruto had left the river of stars, it trembled once again, and then slowly began to move once again. The Lands of Ninshu Cultivators were now once more moving off into the distance.

"Naruto!" Hinata's face fell, and she struggled to fly out, but was incapable of leaving the river of stars. Karin's face was also filled with anxiety. As for most of the others, they seemed to be rejoicing in the misfortune of the others.

"He's dead! That Demon beast specifically kept him behind. He's definitely going to die!"

"He stole that thing's precious treasure! How could it possibly let him leave!?"

The Cultivators continued to watch as they moved off into the distance. True spirit Night retracted its palm, upon which Naruto stood, until Naruto was directly in front of it. His face was pale as he stood there on the palm, looking up at the colossal head, and true spirit Night's two eyes.

Naruto's right hand rested on his bag of holding, and a cold glow could be seen in his eyes. He knew he was no match for true spirit Night. Even a single breath from it could completely extinguish the flame of his life force. However, until the critical juncture of life or death arrived, Naruto would continue to go all out.

"You have no aura upon you which I find familiar…." said true spirit Night, looking over Naruto. Its right hand began to close into a fist. As it did, an indescribable pressure inundated Naruto. Cracking sounds could be heard, and blood sprayed from his mouth. His body seemed to be on the verge of completely collapsing; even his internal organs were on the verge of exploding.

However, there was still not even a scrap of fear in Naruto's eyes. Instead, a touch of madness could be seen burning inside, which then turned into ferocity. Finally, he took a deep breath and prepared to pull out the copper mirror.

However, it was at this moment that a white-robed figure suddenly appeared in mid-air. He strode out step by step; in one moment he was far off in the distance; in the next moment, he stood in front of Naruto. His back was to him, and he stood there protectively, looking at true spirit Night.

He wore white robes and had long, dark grey hair. He was indescribably ancient and old. This was… Muku!

"You may not harm him," said Muku calmly, staring up at true spirit Night, his voice filled with an incredible power. The energy caused Heaven and Earth to flicker with different colors, as if it was capable of fighting back against true spirit Night.

True spirit Night looked at Muku. "I've awakened," it said, its voice a drone. "There must be extermination of life."

"He is a son approved by my father," said Muku quietly. Behind him, a tremor ran through Naruto. As he looked at Muku, the warmth between him and Mui in the Second Plane suddenly filled his heart.

"That was a dream!" said true spirit Night, its voice cold.

"Since my father approved of him, it doesn't matter whether it was an illusion or not," said Muku slowly, a mysterious light flickering through his eyes. "He… is my little brother. With me here, nothing in existence, not even you, can harm him in the slightest bit, or even dare to try!"

As he spoke, an indescribable aura rose up.

Naruto stood there silently, looking at Muku's back. The hand that gripped his bag of holding slowly relaxed.

"I'll… I'll hand over the continental mirror…." said Naruto with a soft sigh. However, even as the words left his mouth, Muku turned his head and gave Naruto a profound look.

This was the first time Naruto had ever seen Muku's face. In that moment, he almost thought that he was looking at Mui. He gaped in shock at the familiar features.

However, it only took a moment for him to see that this was definitely not Mui.

"You don't need to hand it over," said Muku. He had watched moments ago as Naruto showed no fear in the face of death. And yet now, he was willing to hand over the continental mirror. Muku understood, and it caused a gentleness to appear in the depths of his eyes. "Since you were able to take it away, it shows that you were destined for such good fortune. Besides… the awakening of true spirit Night doesn't mean complete catastrophe."

Muku gazed at Naruto. "Do you trust me?"

Naruto looked at Muku, at the features which so much resembled Mui. Without hesitation, he replied, "I trust you!"

"In the past, Lord Asura laid down orders that whoever awakened true spirit Night would be given two options." With another deep look at Naruto, Muku turned to look back at true spirit Night. "Night, he is my little brother, so I will act on his behalf to make the decision. He will choose the second path!"

Night was silent for a long moment, its expression one of complexity. Finally, its gaze came to fall on Naruto.

Slowly, it began to explain. "Lord Asura ordered that whichever life form wakes me up will be given two options. First option: return the continental mirror to me, and I will continue to sleep….

"Second option; do not return the mirror, and prepare yourself to acquire the qualifications to receive Lord Asura's legacy. Walk the three mountains, pass through the Holy Lands, ascend to the Fourth Heaven… acquire the legacy of Lord Asura! If you fail… then you will stay behind as a guest in my dream."

As its voice echoed out, it was audible to even the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators in the river of stars. When they heard the true spirit's words, they gaped in shock. That was especially true of the Hebi Clan members and the Cultivators from the Northern Reaches. They looked back at the distant Demon Immortal Sect, their eyes wide with disbelief, and more so, intense jealousy and madness.

"Just… just… just what kind of good fortune is this?!"

"Dammit! How is this possible? That's not a catastrophe! Isn't there supposed to be a catastrophe? Isn't Naruto supposed to be exterminated? How could such good luck as this appear?! Lord Asura's legacy! Seriously? The legacy of Lord Asura?!"

"It was so overbearing before, like it could destroy everything. How could things turn around and… become such good fortune!"

"The legacy of Lord Asura?! I can't accept this!"

The Lands of Ninshu Cultivators watched on with wide, disbelieving eyes. Their hearts were filled with complexity and jealousy. The emotions continued to ripple out until, eventually, they turned into avarice.

There were only a few people who were actually happy to see Naruto run into such good fortune. Most were just jealous to the point of hatred.

"Dammit! Why does it have to be him!? In the Second Plane he was an Elite Apprentice. In the Third Plane, he stole away all our treasures! In the Fourth Plane he acquired that precious treasure, the continental mirror. And now here in the Fifth Plane… he's acquired the qualifications for the legacy of Lord Asura!"

"Why does it have to be this way? By what right of virtue or ability does he fall into such good luck?! I can't stand for this!"

"Worst of all is that we still owe him a huge debt! I myself owe 800,000 Spirit Stones…."

"I owe him 1,000,000 Spirit Stones! Dammit! Why can't he just die here!"

Other than Hinata, Karin, and few others, all the Cultivators from Lands of Ninshu gnashed their teeth, their jealousy of Naruto having risen to the pinnacle.

"He'll be going back to the lands of Lands of Ninshu eventually!" said Kigiri suddenly, his eyes flashing. As soon as he spoke, the eyes of the others began to flash.

"That's right. He will be back in Lands of Ninshu eventually. And it doesn't matter what he acquired, we will still have to report everything that happened when we get back to our Sects and Clans."

"Look, all he did was acquire qualifications to get Lord Asura's legacy. As to whether or not he will actually acquire the legacy remains unknown!"

As the Lands of Ninshu Cultivators spoke among themselves, the river of stars which surrounded them made its way off into the distance. Gradually, they began to lose consciousness. Soon, all of their eyes were closed, and they were in a state of slumber, just as they had been when they arrived. The river of stars began to float back to the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Meanwhile, back in the Demon Immortal Sect, Naruto stood on the palm of true spirit Night as it slowly lifted him up into the sky.

Muku also stood on Night's palm, looking at Naruto with an encouraging expression.

"This is your opportunity. As for how far you can get, that will depend on your personal good fortune." With that, he flicked his sleeve and then stepped out and disappeared into mid-air.

Naruto's heart shook. He could never have imagined that in the end, he could acquire qualifications to try to acquire Lord Asura's legacy. He panted as the enormous palm lifted him up into the sky. After that, shockingly… three inverted mountains appeared in front of him.

These were the three Greater Demon Mountains!

It was at this point that Night's voice rumbled out.

"The first stage of the legacy is the approval of the Seven Peaks. You have already passed that stage.

"The second stage is to awaken me. You… already passed that stage too!

"The third stage involves bowing nine times to the three mountains. If you acquire the approval of all three mountains, then you can break through to the Second Heaven!

"For Muku's sake, I will remind you… this stage can only be passed if you are destined to do so!"

"Destined…." thought Naruto, looking at the three inverted mountains up in the air. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes, then opened them again. They shone with a brilliant light.

The first mountain was none other than the Frost Soil Demon Mountain. It was completely frozen over, and was filled inside with chaos, making it impossible to clearly see the whole mountain. However, Naruto could definitely sense the freezing pressure coming from the mountain.

This mountain seemed to be the coldest thing in Heaven and Earth, something even flames could do nothing to melt. It was if any other freezing cold thing in the world wouldn't even dare to call itself cold while standing before this mountain!

If you looked closely at the decorations and patterns within the layers of ice, it almost looked as if they contained entire worlds. It was bizarre to the extreme!

Also visible on the mountain was a towering altar, upon which was a throne. Seated in the throne was what appeared to be a statue. The statue's features were unclear, but its upraised right hand was held up into the air where apparently an ice flame had once burned!

By this point, Naruto was already panting. He shifted his gaze to look at the next mountain.

The second mountain was completely crimson, as if it overflowed with fresh, red blood. An indescribable, monstrous killing intent seemed to fill it, as if an uncountable number of lives were buried inside the mountain. The vast number of people who had died led to the overflow of fresh blood, thus turning the mountain completely red.

Killing intent circulated around, to the extent that even a single glance would cause one's mind to fill with a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

There was also an altar on this mountain, upon which could be seen a blood-colored throne. A figure sat on this throne, its right hand raised up.

As soon as Naruto saw the figure, his mind trembled. A shocking scene appeared in his mind that was not exactly the same as this, but extremely similar.

"This is…." Naruto's mind shook, and his breath came in ragged pants. After a moment, his eyes flickered as he suppressed his thoughts and emotions, then looked over at the third mountain.

Upon this mountain, flames raged. The flames were dim, but seemed incapable of burning out. Even stranger, upon looking at the mountain, ghost images would spring up in the mind, as if countless volcanoes existed. It made it impossible to tell which of the mountains was real, and which was false.

Eventually, the image of countless withered figures could be seen on the surface of the volcanic mountain. They looked like evil spirits, emitting noiseless howls as they climbed, struggling amongst each other to be the first to reach the peak of the mountain and then throw themselves into the pit of fire there.

There was no altar, no throne, no figure. This third mountain was completely different than the other two!

Three mountains, three Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth!

Of course, the three Greater Demons had long since perished. But even Lord Asura would not have been capable of making their essences fade away. Therefore, the three mountains existed as before!

Panting, Naruto once again focused his gaze on the Frost Soil Demon Mountain. He then clasped hands and… bowed deeply!

First bow!

"I am connected by destiny to Han Shan," he said. "I received his Immortal's sword and his bronze flagon. Therefore, I should bow first to the Frost Soil Demon Mountain!" As his words rang out, the Frost Soil Demon Mountain suddenly trembled.

Cracking sounds could suddenly be heard from the entire mountain. Originally, ice spread out across the mountain, a power of sealing. But when Naruto bowed for the first time, that ice began to crack and split. More and more fissures spread out, creating a roaring sound that lifted up to the Heavens as Naruto straightened back up.

Down below, Muku stood on the head of true spirit Night, on the Fourth Peak. When he saw what was happening, a strange light began to shine in his eyes. Even the eyes of true spirit Night began to glitter. "His first bow stirred up transformations in the Frost Soil Demon Mountain. He… truly is connected to the mountain by destiny. However, exactly how strong that destiny is remains to be seen. Can he ignite the Demonfire to illuminate the Third Heaven?!"

Naruto looked up at the Frost Soil Demon Mountain, then took a deep breath. He clasped hands and bowed again.

"My Earth-type totem is formed from Frost Soil. In the end, I created a Frost Soil Nascent Soul. This kindness, or destiny, leads me to bow again to the Demon Mountain!"

Second bow!

Boom!

As his voice rang out, a huge rumbling could be heard from the Frost Soil Demon Mountain. Even more cracks appeared on the layers of ice which covered the mountain. The cracks began to form together into something that looked like a face. The facial features were extremely lifelike; they were that of an old man, his face filled with ancientness as he looked at Naruto.

He seemed capable of seeing all of Naruto's past with a single glance, as well as his future.

At the same time, something changed about the figure seated in the throne on the altar. The previously empty spot in its right hand suddenly flickered as blue sparks appeared. It looked as if a flame wished to ignite there!

When he saw this, Muku's eyes shone even brighter. As for true spirit Night, it said nothing, but a strange glow could be seen in its eyes.

Naruto looked up at the face of the old man in the layers of ice. He clasped his hands and bowed yet again, a look of determination in his eyes.

"I have an agreement with senior Han Shan. One day, when my Cultivation base is up to the task, I will return to the Realm of the Bridge Ruins to rescue him. That agreement is destiny, between myself and senior Han Shan. It is also destiny between myself and the Frost Soil Demon Mountain. Today, I repeat the same oath as before!

"Demon Mountain, please bear witness. This bow is evidence of the determination of Naruto of the junior generation!"

Not even the slightest sound could be heard from the Frost Soil Demon Mountain. It seemed to have no reaction whatsoever to Naruto's third bow. Naruto felt his heart pounding; he knew that he had tried to pull a bit of a fast one with the third bow.

However, all of a sudden….

"Agreed!" said an ancient voice. It echoed out from the Frost Soil Demon Mountain, almost from within the depths of time itself. As the voice spread out through the area, it carried with it endless coldness which caused the world to distort and blur.

The word was spoken by the face of the old man. He looked deeply at Naruto for a moment, and then began to grow blurry. Cracking sounds could be heard as the cracks which made up the face spread out. They formed together to make a huge rift that spread from the top of the mountain to the bottom. It created a massive, scar-like mark, which stretched across the entirety of the mountain.

The mark stretched all the way to the altar, and the figure on the throne. A bang could be heard. The blue sparks which danced above the right hand of the figure suddenly began to form together, transforming into a blue flame.

As soon as the flame appeared, it illuminated the face of the figure. That face was exactly the same in all respects as Han Shan's!

The flame roared up, shining three portions of light into the sky up above.

Gradually, because of the light shone by the flame, two shocking, enormous objects became visible up in the sky. They floated high up above, looking even more majestic and shocking than the three Greater Demon Mountains.

A shocking, indescribable aura surround those two objects!

Naruto's mind trembled, and he closed his eyes. After calming himself, he opened his eyes again and then looked at the second mountain, the blood-colored Demon Mountain!

He clasped hands, looked at the Blood Demon Mountain, and then suddenly bowed. "I'm not sure if this mountain has anything to do with the ancient Temple of Doom. However, that is what this bow is for. If destiny exists, I implore the mountain to express itself!"

This was his fourth bow in total, and his first toward the Blood Demon Mountain!

The crimson Blood Demon Mountain was originally sealed as quietly as death. However, after Naruto's bow, an aura began to spread out from the figure on the throne…. It filled the entire Blood Demon Mountain, causing a bloody glow to shine up into the sky. In addition, an incredible rumbling sound could be heard.

Even as Naruto's heart trembled, his eyes began to shine with a strange light. Earlier, he had suspected that the Blood Demon Mountain had something to do with the Blood Immortal mask. After all, the figure on the throne looked very similar to the figure Naruto had seen in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament all those years ago.

Most shocked of all, however, was true spirit Night. It looked up, its eyes seemingly filled with lightning, its expression one of disbelief. The fact that Naruto could acquire the approval of the Frost Soil Demon Mountain was shocking enough.

But now, it was obvious that he had a connection to the Blood Demon Mountain. The reaction of the Blood Demon Mountain caused true spirit Night to involuntarily tremble mentally.

"Three portions of light from the Frost Soil. One portion from the Blood Demon. Together, that is four portions! Could it be that he really is the person Lord Asura has been waiting for?

"If he is, then how come I can't sense anything familiar about him?! He has no aura that I recognize, which does not conform with the requirements of Lord Asura. That was why I didn't bestow him with the qualifications originally!" Night's eyes glittered as it looked at Naruto. It could clearly examine all of Naruto's person, but no matter how it looked through everything… it still felt that Naruto was full of mysteries.

"Are you, or are you not that person?" thought Night. "Regardless of whether you are or not, bowing nine times to the three mountains is not a simple matter. He still does not have enough approval. The approval in the beginning is only the first step.

"The approval of a Demon Mountain can give rise to three portions of light. The path to the Third Heaven depends on the approval of all three Demon Mountains. Three to nine portions of light make it possible for that path to appear!

"However… the path that appears with three portions of light is ordinary. Failure on that path will lead to the revoking of the qualifications. Only the path of six portions gives the participant three chances at the legacy, once every five hundred years!

"As for the path of nine portions of light… that is the legendary great circle. When it appears, failure still is followed by nine more chances, like a blessing from above. The path of nine portions is also called One Step to Immortality. If that person is already an Immortal, their Cultivation base can rise up to another realm. If they are not Immortal, they can achieve Immortal Ascension!

"I must see exactly how many portions of light this fellow will acquire!" Night's eyes glittered as it looked at Naruto.

In contrast to true spirit Night, Muku's thoughts were not so complex. He watched on with an admiring smile, sincerely desiring that Naruto could acquire as many portions of light as possible.

Naruto took a deep breath as he looked at the quaking Blood Demon Mountain. Then he clasped hands and bowed for the fifth time.

At the same time, it was his second bow to the Blood Demon Mountain!

"Junior is connected by destiny to the ancient Temple of Doom. I formed a Blood Violet Nascent Soul. I gained enlightenment to realize that a boundless will of life exists within blood. Therefore, I bow to you, senior Demon Mountain." Naruto's bow was deep as he spoke these words.

Instantly, roaring could be heard from the Blood Demon Mountain. Bloody beams of light rose up into the air, interlocking to gradually form a blood-colored Demon flower. As soon as the flower appeared, a boundless radiance shone out. Crimson sparks suddenly appeared in the figure's right hand.

This was the fifth portion of light. Two Demon Mountains, five portions of light. It caused the scene up above in the air to grow a bit clearer. As of now, it was possible to see two enormous land masses floating in the air far, far up above.

Each of these land masses were matchlessly majestic as they floated there up above, like two Holy Lands!

They were high, high up, as if they were looking down upon the entire world. They… really were Holy Lands. It didn't matter if you were speaking of the Demon Immortal Sect or the Ninth Mountain and Sea as a whole, the Hebi Clan and the Namikaze Clan Holy Lands were secondary only to the palace of Lord Asura himself!

Even now as in the past, they were illustrious and famous throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, these enormous land masses that had continued on down throughout the ages.

Five portions of light filled Heaven and Earth. Suddenly, though, the fifth portion of light suddenly flickered again. Next, something happened that exceeded even the imaginations of true spirit Night and Muku.

Even as the sparks appeared on the hand of the figure on the Blood Immortal Mountain, the figure's eyes suddenly began to shine with a bizarre light. It stared at Naruto, then slowly lifted up its left hand and stretched it out, as if it were asking for something.

Naruto's mind shook, and he lowered his hand to his bag of holding. Immediately, the Blood Immortal Mask appeared in his hand.

As soon as Naruto took out the Blood Immortal mask, the figure on the Blood Demon Mountain slowly withdrew its hand. A voice suddenly echoed out that seemed to come from countless years in the past.

"Put on my mask."

Naruto's eyes glittered as he placed the Blood Immortal mask onto his face.

Boom!

Redness instantly spread out to cover Naruto's entire body. His hair became red, his robe turned red, and in the blink of an eye, his entire body was surrounded by bands of blood-colored light. It looked almost like a sea of blood was raging around him.

In this instant, Naruto was the incarnation of the Blood Immortal.

Behind him, an image slowly came into being. An enormous throne was visible, seated upon which was a woman whose face could not be seen. Her hair swirled around her, and she seemed to be gazing off into the distance.

After the image appeared, the figure on the Blood Demon Mountain trembled. A huge roaring sound could be heard coming from inside it, and at the same time, a blazing tongue of Demonfire ignited. It instantly illuminated more of the sky above.

The entire sky was filled with the light of five portions of light, and now, close to six portions illuminated it even further. Within the light, an illusory staircase could be seen, leading up, up to the two Holy Lands and… the Third Heaven.

True spirit Night gasped. "He… he… he actually has destiny connecting him to the Blood Demon!" Its face was a mass of disbelief. It could scarcely believe that Naruto would have destiny connected to both the Frost Soil Demon Mountain and the Blood Demon Mountain. It was really shocking good fortune.

True spirit Night looked at Naruto, its mind spinning. "The Demon Mountains lift the seal. They have spoken of their own volition, which could never happen unless a certain level of destiny existed. Since such destiny has clearly reached the necessary level, it shows that Naruto is none other than a successor of the Blood Demon!

"He formed a Blood Demon Divine Clone, has a treasure made of the skin of the Blood Demon, and has even formed what is essentially a Demon Nascent Soul. Is this person… a Cultivator, or a Greater Demon of my generation!?

"Furthermore, he hasn't even performed the sixth bow! And yet, the sixth portion of light has almost fully appeared already."

Naruto clasped hands to perform his sixth bow, the third to the Blood Demon Mountain. "The kindness of the Blood Immortal legacy. The kindness of the Blood Mastiff in the way it escorted me. Junior will never forget these things for the rest of his life. Once again, senior, I bow to you, the essence of the mountain!"

After he bowed, the mountain rumbled. An endless echo could be heard, along with an ancient voice which slowly spoke out from within the Blood Demon Mountain.

"Agreed!" said the voice. A single word. However, as soon as that single word could be heard, the Demonfire towered up. This represented the complete and utter approval of the Blood Demon Mountain toward Naruto.

At the same time, light shone up into the sky. This was no longer six portions of light, but seven portions!

The sky had room for a total of ten portions, and now Naruto occupied seven!

The seven portions of light illuminated the majority of the boundless sky. The two Holy Lands were now even clearer. Gradually becoming visible were the restrictive spells which had sealed the Holy Lands for so many years. Also visible were countless vines hanging downward.

They looked as if they had been in confinement for far, far too long, and were finally being revealed at long last!

An unsightly expression appeared on the face of true spirit Night, and complex feelings arose in its heart. It knew that it was incapable of doing anything to revoke the qualifications of this person. Once six portions of light were revealed, a minimum of three chances were guaranteed.

Even if Naruto completely failed now, Night was incapable of harming him in the slightest, let alone demand the continental mirror be returned.

As long as Naruto had the qualifications, it was incapable of doing anything to him. It could only watch on helplessly as Naruto proceeded onward at will.

"Three mountains, nine bows. Already, six bows have been performed. The final three bows are for the Withering Flame Demon Mountain. That is the most difficult mountain of all. Even if he already has seven portions of light, it will still be impossible for him to get nine total!" Night's eyes flickered as it looked at Naruto.

Muku also looked at Naruto, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

Naruto closed his eyes and calmed his heart. Then he looked up toward the last of the Demon Mountains. This was the mountain of raging flame, with a pit of fire at its peak that countless withered figures struggled to enter.

It almost seemed to be a location of reincarnation. By leaping into the pit, they could release themselves from worldly cares, find their true bodies, then leave and be reborn anew.

However, what Naruto saw was that every person who leaped into the fiery pit would once again be born as a withered figure, who would then again begin to climb. It seemed to be an endless cycle.

The more he watched, the more he realized that this was reincarnation.

Actually, this mountain's true name was Reincarnation Demon Mountain. As for the name Withering Flame, it fit with its appearance, but not the meaning of the mountain. Of course, the Greater Demon which had given rise to this mountain had a technique called the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao.

Therefore, the name Withering Flame was also not inappropriate.

Naruto looked silently at the Reincarnation Demon Mountain in front of him. He had been most confident regarding the Frost Soil, and secondarily, the Blood Demon. The only mountain he had no confidence in was this Reincarnation Demon Mountain.

If there was any destiny connecting him to this mountain, then at best it would be the technique he had acquired but not mastered in the Second Plane, the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao.

Even as he hesitated, the Reincarnation Demon Mountain began to rumble of its own accord. Black smoke poured out from the fiery pit, rushing out to fill the sky, followed by endless flames.

Next, a voice spoke out from within, ancient and emotionless.

"Reincarnation Mountain needs no bows!

"Many years ago, there was a withered slave on this mountain who said that life is pain, and that he wished to free himself from the sea of bitterness. That sea is like an inescapable flame which can burn everything.

"Afterwards, he called this place Withering Flame, and made a solemn vow that he would eradicate the sea of bitterness. He would ensure that all living things no longer experience bitterness, but rather, freedom!

"If you were in his place, what would you do?!"

As the archaic voice from the Reincarnation Mountain echoed out, the entire mountain filled with a roaring sound. As the black smoke rose up into the air, an enormous, burning incense stick flew out from the mountain. It stood straight up in mid-air, surrounded by mist.

The incense burned slowly, emitting a smoke that fused with the mist around it so that few would be able to tell the difference between the two. It made it impossible to tell if the mist was concealed within the smoke, or the smoke gave rise to the mist.

The archaic voice once again echoed out into the silence. "If you have not provided an answer by the time the incense burns out, then the fire of the Reincarnation Mountain will not give up even half a portion of light."

After that, the world was silent. Naruto stood in a daze, looking at the Reincarnation Mountain. He could see the black smoke and the dense flames spewing out of the mouth of the volcano. It made it seem as if the entire world was made of smoke and fire.

The sky had room for ten portions of light. He had acquired seven from the Frost Soil Demon Mountain and the Blood Demon Mountain. Right now, the remaining three portions were covered by the fire and smoke. Everything was dim and hazy….

Especially shocking was that the haziness affected the other seven portions of light up in the sky. At a glance, everything seemed to be covered with smoke. Trying to look up at the two Holy Lands was like trying to look at flowers in the fog, or at the moon in troubled waters.

"If I were in his place, what would I do?" thought Naruto. The Reincarnation Mountain did not require bowing, but rather, the heart and the mind. It required the essence of the person, something that could not be worn away by the passage of time.

Muku watched on thoughtfully. Long ago, he had earned the same qualifications as Naruto. However, when facing the Reincarnation Mountain, he had only been able acquire two portions of light. That had left him with a sky filled with eight portions of light. In the end, he had failed to reach the Holy Lands.

As he watched Naruto now, he was reminded of himself all those years ago, when he had awoken to find the Demon Immortal Sect in ruins, and himself alone.

True spirit Night's pupils constricted as it stared at Naruto. It knew that of the nine bows and three mountains of the Second Heaven, the Reincarnation Mountain was the most difficult! That was because… this mountain asked first regarding the heart, second regarding the Dao, and third regarding reincarnation!

"What will his answer be?" thought Night. According to its determination, Naruto was not the person it and Lord Asura were waiting for. He was not destined to be the successor. However, Night was very curious as to what Naruto would say in response to the question from the Reincarnation Mountain.

As of this point, true spirit Night and Muku had both noticed something, although they didn't seem to care. Far off in the distance, a figure had appeared in the air, and was gazing at Naruto.

It was a woman, somewhat flirtatious in appearance, and extremely beautiful. It was, of course… Tsukino!

Everyone from Lands of Ninshu had left. Only Naruto and Tsukino remained behind!

In contrast to Naruto, the reason Tsukino hadn't left was because she had no intention of returning to Planet Ninshu. Were it not for Naruto suddenly acquiring legacy qualifications, she would have long since left.

She looked over at Naruto and the third Demon Mountain, her expression one of both blankness and complex emotions.

"The augury of the almighty members of the Sect, which came at the expense of generations of accumulated skill, indicated that the successor of Lord Asura would rise up from Planet East Victory. Only a few people within the Sect know of this.

"Naruto comes from Planet Ninshu. He is not the person decreed by fate to be the successor." Tsukino let out a soft, inward sigh.

A moment later, Naruto's eyes glittered.

"There are many possible answers to the question posed by the Reincarnation Mountain," he thought. "Many theories could be proposed. If I assumed the identity of that slave of the Reincarnation Mountain, then I would have many choices in front of me." Hundreds of ideas flitted through Naruto's mind. After all, he was a scholar, and he still vividly remembered the Imperial Examinations he had attended in the Five Elements Nation, despite the fact that they had occurred hundreds of years ago.

Subconsciously, he analyzed the clues provided by the words given him.

After a few dozen breaths of time passed, his eyes began to glitter brightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but then was shocked to discover that he was incapable of speaking out the answer he had formulated.

It was as if as of this moment, his mouth had been sealed up, and he was a mute!

Naruto's mind trembled as he looked at the Reincarnation Mountain.

Muku looked at Naruto and then slowly said, "Reincarnation Mountain asks three questions, and then seals your mouth. Any answer which does not conform to your soul, cannot be uttered. This first question is asked of your heart.

"Open your mind and heart. Search your soul. Find the true answer within you, and you will be able to speak it out. You are searching for your heart, your nature, your self." A profound look flickered within Muku's eyes.

Naruto was silent for a bit longer. He looked at the incense stick, and saw that it was already one third burned out. His eyes filled with a complicated look, and then he closed them.

Everything was quiet….

"There was a withered slave on this mountain who said that life is pain," thought Naruto. "He wished to free himself from the sea of bitterness. That sea is like an inescapable flame that can burn everything. Afterward, he called this place Withering Flame, and made a solemn vow that he would eradicate the sea of bitterness. He would ensure that all living things no longer experience bitterness, but rather, freedom!

"That was his choice. Perhaps that person was none other than one of the illustrious three Greater Demons of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, Withering Flame Demon!

"I don't know how the other two Greater Demons of these Demon Mountains appeared, but as for Reincarnation Mountain, if even a single slave could become a Greater Demon… then this mountain is a defiance of the Heavens!" Naruto took a deep breath and then calmed himself inwardly.

"If I were him… facing the sea of bitterness, what would I do?" Naruto murmured. "Would I do the same as him, vow to eradicate the sea of bitterness? Or… would I make a different choice?" He gradually forgot that he was in the Demon Immortal Sect. He forgot everything as he immersed himself in his mind and heart, as he sank himself into his own soul.

He whispered to himself, seeking for the true answer within the depths of his own self.

Suddenly, a vision appeared to him. Within the vision, he was one of the slaves on Reincarnation Mountain. He climbed the mountain constantly, struggling to reach the summit and the pit of flames. Finally, he jumped in to be burned up by the flames and the molten rock inside.

When he opened his eyes again, he was at the bottom of the mountain, where he once again began to stride the same path as before. Over and over again, this happened, an endless cycle.

"He was right, but also wrong," murmured Naruto.

"This could be viewed as a sea of bitterness, but also… not. If you believe everything to be bitterness, then it is. If you believe that everything is not bitterness, then it is not.

"Leaping into the pit of fire represents death. Reappearance at the bottom of the volcano represents birth. The climb up the mountain represents the process of life….

"I would not swear to eradicate this place. Nor would I sink myself into cowardliness. What I have… is the determination to set my foot where I wish to set it. I control my own fate. I may not be able to control my own birth, but I can decide how I die.

"And the final destination will definitely NOT be the pit at the top of the volcano." Although he had been murmuring, Naruto's voice actually echoed through the entire Demon Immortal Sect, even though he didn't realize it.

As his voice echoed about, Naruto's vision changed. His incarnation as a withered slave no longer conformed to the cycle. It did not leap into the fiery pit, but rather, stood outside of the volcano. Unlike the other withered slaves around him, he looked up into the sky, his expression no longer blank, but rather, awash with emotion.

It was as if… he had awakened. It was as if a black and white painting had suddenly been splashed with color.

He turned his back on the fiery pit and began to stride away from the mountain. He allowed himself to drop into the abyss, running counter to the fiery pit…. Finally, a smile appeared on his face.

"The path of life does not just run from the bottom of a mountain to its top…." he said lightly. In his mind, his incarnation as a withered slave fell off of Reincarnation Mountain. He did not turn to look back, but rather strode off into the distance.

Behind him, the countless other people on Reincarnation Mountain continued to repeat the same actions they did day after day. As for him, he drew further and further away from the mountain….

"If you believe it to be a sea of bitterness, then a sea of bitterness it is. If you believe it to simply be scenery on the path of life, then scenery it is…. The sea of bitterness never ends, but the scenery does.

"That is my answer."

Naruto opened his eyes.

In that instant, he heard his own voice echoing out around him.

Muku was shaken inwardly as he looked at Naruto. Naruto's answer far exceeded what he could have anticipated. He had assumed Naruto would chose to eradicate the sea of bitterness, and then be reborn.

"If he does not die prematurely," thought Muku, "then the possibilities for his future are incalculable!" The shock in his eyes gradually turned into admiration. "His Cultivation base is nowhere close to mine, but his heart… is far bigger!"

Even more astonished was true spirit Night. It stared at Naruto, its mind roaring. Echoing in its mind were Naruto's words: "The sea of bitterness never ends, but the scenery does."

"Such a choice seems simple," thought Night, "but if you analyze it carefully… his ambition far exceeds that of others! The makeup of his inner being is infinitely large!

"To him, the sea of bitterness can be likened to scenery on the path of life! The further he travels, the more scenery he will encounter!

"Reincarnation examines of the heart. It inquires of one's essence, one's nature and one's self. His answer cannot be false. This man's will… although spoken lightly, can shake the Heavens!"

Off in the distance, Tsukino was breathing heavily. She had long since come to the conclusion that Naruto was beyond ordinary. But now that she had personally heard the expression of his heart, she suddenly realized that she had underestimated him.

"His choice represents his heart. It doesn't matter if you talk about Lands of Ninshu or the Ninth Mountain and Sea, if he can survive, then all of this here will be a mere rest stop on his journey.

"As he strides forward, everything in existence will be forced to do nothing more than watch him walk off into the distance…."

As of now, no more mist or fire was visible coming out of Reincarnation Mountain. Even the incense stick had ceased burning. Everything was incredibly quiet.

Naruto looked at Reincarnation Mountain, and it seemed as if the mountain were looking back at him.

After the space of a few breaths, a shocking roaring sound could be heard that split Heaven and Earth. Everything began to quake and tremble.

"I shall bestow favor upon him with high aspirations!" said the grim, ancient voice. The voice words echoed out in all directions, a clear approval of Naruto.

At the same time, endless flames shot up into the sky, illuminating the firmament. Before, there were seven portions of light, but now, the light expanded as one more portion was added.

The entire sky was brightly lit by the eight portions of light which seemed to connect directly to the Third Heaven. The two Holy Lands were becoming increasingly clear.

There was also an incredible natural power that erupted from within the Reincarnation Mountain and then shot toward Naruto.

His body shook as his Cultivation base began to climb.

His Cultivation base instantly began to rotate, and his hair rose up into the air around him. Power of Heaven and Earth came out of the Reincarnation Mountain, filled with a unique aura, to pour into Naruto's body. It entered through his pores, merging with him, causing his Cultivation base to spin more and more rapidly.

Naruto could hear his own heartbeat. Each thump gave rise to a rumbling that filled his body. Cracking sounds could be heard as his body gradually grew taller.

He became more slender, more charming, and as his hair danced around him, the Demonic air about him grew even more intense.

Naruto's Cultivation base was already half a step into Spirit Severing. In fact, when he entered the Eighth Anima, he could be considered true Spirit Severing; his battle with the Patriarch Hashirama had thoroughly established how truly powerful he was.

If he wanted to, Naruto could simply close his eyes for a bit and attempt his first Severing. If he succeeded, he would have a Domain.

However, the matter of a Domain was far too important. Spirit Severing was a demarcation between Immortal and mortal, so that decision was not one that Naruto would make lightly. He needed enlightenment, from his life force, from his life in general. He needed to search for the path that led to understanding, then naturally, gain enlightenment of his own Domain. When he took that first step from being a mortal to being Immortal, that was the time for Spirit Severing!

In addition to those reasons, there was another reason. Naruto was very stubborn when it came to his Cultivation base. He did not want to use the Eighth Anima to enter Spirit Severing. He had a Perfect Foundation, as well as a Perfect Core. As for his Nascent Souls, he had used his own methods to acquire Perfection.

And yet, although merging his eight Nascent Souls into one seemed Perfect, that was not the limit!

"I need to form a ninth Nascent Soul!" A strange light gleamed in his eyes, and the ambition within him grew even stronger. He had started upon this path in his Cultivation, so he would do everything possible to acquire the pinnacle of good fortune.

Right now, his body rumbled as the power of Heaven and Earth from the Reincarnation Mountain's aura surged into his body. His Cultivation base climbed up until it reached a certain point where it couldn't go any higher. In accord with Naruto's will, it settled and began to form together in his dantian region.

"My Five Elements Nascent Souls stem from my own enlightenment. Any outside power is auxiliary!" Within Naruto's dantian region, the power of Heaven and Earth continued to surge in, slowly transforming into a vortex.

Surrounding the vortex were Naruto's eight astonishing Nascent Souls!

"Wind power of the roc was gifted to me by the benefactor in the Rebirth Cave. It was hidden within my body for years, to eventually be refined into my sixth Nascent Soul!" A strange light shone in Naruto's eyes. With every breath he took, more power of Heaven and Earth flowed into him.

"Lighting of Heavenly Tribulation. I experienced it on multiple occasions, starting with Foundation Establishment, all the way to the Nascent Soul stage. After enough accumulated within my body, I refined it into my seventh Nascent Soul!" Naruto's insides rumbled as if with thunder, and the vortex in his dantian region spun faster and faster.

"Fleshly Sanctification allowed me to step foot into Spirit Severing. I congealed Chakra and blood to form my eighth Nascent Soul!" The roaring grew more intense, causing Muku to stare, and a strange gleam to appear in the eyes of true spirit Night.

A look of disbelief could be seen on Tsukino's face.

"This time, I will form a ninth Nascent Soul… purely with power from the outside.

"Now, if I want to make a ninth Nascent Soul purely from outside power," thought Naruto, "well then… what I need to first do is reach… Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and finally, concoct them into a Nascent Soul!"

Naruto's hair whipped about in chaos, as if a wild gale was sweeping by. His clothes also fluttered madly. He was now thoroughly submerged in the power of Heaven and Earth from the aura of the Reincarnation Mountain, which surged around him in a vortex.

The vortex rapidly shrank, sucked in by Naruto. As that happened, his eyes grew increasingly radiant. Within his dantian region, a rumbling sound could be heard. The vortex was condensed to the maximum, to the level of the great circle of Chakra Condensation. Then it began to form into Dao Pillars!

Dao Pillars indicated Foundation Establishment!

The sight of it caused Muku to watch with even more concentration.

"He's going to form another Nascent Soul. He's cultivating… the Sublime Spirit Scripture!"

True spirit Night watched on silently, staring deeply at Naruto.

Most shocked of all was Tsukino. Her eyes were wide as she watched Naruto absorbing the spiritual energy. She couldn't help but clench her teeth, a pained expression on her face.

"That's the aura of the Reincarnation Mountain. Naruto… is actually using that aura to form a Nascent Soul! If I were able to absorb the aura, it would be incredibly beneficial to my Demon Immortal Body!"

Even as desperate pain filled Tsukino's heart, the rumbling vortex around Naruto completely disappeared, having been fully absorbed by him. Naruto was now a full head taller than he was before. An illusory aura surrounded him, making his entire person seem as if he were alternating between reality and illusion.

He took a deep breath, clasped hands and then bowed toward the Reincarnation Mountain.

The mountain did not need bows, but Naruto bowed anyway, because of the kindness of the mountain.

When he rose up, the Reincarnation Mountain rumbled again. Black smoke roiled out, and flames shot up into the air, filling the sky. The smoke gradually formed together into a figure.

It was a man, wearing a black robe, his features unclear. However, he emanated a feeling of indescribable age that spread out in all directions.

He seemed to be looking at Naruto. After a moment passed, a hoarse voice could be heard, filled with cold emotionlessness.

"When Withering Flame left the mountain, he wished to borrow a Demon heart from me. At that time, I asked him a question.

"'What is the Dao!?'

"I have asked the same question of many people, and only three have given me answers worthy of remembering. One of them said that the Dao is a path. There are three thousand great Daos, and thus, three thousand paths. Different paths for different people, nothing more, nothing less. One should continue forward, regardless of whether or not there is a path beneath one's feet! The person who provided that answer… became Lord Asura!

"The second answer was that the Dao is eternal and unchangeable. It is the only truth in Heaven and Earth. It is possible to look at it, but never touch it… to understand it, but never be able to explain it. If you understand, you understand. If you don't understand… then even spending your whole life searching will not gain you enlightenment. The person who spoke those words became Lord Hebi.

"The third answer was provided by Withering Flame. He said that the Dao is the heart, and that the heart is obsession. His desire to eradicate the sea of bitterness was an obsession that took him over. It grew deeper and deeper. Were he to have truly eradicated the sea of bitterness, then his Dao… would be a natural law of Heaven and Earth!

"Eternity is always here. He may have perished, but the Dao exists forever.

"He said that all the rules and laws that exist in the world have their basis in the powerful experts that existed on the path, as well as the realization of their Daos!

"If a person's Dao is the belief that the sky must be separated into periods of night and day, then the Heavens will provide such a cycle.

"Life can be extinguished, but the Dao exists forever. Life… is lived in order to leave a good name throughout the ages after one dies, to cause one's Dao to remain, to transform into natural law, to be without regret.

"Because of his answer, he was able to borrow one of my three third-grade Demon Hearts.

"Now, you must answer me. In your belief, what is the Dao? You have the time it takes one incense stick to burn, and you may not refrain from answering."

As Naruto listened to the words of the Reincarnation Mountain, his heart filled with great waves. He could identify with Lord Asura's answer. As for Lord Hebi's answer, it also contained truth.

As for the answer given by Greater Demon Withering Flame that year, it caused Naruto's mind to tremble like a seething ocean. Perhaps that answer was also the truth.

"Is the reason that the Reincarnation Mountain can only remember these three answers, because those three answers fully explain the meaning of the word Dao 道 ?" He stood there silently.

"What is the Dao?" he asked himself. A glow appeared in his eyes, but he couldn't think of an answer. He had heard many people use this word, Dao, but down to this day it only felt as if he were groping about on the edges of its meaning.

Even as Naruto sank into thought, a second incense burner appeared from within the black smoke. The smoke churned, and the incense stick began to burn.

Everything was still and quiet. The incense stick burned slowly, and time passed. However, Naruto still did not provide an answer. His eyes were filled with a blank look.

Soon, the incense stick was reaching its end. Ninety percent had burned. Muku sighed as he looked at Naruto, a look of pity in his eyes.

True spirit Night was silent, but it also sighed inwardly. "So, it turns out he is not the person Lord Asura is waiting for…."

Tsukino's heart was filled with complex emotions. She looked at Naruto, and then the incense stick which was almost burned out. She shook her head.

It was at this moment that Naruto's eyes began to shine brightly. The blankness from before vanished. He looked up at the Reincarnation Mountain and slowly began to speak.

"I don't know what the answer is," he murmured. "My Cultivation base won't permit me to understand what the Dao is….

"To me, the Dao is very simple. It is talking, speaking, opening your mouth, and letting other people open their mouths. All of that is the Dao, speaking. Speaking the words from your heart, speaking out the thoughts you wish to express.

"It doesn't require enlightenment, nor obsession. It doesn't require a path beneath your feet. Perhaps it is the first voice of all living creatures, of everything under the Heavens.

"When that voice can be heard, it is the Dao, it is speaking!" Naruto had organized his thoughts and spoken out what he understood about the Dao, based upon his current realm.

He didn't know if what he had said was true or correct. In fact, he hadn't wanted to speak at all, but he had no choice but to ignore those feelings. All he could do was explain what he understood about the Dao.

By this time, the incense stick had burned down to the end. It flickered, on the verge of being completely extinguished. "At the same time," he continued, "when that voice speaks, it represents a direction!

"The boundless Heavens and Earth are the final resting place of all living things. Life is like a journey, filled with various scenery, various paths.

"Sometimes, you might think there is only one path for you. Sometimes, your heart's obsession creates a path.

"As for the Dao, it is a direction. That direction can guide you through your life. When you are faced with countless decisions, it can lead you down the paths you must tread. In the end… it can help you pick which path to take!

"It is formed after one experiences the vicissitudes of life, the cleansing of time, and the understanding which comes from experiencing the world. It can be hidden in any time, place, direction, or action….

"That is my understanding of the Dao. It points in a direction, and gives me the strength to proceed onward. Perhaps it doesn't even exist, or perhaps it is everywhere.

"As for me, I am still searching for it…." He lifted his head up to look at the Reincarnation Mountain.

The Reincarnation Mountain was silent. Muku was silent. True spirit Night was silent.

Tsukino was also silent.

The incense stick burned out!

An intense rumbling could be heard from within the Reincarnation Mountain, seemingly in approval of Naruto. The sound of it echoed about in all directions, causing Heaven and Earth to shake. The black smoke churned, and the flames within swept about in all directions. The light in the sky grew brighter to a shocking degree.

One and a half portions of light were added.

The sky had room for ten portions of light. As of now, the three Greater Demon Mountains were illuminated by nine portions.

The Heavens were filled with brightness, as if it were high noon. The two Holy Lands of the Third Heaven were now fully illuminated. The vegetation and buildings there were clearly distinguishable.

In fact, it was also possible to see that in one of the Holy Lands, an enormous temple rose up, upon which was carved a huge word.

Hebi!

The word seemed ancient, although that was something that mortals would not be able to see. Even most Cultivators, unless they were sensitive to the power of Time, would have difficulty picking up any clues. However, to Naruto, that sensation was secondary to that of the Holy Lands themselves.

The Holy Lands had existed for tens upon tens of thousands of years before the word Hebi came to be.

That made sense according to the legends regarding Lord Hebi. The Hebi Clan originally did not have that surname. It was only after seizing Lordship of the Ninth Mountain and Sea that the name was changed, and the Heavens were placed onto top of the Asura Clan.

An ancient voice spoke out from the Reincarnation Mountain. Although the voice was cold, it seemed to be filled with sentiment as it slowly reverberated out.

"The Dao is a direction…. The words of an innocent child.

"I will remember this answer." Even as the voice spoke, the power of Heaven and Earth contained in the aura of the Reincarnation Mountain erupted out from the mouth of the volcano. It was so thick that it seemed as if it would take on corporeal form, as if it were actually a waterfall. The sheer amount exceeded that of the previous occasion exponentially as it shot toward Naruto.

It neared and then surrounded him, rumbling as it formed into a huge vortex with Naruto in the very middle. He took a deep breath, like a dragon inhaling, and the power of Heaven and Earth poured into his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, as well as all the pores in his body. It shot in and then began to accumulate in his dantian region.

It fused into the Dao Pillars, causing a surging power that pushed Naruto's Cultivation base up. The Dao Pillars began to shine with endless light. At the same time, the Nascent Souls inside of him suddenly flew out one by one to float around him.

When the Eighth Nascent Soul appeared, it made a thoroughly astonishing scene.

As the eight Nascent Souls rotated around Naruto, shockingly, they too began to absorb the power of Heaven and Earth that contained the aura of the Reincarnation Mountain. It poured into Naruto's body and continued the transformation process that would end with… a ninth Nascent Soul!

Boom!

The endless light from the Dao Pillars exploded into pieces, which then began to form together into a glittering core the size of a grain of rice!

Early Core Formation!

As soon as the core appeared, the speed with which Naruto absorbed the power of Heaven and Earth increased by more than ten times. By adding in the eight Nascent Souls, it only took the space of a few dozen breaths for the boundless vortex surrounding him to rapidly shrink.

After it disappeared, Naruto's face flickered. He suddenly looked up, his eyes glowing. There in his dantian region was a core roughly the size of an infant's fist!

The Cultivation base of the core instantly shot upward. Mid Core Formation. Late Core Formation. All the way to… the great circle of Core Formation.

The core emanated colorful lights, and appeared to be a Mottled Core. However, inside of it was a unique aura…. As soon as Naruto sensed the aura, he recognized it.

It was… Demonic Chakra!

This was a… Demon Core!

The Reincarnation Mountain was the essence of a Greater Demon. One of the withered slaves on the mountain achieved his Dao, then became one of the three Greater Demons who could rebuke the Heavens. From this it could be seen how shocking the Reincarnation Mountain was.

As of now, Naruto could see that the power of Heaven and Earth that contained the aura of the Reincarnation Mountain, was actually Demonic Chakra. Since he had absorbed Demonic Chakra for this cultivation, then naturally, he had produced a Demon Core.

That meant that his ninth Nascent Soul would obviously be… a Demon Nascent Soul.

Ninth Nascent Soul, Demon Nascent Soul!

"With one more round of this power of Heaven and Earth, I can cause my Demon Nascent Soul to appear." His eyes shone with a bizarre light, and he looked up at the Reincarnation Mountain with a look of anticipation.

He could sense the Demon Core within him, at the great circle of Core Formation. He was just one step away from forming a Nascent Soul.

The rumbling from the Reincarnation Mountain gradually faded away, and the mountain returned to normal. Black smoke surged out and flames rose up into the sky. The ancient, cold voice once again sounded out.

"No more questions are required of you.

"As you said, your current realm and Cultivation base do not permit you to know what the Dao is….

"Asking you the third question would result in nothing more but empty talk. You would neither move my heart, nor yours.

"Therefore, not asking the question is the most appropriate course of action.

"However, I am very curious. If your Dao is a direction, and you are still searching, then… have you found any traces of it?" The last question asked by the ancient voice echoed out in all directions.

Naruto was silent for a moment. His eyes glowed with reminiscence, but after a long time, he clasped hands toward the Reincarnation Mountain and bowed. When he straightened up, his voice was soft as he began to speak. "Many years ago," he murmured, "on a night when snow filled the world, I sat together with someone in a horse-drawn carriage.

"It was bitterly cold outside, but there was an oven inside the carriage, making it very warm. It was as if there were two different worlds, separated from each other. At that time, I had just stepped foot into the Cultivation world. I was no longer a mortal, but a Cultivator. When I looked outside at the snow, I felt that I was looking at myself.

"The snow can only exist during the dead of winter. It may yearn for summer days, and for warmth, but if it nears them, it will melt. I am much the same. After striding forward into the Cultivation world, I could not turn my head back, nor could I ever experience the peace and tranquility I once had." Of course, Naruto was thinking back to that year in the Five Elements Nation, when he had spent some time in the carriage with scholar Zheng Yong.

"I was once a mere scholar…. I remember how when I finally left my hometown. It was raining….

"My life is like snow. I can only exist within winter. I may wish to return to the sunny days of the mortal world, but that is no longer me….

"Life is like a journey, filled with countless different experiences. Perhaps it is best to say that different experience create different scenery on that journey. If you experience bitterly cold wind, you will become snow. If you experience the blazing sun, then you become rain….

"The type of life you experience determines what type of person you will be. That is what makes life wonderful."

Muku looked at Naruto, and many thoughts floated up in his mind. He thought of Mui, and thought of his own life. What he saw was everything that had happened to him, and this world.

"I've already been here for a long time, filled with nostalgia…."

True spirit Night sighed. Naruto's words did not contain some great Dao. However, the words had touched it nonetheless. Before this moment, it would never have believed that some tiny Cultivator who could not stand up to a single blow from it, would be qualified to move it emotionally.

Tsukino looked at Naruto, once again experiencing how extraordinary Naruto was. It made her think back to all her own experiences in life.

"To me, the Dao is a direction," continued Naruto. "I think… that such a belief sprouted during that time in the snow. It led me… led me to a place far away.

"Many years later," he murmured, thinking back to Pill Demon, "I kowtowed to my Master in a world of illusory reincarnation. During that life, I kowtowed three times. The kowtow of Innocence, the kowtow of the Roaming, and the kowtow of Sunset Gazing. At that time, I was enlightened.

"In that moment, I understood that life is a journey. Every turn in the path leads to new scenery. My footprints exist on that path, and as to whether they are deep or shallow, it doesn't matter. All the decisions were mine to make.

"Heaven and Earth are just resting places for the myriads of living creatures. Time represents the passage of hundreds of generations of passing travelers."

Having spoken up to this point, Naruto's eyes suddenly shone with a bright light. It seemed that as of this moment, there was something clearly different about him than before.

"That is the direction I chose. Although the way is a bit unclear, there are traces visible.

"Whether you speak of our time on earth, or reincarnation, life is a journey. The sea of bitterness is only one bit of scenery, that's all. The most important thing is to leave our mark on the path that we have walked and experienced.

"As for me, I want to keep walking even further off into the distance!" With that, Naruto took a deep breath, clasped hands, and once again bowed deeply to the Reincarnation Mountain.

Laughter echoed out from within Reincarnation Mountain. The echoing laughter caused the black smoke to disperse, and the flames to die out, and the sky to be filled with ripples.

"The resting place for myriads of living creatures? Excellent. Hundreds of generations of passing travelers? Wonderful! And you want to walk further off into the distance? Well said!

"Well, you have answered my three questions. Allow me to provide you some assistance to walk further off into the distance!" As the voice faded away, the Reincarnation Mountain once again began to rumble. This time, the power of Heaven and Earth that exploded out of it was dozens of times stronger than before. It shot out from the mouth of the volcano, shooting through the air toward Naruto. It circulated around him and then transformed into a magnificent vortex.

The vortex spun rapidly and then began to pour into Naruto.

His mind rumbled, and the multi-colored Demon Core inside his dantian region instantly began to fill with cracks. They spread out, multiplying for the space of a handful of breaths. Finally, the core collapsed, and a tiny, illusory person appeared from within!

The person looked exactly the same as Naruto in every way. The only difference was that the Demonic air about it was more obvious. This was Naruto's ninth Nascent Soul, the Demon Nascent Soul.

As soon as it appeared, it appeared weak. Its eyes were closed and incapable of being opened, and overall it was completely incapable of even comparing with Naruto's eight other Nascent Souls. However, as more of the power of Heaven and Earth poured into it, it began to mature.

Peak of the early Nascent Soul stage!

Mid Nascent Soul stage!

Peak mid Nascent Soul stage!

Late Nascent Soul stage!

Naruto's hair whipped about his head and he began to float up into the air. His eight Nascent Souls rotated around him, while the Demon Nascent Soul remained inside, the vortex surrounding it rapidly shrinking. Soon, all of the power of Heaven and Earth was pouring into Naruto's body.

The Demon Nascent Soul sucked it all in. Suddenly, the aura of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage radiated out. At the same time, the ninth Nascent Soul flew out from his dantian region to fly around him.

It joined the other Nascent Souls to float in a circle around Naruto. Finally, its eyes, which had been closed the entire time, suddenly opened.

Its pupils were green and completely demonic.

Ninth Nascent Soul… Demon Nascent Soul!

Naruto's Cultivation base experienced an unprecedented explosion in power.

The wind whipped around him, and Heaven and Earth flashed with a riot of colors. As of this moment, Naruto was the focus of attention of the entire Demon Immortal Sect.

"Agreed!" said the Reincarnation Mountain, its final word.

As the sound echoed out, a brilliant light surrounded the mountain. It pierced the sky, filling it with ten portions of light. Nine portions of light had already been bright.

As of now, the light was piercing, illuminating everything completely!

Light shone down from up above, filling the entire world with brightness, making the two Holy Lands completely clear.

Now, a tall temple was visible on the other Holy Land, upon which a large word could be seen.

Namikaze!

In the past, Lord Asura had two great generals who were the basis of the two Holy Lands. In later generations, one of those generals came to be called Hebi. The other was named Namikaze; had been, and always would be!

Naruto's mind trembled and he took a deep breath. One by one, the nine great Nascent Souls that spun around him reentered his body to sit cross-legged in his dantian region. As they returned, Naruto's Cultivation base climbed up again. He could sense that he now had the power to enter the Ninth Anima!

That would be fearsome power equal to 256 great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation bases, as well as an intense fleshly body power that could reach a shocking realm.

Naruto looked up. He saw the Reincarnation Mountain, and then, above all the three Greater Demon Mountains, the fully illuminated Third Heaven.

He could sense an enormous, terrifying pressure weighing down from the Third Heaven. Even with his nine Nascent Souls, it was something he couldn't possibly even touch.

"Even Spirit Severing would be incapable of breaking through," thought Naruto, his eyes glittering. "Only a higher stage, higher than Dao Seeking, would have even a chance."

The voice of true spirit Night suddenly could be heard echoing about, filled with complex emotions. "You acquired ten portions of light…. I never thought that could happen.

"If you acquired only six, I wouldn't stand in your way. That would especially be the case if you acquired nine. But you acquired ten.

"The sky has room for ten portions, and you occupied them all….

"Nine portions of light qualifies you to have nine chances. As for ten portions of light…. you are qualified to unlimited chances. As long as no one acquires the legacy of Lord Asura before you do, then most likely, that legacy belongs to you.

"However, I advise you not to attempt to break through to the Third Heaven before Immortal Ascension."

Naruto's eyes glittered as he looked up to see true spirit Night staring at him.

Muku was silent for a moment, then looked at Naruto and quietly said, "Ten portions of light is the pinnacle. I also advise you not to attempt to break through this time. The Third Heaven is not a place for those who are not Immortals. Furthermore, the ten portions of light contain incredible good fortune that cannot be acquired unless you are Immortal."

Naruto clasped hands and bowed to Muku. As he rose, he looked at him and said, "I want to try."

Muku looked at Naruto. When he saw his staunchness, he held his tongue, and did nothing to block his way.

True spirit Night similarly said nothing.

Naruto took a breath and the flashed up into the sky, transforming into a beam of colorful light. He shot directly toward the Third Heaven, and the Namikaze Clan Holy Land.

As soon as he flew up into the air, everything began to shake. An enormous pressure descended, causing Naruto's body to instantly stop in mid-air. It was as if all the bones in his body were making cracking sounds. His entire person felt as if it were being grabbed by a giant hand, and then crushed into pieces.

At the same time, something that seemed like a giant net wrapped him, causing his body to weaken rapidly.

All of this was when he had just started out! He was still far, far away from the Third Heaven!

Naruto's eyes flickered as, without hesitation, he entered directly into the Third Anima.

Three great Nascent Souls merged together. The fact that he had a Cultivation base equal to four great circle Nascent Souls was secondary; his fleshly body power was the key. Naruto lifted his head up and laughed.

Boom!

The pressure surrounding him quavered, and the force wrapping up his Cultivation base loosened a bit. Naruto once again flew upward, shooting up roughly 3,000 meters.

The sky was 30,000 meters high, which meant that Naruto had only forced his way ten percent of the way toward the Third Heaven.

In his position 3,000 meters up, Naruto began to pant. His body felt as if it were sinking into waters of weakness. The force wrapping around him emitted intense pressure, causing his body to distort.

"Fifth Anima!"

Boom!

Naruto's body shook. He now had a Cultivation base equal to 16 great circle Nascent Souls, and his fleshly body was close to Spirit Severing. He was able to cast off the pressure surrounding him, once again forcing his way up. Soon, he had reached the 6,000 meter mark.

At that point, the pressure in the area bore down with overbearing aggression. It seemed ready to crush Naruto in an instant. His face flickered, but he didn't hesitate.

"Seventh Anima!"

After entering the Seventh Anima, the power of 64 great circle Nascent Souls filled him, and his fleshly body was at the Spirit Severing stage. Naruto lifted his head up and roared, then forced himself up, fighting back against the pressure. Roaring echoed out as he faced directly against the increasingly intense pressure to fly up another 3,000 meters. He had now reached a total height of 9,000 meters.

By this point, Naruto was panting. The pressure here was such that it would instantly destroy any Cultivator who was under Spirit Severing, exterminating them in mind and spirit.

As for Naruto, if he didn't have his incredibly powerful fleshly body, then he too would be destroyed. His face was now extremely unsightly.

However, a smile could also be seen on his face, and a wild determination appeared in his eyes.

"Eighth Anima!"

Boom!

Naruto laughed toward the Heavens as his Cultivation base exploded up. His Cultivation base was risen up to a power equivalent to 128 great circle Nascent Souls. His hair whipped about and his clothes fluttered. His fleshly body grew even more intensely powerful. Cracking sounds could be heard as he seemed to grow taller. Within him, every inch of bone, flesh, and blood burst with endless power.

His fleshly body grew even more powerful than before!

The Eighth Anima was something that could imperil First Severing Cultivators!

Patriarch Hashirama, who was of the great circle of the First Severing, couldn't stand up to a single blow when Naruto was in the Eighth Anima!

The pressure surrounding Naruto shattered, and his body flew up again. The sight of it caused Muku to be moved visibly. A profound look appeared in the eyes of true spirit Night.

To them, Naruto's Cultivation base wasn't even worth mentioning. However, Naruto's will, his determination, and his decisiveness caused their minds to tremble.

Off in the distance, Tsukino was staring fixedly at the scene. Her heart was also trembling, moved by Naruto's persistence, perseverance, and tenacity.

Although Naruto's Cultivation base was far from any of these people, he had already forced his way to the 12,000 meter position. Such a high position was nearly at the halfway point. The pressure was intense, and as Naruto neared, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His fleshly body was powerful, but underneath this pressure, it twisted and distorted, emitting groaning and creaking sounds. Even the Cultivation base power of 128 great circle Nascent Nascent Souls was defeated with a boom.

As of this moment, it seemed he had reached the end….

Naruto's eyes filled with an intense light. He could accept that he couldn't go further, but what he couldn't accept was that he couldn't reach the halfway point!

"Ninth Anima!"

As his voice rang out from the 12,000 meter level, his body suddenly shook.

White hair appeared on his head as his longevity was sucked away at a terrifyingly rapid rate. However, at the same time, his Cultivation base… began an unprecedentedly mad climb.

128, 151, 178, 193… all the way to 200!

Not too long ago, when he had acquired his eighth Nascent Soul, during the time when his Cultivation base climbed from the power of 64 great circle Nascent Souls to reach the power of 100, he had felt as if he were equivalent to Spirit Severing.

If 100 great circle Nascent Souls was similar to Spirit Severing, well, as of this moment, he had 200!

After reaching the Cultivation base power of 200 great circle Nascent Souls, Naruto's energy changed in an earth-shaking way. The pressure around him once again collapsed, and was completely incapable of doing anything to stop him. Now, nothing prevented him from pushing onward, climbing up!

203, 210, 230… all the way to 256!

The power of 256 great circle Nascent Souls caused the sky and land to dim, and the wind to scream. Roaring echoed out, and Naruto's entire body turned into something like a shooting star that charged upward.

His fleshly body also experienced incredible growth. It was tougher and more powerful. Furthermore, it was at this point that gradually, complex markings began to appear all over his body!

The marks glittered brightly, and seemed to contain laws of Heaven and Earth. They appeared to be branded on him from the void, causing his energy to once again shake everything.

13,000 meters. 13,500 meters. 14,500 meters… all the way to 15,000 meters!

15,000 meters in the air was the halfway point!

Naruto's body trembled, and blood oozed from his mouth. His hair was now more than half white. His body was tall and slender, and his energy intense. As he hovered in the 15,000 meter position, he did not wipe the blood from his mouth, but instead lifted his head up and laughed.

Then, he raised his foot and… moved forward once again, by and entire three meters!

Naruto's imposing manner, his demeanor, and his appearance in this moment caused Muku, true spirit Night, and Tsukino, to all be shaken.

When was a man most attractive?

In a moment like this!

When was a man the most righteous hero?

In a moment like this!

There is an expression that describes a person as being 'indescribably beautiful and striking.' That is usually used to describe women. There is another expression. 'Who can do it except for me?' That expression is used to describe a true man!

At any time or place, a true man who stands out from the crowd, a passionate, true man, is like a hero, a person just as attractive as the most beautiful woman!

Regardless of man or woman, anyone would be drawn to such passion and ardor!

Tsukino's heart shook. Even she didn't notice that the image of Naruto was being burned deeply into her heart in an unprecedented way. This was not to say that it caused romantic love to appear, but rather, she would now be incapable of forgetting him.

"Pressing forward with indomitable will," she murmured. "That… is a true man." She looked at Naruto, and suddenly realized that this scene really was indelibly etched on her heart.

As he hovered there at the 15,000 meter mark, Naruto took a deep breath. To him, the Ninth Anima was a state of rapid depletion. That was especially so considering the position he was in, halfway to the two Holy Lands and surrounded by incredible pressure. He could feel the terrifying pressure pushing against him from all sides.

That pressure weighed down on every strand of skin and muscle, on every bit of flesh and blood. Cracking sounds could be heard from within him, as if his bones were chafing together. Despite the incredible power of his current fleshly body, he was still incapable of moving forward even a pace.

The power of 256 great circle Nascent Souls continued to fight back explosively against the pressure; however, it continued to be defeated, and would clearly be extinguished soon.

The intensity of the pressure was such that, if Patriarch Hashirama hadn't died, and was suddenly next to Naruto here, he would be destroyed in an instant, his body completely exploded into countless pieces.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked up at the two Holy Lands 15,000 meters away. His eyes gleamed.

Based on his current Cultivation base, he was incapable of treading that path. That was what Muku had said, as well as true spirit Night. However… Naruto's personality was not the type to just accept what others said.

Although he trusted Muku's opinion, he couldn't rest until he tried it out for himself. It didn't matter if the difficulty level was obviously high, he had to take a shot personally to see exactly how difficult it was.

"So this is the limit, huh?" he murmured hoarsely. Underneath the pressure, his eyes were now bloodshot, and veins bulged out all over his body. The blood in his veins circulated sluggishly, and his life force was showing signs failure.

He looked down silently at Muku, true spirit Night, and Tsukino, who he had long since already noticed. They were 15,000 meters below him. If he wanted to give up now, all he had to do was relax, and he would descend down into safety.

"But," he thought, his eyes glittering with determination, "I want to do one more test to see… if this is really my true limit!" With that, he looked up, and his energy exploded out. His half-white hair danced about him, and his clothes whipped in the wind. He lifted up his leg and, viciously forced himself higher by a large measure.

Another three meters!

Boom!

A tremor ran through him. His fleshly body emitted cracking sounds, and his Cultivation base was under enormous pressure. His Cultivation base of 256 great circle Nascent Souls was under so much pressure that it was about to disintegrate.

Naruto's face was pale. However, it was at this point that he noticed something. He noticed something that quickly caused his face to fill with excitement and joy!

He almost didn't dare to believe it. However, his eyes filled with determination and, underneath the intense pressure, coughed up a mouthful of blood and forced himself forward by another measure!

In total, Naruto had now moved nine meters away from the 15,000 meter mark!

A rumbling sound filled his body, and he swayed back and forth. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his face was pale white. Marks of blood were now visible, tearing through his skin. It seemed that the incredible pressure was just on the verge of tearing him apart.

However, Naruto's eyes were filled with wild joy nonetheless. His shocking discovery just now left him panting heavily.

"I never imagined… that there could be such a transformation!" Inwardly, he still found it hard to accept. However, he was unable to think about the matter calmly. That was because he had found that underneath the incredible pressure, the power of the 256 great circle Nascent Souls was fusing together!

In any other place, such a thing could never happen. There wasn't a place Naruto could think of that would produce results like this. Only in this place, right here, could something like this happen!

That was because the pressure here came from the three Greater Demon Mountains and the two Holy Lands. You could say that in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea, few places could display such overbearing power. And yet, at the same time, there was a gentleness within the pressure.

Perhaps there might be places more powerful than this, but they would not be suitable for anyone under the Immortal realm. This place, however, housed a legacy; therefore, there was a gentle side. To Naruto, a place like this was the perfect place to… fuse together his Cultivation base!

A Cultivation base of 256 Nascent Souls seemed terrifying, but by fusing them together, he could explode with… something that far, far exceeded the past level of power. That would be… true Spirit Severing power!

Naruto had considered this matter before. He had thought about Spirit Severing, and how one aspect involved enlightenment and another involved transmogrification of the Cultivation base. However, he had never been able to consolidate his thoughts. It had all been a waste of time, and he ended up slowly suppressing his Cultivation base until he could naturally arrive at a target transformation.

Right now, though, this pressure had an effect that Naruto simply couldn't NOT be excited about. Instead of focusing on the legacy, he was focused on his path of cultivation, and that next, most important step!

If he succeeded, then he would be able to enter Spirit Severing even faster. It meant that he would be able to directly enter Spirit Severing without even having practiced cultivation for three hundred years.

"My fleshly body can also be tempered here!" he thought. Taking a deep breath, he sat down cross-legged in mid-air, using the pressure pushing against him to begin to compress his Cultivation base.

Tsukino's eyes went wide with disbelief. "He's actually practicing cultivation!"

Muku watched on seriously, although a smile quickly began to tug at the corners of his mouth.

Time passed slowly, enough for an incense stick to burn. Finally, a tremor ran through Naruto's body, and his eyes snapped open. They were bloodshot, but they shone with a radiant light. He slowly stood up, and as he did, an incredibly intense energy exploded out from him.

As of now, he did not have the power of 256 great circle Nascent Souls. He had 10 less! And yet, despite the reduction, in terms of energy, he had much more than before.

"This is a Blessed Land for me!" His eyes shining strangely, he once again moved forward another measure.

Boom!

The pressure became more intense, and Naruto's body shook. However, his Cultivation base was reduced by five Nascent Souls. Now, only the power of 241 remained.

It was a reduction of a mere five, but the intense fluctuations which emanated out of his Cultivation base supported him, allowing to move forward again!

Once, twice, three times….

His body trembled violently, as if he might explode at any moment. However, he continued onward relentlessly. As he did, his Cultivation base continue to shrink down and down.

236\. 226…. All the way to 180! By this point, Naruto was now at the 16,000 meter mark!

If a Cultivator of the Second Severing reached this position relying only on Cultivation base as a protection, he would quickly become unstable and then be destroyed. Naruto felt like his body was exploding. The fleshly body exists outside of his cultivation, like a shell. In this aspect, Naruto was different from a Second Severing Cultivator. He was using his fleshly body to protect his Cultivation base.

Relying on the power of his fleshly body, he was using this place to pressure his Cultivation base into solidity. However, streaks of blood were appearing all over him as his skin split. He seemed to be on the verge of collapsing apart. Even the bloody flesh inside of him was becoming visible.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Without hesitation, he slapped his bag of holding to produce vast quantities of medicinal pills. He consumed them to stem the wastage of his fleshly body. At the same time, he took longevity-increasing medicinal pills.

Of course, the main purpose had nothing to do with longevity. Instead, the life force contained within the medicinal pills nourished his fleshly body, causing it to be able to endure for even longer!

He took a deep breath and then once again proceeded forward. This advanced him to the 16,200 mark. A bloody haze exploded out around his body, and his trembling reached a pinnacle of intensity.

As of this moment, he had shrunk his Cultivation base down to only 163 Nascent Souls.

"This is going too slow…." thought Naruto. The struggle was clear on his face, although it was quickly replaced by determination.

"Rewards come only with risk. If I give up this chance, I won't be likely to find another place that can exert such pressure on my Cultivation base. Next time I come here will be hundreds of years from now. I… can't wait that long!" Without any further hesitation, Naruto began to rapidly rotate his Cultivation base. At the same time, he transformed into a green smoke, within which was a black moon. From his position at 16,200 meters, he instantly rocketed up.

The sight of it caused Muku to be visibly moved. He instantly flew up into the air.

"Are you crazy!?" thought Tsukino, her eyes wide. It was like watching a moth fly directly into a flame.

Naruto really was like a moth flying into a flame, although he was even crazier than that moth. As he sped upward, he began to burn. His fleshly body burned, his blood and muscles burned.

To him, it felt as if he was being hacked to pieces by tens of thousands of blades. Vast quantities of flesh and blood were destroyed. He looked like a shooting star made of blood. However, that bloody shooting star quickly advanced 1,800 meters. When Naruto reappeared, he was at the 18,000 meter mark.

He instantly coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. His body was mincemeat, and he was on the verge of completely falling apart.

"Violet Pupil Transformation!" In the instant in which his body was about to collapse, his eyes suddenly turned violet. His longevity was reduced, but in exchange, his shattering body was sustained for an extra breath of time!

During that breath of time, Naruto's Cultivation base shrank down at a shocking, wild speed.

Boom!

It went from 163 to 98. Then it dropped to 32. The speed with which this happened was shocking to the extreme.

Naruto's energy rocketed up, but even still, he had no way to prevent his fleshly body from nearing collapse.

"I can still hold on a bit longer!" he thought, once again employing the Violet Pupil Transformation. He sacrificed more longevity, causing his hair to turn white and his body to tremble, all to gain another breath of time.

Roaring filled his body. No outsider could hear it, but to Naruto it couldn't be clearer. The power of 32 Cultivation bases dropped to 16. More pressure bore down, and then, it was 8!

At this point, Naruto couldn't hold on any longer. His body began to grow limp, and he started to fall. From his position at 18,000 meters, he shot down at high speed. In the process of falling, the pressure lessened, and thus, his flesh and blood began to recover.

When he finally landed back down onto the hand of true spirit Night, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. However, he appeared to be completely restored to normal. The only difference was that the long hair which floated in the wind behind him was now gray.

As for his Cultivation base, its explosive growth caused the wind and clouds in the entire area to surge into motion, forming a twisting vortex around him.

As of this moment, Naruto was now far more powerful than before!

* * *

 **Ahhhh yess...Daddy Fuels Me.**


	7. Unsurpassable Pursuit

"First legacy trial by fire, failed," said Night slowly, giving Naruto a deep look. Its voice echoed out throughout the entire Demon Immortal Sect.

Naruto smiled indifferently, apparently not concerned at all. Success or failure didn't matter, as long as he got to try. What was the point of asking any questions? After all, he had eternal qualifications to participate in this legacy trial by fire.

This time he didn't succeed, but the next time, a few hundred years from now… who was to say that he would fail again?

Most importantly, he had discovered his path to Spirit Severing. Naruto was sure that by shrinking his Cultivation base, by combining everything into one, Spirit Severing would be right in front of him.

"Your path to Spirit Severing has opened," said Muku to Naruto, his voice low. "When your Cultivation base is completely consolidated, then you can transform it into a Severing blade. You'll either live, and sever out your Domain, or die, and sever your life."

Naruto nodded. He had already come to understand this. That was definitely his path to Spirit Severing. Grind and polish his Cultivation base down until it became an illusory blade. After that blade appeared, he could begin the Severing.

The difference between life and death all lay in that blade!

"What Cultivators cultivate is both life and death," said Naruto. "I've walked such a path for a long time. Living or dying doesn't really matter. Life's a journey; the places you go, the things you see, those are the most important things. Live without regrets." He laughed, his eyes shining brightly.

A look of admiration appeared in Muku's eyes, and he also laughed.

"You've already found your path," he said. With that, he waved his arm, causing a green wind to spring up. It picked up Naruto and began to carry him out of the Demon Immortal Sect. "Time to leave. When father gave his approval of you, you became my little brother. I, too, was moved by your Dao. Perhaps one day in the future, the two of us will meet again in the starry sky!

"I hope that when that day arrives, you will have already reached Immortal Ascension!" Even as Muku's voice echoed about, Naruto was carried by the green wind far away from the Demon Immortal Sect.

At the same time, Muku's gaze came to fall upon Tsukino, who still stood off in the distance.

Tsukino immediately clasped hands and bowed.

"I am Tsukino of the younger generation of the Demon Immortal Sect. Greetings, Patriarch Muku."

"We'll be old friends from now on," said Muku. "Demon Immortal Body…. With people like you, I can feel good about the Demon Immortal Sect." As he looked at her, his eyes seemed to fill with reminiscence. It was impossible to tell who he was thinking about, but he sighed and then waved a sleeve. A jade slip flew out toward Tsukino, which she quickly grabbed. Then, the green wind picked her up and, along with Naruto, she began to be carried away.

"Place that object in your Sect's Ancestral Hall," said Muku coolly, "and have the disciples prostrate to it. It can stave off extermination for ten thousand years."

Naruto and Tsukino continued to speed away within the green wind.

Naruto looked back at Muku, and couldn't help but think back to all of the things that had happened since he arrived in the Demon Immortal Sect.

"Seal up the Demon Immortal Sect," said Muku, his voice echoing out. "Destiny has already been severed, now we adjourn for a few centuries…." Naruto watched him as he sat down gloomily cross-legged on the fourth of true spirit Night's horns.

At the same time, true spirit Night gave Naruto a deep look. Then, its enormous head began to sink down. Its eyes slowly closed, and by the time the head sank down completely… the seven horns rose up above the land!

Endless amounts of dust flew about. It was almost like time was running in reverse. Everything returned to its original position. In the blink of an eye, the seven horns grew thick and bulky, and were soon seven mountain peaks once again!

There were corpses on the mountain peaks just like before, not one more or less than before. The restrictive spells were in place just like before. It was like nothing had changed at all. The lands below also returned to how they were before. In moments, everything looked exactly as it had when Naruto first arrived.

Muku sat cross-legged atop the Fourth Peak. His back was to Naruto; he was facing an area just outside the Seventh Peak, the location of Mui's tomb….

Boom!

Naruto felt as if he had just slammed into an invisible wall. As he sank into it, everything went black. When he came to, he was outside the Demon Immortal Sect.

He glanced back, and the Demon Immortal Sect looked hazy. Just barely visible were countless illusory figures, hustling and bustling about.

Naruto said nothing. Tsukino had emerged along with him, and when she looked back, her expression was one of pain and complex emotions as she looked at the illusory Demon Immortal Sect.

Countless tiny fragments of rock and stone suddenly flew out to surround Naruto and Tsukino, quickly transforming into a new river of stars. Naruto was still gazing at the Demon Immortal Sect when a tremor ran through the whole river of stars, and it began to carry him and Tsukino away. It rolled out like a bolt of white silk.

Naruto said nothing as the Demon Immortal Sect drew farther and farther away. Tsukino likewise maintained her silence. They got farther and farther away until soon, the Bridge of Immortal Treading became visible among the stars.

"I need to go," said Tsukino suddenly. She looked at Naruto.

He turned to look at her. "Take care of yourself on your journey."

Their eyes met, and Tsukino gave a warm smile.

"Thank you. My promise to you hasn't changed. I truly believe that one day in the future, we will meet again. I look forward to finding out where we will meet, under what circumstances, or, perhaps I should say… in what identity." Although she smiled, a flicker of farewell could be seen in her eyes.

With a final deep look at him, Tsukino slapped her bag of holding. A person flew out from inside. It was a woman, her features beautiful, obviously quite young. This was none other than the Holy Daughter of the Five Poisons Tribe, Tsume.

Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving. There were still signs of life detectable, but she was obviously in a state of dormancy. From the ripples of her Cultivation base, it was obvious that she was… of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage.

"This girl and I are connected by destiny," said Tsukino lightly. "I possessed her fleshly body that year, but I didn't destroy her soul. I promised her that when it was time to part, I would bestow her with the good fortune of a great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation base.

"By the time I acquired the Demon Immortal Body, I had already returned her body to her. Would you mind taking her back to the lands of Lands of Ninshu with you?"

Naruto looked at Tsume, then back at Tsukino. He nodded.

With a final look at Naruto, Tsukino turned and then flew out from the river of stars. As she emerged out into the starry sky, a glow appeared beneath her feet that turned into a flying shuttle.

The flying shuttle was surrounded by swirling lights as it rapidly expanded to a size of nearly three hundred meters. Demonic Chakra pulsed off of it in ripples, distorting the images of the stars and causing ghost images to spring up.

She turned to look back at him and said, "Okay little Naruto, I'm gonna take off now. Don't miss me too much! Of course, if you really miss me, then once you have the ability to fly through the stars, then come to Planet East Victory. Who's to say whether or not I might let you have some alone time with me?" She laughed. Right now, she seemed to have returned to the way she was when Naruto met her for the first time.

Seductive as silk, eyes charming and amorous, she smiled and then transformed into a beam of light which shot off into the distance.

Naruto smiled and shook his head. For the most part, he and Tsukino were partners in cooperation. However, after everything that had happened in the Demon Immortal Sect, gradually they had become friends.

He looked away from her retreating figure and then sat down cross-legged on a nearby stone fragment. Tsume's eyes were still closed as she lay next to him, slumbering. The two of them remained in the river of stars as it shot through the starry sky. Soon, everything became quiet.

Naruto stared out at the endless stars, and soon, a look of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

"Cultivation. Immortal Ascension. Flying among the stars…. It's all a journey. If I can leave the lands of Lands of Ninshu and enter the starry sky, my journey would be even more wonderful.

"At that time, Planet Lands of Ninshu would only be a bit of scenery along my way." Suddenly, Naruto smiled.

"My gains in the Demon Immortal Sect were tremendous!" he thought. He looked down at his bag of holding.

"Mountain Consuming Incantation, Nine Heavens Destruction, Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal…. Plus there's the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao. All of these divine abilities are there in my mind, as well as quite a few other minor arts.

"In addition, I have a good collection of lost treasures from the Demon Immortal Sect, as well as Kidomaru's bags of holding. Most important of all is the sword tip from that Wooden Time Sword!" When the thought of the sword tip, his heart palpitated with eagerness.

"That sword tip has 30,000 years of Time power. If I actually used it, it wouldn't truly be 30,000 years, but it would still be shocking." He rubbed his bag of holding, his eyes gleaming brightly.

"And then, there's the precious treasure from the Fourth Plane, the continental mirror! There are countless magical items stored inside, as well as Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, and the shadows of those three Paragons!

"The continental mirror is a precious treasure of true spirit Night. Taking it away was what awakened Night. Considering how valuable Night considered the treasure to be, well, it only serves to prove that my copper mirror has a mysterious origin." When he thought about the transformation the copper mirror had experienced, he once again had the feeling that his gains in this adventure had been exceeding.

"All the acquisitions will surely attract quite a bit of prying. All the other remaining Lands of Ninshu Cultivators are cruel and unscrupulous, and definitely have ill intentions. Their Sects and Clans will quickly learn about everything that happened." His eyes flickered.

"As for how much all those people owe me, if you add it together, it's more than ten million Spirit Stones! Which means that, right now, the main thing I'm lacking… is Spirit Stones!" He gave a cold harumph, but then thought to the debt pledges he had, and a brilliant smile appeared on his face.

"The debtor must repay his debts; that is in line with the principles of Heaven and Earth! They can't escape that fact! Although, to be the most safe, I can't stay in the Black Lands or the Western Desert." As he sat there thoughtfully, many thoughts raced through his head.

Time passed. Naruto sat there cross-legged, looking at the river of stars and the starry sky. Soon, he caught sight of a dot of light that was none other than Planet Lands of Ninshu.

At the same time, he saw that, revolving around planet Lands of Ninshu was a shocking altar.

As soon as he caught sight of the altar, he got a clear sense of a cold, gloomy aura. The aura swept toward him, but was blocked by the river of stars, and could not reach him.

As the river of stars neared Planet Lands of Ninshu, Naruto stood up. He stared at Lands of Ninshu as it rapidly neared. Soon, he could see the lands below. He saw the Milky Way Sea, the Southern Domain and the Western Desert.

As they shot downward, Tsume slowly began to regain consciousness. Before she could open her eyes, Naruto leaped up, shooting out from within the river of stars into the highest levels of the sky above Lands of Ninshu. Then, he transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

There was a lot of pressure at such high altitude, but Naruto had been able to deal with the pressure at the 18,000 meter mark in the trial by fire of Lord Asura's legacy. This pressure was nothing he would care about. He moved at incredible speed and quickly disappeared.

The river of stars began to rumble as it carried the confused Tsume down toward the lands below. As Naruto sped off into the distance, a cold, hoarse voice suddenly could be heard, accompanied by a slight chuckle.

"The pup from all those years ago has already grown up! His realm of Perfection really is perfect. I've been waiting for a long time…. It wasn't in vain that I covered your tracks before to confuse the Hebi Clan. Child, the time has come to present your Perfect stratum to me."

As soon as the voice rang out, the winds and clouds ceased moving. Not another sound could be heard!

The river of stars continued to rumble through the air, taking Tsume with it as it headed toward the land. Her eyes were wide open now, and just barely, she could make out the image of an old man wearing a long, white robe. He hovered in mid-air, his hair floating around him, his face ancient and filled with wrinkles. It was impossible to tell how old he was, but he looked as if he had just climbed out of a tomb.

A sense of putrefaction surrounded him, like the air that surrounded a person who had reached their end days but wasn't willing to take the final steps to the end. Instead, he would do something completely shocking.

However, he did not seem to be possessed of a flesh and blood body, but rather, was semi-transparent.

Even as Tsume noticed these things, she lost consciousness again, then disappeared along with the river of stars.

Naruto was currently speeding along, when suddenly his body began to shake. The air around him seemed to solidify, as if all of Heaven and Earth, the whole world, had transformed into a cage. He was like a cornered beast within that cage, struggling, but unable to extricate himself.

It was at this time that the cold voice rang out in his ears, filled with a sense of rot and decay. His face fell as a sense of grave crisis exploded out in him unlike anything he had experienced from the day he was born until now.

"This isn't Spirit Severing!" Rumbling filled his mind, and then spread out to the rest of his body. Cold sweat began to pour down him. Without hesitation, he directly entered the Ninth Anima!

Boom!

His Cultivation base exploded up. Although it only had eight portions of Cultivation base, each one of those portions had been compressed and refined to the pinnacle, which created a frightening aura.

Boom!

His hair floated up around him as his Cultivation base radiated out. His energy shot up to the sky, and the intense power of his fleshly body was unleashed to its very pinnacle.

Things weren't over!

He performed an incantation gesture, causing the Mountain Consuming Incantation to appear. An enormous rumbling could be heard around him as the illusory image of an enormous mountain appeared. The illusion twisted and distorted as it suddenly expanded outward.

Next, he slapped his bag of holding, causing around ten magical items to appear. Each one of these items were incredible treasures that he had acquired in the Demon Immortal Sect. He valued them greatly, but in this moment of deadly crisis, he had no time to think about the pain of losing them. He produced them without hesitation and then roared.

"Detonate!" It caused Naruto's heart to bleed to say such a word, but he had no other choice.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in a very short moment.

An illusory hand appeared out of nowhere off in the distance. It was semi-transparent, and was filled with glowing lights. It seemed to contain a great Dao of Heaven and Earth that was in accord with natural law. As soon as the hand appeared, everything grew dark, making the hand the only focus of attention.

The hand neared, gently slapping toward Naruto!

As it got close, Naruto detonated the ten Demon Immortal Sect treasures. A boom rattled out that seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth. Everything shook, and distorted ripples appeared in all directions. It seemed almost as if the world couldn't handle the destructive force unleashed by the explosion.

Boom!

The cage around Naruto was now riddled with cracks. The explosion of the ten magical items also caused the incoming hand to pause slightly.

A cold "eee!" could be heard, and the hand passed by in a flash. The destructive force of the explosion dissipated, and it was in that brief moment that Naruto, stuck in this seemingly hopeless situation, grabbed at a chance for life.

"Dao Seeking! This is a Dao Seeking Cultivator!" Naruto's heart began to pound and fill with bitterness. A Dao Seeking expert was something higher than him by more than an entire stage. Dao Seeking experts were rare, almighty figures in the lands of Lands of Ninshu!

As far as Naruto could remember, he had never provoked anyone like that before. From what the voice had just said now, this person was clearly not a member of the Hebi Clan!

"Who is he?!" Naruto knew that the greater the danger he was in, the more he needed to remain calm. Eyes glittering, he took advantage of the cracks appearing in the cage to employ the greatest speed he could muster. He instantly transformed into the wind of the roc, along with a green smoke that contained a black moon. In the blink of an eye, he bored out through one of the cracks and shot off into the distance. He moved so quickly that he didn't even have time to look back.

Even as he broke out from the cage, the giant hand shot in pursuit. It destroyed the cage, as well as the destructive powers of the ten valuable treasures he had detonated. Then it slammed into the illusory mountain.

BANG!

The illusory mountain collapsed into pieces, which showered out in all directions. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and cracking sounds could be heard. It seemed as if his body was on the verge of being destroyed.

The hand seemed almost leisurely in its strike. It smashed through the illusory mountain, and then casually headed toward Naruto's back.

Even as the hand neared, Naruto lifted his head up and cried, "Agarwood!"

Booming could be heard as an otherworldly power approached. However, for some reason, when it was about halfway, it seemed to hesitate. During that moment, the huge hand closed in.

Naruto did nothing to try to control the Agarwood. The blood-colored mask flew out of his bag of holding, rapidly growing larger until it covered his whole body, helping to block against the giant hand.

A howl could be heard from within the blood-colored mask, and a bloody glow rose up. The mastiff flew out, and as the hand neared, it, together with the mask, protected Naruto's back. The mastiff didn't even have time to turn around to look at its Master's back.

Boom!

The instant the hand slammed into the mastiff, it exploded, transforming into countless red strands that shot back into the blood-colored mask.

A massive rumbling could be heard as the Blood Immortal mask was sent spinning backward. It merged into Naruto's body, which trembled severely.

"Blood Mastiff!" roared Naruto, his eyes bloodshot. In that instant, he could sense that the mastiff's blood had formed back together inside the mask, turning into a much smaller Blood Mastiff.

The double protection temporarily resolved his crisis. However, blood still sprayed from his mouth, and his internal organs were shattered into pieces. His life aura was diminishing, and he tumbled off into the distance like a kite with its string cut.

His eyes were filled with dense veins of blood, and an unprecedented level of hatred suddenly rose up within him.

Severe pain coursed through him, and he had the intense sensation that he was being ripped into shreds. His skin was lacerated and torn in multiple locations; it made it seem as if in the following breath, his entire person would fall apart!

A second "eee?" sound could be heard, echoing out in Heaven and Earth. Suddenly, the parrot and the meat jelly flew out from inside Naruto's bag of holding.

The parrot clutched onto Naruto's shoulder, a look of unprecedented anxiety on its face. "Dammit, bitch! Dammit! This guy's a step away from being a false Immortal! Even if he's just a clone, he's still at Dao Seeking. Meat jelly, you slut, why haven't you saved Naruto yet!?" The meat jelly was trembling all over. However, it quickly spread out to cover Naruto, causing his collapsing flesh to solidify.

An ancient, hoarse voice could suddenly be heard coming from the void. "I am Madara. Back when you were in Foundation Establishment, I decided to make you my Dao seed, to accomplish my Dao, to allow me experience what it was like for the great ancestor to steal a foundation.

"Do you… really think you can escape?" There was something else in the voice; it contained bizarre fluctuations that seemed to conform to the natural laws of Heaven and Earth.

As the voice spoke, the hand faded away. However, it became clear again only a breath later, and when it did, it was behind Naruto. The hand formed into a claw that swiped at Naruto from the back.

"I saved you out outside of the Rebirth Cave," the voice said, speaking neither quickly nor slowly. "When the Hebi Clan was after you, I helped. And then there was all the commotion you caused in the Demon Immortal Sect. After you returned, I took the liberty of wiping out traces of your aura so that no one would know that you have returned.

"All of that was because… a time would come for you to pay me back. And that time… is now." As the voice continued to speak, the sense of putrefaction continued to grow clearer.

"Four Perfect stages. The Perfect Foundation… is the basis for Immortal Ascension. It would be a waste on you, so… it belongs to me."

The hand continued to grab toward Naruto. No matter how the parrot and Naruto sped away, it was impossible to escape the gravitational force that they felt wrapping around them. Naruto's body trembled, and then he clearly senses something on himself that caused the gravitational force to loosen. It almost seemed as if the force would leave him automatically!

In this critical moment, the parrot and meat jelly were going crazy. Naruto once again urgently said, "Agarwood! What about your promise to me!?"

As the words echoed out, everything grew quiet. Suddenly, a rumbling spread out as an otherworldly power neared.

Boom!

The power slammed into the hand that was grasping toward Naruto. The hand instantly shook, and any connection it had to Naruto was severed. Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood, and yet instead of fleeing, he turned around, his eyes bright red.

Fleeing like that wasn't something he was willing to do!

This was his first time to turn around during the entire encounter. He saw the hand that had been attacked by the power of the Agarwood. Rays of light circulated around, forming into the figure of a man who seemed to be stepping out of nothing. He wore a long white robe, and was very old.

Naruto had no recollection of ever seeing this man before, and was quite certain that they had never met.

Madara had been enveloped by the mysterious power of the Agarwood. It was as if he had been imprisoned. His body floated there in mid air, alternating between blurry and semi-transparent. It was a very strange sight.

"Why do you have to resist?" he said hoarsely, looking at Naruto. He seemed as if he didn't even notice the power of the Agarwood.

Naruto didn't reply, but his right hand slapped his bag of holding to produce a bronze alcohol flagon. He raised his head up to take a large mouthful, then spit it out. Alcohol Chakra spread out, and suddenly, an azure bronze Immortal's sword appeared in his hand.

This sword was from Han Shan, and contained Sword Chakra that was like a song!

Killing intent raged in Naruto's eyes. He raised his right hand and, without hesitation, struck out with the sword.

The Sword Chakra appeared, shaking Heaven and Earth, causing everything to shake. The sky dimmed as uncountable amounts of Sword Chakra poured out of the azure bronze sword. As the sword descended, the Sword Chakra rumbled, transforming into a three thousand meter waterfall which shot from up above down toward Madara.

Madara's pupils constricted, the first change in his facial expression!

Even the Agarwood hadn't moved him. His eyes flickered, and as the Sword Chakra neared, he suddenly spoke.

"The great ancestor once said that rain… is born in the Heavens and dies in the Earth. The passage between those two places is its entire life…." As the voice rang out, Madara waved his right hand softly out in front of him, as if he was sweeping away some rain.

"Call the Wind, Summon the Rain…."

"Whose entire life, bitch?" said Naruto, his killing intent boiling. The Sword Chakra descended, slashing down toward Madara, who was currently enveloped by the power of the Agarwood.

Rumbling climbed up into the sky as the Sword Chakra neared. However, it was then that a black wind suddenly sprung up around Madara. The wind rapidly condensed into a shocking black dragon.

The black dragon opened its mouth and a roaring wind emerged that fought back against the power of the Agarwood. The cage appeared to be instantly diffused; at the same time, drops of rain appeared out of nowhere. More and more appeared, transforming into a rain that filled the entire sky and then shot toward the Sword Chakra.

A massive boom could be heard that shook everything. Blood poured out of Naruto's mouth, and he fell back. Without looking back to see what had happened, he retrieved the teleportation jade slip that he had acquired from Patriarch Reliance that year, and squeezed it between his fingers.

The jade slip had been on the verge of shattering years ago. Strangely, though, after not having used it for so long, it had slowly repaired itself, and was now much more solid.

Glittering light spread out. Because of the current level of Naruto's Cultivation base, the time needed to activate the teleportation power was much less. It only took the space of seven or eight breaths to succeed, and then he began to teleport away.

After Naruto disappeared, the roaring and booming in the area faded away. Madara slowly moved forward, his body gradually becoming more blurry, and occasionally glittering with light. A huge gash could be seen stretching from his head all the way down through the rest of his body, splitting him entirely in half. He seemed to be forcing the two halves to remain together.

He didn't seem to recognize any sort of pain as he watched Naruto disappearing. His eyes glittered with a mysterious light, and he smiled. Because his body had been split in two, however, the smile looked exceedingly savage and horrible.

"I underestimated you, child. It turns out you have a real precious treasure….

"However, you can't evade me." Even as he smiled that horrific smile, Madara's body grew completely blurry. Gradually, it turned into a wisp of aura, which then dissipated into the surroundings.

At the same time, in the mountains of the Uchiha Clan in the Southern Domain, Madara's true self lay in a coffin in the tomb underneath the 10th mountain. His eyes opened.

A strange light glowed within as he looked up at the cliffs stretching up above him. He began to chuckle hoarsely.

"If it weren't for the fact that I used my true self's power to interfere with the Hebi Clan and hide that child's Perfect foundation, they definitely would have noticed him. At some point throughout the years, they would surely have tracked him down him and stolen him away. If I had been there as my true self just now, I would have succeeded.

"However, the Perfect Dao foundation has matured, and is ripe for the plucking. Even though I still can't venture out with my true self, a clone will still do the trick. That Sword Chakra was obviously gifted by an outsider. How many times can he use it? Perhaps he's already reached the point where he can't." Madara shook his head and smiled. A ghost image suddenly appeared over him. In the blink of an eye, an illusory body rose up to float in mid-air. As it grew clearer and clearer, it started to resemble Madara in all respects.

The clone's hand flickered in an incantation, and after a moment, he frowned.

"Near the Milky Way Sea….

"The Milky Way Sea is a restricted area for the Dao Seeking stage…." Madara's Clone hesitated for a moment. Then his expression returned to normal. His eyes flashed as he slowly began to grow blurry.

On the edge of the Western Desert, between the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea, was a border region that stretched farther than the eye could see. That border region was actually nothing more than a wall-like mass of soil. On one side, the water was violet, the other side, the water was blue, making the difference between the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea clearcut!

In a particular area in that border region, a huge black vortex suddenly appeared in mid-air. Naruto staggered out from the middle of the vortex, blood spraying from his mouth.

The blood was pitch-black, and filled with rot. Naruto's face was pale, and his entire body was covered by a thin membrane, which was nothing other than the meat jelly, helping him to prevent his body from completely exploding.

However, Naruto could still sense his body slowly decaying. The feeling of imminent death grew stronger and stronger.

"MADARA!" Monstrous killing intent boiled in Naruto's eyes. He gritted his teeth as more blood oozed out of his mouth. This was was virtually the worst injury he had ever sustained in all his years as a Cultivator.

"That bastard was just a step away from being a false Immortal," squawked the parrot angrily, flapping its wings. "How could he be so shameless! Bitch! He actually attacked you, Naruto! Dammit! Lord Fifth was viciously sealed that year, otherwise, it wouldn't matter that the bastard didn't have fur or feathers, I would have popped him anyway!"

"What's a false Immortal?" asked Naruto. His hand was pushed up against his chest as intense pain wracked his entire body. Gradually, a violet light appeared in his eyes as he drew upon his longevity to heal himself.

"False Immortals are low-lifes who can never experience the luck to reach Immortal Ascension!" raged the parrot. "They don't have their own Dao, and yet, they refuse to die. In their unyieldingness, they conform themselves to the Dao of another, and use that to become Immortal. That's a false Immortal!

"Some people would rather die than become a false Immortal who belongs to someone else. Others, in order to avoid death, will pay any price. The latter are basically betrayers of the Dao!

"In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the greatest of the false Immortals are the Hebi Clan. The Hebi Clan changed the Heavens, and their Immortals are all false Immortals, and also the strongest of all the false Immortals!

"Next are all the various Clans and Sects. After gaining enlightenment of the Daos of their ancestors, they trod the path of the false Immortal!" This time, the parrot didn't hold any information back.

Naruto silently considered all of this. He had come to find that the Violet Pupil Transformation was becoming less and less effective in healing himself, and didn't heal as quickly as before. Although it still worked, it was far, far too slow. His heart sank.

"Some people with high aspirations, those who truly strive after the Dao, who live in the morning and die in the evening, would rather acquire their own personal Dao. Such people can face death willingly.

"When people like that succeed, they are true Immortals!

"However, after the Hebi Clan changed the Heavens, true Immortals are seldom seen. Perhaps every thousand years, one might appear on any given planet. Only on the four great planets can the Dao be confirmed and Immortal Ascension achieved. Once someone reaches Immortal Ascension on a planet, then in the next thousand years, a second person may not. Therefore, to say that in ten thousand years in the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, a few dozen true Immortals appear, would be an overstatement.

"When you add in true Immortal Tribulation, the number of true Immortals who can survive in the four great planets won't exceed ten!" By this point in its speech, the parrot sounded grieved and indignant.

"True Immortal Tribulation?" asked Naruto. He sent his Divine Sense into the blood-colored mask. When he saw that the mastiff was there recovering, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Those who wish to search for their own Dao and become true Immortals must face it. Succeed, and it is inconsequential. Fail, and they perish to become a natural law of Heaven and Earth.

"Success mean ascension to being a true Immortal. Afterwards, when any Immortal Tribulation falls, that person will rise to prominence. Other than another true Immortal, no one else could possibly be a match." It was hard to tell what exactly the parrot was thinking, but all of a sudden, its tone was gloomy.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked at the parrot and then asked another question. "That 10th Madara said something about a Perfect Dao foundation. What did he mean?"

"You cultivate the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Although I don't understand too much about it, I do know that it's one of the three classic scriptures. If you cultivate it to completion, you will be a Sublime Spirit Doyen!

"However, the Perfect stratum lies only beneath Spirit Severing. That is, Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul, four stages. As for how to cultivate it after that, nobody knows except for past generations of Sublime Spirit Doyens.

"As for the Perfect Dao foundation, that is something that only those who cultivate the Sublime Spirit Scripture are qualified to have. Furthermore, anyone with such qualifications will have a much, much greater chance of reaching true Immortal Ascension.

"As far as false Immortals are concerned, if they can acquire your Dao foundation, then it means they would have another chance to make a choice! With enough experience and preparation, they might be able to change their path from that of false Immortal to the realm of the true Immortal!

"Most importantly, possessing a Perfect Dao foundation means that if you fail in true Immortal Ascension, then you won't perish! You can shed your Dao foundation and escape death that one time!"

After hearing this explanation, Naruto now understood everything that Madara had said.

He also understood why the Hebi Clan had virtually never come looking for him. Most likely, many threats that he didn't even know about had been resolved in secret by Madara.

He was like a Dao Protector. Except, his purpose in protecting Naruto was to steal his Dao foundation!

"What happens if my Dao foundation gets taken away?" asked Naruto slowly, a profound gleam swirling deep in his eyes.

The parrot thought for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "If a tower has no foundation, what happens?"

"It collapses," replied Naruto coolly. "It's unstable and is destroyed."

"The same would happen to you. If someone steals your Dao foundation, then you'll die."

"Naruto, get out of here!" cried the parrot anxiously. "That bastard definitely got away. From what he said, he set you up as a Dao seed long ago. Flee! Flee until you've grown up a bit more!

"As for your aura, the meat jelly can conceal it. If the Uchiha Patriarch finds you any time soon, it won't be a good thing!"

Naruto stood there silently, indescribable emotions stirring him into a somewhat vicious mood. Gradually, his lips twisted into a cold smile.

He knew that compared to Madara, he was nothing more than a bug. However, his heart still thumped with viciousness. Now that this matter had been raised, it would not fade away. Instead, it had turned into something like a seed.

It was like a seed that was buried deep in the recesses of his heart.

"I came to understand the law of the jungle a long time ago," Naruto muttered to himself. "One day, I will achieve my Dao, and Madara will die. If the Uchiha Clan gets in my way, then when I have my own great Dao…

"I will ensure that the Southern Domain has no more Uchiha Clan, ever!" Filled with determination, the viciousness in his heart once again surged.

He took a deep breath and looked around. Then, he looked off in the direction of the Milky Way Sea, his eyes glittering. He began to fly at top speed, healing himself at the same time.

Eventually, he reached the invisible wall that completely separated the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea. He slammed into it, and then pierced directly through it. A fishy, sea aroma filled the air. This… was the Milky Way Sea!

A boundless sea surged in all directions. Off in the distance, the sun was setting. In the glow of twilight, all that could be seen were beautiful waves and a deep orange glow.

"I need to be cautious in all matters, prepared for all contingencies…." He lifted up his hand, within which was the teleportation jade slip. It was definitely on the verge of shattering now. After a moment's hesitation, his eyes filled with determination and he pressed down. Based on his understanding from previous usage of the item, he could tell that the teleportation distance was determined by how much Cultivation base power was sent into it.

He pushed down hard and, a moment later, a black vortex appeared around him. He was sucked in, and then disappeared.

After he vanished, enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. Suddenly distortions appeared in the air in the position he had just left from. A moment later, the image of Madara emerged. He looked around and then frowned.

"Very crafty, child," he said coolly. "Your aura disappears from here. However, I've already determined that you are in the Milky Way Sea.

"You can't evade me. Your Perfect Dao foundation belongs to me. You may enjoy hiding yourself, but I will find you." With that, his body flickered, and he vanished.

The Milky Way Sea was located in the middle of the lands of Lands of Ninshu, splitting everything into two continents, one comprised of the Eastern Lands and the Northern Reaches, the other of the Southern Domain and the Western Desert.

The area taken up by the Milky Way Sea is huge, far greater than either of the two continents. If you compared it in size with the Southern Domain, the Milky Way Sea would be approximately five times as large.

Therefore, it was divided up into four sections called Rings. The part outside of the Four Rings was called the Outer Sea.

The boundless sea was constantly plagued with hurricanes that swept about, causing huge waves to spring up. Still, there were many islands to be found, some large, some small, which meant that there were Cultivators too.

Of course, sea beasts swam to and fro within the sea waters. Their flesh and blood were often prized by Cultivators, especially the sea beasts that were similar to Cultivators, and were called Sea Demons. Their Demon hearts were highly valuable. Even one Demon heart could emit spiritual energy similar to a mid-grade Spirit Stone.

For these and a variety of other reasons, the Milky Way Sea had been a destination for Cultivators for many years. People settled down, multiplied, expanded, and soon power structures emerged.

There were both strong and weak powers in the Milky Way Sea, and they were distributed amongst the various islands that dotted the surface of the waters. Most of the powers existed in the Fourth Ring. Only some very powerful Sects or Clans qualified to reside in the Third Ring.

Of course, there were many legends that passed from ear to ear in the Milky Way Sea. Many seemed unlikely, but at the same time, many people believed them to be true. It seemed that when anything changed in the Milky Way Sea, there were always people who would attribute it to something strange.

It was a vast sea that would never be peaceful and calm, but would always be brushed over by hurricanes. This… was the Milky Way Sea.

In the Outer Sea region of the Milky Way Sea, a ship approximately three hundred meters long was moving along at high speed.

At the prow of the ship, a middle-aged man was casually recounting some Milky Way Sea legends to some youngsters who were gathered around him.

"According to the legend, there is an ancient ship which can be seen in the Milky Way Sea. Anyone who sees that ship will receive great blessings…. They say that an old man sits cross-legged at its prow.

"He wears a dilapidated suit of armor, and his eyes are closed. He never moves…."

The youngsters looked very excited. Apparently, this was a story they could hear a hundred times, but never get tired of.

Water sprayed up from the surface of the sea, and high up above the ship, a silk flag snapped in the salty breeze. Embroidered on the flag was the word "Zhang," along with the representation of a flying sword. That indicated that this ship belonged to the Isobu Clan, a Cultivator Clan of the Milky Way Sea.

There were approximately fifty people on the ship, most of whom were fit and strong, but mortal. There were only a handful of Cultivators, all of whom sat cross-legged in meditation. The only one who didn't was the middle-aged man at the prow of the ship, who was in the late Foundation Establishment stage. He was the one telling stories to the younger generation Clan members.

"Our Isobu Clan's Patriarch saw that ship a few hundred years ago," he continued in a low voice, taking advantage of the situation to subtly influence the younger generation of the clan. "He received a blessing just as the legends say; he had a Cultivation base breakthrough, and became a Core Formation expert.

"It was for that reason that he was able to occupy an island in the Outer Sea, and establish our Isobu Clan as a local power. All of you need to remember this!"

Among the group of youngsters was a strapping young boy who instantly spoke up. "We know that story, Uncle Bansai!" he said. His tone pleading, he said, "Tell us about Saint's Island!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, some of the other children began to beg for the same thing.

The middle-aged man laughed silently, not quite sure of what to say. He was about to begin speaking, when suddenly he sensed something. He turned his head to look at the ship's quarterdeck, and saw a beautiful young woman emerging. She wore a nautical silk jacket and skirt, and was naturally beautiful, radiant, and enchanting. A slight smile could be seen on her face as she stepped out of the quarterdeck. However, despite the smile, it was impossible to cover up the anxiety and unease in her eyes.

Holding her hand was a child of six or seven years old, a boy. He had plump cheeks, and looked quite adorable. As for the young woman, her Cultivation base was at the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

"Greetings, Clan Leader!" said the middle-aged man respectfully. He clasped hands and bowed deeply.

The other youngsters around him also bowed to her.

"We're all fellow Clan members, there's no need for such politeness," said the young woman, laughing. "Yagura wanted to see the sun setting over the ocean, so I brought him out to have a look."

The boy next to the young woman looked at the middle-aged man with wide eyes and piped: "Uncle Bansai, did I just hear someone mention Saint's Island?"

The middle-aged man laughed, and a doting gleam appeared in his eyes. To him, all the hope of the Clan rested on the future of this boy.

"Ah, Saint's Island," said the man, smiling. "It's the number one island in the Fourth Ring, and its Footloose Sect is the number one Sect in the whole Fourth Ring!

"Saint's Island is very large, almost like a continent! It's far, far larger than our island. There is even a nation of mortals that exists there, called the Great Turtle Country.

"Because the Footloose Sect has a Spirit Severing Cultivator, it can strike awe into the hearts of all the other forces in the Fourth Ring. It has many Cultivators; Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment Cultivators are everywhere. There are even dozens of Core Formation Cultivators! And when it comes to Nascent Soul experts… they have seven!

"In the entire Fourth Ring, there isn't a single Sect or Clan who could possibly fight back against their power. The Footloose Sect is fully deserving to be regarded as the overlord of the Fourth Ring.

"You all know the reason we're going there. Therefore, when we arrive, all of you need to be very respectful. Young Master Yagura has the best latent talent of anyone born in recent years.

"The Footloose Sect is accepting disciples, which means that our Clan has an incredible opportunity!" As of this point, the man's eyes shone with anticipation.

"If Young Master Yagura can join the Footloose Sect, then with his latent talent, he'll definitely be able to reach Foundation Establishment. There would even be the possibility that in the future, he could reach Core Formation! Then, he could be just as heroic as our Clan Patriarch, all those years ago!

"When that happens, our Isobu Clan will once again be able to rise to prominence in the Outer Sea!" The middle-aged man's voice was filled with passion. The youngsters around him looked over with admiration and envy at the boy standing next to the young woman.

The young woman tousled his hair, and was about to say something when, suddenly, her expression flickered. In the same moment that she looked up, so did the middle-aged man.

From the middle of the ship, a man and a woman suddenly flew up into the air. Both of them looked to be about fifty years old, and had Cultivation bases in the late Foundation Establishment stage. They stood on flying swords, expressions of shock on their face as they looked up into the air.

Everything was quiet, and everyone on the boat looked on, stunned.

What they saw was a huge rift soundlessly open in mid-air. It rapidly turned into a pitch-black vortex, which rotated rapidly as it turned into a black hole.

A man staggered out, blood spraying from his mouth.

He had long gray hair, and wore a white, blood-stained robe. His aura was unstable, and his face was pale white. Of course, it was Naruto.

The parrot perched on his shoulder, and its disdainful gaze swept around the area.

As soon as Naruto appeared, his internal injuries once again exploded out, which was something he hadn't anticipated. The second teleportation had actually ripped open the old wounds, causing the injuries to become even worse.

He hovered in mid-air, looking down at the people on the ship and the various expressions on their faces. It didn't matter that he was currently injured, as soon as his gaze swept across them, their hearts began to tremble and pound. They felt as if they were being stared at by an ancient, wild beast.

"My injuries are too severe," he thought, looking away. "I need to quickly find somewhere to begin healing." Ignoring the people on the ship below, he took a deep breath, and was just about to force his Cultivation base to rotate so that he could move off into the distance.

On the ship, everyone stood around as mute as cicadas in winter. Except for the young woman.

"Senior, there's no need to leave!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt regret. When Naruto looked back at her, she trembled, but then forced herself to clasp hands and bow deeply.

"Senior," she went on, trembling, "you're seriously injured. If you're searching for a place to rest and heal, our ship has first-class cabins as well as some medicinal pills. If you'd like, you can always treat yourself here." She clenched her teeth, and her heart pounded with nervousness.

When they heard her words, the faces of the surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators, including the middle-aged man, all fell. They couldn't understand why the Clan Leader would do something like this. They wanted to do something to stop it, but didn't dare to open their mouths.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he paused in mid-air to look at the young woman.

When he looked in her eyes, the young woman felt as if all Heaven and Earth were roaring, and she began to tremble even harder.

"What place are you going to?" he said, retracting his gaze.

"Our humble Clan is going to Saint's Island in the Fourth Ring, so that my son can join the Footloose Sect." The young woman didn't dare to hide anything, and also spoke very respectfully. As of this point, the other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators had guessed what her purpose was. Although they continued to tremble inwardly, they also felt a bit of anticipation.

Naruto didn't know where exactly this Saint's Island was, nor did he understand the power structures and various regions of the Milky Way Sea. After a moment of thought, he nodded and then floated down onto the ship. The young woman respectfully guided him to a private cabin protected by a spell formation.

Naruto nodded, then sat down cross-legged. As he closed his eyes, the young woman respectfully made her exit.

As soon as she left, the parrot disapprovingly said, "Why did you pick this place? Don't tell me you've taken a liking to that young lady? She doesn't have much fur. I actually checked her out a few times earlier…."

"It doesn't matter where I hide in the Milky Way Sea, it's all the same," replied Naruto coolly. "Even if I'm at the bottom of the sea, once Madara detects my aura, he'll be able to find me. Since that's the case, I might as well hide here. Who knows, I might even gain some unexpected benefits." With that, he began to rotate his Cultivation base. Violet light gleamed underneath his eyelids as he began to treat his injuries.

Time passed by. On the morning of the second day, the young woman brought some local Milky Way Sea food products. She also gave him a jade slip that had information about Saint's Island, as well as a sea map of the surrounding areas.

The map was the most valuable thing to Naruto. Although it seemed simple, it had actually been produced by information gathered by successive generations of the Isobu Clan.

The young woman wasn't sure of Naruto's origins, but just to be safe, she gave him the map as a show of good faith.

Naruto took the jade slip, looked it over, and then smiled. The young woman instantly felt a bit more at ease. She reached up to pull a strand of hair back over her ear. Her features were naturally beautiful, but the mixture of anxiety and relief caused her to look even more entrancing. Suppressing her own excitement, she respectfully left.

Naruto watched her leave. Based on his experiences, the reason she had asked him to stay was because she had experienced grave danger in the past. Thus, she had taken the risk to call out to him.

He then focused his attention on the jade slip. "So the Milky Way Sea is divided into four Rings…. The area outside the Fourth Ring is called the Outer Sea.

"Saint's Island. Great Turtle Country. Footloose Sect." After a bit of time, he put the jade slip away and then continued to treat his injuries.

Time passed by slowly….

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

Naruto spent the entire time with eyes closed in meditation, treating his injuries. During the seven days, the injures gradually healed by about thirty percent. Unfortunately, his fleshly body still couldn't hold together without the help of the meat jelly. It still needed time to grow stable. However, the wounds were gradually fusing shut.

Every day, he would eat three meals of fruit, personally delivered by the young woman. She was always very respectful.

She even offered up some Spirit Stones. Whatever Naruto requested was provided in full, and all his questions about the Milky Way Sea were answered in detail.

In addition to healing himself, Naruto was able to gain quite an understanding about the area.

During the seven days, the surface of the Milky Way Sea was calm and quiet. The Zhang ship from the Outer Sea bravely proceeded onward as it had from the beginning. Of course, now that Naruto was on board, everyone was a bit more nervous than before. However, nothing untoward occurred.

As time passed and Naruto continued to stay in secluded meditation, the young woman gradually felt more at ease. Her previous cheerful and playful attitude returned. Occasionally, her laughter rang out, filled with a bit of childish naivety.

The other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the boat were as nervous as ever. They understood what the Clan Leader was thinking, but in their opinion, what she was doing was like asking a tiger for its own skin, expecting a bad person to act against his own interest. In their opinion, young people like her didn't understand the ruthlessness of the Cultivation world. On the other hand, the three of them, having practiced cultivation up to the level of Foundation Establishment, and having maintained the position of the Clan on their island in the Outer Sea, had experienced many situations of deadly crisis.

They well knew that in the Cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevailed, and danger was the norm. One bad thing could lead to complete destruction, and could even affect an entire Clan.

Naruto had randomly appeared out of a bizarre black hole. Although he was weak and severely injured, the look he had given them seven days ago had caused them to feel as if they were frozen dead in the middle of winter.

They had the intense sensation that if Naruto wanted to kill them, then it wouldn't matter if he was even more severely injured, they would all be destroyed.

Currently, all of three of them stood at the stern of the ship, frowning and giving voice to the same concerns.

"This matter with the Clan Leader… it's not wise!"

"That man was severely injured, and arrived via teleportation. From the look of things, he must but the subject of pursuit. If his pursuers catch up with him, it could bring about the destruction of all of us!"

"Ai! I know what the Clan Leader is thinking. This journey to Saint's Island is our last shot. If we succeed, we can strike some fear into the Vain Clan so that they don't dare to act recklessly."

"We can only hope that Yagura will fight to excel. Hopefully he can stick out in the Footloose Sect's competition for new disciples."

The three of them exchanged glances and then sighed lightly.

The Patriarch of the Isobu Clan had founded their island in the Outer Sea. However, after he passed away in meditation, they had been forced to tread as carefully as if walking on thin ice. Another Core Formation Cultivator hadn't appeared in the Clan, which meant that the island they occupied soon came to be eyed greedily by surrounding neighbors.

Were it not for the spell formation left in place by the Patriarch before he passed away, as well as the magical items and social connections he had made, then they would have long since lost their island and become an auxiliary Clan.

They had managed to hold on for a while, until finally a crisis loomed. The Vain Clan, who occupied a nearby island, had long since begun to glare at them like a tiger eyeing its prey. Slaughter had been on the verge of breaking out.

During that moment of critical danger, the Isobu Clan Leader, which was none other than the beautiful young woman, had made a difficult decision. She took all of her people and left the island in secret to deliver her son to the Footloose Sect.

If he became a disciple of the Footloose Sect, then his identity would be enough to intimidate anyone in the Outer Sea. It would protect the Isobu Clan for at least around a hundred years.

The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators continued to discuss matters.

"This whole thing is going to be very difficult…. There's no need to even mention that after arriving at Saint's Island, it's impossible to know if Yagura will be able to distinguish himself amongst the crowd and enter the Footloose Sect. Regardless of anything, our path is going to be one of extreme danger."

"That's right. Rumors will have spread, and the news leaked. The Vain Clan won't be willing to accept this…. We can only hope that they react too slowly. Hopefully we left early enough to seize a superior position and evade their pursuit."

"In addition to the Vain Clan, there are also the numerous sea beasts that roam between the Outer Sea and the Fourth Ring, not to mention the cruel rogue Cultivators. How could our path possibly be one of peace and security?"

"However, this really is our only chance…." The three once more sighed and then lapsed into silence. They understood what the Clan Leader was trying to do, and since she had already made her decision, there was no need to spend time worrying.

Who knew? Perhaps… inviting the wounded expert to stay with them might have some extraordinary outcome.

At the same time that the three of them were having their discussion, the Isobu Clan Leader, the young woman, stood at the prow of the boat, clasping her son's hand. She looked off into the sky up above, unable to conceal her expression of anxiety and unease.

"Our voyage will continue for three more days before we reach the Fourth Ring," she murmured. "After leaving the Outer Sea behind, then we really will have evaded the Vain Clan…." Although the Vain Clan was not weak, that was only when speaking in terms of the Outer Sea. In the Fourth Ring, they could be considered bugs. In the analysis of the young woman, once they entered the Fourth Ring, the Vain Clan would most likely give up any pursuit and not dare to follow.

After all, she and her Clan were at the end of their rope, whereas the Vain Clan wouldn't dare to rashly put themselves in danger.

She looked down at her son and patted his head. "Yagura, you need to remember, the Footloose Sect pays a lot of attention to seniority. After we arrive, you must not make any breaches of etiquette."

The boy didn't seem to understand what she meant, but he nodded his head obediently. Her eyes filled with a doting expression, and she was just about to lean over to pick him up when her expression flickered and she suddenly looked behind her.

At the same time, the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the stern also looked back.

What they saw was a pitch-black ship speeding toward them at top speed. The flag flying on the ship was clearly emblazoned with a huge word.

Vanity!

This was a ship from the Outer Seas Vain Clan. They had been in full pursuit for days, and had finally caught up. On the prow of the ship stood four people, three of whom wore extremely respectful expressions. The other was clearly different than them.

He was an old man with an aloof expression. His eyes flashed like lightning, and he held his hands clasped behind his back. His voluminous robe flapped in the wind, and his long, white hair made him look completely extraordinary.

His Cultivation base emanated the ripples of the early Core Formation stage. It was for this reason that the Vain Clan ship had been able to pursue at top speed for so many days.

As soon as the young woman caught sight of the old man, the blood drained from her face. She began to pant, and her hands clasped down tightly onto her son.

The other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Isobu Clan also felt their hearts beginning to pound. Their faces paled, and their eyes filled with despair.

"Vain Clan… Patriarch!"

As the Vain Clan ship neared, the appearances of the old man and the other three who accompanied him grew clearer. Behind them appeared seven or eight Chakra Condensation Clan members, all of whom wore expressions of disdain.

Standing next to the Vain Clan Patriarch was a middle-aged man. He smiled and said, "Suiren, what's your hurry? Now that you've abandoned your Isobu Clan island, where exactly do you think you're going?"

Suiren walked to the stern of the ship, took a deep breath and then said, "Junior offers greetings, senior Vain. Senior, we've abandoned our island, and would simply like to get as far away as possible. Our two Clans were friends in the past. Don't tell me you won't even give us a chance to survive?" The other Isobu Clan Cultivators gathered around her, their faces filled with extreme grief and indignation.

The young woman's words were directed, not toward the man who had spoken, but toward the Vain Clan Patriarch. Despite matters having reached their current state, she still addressed him respectfully.

The Vain Clan Patriarch said nothing; he merely looked on with a proud expression. The Clan member standing next to him was the one to respond, his tone of voice filled with ridicule. "What a joke! Do you really take us to be three-year-old children? Do you really think we don't know of your plan, Suiren? You're obviously journeying to the Footloose Clan!"

"Junior can abandon everything, even deliver our island to you, senior. I can also swear that we have no intention to encroach on what is not ours. I just beg of you to be a bit lenient…." Suiren's face was pale, but before she could finish speaking, the Vain Clan Patriarch frowned.

"Pipe down!" he said coolly, his voice echoing about like thunder in all directions. The seawater roiled, and the minds of the Suiren and the other Clan members filled with a droning sound.

One sentence, two words. All of the Chakra Condensation Clan members coughed up blood. Only Suiren and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators got by with only pale faces. Their expressions were filled with increasing hopelessness.

"Where do you come up with so much nonsense?" said the Vain Clan Patriarch, his voice cool. "Kill them all! Old people, children, don't leave a single one alive!" With that, he waved his sleeve, and the surrounding Vain Clan members flew up into the air, vicious expressions on their faces.

Suiren clenched her teeth and looked back at the ship's quarterdeck. "Senior Liu!" she suddenly cried. "If you have a quarrel with the Isobu Clan, you can kill us, but do you really dare to trifle with our honored guest?!"

"Still making things up?" said the Vain Clan Patriarch with a cold snort. "You expect me to believe that the Isobu Clan has a Nascent Soul guest aboard? Or is it a Spirit Severing expert? Wouldn't that be a bit more threatening?" He had already swept the ship with Spiritual Sense, and had detected only the Isobu Clan Cultivators and mortals on the ship, no one else.

By this point, the Vain Clan Cultivators were closing in. A glowing shield sprang up from the Isobu Clan ship, blocking their progress. However, it couldn't do anything to stop the Vain Clan Patriarch. With a single palm strike, he caused a deafening boom to ring out. The ship sank down by more than half into the water, and the shield shattered into fragments.

The Vain Clan Cultivators proceeded onward with vicious grins. As soon as they reached the boat, Suiren and the other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators unleashed magical items and flashed incantations to summon magical techniques. Booms instantly rang out.

The massacre had begun.

"The Patriarch has issued the orders! Eliminate them completely, root and branch. They can only blame their own name of Zhang."

Some of the Vain Clan Chakra Condensation Cultivators, with hideous grins on their faces, headed toward the pale-faced and terrified youngsters. Suiren's eyes turned red, and the Clan members next to her were on the verge of going crazy and risking everything.

The Vain Clan Patriarch hovered in mid-air, staring superciliously out of the corner of his eyes. To him, all of these people were clearly insects.

However, it was at this moment, a calm voice suddenly echoed out from within the Isobu Clan's ship.

"Pipe down!"

It was only two words, but as the sound expanded out, it instantly suppressed all other sounds. It was louder than thunder, and gave rise to three echoes. It was also filled with intense pressure that weighed down on everything.

At the same time, within his cabin, Naruto's eyes opened. His gaze seemed to pass through the ship, making everything outside visible.

The instant his voice rang out, it gave rise to the first echo. Ripples appeared that headed toward the Vain Clan Chakra Condensation disciples who were about to attack the youngsters. They began to tremble, then blood sprayed from their mouths as they were sent tumbling backward. Then, their bodies simply exploded in mid air, countless pieces flying about in all directions. At the same time, all the other Vain Clan Chakra Condensation disciples suffered the same fate. They first watched on with blank expressions, then were shattered into chunks of blood and gore.

When the second echo rang out, the Vain Clan's three Foundation Establishment Cultivators' faces went pale white. They felt as if an enormous, invisible hand were bombarding them. They tumbled backward through mid-air, screaming miserably. In the blink of an eye, countless tears and rips could be seen in their bodies, and then, a moment later, they exploded into pieces.

The third echo caused the Vain Clan Patriarch, who was floating up above, to shake. His face instantly filled with an expression of disbelief and horror. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he retreated backward. He couldn't prevent his body from beginning to rip apart.

"This… this…." His mind roared with a terror he had never known, and then he suddenly thought back to how Suiren had mentioned an honored guest.

"Senior, spare me…." he screamed, his terror having reached the pinnacle. However, even as the words left his mouth, he suddenly burst into pieces, causing blood and flesh to rain down in all directions.

In that instant, everything went deathly silent….

Everyone who remained on the Vain Clan ship were all mortals, who were now watching on with pale faces, their bodies shaking.

As for the Isobu Clan members, including Suiren, they all stared in shock, and were also shaking. That was especially true of the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, whose faces were completely pale. They had no way to even imagine what kind of Cultivation base could destroy all their enemies with a single statement.

And that included an early Core Formation Cultivator, someone whose Cultivation base was the same as their own previous Patriarch!

"Nascent Soul eccentric!" That was what was now floating in the minds of the three.

Suiren's body trembled. She also had never imagined that the person she invited to stay on their ship would be so fearsome. Originally, she had taken him to be a Core Formation expert, but what she had just seen left her astonished to the extreme.

Had she known that Naruto possessed such a Cultivation base, she might not have had the courage to speak up and urge him to stay behind. However, she was the Clan Leader. Therefore, her first reaction was to instantly turn toward the ship's quarterdeck, then drop to her knees and kowtow.

"Thank you, senior… for your action just now…." Her voice quavered as she spoke. At the same time, the other members of the Clan, their minds trembling, began to drop to their knees to kowtow.

"Come on, let's keep going," replied Naruto from within his cabin. Suiren ignored the Vain Clan ship, and, her anxiety deepening, respectfully complied, having the mortal members of the Isobu Clan send their own ship forward.

Moments later, the Isobu Clan ship was moving on just as before. As for everyone on board, absolute silence reigned amongst them.

They remained in that state for three days, until finally the ship entered the Fourth Ring, and then everything finally changed.

However, everyone still acted extremely cautiously. Whenever any of them happened to pass Naruto's cabin, they would stop outside to bow before proceeding on their way.

Half a month later, the ship was speeding along through the Fourth Ring, and they drew ever nearer to Saint's Island. Although they weren't sure why, they hadn't encountered even a single sea beast or rogue Cultivator. Perhaps it was luck. That was not even to mention the pirate Cultivators who would cause anyone who discussed them to grow pale in the face.

Naruto had treated his injuries to the point where he was now sixty percent recovered. The meat jelly had finally sloughed off of him; his fleshly body was now recovered to complete stability. As long as he didn't get involved with a magical battle of the Spirit Severing level, he would be fine.

"This injury was inflicted by Madara, who has a Dao Seeking Cultivation base. That's why the Violet Pupil Transformation has been so ineffective." His eyes finally opened. After taking a moment to examine his Cultivation base, a smile appeared on his face for the first time in many days.

His Cultivation base, which had originally been compressed to 8 parts, now only consisted of 7 parts. The deadly pressure he had experienced in the magical battle with Madara had fused it together.

"My path to Spirit Severing is already opened. Soon… if I encounter anything that wishes to dominate me, I will have to be stronger than it and anything!" He rose to his feet and pushed open the door of his private cabin. For the first time in a month, he finally stepped foot outside.

The parrot had long since left for who knew where. Its personality was such that it couldn't remain quietly in one place for days on end. Once the meat jelly removed itself from Naruto, the two of them flew off to have fun somewhere.

It was midday, and the sun shone brightly. When Naruto stepped out onto the deck, the warm sun fell onto his back, and it felt good. There were a few youngsters of the Isobu Clan playing nearby. One of them was the boy named Yagura, and he was also the first to notice that Naruto had emerged. At first, his little face filled with hesitation. But then he remembered what his mother had said to him about being courteous. Ignoring his fear, he clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.

"Yagura offers greetings, senior uncle."

His words caused the other youngsters to notice Naruto. Instantly, their young faces went ghastly pale and filled with fear. The scene from half a month ago had been like something from a nightmare. All of them quickly began to bow.

Seeing the children caused a smile to break out on Naruto's face. He liked children. Even back in Konoha County when he was a scholar, he had been especially fond of kids.

After so many years had passed, after traveling the path of Cultivation and acquiring a longevity that far exceeded any mortal, there were many wonderful things about being mortal that seemed increasingly far away.

Seeing these children caused his eyes to grow soft and gentle. Glancing them over, he could see that their latent talent was all completely ordinary, except for the one called Yagura. His was slightly above the others.

Naruto smiled and asked, "What are you guys playing?"

"We're playing… hide-and-seek," replied Yagura a bit nervously. The other youngsters around him were even more nervous as they nodded their heads.

"He can hide really good…." said one of the other children bravely. He was a boy of about eleven or twelve years of age.

"Yeah, that's right! Every time he hides, nobody can ever find him!" said another child. Soon, all of the kids starting talking, one after another, saying this and that. Naruto's warm smile widened as he listened. Gradually, the nervousness they all felt began to dissipate.

"It's not that I'm good at hiding," said Yagura, his voice strong and clear. "You guys are just stupid and can't find me!" He glared around at the others.

When Naruto heard this, he laughed and looked at Yagura.

"Where exactly do you hide?" he asked with a smile. Some of the other children cocked their ears, obviously quite curious.

Yagura's face went a little red as he looked at the other youngsters. He seemed to be considering whether or not say anything. After all, if he told everyone his hiding place, then where would he be able to hide in the future? Finally, he took a few steps forward, and Naruto scooped him up in his arms. Yagura rested on his shoulder and then carefully whispered into his ear.

"Senior uncle, I always hide under my mother's bed. I just go where nobody else can go, it's simple, right?"

Naruto's eyes glittered. It really was a simple truth. If you were playing hide-and-seek, you should hide where no one else can go. In that case, of course they would be incapable of finding you.

Now that he thought about it, he and Madara were essentially playing a game of hide-and-seek.

It was in this moment that Suiren suddenly emerged from the quarterdeck. When she saw Naruto with the children, and especially the way that he was holding Yagura, she immediately started panting, and grew incredibly nervous.

"Yagura…." she said. She tried her best to remain outwardly calm, but her voice still quavered a bit.

When Naruto saw her looking over at them, he put the boy down and tousled his hair.

"Sly little fox," he said with a smile. Yagura blushed and then ran to hide behind his mother.

"Junior offers greetings, senior," said Suiren, breathing a sigh of relief as she bowed.

Naruto nodded, and was just about to say something when suddenly, his expression flickered. He looked off into the distance. There, within the range of his Divine Sense, an island had appeared. It was incredibly large, and just glancing at it, almost seemed like a continent.

Mountain ranges could be seen, as well as many areas swirling with mist that blocked his Divine Sense. He only examined the place for a moment before retracting his Divine Sense. According to the map in the jade slip he had been given, Naruto knew that their voyage was almost at an end.

"Senior, we have only half a day left. When evening falls, we will reach Saint's Island. Many thanks for your assistance," she continued, her voice sincere. "Our entire Clan will remember you from generation to generation, senior!" She gave Naruto a curtsying bow. She really was extremely appreciative; however, the awe and reverence she felt occupied the most of her heart.

By now, many of the others on the ship had gathered. They watched Naruto with heads bowed; they were so nervous that they didn't even dare to look up.

Naruto glanced over at Yagura and then casually said, "He's going to join the Footloose Sect?"

"That's right," replied Suiren quickly. "My son has the best latent talent in the Clan. The Footloose Sect is recruiting disciples right now, so if he can distinguish himself, he will put himself in a superior position, both for himself, and our entire Clan.

"The Footloose Sect is the most powerful Sect in the entire Fourth Ring. You could consider it the overlord, a force that nobody dares to provoke. They pay very close attention to seniority, and the Sect rules are very strict. In fact, they say that there is virtually no fighting between members."

"The Great Turtle Country," thought Naruto. "The Great Turtle Country." He said nothing, instead opting to stare off into the distance.

Seeing him remain silent, the rest of the people around didn't dare to speak. Time passed slowly, and Saint's Island grew nearer and nearer. The sky was starting to grow dark. In the murkiness of evening, the island resembled some enormous creature lying there on the sea. From a distance, it looked very grand and magnificent.

At the same time that Naruto neared the island, an old man wearing a Daoist robe sat in a luxurious palace deep in the mountains.

He bore the semblance of a transcendent being, and was dignified in appearance as he sat on his white jade throne. Next to him was an incense burner, beside which stood a beautiful girl. The girl yawned as she lazily fanned the burning incense, causing the tendrils of incense smoke to spread out.

Originally, the palace was completely silent, but suddenly, the meditating old man opened his eyes. He trembled, and a perplexed look could be seen in his eyes.

"Strange," he said, his eyelids twitching involuntarily. "Why do I feel so jumpy all of a sudden?"

"Rainy, what do you think is going on?" murmured the old man toward the girl as she languidly fanned the incense. "Why does the Patriarch suddenly have this feeling that something huge is going to happen?" The old man was obviously ill at ease, and in no mood for meditation.

"Maybe you did too many bad things?" replied the girl, glancing over at him.

"No, not me! The Patriarch has spent these years cultivating life and spirituality. It's been a long time since I even stepped outside." The old man found that his eyelids were twitching even more rapidly, and for some reason, the unease he felt in his heart was growing more intense. He stepped down from his throne and began to pace back and forth inside the palace.

The uneasy feeling kept growing stronger, leading him to believe that something akin to a disaster was just around the corner.

If the other members of the Footloose Sect saw his current appearance, they would be truly shocked, as if the Heavens had fallen. They would all drop to their knees to kowtow immediately. That was because this old man was none other than the Patriarch of the Footloose Sect.

In the entire Footloose Sect, his position was the highest, and absolutely without compare. In fact, he was the founding Patriarch of the entire Sect.

The Footloose Sect paid special attention to seniority; it was actually a Sect rule that he had established. People with different levels of seniority were required to show proper respect to those above them, which made a clear distinction between everyone.

As for him, he was Patriarch Footloose, a position without compare. In all of Saint's Island, he was the most supreme existence. A mere word from him could determine the existence or destruction of the entire island.

"Something fishy is going on! Something is definitely about to happen!

"I'm feeling more and more nervous, more and more jumpy!" The old man's face flickered, and the girl suddenly looked a bit suspicious.

"Something big is definitely about to happen," he said. "The Patriarch's premonitions cannot be wrong!" With that he suddenly stopped in place and looked up. A glow appeared in his eyes that seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth.

At the same time, an indescribably majestic Divine Sense suddenly spread out from him. It swept out in all directions, the mountaintop palace being the point of origin.

In the blink of an eye, the Divine Sense had covered the entire island. Every inch of dirt, every scrap of rock, every district, every person, every life.

Whether it be flying creatures in the sky, or the plants or animals on the ground, everything on the island was scanned and examined carefully by the Divine Sense.

"Nothing out of the ordinary?" said the old man. Now he looked even more baffled. He scanned back and forth several times, but couldn't detect anything that should make him anxious. Then, without even thinking about it, he caused the divine sense to expand out a bit further, to cover the sea area surrounding the island.

It was at this point that a tremor suddenly ran through the old man's body. His eyes went wide, and he looked off in a certain direction, a look of disbelief on his face.

In that direction, he could see a ship with his Divine Sense, a ship currently on its way toward the island.

In the prow of the ship was a man with gray hair, a pale face, and a long white robe. As soon as the old man saw him, his heart was thrown into chaos.

Beads of cold sweat began to pour down his forehead, and he started panting in unprecedented fashion. He almost didn't seem capable of believing what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes vigorously a few times, just to make sure he wasn't mistaken. Then, he let out a mournful wail.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit…."

Eyes filled with disbelief and blankness, he stared at the white-robed man. Although he looked different than before, the old man instantly recognized who he was.

"Naruto!" The old man gnashed his teeth, and a vicious expression appeared on his face. His entire body began to shake, as if he were infinitely furious.

"I hid here from you, and you, you, you… you actually tracked me down, you bastard!?

"You actually came from the Southern Domain looking for me?

"You, you, you….

"Won't you ever give up?! The League of Demon Sealers is a bunch of bastards! Yeah, that's right. All bastards! Stinking bastards!"

This old man… was none other than Patriarch Reliance!

The so-called Saint's Island was in fact the former Five Elements Nation. However, it had been transformed into something completely new by Patriarch Reliance, to the point where even the residents of the Five Elements Nation would never recognize it.

As for the Great Turtle Country, it was the new name for the old Five Elements Nation….

Regarding the Footloose Sect… it was nothing less than the old Reliance Sect. The Cultivators who made up the Sect were all previous members of the old Sects that had existed in the Five Elements Nation. After having fled the Southern Domain, the old turtle Patriarch Reliance had forced them into a corner, and they had joined the new Footloose Sect.

Hundreds of years had passed, so by now, they were all fully integrated into the Footloose Sect, and followed Patriarch Reliance's orders without question. As for Patriarch Reliance, in his efforts to hide himself from Naruto, he had changed his name to Patriarch Footloose.

In his mind, he had been conned all those years ago, and had been given no choice but to become the Dao Protector of the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer. With the Demon Seal in place, he couldn't fight back, and definitely couldn't harm Naruto.

However, even though he couldn't fight, what he could do, was hide. In his mind, hiding within the vast Milky Way Sea meant that he would most likely never meet Naruto again in his life. In that way, he could live a happy, footloose life. That was how he had come up with the new name Patriarch Footloose.

However, after seeing Naruto, everything changed in the blink of an eye.

"AAAARRGGGHHHHHHHH!" roared Patriarch Reliance. "The Patriarch's life is filled with suffering! I hide out here, and… dammit, I hide out here and the bastard can still find me!?" All the lands trembled slightly, and the seawater surrounding the island began to churn. It almost seemed as if there were some enormous creature under the water, flailing about.

"How could I possibly end up running into that Heaven-damned little bastard again?! That year in my Immortal's cave, he took away all of my treasures, all of my savings! He took my good luck charm, my Thunderclap Leaf, my Outlander Tree, my divine spirit plants, my Spirit Stone mountain!" Patriarch Reliance was obviously stingy to the extreme; he still clearly remembered everything that Naruto had taken from him hundreds of years ago.

In response to Patriarch Reliance's angry ravings, the beautiful girl next to the incense burner suddenly looked up. A look of reminiscence appeared in her lovely eyes.

She thought back to all those years ago, to the vow made by the young man on the shore, who wanted to help the North Sea turn into a real sea.

"Naruto…." said the girl, covering her smile with a hand. She started to laugh, and then, without even looking at Patriarch Reliance, flew into the air. The instant she emerged from the palace, she saw an old boatman leaning up against the wall, looking at her with a doting expression.

"Boat Spirit! Naruto is back!" This girl was none other than Haku!

A look of concentration appeared in the old boatman's eyes, and then he laughed. The girl shouted out in excitement, and then the two of them began to make their way off into the distance.

Patriarch Reliance suddenly looked up and then roared: "You two aren't going anywhere!"

Suddenly, the entire mountain that the palace was located on completely vanished.

At least, that is what someone looking from the outside would see. From the perspective of the mountain, everything on the outside disappeared.

"Fudge! Do I need to flee again?!

"Dammit! I lived here footloose and carefree for hundreds of years. Hundreds of years!

"No. I need to get away before he finds me. I can't allow him to figure out that I'm here." Gnashing his teeth, Patriarch Reliance flicked his sleeve. He was just about to send his Divine Sense back into his true self and then flee before Naruto stepped foot on the island, when suddenly, his eyes turned up thoughtfully.

"Wait a second. From the look of things, the little bastard doesn't know I'm here!" Patriarch Reliance's eyes suddenly grew bright. As for Haku, she didn't look very happy as she returned into the palace with the Boat Spirit.

"If he doesn't know that I'm here, then that must mean that he's not here to look for me, right? He just happens to be passing by!

"If that's the case, then what do I need to flee for? I don't! I don't need to flee! He doesn't know I'm here, so all I need to do is make sure he leaves without a hitch. As long as he doesn't detect me, then he won't have any reason to suspect anything!

"Hahaha! It turns out the Patriarch is the cleverest as usual. This way, I can continue to live here footloose and fancy free without any further complications!" The more he continued to talk, the brighter Patriarch Reliance's eyes glowed. As he paced back and forth within the palace, Haku watched on, her face growing increasingly unsightly.

"Didn't you make a promise to the Patriarchs from his Sect?" she asked, unable to hold back. "Why back out? Being his Dao Protector doesn't mean nothing good will come to you. Why do you have to constantly hide?"

"Silly little girl!" said Patriarch Reliance, glaring at her. "You don't know a damn thing!

"Hmm. You know, it was just recently that I remembered something. I feel like a long, long time ago, I met another little bastard who had the same name as this bastard!

"That other bastard went way overboard. It was back when I was little, and he bullied and humiliated me to the extreme!

"I almost forgot about it. It wasn't until recently that it suddenly came to mind!" Patriarch Reliance's eyes went wide with both humiliation and curiosity. He really had no idea why it was only recently that he had suddenly recalled the matter.

In fact, the clearness of the memory also contained haziness.

"Have you ever wondered why the Patriarch carries an entire continent on his back? You think I want to? It's a humiliation!" It wasn't clear what Patriarch Reliance was thinking about exactly, but his face was filled with fury.

"He must just be here to handle some matter or another. After he takes care of his business, he'll be gone. Once the little bastard is out of here, then everything will be fine!" Patriarch Reliance took a deep breath, and his eyes flashed like lightning. Having made his decision to get Naruto to leave as quickly as possible, he would now spare nothing to accomplish his goal.

Meanwhile, evening was approaching and the sky was growing dim. The seawater gurgled as the Isobu Clan ship neared Saint's Island. Naruto stood at the prow, looking at the sandy beach up ahead, and the densely packed docks. Scattered Cultivators flew about above the island, and people bustled about busily on the beach.

For some reason, Naruto felt as if he weren't in the Milky Way Sea, but rather, back in the Southern Domain.

In the following moment, Naruto noticed that the entire island seemed to tremble. His eyes narrowed. At the same time, the surrounding water surged with waves, causing the ship to rock up and down. Everyone on the ship cried out in alarm.

Naruto was astonished at the sudden appearance of the waves, however, in the space of just a few breaths, they calmed down. His brow furrowed, and he stood there thoughtfully for a moment before sending his Divine Sense out. Although he didn't detect anything out of the ordinary, he remained vigilant inwardly.

Not much time passed before they entered the docks. After the ship was secured, they disembarked, and finally managed to step foot onto Saint's Island.

Naruto didn't know it, but as soon as he stepped foot onto land, Patriarch Reliance's heart trembled.

The docks were constructed into the beach, and seemed quite simple. However, the atmosphere was incredible. For one thing, there were countless uniformed disciples directing the boats here and there.

These disciples weren't very old, and most of them had a Cultivation base at the Chakra Condensation stage. Occasionally, a Foundation Establishment disciple would stroll past on patrol.

They didn't wear haughty expressions, however, it was clear that deep in their bones, they held themselves high above the masses. The feeling wasn't very intense, but it was there. Despite that, they treated all the guests very courteously.

On the far side of the docks, horse carriages were lined up in rows. The horses that pulled these carts looked very bizarre. They didn't have four legs, but rather, six. Also, they had horns coming out of their heads. They looked like horses, but were also covered with tentacle-like feelers.

This was a unique wild beast in the Milky Way Sea that happened to be easy to tame. They were called Heavenly Horses.

Far off in the distance, three towering pagodas could be seen. Burning lights flickered inside, which would make them visible even from far off in the sea.

As Naruto looked at the three pagodas, he noticed that sitting within each of them was a cross-legged Cultivator. All were middle-aged; one had a Cultivation base at the mid Core Formation stage, the others at the early Core Formation stage.

Obviously, they were here to keep guard over the area and prevent any disorder from erupting.

The entire dock and beach could be considered a point of entry and exit of Saint's Island. Everything proceeded in quite an orderly fashion, despite the relatively large number of people present. Therefore, even though evening was falling, a clamor of noise and voices filled the air.

Even as they docked, Naruto saw at least ten more ships arrive, to be directed by the locals into various locations in the harbor.

No one actually approached the docked ships to receive any of the outsiders. This was Saint's Island, and the Footloose Sect was the greatest Sect in the entire area. Despite the stellar reputation of the enormous organization, they wouldn't send disciples to personally receive tiny Clans from the Outer Sea.

Of course, that included the Isobu Clan. During the time period in which the Footloose Sect was recruiting new disciples, many, many Clans from the Outer Sea would come. In fact, right now there were literally hundreds of boats moored to the docks. And this was only one side of the island. If you counted the docks on the other sides of the islands, the number of boats would exceed a thousand.

In addition to the people coming to join the Footloose Sect, there were others who had arrived to do business. Saint's Island was a huge place, and the Cultivator cities there were exceedingly famous.

In fact, there were some types of Cultivation resources that could be only be acquired in full on Saint's Island.

Right now, the sky was getting dark, and the ocean breeze blew across their faces, bringing with it the pungent smell of saltwater and sea life. Naruto breathed in deeply as he stood there on the deck, looking at the shadows that were distant mountains of Saint's Island.

The Isobu Clan members, under the leadership of Suiren, were preparing to disembark. The group of youngsters looked around with both nervousness and curiosity. Deep in their eyes could also be seen anticipation.

Yagura clasped his mother's hand tightly as he looked around. He looked a little bit scared.

As the Isobu Clan Foundation Establishment Cultivators engaged in the proper formalities with the Footloose Sect disciples in charge of the docks, Suiren turned to Naruto and gave him a curtseying bow. Her voice low, she respectfully said, "Senior, this is Saint's Island. Anyone below the Core Formation stage is prohibited from flying here, so we will need to travel by horse carriage…."

Naruto nodded but didn't say anything. It didn't take long for the Isobu Clan members to finish up with the Footloose Sect disciples, who then led the group toward three horse carriages.

This was the first time for the children, including Yagura, to see Heavenly Horses. They looked at them wide-eyed, desiring to near them, but also afraid. This was also Naruto's first time seeing such beasts, and he couldn't help but stare a bit.

It was at this point that some Cultivators walked off of the deck of a newly arrived boat off in the distance. They wore resplendent clothing, and were led by man of roughly thirty years of age. His appearance was beyond ordinary, and he had a Cultivation base at the great circle of Foundation Establishment. He was followed by a group of four or five Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who in turn led seven or eight children along with them. The whole group casually looked over Naruto and the others as they neared.

The thirty-year-old man in the lead position suddenly made an "eee?" sound. He stopped in place and looked at Suiren. She saw him as well, and her face flickered.

"Wenfang!" the man said slowly, obviously recognizing her.

She pursed her lips, a complicated expression on her face as she curtseyed to him with clasped hands.

"Brother."

Upon hearing her words, the rest of the Isobu Clan members' faces also flickered. As for the Cultivators behind the thirty-year-old man, they all seemed to be thinking the same thing as they looked over.

The thirty-year-old man stood there silently, his gaze as sharp as a blade. When he saw Yagura standing there holding Suiren's hand, he frowned.

Suiren bit her lip, then finally lowered her head and said to her son, "Yagura, this is your uncle."

"Hello, uncle," said Yagura in his clear, crisp voice. A bit of fear could be seen on his face.

The thirty-year-old man snorted coldly.

"Wenfang," he said coolly and in a very impolite tone, "Father and Mother are still furious about what happened all those years ago. If you have a heart, you'll come home and let them talk to you. Don't continue to lose face and make a fool of yourself among these outsiders!

"As for this child…. Don't have him call me uncle. Did you really bring him here to try to get him into the Footloose Sect? You've overrated yourself from when you were young, and now you're getting your own son to do the same. You're just going to disappoint people." The people behind him began to chuckle, especially the group of children, within whose eyes scorn could be seen.

Yagura was shaking, and looked even more scared. Suiren suddenly looked over to glare at her brother. Breathing heavily, she said, "I already cut off all ties with you people that year."

"Suiren!" growled the man, his eyes growing wide.

"Ass Hole of the Hole Clan, I am Clan Leader Suiren of the Isobu Clan," she retorted coolly. "You aren't even qualified to speak with me." With that, she tugged her son's arm to get into a horse carriage.

The other members of the Isobu Clan glared with hostility at the members of the Hole Clan, then began to enter the horse carriages. As for Naruto, his expression was the same the entire time, and he did not speak a word. In fact, he had long since taken a seat up front on the bench seat of one of the horse carriages.

No one dared to try to convince him to sit anywhere else. They all lowered their heads wordlessly as the horse carriages began to slowly make their way off.

"Slut!" said Ass Hole coldly, his voice loud enough for all the Isobu Clan members in the horse carriages to hear. "I offer to give you some face, and you reject it? Our Clan suffered shame because of you, and now you dare to bring that bastard son here to join the Footloose Sect!?

"Since you insist on bringing your little Isobu Clan bastard here to lose face, then I look forward to seeing just how far he can get through the competition!"

The Isobu Clan Cultivators clenched their fists, and Suiren sat there in the horse carriage, her face pale and her arms wrapped around Yagura. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, but tears were streaming down her face.

"Don't cry, mother," said Yagura, wiping the tears off of his mother's face. "I'll definitely get into the Footloose Sect!" he guaranteed, his voice soft.

Naruto sat on the bench seat of the horse carriage. As the Heavenly Horses sped along the well-maintained road, he looked up at the canopy of stars overhead. He also heard what Yagura said inside the horse carriage.

"What a good kid," he whispered, shaking his head. Based on his experiences, it was simple for him to understand the situation with the Isobu Clan. Obviously, there was an unapproved marriage, after which the husband died. The Clan then began to deteriorate, leaving the wife responsible for her husband's role of leading the Clan.

The Heavenly Horses sped along through the night. At dawn the following morning, a city appeared up again. Even from a distance it appeared majestic and magnificent. Despite the early hour, the city was still like a seething cauldron of activity. People walked hither and thither, and a buzz of excitement filled the air.

Up in the air, colorful beams of light could occasionally be seen flying about. Those would be Core Formation Cultivators.

Naruto looked everything over, and suddenly got the feeling that there was something out of the ordinary with this Footloose Sect. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about Saint's Island that felt very familiar to him.

Upon close examination, he was sure he hadn't seen any of these places before, but he still had an intense sensation of familiarity. However, after much thought, he wasn't able to determinate what the source of that familiarity was. They entered the city through the east gate, and then eventually reached a tavern. Suiren respectfully escorted Naruto to a luxury room, and then was about to go to arrange rooms for everyone else.

She wasn't sure what Naruto was thinking, and wasn't certain that he would continue to escort them. Before leaving, she hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and asked, "Senior, there are still ten more days until the Footloose Sect begins the formalities of recruiting new disciples…."

Naruto nodded, but didn't respond. Suiren respectfully left.

It was currently early morning. Naruto opened his window and looked out at the people walking around on the street below. There were quite a few mortals mixed in with the Cultivators. The rays of the rising sun shone down to illuminate everything.

He took a deep breath, then sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, surrounded by the sounds of the bustling city.

"Why does this place seem so familiar?" he thought once more.

Despite the fact that Naruto's current Cultivation base allowed him to fight First Severing Cultivators, he still couldn't detect the stream of Divine Sense that cautiously swirled beneath his feet.

The owner of the stream of Divine Sense was of course Patriarch Reliance, who sat in his palace, more jumpy than ever.

"Fudge! The little bastard is here. And it turns out he's escorting some people who want to join the Footloose Sect!" Patriarch Reliance was incredibly depressed. If he had known this was the situation, he would have simply canceled the Footloose Sect's call for new disciples.

That way, he could have completely prevented Naruto from even coming.

"I can't let this stand. With him here, the Patriarch can't sleep well. I need to get him out of here as soon as possible…. Dammit, there's still ten days before the recruiting begins? No, that won't work. We'll start tomorrow…. FUDGE! Let's start now!" with that he raised a hand, causing a jade slip to appear. Instantly, flames appeared on its surface and it flew into the air.

It transformed into a shocking beam of light which then sped directly toward the Footloose Sect.

The Footloose Sect was located in the east region of Saint's Island, in a boundless stretch of wild mountains. There, nine great valleys could be seen, spread out in concentric rings. Although they looked majestic, there was also something strange about them. Inside of the nine valleys were countless richly ornamented palace buildings. Everything was luxurious and lavish.

The jade slip immediately entered the ninth valley, and a huge temple that lay therein. It came to stop in front of an old man who sat there cross-legged, somberly providing admonition to the group of people sitting in front of him.

As soon as he saw the jade slip, a tremor ran through the old man's body. He quickly pinched the jade slip, then prostrated himself on the ground and lifted it high above his head. Instantly, the voice of Patriarch Reliance could be heard.

"Disciple recruitment begins immediately!"

It was only four words, but as they echoed out through the Footloose Sect, and the other deep valleys, colorful beams of light immediately shot out to gather in the main temple of the ninth valley.

These people were the Sect Leaders of the various auxiliary Sects from the other valleys. Their Cultivation bases were extraordinary, and some of them were Cultivators with whom Naruto had butted heads in the past.

Moments later, bells could be heard tolling throughout the Footloose Sect. Footloose Sect disciples flew out by the hundreds to head off in all directions. It was time to notify the visiting Clans that the disciple recruitment was beginning!

Naruto was flabbergasted. And it wasn't just him. The group from the Isobu Clan were also shocked. In fact, everyone who had come to Saint's Island with the hope of joining the Footloose Clan were completely astonished.

The day for disciple recruitment was clearly ten days away, but then suddenly, the date was moved up. Many people began to feel nervous and alarmed, as if something incredible was about to happen.

An enormous event like disciple recruitment was no child's game. As such, even if the date were moved up, it shouldn't have been changed to earlier than the next day. There definitely should never have been a situation in which… it began that very day.

After all, it was already noontime….

Most importantly, there were many people who were still out at sea, hurrying on their way.

There were many speculations and inquiries, of course. Even the Footloose Sect disciples were complaining. They had no idea what major event was underway; all they could do was carry out matters according to the orders from the Sect.

Therefore, the Footloose Sect dispatched large numbers of disciples to begin to gather together all the prospective new disciples and bring them to the main gate of the Footloose Sect.

Before the Isobu Clan left the tavern, Suiren hesitated, then invited Naruto to proceed along ahead with her. Naruto muttered inwardly for a moment, but then he saw the anticipation on Yagura's face, and he couldn't refuse. He joined the Isobu Clan as they went to be teleported to the Footloose Sect.

When they arrived near the main gate, a hubbub of voices could be heard. Already, more than a thousand people could be seen, although only about three hundred were actually there to join the Footloose Sect. The rest were just along as escorts.

Among the crowd was the Hole Clan, who, when they caught sight of the Isobu Clan, gave cold, contemptuous laughs.

The Isobu Clan had arrived somewhat late, and so were forced to wait at the end of the very long line. In the Footloose Clan's disciple recruitment, there were three trials by fire, each one of which could only have three participants.

Of course, in addition to the members of the various Clans present, there were also quite a few Footloose Sect disciples, there to maintain order. They acted very courteously, but it was also impossible for them to hide the pride they felt in their bones.

In the crowds, everyone was talking about the goings on.

"Three trials by fire. The first tests willpower, the second tests latent talent, and the third tests powers of insight. In every stage, you can earn first, second, third, or fourth rate marks…. anyone who gets three first place marks is worthy of the title Chosen."

"Yeah, that's right. In all the years, I don't think anyone ever got three first place marks. At the most, there may have been some people who got two."

"Furthermore, the Footloose Sect is very strict in its requirements for recruiting disciples. You have to get at least full third rate marks to get into the Sect. Even one fourth rate mark means that you're out."

Back at the end of the very long line, Naruto yawned as he listened to the conversations around him. According to his calculations, it would take at least two or three days for the Isobu Clan to get to the front of the line.

Yagura was extremely nervous. Suiren stood next to him, offering quiet words of encouragement. Naruto looked around, and even sent out his Divine Sense to sweep over the Footloose Sect.

"This Sect is a bit odd," he murmured to himself, his gaze flickering. "It's made up of nine valleys."

At the same time, Patriarch Reliance sat in his palace, wearing a worried face.

"This is taking too long…. The little bastard is escorting someone to join the Sect, but, hey, couldn't you go to the front of the line, huh?! Why did you run to the back!? What do you think you're doing?!" Patriarch Reliance clenched his teeth, then sent his Divine Sense out to cover over the whole Footloose Sect. Eventually, it came to rest on a disciple near Naruto and the others.

The disciple was currently looking coldly out at the crowds, inwardly confused about why the Sect suddenly moved up the date for recruiting disciples. Even in the midst of his contemplation, his body suddenly trembled, and then his eyes began to grow brightly.

As of this moment, he was no longer himself. Instead, he had become a clone of Patriarch Reliance. He began to walk forward, eyeing Naruto and shivering a bit. Then he turned toward the Suiren and Yagura.

"Are you the Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea?" asked the Patriarch Reliance-controlled Footloose Sect disciple. His voice was cheerful as he stepped forward to examine Suiren and the other members of the Isobu Clan.

Suiren was taken aback, as were the other Clan members around her. In fact, the members of other Clans that were lined up ahead of them couldn't help but turn around to look.

"Yes, we're the Isobu Clan," replied Suiren as quickly as she could.

"Wonderful, wonderful. The descendant of an old friend is here!"

The Footloose Sect disciple sighed emotionally. "Years ago, I used to be very close to your husband, and even owed him a favor. To be able to see all of you here today is nothing less than fate. Come, let me escort up to the front." With that, he quickly grabbed Yagura and began to walk forward.

Suiren stared in shock, wracking her brain to try to remember what past incident the man must be referring to. The other Clan members were also astonished. Even after thinking for some time, they truly couldn't recall their previous Clan Leader having a close relationship with any Footloose Sect disciples.

"This…." Suiren hesitated for a moment, but seeing that the disciple had already begun to pull her son away, she quickly followed. The other members of the Isobu Clan also went along. Naruto watched everything happening, and then joined them.

The group made their way from the very back of the line toward the front, which instantly attracted the attention of everyone who was waiting. That was especially true of the Hole Clan, who watched on in astonishment as everything happened.

Immediately, people began to call out questions.

"Fellow Daoist of the Footloose Clan, dare I ask why they get to go from the back of the line to the front?"

"Yeah! They were in the back! They can't just randomly cut in line! How come they can so brazenly go all the way to the front!?"

Now even more people were paying attention. As soon as they saw what was happening, they were shocked, and couldn't understand why the Footloose Sect, which normally paid such close attention to rules and regulations, would allow something like this to happen.

Meanwhile, there were other Footloose Sect disciples who saw what was happening. One of them happened to be a Core Formation Cultivator who was in charge of maintaining order in the area. When he saw what was happening, he frowned.

"Ittetsu!" he shouted, a dignified expression on his face. That was the name of the Footloose Sect disciple who Patriarch Reliance was controlling with his Divine Sense. "What are you doing? It doesn't matter if you're longtime friends with these Zhang people, you…" Before the Core Formation Cultivator could finish speaking, Patriarch Reliance up in the palace gave a cold snort, and sent out more Divine Sense.

A virtually imperceptible tremor ran through the Core Formation Cultivator, and then his eyes glittered brightly.

"Wait, these guests are the Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea?" His expression one of excitement, he immediately stepped forward to glance over the group from the Isobu Clan.

This scene caused all the surrounding Footloose Sect disciples as well as the visiting Clan members to exchange astonished looks.

"The Heavens finally take notice, and allow me to see you members of the Isobu Clan!" said the Core Formation Cultivator, looking very excited. "The descendant of an old friend is here….

"Years ago, I was close friends with your Isobu Clan, and even benefited from a great kindness on the part of the Clan. Come come, I'll take you to the first place in line!" With that, he took gaping Yagura from Ittetsu without any further explanation, and headed off toward the front of the line.

Suiren stared in astonishment once more. She felt as if her mind was spinning. She looked back at her other fellow Clan members, but they had looks as blank as hers. No matter how they wracked their memories, they couldn't think of any time in which their Patriarch had any close friends at all.

The rest of the Clans who were here to join the Footloose Sect all watched on in astonishment, especially the Hole Clan. Their eyes were widest of all, and filled with disbelief.

It was in this manner that, under the leadership of the Core Formation Cultivator, the Isobu Clan continued on from the back of the line directly toward the front. The entire time, the Cultivators of the Isobu Clan almost couldn't believe what was happening.

However, their expressions of confusion quickly turned into excitement.

Right now, more than half of the Outer Sea Cultivator Clans had come. There were even some Clans from the Fourth Ring. As of this moment, everyone now took note of the Isobu Clan, and many people began to discuss the matter in hushed tones. Many people glanced over at them with admiration and envy.

The Hole Clan members all had faces pale and filled with disbelief.

"This… this is impossible!"

By the time Yagura arrived in the very first place in line, Naruto's shock at the sudden change of events caused him to feel that something fishy was going on.

Meanwhile, back in the Saint's Island palace, Patriarch Reliance looked quite proud of himself.

"Humph. The Patriarch prevails again! The only thing to do is to get the little bastard out of here as quickly as possible. I don't care what price I have to pay!

"Wait. No. I need to speed things up. The best thing would be to settle things within ten breaths of time. I need to make sure he has no reason at all to stay here. That way he'll screw off as quickly as possible!" Again, Patriarch Reliance sent Divine Sense out to cover the Footloose Sect.

In the blink of an eye, the Divine Sense split into dozens of streams that all settled into different individuals.

And then…..

Suddenly, an old man flew out from within the Footloose Sect. He obviously had a Core Formation Cultivation base, and as soon as he appeared, he laid eyes on Zhan Wenfang. "The Isobu Clan is here?! The Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea?"

The Clan members in the line immediately gaped.

"That's Hidero!"

"Hidero is one of the most powerful experts in the Footloose Sect. He has an incredibly high position!"

"Don't tell me… that he also owes a favor to the Isobu Clan?"

The old man quickly approached. "So, it really is the Isobu Clan. Excellent, excellent! The descendant of an old friend is here! I will definitely take advantage of this day to pay back the favor I owe to the Isobu Clan!"

However, before he could even get close, before the crowds in line could digest what was happening, while the Isobu Clan members were all still in a daze, roaring shouts could be heard from within the Sect.

"The Isobu Clan is here?!"

"So, it really is the Isobu Clan! They actually made it to the Footloose Sect!"

"The benefactor is here! I, Scrub, must go to pay my respects!"

Shockingly, ten figures appeared from within the Footloose Sect. Each and every one was of the late Core Formation stage, and they actually comprised more than half of all the Core Formation Cultivators in the Clan.

As they flew out, a buzz could be heard from within the crowds in line. All of the Cultivators from the Outer Sea Clans were trembling in astonishment. The Fourth Ring Cultivators were even more dumbstruck as their gazes followed those of the ten Core Formation Cultivators to fall onto the Isobu Clan.

Suiren stood there dully, as did the other Isobu Clan Cultivators.

They were even starting to get a bit frightened. They had never heard anything about their deceased Patriarch having so many friends….

Naruto's eyes were wide as he watched on. What was happening really was far too strange….

"Heavens, it's actually true! Those ten or more Footloose Sect Honor Guards are all figures who could shake the entire area with the stomp of a foot. And they all… actually owe a favor to the Isobu Clan!"

"The old Isobu Clan Patriarch was only at the early Core Formation stage. How could he get these people from the Footloose Sect to owe him a favor?"

The crowd was abuzz, and the Isobu Clan were standing there wide-eyed.

"Was the Patriarch… really so illustrious back in the day?" thought Suiren. She looked a bit dazed. She had never heard such a matter spoken of back in the Clan. In her memory, before the Patriarch died, although he'd had a few friends, few were the sincere type. Besides, he had been dead for so long that any friendly sentiments had long since faded away.

Were that not the case, the Clan wouldn't have been forced into the dead end they had been, with no choice but to give up their island and come to this place.

However, what was happening right now was very real, causing Suiren to grow even more confused.

Intermittent gasps could be heard coming from the crowds in line, and their faces were filled with disbelief and astonishment. All eyes in the area were completely fixed on the members of the Isobu Clan.

Although most of them dared not allow their envy and jealousy to show on their faces, such feelings filled their hearts.

That was especially true of the Hole Clan, whose faces were pale white, and whose hearts had seized with terror. How could they ever have imagined that the people they had just looked down upon and even shamed, the down and out Isobu Clan, could have such a glorious past?

"No wonder little sis cut ties with the Clan to marry into the Isobu Clan," thought the man from the Hole Clan. "I didn't understand back then, but now…." Having gained this new understanding, he suddenly felt a bit different.

As for the other Outer Sea Clans who had conflicts with the Isobu Clan, they were now scared witless and panting heavily. Not only were their hearts filled with fear regarding what might happen later, they were also inundated with intense animosity.

"I can't believe the Isobu Clan has such incredible connections…. Why didn't they say something earlier? Nobody in the Outer Sea would have dared to pick on them."

Suiren subconsciously glanced at some of her fellow Clan Members. What they all saw was mutual shock regarding what was happening.

"Could it be because of me?" thought Naruto. He couldn't help but think this, and as he did, his eyes glittered. He looked at the Honor Guards from the Footloose Sect, and although it was impossible to tell what they were thinking, his eyes narrowed.

"Descendants of our benefactor, please accept our salute!" With that the Footloose Sect Honor Guards excitedly clasped hands and began to bow. There were even a few of the elderly members who had tears streaming down their faces. The joy they felt seemed beyond description.

The Isobu Clan members were overwhelmed by the unexpected show of favor, and even tried to shrink back. Suiren had no idea what she should say. However, her heart filled with joy that she simply couldn't suppress. It was like the saying "when the bitterness ends, the sweetness begins." Tears began to roll down her face.

From the day she had married into the Clan until now, she had never experienced anything like this. The proud and elated feeling and the looks on the faces of her Clan caused the excitement in her heart to be equal to that of the Footloose Sect members in front of her.

The ten Honor Guards all began to speak one after another.

"Does this child wish to join the Footloose Sect?"

"What need is there to wait in line? We've been waiting for the descendant of a benefactor to come join the Sect! We can accept you immediately! Inner Sect disciple!"

"That's right! He's an Inner Sect disciple!"

They reached their decision very quickly.

The scene caused all the other Outer Sea Clans who were waiting in line to be filled with envy. Any Clan would wish their child to be treated in such a way. Who wouldn't want to be invited into the Clan, as opposed to have to pay respects to enter?

Meanwhile, in the palace of Saint's Island, Patriarch Reliance's face was covered with a complacent grin. He stood up and began to stroll back and forth, giving Haku no choice but to watch on helplessly.

"The Patriarch is the smartest yet again," he said. "Hahaha! Now the little bastard has no reason whatsoever to stay behind. Get out of here immediately, kid! Screw off with no delay!" As Patriarch Reliance thought about how proud he was of himself, he began to laugh heartily.

However, in the midst of his laughing, his face suddenly fell, and he sent his Divine Sense out one more time.

Even as the Honor Guard members were excitedly discussing their decision to accept Yagura as an Inner Sect disciple, a cold voice like that of a thunderclap suddenly filled the Footloose Sect. The voice immediately caused everyone's hearts to tremble.

"What's the commotion!?" The cold voice which echoed out from the mountains belonged to that of an old man. "Accepting new disciples is a great matter within the Sect, and yet you people are here causing a racket! What a travesty!"

As soon as the grim-faced old man appeared, the ripples of a Nascent Soul Cultivation base emanated out. Everyone immediately began incredibly nervous.

"That's… that's Lord of the Third Valley!"

"The Great Valley Lord came personally! Don't tell me he's also friends with the Isobu Clan?" The crowds in the line, as well as the other Footloose Sect disciples who were not affected by Patriarch Reliance's Divine Sense, were all making the same guesses inwardly.

"Even if you all are old friends with this Clan," the old man said coolly, "the Sect still has its rules, and those rules won't change." His expression was not one of anger, but power. His words instantly shook everyone present.

"In the Footloose Sect," he continued, "there is nothing more important than rules. Anyone who wishes to join the Sect must do so according to the rules." His ice-cold gaze fell onto the members of the Isobu Clan. "All of you, go back to your original position in line. After enough time passes, you will naturally reach this position."

Immediately, the Cultivators from the other Clans in line felt roused. They had felt that what was happening was unfair, but didn't dare to give voice to such thoughts. Now that they saw a Valley Lord of the Footloose Sect administering justice, they felt that the rumors about the Sect were true; they really did strictly adhere to Sect rules.

Suiren's face was pale white. She immediately bowed her head and voiced compliance. The feeling caused by joy being reversed into the opposite filled her with complete shame. However, she feared causing problems for the Footloose Sect Honor Guards who were friends of the Clan, so she immediately acquiesced, grabbing Yagura, who was trembling with fear, and began to make her way back to the end of the line with her other fellow Clan members.

The Hole Clan immediately went wild with joy when they saw this. They said nothing, but the looks of ridicule and disdain in their eyes were impossible to cover up.

"As for the lot of you," continued the old man, his eyes cold, "you're Honor Guard members of the Footloose Sect. Your actions just now were completely beyond the bounds of propriety! You will all be punished by being confined to your quarters for three months!" His words rang out, filled with an incredible feeling of might and dominance.

However, as soon as the old man spoke the words, he suddenly heard a furious voice echoing in his own ear: "I'll punish your ass!"

The raging voice was like thunder, although no outsider could hear it, only the old man. As soon as the powerful sound echoed about in his head, his face fell.

Naturally, he knew exactly who it was who was speaking to him.

"All of this was by the order of the Patriarch!" raged Patriarch Reliance, sounding flustered. "Fudge! You completely ruined my big plan! I'll skin you alive!" He seemed truly enraged.

Just when the goal he had worked so hard to reach was about to be accomplished, a bit of interference ruined everything. Of course, Patriarch Reliance was scared. He was scared that Naruto would figure out that something was going on. He was so furious that he wanted to slap this old man to death immediately.

When he sensed the Patriarch's rage and killing intent, the Lord of the Third Valley instantly began to shake. Suddenly, he looked up at the Isobu Clan retreating toward the end of the line, and his mind became very clear.

"Wait!" he cried, immediately hurrying forward.

"Are you people from the Isobu Clan?" he then asked, his voice filled with excitement. Teardrops could be seen forming in the corners of his eyes. His voice caused the other Outer Sea Clan members in line to instantly gape in shock. They simply couldn't wrap their minds about what was happening….

They weren't the only astonished ones. The surrounding Footloose Sect disciples all had blank expressions on their faces. The events of the day were simply… too strange for them to understand.

As for the Isobu Clan members, they stopped in their tracks, then turned to look at the old man who was scurrying over.

Suiren looked at him and hesitated for a moment before quietly responding, "Senior…. We… we are the Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea."

"So it is the Isobu Clan after all!" said the old man. He stamped his foot, causing the nearby mountain peaks to rumble, and the ground to quake.

"This is all my mistake," he said. "Earlier I was inside, and when I sensed that something big was going on, I came out. However, I didn't recognize you! Aiya! I have only myself to blame!" With that the old man laughed emotionally. From his expression, he seemed to be thinking about past times.

"I'll never forget how your Isobu Clan Patriarch showed me such kindness that year. He even saved my life six times! If it weren't for him, I would not be alive today. The descendant of an old friend is here. Ah, the descendant of an old friend is here." He sighed again as his words echoed about. Everyone was instantly stunned.

That was most true of the Hole Clan, who watched on with wide eyes, breathing heavily, their minds trembling. They truly could never have imagined that the Isobu Clan would have such deep relationships, to the extent that one of the nine Valley Lords of the Footloose Sect owed them a great favor.

"Now that his descendant has come to the Footloose Sect, even if we have to bend the rules a bit, I will assume all the responsibility," said the old man resolutely. "I will not allow a descendant of the Isobu Clan to suffer any shame here!" His gaze swept about, and all of the Outer Sea Clan members had no choice other than to bow their heads. Inwardly, they were completely shaken.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and a slight smile had appeared on his face. Although he could sense no familiar aura, considering his past experiences, how could he not see through the bizarreness of the goings on?

"Interesting," he thought. "As far as I can recall, there's only one old bastard who likes to handle things in such an unreliable fashion."

Suiren was currently trembling. The joy and surprise that had come her way was almost too much to handle. Currently, her blankness and confusion were almost at the pinnacle. She was just about to say something when suddenly, the Third Valley Lord took a few steps forward and then picked Yagura up into his arms.

"They look alike!" he said. "They really look completely alike! A single glance at this child and I can't help but think of the Isobu Clan Patriarch.

"Child, are you willing to accept me as your Master?"

At the moment, most nervous of all was Patriarch Reliance, who panted in his palace as he watched the scene down below. He was dying to hear Yagura voicing his acceptance.

"Hurry up and agree, child!" he murmured. "Come on, hurry up! I beg you, just agree…. The Patriarch promises you, if you agree, then from now on, I will watch over you in the Reliance Sect, er, no, I mean the Footloose Sect!" However, he didn't dare to do anything to obvious, lest Naruto sense something amiss.

Yagura was extremely nervous, and even scared. His face was pale, and without even thinking about it, he turned to look back at his mother, and then for some reason, Naruto.

Had he not looked at Naruto, then Naruto wouldn't have inserted himself into the matter. However, considering how helpless the child looked in his inability to make a decision, Naruto couldn't help but smile and then casually say, "No need to rush into things. Considering the child's latent talent, I think he should have a bit better standing in the Sect."

When Patriarch Reliance heard this, blood sprayed out of his mouth like a geyser. He lifted his head back and let out a howl of indignation.

"You little bastard! What do you want? What are you doing!?" Patriarch Reliance clenched his hand into a fist and then slammed it into the ground. A boom filed the palace, causing the entire mountain to shake. In fact, waves rolled out across the sea surrounding the island.

"You're messing with me, aren't you, you little bastard!" fumed Patriarch Reliance. "I'm acting with good will and good intentions! I helped you pull everything off smoothly, and then you refuse!?" His voice rolled back and forth within the palace, but did not echo outside. He was now agitated to the extreme, and on the verge of flying into a rage.

"Are you really trying to push the Patriarch into going insane! FUDGE! The Patriarch refuses to play your little game. I'll just take the Footloose Sect and leave. The Patriarch can't afford to provoke you, so he'll just avoid you completely!" Patriarch Reliance was just about to follow through with his words, when suddenly he seemed to think of something.

"Wait. No!" A look of suspicion suddenly appeared on his face.

"That little bastard is crafty to the extreme. At the moment, he still doesn't know that I'm here. If I appear, then the cat will be out of the bag. If he finds out I've been hiding in the Milky Way Sea…." Suddenly, Patriarch Reliance's eyes flashed.

"Hmmpphh. The Patriarch is intelligent, divine and mighty. How can I possibly be fooled?" Patriarch Reliance's voice dripped with disdain. "Clearly the little bastard is feeling out the situation. Therefore, I will not reveal myself, no matter what happens. I'll just hold on…. So what if he takes a Master? That doesn't count for crap! He won't accept one Nascent Soul Master? How about a group then!? I can't believe that he'll refuse!" Once again, his Divine Sense spread out through the entirety of the Footloose Sect.

Meanwhile, outside the main gate of the Footloose Sect, Naruto's words echoed out, causing Suiren to gape in surprise. Yagura looked at Naruto wide-eyed for a moment, then immediately spoke in his crisp, clear voice.

"I don't accept…."

The Third Valley Lord's heart immediately quivered, and he glared at Naruto hatefully. He was just about to say something when, all of a sudden, eight streams of Divine Sense shot toward them.

Eight figures became visible in mid-air. Although their faces were not clear, the ripples of a Nascent Soul Cultivation base were quite clear. The entire Footloose Sect trembled, and the sky flashed with a riot of colors. The wind and clouds were thrown into upheaval, and brilliant rays of light shone out in all directions.

It instantly caused countless disciples to approach the area; as for the Footloose Sect disciples who were already at the main gate, their faces flickered and they all began to drop to their knees to kowtow.

The Outer Sea Clan members in line began to pant. They watched the scene in shock, their minds trembling.

"The nine great Valley Lords are all here!"

"What exactly is going on? Don't tell me… don't tell me all of them are friends with the Isobu Clan?"

The Isobu Clan members stood there trembling, filled with blankness and also fear because of everything that was happening.

A deathly silence then filled the air. Naruto looked up, eyes glittering. Although all of these people were Nascent Soul Cultivators, there were odd ripples emanating from their bodies. With Naruto's Cultivation base, he could sense them, but couldn't see clearly exactly what they were.

Of course, considering they were Lords within the Sect, they would certainly possess some secrets to elevate their level of dignity, which Naruto understood.

"This child has destiny connecting him to the Footloose Sect!" said an archaic voice from within one of the eight streams of Divine Sense up in mid-air. The voice echoed out throughout the entire Footloose Sect.

"After discussion, we nine great Valley Lords all accept this child as an apprentice! He will join the Footloose Sect as a Conclave disciple!"

The voice reverberated out into the ears of everyone present. The other Clan members from the Outer Sea watched on, panting with unprecedented anxiety. Far too many unexpected turns of events had occurred, to the point that they would be unable to forget this day for the rest of their lives.

The disciples of the Footloose Sect were completely shocked, and they all began to look over at the young child held in the arms of the Third Valley Lord.

It must be stated that within the Footloose Sect, there were only three Conclave disciples! As of this moment, there were four!

Complete silence followed, after which an explosion of sound could be heard. That sound was caused by the voices of the crowds in line as they expressed their disbelief and utter shock.

The matter that had just occurred would soon spread out through the entire Outer Sea, as well as the Fourth Ring. Throughout all the years, such an event had never occurred in the Footloose Sect. The Nine Valley Lords had all accepted a single person as an apprentice! That person would quickly become completely famous.

As for the Isobu Clan, they would experience a meteoric rise because of the events of the day. Whether it be in the Outer Sea or the Fourth Ring, because of their relationship with the Footloose Sect, no one would ever dare to provoke them. It wouldn't take very long for word of this matter to spread everywhere.

The Isobu Clan was destined to rise to fame.

Suiren panted at this unexpected blessing. It was simply too amazing, causing her entire person to tremble, and tears to pour down her face. The Isobu Clan members around her were also excited to the extreme.

Naruto smiled. When he noticed Yagura looking back at him again, he nodded.

Yagura mustered his courage, and then clearly spoke out. "Yagura accepts the senior grandpas as Masters!"

His voice wasn't very loud, but as soon as it rang out, everyone, be they Footloose Sect disciples or Outer Sea Clan members, knew that as of this instant, this boy was… completely different from them!

With the nine great Valley Lords as his Masters, he would be the number one person in the entire Footloose Sect. In fact, as long as his latent talent wasn't extremely poor, he would surely reach Core Formation!

From now on, the Isobu Clan would be like a blazing sun in the sky. Everyone who had ever looked down upon them would be forced to bow their heads in compliance. Anyone who had disputes with them in the past would only be able to writhe in fear and send gifts of apology in great numbers.

Anyone who had blood enmity with them would be forced to immediately flee the Outer Sea. Otherwise, they would never be able to find shelter anywhere.

The Isobu Clan was like the carp who leaped over the dragon gate and received the highest reward. That was the final assessment of everyone present.

Tears streamed down Suiren's face. The joy in her heart caused the most brilliant smile she had ever smiled to appear on her face. "Husband, is your spirit watching all of this from the underworld…?"

The other Isobu Clan members watched on with wild joy, as if they could see the countless possibilities that had now opened up for their future. They thought back to the past, and then considered the future, and seemed to have acquired new enlightenment. Their new understanding would keep them going as they reached out to a higher realm.

Most excited of all, however, was no member of the crowd, and no member of the Isobu Clan. Instead, it was Patriarch Reliance, up in his palace. He was so excited that his body trembled as he paced back and forth. He looked over at Haku with a scornful expression.

He, of course, didn't care about what was happening with the Isobu Clan. Intense anticipation appeared in his eyes as he looked off at the Footloose Sect and Naruto. He hoped fervently that all of this was enough to cause Naruto to leave Saint's Island.

"You have no reason to stay behind, you little bastard, so why don't you go? Hahaha! Screw off at top speed! Do not under any circumstances allow me to see you again!" Patriarch Reliance thought about what it would be like if Naruto left with absolutely no suspicions. Then he would be able to openly live a footloose and fancy free life. When he thought about that, it filled him with excitement, almost as if he had gotten some sort of revenge. The more he thought about Naruto leaving, the more anticipation he felt.

Currently, the entire Footloose Sect was in an uproar. Naruto was laughing, and his eyes glittered. Then, his expression returned to normal as he looked over at Suiren and the others.

From the look in his eye, it seemed that he was still worried about the Isobu Clan members, apparently concerned about their safety in the future.

Although others might not be able to read his expression, Patriarch Reliance was completely focused on Naruto, and immediately sensed it. Without hesitation, he sent his Divine Sense into the nine Valley Lords.

Almost as if they knew what Naruto was thinking, the nine Valley Lords instantly began to speak.

"The members of the Isobu Clan are close friends with the Footloose Sect. You will stay on Saint's Island in your own area, which will belong to you in perpetuity."

Instantly, waves of intense envy and jealousy filled the hearts of the various Clan members from the Outer Sea. After all, one of the reasons they hoped to join the Footloose Sect was to not just for the opportunity for a single member of the Clan, but for the entire Clan to have the chance to move to Saint's Island.

It was an honor, and a very high position. After moving to Saint's Island, the Clan would never again need to worry about its continued existence in the future. The Footloose Sect would be their biggest protector.

Now, everyone watched on as the previously down and out Isobu Clan received such incredibly good fortune. Various complex thoughts filled the hearts of everyone present. Everyone immediately made the decision that they would spare no effort or cost to become friends with the Isobu Clan.

As for the Hole Clan, their hearts began to pound with fear and intense terror. They worried that retaliation would come from the Isobu Clan, which would turn into a great catastrophe that they couldn't withstand.

This particular phase of a disciple becoming apprentice to a Master was now concluded. The crowds of Clans waited to continue with the process of trying to join the Sect, while the Isobu Clan, to everyone's envy, was led away respectfully by Footloose Sect disciples. As for Naruto, Patriarch Reliance watched with eager anticipation as he finally parted ways with the Isobu Clan.

Yagura gave Naruto a deep look. He waved, his face filled with unwillingness to part.

Naruto reached out to tousle the boy's hair. Then he muttered for a moment and slapped his bag of holding to produce a bottle of medicinal pills, along with a few magical items, all of which he gave to the boy.

"Focus on practicing cultivation," said Naruto. "You never know, we might meet again someday in the future." With that, he patted Yagura's shoulder and then turned to walk off into the distance.

Suiren watched Naruto walking off, and then looked at the gifts he had given Yagura. Her eyes filled with deep gratitude, she dropped to her knees and respectfully kowtowed to him.

Perhaps through all eternity, they would never know the real reason why Yagura had been accepted as an apprentice.

Naruto made his way off.

Under Patriarch Reliance's anticipatory gaze, he left the Footloose Sect mountains. As soon as this happened, Patriarch Reliance smiled, and was so excited that he almost let out a huge roar.

He couldn't help but feeling happy at how superior he considered his intellect to be. Right now, it seemed like everything he looked at filled him with happiness. His eyes squinted with joy as he watched Naruto making his way further and further away.

However, in the midst of all his smiling, he suddenly gaped.

That was because even as Naruto turned into a beam of prismatic light that shot throughout the air, he suddenly stopped and looked down. There below him, not far away from the Footloose Sect, was one of the largest Cultivator cities on Saint's Island!

"Uhh? Come on, get going!" said Patriarch Reliance, staring. "What are you waiting for, huh?"

Naruto hovered in mid-air, rubbing his chin. Although it was impossible to tell whether or not he was doing it on purpose… he began to mutter to himself.

"Before I leave, I really need to purchase some items. It probably won't be easy to find a Cultivator city like this one out on the Milky Way Sea.

"Furthermore, these Footloose Sect Cultivators are good people. The prices here probably will be pretty low, and definitely not too high. If they were too high, then I might be forced to stay on Saint's Island for even longer." Clearing his throat, he flew toward the city.

Patriarch Reliance watched on blankly as Naruto descended upon the city. He wanted to cry, but had no tears, and was on the verge of going mad. He began to pant and walk in circles in the palace, gnashing his teeth.

"I've already mostly succeeded. If I have to keep on, then so be it! I'll deal with it! No Spirit Stones! Fudge! I'll give you some!

"As long as you leave, I'll do anything!"

Naruto was in a good mood….

It was a warm, sunny day, and evening was approaching. The color of the sky and the scenery around him all looked incredibly beautiful. The more he looked at it, the better he felt.

His body flickered as he shot through mid-air toward the city. Almost in the same moment in which he was about to arrive, seven or eight streams of Divine Sense suddenly neared him. Almost as immediately, they dispersed in amazement.

Naruto had only revealed an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base. Even still, that caused quite a bit of shock amongst the people in the city. No one dared to block his way, and they allowed him to enter the city.

The Cultivator city was crowded and bustling with activity. All types of shops could be seen, and although most of the Cultivators were in the Chakra Condensation stage, there were some Foundation Establishment and even the occasional Core Formation.

When it came to Nascent Soul Cultivators, Naruto saw a few. Clearly, they were not members of the Footloose Sect but rather, Cultivators come from the Fourth Ring to do business.

As soon as he entered the city and began to stroll about, he saw shops on both sides of the street filled with luxurious products; customers were constantly walking in and out. As for the streets themselves, they were paved with green limestone, making the whole place seem even richer.

As he walked, Naruto noticed a mid Core Formation stage Cultivator up ahead. He wore a light green robe, and looked quite mighty, even threatening despite his lack of angry expression.

He was walking up ahead of Naruto, and was just about to enter a shop off to the side, when suddenly a growl could be heard off in the distance, and a bright beam of light shot toward him at top speed.

"Banna, you traitor! So it turns out you hid here after daring to steal my Spirit Stones!? Well I, Iwaji, swear that you will be slain this very day!" A middle-aged Cultivator could be seen approaching. His Cultivation base was at the Core Formation stage, and his power seemed boundless. He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing two flying swords to emerge with sharp glows. They instantly shot toward the Cultivator with the light green robe.

The man's face fell, and he had no time to evade. Instantly, fighting broke out between the two of them. Attacks exploded out, forcing quite a few nearby onlookers to dodge out of the way.

They fought openly, surrounded by explosions that rose up into the sky. Magical items and divine abilities were unleashed, and both men coughed up blood and then fell back. Almost in the same instant that they fell back, the Footloose Sect disciples in charge of maintaining order rushed toward the scene. A cold snort filled the entire area.

"Magical fighting is prohibited in Saint's Distance City! The two of you screw off immediately!"

The echoing voice caused the face of the Cultivator named Iwaji to flicker. As he looked up, the Cultivator named Kanpu took advantage of the pause to retreat further. It was hard to tell whether or not it was intentional, but his movement brought him right next to Naruto's side. Before any observer could see what happened, the man slipped a bag of holding to Naruto.

"Please watch over this for me, Fellow Daoist," he said. "I'll be back within three days at the least. If I haven't come to get it within three days, then everything inside belongs to you." With that, he flew up into the air. The Cultivator named Iwaji let out a roar and then began to chase him. The two of them quickly vanished.

Naruto stood there blinking. The fight had started far too quickly, and ended even faster. Naruto looked down at the bag of holding, wiped away the brand mark without hesitation, and then scanned it with Divine Sense. Instantly, a strange expression appeared on his face.

There was nothing inside other than Spirit Stones…..

Furthermore, there were more than 30,000 of them.

Naruto cleared his throat, then calmly put the bag of holding away, his expression the same as ever. There really was nobody he knew so unreliable as to be able to pull off something like this which was so full of sloppy mistakes.

Upon first stepping foot onto Saint's Island, Naruto hadn't thought too much about why the place seemed so familiar. But then he realized that it looked so different from that familiar place in his memory that it seemed obvious someone had altered it, even moving mountains and rivers to make it different.

And then… everything went completely smoothly, especially all the matters to do with the Footloose Sect. Naruto couldn't help but start getting a bit suspicious. Considering everything, it was only natural that he realize what was happening.

"It's a good thing that when I went to the Bridge of Immortal Treading that year I got a bird's eye view of the Milky Way Sea, and realized that the old bugger was hiding there," he thought. "If it weren't for that, I might have had my suspicions, but I couldn't have been sure.

"The old bastard really is good at hiding. Even my Demon Sealing senses couldn't pick up on his aura." Naruto coughed lightly, then, without batting an eyelid, continued onward.

Meanwhile, back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance was nervously staring at Naruto. He watched him put away the bag of holding and then let out a sigh. Then, he started to complain regretfully.

"Oh, my Spirit Stones. Those are the Patriarch's 30,000 Spirit Stones… gone, just like that. Everything here on Saint's Island belongs to me, only to be gone, just like that….

"Dammit, you little bastard! Nothing good ever happens when I run into you!" Patriarch Reliance gnashed his teeth, but there was nothing else he could do. He could only silently pray that Naruto would leave as quickly as possible.

As for Naruto, he patted his collection of free Spirit Stones, and then glanced around. Soon he caught sight of a shop that specialized in magical items. His eyes narrowed as he strode toward it.

Even on the outside, the shop looked extremely luxurious. Upon entering, he could see that it had three floors, and that the glow of magical items was shocking. The products available started from the Chakra Condensation stage and even went up all the way into the Nascent Soul stage. There were special and incredible items available for all stages.

Currently, there were about seven or eight Cultivators in the shop, looking through various treasures, followed by salespeople with radiant smiles. In the middle of the shop was an incense burner, from which wisps of smoke radiated out, filling the entire first floor with an elegant aura. As soon as someone entered, it was possible to calm the mind and simply enjoy the high-end atmosphere of the shop.

As soon as Naruto stepped foot inside, an old man wearing a long gown approached smilingly. He clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist, welcome to one of the top ten shops in all of Saint's Distance City. We guarantee quality, and are honest with all customers. You can set your mind at ease when you do business here.

"What exactly are you looking for?" The old man's smiling words seemed somehow familiar to Naruto. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that they were almost exactly the same words he had used in his own shop back in the Reliance Sect.

The old man had a passable Cultivation base of the early Foundation Establishment stage. His latent talent was ordinary, and he was not on the verge of any sort of breakthrough, which was why he maintained such a position in this shop. He quickly measured up Naruto. Although he couldn't clearly see Naruto's Cultivation base, based on the way he carried himself, the old man could see that he was full of money.

"You're funded by the Footloose Sect?" asked Naruto, sounding a bit surprised.

The old man looked both proud and embarrassed as he laughed and nodded.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, "is this really your first time to Saint's Island? There are three Cultivator cities here, and many of the shops in those cities are the property of the Footloose Sect.

"Take a look here." The old man pointed to a wooden plaque next to the door, upon the surface of which was clearly carved a design that looked like a turtle….

"That mark," continued the old man, "indicates that this place is property of the Footloose Sect."

Even as the old man made his explanation, Patriarch Reliance's heart began to pound, and he started wailing in anguish.

"I'm finished, FINISHED!" he cried. "How could the Patriarch in all his intelligence forget about THAT!? Dammit! That design…. Please, DO NOT let it attract the attention of that little bastard!"

In his anxiety, Patriarch Reliance quickly sent his Divine Sense into the old man that Naruto was talking to. An imperceptible tremor ran through the old man, and his expression changed. As of this moment, he was no longer himself, but rather, an incarnation of Patriarch Reliance.

"Fellow Daoist, look over there!" he said quickly, stepping in front of Naruto to block his line of sight. "All of the treasures in this shop are very extraordinary, really!"

Inwardly, Naruto gave a cold laugh, but outwardly, he looked in the direction in which the old man was pointing. There was a flying saber, completely silver and radiating icy coldness. The price listed next to it was 1,500 Spirit Stones.

It was a magical item useful to the early Foundation Establishment stage. Naruto looked it over and then frowned.

"Too expensive!" he said, his voice serious.

The old man laughed on the outside, but inside, he was cursing Naruto's stinginess. "The Patriarch just gave you 30,000 Spirit Stones, and now you're saying it's too expensive?!"

"Fellow Daoist, today is your lucky day! It just so happens to be our crazy, once-a-decade sale! All products in the entire shop are half off! You can have this item for only 750 Spirit Stones!"

Naruto didn't look satisfied. "This thing is worth 30 Spirit Stones at the most. Forget it. I think I'll go to some of the other shops in the city. Then I'll probably go to some of the other Cultivator Cities as well." With that, he turned to leave.

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, a tremor ran through Patriarch Reliance. When he heard that Naruto planned to stroll around the city, he began to grieve inwardly. Gritting his teeth, he decided to throw all caution to the wind.

"Fine. 30 Spirit Stones! It's yours!"

Naruto spun back around and grabbed the little saber, his face awash with joy. Then he waved his finger at the hundreds of other magical items on display on the first floor of the store.

"I want all of them," he said.

Patriarch Reliance stared in shock. However, in his desire to get Naruto away as quickly as possible, he could only grit his teeth and endure the drops of blood that were being squeezed out of his heart.

It was in this manner that, under the shocked gazes of the other customers, Naruto purchased everything on the first floor of the shop. Then, even as Patriarch Reliance was starting to get excited, Naruto didn't leave, but rather made his way toward the second floor.

"Everyone says that the people from the Footloose Sect are good people. Although I've seen many things, I have to say that this is the most honest shop I have ever been into. Alright, I'm going to take a look at the second and third floors. Assuming I like what I see, I'll take it all. 30,000 Spirit Stones should be enough for everything, right?" He swished his sleeve magnanimously.

Patriarch Reliance, in the form of the old man, almost coughed up an entire mouthful of blood. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was just about to howl out in rage, when Naruto continued to speak in a soft voice.

"I'll leave after I finish shopping."

The sentence caused Patriarch Reliance to gasp. He continued to remind himself that he just had to hang on a little bit longer. As he comforted himself in this way, he gave a smile that looked worse than a wailing grimace, and then escorted Naruto through the second and third floors. He moved as quickly as possible, and soon, Naruto had gathered up all of the magical items.

In the final calculation, there were several thousand items. Even at the price of only 30 spirit stones per item, he still needed over 100,000 Spirit Stones.

Patriarch Reliance felt as if his heart were being slashed by daggers. His face was pale as he stared helplessly at Naruto, seemingly on the verge of crying.

When it came time to settle the bill, Naruto rubbed his bag of holding, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

"I don't think I have enough Spirit Stones," he said a bit bashfully. When Patriarch Reliance heard this, he gaped in shock.

"What… what are you trying to pull?!" cried Patriarch Reliance. The old man he was controlling trembled as he pointed at Naruto and nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance stamped his feet with fury and let loose a torrent of cursing. His fury surged to the Heavens, and he seemed on the verge of going insane.

"You little bastard! You, you, you… you have no money?! Then what are you doing!?

"You have no money and then try to buy so many things?! Dammit! You have no money?! The Patriarch just gave you 30,000 Spirit Stones!? 30,000! 30,000 whole Spirit Stones! The Patriarch lived a bitter, frugal life to save up all those Spirit Stones!" Years ago, Naruto had defied all sorts of difficulties and danger to attract all the Cultivators from the Five Elements Nation to the Reliance Sect to free Patriarch Reliance. At that time, Patriarch Reliance's heart had filled with joy. However, he had only rewarded Naruto with a single low-grade Spirit Stone. From that could be seen the level of stinginess which had long since become a part of Patriarch Reliance's very being.

"Furthermore, every item in that shop belongs to the Patriarch! You have no money and want to buy everything? Ridiculous!"

Seeing Patriarch Reliance raving the way that he was caused Haku to purse her lips. However, her expression quickly returned to normal, except for the glint of shrewdness in her eyes.

"The old turtle really is looking for trouble," she thought, feeling a bit sorry for Patriarch Reliance. "Naruto conned the entire Five Elements Nation back then. There are people who still remember that down to this day. And yet the old turtle is still trying to match wits with Naruto? He's simply looking for trouble….

"Although, you can't really blame the old turtle. He's getting old, and his brain is somewhat addled. Perhaps it's because he was beaten in the head when he was young?" The more she thought about the matter, and of all the things that had happened in the past years, the more she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Patriarch Reliance.

Of course, Naruto had no way to see or even know what was going on in the palace. He looked apologetically at the old man who stood in front of him.

"How about this," he said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "How about I do some work for you? I'm sure that in a few dozen years, I can clear all of my debt! Yeah… I'm pretty good at concocting medicinal pills."

Patriarch Reliance, in the form of the old man, stared fixedly at Naruto. He began to pant, and it almost seemed as if steam was rising from the top of his head…. Inside his mind, two people suddenly appeared. One of them was giving advice, and the other was venting angrily.

"Alright Patriarch, it's time to risk it all!"

"No way! I've worked so hard, and almost pulled it off! I'm just about to succeed! I just have to hold on a little bit more! A little bit more is all! Then, I'll finally be able to gaze upon hope!

"The sunshine always comes after the storm!" Even as Patriarch Reliance was feeling conflicted, Naruto cleared his throat.

"Or, maybe I just shouldn't buy these things," he said. "I think I should go browse some of the other shops. I'll try to finish going through them all within a year. After that I'll head over to the other cities…."

These words were like a trump card that Patriarch Reliance couldn't match.

"How much money do you have?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Naruto blushed. "I have 5,000 Spirit Stones in my bag of holding."

"You…." Patriarch Reliance almost screamed out that he had just given Naruto 30,000 Spirit Stones. However, he suppressed his heart for a long moment; he felt as if he had just been stabbed through, and there was no blood left to ooze out….

"Ha ha…." he said through clenched teeth. However, to achieve his goal, he had no choice but to continue to endure. Even if it caused Naruto become somewhat suspicious, he had no choice. After forcing out his laugh, he said, "You're… you're really lucky! Today is… our opening-day celebration! We have a huge… sale! 5,000 Spirit Stones gets you everything in the store!"

Eyes sparkling, Naruto quickly placed 5,000 Spirit Stones in front of the old man, then collected together all of the magical items into his bag of holding. Then he smiled and gave a light sigh.

"The people of Saint's Island, and especially the members of the Footloose Sect, are all good people," he said. With that, he spun and left, flying directly up into the air and shooting off into the distance.

When Patriarch Reliance saw this, his deeply injured spirit was finally able to recover a bit.

"As long as you leave, that's all that matters…. Just go!" he said, gnashing his teeth. "You little bastard! I don't ever want to see you ever again in my life!" He gradually calmed his mood, then stopped thinking about Spirit Stones and magical items. If he did, he was worried that he might not be able to take it and then explode with fury.

However, even as Patriarch Reliance struggled to improve his mood, Naruto suddenly stopped flying. He looked down as he noticed a second city down below.

When he saw this second city, a smile appeared on his face.

Currently, it was the middle of the night, and yet, the city was still filled with bright lights and activity. Even at this hour, the shops weren't closed. The whole city was bustling, making the entire city seem like a bright, dazzling pearl.

Patriarch Reliance: "…."

He stared blankly, veins popping up on his forehead.

Then he saw Naruto shamelessly floating down toward the city, and he couldn't take it any more. He finally exploded.

"Ridiculous! Shameless!" he bellowed, causing the entire palace to shake. He waved his right hand in front of him, causing countless streams of Divine Sense to shoot out. They sped toward the city and immediately entered the various shops.

Before Naruto could even get close, all of the shops in the entire city suddenly closed their doors and turned out the lights.

It was the middle of the night, so the previously brightly lit city was suddenly cast into darkness. Of course, everyone within the city noticed this and was instantly alarmed.

Up in mid-air, Naruto's face twitched a bit.

"That damned old turtle," he thought. "All I took was a few Spirit Stones and magical items. In total, it's only worth a few tens of thousands of Spirit Stones!

"The old turtle is far too stingy. After all these years, he still hasn't changed. I bet that right now, he's in such pain that he wants to die.

"He wants me to leave, and is worried that I'll plunder him even more, so he instantly caused all the shops to close. Shameless! Completely shameless!" Naruto hovered indignantly up in the air, staring down at the city for a long moment. Then, he continued to fly.

Back in the palace, an unprecedentedly wide smile appeared on Patriarch Reliance's face, as well as a look of intense pride as he reveled in his superior intellect. Patriarch Reliance currently felt incredibly refreshed.

"Little bastard! No matter how crafty you are, you can't outsmart the Patriarch!

"As usual, the Patriarch is the most intelligent! How else could I come up with so many plans? Hahaha! Let's see what you try to do now!" By now, he had long since forgotten that he was trying to hide. Nor did he consider that such overt actions might cause Naruto to be suspicious.

His complacency had reached the pinnacle, and the feeling of finally being able to vent his frustrations gave him a bit of hope. Hope to see Naruto finally leave!

"No matter where you go, I'll just close all the shops! Let's see what other reason you could possibly come up with to stay here!" Patriarch Reliance's eyes sparkled as he glanced over at Haku.

"Well, what do you say? Is the Patriarch clever, or not?"

Haku blinked, then smiled. "The Patriarch is definitely brilliant."

Patriarch Reliance seemed more pleased than ever, and his smile grew even wider.

As for Naruto, he frowned as he flew through the air. About an hour later, he suddenly stopped in place, then looked down toward a mountain down below.

As soon as he even glanced at it, a rumbling sound suddenly filled the air as the entire mountain collapsed right in front of his eyes.

Naruto stared in shock. This time, it was true and utter shock.

"Patriarch Reliance!" he thought, "Aren't you being a bit too obvious, bitch? Can't you pretend even a little bit? Dammit! What do you want me to do? Pretend that I don't notice? Pretend that I do?" Naruto was conflicted about exactly what course of action to take.

If he pretended not to notice anything suspicious, that would be too obvious….

But if he pretended to notice something fishy, then it would also tip off Patriarch Reliance. In Naruto's opinion, Patriarch Reliance was so unreliable, there was no way to know how he might flip out if that happened.

"If I scare him too much," Naruto thought, "he might just take this whole place with him and run away at top speed. This time, I have to make sure he doesn't flee." Naruto really was unsure of what to do. Inwardly, he cursed Madara. How could a Dao Seeking Cultivator be so slow? Naruto had already let his aura begin to emanate out, and yet the old man still hadn't come looking for him yet.

Naruto was consumed with the desire to beat the living daylights out of the old turtle. Currently, he just couldn't think of how to deal with the unreliable Patriarch Reliance.

Even as he went back and forth in his mind, he continued to proceed forward. However, he quickly found that if he stopped for even a moment, nearby mountains would collapse; even the rivers would change their course.

Almost everywhere he went rapidly turned into flatlands.

"Could there possibly be anybody more unreliable…?" Naruto thought. "If things keep going on like this, even if I really did beat him in the head in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, he should be able to understand that I'll notice things are obviously off." Naruto hesitated for another moment before his eyes began to glitter. At this point, he completely ceased suppressing his internal injuries. He let out a blood-curdling scream and then coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His face immediately went pale.

"My injury is playing up again!" he cried loudly. Bowing his head, he sank down toward the ground, picking a random area to sit down cross-legged to meditate and treat his injuries.

His injuries truly were not completely healed. They were only healed by approximately seventy percent. The remaining thirty percent were filled with the power of Dao Seeking, which was very difficult to heal with the Violet Pupil Transformation.

According to his calculations, the final thirty percent would take years to completely heal using his current method. Therefore, he didn't mind allowing the old turtle to see that the injuries and the blood were very real.

"In order to deal with this unreliable old turtle," he thought, grinding his teeth, "I just have to be more shameless than him. In that case, you bastard, I'll just stay here indefinitely!"

Now it was Patriarch Reliance's turn to be stunned. He rubbed his eyes vigorously as he watched Naruto sit down cross-legged to meditate. Then his eyes began to shine brightly as he saw that Naruto truly did have serious internal injuries.

Patriarch Reliance began to pant. He stared for a long moment, then grabbed at his long hair and began to pull it hard. He paced back and forth within the palace, his face unsightly to the extreme, looking like a volcano that was about to explode.

"Dammit! Who was it that hurt him!? Why didn't you just directly kill him?! Why leave an injury like that to flare up at a time like this?!

"What do I do? What is the Patriarch supposed to do…? That injury won't be healed for years. After everything I've done so far, just when I was about to succeed, then this kind of thing has to happen!" Patriarch Reliance ground his teeth. Inwardly, his hatred toward whoever had injured Naruto continued to grow.

Haku almost couldn't stop herself from bursting out laughing. Right now, she almost couldn't take it any more. She had to know, which of these two unreliable fellows would outdo the other….

"I'll just sit here and wait for Madara to come," thought Naruto complacently. "In the meantime, I'll treat my injuries and just let time pass." He sat there cross-legged in the remote mountain forest, surrounded by silence. The night was dark and charming; a soft breeze brushed gently against his face.

He rotated his Cultivation base as he slowly treated himself. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. A few days passed.

The parrot and the meat jelly emerged during that time, then left to go play on the sea. It was impossible to tell what vices they had indulged in, but they came back smelling like seawater. They made quite the commotion as they returned to perch on Naruto's shoulder.

"You are immoral!" cried the meat jelly, preparing to launch into a speech. "That white crane…."

"SHUT UP!" replied the Parrot, glaring. It was just about to continue speaking when suddenly it made an "eee?" sound and then looked around. Before it could say anything, Naruto's eyes snapped open and he stuffed the parrot and the meat jelly into his bag of holding, then cleared his throat and continued to meditate.

At the moment, Patriarch Reliance was completely torn about what to do, so he didn't notice what had just happened. He was utterly helpless in terms of Naruto; during the past few days, he had grown increasingly anxious. It was now clear based on Naruto's actions that he planned to stay long term to restore himself to health.

"You little bastard, you just wait. The Patriarch is going to go all out!" Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and roared. He had been in conflict over the past several days, and at this point, couldn't wait any more. Clenching his teeth, he waved his sleeve, causing his body to grow transparent. It appeared as if he had separated some of his essence, which then began to swirl in the air above his hand, emanated a multicolored glow.

It rapidly turned into what appeared to be a Spirit Fruit, from which a delicate fragrance wafted out. Anyone who looked at it would instantly feel themselves palpitating with eagerness.

Off to the side, Haku's eyes went wide and she began to breathe heavily. She recognized this object; it was a strand of essence from Patriarch Reliance's clone form.

Clenching his teeth and enduring the distress of it all, Patriarch Reliance lifted his right foot and then stamped it down onto the surface of the palace. Instantly, a white crane appeared. As soon as it flew out, it began to change shape into a gray eagle, which then grabbed the Spirit Fruit with its talons. After that, it passed through the walls of the palace and shot off into the distance.

Patriarch Reliance watched anxiously as the gray eagle left. He felt distressed, and couldn't stop from stamping his feet back and forth in nervousness.

"Screwed over. I'm screwed over big time…. However, as long as that little bastard leaves, the Patriarch can deal with it!"

The gray eagle shot through the sky with incredible speed toward Naruto's location. In only the space of a few breaths, it appeared near him.

It kicked up a stiff wind that caused Naruto's eyes to open. He looked up into the sky, and as soon as he caught sight of the gray eagle, his pupils constricted. Clearly, the most important part was the Spirit Fruit it held in its talons.

At a single glance, he could sense the ripples that emanated out from within the fruit, as well as the colorful glow which surrounded it. It almost looked like an Immortal Fruit. Even just glancing at the Immortal Fruit provoked a reaction from his internal injuries.

"This thing can really heal injuries…." thought Naruto. He hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly. Patriarch Reliance really had hit him in a soft spot with this particular move. He sighed inwardly.

"But it's such a blatant move…. Well, he is Patriarch Reliance, after all, so I guess it's not that strange." It was with a wry smile and a conflicted heart that he watched the gray eagle start to fly in circles over his head. It seemed as if it was simply waiting for him to snatch the Spirit Fruit.

"Snatch it!" roared Patriarch Reliance. "Come on! Why aren't you snatching it!?" At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to throttle Naruto.

After struggling back and forth for a while, Naruto took a deep breath. His eyes filled with determination. He simply couldn't ignore such temptation. He had just made the decision, and was about to make a move, when suddenly, the gray eagle loosened its talons.

The Spirit Fruit slowly fell down from the sky with great accuracy to land directly in front of Naruto.

Patriarch Reliance burst out with hearty laughter, and he looked extremely proud of himself. Then he harrumphed to express the superiority of his intellect. Finally, he sent his Divine Sense into the gray eagle, causing it to let out a cheerful cry filled with complacent pride.

Because Naruto was staring in shock, he didn't notice that at some point, the parrot had stuck its head out of the bag of holding and was looking intoxicatedly at the gray eagle. Suddenly, it transformed into a black streak of light that shot out at top speed.

Back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance's Divine Sense was still in the gray eagle, controlling it as it flew off into the distance. "You little bastard! The Patriarch has lived for years and years, and you want to try to compete with me? Let's see what reason you can come up with to stay now! Hahaha! The Patriarch is… huh? Ahh? AAGGHHH!" In the midst of his complacency and laughter, he suddenly shuddered, and his eyes went wide with disbelief.

He could clearly see the black beam of light shooting out from Naruto's bag of holding. Then, the black shadow shot through the air to penetrate the rear end of the gray eagle.

"What… what is it doing?" said Patriarch Reliance, trembling.

The gray eagle shook. It was illusory, after all, so it twisted and then transformed into countless dots of glittering light that spread out in all directions.

A tremor ran through Patriarch Reliance and he stared blankly. Because his Divine Sense had been inside the gray eagle, everything that had happened just now… he had also experienced.

His face was filled with disbelief, but it only took a moment for him to react. His eyes went wide and were shot with blood as he lifted his head up and roared.

"You, you, you… you actually….

"Ridiculous! You actually….

"AAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" After understanding exactly what had happened, Patriarch Reliance was filled with unspeakable, unprecedented rage and madness.

All of the the lands of Saint's Island shook, and enormous waves rolled out across the sea. The faces of all the Cultivators on the island flickered as they wonder what had just transpired.

Naruto was also a bit frightened. When he saw the parrot returning, that intoxicated look on its face, his scalp went numb.

"Damned bird," he thought, taking a deep breath. "It… it actually did… it did Patriarch Reliance?" The parrot's expression was one of deep emotion as it returned. Everything that had happened completely exceeded Naruto's imagination.

The parrot still seemed to be savoring the aftertaste of what had just occurred. As it returned, Naruto could hear it muttering.

"Strange. How come it couldn't handle being done? I barely started and it disappeared?"

Naruto grabbed the parrot and violently threw it into his bag of holding. Then he smiled wryly and collected up the Spirit Fruit. He quickly popped it into his mouth, then transformed into a beam of light and shot up into the air.

"What's going on in this place!" he yelled loudly. "I can't stay here!" He immediately shot off into the distance. Even as he did, the area he had just been in collapsed into a huge crater.

The ground trembled and shook, and huge waves surged across the sea. Patriarch Reliance was completely in a rage; his fury was burning to a shocking level. Although he couldn't do anything to Naruto, he still couldn't accept such humiliation. He was just on the verge of revealing his true self to swallow up the parrot, when Haku came running over. She grabbed Patriarch Reliance's arm.

"Patriarch, calm down!" she said. "Think about what's most important!"

"Go away! The Patriarch is gonna go all out with this guy!" Patriarch Reliance took a few steps forward. A rumbling sound filled the air as the palace opened up to reveal the lands of Saint's Island stretching out below.

"Patriarch, think three times before you act!" urged Haku. "Naruto's already gone! If you reveal yourself now, you'll undo all your previous hard work!"

Patriarch Reliance stopped in place with his foot in the air. Veins bulged out on his face, and his entire person resembled a volcano that might erupt at any moment. His face twisted with struggle; on one hand, he was thinking about the happiness he could enjoy in the future. At the same time, he was thinking about the revenge that needed to be exacted for what the parrot had done to him.

In the midst of his struggle, he stomped his foot down. Forcing himself to endure everything, his body trembled and his head seemed about to explode. Clearly, his restraint had reached its very limits.

Patriarch Reliance could feel an indescribable fire burning inside of him. He felt as if he had to find someone to beat up to vent the rage and toxic anger that raged in his heart.

As he forced himself to continue to be patient, Saint's Island ceased trembling, and the sea returned to calmness. Naruto transformed into a beam of light that shot through the air. His face was unsightly, but his internal injuries were now healing at a shockingly fast rate.

In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all the pores on Naruto's body seemed to have opened. The injuries inside of him were healed, and an intense coldness rushed out through his skin into the air, transforming into flakes of black snow that drifted in the air.

Naruto took a deep breath and increased his speed. His mind spun with countless ideas as he tried to come up with more reasons to stay on the island. However, he knew that Patriarch Reliance's rage had been kindled to its peak, and the slightest mistake on his part could cause it to explode out.

If that happened, Patriarch Reliance would definitely run away again, and that did not fit in with Naruto's plan.

"It's all the fault of that bastard parrot. It ruined my big plan." He sighed as he neared the border region of the island. He decided to slow down a bit, but when he did, the land beneath him would quake and the nearby mountains would collapse.

Naruto smiled bitterly and then continued to speed along. Soon, he saw the sea off in the distance, as well as the last Cultivator city of Saint's Island. Right now it was day, and the city should have been bustling with noise and excitement, but instead, all the shops were closed.

"Patriarch turtle, you've pushed me into a corner!" cursed Naruto inwardly. He clenched his teeth and then suddenly stopped in mid-air. His eyes began to glow with an intense light, and his expression was incredibly grim.

The look on his face caused Patriarch Reliance's fuming heart to suddenly begin to thump.

"I've been hiding in this ancient palace for years," he thought, "completely cut off from anything to do with the Demon Sealers. He shouldn't be able to sense me…. Not good, not good! Maybe what I did just now was too obvious! When you add in the fact that I couldn't control my temper, maybe the little bastard saw through it all!"

Naruto looked around, his face grim. Finally, he spoke in a cold voice: "I'm not sure which member of the senior generation in this place doesn't want Naruto to stick around. Fine, I'm leaving!"

Complete silence was the only response.

When Patriarch Reliance heard Naruto's words, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

"So, he doesn't know I'm here. He actually thinks I'm someone else. Alright, that will do."

Naruto glanced around before his gaze finally came to rest on the city up ahead. He lifted his hand up and pointed at it.

"However, I'm lacking in Spirit Stones, and happen to have a random assortment of magical items in my bag of holding. I'll sell them in this city, and as soon as I'm finished, I'll leave this place!" With that, Naruto flicked his sleeve and headed toward the city.

Patriarch Reliance hesitated for a moment. Had Naruto not directly stated his intentions, he would never have allowed him to enter the city. However, Patriarch Reliance couldn't help but glance at the sea, and then back at the city.

Finally, he violently clenched his teeth.

"This is the last time," he said decisively. If Naruto tried to pull any more tricks after this, then he would go for broke and run away with the land on his back.

Naruto headed toward the city at top speed. Inside, the shops had all closed their doors, which left the Cultivators quite confused. Soon, quite a commotion could be heard.

Naruto's arrival didn't attract much attention. He picked a relatively open area where he then sat down cross-legged. Waving his sleeve, he caused a vast quantity of magical items to suddenly appear in front of him. They flew out into the surrounding area, causing a bright glow of light to spread out in all directions.

When thousands of magical items suddenly appeared all at once, glowing and shining resplendently, it instantly caught the attention of quite a few bystanders. When they saw the magical items, gasps could be heard.

The sounds of discussions soon filled the air.

"So many magical items!"

"How can that guy have so many magical items!? He has things from the Chakra Condensation stage all the way to the Nascent Soul stage! He has everything!"

"Don't tell me he sacked a shop somewhere?! All of those magical items are clearly new! Not a single one is used!"

Soon, people began to approach to examine the magical items that floated in the air around Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he quickly listed prices for each item, which were based on the original amount he had purchased them for, multiplied several times over. Then he closed his eyes and sat there silently.

More and more people crowded around, their eyes glittering as they occasionally glanced over at Naruto. Some people wanted to buy things, but the prices were clearly quite high. There were even some magical items whose price was several times greater than normal. Because of this, many people began to curse inwardly.

Time passed by, and soon quite a crowd had built up. Right now, all of the shops in the city were closed, so Naruto's flagrant display quickly attracted the attention of the vast majority of Cultivators in the city.

Unfortunately, although there were a lot of people, few people were willing to buy at the exorbitant prices Naruto had listed.

Naruto didn't feel anxious at all. In fact, he wanted to stretch time out as long as possible. Patriarch Reliance, on the other hand, was getting very nervous back in his palace as he watched the scene unfold. Soon, evening was falling. Of the thousands of magical items Naruto had for sale, he had only managed to get rid of a few. Patriarch Reliance was now incredibly worried.

"Well, this is the last time!" said Patriarch Reliance, stamping his foot. He sent his Divine Sense out into several people in the city.

Before long, seven or eight Cultivators approached Naruto's vendor stall. They moved at top speed, causing quite a disturbance as they arrived in front of Naruto.

"I want 500 of these magical items!" said one of their number, an old man. He tossed out a bag of holding. Naruto's eyes instantly opened. He looked at the man, then slowly opened the bag of holding. He then removed all of the Spirit Stones from inside and began to count them one by one. After checking the number thoroughly, he waved his sleeve, causing five hundred magical items to fly toward the old man.

The old man's face twitched as he gathered up the items, then turned and walked off. After he left, another person approached, and, in exactly the same fashion as the man before, began to purchase magical items.

"That was the manager of the Auspicious Pavilion. He has a considerable social standing, and a close relationship with the Footloose Sect…. Why is he here buying magical items from this guy?"

"I've seen that guy before. That's the shopkeeper from Chen Manor! He's here too…."

The surrounding crowds watched on in astonishment as the seven or eight Cultivators wasted nearly two hours purchasing various items. Soon, all of Naruto's magical items were gone.

Of course, the reason it took so long was that Naruto fastidiously counted every single Spirit Stone. Otherwise, he could have taken care of selling all the items in the space of a few breaths.

Considering how many Spirit Stones Naruto ended up taking, it was no surprise that the crowds eyed him greedily, like hungry wolves.

Naruto calmly secured all of the Spirit Stones into his bag of holding. In total, he had acquired several hundred thousand, making his trip to Saint's Island somewhat profitable after all.

Finally, he rose slowly to his feet and sighed. Back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance's patience could stretch no longer as Naruto transformed into a beam of light that shot up into the air.

As soon as that happened, four or five Cultivators down in the city took out jade slips that they then used to send voice transmissions.

Moments later, three Core Formation Cultivators flew out from a secret location. At the same time, an old man in a red robe sat cross-legged on a ship near the seashore. Suddenly, his eyes opened and began to glow with a brilliant light. The ripples of an early Nascent Soul Cultivation base emanated out from him.

He was the type of person who was threatening without showing anger. As soon as his eyes opened, he produced a brightly glowing jade slip. When he sent his Divine Sense into the slip, his eye narrowed.

"A Cultivator flying around with hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones?" said the man coolly, rising to his feet.

"On Saint's Island, only Core Formation Cultivators are permitted to fly….

"He sold a lot of items, most of them suitable for Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment. However, his Cultivation base clearly wasn't Nascent Soul. He must be a Core Formation Cultivator.

"Most likely, he's at the great circle of Core Formation. In my hands, though, someone like that is a mere insect." A slight smile appeared on the man's lips.

"If I can get my hands on a few hundred thousand Spirit Stones, then this trip will have been no waste." The man used minor teleportation to instantly vanish. When he reappeared, he was in mid-air above Saint's Island. After confirming his exact position, he picked a direction and started flying.

Naruto frowned as he flew through mid-air. He really couldn't think of another reason to stay behind, and it almost felt like he was being banished. It didn't make him happy.

After all, the person doing the banishing was supposed to be his Dao Protector.

"If I'd known this was going to happen, I would have thrashed that little turtle a bit more back in the Demon Immortal Pagoda!" murmured Naruto angrily. He proceeded onward, watching the seashore get closer and closer.

By now, Patriarch Reliance was getting incredibly excited. Anticipation filled his eyes as he watched Naruto get further and further away.

"He's leaving! The little bastard is finally leaving! Hahaha! What an excellent feeling!" The more Patriarch Reliance thought about it, the happier he felt. He even started to hum a little tune.

If Naruto were there, he would instantly recognize that tune. It was the very same tune Patriarch Reliance had hummed back in the Reliance Sect.

Currently, Naruto's face was unsightly. The sea was clearly visible off in the distance, but he still couldn't think of a reason to stay behind. Even as he was beginning to hesitate, a whistling sound could be heard from behind him.

When Naruto heard the sound, he was instantly both surprised and very happy. He quickly looked back to see three beams of light shooting toward him. An expression of joy appeared on his face.

In the same moment that Naruto turned to look back, a cold voice could be heard coming from one of the three pursuers. "Fellow Daoist, please slow down for a moment!"

The three pursuers were middle-aged men, one of whom was in the mid Core Formation stage, the other two were in the early Core Formation stage. They flew through the air very quickly, and arrived in the blink of an eye.

Back in his palace, Patriarch Reliance watched on in shock.

"What are you people doing!?" Naruto shouted, shrinking back.

The eyes of the three men glittered with killing intent. The mid Core Formation Cultivator looked Naruto over closely. Earlier, he had been somewhat hesitant because of not being able to clearly see Naruto's Cultivation base. Now, though, it was obvious to him that it was at the early Core Formation stage.

Furthermore, Naruto's words and expression seemed to be filled with alarm, which left the man feeling even more calm.

"The three of us would like to borrow something from you, Fellow Daoist," said the man with a false smile. "Hopefully you can help us achieve our aim." With that, the other two moved to surround Naruto.

The eyes of all three radiated ill intentions as they coldly stared at Naruto. The greed in their eyes couldn't be more apparent.

"What… what do you want to borrow?" Naruto replied hurriedly.

"Just some Spirit Stones, that's all," said the man with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, you have several hundred thousand Spirit Stones in your bag of holding. Do you mind loaning them to us?" As he spoke, killing intent glittered in his eyes. Just when he was reaching out to attack….

"Okay! I agree!" said Naruto. He slapped his bag of holding and instantly caused hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones to fly out. The sight of so many Spirit Stones instantly caused the three Cultivators to stare, panting.

For the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, a sound almost like the gurgling of water could be heard as the Spirit Stones poured out onto the ground. Soon, they had formed together into something like a small mountain.

Even though it was evening, the Spirit Stones glittered and shone, causing the eyes of the three men to shine brightly.

However, as Naruto was backed up, the tip of one of the magical items from the Demon Immortal Sect suddenly appeared. Naruto's face fell, and he quickly covered it up.

"Hahaha!" said the middle-aged man, his eyes flashing. He was all smiles as he spoke, although he was working hard to control the excitement inside of him. "Fellow Daoist, you seem to be in such a good mood, so I hate to tell you that in addition to Spirit Stones, I also happen to need some magical items. I noticed just now that you have some inside your bag of holding. Hand it over now for me to take a look."

The other two were palpating with eagerness at how rich they were about to become.

Meanwhile, back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance was panting, his eyes filling with rage as he clenched his fists tightly. He wanted nothing more than for Naruto to leave as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these blind fools dared to intercept Naruto and delay him. This was enough to cause Patriarch Reliance to explode like lightning.

"Are they looking to die?!" roared Patriarch Reliance, waving his hand out. At the same time, the three people surrounding Naruto, in the very midst of their most ultimate excitement, suddenly began to tremble. The sound of someone roaring exploded out in their minds.

Then, in the blink of an eye, their eyes went wide and their bodies burst into pieces. A haze and blood and gore filled the air, which rapidly vanished into nothing.

Naruto smiled bitterly, then moved to collect up the Spirit Stones on the ground. However, it was at this point that he suddenly smiled excitedly once again. Off in the distance, a beam of light approached him at top speed from the direction of the ocean.

It was the early Nascent Soul stage old man.

"Take out your Spirit Stones and… huh?" Even as the old man's cold voice rang out, he suddenly gasped. He had just seen the huge Spirit Stone mountain laying there on the ground.

"Another one?" Patriarch Reliance's rage once again flared up. He was incredibly indignant. After all the untold difficulties he had gone through to accomplish his goal of sending Naruto away, he had almost reached his goal.

And yet, at the critical moment, one blind fool after another came to stir up trouble. Patriarch Reliance was extremely nervous that Naruto would seize some new chance to stay behind on the island. Thus, his rage burned up into the sky. He was about to reach out and crush the newcomer with a palm, when suddenly, a tremor ran through his body. He looked up, and there wasn't a trace of rage on his face. Gone was the easily changeable mood from when he was dealing with Naruto. Now, his expression was very serious.

He stared off into the depths of the sea.

Next to him, Haku also got a strange feeling seemingly from nowhere. She looked up, and her expression flickered. The Boat Spirit appeared soundlessly next to her, and also looked off into the distance.

Meanwhile, the overbearing old Nascent Soul Cultivator saw the huge pile of Spirit Stones, and it caused his heart to tremble. He glanced around the area, and, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, turned to look frowning at Naruto.

Naruto looked back at him, and as their gazes met, he laughed.

The scene caused the old Nascent Soul Cultivator to get a very strange sensation. He suddenly had the feeling that something fishy was going on, and immediately backed up a few paces.

He was just about to say something when Naruto's face suddenly flickered. He jerked his head to look off onto the distance. At the same time, his entire person erupted with an intensely fierce aura. He didn't grow any larger, but in the eyes of the old man, he suddenly seemed indescribably huge. The old man suddenly felt as if he were nothing more than a bug in front of Naruto.

The explosive aura that roiled off of Naruto caused the old man to tremble and pant. His eyes went wide with disbelief, and his mind filled with roaring.

"Great circle of the Nascent Soul stage!" he thought, both his mind and body trembling. The blood drained from his face.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto's aura continued to rise, breaking through a certain barrier that suddenly caused the wind and clouds to surge, and the sky and land to dim. The crackle of thunder could be heard.

His energy swept over everything for thousands of kilometers in every direction, and a vortex appeared. The vortex spun rapidly, rising up to the point where it seemed to connect Heaven and Earth. Rifts appeared in the air, as if the world itself couldn't handle the explosive power of Naruto's Cultivation base.

"Spirit… Spirit Severing!" Being in the middle of the tempest made the old man feel like he was a tiny leaf the midst of the raging sea, or a lone boat on the verge of being crushed into tiny pieces.

His mind buzzed and went completely blank, and his face completely drained of even the slightest bit of blood, until he looked almost dead. His body trembled like a screen, as he stared wide-eyed at the vortex, and Naruto, who looked almost like an Immortal.

"I… I actually tried to rob a Spirit Severing eccentric…." The man's trembling soon was completely replaced by astonishment and indescribable fear. The turn of events left him thoroughly discombobulated. In his estimation, he had just done the most insane thing he had ever done in his entire life.

As he trembled, he was suddenly incredibly glad that he hadn't finished speaking earlier. Perhaps he still had time to turn around and leave.

"Senior…. Senior, I…." Even as he began to stammer an explanation, Naruto flicked his sleeve. Instantly, all of the Spirit Stones vanished. Completely ignoring the Nascent Soul Cultivator, he flew up into the air and looked off into the distance.

What he saw was a long beam of light shooting across the sky above the sea. It seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth as it shot toward him. Rumbling could be heard, and soon, the image of a white-robed Cultivator became visible within the beam. He didn't look old, but rather, middle-aged. His hands were clasped behind his back as he strode through the air inside of the beam.

His hair floated around him, and everywhere he passed, distortions spread out. It seemed as if in every place that he passed, the natural laws of the world would change because of him. Waves surged in the sea down below, roaring and rumbling.

If you looked closely, you would be able to see that in that part of the sea, the waters were sunken down as if by some incredibly shocking pressure.

"He's finally here!" thought Naruto. His eyes glittered brightly, and without hesitation, he entered the Ninth Anima!

Boom!

His body shook violently as an energy even more powerful than before was unleashed within him. He had a Spirit Severing fleshly body, and an energy capable of shaking everything.

Down below, the Nascent Soul Cultivator coughed up a mouthful of blood and sank down to the ground, quivering. To him, it was like the Heavens were crumbling.

Of course, the approaching figure was none other than Madara!

He strode forward, his expression cold, seemingly filled with infinite killing intent. He appeared capable of causing everything around him to collapse into destruction, and each step he took made everything rumble and shake.

"You dared to disseminate your aura to draw me here," he said coolly, his voice crackling like thunder. "Who exactly are you relying on for help? Ask them out immediately." His voice caused the entirety of Saint's Island to shake. Mountains crumbled, and countless people on the island cried out in alarm.

In the Footloose Sect, dozens of beams of light flew up into the air, and the faces of everyone instantly began to flicker with various expressions.

Up in mid-air, the wind and clouds surged into an enormous, rumbling vortex. It looked almost like doomsday had arrived.

As Madara entered the airspace over Saint's Island, waves raged in the surrounding sea, from within which could be heard something like desolate howls that echoed about in all directions.

"If you have nobody to rely on for help, well then, you simply won't be able to escape this time." Madara's voice was calm, and did not seem to contain even a scrap of emotion. His eyes were cold as his gaze fell onto Naruto.

As soon as the gaze touched him, a rumbling sound surrounded Naruto. Inside of him, the power of seven Cultivation bases within him exploded out, and the strength of his fleshly body radiated out to slam into the pressure of the gaze.

Boom!

Rumbling filled Naruto's body, and he felt an incredible pressure. This feeling was even more intense than the last time, causing his face to pale. Underneath the pressure, his Cultivation base suddenly condensed from seven parts into six!

It seemed as if the pressure from Madara was like a grindstone, and Naruto… was the blade!

At the same time, the intense power of his Cultivation base exploded out and fought back.

RUMBLE!

Blood oozed out of Naruto's mouth, and he was sent spinning backward. However, a bright light shone in his eyes as he relied only on his own power to resist the pressure of the gaze.

Madara's eyes flickered as he gazed deeply at Naruto. This was not the same clone that had faced Naruto back in the Southern Domain. This was a flesh and blood body, a true clone.

It was far, far more powerful than the Divine Clone from last time. After all, the will within its gaze could kill a person.

Down below, the Nascent Soul Cultivator's astonishment had reached a pinnacle. He had no way to even imagine what level of Cultivation base could cause a Spirit Severing expert to be incapable of fighting back.

"This place is a nightmare…." He began to tremble violently, and wished he could simply lapse into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance's eyes were glittering as he silently observed what was happening.

A look of anxiety appeared in Haku's eyes.

Hovering in mid-air in the seaside region, Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth and backed up.

As for Madara, he was now even more excited about Naruto's Dao foundation. "It truly is worthy of being called the Perfect Dao foundation…."

He took another step forward toward Naruto.

It was at this point that Naruto suddenly shouted out: "Patriarch, save me!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Patriarch Reliance's face twitched. He pretended as if he hadn't heard, but Haku, looking more anxious than ever, quickly turned to look at him.

Boom!

Even as he spoke the words, Naruto fled at top speed, his body flickering with a bloody glow. However, Madara instantly appeared in front of him.

"Patriarch Reliance," said Naruto, using his Cultivation base to cause his words to echo out through all of Saint's Island, "I'm the only remaining disciple of the Reliance Sect. Even in the Footloose Sect, considering my level of seniority, I should be considered a respected Elder. Can you really just watch on while I get killed?" Everyone in the Footloose Sect could clearly hear the words he had spoken. Naruto instantly tried to retreat again, but Madara waved his hand out. His shocking killing intent, which contained the will of Dao Seeking, transformed into a black beam that shot toward Naruto.

It moved with incredible speed, but Naruto was on guard. The Immortal's sword appeared, which instantly caused Madara's pupils to constrict.

In that instant, back in the palace, Haku gritted her teeth and then suddenly vanished. She transformed into a drop of rainwater, which then shot out of the palace. At the same time, the Boat Spirit also vanished.

When the raindrop reappeared, it was in front of Naruto. It instantly transformed into a sheet of falling rain, which blocked the incoming black beam of light.

Hakus voice suddenly sounded out. "Your fleshly body is strong, but you can't use it now. Rain is water. Water can become a lake, and that lake wishes to transform into sea. The surface of the sea can ripple; vibration can resist countless powers!"

As soon as Naruto heard her, his eyes went wide. Although he recognized the voice, there was no time to reminisce right now. The words seemed to bring him to his senses, and he began to vibrate his body.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the blink of an eye.

The black beam neared, and as it passed through the rainwater, more than half of it dissipated. What remained slammed into Naruto, causing a boom to rattle out. The vibrations of Naruto's body, however, transformed into a strange power that caused all the defensive power within his fleshly body to be consolidated into one location. Within the blink of an eye, a hundred vibrations occurred, fighting back against the black beam.

Naruto's body shook, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. As he fell backward head over heels, the rainwater transformed into a young girl who caught him in her arms. The Boat Spirit appeared as well. He waved his sleeve, causing the air to ripple and distort in protection of Naruto as they retreated.

Although they had dispelled the black beam, the ripples that had been sent out as a result had completely destroyed the surrounding land. Everything had been crushed and destroyed, leaving behind a massive crater.

As Naruto retreated, an angry look appeared in his eyes.

"Old turtle Reliance, you're my Dao protector! I can't believe that the restrictive spells placed on you would allow you to just sit by and watch while I perish!" Even as he spoke, Madara neared. A look of derision appeared on his face, and he lifted his right hand up. The will of extermination appeared in his eyes as he struck out with his palm.

As soon as the palm began to move, everything grew dark, as if the the entire world now belonged to that palm. As it descended, Naruto, as well as everything in the entire area, began to topple and disintegrate.

Seeing what was happening, Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and roared. Naruto's words had stabbed him to the heart. He truly couldn't just sit by complacently and watch him die. "Fudge! Fine, the Patriarch is coming!"

When you added in the flames of fury which still raged inside of him, and the fact that Madara was destroying the entire land with his palm, it all made Patriarch Reliance howl and finally…

Leave the palace!

As soon as Patriarch Reliance appeared on the outside, all of Saint's Island trembled. He wore a long azure robe, and his hair swayed in the wind. He looked ancient, but his eyes glowed with a bright light, and veins bulged out on his forehead. The anger and fury within him had reached the point that they absolutely had to be vented.

In a single step, he crossed half of Saint's Island to appear in front of Naruto, directly between him and Madara!

He lifted his right hand, and instantly, a sheet of steam rose up. It emanated shocking Demonic Chakra, as well as prismatic light. Instantly, Madara's palm slammed into it.

"I'm the Patriarch! Now screw off!" he raged, lifting his head up and roaring. His voice echoed out in all directions like thunder.

The mist and the palm slammed into each other, causing an enormous roaring to fill the air. Patriarch Reliance was sent tumbling backward, as if a raging wind had just swept over him. When he looked up, a vicious expression filled his eyes.

Madara also trembled, and his eyes gleamed brightly. But then, he gave a cold laugh.

"A trifling Spirit Severing Cultivator?" he said coolly. "Child, this is the person you are relying on? Allow me to destroy him, and your hope along with him!" From the way he spoke, destroying Patriarch Reliance would be incredibly easy for him.

Actually, from his point of view, destroying a Spirit Severing Cultivator truly was a simple matter. In fact, normally speaking, Naruto could not have stood up to him for even half a moment. The only reason he could was that the 10th Uchiha Patriarch needed to be very careful not to kill him. If he killed him, it would be impossible to steal his Dao foundation.

Truth be told, the Uchiha Patriarch had many Daoist magics that could easily destroy everything in sight.

"I am a Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan. An ancestor of the Clan invented three finger attacks, two of which have since become lost arts. However, the Extermination Finger is still being passed down via legacy." With that, Madara waved his finger in the air. It seemed to possess the power of extermination; the life force of all living things instantly began to wither under the power of the finger attack.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he sensed his own life force rapidly fading. A cold light suddenly appeared in his eyes as he fell back yet again. Having just gained enlightenment regarding the vibration technique, a hundred vibrations instantly appeared within him, locking down his life force so that the withering effect was instantly slowed down.

"Now is not the time to leave," thought Naruto, countless thoughts racing through his mind. "I need to wait a bit longer, until the fight between old turtle Reliance and the Uchiha Clan bastard reaches the peak. When the true flames of fury flare, that is the time to flee." The entire reason he had stayed on Saint's Island was to attack Madara here, and use Patriarch Reliance's power to destroy him, thus giving himself a way out of his current crisis.

Haku stood next to him, a serious look on her face. As for the Boat Spirit, his eyes shone brightly as he stood protectively off to the side.

Because of the transformations occurring in Heaven and Earth, and the quaking of Saint's Island, the experts of the Footloose Sect sped over as fast as possible. They knew that they were flying into danger, but the rules of the Footloose Sect were very strict. Seniority was the most important thing of all. If the Patriarch was in battle, then it didn't matter that they couldn't match up to him, unless he specifically ordered them away, they were required to come.

Most nervous of all was the Nascent Soul Cultivator down below, the one who had tried to rob Naruto. He was shaking violently, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. Everything that was happening caused him to breath rapidly. His mind spun, and he had lost the ability to even think. It didn't matter if it was Naruto, Patriarch Reliance, or Madara, none of them were people that he could even come into contact with. To the Nascent Soul Cultivator, getting involved in this conflict was clearly the most unlucky thing that had ever happened to him in in his entire life.

Heaven and Earth were sinking into extermination. The finger attack of Madara caused the entire world to turn gray. The only thing that had color was Madara himself.

The finger descended, and the world shook.

Patriarch Reliance's eyebrows shot up, and he performed an incantation with his right hand. Instantly, Demonic Chakra swept out.

"What dog crap Extermination Finger are you talking about?!" he said. "The Patriarch has never heard of any such thing. Demonic Art, Heaven and Earth Cleaving!" Patriarch Reliance also waved a finger. From the look of it, his fingernail became the Heaven, and the flesh of the finger became the Earth. As for the tip of the finger, it transformed into something that looked like a sharp blade which could cleave both Heaven and Earth.

Both finger attacks slammed into each other in mid-air.

BOOM!

The massive explosion caused the Nascent Soul Cultivator down below to cough up blood as he was sent spinning backward. Naruto fell back, his eyes glittering as he saw the plants around him rapidly wilting and drying up. As for Patriarch Reliance, starting with his extended finger, his entire body began to shrivel.

In the blink of an eye, his hair had fallen off, and his entire body was emaciated. He almost looked like a desiccated corpse. Then, a pop could be heard as he exploded, transforming into countless dots of light that floated away.

Madara's expression was the same as ever. He seemed to have utmost confidence in his finger attack just now.

"That's who you were relying on?" he asked coolly. He looked over at Naruto with eyes full of ridicule.

Naruto's expression was calm. Next to him, Haku's expression was similar. This caused Madara to gape in shock. He obviously could tell that something was not quite right. Just as he was about to take a step forward, a shocking roar suddenly filled the air.

"Dammit! This bastard actually dared to extinguish the Patriarch's clone!?" Instantly, a pulsing cloud of steam appeared out of nowhere, which gradually reformed back into the shape of Patriarch Reliance.

This new Patriarch Reliance's Cultivation base was a bit weaker than before. As soon as he appeared, his rage boiled up into the sky, and a demented gleam appeared in his eyes. He instantly shot forward.

"With me here," he roared, "nobody can kill that little bas… er, ahem, nobody can kill Naruto!"

If he hadn't spoken such words, then Naruto wouldn't have taken anything to be amiss. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto's heart started to pound with fear, and his face flickered. He absolutely did not believe that Patriarch Reliance would utter such words and truly mean them.

"Dammit, what technique has the old turtle come up with to get out of the Demon Seal…?

"It must have something to do with the words he just spoke. Don't tell me that whatever technique he's using can actually get out of having to fight here?" Naruto was no longer the unseasoned Cultivator he had been long ago. After everything he had experienced, he had long since honed his powers of reasoning. Based on Patriarch Reliance's words just now, he could obviously pick up on some clues as to what was going on.

Even as Naruto's mind was racing with countless thoughts, Patriarch Reliance neared and then stood between him and Madara. He flicked his sleeve.

"Naruto, get out of here!" he said, then charged once more toward Madara.

Naruto shivered and then began to pant slightly. Madara gave a cold snort and took a step forward, then once again attacked with his Extermination Finger.

As before, the finger attack caused everything to turn gray, and all life to be destroyed. Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and let out an indignant howl.

"Life is to be treasured! Promises are even more eternal! I am Patriarch Reliance, and I promised to be Naruto's Dao Protector! Even if I am torn into a thousand pieces, I will abide by my promise!"

Seemingly completely unafraid of death, Patriarch Reliance charged forward. He seemed to prefer to die in battle to block the momentum of Madara. As he charged forward, he performed an incantation gesture, unleashing a Demonic art as he fearlessly attacked.

Anyone who was watching would definitely feel the complete and utter valiance on display. Giving up one's life to keep a promise; such were the actions of a true man!

However, Naruto understood Patriarch Reliance all too well. He knew that the damned old turtle would never act like this. Sweat began to pour down his forehead as a very bad feeling filled his heart.

Without hesitation, he cast aside his previous plan and began to flee in the opposite direction. Haku looked at fleeing Naruto, and then back at Patriarch Reliance as he seemed to face death unflinchingly. Then she sighed.

BANG!

Under the power of the Extermination Finger, Patriarch Reliance's body withered rapidly and then collapsed into pieces.

However, at the same time, a roar suddenly could be heard. The mist formed together again, once more turning into Patriarch Reliance. Yet again, he risked death to block the way of Madara.

"I can die with no regrets, but Naruto… must not die!" cried Patriarch Reliance. "That is my promise from years ago!"

A strange glow appeared in the eyes of Madara as he looked at Patriarch Reliance.

"So, a promise truly can give rise to someone so brave as to use their own essence to come back to life in this way!" From the perspective of Madara, Patriarch Reliance must be drawing on the essence of his true self to return to life.

To Cultivators of his realm, one's essence was the most prized of all possessions. Wasting it could lead to severe injury that would be difficult to recover from. It truly was extremely precious.

A look of respect appeared in the eyes of Madara. He suddenly realized that if this Patriarch Reliance were a member of his own Clan, then he would definitely make an excellent guard.

Naruto was cursing inwardly. By now, he had realized exactly what Patriarch Reliance was doing. Currently, Naruto employed all the speed he could muster to flee, although he wished he could move thousands of times faster.

"Hahaha!" thought Patriarch Reliance. "It turns out this method is working after all. The Patriarch is the most intelligent yet again! The Demon Seal only requires that I become a Dao Protector. Dao Protector, huh. That just means protecting! And the true meaning of Dao is to temper oneself. Therefore, the identity of a Dao Protector doesn't mean I have to prevent the little bastard from dying. All I have to do is protect him a bit. If any accidents happen, as long as I'm trying hard, then it won't matter.

"And I'm already trying hard! This might just be a clone, but I did have to expend some essence, right?! As for the Demon Seal, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Hahaha! The Patriarch is far too intelligent!

"This time, it won't count as defying the Demon Seal!" Patriarch Reliance felt quite proud of himself. On the outside, though, he looked furious. He seemed to be going all out to block the way of Madara. Once again, his body withered and then collapsed.

The next time he appeared, he was even weaker than before. By now, Madara was truly in admiration of Patriarch Reliance's loyalty. This time, when Patriarch Reliance's body withered away, Madara didn't wait for it to reform before shooting off to pursue Naruto.

When Patriarch Reliance reappeared, he was extremely weak. In fact, his body was so shapeless that the illusory image of his true self could actually be seen.

He now looked like a fearsome turtle, who stood there watching as Madara chased after Naruto.

His expression one of incredible grief and indignation, Patriarch Reliance shouted, "Don't kill him! Kill me instead!" Inside, Patriarch was laughing up a storm, but on the outside, his eyes were bloodshot. He lifted his head up to roar, and then offered pursuit.

"Kill me, okay?! I have to keep my promise even if I die. Don't kill him! I'm not just his Dao Protector, I'm his Patriarch! He is the highest ranking disciple in the Footloose Sect next to me! He is my equal, the future and hope of the Footloose Sect. You are not permitted to kill him!"

"Shameless!" growled Naruto through clenched teeth. Without hesitation, he pulled out the good luck charm and was about to press down on it hard, when suddenly…

Madara turned his head. There, he saw Patriarch Reliance, looking both complacent and indignant. He was in turtle form now, and his eyes glowed with a strange light.

Madara was moved. "I've seen many Demon beasts in my life, but this is definitely… the most loyal one I've ever encountered!"

In order to create the most realistic act, Patriarch Reliance filled his roars with incredible power. Everyone on the island, including the Cultivators of the Footloose Sect, could hear him clearly.

Their faces all flickered with various emotions. The people near the battlefield didn't dare to get too close. Their expressions were that of shock, and they were panting.

"Naruto? Who's that? It sounds like he's really important in the Footloose Sect!"

"What kind of person would the Patriarch risk his life to protect? He must be the hope of the whole Footloose Sect! He can't die!"

"Naruto? I remember! He was an Inner Sect disciple of the Reliance Sect! The Patriarch was right! He's the highest ranking member of our Sect next to the Patriarch!" The astonished Cultivators immediately committed Patriarch Reliance's words to heart, engraving them there to remember always.

Actually, Patriarch Reliance's words were filled with such realistic emotion that even he was starting to believe them. Tears appeared in his eyes as he roared out. It was at this point that Madara stopped in mid-air, his eyes wide with shock.

"Why aren't you chasing him?" said Patriarch Reliance, blinking. He was now far larger than Madara, and had inserted himself between him and Naruto. He glared angrily. "Kill me, and then you can pass!"

Patriarch Reliance was now fully immersed in the game. To him, it was actually quite fun, and when he spoke, his voice burst with incredible power.

"With me here, nobody can hurt Naruto!" roared Patriarch Reliance. Of course, inwardly, he was laughing. He wanted Madara to strike him down as quickly as possible, and then go take care of the little bastard. Then he himself would finally be freed.

However, Madara didn't seem to have any intention of chasing Naruto. From his perspective, there was no way for Naruto to truly escape; he would catch him sooner or later. However, the Demon beast in front of him was something quite rare.

In fact, it was rare enough that Madara couldn't possibly let it go!

"What an incredible, loyal Demon beast," he said slowly. "In all my life, I've never seen anything like it!" The admiration in his eyes grew stronger as he looked at Patriarch Reliance, nodding and smiling. "For a Demon beast like this to follow that child is a real pity. Demon turtle, I am Madara. Are you willing to be my follower? If so, then from now on, you will be the Divine Beast Dao Protector of the Uchiha Clan!

"The day I achieve Immortal Ascension, I will bring you with me into the Heavens!"

Naruto was just about to press down on the good luck charm when he heard the words of Madara. He stopped in place and looked back. When he saw the scene, and especially the trembling Patriarch Reliance, he wanted to laugh out loud.

He knew Patriarch Reliance, and that he most valued his freedom. In order to get rid of Naruto, Patriarch Reliance might be able to forget about some other matters, but as for his freedom… talking about that was one good way to really piss him off!

"I never imagined it would play out this way," thought Naruto. "But I like it. Come on, be a bit more realistic, you old turtle. Keep up the act, I want to see more!"

Patriarch Reliance stared with wide eyes for a moment, and then his heart began to pound. He felt like he was about to explode; madness suddenly surged through his mind.

"What did you just say? What did you call me?" He almost couldn't believe that someone would try to turn him into a guard beast. Actually, this was the second time such a humiliation had occurred to him since he grew up.

The first time had been at the hands of the League of Demon Sealers.

To Patriarch Reliance, the level of irritation this caused him exceeded anything else in the world. His body began to tremble and distort, and it was only because of the little bit of rationality left that he was able to suppress his rage.

"You're not pleased, little Demon turtle?" said Madara, his face sinking. He had offered this Demon turtle a rare, moving opportunity. Normally speaking, considering his temper, he would have just instantly killed it.

"Fudge! YOU'RE the Demon turtle!" roared Patriarch Reliance. "Everyone in your whole Uchiha Clan are all Demon turtles, and you're the bastard son of a turtle! Do you really dare to try to make me your security guard!?" Moments later, though, he inwardly urged himself to just hold on a little bit longer. All he had to do was hold on, and then great good fortune would come his way.

By this point, though, his body had grown incredibly blurry. Furthermore, his real body was actually trembling some, causing huge waves to surge out on the sea, along with echoing rumbling sounds.

"Well, it's beyond your control," said Madara, his voice cool. "If you're willing, good. If you're not willing, it doesn't matter. When I make a decision, nobody can change it. I'll put some restrictive spells on you, and then from now on, you'll be the Demon turtle of my Uchiha Clan!" Apparently, he felt his own words to be the will of Heaven, like laws and statutes that couldn't be broken.

Naruto was going wild with joy, and almost started laughing out loud. He knew that currently, he could leave at any time he wished. Besides, if Patriarch Reliance couldn't endure through all this, then Naruto didn't mind facing a bit of danger just to be able to see that happen.

As Madara spoke, he raised his right hand and performed an incantation. Instantly, thousands of restrictive spell symbols appeared in mid-air. They circulated around in the area to form a huge net, which then shot toward the illusory, turtle-form Patriarch Reliance.

Patriarch Reliance's body was blurry, but it was still possible to see how furious he was. His panting sounded like explosions, and his fury… finally reached the point of detonation!

His eyes were wide; earlier, he had done everything he could to hold back his rage. But now, he couldn't suppress even a tiny bit of it. In the blink of an eye… his fury exploded!

Thunderous booming sounds echoed out in all directions as Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and let out an unprecedented howl of rage!

"AAARRGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" In this moment, he didn't care about Naruto or the Demon Sealing Sect. All he cared about was the towering rage he felt from being offended in such a way.

Such overt humiliation made him think back to how he had felt being restricted by the League of Demon Sealers. It was like an old wound had been ripped open. Patriarch Reliance's rage filled his mind, and he roared again.

"Dammit! Dammit….

"The League of Demon Sealers is one thing, but you, tiny child, you actually dare to humiliate the Patriarch!?"

Patriarch Reliance was so immersed in his rage that he completely forgot about the act from before. His eyes were bright red, and the entirety of Saint's Island was shaking violently. The land quaked, as if some enormous creature were waking up beneath it.

The surrounding seawater was covered with massive, roaring waves, as if the sea in the area was about to explode.

Far beneath Saint's Island, deep in the blackness of the sea, something like two oil lamps suddenly appeared. They were bloodshot, and filled with madness, the madness instigated by old wounds being ripped open. It was a madness stemming from humiliation.

BOOM!

Huge fissures ripped open in the land. The sky grew dark, wild colors flashed about, and the sea raged. All of these sudden changes caused Madara's face to fall.

However, before he could even make a single move, an aura exploded up from deep within the sea. The aura was filled with intense rage, and as soon as it appeared, it caused even the air to be shredded. It seemed as if Saint's Island were being ripped out from the very world.

As soon as Madara sensed the aura, his face completely filled with shock. He immediately took a deep breath and then flew up into the air, his face pale.

"Immortal!" he said, his voice faint.

"This is the aura of an Immortal!

"Demonic Chakra like an Immortal. This is the will of a Demon Immortal!"

A deep, growling voice could suddenly be heard from within the ground, causing the earth to shake and mountains to tremble. "You actually dare to call the Patriarch a Demon turtle? You actually dare try to make me your security guard!"

The voice came up from the ground and from within the sea. The seawater churned and seethed and began to spin around Saint's Island until it transformed into a huge vortex.

"You actually dare to try to put restrictive spells on me! Are you… worthy?!"

BOOM!

The sea exploded up, causing water to shower about in all directions. A huge force seemed to shoot up into the sky, and at the same time, a gargantuan head became visible within the sheets of water. It stretched out to blot out the entire sky. Its shadow was so huge that it could obstruct both the sun and the moon. It covered over everything!

It was the colossal head of a vicious turtle, its skin covered with wrinkles. It was pitch black and terrifying, and when it opened its mouth, sharp, yellow teeth could be seen. And then there were the eyes, which seemed blurry at first, but then clearly radiated intense fury and rage.

This was… the head of Patriarch Reliance's real body!

An indescribable energy pulsed out from Patriarch Reliance. His aura emanated out, causing all living things to tremble with fear. Up in mid-air, Madara slowly forced himself to turn around. Then he saw the indescribably gigantic head filling the entire sky.

He gaped, and his mind filled with a roaring sound. His eyes went wide, filled with an expression of astonished disbelief.

He suddenly understood why his opponent could so frivolously waste its essence. It was because, its essence… was incredibly, astonishingly vast….

"You…." stammered Madara, his scalp going numb. For years, he had swept across Planet Lands of Ninshu, but he had never seen a shocking, terrifying Demon beast like this.

"You want the Patriarch to be your security guard?" raged Patriarch Reliance. The sound of his voice was like thunder, filled with madness. Countless mountains on Saint's Island collapsed, and huge waves rolled out across the sea.

Madara staggered backward several paces. Patriarch Reliance's roar just now caused him to cough up a huge mouthful of blood. His face was pale white.

Panting, he thought back to what he had said about making his opponent a guard. Then he took a deep breath. Obviously, he had absolutely no qualifications whatsoever to try to make a Demon Immortal act as a guard.

"Senior, please calm your anger," he said quickly, continuing to back up. "This is all just a big misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding my flipping ass!" roared Patriarch Reliance. The echo of his roar sounded back and forth, causing the sea itself to roar, making it sound like there were countless Patriarch Reliances all roaring at the same time. But then he said, "Allow the Patriarch to bestow you with some good fortune!"

This was the second time that Naruto had seen Patriarch Reliance's real body. It was as shocking now as it had been before. Suddenly, he thought back to how he had vented his spleen on Patriarch Reliance in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, and he felt a little scared. But then he remembered that he could restrain Patriarch Reliance with the Demon Sealing Scripture, and he felt a bit calmer.

It was at this point that Naruto heard the words 'good fortune,' and his eyes began to shine brightly. He quickly began to back up; he knew that now was the time for him to make his exit.

Madara was momentarily stunned by the mention of 'good fortune.' Roaring, Patriarch Reliance's gargantuan head shot toward him at incredible speed.

He moved so fast that ghost images sprang up, and the air itself cracked.

BANG!

Rage flared up in the eyes of Madara. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and a glittering shield sprang up. However, cracking sounds echoed out, and it began to shatter into small pieces. His face went pale, and he started performing a double-handed incantation, calling the wind and summoning the rain. Instantly, magical power swirled around him, and an incredible magical art shot toward Patriarch Reliance. Madara coughed up more blood and sped backward, having narrowly escaped complete catastrophe.

His mind was overcome with terror; after reaching Spirit Severing, he had never encountered anything that he had feared. That was not to mention his position after reaching Dao Seeking. In all of the lands of Lands of Ninshu, he was afraid of nothing; even the idea of double-crossing the Hebi Clan didn't get him scared.

Now, though, he was afraid. He fled without even the slightest bit of hesitation, at the same time producing several dozen magical items. Each of these magical items could be considered a treasure of great value. He had spent years collecting them all. Unleashing them caused a bright light to shine out and swirl around his body as he fled.

However, Patriarch Reliance's eyes flashed with killing intent. His head shrank back, but then shot out again as fast as lightning.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed out from the mouth of Madara. This time, he couldn't dodge. His precious treasures were destroyed, and a crunching sound could be heard as half of his body was crushed and ripped away by Patriarch Reliance.

His scream was matchlessly desolate. The Uchiha Patriarch continued to try to escape with the remaining half of his body. He was clearly in an unprecedentedly horrific and terrible situation.

Blood sprayed about in all directions, and Naruto's eyes glittered. Without stopping to even look back, he waved his arm, causing some of the blood to swirl over to him. Then he continued off into the distance.

Behind him, Patriarch Reliance wasn't finished venting. Even as his head shot once more toward Madara, he sensed that Naruto was getting further and further away. However, his rage did not lessen. Instead, it boiled up from his insides. He instantly changed directions, moving like a bolt of lightning to suddenly appear right next to Naruto. His enormous mouth opened as if he were about to consume him.

In that instant of malice, though, layers of restrictive spells flared up around him. Countless magical symbols could be seen, connected together like chains that glittered with bright light. They covered Patriarch Reliance's entire body, no matter how he strained against them. Even his shell was affected; cracks spread out, as if he were about to be crushed alive.

The pain caused Patriarch Reliance to let out a miserable cry. His head shot back and he glared hatefully at Naruto.

"Nothing good ever happens when I run into you!" roared Patriarch Reliance.

"One of these days, Naruto's turtle is gonna beg for me to ride him!" Naruto shot back hatefully, looking over his shoulder coldly at Patriarch Reliance as he continued to shoot off into the distance.

Naruto's words seemed to move Patriarch Reliance inwardly. His eyes turned bright red, and he slipped further into madness. However, he didn't try to consume Naruto again. The glowing chains could still be seen on him, causing his entire body to be wracked with pain. The rage inside of him was impossible to describe. Being incapable of doing anything to kill Naruto, all he could do was flash back toward the Madara to continue to vent his anger.

Madara was scared out of his mind. Even in his wildest dreams, he could never have imagined that he would run into a Demon Immortal in this place. It completely exceeded his understanding of Planet Lands of Ninshu.

"This is impossible! How could there be a Demon Immortal in the lands of Lands of Ninshu?! Dammit! The Hebi Clan is completely useless! How could they permit a Demon Immortal to hide in the Milky Way Sea!?" By this point, having lost half of his body, Madara knew deep inside that he was going to die. There was no way that he could flee a Demon Immortal.

"Damnable Naruto! First, the kid pulls out an Immortal's sword to kill my clone, and now he has a Dao Protector like this! Just how lucky can one person be?!" Madara almost felt as if he couldn't accept it. But then, he realized that perhaps it was because Naruto had such luck that he was able to form the Perfect Dao foundation.

"Thankfully, this is only a clone. Granted, it's a flesh and blood clone, and I'll sustain some damage when it dies. However, I don't have any other options right now…. Well then, if I'm going to die, I'll go out fighting this Demon Immortal!" A bright light appeared in his eyes as Patriarch Reliance's head closed in on him. With a roar, Madara spun around and began to perform an incantation.

Naruto was fleeing at high speed. He was going so fast that he barely had time to clasp hands and bow to Haku off in the distance. As of now, Naruto's plan had succeeded, and now all that was on his mind was to get away.

Patriarch Reliance's head was now far away from Naruto. He was enraged, and also frustrated. Whenever he encountered Naruto, nothing good happened. The first time, he had been forced to leave with the Five Elements Nation. Now, he had been humiliated into taking action.

The feeling of vexation only served to kindle his fury. Patriarch Reliance felt the overwhelming desire to vent his rage, so it was with intense killing intent that he shot toward Madara.

Booming sounds echoed out along with miserable shrieks. Naruto didn't stop for even a moment. He shot forward at the highest possible speed, transforming into a beam of colorful light. It only took the space of a few dozen breaths for him to reach the border of the sea.

Up ahead were some disciples of the Footloose Sect. When they saw Naruto, they were instantly shaken inwardly. There were a couple Cultivators among their number who actually recognized Naruto from his time back in the Five Elements Nation.

"Greetings, Patriarch Naruto!" they said, clasping hands and bowing deeply.

Seeing their actions caused the others to realize that the person in front of them was none other than Naruto, the person their Patriarch was risking his life to protect. This was the person whose seniority was highest in the entire Sect, second only to the Patriarch himself. Of course, because their Cultivation bases were not high enough, they had no way to know about the matter of Patriarch Reliance trying to consume Naruto.

Furthermore, in the Footloose Sect, nothing was more important than matters of seniority. It was built into the Sect rules, and had long since been imprinted deeply in their hearts, and was something that no one would dare to defy. To see Naruto and not immediately bow would be far too excessive.

"Greetings, Patriarch Naruto!" said the group, all of them clasping hands and bowing. Naruto's eyes glittered, and a smile appeared on his face. He nodded to the group as he shot past them.

When Patriarch Reliance saw this happening, he very nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his rage burned even higher than before. He felt as if he had just hoisted up a rock to crush Naruto, only to drop the rock on his own foot. His act from before had been completely convincing to all of the surrounding disciples, leaving them shocked and amazed. It only took a short time for Naruto's name to be spread around the entire area.

"Nothing good ever happens to me around Naruto! DAMMIT!" His rage rocketing to unprecedented heights, Patriarch Reliance bit toward Madara, to begin the torment.

Naruto had originally planned to leave, but then he stopped. He considered the act Patriarch Reliance had put on, the relationship between the two of them, as well as the two displays of killing intent just now. Then he decided to pull a quick little con. He turned back to the Footloose Sect disciples.

"Take out all your Spirit Stones and give them to me," he said. "Later, Patriarch Footloose will repay you a hundredfold! Don't worry, Patriarch Footloose is willing to give up his life for me, do you really think he cares about some trifling Spirit Stones?" As he spoke, he imbued his voice with his Cultivation base, causing his words to echo about throughout the entirety of Saint's Island.

When Patriarch Reliance heard the words, his anger burned even hotter. He looked at Madara in front of him, gasping on the verge of death, and had half a mind to go after Naruto once again and try to kill him. However, he knew that if he did that, he would be restrained by the restrictive spells. Furthermore, if he spoke up to contradict Naruto, then it would be a huge loss of face, and people would suspect his previous actions. Right now, Naruto's words were echoing in the ears of the Footloose Sect members throughout Saint's Island; it seemed that in the future, Patriarch Reliance would have no choice but to pay back the Spirit Stones for Naruto.

"Hmph!" he said, comforting himself. "How many Spirit Stones could a few trifling disciples have? Who cares if I have to pay them back a hundredfold! My spit is worth more than that!" With that, he jerked his head to the side. Madara, who was currently clasped viciously in his jaw, let out a miserable shriek.

The group of Cultivators stared in shock at Naruto, then produced their bags of holding and gave him all the Spirit Stones therein. These were all Footloose Sect disciples with extraordinary Cultivation bases. They had quite a collection of Spirit Stones numbering in the tens of thousands. Naruto nodded happily as he collected them all together.

"I accept your 100,000 Spirit Stones!" said Naruto loudly, his voice echoing throughout Saint's Island. "Make sure to keep ahold of this receipt!" He quickly tossed out a jade slip, then shot off into the distance.

The group gaped in astonishment. They had clearly handed over less than 50,000 Spirit Stones. How could it have suddenly turned into 100,000? After a moment, their eyes began to glitter as they realized that Naruto had blessed them with good fortune. Their hearts filed with joy, and they all bowed deeply to Naruto's retreating figure.

"We bid you respectful adieu, Patriarch Naruto!"

Patriarch Reliance heard their words, and began to tremble. Then he let out an indignant bellow.

"Naruto!"

"Patriarch, there's no need to escort me away!" cried back Naruto. "Disciple will take his leave now. Patriarch, you risked your life for me, leaving disciple very moved! I won't put you to any more inconvenience!" By this point, he had flown off of Saint's Island and was over the sea. Further back, Madara's clone was a mass of blood and gore. He let out a final bloodcurdling screech, and then was shredded into pieces and then swallowed by Patriarch Reliance.

Patriarch Reliance's head swiveled to glare hatefully at Naruto's retreating figure. After a long moment, he lifted his head up and roared. Massive waves seethed on the sea, forming into huge vortex formed. It swept around Saint's Island, and, to the shock and alarm of everyone, caused the entire island to speed away with incredible speed.

Wind swept about, and waves crashed. In the blink of an eye, not even a shadow of the island remained. The only thing remaining on the sea was Naruto, floating in mid-air.

Meanwhile, back in the Uchiha Clan in the Southern Domain….

Madara's true self lay in the coffin in his tomb underneath the mountains. He suddenly opened his eyes and then coughed up a mouthful of blood. He sat up, and as he did, his aged figure grew even older. He became more withered, and his aura was thrown into chaos and disorder.

His archaic, wrinkled face was pale as he grasped the side of the coffin. He looked up, and within his pupils appeared an intense, venomous hatred.

After a long moment passed, his eyes glittered.

"So, there is enmity between that Patriarch Reliance and Naruto. He attacked him twice… but was unable to destroy him because of the restrictive spells.

"The only reason he attacked me was because I accidentally offended him.

"In turn, that means that he won't be helping Naruto a second time.

"Next time…. Next time I catch up with him, will be the day Naruto loses his Dao foundation!" Madara breathed heavily as a cold glow appeared in his eyes.

The Milky Way Sea was split up into four rings, outside of which was the Outer Sea, and area mostly made up of small islands occupied by various Cultivator Clans. Among such Clans, the strongest Cultivators were of the Core Formation stage.

To them, the Fourth Ring was an incredibly dangerous place, populated not only by thieves and murderers, but also filled with ferocious sea beasts. In addition, there were powerful Sects and Clans.

Some of those Sects and Clans were led by Nascent Soul Cultivators, which made the whole place very dangerous. However, everyone knew that it was not impossible to scrape out some good fortune there, much like the Isobu Clan had.

Of course, to the Cultivators in the Fourth Ring, the Third Ring… was like a forbidden zone filled with both danger and opportunity!

Any who entered the Third Ring without being in the Nascent Soul stage did so at great risk to their lives. Even Nascent Soul Cultivators could die easily in the Third Ring if luck wasn't with them. That was because the Third Ring was filled with inordinate amounts of sea beasts.

Despite that, there were still many Cultivators who attempted to get into the Third Ring. In fact, there were even some experts who made their home there.

What attracted Cultivators to such a place of profound danger was none other than the potential profits there!

The sea beasts there were known as Sea Demons, and their hearts were considered precious treasures. They were objects similar to Spirit Stones, and served a similar function. A single Demon heart was superior to a low-grade Spirit Stone, and in fact was more similar to a mid-grade Spirit Stone in terms of quality.

There were even some hearts from especially powerful Sea Demons that… could compare to high-grade Spirit Stones. Such things were valuable treasures that no Cultivator could afford to ignore.

After all, the Milky Way Sea had no Spirit Stone quarries, and thus, no way to even produce Spirit Stones. Considering how valuable Cultivators viewed Spirit Stones, it was no wonder that Demon hearts quickly became a trade item in the Milky Way Sea.

In fact, there were even some precious items that could only be acquired by purchasing them with Demon hearts!

In order to acquire Demon hearts, one had to enter the Third Ring and take some risks to earn a chance for good fortune. Of course, the powerful Sea Demons there had fierce and savage dispositions, and regarded all Cultivators with extreme hostility. The two were as incompatible as fire and water!

Even still, there was no way to prevent the thirst of Milky Way Sea Cultivators for Demon hearts!

Many, many tales were told in the Milky Way Sea about people who had struck it rich overnight in the Third Ring. Therefore, throughout the years, countless Cultivators had come to brave the almost certain death of the Third Ring.

Naruto was well aware of this, thanks to the information provided him in the jade slip from the Isobu Clan. Although it didn't contain a wealth of details, there was enough of an introduction for Naruto to gain a basic understanding.

Currently, in a particular part of the Fourth Ring of the Milky Way Sea, a beam of light screamed through the air, causing the seawater below to seethe and churn.

A man could be seen, wearing a green robe, his long, gray hair whipping in the wind. He looked young, but also emanated a faint, archaic air.

His eyes were like stars, and his features were handsome. He looked somewhat like a scholar. This was of course, Naruto.

He was now a month away from Saint's Island. The entire time, he had sped along across the surface of the Milky Way Sea, during which time he had come to a much greater understanding of the entire area.

Currently, his eyes glittered brightly as he proceeded forward, thinking all the while.

"It might not have been the true self of Madara that died. It would be great if it was his true self, but if not… then I only have a temporary respite from danger. It won't be too long before I'm in another deadly crisis."

Naruto continued to think as he proceeded onward. The parrot flew nearby. Occasionally, it would dive down into the water and then shoot up again off in the distance. It was clearly having a lot of fun.

Naruto pulled out the jade slip given to him by Suiren and closely examined it yet again.

"A never-ending tempest exists between the Fourth and Third Rings," he thought. "It's a windstorm that can shred anything alive. It's like a huge divide that prevents anyone from entering the Third Ring…." The map in the jade slip portrayed the sea, and not much else from the Fourth Ring. It was already relatively useless to Naruto.

His body flashed as he continued on into the deeper regions of the Milky Way Sea.

"Although I don't have a map, the Milky Way Sea is arranged in ring-like areas. All I have to do is keep going deeper." He increased his speed, and the parrot went faster to keep up.

Time continued to pass. Soon, it was two months later.

Naruto was shocked by how large the Fourth Ring was. He had been flying for three months, although he hadn't gone nonstop. Occasionally, he would catch sight of islands populated by various Sects and Clans.

These were groups who had inhabited the Milky Way Sea for generations, and were quite knowledgeable about the area. Considering the level of Naruto's Cultivation base, it was a simple matter for him to acquire maps from such groups. It didn't take long before he had a thorough outline of the entire Fourth Ring area.

In addition, he also learned a bit about the Third Ring.

"There are three Saints in the Third Ring!

"The so-called Three Saints are three Spirit Severing Cultivators who lead three Sects. The Sea Divinity Sect, the Flying Immortal Sect, and the Sun Soul Society!

"Those three Sects determine who is allowed to enter the Third Ring. In addition, they built three Sea Cities in different locations surrounding the Third Ring, where people have to pass through on their way in and out. Anyone who wants to go in must pay a certain amount of Spirit Stones. Furthermore, anyone who leaves must also pay Spirit Stones, based on how long they stayed inside…." Naruto floated there in mid-air thinking about the information gleaned from the jade slip he held in his hand.

"Those three Sea Cities all possess a special method for bringing people in and out of the tempest safely.

"According to the rumors, there wasn't always a tempest surrounding the Third Ring. Supposedly, the ancestors of the Three Saints joined forces to summon it. Then, successive generations of descendants were able to pass through it.

"The three Sects have vast resources, and tens of thousands of members. For unknown reasons, each Sect only produces a single Spirit Severing expert. However, because of their deep resources, even Dao Seeking Cultivators would think twice before tangling with them."

Naruto's eyes glittered as he put the jade slip away. After some thought, he decided not to head toward one of the three Sea Cities. Instead, he would use the maps he had acquired to make his way directly through the hurricane.

"If the Uchiha Patriarch is truly not dead, then getting into the Third Ring via the Sea Cities would leave behind a trail that he could follow. The best method will be to force my way through on my own!

"That way, the three Sects won't have any record of me. Even if Madara comes looking for me, with my altered aura, it will be difficult for him, at least temporarily." Having made his decision, Naruto flared his aura and shot forward at top speed.

A few days later, a gray mass of storm winds appeared up ahead.

Rumbling sounds emanated out, and the closer he got, the more the storm winds resembled a huge wall that stretched up into the Heavens. It was ring-shaped, and seemed to have no end; it stretched off as far as the eye could see.

Fog pulsed in and out, along with howling, screaming sounds. It almost seemed as if devils and fiends lurked inside, waiting to stop any Cultivators who entered, and preventing any Sea Demons from charging out.

"According to the information from the jade slip, though, the Fourth Ring also has Sea Demons. That just goes to show that the storm winds might be powerful, but do contain weak spots." He hovered outside of the storm winds, his hair flying around him, his clothes whipping violently.

Inside the storm winds, lightning crackled. As for the seawater in the area, it seemed to be divided. Although waves surged outside the tempest, they were incapable of entering inside. They could only crash on the outside, which caused the whole area to be filled with an almost permanent blanket of rain.

Naruto examined it for a moment, then looked down at the surface of the sea. His eyes glittered for a moment, and then he rotated his Cultivation base. Soon, the surface of the sea began to grow transparent to his eyes, allowing him to see into the world underneath.

What he saw was that the storm winds actually extended down into the sea. Although they didn't appear to interfere with the flow of the water, when Naruto extended his Divine Sense deep down, he could vaguely sense that there were shocking things in the water that he didn't dare to touch.

He pulled back his Divine Sense, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Currently, he fluctuated with only five portions of Cultivation base power inside of him. As time passed, he would slowly be able to fuse them together into one.

After adjusting his aura, Naruto's eyes opened, and they glowed with a light that made it seem as if he was prepared to take Heaven and Earth by force. His aura exploded up, and he entered the Ninth Anima.

Naruto's fleshly body hummed, and in the blink of an eye, reached the pinnacle of his power. A dreary expression of death covered his face, and the energy of his Cultivation base surged out with monstrous power. The air around him shattered and cracked, and any rain that fell near him was instantly pushed three hundred meters away.

Naruto took a deep breath. His body was like an arrow pulled tight against a bowstring. Suddenly, he shot forward; in the blink of an eye, he made contact with the storm winds. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he entered in.

From a distance, the tempest looked like a vicious, primordial beast that opened its mouth and then swallowed up Naruto.

As soon as he entered the storm winds, he was battered by an intense force. Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he surged forward. Rumbling sounds could be heard as the fog up ahead seemed to be ripped apart. The sweeping wind also seemed to collapse.

They were completely incapable of doing anything to stop Naruto. His hair whipped around, but he didn't sustain even the slightest injury. Compared to the Underworld Wind he had experienced in the Demon Immortal Sect, this was almost nothing.

As he charged forward amidst the booming roars, the fog within the storm winds scattered and seethed. In a very short moment, Naruto had already traveled three thousand meters in.

He was surrounded by screaming winds and pitch blackness, interspersed with flashes of bright lightning. His face was expressionless as he proceeded forward relentlessly. His Spirit Severing fleshly body and terrifying Cultivation base made it possible for him to move further and further in.

Every time he breathed, countless bolts of lightning would shoot toward him. When they struck him, though, he would simply absorb them. If any outsider saw what was happening, they would surely be completely shocked

From ancient times to modern, few people had ever qualified to charge alone through these storm winds on the Milky Way Sea.

"There's a trick to this Milky Way Sea Stormwind Divide," Naruto murmured. The winds screamed around him, and lightning crackled. The winds could flay any Nascent Soul Cultivator alive, and the lightning could reduce them to powder.

However, all the wind could do to Naruto was blow against his face. It couldn't shake him in the least. As for the lightning, it was like a tonic that helped his Cultivation base rotate a bit faster.

The parrot gripped his shoulder, also completely disdainful of the storm winds. Occasionally it would squawk and fly out into the winds with the meat jelly bell.

Anyone who saw this scene would certainly be astonished. In the entire Milky Way Sea, the only people who would dare to traverse the Stormwind Divide alone were Spirit Severing Cultivators.

And when it came to Spirit Severing Cultivators, there were only three in the Milky Way Sea.

Those were the Three Saints of the three Sects.

Other than those three, no one would dare to try to cross the Stormwind Divide.

The divide was actually huge. Naruto had proceeded forward with arms clasped behind his back for more than thirty thousand kilometers, and still had not emerged from the other side. As he continued onward, the winds raged, carrying whimpering sounds with them through the pitch black darkness. It sounded like countless demons and fiends were howling at him.

Lightning danced in sheets, sending rumbling booms out in all directions.

This was a place where Nascent Soul Cultivators fundamentally couldn't exist. Their fleshly bodies would be destroyed, their Nascent Souls shattered. However, to Naruto, none of it counted for anything.

Two hours later, Naruto had proceeded along even further, although he wasn't sure exactly how far. Within the darkness, the wind was like a sharp blade that forced him to slow down a bit. However, because of the strength of his fleshly body, he was still able to proceed onward.

He pushed through the storm winds for another day. They grew more and more astonishing, and lightning struck down everywhere. There were even flickering magical symbols that could be seen in the area. Naruto's eyes flickered when he felt the pressure exuding out from the magical symbols.

At first they were scarce, but the following day, Naruto couldn't help but frown and slow down. The magical symbols around him were no longer flickering, but rather, glowing brightly. Oftentimes, he would see ten or more magical symbols fused together to create spell formations.

At one point, he eyed one of the spell formation with flickering eyes. "This spell formation could cause Spirit Severing Cultivators to tremble!" He did nothing to avoid it, but rather, allowed the magical symbol spell formation to touch him.

A boom rattled out, and his body trembled a bit, but he didn't retreat. A smile of confidence broke out on his face as the magical symbol spell formation collapsed into pieces right in front of him.

He brushed off his clothes and then continued onward. A few days later within the Stormwind Divide, Naruto's expression flickered. He transformed into a green smoke and shot past a collection of magical symbols that had been shooting toward him.

Rumbling echoed out; the magical symbols seemed to be imbued with a will that could exterminate anything in Heaven and Earth. As they passed by, Naruto noticed that the fog in the area dissipated slightly because of the domineering air cast about by the ball of magical symbols.

As the ball made its way off into the distance, it encountered other scattered magical symbols and appeared to consume them, absorbing them into itself.

"That thing was made up of hundreds of magical symbols!" A serious look appeared in his eyes. The spell formation made from hundreds of magical symbols caused him to feel a clear sense of menace. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to stand up to it were he hit.

"I really can't afford to underestimate this Stormwind Divide," he murmured. He sent his Divine Sense out as he proceeded forward.

Gradually, he saw more and more spell formations formed from hundreds of magical symbols. Eventually, they became commonplace, and soon, he caught sight of even bigger spell formations.

Those formations were formed from thousands of magical symbols, and no longer looked like simple spheres, but rather, were formed into the shape of magical items. He saw one that looked like a battle-ax sweeping about through the wind. Other spell formations made from hundreds of magical symbols avoided the battle-ax, and didn't dare to get anywhere near it.

The battle-ax was dozens of meters tall, and glittered brightly. A bleak, killing will spread out from it, as if it constantly desired slaughter. Looking at it, it appeared completely beyond ordinary.

Naruto was able to sense a Spirit Severing aura on the battle-ax, which surprised him. A glow of interest could then be seen within his eyes.

"The magical symbols here are very intriguing. On an individual level, they aren't very powerful, but in groups of ten, they emit powerful pressure. Hundreds together are something Spirit Severing Cultivators wouldn't dare to touch, and when thousands coalesce….

"It emanates the aura of Spirit Severing, and is clearly like a Spirit Severing Treasure!" Naruto was moved. Based on what he knew of cultivation, after reaching Spirit Severing, in addition to acquiring enlightenment regarding the Domain, one could also create a Spirit Severing Treasure.

This was done by fusing the will of the First Severing blade into a magical item, using the Nascent Divinity to nourish it, and then transforming it into the Spirit Severing Treasure. Such a magical item was created with life force, making it incredibly powerful.

Furthermore, the weakness or strength of the magical item upon its creation would determine the weakness or strength of its later form.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he did nothing to evade it. After measuring it up for a moment, he lifted his right hand up to perform an incantation. The image of a mountain appeared above his hand, after which he pointed forward. The mountain rumbled out, heading directly toward the battle-ax shaped collection of hundreds of magical symbols.

As the mountain neared, the battle-ax did nothing to avoid it. When the mountain slammed into it, a huge boom could be heard, and the mountain collapsed. There was absolutely no change whatsoever to the battle-ax. However, it suddenly stopped in place, almost as if it had a spirit that was now staring in shock.

It was as if it possessed its own will, and was currently thinking about how nothing in its memory had ever dared to attack it.

Naruto frowned. The battle-ax was far more powerful than he could have imagined. It was in this moment that the battle-ax finally reacted; it instantly shot toward Naruto, blade first.

Furthermore, a black mist rose up around it, within which two eyes were visible, staring dead at Naruto. A furious rumbling sound emanated out from within the battle-ax as it sped toward him.

"Interesting," he said, smiling. His days spent traveling through the Stormwind Divide had actually been somewhat monotonous, so how could he shrink back from something intriguing like this?

Moments ago, he had just been testing it out. Now that the battle-ax was charging toward him, he suddenly lifted his right hand, causing the illusory image of a mountain thousands of meters tall to appear around him. He then waved both hands outward, causing the mountain to grow until it was 15,000 meters tall. Then, the battle-ax slammed into it.

A boom could be heard that resonated up into the sky. The fog in the area churned, and the sound echoed out into the far regions of the storm winds.

In fact, quite some distance away within the Stormwind Divide was a pitch-black ship that flew a pitch-black flag. As it proceeded through the storm winds, it emanated a bloody aura, as if the ship itself were filled with fresh blood.

Blood-colored magical symbols rose up from the blood, which, in combination with the sails of the ship, allowed it to proceed safely through the winds that would cause even Spirit Severing Cultivators to wince.

The wind could do nothing to the boat, and when the lightning neared it, it didn't hit the ship, but actually avoided it. Even the balls of magical symbols seemed shaken when they saw the ship, and would sink into dormancy.

There were a dozen or so Cultivators on the ship, pale-faced and panting as they looked out at the terrifying scene outside. Most of them were Nascent Soul Cultivators, with only a couple being of the Core Formation stage.

In charge of the ship were three old men. They wore haughty expressions, and would occasionally glance over at the other passengers with looks of scorn.

"What's all the fuss about?" said one of them. "We still have a long ways to go. There's at least six months of travel before we reach our destination."

"The Sun Soul Society ferry isn't the fastest in the three Sects, but it's the safest. Your Spirit Stones will not have been spent in vain."

In response to the words of the old men, the passengers on the ship forced smiles onto their faces. They were already scared witless by everything they had seen on their journey. There were only two of their number who had calm expressions; it seemed they were already familiar with the frightening sights of the Stormwind Divide.

All of these people were Cultivators on their way to search for good fortune in the Third Ring. This ship was a special vessel to transport them there, for a certain amount of Spirit Stones of course.

In the Milky Way Sea, there was only one way to get into the Third Ring, and that was to go to one of the Sea Cities of the three Sects, pay the price, and then board one of these special ships.

Of course, Naruto's illegal method did not count as a valid method of entry.

The people on the ship had just squeezed out smiles onto their faces when, suddenly, muffled booms could be heard from off in the distance. Immediately, the storm winds in the area rippled, and the lightning twisted. Furthermore, many of the magical symbols twitched and then seemed to awaken from slumber.

The sight caused the faces of everyone on the ship to flicker as they wondered what had just happened.

As for the two people who previously had completely calm faces, they opened their eyes, and a strange light could be seen therein. They exchanged a glance, and then looked off into the distance.

The three old men from the Sun Soul Society who were piloting the boat also looked up. Strange looks could be seen in their eyes, but only for a moment. Then they began to laugh coldly, and expressions of derision could be seen clearly on their faces.

"Someone is trying to rely on their own power to illegally pass through."

"Whoever it is, they are paying for their unlawful travel with their life! Serves them right!"

"How could somebody possibly pass through the spell formation set up by the ancestors of the three Sects? That person is simply looking to die. Although, to cause such a reaction shows that his Cultivation base is definitely not weak."

"Who cares? He most likely ran into a ten-symbol formation. If it was a hundred-symbol formation, then he's definitely dead!"

When the other Cultivators heard the words of the three old men, they began to chuckle. Every year there were always Cultivators who tried to get through on their own power, in order to avoid paying the fee to take a ship. However, nobody ever succeeded; they always died inside.

The Cultivators on the ship had never imagined that they would encounter such a person on their own journey.

"It's too bad we're so far away," said one of them. "Otherwise we could personally witness him dying. It must be a spectacular sight."

"It's already perilous enough trying to get into the Third Ring. To place oneself out in the Stormwind Divide is really stupid."

"Now that I think about it, all those Spirit Stones I spent were really worth it."

Everyone on board seemed to be a bit more relaxed now.

Cultivators were just people, so naturally, they also possessed the seven emotions and six pleasures, and tended to think of themselves as superior to others. Such a feeling of superiority would often turn into a type of happiness.

Oftentimes, that feeling of superiority really is… the source of happiness.

For example, the feeling that you are safe while someone else is not, can be happiness. Another example would be drinking a cup of water when you are thirsty, while someone else has nothing to drink except their own saliva. That can also be a kind of happiness.

The people in the boat were currently experiencing exactly that type of happiness.

Because of such happiness, they were not as nervous about the danger that surrounded them. Instead, they were laughing and chatting about the unlucky fool on the outside who had overestimated himself.

Of course, Naruto was the unlucky fool to whom they referred. Booming surrounded him as the mountain around him collapsed. At the same time, the gigantic battle-ax also started to collapse too.

The backlash rocked the battle-ax, causing it to be torn to pieces right in front of Naruto. However, the magical symbols that had formed it did not disperse; instead, they formed back together into a huge hand. Instantly, the hand grabbed toward Naruto, radiating intense ferocity and hatred.

Naruto's expression was calm as he lifted his hand and pointed forward. Instantly, his finger turned the color of blood. This was the Blood Finger!

Next was a second finger, a third… and finally, five fingers stretched out, turning into the Blood Palm! It was fully thirty meters wide, seemingly illusory, but at the same time, incredibly realistic. Backed by the power of the Ninth Anima, it shot directly toward the ax-cum-hand.

A huge boom could be heard as both the Blood Palm and the huge hand formed of magical symbols both exploded into little pieces. Naruto didn't hesitate for a moment; he instantly moved forward, performing an incantation gesture with his right hand and then waving his sleeve. A killing air immediately spread out. The glow of the Greenwood Tree could be seen, along with the extinction of the Violet Sea, raging flames, and the Frost Soil.

This was a five elements magical technique that instantly caused five characters to appear. They exuded vicious pressure down onto the dissipating magical symbols of the battle-ax.

A rumbling could be heard as the hundreds of magical symbols which had made up the battle-ax began to tremble. They seemed to be struggling to escape, but before they could, Naruto neared. His hand clenched into a fist, which then punched out, backed by the intense power of his fleshly body.

The air vibrated, and a gust from the surrounding storm winds bore down on him. It slashed into the magical symbols, instantly cause them to scatter and disperse.

This time, the magical symbols flashed, but did not re-form back together. Naruto gave a cold snort, then performed another incantation, simultaneously rotating his Cultivation base. Instantly, no less than a thousand tiny mountains appeared and then shot out.

This thousand mountains technique was formed by the Mountain Consuming Incantation, and as it descended, each mountain exerted intense pressure onto a magical symbol. Instantly, they were all suppressed. Naruto waved his hand, and the mountains crushed down onto them.

In the blink of an eye, the mountains began to consolidate together. Rumbling could be heard as a thousand-meter tall mountain appeared, sealed inside of which, shockingly, was a battle-ax.

It struggled, attempting to free itself, but Naruto waved his hand through the air and the mountain shot toward him. As it did, it grew smaller and smaller, until it could fit onto the palm of his hand.

The battle-ax inside was suppressed down, shrunken. It struggled more and more fiercely, until cracking and popping sounds could be heard. After the space of a few breaths of time, the battle-ax successfully destroyed the mountain, and then began to charge out from within.

Naruto's face was calm as the index finger of his left hand pushed onto the mountain.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

His coolly spoken words caused a 'hex' character to appear and cover the mountain peak, sealing it. The battle-ax let out a mournful wail. It was completely incapable of extricating itself now.

Naruto felt a bit relieved, finally. He left behind a strand of Divine Sense, added a few more restrictive spells, and then finally smiled and put the mountain into his bag of holding.

"This will count as a treasure," he thought, his eyes glittering brightly. Although it had seemed a simple matter to subjugate the item, it actually took all the power of his Cultivation base, as well as the support of his incredibly powerful fleshly body. Were it some other Spirit Severing Cultivator along the likes of Patriarch Hashirama, they could by no means collect up the battle-ax in the relaxed manner which Naruto just had.

"The more spirit treasures I have like this the better," he thought. "Who knows what kind of price I'll be able to sell them for in the future." Eyes shining brightly, he looked around until his gaze fell upon a group of one hundred magical symbols floating around off in the distance.

The collection of symbols seemed to possess a certain amount of sentience. Perhaps because he had been touched by the aura of the battle-ax, as soon as he looked at the one-hundred symbol spell formation, it instantly appeared to be shocked, and then attempted to flee.

"Since this entire area was planned out like a structure to block Sea Demons, it wouldn't be very reasonable of me to take away all the spell formations. Besides, the one-hundred symbol formations can't even form into anything specific, so it would be mostly useless to try to take them away." Muttering to himself, Naruto turned and flew off into the distance, ignoring the one-hundred symbol spell formations.

Quite some distance away, the passengers on the pitch-black ship could hear the muffled booms off in the distance, and their smiles grew even happier.

"That guy must be dead already."

"He overestimated his own ability, and didn't even have enough Spirit Stones to pay to get on the ship. No wonder he wanted to risk it all in the Third Ring. What a pity he's not very intelligent. Who does he think he is to try to charge through the Stormwind Divide? One of the Three Saints?"

As the others chatted and laughed, the two calm Cultivators closed their eyes and ignored the goings on. The three old men from the Sun Soul Society who were responsible for the boat looked more arrogant than ever. They had been running this boat for a full sixty-year cycle of time, and during that time had never heard of anyone successfully charging through the Stormwind Divide.

However, after a few days passed, the sense of happiness felt by everyone had lessened a bit. But then, more of the magical symbols in the area, as well as the lightning and even the gusts of wind, seemed to be under pressure, even nervous. More explosions could be heard from off in the distance.

The sounds caused the group to grow even more excited. This time, they didn't need any explanation from the three old men. Everyone knew exactly what the sounds were, even if they couldn't see the source. Soon, the sound of their conversation could be heard.

"Hahaha! Don't tell me another person is trying to charge through?"

"Another person who doesn't know their own limits? I never imagined that this trip to the Third Ring would be so fascinating."

"What a pity. I truly wish I could watch with my own eyes."

Everyone was excited, but the three old men were actually somewhat shocked. Just about every time they piloted the ship, they would hear explosions like this. However, it was very rare to hear such a series of explosions twice, like they had this time.

The three old men exchanged smiles, but didn't think too much about it, and focused instead on piloting the ship forward.

The sounds didn't last for very long, only as long as it takes an incense stick to burn. Then they faded away, and another round of talking and chuckling began on the ship.

However, about four days later, the sounds could be heard once again. The passengers on the ship were astonished.

"What's going on? How could there possibly be three people all trying to cross the Stormwind Divide?"

"Something doesn't seem right…."

"Everyone; do you think… that perhaps the person from the very beginning didn't actually die?" These final words were spoken by the person with the weakest Cultivation base of the whole group, the young Core Formation Cultivator.

As soon as he spoke the words, everyone went quiet. The two Cultivators who had sat there calmly the entire time suddenly opened their eyes, seemingly astonished by the implication of the young man's theory.

The three men in charge of the ship also looked shocked, but quickly recovered.

"No unfounded ravings allowed onboard!" growled one of them.

"This is the Stormwind Divide!" said another. "Other than the Three Saints of the Milky Way Sea, nobody can cross it!"

"Obviously what we're hearing is an entire Sect trying to cross. It's not the first time something like that has happened." The rest of the passengers weren't quite sure whether or not to believe the words of the old men. In any case, the happiness of their mood had clearly lessened by quite a bit.

Meanwhile, Naruto flew quickly through the storm wind gusts. Currently, he faced a 150 meter long whip. The whip was about three meters wide, and completely savage in appearance. However, it was surrounded by an enormous mountain, which was gradually suppressing it.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, it made an unyielding howl. Then the mountain descended, completely sealing it. It shrank down into Naruto's hand, after which he put it into his bag of holding.

"Number four!" he said, eyes shining brightly. With a smile, he turned and proceeded to speed along his way.

Two more months passed by. During that time, the group on the ship heard one set of explosions after another. Soon, they had heard the sounds seven times. By now, their mood had changed from one of curiosity to shock.

By the time the thirteenth set of explosions rang out, they were filled with dread. Even the three old men were panting.

After the two months passed, and the twentieth set of explosions reached their ears. Everyone on the boat was now completely and utterly dumbfounded. That was especially so after they realized… that the sounds of the explosions were getting closer!

During the two months, Naruto ran into more magical symbols in the shape of treasures. Whenever he did, he would instantly attack and exert full power to subdue them.

By this point, he was in the very depths of the Stormwind Divide, and was getting much closer to the pitch-black ship.

As he got deeper in, his speed was continually reduced. The intensity of the wind was now hurting him, and was even causing his body to start to break apart.

Right now, he had to continuously disseminate power from his Cultivation base in order to hang on.

As for the lightning, it was now possible to see illusory figures within it that apparently possessed sentience. Naruto was shocked.

At one point, he suddenly caught sight of a bright white light in the otherwise pitch blackness. It seemed to be consuming lighting, which caused Naruto to take a deep breath and then change his course.

What he saw was a toad, gobbling up lightning. This was the first time he had seen magical symbols shaped into the form of a beast. The toad was at least three hundred meters long, and in Naruto's estimation, was formed from around ten thousand magical symbols.

"I wonder how far away I am from the edge of this place…." he thought, avoiding the toad. The toad noticed him, but completely ignored him as it continued to consume lightning.

Naruto looked away, and was just about to speed off into the distance when suddenly he made a slight "eee?" sound. He turned his head and sent Divine Sense out. Sure enough, he could sense a ship, speeding along through the air.

"Perfect. I can jump onto this ship and rest a bit while I go the rest of the way." His eyes glittering, he proceeded on toward it.

That ship, of course, was the Sun Soul Society ship who had listened to the ruckus caused by Naruto this entire time. Whether it was the three old men, the two calm youths, or the rest of the passengers, all of them were bewildered and filled with dread. Everyone wanted the ship to emerge from within the Stormwind Divide as soon as possible.

During the past two months, they had heard the sounds of explosions more than twenty times. By now, they had all begun to speculate that it wasn't a group of people trying to pass through the Stormwind Divide, but rather, a single individual!

That person must be incredibly powerful, fearsome to the extreme in order to be able to brave the spell formation and not be destroyed.

Most important of all was that the ship happened to have a Esoteric compass that the three old men had pooled their power together to use a month previous.

The Esoteric compass was something rarely used on the ship. It had only one function; it could send out invisible waves into the Stormwind Divide, which would then cause a map of the area to appear on the surface of the compass. The map would reveal the location of any powerful spirit creatures formed of magical symbols.

A month ago, they had used that function of the map to reveal the spirits, which were all represented in by white dots of light. The entire area around them was densely covered by such white dots. However, there in the middle of all of them… was a red dot!

That red dot caused everyone to be filled with horrified astonishment.

A red dot represented an outside Cultivator!

Furthermore, during the past month, the white dots in the area had been significantly reduced. It seemed to indicate that the magical symbol spirits were intentionally avoiding the area. In addition, the red dot that represented the outside Cultivator only continued to grow brighter and more resplendent, like fresh blood. Everyone looked on with wide eyes, panting.

That was even more the case when they realized… that the red dot was actually moving at high speed toward the yellow dot on the map. That yellow dot… represented the ship they were on! Panicked cries of alarm could be heard.

"He's coming!"

"The Cultivator who's crossing the Stormwind Divide, he's… heading right toward us!" The more than ten Cultivators aboard the ship were all pale-faced. Some of them even rose to their feet in terror, their faces filled with fear and awe of the unknown.

The three old men in charge of the boat exchanged pale-faced glances. They could see the bitterness and complex emotions in each other's eyes. The three of them could never have imagined that they would ever witness such a shocking scene.

They didn't know who this outsider was, but the three of them did know with complete certainty that anyone who could survive in the depths of the Stormwind Divide would most definitely be of the Spirit Severing stage!

"Spirit Severing eccentrics have strange dispositions. If he kills all of us, the Sect wouldn't do anything. It wouldn't risk offending a Spirit Severing expert just for the likes of us three."

"Dammit! Why is this happening? If he wants to cross, fine, but why does he have to come after us…?"

They sat there, perturbed. It was at this point that everyone watched in astonishment as a huge gust of wind from the Stormwind Divide suddenly blasted against the right side of the boat, causing the bloody glow that emanated up from the ship to dim, as if it were being completely covered up.

Not a single sound could be heard onboard. Everyone sat there apprehensively, looking out in the direction of the gust of wind. The fog outside roiled, and a stifling pressure began to bear down on them.

Soon, a green figure could be seen, striding forward through the air. His salt and pepper hair floated about him as he laid eyes on the ship. It was, of course, Naruto.

Even as he caught sight of them, everyone on the ship looked at him.

As soon as the three old men saw him, they began to tremble. "Third generation disciples of the Sun Soul Society offer greetings to you, senior," they said in unison. The intense pressure radiating from Naruto caused them all to breath raggedly. They even felt the Nascent Souls inside of them quivering under the pressure.

Intense terror began to build up inside of them, especially when Naruto looked directly at them. His gaze was like a sharp blade. It was almost like he could read their hearts and minds with a single glance. It was as if they were completely transparent in front of him. Without any hesitation, the three old men quickly clasped hands and bowed deeply

At the same time, the more than ten passengers on the ship also clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.

Naruto's face was expressionless as he strode forward toward the ship. As he neared, a red shield suddenly sprang up, a defensive mechanism of the ship.

When the shield sprang up, the three old men felt their hearts starting to pound, and their faces completely fell. Inwardly, they felt intense regret, and were sure that a misunderstanding was about to occur. Obviously, the shield wouldn't be able to do anything to hinder an expert who could survive out in the Stormwind Divide. At the most, it might slow him down for a moment, but in the end, the unlucky ones in the whole matter would be themselves.

They were about to try to lower the shield, but before they could, Naruto pushed directly into it. Zapping sounds could be heard, but his face was the same as usual as he walked through it.

Most of the others on the ship actually couldn't see what was happening, but the three old men couldn't help but gasp with shock. They had never imagined that their shield would be so ineffective in blocking Naruto.

What was happening completely exceeded their imaginations; they instantly dropped to their knees and kowtowed.

There were others who noticed the strangeness of the goings on. The two calm youths had been to the Third Ring before, on more than one occasion. Therefore, they understood quite a bit more about the ship than the others. Currently, their faces flickered, and their hearts began to pound.

Naruto said nothing. He boarded the ship, looked around, and then sat down cross-legged on the prow.

He didn't speak at first, and the rest of the people on the ship were as silent as cicadas during winter. The three old men didn't dare to rise to their feet. The entire ship was quiet.

After a bit of time passed, Naruto casually said, "Do you happen to have a map of the Third Ring?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the three old men produced jade slips from their bags of holding and respectfully offered them to Naruto.

Naruto accepted, glanced at the jade slips, and then eyed the Esoteric compass off to the side. His eyes glittered, and he nodded.

"You're going to the Third Ring?" he asked.

"Senior," replied one of the three old men, "we are currently under orders to pilot this ship and deliver these passengers to the Seahold in the Third Ring."

"Would it be convenient for you to take me along?" asked Naruto coolly.

"Senior, you are most welcome aboard our ship. Many thanks for staying to watch out for us. We members of the junior generation can't thank you enough." The three old men were attempting to be as respectful as possible, and in their fear of offending Naruto, spoke in a borderline fawning tone.

"Well, let's get moving," said Naruto, closing his eyes.

The three old men immediately voiced their agreement, then carefully rose to their feet. Inwardly breathing sighs of relief, they sent the ship forward at the highest speed possible. As they proceeded onward, no one dared to speak. The ship was completely quiet.

The ship didn't move as quickly as Naruto could move, but the advantage was the ease with which he could proceed. He sat there cross-legged, meditating for a few days. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked over at the Esoteric compass. There, he could clearly see that a thousand-symbol spirit was floating not too far off in the distance.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, the thousand-symbol spirit was close enough to see with the naked eye. It looked like an iron chain floating there in the storm winds. It completely ignored the ship, although it occasionally attempted to consume lightning as it drifted about.

Naruto suddenly stood up.

"Stop the ship. Wait for me!" With that, he strode out. The three old men and the other passengers were shocked. They watched on as Naruto left the ship. Immediately, the iron chain appeared to sense him. It whipped around in his direction, and an intensely bleak killing will rose up to the Heavens. Suddenly, the lightning in the area turned red and shot whistling through the air toward Naruto.

However, before the iron chain could even get near him, Naruto performed an incantation gesture. Instantly, the characters for metal, wood, water, fire, and earth appeared. As they surrounded the iron chain, Naruto stepped forward and punched.

The iron chain collapsed, sending a thousand magical symbols spreading out in all directions. He then performed another incantation gesture, and the Mountain Consuming Incantation caused a thousand mountains to appear. They covered the magical symbols, then merged together to form a huge mountain peak. Next, the mountain peak shrank down into Naruto's palm, where he sealed it.

After putting it into his bag of holding, he spun around and returned to the ship.

The entire spectacle only took ten breaths of time. Naruto's actions were as natural and unforced as floating clouds and flowing water. Everything was completely efficient, as if he was completely used to doing such things. Everyone who watched on was thoroughly shaken.

The people on the boat stared blankly, and the two Cultivators who had been to the Third Ring before were breathing heavily. They were well aware of how mighty a thousand-symbol spirit was, which caused their fear of Naruto reach a new peak.

By now, they were absolutely certain the reason they had heard explosions more than twenty times in the past. Back then, they could never have imagined that it was a terrifying Cultivator who could subdue and capture magical symbol spirits.

Most shocked of all were the three old men. They were disciples of the Sun Soul Society, and were far more knowledgeable about the Stormwind Divide than the others.

Although others were unaware that the magical symbol spirits could be subdued, they were well aware of the fact. Every few hundred years, powerful experts from the three Sects would enter the spell formation under the leadership of a Patriarch, with the sole purpose of collecting magical symbol spirits. Such spirits were useful to the Patriarchs.

Although no one knew exactly how the Patriarchs used them, it was known that the magical symbol spirits were the essence of the spell formation. That was especially true of the thousand-symbol spirits, which were comparable to Spirit Severing Cultivators. They were unpredictable and virtually indestructible; only the Three Saints were capable of subduing them.

"S-s-senior… sir… how many thousand-symbol spirits have you acquired during your journey?" asked one of the three old men, his face pale, his voice quavering.

"More than twenty," replied Naruto from his position seated cross-legged on the prow. He glanced at the old man.

"More than twenty!" The old man's face completely fell, and he began to pant. He suddenly turned to look at the other two old men and then roared, "Get the ship moving again! Top speed!"

They actually didn't need any reminders. Having heard what Naruto said, they trembled, as if they had just thought of something even more terrifying than Naruto. They rotated their Cultivation bases at top speed to control the boat and push it forward as fast as it could.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked at the old man who had just spoken.

The man looked back with a wry smile, and a face full of anxiety.

"Senior, perhaps you are unaware that in a hundred year period, no more than five of the thousand-symbol spirits can be collected. That number can't be exceeded, or else…. It will cause the yellow springs Underworld Ship to appear….

"The yellow springs emerge, the Underworld Ship appears, Dao Seeking forbidden zone!"

As soon as the old man spoke the words, the storm winds around them suddenly seemed to stop moving. The lightning stopped in mid-air, and the fog came to a standstill!

It seemed almost as if time, as if the very natural laws of the Heaven and Earth, had suddenly become completely motionless.

At the same time, an archaic voice could be heard. It was filled with an air of time; it sounded as if a veil of rot had been lifted. The hoarse voice echoed out from off in the distance.

"Long ago, you chose to continue onward to the end, until there was nothing of you left….

"Long ago, I chose to continue onward to the end, until only I was left….

"Who am I? Who are you…? Unfathomable bleached bones. The beginnings of eras. My Dao… is nigh."

As the voice echoed out, all of the hair on Naruto's body stood on end. An indescribable feeling washed through him, and it felt as if some ancient, icy hand were gently caressing his neck.

An aura of putrefaction filled the area. As for the ship he was on… everything suddenly seemed to slow down. In one fleeting moment, it seemed as if thousands of years had passed.

Everyone on the ship went pale white and began to shiver. Unprecedented expressions of fear could be seen on their faces. Even those who didn't know of the yellow springs Underworld Ship could tell from the current situation that they were in a situation of critical danger!

Terror filled the hearts of the three old men. They employed all of the power of their Cultivation base, and even consumed medicinal pills, to push the boat forward with all the speed possible.

Naruto took a deep breath and rotated his Cultivation base to dispel the intense coldness. One of the three old men who sat nearby yelled out in a hoarse voice: "Don't look back! All of you, listen to me. Under no circumstances look back!

"One must not gaze upon the path to the yellow springs! If you turn your head, you're done for!"

There were a few people on the ship who had been contemplating turning to look back. However, after hearing the old man's words, they sat there trembling, not daring to turn their heads even a little bit.

Naruto's eyes flashed. Behind him, he could hear sobbing sounds rising and falling. It sounded like the weeping of a crowd of countless people. Gradually, everything around grew even colder. In the dim light, it was possible to make out strands of white fog that looked like hair, swirling about in the air.

"The end of my Dao… is nigh…." said the voice, filled with an aura of decay. It seemed to be getting closer.

A cold gleam gradually appeared in Naruto's eyes as he stood there on the prow. Although he didn't turn his head back, the energy in his body gradually grew more and more focused.

The ship picked up speed, but everything around it was motionless. Even if it moved much faster, it would still be incapable of escaping the white strands that filled the area and were continuing to grow more numerous.

It almost seemed as if the ship itself were mired within a painting, a painting in which everything was motionless. It didn't matter if the three old men went all out with power, they still weren't moving fast enough.

The aura of rot grew closer, as if the Underworld Ship that the old men had talked about was getting closer and closer.

Even though their own ship wasn't moving, the passage of time on board seemed to be speeding up. Everyone trembled, as they sensed signs that their life force was beginning to drain away.

Despair welled up in the hearts of the three old men.

Naruto silently lifted up his right foot and then stamped it down softly onto the deck. Instantly, his Cultivation base rumbled, and power poured into the ship. Much of the deck directly shattered, but at the same time, the ship surged forward with incredible speed.

The speed was such that it seemed they would break free from the world of motionless within which they were stuck. The three old men gasped, and hope appeared in their faces as they assisted with all the power they could muster. It finally seemed that the ship would break free from the painting. Movement in their surroundings even became visible.

Eventually, they reached a speed that was capable of combating against whatever law it was in the area that caused everything to remain motionless. The air began to move, and the stillness seemed to be on the verge of shattering. It was at this point, when everything seemed to be just about to begin moving again, when Naruto heard a sigh in his ear.

Then he heard the voice of a man, a voice filled with boundless love. "Naruto… have you been safe and sound all these years…? Back then, your mother didn't agree, but as your father, I… I insisted that it must be this way. Don't blame your mother…."

Naruto trembled. He recognized the voice. Bits and pieces of it actually remained in his memories. Even after so many years had passed, he recognized that this was the voice of his father!

He stood there silently. He didn't look back as the ship sped forward. The motionlessness in the area was rapidly giving way to movement. The white strands that floated in the air were slowly moving backward, freeing the ship.

Just then, though, Naruto heard another voice.

"Naruto… do you… still remember me? I'm your mother…. Look back, let me see your face. It's been so many years…. We've missed you."

Naruto's entire body trembled, and his head moved slightly. A complex expression appeared in his eyes as he stood there breathing. He didn't look back; instead, he focused all his energy on controlling the boat. A rumbling sound could be heard as the front of the boat finally pierced out of the painting of stillness.

Naruto could see the border of the still region just up ahead; they were almost out of the painting.

"Deep in your heart, is obsession." This voice was not the voice of his parents that existed in his memory. It was the ancient, decaying voice.

The voice seemed confused, as if it it, too, were filled with infinite obsession.

"You are a living being that I have encountered on the path to the yellow springs. I can… help you to fulfill your obsession. Look back, and you will be able to see what your parents look like."

Naruto's Cultivation base suddenly stopped moving. He poured no more power into the ship, but instead stood there on the prow. Directly in front of him was the edge of the painting of motionlessness; after passing beyond that border, they would be free.

Naruto well knew that if he looked back, something untoward would likely happen. However, the words spoken to him just now had left him completely shaken.

No one else could hear the words spoken into his ear just now, not even the three old men. Everyone just sat there, trembling and in a daze. Naruto was the only lucid one among them all.

In his silence, Naruto suddenly smiled. It was an unrestrained smile, a smile filled with a will of purification.

He suddenly murmured, "What's the harm in turning my head? In my life of cultivation, I cultivate my heart. My path is one of understanding and truth.

"If I don't look back, how could I claim to cultivate my heart?" His eyes filled with a bright light as he casually turned to look behind him.

The first thing that caught his attention were the countless white strands that floated in the air, twisting and twining around the ship. The strands originated from an enormous battleship!

The ship was fully three thousand meters long, and radiated an archaic air, as if it had existed for countless ages. It was dilapidated in a way that suggested it had experienced the baptism of war.

At the prow of the battleship, a figure could be seen. It was an old man wearing a pitch-black suit of armor. It was impossible to see his features clearly, but his body looked like it had been rotting inside the armor for innumerable years.

As for the white strands, they were actually the man's hair!

As soon as Naruto laid eyes on him, the old man seemed to take notice. His head lifted up, and he looked at Naruto.

As soon as their gazes met, Naruto's mind filled with rumbling. Next, a vision appeared to him. He saw a coffin, its surface covered with carvings of nine butterflies.

The coffin rested on an ancient battlefield. The surroundings were devoid of any colors except for black and white.

The vision lasted for only a few breaths of time. Then it dissipated. Naruto panted as he regained consciousness.

"His… Dao seed…." said the armored figure softly, his voice hoarse as it echoed about. "In all the years, of all the living things I have encountered, I have seen countless Dao seeds…. You, however, are different than them.

"Go." The old man sat there cross-legged in his armor. It looked like he would never, ever stand up. When he spoke, his voice seemed to be filled with reminiscence. Slowly, his hair pulled away from the ship Naruto was on. At the same time, the archaic, three thousand meter battleship slowly began to back away. At the same time, it started to fade, as if it were about to vanish into thin air.

The stillness in the area also began to slowly disappear.

As the ship began to vanish, Naruto suddenly opened his mouth to speak. "Senior, you still haven't fulfilled your promise!" Immediately, the stillness returned. The old man on the battleship gave Naruto a profound gaze.

That gaze seemed to contain the transformations of the entire world. It contained the turnings of time as it poured into Naruto's eyes. Instantly, a roaring sound filled his mind.

This time in his vision, he saw Mount Myoboku!

Outside of Mount Myoboku was a whistling violet wind. Fog roiled about, covering the entire mountain, and eventually, Konoha County.

Within the city, the lamps inside the houses were instantly extinguished, except for one house…. Inside that house, the lights danced, illuminating a middle-aged man who stood next to the window. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

The sounds of weeping could be heard within the bedroom. Through the cracks in the door, the silhouette of a woman could be seen. She held a boy in her arms, and tears streamed down her face.

The boy had intelligent eyes, but right now, they were filled with confusion and puzzlement.

The violet wind blew the violet fog until it completely covered Konoha County. Far up above in the black night sky, a violet sun suddenly became visible.

The violet sun caused an indescribable pressure to suddenly weigh down on Konoha County.

It was in that moment that the man pushed open the front door and walked out into the violet fog. The woman wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back at the boy for a moment. Then she turned and walked away.

In that moment, Naruto was able to clearly see her face.

She was beautiful, gentle, and her tears seemed to be filled with infinite reluctance to part. However, she left the boy behind in the room, frightened, confused and helpless.

"Dad…. Mom…." cried the boy. He seemed to be growing more frightened. He ran out into the fog.

"Dad…. Mom…. Where are you? I'm scared…." The boy's voice was young and tender, and quavered when he spoke. He seemed terrified. The wind around him was cold, and the fog was all-encompassing. However, it couldn't do anything to suppress the boy's cries, which echoed out into the fog.

His sobbing grew more and more shrill as he ran. He suddenly tripped and fell, scraping his knees and tearing his garment. His hair was in disarray, and tears streamed down his face to fall onto the ground. All he wanted was his dad and mom, but what he didn't notice was that behind him, a black, spectral hand stretched out toward his head from within the fog.

Naruto watched the scene playing out with the boy, who was obviously himself. And yet, as he searched through his mind, no memory such as this existed. He remembered that night, and he remembered the violet-colored wind, as well what seemed to be countless bizarre voices.

That was the night his dad and mom went missing. He remembered waking up fuzzily, not quite able to remember what had happened. The only thing he remembered… was that his garment had been torn.

When he saw what was happening in the vision, it felt like lightning was striking through his mind.

Then he saw the spectral hand reaching out toward the boy. In that moment, a man appeared behind the boy. He gave a cold snort as he gripped the spectral hand between his fingers and then snapped it off.

The spectral hand disintegrated into powder, and a bloodcurdling scream could be heard. A ghostly figure flew off into the violet fog.

The boy was alarmed, but then he turned his head, and a look of joy appeared on his face. Tears rolling down his cheeks, he rushed into the arms of the man.

"Dad… where did you go? I couldn't find you. I…"

The man did not pursue the ghostly figure. He knelt in front of the boy, his face filled with both love and doubt. Gazing at the boy, he reached out and tousled his hair.

He was silent for a long moment before he spoke out in a soft voice, "Don't cry, Naruto. Mom and dad have to go away for a while. We'll all see each other again one day."

As soon as he heard the words, the boy reached out and grabbed the man's robe tightly. "Where are you going? I don't want you to go…."

The man didn't say anything. He patted the boy's head, and then, after another long moment passed, said, "The Eastern Lands."

His expression was filled with intense love, and also pain. Then he reached out to touch the boy. His hand flickered with a glowing light, and the boy's eyes closed and he fell asleep.

The man held the boy in his arms as he turned and walked back into the house. He gently placed the boy down onto the bed, then stood there watching him. Time passed, and he finally sighed.

Naruto was able to see the man's profile, outlined by the lamplight. He was handsome and dignified, and looked both familiar and yet also strange. Looking at him caused Naruto's heart to begin to pound.

After another long moment, the man leaned down and kissed the boy on the top of the head. When he raised back up, his expression was one of both pain and farewell. He left the house, and walked off into the violet wind and fog. He left Konoha County, left Mount Myoboku, and disappeared.

As the vision ended, a tremor ran through Naruto's body and he regained clarity. He stood on the deck of the ship. The only thing around them was storm winds. There were no white strands of hair, no Underworld Ship. There was only the Stormwind Divide.

Everyone else on the boat was asleep.

The surroundings were quiet. Naruto looked around, then sat down cross-legged and stared off into the distance, somewhat in a daze.

After a bit of time, the three old men awoke. Then, one by one, so did the others. They looked at Naruto with a mixture of dread and gratefulness. Naruto didn't speak, so of course, neither did they dare to say a single word.

It was in this manner that the ship continued on its voyage for several more months. Eventually, amidst the silence, it neared the end of the Stormwind Divide.

The entire time, Naruto never rose to his feet. When they encountered symbol spirits, he didn't even look at them. He only stared out in front of the ship; no one had any idea what he was thinking.

After the months passed, and the boat reached the end of the Stormwind Divide, a dock could be seen through the darkness, their final destination.

Naruto stood up and sent his Divine Sense to spread over the entire ship, and the people on it. This was a minor magical technique that he had picked up in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, a Daoist magic that would erase any trace of him from the minds of these people. After that, he flew out to disappear into the storm winds.

About ten breaths of time after Naruto vanished, everyone on the ship regained their senses. They looked a bit confused, but after a moment, the ship reached the dock. At that point, they seemed to break through some invisible barrier. The previous blackness gave way to a sudden burst of intense light.

It was sunlight shining down onto the sea and the waves. The group on the boat inhaled the salt air, and they knew… that they were now in the Third Ring!

Even as exclamations of joy rang out from the ship, Naruto emerged alone from within the Stormwind Divide. He stood on the surface of the sea, looking up at the sun.

"Whether that vision was real or not, the Eastern Lands… are definitely where I need to go!

"After I resolve this crisis with Madara, then I'll definitely be heading to the Eastern Lands!

"I'll visit the Sky Country, I'll visit Chang'an, and I'll fulfill my childhood dream…." He looked off toward the east, wishing that his Cultivation base was sufficient to be able to see the Eastern Lands right now, no matter how far away it was.

"Maybe I can find some clues about dad and mom, and what happened that year. What was the violet wind and violet fog, and what did it have to do with me…?

"And also…" He lowered his head and looked down at the back of his hand. Every time he had a Cultivation base breakthrough into a new stage, there was the symbol that appeared there.

That mark had been with him for a long time, and if he couldn't come to understand what it meant, he would feel as if he had wasted all his years of cultivation.

"It's not like I didn't notice how strange Karin was acting all those years ago…. Am I just unwilling to accept the truth?" In his thoughtfulness, a rare bit of weakness could be seen in his eyes. Finally, he sighed and pushed all the thoughts down into the bottom of his heart.

He suddenly felt very lonely. It was the type of loneliness where you look around and wonder where your home is. He had practiced cultivation for hundreds of years, but right now, had no friends to keep him company.

Such thinking caused the weakness in his eyes to grow a bit stronger.

"Is this cultivation? A path… that a person must stick to alone?" He closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them, no weakness was visible. Instead, there was the unswerving determination that usually resided therein.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked around, a sharp gleam in his eyes.

Everything around looked almost the same as the Fourth Ring. However, Naruto could sense that much more Demonic Chakra flowed through the Third Ring.

No one else would be able to detect it, but as a Demon Sealer, Naruto could naturally sense it.

What Naruto didn't know was that in this very moment, countless eyes suddenly opened on the seafloor of the Third Ring. All of them stared up in his direction.

In the deepest part of the sea, the undercurrents swirled, and it seemed as if a tempest were forming. Countless red eyes emanated intense desire, as if they had finally seen hope for the first time.

Up above on the surface of the waters, Naruto muttered to himself for a moment and then sped off. After flying for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he suddenly frowned. The sea up ahead of him suddenly exploded up as a giant tentacle shot out from the water toward him.

It moved with such incredible speed that it looked like nothing more than a shadow. It almost looked like a flaming whip as it ripped through the air.

It was an attack that contained power similar to the Nascent Soul stage. Naruto gave a cold snort, then waved his hand toward the incoming tentacle and made a grasping motion. The tentacle stopped in mid-air just a few feet in front of him, almost as if it had been seized by some enormous, invisible hand.

The tentacle was completely black, and covered with countless suction disks. It squirmed and wriggled, seemingly struggling to free itself. It was sickening to look at, and if you followed it to its source, you could see what appeared to be an enormous creature in the churning waters below.

At the same time, whooshing sounds could be heard as more than ten additional tentacles burst out from the water toward Naruto. He watched on with a cold gleam in his eyes, then clutched out with his right hand and pulled.

Boom!

The sea exploded under the incredible power of Naruto's hand as an enormous, three hundred meter long cuttlefish was wrenched up out of the waters to hover in mid-air.

Naruto relaxed his hand, and then took a step forward. He instantly disappeared, only to reappear directly in front of the cuttlefish. His right hand formed into a fist which he then struck out. A massive boom could be heard as the cuttlefish directly exploded into countless pieces that then rained down onto the surface of the sea.

Within the shredded meat and flesh was a bluish crystalline object about the size of a finger. As soon as Naruto saw it, he grabbed it. When it touched his palm, it let off a gentle glow, along with the ripples of spiritual power.

"This looks like a mid-grade Spirit Stone. It must be a Demon heart." After examining it for a while, he put it away into his bag of holding, then began to make his way off. However, it was then that he frowned. He sent his Divine Sense out, and immediately, his face sank.

Within the range of his Divine Sense, he could sense more than twenty different kinds of Sea Demons in the area. All of them were speeding along through the sea in his direction.

Each one emitted violent auras, as well as intense avarice. They seemed to view themselves as hunters and him as the prey.

"Is this why the Third Ring is so dangerous?" he thought, his brow furrowed. With that, he waved his hand toward the sea down below. Instantly, the surface of the sea rumbled and sank down, forming into what looked like a crater, roughly three hundred meters wide. With another wave of his hand, Naruto caused the crater to begin to rotate.

The rotation caused a huge roaring sound to lift up into the sky. It almost looked like a black hole was forming in the water. Great waves surged about, revealing seven or eight vicious Sea Demons.

These Sea Demons didn't have very high Cultivation bases; all were roughly at the early Nascent Soul stage, and a few even were in the Core Formation stage. They looked at Naruto with red eyes and vicious greed. It seemed that they couldn't wait to consume Naruto, as if even taking a single bite of him would give them some type of enlightenment.

Their gazes caused Naruto to be filled with a sensation of disgust. He almost felt as if he were being looked at by Madara.

Coldness flickered in his eyes, and he made a cold snort as the fingers of his right hand slowly clenched into a fist.

At the same time, the vortex in the sea slowly constricted, tightening down and closing. The seawater instantly turned red with blood, and miserable howls could be heard. When Naruto opened his fist, the waters spread back out and the vortex resumed spinning.

A moment later, Naruto waved his sleeve, causing more than twenty Demon hearts to fly up from the reddened water. He put them into his bag of holding, then transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

The only thing that was left behind was the blood, which slowly dissolved into the seawater. Everything was calm and peaceful.

The Third Ring was very large and contained a great number of Cultivators. Most organized into groups of three or perhaps five to go hunting Sea Demons in various regions of the Third Ring. To encounter a Sea Demon was a lucky break in and of itself. Of course, there were some powerful Sea Demons who could also bring incredible disaster.

There were even some areas within the Third Ring that were specially noted in jade slip maps. Anyone who wanted to enter such areas had to prepare special items ahead of time.

Furthermore, there was one particular city in the Third Ring called Seahold that had been established jointly by the three Sects, which made it convenient for Cultivators to trade for supplies. The city was enormous, and towered up above the surface of the water like a huge fortress. It was covered with shocking spell formations that had protected it for countless years against the attacks of Sea Demons.

Within the city were garrisoned more than 10,000 Cultivators from the three Sects. In addition, there was always one of the three Saints in command of the city. They rotated every one hundred years.

For years, the three Sects had maintained an incredible reputation, to the point where even the powers in the Southern Domain, Eastern Lands, Western Desert, and Northern Reaches acknowledged them.

Several days later, Naruto flew in mid-air over the Third Ring. He lifted up his right hand, and lightning crackled. Instantly, a thirty-meter long Sea Demon comparable in power to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was destroyed.

This particular Sea Demon didn't even have a Demon heart. However, for some reason, as soon as it detected Naruto's aura, it had seemed to go crazy, and had attacked him with complete abandon. Naruto had run into seven or eight other Sea Demons just like this in his travels so far.

"Something's not right!" he thought, frowning. It almost felt as if he were going around the Third Ring with a big target on his back. No matter where he went, Sea Demons would come for him.

His eyes flickered as he thought for a moment, then sent his Divine Sense out. After searching for about three days, he was able to find a group of Cultivators, five of them, who were cautiously hunting for Sea Demons.

He followed them from a distance, and they were unaware of his presence.

However, after only half a day, he sensed eight frenzied Sea Demons closing in. All of a sudden, they burst out from the water, howling. The faces of the five Cultivators instantly filled with shock.

"How could there be so many Sea Demons!"

"Don't tell me some sort of treasure is in the area!?" The five of them began to flee in alarm. Of course, the Sea Demons weren't after them, so they were able to get away easily.

Naruto floated there in mid-air, his brow furrowed. Having observed what was happening, he now understood that it was he himself who was attracting the Sea Demons!

"Is there something special about me that drives them crazy?" he thought, his eyes flickering. Down below, the Sea Demons were charging across the surface of the water at top speed. Naruto let out a cold snort, then waved his right hand. Instantly, the sword tip with 30,000 years of Time power flew out. Under Naruto's control, it turned into a black beam of light that shot directly toward one particular Sea Demon which looked like a crab.

When it shot through the Sea Demon, the creature instantly turned completely gray, as if had just passed through tens of thousands of years of time. In the blink of an eye, it turned into nothing more than ash.

The beam continued on to pierce through six more Sea Demons, all of whom, regardless of the level of their Cultivation base, instantly withered up and turned into nothing more than ash.

As for the final Sea Demon, it looked like a sea turtle. When it saw everything that happened, its eyes filled with terror. Despite that, it didn't seem to be able to resist the urge to charge toward Naruto. It was like an instinct that it was unable to control. With a howl, it charged onward.

Naruto glanced coldly at the sea turtle, which was only a few dozen meters long. He put away the Time Sword tip, then performed an incantation. The Mountain Consuming Incantation appeared, and an enormous mountain peak descended. It smashed down onto the sea turtle, completely sealing it inside. Naruto waved his sleeve to collect up the mountain, as well as the other Demon hearts in the area. Then, he proceeded off into the distance.

Not too long later, Naruto materialized out of thin air to appear near an island. Instantly, roaring could be heard from the island. Naruto frowned somewhat grudgingly. He had no idea what type of ferocious beast or Sea Demon was there, but without waiting to find out, he sent a palm strike down. The entire island shook and trembled as the palm attack slammed into the area where the roaring came from.

The island trembled, and then was completely silent. Whatever creature was there had been killed with a single strike.

Naruto sat down cross-legged, then waved his right hand. Immediately, the mountain peak flew out from his bag of holding, within which was sealed the body of the sea turtle.

The first thing that Naruto thought about when he looked at the sea turtle was old turtle Reliance. He frowned for a moment, then waved a finger, causing the mountain peak to vanish. The sea turtle glared at him viciously with red eyes. Then it howled and charged in attack. Naruto's right hand instantly waved down.

A boom rattle out as a huge, invisible palm crushed down onto the sea turtle. No matter how it struggled, it was incapable of freeing itself. It could only look at Naruto and roar.

"You want to eat me?" asked Naruto coolly. He sent out some of his Demon Sealer aura, but it didn't seem to provoke any special reaction from the sea turtle. It continued to roar and snap at him as if it wanted to swallow him in a single bite.

"So, it's not because I'm a Demon Sealer?" he thought. He retracted the aura and then started to remove all of the bags of holding he possessed and place them off to the side. What he discovered was that the sea turtle didn't even glance at them. It continued to glare directly at him and him alone.

"It's not anything in my bags of holding either. Could it really be me personally? Is it because of the Fleshly Sanctification?" After a good period of thought, he couldn't come up with any better explanation.

After all, he did have some of the characteristics of the Demon Immortal Body. Naruto found it plausible that it could be attractive in some way to the Sea Demons.

After more thought, his eyes began to shine brightly. He raised his right hand, sliced a cut into the tip of his finger, and then squeezed out some blood. The sea turtle instantly went into a frenzy, howling and writhing as it attempted to charge forward and get at the blood.

"So that's what's going on," thought Naruto. The wound on his finger instantly healed back up, and he rose to his feet. Then, he lifted up his hand to do away with the troublesome sea turtle. However, before he could complete the motion, his hand stopped.

"What if that isn't the complete explanation…?" he thought. He glanced at the turtle again, and then closed his eyes to recall a divine ability he had picked up in the Demon Immortal Pagoda that was similar to the one he had used earlier to erase memories.

Based on his previous Cultivation base, using the ability would have resulted in a backlash. However, if he used it now, he could reduce the effects of the backlash to a minimum. His body flashed, and he appeared directly next to the sea turtle. Even as it eyed him hungrily, his hand pressed down onto the turtle's head.

"Soulsearch!" It was only a light touch, but the sea turtle's body immediately went stiff.

White light emanated out from Naruto's eyes. In a scant moment, his senses entered into the mind of the sea turtle. He sensed brutality, madness, and desire.

There were also a random assortment of memories that flooded into Naruto's mind. Being his first time using this technique, Naruto felt a bit out of sorts. However, his powerful Cultivation base pushed down the ill feeling, and he began to search for an answer in the sea turtle's memory.

He searched for quite some time, until suddenly his concentration peaked. Within the intact memories inside the sea turtle, he had encountered a word.

"… lily …."

Naruto's face flickered and he pulled his right hand away. The sea turtle was now laying prone, gasping for breath. A Soulsearch like the one he had just performed would leave it either dead or injured.

"Lily…." murmured Naruto. With that, he looked down at himself, then used his right hand to violently push down onto his belly. His entire body shook, and then began to grow weaker, both in terms of Cultivation base and in his Chakra and Blood.

As he grew weaker, he performed an incantation gesture. A seal appeared, which he placed onto himself, causing his energy to fade. Underneath the pressure, his Cultivation base sank to the Nascent Soul stage, then the Core Formation Stage, and then the Foundation Establishment stage….

Now that he had weakened himself to this extent, another bizarre aura silently appeared. This aura was none other than the aura of the Resurrection Lily!

Normally speaking, Naruto was too powerful, and kept the aura suppressed to the point where it wouldn't be easily noticeable. Now, though, by intentionally weakening himself, he caused the aura of the Resurrection Lily to be revealed more openly.

As soon as the aura appeared, something happened that caused Naruto to be deeply shocked.

The sea turtle, which moments ago had been gasping on the verge of death, suddenly lifted its head up. Its eyes focused, it let out a shocking roar and then charged toward Naruto. Its body was being suppressed, but it didn't seem to care. It roared and struggle until its shell began to crack and shatter. Its body began to fall apart, but its eyes were bright red and its head stretched out violently until it literally ripped off of the body. Blood spattered about as the dying head stretched out toward Naruto, its mouth gaping.

Naruto backed up a few paces. He could clearly see the desire and madness in the dying eyes. His face flickered as he looked out at the surrounding sea. Huge waves rolled across its surface, and countless shocking auras could be sensed charging from all directions, filled with madness.

Naruto immediately severed the aura and released the seal. His energy rapidly rose, and the Resurrection Lily's aura was suppressed. The madness in the sea around him was reduced by a small measure.

Naruto instantly transformed into a green smoke and vanished.

When he reappeared, he was in mid-air off in the distance.

"So, the Resurrection Lily is what's attracting the Sea Demons!

"Now that I think about it, Master told me about someone who came to him looking for medicine to help with the Resurrection Lily infection. As to whether he is alive or dead now, I have no idea. I just remember that he was from… the Milky Way Sea.

"If I can find him, maybe he could use his understanding of the Resurrection Lily to help me with mine." After thinking for a moment, Naruto vanished again.

Meanwhile, far from the Third Ring, in the depths of the Second Ring….

The water in this area was black, and everything was quiet. Even the surface of the sea was calm, without any waves or even ripples. There was also a black island, upon which sat a cross-legged figure. He had the physical appearance of a Cultivator, except that a spiraling horn stuck out from his forehead. He was surrounded by vast quantities of bones, many of which were the bones of Cultivators.

His eyes suddenly opened, and within each eye, two pupils could be seen. A savage aura exploded out from him.

"Resurrection… Lily…."

A month flashed by.

During that time, Naruto swept freely across the Third Ring. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, there were no Sea Demons who could stand up to him. The instant any appeared and got close to him, he would destroy them.

Sometimes he didn't actually even need to do anything personally. He would simply send the Wooden Time Sword tip flying out to circulate around him. A mere thought could send the tip speeding to the attack at any time.

Twenty-five days earlier, a group of adventuring Cultivators, roughly a dozen or more in number, had been speeding along, pursued by two roaring Sea Demons.

Even in the midst of their hopelessness, a black beam appeared. It shot through the two Sea Demons, transforming them into ash. The Demon hearts flew out, and then vanished into thin air.

Twenty days earlier, a haughty-faced man was fighting at close quarters with a Sea Demon, when a black beam suddenly appeared out of nowhere to transform the Sea Demon into ash.

Fifteen days earlier, ten days earlier, five days earlier, similar scenes played out in different areas in the Third Ring. In fact, almost every day such things occurred. Gradually, rumors began to spread about the black sword tip.

After a month of domination, Naruto had collected nearly a thousand Demon hearts. Most were low-grade, with only a few being mid-grade.

Naruto wasn't very happy with the results, although anyone else would have been wild with joy.

"Chosen from the Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain, Northern Reaches, and Eastern Lands all owe me large quantities of Spirit Stones. My gains in the past month have been too negligible. This doesn't compare at all to conning people." He currently hovered in mid-air, looking out at the boundless sea, wondering how many Sea Demons existed underneath the waters.

"If I could get some high-grade Spirit Stones, or even… ultra high-grade Spirit Stones, then things would be worth it!" He had some ultra high-grade Spirit Stones in his bag of holding, but not many. They were incredibly valuable, and every time he thought about how he had wasted two thousand of them all those years ago, it made him sick.

"Short on money again…. If I had enough Spirit Stones, I could copy more Wooden Time Swords, or maybe even the Time Sword tip. Except, I would need, at the least, more than ten million Spirit Stones to do that." He looked down at the surface of the sea, and clenched his jaw.

"If Madara isn't dead, then danger will be coming my way. The most important thing for me to do now is get stronger as fast as possible. I need to go all out!" Determination appeared in his eyes, and then he vanished into thin air.

Several days later, Naruto sat cross-legged on a certain large island within the Third Ring. The entire area around him had long since been cleared, and the Time Sword tip circulated around him. He looked down at his bag of holding as a small mountain flew out.

Sealed inside of the little mountain was a battle-ax, which was none other than the thousand-symbol spirit he had captured.

After looking at it for a moment, he lifted his right hand up into the air, causing the mountain to vanish. The battle-ax instantly began to emit a rumbling sound, and was just about to attack when Naruto waved his wide sleeve, causing a huge pressure to envelop the area. He reached out with his hand, but the battle-ax made a popping sound and transformed into over a thousand magical symbols. Naruto's hand grasped nothing but air.

The magical symbols cascaded about, seemingly quite proud of themselves. They swirled behind Naruto, where they once again formed into a battle-ax, which then chopped down toward Naruto.

"Hex!" said Naruto coolly. He didn't even turn his head to look; he simply pointed backward with his left index finger.

The thousand magical symbols trembled and struggled in mid-air. However, when Naruto punched out, the battle-ax collapsed into a mass of magical symbols. Then he performed an incantation, and the Mountain Consuming Incantation appeared in the form of a thousand mountains, which covered over all the magical symbols.

Naruto performed all these actions smoothly and spontaneously, as if he hadn't been troubled in the least bit. Then, his expression indifferent, he caused the magical symbols to approach him one by one. He imprinted them with Divine Sense, a process that took several hours to complete. After it was all done, his eyes glittered as he allowed the thousand mountains to loosen and free the magical symbols.

The symbols seemed as if they had lost their sentience. They simply floated there, flickering with light, but unmoving.

"Consolidate!" said Naruto coolly. Immediately, the symbols formed together into the shape of a battle-ax, which then rotated around him. After exercising control over it for a few moments, Naruto then used the same method on the more than twenty thousand-symbol spirits in his bag of holding. He finished a few days later, after which, more than 20,000 magical symbols all whistled through the air around him.

They turned into a vortex of storm winds that emanated an incredibly threatening pressure.

A strange light appeared in Naruto's eyes. The incredible power of this treasure was second only to the symbol spirits he had seen in the Stormwind Divide that formed into enormous ferocious beasts.

"However, it wastes too much of my Cultivation base," he thought after a moment. After consuming some medicinal pills, he sat down to meditate. It wasn't until dawn of the following morning that he finally opened his eyes.

"The time has come!" he said. Taking a deep breath, he performed an incantation, placing multiple seals onto his body that caused his energy to rapidly weaken. Soon, the aura of the Resurrection Lily once again appeared.

Previously, Naruto had assumed that only he could sense the aura. However, after arriving in the Third Ring, he understood that to Sea Demons, the Resurrection Lily was like some hitherto unknown tonic that, if consumed, could provoke incredible transmogrification.

As soon as the aura spread out, the surrounding sea began to churn. Countless glowing red eyes snapped open in the depths of the sea in the Third Ring. In the blink of an eye, the Sea Demons shot with incredible speed in the direction of something they instinctively knew they had to consume.

Some distance away, a multicolored jellyfish was just under the surface of the water, stalking a group of Cultivators, waiting for the right opportunity to attack. However, just in the moment when it was about to make a move, it suddenly trembled and then shot away under the water.

In another location, a group of a few dozen Cultivators were locked in close combat with three Sea Demons. Suddenly, the Sea demons roared, dove down into the water, and vanished.

Scenes like this played out throughout various locations in the Third Ring. Quite a few Cultivators noticed the phenomenon. Some Cultivators up in mid-air were shocked to see waves sweeping across the sea, and the countless Sea Demons swimming through the water.

"Don't tell me it's a Beast Tide!"

Even while so many people were shocked, Naruto sat calmly waiting on the island. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, an enormous pincer suddenly shot out from the seawater toward him.

At the same time, multiple Sea Demons burst out from the water to charge toward Naruto.

His eyes glittered with coldness as he waved his right hand, causing a thousand-symbol battle-ax to fly out. It swept out, filling the area with the sounds of explosions as it destroyed the Sea Demons.

Even as they died, an additional hundred or more Sea Demons emerged from the water, their visages that of wildness and greed. It was almost like Naruto had turned into a whirlpool that caused desire to well up within all the Sea Demons of the Third Ring.

Naruto was calm and unhurried as he manipulated the magical symbols. With the wave of a finger, 1,000 magical symbols flew out, surrounding the island, making it impossible for any Sea Demon to get even more than three hundred meters onto the island.

Four explosion-filled hours passed. More than a thousand Sea Demons had charged out from within the shocking waves. They didn't seem to even understand the difference between life and death; disregarding even their own lives, they charged forward relentlessly.

Booms rang out as Naruto's hands moved even faster to control the 8,000 magical symbols, which whistled through the air. They formed into various magical items, including the battle-ax, and emanated incredible might.

Another four hours passed, during which time, Naruto consumed medicinal pills on three occasions to support the rotation of his Cultivation base. Currently, the island was surrounded by densely packed groups of Sea Demons. There were so many that he almost couldn't see anything else.

The sight was enough to shock anyone who might see it, even Naruto. However, he wanted even more Sea Demons. The magical symbols were now 13,000 in number, whistling about to create a droning sound that filled the ears.

From afar, the island appeared to be surrounded by a vortex of storm winds, and a black fog. Outside of the storm winds were endless amounts of Sea Demons that charged forward in their attempts to get onto the island.

The roaring was astonishing, and blood showered about everywhere. Naruto was unsure of how many Sea Demons he had killed in the relatively short period of time. The only ones who knew were the parrot and meat jelly.

That was because they were flying around, boring their way in and out all over the place. As the Sea Demons died, they gleefully collected up the Demon hearts.

It was in this moment, however, that a howl split the air from off in the distance. This howl was unique; it sounded like a weeping girl, and it instantly caused Naruto to look up. His Divine Sense swept out, and off in the distance, he could see the Sea Demons all trembling and making way for an enormous seven-colored jellyfish which was slowly swimming forward.

On top of the head of the jellyfish, shockingly, was… a white flower!

It was a Whitebone Lily, a flower that looked like bleached bones. It swayed back and forth, causing all the color in the area to vanish and be replaced with only black and white.

As Naruto looked over, he suddenly felt the island shake beneath him, as if some enormous creature down below were attacking it.

His face flickered for the space of a few breaths, but he was powerless to support the island. Cracks spread out on its surface, and then the island simply collapsed into countless pieces.

Huge waves rolled out across the seawater as, in the blink of an eye, the entire island sank down into the water. As for Naruto, he was also pulled down into the sea.

In that instant, the Sea Demons in the area grew even more frenzied. The world underneath the surface of the waters was their domain, so it was with even more madness that they charged forward.

Naruto's eyes glittered. The world underneath the surface might be the domain of the Sea Demons, but it was also his world!

He had formed the water character of the five elements totem, and had also practiced cultivation on the bottom of the Violet Sea for a hundred years. Why would he possibly care about the pressure exerted under the sea? His expression was cold as he lifted his right hand to cause 20,000 glittering magical symbols to circulate out. They transformed into twenty magical items which shot toward the Sea Demons and began to slaughter them.

The explosions did not pass out of the seawater, but they did give rise to enormous waves which swept out through the Third Ring. The Cultivators who saw them were shocked, and intrigued about what was happening.

Furthermore, some of the incredibly powerful Sea Demons of the Third Ring were now in motion, heading toward Naruto, filled with madness.

Naruto was under the water, surrounded by 20,000 magical symbols which swept around him in the form of a tempest. The water seethed, and the Sea Demons were unable to get within even three hundred meters of him.

Of course, the Sea Demons attacked with reckless abandon, impelled by instinct to fight even if they died. Naruto's eyes flickered as the magical symbols surged around him, carrying out an incredible slaughter.

Waves surged out, affecting more than half of the Third Ring, and more and more Sea Demons arrived. Soon, even the Third Ring's Seahold city was affected, causing even more Cultivators to look around in shock and wonder what was occurring.

In fact, the waves even crashed into Seahold, the city created by the joint efforts of the three Sects. The sounds of bugles filled the air, and the Cultivators garrisoned there armed themselves and entered battle formation, as if they were preparing to fight some incredible enemy.

The powerful experts within the city emerged one by one, their faces grim and filled with intense harshness. They looked off into the distance at the countless waves that surged toward them.

"Could it be that the Sea Devils of the Second Ring are on the attack?"

"Impossible! The Sea Devils of the Second Ring are few in number. They rarely appear, and almost never enter the Third Ring. To them, the Sea Demons of the Third Ring are like common animals. They view themselves as the emperors and kings!"

"But if it's not the Sea Devils, then what is causing these great transformations in the Third Ring?!"

Everyone was discussing the matter, and as soon as the Sea Devils were mentioned, faces filled with fear.

Outside the city, crashing sounds could be heard as the waves slammed into the city walls.

The sounds could be heard without cessation, and echoed throughout the city, causing the Cultivator's faces to flicker with various expressions.

In the middle of Seahold was an enormous tower nearly three thousand meters tall. The areas surrounding the tower were a forbidden zone which no one could enter without being invited first.

This was a cultivation area set aside for the three Saints. At the highest level of the tower sat a middle-aged man wearing a voluminous red robe, who happened to be surnamed Lin. He had long black hair, and currently stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out a window. He was frowning, and it was impossible to tell exactly what he was thinking.

"The waves are higher by three meters, and seemingly for no reason," he said coolly. "It seems something has provoked the Sea Demons. They're all heading in the same direction. Are they going to pay respects, or have they been summoned? Or enticed?" His eyes shone with a brilliant light, and as he spoke, his words seemed to cause ripples to spread out in the air.

"In any case, the Sea Demons are not intelligent. It must be desire which is driving them!" He suddenly took a step forward, and then vanished. Shockingly, he reappeared outside of Seahold, far off in the distance. Waves surged beneath his feet as he clasped his hands behind his back and strode forward.

With a single step, he vanished and then reappeared far, far off. Then he repeated the process. It was with incredible speed that he moved, a speed that a Nascent Soul Cultivator could never achieve, not even by bringing harm to their own life.

At the same time that the red robed man proceeded forward, Naruto was surrounded by 20,000 surging magical symbols. Blood filled the water around him as countless Sea Demons were completely destroyed. He had no idea how many he had killed, but as he sank down deeper, the Sea Demons that surrounded him seemed endless.

It was at this point that a five-colored bolt of lightning suddenly appeared, shooting through the hordes of Sea Demons. Wherever it went, Sea Demons directly exploded. The lightning itself seemed to be filled with the power to destroy Heaven and Earth. In the blink of an eye, it slammed into the magical symbols that surrounded Naruto.

Boom!

A thousand of the 20,000 magical symbols instantly collapsed. It shot onward toward Naruto, who immediately looked up. When the island collapsed and began to sink to the sea floor, he had already noticed the approaching Whitebone Lily jellyfish.

However, after sinking down, despite being unhampered by the surroundings, he found himself in a different situation than when he had been in the Violet Sea. Here, his Divine Sense had limitations.

Of course, he was as vigilant as ever, so as the lightning bore down on him, he lifted his right hand and pointed forward with his index finger. The Blood Palm instantly appeared and shot forward.

A boom could be heard as the five-colored lightning bolt spread apart, surrounding the Blood Palm, as if it wished to bore directly into it.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he let out a cold snort. He flicked his sleeve, performed an incantation, and then pointed forward. Immediately, a face appeared in front of him. It looked like Naruto's face, although its eyes were closed as it shot forward. This, of course, was the first form of the Blood Immortal divine ability.

Booming filled the bottom of the sea. As the lightning collapsed, the face's eyes opened, and the lips began to speak with a soundless voice.

The soundless voice seemed to rip the jellyfish out into the open. Six ripple-like formless sound waves swept out in front of Naruto. The first of them caused thousands of Sea Demons to instantly explode. The second, third, and fourth sweeping ripples caused more than 10,000 Sea Demons to collapse.

The fourth and fifth ripples seemed to open a path that revealed the enormous jellyfish off in the distance. The Sea Demons in front of Naruto all scrambled clear as the sixth ripple shot directly toward the jellyfish. The water seethed and distorted to form the face of Naruto, which rumbled toward the jellyfish.

A brilliant, five-colored glow spread out from the jelly-fish, which transformed into a five-colored shield that shot out in defense. A huge boom could be heard, which transformed into an even more intense attack that spread out in all directions. Naruto gave a cold snort, and was just about to directly slay the bizarre jellyfish when suddenly, he sensed an incredible force shooting toward him. The intensity of the force caused him to tremble inwardly. The magical symbol tempest around him shuddered, and another thousand symbols instantly collapsed.

As the force neared Naruto, his eyes glittered. Giving up any plans to slay the jellyfish, he spun around. His right hand clenched into a fist, which then punched directly toward the incoming force.

A bang could be heard, and the seawater exploded out in all directions. It was as if two enormous, incredibly shocking fists had slammed into each other in the middle of the water.

A deep growl could be heard as an enormous figure retreated backward from the force of Naruto's punch.

It was at this point that Naruto could clearly see the Sea Demon that was the source of the powerful force from just now.

It was a giant!

A three thousand meter tall giant, with two heads and scale-covered skin that was completely blue. Its eyes, however, were bright red as it stared at Naruto.

This was what had caused the island to collapse!

Shockingly, located behind the giant could be seen a Whitebone Lily, swaying back and forth!

The Whitebone Lily was a ghastly white color, and looked completely shocking. That was especially true because, when he looked at it, Naruto could almost see a human face, staring back at him with a strange expression.

The gaze was filled with many emotions, with avarice and with… concentration, almost as if it were… staring at something like itself.

Naruto's eyes glittered. As of this point, he had seen two bizarre Sea Demons in the Milky Way Sea's Third Ring, both of whom had strange Whitebone Lilies on them.

In fact, when Naruto looked at the Whitebone Lily, he could clearly sense that the Resurrection Lily inside of him felt provoked, and even emanated the desire to attack.

Apparently, the pressure from Naruto, as well as the intensity of the current danger, had caused it to intentionally allow some of its aura to seep out into his blood vessels.

Naruto's mind trembled. He had been fighting with the Resurrection Lily for years, and although he always succeeded in suppressing it, he only did so with the use of force. This was the first time that the Resurrection Lily had given up on any resistance, and merge its aura with Naruto of its own initiative.

As the aura merged into him, a bizarre light appeared in Naruto's eyes. He did not resist, but rather, allowed the aura of the Resurrection Lily to spread out within him. Instantly… a five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared behind him!

The flower formed into a face that was split into two parts. One part looked like Naruto, as mild as jade; the other looked as vicious as a wicked spirit!

Two faces, five petals, five glowing colors. In the blink of an eye, the light spread out to fill the sea floor. As it did, Naruto's mind suddenly trembled, and a strange glow appeared in his eyes. As of that moment, he could… sense the energy of Heaven and Earth!

This was not the first time he could sense the energy of Heaven and Earth, but this was the most direct connection he had ever felt. He almost felt… as if he were favored by Heaven and Earth, as if his existence was approved.

With every breath he took, the power of Heaven and Earth flowed into him. Regardless of whether it was spiritual energy or Demonic Chakra, or other types, anything that could be of benefit to him flowed in.

The feeling was indescribable, as if Heaven and Earth would do anything for him.

The power was boundless!

It felt like his destiny grew deeper, as if the Heavens had opened their eyes to gaze upon him. It was like any living thing that wished to harm him would become an object of loathing to Heaven and Earth.

The indescribable feeling was like a mysterious premonition.

"The day the Resurrection Lily blooms with seven colors, flowers bloom and flowers descend, one thousand years…. Don't tell me that it really is impossible to kill it!?" The realization hit Naruto, but he had no time for consideration at the moment.

Almost in the same moment that the five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared behind him, the hosts of Sea Demons around him went into a frenzy. Their eyes were red, and seal marks appeared on their bodies.

The seal resembled the face of a spirit, almost like the earliest version of the Resurrection Lily, except white. However, if you looked closely, you could see that it was not the Resurrection Lily, but, shockingly… a Whitebone Lily!

"This Whitebone Lily definitely has some direct connection with the Resurrection Lily. But why are there so many Whitebone Lilies in the Milky Way Sea!? It seems like almost every single Sea Demon has one!" His mind trembled as he looked around at all of the Whitebone Lily seals, and his scalp began to grow numb.

"I wonder if it has something to do with the Reverend Silverlamp of the Milky Way Sea that Master spoke of?!" Naruto's face flickered as he once again looked around at the enormous giant and the jellyfish, and realized that they were different from the other Sea Demons.

What existed on them was not a mark of the Whitebone Lily, but an actual, living flower.

Currently, the two Whitebone Lilies were swaying back and forth, and looked as if they were about to bloom, each of them with three petals.

"I remember Master told me that Reverend Silverlamp came to him seven hundred years before, asking for help in solving the problem of the Resurrection Lily. Master was able to help a bit, but couldn't truly solve the problem. Then, Reverend Silverlamp returned a few hundred years later, having dispelled the poison of the Resurrection Lily!

"Could it be… that these transformations in the Sea Demons in the Milky Way Sea have something to do with Reverend Silverlamp?"

Naruto's mind trembled, and his eyes flickered. However, he knew that he could not let himself feel anxious, but rather, needed to allow time for the clues to appear. Right now, the constant slaying of Sea Demons, coupled with the level of his Cultivation base, had left him feeling quite exhausted. Considering how many Sea Demons there were in the area, even if he kept killing them for days, he still wouldn't be able to kill them all.

Also, he knew that since the drastic changes in the sea would cause widespread repercussions, it wouldn't be too long before outsiders came to investigate.

"Well, first I'll just have to kill you!" he said, turning toward the enormous giant. If the giant hadn't destroyed the island, then Naruto wouldn't be in his current situation under the water.

He quickly exercised control of the magical symbols, sending them spreading out to clear a battlefield. The giant approached, roaring, surrounded by bubbles as it charged.

Naruto gave a cold snort and then clenched his right hand into a fist.

"First Heaven Destruction!" he said, his eyes glittering. An illusory image appeared on his hand; it almost looked as if two hands had appeared and merged together. This was a Daoist magic that Naruto had acquired in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, the Nine Heavens Destruction.

After leaving the Demon Immortal Sect, he had occasionally contemplated it inwardly. After that, when he met with Haku, he was enlightened regarding the matter of vibrations. That caused the seed to sprout in his mind, and he then thoroughly understood.

The Nine Heavens Destruction was vibration!

The fist descended and water exploded. The bubbles collapsed, and Naruto's fist shot like lightning to slam directly into the giant.

Bam!

"Second Heaven!" Naruto punched again, and the water seethed, exploding out to create gigantic waves.

"Third Heaven!" Killing intent flickered in his eyes as the fist descended. The giant let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed out despite its location on the seafloor. Naruto's fist slammed into the giant's chest, causing a huge hole to explode out.

Within the mangled flesh, a crystalline stone about the size of an infant's hand could be seen. It almost looked like a heart. Naruto's right hand stretched out to immediately grab the resplendent crystal, then wrench it away. The giant shook violently. At the same time, the illusory Resurrection Lily behind Naruto savagely enveloped the giant and then flickered as a ghost image appeared over the Whitebone Lily. It appeared as if some sort of invisible fight were taking place.

All of this happened in only the space of a few breaths. Naruto grabbed the Demon heart and then backed up. The Whitebone Lily trembled and then shattered into pieces, which the five-colored Resurrection Lily instantly consumed. The Resurrection Lily looked even more ferocious, as if it had been reborn; the five-colored petals all grew even more resplendent.

"Time to go!" Naruto growled. His voice instantly echoed out to the parrot, who had been silently going around collecting Demon hearts. It instantly flickered, returning to Naruto's side. Naruto then transformed into a green smoke and a black moon, which shot up toward the surface of the water.

Hordes of Sea Demons tried to obstruct his path, and the jellyfish went into even more of a frenzy, shooting out countless lightning bolts. However, none of it was able to hinder Naruto even the slightest bit. He quickly performed an incantation, causing the more than 10,000 magical symbols to spin around him into a tempest that emanated black fog. Then, he directly shot out of the water.

In that instant, countless Sea Demons flew out as well. However, they were incapable of stopping him as he shot up into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

At the same time, he forcefully suppressed the aura of the Resurrection Lily. It didn't matter whether the Resurrection Lily was willing or not, nor how much it struggled; it was completely pushed down by Naruto.

He moved with incredible speed until he was around 3,000 meters away. Finally, he was about to check how many Demon hearts he had acquired, when suddenly, his expression flickered as he noticed a red cloud speeding toward him from off in the distance.

Shockingly, within the red cloud could be seen a huge face. It rumbled as it shot toward Naruto, emanating an aura of Spirit Severing which seemed to cover everything.

Naruto's eyes glittered and he raised his hand, causing the magical symbols to shoot up into the air in the form of a tempest, which then moved directly to intercept the red cloud face.

A huge boom rattled out. The cloud dispersed, and Naruto's magical symbols collapsed. As they scattered about, Naruto shot backward, his face grim. He looked off into the distance to see a middle-aged man wearing a red robe, striding forward with an expressionless face.

He glanced coldly at Naruto, his gaze sharp. The Spirit Severing aura within Naruto could now be seen, his energy pulsing brightly.

The red-robed man's eyes narrowed slightly. Then he saw all of the tempest magical symbols, and he immediately understood that the person in front of him was not weak.

However, 'not weak' meant little to him.

"Your first offense was to cause chaos in the Milky Way Sea!" he said coolly. "I don't care where you got those symbol spirits, they belong to the three Sects. Outsiders are not permitted to possess them. That is your second offense.

"Two crimes. Allow me to explain your punishment…." The red-robed man waved his hand, employing some special technique that instantly caused all of the magical symbol spirits to tremble and then wrest themselves free from Naruto's control and shoot to the side of the red-robed man.

"I am a Saint, and these objects belong to me. Thus, I will take them back. Now, produce all of the Demon hearts you acquired and then get the hell out of the Milky Way Sea!

"I'll give you three days. If you're still in the Milky Way Sea at that time… well, I happen to be lacking a puppet mount." A cold gleam could be seen in the man's eyes, as well as a look of superciliousness. His aura was one that invoked profound reverence, and made it seem that his words were like the will of Heaven when spoken out on the Milky Way Sea.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He had never seen this red-robed Cultivator before, but with a single glance at his Cultivation base, he could tell that he was different from Patriarch Hashirama. This man was apparently at the Second Severing level.

In that case, the man's identity was obvious.

"Can't we talk this over?" asked Naruto.

"No. No talking it over," replied the red-robed man calmly.

"But, I don't want to hand over the Demon hearts," said Naruto coolly, "nor the symbol spirits."

The red-robed man responded with a cold snort and a cool detachment. He waved his right sleeve, causing more than 100,000 symbol spirits to rush out from within. In the blink of an eye, they blotted out the sky and cast everything into shadow.

"Well, then you can just stay behind. Whatever Sect or Clan you belong to can come to me and pay a ransom price to get you back." With that, the 100,000 symbol spirits spread out into the air and shot toward Naruto.

As they neared, Naruto slapped his bag of holding, causing an enormous bronze wheel to fly out. It was covered with magical symbols which instantly glowed with brilliant light as it began to rotate.

At the same time, a sense of the power of Time appeared. It spread out to fill the area, causing the magical symbol spirits to suddenly reveal ancientness. They began to move slower, allowing Naruto to casually move forward through their midst.

"A Time treasure!" thought the red-robed man.

At the same time, Naruto performed an incantation and then pointed forward. Instantly, the Time Sword Formation appeared. As it rotated, it transformed into the shape of a lotus, which caused the raging power of Time to sweep out in all directions. It seemed to be working in unison with the Wheel of Time as Naruto flicked his sleeve, causing it to fly toward the red-robed Cultivator.

"A Time treasure…." the red-robed man said coolly. "It seems I underestimated you." He waved his right hand through the air, causing a tremor to run through the 100,000 magical symbols. Instantly, 10,000 of them exploded, causing an immaterial explosion to rip through the power of Time. The rest of the symbols continued to shoot toward Naruto.

"Mountain Consuming Incantation!" Naruto proceeded forward, extending his right hand and then pushing it down toward the sea. Instantly, the seawater roiled, and from its depths rose up a trembling mountain. The mountain shattered into countless fragments which then shot out in front of Naruto, reforming together into the shape of a small mountain.

After coming to the Third Ring, this was Naruto's first time using a real mountain to fight an enemy with the Mountain Consuming Incantation.

As soon as the art appeared, the massive collection of 90,000 magical symbols fought back against the mountain. Booming sounds could be heard, but Naruto continued to proceed forward. He was now roughly three hundred meters away from the red-robed man.

The man frowned, then performed an incantation with his right hand. He pointed up to the sky, causing the bright gleam of swords to shoot up into the sky from nearby Seahold.

Three swords flew through the air, emitting a droning sound. Their incredible speed was such that they rapidly became invisible.

Many of the Cultivators in the Sea City saw what was happening, and were completely shocked. Their faces flickered as they came to the conclusion that the Saint had encountered a formidable foe!

Almost simultaneously, the three swords appeared in front of the red-robed man. They didn't pause for even a moment, but rather, shot directly toward Naruto.

The red-robed man's voice was cool as he said: "These three swords of mine were forged with a Sky-Sun Bone, something rarely seen in the Milky Way Sea, even in ten thousand years. It borrows the power of the stars and refines it into an undying strength that can overcome any obstacle."

As the three swords neared, Naruto waved his right sleeve, causing the Time Sword tip to fly out. It moved with incredible speed, piercing through the air, sending out ripples of Time power as it headed toward the red-robed man.

Shockingly, a strand of silk was connected to the the sword tip, flashing coldly in the sunlight.

"This sword tip of mine comes from a 70,000 year old Spring and Autumn Tree," said Naruto coolly. "The rest of the sword was destroyed by an Immortal, but the tip is eternal. Time did not harm the sword tip, and I refined it into a treasure. It can kill and exterminate countless forms of life, and nothing can stand up to it without withering away.

"The silk behind it is something rarely seen in Heaven and Earth. If the silk remains unbroken, I cannot be killed."

When the sword tip appeared, the red-robed man's three swords seemed to hold back.

The red-robed man's pupils constricted as he stared at the sword tip. He could sense the incredible power of Time emanating off of it. He felt that if he got too near it, he would begin to wither, and his life force and longevity would be reduced.

"You're a Time Cultivator," said the man, looking at Naruto.

"You're Saint Sun Soul of the three Sects!" replied Naruto.

The red-robed man was none other than one of the three Saints of the Milky Way Sea, Saint Sun Soul of the Sun Soul Society!

He was fond of red garments, and his three swords could shake Heaven and Earth. The last time the Demon Tide arrived to destroy Seahold, he single-handedly wielded his three swords in defense. The Sword Chakra penetrated all the way to the Second Ring.

It was completely shocking, and frightened the Demon hordes into retreat.

Naruto had learned of these things before coming to the Third Ring. Therefore, when the red-robed man appeared, he easily guessed who exactly he was.

At the moment, Naruto's Time Sword tip pressed on toward Saint Sun Soul, even as Saint Sun Soul's three swords stopped 7 inches away from Naruto, emanating a frigid aura.

The two of them stared at each other as they carried out their invisible struggle. This was no battle of magical techniques, but rather, a contest of Divine Will. Any observer would not be able to see or hear anything. However, to the two of them, everything was rumbling violently, lightning crackled, and the world seemed on the verge of collapse as even the wind moved in reverse.

Red-robed Saint Sun Soul looked at Naruto, and his pupils slowly constricted. "You're not a match for me."

"And you can't kill me," replied Naruto calmly.

Saint Sun Soul looked back at Naruto silently. He had to admit that what Naruto said was true. He really had no way of killing him. Naruto's Cultivation base was very strange, and although he couldn't say exactly why, it gave him the feeling that Naruto could trample all of the Sea Cities in the Milky Way Sea.

It was as if… he had some indescribable, unknown connection to the whole place.

Saint Sun Soul suddenly raised his right hand and flicked his sleeve, causing the three swords to instantly vanish. When they reappeared, they were circulating around him.

Simultaneously, Naruto's eyes glittered, and the Time Sword tip flew back to rotate around him.

Saint Sun Soul looked at Naruto and then slowly said, "In the past, I swore an oath to never again kill a Cultivator. My sword will only kill the Outsiders!

"You may stay in the Milky Way Sea, but that aura of yours displeases me. If I discover you have anything to do with the Sea Devils of the Second Ring… well then, I will be forced to use the precious treasure of the Sun Soul Society ancestor and its Dao Seeking power to destroy you."

Naruto looked back at the red-robed man. Although it was only moments ago that they had drawn swords on each other, he didn't find him to be detestable. In fact, he could sense that the man was proud, and not the type to speak falsehoods.

People such as this, while simple, had unshakable principles.

"I'll do as I please," said Naruto coolly his eyes shining with a bright, cold light.

Saint Sun Soul's eyes gleamed with a similarly cold light. His face cold, he gave Naruto a final deep look, then turned to depart.

Before he could leave, Naruto quickly said, "It took a lot of effort for me to collect those magical symbol spirits."

Saint Sun Soul stopped and looked back. "These symbols belong to the three Sects."

Naruto didn't respond immediately. Instead, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bottle gourd with alcohol in it. He tossed it over.

Saint Sun Soul caught it. When he looked down to examine it, he stared in shock.

"That's bit of alcohol from my hometown," said Naruto unhurriedly. "I took some with me when I left."

Saint Sun Soul looked at the alcohol flagon, then looked back at Naruto. He thought for a moment, his face expressionless. Then he turned to leave. As he did, he flicked his sleeve, causing the 10,000 magical symbol spirits he had taken to suddenly flicker as he severed his connection with them. Then, they flew back to swirl around Naruto.

Naruto looked away, then turned into a beam of colorful light that vanished in the blink of an eye.

Several days later, on a relatively small island in the Third Ring, Naruto sat cross-legged, the 10,000 magical symbol spirits circulating around him like a shield.

The parrot was in front of him, glaring at him angrily, as was the meat jelly, who stood next to the parrot.

The three had been facing off against each other like this for nearly ten breaths of time.

"Five creatures with fur or feathers. No discussions and no wiggle room. When Lord Fifth risks life and limb, it's not for nothing!"

"Yeah. Lord Third wants three bullies! No discussions! When I say three, I mean three!"

Naruto was silent, and a pained expression could be seen on his face. After a long moment, and seemingly completely against his will, he forced himself to nod. Seeing Naruto like this caused the parrot to laugh proudly. Then it tossed out a feather, which flew off not too far into the distance, then exploded with a popping sound. Instantly, it transformed into a heaping mountain of Demon hearts.

The meat jelly also looked extremely proud of itself. It opened its mouth and spit out a multi-colored cascade of lights that transformed into a second mountain of Demon hearts.

Naruto laughed inwardly. He was all too familiar with these two nitwits. Their demands were simple, but Naruto knew that if he agreed too quickly, or gave them the feeling that he didn't care, then it would only lead to more trouble.

Therefore, he intentionally pretended to consider and struggle in order to please the two ninnies.

Having dealt with them, Naruto's eyes shifted to look at the two mountainous piles of Demon hearts. There were clearly well over 100,000 of them.

Furthermore, it seemed that nearly half were mid-grade Demon hearts. There were even some high-grade hearts, which vastly increased the value of the collection.

"I wonder if I can use Demon hearts to duplicate things with the copper mirror?" he thought, his eyes glittering. He lowered his head thoughtfully. Currently, the greatest danger he faced was the deadly threat of Madara.

"That old codger's Cultivation base is just too high, so I'm not a match for him at all. The only thing I can do… is figure out a way to escape from him next time I run into him." He looked over at the Time Sword tip.

"If I had ten or more sword tips, I could form them into the Lotus Sword Formation. With that, maybe I could take him by surprise…. Unfortunately, I don't have enough Spirit Stones." He frowned, but then his eyes began to shine with a bright light.

"I can duplicate Wooden Time Swords, though. Given the level of my Cultivation base now, I should be able to seal seven sixty-year cycles of Time into the sword. If I had over a hundred of them…

"Then I could unleash the third form of the Lotus Sword Formation. I wonder how powerful that would be." Having reached this point in his train of thought, Naruto immediately produced a Wooden Time Sword. Then he took a deep breath and began to seal Time into it.

During the half month that followed, rumbling booms occasionally echoed out. Naruto's brow was furrowed the entire time. On the last day, though, his frown disappeared. Floating there in front of him was now the only Wooden Time Sword that he possessed.

The veins of wood were clearly visible on it, and when the power of Time emanated out from within, it contained the ripples of seven sixty-year cycles of time. Naruto had no other magical item that possessed as much power of Time.

"All the other Wooden Time Swords were destroyed in the process. This is my only one left, but it was worth it…. It's a good thing that in the end, I only need one instance of success!" With that, he pulled out the copper mirror and began to duplicate it.

Unfortunately, it required a vast amount of Spirit Stones to duplicate a Wooden Time Sword with seven sixty-year cycles of Time. This time, the pain Naruto felt in his heart was real. By the end, he used all of the Spirit Stones in his bag of holding to make ten copies.

Including the original sword, he now had a total of eleven.

After a moment's thought, he tried to use the Demon hearts to duplicate some things. After putting seven or eight Demon hearts into the mirror and then observing the results, he stopped.

"They're no different than Spirit Stones…" he thought with a frown. Originally, he had assumed that although the Demon hearts seemed very similar to Spirit Stones, they must have some other unique function.

After all, they were Demon hearts, not Spirit Stones.

"I'm able to attract large quantities of Sea Demons here in the Third Ring. But that's unique. Other people would probably be able to save up a few hundred Demon Hearts at the most.

"People really come risk there lives here for a trifling few hundred Demon hearts?" A contemplative look appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"That Saint Sun Soul also mentioned wanting Demon hearts. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, and his status, he wouldn't care about a few million Spirit Stones, much less a few hundred Demon hearts…. Therefore, Demon hearts must have some use of which I'm unaware!" After further thought, Naruto was sure that there must be something he had overlooked. After a bit more consideration, he rose to his feet, his eyes glittering. He then waved his sleeve to collect up all the Demon hearts.

He remained on the island for a while thinking. Finally, his eyes flashed and flew up into the air, heading off into the distance at top speed.

"Since I don't know," he thought, "I guess I'll need to find someone who does."

As he flashed through the air, he changed his appearance and reduced his Cultivation base to the Nascent Soul stage. After speeding along for a few days, he suddenly stopped and looked off into the distance.

Not too far away, he spotted a several hundred meter wide whirlpool, within which was an enormous seahorse. It roared as pulses of coldness emanated out from it, causing everything around it to freeze.

Hovering in mid-air in front of the seahorse were two people, a man and a woman. The man was old and hunchbacked. He had a Cultivation base at the early Nascent Soul stage, and wizened features. His face was pale, and he clutched a pearl in his hand, which emanated pulses of flame power. It transformed into a rain of fire that filled the entire area, including the spot occupied by the seahorse.

Next to the old man was the woman, who wore a mask that made it impossible to see what her face looked like. However, from the rest of her skin that was visible, it was possible to determine that she wasn't very old.

Her Cultivation base was at the early Core Formation stage, and although she watched intently as the old man fought back against the Sea Demon, deep within her eyes flickered intense hatred.

Seeing the old man's pale face, she said, "Senior, let's just forget about it. Why don't we go find a weaker Sea Demon…."

"We've been out here for months," said the old man through gritted teeth. "This is the first Sea Demon we've found. How could we possibly let it go!?" He spit out a mouthful of blood, causing the pearl he held to turn bright red. Next, a sea of flames exploded out, causing steam to rise up from the seawater below. The seahorse, which was caught up in the flames, roared. Intense coldness exploded out from it as it charged forward into the fire. Immediately more than half of the sea of flames was extinguished.

The old man's face flickered, and he clenched his jaw. However, it was in this exact moment that suddenly, a bright beam of light approached from off in the distance.

Inside the beam, of course, was Naruto.

His sudden appearance shocked the old man. The face of the young woman next to him also flickered. As for the old man, when he saw that Naruto's Cultivation base was at the early Nascent Soul stage, he relaxed a bit, but at the same time, also frowned.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, "please keep your distance. I discovered this Demon, so according to the custom, it belongs to me."

With a faint smile, Naruto stopped and didn't get any closer.

The old man frowned and exchanged a look with the young woman. Then he focused his strength on controlling the magical items in front of him, and causing the sea of flames to descend once more.

The seahorse roared, and a blue light spread out from its body. It seemed to be going all out; the light exploded in all directions, and everywhere it passed turned into ice, even the sea of flames. The ice sealing caused the old man's face to fill with shock. His pearl completely froze over, after which he shot backward at top speed. He grabbed the young woman and then made to leave. Unfortunately, he had been injured, and the blue light was too fast. At the moment, he seemed incapable of escaping….

An expression of struggle appeared in the old man's eyes, but it lasted only for the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. He looked at the young woman, preparing to throw her back into the blue light to block its way.

In that moment, Naruto lifted his hand up and pointed his finger out. The expanding blue light suddenly stopped moving, allowing the old man and the young woman to escape from the area.

At the same time, Naruto waved his hand again, causing a Wooden Time Sword to fly out. It shot like lightning toward the seahorse, and stabbed it through in the blink of an eye. It was only one sword with seven sixty-year cycles of Time power, but as soon as it pierced the seahorse, a bloodcurdling shriek could be heard, and the seahorse began to wither up.

Its eyes filled with terror, and it began to sink down into the water. However, even as it did, Naruto let a certain bit of aura seep out, which caused the seahorse's eyes to go red. It instantly charged him again. The old man and the young woman watched on in astonishment as the Wooden Time Sword stabbed it through seven or eight more times.

The howls of the seahorse echoed out in all directions as its body rapidly withered. In a short moment, it was transformed into a desiccated corpse floating on the surface of the sea….

Naruto neared the corpse of the seahorse, then pushed down on it with his right hand. Immediately, a Demon heart flew into his hand. Up in midair, the old man and the young woman looked at Naruto with complex expressions. They looked as if they were on guard, especially when it came to the shocking sword he had used.

When Naruto looked up at them, the old man pulled the young woman into a position behind him, and also began to rotate his Cultivation base. He then clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist," he said, slowly backing up at the same time. He was obviously terrified of Naruto's sword. "That mid-grade Demon heart is yours. If fate ever allows us to meet again, then I'll definitely repay you."

Naruto shook his head. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave," he said. Then he sent the Demon heart flying toward the shocked old man, who caught it without even thinking about it. He looked at the Demon heart and then looked back at Naruto, his heart filling with anxiety and doubt.

The young woman stared fixedly at the Demon heart in the old man's hand and began to pant. The hatred deep in her eyes flickered again; she was obviously well aware of what the old man had almost done to her earlier.

"Fellow Daoist, you…." the old man said hesitatingly.

Choosing to not beat around the bush, Naruto said, "The two of you have pretty strong Cultivation bases. That Demon heart seems to be virtually the same as a mid-grade Spirit Stone. Why do you care so much about it?"

His words left the old man completely at a loss. The young woman also looked at Naruto with a quizzical expression.

The old man was quiet for a moment, then looked at Naruto and said, "Fellow Daoist… don't tell me this is your first time in the Milky Way Sea?"

Naruto nodded.

The old man took a deep breath, then muttered a few things to himself as he put the Demon heart away.

"You're right," he then said. "The spiritual energy in this Demon heart is similar to a mid-grade Spirit Stone. However, one mid-grade Spirit Stone couldn't buy you any Demon hearts at all!

"In the Three Sects' Seahold, there are special locations that purchase Demon hearts.

"As for the exact value, it fluctuates. If I recall correctly, when I last left Seahold, one low-grade Demon Heart was worth 500 low-grade Spirit Stones!

"There were even some places that would pay 1000!"

When Naruto heard this, it didn't matter that he had such a high Cultivation base, his mind filled with a roaring sound anyway. His bag of holding contained about 80-90,000 low-grade Demon hearts. If you calculated it out, they were worth… 80-90,000,000 low-grade Spirit Stones.

That number sent great waves crashing about inside of Naruto's mind. His brain trembled, and he almost couldn't believe it. During his entire life, he had never possessed so many Spirit Stones. He immediately began to breathe heavily.

"How much did you say?" he blurted without even thinking about it.

"Low-grade Demon Hearts range in value from several hundred to a thousand Spirit Stones…." said the old man. He didn't seem to think anything about Naruto's reaction was strange. Anyone who heard about the matter for the first time would be astonished.

"What about mid-grade Demon hearts?" Naruto followed up immediately.

The old man hesitated for a moment and rubbed his bag of holding, but continued on with his explanation: "Their value fluctuates too, but not too much. One mid-grade Demon heart is worth about 10,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Naruto's mouth went so dry that he couldn't speak. Within his bag of holding were more than 30,000 mid-grade Demon hearts. After he calculated the number, his mind once again filled with roaring.

Now, he suddenly understood why people risked their lives to come here.

"I'm rich!" he thought. "I really am super rich!" Naruto couldn't control the excitement that exploded out within him. The fact that his lifelong desire had suddenly been fulfilled caused his heart to begin to pound rapidly.

The old man looked at Naruto and continued, "Of course, there are even more rare Demon hearts, the high-grade variety. I'm actually not sure exactly how much they are worth, because they only appear in auctions.

"However, I do remember that at the last auction I attended, a high-grade Demon heart was sold for the incredible price of 670,000 Spirit Stones!"

When Naruto heard that, he went even more wild with joy. He had nearly 10,000 such high-grade Demon hearts in his bag of holding. All of a sudden, he felt as if an enormous golden ingot had fallen directly onto him.

Moments later, though, his face suddenly flickered when he remembered that among the seven or eight Demon hearts he had used to test out the duplication powers of the copper mirror, four had been high-grade Demon hearts.

He suddenly felt a twisting stab of pain in his heart.

"That means… I… yet again wasted more than 2,000,000 Spirit Stones? Fudge! That's…." He had the sudden impulse to scream and curse. After taking a few deep breaths, he told himself that it wasn't any worse than the matter with the 2,000 ultra high-grade Spirit Stones. After a bit of time, he calmed himself.

"Is there a type of Demon Heart even more precious than what you've already mentioned?" he asked. "Something similar to ultra high-grade Spirit Stones?" He happened to have exactly just such a Demon Heart in his bag of holding, the one he had acquired from the Whitebone Lily giant.

The man thought for a moment and then replied, "No such thing exists. Well, perhaps my Cultivation base isn't high enough, or maybe I just have never encountered someone with access to such riches. However, in the Third Ring, there is something called a Whitebone Demon heart. They are incredibly rare precious treasures. Something like that would be priceless."

Naruto's heart trembled. He was almost certain that the Demon heart in his bag of holding, the one that was the size of an infant's hand, was the Whitebone Demon heart that the old man had just mentioned.

"One more thing," said the old man. "And probably the most important. In the Three Sects' Seahold, most items can only be purchased with Demon hearts. That's another reason why I value them so much.

"With this mid-grade Demon heart, I now have enough saved up to acquire Fortification Pill Powder. With that my… my apprentice can safely continue on through the Core Formation stage." Having finished speaking, the old man backed up and bowed once again to Naruto.

Naruto gave a faint smile, and nodded. He was in an excellent mood now, and the only thing he could think about was going to Seahold to trade his Demon hearts for Spirit Stones.

"With so many Spirit Stones," he thought, "I feel quite confident that I can… duplicate a hundred Wooden Time Swords that contain seven sixty-year cycles of Time. Then I can unleash the third form of the Lotus Sword Formation!" He took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement. He well knew that no one other than him would ever be able to possess one hundred Wooden Time Swords. Be it in the past, or in the future, it would be something completely rare, perhaps even absolutely unique.

It was only because of… the copper mirror, and its Heaven-defying duplication ability. Without that, it would be impossible to forge one hundred Wooden Time Swords. Every time he attempted to seal Time into the swords, a failure would leave the sword completely destroyed. Furthermore, the rate of failure was simply far too high.

"Actually, I might even be able to duplicate the Time Sword tip!" he thought, the brightness in his eyes growing even brighter. He was just about to turn and leave, when suddenly, the young woman gritted her teeth and then, seemingly throwing all caution to the wind, clasped hands and bowed toward Naruto.

"Senior," she said, "please allow me to offer my respects."

Naruto had already begun to leave when he heard the young woman's words, and looked back.

Simultaneously, the old man's face flickered, and he reached an arm out to hold back the young woman. A cold gleam of killing intent appeared in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist, my apprentice is immature, please forgive her. Farewell!" With that, he grabbed the young woman and prepared to leave. He had already sealed her Cultivation base, making it impossible for her to speak. However, her eyes radiated despair, almost as if she wished she could die as the man pulled her away.

Naruto frowned. He had already realized that these two people were not apprentice and Master. In fact, based on his experiences, he had already formed some speculations about the old man's true motivations.

Originally, he didn't want to interfere, but after seeing the despair in the young woman's eyes, he suddenly recalled the image of another woman.

"The look in her eye back in the Black Sieve Sect Blessed Land was exactly the same as this," he thought.

"Hold on a moment," he said. Sighing to himself, he suddenly appeared directly in front of the old man.

The old man's face flickered again. He hadn't sensed anything at all just now. Moments ago, Naruto had clearly been behind him, but now, all of a sudden, here he was. The old man's heart began to thump.

"Let her finish," said Naruto. The old man had just given him some valuable information, so Naruto wasn't willing to simply attack him.

The old man stood there silently for a moment, then loosened his grip.

A tremor ran through the young woman as her Cultivation base was restored. An unprecedentedly bright light appeared in her eyes, a light filled with hope. She once again gave Naruto a deep bow.

"Senior, it's your first time to the Milky Way Sea. There are many things you don't know, and the Three Sects' Seahold has very strict rules. Regarding where to stay, outsiders would have a very hard time figuring out matters on their own.

"Senior, I grew up in Seahold, and know the place inside and out. If it would please you, I'm willing to act as your guide. I can save you a lot of time, if you're willing."

The woman's words caused the old man's face to grow very unsightly. He once again clasped hands to Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist, my apprentice doesn't understand the way of things. Please, don't take offense. Seahold might be large, but everything there is handled in an open and clear way. Once you go, Fellow Daoist, you will naturally understand."

The young woman bit her lower lip, and said nothing more. She simply gazed at Naruto with a pleading look.

The old man was starting to get a bit worried. "Fellow Daoist," he continued, "I answered all your questions without holding anything back. My apprentice is merely homesick. However, if we Cultivators wish to make progress, must step out of our comfort zones. That's why I took her out into the world, to gain some experience."

Naruto looked over the young woman and the old man, and then sighed inwardly.

"In the cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevails. I can't do anything about that. However," he said, shaking his head, "when it comes to our actions and decisions, there is an unwritten truth; habitual unjust behavior can prevent you from reaching Spirit Severing."

"Many thanks for helping me achieve my aim!" said the old man, reaching out to grab the young woman.

"Senior!" continued the young woman, "when you had a weak Cultivation base, didn't you ever have a benefactor that was willing to help you…?" Before she could finish speaking, the old man's hand latched onto her, and she immediately became like a puppet, capable only of shedding tears filled with despair and the desire to die.

When Naruto heard her words, he suddenly said, "Did I say you could leave?"

The words were simple, but as soon as the old man heard them, his mind trembled. The Nascent Soul inside of him began to tremble, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He immediately stopped in place and slowly turned around, an expression of disbelief and shock on his face as he looked at Naruto.

It was in that instant that he realized that the Cultivation base of the person in front of him far, far exceeded his own.

Naruto's voice was cool as he said, "This young woman has a unique physique suitable for certain dual-party cultivation techniques that extract the Yin to strengthen the Yang…. Your goal is nothing more than to use that power to break through a Cultivation base blockage." With that, he lifted his right hand, causing ten mid-grade Demon hearts to fly toward the old man.

"Normally I wouldn't interfere in such a matter," he continued slowly, "but having encountered this young woman, it seems the two of us are connected by destiny. Thank you for answering my questions just now. Take these Demon hearts and leave."

The old man struggled inwardly for a moment, but in the end, released the girl and collected up the Demon hearts. With a bitter smile, he clasped hands and bowed to Naruto, then hurried off into the distance.

Naruto's Cultivation base was beyond his comprehension, and the gap between the two of them far too large. The old man didn't even have the nerve to feel resentment, but rather, simply resigned himself to his fate.

As the old man made his way off into the distance, tears flowed ceaselessly down the young woman's cheeks, and she bowed over and over again to Naruto.

"Thank you for your kindness in rescuing me, Senior. I grew up on my own in Seahold, and will spare no effort to aid you." The gratitude she felt was clearly visible in her eyes. She had just evaded a huge calamity, and as a result, her voice quavered as she spoke. It seemed that all the courage she had shown just now completely vanished, and turned into weakness.

"What's your name?" asked Naruto, looking her over.

"Amaru…. Junior's name is Amaru," she replied softly, lowering her head to conceal the sorrow she felt because of her name.

Naruto nodded, but did not ask for any further details. Then, he flicked his sleeve, sweeping up the young woman to fly off into the direction of the Three Sects' Seahold, which was notated on the map he possessed.

Amaru hesitated for a moment as she flew alongside Naruto. She looked around at the mist that surrounded them, and felt the incredible speed with which they were moving, something she had never experienced before. Her voice soft, she finally said, "Senior… are you… are you a rogue Cultivator?"

"Why do you ask that?" replied Naruto calmly.

"In the Third Ring, all the Nascent Soul Cultivators are either rogue Cultivators, or belong to Sects and Clans that provide special flight treasures. Such treasures make it possible to avoid a lot of trouble, and also allow you to meditate and practice cultivation while traveling."

Amaru hesitated again, worried that she might somehow offend Naruto with her words. "Furthermore, upon entering Seahold, if you have such a flight treasure, you won't be interrogated."

"So that's how it is," said Naruto. After a moment's thought, he said, "Well, after I get to Seahold, I guess I'll just have to buy a few." He realized that he truly didn't have any sort of special flight treasure. Considering that it was possible to practice cultivation while riding such a treasure, Naruto started to feel somewhat excited.

Amaru's eyes went wide, and she almost went on to tell Naruto that such flight treasures were extremely expensive. However, she didn't dare to actually open her mouth on the subject. Then she thought about how he had casually produced ten mid-grade Demon hearts, and she realized that he most likely had an incredible social standing.

After a long moment, she looked over Naruto's plain and unadorned robe, and then said, "Senior… you should probably change into a different set of clothing. In Seahold, you can purchase Daoist garments crafted from Sea Demons. According to the rumors, the highest quality garments can even resist an attack from the Spirit Severing level.

"If you prefer simple and unadorned clothing, Seahold has those too. However, regardless of whether it's in terms of the quality of material, or the defensive capabilities, such garments are unique to the Milky Way Sea. Every year, people come from various outside Sects and Clans to have them custom made."

Naruto looked down at his robes and nodded. He had never really paid much attention to his attire, but after listening to the young woman's words, he realized that they made sense.

"Hmm, yes. When we get there, I'll buy a few sets."

"Senior, there's also the matter of bags of holding. In the Milky Way Sea, you can get special holding treasures with a capacity a hundred times normal. Some even have other mysterious properties.

"In fact, the highest quality holding items can even store spiritual energy. That way, if you ever run low on magical power, you will have at least one chance to open your bag of holding."

"Such items exist?" asked Naruto. It all sounded so new and interesting to him. He nodded. "Okay, when I get there, I'll buy a few."

"Senior, do you have any voice transmission talismans on you? None? You should definitely buy some of the voice transmission talismans available in the Seahold. That way, you can communicate directly with anyone on the outside, no matter where you are in the Milky Way Sea."

"Alright! I'll buy several!"

"Senior, considering the level of your Cultivation base, you probably don't need magical rings, but I still suggest that you buy a few…."

"Excellent. I'll definitely purchase a handful."

"Senior, if you plan to stay in the Third Ring for a long time, you might want to buy an Immortal's cave in the city. Of course, the prices vary depending on the location…."

"I'll buy the best one!"

As they traveled, Amaru continued to evaluate Naruto from top to bottom. If it were any other situation, Naruto wouldn't really pay attention. However, considering how many Demon hearts he had in his bag of holding, and the number of Spirit Stones he could trade them for, his heart surged with joy.

Filled with the feeling of being rich and imposing, and accompanied by someone describing all the amazing things he could buy, roused his spirit. He flicked his sleeve and decided to buy everything.

Several days later, Naruto peered at Seahold from some distance away as they approached. He had already lost track of how many things Amaru had described to him, nor could he remember exactly what he had said he intended to buy.

However, Amaru was very professional, and she had long since taken out a jade slip to keep meticulous records.

Up ahead, the Seahold looked matchlessly huge. It was like an ancient sea beast, slumbering upon the surface of the water. At the moment, it was evening, and the city was ablaze with lights. A cursory examination left Naruto with the impression that at least 100,000 Cultivators were inside.

The area was surrounded by patrolling Cultivators of the three Sects. Also visible in the middle of the city was a huge tower, adorned with resplendently glowing pearls. They also emanated invisible ripples that no one but Naruto could see, which spread out to cover the entire city.

The entire city was surrounded by a towering wall, part of which stretched down below the surface of the water. The wall was completely black, and looked very somber and ominous. Vicious-looking spikes encircled the city, upon which were impaled the dried-up corpses of Sea Demons.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Within Seahold he could sense, at the very least, hundreds of restrictive spell formations. Clearly, if he attempted to charge directly into the city, it would be impossible.

If they were activated, these restrictive spell formations could easily destroy a Spirit Severing Cultivator.

If that were all there were to it, it might not be a big deal. However, Naruto could also sense an aura deep within the city that caused his scalp to grow numb. It seemed to be partly the aura of a Cultivator, and partly the aura of a magical item.

It was impossible to distinguish clearly, but Naruto was certain that whatever thing emitted this aura… vastly exceeded the power of Spirit Severing.

After glancing the city over, his eyes came to rest on the huge tower in the middle of the city. In that very moment, red-robed Saint Sun Soul sat cross-legged in that very tower, meditating. Suddenly, his eyes opened.

His gaze passed out from within the tower until it reached Naruto off in the distance. Although Naruto had changed his appearance, he still recognized him.

The two of them were separated by quite a difference, but they could both sense each other looking at each other. After a moment, they retracted their gazes.

Seeing that Naruto had stopped in mid-air, Amaru looked at him and said, "Senior?"

After a moment, she continued, "Senior, do you have an identity medallion?

"If you do, then you can just enter directly. If you don't, well, that will be a bit more troublesome…."

Naruto frowned. He did not have an identity medallion, and currently, they were standing directly in front of the city gate. Inside, three men sat cross-legged, meditating. In front of them stood a dozen or so Cultivators clutching command medallions. Occasionally, they would glance around with cold expressions.

It was already evening, but there was still quite a line of people outside, waiting to enter the Seahold.

When Naruto and Amaru arrived, the three old men all opened their eyes at the same time. In that moment, Naruto could sense the fluctuating ripples coming from nearby restrictive spell formations.

He knew that if he showed even the slightest bit of malice, those spell formations would activate.

"Senior," said Amaru, "if you have no identity medallion, then I can go into the city first to buy one for you. Unfortunately, the price will be quite high. Also, I will only be able to get the most common type of identity medallion, which will cause problems later. However…." Even as she was in the middle of speaking, a bright beam of light suddenly flew out from within the city.

Inside was a beautiful woman wearing a pink garment. She was elegant and poised, and as soon as she appeared, the Cultivators in the city gate bent at the waist to bow deeply.

"Respects, Madam Himeno!"

At the same time, respectful expressions appeared on the faces of the other Cultivators in the area. One after another, they clasped hands and bowed.

"Greetings, Madam Himeno!"

The poised and stately woman nodded and smiled. She passed through the crowds of people until she reached Naruto. As for Amaru, she nervously backed up. Naruto's expression was completely normal as he watched the woman everyone called 'Madam Himeno' approaching. She stopped in front of him, and, as everyone watched, gave him a curtseying bow.

She didn't speak, but she smiled and handed a gold-colored command medallion to Naruto.

"Someone asked me to pass you a message. The alcohol is quite strong." She smiled and gave Naruto a deep look, then turned to leave.

As she walked away, everyone in the crowd turned to look at Naruto. Amaru stared blankly at him, eyes wide.

As the elegant woman left, the surrounding Cultivators began to cry out in surprise. "First-rank Seahold medallion!"

All eyes were on Naruto, and especially the gold-colored command medallion he was currently fiddling with.

"A first-rank Seahold medallion… only the Three Saints of the three Sects can give out such a gift!"

"This is only the second time I've ever seen that type of command medallion. This person must be an incredibly honored guest!"

As the buzz of conversation spread out, Naruto looked down at the command medallion. It was completely gold, and the image of a Seahold was carved on its surface. On the other side were the characters: Sun Soul Society.

A faintly discernible pressure would be felt emanated from within.

Amaru's eyes were wide and filled with disbelief. She stared blankly as she followed Naruto through the crowd to enter the Seahold. Everywhere they passed, the Cultivators of the three Sects would immediately clasp hands and bow to them with extremely respectful expressions.

Even after they had made their way well into the city, Amaru's mind was still abuzz. Finally, she took a deep breath and then looked at Naruto. He seemed to get only more and more mysterious to her.

Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer, and asked, "S-senior…. Sir, don't tell me you know Saint Sun Soul?"

"No, not really," replied Naruto casually, who was currently looking around. It was evening, but the city still bustled with noise and excitement, like a boiling cauldron.

Amaru walked on for a few paces, but didn't seem convinced. "That's impossible. If you don't know him, why did Madam Himeno personally give you a Seahold medallion? She's one of the revered Saint Sun Soul's two beloved, and she usually never appears in public."

Naruto looked back at her with an enigmatic smile. "I gave him a flagon of alcohol a while back."

A serious look appeared in Amaru's eyes. She wasn't quite convinced, but what had happened earlier was just far too bizarre. On the other hand, to believe what Naruto just said, well, it seemed unimaginably fantastic.

"Forget about it," said Naruto, smiling. "Now, why haven't you taken me to one of those places that purchases Demon hearts?" Although he didn't act very imperious, Amaru started to get a bit nervous. She quickly murmured her assent and then began to give an explanation.

"Senior, there are three locations in the Seahold that specialize in Demon hearts. Those would be the three Sea Pavilions belonging to the Sea Divinity Sect, the Flying Immortal Sect, and the Sun Soul Society.

"The prices they give might not be the highest, but they are always honest with all customers. No matter how many Demon hearts you bring, they can convert them into Spirit Stones.

"In addition to the locations run by the three Sects, there is also the Milky Way Auction House, which of course hold auctions.

"Furthermore, there are other random shops throughout the city that buy Demon hearts. Of course, when all is said and done, this is the Milky Way Sea, and usually you can just buy things directly with Demon hearts.

"In fact, Senior, if you plan to purchase a lot of items, I recommend that you… don't exchange your Demon hearts into Spirit Stones right away. The majority of items in the Seahold can only be purchased with Demon hearts."

Naruto thought silently for a moment, then nodded his head. "First, let's go somewhere that sells flying magical items."

"Senior, what type do you wish to purchase?" asked Amaru.

"The best type!" declared Naruto loudly.

Amaru's eyes began to shine, and she immediately began to lead him off in a certain direction. She really was very familiar with the area. Evening continued to descend as she led him through Seahold for roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Eventually, they came to a stop outside a particularly impressive pavilion.

It was built to look like an enormous, plum-colored airship. Although night was now falling, the entire building glowed with resplendent light. Ripples emanated out, and in front of the doors were two gigantic stone qilins, mighty and extraordinary in appearance.

As for the main door itself, it was roughly fifteen meters tall, and was constructed of deep sea driftwood. Looking at the structure from the outside, it truly seemed as if every bit of building material had been carefully selected, and was imbued with abstruse meaning. There were even magical symbols that were filled with strong spiritual energy. Almost anyone who looked at the building would be shocked by the level of luxury.

"When it comes to magical flight items, there are a total of eleven shops in Seahold where you can find them. The best is the Flying Immortal Sect's Cloudburst Pavilion. The flying magical items here are often sought after even by outside Clans and Sects." Amaru was starting to get somewhat excited. In her world, the Cloudburst Pavilion was a place she could never step even half a foot into, let alone purchase any of the magical flight items inside.

The cost of such magical flight items far exceeded her imagination. The most she could normally do would be to glance in from outside. Now, though, she had a chance to actually enter, which left her very excited.

Naruto stood outside the Cloudburst Pavilion, studying it. He could see that the interior was decorated with beautiful extravagance. Bright lamplight illuminated everything, and the floors were actually paved with Spirit Stones.

Four or five customers could be seen inside, proud expressions on their faces as they walked about, listening to the Flying Immortal Sect disciples introduce the various magical flight items.

From the clothing they wore, it was possible to tell that they were wealthy and respected people. At a single glance, it was clear that they came from great Sects and Clans; these were definitely not nameless, rogue Cultivators.

Sitting cross-legged next to the entryway were two old men wearing brocaded robes. Their faces glowed with health, and they sat there meditating with eyes closed. Shockingly, their Cultivation bases were at the early Nascent Soul stage. To have Nascent Soul Cultivators acting as door guards would be enough to strike fear into the hearts of any rascals or thieves.

Inside the shop, three more Flying Immortal Sect disciples could be seen, two men and a woman. They were chatting happily, and occasionally, the woman would chuckle lightly. Her eyes sparkled enticingly, and she gave of an enchanting air.

However, they all completely ignored Naruto and Amaru as they stood there outside the shop. They were used to people standing outside and gazing in with envy and admiration.

Naruto was just about to walk in, when suddenly, the sounds of laughing and chatting could be heard behind him. A group of Cultivators suddenly appeared, clustered around a woman. They made their way directly toward the shop.

Everyone on the road scurried to the side to make way for the group, their expressions filled with respect. Each and every Cultivator in the group were Chosen of the three Sects, figures who the others on the road would never dare to offend.

Regardless of whether you looked at them in terms of the clothes they wore, or their dispositions, they were imposing in all aspects.

Despite that, these Chosen of the three Sects were currently smiling, laughing, and gushing all sorts of flattery regarding the woman that they were escorting.

The woman was beautiful, and seemed incredibly delicate. Furthermore, her eyes occasionally flashed with a captivating look, which filled her with a tempting allure.

When the Cultivators that surrounded her managed to catch a glimpse of her smile, it caused their hearts to palpitate with eagerness.

Next to the woman walked a young man with slanted eyebrows and eyes that sparkled like stars. He was exceedingly handsome, and wore a long white robe. Overall, he looked completely dashing, with an extraordinary jade-like face.

"Guren," he said, smiling at the indescribably beautiful and striking woman. "This is the Cloudburst Pavilion of the Flying Immortal Sect. Please, step inside!" As he passed, his cool gaze passed over Naruto and Amaru.

Immediately, the two old men sitting cross-legged in the shop opened their eyes and rose to their feet. The other three disciples also rushed forward. All of them bowed to the young man with deep respect.

"Greetings, Junior Leader."

The young man nodded. His somewhat arrogant and complacent expression became gentle and refined as he turned to look at the woman named Guren. As they all entered the shop, the four or five customers inside quickly clasped hands and bowed deeply.

In contrast to the hubbub inside the shop, Naruto continued to stand outside calmly. However, a barely discernible, enigmatic smile tugged at his lips. Next to him, Amaru had a look of extreme respect as she stared enviously at the woman named Guren.

"What a coincidence," thought Naruto. "I never expected to run into her in this place!" This woman was none other than Guren, whose promissory Naruto still possessed in his bag of holding.

"Come on," he said coolly, "let's go in." Amaru followed him as he stepped foot into the shop. Nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to them. Everyone circled about the Chosen of the three Sects, respectful smiles plastered on their faces.

Naruto waited for a moment, but no one came over to greet him. In the entire first floor of the Cloudburst Pavilion, not a single person even looked at the two of them. Naruto's expression immediately darkened.

"So, this is how the Cloudburst Pavilion receives customers, huh?!" His voice immediately echoed out through the entire Cloudburst Pavilion, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Even Guren looked over, although she couldn't recognize Naruto because of his changed appearance.

The Junior Leader of the Flying Immortal Sect frowned but continued to interact with Guren, occasionally pointing out various magical flight items.

Of course, the two old men noticed his furrowed brow. Immediately, their hearts began to thump. Looking a bit impatient, one of them pointed to the female Flying Immortal Sect disciple.

"Go deal with it," he said.

Originally, the woman had been quite excited because of the arrival of the Chosen from the three Sects. She had hoped that her good looks might give her some special opportunities.

But now, having heard the old man's words, resentment instantly bloomed in her heart. She didn't dare to refuse the order, though, so, face grim and heart filled with irritation, she walked over to Naruto and Amaru.

She glanced over the two of them, and felt more than ever that they weren't even worth looking at, and were here to just cause mischief. "What kind of magical flight item do you want?" she asked coldly. "The cheapest magical item here costs fifty low-grade Demon hearts. If you can't afford it, please leave."

She couldn't see Naruto's Cultivation base, but this was the Cloudburst Pavilion of the Flying Immortal Sect. Even if he did have a high Cultivation base, it would be nothing she would hold in awe.

In this place, nobody would ever dare to make a scene.

Amaru was a bit upset, but at the same time nervous. She looked over at Naruto.

"Show me the most expensive thing you have," Naruto said coolly, his expression the same as ever.

"The most expensive?" replied the woman with a light laugh. She couldn't prevent the look of ridicule from appearing in her eyes. She had worked in this place for years, and had seen far too many people just like this, people who believed themselves to be incredible. In the end, they would always leave ashen-faced and depressed.

The woman laughed coldly. "The most expensive item we have costs 5,000 low-grade Demon hearts. Fellow Daoist, do you want to have a look?"

Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, why not."

"Well, a treasure like that is not something that anybody can just look at," she replied. "If you want to see it, then according to the regulations, you have to pay a thirty percent down payment. Fellow Daoist, do you really want to look at it?" The ridicule in her tone was quite obvious. At the same time, she noticed that the group of Chosen was heading toward the second floor of the pavilion. Suddenly, she started to get a bit anxious.

"The door is over there, Fellow Daoist," she said suddenly. "You can see yourself out." With that, she turned to catch up with the group of Chosen.

To be the subject of such scorn here for no apparent reason caused Naruto to frown. If he revealed his Cultivation base, it would instantly resolve the situation. However, it was with great difficulty that he had managed to strike it rich. Therefore, since he could solve the problem with his Demon hearts, he didn't want to use his Cultivation base to intimidate people.

Almost in the exact moment that the woman went to leave, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. Instantly, a rush of clattering could be heard as 1,500 low-grade Demon hearts piled up in the middle of the pavilion. They looked like a small mountain.

Glittering light flickered out, forming a resplendent scene. In addition, the sound that echoed out, along with the strong spiritual energy, immediately caused all of the Chosen who were about to go up to the second floor, to subconsciously look back. Looks of shock instantly appeared on their faces, after which bright glows appeared in their eyes.

Guren looked back at the Demon hearts. Despite her identity and Cultivation base, she was still shaken inwardly. She clearly knew the value of Demon hearts, and couldn't stop herself from looking over at Naruto.

Next to her, the young man also gaped and began to breathe raggedly. Although he was a Junior Patriarch, the sight of more than a thousand low-grade Demon hearts piled up together was something even he would rarely see.

As for the female Flying Immortal Sect disciple, she was actually the last person to realize what had happened. When she saw everyone looking behind her, she subconsciously looked back. Then she saw the mountain of Demon hearts, and her mind went blank.

Roaring sounds filled her head, and she could scarcely believe what she was seeing. How could she possibly imagine that these two plainly dressed, almost rustic Cultivators, would actually… have so many Demon hearts?!

"S-senior… I…." stammered the woman.

"Is that enough?" asked Naruto coolly. "Now bring out your best product." He waved his right hand.

RUMBLE!

A second mountain of Demon hearts appeared. Then, another rumbling could be heard, and a third mountain could be seen. In total, three small mountains of Demon Hearts now lay on the floor of the pavilion, a total of 5,000 Demon hearts. The resplendent light that shined out from them filled the entire area. Intense spiritual energy made the entire area seem like a Celestial paradise.

The woman's mind was now roaring, and she was almost incapable of standing up straight. Her face was pale and filled with intense disbelief. She was literally incapable of imagining how the person she had just ridiculed could actually be such an ostentatious moneybags.

The other Chosen from the three Sects who currently stood on the stairs were also panting. Their eyes were wide as they stared at the Demon hearts. They dearly wanted to grab them for themselves.

Guren also stared in shock. She looked at Naruto, and gradually, a burning fervor rose up in her. As for the young man next to her, he took a deep breath as he stared at the Demon hearts.

The entire pavilion was filled with complete silence.

It was at this point that a peal of laughter could suddenly be heard coming from the second floor. A young woman walked out, wearing a set of revealing clothing. She seemed to be innately seductive; as she walked out, a fragrant aroma preceded her, and her forehead was adorned with a five-colored crystalline pattern. Even before Naruto could say anything to her, a charming smile could be seen on her face. An aura of maturity emanated out from her, filled with an intense attractiveness.

She walked slowly down the stairs, completely ignoring the Chosen as she passed them. In contrast, all of the Chosen bowed their heads and clasped hands to her.

As for the Junior Leader of the Flying Immortal Sect, when he saw the woman, he immediately lowered his head respectfully.

"Earlier today, I heard the magpies calling, so I knew that an honored guest would come to call. I've been waiting all day, although it was nothing more than resting, really. Now the honored guest is here.

"I am Azami. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

Naruto glanced at Azami and saw that she had a late Nascent Soul Cultivation base. She hid it well, but to Naruto's eyes it was clearly visible.

His glance instantly caused Azami's heart to quiver. His look gave her the feeling that he could see through every defense she had, all the way into her heart. It seemed almost like all her secrets could be thoroughly revealed, no matter how she tried to hold them back.

Instantly, she became nervous, although her expression did not change in the slightest. Her demeanor continued to be one of maturity and charm.

"Fellow Daoist, please come up to the second floor," she said with a smile. "I'm sure that the Cloudburst Pavilion has everything that you need." In both terms of her wording and her inner feelings, she was extremely respectful to Naruto.

He nodded, then walked up ahead to climb the stairs. Amaru followed, her heart pounding. Everything that she had seen so far today had opened up a new world to her. She was both nervous and excited as she trailed after Naruto.

She was just about to step foot onto the stairs when suddenly she hesitated and quietly said to Naruto, "Senior, the Demon hearts…."

"No one in Seahold would dare to take my Demon hearts," said Naruto slowly, continuing up the stairs. When his words echoed out into the ears of everyone present, their hearts trembled.

Such wording was incredibly domineering.

Azami's eyes glittered. When she thought back to Naruto's penetrating glance just now, she couldn't help but be a bit more cautious than before.

As for the Chosen on the staircase, be they from the Flying Immortal Sect, or other Sects, without even thinking about it, they backed up to make way for Naruto. When he neared Guren, she looked up over curiously.

In return, he completely ignored her and proceeded on to the second floor.

Azami followed. As she passed the Chosen, she suddenly stopped and looked back at the two Nascent Soul Cultivators, as well as the other Flying Immortal Sect disciples whose job it was to receive guests.

"The two of you screw off," she said coolly. "Go back to the Flying Immortal Sect immediately." The two old Nascent Soul Cultivators tremblingly voiced their acknowledgement.

"The other four of you can also screw off. Go to the Flying Immortal Dungeon, where you will be punished for half of a sixty-year cycle!" Immediately, the Flying Immortal Sect disciples' faces went deathly pale. They began to tremble, and appeared to be completely filled with terror.

"And as for you…." she said, looking at the dazed female disciple standing in the middle of the pavilion. "If I get in any trouble from the Sect because of you, you pathetic, dog-eyed slut, well, you wouldn't be able to pay me back if you had ten lives. You're expelled from the Flying Immortal Sect. Get out of here. The farther you screw off, the better." With that, she turned and continued on to the second floor. When she passed Guren, she nodded and smiled.

The Cloudburst Pavilion only had two floors. The second floor was roughly the same size as the main hall. It was grand and imposing, and had an incense burner directly in the center. It was carved with strange creatures, and the smoke that wafted out from it made the second floor seem almost as if it were filled with mist.

After stepping foot onto the second floor, Naruto sat down in a nearby chair. Amaru stood next to him, looking around. Her heart was nearly bursting with excitement; she had never imagined that one day she would be able to stand in a position like this.

Naruto's expression was calm. He sat there, eyes closed, unspeaking. Moments later, Azami approached, her smile seemingly covering up the bitterness she felt inwardly.

"Senior, you left so many Demon hearts sitting in the main hall, I can't help but be a bit nervous."

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her with an enigmatic smile. As soon as his gaze fell upon her, she got a bit more nervous, and even her smile started to feel a bit forced.

"I want a magical flight item," he said calmly. "The best you have."

"I already have everything prepared, Senior," said Azami. She clapped her hands three times, after which three women clad in delicate gauze skirts floated out from the smoke of the incense burner. Each of them carried a silver platter, which they held up high as they respectfully approached.

By this point, Guren and the others had arrived on the second floor and were looking over from off to the side. Obviously, they were less interested in the magical flight item and more interested in Naruto.

The items on the three silver platters included a reddish, copper short sword, a violet wooden boat, and a flying shuttle.

Azami looked at Naruto and smiled.

"Red Copper Sword," she said. "It expands when it rushes against the wind, becoming three thousand meters long. Nine levels of ghost images will appear inside of it, and it can accommodate three hundred passengers. It also contains a swarm of 10,000 short swords.

"Violet Wooden Boat. It can accommodate two hundred passengers, and has no offensive spell formations, nor any defensive spell formations. However, its speed… is similar to a First Severing Cultivator. Unfortunately, it consumes Spirit Stones at a high rate, one low-grade Spirit Stone for every three breaths of time!

"Soul Flying Shuttle. It is only nine meters long, with average speed. However, its most powerful advantage is its Wind Blade function. Every hour, it can produce a single Wind Blade. As long as you have enough Spirit Stones, there is no limit to the number it can produce.

"These three items are the highest level flying items that we manufacture here at the Cloudburst Pavilion. Which one would you like, Fellow Daoist?"

When the Chosen from the three Sects saw the three magical flight items, their faces filled with longing. They well knew that these items were incredible.

Naruto frowned slightly. Others might view the items as high quality, but considering the level of his Cultivation base, they didn't quite meet up to his expectations.

Seeing Naruto's frown caused Azami's heart to quiver, and she started to pant a little. His frown, coupled with what had happened earlier, caused her to start to formulate some speculations about Naruto.

She hurriedly continued, "Although, I actually advise you not to purchase these items, Fellow Daoist. They seem incredible, but are actually relatively ordinary. Despite being expensive, they are standard manufacture items; in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, you will find quite a few people who own them."

"Oh?" said Naruto, looking at Azami.

"Senior," she said softly, her eyes glittering, "if you have enough Demon hearts, then the Cloudburst Pavilion can offer you a one-of-a-kind precious treasure!" She raised her right hand and performed an incantation, then pointed at the incense burner.

Immediately, the incense burner began to rumble, attracting all eyes in the room. Suddenly, vast quantities of smoke poured out from inside, within which could be seen, shockingly, an illusory bronze war chariot!

The war chariot emanated an air of ancientness, and was surrounded by crackling lightning. It was also covered with cracks that made it seem as if it had experienced the baptism of flames of war and countless battlefield bloodbaths.

An indescribable pressure spread out from it, and visible on its surface were numerous flying beasts that almost looked alive. Although no one else could tell, when Naruto looked at them, they almost seemed alive.

To his eyes, all of the beasts were living, and struggling, letting out roars that caused his mind and heart to tremble.

He made a slight "eee?" sound, then reached his right hand up to touch his left eye. Then he blinked nine times, causing the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way to circulate inside of him. When he looked at the war chariot this time, the flying beasts all merged together to transform into a black wing!

Unfortunately, there was only one.

Naruto looked away and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them again and looked at Azami.

"How much?" he asked.

Azami's heart was trembling. Things were not quite going according to her plan for this item. Then she thought of Naruto's actions earlier, and she started to regret.

"Fellow Daoist, this item isn't for sale. It's…."

Naruto's face immediately darkened, and suddenly, a shocking pressure emanated out from him to envelop the entire area. It almost seemed as if a storm were coming.

Naruto looked at Azami for a moment, then retracted his energy. The second floor returned to normal. However, the pressure just now had caused sweat to begin to stream down her back. The feeling she got was the same as that you might feel when facing some ancient beast.

However, the only one to feel the pressure had been Azami, and no one else. Neither Guren nor the Chosen from the three Sects had felt anything. The only thing they had noticed was the change in Azami's expression.

"Name a price," said Naruto coolly. To hear himself saying such words caused Naruto's heart to surge. In his hundreds of years of practicing cultivation, his money purse had always been empty. Even when he occasionally fell into some profit, it would inevitably be sucked away by the copper mirror.

But now, he finally had the confidence derived from achieving the dream he had kept in his heart since childhood….

I'm rich, fools!

Next to him, Amaru's eyes shone brightly. She continued to have the strong feeling that Naruto was almost glowing, emanating an indescribable aura that battered against her face.

Azami, feeling somewhat intimidated by Naruto's display, nervously said, "It really isn't an issue of the price…."

"6,000 low-grade Demon hearts," said Naruto, lifting his chin up proudly.

"That's…."

"Not enough? How about 8,000?" Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but inwardly, that surging feeling grew more intense. To suddenly go from being broke to rolling in wealth gave Naruto the feeling that he could buy the entire shop if he felt like it.

This was a confidence that had nothing to do with Cultivation base. The more confident he felt, the more powerful his words became.

I'm REALLY rich, fools!

Even Azami, who was so experienced and knowledgeable, was shocked by the confidence and power in his words. Her eyes went wide, and she sucked in a deep breath. 8,000 low-grade Demon hearts was an extremely high price!

Amaru stared blankly at Naruto with wide eyes. Mentally, she was calculating how much 8,000 low-grade Demon hearts were worth in Spirit Stones.

As for the Chosen of the three Sects, and Guren, when they heard Naruto's words, their jaws dropped and they stared in shock. As of now, they suddenly realized that he really did exude the air of a rich person….

The eyes of a few of the female disciples began to shine brightly as they looked at Naruto. Although they hadn't noticed before, they could see now… this guy was incredibly handsome and had an extraordinary air. He was elegant and dashing, clearly different from the average person.

Although Naruto's tried to keep his expression the same as usual, anyone who looked at it would feel as if the following characters were clearly written there:

I'm Mr. Moneybags!

Azami's eyes were wide, and her heart was pounding. "I think…."

"Still not enough?" said Naruto. Waving his hand in imitation of the rich folk he remembered from Konoha County, he cleared his throat and said. "No problem. 10,000 low-grade Demon hearts works for me."

When he saw the shock on the faces of the bystanders when they heard this, Naruto felt quite pleased inwardly, even more so than if he had just experienced an increase in Cultivation base.

Azami gasped. Guren's eyes were fixed on Naruto. As for the Junior Leader of the Flying Immortal Sect, and the Chosen from the three Sects, all of them gaped with wide eyes and slack jaws.

Azami struggled visibly for a moment before replying, "Senior, this war chariot was delivered to us only recently. Apparently, it appeared on the border between the Second and Third Rings. I haven't even notified the Sect about it yet."

Naruto's expression was calm, but his eyes flickered. He definitely did not mind being addressed as Senior.

"If my speculations are correct, Senior, you have come to the Milky Way Sea because of the Sea Devils in the Second Ring, as well as… the legendary ancient battleship!

"This bronze war chariot is filled with ancientness, and is obviously an object from ancient times. For it to appear here indicates that there is a high possibility it originated from the ancient battleship.

"I only have one request, Senior. When you go searching for the ancient battleship, can you take Junior with you? You don't have to provide me with any assistance. As long as I step foot onto it, all obligations will have been fulfilled.

"In return, I will sell the item to you for 5,000 Demon hearts."

Naruto's eyes glittered.

"And what if I don't go looking for the ancient battleship?" he asked coolly.

Without hesitation, Azami replied, "If that is your wish, Senior, then I will have to resign myself to such an outcome." She quickly performed an incantation with her right hand and then pointed toward the incense burner. Instantly, the smoke inside parted, and the bronze war chariot flew out, almost as if it were trying to escape the pavilion.

Naruto waved his right hand, causing the war chariot to immediately stop in midair. It was irresistibly pulled down, shrinking down to the size of the hand of an infant as it landed on Naruto's palm. He immediately put it into his bag of holding.

He stood up, completely ignoring Azami. Accompanied by Amaru, and beneath the burning gazes of the Chosen of the three Sects, he walked in the same manner as the number one moneybags of Konoha County, Steward Ebisu. He clasped his hands behind his back and strolled toward the stairs.

It was when he stepped foot onto the first stair that Naruto finally looked back at Azami.

"Give me a voice transmission talisman," he said.

Azami instantly went wild with joy. Panting, she took out a voice transmission talisman and respectfully handed it over.

Naruto put the talisman away and, escorted by Azami, walked down the stairs and left the Cloudburst Pavilion.

Outside, the sky was already dark, and the sea breeze blew against his face. Amaru was sweating, and a bit in a daze as she glanced back and forth between Naruto and the Cloudburst Pavilion.

Considering how late it was, Naruto chose not to go to any more shops, but instead relied on Amaru's assistance to find a place to stay. In the end, he rented a private residence with its own main gate.

The residence was actually an Immortal's cave, and the most expensive type available in Seahold. It had a defensive spell formation, as well as a passageway connecting it to the seafloor, where there was a special chamber designed for secluded meditation. Despite being on the seafloor, the meditation chamber still fell under the general defensive spell formations of Seahold, which meant that no sea beasts would come near it.

At first, Naruto planned to actually purchase the residence, but after further thought, he couldn't bear to spend so many Spirit Stones, and decided instead to rent it.

The residence had many rooms, which meant that Amaru had her own private room. As the night wore on, she thought back to everything that had happened during the day, and also about how Naruto had saved her. Subconsciously, she had allowed Naruto's visage to be deeply imprinted into her mind. However, she knew that there was a vast gap between them in terms of status and identity, and after considering the matter for a while, she sighed and then closed her eyes to meditate.

As for Naruto, he sat cross-legged in his own room, surrounded by quiet. Around the time of the third watch, he suddenly opened his eyes.

"I'm finally rich," he murmured. "It's too bad that Steward Ebisu has long since passed away. If I have a chance in the future, I'll find some of his descendants and pay back those three pieces of silver that I owe.

"Or… nah, I'm rich now! I'll pay back a little bit extra." He smiled and patted his bag of holding.

Then he lifted up his hand, upon which appeared the bronze war chariot.

It was impossible to tell how many springs and autumns the bronze chariot had passed through, but it was covered with flecks of rust, and filled with an air of ancientness, as if it had been buried in the darkness for countless years.

Looking at it caused a strange feeling to well up in Naruto. It almost seemed as if the bronze war chariot were currently retelling the stories of the bloodbaths it had witnessed, as if it were describing an explosive, bloodthirsty bellicosity of some long forgotten age.

The beasts carved on its surface looked like dead things, but in Naruto's eyes, they were alive. It was as if they had been sleeping for tens upon tens of thousands of years, waiting for the day in which they would awaken and then roam carefree in Heaven and Earth.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he sent out some Cultivation base power through his right hand into the bronze war chariot. Immediately, faint ripples emanated out, and the war chariot began to expand in size.

Naruto was prepared for this, and quickly stepped out into the courtyard. Then he raised up his right hand. With a rumbling sound, the war chariot flew up into the air, continuing to expand until it was roughly nine meters large.

Ripples spread out, and the war chariot glowed with light. The ripples, however, seemed to be filled with decay, and the glow was somewhat dim.

Naruto's body flickered to reappear inside of the war chariot. His right hand touched its side, and he sent out more Cultivation base power. The war chariot trembled and then began to speed up into the air.

It moved with such incredible speed that Seahold quickly became a tiny dot below him. Although the war chariot screamed through the night air, it didn't vibrate or shake even the least bit.

In exactly this same moment, Saint Sun Soul sat cross-legged meditating in the tall tower in the middle of Seahold. Next to him was the elegant and poised Madam Himeno, who gripped a huge feather in both hands, which she was using to perform a conjuring. The feather emanated an aura of rot and decay. At the same time, swirling white lights wafted through the air, to be breathed in by Saint Sun Soul, who currently wore a black robe.

Even in the middle of the cultivation, Saint Sun Soul's eyes suddenly opened, and he looked off into the distance.

"What's wrong?" asked Madam Himeno, looking over at him.

"Nothing," he replied. "That troublesome fellow from before is testing out a magical item. Hmph. The both of them are equally mediocre." His face grew dark, and it was hard to tell exactly what he was going on in his mind.

"Didn't he give you a flagon of alcohol as a gift?"

As soon as Saint Sun Soul heard the word 'alcohol,' his face twitched.

"He was actually threatening me," he said.

Madam Himeno stared in shock, but didn't respond. As for Saint Sun Soul, he didn't bring up the matter of the alcohol again.

Meanwhile, Naruto was up in mid-air, frowning. He stood there in the war chariot, examining it with a puzzled expression.

"This thing is about as fast as a First Severing Cultivator. However, it expends a lot of Cultivation base power. Too bad I can actually move much faster without it.

"Furthermore…." His eyes flickered as he looked at the rust marks on the chariot, which were actually slowly growing larger. "The more I use it, the more the damage spreads. Soon, the rust will fill the whole thing, and it will be useless." With that, Naruto lifted up his right hand and then slapped it down onto the chariot.

A boom could be heard, and the chariot trembled. Low-pitched roaring sounds emanated out from within, and illusory figures began to surge out.

They were the images of fierce beasts, each one unique. There was a giant ape, a horned lion, even a two-headed giant bear. The various fierce beasts all lifted their heads up and roared.

However… they all were restrained by amorphous chains which connected them to the war chariot. Also… all of their eyes were closed!

Not a single one had opened its eyes.

As soon as they appeared, an intense pressure appeared in the area. Even still, the frown on Naruto's face deepened. He had just noticed that the rust was spreading through the war chariot even faster than before.

"At the most, I can use it only ten more times." Naruto examined the rust. It almost looked like rot, that, wherever it went, caused the bronze to turn into scrap metal.

"I almost feel like I'm not using it properly," he murmured to himself. "If using it damages it, then… huh?" Suddenly, his heart trembled.

"Not using it properly?" His eyes glittered, and the trembling of his heart increased in intensity as he thought back to the scene revealed by Immortal Shows the Way, back in the Cloudburst Pavilion.

After a moment's thought, Naruto once more slapped the war chariot. Instantly, the beasts surrounding the war chariot vanished, and chariot began to shrink down. Soon it was yet again the size of an infant's hand, resting on his palm.

He floated there in mid-air, and after a moment of detailed inspection, he suddenly began to pick up on some clues.

"Its surface is inscribed with ancient magical symbols that don't seem to be an actual part of the war chariot….

"And then there are the chain carvings. They don't seem to merge perfectly with the original chariot, as if they were added later." His eyes glittered for a moment before he suddenly closed his right eye. He blinked nine times and also unleashed the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way, pouring it into his eye. Immediately, the bronze war chariot's appearance changed.

It was no longer a war chariot, but rather, a mass of ferocious beasts. They were intertwined together such that, from a distance, they looked like a black wing!

The black wing was indistinct, but Naruto was sure that it was actually the wing of a butterfly!

His heart trembled, and he took a deep breath. He circulated some more Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way, then focused closely… on the butterfly wing.

The instant he looked at it, a roaring filled his mind. The world in front of him shattered, almost like a mirror breaking. Within that breaking, the mirror turned into countless flickering images that Naruto couldn't see clearly.

However, there was one image that instantly branded itself into his memories!

He saw a land in which clouds roiled in the sky, filled with crackling lightning. A man wearing black garments stood in the war chariot, looking down coldly at the lands below.

It almost seemed as if the man were the Heavens, the will of the sky itself.

An interminably rotating vortex could be seen on his forehead, and in his right hand was a string of blank, white prayer beads that seemed to be waited to receive sealing marks.

As for the war chariot in which the man stood, it looked very similar to the one Naruto had just recently acquired, except that there were no magical symbols on it.

Beneath the war chariot was an endless sea, in the center of which was an enormous tree that towered up into the sky. Sitting at the crown of the tree was a small boy who smiled as he looked out over the world.

Fluttering in the air around the boy were nine butterflies. Off in the distance were countless living things practicing cultivation.

Everything was very quiet and peaceful….

Naruto's mind roared, and then the vision faded away. He panted, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes as he looked at the war chariot in his palm.

"That vision…." His eyes flickered, and after taking a few breaths, he lifted up his left hand and pushed it down onto the bronze war chariot to slowly wipe away a magical symbol.

In total, there were ninety-nine magical symbols on the war chariot.

A gentle but also ferocious light rose up from Naruto's hand. He continued to rub the war chariot until he finally succeeded in wiping away a magical symbol. By this point his face was pale. It didn't seem difficult to wipe away the magical symbol, but actually, he had wasted a significant amount of Cultivation base power to do so.

As soon as the magical symbol was wiped away, the bronze war chariot trembled. Sounds like howls erupted out from within, as if some ancient sleeping giant was suddenly beginning to awake.

When the sound reached his ears, Naruto's spirit was shaken.

"These magical symbols and chains were actually added later. If it wasn't done as a seal, then it was a method to try to control the chariot due to a lack of understanding of its proper usage.

"That improper usage is actually the source of the damage!" He took a deep breath, and was just about to wipe away a second magical symbol when suddenly, his hand stopped, and a look of doubt could be seen in his eyes.

"Why is it that only I could see the images on the war chariot? Anyone who saw them would know that something was different about it on the inside." His eyes flickered as he looked down at his own torso.

After a long moment, he slowly murmured, "Immortal Shows the Way…. Gaara!"

The reason he could see the images on the war chariot, and also know the correct way to use it, was all because of the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way.

"Could it be that this is an Immortal treasure?" He thoughtfully lifted his left hand up again and began to slowly wipe away a second magical symbol.

The bronze war chariot began to glow with even more intensity, and the howling from inside grew clearer.

Next, Naruto wiped away a third magical symbol, then a fourth. When he wiped away the tenth magical symbol, the bronze war chariot began to emit a droning sound, and expanded until it was thirty meters large.

The glow emanated out in all directions, as well as a pulsing pressure. Even Naruto could feel that he was affected by the intense pressure, which made it impossible to get close to the chariot; he was instantly forced back a bit.

His eyes shining brightly; having erased ten magical symbols, his Cultivation base was virtually exhausted. After closing eyes for a while to recover, he frowned.

"The more magical symbols I wipe away, the more difficult it gets." His body flickered as he shot toward the war chariot. As he neared, a ring of yellow light suddenly appeared around the chariot.

It quickly began to expand out, filling Naruto's mind with a sense of danger. He shot backward, quickly emerging from within the yellow light. Then he forced out a bit of the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way to circulate through his body, then shot back in his original direction.

This time, no circle of yellow light appeared. He moved with incredible speed, arriving at the war chariot in the blink of an eye. He didn't have very much Immortal Chakra in his body, and it wouldn't last long before vanishing.

He placed his hand onto the war chariot. After a moment of thought and rest, he rotated his Cultivation base, pouring power into the war chariot. However, the power seemed to disappear like a rock sinking down into the ocean. There was no reaction whatsoever from the war chariot.

Naruto stilled his Cultivation base, and then, without the slightest hesitation, sent out some more Immortal Chakra. It was only a sliver, but the instant it flowed out from his hand into the war chariot, the entire world seemed to start rumbling.

A gigantic vortex appeared up in the sky, booming as it spun. Countless bolts of lightning crackled out in all directions. The entire area seemed to have suddenly gone wild, as if all Heaven and Earth were suddenly collapsing.

Naruto suddenly felt as if he were fusing with the war chariot, becoming one with it. Then he saw the image of the black-clothed man with the vortex on his forehead, the one from his vision moments ago.

At the same time, a thrumming sound could be heard from the chariot as the images of countless ferocious beasts appeared up ahead. All of them were fastened with chains, and let out soundless roars. They began to run forward, pulling the war chariot with them through the sky. It transformed into something like a shooting star that flew off into the distance with indescribable speed.

The speed with which it moved caused rumbling booms to fill the sky as it shot forward. Yellow ripples emanated out, sweeping through the night sky, filling it with a yellow glow.

At the moment, black-robed Saint Sun Soul suddenly stood up within the tower in Seahold. A look of astonishment appeared in his eyes as he suddenly vanished and then reappeared outside in mid-air. He looked off into the distance, his expression changing multiple times.

"What magical item is that!?" he gasped. Moments ago, his Cultivation base had twitched with a feeling of terror. The feeling was not something he was completely unfamiliar with; it was something he might experience when facing the Sect's ancestral legacy treasure.

"Is that a legacy treasure?" he thought to himself.

Naruto's heart was filled with shock. The strand of Immortal Chakra that he sent out from Immortal Shows the Way caused the war chariot to leave Seahold behind in the blink of an eye. Although there was still seawater underneath him, he had no way to tell whether or not he was still in the Third Ring.

This stretch of sea looked very strange, and the waters, almost black. Everything was quiet; not even a single ripple could be seen on the surface of the water, much less any waves.

"Where… where did that speed come from!?" said Naruto with a gasp. He looked down at the war chariot, a look of shock on his face.

"This is a precious treasure!

"Unfortunately, only the power of an Immortal can make it work. This treasure… will not even recognize my Cultivation base." He sighed. The only Immortal Chakra he had was from Immortal Shows the Way. He could use bits of it to employ the Celestial Vision technique, but to use it in battle was like trying to put out a burning horse cart with a single cup of water.

"Immortal Chakra…. So this thing really is an Immortal treasure. It only works when fueled by Immortal Chakra…." As he considered these matters, his heart suddenly trembled as a bizarre notion appeared in his mind.

"Is the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way really Immortal Chakra? Is it possible… that it really isn't Immortal Chakra, but rather, something else….?" Before he could consider the idea very much, he suddenly looked down at the sea below.

The previously still waters were now suddenly filled with ripples. A crocodile appeared, three hundred meters long… heading in his direction.

Crocodiles were not something that would normally appear in the sea, but there was one here right now. It was completely black, and its eyes were somber and cold. On its back were countless ferocious looking bumps and lumps.

Sitting cross-legged amidst the bumps and lumps was a man wearing a dilapidated set of clothing. His expression was cold as he… looked up at Naruto.

In the instant in which he looked at Naruto, the man's eyes filled with a bloodthirsty killing intent.

"Cultivator?" he said, his unpleasant voice hoarse and grating. When he opened his mouth to speak, blackened teeth could be seen. To Naruto, his entire person seemed to radiate complete vileness.

An aura of Spirit Severing suddenly exploded out of him. At the same time, the crocodile suddenly lifted its head up and roared, also exploding with a Spirit Severing aura. The seawater was in chaos, and a pulsating, fishy stench rose up.

"This is the Devil Sea," said the man. "Now that you're here, you won't be leaving." With that, he made a grasping motion, causing the air in the area to condense. An incredible pressure then weighed down.

Naruto gaped. "Devil Sea?"

Naruto gave a cold snort as he looked at the young man and how he caused the air in the area to seemingly collapse under the pressure of a gesture. Naruto was just about to make a move when he stopped. He stood there in the war chariot, motionless.

He allowed the thunderous roaring to descend upon him, but then, even as it neared, the war chariot automatically emitted a yellow ring of light. The ring expanded out and then slammed into the collapsing air.

A boom rattled out, followed by cracking sounds. Everywhere the yellow ring of light passed was left completely calm and tranquil.

A red glow appeared in the eyes of the man on the crocodile. He then leaped into the air and shot toward Naruto, followed by the crocodile, who opened its gaping mouth as it ferociously charged out of the water.

The man closed in, and he didn't perform an incantation, but instead reached his hand out in a claw-like gesture. Instantly, his fingers all turned pitch black and began to emanate a black fog. The black fog from his five fingers swirled and twisted, transforming into a vicious flood dragon that then charged toward Naruto.

A boom echoed out as the flood dragon slammed into the expanding yellow ring of light, and was deflected away. The snapping crocodile also hit the yellow ring, whereupon it let out a bloodcurdling scream as its teeth were shattered. It then retreated at top speed.

Naruto gave a faint smile. As for his opponent, he retreated backward a bit, a look of anxiety and doubt on his face as he stared fixedly at Naruto.

Naruto's smile turned wide and splendid. As of now, he realized that the war chariot truly was a precious treasure. As long as he was inside it, it would activate defense powers even if he didn't imbue it with Immortal Chakra.

"There is neither any enmity nor hatred between us," said Naruto. "Why engage in magical combat? I came here by accident, so I'll take my leave now." With that, he placed his hand onto the war chariot and then circulated Immortal Shows the Way, and was about to send the war chariot speeding away.

Suddenly, though, the expression of man in the dilapidated clothing grew even more vicious. He lifted his head up and let out an ear-piercing shout. At the same time, his body began to distort and expand. In the blink of an eye, his skin was replaced by black scales. At the same time, his shape began to change, until he didn't look like a person, but rather… a black flood dragon!

His body flickered again, and he was now over three hundred meters long. His eyes radiated savagery and avarice as he stared at Naruto there in the war chariot.

"You will stay," said the flood dragon. As it spoke the language of humans, black flames accompanied the words. "Consuming you will help improve my Cultivation base. As for that treasure of yours… that also will stay behind."

The black flames spit out by the flood dragon emanated a green glow along with a rotten stench that seemed to indicate they were imbued with poisons. They shot toward Naruto at top speed.

A sea of flames surrounded him, emanating intense heat and power that caused everything to ripple and distort. Waves undulated on the surface of the sea below, as if it couldn't bear the level of heat. The crocodile had long since retreated off into the distance; it floated there in the water, staring at Naruto.

Naruto's face darkened as he looked coldly at the flood dragon on the other side of the black flames. He lifted up the hand that he had placed onto the war chariot, and ceased to rotate Immortal Shows the Way.

"I thought you were a Cultivator, but it turns out you're a Sea Demon," said Naruto calmly. "Since you're looking to die, I guess I'll help you fulfill your wish." Naruto's personality was fully on display; the calmer he was, the greater his desire to kill.

Even as he spoke, Naruto started to move forward. He stepped out of the war chariot and entered into the black sea of flames. Seeing that he dared to emerge left the flood dragon astonished, and he immediately began to back up.

"I can be crafty too!" said Naruto. He waved his hand, and another sea of flames sprang up. These flames were red, and sprang up high into the sky around Naruto. As soon as the red flames touched the black flames, an intense rumbling sound could be heard. At the same time, Naruto emerged on the outside.

The flood dragon's face fell, and he continued to move backward in retreat. However, before he could get very far, Naruto turned into a green smoke. As for the flood dragon, his heart was pounding in his ears. The fact that Naruto dared to emerge from the war chariot was obviously not a good thing. Even as he retreated, Naruto suddenly appeared behind him.

A hand raised up, and a fist descended.

The fist seemingly landed on nothing but air. However, a huge rumbling could be heard, and the flood dragon felt as if a mountain were crushing down onto him. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face. He let out a miserable shriek.

At the same time, the crocodile opened its mouth wide and charged, ignoring any danger whatsoever as it shot toward Naruto.

"Trifling First Severing Cultivation base," said Naruto. "You're not the first one I've killed like that." Not even deigning to look at the crocodile, he punched backward.

BAM!

A tremor ran through the crocodile and then, starting from its head, it began to shatter. In the blink of an eye, the shattering spread out through its entire body. A final bang could be heard as it exploded into bloody pieces.

A fist-sized black Demon heart transformed into a black beam of light that flew into Naruto's hand. He put it into his bag of holding and then looked at the flood dragon. The flood dragon's trembling increased in intensity.

He took a deep breath, and then turned around. Clouds suddenly circulated beneath him, a divine ability which would enable him to shoot down into the waters below.

Naruto's right hand flickered in an incarnation gesture, and he pointed out.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

Demonic Chakra appeared, transforming into numerous invisible, thin strands that wrapped around the flood dragon. It instantly stopped moving, which left the flood dragon scared witless. Even as he struggled, Naruto waved his right hand, causing ten Wooden Time Swords to fly out one after another and then pierce through the flood dragon.

A bloodcurdling shriek echoed about as the flood dragon began to rapidly wither. His expression was one of intense fear as he could feel his life force rapidly disappearing.

Feeling death approaching, he suddenly shook and then spit a pearl out of his mouth. The pearl was about the size of a fist, and was not black, but completely and utterly white.

As soon as the pearl appeared, it emanated a soft glow, along with a thick, fragrant aroma. The spiritual energy in the area even grew stronger. A powerful shockwave spread out, causing rumbling booms as the dragon shook free of the binding strands, forced back the wooden swords, and then shot down toward the sea, carrying the pearl with it.

In the blink of an eye, he splashed into the water and then disappeared.

A strange light appeared in Naruto's eyes. He looked at the white pearl, and the first thought that ran through his mind was that he was sure he could sell the thing for an exorbitant price.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, the last trace of his hesitation disappeared as he flashed through the air, circulating Immortal Shows the Way as he stepped foot onto the war chariot. His hand touched the chariot, and it instantly began to vibrate and shoot down toward the sea.

In the blink of an eye, he was underwater. Everything around was pitch black, but it only took a moment for Naruto to catch sight of the vicious flood dragon up ahead, feeling quite confident that he had just escaped disaster.

Even as the flood dragon felt as if he had managed to scrape out and extra life, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound. He turned, and his eyes went wide and filled with shock when he saw the thirty meter war chariot!

It wanted to dodge out of the way, but was too slow!

Bang!

The war chariot directly struck the flood dragon, causing it to let out a miserable howl. Then, its body began to break apart into pieces. It exploded, and the white pearl flew out. Shockingly, inside the pearl could be seen a miniature flood dragon, its face covered with terror and astonishment.

The pearl and the miniature flood dragon shot off at high speed, but no matter how fast they could go, it was too slow compared to Naruto's war chariot.

Naruto instantly shot in pursuit. Inside the white pearl, the flood dragon's face was unyielding and filled with madness. It then let out a miserable cry that it amplified with Divine Will.

"Dawn Immortal, save me!"

When Naruto heard the name 'Dawn Immortal,' his mind instantly trembled. It was a name he would never forget. However, this was not the time and place to think about it in detail. His eyes glittered, and he pushed the war chariot in pursuit. His hand stretched out and he grabbed the white pearl.

The struggling of the flood dragon made no difference. Naruto sealed the pearl and then quickly put it into his bag of holding.

However, in that instant… a faint sigh could suddenly echoed about in the darkness of the seafloor.

It was a single sigh, but it instantly caused Naruto's scalp to go numb. Cold sweat broke out all over his body, and his face fell. Suddenly, the Resurrection Lily inside of him seemed to go mad.

It seemed as if, regardless of anything, it wanted to reveal itself and let out a cry to be noticed by whomever had just made the sigh.

Naruto's mind trembled, and he instantly caused the war chariot to begin moving. He began to build up the Immortal Chakra, and was just about to speed away when a tentacle suddenly shot toward him from within the deep sea.

Immediately, an intense feeling of crisis rumbled through Naruto. At the same time, the struggling of the Resurrection Lily reached a peak.

BOOM!

Naruto released the entirety of his Immortal Chakra, causing it to enter the war chariot. It rumbled, and then shot at incredible speed up and out of the water, transforming into a beam of light that quickly disappeared. Almost simultaneously, a gigantic tentacle erupted from the surface of the sea.

As he shot away, Naruto had just enough time to glance back at the enormous tentacle before the world turned blurry.

What he saw caused Naruto's mind to quiver and tremble with confusion.

"What… what is that…?" His face was pale white, and his expression one of disbelief. Given his Cultivation base, his experiences, his level of focus, in the Milky Way Sea, only the ancient Underworld Ship could cause his expression to change in such a way.

However, there was now something else!

In fact, because of his own condition, what he saw caused him to be even more astonished than the ancient Underworld Ship.

"That's… the Dawn Immortal?"

What he saw was a gigantic black tentacle, smooth and glossy, almost whip-like in appearance…. Furthermore, at the very end of the tentacle were a few black leaves.

This was not the tentacle of some beast! It was the branch of a plant!

Anyone else probably would not realize it, but because of his own situation, as soon as Naruto saw it, he knew that this… was…

A Resurrection Lily branch!

From this single branch, Naruto had no problem reaching the conclusion that deep in the black, dark depths of the sea was… an incomparably enormous Resurrection Lily!

What he was seeing was simply a branch, but it was able to stretch up from deep within the sea; he could only imagine how large and terrifying its main trunk was. The frightening speed with which it moved caused Naruto to pant. It could even match up to his war chariot!

Furthermore, Naruto knew that the only reason he could get away was that his original position was actually not very far away from the surface of the water. Although it seemed he and the branch had emerged from the water at the same time, the war chariot would have actually been no match for the Lily's frightful speed.

"How many colors does it have…?" thought Naruto, panting. By now, the war chariot had left the black area of the sea. The waters below looked normal, and up ahead, he saw storm winds. Naruto knew that he was now near the edge of the Third Ring, and was not far from Seahold.

He took a deep breath and thought for a moment. The sky up above was turning light as he put the war chariot away into his bag of holding. Then his body flashed as he headed toward Seahold at the fasted speed he could muster.

He arrived back at his residence before the sky was completely lit. He sat down cross-legged, his expression dark and unstable. The events of the night had left him quite shaken.

"That flood dragon called itself a Devil. It must have been one of those so-called Sea Devils.

"A black sea. That must be the Second Ring of the Milky Way Sea…. I never imagined that that… a terrifying Resurrection Lily would be hiding at the bottom of the Second Ring!

"Was that… the Dawn Immortal?

"No wonder the Resurrection Lily inside of me was going crazy!

"How exactly are the Third Ring and the Second Ring connected? The Third Ring has Demons with Whitebone Lily seals on them. The Second Ring has Devils that can turn into people, and venerate the Dawn Immortal!

"And then, there's that Reverend Silverlamp. Where exactly is he…? There are so many mysteries in the Milky Way Sea. First, there was the Underworld Ship and then that ancient battleship. And now, the Dawn Immortal has made an appearance!" He continued to think, and a complex expression appeared on his face. However, soon his eyes began glittering brightly.

"Things just keep getting more complicated and dangerous. I need to be even more careful regarding the matter of Madara. I wonder who is more powerful, the Dawn Immortal or Madara?" As soon as the question appeared in his mind, he knew the answer.

"Of course it's the Dawn Immortal!" Although he had no proof, Naruto was sure he was right.

He sighed inwardly, then closed his eyes. He ceased focusing on the frustrating matters, and began to meditate.

It was now early morning, and sunlight flickered down onto the sea. The crystalline, shimmering waters surrounded Seahold, which looked like a giant, slumbering beast that was opening its eyes and awakening. Gradually, the city began to bustle with noise and excitement.

Many people came and went, most of whom were not residents of the city. Some came to recuperate or resupply, some came to sell Demon hearts, others left the city to go hunting. People were everywhere.

When Amaru came to pay respects, Naruto opened his eyes. After tidying up a bit, he had Amaru take him to a shop that specialized in clothing.

He was finally able to put aside the worrisome events of the previous night. The feeling of being a rich person once again conquered all. He even considered purchasing a set of clothing for Amaru.

Although the quality of the clothing was good, when he saw how it didn't match her mask, he decided to save some Spirit Stones and not buy it after all.

Amaru felt a bit wronged, but she didn't dare to say anything directly to Naruto. She could only follow along irritated as Naruto flaunted his superiority.

Everyone in the shop was in awe of Naruto and his domineering attitude. He walked around with a trail of people following. If he saw something he liked he would simply point, and someone would rush to package it up for him.

"It feels really good to be rich," he thought. He left the store looking completely different than before. He wore a long robe that was as blue as the sky and emanated ripples of magical force. When the sun fell on it, it looked even more beautiful and delicate.

The sleeves were embroidered with silver dragons, and the materials of the entire garment were harvested from an impressive Sea Demon. It had a variety of built-in functions, and overall, made Naruto quite pleased.

He also purchased a gold belt trimmed with violet decorations, as well as some jade pendants. Each and every item was quite expensive. When he walked down the street, the people he passed couldn't help but look at him. Naruto let out a long, emotional sigh.

Amaru walked along behind him, pouting and glaring at his back.

"Alright, let's go buy a bag of holding!" he said, swishing his sleeve. Internally, Amaru gave a cold harrumph. Now that she was more familiar with Naruto, little remained of the awe she had felt for him before. Instead, her deepest impression towards him was that he was a haughty moneybags.

When Naruto stepped foot into the shop specializing in holding items, his clothing, coupled with his handsome features, plus the obvious domineering air of a rich person, caused everyone in the shop to immediately look over at him with glowing eyes. They knew that a big spender had arrived, and they immediately greeted him.

Naruto looked around and then immediately voiced his desire to buy ten bags of holding.

After they left the shop, a bit of hope flickered in Amaru's eyes, and she couldn't hold back from asking, "Senior, why did you buy so many?"

"For fun!" replied Naruto earnestly.

Amaru gaped. She suddenly had the feeling that the person in front of her was not the person who had saved her. He seemed… a different person completely. If he wasn't a different person, how could there be such a disparity?

Naruto cleared his throat, quite pleased at Amaru's shock. He patted his bag of holding, then waved his hand and lifted his chin in much the way that Steward Ebisu used to.

"Okay, let's go buy some magic rings!"

In the magic ring shop, Naruto's domineering air once again shocked everyone present, both customers and employees alike. They gaped in astonishment as, in a single breath, he bought three hundred magic rings.

All of the magic rings had a single function; they could self-detonate.

All you had to do was throw one of the rings out, and it would explode. Furthermore, the cumulative force of three hundred explosions would be incredibly terrifying. Such rings were expensive, and the shop didn't have very many. However, Naruto decided to buy however many they did have.

In the end, he could only sigh and leave, shaking his head the entire time. He glanced around Seahold, thinking about how there was nothing here that he couldn't buy.

It was in such a manner that Naruto spent the entire day, with Amaru leading him around. Soon, word began to spread. Many people were talking about how an incredibly rich fellow had appeared in Seahold.

Soon, evening was falling. Having accompanied Naruto all day, Amaru was a bit tired. However, from Naruto's expression, he didn't seem to be any more tired than he had been at the beginning of the day. Amaru could only smile wryly.

"Senior, NOW where do you want to go?"

"Let's go to the Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange shop," he said. The day had passed in a very fulfilling fashion for him, and he had finally fulfilled his desire to live like a rich person.

He hoped that he could continue to live such a life in the coming days, and it was with completely high spirits that he continued to walk along.

"Senior, you're going the wrong way, it's this way," said Amaru, looking at Naruto a bit grudgingly.

Naruto stopped in place and then turned around.

It was evening, and the two of them walked through the city under the light of the setting sun. Naruto wore his blue robe, and all ten of his fingers were adorned with rings. He stood straight and tall, looking incredibly impressive; obviously he was rich and respectable.

However, it also was also fairly obvious that he had just recently stumbled into his wealth.

The Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange shop was located in the city center of Seahold. The structure itself was very strange. It was pure white and looked like a skull. Quite a crowd was gathered inside.

Despite the late hour, people continued to go in and out of the shop to exchange their Demon hearts for Spirit Stones to be used in cultivation.

When Naruto entered, his heavily bejeweled figure immediately attracted a lot of attention.

Instantly, everyone began to talk about it.

"That guy is…."

"I saw him earlier today. He's the super rich guy I was just telling you about. He went to the Magic Ring Pavilion and purchased more than three hundred magic rings in a single breath!"

"So, that's him! I heard that a lot of the shops in Seahold were completely sold out today!"

"Who is he? How could he possibly have so many Demon hearts?!"

Naruto's expression was the same as usual. He entered the shop and looked around, eventually catching sight of a Sun Soul Society disciple. When the man saw Naruto looking at him, he quickly approached, clasped hands, and bowed.

"Greetings, Senior. How many Demon hearts would you like to exchange? If it's a small quantity, I would be happy to help you. If it's a large quantity… well, in that case, I can take you to the second floor, where a Sect Elder will receive you."

"Second floor, then," said Naruto placidly.

The Sun Soul Society disciple's eyes began to shine brightly when he heard this. He quickly transmitted a message to the Elder, at the same time leading Naruto toward the staircase.

Everyone watched on enviously as Naruto and Amaru walked up to the second floor. As soon as they arrived, a smiling, white-haired old man walked out.

"I am Iwaji. Greetings, Fellow Daoist." When he saw Naruto's clothing, and the rings on his fingers, he knew exactly what kind of person he was dealing with. His smile grew even more resplendent, and he said. "Come come, please, follow me." He led Naruto to a chair, after which two maidservants appeared with teapots to serve him tea.

"This is a local specialty, Skysea Tea," explained Iwaji, smiling. "It grows only in the Second Ring, and there are only seven parent trees that produce it. Please give it a try, Fellow Daoist. What do you think?"

Naruto smiled and then lifted the cup up to examine the tea. He took a sip, after which his eyes misted up, and his expression grew radiant. His scholar's aura suddenly became especially prominent. Despite his current state of luxury, it was impossible to completely block. It was almost like he suddenly became a different person. After a long moment, he put the teacup down. The mistiness in his eyes faded away, and they then began to glow with admiration.

"Ah, the cleansing of disquiets both past and present, the livening of the spirit that can only come from… excellent tea!" said Naruto.

Iwaji smiled broadly, and a strange gleam flickered in his eyes. At first glance, he could tell that Naruto was newly rich. However, when he spoke of the tea, his entire person emanated a light and pleasant air. The air that Naruto now emanated caused the old man to suddenly question his previous judgement.

Amaru stared in shock at Naruto. What had occurred just now yet again caused her to think that she was yet again dealing with a completely different person.

At this point, Iwaji directly asked, "Fellow Daoist, how many Demon hearts did you come here to exchange? The exchange rate today is one low-grade Demon heart for six hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."

Naruto was just about to reply when suddenly, footsteps and voices could be heard coming up the stairs from the first floor.

"Don't worry, gentlemen. When I, Kanpu, make a promise, the results are never disappointing. I can get you seven hundred Spirit stones for one low-grade Demon heart."

When Naruto heard this, he had to bite his tongue to hold back from speaking. He lifted the teacup and took a sip.

Iwaji's face twitched, and glared toward the staircase.

A middle-aged man was currently smiling as he led a group of seven older men up to the second floor.

The seven old men wore long brocaded robes, and in a single glance, anyone could tell that they were famous and extraordinary figures. Their eyes were bright and shining, and their Cultivation bases extraordinary. All were at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. Although they smiled, their smiles were filled with unyielding pride.

"After you, Fellow Daoists!" said the middle-aged man with a sincere smile. His expression was one of excitement as he led the seven old men up to the second floor. He caught sight of Naruto and Amaru, but after a glance, completely ignored them.

Iwaji was originally frowning, but when he saw the seven old men, his eyes immediately grew bright. Laughing loudly, he rose to his feet and hurried over to receive them.

"So, it turns out to be the Seven Tycoons of Seahold!" said Iwaji, continuing to laugh as he clasped hands and bowed. "Your presence brings light to our humble establishment!"

The seven old men all smiled and clasped hands in return.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he continued to sip tea. As for Amaru, after she saw the seven old men, her pupils instantly constricted. Her voice filled with awe, she turned to Naruto and said, "Senior, these seven men are all famous shopkeepers here in Seahold. Their Cultivation bases are extraordinary, and they control vast amounts of Demon hearts….

"The Demon heart exchange shops set up by the three Sects here in Seahold do not just cater to the masses of ordinary Cultivators. There is a strict requirement of the various shops in the city that they exchange Demon hearts on a yearly basis.

"Of course, as for which particular Sect they pick to do business with, that is up to them. The three Sects have no say in the matter…."

Naruto lifted his teacup up and took another sip. His eyes seemed a bit clouded, even empty, as if he weren't present mentally. Amaru wasn't even sure if he had heard her speaking.

Joy filled the heart of Iwaji as he looked over at the middle-aged man, and his eyes flickered with admiration. The middle-aged man looked quite excited, and treated the seven shopkeepers with incredible courtesy.

The whole group laughed and exchanged pleasantries as they walked over to the area with the seats. Iwaji was just about to have one of the maidservants serve some tea when the middle-aged man frowned and looked over at Naruto and Amaru. Then, he directed his attention to Iwaji and transmitted, "Elder Iwaji, who are these two?"

"Customers who arrived earlier to exchange some Demon hearts," he responded via the same method.

When he heard this, the middle-aged man felt a bit more at ease. At first, he had taken the people to be friends of Iwaji. "Elder, the Seven Tycoons are honored guests, shouldn't you have someone from downstairs take care of these other loafers?"

Iwaji hesitated for a moment, then turned to Naruto, clasped hands, and smiled.

"Fellow Daoist, I truly beg your pardon. Would you mind going downstairs? I'll arrange for someone to help you exchange your Demon hearts. What do you say?"

When he heard Iwaji speaking, the cloudiness in Naruto's eyes vanished, and he put down his teacup. Instantly, one of the maidservants stepped forward from the group led by the middle-aged man, and collected it up.

Naruto frowned, rose to his feet, and looked over at Iwaji. "Fine," he said. "By the way, what is the current exchange rate?"

"Set your mind at ease, Fellow Daoist," he said with a smile, "the price is set at six hundred Spirit Stones for one Demon heart." With that, he clapped his hands together, and a Sun Soul Society disciples immediately came up from the first floor. After giving Naruto a respectful bow, he gestured for Naruto to follow him downstairs.

Naruto smiled, albeit faintly, and his expression was calm. First they had taken away his tea and tried to shoo him away. If the price they gave him was acceptable, he could have accepted the matter, but instead, they offered him a different amount of Spirit Stones than the seven old men.

Continuing to smile, he sat back down.

The action caused Iwaji to instantly frown. In his mind, Naruto wasn't acting very sensibly.

The middle-aged man was starting to look a bit impatient. As far as he was concerned, Naruto would surely be exchanging no more than a few hundred Demon hearts at most. "Friend," he said, "this shop is owned by the Sun Soul Society. I myself am an honor guard of that very same Sect. This… is not the place for you to cause a disturbance. To go downstairs of your own accord is much better than being assisted to do so."

He had seen many such people, people who couldn't possibly compare to the Seven Tycoons. Each one of the seven had vast amounts of Demon hearts, and he himself had expended quite a bit of effort in order to attract them here.

"Go ahead and try," said Naruto coolly.

The words instantly caused Iwaji's expression to turn serious. The middle-aged man frowned, suddenly unsure of who exactly Naruto was.

The seven old men didn't look very pleased. They could exchange their Demon hearts at any shop they wished. The main reason they had selected this location was because of the diligent attention paid them by the middle-aged man. Of course, even more important was the fact that the exchange rate here was slightly better than at the other two Sects.

After all, the Saint currently in command of the city was none other than Saint Sun Soul.

The old man who occupied the center position among the seven calmly said, "Elder Iwaji, Kanpu, the seven of us have very limited time. We can't stand around waiting for very long. Why don't we consider doing business another time?"

The words immediately caused the man named Kanpu to feel very anxious. He was just about to drive Naruto away forcibly when suddenly Elder Iwaji stepped forward.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, looking at Naruto, "the Spirit Stones aren't an issue. I make the decisions here, so how about I give you seven hundred Spirit Stones per Demon heart? What do you say?"

Hearing this, Naruto felt a little bit embarrassed. Smiling, he rose to his feet and was about to go downstairs when suddenly, the old man standing in the right-most position among the seven sneered.

"So, it turns out anybody can get seven hundred Spirit Stones," he said. "Well, then, Kanpu. How many Spirit Stones will we be getting?"

Immediately, the other six old men began to nod. The shops run by seven of them were backed by their own various Sects and Clans. Furthermore, they were intelligent people who would definitely take advantage of any opportunity they saw come their way.

"If that man can get seven hundred Spirit Stones," said another of the old men, "then we should get at least eight hundred per Demon heart. In any case, it is unacceptable that we be given the same price as a random passerby. Kanpu, that was your promise to us, was it not?"

"Correct," said another man. "Kanpu, the reason we demand more Spirit Stones is because we will be exchanging a huge amount of Demon hearts. In fact, we have more Demon hearts than you usually exchange in several months down on the first floor. If someone with a trifling few hundred Demon hearts can get the same price as us, how can we maintain any face?"

Iwaji's face flickered as he realized he was in somewhat of a predicament. As for Kanpu, his face was also quite unsightly as he glared over at Naruto and Amaru.

"Elder Iwaji, this really is a bit inappropriate, don't you think?" asked another of the men.

Iwaji hesitated for a moment, then sighed inwardly. However, before he could even open his mouth, Naruto began to speak.

"So you guys have a lot of Demon hearts?" he asked the seven men.

"More than you, I can assure you," said the first man who had spoken, his voice cool.

Naruto's eyes flashed. He gave a cold harrumph and then flicked his sleeve. "Do the lot of you dare to have a little competition?" he asked. "The loser will forfeit all of the Demon hearts to the winner."

His words caused the expressions on the faces of the seven old men to flicker. They looked over at Naruto, and suddenly, the atmosphere grew very stifling. Iwaji hastened to step forward and clasp hands to both parties.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to get angry. All of this is my fault, for not providing proper introductions. Fellow Daoist, these are the Seven Tycoons, who run the seven largest businesses in Seahold. Every year, they exchange a huge quantity of Demon hearts.

"Why don't you give me a bit of face, and just drop the matter? How about it?"

Having heard this, Naruto's face flickered imperceptibly. Yet again, he gave a cold snort. However, this time, his words were a bit softer. "Very well, Elder Iwaji, for you, I can let the matter drop." With that, he turned to head downstairs.

The eyes of the seven old men flashed as they stared at Naruto. Suddenly, one of them flickered and reappeared directly in front of Naruto, blocking his way. "Hold it right there!"

"What are you people trying to pull?" growled Naruto. An alarmed and suspicious look flickered in his eyes. From the time he was young, he had grown accustomed to conning people. Furthermore, after all the hundreds of years, he had also grown quite used to putting on an act. It was an ability that had long since seeped down into his bones.

The seven old men might be shrewd and astute, but if they thought they could figure Naruto out by looking at his expression, well, that was simply impossible.

Kanpu laughed coldly, his eyes were filled with scorn.

Iwaji frowned as he looked at Naruto, and then turned back to the seven old men.

The old man who blocked Naruto's way stood there, eyes glittering, unspeaking. As for the six other old men, their expressions were that of excitement. Suddenly, one of them said, "You said you wanted to have a competition, so let's compete. The loser will turn over all Demon hearts to the winner."

Iwaji once again clasped hands and bowed. "Seven Tycoons, this Fellow Daoist came to exchange a few hundred Demon hearts. He may have spoken some sharp words, but I implore the seven of you to give me a bit of face…."

Naruto sighed in relief audibly, then walked around the man who blocked his way. Followed by Amaru, he headed toward the staircase. As for the cold smile which twisted the side of his mouth, nobody could see it.

According to his estimation, the seven old men would definitely fall into his con. As it turned out, he was completely correct. By now, because of their probing for information, the old men were certain that even if Naruto did have a good collection of Demon hearts, it couldn't possibly match up to their own.

Sure enough, Naruto had only walked down six stairs when two of the seven old men suddenly flickered, appearing in front of him to block his way.

"Careless talk can lead to a lot of trouble," said one of them. "Since you brought up a competition, a competition is what will take place."

Naruto's face looked unsightly, and he stood there silently for a moment. His face grim, he turned and headed back up the stairs.

Iwaji smiled bitterly and gave Naruto an apologetic look. As for Kanpu, the ridicule in his expression was quite obvious.

Naruto gritted his teeth, and, looking like he was getting ready to go for broke, said, "How do we compete?"

One of the seven men stepped forward, a lofty expression on his face. "I alone will suffice," he said, lifting up a bag of holding.

"Inside this bag of holding are 13,000 low-grade Demon hearts. Fellow Daoist, how many Demon hearts do you have?" With that, he tossed the bag of holding over to Kanpu, who accepted in and then scanned it with Divine Sense. He nodded, and then, in order to ensure impartiality, produced a stone slab.

It was three meters tall and carved with nine dragons. When Kanpu placed the bag of holding onto the slab, the first dragon began to glow with light, making it look very lifelike. As for the second dragon, it was thirty percent lit.

"On the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale," said Iwaji, "each dragon represents 10,000 low-grade Demon hearts." With that, he produced an identical stone slab for Naruto's use.

The old man competing with Naruto loftily said, "I wonder how many Demon hearts you have, Fellow Daoist. Please produce them so that we can widen our knowledge."

The other six old men looked at Naruto with enigmatic smiles, seemingly completely confident of the outcome.

Kanpu's smile grew even more radiant. He hadn't liked Naruto from the beginning, and now, the ridicule in his gaze was even more obvious than before. He couldn't wait to see Naruto's expression in reaction to what was happening.

Amaru looked over nervously at Naruto. She truly was worried about what would happen if Naruto lost. The price he would pay would be incredible….

Naruto's face was expressionless as he pulled out a bag of holding and tossed it onto the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale. As soon as the bag of holding touched its surface, one of the dragons carved onto the stone slab started glowing with a bright light.

Everyone watched closely as the scene played out, especially the seven old men. Their expressions flickered, and then quickly began to shine with happiness.

They weren't worried about losing; they were worried that Naruto's bag of holding wouldn't have very many Demon hearts in it. Seeing that it had 10,000, they knew that even after splitting it up, the seven of them would make a tidy profit.

As smiles appeared on the faces of the seven, Kanpu's eyes went wide and he felt a bit of regret. Before, he had assumed that Naruto would have a few hundred Demon hearts, or at the most a few thousand. However, it turned out that he actually had 10,000.

His regret quickly vanished, though, as he realized that there was no way Naruto could win. He would lose in the end, and then the Seven Tycoons would have more Demon hearts to exchange.

It was in this moment that the second dragon started to glow, until it was half-lit. That indicated that Naruto's bag of holding had 15,000 Demon hearts in it.

"You lose!" he said immediately. Joy and excitement appeared on his face, although he appeared to be struggling to suppress it.

"Said who?" laughed the old man standing in front of him. "The competition is between you and the seven of us. The contest isn't over until it's over, and no one is allowed to interfere. In this competition, one party must hand over all Demon hearts to the other in the end." The other six men all started nodding.

The first old man walked back a few steps, and a second old man proudly stepped forward. He produced a bag of holding, then looked contemptuously at Naruto as he tossed it onto the stone slab.

A buzzing sound could be heard, and the stone slab began to vibrate. The dragons on its surface almost seemed alive, and were emanating pulsing ripples. The second dragon was now completely glowing, making it look very lifelike. Furthermore, the third dragon was also fully lit.

"A total of 30,000 Demon hearts!" said Kanpu excitedly.

"Do you have more?" asked the old man, looking at Naruto.

The other six men were doing the same thing. All of them were imagining a situation in which Naruto had a few more Demon hearts, but not many, and the competition would end on a relatively anti-climactic note.

Naruto's expression was grim as he slowly placed his right hand into his robe. Then, he pulled out another bag of holding, which he threw over to the stone slab. As soon as it landed, the third dragon completely lit up, as did ten percent of the fourth dragon.

Kanpu gasped and looked over at Naruto. "31,000…"

Iwaji's eyes were wide, and he almost couldn't believe it. Inwardly, he was laughing bitterly. If he had known Naruto possessed so many Demon hearts, there would never have been such a commotion.

Even the seven old men were shocked. Each of them possessed over 10,000 Demon hearts, but none had an accumulation that exceeded 20,000. And yet, their opponent unexpectedly produced 30,000. As of now, they couldn't help but start to form various speculations about him.

It only took a moment, though, for the seven men to exchange glances. All of their eyes were burning with passion, as they realized that they were actually much more interested in this contest than they had been before. Considering that their opponent had around 30,000 Demon hearts, if they won, it meant each of them would get approximately 5,000. The mere thought of it caused their hearts to begin to thump rapidly.

Then, the seven of them began to chuckle. It was at this point that the second old man stepped back and the third walked forward. He waved his right hand, causing a bag of holding to fly out. Immediately, the fourth and fifth dragons lit up, although the fifth was only ninety percent lit.

"49,000 low-grade Demon hearts!" said Kanpu, who then looked over at Naruto. It wasn't just him. Everyone, including Amaru, were now staring at Naruto.

"I refuse to believe that you can continue to compete," said the third old man, his voice cool.

Naruto said nothing. It seemed as if he had an endless supply of bags of holding in his robe. He produced yet another, which he tossed out, causing the fourth, fifth, and sixth dragons to completely light up!

The bag of holding turned out to have 30,000 Demon hearts in it!

Kanpu's mind was spinning, and he was breathing heavily. He stared blankly at the six glowing dragons on the stone slab.

"60,000… Demon hearts!"

The faces of the seven old men flickered, and they stared dead at Naruto. Then they exchanged glances, and reached a consensus. In their opinion, this had to be the last bag of holding their opponent would produce.

"60,000 Demon hearts! No wonder he was so domineering!"

"I never imagined that he would have so many Demon hearts. However, compared to the seven of us, he can't match up!"

"The best would be if he had 70,000, then each of us would get 10,000. That's quite a hefty profit. Well, even if this guy has someone powerful backing him, does he really think he can fight back against the seven of us altogether?!"

The seven old men chuckled as the fourth and fifth of their number stepped forward at the same time. The two of them tossed out bags of holding, which, as soon as they landed onto the stone slab, caused a blinding light to shine out. It wasn't the just the sixth dragon which lit up; the seventh did too, and even fifty percent of the eighth.

"75,000 low-grade Demon hearts!" said Kanpu, his amazed voice echoing about.

The fifth old man laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist, however many low-grade Demon hearts you have, bring them out. We'll keep up with you until the end." His expression was proud, and his heart was filled with joy that he could not cover over.

The others also smiled complacently as they pondered what it would be like to split up all of Naruto's Demon hearts.

Naruto blinked, and then reached yet again into his robe. The eyes of the seven men narrowed as Naruto produced another bag of holding, which he tossed over to the stone slab.

A rumbling sound echoed out as the seventh and eighth dragons lit up. Only the ninth dragon remained dark.

Seeing this, the seven old men burst into hearty laughter. Even Kanpu let out a sigh of relief. Clearly, Naruto only had 80,000 Demon hearts, otherwise, the ninth dragon would already have begun to shine with light.

Iwaji had long since begun to pant, and his heart was pounding. When he saw Kanpu's expression, he truly wished he could simply step over and slap the man across the face. "What an idiot! Someone who possesses 80,000 Demon hearts is not someone to provoke lightly. Perhaps he just didn't dare to fight against the power of the seven combined. But now we have this situation here in the Sun Soul Society. He definitely won't give up!"

"This farce is over," said the sixth old man. "Fellow Daoist, it's time for me to teach you a lesson. Never forget, there are always Heavens beyond the Heavens you know, and there are always people out there who are better than you." He didn't even step forward. He simply tossed out a bag of holding. It landed with a bang onto the stone slab, causing the eight dragon to light up completely, along with seventy percent of the ninth dragon.

"87… 87,000 low-grade Demon hearts!" gasped Kanpu.

Naruto's brow furrowed, and he felt around in his robe. However, he did not produce another bag of holding. All of the low-grade Demon hearts that he possessed had been there in his robe.

When she saw the expression on Naruto's face, Amaru's heart began to pound. The expressions on the faces of the seven old men were of completely complacency. One of them stepped forward, and reached out toward the bags of holding which Naruto had placed onto the stone slab.

"Did I say you could touch those?" said Naruto. He waved his right hand, causing a mild attack to fly out that pushed the old man back. The old man's face flickered, and as he looked over at Naruto, the other six old men stepped forward, displeased expressions clouding their faces.

"Being a sore loser, Fellow Daoist?" asked one.

"Even if you are, it doesn't matter," said another. "You must admit your defeat. You lost, so those Demon hearts belong to us now."

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. Then he smiled, a faint, bashful smile.

"The competition isn't over yet, so how could I have lost?" His words caused the hearts of the seven old men to suddenly sink, and they exchanged flabbergasted looks.

"You have more low-grade Demon hearts?"

"Low-grade Demon hearts? No, I'm out," replied Naruto. It was at this point that he slapped the bag of holding at his side, from within which unexpectedly appeared another bag of holding. This was one of the special bags of holding that he had purchased in Seahold.

Hefting it, Naruto looked at the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale. "Why don't we use something else other than this slab? It would be a shame for an incredible treasure like it to be damaged."

Hearing this, the seven old men could only stare in shock at the bag of holding in Naruto's hand. Then, however, one of the old men sneered. "The stone slab only has nine dragons, but if the number exceeds 100,000, then they will change color. To date, I have never heard of anyone being able to use Demon stones to damage a Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale."

Naruto looked over at Iwaji, who hesitated for a moment before smiling wryly and nodding his head.

"Very well, then," said Naruto, tossing over the bag of holding. When it landed on the stone slab, it caused a boom to ring out that was audible even down on the first floor. At the same time, the ninth dragon completely lit up.

Looks of concentration appeared on the men's faces.

Next, the first dragon began to change color, turning blue.

The sight of it caused the faces of the seven old men to fall.

After that, the second dragon, the third dragon, in fact, all of the nine dragons turned blue.

Then they changed color again, starting with the first and going all the way to the ninth, until they all glittered with bright violet light.

The seven old men were trembling, and looks of shock and disbelief covered their faces. A few even said, "Impossible!"

However, the changes didn't stop with the violet light. Once more, the dragons began to change color, this time to orange.

"Orange light… that's… that's orange light!" The minds of the seven old men were spinning, as if they were being struck by lightning. They shook, their eyes blank with astonishment.

However, the light was not finished changed. Once again it began to transform, for the fifth time, causing the dragons, one after another, to shine with a glow the color of blood!

The changes in color left the people in the area completely and utterly shocked. They stared with wide open mouths, their minds roaring, as the nine dragons turned completely the color of blood. And then…

The nine dragons flickered brightly, as if… they were about to change to yet another color.

However, the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale had apparently reached its limit, and the color couldn't change. A rumbling sound filled the building, and soon was audible even outside. Shockingly, the sound was coming from the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale itself. Cracking noises could be heard as, in the full vision of everyone present, it suddenly… completely disintegrated!

Naruto cleared his throat. As he looked around at the shocked people around him, he thought to himself that being rich… felt great!

In the moment in which the stone slab exploded, Saint Sun Soul sat in his tower in Seahold. His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he sent his Divine Sense down into the city. It immediately locked onto the location where Naruto was.

After examining the situation, his face twitched again.

"Trying to compete in Demon hearts with him? Those seven are courting death!

"He mustn't be given any opportunity to flip out. If he seizes the moral high ground, he's bound to cause a crisis to develop…." Saint Sun Soul looked up at the bottle gourd which was placed off to the side, and felt a bit of a headache coming on. When he thought about the alcohol inside, his face grew unsightly.

He flicked his right sleeve, and immediately, a person approached from outside the tower. Once inside, he immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

"Greetings, Master."

It was a middle-aged man wearing a long, violet gown. His expression was one of veneration, and his eyes sparkled with energy. His Cultivation base was at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, not far from Spirit Severing.

"Go to the Sect's Demon heart exchange pavilion," said Saint Sun Soul coolly. "There's a man there I want you to invite here. Remember to be extremely courteous. Treat him as politely as you treat me."

The middle-aged man immediately nodded, but the fact that his Master spoke no more caused him to pause for a moment.

"Master, what is name of this respected member of the senior generation?"

"Just go, you'll recognize him." Saint Sun Soul didn't appear to want to discuss the matter further.

The middle-aged man stood up and, feeling a bit perplexed, left the tower.

Meanwhile, back on the second floor of the Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange shop, Naruto stood there with hands clasped behind his back. He looked down at the shattered remnants of the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale, and then looked over at the old men, who stood there as dumbstruck as wooden chickens, completely speechless.

They were struck thoroughly and completely senseless. Their heads filled with unprecedentedly large crashing waves, and they felt as if their minds were about to be torn into shreds.

Then, they began to calculate….

"Changing colors once indicates a complete doubling in the number of Demon hearts….

"In total, there were six changes in color, which means that the number of Demon hearts would be six times the amount before…. Before, there were 80,000 demon hearts. Don't tell me that his bag of holding actually has 500,000 Demon hearts!?

"If you changed 500,000 Demon hearts into Spirit Stones, that… that would be….

"Over 300,000,000!" Their minds roared as they looked over at Naruto, terrified.

"No way!

"The Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale does indeed have a limitation. According to the standard of low-grade Demon hearts, it's supposedly able to accommodate 1,000,000. 500-600,000 wouldn't cause it to shatter. Something's going on here!" The old men gasped and looked over fixedly at Naruto.

However, before they could figure out where the problem lay, Kanpu and Elder Iwaji, despite being thoroughly shaken, also suddenly realized that something was off. They too looked over at Naruto.

The eyes of nine people all turned red.

As of now, the expressions of the seven old men were that of complete exasperation as they finally considered… the possibility of losing.

"You cheated!" they roared, their voices hoarse.

If they lost, their Demon hearts would become Naruto's. It was a vast sum that they fundamentally couldn't accept. After all, these weren't their Demon hearts, but rather, the property of the various Sects and Clans that they represented.

"You definitely cheated! The Demon Heart Scale can accommodate 1,000,000 low-grade Demon hearts. I don't believe that your bag of holding has more than 900,000!

"I don't know how you did it, but it's definitely not fair! Such actions deserve death!" The killing intent in the old men immediately grew more obvious.

"Do you, or do you not, dare to compete one more time!? Take the Demon hearts out of your bag of holding, and we can compare numbers directly!

"If you don't dare, then it proves you cheated! To behave so treacherously in front of us means that you won't step foot alive out the front door of this Demon heart exchange pavilion!"

The seven old men were acting in a very domineering fashion. They strode forward, their Cultivation bases unleashed, transforming into an intangible tempest which spread out in all directions.

Amaru's face was pale, and were she not hiding behind Naruto, she wouldn't be able to take it, and would directly explode.

The old man who had reached out to take Naruto's bags of holding just now suddenly produced another bag of holding which he tossed onto the stone slab. The nine dragons flickered, and suddenly, a blue light appeared.

However, it wasn't completely blue. Only about half of the first dragon had turned blue.

"98,000 low-grade Demon hearts. This is all the Demon hearts I possess. Do you dare to gamble again?!"

Kanpu and Iwaji stood off to the side silently watching. This time, even Kanpu didn't react; he didn't want to be involved with the matter any more.

Naruto coldly looked over the seven old men, then waved his right hand. Instantly, all of his bags of holding flew out from the rubble of the destroyed stone slab. Seeing this, the several old men roared and closed in on him.

However, before they could get close, Naruto opened the last of the bags of holding, and expressionlessly removed a Demon heart. It emanated with bright colors, along with dense spiritual energy. Naruto waved his sleeve, causing the Demon heart to fly over to Iwaji.

"Elder Iwaji, would you mind appraising that for me?" he said coolly.

The seven old men stopped in their tracks and looked at the Demon heart in Iwaji's hand. Their faces fell. They didn't need to look closely at it. Based on the spiritual energy, as well as its color and size, it was easy to determine….

"Mid-grade Demon heart!" Iwaji gasped. His words instantly crushed any last bit hope the seven old men had to come out on top.

Iwaji took a deep breath and gazed at the Demon heart. His face flickered through various emotions, and then he turned to stare at the bag of holding in Naruto's hand. The seven old men were doing exactly the same. All of them were inwardly forming speculations about what was going on, which caused their faces to become more and more unsightly.

"The price of mid-grade Demon hearts doesn't fluctuate very much," said Iwaji. "A single one is worth 10,000 Spirit Stones, or ten low-grade Demon hearts. Of course, it doesn't work the other way around." He looked up at Naruto and then slowly said, "Fellow Daoist, how many mid-grade Demon hearts do you possess?"

Naruto didn't say anything in response. He simply waved his sleeve, causing a glittering, crystalline waterfall to spill out of his bag of holding. The entire area instantly filled with dense spiritual energy. The second floor turned into something like a land of Immortals.

10,000 mid-grade demon hearts piled up all around. Immediately, everyone present began to pant, and their minds shook.

"10… 10,000 mid-grade Demon hearts. That's equal to 100,000 low-grade Demon hearts. They could be traded for… 100,000,000 Spirit Stones!" Iwaji struggled to maintain his composure as he spoke.

Kanpu, on the other hand, felt his vision growing dim, and he almost passed out. How could he ever have imagined that the person he scorned so openly would end up having so many mid-grade Demon hearts?

As for the seven old men, they trembled in place and looked almost as if they had just aged ten years.

"There is no need to directly compare," said Iwaji, looking over at Naruto. He clasped his hands and bowed courteously. "Fellow Daoist, you are the victor."

Amaru stood behind Naruto, her mind reeling. She knew Naruto was rich, but she had never imagined that he would be… THIS rich.

Naruto lifted his right hand, collecting up the bags of holding belonging to the seven men. The old men watched on with red eyes. Their killing intent was even more intense now, and seeing Naruto dare to take their bags of holding put them in the mood to go all out and attack.

"Hold on a minute!"

"Fellow Daoist, you certainly do possess more Demon hearts than us. However, you still haven't explained the matter of the cheating earlier!"

"Even if you do have 10,000 mid-grade Demon hearts, that's still not enough to destroy the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale! You cheated, which means the bet doesn't stand! We refuse to accept this!" Of course, the seven old men were now resorting to sophistry, and they knew it. However, what else could they do? There was no way the could simply allow Naruto to take away their Demon hearts.

"Well then, I'll just have to make you accept it," said Naruto calmly. He waved his hand, causing the remaining 20,000 mid-grade Demon hearts in his bag of holding to fly out. They piled up everywhere, nearly completely filling the second floor.

The eyes of the seven old men widened as Naruto then sent the high-grade Demon hearts flying out from the bag of holding. The splendor of the high-grade Demon hearts caused them to instantly become the focus of all eyes on the second floor.

The spiritual energy they produced transformed into a pillar-like aura that shot up into the air above Seahold. Wild colors flashed in the sky, and the wind and clouds roiled.

Every Cultivator in Seahold instantly looked over in stupefaction. The buzz of conversation instantly rose up from all areas of Seahold.

Back in the Demon heart exchange pavilion, Iwaji stared with slack jaw at the high-grade Demon hearts. He picked one up and looked at it closely, then hoarsely said, "This… this… is a high-grade Demon heart!"

Such items were considered treasures, and were rarely seen. A single one would normally be sold at auction, and in all the past years, he had only seen less than a hundred.

"The starting auction price for high-grade Demon hearts is 500,000 Spirit Stones. They can be exchanged for 50 mid-grade Demon hearts, or 500 low-grade Demon hearts…. There are 10,000 here… that means they are worth… worth… 5,000,000,000!"

Kanpu's vision now went completely dark.

As for the seven old men, their faces were deathly pale, and their minds filled with roaring. How could they ever have imagined that they were actually gambling with someone so enigmatic and impossible to predict?

They, who had Demon hearts worth a few dozen million Spirit Stones, were betting about who was richer… with someone who had 5,000,000,000.

Naruto cleared his throat, then waved his hand. Immediately, all of the Demon hearts flew back into his bag of holding, including the roughly 100,000 belonging to the seven old men. The seven old men lifted their heads up and roared. Their eyes were red as the complete power of their Cultivation bases exploded out and they charged Naruto.

Naruto's expression suddenly turned cold.

"Screw off!"

Two words caused minds of the seven men to feel as if they were filled with lightning. Blood sprayed from their mouths. They weren't able to even get close to Naruto before they were sent tumbling backward. They looked at him and coughed up blood, their expressions filled with unprecedented looks of astonishment and fear.

"Spirit… Spirit Severing!" Their faces drained of blood, and they began to tremble violently. This time, Kanpu really did pass out, falling flat onto the ground.

Iwaji gasped, stepped forward, and then bowed with clasped hands. "Junior offers greetings, senior!"

Right in the middle of Seahold, Naruto unleashed his aura, causing the seven old men to scatter backward, blood spraying from their mouths. In that same moment, a jagged black cloud filled with crackling lightning flew through the air in the Fourth Ring, right outside of the Flying Immortal Sect.

Then, the cloud dissipated to reveal an old man wearing a long black robe. His features were ancient, and the feeling of time seemed to circulate around him. He hovered in mid-air, looking down at the surface of the sea with an abstruse light glimmering in his eyes.

If Naruto were here, he would recognize him immediately. This old man… was none other than Madara!

"No more delays," he said coolly. "This time… I'll definitely wrest away his Dao foundation. If this clone gets defeated, then I'll simply lock down on the location and come here with my true self via greater teleportation. Even if the Immortality Bestowal Dais does notice, I will achieve my aim!" A sharp gleam appeared in his eyes, which contained both determination and a desire to slaughter.

"There are no traces of him whatsoever in the Fourth Ring. Before coming here, none of my auguries could produce any clue to his position. However, I was able to determine that he is still in the Milky Way Sea!

"If he's neither in the Fourth Ring, nor the Outer Sea, then that means he must be… in the Third Ring!

"The Third Ring… is a forbidden zone for Dao Seeking…." He frowned, then suddenly flew directly down toward the Flying Immortal Sect.

He remained inside for only the amount of time it takes an incense stick to burn. After he flew out, the entire Flying Immortal Sect suddenly burst into activity. Saint Flying Immortal had issued orders. More than half of the Flying Immortal Sect disciples flew toward the Flying Immortal Sect Sea City in the Third Ring.

Tens of thousands of disciples soared through the air, each one of them clutching a jade slip that contained an image of Naruto, along with a bit of Madara's Divine Sense.

Even as the Flying Immortal Sect disciples entered the Flying Immortal Sect Sea City, checks were made of the Third Ring entrance records. However, no traces were found of Naruto. After that, the Flying Immortal Sect unleashed all the power it could muster, along with all of its ships, to begin to travel through the Stormwind Divide. They were on their way to the Third Ring to accomplish their task.

Meanwhile, Madara was paying a visit to the Sea Divinity Sect. Although it was impossible to determine what exactly he promised them, when he left, Saint Sea Divinity issued orders that caused tens of thousands of Sea Divinity Sect disciples to spring into action. They transformed into countless sword auras that shot toward the Sea Divinity Sect Sea City, jade slips in hand. After a thorough check was made of the records of entry into the Third Ring, the tens of thousands of disciples began the process of entering the Third Ring, exactly as the Flying Immortal Sect disciples had.

Even Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity, two Spirit Severing experts, joined the forces who left the Sect and entered the Stormwind Divide.

Two of the three great Sects were driven into action by Madara. However, because Saint Sun Soul of the Sun Soul Society was stationed in the three Sects' Seahold in the Third Ring, it was impossible for an agreement to be reached. Therefore, although Madara was able to check their records, no forces were mobilized.

After thinking about the matter for a moment, a gleam of insight appeared in the eyes of Madara. "This kid is extremely cunning. However, the more I think about it, the fact that there are no records makes it even more likely that he's in the Third Ring!"

He left the Sun Soul Society's headquarters and then entered the Stormwind Divide.

"I've already flung out an inescapable dragnet into the Third Ring. I can't believe that Naruto… will disappear under the noses of tens of thousands of disciples from two Sects!

"Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity have already promised to go to the Third Ring. Their Cultivation bases are ordinary, but with their Sect's legacy treasures in hand, they are forces not to be trifled with.

"Nobody understands the Third Ring better than them. Naruto, if you can escape them, then I'll admit your superiority.

"It won't just be them looking for you either. I'm confident that I can win over the Sun Soul Society. Then, a hundred thousand disciples from three different Sects will be looking for a single you…. And as if that weren't enough, I've also posted a handsome bounty. When the time comes, all the Cultivators in the Third Ring will be my eyes and ears!

If only one person tracks you down, then I will know!" Madara strode through the Stormwind Divide. Everywhere he went, the black mists spread away from him, opening a path. It was as if nothing dared to stand in his way.

"This time, I must succeed. Too much time has passed, and the Hebi Clan is growing suspicious…." Madara's face was grim. How could he ever have suspected that a trifling member of the junior generation would turn out to be so troublesome, and even defeat him twice in a row?

It was in the same moment that the tens of thousands of Flying Immortal Sect and Sea Divinity Sect disciples flew into the Stormwind Divide that, back in the Third Ring, in the Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange pavilion in the three Sects' Seahold, Naruto made a grasping motion that caused all of the Demon hearts to fly into his bag of holding.

The seven old men were as mute as cicadas in winter. Their faces were pale, and they didn't dare to do anything to hinder Naruto. The pain that filled their hearts had long since seeped out to completely inundate them.

Panting, and eyes burning with passion, Iwaji suddenly spoke up. "Senior, if you wish to exchange those Demon hearts, please rest at ease, the Sect will definitely give you a satisfactory price!" He knew that if he personally could handle the exchange, it would count as an incredible meritorious service to the Sect.

Such meritorious service might even prompt a personal reaction from Saint Sun Soul, and could potentially affect his Cultivation base. He might even have a chance to enter the Spirit Severing stage!

Even if he couldn't, he would definitely become famous within the Sect.

"Can your Sun Soul Society alone handle this many Demon hearts?" asked Naruto, looking at him.

Iwaji gaped for a moment, then made some calculations. His face looked a bit unsightly as he realized that even employing all the resources of the Sun Soul Society, it still might be a difficult task to exchange Spirit Stones for so many Demon hearts.

In his moment of hesitation, a bright beam of light flew urgently toward the pavilion. It was Saint Sun Soul's apprentice, who, with a flash of minor teleportation, appeared on the second floor. As soon as he arrived, he saw the seven ashen-faced old men. Then his gaze fell upon Naruto.

All it took was one glance for him to ascertain that this was definitely the member of the senior generation to whom his Master had referred.

The reaction was a type of intuition on his part. After a sharp intake of breath, the middle-aged man instantly clasped hands and bowed.

"I am Han Feng of the junior generation. Greetings, senior. I come on orders from my Master to invite you to have a chat with him."

As soon as the man arrived, Iwaji's face flickered and he clasped hands in greetings. When the seven old men saw him, looks of awe appeared on their faces, and they also bowed.

Naruto looked at the middle-aged man, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Then he turned his head to look at the tower that rose up in the middle of Seahold.

"Your Master is Saint Sun Soul?" he asked coolly.

"My Master is indeed Saint Sun Soul," replied the man, his tone respectful.

Naruto looked back at Iwaji. "I'll be with Saint Sun Soul," he said. "You get the Spirit Stone situation sorted out and then come looking for me. How many Demon Hearts I give you will depend on how many Spirit Stones you can afford offer." Saint Sun Soul's apprentice gaped in response to Naruto's words, and Amaru stood there nervously.

Iwaji immediately sent a message. He didn't provide specific details; he just related the information about how many Demon hearts Naruto had. The apprentice's eyes went wide, and he gasped.

Now he understood why his Master had sent him here.

"How could he possibly have so many Demon hearts?" he thought. It was with even more reverence that he escorted Naruto as they flew off toward the tower.

Amaru was with them, and the closer they got to the tower, the more nervous she got. In the short period of time in which she had followed Naruto, she had seen more incredible things than she normally would have seen in her entire life.

That was especially true of the scene that had just played out regarding the Demon hearts, which seemed as if it might cause her heart to stop beating entirely. She had known Naruto was rich, but could never have imagined… that he was THAT rich.

Perhaps his wealth couldn't compare to that of an entire country, but it was no exaggeration that it could rival a great Sect.

Soon, the three of them reached the tower. Naruto turned to look back at Amaru.

The apprentice immediately clasped hands and bowed.

"Senior, don't worry. I, of the junior generation, will arrange accommodations for this Fellow Daoist."

Naruto nodded. Seeing that Amaru did not object, he turned and flew directly toward the top level of the tower, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

When he reappeared, he was inside the tower.

Black-robed Saint Sun Soul sat cross-legged behind a wide table, his face expressionless. Next to him was the elegant and poised woman, his wife. She was sniffing a flagon of alcohol when Naruto appeared. She looked at him and smiled warmly.

"You offered me some alcohol," said Saint Sun Soul. "Now, I'd like to offer you some in return." Even as he spoke, his wife brought the alcohol flagon over. She then produced two glasses, into which she distributed the alcohol. After that, she sat down next to Saint Sun Soul and looked over curiously at Naruto.

Naruto said nothing as he sat down directly across from Saint Sun Soul. He picked up the glass of alcohol, looked it over, then drank it in one mouthful.

When the alcohol entered his mouth, it felt freezing cold, and made his entire body feel as if it were being frozen. It even seemed as if the alcohol were about to extinguish the flame of his life force.

The coldness entered his Chakra passageways and spread throughout his entire person. Even his Cultivation base was frozen in the blink of an eye. His Divine Sense slowed down, and he almost began to slip into slumber. It was even hard to think.

He was so cold that frost appeared on his skin; it almost seemed like the alcohol in the cup could turn him into a statue of ice.

This alcohol would most certainly kill any ordinary Spirit Severing Cultivator who drank it. However, Naruto's fleshly body was far too powerful for that. Although his Cultivation base and Divine Sense had been frozen over, his fleshly body only vibrated slightly. In a short moment, thousands of these vibrations occurred. The frequency of the vibrations seemed to accord with some great Dao, and within the space of about ten breaths, white steam began to rise up from the top of his head. It filled the entire top level of the tower, and even caused the walls to make cracking sounds as they frosted over.

A serious expression appeared in the eyes of the elegant woman, and although Saint Sun Soul's face was expressionless, his eyes were cold as he stared at Naruto.

"Your alcohol isn't very strong, at least, not as strong as mine." Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce, not another gourd bottle, but Han Shan's bronze alcohol flagon. He also pulled out a glass which he then filled with alcohol and slid across to Saint Sun Soul.

"Please, be my guest," he said coolly.

Saint Sun Soul's face twitched as he looked down at the glass. He hesitated, which was something he rarely did.

After a few breaths of time, a look of determination filled the eyes of Saint Sun Soul. He lifted up the glass of alcohol and then tossed it down his throat.

After it went down, his body suddenly started shaking, and veins bulged out on his face. A pained expression appeared but he doggedly endured, raising his hand to rotate the full power of his Cultivation base. His wife's face flickered, and she was about to rise to her feet when Saint Sun Soul stopped her with a look.

He panted for the space of about ten breaths, then suddenly pointed out with his right index finger. A blue aura appeared, filled with an intense sharpness. It shot out through the wall of the tower, after which, a monstrous Sword Chakra sped off over the horizon.

Saint Sun Soul breathed deeply, and his face was pale white. He looked over at Naruto.

"Does everyone in your hometown drink this type of alcohol?"

His expression the same as ever, Naruto lifted up the bronze alcohol flagon and took a long drink, all the while staring Saint Sun Soul in the eye.

Saint Sun Soul's face twitched again. He watched as Naruto had no reaction whatsoever to the alcohol, and in fact, even took another drink. He sighed.

"In all the years I've practiced Cultivation, this is the first time someone has ever threatened me with some alcohol."

"How could treating you to some alcohol be a threat?" asked Naruto, sounding a bit hurt. "In my hometown, everyone really does drink this. It's just that when I left, I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't bring very much with me. Next time, I'll make sure to bring you a bit more."

Saint Sun Soul sat there quietly. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Naruto's arrival. The Sword Chakra in the alcohol was very strong, and moments ago he had actually been rocked both physically and mentally. Then he saw Naruto drink it without any reaction at all. He couldn't help but think that Naruto was even more mysterious than he had seemed at first.

"He can attract Sea Demons to the point of driving them crazy," he thought. "He has this strange sword alcohol and a shocking fleshly body, and even canceled out my freezing Chakra…. On top of that he's also a Time Cultivator. So… why exactly is he here?" He lifted up the glass with the freezing alcohol and took a drink.

"Why don't you exchange your Demon hearts with the Sun Soul Society? The exchange rate won't be incredibly high, but neither will it be very low."

Naruto looked back silently at Saint Sun Soul for a moment. Then he asked, "Why do the three Sects value Demon hearts so much?"

"Generally speaking, that is a secret," replied Saint Sun Soul coolly. "However, considering the level of your Cultivation base, you'll figure it eventually on your own.

"The history of the three Sects go back a long way," he continued. "As for how long exactly, even I'm not too sure. I only know that the first generation of Patriarchs of the Sects jointly summoned the Stormwind Divide. After that, this area was sealed off all the way down until this day.

"As to whether those Patriarchs are still alive or dead, nobody knows. However, they left behind a legacy treasure that requires Demon hearts to ensure that it will continue to exist. Furthermore, the cultivation techniques of the Cultivators of the three Sects are different from that of outsiders. To us, Spirit Stones are only moderately effective. Demon hearts, on the other hand, are a different story.

"Furthermore, and most importantly, every rotation of the great spell formation that protects the three Sects requires a shocking amount of Demon hearts. Without the Demon hearts, it can't be operated."

Having heard all of this, Naruto chuckled a bit. "I suppose there is another reason, isn't there?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you," replied Saint Sun Soul, staring at Naruto.

"It has something to do with the yellow springs Underworld Ship in the Stormwind Divide," said Naruto, smiling and eyes glittering.

Saint Sun Soul looked back at him expressionlessly. "There's no need for you to probe for information. That matter is a secret of the three Sects, which cannot be told to outsiders. However, you know of the yellow springs Underworld Ship…. That's a bit unexpected."

Although his tone of voice was the same as ever, inwardly, Saint Sun Soul was shocked to hear Naruto mention the yellow springs Underworld Ship. Yet again, he found himself more in awe.

It was at this point that a jade slip suddenly began to glow inside Saint Sun Soul's bag of holding. He took it out and looked it over, then placed it down onto the table.

"If you don't want to tell me, then forget about the matter," said Naruto, giving up on his efforts to probe for information. "As for the Demon hearts… as long as you give me a huge enough quantity of Spirit Stones, then of course I'll exchange them with you!" He pulled out a bag of holding, which he loosened and then placed on the table.

Glancing at the jade slip on the table in front of Saint Sun Soul, Naruto smiled and said, "You most likely know exactly how many Demon hearts are inside. Name a price."

"5,000,000,000 low-grade Spirit Stones," replied Saint Sun Soul. He waved his hand, causing a ring to fly out which Naruto then snatched.

He scanned it with Divine Sense, whereupon he saw that the inside of the ring was densely packed with a vast quantity of Spirit Stones!

They were not low-grade, nor even mid-grade. No, all were high-grade Spirit Stones!

Naruto's pupils constricted. According to his understanding, even great Sects and Clans would have a hard time accumulating so many high-grade Spirit Stones. And yet Saint Sun Soul's attitude was… relatively cavalier.

Naruto muttered to himself inwardly about how this cold-faced man turned out to be the truly rich one. However, he still couldn't wrap his mind about why the trifling Sun Soul Society would have so many Spirit Stones.

His eyes flickered as all of a sudden, he thought about Demon hearts.

"Could it be that there is something about the Demon hearts themselves that cause the Sun Soul Society to be so rich?" he thought.

"Our transaction is complete, you can take your leave now." Saint Sun Soul closed his eyes and paid no more attention to Naruto, as if even looking at him caused him to feel somewhat annoyed.

Naruto smiled, clasped the ring in hand as he stood up and prepared to leave. However, after taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

"Considering how many Spirit Stones your Sun Soul Society has," he said, "perhaps you would be interested in forming a cooperation."

Saint Sun Soul opened his eyes and looked at Naruto.

"What sort of cooperation?"

"The two of us join forces to kill Sea Demons. I'll help you to draw them out."

Saint Sun Soul's eyes glittered, and after a moment of silence, he said, "What's the split?"

"For every ten we acquire, you keep nine and I keep one. Furthermore, when it comes to exchanging the Demon hearts for Spirit Stones, I'll give you a ten percent discount!"

"Fifty percent!" retorted Saint Sun Soul.

"No way," said Naruto, shaking his head. "It's not easy to attract the Sea Demons, and that's my responsibility. It's just that with your help things will go a bit faster. Also, the Third Ring belongs to your three Sects. If it weren't for that, I could just do it all myself."

"Oh, so you do know what it means to be in the Third Ring after all!" shot back Saint Sun Soul. The two of them continued to negotiate the terms of their cooperation. Off to the side, Saint Sun Soul's beautiful wife covered her smile with her hand as she watched on. She hadn't heard Saint Sun Soul speak so much in years.

She understood her husband well. He seemed cold on the outside, but he viewed the people he approved of as close friends. As for the people he didn't approve of, even people who were incredibly powerful, they would not hear more than three sentences come out of his mouth.

She could see that although her husband and Naruto didn't seem to get along, in truth, they both admired each other.

Naruto slapped his hand down onto the table, causing the jade slip to fly up into the air. "You listen to me, swindler, I've been going easy on you so far, don't make me get serious! You've tasted my hometown alcohol, so you know that a fifty percent discount is not going to happen!"

Saint Sun Soul gave a cold snort. "For hundreds of years in the Third Ring, the Saints have controlled everything! Without my permission, will you be killing any Demons at all?"

The two of them faced off angrily. Smiling, Saint Sun Soul's wife rose to her feet to refill their glasses of alcohol. Her voice soft, she said, "There's no need to act like this, you two. Instead of sticking to fifty percent or ten percent, why don't you both back down a bit and settle on thirty percent?"

Naruto thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. "Fine, thirty percent it is!" After all, this was the Third Ring, and when it came to Saint Sun Soul, unless he used some of his trump cards, he wouldn't quite be a match. Although the two of them didn't quite know how to deal with the other, Naruto couldn't help but think about how annoying it was to try to earn his Spirit Stones only to be interfered with by other random people.

Saint Sun Soul hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

Naruto rose to his feet, "Alright, swindler. Since we're in agreement, then we'll head out in a few days."

"I'm a Saint and my name is Menma!" said Saint Sun Soul through gritted teeth.

"Thanks for telling me, swindler," replied Naruto, flicking his sleeve and preparing to leave.

It was at this point that Saint Sun Soul's eyes flickered, and he suddenly swept his sleeve across the jade slip sitting on the table, sending it flying toward Naruto. Naruto turned and grabbed it, then looked at Saint Sun Soul.

"Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity sent me some news. Take a look." He took another drink of alcohol, then closed his eyes and said nothing further.

A serious expression on his face, Naruto sent his Divine Sense into the jade slip. After looking at the information therein, a tremor ran through him. According to the jade slip, Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity were currently on their way to the Third Ring, along with seventy thousand of their disciples.

In addition to that information, there was also a picture of Naruto, as well as an message to Saint Sun Soul, inviting him to join in the search.

Finally, there was a message indicating that Madara was coming personally to meet with Saint Sun Soul to explain the rewards he would receive for participating in the search.

Naruto's face was expressionless as he tossed the jade slip back, where it hovered in the air in front of Saint Sun Soul.

Saint Sun Soul took and put it away, then coolly said, "Han Feng."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Han Feng teleported into the room to stand in front of Saint Sun Soul. He clasped hands and bowed.

His voice calm, Saint Sun Soul said, "Go out into Seahold and get rid of any information about Master's friend here. It doesn't matter how many people saw him or had dealings with him, go take care of everything. Spare no cost.

"That includes people who have left the city in the past few days. Clean it all up."

Han Feng gaped for a moment, then bowed his head and voiced his assent. He glanced over at Naruto and then turned and left.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he watched these things happen, but he didn't speak.

"Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity are passing through the Stormwind Divide. Given the speed they can attain, it will take them two months to get here. As for that 10th Madara, even if he does have a Dao Seeking Cultivation base, it will also take him about two months.

"I will agree with the requests of the other Saints, as well as of Madara. That way, it will be much harder for traces of your passage to be picked up in my territory."

Naruto was silent for a moment before clasping hands and bowing. "Many thanks!"

"I'm not helping you, I'm helping our business," replied Saint Sun Soul coolly. Then he cleared his throat and looked at Naruto. "Eighty percent discount!"

Naruto gritted his teeth. Although his expression was the same as usual, he glared at Saint Sun Soul, who was beaming in self-satisfaction. "Forty percent, that's the most you'll get!"

A short while later, Naruto left the tower, his face grim and unsightly. In the end, he had been conned by that swindler; they ended up agreeing to a fifty percent discount.

Naruto had always felt as if he lived a life in which he conned others. Rarely did others con him. He especially never imagined that he would be conned by such a solemn-looking, unprincipled swindler like Saint Sun Soul. The whole matter left him feeling extremely exasperated.

"I can't believe that swindler conned me like he did…." sighed Naruto. Saint Sun Soul's apprentice led him, not to the city area, but to a private villa nearby.

That was the arrangement set up by Saint Sun Soul. By staying in this private district belonging to the Sun Soul Society, contact with outsiders could be kept to a minimum, which would make it much easier to get rid of any traces of his presence.

When Amaru saw the look on his face, she didn't dare to speak. Every time she looked over, he seemed to have a different expression. Sometimes he gritted his teeth, sometimes he sighed, sometimes he seemed to be in indescribable pain.

"What's wrong with him?" she thought in astonishment. What she didn't know was that to Naruto… Spirit Stones had long since become his entire life! For someone to, in one blow, reduce the number of Spirit Stones he could earn, was like a knife stabbing through his heart.

After Naruto left the tower, Saint Sun Soul Menma began to chuckle complacently. Feeling quite happy, he raised the alcohol glass to his lips and took a long drink.

His wife sat off to the side, shaking her head. She was also very happy, not because of how much her husband had managed to take advantage of Naruto, but rather, the fact that a friendship was slowly developing between the two of them.

Her husband had never had any friends, and she could sense how happy he actually was.

Later that night, Naruto sat cross-legged in his room, thinking over his current situation. He still felt a bit of pain in his heart; the feeling of turning from the con-man into the conned left him repeatedly sighing.

"Madara, you bastard. Just you wait and see!" Naruto had always felt himself to be quite a reasonable person. After thinking the matter over, therefore, he came to the conclusion that the one responsible for these crimes was actually Madara.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto probed his Cultivation base. Currently, only three majestic portions of Cultivation base power remained, and they were in the process of fusing.

"The more progress I make, the slower it goes," he thought, retracting his Divine Sense. This was his path to Spirit Severing. Eventually the three portions would become two, and finally one. When that happened, he would be able to enter Spirit Severing.

"I wonder what I will Sever for the First Severing…?" He was a bit hesitant about this point. Despite having thought about the matter quite a bit recently, he still hadn't received any sort of enlightenment. The entire matter was still somewhat blurry to him.

Lost in thought, he produced the ring of holding and looked over the Spirit Stones inside. When he saw them glittering and shining, it made him feel a little bit better.

"So, that bastardly Madara isn't dead, and he's working incredibly hard to track me down. It seems he really thinks he's going to take my Dao foundation this time." A cold glint appeared in Naruto's eyes as he took out the Wooden Time Sword and the copper mirror, then began to make copies and refine them with further Time sealing marks.

"Just wait until I get a hundred Wooden Time Swords. They'll make a huge formation that will give me the power to defend against even the Dao Seeking stage, at least to some extent!"

Now that his Spirit Stones had been completely replenished to the pinnacle, Naruto could immerse himself in duplication. Gradually, more and more Wooden Time Swords began to build up.

Several days later, he finally produced the one hundredth copy. All hundred of the swords contained eight sixty-year cycles of Time power.

He wanted to keep working, but there wasn't enough time. His meeting with Saint Sun Soul was set for dawn of the following morning. He glanced over the one hundred Wooden Time Swords with their eight sixty-year cycles of Time power, and his eyes glittered. But then, he gritted his teeth and examined the vast quantities of Spirit Stones in his ring of holding.

"Spirit Stones are very, very, very important. However, if I die, they'll end up belonging to someone else…." His eyes flickered, and he took out the Time Sword tip.

He stared at it for a moment and then began to breathe heavily.

"I don't need many copies of this sword tip, only ten…. then, I can create the first form of the Lotus Sword Formation. The power of such a sword formation would be equivalent to 100,000 years of Time." He looked at the sword tip, and then the ring of holding. Finally, he began to work with the copper mirror.

Before beginning to duplicate the sword tip, he braced himself mentally. He knew that once he started, he couldn't stop until the duplication was complete. Therefore, he prepared to go all out. Spirit Stones began to pour into the copper mirror.

Ten Spirit Stones, one hundred Spirit Stones, one thousand Spirit Stones….

Naruto's movements were somewhat wooden. He watched the accumulation of Spirit Stones in the ring of holding getting smaller and smaller. Two hours later, the copper mirror suddenly began to emanate bright light in all directions. Naruto's eyes burned with passion as the mirror's pupil-like surface slowly seemed to turn into a watery film, from which two identical sword tips immediately appeared.

Naruto was panting as he picked them up. Then, he raised his head and started to laugh.

The power of Time within both sword tips was completely identical!

However, even as he laughed, he started to calculate how many Spirit Stones he had spent and he felt a sharp pain stabbing through his heart.

"I actually spent 1,000,000,000!

"Dammit, it's ridiculously expensive!" Pain filled him.

"Uchiha Clan Patriarch, you bastard, things aren't over between us!" His eyes were red and he felt deep pain, all of which transformed into rage toward Madara. Then, gritting his teeth, he began to make another duplicate.

With his original accumulation of 5,000,000,000 Spirit Stones, Naruto was only able to copy four Time Sword tips. Including the original, he now had five. As for the remaining Spirit Stones, he used them to duplicate medicinal pills, Wooden Time Swords and other miscellaneous objects.

Eventually, he was absolutely and completely equipped for battle. However, his bag of holding was virtually empty. The ring of holding was also empty. To Naruto, even though it was early morning and the sun was shining brightly in the sky, everything seemed dark.

The night before, he had been unbelievably wealthy. The next morning, he was back to normal. Other than smiling bitterly, the only thing Naruto could do was… well, smile bitterly.

"Perhaps I'm just not destined to be rich…. To me, Spirit Stones are just something I need to copy magical items and other things. Besides, if I chose to cultivate the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal, which absorbs magical items into my body, then the Spirit Stone wastage would be virtually endless." He sighed. The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal was the Daoist magic he had acquired in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, the one that could be used to temper his fleshly body!

It was a Daoist magic that, even in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, could be considered a famous Dao. In fact, the only reason it was ranked behind the art of Fleshly Sanctification was because the latter was a secret art. The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal required cultivation year in and year out, and the sealing technique was not difficult. However, the resources that ended up being wasted was something that most Sects could not afford.

The combination of both the Daoist magic and the secret art could be used to temper the body to an ultimate level. It was only by combining them that their true power could explode out.

"Fleshly Sanctification is a secret art, which means that it most assuredly has other functions. My Cultivation base just isn't sufficient to invoke them.

"Cultivating the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal… is a shortcut to improving my fleshly body. For others, it would be too difficult. However, as long as I have enough Spirit Stones, there is no end to the number of magical items I can duplicate. Therefore, I could continue to cultivate the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal indefinitely." Naruto sighed. The entire reason he hadn't begun to practice the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal was because of not only matters of enlightenment, but, more importantly, the fact that he was poor….

"Spirit Stones. I need Spirit Stones!" Naruto's eyes were red as he lifted up his head; his thirst for Spirit Stones had reached a pinnacle. His entire person radiated a somber aura as he flew out.

When Saint Sun Soul Menma arrived and saw Naruto, he was instantly astonished.

"Who pissed you off?" he asked.

Naruto didn't say anything, but the somber air grew even more obvious. His body flashed as he flew off into the distance. Saint Sun Soul followed, even more perplexed. The two of them moved at top speed, and within the blink of an eye, were gone from Seahold.

When they were quite some distance away from Seahold, Naruto stopped in mid-air and then glanced down at the sea.

"Alright, swindler, are you ready?" he said, looking over at Saint Sun Soul.

"You have no respect for your superiors," replied Saint Sun Soul, frowning. "How old are you again? Come on, stop wasting time. Let's get started."

Naruto took a deep breath. Saying nothing further, he began to suppress his Cultivation base. As for the Resurrection Lily, it had become much more active after the encounter with the Dawn Immortal. As soon as it saw an opening, it made its appearance.

When the aura appeared, Saint Sun Soul's eyes flickered and he backed up. He looked at Naruto suspiciously.

"That aura…." he thought. "It's similar to that of the Sea Devils…. However, he's clearly a Cultivator." It was in that moment that the sea suddenly began to churn, and great waves began to roll across the various sea districts of the Third Ring. One Sea Demon after another trembled, then began to head toward Naruto, eyes red.

In the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, hundreds of Sea Demons were already in the area, closing in.

"No, it's not a Sea Devil aura," he thought. He could sense that something about it was different. "If the aura of a Sea Devil appeared, it would cause most Sea Demons to capitulate. But in this case, they are attacking him as if they are archenemies. It looks like they want to eat him even if they destroy themselves in the process."

RUMBLE!

Hundreds of Sea Demons burst out of the water to savagely attack Naruto.

He gave a cold snort, then raised his right hand. Immediately, 10,000 magical symbols appeared to sweep about the area. Even as the booms rang out, thousands more Sea Demons appeared off in the distance.

"Not very many," mocked Saint Sun Soul.

Naruto didn't reply. He sank down to the bottom of the sea and allowed the aura of the Resurrection Lily to spread out even more. The entire sea trembled as if it were on fire.

Of course, that fire was none other than countless Sea Demons, burning their own life forces in exchange for shocking speed to rush toward the aura of the Resurrection Lily. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of Sea Demons appeared off in the distance. Even further off were hundreds of thousands, causing the sea to swell into towering waves.

In addition, there were seven or eight especially shocking roars that echoed out from over the horizon.

Face flickering, Saint Sun Soul sank down into the water, whereupon he saw Naruto surrounded by one hundred wooden swords, which were formed into ten shapes like lotuses. As they swirled around Naruto, it became clear that each of the flowers was actually a petal, all of which formed together… into an enormous spell formation that looked like a lotus!

The formation swept about for three hundred meters around Naruto, and any Sea Demons that got close withered up and disappeared. It was as if in the blink of an eye, they had passed through an entire life's worth of time.

In fact, even the water in the area seemed to show signs of wastage. Apparently there was nothing that could escape the power of Time!

The scene caused Saint Sun Soul's heart to tremble.

"Ten swords constitute a lotus," thought Saint Sun Soul. "Ten lotuses constitute a formation!

"One hundred swords, and an enormous formation, all filled with the power of Time. When the power ripples out, nothing remains unwithered!

"Most intriguing of all is that every sword flower contains thousands of variations. When the ten lotuses turn into the massive formation, the variations increase exponentially. There must be tens of thousands of variations hidden within!

"Such a large formation requires a shocking level of Divine Sense to control. All of that, however… is merely secondary. Most importantly, the formation requires both a physical form and an internal spirit. His Lotus Sword Formation has both of those things!" Saint Sun Soul's mind trembled. He already had a high opinion of Naruto, but now, he couldn't stop his pupils from constricting as he realized that he actually had underestimated him.

"So, it turns out that he was actually only using a portion of his power in our initial fight. If he used this sword formation, then even I… would have a hard time extricating myself from it!

"Time Cultivators are inherently rare, but he is even more shocking than I expected. And then there's that flagon of alcohol…. I think there's an eighty percent likelihood it really is from his hometown. The only problem is that I don't know where exactly that is!" Having personally witnessed the power of Naruto's sword formation, Saint Sun Soul was inwardly shaken. Currently, hundreds of thousands of Sea Demons were now rushing toward them.

In the blink of an eye, the sea was completely thrown into chaos. Roaring sounds echoed out as Naruto's sword formation rotated at an incredible speed.

Naruto was mentally calculating how many Demon hearts were building up with each Sea Demon he killed. Seeing Saint Sun Soul standing there in a daze, he couldn't help but get annoyed. "Hey, swindler! If you don't make a move soon then I won't even give you a thirty percent discount!"

Saint Sun Soul gave a snort and then waved his right hand. Instantly, 100,000 magical symbols flew out from his sleeve, swirling around to form into ten magical symbol beasts. They roared as they charged into the surrounding Sea Demons and began to slaughter them.

Now that Naruto and Saint Sun Soul were working together, the speed of the massacre increased rapidly. Without the stimulus provided by the Resurrection Lily, it would be impossible to kill so many Sea Demons in the Third Ring. Right now, the Sea Demons seemed to have lost any ability to reason and were filled with madness.

Blood dyed the sea red as the slaughter continued for approximately an hour, when suddenly four earth-shattering roars echoed out from the surrounding area.

It was at that point when, shockingly, four enormous Sea Demons with Whitebone Lilies on them approached, one from each direction.

One of the four Sea Demons was a huge jellyfish. Of the other three, one was a gigantic violet sea turtle, and the other two were sea dragons that looked completely identical.

As they neared, huge waves rolled out across the sea as the aura of Spirit Severing rippled out.

"Two for each of us, huh?" Naruto said as quickly as he could. "You want to have a little competition to see who can kill them faster? If I win, the discount will be ten percent. If you win, I'd be willing to set it at forty percent. What do you say?"

Saint Sun Soul blinked. He had never met someone so shameless. After directly refusing Naruto's offer, he waved his sleeve, causing two illusory, glowing swords to appear in front of him. They scraped against each other, causing ghost images to appear. Hundreds of swords turned into a sword rain that shot toward the two sea dragons.

Seeing that Saint Sun Soul couldn't be easily fooled, Naruto said nothing more. He turned back around and then performed an incantation gesture with his right hand. Immediately, five Time Sword tips flew out, shooting with incredible speed toward the gigantic violet sea turtle. At the same time, the Time Sword Formation vanished and then reappeared, surrounding the jellyfish.

Naruto was located in the middle of the two formations, surrounded by a tempest of 10,000 magical symbols.

"Attack!" he growled. Instantly… the five Time Sword tips circulating around the gigantic sea turtle began to rotate and emit a shocking power of Time. The gigantic sea turtle howled, and the Whitebone Lily on its back began to sway. It was about to rush forward, but when the aura of Time power entered it, it shuddered, and then a look of astonishment appeared on its face. Without any hesitation, it retracted its head into its shell to defend itself.

Unfortunately, nothing can remain unwithered under the power of Time!

Five sword tips emanated a power of Time exceeding 100,000 years. As the power circulated out, the body of the giant sea turtle rapidly withered. A bloodcurdling shriek could be heard, then a boom. A giant sea turtle which possessed the power of Spirit Severing was instantly turned into nothing but ash and smoke….

The speed and savagery of the kill caused even Naruto to suddenly focus in concentration. His eyes gleamed with a brilliant light.

"My Spirit Stones were not spent in vain!" he thought.

At the same time, the jellyfish was trapped in the Lotus Sword Formation. It struggled, but its body was beginning to wither. After the space of about ten breaths, a bang could be heard as the sword formation transformed it into nothing more than ash drifting about in the seawater.

By this point, Saint Sun Soul had only managed to kill one of the sea dragons. He jerked his head to look over his shoulder and saw the impressive power of Naruto's Time treasures. His pupils constricted, and suddenly he found Naruto to be even more profoundly enigmatic.

Time passed. Several hours later, they were still surrounded by densely packed groups of Sea Demons, who charged at them one after another. The seawater was stained red. Even Saint Sun Soul was shocked at the level of carnage.

However, as they continued to kill and kill, his excitement only grew greater. He even summoned the three swords of Seahold; wherever they passed, they left nothing but death in their wake.

In the end, Naruto actually didn't need to do anything. He just stood there, maintaining the circulation of the sword formation and the magical symbols. Saint Sun Soul was in a frenzy as he slaughtered the Sea Demons. It was almost like he had turned into a different person, flying back and forth and crying out at the top of his lungs.

"DIIIIEEEE!" he shouted, laughing the entire time. Despite being under the water, his Cultivation base caused his muffled laughter to fill the entire area.

Naruto looked at blood-soaked Saint Soul Sun and thought. "In the future, I definitely shouldn't provoke this guy…." The man's formerly somber face was twisted ferociously, and his previous taciturn personality was now deranged with madness as he continued rant and rave.

"He's gone crazy…." thought Naruto, blinking. "Could it be that the little swindler has just repressed himself for too long?" The more he watched, the more he got the impression that Saint Sun Soul really was a bit crazy.

At some point the parrot appeared and perched on Naruto's shoulder. Its eyes went wide when it saw the slaughter being carried out by Saint Sun Soul. "He really has gone crazy…." it said.

The meat jelly was off to the side, nodding vigorously. "Don't offend that lunatic, Naruto. I've seen people like him before, and they're all psychos!"

"Why aren't you out there collecting the Demon hearts!?" snapped Naruto. The parrot and the meat jelly, eyes glittering, immediately flew out and began to make their way back and forth across the seafloor to pick up the Demon hearts.

Saint Sun Soul saw this, but didn't pay any heed. At the moment, he was happy to be killing things.

More time passed. Saint Sun Soul was thoroughly engrossed in the slaughter. He even employed a multitude of magical items, causing the sounds of explosions to fill the air. As for Naruto, he was even more idle than before. He finally just sat down cross-legged inside the spell formation and closed his eyes to meditate, focusing on fusing the three portions of Cultivation base power within him.

Time passed by. The slaughtering continued for four more hours. Saint Sun Soul's voice was getting hoarse, and yet his desire to kill had not lessened, but rather, had increased.

After a while, Naruto opened his eyes. The seawater that surrounded them was now thoroughly red. After glancing at Saint Sun Soul, he closed his eyes again.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, a tremor ran through him. He suddenly stood up and turned his head to look at the seafloor off in the distance. A feeling of imminent disaster suddenly washed over him.

At the same time, the Resurrection Lily sprang into action, and a feeling of excitement radiated out from it, as if it desired to burst out from inside. Such an omen filled Naruto's mind with a roaring sound. He suddenly strode forward toward Saint Sun Soul and then waved his hand, causing the war chariot to appear.

"This is fun!" laughed Saint Sun Soul, his eyes completely bloodshot.

"Fun my ass," Naruto immediately growled in exasperation. "Let's go!" With that, he reached out to grab Saint Sun Soul. Saint Sun Soul's eyes went wide, but he did nothing to stop Naruto, allowing himself to be pulled onto the war chariot.

RUMBLE!

The war chariot shot out, smashing into countless Sea Demons. After it broke through them and charged towards the water's surface, a sinister aura rose up from deep within the sea that caused Saint Sun Soul to feel incredibly cold.

A faint voice could suddenly be heard within the cold and sinister aura. "My son…. come back… come back…."

As the voice echoed out, a huge tentacle shot out from the depths of the sea, like an enormous black shadow. In the blink of an eye, it was upon them.

It moved with such incredible speed that it seemed to be on the verge of wrapping around Naruto's war chariot. Naruto's eyes instantly went bloodshot. As fast as possible, he circulated the little bit that remained of the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way.

The power of the Chakra caused Saint Sun Soul's eyes to go wide. Then he looked back at the enormous tentacle, and his scalp went numb. However, at the same time, an even stronger desire to go to battle welled up within him.

He waved his right hand, causing the three swords that circulated around him to shoot toward the tentacle.

Naruto looked up, and his eyes flickered with killing intent. He also waved his right hand, causing five Time Sword tips and the one hundred sword Lotus Sword Formation to appear and follow the three swords.

A huge boom could be heard. Blood sprayed from the mouths of both Saint Sun Soul and Naruto. However, the combined power of the two, and their shocking magical items, caused the tentacle to suddenly pause.

Even in the instant in which they called back their magical items, the war chariot started to move. It shot out of the ocean at incredible speed, and then vanished.

The Resurrection Lily branch exploded out from the red seawater, but then slowly descended back down. Red waves spread out for a while, but then the water grew calm again.

Far away, closer to Seahold, a swishing sound could be heard as the war chariot suddenly appeared. Naruto's face was pale, as was Saint Sun Soul. The two of them exchanged a glance.

"Dammit, what the hell was that?!" said Saint Sun Soul through clenched teeth. "And how did you manage to attract its attention? You're simply too adept at causing trouble. First there's Madara, and now that damned thing!?"

Naruto didn't hesitate at all in responding, "I seem to remember you saying something about you controlling everything in the Third Ring. If you don't know what it is, then how do you expect me to know?!"

The two snorted and then stared at each other angrily. For a moment, neither spoke.

Finally, Saint Sun Soul said, "How many Demon hearts did we get?"

Naruto did some calculations, and then his eyes began to shine. "About twice as many as last time," he said.

When Saint Sun Soul heard this, he instantly smiled. "Let's go back to Seahold and rest for a few days, then we'll do it again, alright?"

Saint Sun Soul watched enviously as Naruto put away the war chariot. After holding back for a long moment, he finally said, "That treasure of yours is pretty nice, want to sell it?"

"NO," replied Naruto without hesitation.

"Fine, forget about it!" replied Saint Sun Soul with a cold harrumph. "Crappy thing. I wouldn't take it if you gave it to me for free."

"If you give me one for free, I'll take it," said Naruto, blinking.

"Screw off!" replied Saint Sun Soul angrily.

"Look, swindler, the Demon hearts are all in my bag of holding. Say 'screw off' one more time and see what happens!" A bright gleam appeared in his eyes, as if he looked forward to finally be on his own again.

Saint Sun Soul opened his mouth, but struggled to control himself and didn't say anything in response.

A long moment passed, and when he finally did speak again, he changed the subject. "Alright, no screwing around. What was that thing back there?"

"A damnable, accursed Resurrection Lily," replied Naruto frankly. "Assumably, it resides in the Second Ring."

"Resurrection Lily!" Saint Sun Soul's eyes narrowed and flickered.

Shortly thereafter, the two arrived back at Seahold, undetected. Back in the tower, they divided their spoils. Although Naruto frequently conned people, when he gave his word, he would never go back on it. Therefore, he wouldn't be secretly stingy. Although he was responsible for collecting the Demon hearts, he didn't hold even a single one back.

According to their previous agreement, Naruto got ten percent of the Demon hearts and the rest he sold to Saint Sun Soul at a fifty percent discount. A vast amount of Spirit Stones poured into his bag of holding. Naruto once again was struck with the realization that Saint Sun Soul… was filthy rich!

As he left the tower with his Spirit Stones, Naruto once again adopted Steward Ebisu's manner of carrying himself. He returned to his own residence, then gritted his teeth for a long moment. Then he considered how incredible the Time Sword tip was, and finally pulled out the copper mirror to make a duplicate.

This time, he made five in one go. Altogether, he now had ten Time Sword tips, which meant that he could utilize the first form of the Lotus Sword Formation!

Now that the form was complete, its power was increased exponentially. Naruto sent the formation flying back and forth a bit, his expression one of excitement.

Then he retrieved his Wooden Time Swords and began to imbue them with more Time power.

Several days later, he and Saint Sun Soul once again snuck off to a distant area of the Third Ring and used the same method as before to slaughter Sea Demons. They worked together even better this time. Saint Sun Soul grew more and more excited at the killing, and Naruto sat there with eyes closed in meditation, remaining on guard against the Dawn Immortal.

A month passed by, during which time the two of them ran amok in the Third Ring. Other Cultivators in the Third Ring were shocked to suddenly find that there were virtually no Sea Demons around.

Furthermore, the Third Ring was so often filled with enormous waves that it made it impossible to go out.

Of course, the profits made by Naruto and Saint Sun Soul Genma were incredible. In addition, Naruto's Cultivation base had now been reduced from three portions to two.

The day that he could perform his Spirit Severing was just around the corner.

Furthermore, the one hundred Wooden Time Swords in his Time Sword Formation were now filled with ten sixty-year cycles. When the formation was unleashed, its power was incredible. Of course, his most deadly killing move was the ten Time Sword tips.

Even alone, they were enough to shock Saint Sun Soul. However, if he combined them with the Time Sword Formation, making them the nucleus of the lotus, then Sword Chakra would fill the surrounding thousand meter area of Seahold.

Naruto also purchased a large amount of self-detonating magical items from Saint Sun Soul. Such items were now piled up like a mountain inside his bag of holding.

He was now armed to the teeth, and his overall strength was far more than before.

They didn't encounter the Dawn Immortal again, although Naruto's vigilance in keeping guard never lessened.

Currently, Naruto sat cross-legged within the spell formation. Countless Sea Demons filled the area around them, and Saint Sun Soul was engaged in slaughter. "Just how many Sea Demons are there in the Third Ring?" asked Naruto. "We've killed so many, and yet every time there are still tons of them."

Saint Sun Soul killed eight Sea Demons with a sweep of his sword and then looked back at Naruto. "They're endless. Actually, there was once a legend floating around the three Sects that three Star Portals exist underneath the Milky Way Sea!

"Supposedly, the Star Portals connect to the Ninth Sea, and that's where most of the Sea Demons come from. Of course, the Star Portals have limitations preventing any incredibly powerful Sea Demons from entering."

A month before, Saint Sun Soul would never have told Naruto about the Star Portals. However, they had been working together for a whole month now, and despite their daily bickering, their bond of friendship had actually grown stronger.

"Three Star Portals?" said Naruto, staring in shock.

"One in the Third Ring, another in the Second Ring, and a third in the Inner Ring!" replied Saint Sun Soul.

Naruto sat there thoughtfully for a moment, and was just about to ask some more questions when suddenly, he sensed a cold, evil aura. Without hesitation, he rose to his feet and started walking forward, pulling out the war chariot at the same time.

When Saint Sun Soul saw this, his face flickered and he instantly headed toward Naruto, who grabbed him and pulled him into the war chariot.

Naruto was about to send the war chariot flying off, but then, his eyes flickered. He had just noticed that the reaction of the Resurrection Lily inside of him was strangely different this time.

It did not seem active and excited like before. Rather… it was trembling, as if it were terrified. It was almost like it had run into something it considered deadly; it even began to retract its own aura, not letting a scrap of it emanate out.

Naruto made a light "eee?" sound, and then spurred the war chariot into movement. It was in that moment that he suddenly heard an ancient voice in his ear.

"The day the Resurrection Lily blooms in seven colors, the flower blooms, Immortal Ascension, one thousand years….

"Immortal Ascension failed, and a Whitebone Lily appeared…."

When he heard the voice, Naruto's mind trembled. The Resurrection Lily inside of him trembled even more violently. At the same time, the war chariot shot up out of the sea and then flew at top speed through mid-air.

"I was unable to sever the Resurrection Lily," continued the voice, "so I could only sever myself…. From then on, the Resurrection Lily was no more, and the Whitebone Lilies bloomed from shore to shore …."

Naruto took a deep breath and then looked down at the sea beneath him. Then the war chariot split the air as it vanished off into the distance.

When it reappeared outside of Seahold, Saint Sun Soul's face was a bit unsightly. He had been in charge of the city for many years, besides which, the three Sects called themselves the Lords of the Milky Way Sea. However, in recent days he had come to the realization that there were secrets lurking in the depths of the water that even he wasn't aware of.

The voice which Naruto had heard just now, he had also heard. Furthermore, every time he and Naruto came back from their journeys, he had gone to search through the ancient records. Gradually, he had come to an understanding of the Resurrection Lily.

Naruto and Saint Sun Soul were silent as they returned to the tower, where they sat down cross-legged on either side of a table.

After a moment of silence, Saint Sun Soul looked at Naruto. "That Resurrection Lily has most likely been here for many years, but has never made an appearance. Why would it suddenly emerge after you show up?"

"Because I have a Resurrection Lily inside of me," replied Naruto coolly. He tossed a bag of holding filled with Demon hearts over to Saint Sun Soul.

Saint Sun Soul's pupils constricted. Naruto's answer to his question was a conclusion he had already speculated about.

A long moment passed, after which Saint Sun Soul took the Demon hearts and then produced Spirit Stones to give to Naruto.

He was just about to say something else when a jade slip began to glow inside his bag of holding. He took it out immediately and glanced it over, then frowned. He looked up at Naruto.

"Saint Flying Immortal, Saint Sea Divinity, the seventy thousand disciples… even Madara are all emerging from the Stormwind Divide and are on their way here!"

Moments ago, countless ships had begun to emerge from the Stormwind Divide that separated the Third and Fourth Rings. Sitting cross-legged atop the ships were crowds of Cultivators. Rumbling sounds filled the air.

They were densely packed together, and from a distance their numbers almost seemed endless.

Flying in mid-air were two middle-aged men. One wore a blue robe, the other, a white one. Their auras were bright, and their Cultivation bases were shocking enough to fill the sky with a riot of colors. Next to the two flew an old man.

That old man was none other than Madara.

As soon as they emerged, they contacted Saint Sun Soul, and then began to speed toward Seahold. Behind them, seventy thousand disciples charged along, blotting out the sky.

Back in Seahold, Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he listened to Saint Sun Soul. However, deep in his eyes, a bright glow appeared. He stood up.

Saint Sun Soul muttered to himself for a moment then waved his right hand, causing a jade slip to fly out, which Naruto grabbed.

"I'll do my best to help you," said Saint Sun Soul. "This jade slip describes an area controlled by the Sun Soul Society. You can hide there temporarily with no problems. After everyone heads out to start searching for you, I'll arrange for someone to get you out of the Third Ring.

"That will make it harder for them to track you down."

Naruto looked at the jade slip, then turned to leave without saying another word. Saint Sun Soul looked at his retreating figure, a complicated expression on his face.

Just as he was about to step foot out of the tower, Naruto stopped.

He had suddenly thought of a question he had been contemplating for over a month. "There's something I've been wondering about for a while. Is it just the Sun Soul Society that has such a shocking amount of Spirit Stones, or is it all of the three Sects?"

Saint Sun Soul gave a faint smile.

"Are you aware of what exists in the Stormwind Divide? A quarry. Inside that quarry are three astonishing veins of Spirit Stone deposits. The Sun Soul Society… doesn't care at all about Spirit Stones!"

"That make sense," said Naruto. "But, would it be possible for you to tell me why you buy so many Demon hearts? What do they do?"

This time, Saint Sun Soul hesitated for a long moment. He didn't really need to answer the question, but after looking at Naruto for a long moment, he finally said, "Demon hearts have a far more important function. Actually, it would be best for you not to sell the Demon hearts that remain in your bag of holding. As for what exactly they do, even my understanding is incomplete. However, I can tell you that seventy percent of the Demon hearts collected by the three Sects… end up being sent away from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. We use a special method to deliver them to a Sect in the stars who specially collects them.

"The price we purchase them for… is actually far lower than the price we sell them for."

Naruto nodded, and then his body flickered as he left the tower. Before departing, he found Amaru and gave her a large sum of Spirit Stones. Then he took out the war chariot and disappeared over the horizon.

Not too long after Naruto left, Madara arrived, along with Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity. They moved with incredible speed; in one breath, they were far off in the distance, in the next breath, they were in Seahold.

Saint Sun Soul strode out from within the tower, his expression cold. He now looked exactly the same as he had when Naruto first met him as he glanced over the three approaching Cultivators.

The next day, something completely shocking rocked the Third Ring. 100,000 disciples from the three Sects left Seahold to spread out throughout the entire Third Ring. Each one held a jade slip within which was the picture a person for whom they searched!

The entire Third Ring was shaken by the event. Even the Three Saints emerged to join the rigorous search. If that were all, it might not be a big deal. However, the next thing that happened was that notices appeared in all the shops of Seahold, offering valuable treasures to any Cultivator who joined the search.

Thus, Cultivators could be found virtually everywhere, searching on the surface of the sea. The Third Ring was in a state of complete lockdown.

Madara stayed in Seahold. He had divided his Divine Sense up into countless strands which were imbued into the jade slips. If anyone even got near Naruto, he would instantly be able to sense it.

Madara was even prepared for the possibility that Naruto had changed his appearance and aura. He would rather kill the wrong person by mistake than let Naruto escape.

Even as the Third Ring boiled into a frenzy, Naruto sat cross-legged on an island, his face grim. In his hand was the jade slip that Saint Sun Soul had given him.

"I don't want to put someone else's loyalty to the test," he murmured softly, "nor do I want to place my hope in the hands of others." He crushed the jade slip, then stood up and flew down into the sea. Since he couldn't hide on the surface of the sea, then he would conceal himself in its depths.

In the moment that the jade slip was crushed, Saint Sun Soul was flying along in mid-air. He suddenly stopped in place, then smiled broadly. He understood Naruto's decision, and that was because… he had been waiting to make his own decision.

"This way works, too," he thought. "I have one more friend and one less enemy." He sighed inwardly, thinking back to everything that had happened in the past month, and all of their battles with the Sea Demons.

At the same time, Naruto sped along at the bottom of the sea. The aura of the Resurrection Lily was completely suppressed, with not a bit emanating out. Occasionally he would look around the area; if anything abnormal appeared, he was ready to take out the war chariot the instant anything abnormal appeared.

"To leave the Third Ring would require passing through the Stormwind Divide. However, Madara is no doubt prepared for that. Going to the Stormwind Divide would be casting myself into his net.

"However, I definitely can't stay in the Third Ring. If I do, then I'll definitely be found eventually, and then…." His eyes flickered.

"But the Second Ring… is where the Dawn Immortal lurks." He thought silently for a moment.

"A fiend up ahead, and an army chasing from behind. Ah, who cares!" His eyes shone with a cold gleam.

"In life, one can only hope to have freedom and independence; in life, one can only seek his own happiness! I knew all along that Madara would be coming. Therefore, what's the point in hesitating?

"My only option is the Second Ring. That's where the Dawn Immortal lurks, and that's where I'll lure Madara. It is only within ultimate danger that I can go all out to snatch a chance to survive!

"Although, for the Flying Immortal Sect and the Sea Divinity Sect to choose to help Madara so quickly indicates that the compensation they were offered was incredible!" Killing intent flickered in his eyes. He had already had enough of hiding and fleeing.

After returning from the Demon Immortal Sect, all he had done was flee nonstop. The resentment and desire to kill had reached a peak of intensity. It was something that killing no amount of Sea Demons could resolve. He needed to kill… people!

"First sow chaos in the Third Ring, then lure Madara to me. After that… determine victory or defeat in the Second Ring!" Naruto was just about to carry out his plan when suddenly, he stopped in mid-stride.

A sinister, vicious aura was once again approaching him. Yet again, the Resurrection Lily was nervous and trembling with terror.

The terror of the Resurrection Lily shook Naruto; he took out the war chariot, but didn't immediately spur it into action. Instead, he looked down toward the bottom of the sea.

This place was actually the same location where he had heard the voice last time.

The same ancient voice once again spoke, shattering the stillness. "Immortal Ascension failed, and a Whitebone Lily appeared….

"I was unable to sever the Resurrection Lily, so I could only sever myself…. From then on, the Resurrection Lily was no more, and the Whitebone Lilies bloomed from shore to shore…."

As he listened to the voice for a second time, Naruto could sense grief, indignation, and monstrous resentment in it. Others who heard the voice would be so terrified their hair would stand on end. Naruto, on the other hand, actually felt twinges of sympathy.

He stood there silently for a moment before determination shone in his eyes. He sent the war chariot forward in the direction of the voice. Not much time passed before Naruto caught sight of the nearby region on the seafloor that was the origin of the sinister and vicious voice.

It was an area filled with countless white bones. They were the bones of both Cultivators and Sea Demons, and seemed never-ending. From a distance, all of them seemed to form the shape of a lily.

A Whitebone Lily.

At the very center of the Whitebone Lily was a patch of black seaweed, within which was a skeleton, sitting there cross-legged. Its skin had long since rotted away, and it floated there gently amidst the seaweed, which curled and wrapped around it.

Naruto's mind trembled as he slowly neared. The closer he got, the more the Resurrection Lily trembled. In fact, it had even started to emit terrified shrieks inside of him. When he got within 300 meters of the Whitebone Lily, veins bulged out all over his body. A five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared behind him, and it appeared to be going mad.

In the exact instant in which the five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared, the skeleton swaying within the seaweed suddenly stopped moving. It looked up, staring at Naruto with its empty eye sockets.

Naruto's mind roared as what seemed to be memories from the corpse poured into him from the corpse's empty eye sockets.

He saw an old man wearing a long golden robe, sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the sea. In front of him was a silver-colored lamp that emanated a gentle glow. Even at the bottom of the sea, the lamp's flame could not be extinguished, and its light enveloped the old man.

The old man's face was twisted ferociously, and occasionally twitched as if he were struggling against something. It seemed that he was experiencing an indescribable pain. Veins bulged out on his face, and he suddenly lifted his head up and roared angrily.

"I am Reverend Silverlamp! I have practiced cultivation for a thousand years, and am at the peak of Dao Seeking! How could I possibly lose to a trifling Resurrection Lily!?

"I clearly succeeded! I clearly expunged it! How could it have come back to life!?" As the man howled, an enormous illusory image appeared around him.

It was nearly a thousand meters tall, and shockingly, had six colors…. This was… a six-colored Resurrection Lily!

When it appeared, the old man began to tremble, and his body started to wither. It was as if all of his life force, all of his Cultivation base, all of his memories, were all being sucked away by the Resurrection Lily.

"Immortal Ascension…. If the Resurrection Lily achieves Immortal Ascension, it sucks away the life force of the host. If I want to reach Immortal Ascension, then I must make use of the destiny of the Resurrection Lily!

"I will not yield!" As the old man howled, his eyes filled with hatred and determination.

"I shall reach Immortal Ascension!

"It is all for Immortal Ascension!

"I am destined to be Immortal, and I have my path to Immortality. I was an Immortal in my last life, how come… I cannot continue as an Immortal in this life?!

"If I cannot sever the Resurrection Lily, then I must sever myself! Sever my Immortal destiny, sever my path to Immortality! Use the cultivation of my past life to transform my resentment into a sea of white bones!

"Henceforth, my bones will float at the bottom of the Milky Way Sea, and my blood will stain the waters. I will use my bones to disperse the will of the Resurrection Lily, and cause countless Whitebone Lilies to bloom!" With that, the old man lifted his right hand and slapped his own chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his body withered rapidly. However, his blood oozed out into the water, spreading out in the currents and attracting large numbers of Sea Demons.

"From this day on, my soul will become white bones, which will live as parasites in countless other life forms, and will be… the archfoe of the Resurrection Lily!" The old man began to laugh maniacally, and then once again spit out blood. His blood and even his flesh began to balloon outward, and at the same time, countless Sea Demons pounced on him.

The sounds of crunching and tearing could be heard, as if countless fangs and mouths were consuming the old man's flesh and blood. Naruto couldn't see the old man, but he could hear his voice, filled with enmity and hatred.

"Archfoes!"

At the same time, the six-colored Resurrection Lily behind him began to wilt. It was one with the old man, so as the old man was consumed, it too was devoured. It struggled, but to no avail.

After a certain amount of time had passed, a rumbling boom echoed out and the Sea Demons were all driven away to reveal a white skeleton completely devoid of any flesh or blood. It slowly sank down into the seaweed below. The black seaweed encircled it, wrapped it up, and then it began to float there back and forth.

As for the Resurrection Lily, it had completely vanished. Everything in the area grew quiet. As for the Sea Demons that had consumed his flesh and blood, suddenly they began to explode. Their flesh and blood attracted more Sea Demons, which consumed the flesh and blood, and in turn, exploded.

The process repeated for a full sixty-year cycle. By this time, the Third Ring of the Milky Way Sea was filled with the aura of the old man's flesh and blood. Because of that aura, all of the Sea Demons in this part of the sea were branded with the Whitebone Lily.

Naruto's mind trembled as the vision faded away and everything returned to normal. He was still surrounded by countless white bones. The skeleton in the seaweed lowered its head and once again began to sway back and forth.

Naruto began to pant, and his face was ashen.

"The Resurrection Lily…. It seems I've underestimated it!

"That skeleton is Reverend Silverlamp. He once traveled to the Violet Fate Sect, and Master said that he helped him dispel the Resurrection Lily!

"And yet… in the end, he died here, perishing together along with the Resurrection Lily to become its archfoe, the Whitebone Lily!

"And he… didn't have a seven-colored Resurrection Lily, but rather, a six-colored one!

"Reverend Silverlamp was unable to control a six-colored Resurrection Lily, and the Resurrection Lily inside of me already has five colors!" When he thought about this, Naruto's face fell.

He once again realized that he had made a serious misjudgement when it came to understanding the Resurrection Lily.

"If my Resurrection Lily blooms with six colors, then my fate will be exactly the same as Reverend Silverlamp's!" His face flickered, and his eyes flashed as he looked around.

"The Resurrection Lily inside of me is currently terrified to the extreme…. I might not be able to thoroughly dispel it using my own power, but that doesn't necessarily mean it would be impossible if I borrowed the power of Reverend Silverlamp!" His eyes narrowed and then began to shine with a bright glow. His body flickered as he headed directly toward Reverend Silverlamp.

Allowing the Resurrection Lily inside of him to struggle madly, it was without hesitation that he crossed his legs and sat down next to the seaweed. In that instant, a faint, sinister voice could suddenly be heard drifting toward him from far off in the distance.

"Leave that place, my child…."

As the voice drifted out, Naruto suddenly looked slightly distracted, as if he were suddenly empty inside. He slowly rose up from his cross-legged position.

"Leave that place, my child…. Come to me….

"I've been waiting for you for over two hundred years….

"Come. Come….

"Your blood is most suited to reach maturity, and your soul… needs to slumber….

"Come…. I'm waiting here for you…."

Naruto's expression grew more blank, and he began to walk away from the seaweed. When he was about thirty meters away, the Immortal Shows the Way inside of him suddenly began exude a faint stream of Chakra that bored into his Nascent Soul. Immediately, his Nascent Soul grew faint, and then suddenly, deep inside, a Flying Rain-Dragon became visible!

It was very small, and seemed to be sleeping. However, the stream of Immortal Chakra found it and bored directly into the Flying Rain-Dragon.

In that instant, the Flying Rain-Dragon opened its eyes and roared.

As the roar sounded out, an enormous Flying Rain-Dragon fully 30,000 meters long appeared around Naruto. Shocking ripples emanated off of it as it roared.

ROOOAAARRRRR!

The Dawn Immortal's aura vanished, and a tremor ran through Naruto. His eyes suddenly became clear, and looked up at the astonishing Flying Rain-Dragon.

The Flying Rain-Dragon turned its head to look at him, and in that instant, Naruto felt as if he were looking at himself.

Then, the Flying Rain-Dragon vanished. Naruto's face was pale white as he thought back to what had just happened. Then he cast his vision inside of himself, to find that the Resurrection Lily had sent countless tendrils throughout the entirety of his body.

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he returned to his original spot next to the seaweed. The Resurrection Lily trembled and shrank back, and by the time Naruto sat down cross-legged, it had completely hidden itself.

"Right here, right now, I'm going to borrow the power of Reverend Silverlamp to thoroughly sever away the Resurrection Lily!

"The method I will use to do so… is the power of Spirit Severing! My path of Spirit Severing… my First Severing, will be of the Resurrection Lily!

"I wish to be the master of my own life. I will not allow any outsider to control me. What I want is freedom. My path in life is a journey, and my Dao is a direction! I will continue on in that direction and pursue truth. I will exercise control over my own freedom, and live with independence!

"That is my will of Spirit Severing! I will crush all obstacles, and destroy anything that blocks my way. Whatever stumbling blocks I encounter will be trampled underfoot!

"Fearful of nothing! Freedom! Independence!

"The Heavens will not obscure my gaze, and the Earth will not shackle my feet!

"For freedom, I can pay any price!

"For independence, I will sever anything!

"The Resurrection Lily is like a mountain obstructing my way on the path of life! When I pass it, then my path will stretch out into the distance!

"The Resurrection Lily is a fetter, a cage restricting my freedom. I will sever it… and in the instant of that severing, I will have my independence, and can practice cultivation in freedom!

"This is my First Severing!

"This is my Spirit Severing Domain!

"This is my Dao of Spirit Severing!"

Naruto's eyes glowed with enlightenment. He had remained submerged in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage for too many years. He had undergone the baptism of the Demon Immortal Sect and had been doggedly pursued by Madara. All of that left him feeling as if he had been reborn, purified by fire. Finally, in this moment, he reached complete understanding.

In the moment that he was enlightened, Naruto's Cultivation base began to rumble. The two Cultivation base portions within him that were struggling to combine, suddenly began to fuse together at high speed.

It seemed that his thinking just now had governed the rotation of his Cultivation base. In that instant of realization….

RUMBLE!

Naruto's entire body began to tremble, and the two portions of Cultivation base instantly merged together. His Nascent Soul vanished, and at the same time, Naruto's body began to shine with brilliant, multicolored light.

The light circulated around the area, swirling about to slowly form together in front of Naruto, transforming into a blade as he opened his eyes.

A multi-colored blade that contained a great Dao of Heaven and Earth!

The blade contained the full power of Naruto's Cultivation base, which was the combination of his nine Nascent Souls, including the five elements of Heaven and Earth.

It also contained the memories and experiences of his two hundred years of cultivation. When Naruto looked at the blade, it was like looking at himself!

In this moment, Naruto's heart contained neither joy, nor sorrow. It was as if he had forgotten everything except for his thirst for freedom, and his desire to pursue independence.

The Resurrection Lily inside of him seemed to sense that it was in danger. It could hide from his Divine Sense so that Naruto couldn't sense it, but it could not hide even the slightest bit from this blade.

The intense sense of impending death caused the Resurrection Lily to begin to struggle, as if it wished to burst out from inside of Naruto. It wanted to once again wrest away the initiative, and yet, as soon as it moved, a dim light began to emanate out from the skeleton floating in the seaweed. Up above, the surface of the sea in the Third Ring began to surge.

Next, imprints of the Whitebone Lily began to shine on all of the Sea Demons in the Third Ring. The marks looked like grotesque faces, and emanated ghastly auras.

Those auras combined to suppress the Resurrection Lily.

Boom!

The Resurrection Lily struggled, and then began to shriek with a voice that no one except Naruto could hear.

What was more, the illusory image of a five-colored Resurrection Lily sprang up behind him. It was in a completely frenzy, and struggling madly. Naruto's expression was calm, although his body was withering rapidly, as if his life force and Cultivation base were being sucked away by the Resurrection Lily.

Nevertheless, he remained there motionless, staring at the blade in front of him.

The Resurrection Lily screamed and shrieked, and its struggles grew more intense. However, the suppressive power coming from the Reverend Silverlamp's Whitebone Lily rushed in. It seemed to deal a severe blow to the five-colored Resurrection Lily. Its body was on the verge of dissipating, and it had no choice but to once again attempt to absorb Naruto.

Some time afterwards, when Naruto's body had shriveled and become almost skeletal, the blade in front of him jerked slightly, then slowly rose up.

As the blade lifted up, an immeasurably powerful, heaven-shaking aura arose with it. Instantly it pierced through the surface of the sea and up into the skies, forming a connection with the vast heavens!

From a distance, the Third Ring seethed and churned as a beam of light shot up into the dark night, making it seem like daytime.

In that moment, as Saint Soul Sun hovered above the Milky Way Sea, his face flickered and he suddenly turned his head to gaze at it.

"Someone is performing Spirit Severing. But how could this Spirit Severing provoke such transformations in Heaven and Earth!?"

At the same time, Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity also got the same feeling. They looked at the beam of light, and how the sky was being illuminated, and their faces filled with astonishment.

Madara currently sat cross-legged in meditation in Seahold. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he looked off into the distance, an expression of joy appearing on his face.

"Those… are the ripples of Spirit Severing. It's him! So he is here! He truly is exceptional! His Spirit Severing can connect with the Heavens of Hebi, and provoke changes in the sky!

"However, you dare to perform Spirit Severing in front of me? Let's see how you escape this time!" Madara gave a cold snort and stood up. It was at this point that his face suddenly flickered with an expression of disbelief. Even with his level of willpower, what he saw left him speechless.

"Impossible!"

The beam of light shooting up from the sea did not stop in the sky. It shot out into the starry sky, causing the heavenly bodies themselves to emanate bursts of starlight as they suddenly changed position to form an astral blade!

The blade shined down on the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and soon, everyone therein could look up into the sky and see the image of the massive blade.

It was almost as if it had shattered the sky above the lands of Lands of Ninshu and was now descending upon it.

Simultaneously, the aura of a great Dao descended from the sky toward the Milky Way Sea. It penetrated the surface of the waters and fell on the blade floating in front of Naruto.

"The blade of the First Severing actually provoked transformations among the stars!" exclaimed Madara. "What Dao did he gain enlightenment of?!

"Daos have rankings, they can be great or small. This Naruto's Dao… just what is it? It can cause the stars to transform into a Heavenly Blade that will assist him in Dao Severing!

"The Heavenly Blade is a Heavenly Dao. The blade of the First Severing is also the first Dao of Spirit Severing!" Madara's face filled with complete astonishment, and he stopped moving. As of this moment, he didn't dare to get even close to Naruto's location. A great Dao was coming, and with his Cultivation base, if he got near, he would die for sure.

Meanwhile, the Five Elements Nation floated in the Milky Way Sea on top of Patriarch Reliance. The entire island suddenly rumbled, and an enormous head stretched out from the water to look up into the sky.

"That little bastard is performing Dao Severing…. Dammit. The little bastard is an inhuman among inhumans! The Patriarch needs to get out of here! Fudge! You really piss me off, you little bastard!"

In the lands of the Southern Domain, Hinata was in the midst of cultivation when suddenly a tremor ran through her, as if she had just sensed something. She rushed out of her Immortal's cave and looked up into the sky. It seemed as if she could actually see Naruto.

In the Violet Fate Sect, Pill Demon was concocting pills when he suddenly froze. He looked up into the sky, and his face broke into a smile.

Next to him was Sakura, who also seemed to sense something. She looked up, and seemed to lose herself staring at the sky.

In the same moment, Fatty, Guy, and all the other people in the Southern Domain who knew Naruto, all had different reactions. However, none came close to those of Hinata and Pill Demon.

With one exception.

In the Blood Demon Sect, a middle-aged man wearing a red robe was surrounded by a blood-colored glow. He stood on the peak of a mountain, looking up into the sky, a faint smile on his face.

"You and I are connected by destiny. The Blood Demon Sect… is definitely the home you shall return to."

The first blade of Spirit Severing!

The first Dao of Spirit Severing!

Naruto sat cross-legged at the bottom of the Milky Way Sea. Around him stretched skeletal remains that formed the outline of a flower. Amongst the swaying seaweed, the skeleton pulsed with a faint light, which gradually turned into a ghastly white color, like that of bones.

It weighed down on the five-colored Resurrection Lily, suppressing it so that its struggling turned into a frenzy.

Naruto's body withered, continuing to look weaker and weaker, until he looked like a bag of bones. However, his eyes shined with an unprecedented life force.

It was as if he was embodying the Dao; all of his mind and heart and will were focused in his eyes, which rested on the multicolored blade in front of him.

He completely ignored everything in the outside world. His entire focus was that blade!

The blade moved!

It slowly raised up! As it did, the blade in the Heavens above, which contained innumerable constellations, also rose high, casting its light down onto the lands of Lands of Ninshu as it did.

Immediately, gigantic waves swelled up across the entirety of the Milky Way Sea, crashing and thundering far and wide. The movement of the blade even caused the Violet Sea in the Western Desert to begin to roil violently.

All of the Cultivators, and in fact, all living things, in the Outer Sea, the Fourth Ring, and the Third Ring, were all flabbergasted.

Madara's face was unsightly to the extreme as he stared up into the sky. Although his face flickered with various emotions, he didn't dare to take even a step forward toward the area where Naruto was performing his Spirit Severing.

He well knew that a great Dao was nearing. Were he to step foot into that area, that great Dao would exterminate him in body and spirit. The reason was that this Dao… was not his Dao.

"Dammit!" he cursed, killing intent growing with intensity in his eyes. "Well, eventually your Spirit Severing will come to an end. You absolutely must not kill yourself in the process, child, otherwise I'll never acquire your Dao foundation!

"However… I still want to know, just what Dao did you come to understand?"

Within the Third Ring, the Three Saints' faces also flickered. In contrast to Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity, Saint Sun Soul's eyes glowed with a strange light. He was instantly able to determine that the Spirit Severing was being performed… by Naruto!

"So, it turns out you were actually only a half a step into Spirit Severing!" he thought, taking a deep breath.

Meanwhile, as the astral blade slowly rose up, the struggling, illusory image of the Resurrection Lily had reached the point of insanity. It quivered in terror because of the unprecedented feeling of deadly crisis; this was the first time it had ever truly experienced dread.

It could clearly sense that the blade in front of Naruto had the power to sever it away. That blade was backed by the power of a great Dao, something it was powerless to resist.

A faint voice could suddenly be heard coming from the skeleton in the seaweed, and the eyes of the long dead Reverend Silverlamp suddenly glowed with lucidity. "The Dao of freedom, of independence…."

He looked at Naruto sitting in front of him, and murmured, "Were it not for the fact that he was steeled by the Resurrection Lily, this kid would never have been able to comprehend such a great Dao of Heaven and Earth….

"Sever the fetters, and achieve true independence…. The interesting thing is that it's impossible to tell whether he was tempered by the Resurrection Lily, or whether the Resurrection Lily was tempered by him.

"I can just barely sense that both he and the Resurrection Lily each have someone watching over them…. One is the Dawn Immortal of the Second Ring, mother of the Resurrection Lily who exists in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. The other… is in the Eastern Lands."

Even as Reverend Silverlamp was looking at Naruto, a sinister gaze shot out from the black depths of the sea in the Second Ring, bearing a boundless evil. Despite the evil, it still exhibited a trace of Immortal Will as it peered towards Naruto.

"I bloomed at dawn," thought the owner of the voice, "and my consciousness emerged…. On the day of vicissitudes, I achieved Immortal Ascension, and met someone I should not have met.

"The eighth demon sealer stole away my heart, a heart… that contained all of the longing from my previous life…. It sank down into the Milky Way Sea and was sealed in a formation of stone, locked away in a copper coffin… restrained by countless chains.

"What was locked away was my goodness. Eventually, it transformed into a roc, which now weeps in the Rebirth Cave.

"The League of Demon Sealers. The Ninth is the pinnacle. Is he your hope…? I knew long ago that if I could not find you, then I would destroy the hope of the League of Demon Sealers."

The gaze coming from the Second Ring looked at Naruto with complex emotions. There was coldness, confusion, hatred, and viciousness.

Meanwhile, in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, a woman was looking in the direction of the Milky Way Sea. Her gaze penetrated through the air, through the Milky Way Sea, all the way to Naruto.

It was a gaze filled with concern, worry, nervousness, and anxiety. All of that transformed into an endless love that wrapped up her heart.

She stood atop a lofty Sky Tower, gazing far off into the distance. Next to her stood a man who silently clasped her hand. He could feel her trembling, and could feel the dampness of sweat in her palm.

"This is Naruto's tribulation," he said softly. "I just wanted him to be able to live a normal, mortal life. And yet, he ended up choosing the path of cultivation…. Now there's no looking back.

"If he fails," he murmured, "then the both of us can go receive him when he is reincarnated. We can spend a whole life with him, walk a whole sixty-year cycle of springs and autumns…." He seemed to be speaking both to the woman, and himself.

"You know, you're very cold-hearted," said the woman. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

A tremor ran through the man, and he closed his eyes. Deep in his heart existed bitter pain, which spread out to fill his entire being. He seemed to be recalling the fragile child running through the fog that year, weeping as he cried out to his father and mother. He remembered how the boy limped about trying to find him. When the boy caught sight of him, he could see the tears in the boy's eyes, and he realized how much the boy relied on him.

"Li, you don't understand…." The man did not speak these words, but rather, whispered them in his heart.

RUMBLE!

At the bottom of the Milky Way Sea, Naruto's eyes shined with an intensely bright glow. He slowly looked up at the blade in front of him as it rose ever higher. In the Heavens far above the sea, the astral blade also reared up simultaneously.

As they moved toward an apex, the blades seemed to be building up power. By the time they reached that apex, all living beings in the Milky Way Sea were watching on….

The astral blade then suddenly began to slash down toward the Milky Way Sea.

Rumbling filled the sky, and the sea suddenly started to split apart. The seafloor, which throughout countless ages had never been touched by sunlight… was revealed to the world for the first time.

Exposed therein was Naruto, as well as the Resurrection Lily, struggling in all of its madness.

Also visible was the multicolored blade hovering in front of Naruto.

The first blade of Spirit Severing!

"Heaven and Earth are just resting places for the myriads of living creatures," he murmured. "Time represents the passage of hundreds of generations of passing travelers." A glow of determination appeared in his eyes, and the blade descended.

"My life is just such a resting place. Wherever my footsteps lead, that is my direction!" His voice echoed out, softly at first, then louder and louder.

"Sever the fetters, and achieve true independence, acquire true freedom!" The sound of his voice caused everything in the area to shake and rumble. The parted sea water roared, and the glow of the astral blade increased tenfold!

It almost seemed to have formed a resonance with Naruto!

That resonance caused Heaven and Earth to dim. The wind whipped and the clouds churned. The glow of the astral blade spread without end, and the multicolored blade in front of Naruto emanated a shocking will.

This was… the resonance of a great Dao!

The glow grew more intense, transforming into ripples and then vibration. The air around Naruto twisted and distorted, and countless ghost images sprang up. When Madara felt it, his face fell.

"The resonance of a great Dao!"

In the Second Ring, the eyes of the mother of the Resurrection Lily went wide. As for the couple in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, both of them trembled.

Only great determination and incredible enlightenment could form a resonance like this!

Spirit Severing is not difficult when compared to causing a Dao…. But even more difficult is to form a resonance!

Naruto's heart, will and mind all fused with the descending great Dao. They became indistinguishable!

I am the great Dao, and the great Dao is me!

In that moment, be it in the Southern Domain, the Northern Reaches, or the Eastern Lands, the Patriarchs and almighty members of all the Sects and Clans could all sense the resonance of the great Dao.

The resonance formed the first blade of Spirit Severing, a blade that would sever, not Naruto's life or existence, but rather… any flaws within him that did not conform to his Dao!

Use the Dao to sever the Dao. It was like a baptism that cleansed any disharmonies, that purged the self. Any nonconforming Dao was absolutely unnecessary.

And of course, the Resurrection Lily was just such a flaw, just such a disharmony, just such a nonconforming Dao. It was absolutely unnecessary!

"Free and unconstrained, at liberty to walk about anywhere in Heaven and Earth! No one can restrict me! Heaven cannot impede me and the Earth cannot restrain my heart! This is my Dao!

"Freedom! Independence!" Naruto's voice was like that of a god, each word cracking like thunder. The Milky Way Sea rumbled. The Dawn Immortal shook. The couple in the Eastern Lands trembled, as did Madara.

The words he had spoken just now were filled with Naruto's great determination!

Everything trembled as the astral blade arrived. It merged with Naruto's multicolored blade, transforming into a Dao blade that slashed down into the top of his head in the exact moment that he finished speaking.

The blade moved with incredible speed; no sooner had his words finished than it had pierced the top of his head into his neck, and then his heart. It passed through his dantian region, and then all the way through him, completely bisecting him!

However, Naruto didn't move a muscle, and his face even showed hints of a smile. In contrast, the five-colored Resurrection Lily behind him let out an unprecedentedly bloodcurdling scream. It trembled violently as any connection it had to Naruto… was instantly broken!

Five colorful strands were snapped, and the five-colored Resurrection Lily began to wither up rapidly. It was not willing, and it virtually exploded with resentment and madness. But unfortunately, there was nothing it could do. In that moment, its will completely vanished.

Vanished for all eternity.

Naruto's first blade of Spirit Severing severed the fetters, carving out his freedom. He had obtained independence!

In that moment, he erupted with a boundless, endless life force. His previously withered fleshly body was restored. Naruto looked up, and even as the image of the Resurrection Lily was about to completely dissipate, he reached out and grabbed it.

"You lived in me for 200 years, parasite. Do you really think the old scores could be settled so easily! From now on, you are my Spirit Severing Treasure. The day I get you to bloom with seven colors… is the day I reach Immortal Ascension!"

Spirit Severing Treasures were items that every Spirit Severing Cultivator had. They were refined in the actual moment of Spirit Severing, created from an object unique to the enlightenment of each individual.

As for Naruto, he chose to use the fading five-colored Resurrection Lily as the basis of his Spirit Severing Treasure, which conformed with his Dao.

The soulless Resurrection Lily was incapable of struggling. As soon as he grabbed it, it merged into his palm, transforming into the mark shaped like a flower.

He took a deep breath as he rose to his feet, his Cultivation base flaring. This was a true Spirit Severing Cultivation base, with a three thousand meter Area that belonged solely to Naruto.

Of course, all Spirit Severing Cultivators had their own Area.

Naruto was more slender, and having immersed himself in the great Dao, his fleshly body was now stronger and taller. In the blink of an eye, he reached the absolute pinnacle of the Spirit Severing fleshly body. It was actually impossible for it to progress any further. If it did, it wouldn't be a Spirit Severing fleshly body, but that of Dao Seeking!

His Cultivation base rocketed up; all the years of practicing cultivation while restricting himself to the Nascent Soul stage had created a buildup that could now explode out.

In an instant, he was at the limit of the First Severing, a breakthrough which gave him the power of a Second Severing Cultivation base. Now all he lacked was a Second Severing Domain.

Once he received enlightenment, and actually performed the Second Severing, Naruto was confident that he would instantly be… at the peak of Spirit Severing.

His longevity also increased under the powerful life force. His hair turned black, his physique matchless. He looked younger than before, although, his features also radiated a certain ancientness that was clearly visible.

His entire person experienced a tremendous, earthshaking transformation as he was completely and thoroughly reborn!

Some distance off in the Milky Way Sea, Madara was panting as he stared off into the distance. His eyes shone with a bizarre light and intense avarice.

"With latent talent and good fortune like that, no wonder he has a Perfect Dao Foundation. It's mine! Definitely mine!" In that instant, he vanished.

At the same time, in the black depths of the Second Ring, the Dawn Immortal's eyes closed. When they opened again, infinite coldness could be seen therein.

In the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, the couple stood there. Tears streamed down the face of the woman, tears of joy.

"Without Severing the Spirit, one cannot live past one thousand. My son practiced cultivation for only two hundred years and succeeded in Spirit Severing. He even provoked the descent of a great Dao." She turned to look at the man. "How does such latent talent compare to the people of your Clan, huh?"

The man stood there silently for a long moment before sighing. "I'm not worried about him having poor latent talent. Even if it was worse, he's still our son. Is Immortal Ascension that difficult? What I fear… is that his latent talent will be too good. The path of cultivation is not easy to tread. How many people perish upon it? How many people are completely eradicated? How many people are destroyed in body and soul…?"

The woman shivered and didn't say anything.

"He also has to deal with his Spirit Severing Tribulation," continued the man softly.

The woman's face flickered, and she took a step forward. The man grabbed her arm.

"This is his real Tribulation, and there is Karma in everything. If you help him, it will cause the sown Karma to grow greater. When the time comes to reap it… the reckoning will also be greater.

"In cultivation, you cannot build up without first tearing down. If he can transcend the Tribulation, then when his day of Immortal Ascension comes, I will take him to the lands of East Victory!" The man spoke with determination that could chop nails and sever iron. However, what the woman couldn't see was that concealed in his hand was a medicinal pill.

It was a type of medicinal pill that was rarely seen in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, to the extent that it could be considered a precious treasure.

"Naruto," thought the man, "if you fail, father will come to look for you in the cycle of reincarnation. Even if you perish, this medicinal pill can bring you back to life…. However, I truly wish that you… can transcend the Tribulation on your own."

Back in the Milky Way Sea, Naruto lifted his head up and roared in laughter as his Cultivation base exploded up. The sensation of the power he now grasped filled him with passion. The feeling of finally acquiring freedom made it so that his thinking was suddenly incredibly clear.

His Divine Sense spread out. It could now reach the 300,000 meter mark. Hosts of magical techniques and divine abilities flashed through his mind, many of which he instantly gained enlightenment of.

Even as he began to fly up into the air, two beams of light appeared from off in the distance. As they sped toward him, two middle-aged men could be seen, Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity.

As soon as they caught sight of Naruto, they knew that this was the person they were searching for.

In the success of his First Severing, not only was the Resurrection Lily severed, but also his false appearance, revealing his true features.

"Naruto!" cried Saint Flying Immortal, his voice rumbling like thunder. The sea churned in response, as if it were about to explode.

A cold radiance appeared in Naruto's eyes. As soon as he looked at the two men, he knew who they were.

In the moment that Saint Flying Immortal spoke, a glittering glow covered the body of Saint Sea Divinity. Instantly, a set of armor appeared on him, and he strode forward. Even he couldn't help but be moved by the reward promised by Madara; if he could capture Naruto, the greatest benefits would go to him.

He shot with incredible speed directly toward Naruto, performing an incantation gesture to summon an enormous trident. Shockingly, the sea stirred, and then vast quantities of seawater shot up into the air to circulate around. As he neared, he pointed out with the trident. The seawater roared as it formed together into the shape of an enormous hand that reached out to grab Naruto.

"Are you looking to die?!" said Naruto. He was already somewhat displeased at the behavior of the Flying Immortal Sect and the Sea Divinity Sect. Now that Saint Sea Divinity was attacking, Naruto's killing intent flared. He did nothing to evade, but simply took a step forward.

That step caused him to slam into the incoming seawater hand. A huge boom echoed out, and the hand collapsed. Naruto wasn't harmed in the slightest, and when he emerged from the water, he was directly in front of Saint Sea Divinity. He reached out with his right hand, upon which the Mountain Consuming Incantation manifested. The wave of a hand caused a thousand mountains to appear, all of which smashed down toward Saint Sea Divinity.

Saint Sea Divinity's face fell and he retreated, waving his arm to cause 100,000 magical symbol spirits to appear. They formed into ten symbol beasts, all of whom radiated the power of a Spirit Severing Cultivation base as they charged Naruto.

Naruto gave a cold snort, but didn't dodge. A thousand mountains sent out shocking ripples, and the symbol beasts made from 100,000 magical symbols immediately exploded. It was as if they weren't qualified at all to stand up to the thousand mountains, which then shot toward Saint Sea Divinity.

Everything was happening too quickly. Saint Flying Immortal had no chance to even react, and Saint Sea Divinity's mind filled with an intense feeling of deadly crisis. He suddenly shouted out, causing his trident to begin to flicker and glow. It instantly transformed into an enormous wall of black sea water in front of him.

Boom!

The wall exploded. At the same time, Naruto's thousand mountains also disappeared. However, the aftershock of the explosion caused Saint Sea Divinity's face to go pale. As he retreated backward, Naruto strode toward him.

He raised his hand, killing intent flickering in his eyes. He did not use any sort of magical technique or divine ability, but instead, punched out directly.

As the fist descended upon Saint Sea Divinity, it seemed to blot out the sky. Energy like that of Heavenly might surged, causing Saint Sea Divinity to feel intense fear. He quickly spit a glowing, blue pearl out of his mouth, which then shot toward Naruto. Naruto's fist slammed into it, and the pearl shattered; it was completely incapable of standing up to Naruto's fist, which continued onward to connect with Saint Sea Divinity.

BAM!

As the sound echoed out in all directions, blood sprayed from the mouth of Saint Sea Divinity. Cracking sounds could be heard as his armor shattered into pieces. His terror had now reached a pinnacle.

"Flying Immortal, help me!"

Saint Flying Immortal's face flickered, and he took a deep breath. He had never imagined that Naruto, having just stepped into Spirit Severing, would be so terrifying.

"Dammit, even if his Spirit Severing caused strange phenomena in Heaven and Earth, and even if he caused a great Dao to descend, there's no explanation for him to be so inhuman!" He was still in the midst of feeling shocked when Saint Sea Divinity called for his help. Gritting his teeth, he shot forward, raising his right hand toward the sky. Instantly, a sword of light appeared, which he grasped in his hand. At the same time, his speed increased rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, he was upon Naruto.

"Area," said Naruto coolly, not even turning back to look at Saint Flying Immortal. In that instant, a three thousand foot Area sprang up, a world that contained Naruto's Dao and will.

The Area world!

Saint Flying Immortal's speed was suddenly reduced. His mind trembled as Naruto once again punched out.

"Nine Heavens Destruction!" The first punch of the Nine Heavens Destruction, the First Heaven, caused a boom to rattle out. Blood poured out of Saint Sea Divinity's mouth, and his body seemed to be on the verge of exploding. Even as he let out a bloodcurdling scream, Naruto stepped forward and punched out with the Second Heaven.

Then the Third Heaven, and the Fourth Heaven. Saint Sea Divinity's body was blasted apart . His Nascent Divinity flew out, screaming miserably.

"Legacy treasure!" he howled, instantly causing a statue to fly out from inside the Nascent Divinity. The statue was pitch black, and depicted a faceless figure.

As soon as the statue appeared, it let out a pulsating aura of Dao seeking, which transformed into a wall that expanded out to surround Saint Sea Divinity.

"Legacy treasure?" said Naruto. He punched out with the Fifth Heaven and the Sixth Heaven. Booms filled the area, and the statue trembled. Then the Seventh Heaven and the Eighth Heaven. The statue shook, and the wall trembled. Inside, despair filled Saint Sea Divinity's face.

"Ninth Heaven… Destruction!" said Naruto calmly. He lifted his right hand, and this time, it wasn't a fist, but a palm that softly pushed out.

BANG!

The wall collapsed, and the statue was sent tumbling back. Inside, Saint Sea Divinity's Nascent Divinity let the last scream it ever would. He was now destroyed in body and spirit!

"How can he be so strong!?" thought Saint Flying Immortal. Having personally witnessed Saint Sea Divinity perishing, his scalp went numb, and his heart filled with astonishment. He quickly bit down on the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood. He burned life force, not hesitating to waste longevity to struggle free from Naruto's Area world. He transformed into a beam of light that fled at top speed.

Naruto turned back to look, and his eyes flickered. He raised his hand to collect up Saint Sea Divinity's bag of holding, then waved his arm to summon the war chariot.

"Anyone who chased me along with that 10th Uchiha Clan bastard will have to pay the price!"

"How can he be so strong!?

"A great Dao descended, making it a great Dao Spirit Severing, different from mine. But, it still doesn't make sense for him to be so terrifying!

"He hasn't even used any magical techniques or items! He's only relying on his fleshly body!

"Dammit! Just what level is his fleshly body at? Magical items are completely ineffective, nor could it be shaken by divine abilities! What type of fleshly body is it!?" Saint Flying Immortal's fear had reached the pinnacle. In his entire life of practicing of cultivation, he had never encountered a Cultivator of the same stage who caused him to be so terrified.

"Damn you, Madara, you conned me! If I'd known this Naruto was so inhuman, you couldn't have said anything to convince me to join you…." He flew forward at top speed, fearful of being pursued. He even spit out some blood and burned more life force to go faster.

But it didn't matter how fast he went, he couldn't go faster than the war chariot.

Naruto was mounted on the war chariot, fueling it with a sliver of the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way. Thrumming, it caught up with Saint Flying Immortal in only a moment. Then it slammed violently toward him.

Saint Flying Immortal's face fell. He was incapable of evading; he only had time to wave his sword of light behind him to block. A huge boom could be heard as the sword of light shattered into pieces. Saint Flying Immortal's body then directly exploded.

His Nascent Divinity flew out, clearly in a sorry state. Naruto exited the war chariot and waved his hand, employing the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. Saint Flying Immortal didn't even have a chance to move before countless invisible strands of Chakra seemed to entwine his quivering Nascent Divinity.

His mind was instantly inundated with a profound sense of imminent death. His eyes bulged and he struggled violently, but he could do nothing as Naruto waved his hand, causing a hundred Wooden Time Swords to fly out. They circulated around Saint Flying Immortal to form a swirling Lotus Sword Formation.

A miserable shriek could be heard as Saint Flying Immortal's Nascent Divinity rapidly began to wither up. In the space of about ten breaths, it shrank, much like it would if it was being refined. Then, it withered into nothing; he was dead in body and spirit.

Naruto waved his hand to collect up Saint Flying Immortal's bag of holding, and then looked over the Lotus Sword Formation.

"The lotus is also like the act of refining…." he thought.

It was at this point that the crackling of thunder could be heard in the sky off in the distance. The wind whipped about, and in the blink of an eye, the sunny day turned dark. Countless pitch-black clouds surged up, forming a dense mass that looked like a gigantic face. It was none other than… the face of Madara.

The face was surrounded by crisscrossing bolts of lightning and heralded by peals of thunder; on the forehead of the face, an old man could be seen, his eyes glittering brightly.

"Naruto!"

The voice drowned out the thunder, like a Heavenly being's majestic roar, blasting an enormous craterous depression into the Milky Way Sea down below, which rapidly transformed into a rumbling, spinning vortex.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked coldly at Madara.

"Another clone," he said. His Divine Sense was much more powerful than before, and he understood a lot more about Madara now that he had fought two of his clones before. How could he not notice that this was indeed just a clone?

Naruto raised his right hand into a fist, and the Mountain Consuming Incantation appeared. One thousand mountains appeared around him, then more, until tens of thousand of mountains could be seen. The mountains were not small, and appeared to contain seawater. These represented all of the underwater mountains that existed in the range of Naruto's Divine Sense.

"The Mountain Consuming Incantation is divided into three aspects; the mountain, the soul, and the will!

"Along with my Cultivation base breakthrough, I was enlightened regarding the soul.

"This soul aspect more or less can be controlled by means of my Demon Sealing powers. With the art of Righteous Bestowal, I can extract the souls of mountain and insert them into my mountains. That is the complete second stage of the great art of Mountain Consuming!"

Naruto's eyes shone with a strange light. As he faced up against Madara, he felt pressure bearing down on him, but at the same time, an intense desire to do battle. He raised his hand and then pushed it down toward the sea.

"Righteous Bestowal!

"Mountains of the Milky Way Sea, you are sunk beneath the waters, living in a world without daylight. Today, I, Naruto, will borrow your souls. I will split open the Heavens and Earth and allow you to bathe in the sunlight!

"EMERGE!"

In response to his shout, the sea began to seethe as, one by one, the mountains within the sea began to tremble. At the same time, an invisible aura began to spread up from them toward the surface.

As the sea blustered, the souls of the mountains appeared, merging into the mountains summoned by Naruto's divine ability. Thousands upon tens of thousands of mountains, a world-shaking sight, completely incomparable!

As the mountains spun around Naruto, he stretched his arms out wide. Hair flying around him, and eyes blazing with the desire to do battle, he suddenly swept his hands out in front of him. The tens of thousands of mountains all shot through the air with shocking rumbling sounds heading directly toward the gigantic face floating in mid-air.

Madara's face flickered as he performed an incantation gesture. The face that surrounded him immediately sped toward the mountains. They neared each other, and then slammed into each other, giving rise to a rumbling boom that filled the entirety of the Third Ring.

One mountain after another collapsed, and the face was riddled with gaping wounds. A moment later, amidst deafening roars, all of the mountains collapsed, and the face fell apart into pieces.

Naruto didn't pause for a moment. He flew up into the air, waving his arm to cause one hundred Wooden Time Swords to appear and form into the Lotus Sword Formation. Instantly, the formation shot toward Madara.

At the same time, he began to clench and unclench his fist. Every time he did this, his energy would redouble. It was none other than the Nine Heavens Destruction!

Now that his Cultivation base was truly in the Spirit Severing stage, he had gained complete enlightenment of it.

Madara's pupils constricted. He could clearly sense that Naruto was completely different than he remembered, and was far, far more powerful.

"And yet, you are still… an insignificant bug!" he said with a cold snort. He waved his right hand, causing a red glow to appear in the cloud-choked sky.

It was a sun! A red sun!

"Setting Sun!" he said coolly. The red glow spread out to fill Heaven and Earth, instantly causing Naruto's one hundred Wooden Time swords to slow down.

"Time Combustion!" growled Naruto.

In response to the words, the one hundred Wooden Time Swords and their ten sixty-year cycles of Time power, instantly began to burn. The combustion of Time caused their speed to increase dramatically. They pierced through the layers of redness to appear near Madara, where they spun around him slowly.

Merely a single rotation caused Madara's face to flicker. He could sense that his clone had, in the blink of an eye, lost several thousand years of longevity.

"A trifling Time treasure? Shatter!" He gave a cold snort, and the red glow grew even more shocking. It now emanated intense heat that spread out and began to shatter the Wooden Time Swords.

Naruto was already moving forward. "Detonate!"

BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!

Of the one hundred Wooden Time Swords, seventy simultaneously exploded. When the Spring and Autumn trees detonated, they unleashed an insane power of Time that turned into a Time vortex. Madara's face fell as the rumbling echoed out. His body began to wither, and he was just about to retreat when Naruto shot forward as fast as lightning. His right fist had already clenched eight times in a row; now it clenched for the ninth time and then punched toward Madara.

"Nine Heavens Destruction!"

"Setting Sun, Falling Clouds!" Madara's body emanated a monstrous red glow that billowed out.

Naruto faced it head on, and his body ignited into flames. However, his fist still struck its target.

A huge boom rattled out, and Madara fell back, his face pale. Killing intent radiated from his eyes as he saw that Naruto, blood pouring from his mouth and body in flames, was actually pursuing him.

Naruto's hoarse voice once again rang out: "Detonate!"

The detonation from before had been that of seventy Wooden Time Swords. There were still thirty left, all of which exploded at the same time. A tempest of Time was created in Madara's path of retreat, finally managing to wound him.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, after which he lifted his head up and roared with rage. Of three clones, two had been slain. This third clone was somewhat weak, was not carrying any magical items, and was limited in the divine abilities it could use. However, it had a Dao Seeking Cultivation base! How could it be injured in this way?

To Madara, it was a humiliation!

After panting a few times, he stifled his rage and then looked at Naruto approaching him. "He's intentionally trying to exasperate me. I must under no circumstances come here with my true self. He may still be able to use that Immortal's sword, and the threat that could pose to me… must not be underestimated!"

Glaring at Naruto, he cried, "Call the Wind, Summon the Rain!"

Black clouds containing black dragons whistled around him as a deluge drenched the vicinity, each raindrop contained killing intent. The raindrops seemed to cover Heavens and Earth as they headed straight for Naruto.

"Even if I have to sacrifice this clone, I need to draw out that Immortal's sword. After he uses it, then my true self can come!"

Naruto, his body in flames, quickly retreated. A violet glow appeared in his eyes, and he burned life force to restore his flesh, which visibly healed at a rapid rate. Even as Madara neared him, Naruto stepped into the war chariot.

It was in that moment that the black dragons roared, and the dense rain of killing intent began to close in.

Naruto pushed down onto the war chariot with his hand. Even while continuing to heal himself, he sent the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way into the war chariot. Then, instead of fleeing, he shot toward Madara with all the power the war chariot could muster.

Outside of the war chariot, one vicious beast after another materialized, roaring. The sounds of their chains echoed about as they charged at top speed toward Madara, whose face immediately flickered. He hadn't sensed earlier that the war chariot was extraordinary, so seeing what was happening now left him shaken inwardly. He instantly moved to evade.

However, his speed was no match for the war chariot!

A boom could be heard as it slammed into him. Any black dragons along the way collapsed and the rainwater was destroyed. A massive energy swelled up, slamming into Madara. Blood poured from his mouth as he performed a double-handed incantation and then shoved his hands out forward. His face was twisted ferociously as he utilized the entire power of his Cultivation base.

Even still, he was shoved backward by three hundred meters. By the time he came to a stop, blood was gushing out of his mouth, but his body had not been destroyed.

"Before Spirit Severing, he was no weakling. However, I never imagined that after reaching Spirit Severing, he would be so swift and fierce.

"I must have this Perfect Dao foundation!"

Naruto stood in the war chariot watching as Madara fell backwards swiftly. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, and he waved a hand, causing Han Shan's bronze Immortal's sword to suddenly appear.

Madara's pupils constricted, and he did nothing to dodge or evade. In fact, a cold gleam appeared in his eyes, and he fully rotated his Cultivation base, causing his aura to surge with scintillating brightness. Nascent Divinity flames even began to burn his body.

"So, he finally drew the sword," he thought. "From the look of it, he can only use it one more time. I'll use this clone to make him use all of its power. When he slays my clone, then my true self can teleport here!" A strange gleam appeared in his eyes.

Just when it seemed Naruto was going to attack with the Immortal's sword, the sword suddenly vanished. Then, ten glowing beams flew out of his bag of holding. The power of Time roiled off of them as they sped toward Madara.

They moved with incredible speed, plus, Madara was mostly focused on the Immortal's sword. Therefore, Naruto was once again able to take advantage of a critical moment. Ten Time Sword tips flew forward with shocking speed, as well as over 100,000 years of Time power.

As they neared Madara, his face flickered as his body rapidly withered, and he retreated immediately at top speed. Of course, the faster he moved, the faster the war chariot moved.

Naruto was racing against the clock, so he didn't hold back any of the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way. He pushed the war chariot until it rumbled, shooting toward Madara.

The Uchiha Patriarch let out a furious roar, and then, all of a sudden, his right arm directly exploded. This was a type of self detonation that pushed him away violently, enabling him to sidestep the attack. As he did, Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent.

"Detonate!" One Time Sword tip, worth 1,000,000,000 Spirit Stones, exploded. It transformed into a tempest of Time Power that spiraled toward Madara, who was still in the middle of dodging away from the war chariot.

He let out a desolate roar and caused his Cultivation base to explode out with full power within the tempest. When he finally managed to completely dissipate the tempest, his body was incredibly withered, and his face ashen. He looked like nothing more than skin and bones. He let out another furious roar.

Naruto had no time to feel any pain in his heart because of the loss of Spirit Stones. His ability to defeat this clone of Madara depended, not just on his Cultivation base, but also… his wealth!

He had Spirit Stones, and he had the Heaven-defying Time treasures. Detonating the one hundred Wooden Time Swords was only the beginning. The Time Sword tips were his trump card.

Madara's clone was being defeated by Naruto's Spirit Stones!

"Detonate!"

As the words left Naruto's mouth, a second Time Sword tip blew up. A massive explosion ripped out, and a Time tempest surged out in all directions. The air aged, the sea dried up, in the blink of an eye, everything seemed to pass through ten thousand years.

Madara's clone exploded, and a Nascent Divinity flew out, screaming shrilly.

"Naruto! You're DEAD!" The Nascent Divinity suddenly began to spin, transforming into an enormous vortex, within which flickered countless magical symbols. As it rotated, it turned into a spell formation.

At the very center of the spell formation appeared a black hole, a passageway leading to the unknown. A pressure that Naruto had never experienced before then emerged from within.

It was an aura that caused cracking sounds to fill the air around the black hole as multiple fissures suddenly appeared.

When he saw the fissures, Naruto's pupils constricted as he watched the fissures spread out to fill what looked like an elliptical shape.

From a distance, it actually looked like an eye!

The spell formation vortex was the iris, the black hole was a pupil, and the area around it was the white of the eye. As for the fissures, they were… veins of blood!

Naruto's entire body went cold; the intense pressure weighing down on him made it feel like he was about to explode. What was even more shocking was that the eye seemed to be fixed on him…. He could clearly sense something inside his body, something that had long since fused with him, begin to tremble, as if it was being forcefully extracted.

Naruto wasn't sure how exactly to describe what it was, but he could vaguely sense it. Finally, he realized that it was his foundation. It was his stable, solid foundation, built up after two hundred years of cultivation!

"Dao foundation…." he thought, panting. He could almost hear his heart pounding; everything around him was now completely silent.

The only thing that moved was the vortex….

Naruto wanted to struggle, but at the moment, it felt as if his body wasn't under his own control. He couldn't move a muscle, and it felt as if his internal foundation was about to separate from him. In fact, he could even see what appeared to be white mist seeping out from his nose and mouth. Not just his nose and mouth, but also, his eyes, ears, and in fact, all of the pores that covered his body.

This was not life force, this was his Dao foundation!

"My Dao, is freedom and independence!" Naruto's eyes went red as, in that very moment, his Cultivation base suddenly flared up. It was a forced eruption that caused him to cough up three successive mouthfuls of blood. His body also wasted away. But in exchange, he was now able to move again.

In that moment, though, a sigh could be heard from within the vortex. The sound of it stabbed into Naruto's ears, causing him to tremble. He coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his face went deathly white as he saw a coffin slowly emerging from within the vortex.

As soon as the coffin appeared, and ancient aura seeped out to fill the entire Third Ring. All of the Sea Demons underneath the water instantly went motionless. Even the Sea Devils in the Second Ring trembled.

Throughout all of the Milky Way sea, all of the Cultivators, all life forms, suddenly went still and quiet.

The sea did not move. The world was still. There was only the ancientness, roiling out to fill everything.

This was Dao Seeking!

The true peak of Dao Seeking!

Naruto did not need to speculate. He immediately knew that this… was Madara's true self.

The true self had finally arrived!

Naruto's scalp went numb, and his eyes were completely shot with blood. Without the slightest hesitation, he waved his hand, immediately causing seven of the remaining eight Time Sword tips to fly toward the vortex.

"DETONATE!" he roared, his voice hoarse. A huge boom rattled out as the seven Time Sword tips exploded, transforming into a terrifying storm of Time power.

At the same time, Naruto didn't hesitate for even a moment to pull out Han Shan's sword. He hefted the bronze alcohol flagon and took a drink, then spit it out. Sword Chakra billowed up, and the Immortal's Sword surged with the last bit of Sword Chakra that he had kept, just in case.

A tempest of Time ripped into the vortex, and even the coffin began to wither. In the blink of an eye, cracks appeared all over it. However, even as the tempest raged, a withered hand suddenly stretched out from inside the coffin. It began to clench into a fist, and the violent Time tempest immediately began to shrink down into the fist. When it was completely inside, the fist clenched tightly.

BOOM!

The tempest vanished, and an old man slowly rose up from within the coffin. He wore burial garments, and looked emaciated and frail. His face was a bit flushed, but the flush rapidly disappeared, leaving his face pale white.

His eyes were not large, but the feeling of ancientness that emanated out from him was intense to the extreme. He looked at Naruto and grinned. But then he noticed the Immortal's Sword that Naruto held, and his pupils constricted.

The grin caused Naruto's hair to stand on end. It was a grin that revealed no teeth whatsoever in his mouth; this man was ancient to the extreme.

Even as he smiled, Naruto raised up the Immortal's sword. Sword Chakra raged up, filled with a song, shocking to the extreme. However, before the sword could slash down, a tremor ran through him, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Dammit!" His face was pale white as he sent Immortal Chakra out of Immortal Shows the Way. The chariot rumbled and shot off into the distance. A gleam of foresight appeared in Naruto's eyes, and he panted. He had intentionally not struck down with the sword, purposefully making it seem like the sword was without power. He could tell from his encounter with Madara's clones that the man was wary of the sword.

Since that was the case, Naruto refused to believe that he wasn't prepared for it. Everyone knew that the best time to use something was when you could do so along with the element of surprise.

"This guy is a wily old fox. He's definitely prepared for the sword. If I want to use it, I have to catch him off guard. My Cultivation base isn't a match for his; if I want to transcend this Tribulation, I have to use my wits!

"Using the Immortal's sword at the right time… is the key to victory!" Naruto's face was grim as he thought about how this opponent had crushed the Time tempest with a single fist. That left him trembling in fear.

"This is the peak of Dao Seeking, the power of a False Immortal!" Naruto had personally felt the terrifying power of Madara, and he well understood the vast difference between the two of them. He was also well aware that the white mist that had begun to emanate out of him was the Perfection that was part of him. By now, it had been loosened and was being forced out of him. The thought of it was frightening.

"There's no need to run," said a hoarse voice from behind Naruto. "Your life has been prepared for me. It's your destiny…." The ancient voice echoed about in all directions. It seemed as if the wind was rotting, and when Naruto heard the voice, his entire body went as cold as ice.

He didn't turn to look back, but poured all the power of Immortal Shows the Way into the war chariot. In the blink of an eye, he had shot off into the distance with shocking, incredible speed.

"I knew about you way back when you were in Foundation Establishment. I've been waiting for many years for the opportunity to reach Immortal Ascension, and you are that opportunity." Madara's voice seemed nearer this time. Veins bulged out of Naruto's pale face. He could push no more power out of Immortal Shows the Way. Immortal Chakra tore through his Chakra passageways as it flowed out into the war chariot.

The speed with which he moved was incredible. The seawater down below was no longer that of the Third Ring. It was black, indicating that he had entered the Second Ring.

"This is the Dao of Karma. It is a decision made by destiny. You can't refuse.

"Do you think you can refuse the Dao of Karma? Do you think you can you refuse the choices of destiny? Since you can't refuse, why not just willingly give me your Dao Foundation? On the day that I reach Immortal Ascension, you will be in the underworld of the Fourth Mountain. Even after you have drunk the tea of old lady Uzumaki, and forgotten everything about your past life, you will still have a feeling of glory and honor." This time, it sounded like Madara was right next to him.

"What glory and honor, bitch!?" raged Naruto from within the war chariot. He was originally a scholar, and was not the type of person to curse at others. However, after the parrot awakened, it had quite a wicked influence on him, and he had inevitably learned to swear.

Unfortunately, after all the years, he had only mastered this one curse.

Madara laughed hoarsely. The sound of it was filled with ancientness, like a cold wind blown from somewhere amidst countless years of time.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but all the women in my immediate family are dead. If you'd like, we could make a deal. I'd be happy to deliver their skeletons to you. What do you think?"

Naruto's face was extremely unsightly as he sped along in the war chariot. Madara continued to follow, and actually gained on Naruto. Naruto could clearly sense that his own body was continuously emitting white mist. He was filled with the pain of having something within him forcefully separated, which caused anxiety to fill his eyes.

"It's still not time to use the Immortal's sword!" he thought.

"Foundation Seizing Grand Magic!" said Madara. His voice echoed out in all directions, but Naruto was incapable of looking back. However, he could sense the speed with which the white mist poured out of him suddenly increase by severalfold. An indescribable pain filled him, and he couldn't hold back from letting out a despondent shout.

Shockingly, something that looked like red veins could be seen pulsing on his face, and in fact, his entire body. It almost appeared as if he was about to be torn to pieces, from the inside out!

Naruto began to shake, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He was now unable to continue to employ the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way, so the war chariot came to a stop and shrank down. He put it into his bag of holding and then, enduring the intense pain, lifted his right hand to produce the flag of three streamers. He waved it out in front of him, and instantly, dense fog billowed up.

Down below, the seemingly never-ending black seawater seemed almost to be congealed in place. Not a single ripple could be seen on its surface!

Madara floated in the air some distance away, grinning at Naruto.

It was a ghastly grin, filled with greed, almost as if to him, Naruto was food. His expression caused Naruto's scalp to go numb. He waved the flag of three streamers, causing the monstrous black mist to sweep toward Madara.

"That magical item… looks a bit familiar," said Madara, his eyes glittering. He performed an incantation with his right hand, and then pointed forward.

"Moonrise Over the Sea ," he said in his hoarse voice. Down below, the black seawater immediately turned violet. Then a red-colored moon suddenly rose up from within. The appearance of the red moon caused flames to fill the world. They transformed into a massive fireball that shot toward Naruto's flag of three streamers.

When they slammed into each other, the flag wasn't damaged, but the black mist immediately fell apart. The red moon, on the other hand, faded like an extinguished lamp, completely defeated and dispersed.

Next, the flag of three streamers expanded, spreading out to blot out the sky and also push Naruto and Madara apart.

Madara's face flickered, and he said, "This treasure… is very familiar. I'm sure that I've seen it somewhere before!"

Looking very serious, he performed a double handed incantation, then raised his hands high above his head and touched his ten fingertips together.

"Power of the rising sun, disperse all darkness of night!"

At the moment, everything was pitch black, with no light existing anywhere. The flag of three streamers seemed to have become part of the darkness of night.

But then, a beam of light appeared, shooting out from Madara to swirl around him. It was almost like… he had turned into a rising sun in the middle of the dark night!

The rising sun had appeared, and a bright glow began to spread out in all directions. Its power began to dispel the power of the dark night. The boundless blackness vanished under the light, and was completely cast away!

Naruto couldn't take it, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. The flag of three streamers rumbled and began to glow blurry. It spun backward, shrinking down at the same time. The entire world filled with brightness, and Madara floated there in mid-air. If you looked at him, it was impossible to tell whether he was a person or a sun!

Naruto's mind trembled. This was a divine ability, a Daoist magic that he had never even heard of!

"What divine ability is this!?" A tremor ran through his body, and blood poured from his mouth. When the sunlight had dispelled the darkness of night, it seemed he was considered to be part of the night. His body burst into flames, and he let out a shrill cry. Violet light flickered in his eyes as he frenziedly healed himself. However, it was still amid thunderous rumbling sounds that he fell down toward the black sea below.

Madara's voice was filled with pride as he said, "That was another art personally created by the Uchiha Clan ancestor. For you to have seen it with your own eyes means that you can wear a smile on your face as you go to the underworld." His face was a bit paler than before; clearly it was not a simple thing to use the art he just had. Were it not for the fact that he needed to end the battle, he wouldn't have used it.

The bright glow filled a vast area, and the seawater was turning violet. As Naruto splashed into the water, Madara's eyes flickered.

"Even now, he still doesn't unleash the power of that Immortal's sword?" he thought. "When I first arrived, he could only use about half of the power. Now, on the verge of death, he still doesn't utilize it…. I can thus be seventy percent certain that the Immortal's sword is now useless!" He suddenly flashed through the air, stretching his right hand out to grab at Naruto.

"Foundation Seizing Grand Magic!" A black glow spread out from the five fingers of his right hand. The light transformed into something like a black hole that emanated a shocking gravitational force.

Naruto's entire person appeared to be decaying. His flesh split and tore, his hair fell out, and he looked withered to the extreme. His life force faded rapidly. Compared to Madara's peak Dao Seeking cultivation base, Naruto's own cultivation base… was too weak.

Even as Madara closed in, madness suddenly burned in Naruto's eyes. Despite the fact that his blood vessels were shattered, and he was gravely injured, he still managed to slap his bag of holding with his right hand. The alcohol flagon appeared, and he took a drink. Then the Immortal's sword could be seen, and he spit the alcohol out of his mouth.

Immortal Chakra exploded out, swift and fierce to the extreme. When Madara saw that it was about to slash toward him, his heart trembled, but after only a slight moment, he smiled coldly. He had long since prepared for exactly this situation. He immediately began to perform an incantation that would cause a body double to appear in his exact position. However, it was at this point that a violent tremor ran through Naruto. Apparently, he couldn't keep his grip on the Immortal's sword. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his entire right arm instantly exploded into a haze of blood and gore. The Immortal's sword tumbled down into the sea.

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed clear what had happened. Naruto was not capable of handling the power of the sword, and yet had still tried to forcefully control it. His right arm couldn't sustain the power, and had exploded.

Naruto laughed bitterly, and a look of despair appeared on his face.

"I can't accept this!" he howled, his voice filled with extreme grief and indignation.

Madara watched on smiling. As of this point, he was now eighty percent certain that the Immortal's sword could be of no more threat to him. A ferocious expression appeared on his face.

Of course, having lived for so many years, he was wily and cunning, and even more so, cautious. Despite the current situation, and Naruto having lost an arm, he was still not off guard regarding the Immortal's sword.

Instead of trying to lay hands on the Immortal's sword, he headed toward Naruto.

When Naruto saw this, anger sprang up in his heart. However, it only took a moment for a completely ruthless idea to spring up in his head. The ruthlessness of the idea actually did not target Madara, but rather, himself!

Madara neared. Hovering in front of Naruto, he lifted his right hand up and pushed the shimmering blackness onto Naruto's chest. Then he dug his hand into Naruto's flesh, his fingernails literally ripping through Naruto's flesh.

"Your skin is thick and your body tough," grated Madara. "Not bad. If you were able to take your fleshly body to the next stage, then perhaps I wouldn't be able to deal with you. But right now… it's just not quite good enough." His fingernails stabbed deep into Naruto's chest.

"Foundation Seizing Grand Magic!" A strange light appeared in the eyes of Madara, a thirst, a desire, and an excitement. His fingers tightened viciously, and a rotating black hole appeared inside of Naruto.

The gravitation force it exerted was shocking, and completely filled Naruto.

His body began to tremble as unthinkable pain filled him. Countless blood-colored strands appeared all over his body. These strands had long since fused into him; this was his Perfect Dao foundation!

It was the foundation upon which he would achieve his Dao in the future!

Now, though, the blood-colored strands twisted and distorted as they shrank down, relentlessly sucked toward the black hole in his chest.

They were sucked toward his chest from his legs, his arms, his head, from every position in his body.

"From now on, your Perfect Dao Foundation belongs to me!

"Henceforth, my path to Immortal Ascension will be open!

"I will no longer be a false Immortal, but rather, a true Immortal!

"I will pursue the path of the ancestor and become an almighty expert of Heaven and Earth!" Madara was so incredibly excited that he lifted his head up and laughed out loud. He slowly pulled his right hand back, and as he did, countless red strands stretched out between it and Naruto's body.

The red strands shone resplendently, and anyone who saw them would think of Perfection. Absolute Perfection without blemish!

Naruto's body withered and grew old. His cultivation base also fell. He could feel his Chakra Condensation foundation vanish. His Dao Pillar foundation disappeared. His Perfect Core also faded away.

His expression was hollow, as if he had lost all power to fight back. He lay there blankly, bitterness filling his face. Pain wracked his body, although it couldn't even come close to matching the pain he felt in his heart.

Madara looked at the red strands that were building up in his hand, and intense desire built up in his eyes. His heart filled with excitement and elation. In fact, he was more excited now than he ever had been in his entire life.

In this moment, he completely set aside any preparations he had made to defend against the Immortal's sword. His entire heart and mind was completely focused on extracting the Perfect Dao foundation.

It was then, after he had abandoned his defenses, that grim coldness suddenly appeared in Naruto's blank eyes.

"Anybody who wants to take my Dao foundation must first pay the price!

"Immortal's sword!" Naruto's eyes were filled with madness that caused Madara's mind to tremble. Suddenly, the Immortal's sword that had sunk down into the sea exploded with an earthshaking Sword Chakra. It shot out from within the water, moving at incredible speed.

Shocking Sword Chakra billowed out as the Immortal's sword flew up from the bottom of the sea, moving with indescribable speed.

Madara's face fell, and an intense sense of deadly crisis filled him. He was about to dodge to the side when Naruto's left hand suddenly stretched out and grabbed down onto Madara's arm.

Naruto's eyes were shot with blood, and his expression was one of utmost ferocity, as if he were a devil or a fiend. He glared at Madara, his hand filled with the power of his life force, his stubborness, and his madness.

"You…." said Madara, his face flickering as he sent the power of his cultivation base bursting out in all directions. His mind trembled with the sense of impending doom. He knew that he could not make any mistakes, but because the sword aura completely filled the entire area, he could not tell where exactly the Immortal's sword was coming from.

What he could do, though, was completely lock down the entire area.

RUMBLE!

The Immortal's sword did not fly up out of the sea to attack Madara! That would slow it down a bit, and right now… at this juncture, each moment counted for everything!

In his madness, Naruto had been waiting for this very moment. In the end, he used the Immortal Chakra and the Immortal's sword to…

Stab himself!

The sword pierced into his back to appear directly in front of Madara!

Madara had locked down all other avenues of approach, but he had forgotten about… Naruto's body.

There was no way he could ever have imagined that Naruto would possibly be so ruthless. This was not a ruthlessness toward enemies, but a ruthlessness toward himself. The Immortal's sword stabbed through his body with lightning-like speed, then shot out from his chest toward Madara.

Madara's mind spun. His first mistake was not realizing that Naruto would actually wait until the very last possible moment to unleash his desire to kill. The second mistake was not realizing that Naruto would use his own body as the vessel with which to deliver the blow of the Immortal's sword.

He wanted to defend himself, but could not! He wanted to ward off the blow, but was unable!

"If I can't live, then we will perish together!" said Naruto. "What's to fear in death? Mortals can live for a hundred years at most. I, Naruto, have already lived more than two hundred years. What's the harm in dying?!

"From the moment I stepped onto the path of cultivation, I was prepared. I don't care about dying, but what I do care about… is living a life of freedom and independence!

"The Resurrection Lily turned into fetters that held me back. And as for you, Madara, you want to do the same? Well then, I'll just have to sever you!"

Naruto's level of determination and decisiveness could shake Heaven and Earth!

BAM!

The Immortal's sword and its shocking Sword Chakra stabbed directly into Madara. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, then jerked his right arm to shake off Naruto's hand. Naruto's body lurched up as vast quantities of red, Perfect Dao foundation strands were wrenched out of him. They transformed into a resplendent red cloud that hovered up above.

Madara immediately pulled the brightly shining red strands of Perfection into his body. It was a moment in which he should have been extremely smug.

Instead, he screamed in miserable and shocking fashion.

The Immortal's sword pierced through his chest, exploding his heart and sending blood spraying about in all directions. He retreated, his mind filled with astonishment and terror. The wound to his body was secondary to the unbridled Immortal Chakra which tore through his body.

But all of that was actually not even worth mentioning when compared to the trembling of his soul.

That was the most terrifying thing to him; his soul shook to the point where it felt as if it were going to be torn to shreds.

"NOOOO!"

Madara howled as he sensed that the three spiritual aspects and seven physical aspects of his soul, which formerly had been fused harmoniously, were now being ripped apart by the stabbing of the Immortal's sword. In fact, all aspects of his soul were rapidly beginning to fade.

"Naruto! DIIEEEEE!" Unprecedented madness filled Madara. He lifted his head up and howled as his entire body filled with rumbling sounds. Blood and gore oozed out from his mutilated chest. Suddenly, his withered body expanded as the red strands of the Perfect Dao foundation fused into his arm and the rest of his body. Suddenly, a trace of his own Immortal Chakra bloomed inside of him.

Unfortunately, it didn't matter that Immortal Chakra had appeared, he was unable to prevent the collapse of his soul.

"Immortal! I will become Immortal!" he raved. Shouting, he flew toward Naruto, his expression vicious. He raised his right hand into the air; everything shook, Immortal Chakra rose up into the sky, and the seawater vibrated.

Naruto had lost his Dao foundation, and his cultivation base had fallen. He no longer looked like a young man. He was old now, withered, with only a single breath of life left.

And yet, he smiled, a smile filled with contentment, freedom, and viciousness.

"If you want to take away my Dao foundation, you have to pay the price."

As Madara's massive palm strike descended, the sky grew dim. Just as the power of the attack was about to envelop him, suddenly, a sigh could be heard coming from within the sea. Black fog roiled out, covering over Naruto. In the blink of an eye, the fog ebbed and he vanished from beneath Madara's palm.

Something else appeared at the same time as the fog. A ship.

Its aura was ancient, and it was filled with the vestiges of the passage of time. The deck was dilapidated, and the entire ship seemed completely ancient. This was none other than… the ancient Underworld Ship!

At the prow of the ship, a man sat cross-legged, wearing a dilapidated suit of armor. Next to him lay Naruto; his eyes were closed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.

Madara's palm strike slammed into the sea, sending water splashing everywhere as a huge depression appeared. Madara was screaming and going crazy. Although the aura of an Immortal grew more clear on his body, his expression was one of madness. His soul was on the verge of dissipating. He had already lost one physical aspect of his soul, leaving him with only three spiritual and six physical aspects.

"I won't accept this!" he roared. His hatred toward Naruto had reaching the pinnacle. His mind and thinking were no longer clear, and the only thing on his mind was that before he died, he needed to kill Naruto.

He charged forward, but at the same time, the Underworld Ship began to drift away. No matter how Madara pursued it, he couldn't catch up. He could only watch as the Underworld Ship disappeared off into the sea.

"DIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" roared Madara. Blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He violently slammed his palm onto the top of his head, causing blood to spray out. However, in that moment, he suddenly regained some of his clarity.

"I will reach Immortal Ascension! My soul must remain complete! I can't die! I haven't reached Immortal Ascension yet! I'm just on the verge!" His eyes bloodshot, he opened up a rift in the air and then vanished.

Shockingly, when he reappeared, he was back in the Southern Domain, in the Uchiha Clan.

"I will reach Immortal Ascension! I will become Immortal!

"I cannot die! I will not die!

"I have the Perfect Dao foundation, and am destined to be Immortal! Immortal Chakra has already appeared!

"How could I possibly die!?" As he raved, his mind was thrown into complete chaos. Right now the only thing he could think about was reaching Immortal Ascension. His eyes were completely bloodshot as he flew down toward one of the cities of the Uchiha Clan.

The city was populated completely by members of the Uchiha Clan. There were mortals and cultivators, elderly people and children. As he shot toward the city, several hundred cultivators flew out. When they saw the appearance of the 10th Patriarch, their faces fell.

"Patriarch!"

"Patriarch, you… AAIIEEEEE!" Even as the people opened their mouths to greet him, Madara grabbed one of the Uchiha Clan members and then crushed his fingers down. The cultivator's head exploded, and his soul flew out to be inhaled by Madara.

The other Uchiha Clan members were shocked, but before they could react, Madara turned into a black wind that whistled toward them. Miserable shrieks began to echo out in all directions as hundreds of people were all eradicated, their souls absorbed by Madara.

"I will reach Immortal Ascension!" he raved. "I will not die!" His eyes red, he shot down toward the city. Everywhere he passed, bloodcurdling screams rang out. Countless souls flew toward him, which he absorbed. In the space of only about ten breaths, the entire city was deathly silent. Everyone in the city… was dead!

Only Madara remained. He flew up into the air, howling.

"Return to me, my soul!" he howled.

There were a total of three such cities within the Uchiha Clan. Madara suddenly vanished, to reappear outside the second city.

The scene that played out was exactly the same as before. Miserable shrieks could be heard as countless lives met heartrending ends. A black cloud covered the entire city as all members of the Uchiha bloodline had their souls consumed by Madara. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

And yet, the spiritual and physical aspects of his soul were still dispersing; of the original ten total, one spiritual aspect and two physical aspects had already vanished.

"NOOOO!" he howled, shooting toward the third city. This city was the location of the Uchiha Clan's ancestral mansion in Lands of Ninshu. As he neared, thousands of cultivators shot out from within, including two Spirit Severing experts. Their faces were filled with shock.

"The Patriarch has gone mad!"

"He massacred two cities full of clan members! He's insane!"

BOOM!

Within the the territory of the Uchiha Clan were the mountains in which successive generations of Patriarchs were buried. Seven mountain ranges in particular suddenly emanated shocking roars. In the blink of an eye, seven coffins appeared, from out of which exploded seven emaciated old men. Each and every one was in a rage.

"10th Patriarch, what are you doing!?"

"10th Patriarch, stay your hand!"

Their shocking roars rose up like thunder, causing a bit of lucidity to suddenly appear in the eyes of Madara. In that moment, he realized everything that he had done, and his body began to tremble. In his heart, he felt pain from having slaughtered countless members of his own clan.

Intense pain filled him, but only for a moment. Then, his eyes shone with determination.

"I'll kill you and consume your souls too! Then, I will achieve Immortal Ascension! The whole clan can die, as long as I remain alive!"


	8. Unsurpassable Resurrection

He was willing to sink into depravity!

All for Immortal Ascension!

All to avoid death!

Tears streamed down the face of Madara. He howled, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. He no longer even had a heart, but he still felt a sense of belonging to the clan and the bonds of kinship toward his fellow clan members. But now… it was too late to turn back.

He was not willing to die, especially not after he had acquired the Perfect Dao foundation and his body was filled with Immortal Chakra. The only thing he could do was sink to the lowest level.

Regret? He did not know the meaning of the term. He could only consume. Consume the souls of his own bloodline. Only those souls could save his life.

This was… the only thing he could do!

All for Immortal Ascension!

Madara howled hoarsely as his consciousness grew murky. He slipped further into madness. KILL! KILL! KILL!

He had no idea how many people he killed, nor how many souls of fellow clan members he consumed. In one night, all the members of the Uchiha Clan in the clan's third city… died.

The Patriarchs buried in the various mountain ranges were destroyed amidst rumbling booms. The seven Patriarchs had incredible cultivation bases, but Madara now possessed Immortal Chakra, as well as a Perfect Dao foundation. They simply couldn't compare to him, and were no match at all.

One by one, they all died!

Mountains crumbled, and everything shook. In one night, the Uchiha Clan's entire foundation in the lands of Lands of Ninshu… was uprooted. This was genocide!

He was the 10th Patriarch, who had existed for ages in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. He was the Patriarch with the highest cultivation base in the clan, a person the clan members looked up to like a god.

But on that day, the god became a devil, and carnage reigned. During the massacre, he regained lucidity three times.

The first time was when he killed his younger brother, the 11th Uchiha Clan Patriarch who had stayed by his side for countless years. He ripped his soul out, then, tears streaming down his face, laughed maniacally and consumed it.

The second time was when he killed his most beloved member of the junior generation. The man cried, begging the Patriarch to spare his life. He crushed the man's skull, then, his hand still covered with blood and brain, grabbed the soul and consumed it.

The third time was when the world had grown completely silent. Beneath his feet was nothing but wreckage and bodies. No living person existed. At that point, he regained clarity.

However, that clarity only lasted for a few breaths of time. Then he slipped back into madness. By this point, his body was no longer injured. He was recovered. However, the souls that he had lost… would remain forever lost. Two spiritual aspects and three physical aspects were gone forever.

He now had only one spiritual aspect and four physical aspects.

This was a result bought by the lives of all the Uchiha Clan members in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. His soul did not dissipate, and he did not die. However… with only one spiritual aspect and four physical aspects to his soul, who knew if and when he would ever become lucid again.

For the most part, he was descended into madness and carnage. Before he completely sank back down into the depravity, he shed some tears, which spattered down onto the ruins of the Uchiha Clan. Perhaps years later, a field of blood colored flowers would bloom in that very spot….

He raised his head and let out a mournful, bitter laugh. Then he turned into a bright beam of light that shot off into the distance.

"Immortal Ascension!

"I will become Immortal!"

He left, forever submerged within his insanity.

Henceforth, there was no Uchiha Clan in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. In its place, a lunatic existed who constantly raved about Immortal Ascension. Of course, few people dared to provoke the madman.

That was because… he was halfway into Immortal Ascension. He possessed Immortal Chakra and only needed to pass through Immortal Tribulation to become a true Immortal!

Unfortunately, his soul was not complete, and he was eternally sunken into depravity. His day of Immortal Tribulation would never come.

…

In the depths of the Second Ring of the Milky Way Sea was an enormous Resurrection Lily, drifting back and forth in the water. It was impossible to see the number of colors, but what could be seen was the figure of a woman sitting on the flower. She almost seemed to be using the petals as a swing as she swayed back and forth.

"No Dao Foundation. He likely perished….

"In the League of Demon Sealers, the Ninth is the pinnacle. It seems the league… is broken."

Outside the Fourth Ring of the Milky Way Sea, an island sped across the surface of the water. Suddenly, a tremor ran through it, and it stopped moving. After a long, long moment, an enormous head rose up out of the sea and looked off into the distance.

"His aura… is gone….

"The little bastard is full of schemes and wickedness. He's dead? Good! Great! Wonderf… wait, he died?!" He head quivered slightly. Patriarch Reliance wanted to feel happy, but for some reason, he actually wasn't.

"Dead…. Dammit, who killed him? He's the Patriarch's only Inner Sect disciple! The little bastard is endlessly scheming, how could he have died?!"

On the island, Haku also seemed to have sensed something, and her face paled. She leaned up against the old Boat Spirit, sorrow filling her eyes.

"Didn't you promise me that you would help me turn into a sea…? You broke your promise…."

In the lands of the Southern Domain, in the Violet Fate Sect, Pill Demon was smiling as he concocted a batch of pills especially for Naruto. Recently, he'd gotten the feeling that Master and apprentice would be reunited before too long.

He wanted to finish concocting the special batch of pills before they met in person. However, it was in that moment that the pill furnace suddenly exploded. Pill Demon suddenly seemed to age by hundreds of years. He silently looked off into the distance for a long, long time.

Sakura was sitting cross-legged in meditation, practicing cultivation in her Immortal's cave. Then, for some unknown reason, her heart suddenly felt troubled. Her eyes opened, and she looked up into the night sky. A shooting star flew by.

"When I was young, my dad always said that when you see a shooting star, it means someone just perished."

In the Black Sieve Sect, Hinata sat with eyes closed, seeking enlightenment of a Daoist magic she had acquired in the Demon Immortal Sect. Suddenly, a tremor ran through her body, and her eyes opened. Her face was deathly pale, and she lifted her hand up to her chest.

An intense, uneasy feeling made her suddenly stop cultivating. She walked out of her Immortal's cave, her face growing even more ashen.

"Pain. This is the second time I've felt pain like this…. The first time was the time by the Rebirth Cave.

"Naruto, is it you? What… happened? Why am I suddenly so frightened?" Hinata didn't know why, but she suddenly found herself weeping. She didn't dare to think too deeply about her sudden premonition. Trembling, she flew up into the sky.

Although she didn't know the source of the feeling, for some reason she looked toward the Milky Way Sea and then began flying.

On that day, Fatty was very irritable. He violently lost his temper countless times in the Golden Frost Sect, although he wasn't sure why.

On that day, Guy killed. Although he looked calm, deep in his heart existed a boundless desire to slaughter. He flew out of the sect and killed numerous villainous cultivators.

On that day in the Blood Demon Sect, Shikamaru made a cultivation base breakthrough into the Nascent Soul stage. However, he felt no joy. He looked in the direction where the Five Elements Nation used to exist, and thought of his childhood, and of his old friends.

On that day in the Northern Reaches, a Blood cultivator rose to prominence. Acting alone, he slaughtered an entire small-scale sect, then occupied the location. He was young, but unfeeling and coldblooded. In his blood-soaked hands, he held a magical item, a pearl. The young man had a name, too. Neji.

On that day, in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, in a tall tower, a husband and wife got into an argument the likes of which was virtually unprecedented. The woman eventually stormed off, her eyes filled with tears. The man looked silently off into the distance. There was no one to see it, but tears streamed down his face.

Time slowly passed by.

Hinata arrived in the Milky Way Sea. No matter how she searched, she found nothing. An entire sixty-year cycle passed before she silently picked an area on the border of the Southern Domain where she sat down to meditate. Every day she would look out at the Milky Way Sea. She had the feeling that out there somewhere, was Naruto.

It was only a feeling, but she believed it.

As for the couple who had argued, the woman also reached the Milky Way Sea. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she went to the Third Ring, to the Second Ring, to everywhere. She found nothing. She searched and searched, and even fought a battle with the Dawn Immortal in the Second Ring.

The battle shook Heaven and Earth. All of the Sea Devils in the Second Ring were killed, and black seawater spread out to cover the entire Third Ring. Heaven and Earth grew dark, and as for who won the battle, and who lost, nobody knew.

One hundred years passed….

In the Inner Ring of the Milky Way Sea, the water was red. An ancient battleship floated across the surface of the water, at the prow of which sat an old man in a suit of armor. He sat there cross-legged, apparently looking off into the distance. It was impossible to tell what exactly he was looking at.

Next to the old man rested a body. It was a man with no hair or eyebrows; he was completely shriveled up. Wrinkles covered his skin, and he looked as if he had just climbed up out of a grave. The entire body stank of putrefaction.

He had no right arm, and a gaping hole could be seen in his chest, where there existed… no heart whatsoever.

A flame burned above him, casting out a gentle light that covered over his body. As the light was cast out, it transformed into glittering dots, within each of which could be seen flickering, incomprehensible magical symbols. Oh so slowly, those dots of light bored into the hole in Naruto's chest.

Inside of Naruto's chest, the flesh and blood writhed, as if it were slowly growing.

The years seemed as if they would flow by in this manner forever, and because they were in the Inner Ring of the Milky Way Sea, there was no one who could find the ancient ship, or Naruto.

On one particular day, the armored old man slowly opened his eyes. Hidden within them were the sun, the moon, and the stars. Endless years of time permeated those eyes, as if the man could see into their boundless depths.

He turned his head, and his abstruse gaze fell onto Naruto.

When that happened, Naruto's body seemed to experience the passing of thousands of years. The fire burned intensely, emitting more crystalline dots of light that merged into the hole in his chest. The wriggling of the blood and flesh increased, and soon the healing process was visible to the naked eye. A new heart formed, and the wounds were healed. Even the bones and flesh of the right arm slowly began to grow out.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Naruto was completely restored. Not a wound could be seen on him. However… his hair was pure white, and he looked incredibly old, as if he were an elderly man.

Weakness radiated out from him as he opened his eyes.

His eyes were filled with confusion. He lay there thinking for a long time before memories started to trickle into his brain. He thought of Madara, and how he had chosen to end in common ruin with him rather than give up his freedom. In the end, he had landed a sword blow on the Uchiha Patriarch's soul!

"My cultivation base…." He closed his eyes and cast his senses inward. After a while, he slowly rose into a sitting position and looked at the armored old man, who sat with his back to him. The old man seemed as if he would sit on this ship for all eternity as it roamed about.

Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply. "Senior, thank you for your kindness in saving my life!"

The old man didn't say anything in response. It almost seemed like he didn't even know who Naruto was; he was simply roaming about, and happened to encounter him. Spurred by some distant memories, he had randomly reached out to save him.

"Heaven and Earth… have their end….

"But what about me? Where is my end?" The old man's murmuring voice was hoarse, and incomparably ancient. He finally sighed and closed his eyes, seemingly slipping into a state of lifelessness. Naruto could clearly see the old man sitting there with his back to him, but he couldn't sense his existence at all. In fact, he couldn't even sense the existence of the ship.

"Senior?" he said, gaping. Finally, he realized that the old man was immersed in his own world. Naruto crossed his legs reticently and then looked off into the distance and began to think.

"My Dao foundation… is gone." He felt empty inside, and could not sense a cultivation base. It was as if it had vanished like mist or smoke. An intense weakness filled him, and he felt so incredibly old that it seemed that death was just around the corner.

He now had absolutely no cultivation base whatsoever.

Filled with bitterness, Naruto tried to begin to practice cultivation, but his entire body was like a sieve. No matter what breathing exercises he did, he couldn't build up even a bit of spiritual energy.

However, he wouldn't give in so easily, so he produced a bag of holding. Although he himself had no spiritual energy, bags of holding from Seahold could be opened once without any spiritual energy.

He had bought quite a few such bags in the past. The parrot and the meat jelly were inside the bag, sleeping. It seemed Naruto's weakness had caused them to lose their own vitality.

He took a medicinal pill out from the bag of holding, then consumed it and started meditating. After attempting Chakra Condensation techniques for a moment, he trembled, and his face went pale. Once again, he looked listless and dispirited.

"I can't practice cultivation," he murmured. "I have no foundation whatsoever to build on." As of now, Naruto was certain that his Dao foundation was completely and utterly gone.

Still not able to accept it, Naruto tried again. Time passed, and soon a month had gone by. Naruto tried a variety of methods, but none of them formed even the slightest bit of a cultivation base.

It was a complete failure.

He tried over and over again, but his body only continued to grow weaker. After another month, he finally accepted that he was in a hopeless situation.

Bitter laughter rang out, growing louder and louder, breaking the silence of the Milky Way Sea's Inner Ring as it echoed out from within the ship.

The laughter also contained intense hatred. "Madara!"

He wasn't sure if Madara was dead, but as of now, that didn't matter.

"I have no cultivation base, but I'm still alive…. However, considering my current life force, who knows how many more days I can stay alive…." His bitter laughter gradually grew weaker, and finally, he stared off into the distance, empty and numb.

He wasn't even sure what he was seeing. His mind was blank. He thought of nothing. He looked at nothing. Eventually, his gaze turned to fall on the armored old man, and hope suddenly flickered in his eyes.

His life had been saved by this old man, and considering how mystical he was, and how bizarre the ancient Underworld Ship was, Naruto was confident that if the man did something, his own cultivation base could potentially be restored.

Naruto stood, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply.

"Senior."

The old man didn't speak. He seemed as lifeless as ever.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then walked around to stand in front of the old man. He was just about to bow again, when suddenly his eyes went wide with disbelief.

The old man's face was filled with boundless ancientness and time. However, when Naruto looked at it, his heart and mind trembled. The man's body was actually not material, but rather, faint and translucent.

Except, Naruto clearly remembered that the old man wasn't like this before.

After a moment of thought, he slowly reached up his right hand and attempted to touch the old man. His hand passed directly through him as if through empty space, and when he tried it a second time, the same thing happened. Finally, he stepped forward, and ended up walking directly through him. He turned his head to look back, and his eyes were filled with a complex expression.

"Was I simply mistaken before? Was he always like this? Is his existence tied into the meaning of the ship's name? Underworld Ship…. Ship of the Underworld Specter?" Naruto laughed bitterly as he began to look around. The ship was broken down, dilapidated, filled with an aura of rot.

Several days later, he finished exploring the ship in its entirety, and never found anything out of the ordinary. Everything he saw and touched was ancient and archaic.

He stood at the prow and looked out as the Underworld Ship slid noiselessly across the water. Everything was quiet; the sea rose and fell, although there were no waves. They never encountered any other living things.

It seemed that wherever this ship went, everything became completely quiet.

"Well, this is fine, too….

"I can spend the last years of my life on an empty ship, all alone.

"I bet nobody knows that I'm about to perish," he murmured. "At least that way, Master won't be sad, nor will Hinata feel too much grief. Fatty, Elder Brother, and all my other friends… none of them will know." He sat down cross-legged in the place where he had woken up earlier and looked off into the distance.

As he did, his heart slowly became peaceful. He no longer burned with resentment, nor did he ponder any more mysteries. He was left with only a bit of ruefulness. He regretted not being able to visit his Master ever again. He regretted not holding Hinata in his embrace just once. He regretted not returning to the Southern Domain and gathering with the friends of long ago.

Even more so, he regretted never being able to visit the Sky Country in the Eastern Lands. He regretted not being able to see his father and mother again.

"Old turtle Reliance, from here on out, you're free….

"Ancestors of the Demon Sealing Sect, it seems that from now, there will be no more League of Demon Sealers." Naruto sighed. He was now slowly growing calmer and feeling less restrained.

Death was something that could not be avoided, so he would not take it to heart too much.

"It's too bad I have so many Spirit Stones in my bag of holding…. What a pity that I never got to spend them.

"And then there are all those debts people owe. Those people have gotten really lucky…. After the creditor dies, they won't have to pay back their debts.

"Hmmm, I guess I really don't have to pay those three silver pieces back to Steward Ebisu after all.

"It's such a pity I still have so many treasures. Well, some little bastard in the future is sure going to get lucky." When he thought of this, he could only sigh.

"Perhaps my death will spare the world a bit of calamity. To all of you who would have been conned by me in the future, you don't know how lucky you are!

"So, so lucky!" Naruto thought back through his life, to his youth spent studying and participating in the Imperial examinations. Then he ran into Hinata and joined the Reliance Sect. He stole Sasuke's good fortune and became an Inner Sect disciple. Patriarch Reliance conned him, so he conned back. Eventually, he made it to the Southern Domain, where he joined the Violet Fate Sect and then rose to prominence.

"Poor Hinata…. She loves me, and I love her. What a pity we won't be able to get married now…. I've never actually even been with a woman…." When he thought of this, Naruto suddenly felt especially sad.

"And then there's Sakura. She was definitely interested in me…."

Naruto continued to sigh and sigh.

He thought of how he had killed the Chosen from the Hebi Clan, then escaped to the Western Desert. He recalled everything that happened with the Crow Divinity Tribes, and then couldn't help think of Han Shan, Demoness Tsukino, and everything that happened in the Demon Immortal Sect.

"Senior Han Shan, I won't be able to keep my promise…

"Demoness Tsukino, don't worry about that favor you owe me."

Then there was Muku and Mui. Naruto thought about many things, and eventually started thinking about his First Severing.

"I didn't even practice cultivation for three hundred years, and yet completed my First Severing. A great Dao descended, and the Resurrection Lily became my Spirit Severing Treasure. For me, Naruto, to live a life like this, well… it's enough for me!

"In all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, few people could even come close to comparing to me!" He suddenly felt very proud of himself. The laughter, the bitterness, the fury, and the memories of his entire life became images that flashed through his mind.

More time passed. Another half month went by, during which time Naruto continued to look off into the distance, thinking about the past. Finally one day, the illusory, armored old man suddenly caught his attention.

For months, the old man hadn't moved at all, and seemed completely empty. Now, his right hand raised up, and a sealing mark appeared. He performed an incantation, and gradually, two colors appeared in his hand, black and white.

However, when Naruto went over to try to touch the old man, he was as illusory as ever.

As more time passed, Naruto began to pay attention to the way in which the old man meditated. He observed his emptiness, and his incantation gestures, along with the blackness and whiteness that they summoned.

Gradually, he focused more and more on the black and white. It seemed to contain something important, although he wasn't sure what.

The white seemed to contain all of the colors in Heaven and Earth. It seemed to assimilate everything around and transform it into a similar whiteness. As for the black, it was incredibly potent and domineering, as of no colors were qualified to stand in its presence.

Gradually, Naruto immersed himself in observing the old man. Without even realizing it, he began to mediate in the same way, including the breathing exercises and the hand gestures.

Eventually, he even decided that he might as well sit in the exact same position as the old man, superimposing with his illusory form. That way, all of his motions would be exactly the same as the old man's.

He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the process. Time passed. In the blink of an eye, three years had gone by.

During the three years, Naruto grew weaker, and his life force gradually withered away. He didn't care about that, though. The only thing he was interested in was copying the movements of the old man, and finding a way to keep on living.

One day, he suddenly experienced an emptiness in which he found that neither life nor death were important. As he performed an incantation with his right hand, whiteness became visible.

Suddenly, an ancient voice filled his mind: "When you reach the end of your path, then you will have lost yourself."

Next, blackness appeared in Naruto's palm.

The ancient voice once again echoed in his mind. "When you reach the end of your path, then all you will have left is yourself." Naruto had the faint sensation that he was in the process of grasping enlightenment.

It was an enlightenment of an unimaginably vast and mysterious great Dao.

"White and black are like the daytime and nighttime…." he muttered. He looked at his right hand and then slowly lifted it up toward the sky. He could sense that if he had a cultivation base, then considering his enlightenment of this Dao, he could turn the sky as dark as night or as bright as day. The interlocking of black and white could unleash a supreme power.

"Too bad I don't have a cultivation base," he thought, shaking his head. "Even if I completely understood this Dao, I still couldn't use it." He was just about to stand up when suddenly, the ship… stopped moving.

Naruto looked up, his eyes wide.

Up ahead, the Milky Way Sea could no longer be seen. It was as if the ship was passing through a river of time. All that could be seen were endless multicolored shards.

Within those shards existed endless worlds.

Naruto watched as the ship entered one of the shard worlds. It was a world of flames, filled with countless cultivators who kowtowed to the ship and offered up tribute.

They cultivated a fire technique that seemed to be linked to their bloodline. It seemed to supersede all of the other flames Naruto could see, and he could hear the people saying that their flame was the essence of all flames.

He couldn't interact with the world; it was as if he were simply an observer. The ship passed through the flames for an indeterminable period of time until finally it pierced into another period of time.

Here, the starry sky looked unfamiliar, completely different from the sky of Planet Lands of Ninshu. It seemed like a vast and infinite expanse.

Occasionally strange life forms would pass by. Each one would drop to their knees and offer of bizarre and fantastic objects….

Naruto felt like he was a sightseer, a tourist hitching a ride on this ship. He saw a fluttering butterfly that was incredibly enormous. It was far off in the distance, and yet still clearly visible. When it neared, it could be seen that its beauty was actually formed by the combination of countless worlds.

"Are these things that have already happened, the recollections of this ship? Or is it something else…? What is happening?" Naruto wasn't quite sure exactly what it was that he was seeing. The butterfly flew off into the distance, and the ship once again disappeared into the vastness.

When it reappeared, a boundless sea stretched out in front of Naruto. In the middle was an enormous tree stretching up into the Heavens. The tree had golden leaves, and was incredibly beautiful….

Down below sat a person, looking up silently at the tree. He stared for a long, long time, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Finally, he smiled, and his body began to glow with a boundless light, as if he had just achieved enlightenment.

Naruto did not attempt to disturb him, but rather remained seated on the ship, as if this was simply a journey through life. Eventually, the man was left behind.

Naruto saw many, many worlds, and countless cultivators. He saw wars, and once, he even saw someone pointing at the ship and raving madly.

Naruto was somewhat at a loss. He had lost track of how many years had passed, and he also forgot that he was hovering on the verge of death. As the ship continued onward, he saw a featherless bird, a weeping crane.

A voice suddenly murmured in his ear, seemingly filled with a sense of time: "So many years. I think of you often…."

Naruto looked at the featherless, weeping crane, and for some reason, it seemed familiar.

"Don't tell me I've seen it before?" he thought hesitantly.

Time changed again, and the scenery interweaved. He saw an enormous, cultivating tree, as large as the sky. It swept amongst the stars, running amok. However, when it saw the ship, it trembled.

Naruto was confused and at a loss.

He saw many types of cultivation, and countless Daos. He saw the cause and effect of Karma, he saw life and death, he saw the Yellow Springs, he saw eternal life and… he saw true and false. He saw a person walked down a path until he became a world. He buried himself to accompany others.

He saw a man who eternally roamed the starry sky, continuing onward, with his destination unknown. That person… appeared to be the armored old man.

A while later he saw another land where a man held the corpse of a woman in his arms. He lifted his head up and wailed, and within his eyes burned an insanity and a stubborness that Naruto found shocking.

"The Heavens allowed you to die, but I WILL bring you back to life!" The man's echoing voice filled Naruto's heart with unprecedented waves of shock.

That shock was not because of the story of the man and woman, but rather, because the determination in the man's words seemed indestructible. Even if Heaven and Earth collapsed, the steadfastness of his words could not be destroyed.

"I used to think I had determination," though Naruto, "but compared to that, I don't know….

"I've lost my cultivation base, and my life is waning away. However… can I really give up, just like that?" Naruto sat on ship, thinking about the question.

His eyes slowly began to burn with a spark of life. The flame was weak, as if it might flicker out at any moment. But right now, that flame… was resplendent. It was almost as if there was a will that burned within the fire.

Even as Naruto was lost in thought, the ship suddenly trembled again. The world around changed again, and nine mountains appeared out in the starry sky.

The nine mountains were lofty and ancient, filled with endless time. It was as if they had existed even if the primordial, distant past…. It was impossible to describe exactly how large they were, but they were enormously bigger, exponentially bigger than all of the other worlds he had seen up to this point.

Also in the starry sky were nine seas.

Nine mountains and nine seas, and in the middle of them all was a sea of stars formed by all the nine seas.

The first mountain had four planets. The sun and moon… rotated around the first mountain, sending sunlight and moonlight throughout the starry sky. The light spread out boundlessly, covering each mountain, illuminating all the seas.

It was like a beautiful painting that filled Naruto's heart with intense waves of shock.

After seeing the nine mountains, a fantastic notion welled up within Naruto. "Don't tell me… that these… are the Nine Mountains and Seas? If I can use the Mountain Consuming Incantation to consume these nine mountains, would it restore my cultivation base?"

It was an audacious idea, but as soon as it appeared in his brain it rooted itself in deeply. Naruto began to pant as he thought of the scene of the man swearing his oath to the Heavens as he held the woman in his arms. Then he thought of his own path.

"Am I really going to give up?" The flame in his eyes grew more resplendent. His gaze swept over the Nine Mountains and Seas, and eventually fell onto the Ninth Mountain.

He took a deep breath, and then without hesitation… began to employ the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

The incantation actually did not require a cultivation base, only heart. He studied the Ninth Mountain, branding the image of the mountain into his heart and mind. It was as if every aspect of the mountain remained inside of him, and that he could take it with him.

His gaze remained locked on the Ninth Mountain. He became lifeless, and even forgot about the passage of time, and everything around him. The only thing that existed was the Ninth Mountain.

Losses come with rewards. He had lost his cultivation base, but in return had received the sublimation of his spirit. Right now, amidst the silence, he slowly gained enlightenment about the Ninth Mountain.

Gradually, the image of the mountain grew clearer and clearer in his mind. One year. Two years….

Perhaps it was a hundred years, or a thousand, or ten thousand…. Naruto was in a trance as the Ninth Mountain grew clearer and clearer.

Eventually one day, the image of the Ninth Mountain became completely clear in his mind. A tremor ran through him. The image disappeared, transforming into countless magical symbols, each one of which seemed to contain a multitude of Daos.

He did not understand these Daos. However, from the perspective of the Mountain Consuming Incantation, they could be considered the mountain soul of the Ninth Mountain. Absorbing these Daos could be considered consuming the soul of the Ninth Mountain.

Naruto focused on the magical symbols; each one contained infinite profundity and possibility. Naruto proceeded onward, losing himself in their midst. As this happened, he didn't notice that during the process of his observation of the mountain, various auras had appeared on his body that were different from before.

It was at this point that suddenly, a vast, archaic will stirred in the Ninth Mountain.

"Who… is gaining enlightenment of my Ninth Mountain?!

"I am Orochimaru Hebi, the Heavens of Hebi, the Lord of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

When the archaic voice thundered out, the entire Ninth Mountain instantly turned blurry. Massive ripples spread out through the world, and Naruto's mind trembled, instantly causing him to regain his senses.

The will swept about, but did not find Naruto or the ship.

The ship suddenly began to move forward. It left the Ninth Mountain and proceeded to the Eighth Mountain. Maintaining its speed, it went to the Seventh Mountain, then the Sixth Mountain….

Naruto was unable to see each mountain clearly. When the ship arrived at the Fourth Mountain, a gloomy aura suddenly spread out to cover everything.

An ancient voice suddenly could be heard.

"What is life? What is death…?

"If the lives in the underworld do not transcend, then I will not live!

"In the cycles of reincarnation, if laughter does not sound out from the underworld, then I will not die!

"Returning souls, souls leaving to be reborn, your paths go through here…. Why not return?" A rumbling filled the Fourth Mountain, and suddenly an enormous temple soared out toward Naruto. 4

From within the temple emerged an ox and a horse, completely pitch black. Massive ripples spread out from them, and their energy surged. An aura of death spread out from them to shoot toward Naruto. 5

As soon as he saw the ox and horse, he began to tremble. He felt as if he were about to fall asleep, and his soul were about to fly out….

"What is life? What is death?

However, before the ox and horse could get close, the ship had already moved off into the distance.

From behind Naruto, a sigh could be heard from the Fourth Mountain. "Almighty one, you do not wish to rest…. Reincarnation is the end of the Dao. Although you do not wish to rest, why must you take this person along with you on your journey through your life?" 6

When Naruto heard this, his mind trembled violently. The ship passed the Third Mountain, then the Second Mountain and finally it reached the First Mountain. As for what happened next, Naruto couldn't see clearly. Everything turned black and white, becoming two spheres of mist. They swirled around, and it looked as if two pearls were forming inside of them.

Naruto looked down at his right hand. There on his palm were two pearls, not corporeal, but formed of mist.

The Black White Pearls floated up from his hand and began to rotate, seemingly containing the secrets of Heaven and Earth.

Naruto watched on thoughtfully. He could sense that the enlightenment he had received from the armored old man regarding the black and white Pearls embodied a great Dao. Perhaps it was not the path of freedom, like his own Dao, but it could definitely extend that path further.

"Within this black and white exists all of the worlds that I saw, and all the Daos….

"What is life? What is death…?" Naruto closed his eyes. It was at this point that he suddenly thought about Muku's shocking… Soul Divergence Incantation! 7

The Soul Divergence Incantation allowed one to cultivate an undying soul. Once that soul appeared, the cycle of reincarnation in Heaven and Earth could not destroy it. Even if you died, your flesh and blood would be reborn years later.

It was not one of the three thousand great Daos of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, but rather, something that Mui had acquired by chance and taken to be a priceless treasure. Because he could not cultivate it successfully, he passed it on to Muku.

However, it was too difficult for Muku, despite his incredible latent talent. He could not acquire full enlightenment; in the end it had required the precious treasure that Mui had forged before his death, coupled with the vast changes Ke Jiusu experienced, in order to comprehend it and form an undying soul that the cycle of reincarnation could not destroy.

"Life and Death," murmured Naruto. "The Soul Divergence Incantation…." He seemed to have gained partial enlightenment, but the matter was still hazy. It was like he had grasped a vague direction, but when he examined it closely, there was nothing there.

Eventually, Naruto opened his eyes and looked down at the black and white pearls in his hand. He gazed at them for a long time, until it seemed that his will itself was fusing into the blackness and whiteness.

The black and white seemed to transform into a vortex that could consume everything. As it rotated slowly, a vision appeared in Naruto's mind. In the vision, he stood there, his cultivation base fully active. His right hand stretched up, and the Black White Pearls rotated in his palm.

Indescribable ripples spread out from the two pearls, filling the entire world. Countless living things all prostrated themselves, and Naruto could easily decide whether they lived or died. It was as if the two pearls contained a great Dao which could determine and control life and death.

One day, the ship finally stopped moving. Naruto was in a bit of a daze as he opened his eyes and caught sight of a familiar body of water. It was the Milky Way Sea. He also saw a familiar land mass, the Southern Domain.

The ship had stopped at the border of the Milky Way Sea and the Southern Domain, and it was at this point that Naruto fully regained his senses.

Everything he had experienced seemed like a dream. The dream had been a dream of a journey, or perhaps a search for the Dao.

"The truths of life and death are something that cannot be understood by someone who has not died."

Naruto sat there silently for a long time before finally rising to his feet. He turned to look back at the Milky Way Sea. Its surface was calm, and no waves could be seen. He took a deep breath.

"It seems the time has come for me to leave, and so the ship has delivered me here.

"Through the Soul Divergence Incantation, I could gain enlightenment about the difference between life and death. Yet even now I'm standing outside of the door, pacing back and forth in hesitation.

"Well then, am I willing to pass into death so quietly?

"No! I'm not willing!" His eyes filled with intense determination that burned like a fire. It kindled the flame of life inside of him, incinerating his confusion and a bitterness regarding his future.

"I still have hope. My Dao Foundation may be gone, but I still have hope!

"And my hope… lies in the Rebirth Cave!" His eyes shined with an intense glow. The Rebirth Cave was where his hope lay, and it was his last resort.

Although he didn't understand much about the Rebirth Cave, there were many, many legends about the place in the Southern Domain. Most spoke of powerful experts who, when their lives were reaching the end, when they were about to die, would enter the Rebirth Cave, hoping that inside, they would somehow be able to find a way to cause their life force to burn bright once again.

If you likened birth to a starting point and death to a finish line, then life and death form a cycle. As for the Rebirth Cave, according to the legends… it allowed for a second cycle, almost like a second life.

Naruto had heard many such legends in the Southern Domain. Actually, he had personally stepped foot into the region of the Rebirth Cave, although only the outer area, not the cave itself.

To experience rebirth, one's body must first die. Only after death could one have life in defiance of the Heavens!

"According to the legends, not just anyone can enter the Rebirth Cave," he thought, "only people who have an overwhelming desire to live, people who are pervaded by an aura of death, who have incredible determination and willpower. Only people like that can enter.

"Otherwise, one will automatically perish along the way." He looked in the direction of the Southern Domain, and the brightness in his eyes grew more and more intense. It was filled with stubborness, with the unwillingness to accept what the future seemed to hold. He took a deep breath.

"I, Naruto, will enter the Rebirth Cave! I will see what exists inside, and will find out whether or not I can acquire that second cycle, and live a second life!" He walked across the deck of the ship, then disembarked. When he stepped onto the sandy shore, he looked back to see the ancient Underworld Ship slowly drifting away. Fog spread out over the sea, covering the ship up.

In the moment before it vanished, the armored old man's eyes suddenly flickered with profundity as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto looked back, and their gazes met through the fog. What the old man saw was not Naruto's world, and what Naruto saw was not the old man's world.

Gradually the ship disappeared into the fog. Eventually, the fog dissipated. The ancient Underworld Ship was nowhere to be seen.

If the ship did not wish to be seen, then no one would ever be able to see it.

On the border between the Southern Domain and the Milky Way Sea there was a barren beach. Occasionally, the remains of various birds or beasts could be seen, but there was no sign of human habitation.

Naruto's hair was gray bordering on white, and although he wore the robe of a cultivator, his features were elderly. No matter how you looked at him, he appeared to be nothing more than an ancient, mortal man.

"I wonder how far away I am from the Rebirth Cave…." he thought as he trudged up the beach, his feet sinking into the sand with each step he took. After a time, he reached the end of the beach, where it turned into forested mountains. He glanced around, then continued to walk.

He had not walked on foot through mountainous forests for a very long time. He thought back to the time before he reached Foundation Establishment, when he had often traveled through mountainous forests like this. After Foundation Establishment, however, he had always flown up above in the air.

The mountains were not easy to travel through. There were thorns and thistles everywhere, and the sun was already beginning to set by the time he passed over the top of the first mountain. He gasped for breath the entire time, and his body ached. As evening fell, he sat down cross-legged beneath a tall tree to meditate.

Meditation was something that had become a force of habit. Although he had no cultivation base to rotate, simply meditating left him feeling calm and relaxed.

The sky grew darker, and then black. It was at this point that howling drifted through the trees, along with an acrid odor. Next, a savage three-headed dog appeared in front of him. One of the three heads was withered, another emanated a chilling cold Chakra, and the last appeared to be extremely foul-tempered.

Obviously, these mountains were the domain of this creature, and Naruto's incursion caused its eyes to be filled with killing intent.

However, it did not near him, but merely circled around him. Its cultivation base was profound; it was already at the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. It had the faint sensation that Naruto was filled with boundless danger. Yet, within that sense of danger, it could also sense that he was as weak as a mortal.

The contradiction caused it to hesitate.

However, it could only be so patient. It managed to restrain itself for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, then let out a vicious howl and transformed into a beam of colorful light that shot toward Naruto.

The two non-withered heads opened their vicious mouths, and an acrid odor filled the air as they closed in on Naruto. It was at this point that Naruto's eyes opened.

His body was weak, but when his eyes opened, they were filled with a cold gleam.

The cold gleam contained all of Naruto's killing intent. In his years leading the Crow Divinity Tribes in their migration, he had killed countless numbers of cultivators. The killing intent that existed in him was something usually suppressed by his cultivation base. But now, there was no way to suppress it, and it exploded out fully.

"Screw off!" said Naruto with a cold snort. Although he was incredibly weak, some of his energy could still turn into a pressure that bore down onto the three-headed wild dog.

The wild dog trembled, and its fur stood on end. It stopped in mid-air, its expression one of terror. When it heard Naruto speak, it instantly turned and sped away.

After scaring the wild dog away, Naruto stood up. It might be evening, but he still wanted to hurry on his way.

He was exhausted, but within that exhaustion, he found power, despite the weakness of his body. That was the former power of his fleshly body.

Of course, he couldn't utilize all of that former power. Because his life force was wasting away, he was incapable of supporting the previous level of power.

Even still, that made him like a strong, young man who caught a disease. Although he could only wield ten percent of his previous incredible power, it was still enough to give him hope. Of course, Naruto's situation was far worse than some sort of disease. His life force was wasting away, and he knew that if he allowed the power of his fleshly body to explode out, then he would surely perish.

Traveling took great effort. However, regardless of whether the sun rose or the sun set, he continued onward. The hope he placed in the Rebirth Cave was as strong as ever.

One day, he reached the end of the mountain range. As he stood at the top of one particular mountain peak, he looked out and saw a huge lake. It was at this point that he gaped.

That lake was actually large enough to be called a sea.

It was impossible for Naruto to forget that this place… was his former hometown.

This was where the Five Elements Nation had once existed. When Patriarch Reliance left, it turned into a huge pit. By now, hundreds of years had passed, and it had turned into a lake.

"So, that ship delivered me here…." he murmured. He kept walking until he reached the edge of the lake, where he stood looking out at the water. Finally, he understood.

"I was born here, and this was my starting point…." He sat down cross-legged next to the lake, stared at the water, and thought of home.

There was a boat floating next to the shore, old and dilapidated. There was also a log cabin, ancient in appearance. It didn't look like anyone had lived in it for a long time.

Dark clouds filled the sky; thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Rain… began to fall.

Naruto walked over to the cabin, sat down under the eaves, and looked out at the rain. His back was stooped, his face ancient. The rain pattered onto the lake and tapped onto the roof of the cabin. Those were the only sounds he could hear.

When evening fell, the sky turned dark. The crescent moon was mostly hidden by the clouds; only a tiny corner was visible. As the sibilant rain continued, a cold wind sprang up, blowing across the lake and causing the old, dilapidated boat to rise up and down. When the wind brushed against Naruto, he tightened his robe and looked out over the lake. There, he saw a white-robed woman walking across the water.

The instant he saw her, his eyes went wide. Then, he lowered his head.

The woman walked until she reached the shore. The rain fell around her, but didn't touch her clothing at all. She was beautiful, and had the aura of a cultivator, which gave her an otherworldly grace.

Her face was cold, and she was frowning. A bitter look could be seen in her eyes, and she seemed to be concealing great anxiety and confusion within her heart.

She was Hinata.

She had been searching for Naruto for many years, but had found nothing…. She was thinner than before, more lean.

She had followed her heart until she found this lake, which was also her former hometown.

When Naruto saw her, she also caught sight of aged Naruto. There was something strangely familiar about him, so she changed directions and headed over toward the log cabin.

"Are you the boatman here?" she asked, looking him over. Her face was filled with an expression that could cause one's heart to tremble. Naruto lowered his head and sighed inwardly.

Hinata's voice was calm, and just as cold as it had always been. However, Naruto's appearance had changed far too much. Even people very familiar with him would have a hard time recognizing him based on his physical appearance.

After a long moment, Naruto nodded.

Hinata's frown deepened. "Have you seen anyone else pass through here?" she asked. She had searched for a hundred years, and had failed repeatedly, yet had never given up. If he was alive, she wanted to see him. If he was dead, she wanted to see the corpse. If she couldn't find him… then she would just keep on searching.

Her personality was simple, but it was that very simplicity which gave her such determination.

For some reason, she had the feeling that if she couldn't find Naruto, then perhaps…she wouldn't ever be able to find her way in life again.

"I haven't seen anyone," replied Naruto levelly, shaking his head. His voice was hoarse, and sounded nothing like it had before. He was happy to be able to see Hinata, but he didn't want her to realize who he was, not when he looked like this.

What was the point? It would just lead to her waiting for him outside once of the Rebirth Cave. Then, if he never came back out, she would become a woman sorrowed because of a lifetime of gloom and listlessness.

Wouldn't it be better to forget about each other….?

Hinata looked around the area, and then sighed inwardly. After scanning Naruto with Divine Sense, all she had seen was a mortal man. And yet, she also felt something familiar that made her give him a second look over.

"Have we met before?" she asked.

"No," he replied with the shake of a head.

She gazed at him for a very long moment, and a complex look appeared in her eyes. The intense complexity turned into sorrow, and a slight tremor ran through her body.

"I'm looking for someone," she said. "My beloved. If you see him, please pass a message along for me. In this life… if he lives, then I live. If he dies, then I die!"

Bitterly, she turned and began to walk off into the downpour. Surrounded by the rainfall, wearing her white robes, she looked like a white lotus, beautiful, unsurpassed, and yet also poignant and sad.

Naruto looked at her walking away, and a gentleness appeared in his eyes. He could see her exhaustion and anxiety, and it made him sigh.

"Some people," he thought, "chose not to let anything encumber their cultivation, and are thus able to do so with minds and hearts free of obstruction. Others have hearts filled with obsession, which enables them to achieve great Daos of Heaven and Earth.

"She… started out incorruptible. It was me showing up that changed everything…"

Finally, he spoke up, his voice soft. "Hold on."

Hinata stopped in her tracks, surrounded by rain. She turned back to look at him sitting there in the shadows of the wooden eaves, ancient, old, decaying.

He continued, "Is the person you're looking for a twenty-something scholar, wearing a long green robe…?"

Hinata trembled, and after a moment of silence, she nodded.

"I saw someone who looked like that many years ago," he said, his voice hoarse. "He lived here for about a year, after which… he died and was buried. He said this place was his home.

"Before he died, he gave me a bag. He said that if anyone came looking for him, then I should give them the bag." With that, he pulled a bag of holding out of his robe and placed it off to the side.

As Hinata stood there in the rain, the water began to seep past the invisible barrier and soak her clothes. She stared deeply at Naruto, then walked back and looked blankly at the bag of holding. As she picked it up, tears filled her eyes.

Of course, it was impossible to tell how much of the water flowing down her face was rain, and how much was tears.

A bitter smile appeared on her face, and she looked back at Naruto. Finally, she turned and headed once again out into the rain, taking the bag of holding with her.

As he watched her leaving, his expression was complex, but he said nothing.

Hinata walked about seven steps before she stopped. She didn't look back, but when she spoke, her voice echoed out in all directions.

"I might be not be very smart, but… I'm not an idiot."

Naruto didn't say anything for a moment. He knew that his words couldn't fool Hinata. However, sometimes it doesn't matter what is true and what is false. Sometimes… the result is all that matters.

Naruto had hoped that instead of tormenting herself by searching for him through all eternity, she could at least cut him off. After that, she could return to her incorruptible self, simple and pure.

It is better to forget….

He closed his eyes, and his heart filled with pain.

Hinata was quiet for a while, but finally, she smiled. It was a smile of determination and resolve that contained no regret….

She lifted her hand, and the glow of a sword flew out. It stabbed into the ground, sharp and powerful, rapidly carving out a deep, rectangular pit.

At the same time, mountain crag flew out from the nearby mountainous forest. When it arrived in front of her, she waved her hand, causing it to spin in the air. The sides were then shaved away until the crag turned into a stela.

She then rubbed her hand gently across the surface, causing words to appear.

Grave of Naruto and Hinata.

A bang rang out as the stone stele sank down into the ground next to the pit. She looked back at Naruto, her eyes filled with staunchness and determination.

We met on Mount Myoboku.

Because of the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill in the Reliance Sect, and the way you called me Elder Sister, our fate was sealed forever.

That time in the Blessed Land in the Southern Domain, in my moment of despair, even the tears in my eyes could not obscure the image of you and your burning rage.

That time in the Black Sieve Sect, you appeared and helped me when my soul was on the verge of fading away. The way you smiled before we parted made my heart tremble.

That time by the Rebirth Cave, when you turned back to look at me, your image had already long since been imprinted in my heart…. I will never forget you, never!

I looked for you in the Western Desert Violet Sea. I searched for a long time, until finally my teardrop fell into the water. I don't know if you were able to feel it.

I don't know if you realized how happy I was when we met again in the Demon Immortal Sect. Those were the happiest days I've ever experienced. Life was calm, and we accompanied each other as we practiced cultivation. I was there at your side, you by mine.

Eventually, a day came in which I was incapable of practicing cultivation. My heart was in chaos, and an indescribable unease filled me. That was when… I went to look for you.

"You live, I live. You die, I die!" she said softly.

Naruto's mind trembled, and he suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes were murky, but not murky enough to hide the intensity of his gaze.

He looked at Hinata, and he looked at the gravestone. He could see her determination, and he could see her sorrow written on the surface of the gravestone.

You live, I live. You die, I die!

These were not words of endearment, they were a promise….

"I'm a simple person," she said softly, "but just because a person is simple doesn't mean they lack determination. When a person has determination… then they will never forget. The path of cultivation is a long one, and I can't keep going on alone.

"Since that's the case, let's go together to the Yellow Springs. What do you say? I can only hope that if there is another life after this one, then we will meet again." Although her voice was not loud, and the gurgle of rain filled the air, Naruto could hear her words clearly.

The trembling of his heart increased, and he stood up. He walked out from under the eaves, allowing the rain to drench him as he walked over to stand in front of Hinata.

The ground was slippery, and the wind cold. Naruto was freezing, and he looked more elderly than ever.

Hinata looked at him. To her, it didn't matter how much he had changed. To her, he was still that young man from Mount Myoboku, her Junior Brother.

Rain fell onto them, and even between them, but it couldn't stop them from looking into each other's eyes.

"Take me to the Rebirth Cave!" Naruto said. The determination in his eyes grew more intense. He wanted to keep living, and he wanted that second life from the Rebirth Cave.

He was doing it for himself, for the obsession in his heart, for Hinata, and for all of his friends and family!

Hinata smiled and nodded. She stepped forward and took hold of his hand. Despite Naruto's weakness, her face still flushed when she found herself up against his chest.

Time seemed to slow down for an eternity.

At some point, it stopped raining. A rainbow appeared in the morning sunlight, and it was beneath that rainbow that Hinata and Naruto transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Naruto could not fly, but he did have magical flight items. Under the control of Hinata, the flying shuttle transformed into what looked like the eighth color of the rainbow.

Time passed by. The flying shuttle was powerful enough that it only took ten days to fly from the Five Elements Nation to the Rebirth Cave. When they finally landed outside, Naruto's face was even more ashen than before.

The closer they got to the cave itself, the more Naruto felt his life force withering away. He was shriveling up, and the death aura that surrounded him only grew stronger.

Things were different than they had been last time he was here. Perhaps then, Gaara's presence had caused things to change from their normal state, and now that he had entered the Rebirth Cave, everything had returned to normal.

Life was prohibited.

This was the Rebirth Cave.

Living beings were not allowed.

The aura of death in the area made Naruto feel even weaker. As it thickened, however, Naruto could sense that a trace of opportunity existed within.

To experience rebirth, one's body must first die. Only after death could one have life in defiance of the Heavens!

Naruto took a deep breath and walked forward. Even as he took his first steps forward, Hinata reached out to support him. He looked back at her, and she returned the look but didn't say anything. The determination in her eyes said what thousands and thousands of words could not.

"Living beings cannot enter this place," he said softly.

She smiled faintly and then led Naruto toward the inner region of the Rebirth Cave.

As soon as they entered, Naruto became weaker than before. His body withered even faster, as if he were burning with an invisible fire. Every step forward, every step closer to the Rebirth Cave, caused his body, his soul, his everything… to waste away rapidly.

At the same time, more than ten streams of will spread out from within the Rebirth Cave. They looked coldly as Naruto and Hinata approached.

The Rebirth Cave was one of three Danger Zones in the Southern Domain. However, it ranked above the Dao Lakes and the Ancient Temple of Doom in terms of how mysterious it was!

That was because the Dao Lakes could be viewed as having been formed by ancient almighty figures who passed away in meditation. After they perished, their Daos dispersed, then experienced the vicissitudes of time, leaving behind countless shadows.

As for the Ancient Temple of Doom, its history was also a matter of record.

The Rebirth Cave was unique. To say that it was the number one Danger Zone in the Southern Domain was no exaggeration. In fact, if you looked at the entire Southern Domain as a whole, nothing was more shrouded in mystery than the Rebirth Cave. Throughout countless years, innumerable people had studied it in an attempt to pierce it secrets.

It was said that inside, one could be reborn to live another life!

For ages, many almighty experts came to the Rebirth Cave as they neared death. Not willing to follow the precepts of fate, they entered the cave to search for that opportunity. Unfortunately, those who actually succeeded were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

One thing was certain: cultivators who entered the Rebirth Cave either succeeded, or remained inside forever as nothing more than skeletons.

The Rebirth Cave was surrounded by a forest of stones, which was a bit different than how Naruto remembered it from the first time he was there. The stones were scattered haphazardly in all directions, and seemed to be imbued with ancientness and mystery, as if they passed through time in some strange and unique way.

In the very center of the forest of stones was a squat mountain, seventy percent of which was made up by the entrance to the cave. It looked like a ghastly mouth, waiting to swallow up anyone who neared.

The entire area was gloomy and cold, and the ground was covered with bluish, frosty ice. Everything was quiet, a quiet that for countless years had almost never been disturbed by anyone.

With the exception of Gaara….

There were cultivators scattered around the region of the Rebirth Cave. Most were alone, or perhaps in small groups. Such people were here to try to get close to the Rebirth Cave and use its bizarre power to cultivate certain unique techniques.

Most of them were rogue cultivators, and none dared to get too close to the cave. When Naruto and Hinata entered the area, there was a group of three such people sitting cross-legged not too far off, meditating. Their eyes opened and they looked at Naruto.

When they saw how weak he was, and the aura of death that surrounded him, their eyes glittered.

They could immediately discern exactly why he was there.

"His aura of death is thick, and he clearly has no cultivation base… Rebirth… how could it be that simple!?"

"Another person here attempting to be reborn. Although, why does that woman next to him seem so familiar?"

"That's Goddess Hinata from the Black Sieve Sect!"

Naruto left the Southern Domain hundreds of years earlier, and during that time, Hinata's name had long since spread near and far. Not only were many people familiar with her personally, she was also the focus of quite a bit of public attention because of her position within the Black Sieve Sect.

For her to appear at the Rebirth Cave was shocking to these three cultivators, and they immediately began to pay close attention. They also produced jade slips that they used to send messages and notify others of what was happening.

It took only moments for large numbers of rogue cultivators to hear the news, who then rushed over to that area of the Rebirth Cave to watch Naruto and Hinata.

The sounds of discussions echoed about, and soon, people began to speculate who the man next to Hinata was.

Hinata completely ignored all the people watching on. In her world, there was only Naruto.

It was difficult for Naruto to continue walking, but his eyes were filled with determination. His gaze was focused on the path ahead, and on Hinata, who held his arm to support him. Together, they proceeded onward.

Occasionally they would look at each other and smile. Naruto's expression was gentle; Hinata's eyes were filled with tenderness. If this path were the road of life, then the two of them walked it side by side.

It was not an easy path to follow. They were 30,000 meters away from the Rebirth Cave itself when Naruto began to shiver. The death aura now covered his entire body, and he looked almost exactly like a corpse.

His face was ancient, and his eyes deeply clouded. Next to him, Hinata was also showing signs of aging.

Her eyes were as resolute as ever, though, and every time Naruto looked over at her, his heart filled with pulses of tender affection.

30,000 meters. 2,000 meters. 20,000 meters…. When they were only 15,000 meters away, Naruto's mind filled with intense exhaustion. He knew that by this point, the aura of death had entered into his soul.

Hinata was trembling, and her face was pale. Her life force had once been vigorous and strong, but now, it was rapidly fading, to the extent that random streaks of white could be seen in her long black hair.

She looked at least five years older than she had before, and the further along she proceeded, the more she seemed to wilt.

Naruto stopped walking and looked over at her. It was clear that he didn't want her to proceed along any further.

"If you grow old, then I'll grow old with you," she said softly, gazing at him with a tender expression.

He closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened, they glowed with a brilliant light. His withered body suddenly seemed to be filled with energy, as if the last sparks of his life force had been unleashed. He lifted his right hand, and power surged within him.

This was the last bit of power that he could unleash from his Spirit Severing fleshly body. He waved his sleeve, and power wrapped around Hinata, sending her flying out from within the Rebirth Cave area.

She was powerless to even struggle. Naruto's Spirit Severing strength sent her away in the blink of an eye. When she reappeared, she was outside of the region of the Rebirth Cave. She bit down on her lip.

She couldn't help but think back to the last time she and Naruto were here by the Rebirth Cave. She had only been able to stand there alone off in the distance, struggling inwardly as she watched him depart.

"This time, I won't sit by idly!" she thought, her eyes filling with determination.

Meanwhile, Naruto's aura had exploded out, filling the rogue cultivators in the area with complete shock. They instantly felt an incredible, indescribable pressure weighing down on them.

Their minds trembled and their faces fell. One by one, they looked in the direction of the Rebirth Cave.

"Is this being caused by that old man?"

"Is it that guy who was walking with Goddess Hinata?"

"What cultivation base is that? Don't tell me… it's Spirit Severing!"

At the same time, Naruto's body transformed into a prismatic beam of light that shot toward the Rebirth Cave 15,000 meters away.

In the blink of an eye, he passed the 10,000 meter mark, and was at the border of the forest of stones. It was at this point that Naruto's body trembled as the last bit of his cultivation base power scattered thanks to the power of the stones in the forest. He dropped to the ground and leaned up against one of the stones. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes blurry.

He felt an indescribable aura of death in the area. It was so strong that it turned into a white mist that covered the ground in all directions. Every inhalation and exhalation was filled with death and decay.

After a long moment, he struggled to lift up his head and then looked at the remaining 5,000 meters that lay between him and the Rebirth Cave. He gritted his teeth and slowly began to walk forward, one step at a time….

Never before in his life had 5,000 meters been such a difficult distance to cross. After walking only about 1,500 meters, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, which was purplish-black and exuded an aura of rot.

His eyes were even more cloudy than before, and his body was ice cold and stiff. His consciousness was fading, and the only thing he could think about was walking forward….

He proceeded on toward the Rebirth Cave, where he would struggle for his chance to be reborn.

He didn't know how much time had passed. He walked on, trembling, his death aura growing stronger with every step. In the end, his consciousness grew even weaker. Behind him, the path he had walked was stained with the purplish-black blood that he had coughed up, although he couldn't see that.

Everything was quiet, as quiet as a world of death….

Inside the Rebirth Cave, the ten streams of will stared at him coldly. From further within the depths of the cave, eight other streams of will emerged to sweep over him. They were filled with the feeling of ancientness and time, as if they were archaic divine beings.

As Naruto got closer and closer. He walked on further until he was only 500 meters away. It was at this point that a single stream of will silently appeared deep within the Rebirth Cave. When it did, all the other streams of will scattered, trembling.

The solitary stream of will focused on Naruto, 500 meters outside of the cave.

Eventually, Naruto reached his limit. A tremor ran through him; his head began to sag, and his knees were so stiff they couldn't bend. He looked almost like a dried up corpse.

There was no life force left in him, only a tiny strand that was his stubborn determination to resist fate!

However, as his consciousness faded, even that strand turned dark. He fell to the ground, 250 meters away from the Rebirth Cave.

"Is it over…?" he murmured as his consciousness disappeared.

In the moment that he fell, a sigh could be heard echoing out from within the cave. All of the wills present slowly retracted, apparently no longer interested in what was happening. Only the solitary will from earlier remained, looking at something behind Naruto.

Then, the wills which had retreated just now slowly began to tremble. All of them appeared once again, to look at what was behind Naruto.

Within the white mist of death, a woman could be seen trudging along. Each step was taken with difficulty as she entered the forest of stones. Her life force seemed to be filled with determination, dredged up from some unknown place within her.

Her body was slowly withering, her cultivation base dim, and her previously lovely features now elderly as she walked slowly toward Naruto.

This was Hinata.

She was different than Naruto, who had lost his Dao foundation. Her once flourishing life force had been fused with the soul of Matriarch Phoenix. Therefore, she could proceed further in toward the Rebirth Cave than he could. To her, it was just a matter of struggling forward.

When she looked down at fallen Naruto, within whom no life force existed, tears began to stream down her face. She gently lifted him up so that he lay against her, then tenderly kissed him.

A strand of life force emerged from within her, passing through her lips into his mouth. Her face flushed with an unusual redness, within which would be seen weakness, but also life.

"This is a secret art from the Demon Immortal Sect… I give you my life…." As she watched Naruto once again filling with a bit of life, she smiled. Then she thought back to the time they had walked through the Reliance Sect in the moonlight, watched by everyone.

She looked up toward the Rebirth Cave 250 meters away, and then began to walk forward, carrying him in her arms.

Her face continued to grow more wrinkled, and her body trembled. Her life force was fading away, and yet with every step she took, she continued to pass some of it to Naruto.

Every time she did, she grew weaker and older. Yet no regret existed in her heart whatsoever.

Carrying Naruto, she walked the entire 250 meters, all the way to the entrance of the Rebirth Cave. Then, without any hesitation…

She walked in.

You live, I live. You die, I die!

If you grow old, then I'll grow old with you….

Hinata was smiling, and it was beautiful. Although her hair was white and her face covered with wrinkles, her smile was as beautiful as ever.

She gazed softly at Naruto, and a glow filled her face that could almost be described as holy. She appeared to be seeing everything that had happened on Mount Myoboku and in the Reliance Sect. Each scene ended with Naruto, and when that happened, her eyes seemed to fill with all of the love that existed in her life.

She had a simple personality, and was not the type of person to allow the seeds of love to be planted easily. However, once those seeds were planted… they existed for a lifetime.

She held Naruto in her arms as she walked forward step by step, directly into the ghastly cave mouth in the side of the mountain, the Rebirth Cave.

Stepping into the cave was like passing through the barrier that existed between life and death. In that instant, everything turned black, and no more warmth existed. There was not even a scrap of the life that existed in Heaven and Earth. The only thing that remained was stifling death and infinite coldness.

The outside of the Rebirth Cave, and the inside of the cave, were two different worlds.

One was a world of life, the other was a world of death.

When Hinata carried Naruto inside, all of the wills inside the cave retreated back into the recesses of the cave to watch from afar.

To them, when Naruto and Hinata were on the outside, they were people from a different world. Not only were they envious and jealous of them, they also scorned and disdained them.

But now that Hinata had carried Naruto into the Rebirth Cave, they were all the same, and all existed in the same world.

Here, there was no power of Heaven and Earth. When living things entered the cave, their life force would fade away even more rapidly than before. When it disappeared, when they were inundated with death, then all they could do was wait for the supposed… awakening.

Hinata walked onward with Naruto, her face pale, her body trembling. Her life force was rapidly fading away, and as for the single strand that existed within Naruto, it would soon be completely gone.

In the moment when Naruto's strand of life disappeared, Hinata kissed his lips again, delivering more of her own life force… into him.

By the time she had walked a few dozen meters into the cave, Hinata's face was completely ancient, and her body was extremely withered. She was thin and emaciated, with no trace of youth left in her at all. She had lost everything.

She sat down cross-legged.

"Naruto," she murmured, "I can't go any further…." He now lay resting across her legs, his face devoid of blood, his features ancient. She looked down at him. "When I joined the Reliance Sect, I had already promised myself that I would never marry anyone, not for my entire life. I would not become someone's beloved. Instead, I would focus solely on cultivation…." She stroked his face with a hand that had once been as lustrous as jade, but was now dried up and old.

"But then you came along…." she said. Her face flushed a bit as she looked at him for a long moment. Then she leaned down and kissed him again, delivering more of her life force.

As the life force entered him, a bit of color returned to his face. On the other hand, Hinata's only became more withered. The amount of life force she had was only growing less and less.

"You had only been in the sect for a short time when you happened to get that medicinal pill," she murmured. "When you ended up giving the pill to me as a gift… my face was calm, but my heart was actually filled with joy.

"Not because of you, but because of the pill." She smiled. "I gave you the Immortal's cave because I figured it would make us even. But then, you crafty little fox, you managed to entangle me even further. You got your hands on a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill…." When she thought back to everything that had happened back then, her smile grew sweeter, and she gently stroked Naruto's cheek.

"Did you know that when you killed Kiba, I secretly helped to make sure no one found out? Down to this day, I don't think you ever realized that.

"And then you opened your shop in the sect…. Ai. If I wasn't there… well, let's just say that by that time a lot of people had taken an interest in you." Hinata wanted to smile, but suddenly was overtaken by a fit of coughing. Fearful of disturbing Naruto, she covered her mouth. When she lowered her hand, it was covered with purplish blood.

"If the Reliance Sect hadn't been destroyed, I wonder how things would have turned out…. When I was taken to the Black Sieve Sect, I was met with coldness. Everything was strange, and I had to deal with that malicious Elder Brother….

"Back then, I really missed the Reliance Sect, and I missed the Five Elements Nation. I missed… you." She looked down, and delivered another strand of life force to Naruto.

Her face was pale white, and her body frail and withered. She looked like a lamp that was on the verge of flickering out, and she was well aware that every bit of life force she gave to Naruto caused her own death to approach even more quickly.

Right now, she could still abandon Naruto. If she left the Rebirth Cave, because of her special soul, she could easily return to the outside world and recover all of her life force.

But she did not do that. Nor did she regret the decision.

"You don't know it," she murmured, "but when I saw you in the crowds of people, at first, I thought I was dreaming…. Then, in my moment of despair in the ancient Blessed Land, you appeared. From that moment on, you were in my heart.

"Not long after, you saved me again, from the discarnate soul of Matriarch Phoenix.

"Later, outside the Rebirth Cave, I could only weep as I watched you disappear into the distance. My heart hurt so bad….

"When I went to the Violet Sea, I couldn't find you, but I could sense that you were so close….

"Finally, I saw you again in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Naruto… I was so happy then. Thank you." She looked down at him for a long moment.

She didn't speak very often about how she felt, but her actions showed how deeply her love went. Anyone in Heaven and Earth who could have a companion like this could die without any regrets.

"Naruto, I can't hold on much longer…." She was not a flickering lamp any more. She had reached the end of the road. If she closed her eyes now, then she would never open them again.

Perhaps if she closed her eyes, then years later, someone would come into the Rebirth Cave to find their bodies. A woman, sitting cross-legged. A man, reclining across her legs.

One sleeping. The other smiling. Through all eternity….

"You live, I live. You die, I die….

"If you grow old, then I'll grow old with you.

"If you slumber here, then I will accompany you…." Hinata lowered her head and began to deliver the last bits of life force she had to Naruto through a kiss.

As the life force left her, she shivered, and her hair began to fall out. Everything started to go blurry. However, she gritted her teeth and once again prepared to give some more.

By this point, even all of the observing streams of will were shaken by what they saw. It was then that the stream of will that belonged to the roc suddenly emerged, transforming into a woman.

She stood there in front of Hinata, indescribably striking and matchlessly beautiful.

She was the embodiment of the roc. She came from the bones that existed in the coffin in the Milky Way Sea. She was… the goodness of the Resurrection Lily that had reached Immortal Ascension at dawn.

Back then, she had fallen in love with a man. From that moment on, she willingly sank into depravity. Because she faced pain and sorrow, she took her goodness and severed it away. Then she became the Dawn Immortal.

That goodness now appeared in front of Hinata, in the form of this woman.

"If you keep that up, your soul will scatter," said the woman softly.

Despite her muddled consciousness, Hinata heard the woman's words and looked up.

"If you keep it up, you will lose your life for all eternity…." The woman looked down at Hinata, and almost seemed to be looking down at herself. "From time immemorial, the League of Demon Sealers have been heartless. Is it really worth it to do what you're doing?"

"I don't know if it's worth it or not," murmured Hinata. "I only know that without him in my life, then I can only live a life of pain. In that case, why not die together? I don't fear death. What I fear is the pain of being alone."

The woman seemed to shiver, and she looked down thoughtfully at Hinata. Finally, she sighed softly. "You'll regret it."

Hinata smiled but didn't say anything. She was confident in her heart.

"Don't believe me, huh…?" said the woman. "I didn't believe either. Well, in that case, I'll help you to see. We will find out who is right, you, or me." A strange light began to glow in the woman's eyes.

"You have the vestiges of a discarnate soul on you," continued the woman, "as well as the Daoist magic of the Black Sieve Sect. Within the Black Sieve Sect is a precious medicinal pill. It's called the Soul Birth Pill. If you can get that pill, then he will have a chance to live." With that, the woman waved her sleeve, causing an cold wind to spring up around Hinata. It picked her up and carried her far off into the distance, out of the Rebirth Cave and into the world of the living, all the way to the vicinity of the Black Sieve Sect.

When the wind faded away, Hinata stood there ashen-faced. Her consciousness was no longer muddled, and she looked like her old self. She turned her head to look back toward the Rebirth Cave, and began to breathe heavily. Then she turned and headed toward the Black Sieve Sect.

Back in the Rebirth Cave, the woman stood next to Naruto, looking at him.

"Is there really such a thing as rebirth…?

"I have been to every corner of this cave. I left no rock unturned. And I can tell you… there is no rebirth in this place.

"The only thing here is a Ninth Mountain and Sea lodestone. It fell here countless years ago, and enables souls around it to exist forever and cultivate Ghost Immortality.

"Rebirth, ah, rebirth…. It's a beautiful dream, and nothing more. It's merely a fiction, invented by people who aren't willing to die.

"The rosy picture such stories paint gradually obscured the truth, from one generation to the next…." The woman's voice was strange and filled with bitterness, as well as exhaustion. As she lost herself in memories of the past, her body gradually faded away.

Naruto lay there in the silence. He had no more consciousness, and everything around him was still. It was so quiet that it seemed as if no voices had existed in the area since ancient times.

Without the support of Hinata's life force, Naruto's own life force was rapidly diminishing. After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn… it had completely vanished.

Within him, Immortal Shows the Way also withered, and gradually lost any usefulness to him. When that happened, a tall man sitting cross-legged deep within the Rebirth Cave looked up and sighed.

"There really is no rebirth in this place," he said. "There is only a Ninth Mountain and Sea lodestone….

"So, he is not the one who can help me…. Who have I been waiting for, then?"

"Where is the person I've been waiting for…?" This man was none other than Gaara.

Half a month passed by.

Hinata did not return.

Naruto lay surrounded by coldness and deathly silence. He did not decompose, nor would he for some time. His body lay there, completely lacking any life force whatsoever.

He was dead.

Normally speaking, his soul could enter the cycle of reincarnation. However, because of the Ninth Mountain and Sea lodestone that existed in the Rebirth Cave, the soul was sealed, and could not dissipate. Furthermore, his soul did not leave his body, preventing the soul-devouring entities from doing anything other than look at him.

As time passed, they were able to see that within Naruto was a strand of silk wrapped tightly around his soul.

As long as the silk did not break, the larva could not be destroyed. As long as the larva was not destroyed, the silk could not break!

Life or death hung by a thread… the thread of the eyeless larva! It allowed the existence of Naruto's soul to be forever preserved, even if his body perished. From these seemingly contradictory circumstances arose a state of undeath which was virtually unheard of in Heaven and Earth!

In some ways, it conformed with the Soul Divergence Incantation. However, it was not rebirth.

Another half month passed, and finally, someone appeared outside of the Rebirth Cave.

It was not Hinata. It was a fat, middle-aged man. He had a somewhat bawdy look to him, and his body was almost like a sphere. He had freckles on his face, and the Daoist robe he wore was a bit too tight. The way his body bulged out of it made his whole image seem disharmonious.

Apparently, however, he thought of himself as burly and muscular. A greatsword could be seen strapped to his back, and it glittered with golden light.

This was the same Fatty from years ago, Choji.

He was alone, shivering as he moved at high speed into the region surrounding the Rebirth Cave. His face quickly turned pale.

"Dangit, I'm gonna be dead meat! Naruto, you jerk, your cons are going to be the death of me!

"And Elder Sister Hinata, aiiiii…" Fatty looked upset, but his steps didn't pause for even a moment. Even though his life force was dissipating rapidly, he shot forward at top speed.

When he reached the 3,000 meter mark, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Immediately, multi-colored beams of light shot out from inside of him. Within each beam of light could be seen the image of a meditating old man.

"I'm the only heir of my bloodline in the Golden Frost Sect, fools!" bellowed Fatty. "I might not have many kinds of treasures on me, but there's one thing I have a lot of, and that is life-saving treasures!" It was impossible to say how many life-saving treasures Fatty actually had on his person, but as of this moment, vast amounts appeared as he passed into the 1,500 meter area.

By this time, the glow that surrounded him was starting to fade away. His body no longer looked like a sphere. His flesh withered, and in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly much skinnier.

"Naruto is my big bro. For him, all of my precious flesh is disappearing… Uh… well, a bit of gorging will restore it." With a howl, Fatty shot into the 1,000 meter mark. By now, he was was so skinny that he looked like a normal person. At the same time, cracking sounds could be heard coming from his body.

Those would be his numerous lifesaving treasures treasures being destroyed.

"Dammit, still 1,000 meters to go. The only reason Elder Sister Hinata is in such a heartbreaking situation is because of Naruto. I don't even know if she's still alive…. Everything is up to me now. If I can't get through, then I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" Choji's eyes were completely bloodshot. Roaring, he pulled out more life-saving treasures and, ignoring the rapid withering of his body, continued on, pushing forward another 250 meters.

By that point, his life force was reaching the limit. His vision was growing blurry and dark. If he went any further, he would die.

Actually, the only reason he was able to make it this far was because of all the magical items, and the fact that earlier, he had consumed vast quantities of medicinal pills designed to invigorate his life force.

"750 meters!" Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at the squat mountain up ahead. Although he seemed unaffected on the outside, the truth was, when he learned about Naruto's situation, he had dropped everything to rush to this place where life was prohibited. Clearly, in his heart, Naruto really was his big bro!

Naruto was the same big bro from back in the Reliance Sect, when they had first started practicing cultivation together.

"Naruto, I've done my best!" Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he lifted up his right hand. In his palm rested a black pill bottle, which was surrounded by a rotating black halo. As soon as the pill bottle appeared, the death aura in the area rapidly increased.

At the same time, the wills that lurked in the depths of the Rebirth Cave emerged. They swirled about inside the cave, staring at the pill bottle in Fatty's hand.

Fatty gritted his teeth and then hurled the pill bottle toward the Rebirth Cave. It transformed into a black beam that shot directly into the mouth of the cave.

Fatty coughed up a mouthful of purplish-black blood. His body continuing to wither, he turned and transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance. Tears continued to stream down his face as he flew away.

"Naruto, you have to be reborn…. You must come out of there!"

Back in the Rebirth Cave, the pill bottle landed on the ground. The wills approached and were about to begin fighting over it when the cold snort of a woman could be heard. Although no outsider would be able to detect it, the wills could hear it clearly, and they instantly began to tremble.

At the same time, an overbearing will emerged from the depths of the cave to sweep up the pill bottle. It then transformed into the very same woman who had sent Hinata out of the cave.

She looked around, and the other streams of will scattered, returning to their various places of origin within the Rebirth Cave. The woman turned back around and walked up to Naruto's corpse. She looked him over and then looked at the pill bottle.

She said nothing for a long moment.

Hinata had not returned, which was something the woman assumed would happen when she sent her away. Except, she had assumed that love-smitten Hinata, after regaining some clarity and having more options to pick from, would hesitate about the difficult decision.

She had assumed that Hinata would choose to protect her own life.

But now that the pill bottle had appeared, this woman, the embodiment of the goodness of the Resurrection Lily, suddenly felt her heart trembling.

"She didn't come," the woman said softly, "but she sent someone in her stead to deliver the pill. And that person had strange, incredible treasures to prevent his soul from dissipating…." Although she didn't know the details, she could guess what had happened. Poor Hinata had paid an indescribable price to get her hands on the medicinal pill.

The woman sighed.

"My life has been one of sorrow….

"There is no rebirth here. Perhaps there is no rebirth at all. But I did give her my promise, after all….

"I have already existed for far, far too long, and no longer desire to live.

"Since that is the case, why not help her achieve her aim?" The woman looked at the pill bottle in her hand. After a long moment, she suddenly clenched her hand into a fist. The pill bottle shattered with a bang, and a medicinal pill flew out, which the woman immediately consumed.

Instantly, her previously illusory body suddenly became material. Shockingly, she now possessed flesh and blood.

"It feels good to have a flesh and blood body again, even if it's temporary…." she said softly. This time, her voice was real.

"I will help her achieve her aim. Then she will see whether faithful people truly exist. She will see what decision this final successor of the League of Demon Sealers will make when it comes time to sever emotion.

"The reason I am saving you is not for your sake, but for her," she said softly. "When the time comes, we will see whether or not she will become like me.

"I take my promises very seriously. It is with the same faithfulness that I treated HIM, all those years ago, that I will treat this girl who wishes to follow in my footsteps.

"I did not come to the Rebirth Cave to look for death, but rather, rebirth. I wanted to have a chance at a new self. I wanted to sever the past, and finally be free when I emerged.

"But this place… has no rebirth!

"What does exist here, though, is my long life… which I can use to extend the broken bridge of your life force!" The woman made a grasping gesture toward the depths of the Rebirth Cave, toward a three hundred meter wide black boulder, half of which was buried in the dirt.

The black rock trembled and shook until a piece of it tore off of the top, which then flew toward the woman.

She grabbed it and crushed it, transforming it into a black powder that she sprinkled over Naruto's body.

At the same time, she performed an incantation gesture. Her eyes filled with a look of reminiscence as she recalled beautiful memories. After a long moment of silence, she pushed two fingers down onto the forehead of Naruto's stiff, withered corpse.

As soon as her fingers touched his forehead, his previously unmoving body suddenly spasmed. In the same moment, the woman began to slowly wither, starting with her feet.

Her life force, her vitality, her everything, poured through her two fingers into Naruto.

She looked up into the blackness around them, and images appeared in her mind. She saw herself, and the man who she could never forget.

"You live, I live. You die, I die…. I spoke words like that too," she murmured. Her body continued to wither, whereas Naruto's was recovering. He was no longer ancient, and signs of life could be seen within him.

"Back then, I looked at you and you looked at me….

"From that day on, I accompanied you. I followed you through so many deadly situations….

"Every time you were hurt, I felt pain. Every time you smiled, I was happy. I know… that you tried to part with me on more than one occasion, but your reluctance held you back." Her legs were now withered, almost like roots connected to the ground. Her life force poured into Naruto, causing his hair to grow long, his face to flush with life. He was not old any more, but rather, middle-aged.

The life force gathered up in Naruto, filling up what had once been empty.

"I also know that you had your wife, your Sect, your responsibilities, and your mission. You had everything that was yours.

"But I… really only had you.

"Even my name was given to me by you. I liked it when you called me Da Nu….

"If you grow old, I'll grow old with you. I also said the same thing." The woman's voice was soft as she spoke, filled with beauty and mystery and pain. By now, her body was almost completely withered. Because of the life force she was giving to Naruto, he was now a young man again. Except for the fact that his eyes were not open, he looked exactly as he had so many years ago.

"There is only one thing that I said which she didn't.

"If you reach Immortal Ascension, then I… will become Immortal with you!

"I never broke your heart. I would never, ever hurt you. But on that particular dawn, on the day of vicissitudes, when I saw you severing your emotions, I wept….

"I took all the goodness that was in me, and left it in a coffin in the Milky Way Sea. I don't blame you….

"If something is to blame, it is that I am not a real woman, but only… a Resurrection Lily who fell in love with you."

The image of herself in her eyes suddenly was that of a beautiful Resurrection Lily, planted deep within the body of a man. After being inside of him for countless years, she… fell in love with her own host.

Far away in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, in a random village, a somewhat sloppily-dressed painter was looking askance at a rich man who fawned over him with endless words.

"Immortal, sir, I beg of you to paint me. I'm willing to pay any price."

"My paintings are very expensive," was the response.

The rich man nodded enthusiastically, then waved to his retainers to carry over several large chests.

The old painter glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, then cleared his throat. "Well, it seems that the two of us are connected by destiny. Because of that, I'll paint something for you."

He was just about to begin painting when a frown appeared on his face.

"Something just came up," he said. "I need to take a mental journey. Please wait for a moment." With that, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

The rich man didn't dare to disturb him, and simply stood there off to the side, waiting.

Back in the Southern Domain, in the Rebirth Cave, Da Nu looked off into the nothingness, lost in her memories.

She was a lily that had bloomed with seven colors. On the day of vicissitudes, she had reached Immortal Ascension. However, she mistakenly fell in love with her host. When she reached Immortal Ascension, she severed her goodness and buried it at the bottom of the Milky Way Sea.

On that day, her tears had merged into the Milky Way Sea, and she became… the Dawn Immortal.

As for her goodness, it remained at the bottom of the Milky Way Sea, the same Da Nu as before.

Many years later, she emerged from the coffin and entered into the body of the fish. When she splashed out from the water, she became a roc that flew toward the Rebirth Cave, emanating an intense aura of death.

That aura of death came from her dead heart.

In the Rebirth Cave, she had hoped to experience a baptism, a rebirth, to become new. But no matter how she searched, there was no rebirth to be found in the Rebirth Cave. It was then that she understood. The Rebirth Cave was nothing more than a fantasy.

She could not achieve rebirth, so she remained there, submerged in her memories. No one in the world could understand her pain. But then she saw Hinata, and when she did, she realized that Hinata was just like herself all those years ago.

She sighed. The memories flashing in her mind's eye seemed to grow more beautiful. In contrast, her body was already more than half withered up, like a dying flower.

The hand that touched Naruto's forehead was visibly draining as her boundless life force poured into his body. He was now completely recovered, and didn't look old at all.

Inside of him, glowing motes of light appeared. They packed together densely, interlocking to form into the shape of an arched bridge.

However… the bridge was incomplete. In the very middle, there was a broken section, making it impossible for the bridge to be whole.

Those motes of light were the life force that Da Nu was sending into Naruto, and that bridge was none other than the Bridge of Life!

"I don't blame you…." murmured Da Nu softly. Her eyes were blank, her mind submerged into memories that no one could see.

Her entire arm was now dried up. The withering spread to her neck. It looked almost like tendrils, climbing up to her forehead, and eventually covering her entire head. When the tendrils reached her eyes, she was thinking about the first time she had met her host.

In that moment, he had looked at her, and she him. It was a moment that seemed as if it would last an eternity.

"I have never blamed you…." When the withering took Da Nu's eyes, two teardrops fell. They rolled down her withered face and then landed on the ground with a soft patter.

Her eyes grew listless, and she closed them. Then she lifted up the hand that was pushing down onto Naruto's forehead. After a moment, she softly struck his head.

The blow seemed light, but the force hit him like lightning. He trembled violently, and roaring filled his mind.

The countless nodes of light inside of him that formed the Bridge of Life suddenly vibrated and then expanded. In that moment, the two sides of the bridge linked together, and it was whole.

When the Bridge of Life was complete, Naruto's body spasmed in unprecedented fashion. He suddenly breathed again. His previously still heart began to emit a thumping sound.

When his heart started beating, the powder Da Nu had created from the Ninth Mountain and Sea lodestone swept toward his chest and fused into his heart.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump!

His heart continued to beat, and the sound of it echoed throughout the Rebirth Cave. Suddenly, an incredible gravitation force exploded out inside of his heart.

At the same time, his soul, which had been wrapped up by the Eyeless Larva silk, was caught up by the gravitational force. It merged into his heart, and then was superimposed over his body.

In this moment, the Bridge of Life was thoroughly linked and whole. Blinding light shone out to fill the Rebirth Cave, dispelling all of the darkness. The resplendent light was dazzling to the extreme.

Naruto's blood began to flow. His life force was vigorous! His soul was back in place! He had returned to life!

His eyes snapped open.

The first thing he saw was Da Nu. He saw her withered body, and felt his own surging life force. He could immediately sense the connection between it and the woman.

His mind trembled. If by this point he couldn't understand what had happened, then his over two hundred years of life would have been lived in vain. It was obvious that this woman had given him her own life force.

"Senior…."

Da Nu looked at him, and her eyes suddenly flickered open. "I gave you life, not for you, but for her."

An image suddenly appeared in his mind.

He saw himself fall down outside the Rebirth Cave, and he saw Hinata arrive. She picked him up and struggled to carry him forward. She had once been beautiful, but now, her hair was white and she was ancient. Purplish-black blood oozed out of the corners of her mouth.

And yet, no regret could be seen in her eyes. She looked at Naruto with gentleness and determination.

He watched as Hinata used her own life force to sustain him. Every time she delivered her life force to him, it would keep him alive for a bit longer, and make her weaker.

However, her smile never faded.

When he saw these things, Naruto trembled. He watched Hinata carry him into the Rebirth Cave and sit down cross-legged. He watched her stroke his face.

Hinata was ancient, her hair white, and yet she continued to give him her life force, one bit at a time, no matter the consequences to herself.

"You live, I live. You die, I die!"

Tears streamed down Naruto's face. Next, he saw Da Nu appear. She sent Hinata away…. And then Fatty came to deliver the medicinal pill.

All of these things struck into his heart and mind like lightning. He trembled violently, and an intense dread suddenly filled him.

"Why… why didn't Hinata bring it herself?" Naruto didn't dare to think about it. He jerked his head up to look at Da Nu.

At the same time, he rose to his feet. Inside, he knew… something bad had happened to Hinata!

He had to go find her! He had to find Hinata!

However, in the moment that he stood, his face suddenly fell, and he stood there, terror-stricken and motionless. His hands clenched tightly into fists as he realized that he was constrained to the absolute limit.

He shivered ceaselessly as he remembered that he had no cultivation base. He was completely empty….

"There is no such thing as rebirth…." murmured Da Nu to herself. Her body was almost completely withered. She looked at Naruto and was just about to deliver the last of her life force to him, and then slip into death, when…

Suddenly, everything began to shake and rumble!

A black mist sprang out from within the depths of the Rebirth Cave. It quickly filled every corner of the cave, as well as the area hundreds of thousands of meters surrounding the cave, turning it all into a world of black mist.

The black mist rose up into the sky, shockingly transforming into an enormous head. The head had black hair, and its facial features were blurry, but it was clearly immeasurably ancient.

"Who said there is no such thing as rebirth!?" growled the voice.

Da Nu looked up, and her eyes filled with a strange light. She had lived inside the Rebirth Cave for many years, and had visited all the areas within, but she had never sensed anything like this black mist.

Even more shocked was Gaara. He could hear the voice from his position deep in the cave, and it filled his mind with roaring. He shot to his feet, his face covered with astonishment. He had also been concealed in the cave for many years, and was very familiar with every inch of the place. However, he was completely unaware that anything like this existed inside!

"Who is this?" he thought with a gasp. He suddenly realized that the Rebirth Cave… was not at all how he had believed it to be.

There were mysteries here… that even he couldn't detect.

"The Dao of rebirth exists outside of the laws of Heaven and Earth. You can't feel it, that's all….

"On this day, you chose death to help this person. That… is true rebirth!

"Rebirth is a death and a life, a cycle. Henceforth, he will represent you on the path of cultivation. You die for him in the cycle of reincarnation. That… is true rebirth!

"If you understand, then you can free yourself from your worldly concerns. If you don't understand, then… your next life will be one of darkness."

Da Nu's body quivered in shock and her breathing grew ragged. She listened to the voice's words and her eyes gradually flashed with signs of comprehension.

"Rebirth…. Senior, please instruct me." She slowly closed her eyes, and in that moment, completely withered up, transforming into a Resurrection Lily, right there in the Rebirth Cave.

"Goodness personified, and in the end you still perform good deeds, imbuing your very breath into his body. You are the embodiment of truth and law…. Because of this, I will help you this one time!" Even as the voice echoed about, the black mist contracted. It began to congeal inside of the Rebirth Cave, next to the Resurrection Lily, where it turned into a brush. The brush moved about, seemingly using the air as its canvas to paint an extremely realistic Resurrection Lily.

The brush swished, and the illusory Resurrection Lily settled onto Da Nu's withered body.

"Sleep for 10,000 years. After that, if you can awaken, then you will be reborn." As the voice echoed out, the black mist seemed to turn its attention onto Gaara, who was deep in the recesses of the Rebirth Cave.

Gaara's mind trembled.

"You are a soul who has experienced many years of life, and many reincarnations. You have relied on your persistence to reach this day…. Continue on. I can sense something very familiar about you."

Gaara began to pant. "Are you…."

Before he could finish speaking, the mist seethed, and Gaara was suddenly swept up. He had no control over his body as he was ejected out of Planet Lands of Ninshu and sent out into the starry sky.

"Regardless of whether or not the person you are waiting for is here," said the voice, "if all you know how to do is use others, then if the time ever comes in which you can bring back to life that person who exists in your heart, well… you will feel only regret. Leave. When the time comes that you understand, you can return here."

Back in the Rebirth Cave, everything was quiet. The mist spun around and around, and a figure seemed to become visible, looking at Naruto.

Trembling, Naruto rose to his feet and walked to the mouth of the Rebirth Cave. Although he was merely alive as a mortal now, he still… had a promise to keep.

You live, I live. You die, I die!

In the moment in which Naruto was about to step foot out of the Rebirth Cave, the blurry figure behind him coolly said, "Why do you care about the Perfect stratum so much anyway?"

A tremor ran through Naruto. He turned around and looked at the misty figure behind him. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of insanity, albeit a silent insanity.

"Do you remember me?" The misty figure gradually grew clear to reveal an old man. He looked ordinary, and yet, within the ordinariness was an indescribably extraordinary disposition.

"Senior Sai?" said Naruto, trembling. Of course, he instantly recognized that this man was Sai.

Sai. Whoever existed in his memory could not be destroyed by the Karmic Severing of the Hebi Clan.

"The Perfect stratum is great and all, but it's only a foundation. The ignorant masses think that the Perfect Foundation is the most supreme. It comes from the three classic scriptures, and can qualify you to become a Doyen!

"But! As far as I'm concerned, the Perfect stratum is like a leafy branch. It spreads throughout your body and eventually blooms with flowers that turn into Dao Fruit. That fruit is the key to being truly supreme!

"You may have lost your foundation, but the Dao Fruit is still there. Why are you acting like what you lost was the important part?!"

Naruto was startled, and his mind filled with an intense roaring. "Dao Fruit?!"

"Of course, Dao Fruit," replied Sai coolly. "The whole purpose of the Perfect stratum is to solidify the Dao Fruit of Perfection!

"That Dao Fruit of Perfection is none other than the Supreme stratum. And yet, that stratum also counts for little!" He swished his sleeve.

"Above the Supreme stratum is the Eternal!

"That is the true pinnacle of these strata. Shattered, Fractured, Flawless, Perfect, Dao Fruit, Eternal. These are the six great strata of any stage of cultivation. You only reached Perfect.

"To achieve the Dao Fruit, you need to sever your Perfection!

"As for the Eternal… you already meet the requirements; someone even severed your Perfection for you already. Why is your heart… still imprisoned? Why… don't you just go ahead with your Second Severing?" Sai's voice echoed like thunder in Naruto's ears, giving rise to enormous waves within his mind.

Naruto's brain reeled, his body shook, and an unprecedentedly bright light shone in his eyes. Sai's words thoroughly crushed all traces of his muddlement. It was as if in the darkest of nights, a ray of bright light suddenly pierced through the blackness of his world.

"Dao Fruit…. Dao Fruit…." thought Naruto, panting. "Sever Perfection, achieve Dao Fruit!

"Madara took away my Perfect Foundation. However, that Perfection… completely preoccupied my heart! Therefore, this time, I will Sever… my heart!

"Sever away the Perfection in my heart!

"When I had my cultivation base, I could sever it. Without a cultivation base… who is to say that… I can't still Sever it!?

"Spirit Severing. Spirit Severing. What is Severed is the spirit. What is Severed is the heart. This… is my second blade of Spirit Severing!

"Sever away the Perfect stratum. Sever the past. Carve out my Perfect Dao Fruit!" A boom could be heard in Naruto's mind as he gained enlightenment. Although he clearly possessed no cultivation base, a billowing aura shot towards the sky.

Within that aura appeared Heavenly transformations, roiling clouds, and seething winds. Shockingly, precursors of the descent of a great Dao's reverberated out, something he had previously experienced in the Milky Way Sea.

In that instant, the sky above all regions of the Southern Domain exploded into motion. Winds surged, lightning cracked, thunder boomed. Every expert in the Southern Domain was shocked, and countless people looked up into the sky in amazement.

At the same time, in the starry sky outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu, from inside the Ninth Mountain, a shocking will suddenly appeared. It swept out over the Ninth Mountain and Sea, after which it zeroed in on the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

This was the will of the great Dao of the Ninth Mountain and Sea! It was the natural law of Heaven and Earth, the basis upon which the Ninth Mountain and Sea operated.

This will itself was also a great Dao! Its appearance filled the sky of Lands of Ninshu with a boundless light. Even the Hebi Clan's Immortality Bestowal Dais outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu was shaken, and ceased functioning.

In the lands of Lands of Ninshu, the Hebi Clan elders, as well as countless powerful experts from other sects and clans, fell to their knees in shock and began to kowtow.

In the sky above Lands of Ninshu, the will of the Ninth Mountain and Sea suddenly solidified into a blade that shot down toward Naruto in the Rebirth Cave.

This descending will far exceeded the first blade of his First Severing. All of the lands of Lands of Ninshu were shaken.

The Heavens opened up, revealing the heavenly bodies. Countless rivers of stars glittered and shined, seemingly prepared to bear witness to what was happening.

In the Rebirth Cave, a blade appeared in front of Naruto. This was his Spirit Severing blade, floating there in front of his head, glowing with shocking light.

Hair in disarray, he lifted his head up and roared: "SEVER!"

As his voice echoed out, the great Dao blade descended, slicing into the Rebirth Cave, fusing into the blade above Naruto's head, then slashing into the top of his head.

As soon as the blade touched Naruto's head, it sliced through him all the way to the ground. His body looked as if it had been cut in two.

Shattering sounds could be heard, not from his body, but from the fetters inside him, the shackles created by his reluctance to accept the loss of the Perfect stratum!

All such restraints were completely Severed!

Naruto instantly began to shake violently. Then, he experienced a sensation of relaxation, an incredible calm that filled his entire body. It felt as if moments before, the weight of an entire mountain was crushing down on him. Then, that mountain disappeared.

At the same time, shockingly, an image of a fruit appeared on his forehead, emanating a glow like that of a magical item.

This was… a Dao Fruit!

It was made up of countless magical symbols, and looked perfect in every aspect.

Madara could steal away Naruto's Dao Foundation, but he could not take away his Dao Fruit. The Dao Fruit belonged solely to Naruto, and could not be taken away by anyone.

In the moment that the Dao Fruit appeared, a cultivation base suddenly exploded out in Naruto. First it was Chakra Condensation, then Foundation Establishment, then Core Formation, and after that, Nascent Soul.

After the peak of Nascent Soul, Naruto's desire for freedom and independence caused his First Severing to reappear.

His cultivation base was completely restored!

Tribulation can also be good fortune!

Naruto's energy was like a multicolored beam of light. His optimism for what would happen after severing the Perfect stratum caused his body to tremble again. An even more powerful cultivation base aura suddenly spread out from his body.

This was a Second Severing cultivation base!

"Dao Fruit Paragon!" A strange light gleamed in Naruto's eyes, and he began to breathe heavily. His fleshly body returned to the Heaven-defying state it had reached because of the art of Fleshly Sanctification. Furthermore, because of the indescribable boundless life force imparted to him by Da Nu, it was even more powerful than before.

"Dao Fruit is good," said Sai levelly, "but since you qualify for the Eternal, why don't you sit down and try to gain enlightenment!" He flicked his sleeve, causing Naruto instantly drop cross-legged to the ground. "Ask yourself, what is the Eternal?!"

"What is the Eternal?" The question echoed out in Naruto's mind.

The Eternal….

The Eyeless Larva was eternal. If the larva was not destroyed, the silk could never be broken. If the silk was never broken, the larva could not be destroyed!

That was an eternal cycle!

The Soul Divergence Incantation was eternal. An undying soul could be created. Once that happened, the cycle of reincarnation of Heaven and Earth could not destroy it. Even if you died, years later, your flesh and blood would be born again.

"The Eternal is something that exists eternally within me. No living thing in Heaven and Earth can do anything to take it away from me. Even the will of Heaven and Earth itself would be incapable of wresting away the Eternal which belongs to me!

"The Eternal is a type of determination, an overbearing attitude!

"What is mine, belongs to me alone!" Naruto suddenly looked up at Sai.

"Did you figure it out?" said Sai, looking at him.

"Yes!" In the instant in which he replied, a rumbling sound filled his body. The Dao Fruit shattered into pieces, causing countless magical symbols to scatter about. They filled his entire body, then fused into his cultivation base, his flesh, and his soul.

At the same time, the Soul Divergence Incantation began to rotate in Naruto's mind. After only a single rotation, Naruto suddenly understood the true meaning of the incantation.

It was a supreme Daoist Magic that could lead people to an understanding of the Eternal stratum!

To cultivate the Soul Divergence Incantation, one needed to experience death, to have incredible willpower and unusual good fortune, and most importantly, to experience hanging onto life by a thread, a razor's edge between life and death where a single misstep would lead to either truly perishing or failing to cultivate this magic.

As for Naruto, the reason he could gain enlightenment was because of the Eyeless Larva. Its thread of life and death had thoroughly entwined his soul so that it could not depart. His soul had been alive while his fleshly body was dead.

In that space between life and death, Naruto's soul… earned the qualifications for the Eternal!

All those years ago, the coffin prepared for Muku by Mui served just such a function. That was how Muku ended up succeeding in cultivating the Soul Divergence Incantation.

Naruto trembled as the magical symbols penetrated every part of his body. Because of the fusing of these symbols into him, although his cultivation base was only at the Second Severing level, his level… was that of the Eternal!

He was no longer Perfect, but rather, far above Perfect, in the Eternal stratum!

The Eternal stratum! What's mine is mine, and no one can steal it from me!

Naruto rose to his feet. His energy surged with power. Because of the Eternal stratum, his Second Severing cultivation base could far exceed the gap between it and the Third Severing. In fact, in combination with his Fleshly Body, he was now… the number one person beneath Dao Seeking!

Naruto turned to Sai, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"Senior, many thanks for your kindness in pointing out the correct path!"

Sai looked at him for a moment and then said, "There's no need to thank me…. I only hope that from now on, you don't hold any grudges against the Uchiha Clan. If you wish, you can kill the person who stole your Dao Foundation, but not others. Don't be a monster who kills those who haven't provoked you.

"Now, go. You have something bothering you, I won't keep you any longer."

Naruto stared back at him, then nodded silently. He clasped hands and bowed again, then turned and shot out of the cave like an unsheathed sword, radiating intense killing intent.

Sai watched Naruto leave, then, after a long moment, turned and walked back into the depths of the Rebirth Cave. To people like Gaara and Da Nu, the Rebirth Cave wasn't very big. But to Sai, it was limitless.

He walked and walked until finally he reached a room carved from stone.

The stone room was empty except for a half-painted canvas.

The painting depicted a countryside village. A white-haired old man stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, looking off into the distance. Next to him was a boy who appeared to be pleading for something. In return, the man shook his head.

Sai looked at the painting, and a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes. Finally, he closed his eyes.

In that instant, the old painter sitting cross-legged in the Eastern Lands suddenly opened his eyes. He smiled at the rich man standing in front of them, and then cleared his throat.

"My mental journey went well. Now, let me start that painting for you."

Naruto emerged from the Rebirth Cave.

In that instant, his cultivation base exploded out. He really was like a bared sword emanating monstrous Sword Chakra. His killing intent radiated out, causing the air in the area to freeze.

Frost spread out across the ground, covering stones in the nearby stone forest with sheets of ice. As he walked forward, his divine sense spread out until it encountered a familiar figure, standing outside of the Rebirth Cave Region, looking on anxiously.

"Fatty…." thought Naruto. He changed directions and, a moment later, reappeared directly next to Fatty.

"Who's there!?" cried Fatty, clearly scared half to death and on the verge of fleeing. He backed up nervously, and popping sounds could be heard as several dozen magical items suddenly appeared.

When he saw Naruto, he stared in shock. Then he started hollering at the top of his lungs. "Naruto! Naruto!"

A smile appeared on Naruto's face. It had been many years since he last parted ways with Fatty, but as of now, he could clearly sense the feelings of friendship that existed in Fatty's heart. Neither of them said anything more. They strode forward and shared a manly embrace.

Fatty's heart was completely filled with joy. He looked at Naruto and then thought back to everything that had happened in the Reliance Sect. All of a sudden, he remembered Hinata, and his face fell. "You have to go save Elder Sister Hinata!"

When Naruto heard this, his eyes flickered. "What happened?"

Fatty hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. "N-nothing…."

It almost seemed like he wasn't willing to explain.

Naruto was silent for a moment. He didn't ask any further questions, but instead, flew up into the air. Actually, he didn't need to ask anything else. All he had to do was go to the Black Sieve Sect, and he would naturally find the answers he sought.

Fatty understood Naruto quite well, so seeing him flying away like that, it wasn't hard to guess what he was thinking. Fatty gritted his teeth and then yelled out, "Naruto, go save Elder Sister Hinata. Because she got that medicinal pill for you, she's now suppressed at the bottom of the Black Sieve Sect. The entire sect is working to dissolve her alive!"

Naruto jerked to a halt in mid-air, his eyes instantly turning blood-red. "What did you say?"

A preternatural fury and desire to kill roared through him. His body trembled and the air around him rumbled as if it were about to shatter.

Fatty clenched his jaw. Having spoken up, he decided that he might as well explain everything. "Hurry up and go save her! Soon… it's going to be too late!

"News leaked out that she is the first person in countless years to emerge from the Rebirth Cave! She risked everything to steal that medicinal pill, which she entrusted to me. I brought it here for her.

"In the end, the Black Sieve Sect captured her. They say that because she came out alive from the Rebirth Cave, her body is infected with its aura. The Black Sieve Sect Patriarchs want to refine her into treasured medicinal pills, which they hope to consume and thereby acquire the aura of rebirth."

The roaring in Naruto's mind was like that of millions of thunderbolts, all striking and exploding at the same time. Heaven and Earth shook, and it felt as if his mind were about to explode into pieces.

Naruto's killing intent exploded out with incomparable intensity. He thought back to what he had seen, to Hinata delivering her life force to him. He thought about everything that had happened in their homeland, the Five Elements Nation. He thought about the grave she had dug, and the gravestone.

He thought about the determination in her eyes when she looked at him and murmured, "You live, I live. You die, I die!"

No other woman had ever treated him in such a way. No other woman cared about his life so much. Never….

Naruto lifted his head up and let out mournful roar that caused the colors to fade away from Heaven and Earth. The clouds and wind churned, and the power of his cultivation base exploded out. A tempest kicked up, which swept out in all directions. The air in the area seemed about to collapse.

"BLACK SIEVE SECT!

"If you dare to harm a hair on her head, I, Naruto, will tear your bodies to pieces and crush your bones into powder! I will not rest until you are exterminated!" He waved his right hand and slapped his bag of holding, causing the war chariot to appear. He stepped inside. Immortal Shows the Way had also been restored to normal; he rotated it and sent some Immortal Chakra out. The war chariot instantly vanished.

Fatty watched him leave, and then murmured, "Naruto, after everything Hinata did for you, if you let her down… it will be an intolerable injustice!"

Naruto's eyes shone with a horrific balefulness. His rage and insanity fused into his killing intent, which exploded with monstrous intensity. "Hinata, wait for me. I'm coming to save you.

"Hinata, just hold on. I'm coming, I'm coming!"

His cultivation base was at the Second Severing stage, and he was in the Eternal strata. He was the number one figure under Dao Seeking!

He was qualified to do whatever he wished. And he was even more qualified to fight back against an entire sect!

Even if it was the Black Sieve Sect!

Even if it was the countless discarnate souls that existed in the depths of the land!

Even if it was a super sect of the Southern Domain, the Black Sieve Sect!

Naruto didn't consider those things. They weren't worth even thinking about. In a situation like this, if a man worried about whether or not he would win or lose, worried about his own life, then he… was not even human!

The war chariot sped along, screaming through the air. The wind itself seemed to be filled with memories. Naruto saw the events at Mount Myoboku. He saw the Reliance Sect. He saw the things that happened in the Blessed Land. He saw the Black Sieve Sect and the Rebirth Cave.

He saw all of the times he and Hinata had been together. The images floated there in the wind in front of him. He saw Hinata's gentleness, her simplicity, her determination.

All of those things were now rooted deeply in Naruto's heart.

Most moving of all was how she had sacrificed her own life force for him. It caused his heart to fill with stabs of pain. As of this moment, the killing intent he felt was greater than at any point in his entire life.

"Hinata, if you can sacrifice your life for me, then I can do the same for you!

"From this day forward, you are my beloved. Heaven and Earth can bear witness to my words. You live, I live. You die, I die!"

The Black Sieve Sect was a grand place. The Hundred Thousand Mountains surrounding it served as a foil to the Ninety-Nine Mountains within their center. Above the Ninety-Nine Mountains floated the First Mountain, upturned to create something that was almost a continent. On its underside, willows draped down, some a few dozen meters long, others hundreds. Clouds curled up around this massive land, giving it a truly celestial feeling.

Richly ornamented buildings, pagodas, and temples covered it. Beneath it, the Ninety-Nine Mountains were all connected with colorful arching bridges. It was extraordinarily beautiful.

Gurgling water dripped off of the ragged rocks on the bottom of the floating mountain, making the sect a place of indescribable beauty. The faint sound of bells filled the air, creating an incredibly serene air.

Currently, the entire Black Sieve Sect was enveloped in a thick, black fog. Outside of the black fog were Black Sieve Sect spell formations, all in full rotation. They let out pulsing ripples, filled with crushing energy that formed the shape of a lotus.

The lotus had ninety-nine petals, each one of which was made up of ninety-nine lotuses. The entire thing formed into a gigantic, shocking lotus.

Inside the formation were the disciples of the Black Sieve Sect, sitting cross-legged in meditation. From up above in the sky, it was possible to tell that of the hundreds of thousands of disciples of the Ninety-Nine Mountains, all disciples were participating in the meditation, regardless of the level of their cultivation bases.

As for the Ninety-Nine Mountains themselves, they formed a central spell formation within the larger spell formation. They too rotated, combining their power with that of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, all of the Black Sieve Sect's resources, to pour into the First Mountain… into the sect's legacy precious treasure.

It was a gigantic incense burner that existed on top of the First Mountain, which was so high that it seemed connected to the Heavens. The enormous incense burner was the subject of generation after generation of worship and sacrifice. Three huge sticks of incense eternally burned inside of it, and the smoke that rose up into the sky was blown by the wind into wisps that resembled willow branches. It was as if within these strands, one could see visions of fleeting, ever-changing lives that belonged to spirits from the underworld.

Sitting cross-legged around the incense burner were three old men. Each one had ancient features, and rarely stepped even half a foot outside of the Black Sieve Sect. As for their cultivation bases, all were in the Spirit Severing stage.

These were the Dao Reserve of the Black Sieve Sect, its very foundation.

The strongest of the three was the ruddy-faced old man in the center position, Murong Duo. His cultivation base was at the Third Severing level.

Of the other two, one was in the Second Severing level, the other the First.

These were the Patriarchs of the Black Sieve Sect!

They sat cross-legged, using the power of the spell formation, and thus, the power of all the cultivators of the sect, to operate the sect's precious treasure, and refine the person inside of it into medicinal pills!

This was a magical technique known as Heaven and Hearth Reincarnation Refinement, in which the subject was dissolved over a period of forty-nine days. No one could hold out for any longer than that. Eventually, the subject would melt into blood, which would then congeal into the medicinal pill.

An indistinct figure could be seen within the incense burner. It was only possible to tell that it was a woman; her face was not clearly visible, and her body was covered with countless magical symbols. The symbols were deeply imprinted into her flesh and blood, and glittered with bright light as they slowly worked at dissolving her.

The woman was trembling, gritting her teeth as she continued to endure. It seemed that her body might be fully dissolved at any moment.

The aura of the Rebirth Cave pulsated off of her. Every time it did, it would be absorbed by the incense burner, which would then burn hotly and send out a shocking red glow.

The three old men began to discuss the matter.

"So, it turns out that she has been able to endure for thirty-seven days!"

"This Hinata sure has unswerving determination. Sadly, her body is infected with the aura of the Rebirth Cave. She's the first person in years to emerge alive from the Rebirth Cave….

"In that case, she is simply destined to be refined into Rebirth Pills. With such medicinal pills… the slumbering ancestor of the Black Sieve Sect will have a chance to be reborn!"

"It's a real pity she has the soul of Matriarch Phoenix within her. Unfortunately, her Dao of Nirvana will be lost, never to be handed down. However, sacrificing her and losing a single legacy to improve the entire sect means that her death will be worth it!"

"This matter is not just something that must be done by the Black Yang Sect, but also your Sieve Yin Sect. After all, our ancestor is your emperor!"

The three old men looked at the incense burner, and their eyes burned with passion.

At the same time, the trembling, indistinct figure inside of the incense burner let out a quavering murmur.

"Naruto, are you okay…? If you ever are reborn, by the time you emerge, it will be too late…. Well, I was the one who failed to keep my promise, you're not to blame….

"If it turns out that you weren't reborn, well then… I'll be going to accompany you soon.

"As we said. You live, I live. You die, I die…."

In that exact moment….

An incredible boom could be heard outside of the Black Sieve Sect spell formation. It was far more shocking than thunder; an ancient war chariot appeared, emanating intense killing intent and madness. The air shattered as it appeared!

Naruto stood in the war chariot, clothed in a green robe. He gripped the flag of three streamers in his right hand, which he waved out in front of him. It stretched out, creating a black screen that seemed capable of blotting out the entire sky. At the same time, Naruto's eyes flashed with an unprecedented desire to slaughter.

He came!

He came to keep his promise!

Naruto's appearance on the scene shook the Heavens and rocked the Earth. Everything trembled, and enormous, endless ripples spread out.

A massive roaring echoed out as the war chariot appeared, shattering the air. Naruto stood in the middle of the war chariot as cracking sounds filled the air; countless fissures sprang into being.

The entire sky was like a mirror that someone had punched their fist into. Although it was not completely shattered, shocking cracks could be seen spreading out in all directions.

That was especially true because of the flag of three streamers that he wielded. This was his first time truly and intentionally unleashing the full, incredible power of the flag. It whipped about, its blackness covering everything, splitting the sky into two worlds, one of light, one of darkness.

Naruto's eyes were completely bloodshot as his gaze swept over the scene in the Black Sieve Sect; he saw the black mist, and he saw the domineering lotus flower!

He sent his divine sense out, but the lotus spell formation and the black mist therein formed a great spell formation that completely protected the mountains of the Black Sieve Sect. This was no ordinary spell formation; even Naruto's powerful divine sense could not penetrate inside.

His killing intent instantly surged.

"Black Sieve Sect!" he shouted. The sound rumbled about, more intense than lightning. His fleshly body was at the peak of Spirit Severing, and his cultivation base was at the peak of the Second Severing. This was the first time he had ever shouted in such a way after entering the Eternal stratum. He pushed his hand down onto the chariot, and instantly, the flag of three streamers swished. The blackness, which was like nighttime consuming light, swept toward the huge lotus that surrounded the Black Sieve Sect. Booms could be heard echoing out.

Heaven and Earth trembled, and the sound of explosions filled the air. The lotus instantly collapsed, but then reappeared. Apparently, the aura of the Hundred Thousand Mountains was sustaining what would be an endless succession of enormous spell formations.

Because of Naruto's shout, as well as the collision between the flag of three steamers and the great spell formation, the ground quaked violently. The sounds merged together, creating a shocking barrage that rattled out in all directions, even into the black mist within the Black Sieve Sect.

The disciples of the Black Sieve Sect suddenly could all hear Naruto's enraged voice.

"Hand over Hinata!" he said. This was his second sentence. The power of his words far exceeded that of his first sentence. An even more shocking rumbling shook everything; the lotus dimmed and the mist seethed. All of the Black Sieve Sect disciples felt their minds trembling violently.

The beautiful palace buildings began to shake, and some even collapsed under the power of Naruto's voice. The eyes of the Black Sieve Sect disciples in the Ninety-Nine Mountains went wide with shock.

The three old men who sat cross-legged around the incense burner on the First Mountain opened their eyes. Bright glows could be seen.

"Spirit Severing!"

"Second Severing!"

"A powerful expert!"

When they exchanged glances, they could all see the serious look in each others' eyes.

"We only activated the spell formation to be prepared for all contingencies and to prevent other sects from detecting what was happening. Who is this stranger?"

"It doesn't matter who he is. Even if he's a Spirit Severing expert, now that he's come to the Black Sieve Sect, he'll be forced to drop to his knees in front of us!"

The three men muttered to themselves for a moment before the Third Severing old man gave a cold snort. "He can't even get inside! Continue with the dissolving!"

Surrounded by rumbling sounds, the hundreds of thousands of Black Sieve Sect disciples once again continued with their refinement, causing the incense burner glowed bright red. As for the figure inside, when she heard Naruto's voice, she suddenly trembled.

"He… came…."

Outside of the Black Sieve Sect's spell formation, Naruto's eyes were completely shot with blood. He raised his hand and caused the flag of three streamers to swish through the air. Blackness roiled out to slam into the Black Sieve Sect's spell formation.

The incredible booms continued to rattle out. The great lotus spell formation suddenly rotated, causing the power of Heaven and Earth to emanate out. The power was indestructible, seemingly eternal. No matter what Naruto did to cause the formation to collapse, it would instantly restore itself.

A short period of time passed in which it seemed nothing would work.

The disciples of the Black Sieve Sect were now starting to calm down and focus on their orders from the sect. The dissolving continued. As for the old men surrounding the incense burner, cold smiles twisted their lips as they proceeded with the refinement.

They were not worried. The protective spell formation was so powerful that nothing could compare to it, except perhaps a Dao Seeking cultivation base. Any Spirit Severing expert who tried to break through the formation wouldn't be able to do so unless they spent months trying.

As for the refinement process, they only needed a few more days to finish…. Then they would be able to go against this opponent with the full strength of the sect. Even if he was a Second Severing cultivator, he would be dead for sure.

"How rash and ridiculous," said the Third Severing old man, his voice cool.

Naruto stood in the war chariot glaring at the enormous lotus. He had already destroyed the damnable thing at least a hundred times with the flag of three streamers.

However, no matter how many times he shattered it into pieces, it would completely recover, seemingly completely undamaged.

"They mustered all the power of Heaven and Earth from all Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect to back this spell formation…. What I'm fighting against is not the formation, but the power of Heaven and Earth from these Hundred Thousand Mountains!

"If the power of Heaven and Earth doesn't break up, then the formation cannot be pierced!

"If only… I could use just a bit of Dao Seeking power to force the spell formation to reach its limit. Break it at least ten times in a row, to the point where the spiritual energy from the Hundred Thousand Mountains can't keep up. Then I can see its weak points!

"One point of weakness is all I need to completely shatter it." Naruto lifted his right hand and made a grasping motion, causing the flag of three streamers to return to him. It swirled through the air around him, almost like a black cloak that covered his green robe.

He placed his hand onto the war chariot and rotated Immortal Shows the Way, sending pulses of Immortal Chakra into the chariot.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the power of Dao Seeking!

"Even the flag of three streamers can't smash through this succession of spell formations. Well then… I'll just have to bash it head on!" A light of madness shone in Naruto's eyes.

He would not attempt to pierce it; he would smash head on into the formation!

The war chariot began to thrum, and countless magical symbols appeared, along with numerous roaring wild beasts that began to pull it forward into a charge.

The incredible speed was difficult to describe. In the blink of an eye, the war chariot had left its original position and… was shooting like a meteor directly into the lotus, bashing into it.

The lotus instantly fell apart, but almost at exactly the same time, began to reform.

However, the war chariot continued onward, charging forward without stop. It was like a sharp sword, stabbing madly, allowing no time for the spiritual energy of the Hundred Thousand Mountains to rush forward.

"Ninth Anima!" roared Naruto. His body was powerful to the extreme, and his Cultivation base exploding with full power. Although this was not the power of Dao Seeking, he was emminently qualified to be called the number one figure under Dao Seeking.

BOOM!

The war chariot shot forward another three hundred meters. Naruto's body trembled, and vast pressure bore down on him. However, nothing could prevent him from advancing. Nothing could stand in the way of the war chariot; it was like caged animal that roared as it charged forward.

The further they got, the greater was the pressure that weighed down on them. The interior of the lotus collapsed, but as before, began to heal. The Hundred Thousand Mountains rotated, and the spiritual energy poured out boundlessly. Naruto raised his hand up and then pointed out.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!

"Seal the spiritual energy of these hundred thousand mountains!"

An incredible roar filled the air as the Hundred Thousand Mountains shuddered. Naruto shouted out as the war chariot charged forward madly, another three hundred meters. It was now only about six hundred meters from the position where the black mist began.

It was at this point that violent shaking overtook the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Some of the outermost mountains, perhaps a thousand in total, began to split and crack and then directly exploded.

They simply couldn't endure the way Naruto fought back against them. After having their spiritual energy sealed, a backlash occurred that instantly shattered them!

As thousands of huge mountains collapsed in the Black Sieve Sect's Hundred Thousand Mountains, the faces of the disciples of the Black Sieve Sect fell. As for the three old men who sat next to the incense burner, their pupils constricted.

One of them gave a cold snort, then lifted his hand up and pointed out.

"Send 10,000 disciples to form a spell formation. Use deadly force. If they're capable of killing him, kill him. If they can't kill him, delay him for three days."

In response to his words, a group of 10,000 disciples flew up into the air. They shot through the black mist and then entered the lotus spell formation to sit down cross-legged on the lotuses inside. They unleashed their cultivation bases as they took control of the lotus spell formation.

In unison with their actions, the lotus spell formation began to rotate, sending out pulses of killing will. In the blink of an eye, innumerable lotus petals flew out, sweeping toward Naruto like sharp swords.

The lotus petals almost looked like rain, filled with a desire to kill. However, before they could even get near to Naruto, his eyes radiated murder and madness. He pushed the war chariot onward, then waved his wide sleeve. The flag of three streamers shot out, sweeping out with echoing booms. The 10,000 disciples who had just emerged from the black mist trembled and began to cough up blood.

As for Naruto and the war chariot, they shot forward with urgency, fighting back against the pressure which weighed down. They moved another three hundred meters. By this point, Naruto felt as if a hundred thousand mountains really were pressing down onto his body.

They would soon crush him into a pulp.

As for the Immortal Chakra inside of him, he couldn't control it any more. It would be difficult to push the war chariot through the final three hundred meters. A bright glow appeared in Naruto's eyes as, without hesitation, he put the war chariot away and then relied on the strength of his fleshly body to continue on through the last three hundred meters.

As soon as he proceeded forward, the pressure from the Hundred Thousand Mountains bore down. Naruto trembled, and cracking sounds could be heard. He stopped in place. Seeing him stop moving caused the 10,000 disciples to feel a bit more confident. They all began to perform incantations, causing the lotuses they were sitting on to teleport forward toward Naruto. Shockingly, the lotuses started forming together into a huge statue of a three headed, six-armed god.

The statue was incredibly formidable. Not only did it have three heads and six arms, but lotuses swirled around it, and it was formed from 10,000 people! The three heads all looked at Naruto, and the six arms all pointed directly at him.

"Screw off from this place!" roared the statue with the combined voices of 10,000 people. Naruto looked up with a vicious smile. The killing intent in his eyes was thick, and his desire to slaughter suddenly surged even higher.

Ninth Anima. Second Spirit Severing cultivation base. Eternal stratum. All of this thrummed inside of Naruto. He strode forward, clenching his right hand into a fist.

One man versus a great spell formation, and 10,000 enemies.

"Time to break you!" he cried.

Naruto's fist connected. It was powered by the rage and frustration of having his Perfect Foundation stolen, as well as all the regret that he had severed away.

One fist connected, and everything exploded!

A huge boom filled the air as the statue's six arms burst into pieces, and its three heads crumbled. The entire statue exploded like a bomb!

It was impossible to describe exactly how much power was unleashed. Blood sprayed from the mouths of the 10,000 Black Sieve Sect disciples as they were sent spinning backward into the spell formation. The gale-force wind generated by Naruto's blow then smashed into them, shredding their bodies to pieces, killing them instantly.

Naruto's eyes shined with determination as he strode forward and punched a second time.

Then a third time, a fourth time and a fifth time!

Every time a blow landed, more of the surrounding lotus spell formation crumbled. With each strike, Naruto proceeded forward another thirty meters. By the time the ninth blow landed, he was already at the very edge of the spell formation. The final blow… was the Nine Heavens Destruction!

The lotus collapsed into fragments, and a massive boom rocked Heaven and Earth.

The sound of it filled the Hundred Thousand Mountains, roughly 10,000 of which directly collapsed into pieces. Finally, the Black Sieve Sect's mountain-protecting spell formation was broken.

In that moment, Naruto emerged from the spell formation and entered the black mist.

"Give me Hinata!" he said. His tone of voice made him sound like he was the ruler of the entire world. It was filled with an indescribable potency and madness that filled the entire Black Sieve Sect.

As his voice resonated out, the surrounding mist seethed, and narrow gaps formed. Through one such gap, Naruto caught a glimpse of the Ninety-Nine Mountains on the other side of the mist, and the incense burner on the First Mountain.

Sitting cross-legged inside the incense burner was a trembling figure, indistinct, but with a very familiar aura….

Hinata!

It was Hinata, who would live and die with him!

Hundreds of thousands of Black Sieve Sect disciples were refining Hinata!

Naruto's mind felt as if lightning bolts were striking it. An indescribable fury rose up inside of him, transforming into an inexhaustible desire to slaughter.

KILL! KILL! KILL!

In that moment, Naruto's hatred for the Black Sieve Sect reached the degree where it could never possibly be reconciled. Every single last disciple of the Black Sieve Sect HAD to die!

"Kill him!" cried the centermost of the three old men by the incense burner. The faces of all three were currently filled with shock; how could they possibly have imagined that Naruto would be able to break through their great lotus spell formation?

The First Severing cultivator immediately rose to his feet. He had a violent temper, and his face was grim as he flew up into the air.

"Disciples of the rear twenty peaks of the Hundred Mountains," said the old man, "follow me into the Sieve Yin Formation. We will kill this drudge!" With that, he entered the black mist. Simultaneously, 30,000 disciples flew to follow him. The weakest among them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, the strongest were Nascent Soul.

Even as they entered the mist, Naruto's voice, filled with unprecedented bereavement and anger, suddenly sounded out.

"Black Sieve Sect! I hereby vow that… I will eradicate your entire sect! The lands of Lands of Ninshu will have either you or me, not the both of us!"

Naruto's desire to kill had reached a heinous level. He lifted his right hand and produced the flag of three streamers. It swept out in all directions, causing the mist around him to roil, and rumbling sounds to fill the air. As for the Black Sieve Sect First Severing Patriarch, as soon as he stepped into the mist, it seemed to come alive, as if it were sentient.

"Will of the Black Sieve, understanding of all creation! I shall go to battle, and pluck the stars from Heaven! First formation!" The voice of the First Severing Patriarch echoed about as the 30,000 Black Sieve Sect disciples entered the mist one after another. Shockingly, the mist condensed into eight formations that resembled black dragons.

The black dragons looked incredibly ferocious. Roaring with rage, they circulated around each other and then shot toward Naruto, attempting to devour him.

Naruto's eyes flickered with a cold glow as he looked at the eight dragons. His desire to kill had reached a level it never had before. From the day he had begun practicing cultivation until now, he had never felt a stronger desire to slaughter.

As the eight dragons neared, Naruto strode forward and waved the flag of three streamers. Blackness spread out, sweeping over three of the black dragons. The flag began to glow with a bizarre light, and on its surface appeared countless faces, their features twisted as if with greed and the thirst for blood.

At the same time, Naruto's body flickered and then reappeared in front of one of the other dragons. Without the slightest hesitation, he punched. A boom echoed out and a huge spasm ran through the black dragon. It began to break apart in layers, accompanied by miserable shrieks. Behind Naruto, three more black dragons roared and charged. They moved with such incredible speed that even in the moment in which he turned to look at them, they were directly in front of him.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!" he said, pointing out his right hand. Instantly, the three black dragons trembled, as if countless invisible bonds were tying them up.

"Demon magic, art of Righteous Bestowal, soul extraction!" Naruto performed an incantation, and a vicious gleam appeared in his eyes as he pointed forward.

The gesture instantly caused the indescribably shrill cries to echo out from within the dragons. Inside the dragons were over 10,000 cultivators, their faces twisting and distorting as they screamed. Ghost images appeared, which were their souls being extracted from within!

The three dragons instantly collapsed; over 10,000 corpses suddenly fell to the ground.

The art of Righteous Bestowal was a magical technique of the Demon Sealers. Righteousness came with a thought, bestowal came with a thought. Life came with a thought, death came with a thought!

In the same moment, the three dragons caught up by the flag of three streamers trembled violently and collapsed into pieces. As for the final dragon, it froze in mid-air. The image of the First Severing Patriarch magically appeared in the head position of the dragon, and his face was filled with shock.

"Second Formation!" he cried. Immediately, what remained of all the dragons fell apart and turned into black mist that shot toward the First Severing Patriarch. Within the mist were the rest of the disciples who had not been killed, about 10,000 of them.

In the blink of an eye, the black mist transformed into a three hundred meter tall giant. It wore black armor, and looked like a god. As soon at appeared, it charged toward Naruto.

"DIIEEE!" roared the giant, the combined voice of 10,000 people echoing out to shocking effect. At the same time, the Hundred Thousand Mountains suddenly released a boundless aura that enveloped the giant, causing its body to grow. All of a sudden, it was 1,500 meters tall!

Compared in size to the giant, Naruto was nothing more than a bug.

Naruto looked up at the approaching giant, and the coldness in his eyes grew stronger. Then he suddenly realized that he wasn't sure whether or not Hinata was alive or dead inside of the incense burner, and his heart grew even more anxious. At the same time, he understood that if he didn't destroy this spell formation, then he would be unable to enter into the Black Sieve Sect.

"DIE!" the giant roared, stretching its arms out to either side and then smashing them together toward Naruto, as if to crush him between its palms. They moved with incredible speed; in the blink of an eye, the hands were almost upon Naruto.

He did nothing to evade, allowing the hands to smash into each other around him.

To anyone observer, it would appear as if Naruto was completely enveloped by the hands of the giant. However, if you looked closely, you would see that… the giant was trembling.

Not only was it trembling, its expression was one of disbelief and shock.

"What… what fleshly body is this?!" said the Second Severing old man next to the incense burner. He rose to his feet, his face filled with astonishment.

"Calm down. There's no need to get agitated," said the Third Severing Patriarch, his voice cool. "That's only the second transformation out of three total."

Even as they exchanged words, the giant's hands suddenly exploded. Black mist spread in all directions as Naruto walked out, not harmed even in the least bit. He stepped up to the giant and then instantly punched out.

A huge boom could be heard as the giant opened its mouth and expelled a mouthful of mist to block Naruto. At the same time, it retreated at full speed. On the giant's forehead, the image of the First Severing Patriarch appeared, his expression one of terror and astonishment.

Instantly, he shouted, "Third formation!"

In response, the body of the giant fell apart into boundless black mist that shot toward Naruto and surrounded him. It seethed and spun as it then formed into an enormous globe. Rumbling sounds filled the air as black fire erupted out. Then the globe began to shrink, as if it intended to refine Naruto inside of it.

It shrank relentlessly. 300 meters. 150 meters. 100 meters. 30 meters….

Next to the incense burner, the Third Severing Patriarch coolly commented, "The third transformation, in combination with the power of Mo Li's cultivation base, can easily kill an expert of the Second Severing level. It doesn't matter how powerful his fleshly body is, the soft can defeat the hard. He will not escape."

The other Spirit Severing Patriarch next to him smiled in agreement. "The Sieve Yin Formation can refine all living things. The only sad thing is that… it can't produce medicinal pills. Otherwise, that person could be refined into a pill that would definitely be considered a precious treasure."

As the two of them chatted, a huge rumbling sound suddenly rang out. Their faces flickered as they looked up. Down below, hundreds of thousands of Black Sieve Sect Disciples all had similar reactions.

What they saw was an enormous black globe of mist, shrunken down to only 10 meters in size. Then, a matchlessly vicious aura was released from within the mist globe.

The viciousness of the aura was difficult to describe, as was its incredible coldness. Everyone watched on as, in the blink of an eye, a ferocious figure appeared inside the 10 meter mist globe.

I was not a person, but rather, a flower!

A multi-colored flower!

Its branches and leaves swayed, its petals fluttered. When its aura spread out, the mist globe was incapable of enduring. It exploded with a boom. As it did, blood and gore splattered everywhere, from the corpses of the Black Sieve Sect disciples. In addition, an old man emerged, his face covered with fear, shock, and disbelief as he retreated at top speed.

That old man was none other than the First Severing Patriarch.

"Save me!" he howled as he fled.

However, before he could get very far, and before anyone could even do anything in response, a black branch snaked out at high speed. It wrapped around the old man and violently dragged him back. The old man screamed miserably as the branch hauled him down toward Naruto, who then grabbed him by the neck.

Naruto strode forward. Behind him was a five-colored Resurrection Lily, fully sixty meters tall, swaying about with unbridled fury as it floated along.

This was Naruto's Spirit Severing Treasure, his Resurrection Lily!

The black mist spell formation was broken!

Naruto was enveloped by killing intent as he emerged. He violently twisted his right hand, instantly crushing the life out of the Black Sieve Sect First Severing Patriarch. Bones shattered, and then Naruto loosened his grip, sending the old man's body tumbling down to the ground.

Naruto didn't even think about the man's bag of holding.

Behind him, the Resurrection Lily swayed about, emanating its vicious aura, making it seem as if Naruto were silhouetted against a terrifying, pitch-black backdrop. The Resurrection Lily had actually been ready for use as soon as he completed his Second Severing.

Furthermore, the life force inside of him came from Da Nu, a seven-colored Resurrection Lily. Because of that, although he had long been long locked in a life-or-death entanglement with the Resurrection Lily, after erasing its will, it was now fundamentally amiable.

Such amiability made it so that there was an unbreakable connection between the two of them.

Such a connection superseded that of the Spirit Severing Treasures created by most cultivators.

As of this moment, there was no one else in Naruto's world except for the figure inside the incense burner. The instant he emerged from the spell formation, he transformed into a green smoke that shot directly up toward the First Mountain.

Looks of shock could bee seen on the faces of the two Spirit Severing cultivators next to the incense burner. The Second Severing Patriarch flew up into the air and shouted, "Stop him!"

At the same time, all of the Black Sieve Sect disciples down below flew up to form a huge spell formation. The power of Heaven and Earth descended, and the Hundred Thousand Mountains emitted spiritual energy. The spell formation surged with power.

The Third Severing Patriarch didn't fly up, but rose to his feet and put his hand onto the incense burner. His eyes flickered as his cultivation base rotated. He was using only the intense power of his cultivation base to perform the refining!

"This man is not weak," he thought. "The fact that he made it this far leaves me uncertain of whether or not I can defeat him. Therefore, I will disturb his emotions. Considering Zaji's cultivation base, and the spell formation formed by the other disciples, if his heart is in chaos, then there is a high likelihood that he can be defeated."

As soon as Naruto emerged, he met the resistance of the Second Severing Patriarch. Dense killing intent filled Naruto's eyes, especially when he saw the Third Severing Patriarch next to the incense burner attempting to hasten the refining process. Naruto's eyes turned completely red.

"SCREW OFF!" he roared, waving his sleeve. Instantly, the Second Severing Patriarch was sent tumbling back, blood pouring from his mouth. Astonished as he was, his attempt to block Naruto's path had actually slowed him down a bit.

Simultaneously, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators down below were rapidly unleashing the power of the spell formation. Bright light shot up into the air and then completely enveloped the area. Shockingly, glowing figures shot up into the air, one after another. They resembled shining souls, and represented all of the countless Black Sieve Sect disciples down below.

They quickly shot in tight formation toward Naruto in an attempt to block his path.

"Let's see how you break through that!" said the Second Severing Patriarch malevolently. As his voice echoed out, the spell formation rotated, causing the colors in the sky and on land to fade. Wind spun, and spiritual energy from the Hundred Thousand Mountains surged out.

"Are you people looking to die?" said Naruto, his killing intent surging. He shot forward and lifted up the flag of three streamers. In addition, Blood Immortal divine abilities appeared, instantly wreaking death and destruction.

Miserable screams echoed out constantly. The incredible power of Naruto's cultivation base made these enemies like nothing more than bugs. However, the sheer number of Black Sieve Sect disciples was such that it was impossible to kill all of them in a short period of time.

The Second Severing Patriarch ambled over to cautiously make sneak attacks when possible. Whenever he and Naruto exchanged blows, incredible booming sounds echoed out. Each time, the Second Severing Patriarch would cough up blood, and his heart would fill with astonishment.

Outside of the spell formation, the Black Sieve Sect's Third Severing Patriarch pushed the refining process even faster. Then Hinata's plaintive cry rang out from within the incense burner, filled with resigned weakness, and Naruto went crazy.

"All of you, DIE!" He suddenly jerked his hands up, then pushed them down toward the ground. When that happened, the land below began to quake. Naruto's hair flew about wildly, and blue veins bulged out on his forehead. He seemed to be slipping into a hitherto unseen type of insanity.

"Mountain Consuming Incantation! Hundred Thousand Mountains, RISE UP!" Naruto tilted his head back and let out a violent roar. Down below, the ground churned like liquid, and the Black Sieve Sect's Hundred Thousand Mountains began to shake.

They seemed on the verge of breaking away from their foundations, as if some indescribably powerful force had transformed into a hundred thousand hands that were now trying to rip the mountains up from the earth.

This… was the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

The Mountain Consuming Incantation, powered by Naruto's Second Spirit Severing Eternal stratum!

When the incantation was unleashed, it was shocking to the Heavens and could cause the Earth to tremble!

"RISE UP!" roared Naruto. The Hundred Thousand Mountains trembled again, and this time 10,000 mountains were violently torn away from their bases. Rocks and stone showered down as the mountains rose up into the air.

At their jagged bottoms, plants and roots were snapped and hung down, some only a few meters longs, some dozens.

This sight left everyone in the Black Sieve Sect completely and utterly flabbergasted. That included ordinary disciples, Nascent Soul Elders, and even the two Spirit Severing Patriarchs. Their astonishment had reached the complete, ultimate pinnacle.

"Who is this?! How come he looks so familiar…?"

"He looks familiar to me too! What exactly is he doing!?"

"Dammit! What divine ability is that?!"

Rumbling sounds filled the air, and everyone was dumbstruck. The Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect were being uprooted. By now, quite a few people realized that Naruto looked familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere before. However, considering how quickly everything was happening, they couldn't recall exactly when they had seen such a fearsome expert.

"Stop him!" bellowed the Third Severing Patriarch. The Hundred Thousand Mountains were the foundation of the entire Black Sieve Sect, what it relied on to ensure long-term growth. In addition, the protective spell formations in the sect required their spiritual energy to operate.

As such… if the Hundred Thousand Mountains really were ripped out of the ground… even though the sect couldn't be considered completely destroyed… essentially, it would be!

By this point, the matter of refining Hinata was relatively insignificant. The Third Severing Patriarch immediately strode forward and shot toward Naruto. Any other Black Sieve Sect disciples who hadn't done so already also disregarded all danger to charge at Naruto.

Naruto was now surrounded by the flag of three streamers, the vicious Resurrection Lily, as well as 10,000 magical symbols which had just flown out from inside his bag of holding. The spirits of the magical symbols formed together into a tempest that swept out in all directions.

RUMBLE!

Thousands of mountains among the Hundred Thousand Mountains were severed from their bases. They floated up to hover in mid-air, their auras shocking, leaking spiritual energy chaotically in all directions.

"Tell me, you people, do you know fear now?" He lifted his head up and laughed maniacally. His eyes were red, and his killing intent monstrous. Gritting his teeth, he once again roared: "Mountain Consuming Incantation! RISE UP!"

RUMBLE!

Another 10,000 mountains were ripped up to and began to float in mid-air. By now, more than 20,000 mountains were floating there. The remaining 80,000 mountains trembled violently and let out ceaseless, deafening rumbles. Occasionally, the very peaks of some of the mountains would break off and fly up.

Naruto was surrounded by divine abilities as the Black Sieve Sect disciples, including the Second and Third Severing Patriarchs, nearly went mad in their attempts to get to him. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, but then, the power of his Eternal stratum erupted, leaving everyone else in shocked disbelief.

Naruto's wounds all healed up immediately!

He possessed the Eternal stratum, and a virtually undying soul!

With an undying soul, as long as a sliver of the soul remains, then death can be overcome, and one can come back to life!

With the Eternal stratum, as long as only a drop of blood remains undestroyed, one can live again!

"Still haven't risen up yet?!" Naruto roared. Rumbling filled the air as the bases of another 30,000 mountains crumbled, and they rose up into the air. Currently, more than 50,000 now floated in mid-air.

More than half of the mountain range was now afloat. Without their pressure to suppress the veins of spiritual energy that ran through the earth, the spiritual energy in the area was now in complete chaos. Spiritual energy pulsed out, smashing vegetation and trees, causing the entire land to look as if it had been scraped clean!

By now, the violent developments had attracted the attention of the whole Southern Domain.

In the Violet Fate Sect, Pill Demon was in the midst of meditation when suddenly his face flickered. He rose to his feet and jerked his head up. What he saw was a drop of blood hovering in the air above the Violet Fate Sect.

The drop of blood was bright red, and as soon as it appeared, it spread out to form a blood shield that covered over the entire Violet Fate Sect.

"Patriarch Blood Demon, what are you doing?!" cried Pill Demon, flying up into the air. Simultaneously, countless other cultivators flew up from inside the Violet Fate Sect.

Pill Demon waved his sleeve, and the world shook. A massive power shot toward the blood shield, causing an enormous boom. The blood shield trembled, but remained in place.

An ancient man wearing a red robe appeared outside of the shield. He looked down at the Violet Fate Sect. "Fellow Daoist Pill Demon, this blood is from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Do you really think you can break through the blood of a Demon King?"

This old man was none other than the Patriarch of the Southern Domain's Blood Demon Sect!

According to legends, deep within the Blood Demon Sect lurked a greater Demon of Heaven and Earth. It had been asleep for many years, and only occasionally awoke. That greater Demon was the Dao Reserve of the Blood Demon Sect!

Normally speaking, what people saw outside of the sect was this Patriarch Blood Demon.

"I bear you no ill will," continued the old man. "I have utilized this blood, a special treasure, for the purpose of restraining you for seven days.

"After the seven days are up, the shield will fade away. As for the drop of blood… you can keep it as a form of apology."

"You!" said Pill Demon, his face turning grim. Outside the blood shield, the red-robed old man turned and disappeared off into the distance.

Similar scenes played out at the same time in the Golden Frost Sect, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Shimura Clan, and the Nadeshiko Clan. In total, five drops of blood appeared across the Southern Domain to cover over the headquarters of all the superpowers.

The drops of blood became seals, preventing anyone from emerging from the sects, and even preventing their Dao Reserves from awakening!

"Just what is the Blood Demon Sect up to?!"

That was what everyone was wondering. However, what shocked them even more was that the sky… suddenly turned completely red!

Moments ago, 100,000 Blood Demon Sect disciples had appeared in the air above the Southern Domain. Each and every one of the disciples cut open their arms, causing blood to spurt out. Chino, who floated in their exact center, lifted up an austere magical bottle up into the air. Within this bottle was a drop of golden blood that flew out and soaked up all the fresh red blood. The golden blood then turned bright red, after which all of the drops began to spread out, forming a huge glowing red shield that covered the entire Southern Domain.

The Southern Domain was sealed!

Such a huge seal could not be preserved for very long. At the most… seven days!

In the moment that the sealing occurred, Naruto was in the Black Sieve Sect, having just ripped up 50,000 enormous mountains. The spiritual energy was now in chaos, and spreading out through all of the Southern Domain.

The blood-colored shield prevented the ripples from escaping out. None of the super sects or clans of the Southern Domain would find out… nor any of the powerful experts.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Blood Demon Sect, there existed a blood-colored pond.

Within the pond, a man sat cross-legged in meditation. He was extremely withered, and looked almost like a corpse. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and they were filled with boundless ancientness.

"I've been waiting for such a long time. Finally… the day has come!"

In the Southern Domain's Black Sieve Sect, Naruto was surrounded by a bright red glow. The crowds of Cultivators from the Black Sieve Sect were sending all sorts of divine abilities and magical techniques against him, as well as magical items. Even with his incredible fleshly body, it was something he couldn't stand up against for long.

The flag of three streamers was in full retreat, and even the Resurrection Lily was falling back. The Black Sieve Sect disciples had gone mad. There was not a single one who could watch the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the very foundation of their sect, being pulled up by the roots, and not go mad.

"No time to wait for all 100,000," thought Naruto. "50,000 will do!" With that, he suddenly stretched his right arm out and pointed up to the sky. The 50,000 mountains began to rumble, and then descended with shocking speed.

They shot directly toward the spell formation made up of the hundreds of thousands of Black Sieve Sect cultivators, then began to slam into it. Miserable shrieks filled the air one after another. Naruto's eyes suddenly flickered with burning madness.

"Explode!" he said. It was only a single word.

That one word caused everything to shake. One by one, 50,000 mountains exploded. They sky ripped and the land quaked. Even the Ninety-Nine Mountains were severely affected, and began to crumble.

Blood sprayed from the mouths of hundreds of thousands of cultivators as the spell formation collapsed into pieces. At least half of the people who made up the formation let out bloodcurdling screams as they were destroyed in body and spirit.

"NOOO!" roared the Second Severing Patriarch. He unleashed a divine ability, causing a gigantic Xuanwu turtle with a viciously spiked shell to appear. As it shot toward forward, Naruto waved a finger, causing portions from five enormous, crumbling mountains to crush down toward the old man. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was sent tumbling backward. At the same time, Naruto pushed his hands down toward the ground another time, causing the ground within the Black Sieve Sect to split open.

Spiritual energy surged out, mountain peaks crumbled, the sky dimmed. Naruto strode forward toward the First Mountain.

However, even as he stepped foot onto it, the air in front of him rippled, and the Black Sieve Sect's Third Severing Patriarch stepped out.

A ferocious expression could be seen on his face, as well as surging hatred. The moment he appeared, he waved his sleeve. Shockingly, nine white tigers appeared, each of them fully thirty meters long.

Behind the white tigers, the Third Severing Patriarch let out a roar and then raised his hand up. A seal mark appeared from within, which rapidly increased in size as it shot toward Naruto.

Off in the distance, the Second Severing Patriarch gritted his teeth because of the injuries he had sustained, but approached nonetheless. His hand flashed in an incantation gesture, causing black mist to swirl around him and then turn into a statue of a Xuanwu turtle. It emitted a mysterious glow, and also emanated the sounds of wailing, which shook everything in the area.

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he slapped his bag of holding. Immediately, the only Time Sword tip he still possessed appeared. He grabbed it with his fingers and then suddenly vanished. When he reappeared he was directly in front of the Second Severing Patriarch. He waved his hand, and the sword tip flew out.

When it slammed into the Xuanwu turtle, the beast instantly began to wither. It let out a miserable shriek and then began to collapse and dissipate. The Second Severing Patriarch's face fell as the sword tip neared him. He was just about to attempt to dodge to the side when Naruto stretched out his finger.

"Hex!"

It was a single word, but it instantly caused the Second Severing Patriarch to tremble to a stop. The sword tip stabbed through him, causing not only blood to spurt out, but also 10,000 years of longevity!

"AAHHH!"

Physical pain didn't count for much, but the pain caused by the destruction of longevity cause the old man to let out a miserable shriek. By this point, Naruto had already turned around. He flicked his sleeve, and a gale-force wind sprang up to send the nine white tigers sprawling backward. Then he looked up at the sealing mark that was bearing down on him. By now, it was already three hundred meters tall, and causing everything to rumble as it neared.

"Suppress!" roared the Third Severing Patriarch, gesturing with both hands, sending the seal mark smashing down toward Naruto.

"Anywhere that mountains exist, that is my Area world!" said Naruto. He performed an incantation with his right hand and then pointed out. Shockingly 50,000 illusory mountain suddenly appeared around him. These were the 50,000 mountains that he had just destroyed!

As the mountains made their appearance, they turned into Naruto's Area world. It spread out toward the incoming seal, causing rumbling to fill the air. It also shot toward the Second Severing Patriarch, who was already injured. This new attack caused him to let out a scream of defiance as his body trembled and then exploded. He was dead in body and soul.

At the same time, Naruto borrowed the momentum of the blast to shoot at high speed past the Third Severing Patriarch. In the blink of an eye, he was on the First Mountain, next to the incense burner.

Without the slightest hesitation, he anxiously approached and reached out his right hand. Just as he was about to lay hands on the trembling figure inside, an enraged roar echoed out behind him.

The roar spread out, and it contained something that caused Naruto's scalp to go numb with a sense of crisis.

"You want to save that girl? I'd rather let the Rebirth Pill refinement fail than let you succeed! Heaven and Earth furnace, shatter the pill and destroy the body!"

The instant the voice rang out, the incense burner trembled and began to emit intense heat.

"If you fall back, your beloved in the furnace will be killed. If you don't fall back, then you will die together!"

Naruto's face flickered as he eyed the leaping flames in the incense burner. Critical danger was also approaching him from behind. His eyes flickered with determination. Without hesitation, he stopped in place. He did not fall back.

His two hands flickered in incantation pattern and, ignoring both the danger from behind and the blistering heat from incense burner, he shot forward. He entered the incense burner and wrapped his arms around the stiff figure inside.

His body was instantly attacked by the intense heat. His hair burned, and the flesh of his face was charred black. His fingers dried and withered, revealing bones. Even his chest was eaten away until his heart was visible.

However, he still entered the incense burner to wrap his arms around Hinata. In that instant, a tremor ran through him as the danger from behind finally arrived.

Whhhzzzzzzzzzzz….

Naruto trembled as the eight white tigers, which had transformed into eight white spikes, stabbed into his back.

Actually, as far as physical pain went, he didn't even notice it. Currently, he was staring blankly at Hinata as he held her in his arms. She was not beautiful like he remembered. Her body was emaciated and withered, her features ancient. She had no life force in her, no soul.

She had… nothing.

Naruto quivered, and his eyes filled with tears.

"Elder Sister Hinata…." Stabs of pain filled his heart, as if it were being ripped directly out of his body. He instantly fell completely into his madness. At this same time, the voice of the Third Severing Patriarch rang out behind him.

"Eight Tigers Immortal Extinguishing Tribulation!"

In coordination with the words, the eight spikes that had stabbed into Naruto began to emanate an indescribably terrifying power. It instantly filled every corner and recess of his body.

Naruto's eyes were crimson as he looked at Hinata. He laughed bitterly, doing nothing to prevent the Third Severing Patriarch from approaching and attacking with a divine ability.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, only to be instantly incinerated.

"First Tribulation!" said the Third Severing Patriarch. Booming filled Naruto's body.

"Second Tribulation!

"Third Tribulation!"

Booming rang out constantly as, one by one, the eight spikes inside of Naruto shattered. They battered his soul and shredded his body, but he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was the corpse of the woman he held in his embrace.

He felt hatred, madness, insanity, and regret.

He had arrived too late….

"You live, I live. You die, I die….

"If you grow old, then I'll grow old together with you…." Naruto heard the words from the past echoing in his ears. He laughed bitterly as the explosions wracked his body.

"Fifth Tribulation!

"Sixth Tribulation!

"Seventh Tribulation!

Suddenly, an intense hope filled Naruto's face. He began to breathe raggedly, and even as the words 'Eighth Tribulation' rang out behind him, he realized that there was a problem.

"Hinata's soul…. Her soul is not in her body any more. Her soul….

"Bodies can be restored. As long as her soul has not dispersed, she isn't dead. However, there are no traces at all of a soul within her. It's almost like… someone extracted it!" Naruto's entire body trembled, and roaring sounds filled his whole body. He slowly put Hinata's corpse into his bag of holding. As he did, his Eternal stratum, seemingly in unison with his sudden lucidity, exploded out along with the Eighth Tribulation.

It was at that point that roaring flames suddenly burst out all over Naruto's body. The more than 100,000 remaining Black Sieve Sect disciples saw this, as did the Third Severing Patriarch.

They saw flames, and inside of the flames, a person. Everything else above and below faded, and the Black Sieve Sect disciples' faces filled with excitement.

The Third Severing Patriarch finally breathed a sigh of relief. The menace of Naruto was something he couldn't quite handle, and he had even been worried that, because of Hinata, he wouldn't be able to kill him.

"Finally, the matter is ended…." murmured the Third Severing Patriarch. And yet, even as the words left his mouth, his face suddenly flickered and filled with shock. Without hesitation, he shot backward.

Even as he fell into retreat, Naruto strode out from within the raging flames, which were then immediately extinguished. Naruto was eternal, and what is eternal cannot be exterminated!

The only way to kill him was to simultaneously exterminate him in both body and soul. Using any other method would be very difficult.

As for the Third Severing Patriarch, he was obviously not qualified to do something like that!

Even as the man began to retreat, Naruto's killing intent exploded out in shocking fashion.

"Where is Hinata's soul!?" he said, glaring directly at the Third Severing Patriarch. He spoke slowly, and his eyes were thoroughly bloodshot. His voice was filled with the thirst for blood and slaughter, and anyone who heard it would feel an incredible sense of danger.

The more than 100,000 surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples were trembling. By this point, there were a few who finally realized why Naruto looked so familiar. Before, they had sensed the familiarity, but didn't have time to think deeply about the matter. Now, though, they suddenly thought of a name from the past.

"Naruto!"

"That's Naruto!"

"Violet Furnace Lord Naruto of the Violet Fate Sect! He even came to the Black Sieve Sect once to give a lecture about the Dao of alchemy!"

It had been silent before, but suddenly, the sound of gasping filled the air as everyone suddenly thought the same thing.

"Two hundred years ago he was in Core Formation…. But now, he can slaughter Spirit Severing Patriarchs!"

Naruto completely ignored the astonished buzz of conversation. He stared straight at the Third Severing Patriarch and slowly walked forward.

As he neared, an enormous, energy rose up from Naruto's body, which transformed into an incredible pressure that covered over everything. The hubbub instantly died down, and even the wind ceased to blow. The only thing left behind was the indescribable pressure.

At the moment, it was evening, and the sky was just starting to turn dark.

"The Sieve Yin Sect! Her soul is in the Sieve Yin Sect!"

When the Third Severing Patriarch felt the pressure, and saw Naruto's gaze fixed upon him, his heart grew numb, and a sense of despair filled him. He was certain that if he didn't tell Naruto what he wanted to know, he would die this day. It was then that he remembered that the Sieve Yin Sect was actually the true Dao Reserve of the Black Sieve Sect, so he quickly blurted out the name.

The Black Sieve Sect was divided like Yin and Yang.

In accord with that division, it was split into two factions. On the surface was the Black Yang Sect. However, beneath the Hundred Thousand Mountains was the Sieve Yin Sect!

The two factions were inextricably linked, which was how the name of the Black Sieve Sect came to exist in the Southern Domain.

Of course, Naruto was not aware of this, but he did know a bit about the Black Sieve Sect. He knew about the countless discarnate souls that existed underground. It was years ago that he had first sensed the discarnate soul of Matriarch Phoenix in Hinata.

He also knew that some Chosen of the Black Sieve Sect had Sieve Yin Sect souls hidden within them.

As for which of the two factions occupied the position of leadership, and which was subservient, well… no outsider knew the answer to that question.

Naruto said nothing in response. He simply lifted his right hand up, performed an incantation and then pushed his hand down toward the ground.

As he did, his Demon Sealer's aura exploded out. As a result, the Demonic Chakra of Heaven and Earth in the area surged toward him in a constant flow. It swept about, causing his view of the entire world to change instantly.

Shockingly, he could see that the land was covered with boundless auras of sinister death. The auras swirled together to form a vortex that actually existed in the ground deep beneath the Black Sieve Sect.

Gradually, he could also make out what appeared to be a turbid river flowing underneath the surface of the ground. It was surrounded by countless discarnate souls. Surrounding the river were ten enormous, illusory palaces that floated in the air, which seemed to be guarding the river.

In the center of the ten palaces was an altar formed from bleached bones. It was filled with a bizarre, awe-inspiring aura, and above it floated a black, crystal ball. Within that crystal ball was a soul, apparently sleeping.

As soon as he saw the soul, Naruto's entire body began to shake.

It was… Hinata.

Beneath the crystal ball were four blurry figures sitting there cross-legged. A sinister aura of death radiated off of them, which made it clear that these four figures were corpses that had been there for countless years.

The moment in which Naruto saw the four corpses, they all lifted their heads. Bizarre, underwordly light shone in their eyes as they looked at Naruto.

There were four corpses, but it was three wills that suddenly exploded out in Naruto's mind.

"Screw off!"

"Get the hell out of here!"

"This is not a place you can enter. If you don't screw off within three breaths of time, you'll end up remaining here forever!"

In response, Naruto lifted his foot up and then stamped it down onto the ground. The surface of the land rumbled, and a huge fissure opened up. Determination filled his eyes as he shot down into the fissure.

As soon as he entered, a sinister, cold aura rose up. Furthermore, countless discarnate souls emerged from within the river. Their eyes glowed with strange lights, as well as greed, as they shot toward Naruto.

An archaic voice echoed out from the turbid waters below: "In the Yellow Springs, the discarnate souls of Heaven and Earth see not the sun. They wish only to remain buried in the depths!"

The countless discarnate souls shot forward, causing an evil wind to spring up.

A strange light gleamed in Naruto's eyes as he proceeded onward three hundred meters. He slowly extended his right hand toward the tens of thousands of incoming discarnate souls. Then, he chopped his hand down, creating an illusory blade imbued with his Dao.

The slash of this blade was like the slash of the Dao!

This blade contained Naruto's Dao of freedom and independence. His life was a journey, and he would be free and unfettered! This Dao was a severing of fetters!

Rumbling filled the air as, in the blink of an eye, the blade grew to 3,000 meters in length. It slashed down, sending out monstrous ripples that swept about in all directions. As the blade swept out, countless discarnate souls let out miserable shrieks, and burst into flames.

Naruto proceeded forward another measure, advancing six hundred meters. He was now only 1,500 meters from the altar. At the same time, ten streams of divine will appeared from within the ten palaces that surrounded the altar. They shot forward, carrying with them auras of death. Shockingly, they transformed into 100,000 discarnate souls, all of them with eyes full of avarice. As they flew through the air, they merged together to form what appeared to be a waning moon that sped toward Naruto.

Naruto lifted his hand again, and when it descended, a second blade appeared!

This was his second Dao, the severing of Perfection and the acquisition of a new life. It contained his determination, his will, and his enlightenment. As the blade descended, Heaven and Earth shook, as if a great Dao were arriving. In front of Naruto, it transformed into a blade that exceeded the 3,000 meter length of the previous blade.

The blade slashed toward the moon!

Booming sounds rattled out in all directions!

Wherever the ripples of the blade passed, the discarnate souls screamed miserably. The waning moon emitted a bright glow as it attempted to fight back.

When the two slammed into each other, the waning moon trembled. Naruto's blade slashed directly into its center, completely slicing it in two. It instantly shattered into pieces.

When the waning moon exploded, the ten temples trembled. All of the discarnate souls in the area looked completely astonished. Even as the waning moon began to reform, Naruto waved his hand and pointed.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

RUMBLE!

Demon Sealing magic was incredibly potent when used against the discarnate souls; the waning moon shuddered, and instantly began to disperse. At the same time, countless disconsolate wails could be heard echoing about.

"It's him!"

"It's the Demon Sealer from that year!"

"He's a Demon Sealer!"

Even as the voices rang out, Naruto advanced a third time, crossing a span of 1,500 meters to directly near the altar. At the same time, three of the four figures opened their eyes and lifted their hands to point toward Naruto.

"Discarnate Soul Dao! Dao of Soul Destruction!"

Shockingly, these three corpses had cultivation bases at the Third Spirit Severing level. When they attacked simultaneously, the power was shocking, causing the surroundings to suddenly sink into an illusory world where it seemed Heaven and Earth were transposed. In front of Naruto, a vortex appeared.

The vortex, which seemed capable of consuming anything living or dead, sped directly toward Naruto.

If that were all there were to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, before Naruto could employ any divine abilities, the fourth figure on the altar opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and began to walk toward Naruto.

"I am the Yin Divinity. I neither descend to the underworld nor ascend to the shining Heavens. I control my own reincarnation. I possess the Yellow Springs of the Ninth Mountain…." As he spoke, he passed through the vortex to appear in front of Naruto. He lifted his hand and pointed out.

The gesture caused what appeared to be an illusory, yellow-colored river to appear above his hand. Something appeared to exist inside the illusory image, and it struggled to emerge, releasing an incredible will of death.

The finger attack caused Naruto's entire body to fill with rumbling, along with an intense sense of deadly crisis. In his estimation, this person… was even stronger than the three people from moments ago!

"Back on that ancient ship, I came to understand two types of Daoist magic…." Naruto's eyes glittered as he took a deep breath, and then began to perform an incantation. In the blink of an eye, the Mountain Consuming Incantation appeared.

This incantation was something he had acquired in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. It was not the most powerful magic, however, as far as Naruto could tell, the limits of its power likely depended on which mountain was being replicated!

Ordinary mountains, such as the Black Sieve Sects' Hundred Thousand Mountains, or perhaps other mountains in the Southern Domain, would be incapable of fighting back against this vortex.

"The most powerful mountain that I have had a chance to study… is the Ninth Mountain!" Naruto's eyes went blank. One breath of time later, shockingly, the image of a mountain appeared in his pupils.

It was a mountain that towered among the stars, a boundless, enormous mountain that defied description.

The Ninth Mountain!

As soon as the Ninth Mountain appeared in his eyes, it also manifested in his palm. He lifted his hand up, and the Ninth Mountain grew in size. Along with it, indescribable ripples began to flow out from within it.

The self-proclaimed Yin Divinity discarnate soul in front of Naruto suddenly looked shocked, and it began to tremble involuntarily.

"That's… the Ninth Mountain!

"To produce a copy of the Ninth Mountain requires incredible destiny and good fortune!

"Not only have you summoned an image of the Ninth Mountain, but you've summoned it into your palm! Such an action requires incredible luck, as well as… vast audacity!

"How are you capable of all of this! How could you possibly have had a chance to lay eyes on the entirety of the Ninth Mountain?!"

He was shocked, as were the three discarnate souls on the altar behind him. Their faces filled with complete disbelief as they looked at the Ninth Mountain.

It must be said that Lands of Ninshu is only one of the four planets that orbited the Ninth Mountain. That made the Ninth Mountain… something of supreme importance, above all living things!

To summon an image of the Ninth Mountain, was like summoning Heaven and Earth!

"If he can summon the image of the Ninth Mountain, that means that if he can achieve Immortal Ascension he will have a Mountain Consuming Chakra! This man cannot be allowed to develop any further!

"He only has the image of the mountain, not the will! Destroy him, seize his blood, wrest away his fortune! Transform this into a great success for the Sieve Yin Sect!"

Instantly, the three discarnate souls on the altar shot out.

It seemed that they were just about to slam into Naruto, when suddenly a vast power from the Heavens above suddenly descended to the lands of the Lands of Ninshu. As it neared, Lands of Ninshu shook and trembled.

This was a great Dao. This was the arrival of the will of the real Ninth Mountain!

The will arrived because Naruto replicated its image. It descended because of the mountain in his hand!

In almost the exact moment in which Naruto used the Mountain Consuming Incantation to summon the image of the Ninth Mountain, far out in the starry sky outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu, the indescribably majestic Ninth Mountain suddenly trembled.

Along with the trembling, the will of the mountain, as if in response to some mysterious call, neared Lands of Ninshu and descended into Naruto's palm, onto the rapidly expanding image of the Ninth Mountain.

It was only a sliver of will, but to Naruto and the surrounding discarnate souls, it was shocking to the extreme.

The astonishment of the discarnate souls was at a pinnacle.

"Resonance!"

"He… actually formed a resonance with the Ninth Mountain!"

The discarnate souls trembled, and Naruto's eyes were now anything but blank. He suddenly waved his right hand, and the Ninth Mountain in his hand shot forward.

As it bore down on the self-proclaimed Moon Divinity, the discarnate soul defended with every bit of power it could muster. Countless heavenly bodies appeared around its and shot forward to block the mountain.

BAM!

The heavenly bodies collapsed, and the Moon Divinity discarnate soul let out a disconsolate shriek as the Ninth Mountain slammed into it, completely destroying it in all aspects….

Then the Ninth Mountain smashed into the enormous vortex, shattering it into pieces. It seemed as if the mountain was completely unstoppable. The other three discarnate souls on the altar retreated in complete terror, but they were too slow for the Ninth Mountain.

Amidst the rumbling, one managed to dodge to the side. The other two, however, howled miserably. They unleashed all of their divine abilities and magical items, but in the end… they were completely destroyed.

At this point, Naruto, his face pale, coughed up some blood. The Ninth Mountain slowly faded away.

As it disappeared, weakness surged through Naruto's body. He had never imagined that the image of the Ninth Mountain would be so shockingly powerful; just now, he had used it to resist Dao Seeking!

Unfortunately, the price paid was something his cultivation base couldn't handle. Although his soul contained an undying will, the backlash had still injured him. He now knew that if he used this particular divine ability for too long, it would wither his soul!

As for the discarnate soul who had escaped, it was now fleeing in horror. It had completely lost all its nerve, and was panic-stricken because of Naruto.

Naruto completely ignored it as he strode forward onto the altar. He raised his right hand and was just about to grab the crystal ball when suddenly, a desiccated hand appeared out of nowhere in front of his face.

It pointed at him, and as it did, Naruto could see an incredible ancientness emanating off of the finger and its blackish-yellow fingernail.

The finger did not send out any ripples, nor did it emit any of the power of Heaven and Earth. However, it gave Naruto the sense of a great Dao, almost like natural laws of Heaven and Earth.

He was incapable of evading or dodging. He could only watch as the finger tapped him gently on the chest.

In response, he heard an incredible roaring, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. He spun up violently into the air, as if he had been delivered a huge blow. He slammed into one of the huge temples, which then shattered into pieces, incapable of sustaining the force of Naruto smashing into it.

He shot through the wreckage of the temple and then slammed into the roof of the cave up above. The ground trembled, and roaring echoed out in all directions. The earth split and Naruto shot up into the air above the Black Sieve Sect. It was almost like he was passing from the dark of Yin into the light of Yang. When he reached the end of his trajectory, his chest finally exploded into a cloud of blood.

Immediately, his undying soul and Eternal stratum surged into action, causing the wound to begin to heal. And yet, even after it healed, it exploded once again, a vicious cycle. Naruto coughed up blood continuously until his green robe had turned violet.

Down below, the disciples of the Black Sieve Sect watched on with expressions of shock on their faces.

At the same time, coughing sounds could be heard from deep within the ground.

A black mist began to rise up from down below, which then flooded out to cover the entire Black Sieve Sect.

The coughing sound grew louder, as if someone were lurching out from within the depths of the ground.

All of a sudden, an ancient voice could be heard. "I was just sleeping for a bit and you had to go stir up such a ruckus!"

A skinny, shriveled old man appeared. He wore a black robe, as well as a hat. His features were wizened and ancient, pale in a way that was frightening to look at. His eyes were vacant, and his entire body radiated an aura of death, almost like a vampiric zombie.

As he walked out, everything around him became freezing cold, and black snowflakes began to drift about.

When the Third Severing Cultivator saw the zombie-like man appear, he immediately began to tremble and sweat. Without even thinking about it, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed. "Greetings from the junior generation, true Patriarch Six-Daos!"

Simultaneously, the discarnate soul expert who had survived Naruto's attack earlier immediately flew out trembling. He, too, dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

"Greetings from the junior generation, true Patriarch Six-Daos!"

Back underground, countless discarnate souls all dropped to their knees to kowtow, their faces filled with awe and terror. At the same time, their voices echoed out in greeting. As for the Black Sieve Sect disciples standing on the ground, they shook uncontrollably, and although they actually didn't know who this old man was, they kowtowed nonetheless.

Naruto's face was unsightly, and he could feel the wound in his chest continuing to fight against his Eternal stratum. He stared fixedly at the old man for a moment before realizing that the man's cultivation base…

Was at the peak of Dao Seeking!

Naruto could also tell that this man seemed to be slightly stronger than Madara.

This was the true Dao Reserve of a great sect. Any of the five great sects or three great clans in the Southern Domain would have a similar Dao Reserve. Were it not for that, how could they possible pass their legacies down for ten thousand years or beyond?

The old man coughed a bit, then stretched a stiff hand out and made a claw-like gesture toward the ground. The turbid, underground river suddenly surged and then flew up out of the ground. As it did, it shrank down until it could circulate in the air around the old man.

At the same time, the old man pointed toward the incense burner on the First Mountain, causing it to shudder and then fly through the air toward him. It shrank down until it was the size of a fist, and then opened up, after which the turbid river flowed inside. Finally, the incense burner came to rest on the old man's palm.

By now it didn't look like an incense burner, but rather, a flagon of alcohol.

The old man raised it up to his lips and took a sip. Then, his eyes glowing with a strange light, he looked over at Naruto.

"You have a pretty good cultivation base," he said. "If it weren't for me, the Black Sieve Sect's foundation of ten thousand years would actually have been destroyed." The old man then pointed toward the ground, causing the crystal ball with Hinata's soul in it to fly out. He clasped it between two fingers. "Do you want her?"

Wisps of black mist circulated out from the old man's hand to encircle the crystal ball. They transformed into vicious, wicked spirits who peered into the crystal ball with greed and avarice as if they wanted to rush inside.

Hinata's soul immediately began to tremble, as if it was experiencing intense fear.

Naruto's heart also began to quiver.

"I can sense the aroma of rebirth," the old man said hoarsely. "My disciples and apprentices must have been refining her for my use. What is she to you? Your beloved?"

Naruto glared at the old man, but didn't respond. Pain stabbed through his heart, and his entire body was trembling.

"Not going to say anything?" The old man gently squeezed his fingers down. Cracking sounds could be heard as fissures appeared on the surface of the crystal ball.

"She's my beloved!" Naruto took a deep breath and continued to stare at the old man.

"Then it's proper for you to have come," the old man said calmly, the aura of death around him growing thicker. "If you didn't show up, her soul would have become nourishment for me, and her body would have been refined into a medicinal pill to add to my collection."

By now, the sky was completely dark, and the moon was out. As its rays shone down, the old man looked up for a moment, then caused the black mist to cover it up.

"Unfortunately, you coming here was useless. Although, I might as well give you a chance." His murky eyes began to glow with a strange light. "Go ahead and use your best divine abilities and magical techniques. If you can handle one blow from me, then I'll let you leave with her soul. What do you say?"

Naruto stared at this true Patriarch of the Black Sieve Sect, the most powerful person in the entire sect. Inside, he smiled bitterly. In actuality, he knew before coming here that things would probably not go smoothly. However, he had come anyway.

Not coming would have violated his own Dao!

Furthermore, he came without the intention of leaving!

"You live, I live. You die, I die…. That is a promise." Naruto took a deep breath and then lifted his hand up. In his left eye, a bright glow like day gradually appeared. In his right eye could be seen a darkness like night.

This was his most powerful divine ability, which he had acquired after gaining enlightenment about darkness and light from the armored man on the Underworld Ship.

In his right hand, a black mist appeared, along with a white mist.

As soon as the two streams of mist appeared, the Black Sieve Sect's true Patriarch, Six-Daos, stared in shock.

"So, it's this…." he said.

The reason he hadn't killed Naruto immediately was because he had sensed some type of good fortune on him. Considering the level of true Patriarch Six-Daos' cultivation base, he could feel premonitions for both crisis and good fortune.

He was now eying Naruto in much the same way that Madara had eyed Naruto for his Perfect Foundation. He could faintly sense that Naruto had something that could be considered incredibly useful good fortune.

A stiff smile appeared on the face of true Patriarch Six-Daos. His eyes flickered as he watched the black and white mists grow rapidly thicker until they finally formed into two pearls.

Black Pearl!

White Pearl!

The instant the two pearls appeared, true Patriarch Six-Daos' pupils constricted. Despite his cultivation base and level of power, his face still filled with disbelief.

"This is… a Dao!

"It's not an ordinary Dao, either. These black and white pearls give me a sense of limitlessness, as if they contain…."

Naruto's eyes flashed and he suddenly stretched out his right hand. He actually didn't know how to use the two pearls, but they were definitely his most powerful magical technique.

As he waved his hand, the two pearls transformed into two beams, one black, one white, that shot toward true Patriarch Six-Daos.

In that instant, the sky suddenly changed colors. The entire world became one of black and white. There was no third color that existed!

"Heavenly Dao!

"This is a Heavenly Dao, not of the Ninth Mountain, but from outside the great Nine Mountains!"

"The black pearl represents death and the white pearl represents life!

"No, wait. The white pearl represents death and the black pearl represents life!

"Hmm, that's not right either. How many Daos are represented here? The cause and effect of Karma. Truth and falsehood. Life and death. The cycle of reincarnation. Heaven and Earth…." True Patriarch Six-Daos' face flickered. As the pearls neared him, he waved his right hand out in front of him. Immediately, the incense burner flew out and began to expand. Turbid water suddenly exploded out from within.

"Yellow Springs!" growled true Patriarch Six-Daos, causing the turbid water to emanate a monstrous aura of death. It expanded, transforming into a river that swept toward the two pearls.

However, even as it neared the pearls, the Yellow Springs began to tremble and then fall apart…. Countless souls appeared and began to dissipate out in all directions, looking blank and confused.

Next, the incense burner trembled, and images of burning incense sticks from inside began to float up. True Patriarch Six-Daos' face flickered, and he quickly flashed an incantation gesture with his right hand and then pointed out.

"Joss Flame!" The incense burner began to shake, and illusory worlds suddenly sprang into being. All of them contained countless living beings who were kowtowing on bended knees.

Along with their obeisance, their auras pulsed up into the air and then merged together. Next, the worlds themselves transformed into statues, each one of which bore the semblance of true Patriarch Six-Daos. They then shot at top speed toward the Black White Pearls.

The two pearls closed in, and a shocking boom rattled out. All of the worlds and statues instantly turned black and white, then began to collapse. The incense burner trembled and then shrank down rapidly. True Patriarch Six-Daos' face once again flickered. He stretched his right hand out and pushed down toward the ground.

"Yin-Yang Rotation; Heaven and Earth Transformations!" He held his right hand aloft, causing an enormous flag to appear.

As the flag swept out, shockingly, countless souls could be seen inside, howling.

"One Billion Joss Souls."

Astonishingly, one billion souls were inside the unfurling flag, which flew directly toward the Black White Pearls, emanating the shocking howls of the billion souls.

It only took a moment for the billion souls to be dispersed. However, the Black White Pearls were incapable of maintaining their form, and once more transformed into black and white mist that shot toward Six-Daos.

Six-Daos' eyes filled with a strange light, and he did nothing to evade. In fact, he strode forward as the black and white mists neared, and then opened his mouth to swallow them. At the same time, a three-headed six-armed figure appeared behind him, which also opened its gaping mouth.

Six-Daos directly swallowed the black and white mists, whereupon his body began to tremble. His face paled as he tried to endured the force, but it was clearly too great. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then cracking sounds could be heard coming from inside his body. Suddenly, the black and white streams of mist burst out from his chest and then faded away into the air.

The surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples were completely shocked. Naruto stood there silently, looking at true Patriarch Six-Daos. This was in fact his most powerful technique he could employ.

"Interesting. Very interesting!" said Six-Daos, lifting his head up and laughing loudly. "Great! What an excellent divine ability. Well, you accomplished the task I arranged for you, therefore, it's time to fulfill my end of the bargain!" With that, he tightened his left hand, causing cracking sounds to fill the air as nearly half of the crystal ball Hinata's soul was shattered. Her soul did not emerge, however, and the discarnate souls in the area all shot forward with expressions of insatiable greed.

"You!" roared Naruto, his eyes bright red. Right now, he didn't care about life or death. He didn't care about anything in the world except for the soul in that crystal ball!

The soul's eyes suddenly opened and looked at Naruto. It was a gaze filled with gentleness and longing….

"In my years of practicing cultivation," said Six-Daos, his voice hoarse, "I've never kept my promises. And since you've managed to piss me off, do you really think I would spare you a painful death?" With a ghastly smile, he waved his hand, causing an altar to appear next to him that resembled a pagoda, with nine steps leading to its top.

On top of the altar were countless discarnate souls with bulging eyes, who emitted soundless screams.

Next, Six-Daos sent the crystal ball shooting toward the altar, where it floated in the air, emitting cracking sounds.

BANG!

The crystal ball completely shattered, and Hinata's soul emerged. The discarnate souls around her let out excited howls as they pounced.

"If you can save her," said Six-Daos, looking at Naruto, "then I'll keep my promise this one time."

Naruto, in a frenzy, shot directly toward the altar. Before he could even get near it, though, the discarnate souls' mouths bit into Hinata's soul. Trembling, she looked over at Naruto, and it seemed as if there were tears in her eyes.

He felt like his heart were being ripped to shreds. His voice filled with misery, he howled, "Eat MY blood and flesh!"

With that he slashed at his chest with his hand, causing blood and gore to splash out in all directions. The aura of a Demon Sealer spread out explosively.

The discarnate souls froze, then turned their heads. The insatiable greed in their eyes surged to an apex, and they charged toward Naruto. In the blink of an eye they bored into Naruto's chest and began to feed.

PAIN!

Indescribable PAIN!

However, Naruto didn't care. He forced himself to continue onward. One by one, he proceeded toward the stairs that led to the top of the altar. More and more discarnate souls latched onto him, and they didn't even bothering to bore into him before beginning to consume his flesh and blood.

However, none of that could prevent Naruto from walking onward.

The Black Sieve Sect disciples in the area were completely astonished, even the ones who harbored intense hatred for Naruto.

Six-Daos' eyes narrowed.

Black mist billowed around Naruto, and his flesh and blood were rapidly disappearing. However, he still had his Eternal stratum, which caused his body to rapidly heal itself. Of course, that only led to more pain.

Step after step led him to the staircase, and finally, Hinata. He reached out with trembling hands to take ahold of her.

However, it was in this moment that Six-Daos' eyes glittered with evil. He gave a cold snort and then stretched out a finger causally. Immediately, black mist shot toward Hinata's soul.

"This is over," he said.

The black mist shot toward Hinata. Naruto then let out the most desolate roar he ever had in his life. "NOOOOOOOOO!"

Disregarding anything and everything, he stretched his hands out to grab Hinata. However, the black beam didn't stop. It slammed into Hinata's soul, enveloping her, transforming into what appeared to be black flames.

It was at this point that Naruto's hands landed on Hinata's soul. They passed through the black flames to take ahold of her.

The instant he touched her, the tears in his eyes finally spilled out. He had descended thoroughly into madness now. All he could do was watch as Hinata slowly faded away within the black flames.

Hinata began to murmur, although no sound came out. Only her lips moved. "You live, I die…. Promise me, that you will keep on living…."

Naruto was desolate, helpless. His cultivation base was useless, and the world was useless. "I just want to practice cultivation in happiness! I just want to be with Hinata! Cultivation? Just… just what kind of life is cultivation?!"

It was in this moment that suddenly, a voice rang out in Naruto's mind.

"Promise me something, and I can help you!" The voice was completely unexpected, but as of this moment, Naruto didn't care. As soon as he heard it, he responded, without hesitation, without taking time to think about how strange it was.

"I promise. Anything you want. I promise!"

As soon as he spoke the words, Hinata, who seemed just on the verge of fading away completely, was suddenly enveloped by a blood-colored beam of light that shot down from the sky.

Instantly, the black flames were extinguished!

Six-Daos' face fell as suddenly, a seething red cloud appeared up above. The sky turned red, and an enormous face appeared in mid-air.

It was the face of an old man, his eyes crimson, with a blood-red horn protruding from his forehead. As soon as the face appeared, the disciples of the Black Sieve Sect felt the blood in their bodies starting to boil, as if it might burst out from within them.

The entire world, the sky, the land, was now the color of blood.

Everything visible was completely blood-colored!

Six-Daos' pupils constricted, and his energy surged. He waved his right hand, causing the incense burner to circle around his head.

"Blood Demon! Do you really dare to interfere with the matters of the Black Sieve Sect?!"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" replied the face in the sky. Six-Daos entire body filled with a roaring sound, as the scant amount of blood that actually existed inside of him suddenly exploded out, showering in all directions.

His face flickered, and he flew up into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot toward the face. "Everybody says Blood Demon is the Top Expert of the Southern Domain! Well I don't believe it!"

"Southern Domain?" The face shook its head. "An uncivilized land at best." Shockingly, a wrinkled, blood-colored hand appeared that emanated a shocking blood will. It shot toward Six-Daos, grabbed him, and squeezed lightly.

A boom echoed out as the incense burner shattered. The Yellow Springs vanished, and more blood sprayed from his mouth. Six-Daos was astonished to the extreme.

"You… you…."

"I'm not going to kill you," the face said coolly. "That task will be accomplished in the future, by the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect." The hand loosened its grip, allowing Six-Daos to drop to the ground, his body oozing blood.

The surrounding Black Sieve Sect disciples watched on with pale, astonished faces.

The face in the sky slowly turned to look at Naruto, as if he were the only existence in the world it would deign to look upon.

"You made a promise."

Naruto's face was devoid of blood, but his expression was calm as he looked down at Hinata's soul, enveloped as she was in the red glow. She was no longer in pain, and was now slowly recovering. He looked back up at the face in the sky.

"Even if it's Demonic Transmigration, Junior is willing."

"There is no need for Demonic Transmigration. What I want you to do… is experience bedevilment!

"Join the Blood Demon Sect. Turn into a one-of-a-kind Devil. Become the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect!

"The League of Demon Sealers will finally become Devilish. How amusing. This is not the desire of the Heavenly Dao. This is my desire!

"Experience bedevilment. From now on, you are a Devil, a position above Demons. Continue on your path. What I want you do… is no longer seal Demons. No, I want to see if you can use your Demon Sealing powers to seal the Heaven of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

The voice belonging to the face up in mid-air was ancient, and as it echoed about in all directions, an enormous red hand descended. The hand snatched up Naruto and Hinata's soul, then shot up into the sky.

In the blink of an eye, they vanished….

The only thing left behind was the wreckage of the Black Sieve Sect, and tens of thousand of ashen-faced disciples. True Patriarch Six-Dao's stood there, an unsightly expression on his face.

He glared with clenched jaw at the redness in the sky as it faded away.

"Blood Demon Sect!" His heart dripping with blood. He had been defeated, thoroughly and utterly defeated, leaving him with unmitigated terror that raced through his heart.

"The Southern Domain's Top Expert!" he thought. Previously, he had despised the thought, but after this day's battle, he had no choice but to admit that Patriarch Blood Demon absolutely was the Top Expert in the Southern Domain.

"I don't think even Erimaki Sharo from the Solitary Sword Sect is a match for Blood Demon." His face sank further. Finally, he flicked his sleeve, transforming into a black smoke that shot down into the ground.

The Black Sieve Sect had not been completely destroyed. However, the majority of the Hundred Thousand Mountains had been crushed. Only about 20,000 remained. Whether it be in terms of the Black Yang or the Sieve Yin factions, the Sect had been severely damaged.

Four Spirit Severing experts had died!

Innumerable Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators had also lost their lives. Thanks to the Black Sieve Sect's Dao Reserve, they could still technically be considered a great sect. However, the sect was so badly mangled that it would be difficult to match their previous pinnacle even after ten thousand years passed.

Meanwhile, the blood-colored shield covering the Southern Domain vanished. The blood-colored shields that had been erected over the Violet Fate Sect, Solitary Sword Sect, Golden Frost Sect, and the Shimura and Nadeshiko Clans also disappeared.

The sects and clans were no longer sealed. Their powerful experts immediately sent divine sense out into the Southern Domain to settle accounts with the Blood Demon Sect. However, when they saw the wreckage of the Black Sieve Sect, they gasped.

Instantly, they concealed any desire they had to settle accounts.

Gradually, word of the ancient title of 'Top Expert' once again began to spread throughout the Southern Domain.

A few hours after Naruto's departure, Pill Demon appeared in the air above the Black Sieve Sect. His face looked more ancient than ever as he looked down silently at the wreckage below.

After a long moment passed, he sighed and began to murmur to himself. "I'm the Master, and I couldn't even save my apprentice. Do I even qualify… to be his Master…?

"He kowtowed three times, and called me Master…." Finally, Pill Demon raised his head up, determination glowing in his eyes.

"I've been living an easy life for far too long now…. I've long since reached the point where I'm not willing to search for the Dao of Immortality…. Is it because I'm afraid? Perhaps.

"The time has come for Severing…." Shaking his head, he left and returned to the Violet Fate Sect.

Three days after returning, a great Dao descended. In that moment, the eyes of all the powerful experts in the Southern Domain turned toward the Violet Fate Sect.

In truth, it was not a single great Dao which descended, but rather, a succession of three!

In the Solitary Sword Sect was an old man wearing a white robe, in front of whom floated a sword of moonbeams. "Violet East… is finally performing his Severing!" he said softly.

In the Golden Frost Sect, deep in a restricted area, within a field of blackness, a mysterious glow suddenly appeared that looked like eyes. "He's been simmering for all these years, did he finally reach a conclusion?"

Shimura and Nadeshiko Clan experts, as well as many others, all gazed toward the Violet Fate Sect to bear witness to the goings on.

"In his previous life, Reverend Violet East refused to become a false Immortal of the Hebi Clan. He longed to be a true Immortal. Unfortunately, he passed away in meditation before his Immortal Tribulation arrived. He transmigrated his next life from the cycle of reincarnation into a medical pill, and when the spirit of that pill awakened, it became Grandmaster Pill Demon…."

"Three great Daos, and three Severings in a row. Based on the knowledge he has from from his last life, it seems he's going from Spirit Severing… directly into Dao Seeking!"

"Considering the latent talent of Reverend Violet East, and the nature of this Severing, it won't be long before he's at the peak of Dao Seeking. The only question is… will he be able to reach true Immortal Ascension this time?!"

"True Immortal… true Immortal…. Either reach Immortal Ascension, or experience the soul scattering in death. After that there is no reincarnation, only a complete blotting out of one's existence."

In addition, there was one other powerful expert who appeared, someone who sat in a blood-colored mountain, wearing a blood-colored robe. "The path to true Immortality that opens every 10,000 years, has once again opened. The opportunity to become a true Immortal has once again appeared. I wonder… how many will experience the downfall of their Dao, dispersing their bodies and souls? Naruto, destiny links both you and me to the League of Demon Sealers.

"Although it was for selfish reasons that I forced you to join the Blood Demon Sect, I have absolutely no ill intentions toward you whatsoever. I'm just not too pleased with the inflexible, pedantic eight generations of your league!

"The League of Demon Sealers. Wardens of the great Nine Mountains and Seas. Is your heart… with the Nine Mountains and Seas, or outside!?

"If it is outside, then you are not worthy of the Mountain and Sea Realm. If your heart is here, then why haven't you sealed the Heavens, Demon Sealer!?

"Starting in ancient times, the League of Demon Sealers has always been heartless. Could it be that the Ninth Generation… is the same…? I refuse to believe it!

"I won't harm you, and in fact, I will give you great good fortune. I will help you to grow up, and I will be your Dao Protector. When you wish to leave this place, I won't stop you. I just hope that your experiences and time here in the blood Demon Sect will make you pause for thought when it comes time to make those critical decisions in the future." The man sighed as he muttered to himself, and it echoed throughout the Southern Domain.

The name of the mountain the man stood on was Mount Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon Sect was one of the five great sects of the Southern Domain. In the past, it was a place of incredible mystery that struck fear into the hearts of anyone who heard its name. In fact, few people knew exactly where it was. They only knew that Blood Demon Sect disciples were all decisive killers.

For example… Chino!

Another well-known figure among the rising stars of the sect was Shikamaru, who was surrounded by the glow of blood wherever he went.

Actually, the Blood Demon Sect was not a very large place. It consisted of only five mountains.

The centermost mountain was Mount Blood Demon, which was surrounded by four other mountains that had no true names, but rather, were called by the names of whoever occupied them.

Currently, Naruto sat cross-legged on Mount Blood Demon. Behind him was a cave mouth that emanated a glow of blood, and pulsed with a cold, imposing aura.

In front of him was Hinata's soul, surrounded by a glowing sphere of red light.

He looked at her, and she at him.

They were as separated as Yin and Yang, but their gazes seemed capable of lasting an eternity.

Also standing there on Mount Blood Demon was a figure surrounded by an aura of blood. It was impossible to see his face, but he was currently staring off into the sky. "Have you thought it through?" he said slowly.

Naruto didn't reply. He had been in the Blood Demon Sect for several days now. When he first arrived, the blood-colored figure had spoken a few words to him.

"Do you wish to accompany your beloved for your whole life, or for a single lifetime? A whole life includes a single lifetime, but a single lifetime does not include whole life. A single lifetime is a simple matter, and I can help you with that. As for a whole life… I can't help you."

That was the choice which had been set before him.

Naruto didn't respond. He only looked at Hinata. She didn't say anything either. She only looked back at him.

That lasted all the way to the moment in which the blood-colored figure spoke again. Finally, Naruto responded, his voice soft. "Hinata and I have an agreement. She lives, I live. She dies, I die."

The blood-colored figure was silent for a long moment before his ancient voice once again echoed out in Mount Blood Demon.

"If you choose a single lifetime, then I will fuse her soul into her fleshly body. By nourishing it with a miraculous object of Heaven and Earth, she can be completely recovered in a hundred years.

"However, her soul has been damaged, and her body weakened. The fusion is difficult and if it fails, she won't last even a hundred years. Even if it does succeed, she will be incapable of Spirit Severing. You will be able to spend a thousand years with each other, until her longevity reaches an end.

"If you choose a whole life, then… she must enter the cycle of reincarnation. Her soul will travel to the underworld of the Fourth Mountain, and she will be born anew. As to which Mountain she is born in, it is impossible to say. Before reaching Immortal Ascension, she will remember nothing from her previous life. However, in the moment she does reach Immortal Ascension, she will remember everything.

"Then, she will be able to accompany you for your whole life.

"You have a choice to make. Take her to the underworld to be reincarnated. Or, live with her here for a thousand years.

"If you take her to the underworld, then I can make you a promise. I'm on good terms with Kṣitigarbha, the Earth Store Bodhisattva. Your beloved will be able to avoid any suffering in the underworld, and upon reincarnation, she will be accompanied by incredible good luck. Afterward, there will be a high likelihood that she can achieve true Immortal Ascension.

"You have a month to decide. I'll be waiting for you in the Blood Pond." Gradually, the blood-colored figure transformed into a glow of blood that faded away into the surroundings.

The sun rose and set. Naruto looked at Hinata, and she gazed tenderly back.

They didn't speak, they just looked into each other's eyes. Day, after day, after day….

Half a month went by, although it seemed like an eternity. Finally, she smiled. "Send me into the cycle of reincarnation. I don't want a thousand wonderful years. I want to spend my whole life with you."

Naruto didn't respond.

She looked at him for a moment. "We agreed, didn't we? I want to grow old with you…."

Naruto shook his head. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Hinata smiled and interrupted him. "You're scared that you won't be able to find me, aren't you?

"Senior Blood Demon said that if we pick reincarnation, then it's impossible to tell which Mountain I will end up on…. However, let's make an agreement. You come looking for me, and I'll wait for you….

"There's no need to fear, Junior Brother. Our agreement in this lifetime, is an agreement for a whole life….

"In my next lifetime, I'll definitely dream of you treading through the Heavens to come find me. You'll hold out your hand to take mine, and then we will live the rest of our lives together.

"There's no need to talk any more about what decision to make. We can live together for ninety-nine years. In the final year… I'll enter the cycle of reincarnation." Hinata looked at Naruto earnestly.

Naruto looked at her and then nodded, pain stabbing through his heart.

She smiled, a beautiful smile. He reached up toward the glowing red pearl that contained her soul, and it floated down onto his palm. He closed his eyes and clutched it as if he was embracing her.

He would never forget how her beauty had turned into old age.

He would never forget how some of his life force contained hers.

Finally, he opened his eyes and stood up. "It doesn't matter which Mountain you are reincarnated to, I will find you."

With that, he carefully took Hinata's soul into the mouth of the cave behind him, which glowed brightly like blood.

Naruto walked into the shallow cave, quickly reaching its end. Up ahead was a blood-colored pond, within which was a withered corpse. It emanated invisible ripples that made it look incredibly ferocious, and growing out of its forehead was a blood-colored horn.

He wore a tattered blood-colored robe, and the skin visible through the tears was dark-red flesh covered with blue veins. The entire image was quite terrifying. His lips were shriveled, his eyes sunken in, his entire body dried up. Visible within his mouth, were razor-sharp fangs.

His body was the shape of a human, but this was clearly no cultivator.

This was a Demon! Patriarch Blood Demon!

This was his true self. Whenever he appeared outside the sect, he used clones. Be it that year in the Reliance Sect, or earlier in the Black Sieve Sect, everything were clone incarnations.

His true self slumbered here eternally. From the beginning until now, he had never stepped even half a foot out of the cave, nor moved out from the pond.

As Naruto laid eyes on him, his head slowly raised up and he looked back.

His gaze was archaic, seemingly filled with countless years of time. Anyone who saw him would think that they were watching time move in reverse. It was as if they were looking far into the past, into ancient times, and the stars.

"I'm already aware of your choice," he said, his hoarse voice echoing about in the cave.

A withered, emaciated hand lifted up and waved through the air gently. Blood rose up from within the pond, moving in accord with the gesture of his finger to congeal into a magical symbol.

As soon as the magical symbol finished forming, its color changed. It was no longer blood-colored, but rather, glowed with a golden light.

An incredibly powerful life force emanated out from it, as if the symbol itself were alive. As soon as the life force appeared, Patriarch Blood Demon visibly became even more ancient and withered. He didn't offer an explanation to Naruto, but this gold magical symbol was created from some of the essence of his life force. The power of such life force was developed through ages of cultivation, and was something that could not be restored.

The golden symbol flickered a few times and then flew toward Naruto.

"Place this magical symbol on her old fleshly body," he said, his voice hoarse and his tone casual. "After nine nine-day-cycles of nourishment, a total of eighty-one days, your beloved's soul can re-enter her body, and she can once again walk about in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. If she does not enter the cycle of reincarnation within a hundred years, then her longevity of a thousand years will be cut short.

"Once she enters the cycle of reincarnation, this magical symbol will guide her through the void. When she is in the underworld, it will protect her. It will also help her when she reaches Immortal Ascension."

Naruto looked at the symbol. Considering the level of his cultivation base, how could he not see the terrifying life force that existed inside of it, and how Patriarch Blood Demon had grown weaker after it appeared?

Complex emotions suddenly rose up inside of him. It didn't matter that Patriarch Blood Demon had coerced him into accepting the title of Blood Prince, he still felt incredible gratitude in his heart.

Naruto carefully accepted the magical symbol and put it away, then clasped hands and bowed deeply to Blood Demon.

"My respects, Patriarch!"

Blood Demon's eyes shone with a strange light, and his hoarse laughter echoed out throughout the Blood Demon Sect.

Naruto didn't say anything more. He knew that originally, there was little reason for his life to have much of anything to do with the Blood Demon Sect. And yet, Patriarch Blood Demon had already showed him incredible kindness.

It wasn't limited to the events which occured outside the Reliance Sect that year. If you traced matters back further, Patriarch Blood Demon had actually made an appearance INSIDE the Reliance Sect as well. Obviously, Naruto had long standing connections to the Blood Demon Sect.

Of course, Naruto was aware that his hand was forced back in the Black Sieve Sect. Despite that, he still chose to walk down this path in front of him.

"I make no requirements of you," said Patriarch Blood Demon. "Even if you want to lead the Blood Demon Sect out into the Southern Domain to wage war on the Black Sieve Sect, to destroy them… I won't stop you.

"You can do anything you want here. My only wish is that you cultivate the Blood Demon Grand Magic. Cultivate it all the way to the sixth level, and then you can leave without any hindrance from me."

Naruto's head jerked up to look at Patriarch Blood Demon, a shocked expression on his face. He would never have been able to guess that there would only be one requirement laid on him, and that it would be something like this.

"When you cultivate it to the third level," said Patriarch Blood Demon, his gaze fixed upon Naruto, "I will bestow upon you some good fortune. After that, each additional level will come with further good fortune!

"I didn't kill Six-Daos of the Black Sieve Sect, I only crippled his foundation. His cultivation base will quickly fall to the early Dao Seeking stage. When your Blood Demon Grand Magic reaches the fourth level, you will easily be able to slaughter that very stage. At that time, you can personally wipe out the entire Black Sieve Sect."

Naruto didn't say anything in response, but his eyes gleamed with a strange light.

"All I am giving to you is a title in the sect. As to whether or not you can stand on your own, can convince everyone to follow you… and to acknowledge your position, well…

"That depends on your capabilities." Blood Demon gave Naruto a profound look, then waved his right hand. A drop of blood flew out to hover in front of Naruto. He took hold of it, and when it touched his palm, it turned into a blood-red crystal, within which flickered magical symbols that seemed to contain a mysterious, great Dao.

After delivering the drop of blood, Patriarch Blood Demon once again grew visibly weaker. The drop was obviously made of lifeblood, which contained some of his will, and was indestructible. It also contained good fortune.

This was a legacy! The legacy of Patriarch Blood Demon!

After watching Naruto accept the blood drop, Patriarch Blood Demon looked at him with warmth.

"I've lived far too many years," he murmured in his heart, "and my condition worsens on a daily basis. Eventually, my soul will disperse, and I will die. When that happens, I will finally be able to accompany my long-dead friends in the underworld…. They died, and I live on alone…. Wait for me, my sister. Wait for me, friends. We can reunite soon….

"When I die, my death will have the greatest value of them all. My death will change the League of Demon Sealers!

"In fact, that is the reason I chose to descend here into the lands of the Southern Domain…. This is the homeland of the Demon Sealers. Wait for me, all of you. The day is coming soon…."

Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply, then turned to leave the cave.

Just as he was about to step out of the cave mouth, he suddenly stopped in place.

"Patriarch," he said, "as the Blood Prince, I have a license to kill, right? How many disciples' lives are covered by it?"

As soon as Patriarch Blood Demon heard the words, his eyes flickered, and he lifted his head up once again from within the Blood Pond.

"One hundred per year."

"Regardless of status?"

"Regardless of status," was the calm reply. To him, none of the other disciples in the Blood Demon Sect were as important as Naruto.

Naruto didn't say anything further. He left the Immortal's cave, and as he did, Patriarch Blood Demon's voice echoed out to fill the entire sect.

"From this day forward, Naruto… is the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect!"

The words rumbled like thunder throughout the five mountain peaks of the Blood Demon Sect. Instantly, streams of divine sense appeared from within the four outer mountain peaks, all of which focused on Naruto as he stood there on Mount Blood Demon.

His expression was the same as ever as he strode down the steps. His calm face seemed reticent and taciturn; after dying, his personality had changed dramatically. That was especially so after the massacre at the Black Sieve Sect. After that, he was more ruthless and vicious, and it showed.

Even more influential was everything that had occurred with Hinata. As far as Naruto was concerned, his entire life was different now.

He walked silently, doing nothing to stop the countless streams of divine sense that began focusing on him. Each and every stream was filled with hostility. After all, to the Blood Demon Sect, Naruto… was a stranger!

For a stranger to suddenly come to the Blood Demon Sect and then immediately be promoted to Blood Prince was something that affected the interests of more than a few people. Clearly, many people were resentful.

Their resentment could not be displayed in Patriarch Blood Demon's presence, but when it came to Naruto, they didn't care about him one bit. Even if he had been appointed the Blood Prince, in the Blood Demon Sect… words need to be backed up by strength.

As for what had occurred in the Black Sieve Sect, only Naruto knew about it. The other experts in the Blood Demon Sect only knew that their Patriarch had set up a spell formation and then returned from the Black Sieve Sect with Naruto.

Regarding the particulars of what had occurred, the Black Sieve Sect obviously wouldn't be spreading the news. For the rest of the Blood Demon Sect to learn the details wouldn't likely happen in a short period of time.

There were powerful experts who occupied all four of the outer mountain peaks of the Blood Demon Sect. They built their own organizations within the sect that eventually caused the Blood Demon Sect to be divided into four major powers or sections.

Generally speaking, the four sections did not get along, and it was difficult to determine who was in the superior position. On the surface, things were harmonious, but in reality, there were ceaseless secret struggles that occurred.

Whether it be outside of the sect or inside, it had always been that way.

As for the position of Blood Prince, that was something that each of the powers wished for their own. If they could acquire the position of Blood Prince, it would change everything and would give them the qualifications to take control of all of the mountain peaks.

The first mountain peak was referred to as Mount Ironblood. 50,000 cultivators called it home, and all of them were Demonic cultivators and cold-blooded killers. Currently, all of their cold gazes were fixed on Mount Blood Demon.

They didn't care a whit about the new Blood Prince nor his extraordinary cultivation base. Even were it more extraordinary, he was still nothing more than a stranger. How could he possibly stand up to all of Mount Ironblood?!

In an Immortal's cave at the highest point on the mountain were the two Ironblood Patriarchs. They were not cultivators, but rather, Demonic Incarnations; as for their true selves, few people knew what they looked like.

Normally, they didn't venture out very often, and currently, they sat there cross-legged, eyes open as they looked at Naruto.

"Nothing more than some member of the junior generation," said one of them.

There was also a middle-aged man who stood outside of the two Patriarchs' Immortal's cave. His eyes flashed with killing intent as he stared toward Mount Blood Demon.

"The title of Blood Prince was intended for me, Ibiki! This Naruto dares to snatch food out of the tiger's mouth? He's looking to die!" His body began to glow with a bloody light, and seas of blood surged inside his eyes. The man was clearly in a rage, and countless bloody souls appeared around him, all of them emitting miserable shrieks.

Gritting his teeth, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed toward the Immortal's cave. "Masters, please allow disciple to take action!"

"He might be the Blood Prince," said one of the two Ironblood Patriarchs, "but the only difference between his position and yours is that he has unique access to the Blood Demon Grand Magic. If you're skilled enough to make him bow his head, then he can become your puppet!"

"That's right," said the other, his voice cold. "If you're skilled enough to make him capitulate, then as the operators of the torture chamber, your Masters will be within their rights to crush him. Of course, he was appointed by the Patriarch, so you can't be the first one to make a move!"

The middle-aged man looked up, and his eyes flickered with viciousness. Without hesitation, he left the peak of the mountain.

At the same time, on the second mountain peak of the Blood Demon Sect, which was known as Mount Darkheaven, a cultivator rose up from meditation to look at Mount Blood Demon. This was respected Patriarch Darkheaven, who was referred to as a Demon, but was in fact a cultivator.

Behind him were his seven apprentices, none of whom seemed to be people of goodwill. Their eyes flickered with red light and killing intent.

The tens of thousands of disciples on Mount Darkheaven, all of whom were commanded by Patriarch Darkheaven, silently stared with cold eyes toward Mount Blood Demon.

"Interesting," murmured Patriarch Darkheaven. "The Patriarch did not assign him a mountain peak, nor any followers, huh…? What does that mean?" He appeared in the form of a boy wearing scholar's garment, and he stood there with his arms clasped behind his back.

"Master," said one of the apprentices standing behind him, "why the hell does a stranger get to be the Blood Prince? I can't accept this!"

"Yeah, allow us to go fight this Naruto guy, Master! Let's see whether or not he has the skill to act as the Blood Prince!"

"What's your rush?" the boy said with a ghastly chuckle. "There will most certainly be others who are in much more of a hurry than you." Without another word, he turned to head back into his Immortal's cave.

The seven apprentices' killing intent filled the air. They exchanged glances and then stared back at Naruto as he descended the stone steps of Mount Blood Demon.

A similar scene played out on the fourth mountain peak of the Blood Demon Sect, albeit with much more intensity. The three Demonfire Patriarchs did nothing to restrain themselves, and their fury and arrogance exploded up.

Only the fifth mountain peak was silent. At the very peak of the mountain was a white-haired, hunchbacked old man who supported himself with a walking stick as he looked off toward Mount Blood Demon.

Next to him stood a girl who was quite pretty, yet also radiated killing intent.

"Master," said the girl, "why prevent the disciples of Mount Ghostcrutch from expressing their discontent with the Patriarch's arrangement? It's inherently unfair! I could accept it if Ibiki from Mount Ironblood became the Blood Prince. But I've never even heard of this Naruto before."

The old man smiled. His voice hoarse, he said, "Your Master has lived for a long time. Although I used to be a bit of a fool, I've become much more sensible over the years.

"You know, I was there on Mount Blood Demon the year the Patriarch descended.

"Throughout the years, the position of Blood Prince has been filled seven times. I was there every single time.

"I've lived a long time and seen many things. These eyes of mine can pierce through the ancient and archaic…. I can tell that this Naruto carries something very unusual."

The girl beside him frowned.

"Don't provoke him," continued the old man. "Don't even get near him. Master needs to observe him a bit more before making a decision." His eyes glittering, the old man returned to his Immortal's cave.

Naruto's expression was calm as he walked down the steps. When he was about halfway down the mountain, he suddenly paused as he caught sight of a white-robed woman up ahead. She stood on a boulder off to the side, in front of which was a cliff that stretched down into swirling fog.

The woman's robes swayed in the wind, making her look quite otherworldly. She was beautiful, and in this moment, looked like a graceful Immortal.

Naruto glanced at her for a moment and then looked away as he continued down the mountain.

The woman turned and stared at Naruto. "Elder Brother Naruto," she said, "we last ran into each other in the Demon Immortal Sect. Could it be that you've forgotten about humble little me?"

This woman was none other than Blood Demon Sect Dao Child Chino, who had been dressed like a man the first time Naruto met her.

Naruto didn't say anything in response. He merely looked at her and nodded, then continued on his way down the stairs.

"Elder Brother Naruto," she continued, "the only people who live on Mount Blood Demon are myself and the Patriarch. I've been waiting in this spot because I need to give you a warning. The other four mountains won't approve of you being appointed as the Blood Prince." She waved her graceful hand, sending a jade slip flying out.

"This is a bit of information about the other four mountain peaks," she went on. "Take a look, it should be helpful."

Naruto accepted it and was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, "Thank you," and proceeded on his way.

"How… how is Fellow Daoist Hinata?"

"Thank you," he repeated, his voice drifting up from further down the mountain.

After leaving Mount Blood Demon, Naruto found himself in a bleak and desolate forest. The Blood Demon Sect was not like other Sects, where grand temples existed at the bottoms of the mountains, filled with Outer Sect disciples.

Although there were Outer Sect disciples, they also resided on the mountains. As for the region beneath the mountains, there existed only forests.

They weren't completely uninhabited, though. Log cabins could be seen throughout them, belonging to disciples who had descended from the mountains to practice cultivation in isolation. There were quite a few visible, although some were in states of disrepair.

Occasionally, disciples could be seen and, without exception, they looked at him coldly and without an ounce of respect.

Naruto's expression remained calm in the face of the coldness. He had sensed that he was the subject of many, many such gazes when he made his way down the mountain. Therefore, he proceeded until he found remote corner of the sect where he then sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes and retrieved the soul orb of the exhausted and slumbering Hinata, who he examined for a long moment before stowing away.

At the same time, quite a few streams of divine sense from the surrounding mountain peaks were retracted by their owners, not a few of which were filled with disdain.

"What kind of Blood Prince is this Naruto? I thought he was supposed to be super skilled! He can't even fight with somebody for a log cabin at the bottom of the mountains!"

"He's not even willing to provoke anyone over a log cabin? In the Blood Demon Sect, everything depends on your strength and viciousness! Immortal's caves, mountain peaks, one's beloved, techniques, cultivation resources, everything goes to the strongest! And that includes the position he holds!"

"Hmph. He wants peace and quiet, huh? Well, considering he acquired a position that wasn't his to begin with, he better give up that idea!"

"Although, there's no reason to act too quickly. We only know a little bit about him, so let's just observe for a bit longer…."

Naruto closed his eyes and ignored all of the gazes and streams of divine sense, which he couldn't care less about. Instead, he sent his own divine sense into his bag of holding. There, he found the Blood Mastiff, who had been seriously injured defending him against Madara. It had now regrown a physical body, although it was still weak and small.

And then there was the matter of the parrot and the meat jelly…. When Naruto thought of them, he frowned. He hadn't seen any traces of them since he awoke on the Underworld Ship.

However, he had the strange sense that the two ninnies were definitely in the Southern Domain.

Silently, he rotated his cultivation base until night fell. Finally, he opened his eyes and produced Hinata's desiccated corpse. He slowly fused the golden magical symbol into it, whereupon she instantly began to show signs of life. Gradually, she began to recover.

Her skin slowly changed, and her entire body began to look more limber and charming as she showed signs of awakening. It was a process that would take nine nine-day-cycles, a total of eighty-one days, to complete.

Naruto suppressed the excitement he felt, looked her over for a long moment, then carefully put her body away.

"Elder Sister Hinata, your eyes will open in eighty-one days," he murmured. After a long moment, he finally took out the blood crystal given to him by Blood Demon.

He looked at it for only a moment before unhesitatingly pinching it between his fingers. Immediately, all the blood in his body began to seethe as if it were boiling, and emanate an indescribable, bloody aura.

Simultaneously, magical symbols appeared in his head. They emanated a crude, ancient aura that transformed into a legacy.

At the same time, the blood-colored mask inside of his bag of holding suddenly began to emit intense ripples. The Blood Mastiff inside trembled, seemingly instinctively responding to the aura coming out of Naruto, which it in turn absorbed.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!" murmured Naruto.

The Blood Demon Grand Magic was actually a taboo art in the Blood Demon Sect. Only Patriarch Blood Demon himself possessed it. Even previous Blood Princes of the sect had only been introduced to the art orally. Naruto was the only one to acquire the true lifeblood legacy.

The magic was organized into six levels, which were organized two to a stratum, meaning there were three strata in total.

"Chakra and Blood, Spirit Meridians, Blood Soul…." he murmured, and a red glow appeared in his eyes. He suddenly discovered that he was possessed of incredible latent talent in regards to the cultivation of the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

After only a moment, he reached the first level, and was halfway through the Chakra and Blood stratum.

The Chakra and Blood stratum was terrifying; it was capable of absorbing the power of someone else's Chakra and Blood.

Immediately, Naruto's eyes turned as red as fire. He slowly lifted up his hand, which had now turned bright red.

It was almost like his hand was covered with innumerable black holes, all of which were ready… to consume Chakra and Blood.

"I can't believe I was able to cultivate this art so quickly…." thought Naruto. "It must have something to do with my cultivating the Blood Immortal divines abilities…. Blood Immortal. Blood Demon…. There must be some relationship between the two." After a moment of thought, he realized there might be another explanation. He reached inside of him and realized that his Demon Sealing magics were now slightly different than before.

It was as if some intangible change had occurred, although he was unsure of the exact details.

"Patriarch Blood Demon cares about my status as a Demon Sealer. In that case, perhaps that is why the Blood Demon Grand Magic was so easy for me to cultivate."

He contemplated the matter a bit further, and after a moment, decided that he might as well make another attempt at cultivating the Blood Demon Grand Magic. Following the prescribed method, he continued on. Two hours later, his eyes snapped open, and the bloody glow in his eyes seemed to have completely filled the pupils; he looked terrifying to an astonishing degree.

"The great circle of the Chakra and Blood stratum!" Naruto took a deep breath. By now, he could see just how tyrannically frightful the Blood Demon Grand Magic was. By consuming the Chakra and Blood of others, it could strengthen the fleshly body!

As for how strong, there seemed to be no limits!

"Unfortunately, it's not permanent and is only a borrowed power." His eyes glittered as he suddenly was filled with the strong desire to enter halfway into the Spirit Meridians stratum of the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

"All Cultivators build up vast quantities of spiritual energy in their bodies. Because of that, spirit meridians exist. The Spirit Meridians level allows me to consume the spirit meridians of others, which I can use to add to my cultivation base."

He closed his eyes and sank into cultivation. The sun was high in the sky before he finally opened his eyes and frowned.

"I can't cultivate it. I'm missing something." He was in the middle of considering the matter when suddenly the archaic voice of Patriarch Blood Demon echoed in his ears.

"Very good. You reached the second level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic. When you reach the third level, I will give you something that is sure to leave you astonished.

"It has something to do with your League of Demon Sealers. With that item, you will be able to acquire… a Demon Sealing magic!"

Naruto looked up toward Mount Blood Demon. He didn't speak, but his heart trembled. As of this moment, he was now absolutely certain that Patriarch Blood Demon… placed importance upon his identity as a Demon Sealer.

"Just what secrets have I yet to uncover about the Demon Sealers?" he thought. Despite being a Demon Sealer for many years, he still could use only the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex and Righteous Bestowal.

The sky was clear, and cultivators bustled about the Blood Demon Sect. It actually did have the air of a sect, although many of the people were actually engaged in deadly combat. The sound of mutual slaughter was intense, and the glow of blood glittered up radiantly.

If disciples from other great sects in the Southern Domain came here, they would be quite out of sorts. However, as far as Naruto was concerned, it was just like the Reliance Sect, so it actually felt quite familiar.

He stuck to his remote corner of the sect, ignoring everyone else. No one else cared to come to him, either. It was as if they didn't even notice his existence. Because of Naruto's experiences, a single glance was all it took for him to perceive the deep-seated feelings behind the cold expressions on their faces and the scorn in their eyes.

"That's fine," he thought, his face calm. He wasn't the type of person who enjoyed rowdiness. He didn't care about mountain peaks and fighting over resources. He was happy to be left alone to practice cultivation in peace and quiet.

At noon, Naruto rose to his feet. He casually felled some of the trees in the area and built a log cabin. Naturally, people noticed this, and everyone stared in shock, especially the people who harbored strong hostility toward him.

"He's actually building a log cabin?"

"It looks like he's really made up his mind to immerse himself in cultivation. But, does he really think that this will allow him to remain separate from sect affairs?!"

Up on Mount Ironblood, middle-aged Ibiki saw what was going on, and frowned.

It was at this point that Naruto opened his eyes and looked out of his log cabin. Approaching slowly on foot was a somewhat emaciated looking middle-aged man. His body emanated the ancientness of time, and he was very thin. There was a ruthlessness to him, which presently seemed to have been replaced by complex emotions.

The ripples of a Nascent Soul cultivation base spread out from him, and when Naruto saw him, many different feelings filled him, along with a sense of reminiscence.

As he walked up slowly, his appearance caused many of the surrounding disciples to be shocked.

"That's Elder Brother Shikamaru!"

"What is Elder Brother Shikamaru doing here?"

"Wait, look at his expression. Something strange is going on."

People watched as Shikamaru walked up to Naruto and looked at him silently. Clearly, he was recalling past times.

He didn't say anything, and neither did Naruto. As they looked at each other, both of them seemed to be recalling Mount Myoboku.

That was the place where they both began to walk their path of cultivation, and also the place… where Naruto and Hinata met.

After a long moment passed, Shikamaru clenched his jaw as if to some inner pain.

"Do you drink?" he asked. With that, he sat down cross-legged and tossed a flagon of alcohol over to Naruto.

Naruto caught it, and immediately took a long drink. The alcohol burned as it slid down his throat. It felt almost like a knife stabbing into his guts.

"Choji told me about what happened with Elder Sister Hinata," Shikamaru said, keeping his voice low.

Naruto nodded and took another drink. His earliest memories of the cultivation world contained the group from Mount Myoboku: Shikamaru, Fatty, and Neji.

The four of them, including Naruto, were taken by Hinata to the Reliance Sect. Later, Neji and Shikamaru apparently had a falling out, and Shikamaru disappeared. Regarding Neji, his disposition changed completely, and as for Fatty…. Well, out of all four of them, he seemed to have ended up far, far happier than the rest.

Shikamaru and Naruto sat together drinking silently, each one wrapped up in various memories. Of course, there was one thing that existed in both of their memories, and that was Mount Myoboku.

"Did you ever run into Neji again?" Shikamaru suddenly asked.

"Not after I left the Five Elements Nation," replied Naruto. He looked at Shikamaru, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Back then, the two of you…?"

"His body was physically weak, so I ended up caring for him like a younger brother," replied Shikamaru, his voice cool. "I would help him when it came time to haul water, and if people picked on him, I would handle it. In the end… he shoved me off a cliff because of a pearl."

Naruto didn't respond. He picked up the alcohol flagon and took a big mouthful.

"Be careful of Ibiki," continued Shikamaru. "In fact, be careful of everyone in the Blood Demon Sect…. There is no such thing as camaraderie here. The only thing that matters is who is more vicious!" With a sigh, he rose to his feet and prepared to leave.

"You shouldn't have come," said Naruto, looking up at him.

Shikamaru didn't reply. He knew that what Naruto said was true; he shouldn't have come. The entire sect currently viewed Naruto with hostility, which meant that after leaving, he would most certainly face some difficulties. And yet, he came anyway.

In fact, in almost the same instant that Shikamaru rose to leave, Ibiki stood there on the first mountain peak, a cruel smile on his lips.

"So, they know each other!" He flicked his sleeve and flew up into the air. "Follow me, Junior Brothers!" Immediately, nineteen beams of light rose into the air from Mount Ironblood and teleported down toward the bottom of the mountain. "You don't have to make a move, Naruto," he thought. "You can sit there and refuse to provoke anyone. But now, the time has come to see exactly what amazing abilities you have, and why the hell you deserve to be the Blood Prince.

"I'll test you out and see exactly how profound you are. If you don't fight back hard, then I'll just keep pushing until you reach the boiling point. After all, I have plenty of methods to deal with you. If you fight back hard… well, that's what I'm waiting for.

"Hopefully, you'll end up killing someone, and then my Masters will have every right to throw you into the torture chamber!"

As Shikamaru emerged from Naruto's log cabin, twenty beams of light, including Ibiki, shot down toward the very same area.

Their appearance on the scene instantly caught the attention of the Blood Demon Sect disciples in the surrounding forest. Their expressions turned lively; they knew that an entertaining drama was about to unfold.

Meanwhile, back on the second mountain peak, the seven apprentices of the Spirit Severing Patriarch were all paying very close attention. Merciless gleams glittered brightly in their eyes.

"Now we'll see exactly how profound this Naruto actually is!"

"That Ibiki has an irascible personality. A whole day hasn't even passed and he already reached the limits of his patience!"

"No wonder he's behaving like that, this is a good opportunity to test out Naruto. We'll be able to learn a bit about him by observing how things turn out."

On the fourth mountain peak, three figures wreathed in flames watched on coldly from outside their Immortal's caves. The disciples of the fourth mountain peak were also watching on, expressions of derision clear on their faces.

One among their number was a young man, who held a magical fan in his hand. He exuded an air of coldness as his lips twisted into a smile.

"Ibiki really couldn't hold on very long," he said. "That's good, though. This is only a test; presumably, there won't be too much of a ruckus. It does have to be said, though, that Ibiki is quite the fool.

"It's only been a single day, and Naruto was appointed directly by the Patriarch. If someone really tries to subdue him, the Patriarch will intervene. It's too bad a good opportunity will have been lost."

On the fifth mountain peak, the pretty young woman's eyes were fixed on the scene that was playing out, and she was starting to get excited. As for the hunchbacked old man, he casually looked over to watch.

"Master, do you think this Naruto will really be subdued if the matter turns serious?" Her eyes flickered with viciousness.

"Serious?" said the old man, his tone one of pride in his own wisdom. "Oh no, it won't get serious. It's a small matter. At worst, the harmony will be broken temporarily. You have only practiced cultivation for a short time, but Master has lived for far too long, and has seen many things. I've watched things like this play out too many times.

"You just watch, the dispute regarding Naruto being the Blood Prince is just starting. It will take quite some time before it gets resolved…"

On Mount Blood Demon, Patriarch Blood Demon rested in the Blood Pond. His eyes opened, and he looked over at what was happening.

"So… what will he do?"

Chino was also paying close attention, and a profound glint could be seen in her eyes.

Everyone in the whole Blood Demon Sect was looking in Naruto's direction. They all knew that this was his first time making a true public appearance in the sect. They all wanted to see exactly how he would respond to the test.

Of course, it was only a test….

Naruto's face was calm as he looked at the twenty beams of light approaching from Mount Ironblood. It didn't matter if it was Ibiki up in front, or the other nineteen of his followers. They were all the same to Naruto.

Of the nineteen, eight were Nascent Soul cultivators, and eleven were at the great circle of Core Formation. As for Ibiki, he had the highest cultivation base, the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

"Shikamaru!" cried out someone from the group. The sound of the voice was like springtime thunder echoing out in all directions.

They didn't even bother with any pretenses; as soon as the voice rang out, its speaker turned into a red beam of light that shot out from the group toward Shikamaru, filled with killing intent. Blood-colored magical items also flew out, whistling through the air. Three of the Nascent Soul Cultivators directly shot toward Shikamaru.

As for everyone else, they surrounded the air, their eyes filled with coldness and derision as they eyed Naruto.

That was especially true of Ibiki, whose eyes were sinister and cold as he hovered in mid air, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked at Naruto, waiting to see what he would decide to do. If Naruto didn't make a move, then it meant allowing Shikamaru to be seriously injured. If Naruto did make a move, well… that was exactly what Ibiki was waiting for!

He firmly believed that in that moment, his Masters would appear and subdue Naruto.

Rumbling sounds echoed out, causing Shikamaru's face to turn grim. He immediately teleported forward to escape, and at the same time transmitted an urgent message to Naruto.

"Don't do anything! This is Ibiki. His Masters control the torture chamber, and you can't give them any reason to subdue you down. Don't worry about me." Even as Shikamaru teleported forward, Ibiki laugh coldly and waved his right hand. Seven tiny flags flew out, which rapidly expanded in mid-air to form seals that forced Shikamaru back to the ground. Shikamaru's face flickered as the three Nascent Soul Cultivators closed in, their faces filled with vicious killing intent.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Booms echoed out, and blood poured out of the corners of Shikamaru's mouth. He retreated, performing an incantation gesture that caused a divine ability to appear. At the same time, he shouted, "Elder Brother Ibiki, I'm a disciple of the second mountain peak, do you really dare to attack me?!"

"The second mountain peak?" replied Ibiki, laughing. An arrogant expression appeared on his face as he glanced in the direction of that very mountain.

Immediately, a voice echoed out from the second mountain peak. "As is customary, we won't interfere with the matters of the torture chamber. Elder Brother Ibike, if Shikamaru violated any rules, then you can do anything you wish. However, if he didn't violate any rules, then you'll be held responsible."

Shikamaru's face grew grimmer as he looked at the incoming vicious Nascent Soul cultivators. He gritted his teeth, and was just about to employ one of the sect's restricted techniques to stimulate his Chakra and Blood, when suddenly Naruto stood up. His expression was calm as he arrived next to Shikamaru with a single step and gripped his shoulder.

In the moment that he appeared, all eyes instantly fixated on him. Everyone from all of the five mountain peaks were watching.

That was especially true of Ibiki, who was inwardly going wild with joy.

"Blood Prince," he said coolly. "What is the meaning of this? Don't tell me you're really going to interfere with torture chamber matters?" He suddenly glared angrily at the other Mount Ironblood cultivators, who looked a bit hesitant. "Why haven't you apprehended him yet?!"

The cultivators gritted their teeth. Ignored Naruto, they advanced on Shikamaru, their killing intent radiating about intensely.

It was at this point that a shocking coldness suddenly appeared in Naruto's placid eyes.

A whistling sound filled the air as the three Mount Ironblood Nascent Soul cultivators gritted their teeth, ignored Naruto, and shot past him toward Shikamaru, radiating killing intent.

They wouldn't kill him, of course. However, they would seriously wound him, especially considering that they represented the torture chamber, and their Elder Brother Ibiki had personally given the orders. In their opinion, they clearly occupied the superior position, especially considering that they were essentially backed by the two Ironblood Patriarchs. A trifling Blood Prince, even if he did have a cultivation base exceeding their own, couldn't possibly fight back against the two Ironblood Patriarchs.

Because of this line of reasoning, their killing intent grew even more intense than before. Magical items appeared as they shot forward, and the blood-colored glow rose to the Heavens. Under the eyes of everyone in all of the mountain peaks of the sect, they shot forward.

A cold smile could be seen on the face of Ibiki as he glared icily at Naruto, waiting to see how he would respond to this test.

"There is ruthlessness in my heart," murmured Naruto. "It's been there since I perished in the Milky Way Sea…." He lifted his right hand and casually waved a finger.

Although it appeared that the finger didn't actually point down onto anything but air, in the blink of an eye, the fastest of the three Mount Ironblood cultivators immediately began to tremble. An expression of confusion flashed across his face, and then he coughed up blood. A moment later, he literally exploded.

It was as if an enormous, invisible pair of hands had crushed him into a pulp!

The speed with which it happened was incomparable. It was so sudden that everyone who was observing was flabbergasted.

Behind Naruto, Shikamaru's face fell, and his heart began to pound. "Not good," he thought. "Naruto is far too impulsive! What should I do?"

Anxiety welled up in his heart. He could tell that Ibiki was just testing Naruto, and could never have imagined that Naruto would act so rashly.

Ibiki's eyes went wide. Previously, he had never thought that the Blood Prince would attack… with lethal force. However, this twist caused joy to surge up inside of him. He couldn't help but muse that the Blood Prince was clearly far too inexperienced. Coldness gleamed in Ibiki's eyes as he strode forward.

"Blood Prince!" he bellowed. "How dare you violate sect rules!"

At the same time, the seven shady-looking apprentices on the second mountain peak watched on with glittering eyes, clearly interested in what was happening.

On the fourth mountain peak, the young man with the fan smiled faintly, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

As for the hunchbacked old man on the fifth mountain peak, his eyes flickered. Next to him, the pretty young woman stared in shock. She could never have guessed that Naruto would actually kill anyone.

"So, this Blood Prince turns out to be quite a vicious person," said the hunchbacked old man, sighing emotionally. "However, he is a bit reckless, and also a tad young. He's not like me, a person who has lived far, far too long."

Naruto completely ignored the reactions of everyone around him. He seemed to be immersed within a world of regrets.

"The ruthlessness grew stronger in the Rebirth Cave…." he sighed. He waved his finger again, and the second incoming Nascent Soul Cultivator's face fell. He suddenly stopped in place. Rumbling sounds echoed out, and then he exploded, completely dead in body and soul.

Another person slain!

The sight of it caused Ibiki's face to flicker, not with happiness, but with shock. Moments ago, he had assumed Naruto would stop after killing one person, but unexpectedly, he killed again.

Simultaneously, the surrounding cultivators' eyes began to shine with a strange light. The disciples on the mountains felt their hearts filling with shock.

"In the Black Sieve Sect… the ruthlessness exploded out," murmured Naruto. "And yet, it was not sated. Instead, it festered at the bottom of my heart and became even more intense, transforming into… what Patriarch Blood Demon mentioned. Devilishness."

The third Nascent Soul cultivator, seeing his two companions killed right in front of him, was completely dumbstruck. His eyes went wide, and he began to retreat, but it was in that moment that Naruto raised his hand and gestured a third time with his finger.

"Eldest Brother, save me…." the man screamed. But then, his body exploded with a bang that echoed out in all directions. Everyone trembled violently, as they were shaken out of their reveries from the events of moments ago.

"He… actually killed three people in a row!"

"How moronic! This guy is a real idiot! He just arrived in the Blood Demon Sect, but won't bow his head in submission, and even dares to act with unbridled aggression!"

"He's in big trouble now. Not only did he dare to kill fellow sect members IN the sect, but he chose to kill torture chamber disciples!"

As the buzz of conversation echoed out, Ibiki flew up into the air, glaring at Naruto the entire time. At first, he had been shocked, but that shock was been replaced with boundless elation. Inwardly, he was roaring with laughter.

"My Masters said not to take the initiative in provoking him," he thought, "but as it turns out, the dolt decided to start killing. Considering his position, killing one could be tolerated, but he killed three…. In that case, if I could get him to kill some more, he would definitely be flirting with death!"

Having reached this point in his train of thought, Ibiki smiled.

"I offered respect to you as the Blood Prince," he called out, "and in response you dared to make deadly attacks in the sect, and even offended the torture chamber! It doesn't matter how high your cultivation base is, you will be put down! Men… take him into custody!"

The faces of all the Mount Ironblood disciples flickered in hesitation. However, it was at this moment that two shocking pulses of Spirit Severing energy erupted from Mount Ironblood.

"When the Blood Prince commits a crime, he will be treated as anyone else!" rumbled an ancient, somber voice. "Take him into custody and bring him to Mount Ironblood. If he resists, subdue him immediately!" As the words echoed out throughout the entire sect, Ibiki's expression flickered, and he almost started to laugh out loud with self-righteous laughter.

"He's dead!" he thought.

At the same time, the other disciples with Ibiki started to look excited. Now that they knew they had the support of the two Ironblood Patriarchs, they were completely confident. They instantly surged forward toward Naruto, completely sure that the Blood Prince would never dare to attack them. If he did, then the two Ironblood Patriarchs would instantly reveal themselves.

Meanwhile on the second mountain peak, Mount Darkheaven, in a temple on the peak, Patriarch Darkheaven sat cross-legged in the form of a young boy. He wore a scholar's garment, and his expression was grim as he cast his gaze down the mountain.

Outside of the temple were the seven apprentices, all of whom sneered coldly as they watched the scene play out. Their contempt for Naruto was even greater than before; they believed his ability to think and plan was clearly lacking.

In response to a simple test, he instantly revealed his weaknesses.

On the fourth mountain peak, the young man with the fan laughed to himself. "This Blood Prince is far too inexperienced," he thought. "His cultivation base is incredible, but he doesn't know how to conduct himself. Well, let this be a lesson to him. In the end, he isn't worthy of his title. He will bow his head in submission soon enough."

The hunchbacked old man on the fifth mountain peak sighed. "Too young."

Naruto looked up, and his eyes were frigid. In fact, his entire person was like a block of ice, and the ruthless aura within him radiated out explosively.

"My ruthlessness turned into Devilishness," he murmured, "and I can't suppress it. It does not conform with my Dao, but… it is what it is…. I might as well let it out!"

He stepped forward, and in the blink of an eye, his killing intent erupted out. At the same time, he swished his sleeve.

It was a simple wave of an arm, but it caused an astonishing gale-force wind to rage up. It was like a wind of Heavenly destruction that swept out in all directions, slamming into more than a dozen incoming cultivators.

As soon as it touched them, their faces fell, and blood sprayed out of their mouths. Regardless of the various levels of their cultivation bases, they were incapable of standing up to the mightiness of the wind, and their bodies were ripped into shreds. Blood and gore sprayed out in all directions.

As for Ibiki, his face instantly went as pale as death, and his pupils constricted. His cultivation base was at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, so it was with great astonishment that he was barely able to stand up to the wind. However, the wind then wrapped around him, transforming into an enormous hand that grabbed him violently.

It squeezed down, and cracking sounds could be heard. Ibiki screamed miserably. "Masters! Save me!"

When the onlookers saw this, their faces flickered with astonishment. Up on the second mountain peak, Patriarch Darkheaven shot to his feet. The hearts of the seven apprentices outside of the temple filled with shock.

On the fourth mountain peak and the fifth mountain peak, similar scenes played out.

"What is he doing!?"

"I can't believe he actually killed so many people!"

"Is he challenging the torture chamber to battle?"

"This… this was just a test, but he responded in this way!?"

At this point, a cold snort echoed out from Mount Ironblood, and two streams of divine sense shot down toward the land below to rescue Ibiki.

Naruto's expression was calm as the huge hand in mid-air suddenly began to squeeze shut.

"Stay your hand!" roared the two streams of divine sense.

Even as the sound rang out, Ibiki's screaming reached a fever pitch.

"No…" he cried. "This… was just… a test…." Before he could finish speaking, a boom echoed out as his body was crushed into a pulp of mutilated flesh. His Nascent Soul was also completely destroyed. He was dead in flesh and soul.

To him, it was just a test, but to Naruto… when it came to attacking, there was no such thing as any so-called testing.

Deathly silence filled the air. No one could ever have predicted that a simple test would unexpectedly end this way. Moments later, the two streams of divine sense descended toward Naruto.

"Are you looking to die?!" roared one.

"How dare you kill my Mount Ironblood disciples! I'm going to crush you!" The two Ironblood Patriarchs were furious. At the moment, it didn't matter that Naruto was the Blood Prince, or that they could sense something strange about his cultivation base. Those things didn't matter.

Truth be told, there was something strange about Naruto's cultivation base. The life force of a Resurrection Lily obscured the traces of his Second Severing, making it seem that he was only in the First Severing level.

He looked up, and not a trace of hesitation could be seen in his eyes as he sent his divine sense shooting out with intense ferocity.

BAM!

His divine sense was simply too powerful. The fact that the two Ironblood Patriarchs were Spirit Severing cultivators didn't matter. Their streams of divine sense were completely incapable of standing up to to Naruto's, and were immediately shattered.

Massive ripples raged through the Blood Demon Sect, whipping the trees and vegetation into a fury. All of the surrounding cultivators gasped in astonishment.

"There's no need to come down here to try to subdue me," said Naruto coldly. "I'll head up there to subdue the two of you!" With that, he flew directly toward the first mountain peak.

As of this moment, the entire Blood Demon Sect was in a complete uproar!

It took Naruto only a single step forward to reach the first mountain peak. The instant he stepped foot onto it, all of Mount Ironblood shook. Inside their temple at the peak of the mountain, the faces of the two Ironblood Patriarchs flickered, and they erupted with shocking First Severing energy.

Rumbling filled Heaven and Earth, and the clouds and mist in all directions seethed. At the same time, an enormous face appeared in mid-air up above Mount Ironblood. It was completely the color of blood, and two horns protruded from its forehead.

It looked matchlessly vicious. As for the two Ironblood Patriarchs, their robes whipped madly in the wind, and in their hands they held enormous battle-axes.

The battle-axes were Demon Weapons; the two Patriarchs were facing a mortal enemy, and their hearts were trembling with great waves of shock.

"I can't believe… he's so powerful!"

"What level is his cultivation base?! I can't see any traces of a Second Severing, but even at the great circle of the First Severing, he shouldn't have such powerful divine sense!"

"Could it be that he cultivates some technique to specifically enhance his divine sense!?"

The moment the two Patriarchs appeared was the same moment that Naruto stepped foot onto the stairs leading up to the peak of the first mountain. Slowly, he began to make his way toward the top.

All eyes were fixed on him, and everyone was thinking that as of this moment, Naruto really was worthy of his title after all.

On the second mountain peak, the scholarly looking child, Patriarch Darkheaven, could sense the result of the confrontation between the divine sense of Naruto and the two Ironblood Patriarchs. His face was covered with shock as he hastily stood, then instantly teleported out of his temple.

Outside, his seven apprentices gasped, and their faces filled with disbelief.

"He resisted the divine sense of the two Ironblood Patriarchs all by himself!"

"Just… just what type of cultivation base does he have!?"

"What is he doing? Wasn't this just a test?"

"QUIET!" barked Patriarch Darkheaven. Shocked, his seven apprentices instantly went as silent as cicadas during winter.

On the fourth mountain peak, the three old men wreathed in flames also rushed out of their temple. Their expression were that of astonishment as they looked toward the first mountain peak.

Off to the side, the young man with the fan who had previously been observing the events with a look of disdain on his face, now stood there slack-jawed, seemingly incapable of even breathing.

He suddenly realized that this was not a situation in which the Blood Prince was being immature. Quite the opposite, his cultivation base was so high that he didn't need to bother with any sort of strategy or planning. He took out all of his opponents in one blow!

As soon as Naruto started up the staircase, the first, second, and fourth mountain peaks were sent into complete, reeling shock. In that same moment, the wind and clouds surged. A black fog appeared, within which could also be seen a white fog.

In the blink of an eye, black and white began to swirl around each other and form into the shape of two enormous pearls. Furthermore, beneath the two pearls was a mountain wreathed in mist and clouds!

The Ninth Mountain!

The Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain!

Together!

This was something that Naruto had come up with after his battle with Patriarch Six-Daos of the Black Sieve Sect. Although it was not complete, he was still able to use them to shocking effect.

Rumbling echoed out as the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain crushed down onto the two Patriarchs of Mount Ironblood.

RUMBLE!

The ground trembled, and rumbling filled the air. The two Ironblood Patriarchs' faces quivered.

Meanwhile, back on the fifth mountain peak, the hunchbacked old man's eyes widened, and he took a deep breath.

The pretty young woman who stood next to him was utterly shocked.

"What… what is he doing? Could he really be trying to fight back against Mount Ironblood? Master, didn't you say things wouldn't get serious?"

The hunchbacked old man blinked and cleared his throat. "Calm down, alright? Based on my experience, I can tell you that the matter definitely won't get extremely serious. At the most, the first mountain peak will be involved. Hahaha! It seems this Blood Prince is going to take it as a show of force!"

In the central mountain peak, Mount Blood Demon, Patriarch Blood Demon's face was tranquil, but a smile of contentment could be seen on his face.

"The ruthlessness in your heart is too intense, and can't be dispelled. You might as well let it condense into Devilishness. This has been a long time coming. It wasn't that I wanted to coerce you; rather, this was the only method that would count as being helpful to you.

"You don't understand now, but when you reach your Third Severing, you will be enlightened."

Chino was also on Mount Blood Demon, and her eyes shone with a strange light as she watched the scene play out. After all, she knew Naruto much, much better than anyone else in the Blood Demon Sect.

The events in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect were imprinted indelibly in her heart, and she hadn't forgotten about anything that happened there. Furthermore, after returning, she told no one in the sect about what had happened, with the exception of Patriarch Blood Demon.

Most shocked of all was Shikamaru. He stared blankly as everything happened, then began to breathe deeply. Determination began to glow in his eyes. "Naruto… is so strong! I… can't let myself fall behind!"

RUMBLE!

A massive clamor filled the air as Naruto took his third step up the stairs. Up in mid-air, the pearls in the black and white mist, as well as the Ninth Mountain they orbited, shot toward the peak of the mountain. Under the force of the incredible pressure, the two Ironblood Patriarch's gigantic, ferocious face suddenly revealed an expression of pain.

Naruto's face was cold as he took his fourth step.

Shocking rumbling caused everything to shake. The face formed by the energy of the two Ironblood Patriarchs struggled and howled. However, it did no good. Under the crushing pressure, it shattered into countless fragments.

To the observers, it almost looked like half of the sky had been ripped apart, superseded by the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain. Having seen their vicious face destroyed, the two Ironblood Patriarchs trembled and coughed up blood. In the blink of an eye, they seemed to age, and their faces filled with astonishment.

"Just how powerful is he?!" they thought, their minds reeling. In their wildest imaginations, they could never have guessed that Naruto, using only his own aura, could suppress them to this extent.

On the second mountain peak, Patriarch Darkheaven's face flickered as he stared at the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain. "What divine ability is that?!"

The apprentices next to him were trembling, and so were rest of the 50,000 cultivators of the first mountain peak. They looked up at the sky, and at Naruto, and were terrified.

The three flame-cloaked figures on the fourth mountain peak watched on in shock.

"Crushing! Now, that is crushing!"

"He didn't even attack them directly, he just used energy to pound the two Ironblood Patriarchs into such a tattered state!"

"Blood Prince! He really is the Blood Prince!"

Everyone was panting. In the Blood Demon Sect, respect was shown to the strong. Other than some of the Elite Apprentices who earned their place because of their bloodline, everyone else was now completely astonished by Naruto's show of force.

He took a fifth step.

Everything shook as the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain continued to emit crushing pressure. The two Ironblood Patriarch's faces flickered, and with growling roars, they shot up into the air. However, even as they flew up, rumbling echoed out and they were swatted back down. They slammed into the top of the mountain, causing it to tremble violently as it sank down into the ground by a full three meters!

All observers were dumbfounded.

The two Ironblood Patriarchs coughed up blood. Their bodies were covered with wounds, and their astonishment regarding the Ninth Mountain and the Black White Pearls could not grow any further.

"If we can't fight the divine ability, then we'll battle with his true self!"

"His magical techniques are monstrous. We can't fight from a distance, we need to get closer to attack!"

The two Patriarchs roared, and their bodies emitted thumping sounds as they began to grow. They rapidly turned into thirty-meter tall, four-armed giants that looked like devilish fiends.

Their foreheads sported double horns, and they looked nothing at all like humans, but rather, Demons. Their energy exploded out violently as they hefted their battle-axes and then transforming into streaks of light that shot down toward Naruto with monstrous killing intent.

"DIE!"

"KILL!"

Naruto was taking his sixth step as they bore down on him. He glanced at the two Demons coldly, then lifted his right hand and slapped out violently.

His fleshly body had experienced sanctification and was essentially at the great circle of Spirit Severing. It was second only to Dao Seeking!

His cultivation base was at the Second Severing, but his true power… placed him as the number one person under Dao Seeking in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

His palm roared through the air to land directly onto the two Demons.

A huge boom echoed out as the battle-axes shattered into pieces. The faces of the two Demons filled with astonishment, and blood sprayed out of their mouths. Miserable shrieks could be heard, and they appeared to be on the verge of exploding. Blood spurted out everywhere as they were sent tumbling backward.

Naruto's palm slammed them back up toward the peak of the mountain. At the same time, the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain began to descend.

"NOOO!"

"Patriarch, save us!"

"Darkheaven! Demonfire! Help us!"

When the two Ironblood Patriarchs called out, bloody glows rose up from the second and fourth mountains. As they shot forward, a voice echoed out.

"Enough!"

"Your power has been established! Why haven't you stayed your hand!?"

The ruthlessness in Naruto's eyes flickered as he took his eighth step.

"SCREW OFF!" he said, sending his divine sense exploding out. It transformed into a monstrous blood-colored beam that shot toward the incoming bloody glows. Its explosive intensity instantly shattered the two opposing beams, and they vanished.

"Still want test me? Well then, take a good long look. I've taken a liking to this Mount Ironblood." As his voice rumbled out, the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain slammed down onto the peak of Mount Ironblood.

CRUSH!

Everything quaked, and a riot of colors flashed across the sky. The 50,000 disciples of the first mountain peak trembled as the two Ironblood Patriarchs screamed miserably. Their bodies were instantly smashed by the Ninth Mountain.

As their bodies were destroyed, their Nascent Divinities flew out, but were unable to escape. The Black White Pearls immediately absorbed them, and they were sealed inside.

In that moment, Naruto finished taking his eighth step, and reached the peak of the mountain. As he stood there alone, all of the disciples of the first mountain peak dropped trembling to their knees and began to kowtow.

"We offer our respects, Blood Prince!"

"We offer our respects, Blood Prince!"

The voices echoed out from the first mountain peak, rising into the air and spreading out like massive waves.

The entire Blood Demon Sect was filled with the sound of it.

However, even as the sound rolled out, a grim, penetrating voice could be heard.

"Naruto, you might have a high cultivation base, but this is the Blood Demon Sect! Killing the torture chamber Patriarchs to usurp their position is against sect rules! You WILL provide compensation!"

"Crushing the two Ironblood Fellow Daoists requires that you provide compensation!"

The voices came from the second and fourth mountain peaks. Patriarch Darkheaven and the three Demonfire Patriarchs refused to give in, and in their minds, Naruto had already established his power. In their opinion, Patriarch Blood Demon would certainly appear soon. Since that was the case, they spoke up to maintain their own face, and make sure everyone knew that they did not fear the Blood Prince.

In their opinions, there was no way that Naruto would be willing to make enemies of the entire Blood Demon Sect. The price had already been paid for the test, so they would naturally speak up to preserve their dignity.

Therefore, they made up their minds to worry later about how to deal with Naruto. In their reckoning, the next that would happen was that Patriarch Blood Demon would appear and smooth things over.

On the fifth mountain peak, the pretty young woman raised her hand to her chest. Everything that had occurred so far had left a deep impression upon her. As for the hunchbacked old man, he took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and then coolly said, "Patriarch Blood Demon will appear now, and the matter will be concluded. Ah, this Blood Prince…. Too young. Too impulsive. I've lived for too long and…."

However, before he could finish speaking….

Naruto completely ignored the mangled corpses at his feet and turned his head to look at the second mountain peak. The icy ruthlessness in his eyes grew even stronger.

"How about I give you your compensation right now!" he said. To the disbelief of all onlookers, he began to move straight toward the second mountain peak!

The Blood Demon Sect instantly went as quiet as a graveyard.

On the second mountain peak, Patriarch Darkheaven's face fell.

"Lunatic!" he thought. "This damned bastard is a lunatic!"

Face flickering, he backed up. "I… I was just babbling," he thought. "But he's actually… dammit!"

The three Demonfire Patriarchs on the fourth mountain peak were also shocked. Gritting their teeth, they flew in succession toward the second mountain peak.

Naruto moved with incredible speed, so it only took a moment for him to close in. He raised his right hand, and the Black White Pearls appeared, circulating around the Ninth Mountain. As they hovered above the second mountain peak, the sky shook and the land quaked.

The disciples of the Blood Demon Sect were flabbergasted to the extreme. Gasps could be heard as they looked up at their matchlessly domineering Blood Prince!

"'There's no need to come down here to try to crush me, I'll head up there to crush all of you!'

"'How about I give you your compensation right now!'

"That's what the Blood Prince said! Domineering to the max! He's definitely the Blood Prince of our Blood Demon Sect!"

The bloodline disciples of various other Patriarchs in the sect were now all panting as they realized that their Blood Prince was completely domineering. Their eyes were filled with fanaticism as they stared at Naruto.

To have a Blood Prince like this was something incredibly impressive.

In contrast, Patriarch Darkheaven of the second mountain, as well as his seven apprentices, were all pale-faced and trembling. Previously, they had sneered at Naruto and looked down with scorn at his youth. By now, they had come to their senses, and could do nothing but stare at him in astonishment.

As for the young man with the fan on the fourth mountain peak, his face was pale white with shock. He suddenly realized that the Blood Prince… might look harmless, but was in fact completely overbearing when provoked.

He did not give second chances, and when he decided to establish his might, he did so completely and thoroughly.

Naruto sped toward the second mountain peak, and when he stepped foot onto it, the entire mountain rocked back and forth. Naruto raised his hand toward the retreating Patriarch Darkheaven and extended his finger.

"You want compensation? Here's my compensation. Compensation to the second mountain peak, delivered by me for Shikamaru." The reason Naruto chose to make a move against the second mountain peak really was Shikamaru.

Naruto had noticed how they treated him earlier, and was not pleased. As he extended his finger, wind blasted out that seemed to split the Heavens. The Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain transformed into a blur that shot toward the boy in the scholar's garments, who was none other than Patriarch Darkheaven.

Patriarch Darkheaven's face fell, and he immediately performed an incantation. A bloody glow erupted around him, transforming into a blood-colored blade that slashed toward the blast of wind from Naruto's finger.

The slashing blade was filled with the energy of the great circle of the First Severing, an explosive power that appeared to be almost on the verge of Second Severing.

Naruto snorted and waved his finger again.

"How dare you!" howled one of the three Demonfire Patriarchs, an old man who emanated the aura of Second Severing. "Naruto, you've gone too far! You think you're tough because you're in the Second Severing? So what if you are!?"

Naruto didn't even turn to look at them. He simply waved his sleeve.

An enormous boom echoed out as the finger attack slammed into the blood-colored blade. The blade immediately fell to pieces, and blood sprayed out of the mouth of Patriarch Darkheaven. Even as he tumbled back like a kite with its string cut, Naruto's second finger attack slammed into him.

Another boom rattled out, and Patriarch Darkheaven let out a bloodcurdling scream as over half of his body directly exploded. His Nascent Divinity flew out, which was the exact moment in which the three Demonfire Patriarchs from the fourth mountain peak arrived.

"Well," said Naruto calmly, "since you're here, I guess I might as well provide some compensation to you as well." He stepped toward them.

The three were shocked. However, the Second Severing Patriarch, who was the eldest of the three Demonfire Patriarchs, waved his hand, causing a sea of blood to appear.

"Why do you keep attacking us?! What are you, a spy from another sect? Did you trick Patriarch Blood Demon!?"

"My license to kill will cover seventy-eight more deaths this year," replied Naruto calmly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire Blood Demon Sect uttered a collective gasp, even the three Demonfire Patriarchs, whose eyes went wide. As for the Nascent Divinity of Patriarch Darkheaven, his face was a picture of shock.

The surrounding disciples immediately broke into an uproar in response to Naruto's shocking words.

"License to kill?!"

"The Blood Prince has… don't tell me he has a license to kill!?"

"Heavens, does the license to kill cover all cultivation bases?"

"He has so much power! The lives of all disciples are in his hands!"

On the fifth mountain peak, the hunchbacked old man stood there blankly. Next to him, the pretty young woman's eyes were wide and she was panting.

"Master, what's this license to kill all about?"

Without even thinking about it, the old man started to talk. "Ahem, there's no need to worry. I've lived for too long, and this is just a test, it won't…."

He was only about half way through his speech when he noticed his apprentice staring at him with a strange look in her eye. He cleared his throat again.

"Master, you said the same thing in the very beginning, except that Ibiki got killed. You repeated yourself, and afterward the first mountain peak was crushed…. You said the same thing, after which, the second mountain peak and the fourth mountain peak took action.

"Now, you're saying the same thing yet again…." The young woman trailed off and didn't continue speaking.

In the same moment that her voice trailed off, Naruto waved his arm, causing the Ninth Mountain to appear and shoot toward the three Demonfire Patriarchs.

As it bore down on them, the three Demonfire Patriarchs' expressions were extremely serious. They immediately unleashed divine abilities. As for the Second Severing cultivator, he spit out a fireball that set the sea of blood aflame. Bloody fire roared up around him, rapidly transforming into the shape of a gigantic deer's head.

The deer's head was formed completely of fire, and it had two enormous antlers. It shot toward the incoming Ninth Mountain. As it flew through the air, the other two Demonfire Patriarchs combined their power to cause the body of a deer to form around them, which then connected to the deer head.

The massive, fully formed deer then hurdled toward the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain, emanating incredible ripples of Second Spirit Severing power that were only a hair away from the power of Third Severing!

Naruto's eyes glinted with coldness. Without hesitation, he waved his right hand, causing the power of his cultivation base to explode out. Fissures appeared in the air all around him, the wind surged and the clouds seethed. Rumbling sounds echoed about in all directions as the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain suddenly expanded, doubling in size and might.

The increase caused an incredible pressure to radiate out. Inside the deer, the three Demonfire Patriarchs' faces filled with disbelief.

BOOM!

The Ninth Mountain slammed into the giant deer, sending a huge explosion blasting out in all directions. The deer was torn into pieces, and the three old men inside coughed up blood as they were sent spinning backward through the air. Their cultivation bases were in chaos, their faces pale, and their hearts surged with waves of shock.

"This is impossible!"

"He's so strong! He wasn't even fazed by the combined power of all three of us!"

They weren't the only incredulous ones. All of the disciples in the Blood Demon Sect had similar reactions. Even Chino, who knew a bit about Naruto's cultivation base, was shocked.

She never expected Naruto to be powerful to such a terrifying level. After all, she only knew a bit about what had happened in the Black Sieve Sect.

Nobody knew the true level of Naruto's strength. Were it not for Patriarch Six-Daos, the Black Sieve Sect would have been completely annihilated.

The hunchbacked old man on the fifth mountain peak had an incredibly serious look on his face, and his eyes shone with a strange light.

"I'm old," he muttered. "Really and truly old. I finally ran into one of those legendary inhumans, and yet didn't recognize it…. He's clearly a Dao Severing inhuman!

"There is a rare type of cultivator whose lives are filled with such twists and turns that they either perish, or shock the Heavens! When they mature, they can slay the Dao Seeking stage, even when in the Spirit Severing stage!

"People like that, are called… Dao Severing!

"His ruthlessness has already turned into a Devilish will…. However, the Devilish and the Dao are linked. Both contain a will of persistence. Both are ultimate achievements!

"The path of Dao Severing is a difficult one. Sever the Dao, become a Devil!

"Of course, Devil Severing is another path, an even more difficult one. Sever the Devil, achieve the Dao! Patriarch, is that why you made him the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect?

"Dao Severing requires a Dao heart. Devil Severing requires a Devilish will!

"I suddenly have a very strong desire… to be there the day he performs Devil Severing!

"Sever the Devilish. Seek the Dao!" Even as the old man muttered to himself on the Fifth Mountain, his eyes grew bright, and he turned to look at Mount Blood Demon.

In Mount Blood Demon, Patriarch Blood Demon sat cross-legged in the Blood Pond. His eyes gleamed with abstruseness, within which infinite ancientness seemed to flow.

"Sever the Devilish," he murmured. "Seek the Dao!

"Naruto, you can't blame me. I planted the devilish seed within you, but the reason is that the path of the League of Demon Sealers is incorrect…. I will use my remaining years to help you mould your Devilish will, and then wait for you… to Sever the Devil….

"That is Dao Seeking!

"Sever the Devilish. Seek the Dao, then Sever the Immortal. What's so difficult about that?!"

"When that time comes, you will have sown great Karma with the Demonic. When the day arrives in which you reach the true pinnacle… don't forget your Demonic destiny.

"Wait for me, my sister, my friends. We will be meeting again soon…. Soon, I will be able to accompany you once more…." The aura of death which surrounded him continued to grow stronger.

The enormous deer collapsed, and the three Demonfire Patriarchs were sent tumbling backward. Trembling, Patriarch Darkheaven's Nascent Divinity attempted to flee with all the speed he could muster. His heart was currently filled with infinite regret, regret at the words he had spoken earlier.

He also felt incredible hatred toward the two Ironblood Patriarchs, and especially the now-dead Ibiki. Were it not for them, he and the others wouldn't be in such a tough situation now.

"Dammit, if I had known earlier that it would end up like this, I would never have provoked that jinx!"

"Why hasn't the Patriarch appeared? Don't tell me this Naruto is really going to kill all of us?!"

As they rushed to escape, Naruto's eyes flashed with coldness. He sped forward with unspeakable speed that caused the four cultivators' scalps to go numb. As he neared, he began to unleash the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

As soon as the magic began to stir, a blood Chakra exploded up around him, and his right hand turned completely crimson, as if it were made of blood.

"The first stratum of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

"The Chakra and Blood stratum!"

Naruto stretched his hand out toward the three Demonfire Patriarchs and Patriarch Darkheaven's Nascent Divinity. Although they were separated by dozens of meters, as soon as he reached his hand out, their bodies were surrounded by an enormous blood-colored vortex.

The shocking vortex began to rumble, and from a distance it actually didn't look like a vortex at all, but rather, a gigantic hand!

The four cultivators were now stuck in the middle of the palm, and were unable to extricate themselves.

The faces of the four filled with even more intense shock than they had been. They could sense that because of the vortex, the Chakra and Blood in their bodies was boiling. Furthermore, they couldn't even control their cultivation bases; the more they tried, the more they found themselves unable to suppress the boiling.

Immediately, countless cries rang out through the Blood Demon Sect.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

"This is the Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

Countless disciples' eyes gleamed with covetousness as they looked at Naruto.

"Only the Blood Prince is qualified to cultivate… the Blood Demon Grand magic!"

"I can't believe that the Blood Prince actually acquired the first stratum in only a single day!"

The disciples looked up at Naruto and the blood-colored vortex spinning in mid-air, and were filled with both shock as well as unprecedented levels of fanaticism.

There was no other magical technique that could inspire such a craze among the Blood Demon Sect's disciples like the Blood Demon Grand Magic did. After all, the Blood Demon Grand Magic was the number one magic in the entire Blood Demon Sect!

Once the Blood Demon Grand Magic was unleashed, the three Patriarchs began to struggle violently. Rumbling sounds could be heard as the power of their cultivation bases exploded out. However, it doesn't matter what they did; they were completely incapable of freeing themselves.

Their fleshly bodies began to wither as blood and Chakra pulsed out from inside of them to be absorbed by the vortex and then fused into Naruto. His mind trembled as he sensed the power of his fleshly body shooting up at high speed!

As the Chakra fused into him, an intense sensation of strength rose up from deep within.

"So this is the Blood Demon Grand Magic!" he thought, his eyes shining with a strange light.

The three Demonfire Patriarchs howled.

"Nooo! The power of my Chakra and Blood! Dammit!"

"Stop! Naruto, if you slaughter members of your own sect, you'll meet a horrific end!"

"Patriarch Blood Demon, save me!"

They were unable to prevent the Chakra and Blood from flowing out of them, only to be replaced by a sensation of incredible weakness. The only one who wasn't affected was Patriarch Darkheaven, who had already been reduced to his Nascent Divinity; nevertheless, he was still frightened and astonished.

The entire scene was incredibly shocking to all the onlookers. Hovering in mid-air, Naruto lifted up his right arm and made a grasping motion toward the blood-colored hand, causing more pulses of Chakra and Blood to emerge from the men in front of him, which he then absorbed.

"Do you submit, or not!?" he asked coolly.

"Never!" cried one of the three Demonfire Patriarchs.

"We three Demonfire Patriarchs serve Patriarch Blood Demon! Do you really think we would submit to a trifling brat like you!?" In their rage, the three Demonfire Patriarchs continued to struggle to free themselves from the vortex, and yet were completely incapable.

Their bodies were visibly withering, their skin was smeared with blood. And yet, that did not leave them in despair. What truly left them without hope was… Patriarch Blood Demon still had not appeared.

That cleared up any doubts about one matter. The license to kill that Naruto mentioned truly did exist!

And even the lives of Spirit Severing Patriarchs were covered by it. That also made it obvious that… to Patriarch Blood Demon, no one in the entire Blood Demon Sect could compare to Naruto!

Because of that, the heart of the Demonfire Patriarch with the weakest cultivation base began to quiver. Blood was oozing out of him, and he could feel the shadow of death looming over him.

"I submit!" he cried through gritted teeth. "I submit! Blood Prince, I give you my allegiance!"

The other two Demonfire Patriarchs were furious.

"Third Brother, what are you doing!"

"How could you possibly give your allegiance to a brat like that!?"

His voice cool, Naruto said, "Swear a Dao oath."

"You…." The Third Demonfire smiled bitterly, then looked over apologetically at the other two Demonfire Patriarchs. He had no choice but to submit to Naruto. The terror he felt because of Naruto caused coldness to rise up from within the depths of his heart. That was especially true after he realized that Naruto… really could kill him.

It didn't matter that he was a Spirit Severing Patriarch of the Blood Demon Sect!

He really had no other option. He dared not rebel against the sect, and was already terrified of Patriarch Blood Demon. Adding one more terrifying person into the mix, especially since it was the Blood Prince, was something he could accept.

He quickly swore a Dao oath, after which the gravitational power of the vortex surrounding him ceased to affect him.

Because the Chakra and Blood stratum of the Blood Demon Grand Magic now had one less person to split its power amongst, the other two Demonfire Patriarchs felt even more pressure than before. Chakra and Blood flowed madly into Naruto. At the same time, he suddenly seemed to slip into a strange, indescribable state.

He suddenly sensed… a sort of boundless awareness that existed outside of the lands of Lands of Ninshu. It seemed to be faintly connected to the universe in myriad, uncountable ways.

"Is that Dao Seeking…?" thought Naruto, his eyes glittering.

"I submit! I'll swear allegiance!" roared the Second Demonfire Patriarch. He gritted his teeth and swore a Dao oath. His body was already extremely withered, and his energy almost completely depleted. If he tried to hold on any longer, his fleshly body would be crushed into dust.

Now that he swore allegiance, the most powerful of the three Demonfire Patriarchs, the Second Severing cultivator, was alone. His body was stained red from blood, and rips could even be seen in his skin. Clearly, he was on the verge of collapsing.

"I submit!" he said, letting out a long sigh. Under the Blood Demon Grand Magic, he had no other choice but to submit. He too was incredibly intimidated by Naruto, whom he was simply unable to contend against whether it was in terms of cultivation or combat skills.

As soon as the Demonfire Patriarch submitted and offered up his Dao oath, Naruto's eyes flashed over to Patriarch Darkheaven, who had been sucked into the vortex. Though the vortex had no effect on him due to his lack of a physical body, his whole body shuddered when Naruto's gaze landed on his body and he hastily squeaked, "I submit too!"

When the leadership of the second and fourth mountain peaks submitted, the hunchbacked old man on the fifth peak raised his voice and called out, "I am Yuan Daozi! I offer my respects, Blood Prince!"

Behind him, the pretty young woman was looking at Naruto with ardor burning in her eyes. She immediately dropped to her knees and kowtowed, as did all of the disciples on the fifth mountain peak.

"Respects, Blood Prince!"

Up in mid-air, the three Demonfire Patriarchs as well as Patriarch Darkheaven unhesitatingly clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Respects, Blood Prince!"

The fourth mountain peak, the second, the first, all of the 200,000 disciples of the Blood Demon Sect joined their voices together. It far exceeded the sound of the combined voices of the 50,000 disciples of the first mountain peak. The massive sound waves exploded out, shaking everything.

As he hovered in mid-air, Naruto waved a hand, causing the blood-colored vortex to vanish. At the same time, the absorption of any Chakra and Blood ceased.

"I can't waste any of it," he thought. "I need to see exactly how powerful this Blood Demon Grand Magic is." A strange light appeared in his eyes, and he clenched his fist. Then, he focused all of the power of the Chakra and Blood he had absorbed into a single blow aimed at the sky.

Bright colors flashed, and a huge roaring sound filled the air as Naruto's fist shot out. The sky shook, and the air was rent by rifts. An enormous black hole appeared in mid-air, which then transformed into a twisting beam of light that shot off into the void.

From a distance, it almost looked like a black dragon, incomparably vicious, with a desire to cause the fall of the Heavens.

The rip in the Heavens emanated an aura that left even the Spirit Severing cultivators trembling. These were the vibrations of Dao Seeking!

Everyone was shocked to the core, even the Spirit Severing Patriarchs.

"That attack… contained the will of Dao Seeking!"

"That was comparable to the early Dao Seeking stage!" As of this moment, everyone was completely convinced of Naruto's qualifications, and no one dared to show him even the slightest scrap of disrespect.

As for the ordinary disciples, they were in awe to the point of fanaticism, and cries to the Blood Prince echoed out with increasing intensity.

Naruto took a deep breath. He had viewed the Blood Demon Grand Magic as incredible before, but as of now, he realized that it was actually far more powerful than he had ever imagined!

"This art far exceeds the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal. It's probably on the same level as the mysterious Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!" Naruto's eyes glittered.

"And this is only the first stratum of the Blood Demon Grand Magic! If I can cultivate it all the way through the third level and the fourth, thus unleashing the great circle of the second stratum, then I can summon ten vortexes!

"The hand formed by those ten vortexes would have the power to absorb cultivation bases!

"If I can complete the fifth and sixth levels, which is the third stratum, the Blood Soul stratum… according to the description of the technique, the sky will turn the color of blood, and the Heavens will transform into an enormous hand that can wrest away souls!

"No wonder Patriarch Blood Demon said that if I can reach the fourth level, I can slay Patriarch Six-Daos of the Black Sieve Sect!

"When I reach the fourth level, the great circle of the Spirit Meridians second stratum, then I can definitely strike down the early Dao Seeking stage!

"This art, is a Demon magic!" He looked up in the direction of the Black Sieve Sect, and the killing intent in his eyes grew stronger. Deep in his heart, even more ruthlessness took hold, and his devilish will grew stronger.

"Of the magic that I cultivate, the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal can strengthen my fleshly body, and the Blood Demon Grand Magic along with the Blood Immortal divine abilities can act as my trump cards.

"Furthermore, by fusing the Black White Pearls with the Ninth Mountain, I have created my own divine ability!

"Now… all I have to do is cultivate the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao, and I can form a true self clone!

"When all of them have reached the great circle, then I will definitely be able to find enlightenment regarding my Third Severing!"

Naruto hovered in mid-air. Up above was the massive rift ripped in the sky, the sight of which was incredibly shocking.

The surrounding Blood Demon Sect disciples, regardless of who they were, looked at Naruto with trembling minds and hearts. As of this moment, he had everyone's complete attention.

Even the sect's Spirit Severing cultivators felt awe in their hearts, an awe that was now permanently branded there.

The complete and utter silence that filled the Blood Demon Sect was suddenly broken by an archaic voice that echoed out from the centrally-located Mount Blood Demon.

The voice, hoarse and filled with the feeling of countless ages of time, filled the entire Blood Demon Sect, and was heard by all disciples.

"Naruto was originally a scholar, born three hundred years ago in the Five Elements Nation in the Southern Domain…

"By chance, he began to walk the path of cultivation. He had a Perfect Foundation with ten Dao Pillars, and slew Core Formation cultivators!"

The voice, of course, belonged to Patriarch Blood Demon. As it echoed about, all of the cultivators of the Blood Demon Sect listened intently. When the Five Elements Nation was mentioned, Shikamaru's expression was one of reminiscence. After all, the Five Elements Nation was his hometown, too.

"Later, he made his way to the Southern Domain. In the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law, he clinched victory in the competition, but then abandoned his status as a son-in-law of the Nadeshiko Clan to join the Violet Fate Sect!

"In the Violet Fate Sect, his skill in pill concocting reached the highest of levels. He was promoted to Violet Furnace Lord, and became known as… Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!"

By the time these words rang out in the Blood Demon Sect, the silence was impossible to maintain. Gasps could be heard, and a massive commotion erupted. Once again, all eyes came to focus on Naruto, who hovered there calmly in mid-air.

"Naruto… I remember now! Naruto was Grandmaster Pill Cauldron back in the Violet Fate Sect!"

"Heavens! Last year I went to an auction where a pill marked with Grandmaster Pill Cauldron's emblem was sold at an astronomical price!"

"It's him! Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!"

"I remember! Naruto caused a huge disaster that year, and then just disappeared!"

People were now staring at him with even more fervor than before. Earlier, they had submitted to Naruto's cultivation base, but now, his experiences were shaking them, filling them with incredible admiration.

Chino gazed silently at Naruto as images of all the past events flitted through her mind.

"In Foundation Establishment, he could vanquish Core Formation. In Core Formation, he could slay Nascent Soul. All of you have heard stories about Naruto over the years. He left the Southern Domain and went to the Black Lands, where he quickly rose to prominence. He entered the Western Desert, where he single-handedly led his tribe out of the Violet Rain Apocalypse. He slaughtered countless enemies and his name rocked the Western Desert!

"Later, he sank to the bottom of the Violet Sea, the waters of which have the power to decay all living things. It was on the seafloor that he gained enlightenment of a great Dao and entered the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage!"

Patriarch Blood Demon's voice was as ancient as ever. When all the disciples heard his words, it gave rise to massive waves of shock. They stared in disbelief at Naruto; to them, his experiences were the stuff of legend.

Even the previously hostile Legacy Apprentices of the Spirit Severing Patriarchs were now staring at Naruto with awe and fanaticism.

"He's done so many things!"

"Compared to him, our lives are soft and easy! Sure, we might kill a few people here and there, but compared to him… our experiences aren't even worth mentioning!"

Naruto said nothing. Hearing Patriarch Blood Demon recount his experiences was almost like listening to the stories of a stranger. However, he wasn't surprised that Patriarch Blood Demon knew so much about him.

"When Naruto was in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, he battled with a First Severing cultivator. In a war that rocked the Black Lands and shocked the Western Desert, he exterminated the man's entire tribe.

"The war didn't last long, nor did word of it spread very far, before he left for the ancient Demon Immortal Sect!

"As for the details of what happened there, I'm not entirely clear. One thing I do know… the events that occurred there because of him were nothing short of incredible!

"After leaving the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, Naruto encountered Madara, a peak Dao Seeking expert. Naruto slew his clone, and was then forced to go to the Milky Way Sea. After multiple encounters, his cultivation base was stolen away, and he became mortal!"

At this point in the tale, gasps rang out. The listening disciples could scarcely believe what they were hearing. What they had heard before already left them with the sensation that Naruto's experiences were a legend, but then the story encountered an even more shocking twist.

"He… became mortal?!"

"He lost his cultivation base? He made an enemy of a Dao Seeking expert? The Blood Prince… he's incredible!"

"He lost his cultivation base? But look at him now! He's obviously incredibly fierce and valiant. What happened in the meantime?"

The buzz of conversation filled the air. The three Demonfire Patriarchs were gobsmacked, and Patriarch Darkheaven was staring at Naruto with an expression of intense astonishment. As for the hunchbacked old man from the fifth mountain peak, his eyes radiated a strange glow.

The pretty young woman next to him, as well as the other Legacy Apprentices, were hearing the story of Naruto for the first time. All of them were panting as they looked up at him floating there calmly in mid-air. Gradually, they began to realize that there was something about him that seemed… lonesome.

Shikamaru was staring at Naruto in a daze. He was aware of the rest of the story, although he wasn't sure of all the details.

Naruto continued his silence. He wasn't surprised that Patriarch Blood Demon even knew about his encounters with Madara in the Milky Way Sea. What happened in the Black Sieve Sect showed that.

Clearly, Patriarch Blood Demon was not holding back anything about Naruto. He revealed everything he knew.

"After becoming mortal, Naruto chose to go to the Rebirth Cave!

"There, his beloved chose to give up everything for him. In the end, he was reborn. He performed his Second Severing, becoming the number one figure under Dao Seeking. As for his beloved, she was captured by the Black Sieve Sect!

"Naruto, acting alone, slaughtered his way into the sect. He killed tens of thousands of Black Sieve Sect disciples, including several Spirit Severing Cultivators. In the end, he fought with the Black Sieve Sect's number one Patriarch, Six-Daos!

"I intervened in that battle, which is how the Blood Demon Sect came to have a new Blood Prince, Naruto!

"This is his story. Who among you… choose not to submit?" As the echoes of Patriarch Blood Demon's archaic voice faded away, the heart of each and every disciple surged with waves of shock.

They were completely shaken by hearing of Naruto's experiences. The shocking path which he had walked, as well as his cultivation base, filled them with intense zealotry.

In their astonishment, the three Demonfire Patriarchs and Patriarch Darkheaven now understood everything.

As for the seven Legacy Apprentices of Patriarch Darkheaven on the second mountain peak, the fan-wielding young man on the fourth mountain peak, and the pretty girl on the fifth mountain peak, they gazed at Naruto with minds and hearts reeling.

They now clearly understood how powerful Naruto was, and it filled them with a terror that far exceeded that which any other Chosen could impart.

To them, this was not just a matter of Naruto being worthy of becoming Blood Prince. In fact, few sects could ever have a Sect Prince like this.

A person like him could actually found his own Sect!

One by one, everyone began to clasp hands and bow to Naruto.

"Blood Prince, we offer our respects!"

Naruto's cultivation base had crushed anyone who refused to bow their head in submission. The recounting of his experiences had shocked the hearts of anyone who inwardly refused to acknowledge him. Patriarch Blood Demon's words ensured that Naruto was now truly worthy to be… Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect!

Naruto said nothing. He waved his right hand, causing the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain to vanish. At the same time, the Nascent Divinities of the two Ironblood Patriarchs were released. Naruto had not truly wiped them out of existence.

Their Nascent Divinities trembled; from their position within the Black White Pearls, they had seen everything that had happened, and had also heard Patriarch Blood Demon's words. Currently, they didn't even have the tiniest intention of provoking Naruto. Quite the opposite. They were filled with deep awe, and went along with everyone else to bow to Naruto.

Naruto's gaze swept across the crowds. Then, he turned silently and made his way off into the distance. He did not choose to occupy one of the mountains within the area of the five mountain peaks. Instead, he chose to occupy a beautiful valley on the outside.

The valley had no name, but after Naruto occupied it, the blood Demon Sect disciples came to view it as a Holy Land second only to Patriarch Blood Demon's mountain peak.

There were plenty of disciples who were more than happy to stand guard outside, transforming the valley into one of the most important locations in the Blood Demon Sect.

Because of Naruto, Shikamaru became even more famous in the Blood Demon Sect. In fact, the hunchbacked old man from the fifth mountain peak personally appeared to take him as an apprentice.

As a result, Shikamaru became a Legacy Apprentice of the fifth mountain peak, a position far higher than what he had occupied before.

As for the valley Naruto occupied, the Blood Demon Sect disciples secretly began to refer to it as… Blood Prince Gorge.

The Blood Prince liked peace and quiet, and therefore no one dared to enter Blood Prince Gorge unless they were summoned.

Time passed. Nine nine-day-cycles later, on the eighty-first day, Naruto sat in his log cabin in the valley. The fragrance of flowers drifted through the air, and green grass carpeted the entire area. It was like a utopia hidden away from the turmoil of the world.

A woman lay in front of Naruto, her eyes closed. She was beautiful, and she radiated the aura of an Immortal spirit. Her skin was as pure as flawless white jade.

Naruto looked down at her and continued to wait patiently.

Around dusk, the woman's eyelashes trembled, as if she were gathering the strength to awaken. A moment later, she slowly… opened her eyes.

At first, her eyes were filled with a confused look, as if countless memories were streaming into her mind. The process continued for a long moment before finally, the blankness vanished and transformed into lucidity. It was then that she realized that someone was sitting next to her, looking at her with warmth in his eyes…. Naruto.

Hinata looked at Naruto, and smiled a warm, beautiful smile.

She slowly sat up, and then reached out to stroke the side of Naruto's face.

"It feels wonderful to wake up…."

Naruto looked back at her and also smiled. However, it was a smile that, deep down, contained sadness. He knew that what he was experiencing now could last no more than ninety-nine years.

"I won't leave this valley for the next ninety-nine years," Hinata said. "I'll accompany you… until the time for reincarnation comes."

One year.

An entire year had passed since Naruto had arrived in the Blood Demon Sect. During that time, he didn't even step half a pace outside of his valley, nor did anyone disturb him. In the utopia of his valley, he and Hinata watched the sun rise and set. Everything was calm and peaceful, and they spent their time enjoying the warmth and sweetness of each other's company.

During that year, Hinata did not practice cultivation. She lived like a mortal woman, accompanying Naruto. Occasionally, her laughter would drift out from within the valley, and the Blood Demon Sect disciples standing guard on the outside would smile and look back toward the valley.

This was their Blood Prince and their Blood Prince's beloved.

During that year, Naruto's reputation inside the Blood Demon Sect did not lessen. Furthermore, stories of what had occurred in the Black Sieve Sect began to spread out from the Blood Demon Sect into the rest of the Southern Domain. Soon, Naruto's name became even more illustrious.

He was a Spirit Severing expert, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect, and had waged war against the Black Sieve Sect. The stories spread, and soon the name 'Naruto' was on the minds of everyone in the Southern Domain.

As for Naruto, he learned of the tragic fate of the Uchiha Clan, and heard about the broken-souled lunatic who raved of Immortal Ascension and wandered around, having lost everything…

During that year, Naruto did not give up on cultivating the Blood Demon Grand Magic. However, on repeated occasions he sensed that he was incapable of reaching the third level. He was missing something.

He had reached a bottleneck, that much was obvious. Patriarch Blood Demon did not provide him with any tips or reminders. Actually, during the entire year, he didn't even speak to Naruto at all. It seemed he had delivered the entire Blood Demon Sect into Naruto's hands. Naruto now had authority over the life and death of everyone in the sect.

Although he experienced no breakthrough in the Blood Demon Grand Magic, he did gain enlightenment regarding the cultivation of the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal.

The art was crude and simple, but it could temper the fleshly body to an incredible degree. Unfortunately, it required a vast number of magical items to fuse into the flesh. Essentially… it was a divine ability that could refine one's body into a treasured magical item.

Most people, even if they could gain enlightenment, would find it difficult to cultivate. After all, it required incredible amounts of magical items. Just to cultivate the first level required 10,000 Spirit Severing level magical items.

Thankfully, the requirement wasn't Spirit Severing life-essence treasures; were that the case, Naruto would have given up immediately. He simply could not cultivate something like that.

However, if he could successfully cultivate the first level, then his fleshly body would exceed Spirit Severing, and would reach the Dao Seeking stage. When the fleshly body reached Dao Seeking, the Chakra and Blood contained a natural law of Heaven and Earth.

Such a body was like a precious treasure.

If the second level was cultivated successfully, the fleshly body could break through Dao Seeking and then experience Fleshly Body Immortal Tribulation. If transcended… the Chakra and Blood could reach Immortal Ascension.

"There are a total of four levels to this art. If I can cultivate the highest level…" His eyes gleamed with a brilliant light for a moment. It quickly faded. The items required to cultivate the fourth level were things the like of which he had never even heard of.

"And then there's the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!" he thought, his eyes shining with a strange light. During the year, his greatest achievement was not related to the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal, but rather, the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

After much pondering, Naruto had finally gained a bit of understanding. It was actually an art that could be used to create a clone. Granted, clone magic was not common in the Southern Domain, but neither was it rare, and most Spirit Severing Cultivators had found a way to create clones.

After all, if a clone died, the true self could continue on living. Likewise, if the true self died, the clone could also continue on living. Creating an additional clone was like creating an additional life.

There were many magics that could be used to cultivate clones, and they all had their various unique aspects. As for the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao, it was one of the highest ranked Daoist magics in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Furthermore, it was the life-essence Daoist magic of the Withering Flame Demon, one of the three Archdemons ranked directly beneath Lord Asura.

In terms of how powerful it was, it would be hard to find something more illustrious in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Other clone magics require extracting a strand from one's own soul, then inserting it into a flesh and blood body, or perhaps a spirit body. Another option is to use some sort of magical item to create a body, then link it to the true self.

"Those are the safest methods, and avoid any problems that can arise from the clone revolting.

"However, the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao can create a homologous clone body. The clone body also requires a strand of soul, except not from one's own soul, but rather, the soul of an outsider.

"The stronger the soul, the stronger the clone! In fact, more than one soul can be fused into it, which would make the clone even more powerful!

"It is not a matter of controlling the body with the soul, but rather, controlling the soul with the body. The soul withers, transforming into a flame that nourishes the clone. This is not a Daoist art, but rather, Demon magic. Once the clone is created, the physical body's will transforms it into a true self, suppressing the clone's soul and becoming the True Self Dao.

"The body is like a sheath and the soul is like a blade. They key to it all is controlling that razor-sharp blade!

"This art is incredibly overbearing!

"Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

"What this magic cultivates is not actually a clone, but a second true self! An incredibly powerful true self!"

Many things happened in the outside world during the year that passed. One of the most shocking events was not the reappearance of Naruto, but rather, the fact that one of the three Danger Zones of the Southern Domain, the Ancient Dao Lakes, had begun erupting.

Furthermore, the eruptions were occurring with increasing frequency. At first, they were limited to Dao Geysers on the periphery of the Dao Lakes, but eventually, even the Dao Lakes themselves began to erupt.

"The Ancient Dao Lakes are erupting again!"

"I heard that last month, one of the smaller Dao Lakes erupted, and a Spirit Severing magical item appeared!"

"You don't even need to mention the Dao Lakes. The Dao Geysers are also erupting. Cultivators are gathering, and I heard that many people are gaining enlightenment."

Such cries could be heard frequently in the Blood Demon Sect in recent days. More than a few disciples left the Sect and traveled to the Dao Lakes to seek good luck and fortune.

As time passed, more and more of the disciples became interested in the Dao Lakes. Of course, at first, it was only Core Formation up to mid Nascent Soul cultivators who were most interested.

However, a month later, a great circle Nascent Soul cultivator from the Solitary Sword Sect received enlightenment and entered the Spirit Severing stage. This shook the entire Southern Domain, and caused virtually all the great circle Nascent Soul stage cultivators who were stuck beneath the Spirit Severing stage to immediately rush to the Ancient Dao Lakes to seek good fortune.

Soon, witnesses began to spread reports of an eruption which had occurred within the Ancient Dao Lakes. Apparently, it gave rise to incredible ripples that could allow Spirit Severing cultivators to experience enlightenment regarding a great Dao.

The news gave rise to a virtual storm that swept across the Southern Domain. Spirit Severing Patriarchs from all sects and clans went wild with eagerness.

The Blood Demon Sect was no exception.

After obtaining permission from Naruto, the two Ironblood Patriarchs, Patriarch Darkheaven, and the three Demonfire Patriarchs entered the valley and approached Naruto, who sat cross-legged outside of his log cabin, a flagon of alcohol placed in front of him.

"Blood Prince, the Dao Lakes are erupting. The Patriarch is in secluded meditation and has not inquired about any sect affairs. Will the Blood Demon Sect be allowed to participate in this opportunity for good fortune?"

"It's true, Blood Prince. The other sects and clans are beginning to stir. As a matter of fact, a few days ago the Solitary Sword Sect sent a large group of cultivators to the Ancient Dao Lakes, led by a Spirit Severing Patriarch."

"The Dao Geysers in the border region of the Ancient Dao Lakes don't erupt according to any sort of pattern. However, the small lakes in the inner region erupt once every two thousand years. As for the Prime Lake, it erupts once every ten thousand years.

"According to the calculations, now is the time when virtually all of the Ancient Dao Lakes will be erupting!"

Hinata stood quietly off to the side. The Spirit Severing Patriarchs treated her very courteously. After all, the fact that Naruto had single-handedly fought the entire Black Sieve Sect because of her showed the place she held in his heart.

Naruto opened his eyes, and a profound light could be seen therein, as well as a ruthlessness that was difficult to conceal, so intense that it could not be dispelled. The instant his eyes opened, the six Spirit Severing Patriarchs' hearts shuddered, and they respectfully bowed their heads.

"The Ancient Dao Lakes…." murmured Naruto. His cultivation base was now stuck at a bottleneck. Although he had some ideas, he was still not clear regarding his Third Severing. Furthermore, even further secluded meditation would not help him to progress with the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

He turned his head to look at Hinata.

"I'll be fine," she said with a smile. "I'll be waiting here for you…. Wouldn't the best thing be for you to acquire some good fortune?" Her gaze was filled with warmth as she looked at him. During the past year, she had been very happy. She didn't worry about cultivation, or about the complications of life. She was with Naruto, and it almost felt like the simple life back in the Reliance Sect.

The Spirit Severing Patriarchs all looked expectantly at Naruto, waiting for his answer.

It was at this point that Yao Ming, the Second Severing expert of the three Demonfire Patriarchs, suddenly seemed to notice something. He looked down toward his bag of holding and then produced a glowing jade slip. He looked at it deeply for a moment, his expression flickering.

"Blood Prince, we can't hesitate for too long. Now that the Solitary Sword Sect has taken action, the Golden Frost Sect, Violet Fate Sect, Black Sieve Sect, Nadeshiko Clan, and Shimura Clan have followed suit. All have sent forces led by Spirit Severing experts to the Ancient Dao Lakes." With that, he handed the jade slip over to Naruto.

When Naruto heard the words 'Black Sieve Sect,' he saw Hinata's expression darken. Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he accepted the jade slip. After examining it, he looked up, and his eyes shone with determination.

"Let's go!" he said, rising to his feet and striding forward. The six Blood Demon Sect Spirit Severing Patriarchs' expressions brightened. Considering the level of Naruto's cultivation base, with him as their leader, the Blood Demon Sect would definitely reap an abundant harvest.

Naruto walked out of the valley followed by the six. There were already tens of thousands of disciples gathered outside, looks of anticipation on their faces.

Naruto glanced over them.

"Each mountain peak shall select 10,000 disciples to come with me to the Ancient Dao Lakes!"

"Yes, Blood Prince!"

"Yes, Blood Prince!" The excited cries instantly rang out through the Blood Demon Sect. Under the direction of the six Spirit Severing Patriarchs, arrangements were made, and soon a crowd of tens of thousands of beams of light shot up into the air to follow Naruto.

Chino was among them, but as for Shikamaru, he remained behind to maintain guard cross-legged outside of Naruto's valley.

In the same moment that Naruto led the disciples flying away, Patriarch Blood Demon sat in the Blood Pond in Mount Blood Demon. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"To Sever the Devil, one must first accept bedevilment. His Devilishness is not profound enough yet…."

The three Danger Zones of the Southern Domain!

The Rebirth Cave, the Ancient Dao Lakes, and the Ancient Temple of Doom.

The most mysterious of them all was the Rebirth Cave. The most ferocious was the Ancient Temple of Doom. However, to cultivators, the site that offered the most benefits in terms of cultivation… were the Ancient Dao Lakes!

However, it was still considered a Danger Zone. After entering, it would be difficult to predict whether you could come out alive or not. Only when the Dao Lakes region was in a state of eruption would the danger be slightly reduced, and the opportunities for good fortune increased.

Within the Dao Lakes region, invisible rifts often appeared that could cut through anything except perhaps certain precious treasures. In addition, there were many restrictive spells which had existed for countless years. If you stumbled into one there was a ninety percent chance that you would end up dead.

In addition, there were many teleportation traps. They would appear without any warning whatsoever, and would randomly teleport you to certain areas in the region of the Dao Lakes. If you got lucky, then you might walk away completely unharmed. If you were unlucky, however, you might get teleported into one of the rifts or even into one of the Dao Lakes. Even Dao seeking experts would either be killed or wounded in such a situation; no one could escape unscathed.

There was an even more terrifying possibility… it was possible to enter into a cycle of teleportation in which you entered a teleportation trap that constantly teleported you in and out to various locations, without letting you leave.

It was an endless cycle, and cultivators who entered one would be tormented by continuous teleportation until they died in body and spirit.

Such a tragic outcome was something not unheard of in the Ancient Dao Lakes. In fact, sometimes it was even possible to see corpses passing in and out of various teleportation traps.

Few people were aware of exactly how the Ancient Dao Lakes were formed. In the very center of the entire region was the largest Dao Lake, which was surrounded by numerous smaller lakes. These lakes had mirror-like surfaces, which to onlookers seemed to reflect the entirety of the Heavens.

Further out were the Dao Geysers. Normally they were dry and empty, but when they erupted it was possible to see Dao Projections.

In addition to the Dao Projections that would become visible in the Dao Geysers and Lakes, they would sometimes spit out precious treasures, ancient records, or even bizarre and terrifying beasts. Occasionally, precious materials would appear, or jade slips with special techniques. Some were worthless, whereas others were priceless. In summary, it was possible for just about any type of item to erupt out.

Over time, some people came to suspect that beneath the Ancient Dao Lakes were the ruins of some ancient structure or city that had fallen ages ago.

Many people wished to make their way into those ruins, but even peak Dao Seeking cultivators were incapable of doing so. Even the cultivators of the Hebi Clan of Lands of Ninshu were incapable, much to their chagrin.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of cultivators were gathered outside of the Ancient Dao Lakes. The vast majority were rogue cultivators who didn't dare to enter into the inner region of the Dao Lakes. They couldn't do anything more than squabble with each other over control of the Dao Geysers.

Those who had enough strength could occupy a Dao Geyser, which would allow them to establish a foundation for their future. However, there were less than three thousand Dao Geysers, which led to bitter fighting on virtually a daily basis.

Of course, even with all the violence, one cultivator after another would gain enlightenment and rise to prominence in the area. That in turn led to even further excitement among the crowds of cultivators, who would go mad at the chance to acquire good fortune.

As time passed, more and more cultivators arrived. Of course, some attempted to venture into the inner region where there weren't just Dao Geysers, but 30-meter Dao Lakes!

As far as the Dao Geysers were concerned, ninety-nine percent of the time, they spit out Dao Projections. Only occasionally would they erupt with other items.

When it came to Dao Lakes, it was an entirely different matter, which tended to depend on the size of the lake. For example, the 30-meter Dao Lakes had a ten percent chance of spitting out items other than Dao Projections. The 300-meter Dao Lakes further in had a thirty-percent chance.

Then there were the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes that had a sixty-percent chance.

Finally, there was the 30,000-meter Dao Lake, which had a ninety-percent chance of erupting with precious treasures!

As for the Dao Geysers, once they erupted, a Dao Projection would appear. Afterwards, that particular Dao Geyser would be locked with that one single Dao Projection, which would appear in every subsequent eruption. The Dao Lakes were different. Even if a Dao Projection did appear, it would eventually vanish. Then, you could wait at the edge of a lake for a certain period of time for another eruption.

Within the region of the Ancient Dao Lakes, there were roughly a thousand 30-meter lakes, each one of which was occupied by small-scale sects, making it difficult for any outsider to get near. There were a few hundred of the 300-meter lakes, the majority of which were occupied by mid-scale sects or clans.

As for the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes, there were ten in total, which great sects or clans like the Solitary Sword Sect were qualified to occupy.

By this point, the number of Southern Domain cultivators that had gathered did not exceed 1,000,000, but rather, was more in the range of 700,000 to 800,000. As more arrived, there was more fighting and killing.

Boom!

A group of cultivators suddenly appeared up in the sky. Each and every one shone with a golden light, the reason being that they were all wearing golden suits of armor. Altogether, they looked completely wild and rough.

As they shot through the air, the sky and land grew dim, and ripples spread out in all directions. They didn't look down, but instead, fixed their gazes on the inner region of the Ancient Dao Lakes. When they entered, they didn't fly, but rather, proceeded carefully under the leadership of sect experts.

"The Golden Frost Sect has arrived!"

"Those are cultivators from the Golden Frost Sect! The one in the front is Golden Frost Sect Patriarch Ling Dong! Don't tell me that the guy behind him is Grandmaster Eternal Mountain!?"

"See that fat guy off to the side? That's the guy who swore to take a hundred beloved, the shameless Choji, right?"

Cries of alarm began to ring out from the interior region of the Dao Lakes as the small-scale and even mid-scale sects began to grow anxious. That was especially true of the female disciples, whose countenances flushed with trepidation at the mention of the name Choji.

Soon, more voices rose up from the region outside.

"The Shimura Clan is here!"

"That's… the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch! They say he's a Second Severing expert! Look at the people behind him! They seem to have an equal status, don't tell me they're also Spirit Severing Patriarchs?!"

"The Nadeshiko Clan's here too! I can see the Nadeshiko Clan's Inkstone Puppets!"

"The Black Sieve Sect! The Black Sieve Sect people are here!"

"Just about all the sects and clans in the whole Southern Domain have arrived!"

Voices echoed about in all directions throughout the Ancient Dao Lakes. The person in the lead position of the Black Sieve Sect was none other than the Third Severing Patriarch who had survived Naruto's attack. Clearly, his cultivation base had recovered quite a bit, but his face was grim as he glanced around and led his people into the Dao Lakes.

Within the group from the Nadeshiko Clan was Shizuka. Her expression was placid, and she was followed closely by a middle-aged man. Somehow, he looked threatening despite the lack of any sort of anger on his face. Also in the group was Hiruko, whose cultivation base was slightly higher than before. He was now in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, just half a step from Spirit Severing.

Behind them were over ten thousand junior members of the Nadeshiko Clan, as well as more than ten thousand puppets. The puppets were black, emanated an intense coldness, and were completely shocking in appearance.

Almost in the same instant in which the Nadeshiko Clan entered the inner region of the Ancient Dao Lakes, a violet-colored auspicious cloud appeared in the sky off in the distance. As it neared, a sallow-faced old man became visible within. He was surrounded by several other old men who all bore similar auras. Their faces were grim and they did not speak. Behind them within the cloud were tens of thousands of disciples, as well as an enormous pill furnace, around which circulated a sword.

Their energy was bright and colorful, and as they neared, the cultivators outside the Dao Lakes immediately realized who they were.

"The Violet Fate Sect!"

"That's Reverend Withered-Dao of the Violet Fate Sect! He's a Spirit Severing Expert!"

"Look behind him! It's the two beauties of the Violet Fate Sect… Sakura and Koyuki!"

Within the crowd of Violet Fate Sect disciples, Sakura's gaze swept over the scene down below. Her delicate brow was furrowed, as if she was looking for someone in particular, only to find that person not present. Next to her was a charming young woman with skin like snow, incredibly attractive. She was none other than the Holy Daughter of Holy Snow City in the Black Lands, Koyuki.

She also seemed to search through the crowds, after which her expression grew somewhat gloomy. Next to her was a taciturn, middle-aged man with handsome features. Occasionally, he would look over at Koyuki with a tender look in his eye that he kept well-hidden.

He was none other than Teuchi, the same person who vied with Naruto that year for the title of Violet Furnace Lord…. He was a Chosen of the Dao of alchemy, and after the hundreds of years that had passed he was now in the late Nascent Soul stage. 4

There was another person within the group who seemed somewhat nondescript, and yet had an early Nascent Soul cultivation base. He also looked down below as if he were searching for a figure that existed somewhere in his memories.

"He didn't come…?" the old man sighed. "Oh well, I bet he wouldn't even remember who I am…." Within the old man's mind flickered countless memories of past times in the Violet Fate Sect.

"Elder Brother Kazama, do you still remember Pakkun…?" 5

Surprisingly, among the forces of the Violet Fate Sect could also be seen Kotetsu and Ensui, the two Violet Furnace Lords. Their gazes swept about, and complex expressions could be seen on their faces. 6

The auspicious cloud carried the group from the Violet Fate Sect into the region of the Ancient Dao Lakes, and then vanished. Finally, the region outside the lakes returned to its previous state.

Three days later, far off on the horizon, a blood-colored light shone out. The bloody glow spread out in all directions as something that bore the semblance of a blood-colored Demonic beast appeared. It shot forward at incredible speed, whereupon a gigantic face could be seen.

The vicious, blood-red sported a spiraling horn, which emanated an astonishing energy!

If you looked closely, you would be able to tell that, shockingly, the face was actually made up of tens of thousands of cultivators. As for the horn, at its tip was a young man wearing a blood-colored robe. His long hair whipped about his dispassionate face. Within his eyes could be seen a streak of ruthlessness.

He was handsome, but there was nothing scholarly about him. Instead, he seemed cruel and cold. This was… Naruto, who after experiencing death, had the ruthlessness of a Devil.

Behind him were six Spirit Severing Patriarchs of the Blood Demon Sect, as well as 40,000 disciples.

"The Blood Demon Sect!"

"That young man… could he be Naruto? He used to be called Kazama, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. Now… he's the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect!"

"To save his beloved, Hinata, he single-handedly battled the entire Black Sieve Sect! It's Naruto!" Instantly, the region outside the Dao Lakes was thrown into a huge commotion. By now, more than a year had passed since the incident at the Black Sieve Sect, and the news had long since spread out through the masses.

Within the crowds, more than a few female cultivators gazed at Naruto with shining eyes and thought, "I want a beloved just like Naruto!"

As the buzz of conversation rose up from all the Cultivators, Naruto and the group from the Blood Demon Sect entered the region of the Ancient Dao Lakes.

In that moment, the entire region suddenly began to tremble. Along with the quaking, one Dao Geyser after another, along with a succession of Dao Lakes, all began to erupt. Innumerable Dao Projections appeared, and a riot of colors flashed in Heaven and Earth.

The Blood Demon Sect had arrived just in time for a Dao Lake eruption!

The rumbling of the sky echoed out in all directions, and the land quaked violently. It seemed almost like a giant was buried under the ground, roaring, the power of its voice exploding out through the Dao Geysers and Lakes.

From a distance, it almost looked like volcanos erupting, except what was exploding out was not lava, but numerous colorful Dao Projections. These Dao Projections were images of cultivators wearing ancient attire. Some were engaged in magical combat, others were practicing cultivation or gaining enlightenment regarding Heaven and Earth.

A variety of cultivation bases could be seen, the lowest being Foundation Establishment and the highest being Nascent Soul.

Looking at the scene as a whole, there were quite a few Dao Projections.

It was in this moment of eruption that Naruto and the force from the Blood Demon Sect entered the region of the Dao Lakes. At the same time, cries of shock spread out.

"That's…."

"A Spirit Severing Dao Projection!"

"It's actually a Spirit Severing Dao Proj… wait, no! That's a Dao Projection of a great circle Nascent Soul Cultivator in the moment of his First Severing!"

Great numbers of cultivators swarmed at top speed toward the Spirit Severing Dao Projection.

Naruto stopped for a moment and looked back. Off in the distance, he saw a Dao Geyser erupting with shocking blue light. Inside the light was a Dao Projection of a tall, slender cultivator performing Spirit Severing.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators in the area were spurred into action. Many among the tens of thousands who were with Naruto were also visibly moved.

Naruto did nothing to stop them. "Why don't you try to gain enlightenment here?" he said. Immediately, 20,000 cultivators clasped hands and bowed to him, then flew off. Not all were of the Nascent Soul stage; there were other items in the area that were of interest to other stages as well.

Rumbling, as well as intense ripples, echoed out from the area up ahead of Naruto. Numerous 30-meter Dao Lakes, as well as countless Dao Geysers, were erupting with intense booms.

"Dao Treasure! It's a Dao Treasure!"

"Look at that sword! It's fragmented, but the sword aura is still incredibly sharp!"

A black sword flew up out of one of the 30-meter Dao Lakes at incredible speed, and the Sword Chakra it emanated was monstrous. Further off, other Dao Treasures erupted up into the air.

All of the 30-meter Dao Lakes were being defended by various small sects. When the eruption began, everyone became incredibly excited and began to fight. In the blink of an eye, the entire area dissolved into chaos.

The remaining 20,000 disciples of the Blood Demon Sect wore expressions of hope on their face as they looked at Naruto.

"Do as you wish among these Dao Lakes," he said. "If you run into danger, remember to call for help from fellow sect members." In response to his words, the majority of the 20,000 or so cultivators sped off, some rushing towards the inner regions, and others toward the various 30-meter Dao Lakes to join the fighting.

Still following Naruto were the six Spirit Severing Patriarchs as well as several thousand disciples. These were people who couldn't care less about the 30-meter Dao Lakes, and they joined Naruto as he sped onward. All of them transformed into streaks of colorful light that shot forward.

Although they appeared to be moving quickly, Naruto had plenty of time to send his divine sense up ahead. What he saw was cultivators flying back and forth, some of them letting out bloodcurdling screams as their bodies were slashed by the rifts. The lucky ones lost arms or legs, and unlucky ones were completely ripped apart.

Everything was in chaos, and without exception, deadly battles were taking place next to the Dao Lakes and Geysers.

RUMBLE!

Up ahead, the air started to rumble. Seven or eight cultivators neared the area, and suddenly seemed to be swallowed up into nothing. They vanished, leaving behind only the echoes of miserable shrieks.

Rivers of blood flowed down below, especially in the areas where Dao Treasures appeared. Massacres were being carried out in all directions.

"Kill them!" Cries such as this echoed out constantly.

Naruto ignored all of that and proceeded forward. After advancing about 3,000 meters, he suddenly stopped in place and raised his right hand to signal those behind him to do the same.

As they ground to a halt, they saw a 30-meter Dao Lake up ahead, above which floated a Dao Treasure that looked like a bottle-gourd. Several hundred cultivators could be seen near it, locked in heavy combat. However, it was at this point that the ground in the area suddenly began to glitter with light. Magical symbols appeared, which flickered for a moment and then caused a shocking power of teleportation to surge out.

At the same time, a dozen or so corpses suddenly appeared out of thin air.

There was no time for anyone to react. The moment in which the corpses appeared, the power of teleportation rumbled out. The several hundred cultivators who were fighting next to the Dao Lake, as well as the corpses that had just appeared, all vanished in the blink of an eye.

Even Naruto couldn't prevent his eyes from going wide. The six Spirit Severing Patriarchs behind him had serious expressions on their faces, and the other disciples gasped.

"Was that a teleportation trap?"

"That sort of thing happens all the time in the Ancient Dao Lakes. The fearsome teleportation traps can appear randomly, without any warning…."

"When the teleportation trap appeared just now, I could swear I saw more than ten desiccated corpses inside!"

After the teleportation trap disappeared along with the cultivators that it snagged, the bottle gourd floating above the Dao Lake glittered as resplendently as ever, attracting even more attention. More cultivators surged toward it. However, Naruto was already on the move. In the blink of an eye, he was above the 30-meter Dao Lake, where he flicked his right sleeve to collect up the bottle gourd.

His actions immediately caused all of the cultivators who had been rushing over to stop and turn to fly off towards other areas.

"Let's go!" he said. He and his followers transformed into beams of light that shot onward.

As they proceeded onward, they saw more than ten teleportation traps and more than a hundred instances in which the rifts appeared. On one occasion, a single rift slashed through over one hundred people at once.

At one point, Naruto noticed that the teleportation traps contained living people inside of them, and he grew even more cautious. The people stuck inside were madly trying to break free, but as they only materialized for a split second, they were powerless to escape and were helpless to do anything but be continuously teleported around.

For the lucky ones, the power of the teleportation traps might dissipate after three or four activations. The unlucky ones… ended up being stuck in the cycle until they died.

As they proceeded deeper into the Dao Lakes region, there were fewer people, but the fighting was far more intense. Soon, 300-meter Dao Lakes appeared, all of which were forcibly occupied by mid-scale sects and clans.

For the most part, it was great circle Nascent Soul cultivators who stood guard.

Such cultivators were locked in combat as Naruto and the Blood Demon Sect forces approached. These cultivators were instantly shaken, and at the same time, there were thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples whose eyes began to shine with a strange light. After asking for permission from Naruto, they shot forward to join the fray.

The sounds of intense fighting caused everything to shake, and as Naruto looked over the chaotic scene, the ruthlessness in his eyes grew even stronger. He continued onward, refraining from joining the fighting. After all, the Dao Projections and Treasures here were of no interest to him.

They proceeded onward, and soon, only 300-meter Dao Lakes were visible. Suddenly, Naruto turned his head to look at one such lake not too far off, above which was a Dao Projection of a cross-legged figure in meditation.

It appeared to be a Nascent Soul cultivator in the midst of gaining enlightenment regarding Heaven and Earth. A Dao Projection like that was actually a common sight both outside, and in this area.

Surrounding the Dao Projection were seven or eight early Nascent Soul stage cultivators, all fighting over the chance to gain enlightenment. Any time one of them got close to the Dao Projection, the others would join forces to prevent that person from seizing the opportunity.

The methods being used were ruthless, the attacks deadly. Furthermore, the surrounding area was littered with corpses.

Naruto looked the scene over, and his eyes glittered slightly. He moved forward toward the Dao Projection, which caused the six Spirit Severing Patriarchs and the other Blood Demon Sect disciples to stare in shock.

Seeing Naruto nearing at high speed caused the seven or eight early Nascent Soul stage cultivators' faces to fall.

"The Blood Demon Sect!"

"He's… don't tell me that's the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect!"

It appeared as if their hearts were trembling in fear, and they were just about to approach as if to cover something up, when Naruto stretched his hand out and made a grasping motion. He then jerked his hand up.

RIIIPPP!

It was like the surface of a painting had just been peeled away. Ripples spread out, revealing another world. There was still a Dao Lake, but instead of a Dao Projection, floating above it was a 30-meter tall mountain peak. Also visible were three old cultivators fighting each other.

The air around the mountains twisted and distorted, as pulsating ripples were sent out. The mountain seemed to contain some sort of magnetic force that caused the magical items of the three old men to be gradually sucked toward it.

As soon as Naruto appeared, the faces of the three old men flickered.

"Who's there?!" said one of them. All three looked toward Naruto, and when they saw his clothing, as well as the six experts behind him, they gasped.

Earlier, they had used a deception spell to prevent outsiders from seeing what was really happening in the area. That way the three of them could focus on their own fight. Of course, they had never imagined that someone like Naruto would appear.

"Hmm," thought Naruto, looking over the mountain peak with glittering eyes. It was obvious that the mountains were not ordinary items, and he could even sense a bit of Spirit Severing aura on them.

"Spirit Severing level magical item!" he murmured. With that, he stretched his arm out toward the mountain and made a grasping motion. The three old cultivators were simply too slow to react and were incapable of doing anything to block him. The mountain peak rumbled, then transformed into a huge hand that flew down into Naruto's palm.

After putting it away, his entire person flickered as he proceeded onward.

The forces of the Blood Demon Sect followed. As for the three old men, they stamped their feet, but were not truly angry. After all, the items that appeared in the Ancient Dao Lakes had no owner; they belonged to anyone who had the power to take them.

"Dammit, what a waste of time! Fine, let's stick with the old plan and go rob some things from somebody else!"

"Hurry up! If we wait any longer this eruption is going to end!"

Just as the three old men were about to head to another Dao Lake, an unprecedentedly loud rumbling sound could be heard coming from deeper within the region. At the same time, a 3,000 meter pillar of light shot up into the air off in the distance. Shockingly, a black hammer could be seen floating inside of it, surrounded by crackling lightning. The incredible sound echoing out caught the attention of quite a few onlookers.

"3,000…. Is that a 3,000-meter Dao Lake erupting!?"

"A 3,000-meter Dao Lake! They don't erupt very often, usually it's only the 300-meter Dao Lakes. But look, it's erupting now!"

"This is the first time a 3,000-meter Dao Lake has erupted during this flare-up of the Ancient Dao Lakes!"

"It's too bad only the great sects and clans can survive over there. We can't win against them!"

Naruto's eyes glittered as he looked in the direction of the 3,000 meter beam of light. The six Spirit Severing Patriarchs behind him also had looks of fervor in their eyes. Along with the few thousand disciples who remained in the group, they sped forward at top speed.

From their current position, the 3,000-meter Dao Lake didn't seem to be very far away from Naruto and his group. However, considering the dangers that lurked in the Ancient Dao Lakes, it was not a distance that they could traverse rapidly.

Furthermore, the other sects and clans had arrived earlier than the Blood Demon Sect, and had already reached the innermost ring of the Ancient Dao Lakes. There, the ten 3,000-meter Dao Lakes had already been divided up, as had the 300-meter Dao Lakes in that area.

One might think that the fighting in the area would be intense, but in reality this was not the case.

Once a great sect or clan occupied a Dao Lake, others would not take the initiative to try to fight with them over it – unless, of course, the item spit out by the lake was incredibly valuable.

Otherwise, all parties would abide by customs and rules; a Dao Lake belonged to… whoever occupied it!

In reality, the battles over the treasured items were really battles for the Dao Lakes themselves.

In fact, what the sects and clans really came to this area to fight over was… something located in the central-most position of the recesses of the Ancient Dao Lakes. That was… the 30,000-meter Dao Lake!

The eruption of the Dao Lakes was shocking in the extreme. As Naruto and the others sped onward, the air in front of them suddenly began to distort. Naruto's eyes flashed, and he waved his right hand behind him. The group immediately dodged to the side as a huge rift suddenly slashed through the air.

It was in such a fashion that they slowly made their way forward. More and more rifts appeared, and many of the Blood Demon Disciples eventually gave up on going onward, deciding instead to stay behind and search for good fortune on their own.

Eventually, only the six Spirit Severing Patriarchs and less than a hundred of the most powerful Blood Demon Sect disciples were able to keep up with Naruto as he continued further into the inner ring of the Ancient Dao Lakes.

Soon, it was possible to see that there were less than 3,000 meters between them and the Dao Lakes. By this point, the other sects and clans had caught sight of their group.

There were many familiar faces there. However, as soon as their gazes fell upon Naruto… all of a sudden, countless magical teleportation symbols appeared all around him.

The moment the magical symbols appeared, the faces of Naruto and the other Blood Demon Sect disciples flickered. As for Naruto, although he was at the edge of the teleportation trap, he was still fully inside its borders. As for the other Blood Demon Sect disciples, there were only a few that were trapped inside with him, including Patriarch Darkheaven, the two Ironblood Patriarchs, as well as the most senior member of the three Demonfire Patriarchs.

Off in the distance, there were quite a few members of the Violet Fate Sect who suddenly shot to their feet. The faces of Fatty of the Golden Frost Sect and Guy of the Solitary Sword Sect fell as the power of teleportation rose up around Naruto.

The teleportation happened too quickly. In the blink of an eye, Naruto and the other Patriarchs began to vanish.

Before disappearing, Naruto had only enough time to bark out: "Go to the central zone and wait for me there!"

When he vanished, a look of wild joy appeared on the face of the Black Sieve Sect Third Severing Patriarch, who was occupying one of the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes. "Die! I hope that jinx dies in there!"

For the most part, the members of the Solitary Sword Sect and the Golden Frost Sect, as well as the Shimura Clan, were all gloating at Naruto's misfortune. Only Guy, Fatty, and many of the Violet Fate Sect cultivators looked worried. That was especially true of Sakura, whose face was deathly pale.

The members of the Nadeshiko Clan were silent and pensive, and as for Shizuka, a complex expression could be seen on her face. The middle-aged man next to her watched as Naruto vanished, then closed his eyes mutely.

When the teleportation trap vanished, it took only a few moments for the remaining two Demonfire Patriarchs to conceal their anxiety and lead the rest of the disciples to the central zone of the Ancient Dao Lakes.

Without Naruto there to protect them, the journey was even more fraught with danger, and they ended up losing several dozen disciples in the process. By this point, there were only about thirty survivors.

Even as they hurried along, the two Demonfire Patriarchs noticed that all of the ten 3,000-meter Dao Lakes were occupied. Many of the people among those forces glared at them as they passed, which caused the Demonfire Patriarchs to frown.

Furthermore, the surrounding sects and clans suddenly erupted with Spirit Severing auras. There were multiple Spirit Severing auras near each and every lake. The sect with the fewest Spirit Severing cultivators was the Black Sieve Sect, although their Patriarch was in the Third Severing.

"Blood Demon Sect, you came late! There's no place for you here now!"

"Your luck is bad, you only have two Spirit Severing experts! Do you really think we're going to share with you!?"

"Why don't you just scram!"

"There aren't any extra Dao Lakes here! However, considering your strength, you could always go occupy some of the 300-meter lakes. There are more than enough to spare."

"Your fellow Blood Demon Sect disciples who fell into the teleportation trap just got unlucky. About half of the Spirit Severing cultivators who fall into them never make it out alive."

Of the ten 3,000-meter lakes, the Solitary Sword Sect had occupied three, the Golden Frost Sect two, the Black Sieve Sect one, and the Violet Fate Sect two. As for the Shimura and Nadeshiko Clans, they each had one.

Surrounding each of the 3,000-meter lakes were ten 300-meter lakes, all of which were also occupied by the sects and clans.

The two Demonfire Patriarchs' eyes filled with anger. The words of ridicule from the other sects and clans caused their pupils to glow with the color of blood. They exchanged a frustrated glance. If Naruto were here, they wouldn't be afraid at all. But he wasn't. If the other four Spirit Severing Patriarchs were there, they would be a force that could contend with anyone. But they weren't.

Unfortunately… they simply weren't capable of contending for any of the 3,000 meter Dao Lakes.

"Why don't you hurry up and beat it?" said an old man from the Solitary Sword Sect. He wore a gray Daoist robe, and sat cross-legged with a wooden sword resting on his legs. His words echoed out like thunder.

The sound rumbled in all directions, causing the two Demonfire Patriarchs' faces to flicker.

"Sir Daikoko!"

There had always been serious grievances between Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect, and it seemed that now, they were on the verge of exploding out.

It was at this point that the emaciated old man from the Violet Fate Sect suddenly rose up from his cross-legged position.

"Fellow Daoists from the Blood Demon Sect," he said coolly, "this Dao Lake is yours!" Instantly, the Violet Fate Sect disciples backed away from the 3,000-meter Dao Lake that he pointed to.

The eyes of the cultivators from the other sects flickered. As for Sir Daikoko from the Solitary Sword Sect, he turned his head to look coldly in the direction of the Violet Fate Sect. "Reverend Withered-Dao!"

Reverend Withered-Dao of the Violet Fate Sect calmly looked back at him.

Their gazes met, and then Sir Daikoko looked away and gave a cold snort. He did nothing to interfere with what was happening.

The two Demonfire Patriarchs were shocked, but then seemed to remember something. Clasping hands, they bowed politely and then led their group over to the Dao Lake.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples thanked the Violet Fate Sect, but their inward frustration didn't lessen. They had arrived late, losing any advantage, and then their most powerful experts had been teleported away. The once domineering Blood Demon Sect was suddenly in an incredibly weak position in the Ancient Dao Lakes.

They were in such a bad position that they couldn't even compare to the severely weakened Black Sieve Sect.

Furthermore, the Solitary Sword Sect was clearly in the position of greatest power; they had three 3,000-meter Dao Lakes, and would obviously be difficult to contend with.

The two Demonfire Patriarchs exchanged a glance. Enduring the frustration, and ignoring the words of ridicule from the other sects, they closed their eyes and began to meditate.

As for the other Blood Demon Sect disciples, they couldn't hold back from commenting.

"Blood Prince, when are you going to return?!"

"Wait until the Blood Prince returns, he'll take care of them!"

"That teleportation trap might be strong, but considering the Blood Prince's cultivation base, he'll definitely get out of it soon!"

Meanwhile, in another location in the Ancient Dao Lakes, Naruto was frowning. Next to him were Patriarch Darkheaven, the two Ironblood Patriarchs, and the First Demonfire Patriarch, their faces flickering with various emotions. There were also seven or eight other Blood Demon Sect disciples, all of whom were sitting cross-legged in meditation, although it seemed like they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

The teleportation continued on without stop. Just now, it had paused, but before anyone could do anything, another teleportation commenced.

Plop!

One of the disciples coughed up blood, and then his entire body withered up into a desiccated corpse. More sounds rang out as others suffered the same fate.

In a relatively short period of time, they had already teleported thirteen times.

The world in front of Naruto changed over and over. Every time they teleported, an intense force would slam into their bodies, causing their souls to shudder. Apparently there was some sort of power inside the teleportation trap that was consuming their energy.

"Blood Prince, we can't keep going on like this!" said the First Demonfire Patriarch, his voice gloomy. "Blood Prince, what do we do?!"

RUMBLE!

The teleportation ceased, and they found themselves in a grassy area. Then they vanished again.

Naruto stood there the entire time. Finally, he raised his hand, and the Black White Pearls appeared, swirling around the Ninth Mountain. His eyes were fixed ahead of him, and he waited for a few more teleportation cycles, until they reached the thirtieth teleportation. Up ahead, he saw some Dao Lakes. It was at this point that his eyes glittered.

Without hesitation, he sent the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain out ahead. Rumbling filled the air, and the teleportation trap once again began the teleportation process.

"Expand!" said Naruto, his voice echoing out. Inside the teleportation trap, the Ninth Mountain suddenly began to grow. It expanded to a thousand meters in height, ten thousand, until it appeared as if an enormous mountain peak were growing up out of the land.

As soon as the mountain appeared within the Ancient Dao Lakes, it was noticed by quite a few other cultivators. As for the Blood Demon Sect disciples by the 3,000-meter Dao Lake, as soon as they saw it, their expressions brightened.

There were even cultivators in the region with the 30-meter Dao Lakes who saw it and stared with gaping mouths.

"It's… it's someone trying to break out of a teleportation trap!"

"Once you get into one of the teleportation traps, it's impossible to get out!"

RUMBLE!

In order to attempt to move the enormous mountain, the teleportation trap had to condense huge amounts of power, and it began to shudder.

In that instant of pause, Naruto shouted, "Go!"

Immediately, Patriarch Darkheaven flew out, taking advantage of the pause to break out of the teleportation trap.

Naruto was right behind him.

However, even as they neared the border, the teleportation trap surged with more power in its attempt to block their way.

"Suppress!" said Naruto, his brow furrowed.

Intense rumbling filled the air as the Ninth Mountain began to expand once again. The teleportation trap was forced to a standstill. In that moment, Patriarch Darkheaven and the other Spirit Severing Patriarchs burst out. However, at the same time, the teleportation trap began a shocking teleportation, the likes of which were rarely seen in the Ancient Dao Lakes. A pillar of light rose up into the air that closely resembled the eruption of a 3,000-meter Dao Lake. Amidst the rumbling, Naruto and the Ninth Mountain vanished.

"Blood Prince!"

"Considering the Blood Prince's strength, he should be able to free himself within a few teleportation cycles. We should head to the central zone and seize a Dao Lake as soon as possible!"

"That's right, let's go!"

The four Patriarchs had the utmost faith in Naruto. After exchanging glances, their eyes filled with determination, and they transformed into colorful beams that shot toward the central zone.

In a valley in a particular area of the Ancient Dao Lakes, the glow of teleportation rose up into the sky. Rumbling sounds echoed out as a figure emerged at high speed from within the valley.

As soon as the figure emerged, the light of teleportation faded away.

Flying through the air was none other than Naruto.

His face was pale white, and as soon as he flew out from the valley, he landed on the ground and looked behind him, a trace of fear on his face.

"After getting Darkheaven and the others out, I was teleported seventy more times! The cycle of teleportation is astonishing. Toward the end, it started going faster and faster, and my Chakra and Blood was being sucked out, weakening me."

He took a deep breath and then produced some medicinal pills, which he quickly consumed. Then he flew up into the air and looked around to gain his bearings. The eruption of the Dao Lakes had ceased, as had most of the fighting.

"The disciples from the Blood Demon Sect most likely followed my instructions and went to the central zone."

Having determined the general direction of the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes, Naruto started flying.

The entire way, he sent out his divine sense out to avoid the rifts, and also employed teleportation techniques.

Meanwhile, near the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes in the central region, the Solitary Sword Sect and the Blood Demon Sect were faced off with proverbial daggers drawn.

"The Blood Demon Sect are cultivators of a Demonic Dao! If they only occupied one lake that's one thing, but they even dare to covet more!"

"Are you looking to die!?"

The Solitary Sword Sect was the most powerful force in the area. They had seized the initiative and taken control of three Dao Lakes. They had eight Spirit Severing cultivators, all of whom had cold expressions and iridescent auras.

In addition to the eight, the old man called Sir Daikoko, who sat cross-legged off in the distance, glared at the Blood Demon Sect.

As for the Blood Demon Sect, Patriarch Darkheaven and the others had arrived a bit earlier. Killing intent swirled around the six Spirit Severing Patriarchs as they faced off against the Solitary Sword Sect.

"The Blood Demon Sect is simply borrowing the Violet Fate Sect's lake, and it must be returned to them. Your Solitary Sword Sect is occupying three lakes! You need to give one up!

"Look, Solitary Sword Sect. You can fight, or share. You decide!"

Both parties' killing intent radiated out. The Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect were already mortal foes, which meant that fights between the two could break out easily at any time. That was not even to mention the current situation in the Ancient Dao Lakes, where so much potential benefit was on the line.

Suddenly, the Third Severing Patriarch from the Black Sieve Sect rose to his feet and started laughing uproariously. His eyes glittered with coldness as he looked over at the Blood Demon Sect.

"Blood Demon Sect, I couldn't care less that your Dao is Demonic. However, the Dao Lakes represent good fortune for all cultivators of Lands of Ninshu. If you keep causing problems, I'll personally have to step in to do something about it!"

Hearing this, the cultivators of the Solitary Sword Sect began to chuckle. Sir Daikoko looked over at the Third Severing Patriarch and nodded cordially.

The faces of the six Patriarchs from the Blood Demon Sect flickered.

Next, booming laughter rang out from a middle-aged man who strode out from the the Golden Frost Sect. He was tall and well-built, with skin that seemed as hard as a diamond, and a full suit armor. "Fellow Daoists from the Solitary Sword Sect and Black Sieve Sect," he said, "your words couldn't be more appropriate."

Further back were five old men who sat cross-legged. When their eyes opened, they glowed brightly with the aura of Spirit Severing.

His appearance made clear that an agreement had been reached between the Golden Frost Sect, the Solitary Sword, and Black Sieve Sects. The combined might of three sects was now bearing down oppressively onto the Blood Demon Sect.

In the worst position of everyone were Guy and Fatty. They could do nothing about the situation, so they backed up silently.

As for the Violet Fate Sect and the Nadeshiko Clan, they were silent.

Only the Shimura Clan was left. The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch flicked his sleeve, and a gleam of killing intent could be seen in his eyes as he stepped forward.

"Well, is your Blood Prince dead, or not? If he's not, then why isn't he here?" The death of the Shimura Clan Dao Child all those years ago was something they had brooded about ever since.

Now that the Shimura Clan had joined in, there were four sects in the alliance. The faces of the Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs fell, and they backed up. There was no way they could stand up to the combined might of four sects.

"Why waste your breath on them?" said the Black Sieve Sect Third Severing Patriarch, his eyes glittering. "Just drive them away, and if they won't leave, exterminate them!" With that, he leaped forward and waved his right hand. Immediately, eight white tigers appeared, roaring as they charged toward the Blood Demon Sect cultivators.

The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch also attacked, as did the Solitary Sword Sect cultivators. There were more than ten Spirit Severing experts who all flew out and attacked at the same time. In the blink of an eye, a chaotic Spirit Severing battle had begun.

BOOM!

The two sides slammed into each other, and the six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs were instantly sent into retreat. Facing up against the more than ten attacking Spirit Severing experts on all sides, they were simply incapable of fighting back.

Attack after attack met with success against the Blood Demon Sect cultivators. Shocking magical items and divine abilities were employed, and the dozens of the Blood Demon Sect disciples present were forced back bit by bit. Even as they retreated, cultivators from the other four sects flew out to join the fray.

Of the four allied powers, the Black Sieve Sect had the largest grudge with the Blood Demon Sect. The Shimura Clan was targeting them because of Naruto, and as for the Solitary Sword Sect, they had a long-standing feud. Only the Golden Frost Sect had no apparent reason to attack.

Booms echoed out, and blood sprayed out of the mouth of Patriarch Darkheaven as he tumbled backward. With the exception of the First Demonfire Patriarch, all the others also coughed up blood and fell back. As the fighting played out, a bloody glow rose up, and miserable shrieks sounded out.

Reverend Withered-Dao of the Violet Fate Sect frowned, hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes. As for the Nadeshiko Clan, they did not come to the aid of the Blood Demon Sect, but neither did they join with the alliance of four.

"Retreat!" The six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs' hearts burned as with fire, but facing up against this force, they had no choice but to flee. They would have to surrender the Dao Lake, which had been given to them by the Violet Fate Sect.

"Screw off to wherever you came from!" said the Third Severing Patriarch from the Black Sieve Sect. "The Blood Demon Sect isn't allowed to be in a place like this!" He swished his sleeve, causing the eight tigers to send out roars that transformed into terrifying ripples. They slammed into the six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs, sending them spinning backward, blood spraying from their mouths. Some of the other ordinary disciples directly exploded because of the intensity of the ripples.

Their desire to slaughter could not be any higher.

"Where is the Blood Prince?"

"If he doesn't come, then we'll have to give up and leave!" The six Patriarchs' faces flickered with their suppressed grievances as they continued to retreat.

"It doesn't matter who shows up," came a voice from the Solitary Sword Sect, along with a cold snort. "The Blood Demon Sect is not allowed to be here. Screw off!"

It was at this point that a beam of light appeared off in the distance. It neared at incredible speed, like a shooting star, carrying with it a shocking murderous air, as well as a will of ruthlessness that towered into the heavens.

As soon as the beam appeared, the cultivators from the Violet Fate Sect looked over, especially Sakura and Koyuki, whose faces bore intent gazes.

Shizuka couldn't stop from looking up.

The beam of light moved so fast that in the blink of an eye, it had arrived. It shot past the six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs and came to a stop directly in front of them.

A booming sound exploded out, along with a shocking ripple that slammed into the force of cultivators from the alliance of four powers. The more than ten Spirit Severing cultivators' faces flickered, and they immediately stopped in place. As for the cultivator in the vanguard position, a Spirit Severing expert from the Golden Frost Sect, he let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was thrown backward, then immediately exploded. The blood and gore that spattered about in all directions was incapable of obscuring the young, crimson-robed man who stood there in front of the group.

The young man's face was calm, but his eyes were so cold that they seemed capable of freezing the highest heavens. His right hand was clenched into a fist, a fist that had just burst into pieces the Spirit Severing expert from the Golden Frost Sect.

The fact that one punch had just destroyed a First Severing expert caused everyone present to be shaken.

Naruto's long hair floated around him, and his robes swayed gently. His Second Severing cultivation base emanated shocking energy out in all directions.

All color in the land and sky dimmed and the wind howled. It was as if a tempest had arrived, causing all the dust in the area to fly up into the air.

As of this moment, all eyes were completely fixed upon Naruto.

"Who said that the Blood Demon Sect isn't allowed to be here?" he said, looking around. His gaze flickered with killing intent and ruthlessness as he looked at the Spirit Severing cultivators who made up the force of four allied sects.

From behind Naruto, the cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect immediately grew excited and began to bow and offer greetings.

"Blood Prince!"

"Greetings, Blood Prince!"

The face of the Third Severing Patriarch from the Black Sieve Sect flickered. "Naruto!" he shouted.

The cultivators from the Golden Frost Sect also looked shocked, and the eyes of the Shimura Clan Patriarch widened. As for the people from the Solitary Sword Sect, their faces all filled with astonishment.

In the group from the Violet Fate Sect, Kotetsu and Li Hailong stared blankly at Naruto in his blood-colored robe. It was as if memories were flitting through their mind of a young man with a very different face whose features now seemed to merge with the person in front of them.

Sakura was trembling. There were thousands of things she wanted to say to Naruto, but right now, she couldn't say a single thing.

Koyuki was a bit more innocent and immature than Sakura. As she gazed at Naruto, she kept thinking about everything that had happened in Holy Snow City in the Black Lands.

Teuchi stood there, taciturn. His expression was a complicated one as he looked at Naruto, who was now a Spirit Severing expert of high standing. He was illustrious and famous. Teuchi couldn't help but think back to the time the two of them had wrangled over the title of Violet Furnace Lord.

Although he didn't want to admit it, it was obvious that he himself… had fallen even further behind.

Another person stood within the group from the Violet Fate Sect, an old man within whose eyes flickered many memories of Naruto. He also stood there quietly, wondering if Naruto would remember a nobody like himself.

Everything was quiet. Naruto looked over the group standing in front of him, and then his eyes came to rest on the Third Severing Patriarch from the Black Sieve Sect.

"Was it you who said it?" he asked.

When the Third Severing Patriarch heard the words, his face filled with dread, and his mind roared. He thought back to how terrifying Naruto was last time he saw him, and he backed up, his body trembling.

When the others in the area saw this, it caused them to be even more shaken.

To be able to strike dread into the heart of a Third Severing expert with a single sentence was incredible. Granted, what the man had Severed was only a simple and ordinary Dao, making him unlike those terrifying, inhuman, and almighty Third Severing experts who severed great Daos. But it still served to show… how powerful Naruto was.

The man from the Golden Frost Sect immediately fell back, his eyes flashing. He took the other Golden Frost experts with him. The person who had just been killed was from their sect, so of course they could retreat. Naturally, the Shimura Clan also retreated, unwilling to even touch the razor-sharp blade that was Naruto.

Naruto had burst onto the scene and destroyed a potent Spirit Severing expert with a single blow. Such an act deeply shocked everyone who saw it, and the results were apparent.

"You want to leave?" said Naruto, killing intent radiating out of his eyes. The instant he laid eyes on the cultivators from the Black Sieve Sect, that desire to kill had become insuppressible! Nor did he want to suppress it!

He wanted catharsis! He wanted… to kill!

Others could leave, but as for the cultivators from the Black Sieve Sect, well, if he hadn't seen them, it wouldn't matter. But now that he had… they had to die!

They absolutely, positively had to die!

Even as the words left his mouth, Naruto was moving forward at an incredible speed. He shot toward the Third Severing Patriarch, whose face instantly fell. Of course, he had long since prepared himself, and immediately shot backward in retreat.

"Naruto, you can have our Dao Lake, we're leaving this place!"

"Not happening!" was Naruto's cold reply. It was with incredible speed that he shot forward to appear directly in front of the Patriarch. He waved his hand, giving rise to an intense rumbling sound that caused everyone in the area to begin to pant and look over.

That was especially true of the Spirit Severing Patriarchs, whose eyes glittered. They assumed that this was going to be a fierce battle, like a fight between a dragon and a tiger. However, even as the thought occurred to them….

Naruto lifted up his hand and made a gesture toward the Black Sieve Sect's Third Severing Patriarch. Instantly, an enormous blood-colored vortex appeared around him. At the same time, a gigantic blood-colored hand magically appeared, which grabbed down onto him mercilessly.

RUMBLE!

"NO!" shrieked the old man from the Black Sieve Sect. He went all-out as he tried to struggle free, but was completely incapable. His fleshly body withered away with incredible speed as his Chakra and Blood was absorbed by Naruto.

The sight of it caused the onlookers to gasp with shock. Amazed exclamations could be heard from all directions.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

"That's the true magic of the Blood Demon Sect, the Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

Sir Daikoko from the Solitary Sword Sect stared at what was happening, his expression one of unprecedented seriousness. His eyes shone with an intense, bright light, and he was breathing heavily.

The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch's pupils constricted, and his heart skipped a beat.

In the Nadeshiko Clan was a cultivator who appeared to be an ordinary old man. Suddenly, he lifted his head up, and his eyes shone with a bizarre glow.

In the Violet Fate Sect, Reverend Withered-Dao's face was covered with a strange expression. He looked at Naruto and let out a long sigh in his heart.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the space of only a few breaths. The Black Sieve Sect Patriarch's miserable screams rang out in all directions. However, he was a decisive individual. He saw his body withering rapidly, and realized that he couldn't break free. When the decisive moment arrived, he gritted his teeth and chose to self-detonate.

His fleshly body exploded, causing the power of Chakra and Blood to surge out; Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic trembled. At the same time, the Black Sieve Sect Patriarch's Nascent Divinity shot out at top speed from within the blood-colored vortex.

"Damn you, Naruto!" howled the Nascent Divinity. "I should have tortured that slut Hinata even more when I had the chance!" He shot through the air toward a rip that had just appeared, and was about to enter it, when….

When Naruto heard the old man's words, his killing intent skyrocketed to the pinnacle. He lifted his right hand and then pushed it out in front of him.

In response, the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain appeared in mid-air. They were almost like Naruto's hands, smashing down onto the fleeing Nascent Divinity.

BOOOMMMMMM!

The ground quaked and the air vibrated. The Ninth Mountain crushed down, drowning out the miserable scream that rang out. When the mountain vanished, the Black Sieve Sect Patriarch's Nascent Divinity was in fragments; he was completely and utterly dead.

The entire process lasted only for about ten breaths of time. To Naruto, slaughtering a Third Severing expert was like turning over his hand. The sight caused all onlookers to be thrown into deathly silence.

Of course, the Blood Demon Sect members were all quite excited, and looked at Naruto with more fanaticism than ever.

"Fall back!" said Sir Daikoko. The words echoed in the hearts of the Solitary Sword Sect cultivators as they returned to their places in the three Dao Lakes.

The Golden Frost Sect cultivators also retreated without the slightest bit of hesitation, as did the Shimura Clan members. All returned to their various Dao Lakes, keeping a vigilant eye on Naruto the entire time.

"Do not leave any Black Sieve Sect cultivators alive," said Naruto calmly. Immediately, the several dozen remaining Blood Demon Sect disciples shot toward the Black Sieve Sect cultivators next to the Dao Lake.

This was not Naruto engaged in random killing. No, these Black Sieve Sect disciples had all been part of the spell formation used to dissolve Hinata. Sad and shrill screams filled the air for about ten breaths worth of time as the Black Sieve Sect's force was completely slaughtered. Although everyone in the vicinity saw what was happening, no one tried to interfere.

There were also quite a few 300-meter Dao Lakes in the area surrounding the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes. Naruto immediately flew toward one of them and waved his hand, causing a blood-colored flag to stab into the dirt next to the lake.

"This lake is mine!" he declared.

The blood-colored flag was of course the standard of the Blood Demon Sect, and its surface was embroidered with the word "Uzumaki" This was actually Naruto's Blood Prince standard, of which quite a few had been specially crafted by the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect during the past year.

A standard like this was an item that, as Blood Prince, he had to possess as a token of his authority.

When he stabbed the flag into the ground, and his voice echoed out, the faces of the people in the area flickered, especially those of the cultivators who were standing guard next to that particular lake.

Naruto approached another nearby lake, then waved his hand to send another flag flying down.

"This lake is mine.

"This lake is mine, too!

"And this one!

"This one also!" Naruto flashed back and forth. Shockingly, in the blink of an eye, more than half of the 300-meter Dao Lakes were marked with Naruto's Blood Prince standard.

It took only a moment for blood-colored flags to fill the area. Naruto was like a surging flood, domineering to the extreme.

It didn't matter which sect or clan the Dao Lakes originally belonged to, as long as the people guarding a particular lake weren't from the Violet Fate Sect, Naruto would occupy it.

The other sects and clans were shaken by Naruto's slaughter of the Black Sieve Sect disciples, and didn't dare to do anything to stop him. He whistled through the air, much to the excitement of the Blood Demon Sect disciples, who flew after him to occupy the various lakes.

As for the cultivators who were originally occupying those lakes, they unhesitatingly retreated one by one.

While Naruto was in the middle of seizing one Dao Lake after another, there was suddenly a minor eruption. Not many items emerged from the Dao Lakes, especially in the center zone that Naruto was in. However, there was one 300-meter Dao Lake up ahead of him that did spit something out.

In this case, it wasn't a Dao Shadow, nor a magical item, but rather… a violet-colored humanoid beast. It was completely ferocious in appearance, with bat-like wings and a horn sticking out of its forehead. As it shot out of the Dao Lake, it transformed into a violet beam of blinding light.

It roared as it shot forward to try to break through the shield that surrounded the lake.

Immediately, excited cries rang out.

"It's a beast! A violet beast!"

"That's a violet beast! Its body is like a treasure! You can refine countless items from it! Violet beasts like that are virtually extinct!"

Some people were so shocked they were speechless.

The instant the beast appeared, the cultivators guarding the lake shot forward toward it. Before they could get near, a boom echoed out. The beast roared, its sound transforming into ripples that surged toward the cultivators.

The cultivators retreated, but Naruto moved forward. He slapped his hand down, causing the image of a gigantic hand to appear, which then shot toward the violet beast.

The violet beast let out a shrill cry and was about to fight back when the huge hand smashed onto it. Its body began to crumble, and then it was smashed into the surface of the lake, a mess of flesh and bones. Naruto quickly collected it up.

"This lake is also mine," he said calmly, throwing down a flag.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto had occupied nearly seventy percent of the 300-meter Dao Lakes. When he finally finished, everyone watched with complex expressions as he returned to the area with the 3,000 meter Dao Lakes.

Along with other Blood Demon Sect members, he occupied the Dao Lake formerly held by the Black Sieve Sect. After that, the Blood Demon Sect members explained everything that had happened before, including the matter of the Violet Fate Sect offering them a Dao Lake.

After hearing the explanation, Naruto looked over toward the Violet Fate Sect. There were many people looking back at him, and their gazes met.

Naruto saw Sakura and Koyuki. He saw Kotetsu, Ensui, and Teuchi, as well as that other old man.

"Pakkun…." he thought, instantly recognizing the man who had been a fellow apprentice alchemist with him when he joined the Violet Fate Sect.

In his former days, Pakkun had been known as the young man who knew everything about the East Pill Division. Now, he was an old man in his declining years.

Naruto avoided Sakura's gaze. In his heart, there was only Hinata.

Sakura seemed to be able to sense his state of mind, and a tremor ran through her. She lowered her head.

Naruto sighed inwardly, then glanced over at Fatty and Guy. Finally, he closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened, his pupils were once again as cold as ice.

He turned his gaze to the Shimura Clan, then began to walk over to them. Blood Demon Sect cultivators followed him excitedly.

The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch's face flickered. Four other old men from the Shimura Clan walked out to stand with him, as if they were about to face a mortal enemy. The other members of the Shimura Clan nervously produced magical items.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!" bellowed the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch.

"Screw off!" replied Naruto. It was a single command, but it rang out like claps of thunder. Everyone in the Shimura Clan who was under the Spirit Severing stage coughed up blood. As for the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch and the other four Spirit Severing Patriarchs, their faces went pale, and two of them even staggered backward.

"You're going too far!" cried the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch. "Fellow Daoists Sir Daikoko and Yoruku, don't tell me you're just going to ignore this matter?!" Clearly, the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch was terrified of Naruto because of the slaughter that had just occurred with the Black Sieve Sect.

"SCREW OFF!" repeated Naruto, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. Again, it was only a single command, but it caused Heaven and Earth to tremble. With the exception of the 19th Patriarch, all the Spirit Severing Patriarchs coughed up blood. As for the ordinary cultivators, some couldn't endure, and their bodies exploded.

The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch's face fell. Gritting his teeth, he ceased hesitating and backed up. The other four Spirit Severing Patriarchs looked at Naruto in shock as they, too, retreated. Along with their fellow clan members, they left the Dao Lake.

"Everything within 30,000 meters of this spot is a restricted zone," said Naruto slowly. "Any of you who dares to enter will be killed. By me." The Shimura Clan members sullenly moved to a position 30,000 meters away.

A buzz of conversation immediately rose up among the bystanders.

"Just what cultivation base does this Naruto have?!"

"He single-handedly fought the entire Black Sieve Sect before. Granted, he was defeated by Six-Daos, but according to the rumors, he's the number one figure under Dao Seeking!"

"He just killed a Third Severing expert. Calling him the number one person under Dao Seeking is definitely appropriate!"

As the sound of conversation filled the air, the Blood Demon Sect disciples took possession of the Dao Lake. Forgetting about the Dao Lake that the Violet Fate Sect had given them, they now controlled two Dao Lakes.

The Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs' killing intent was boiling as they waited for Naruto to accomplish his next goal.

Naruto stood there, ignoring the Violet Fate Sect, allowing his gaze to pass over the Nadeshiko Clan to fall onto the Golden Frost Sect.

The middle-aged Golden Frost Sect cultivator's face darkened. Moments ago, he had wanted to come to aid of the Shimura Clan, but the feeling he got from Naruto was too terrifying. It was in his brief moment of hesitation that the Shimura Clan dispersed.

Now that Naruto was staring at them, everyone from the Golden Frost Sect began to tremble inwardly. As for Fatty, he hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Naruto. Their gazes met for a moment, and then Naruto looked away toward the Solitary Sword Sect.

In that moment, the Golden Frost Sect let out a collective inward sigh of relief. As for the middle-aged man, he looked thoughtful for a moment before his eyes turned cold.

When Naruto looked at the Solitary Sword Sect, he saw Guy, who was standing toward the back. His cultivation base was at the great circle of Core Formation. His face was sallow, and he looked thin. When Naruto looked over, he returned the gaze.

After a long moment, Naruto began to look away from the Solitary Sword Sect. However, it was in that instant that he suddenly sensed a feeling of danger, coming from a person located behind Sir Daikoko.

As for Sir Daikoko, his eyes were ice cold as he stared at Naruto. When Naruto stared back in the same direction, it almost seemed as if an intangible rumbling resulted.

Sir Daikoko gave a muffled groan, and his body quivered. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and a nervous expression appeared on his face as he suddenly realized that he couldn't withstand the pressure weighing down on him. And then he realized… Naruto wasn't even looking at him.

Rather, Naruto was looking at the teenager behind him, an unremarkable boy who was rather frail-looking.

As soon as Naruto looked at him, he lifted his chin slightly and looked back, a calm expression on his face.

Their simple act of looking at each other actually caused Sir Daikoko to be injured.

When he realized that Naruto was looking at the teenager behind him, Sir Daikoko's heart began to thump.

Suddenly, as everyone watched on, Naruto walked forward toward the Solitary Sword Sect. The atmosphere in the area couldn't be any heavier.

Every step he took seemed to ring out like thunder.

He headed toward the third of the Solitary Sword Sect's Dao Lakes, causing the cultivators gathered there to brace themselves as if they were about to face a deadly foe. The Spirit Severing cultivators' faces grew anxious, and they started breathing heavily.

Naruto looked back at the teenager behind Sir Daikoko, and coolly said, "I want this Dao Lake too."

"Impossible!" blurted Sir Daikoko, instantly rising to his feet. The Solitary Sword Sect disciples drew their swords, and the eight Spirit Severing experts' cultivation bases exploded with intensity. In one short moment, the Sword Chakra of the Solitary Sword Sect burst out, causing the wind to scream and a riot of colors to flash in the sky.

However, it was at this moment that the teenager behind Sir Daikoko suddenly spoke. His voice was hoarse and ancient, and didn't match his youthful appearance at all.

"Take it."

Sir Daikoko's expression immediately changed as he turned and bowed his head respectfully. The other Spirit Severing Cultivators stared in shock, then looked at the teenager and seemed to suddenly realize something important. One by one, their expressions began to fill with incredible respect, as well as fanaticism and inspiration.

"Since you like this particular Dao Lake," continued the teenager, "I'll give it to you." He spoke with a smile, but his eyes were as cold as ice, something he did nothing to conceal.

When Naruto looked at the teenager, it felt like he was looking at a sword!

A shocking, astonishing sword!

Even as the words left the teenager's mouth, the Solitary Sword Sect disciples surrounding their Third Dao Lake all fell back, leaving it open for Naruto.

Naruto nodded, and Blood Demon Sect disciples moved forward to take control of the Dao Lake.

As of now, the situation regarding the 3,000-meter lakes in the central zone of the Ancient Dao Lakes was as such: Blood Demon Sect, three. Solitary Sword Sect, two. Golden Frost Sect, two. Violet Fate Sect, two. Nadeshiko Clan, one. Black Sieve Sect, exterminated. Shimura Clan, driven 30,000 meters away.

As for the 300-meter Dao Lakes, including the ten that surrounded each of the 3,000-meter Lakes, there were more than 700 in total.

Of those, more than four hundred bore the standard of the Blood Demon Sect's Junior Leader. Of course, there were only a few dozen Blood Demon Sect cultivators in this area. Even if one disciple occupied each lake, there were still hundreds of lakes with only a flag to watch over them.

Naruto sat down next to the 3,000-meter lake that formerly belonged to the Black Sieve Sect, closed his eyes, and rotated his cultivation base as he waited for the next Dao Lake eruption. The people in the surrounding sects and clans who knew him all sighed inwardly.

This version of Naruto, and his coldness, made him seem like a stranger.

In the Nadeshiko Clan, Hiruko looked over at Naruto and sighed emotionally in his heart. He couldn't help but think back to the time in the Five Elements Nation when he saw Naruto for the first time.

It was the same with Tazuna in the Violet Fate Sect. He was in the same mood as Hiruko. In fact, he was actually thinking about a certain spear, which still existed to this day in the Violet Fate Sect….

Time passed by. The 3,000-meter lake region was completely silent. As for the 30,000-meter lake which all of those lakes surrounded, not even a ripple could be seen on its surface. It looked almost exactly like a huge mirror.

Sakura sat quietly for a long time before finally rising to her feet and walking out from the crowd of Violet Fate Sect disciples. Reverend Withered-Dao looked over, but did nothing to prevent her from approaching the Blood Demon Sect.

Her actions immediately drew the attention of quite a few people.

As she neared the area where Naruto sat cross-legged, she was blocked by a Blood Demon Sect disciple.

"I want to see Naruto," she said softly, looking over at him sitting cross-legged not too far off.

The Blood Demon Sect disciple hesitated for a moment, aware that the Blood Prince had ties to the Violet Fate Sect.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked over at Sakura. "Let her pass," he said.

The Blood Demon Sect disciple immediately stepped aside. Sakura said nothing as she walked up to Naruto and then sat down next to him, a complex expression in her eyes.

At first, she didn't say anything, and neither did Naruto.

After what seemed like a very, very long time had passed, she finally spoke. "It's been a few hundred years. Did you ever go back to that ravine?"

Naruto knew exactly which ravine she was referring to. That was the location in which the two of them truly got to know each other, and where he acquired the good fortune of the Blood Immortal legacy.

"No, I didn't," he replied calmly.

"I did," she said, looking him in the eyes.

Naruto didn't respond.

Sakura stared back out at the Dao Lake, her expression one of bitterness. Several hours passed, and she finally stood up and began to walk back toward the Violet Fate Sect. After seven steps, she stopped.

"If there was no Hinata…?"

"No 'ifs,'" Naruto replied softly.

"But why?"

"The opportunity was missed. What's done is done."

Sakura trembled, and then left Naruto's Dao Lake and returned to the Violet Fate Sect, tears streaming down her face.

Koyuki came to see Naruto, innocent and making no attempts conceal her lingering feelings for him.

Fatty came, carrying a wild chicken. Naruto glanced at it, then summoned flames. The two of them sat next to the Dao Lake for a long time, eating wild chicken while everyone around watched on.

Fatty laughed and filed away at his teeth with a sword. In the end, he pulled Naruto into a bear hug and then left.

Kotetsu and Ensui both came. Sighing, they recounted past times, although they avoided mentioning Grandmaster Pill Demon. They were well aware that to Naruto, the most important person in the Violet Fate Sect… was his Master.

Teuchi didn't come. The last person from the Violet Fate Sect to come was an old man. His Cultivation base was not very high, but as soon as he neared, Naruto's face broke out into a smile.

"Pakkun."

"Kazama… Naruto." The old man inadvertently started to call Naruto by the name Kazama Namikaze.

People came from the Nadeshiko Clan, the Golden Frost Sect, and the Solitary Sword Sect. Earlier they had faced off with hostility, but now they came to chat. These were people of the same generation as Naruto in the Southern Domain, Dao Children and Chosen, the most powerful of whom were merely in the Nascent Soul stage.

When they saw Naruto, the couldn't help but think of all the things that had happened in the past. Naruto didn't see Torune of the Shimura Clan, who hadn't come to the Dao Lakes this time.

As far as Itachi, and that figure who existed deep in his memories, Sasuke, after the genocide of the Uchiha Clan carried out by their 10th Patriarch, Madara, Naruto wasn't sure if they were even still alive.

There was one person who Naruto hadn't seen at all since returning to the Southern Domain, and that was Ino. Ino of the Black Sieve Sect.

The last person to come visit was Guy. He looked older than before, and hadn't reached the Nascent Soul stage yet. His body was somewhat emaciated, which sharply contrasted with the Guy that Naruto remembered.

It seemed that many matters of the heart had built up in him during the past centuries, and had reached the point that they were suffocating him.

He didn't say much at first, and he brought a flagon of alcohol with him, which he drank from continuously. It was hard to say when, but at some point, he had begun to drink on a daily basis. It had reached the point where he didn't just need to drink, he needed to get drunk.

He was no longer the blazing sun that he had been in past years, nor was he one of the Seven Swords. One fellow sect member after another had surpassed him, and his dreams of rising up within the Solitary Sword Sect had not come true.

However, he still smiled. He smiled at Naruto, and it contained the same warmth it always had, the same concern and love.

"Elder Brother Guy…." said Naruto, looking him over. Every time he saw his old friends, he couldn't help but think of the Reliance Sect.

"Make sure to focus well on your cultivation," said Guy. "If you ever reach Immortal Ascension, then I can boast to people that I have a little brother who's an Immortal." He chuckled, and clapped Naruto on the shoulder. Then he took a long swig of alcohol and headed back toward the Solitary Sword Sect.

Naruto could clearly see the scorn with which many of the Solitary Sword Sect disciples looked at Guy.

RUMBLE!

Several days later, the Ancient Dao Lakes once again began to erupt. It was an enormous eruption in which glowing pillars of light shot up into the sky from roughly eighty percent of the Dao Lakes and Geysers.

It was the same in the inner region as the outer.

When the Dao Lakes erupted, countless Dao Shadows appeared. In the inner region, there were even three hundred or so Dao Lakes that erupted with magical items and other treasures. As far as the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes, there were two that erupted with Dao Shadows and eight that spit out magical items.

All of the magical items were different, there were intact ones and ones that were broken apart or missing parts; some were ancient and dilapidated, others were brand new. Even more numerous than these were fragments of magical items. Lastly, there were broken bits of rocks and dirt from ancient ruins.

Of the Blood Demon Sect's three Dao Lakes, two spit out magical items. As for the lake Naruto occupied, a Dao Shadow appeared above it.

The other Dao Shadow appeared from within the 3,000-meter lake belonging to the Golden Frost Sect, the one Fatty was seated next to.

That particular Dao Shadow depicted a plump fellow cultivating some sort of formidable magical technique. When Fatty saw it, his eyes went wide, and he immediately began to seek enlightenment.

Because of the eruption, the previous quietude was instantly shattered. However, there was no descent into chaos. The Dao Lakes had been divided up, so unless some incredibly shocking item appeared, there would be no frenzied fighting like that which occurred in the outer region.

Whoever occupied a given lake had rights to whatever it spit out.

Immediately, countless cultivators flew up into the air toward their various Dao Lakes. Rumbling filled the air. The six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs began to collect the various objects that had been spit out.

All of this takes some time to describe, but it actually only took the space of about ten breaths of time for all of the items from the 3,000-meter Dao Lakes to be collected up by the various sects. It was then that attention was turned to the 300-meter lakes.

That was especially true of the more than four hundred 300-meter lakes that belonged to Naruto. More than a hundred of them had spit out magical items, which floated there in mid-air. There were also some that had Dao Shadows and other miscellaneous objects. The sight was shocking, and would naturally cause anyone who saw it to be moved.

Despite that, not a single fight broke out. Naruto's actions earlier had clearly shown how powerful he was, as well as the unbridled manner in which he tended to act. Any cultivator who coveted an item protected by one of the Blood Prince's standards would first think long and hard before doing anything.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples were tired but happy. They bustled about for nearly two hours collecting up the various objects spit up by the Dao Lakes. The cultivators from the other sects and clans looked on enviously.

Just when they were about to deliver all the objects up to Naruto, one of the 300-meter lakes that had spit out a Dao Shadow, suddenly began to rumble.

Immediately, large numbers of cultivators rose to their feet, their eyes burning with passion.

"A second eruption!"

"It's common for Dao Geysers to erupt twice. For a 30-meter Dao Lake to do so is uncommon. For a 300-meter Dao Lake to erupt a second time… is rare!"

"A second eruption almost certainly means a precious item will appear!"

Up to this point, Naruto had been sitting there meditating, but now that one of the Dao Lakes was erupting a second time, he opened his eyes.

RUMBLE!

Bright light blasted out from the Dao Lake as a corpse was spit out from within!

"A corpse!"

"The corpse of a cultivator from ancient times?!"

"Wow… I have to get that!"

Corpses were incredibly rare, and in the instant that it appeared, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, the Violet Fate Sect, the Nadeshiko Clan, and even the Shimura Clan off in the distance, were shaken. However… the Dao Lake that was erupting for the second time happened to have a blood-colored flag flying next to it. That instantly made quite a few people suddenly calm down.

Not everyone calmed down, though. Three of the Spirit Severing experts from the Golden Frost Sect flew out with glittering eyes. In their minds, Naruto had refrained from taking action against the Golden Frost Sect earlier because he was apprehensive; a fact they could take advantage of to keep him in check.

The three cultivators flew up into the air and then shot directly toward the 300-meter Dao Lake.

The six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs instantly moved to intercept.

"How dare you, Golden Frost Sect!"

"What gall!"

When Naruto saw what was happening, a cold smile turned up the corners of his mouth. He then slapped his hand onto the ground, causing everything to tremble. At the same time, his body transforming into an afterimage, which then completely vanished.

His incredible speed far exceeded both the three Golden Frost Sect cultivators and the Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs. He appeared next to the Dao Lake in the blink of an eye, then waved his right hand to collect up the corpse. Finally, he turned to stare coldly at the three men from the Golden Frost Sect.

"It seems you three are looking to die."

The three cultivators' faces flickered. Shocked by Naruto's display of speed, they unhesitatingly retreated.

At the same time, the armored man from the Golden Frost Sect flew out, followed by the other experts from the Golden Frost Sect.

Naruto snorted coldly, then raised his right hand into the air and made a grasping motion. The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared. A huge vortex surrounded the three cultivators, and a bloody hand appeared. Immediately, the three old men started to be consumed.

Miserable shrieks could be heard as the three cultivators exerted every scrap of power they could muster to try to free themselves, all to no avail.

"Stay your hand!" roared the man in the golden armor. He sped through the air with explosive speed. The five cultivators behind him began performing double-handed incantations, after which they pointed forward. Shockingly, the illusory images of puppets encapsulated them.

The puppets were dozens of meters tall, and as they flew forward, the armored man suddenly performed another incantation. Blue veins popped up on his forehead as another puppet image appeared above him!

Cracking sounds could be heard as all of the puppets quickly merged together. Shockingly, they transformed into an enormous golden puppet, three hundred meters tall and carrying a golden greatsword. It emanated a shocking pressure, which caused everything to tremble.

A similarly shocking voice rumbled out from the mouth of the puppet. "Stay your hand!"

The voice turned into powerful sound waves that spread out in all directions.

"Too late," replied Naruto, his voice cold. He clenched his hand into a fist, and a boom resonated out. The three Golden Frost Sect Spirit Severing cultivators let out bloodcurdling screams as they were crushed into a bloody pulp. Their Chakra and Blood streamed toward Naruto, merging into his body, where it transformed into a shocking power that raged inside of him.

As the three Nascent Divinities frenziedly tried to escape, the six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs shot in pursuit.

"Dammit!" cried the man in the golden armor. "Do you really think the Golden Frost Sect is afraid of you!?" He and the five cultivators behind him began to perform incantation gestures in unison. In response, the resplendent puppet began to emit… a shocking aura that bordered on Dao Seeking.

The instant the aura appeared, the faces of the members of the surrounding sects and clans flickered.

"That aura is borderline Dao Seeking!"

"That's the supreme magic of the Golden Frost Sect, the Golden Frost Marionette!"

The golden puppet raised its greatsword and slashed down. A ripping sound could be heard as a 30-meter rift appeared. An aura close to Dao Seeking exploded out, transforming into a pressure that could weigh down on anyone in the Spirit Severing stage.

"DIE!" cried the six Golden Frost Sect cultivators, their voices joining together into a shout that caused everything to tremble.

"Dao Seeking aura, huh?" said Naruto, eyes glittering. "I have that too!" The power of the Chakra and Blood of the three Spirit Severing Cultivators combined with the dissipating remainder of what he had absorbed from the Third Severing Patriarch of the Black Sieve Sect, fused together inside of him and then exploded out.

He clenched his hand into a fist and then punched directly toward the incoming sword.

RUMBLE!

The air shattered under the power of the fist. A black hole appeared that was not 30 meters, but rather, 90 meters wide, raging with a Dao Seeking aura.

Dao Seeking was an embodiment of natural law, a stage in which such laws were fused with the body.

The natural laws were based on the enlightenment of the Dao that accompanied the Third Severing. Dao Seeking was the time to see whether or not the Daos of the three Severings conflicted with each other. It was an introspection regarding the heart, and could not be interfered with nor influenced in any way.

If one had been correct in one's Dao, then that was that. If they had erred, there was nothing to be done. If correct… one entered Dao Seeking. If incorrect… the Dao vanished.

Therefore, this so-called aura, was a Dao aura.

As the aura spread out, the surrounding cultivators gasped. Sir Daikoko, Reverend Withered-Dao, and the Spirit Severing Patriarch leader from the Nadeshiko Clan were especially shocked. They watched on in shock as the power from Naruto's fist connected with that of the greatsword.

BOOOMMMMMM!

The golden greatsword shattered into pieces that swirled about like flower blossoms. The puppet shook violently, and numerous cracks appeared on its surface. As they spread out, a look of shock appeared on the puppet's face, and then it exploded.

As the puppet blew up, the six cultivators inside, including the man in the golden armor, spit up blood. Their bodies sagged, and their expressions were that of astonishment as they retreated at full speed.

As for Naruto's fist, it lost its Dao aura.

After all, the power came from the strength he had gained by using the Blood Demon Grand Magic, and not from within himself. Now that the energy had been released by his first blow, he was incapable of making a second similar strike.

"The more I fight with the Blood Demon Grand Magic, the more ferocious it becomes!" Eyes glittering, he shot after the six retreating figures.

The three Nascent Divinities being chased by the six Blood Demon Patriarchs were incapable of escaping; at this point they had already been sealed up and collected. The Golden Frost Sect's power base in the area was now significantly weakened.

Seeing Naruto flying toward him, the man in the golden armor suddenly felt his heart tighten with anxiety. Gritting his teeth, he called out: "The Golden Frost Sect will give you a 3,000-meter Dao Lake!"

"One won't do!" shot back one of the six Patriarchs. "Give us two!"

"Dammit…." The cultivators of the Golden Frost Sect grumbled, and the man in the gold armor's face fell. He had been in fear of Naruto's strength earlier, and actually didn't want to end up fighting him. He was just about to agree when….

Naruto's eyes fell onto Fatty, who was sitting next to the Dao Lake staring at the Dao Shadow.

He then looked at the other lake and pointed at it. "Give me that lake."

The man in the golden armor gaped for a moment, then quickly nodded his head. He looked at Fatty, and then finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. At this point, he realized that the reason Naruto hadn't made a move against them earlier wasn't because of any apprehension regarding the Golden Frost Sect, but rather, because of Choji.

The Golden Frost Sect retreated to the Dao Lake with the Dao Shadow, and the Blood Demon Sect occupied another 3,000-meter Dao Lake. As of now, they had a total of four!

The appearance of a Dao Seeking aura had ensured that Naruto would now be completely and utterly famous within the great sects and clans of the Southern Domain.

The battle just now would soon spread to become a legend in the Southern Domain, and Naruto's name, and his titles of Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect and Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, would rise to complete prominence.

Most shocking of all was that not one, but two instances of Dao Seeking aura occurred. This enabled a comparison between the two, which made it all the more astonishing.

The first was the Dao Seeking aura of the Golden Frost Sect puppet.

Moments ago….

Everyone in the inner region of the Ancient Dao Lakes sensed it, but few actually recognized it for what it was. What they could tell, however, was that the aura was fearsome to the extreme. It immediately astounded all the cultivators in the area.

"Whose aura is that?!"

"It's so terrifying! In fact, it almost feels like Heavenly might!"

"Even our sect's Patriarch doesn't have an aura like that!"

Tens of thousands of cultivators in the central region of the Ancient Dao Lakes, all of them from famous sects and clans of the Southern Domain, could sense the terrifying pressure of the aura.

The pressure was so intense that even the Dao Shadows above the Dao Geysers and Lakes distorted, as if some intangible force were affecting them.

"Dao Seeking aura!"

"It's definitely the aura of Dao Seeking!"

"Heavens! Don't tell me there's a Dao Seeking treasure in one of the Dao Lakes!? Or what if… it's a Dao Seeking eccentric who came here personally?!"

RUMBLE!

Even as everyone looked around in astonishment, another pulse of Dao Seeking aura exploded out. The intensity of this aura far exceeded that of the first; it shook everything!

Winds seethed, and even the divine abilities of the cultivators in the area were affected, and began to dissolve into chaos. Magical items began to tremble, and it seemed as if they would lose their connection to their owners.

A natural law descended, something that seemed to pulse with a strange power that caused all of the cultivators to feel intense pressure suppressing their cultivation bases. At the same time, the power of their fleshly bodies seemed to temporarily increase.

Furthermore, because of the Dao Seeking aura, some of the Dao Shadows above the Dao Geysers distorted to the point that they were destroyed.

"Heavens! Another aura!"

"This aura is even stronger than the first one! Two pulses of aura means that it's not a Dao Seeking treasure. No, there are two Dao Seeking experts fighting!"

"Who is it? What Dao Seeking eccentric showed up!? There are very few Dao Seeking cultivators in the lands of the Southern Domain. If you count them up there can't be more than thirty, and most of them have been in secluded meditation for countless years!"

A huge commotion filled the entire region of the Dao Lakes as Naruto and the Golden Frost Sect puppet slammed into each other. Two massive Dao Seeking forces slammed into each other, sending out a shockwave that instantly swept out like a gale-force wind.

Most of the Dao Shadows were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of cultivators felt as if their minds were under barrage. They were stunned, and required a long moment to recover.

In contrast, things quickly settled down in the inner region of the Ancient Dao Lakes. After the Golden Frost Sect submitted, peace and calm were restored. Naruto now sat cross-legged next to the Dao Lake, contemplating the enormous Dao Shadow.

The eruption of the Dao Lakes had caused two Dao Shadows to appear above the 3,000-meter lakes. One Dao shadow was being studied by Fatty, the other by Naruto.

The Dao Shadow Naruto was studying was that of a middle-aged cultivator wearing a simple, ancient Daoist ensemble. He sat cross-legged, meditating, and a drop of blood hovered in front of him . He performed incantations, after which ghost images sprang up around his body. After a single glance, Naruto could tell that the Dao Shadow was cultivating some sort of clone magic.

He couldn't determine the the Dao Shadow's cultivation base, but he could tell that in certain aspects, the clone magic was similar to the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao. Naruto looked over the image a few times, then began to immerse himself in studying it.

He had examined the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao many times over the years, and had a general understanding of it. However, there were some parts that he couldn't completely understand. He knew the general process, but not exactly how to carry it out.

Every time he felt he had enlightened regarding important aspect, and then lifted his hand up to perform the incantation, he discovered that his understanding actually didn't seem to amount to anything at all.

Therefore, the appearance of a Dao Image such as this was definitely a lucky break.

Time went by gradually, and soon three months had passed.

The eruptions of the Ancient Dao Lakes grew more intense. In the beginning, they would erupt once every four or five days. In the last month, however, the frequency had increased to every other day. Furthermore, the quantity of the items spit out was also increasing.

Seven or eight corpses had appeared, as well as five beasts. The sects and clans fought bitterly over them, and the victors made incredible gains.

Although the Dao Lakes were erupting with more and more items, more than half of the lakes were controlled by the Blood Demon Sect. However, nobody went near them. Naruto's actions three months before made it so that anyone who even thought of trying to snatch an item from one of them would instantly think of the violent repercussions that would follow.

As such, the Blood Demon Sect disciples were the most tired of all. More and more magical items were delivered to Naruto, and in this three months period, he had built up quite a stash.

As for Naruto himself, he never moved from the lakeside, where he sat studying the Dao Shadow. As long as he didn't take the initiative to disperse it, the Dao Shadow would remain in place. That was a special feature of the 3,000-meter lakes.

Fatty had emerged from his meditation two months ago, seemingly enlightened on many things. Afterward, he once again closed his eyes and continued to cultivate.

Two more months passed.

The Dao Lakes were now erupting at a frequency of once per day. To the cultivators of the Southern Domain, the Ancient Dao Lakes had turned into something like a paradise. As long as one could secure control of a Dao Geyser or Dao Lake and avoid wandering about randomly, then shocking good fortune was guaranteed.

To the cultivators in the central region, however, the increase in the frequency of eruptions meant only one thing. The main lake… would soon experience a massive eruption!

The pivotal moment in this surge of activity of the Ancient Dao Lakes was about to arrive…the 30,000 meter Dao Lake, which had not produced even a single wave the entire time, was finally going to erupt!

According to the information in the ancient records, the 30,000-meter Dao Lake wouldn't erupt with just one object. It would spit out many items at once, and among them were sure to be precious treasures!

In fact, it was even possible for magical items to appear that were equivalent to the legacy treasures of the sects and clans. Such items essentially gave that sect or clan the equivalent of a Dao Seeking eccentric. A possibility like that was enough to cause the cultivators of the Southern Domain to go mad with desire.

Gradually, more and more eyes came to be fixed in the direction of the 30,000-meter main lake.

In contrast, Naruto was immersed in seeking enlightenment, and in fact, had already formed some speculations about the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao.

"Withering Flame. Demon Magic. True Self Dao! This is not just a clone magic! There are other Daoist magics hidden within!" This enlightenment caused Naruto's mind and heart to tremble. He had never seen a divine ability or magical technique that was so profoundly layered.

After another month had passed, the Ancient Dao Lakes were now erupting every few hours. The disciples of the Blood Demon Sect were swamped. They had literally no time to rest as they shot back and forth between the erupting Dao Lakes to collect various magical items and miscellaneous objects. To everyone else in the central region of the Dao Lakes, they almost looked like they were harvesting crops.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples were in pain from all the hard work, but they were happy.

Of course, the members of the other sects and clans watched them bustling about, and also felt a bit of pain… and they were not happy.

Least happy of all were the members of the Shimura Clan, who were still positioned 30,000 meters away. They could do nothing more than watch on helplessly as more and more magical items erupted from within the Dao Lakes. They didn't dare to step even a foot past the 30,000-meter border. Although there were Dao Lakes in the area they occupied, they couldn't even compare to the ones further in. They were better than nothing, of course, but the Shimura Clan cultivators only continued to grow more and more frustrated.

Their hatred for Naruto increased with each passing day.

Despite that, they didn't dare to proceed past that 30,000-meter mark. Naruto was just far too powerful and intimidating.

The members of the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, the distant Shimura Clan, and the Nadeshiko Clan were all looking toward the 30,000-meter main lake, suppressing their emotions and continuing to wait.

"Come on, hurry up! The 30,000-meter main lake is going to erupt soon!"

"We've been waiting the entire time just for this day! The only thing we don't know is exactly when the eruption will occur!"

"That Naruto's cultivation base is just too high! However, we don't need to fight him. When the 30,000-meter lake erupts, the rules here will change. The teleportation talisman that didn't work before will be able to function. Once the 30,000-meter lake erupts, all you have to do is grab an item and then use a greater teleportation talisman to get away! The real competition will be over who is fastest!"

"Naruto might have a high cultivation base, but he's only one person. With so many items, we'll just have to wait and see who gets lucky!"

The Violet Fate Sect was also taking things seriously. However, considering their close ties to Naruto, their attitude toward him was much warmer.

The Nadeshiko Clan kept to themselves, but they also had their ambitions. All the sects and clans had their hearts set on the main lake.

As for the teenager who sat cross-legged behind Sir Daikoko in the Solitary Sword Sect, his eyes shone with a strange light as he looked toward the 30,000-meter main lake.

"The reason I sent my clone here in the first place was for this instance of good fortune," he thought. "If my augury was correct, then the good fortune I seek will be coming with this eruption. That rascal Naruto might have Heaven-defying power, but if we end up fighting, I'll have no choice but to subdue him."

In the Golden Frost Sect, the man in the armor glanced over at Naruto, and then exchanged looks with some of the people behind him. They could all see the hesitation in each other's eyes.

Then their eyes glittered, no longer with hesitation, but determination.

"Fight!"

"Cultivation is all about the smash and grab! When it comes to luck and good fortune, it won't just randomly come to you! You have to fight for it!"

The entire central region of the Dao Lakes gradually filled with an oppressive aura. No one spoke, and all attention was focused on the coming eruption of the 30,000-meter main lake.

Naruto was still concentrated on enlightenment, although he wasn't looking at the Dao Shadow anymore. His eyes were closed as he inwardly pondered the truths of the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao.

Three days later.

RUMMMBBBBLLLLEEEEE!

The land quaked as all of the Dao Lakes ceased any eruption. The lake in front of Naruto began to vanish. Everything became blurry. The 3,000-meter lakes, the 300-meter lakes, the 30-meter lakes, all of the lakes dried up and shrank rapidly.

Even the Dao Geysers were completely drained.

It almost seemed like someone was beneath all of the lakes, breathing in, inhaling the lake water away.

Of course, what came after an inhalation, was an exhalation!

"The 30,000-meter main lake is going to erupt!"

"It's going to start! This is when the true good fortune appears!"

"I wonder what the 30,000-meter main lake is going to spit out! I heard that the Solitary Sword Sect's precious treasure came from the eruption of the main lake!"

The teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect rose to his feet. The armored man from the Golden Frost Sect was panting. The cultivators from the Nadeshiko Clan stood there with glittering eyes. Reverend Withered-Dao was pulsating with ripples. 30,000-meters away, the Shimura Clan cultivators were focusing all the power in their bodies.

Only Naruto still had his eyes closed.

And then….

The formerly placid 30,000-meter Dao Lake was marred by ripples, as if something were bubbling underneath its surface.

BOOOMM!

With the exception of the 30,000-meter Dao Lake, all of the Dao Lakes and Geysers were drying up. Splits and cracks began to appear across the entire landscape, some of them enormous.

Teleportation traps flashed in and out madly, in some case appearing by the thousands to sweep across the land.

When the water of the 3,000-meter lakes began to lower, the Lands of Ninshu cultivators outside of the inner region began to withdraw. They knew the greatest windfall of all was just around the corner.

Unfortunately for them, it was good fortune they could never acquire. Only the cultivators in the inner region would have that chance. Furthermore, anyone who remained in the outer region would be killed during the eruption.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of cultivators milled around outside the border, peering inward. After all, even though they had no chance at getting the good fortune for themselves, the chance to witness the event was still an incredible opportunity. For all they knew, they might be able to gain some enlightenment that could lead to a breakthrough into another stage of cultivation.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the main lake.

RUMMMMMBBBBLLLE!

The ground quaked as the 30,000-meter lake exploded.

It is difficult to describe how shocking the scene was, and how completely gobsmacked everyone was. The only thing that can be said is that in the enormous outer region of the Ancient Dao Lakes, massive fissures spread out across the land as if some enormous gravitational force under the ground was causing the land to sink down.

The land itself was too brittle, so fissures and cracks appeared as it sank.

When the entire land had sunk to a certain degree, it actually reversed itself and, amidst continuous rumbling, inflated back to its original state, as if it was an exhalation subsequent to an inhalation. It was almost like there was a giant, living deep beneath the ground, breathing, causing the land to sink and rise. As for the single 30,000-meter main lake, it formed what seemed like a passageway connecting the ground to the Heavens above, something completely unique in all existence.

It was the epicenter of the explosive exhalation; water surged up from the 30,000-meter lake into the air, forming a massive column!

From a distance, the sight was completely astonishing. It was not a pillar of light, but when illuminated by sunlight, the column of water glittered brightly with a rainbow of colors. It was dazzling to the extreme, and its allure irresistible.

Of course, what drew people toward it was not the light itself, but the great Daos of Heaven and Earth that seemed to be contained within.

In this moment, a blurry figure appeared in mid-air outside of the Dao Lakes among the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, although none of them could see him. He was a young man in a Daoist robe, around whom a black wind swirled. His eyes glittered as he stared at the Dao Lakes region.

"So, I didn't come in vain this time. My Coffin Altar Sect of the Northern reaches uncovered the fact that great fortune is available for me here. I, Todoroki, have arrived, so how could the good fortune possibly escape me!?"

The young man clearly did not have a Dao Seeking cultivation base. However, his body emanated faint bits of a virtually undetectable Dao Seeking aura. He appeared to be scanning the area for something in particular, when he suddenly jerked his head to look toward the Ancient Dao Lakes. He frowned. "Hunh… Dammit! That guy's here too? Zabuza…."

Off in a different direction, a burly man stood on the peak of a mountain. He wore garments crafted from animal skins, and looked completely barbaric. He held a flagon of alcohol in one hand, and at his feet was the corpse of an Outlander Beast. Occasionally, he would rip some flesh off of the Outlander Beast corpse and eat it raw. His eyes glittered with a savage gleam.

"So, quite a few people are here from the Northern Reaches," the man thought. "Well, the good fortune here belongs to me, Daimaru of the Desolate Clan! And I don't just want the good fortune, I'm gonna chow down on some of these Southern Domain cultivators. Their flesh is soft, definitely much more delicious than the people from the Northern Reaches." 3

A smile twisted his face as he stared down at the Ancient Dao Lakes region.

Suddenly, he caught sight of something, and his face flickered with rage. "Zabuza from the Imperial Bloodline Sect 4. Dammit! He's generally acknowledged to be the number one figure under Dao Seeking in the Northern Reaches, and is also one of the four great Young Starlords of Lands of Ninshu. What is he doing here? At the Second Severing level, he can fight early Dao Seeking! He's inhuman! Considering he's such a hotshot superstar with access to limitless good fortune, what the hell is he doing here?!"

As the thousands of teleportation traps swept through the Ancient Dao lakes, a young man proceeded along, his expression cool. He seemed gentle, and was extremely good looking, to the point of perfection. The teleportation traps in his path were completely incapable of even touching him.

"What an interesting place," he thought, "although it doesn't suit me very well. Why did the exalted Dawn Immortal send me here? According to her, I would encounter the enemy I am destined to face….

"How amusing. I wonder who this supposed enemy will turn out to be?"

As he proceeded forward, the image of a Resurrection Lily could be seen behind him, swaying back and forth ominously.

The Dao Lakes region was full of powerful forces!

The ground quaked in shocking fashion, and everyone watching from a distance was astonished.

Just outside the 30,000-meter Dao Lake, the experts from the great sects and clans were staring fixedly, holding their energy in check, just waiting until the full eruption.

And then… it happened.

A thunderous roar could be heard as countless magical objects, corpses, Dao Shadows, miscellaneous objects, and even beasts exploded out from the 30,000-meter main lake.

In the blink of an eye, multicolored glows appeared, the shocking light of magical treasures. The collective gasp of the cultivators outside turned into a sound wave that rolled out. Considering that they had such a reaction, there is little need to mention the reaction of the people in the inner region, who simply had to reach out to grab the treasures.

Among the magical items was a longsword, two meters in length, around which circulated nine one-meter-long shortswords. The pressure it exuded was incredible.

There was also a gigantic war drum, next to which was an enormous puppet, which seemed like the only thing even remotely capable of matching up to the war drum.

There was also an enormous halo. It was impossible to tell what it was made from, but it shone with golden light, and its surface was covered with countless inscriptions of magical symbols. From within could be sensed an incredible sealing power, radiating out in all directions.

In addition… there was a shocking corpse! It wasn't the corpse of a human, but rather, a black-colored dragon!

To say that it was a dragon would be correct. However, this particular dragon had wings! Although it wasn't a Flying Rain-Dragon, it was fully 3,000 meters in length and had long horns!

There was also a tree with a red trunk and branches, black leaves, and blue flowers. As for the three fruit it produced, they were white!

There were vast quantities of jade slips, one bag of holding after another, and even shrunken palaces. Most astonishing of all, however, was a gigantic claw!

The claw was pitch black, and had three talons. It was over three hundred meters in length, and emanated an oppressive, murderous air.

There were a vast variety of items, and it would be impossible to describe them all. Upon cursory examination, there were roughly ten thousand in total, and because the various auras were all mixed together, it was difficult to determine which of the items was the most powerful.

In any case, as they burst out from the lake water, the rippling aura that spread out was shocking to the extreme.

The instant the Dao Lake erupted, the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect immediately teleported. Ripples of Dao Seeking energy spread out as he headed directly toward the lake.

In addition to the teenager, the Spirit Severing experts from the Solitary Sword Sect also shot toward the lake.

The golden-armored man from the Golden Frost Sect, along with the other Spirit Severing experts, transformed into the golden puppet, which immediately stepped into the lake.

From the Violet Fate Sect, Reverend Withered-Dao moved with shocking speed that matched the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect. He vanished, and when he reappeared, he was also above the Dao Lake. Of everyone in the Violet Fate Sect, he was the only one to take action.

As for the Shimura Clan off in the distance, they instantly went mad. Their Spirit Severing Cultivators couldn't match up in terms of speed, but they had teleportation talismans. They instantly activated them and appeared in mid-air above the erupting Dao Lake.

At long last, the old man from the Nadeshiko Clan, who up to this point had not spoken a single word nor revealed the tiniest bit of his aura, rose to his feet. The area around him transformed into what looked like a tempest as he, along with the two Spirit Severing cultivators from the Nadeshiko Clan, headed toward the Dao Lake.

The shocking eruption of the Dao Lake made it seem like it was raining.

Even as all the others took action, the invisible Coffin Altar Sect disciple Todoroki took a step forward. Nine bottle gourds began to spin around him, creating a tunnel, which led directly to the erupting Dao Lake.

On the mountain peak across from him, the burly Daimaru lifted his head up and roared. "Shrink, shrink, SHRINK!"

He called out three times, and with each call, the world seemed to shrink in front of him. By the time he said 'shrink' for the third time, the world looked like a zoomed-out image to him. He took a single step, and crossed the void to appear in mid-air directly above the Dao Lake!

At the same time, the young man Zabuza, who was walking through the teleportation traps in the Ancient Dao Lakes outer region, stretched out his hand. The illusory Resurrection Lily behind him suddenly shrank down, and a six-colored Resurrection Lily appeared in his palm.

The instant the flower appeared in his hand, the area around him began to distort. Suddenly, images appeared around him of everything that had ever existed or even passed by the spot that he stood in.

He stood in the middle of the glowing lights, staring around at how everything had changed.

"Going back three breaths should suffice," he thought with a slight smile. Everything around him began to distort again, and suddenly, what he saw was the world that had existed three breaths of time ago. He took a step forward, and he was back in that exact same time, just before the Dao Lake was going to erupt. He took another step, and was in mid-air above the Dao Lake. It was in that instant that the lake suddenly erupted.

His divine abilities and magical techniques were bizarre and astonishing!

When the Dao Lake erupted, the light of magical items shone up into the Heavens. The six Spirit Severing Patriarchs of the Blood Demon Sect anxiously looked over at Naruto. Since his eyes were still closed, they stamped their feet and flew up into the air, shooting directly toward the erupting Dao Lake.

They weren't far from it to begin with, so it didn't take long to get close.

As for Naruto, his eyes were still closed, and his mind was filled with the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao. He was still in the midst of contemplation. Although it first seemed impossible to comprehend, he was now reaching the limits of his understanding.

He had already determined that the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao was actually split into three different Daoist magics, the first being the Withering Flame, the second being the Demon Magic, and the third being the True Self Dao!

But now, he suddenly sensed that the Daoist magic… could actually be split into seven sections! Each section was its own shocking Daoist Magic.

Withering. Flame. Demon. Magic. True. Self. Dao!

The clone aspect was merely the divine ability represented by the character "self!"

The hundreds of thousands of cultivators outside of the Ancient Dao Lakes region were bearing witness to a rare and shocking spectacle!

"That longsword… is two meters long, the nine shortswords are each one meter long. Look at the brilliant glow, and the lightning! It almost looks like Tribulation Lightning! Is it possible… is it possible that sword is the legendary Deadwinter Tribulation Sword?!"

"Why does that war drum looks almost the same as the Primordial True Spirit Drum that I read about in the ancient records…? And that puppet next to it…. I get the chills just looking at it!"

"What is that tree?! It looks so bizarre, and has three fruits on it!"

"Check out that beast claw! It looks incredible! Could it be a Dao Seeking treasure?!"

"That's… that's a black dragon!? It's a real-life dragon! It looks relatively small, but its body is definitely a treasure!"

The few dozen Spirit Severing cultivators immediately convened above the 30,000-meter main lake as one object after another appeared amidst the eruption of the lakewater.

Boom!

There were simply too many magical items! Fierce fighting broke out in the blink of an eye.

"Screw off!"

"Hey, I wanted that!"

"This is mine! Anyone who dares to fight me over it will die!"

Explosions immediately began to echo out as the Spirit Severing experts shot toward the treasures they had taken a liking to. Shocking roars filled the air, and wild colors danced about.

The greatest focus of attention was the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect, then the Golden Frost Sect puppet, both of whom exuded Dao Seeking auras. Strangest of all were the three people from the Northern Reaches. They flew about in three different areas, causing the air to shatter around them wherever they went.

Their sudden appearance on the scene was quite a source of alarm for the Southern Domain cultivators. However, there was no time to try to uncover information about their origins and backgrounds. Everyone sped toward the treasures that they wanted.

The teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect flew at top speed toward the two-meter longsword. In the blink of an eye, his hand clasped the hilt.

The enormous puppet from the Golden Frost Sect exploded with a Dao Seeking aura as it headed toward the puppet next to the war drum, slamming aside several Solitary Sword Sect Spirit Severing cultivators in the process.

The Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch flew along at top speed, his body pulsing with an aura that seemed to contain a force which was incompatible with the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Everywhere he passed, shocking illusory blades flew about. His goal was one particular jade slip that glowed with violet light.

The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch shot furiously toward the black dragon.

The only member of the Violet Fate Sect to make an appearance, Reverend Withered-Dao, headed toward the red-trunked tree with the black leaves, blue flowers, and three white fruits!

As for the barbaric, hulking Daimaru from the Northern Reaches, an enormous wolf-tooth club appeared in his hands. A savage and wild aura exploded out from him, reaching a pinnacle in the blink of an eye. His wolf-tooth club swept back and forth, shattering the surroundings as he charged toward his goal, the three-hundred-meter long black-colored claw.

"This claw belongs to Daimaru!"

Dao Child Todoroki from the Coffin Altar Sect, also from the Northern Reaches, looked incredibly soft and feminine. The air around him did not shatter, but rather his surroundings warped and twisted, causing everything he passed by to wither.

His expression was cold as he headed toward the enormous golden halo that emanated a pulsing power of sealing.

Last was one of the four Young Starlords of Lands of Ninshu, the number one figure under Dao Seeking from the Northern Reaches, Zabuza of the Imperial Bloodline Sect, who could battle Dao Seeking even when in the Spirit Severing Stage!

As he hovered in mid air, the Dao Lake eruption surging around him, he almost seemed to exist in a different time and location. It was as if he could, at will, travel anywhere in space and time.

He glanced around at the various objects in the area until his gaze came to rest on the corpse of the enormous black dragon. As it did, a strange gleam began to shine in his eyes.

He immediately headed in the direction of the black dragon, and toward the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch, who was clearly vying for the same object.

Everyone had their own targets and goals, some the same as others, some different. In addition, there were Spirit Severing experts from the other sects and clans who also headed toward their own favored objects.

The six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs scattered and headed toward various things that attracted them.

The fighting seemed chaotic, but was in fact quite the opposite. Only the most powerful experts would actually fight over any of the visibly extraordinary items. Others weren't qualified to do so.

"Dammit! That's mine!"

"Nobody owns the Dao Lakes! The treasures go to the lucky, and you're not lucky! Screw off!"

"Die!"

Explosions rattled out, and in the blink of an eye, they were joined by miserable shrieks.

A Golden Frost Sect cultivator was cut down by Reverend Withered-Dao. A Shimura Clan member excitedly closed in on the black dragon, and was about to grab it when a soft sigh could be heard. The sigh caused his body to begin to tremble, and then blood sprayed from his mouth. His fleshly body immediately transformed into a pool of blood. His Nascent Divinity flew out without hesitation, but was then crushed by the power of Time.

Meanwhile, Naruto still sat at the edge of the dried-up 3,000 meter Dao Lake that bordered the 30,000-meter Dao Lake. His mind rang with thunderous roars as he gained further enlightenment regarding the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao. He was finally able to thoroughly break it down.

"Withering. Flame. Demon. Magic. True. Self. Dao!" His eyes opened.

"This magic has three levels and seven parts! Each character represents a different secret art. Combined, they form something unbelievably powerful!

"The 'self' character is the clone magic!

"It's too bad I didn't understand it before, and pursued some incorrect theories. Were it not for that, I might have already been able to gain some true understanding, and therefore, some boosts in power!

"What I currently have the deepest understanding of is not the 'self' character and its clone magic, but rather the 'withering' character!

"All living things wither. However, a withered tree can grow anew in spring. The character 'wither 枯' has a 'tree 木' component on the left, which represents life. The 'ancient 古' component on the right represents death. The left is the past, the right is the future.

"The character 'wither' is also similar to the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic. Once I enter the Spirit Meridians stratum, I will be able to consume spirit meridians, which in actuality… is very similar to the 'wither' character!

"Withering someone's spirit meridians is akin to crippling their cultivation base and influencing time. It's like planting a seed. The seed is planted, then reaped immediately, ignoring the time that normally passes inbetween!

"That is the true meaning of the Spirit Meridians stratum of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!

"All I need is some time spent in secluded meditation, perhaps half a month, and I should be able to step fully into the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!" Naruto's eyes flickered with a brilliant glow. It was in this moment that shocking energy suddenly surged up from within him.

Instantly, the eyes of all the cultivators above the Dao Lake turned in his direction.

He raised his head, and a golden gleam could be seen in his eyes. Suddenly, he performed a minor teleportation and reappeared in mid-air above the lake.

"Naruto!"

"He was meditating before, and based on his energy now… could it be that he made a breakthrough?!"

"Dammit! If he gets involved, that means there's one more powerful foe in the mix!"

"Please, please, PLEASE don't take a fancy to this magical item here, go look at someone else's."

Various thoughts and feelings such as these bubbled up in the blink of an eye.

Rumble!

When Naruto appeared above the Dao Lake, his energy immediately drew special attention from four people.

The first was the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect, whose pupils constricted.

The other three were the Chosen from the Northern Reaches. One of them, Dao Child Todoroki from the Coffin Altar Sect, frowned and stared seriously for a moment. A look of scorn appeared on the face of Daimaru, although his heart filled with vigilance.

The person who seemed most interested in Naruto was none other than Zabuza. He turned to look at Naruto, and when he did, a tremor ran through him.

"It's him!" he thought.

He sensed a feeling like destiny, and was instantly sure that the young man he was looking at was the person the esteemed Dawn Immortal had referred to, his destined adversary.

Naruto's arrival on the scene shocked everyone. He glanced around, and then, to the shock of many, shot toward the black claw.

His decision caused quite a few people to sigh in relief, and continue fighting.

Daimaru's eyes flickered with killing intent as he too barreled toward the black-colored claw.

The teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect had just grabbed the two-meter longsword. Energy exploded out, and he lifted his head back and laughed loudly. Next to the black dragon, the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch coughed up some blood. He was no match for Zabuza, who swept his sleeve to collect up the black dragon.

The Golden Frost Sect was after the enormous war drum and puppet. There were a few Spirit Severing experts fighting them over it, but with the power of their Dao Seeking aura, the Golden Frost Sect steamrolled everyone in their way and promptly seized it.

As for the red-trunked tree, no one else dared to fight with Reverend Withered-Dao over it. Everyone knew that Grandmaster Pill Demon could refine all types of objects into medicinal pills. Since the tree didn't seem to be of much use to others, Reverend Withered-Dao was easily able to collect it up.

The Nadeshiko Clan successfully acquired the violet-colored jade slip they had been after.

As for the golden halo, there were quite a few people who tried to fight Todoroki of the Coffin Altar Sect over it, but all were sent into retreat, blood spraying from their mouths. Two people were even slain. In the end, Todoroki took it.

Regarding the other miscellaneous objects, Spirit Severing cultivators from various sects and clans had already divvied them all up.

Daimaru arrived near the black-colored claw. His wolf-tooth club swept about, causing lake water to spray about. His left hand reached out toward the black-colored claw.

However, just when his hand was about to latch onto it, Naruto pierced through the air with indescribable speed to appear directly next to the claw.

Seeing that Naruto wanted to contend with him over the claw, Daimaru roared, "Screw off!" Then smashed his wolf-tooth club down toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as his fist struck out. The fist had no Dao Seeking aura, but considering that Naruto was the number one figure under Dao Seeking, it contained explosive power, which smashed directly into the wolf-tooth club.

A huge boom rattled out. A tremor ran through Naruto, and the wolf-tooth club was sent flying back. Daimaru's face fell as he was sent staggering back seven or eight measures. He looked up, and a vicious expression could be seen on his face.

"So you're not on par with that inhuman Zabuza!" Daimaru's body flickered as he charged forward once more. Although Daimaru and the other two from the Northern Reaches had actually arrived quite a bit earlier, even Zabuza wasn't able to see what was happening inside the Dao Lakes. Only after the master lake had erupted, causing the surrounding air to distort and churn and allowing them to teleport closer, were they able to get a clear glimpse of what was going on. As such, he was unaware of the shocking things Naruto had done.

After looking more closely at Daimaru, Naruto realized that the hulking man had the familiar aura of a Northern Reaches cultivator. "Northern Reaches?" he asked.

"Yeah! I'm Daimaru from the Desolate Clan in the Northern Reaches!" Daimaru roared as he closed in on Naruto.

"You must know Shinobu!"

Rumbling echoed out and everyone looked over to watch Naruto and Daimaru fight over the black-colored claw.

The eyes of the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect flashed as he gripped the rotating two-meter longsword. In his mind, nobody here could possibly pose a threat to him except perhaps for the handsome Zabuza, with his mastery of Time power.

The Golden Frost Sect puppet also looked over at Naruto, and its eyes glittered.

Reverend Withered-Dao said nothing, as if he didn't care to watch anything that was happening.

The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch was severely wounded and in full retreat. As for the members of the Nadeshiko Clan, after acquiring the item they sought, they seemed to be ready to leave.

Dao Child Todoroki from the Coffin Altar Sect seemed to be itching to fight. When he looked over at Naruto, he suddenly frowned.

"He's only at the peak of Spirit Severing," he thought. "He can't compare to Zabuza."

As for the Imperial Sect's Zabuza, he was also observing the fight between Naruto and Daimaru. After seeing them attack, his expression remained tranquil. From a young age his talent had been prodigious and no one from the Northern Reaches was a match for him. Even the Hebi Clan from the Eastern Land's Sky Country had wanted to take him in as an honorary disciple. Afterwards, though, he had been favored by the Dawn Immortal, who guided him on his path of cultivation. Thus, he no longer cultivated normally, but rather, pursued the Dao of the Resurrection Lily.

What was more, the Dawn Immortal did not permit the Resurrection Lily to absorb him. Rather, she had planted a seed within him that had no consciousness, allowing him to consume it and acquire the power of the Resurrection Lily. It was as if she was trying to sow good karma with him.

Instead of saying he was a cultivator, it would be more accurate to say that he… was a Resurrection Lily!

Because of that, even the Namikaze Clan took him quite seriously, and expressed interest in bringing him into the clan as a son-in-law. Because of all these things, he had a unique status. There were even rumors that he was in fact some almighty expert who had descended to Planet Lands of Ninshu to be reincarnated and rebuild his cultivation base from the ground up.

Considering his mastery of Time power, he would be able to take care of Daimaru in only three moves.

"Too weak," he thought after a single glance, shaking his head at Naruto.

However, it was in that exact moment that Naruto spoke the words "Northern Reaches." The sound of it echoed out, evoking tempestuous thoughts in all the Lands of Ninshu cultivators. Even the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect turned to look at Daimaru.

Relations between the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches was a sensitive subject. Although it had been many, many years since full-scale war raged between them, it wasn't a rare thing in the history of the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Every time there was a war, one side among the two would flow with rivers of blood.

"Northern Reaches?"

"No wonder the cultivation bases of those three seem so unfamiliar. It turns out they're from the Northern Reaches!"

"The Northern Reaches are connected to the Eastern Lands, both of which are on the other side of the Milky Way Sea! It takes a long time to cross the Milky Way Sea. Did they really come here just for the Dao Lakes?"

Even as the crowds from the Southern Domain were reeling in shock, Naruto spoke the name Shinobu.

Although the name was unfamiliar to the Southern Domain cultivators, as soon as Dao Child Todoroki from the Coffin Altar Sect heard it, his eyes flickered and he looked at Naruto.

Zabuza was slightly taken aback. He was from the Imperial Bloodline Clan, Todoroki came from the Coffin Altar Sect, and Daimaru was from the Desolate Clan. As for the Shinobu Naruto had just mentioned, he was also from the Imperial Bloodline Clan!

The Imperial Bloodline Clan was the number one clan in the Northern Reaches!

And Shinobu was the Imperial Son of the Imperial Bloodline Clan!

His cultivation base was only at the First Severing level, but as far as his position went, he could be considered one of the top figures in the entire Northern Reaches.

"You know Shinobu?" asked Daimaru, his pupils constricting. His Desolate Clan was an auxiliary branch of the Imperial Bloodline Clan, so although he had a high cultivation base, whenever he heard the name Shinobu, he had no choice but to lower his head and voice greetings to the young Lord.

"He owes me 9,000,000 spirit stones!" said Naruto with a cold snort. "How could I not know him?!" He casually opened his bag of holding and pulled out a fistful of jade slips, which detailed the amount of spirit stones owed to him by the cultivators from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

"Royal owes me 8,000,000 spirit stones!

"Road owes me 7,800,000 spirit stones!

"Moonlight owes me 9,500,000 spirit stones!

"Sculptor owes me 11,000,000 spirit stones!

"And then there's someone named Weed, who owes me the most. 15,000,000 spirit stones!

"All of these people are from your Northern Reaches, right?"

Every single sentence spoken by Naruto caused the faces of the three Northern Reaches cultivators to flicker. That was especially true when the names Moonlight, Sculptor, and Weed were uttered. Even Zabuza gaped in shock.

Moonlight and Todoroki were from the same clan, and Sculptor was Daimaru's younger brother. As for Weed, he was a Chosen from the Imperial Bloodline Clan, with a position second only to Zabuza.

"How… how could they owe you so many spirit stones?!" bellowed Daimaru, his eyes wide. Unfortunately, the jade slips in Naruto's hands were imprinted with life essence aura. Due to the fluctuations of these auras that emanated from them, the three Northern Reaches cultivators could not doubt their authenticity, nor the identities of who they belonged to.

The surrounding members of the various sects and clans of the Southern Domain were even more shocked than the three Northern Reaches cultivators. They looked at Naruto with expressions of disbelief and astonishment.

This was especially true of the cultivators of the Blood Demon Sect and the Violet Fate Sect. They stared with gaping mouths.

"What did the Blood Prince do in the past?"

"He…. How did he get so many people to owe him so much?"

"Th-th-this…. I noticed that when he pulled out those jade slips just now, he only took out a few, the ones that belonged to the Northern Reaches cultivators. Could it be that the rest of the jade slips include people from the rest of the lands of Lands of Ninshu?!"

"The Blood Prince must have done a lot of business in the past!"

Daimaru's eyes were bloodshot, and he was filled with feeling of humiliation. Throwing his head back and roaring, he hefted his wolf-tooth club and charged toward Naruto.

"NONSENSE! I'm gonna smash you to death, fool!"

Naruto's eyes glittered brightly. As the hulking man bore down on him, he raised his hand up and pointed forward.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

Immediately, a blood-red vortex began to spin around the man. As the vortex rotated, an enormous blood-colored hand appeared that grabbed onto Daimaru. He struggled, but was absolutely incapable of doing anything to free himself. He could do nothing but cry out in rage and look around with confusion.

It only took a moment for him to realize that his fleshly body was rapidly withering, his Chakra and Blood pulsing out of him and speeding toward Naruto. As for Naruto, his fleshly body was rapidly becoming stronger.

Up to now, Naruto had not met anyone under Dao Seeking who could free themselves from the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

The scene didn't faze the Southern Domain cultivators at all. However, Todoroki of the Coffin Altar Sect from the Northern Reaches was completely shocked. His face flickered and his eyes went wide as he stared at Naruto.

Shocked, he began to pant, and any scorn which he had felt toward Naruto was now long since vanished. As far as he could tell, a magical technique like this was on the same level as Zabuza's Time magic.

"Inhuman! Just as inhuman as Zabuza!"

Zabuza of the Imperial Bloodline Clan was also staring with a strange light in his eyes, and a slight smile on his face. Inwardly, the desire to do battle was growing stronger. "If that's how it is, he might be worthy of going up against me!"

Inside the Blood Demon Grand Magic, Daimaru's fleshly body was withering rapidly. Horror and astonishment filled his heart, and he was completely terrified of Naruto.

"Dammit! You're just as inhuman as Zabuza!" he roared. He clenched his teeth and then slapped his bag of holding to produce a crystalline magical talisman.

The magical talisman glittered brightly; this was a life-saving treasure given to him by his clan before leaving for the Southern Domain. He never imagined that he would have to use it after making his first appearance. However, facing this deadly crisis, he ignored any consternation and instantly smashed it between his fingers.

The instant the magical talisman was smashed, a stream of Dao Seeking power descended. The intensity of the power caused a tempest to spring up and slam toward the blood-colored vortex.

Rumbling filled the air as the Dao Seeking power descended. The blood-colored vortex trembled, and Daimaru, taking advantage of the surge of power, burst out. However, in that exact moment, Naruto gave a cold snort and waved his finger.

"Wither!"

Instantly, the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao that Naruto had just come to understand, sprang into action.

The single character transformed into a natural law of Heaven and Earth, replacing what currently existed. A will of Heaven and Earth descended. In the blink of an eye… the air transformed, and distortions appeared.

Daimaru let out a miserable shriek as his body once again began to wither. This time, the withering was not limited to his fleshly body. His cultivation base withered, his life force withered, everything withered.

Sensing his death approaching, Daimaru looked toward Zabuza, who hovered off in the distance, his eyes glittering. "Zabuza, save me!"

Zabuza lifted a hand and pointed out. "Reverse!"

As soon as he uttered the single character, the air distorted, and transformations of Time appeared around Daimaru. It almost seemed as if time were being forced to run in reverse, initiating an abstract struggle against the power of Naruto's 'withering' character.

One moment, Daimaru's body was almost completely withered; in the next, it had been completely restored. The sort of pain caused by going back and forth between these states made Daimaru intermittently issue bloodcurdling screams.

The entire process lasted for the space of three breaths.

However, to Daimaru, those three breaths were like three lifetimes.

In the end, there was a boom, and Naruto backed up four measures. The 'withering' character and the Blood Demon Grand Magic collapsed. Zabuza fell back three measures, his face flickering. His secret art of Time magic also vanished.

Between them was Daimaru, his body half-withered. He was now bony and thin, but not dead. He had managed to scrape by with his life. Aghast, he shot toward Zabuza, his terror regarding Naruto having reached a pinnacle.

As far as the struggle between Naruto and Zabuza, it was hard to say who won and who lost. However, it seemed clear that Zabuza was a bit more powerful.

And yet, even as Naruto backed up, he reached up with his left hand and slapped the 300-meter long black-colored claw. Immediately, the treasure was sucked into his bag of holding. The six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs appeared behind him, having finished gathering up a large assortment of various items.

As for the surrounding crowds from the Southern Domain, they were all panting.

"He's gotten stronger again!"

"Naruto only had a little flash of enlightenment, but his magical techniques actually advanced again. Dammit… He could already display Dao Seeking power, but now… if a Dao Seeking expert doesn't appear, who could possibly suppress him?!"

"Naruto!"

Dao Child Todoroki from the Northern Reaches' Coffin Altar Sect looked at Naruto with astonishment. He was well familiar with Zabuza's reputation. He wasn't just famous in the Northern Reaches; he was also well-known in the Eastern Lands.

If he weren't, how could he receive the honor of being deemed one of the four great Young Starlords of Lands of Ninshu?!

Starlord was an honorific title in the lands of Lands of Ninshu to refer to the four strongest people in the Spirit Severing stage.

"He was able to fight Zabuza and even make him retreat three paces! This Naruto is too powerful!"

Zabuza gazed at Naruto, and within his eyes the desire to do battle grew even stronger. He raised his right hand, and the air in the area distorted. A pulse of Dao Seeking power began to descend.

"I'm not in Dao Seeking," he announced, "I'm only at the Second Severing level. However, I can enter the Third Severing at any time. It's just that my Dao still requires refinement, so I haven't performed it yet.

"Today, you will be the whetstone to sharpen my blade!" By this time, his desire to fight was raging to the heavens. He took a step forward.

However, even as his foot descended, the lake beneath him suddenly began to rumble. The water began to shrink down, as if… another eruption were about to occur!

"A second eruption!"

"Heavens! The 30,000-meter main lake is going to erupt a second time! What… what exactly does this mean?!"

"It's actually going to erupt a second time!"

The lands of the region of the Ancient Dao Lakes sank down once again into a concave shape, almost as if it were inhaling.

The sight of it instantly caused the hundreds of thousands of cultivators on the outside to gape with wide eyes and reeling minds.

"A second… a second eruption!"

"When the 30-meter Dao Lakes erupt a second time, there's a good chance that treasured items will appear. It's the same with the 300-meter lakes. For the 3,000 meter lakes… there's no need to even mention that. But this is actually… a second eruption of the 30,000 meter lake!"

"It's going to spit out a precious treasure! It will definitely be a precious treasure!"

"It will definitely exceed everything from before! A… precious treasure!" If the cultivators on the outside were aware of such things, then one can only imagine the understanding of the people above the lake itself.

Even Zabuza's mind trembled. Abandoning any thoughts of fighting Naruto, he looked down at the Dao Lake, his heart quivering.

The teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect stared down at the Dao Lake with glittering eyes, and began to breathe heavily. "Don't tell me… that sword wasn't the good fortune. Is this… the real good fortune?!"

A strange gleam appeared in the eyes of the Golden Frost Sect puppet. The Golden Frost Sect cultivators inside had already acquired a treasure, and planned to leave, but seeing the new development caused them to collectively change their minds and resolve to make one last gamble.

Reverend Withered-Dao stared in astonishment and stood there mutely, while the Nadeshiko Clan cultivators unleashed their auras. As for the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch, he wiped the blood from his mouth and glared about with wild eyes. He had been defeated earlier, but this time he was willing to pay any price to steal something away.

Daimaru grumbled inwardly. He was currently weak, and not in a condition to be fighting. Next to him, Todoroki's eyes began to shine brightly.

It was then that more rumbling could be heard. The second eruption of the Dao Lake would begin momentarily. The lake water began to boil, and it seemed a huge blast was imminent.

Just when the lake was about to erupt… all of a sudden, Naruto flickered and shot toward the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch.

"Dammit!" The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch's face fell, and he retreated at top speed. The other Shimura Clan members behind him all had similar reactions.

"Lunatic! Madman! The second eruption is about to begin and you still think you have time to try to kill us?!"

"Naruto, what are you doing!?"

"You crossed the 30,000-meter line, so I'm going to kill you," responded Naruto coolly. He had never had a good impression of the Shimura Clan. Whether it was Kabuto that year in the Blood Immortal Tournament, or the overbearing way that the Shimura Clan cultivators forced him into a corner outside the rebirth cave, they all caused Naruto's killing intent to rise.

Currently, the Chakra and Blood in his body was bursting with vigor. After having absorbed Daimaru's fleshly body, he was ready to explode out with power at any moment. He moved forward with incredible speed, and as he neared, waved a sleeve.

Immediately, a gigantic hand magically appeared, which emanated a Dao Seeking aura as it shot toward the Shimura Clan members.

Surrounding cultivators watched on but did not interfere. The eruption was imminent, and they were more concerned with what treasures would appear.

BOOM!

Five people, including the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch, all spit out blood and tumbled backward. They were just about to employ teleportation talismans to leave, when Naruto pointed a finger toward them.

The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared. A blood-colored vortex began to spin around them. The 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch and the others could only watch on in shock.

"NO!"

"Naruto, let us go! Give us a chance!"

"We'll leave immediately! IMMEDIATELY!"

"Did you give me a chance at the Rebirth Cave that year?" responded Naruto coolly. The blood-colored vortex began to absorb them, and miserable screams rang out. The bodies of all five, including the 19th Shimura Clan Patriarch, rapidly withered. Massive amounts of Chakra and Blood power flew toward Naruto.

As that happened, Naruto's fleshly body became even more powerful.

A Dao Seeking aura exploded out, followed by bloodcurdling screams as the Shimura Clan cultivators' bodies turned into skeletons. As the skeletons shattered into dust, their Nascent Divinities flew out and tried to escape. Naruto waved his arm in response.

Wither!

A wind suddenly kicked up, and the five Nascent Divinities trembled for a moment, and then began to wither and dry up. It took only a moment for the five Shimura Clan cultivators to be dead in body and soul.

"It's too bad I haven't entered the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, otherwise I could use the Spirit Meridians stratum!" Even as Naruto sensed the ripples of strength inside his fleshly body, a massive roaring sound filled the air.

Down below, the 30,000-meter Dao Lake was beginning to erupt!

The second eruption!

All eyes came to be fixed on the lake down below, and the boundless lake water rising up into the air. There was only one person who wasn't looking at the lake.

Naruto's eyes flickered over to Dao Child Todoroki of the Coffin Altar Sect. After a quick glance, he headed directly in the man's direction.

Who would have ever thought that Naruto would actually attack Todoroki? Even Todoroki could scarcely believe it. After all, he had no enmity with Naruto.

Moving with incredible speed, Naruto punched out. A Dao Seeking aura surged out, and the air shattered as the fist sped toward Todoroki. Todoroki's energy surged; he performed an incantation and then shoved his hand out in front of him.

BOOM!

Blood sprayed from Todoroki's mouth, and he tumbled backward. Mind spinning, he roared, "What are you doing?!"

"I want the halo you took earlier and put into your bag of holding," said Naruto, advancing toward him.

"Dammit! DAMMIT!" Todoroki was just about to retreat when suddenly the eruption of the Dao Lake grew more intense. A bright glow appeared within the water, as if treasured items were about to appear.

By this point, nobody was paying attention to Naruto and Todoroki, although they remained on guard. Virtually all attention was focused on the Dao Lake below.

Naruto punched again, and a shocking rumble sounded out. Todoroki's face paled as he tumbled back. He performed an incantation gesture that caused his body to distort and grow blurry, but he was still just as incapable of fighting back. More blood sprayed from his mouth.

"Too powerful! I'm simply not a match for him!" Todoroki's face was ashen. The timing of Naruto's attack couldn't be worse for him. Right now, teleportation was impossible; it only worked after the eruption had begun.

"It's going to erupt any moment now," he thought, clenching his teeth. "There's no way that I can't hold on for just a few breaths worth of time!"

Naruto's expression was cold. The reason he had attacked the Shimura Clan cultivators was to absorb their Chakra and Blood, which he planned to then use to snatch away treasures that others had already collected.

There was no enmity between him and Todoroki. However, it was better to rob Northern Reaches cultivators than Southern Domain cultivators. That had nothing to do with any hatred between them, but rather territorial allegiances.

Of course, this was a line of reasoning that Todoroki wouldn't be able to understand.

"Give me the halo, or you die!" said Naruto, shooting in pursuit. The rumbling of the Dao Lake grew even more intense; the waters were boiling, and had sunken down so low that it appeared the eruption would occur in the next breath.

"Hold on!" thought Todoroki, gritting his teeth tightly. "Just hold on a few more breaths!" His face flickering, he retreated with all the speed he could muster."

"You really are looking to die!" Naruto said with a cold snort. He waved his hand, causing the Ninth Mountain to appear, around which swirled the Black White Pearls. As it descended toward Todoroki, Todoroki's face filled with intense astonishment. He wanted to struggle, but Naruto's fleshly body was already comparable to Dao Seeking. Naruto raised his right hand up, seemingly fusing it with the Ninth Mountain. An indescribable force of destruction then rumbled down.

CRUSHING!

An incredible sensation of deadly crisis filled Todoroki's heart. The sensation was intense to the extreme; Todoroki was absolutely certain that he was incapable of evading, and that if the mountain did strike him, he would be dead in body and spirit.

"Dammit!" He was a decisive person, so with a snarl, he produced the glowing, golden halo from his bag of holding and tossed it out. The instant that Naruto laid hands on it…

RUMMMBBBLLLEEE!

The Dao Lake erupted!

Endless amounts of lake water shot up into the air, within which could be seen, not vast quantities of treasures like the first time, but only one item!

It was an illusory object that shone with multitudinous colors, like a soul. It looked like a man, although the features were somewhat obscure. As soon as the soul shot out from within the lake water, the sky grew dark and the land below began to quake.

An unprecedented aura suddenly burst out, the intensity of which could suppress Spirit Severing and subdue Dao Seeking. This was….

Immortal!

An Immortal aura surged skyward.

Furthermore, it was not that of a false Immortal but rather… a true Immortal! The area surrounding the soul instantly changed; natural law spun and altered, as if this object's existence could substitute its own laws for what already existed.

"The soul of a true Immortal!" said the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect, his voice hoarse and his expression one of extreme excitement.

"True Immortal's soul!" said the Golden Frost Sect puppet, panting.

Reverend Withered-Dao, the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch and everyone else were completely shocked. Although they had all braced themselves mentally earlier and knew that the second eruption of the Dao Lake would produce a precious treasure, none of them had ever imagined that it would actually be… the soul of a true Immortal!

"To someone at the peak of Dao Seeking, absorbing the soul of a true Immortal would create an incredible opportunity to achieve true Immortal Ascension!"

"It's actually a true Immortal's soul!"

Not many people actually recognized what it was, especially among the hundreds of thousands of cultivators outside. However, the majority of the people above the 30,000-meter lake could tell what it was at a single glance.

Naruto's eyes glittered.

There were both true and false Immortals. True Immortals were people who were enlightened regarding a personal Dao, and after reaching the pinnacle, experienced Immortal Tribulation. Those who survived passed from Dao Seeking to Immortal Ascension!

On the other hand, false Immortals faced no Immortal Tribulation. They carved their name onto the Immortality Bestowal Dais of the Ninth Mountain, and were bestowed with Immortality. They had Immortal Chakra, but… could only be Immortals in the Ninth Mountain.

Such Immortals could not step foot outside of the Ninth Mountain. Furthermore, were the Immortality Bestowal Dais to be destroyed, they would all perish. After all… they were all Immortals of the Hebi Clan!

"Not good! The appearance of a true Immortal soul will definitely attract the attention of the peak Dao Seeking cultivators from the various sects and clans of the Southern Domain."

"This aura is extremely difficult to seal. It won't get out of the Southern Domain, but as of this moment, there are definitely people here who have already sensed it."

The Solitary Sword Sect teenager, the Golden Frost Sect puppet and Reverend Withered-Dao, as well as some of the other cultivators, all realized what this meant.

"Fight!"

"I have to get my hands on it as quickly as possible! Even if I can't use it, I can give it as a gift, and still be rewarded with incredible good fortune!"

"I have to have it! Anyone who fights me for it is dead!"

The teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect shot out, his eyes bloodshot. Everyone else in the area also shot forward with glowing eyes.

In the blink of an eye, everyone surged into motion, even Naruto.

Fight for the soul of the true Immortal!

They would fight to gain control of the true Immortal soul as soon as possible, before the peak Dao Seeking eccentrics arrived. This was Immortal destiny, the opportunity to become a true Immortal. When opportunities such as this came along, nothing else was important.

The only important thing… was the Immortal destiny!

BOOM!

Deep within Mount Solitary Sword of the Solitary Sword Sect in the Southern Domain, a rumbling could suddenly be heard. An ancient aura exploded out, causing the sky to go dark. An illusory sword appeared, floating in midair.

At the same time, an ancient old man in a black robe appeared out of nowhere. As he stood there, his peak Dao Seeking aura burst out, causing everything to tremble. He turned to look in the direction of the Ancient Dao Lakes.

"The soul of a true Immortal!" A glow of determination appeared in his eyes, and he suddenly vanished, disappearing in the direction of the Ancient Dao Lakes.

In a restricted area of the Golden Frost Sect could be seen a tombstone with nothing written on its surface. It looked ordinary and unremarkable. However an ancient aura of decay suddenly emerged from inside the tomb, and a dried-up hand stretched out. The ground cracked and shattered as an ancient figure with disheveled hair abruptly flew out.

"The soul of a true Immortal! That's the aura of a true Immortal's soul!" A bizarre glow appeared in the figure's eyes as it shot through the air.

Within the Violet Fate Sect, everything was still. A sigh rang out, and then the silence resumed.

A roar could be heard within the Shimura Clan. In the blink of an eye, an ancient man appeared. He wore a brightly brocaded robe, and had towering killing intent. He flew through the air in the direction of the Ancient Dao Lakes, accompanied by rumbling booms.

Deep in the Nadeshiko Clan, a half-corpse sat as still as death. Suddenly, its eyes opened, and they shone with a bizarre light.

"A true Immortal's soul! My chance to achieve Immortal Ascension has finally arrived! Flesh and blood suddenly appeared to fill out the lower half of his body. In the blink of an eye, he was a middle-aged man. He had no hair, and wore a long Daoist robe. He took a step forward and then vanished.

In the Black Sieve Sect, Patriarch Six-Daos could sense the same thing as everyone else. However, he hesitated, then let out a frustrated growl. "Dammit! My cultivation base has already dropped to the mid Dao Seeking stage. How could I hold my own in the fighting? Naruto! Blood Demon Sect! I won't rest until you're dead!"

Meanwhile, on a mountain in the border region between the Southern Domain and the Milky Way Sea was a hamlet populated by a hundred or so families.

Smoke curled up into the air, and crisp peals of laughter could be heard from children playing outside the village.

"Wheeee! You can't catch me, old man!"

"Grandpa, your hands are too dirty, don't try to grab me!"

"Try to catch me, old man! We're right here!"

The children were playing hide-and-seek with an old man. His hair was unkempt, and he looked a bit crazy. His clothes were dirty, and even his skin had splotches of mud on it. It looked like his long, draping hair hadn't been tended to in a very long time. The old man laughed foolishly as he chased the children back and forth, which made the children laugh merrily.

"Hahaha! I'm gonna getcha! I'm gonna catch ya! Hahaha! I have no soul! I'm gonna getcha! Naruto…. Who's Naruto…? Immortal Ascension, Immortal Ascension…." In the middle of running back and forth, the old man suddenly stopped in place, as if he had noticed something. A tremor ran through his body, and he looked off into the distance, his eyes listless.

"The soul of an Immortal…. A true Immortal's soul…. Who am I…? Who am I?

The old man grabbed his head in his hands. "Immortal Ascension! Immortal Ascension! I will become Immortal!"

He then lifted his head up and let out a disconsolate howl, filled with shocking ripples and Immortal Chakra. The amorphous ripples swept out in all directions.

The smiles on the faces of the children twisted, and then their bodies began to turn illusory. The entire hamlet twisted and distorted, and began to glow with glittering lights. The lights flew up into the air and then shot toward the old man, where they swirled together to form a heavy saber. The man gripped the saber in his hand and shot off into the distance.

The hamlet was never real, and neither were the people who lived there. They were all simply incarnations of the saber.

"Immortal Ascension! Immortal Ascension! I will become Immortal!" The old man continued to roar as he shot through the air. His expression was one of confusion, and his soul was incomplete.

Meanwhile, back in Mount Blood Demon, Patriarch Blood Demon sat in the Blood Pond. His eyes suddenly opened, and he was about to rise to his feet, then hesitated.

"No Karma or destiny connected to me," he said, shaking his head. He settled back down and continued to meditate.

Throughout the entire Southern Domain, all the great powers were shaken. A streak of colorful light shot out from the Western Desert. It was a black-robed young man who looked very similar to Naruto. His expression was grim as he sped through the air. If you looked at him from a distance, he resembled an enormous, black bat.

He shot toward the Ancient Dao Lakes at top speed.

"He's there…. I can sense him…."

As the Southern Domain was shocked, back in the inner region of the Ancient Dao Lakes, booms rang out across the 30,000-meter Dao Lake.

The battle for the True Immortal's soul was not something that ordinary Spirit Severing cultivators could participate in. Even someone of the Second Severing would have a hard time wresting away this good fortune without perishing.

Although the mere thought of the opportunity caused everyone's hearts to shake. After experiencing the fighting after the first eruption of the 30,000-meter Dao Lake, the Spirit Severing experts of the various sects and clans were left shaken. Therefore, they now hesitated, and many of them retreated from the fighting.

The six Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs were the first to fall back. Then, Sir Daikoko and the others from the Solitary Sword Sect. As for the Nadeshiko Clan, the Patriarch who had led them here finally gritted his teeth and departed.

Reverend Withered-Dao was the only one present from the Violet Fate Sect. A strange gleam appeared in his eyes and he hesitated for a moment, but in the end, chose to leave.

Booms rattled out, and violent pulses of magical energy spread through the air. Only a few people qualified to participate in this battle!

The mysterious teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect, the composite puppet from the Golden Frost Sect, Zabuza of the Imperial Bloodline Clan from the Northern Reaches, and lastly… Naruto!

Daimaru had been seriously injured by Naruto, and Todoroki from the Coffin Altar Sect had experienced having his pride completely destroyed. The two of them didn't dare to participate in the fighting, and retreated off to the side.

The booms were shocking. The mysterious teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect wielded the two-meter longsword. As he slashed it out in front of him, a dazzling, resplendent crescent moon exploded out, sending out shocking ripples.

In the battle for the true Immortal's soul, no one had any allies; everyone was an enemy. Therefore, no one dared to fight one-on-one with anyone else, but instead used divine abilities that were essentially area attacks.

Currently, the path to victory involved blocking the way of others.

"All of you get out of my way!" roared the Golden Frost Sect puppet. Brilliant light rose up from it, and it raised its hand and then swept it forward. A black mass of seawater magically appeared, within which surged numerous black dragons. Each of the black dragons spit out a pearl, which became a world that surged out in attack.

Zabuza of the Imperial Bloodline Clan let out a cold snort. He quickly performed an incantation gesture and then waved his finger. The air distorted, as if time were beginning to reverse. Everyone suddenly slowed down exponentially, and it seemed as if time were about to flow backward.

As for Zabuza, in a scant moment, he was closing in on the soul of the true Immortal.

And then there was Naruto. He didn't employ any special divine abilities. All he did was summon the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain, which then bore down directly onto the position of the true Immortal's soul.

The incoming Ninth Mountain caused Zabuza's face to flicker. A moment ago, he had been on the verge of reaching the true Immortal's soul, but now he was blocked.

The other powerful experts in the area were all attacking one by one. Everything rumbled, and for the moment, all of the cultivators were prevented from advancing toward the soul. It was in this moment that the teenager from the Solitary Sword Sect lifted his head up and roared. His body began to grow; in a split second, he had become a young man.

His aura grew explosively. Dao Seeking power rose up, and he was no longer in the Spirit Severing stage. Apparently, he had stepped into Dao Seeking. Natural law formed around him, and he advanced forward through the black seawater. He broke through Zabuza's time reversal and slammed into Naruto's Ninth Mountain.

A boom echoed out as the Solitary Sword Sect teenager lifted his hand and pointed. His natural law slammed into the Ninth Mountain and pierced it through. The man reached his hand out toward the true Immortal's soul.

"Dammit!"

"You're looking to die!"

"Kill him!"

Zabuza's face fell and he quickly performed a double-handed incantation, then pointed out. Immediately, a beam of light flew out, and the power of time reversal instantly appeared around the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect.

The Golden Frost Sect puppet roared and then waved a hand. Monstrous black light transformed into a black rain, which then coalesced into ten thousand howling dragons that shot toward the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect.

Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. He did not use any offensive magic, but instead, waved a finger to employ the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

It didn't matter that the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect had an early Dao Seeking cultivation base. The combined might of the three others was still enough to shake him. Zabuza's bizarre magic made it so that he was almost stuck in time. Naruto's shocking divine ability thoroughly bound him in place and weakened his cultivation base. Then the Golden Frost Sect puppet closed in with raging killing intent.

The combined attack of the three different parties caused the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect to go pale in the face. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he tumbled backward.

Zabuza was the first to make a move. Utilizing time reversal, he appeared next to the soul of the true Immortal, and was about to grab ahold of it when the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect roared. His sword raged, and ten thousand moons roared forth. They combined with the ten thousand snarling dragons of the Golden Frost Sect puppet and Naruto's irksome hex.

BOOM!

Zabuza couldn't hold up. His scalp went numb, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He had no time to grab the true Immortal's soul, and was forced into retreat.

In almost that exact same moment, Naruto and the Golden Frost Sect Puppet flew forward toward the true Immortal's soul. Their speed was shocking, and only a tiny instant passed before both were about to lay hands on it. The Golden Frost Sect puppet's eyes flickered, and ten thousand dragons roared toward Naruto. At the same time, the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect and Zabuza joined together to attack Naruto and the Golden Frost Sect puppet.

This was a battle royale, filled with strikes and counterstrikes of all sorts! If this continued, no one would be able to prevail. Furthermore, time was of the essence. They all knew that peak Dao Seeking experts were definitely approaching, and then none of them would be able to continue to participate in the fighting.

The Blood Demon Grand Magic was powerful, but Naruto wasn't confident that it could restrain all three of the others at the same time. If he missed even one, it would be difficult to fight that person while simultaneously maintaining the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

His eyes flickered as he saw the divine abilities nearing. He suddenly lifted his hand and clenched it into a fist. All of the power of Chakra and Blood that he had absorbed merged together in that fist, creating the most powerful blow he had ever delivered.

This punch was comparable to Dao Seeking!

However, what he attacked was not a person.

The fist struck out, and the air vibrated. The land shook, and a deafening sound filled the air. He punched a gigantic hole into the air itself, after which, a shocking gravitational force exploded out from within.

It seemed that, in order to repair itself, it needed to suck everything from the outside world into it. This was a part of a natural law. Behind the emptiness was the void.

The power of the gravitational force within the gap in the void was actually not very great. However, Naruto's strike contained Dao Seeking power. An incredible wind arose which, in combination with the gravitational force, caused the others to gasp in shock.

The young man from the Solitary Sword Sect looked astonished as he was helplessly sucked toward the gap. It was the same with the Golden Frost Sect puppet, and even Zabuza. In just a short moment, they were already nearing the rift.

Their expressions flashed again when Naruto, despite being as out of control as them, suddenly looked at them with flashing eyes.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

An enormous vortex suddenly appeared around Naruto, and a gigantic red hand wrapped around him. He was using the Blood Demon Grand Magic, not on one of them, but on himself.

He was using the power of the red vortex to fight against the gravitational force coming from the gap.

A rumbling sound could be heard as Naruto instantly came to a stop. Everyone could see that, of the group, he was the closest to the soul of the true Immortal!

Fighting against the power of the gravitational force, he used the power of his fleshly body to shrug off the attacks from the Solitary Sword Sect teenager and Zabuza, as well as the Golden Frost Sect puppet's divine ability. After coughing up some blood, he stretched his hand out and grabbed the soul of the true Immortal!

"Dammit!"

"Naruto, are you looking to die?!"

"Naruto!"

As soon as he touched it, a rumbling filled his mind. At the same time, the soul of the true Immortal began to shrink. It took only a moment for it to transform into a crystal, which Naruto closed his fingers around.

"Got it!" he thought. His eyes glittered, and he prepared to teleport away.

However, it was in that instant that the 30,000-meter Dao Lake down below suddenly emitted an astonishing rumbling sound. At the same time, the lake water transformed into an enormous whirlpool that pulsed with an incredible gravitational force.

This intense gravitational force instantly superseded the gravitational force from the fissure in the air. Immediately, the Golden Frost Sect puppet broke into pieces, reverting to the five cultivators from the Golden Frost Sect. Their bodies were completely beyond their control, and they let out miserable screams as they were sucked down into the Dao Lake below.

Next were the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect and Zabuza, whose faces instantly fell. The young man from the Solitary Sword Sect immediately crushed a jade slip. His body began to fade with the power of teleportation. However, it was not powerful enough, and he too was sucked down into the Dao Lake.

The power of Time immediately began to ripple around Zabuza as he attempted to reverse the flow of time. However, after a single breath of time, the distortions shattered; time was incapable of being reversed. He was transformed into a streak of light and sucked down into the Dao Lake.

Naruto was the last person remaining. The Blood Demon Grand Magic remained, but it was trembling violently. Naruto's mind reeled as he fought to free himself from the gravitational force. However, he was only able to hold out for the space of three breaths before cracking sounds could be heard from the Blood Demon Grand Magic and the enormous hand. They shattered, and Naruto was violently dragged down into the Dao Lake.

Almost in the same moment that they were sucked down into the 30,000-meter Dao Lake, two beams of light appeared far off in the distance. It took only one breath of time for two old men to suddenly appear above the lake.

"Dammit!"

One of them immediately gestured down toward the lake, but not even a single ripple spread out across its surface. At the same time, more beams of light approached from all directions, closing in on the same position. These were all the peak Dao Seeking eccentrics who had sensed the soul of the true Immortal.

All of them were just a moment too late. However, they wouldn't give up that easily. They joined forces to attack the lake, after which they guarded it, observing it for a long time. When they were finally convinced that they couldn't get inside, they left, sighing with regret.

It was at that point that the Ancient Dao Lakes were finally restored to peace and quiet.

As for Naruto and the others, they were considered missing. Of course, the fact that Naruto ended up obtaining the soul of the true Immortal was something that couldn't be kept under wraps. After all, Spirit Severing experts from all the clans and sects had witnessed the event personally.

More and more people across the Southern Domain learned of the matter, and the various eccentrics of the sects and clans nearly went mad. They even joined forces to perform auguries which revealed that Naruto was, in fact, not dead. A furious search then unfolded across the entire Southern Domain.

If Naruto appeared, then the sects would surely find out immediately. Of course, the Blood Demon Sect didn't agree to all of that. As such, random skirmishes between sects became common in the lands of the Southern Domain.

The entire Southern Domain was slipping into chaos. Rogue cultivators feared for their lives; although there was no formal declaration of war, minor battles and fights were a common occurrence.

As for Naruto, after he was sucked down into the Dao Lake with the others, he entered what seemed like a tunnel, and then lost consciousness. He was sucked along for an indeterminable period of time before an incredible roaring sound suddenly shook him awake.

When he came to, he found himself in mid-air. Above was not a sky, but rather a boundless solid surface inlaid with infinite shining pearls that lit the entire area as brightly as day.

Interspersed among the pearls were the mouths of tunnels, virtually endless. As soon as he saw them, Naruto could guess that he had dropped out of just such an opening.

"What is this place…?" he thought, his mind trembling. As he looked around, his eyes instantly went wide and his face filled with shock.

He was… not in the Ancient Dao Lakes!

He was surrounded by endless ruins, the sheer enormity of which was difficult to describe. Wreckage and corpses stretched out in all directions, some of them half-buried. From the look of it, there were even more ruins that were completely buried beneath the ground.

It seemed as if this place was filled with layers of ruins that had built up over countless years of time.

There were also mountains visible!

The mountains were not true mountains, but rather, enormous collections of magical items, medicinal pills and even corpses. There were tens of thousands of such mountains scattered about everywhere. The sight was completely shocking.

Even more shocking was that in the middle of the tens of thousands of mountains floated an enormous portal of flames.

The bright red flames of the portal shot up high into the sky, causing the entire world to be filled with the color of its fire.

Up above in the air flew vicious winged creatures which were too numerous to count. Their bodies were completely violet, and they carried armfuls of magical items that they tossed into the portal's flames, which then burned them to absolutely nothing.

Apparently, the magical items provided some sort of power, which caused magical symbols to occasionally appear on the flame portal. Every time the magical symbols flickered, a sea of flames would roil out.

Beneath the flame portal was a gigantic awl, fully 30,000 meters long. It was bright crimson, and was suspended in midair to point down toward a 3,000-meter wide abyss.

There were a few of the winged beasts who glowed with a silver light. They seemed as if they were in a position of great authority, and carried whips, which they used to lash the others. There were also some golden-colored beasts who lay prone near the flame portal, apparently asleep.

In addition to all that, there were also a variety of strange beasts going to and fro on foot. They emanated shocking auras as they made their way among the ruins, carrying all sorts of objects.

They carried corpses, magical items, spirit stones, and other wreckage.

Almost in the same moment that Naruto saw them, the denizens of this place seemed to notice him. They all stopped moving and suddenly looked in his direction.

Countless gazes came to fall on him, causing his scalp to go numb.

Naruto had actually seen the violet, winged, humanoid beasts being spit out from the Dao Lakes in the outside world. Each and every one he saw now was similar to the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, and there were even some who had Spirit Severing auras.

As for the silver-colored beasts, each and every one…. was a Spirit Severing beast! There were even some who had Dao Seeking auras, nearly two hundred of them.

Most shocking of all… were the gold-colored beasts that lay prone by the flame portal. There were eleven in total.

From what Naruto could sense, the golden-colored beasts all had Dao Seeking power.

One of them was a violet-gold color, and Naruto could tell that it was even more powerful, at the peak of Dao Seeking.

It was even above Patriarch Six-Daos and Madara.

As for the beasts who walked about on foot on land, they were a bit weaker. Even still, the vast quantity of the beasts was in and of itself enough to fill Naruto with a sense of deadly crisis.

"What is this place?!" he thought, his scalp tingling. As he saw the beasts turning to look at him, he felt as if he were standing under the shadow of death. If the golden-colored beasts weren't there, it wouldn't have been so bad. But with them present, the threat Naruto sensed was just far too great.

Worst of all, there was a deep-gold-colored beast sitting in the middle of the fire portal. Naruto could sense an even more terrifying aura, the aura of an Immortal!

It was at this point that the gold-colored beasts laying prone around the flame portal all began to open their eyes. They stared over at Naruto with cold gazes. At the same time, the deep-gold-colored beast looked at Naruto, and he immediately felt as if he was being sealed in place.

"That thing is far more powerful than Madara!" thought Naruto. "If Six-Daos were here, he wouldn't be close to being a match.

"What kind of beast is this? I can't believe this underground world has such shocking beasts in it. Or perhaps… they're Demons?" His face flickered, and he edged backward. However, it was then that he suddenly saw a person pop out from one of the tunnel mouths up above.

It was none other than Zabuza!

The instant he appeared, he looked around, and his face flickered.

After him came the young man from the Solitary Sword sect, and then the five Golden Frost Sect cultivators.

When he realized the order in which they emerged, Naruto's eyes glittered.

"I was the last to be sucked in, but the first to be dropped out," he thought. "The five Golden Frost Sect Spirit Severing cultivators were the first to be sucked in, and the last to drop out."

When the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect and the five Golden Frost Sect cultivators saw the lands around them, their faces also fell.

All eight of the cultivators backed up, fearful of offending the terrifying beasts and provoking an attack.

"Foreigners!" an ancient voice said. It echoed out through the entire world, from none other than the most powerful of the beasts, the deep-gold-colored one that sat in the flame portal.

It flew up into the air and suddenly began to grow larger. In a brief moment, it was 300 meters long, and it appeared to be the overseer of the place.

"You are the second group of foreigners to arrive during this era…"

"In accordance with the ancient treaty, you may take part in the life-or-death trial by fire here. If you succeed… then according to the ancient charter, you may acquire treasures from this place.

"If you fail, then this place shall be your grave!

"There are three levels, and by passing the second level, you earn the right to leave if you wish.

"If you make it past the third level, you can enter the land that has been guarded by my clan from generation to generation. There… you can acquire the ultimate good fortune.

"That good fortune is the Divine Flame Essence, the most supreme flame that exists in Heaven and Earth. Even the tiniest spark of that flame can burn an Immortal to death!

"In this age, you are the second group to enter this place. As for the first group, it consisted of nineteen people in total. Of that group, two made it through the second level. One left, and the other died in the third level."

As the voice echoed out, Naruto's mind trembled, and he stopped in his tracks. The young man from the Solitary Sword Sect, as well as Zabuza, both had strange gleams in their eyes. As for the five Patriarchs from the Golden Frost Sect, their eyes were glittering brightly.

"You of this second group are quite powerful, more powerful than the first group…."

One of the old men from the Golden Frost Sect hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "Can we decline to participate in the life-or-death trial by fire?"

As soon as the words left the man's mouth, the deep-gold overseer's eyes flickered and it looked over at the old man. "What was that?!"

The old man immediately began to quiver, as if his cultivation base had suddenly become unstable.

A look of scorn appeared in the eyes of the deep-gold overseer. "Once you come to this place," it said coolly, "you must participate! If you choose to quit… you die! Those were the terms of the ancient treaty. Our clan gave its approval, so the agreement will not be changed!

"Once you pass the second level, then you may choose to depart!

"The first level, is none other than our current location!

"You will battle with my fellow clan members. If you can enter the flame portal, then it signifies that you have passed the first level!" The deep-gold overseer's voice echoed out in all directions.

Zabuza's eyes glittered and he cautiously said, "Senior, you're at the peak of Dao Seeking! How can we compare to you?"

"I will not participate," was the calm reply. "Furthermore, only one of my gold-colored fellow clan members will join the battle."

The golden-armored man from the Golden Frost Sect immediately asked, "Do we fight one at a time, or can we go together?"

"One at a time. One person, one level. You will have three chances to get past a level. If you lose on your third chance, you die!"

Next to speak was the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect. "What if we kill too many of your people, and then you regret letting us fight?"

"Kill too many?" The deep-gold overseer laughed heartily. "Our clan descended from the Undying Divinity Clan. Do you really think you can kill us?" As his voice echoed out, black flames sprang up from the bodies of the beasts down below. As soon as the fire appeared, the level of their auras shot upward!

The explosive growth was terrifying; many of the violet-colored beasts, which were at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, actually completely exceeded the limits of the Nascent Soul stage and stepped directly into Spirit Severing.

As for the silver-colored beasts, their energy also shot up.

"Fine. I, Daichi, will be the first to go," said the young man from the Solitary Sword Sect. He lifted his right hand, causing the two-meter longsword to appear, as well as the nine one-meter shortswords that circulated around it. The energy that surged out was that of the early Dao Seeking stage. The young man's eyes flickered as he shot forward.

The instant he charged forward, the violet-colored beasts began to fly toward him one after another. Booms rang out without cease as Daichi of the Solitary Sword Sect shot forward with incredible speed, slaughtering the entire way. However, his expression soon began to flicker; the violet-colored beasts were extremely valiant. When they were injured, the flames that covered them would heal their wounds in a flash.

However, Daichi was also incredibly valiant. As he fought his way on, silver-colored beasts appeared. He fought his way onward until he was about 1,000 meters from the flame portal. It was at that point that that he fell, surrounded by a group of twenty silver-colored beasts. With a miserable shriek, he retreated back to his original position.

"1,000 meters. Your first attempt has failed," stated the deep-gold overseer in a cool voice. "Although, the fact that you were able to retreat in one piece is quite an accomplishment. You have the potential to make it past the first level."

The expressions of Naruto and the others sank when they saw the incredible power of the beasts' fleshly bodies. They didn't seem to possess any divine abilities or magical techniques, but their physical might really was too powerful, to the point that they seemed virtually unkillable. Furthermore, after being injured, their flames would immediately heal them.

Zabuza's eyes flickered, and he suddenly strode forward. He was a powerful expert from the Northern Reaches who wielded the power of Time and Space, and possessed no scant amount of life-saving treasures. In the Spirit Severing stage, he had already slaughtered experts of the early Dao Seeking stage.

He immediately transformed into a streak of light that charged forward, surrounded by distortions of space-time. As he proceeded along, it almost seemed as if the beasts were incapable of even touching him. Every blow landed on thin air.

Daichi's pupils constricted, and unsightly expressions could be seen on the faces of the five men from the Golden Frost Sect. As for Naruto, his eyes began to shine brightly.

"Eee?!" said the deep-gold overseer, its expression one of surprise as it watched Zabuza. "A master of the secret arts of Time, with your own Dao. Excellent. You are qualified to match up to the two members of that first group of foreigners who entered here."

Boom!

Zabuza slaughtered his way on, passing the 1,500-meter mark, where he was immediately surrounded by twenty silver-colored beasts. When that happened, he began to sweat, but still managed to kill his way more than 500 meters further. By now, he was only about 500 meters away from the flame portal. Daichi from the Solitary Sword Sect had a very unsightly expression on his face.

"Is this really my limit…?" Zabuza's eyes were shot with blood as he performed an incantation with his right hand and then pointed up into the sky.

"River of Time!" he cried. Immediately, countless sparkling lights appeared around him, which transformed into a river that stretched out far and wide. The twenty silver-colored beasts had no choice but to fall back. Zabuza charged forward 250 meters. He was now only 250 meters away from the flame portal!

The deep-gold overseer up in mid-air watched on with a strange gleam in its eyes.

It was at this point that a gold-colored beast suddenly rose to its feet. It shot with incredible speed toward Zabuza, and when the two met, a huge boom rose up into the sky. Blood sprayed from Zabuza's mouth, but his expression was one of savagery as he backed up and slapped his bag of holding. Immediately, a black dragon corpse appeared.

This black dragon corpse was none other than the one he had procured during the eruption of the Dao Lake.

"Time Reversal, Resurrection!" Blue veins popped out on Zabuza's forehead, and he suddenly seemed to age by ten years. The River of Time exploded into countless colorful lights which then inundated the black dragon.

It was now possible to see the dragon apparently returning to life from the dead. Its eyes suddenly snapped open, and a shocking aura roiled out which contained the power of an Immortal!

The power exploded out for only a moment. Then it vanished, and the dragon was once again dead.

But that one moment was shocking to the extreme!

Daichi of the Solitary Sword Sect gasped, and a look of astonishment could be seen in his eyes. How could he have imagined that Zabuza… would have such an amazing secret art?!

The five men from the Golden Frost Sect all looked shocked, and their minds were filled with roaring. A secret art like the one they had just seen was unbelievable!

Naruto's eyes widened. Earlier, he had been able to sense that Zabuza was powerful, but now he realized… Zabuza was even more powerful than he had imagined!

"However, he was only barely able to use that secret art!" he thought. Suddenly, the same desire to do battle that he had seen in Zabuza's eyes now appeared in his own. "I wonder who between the two of us… is stronger!?"

Surrounded by the beast horde, Zabuza's secret art unleashed the explosive power of the dragon, which turned into an incredible attack that shot toward the gold-colored beast. The gold-colored beast's face fell, and it wanted to flee, but before it could, the attack slammed into it with a boom, shredding its flesh into ribbons. It let out a miserable scream and fell back at high speed. Flames burst out, rapidly healing the wounds.

It didn't die, but it was forced into retreat. That gave Zabuza the opportunity he needed. Coughing up blood, he shot forward at top speed, crossing the final 250 meters and stepping up into the flame portal.

He coughed up some more blood, then waved his hand to collect up the black dragon corpse.

"What an incredible cultivator!" said the deep-gold overseer, an expression of admiration on its face. "To have passed the first level in one attempt… you may proceed to the second level. I look forward to seeing how you perform there. After passing the second level, you will acquire a precious treasure from our clan.

"When your secret Time art has reached its pinnacle, you can bring dead things back to life. Unfortunately, your cultivation base is too weak. If you can achieve true Immortal Ascension, and then utilize that art… you can resurrect that Nightmare Dragon to aid you for an entire battle!"

"There's no need to wait to be a true Immortal!" said Zabuza coolly, wiping the blood from his lips. "The day I reach the peak of Dao Seeking, I can resurrect it to use in battle!" He turned to look back toward Naruto who was standing 3,000 meters away.

His gaze passed through the hordes of beasts to lock with Naruto's.

"Naruto, can you pass through?" he asked coolly. "Don't disappoint me, now." With that, he turned, paying Naruto no more heed as he stepped into the fire portal. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

"Your turn," said the deep-gold overseer, his gaze sweeping over Naruto and the others. "If you're not confident, you can wait here until you are.

"Time means nothing to us. If you wish to practice cultivation here for a few thousand years before you try to charge through, you may.

"Normally speaking, it's quite lonesome here. Now that I've been able to lay eyes on you foreigners, I feel… it would be a shame to see you die here.

"However, if you fail three times in a row, then I will personally slay you. And of course, there is always the possibility that you will be killed trying to break through."

Naruto's eyes glittered.

"Thousands of years…? I can't wait at all. Elder Sister Hinata won't even stay alive for another ninety-nine years. I need to spend this life with her, not end up getting stuck in this place!" His eyes shone with coldness as he stepped forward, transforming into a beam of light that shot toward the beast hordes.

This time, it was the Solitary Sword Sect's Daichi whose eyes were fixed on Naruto as he shot forward.

"I always thought Naruto was the most inhuman cultivator I'd ever seen. I never imagined that Zabuza would be even more shocking… Although, it took a bit of effort for Zabuza to pass the level. This Naruto… won't be able to make it across."

The five Golden Frost Sect cultivators were looking on with unsightly expressions. If they joined forces, they might have a chance. But alone, none of the five had any confidence at all.

To them, this place was a dead end. After seeing Daichi suffer defeat, and then seeing Zabuza succeed, they were filled with many complex emotions. At the moment, they were watching Naruto.

Naruto shot forward with incredible speed, smashing into the beast horde with a bang.

Immediately, countless violet-colored humanoid beasts surrounded him with flapping wings. All he could see was a mass of violet.

Of the 3,000 meters to the flame portal, the first 1,500 meters were firmly occupied by the violet-colored beasts. Only after passing through that region would they stand down. The silver-colored beasts made their move at the 1,000-meter mark, which was where Daichi of the Solitary Sword Sect had been defeated.

If one could pass the silver-colored beasts, the next challenge was a gold-colored beast.

Naruto's eyes glittered. He didn't have time to waste here, so he immediately went on the offensive. The Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain rumbled out. As the Ninth Mountain descended, with the Black White Pearls circulating around it, everything trembled. The air vibrated, and multiple layers of ripples expanded out, transforming into an astonishing pressure that weighed down on everything.

The intense pressure was like a wall that crashed into the violet-colored beasts. As Naruto charged forward, they tumbled back, howling. Even the most outstanding of the violet-colored beasts were incapable of even getting close to Naruto before being smashed backward.

250 meters. 500 meters. 750 meters. 1,000 meters….

Within in the space of only a few breaths of time, Naruto proceeded forward as if he were walking along a paved path. He quickly reached the 1,500 meter mark, with the violet-colored beasts left behind in the dust. They glared at him, but didn't pursue or attack him any further.

Up ahead was a glittering, silver glow, which was a silver-colored beast. It shot forward with a ferocious expression and incredible speed. Its power seemed equivalent to the Second Severing.

Naruto gave a cold snort as he waved his right hand. The Ninth Mountain arrived, crushing the silver-colored beast. It let out a miserable howl as its body began to fall apart. However, the flames leaped out and quickly restored it.

Naruto quickly advanced by about 250 meters, putting him only 1,250 meters away from the flame portal.

It was then that six more silver-colored beasts joined the beast from earlier. Seven total, five with Second Severing cultivation bases, and two with Third Severing cultivation bases, charged toward Naruto.

"Crushing time!" Naruto advanced, waving his right finger. The Ninth Mountain grew in size, rumbling as it crushed down onto the seven silver-colored beasts.

Naruto charged onward. He was now only 500 meters away from the flame portal.

At this point, more than ten silver-colored beasts attacked him furiously. Booms rang out from the Ninth Mountain as the seven silver-colored beasts being suppressed burst out from within, their bodies wreathed in flames. They joined in to completely surround Naruto.

The five men from the Golden Frost Sect were watching intently as all of this happened. Off to the side, Daichi's eyes glittered. Naruto was now in the same position he had been when in when he suffered defeat. "That Zabuza is inhuman!" he thought. "Naruto might be powerful, but if he thinks he can get any farther, well, that's impossible!"

The deep-gold overseer up in mid-air was also watching the proceedings closely, and thought, "He's definitely going to be defeated."

However, it was then that Naruto's right hand flashed with an incantation gesture, and he waved his sleeve.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

Rumbling could be heard as a gigantic vortex formed, enveloping the roughly twenty silver-colored beasts. At the same time, an enormous blood-colored hand appeared, which firmly grasped the beasts.

"Chakra and Blood stratum!" roared Naruto. The more than twenty silver-colored beasts began to tremble, and expressions of astonishment could be seen on their faces. Their bodies began to wither rapidly as vast quantities of Chakra and Blood shot toward Naruto.

A tremor ran through him. The Chakra and Blood was incredibly powerful, and in an instant his body had already reached the limit that Spirit Severing could accommodate.

The more than twenty silver-colored beasts struggled violently, to the point that the vortex seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. Apparently, the limit of the second level of Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic had been reached.

Daichi's eyes glittered. "He's going to be defeated!"

The five members of the Golden Frost Sect sighed. If Naruto couldn't get past the first level, then there was no hope at all for them.

Up in mid-air, the deep-gold overseer eyed Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic, and its expression flickered, but then quickly returned to normal.

Currently, the more than twenty silver-colored beasts were struggling and roaring so violently that the vortex couldn't handle it. Cracking sounds could be heard, and rifts spread out. However, Naruto then pointed his finger and cried, "Wither!"

The 'withering' character from the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao caused the silver-colored beasts' bodies to tremble. Their fleshly bodies began to wither even more rapidly, and their cultivation bases were instantly suppressed. Even their life forces showed signs of withering.

Because of their weakening, the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex was no longer under the strain it had been. It once again rumbled into motion. From a distance, the vortex was incredibly huge and shocking.

Boom!

Even denser streams of Chakra and Blood poured from the vortex to be absorbed by Naruto. He trembled violently as his fleshly body suddenly burst out of the Spirit Severing stage and into Dao Seeking.

The more than twenty silver-colored beasts were withering rapidly, and seemed to be just on the verge of death. Flames appeared to restore their bodies, but their power was sucked away by Naruto even as the restoration occurred.

It was a cycle that became like a wellspring of power for Naruto. It was almost as if he could continue to grow stronger… forever!

Early Dao Seeking. Mid Dao Seeking….

He lifted his head up and roared as he felt an unprecedented level of power coursing through him. Along with this incredible fleshly body power came an increased self-confidence.

This was the Heaven-defying might of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!

This intense, unprecedented strength also caused Naruto to be wracked with severe pain; it felt as if his body might be ripped apart. When Daichi saw what was happening, he gasped. The five cultivators from the Golden Frost Sect watched with wide eyes.

The deep-gold overseer up in midair was even more astonished. He gasped and thought, "What divine ability is that!? It's so shocking! It's completely different than the River of Time, and, in fact, far more terrifying!"

Furthermore, the regeneration of the more than twenty silver-colored beasts was actually not able to keep up with the absorbing power of the vortex. Looks of despair could even be seen on some of the beasts' faces.

Naruto seemed as if he had become the vortex itself as he gobbled up all the incoming power of blood and Chakra.

The deep-gold overseer's face fell. "Dammit! If this goes on, he might really be able to wither my clan members to death!"

Naruto's eyes flashed as his fleshly body exploded with power. It burst through the mid Dao Seeking stage and then stepped into the late Dao Seeking stage!

In that moment, the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex suddenly changed color, turning from red to gold!

When it became gold-colored, intense rumbling sounds filled the air and an incredible pressure weighed down on everything. The five Golden Frost Sect cultivators' faces were filled with shock, and their hearts trembled. They could clearly sense the fearsomeness of the golden vortex, and they knew that even if they combined into the puppet, they would be incapable of fazing Naruto in the least bit.

Daichi of the Solitary Sword Sect was even more shocked. His pupils constricted as he realized that Naruto was actually just as inhuman as Zabuza!

The golden vortex seemed to have transformed on a fundamental level. The pressure exploded out tenfold, and Naruto trembled inwardly as he sensed the terrifying nature of the golden vortex.

"No wonder I wasn't ever able to cultivate the third level. The blood-colored vortex… isn't the final limit of the second level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic! Only by turning the vortex golden can I reach the great circle of the Chakra and Blood stratum!"

Enlightened, Naruto was now confident that he could easily suck the silver-colored beasts out of existence. However, that was not the course of action he chose.

After all, the deep-gold overseer was in control of this entire place, so it was best not to go overboard.

"Dammit!" thought the deep-gold overseer. "One inhuman is bad enough. How could a second one have appeared! And this new one is even more shocking than the previous one!"

Zabuza had passed through the first level by using his River of Time to avoid the silver-colored beasts. Naruto, on the other hand, was relying on the power of his magic to crush everything in his path. It was easy to see which of the two was superior!

The deep-gold overseer was getting anxious, but because of the ancient treaty there was nothing he could to interfere. Just when he was at the peak of anxiety, Naruto waved his hand, causing a boom to rattle out. The golden vortex faded away, and the more than twenty silver-colored beasts were sent spinning away, blood spraying from their mouths. They were listless and dispirited, and they looked at Naruto with expressions of unprecedented fear and awe.

They had not feared Zabuza; were Zabuza to be even stronger than he was, he still wouldn't be able to kill them.

Naruto was quite different, though. He was qualified to utterly exterminate them!

Even as rumbling sounds continued to echo out, and the more than twenty silver-colored beasts retreated, Naruto proceeded onward. He had absorbed a virtually inexhaustible amount of Chakra and Blood. Although it didn't truly belong to him, he was temporarily incredibly powerful, and could explode out with fleshly body power that was almost completely equivalent to the peak of Dao Seeking.

He proceeded forward, and natural law spread out around him. The world rumbled, the air distorted, and shocking energy filled him. As he charged forward, the deep-gold overseer's eyes flickered. It had a certain amount of control based on the treaty, so it quickly called upon a gold-colored clan member that was more powerful than the one that had attacked Zabuza. It roared and charged toward Naruto, its Dao Seeking cultivation base surging. Its body was surrounded by flames, and it streaked toward Naruto like a shooting star.

Naruto could instantly see the difference between this beast and the one that had attacked Zabuza. He snorted coldly and then clenched his fist.

"SCREW OFF!" he roared, punching with all the strength his fleshly body could muster. Everything dimmed as an insane, earth-shattering wave of power rocketed forth which seemed capable of covering the sky and burying the earth.

The incoming gold-colored beast looked shocked, and was instantly filled with an intense sensation of deadly crisis. Without hesitation, it attempted to dodge. However, the wave of power generated by Naruto's fleshly body was far too shocking. In the blink of an eye, it completely inundated the gold-colored beast.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed out. Flames completely covered it, but they were incapable of preventing the creature's body from beginning to fall apart completely.

Seeing that its fellow clan member was about to die, the deep-gold overseer shot down in a flash of light. It grabbed the gold-colored beast, then slapped out to disperse the wave of power generated by Naruto. It managed to save its fellow clan member in the nick of time.

The gold-colored beast was panting for breath and staring at Naruto with intense fear. It wasn't just this particular gold-colored beast. All of the others were watching on with intense shock.

"You have passed the first level!" said the deep-gold overseer, staring at Naruto with a deep look.

The gold-colored beast that had attacked Naruto was clearly far more powerful than the one that had been dispatched against Zabuza.

Despite that, it almost died. Were it not for the intervention of the deep-gold overseer, it would surely have been destroyed.

However, Naruto was also only capable of throwing this one punch!

That strike had contained all the power he had just absorbed. At the moment, his body was returning to normal. Although his aura was quite a bit weaker, there was no one who would dare to look down on him.

The five Golden Frost Sect cultivators were thoroughly shaken.

"He's… even stronger than before!"

"Don't tell me that golden vortex appeared because he was just enlightened?! Or, was he simply holding back before?!"

The five men exchanged glances, and each could see how shocked the others were. If they were to fight Naruto, and he used the golden vortex, then even in their puppet form, they would still be… completely defeated!

Daichi from the Solitary Sword Sect had a face filled with shock. His eyes were wide, and his heart trembled. "He's clearly only at the Second Severing level, but that Blood Demon Grand Magic… it's simply… simply terrifying!"

He was a powerful expert from the Solitary Sword Sect, and had previously viewed himself as quite knowledgeable regarding the Blood Demon Sect. As of now, though, he realized that the magic of the Blood Demon Sect was beyond imagination.

The deep-gold overseer was also shocked, and could do nothing but stare wordlessly at Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he slowly walked forward. When he reached the flame portal, he stepped in without hesitation.

On the other side of the flame portal was what seemed to be a completely different world. As soon as Naruto entered, he saw Zabuza off in the distance, coughing up blood as he tumbled backward like a kite with its string cut. The black dragon in front of him was returning to its usual lifeless state.

This world was a world of fire. A sea of flames stretched out in all directions, from within which emerged an enormous, towering altar. The altar was colossal, hundreds of thousands of meters tall, arranged into nine levels.

Just now, Zabuza had met defeat on the third floor, and was ejected, blood spraying from his mouth. He hovered in mid-air, his face pale. He looked back and saw Naruto, and his eyes began to shine with a bright glow as well as complex thoughts.

"So, you're here," he said as he floated down to the ground. Paying Naruto no more heed, he sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.

Naruto looked up at the enormous altar stretching up out of the sea of flames. For some reason, he got an odd feeling about this place. For some reason, he felt more relaxed, as if some intangible shackles had been removed from him. His mind felt clearer.

"Foreigner!" said an ancient voice, which echoed out from up above. Looking up, Naruto was shocked to see a white, humanoid beast, another overseer.

It hovered up above at what seemed to be the very top of the world, emitting absolutely no cultivation base aura whatsoever.

It looked down at Naruto and said, "You have passed the first level, which is your good fortune. If you pass the second level, you will be qualified to leave this place and can also receive a treasured item of our clan.

"This is a life-or-death trial by fire, the result of the treaty with our benefactor long ago. Any foreigner who enters, regardless of which clan they come from, may participate in the trial by fire.

"Step across the flames and onto the altar of nine floors. Defeat the enemy you find on each floor, and you may pass to the following floor!

"You may employ any magical technique, any divine ability, any means or method you wish!

"You have three chances. If you suffer defeat on your third attempt… you will be blotted out of existence."

When the white-colored overseer finished speaking, it closed its eyes and said nothing further.

Naruto took a deep breath and then immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate. After fine-tuning his cultivation base for a day, he opened his eyes and stepped out over the sea of flames.

In that instant, Zabuza opened his eyes and looked at Naruto.

"Be careful of the third floor," he said slowly. "There, you will find a copy of yourself."

Naruto stopped for a moment, looked at Zabuza, and nodded. Then, he flew across the sea of flames and stepped onto the first floor of the altar. As soon as he did, he saw a human-shaped statue, which immediately melted and transformed into a young man wearing an azure robe.

The young man's eyes were listless at first, but when Naruto looked at them, they suddenly began to shine with a brilliant light.

"That kid from earlier got past me by a fluke. You… won't be so lucky." Even as he spoke, he lifted his hand up into the air and then pointed forward. Behind him, a single, black bee appeared. Immediately, ghost images sprang up around it. In the blink of an eye, Naruto was facing over ten thousand bees.

Buzzing sounds could be heard as the bees shot toward Naruto. The young man's fingers flickered in an incantation, and he pointed out again. This time, shockingly, more than ten thousand centipedes appeared.

"A Dragoneer?" thought Naruto, shocked. Everything that was happening seemed very familiar. In the Western Desert, Dragoneer cultivators attacked in much the same fashion. Naruto didn't immediately respond, but rather backed up a bit and looked the situation over. After a moment, he realized… this was not Dragoneer magic, but overall, it was very similar.

As for Naruto, when it came to the Dao of Dragoneering, he was once a Grand Dragoneer of the Western Desert. In fact, it could be said that he was the most powerful Grand Dragoneer of his generation.

Naruto's face was the same as ever as the bees and centipedes closed in. He performed an incantation gesture to employ Dragoneer magic. His divine sense rolled out, and the bees and centipedes immediately stopped short.

They looked a bit confused, and as for the young man, his face filled with shock.

At the same time, Naruto pointed out, causing the Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain to appear. Roaring sounds filled the air as they crushed down. Naruto shot forward with incredible speed to appear directly in front of the young man. He waved his right hand, and the Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared.

The shocking golden vortex appeared, as well as a golden hand that grabbed ahold of the young man. Immediately, his body began to wither as his Chakra and Blood were absorbed. It only took a moment for him to completely collapse.

After collapsing, the young man reappeared in another location. He looked deeply at Naruto for a moment before coolly saying, "I am merely a Dharma Clone created by a strand of Chakra. However, you were able to rout me, which is something no one has ever done before. You… have passed."

Naruto frowned slightly. He had not absorbed very much Chakra and Blood, and he was still unable to see the young man's cultivation base. Without another word, he flashed toward the second floor.

As soon as he stepped foot onto the second floor, an incredible power surged toward him.

Naruto's face flickered and he raised his hand and pushed it straight out in front of him.

Rumbling filled the air as an incredible surge of energy bore down on him. Naruto trembled, and his face flickered as he retreated at full speed.

He looked up to see a giant minotaur, looking back at him with an expression of surprise. "At the very least," thought Naruto, "he also has Dao Seeking fleshy body power. It also seems like the attack just now was casual! How did Zabuza get past this part?"

"Hahaha!" the minotaur laughed maliciously. "Excellent! Excellent! Finally somebody with some real power has arrived! That brat with the Time powers was much weaker than this!" The minotaur's muscles bulged as he stamped his foot into the ground and charged at Naruto.

"Don't let me down, now!" he roared. "That brat from before was a complete hassle! That secret Time art he used was strange and difficult to deal with. Fighting that fool wasn't fun at all! He pestered me to the max until I finally let him past. But you…. I like you, punk!"

BANG!

The minotaur punched out with explosive Dao Seeking power, causing Naruto's face to flicker. He rotated his cultivation base and immediately sent out his own punch.

A massive, astonishing roar rippled out, and Naruto's face went even paler. He was now in full retreat; the minotaur lifted his head back and laughed heartily.

"Excellent! Excellent!" he said, charging toward Naruto once again at full speed.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"He's using more power this time!" he thought, and the desire to fight gleamed in his eyes. Power surged throughout his fleshly body, and he once again counterattacked, adding the power of vibration into his attack.

The two massive powers collided, and Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood as he was sent tumbling backward. As for the minotaur, his body vibrated, and the ground beneath his feet cracked and split. When he looked up, his eyes shone with a bright light.

"This is awesome! Awesome! You're not bad at all, brat. Come come, allow Grandpa Minotaur to smash you to death!" With a hearty laugh, he charged again.

Naruto's face flickered, and his entire body was shaking and numb. In contrast, his opponent didn't seem to be even slightly hurt. In fact… Naruto could sense that the thing's fleshly body was actually growing increasingly powerful.

"I can't compete with him in terms of physical strength!" thought Naruto, his eyes flashing. As the minotaur bore down on him, he performed a minor teleportation to evade.

"Why are you running away!?" fumed the minotaur, charging him once again. Naruto performed another minor teleportation, leaving the minotaur enraged.

"Dammit! You're pissing me off as much as that other guy!" roared the minotaur. He suddenly stamped his right foot onto the ground, unleashing an incredible boom. The air distorted, making it impossible for Naruto to teleport. He quickly performed an incantation and then pointed out.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

Immediately, the golden vortex appeared around the minotaur, who was immediately stuck in place. As his fleshly body began to wither away, his eyes bulged, and he howled, "What kind of crappy magic is this!?"

With that, power seemed to explode from within him, surging out to fight back against the vortex. For the first time ever… the vortex collapsed.

Naruto's face fell and he shot backward in retreat. The minotaur laughed maniacally and then unleashed another punch.

Naruto was barely able to dodge it, and yet was still forced to cough up a mouthful of blood. He retreated again, a thousand ideas flitting through his mind.

"Extraordinary strength, an incredibly tough body, can lock down teleportation in the area, and even the Blood Demon Grand Magic is useless against him…. What do I do?!" Naruto fell back constantly, and was wounded constantly. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and the minotaur continued to get more and more excited as he battled on.

"If I could absorb his fleshly body, then I would definitely turn this around and win! But he simply shook off the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex…. Wait…." Naruto's eyes glittered.

"Hold on a second. The Blood Demon Grand Magic first binds, then absorbs. That's why it requires such a huge vortex. That means its power is spread out. If I focus the vortex on the smallest area possible, and don't attempt to absorb everything, but instead only do a quick absorption…." Naruto's mind was now thinking incredibly clearly. Enlightenment had come suddenly, right in the midst of battle. At the same time, the minotaur was yet again almost on top of him.

Naruto had no time for further consideration. He waved his hand, and again the Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared. However, it was not a large-scale version, but rather, a vortex the size of the inside of his palm.

The vortex spun rapidly in his palm, fusing into his hand to such a degree that it seemed to replace his palm print.

"Well, it's go time. Will it work?!"

Even as the minotaur closed in, Naruto shot forward, extending his palm out in a strike.

"Blood and Chakra stratum!"

Boom!

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth. He could tell that the minotaur's punch contained an incredible fleshly body power. Such power and ferocity was something he himself couldn't withstand.

However, before the blow could land, the Chakra and Blood absorbing suction power in his hand, which was even more astonishing than before, immediately absorbed a batch of power, strengthening his own fleshly body.

Naruto's eyes gleamed brightly.

The minotaur stared in shock and astonishment.

"Well, that worked!" thought Naruto. "The Blood Demon Grand Magic doesn't just have to be used externally. I can employ it using other methods, for example, fusing it with my fleshly body!" Naruto laughed out loud, and his eyes gleamed with the desire to do battle. However, instead of rushing to attack, he fell back into a pattern of retreat just like before.

Every time he dodged or evaded, he would find ways to get close to the minotaur to touch it with his palm.

"Dammit! This is like getting bitten by a mosquito!" roared the minotaur. "I dare you to fight head on!" Naruto didn't respond with a single word. However, his eyes began to glow with increasingly bright light. Every time he touched the minotaur, he would absorb a bit of Chakra and Blood. Gradually, the power of his fleshly body increased, and he grew more powerful.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Naruto's body trembled, and in the instant the next attack was leveled against him, his fleshly body burst out of Spirit Severing into Dao Seeking.

"Wanna fight? Let's fight!" As he spoke, he ceased retreating, and punched directly toward the minotaur, who was a bit slow to react.

The minotaur actually seemed to be rejoicing, and was laughing wildly as he charged forward.

BOOOOOMMMMMM!

Naruto and the minotaur exchanged blow after blow in mid-air. Each time, Naruto would end up tumbling backward, but at the same time, his fleshly body grew more and more powerful.

In contrast, the minotaur grew more and more shocked. His strength was slowly diminishing, and his previous hulking and sturdy body was gradually withering.

"You're so strong!" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me you were just going through the motions before? How dare you toy with me!" Now that it realized something was going on, it went on a rampage, charging Naruto relentlessly.

Another incense stick worth of time passed…. Naruto could now battle head on, back and forth, with the minotaur and did not need to retreat. The minotaur's rage continued to intensify.

Yet another incense stick worth of time passed….

"Y-y-you… you're so powerful! How is it possible!?" Now the minotaur was retreating, and was completely struck dumb by Naruto's display of ferocity. He punched and punched, but the result was only increasing weakness.

After enough time passed for three incense sticks to burn, a boom rang out and the minotaur tumbled backward head over heels. He slammed hard onto the surface of the altar, his body withered and incredibly weak. Compared to his previous stalwart frame, he was much weaker, though this still made him far stronger than the average person.

"How come… how come I'm skinny now? AGHHHHHH! I'm skinny!" The minotaur saw Naruto closing in again with another attack, and suddenly gave a start. "Demon magic! You little punk, you're using Demon magic!"

The minotaur was now in full retreat, it's face filled with fury. "Okay, I quit! Dammit! The contest is over! You win, you pass!"

Naruto stopped in place. He actually felt a bit bad. Thanks to the minotaur, he had gained a new understanding of yet another unique usage of the Blood Demon Grand Magic. This new technique made the Blood Demon magic even more useful.

"Many thanks, senior," he said, clasping hands and bowing deeply.

The minotaur gave a cold snort and ignored Naruto. He looked down at his body and scowled miserably. "I'm skinny now…. So skinny…. I'm finished. Finished! When I get home, my woman is gonna beat me for sure. What… what if she gets some crazy ideas about what happened? What am I supposed to do?"

Naruto felt even more guilty now. He cleared his throat; aware that no explanations could fix the situation, he quickly headed toward the third floor.

On the third floor, he found himself facing a huge, glittering mirror. From within the mirror emerged a person who looked completely like Naruto in all aspects. He glanced down at his body, then smiled bashfully and looked back at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flashed, and then thought back to Zabuza's warning.

"Fighting myself? Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain!"

"Black White Pearls and the Ninth Mountain!" Both people attacked at the same time, and instantly, shocking booms rattled out. Outside the altar, Zabuza lifted his head and looked up toward the third level, his eyes gleaming.

Naruto retreated, as did his doppelgänger.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

"Blood Demon Grand Magic!"

BOOM!

Both attacked with exactly the same divine abilities and magical techniques. After fighting for several hours, Naruto's doppelgänger suddenly changed strategies. No longer did it do exactly the same thing as Naruto. Instead, it used Naruto's various techniques and magics to attack in its own unique way.

Rumbling filled the air as Naruto saw a gigantic Blood Immortal face appear in front of him, along with a blood-colored vortex that began to spin around him. His face was extremely unsightly. This magical incarnation was incredibly troublesome. A real headache.

All of a sudden, he realized what it must be like for other people to fight him…. What a feeling! That was especially true when he thought of… the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. His doppelgänger actually utilized the technique perfectly, and Naruto had to admit that this opponent… was much better than he was.

Every time the doppelgänger attacked, it would use the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex at just the right time. Naruto wanted to bellow in rage.

"So, you can use the technique in THAT way!" he thought. Even in the midst of his frustration, he began to imitate how this magical doppelgänger used his own battle magic.

The Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was incredible!

An incredible booming sounded out as the two of them attacked each other. By now, they had been fighting for close to a day. Every time Naruto used the Blood Demon Grand Magic to absorb some of his opponents Chakra and Blood, the same would happen to him.

It seemed that it would be difficult for either party to clinch victory. However, Naruto was learning a lot over the course of the fighting.

"At this rate, I won't be able to wrap things up any time soon!" He was starting to get anxious. It was at this point that the white-colored overseer up in mid-air suddenly opened its eyes.

"You may not battle for more than a day on any given level. You still have enough time left for an incense stick to burn. After that, if the battle has not been concluded… then it counts as your loss!"

"Why?!" asked Naruto, looking up at the white-colored overseer.

"Defeating others is easy and while defeating yourself is difficult…. if you can't even come up with a method to defeat yourself, then how can your Dao heart be stable? How can you face Immortal Tribulation in the future?!

"In the earliest of times, any foreigner who came here would die. However, the ancient will arrived and my clan had no choice but to enter into the treaty. After that, this place became a location for deadly refinement. According to the treaty, the purpose is to train true Immortals!

"For example, the first level tests your survival capabilities. If you reach true Immortal Ascension, you will face many Tribulations. You must have the power to protect yourself!

"This second level tests your powers of perception and understanding. If you are perceptive enough, you can naturally gain enlightenment regarding various magics that are currently stuck in atrophy. The Dao heart is only one aspect.

"Defeat yourself, strengthen your Dao heart. That is only the first step toward being a true Immortal. If you can't pass this first step, then of course you fail!"

Naruto's mind reeled.

"Don't tell me that you haven't noticed that this place is different from the outside?!" continued the overseer.

"Well, forget it. You're only in the Spirit Severing stage. You are incapable of seeing how extraordinary this place is. Let me tell you, kid… there are no natural laws here!

"The second level is a place with no laws. Here, everything is a blank!

"Therefore, you have even more opportunity to gain enlightenment regarding your magical techniques, and even your Dao. Understand your divine abilities and your path to enlightenment. Because, this place… has no law to interfere with or distort your true heart!"

Naruto stared in shock. Before, he hadn't put too much thought into why this place seemed a bit strange. All he knew was that he felt somehow freer, and his mind clearer.

He had never imagined that this place… lacked natural law?!

"You have the time it takes an incense stick to burn. If you can't defeat yourself in that time, then you fail!"

Naruto's eyes glittered. Rumbling filled the air as his doppelgänger closed in. The two of them once again began to battle back and forth. Time passed, and soon, half an incense stick had burned.

"What do I do?" thought Naruto. "What do I do?! If I fail the first time, the second time will be even harder!

"If I could gain enlightenment into the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic and cultivate it successfully, then I could probably slay this doppelgänger!

"Another possibility would be to gain enlightenment into my Third Severing! Or perhaps, if I understood how to use one more of the characters that make up the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

"If I could use the soul of the true Immortal to make a second true self, it would definitely be terrifying in the extreme!

"Another option is the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal!"

Unfortunately, there was not enough time for any of those things. He only had the time it takes half an incense stick to burn!

Naruto's eyes were shot with blood as he fell into retreat. Suddenly, his doppelgänger utilized the Blood Demon Grand Magic; so Naruto did as well.

Instantly, the doppelgänger's fleshly body began to wither. However, at the same time, he absorbed Naruto's Chakra and Blood, replenishing himself. Such a circumstance had occurred many times throughout their battle.

"The third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, the Spirit Meridians stratum! All cultivators have spirit meridians running through their body. Such spirit meridians are essentially the cultivation base. The purpose of the Blood Demon Grand Magic is to stir the spirit meridians. In much the same way that a miner deals with a vein of gold, the spirit meridian is dug up and consumed!

"But, how exactly am I supposed to absorb the spirit meridians?!"

Time was running out!

"Spirit meridians!" Naruto and his doppelgänger ceased using the Blood Demon Grand Magic and began to utilize other divine abilities. Naruto's mind was racing as he tried to come up with a solution. This was a world with no natural law, and his mind was extremely clear. It was in that moment that he suddenly thought of… Madara!

He recalled the scene of Madara absorbing his Perfect Dao foundation.

When he thought back to that time, he remembered the various transformations that occurred in his body. His cultivation base had rotated in reverse, and then collapsed, transforming into an energy which was then sucked out of him. Recalling that feeling suddenly caused a tremor to run through Naruto.

"Reversal. I understand now! The key to the third level is reversal! When the vortex of the second level reaches maximum rotation, I can suddenly reverse the flow, which will unleash an incredible power!"

His eyes shone with a bright light.

Boom!

In that moment of enlightenment, he utilized the Blood Demon Grand Magic, then immediately pushed it through from the second level… to the third!

When he entered the third level, energy exploded around him. A strange light glowed in his eyes, and he lifted his hand to point at the doppelgänger. Instantly, a golden vortex appeared around the doppelgänger, which caused it to give a cold snort. It raised its hand and pointed toward Naruto as it too once again employed the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

However,at this point, when the golden vortex was rotating at full speed, Naruto suddenly reached his hand out and then turned it over.

Immediately, the vortex surrounding the doppelgänger reversed. The doppelgänger's expression flickered as its cultivation base suddenly collapsed, completely beyond its control. It rushed out through the doppelgänger eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, to shoot toward Naruto.

Simultaneously, the doppelgänger's entire body collapsed, and it disappeared without a trace. The only thing left behind was the glittering mirror.

"In your first tempering, you defeated yourself in less than a day," said the white-colored overseer, looking deeply at Naruto. "As such, it is unnecessary for you to participate in the following floors. Please go directly to the ninth floor. If you can pass the ninth floor, then you may leave this place! In addition, you can acquire one of our clan's valuable treasures!"

Outside the altar, Zabuza suddenly looked up. His eyes shone with shock as he caught sight of Naruto on the third level, and heard the words of the white-colored overseer up in mid-air. He suddenly grew incredibly taciturn.

"He… successfully defeated himself?" thought Zabuza, slowly lowering his head. A moment later, he looked up again, and his eyes shone with the intense desire to do battle.

"I don't care about my status as a Young Starlord, nor my titles in the Northern Reaches, nor the rumors about me being a reincarnated, almighty cultivator. The only thing I care about… is that I must be… the strongest person in my stage!

"According to my Dao, I must become a true Immortal! My heart must be intensely staunch!

"If Naruto can do it, then I… can do it too!" With that, Zabuza took a deep breath. Eyes radiating unprecedented resoluteness, he slowly rose to his feet and then strode back toward the first floor of the altar.

"This time, I'll definitely pass the third floor!"

Naruto stood on that very same third floor to which he referred. He didn't proceed onward immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes to feel the surging of his cultivation base, and the majestic third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic. Now that he was in the Spirit Vessels stratum, he could absorb cultivation bases into his own body and transform that into incredible power.

"No wonder Patriarch Blood Demon said that if I get to the fourth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic I can hold my own against early Dao Seeking cultivators!

"This Blood Demon Grand Magic is incredibly astonishing. It's especially useful when fighting against groups. The more enemies that get stuck inside… the more powerful I can become!

"Black Sieve Sect…." Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open, and they shone with incredible killing intent. His hatred for the Black Sieve Sect had long since seeped into his very marrow. If it weren't for the Black Sieve Sect, Hinata wouldn't have to enter the cycle of reincarnation, and could have had the chance at Immortal Ascension in this lifetime.

Now though, they only had a hundred years, after which, this lifetime would be destroyed. This enmity… was absolutely irreconcilable!

Naruto took a deep breath and then took a step forward, whereupon he vanished. When he reappeared, he had passed the fourth and fifth floors… and gone all the way to the ninth floor!

The ninth floor was the smallest of all the floors.

This was the pinnacle of the altar!

This was the final barrier of the second level!

After passing this floor, Naruto would have the option to either leave this world or, of course, enter the third level.

Boom!

The instant he stepped foot onto the ninth floor, he felt almost like he was at the pinnacle of the sky. Around him stretched a world of boundless flames, beyond which was nothing but pitch black.

In the instant that he stepped foot onto the ninth floor, he also heard an ear-piercing, squawking laugh.

The laugh sounded almost like the call of a male duck, and was filled with an indescribable arrogance.

"It's been many years since someone has stood in front of Lord Fifth, bitch! Come come, allow Lord Fifth to see how much fur you have on your body!"

As soon as he heard that voice, all the noble and lofty feelings that had existed inside of Naruto instantly vanished . His eyes went wide with disbelief as he stared at something appearing out of thin air in the middle of the ninth level. It was…

An enormous parrot!

The parrot was covered with motley feathers that all stuck out on end. Its expression was one of extreme arrogance and pride, as if it was the only important thing in all of Heaven and Earth. As soon as it appeared, a shocking energy exploded out from its body.

"You…" said Naruto, his breath quickening. This parrot appeared to be exactly the same damnable bird that had fled the instant Naruto faced true danger.

"What do you mean 'you,' huh? Bitch! What, you've never seen a Lord Fifth as handsome as me before?" As the parrot flew out, it seemed to be completely displeased with the way Naruto was looking at it. Its eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and its voice was jarring.

Even as it spoke, the parrot went on the offensive, charging at incredible speed. Naruto could barely see it, and before he could react, he was sent tumbling backward. The parrot re-formed in midair and then squawked and attacked again.

Naruto's face flickered. The parrot was moving so fast that he couldn't see it clearly. Nonetheless, he was able determine that this parrot was actually not exactly the same as the damnable bird that he remembered.

As for what exactly about it was different, he couldn't quite say. It was more of a feeling.

Booming sounds echoed out as the parrot attacked relentlessly. However, it didn't seem to be able to completely overwhelm Naruto within a short period of time. Naruto retreated without hesitation; every time the parrot attacked, it almost felt like a mountain was bearing down on him.

He tried using the Blood Demon Grand Magic, but the parrot was too fast and impossible to entangle. It was as if it was surrounded by some strange power that enabled it to break through anything that stood in its way.

"This damned, wretched bird! How could it be so strong!?" Naruto frowned. At the same time, the parrot appeared suddenly in mid-air up ahead of him.

Staring seriously at Naruto, it said, "I'm gonna screw you, bitch! Screw you, ya hear? How could your body be so tough? Well fine, the tougher the better. Screw you, screw you, screw you into a pulp…!" With a piercing cry, and incredible speed, it circled around Naruto, and its eyes shifted maliciously in the direction of Naruto's rear end….

When Naruto sensed that, his scalp went numb, and his heart trembled. The first thing he thought of was the parrot's vile hobbies, and then, images of the parrot exploding rear ends suddenly flashed through his mind.

These thoughts stabbed through his mind, causing his train of thought to be upset and fall into disarray, such that it caused Naruto to begin to shake uncontrollably. It didn't matter how vicious he had become inside, the images left him profoundly frightened.

Normally speaking, he was the one to hear the miserable shrieks of others. There was absolutely, positively no way that he wished to experience such things himself.

"Dammit! DAMMIT!" Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. Even when facing the challenge on the third floor, he had not sweat, but as of this moment, he was tempted to concede defeat.

This… this was a power that cultivators were fundamentally incapable of matching up against.

Especially the incessant hooting call of the damnable parrot, and how its previously curved beak suddenly transformed, becoming ever longer and straighter….

A few times, it opened its mouth, after which a perverse aura blasted out, causing Naruto's heart to tremble.

Having no other options, Naruto anxiously cried out, "I know you!"

"Huh?" replied the parrot, gaping. "Well, Lord Fifth doesn't know you, so you're gonna get screwed anyway!" With that, it prepared to charge again.

"I'm your master!" said Naruto, slapping his bag of holding to produce the copper mirror.

"You're insulting me!" said the parrot, completely ignoring the copper mirror. It transformed into a black streak of light that shot toward Naruto.

"What do I do? What do I do?!" Having noticed that the black streak of light was curving through the air to flank him from behind, Naruto was now in a state of complete emergecy.

As the black beam of light closed in, Naruto had a sudden flash of inspiration as he recalled the damned bird's fatal weakness. Without hesitation, he cried out, "Even if you were more powerful than you are now, who cares? I don't believe for a second that you could drill a hole through this altar! You can't, can you?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the black beam stopped in mid-air. The parrot appeared again, and it glared at Naruto, as if infuriated.

"What did you just say? Did you say there's something Lord Fifth can't do?"

Naruto's eyes glittered, and his thinking was suddenly stable. A look of scorn appeared in his eyes.

The expression immediately caused the parrot to go mad. Its voice shrill, it yelled, "How dare you look down on Lord Fifth! Lord Fifth is omnipotent! Y-y-you…."

"Pshh." Naruto have a cold snort.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" To be scorned with such words caused the last bit of the parrot's powers of reasoning to be scorched away.

"You just watch, bitch!" raged the parrot. "Watch Lord Fifth! Watch Lord Fifth bore a massive hole into this altar!" With that, the parrot flew up into the air and then turned to charge toward the altar.

The white-colored overseer immediately flew down to intercept the parrot.

"Immortal Fifth, please calm yourself. Calm… There's no need to get impulsive, right? Listen to me…."

"Screw off and listen to this, bitch!" roared the parrot.

"Immortal Fifth, I…." The white-colored overseer smiled wryly and was about to expound when….

"I said screw off, bitch! If you don't, I'll screw you along with him!"

The white-colored overseer was getting extremely nervous. This was the first time it had heard of the parrot having such a weakness. It looked over angrily at Naruto, and was about to rebuke him, when Naruto saw the look in his eye, rolled his eyes and then snorted coldly.

"He doesn't believe you can break through the altar either. Forget about the altar. I bet you couldn't even screw that white-colored overseer!"

"AHHHHHHHH! How dare you look down on me like this!" The parrot's fury raged to the Heavens. It jerked around to glare at the white-colored overseer, who immediately began to tremble.

Seeing that the parrot was about to attack, the overseer immediately roared without hesitation, "You pass! Pass!"

Instantly, the altar began to rumble, and an incredible force enveloped the parrot, who did nothing to fight back. As the power covered it over, it stared fixedly at the rear end of the white-colored overseer.

"When this place was built, Lord Fifth helped out, and therefore left behind a stream of divine will," said the parrot. "Truth be told, it would be difficult to break a hole through the altar. However, if I have the chance, you cheeky little beast, Lord Fifth will definitely give screwing you a try!"

With that, the parrot gave a cold snort, then glared over at Naruto. It said nothing, but the look in its eyes was clear.

You just wait, brat. If I get a chance, I'll screw you too!

Naruto glared back at the parrot. He didn't say anything either, but his meaning was equally clear.

You just wait, you damned bird. When I get out of here, I'm going to track you down, and then we'll see who's boss!

Meanwhile, in the Milky Way Sea, on the shore near the Northern Reaches, a hulking, dark-faced man currently hovered in mid-air. Surrounding him was a group of smaller cultivators, all of whom looked at the man with fawning eyes. The dark-faced man seemed quite pleased with himself.

In his arms he carried a black bear, which he would occasionally lean down to kiss, his expression one of intoxication. The bear had a luxuriant coat of fur, and it was hard to tell where he had found something like it in the Milky Way Sea….

"Ah, this is the life! Don't be despondent, little Third. It's merely a master we're talking about. We can always get a new one! Look, after somebody else gets the mirror and refines it, then we can go back. Look at how free and unconstrained we are now! This is the good life!"

Suddenly, the dark-faced man sneezed, then shuddered. A strange look appeared in its eyes, and suddenly two voices began to argue inside of him.

"What's going on? What was that? Lord Third just sneezed!"

"Screw off, it was obviously Lord Fifth who sneezed!"

"You'll even steal that from me?!"

"Something fishy is going on here, bitch! Something's off! I feel an evil wind stirring, as if something bad is about to happen!"

"Huh?! Don't tell me Naruto is alive! Finished! We're finished! I'm gonna die, we're finished! When we ran off that time…."

"What do you mean ran off? That was a strategic transition! You don't understand crap!"

"Dammit! Last time, you said we needed to give him a chance to temper himself. You're changing your mind again?"

"Are you absolutely sure that's what I said?"

"You did! You said it! You said…."

Despite the bickering, the dark-faced man turned and flew toward the Northern Reaches.

"Let's go to the Northern Reaches, it should be safe there…."

Beneath the 30,000-meter Dao Lake, in that world within a world, at the very top of the altar in the second level, Naruto moved forward.

The parrot gave a cold snort as it faded away. The white-colored overseer sighed with relief, then looked over at Naruto, clearly displeased, but incapable of doing anything about it.

"You got lucky, but you passed," the white-colored overseer said slowly. "As of now, you have two options. You may leave, or proceed onward to the third level!

"Up to now, no one has ever passed through the third level. Therefore, no one has ever been able to inherit the essence of the Divine Flame. Now, make your decision."

Naruto muttered to himself for a moment. He still had his Eternal stratum, which meant that although he wasn't completely indestructible, he was still completely unique in the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

That was a trump card, something he could use to rise back up from the clutches of death when in battle.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time right now. If he got stuck in the third level, a hundred years could go by in a flash. Although, he wasn't quite resigned to giving up on trying to pass the level.

He suddenly looked up at the white-colored overseer. "Senior, I remember you saying that a valuable treasure would be given as a reward for passing the second level."

The white-colored overseer's eyelids twitched as if it didn't want to respond. It waved its right hand, instantly causing a pitchfork to appear.

It was pitch black, and completely unimposing. It did emanate a Dao Seeking aura, but in this world where there were no natural laws, the aura was not very powerful.

Even the white-colored overseer realized that it was being stingy. "A Dao Seeking item, a valuable treasure," it explained.

According to the ancient treaty, it was actually supposed to produce all of the clan's valuable treasures and allow anyone who passed through the second level to pick one of their choosing. However, their clan had always been a stingy one. Even the two that had passed from the first wave of people to come here before Naruto had only been given an option to take one of three items.

It was a loophole in the agreement, but the overseer did not feel that it was breaking the treaty.

Naruto's face was the same as ever as he looked the pitchfork over. It was obvious to him that the white-colored overseer was displeased with him, and his eyes glittered.

"According to the ancient treaty, it can be assumed that you can offer a better treasure than this, senior. Perhaps you can give me a few options to select from."

"Forget about it!" was the reply, accompanied by a cold snort.

"In that case, senior, I will pass on the item. However, I have two small requirements…." The white-colored overseer immediately put the pitchfork away. In truth, even giving that away was something it wasn't quite willing to do.

Naruto licked his lips and continued, "I noticed that outside in the first level, there were many mountains. They were all made up of various magical items and treasures, many of which were Spirit Severing treasures. How about this, senior. I'll just take 100,000 Spirit Severing magical items. What do you think, sir…?"

The white-colored juggernaut stared with wide eyes. The reason it didn't wish to part with the Dao Seeking treasures was that they contained their own natural law within them, and were extremely valuable. As for Spirit Severing treasures, they were far inferior.

"100,000? Are you trying to rob me? 10 at the most!"

"90,000! It can't be any less, senior. I just gave up a Dao Seeking treasure, you know…."

"Hey… Spirit Severing magical items are equally valuable! At the most, I can give you 100!"

"Senior, how can you be like that? After all, I just passed through the second level. The lowest I can go is 80,000 magical items. On the outside, Spirit Severing treasures are incredibly common. Furthermore, I want a chance to poke my head into the third level to see what it's like."

"Well… you did make it through the second level, but…."

The two bickered for a while, and in the end, the white-colored overseer gave Naruto 5,000 Spirit Severing magical items. Furthermore, Naruto was to be allowed one chance to step into the third level.

After they finished negotiating, the white-colored overseer grimly waved his arm, causing two vortexes to appear. One was the exit, the other was the entrance to the third level.

Naruto took a deep breath, and a look of resolve appeared in his eyes. He immediately transformed into a beam of light that shot toward the third level's vortex. Just as he was about to enter, the altar rumbled; Zabuza had entered the third floor and was beginning to fight himself.

Naruto looked back, then paid no further heed as he vanished into the third level.

As soon as he stepped foot inside, he found that he was not in a land of flames. Everything around him was quiet. He saw a blood-colored field that was surrounded by enormous structures. They were pagodas that looked like spikes driven into the earth.

The grass in the world was completely white.

There was no wind, and yet the grass swayed back and forth.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he surveyed his surroundings, and he muttered to himself for a moment before sending his divine sense out.

It quickly covered an enormous area.

"990,000 pagodas!

"Countless bleached bones!

"The 990,000 pagodas seem to form a colossal spell formation!

"There's a city!"

Naruto's divine sense detected the 99,000 densely packed pagodas, which were arranged around a gigantic city.

The city was pitch black and overrun by white grass. A flame spark hovered in mid-air, seemingly an endlessly burning fire that sent resplendent light out into the entire world.

Almost in the same instant that Naruto sent his divine sense out to the limit, he suddenly heard a roar.

"Sun Wukong, you must die!

"You killed me, Sun Wukong, and if I'm reincarnated, I'll definitely kill you!

"The Immortal World is doomed to experience tribulation! The Immortal lands will grow old, and the Immortals will perish! But I refuse to give in!

"I know the truth! No matter how long you suppress me, I won't admit defeat!

"Damned monkey! If I can get free, I'll have your hide!

"If I'm transmigrated, I will slaughter myself out of this place! If my transmigration fails, I will fall into oblivion like all other living things, with virtually no hope of reawakening even after countless cycles of reincarnation. Therefore, I will leave a Dharmic decree for this place!

"My decree contains the essence of my Dao flame, the last vestige of me, Mifune. I hope that countless years later, that vestige will still exist!"

Naruto's mind was reeling; it felt as if a sharp sword was stabbing into his brain, preparing to split apart his body and shred his soul. Blood oozed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He staggered backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

A rumbling filled him, and he felt as if his body might explode. Thankfully, his Eternal stratum immediately pulled everything back together. However, that omnipresent divine sense and resentful will raged as madly as ever. The sensation of grave danger that he felt grew even stronger.

He looked around in shock at the world around him, backing up at top speed all the while. The divine sense filling this world closed in on him again, and he immediately leaped out of the third level.

When he emerged, he was back in the second level coughing up blood, his face pale and breath ragged. From what he had heard, he could tell that what he had encountered was a shred of will.

However, despite the fact that it was only a shred of will, it was still able to injure him instantly. This was terrifying to a degree that thoroughly astonished him.

"Failure," said the white-colored overseer, its voice cool. "No one has ever successfully passed the third level."

"What is that place…?" asked Naruto, looking over at the overseer.

"Only those who pass the third level are qualified to know the answer to that question. You may leave now.

"Remember, if you speak to anyone of the things that occurred in this place, you will meet with great calamity." The white-robed overseer gave him a meaningful look.

Naruto didn't respond. He looked back down at the altar, and Zabuza on the third floor. Without another word, he clasped hands and bowed to the white-colored overseer, then stepped into the exit vortex.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

The white-colored overseer hovered in mid-air looking at the spot where Naruto had left through the vortex, a profound, ancient look in its eyes.

In the lands of Lands of Ninshu, not too far way from the region of the Ancient Dao Lakes, was a valley in the mountains. A brilliant, glittering light rose up in the valley, a teleportation spell. Suddenly, Naruto appeared within the light.

As soon as he appeared, the teleportation spell vanished.

"I snatched the true Immortal's soul, and a lot of people saw," he thought. "Word will spread…. I need to get back to the Blood Demon Sect as quickly as possible!" His eyes glittered as he flew into the air, slapping his bag of holding to produce the war chariot.

Once in the war chariot, rumbling could be heard as it sped off into the distance.

Meanwhile, at almost the exact moment that Naruto reappeared, an old man sat cross-legged in a restricted area of Mount Solitary Sword in the Solitary Sword Sect. In front of him, nine pearls circulated in the air, apparently rotating in accord with some natural law. Suddenly, one of the pearls began to glow brightly.

The old man's eyes opened and he looked at the pearl. There were many images within the pearl, but one of them was Naruto teleporting out into the region near the Dao Lakes.

"So, he finally reappears!" The old man vanished.

In the Golden Frost Sect was a pool of water, next to which sat the peak Dao Seeking Patriarch of the Golden Frost Sect. As he gazed into the water, ripples suddenly spread out over the surface of the pool. The ripples seemed to conceal mysteries of Heaven and Earth, mysteries that others would never be able to comprehend. However, an image of Naruto actually materialized in the reflections within the Patriarch's eyes.

In the Shimura Clan, in a restricted area, a cold voice suddenly rang out. "The soul of a true Immortal is not something that a tiny Spirit Severing cultivator may possess!"

The voice caused Heaven and Earth to distort, and a shocking energy shot out in all directions.

At the same time, Naruto was detected by the withered, half-bodied old man in the Nadeshiko Clan. He suddenly opened his eyes from meditation.

"True Immortal's soul…. However, the person who snatched it was Naruto…." He hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes to meditate.

In the Violet Fate Sect, everything was quiet. No aura spread out, nor did any ripples appear. However, a brilliant light appeared in the enormous statue of Reverend Violet East, as it stared off into the distance.

The formerly calm and peaceful Southern Domain was suddenly stirred into commotion by the appearance of Naruto. To peak Dao Seeking experts, the soul of a true Immortal was something incredibly precious. So precious, in fact, that they would do anything in their power to get it.

In the Black Sieve Sect, Patriarch Six-Daos let out a miserable shriek. His cultivation base had already degraded to the border of the mid Dao Seeking stage. Soon, it would drop further, and he would be in the early Dao Seeking stage.

"I can't accept this! Blood Demon Sect, you must be destroyed! Naruto… you shall die!"

At some point, dark clouds had appeared above the Southern Domain in many locations. Lightning danced, and thunder crackled. The sun was covered up, casting the lands into darkness. Huge raindrops the size of beans began to plop down….

The rain appeared not because the clouds layered top of each other, building up to a critical pressure. Rather, it was the passage of people forcibly tunneling through the cloudy sky that caused them to collapse in on themselves and shed rain prematurely.

At the moment, three peak Dao Seeking eccentrics were shooting toward Naruto's location. Their speed was such that they appeared near the Ancient Dao Lakes shortly after Naruto stepped foot into the war chariot.

They did not reveal their physical appearances, but their aura was clear. It only took a moment for them to pick up traces of Naruto's passing, after which they shot after him in pursuit.

Of course, they had never imagined that Naruto would actually be equipped with something that could achieve the terrifying speed of the war chariot.

Naruto pushed as fast as possible. In the blink of an eye, he was far away from the Ancient Dao Lakes, and was nearing the border of Blood Demon Sect territory. At this point, he took a deep breath and went even faster. Behind him, a rumbling like thunder could be heard as a pair of emaciated hands ripped a massive hole in the air. From within emerged a red-haired old man.

He was big and tall, and sparks of electricity arced around his body. Rumbling filled the air as soon as he appeared, as if he were a god.

Off to his right, a sword aura appeared, seemingly capable of splitting Heaven and Earth. A black-robed old man stepped out from within the sword aura.

Further off in the distance, the peak Dao Seeking cultivator from the Shimura Clan, their 3rd Patriarch, proceeded along, accompanied by booms like thunder. The full power of his cultivation base was on display. As he flew, orbs of ghostly flame twinkled around him, blazing up into the sky.

When these three people appeared, Naruto's face fell. Each of them were comparable in power to Madara when they fought years ago. The instant the three appeared, the war chariot rumbled, and countless fierce beasts appeared. Everything trembled, and Naruto shot off into the distance.

He moved with such speed that he disappeared in the blink of an eye. The three Dao Seeking cultivators began to pursue him.

Suddenly, from another direction, a deranged old man flew beneath the clouds, laughing maniacally as the rain soaked him.

"Hahaha! Immortal Ascension…. Immortal Ascension…." His foolish laughter seemed to contain a hint of lucidity. His body flickered, and he vanished.

Naruto's war chariot moved with incredible speed, but his three pursuers moved as fast as lightning. As they got closer and closer, the sense of danger in Naruto's mind grew more intense.

However, killing intent could also be seen in his eyes, along with ruthlessness and fury.

And yet, he did not slow down or stop. His cultivation base was no match for a peak Dao Seeking opponent, and he did not want to risk losing his Eternal Dao foundation! Nevertheless, the distance between him and his pursuers continued to shrink!

"Faster! Must go faster!" he thought with an internal roar. Behind him, the three Dao Seeking experts raised their hands and pointed in Naruto's direction. All of a sudden, a cold snort echoed out from up above.

"SCREW OFF!" said a voice that was ancient and yet also filled with boundless aggressiveness. As soon as the voice rang out, the sky turned crimson, and the land transformed into a sea of blood. Patriarch Blood Demon suddenly appeared between Naruto and the Dao Seeking experts.

His words caused rumbling to echo throughout the heavens, and groaning creaks to issue forth from the land itself as everything to turn the color of blood. A roar rose up from the ground that transformed into a shockwave which sped toward the incoming three cultivators.

The three men all used various methods. The red-haired old man lifted his hand up then dropped it down in a palm strike. 10,000 bolts of red lightning smashed down, yet the old man was forced to stop in place, his face flickering.

The black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect had a gaze that was like a sword. The air around him rumbled and then shattered as he suddenly stopped in place.

As for the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, who wore a brocaded garment and had flowing white hair, his body emanated a powerful energy, and an illusory sun and moon circulated around him. He fought back against Patriarch Blood Demon's attack, too, but issued a muffled grunt as he was also stopped in place.

Naruto let loose a sigh of relief, then put away the war chariot. He stood next to Patriarch Blood Demon, staring coldly at his three pursuers.

The three old men's gazes were just as cold as they looked at Patriarch Blood Demon and then began to speak.

"Blood Demon, hand over the soul of the true Immortal!"

"Hand over the true Immortal's soul! Let the matter drop! You can't fight back against the entire Southern Domain!"

"Take it out and we'll decide here and now who it belongs to. In fact, we can even take turns sharing it. Blood Demon, give us your answer, or else…."

Of course, inwardly, all three feared Patriarch Blood Demon, especially after the battle at the Black Sieve Sect.

"Or else what…?" replied Patriarch Blood Demon.

"Or else you're instigating war with the entire Southern Domain!"

"The Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, the Shimura Clan… and especially the Black Sieve Sect will all be happy to join forces to invade you. If that happens, you'd better prepare your Blood Demon Sect to be exterminated!"

"Four great powers of the Southern Domain can easily destroy the very foundation of the Blood Demon Sect. Blood Demon, don't do anything to bring ruin down on yourself!"

Having heard all of this, Naruto's heart was trembling. Although he had made his own appraisal of the value of the true Immortal's soul, he had never imagined that it was so valuable that it could instigate a great war in the Southern Domain.

Naruto looked at Patriarch Blood Demon. He didn't want the soul of the true Immortal that he had snatched to draw everyone into a war. "Patriarch," he began, "I don't mind…."

"There's no need to say anything," said Patriarch Blood Demon, his voice placid. "You took it, so it belongs to you. That true Immortal's soul will be of great use. How can you even think of giving it away?" His gaze then swept over the three other cultivators, and he laughed coldly.

"As for the rest of you… SCREW OFF!"

"Blood Demon!" they shouted. Their faces flickered with various emotions, and they stared fixedly at Patriarch Blood Demon. Finally, eyes flickering, they turned and vanished.

"Patriarch," said Naruto, "if you need this true Immortal's soul, it's yours…." His heart was still trembling a bit. Suddenly he realized that Patriarch Blood Demon seemed somewhat different than he had been before.

"Don't worry," said Patriarch Blood Demon, shaking his head. "I'll handle everything. As for the soul of the true Immortal…. It wouldn't be of much use to me. I'm afraid it wouldn't be of much help to your master, Pill Demon, either. In the future, let him study it for a bit, and that will do."

"My master?" said Naruto, gaping. Of course, he was unaware of the matter of Pill Demon's Spirit Severing and Dao Seeking.

"You'll understand the details later." With that, Patriarch Blood Demon flicked his sleeve, sweeping up Naruto and vanishing into thin air. When they reappeared, they were back in the Blood Demon Sect.

As soon as the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect saw him, they began to speak excitedly.

"Blood Prince!"

"The Blood Prince is back!"

"Greetings, Blood Prince!"

Patriarch Darkheaven and the five other Patriarchs all flew down from their mountain peaks to greet Naruto with excited expressions.

"Congratulations on your return, Blood Prince!"

On the fifth mountain peak, the hunchbacked old man smiled and then bowed toward Naruto with clasped hands.

Shikamaru rose to his feet from his place at the mouth of the valley and looked over at Naruto. Hinata was his Elder Sister, and he had grown up with Naruto. Although Shikamaru had become grimmer because of his violent surroundings, there were some fundamental aspects to his personality that would never change.

When Naruto wasn't present, he would protect the valley with his life. What he was protecting were his memories, and the last vestiges of a once wonderful life that existed inside of him.

Hinata walked out from the valley and smiled up at Naruto, who hovered overhead.

When her gaze met his, it became a memory that would last for an eternity.

Patriarch Blood Demon looked at Naruto, smiled, then faded away into thin air. Yet another clone….

Naruto turned to look at Mount Blood Demon, and a warm feeling rose in his heart. For the first time, he felt as if the Blood Demon Sect was his home.

Welcoming voices surrounded him as he returned to Blood Prince Gorge. Hinata had alcohol warmed and waiting, and she immediately filled a cup for him. They looked into each other's eyes for a long time before speaking.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Now that he was back in Blood Prince Gorge, he felt separate from the world. He had Hinata to accompany him, and the days were wonderful. Suns rose, suns set.

Patriarch Blood Demon honored his promise to Naruto. Aware that Naruto had reached the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, he had a cane sent over.

The cane was crafted from bone, and was pitch black. When he held it in his hand, Naruto felt icy coldness pulsating out into his body. In addition, the Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding began to glow, spontaneously flew out of the bag, and circulated around the bone cane.

After a moment, it actually fused into the cane, and the two apparently become one.

Simultaneously, something like memories flooded into Naruto's mind. They were vague, almost as if someone were whispering them to him. Many of the things the voice said were indistinct and unintelligible, but there was one sentence that was crystal clear.

"Seventh Demon Sealing Hex. Karmic Hex!"

Use Demonic Chakra to hex Karma, slaughter anything formed from five elements, and exterminate to the highest Heavens!

Naruto's mind trembled. The Demon Sealers had a multitude of magical arts, but the eight Demon Sealing Hexes were considered their primary abilities. Each one was personally crafted by a previous generation of Demon Sealers and were shockingly powerful.

However, the various hexes had not been passed on and had, for the most part, been lost over the years. It was only by coincidence that Naruto was able to acquire the Eighth Hex. Now, by means of this bone cane, he had acquired the Seventh Hex!

He quickly immersed himself in gaining enlightenment of the Karma of the Seventh Hex. Thankfully, he already understood a bit about Karma; therefore, he was able to cultivate the Seventh Hex without any obstacles, albeit a bit slowly.

As he practiced his cultivation, the rest of the Southern Domain made quite a contrast to the calm and quiet of the Blood Demon Sect. The Southern Domain was boiling.

The Solitary Sword Sect was fully prepared for war. Countless disciples had been recalled from all corners of the Southern Domain, and the sect was now like a shocking, unsheathed sword, ready for battle.

They even produced precious treasures that could seal the fates of entire sects. After refining the treasures, they floated up in mid-air above the sect, casting about radiant, multicolored light and incredible energy.

Anyone could tell that the Solitary Sword Sect… was about to march to war!

In addition to the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect was also preparing for war. All eighteen of their great spell formations were fully operational. Clearly, they had activated the spell formations in order to protect the sect in preparation for war.

The Golden Frost Sect disciples were nervous. They had heard bits of news here and there that slowly formed together into a more accurate version of recent events. Fatty was getting quite anxious, although he hid it well. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to prevent what was happening.

Of the three great clans, the Uchiha Clan was no more. The Shimura Clan was now in the position of prominence. The killing intent of the Shimura Clan members surged high as they prepared for war.

In the Black Sieve Sect, Patriarch Six-Daos didn't hesitate at all after he received the invitation. He immediately responded in the affirmative.

In recent days, the full power of the Black Sieve Sect was focused on mobilizing discarnate souls, as well as the full power of their Dao Reserve. 193 coffins were brought in, all of which were to be used in battle.

At the same time, the medicinal pills, spell formations, and magical items needed for warfare were purchased in large quantities by all four of the great powers. All of these things caused rumors to spread like wildfire across the Southern Domain.

"There's going to be a war!"

"The sects and clans haven't mobilized like this in ages. I just wonder who they will be going to war against!?"

"The Blood Demon Sect for sure!"

The cultivators of the Southern Domain were alarmed by the developments. However, there were also some rogue cultivators who saw opportunity. When the four great powers began to recruit rogue cultivators, many joined because of the potential benefits.

The Violet Fate Sect maintained silence on the matter. Because of their relationship with Naruto, they did not join the group of four powers. The four great powers, of course, understood this, and did not expect to form any alliance with the Violet Fate Sect.

However, what they wanted to prevent was the Violet Fate Sect coming to the aid of the Blood Demon Sect.

As far as the Nadeshiko Clan was concerned, the four great powers were rather confused to find that they also maintained silence, and would not join the alliance.

When an entire region goes to war, it cannot be done secretly. A properly conducted war requires much preparation, preparation that cannot be completed quickly. The preparations for war often create a stifling pressure that influences everyone, and is even more intense than the actual war itself.

As a result, in the Blood Demon Sect, taciturn silence was becoming more common and frequent.

Based on what was happening in the outside world, it was obvious that the Solitary Sword Sect, Golden Frost Sect, Black Sieve Sect, Shimura Clan, and large numbers of rogue cultivators were preparing to go to war with the Blood Demon Clan!

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators were coming to wipe them out!

Such pressure from the outside world weighed down on the Blood Demon Sect disciples, causing them to grow more and more dour. Even more so, killing intent began to radiate out from the depths of their marrow.

They were Blood Demon Sect disciples, and they behaved like Demons. Furthermore, the name of their sect had the character 'blood 血' in it! How could such a thing not be terrifying!?

Of course, they were getting ready for the coming war too, and the hunchbacked old man from the fifth mountain peak was in charge of all the preparations.

In Blood Prince Gorge, Naruto could also sense the pressure. He knew that all of this was happening because of the true Immortal's soul. In fact, he actually attempted to hand the soul over. However, Patriarch Blood Demon once again refused.

"What's yours is yours. I brought you here to be the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect, and I'm responsible for you!

"If I allow some bystander to snatch away something that belongs to you, then what's to prevent them from taking things from other disciples? How could the Blood Demon Sect stand for such a humiliation?!

"I might be old, but I still need to maintain face! If they want war, we'll give them war!"

When Naruto heard this, his eyes began to glow with a strange light, which gradually transformed into determination. By this point, he didn't care how it was that he came to be in the Blood Demon Sect. What he cared about was a concept that existed in his heart: to face others with a clear conscience.

For the Blood Demon Sect to treat him like this meant that he needed to act just as responsibly in return.

Naruto chose to go into secluded meditation. For the moment, he ceased his constant study of the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex, and instead spent most of his time on the 'self' character from the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao.

He was already enlightened regarding most of the aspects of the 'self' character. What he needed to do now was actually make a second true self!

As for how powerful the second true self would be, even he had no idea. He did know that it was made from his own flesh and blood, and was like a sheath, within which was placed a soul. As for which soul to use, Naruto decided to use… the true Immortal's soul!

His only concern was that if he used it, then his Master Pill Demon would be unable to benefit from it later on. Therefore, he consulted with Patriarch Blood Demon on the matter. After Patriarch Blood Demon reassured him that there was no harm in going forward with his plan, he made up his mind.

Naruto was in thorough anticipation of what sort of power would be unleashed when he merged the true Immortal's soul into his second true self.

"Other people can cultivate clones, but this art produces a true self!" he thought as he sat cross-legged in the log cabin.

"Those who cultivate clones merely separate a portion of their soul and then use that as the essence. Place it into a moulded body, and that is the Dao of cloning.

"To cultivate a true self, you use flesh and blood. After nourishing it, it becomes like an invincible sheath, within which is concealed an unmatchable sword.

"Using the soul as the basis is actually very different from using flesh and blood. They seem similar, but in fact are completely different." After gaining enlightenment of the 'self' character, his eyes suddenly opened.

In unison, he splayed the fingers of his right hand, after which five drops of blood flew out. He then did the same with his left hand. Five drops of blood flew out from both hands.

Next were each of his legs, then his feet; five drops of blood each. Finally, a tremor ran through his torso, and ten drops of blood emerged.

In total, there were forty drops of blood floating in front of him, radiating brilliant light. Then, they began to congeal together. As they did, the skin of Naruto's forehead split open, and another drop of blood emerged to join the others. Finally, he bit the tip of his tongue and spit out some Chakra and Blood.

42 drops of blood radiated brilliant light and merged together, gradually forming the shape of a person.

Naruto's face paled, and his body sagged with weakness. However, his eyes were as determined as ever.

"What makes this a true self?" he mused rhetorically.

"The blood that circulates is mine. The skin is mine. The blood vessels are mine. The vital organs are mine. It all comes from me, and is the same as my original true self.

"This, is my second true self!"

A vicious gleam appeared in his eyes as he lifted his hand and stabbed it into his abdomen. A cracking sound could be heard, but he endured the pain as he broke off one of his own ribs. After pulling it out of his body, he crushed it into a powder which he then blew out toward the blood-mass of a person in front of him.

As soon as the bone powder entered the body in front of him, cracking sounds could be heard, as if a skeleton were forming inside.

Naruto trembled as his Eternal stratum healed his body at rapid speed. Unfortunately, the drops of blood, and the rib, were lost forever.

"The second true self is formed from what the Self Character Incantation permanently extracts from my body. What is taken away, can not be recovered…. This divine ability basically creates a new person. How extraordinary!" Muttering to himself, Naruto severed some of the redundant blood vessels in his body and then fused them into the other body.

Immediately, blood vessels appeared within.

Next came the vital organs and other miscellaneous parts. The only thing lacking now was the soul.

Time passed, although Naruto wasn't sure how much. His body was very weak, but in front of him was now a person whose features were the exact same as his own.

He wore a white robe, and sat there cross-legged, as fair as jade. He was handsome, and had a strong scholarly aura. He looked exactly like Naruto had when he was about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Looking at him, Naruto got the sensation that he was looking at an extension of his own body. He almost forget altogether that this was his second true self. It was almost like… a precious treasure in the shape of a person.

"And now it's time to insert the soul of the true Immortal!" His eyes shone with strange light as he slapped his bag of holding. The true Immortal's soul appeared, along with gentle, radiating light and a mysterious aura.

The instant the soul appeared, the entirety of Blood Prince Gorge filled with Immortal Chakra. In fact, the entire Blood Demon Sect instantly became like an Immortal paradise.

Patriarch Blood Demon opened his eyes and stared in the direction of Blood Prince Gorge.

Outside in the Blood Demon Sect, everyone was astonished.

"What aura is that?"

"How refreshing! I feel incredible!"

"I feel like my cultivation base just advanced a little bit…."

Back in Blood Prince Gorge, Naruto took a deep breath. He began to place sealing incantations onto the true Immortal's soul according to the prescribed method of the Self Character Incantation. It was not done in a forceful manner, but rather oh so gently. This was not a fusing of the soul and the body; rather, what was needed was for the soul to remain inside without struggling or fighting back.

Naruto carefully placed the sealing incantations onto the soul and then, filled with anticipation, placed the soul into his second true self with the greatest of care.

In that instant, a tremor ran through his second true self, after which he returned to his previous placid state.

"In eighty-one days, my second true self will awaken!

"There are three phases to incubating my second true self. The first is eighty-one days, the second is eighty-one months, the third is eighty-one years!

"At the end of each of those phases, the second true self will become more and more perfect." Naruto took a deep breath. This was the first time he had ever worked with such a bizarre and strange magic. Finally, he closed his eyes and calmed his mind, then rotated his cultivation base.

A few days later, he opened his eyes again. He was no longer weak. Although he had sustained quite a few unrecoverable losses, the overall impact to him was relatively insignificant.

Compared to the gains, such losses were completely worth it.

"Three months!

"In three months, the first version of my second true self will emerge. I wonder… how powerful it will be!" His eyes shone with persistence and anticipation. He was extremely curious to find out how this combination of the true Immortal's soul and his second true self… would turn out!

"And now, it's time for the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal!" he thought, his eyes glowing with a bright light. In the underground world beneath the Ancient Dao Lakes, he had acquired thousands of Spirit Severing level magical items. Although he didn't quite have ten thousand, it was still enough to cultivate the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal.

"Ten thousand Spirit Severing magical items will make my fleshly body incredibly tough, and will enable me to break through from the Spirit Severing level to Dao Seeking!" With that, he opened his bag of holding and took out a sword. He placed it onto his arm, and then the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal appeared in his mind. After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, something like flames appeared in his eyes.

The flame consisted of nine layers, which merged together and then flew out shapelessly from his eyes. It was invisible, but when it touched the sword on his arm, the sword melted, then fused into his body in the blink of an eye.

When the sword fused into him, he felt an intense jolt of pain. He began to tremble, although he did his best to control it. By the time the sword was completely absorbed into him, his body was soaked in sweat.

The pain reminded him of the pain he had felt when his Dao foundation was ripped away.

He took a deep breath and clenched his right fist tightly. Popping sounds rang out, and the air around his fist twisted and distorted.

"I really am a bit more powerful…." he thought. Excitement shone in his eyes. It was painful, but the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal truly did make his fleshly body stronger, and that was all he needed.

"One more time!" he thought, his expression one of determination. A great war was on the horizon, and he needed to use every method at his disposal to get even more powerful.

More time passed. Two months later, the four great powers were now completely ready for war. 150,000 cultivators flew out from the Solitary Sword Sect, including ten Spirit Severing cultivators and two Dao Seeking experts.

One of them was none other than the Dao Reserve of the Solitary Sword Sect, the peak Dao Seeking old man who wore a black gown. It was impossible to tell how many countless years he had lived.

The other was an ordinary Dao Seeking eccentric. Although he was only in the early Dao Seeking stage, he was still a Patriarch of the Solitary Sword Sect.

As they flew out, tens of thousand of swords also appeared. Ten of those swords were roughly 3,000 meters in length. Most shocking of all was a 30,000-meter bronze sword.

In addition, there were various valuable treasures that flew along, circulating around the swords. Their glow seemed infinite as the countless cultivators flew through the air.

"Sword, come!" cried the peak Dao Seeking expert in the black robe. He extended his hand toward the enormous stone sword that rose up into the sky above the Solitary Sword Sect. It began to rumble, and then cracks appeared on its surface to reveal a green sword made of bamboo!

As soon as it appeared, wild colors danced in the sky, the wind howled, and a shocking Sword Chakra could be sensed. When the peak Dao Seeking expert grasped the sword, it continued to vibrate with a humming sound.

"The ancestor acquired this treasure in the Ancient Dao Lakes," the old man said coolly. "Now, it will be used in battle to acquire the true Immortal's soul, also from the Ancient Dao Lakes. This is Karma! Clearly, the true Immortal's soul was meant for the Solitary Sword Sect!" With that, he flicked his sleeve, and the 150,000 Solitary Sword Sect cultivators made their way directly toward the Blood Demon Sect.

At virtually the same time, countless armored figures flew up into the air from the Golden Frost Sect. This was a force of 100,000, soaring through the air on flying shuttles, surrounded by countless valuable treasures. Shockingly, the huge group began to organize into a spell formation, which transformed into a gigantic puppet, tens of thousands of meters tall.

The huge puppet was completely shocking in appearance, and emanated an indescribably terrifying aura. The peak Dao Seeking expert of the Golden Frost Sect, a red-haired old man, appeared on top of the puppet's head. He sat there cross-legged, eyes radiating ferocity.

This red-haired old man was the only Dao Seeking expert from the Golden Frost Sect. Apparently, they couldn't quite match up to the Solitary Sword Sect, which made sense since the Solitary Sword Sect was considered the number one sect in the Southern Domain.

However, that did not mean the Golden Frost Sect was weak. Their offensive techniques, utilizing puppet incarnations which combined the energy of large groups of cultivators, could explode out with multilayered power.

As their puppet strode across the land toward the Blood Demon Sect, it let out a roar, which was actually the combined roar of 100,000 cultivators.

Guy of the Solitary Sword Sect refused to participate in the battle, as did Choji of the Golden Frost Sect. Fatty had a special status, so he had that right. However, Guy was different. Because of his refusal, he was punished by being locked up in the sect dungeon, where he was to be tortured for thirty years.

Even as the Solitary Sword Sect and the Golden Frost Sect mobilized their forces, the Black Sieve Sect emerged in full strength. Patriarch Six-Daos had been waiting for this day for a long time. As soon as he received the notice, countless discarnate souls, as well as all the Black Sieve Sect disciples, flew out.

Ino, however, was nowhere to be seen. Neither had she been present the day when Naruto came to wipe out the Black Sieve Sect the first time. Apparently, she had gone missing after returning from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

As for the Shimura Clan, they also flew out in formation. Flying up ahead of them was an enormous bronze bell. It emitted a droning sound as well as golden light, which spread out to cover all of the Shimura Clan members and carry them along through the air.

On top of the bell was the Shimura Clan's most powerful expert, their 3rd Patriarch. He sat there cross-legged, his eyes shining with bright, flickering light.

The four great powers all sprang into action at the same time, heading directly toward the Blood Demon Sect.

Earlier, the four powers had distributed declarations of war throughout the Southern Domain, calling for rogue cultivators to join them in punishing the Blood Demon Sect. No small quantity of magical items and medicinal pills had been offered up as rewards!

The declarations of war listed nearly a thousand wicked acts committed by the Blood Demon Sect. The cultivators who perused the list were instantly furious, and felt their hair standing up on end in rage.

In truth, though, everyone also knew that much of the list was a mere fabrication. Even so, nobody would attempt to question it too much.

After all, declaring that they were righting wrongs in accordance with the Heavens, wiping out the Blood Demon Sect to cleanse the Southern Domain, was just a pretext.

Few people believed that the Blood Demon Sect would be able to escape this catastrophe. Everyone felt that they were doomed to be destroyed. All Blood Demon Sect disciples would surely be wiped out, and any who somehow managed to escape would be hunted down and killed. Soon, there would be no more Blood Demon Sect in the Southern Domain.

Therefore, hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators sprang into action. In their minds, the outcome of this war was a certainty, and they could use the destruction of the Blood Demon Sect cultivators to acquire resources they needed for their own cultivation.

The war was like a massive storm that swept across the Southern Domain, made up of the four great powers and the rogue cultivators, a combined force of 600,000-700,000 cultivators.

The clouds blackened, and the lands grew dark. A great war… would break out at any moment.

In the Blood Demon Sect, all the disciples waited in taciturn silence, their killing intent rising to monstrous heights. They were proud to be Blood Demon Sect cultivators, and even if they were facing an apocalyptic calamity, their faith in the sect was not weakened. They… would fight!

"To battle!"

"Live or die with the sect!"

"The Patriarch is the Top Expert of the Southern Domain! The Blood Prince is the number one figure in the Spirit Severing stage! So what if we have to fight all the other sects in the Southern Domain!?"

"If we lose, fine. But if we don't, then we will sweep across the four powers and make the Blood Demon Sect the only sect in the entire Southern Domain!"

Roaring and shouting filled the air in the Blood Demon Sect. It wasn't necessarily that they were devoted heart and soul to the Blood Demon Sect. Rather, this war… was unavoidable. They had two choices: fight, or die!

No disciple would betray the sect, not even if the destruction of the sect itself was nigh. The terrifying consequences for betrayal had long since been imprinted into the hearts of the disciples.

Seven days later, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, the Black Sieve Sect, and the Shimura Clan blasted through the air to appear in the region of the Blood Demon Sect, surrounding it on all sides.

These four powers could be seen advancing from all four directions. The Sword Chakra of the Solitary Sword Sect surged. The Golden Frost Sect's puppet was astonishing. The Black Sieve Sect was sinister to the extreme. The Shimura Clan was surrounded by golden light.

In actuality, they could have come earlier had they wished. However, they had spent a bit more time en route in order to make sure that they all arrived at the same time. That way they could assure victory in one fell swoop.

They didn't attack immediately, but instead, began to set up spell formations to block and surround the Blood Demon Sect.

They also began to set up teleportation portals right under the Blood Demon Sect's noses, which enabled vast crowds of rogue cultivators to teleport to the area from all over the Southern Domain.

The sealing and blockade spell formations thoroughly pinned the Blood Demon Sect down. No one would be able to escape.

The sky above the Southern Domain filled with dark clouds, as did the hearts of the Blood Demon Sect disciples.

All of their own spell formations had long since been activated. The glow of blood circulated through the air in all directions around the sect. From a distance, it looked like an enormous Demon.

The Demonic Incarnation was illusory, but its body was tens of thousands of meters tall; it was bigger than a mountain. It sat cross-legged on the land, clad in black armor. Its green hair floated in the wind, and a golden mask covered its face.

The mask was incomplete, as if it were composed of many parts. On the head of the Demonic Incarnation was a long, curved horn, around which lightning crackled.

The parts of the Demonic Incarnation's skin that were not covered by armor were crimson, like the color of blood. Anyone who laid eyes on it would be filled with a sense of awe and terror.

This was the Blood Demon Sect's most powerful spell formation, the Blood Demon Grand Spell Formation!

This spell formation resulted in a Demonic Incarnation that could merge the cultivation bases of all of the Blood Demon Sect disciples. It had protected the Blood Demon Sect for countless years, and had ensured its long-lasting survival.

Inside the Demonic Incarnation, the five mountain peaks of the Blood Demon Sect glowed with brilliant light that transformed into five layers of ripples. Each layer was a different color, and as they spread out, they transformed into a five-layered restrictive spell shield.

Each layer of the shield was maintained by Spirit Severing experts, and was filled with the power of the entire mountain peak. The entire defense was incredibly tough and resilient.

Suddenly, Patriarch Blood Demon's voice echoed out through the Blood Demon Sect. "The first formation, the Demonic Incarnation, will have Naruto as the nucleus. He will lead 100,000 disciples, and will control the formation!"

Naruto currently stood in Blood Prince Gorge. When he heard Patriarch Blood Demon's voice, he looked up.

Next to him was Hinata. She didn't speak, but instead silently straightened his robe, and then wrapped her arms around him. After a moment passed, she released him and stepped back. Naruto looked at her.

"Wait for me. I'll be back."

Hinata nodded. Inside, she was getting incredibly nervous, but she didn't let Naruto see it for fear that it might distract him.

Naruto took a deep breath and then walked out of Blood Prince Gorge. The moment he emerged, the mad, burning eyes of the Blood Demon Sect disciples all came to focus on him.

When he saw their impassioned gazes, Naruto felt a deep guilt. All of this was because he had taken the true Immortal's soul. If he hadn't, this great catastrophe would not have descended on the Blood Demon Sect.

It was at this point that he suddenly heard Patriarch Blood Demon's calm voice speaking in his ear. "There's no need to feel guilty. Do you really think that the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, and the Shimura Clan are willing to start a war just because of the soul of a true Immortal?

"The true Immortal's soul was just an instigating factor. The true reason for their actions… is their fear of me. They believe me to be an existential threat, and have been looking for an opportunity to get rid of me.

"Even if the true Immortal's soul didn't come along, this war still would have happened. The Southern Domain has been at peace for too long."

Naruto didn't respond, but his eyes gleamed with decisiveness and the desire to slaughter. In this war, he would definitely be doing some killing!

In fact, he would do everything within his might to kill as many enemies as possible.

His body flashed as he flew up toward the first spell formation. Behind him, 100,000 Blood Demon Sect disciples soared through the air. All of them entered the spell formation and then sat down cross-legged.

There were 20,000 in the torso. The four limbs had 15,000 each. The head had 20,000. In total, there were 100,000 disciples. As for Naruto, his position was in the forehead of the Demonic Incarnation.

As soon as the 100,000 disciples entered the spell formation and sat down cross-legged, they unleashed their cultivation bases. As the power merged into the Demonic Incarnation, rumbling sounds filled their minds. The enormous Demonic Incarnation suddenly seemed to revert from a state of deathlike inactivity, to life. Flourishing life force exploded out inside of it.

Naruto sat cross-legged in the forehead position, monstrous killing intent visible in his eyes. He would protect this place, both for the Blood Demon Sect, and… for Hinata.

As long as he was alive, he would not permit anyone to harm even a hair on Hinata's head.

Even as he sat there cross-legged, he continuously produced Spirit Severing magical items, which he absorbed into his body. Even as the pain threatened to cross the threshold that he could tolerate, he clenched his jaw tightly and pressed on. With the absorption of each treasure, his fleshly body continued to grow stronger, bit by bit.

The strongest of all…. was his right arm. That was the first location into which he had absorbed the Spirit Severing treasures. After melding exactly a thousand such treasures into his right arm, he could sense a breakthrough in that specific area; it now radiated ripples similar to Dao Seeking.

"Almost there…." he thought. His expression was calm as he continued to fuse more items into his body.

Time passed. Several days later, the Blood Demon Sect was deathly silent. The atmosphere was one of suppression, suppression of the incredible energy that had built up to a peak and was just waiting to explode out.

Outside of the sect, the four great powers had finished setting up their spell formations. Hundreds of thousands of Southern Domain rogue cultivators had arrived.

From a distance, 700,000 cultivators could be seen surrounding the Blood Demon Sect, spread across the horizon as far as the eye could see. It was an incredible force, and looking at it would cause one's heart to tremble.

"Blood Demon Sect!"

"This war will end with the extermination of the Blood Demon Sect!"

"FIGHT!"

It was noontime, but the sun was completely covered by the dark clouds. Lightning crackled through the sky as the vast crowds of the four great powers roared. 700,000 voices combined together, roaring with such intensity that the clouds were split open and rain began to pour down.

Rain. Thunder. Slaughter….

Battle!

The war was beginning!

The Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, the Black Sieve Sect, and the Shimura Clan were not the first ones to make a move. The first to attack were naturally the rogue cultivators who had come hoping to earn rewards.

Hundreds of thousands of them surged forth with earthshaking power. The sky shook, and the rain was incapable of even falling to the ground, and was instead scattered about in all directions.

A great variety of cultivation bases could be seen among the rogue cultivators. The highest were in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage; however, there were no Spirit Severing experts present. As they attacked, the spell formations around them burst out with blinding light. Lightning from above was pulled down, entering into the spell formations, which then produced numerous silver snakes composed of lightning bolts.

There were eight silver snakes in total, 300 meters wide and 30,000 meters long, that sucked the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators inside of them as they emerged. From a distance, tens of thousands of rogue cultivators could be seen inside each of the silver snakes, lending their power to the lightning. The snakes immediately shot directly toward the enormous Demonic Incarnation surrounding the Blood Demon Sect.

Inside the Demonic Incarnation, the 100,000 Blood Demon Sect disciples began to call out.

"Blood Prince, do we fight?!"

"Blood Prince, we're waiting for your command!"

Their voices echoed about inside of the Demonic Incarnation, but could not be heard in the outside world.

"The time has not come yet," replied Naruto calmly. He slowly raised his right hand, and in response, the enormous, cross-legged Demonic Incarnation also raised its hand, then pounded the ground violently with a palm strike.

Boom!

A deafening sound could be heard as a blood-colored shield of light shot out from the palm of the Demonic Incarnation to sweep out in all directions.

As the eight incoming lightning snakes closed in on the Demonic Incarnation, they were blocked by the blood-colored shield at a distance of 3,000 meters. The shield twisted and distorted under the power of the repeated attacks levied against it, but did not collapse.

Inside the Demonic Incarnation, killing intent flashed brightly in the eyes of the 100,000 Blood Demon Sect disciples. Their bodies emanated bloody glows as they waited, fused completely with the Demonic Incarnation. As for Naruto, he sat in the forehead position, continuously feeding Spirit Severing treasures into the flesh of his right arm.

1,451. 1,452…. As the items continued to fuse into his arm, it grew more and more powerful. The Dao Seeking aura became more prominent, and Naruto knew that he was just a little bit away… from making his hand the first part of his fleshly body that was truly in Dao Seeking.

Eight silver lightning snakes attacked constantly, but the blood-colored shield continued to hold strong, despite the distortions that marred its surface. It even managed to make counterattacks, such that two of the silver snakes were beginning to show signs of breaking apart.

"Trash! Even with the help of our Shimura Clan spell formations, those good-for-nothing fools still can't break the Blood Demon Sect's first spell formation!" The Shimura Clan's 3rd Patriarch gave a cold snort.

"Fellow Daoist Six-Daos," said the red-haired Golden Frost Sect cultivator, his eyes coming to rest on Patriarch Six-Daos of the Black Sieve Sect. "It's about time for you to make your move."

The black-robed cultivator from the Solitary Sword Sect also looked over at him.

Six-Daos' face flickered and he snorted coldly. There was no way for him to refuse, so he raised his hand and pointed forward. The Black Sieve Sect discarnate souls and cultivators behind him gritted their teeth and charged forward. There was even one discarnate soul who emanated a Spirit Severing aura; including it, the Black Sieve Sect looked like an enormous sword, slicing through the air to stab toward the blood-colored shield that the eight lightning snakes were contending with.

A huge boom rattled out, and the blood-colored shield shuddered, seemingly growing weaker. The eight lightning snakes merged their power together. That, combined with the cultivation bases of the Black Sieve Sect, smashed into the weakest parts of the shield.

Cracking sounds could be heard as fissures spread out. The fissures quickly sealed back up, though, and even sent counterattacks back out. The two silver lightning snakes that had been weakened before suddenly exploded.

There were no miserable screams. The instant that the snake exploded, the tens of thousands of cultivators inside were instantly wiped out, dead in spirit and body.

The cultivators in the remaining six lightning snakes looked shocked. However, they had come here to seek good fortune and had been promised by the four great powers that they would get what they sought. It didn't matter that the battle was fierce; would they really give up so easily?

"Naruto!" the Spirit Severing discarnate soul cried out. "Are you going to keep hiding in the Blood Demon Sect the whole time? I dare you to come out and fight!" He assumed Naruto was somewhere in the Blood Demon Sect, not inside the Demonic Incarnation.

His voice reverberated as it passed through the blood-colored shield, all the way to the Demonic Incarnation, and into Naruto's ears.

Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent, but he did nothing. Instead, he continued to feed Spirit Severing treasures into his right hand.

1,479. 1,480!

Naruto could clearly sense that his right arm was now almost completely beyond Spirit Severing, and had truly entered into Dao Seeking.

Booms echoed out from the outside as six lightning snakes, joined by the Black Sieve Sect cultivators under the leadership of the Spirit Severing discarnate soul, continued to attack the blood-colored shield. The shield began to distort and shrink, and portions even began to shatter.

"Naruto!" called the Spirit Severing discarnate soul. "I was the one who personally extracted Hinata's soul! The process of separating her body and soul wracked her with intense pain! The look on her face… I still remember it as if it were yesterday." He waved his hand, and the shield shook. He was obviously trying to bait Naruto into fighting.

The instant his voice rang out, Naruto looked up. Intense viciousness could be seen in his eyes, as well as explosive killing intent.

The 1,500th Spirit Severing treasure fused into his right arm, and it broke completely out of Spirit Severing and reached the Dao Seeking level.

An incomplete, fragmented natural law spread out, although it didn't affect Naruto. His right hand was now the most powerful part of his fleshly body!

"Blood Prince, let's fight!"

"Blood Prince, we want to do battle!"

"Yes," said Naruto. "FIGHT!" Even as the words left his mouth, he raised his right hand and made a violent grasping gesture. What everyone on the outside saw was the Demonic Incarnation raising its enormous right hand, which then shot out of the shield with indescribable speed to grab ahold of the Spirit Severing discarnate soul.

The hand clenched viciously, and a boom could be heard, as the discarnate soul was crushed into pieces. A lingering scream echoed out over the battlefield.

The Demonic Incarnation suddenly stood up. It was tens of thousands of meters tall, completely shocking in appearance.

Naruto sat cross-legged in the forehead position of the Demonic Incarnation. The life forces and cultivation bases of 100,000 cultivators poured into the Demonic Incarnation, all of which Naruto could sense.

"Early Dao Seeking!" said Naruto, sensing the power of the Demonic Incarnation. He waved his hand, and in response, the shrinking, blood-colored shield returned to cover the entire Demonic Incarnation. Without the blood-colored obstructing the way, the six lightning snakes instantly shot toward Naruto. So did the Black Sieve Sect discarnate souls and cultivators, who were ashen faced.

"Offend the Blood Demon Sect? You shall die!" The combined voices of 100,000 people boomed out from the Demonic Incarnation. Heaven and Earth shook, and Naruto raised his hand and clenched it into a fist.

The fist slammed into one of the lightning snakes, which instantly collapsed into pieces. In the blink of an eye, the entire snake fell apart in a huge explosion.

Naruto sent the Demonic Incarnation forward. It performed an incantation with its right hand, then gestured forward. Immediately, the air was rent open as a huge fissure appeared. It slashed out and hit another lightning snake, which then exploded.

All of these things happened with incredible speed. Next, Naruto turned the body of the Demonic Incarnation and sent it directly toward the enormous sword formed by the discarnate souls and cultivators of the Black Sieve Sect.

"DIE!" Naruto's voice joined with the 100,000 cultivators to let out an incredible roar. Their cultivation bases surged, and the power of early Dao Seeking bolstered the noise to transform the roar into a terrifying sound wave.

The sound wave transformed into visible ripples which then slammed into the Black Sieve Sect discarnate souls and cultivators. One by one, the discarnate souls vanished, as if they were being erased. As for the cultivators with fleshly bodies, they were ripped into pieces by the passing ripple. Tens of thousands of Black Sieve Sect disciples… all died in body and soul.

"Your Blood Demon Demonic Incarnation is pretty good!" said the black-robed man from the Solitary Sword Sect, his voice cool. He advanced forward, and was soon directly in front of Naruto. Although his hand was clearly empty, a shocking Sword Chakra suddenly materialized and slashed toward Naruto.

However, before the Sword Chakra could fully descend, a cold snort echoed out from within the Blood Demon Sect. A blood-colored figure flickered into being in front of Naruto. It was none other than Patriarch Blood Demon.

"How meaningless to bully the junior generation!" he said. "You want to fight? Let's fight!"

BOOOMMM!

Patriarch Blood Demon and the black-robed man from the Solitary Sword Sect immediately rose high up into the air as they began to fight. At the same time, the red-haired old man from the Golden Frost Sect, the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, and Patriarch Six-Daos flew up. Six-Daos cast a murderous glare at the Demonic Incarnation under Naruto's control, gave a cold snort, then proceeded to completely ignore it as he flew toward Patriarch Blood Demon.

It was at this moment, though, that three more blood-colored figures shot out from the Blood Demon Sect. Each and every one looked exactly like Patriarch Blood Demon, and each one shot toward one of the three who had just flown out.

There were now four clones of Patriarch Blood Demon present. Four incredible clones, battling four of the most powerful Patriarchs of the Southern Domain.

Booms filled the air, and the battle above caused the air to warp and distort. It was difficult for anyone looking on to see clearly, but they could tell that the sky itself seemed on the verge of falling. The intense battle being carried out could clearly shake even the Heavens.

"KILL THEM!" Almost in the same moment that the Patriarchs were locked in the decisive battle up above, the rest of the forces of the four great powers charged into battle. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators sped directly toward the Demonic Incarnation controlled by Naruto.

Among them was an early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect, as well as a puppet from the Golden Frost Sect formed by Spirit Severing experts, which also emanated a Dao Seeking aura. The Shimura Clan had even more spell formations circulating around them. Unfortunately for the Black Sieve Sect, they had sustained severe casualties.

Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes as he brazenly sent the Demonic Incarnation forward to battle directly with the four powers!

Inside the Demonic Incarnation, the 100,000 Blood Demon Sect disciples' eyes were bright red. They formed the Blood Demon Sect's first spell formation, which was not easily destroyed. Were it to be broken, the Blood Demon Sect would then be vulnerable to the outside world.

"To the death!"

The Demonic Incarnation emanated early Dao Seeking energy as it roared into battle against the hundreds of thousands of cultivators which surrounded it.

There were only four lightning snakes left, filled with rogue cultivators with bloodshot eyes. They flew through the air, occasionally attacking. As for the Black Sieve Sect, they were in disarray and no longer had enough forces to do battle.

However, such was not the case with the Solitary Sword Sect. Under the leadership of the early Dao Seeking expert, 100,000 flying swords exploded out, transforming into a shocking power that continuously pelted Naruto.

The early Dao Seeking expert was actually capable of fighting directly with Naruto and the Demonic Incarnation. He became the primary force in the battle, backed by the power of ten Solitary Sword Sect Spirit Severing cultivators.

The Spirit Severing experts of the Golden Frost sect combined to form a puppet, which also emanated a Dao Seeking aura that caused the clouds to seethe when it attacked. They joined forces with the early Dao Seeking cultivator from the Solitary Sword Sect and successfully pinned down Naruto and the Demonic Incarnation.

As for the Shimura Clan, they were attempting to harm Naruto more covertly. They flew around the perimeter, surrounding the area with countless spell formations. Some were used to bind the Demonic Incarnation, others self detonated. Incredible pressure weighed down on Naruto.

Every time Naruto attacked, every time the two sides clashed, many of the cultivators inside the Demonic Incarnation would spit up blood. On one occasion, the Solitary Sect's early Dao Seeking expert and the Golden Frost Sect Puppet combined their attacks and struck the Demonic Incarnation with an earth-shaking force. 20,000 of the cultivators inside were unable to withstand the force and their bodies immediately exploded.

Blood oozed out from the Demonic Incarnation, forming a bloody rain that splattered down onto the ground.

However, the forces of the four great powers were also paying a heavy price.

Over a three day period, a third of the Golden Frost Sect cultivators died. Twenty percent of the Solitary Sword Sect perished. The Black Sieve Sect was thoroughly crippled, and twenty percent of the Shimura Clan were dead.

As for the rogue cultivators, Naruto had no time to pay them any heed. Despite that, of the four lightning snakes, one more was destroyed.

As of this point, the four great powers had suffered over 200,000 casualties!

Naruto persisted with gritted teeth. Were it not for the fact that his right arm possessed Dao Seeking strength, he would not have been able to hold out for this long. He lifted his right hand and punched out, connecting with the Golden Frost Sect puppet up ahead. It tumbled back, seemingly on the verge of complete collapse. However, the early Dao Seeking cultivator from the Solitary Sword Sect suddenly appeared and blocked Naruto with a flick of his sleeve.

Countless spell formations around him detonated, and amidst the booming explosions, 100,000 greatswords stabbed into Naruto's Demonic Incarnation.

"Piss off!" roared Naruto, his voice hoarse. The Demonic Incarnation collided with the Golden Frost Sect. Everywhere he passed, he left in his wake the shattered remains of countless puppets formed from the Golden Frost Sect cultivators.

"Solitary Sword Formation!" Bright gleams appeared in the eyes of the Solitary Sword Sect disciples. All of them began to perform incantations, then gripped their swords tightly as their bodies began to shine intensely, as if they were swords glinting in the light. Each and every person seemed to transform into a sword that flew up into the air. Shockingly, the swords began to interweave into an enormous sword formation!

The sword formation swirled in mid-air, forming into the shape of a gigantic greatsword that slashed down toward Naruto.

"Black White Pearls! Ninth Mountain!" Naruto waved his left hand, and the Ninth Mountain smashed into the greatsword. The mountain trembled and then collapsed, but so did the Solitary Sword Formation!

Naruto sent the Demonic Incarnation into retreat. Of the remaining 80,000 cultivators inside, 10,000 were once again unable to withstand the force of the blow, and exploded. At the same time, the Solitary Sword Sect's early Dao Seeking expert suddenly appeared. His hand flashed in an incantation gesture, and an amorphous green fog appeared, within which was a poisonous thorn. He pointed out, causing the green fog to envelop the Demonic Incarnation.

Simultaneously, the poisonous thorn shot forward to stab directly into the Demonic Incarnation. As it passed through, bloodcurdling screams rang out in Naruto's ears.

Naruto clenched his right hand into a fist and instantly punched out. The early Dao Seeking expert frowned, then gave a cold snort and performed another incantation. Rumbling could be heard as his body vanished, then reappeared three thousand meters away. His face was a bit pale; clearly, despite have avoided the fist, he had still suffered injuries.

"Everyone, attack!" he cried. As his voice rang out, he pointed up into the sky. "Bamboo sword!"

A green streak of light shot out of his finger, which then transformed into a tiny, bamboo shoot. It rapidly grew larger, transforming into a bamboo stalk. The stalk then shed its leaves and became a bamboo sword!

There were some experienced cultivators in the surrounding groups who began to cry out in shock.

"The Solitary Sword Sect's precious treasure!"

"I've heard of this precious treasure!"

The most powerful of the Golden Frost Sect's puppets let out a cold snort, then made an incantation gesture with its right hand. It stretched its right hand out and made a grasping motion, whereupon a hand-sized piece of rock flew out. It grew rapidly, transforming into a 3,000-meter tall mountain.

It was pitch black, except for one golden character on the side.

Termination!

Mount Termination!

This was the precious treasure of the Golden Frost Sect, as famous in name as the bamboo sword of the Solitary Sword Sect!

The 5th Shimura Clan Patriarch, who had a cultivation base at the great circle of the Third Severing, had been flitting about activating spell formations. When he saw the latest developments, he produced a pink Esoteric compass and then pushed down onto its surface.

Immediately, the ground began to rumble, and multiple columns of pink light shot up into the air.

"DIE!"

The Solitary Sword Sect's bamboo sword seemed to split the heavens, transforming into a green beam of light that shot toward Naruto. The Golden Frost Sect's Mount Termination began to rotate, emitting crushing pressure as it joined the green beam of light to attack Naruto.

Naruto's face fell, and the Black White Pearls and Ninth Mountain appeared again. He waved his right hand, and summoned the full power of his cultivation base to strike out with the most powerful blow he could muster.

BOOM!

The Demonic Incarnation fell back. Green light flashed as a huge wound was opened up. The Demonic Incarnation's right arm was lopped off; it transformed into 10,000 cultivators in mid-air, and as soon as they appeared, a massive power swept over them and ripped them into pieces.

BOOM!

Mount Termination crushed down, and Naruto coughed up blood. A multitude of cracks appeared on the Demonic Incarnation, which then rapidly began to spread out. Soon, numerous cross-legged Blood Demon Sect disciples became visible, expressions of hopelessness covering their faces.

BOOM!

The final salvo came from the spell formation formed from the pink beams of light. Everything rumbled as the light transformed the land into a world of pink. The light beams then shrank down into the form of an enormous pink talon, which slashed out at Naruto's Demonic Incarnation.

The Demonic Incarnation was incapable of holding out any longer. It appeared to be on the verge of collapse, and many of the cultivators inside died. Currently, only 30,000 remained alive.

"Retreat!" Naruto shouted. "Back to the sect!" A tremor ran through the Demonic Incarnation as the 30,000 cultivators were ejected from its back.

Naruto was the last to retreat. As soon as he left, his right hand flickered in an incantation gesture and then pointed at the almost-shattered Demonic Incarnation.

"Detonate!"

A shocking boom rumbled out. Even Patriarch Blood Demon and his opponents couldn't help but notice the detonation of the Demonic Incarnation.

The force of the explosion actually helped the 30,000 Blood Demon Sect in their retreat. However, to others in the immediate vicinity of the blast, it was like a devastating attack.

The shocked Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect shot forward, determined to block the force of the explosion, as did the puppet from the Golden Frost Sect. Even the 5th Shimura Clan Patriarch did the same.

If they did not do so, then the losses their various sects and clans would experience would be far too critical.

Even so, there were still many cultivators who simply couldn't avoid the blast, and were incinerated.

In the blink of an eye, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect and the Shimura Clan, as well as the rogue cultivators, all sustained heavy losses. Thanks to the Solitary Sword Sect's Dao Seeking expert, the Golden Frost Sect's puppet, and the 5th Shimura Clan patriarch, the losses were reduced by about half. Were it not for them, even more would have died.

Unfortunately for the nearby rogue cultivators, no one was around to assist them. The ripples from the explosion completely wiped them out, along with the remaining silver snakes. Afterwards, not a trace remained of them.

Fundamentally speaking, this battle was not something they were qualified to participate in. They had believed that, with the assistance of the four great powers, exterminating the Blood Demon Sect would be a simple task. They had never imagined that the Blood Demon Sect would be so fearsome.

And this… was only the first spell formation!

When the Demonic Incarnation collapsed, the air distorted, and the five mountain peaks of the Blood Demon Sect suddenly became visible!

The five mountain peaks were actually located in an enormous basin in the ground. They were surrounded by a five-layered shield which emanated brilliant, blinding light. It was something that could not be bypassed save by battering it into nonexistence, one layer at a time.

That was actually exactly what the Blood Demon Sect wanted. The four great powers would have to smash against the shields and withstand counterattacks. That meant that in order to break the shield, they would have to pay a price.

Borrowing momentum from the explosion of the Demonic Incarnation, Naruto led the 30,000 Blood Demon Sect disciples back into the sect. As soon as they passed the second layer of the shield, other Blood Demon Sect disciples arrived to give aid to them, helping them along and also giving them medicinal pills to consume.

As for Naruto, his face was pale white. He had significantly depleted himself in the course of the battle, but now was not the time for rest. He stood there, surveying the scene outside of the spell formation shield.

The two Ironblood Patriarchs sat cross-legged off to the side, surrounded by more than 20,000 disciples. The forces of Mount Ironblood were the ones responsible for maintaining the first layer of the shield created by the second formation.

Behind Naruto, the cultivators on the other various mountain peaks were all in the process of maintaining the other four shield layers of the second spell formation.

Outside the shield, the cultivators of the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect and the Shimura Clan were all shaken by the events of moments ago. However, after they saw the five mountain peaks of the Blood Demon Sect, their killing intent soared.

Immediately, a clamor arose as the cultivators of the four great powers began to call out.

"Kill them! Don't leave a single one alive!"

"The time has come to eradicate the Blood Demon Sect!"

"From now on, there will be no Blood Demon Sect in the Southern Domain!"

Even as their voices echoed out, the remaining several hundred thousand cultivators charged toward the Blood Demon Sect.

There were so many enemy cultivators that it was essentially impossible to see the end of their ranks. They seemed infinite. Earlier, when Naruto had been fused with the enormous Demonic Incarnation, he had been able to see the extent of their forces clearly. Now that the Demonic Incarnation had been destroyed and he had retreated to this position, all he could see was cultivators, stretching out in all directions.

The sheer numbers involved caused his scalp to go numb.

The cultivators whistled through the air toward the enormous five-layered shield formed by the Blood Demon Sect's second spell formation.

Even though the shield was in place, the Blood Demon Sect disciples had not lost their fighting spirit, and were just waiting for the enemy forces to slam into the shield.

However, it was at this point that a bright beam of light suddenly streaked toward the battlefield from high in the sky. It sliced through the air, moving at an incredible, indescribable speed. It almost looked like the Heavens were being split apart in shocking fashion.

What was now visible was a leaf!

It was a flying, burning leaf, emitting an astonishing aura!

Its target was no single person, but rather, the Blood Demon Sect's second spell formation!

"What gall!" roared Patriarch Blood Demon furiously, who was still in the midst of battling with the other Patriarchs. Immediately, he waved his hand, and a glittering, bloody light shot toward the incoming leaf.

Rumbling could be heard as the leaf decayed by more than half. However, there was still a streak of green that made it through the blood-colored light. The streak continued on, slamming into the shield of the second spell formation, piercing through the fifth layer, the fourth, and the third, before finally stopping at the second.

The fifth, fourth, and third layers all shook and trembled. Although they did not collapse, they now had holes punched in them!

Patriarch Blood Demon let out a furious shout, but the other Patriarchs went all out to prevent him from doing anything.

When the gaps in the shield appeared, the faces of the Blood Demon Sect disciples fell.

At the same time, killing intent could be seen in the eyes of the hundreds of thousand of cultivators on the outside. They immediately changed directions and headed toward the places where the gaps had been opened.

The holes were not large, but were something that the spell formation was incapable of closing up.

Facing such a situation, and such enemies, looks of dour hopelessness appeared on the faces of the Blood Demon Sect disciples.

"Dammit…. how do we fight back now?!"

"They punched holes in the shields! Those are biggest areas of weakness now! How do we fight?!"

"Our Blood Prince killed so many of them, yet there's still more of them, as far as the eye can see… do we have any hope left at all?" Facing hordes of attacking enemies and holes punched through to the second shield, the Blood Demon Sect disciples fell into a mute despair.

Hinata had long since emerged from Blood Prince Gorge, where she had stood the entire time, nervously watching Naruto. When he finally returned safely, she had breathed a sigh of relief. The new developments, however, caused her face to go pale.

Naruto looked up into the sky, and began to pant nervously for a moment before calming himself down. He looked around at the despairing Blood Demon Sect disciples and did nothing to try to rouse their spirits. He wasn't willing to do so. He already felt guilty because of the war; how could he directly ask them to go put their lives on the line?

He couldn't.

Suddenly, a sigh could be heard echoing amongst the crowds. The hunchbacked old man from the fifth mountain peak slowly walked out. Clearly, he intended to head toward the gap in the fifth shield layer.

Behind him was the pretty girl, his apprentice. "Master…." she said, her eyes filled with anxiety; clearly she had guessed her master's plan.

"I've lived for too long and seen too many things," he said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He was just about to step out when suddenly Naruto strode forward.

He couldn't ask the Blood Demon Sect to fight, but there was one thing he could do. He walked out, and as he did, he looked back toward Hinata and gave her a slight smile. Then, coldness filled his eyes and he advanced onward.

Next, he appeared outside of the shield, directly in front of the only weak space, that one gaping hole.

"Blood Prince!" said the hunchbacked old man, gaping.

"I will hold this gap!" said Naruto coolly. He obviously planned to use himself as the stopper to prevent anything from entering.

"My right arm already has Dao Seeking power," he thought, "and the Blood Demon Grand Magic is perfect for fighting against groups! If I can hold out for only ten more days, then my second true self will awaken! It's time to fight!"

When Naruto appeared on the outside of the shield, the Blood Demon Sect disciples behind him were shocked.

"Blood Prince!"

"Blood Prince, you…."

Naruto did not look back. He took a deep breath and rotated his cultivation base. He was tired, but he ignored the feeling, and pushed himself to the peak of his power.

His Spirit Severing aura exploded out, and his right arm gradually began to exude the pressure of Dao Seeking. He waved his hand through the air, and the Ninth Mountain magically appeared around him, as well as the Black White Pearls.

Next, he retrieved the Blood Immortal Mask from his bag of holding and slipped it onto his face.

Rumbling filled the air as hundreds of thousands of cultivators closed in on him.

It was at this point that a roar suddenly echoed out from within the mask. A beam of red light shot out to appear next to Naruto. It was none other than… the fully reformed Blood Mastiff!

It had died before, but now that it had reappeared, it was even more ferocious than before. Its Spirit Severing aura roiled out, and its energy surged.

Naruto waved his hand again, and Time Sword tips appeared. They were objects that were useless against the peak Dao Seeking powers. However, they were still incisive to the extreme. Shockingly, ten Time Sword tips flew out!

Naruto had specially prepared them just for this battle, using the copper mirror.

The ten Time Sword tips swirled about in the air, transforming into a sword formation. As it rotated, a bloody glow appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"My Eternal stratum makes my stamina… almost limitless!

"My Resurrection Lily, my Spirit Severing Treasure, has been hibernating for too long… the time has come for it to appear!" Naruto's life force surged up, and at the same time, a shocking, illusory Resurrection Lily suddenly appeared.

It had five colors, but shockingly, a sixth color could just barely be made out on one of the petals.

The sixth color faded in and out. Naruto was convinced that it wouldn't take long before the sixth color would appear in full. When that sixth color became stable, it would only need to bloom with one more color to achieve Immortal Ascension!

The sight of the ferocious Resurrection Lily caused the faces of many of the incoming hundreds of thousands of cultivators to flicker.

However, they did not cease their approach. The scene from the inside of the shield was that of Naruto, alone, facing hundreds of thousands of enemies. It was an image that would be indelibly burned into the minds of each and every Blood Demon Sect disciple, a memory that would remain for an eternity.

"DIE!" shouted Naruto. Killing intent blazed in his eyes as he performed a double handed incantation, then suddenly pointed out. The Blood Mastiff charged, and the the Time Sword Formation shot out. The Resurrection Lily behind him writhed as its tentacles shot out like whips toward the incoming waves of enemies.

The slaughter… had begun.

The power of Naruto's right arm was incredible. A single punch could cause Heaven and Earth to shake.

A glow of blood emanated out from the Blood Immortal Mask; this was the Blood Immortal divine ability. Without a face, a single word, flames of war unify!

Ceaseless rumbling filled the air as the Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared.

Despite all of this, he was still facing hundreds of thousands of cultivators. It was like a single praying mantis standing up to an army. The initial onslaught sent blood spraying from his mouth, and his fleshly body instantly began to explode.

However, in the very instant that the signs of collapse appeared, his fleshly body fused back together under the power of the Eternal stratum. Naruto could almost be considered unkillable. He remained there in front of the gap, carrying out slaughter just as before.

When the Blood Demon Grand Magic was unfurled, the golden vortex sent endless quantities of blood and Chakra into Naruto, along with spirit meridians and cultivation bases.

RUUMMMBBLLLLEEE!

Only ten breaths of time had passed since the initial onslaught, yet Naruto's body had fallen apart three times. The third time was because of a combined attack from the early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect puppet, and tens of thousands of cultivators.

Despite all of this, he refused to budge, nor did he allow anyone to enter through the gap.

When the Blood Demon Sect disciples behind the shield saw his body on the verge of collapse, blood smeared on his skin and soaking his clothes, their eyes went red. There were even some from the group of 30,000 survivors from the first spell formation who leaped up and began to charge toward the battlefield.

"Blood Prince!"

"Blood Prince, we will fight with you!"

However, even as they charged forward, Naruto waved his sleeve behind him, causing a powerful wind to rise up and carry them back behind the safety of the shield.

"All of you, stay back!"

He looked back, and determination could be seen in his eyes. It was a look that said, This is my fight. To Naruto, this was the only option that could leave him with a clear conscience. Besides, his body was difficult to destroy, which could not be said of the others.

BOOOOMMMMM!

Naruto fell back, a ferocious expression on his face. By this time, multiple Blood Demon Grand Magic vortexes had appeared in the area, nine in total. Each and every one was gold in color, and unleashed boundless gravitational force.

The cultivators who found themselves trapped in the vortexes could only watch in shock as their bodies withered rapidly, and their cultivation bases were sucked out.

Massive quantities of Chakra and Blood flowed toward Naruto, which he absorbed, causing his fleshly body to grow powerful to an incredible degree. His cultivation base also climbed higher, making him… even harder to destroy.

A strange glow appeared in his eyes. He would not let anyone into the gap in the shield behind him, not even… over his dead body!

BOOM!

Even with the vast quantity of Chakra, blood, and cultivation base power that were replenishing him, he was facing up against assaults from hundreds of thousands of enemies. There were also many powerful experts amongst them. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his body once again exploded into a cloud of blood and gore.

In the blink of an eye, however, it seemed that the cloud underwent a reversal of time and coalesced back into the form of Naruto. Naruto's eyes were bloodshot as he roared and yet again unleashed the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

The Ninth Mountain appeared up ahead, and descended with massive rumblings. Along with the Time Sword Formation, it swept across the battlefield madly. The Blood Mastiff was not faring well, and didn't seem capable of holding out much longer. However, with Naruto there, it would continue to fight.

But would Naruto really allow the Blood Mastiff to face such danger? He waved his right hand, causing the Blood Mastiff to return to the blood-colored mask. Then, he performed an incantation gesture, and a tenth Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex appeared.

"If I can hold on with the Blood Demon Grand Magic, then there's the possibility that the vortex will reach a certain point that it can sustain my defense of this position indefinitely!" As he gritted his teeth, Resurrection Lily tentacles shot out from behind him, creating a dense barrier in front of him.

"Looking to die?!" someone said, along with a cold snort. Three old Spirit Severing cultivators appeared, standing on glowing halos that appeared to be a spell formation. They immediately shot toward Naruto.

Behind them were tens of thousands of cultivators wielding countless varieties of divine abilities. If Naruto had faced any of these magics by themselves, he could just ignore them. However, their overwhelming numbers caused the sky to dim and the land to quake.

It was like a massive flood filled of murderous hate, surging down onto Naruto.

The three Spirit Severing cultivators closed in, and Naruto's killing intent flickered as he realized that these three were experts from the Shimura Clan. He performed an incantation with his left hand, and Blood Immortal divine abilities appeared. Rumbling filled the air as they fused with the Resurrection Lily. A blood-red flower shot out to defend against the incoming flood.

Massive explosions boomed out as Naruto unleashed all his magic against the torrent of enemies. Unfortunately, he could only hold them back temporarily. Soon, they burst through, and the three Spirit Severing cultivators bore down on Naruto, roaring. As they neared, the halos beneath their feet shot out ghost images that closed in on Naruto.

"Seal!"

"Seal!"

"Seal!"

Immediately, the ghost images of the three halos began to emanate brilliant glows, as well as shocking, explosive sealing power. They descended onto Naruto, preparing to seal him away.

It was at this exact same moment that six more people flew out from the crowds.

Of the six, three were from the Solitary Sword Sect and three were from the Golden Frost Sect. The air around them distorted as they unleashed their most powerful, shocking magical techniques.

"DIE!"

Nine incredible Spirit Severing cultivators all attacked with full force. Furthermore, not far behind them was the Solitary Sword Sect's early Dao Seeking expert, and the Golden Frost Sect's puppet. They glared at Naruto like tigers eyeing a prey. They didn't need to personally attack right now; once Naruto was either dead or sealed in place, they could enter the gap in the shield and then begin to carry out their slaughter.

It wasn't even necessary to keep Naruto sealed for a long period of time. A few short breaths of time was all they needed.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples in the shield could see that a perilous situation was developing, and their anxiety grew. Chino looked at Naruto's silhouette in the outside world and bit her lip, her expression one of worry.

Shikamaru sat quietly, but killing intent burned hotter and hotter in his eyes. He hated the fact that his cultivation base was insufficient, and that he did not possess enough latent talent to be Chosen.

Hinata gazed at Naruto in silence, her eyes filled with an affection that seemed like it might be able to melt the world away. Naruto's current state caused her heart to ache with distress.

The six Spirit Severing Patriarchs of the Blood Demon Sect, as well as the hunchbacked old man from the fifth mountain peak, stared blankly at what was happening, at the Blood Prince that they had initially refused to acknowledge.

A rumbling suddenly echoed out from the three Shimura Clan Patriarchs. Naruto's eyes began to glow with a bright light, and he struck out violently with his right hand.

The blow caused everything to tremble and shake; this was a Dao Seeking blow!

The three incoming halos trembled and seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. However, they were able to continue on, causing Naruto to take a deep breath. The surrounding golden vortexes suddenly shattered. The force of the shattering sucked away any remaining Chakra and Blood from the people trapped inside, all of which then merged into Naruto. Finally, he punched out again.

BANG!

The three glowing halos were crushed as easily as dry weeds!

The three Shimura Clan Patriarchs' faces fell, and they employed divine abilities to defend themselves. However, blood still sprayed from their mouths, and one of them let out a miserable shriek as his body exploded. Looks of astonishment appeared on the faces of the two that remained, who then clenched their jaws and charged toward Naruto.

"DIE!"

By now, the six cultivators from the Solitary Sword Sect and the Golden Frost Sect were closing in on Naruto.

At the same time, vast quantities of cultivation base power surged into Naruto. He raised his right hand and pointed up to the sky, causing the Ninth Mountain to appear. It immediately spread out to fight back against all eight of the incoming enemies.

Booms rattled out, and blood oozed out of the corners of Naruto's mouth. A ferocious expression filled his face as the illusory Ninth Mountain shook.

"Now's our chance!" said the early Dao Seeking cultivator. He and the Golden Frost Sect puppet flew up into the air. At the same time, Naruto pointed toward the two of them.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

Demonic Chakra roiled out like strands of silk to entangle the two of them. Although they were able to slough it off in the space of only a single breath, that was all the time Naruto needed to unleash a divine ability.

"Ninth Mountain Destruction!" Instantly, the Ninth Mountain that surrounded him exploded. The eight Spirit Severing experts were sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from their mouths. The Solitary Sword Sect early Dao Seeking expert and the Golden Frost Sect puppet were forced to stop in their tracks.

"Kill him!" roared the eight Spirit Severing cultivators. In response, hundreds of thousands of cultivators roared and then began to unleash divine abilities. Shocking booms could be heard as a rain of magic descended onto Naruto.

The air distorted around Naruto as he stood in place, panting heavily, his cold eyes flickering across the crowds. Currently, he was silhouetted against the brilliant glow of the magical techniques and divine abilities of hundreds of thousands of cultivators. His Eternal stratum once again surged into operation, and he held his ground.

None shall pass!

Behind him, the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect looked on with trembling hearts. For the rest of their lives, they would never be able to forget the image of the Blood Prince's silhouette.

It was a silhouette like a mountain!

Unfortunately, the war was not concluded, and the fighting raged on.

Time continued to pass in much the same manner. In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by. Now, only seven days remained until Naruto's second true self awakened!

Naruto couldn't remember exactly how many times his body had fallen to pieces. Were it not for his Eternal stratum, he would long since be dead.

By now, he could unleash more than fifty golden vortices.

Terrifying amounts of Chakra and Blood poured into him, as well as cultivation base power. And yet… it was not enough.

He trembled, and his eyes were shot with blood. His world was now a world completely the color of blood.

During those three days, Naruto finally came to understand that there was nothing truly Eternal in the world. Even though his body was restored over and over again, the speed with which it occurred was slowing, and he was even beginning to show signs of withering.

Behind him, the Blood Demon Sect disciples watched with red eyes as their Blood Prince used his own body to block the single gap in the shield. Their hearts felt as if they were being stabbed through with blades. Even someone completely apathetic would be shaken by Naruto's figure.

Even the Patriarchs engaged in battle with Patriarch Blood Demon were moved by the scene unfolding below.

Finally, after three days of slaughter, silence broke out down below. Of the hundreds of thousands of enemy cultivators, many had died. But their numbers were vast, so the group as a whole didn't really care. The only thing they cared about was that Naruto was blocking the gap. He was like a god; with him holding the pass, the entire army was blocked on the other side.

Naruto's clothes were soaked in blood, and his expression was one of exhaustion. His eyes were completely shot with blood. To his hundreds of thousands of opponents, he had become like an unforgettable nightmare.

Naruto stared out at the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, and they stared back. In truth, by this point, many of them had begun to secretly admire him.

He was one man, defending one gap. He might have extraordinary divine abilities, and he might have a bizarre fleshly body that could revive itself, but even with that, what he was doing still required courage.

He was doing something that few other people could do.

Furthermore, they could see that despite the fact that his fleshly body could heal itself, he was showing signs of withering. He was obviously reaching his limit.

The early Dao Seeking old man from the Solitary Sword Sect looked at him coldly, and killing intent flickered in his eyes. "I haven't admired very many people in my life," he said. "From today on, you are one of those few!

"Since you have some mysterious magic that prevents you from dying, then let's see how many strikes from our legacy precious treasure you can withstand!

"Release the legacy precious treasure!"

Legacy precious treasure!

In the Dao Reserve of every sect was some sort of precious item that would ensure the continued existence and development of the sect, and could also be used as a threat to protect it from its neighbors.

The Solitary Sword Sect's Dao Reserve was multitudinous. However, it was the bamboo sword that truly intimidated the rest of the Southern Domain!

The sword came from the Ancient Dao Lakes, and was almost infinitely powerful. It could unleash different amounts of power depending on who wielded it, and after extensive research, the Solitary Sword Sect came to the conclusion that its true powers… could only be unleashed by an Immortal.

Unfortunately, although Immortals had appeared in the Solitary Sword Sect before, they were only false Immortals. As far as true Immortals went… from ancient times until the present, not a single one had ever appeared in the entire Southern Domain!

There was no need to even mention the Western Desert. True Immortals had only ever appeared in the Eastern Lands!

The early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect took a deep breath and lifted his right hand. Shockingly, a leaf appeared again, which quickly began to grow. In the blink of an eye, a stalk of bamboo could be seen, which then peeled away to reveal… the bamboo sword!

"This sword is only a subcomponent of the main treasure," the old man said coolly. "However, considering the level of my cultivation base, even if I had the full sword, I would only be able to wield a portion of its power." With that, he raised the sword up, and abundant life force surged in the area. It was as if everything had turned green, and innumerable motes of light began to swirl around. The entire scene was extremely magnificent.

The Dao Seeking puppet from the Golden Frost Sect gave a cold snort. It lifted its right hand, and the tiny, hand-sized rock in its hand rose up into the air and began to expand. In the blink of an eye, it was a 3,000-meter-tall mountain.

It exuded an overbearing will, which exploded out to cover the area around the puppet. Ripples appeared, which transformed into a river that swept across the area. There was also a pulsating aura that emerged from the rock mountain.

This rock was also a precious legacy treasure, and was even more domineering than the Solitary Sword Sect's bamboo sword. Everything beneath the mountain seemed about to crack and shatter.

The 5th Shimura Clan Patriarch was watching from off in the distance, his expression the same as ever, but his eyes cold and grim. He swished his sleeve, and the Esoteric compass flew out. The countless magical symbols on the Esoteric compass sank down and then began to glitter with shining light, giving off the feeling that there was some sort of enigmatic, undeterminable natural law at work.

All three of these people were not using their main treasures, but subcomponents. The true treasures were up in the air, wielded by the three Patriarchs who were battling with Patriarch Blood Demon.

When the three precious treasures appeared, the surrounding hundreds of thousands of cultivators slowly began to back up, yielding the battlefield to them and denying Naruto any opportunity to utilize the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

Naruto's pupils constricted, and an intense sensation of crisis welled up inside of him. However, his expression remained as calm as ever. He had experienced such feelings of danger at virtually every moment during this battle.

"Cleave!" the Solitary Sword Sect Dao Seeking expert said coolly. His hand descended, and the Bamboo Sword sucked in all the green light that it had previously emitted and then transformed it into brilliant sword of light. It flew up into the air and then transformed into half of a green greatsword.

The greatsword, filled with indescribable power, slashed down toward Naruto.

Naruto looked up.

"Ninth Mountain!" he said, and the Ninth Mountain appeared, only to immediately collapse.

Wooden Time Sword tips appeared, combining into a sword formation that instantly began to spin rapidly. And yet, this formation also fell apart almost immediately.

The Bamboo Sword continued relentlessly toward Naruto, who lifted his head up and roared, simultaneously stretching both hands out in front of him. In his left hand, a white fog appeared, and in his right hand, a black fog. They transformed into the Black White Pearls, which then flew up to resist the greatsword.

A huge boom echoed out. The greatsword shuddered and the Black White Pearls trembled. Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the pearls vanished.

The greatsword seemed just on the verge of slashing into Naruto when a bloody glow suddenly appeared in his eyes. Cultivation base power exploded out, which he focused into his right hand and then punched out toward the descending sword.

Everything shook. The sword stopped in place, and Naruto's hand looked as though it might be ripped to shreds. An indescribable pressure crushed down onto him, and cracking sounds could be heard from inside of him. It almost seemed like he couldn't stand up to the power weighing down on him.

Countless rips appeared all over his body. Although they healed almost as soon as they appeared, the matchless speed with which more appeared made it so that Naruto was quickly covered in blood. It looked like he was about to be torn to pieces at any moment.

At the same time, the Golden Frost Sect puppet raised its hand, causing the 3,000-meter-tall mountain to teleport to a position directly above Naruto. It instantly began to crush downward.

BOOM!

Naruto's body fell apart again, to be held together only by the Eternal stratum. The greatsword continued its slashing descent, Sword Chakra swirling, causing Naruto's body to fall apart again. The stony mountain continued its descent, emitting massive amounts of crushing pressure.

It was at this point that the 5th Shimura Clan Patriarch gave a cold snort and waved his hand, causing the Esoteric compass to fly out.

"Black flames and hellfire, killing intent refined into a soul!" A vicious gleam appeared in the man's eyes as he spoke. Black-colored fire suddenly spewed out of the Esoteric compass, which then transformed into numerous black flame birds. Fully a thousand appeared, which then shot toward Naruto's collapsing figure.

They were clearly aiming to strike a fatal blow!

Even with the Eternal stratum, Naruto would surely perish when facing an onslaught from precious treasures like these!

By this point, the Blood Demon Sect disciples were all going mad.

"Blood Prince!" Not a single one held back. All of the Blood Demon Sect disciples transformed into beams of light as they utilized the top speed they could muster to shoot forward.

However, in the moment that they began to charge, the hunchbacked old man let out a sigh. His hunched back suddenly straightened a bit, and his features changed. He looked different than the old man from before.

"Shield, collapse!" He pushed his hands forcefully out in front of him, and an indescribable power spread out. As soon as it touched the fifth layer of the shield, it rippled and then, in the blink of an eye, shattered into pieces.

The shattering released an incredible, surging force that spread out in all directions. The intensity of it instantly caused the three precious treasures to stop in place. Then, they started to emanate ripples that caused the ground to quake and the air to rip.

Borrowing the force of the shattering, the hunchbacked old man dashed forward, reaching the location of the three precious treasures in only a moment. He raised up both hands, then jerked them down.

BOOM!

His cultivation base exploded out, creating a huge shield that covered over Naruto and his collapsing body. It seemed the old man was using all the power he could muster to protect Naruto and give him time to recover. As for him, he fought back alone against the three precious treasures.

The greatsword descended, and the hunchbacked old man's body trembled. Blood spewed from his mouth, and a vicious gleam appeared in his eyes. Once again, his hunched back straightened, and his features changed to that of a middle-aged man. As he stood his ground, his cultivation base suddenly changed to that of the Second Severing.

Given the brief respite, Naruto's body fused together once more, and it seemed that in a moment, it would be completely whole again.

That was when the mountain completely crushed down. The hunchbacked old man's face went pale, and blood sprayed out from his entire body, forming something like a mist. His hunched back straightened even further, and he now looked like a young man.

By this point, Naruto's body was more than half materialized.

Unfortunately, that was when the black flame birds arrived. Under their onslaught, the hunchbacked old man lifted his head up and roared. His back was now completely straightened, and he looked like a teenager. His cultivation base surged again, and he was in the Third Severing.

He now appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old. His features were handsome, and his energy surged. At the same time, his body burst into flames. Not flames of darkness, but flames of life force.

As he burned his life force, his cultivation base once again climbed up until it was at the early Dao Seeking stage, where it now contained natural law.

He was using his own life force to fight back against the three precious treasures.

The scene was moving even to the hundreds of thousands of enemy cultivators.

"Master!" cried his apprentice, the pretty young woman. Tears were streaming down her face as she realized what he had chosen to do.

"Patriarch Fifth Peak!"

"Patriarch!"

As the Blood Demon Sect disciples watched what was happening, their hearts quivered, and their eyes filled with tears.

Burning one's life force in such a way would result in certain death!

Finally, Naruto's body completely restored itself, and he opened his eyes to look at the teenager burning his life force to give him time to recover.

Although his fleshly body had been on the point of shattering, his soul and divine sense had remained, so he was aware of everything happening around him.

"You…." he said, his eyes filled with grief.

"Blood Prince," said the teenager, his voice ancient and archaic, "you've done too much for the Blood Demon Sect already. This time, no arguing with me over who does what. This time, allow me to protect you!" He laughed happily, but his body quivered as he fought back against the three precious treasures. Even by burning his life force, he would not be able to hold out for very long.

"Get out of here!" he suddenly said, glancing back at Naruto. "I'm going to die, but before I do, I'll sully these three precious treasures, making it impossible for them to be used against you, at least temporarily. The Patriarch is fighting, and so am I… but soon, everything will be up to you! Go!"

Naruto trembled as he realized that Patriarch Fifth Peak was already mentally prepared to die, and that there would be no changing his mind. Naruto's heart felt like it was about to be ripped to shreds, but decisiveness appeared in his bloodshot eyes and he immediately retreated.

When he passed into the fourth layer of the shield, the teenager who had once been an old man smiled and continued to burn his life force.

"I've lived for too long, and seen too many things…." He turned back to look at his apprentice back in the Blood Demon Sect. He gave her a kind smile, then closed his eyes. The flames of his burning life force turned a bright, majestic red. Suddenly, his body exploded, releasing shocking, blood-colored undulations that slammed into the precious treasures, staining them red.

The precious treasures immediately grew dark and drab, as if their spirits had been sullied. They instantly began to fall toward the ground.

"MASTER!" cried the heartbroken disciples of the fifth mountain peak. Tears ran like blood down the face of the pretty young woman.

All of the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect were trembling. Their previous hopelessness was now gone, replaced by frenzied hatred.

They needed no rousing speeches now. The Blood Demon Sect was like a sword, ready to kill!

Naruto looked up, and a shocking red glow could be seen in his eyes.

The subcomponents of the precious legacy treasures of the Solitary Sword Sect, Golden Frost Sect, and Shimura Clan were sullied and fell to the ground. However, because of the heroism displayed by Patriarch Fifth Peak, there was something that occurred which no one noticed, not even Naruto. A unique halo suddenly flickered into being around the Solitary Sword Sect's legacy precious treasure.

Apparently, the halo had always been there, but had been sealed and suppressed. Now that the item was sullied, the seal weakened a bit, allowing the halo to become visible for the first time.

Although this sword not the main treasure, only a subcomponent, the reaction that had begun was like a spark thrown onto a bale of hay. That spark, although tiny, it was impossible to extinguish. Furthermore, it even affected the main treasure in the hand of the black-robed old man up in mid-air, who was currently locked in combat with Patriarch Blood Demon's clone.

"What's going on?!" he cried, even in the midst of performing an incantation. Next to him was the true legacy precious treasure of the Solitary Sword Sect, the bamboo sword. Before, it had been matchlessly sharp, and could emanate astonishing pressure. Even Patriarch Blood Demon had to be careful of its potency.

Now, though, the sword was emanating a unique aura. In fact, it was an aura… that seemed like Time power!

When the aura appeared, the bamboo sword became even more astonishing, causing joy to rise in the heart of the black-robed man from the Solitary Sword Sect.

Patriarch Blood Demon frowned. He could spread his power among many clones, or concentrate it in just one. A single clone could easily defeat any peak Dao Seeking cultivator, just as he had done with Patriarch Six-Daos.

Now, however, he was facing three peak Dao Seeking experts, all of whom wielded legacy precious treasures. It was only by increasing the number of clones he was using that he could deal with the sheer number of foes.

Furthermore, deep in his heart, Patriarch Blood Demon had the feeling that someone was watching him, as if a gaze from some unknown place had suddenly come to be fixed on him.

"It's too bad I can't let my soul leave the Blood Pond…." he thought with a sigh. However, not even a scrap of fear could be seen in his expression. He was completely confident that no matter what violent upheavals occurred, he could resolve all crises that arose.

That confidence had always existed in his heart, and had not faded in the least, no matter how bad the situation seemed.

The battle in mid-air continued as he used clones to fight three peak Dao Seeking experts, as well as Patriarch Six-Daos, who had used some secret art to burn his longevity and temporarily restore his cultivation base to the point where he could battle Patriarch Blood Demon.

The hatred in his heart for Patriarch Blood Demon had turned into a festering obsession.

RUMBLE!

The fighting on the ground below was also changing.

With the fifth shield layer having collapsed, Patriarch Fifth Peak having fallen, and the three subcomponent treasures sullied, hundreds of thousands of cultivators were left shaken. At the same time, crowds of Blood Demon Sect disciples were waiting behind the fourth shield layer, looking like monstrous, blood-colored swords.

"Storm the breach!" roared the early Dao Seeking cultivator from the Solitary Sword Sect, his eyes sparkling with coldness. He was in the vanguard position, flanked by the Golden Frost Sect puppet and the Shimura Clan cultivator, as well as numerous Spirit Severing experts. All of them shot toward the fourth shield layer.

"Die!" hundreds of thousands of cultivators joined the charge, their energy surging. Once again, they looked like floodwaters ready to completely submerge and shatter the Blood Demon Sect.

Inside the fourth shield layer, Naruto took a deep breath and then strode forward. This time, he was followed by the two Ironblood Patriarchs as well as more than ten thousand Blood Demon Sect disciples, who radiated killing intent.

Their eyes were filled with such decisiveness and determination that Naruto knew he could do nothing to prevent them from fighting.

"Since that's the case, today, we will fight to the bitter end!" He looked up, and his eyes shone with sparkling redness. Time Sword tips swirled through the air around him, transforming into the shape of a lotus that emanated an astonishing power of Time. Even the air seemed to affected by that power.

At the same time, a faint bloody glow became visible around Naruto. It started out as what appeared to be a ghost image, but when it moved forward, it became clear that it was a Blood Clone!

The Hebi Clan Blood Clone!

"FIGHT!" Naruto's right hand flashed in an incantation and the Time Sword Formation shot forward. The Blood Clone's eyes glittered, and a blood-colored glow shot up into the sky, along with an evil will. Then it transformed into a streak of red that pounced onto one cultivator after another.

Every time it pounced, its victim would tremble and then let out a miserable shriek. It would only take a moment for that person's blood to be completely drained. After they became a desiccated husk, the Blood Clone would fly out looking like it had just enjoyed a grand meal. It would then shoot gluttonously toward its next victim.

Gradually, a bit of consciousness seemed to be awakening within the Blood Clone, which was one reason that Naruto was hesitant to use it in battle.

On previous occasions, he had dealt with resistance from the Blood Clone, and he was certain that the more blood it absorbed, the harder it would be to control. In fact, there was also the possibility of direct rebellion.

Right now, though, in this battle, Naruto did not have the luxury to worry about the future. Therefore, the Blood Clone appeared in the battle, and the glow of blood it cast rose up into the sky. The Blood Clone… could be considered undying, and was bizarre in appearance. Although it did not kill vast numbers of enemies, the sight of it caused quite a few people on the battlefield to be alarmed and bewildered.

"What's that!?"

"Don't let that blood-colored thing touch you! It's evil!"

"The Blood Demon Sect only cultivates Demon magic. Malicious magical arts like that are why the Blood Demon Sect deserves to be exterminated!"

Bloodcurdling screams, shouts of anger, cries of madness, and the sounds of explosions fused together into sound waves that shook the entire battlefield.

Amidst the cacophony of sound, the two Ironblood Patriarchs and the ten thousand Blood Demon Sect disciples met the enemy head on.

As for Naruto, he single-handedly pinned down the Solitary Sword Sect early Dao Seeking Patriarch, the Golden Frost Sect puppet, and the Shimura Clan cultivator, as well as several Spirit Severing experts. Golden vortexes of the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic spun in all directions. By use of his various magical techniques, he ensured that these powerful opponents could not break out of the area.

The task was a strenuous one for Naruto, especially against the old man from the Solitary Sword Sect, who snorted coldly and unleashed natural law. Then he strode forward, and appeared near the two Ironblood Patriarchs, toward whom he leveled a deadly attack.

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent.

"Detonate!" he growled, causing one of the Time Sword tips in the Lotus Sword Formation to explode. The power of Time burst out, transforming into a tempest that swept out in all directions.

Peak Dao Seeking experts could disregard such a Time tempest, but not an early Dao Seeking cultivator. The old man's face flickered, and he forced himself to a stop, then retreated.

"Spirit Severing cultivators!" he cried. "New orders. Pin him down immediately!"

The Solitary Sword Sect's Spirit Severing cultivators immediately shot forward. The Golden Frost Sect Puppet and the Shimura Clan cultivator also issued similar orders. It only took a moment for numerous Spirit Severing cultivators to charge toward Naruto, unleashing divine abilities and magical techniques to obstruct him.

At the same time, the Golden Frost Sect puppet's eyes flickered as it attempted to fly past Naruto's position. The Shimura Clan cultivator was also trying to do the same thing.

It was at this point that a cold glow appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"Detonate. Detonate! DETONATE!"

Three Time Sword tips exploded in quick succession. The Golden Frost Sect puppet and the Shimura Clan cultivator were forced to halt in place as Time tempests raged out in all directions.

Naruto was sparing no cost in this battle. He strode forward, and a vicious expression appeared on his face as he waved his hand.

"DETONATE!" Of the remaining Wooden Time Sword tips, five exploded, leaving only one remaining behind. An enormous tempest of Time power surged out in all directions, causing the entire battlefield to rumble and shake.

Miserable shrieks could be heard as the Spirit Severing experts' bodies rapidly aged. Several actually ran out of longevity and then directly died, and the others retreated at full speed. However, even as they fell back, Naruto transformed into a green smoke that vanished and then reappeared behind one of the men. His right hand shot out, and a crunching sound could be heard as a neck was smashed. Another flicker, and punch. Another enemy killed.

Naruto's shadow flashed back and forth, and in only the space of a few breaths of time, he had killed seven Spirit Severing cultivators.

By this time, the Time tempest had faded away. The early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect puppet, and the Shimura Clan cultivator all joined forces, releasing their most powerful divine abilities in an earth-shattering attack that threatened to inundate Naruto.

BANG!

Naruto's body collapsed, then reformed. His face was pale, and he had the intense premonition that if his body continued to collapse in this way, then it wouldn't be long… before he actually died.

By now, many of the Blood Demon Sect disciples on the battlefield had been killed, their bodies dead and their Nascent Souls destroyed. Before dying, most chose to self-detonate, causing blood to spatter throughout the battlefield like red flowers.

The bravery shown was grand and spectacular! Inside the fourth layer of the shield, the rest of the Blood Demon Sect disciples' eyes were bloodshot. Tens of thousands of disciples flew out, along with the three Demonfire Patriarchs. However, considering that they were up against hundreds of thousands of enemies, the best they could do was delay them for a bit. Even then, they couldn't hold on for very long.

Even Naruto was slowly forced to fall back under the repeated onslaught of the Solitary Sword Sect, Golden Frost Sect, and Shimura Clan experts.

The Ninth Mountain had collapsed.

He was no longer capable of wielding the Black White Pearls.

He had detonated his entire Time Sword formation.

The tentacles of his Spirit Severing treasure, the Resurrection Lily, had been severed, and it was in a sorry state.

His own body was weak to the extreme!

He utilized the Blood Demon Grand Magic over and over again, but by now, whenever the multicolored lights of the magic appeared, people in the area were prepared and quickly evaded.

As for the early Dao Seeking expert of the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect puppet, and the Shimura Clan cultivator, the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic wasn't strong enough to thoroughly pin them down.

"The Patriarch said that the Blood Demon Grand Magic's fourth level was enough to slay early Dao Seeking," he thought. "Fourth level… I need to achieve the fourth level!" His eyes were bright red as he retreated, once again unleashing the Blood Demon Grand Magic, and once again experiencing the collapse and recovery of his fleshly body.

"I need the vortex to spin faster! If it goes fast enough, it will reach the fourth level! There shouldn't be a bottleneck before the fourth level; I'm already in the Spirit Meridians stratum. I just need the golden vortex… to rotate faster! Much faster!" His cultivation base exploded with power as he unleashed the Blood Demon Grand Magic and pushed hard toward the fourth level. At the same time, the early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect puppet, and the Shimura Clan cultivator were aggressively advancing toward him….

Suddenly, Naruto's mind became clear, and everything around him seemed to slow down. He lifted his hand up and pointed forward.

A golden vortex suddenly appeared that was ten times larger than any of the previous vortexes. It appeared right on top of the early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect, as well as a few dozen other surrounding cultivators.

The golden vortex instantly exploded out with a frenzied gravitational force. Both cultivation base as well as Chakra and Blood were rapidly absorbed, and all the cultivators inside the vortex were instantly turned into corpses, with the exception of the Solitary Sword Sect expert!

As for him, he gave a cold snort and was about to collapse the vortex when suddenly, his eyes went wide. He suddenly realized that this vortex was different than the ones before.

The intense gravitational force had already sucked away at least a third of his cultivation base!

Most importantly, he realized that he… was incapable of freeing himself! He was locked down tight!

"Impossible!" he said, his voice hoarse.

The speed with which objects were pulled by the gravitational force far exceeded the third level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic. Naruto had been retreating, but now, he stopped in place and looked up at the Dao Seeking expert stuck in the vortex. Killing intent flickered in his eyes.

"Blood Demon Grand Magic. Fourth level!"

His breakthrough was successful!

The Blood Demon Grand Magic had six levels in total!

The Chakra and Blood stratum, the Spirit Meridians stratum, and the Blood Soul stratum!

Three grand strata, designed to strengthen the fleshly body, the cultivation base, and the soul!

The first stratum allowed the cultivator to temper the fleshly body to a virtually limitless level of power that could shake Heaven and Earth. The second stratum was even stronger; cultivation bases of others could be absorbed, providing a temporary increase in one's cultivation base.

Limits could be exceeded, and one could temporarily achieve a pinnacle of power!

As far as the third stratum, the Blood Soul stratum, went, Naruto wasn't too clear about the details. According to the description of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, the third stratum had something to do with the soul, and divine will.

What he did know was that the 3rd stratum of the Blood Demon Grand Magic had its own unique name.

It could form divine will into clones, and butcher Immortals with a single thought!

Rumbling filled Naruto's body. As he looked out over the chaos of the battlefield, his energy surged, and his eyes radiated an unprecedented glow that caused the Golden Frost Sect puppet's heart to tremble. The Shimura Clan cultivator's pupils constricted, and as for the Solitary Sword Sect's early Dao Seeking expert stuck in the golden vortex, his mind reeled, and a sense of grave danger welled up from his heart.

Naruto slowly raised his hand up and pointed at the man.

"Die!" he said.

In response, the vortex began to spin even faster, transforming into a cyclone that seemed to stretch from the land all the way up into the sky. Viewed from a distance, it was shocking to the extreme, and all the cultivators on the battlefield, both the Blood Demon Sect disciples and the forces from the four great powers, were astonished.

The Solitary Sword Sect cultivator was no longer visible inside the tempest. Only a desolate shriek could be heard from within the raging winds. Vast quantities of Chakra and Blood transformed into a bloody haze that flowed out from the tempest toward Naruto.

By this point, Naruto's entire fleshly body had already reached the Dao Seeking stage. At the same time, vast amounts of cultivation base power surged into him from the tempest, pushing his own cultivation base up into the third Severing!

Inside the tempest, the Solitary Sword Sect cultivator was experiencing unbelievable pain. His fleshly body withered rapidly, and he was transformed into a living corpse in the blink of an eye!

A tremor ran through Naruto, and a shocking aura suddenly rose up from his body that could be felt by everyone on the battlefield.

The aura was not Spirit Severing, but… Dao Seeking!

Finally, the golden vortex faded away, revealing the Solitary Sword Sect cultivator. He was nothing but skin and bones, and possessed not even a bit of cultivation base. His life force barely flickered; he had lost everything!

He was incredibly weak, virtually a mortal, without even the strength to retrieve any magical items from his bag of holding. Even his Nascent Divinity was completely withered.

Shock filled his eyes; everything had happened so quickly that he could scarcely believe it had actually occurred. As the vortex disappeared, Naruto sped forward to appear directly in front of the old man. Then he reached out and pushed down on top of the man's head.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators all looked on, their faces awash with astonishment, shock, terror and disbelief.

BOOM!

The early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect exploded, sending blood and gore showering out in all directions, which then… transformed into ash that dissipated in the wind.

The entire battlefield went silent.

Only a withered Nascent Divinity remained behind, looking confused and terrified. He tried to flee, but before he could put much distance between himself and Naruto, killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. He raised his right hand, and the flag of three streamers appeared. It swept out, filling the area with rippling blackness that then wrapped around the withered Nascent Soul. Then it jerked him back toward Naruto, sealing him up inside the flag.

Deathly silence reigned….

The Golden Frost Sect puppet gasped and fell into retreat. The other Golden Frost Sect cultivators who comprised the other puppets had looks of astonishment and disbelief on their faces. A powerful expert of the early Dao Seeking stage had just been slaughtered in front of their eyes.

The Shimura Clan cultivator stared with wide eyes.

The deathly silence only lasted for a few moments, after which an explosion of reactions occurred.

"Early Dao Seeking…."

"Dead?!"

"A mighty Patriarch of the Solitary Sword Sect just perished!"

None of them dared to believe what they had just witnessed.

Even as they reeled in shock, they stared over at Naruto. The image of him standing there was something they would never be able to forget for the rest of their lives.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples were quivering in excitement, and began to shout out to Naruto.

"Blood Prince!"

"Blood Prince!"

"BLOOD PRINCE!" The sound surged out over the battlefield, transforming into countless echoes which caused everything to shake.

The slaying of the early Dao Seeking cultivator caused the Blood Demon Sect disciples to be more roused than ever. Naruto looked up. Now that he could wield the fourth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, he was completely confident that he could fight back against the hundreds of thousands of enemies.

He strode forward and then transformed into a savage beam of light that shot toward the Shimura Clan cultivator.

As rumbling filled the air, the Shimura Clan cultivator's face fell. He immediately fell into retreat, not daring to get close to Naruto. He was completely terrified of the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex.

Despite his fleeing at top speed, he wasn't faster than Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic. Naruto waved his hand, and three golden vortexes appeared, which descended toward the hundreds of thousands of enemy cultivators.

Immediately, miserable shrieks rang out as the three vortexes enveloped several hundred enemy cultivators. Immediately, their bodies withered up, and their cultivation bases vanished. Chakra and Blood and spirit meridians were extracted and shot toward Naruto.

His fleshly body grew stronger!

His cultivation base rose to shocking heights!

Naruto advanced at top speed and then pointed out toward the fleeing Shimura Clan cultivator.

Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

Demonic Chakra swept about, silk-like, entangling the Shimura Clan cultivator in the blink of an eye. His body stopped in mid-air. He struggled, and seemed just on the verge of breaking free, but the price he paid for that brief pause….

Was that Naruto had time to unleash the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex!

Rumble!

As soon as the vortex appeared, the Shimura Clan cultivator screamed. He threw out numerous magical items, and fully employed all the power of his cultivation base, but if the early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect couldn't avoid perishing, how could he, with his slightly lower cultivation base?

As the shrieks rang out, the Golden Frost Sect puppet looked on, eyes wide. The Shimura Clan cultivator withered up, and his cultivation base was dissolved. The cultivators in the puppet felt their scalps go numb, and they retreated at top speed.

Within the space of a few breaths, the Shimura Clan cultivator's entire cultivation base, and all of his Chakra and Blood, were absorbed by Naruto. Then Naruto waved his hand, and what remained of the Shimura Clan cultivator exploded into bits.

"Kill them!" roared Naruto, which further roused the spirits of the surrounding Blood Demon Sect disciples. There were tens of thousands of them, and they were facing hundreds of thousands of enemies.

And yet… the death of the early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect, the fall of the Shimura Clan Elder, the retreat of the Golden Frost Sect puppet, along with all of the shocked Spirit Severing cultivators attempting to escape, caused the forces of the four great powers to be profoundly shaken and, apparently, lose their will to fight.

Furthermore, Naruto's Blood Clone was still pouncing from cultivator to cultivator, draining them dead. All of this sapped the energy of the hundreds of thousands of enemies. For the first time, the Blood Demon Sect… forced the enemy forces into retreat!

If you likened the enemy forces to a fist, then Naruto had taken that fist… and pried it open!

Seeing the sudden shift in events down below, the old black-robed Solitary Sword Sect cultivator up in mid-air let out a bellow of rage. "You're courting death, kid!"

The Shimura Clan Patriarch also roared in fury. They wanted to charge down to attack Naruto, but Patriarch Blood Demon's clones clearly would not allow them to do any such thing. Echoing booms filled the air, and the air was distorted and warped.

"Dammit!" cried the black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect. "Dawn Immortal, you promised to help!"

As soon as his voice rang out, a faint sigh could be heard echoing down from up above. It swept across the lands, causing the minds of all the cultivators to reel, both the hundreds of thousands of enemies, and the Blood Demon Sect disciples. Their minds trembled, and then went completely blank.

The Resurrection Lily suddenly appeared behind Naruto, looking incredibly vicious, with its tentacles whipping about madly. Naruto looked up into the sky, his eyes filled with grim killing intent.

Up above, a woman could be seen. As she strode down from the sky, flowers blossomed beneath her feet, and a shocking energy swirled faintly around her.

She was not beautiful, but had striking, unusual features which would cause anyone who looked at her to feel a breathtaking attraction to her.

Her appearance instantly caused quite a stir on the battlefield. Patriarch Blood Demon's clones looked up, and their eyes all came to focus on the woman.

"Dawn Immortal," he said.

"Blood Demon!" she replied.

Patriarch Blood Demon's clones all merged together into a single clone. That single clone emitted a powerful aura, which transformed into an enormous, blood-colored face that hovered in mid-air.

"A measly clone?" said Patriarch Blood Demon. He looked over at the Solitary Sword Sect expert and the others. "This is your trump card?" His gaze shifted back to the woman. "That leaf earlier was your handiwork, too, I presume."

"Under different circumstances," she responded, "I would be incapable of dealing with you, Senior Blood Demon. But now you are bound by an aura of death. You are simply too weak, Senior. If I remember correctly, the Blood Demon Grand Magic can only be utilized by one person in any given age. You haven't used it during the battle, only that child down there has…. Although, that doesn't really matter. All I need to do is delay you for a bit." She suddenly looked down toward the ground, and Naruto.

Naruto looked back up at her, and his mind trembled when their eyes met. An incredible pressure suddenly weighed down on his mind, as if an entire mountain were crushing down onto him.

Behind him, the Resurrection Lily was writhing about madly.

"Dawn Immortal!" he thought, staggering backward. Despite the fact that blood oozed from his mouth, he continued to stare at the woman up above. He would never forget the feeling of that gaze, the same gaze that had fallen upon him when he was in the Milky Way Sea!

This woman was none other than the mysterious Dawn Immortal, although it was not her true self, but merely a clone!

"The good part of me gave you her life force," the woman said coolly. "My son is now your Spirit Severing Treasure…. You and I really are connected by destiny."

As the words left the mouth of the Dawn Immortal's clone, Naruto felt the pressure weighing down on him increase. It was as if a will of extermination was about to thoroughly crush him.

Behind him, the Resurrection Lily was in a frenzy, prismatic colors flickered across it, and its tentacles writhed violently. It even seemed to be emitting voiceless screams.

Naruto felt himself shaking, and he gritted his teeth as he continued to stare at the Dawn Immortal. He had heard of her way back in the Reliance Sect, but it wasn't until this moment… that he saw her personally.

The Dawn Immortal lifted her right hand, within which a leaf appeared. She waved it gently, and brilliant light exploded out as it shot down toward Naruto.

Everything in Heaven and Earth went still except for the leaf. It transformed into a streak of light that instantly bore down on Naruto. But then… an ancient hand stretched out and grabbed hold of the leaf.

The hand clenched into a fist, and the leaf was crushed.

When the hand opened, dust drifted out into the wind.

The hand belonged to none other than the composite clone of Patriarch Blood Demon!

"Facing the likes of you people, so what if I can't use the Blood Demon Grand Magic?" he said coolly. All of a sudden, he was surrounded by the glow of blood, which shot up into the air to encompass even the enormous face up above. Shockingly, a ferocious horn grew out of the face, which suddenly looked exactly like that of the Demonic Incarnation Naruto had been in control of earlier.

"Blood Realm, Activate!" said Patriarch Blood Demon. Rumbling filled the sky, and red mist roiled out in all directions. At the same time, the Dawn Immortal clone's eyes flickered and she waved her hand, causing a Resurrection Lily to magically appear behind her. It shone with boundless radiance that spread out to battle against Patriarch Blood Demon.

The black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect Patriarch, and the Shimura Clan Patriarch unleashed divine abilities to aid the Dawn Immortal in resisting Patriarch Blood Demon!

As for Six-Daos of the Black Sieve Sect, he was just about to lend his assistance when the Dawn Immortal suddenly said, "Six-Daos, there's no need for you to participate in this fight. Go wipe out the foundation of the Blood Demon Sect, and destroy Mount Blood Demon. That is where this Blood Demon's true self lies!"

"Kill that kid Naruto while you're at it!" added the black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect. He waved his hand, causing the Solitary Sword Sect's legacy precious treasure, the bamboo sword, to fly toward Six-Daos. "Here, I'll even lend you my sword!"

At first, Six-Daos was about to refuse. Seeing Naruto slaughter the early Dao Seeking expert from the Solitary Sword Sect had shocked him to the core. When he saw the bamboo sword flying toward him, however, he was suddenly enlivened.

He was well aware that the Solitary Sword Sect's legacy precious treasure was shockingly powerful. As soon as his hand closed around the hilt, he flickered and shot down toward the ground.

Patriarch Blood Demon frowned as the rumbling explosions of magical battle filled the air.

Six-Daos shot down from the sky, eyes fixed on Naruto and flickering with the desire to kill. He raised his hand, and the bamboo sword began to emanate blinding light. The air distorted, and an amorphous aura began to seep out from within it. The sword seemed to be emanating the power of Time, and its might was reminiscent of a gigantic mountain.

Naruto's face was unsightly, but as soon as he sensed the aura of the Bamboo Sword, he stared in shock, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.

As the sword grew closer, his brow furrowed. Patriarch Six-Daos' cultivation base was between the early and mid Dao Seeking stages. However, with the added might of the Bamboo Sword, he was beyond Naruto's ability to threaten.

"Get back into the shield!" said Naruto. He and the rest of the Blood Demon Sect disciples immediately fell back behind the fourth layer of the shield.

As Six-Daos neared, he laughed coldly and gestured toward the fourth layer of the shield. "BREAK!"

The wave of his hand caused an enormous incense burner to appear.

The incense burner was none other than the Black Sieve Sect's legacy precious treasure, although cracks could be seen on its surface, the result of the pressure exuded by Patriarch Blood Demon's clone back in the Black Sieve Sect.

The incense burner exuded an ancient aura as it smashed down toward the fourth shield layer.

A massive boom echoed out. Although the incense burner was cracked, it was still a legacy precious treasure of a great sect. As it smashed downward, shocking green smoke surged out of it, transforming into countless vicious, evil spirits that joined the smashing attack.

As they neared the shield, cracking sounds could be heard, and the shield began to collapse.

Thankfully, Naruto and the other Blood Demon Sect disciples had already retreated behind the third layer of the shield. As the fourth layer exploded, massive power was unleashed, causing intense vibrations to rock the incense burner.

Six-Daos laughed coldly, lifting the Bamboo Sword and rotating his cultivation base. The most powerful sword beam he could summon appeared, fully 30,000 meters long, seemingly capable of splitting Heaven and Earth. It was filled with boundless Time power as it slashed down toward the third layer of the shield.

The bizarreness of the sword was now becoming even more apparent. Gradually, the exterior of the Bamboo Sword was filling with more and more rips and fissures, within which could be seen another sword. It was as if the inner sword were a sapling in springtime, sprouting from a wilted bough!

An even more intense aura of Time emerged from the sword, causing the black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect to be even more pleased than before.

Six-Daos was even happier, and he lifted his head up to laugh uproariously. "Naruto, you're DEAD!"

BOOM!

The third layer of the shield only lasted for the space of a few breaths before it shattered. As it did, Naruto's face should have been extremely unsightly, but instead it held an odd expression, and his eyes were glittering.

"Fall back again!" he said, leading the Blood Demon Sect cultivators behind the glow of the second shield layer.

At the same time, the hundreds of thousands of enemy cultivators felt their spirits lifting. They surged toward the Blood Demon Sect as Six-Daos once again unleashed a massive attack toward the second shield layer.

Night had fallen, and the bright moon hung high in the sky. However, the ground trembled, and the fighting had reached such intensity that no one was paying attention to whether it was day or night.

"Naruto, you scamp, the day you stepped foot into the Black Sieve Sect, you must have known that this day would come!" As Six-Dao's voice echoed out in all directions, the incense burner rotated in the air above him. The bamboo sword swirled around him, emanating a brilliant aura.

Six-Dao's eyes were filled with venomous rancor. His animosity toward Naruto had long since seeped into his very marrow. He wanted to exterminate the Blood Demon Sect and destroy Naruto in body and soul. To achieve that goal, he would sacrifice anything and everything.

"DIE!" he howled, laughing maniacally as he raised his hand and unleashed the full force of his cultivation base into the bamboo sword, causing it to explode with an incredible sword beam.

The sword beam was shocking to the extreme!

Cracking sounds could be heard as the light beam burst out. More tears spread out across the Bamboo Sword and, finally, a bang could be heard as it exploded.

In the instant in which it was ripped open, shockingly, a wooden sword appeared in its place!

The wooden sword had been hidden inside the bamboo sword all along! Now that the bamboo sword had shattered, the wooden sword was revealed!

As soon as it appeared, boundless Time power radiated out, and an incredibly ancient aura flooded the area. Even the Dawn Immortal's and Patriarch Blood Demon's faces flickered when they sensed the aura.

The black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect was going wild with joy. He lifted his head up and laughed heartily. Although he had loaned the sword to Six-Daos, it was still the legacy precious treasure of the Solitary Sword Sect, something that had been handed down from generation to generation. Despite being in the hands of another, it still belonged to the Solitary Sword Sect; no one could ever steal it away!

There was one fact unknown to outsiders that was passed down only to the successive generations of Solitary Sword Sect Patriarchs. The primary master of this sword was the Solitary Sword Sect itself. When it was originally discovered, it was actually nothing more than a stick of bamboo which possessed a naturally-occurring, intrinsic Sword Chakra. The Solitary Sword Sect had taken it to be a supreme treasure, and had refined it into a sword

"That's the heart of the bamboo! The heart of the bamboo is transformed into wood, so naturally it would be a sword!" The black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect and Patriarch Six-Daos were both laughing loudly. Six-Daos' eyes shone brightly as he abruptly pointed toward Naruto.

"DIE!" he cried, his voice booming like thunder, and filled with unmatchable confidence. He was absolutely certain that even with the shield protecting him, Naruto would definitely die beneath the power of this sword!

In response to his words, the wooden sword began to rumble and then shot toward the second layer of the shield.

The hundreds of thousands of cultivators in the area breathlessly watched the dazzling sword and its aura. Shocking pressure emanated from it as it shot magnificently through the air.

"Time became bamboo," murmured the Dawn Immortal, "and the bamboo concealed time. It transformed into bamboo wood…." Her battle with Patriarch Blood Demon did not slow down, but instead grew even more intense.

As the wooden sword descended, the ground trembled and fissures appeared, as if it couldn't withstand the incredible pressure of Time.

The grass withered, and time itself seemed to distort. A Time tempest appeared, shocking the surrounding cultivators, who immediately fell back.

The sword was now on the verge of slamming into the second shield layer. Inside, the Blood Demon Sect disciples had looks of despair on their faces. In contrast, the surrounding hundreds of thousands of enemies wore expressions of anticipation.

All eyes were fixed on the sword flying through the air.

Six-Daos' laughter echoed out across the battlefield.

Naruto had an odd expression. Earlier, he had sensed something familiar about the aura of the bamboo sword. When the rips appeared on its surface earlier, that familiar sensation grew stronger. When the bamboo shattered and the wooden sword appeared, a connection appeared between him and the sword that only he could sense!

He was connected to the wooden sword!

At a certain point, a bashful smile appeared on Naruto's face, and he cleared his throat. Even as the eyes of all the Blood Demon Sect disciples and enemy cultivators were fixed on the wooden sword, he suddenly stepped out from behind the second shield layer.

This action immediately attracted everyone's attention, and the buzz of conversation rose up into the air.

"What is he doing? Don't tell me he's going to try to fight the legacy precious treasure of the Solitary Sword Sect!?"

"He really overestimates his ability! He might be strong, but he's going to die for sure!"

"Hahaha! I never thought someone could be so arrogant! He actually dares to step out from behind the shield? That sword is going to destroy him in body and soul!"

"Looking to die?" laughed Six-Daos. He assumed Naruto must have become so frightened that he lost his senses. A normal person would never step out from behind the shield, they would cower behind it.

What attracted even more attention was how Naruto not only stepped out from behind the shield, but then stretched his hand out… directly toward the shockingly powerful wooden sword that was slashing toward him… as if he were beckoning toward it.

He cleared his throat and then said, "Time to come home, darling!"

As soon as Naruto's words echoed out, the majority of the hundreds of thousands of enemy cultivators immediately burst out into raucous laughter.

"What did he say? Darling? Come home?"

"Has Naruto gone insane?"

"This is pretty funny. It's the first time I've seen such a powerful expert go crazy!"

Six-Daos was also laughing loudly. "I've lived a long time, but this is the first time I've encountered a lunatic like you!"

Even the black-robed expert from the Solitary Sword Clan split off a strand of divine sense to observe what was happening. After he saw what was happening, he shook his head and laughed.

The voices and laughter rippled out, and all sorts of snide, mocking comments could be heard. When they first spoke, the wooden sword was just on the verge of slashing down. However, even in the middle of deriding Naruto, looks of astonishment began to appear on each of their faces.

That was because… the sword did not slash down, but rather, lurched to a stop.

When the sword lurched to a stop, it seemed as if hundreds of thousands of hearts similarly lurched to a stop.

Six-Daos' eyes went wide, and the Blood Demon Sect disciples inside the second shield layer seemingly forgot how to breathe. They stared blankly at their Blood Prince, who standing outside the shield, beckoning toward the astonishing precious treasure that was the wooden sword.

Up in mid-air, the black-robed Patriarch who was fighting Patriarch Blood Demon had originally been extremely pleased. All of a sudden, however, the sword ground to a halt, and his heart began to thump.

The wooden sword came to a stop about thirty meters above Naruto. The power of Time emanated out in all directions, causing everything to wither. Even the second shield layer was rippling and distorting. In this condition, it seemed that the slightest tap would cause it to instantly shatter.

And yet Naruto… was not affected by the wooden sword, even in the slightest.

The wooden sword seemed to have a spirit of its own, and was apparently hesitating. After stopping in mid-air, glittering light seemed to dance fluidly across the blade.

Six-Daos' face flickered with disbelief. What he was seeing completely exceeded the limits of his imagination. It didn't matter that he used to be at the peak of Dao Seeking, or the Patriarch of a great sect. The events that he was witnessing with his own eyes left him completely shaken.

He was incapable of even comprehending what was happening. Why had the Solitary Sword Sect's legacy precious treasure… ground to a halt directly in front of Naruto? Furthermore, it even seemed to be hesitating.

He could not come up with any explanation, even though he wracked his brains over and over again.

"Impossible!" he thought, gritting his teeth and causing his cultivation base to rumble with power. He used every scrap of strength he had to try to control the wooden sword, but there wasn't the slightest reaction. The sword completely ignored him and, even more shocking, directly severed their connection.

When that happened, Six-Daos' face fell even more.

The surrounding hundreds of thousands of cultivators stared with wide eyes at a scene they would likely never encounter again in their entire lives. Most incredulous of all were the cultivators from the Solitary Sword Sect.

The wooden sword was a legacy precious treasure of the Solitary Sword Sect, the symbol and foundation of their entire sect!

There was someone even more shocked than the ordinary disciples, however. The black-robed old man up in midair simply couldn't believe what was happening. His mind felt as if lightning were crashing around inside. Unable to defend against the divine ability Patriarch Blood Demon was attacking him with, he was slammed backward, blood spraying from his mouth. The mist of Patriarch Blood Demon's Blood World enveloped him, making it impossible for him to charge in and attack. All he could do was perform a double-handed incantation and then point out toward the wooden sword.

"Solitary Bamboo Sword, return!" he roared, continuing with another incantation gesture.

The wooden sword trembled, apparently in response to the old man, whose heart immediately sank. A very, very bad feeling welled up inside of him. Under normal circumstances, all it took was an incantation gesture and the simple point of a finger to instantly cause the bamboo sword to fly back to him. Now, all it did was tremble.

"Dammit! What's going on?!" He performed another incantation gesture, and even went so far as to spit out a mouthful of blood. How could he not be anxious? This was the Solitary Sword Sect's precious treasure, and if he allowed it to be snatched away, it would be a great sin against the sect.

"You were refined by the Solitary Sword Sect! We acquired you from the Ancient Dao Lakes! You were personally crafted into a sword by the ancestors of the Solitary Sword Sect! You belong to us!

"Solitary Bamboo Sword, get back here!" The black-robed man howled in rage, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. Finally, the invisible connection between him and the sword finally seemed to function. The wooden sword began to vibrate, and then moved backward several meters.

Even as the black-robed man let out a sigh of relief, the wooden sword suddenly stopped again, and the man's heart once again began to thump.

"You were born in the Solitary Sword Sect! For years, we Solitary Sword Sect disciples offered sacrifices to enable you to gain sentience! We spent countless resources making you sharper and more powerful! Our entire sect worked to help you!

"Y-y-you… you get back here right now!" Despite his anxiety, the black-robed old man was pinned down by the mist of blood. He let out a roar, then spit out more blood, completely ignoring the wastage to his longevity as he once again pointed toward the wooden sword.

This time, however, there was no reaction whatsoever from the sword….

"Finished playing around?" said Naruto, his face grave and his tone berating. "If you don't come over here right now, just wait and see how I punish you after we get home!"

As Naruto's words rang out, the wooden sword shuddered in midair. Then, it severed its connection with the black-robed man and shot directly toward Naruto. In the blink of an eye, it was circulating around him, its thrumming sound echoing out in all directions. It was almost as if it was clamoring in joy, fawning over him, even exhibiting signs that it had missed him.

Anyone looking on could clearly tell that this sword… belonged to Naruto!

Six-Daos' eyes were wide, and he very nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The surrounding hundreds of thousands of cultivators gasped, having been thoroughly astonished by Naruto.

The Solitary Sword Sect disciples gaped as their Sect's unsurpassed, proud and aloof precious treasure, swirled around Naruto like a happy pet. Clearly… it recognized Naruto as its master.

"I must be asleep…."

"That's… that's our sect's legacy precious treasure?"

"What's… what's going on…?" The minds of the Solitary Sword Sect disciples were spinning, but most disbelieving of all was the black-robed man up in midair.

His eyes filled with an expression of both madness and injustice, which then transformed into a towering rage. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when blood spurted out and he grew visibly older.

He just couldn't understand or comprehend how the sword could possibly recognize Naruto as its master!

He just couldn't believe it. His world was turned upside down, as if enormous waves were surging through his psyche.

"How could this be happening!?" he roared madly. He wanted to try to break through the blood mist, to grab the sword in his hand and ask its spirit why it was acting this way. Why was it betraying the Solitary Sword Sect, why would it recognize Naruto as its master when it had only seen him once?

"That sword belongs to the Solitary Sword Sect!"

"It belongs to you?" asked Naruto coolly. "Call out to it. Does it answer?" He stretched out his hand, and the sword flew down to land hilt-down on his palm. It even danced back and forth, apparently in complete excitement.

"YOU!" The Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch almost spit up some more blood because of the flames of rage that burned in his heart. By this point, it didn't matter that he had a cultivation base at the peak of Dao Seeking. Even an Immortal would be unable to accept a blow like this, nor such loss.

That was especially so… considering how the wooden sword was frolicking around happily. The black-robed old man felt as if a blade were stabbing viciously into his heart. That was because he himself had needed to make sacrificial offerings to it, and had never seen it act in such a way.

Naruto could also sense that this sword, one of the ones he had buried so long ago, had developed a sword spirit. Despite that, his contingencies from the very beginning were still effective. No matter how many hands the sword had passed through, once it saw him, it knew that he was its original master.

"Alright, stop making a fuss," he said. "Now, go kill him!" Even as he spoke, Naruto pointed at Patriarch Six-Daos.

Six Daos' heart was pounding, and his face fell. He immediately retreated at top speed, but before he could get very far at all, the wooden sword shot toward him with indescribable speed. It also emanated a shocking power of Time, which caused everything around it to ripple and distort. Any cultivators who were too close withered in the blink of an eye, as if countless years had passed in an instant. There were even some who directly passed away.

"Dammit!" thought Patriarch Six-Daos, his face falling. Roaring, he employed the full power of his cultivation base, which unfortunately for him was still stuck between the early and mid Dao Seeking Stages. It wasn't enough, so he had no other choice but to summon the incense burner to block the wooden sword. A bang rang out, and the wooden sword stabbed directly into the incense burner.

Booms could be heard as cracks spread out over the surface of the incense burner. An ancient will could be sensed, and signs of decay could be seen. Six-Daos' heart ached, but he didn't dare to call back the incense burner. That was because he had noticed that the sword's ripples were causing him to age significantly. If it stabbed him, he could only imagine what would happen to his longevity; it would be thoroughly destroyed.

In his terror, he shot backward at high speed. Considering he was using a special secret art to bolster his cultivation base, what he feared most… was being obliterated by Time power.

The surrounding hundreds of thousands of cultivators were also astonished and trembling. They didn't dare to advance, and quite the opposite, retreated. Naruto stood alone outside the second shield layer. One man, one sword…caused the enemy forces to retreat three thousand meters.

"Dammit!" More and more cracks spread out across the surface of the incense burner. Patriarch Six-Daos immediately roared, "Fellow Daoist Sword Paragon, Patriarch Golden Frost, Zangei, if you don't help me then I'll be forced to summon discarnate souls to defend myself!"

Even as the last words left his mouth, the incense burner exploded into pieces. The wooden sword shot onward, and Six-Daos lifted his head up and roared. All of a sudden, his body exploded, allowing the wooden sword to pass right through it.

However, there was a soul strand that remained, which then transformed into a river of souls that contained 100,000 discarnate souls!

Even as the 100,000 discarnate souls flew out, the black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect burst into flames. These were life force flames, and as they burned, his cultivation base exploded with power. He transformed into a long streak of light that burst out from within Patriarch Blood Demon's blood mist. Ignoring any injuries, he shot toward Naruto's wooden sword, he himself transforming into what looked like a sword as he flew through the air.

"Naruto, you twerp! DIE!"

Naruto's eyes glittered. There was no time to slaughter Six Daos' 100,000 discarnate souls. The wooden sword flew back to him at breakneck speed. Even as the black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch closed in, Naruto stepped back behind the second shield layer.

However, the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch did not slow down at all. Instead, he increased his speed as he stabbed toward the shield.

"BREAK!"

Patriarch Blood Demon's eyes flickered with killing intent. However, the Dawn Immortal's clone was really causing him quite a headache; it was not merely at the peak of Dao Seeking, but rather, higher than that. It was more comparable to a false Immortal.

Even as his clone frowned, deep in the cave in Mount Blood Demon, his true self's eyes opened. A drop of blood suddenly floated up from within the Blood Pond, then flew out of the Immortal's cave and dissipated. Shockingly, the first and second layers of the shield were instantly dyed red.

Boom!

The blood-colored shield easily blocked the furious attack of the Solitary Sword Sect's black-robed Patriarch.

When the red-haired old man from the Golden Frost Sect saw the blood drop fly out, he loftily said, "Patriarch Blood Demon, you're fighting all of us at the same time, and still want to split your attention? It seems you really don't have any regard for us at all."

At the same time, he performed an incantation, which caused numerous puppets to magically appear around him. Each of the puppets was thirty meters tall, and seemed both real and illusory at the same time. As soon as they appeared, they transformed into beams of colorful light that shot toward Patriarch Blood Demon.

"Patriarch Blood Demon, your destruction is imminent," said the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch. "You can't escape our net! Once Mount Blood Demon falls, your true self will face the light of the Heavens and be destroyed in body and spirit!" He snorted coldly and then waved his hand, causing the Esoteric compass to emit blinding light as well as countless magical symbols. The magical symbols formed together into layer upon layer of spell formations as they shot forward.

Patriarch Blood Demon said nothing, and not even a trace of alarm could be seen on his face. His expression was actually indifferent. No matter what happened, he was confident that he could reverse any setback.

"Senior Blood Demon," said the Dawn Immortal's clone, her voice soft. "I know full well that your true self cannot face the glory of the Heavens. You were originally a drop of blood that transformed into a Demon, and the Heavens can turn your true self back into a drop of blood. What I don't know is, at this point… what tricks do you have left?" Behind her, the ferocious, illusory Resurrection Lily's tentacles whipped about, and an intense pressure radiated out. Rumbling sounds could be heard as countless tentacle incarnations shot out to surround Patriarch Blood Demon.

The Dawn Immortal was his strongest opponent, so Patriarch Blood Demon focused sixty percent of his attention on her. The other forty percent was divided between the red-haired Patriarch of the Golden Frost Sect and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch.

Both parties had each other locked down. Although it looked like they were engaged in magical battle, in reality, both sides were being cautious, waiting for the other to expend enough cultivation base power that, at the critical time, a lightning-like strike could be made.

Down below, a rumbling sound echoed out over the battlefield. Naruto stood inside the second shield layer, the wooden sword swirling through the air around him. A droning sound could be heard from the sword, and pulses of Time power caused the air around it to distort. The Blood Demon Sect disciples were all behind the second shield layer, staring at the hundreds of thousands of cultivators on the other side, as well as the black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect, who was in a frenzy and burning his own longevity to gain power.

The black-robed old man's fury and frustration was impossible to describe. He wanted nothing more than to slaughter Naruto over and over again and then take back the Solitary Sword Sect's precious treasure.

As he attacked, although he held no sword in his hand, the sword will which emanated out from his body transformed into an amorphous sword which repeatedly slashed into the second shield layer.

The layers of the Blood Demon Sect's five-layered shield got stronger the closer they got to the sect itself. In addition, the counter-attacks from the shields became even more intense.

Most importantly, the second shield layer was now the color of blood, thanks to the drop of blood from the Blood Pond inside Mount Blood Demon. Its power was not something that could quickly be broken.

Furthermore, the second shield layer had not been punctured by the leaf earlier; only the fifth, fourth and third layers had. The second shield layer was intact.

The shield rumbled and distorted as the black-robed old man vented his fury on it. However, the shield held!

The Blood Demon Sect forces sat there reticently, as did Naruto. He looked out coldly as the black-robed old man attacked and attacked. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, which the wooden sword could apparently sense, as it began to emit an intense droning sound.

BOOM!

The shield vibrated, and the black-robed man fell back. He lifted his head up and roared at the top of his lungs: "All cultivators, heed my command! Attack the shield with everything you have! Break it down!"

The hundreds of thousands of cultivators hesitated for a moment. The first to spring into action were the Solitary Sword Sect disciples. Tens of thousands of flying swords whistled through the air toward the shield. They were followed by the the Golden Frost Sect disciples and the members of the Shimura Clan. There were also some rogue cultivators. All of them unleashed divine abilities to blast against the blood-colored, second layer shield.

Instantly, a massive roaring filled the air. The land quaked violently, and nearby vegetation was destroyed. Mountains were leveled, and the entire ground seemed to be gouged out by an entire meter by the force of the combined attack.

From a distance, the mountain range in which the Blood Demon Sect was located was now crushed into a flat plain. The vegetation in the area was completely dead, and no life existed at all.

Everything was in ruins, except for the very center of it all, where the blood-colored shield glittered brightly. Although it rippled and distorted violently, it did not fall!

The Blood Demon Sect's five mountain peaks were now the focus of all attention.

Aftershocks from the divine abilities exploded out, and the forces of the allied powers also sustained injuries from the backlash, causing countless cultivators to cough up blood and retreat. However, others immediately surged forward to take their place.

Such a cycle continued on as countless attacks were made.

The black-robed old man from the Solitary Sword Sect was especially focused on attacking. Every time he made a move, boundless Sword Chakra would rumble out against the blood-colored shield. Two days later, the shield was finally starting to show signs of breakage.

When the third day arrived, more and more cracks spread out across the blood-colored shield. The Blood Demon Sect disciples sat there silently. Naruto's eyes flashed.

Finally, a snapping sound echoed out. The countless cracks merged together into something that looked like a huge wound. The black-robed Patriarch from the Solitary Sword Sect exploded out with peak Dao Seeking cultivation base power. Natural law descended and swirled about, transforming into an incredible Heavenly sword.

As soon as the sword appeared, lightning crackled up above. The sword suddenly flashed, seemingly filled with the power of lightning as it shot toward the second shield layer.

BOOOOMMMMMM!

The second shield layer could not stand up to the blow. The amorphous sword stabbed into it, and it shattered, sending out a huge shockwave in all directions. The Blood Demon Sect disciples and Naruto had already retreated behind the final remaining shield layer.

"Do we fight, Blood Prince!?"

"The point of death has arrived! It would be better to charge out and slaughter to our heart's content than be stuck in here!"

"If we can't avoid perishing, then let's die in battle!" The Blood Demon Sect disciples' eyes shone bright red, and even the Spirit Severing experts were looking in his direction.

This first shield layer was the final line of defense. Once it broke, the Blood Demon Sect would be powerless to defend itself. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators would charge into it. When that happened… they might be able to hold out for a little bit, but in the end, they would all die.

Shikamaru looked at Naruto, awaiting his decision.

Chino was also looking at Naruto. He was the Blood Prince, and had earned respect through his strength. His lone charge into battle with no thought of personal safety gained him the utmost esteem.

Everyone was watching him.

However, Naruto's gaze… fell upon Hinata.

She had been standing outside of Blood Prince Gorge the entire time watching the battle. Now that Naruto looked over at her, she turned to look back.

In that moment it was just the two of them in the Blood Demon Sect, behind the blood-colored shield, surrounded by the booms from the outside world. They looked at each other, and Naruto could see the encouraging look in her eyes. As well as…

You live, I live. You die, I die!

BOOM!

The shockwave from the destruction of the second shield layer faded away, and the black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch took the lead in the charge. Boundless sword light surrounded him as he shot toward the first shield layer to attack.

Explosions echoed about everywhere. Of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators from the original force, only around 200,000 were left. All were wounded and tired. The battle had lasted for a long time, and regardless of whether it was in terms of them or the Blood Demon Sect disciples, it had been a long and fierce fight.

"It's almost over!"

"All we have to do is break this final line of defense, and the Blood Demon Sect… will be exterminated!"

"Four more days! In four days, there will be no Blood Demon Sect in the Southern Domain!" The 200,000 cultivators' eyes were bright red. Despite their injuries, they roared and attacked the shield with all the strength they could summon.

RUMMMBLLLLLE!

The shield rippled. However, this first layer shield was even sturdier than the second layer, and had even more counterattack power. It only took a moment for thunderous roars to rise up into the sky. Clearly, the shield would not break in any short period of time.

Unfortunately, even a stronger shield would not be able to stand up for very long under the combined assault of 200,000 cultivators.

"Blood Prince, let's fight!" The Blood Demon Sect disciples inside the shield had risen to their feet. Their energy was focused and ready, their killing intent more and more intense than before.

Naruto was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Wait four more days!"

His second true self needed exactly that amount of time before it woke up!

These were the final four days!

Naruto had no way to assess exactly how powerful his second true self would be upon awakening. Had he used something other than the soul of an Immortal, he would have been able to speculate. But since it was an Immortal's soul in his second true self, he had no way to guess. He would have to wait until it awakened… to see if it was truly Heaven-defying.

"It HAS to be strong!" he thought, looking out beyond the shield.

One day passed.

The shield trembled violently under the attacks of 200,000 cultivators, pushing it to its limit. The counterattacks sent out into the 200,000 cultivators caused numerous serious injuries.

Two days!

The shield rippled and distorted in virtually every spot, and was even trembling. In fact, cracks were visible in some locations, although they quickly sealed back up.

The black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch was on the offensive; every time he launched an attack, the shield seemed as if it might collapse.

Three days!

"BREAK!"

Rumbling filled the air as, for the first time, a crack spread out that could not be sealed back up. The death knell had been struck for the shield. The 200,000 cultivators had endured counterattacks for three days, which had sapped many of them of their ability to fight, forcing them to retreat from the battlefield.

The remaining cultivators' numbers exceeded 100,000, but they still crowded the battlefield, making it virtually impossible to see the end of the army. As they continued to attack, more and more cracks appeared!

Finally, the fourth day arrived!

On the fourth day, the blood-colored shield was covered with cracks. Many of them stretched out and then combined to form huge gaps.

The shield trembled, and cracking sounds could be heard. It didn't seem like it would be able to hold on for very much longer.

At the same time, intense killing intent and even madness could be seen in the eyes of the black-robed Patriarch from the Solitary Sword Sect. He suddenly flew high up into the air and then waved his sleeve. Immediately natural law transformed into a sword up above.

This was his Dao Seeking sword!

"The Blood Demon Sect will be eradicated on this very day!" cried the Patriarch. He pointed out, and the sword rumbled as it shot down toward the shield.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples were in a frenzy. Their eyes were red, and they were completely ready for the moment when the shield collapsed. Then, they would fight to the death.

However… even as the amorphous sword shot toward the shield, a tremor ran through Naruto as he sensed an incredibly familiar aura rising up from within Blood Prince Gorge.

His eyes glittered. The day he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

"Arise, second true self!"

In Blood Prince Gorge, Naruto's second true self sat cross-legged inside the log cabin. Moments ago, not a scrap of any sort of aura could be detected on him. He almost seemed dead, like a statue.

Now, though, his eyes snapped opened, and a shocking iciness could be seen within them.

Gradually, a feeling like that of an Immortal could be sensed emanating out from him. The look in his eyes was different from that of Naruto, but his body was clearly the same.

The soul was like a sword, and the body the sheath. The power hidden within… was the 'self' from the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

Cultivation base ripples suddenly exploded out from it.

In the blink of an eye, they filled all of Blood Prince Gorge. As the second true self took a breath, the ripples were once again drawn back, bottled up inside.

The body was the Dao, and the soul was blade. A sharp blade hidden in a great Dao!

In that same moment, all of the vegetation in Blood Prince Gorge withered up and died. A sinister coldness, along with a terrifying aura, circulated around the second true self.

He looked up and then slowly… raised his right hand toward the sky above Blood Prince Gorge.

In that moment, it seemed as if time itself stopped.

Outside the valley, Naruto sat with eyes closed, his consciousness spread out in all directions. Next to him, the wooden sword trembled, and then suddenly seemed to sense something. Next, it shot out toward the final remaining layer of the shield.

As it emerged from within the shield, it blossomed with a radiant glow that was… the power of Time!

Time was like a river that suddenly poured out from within the sword!

100 years. 1,000 years. 5,000 years…. 10,000 years!

Ten thousand years of time swept out from the wooden sword, transforming into distortions in the air. Time suddenly stopped, causing the incoming Dao Seeking sword to… come to a halt in midair.

Apparently, in order to pass through the river of Time, it would have to pass through 10,000 years!

The Blood Demon Sect disciples were shocked by what they saw, and the more than 100,000 cultivators outside the shield were equally astonished. All eyes were now focused on the wooden sword.

The eyes of the black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch were completely bloodshot. Fury was rekindled, and raged in his heart; this wooden sword was the precious treasure of the Solitary Sword Sect, and had been worshiped by the sect for countless years. Even still, he could never have possibly guessed that the sword actually concealed such incredible Time power!

Although he had seen signs of it when the bamboo sword split apart earlier, it had quickly changed owners, and he had been disinclined to consider the matter further. By now, his heart was consumed with frustration and rage.

Now that he could sense the power of Time on the wooden sword, the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch was incapable of suppressing his fury. He roared and pushed his cultivation base even harder. Peak Dao Seeking energy, bolstered by the burning of his longevity, immediately surged out.

His entire person resembled a shooting star or, perhaps, a razor-sharp sword that flickered through the air to appear next to the wooden sword. Bucking directly against the river of Time power, he stretched his hand out to grab the wooden sword.

"Get back here!" he bellowed.

However, as soon as he stretched out his hand and touched the sword… Naruto's second true self stood up in Blood Prince Valley. He took a step forward and then suddenly appeared outside the shield, next to the wooden sword. His hand slowly lifted up to grasp the sword by the hilt.

His robe was black, as was his hair, and he was very thin, but clearly had exactly the same facial features as Naruto. However, the feeling people got when they looked at him was not the feeling one got when looking at a person. This second true self was as cold as ice, and as he hovered there, he emanated a supremely haughty air, as if he looked down with contempt at every living thing.

His appearance on the scene immediately caused the Blood Demon disciples to be filled with shock. Panting, they looked back and forth between Naruto and his second true self, their expressions blank.

The more than 100,000 cultivators in the outside world were equally as astonished.

"A clone?" Those were the words that immediately appeared in everyone's minds.

"A mere clone?" said the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch, his eyes widening. "Die you trifling…." He was just about to unleash a divine ability when suddenly, he began to tremble, and his eyes went wide with disbelief and shock.

He wasn't the only astonished one; the surrounding enemy cultivators were all dumbstruck.

Even the Blood Demon Sect disciples were thoroughly stunned.

Because….

The instant that Naruto's second true self gripped the wooden sword, his cultivation base began to erupt out from within.

First Severing. Second Severing. Third Severing…. Early Dao Seeking!

Intense rumbling filled Heaven and Earth as the cultivation base of Naruto's second true self roared up. Mid Dao Seeking. Late Dao Seeking…. It went all the way to the peak of Dao Seeking!

This development sent the entire battlefield into chaos!

Merely stepping into Dao Seeking put one on the level of a sect Patriarch, and as for peak Dao Seeking… they were the truly powerful experts, the strongest force of even the largest sects!

They would even be considered part of that sect's Dao Reserve!

In the entire Southern Domain, there were not even ten people who were at the peak of Dao Seeking!

In all of Planet Lands of Ninshu, less than a hundred peak Dao Seeking experts existed!

Any peak Dao Seeking cultivator could take a step forward and become a false Immortal!

As of this moment, Naruto's second true self was firmly in the peak Dao Seeking stage, something that would certainly shock and astonish anyone watching.

The buzz of conversation immediately rose up.

"How is this possible!?"

"Peak Dao Seeking! That's definitely peak Dao Seeking. This is the same feeling I get from our sect's Patriarch! Except… even stronger!"

"Naruto, Naruto…. No matter how this battle ends, there is a new powerful expert in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and that is Naruto!"

"How did he create a clone like that? If his clone is at peak Dao Seeking, then his true self is definitely destined to have a peak Dao Seeking cultivation base!"

One change after another on the part of Naruto caused their souls to feel shocked. Everything that happened was something they would never be able to forget.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples excitedly began to call out.

"Blood Prince!"

"Blood Prince!"

At the same time, Patriarch Blood Demon and the others up in midair were also shocked, especially the red-haired Patriarch from the Golden Frost Sect and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch.

"Dammit! How can that kid have a peak Dao Seeking clone!?"

The eyes of the Dawn Immortal's clone widened. She knew Naruto was no ordinary person, but this development left her deeply shocked. In fact, this was the first time he truly astonished her to such an indescribable degree.

Patriarch Blood Demon's eyes swept over the land, and a profound look flickered within.

The black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch's eyes flickered. Suppressing his shock, he gritted his teeth and said, "Peak Dao Seeking? What's the big deal? I'm also peak Dao Seeking!"

He stretched out his hand in an incantation gesture, immediately causing more than 10,000 streams of sword light to swirl around him.

Heaven and Earth dimmed, and the clouds churned. The streams of sword light swirled about, making it seem as if the entire area were a world of swords.

The black-robed Patriarch pointed at Naruto's second true self, causing the sword lights to all shoot directly toward him!

The second true self hovered in midair, his black hair swirling, his expression cold. He held the wooden sword gripped in his right hand, and his eyes flickered. Suddenly, he squeezed his hand down.

Immediately, the wooden sword trembled, and began to drone. In the blink of an eye, it began to emit endless amounts of Time power!

10,000 years. 20,000 years. 30,000 years….

The power of Time exploded out, accompanied by the excited droning of the wooden sword, to echo out in all directions. It was in this moment that, at long last, the true power of the wooden sword could finally be revealed.

What was happening right now was something that even Naruto could not do. Only his second true self, with its peak Dao Seeking cultivation base, could unleash the power of the wooden sword in this way.

40,000 years. 50,000 years….

Everything shook above and below. A river of Time swept out around the second true self, a sight completely shocking to the eyes. As for the 10,000 incoming beams of sword light, they suddenly stopped in place, incapable of moving forward even an inch.

What was blocking their way was the passage of time!

The black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch's face fell, and a sense of danger welled up in his heart. At the same time, the more than 100,000 enemy cultivators were all flabbergasted.

Up in midair, the red-haired Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, were equally shaken.

The second true self hovered in mid-air, black hair and black robes fluttering. The sword in its hand still was not finished!

Boom!

60,000 years!

The moment the river of Time surged with 60,000 years of Time power, the second true self sprang into action.

He swiped the sword out, and the 10,000 streams of sword light instantly vanished. In the blink of an eye, they passed through 60,000 years, and no longer existed.

"Impossible!" gasped the black-robed Patriarch. His astonishment had reached a pinnacle, and he finally backed up at top speed. However, the power of Time still brushed against him, and his body withered. In the blink of an eye, he seemed at least 10,000 years older. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his clothes seemed to decay. His face was waxen, his expression had turned from amazement to terror.

He could feel the shadow of death looming over him, as if he might die at any moment.

The second true self gripped the wooden sword, and its power was shocking. It could clearly battle the peak of Dao Seeking with no problem.

"Immortal's soul!" exclaimed the Solitary Sword Sect's Patriarch. "This clone is emanating the ripples of an Immortal's soul!"

Even as the words left his mouth, the second true self stepped forward, and Time turned into a wind that swept out like a river. Everywhere it passed, living things rotted and decayed.

RUMBLE!

The sword slashed, and the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body withered significantly, and his eyes shone with terror. He looked at the approaching second true self, and fell back again. He waved his hand and, astonishingly, tens of thousands of beams of sword light shot out in defense.

Rumbling echoed out as the sword lights were crushed like rotten wood in the face of the second true self. He raised his hand, and swung the wooden sword a third time. 60,000 years of Time power surged forth.

Everything shook, and the sense of danger in the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch's mind grew even more intense. He shot back toward the more than 100,000 cultivators, suddenly waving his hands down toward the ground. Immediately numerous cultivators were swept up, completely unable to control their own bodies as they were thrown back to block the wooden sword's Time power.

One sword swept out, bones withered and souls perished!

The power of Time flowed out like a bright, dancing beam. In the blink of an eye, the cultivators who had been swept up by the fleeing black-robed Patriarch, were completely withered into nothing more than dust and smoke. Their bodies, their magical items, everything was rotted into nothing.

All of the onlookers couldn't help but be shaken deeply by the deaths.

People wanted to flee, but considering the level of the black-robed Patriarch's cultivation base, they were nothing more than ants. No matter how quickly they scattered, he still threw them back as obstacles. As the power of Time consumed them, the black-robed Patriarch fled. Finally he had just a bit of breathing room.

"Dammit! DAMMIT!" His face was ashen, and the shadow of death loomed heavily over him. It had been many, many years since he had experienced the feeling of a deadly chase like this.

Inside, he was terrified, and was on full alert. Behind him, Naruto's second true self continued to close in.

It was a solitary sword that rumbled through the heavens. The power of Time fell like rain, enveloping everything. The black-robed Patriarch's face paled even further, and his pupils constricted. He suddenly slapped his bag of holding to produce a black horn. He bit the tip of his tongue and spit some blood onto it, causing it to writhe and wriggle. It shattered with a bang as two centipedes suddenly flew out from inside!

The centipedes were pitch black, except for a white line that ran down their abdomens. As soon as they appeared, the aroma of deadly venom wafted out, along with an indescribable aura.

"Attack!" The black-robed man's face was pale. This was his trump card, something he had acquired years ago, and had even enabled him to launch a successful sneak attack against an injured false Immortal.

As soon as the centipedes appeared, they shot through the air like Immortal creatures. Their speed was incredible as they closed in on the second true self. However, as soon as they entered the power of Time, they instantly stopped in place.

The black-robed Patriarch became even more nervous, and he quickly produced even more magical items.

At the same time, the two many-legged centipedes continued to move forward, albeit much more slowly than before. They even looked excited.

The white lines on their abdomens began to expand until they covered more than half their bodies. Now, the centipedes appeared to be half white and half black.

At the same time, an incredible aura began to emanate out from them, and they grew even more excited. Gradually, their speed increased. Apparently, they were consuming the power of Time!

The sight of it caused Naruto's eyes to narrow as he stood within the shield.

The black-robed Patriarch was inwardly delighted, and he continued to flee at top speed. As he did, he waved his sleeve, causing the numerous glowing, magical items to shoot toward Naruto's second true self.

At the same time, the black-robed Patriarch's eyes flickered, and he performed an incantation gesture then pointed up into the sky. A lightning bolt crackled downward, and a lightning sword coalesced in the sky which then slashed down toward the second true self.

The second true self gave a cold snort and loosened his grip on the wooden sword, allowing it freedom to orbit around him. It immediately transformed into a vortex, which became a tempest. Sword Chakra raged, and the power of Time screamed through the air.

As for the second true self, he lifted his right hand up, during which time a confused expression appeared in his eyes.

Suddenly, his right hand became transparent, and thousands of magical sealing marks appeared. Shockingly, they shot forward to form the shape that looked like a closed parasol!

The parasol was formed from numerous magical symbols, and as soon as it appeared in full, it opened.

A shocking aura exploded out, along with a brightness that rivaled the sun. In fact, anyone who glanced at it would think that this parasol really was a sun.

This was not one of Naruto's divine abilities, but rather, a Daoist magic that existed in the memory of the Immortal's soul inside the second true self!

"Solitary Yang Sky!" said an ancient, icy voice that came from the mouth of the second true self. As the words echoed out, the black-robed Patriarch's magical items all shattered into pieces. As for the Patriarch himself, he was caught up by the glowing light and the tempest. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body withered significantly.

Shock covered his face. "What divine ability is that!?"

What caused him even more despair was that the two centipedes, caught up in the river of Time, had been sated on Time power. Now, they shrank down and balled themselves up, leaving them unable to move and floating there in midair. Even when the black-robed Patriarch called for them to return, they completely ignored him.

"Dammit!" he thought, his heart filled with frustration. Suddenly, back inside the shield, Naruto waved his right hand. The war chariot appeared directly in front of him, which he entered without hesitation, at the same circulating the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way.

RUMBLE!

The chariot vanished, to reappear moments later in front of his second true self. He waved his hand, and the two sphere-like centipedes were instantly sucked into his bag of holding.

"YOU!" roared the black-robed Patriarch, nearly coughing up blood. What he saw in front of him was two people who looked the same, and yet felt completely different. Immediately, he began to flee at top speed.

Even as he fled, Naruto's second true self took a step forward and then raised his hand, pointing out toward the Patriarch. Immediately, the wooden sword began to emit a droning sound. At the same time, Naruto also performed an incantation and then pointed forward.

Naruto's second true self was completely under his control, and in this moment he coordinated with it to jointly control the wooden sword. Droning, the wooden sword exploded with the power of Time.

70,000 years!

Under the power of 70,000 years of time, the river of Time transformed into a sword!

Boundless Sword Chakra caused everything to tremble and shake as the sword itself slashed toward the black-robed Patriarch.

The black-robed Patriarch's eyes widened, and he was about to dodge out of the way when suddenly, the golden vortex of the Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, as well as the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.

Enveloped, the man couldn't move an inch. He could only remain there in place as a sword containing 70,000 years of Time power descended upon him.

"NO!" he howled. He performed a double-handed incantation, causing an ancient aura to suddenly appear, along with two sealing marks on both of his hands. His body was withering rapidly, not because of the vortex, or because of the decay of Time, but because of something he was doing to himself.

All of the flesh and blood in his body, even the bones and Chakra passageways, all of his fleshly body was condensing into a divine ability.

"Fleshly Sword Body!" he roared. His body collapsed, although his Nascent Divinity wasn't harmed at all. His bag of holding tumbled off to the side as the various parts of his fleshly body were shattered and then formed back together… into a sword! Its blade was made of bone, and its hilt, flesh and blood! Chakra and Blood swirled around it in all directions.

The sword shot directly toward the Wooden Time Sword.

BOOOOOMMMMMMM!

A massive explosion could be heard that shook the entire battlefield, astonishing everyone.

The white bone sword shattered, and the hilt fell to pieces. Chakra and Blood transformed into ripples that spread out in all directions. Naruto's wooden sword trembled and emitted a droning sound as it spun backward. However, the second true self easily reached out his hand and grabbed it.

The second true self's face was pale white as he staggered backward a few measures. As for Naruto, he was completely protected by his second true self, and yet still coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"So, peak Dao Seeking experts really can't be killed easily," he thought, his eyes glittering.

Rumbling rolled out across the lands below; the force of the explosion just now was too powerful, and the Blood Demon Sect's final shield layer couldn't take the impact. It trembled, and then directly shattered into pieces. The Blood Demon Sect was now completely exposed in the middle of the battlefield.

The black-robed Patriarch's Nascent Divinity grew very dim under the power of the explosion, but fled at top speed nonetheless, an expression of madness and hatred on his face. Since becoming Patriarch of the sect, he had never been so seriously injured, especially not to the point of being forced to use the Fleshly Sword Body. All of his failures had to do with the wooden sword. The most powerful magical arts he could utilize were all designed to be used in coordination with the sect's precious treasure.

"You're all dead!" the black-robed Patriarch roared. "Naruto, I'm going to possess your body! Golden Frost, Zangei, no more delays! I'm making my move now!" Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his bag of holding and then slapped it to produce an enormous statue!

The statue was fully three thousand meters tall, and completely black. An intense energy surged up into the air as soon as it appeared. Gradually, a seemingly infinite murderous aura began to swirl around it. Its presence caused strange colors to flash in the sky, and the clouds roiled. At the same time, a huge vortex appeared around the statue.

An aura suddenly exploded out that belonged to an Immortal.

It was an Immortal's treasure!

The Dawn Immortal had been their trump card, but this statue was their last resort.

The red-haired old man from the Golden Frost Sect and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch exchanged determined glances.

The Golden Frost Sect Patriarch took a deep breath and then waved his hand. Immediately 1,000 fist-sized rocks flew out from within his sleeves. Shockingly, Immortal Chakra immediately began to emanate out. These were not magical items, nor spirit stones. These were… pieces of Immortal jade!

Even Immortals would rarely see so many pieces of Immortal jade!

As soon as the pieces of Immortal jade flew out, the vortex around the statue sucked them up. The statue's energy shot upward, and the murderous air to its aura increased by tenfold.

The 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch had a very serious look on his face as he opened his mouth and spit out a mouthful of blood. His entire body suddenly sagged, and he backed up anxiously. Within the blood were countless dots of golden light, which formed together into countless strands that resembled a root formed of countless veins.

This was… a root of Immortality!

The Immortal root flew into the statue, and the instant it did, the statue seemed to come to life. Its limbs trembled, and the entire statue turned into a puppet!

At the same time, the black-robed Patriarch waved his sleeve to collect up Patriarch Six-Daos' discarnate soul, then threw it off to the side.

The river of 100,000 discarnate souls was no longer under the control of Patriarch Six-Daos, but rather, the black-robed Patriarch. He led the river of souls directly into the statue-puppet, which caused its eyes to open and radiate brilliant light.

The aura of an Immortal exploded out with full intensity.

This was an Immortal!

Although it was not a true Immortal, even a false Immortal could still be called Immortal.

A false Immortal puppet!

"Naruto, it's time to die!" said the puppet, its voice that of the black-robed Patriarch.

The puppet's eyes shone with boundless light at it slowly stood up. Its energy rumbled boundlessly, and the ground quaked. An Immortal aura exploded out.

"Everyone, attack! Eradicate everyone in the Blood Demon Sect! Leave no one alive!"

In response to the puppet's voice, the more than 100,000 cultivators' hearts surged. It was almost as if their bodies weren't even under their own control. Without the slightest hesitation, they shot directly toward the shieldless Blood Demon Sect.

The final, decisive battle had finally begun!

Booming filled the sky and the land, the Heavens dimmed, and the wind screamed. The Blood Demon Sect was the center, and surrounding it was a vast sea of cultivators unleashing magical techniques that gave rise to enormous ripples. The earth was smashed and the air shattered. It was as if doomsday had arrived.

More than 100,000 cultivators charged across the battlefield madly toward the Blood Demon Sect disciples that they had besieged this entire time. The Blood Demon Sect disciples had repressed themselves to the limit, and now their savagery exploded out.

"KILL THEM!" There were tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples and more than 100,000 enemy cultivators. Despite the fact that they were significantly outnumbered, they did not hesitate to wade into the bloody battle.

This was their sect, and this war was being waged to exterminate them. Not a single one of them would be left alive. Since that was the case, they would take some of the enemy with them!

Or perhaps… they would be able to slaughter their way to a chance for survival.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he retreated back to Blood Prince Gorge. Hinata was shivering slightly when he landed in front of her, but when she saw him she took a deep breath and gazed at him with gentle eyes.

He embraced her, then looked up at the vast array of enemy forces charging toward them. He watched as the Blood Demon Sect disciples charged madly into the fray, and the final, decisive battle began.

"Are you afraid?" he asked Hinata softly.

"No," she replied with a chuckle.

Naruto's second true self hovered in midair, eyes glittering. He raised his hand, causing the wooden sword to circulate around him as his peak Dao Seeking cultivation base surged. Then, he turned into a prismatic streak of light that shot toward the false Immortal puppet.

The puppet immediately met him in combat and explosions rang out, sending boundless ripples out in all directions. This became a third battlefield, the second being where Patriarch Blood Demon was fighting.

On the ground below, the slaughter commenced. Shouting rang out, along with the sounds of killing. The Blood Demon Sect disciples were in a frenzy, holding nothing back, even sustaining injury and burning longevity. When they were too severely injured, they would smile bitterly and then choose to self-detonate.

Rumbling filled the battlefield as the Blood Demon Sect disciples massacred the enemy with savagery and madness.

One particular Blood Demon Sect disciple with a Nascent Soul cultivation base, received a fatal blow. Using the last bit of his energy, he lunged forward and buried his teeth into his opponent's throat and ripped out a huge chunk of bloody flesh. As his opponent screamed miserably, the Blood Demon Sect disciple laughed maniacally and then self-detonated.

Another Blood Demon Sect disciple unleashed a forbidden art. His entire cultivation base and fleshly body, even his soul, transformed into a drop of blood which stabbed through the foreheads of multiple opponents. After slaying eight people in a row, he exploded.

Ruthlessly savage!

Due to the berserk fighting of the Blood Demon Sect, the more than 100,000 enemies were kept outside of the mountain peaks, and were incapable of stepping half a pace into the interior of the sect. The vicious slaughter being carried out by the Blood Demon Sect completely shook their opponents.

In a very short period of time, the Blood Demon Sect lost more than 10,000 cultivators. However, the enemy forces paid a heavy price; more than 20,000 of their number were killed!

Naruto did not participate in the fighting, but rather stood outside Blood Prince Gorge, surrounded by Blood Demon Sect disciples, silently observing the battle. To the other disciples, their Blood Prince had already paid a heavy enough price. Now… it was time for them to do their part.

Up in midair, the Dawn Immortal's clone began to shine with a brilliant light. The illusory Resurrection Lily behind her almost seemed corporeal. She was now relying purely on her own strength to keep Patriarch Blood Demon's clone in check.

Rumbling filled the air as they attacked each other. As for the red-haired Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, they circled around the area, occasionally attempting to interfere with the battle, but mostly just setting up spell formations in an attempt to prevent Patriarch Blood Demon from breaking free.

In a different location, Naruto's second true self was fighting the false Immortal puppet. The black-robed Patriarch's Nascent Divinity was now driving the puppet, and thanks to his towering killing intent and the puppet's incredible strength, Naruto's second true self was slowly being pushed back.

The gap between the peak of Dao Seeking and a false Immortal was too vast!

Thankfully, Naruto's second true self had the Wooden Time Sword, and the Immortal's soul inside of him made him just capable of holding his own in the battle.

However, anyone could see that eventually, the Blood Demon Sect… would be defeated.

"DIE!" roared the more than 100,000 enemy cultivators as they surged onto the offensive once more. In the middle of all the fighting could be seen the Golden Frost Sect puppet with the Dao Seeking aura. Its eyes flashed as it advanced cautiously through the crowds.

The cultivators who made up this Golden Frost Sect puppet were already thoroughly frightened by Naruto. They had looked on helplessly as the Solitary Sword Sect's early Dao Seeking expert was killed, and the Shimura Clan Patriarch severely injured. Then there was the black-robed Patriarch, who they didn't even come close to matching up to.

They would have long since fled, but this was war, and they could not.

Even as the Golden Frost Sect puppet started to advance, Naruto's eyes began to flicker with icy coldness. He looked at the puppet, and as he did, it stopped in its tracks.

Naruto looked down at Hinata and began to speak, his voice soft. "I'm going to kill a lot of people today. If you don't want to see so much bloodshed, you can always close your eyes."

Hinata looked up at him with a tender expression, then closed her eyes.

Holding Hinata tight with one arm, he flicked his sleeve, causing the war chariot to appear. He stepped inside, and the war chariot began to shine with a blinding light. Numerous beasts magically appeared, and they roared as they began to pull the chariot forward.

He stood there in the war chariot, Hinata at his side. Now that he had reappeared on the battlefield, he once again became the focus of attention. Everything he said and did would be noticed, and would affect the overall situation on the battlefield.

Boom!

The war chariot charged into the crowds, and instantly people were killed. In the blink of an eye, a bloody path was carved out across the battlefield.

Bloodcurdling screams filled the air constantly. Anyone who was struck by Naruto's war chariot died in a spray of blood. Soon, the chariot itself was the color of blood.

Naruto's face, hair, and clothing were also soaked in blood, but he didn't care. His eyes were cold and grim as he waved his hand, causing the Ninth Mountain to appear as well as the fourth level vortex of the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

He was no longer the scholar he had been. Nor was he the same Naruto of the Southern Domain. After joining the Blood Demon Sect, his heart had begun to fill with an insatiable desire to kill.

That desire to kill was the Devil in his heart!

Be a Devil in heart. Bedevilment! As a Devil, carry out mass slaughter!

Naruto lifted his head and roared as the war chariot shot forward, this time toward the Golden Frost Sect puppet. The Golden Frost Sect puppet's face fell, and it fell back at top speed. It performed an incantation gesture, causing the glint of blades and swords to spin toward Naruto.

Boom!

Naruto made no attempt to dodge. The war chariot smashed forward, crushing the incoming blades and swords like dried weeds as it barreled toward the puppet.

Another explosion rattled out, and popping sounds could be heard from the puppet as cracks spread out across its body. It retreated again, waving its hand to produce a golden greatsword which then slashed down toward Naruto.

Naruto snorted coldly, clenched his right hand into a fist, and punched out.

The instant his punch connected with the greatsword, cracks spread out across the sword, and it exploded into pieces. Having lost the greatsword, the Golden Frost Sect puppet appeared to be in a state of despair. It was incapable of dodging the war chariot, which slammed directly into its body.

A boom could be heard as the Golden Frost Sect puppet fell to pieces. It transformed into four Spirit Severing cultivators, all of whom were coughing up blood. Faces aghast, they were about to flee, only to find that the fourth level vortex of the Blood Demon Grand Magic was waiting for them.

The vortex rumbled into motion, and not a single one of the four were able to escape. They were enveloped by the vortex, and their bodies began to wither. Their cultivation bases were sucked away; even genuine early Dao Seeking cultivators would be incapable of getting out of this vortex. As for these four… how could they possibly escape death!?

BOOM!

Their bodies exploded, and their cultivation bases were gone. Their Nascent Divinities flew out, whereupon the flag of three streamers appeared to sweep them up.

Unfortunately, this small victory did nothing to change the tide of the battle as a whole. In the same moment that Naruto vanquished the Golden Frost Sect puppet, booming sounds could be heard from up in mid-air as his second true self coughed up blood and retreated at top speed.

The false Immortal puppet, under the control of the black-robed Patriarch, was emanating an incredible energy. Immortal Chakra surged about, and the air around it shattered. Natural law bowed before him, as if it were the ultimate sovereign.

"Blood Demon Sect! Today, you will be exterminated!" cried the black-robed man from within the false Immortal puppet, his voice laced with killing intent. "Naruto, you twerp, you will not escape death today!"

The enormous puppet flickered, suddenly changing directions to attack, not the second true self, but Naruto.

Naruto's killing intent filled the air, but he was well aware of the gap in power between him and the puppet. The war chariot thrummed as he retreated. Unfortunately, the false Immortal puppet only continued to pursue him, and even increased its speed. It got closer and closer!

It didn't seem as if there were any place Naruto could flee to. The false Immortal puppet would catch him no matter where he went!

His second true self flickered and shot toward him. However, Naruto knew that there was nowhere to flee to. He suddenly grinned hideously, and then stopped in place. He raised his right hand, and the Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, along with the Ninth Mountain, the Black White Pearls and the Blood Immortal divine abilities!

He also summoned the 'withering' character, and called the Hebi Clan Blood Clone from down on the battlefield. In addition, the Resurrection Lily blossomed behind him, writhing viciously.

And finally… he clenched his right fist!

As for the second true self, he utilized his peak Dao Seeking cultivation base to unleash the Solitary Yang Sky!

It combined with the Wooden Time Sword, a river of 70,000 years of Time power, and everything else, to form the most powerful attack that Naruto could currently unleash.

He was battling a false Immortal!

The entire battlefield shook violently!

A shocking boom rang out that turned the heads of countless people on the battlefield. The air was shattered, and the false Immortal puppet not only stopped in place, it retreated three measures!

Naruto's second true self spat up a huge mouthful of blood and stumbled backward. As for Naruto himself, blood also sprayed from his mouth. However, his body did not collapse due to the protection of the chariot. The war chariot tumbled end-over-end, and the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way vanished, causing the war chariot to also disappear.

Naruto held Hinata tight as he fled. When he looked back, he saw the false Immortal Puppet laughing maniacally and proceeding forward with killing intent swirling.

"Time to die!" roared the puppet, raising its right hand. Shockingly, a multi-colored glow appeared, swirling Immortal Chakra which transformed into an Immortal lotus. The lotus pulsed, and a massive pressure rumbled out.

It was at this point that….

Up in midair, Patriarch Blood Demon's clone, the one that was fighting the Dawn Immortal, suddenly sighed. Then, it turned and vanished.

Meanwhile, in the cave in Mount Blood Demon, the armored Patriarch Blood Demon sat cross-legged in the Blood Pool. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and they radiated a glow the color of blood.

An ancient voice echoed out from Mount Blood Demon.

"It's time to end this war."

Apart from the Blood Demon Sect disciples, everyone on the battlefield was immediately rooted in place.

Even the false Immortal puppet controlled by the black-robed Patriarch, which had been bearing down on Naruto, was stopped in midair.

The red-haired old man from the Golden Frost Sect, the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, even the Dawn Immortal's clone, all were frozen in place. They could not move, but they could still think, and their minds… were filled with astonishment!

"The fact that you were able to push me this far shows that I truly did underestimate you Southern Domain cultivators," said the ancient voice. It sounded incredibly tired, yet at the same time, filled with a mighty and wild pride.

"Dawn Immortal, earlier you asked me why I was so confident. Well now I'm going to show you… exactly why I am so confident.

"You all believe that what sits in the Immortal's cave in Mount Blood Demon is actually my true self?" Even as the voice boomed out, Patriarch Blood Demon slowly rose from his cross-legged position in the Blood Pond. He stepped forward and then… walked out of the Immortal's cave on Mount Blood Demon.

As he stepped foot onto the mountain peak, a sea of blood burst out from behind him. It truly was a sea, vast quantities of blood that surged up into the sky. In the blink of an eye, it covered everything, so that everything up above… was the color of blood.

The previous sky was no longer visible, making the entire world seem to be one of blood. Within this world of blood, atop Mount Blood Demon, stood Patriarch Blood Demon, clad in armor, looking out at the world with ancient eyes.

The red-haired Patriarch from the Golden Frost Sect trembled, and an intense apprehension welled up inside of him.

The 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch was equally astonished, and an unprecedented feeling of crisis filled him.

The Dawn Immortal's clone wore an expression of astonishment as she suddenly realized that her understanding of Patriarch Blood Demon… was far from complete.

The false Immortal puppet controlled by the black-robed Patriarch was also shaking. The massive pressure which weighed down on him was such that he knew a mere thought could kill him!

"Impossible! How could he be so powerful!?"

Down below on the battlefield, the more than 100,000 cultivators of the allied powers were also dumbfounded.

"There are many stories about me in the lands of the Southern Domain," said Patriarch Blood Demon coolly. "According to some of those stories, I am the incarnation of a drop of blood from a Demon. That is why… I am called Patriarch Blood Demon.

"That story is true." He stood there atop Mount Blood Demon, not even the tiniest ripple emanating from his cultivation base. He seemed, for all intents and purposes, to be a mortal.

"And yet, it is also false!" When he said this, the land began to quake. Fissures spread out, as if some enormous creature were waking beneath the surface of the land and was about to emerge.

"I say it's true because I am indeed incarnated from a drop of blood. I say it's false because this body formed by the drop of blood… is not my true self!"

Rumbling sounds could be heard as the rifts in the land grew larger. However, the cultivators were completely stuck in their original positions. Even if the land fell away beneath them, they would remain floating there in place.

As for the Blood Demon Sect disciples, they had already retreated back to the region of the five mountain peaks. Naruto was among their number, his mind reeling as he held Hinata tight at his side.

Hinata's eyes had opened and she was also looking on with shock.

"My confidence lies in my true self. I don't have much life left in me, so I didn't want to move…. However, this battle has earned you the right to see me." Even as the words began to leave his mouth, an intense rumbling could be heard from the ground.

Everything shook as, shockingly, a gargantuan hand burst out from the ground. It was followed by an arm that was thousands of meters long. It looked like a mountain as it rose up, causing everything to tremble.

The surface of the ground collapsed as a head appeared. He had blood-colored skin, and a horn protruded from his forehead. He wore an ancient, dilapidated suit of armor. It only took a moment… for him to completely rise up from the ground!

He was nearly thirty thousand meters tall, completely crimson, and covered with innumerable complex magical symbols.

He looked almost exactly like the Demonic Incarnation of the Blood Demon Grand Spell Formation that Naruto had controlled before, only more ancient and more real!

The red-haired old man from the Golden Frost Sect felt his mind buzzing. His face fell, and he began to pant. Next to him, the Shimura Clan Patriarch gasped, and his eyes went wide with disbelief.

The Dawn Immortal's clone was also trembling, and the Resurrection Lily behind her was struggling. As for the false Immortal puppet controlled by the black-robed Patriarch, it was also trembling.

The instant the enormous figure appeared, the Patriarch Blood Demon that stood on Mount Blood Demon stepped out into the air and then flew up to sit cross-legged on top of the enormous head. Then, he slowly merged down into the enormous Demon.

It was at this point that the Demon's eyes suddenly opened.

"This is my true self!

"I was seriously injured, and chose this place to recuperate. I incarnated a clone with a drop of blood, and founded the Blood Demon Sect." His voice rumbled across the lands like thunder. Up above, the blood-colored sky glittered brightly. The more than 100,000 cultivators were trembling in shock, even the most powerful experts.

Naruto was equally shaken.

"Unfortunately, I can only wield a fraction of the power that I could when I was at my peak. It would be difficult for me to harm a true Immortal. However, to kill a false Immortal… is child's play." With that, his huge hand stretched out and grabbed the Dawn Immortal's clone.

Rumbling filled the air, and the Dawn Immortal's clone screamed miserably. The Resurrection Lily behind her writhed as she struggled to fight back. She could only hold on for a moment, though, before her body was crushed. She, along with the Resurrection Lily, began to fade away.

Before vanishing completely, the Dawn Immortal's cold, merciless voice rang out: "Blood Demon, I refuse to believe that you will be able to keep ahold of that Demon body for much longer! Since you're dying, your Demon body will soon belong to me!"

"Ah, so it's true…. You came here for my Demon body." It was then that Blood Demon's eyes came to rest on the red-haired old man from the Golden Frost Sect. He stretched his finger out.

The old man trembled, but could do nothing to fight back. Blood Demon's finger touched him, and it was a boundless mountain smashing down onto him. He immediately was smashed into pieces, leaving behind only his Nascent Divinity. His expression was one of terror and despair, incapable as he was of fleeing.

Just when he thought he was going to disappear forever, Blood Demon calmly said, "I'll leave you alive."

With that, a blood-red light descended from the blood-colored sky, enveloping the red-haired Patriarch, instantly transforming him into something that looked like a Blood Clone.

Along with the new body came a blank expression, as if all his previous memories had been wiped away.

"From now on, you will be a Dharma Protector of the Blood Demon Sect," said Patriarch Blood Demon, his voice cool. Next, his gaze shifted to the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, and his finger moved again.

The 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch trembled, and his body exploded. As the blood and gore dissipated, his Nascent Divinity flew out, and was encased in a similar body of blood. His memories were erased, and he became another Dharma Protector of the Blood Demon Sect.

Patriarch Blood Demon seemed exhausted, and he closed his eyes, as if he didn't even have enough energy to keep them open. It seemed that his actions just now put quite a strain on him.

After a moment, he forced his eyes open again and looked at the puppet being controlled by the black-robed Patriarch. "And then there's you…. I think you, too, will be a Dharma Protector of the Blood Demon Sect."

"That one must die!" said Naruto suddenly.

Blood Demon's eyes flickered. Without another word, he reached out and grabbed the false Immortal puppet and squeezed down violently. What was being crushed was in fact the Nascent Divinity of the black-robed old man.

A miserable scream could be heard as the Nascent Divinity was completely obliterated.

Having accomplished these things, the enormous Blood Demon closed his eyes. Apparently, he was now completely out of energy. He once again sat down cross-legged and then sank down into the ground. The image of Patriarch Blood Demon once again appeared at the top of his head, looking completely exhausted, and surrounded by an even stronger aura of death than before. As the enormous Demon disappeared into the earth, Patriarch Blood Demon stepped foot onto Mount Blood Demon. As he entered the Immortal's cave there, the sea of blood that covered the sky rushed back into the cave to reform the Blood Pond. Patriarch Blood Demon sluggishly sat down cross-legged to meditate.

It was at this point that Naruto suddenly heard Patriarch Blood Demon's exhausted voice in his ear.

"I didn't want to use my real body, as it is an incredible drain on the scant bit of power I have left….

"But you… represent a hope that I cannot ignore….

"I need to sleep now, and I won't be able to awaken again for another hundred years. Perhaps I will never awaken. As for the Blood Demon Sect… I give it to you…. Be careful of the Dawn Immortal. She is both a Resurrection Lily, and not a Resurrection Lily…. Also, the great territorial war is coming soon."

The rift in the ground closed up, and the restrictive spell formation surrounding the area vanished. The more than 100,000 cultivators on the battlefield could now move again. Trembling, they looked with terror at Mount Blood Demon. It was hard to say who was first, but they began to retreat, scattering like a flock of birds, fighting amongst themselves to be the first to flee.

As for the 70,000 remaining Blood Demon Sect disciples, their killing intent was even more intense than ever. Their sect had narrowly escaped complete eradication in this war, and they would never rest easy unless they exacted their revenge.

"Blood Prince!"

"Blood Prince!"

All of the Blood Demon disciples turned to look at Naruto as they awaited his decision about what to do next.

Naruto looked at the exhausted Blood Demon Sect disciples and then after a moment of contemplation said, "Debts of blood can only be paid in full WITH blood! We rest for one month. After that, I will take you… to unify the Southern Domain!"

Their intense killing intent, along with the thirst to unify the Southern Domain, transformed their morale into one of excitement and frenzy. The mood completely enveloped the battered Blood Demon Sect!

Meanwhile, outside of the Blood Demon Sect, an old man sat cross-legged up in the sky. Beneath him was a pill furnace. He had a complex expression on his face as look down at the Blood Demon Sect.

It was Pill Demon, also known as Reverend Violet East of the Violet Fate Sect.

"Patriarch Blood Demon, you have paid too heavy a price in order to prepare him to Sever the Devil and enter Dao Seeking. He is my apprentice, so this kindness is something that he should not have to pay for. I will take the responsibility to repay you." After a long, deep look at the Blood Demon Sect, he turned and vanished.

One month later….

There was no hotter topic in the Southern Domain than the war between the four allied powers and the Blood Demon Sect. After a month, stories about the battle had already spread far and wide.

The peak Dao Seeking Patriarch of the Solitary Sword Sect had fallen in battle, as well as an early Dao Seeking elder!

Patriarch Six-Daos of the Black Sieve Sect had been killed!

A Patriarch of the Golden Frost Sect and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch were wiped of their memories and transformed into Dharmic Protectors of the Blood Demon Sect!

The Blood Demon Sect's Blood Prince, Naruto, had a peak Dao Seeking clone and an undying body. No matter how many times he was killed, his body reformed!

Patriarch Blood Demon's true self was actually beneath the Blood Demon Sect, and was shockingly powerful to the extreme!

All the details were spread throughout the Southern Domain. Soon, all cultivators were shocked by the might of the Blood Demon Sect.

"The Patriarchs of four sects were either killed or enslaved! I can't believe the Blood Demon Sect is actually that powerful!"

"That's nothing. I heard that the Solitary Sword Sect's precious treasure was actually taken away by the Blood Demon Sect's Blood Prince! How bizarre is that!?"

"The number one sect in the Southern Domain is definitely the Blood Demon Sect!"

"Four great powers were defeated, do you really think the Blood Demon Sect will stop now? It won't be long now before another great war unfolds!"

"It's too bad about all those rogue cultivators who enlisted. I heard almost all of them died…."

During the month, discussions raged regarding the battles between the Blood Demon Sect and the four great powers. Soon, people began to realize that… there were suddenly far fewer cultivators in the Southern Domain than there used to be.

Heavy casualties had been sustained by four great powers, as well as a vast quantity of rogue cultivators. Such losses significantly reduced the overall military might of the Southern Domain as a whole.

As the rest of the Southern Domain was marveling about the Blood Demon Sect, the Solitary Sword Sect was awash with misery. They had once been the most powerful sect, with two Dao Seeking Patriarchs. Now, however, both of those patriarchs were dead.

Furthermore, their sect's precious treasure now belonged to someone else. The forces that returned to the sect were less than half of the number who had left to wage war. Virtually all of their Spirit Severing experts had died. Only three returned.

As soon as the Solitary Sword Sect's forces returned, they immediately sealed down the entire sect, activated their grand spell formation and cut themselves off from the outside world.

All of the sect members' hearts were filled with fear and even terror at the thought of reprisals from the Blood Demon Sect.

The Golden Frost Sect was in much the same position as the Solitary Sword Sect. Their Patriarch had died, their Dao Seeking puppet had been destroyed, and virtually all of their Spirit Severing experts had been slain. The only Spirit Severing expert who remained was an Elder of the Second Severing, who was now the most powerful person in the Sect.

Their eighteen grand spell formations were activated one by one. The Golden Frost Sect… also chose to seal their entire sect off from the outside world!

As for the Shimura Clan, both their 3rd and 5th Patriarchs were dead, and significant injuries and deaths had been inflicted on their forces. It was an incredibly heavy blow to the Clan. Thankfully for the Shimura Clan, they had existed for many years, and were able to awaken a Third Severing Patriarch. However, he was only one person. Therefore, the Shimura Clan also sealed itself, its mountain ranges, and all the surrounding areas.

And then there was the Black Sieve Sect…. There was no need for the Black Sieve Sect to seal anything. There were only a handful of disciples left alive. As for the ones who survived the war with the Blood Demon Sect, they didn't return to the sect.

The disciples who had been left behind to guard the sect quickly learned of the death of Six-Daos, and the great victory of the Blood Demon Sect. Filled with terror, they all left. The once flourishing mountains of the enormous Black Sieve Sect were now empty.

Of course, there were some rogue cultivators and small-scale sects who cast their eyes on the spiritual energy and resources within the sect. They snuck in to search for the sect's ancient records, legacies and magical items.

However, something happened that instantly turned the entire Black Sieve Sect into a forbidden zone that no one dared to enter.

About half a month previous, a group of several hundred rogue cultivators were wandering through the Black Sieve Sect when suddenly, a sinister roar could be heard coming from underground, deep beneath the Black Sieve Sect. Then, a voice could be heard.

"I, the Emperor, have been sleeping for so long, and when I finally wake up… well, look at what has happened to this place! Well then, you people will be staying behind!" As the voice echoed out, black fog roiled up from the ground beneath the Black Sieve Sect. It quickly enveloped the entire area, whereupon bloodcurdling shrieks could be heard coming from the rogue cultivators inside. Not a single one was able to escape.

The people who were outside of the fog fled in shock, and then spread word of what had happened.

As the Southern Domain slipped into chaos, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect and the Shimura Clan were all sealed. There was little change in the Nadeshiko Clan and the Violet Fate Sect. For them, things continued on as normal. They had not participated in the war with the Blood Demon Sect, and therefore sustained no losses whatsoever, and maintained their previous levels of power.

As time passed, more and more Southern Domain cultivators were trying to figure out what the Blood Demon Sect would do next. Would they strike back? If they sought revenge, which sect would they move against first?

In fact, quite a few cultivators lingered near the outskirts of the Blood Demon Sect, awaiting the day they took action.

Finally, one bright and beautiful day, beneath a cloudless sky, a beam of colorful light shot up from within the Blood Demon Sect. It was not just one beam, but hundreds, then thousands, until finally… tens of thousands of beams of light caused Heaven and Earth to tremble.

Instantly, the cultivators lingering outside of the Blood Demon Sect began to get excited.

"The Blood Demon Sect is on the march!"

"Tens of thousands of cultivators have been dispatched! There's definitely going to be a war!"

"They're absolutely going to strike back, otherwise why would they marshal such an incredible force!?"

The rogue cultivators quickly spread the news. At a sensitive time like this in the Southern Domain, this news about the Blood Demon Sect swept across the entire land like a stormwind.

The Blood Demon Sect was on the move!

Tens of thousands of beams of light shot through the air, with Naruto in the lead. His expression was grim as he whistled through the air. Shockingly, he was flanked by two figures wearing blood-colored robes, with blank expressions on their faces. They seemed barely aware of what was going on around them, but their auras were intense, that of peak Dao Seeking.

Behind them were the Spirit Severing experts, then tens of thousands of ordinary disciples, all of them bent on revenge.

They traveled in silence, and with utmost speed. Quite a few Southern Domain cultivators caught sight of them flying through the sky and were shocked, but then began to follow along. Gradually, more and more cultivators were following behind the Blood Demon Sect.

Soon, the buzz of conversation could be heard from the cultivators trailing the Blood Demon Sect.

"The Black Sieve Sect! That's their target! It's the Black Sieve Sect!"

"You're right. Based on the direction, the only target could be the Black Sieve Sect!"

"The Black Sieve Sect has already fallen to pieces. Its disciples are either dead or scattered! The whole sect is in ruins!"

"Did you forget what happened half a month ago, though? There's a fog covering the entire sect, with some mysterious danger lurking inside."

Naruto was in the vanguard position, his expression calm, but his eyes flickering with killing intent. Many people had been wounded or killed in the fighting, and his hatred had reached such heights that retribution was absolutely necessary.

As far as the Black Sieve Sect went, Naruto had long since planned to destroy it. He didn't just want to kill the disciples of the sect, he wanted to completely rip it up by the roots and erase its name from the Southern Domain for all time.

"After joining the Blood Demon Sect, I have slaughtered countless enemies. Therefore… I might as well be thorough about it!" A bloody glow could be seen in his eyes, and a monstrous desire to kill filled him as he pushed forward at top speed.

RUMBLE!

Several days later, the Blood Demon Sect appeared as beams of light in the sky above the Black Sieve Sect. Shockingly, more than 100,000 additional beams of light were behind them. They… were disciples from other Southern Domain sects, as well as rogue cultivators. They had followed the Blood Demon Sect here to bear witness to the great war.

The Black Sieve Sect no longer looked like the place Naruto remembered. What he saw was a vast churning fog, completely black, that covered the Ninety Nine Mountains and exuded an intense aura of death. Its coldness was palpable. Furthermore, the surroundings were caked in layer after layer of bluish ice, as if the area was experiencing a glacial winter.

Naruto quickly blinked his right eye several times in succession, and the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way spread out into his eye. Now when he looked at the fog, he was able to make out some more vague details.

He could see the ruins of the Ninety Nine Mountains, as well as a group of a few hundred people milling about in the center of them all. Their bodies were stiff, as if they existed in a state somewhere between living and dying.

A black thread was attached to the head of each one of the group of several hundred. The black threads stretched down into the ground into a mass of fog deep below the surface of earth. It was roughly thirty meters wide, and even Naruto's gaze couldn't pierce into it.

However, Naruto could sense that the ball of fog emanated a Dao Seeking aura.

He gave a cold snort as he rotated his cultivation base. He lifted his right hand and then pushed it down over his right eye. The full power of Immortal Shows the Way poured into his eye, and his pupil began to glow with a golden light. All of a sudden, it was as if a veil had been lifted from the world.

He could now see clearly into the thirty meter ball of fog. He saw a platform in the shape of a lotus, upon which a man was seated cross-legged.

The man wore the robe of an emperor, as well as a crown. His body was shriveled and emaciated, almost like a withered corpse. Hundreds of black threads could be seen on the ground, all of them connected to his head. Bizarrely, the threads were squirming and writhing.

Behind the withered corpse was a door.

The instant Naruto laid eyes on the corpse, its eyes opened. A green light appeared there which shot out through the mist to meet Naruto's gaze.

"Naruto… Uzumaki…." said the corpse, its voice ancient and strange as it echoed back and forth.

Naruto's eyes flickered. He did not find it strange at all that this person knew who he was. As for the hundreds of threads, Naruto could sense that they were being used by the withered corpse to control the hundreds of people up above. It was something similar to Soulsearch.

"I… don't want… to be… your enem… wait, your aura…?!" The withered corpse didn't even get halfway through its sentence before it seemed to sense something. It looked closely at Naruto, and then the flickering green glow in its eyes grew even more intense.

"You're… that Demon Sealer… from that time years ago! Demon Sealer! If I kill you… I can confirm the path to true Immortality!" The withered corpse suddenly shot to its feet. In that instant, the fog covering the Black Sieve Sect suddenly exploded out, shooting directly toward Naruto.

Inside of the fog were hundreds of figures, all of them roaring as black mist bored into their bodies. Their cultivation bases surged, and although their eyes were blank, their faces twisted with rage. Their bodies grew severalfold, and black fur appeared on their skin. Their teeth turned into fangs, and dual horns sprung out of their heads.

They no longer resembled people, but rather Demons, roaring as they charged into battle.

Naruto's eyes flickered with coldness, and he said, "Looking to die?!"

Several hundred figures with inhuman, demonic bodies charged forward. Their speed increased dramatically, and their cultivation bases climbed higher by a whole stage.

Among their number were four Nascent Soul stage cultivators who grew to an incredible and powerful level. They were now thirty meters tall, with cultivation bases similar to Spirit Severing!

After the transformation, the weakest of the cultivators was at Core Formation, with most being in the Nascent Soul stage.

The power to do such a thing could be considered top rate for any sect or clan. It was something that no power would look down upon during a fight. In fact, an ability like this could easily change the balance of power in a battle.

That was especially true for the four Spirit Severing cultivators. Currently, the remaining Dao Seeking cultivators in the Southern Domain refused to show themselves, so if a Spirit Severing cultivator so much as stomped his feet, it would cause a huge commotion.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and behind him, the killing intent of the tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples surged. They had come here for revenge. When it came to the people who had besieged and battled them, they faced either destruction or assimilation.

There were only these two choices.

Naruto's face was calm as he looked at the hundreds of people charging forward. He did not attack them personally. Instead, he waved his sleeve and coolly said, "Exterminate them."

Immediately, roars filled the air behind him.

"DIE!" howled the Blood Demon Sect disciples. Instantly, tens of thousands of cultivators unleashed divine abilities and magical techniques. In the blink of an eye, colorful ripples exploded out in all directions. Their magic was like floodwaters that swept through the air.

The fog rumbled and cracked, and the hundreds of people inside were instantly shredded into a haze of blood and gore, with the exception of the four Spirit Severing cultivators.

That was the result of the combined power of tens of thousands of cultivators. The hundreds of strange, mutated cultivators that belonged to the Black Sieve Sect, despite being powerful enough to constitute the backbone of any Sect's fighting forces, were simply incapable of withstanding even one of their attacks.

Rumbling echoed out, and blood sprayed from the mouths of the four Spirit Severing enemies who had just been raised from the Nascent Soul stage. However, they did not fear death, nor did they do anything to evade. Instead, they charged forward in a frenzy and then… chose to self detonate.

Flames burst out on their skin, and a shocking pressure emanated out from them. Countless beams of brilliant light shone out as they prepared to blow themselves up.

Naruto's expression remained completely the same as these four seemingly Demonic Spirit Severing cultivators detonated. It was in this moment that his second true self appeared. He raised his right hand, splayed his fingers and pushed forward.

A huge boom could be heard as the four Demons exploded, the power of which transformed into an attack that made the fog seethe and the air split open. A multicolored mushroom cloud began to rise up, within which was flesh and blood, as well as incredible destructive power. However, the power of the mushroom cloud attack was met by Naruto's second true self.

As he faced the expanding mushroom cloud, the second true self slowly began to close his hand into a fist. As he did, the mushroom cloud stopped expanding, and then began to shrink down.

By the time the second true self's hand was fully closed into a fist, the destructive power of the self-detonation, the mushroom cloud, was completely suppressed.

The second true self clenched his fist violently, and a boom could be heard. The destructive mushroom cloud suddenly… faded away into nothing.

The sight of this instantly roused the spirits of the Blood Demon Sect cultivators. As for the hundreds of thousands of Southern Domain cultivators further back, their faces filled with astonishment, and they gasped.

"This clone of the Blood Demon Sect's Blood Prince… is so… is so… completely terrifying!"

"The power of four Spirit Severing cultivators' self-detonation was crushed by a single palm!"

"No wonder the joint attack of the four great powers was incapable of defeating the Blood Demon Sect. Not only that, they sealed themselves away from the world after the war was over! The Blood Demon Sect… is too powerful!"

In the moment that the hundreds of cultivators were defeated, the fog churned, then began to rise up. Up in midair, it transformed into an enormous beast that stood on two legs and resembled a black bear.

It was completely ferocious in appearance. Although it had no horns, its enormous fangs were shocking. Mist swirled around it as it roared and then charged toward the Blood Demon Sect, its eyes bright red.

Shocking pressure emanated out from the mist beast, and although it did not emanate any sort of natural law, the feeling Naruto got from it was that of Dao Seeking.

As the mist condensed and formed this beast , the Ninety Nine Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect were revealed, and at their center, a huge rift in the ground could be seen, from within which black fog emanated out.

Deep within that rift was the figure that Naruto had seen earlier.

"Left Dharma Protector, slay this mist beast," said Naruto coolly. To the left of him was what had once been the Golden Frost Sect Patriarch. His eyes were the color of blood as he unhesitatingly strode forward toward the mist beast and lifted his hand. A tiny mountain appeared, which was the Golden Frost Sect's legacy precious treasure.

A boom could be heard as the two clashed in battle.

"Right Dharma Protector, go kill the bastard hiding in that rift." The Blood Clone that was formed from the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch shot forward, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes. The Shimura Clan's legacy precious treasure, a Esoteric compass, rotated around him as he headed toward the rift in the ground.

Booms echoed out as Naruto floated in midair, declining to participate in the battle. His two peak Dao Seeking Dharma Protectors were enough to sweep across the Southern Domain and slaughter everything.

To the Blood Demon Sect, unifying the Southern Domain would be a extremely simple task, and that was exactly what Naruto intended to do. Exert incredible pressure on all the sects and clans of the Southern Domain, and unite the entire land.

Rumbling filled the sky as the mist beast, incapable of standing up to the divine abilities of the Golden Frost Sect Patriarch, was defeated in the space of only seven or eight breaths. In the end, it exploded, transforming into countless streams of fog that dissipated in all directions.

Underground, booming explosions rang out, followed by bellows of rage. The corpse wearing the imperial robes was now battling the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch. Currently, ripples of the peak Dao Seeking stage were now emanating off of the corpse.

As the two of them fought back and forth, the ground quaked, and the rift was torn open even wider. The corpse's enraged shouts grew louder, and then Naruto waved a finger, sending the Golden Frost Sect patriarch into the rift to join the fight. Now, it was two against one!

There was little to be suspenseful about. After enough time had passed for half an incense stick to burn, the withered corpse suffered defeat after defeat. Howling with rage and frustration, it called out, "Naruto…. Just leave! I don't care that you're a Demon Sealer any more! How about we just leave each other alone!?

"If we keep fighting this way, you might win, but one of your men will be seriously injured, maybe even killed! Let's call it quits, how about it?"

"You don't care that I'm a Demon Sealer?" said Naruto coolly. "Well I do!" His second true self's eyes glittered as he took a step forward, then suddenly teleported into the rift. In the blink of an eye, more thunderous explosions could be heard from inside.

The withered corpse let out an exclamation of shock. The ground quaked, and more rifts snaked out across the land. Even some of the mountains began to crumble.

The entire Black Sieve Sect was in a horrible state. Mountains were toppling, and the land was being torn apart. Grand palaces and other buildings that had just recently been rebuilt were now falling to pieces.

A huge crater then appeared, which began to swallow up the Ninety Nine Mountains. Four beams of light shot up from within it, one up ahead, three following. The withered corpse was in the lead, blood streaming from his mouth, his entire body in tattered and wounded. His expression was one of astonishment as he fled. Behind him were Naruto's second true self and two Dharma Protectors.

The three combined their attacks to shocking effect, making it impossible for the withered corpse to flee. He was sent tumbling through the air, whereupon the second true self appeared off to the side, Wooden Time Sword shining brightly. The withered corpse was terrified in the extreme.

As the three closed in, the withered corpse's eyes suddenly filled with madness. He lifted his right hand up and then tore open a hole in his chest, revealing his withered innards. In the same location as his heart, shockingly, there was a tiny black imp.

The pitch-black imp had three eyes, no nose and a wide mouth, and it appeared to have grown up along with the heart itself. Its three eyes opened to reveal a bizarre glow. It immediately flew out into the air, after which the withered corpse trembled. All of the life force seemed to have been sucked out of it, and it died.

As the withered corpse died, the imp shot up into the sky. It hovered there, looking down coldly at Naruto, its eyes filled with grimness and hatred. Apparently, it was committing Naruto's image to memory.

This development caused Naruto to gape in shock. The surrounding cultivators were also astonished. Who would ever have thought that hidden inside of the withered corpse was something as bizarre as this imp?

"Demon Sealer…." said the imp, its voice high-pitched. "As emperor, I will never forget this. Sooner or later, I'll make you pay! For now… I'm leaving, and nobody can stop me!" With that, it looked up, apparently preparing to shoot up into the starry sky.

The Left and Right Dharma Protectors unleashed divine abilities to obstruct its way. However, the pitch-black imp smiled mockingly, and did nothing to evade the divine abilities. Instead, he shot directly through them, and sustained no damage in the process.

Naruto's second true self gave a cold snort and then attacked. Magical symbols formed into the shape of a parasol, which emanated brilliant light. The imp's pupils constricted, and it let out a piercing shriek. Suddenly, massive quantities of black fog poured out from it and shot toward the parasol.

A boom rang out as the parasol of magical symbols collapsed into pieces. The imp's fog was melted, leaving it visibly weakened. However, it was now high in the sky. It glanced back at Naruto and then turned to fly away.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he experienced a menacing sensation. He wasn't sure where this pitch-black imp came from, but there was something about it that filled him with a feeling of grave crisis.

"I can't let him escape!" he thought. His right hand shot up into the air, and he waved his finger toward the imp.

Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

Boom!

The imp suddenly shuddered to a stop. However, it took only a moment of struggling to free itself. Its piercing voice rang out again, "You want to hex me? Your cultivation base isn't strong enough!"

Seeing that his opponent was about to disappear, Naruto took a deep breath and then calmed himself. He stretched out his right hand toward the sky, and then made a chopping motion.

His mind was now devoid of everything except for Karma.

Seventh Demon Sealing Hex!

Hex of Karma!

Karmic Hexing had been bestowed upon him by Patriarch Blood Demon when he reached the fourth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic. It was a hexing magic that belonged solely to the Demon Sealers, and was something that only Demon sealers could learn and utilize.

Naruto had long since achieved internal enlightenment regarding the magic. However, after testing it out, he found that he was unable to successfully cast it consistently. Now that he saw the pitch-black imp fleeing, coldness filled his eyes and he immediately unleashed the magic.

When he raised his hand and then chopped it down, the entire world seemed to grind to a halt. He was now able see innumerable silk-like threads attached to everyone. They were wrapped and twined together as they spread out into the air to connect to everything else in the world.

This was not the first time Naruto had seen something like this. The Karmic Severing of the Hebi Clan invoked a similar sight.

However, Naruto was a Demon Sealer, so he would not sever Karma, he would hex it!

Karmic Severing was, of course a severing, whereas Karmic Hexing was a type of sealing!

Severing someone's Karma with Karmic Severing would result in their complete and utter death. It didn't matter if the victim had numerous clones; any memories that existed of the victim in anyone's mind would be blotted out. By erasing the image of the person in everyone's mind, even if that person still lived on somewhere, they would be dead.

Such a fearsome Daoist magic was a fundamental magic of the Hebi Clan, and in fact, could be considered the most powerful art in the Ninth Mountain. The reason being, of course, that the Heavens of the Ninth Mountain… was none other than Orochimaru

As for Naruto, his Karmic Hexing was, simply stated, using Karma as a hex.

It could use your own Karma to seal you!

The more Karma you possessed, the more powerful the sealing. It didn't matter if you were a human, Immortal, or some other powerful being; as long as you had Karma, you could be sealed.

At first glance, it did not seem to be as domineering as the Hebi Clan's art. In reality, though… severing something was as simple as wielding a sharp blade. To seal someone with Karma, however, required controlling Karma itself, and therefore, a deep understanding of it.

The Hebi Clan's Karmic Annihilation had been cultivated to the ultimate degree, but definitely could not be used to control Karma. The Hebi Clan cultivated a blade with which to sever Karma, whereas the Demon Sealers controlled it. With a single word, they could break the Karmic connection itself.

The two arts were on completely different level.

The power of Karmic Hexing was enough to shake the Heavens. It was like the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, one of the eight great Demon Sealing hexes. Only such a peerless Daoist Magic was worthy to be among those created by the successive generations of Demon Sealers.

Furthermore, it was only by creating such an individualized hex that someone could truly be considered… a Demon Sealer!

"I wonder what my own personal hex, the Ninth Demon Sealing Hex… will be like…?" Naruto murmured to himself. His eyes were now blank as he looked up into the sky at the pitch-black imp.

He saw the innumerable Karma Threads attached to the thing, and then he saw them suddenly twisting and distorting as they entangled the pitch-black imp.

"NO!" screamed the imp. "The seventh hex! It's the seventh hex…. The seventh generation Demon Sealer has already perished, his Hexing magic was lost! How could someone in this world be using it!?

"Impossible! I can't accept this! There's only one sixty-year cycle left…." The pitch-black imp struggled, but the only result was that it became more entangled. Within the space of a few short breaths, it was completely wrapped up; escape was virtually impossible.

Of course, everyone who was watching saw something very different than what Naruto saw. They could not see the Karma Threads; they only saw Naruto point, and in response, the pitch-black imp suddenly stopped in midair. It seemed to be struggling, as if its body weren't under its own control any more. Then it began to move backward.

Toward Naruto!

After only a moment, it was back in front of Naruto and then on the palm of his hand. Everyone gaped as Naruto casually put the imp in his bag of holding.

Gasps could be heard from all directions. The Blood Demon Sect disciples took it much more in stride; after all, they were used to Naruto's enigmatic unpredictability. However, the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators were flabbergasted.

"Was that… a sealing?"

"But I didn't sense any ripples or signs of sealing magic! It was like… like that pitch-black imp flew over of its own accord!"

"This Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect, Naruto… he's beyond comprehension!"

The Black Sieve Sect was now completely destroyed.

The only thing that remained was a crater. The mountains were crumbled, and the once glorious sect now existed only in minds of those who remembered it. All that was left of this shattered and barren land was the unceasing rotation of the heavens above.

A great sect that had existed for ten thousand years, was now nothing more than wreckage and ruins.

Gone. Completely gone.

The surrounding rogue cultivators looked down silently at what used to be the Black Sieve Sect, and gradually, began to sigh to themselves.

Naruto hovered in midair, looking down at the ruins of the Black Sieve Sect, and thought back to the first time he had come here. He also thought about when he came here as Kazama, and then the third time he came, for Hinata.

After a long moment, he shook his head. He was just about to leave when he stopped in place. He looked back down at the ruins and then a strange light began to shine in his eyes.

"It seems I forgot about something…." he murmured. His eyes glittered as he thought back to the first time he had come to the Black Sieve Sect, and the ancient Blessed Land.

It was there that he encountered the vexatious meat jelly.

It was also where he saw that ancient cauldron!

It was an enormous cauldron that was square on the outside and circular on the inside. It was cracked, and contained infinite lightning inside, as well as several enormous statues which bore the surnames of various ancestors from ancient times.

In the very center of the statues was an inner cauldron that was round on the outside and square on the inside. Inside of that cauldron… was the precious treasure of an incredibly ancient, almighty being.

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he decided not to leave. Instead, he disappeared in a flash toward the enormous fissure in the ground. He had just recalled that the withered corpse had been sitting cross-legged in front of a door.

His second true self took the lead into the fissure. They sped downward and quickly landed on the lotus-shaped platform, directly in front of the doorway, which exuded an ancient and primordial aura.

Naruto hesitated for a moment as he looked at the door. Heart trembling, he sent his second true self ahead to enter.

After a moment, Naruto's eyes flickered, and his divine sense that existed in his second true self allowed him to see everything that his second true self was seeing. Without hesitating, he stepped into the door.

RUMBLE!

Everything twisted, distorted, and turned blurry. When things became clear again, Naruto appeared in that same world that he had come to before, the ancient Blessed Land!

Because of his familiarity with the place, he was able to see that things were quite different than they had been before. Everything was still and quiet. There were no trees or grass, and everything was black.

There were still mountains visible, but they had black iron chains wrapped around them. The entire world almost seemed to be an enormous spell formation.

"That pitch-black imp was guarding this door," he thought, "so it must have some connection to all this blackness." He flew up into the air and, based on what he remembered of the place, headed in the direction of the enormous cauldron.

As he sped over the land, he was shocked to see that roughly seventy percent of the entire place was pitch black. The other thirty percent was gradually changing. Based on the speed with which it was occurring, it would probably take about one sixty-year-cycle or less for the entire place to turn black.

As he studied the land below, an an expression of reminiscence appeared as he recalled reuniting with Hinata for the first time in this place.

After a while, he sighed.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn before he arrived in a location that had not been covered over by the blackness. The same teleportation portal as before was still operational.

Considering Naruto's current cultivation base and experience, he only had to look at it for a moment before determining how to operate it. He produced a spirit stone, which he placed on the surface. Immediately, the glow of teleportation rose up, and Naruto faded away.

When he reappeared, he was near the location of the enormous cauldron. He could hear the shocking rumble of thunder, and off in the distance, he could see…

An enormous, bronze cauldron!

As he looked at the cauldron, he recalled the visions he had experienced, of an almighty being who had refused to capitulate when the HebiAncestor assumed control of the Ninth Mountain, and had used the cauldron to try to bolt from under the HebiHeavens.

His decision was the same as that of the legendary World Tree. However, in the end, the World Tree destroyed itself within the starry sky. As for that almighty being, after the cauldron was broken open, he was apparently eradicated in form and spirit. The only thing that remained behind was this shocking cauldron.

Perhaps to Lord Hebi, the cauldron and its Heaven-murdering will were useless. Perhaps there was another reason why he didn't take it for himself. In any case, to other people, the cauldron would definitely be considered a precious treasure.

Naruto took a deep breath and headed forward. As he neared the enormous bronze cauldron, the sound of lightning grew louder and more frequent. Blue lightning bolts fell relentlessly, transforming the entire area into a sea of lightning.

Shockingly, some of the lightning bolts were even black.

About 3,000 meters away from the cauldron, Naruto stopped. "When I came here with Ino and the others, we waited until the lightning was at its weakest before daring to go in. But now….

"Now… I'm quite different than I was back then." Eyes glittering, Naruto strode forward into the lightning. Countless bolts of lightning fell, and at the same time, an ancient, domineering voice resounded out from within the cauldron.

"Halt!"

In conjunction with the voice, the lightning fell with increased intensity. It transformed into something almost like a sheet that covered everything in all directions.

"I have some fuzzy recollections of you," the voice continued, echoing amidst the thunder with might like that of the Heavens. "You shouldn't be here. Leave immediately. If you take even a single step forward, a tribulation of fire and lightning will descend and you will most certainly die."

Naruto stopped in place and then called out, "Senior, you must be the spirit of this treasured cauldron!"

The ancient voice did not speak again, and the lightning and thunder grew more intense. However, a path through the lightning appeared behind Naruto. Apparently Naruto was being given a message…. The only path for him was the one that left this place.

He took a deep breath and then said, "Senior, I've come here today for one purpose. I wish to take this cauldron away from here. Senior, could you please explain how to do so?"

After a long moment, the ancient voice could be heard once again. This time, its tone was colder than before, and even filled with a touch of disdain. "All you have to do is approach the cauldron and brand it with your divine sense. Then you can take it away."

Hearing this, Naruto immediately picked up on the unstated implication. "You're not the cauldron's spirit?"

"Of course I'm not!"

The first time he came here, he would never have dared to even open his mouth, let alone directly ask the question he just had. Back then, his cultivation base was simply too low, and it was only by lucky coincidence that he was even able to come here in the first place.

Now, though, he was a Second Severing cultivator with a second true self that was at the peak of Dao Seeking.

In the current age in which Immortals were incredibly rare in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, the peak of Dao Seeking fully deserved to be called the pinnacle level of power. Naruto really was on the same pedestal as the most powerful experts of Lands of Ninshu.

And that was not speaking of the Southern Domain, but Planet Lands of Ninshu as a whole.

Naruto looked calmly at the endless sheets of lightning between him and the bronze cauldron, then stepped forward. As soon as he entered the lightning, he was surrounded by shocking rumbling sounds. Endless amounts of lightning shot toward him.

Smacking sounds echoed out as the lightning bolts slammed onto him. They were like writhing white snakes that, from a distance, looks almost like a tempest that surrounded Naruto.

He proceeded forward slowly, but every step was taken firmly and stably. Soon, he had advanced by ten measures, each measure being roughly three meters!

The rumbling grew more shocking and intense, and the lightning bolts more numerous. The pressure was intense, and even Naruto couldn't help but frown after passing twenty measures. He felt his body spasming, and knew that he could proceed forward. However, based on his calculations, after three hundred measures, he would be able to proceed no further.

The ancient voice once again rang out, filled with coldness: "You are currently a thousand measures away from the cauldron. Based on your level of strength, the most you can reach… is three hundred measures. The sensible thing would be to give up now. If you do something completely moronic, then you will either end up dead or seriously wounded."

"Actually," said Naruto coolly, "if I really wish to traverse this path of lightning, well… it's not that difficult of a thing." He waved his sleeve, and the air behind him rippled. In the blink of an eye, his second true self stepped forward to stand next to Naruto. Lighting fell around them, but the second true self wasn't harmed in the least bit. In fact, neither its hair nor even the edges of its garments were even stirred.

"Hnhh?" Within the huge cauldron, the ancient voice seemed momentarily struck speechless. "The soul of an Immortal!" it then exclaimed. In conjunction with the words, the lightning in the area grew even more shocking. Suddenly, the lightning merged together to form a man, who hovered in midair.

He was an old man with indistinguishable features. Only his outline was visible, but based on his appearance he seemed to be the lord of the lighting here. He emanated a shocking pressure, and seemed to be able to wield shocking power.

"No, not the soul of an Immortal," murmured the old man. "It's a clone… and yet, also not a clone. This is a fleshly body created with some secret art, raised to a pinnacle of power, after which… the soul of a true Immortal was inserted into it!" When Naruto heard the old man's musings, his eyes went wide. Clearly, the old man could pick up on various clues to piece together the truth.

"False Immortals are common, but true Immortals are very rare! With this Immortal clone, you definitely qualify to take the cauldron. However… the cauldron itself has no soul. Whoever touches it for the first time will find part of their soul extracted to become the essence of the cauldron spirit. Are you sure that you want your Immortal clone… to touch the cauldron?" The old man gazed steadily at Naruto.

Naruto frowned slightly, and muttered to himself for a bit. According to what the old man said, if his second true self touched the cauldron, then part of his soul would be split away. That meant the cauldron would not belong to Naruto, but to the true Immortal's soul.

Furthermore, that meant that although he would most likely be able to use the cauldron, it wouldn't be his.

"This old guy is pretty mysterious," thought Naruto. "Regardless of what he says… I can't trust him completely." After some more thought, he looked down at his right arm, and the lightning dancing back and forth across it. Occasionally, lightning would be absorbed into his arm, which gave rise to a tickling sensation. From the look of it, his right arm was actually strong enough to absorb the lightning.

Naruto's eyes suddenly began to glitter.

"My Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal needs to absorb vast quantities of magical items…. Could it be that I can actually absorb the lightning from this place?" Heart pounding, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened, his Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal was fully rotating.

As soon as he employed the art, the lightning around him acted as if it had suddenly found a drain to pour down, as if his body was a black hole. In the blink of an eye, all of the lightning… began to fall directly onto Naruto.

Apparently, Naruto was able to consume it all!

He trembled as pain stabbed through him. The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal really was absorbing the lightning, which flowed through his body, merging into it. Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, and he trembled the entire time.

Then, his eyes began to glow with an intense light.

"I'm a bit stronger," he thought. "About as much as I would be by absorbing a few dozen Spirit Severing treasures." He took a deep breath as he realized that this place would be extremely dangerous to anyone except to someone who cultivated the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal. To him, this place was a location of incredible good fortune.

Naruto immediately sent his second true self back to its original position, then looked up at the old man formed from lightning.

"Senior, I think I will make an attempt alone," he said. With that, he stepped forward into the rumbling. Lightning fell, and Naruto's body trembled. The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal spun into action once again, and the lightning was absorbed.

The pain he felt as the lightning danced through his flesh and blood made him shiver. However, his eyes shone with persistence. Enduring the pain, he continued onward, one measure at a time until he reached 100!

100 measures was 300 meters!

There was now more lightning, falling in vast sheets. Naruto was completely submerged in it, and from a distance he was barely even visible.

Within the lightning, the power of the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal flowed through him. His fleshly body writhed as the lightning danced. It bored into him over and over again, and as it did, he could clearly sense his fleshly body becoming stronger and more powerful.

Before, his fleshly body was already at the absolute pinnacle of Spirit Severing. All he needed was to push it forward a single step and it would be in Dao Seeking.

"I must take advantage of this opportunity!" he thought, his eyes flickering as he continued onward.

Up in the sky, the old man made of lighting watched on with an expression that only continued to grow more serious. A brilliant glow began to flicker in his eyes; clearly he had noticed that there was less lightning in the area.

Although it was only a small reduction, it was something that he had never experienced in all the countless years he had been here.

"So, he can absorb lightning?" he thought, shocked. "And not even normal lightning, at that. Tribulation Lightning! He can absorb it and use it to strengthen his fleshly body!

"What technique does he cultivate to be able to do something like that? Don't tell me… it's one of those legendary Heaven-defying fleshly body Daoist magics?!" By this point, Naruto had already traveled to the 900 meter mark.

Lightning crashed down onto him the entire time, and he was surrounded by the booming of lightning. It was as if countless silver spikes were being stabbed into him nonstop.

Even using the expression "ten thousand arrows piercing the heart" would not be an exaggeration.

The pain was so intense that Naruto's vision began to grow dark. Despite being completely surrounding by bright, resplendent lightning, all he could see was darkness. He quickly bit the tip of his tongue, causing himself to regain a bit of clarity. Spitting out the blood, he proceeded forward.

RUMBLE!

1,500 meters!

Naruto raised his head up and roared. His right arm had now fully broken through from Spirit Severing to Dao Seeking. As for the rest of his body, it was now pushing the very borders of the limits of Spirit Severing.

The lightning in the area had previously spread out for three thousand meters. But Naruto had absorbed a lot of it, and now it only stretched for 2,500 meters.

The reduction only went faster after his right arm reached Dao Seeking. The 2,500 meters quickly shrank down to only 2,000 meters.

Excited, Naruto gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

He soon reached the 1,800 meter mark.

2,000 meters!

An incredible rumbling could be heard as his left arm broke through to the fleshly body of Dao Seeking.

2,500 meters!

Both legs radiated the aura of natural law, as if they were now connected in some bizarre way to Heaven and Earth. Both of them were now in Dao Seeking!

2,750 meters!

Naruto was panting as the lightning around him suddenly shrank down to only 1,000 meters.

It was at this point that the black lightning bolts smashed down toward him with incredible destructive power. He looked up, his eyes bright red, and allowed the black lightning to slam into him.

As soon as the black lightning bolts merged into him, cracking sounds could be heard. Tears instantly spread out across his skin; it almost appeared that he would be incapable of withstanding the lightning, and would fall to pieces.

Next, though, his Eternal stratum kicked in, and the wounds healed. Intense pain surged through him, the likes of which he had never felt before. He couldn't hold back from letting out an anguished howl.

Even as he did, rumbling filled his body; it was not the sound of him collapsing into pieces, but rather, the shocking rumbling of an incredibly powerful Dao Seeking fleshly body.

His limbs and torso all broke through from Spirit Severing into Dao Seeking. Only his head remained as a weak spot, and the most difficult area to strengthen. Naruto took a deep breath and then pushed onward. 2,800 meters. 2,850 meters…. 2,900 meters!

His head felt as if it were being crushed down upon by the Heavens. Countless lightning bolts danced across him, and the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal rotated rapidly….

2,950 meters…. 2,999 meters…. Finally… 3,000 meters!

The bronze cauldron was directly in front of Naruto. He stood there trembling, surrounding by a mere 300 meter area of lightning. Surrounded by the boundless lightning, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and then slowly began to lift his hand. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his palm down onto the surface of the bronze cauldron!

The huge cauldron began to thrum, and the three hundred meter area of lightning instantly condensed down onto Naruto.

BOOM!

"From now on, you belong to me!" said Naruto, his voice quavering out from within the lightning.

RUMBLE!

The lightning in the three hundred meter area rushed toward Naruto, thoroughly enveloping him. The Lightning Elder up in mid-air watched Naruto's actions with sparkling eyes. By this point, he was thoroughly shaken.

It was then that, all of a sudden, the enormous bronze cauldron began to shudder. Within the lightning, Naruto seemed on the verge of being torn to pieces. His skin was ripped and torn, and was clearly on the verge of exploding.

It was at that point, when he was almost about to explode, that natural law descended and swirled around his head. Now, every inch of Naruto's person… was completely in Dao Seeking!

This was a Dao Seeking fleshly body!

This Dao Seeking was not as obvious as a Dao Seeking cultivation base. The influence it had on natural law was not very intense. However, from this moment on, Naruto's body was truly like a Dao Seeking treasure.

At this point, he could close his eyes and allow any Spirit Severing cultivator to attack him at will, and it wouldn't harm his body in the least bit.

In fact, in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu you would be as likely to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn as you would to find someone with a fleshly body comparable to Naruto's. Not even in the Hebi Clan could someone like that be found.

This was an extremely powerful fleshly body!

Naruto lifted his head back and roared. In a short moment, all of the lightning in the area was sucked into his body. It disappeared without leaving behind even the tiniest trace. Naruto flew up into the air, and although no lightning could be seen on him, if you looked deep into his eyes, you would be able to sense amorphous lightning deep within.

As he hovered there in midair, he cast his senses throughout his body, and could feel how terrifyingly powerful it was. He could even sense some of the natural law of Heaven and Earth. Because this was an ancient Blessed Land, the natural law in this place was different from that of Lands of Ninshu. Therefore his aura was now a bit more primordial and chaotic than before.

It seemed ancient, filled with the passage of years, and the air he let off was one of boundless time.

He took a deep breath and then looked back down at the enormous bronze cauldron, and his eyes flashed. Moments ago, when he had placed his hand onto the cauldron, he had felt a bit of his soul detaching and entering the cauldron.

As he looked at it now, he could sense some vague, mysterious connection to it.

"Rise!" he said, raising his hand aloft.

RUMBLE!

The enormous bronze cauldron trembled. Creaking sounds could be heard, and fissures spread across the surrounding terrain, as it slowly rose up into the air, causing vast amounts of dust to spread out in all directions like a cloud.

As the cauldron rose into the air, its primordial, ancient aura became more and more similar to Naruto's.

The sight of it caused the old man hovering in midair to gasp. He looked deeply at Naruto, then glanced down at the second true self standing not far away.

"I am not the spirit of the cauldron," he said lightly. "However, I am its guardian. The truly valuable thing about this treasure is the inner cauldron, which is mysterious in origin. As for the outer cauldron, my master forged it. Now, it belongs to you. Since you have acquired it… it means you are tied to it by destiny. Time will tell whether or not you can use the cauldron to achieve the same glory that my master did.

"Now that you have obtained the cauldron, my mission is accomplished…." His eyes began to grow dim, and his body started to fade away.

His voice cool, he continued, "I should have perished long ago. That year, I was the lone survivor of the Tribulation Lightning, and my soul did not disperse. Now that my mission is complete, I can experience rebirth….

"I will travel to the underworld of the Fourth Mountain and be reincarnated, be born once again as a human. Years from now, perhaps you and I will meet again on the road to Immortality…." He continued to fade away until he was nothing more than dots of light, which began to fly up into the sky, then disappeared.

Naruto looked in the direction the old man had departed to. He wasn't sure who he was, but he couldn't help but think of the tall man he had seen in the vision all those years ago.

For a moment, the two of them had seemed quite similar.

After a moment of thought, Naruto looked back at the enormous cauldron.

"Shrink!" he commanded.

The huge cauldron thrummed, and then began to shrink. When it was the size of a hand, it floated down to rest on Naruto's palm. As soon as it touched him, lightning surged out from Naruto, and he was immersed in electricity.

Within the lightning, Naruto's body trembled, and he was able to sense some of the remarkable abilities of the bronze cauldron. It seemed as if this knowledge had suddenly popped into his mind automatically as soon as he touched the cauldron.

"Form Displacement Transposition …." He gaped for a moment, then suddenly pushed down on the cauldron and looked over at his second true self.

In that instant, everything suddenly went blurry for a moment. When he could see clearly again, he was shocked to discover that he… was still holding the cauldron, but was now down on the ground where his second true self had just been standing. As for his second true self, he was hovering in midair where Naruto had just been.

"Incredible!" he thought, his eyes going wide. Panting, he looked down at the Lightning Cauldron, and his eyes shone with a strange light. He could immediately tell that this cauldron would be extremely useful in magical combat.

In fact, its usefulness wouldn't be limited to battle. He could use it in many circumstances. It truly was Heaven-defying.

"It has other abilities too," he thought. "It can unleash lightning, and is also incredibly heavy, capable of carrying out true crushing!

"Furthermore, it was created in ancient times. The sturdiness of the materials used make it is such that other magical items can't even compare!" His eyes flickered as he suddenly thought of the statues inside the Lightning Cauldron, as well as the inner cauldron.

"This is truly a precious treasure!" he thought, breathing heavily. He put the Lightning Cauldron into his bag of holding, then flew up into the air. Together with his second true self, he shot off into the distance.

Moments later, he teleported out of the ancient Blessed Land and found himself once again on the lotus-shaped platform deep in the recesses of the former Black Sieve Sect. The door was no longer operational, and broke into tiny pieces, which then vanished.

Naruto glanced back at the disappearing door, then shot up out from within the earth. The Blood Demon Sect disciples were waiting outside, and when they caught sight of Naruto, they clasped hands and bowed.

"Blood Prince, we welcome you back with deep respect!"

The two Ironblood Patriarchs could sense that there was something different about Naruto, although they weren't sure exactly what it was. As for the Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, they were now Blood Clone puppets, and had no way to tell.

When it came to the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators, not a single one could pick up on even the slightest clue. All they could tell was that Naruto… somehow seemed stronger, and more ancient.

"The Black Sieve Sect is destroyed," declared Naruto, looking around at the crowds of people. "Next… is the Solitary Sword Sect!"

"The Solitary Sword Sect!" The forces of the Blood Demon Sect flickered with killing intent, and their desire to slaughter burned like wildfire. The hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators were also getting excited.

"He's actually going to completely wipe out the four powers who allied against him!"

"If the Blood Demon Sect does that, then they really will unite the Southern Domain!"

Even as the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators expressed their shock, a glow like that of lightning appeared beneath Naruto's feet, and he shot off into the distance, followed by countless beams of light that were the Blood Demon Sect disciples.

Several days later, the sky outside the Solitary Sword Sect began to rumble. The clouds collapsed as a mighty gale-force wind swept through the area. A storm seemed to be gathering above the Solitary Sword Sect.

The sect was completely sealed up. Disciples inside were not permitted to leave, and the entire sect was poised as if to face a mortal enemy. Everything was sealed to protect against reprisals from the Blood Demon Sect.

The mood in the Solitary Sword Sect was gloomy and distressed. Everyone was nervous. There were only a few tens of thousands of disciples left, and all of them were on edge. The sect's Dao Seeking Patriarch was dead, and the strongest people in the entire sect were their three Spirit Severing Cultivators, including Sir Daikoko.

When they saw the beams of light flying through the air that were the Blood Demon Sect, they knew that they could do nothing to fight back. They could only hope that their grand spell formation, designed to protect the sect, would be able to stand up to the revenge-bent Blood Demon Sect.

The air outside the sect rippled as tens of thousands of beams of light approached. Naruto was in the vanguard position, and the murderous air around him was thick. His eyes flashed with killing intent as he glanced over the Solitary Sword Sect.

In this part of the Southern Domain, the mountains stuck straight up like swords. In the middle of the sect was a shocking mountain surrounded by thin mist. Looking through the mist at the sect, it appeared to be completely bleak and desolate.

Although the mist appeared to be thin, it was actually the first spell formation of the Solitary Sword Sect's grand spell formation.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples behind Naruto joined their voices together into a raging sound that boomed like waves through the Solitary Sword Sect.

"SURRENDER, OR DIE!"

There was no response. However, the thin mist that surrounded the Solitary Sword Sect began to spin, transforming into numerous swirling dragons. The dragons rapidly merged together, shockingly forming… an enormous Sword Dragon!

The dragon was lizard-like, and gigantic enough to cover the entire sect. Its back was covered with innumerable great swords that stuck up like needles. It was green, and shocking to the extreme. As soon as it appeared, it raised its head up and roared at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered with coldness. He slapped his bag of holding with his right hand, and the Lightning Cauldron flew out. It thrummed, expanding rapidly until it was the size of a mountain. Endless bolts of lightning shot out from it, causing the entire sky to become a world of lightning.

A shocking pressure weighed down, and the sight of the cauldron caused Sir Daikoko and the other two Spirit Severing Patriarchs to become extremely nervous. As for the other disciples, they were shocked to the core.

However, there was one man off in a far corner of the Sect who did not seem nervous at all. He looked almost like an old man, but was in fact middle-aged. He had a stubbly beard, and looked lonely. Although he was a Solitary Sword Sect disciple, he wore no sword at his side.

The only thing he had was a flagon of alcohol from which he drank. He stared at what first seemed like an ordinary boulder that rested a bit further up the mountain from him. However, upon closer inspection… a person was visible inside the boulder. That same person existed for all eternity in his heart.

"Junior Brother," the man said. "Kill them…. Kill everyone in the Solitary Sword Sect. Avenge my master, and pay for my crimes." With a bitter smile, he took another long swig of alcohol.

As the shocking Lightning Cauldron expanded in size, more and more lightning appeared, causing everything to tremble.

The Blood Demon Sect disciples, as well as the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators that came to observe, were all flabbergasted. They looked on in awe as the Lightning Cauldron sped toward the Solitary Sword Sect's Sword Dragon.

RUMBLE!

"Stand firm!" roared Sir Daikoko.

"All disciples, pour full energy into the spell formation!" cried another of the three Solitary Sword Sect Patriarchs.

Tens of thousands of disciples gritted their teeth and poured all of their energy into the spell formation. Instantly, the Sword Dragon looked even more corporeal than before.

Everyone watched as the Lightning Cauldron descended toward the Sword Dragon, which roared and then charged up to meet the Lightning Cauldron in mid-air.

Shocking booming sounds rang out.

Gasps rang out in all directions when the Sword Dragon slammed into the Lightning Cauldron, only to begin to shatter into pieces! It was incapable of standing up to the Lightning Cauldron in even the slightest capacity, and its entire body collapsed into fragments in only the blink of an eye….

It was destroyed as easily as crushing dry weeds!

The Lightning Cauldron crushed the Sword Dragon amidst incredible rumbling sounds, then struck the Solitary Sword Sect's spell formation head on.

Ripples spread out through the air, and from the perspective of cultivators on the outside, the Solitary Sword Sect distorted and looked as though it might be ripped apart at any moment. Inside the sect, the three Patriarchs trembled and coughed up blood.

As for the tens of thousands of Solitary Sword Sect disciples, they also trembled, and their faces were pale as they spit up mouthfuls of blood.

"Second Spell Formation!" cried Sir Daikoko, his voice echoing throughout the sect. Immediately, tens of thousands of disciples produced medicinal pills to consume.

They knew deep in their hearts that this battle would determine whether the Solitary Sword Sect survived or was destroyed. If their spell formation could hold, then they would be able to continue on sealed in their mountain. If it could not hold… then that meant the Solitary Sword Sect would be wiped away from the Southern Domain.

Of course, there was also the possibility of surrender.

As the forces of the Solitary Sword Sect unleashed the full scope of their power, countless sword beams appeared from within the ground, the mountains, and the buildings; from every corner of the sect.

There were more than 100,000 of them, and they flew out to circulate around the entire sect, like a tempest. As the tempest raged, the swords began to merge together, forming the shocking image… of a gigantic greatsword!

It was more than 30,000 meters long, and the entire Solitary Sword Sect fit inside of it. It was essentially a sword-shaped shield.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he gestured out into the air. The Lightning Cauldron shrank down and returned to him. When it touched down onto his palm, he was instantly surrounded by lightning.

"Break that formation!" he said coolly. The Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch immediately charged ahead. As they neared the sword shield, they waved their hands, causing peak Dao Seeking cultivation base power to explode out. Booms echoed as tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples also sent out attacks. Divine abilities and magical techniques descended like rainfall, slamming into the Solitary Sword Sect's grand spell formation.

Naruto sent his thoughts out to control his second true self, who suddenly appeared along with the Wooden Time Sword, and then immediately shot into the fray.

The combined power of tens of thousands of cultivators, which included three peak Dao Seeking cultivation bases, slammed into the spell formation. Instantly, the Solitary Sword Sect's greatsword shuddered, and then began to crack.

Naruto hovered in midair, watching the scene coldly.

Booms filled the air for an entire hour, after which the Solitary Sword Sect's greatsword could not hold out any longer. Many of the swords which made up the sword formation began to collapse. Once the spell formation was no longer complete, its demise could only hasten.

In the end, a huge explosion occurred, in which the spell formation was breached. The flying swords were shattered, sending shrapnel flying about. The Solitary Sword Sect's grand spell formation now had a huge gap torn into it, visible through which was the true Solitary Sword Sect. Tens of thousands of pale-faced disciples could be seen, as well as the three despairing Spirit Severing Patriarchs.

Boom!

Naruto's second true self entered the gap. Eyes flashing, he stretched his hands out to the left and right, causing cracking sounds to echo about. The gap was torn even larger, until the spell formation was completely destroyed.

At the same time, the Blood Demon Sect disciples charged in like a cloud of blood, ready to slaughter the entire Solitary Sword Sect.

In their despair, the Solitary Sword Sect disciples could not even muster the will to resist. It was impossible to say who did it first, but they all began to drop to their knees and kowtow.

"Surrender! I want to surrender!"

"We surrender!"

Of the three ashen-faced Spirit Severing experts, two laughed bitterly and were just about to voice their own surrender, when suddenly, Sir Daikoko's eyes flickered. He quickly performed a minor teleportation, reappearing some distance off next to the middle-aged man with no sword and a flagon of alcohol.

As soon as he reappeared, his hand snaked out and latched onto the top of the man's head. Sir Daikoko's eyes filled with insanity and savagery.

"Naruto!" he screamed. "This is your Elder Brother from the Reliance Sect, Guy. I know he's your close friend, so if you dare to make a single move, I'll kill him, even if it means I die too!"

This development caused the Blood Demon Sect disciples to stop in their tracks and look coldly over at Sir Daikoko. Even the Solitary Sword Sect disciples gaped in shock. None of them looked happy in the least bit and, in fact, their faces went as pale as death.

This was especially true of the two other Spirit Severing Patriarchs, who were completely caught off guard. They knew that they were no match for the Blood Demon Sect. Their failed attempt to fight back moments ago was clear evidence of that.

Surrender was their only option!

And yet, Sir Daikoko suddenly pulled this trick, dragging the entire Solitary Sword Sect along with him in provoking the jinx Naruto. The two Patriarchs' faces instantly fell.

"Sir Daikoko, you must not do this!"

"Sir Daikoko, you…."

Sir Daikoko's expression grew even more vicious. He glared down at Guy's head for a moment, then back toward the Blood Demon Sect forces, and Naruto.

"Naruto, give me the Solitary Sword Sect's Immortal Puppet! All I want is the Immortal Puppet. Once I have it in hand, I won't harm a hair on Guy's head!"

When Naruto first laid eyes on Guy again back at the Ancient Dao Lakes, he could tell that he was in a bad situation. He had wanted to help, but could tell that Guy was already dead inside. He had actually come to the Solitary Sword Sect this day for two purposes. One was vengeance for the Blood Demon Sect. The other was his concern for Guy.

"Are you insane?" replied Naruto, his face grim.

"So what if I'm insane!?" Sir Daikoko roared back, his eyes bloodshot. "I just want the Immortal Puppet. Hand it over, and I'll let him go!"

Guy's face was pale as he looked over at Naruto. He said nothing, but he was smiling. It was the same smile he had worn when he had reunited with Naruto all those years ago in the Southern Domain.

"Junior Brother, you've grown up…." That was what he had said all those years ago. Now, he wore the same smile, and Naruto could almost sense the same high-spirited Senior Brother he remembered from the Reliance Sect, the same Guy who was so focused on pursuing the Dao.

Seemingly in a flash, hundreds of years had passed, and Guy had changed. The one thing that remained were the emotions forged between them back in the Reliance Sect.

"Naruto," said Sir Daikoko, his eyes filled with maliciousness, "you might be high and mighty now, but your Elder Brother's life has been filled with bitterness!" When he saw the grim look on Naruto's face, he relaxed a bit. At first, he was worried Naruto wouldn't care about whether Guy lived or died. Hoping to foster further pity on the part of Naruto, he coldly continued.

"This Guy was once a Chosen in the Solitary Sword Sect, and was even one of the Seven Swords. Unfortunately… he should never have fallen in love with Rock Lee!

"Rock Lee was the incarnation of a mountain boulder, and other than the legacy precious treasure, she was the most important treasured item in the Solitary Sword Sect!

"She was not permitted to foster emotions or desires of the flesh! Were she to do so, she would no longer be a spirit, and would separate from the boulder. That would affect the fate of the entire Solitary Sword Sect! After all… according to legend, that stone came from the Ninth Mountain!"

As Sir Daikoko spoke, Naruto recalled the first time he had come to the Solitary Sword Sect, and the beautiful woman he had seen floating down the mountain.

"Guy violated sect rules. He fled with the boulder, altering fate and absconding with Rock Lee. In the end, the Solitary Sword Sect captured them…. Then, because of Guy, his master…."

"Enough!" roared Guy. His eyes snapped open, and they were shot with blood.

Naruto's heart trembled. He had known Guy for years, and this was the first time he had seen him so emotional. There was pain in his eyes, even madness, the type that made Naruto recall his own state when he caught sight of Hinata's discarnate soul back in the Black Sieve Sect.

"Enough?" said Sir Daikoko. "How is it enough? When it came time for the fury of the sect to fall upon you, your master took your place. His cultivation base was crippled, and he was reduced to a mortal, which was how he died.

"As for you, if Rock Lee hadn't threatened to destroy herself and the boulder…. Well, in the end, she made an arrangement with the sect to spend the rest of eternity as a boulder, never to awaken, all to save your measly little life!"

"ENOUGH! No more…." Guy was trembling, and tears poured down his cheeks. Although his expression was one of intense pain, he smiled bitterly. His eyes seemed to grow more and more dispirited.

He would never, ever be able to forget how his master stood in front of him, bowed his head to the sect, and said, "He is my apprentice. I will accept responsibility for his mistake."

He had watched wide-eyed as his master's cultivation base was crippled. The man who had once been a powerful Nascent Soul expert, became an old man, a mortal. Until the day he died, his master did not complain a single time. On the contrary, he was as warm and gentle as ever. Unfortunately, that only caused Guy's pain to increase, a feeling that was enough to drive him to insanity.

His master's son hated Guy with a passion, which was yet another thing that made him wish he could simply die.

Guy was filled with hatred. He hated that he was powerless to change any of the things that had happened, and he hated the Solitary Sword Sect for being too callous.

He wanted to die.

And yet… he couldn't stop thinking about her.

The only thing left to do was drink. In his drunken dreams, he could return to the wonderful times of the past.

He had let his master down. He had let Rock Lee down. He had let anyone who had anything to do with him down.

Naruto stood there, taciturn. Now that he understood what had happened to Guy, he realized how someone who had once been so high-spirited and full of mettle, could sink into such a depression.

"Enough…" murmured Guy bitterly, bowing his head.. "I beg of you, please… enough…. Please…."

Sir Daikoko laughed coldly. "Were it not for Rock Lee's actions, do you really think you could have committed such a heinous crime and gotten away with nothing more than a shattered Nascent Soul? Do you think the only price to pay would have been the inability to break through to the next stage of cultivation?

"Your existence is nothing but a tool the sect can use to influence Rock Lee. Unfortunately… the war with the Blood Demon Sect changed things too unexpectedly." Sir Daikoko then looked at Naruto. "Only the Patriarch knew how to control the boulder. Otherwise, you would never have been able to break through our spell formation so easily." Seeing that Naruto seemed to be more and more focused on his words, Sir Daikoko began to believe that his control of the situation was growing. He looked back at Guy.

"You singlehandedly drove your Master to his death and ruined your beloved. And yet you still say 'enough?'"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" roared Naruto. His voice echoed like thunder, and his eyes flashed with killing intent. His words caused Sir Daikoko's pupils to constrict, and his heart to seize. He immediately began to squeeze down with his right hand.

However, it was at this exact moment that the Lightning Cauldron in Naruto's hand flashed.

Form Displacement Transposition!

What changed positions was not Sir Daikoko, but rather, Guy!

When the Lightning Cauldron in Naruto's hand began to sparkle with brilliant lights, and then emit a rumbling sound, Sir Daikoko's face fell, and a bad feeling welled up in his heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he squeezed down with his hand, planning to stab his fingers into Guy's head, injuring him as a threat to Naruto.

However, the instant his fingers began to move, an incredibly shocking power shot back into his hand. It was as if what he was squeezing was not flesh and blood, but a red-hot iron. The backlash of power made it feel as if needles were stabbing into his palm. Sir Daikoko was completely shocked.

At the same time, he was astonished to find that, instead of staring at Naruto as he had been this whole time, he was now looking at Guy.

Heart pounding, he slowly looked down to see his hand resting on Naruto's head!

His eyes went wide, and his scalp numb. He immediately shot back, spooked out of his mind.

"What divine ability is that!?" Sir Daikoko was completely astonished, and also terrified. He bit down on the tip of his tongue and spit out some blood which he used to flee even faster than before.

"Trying to run away?" said Naruto, his eyes flickering with killing intent. He pointed out with his left index finger, and his second true self immediately unleashed the Wooden Time Sword. Even if Sir Daikoko could move faster, it still wouldn't be enough to escape the Wooden Time Sword.

It was upon him in the blink of an eye, causing everything around it to twist and distort. To his shock, Sir Daikoko began to wither rapidly. He let out a miserable scream, upon which the Wooden Time Sword stabbed directly through his head.

Slaughtered with a solitary sword!

Tidy and efficient, not the least bit sloppy. Sir Daikoko's body was withered, his Nascent Divinity killed. As he fell, it almost seemed as if ten thousand years passed; he quickly turned into nothing more than dust floating in the wind.

There was nothing left to indicate that he had ever been. He was completely and utterly… dead.

The two other Spirit Severing experts of the Solitary Sword Sect, along with the tens of thousands of other disciples, were shocked into complete silence. Their faces were pale white, and barely a moment had passed before one of the Spirit Severing experts gave a start and then dropped to his knees to kowtow.

"Blood Prince, we wish to surrender to the Blood Demon Sect!"

The other disciples immediately dropped to their knees, their hearts pounding and voices trembling as they cried, "Greetings, Blood Prince!"

Despite the fear in their voices, there were tens of thousands of them, and the sound of their cry formed a sound wave that rolled out in all directions.

Naruto didn't respond. Instead, he looked back at Guy. Guy's face was downcast, filled with an expression that betrayed his lack of interest in life. To him, life was a pain from which he wished to extricate himself.

Naruto's heart twinged with pain as he thought back to the Eldest Brother that existed in his memories. That person didn't look like this. That person wholeheartedly sought after the Dao and had lofty ambitions. Although at times he could be a bit stuffy and uptight, he was a hero who never hesitated for even a moment to stand in front of Naruto and protect him from any danger.

That Guy viewed Naruto as a Junior Brother, someone he needed to care for after their sect vanished. He was an Elder Brother who even worried about Naruto finding a wife.

"Elder Brother…." said Naruto, his voice soft.

Guy was silent for a moment before slowly looking up at Naruto. After a moment, he forced a smile onto his face.

"Junior Brother, you've grown up…. I can finally stop worrying…. Do you have some time right now? If you do, let's drink a bit."

Naruto immediately nodded, waving a hand to dismiss the Solitary Sword Sect disciples and the Blood Demon Sect disciples. All of them left the sect and waited outside, cross-legged.

The entire Solitary Sword Sect was quiet. Naruto and Guy sat down on the mountain peak, beneath the strange boulder. Guy produced a flagon of alcohol, which he handed over to Naruto.

A complex look could be seen in Naruto's eyes, but he wasn't sure how to even begin to give advice, so he simply accepted the flagon and took a long drink.

The alcohol was strong and burned like fire as it slid down his throat.

Guy looked at the boulder and softly said, "She's your sister-in-law."

Naruto sat there quietly.

As Guy continued, tears began to stream down his face.

"We promised each other that since the path to Immortality was filled with so many obstacles and unforeseen twists and turns, it would be better spend our lives with each other.

"She's sleeping now, and might not wake up in this lifetime. But then again, maybe she will…. I'll stay here to accompany her. That was our agreement.

"I let down my master. I was unworthy of him…." Guy looked like an old man. More and more tears poured down his face.

He rarely wept, not even when he and Rock Lee were captured and brought back to the sect. When Rock Lee made the decision to rest in sleep, there were tears in his heart, but they wouldn't come out. The first time he truly cried was when his master accepted the punishment for him.

The second time he cried was when his master died.

The third time was here, in front of Naruto.

"Elder Brother…." began Naruto, but he wasn't sure what he should say, so he stopped talking. After a moment, a determined look appeared in his eyes. He suddenly raised his right hand, and a drop of blood slowly formed on the tip of his finger.

When the drop of blood appeared, his face went a bit pale. A scintillating, blood-colored glow appeared, and Guy's eyes went wide. After a moment, his eyes flashed in realization, and he shot to his feet.

His expression stern, he cried, "Junior Brother! What do you think you're doing!? Stop this instant!"

"Elder Brother, I can't do very much to help you. The only thing I can do is help you to restore your cultivation base. That way, your longevity will be increased, and you can… you can have more time to stay with your beloved." With that, he gestured with his finger. His lifeblood instantly shot forward and merged into Guy's forehead.

Guy trembled. Years ago, his Nascent Soul had been damaged, cracked; at this moment, however, time seemed to run in reverse. His Nascent Soul absorbed the blood, and the cracks sealed up.

The blood didn't just contain some of Naruto's life force, it also contained some of the power of his Eternal stratum. It was that power that enabled Guy's cultivation base to be restored.

Of course, Naruto only had a few such drops of lifeblood. If he parted with too many, that which was Eternal within him would be no more.

But Guy was his Elder Brother. The friendship that had formed between the two of them, and everything that had happened since then, made it so that Naruto didn't even hesitate. If he didn't give his lifeblood to Guy, that would mean… that he wasn't Naruto.

Guy started trembling, and after a moment passed, coughed up a huge mouthful of blood as his Nascent Soul instantly reappeared like new. Now that he had a Nascent Soul again, his cultivation base surged, and his salt-and-pepper hair turned black.

His aged features once again became young and heroic, and he no longer looked like an old man. He was middle-aged and bursting with energy.

Now he looked more like the Guy that Naruto remembered.

Guy gaped at Naruto. "Junior Brother, you…."

"There's no need to talk about it," said Naruto softly. "You're my Elder Brother…."

Guy held his tongue, and after a long moment passed, slowly nodded. He picked up the flagon of alcohol, looked at the boulder, and began to drink.

The sky gradually grew dark, and eventually the moon rose. When the dawn sun peeked its head over the horizon, Naruto took the initiative to start a conversation. He and Guy began to chat about the Reliance Sect, and all the things that had happened after that in the Southern Domain. They talked about all the wonderful things from the past.

When the sun was high in the sky, Naruto rose to his feet.

"Elder Brother, I need to go now…. If you ever grow weary of being here, you can always find me in the Blood Demon Sect."

Guy didn't respond at first. He looked at the boulder, and the woman who rested inside with her eyes closed.

"You've grown up," he said softly, "and your Elder Brother has gotten old…. Don't worry about me. You follow your path…. and I'll follow mine. I'll stay here with her until the day I close my eyes for good.

"When that day comes, Junior Brother… can you please bury me here? That way I can watch the sun rise and set with her forever. If there is another life after this one… I'll find this place again. Life after life… I'll wait, until the day she wakes up." He turned to look deep into Naruto's eyes.

"Junior Brother… take care of yourself. Your Elder Brother isn't good at much, so all I can do… is pray that you find happiness. I hope that your path… leads you to greatness!"

Naruto stared at Guy, and his face was filled with a variety of complex emotions. He also had an indescribable feeling in his heart that led him to believe he would never forget that person from the Reliance Sect who was so focused on pursuing the Dao. He would never forget the person standing in front of him to protect him. He would also never be able to forget… the Elder Brother from now, who stood there softly murmuring his story.

"Elder Brother… take care of yourself," Naruto said quietly. He clasped hands and bowed deeply, then turned and left, sighing inwardly.

Guy sat down cross-legged and watched Naruto leave.

"Mei, he's my Junior Brother. In my heart, he's family…. I don't have much family, just him and Junior Sister Hinata. Only those two.

"If you still have some awareness of the outside world, then let's pray together that they find happiness…."

Naruto flew out of the Solitary Sword Sect. As soon as he appeared, the Solitary Sword Sect disciples and the Blood Demon Sect cultivators rose to their feet, their expressions that of deep respect.

Naruto looked over the Solitary Sword Sect and then said, "Produce strands from your souls and swear blood oaths. After that, you may remain here and become an auxiliary branch of the Blood Demon Sect. Everything will remain as it did before, although your jade slips, ancient records, and legacy items will all be handed over to the Blood Demon Sect.

"Henceforth, there is no Solitary Sword Sect in the Southern Domain, only an auxiliary branch of the Blood Demon Sect.

"The man who sits beneath the boulder on the mountain top is my Elder Brother Guy. No one is allowed to step even half a pace onto that mountain. No one may disobey him in the slightest."

The Solitary Sword Sect disciples voiced their agreement. From the moment they had agreed to surrender, they were prepared for something like this to happen. Their soul strands and blood oaths were organized by the Blood Demon Sect, then transformed into a soul slip, which was given to Naruto. Next, the magical items and ancient records in their treasure house were removed, as well as their legacy items.

Finally, some Blood Demon Sect disciples were stationed in the sect permanently. After that….

Naruto flicked his sleeve, and the Blood Demon Sect took to the skies.

Their next target was… the Golden Frost Sect!

As for his second true self, he had already vanished, sent to a different location by Naruto.

In the Golden Frost Sect, it didn't matter that the whole sect had been sealed. The disciples were still faced with difficult decisions.

Should they continue to defend their position, or should they leave the Southern Domain…?

Should they surrender to the Blood Demon Sect, or die in battle…?

The destruction of the Black Sieve Sect was nothing astonishing. However, the Solitary Sword Sect's surrender had been witnessed by hundreds of thousands of Southern Domain cultivators. Word had long since spread, and even the sealed-off Golden Frost Sect had gotten the news.

It didn't take very long at all for the Golden Frost Sect to grow incredibly alarmed. Of course, the least alarmed of all was Choji. However, despite his lack of alarm, he was still quite nervous. Recent days found him sighing with distress, and at a distinct loss.

The Golden Frost Sect had treated him well, very well, from the very beginning. He had been given many beautiful beloved companions, which left him exhausted, but happy…. On the other hand, Naruto had been his brother ever since their days in the Reliance Sect.

They had joined the sect together as Outer Sect disciples. They had caught wild chickens to eat, and had even run the general store together. Naruto had looked out for him, and that was something he would never forget.

The two of them were truly brothers.

Now, though, he was in an awkward predicament, and was actually somewhat confused about what to do. His brother was on the way to destroy the Golden Frost Sect, and he wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

A few days after the surrender of the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect's only Spirit Severing expert, along with Choji's master, personally came to him to discuss the matter.

"Sue for peace?" said Fatty, gaping in shock at the Spirit Severing Patriarch, who looked quite exhausted.

"You're on good terms with Naruto. He's the type of person who… despite being cruel and merciless, capable of carrying out horrendous massacres, and with an unfathomably high cultivation base, is still… someone who cares about past friendships.

"We can verify that from the news about the Solitary Sword Sect. Based on what happened with Guy, it's possible to tell a little bit about what Naruto is thinking.

"Choji, think about it. How has the sect treated you ever since you joined? We're now facing imminent catastrophe. Hopefully, you can step forward bravely and use your friendship with Naruto to help us weather this storm!

"The Golden Frost Sect is willing to surrender. Our only request is that we don't become an auxiliary branch, but rather, allies!

"We will do everything in our power to comply with the Blood Demon Sect, but we want to preserve our core Daoist teachings and doctrines, so that our sect will not be wiped away from the Southern Domain. Perhaps years from now, we can once again rise to prominence. We must fight for that chance."

The Golden Frost Sect's only Spirit Severing Patriarch clasped hands and bowed deeply to Choji. Choji's master stood off to the side, looking at him.

Choji was quiet for a moment before nodding seriously.

Another day of nervousness passed for the Golden Frost Sect. Finally, the clouds seethed outside of the sect's grand spell formation, and tens of thousands of beams of light appeared. They were like a towering sea of blood, bright red as they shot toward the Golden Frost Sect.

These were the Blood Demon Sect disciples. They had destroyed the Black Sieve Sect and forced the Solitary Sword Sect into compliance. Now, they turned toward the Golden Frost Sect, their hearts filled with the desire to kill.

Behind them were the rogue cultivators, even more than before. Hundreds of thousands were following the Blood Demon Sect through the Southern Domain to bear witness.

Outside of the Golden Frost Sect was an area where the air did not ripple with the distortions of a defensive spell formation, nor was there any enshrouding fog. Instead, an illusion barrier protected it, revealing only the image of a barren mountain.

As soon as the Blood Demon Sect disciples appeared on the scene, and before they could even react, a beam of light could be seen, and Fatty's round figure was there on the mountain.

"Don't attack, don't attack, it's me!" he called out at the top of his lungs. Seeing the tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples, and the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators behind them, left Fatty completely frightened.

Naruto looked at Fatty, and then glanced over at the Golden Frost Sect. It only took him a moment to figure out what the Golden Frost Sect was planning. Inwardly, he had already been experiencing some doubts regarding how to handle them.

Fatty was here, and Naruto knew that no matter what he did to the Golden Frost Sect, it would affect Fatty negatively.

Seeing Fatty suddenly appear, Naruto waved his sleeve, causing the air around him to distort. He vanished, then reappeared in front of Fatty. They were then surrounded by a blurriness that prevented anyone from seeing clearly what was happening.

A faint smile appeared on Naruto's face. He looked over Fatty's rotund figure, then laughed out loud. Fatty heaved an inward sigh of relief, and the two of them embraced.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Naruto's smile to turn wry.

"Your belly… is too huge," he said. Fatty was so fat that it made it hard to hug him.

"Yeah, I got fat again," said Fatty, smiling and rubbing his head. "Recently I've been thinking of trying to lose some weight." He looked past Naruto toward the tens of thousands of murderous-looking Blood Demon Sect disciples.

"So, um…. Eldest Brother Naruto, what do you say we get down to business?" Fatty looked extremely nervous.

"Oh?" replied Naruto, blinking and looking back at Fatty with an enigmatic smile.

Fatty sighed and then just directly explained. "The sect's Spirit Severing Patriarch sent me here to sue for peace. How about… we don't fight!? The sect will surrender as long as they can preserve their core Daoist teachings and doctrines…."

As the two of them chatted, the disciples of the Golden Frost Sect looked on nervously from within their sect, wondering what the result would be.

"I wonder if Elder Brother Li will succeed or not…?"

"Naruto really values friendship. He shouldn't have a hard time convincing him."

"You can't say for sure. Naruto is the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect. He's killed countless people, and is completely cruel and ferocious. There's no way he'll agree to our demands so easily." Even as they discussed the matter, Naruto was listening to Fatty make his demands. An even wider smile broke out on Naruto's face.

"Fatty, you're working so hard to represent the sect and sue for peace, but what has the sect offered you in return?"

Fatty gaped for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh. A look of fury appeared on his face.

"Fudge! You're right! Those bastards didn't offer me anything! Alright, Naruto, don't agree to anything yet. I'm gonna go back to the sect and tell them that the negotiations didn't go well. After they offer Young Master Fatty something good, then I'll come back."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. Then he flicked his sleeve, causing the blurriness around them to fade away. As it cleared, everyone in the outside world could see the two of them.

Naruto's face darkened, and Fatty's eyes gleamed. Realizing that it was time to put on the show, he flew into a rage and then roared, "Naruto, how could you be like this!?"

Burning with rage, he turned and headed back to the Golden Frost Sect.

The faces of the Golden Frost Sect cultivators fell, and their hearts began to thump.

Fatty angrily returned to the sect, and was immediately surrounded by anxious-looking disciples.

"I'm done with that fool! Done!" cried Fatty. "Naruto doesn't care at all about friendship! I'm through trying to reconcile with him!" Hearing Fatty's ranting caused the Golden Frost Sect cultivators to grow even more alarmed.

The only Spirit Severing Patriarch immediately strode forward and asked, "He didn't agree?"

"As soon as I brought up the matter of suing for peace, he asked me what authority I had to negotiate for the sect! On what authority?! I'm a Golden Frost Sect disciple, dammit! What an insult!" As he spoke, Fatty's eyes shifted back and forth craftily.

The surrounding Golden Frost Sect disciples had been suppressing themselves for too long now. They had placed all their hope on Fatty, and now that he had failed, they couldn't suppress themselves any longer.

"Well if he's going to be like that, then let's fight!"

"Yeah! It would be better to die in battle than be insulted like this! Even Elder Brother Li couldn't do anything about it. Let's fight!"

"FIGHT!"

Their desire to go to battle soared, and soon, the entire sect was filled with a murderous aura. People even began to rotate the sect's spell formations into battle readiness.

Fatty was stupefied. He thought he had made things pretty obvious, and was shocked that no one had picked up on his hidden meaning.

The Spirit Severing Patriarch stood there silently, looking at Naruto floating in midair off in the distance. He sighed inwardly. He had no desire to go to war; the Golden Frost Sect didn't even come close to matching up with the Blood Demon Sect. But now… what other options did they have?

Normally speaking, he would have picked up on the hidden message in Choji's words just now. However, he was so anxious and alarmed that he simply didn't notice.

"If we're going to fight, then we should make the first move!" said the Spirit Severing Patriarch, gritting his teeth. "Fight now, and worry about everything else later!"

Fatty's eyes went wide, and his heart started to pound. Realizing that things were getting out of control, he quickly stepped forward.

"Actually…" he said. "I think there's still some hope…."

"Elder Brother Li, there's no need for further discussion. We're going to fight!"

"Yeah! Junior Brother Li, we've been pushed into a corner. The only option now is to fight!"

"We'll show them who the Golden Frost Sect is! We might be down and out now, but we still have the power to fight!"

Fatty was now extremely nervous. "Hey everybody, you need to listen to me! I think…."

"Choji, there's no need!" said the Spirit Severing cultivator, his eyes cold. "I made an error in judgement. It seems we'll have to fight first before we can have a shot at turning this around. Disciples, heed my command…." He flicked his sleeve and was about to issue orders when, all of a sudden, Fatty lifted his head up and roared.

"Patriarch, give me one more chance! I, Choji, will put my life on the line to secure peace for the sect!" He was so nervous that his throat was hoarse.

Immediately, everyone turned to look at him in shock, even the Spirit Severing Patriarch.

Choji slapped his chest so hard that it stung, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"You're an amazing kid," said the Spirit Severing expert, clearly moved. "You… you really don't need to put yourself in such danger. We will fight them, and show them the true power of the Golden Frost Sect! That's our only hope!" With that, he prepared to give combat orders.

Fatty was trembling, and veins bulged out on his forehead. Once again, he let out a mighty roar.

"Don't worry, Patriarch. I'm a disciple of the Golden Frost Sect. Even if I die the most cruel death, I will help the sect to pass through this crisis! This time I'll just tell that Naruto that I'm a disciple of the Golden Frost Sect, and its future Golden Prince. If he doesn't agree to our terms, I'll kill myself right in front of him!" With that, he flew up into the air, his face calm and unflinching.

A tremor ran through the Spirit Severing Patriarch, and the other disciples were completely moved to see Fatty's tear-soaked face and calmness in the face of death.

"Regardless of whether or not you succeed," said the Spirit Severing Patriarch, "you are now the Golden Prince of the Golden Frost Sect!" By this point, he felt that something fishy was going on, but considering the crisis they were in, he couldn't focus too much on that.

Fatty immediately started to get excited. In his opinion, it was the time to push things a bit further, so he took a deep breath and then ripped off the top of his robe, revealing his rolls of fat. His expression serious and filled with the determination to die for his sect, he cried out, "Patriarch, please bestow me with a titular tattoo!

"Please carve the characters 'Golden Prince of the Golden Frost Sect' onto my back!"

The Spirit Severing Patriarch stared in shock, and his face twitched.

As soon as the words left Fatty's mouth, all of the Golden Frost Sect disciples stared in shock. The Spirit Severing Patriarch's face twitched, and then he took a deep breath and, with effort, spoke as if he were very moved.

"What an amazing kid. Amazing! The sect will never forget you! You are our hero!

"Very well, I'll bestow the tattoo unto you!" With that, the Spirit Severing Patriarch waved his right hand toward Fatty, causing the characters 'Golden Prince of the Golden Frost Sect' to appear on his back.

The characters were carved… quite deeply, causing intense pain that made Fatty clench his teeth, and even squeeze out some tears. However, he didn't make a sound. Once the characters were inscribed, he took a deep breath, and then swept his fellow disciples with a meaningful gaze.

"I'm going now," he said, "and perhaps I won't return. Even if I die, I will still belong to the Golden Frost Sect, whether in flesh and body, or in spirit and soul!

"Fellow disciples! My beautiful, beloved companions! I'm leaving now!" With that, he flew out of the sect.

As he shot through the air, quite a few disciples had unsightly looks on their faces, and one even began to give voice to suspicions.

"I'm not sure, but wasn't Junior Brother Li acting a bit weird just now?" he asked.

In response to his question, there were a few disciples who frowned and were about to respond, when the Spirit Severing expert snorted coldly.

"Choji is willing to risk his life for the sect, and even requested that I give him that tattoo…. " After mentioning the tattoo, the Spirit Severing Patriarch paused momentarily, struggling with himself internally. Although he hadn't picked up on any of the clues at first, he had lived for many years. In the end, how could he not have seen through Fatty's incongruous behavior?

It only took a moment of thought for him to thoroughly understand that Fatty was milking the glory for all it was worth. Although the Spirit Severing Patriarch didn't really approve, considering the current situation, he couldn't very well say anything.

Not only was he forced to hold his tongue, he also had to help cover for Fatty's earlier conspicuousness and make the story seem more convincing. As he realized this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Anyone who has any suspicions can go take his place if they want!" he continued.

When he thought back to how he had bestowed the tattoo, the Spirit Severing Patriarch couldn't help but think that the whole thing seemed so fake…. "Why couldn't Choji put on a more convincing performance?" he thought. "Damn it all, what the hell is a titular tattoo anyway…y-y-you…!"

However, considering the relationship Fatty had with Naruto, he couldn't risk offending him. Therefore, he began to consider coming up with some good, justifiable reasons as to why he had bestowed the tattoo, reasons that everyone would believe.

Even as the Patriarch was wrestling with such thoughts, Fatty was flying out of the sect, his face as calm and unflinching as ever. Inside, however, he was grinning ear to ear.

"Hahaha!" he laughed inwardly. "Grandpa Fatty outsmarts them again! Especially that titular tattoo thing! It completely sets the matter in stone. In the future, if anyone dares to deny that I'm the Golden Prince, all I have to do is take my shirt off!" Feeling quite pleased with himself, he flew toward Naruto.

Naruto waited, hovering in mid-air. When he saw the shining white ball of flesh flying through the air toward him, he gaped. Staring quizzically at Fatty as he arrived, he waved his hand, causing the area around them to blur. Then he noticed the characters tattooed on Fatty's back.

"Well? What do you think?!" said Fatty, his expression one of wild joy.

Naruto stared for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?" asked Fatty, not looking very pleased. He subconsciously produced a flying sword and started to file at his teeth.

"How can you have such low ambitions?" said Naruto with a wry smile. "Why didn't you have them write 'Sect Leader of the Golden Frost Sect?'"

Fatty suddenly stopped filing his teeth, and his eyes went wide. He let out a roar, and his eyes went bloodshot.

"Dammit! DAMMIT! How come I didn't think of that?! This won't do. Naruto, don't agree to the terms yet. Hold on a moment, I'm going back to the sect!" He turned, and was just about to speed back to the sect when Naruto reached out and grabbed his arm.

Naruto looked speechlessly at him. Then he thought back to how bumbling Fatty had been back in the Reliance Sect, and he suddenly understood everything.

"Golden Prince is fine," he said quickly. "Look at me, I'm a Sect Prince, too." Worried that Fatty would continue to mess things up, he quickly projected his voice to fill the entire Golden Frost Sect.

"Golden Frost Sect, considering that Choji has become your Golden Prince, I will exempt you from the death penalty for your act of besieging the Blood Demon Sect. From now on, you are a part of the Blood Demon Sect!

"I shall permit you to retain your core Daoist teachings and doctrines, but you must immediately provide soul strands and blood oaths!"

In response to his words, the Golden Frost Sect's spell formations opened up to reveal the sect. The Spirit Severing Patriarch, as well as tens of thousands of disciples, all flew out and bowed to Naruto.

"We will obey the decrees of the Blood Demon Sect!"

The Golden Frost Sect surrendered, and its members gave soul strands and blood oaths. Fatty became the sect's Golden Prince, and although some people didn't approve, no one dared to say anything. After all, the threat posed by Naruto was far too great.

In any case, their discontent was not severe. Had Naruto personally forced them to raise Fatty to Golden Prince, the situation might have been different. In any case, resolving the issue of the Golden Frost Sect in this way was not the most ideal method for Naruto, but he could accept it.

Unfortunately, he felt a bit guilty for the Blood Demon Sect disciples. They had come to exact revenge, but in the end, hadn't been able to kill anyone. Their fury and resentment could only fester in their hearts, with nowhere to vent it.

Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes.

"Next, the Shimura Clan!" he shouted.

He had never had any good impressions of the Shimura Clan, especially towards Kabuto, whom he had met many years before. If one didn't consider their tangential relationship, then the only other person from the Shimura Clan that Naruto had anything to do with would be the Li Patriarch inside the blood mask, who had been turned into a Soul of Lightning.

Naruto turned to the Blood Demon Sect cultivators behind him, to the disciples who had suppressed their killing intent for too long, and said, "There will be no surrender for the Shimura Clan!"

With that, he flicked his sleeve and flew up into the air. The tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect cultivators turned into beams of light as they followed him, consumed by their desire for carnage. In the battle for the Blood Demon Sect, they had narrowly escaped with their lives, and the majority of their comrades had died. The resulting desire for revenge now burned hot and deep.

This was an enmity that could only be washed away with blood!

The Black Sieve Sect had essentially been empty. The Solitary Sword Sect surrendered. The Golden Frost Sect had Choji. They could understand Naruto's decisions, but their desire to kill had been held back for too long, and needed a release.

The place it would be released was none other than the Shimura Clan!

There was no peace and quiet in the Shimura Clan; everything was abuzz with activity. There were tens of thousands of clan members left alive, and the sole remaining early Dao Seeking Patriarch had been awakened from sleep to take charge. They were attempting to teleport the entire clan out of the Southern Domain.

Originally, they had assumed that sealing the clan off from the outside world would be sufficient to prevent reprisals from the Blood Demon sect. However, the Solitary Sword Sect's spell formations had crumbled, which destroyed their hopes. As of that moment, they suddenly realized that… the Shimura Clan could by no means remain in the Southern Domain.

They considered surrender, but once the Golden Frost Sect did that very thing, the Shimura Clan's Dao Seeking Patriarch realized that a great catastrophe was heading their way.

"The Blood Demon Sect mobilized to exact revenge," said the Patriarch. "There was no slaughter carried out at the Black Sieve Sect, Solitary Sword Sect, or Golden Frost Sect…. That means that the Shimura Clan is in grave danger!" It was without hesitation that preparations began to teleport the clan out of the Southern Domain.

Unfortunately, at almost the same moment that their teleportation portal began to rotate, a massive rumbling filled the air, and an enormous parasol formed of magical symbols appeared above the clan.

The parasol shone with boundless radiance as it immediately exploded, causing formless ripples to emanate outward. The ripples enveloped the Shimura Clan, not to destroy it, but to seal it.

Having been sealed, the Shimura Clan's teleportation portals immediately ceased functioning.

The seal was formed by the power of a peak Dao Seeking divine will, and in just a twinkling, spread out for hundreds of kilometers in every direction.

This area was like a world unto itself, cut off from everything else.

Unless the Shimura Clan had another peak Dao Seeking expert, then even with the aid of some special magical items it would be extremely difficult for them to break the seal without expending a great deal of time. Furthermore, Naruto's second true self now floated cross-legged in midair above the sect, eyes closed in meditation, completely ignoring the Shimura Clan down below.

He had been dispatched to the Shimura Clan directly from the Solitary Sword Sect, sent here by Naruto specifically to prevent the Shimura Clan from attempting an escape upon learning of what had happened.

Although the second true self sat there with eyes closed, his body emanated the pressure of peak Dao Seeking. All of the Shimura Clan members within the area of the seal were trembling in terror. It was a dread that came from the depths of the heart, and it quickly infected the entire clan.

"Naruto!" said the early Dao Seeking Shimura Clan Patriarch, who happened to be their 9th Patriarch. He flew out from the Clan estate, flicking his sleeve to cause a scroll painting to appear.

The scroll painting depicted a woman whose eyes were closed in meditation. At first glance, she seemed indescribably beautiful and striking, but upon closer inspection her features were somewhat indistinct. As soon as she appeared, shocking ripples spread out in all directions. The 9th Shimura Clan Patriarch performed an incantation gesture, causing the ripples to surge through the air in an attack on Naruto's second true self.

Booms echoed out, and the air distorted. Naruto's second true self slowly opened his eyes to reveal somber coldness. He looked down at the 9th Shimura Clan Patriarch, gave a cold snort, and pointed downwards.

The gesture instantly caused the city below to begin to quake. Signs of withering appeared within all of the cultivators; it almost seemed as if the natural law of the world inside the sealing area had changed.

The face of the 9th Shimura Clan Patriarch fell, and he cried out inwardly. Then he bit his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood, which was then absorbed by the scroll painting.

"Ancestor, save me!" he cried miserably.

As his voice rang out, the scroll burst into flames, and the woman inside opened her eyes!

When she spoke, her voice was raspy and yet strangely magnetic. "The Shimura Clan is not originally from Planet Lands of Ninshu, but rather, Planet North Reed. If you insist on slaughtering these people, Fellow Daoist, the Shimura Clan will not rest until you are dead.

"I won't hold you accountable for your lack of knowledge about the origins of the Shimura Clan. Simply sever your arms as punishment. Furthermore, dig out both of your eyes…. That is the punishment for anyone not of the Shimura Clan who lays eyes on me.

"Now, as to whether or not you try to wipe these Shimura Clan members out, the choice is up to you."

The eyes of Naruto's second true self gleamed with killing intent. Although the soul of the second true self was not Naruto's, thanks to the hidden power within the fleshly body, as well as Naruto's divine will, he could control him as if it were his own body.

"Screw off!" said the second true self, his voice cold.

The words did not come with a thunderous roar, nor were there any boundless ripples. There was only monstrous coldness that spread out in all directions, causing everything for hundreds of kilometers to freeze over.

Within the flaming painting, the woman's eyes widened.

"You really don't know what's good for you!" she exclaimed through gritted teeth. She lifted her right hand, causing a tempest of flame to appear, which immediately shot out in all directions to attempt to fight against the region set up by the second true self.

The second true self snorted and then closed his eyes, completely ignoring the rumbling that filled the air. He had completely sealed down everything, making it impossible for the Shimura Clan to flee.

Time passed, and the Shimura Clan only continued to grow more panicked. No matter what techniques they attempted to use, they were incapable of teleporting away, nor could they break through the seal created by the second true self. Even the face of the woman on the screen was beginning to look unsightly. After all… she was only a strand of divine will, and even if she were stronger than she was now, she was still nothing more than a scroll painting, with a cultivation base at the mid Dao Seeking level, falling short of the peak.

After all, the Shimura Clan of Lands of Ninshu was merely one of many offshoot branches of the main Shimura Clan on Planet North Reed. If it weren't for the fact that they had some unique ties to the main clan, they would already have died out. As for their previous heights of glory and their present state of decline, in terms of the complex inner workings of the Shimura Clan as a whole, it actually didn't amount to much.

Three days later, rumbling continued to fill the air just as it had the entire time. The woman in the scroll painting was more than half burned away, having gone all out with the power available to her as a divine will clone to bolster the Shimura Clan's frantic efforts to break through the seal. As a result, cracks were finally becoming visible in it.

It was at this point that suddenly, tens of thousands of beams of light appeared off in the distance. They shot through the air like a red cloud, radiating killing intent.

It was the Blood Demon Sect's tens of thousand of disciples who had all been holding themselves back for so long. In the lead was Naruto, flanked on the left and right by his Dharma Protectors.

As he neared, the eyes of the woman in the scroll painting glittered; she could tell at a mere glance that this was the true self of the clone.

Her eyes flickered with killing intent, and she was just about to say something, when coldness burst out of Naruto's eyes. Without so much as a word, he waved the index finger of his right hand, and the Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch shot toward the Shimura Clan, eyes shining with a glow like blood.

At the same time, the tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples exploded with a blood-colored glow as they finally unleashed the rage that had been pent up this entire time.

"Kill them!"

"Spare no one! Kill them all!"

The tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect Disciples recalled the bitter images from the battle outside their own sect, and their eyes turned red. Bloodthirsty and mad with rage, they charged the Shimura Clan. In response, the tens of thousands of Shimura Clan members began to fight back in desperation, looks of hopelessness on their faces.

This was a battle where no quarter would be given; its sole objective was to wipe out an entire clan.

Off in the distance, the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators were shaken by what they saw.

"The killing has started…."

"The Blood Demon Sect's revenge is now truly being carried out!"

"The Shimura Clan… will be no more in the Southern Domain."

"The Shimura Clan is going to be wiped out, and the Uchiha Clan was mysteriously destroyed in a single night. The only clan left in the Southern Domain will be the Nadeshiko Clan!"

"Of the five great sects, the Black Sieve Sect was eradicated and the Solitary Sword Sect surrendered and lost their core Daoist teachings and doctrines. It was only because of Choji that the Golden Frost Sect maintained theirs, but they will not be able to return to their former glory for many years. That just leaves the Violet Fate Sect…."

The slaughter intensified as the shocked rogue cultivators looked on. The left and right Dharma Protectors had lost their conscious wills, and attacked with shocking power. The woman in the scroll painting was defeated in exchange after exchange, and the 9th Shimura Clan Patriarch's face was ashen. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his fleshly body was destroyed by the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch. His Nascent Divinity flew out at top speed.

"3rd Patriarch!" he shrieked miserably.

Unfortunately for him, the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch was not aware of what was happening, and his only reaction was to attack again.

The Shimura Clan members fought back miserably, but were incapable of standing up to the elite cultivators of the Blood Demon Sect.

Thousands were killed just in the initial salvo.

The battlefield was soon soaked with blood, with slaughter being carried about constantly. Naruto didn't attack, nor did his second true self. They merely observed the battle.

By now, Naruto was starting to grow weary of the bloodshed. In all the years since he had begun to practice cultivation, he had never killed so many people…. Even during the migration in the Western Desert, he had not seen such endless slaughter.

He felt a great weariness in his heart, and his expression was somewhat blank.

His ears were filled with the din of slaughter, bloodcurdling screaming, curses uttered moments before death, and battle cries. Despite the sheer volume of these sounds, all of it seemed to transform into a drone that came from very, very far away.

He suddenly realized that he reeked of blood. He could even sense that his heart was changing color… and was almost black.

It was the result of the accumulation of murderous desires and too much killing. When his heart became completely black, Naruto knew that would probably mean… that he had reached the point where the excessive killing didn't bother him any more.

But was all of this what he really wanted?

He suddenly missed his days back in the Demon Immortal Sect, back during the Western Desert migration, back in the Southern Domain as an alchemist, and even his naive life in the Reliance Sect.

But now, he was surrounded by killing, and he was exhausted because of it. When he closed his eyes, he could sense the countless vengeful spirits of the people he had killed, swirling around inside of him. They engulfed him, transforming into an intense, resentful miasma that was like a curse. A never ending curse.

Naruto stood there, taciturn and silent.

He really was… very tired.

"Perhaps this is why I have been unable to push the Blood Demon Grand Magic past the fourth level," he thought with a sigh.

"After all, I am still not the Devil that Patriarch Blood Demon wishes me to be…. I simply can't be that cruel and merciless. I just can't kill and kill without being shaken inwardly."

After reaching the fourth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, he had tried on multiple occasions to achieve enlightenment regarding the fifth level, but all to no avail. It was as if he had reached the end the road.

He looked out at the bloody carnage and the twisted expressions of those that were caught up in the slaughter, and the weariness and exhaustion within him surged even higher. Finally he had his answer.

"Perhaps, deep in my heart, I'm simply not truly willing to allow myself to become completely blackhearted. I don't want my happiness to come from the ghosts of those who I have killed. I don't want my path to be filled with slaughter. In that case… I guess I'll never reach the fifth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic in this lifetime.

"The fifth level requires even more killing. It requires innumerable souls…. It requires more and more vengeful spirits to gather around me to successfully cultivate the magic.

"Only if I concede and become a Devil can I fully embrace the Blood Demon Grand Magic. At all times, regardless of the circumstances, I must embrace the colors of red and black.

"That is the only way. And it is a way… that I cannot accept." He stood outside the Shimura Clan looking at rivers of blood, mountains of corpses, and ruins. Booms filled the air as cultivators from both sides fought back and forth ferociously, almost as if they had lost any semblance of reason.

It was at this point that Naruto suddenly came to a realization….

The battle didn't last very long. With the left and right Dharma Protectors in action, it barely took two hours before the Shimura Clan's fate was sealed.

The woman in the scroll painting could not be killed. She was a strand of divine sense that would return to her true self on Planet North Reed upon the painting's vanishment. As she began to fade away, her cold voice echoed out.

"You chose the path of extermination! From now on, if you step foot outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu, the Shimura Clan will hunt you down wherever you go in the Ninth Mountain, for as long as it takes!"

Naruto's eyes flickered with coldness. His second true self waved its right hand toward the woman in the scroll painting and the fading of her figure was suddenly arrested, and the flames which burned around her died down a bit.

The woman gaped in shock, during which time Naruto pointed out his right index finger.

Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!

Demon Sealing, Seventh Hex!

The combination of these two great hexing magics being unleashed at the same time caused the woman to tremble violently. She was formed from divine will, but all of a sudden, she found herself severed from the divine will of her true self.

"What are you doing!?" she cried in shock, her face falling.

Next, Karma enmeshed her, and strands composed of the five elements sealed her inside. Naruto lifted his hand, and the woman's body gradually began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, she became a glowing white sphere which floated down to land on his palm. He immediately crushed it.

A boom echoed out as Karma was shattered. The woman let out a bloodcurdling scream as she was completely destroyed along with her Karma.

Now, she was completely incapable of returning to Planet North Reed and her true self.

"Court death, and you just might succeed," said Naruto coolly. He opened his hand, and countless glowing particles rose up into the air. Naruto could now sense another vengeful spirit circulating around him.

No one could see the venomous stares; Naruto was the only one who could sense them.

Meanwhile, on one of the four great planets that circulated the Ninth Mountain, Planet North Reed, there was a continent that covered half of the entire planet. The entire continent belonged to one clan, and that was the Shimura Clan!

According to some legends, this Shimura Clan was founded by the descendants of Lord Asura of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. As to whether or not that was true, it was impossible for any gossipers to determine. Although, if it were true, why hadn't Lord Hebi exterminated this Shimura Clan?

In the vast lands of the Shimura Clan was a towering altar, the design of which was very unique; it was shaped like an enormous trident. At the very tip of the trident, a woman sat cross-legged in meditation. She had very long hair that hung down her body, and she was exceptionally beautiful, almost celestial.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open to reveal a sharp, but confused light.

"The divine sense clone I left behind for my younger brother's clan on Lands of Ninshu just died…."

The Shimura Clan was destroyed.

Not a single clan member was left behind. All were killed. It was nothing Naruto could do to stop. Nearly seventy percent of the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect had died. Although there was a certain coldness between disciples of the sect, this was war, and when fellow disciples passed away, the survivors would pay any price to exact vengeance.

Vengeance became an obsession!

The Solitary Sword Sect was the first to surrender, so the Blood Demon Sect disciples could choose to endure.

Because the Blood Prince's dear friend was a member of the Golden Frost Sect, they were able to hold on to survival.

But when it came to the Shimura Clan, they could endure no more. Perhaps the Blood Demon Sect disciples did not hate the Shimura Clan any more than the others, but they needed to kill. They needed their revenge. They needed an outlet for their obsession.

The Shimura Clan was awash with rivers of blood. What had once been glorious, was now in ruins. In the years to come, the clan would eventually turn into nothing more than barren dirt.

Of course, many mortals live in the Shimura Clan's headquarters. However, the Blood Demon Sect had not sunk to the level in which they would massacre mortals, so they were left alive.

Finally, the Blood Demon Sect disciples left. They returned to the Blood Demon Sect, and at long last, the slaughtering was over in the Southern Domain. Peace and quiet returned. However, all of the Southern Domain's cultivators were well aware… that from now on, the Blood Demon Sect was not just the number one sect in the Southern Domain, it was… the ruler!

There was no power that could resist them. The Blood Demon Sect now had… four peak Dao Seeking cultivators!

Patriarch Blood Demon, Patriarch Golden Frost, the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, and the fourth member, Naruto's clone!

With four peak Dao Seeking experts, the Blood Demon Sect had the power to sweep unhindered across the Southern Domain. They were even comparable to some of the true super sects of the Eastern Lands.

Furthermore, the level of power they had displayed recently was just the tip of the iceberg.

After the destruction of the Shimura Clan, the Southern Domain was once again stable and quiet. Unfortunately, the overall number of cultivators in the land as a whole had been significantly reduced. There were even some areas that were noticeably empty.

Naruto didn't immediately go back to the Blood Demon Sect. First, he went to the Violet Fate Sect, which of course sent the entire sect into a stir. When he arrived outside the main gate, he looked up silently at the enormous statue of Reverend Violet East.

The Violet Fate Sect was silent for a short while, and then the East Pill Division and the Violet Chakra Division appeared in solemn, ceremonial form. Naruto saw many familiar faces, and he sighed.

His desire had not been to reunite with the Violet Fate Sect in such a way. This type of meeting… made him feel like a stranger.

The elderly Violet Fate Sect Sect Leader strode forward, an old man who was very familiar to Naruto. He looked very nervous as he clasped hands and said, "Blood Prince, your gracious presence is a bright light shining down upon our humble sect. Please, come in!"

The Violet Chakra Division and the East Pill Division made similar welcoming declarations. Among their number was the sect Elder from years ago who had identified Naruto's incredible latent talent. He saw Violet Furnace Lords Ensui and Kotetsu, as well as the man he had become entangled with all the way back in the Five Elements Nation, Tazuna.

All of them approached Naruto and clasped hands in respect.

Koyuki made an appearance, but not Sakura.

The respect shown to him by the Violet Fate Sect made Naruto sigh in his heart. He couldn't help but speak up and ask them not to treat him in such a way, but unfortunately, he could not change the murderous air which swirled around him. The events that had occurred in the Black Sieve Sect, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Golden Frost Sect, and the Shimura Clan had struck fear into the entire Southern Domain. It all turned into something like a palpable pressure which radiated out from Naruto.

He could tell that Tazuna was nervous, and could sense the fear in the hearts of Kotetsu and the other Violet Furnace Lords. Even Koyuki seemed reluctant to approach him.

There were other familiar faces, and it was the same with all of them. Apparently, his murderous aura was too strong, like a stabbing needle that prevented people from getting near him…. Naruto stood there, silent, his heart twinging painfully.

"After someone gets too powerful," he thought, "must he grow apart from the people he used to know…?" Naruto suddenly felt very lonely. It was the kind of isolated feeling that came when you were with your friends, then suddenly realized that you felt as if you were all alone in the vast world.

Naruto thought of Guy and Fatty. For some reason, he even thought of Grand Elder Jiraiya from the Reliance Sect, and Sect Leader Kakashi. Throughout the hundreds of years, Naruto had never run into them.

Feeling both like a friend and a stranger, Naruto entered the Violet Fate Sect.

Normally, the peak Dao Seeking Patriarch of the Violet Fate Sect would never appear in public, but now that Naruto had arrived, he emerged from secluded meditation.

He was a middle-aged man with an ancient, transcendent air. He was skinny, and had no brilliant glow in his eyes, but his peak Dao Seeking aura was not weak. He peered out from within the temple, watching Naruto approaching with Violet Fate cultivators crowding around him.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, please have a seat." With a slight smile, the man waved his hand, causing a long table to suddenly appear in the center of the temple's main hall. Alcohol and spirit fruits could be seen on the table, and off to the side were floating figures playing beautiful music.

The rest of the Violet Fate Sect members stopped outside of the temple hall. They clasped hands and bowed deeply, then slowly left. Soon, only Naruto and the middle-aged man remained.

"Patriarch, there's really no need for all of this," said Naruto.

"You're a guest, Fellow Daoist," the man said with a smile. "Even though you used to be a disciple of the Violet Fate Sect, now that you've come in this fashion, how could I not entertain you? Please, have a seat."

Naruto stepped forward and then sat down at the table. With a smile, the middle-aged man sat down across from him.

"I am Sun Tao, and to be honest, I'm not a Patriarch. I am simply an apprentice alchemist, so there's no need for you to address me as Patriarch. Actually, to be most correct… I should actually call you Young Lord." The man laughed and then poured Naruto a cup of alcohol.

Naruto stared at him in shock.

"In the past, I was apprentice alchemist to Reverend Violet East." Sun Tao looked at Naruto for a moment, and then smiled. "In fact, I still am."

At this point, Naruto's eyes glittered.

"It is neither necessary nor proper for you to ask the question that is on your mind," continued Sun Tao. "I know exactly why you have come here. Unfortunately, your master is in secluded meditation, and cannot come out…."

Naruto's heart trembled. The reason he had come to the Violet Fate Sect was because he wanted to see his master. They had been separated for many years, but he had never forgotten the three kowtows.

"Your master sent me here to explain something to you," Sun Tao went on. "When practicing cultivation… one must cultivate the heart!

"As long as the heart is there, it doesn't matter if it is red or black. Your will is the most important factor. Your will is like a blade, and that blade… can still be used in your Third Severing. There is no need to be swept up with confusion.

"Life is a series of decisions. Whether you make the correct decisions or not doesn't matter. The important thing is to keep going forward. Years later, when you look back, perhaps you'll find that the incorrect decisions you made… weren't really incorrect. Similarly, the correct decisions… might not necessarily have been correct.

"Why struggle with frustration? Why proceed with confusion? In all things… resolution only comes from continuing to move forward.

"Following this line of reasoning, if there is no such thing as 'incorrect,' then how can the 'correct' exist? Similarly, if there is no 'correct,' then how can the 'incorrect' exist?

"Another matter," said Sun Tao, gazing at Naruto. "The Dao of alchemy is a great Dao. Your master wished me to remind you to never abandon it. Although it might not be of much use to you in your cultivation here in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, your future path… will take you far away from here.

"At that time, the Dao of alchemy… will be of incredible assistance. It will ensure that regardless of whatever hardships you face, your alchemic flame will never be extinguished."

Naruto sat there silently. After a long moment, he lifted his glass and took a long drink of alcohol. Then he stood, clasped hands, and bowed deeply to Sun Tao.

"Many thanks for the enlightenment, senior," he said. "Please pass word to my master that I will never forget his teachings!"

Sun Tao remained seated, but gave a slight nod in response. Naruto took a deep breath and then turned to leave the temple hall.

At the same time, in an Immortal's cave in the number one mountain peak of the East Pill Division, a white-haired old man sat cross-legged in meditation. The air around him twisted and distorted as if due to a great Dao.

His eyes opened a crack as he looked out at Naruto leaving the main temple, and an expression of contentment could be seen on his face.

As soon Naruto emerged from the temple hall, the Violet Fate Sect Leader, Elders, and others hurried forward. At the same time, Naruto suddenly stopped in place and turned his head to look toward the mountains of the East Pill Division.

After a long, long moment, he looked back at the Sect Leader. "I'd like to visit my old Immortal's cave," he said. The Sect Leader immediately nodded, and the group escorted him to the East Pill Division.

Almost as soon as he entered the East Pill Division, a strange expression appeared on Naruto's face.

He had just caught sight of… an iron spear!

After all these years, the spear was still here in the Violet Fate Sect…. It was stabbed into the ground, surrounded by an ornate barricade. The spear had now become a landmark in the Violet Fate Sect.

Seated cross-legged by the spear were two old men. Despite their age, Naruto still recognized them. They were none other than…. Yajirobee and Hayase.

As of now, they were both Core Formation cultivators and Honor Guards of the Violet Fate Sect. The moment Naruto laid eyes on them, they rose to their feet, expressions of deep respect on their faces. They immediately clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto.

"Greetings, Senior Naruto."

The Violet Fate Sect Leader laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Blood Prince, do you still remember this spear? It was originally brought back to the sect by Tazuna. This area is now a famous place in the sect."

"Senior Naruto, you can rest your heart at ease," said Yajirobee excitedly.

"Yes, senior, we will definitely care well for the spear!" agreed Hayase.

Yajirobee and Hayase had long since forgotten their resentment from years ago. Now, they viewed Naruto with almost feverish adoration. In fact, everything that had happened between them and Naruto years ago was a source of pride for both of them.

Naruto cleared his throat and then rubbed his bag of holding. Only he knew that inside was a gold spear that he still hadn't found a chance to con someone with…. 4

Off to the side, Tazuna shuddered. Grumbling inwardly, he was just about to edge backward when Naruto suddenly looked over at him.

A tremor ran through Tazuna, and he immediately plastered a smile onto his face. However, his heart was pounding, and he could not stop cursing Hiruko for instigating the spear incident.

Even as Naruto was in the Violet Fate Sect, reminiscing about old times, a desolate and frightening scene was playing out on the border of the Northern Reaches, near the Milky Way Sea.

Nearly a million cultivators were standing at combat readiness near the shore. They were divided into more than ten battalions according to the various sects and tribes they were from.

There were also numerous 300-meter-tall beasts, shackled so tightly with iron chains that they couldn't free themselves no matter how fiercely they struggled.

Up in the sky were countless vicious flying beasts that emitted piercing cries as they circled about. Their wings cast enormous shadows down below as they nearly blotted out the entire sky.

Further off in the distance were dozens of roaring giants as tall as mountains that wielded bone cudgels.

Even further off in the distance were dark clouds that circulated about, apparently concealing countless savage and evil spirits.

This was the army of the Northern Reaches which had gathered next to the Milky Way Sea. Apparently… they were waiting for something!

Most shocking of all were the eleven unbridled and lofty auras which roared high into the sky. These auras… were all peak Dao Seeking auras!

Storm clouds were gathering.

Up above the Violet Fate Sect, dark clouds formed in thick layers. Flashes of lightning could be seen, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

The rain would soon begin to pour down.

When it came to weather like this, with rain or snow, most sects would do nothing to shield the sect from the elements. Instead, they would allow the rain and snow to fall onto the sect itself. They believed that rain and snow were part of the Dao of living things, and that by experiencing such weather, the spiritual energy in the sect would thrive.

By preventing the rain and snow from entering the sect, the sect might have the appearance of an Immortal paradise but, in fact, it would lose some of its connection with nature.

Naruto glanced one more time at the iron spear, then cleared his throat and spoke a few polite words. Then he headed further into the East Pill Division, toward the small mountain that had once been his home. Throughout all the years that had passed, no one had ever been allowed to occupy the mountain. It was as if the mountain had been reserved for him for all eternity.

From this detail, he could tell that, as far as his master Pill Demon was concerned, Naruto… would always be a disciple of the Violet Fate Sect.

When Naruto entered his old Immortal's cave, the Violet Fate Sect Leader, Elders, and others could all see the reminiscence in Naruto's eyes, and they discreetly took their leave. Naruto was left alone in his old residence.

Before long, the thunder overhead grew louder and the rain pattered onto the ground as it began to fall in earnest. A fine mist was kicked up, but it didn't rise too far before it was seemingly beaten back down by the oncoming rain. Small rivulets of water could soon be seen.

Everything grew hazy as the sheets of rain descended. The entire scene was one of charm and peacefulness.

Naruto stood at the door of his Immortal's cave, looking out at the rain, thinking about his days as an alchemist.

Time passed. The sky grew dark, and the rain continued to fall harder and harder. Naruto stood there for a long time, expecting… a certain someone to appear. However, by the time the glow of dawn appeared in the sky, she hadn't.

Naruto smiled and shook his head silently.

As the sun rose, the rain ceased. The sky was clear, and the moisture left behind by the rain made the air thrum with exuberant life force. Naruto walked out of his Immortal's cave and prepared to leave the Violet Fate Sect.

On his way out, he visited Pakkun and gave him a hefty sum of spirit stones and medicinal pills.

He also went to see Koyuki and some of his other old acquaintances. He gave gifts to all of them, even… Sakura.

After a moment of silent consideration, he left her a jade slip with a strand of his divine sense, which would protect her in a moment of deadly crisis. He gave the jade slip to Koyuki and asked her to pass it along to Sakura. With that, he flew up into midair, then transformed into a beam of colorful light that shot off into the distance.

In the moment that he left, Sakura sat in her Immortal's cave in the East Pill Division, gnawing on her lip as she looked up into the sky.

"You made your choice, and I have my pride!" she murmured softly. Eventually, Koyuki came. She hesitated for a moment before offering the jade slip to Sakura.

Sakura was silent for a moment. At first, she didn't want to accept the gift, but in the end, she couldn't control herself. She lifted her hand up and took the jade slip.

Koyuki gave a slight sigh and then left.

Sakura trembled as she held the jade slip in her hand. It was hard to say when, but at some point, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Naruto left the Violet Fate Sect and flew through the boundless sky over the familiar lands of the Southern Domain toward the Nadeshiko Clan!

The Nadeshiko Clan was in the south, in a special area that did not suppress the cultivation base of cultivators, but made it impossible for them to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.

Years ago, Naruto had no way to understand why the Nadeshiko Clan was like that. However, considering the current level of his cultivation base, he now knew that it was a feature created by a peak Dao Seeking expert.

Dao Seeking cultivators could form their own personal natural laws, which grew more and more powerful as they approached the peak of Dao Seeking. Eventually, such natural law could create special regions, just like the Nadeshiko Clan.

When Naruto entered the territory of the Nadeshiko Clan, the entire clan was thrown into a commotion. The Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch, who had been in secluded meditation under the surface of the clan, immediately opened his eyes and went out to meet Naruto.

The clan would not allow the slightest bit of disrespect to be shown to Naruto. In fact, there was not a single cultivator in the entire Southern Domain who would treat Naruto disrespectfully now.

Perhaps Naruto himself was not incredibly strong, but his second true self was a peak Dao Seeking cultivator, and Naruto was the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect.

The entire Nadeshiko Clan arranged a grand banquet to honor Naruto, the scale of which was completely unprecedented. As he sat there, Naruto looked around at the Nadeshiko Clan and mused that this was his second time visiting this place.

The first time was for the Nadeshiko Clan's search for a son-in-law. That was when he had acquired good fortune and met… Sai.

The Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch sat next to Naruto and couldn't help but sigh emotionally.

Even more emotional than the Patriarch, however, was Hiruko…. He was still a Nascent Soul cultivator, and he sat in a position not too far away from Naruto, his head bowed, fearful that Naruto would look his way.

Despite his bowed head, Naruto still noticed him.

"Fellow Daoist Hiruko," he said coolly, "How are all those wild beasts that you collect?" After all, Naruto had never viewed himself as the type of person to hold a grudge….

Hiruko shivered, and thought back to what he had witnessed Naruto do back at the Ancient Dao Lakes. After it was all over, Hiruko had assumed everything was water under the bridge, but now that Naruto was actually in the Nadeshiko Clan, he was more nervous than ever.

As soon as Naruto asked his question, Hiruko lurched to his feet and clasped his hands toward Naruto, bowing repeatedly. His face was covered with a flattering smile that was even more unbearable to look at than if he had begun to cry.

"Senior, I am honored by your concern. However… I don't collect wild beasts any more…."

"Oh…." replied Naruto. As he gazed at Hiruko, he noticed the pleading look in the man's eyes.

Naruto smiled slightly and then looked away.

Hiruko heaved a sigh of relief and quickly sat down, whereupon he picked up his glass and took a long drink of alcohol. Although his fear had been allayed, moments ago he had been frightened to death. He had long since heard stories of Naruto's shocking, murderous air. Naruto could kill without blinking an eye. He had exterminated Dao Seeking experts, and slaughtering Spirit Severing cultivators was as easy to him as killing dogs. As for Nascent Soul cultivators… he could blot them out of existence by simply breathing.

Naruto's presence, and the fact that he was sitting next to the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch, left Hiruko completely terrified. Ever since Naruto returned to the Southern Domain, Hiruko had begun to regret his past actions. Then the Blood Demon Sect rose to prominence, and his fear grew.

"I absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt should NOT have provoked that jinx all those years ago…. Who would have ever guessed that the brat would eventually become so terrifying…. Aiiiii, nobody could have predicted it." Sighing, Hiruko thought back to the events in the Five Elements Nation, and how Naruto had slaughtered a path all the way to the top of the mountain with the iron spear. Hiruko almost seemed to be in a trance as he remembered all the spirit stones and medicinal pills that were taken away.

"Although," he thought, "how many people in the Southern Domain can say that they caused that jinx, Naruto, to flee from them? I guess this just goes to show how great I am." Now that he thought about it, Hiruko felt a bit pleased with himself. "Besides, it was that old bastard Tazuna who instigated the whole incident!"

There was another person at the banquet who sighed emotionally, and that was Shizuka's mother. As for Shizuka, she sat next to her mother, her expression indifferent. Her mother was the one with the excited expression.

"According to what that woman said all those years ago," she thought, "Shizuka can become Naruto's maidservant…. Not bad, actually! How do I bring it up to him, though?" She frowned and then looked over at the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch, only to find that he was looking at her.

She immediately understood what he was thinking, and abandoned her previous plan.

The banquet lasted for a few hours. Naruto's primary objective in coming to the Nadeshiko Clan was to reassure and pacify them. After all, the Blood Demon Sect was now the greatest power in the unified Southern Domain. The Nadeshiko Clan had maintained neutrality, so it was necessary for the Blood Demon Sect's Blood Prince to personally visit them.

There was no need for formal agreements. Naruto's visit was enough to explain the stance of the Blood Demon Sect. Similarly, for the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch to personally entertain him showed the Nadeshiko Clan's attitude.

As evening fell, Naruto politely refused the Nadeshiko Clan's urgings that he stay behind for longer. When he rose to leave, his gaze fell upon Shizuka, and he hesitated for a moment before producing a jade slip.

The jade slip contained a strand of divine sense similar to the one he had given to Sakura. Naruto knew that he was beholden to Shizuka. His youthful hot-headedness had influenced her search for a husband, and was the reason she had never married. Naruto had always felt like he owed an apology for the matter.

Considering that he had personally gifted her with the jade slip, and also helped her in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, he finally felt as if there was some resolution to the matter.

Shizuka accepted the jade slip and bowed her head in thanks, her expression as calm as ever.

Off to the side, the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch smiled as he looked on, and his eyes glittered. Finally, he laughed heartily and then escorted Naruto out of the Nadeshiko Clan ancestral mansion.

"Patriarch, there's no need to see me out," said Naruto. "If I have some free time in the future, I'll come back to visit." He clasped hands, then made to leave.

"Naruto, my young friend," said the Patriarch with a laugh, "there's no need for such formality. Actually, we're already like family, right? My little granddaughter Shizuka has long since become your maidservant, so there's no need for you to treat the Nadeshiko Clan as if we're strangers."

"Maidservant?" said Naruto, stopping in his tracks. He looked back at the Patriarch with a strange expression.

"Oh? You didn't know, young friend?" The Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch could tell the truth from Naruto's expression, but he feigned astonishment nonetheless. "Back during the Nadeshiko Clan search for a son-in-law, your mother came personally to ask us to make my little granddaughter your maidservant."

Naruto's heart began to pound with great waves of shock. However, after practicing cultivation for so many years, he was not the novice he had been years ago, and his expression remained the same as ever. However, a profound gleam appeared deep in his eyes as he looked back at Sagiri.

"Patriarch, there's no need to beat around the bush," said Naruto.

Considering Naruto's countenance, Sagiri's expression became solemn.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure if it was your mother, young friend. After the incident occurred, I realized that there are two possibilities. Either it really was your mother, or… it was the mother of the Resurrection Lily!

"I have no way to determine for certain, but what I can tell you for sure is that she is an Immortal. As to whether she is a false Immortal or true Immortal I don't know…. However, she definitely came from the Eastern Lands!" Sagiri slapped his bag of holding to produce a jade slip, which he handed to Naruto.

"This is her likeness, which I inscribed onto this jade slip from my memory."

Naruto silently accepted the jade slip. He almost didn't dare to look at it. Taking a deep breath, he sent his divine sense inside, whereupon he saw the image of a woman. Instantly, towering waves of shock filled him.

Even if his composure were even stronger, it would still be shattered nonetheless. He suddenly felt as if a hundred thousand thunderclaps were exploding in his ears. His body trembled, and his eyes shone with intense attachment and obsession.

He had long since stopped trying to track down information about his parents. He had long since assumed that his childhood dream of traveling to the Eastern Lands was something of the past.

But now, he had an intense impulse to immediately go to the Eastern Lands to ask… WHY?!

That was because the woman in the jade slip….

Looked exactly like the image of his mother that existed in his memories!

Naruto's hand slowly tightened around the jade slip.

Although he kept his thoughts concealed deeply in his heart, and would not easily reveal them, Sagiri had practiced cultivation for many years, and was able to pick up on some clues from the motion of Naruto's hand. He knew that his gamble had paid off.

Naruto took a deep breath, then clasped hands and bowed deeply to Sagiri.

"Many thanks!" he said.

He said nothing more than those two words, but to Sagiri, that was enough. He nodded and clasped hands in return.

"Naruto, my young friend, if you ever go to the Eastern Lands, the Nadeshiko Clan's branch there may be able to provide you with some assistance."

Naruto nodded, then, without another word, transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Sagiri watched him fly off. After a long moment, when Naruto was no longer visible, he turned and headed back into the Nadeshiko Clan ancestral mansion.

As Naruto flew through the air, a complex expression could be seen on his face. Images from his childhood appeared in his mind, which had not faded after the passing of years, but were clearer than ever.

"Mom, dad… just… why?

"Why did you have to leave? Why did you leave me behind? Why?! Why would you come to the Nadeshiko Clan… and not tell me?! You were obviously there!

"WHY?!"

Naruto felt as if his heart was being stabbed with a knife. These questions had been buried in his heart for far too long, with no answers.

The answers… were in the Eastern Lands!

Finally, Naruto sighed and regained his composure. He was a powerful expert who had practiced cultivation for hundreds of years. The only thing that could cause him to lose control was the matter of his father and mother.

"The Eastern Lands," he thought. "It was always my dream to go there…. That… is where I MUST go!" Decisiveness appeared in his eyes. He took a deep breath and then sped onward.

As evening deepened, he shot forward at top speed. He had called upon the Nadeshiko Clan and visited the Violet Fate Sect. Now, it was time to return to the Blood Demon Sect and spend the rest of the hundred years with Hinata.

Even as he continued along, his gaze was suddenly drawn to something that was happening off in the distance.

"So, it's him…." he thought, surprised.

Currently, he was in the border region between the Nadeshiko Clan and the Blood Demon Sect. Fifty kilometers or so from his current position, three streaks of light sped through the air.

Clearly, there were two cultivators chasing a third cultivator. The target was a middle-aged man who wore a blood-stained white robe. From the look on his face, he had experienced many things. He seemed exhausted, and even more so, full of grief.

It was easy to see that once upon a time, he had been incredibly handsome. Now he looked old, but still carried himself with an extraordinary, heroic spirit. However, the years had not been kind to him, and he had undergone a baptism of ruthlessness. Now, his life was one of pain.

"Sasuke, where do you think you can run to now?!"

"You used to be a top Chosen of the Uchiha Clan, but now you're nothing more than a stray dog! All you know how to do is run away!"

"What are you running for? Come on, show us some of your skills from all those years ago. You used to be the pinnacle of arrogance! You chased me and my brother for years trying to kill us. Now we finally get to meet again, and you're running away?!"

"Hahaha! Of course he's running. There's no Uchiha Clan in the Southern Domain anymore! It was wiped out in a single night! Sasuke just got lucky and escaped death! Unfortunately for him, he ran into us here! Sasuke… you're dead!"

The person being chased was none other than Sasuke!

The pursuers were two middle-aged cultivators with late Core Formation cultivation bases, only half a step away from the Nascent Soul stage. As for Sasuke, he was also in the late Core Formation stage. However, he was clearly wounded, and could do nothing more than flee from his two opponents.

His face was ashen, and filled with intense grief. Apparently, the words spoken by his pursuers stabbed deeply into his heart. After the Uchiha Clan was destroyed, he had experienced far too many slanderous insults. He had once been Chosen, but in the blink of an eye had turned into an outcast. Originally, he told himself that he could get used to this new situation, but every time he heard words such as those being hurled at him now, they hurt deeply.

It felt as if people were digging his heart out of his chest, and it made the pained expression on his face grow even more intense.

He had been there that night when the Uchiha Clan was wiped out. He had personally witnessed the Patriarch's insanity as he slaughtered one clan member after another. That night, it felt as if the sky had fallen.

His father and mother died. His grandfather died. Everyone died, one by one.… As for himself, he had been consumed by terror and sorrow. And then, his older brother… the older brother who he had always wanted to surpass, struck him on the head with a palm.

That palm swept through him like thunder, rendering him unconscious. The last thing he remembered was his brother murmuring in his ear, "Hey kid, you need to stay alive…."

When Sasuke woke up, he opened his eyes to find himself in a sea of blood. He was surrounded by the corpses of his fellow clan members. Laying directly on top of him… was the body of his older brother.

His brother had covered him with his own corpse, using the aura of death to hide Sasuke. That was how Sasuke… managed to escape the disaster caused by Madara, who in his demented state had not bothered to search very carefully.

At that point, Sasuke had begun to weep.

He had nothing. No clan. No family. Everything was gone.

He felt like he was the only person alive in the entire world. Bitterly, he had crawled to his feet and began to wander….

He was alive, but it was as if he had already died. People who had once been his friends now looked at him with cold mockery. The constant ridicule was a vast difference from how he had been treated in the past, and it caused the trembling Sasuke to come to a realization.

All he could do was bow his head and bitterly accept the ridicule.

He wanted to find Madara, and ask him… why?!

Why did you eradicate the entire Uchiha Clan, sir?!

WHY?!

It turned into the only reason for Sasuke to continue living. He began to search the entire Southern Domain, using his bloodline connection to try to find Madara. Even if he died in the process… he would get his answer!

It was finally in this area that he had sensed the presence of the 10th Patriarch. He had started a thorough search, but before he could track him down, ran into these two people who he had previously disdained as being unworthy to even be looked at. They were nobodies whom he and his subordinates had hunted down and tried to kill over some magical item.

Now, he could only flee from them.

Sasuke's two pursuers performed incantation gestures, causing two flying swords to speed out. Glittering, they shot toward the ashen-faced Sasuke, who quickly produced a small drum that he tossed behind him. It rapidly expanded and reverberated with a pounding sound as the two swords neared it. The items collided and…

Boom!

As the explosion reverberated out, Sasuke spit out blood. His face was pale white as he braced himself and pushed forward at top speed. He didn't take the time to try to retrieve the drum. The two pursuing cultivators laughed as one of them took the drum. Then they shot forward in pursuit once again, their eyes shining with greed and killing intent.

They continued to fight back and forth, and Sasuke continuously coughed up blood. The sword glow beneath his feet began to fade, and a look of despair could be seen in his eyes. To him, the whole world seemed…to have turned gray.

"You used to be so arrogant, didn't you?!"

"Back then you were so high and mighty. You looked down on everyone else as if they were bugs, and you were the Chosen of Heaven! Where is your arrogance now, huh?!"

"Sasuke, you're dead! If you get reincarnated, then remember not to be so arrogant in your next life!"

The two pursuers' eyes flashed with killing intent, and they attacked simultaneously, unleashing their most powerful divine abilities. Sword Chakra swirled, and a massive palm rumbled out toward Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled bitterly. He knew that he couldn't escape, so he suddenly turned in place and started to laugh. He had had enough of life, and should have died with the rest of his clan anyway. He was just about to throw caution to the wind when….

Suddenly, a sigh could be heard echoing throughout the land.

Once they heard the sigh, Sasuke's two pursuers stopped, and their faces went pale. They instantly began to tremble as they looked behind Sasuke.

"Blood… Blood Demon Sect. The Blood Prince!"

"It's Naruto!"

Naruto floated down from behind Sasuke until he stood between him and the two pursuers.

"This person is an old friend of mine," he said. "Fellow Daoists, would you mind giving me a bit of face?"

The two pursuers gasped, and their hearts filled with terror. They immediately clasped hands and bowed with the utmost respect.

"Senior, we didn't know that Sasuke was an old friend of the Blood Prince. Please don't be offended, your excellency."

"We'll, we'll be leaving now…."

The two cultivators were completely shaken. There wasn't anyone in the Southern Domain who was unfamiliar with Naruto's face. They didn't care a whit about Sasuke, but as for Naruto, he was terrifying to the extreme. Even as they spoke, the two men backed up, trembling.

Sasuke gaped at Naruto's back, then saw the expressions on the faces of the two men, and felt stabs of pain in his heart. Such expressions were the type that would fill the faces of people who looked at him, the kind of expressions he savored back before the Uchiha Clan was eradicated. But now….

Sasuke's face distorted. He felt as if a blade was stabbing through his heart as he glared angrily at Naruto. His hatred for Naruto ran deep, and even before the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, he had dreamed of personally slaying him.

He hated Naruto for taking away his legacy. He hated Naruto for taking away his fiancé. He hated Naruto for all his success. In Sasuke's mind, everything that Naruto had achieved, should have been his!

In recent days, whenever he heard stories of Naruto, he felt like his heart was being crushed. He almost felt as if he would go insane. His hatred ran all the way to his very marrow!

"I don't need your help!" he cried out. "Kill me, alright? Just kill me! KILL ME!

"I'm done with living, Naruto. You wanna kill me? Fine! You don't have to pretend! Come on! Sasuke's spirit is indomitable! I'm standing right here. Come on, kill me!

"You took away all my good fortune! You took away all my opportunities! You even took away my fiancé. I will NOT live under the same sky as you, you charlatan! You lowlife! Come on, kill me!

"You were NOTHING back in the Reliance Sect. I could have killed you with the wave of a finger. If Grand Elder Jiraiya hadn't interfered, I would have cut you down!

"I am Chosen! Chosen of the Reliance Sect! Chosen of the Uchiha Clan! And you? You're… an insect!"

Sasuke started to laugh maniacally. He had repressed himself for too long, and now he hysterically shouted out all his grievances.

Sasuke's hysterical screaming did nothing more than cause Naruto to frown slightly. However, the other two cultivators' faces went deathly pale, and their hearts began to pound with fear.

They suddenly recalled an event that had caused a minor stir in the Southern Domain, the matter of the love triangle involving Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

"Not good! These two used to be rivals in love!"

"Dammit, we happened to run into both of these guys, and then heard some things we weren't supposed to…." The two cultivators' faces fell, and they backed up nervously. Seeing that Naruto wasn't paying attention to them, they fled at top speed, cursing the fact that they couldn't sprout wings.

"Come on, kill me! KILL ME!" raged Sasuke, his eyes bloodshot. He even began to approach Naruto, until he was right in front of him.

"Didn't you want to kill me back in the Reliance Sect, Naruto? I remember your fingernails sticking into the flesh of your palms, and the blood dripping down. Back then you were an ant, and I was Chosen!

"Now look at me! I bet you're happy, aren't you. Very happy, right? Come on, kill me!

"I've lived enough already. My clan is gone, my clan members are gone, my family is gone. My older brother gave his life for me, but what's the point? At least dying at your hand will release me from my worldly cares!

"Why haven't you made a move yet? Kill me!"

A complicated expression could be seen on Naruto's face as he looked back at Sasuke. He had long since learned of what had happened to the Uchiha Clan. As for everything from the past, it was nothing more than that, the past.

"I'm a Uchiha Clan Chosen. When I was a child, a drop of blood from a Flying Rain-Dragon fell from the skies. I followed my instincts and intuition, and after paying a huge price, finally found the Reliance Sect!

"The Flying Rain-Dragon legacy belongs to me! But you took it away! You took away my legacy! And you took away my Inner Sect qualifications in the Reliance Sect too! You destroyed any chance I had of getting the Sublime Spirit Scripture!

"Then you even took my fiancé away from me! Sakura was MY fiancé! But she dissolved our engagement… all because of YOU!

"Do I owe you a debt from my previous life or something, Naruto? Why? Over and over again, you took away EVERYTHING!" As Sasuke screamed and yelled, tears began to stream down his face.

"Now you have everything that belongs to me. I should be the number one person in the Southern Domain. I should be on top. And you… you should be like I am now!

"Everything you have… was taken from me! And now, here you stand in front of me, the winner again. You're gonna save me?! You're not saving me. I don't need your pity or compassion, I just need you to kill me!

"Don't give me that look, Naruto," he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm Sasuke!" After the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke had been the subject of endless ridicule. It was a pain that he could handle. There was only one thing in the world that he couldn't abide. A single person.

Naruto!

He would rather die than see pity and perplexity in Naruto's eyes. He was Sasuke! If he had to die, fine, but he would die with pride!

Naruto sighed, then shook his head. When he recalled everything that had happened between him and Sasuke, he knew that he had acted a bit impulsively.

He had been young and hot-headed, and now that he looked back, he realized that… many of the things he had done were a bit excessive. For example, the matter with Sakura…. Perhaps… if he hadn't deliberately sabotaged Sasuke and Sakura, the two of them would still be together today, happy and content.

At least they would be better off than they were now.

Naruto didn't say anything. He produced a jade slip and imprinted it with some divine sense, then tossed it over to float in front of Sasuke.

"Take this," he said softly. "If you get into grave danger, it can save your life a single time. You and I… are old friends. I truly hope… that you can find your way." With that, he turned to leave.

Sasuke stared in shock at the jade slip hovering in front of him. Then he lifted his head up and began to laugh madly as more tears poured down his face. He didn't want goodwill from Naruto. He didn't want to be weak in front of the person he had once hated more than anyone in the world. After the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, he had experienced many things, and had come to experience the hypocrisy of the world.

Former good friends kicked him when he was down. Past companions avoided him as if he were a poisonous vermin. Such pain was something he could accept. If past enemies tried to kill him, at least he could self-detonate and end in common ruin with them.

How could he ever have imagined that the person he hated the most… would be the only person to treat him kindly after his fall from the top?

He didn't want to accept it, and could not accept it. His hysteria was a way to vent. His tears were an expression of sorrow.

He waved his hand, sending the jade slip clattering to the ground.

"I'm Sasuke! I don't need your sympathy!"

Naruto stopped and looked back, then sighed again. He was just about to leave when suddenly, he heard a long cry coming from within the nearby forest.

The cry caused colors to flash through the sky, and sent the clouds churning. A figure emerged from the trees who emanated an aura that exceeded the peak of Dao Seeking.

"Hahaha! Immortal Ascension, Immortal Ascension…. Hahaha! I will become Immortal!" It was a deranged old man with unkempt hair, tattered clothing, and filthy skin.

Naruto's pupils constricted, and killing intent flickered in his eyes. His second true self suddenly materialized next to him, and took a step forward.

The deranged old man look very different from before, but Naruto could still tell that he was… Madara!

Naruto had previously made some inquiries about Madara. He knew that the Patriarch, in his madness, had destroyed the Uchiha Clan, then gone completely insane. However, this was the first time he had personally encountered him in the Southern Domain.

"Patriarch!" cried Sasuke.

"Madara!" growled Naruto grimly. He raised his hand and pointed a finger, causing his second true self to shoot through the air toward Madara.

Rumbling explosions filled the air as the two of them instantly began to fight. As for Madara, Immortal Chakra swirled around him. His hair was completely disheveled, and his aged face was filled with a confused expression.

"Immortal Ascension. I will become Immortal…." Laughing foolishly, he waved his hand, causing the air to distort. Powerful cultivation base ripples spread out as he battled with Naruto's second true self.

Naruto gave a cold snort and flew out. He had a Dao Seeking fleshly body, as well as the Lightning Cauldron, which he produced as he closed in on Madara.

Booms echoed out as Naruto and his second true self fought back and forth with Madara. The wind screamed, and the land quaked.

"Sever!" Naruto's second true self let out a cry and sent the Wooden Time Sword slashing out. Tens of thousands of years of Time power swept out like a great river. However, Madara was no ordinary peak Dao Seeking cultivator. He had Immortal Chakra, and an Immortal aura which he sent out to resist the Time power. A boom echoed out, and the second true self fell back. Madara's face went pale, and all of a sudden, the confusion in his eyes began to be replaced with clarity.

"Naruto… Uzumaki…." he said, staring fixedly at Naruto. His voice was hoarse, and he spoke haltingly as he regained his senses.

"Patriarch!" shouted Sasuke urgently, flying toward the 10th Patriarch.

"Sasuke…." said the 10th Patriarch, looking over at Sasuke. Suddenly, his expression was one of extreme pain. He lifted his hands up to clutch at his head, and then let out a miserable shriek. "Don't come near me!

"The Uchiha Clan…. I'm guilty, guilty…. I killed everyone in the Uchiha Clan. I killed everyone…. All to become Immortal. All for Immortal Ascension. Was it worth it…? WAS IT WORTH IT?!" Madara lifted his head and let out a mad howl, and his face was distorted by intense bitterness.

Naruto's eyes flashed as he stood off to the side with his second true self. They did not attack, but simply looked on, eyes flickering with killing intent.

"I'm guilty… I was the one who personally slaughtered all of my fellow clan members…." Madara howled, and tears streamed down his face. He felt as if his heart were being crushed. He felt regret, helplessness, and insanity swirling around inside his head. The faces of the clan members he had personally killed began to appear around him, and he trembled. His face was awash with indescribable agony.

He suddenly turned to look at Naruto, head in hands and his eyes bright red. "You. It was all because of you!"

Every so often, Madara would regain clarity. Whenever that happened, it was a time of unspeakable guilt and pain. His heart would fill with horror and regret, and the madness that arose from knowing that his hands were stained red with the blood of his fellow clan members, made him want to die.

But his cultivation base had reached the point that dying… was not easy.

He made to charge Naruto, but Naruto dodged to the side, his eyes flickering with coldness. He did not attack, and yet the enmity in his eyes grew deeper. A cold smile appeared on his face.

"Want to die?" he asked. "It won't be that easy! How could I let you die? Death squares all accounts, so letting you die would simply be releasing you from your pain and bitterness. I think I'd rather just let you continue living in your madness. Every so often you will wake up and be wracked with guilt and pain! That is the vengeance you deserve!"

The hatred in Naruto's eyes burned. He detested Madara. If it weren't for him, Hinata would not be in her current situation. He would not have faced so many deadly crises. In fact, considering what had happened in the Rebirth Cave, he truly had died already.

Such enmity was not something that a mere death could wipe away. To force Madara to live a life of suffering… that was true vengeance!

Naruto laughed coldly as he backed up. However, it was at this point that Madara's face once again began to fill with a blank look. He began to smile foolishly, as if amnesia was beginning to wash away all the pain.

But Naruto couldn't allow him to so easily forget.

He raised his hand and pointed out his finger.

The Seventh Demon Sealing Hex. Karmic Hexing!

He didn't fully employ the art. Instead, he just used the Karmic magic to cause the 10th Patriarch to be tormented by Karma even when he was in a state of senselessness. He infused the Karma Threads with the lives of the clan members that had been killed. Now, they would constantly pester him, reminding him of his bloodstained hands. He would now always be plagued by the memories of what he had done.

Rumble!

Madara's Karma Threads were thrown into chaos. His body trembled, and his eyes filled with tears. Although his expression was blank, he let out a roar of madness. Pain stabbed at his heart, and he lost control.

"Immortal Ascension…. D-d-don't get near me! My soul…. Kill…. Kill…. Kill you all…. Little brother, don't get near me…. AGGHHHHHH! Immortal Ascension…."

Madara was already insane, but as of this moment, he had sunk even further into insanity. He was insane, and yet lucid, unable to control his body or his consciousness. The only thing he could do was constantly relive the destruction of the Uchiha Clan.

As of this moment, he could no longer forget the things which he so wanted to forget.

From the methods Naruto used, it was clear how deeply he hated him.

After finishing his work, what Naruto acquired was not a feeling of happiness, but rather, deep exhaustion. It was an exhaustion that stemmed from the heart, and it caused him to sigh.

He turned to leave. He wanted to be far away from this place. He had no further desire to see Madara. Exacting further revenge was meaningless. Hinata had less than a hundred years to live before she needed to travel to the underworld to be reincarnated.

Naruto felt blank. He was just turning to leave when Sasuke, his eyes filled with determination, smiled bitterly and took a deep breath. He suddenly flew directly toward Madara, who hovered in mid-air, his head in his hands, tears streaming down his face.

"Immortal Ascension…. Kill…. Kill…." He was completely immersed in the memories of slaughtering his fellow clan members. His soul seemed to be imprisoned in that particular day, forever doomed to repeat what he had done.

"Patriarch!" cried Sasuke. As soon as he neared, Madara's eyes gleamed with a fiendish glow.

"Soul…. Soul…. My soul…." he said, staring fixedly at Sasuke. To him, the souls of fellow clan members were an irresistible temptation. He was attracted to them on an instinctual level, as he believed them to be something he needed to mend his own soul.

It was an instinct he had no control over. His body flashed as he shot toward Sasuke, whereupon his hand snaked out to latch onto the top of his head.

Sasuke did nothing to evade him. He allowed the 10th Patriarch to near, allowed his hand to latch onto his own head. There was even a cracking sound as fingers pierced into his skull.

To Sasuke, the intense pain didn't really matter.

Madara's eyes glowed with avarice and madness as he prepared to extract Sasuke's soul and use it to try to mend his own.

Naruto's mind reeled, and he spun around, his eyes flashing. He lifted his right hand, and his second true self immediately shot toward Sasuke.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried, his face twisted and ashen. His body shook as it began to wither; apparently, all of the essence of his life force was being sucked away as soul nourishment. "This is my choice! This is the whole reason I've been searching for the Patriarch!

"Don't interfere! This is Sasuke's choice!" His body quivered as his legs were sucked dry. Madara's eyes gleamed with a strange light, and his right hand tightened.

"My life has no meaning. I'd rather die at the hands of the Patriarch than be killed by some other person. Let my soul help to restore his soul!

"Naruto, I don't need you to come save me. There's no need! Let me… die in a way that has meaning!

"I think this is the most meaningful thing I've ever done in my entire existence. My family, my parents, my big brother, all my clan members… they've already given their souls. I'm the only one left… and now… it's my turn!

"I can't choose to keep living, Naruto, but I can choose how to die…. Just leave me alone, don't save me. This is a Uchiha Clan affair, and it has nothing to do with you!" Sasuke trembled as the rest of his body withered up. His life force was pouring into the 10th Patriarch's soul, causing strands of white mist to rise up from the places where the fingers had pierced him.

An expression of struggle could be seen on the face of Madara. However, the instinct to absorb his fellow clan members did not go away, and he continued to suck away the life force. Sasuke's body began to fall apart, and vast quantities of white mist rose up out of his head. His soul.

His eyes faded, and he seemed to age. It seemed like he had reached the end of his life. He was no longer the perfect, handsome young man that Naruto remembered. He was grotesque, nothing more than skin draped over a skeleton.

"Naruto, back then… it was all my fault…. I just realized it too late. It wasn't until my clan had been exterminated that I realized… how aggravating I must have been to everyone.

"No wonder Sakura left me…. She was right…. Naruto, my hatred for you is mostly just jealousy and envy. Everything I said after you saved me earlier…. Actually, I just didn't want to admit that after everything changed for me, you were the only person who treated me better than before….

"Naruto…." Sasuke looked at Naruto, and he seemed reluctant to part with the world. The look in his eye was the same look of wild ambition that had existed before, and the same pride.

"Naruto, I… have one last request. Can you… please treat Sakura well?!

"She's a good girl, and I don't deserve her. She might seem detached, but inside, she's very weak…

"Naruto, since you have my legacy, and since you took my good fortune, well then, you… must definitely… keep on going! Reach the pinnacle! Leave Planet Lands of Ninshu and climb to the highest heights….

"That's my dream. You… must keep on going!" Sasuke chuckled as he realized that he didn't actually hate Naruto. Along with his laughter, he suddenly seemed to relax. Apparently, he was losing himself in the wonderful times of the past, in the perfect simplicity of the Reliance Sect.

He smiled, and then his head sagged and his life ended….

His soul was completely extracted by Madara, who then placed it into his mouth. More tears streamed down the Patriarch's face as he violently chomped down on the soul and then swallowed it. Then, he lifted his head up and roared.

"Immortal Ascension…. Immortal Ascension…. Kill. Kill…." Roaring, he barreled off into the distance, weeping and howling miserably.

Naruto stood there agape. After it was all over, he closed his eyes for a long time. When he opened them, exhaustion could be seen. After seeing the determination in Sasuke's eyes, he understood. Even if he and Sasuke hadn't run into each other this day, once Sasuke found Madara, he would still have done the exact same thing.

Because the blood of the Uchiha Clan coursed through his veins, Madara would still have pounced on him and instinctively sucked out his soul. Nobody could do anything to change that. As for Naruto, all he had done was force a bit of lucidity onto the Patriarch, to ensure that he would eternally regret his actions.

In the end, who was really at fault…?

Was it Naruto? He was also a victim. Was it Madara? Perhaps his pain was greater than anyone's.

The Uchiha Clan members were completely innocent. As for Sasuke, his decision was solemn and stirring.

Who was at fault…? It was an unanswerable question that ran in circles. If blame truly needed to be assigned somewhere, perhaps… greed was the answer.

If Madara had not lusted after Naruto's Perfect Dao foundation… then perhaps none of these things would have happened.

"Karma is a cycle with many twists and turns…." murmured Naruto. All of a sudden, his understanding of the cause and effect of Karma deepened. However, this understanding had come at a terrible price.

Naruto sighed dejectedly, then slowly turned and made his way off into the distance.

Sasuke's final choice was something Naruto could never have predicted. As he flew through the air, he suddenly recalled the first time he saw Sasuke back in the Reliance Sect.

He thought about their first battle, and the Flying Rain-Dragon legacy. Then there was the contest to get into the Inner Sect, as well as all the events that played out in the Southern Domain. Everything seemed to have occurred so long ago. Right now, Naruto knew… the most profound memory of Sasuke would be the words he had spoken moments before he died, and the expression on his face.

"And that was Sasuke!" he murmured softly.

He finally returned to the Blood Demon Sect, exhausted, immersed in enlightenment regarding Karma, and with hands stained red with blood. The first place he went was Blood Prince Gorge.

He found Hinata, and then wrapped his arms around her for a long, long time. He buried his head in her fragrant hair, and said nothing.

Hinata seemed to understand. She held him, softly patting his back in comfort.

He felt tired out. First was the emotional tale of Guy, and then the news about his mother. Finally… there was Sasuke and Madara, and his understanding regarding the gravity of Karma.

"Hinata, I want to sleep," he said softly.

"Sleep then," she replied gently. "I'll stay here with you…."

He closed his eyes.

Hinata held him. She sat down outside the log cabin in Blood Prince Gorge, and he lay across her legs and slept.

She looked down at him, and twirled a strand of his hair around her finger. The expression on her face was one of pity, and deep love.

Naruto slept for two days. When he finally opened his eyes, it was night. Up above in the darkness, the canopy of stars twinkled brightly, but they couldn't come close to matching the beauty of Hinata's eyes. They were neither as warm and resplendent as her gaze, nor as soft and entrancing as her expression.

Naruto looked into her eyes, and she looked back.

Suddenly, something seemed to click inside Naruto's head.

"The deepest expression of love is simply to stay with someone…." he murmured. He suddenly understood why Elder Brother Guy chose to stand guard over that boulder instead of leaving to practice cultivation. To Guy, simply staying with his beloved was an expression of love.

Naruto also understood why Sasuke chose to die. To him, it was more important to stay with his clan members, and his Patriarch. That… was his expression of love.

It didn't matter if you spoke of love for friends, love for family, or romantic love…. The deepest expression of love was simply to stay with someone.

You stay with me, I'll stay with you…. That was love.

For himself, the fact that Hinata chose to stay with him made him realize what the meaning of love really was.

"Hinata," he said, looking at her earnestly, "let's… have a bonding ceremony. Let's get married."

A tremor ran through Hinata; her eyelashes trembled and her heart began to pound. To any woman, a wedding is one of the most important occasions possible in life. Hinata's cheeks flushed, but she didn't avoid Naruto's gaze. She looked back at him and then slowly nodded.

Naruto's grand wedding!

It only took a few days for news to spread from the Blood Demon Sect throughout all the lands of the Southern Domain. Soon, every cultivator in the Southern Domain was talking about it. Within a period of ten days, the whole continent was in an uproar.

Naruto's name was now irrefutably famous and illustrious, like a grandiose rainbow, stretching to the far reaches of the sky.

Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect!

Peak Dao Seeking clone!

Formerly known as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!

Because of his various identities, Naruto's grand wedding became the focus of attention of all Southern Domain cultivators. In the past, there had never been a wedding that caused so much of a commotion, and likely, there would never be another like it in the future.

The news was like a gale-force wind that swept across the Southern Domain, causing innumerable minds to tremble. Countless cultivators shook with the desire to be able to personally attend.

In fact… those who did qualify to attend were the subject of intense admiration and envy.

"Did you hear? The Blood Demon Sect's Blood Prince, Naruto, is getting married on the fifteenth of next month!"

"Yeah, of course our sect heard about the grand wedding of his excellency Naruto. Our Patriarch even came out of secluded meditation to personally prepare a wedding gift!"

"I bet all the most powerful experts in the entire Southern Domain will be gathering at the Blood Demon Sect."

"Your news is out of date! My master already found out that his excellency Naruto's grand wedding isn't going to be at the Blood Demon Sect. It's going to be on the border of the Southern Domain, at some big lake!"

Naruto's wedding was the news everyone was discussing. All the various sects and clans sprang into motion to prepare valuable and remarkable gifts for the wedding.

The wedding date was the fifteenth of the following month, and the location, a lake on the border of the Southern Domain, was unique enough that people quickly began to analyze its significance.

"That's… where the Five Elements Nation used to be!"

"A few hundred years ago, the Five Elements Nation mysteriously disappeared. The only thing left behind was a huge hole in the ground. As time passed, it filled up with water and turned into a lake…."

"That's right. The exalted Naruto and his beloved, Hinata, are both from the Five Elements Nation. How fitting for the bonding ceremony to be held there!"

Even as the discussion raged, the tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples excitedly left the Blood Demon Sect and happily headed toward the location of the bonding ceremony, that enormous lake.

After arriving, they would immediately get to work constructing the necessary buildings and decorate the entire region, turning it into something grand and palatial!

Naruto's wedding was a major event for the Southern Domain, and even more important as far as the Blood Demon Sect was concerned. After the determination Naruto had shown by putting his life on the line in the war with the four allied powers, all the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect burned with fanatical devotion for him.

Therefore, the Blood Demon Sect disciples, down to the last one, were determined to ensure than not the slightest negligence be shown in the preparations.

Naruto was aware that it was impossible to keep his marriage to Hinata a secret. It was the most important event in their lives, and they would become bonded cultivators. It was necessary to inform the Southern Domain. As for the people who attended the ceremony that day, all of them would be distinguished guests.

Thus, Blood Demon Sect disciples sent out invitation cards to the various sects and clans. Any sect or clan who received one would be filled with excitement and incredible pride.

However, there were some locations that deserved exceptional treatment. Naruto took Hinata there personally to deliver invitations.

The first stop was the Violet Fate Sect. The Violet Fate Sect's peak Dao Seeking Patriarch, Sun Tao, happily appeared to accept the invitation.

After a polite exchange, Naruto glanced in the direction of the main peak of the East Pill Division. He and Hinata both clasped hands and bowed deeply toward Grandmaster Pill Demon's secluded meditation location.

Almost at the same moment that Naruto bowed, an ancient voice rang out in joyous laughter from the mountain.

"Naruto, master will emerge on the day of your wedding. I will be the official witness!"

Naruto trembled and raised his head to look in the direction of the main mountain peak. Next to him, Hinata smiled shyly and bowed her head.

"Many thanks, master!" Naruto said softly.

When he and Hinata left, something happened that Naruto didn't notice, although Hinata did. On one of the mountain peaks in the East Pill Division stood a woman. She looked sad as she stared silently at Naruto and Hinata.

It was Sakura.

Her body shivered slightly in the stiff mountain breeze that fluttered her garments. She looked like a goddess, but in that moment, her heart felt as if it were sinking into a pit of ice. She felt coldness engulfing her, and pain stabbed through her.

She stood there bitterly, and tears streamed down her face.

Naruto didn't see those tears, but Hinata did.

Hinata held her tongue as she turned and left with Naruto.

On another mountain stood Koyuki. She wasn't happy either, and she kicked a rock that lay in front of her. The man who stood next to her, Teuchi, was even less happy than she was. He glanced over at Koyuki, a complex expression in his eyes. He said nothing as he remained standing at her side.

Naruto and Hinata also paid a personal visit to the Nadeshiko Clan. Because of the matter of the Nadeshiko Clan Patriarch giving him the jade slip, Naruto knew that he owed the Nadeshiko Clan a favor.

Sagiri would never say anything about it, of course, but the matter was extremely important to Naruto.

Sagiri laughed heartily as he accepted the invitation. Then, he looked at Naruto and Hinata with a long sigh. After Naruto and Hinata flew off into the distance, a certain woman inside the Nadeshiko Clan cut a lonely figure as she stood there, by herself. She sighed, but in her heart, she truly wished for Naruto and Hinata to find happiness.

That woman was Shizuka.

The next stop was the Solitary Sword Sect. As soon as they entered, the Solitary Sword Sect disciples bowed with extreme respect. They clustered around Naruto almost as if he were a Patriarch as they escorted him into the sect.

Guy was still sitting cross-legged next to the boulder, meditating. When he opened his eyes and saw Naruto and Hinata, he smiled happily.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother. Finally you'll get to hold a beautiful woman in your arms. You know, I could tell way back in the Reliance Sect that you had some feelings for Junior Sister Hinata.

"At long last, you two are getting married. Well, I think you're a match made in heaven!

"It's too bad we can't find Grand Elder Jiraiya and Sect Leader Kakashi. Although, if they're still in the Southern Domain, they'll surely hear about the wedding."

Guy was very happy to see Naruto and Hinata, and he laughed more that day than he had in decades.

They visited with Guy for a whole day. Before leaving, Naruto and Hinata clasped hands and bowed to the boulder which contained Rock Lee, the wife of their brother Guy. In response, the boulder glowed faintly, as if it were wishing blessings upon them.

Finally, Naruto and Hinata went to the Golden Frost Sect. Fatty was ecstatic. Not only did he wink salaciously at Naruto, he had all of his more than one hundred beloved companions come out in quite a flaunting display.

The more than one hundred women extended greetings in tittering, melodic whispers. Naruto had a strange expression on his face, and although Hinata appeared to be smiling, she looked at Fatty with a gaze that showed that she was not amused.

Fatty didn't notice, and proceeded to regally instruct Naruto to be more like himself and collect a few more beloved concubines….

"Choji," Hinata interrupted coolly, "don't forget that it was me who brought you to the Reliance Sect that year."

Fatty was taken aback. Then he saw Naruto's awkward smile, suddenly shivered in realization, and then quickly changed the topic of conversation.

They stayed at the Golden Frost Sect for a night, and then left.

They didn't return to the Blood Demon Sect or the lake. Naruto took Hinata to travel through the Southern Domain like mortals. They didn't fly, they walked, through mountains and past rivers. During the days they strolled along together, and at night they slept in each other's arms. They walked through deep mountain ranges and across vast plains, gracing them with the traces of their passage.

Occasionally they would encounter people, all of whom would immediately clasp hands in greeting. Soon, word began to spread through the Southern Domain of the Beatific Sweethearts.

During that month, they traveled to many places. Hinata laughed happily as she accompanied Naruto. Naruto stopped worrying about cultivation and the future. He focused on relaxing and enjoying Hinata's company.

When the month was up, and their traveling finished, they proceeded toward the enormous lake that occupied the spot where the Five Elements Nation used to be.

The land there had undergone a complete transformation, and now looked like a celestial paradise. In the center of the lake, upon the rippling water, sat an island with jade buildings which had been ringed with ornamental statues and carvings. It was not excessively opulent, but held a great deal of charm.

That was where they settled down to wait for the half month until… the day of the wedding!

The sound of laughter rang out as tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples bustled about in the area surrounding the lake, using magical techniques to completely change the entire area. Occasionally, the disciples would look over their shoulders toward an island in the middle of the lake, and their faces would fill with fanaticism and benediction.

Soon, Southern Domain cultivators began to show up and gather in the area as they awaited the big day.

Meanwhile, in the central region of the Southern Domain, in a very ordinary town, was a street food stall that sold noodles. Two old men would set up the shop in this particular location around this time every year. Their noodles were quite famous in the area.

One of the old men had a stooped back, white hair, and a kindly expression. The other looked to be a bit younger, but still had quite a few gray hairs on his head. When he was younger, he had obviously been quite handsome.

The two men would often lounge together and watch the sunset while smoking from long-stemmed pipes. They usually sat together in silence and didn't chat much.

Day after day, year after year, that was how they spent their time. When they moved to this place, they were middle-aged, but as time went by, they had become old.

On one particular evening, when the evening was being replaced by night and the twinkle of lamplight began to spread throughout the town, the stooped old man suddenly put his pipe down.

"Should we go?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

The other old man next to him also put down his pipe.

"You were the one who took a liking to him all those years ago. You paid quite a heavy price for the kid without a word of complaint. Now he's famous. Probably couldn't be any more famous, actually. When the wedding day comes… maybe I could decide not to attend, but you… could you really stay away?"

The stooped old man laughed and then stood up. "Alright, it's settled. We're going. I could tell as soon as I looked at that pup that he had potential!"

"Well, fine," said the other man. "Neither of us have much longevity left. Let's go see all the kids, then we will have accomplished everything and can die content."

The two old men exchanged a glance, then disappeared laughing off into the night.

These two were none other than Grand Elder Jiraiya and Kakashi from the Reliance Sect. All those years ago, Grand Elder Jiraiya had already been running low on longevity; the fact that he was still alive now indicated that he had run into some sort of good fortune since then.

Similar scenes played out in the Black Lands.

Naruto's grand wedding had sent all the lands astir.

The great tribes in the Black Lands were also focusing on the Southern Domain right now. The matter of the four allied powers besieging the Blood Demon Sect, and the following events in which the Blood Demon Sect unified the Southern Domain, were all well-known.

When Naruto's name rose to prominence, the Golden Crow Clan in the Black Lands was especially excited. When news arrived of Naruto's grand marriage, the Clan Chief personally led quite a few clan members out of the Black Lands to attend the ceremony and offer wedding gifts.

The other great tribes also did the same.

Last but not least, the Church of the Golden Light called out their signature catchphrase as they ran toward the Southern Domain, surrounded by a swirling fog.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Lands, in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, was a tall tower. It looked very similar to a Sky Tower, although it was roughly thirty meters taller.

It was thirty meters taller than each and every one of the other Sky Towers throughout the Southern Domain.

Within the tower stood a man and a woman who were in the middle of a fierce argument. Tears streamed down the woman's face as she looked off in the direction… of the Southern Domain, and Naruto.

"We left him before his seventh birthday…. He faced grave danger so many times in the Southern Domain, and we didn't help him. We didn't even dare to get near him…. I shouldn't have gone to see him at the Nadeshiko Clan, but… he's my son! He's OUR son!

"His Dao foundation was stolen in the Milky Way Sea, and I knew we couldn't go help him, but that didn't do anything to alleviate the stabbing pain in my heart. Then Hinata gave up so much for him in the Rebirth Cave. I saw everything that happened. Everything! I like that girl….

"Now, he's getting married, and I'M GOING!" The woman looked over at the man, her eyes flashing with determination.

The man was trembling, and sadness filled his eyes. His heart also felt stabs of pain. However, there was nothing he could do other than endure them, and place all of his hopes on what would happen in the future.

"Just wait a little bit longer, Lili," the man murmured. He trembled, and gripped the column next to him until his knuckles turned white. "Can't you just wait a bit longer…? We suffered untold hardships to bring him here and give him a chance to live. Once he reaches Dao Seeking, then the danger will be past. Dao Seeking, that's all.

"Just a little more waiting. The day he enters Dao Seeking, we'll go together. We'll explain everything, together!" Deep love could be seen in the man's eyes as he looked off into the distance.

"We can't make any mistakes," he continued. "If we fail this time… Lili, the fourth life, the Seventh Year Tribulation. Can you really bear such pain again?

"I'm his father, and he is our child. It was for him that both of us swore Dao oaths to guard the door of Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years, and not step foot out of Lands of Ninshu for that entire time. All of that was for this one chance. Just keep waiting…." The man closed his eyes. For his son, he would gladly sacrifice his life, his everything.

"Seventh Year Tribulation…." More tears streamed down the woman's face as she recalled the bitter memories of the past. "But so many years have already passed…."

"Spirit Severing stabilizes the soul, and Dao Seeking lays the blood to rest," the man murmured, and it was hard to tell whether he was talking to the woman, or to himself. "Every day before Dao Seeking is another day that the Seventh Year Tribulation… remains unneutralized. His body is already at Dao Seeking, all that remains is his cultivation base…. Soon. The day will come… soon."

The wedding day approached. When the bonding ceremony was only five days away, more than a million cultivators had already amassed in the Northern Reaches, adjacent to the Milky Way Sea.

Vicious beasts, wicked spirits, powerful experts…. It all transformed into something like a cyclone that could sweep across everything in astonishing fashion.

Dao Seeking Patriarchs from various clans, tribes, and sects flew up into the air, eleven astonishing figures who then stared out at the Milky Way Sea, toward the Southern Domain which lay beyond the horizon.

"The chance for Immortality lies in the Southern Domain!"

"The Southern Domain has just faced incredible misfortune. They are at their weakest now, and could never imagine that our army would appear now!"

"This is an incredibly rare opportunity!"

"In this war, we will exterminate their Dao Seeking experts, slaughter their Spirit Severing cultivators, eradicate all of their Nascent Soul disciples! As for Core Formation, they don't really matter."

"Shatter their foundation, cut off their chance for Immortality, and then we can occupy the Southern Domain! We can gain enlightenment about Immortal destiny, and we can become Immortals!"

"In this war, we, the allied forces of the Northern Reaches, with the help of the Resurrection Lily, will definitely seize control of everything!"

"Strike fast and hard! Don't give the Eastern Lands a chance to interfere!"

These eleven Dao Seeking experts were all adorned in different attire. Some were covered in tattoos. Others were festooned in bone accouterments that emanated black light. Some wore Daoist robes. However, all of them possessed incredible power.

They hovered in midair looking out at the Milky Way Sea. Suddenly, an incredible roaring filled the air. There was no wind, but massive waves still rolled out across the sea.

The Milky Way Sea's Fourth Ring, Third Ring, Second Ring, all of the areas in the entire sea outside of the Inner Ring, were covered with huge waves. The disciples of the three great sects in the Third Ring were completely astonished.

The cultivators who lived on the various islands in the sea could hear the roaring, and were shocked.

This was not the ordinary roar of the sea, but rather, was filled with a monstrous, murderous air. The water surged up, as if some colossal creature was attempting to rise up from the depths of the sea!

As everyone looked around in astonishment, deep in the dark recesses of the Second Ring, a gargantuan Resurrection Lily was writhing like mad. This… was the source of the roaring that filled the Milky Way Sea.

Rumbling echoed out constantly as the gigantic Resurrection Lily suddenly began to grow, almost without limit. It only took the space of ten or so breaths of time for massive tentacles, each thirty meters thick, to rise up from within the Second Ring. Seawater poured off of them as they shot up over the sea.

The tentacles emitted a shocking aura as they sped through the air. At the same time, countless smaller tentacles spread out along the seafloor. When they reached the waters of the Third Ring, they too shot up into the air.

More tentacles spread out, piercing into the Stormwind Divide that separated the Third and Fourth Rings.

If you could stand in a position high up in the sky where the entire Milky Way Sea was visible, you would be able to see that more than 100,000 tentacles were spreading out. It appeared as if… a fearsome presence lurked beneath the waters.

Of course, it was none other than the Resurrection Lily!

The Resurrection Lily grew rapidly, growing larger until finally, to the astonishment of all the cultivators, it rose up completely from the water. The tentacles merged, braiding together.

They formed… a bridge!

It was a bridge, one side of which was formed from fifty thousand tentacles, more than 1,500 kilometers across. Shockingly, this part of the bridge neared the Southern Domain, but didn't touch it.

The other side of the bridge arced out to connect to the Northern Reaches!

In the very middle of the two sides was a huge Resurrection Lily that was so large you could scarcely see from one side to the other, dripping vast quantities of water as it rose up.

The scene was indescribably shocking and astonishing. A gigantic flower had risen up to form a bridge with its branches and leaves, a bridge that connected two great continents!

The greatest difficulty in waging war between these regions was the problem of transporting the troops. But now, that problem had been solved, and the great war could begin at any time.

Rumbling filled the air as the Resurrection Lily bridge appeared. The more than 1,000,000 Northern Reaches cultivators lifted their heads up and roared. The eleven Dao Seeking experts waved their hands, and the cultivators headed directly toward the Resurrection Lily bridge.

The evil spirits were behind the cultivators, followed by the mountain-like giants, as well as countless wild beasts. All of them charged onto the Resurrection Lily bridge, where they used all the speed they could muster, as well as some of the built-in teleportation features of the bridge, to proceed forward. Soon, the distance between them and the Southern Domain was rapidly reduced.

They would only need a few days to reach the Southern Domain.

The wedding day got closer.

The big lake that used to be the Five Elements Nation was now decorated with lanterns and brightly colored decorations. Tables were set up all around, and Blood Demon Sect disciples circulated to entertain the guests.

The sounds of happy laughter and cheerful voices permeated the air.

Guy arrived, as did Fatty, along with one after another of Naruto's friends from the Violet Fate Sect, who had all rushed to the location as fast as possible. Hinata's smile grew more and more beautiful. When she looked at Naruto, the warm look in her eyes seemed like it could thaw even the coldest ice.

Naruto was also smiling, although sometimes he seemed to be at his wits' end, not quite sure what to do or where to go. Thankfully, the Blood Demon Sect's Spirit Severing Patriarchs were familiar with weddings, and they did their best to manage affairs properly. There was also Fatty, who had already been formally united with more than a hundred beloved concubines. With all of their advice and help, Naruto was kept quite busy with all the formalities.

In the end, Sakura eventually came. She arrived with a smile that seemed sincerely congratulatory. However, deep in her heart she felt frustration and disappointment. When Naruto ran into her, he opened his mouth to say something, but in the end all he could do… was sigh.

Hinata pulled Sakura off to the side, where they began to confer quietly.

Koyuki and Shizuka also came. Soon all the women, along with Fatty's beloved concubines, made their way to the island in the center of the lake, after which the twitter of their voices could often be heard floating out from within.

A few days later, the big day arrived, and wedding bells tolled cheerfully.

Starting at dawn, countless honored guests flowed in from sects and clans all over the Southern Domain. Soon it became apparent that there weren't enough banquet tables, even though they had prepared more than 100,000. There was standing room only, and everyone was packed tightly together as far as the eye could see. There were even cultivators hovering in the air far off in the distance. Even if they couldn't have a seat, they still wanted to watch the bonding ceremony and cheer in congratulations.

Spirit Severing cultivators and Dao Seeking experts were all present! As the wedding bells rang out, a violet streak appeared in the air. It was an old man in a violet robe, ancient and dignified. However, a kind smile covered his face, and the aroma of medicinal pills wafted around him. As soon as Naruto caught sight of him, a tremor ran through his body, and he flew up into the air. In front of all the other cultivators present, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, master!"

The old man was none other than Pill Demon. He looked at Naruto contentedly, and with love. Laughing, he helped Naruto to straighten up.

"Today is your grand wedding, and I'm here to bear official witness."


	9. Unsurpassably Cucked

The Church of the Golden Light arrived!

The disciples approached the wedding site in formation, surrounded by billowing fog.

The Golden Crow Tribe arrived!

All sects and clans dispatched members to attend, to bear witness to the first grand wedding ceremony to occur in the Southern Domain in many years.

It was unprecedented and unrepeatable.

The wedding guests surrounded the huge lake. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators had arrived, perhaps nearing eighty percent of the population of the Southern Domain.

It was impossible to take them all in with a single glance. Everywhere you looked was densely packed with people, and based on the mass of wedding gifts that had been delivered, it was possible to see the incredible wealth of the Southern Domain.

Grandmaster Jiraiya and Kakashi arrived. They stood in the crowds, unable to get very close. However, from afar, they could see Naruto and Hinata, as well as Fatty and Guy. The two old men's faces broke out with benevolent smiles.

They were happy, and also proud of themselves. They knew that these Chosen of the Southern Domain were all former members of the Reliance Sect!

Tribes of the Western Desert also came, most of whom Naruto was familiar with, or the other way around. Even though there were hundreds of thousands of people present, there was no chaos. Fatty and the Blood Demon Sect disciples kept everything orderly and yet also colorful and dramatic.

The atmosphere was cheerful and happy; the sound of laughter and chatting filled the air.

The powerful experts had gathered. This wedding was definitely one of the grandest and most important events to ever occur in the history of the Southern Domain.

When she made her appearance, Hinata was incredibly beautiful. She wore a red wedding gown, and Naruto stood next to her. All the onlookers began to cheer and call out blessings and well wishes.

"Congratulations to the exalted Naruto and goddess Hinata on their marriage!"

"Congratulations! May you live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss and love each other for all time!"

"Congratulations…."

The sound rolled out like waves in all directions. Naruto's heart was pounding; even he couldn't stop himself from getting nervous. He also wore a long red robe, and his handsome features were filled with happiness.

He held Hinata's hand as they floated there in midair, the center of all attention.

Naruto took a deep breath and squeezed Hinata's hand. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Fellow Daoists. Many thanks to you for coming to witness my and Hinata's bonding ceremony."

With that, Naruto and Hinata clasped hands to the crowds.

Hinata's face was flushed, and her heart thumped rapidly. At a time like this, any woman would feel the same. Moments like these are when women are the most beautiful, the most nervous, and the most excited.

The entire Southern Domain had come to bear witness to Naruto and Hinata's entrance into a binding agreement for life.

Rumble!

An incredibly loud sound filled the air as ten Spirit Severing experts suddenly flew up into the air. They unleashed spectacular divine abilities that, from a distance, transformed into ten beautiful balls of flame.

The color of the sky instantly changed, and all the cultivators down below stared up in awe at the beautiful sight.

The cultivation bases of the ten Spirit Severing experts exploded out as they caused the brilliant, colorful divine abilities to surge with power. Boundless light shone out, making it seem like there were ten suns up in the sky.

As the rumbling echoed out seemingly without end, the ten Spirit Severing experts continued to fuel the divine abilities, causing ripples of magic to constantly flow out above the crowds.

Immediately, a buzz of conversation rose from the crowd as they watched the spectacle, their hearts trembling.

"Heavens! He really does deserve to be the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect. Despite their status, ten Spirit Severing experts are willing to put on a performance by summoning fireballs!"

"In all the Southern Domain, only Naruto could pull something like this off!"

"When the day of my bonding ceremony comes… if I could get some Core Formation cultivators to do something similar, that would probably be the most incredible thing in my entire life!"

Anyone who was watching closely was able to see that this was just the beginning.

The divine abilities of the ten Spirit Severing experts suddenly changed. Shockingly, the fireballs began to connect together to form a long dragon and a colorful phoenix.

The dragon and the phoenix were auspicious symbols that could bring prosperity and good fortune. They swirled through the sky in astonishing fashion, looking extremely lifelike.

Next, a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators flew up, stabilized themselves in midair, then closed their eyes and summoned their life force fire to create a thousand flickering candles.

Candlelight illuminated Heaven and Earth, creating a resplendent and indescribably beautiful atmosphere.

The display still wasn't over. After the appearance of the thousand Nascent Soul cultivators, ten thousand Core Formation cultivators flew out. They circled about in mid-air, unleashing magical techniques that seemed to create the outline of a staircase that stretched up into the sky.

The staircase glittered like a magical treasure, and was completely astonishing. The glittering light from the candles made it seem like even the Heavens were participating in the wedding ceremony. The dragon and the phoenix crisscrossed through the air, occasionally letting out piercing cries. The atmosphere at the wedding ceremony seemed to have reached a pinnacle.

Just when many people assumed that the pomp was over, two colorful beams of light shot into the air. They were two old men who, although they had blank expressions on their faces, immediately caught the attention of the crowds.

They were… the Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch!

They were the peak Dao Seeking left and right Dharma Protectors of the Blood Demon Sect. As soon as they appeared in midair, they performed incantation gestures and then flicked their sleeves. Immediately, at the top of the seemingly never-ending staircase that rose up into the sky, the air began to twist and distort as it turned into an Immortal's temple palace.

The Immortal's temple palace was enormous and dignified. Every tile that decorated its surface glowed like a magical treasure. This was an illusion summoned by the power of two peak Dao Seeking eccentrics' cultivation bases.

If that were all there was to it, it might not have been a huge deal. However, in the instant that the temple palace appeared, a rainbow descended from up above the palace, causing its beauty to increase exponentially.

It was then that cranes appeared, as well as innumerable other auspicious creatures. They flew gracefully through the air, calling out blessings. The entire scene was almost like a dream.

Down below, the cultivators gasped. This was the first time a display like this, a show of such extravagance, had been witnessed in the Southern Domain.

It was at this point that Sagiri laughed, and then said, "Young friend Naruto, please allow me to add a bit of cheer to your grand wedding!"

He lifted his arm and pointed up into the sky, immediately causing energy to surge out.

Up above, a brilliant glow shot out in all directions. Countless motes of light appeared, each of which transformed into the image of an Immortal goddess. In the blink of an eye, they appeared on the temple palace, on the rainbow, on the staircase, above the candle flames. In unison, they clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto and Hinata.

They acted like bridesmaids, and at that moment, the illusion up in the sky became even more realistic. That was because in each of the Immortal goddesses' hands could be seen a spirit fruit. All of the spirit fruits… were real!

This was the wedding gift of the Nadeshiko Clan.

In the group from the Violet Fate Sect, peak Dao Seeking expert Kunihisa chuckled. All of a sudden, his voice rang out.

"Young Lord, allow me to add some cheer to your grand wedding as well!" With that, his spit out a mouthful of Chakra, which shockingly transformed into a gigantic pill furnace that came to rest outside the temple palace. Wisps of medicinal smoke began to rise up out of the furnace, swirling around the area. Within the wisps of medicinal smoke were numerous imperial bodyguards wearing golden armor.

In total, there were 10,000 bodyguards who spread out in the area, emanating shocking energy. All of them turned toward Naruto, stabbed their swords down in front of them, and then dropped to their knees to kowtow.

The cultivators down below were almost in a frenzy.

Four peak Dao Seeking experts had lent their hands to the affair, along with the magical images of the ten Spirit Severing experts, the burning candles of a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators, and the treasure-like staircase of ten thousand Core Formation disciples. It was a scene that thoroughly astonished all of the cultivators down below.

"This is unheard-of! Completely unheard-of!"

"Immortal goddesses as bridesmaids, Immortal soldiers as groomsmen, an Immortal's palace as the temple, a rainbow to add blessings, an auspicious dragon and phoenix summoned by Spirit Severing cultivators, wedding candles provided by Nascent Soul cultivators. Everything provided by cultivators…."

"I'll never forget this bonding ceremony even after I die!"

"How incredible to be able to see something like this!"

Everyone was in a huge stir!

A kind smile appeared on Pill Demon's face as he stood next to the Immortal's palace, looking down at Naruto and Hinata.

"Let the ceremonies begin! There is no need to be concerned too much with trifles. However, you must still climb the treasured staircase, pass the burning candles, and ascend to the Immortal's palace."

Naruto took a deep breath and squeezed Hinata's hand. It was trembling, and a bit sweaty. They exchanged a glance, and could see both nervousness and warmth in each other's eyes.

They smiled, and then flew forward to the staircase. The Immortal goddesses bowed as they passed, and the Immortal soldiers kowtowed. They ascended the stairs, passed the candles and the circulating dragon and phoenix. Finally… they stepped onto the rainbow. The cranes and auspicious beasts clustered around them as they stood in front of the Immortal's palace temple.

They turned, and from their vantage point they could look out to see the Milky Way Sea, and look down to see the hundreds of thousands of cultivators down below, all of whom were cheering and shouting. The sound of it echoed out in all directions, shaking Heaven and Earth.

The sound of it even managed to make its way all the way to… the Milky Way Sea!

By this point, the bonding ceremony could be considered half finished. The next part was the most critical part, the part where Pill Demon would begin to officiate!

Pill Demon looked at Naruto and Hinata, and then his voice boomed out, "It is my pleasure to announce…"

Down below, the crowds cheered wildly.

However, before Pill Demon could finish, even as the crowds were cheering, Naruto's expression suddenly flickered. A sharp light appeared in his eyes as he looked out at the Milky Way Sea.

Although it appeared to be normal, something had abruptly caused him to shake with fear. It was as if some shocking danger was lurking in the Milky Way sea, as if an enormous gaping mouth full of teeth were approaching.

In the same moment that Naruto looked out toward the Milky Way Sea, all of the peak Dao Seeking experts felt similar trembling in their hearts. They, too, looked out toward the sea.

Although everything looked normal, Naruto blinked his right eye nine times and circulated the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way. His view of the world blurred, and then grew clear. Now, he was able to see two different worlds.

The first world was the normal Milky Way Sea. In the second world… the sea was in a fury, waves surging and roaring. An enormous, shocking bridge formed from a Resurrection Lily could be seen!

On top of the bridge were hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators, surging forward with towering murderous intent!

Among the Northern Reaches' cultivators was an enormous stone cauldron, supported on the backs of ten thousand cultivators. The cauldron seemed ancient, and its insides were filled with pitch-black dirt. Shockingly, a single stick of incense could be seen sticking up out of the soil!

The incense stick was small, far smaller than the huge cauldron, and was easy to miss.

However, the feeling it gave off was one of complete terror and evil. Even the peak Dao Seeking experts of the Northern Reaches seemed to fear it.

The forces from the Northern Reaches drew closer and closer. As of this moment… they had almost reached the lands of the Southern Domain!

"Northern Reaches!" thought Naruto, his pupils constricting.

Currently, the other peak Dao Seeking experts were unable to see what Naruto was seeing. Except for… Pill Demon. His eyes began to shine with golden light, and his face fell.

The cheers were still echoing out through the air as all the cultivators down below awaited Pill Demon's words of officiation, and the final moments of the wedding ceremony.

However, Naruto and Pill Demon's hearts froze up and, as of this moment, were sinking to the lowest depths!

From the expression on Naruto's face, Hinata could immediately sense that something was wrong. "What's wrong…?" she asked, nervously gripping his hand.

"The Northern Reaches… are invading us," he said quietly, clasping her hand tightly.

Although none of the cultivators below could hear what he said, the nearby peak Dao Seeking Patriarchs' faces suddenly fell.

"That's…." Pill Demon's eyes went wide as he looked at the enormous, shocking bridge that stretched out over the Milky Way Sea, as well as the enormous cauldron which drew nearer and nearer.

Pill Demon's face flickered. Worried that panic would ensue, he kept his voice low as he said, "Naruto, look closely. Do you see that stone cauldron with no decorations, filled with pitch-black soil? Is there… an incense stick… sticking out of the soil?!"

Even as Pill Demon spoke, the cheering cultivators down below suddenly grew quiet. Expressions of confusion appeared on their faces, and soon, everyone began to realize that Pill Demon was looking at the Milky Way Sea.

In response to Pill Demon's question, Naruto blinked his eye nine more times. Instantly, his view of the Milky Way Sea zoomed in, and he confirmed that there was indeed an incense stick in the black soil that filled the enormous cauldron.

"Yes," he said, nodding his head.

Pill Demon's face went ashen, and his pupils constricted. He immediately flew up into the air, and called out in a loud voice: "Southern Domain cultivators, all of you must immediately unleash the power of your cultivation bases and interfere with the flow of spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Create a barrier immediately. HURRY!

"Sagiri, apprentice alchemist and Naruto, come with me. Bring Patriarch Golden Frost and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch!

"We must not under any circumstances… allow that stone cauldron to touch the lands of the Southern Domain!" roared Pill Demon as he shot toward the Milky Way Sea. "That is none other than Hellwither Nineruins Incense, refined from the flesh and blood of a true Immortal! It is the most malicious of curses; if it even touches the land, the curse will spread out to all cultivators born in the Southern Domain! Their fleshly bodies will wither, and their cultivation bases will decline! There is no cure or antidote, and it is impossible to flee, not even by leaving the Southern Domain. Anyone born in the Southern Domain will be cursed!"

Sagiri's face fell, and Kunihisa of the Violet Fate Sect had a similar reaction. Without hesitation, they followed along at top speed.

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent. Today was his grand wedding, the most important day in his life. Hinata had less than a hundred years of longevity, and all he wanted was to give her a magnificent wedding. Unfortunately, they had been interrupted halfway through.

The arrival of the Northern Reaches cultivators was completely unforeseen. How could Naruto not be enraged?

He looked at Hinata, and although her heart was filled with concern, the only thing that could be seen on her face was a gentle expression.

"The wedding ceremony isn't over yet," she said softly. "I'll be waiting here for you."

Naruto nodded, then flew up into the air. His second true self materialized next to him, and Patriarch Golden Frost and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch emerged from within the Immortal's palace. In the blink of an eye, they all transformed into beams of light that shot toward the Milky Way Sea.

The Spirit Severing cultivators who had formed the dragon and phoenix immediately appeared. The power of their cultivation bases surged out, causing the air to distort. Down below, the hundreds of thousands of other cultivators, still reeling in shock because of the sudden developments, also unleashed the power of their cultivation bases. It only took a moment for the air to distort, and a violent windstorm to rise up.

Meanwhile, the Northern Reaches cultivators on the Resurrection Lily bridge over the Milky Way Sea realized that they had been discovered. With no further need to conceal their presence, rumbling filled the air, and the appearance of the Milky Way Sea instantly changed!

It no longer looked sunny and calm. Instead, massive waves surged across its surface, as well as numerous corpses. Those corpses were none other than Milky Way Sea cultivators.

Also fully visible was the ferocious-looking Resurrection Lily bridge, as well as the million Northern Reaches cultivators, stretching out in formation like a huge dragon.

"Within a month, the Southern Domain will be destroyed!" a cold and ancient voice rang out. It was an old man within the Northern Reaches forces. He wore animal-hide clothing, and a necklace of bone teeth was strung around his neck. He flew up into the air, followed by three shocking figures.

Of those three people, two were old men and one was a silver haired boy.

The two old men looked exactly alike, except that one wore all black clothing and the other wore all white. Astonishingly, their cultivation bases were at the peak of Dao Seeking. As for the boy, he held a Cinnabar Fruit in his hand, which he would occasionally gnaw at. A red glow could be seen in his eyes, and he was surrounded by a thick, murderous air. He was the peak of Dao Seeking realm cultivator, Killua!

These four people were the Patriarchs leading the first wave of the Northern Reaches army. A few days behind them was the second wave of hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators.

The first wave was so close that they could see the mountains of the Southern Domain, as well as the six bright beams of light that were shooting through the air.

At the same time, they also noticed the shocking windstorm created by the cultivation bases of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, which rose up into the sky, emitting shocking power.

"These Southern Domain cultivators are clever. They actually sensed us ahead of time, and knew exactly when we would arrive."

"Not only did they know the time, they also knew the place, and are in combat readiness! They've even combined the cultivation bases of several hundred thousand cultivators into a windstorm! They hope to reduce the power of our sacred balm!"

"From their reaction, it seems they actually know about our plan! Thankfully, we're thoroughly prepared. It's too bad the sacred balm is most effective when they are scattered!"

"Of the six people approaching, four are at the peak of Dao Seeking. One is early Dao Seeking, and the third, the red-robed youth… it seems he's only a Second Severing cultivator?"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter, we'll stick to the plan and sacrifice our sacred balm!"

The four Northern Reaches Patriarchs exchanged glances, and then the old man with the bone-tooth necklace snorted coldly. He produced a red medicinal pill which was covered with bizarre magical symbols, which he immediately consumed. Then he stretched his hands out and lifted his head back to let out a wild roar.

"Dragonfish Transformation!"

At the same time, his body instantly began to expand and grow scales. In the blink of an eye, he was dozens of meters tall and bulging with muscles. Shockingly, the bone teeth around his neck shot out to swirl around him in a spherical spell formation!

Rumbling filled the air, along with a roar from within the spell formation. Suddenly, a huge black crocodile emerged, three hundred meters long!

The crocodile slapped its tail down, causing ripples to spread out. Immediately, the 10,000 cultivators bearing the huge stone cauldron flew forward and landed on the crocodile's back.

The crocodile let out a roar, and its eyes began to glow red as it charged forward toward the Southern Domain.

As for the several-meter-tall old man, his body emanated savage energy as he followed, acting as an escort to the crocodile.

Behind him, the two old men, who looked identical except for the contrasting black and white clothing, both swished their sleeves. Shockingly, they began to emanate an incredible aura of death. Even more astonishing, two hopping vampires appeared behind them, also wearing contrasting black and white clothing!

The two hopping vampires had long teeth and vicious expressions. They wore hats, and moved in leaping motions along with the two old men as they escorted the stone cauldron.

Last, was Killua. As he advanced, a giant emerged from the forces atop the Resurrection Lily bridge. It wielded an enormous wolf-tooth club, and roared as it shot forward, kicking up a huge wind. Killua flew up to stand on its shoulder.

He had eaten almost half of the Cinnabar Fruit, and held the other half in his hand, rubbing it occasionally.

The crocodile in the lead position had bright red, glowing eyes. It roared as it advanced at top speed, transforming into what almost looked like a black lightning bolt. As it neared the Southern Domain, Pill Demon, Sagiri and the apprentice alchemist Kunihisa rushed to meet it.

There was no talking. As soon as they met, the fighting began.

BOOM!

Kunihisa summoned a pill cauldron that emanated medicinal smoke. Within the smoke appeared countless warriors in golden armor that immediately blockaded the entire area.

Sagiri gave a cold snort and performed an incantation gesture. Instantly, the spiritual energy in the area faded, and a copper coffin appeared, the precious treasure of the Nadeshiko Clan.

As for Pill Demon, he shot directly toward the stone cauldron.

The crocodile roared, as did the several-meter-tall old man next to him. Suddenly, the old man flickered and appeared directly in front of the crocodile, then punched out.

"Piss off!" he cried.

BOOM!

The fist strike was backed by the power of his fleshly body. It shattered the air as it screamed toward Kunihisa's golden warriors. Immediately, the warriors began to wither and collapse into pieces.

The old man was extraordinarily strong. Natural law swirled around him, making the entire area around him his own. He barreled forward, smashing through the barricade, followed by the crocodile.

Meanwhile, the old men in the black and white clothes closed their eyes. Their bodies grew blurry, and astonishingly, they merged with the two hopping vampires behind them. The eyes of the hopping vampires suddenly began to glow with intelligence. As they leaped forward, their death aura rose up into the air, transforming into a vortex. Countless pale-white arms then stretched out from within the vortex. One of the hopping vampires shot toward Sagiri, the other headed to block Pill Demon.

The last to make a move were Killua and the mountain-like giant. The giant brandished its wolf-tooth club, and Killua pointed out, causing Kunihisa's face to fall. All of a sudden, a huge blister bulged out of Killua's forehead. It was bright red, and looked exactly like a Cinnabar Fruit.

A battle between peak Dao Seeking experts exploded out in the blink of an eye. Booms filled the air as Naruto approached, followed by his second true self and the left and right Dharma Protectors.

"Naruto," said Pill Demon urgently. "Block that stone cauldron! Don't let it touch the ground!"

Having sized up the battle, Naruto's eyes flashed, and he shot like lightning toward the crocodile.

The several-meter-tall old man in front of the crocodile had a fleshly body that could crush enemies like dried weeds. When he saw Naruto approaching, he completely ignored Naruto and focused on the three peak Dao Seeking cultivators next to him.

"SCREW OFFFFF!" roared the old man, punching out into the air.

Boom!

The old man's punch gave rise to an enormous vortex, the center of which was black, like a black hole. A terrifying gravitational force exploded out, distorting the air as it shot toward Patriarch Golden Frost.

Patriarch Golden Frost's expression was blank, but he had a peak Dao Seeking cultivation base. He waved his hand, causing mist to billow out, which then formed together into a mist sword that shot toward the vortex.

The 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch glided through the air, the glow of spell formations swirling beneath his feet. As he shot through the air, he left behind sealing marks that emanated powerful ripples. In the blink of an eye, he had circled completely around the old man and the crocodile, surrounding them with sealing spells.

Naruto's second true self waved his right arm. His eyes glittered as the Wooden Time Sword circled around him, and a river of Time power swept out. He advanced, stepping through the air to appear right next to the crocodile, whereupon he reached his hand out toward the stone cauldron.

As for Naruto, he slapped his bag of holding to produce the lightning cauldron, then cast a cold glance toward the old man in the animal skin garments, and waited for the right opportunity.

The old man's face was vicious as he lifted his head up and roared. Again, he grew larger, and a mocking smile twisted the corners of his mouth. It was at this point that he actually… self-detonated!

This sudden and unexpected self-detonation of a peak Dao Seeking cultivator was something that nobody in the area could have predicted and prepared for. Such a gambit was something that was fundamentally inconceivable.

And yet… it happened!

As his fleshly body exploded, roaring filled the air, and shocking ripples surged out in all directions. All the natural law in the area was disturbed, and everything was locked down, making teleportation impossible.

Patriarch Golden Frost and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch quickly fell back and used their full power to fight back against the power of the self-detonation. Naruto's second true self had no choice but to do the same and evade.

As for the crocodile, it transformed into a black lightning bolt that shot forward at incredible speed toward the Southern Domain. In the blink of an eye, it was in midair, just about to slam into the ground.

The stone cauldron on its back began to emanate black light. The black soil inside the cauldron began to squirm and writhe, and the incense stick… began to spontaneously combust!

Smoke swirled up, and the faces of all the Southern Domain cultivators fell.

Pill Demon, Sagiri and Kunihisa of the Violet Fate Sect all shot back toward it at high speed in an attempt to block it. The old men dressed in black and white laughed and flew forward in pursuit.

As for Killua who continuously stroked the Cinnabar Fruit, he also followed. In the blink of an eye, the entire group was above the Southern Domain, getting ready to attack.

When Naruto saw the crocodile descending toward the ground, his hand shot up and he pointed forward.

Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

Immediately, invisible Demonic Chakra formed together. It wrapped around the crocodile, which suddenly stopped in place. It struggled to free itself, but before it could, a golden vortex appeared around it.

Blood Demon Grand Magic!

The golden vortex spun round and round, causing Chakra and Blood, as well as cultivation base, to be sucked out of the crocodile. At the same time, Naruto shot forward at top speed. It only took a moment for him to close in on the stone cauldron, and then reach his hand out in preparation to grab it.

"Looking to die?!" said the two old men in black and white. With cold snorts, they descended upon Naruto, although Sagiri and Kunihisa immediately moved to intervene.

Killua who stood on the giant's shoulder laughed coldly, tossed the remaining half of the Cinnabar Fruit off to the side, then flew into the air to charge toward Naruto.

At this point, the left and right Dharma Protectors immediately approached with all the speed they could manage.

A truly chaotic battle was unfolding!

Naruto was almost on top of the crocodile, and was just about to make contact with the cauldron when suddenly, his eyes widened. A strange feeling arose within him, something he could sense only because of his status as a Demon Sealer; it felt as if some terrifying crises were just at hand.

It wasn't just him who felt it; his second true self also had a similar feeling, which Naruto could sense through their connection.

It was at this point that a withered hand suddenly burst out from the soil inside the stone cauldron. The hand was clenched into a fist which punched out toward Naruto's grasping hand.

An ancient voice echoed out from within the stone cauldron: "Measly Spirit Severing cultivator! Screw off!"

A huge boom exploded out!

Naruto could sense an incredible power rushing toward him like floodwaters. Cracking sounds immediately sounded out from his body. If he didn't have a Dao Seeking fleshly body, this punch would have severely injured him.

However, his Eternal stratum immediately went to work healing him. Not only did he not fall back, his eyes began to radiate a murderous air. His right hand reached out and grabbed the withered fist, then wrenched at it violently.

BOOM!

The soil in the stone cauldron exploded out as an old man wearing animal hide garments was jerked out by Naruto. When he appeared, the crocodile's body began to wither even faster. Part of its life force and cultivation base was being absorbed by Naruto, but the majority was being sucked up by the old man. As he absorbed the power, he rapidly returned to his previous several-meter-tall appearance.

He… wasn't dead after all!

What had self-detonated was not his true self, but a clone!

"Dao Spirit Pill!" exclaimed Pill Demon, his eyes widening.

Dao Spirit Pills were rare in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. It was a type of ancient medicinal pill, few of which existed. When a Dao Spirit Pill fused into a cultivator's aura, it produced an incarnation which could not exist for a very long time, perhaps enough time for an incense stick to burn.

The self-detonation had been caused by none other than the Dao Spirit Pill incarnation!

As soon as the old man in animal skin clothing was wrenched out of the soil by Naruto, a look of shocked surprise could be seen in his eyes. However, the expression quickly turned into one of ferocity as he punched out with his left hand.

Naruto's eyes glittered with coldness as he also punched out!

A huge boom could be heard, and blood oozed out of the corners of Naruto's mouth. He shot backward through midair and then exploded. However, even as the blood and gore began to shoot out, they pulled back together to reform his body.

The old man in animal skin clothing laughed loudly and said, "I am the High Priest of the Imperial Bloodline Clan of the Northern Reaches! Fellow Daoists from the Southern Domain, you might be fast, but are you fast enough to stop THIS?!"

He reached out and grabbed the stone cauldron, hauled it up into the air, and then threw it toward the ground.

The stone cauldron moved with incredible speed. In only a moment, it was less than a thousand meters from the ground.

Sagiri, Kunihisa and the left and right Dharma Protectors pursued as fast as they could. They wanted to teleport, but the self-detonation of the old man's clone had sent the area into chaos, making teleportation impossible.

That was his plan all along, and it was working perfectly!

The two men wearing black and white, as well as Killua, did everything in their power to prevent the stone cauldron from being blocked. All they needed to do was delay for a few moments. Considering their opponents were of the same stage as them, that was no difficult task!

When Naruto's body finished forming back together, his eyes were calm. His second true self neared, and they both flew out together. As the second true self unleashed a river of Time power, Naruto produced the lightning cauldron and then pushed down on it, simultaneously looking at a boulder down on the ground.

A boom rattled out from the lightning cauldron, and lightning crackled, causing everyone to look over.

However, the instant in which they caught sight of Naruto… he vanished! In his place was an enormous boulder!

At the same time, Naruto appeared in the previous location of the boulder, down on the ground. He then shot up into the air and grabbed hold of the stone cauldron!

"Impossible!" The old man in animal skin clothing stared in disbelief. It wasn't just him, the old men in black and white clothing, as well as Killua, all stared with wide eyes. They almost couldn't believe that a Spirit Severing cultivator would be able to do something like this.

Furthermore, the smoke from the incense stick swirled out and entered into Naruto's body to wither it. However, his Eternal stratum completely suppressed that power.

Naruto's eyes flickered with determination. He could not allow the thing to continue to burn, so he reached out with his right hand to extinguish it. However, even as he grabbed the burning head of the stick between his fingers and squeezed, an incredible power radiated out. Once the incense stick was ignited… it could not be put out!

"Fine, I don't need to put it out…." thought Naruto, his eyes radiating coldness. With that, he produced the lightning cauldron, and then looked around. A moment later, his eyes came to rest on the crowds of Northern Reaches cultivators still above the Milky Way Sea.

"NOOOO!" howled the Northern Reaches experts, turning to shoot toward Naruto.

They were a bit too slow. The lightning cauldron rumbled, and lightning flashed. Naruto's body vanished, to be replaced by a confused looking Northern Reaches cultivator.

As for Naruto, he was now above the Milky Way Sea, in the middle of the crowds of Northern Reaches cultivators. He immediately tossed the stone cauldron down toward the cultivators on the bridge.

His incredible speed made it impossible to obstruct his way. Rumbling sounded out as the cauldron descended and then exploded. Utilizing the force of the detonation, the incense stick burned all the way to the end, releasing boundless strands of gray smoke. The smoke seemed to be sentient, and hungry for flesh and blood. It immediately began to search for nearby bodies, then started boring into the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators. Some of them even bored into the Resurrection Lily, causing some sections of the bridge to turn gray.

Miserable shrieks could be heard as the horrified Northern Reaches cultivators found smoke burrowing into them and withering their bodies before they could even step foot into the Southern Domain.

Naruto heaved a sigh of relief, but the sense of danger he felt did not dissipate. Instead… it grew stronger to the point where his scalp was numb!

"What's going on?!" he thought, shooting up into the air as gray smoke swirled toward him. Suddenly, Naruto caught sight of something far off in the distance. It was a half-eaten Cinnabar Fruit, falling towards the ground. When he saw it, his eyes went wide.

It was almost impossible to tell, but the Cinnabar Fruit… was burning!

If you looked closely, you could tell that hidden almost undetectably inside of the Cinnabar Fruit was an incense stick!

Pill Demon also could sense that something wasn't quite right. The incense smoke that he saw was just like the Hellwither Nineruins Incense that he remembered, but he still had the feeling that they had overlooked something.

His face flickered as he looked around and then suddenly saw… the Cinnabar Fruit that the Killua had casually tossed away!

"NOT GOOD!"

The Cinnabar Fruit itself didn't seem to be anything extraordinary; the only noteworthy thing about it was that it had been bitten in half. It hadn't fallen at a high speed, and because of that it had been difficult to detect. By the time it was discovered, it had already landed on the ground.

A rumbling sound could be heard as the Cinnabar Fruit shattered into pieces. Hidden inside it was half of an incense stick, much smaller than the incense stick in the stone cauldron. However, it was burning, and as soon as it touched the ground… the ground turned gray. Then, the grayness spread out rapidly. There was no way to stop it.

Naruto's face fell!

Hellwither Nineruins was refined from the blood, flesh and fat of a true Immortal. By congealing the deep rancor felt by a true Immortal in the moments before death, a powerful curse was formed. As long as it didn't touch any land, its power was ordinary. However, once it touched the land, the power of the curse would be unleashed on all living things that were born in that land.

It only had one fatal flaw, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say a weakness. While it was true that it used the refined rancor of a true Immortal's flesh and blood to curse the land, the curse couldn't be sustained for very long. At the most, it would last for three months before the land naturally purified itself!

Unfortunately, three months was enough time for all of the cultivators in the Southern Domain to be completely withered up and weakened to the point of death. For those who didn't die, their cultivation bases would be significantly reduced.

The best way to use it was to enact the curse the moment the army arrived. Then, the Northern Reaches army could slaughter their way in like a thunderbolt, and quickly eliminate the foundation of the Southern Domain.

The Northern Reaches placed significant importance on the war with the Southern Domain. Because of that, the Imperial Bloodline Clan had spared nothing, not even the final remnants of its Hellwither Nineruins Incense, of which there was not one piece, but two.

One of the incense sticks had been used in an overt attack, the other in a sneak attack. That way… they hoped to ensure that at least one of the incense sticks touched the ground of the Southern Domain.

The Northern Reaches only had two chances!

And both of those chances were due to… the bizarre treasures of the Imperial Bloodline Clan!

The Imperial Bloodline Clan… could actually trace its origins back to the Southern Domain. However, long ago, they were suppressed by Lord Hebi when he unified the four great planets and became the Lord of the Ninth Mountain.

As for the Imperial Bloodline Sect of the Northern Reaches, they were actually a branch of the Imperial Bloodline Clan, with the same bloodline. The only difference was that, instead of following the Imperial Bloodline's internal family hierarchy, its structure was set up in the form of a Sect. Furthermore, they had sent out a big announcement to attract outsiders to join, and thus increase their overall power.

Under normal circumstances, the Northern Reaches would not dare to use such a bizarre treasure right under the noses of the Hebi Clan in the Eastern Lands, not even with the Southern Domain in chaos.

But now… the true Immortality destiny had appeared. During this period of time, whoever came out on top in the struggle for the Immortality destiny would be able to achieve true Immortal Ascension. Using a special technique, the Imperial Bloodline Clan was able to determine that the source of the Immortality destiny… was in the Southern Domain!

That was why they attacked with such madness!

By occupying the Southern Domain, they could control the source of the Immortality destiny.

Currently, miserable shrieks could be heard coming from the crowds on the Resurrection Lily bridge. The first wave of hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators screamed as their bodies were withered, and their cultivation bases dropped.

They were sustaining significant losses before they even stepped foot into the Southern Domain. That caused the four peak Dao Seeking leaders that had come with this first wave to go mad.

Their hatred for Naruto instantly exploded to monstrous heights.

However, the lands of the Southern Domain were still in imminent danger!

In the blink of an eye, the grayness of the Hellwither Nineruins Incense spread out rapidly, and it wouldn't take long for it to cover the entire Southern Domain.

It was a deep gray, almost black. Plants and vegetation withered and died as far as the eye could see. Wild animals screamed miserably and tried to flee, but rapidly weakened and then fell to the ground, trembling, eyes filled with despair.

Up in midair, Sagiri's face went pale white. Even though he was floating above the ground, his body instantly began to emanate black smoke. The same thing happened to Kunihisa, the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, and Patriarch Golden Frost.

Black smoke curled up as their flesh and blood began to rot. It was the same with Pill Demon.

"Hellwither Nineruins Incense…." said Pill Demon with a bitter chuckle. "The Northern Reaches want to cut off our Southern Domain cultivators' foundation. This curse… even if we flee the Southern Domain at top speed, it won't do any good. Anyone born in these lands will be incapable of fleeing…. This curse is so potent!" Even as he spoke, black smoke rose up from his body in wisps, and the grayness spread further.

"If only we could stop the curse from spreading… but how?!" It was in this moment that Pill Demon, his face twisted with sorrow, looked over at Naruto, who was trembling with rage, his eyes bloodshot. Pill Demon gaped. "Naruto… you're… you're not affected by the curse!"

Naruto's body wasn't emanating any black smoke at all…. Earlier, before the Hellwither Nineruins Incense touched the ground, it had affected him. But now that the Southern Domain had been cursed, only people who were born there would be affected. However, Naruto… didn't seem to be affected at all!

As for his second true self, it had been created using his own fleshly body, so it was the same.

Naruto didn't have time to think about why the curse wasn't affecting him. His eyes were shot with blood as he flew down toward the ground. He could see that there was nothing he could do to stop the rapid spread of the curse. He could also see that the grayness of the curse had already reached the location of the wedding ceremony. Everything was turning gray.

At the site of the wedding, hundreds of thousands of cultivators were combining their cultivation base power to form a windstorm in a desperate attempt to fight back. The purifying effect of the windstorm was somewhat effective in reducing the power of the curse, but could not completely block it.

Black smoke was already starting to roil up in shocking fashion.

By now, the four Northern Reaches peak Dao Seeking experts had noticed that Naruto was wearing garments that cultivators normally wouldn't wear. They also saw the wedding decorations off in the distance. Finally, they understood.

"Don't tell me that the Southern Domain cultivators were actually gathered here to attend this guy's wedding!" said the old man in the animal skins. His eyes flashed with a bright light.

The two men who looked like animated corpses smiled ruthlessly. "Hundreds of thousands of cultivators gathered for a cultivator bonding ceremony!" said one of them. "It's destined to be soaked with the color of blood!"

"Hahaha!" laughed Killua. "A wonderful Red Wedding!"

"It's too bad they're all gathered together, though. If they were scattered out across the land, the Hellwither Nineruins could spread out with even greater impact. Now… it seems it will be a bit weaker."

Naruto shot at top speed back toward the site of the wedding. He immediately burst through the windstorm to appear above the island in the lake.

Hinata, Sakura, everyone was all sitting cross-legged, pouring the power of their cultivation bases into the windstorm to fight back against the curse.

Hinata's body was trembling especially hard. Because of her unique situation… the curse affected her even more severely than the others!

As soon as Naruto saw Hinata, his eyes filled with resolve. He stretched out his right hand and slammed it hard onto the surface of the ground. Immediately, the fourth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic spun into motion.

Instead of absorbing blood or cultivation bases, he would use the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex to try to absorb the curse power of the Hellwither Nineruins!

Naruto wasn't sure if it would work, but he could think of no other options. The Northern Reaches had invaded on the day of his wedding. A joyous occasion had become lifeless. This was something he could not accept!

His heart quivered, and he was on the verge of insanity. The Blood Demon Grand Magic spun rapidly, a golden vortex that encompassed him, the island, and the entire lake.

It rotated rapidly, causing the lake water to also spin around. However, although it seemed as if the Hellwither curse was being affected at first, it suddenly seemed to completely ignore Naruto.

"Get over here!" he roared. He ripped open a huge gash in his right palm, sending bright red blood splashing down onto the ground. At the same time that the blood entered the soil, the Blood Demon Grand Magic reached the pinnacle of its speed. Finally, the Hellwither curse was affected and started to near him. However… it was going far too slow!

"Second true self!" he cried. His second true self shot down from up above and landed behind him. He sat down cross legged, then stretched his right hand out and placed it on the middle of Naruto's back.

By combining his own power with that of his second true self, Naruto was able to push the fourth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic even faster.

RUMBLE!

It was like flinging a drop of water into a hot frying pan. The water in the lake boiled, with Naruto at the center. The Hellwither curse power that filled the land immediately began to surge toward Naruto.

It followed his blood and flesh to his palm, where it entered his body. He instantly began to tremble, and his hair turned white. His body also started to wither as vast amounts of curse power gathered together within him.

He was forcing the curse to fuse into him!

The Eternal stratum immediately surged into action as he used his own body to attempt to purify the land of the Hellwither curse. Any other person would be incapable of doing this. Naruto only had such a chance because he had the Eternal stratum.

Rumbling surrounded him as the Eternal stratum restored his body. As soon as it happened though, more curse power began to wither him away. It was a vicious cycle; in the short space of a few breaths of time, the Eternal stratum restored his body countless times.

Everything rumbled as the grayness in the area… began to change. From up above in the sky, it was obvious that Naruto was like a black hole into which the grayness of the curse power was being sucked, cleansing the land.

The four peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches were completely shocked.

"Impossible!"

"Who is he?! That peak Dao Seeking cultivator is his clone!"

"He was clearly not affected by the curse! He wasn't born in the lands of Lands of Ninshu! But his physical body… is actually… so powerful that he can can affect the Hellwither curse by himself!"

In all their years of cultivation, they had never encountered a cultivator as fearsome as this.

"Inhuman!" In their shock, they flew forward in an attempt to stop Naruto. However, how could Sagiri and Pill Demon possibly let them do as they pleased? After all, they had now seen a ray of hope. Along with Kunihisa, Patriarch Golden Frost and the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch, they flew forward, using their full strength to block the way.

Booms echoed out and the four Northern Reaches cultivators howled. However, they could do nothing to break through and had no way to interfere with Naruto.

Naruto's body trembled visibly as it was continuously withered away and then restored. The severity of the pain was enough to cause all but the most strong-willed person to pass out.

He gritted his teeth and continued on doggedly. However, then he looked over and saw Hinata sitting there, shivering even more violently than before.

"Too slow! I need to go faster!" He pushed his left hand down onto the ground.

RUMBLE!

Curse power surged madly toward his two hands, furiously pouring into his body.

The grayness of the land was gradually fading away!

The ground quaked, and the gray color had faded by ten percent!

Up in midair, the four Northern Reaches Dao Seeking experts were in the midst of magical combat with Sagiri and the others. When they saw the color changing down below, they were astonished.

"Ten percent!"

"Dammit! How could he be so inhuman? He used his own body as the vessel to absorb ten percent of the curse power!"

Naruto trembled as the curse power filled him. His flesh and blood constantly withered, and his Eternal stratum continuously restored him. Within a brief span, this cycle had already been repeated innumerable times.

It was an even more brutal sight than what had occurred when Naruto stood outside the Blood Demon Sect's shield while fighting the four allied powers.

Blood oozed constantly out of the sides of his mouth, and even his eyes leaked black, viscous blood. His face was as pale as a corpse, and yet his hands remained planted firmly on the ground. The Blood Demon Grand Magic spun rapidly as it sucked the curse power from the ground.

His second true self was also trembling as he used all the strength he could muster to raise the gravitational force of Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic to a shocking level.

The entire island was surrounded by a gray whirlwind, which emitted shocking rumbling sounds as it rotated, covering the entire lake and spreading out into surrounding areas. The endless curse power that had spread off into the distance was gradually sucked into the Blood Demon Grand Magic, and then into Naruto's body.

The intensity of the pain that stabbed through him was impossible to describe. The cycle of withering and recovery seemed like the most vicious and painful torture imaginable. Soon, Naruto's hair couldn't be restored, and was no longer black. Instead, it was gray, and turning whiter by the moment.

"Have to go even faster!" thought Naruto. He gritted his teeth and then spat up a huge mouthful of blood. His body swayed back and forth, but his ten fingers were firmly planted on the ground as he sucked in curse power at an incredible speed.

Twenty percent!

Thirty percent!

The color of the curse was changing throughout the entire Southern Domain. In a short moment, Naruto seemed to have been reincarnated a hundred times. It was almost like his body didn't belong to him any more; only his will remained as steadfast as ever.

Up in the sky, the four Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches were completely astonished, and couldn't help but gasp. They could scarcely believe what they were seeing.

The fact that someone could do this, could use their own body to resist the Hellwither Nineruins curse, and even absorb it, was beyond their imaginations. In fact, had any one of them been in that position, it would have been impossible for them to do the same.

From their perspective, Naruto was taking a huge, suicidal risk.

"Crazy! That guy's crazy!"

"How could he not be crazy!? Today is his wedding day, and now it's turned into a funeral!"

"He'll die for sure. There's no way his body can take it! He'll turn into a pool of blood that will be an even more noxious curse!"

"He's DEAD!"

As for the hundreds of thousands of cultivators who had come to participate in the wedding celebration, their bodies were still slowly withering. Although Naruto was frenziedly attempting to absorb the curse, as long as the curse was still there, everyone would still be under its effects.

One face after another grew pale and aged. At the same time, Hinata… was trembling. She looked like a flower that would completely wilt at any moment.

Naruto's heart was filled with a grief and indignation that was like a pent-up breath of frustration which could not be exhaled. It surged through his body, and his eyes turned red. Within his mind, a single thought revolved….

He had to do everything he could to absorb the entire curse!

However… it was apparent that ability of his body to recover from the curse was slowly lessening. In fact, his skin was already beginning to shrivel and parch. His Eternal stratum, even were it stronger than it already was, would be incapable of infinite recovery.

"There really isn't anything truly Eternal in this world…." Naruto thought as blood flowed out from his mouth. He knew this, and knew that his Eternal stratum would be incapable of sustaining him in perpetuity. However, as before… he chose to continue to absorb the curse.

RUMBLE!

The color faded even more.

Forty percent!

Not much time had passed, and he had already absorbed forty percent of the Hellwither Nineruins curse. As a result, he was filled with unspeakable pain.

His teeth were loosening in his jaw, and his skin was growing old. His bones were softening, and blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. And yet to Naruto… none of that mattered!

He looked over at Hinata and took a deep breath. There was a vast amount of curse power built up in him already, to the point that the Eternal stratum couldn't dispel it. His vital organs were now beginning to wither and rot.

At this point, Hinata's eyelashes fluttered and she… opened her eyes.

She looked at Naruto and didn't have the energy to speak. However, anxiety, deep concern, and anguish could be seen in her eyes. It was an expression that broke Naruto's heart.

The wedding ceremony… had only been half completed.

Now, everything was gray… and the color of blood!

It should have been the happiest day of his life, but now… it was turning into a tragedy.

Naruto laughed. He lifted his head up to the sky and laughed. That laughter sounded maniacal, enraged, filled with intense discontent. Rumbling sounds could be heard from beneath his palms. His body was already nearly completely withered by the curse, and yet he continued to absorb it.

RUMBLE!

The ground changed color again.

Fifty percent!

Boundless curse power rumbled toward him. Naruto was a black hole at the center of the windstorm, absorbing everything.

Blood poured out of his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. His skin was tearing, and he was now sitting in the middle of a pool of blood. The accumulation of curse power within him was reaching a peak.

The Hellwither Nineruins curse contained incredible powers of withering. It withered the land, and also caused the cultivation bases of all the cultivators born in that land to wither. Now, that power was building up inside of Naruto. The Eternal stratum could not wipe it away, causing Naruto to tremble violently.

It was at this point that Naruto suddenly made unexpected progress. After all, he cultivated the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao. Within those seven characters was the 'withering' character!

As of this moment, he gained complete enlightenment of withering!

With the complete understanding of the 'withering' character, Naruto's body rumbled, and the curse power within him began to shrink. It condensed into his blood vessels, his soul, his flesh, and transformed into… a 'withering' character divine ability!

At that moment, Naruto sucked in a deep breath as the Withering Character Incantation combined with the Blood Immortal Divine Ability. In combination with the frenzied assistance of the second true self, massive rumbling sounds filled the air.

Sixty percent!

The color of the curse throughout all the Southern Domain changed once again. Everything shook, and the four Northern Reaches peak Dao Seeking experts up above were further shocked.

"His body… his body is actually at Dao Seeking!"

"There's something strange about the technique he cultivates. This guy… this guy's body can constantly regenerate!"

"He can actually absorb the withering power of the curse!"

The four men only continued to be more and more astonished. In fact, even Sagiri and the others could hardly believe what they were seeing. The only one who wasn't surprised was Pill Demon. He looked sadly at Naruto, as well as the lands below.

He was Naruto's master, and he knew why Naruto was risking everything. Today was his wedding day, and his wife was on the same island he was.

"Unless he absorbs one hundred percent, the effects can't be completely reversed…." murmured Pill Demon.

When Naruto absorbed sixty percent of the curse, the withering effect on the surrounding hundreds of thousands of cultivators was visibly reduced. Although they were still trembling, the effects of the curse seemed to have eased up a bit. When they opened their eyes, what they saw… was Naruto, coughing up blood, his body slowly dissolving.

Sixty percent… was not enough!

Naruto produced the lightning cauldron and attempted to pour the curse power into it, but it didn't work. The lightning cauldron and the curse were two completely different things. He thought about using the Wooden Time Swords to afflict the curse with the passage of time, but doing that would also affect the curse power in the bodies of the Southern Domain cultivators.

Once the Time power activated, it might end things… but it would also cause the destructive power of the curse to be inflicted faster.

He thought of many other options, but none could resolve the problem.

The only thing left to do was to continue to absorb the curse power. He once again sent the Withering Character Incantation into operation. Once again the land rumbled, and the color changed.

Seventy percent!

The Withering Character Incantation was reaching its limit. With seventy percent of the curse power absorbed, even it was incapable of absorbing more.

Naruto had truly reached his limit.

His Eternal stratum was on the verge of fading away. His body couldn't handle any more withering from the curse. He was ancient now.

Tears rolled down Hinata's face.

The four peak Dao Seeking cultivators from the Northern Reaches had already been completely shaken by Naruto. However, now they could see that he had reached his limit, and they heaved sighs of relief.

"It's over. He's reached his limit. He can't absorb any more!"

"He absorbed seventy percent of the curse power and yet didn't die. The power of withering even seems to exist within him! As far as I can tell, this guy… is the number one figure in the entire Southern Domain!"

"To destroy the Southern Domain we must first destroy him! Damnation! There's only thirty percent of the curse power remaining!"

Back on the island, Naruto saw the tears on Hinata's face, and it seemed as if the entire world went completely silent.

He looked at her, and his life force ignited. His cultivation base exploded with power. The mark on his hand that had appeared in the past appeared once again.

He raised his head up and laughed. It was a shrill laughter that echoed out. Naruto was burning everything he had in one mad, desperate attempt to absorb more curse power.

"NO!" Hinata cried weakly, trembling. The moment she cried out was the same moment that Naruto made his final, crazed attempt.

The ground trembled and the color changed again, growing more faded.

Eighty percent!

After eighty percent of the curse power entered his body, Naruto attempted to absorb all the way to ninety. But then, his body trembled and he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. Some sort of massive power pushed back against his palms, and he was sent tumbling backward. Blood sprayed out. He was now… incapable of absorbing any more curse power.

"Impossible!" thought the four Northern Reaches peak Dao Seeking experts.

Without Naruto to absorb it, the remaining twenty percent of the curse power suddenly exploded out to inundate the hundreds of thousands of cultivators…. Their cultivation bases surged with all the power they could summon as they fought back. The result was… the curse power was reduced by another ten percent.

As of now, ninety percent of the curse power had been wiped away. Only ten percent was left behind. That ten percent seemed to erupt with unprecedented power. The hundreds of thousands of cultivators all coughed up blood.

However, there was an intense, murderous look in the eyes of each and every one. To these cultivators, the remaining ten percent of the curse power was no catastrophe. It was something they could bear. Furthermore, there was little weakening to their cultivation bases.

One by one, they stood up, and in their eyes was monstrous killing intent. In that moment, wild colors flashed in the sky, and the clouds churned. The four peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches felt their scalps going numb. They were completely shaken.

It was only Hinata, still clothed in her red wedding dress… who coughed up blood and continued to grow weaker. Because of her body's unique situation, even the ten percent of the curse power that remained could be fatal to her.

She suddenly began to topple over. Naruto, around whom swirled black wisps of death aura, immediately lurched forward and caught her in his arms. Filled with grief and rage, he carried her off into the distance, far from the raging war that was about to erupt.

He had saved the entire Southern Domain, but couldn't save his wife. In his insanity, Naruto began to laugh with grief. Laughter that sounded like weeping echoed out across the lands.

An incredible silence suddenly filled the entire battlefield. After that, killing intent exploded up into the Heavens.

"KILL THEM!" Hundreds of thousands of cultivators charged madly toward the Milky Way Sea, towards the hundreds of thousands of withering Northern Reaches cultivators.

The war… had begun!

Naruto left. And yet, not a single Southern Domain cultivator felt even the slightest bit upset because of that. They had attended Naruto and Hinata's wedding, as well as the invasion of the Northern Reaches. They had also experienced the Hellwither Nineruins curse.

They only thing they felt regarding Naruto was sorrow, as well as hope that he would eventually have the strength to continue on.

A huge massacre unfolded on the border of the Southern Domain.

Naruto held Hinata; both were still wearing their red wedding garments. He held her in his arms, and she leaned up against his chest. A dark aura surrounded Naruto, and his body was incredibly withered. Tears filled his eyes, and his heart was torn to pieces. He felt as if he was being continuously stabbed with countless sharp blades.

A black aura also appeared on the withered Hinata. She had already died once, and although her body had been restored, it was only meant to survive for a hundred years.

The remaining ten percent power of the curse might not affect others very much, but to Hinata, well… it was something her body couldn't handle.

The remaining ten percent of the curse power was like exponential time power. Within only a few days, she would live out an entire lifetime.

Hinata suddenly forced her eyes open to look at her husband as he held her. He was the most dear and important person in her entire life. Her voice weak, she said, "I want… to go back to the valley."

She didn't want Naruto to be unhappy, nor did she want to see him hurt even the smallest bit. She wanted to be happy with him forever, with no pain, and no sadness.

No matter what, as long as you are safe and sound, then I'm content.

"Alright, let's go back…." said Naruto with a nod. His heart trembled as he looked at her. He didn't want his grief to affect her, so a warm smile appeared on his face.

Except, it was a smile that was filled with silent tears.

"You did the right thing," she murmured. "They came to attend our wedding, and we shouldn't let the guests be harmed. We owe them now…. In the future, if I'm not here, make sure to pay everyone back." With that, she sunk into his chest exhaustedly and closed her eyes.

When she closed her eyes, Naruto stopped in place. After sensing that she was simply unconscious, he felt that he could finally unleash his grief. He looked up into the sky… and tears began to pour out.

He didn't want to alarm Hinata, so he held her very gently as they proceeded off into the distance. They passed over mountains and lands until they reached the Blood Demon Sect, Blood Prince Gorge, and their log cabin.

He went to seek advice from Patriarch Blood Demon, but the Immortal's cave was sealed with a blood-colored shield, preventing him from entering. Patriarch Blood Demon was asleep, and incapable of awakening.

Back in the valley, Naruto held Hinata, and his heart ached. Straightening her hair, he softly said, "We agreed to spend a hundred years together. After that you would be reincarnated, and I would go find you…."

Hinata opened her eyes and smiled at him. What she didn't see was that when he stroked his hand through her hair, it was filled with withered strands of hair that had fallen out.

Naruto saw, and he trembled. He quickly clenched his fingers, causing the hairs to vanish.

Hinata's face was pale. Her hair, like her life, was withering away. Her face was also slowly changing. She was no longer young and beautiful. Wrinkles were spreading out across her face.

The flow of time affected her body in a way that made it seem as if many years had elapsed.

As Naruto watched her pretty features growing older, he felt as if he didn't have a heart anymore. All he had was a feeling of emptiness, as if a painful black hole existed within his chest.

Hinata looked at the night sky, and the twinkling stars. Her voice soft, she murmured, "I wish… we could go back in time to the Reliance Sect. I could be your Elder Sister in the sect and you could be my Junior Brother….

"I would take you to meet my family. I remember that before I was taken to the sect, I had a younger brother….

"I wish… I could be with you forever…." She was growing weaker. She closed her eyes and slept.

Naruto could tell that Hinata's life force was reaching its end. Her fleshly body was withered, and it seemed as if it might vanish at any moment. She had no energy left, like a candle in the wind….

Hinata was aging. She no longer appeared to be in her twenties, but rather, middle-aged. However, to Naruto, she would eternally be that beautiful young woman to whom he had once given a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill.

"I won't let you wither away," he said softly. "We agreed to spend a hundred years together, and we will!" Eyes filling with a flame of unprecedented decisiveness, he reached down to stroke her cheek.

After a long moment, he closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them and extended his right index finger. From the look of it, it was now the only part of his body that hadn't been affected by the withering. That was because… it contained what little remained of his Eternal stratum.

He carefully sliced a cut into his finger and slowly squeezed out a few drops of blood onto Hinata's lips, blood which contained his Eternal stratum.

Her lips turned the color of blood, and it almost seemed they they were the only part of her body that had any color. It formed a stark contrast to her ashen skin. As the blood seeped into her mouth, her face suddenly wasn't old any more.

Naruto, on the other hand, trembled, and his body withered up a bit more. His Eternal stratum was now weakened, but in his heart, he felt hope.

However, after three days passed, Naruto realized that his Eternal stratum could not prevent Hinata from withering. Finally, he started laughing bitterly.

Hinata's hair was now mostly white, and her face looked middle-aged. She was skinny, and no longer beautiful like she used to be. However, the warmth in her eyes, and the curve of her smile, were things that Naruto would never forget.

Finally, she smiled and prevented Naruto from using any more of his Eternal stratum blood. It hurt her heart to see him doing such a thing, even more so than the thought of her imminent death.

"Just stay with me," she said. "Until the end. Take me to be reincarnated…. That's good enough.

"We agreed to a whole lifetime. So, it's just like… I'm going to sleep for a bit. When I wake up, I'll see you there. Right…?"

"Absolutely!" said Naruto, his voice quavering.

Days passed, and Hinata grew older. The time she remained awake every day lessened. Most of the time, she slept.

Naruto stayed by her side, and didn't take even half a step outside of the valley. He held her the entire time, held her in a way that said he never wanted to let her go.

As for his own body, as the days passed, the Eternal stratum gradually awoke and began to restore him. Even as the curse power was slowly expelled from within, Hinata continued to grow weaker.

Naruto tried every method possible to reverse the fading of Hinata's life force, all to no avail. He hated that his cultivation base wasn't high enough, and even more so, he hated the cruelty of the Northern Reaches curse.

His heart was already Devilish, but he had been suppressing it, almost as if with shackles. But now… the shackles began to loosen….

He could do nothing but watch over Hinata. He watched as her hair turned white, and her youth disappeared. She went from being middle-aged to being elderly. Although he could have changed her out of the red wedding dress, he didn't, and she still wore it.

At one point she forced her eyes open to look at him, but they were cloudy, and she couldn't see him clearly. "Sakura is a good girl," she murmured. "I told her that I can only stay with you for a hundred years, and that she should help me take care of you.

"Shizuka isn't bad either…."

Naruto didn't say anything. He looked at her, his eyes filled with grief as he slowly caressed her wrinkled face. What he saw was her former beautiful face that had changed in only a few days as he held her.

By now, the Devil in Naruto's heart was unshackled and awakening….

In those few days that passed, great changes occurred outside in the Southern Domain. In the battle on the shore of the Milky Way Sea, the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators all died. The Milky Way Sea was stained red with blood.

Then the second wave of the Northern Reaches' forces arrived. The hundreds of thousands of Southern Domain cultivators began to retreat. The battlefield grew from the border of the Southern Domain, to engulf fully half of the entire continent.

Fierce fighting raged every day. Among the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators were seven Dao Seeking experts, which made it virtually impossible for the Southern Domain to hold their ground. They were constantly forced into retreat.

All of the Southern Domain's cultivators were mobilized. It didn't matter the sect or clan, everyone was called into action for this war of life or death!

It was without a doubt a fight to the death. The Northern Reaches' invasion was not one in which surrender was sought. They wanted the complete annihilation of the Southern Domain cultivators' foundation. Furthermore, because of the casualties suffered by the initial wave of attackers, the Northern Reaches cultivators harbored an even more intense and deep-seated hatred for the Southern Domain than they had in the beginning.

No one would rest until the other side was dead!

Sects were laid to waste and one clan after another was left in ruins. Eventually, the war focused on six different fronts. It was as if six mighty arrows had been shot from the Northern Reaches directly into the Southern Domain.

The third and fourth fronts eventually overlapped, and became the location of the largest concentration of cultivators. Hundreds of thousands of Southern Domain cultivators were there, as was the main force of the Northern Reaches army. The carnage was never ending, and the Southern Domain was in a state of constant retreat.

Severe casualties were inflicted every day, and bloody paths strewn with corpses stretched across the land.

Several days later, over half of the hundreds of thousands of Southern Domain cultivators in the third and fourth fronts were dead. The remaining 200,000 were now falling back to the Blood Demon Sect.

A final line of defense was being set up outside the Blood Demon Sect to resist the Northern Reaches' murderous assault.

Rumbling filled the battlefield, along with miserable screams and the sound of fierce combat. The colorful lights of divine abilities filled the air, and the ground quaked.

The Northern Reaches had come with giants the size of mountains, who wielded enormous wolf-tooth clubs. They charged onto the battlefield in the vanguard, and even when their bodies had been covered with bloody wounds, they continued their awful massacre. Then there were the countless wild beasts and innumerable evil spirits that accompanied the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators. They were a powerful force of destruction that crushed everything in their path.

The chaotic sounds of battle drifted into the Blood Demon Sect. All the remaining Blood Demon Sect disciples were outside, alongside the other Southern Domain cultivators, defending against the advancing Northern Reaches army.

The Southern Domain cultivators had no choice but to fall back to the Blood Demon Sect. As the Northern Reaches army advanced, this location had became something of a holy land for the Southern Domain.

The Blood Demon Sect was the most powerful sect in the Southern Domain!

The Blood Demon Sect had Naruto, who had saved the entire Southern Domain from the curse!

The Blood Demon Sect also had the legendary, incredibly powerful Patriarch Blood Demon.

Therefore, that was the location the forces from the third and fourth fronts retreated to. The Northern Reaches cultivators were happy to see this; they wanted to destroy the foundation of the Southern Domain. If they could take out the Blood Demon Sect, then they would be able to deliver the coup de grâce to the Southern Domain cultivators in one fell swoop.

The other fronts throughout the Southern Domain were also changing locations, getting closer to the Blood Demon Sect. From the look of things, they wanted to make the Blood Demon Sect the location of their final stand.

The Southern Domain… did not seem to have any hope of winning. By now, the Northern Reaches had mobilized the third wave of their army, which would arrive in only a few days from the Milky Way Sea.

That third wave army represented the ultimate power of the Northern Reaches.

Constant carnage could be witnessed in the area surrounding the Blood Demon Sect. Pill Demon, Sagiri, and in fact, all of the peak Dao Seeking experts in the Southern Domain, were there at what was essentially the primary battlefield of the war. They had been fighting and killing for so long that their eyes were completely bloodshot.

Sagiri had lost his right arm, as well as an eye. His aura was weak, and he had even been forced to start burning his life force.

Kunihisa from the Violet Fate Sect had lost his fleshly body, and was now nothing more than a Nascent Divinity. However, he was surrounded by swirling pill furnaces, and continued to fight nonetheless.

Patriarch Golden Frost was severely injured. As the battle had progressed, he had recovered some of his senses, and was no longer muddle-headed and ignorant. In the moment when he became lucid, he did not flee, but rather began to laugh bitterly.

"I have sinned!" he roared. "Sinned against the Southern Domain!" With that, he began to fight even more frenziedly than before.

The 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch did not recover his senses. He died fighting.

His death shook the entire battlefield. He was at the peak of Dao Seeking, and in the end, opted to self-detonate. Although he wasn't able to kill any of the peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Domain, he did manage to severely injure three of them.

Pill Demon was completely exhausted, and also injured. At some point, a violet mark had come to appear on his forehead. Apparently, it was something that had previously been sealed, but now… he was experimentally unleashing it.

When the mark appeared, his cultivation base left the early Dao Seeking stage, passed through the middle stage and ended… by emanating the power of the late Dao Seeking Stage.

It was as if terrifying waves had been unleashed inside of him that rolled around constantly in an attempt to break out.

Even more Spirit Severing experts died.

The Northern Reaches suffered similarly large casualties. The war unfolded rapidly, and in a short period of time, rivers of blood flowed everywhere.

As the sound of battle and slaughter rumbled from the outside world into Blood Prince Gorge, Naruto sat there holding Hinata, watching her gradually grow older and older. More wrinkles covered her face, and her hair was now completely white. Finally, the pain in his heart seemed to form a resonance with the fighting and killing going on outside.

There was no way for him to keep Hinata's life force from slipping away. There was nothing he could do but watch as her beauty slowly faded.

There was no sparkle or reflection in her cloudy eyes when she opened them; her whole world had become blurry.

"After I'm gone, will you miss me…?" she asked.

When Naruto heard this, more tears welled up in his eyes, and stabbing pain filled his heart. He held her tight, and his tears dropped down onto her face.

"Don't cry…." she murmured, using what scant energy she had left to raise a withered hand and try to wipe his face dry. "I'm happy. Happy that I ran into you that day on Mount Myoboku….

"I hope that after I'm reincarnated and then regain my memories, it will be on another Mount Myoboku… with you….

"Naruto, I've been dreaming a lot recently. I always dream… that we are back on Mount Myoboku, or in the Reliance Sect…." As she spoke, the flame of her life force began to slowly fade away.

By now, she was fully conscious. Clearly, this was the last bit of lucidity she would experience before death, the last burst of life force. Her eyes were not clouded now, but clear, filled with warmth as she recalled past times, and also brimming with an intense reluctance to leave.

She didn't want to leave the lands of the Southern Domain. She didn't want to leave Naruto. There were too many things keeping her here, too many memories. She didn't want to part with any of them. She wanted to stay with Naruto for the rest of the hundred years. Unfortunately… that was now impossible.

She sighed, and deep in her heart she felt regret. Regret that the wedding ceremony… was only half completed.

"Naruto… take care of yourself…. You live, I live… you die, I die…. When the day arrives that I recover my memories after being reincarnated, you need to be there…. If you're not, then I don't ever want to wake up from the darkness of being unaware." The light that flickered in her eyes was gradually fading. The hand she had lifted up moments ago grew so weak that it fell back down.

In the moment that it began to fall, Naruto reached out to take hold of it. Deep in his eyes, grief mixed with warmth as he looked at Hinata.

He placed his right hand onto her back and poured more of his own life force into her. In that moment, his hair turned completely white.

The simple act bolstered her fading life force just a little bit, allowing her to stay alive in the world just a little bit longer. She could breathe bit more of that air she didn't wish to part with, and her eyes glowed with just a little bit more light as she looked at Naruto.

"Let me go, okay…?" she murmured weakly.

Naruto's eyes glowed with determination. "Our wedding hasn't been finished," he said. "So you can't go yet…. I'm going to give you a complete cultivator bonding ceremony!" With that, he held her tight and flew up into the air.

He dared not loosen his grip on her. It was his flow of life force that was preventing her from fading away.

They were still wearing their red wedding gowns, and both had snow white hair. They were old.

It was as if great rejoicing and great calamity were fused together as Naruto flew out of Blood Prince Gorge. Off in the distance, he could see the shocking battle which was underway.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators fought like mad. The ripples cast off by magical techniques flowed out in all directions. Bright colors flashed in the sky, and the clouds churned chaotically. Booms and explosions accompanied death and destruction…. At any given moment, miserable screams could be heard drifting across the battlefield. They turned into waves of sound that resembled the Yellow Springs of the underworld.

The sky above and the land below seemed to have become the color of blood, filled with endless corpses….

It was evening, but the shattered air and swirling tempests caused the sky to look as dark as night.

When Naruto appeared, it instantly attracted quite a bit of attention. The powerful experts of both the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches saw the old man carrying the white-haired old woman, both of whom were clad in red wedding attire.

They could also sense the profound mixture of calmness and grief that radiated out of the man.

When the Southern Domain cultivators saw him, they couldn't help but feel bitter and pained.

"Naruto…. It's the exalted Naruto!"

"Don't tell me… is that Hinata in his arms…? That… that curse power is…."

"I was there at the wedding ceremony. I've never seen a more spectacular sight in my whole life…."

Sagiri looked at Naruto, and it seemed like he wanted to say something. In the end, he didn't. He could sense the profound pain in Naruto, the kind that was like losing your own heart.

The awoken Patriarch Golden Frost also remained silent.

Kunihisa had nothing left but a Nascent Divinity. He looked at Naruto from some distance off, then turned and continued to fight.

Pill Demon's expression was one of sorrow. He saw his apprentice and couldn't help but think about how the wedding ceremony had turned into this current situation. Great rejoicing had turned into great sorrow. He wasn't sure what he should say.

Virtually none of the Northern Reaches cultivators recognized Naruto at first. However, once they saw his clothes, and the white hair, as well as the agonized expressions of the Southern Domain cultivators, they thought of a name that had already become legendary among the Northern Reaches cultivators.

"Naruto! It's definitely that damnable Naruto!"

"Yeah, that's him! He infected the entire first wave of the army with the Hellwither Nineruins. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators… massacred! The Milky Way Sea turned red with blood!"

"Our Northern Reaches forces invaded the Southern Domain on the day of his wedding. What bad luck for him! His wedding day turned into a day of death and sorrow!"

"Well, he deserves it! Now that he's shown his face again, he'll die for sure. It's actually a good thing for him! They can go to the underworld together! A happily married pair of dead souls!"

The Northern Reaches' peak Dao Seeking experts were among the forces that were currently abuzz with surprise. All of them were hurt, especially the three who were seriously injured by the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch's death. Among those three, one was the man dressed in animal skins, and another was Killua, both of whom were from the first wave army. The third was an old woman from the second wave army.

"That's the Naruto that the Southern Domain cultivators always talk about!" said the man in animal-skin garments, frowning. "He absorbed eighty percent of the curse power and still didn't die!"

"He could be considered the archenemy of the Northern Reaches," said Killua through clenched teeth. His eyes burned with killing intent. "If he had died, it would have been lucky for him. Since he's not dead, then I'm going to turn him into mincemeat today!

"Actually, it's good that he's still alive. Let him wallow in the feeling of withering up with his beloved on his wedding day! Let him be immersed in the sensation of growing old! Let his pain be a sacrifice to put to rest the souls of the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches heroes who died because of him!"

Next to the three wounded peak Dao Seeking experts were several Northern Reaches Patriarchs. They had long since heard the name of Naruto, and now that they laid eyes on him personally, their killing intent spread everywhere.

Countless eyes across the battlefield were fixed on Naruto; his expression was one of grief as he looked at the aged, white-haired Hinata. Finally, he looked up, and his gaze came to fall upon his master, Pill Demon.

"Master," he said. "I want to finish the wedding ceremony here and now. Master, could you please continue to bear witness to the marriage!" Although his words were calm, that calmness contained something that caused the spirits of all the Southern Domain cultivators to be completely shaken.

Hinata's eyes were fixed on Naruto. She fought with all her power to prevent them from closing, and as she did, scintillating teardrops welled up inside and then seeped out down her cheeks.

A tremor ran through Pill Demon.

At the same time, the eyes of the Southern Domain cultivators began to glow with red light.

"The Blood Prince's grand wedding ceremony will continue!"

"Blood Prince, I couldn't prepare a wedding gift for you, so let me kill some Northern Reaches cultivators for you! Their heads can be my wedding gift, and their blood my means of congratulating you!"

"Exalted Naruto, let the wedding ceremony continue!"

The sorrow in the hearts of the Southern Domain cultivators transformed into a massive roar that echoed out across the battlefield.

Immediately, Blood Demon Sect disciples flew out to create an area decorated with lanterns and banners. It only took a moment for the place to look like a joyous and happy wedding was taking place there.

The battlefield now seemed to be completely split in two!

On one side was blood and slaughter!

On the other side was Naruto's wedding!

To hold a wedding ceremony in the middle of a battle was something that had never happened in the Southern Domain. As the Southern Domain cultivators roared with grief and rage, Pill Demon hovered in midair, looking at Naruto and the white-haired Hinata. Pill Demon's heart trembled.

"I… will absolutely continue to bear witness for you and Hinata!" he said, his voice ancient and his heart filled with grief.

His voice echoed out across the battlefield, prompting a roar of response from the Southern Domain cultivators.

The hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators were shocked by the scene that was playing out in front of them. As for their seven peak Dao Seeking experts, their eyes flickered with killing intent.

"The first half was a Red Wedding. Therefore… let's make the last half even more red with blood!"

"Northern Reaches cultivators! Eradicate all of the Southern Domain cultivators! Stain the ground red with blood! Fill the place with discarnate souls! Soak this Red Wedding… with blood! CHARGE!"

In response to the words of the peak Dao Seeking experts, the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators' killing intent rocketed up. Roaring, they charged forward.

"KILL THEM!"

The carnage once again continued. The ground shook and the air rippled with distortions. The battle between the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches was like an enormous grindstone. Every time the two sides clashed, miserable screams would ring out. Every time they slammed into each other, blood and gore would spray in the air and discarnate souls would cry out in misery.

The Southern Domain cultivators had gone mad, and their hearts surged with righteous ardor.

"We've come this far, now the time has come to die in battle! FIGHT!"

"The Southern Domain is my home while I live, and the Southern Domain shall be my haunt when I die!"

"The wedding will blossom like a flower in the heart of bloody battle! How grand! Present the blood and heads of the Northern Reaches cultivators as wedding gifts! KILL THEM!"

Deadly combat filled the battlefield. For the Blood Demon Sect disciples, the mountains were the wedding candles and the land below was the wedding veil. With the wave of a few hands, a palace rose up, beautiful and grand, with lanterns and streamers. The palace appeared to display the facade of a happy wedding. Everyone was smiling, except within their smiles could be seen deep grief.

Naruto held Hinata, and she rested her head against his chest to look out at the scene. She could hear his heart beating, and could feel her own connection to the world.

She looked up at Naruto as if she were trying to burn his image into her very soul in such a way that reincarnation would be incapable of wiping it away, the River of Forgetfulness would be incapable of washing it clean, and not even the tea of old lady Meng could make her forget.

Popping sounds could be heard as magical techniques and divine abilities were employed to create what looked like fireworks. Beautiful colors filled the land and sky; the sight was beautiful to behold.

The new bride and groom were a huge contrast to the battle around them!

Naruto's white hair floated around him as he held Hinata in his arms and poured life force into her. Hinata's hair was also white, and her face was covered with wrinkles. However, it also seemed to glow with a certain purity and holiness.

Even as an old woman, she could continue to smile despite the fact that her beauty had faded away!

Naruto was also smiling, and yet, the grief in his heart continued to grow more and more profound. As of now, the only thing he could do was look deeply into her eyes. He knew that if he loosened his hand, she would fade away.

She would part from the world of the living and find her way to reincarnation.

"KILL THEM!" roared the seven peak Dao Seeking experts as they charged down from above. Sagiri's expression was one of grief as he roared and shot to meet them. Kunihisa's Nascent Soul and Patriarch Golden Frost joined him, along with Naruto's second true self.

Booms echoed out as four people completely blocked the way of seven!

Bitter fighting continued all around; roars filled the air along with bloodcurdling screams. Both Northern Reaches cultivators and Southern Domain cultivators were fighting with madness, killing everything that moved.

The ground trembled as the fighting raged like wildfire.

Nearby, it was visible to everyone that… the wedding ceremony was officially commencing.

Pill Demon flew into the air to hover in front of Naruto and Hinata. He looked at Naruto, and he looked at Hinata, whom he held in his arms. Despite the fact that Pill Demon's heart felt like it was being ripped apart, his lips couldn't help curving into a gentle smile.

Naruto held Hinata as he looked at Pill Demon.

"Master, make the declaration, okay?" he said.

The ground was trembling, but there was still a significant number of cultivators in the area who dropped to their knees to kowtow. It was a spontaneous action on their part, their way of thanking Naruto for absorbing the curse and saving their lives.

Such kowtows were kowtows that came directly from the heart.

From far up above the battlefield, it could clearly be seen that, shockingly, the entire place had been split into two areas. In one area, the wedding ceremony was being carried out. In the other, it was complete carnage!

Those present who had attended the first half of Naruto's wedding ceremony were now participating in the second half, and they would by no means retreat!

It didn't matter if the wedding was stained blood red or turned ash-gray. It would be finished! This was Naruto's choice, and also the way for the Southern Domain cultivators to repay him. Naruto and Hinata's wedding… would not be a wedding of regret!

The kowtowing cultivators were spattered with blood. Some was the blood of enemies, some was their own blood. As for their exhaustion, they hid it inside. As for their grief, they bottled it up in their hearts. The only thing that could be seen… were the smiles on their faces.

These smiles were like brilliant sunlight that caused the entire battlefield to be shaken.

Pill Demon's heart was trembling as his ancient voice once again rang out to cover the entire battlefield.

"I declare… that henceforth…."

The seven peak Dao Seeking cultivators from the Northern Reaches fought with increasing ferocity. The hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators down below bellowed with rage as they charged in wave after wave of attack.

"Henceforth… Naruto and Hinata are bonded cultivators. Their hands are bound by destiny for all time. Whether they live or die, that connection will never be broken!" His voice echoed from one end of the battlefield to the other.

Hinata, nestled in Naruto's arms, heard the words, and her face flushed. She smiled shyly. A wedding is the most important day in a person's life, and to a woman, it is a day when dreams come true.

She and Naruto were now husband and wife. Heaven and Earth bore witness, as did the hundreds of thousands of cultivators from both the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches. Pill Demon officiated, and the ceremony was held under the vast canopy of the sky. Discarnate souls were present to bear witness, and the entire scene was as red as blood.

Together, all bore witness to the fact that… they were married!

"Our hands are bound by destiny for all time," murmured Hinata, gazing at Naruto. "Whether we live or die, that connection will never be broken…." Tears poured out of her eyes to disappear in the wrinkles that covered her cheeks.

"Our hands are bound by destiny for all time," repeated Naruto, looking into her eyes. "Whether we live or die, that connection will never be broken…."

The ground shook, and the kowtowing cultivators in the area looked up. Then they joined their voices together in a cry that sent out shocking soundwaves. "Naruto and Hinata! Their hands are bound by destiny for all time! Whether they live or die, that connection will never be broken!"

The sound echoed across a battlefield that reeked of blood and gore. Amidst the carnage, a Southern Domain cultivator dashed forward, grabbed the severed head of a Northern Reaches cultivator and held it high into the air.

In the blink of an eye, chaotic fighting erupted out as the Southern Domain cultivators let out unprecedented roars of rage and went berserk. They seemed to be trying to outdo each other as they offered up one wedding gift after another.

"Fellow Daoist Naruto, this is my wedding gift to you!"

"Exalted Naruto, this is my wedding gift!"

"This is mine!"

"Hahaha! Who dares to fight me over this severed head! This is my wedding gift for the Blood Prince!"

The sudden counteroffensive caused the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators to tremble in their hearts. For the first time… they actually fell back under the attack.

"They've gone crazy! It's just some wedding, but it's pushed them into insanity!"

"Insane! Completely insane! Wedding gifts?!"

"Dammit, they're turning us Northern Reaches cultivators into wedding gifts!"

As such comments echoed across the battlefield, Naruto stood in the temple, holding Hinata. He didn't want the grief he felt to show on his face. However, by this point, the grief had completely inundated his heart. It was reaching the point where suppressing the Devil in his heart was virtually impossible.

He held tight to Hinata, unwilling to release his grip on her.

Hinata smiled, and to Naruto, it was the most beautiful smile to ever exist in the world. When he saw her smile, what he saw was not her age and her white hair. He didn't care about any of that. All he cared about… was Hinata herself.

"Take me… to enter the cycle of reincarnation…." she said softly. "Now that we are husband and wife, I have no regrets…. Let me go…. Let me… leave. Please."

Naruto's eyes were shot with blood.

Hinata's hand trembled as she reached up to stroke his cheek. As she murmured these things to Naruto, her eyes suddenly flashed with a final, brilliant radiance like that of a sunset. She had severed her own arteries!

She did not wish to see Naruto continue to deliver his life force to her, to give her a little bit of extra time at the cost of his own vitality. It pained her, and she did not want him to receive injury. She did not want to see any more white hairs on his head because of her.

"Hinata!"

A tremor ran through Naruto.

Hinata looked at him one final time. A smile appeared on her lips, and it was the same smile that had appeared when she saw him for the first time, leaning out over the cliff on Mount Myoboku. Of course, Naruto had never seen that smile.

A final tear rolled out of the corner of her eye.

In that exact moment, her body dissipated, transformed into motes of glittering light. There was no body for the teardrop to fall onto, so… it fell down onto the ground.

"You're my wife…." murmured Naruto. "The Heavens. The Earth. None of it matters. No matter how long it takes, let the cycle of reincarnation bear witness. No one will take you away from me. When you are born again, I will find you!" He tried to keep ahold of her, but the only thing that remained was motes of light. Inside of him, the pressure weighing down on his heart transformed into a roar.

The battlefield suddenly went silent. In that moment, all gazes fell upon Naruto, whether they were from the Southern Domain or the Northern Reaches. They saw Hinata transform into motes of light that turned into a river which flowed up into the sky.

The motes of light turned into a long river. In the darkness of the sky, the river of light was resplendent and glittering as it swept higher and higher.

A vast vortex suddenly appeared up above, rotating silently. It was as if the sky itself was being split open to reveal the starry sky above it. There, out in the stars, another river was visible, vast, mighty, and incomparably boundless. The water of the river seemed withered and yellow, and was filled with innumerable… discarnate souls!

The cultivators down below were shocked.

"The River of Forgetfulness!"

"Heavens! That's the legendary River of Forgetfulness!"

What the people down below could see was only one small portion of the river that flowed through the starry sky, visible through the vortex.

Hinata, now a collection of light motes, was just about to flow through vortex and merge into the River of Forgetfulness, then be swept away to the underworld of the Fourth Mountain.

Naruto hovered in midair staring blankly at the scene. Tears streamed down his face, and his heart was wracked with stabbing pain. Up above, the motes of light seemed to form the outline of a face as they entered into the vortex. It was Hinata's face.

It looked just like the face that Naruto saw underneath the moonlight in the Reliance Sect. His heart quivered.

Hinata's face seemed to be smiling at him. She looked at him for a moment, then turned and once again turned into a flowing river that flowed up toward the vortex.

Among the seven peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches, Killua in the red robe had an evil glint in his eye. His body flickered as he shot directly toward the motes of light.

His voice was high-pitched as he cried out, "Want to enter the cycle of reincarnation…? You're dreaming! If you're gonna die, your soul is going to disperse into nothing!"

When Naruto saw Killua closing in on the motes of light that were Hinata, he began to tremble. A Devilishness, along with a desire to kill, exploded out in his heart, both of which were impossible to suppress.

In the same moment, just when the Killua was about to reach the motes of light, he let out a miserable shriek. A mysterious power enveloped him, and he was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth. He looked up at the vortex with shock in his eyes.

He had already been seriously injured in battle earlier when the 3rd Shimura Clan Patriarch self-detonated. Without an incredibly powerful cultivation base to support him, he would have long since died.

Right now, the power that swept out from within the vortex was filled with a shocking aura, something that left him frightened out of his mind. Furthermore, it seemed to only be a warning.

The vortex continued to spin as Hinata disappeared inside and merged into the great river. She was now one of many souls floating along in the waters.

However, there was something different about Hinata's soul. She had a red glow surrounding her, protecting her, making it so that none of the other discarnate souls could even get near her. All was quiet around her… as she drifted in the river water, far off into the distance.

The vortex vanished, and the sky returned to its normal state.

Naruto was silent. The temple vanished, and the candles were extinguished. The lantern and banners transformed into ash, and the happy atmosphere disappeared. The only thing that remained was a battlefield.

Naruto slowly descended to the ground. He looked down at his hands, and for a moment it almost felt as if he were still holding Hinata. Except… she was no more.

"Gone…." he murmured, his voice hoarse. "We made an agreement to spend a hundred years together…. But now you're gone…." His face twisted, and his white hair began to rise up as an intense murderous aura rose up.

The murderous aura grew more intense. In the blink of an eye, it was an inferno, a black mist that roiled around him. Everything around him froze, and an aura of death spread out. The black mist rose up to turn into an enormous face up in midair.

The face was none other than Naruto's face!

His eyes were no longer red, but black, with no pupils. It was as if he could see nothing but infinite blackness.

As he stood there, he lifted his head up and began to laugh bitterly. When the laughter entered the ears of the Northern Reaches cultivators, their hearts began to tremble, and their souls shivered.

Suddenly, cracking sounds filled Naruto's body, although only he could hear them. It was the sound of shackles breaking. Within him… a Devil was being unleashed, something that had existed within him since the events in the Milky Way Sea.

As of this moment, he no longer had any desire to control it. He did not wish to suppress it. He only had one desire….

To kill each and every cultivator from the Northern Reaches who had invaded the Southern Domain! To kill each and every peak Dao Seeking expert. Kill them! Kill them ALL!

He would pay any price to be able to do that!

If he couldn't become an Immortal, then what was the harm in becoming a Devil!?

As he laughed bitterly, his body rumbled, and black mist poured out of him. His hair was now completely white, but his features were no longer withered. His youth was restored, and his face was shockingly icy.

He looked like a blood-thirsty Devil that could only see blood and killing.

Cracking sounds rose up from the ground as blood-colored ice spread out in all directions. Intense coldness spread around him, as if the seasons were suddenly changing. Black snowflakes began to flutter through the air.

Naruto had thoroughly unleashed the Devil within him, and he had removed any suppression of his desire to slaughter. He was now completely grim and cold, not just to his enemies, but even to himself.

His wedding day had been turned into a tragedy, and the only thing he could do now was become a Devil!

In the instant that his inner Devil was unleashed, the Blood Demon Grand Magic finally began to move away from the fourth level toward the fifth.

Naruto's gaze looked out into the sky toward… the Killua.

"You," he said. "You shall die!"

Instantly, his second true self looked over with flickering eyes.

At the same time, Naruto vanished, then shockingly, reappeared up in midair. His body was wreathed in seething black mist and Devil flames. Along with his second true self, he shot toward the Killua.

"Your clone is pretty tough," said Killua with a snort, "but your true self? Screw off!" In unison with his words, the fighting on the battlefield broke out once again. Whether it was the peak Dao Seeking experts up above or the madness of the close-quarter combat of the Southern Domain and Northern Reaches down below, the battling was intense. This was far beyond the fighting which had taken place outside of the Blood Demon Sect in the initial war.

Naruto's second true self shot toward the Killua at high speed. As soon as they met, winds blasted out and lightning boomed. Explosion after explosion rang out as, within a short period of time, they exchanged thousands of moves.

As for Naruto, as soon as he flew out, the old man in animal-hide clothing moved to intercept him. Grinning viciously, he punched out violently toward Naruto.

"Your beloved is dead! What's the point in continuing to live? Why don't you go join her!"

As the fist descended toward him, Naruto looked at it coldly. He lifted his right hand, and the Lightning Cauldron appeared, causing the old man's face to instantly flicker.

It was then that lightning poured out from within the cauldron to surround Naruto. Brilliant light was cast out onto the battlefield, and then he suddenly vanished. So did the old man!

Their positions had been reversed!

When Naruto appeared in the spot previously occupied by the old man in animal-hide clothing, he didn't even turn to look back. Even as the old man roared in fury and shot in pursuit, Naruto proceeded forward. He had one target: the Killua!

It was that boy's Cinnabar Fruit that had cursed Hinata!

Furthermore, he had just attempted to interfere with Hinata entering the cycle of reincarnation!

Naruto was like a Devil in his determination to slay him!

The Killua was currently fighting Naruto's second true self. He had already been seriously injured, and as such, was not a match for the second true self. He continued to fall back in retreat, his eyes bloodshot as he attacked with reckless abandon. When he saw Naruto bearing down on him, he pointed out with a finger.

"Trying to get yourself killed on purpose?! Fine, I'll kill your true self!" In the instant that Killua pointed out, Naruto used the Lightning Cauldron again. There was a flicker, and he switched places with his second true self.

A boom rang out as his second true self appeared in the spot he had just occupied. As for Naruto, he was now… closer to Killua than anyone else on the battlefield!

Naruto's use of the lightning cauldron had reached the acme of perfection!

The Killua's mind trembled. His finger attack just now was incapable of doing anything to Naruto's second true self. He jerked around and was about to make a deadly attack against Naruto, when suddenly, Naruto waved his hand. Shockingly, a magical symbol appeared in his hand!

It was a single character!

Wither!

This was the Withering Character Incantation which had appeared after he absorbed eighty percent of the curse power! The incantation could be used as a divine ability that could be continuously maintained for a long period of time. As Naruto's cultivation base grew higher, the withering power of the magic would grow more consummate, its might, more and more terrifying.

However, he could also focus its energies into a single instant attack. This would deplete the magical symbol and cause it to dim, requiring it to recharge and absorb more withering energy before it could be used again.

"I haven't personally killed a peak Dao Seeking cultivator before," said Naruto quietly. "You're going to be the first. The pain that my wife felt before she died, is now something… that you will have the pleasure of experiencing!"

Naruto's voice was calm, calm in a way that caused the Killua's heart to pound. A profound sense of deadly crisis appeared inside of him.

The 'withering' character caused the Killua to begin to pant. His scalp went numb, and he instantly tried to flee.

At the same time, Naruto, his eyes cold, coolly said, "Withering Character Blast!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, blinding gray light shot out from the palm of his hand. It immediately filled the sky, causing the hundreds of thousands of cultivators down below to look up in astonishment. They could sense the withering curse power exploding out up above.

The old man in animal-hide clothing gasped, then immediately began to back up.

"NO!" screamed the red-robed youth. Cultivation base power exploded out, and he produced massive quantities of magical items to try to fight back against the power of his own Hellwither Nineruins curse.

However, no matter what he did, when it came to the explosive withering power, he was like a praying mantis trying to block an army. In the blink of an eye, he was inundated by the grayness.

The only thing that remained behind was a bloodcurdling scream that echoed out across the land.

The Withering Character Incantation had absorbed eighty percent of the Hellwither Nineruins' curse power. It was the most powerful magical symbol he possessed, and when its power erupted with the curse, it could slay the peak of Dao Seeking.

Naruto was well aware of this fact.

However, it would only work once, after which, the magical symbol would grow dark. Naruto had decided to use that one sure kill on the Killua.

Grayness filled the world, and the Killua screamed miserably. Everyone could hear it, and they were completely shaken and astonished.

It was just possible to see the Killua within the grayness of the curse. His robes were in tatters; his hair was white and falling out of his head. His skin dried up; his flesh, blood, bones, organs and soul were all withering away.

Seeing Killua screaming miserably, Naruto calmly asked, "Does it hurt? Hinata didn't want me to see her pain over these past few days. She endured it.

"Can you imagine how a fragile girl like her was able to endure such shocking pain?"

Everyone on the battlefield could hear his words, and it caused an intense coldness to well up in their hearts.

"I've also experienced such pain," Naruto continued slowly. "Now, it's your turn."

Killua's horrible shrieks grew even more intense. His entire body shook, and he even tried to detonate his Nascent Divinity, but was incapable. His Nascent Divinity had already become withered, just like his soul.

During that short moment, he experienced indescribable pain. His teeth fell out, and soon he didn't even have the energy to scream…. Eventually, he was nothing more than a pool of yellowish liquid.

He had been withered to death!

After he died, the gray curse power up in the sky flew back to Naruto's palm. It transformed once again into the 'withering' character. However, the magical symbol was not as resplendent as before. It was now dimmer by half.

Half of the curse power remained after killing the Killua. From this, the terrifying power of the curse could be seen.

By this point, the battlefield was utterly silent. Even the battle between Sagiri and the other peak Dao Seeking experts had stopped, and they were looking on, dumbfounded.

After a brief moment of silence, the Northern Reaches cultivators burst out into an uproar.

"The Patriarch of the Coffin Altar Sect… just died?"

"The Patriarch of the Coffin Altar Sect was at the peak of Dao Seeking! He… he just perished!"

At the same time, the Southern Domain cultivators were enlivened, and seemed to have been rejuvenated, resuming their furious attacks with increased strength!

Once again, the fighting broke out down below. As for the Northern Reaches' peak Dao Seeking experts, they were inwardly shaken. This was the first time since the invasion had begun that a peak Dao Seeking cultivator had died.

The old man in the animal-hide clothing had eyes shot with blood. Killua had been one of his closest friends. With an enraged roar, he shot toward Naruto.

Off to the side were the two old men who looked completely identical except for their contrasting black and white robes. They joined the old man in charging Naruto.

The second true self's eyes glittered as he moved to intercept them. Booms rang out as he began a tremendous fight with the black and white twins.

The old man in the animal hide clothing was going berserk. He spit blood out of his mouth and performed a double-handed incantation, causing all of his skin to suddenly change color. It rapidly became blue, and his speed increased dramatically. He skirted the second true self to head directly toward Naruto, toward whom he extended a powerful punch.

"DIE!"

Naruto was quite close. His face was pale, and blood was oozing out of his mouth. This was the first time he had used only his own power, and not that of his second true self, to attack and kill a peak Dao Seeking cultivator.

As the man in the animal hide clothing closed in, Naruto extended his right hand down toward the ground. Immediately a huge vortex appeared within the Northern Reaches army.

The vortex was no longer golden, but black. It looked like a huge mouth, ready to consume everything. Immediately, miserable screams could be heard from the Northern Reaches cultivators caught inside. They rapidly withered, and their cultivation bases flowed out through their mouths and noses. Even their souls were shaken, and appeared to be on the verge of being sucked out.

RUUMMBLLLE!

Shockingly, seven such vortexes appeared all over the battlefield!

Seven huge vortexes enveloped nearly thirty thousand Northern Reaches cultivators, extracting power from their blood and flesh, which shot up toward Naruto and fused into his body.

It was the same with their cultivation base power!

Naruto closed his eyes, and when he did, his cultivation base shot up. Suddenly, he transformed into what looked like a shooting star that sped directly toward the attacking old man.

As he flew through the air, his eyes snapped open. The black mist face above him suddenly formed into the shocking shape of an enormous palm that slammed into the old man.

A shocking boom filled the air!

The old man tumbled backward in shock, blood spurting out of his mouth. At the same time, the miserable screams continued to echo out from down below. Quite a few within the vortexes had already withered and died.

Naruto shot backward, biting the tip of his tongue and spitting some blood out. As soon as the blood emerged, it expanded, transforming into a lake of blood!

That blood contained, not just the power of Naruto's Chakra and Blood, but the power of the Chakra and Blood of the thirty thousand cultivators stuck in the vortexes. All that power transformed into a lake that rumbled toward the old man in animal hide clothing.

The old man's face fell. He pulled his hand back, and it increased in size and sprouted spikes of bone. Then he punched out, and a shocking boom rattled out. The lake of blood collapsed into pieces.

In that moment, the black mist which surrounded Naruto once again shot forward in attack. In a short period of time, constant booms rang out as hundreds of exchanges occurred between Naruto and the old man.

The black mist surrounding Naruto continued to increase. The Chakra, blood, and cultivation base power from the cultivators down below was like a huge river pouring into his body, giving him shocking battle prowess.

"Dammit! BREAK!" roared the old man. He was leery of Naruto's 'withering' character magical symbol. However, he never imagined that Naruto, without even using the magical symbol, would be so difficult to deal with. Finally, he slapped his chest and began to burn life force as he made a double handed attack.

Two fists punched out, shattering the air, causing the sky to dim. Naruto's eyes shone with a cold light. He said nothing, nor did he evade. Instead, he shot forward, relying on his cultivation base, his fleshly body, the Ninth Mountain, everything. It was an explosive attacked that contained his mad, Devilish will, combined with the Chakra, blood and cultivation bases absorbed by the vortexes, all merged into one palm strike.

Another direct showdown!

"Still not dead?!" thought the old man, even as he retreated, coughing up blood.

Naruto was also sent tumbling back, and his body exploded. However, the Eternal stratum kicked in. Unfortunately, only a sliver of Eternal power remained in him. It had been severely drained during his battle with the curse power. Currently, there wasn't enough power left to completely heal him.

Seeing this caused killing intent to glitter in the old man's eyes.

"DIE!" he cried, extending his hands out in front of him, not in fists, but stretched out like claws. As he leaped out, the air distorted around him, and shockingly, he transformed into an enormous bird-like creature!

It looked like a roc, with a beak that emitted a cold glow and talons that could rend Heaven and Earth. He shot toward Naruto with such incredible speed that he was nothing more than a streak flashing through the air.

A fiendish wind buffeted Naruto's face as he lifted his right hand up to reveal the Lightning Cauldron.

The cauldron began to flicker, and Naruto looked down at a Northern Reaches Nascent Soul cultivator down below. Suddenly, Naruto vanished. The savage Nascent Soul cultivator then appeared in the spot Naruto had just occupied, and Naruto was now where he had been down below.

Form Displacement Transposition!

The Nascent Soul cultivator saw bright colors flash across his eyes, and then suddenly, he was up in midair. He couldn't help but be shocked. Moments ago, he had been preparing to plunge his hand through the chest of a Southern Domain cultivator. Now, he was floating up in the air.

Suddenly, an intense sense of deadly crises surged through him as he saw a vicious roc flying toward him at indescribable speed. It was impossible for him to dodge, and even his nascent soul was scared so witless that it seemed as if it would crumble to pieces.

Boom!

The roc smashed into him, sending blood spattering out in all directions. A roar of rage filled the sky as the roc turned blurry and the old man reappeared. He glared down at the ground, his eyes flaring with killing intent.

"Naruto!" he raged. Once again, he transformed into a roc that shot toward the ground amidst a gale force wind.

Down below, Naruto stood in the midst of a huge force of shocked Northern Reaches cultivators, among whom he had seemed to just randomly appear. Before any of them could react, he gestured down toward the ground.

Blood Demon Grand Magic!

Rumble!

An enormous vortex appeared, with Naruto in the center. It instantly enveloped several thousand people. As for the Southern Domain cultivators it caught up, they felt a gentle force pick them up and eject them from the vortex.

Naruto remained within the vortex, his white hair swirling around. Once again he gestured downward, and his eyes were filled with calm coldness.

"Chakra and Blood."

Rumbling could be heard as the Northern Reaches cultivators within the vortex began to shriek miserably, and visibly wither at a rapid rate, regardless of the level of their cultivation bases.

Huge quantities of Chakra and Blood power poured into Naruto. His body grew stronger, and his internal injuries were healed significantly because of the borrowed power.

"Spirit Meridians!" he said.

Rumble!

More miserable shrieks could be heard from the thousands stuck in the vortex. They were little more than skin and bones now that their Chakra and Blood had been removed. The only thing they had left, their cultivation bases, transformed into white smoke that began to ooze out of their eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Their eyes bulged and their faces began to grow blank. They were completely paralyzed, and the only thing they were capable of doing was trembling and screaming.

Their cultivation bases flew out to be absorbed by Naruto, causing his own cultivation base to rise. His wounds were also healed even further.

By this time, the old man in the shape of a roc was now bearing down on him, roaring with killing intent.

"Soul!" said Naruto, yelling out the final word.

He WOULD break through to the fifth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!

Once he did, he would be able to control something that even his second true self couldn't control, something special that had been created for him by Patriarch Blood Demon… a false Immortal puppet!

The 'soul' character had been uttered!

At that moment, the Northern Reaches cultivators stuck in the vortex around Naruto let out the last miserable shrieks that they would ever utter. Their bodies were withered dry, their cultivation bases vanished. Now, they felt an intense pain enveloping them like floodwaters.

Everything went black in their eyes, and the world disappeared. Their lives… were no more!

Numerous wailing, struggling souls emerged from their eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Each and every cultivator's back was arched, their face sunken, and their eyes gray. Their mouths were stuck open stiffly.

Their souls emerged and then fused into the vortex, becoming a cyclone of souls. Anyone who could see the spectacle was flabbergasted.

"Demonic magic! That's Demonic magic!"

"Such a sinister divine ability has got to be Demon magic!"

The Northern Reaches cultivators in the area were trembling, and their hearts were filled with terror. Horrified, they watched as the souls spun into a cyclone, and Naruto gestured toward the ground, then looked up. His white hair floated around him, and his eyes glowed with a cold ruthlessness.

His face was also as pale as death, making his overall appearance like that of a Devilish god. The souls of the slain around him looked like slaves that were incapable of escaping him.

Up in the sky, the old man who was in roc form gasped, completely shaken by what he was seeing. However, killing intent flickered in his eyes, and ferociousness burned in his heart. He continued to dive directly toward Naruto.

"Your occult trickery won't work on me! DIE!"

Naruto's eyes flickered, and as the old man bore down on him, he suddenly blasted up from the ground. The cyclone of countless struggling souls surrounded him, looking almost like a river as he sped to meet the roc.

A boom echoed out and even as strong and stalwart as he was, the old man couldn't stop the blood from oozing out of the corners of his mouth. He could no longer maintain the form of a roc, and reverted to his human form as he tumbled backward.

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and the ground beneath him cracked and split, radiating in all directions.

The struggling souls exploded, transforming into motes of soul light that then sped toward Naruto and fused into his body. Naruto could sense that he had reached… the threshold of the Blood Demon Grand Magic's fifth level.

"I need even more souls!" he thought, his eyes flickering. Not waiting for the old man to charge him again, he produced the Lightning Cauldron. There was a flicker, and he switched places with another Northern Reaches cultivator.

He appeared once again in the middle of the Northern Reaches' army, whereupon he immediately gestured toward the ground. A vortex appeared as the Blood Demon Grand Magic once again surged into motion.

It almost seemed as if, to Naruto, the Northern Reaches cultivators were merely food. They were essential to his ability to combat a peak Dao Seeking expert. As he absorbed them, miserable screams filled the air. Chakra, blood, and cultivation bases were sucked away, used by Naruto to strengthen his fleshly body to the point where it burst from the mid Dao Seeking stage into late Dao Seeking.

As for his cultivation base, it now exceeded Spirit Severing and had temporarily entered into Dao Seeking! Natural law swirled around him, making Naruto… even more valiant!

The Blood Demon Grand Magic was most suited to fighting against multiple opponents!

The more enemies there were, the more invincible one could become!

Up in midair, the old man in animal hide clothing roared. His body flashed as he transformed, not into a roc, but into a gigantic black python. He opened his vicious mouth and struck toward Naruto as if to swallow him up.

Naruto waited in the vortex as the python closed in. Thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators could be heard screaming as their bodies withered, their cultivation bases faded, and they neared death.

Suddenly, Naruto said 'soul,' and a rumbling could be heard as the thousands of cultivators exploded, and their souls flew out.

Then Naruto vanished. Even as the python was about to reach him, he was off in the distance, where another Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex sprang up.

The old man was completely infuriated, and yet there was nothing he could do to stop Naruto and the Lightning Cauldron. The agile teleportation-like ability made it incredibly difficult to pin Naruto down, and left him shocked in his heart.

"Dammit! Naruto, I dare you to fight me one on one!"

Killing intent flickered in the old man's eyes. This time, he didn't pursue Naruto, but instead flew toward the Southern Domain's army of cultivators.

"If you won't come out and fight, then I'll just start killing some Southern Domain cultivators!"

Naruto stopped in place, then waved his right hand. The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, and the Lightning Cauldron flickered. This time, he changed positions with the old man.

After the exchange took place, the old man… was shocked to find himself directly in the middle of one of Naruto's vortexes.

Naruto hovered in midair, looking coldly at the old man.

"Wanna fight?" he said. "Let's fight, then!" He stretched his arms out to either side, and the multiple vortexes he had created moments ago echoed with the shocked screams of Northern Reaches cultivators. Chakra and Blood flowed toward him, causing Naruto's body to once again reach the peak of Dao Seeking.

Rumbling filled the air as the old man's body began to wither. However, he was able to struggle his way out, whereupon he aimed a punch at Naruto.

"DIE!"

Naruto clenched his fists and shot forward to meet him. The two of them flashed back and forth over a hundred times, causing booms to rattle everything in the area. Finally, the old man's eyes flashed with a bright light. Suddenly, two golden birds flew out from within his pupils, emitting shrill cries as they shot toward Naruto.

At the same time, the old man began to spin rapidly like a top. He lifted his right leg high into the air and then slammed it down toward Naruto's head. If the kick connected, Naruto would obviously suffer a serious injury.

Naruto's eyes glittered coldly as he said. "Spirit Meridians!"

Immediately, more miserable shrieks could be heard coming from the Northern Reaches cultivators stuck in the vortexes down below. Their cultivation bases were sucked away through their noses and mouths to shoot directly toward Naruto. Cultivation bases swirled around Naruto in the form of a tempest, bolstering his own cultivation base until it was as strong as the peak of Dao Seeking.

He quickly performed an incantation gesture and pointed towards the sky.

"Ninth Mountain! CRUSH!"

Rumbling filled the air as the majestic Ninth Mountain appeared up above. It was huge, almost like a real mountain, and the natural law that swirled around it stirred the sky and caused the land to shake. Massive pressure crushed down on the old man.

The old man lifted his head up and roared. His body expanded rapidly as he turned into a mountain-like giant. He immediately raised both hands into the air and grabbed onto the Ninth Mountain.

A boom could be heard as the Ninth Mountain slammed into him. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and cracking sounds could be heard as he managed to resist it.

"Soul!" said Naruto, his eyes radiating coldness. As the Northern Reaches cultivators in the vortexes toppled over dead, struggling souls flew toward Naruto from their eyes, ears, noses and mouths.

The vast quantities of souls that were merging into Naruto's body caused a rumbling sound to fill his head. All of a sudden… he reached the fifth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!

In that moment, Naruto's cultivation base did not change. However, his battle prowess instantly grew several times over!

His hair whipped about, and he looked every bit like a Devilish divinity. His eyes shone like suns, and the entire battlefield down below was obscured by the shadow of the black mist that surged around him. It was as if he was blotting out the entire Heavens.

He took a deep breath and then advanced forward.

The old man let out an enraged roar as he shoved upward with his arms. Apparently, he was causing some form of natural law to spring into motion. Now, cracking sounds could be heard coming from the Ninth Mountain, and then it shattered into countless pieces.

"Little bastard!" said the old man, blood oozing out of the corners of his mouth. Collapsing the Ninth Mountain had taken quite a bit of effort on his part. Now, his body flickered as he transformed into a white tiger, which roared and pounced toward Naruto.

This time, Naruto didn't evade. The two cultivators met in midair; booms echoed out as they fought back and forth.

"Chakra and Blood!" said Naruto coolly. This time, a tiny vortex appeared in the palm of his hand. When he landed a blow on the front leg of the old man's tiger form, the entire leg instantly turned into skin and bones!

The sudden, shocking turn of events caused the old man's face to fall. He gasped, a tremor ran through his white tiger form, and he retreated at top speed.

Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent. How could he possibly allow the old man to flee as simply as that? His body flashed through the air, and he appeared right next to the old man. The vortex in the palm of his right hand shot toward the old man's back.

"SCREW OFF!" roared the old man. Immediately, his cultivation base surged with an explosion of Chakra that shot outward. Naruto gave a cold snort and continued on with his palm strike.

"Spirit Meridians!"

A boom could be heard as he absorbed, not Chakra and Blood, but cultivation base. As the terrifying cultivation base explosion emanating from the old man reached Naruto, Naruto simply touched it with his hand, and it appeared to collapse. Boundless cultivation base power immediately began to fuse into Naruto's palm.

The old man's scalp went numb. He could never have imagined that Naruto's magical technique could be so shocking. In two short moments of contact, he had lost ten percent of his cultivation base as well as his Chakra and Blood. It was nothing short of terrifying to the man, and he immediately fell back in retreat.

Naruto pursued without any hesitation. They fought back and forth, and the old men let out continuous roars. He didn't dare to get too close but could only flee at top speed under an unending bombardment from Naruto. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he fell back.

Naruto's face was cold, and his killing intent raged.

Onlookers could hardly believe what they were seeing. The old man in animal hide clothing was incapable of fighting back against Naruto, and was being beaten to the point that he was forced to retreat.

"Save me!" he cried, his mind trembling. His body was quickly becoming nothing more than skin and bones, and he had lost forty percent of the power of his cultivation base. He knew that he was in a moment of grave crisis.

The Northern Reaches cultivators were astonished, and the other five Northern Reaches peak Dao Seeking experts up above were shaken. Moments ago, when Naruto had slain the Killua, they were shocked. However, in their minds, Naruto had simply used some sort of trickery to win. But seeing what he was doing now left them thoroughly rattled.

Just when they were about to make a move to help the old man, the 'withering' character flickered into being next to Naruto. Gray light radiated out, and all of the peak Dao Seeking experts halted in place.

They didn't dare to get close to him!

That was exactly why Naruto hadn't used the 'withering' character again. The magical symbol's greatest use to him right now… was as a threat against any outside interference!

Naruto was a shooting star that closed in on the old man in animal hide clothing. He pointed out his index finger, and the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex appeared, causing the old man to freeze in place, trembling.

In that moment, Naruto's thrust his right hand violently at the old man's chest and stabbed into the flesh.

"Chakra and Blood, Spirit Meridians!"

Boom!

The old man howled miserably as he fell back. His body withered up, and his cultivation base flowed out from him. He quickly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out some blood. The blood expanded in midair, shockingly transforming into a huge blood-colored cauldron which slammed towards Naruto in an attempt to shake him off.

Naruto snorted coldly, then clenched his hand into a fist and punched. He landed a blow onto the cauldron that was backed by his Chakra and Blood, the energy of tens of thousands of cultivators, and even the power of the old man himself. A huge boom echoed out over the battlefield.

The cauldron immediately shattered into pieces. As Naruto's fist passed through the remnants, it transformed into a palm, and then a claw which latched onto the old man's face.

Rumbling filled the air as Chakra, blood and spirit meridians were rapidly sucked out of the old man's body. The old man screamed in pain and shoved his hands out toward Naruto. In response, Naruto vanished, then reappeared behind the man. He slapped his hand down onto the man's back.

"Save me!" cried the old man. The sense of deadly crisis he felt caused his mind to reel.

"No one can save you now," responded Naruto, his voice icy cold.

However, it was at this moment that a leaf suddenly appeared. Not just one leaf, but many, emanating scintillating glows as they descended from above.

An aura also appeared that Naruto was very familiar with!

The voice of a woman then echoed out coldly across the battlefield.

"What if I save him?"

Leaves fluttered down over the lands of the Southern Domain.

The innumerable leaves began to to spin, then rapidly formed together into the shape of a woman. She wore a colorful gown, and exuded a palpable, exotic allure that would attract anyone who looked at her.

However, this was no girl. It was a woman.

It was… the mother of the Resurrection Lily. The Dawn Immortal!

She stretched out her right hand and pointed toward Naruto.

Numerous branches suddenly appeared around him. They expanded rapidly and then grew together, transforming into a cage that threatened to completely seal Naruto up.

"You showed up at the battle of the Blood Demon Sect, and now you show up again here! Screw off!" Killing intent flashed in Naruto's eyes as his cultivation base exploded with power. It transformed into a cyclone that thrashed about in all directions, smashing a hole in the cage of branches. Naruto instantly shot out from within, and immediately headed in the old man's direction.

The Dawn Immortal laughed coldly and waved her right hand. Shockingly, a seven-colored leaf appeared, which shone with prismatic light as it sped toward Naruto.

Naruto's mind trembled, and yet he didn't slow down in his pursuit of the weakened old man. He caught up in a short moment, and then reached out his hand to push down onto the top of the old man's head.

"Soul!" he said calmly.

The old man immediately let out a shriek of pain. His body trembled, his mouth opened wide, and his eyes bulged. His soul… began to seep out through his nose and mouth in many delicate strands that were quickly absorbed by Naruto.

"Looking to die?!" said the Dawn Immortal, her eyes flickering with killing intent. The seven-colored leaf picked up speed as it closed in on Naruto. In the blink of an eye, it was about to hit him.

Naruto took the old man and violently tossed him forward to slam into the leaf. A boom echoed out, and the old man's body exploded. He was dead in body and spirit.

As for Naruto, he retreated immediately, his face somewhat pale. Having absorbed the old man's complete cultivation base, as well as all of his Chakra and Blood, plus his soul, he was now filled with indescribable energy. Resisting the leaf attack caused him to retreat, but did not injure him!

Now that the leaf was heading toward him for a second attack, his eyes flashed with killing intent. The Lightning Cauldron appeared, and a flash of electricity could be seen. In that moment, he switched places with one of the peak Dao Seeking experts who was fighting Pill Demon and the others, the old woman!

In response to the Form Displacement Transposition, the old woman's face fell. The seven-colored leaf ground to a halt, then changed directions and shot after Naruto. By this point, Naruto was next to Sagiri, with whom he joined forces to launch an attack against the white-robed hopping vampire that was a Northern Reaches peak Dao seeking expert.

A boom could be heard, and the white-robed old man coughed up a mouthful of blood. Even as he fell back, the seven-colored leaf neared.

The flash of electricity surrounded Naruto, and he then appeared in the middle of the Northern Reaches army down below. Blood Demon Grand Magic vortexes instantly appeared, enveloping thousands. Chakra, blood, spirit meridians, and souls were all absorbed, and miserable screams rang out. Then Naruto vanished again.

Naruto had long since completely mastered the use of the Lightning Cauldron!

The peak Dao Seeking experts in midair were shocked.

"Dammit!"

"What kind of magical item is that Lightning Cauldron!? This Naruto is too hard to pin down!"

Naruto's actions in the battle were strange and mysterious. He attacked with ruthless viciousness that left them thoroughly shaken. By now, Naruto was an archenemy in their minds!

He was such a threat that they knew he needed to be eliminated immediately!

"I'll deal with him," said the Dawn Immortal coolly. Her eyes flashed with seven-colored light that bathed the entire area, apparently in an attempt to seal it.

"That toy of yours is quite mysterious," she said a moment later. "I can't completely seal it, but what I can do is slow down the transpositioning speed. Go ahead and try it out now." Then, she began to advance on Naruto.

As she neared, an intense pressure weighed down on everything. Furthermore, a vicious, seven-colored Resurrection Lily appeared behind her!

The flower swayed back and forth, obviously immaculately beautiful, and yet at the same time, boundlessly evil.

Naruto's expression was calm, and did not reveal the slightest shift in emotions. He put away the Lightning Cauldron and then pulled out… a blood-colored puppet the size of a hand.

The puppet flew out from Naruto's hand and then began to grow. By they time it was thirty meters tall, it exploded with a shocking aura. Wild colors flashed through the sky, and the clouds churned. This was the aura of an Immortal!

Not a true Immortal aura, but that of a false Immortal.

Either way… it was still Immortal!

The Dawn Immortal's face flickered for the first time, and the handful of peak Dao Seeking Experts from the Northern Reaches were all shocked.

This puppet was the trump card of the combined forces of the Solitary Sword Sect, Golden Frost Sect, Black Sieve Sect and Shimura Clan when they besieged the Blood Demon Sect. Were it not for the appearance of Patriarch Blood Demon back then, it would have clinched the victory.

Instead, Patriarch Blood Demon slaughtered the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch, then made some alterations to the puppet so that only Naruto could use it. That was his reward for reaching the fifth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!

Naruto's body flickered as he merged into the thirty-meter-tall blood-colored puppet. Moments ago, its eyes had been dark, but now they radiated a grim light, just like Naruto's eyes.

As Naruto took control of the puppet, it suddenly stood up. A shocking false Immortal aura exploded outwards across the battlefield, turning into a shock wave that swept out, forcing the Northern Reaches cultivators to fall back amid shocked gasps.

As for the Southern Domain cultivators, their spirits were lifting, and they began to shout out Naruto's name.

Sound waves rippled across the land, causing everything to shake!

"Dawn Immortal, do you dare to fight me!?" Naruto flew up into the air and then pointed toward the Dawn Immortal. A sound like thunder could be heard, and an intense pressure rumbled out. The earth cracked and the air shattered. In the blink of an eye, a black wind rose up to sweep across the land.

The Dawn Immortal did not speak, but her eyes glittered with a mysterious light. She stretched her beautiful hand out and pointed. The apparition of the Resurrection Lily behind her passed through her body and flew into the air, its tentacles writhing in a bizarre and awe-inspiring fashion as it charged toward Naruto.

Naruto snorted coldly. Due to his control of the puppet, he felt as if he was completely connected to Heaven and Earth. He waved his hand, and dark clouds appeared in the sky. Lightning descended like rain, transforming into a lake of lightning that enveloped the Resurrection Lily.

"Nothing but a false Immortal," said the Dawn Immortal coolly, shaking her head. "If you use it, you'll sow Karma with the Hebi Clan." Suddenly she vanished, and when she reappeared, she was directly in front of Naruto. She lifted her hand up, then dropped it.

Seven-colored light radiated brightly, transforming into a seven-colored sun that exploded into Naruto.

A huge boom shook everything. Even the peak Dao Seeking experts were flung aside. The old woman among their number was just about to retreat, when shockingly, Kunihisa of the Violet Fate Sect transformed into a powerful beam of light that completely inundated her.

She let out a miserable scream that echoed out in all directions.

"My body has already returned to the dust, and I can't hold out any longer," echoed the voice of Kunihisa from within the light. "Before I leave… I'll take this woman with me. Fellow Daoists… I sincerely hope that you achieve complete victory!

"Master, I can't be your apprentice alchemist any longer, nor will I be able to see you achieve true Immortal Ascension…."

A huge boom could be heard as the light exploded. The screams of the old woman from the Northern Reaches were suddenly cut off. Brilliant light covered everything, even Naruto and the Dawn Immortal.

Naruto felt stabs of pain in his heart. When the light faded away, Kunihisa was gone, as was the old woman.

Pill Demon trembled, and tears streamed down his face. He lifted his head up and began to laugh sadly. Suddenly, innumerable magical symbols began to appear on his body. One by one, they started shattering into pieces. In the blink of an eye, more than half of them were gone.

At the same time, his cultivation base shot up. He was no longer in the mid Dao Seeking stage. He broke completely through to the late Dao Seeking stage and then broke through again into peak Dao Seeking!

The destruction of the magical symbols was not something he could consciously do. Rather, it was provoked by the intense feelings that surged through him.

Now that Pill Demon was in the peak Dao Seeking stage, an unfamiliar aura appeared on his body. Furthermore, his appearance had changed. Now… he looked exactly like the statue of Reverend Violet East from back in the Violet Fate Sect!

"Reverend Violet East…." Having seen everything that had happened, Sagiri's expression was a complex one.

"A powerful expert from 10,000 years ago," he murmured. "At one time… you were the number one Chosen in the entire Southern Domain. Reverend Violet East. You founded the Violet Fate Sect, and were its first generation Patriarch!

"You were at the peak of Dao Seeking 10,000 years ago, but weren't willing to become a false Immortal. You vowed to tread the path of true Immortal Ascension. Before transcending the tribulation, however, you realized that you were on the incorrect path. You personally concocted a medicinal pill that contained a strand of your own soul. That pill became your vessel, with which you reestablished your cultivation!

"Now in our time you have once again reached the peak of Dao Seeking as Pill Demon. When all of the magical symbols are destroyed, the true Immortal Tribulation that you have been suppressing… will finally be unleashed!

"Unfortunately, throughout the years, far too many people have died during true Immortal Tribulation. Few have ever succeeded. Pill Demon… can you succeed?" Sagiri sighed.

Pill Demon didn't reply. Violet Chakra swirled around him as he advanced forward. His aura was completely different than it had been before. Shockingly, he was now powerful enough to single-handedly fight two of the most powerful Northern Reaches peak Dao Seeking experts, and apparently, even suppress them.

Booms echoed out as Pill Demon's intense power caused everyone to be filled with shock. Even the mother of the Resurrection Lily, the Dawn Immortal, looked over and raised an eyebrow.

Sagiri shook his head and sighed, then once again began to fight the other peak Dao Seeking experts, along with Naruto's second true self and the severely-wounded Patriarch Golden Frost.

Down on the ground, the Northern Reaches cultivators were shocked to the core to have seen such a succession of defeats just now. After adding in the losses that had occurred earlier, the tide of battle between the Northern Reaches and the Southern Domain had completely reversed. The Southern Domain cultivators' eyes were red as they closed ranks and then screamed through the air in attack, more than 100,000 strong.

Blood flowed in rivers, and the sky darkened. The sounds of slaughter immediately caused everything to shake.

Up above, Naruto and the Dawn Immortal were fighting fiercely. The forces unleashed by their attacks seemed capable of collapsing the sky and the land. The Dawn Immortal's cultivation base was mysterious and enigmatic. Although this was nothing more than a clone, it was still incredibly powerful. In the short time she had been battling Naruto, they had exchanged more than a thousand moves. Massive rumbling caused many of the nearby mountains to crumble. Now, only Mount Blood Demon stood strong and tall.

However, Patriarch Blood Demon remained inside, his eyes closed in deep sleep. His body seemed to lack even the slightest scrap of life force. Despite the violent trembling in the world around him, he did not awaken.

The ground cracked, and rifts appeared in the sky. Naruto and the Dawn Immortal's combat was like the collision of two storm fronts. The Ninth Mountain appeared, then shattered. The Black White Pearls appeared, then were suppressed. The Resurrection Lily writhed, transforming into a whip which the Dawn Immortal used to slash holes into the air itself.

The difficulty of this battle far exceeded what the Northern Reaches cultivators could ever have imagined or predicted. Naruto's appearance on the battlefield had completely turned the battle around.

First was the death of the Killua, and then the old man in animal hide clothing perished. The pinnacle of the Northern Reaches' fighting forces had been reduced by thirty percent. That… was something that could determine victory or defeat in a battle!

Then the Dawn Immortal appeared, and she seemed to be capable of getting control of the situation. But, contrary to what everyone would have expected, Naruto… pulled out a false Immortal puppet.

With the body of a false Immortal puppet, he was now engaged in a duel with the Dawn Immortal that cast the sky and land into complete shadow.

In addition, Pill Demon awakened, unleashing peak Dao Seeking power. Now, the Northern Reaches cultivators were getting quite anxious. At the moment, it seemed that securing victory… was no easy task!

Rumbling echoed out and Naruto spit up blood. Popping sounds could be heard as cracks spread out through his puppet body. Up ahead, the Dawn Immortal was frowning. The false Immortal puppet was forcing her to use all the power she could muster.

Even more shocking was Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic, which continuously popped up around the Dawn Immortal. The more he used it in battle, the stronger he got. It was extremely difficult to deal with.

The Dawn Immortal's true self was in the Milky Way Sea and could not leave, which meant that the battle was now in a deadlock!

Of course, the fact that there was a deadlock was a good thing for the Northern Reaches cultivators!

This group here was the main force of the second wave of invaders. Currently, there were four other armies in other parts of the Southern Domain, stabbing toward the Blood Demon Sect like sharp arrows. It would only be a matter of time before they arrived.

Although those armies did not contain any peak Dao Seeking experts, only Spirit Severing leaders, their combined forces numbered over 100,000. Once they arrived, they would be a critical factor in ending the deadlock.

Most important of all… the hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators were only the second wave of the Northern Reaches' expeditionary army. Currently, the third wave of 1,000,000 cultivators was making its way across the Resurrection Lily bridge.

The third wave was en route, in battle formation, and once they arrived in the Southern Domain, they would add four peak Dao Seeking experts to the battle!

Furthermore, they were not just any peak Dao Seeking experts, they were the four most powerful Patriarchs in the entire Northern Reaches!

Among their number was the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, whose cultivation base was monstrous; he was capable of battling false Immortals!

Once they reached the Southern Domain, victory would be assured!

This was something all the Northern Reaches cultivators were aware of, and the Southern Domain cultivators could conclude via speculation. All of the peak Dao Seeking cultivators in midair were also aware of these facts.

There was nothing the Southern Domain could do about it. If things went on too much longer, great tribulation would fall upon the Southern Domain!

Unless… they could quickly overcome this second wave of Northern Reaches cultivators before the third wave arrived. Perhaps that would buy them enough time to set up some spell formations, as well as get some much-needed rest.

If that didn't happen, and the ferocity they had experienced so far continued with wave after wave of opponents, then the Southern Domain forces would continue to sink further into exhaustion, and would have no time for vital preparations.

Naruto's eyes shone with a cold light as he fought back and forth with the Dawn Immortal. He, too, was aware of the overall situation, and it caused his eyes to flicker with killing intent. He took a deep breath, and even as he moved in for another attack, an expression of determination filled his face.

Without the slightest hesitation, he performed an incantation, causing a divine ability to appear. Using all the power of the false Immortal puppet that he could muster, he suddenly caused a blinding light to shine out.

Beams of light appeared, making Naruto's puppet look like a sun above the battlefield, casting bright light in all directions.

A powerful destructive force then began to surge out from the puppet.

This was a sign of self-detonation, which would unleash an unthinkably destructive force. After all… this was a false Immortal puppet. The power released by its self-detonation would turn into a petrifyingly powerful attack.

The terrifying aura that appeared immediately caused the minds of everyone on the battlefield to spin. As for the peak Dao Seeking experts of the Northern Reaches, their faces fell.

"He's going to self-detonate!"

"The self detonation of that puppet will unleash an incredible shockwave that would cause even a false Immortal to perish!"

"Naruto…."

The Dawn Immortal's pupils constricted, and her heart filled with a sense of grave crisis. As she prepared to retreat, she twirled the Resurrection Lily whip into circles, creating a defensive shield.

Naruto's determination left her completely shocked. She knew that this was a false Immortal puppet, something that would put Naruto in a superior position virtually anywhere he went in the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Any powerful group would attach incredible value to a false Immortal puppet. It was a precious treasure that could certainly lead to violent conflicts.

And yet, Naruto was now going to blow the thing up!

The shocked Dawn Immortal had just finished forming her shield when Naruto, utilizing the intense surge of power that came just before the detonation, increased his speed and suddenly appeared directly in front of her. He did nothing to prevent her from unleashing various divine abilities; instead, he stretched out his hands, coughed up blood… and then wrapped his arms around her.

He held tight to the Dawn Immortal, after which the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex suddenly caused her body to momentarily lurch, frozen in place. Under Naruto's control, the puppet shot high up into the sky.

"You're looking to die!" she said coldly, her face flickering. For the first time, she appeared to be truly angry. The illusory Resurrection Lily whipped about, unleashing wild attacks.

Instantly, more cracks spread out across the puppet. Inside, Naruto coughed up blood and trembled. Each of the attacks being slammed against him could have injured someone at the peak of Dao Seeking.

As the puppet continued to disintegrate, innumerable beams of light shot out, and the ground quaked. All of the cultivators looked up in astonishment.

What they saw looked exactly like a sun!

Pill Demon's heart was racing; he knew of Naruto's Eternal recovery abilities, as well as the Blood Demon Grand Magic. However, this was the self-detonation of an Immortal's soul. Pill Demon had no idea whether Naruto could survive such a blast.

Sagiri was also incredibly nervous.

Most nervous of all were the four remaining peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches.

They hearts were pounding as they realized that… if the Dawn Immortal was destroyed in the detonation, and Naruto survived… then there would be no way for them to continue fighting this battle. Unless the third wave of the army showed up, they would be forced to either flee or be killed.

Up in the air, the Dawn Immortal was struggling wildly. Naruto's face was twisted ferociously, and a vicious air surrounded him. He had been pestered for years because of the Dawn Immortal, and was completely fed up with her.

"The one that's going to die… is you!" he said through clenched teeth, shooting higher up into the sky.

Self-detonating down below wasn't an option; too many people would be killed, both friend and foe alike. His only option was to self detonate high up in the air, and focus all the power on destroying the Dawn Immortal.

When he reached the apex of his flight, fear appeared on the face of the Dawn Immortal for the first time. By now, she realized that no matter what she did, she could not free herself. A strange light began to gleam in her eyes, and suddenly, countless leaves began to sprout out from her skin. The enormous whip transformed into an huge Resurrection Lily that began to wrap around her.

At this very moment, the light emanating from Naruto's puppet had reached its brightest point. The air was shattered and the sky flashed with colors. An explosive boom and an indescribably powerful destructive force exploded out, sweeping across the entirety of the Southern Domain.

Everything was shaken violently!

The gigantic flower which surrounded the Dawn Immortal was ripped into pieces, destroyed like a dried weed, exposing from within a face filled with complete terror!

In the next instant, the Dawn Immortal's figure was enveloped by the wave of destructive power.

Inside the puppet, Naruto's flesh was slashed into pieces, and he began to burn. Some of his skin even began to melt. At that moment, when he was just about to be enveloped… the Lightning Cauldron appeared in his hand. Coldness gleamed in his eyes. He might be in a deadly and critical situation, wracked with intense pain, but he was not flustered in the slightest.

His eyes shifted… to look down toward the battlefield… at one of the peak Dao Seeking experts of the Northern Domain. It was a middle-aged Patriarch with a long violet robe, surrounding by a swirling, illusory flood dragon.

Heaven and Earth trembled, and the thunder-like, rumbling sound of the explosion echoed out through the entire Southern Domain. The self-detonation of the false Immortal puppet didn't just shake the Southern Domain. Ripples of air turbulence spread throughout the Northern Reaches, and the clouds above the Eastern Lands churned.

Simultaneously, as the destructive power washed over Naruto, his body flashed with lightning.

Form Displacement Transposition!

His body vanished, and when he reappeared, he was in the spot just occupied by the middle-aged man with the violet robe and flood dragons. The peak Dao Seeking expert from the Northern Reaches reappeared where Naruto had been. He did not even have enough time to let out a miserable shriek before the power of destruction overwhelmed him.

Massive rumbling sounds filled everyone's ears; it almost seemed as if the sky would collapse and fall.

The peak Dao Seeking expert was instantly killed and the Dawn Immortal was enveloped by the destructive force. Even any sound or sign of her was incapable of escaping.

However, the two halves of the Resurrection Lily bridge that stretched out across the Milky Way Sea trembled, as if they were being wracked with intense pain. Rumbling sounds could be heard as parts of the bridge collapsed, the tentacles transformed into nothing more than ash.

A screeching cry sounded out from the Resurrection Lily, so powerful that it caused the ground to split and the sky to shake!

"Naruto!"

Back in the Southern Domain, Naruto appeared next to Sagiri on the battlefield, and his body was a bloody mess.

The only part that remained intact was the hand that held the lightning cauldron. The rest of his body was in tatters. His skin was flayed off and his blood dried up. His vital organs were visible inside, and half of his head was destroyed. Upon cursory glance, it seemed that he would be incapable of anything but dying.

His Eternal stratum was virtually exhausted, and still in the process of repairing itself. As such, it was incapable of restoring Naruto's body. These were wounds that even the most miraculous medicinal pills would be incapable of healing!

Immense amounts of destructive force had battered Naruto. The fact that he didn't die in the blast was actually pure luck. Were it not for the Heaven-defying Lightning Cauldron, Naruto would most assuredly have been destroyed!

Even still, when he reappeared, the remaining three peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches gasped and unconsciously fell back. They didn't dare to try to take the chance to make a move.

Naruto's initial savagery and ruthlessness, his fearsome act of self-detonation, the slaughtering of the Dawn Immortal's clone, the casual slaying of the peak Dao Seeking expert… all of these things ensured that his fearsome name struck terror into the hearts of anyone and everyone.

A buzz of conversation rose up from the more than 100,000 cultivators from the Northern Reaches.

"He's still not dead!"

"Look at how mangled his body is, and yet, he's still alive!"

Pill Demon rushed over with medicinal pills, while Sagiri and Patriarch Golden Frost immediately sped to Naruto's side to stand guard.

"Naruto!" said Pill Demon, with great urgency.

As for Naruto's second true self, he sagged listlessly and darkened. After all, if Naruto died… then he would most certainly also die.

Naruto couldn't speak. His eyes were blank and his expression looked confused. An aura of death swirled around him, as if he might pass away completely at any moment. He only had one tiny scrap of consciousness remaining. He looked down toward the ground at the astonished Northern Reaches cultivators.

Then, the Lightning Cauldron flickered, and he vanished. When he reappeared, he had switched places with one of the Northern Reaches cultivators. Then, his hand exploded. The only intact portion of his body that remained was half of his head!

Even the last remaining part of his head exploded into a bloody mist as it fell on the ground. The mist didn't vanish, though. It suddenly bored into the body of a nearby Northern Reaches cultivator, entering through his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. The Northern Reaches cultivator let out a bloodcurdling scream. His body began to writhe, and blue veins popped out on his forehead. His expression was one of astonishment and horror.

"NO! Help me—" In the middle of his sentence, his words were cut short. He began to wither as his Chakra, blood, cultivation base and soul were all sucked away.

As he died, vast quantities of red mist emerged from inside of him, which then split into two streams that then spread out once more.

Miserable screams rang out; quickly a shocking change occurred on the battlefield!

Rumbling sounds filled the air as one Northern Reaches cultivator after another withered up and died. The blood mist then split from two parts into four, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two, then sixty-four…. In the end, hundreds of streams of blood mist spread out, boring into hundreds of bodies, sucking away their Chakra, blood, cultivation base, and soul. Then, the mist spread out again.

All it took was the blink of an eye for thousands of streams of red mist to be visible. It was evil, Devilish, and seemed to be sentient as it spread out, avoiding all Southern Domain cultivators and seeking only Northern Reaches cultivators to destroy.

Up in mid-air were the three peak Dao Seeking Patriarchs from the Northern Reaches. There were the two identical old men who wore black and white clothing and looked like hopping vampires. The other bore the semblance of a young man, around whom swirled mysterious magical symbols. From the look of it, each one of those magical symbols contained some type of weapon, just ready to be unleashed.

All three of them looked at what was happening with complete shock. After exchanging glances, they didn't hesitate any longer. Employing all the speed they could muster, they fled off into the distance.

How could they possibly dare to continue the fight?!

The Dawn Immortal was dead. Of the seven peak Dao Seeking experts, four were gone, three of them slain by Naruto. Furthermore, it seemed apparent that Naruto… still wasn't dead!

There was no way they could possibly dare to stay behind. Besides, Pill Demon was now at the peak of Dao Seeking, as were Patriarch Golden Frost and Sagiri. Those three alone were enough to cause problems, and that was not to mention Naruto's second true self. He might seem weak, but if Naruto recovered, he would be yet another powerful enemy!

There was simply no way to continue to fight.

The death of the Dawn Immortal's clone had sealed the fate of the Northern Reaches' second army.

The remaining three peak Dao Seeking experts fled, shivering in fear. Their only hope was to rendezvous with the third wave army. Only then would they possibly dare to reappear and face Naruto.

It wasn't that it didn't occur to them to seize this opportunity to try to kill Naruto once and for all…. Rather, the risk was too great. Fleeing was the safest option.

The three fleeing Dao Seeking experts completely ignored the remaining 100,000 or more Northern Reaches cultivators down below. As for Sagiri and the others, they hesitated for a moment as they considered whether or not to pursue them. In the end, they decided that Naruto was more important.

Even if they did catch up with them, it wouldn't be easy to secure a win in a short period of time.

Pill Demon and the others exchanged glances.

"Don't interfere with him," said Pill Demon. "Let's start setting up spell formations to seal this place off and protect him!

"That's the correct course of action. He's using the Blood Demon Grand Magic to recover! Let's go!" Immediately, they split up and began to seal down the area.

Down below, the blood mist raged. It was now split into more than ten thousand streams, which completely obfuscated the sky and land. Vast quantities of Northern Reaches cultivators were being consumed. No Blood Demon Grand Magic vortexes could be seen; the blood mist bored directly into the cultivators. They were incapable of fleeing, and their bodies were withered rapidly. Their fate was sealed; their Chakra and Blood, their cultivation bases and their souls all became living sacrifices!

Miserable shrieks filled the battlefield, along with cries of pain. The Southern Domain cultivators were completely shocked and surprised by what they were witnessing.

What they saw was countless withered corpses with wide eyes and lifeless faces filled with what seemed to be the utmost pain.

The blood mist grew larger and larger. Soon there were tens of thousands of streams, which were now forming a nucleus in the place where Naruto had initially exploded. As for the mist itself, it seemed to stretch out from that central nucleus.

Soon, a tempest of bloody mist seethed around that nucleus, rapidly transforming it into something that looked like a cocoon. Then, something that resembled a shocking heartbeat could suddenly be heard.

Thump-thump!

Thump-thump!

Thump-thump!

Every heartbeat caused the land to tremble, and the sky to darken. It was as if the entire world were being covered by infinite ferocity. Boundless red mist seemed to be stretching out from the cocoon. There were now more than 50,000 streams sweeping about, making impossible for the Northern Reaches cultivators to flee.

"NOOO!"

"Damn you, Southern Domain cultivators! You're too ruthless!"

"Kill them! Kill some of these Southern Domain bastards while there's still the chance!"

The Northern Reaches cultivators who had invaded the Southern Domain seethed with hatred and let out enraged shouts.

Meanwhile, far out among the stars outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu, there was a mighty river that no cultivator would be able to see, speeding along.

At first glance, the river seemed to be frothy and muddy, but upon closer inspection it grew more clear. This river was called the River of Forgetfulness, and its source was the Fourth Mountain. It swept through the great Nine Mountains and Seas, controlling the cycle of reincarnation, and the path to the underworld.

Any living being which died in the Nine Mountains and Seas, assuming their soul did not disperse, would enter into this great river, and then be carried to the Fourth Mountain, after which they would begin their cycle anew.

There appeared to be endless souls within the great river, most of whom looked around wide-eyed, moaning and screaming. Many struggled to escape the river water, including powerful beasts and mighty cultivators.

Of the numerous fierce beasts in the river, one was a pangolin who was covered with long spikes. It was fully three thousand meters long, and was currently roaring in rage.

It was half submerged in the river water and struggling mightily. Once it was completely submerged, it would lose its mental faculties. As it struggled desperately, the beast let out a mighty roar.

"I'm an Immortal from the Mountain Deity Tribe! My grandfather is the Dao Lord of the Wind People of the Seventh Mountain! How dare you try to drag me into the cycle of reincarnation!"

As the beast roared, it began to rise up. It was just on the verge of leaving the water, when suddenly, the river began to seethe. A spray of water burst into the air, which expanded out to form a sea. A rumbling sound could be heard as the beast was submerged. A miserable shriek rang out through the void as the gigantic creature was smashed, transforming into countless discarnate souls that merged into the river water.

The scene caused all the surrounding beast souls to tremble with fear and astonishment, even terror.

Off in the distance, an old man sat upright, floating above the surface of the water, surrounded by the melodious music of a great Dao. Every bit of his soul radiated Immortality, and his body shone with radiant light that spread out in all directions over the vast river. He seemed like a preeminent Immortal, towering over the River of Forgetfulness. He ignored the water, which seemed incapable of fazing him in the least.

"I am an almighty Dao Lord of the Sixth Mountain. My longevity might have ended, but in the past, the longevity of Dao Lords in the Nine Mountains and Seas was unlimited! Now… under what authority are you dragging me into the cycle of reincarnation, Fourth Mountain?!" The old man suddenly looked up, and his eyes seemed like two suns. Any souls that he looked at immediately began to scream and dissipate.

The old man slapped his hand down onto the surface of the water and then began to fly upward. His hand flashed in an incantation gesture, and then a rift tore open in the starry sky, which he prepared to enter.

However, it was at this point that a black fish suddenly splashed out of the water. It had sharp teeth and looked incredibly ferocious. As soon as it appeared, black rays of light began to shine out from it, making it look like a black sun. It only took a moment for it to appear in front of the old man.

An indescribable pressure exploded off of it.

"You're… an underworld fish!" said the old man, his face paling. "There's an Underworld Judge of the Fourth Mountain who is an underworld fish. You're his clone!" Just when the old man prepared to fight back, the underworld fish flickered and then stabbed into the old man's forehead. The old man shook, and then his body began to dissipate.

Even as he began to fade away, the old man's eyes suddenly flickered with a glow of determination.

"I might be dying, but you Underworld people must be dreaming if you think I'll go down without a fight! My Dao manifested the music of a great Dao. Dead souls of the river, if you have any reluctance at all to part with the living world, then awaken! Listen to the call beckoning you to stay in the world of men! Break free, return, and exist as undead!" With that, he lifted his head back and laughed loudly. His body collapsed, but the sound of his voice rolled out through the River of Forgetfulness, which stretched out further than the eye could see.

The old man died, but the music of his great Dao echoed out over the discarnate souls within the River of Forgetfulness. They trembled, and were then unable to control themselves as they flew up into the air. They transformed into a tempest of souls which shot madly toward the rift out in the void.

"Let's go home!"

"Flee this place and return home!"

Rumbling could be heard as the countless souls whistled through the air. On the surface of the river water lay a woman surrounded by a blood-colored light. She also flew up into the air to join the other souls in the tempest.

The underworld fish next to the rift looked coldly at the souls.

"You people are already dead!" the underworld fish said coolly. "If you want your souls dispersed as well, then as an Underworld Judge, I can accommodate!

"All souls in the River of Forgetfulness… will have no trial! Your sentence is to be refused entry into the cycle of reincarnation! Your souls will be exterminated immediately and melted into the River of Forgetfulness, where they shall remain for all eternity!" A black glow emanated out from the fish, transforming into a Dharmic decree that spread out in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, the entire area was covered with a black glow. Any soul who touched it screamed and then faded away, having been instantly eradicated!

"I don't want to die!"

"Ahhhh, soul dispersion! I refuse to submit!"

"My life was ended, and now I get no second life?! I can't accept this!"

It took only a moment for all the souls above the river to fade away, with the exception of the woman's soul. The black light was blocked by the red glow that surrounded her.

The black underworld fish looked over with glinting eyes that suddenly went wide.

The woman was none other than Hinata's soul!

"So you already have a Dharmic decree attached to you, directing you into reincarnation?" The fish hesitated for a moment. Generally speaking, souls with Dharmic decrees had incredible backstories. The fish couldn't help but look more closely at Hinata.

After further examination, a look of surprise gleamed in the fish's eyes.

"This woman has a Dao root? And it just sprouted? I've never heard of something like this before! I've been looking for a new slave girl. This one will do just fine!" Suddenly, black light appeared in front of the fish which then transformed into a huge hand covered with fish scales. It reached out toward Hinata to grab her.

However, as soon as it made contact with the red glow, shocking ripples flowed out. The hand trembled, then shattered into pieces, leaving the underworld fish astonished. It only took a moment for a bright glow to appear in its eyes.

"Interesting. This woman with the Dharmic decree must be some shocking, almighty figure. Now that she's died, she's weak and exhausted. If I can suppress her here in the River of Forgetfulness, then there won't be any chance of her coming back to look for me later!"

The underworld fish's body flickered, and the River of Forgetfulness began to crash with enormous waves. The waves surged, merging together, hundreds of thousands of them. The red glow fought back against the waves, but was eventually incapable of resisting the mysterious power of the River of Forgetfulness. After some time passed, the glow began to fade.

When it completely dissipated, the underworld fish laughed loudly and then summoned the black hand to once more reach out and grab at Hinata.

"I'll bless you with some good fortune! Wipe your memories and sever your path to mortality. You won't be going into the cycle of reincarnation, from now on, you're going to be the slave girl of an Underworld Judge!"

Just when the black hand was about to grab onto Hinata, a strand of divine sense suddenly flew up into the air and began to emanate an astonishing power. The strand slashed down, slicing the black hand in two!

A miserable scream could be heard from the underworld fish. With an expression of complete astonishment and terror, it shot backward in retreat.

At the same time, a cold voice echoed out through the River of Forgetfulness.

"How dare you touch the daughter-in-law of the one surnamed Namikaze!" The voice seemed enraged, and the entire River of Forgetfulness shook. The underworld fish couldn't look more shocked.

"You…. Namikaze…. You're…." It began to tremble with such fear that its soul nearly dissipated. Before it could finish speaking, the strand slashed out into the starry sky, severing all natural law. The strand continued to slash down toward the underworld fish. It screamed as its body was sliced into two halves. The strand then appeared to be preparing to finish the job and completely destroy it.

"Your excellency, please spare my life!" cried the underworld fish. It was completely terrified, and filled with a sense of deadly crisis. Unfortunately, it was incapable of fleeing, and had no other option than to beg for mercy.

It was at this point that another voice, ancient and archaic, echoed out from within the River of Forgetfulness.

"Elder Brother Namikaze, calm your anger. Considering my position as king, can't you give me some face…."

In conjunction with the voice, an enormous face appeared within the River of Forgetfulness. It had a third eye on its forehead, and as soon as it appeared, all the stars in the sky trembled.

"No, I can't," was the cold response. A bloodcurdling scream rang out from the mouth of the underworld fish. Its body was destroyed, completely and thoroughly. Then, a will of extermination appeared that quickly found the true self that the clone originated from, and destroyed it as well.

Nothing could prevent this from happening!

The starry sky was now tranquil and quiet.

"Elder Brother Namikaze, we haven't seen each other for years, but you still have the same temper…. You know, you might just be a stream of divine sense come from the lands of Lands of Ninshu, but that's still a violation of the agreement.

"The 100,000 year period has just begun. You and your beloved are not permitted to leave Lands of Ninshu!"

"During the 100,000 years, I can send out one stream of divine sense," replied the cold voice. "That was also written in the agreement."

Down below, the eyes of the enormous face in the River of Forgetfulness flickered. "True, true. Although, you may only do that one time, ostensibly to provide a Dao Protector for your son. I never imagined you would use the divine sense on this girl."

"The son of Namikaze is a dragon of Heaven and Earth! He doesn't need me to act as Dao Protector!"

"Oh? You're not afraid that someone might kill him?!" the face replied coldly.

"If someone kills my son, I will kill his everything!" responded the voice, cold and calm. "I will destroy his entire family, and their chance at reincarnation!" The words were spoken with a monstrous, domineering air. Intense, icy coldness spread out, and as for the face on the river, it trembled inwardly.

"Even after all these years, he definitely deserves to be called the number one Chosen of the Namikaze Clan," thought the face. "For the sake of his crippled son, he was stationed on planet Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years… unable to leave. Lands of Ninshu is old and dull, and his cultivation base cannot advance. It won't take 100,000 years for plenty of other people to pass him up."

At this point, the cold voice continued: "This is my daughter-in-law. My strand of divine sense will stay with her to protect her and ensure that she is peacefully reincarnated. During her time in the underworld, no one is allowed to interfere with her in any way." With that, the strand of divine sense slowly floated down to circle around Hinata's arm, then faded into her.

The face on the river water said nothing. After a moment passed, it slowly sank back down into the water. This stretch of the vast River of Forgetfulness now had no souls in it other than Hinata's. Gradually, she drifted off into the distance.

Back in the Southern Domain, on the battlefield, the Southern Domain cultivators milled about, not attacking, but merely surrounding the Northern Reaches cultivators. They had long since grown accustomed to the reek of blood. They looked on coldly as the Northern Reaches cultivators let out their final screams.

Everything was sealed. The Northern Reaches cultivators couldn't flee. By now, there were less than 30,000 left, each and every one of whom… was withering away into a corpse.

The corpse-littered battlefield was huge, but now it was possible to see that in the very center, there was a giant blood-colored cocoon, within which sat a cross-legged figure. It was impossible to see the figure clearly, only its outline, but when the Southern Domain cultivators looked at it, their eyes filled with reverence and fanaticism.

A magic had been used that merged the Chakra, blood and cultivation bases of more than a hundred thousand people, to mold a new body. Such magic was matchlessly sinister and vicious. And yet, the magical technique itself was neither evil nor good. The nature of good and evil is often decided by the masses, and the heart.

To the Northern Reaches cultivators, the blood mist was evil to the extreme and indescribably cruel. They hated it to their bones. However, to the Southern Domain cultivators, it was exactly the opposite.

The living sacrifice of the Northern Reaches cultivators allowed their esteemed Naruto to mold a new body. It was something that left them incredibly moved on an emotional level.

It was impossible to say who it was that spoke first, but soon, all of the more than 100,000 surviving Southern Domain cultivators spontaneously began to cry out. Their voices grew louder and louder, until everyone was shouting out one name.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

They were calling out to Naruto, calling out for him to awaken!

The sound rumbled out over the remaining 20,000 or so Northern Reaches cultivators. They were enveloped by red mist, and their miserable screams were a sharp contrast to the calls of the Southern Domain cultivators. Two very different sounds could be heard on the battlefield.

The Northern Reaches cultivators only lasted for the space of a few breaths before they were completely withered up. 20,000 corpses toppled over, and the thick red mist surged back into the enormous, blood-colored cocoon. Then, the heartbeat coming from within the Blood Cocoon… grew louder!

Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!

Not only did the heartbeat grow more intense, the image of the person inside began to grow clearer!

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

100,000 Southern Domain cultivators were shouting at the top of their lungs, and the sound of it caused everything to shake, and even penetrated into the Blood Cocoon itself!

Within the Blood Cocoon, the figure's eyes… suddenly opened!

"Who… calls me…?"

Within the Blood Cocoon sat a cross-legged figure with pale white hair. His body had no skin on it, making it possible to see the various blood vessels and other meridians. Overall, he looked completely horrifying.

His eyes were listless, and a monstrous Devilish aura emanated off of him, making him seem like a Blood Devil!

This was Naruto!

He had absorbed the Chakra, blood and cultivation bases of more than 100,000 cultivators, as well as their souls.

However, he had been destroyed by the explosion of the false Immortal puppet, washed over by the force of eradication. Therefore, even what he had already absorbed was not enough to completely restore his body.

The cultivators in the outside world called his name, and the sound continued to grow louder. It entered into the Blood Cocoon and echoed in Naruto's ears, muffled and distorted as if time were passing slowly, stretching out the sounds.

Gradually, Naruto's eyes were no longer blank, but rather, bright and clear.

"I… am Naruto…." he murmured. A tremor ran through him, and his mind seemed to fill with rumbling as his memories flooded back.

There were memories of his early childhood, and then that night when he was seven years old. His parents went missing, and he ran out into the fog to look for them. Then there was the Reliance Sect, the Violet Fate Sect, the Western Desert, the Demon Immortal Sect, the Milky Way Sea, and finally the war of the Southern Domain.

He remembered everything. He remembered his and Hinata's wedding. He saw her soul enter the River of Forgetfulness. All of it caused him to tremble. Then he looked down at the back of his right hand and saw that same mark that had appeared before, flickering and glittering.

This time when he looked down at the symbol, there was more…. There were unfamiliar memories, broken fragments that he couldn't quite piece together.

Within those fragments were memories from before when he was seven. However, the setting was unfamiliar. It was not the Five Elements Nation, but some other place. It was some location where there seemed to be seven moons, one of which was bright, six of which were dark.

Underneath that unique sky, he was being carried in the arms of a woman. Off to the side was a young man who was smiling at him. Further off to the side was a tall old man, who was laughing kindly.

The man and the woman were not unfamiliar to him. They looked exactly like the father and mother that he remembered from when he was young.

As for the sky and the land, it was a world Naruto didn't recognize.

What he did know was… it was not Lands of Ninshu.

"That curse targeting one of the lands of Lands of Ninshu didn't affect me at all…. Is it possible that I actually wasn't born here?" Before, Naruto didn't have the time to consider the question. Now, here in this Blood Cocoon, his mind stirred with scattered fragments of memories.

After some time passed, the mark on Naruto's hand faded. He looked up, and heard the voices calling to him from the outside. Slowly, he rose to his feet. The Blood Cocoon exploded, transforming into a shocking, blood-colored whirlwind.

Naruto stepped out from within the whirlwind, into the view of the Southern Domain cultivators. What they saw was a Naruto with white hair and ferocious features. His body had no skin, making him even more terrifying. However, they continued to call his name.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

Pill Demon, Sagiri, and Patriarch Golden Frost sped over to appear at Naruto's side. Naruto's second true self was also recovered, and appeared off in the distance.

"Naruto…." said Pill Demon. Seeing Naruto's current condition pained him in his heart.

Naruto clasped hands in greeting, then softly said, "Master, I'm fine…. These are merely the excesses of the sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic."

"The sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!" Sagiri exclaimed with a gasp.

This truly was the sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic. As soon as Naruto's body fell apart, the sixth level automatically activated. It seemed that in order to truly enter the sixth level, it required all the blood in the body to dissipate.

"As of now, you…." Pill Demon trailed off and didn't finish his sentence.

"Master," said Naruto, his eyes flickering with red light, "are there still cultivators from the Northern Reaches' second wave army left in the Southern Domain?"

"Yes!" he replied. "There were a total of six fronts. The third and fourth overlapped here, but there are still four others scattered in the four cardinal directions. There are still roughly 100,000 Northern Reaches cultivators out there." A flicker of worry could be seen in Pill Demon's eyes. He knew what state Naruto was in. He was bedeviled, and would carry out slaughter like a Devil.

"Master, I've found my path to the Third Severing," said Naruto. He looked at Pill Demon, then clasped hands and bowed respectfully.

Pill Demon looked at him seriously for a moment, and then suddenly laughed out loud. Relieved, he waved his hand, sending a jade slip flying out that detailed the locations of the four Northern Reaches armies.

Naruto caught the jade slip, then turned to clasp hands toward Sagiri and Patriarch Golden Frost. Finally he looked out at all the Southern Domain cultivators, clasped hands and bowed. With that, he flew up into the air. His second true self rippled and vanished, becoming his shadow as he shot off into the distance.

After Naruto left, Pill Demon produced a pill furnace and then unleashed a vast quantity of medicinal pills for the Southern Domain cultivators to use to recover. Then he, Patriarch Golden Frost and Sagiri started to set up spell formations.

They knew that the war wasn't over. The Northern Reaches' third wave, which was the strongest of all, was currently en route. It wouldn't be long before it arrived, and then the true battle for victory or defeat would begin.

In the end… the Southern Domain's chances of winning were small. But they would fight nonetheless!

It would be better to die in battle than let the Southern Domain be overrun.

Meanwhile, Naruto shot through midair in a beam of blood-colored light. He sped forward, jade slip in hand, heading toward the second front, which wasn't very far off.

"The Blood Demon Grand Magic has three strata. With the first stratum, I can battle early Dao Seeking. With the second, I can battle mid Dao Seeking. With the third stratum complete, and my current cultivation base, I can definitely shake the peak of Dao Seeking!

"If I can perform my Third Severing and step into Dao Seeking, then… I would be considered invincible within the Dao Seeking stage!" Naruto's expression was placid, but his heart was thumping.

"Regarding my Third Severing… I already have the basics lined up." He looked down toward the ground and saw a shadow that others would not be able to perceive, which was his second true self.

As he proceeded onward at top speed, he was soon able to hear the sounds of battle. Though It was not the shocking sound of hundreds of thousands of cultivators fighting, it still caused everything in the area to shake.

There were tens of thousands of people on the battlefield, locked in combat.

One side was in a state of constant retreat, and the other side was pushing them relentlessly. The ground was stained with blood and littered with corpses.

20,000 Northern Reaches cultivators were currently fighting 10,000 Southern Domain cultivators. Most of the group of Southern Domain cultivators was made up of Violet Fate Sect disciples. Among their forces were Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect who had not completely grown into their prime, and as such, were unable to take the lead. Currently, the cultivators taking the lead were three aged Spirit Severing cultivators.

On the Northern Reaches' side, there were four Spirit Severing cultivators.

Booms filled the air as the Southern Domain army was forced into constant retreat. Their three Spirit Severing cultivators were seriously injured. Their army had suffered severe casualties. Sakura was there fighting, her face pale, blood oozing out of her mouth.

There were many familiar faces, some who had already fallen, some who were still holding firm.

Naruto shot down from the sky like a bloody shooting star that stained the sky red. As soon as he appeared, the tens of thousands of bitterly fighting combatants were shocked to the core.

This was especially true of the Southern Domain's Spirit Severing cultivators, whose pupils constricted. They were unable to tell whether or not this person was a friend or an enemy!

That was not the case with Sakura. She dodged a fatal strike, coughed up some blood, and then looked up at the figure in the beam of light. Her heart trembled.

He had white hair, and no skin. He was fearsome and terrifying to the extreme. And yet, she could still tell… that it was Naruto.

"What's… happened to you…?" she thought, her heart aching. She had her pride, but even with that pride, when she saw Naruto like this, pain filled her heart.

BOOM!

Naruto slammed into the middle of the Northern Reaches forces like a meteor. Massive fissures spread out across the land, and numerous Northern Reaches cultivators coughed up blood and then directly exploded.

The four Spirit Severing cultivators from the Northern Reaches were in shock. They gritted their teeth and attacked, but before they could even get close to Naruto, he waved his hand out in front of him, causing a vast red mist to spread out.

The four Spirit Severing cultivators had just begun their charge when the mist bored into them. They began to scream; shocking, earth-shaking screams. They were powerful Spirit Severing experts, but it only took the blink of an eye for them to begin to wither up. Chakra, blood, cultivation bases, souls; all were extracted. As the mist spread out, anyone caught in it became a desiccated corpse that toppled to the ground.

The sight of it shocked all of the Northern Reaches cultivators. More miserable shrieks rang out as the red mist continued to spread.

Moments ago, the Northern Reaches cultivators' faces had been covered with malevolent, murderous expressions. Now, they were trembling in terror. Their bodies withered up, their cultivation bases vanished, their souls were wrenched out.

Soon, the entire battlefield was filled with the sounds of screaming. The Violet Fate Sect disciples backed up, their faces ashen. The scene which was playing out in front of them left them stunned, with looks of horror on their faces.

"Who is that!?"

"His entire body is the color of blood! He has no skin! His magic is Demonic!"

"How come… that looks a lot like Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic…?"

Sakura looked at Naruto in the middle of the Northern Reaches cultivators, and it felt like she was looking at a Blood Devil. Her heart ached as she realized that Naruto also had an air of sorrow to him.

Rumbling filled the air. The 20,000 Northern Reaches cultivators around Naruto screamed miserably as, one by one, they became desiccated corpses. Eventually, the red mist returned to Naruto. Cracking sounds could be heard from inside of him.

His previously skinless body now had some skin on it. His Chakra and Blood were more vigorous, and up above in the sky, thunder rumbled.

"Naruto! It's… Naruto!"

"It really is Naruto! I couldn't tell before, but now that there's some skin on him, you can tell… it's Naruto!"

"How come he looks so different!?"

The Violet Fate Sect disciples were shocked. However, even as their voices rose, Naruto leaped up into the air. He looked down at the crowds, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Sakura. As he turned to leave, his voice rang out.

"Go meet up with the others at the Blood Demon Sect!"

In the same moment that Naruto left the second front in the Southern Domain, a man and a woman stood in a monolithic Sky Tower in the Eastern Lands, just as they had been standing there the entire time.

Looking toward the Southern Domain.

"Soon…. He's going to break through soon!" the man said softly. "Once he does, once he reaches Dao Seeking, we can go to him. We can tell him the truth about everything!

"Before he reaches Dao Seeking, we cannot interfere with his Karma. We have to be extremely careful even with things tangentially related to him.

"If any accidents happen, this lifetime will have been a failure…. I… I don't want to see him go through any more suffering." As he spoke, a love shone in his eyes that seemed capable of melting even the coldest ice.

The woman standing next to him had tears in her eyes as she stared off toward the Southern Domain. She could see Naruto, and his current skinless visage caused her heart to quiver.

"But… he's just a child," she said, and the tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, her expression suddenly changed. Shocking, murderous intent flickered in her eyes as she turned her head to look in a different direction. Toward… the Hebi Clan!

At this very moment, the clouds there were seething as an enormous vortex appeared above the clan, a vortex that anyone under Dao Seeking would be incapable of seeing.

It was something only visible to Dao Seeking and higher.

Within the vortex, a gigantic altar appeared. It was none other than… the Immortality Bestowal Dais!

Behind the Immortality Bestowal Dais, up in the sky above the Eastern Lands, a huge face appeared. Its eyes were closed as if it were sleeping. However, as soon as it appeared, an indescribable pressure emanated out that weighed down on all living creatures in the Eastern Lands.

"The false Immortal puppet Naruto used was infected with Hebi Clan Karma," said the woman. "He already had Hebi Clan Karma on him to begin with, now… they're going to make a move!" The killing intent in her eyes grew even more intense.

At this point, rumbling sounds could be heard from within the Immortality Bestowal Dais; clearly, it was just on the verge of performing a teleportation.

"Remove my seal," the woman said urgently. "They're going after Naruto, and I'm going to stop them!" The man didn't say anything. However, his hand released the column it had been gripping and clenched into a fist.

"There's no need," he said calmly. "I'll handle it myself." The woman looked over in shock. As far as she could remember, her husband always opposed her when she tried to interfere in matters. They had quarreled about such things many times.

But now, HE was going to do something!

"You…."

"Naruto is at a critical juncture, and can't be disturbed. If WE can't interfere, then… neither can the Hebi Clan!" A cold gleam appeared in his eyes as he stretched his hand out and pointed up into the sky.

Instantly, the entire Eastern Lands started to tremble. The face in the sky distorted as a gargantuan finger appeared up above, which then poked viciously down toward the Immortality Bestowal Dais.

As the rumbling filled the air, roars of rage could be heard from within the Hebi Clan. Three figures appeared, which shot up toward the Immortality Bestowal Dais, and the descending finger.

The song of a great Dao rose up from the Immortality Bestowal Dais, and from the ancestral lands of the Hebi Clan. The sky trembled, and the eyes of the enormous face opened a sliver.

Instantly, the enormous finger began to shudder, seemingly incapable of withstanding the force.

Then, the man in the Sky Tower snorted coldly.

The Eastern Lands consisted of 216 states. The Northern Reaches had 113. The Southern Domain, 219. The Western Desert had none, and was also the only region that had no Sky Towers.

In the lands of Lands of Ninshu, there were a total of 548 Sky Towers!

Currently, roughly a third of those Sky Towers began to emit bright light. Brilliant beams shot up into the air, which sped toward the Sky Tower in the Eastern Lands, where they formed into the shape of a sword.

It seemed to be a simple, ordinary iron sword. There was nothing resplendent about it whatsoever. However, as soon as it appeared, wild colors flashed throughout the sky, and Planet Lands of Ninshu… quaked.

Immediately, the sword slashed out with such speed that it was impossible to even see. It cut through the Immortality Bestowal Dais, rending a huge gash and causing the altar to fall down toward the ground.

"This dais wanted to seal my son. It shall remain fallen for 10,000 years!"

Then the sword slashed a second time, toward the three incoming figures from the Hebi Clan. They could do absolutely nothing to block it, and disappeared in a haze of blood. The sword continued to slash downward into the Hebi Clan ancestral mansion. A massive gorge was hewn out through multiple layers of the mansion as the sword headed toward the same location where the man's wife had been stopped the last time she had gone to that place. Sitting at the top of a tall staircase was a young man.

The young man's face flickered, and he immediately roared and counter-attacked with all the power he could muster. A boom rattled out, and blood sprayed from his mouth as both of his arms were severed! They flew up into the air and spontaneously combusted, gone for all eternity.

"Your clan wishes to infect my son's Karma!? You're nothing but a puny peak Immortal Realm so-called Dao Lord who hasn't even opened the great door to the Ancient Realm, and yet you dared to chide my wife? I'm severing your arms! Furthermore, you'll never reach the Ancient Realm in this lifetime!"

The sword slashed a third time, toward the face up in the sky. Massive amounts of Sword Chakra billowed out, and a huge rift was opened up in the sky. The face vanished.

"If your honored clan chief were here, I would obviously be no match for him. But the trifling strand of divine will that has become the Heavens of Lands of Ninshu… is not enough to keep me under its thumb!

"You listen to me, Hebi Clan. I, Namikaze, have a family with four people in it. We've only been in the lands of Lands of Ninshu for a few hundred years, and have done nothing to interfere with your operations here. But starting today… I will fully assume my status as the Prison Warden of the Ninth Mountain. Henceforth, the Hebi Clan will keep itself in line! If you harbor even the slightest ill intentions… well, let me remind you that you're nothing more than an offshoot of the Hebi Clan. Besides, even if you were the main branch, I've lost count of how many people I've killed from there!"

The Hebi Clan instantly fell silent.

It was at this point that the woman's proud voice could be heard from within the Sky Tower.

"Listen up, you people. When my Naruto returns, you little twerps who owe him spirit stones had better pay them back or else!"

Her way of handling things was somewhat reminiscent of Naruto….

Everyone in the Hebi Clan was trembling. The Chosen, the Array disciples, even Guren, all felt their scalps go numb. At first, they weren't sure who these voices were talking about, but once they heard mention of the debts of spirit stones, all of the Chosen who had been to the Demon Immortal Sect shivered and recalled the same person, that oft-remembered bastard who had conned them out of who knew how much, and had left them gnashing their teeth.

Deep in the Hebi Clan, the young man who had lost his arms sat silently on an altar. A complex expression filled his face, and after a long moment, he sighed.

"He sealed himself here for 100,000 years, and is unable to leave Lands of Ninshu. He even became the Ninth Mountain Prison Warden. All to give his son a slim chance at life…. And it turns out that little kid down there is his son!"

The iron sword vanished, and the Sky Towers in the lands of Lands of Ninshu went dark. Everything that had just happened was something that mortals wouldn't be able to see. Even most cultivators would not have been able to see anything.

As everything faded away, the woman turned to stare at her husband, and a strange light gleamed in her eyes.

The man's face was calm, his voice cool as he said, "Surprised? You interfered a few times already, which was quite dangerous. I lectured you before, but actually, I interfered once too. I prevented some punk child from trying to mess with Hinata's soul."

The woman suddenly smiled. "Afraid Naruto would resent you if you didn't?"

"When Hinata left the lands of Lands of Ninshu and entered the River of Forgetfulness, I was then truly free to act," he continued. "She is his beloved, which makes her our daughter-in-law. That strand of divine sense will protect her in her reincarnation, all the way until we meet her in person.

"As for Naruto…. I have faith that he is a dragon among men. He's not some spoiled brat that needs to cower under the protection of his father and mother.

"We must stay here on Planet Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years. That was the agreement. An oath. We can't leave, yet neither can we force him to stay with us here for those 100,000 years. His path lies much further off in the distance. In this lifetime, he relied only on himself to get as far as he has, and we can be proud of how far he's risen. Therefore, we must have faith that in the future… he will continue to make us proud!" He spoke softly, and it was hard to tell whether he was speaking to his wife, or to himself.

Back in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, Naruto's skin was now thirty percent recovered. He didn't look as terrifying as before, although his expression was as cold as ice. He flew through the air in a beam of blood-colored light as he headed toward the next battlefront.

Of the six fronts in the Southern Domain, the third and fourth had merged together. The other four were already being pushed toward the Blood Demon Sect. Considering the incredible speed Naruto was capable of, it didn't take long for him to appear in the air above the first front.

There were a few Violet Fate Sect disciples here, as well as many rogue cultivators. All of them were united to defend against more than 20,000 Northern Reaches cultivators. A bloody battle was being fought.

Desperate fighting was under way, and corpses littered the ground as far as the eye could see. It was completely shocking.

When Naruto appeared, he swept down like a red wind.

Among the Northern Reaches cultivators was an unusually domineering Spirit Severing expert. He was soaked with blood, although little of it was his own. His expression was merciless, and his eyes radiated killing intent as he occasionally laughed cruelly. Two human heads were hanging at his waist. One of them was a person Naruto recognized; it was one of the Blood Demon Sect's two Ironblood Patriarchs.

"Southern Domain cultivators!" roared the huge man. "You act like your way of cultivation is the only way, but now you're less than dog crap! I've even killed two of your Spirit Severing Patriarchs. All of you can go die!" He laughed loudly as he brandished his huge war club. Wherever he went, he left a trail of destruction.

Behind him were two giants as tall as mountains. They roared as they slammed into the virtually defenseless Southern Domain cultivators.

It was at this point that Naruto arrived, swathed in red. A red mist rose up around him that, from a distance, almost looked like a cloak… a cloak that covered the entire sky.

Naruto exuded the air of a Paragon.

The burly Spirit Severing cultivator saw him, and his expression flickered. Roaring filled his mind as an indescribable pressure bore down on him. He suddenly felt as if he couldn't breathe. Cold sweat broke out all over. He felt like a tiny little animal facing up against a lion.

"Stop him!" cried the man, shivering. He fell back as the two giants lunged toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was indifferent as he closed in. He simply passed by the giants, refraining from attacking. The red mist spread out to cover them up, and then, bloodcurdling roars rang out. The giants withered up in the blink of an eye and then toppled over onto the ground.

The Spirit Severing cultivator gasped, and his eyes filled with astonishment. "You're… you're at the peak of Dao Seeking. Definitely the peak of Dao Seeking! Dammit, aren't the Southern Domain's peak Dao Seeking experts all at the central battle? How could one of them be here?!"

He had no time to think about the question. In the blink of an eye, the red mist enveloped him, like the ravenous mouth of a Devil. He was swallowed up, along with the rest of the Northern Reaches cultivators.

For a few moments afterwards, miserable screams abruptly rose up into the air.

A short while later, the red mist reformed into the shape of Naruto. His skin was now roughly fifty percent restored. He no longer looked so hideous, but the coldness of his expression made his Devilish aura even more intense.

He flicked his sleeve, and then, under the shocked gazes of the Southern Domain cultivators, pierced through the air to disappear off into the distance in a beam of prismatic light.

Of the six fronts, hostilities had now ceased on four, and only two remained.

Naruto flew as fast as possible. The air shattered around him and lightning crackled as he sped across the land. Soon he appeared at the fifth front. Few Southern Domain cultivators remained on this front, only a few thousand. In contrast, there were more than 10,000 Northern Reaches cultivators, battling fiercely, pushing the Southern Domain force back in constant retreat.

Shockingly, Fatty was there in the crowd, spattered with blood, his expression fierce. Although his cultivation base was not incredibly high, he abounded with magical items. Furthermore, as the Golden Prince of the Golden Frost Sect, he was constantly guarded by other members of the sect.

Even so, currently facing a dangerous situation. After coughing up some blood, he leaped out, enraged, and bit a chunk out of the enemy's flesh.

When Fatty bit things, it didn't matter if it was flesh, bone or magical items; everything would be crushed and ripped. It was an incredibly fierce and cruel sight.

The Northern Reaches forces who pursued Fatty were covered in wounds that appeared to be bite marks.

"Dammit! Is this a person or a wild beast? How can he have such sharp teeth!?"

"What technique does he cultivate?!"

"Slay him and pry his teeth out! I'm positive that you can refine them into a shocking magical item!"

Their killing intent seethed, and the glow of magical items swirled around their bodies as they gave chase to Fatty.

"Bring it on!" roared Fatty. "Grandpa Fatty's gonna bite you to death!"

The fighting raged, and the Southern Domain cultivators fell back again. The Northern Reaches army advanced with unbridled frenzy, and from the look of the situation, it seemed that the Southern Domain Cultivators would soon be completely wiped out.

Fatty's eyes had long since been shot with blood. Off to the side, one of his beloved concubines received an injury, causing him to leap to her aid. He pulled her back and then lunged out, snapping his teeth at the arm of a Northern Reaches cultivator who was about to land a palm strike on her.

The Northern Reaches cultivator immediately fell back, scalp numb. Although Fatty only ended up biting air, the sound it emitted was completely shocking.

"Dammit!" cried the Northern Reaches cultivator. Shamed into rage, he waved his arm, causing a lump of bronze to appear. He tossed it out in front of him, whereupon it exploded with a bluish light that was apparently sentient; it immediately shot toward Fatty as if to consume him.

Fatty's face fell, and a sensation of deadly crisis washed over him. He shot backward at high speed, pursued by the blue light.

Just when the light was about to slam into Fatty, a cold snort echoed out across the land. It was a mere sound, but it instantly caused the Northern Reaches cultivators' bodies to tremble. There were some who coughed up blood and felt their minds reeling unstably.

The cultivator who was after Fatty suddenly went pale in the face. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he turned his head in astonishment. What he saw was a blinding red light filling the sky.

The following moment, a hand stretched out from behind Fatty, grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. It was then that Naruto appeared.

"Naruto!" cried Fatty exuberantly. Immediately, the spirits of the surrounding Southern Domain cultivators lifted.

"The exalted Naruto has arrived!"

"We're saved! Naruto is here!"

The Northern Reaches cultivators had all heard of Naruto; they knew that he was the one who had wiped out the first wave army. When they heard his name, many of them gasped and subconsciously backed up.

Someone who could wipe out an army of 100,000 cultivators was clearly an astonishing figure, no matter how he accomplished the task.

As soon as Naruto appeared, his energy transformed into an oppressive air that sent the minds of the Northern Reaches cultivators spinning. At the same time, Naruto stretched out his hand and flicked the blue light that had been bearing down on Fatty.

"Disperse!" he said coolly. The blue light shuddered, then emitted a screech as it shot backward and swallowed up the Northern Reaches cultivator. Unable to escape, it then shrank back down into a lump of bronze and was pulled back through the air into Naruto's hand.

The lump of bronze trembled, seemingly pleading for its life with Naruto, who looked at it for a moment and then put it into his bag of holding. Then he glanced around at the more than 10,000 Northern Reaches cultivators.

A dark look gleamed in his eyes, and he stepped forward. Vast quantities of red mist instantly roiled out, like countless vipers. They shot toward the more than 10,000 enemies, boring into their bodies, causing shocking miserable shrieks to fill the air.

Naruto still stood there, arms raised into the air, eyes closed. Rumbling sounds filled the air as one after another, the Northern Reaches cultivators transformed into desiccated corpses. Red mist poured out from their eyes, ears, noses and mouths, which then flowed back to Naruto. His skin grew rapidly, and in the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, the screams faded away. The corpses toppled over, and Naruto opened his eyes.

His skin was now over seventy percent restored. His white hair floated around him, and he emanated a fiendish air that caused the Southern Domain cultivators to feel both anxious and shocked.

"The sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic… soon…." murmured Naruto. Eyes gleaming with cruelty, he turned to look at the Southern Domain cultivators. When his gaze fell upon Fatty, he smiled.

Yet… the smile caused Fatty to inhale sharply.

"You…." he said hesitantly.

Naruto didn't respond. He turned and shot up into the air, preparing to head to the final front. That was where… he would complete the sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!

Fatty looked at Naruto flying up into the air, and couldn't hold back from shouting out, "You're not Naruto! Who are you?!"

When Naruto had appeared, he had been filled with joy. But after a moment, he had realized that there was something unfamiliar about him. There was a coldness that hadn't been there before. Fatty suddenly got the feeling that this person was not the Naruto that he remembered from the past. He was different.

Very different!

It was the same feeling Sakura had experienced, except that with Fatty, it was even stronger.

The Naruto he remembered was not the type of person to carry out massacres. He was not so savage and cruel. He would not consume others' Chakra, blood, life force and souls to further his cultivation. Those techniques were the craft of Devils!

Such practices would give rise to shock no matter what era or location they appeared in.

Cruelness, ruthlessness, the ability to treat life as worthless… that was how this Naruto was acting. He was completely different from the con-loving Naruto who existed in Fatty's memories.

Naruto came to a halt up in midair, and Fatty's words echoed about in his mind. He paused for a moment without looking back down at Fatty, then vanished off into the distance.

The sixth front was the location of the final remnants of the Northern Reaches' second wave army. The cultivators responsible for holding them back were from the auxiliary branches of the Blood Demon Sect: the Solitary Sword Sect and the Golden Frost Sect.

This was the only front out them of all where… the Southern Domain maintained a superior position!

There were originally over 20,000 Northern Reaches cultivators, but now there were little more than half that. The Southern Domain cultivators fought back fiercely, and their enraged battle cries filled the area.

Guy was in the middle of it all, along with Chino. The battlefield was filled with the glow of magical techniques and the power of divine abilities.

Guy's cultivation base had returned to the Nascent Soul stage, and he fought with a sword. He truly looked like a sword cultivator, fighting as he did with shocking, killing blows. Chino was surrounded by a blood-colored glow. Of course, she did not cultivate the Blood Demon Grand Magic, but rather, used other magical combat techniques of the Blood Demon Sect.

Booms filled the air, and the sky suddenly turned bright red. Rain began falling, red rain. It was completely unexpected, and both the Southern Domain and Northern Reaches cultivators were astonished.

It was at this point that the falling rain transformed into a red mist that shot, swirling, toward the Northern Reaches cultivators. In the blink of an eye, it bored into their bodies.

The Southern Domain cultivators were shocked, and immediately fell back. They watched, shaken, as the Northern Reaches cultivators began to scream with unprecedented misery. Their bodies withered up and their hair fell out as their cultivation bases and souls were extracted through every orifice.

It was the same with the nearby mountain-like giants. Even the ghoul-like spirit creatures that the Northern Reaches had brought were screaming. Their bodies faded as if they were being erased.

The Southern Domain cultivators gasped at the sudden, shocking turn of events. It almost seemed as if they were witnessing in a living hell.

Corpses fell to the ground one by one. The giants died, and the evil spirits screamed and faded away. After that, everything was silent.

Within the silence, the red mist surged up toward the red clouds in the sky, taking the Chakra, blood, cultivation bases and souls with it.

The scene left a deep impression on all of the Southern Domain cultivators. The red mist churned and rolled, and as they looked up at the red clouds, they saw someone sitting there cross-legged.

That was the person who was absorbing all the red mist!

Naruto's skin was now fully regrown. He was dressed like a scholar; however, his previously scholarly aura was now as cruel and merciless as a Blood Devil.

His white hair floated around him, and when his eyes slowly opened, it seemed as if red lightning were crackling within them. After absorbing all the power from the battlefield below, his body flickered, and he vanished.

There were friends down below, but he didn't want them to see him like this.

"Living sacrifices! He used some evil technique to turn them into living sacrifices!"

"Who was that person in the clouds!?" Most of the Southern Domain cultivators made such exclamations. However, there were some people whose faces flickered as they seemed to recall a similar, although not quite as vicious, scene.

Guy stood there silently, a complex look on his face as he looked up into the sky.

Not too far off was Chino, who stood there trembling. She was a Blood Demon Sect disciple, and although she did not cultivate the Blood Demon Grand Magic, she was not unfamiliar with it.

"It was him…."

When the fighting stopped on the sixth front, the war of the Southern Domain finally became peaceful and quiet. However, everyone knew that this was only the calm before the true storm.

The storm was nigh!

The final, decisive battle was coming!

As to where the location of the final battle would be, many opinions were voiced by various Southern Domain cultivators. Some people had their minds set on the Blood Demon Sect. With the spell formations that were already in place, much time could be saved. Furthermore, the majority of the battle-ready cultivators in the Southern Domain were already congregated in the area.

Many others felt that the best location was the point where the Northern Reaches cultivators actually entered the Southern Domain. Doing so would prevent the Northern Reaches cultivators from razing and pillaging the rest of the Southern Domain.

In the end, Pill Demon, Sagiri, and Patriarch Golden Frost all agreed that time was the most valuable commodity!

Thus, the Blood Demon Sect was selected. It was far from the Milky Way Sea, but relatively close to the Black Lands, and could be considered to be on the border of the Southern Domain. Although this would cede a large amount of territory, every day that they continued to survive was another day that the Northern Reaches would not be able to completely conquer the Southern Domain.

Furthermore, the Northern Reaches cultivators would have to travel all the way to the Blood Demon Sect, which meant that the Southern Domain cultivators would have more time to prepare.

After the decision was made by Pill Demon, Sagiri, and Patriarch Golden Frost, all the battle-ready cultivators of the Southern Domain were marshaled. There were approximately 200,000 of them, and they were divided into multiple defensive fronts, with the Blood Demon Sect at the center.

Meanwhile, Pill Demon and the others personally went around the Southern Domain to the remaining sects and clans to collect vast quantities of supplies and treasures. They also set up enormous spell formations, ten in total, which caused shocking pressure to weigh down around them.

The atmosphere was tense. All of the Southern Domain cultivators were focused on healing and recovering their energy. Every area on the final battleground was filled with silence.

The final battle would determine victory or defeat. If the Southern Domain was victorious, they would be able to welcome in a new era of peace. After a period of rest and reorganization, they would be able to once again bloom like a beautiful flower, even more resplendent than before.

However, if they were defeated….

The Southern Domain would essentially become part of the Northern Reaches. Their core Daoist teachings and doctrines would be wrenched away. Their cultivators would be exterminated and the foundation of the Southern Domain would be lost. They would be ruled by the Northern Reaches, and years later… perhaps no one would even remember the formerly glorious Southern Domain.

This was the battle for everything!

They would live or die. There was no option for surrender.

A few days earlier, Naruto had returned to the Blood Demon Sect, where the final battle would soon take place. He went back to the same location where he had held Hinata and watched the sunrises and sunsets. Except now, there weren't two shadows falling on the ground. There was only his own.

His white hair fluttered in the wind, and his blood-red robe swayed.

His face was pale white, morbid and seemingly devoid of blood. It was a sharp contrast to the redness of his robe. However, his eyes radiated darkness.

Anyone who looked at him could sense a pulsing feeling, as if his body contained a terrifying Chakra and Blood power. Also barely visible were over 100,000 shrieking souls that swirled around him. They seemed to spread out endlessly, and their howls were astonishing.

Apparently, these were the people Naruto had consumed and destroyed. They were shackled to him for all eternity, unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

"Hinata," he murmured, "are you doing well…?" His eyes were cold, and contained a trace of loneliness that made his aura seem even more desolate.

Anyone who looked at Blood Prince Gorge would feel that it was filled with blood and mysteries. The news had long since spread that Naruto had consumed the Chakra, blood, cultivation bases and souls of the enemy cultivators. Virtually all of the cultivators in the entire Southern Domain knew about it, and in fact, most had witnessed it.

Deep in their hearts, the veneration they felt toward Naruto was now coupled with dread.

The Southern Domain was finally rested, and their spell formations were prepared. Five days passed….

Near the border of the Southern Domain, where it touched the Milky Way Sea, the sea water roared. Massive waves surged across the surface of the water. It almost seemed as if the Southern Domain would be drowned. Up above, shockingly bright lights could be seen on the Resurrection Lily bridge; apparently, teleportation portals were in continuous use.

Slowly, people began to appear. Soon they packed the bridge, seemingly without end.

The Resurrection Lily bridge trembled as two mountain-like giants appeared. These giants were different than the ones from the second wave. They were more powerful, and wore suits of golden armor. The pressure they exuded was astonishing.

Shockingly, these giants were not comparable to the Spirit Severing stage, but rather, Dao Seeking!

It was only early Dao Seeking, but considering their enormous frames, they could clearly crush any cultivator within the same stage. Furthermore, they wore armor, and had enormous greatswords strapped to their backs, making them even more fearsome.

Behind the two giants was a monstrous, sinister death aura that took the form of an emerald-colored mist. In the region near the mist, numerous dead sea creatures could be seen floating on the surface of the water.

Inside of the mist were three 10,000-year-old wraiths!

The wraiths all emanated an air similar to Dao Seeking as they swirled about within the mist, shrieking and howling.

In addition to these, there were hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators that composed the main military force. They were packed in tight formation atop the Resurrection Lily bridge, and anyone who saw them would surely gasp in shock.

However, what was most eye-catching was what could be seen in the very rear position of the army.

It was a gigantic iron cage, fully three hundred meters tall. It was being pulled forward by countless iron chains, and sitting inside was a monkey that had bright red eyes. It was covered with numerous magical symbols, and sat motionless in the cage, breathing heavily.

In the vanguard position of the army were three people that emanated shocking auras. They hovered in midair, looking coldly out at the Southern Domain.

In the center position among the three was an old man with red hair and a ruddy face. He wore a white robe, and a mysterious pressure emanated off of him. He was surrounded by countless bolts of lightning that formed together to make what appeared to be… true dragons!

If you continued to watch, you would see the true dragons swirl together to form something entirely different… a miniature cauldron!

Were Naruto here… he would instantly be able to tell that this cauldron closely resembled his own Lightning Cauldron. However, on this cauldron was engraved… a dragon with lightning bolts curling around it!

The old man hovered there, clearly emanating the power of peak Dao Seeking. And yet, the feeling of his aura was somewhat similar to that of Naruto's false Immortal puppet.

Yet again, further examination would reveal that his aura was even more ancient and archaic.

He seemed to possess an aura that was somewhere between a true Immortal and a false Immortal.

This old man was the most powerful person in the entire Northern Reaches, the Clan Chief of the Imperial Bloodline Clan.

On either side of him stood a man and a woman. The man was gentle and effeminate, with phoenix-like eyes and a frame as lithe as the wind. However, within his eyes could be seen what appeared to be the cross-legged image of two Immortal Divinities, reciting scriptures. A mere glance at the man would show that he was completely beyond the ordinary.

He was also at the peak of Dao Seeking, with a strange air similar and yet different to that of a false Immortal.

The woman, on the other hand, was by no means beautiful. She had a black birthmark on a face that was twisted and uncouth. Furthermore, her body was neither elegant nor appealing and she was extremely obese.

Wrapped around her neck was a crimson snake that occasionally flicked its forked tongue out. Its eyes were grim, and if you looked closely, you would see that the snake did not actually have a physical body; shockingly, it was actually composed of countless discarnate souls.

This was the third wave army of cultivators from the Northern Reaches, the final wave, and also the most powerful!

As soon as they arrived at the border of the Southern Domain, three beams of light emanating the power of peak Dao Seeking shot toward them. They were the three Northern Reaches Patriarchs that had been frightened off by Naruto.

When they joined the force, it increased the number of peak Dao Seeking experts in the third wave to six!

In addition, there were the two giants and three wraiths. This army of Northern Reaches cultivators was incredibly powerful.

The three newcomers did not say anything. They produced jade slips which they tossed out to the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief and the others, who examined them closely for a few moments. Although their expressions did not change, serious looks could be seen in their eyes.

The six cultivators exchanged glances and then began to transmit a conversation.

"Naruto…."

"I've already received your earlier reports about him. It seems this Naruto… is the greatest hindrance to our Northern Reaches' invasion of the Southern Domain!"

"He has a peak Dao Seeking clone, and his true self can absorb life force, Chakra, blood, cultivation bases and souls…."

"We must eliminate him. Without him, the Southern Domain is ripe for the picking!"

After a moment, their flickering gazes came to rest on the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief.

Lightning danced around him, and his closed eyes suddenly snapped open. He spoke for the first time, and his hoarse voice was filled with strange power.

"To deal with him, I approve the use of the ancestral statuary!"

The other five nodded in response. There was no further discussion. Moments later, the third wave army marched off of the Resurrection Lily bridge and into the Southern Domain!

In that instant, the killing intent of the Northern Reaches cultivators exploded out. The sky darkened as they shot through the air like a black cloud.

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief looked off into the distance. Lightning danced around him as he snorted coldly and then stretched his hand out and pointed upward. Immediately, a bolt of lightning shot up into the sky.

The air distorted, and then a fist-sized, translucent eyeball appeared up above. The lightning smashed into it, blasting it to pieces.

"The Southern Domain knows we've arrived," said the old man. "Push forward at top speed. We will finish this war in one swift blow!" In response, the Northern Reaches cultivators roared and surged forward at incredible speed.

Colors flashed in the sky, and the wind screamed. Down below, the earth quaked under their killing intent!

Outside the Blood Demon Sect, Sagiri's face flickered as he opened his eyes.

"They've arrived!" he said. "There is an old man with lightning surrounding him, most likely the most powerful person in the Northern Reaches, the Clan Chief of the Imperial Bloodline Clan. His cultivation base is astonishing. He noticed my Arcane Scrying Eye.

"They will be here in three days at the latest!"

Pill Demon and Patriarch Golden Frost exchanged glances. Seeing the profound gleam in each other's eyes, they suppressed their anxiety and rose to their feet.

"Spread the word. The final battle is about to begin!"

Ten successive spell formations protected the Blood Demon Sect. When the 200,000 Southern Domain cultivators inside heard Pill Demon's proclamation, they opened their eyes from meditation. Their eyes were still bloodshot; their righteous ardor had by no means evaporated.

Although they had been able to rest for a few days, their minds were like taut bowstrings that had not relaxed in the least. Everyone was waiting… for the final battle to begin.

Now the moment was upon them.

No one spoke. The sound of their breathing formed a thunderous, reverberating echo. Each and every cultivator exuded a murderous air. All of it mixed together into a shocking aura that caused everything to tremble.

In this battle, there would be nowhere to retreat to!

In this battle, the ultimate frenzy of the Southern Domain would be unleashed!

In this battle, defeat meant death, and victory meant a chance for life!

No one was confident that they would be alive after the battle was over. Not even Sagiri and the other powerful experts had such faith. However, in a battle of this scale, between two major territories and hundreds of thousands of cultivators, anything was possible.

They sat there, taciturn. Many removed jade slips from their robes and inscribed them with their most consummate and powerful abilities, then applied blood curses to ensure that anyone who studied such arts in the future would be forced to view the Northern Reaches cultivators as their ultimate archenemies.

Some people produced magical treasures or other arcane heirlooms that represented important memories. They held them in their hands and stared at them, murmuring.

They appeared to be… making their farewells….

Naruto sat motionless in Blood Prince Gorge. During these days of rest, he did not practice cultivation. As for the Blood Demon Grand Magic, it was not fully complete. He still lacked some souls harvested from battle.

He sat there in the same spot where he had held Hinata, his mind a blank. It almost seemed as if his aura had vanished.

Time passed. On the evening of the second day since Pill Demon's proclamation, the Southern Domain cultivators' breathing had grown even louder and hoarser. It sounded like muffled thunder, echoing about. As before, no one spoke.

Finally… a black streak appeared far off on the horizon!

Soon, it became apparent that the shocking black streak was actually countless Northern Reaches cultivators!

They shot through the air, hundreds of thousands of them, bursting with energy. The clouds churned due to their passage, and rumbling echoed out across all the lands.

The ground quaked as the two giants in golden armor ran, stepping over entire mountains with each stride. The mere sight was terrorizing. The three wraiths flew through the air surrounded by swirling emerald mist. Wherever they passed, the living things down below died, and the mountain peaks appeared to melt.

Up in front were the six peak Dao Seeking experts, led by the Clan Chief of the Imperial Bloodline Clan. They streaked through the sky, looking almost like a gigantic talon, ready to rip the sky asunder.

The Southern Domain cultivators looked up. They put away the jade slips and the precious heirlooms, and stopped thinking about loved ones. As of this moment, they cleared their minds and allowed the desire for battle to burn hot and bright.

"Fight!"

It was hard to say who said it first, but the cry spread quickly. They had been suppressing themselves for days, and now they could finally vent. The roars grew louder.

"Fight!"

"FIGHT!" One by one, the Southern Domain cultivators rose to their feet. Their roaring caused the sky to dim as an explosive murderous air surged up, passing out through the spell formations to contend with the energy of the Northern Reaches cultivators.

Rumbling filled the air as the energy from the hundreds of thousands of cultivators fought against each other. It was an invisible conflict, but casualties were still inflicted. The Northern Reaches cultivators stopped in place, and there were even some with blood oozing from their mouths. It was the same with the Southern Domain forces.

Suddenly, a cold voice echoed out from the Northern Reaches forces.

"Central regiment, advance! Flanking regiments, form into a blade! Summon the Immortal Gate to smash the entire place flat!" The voice came from a veiled woman who floated cross-legged within the green wraith mist.

In response to her words, three regiments split from the army of hundreds of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators. The central regiment numbered 100,000, and advanced directly forward. The two flanking regiments had 50,000 cultivators each, and formed together into something that looked like sharp blades that shot forward.

Simultaneously, a rift suddenly opened up above in the sky. An enormous golden door emerged, which then smashed down toward the ground.

The two mountain-like giants in golden armor leapt forward, howling as they stretched their arms out to catch the enormous golden door, which they then hefted on their shoulders!

The door slowly opened to reveal a void of primal chaos, within which was a giant, green tree.

The tree slowly began to emerge from the door, and an ancient, archaic aura spread out to fill the land. It was shocking to the extreme.

"Activate the formations!" said Sagiri. Rumbling could be heard as the ten spell formations began to rotate. Innumerable illusory spirit swords flew out, blotting out the sky as they shot toward the Northern Reaches cultivators.

"Break that formation," the woman in the green mist said indifferently.

Instantly, the two giants with the door on their shoulders began to run toward the Southern Domain's spell formations. More of the enormous tree had emerged from the door, roughly three hundred meters worth.

The two giants possessed extraordinary strength, and were incapable of being obstructed. In the blink of an eye, they were right on top of the Southern Domain cultivators' tenth spell formation, which they struck with the gigantic tree.

A boom rang out, and cracking sounds could be heard. The tenth spell formation was completely incapable of withstanding the attack, and shattered into pieces.

Inside the spell formation perimeter, Sagiri's and Patriarch Golden Frost's faces fell.

"What is that!?"

"It's a Formation Breaking Tree!" said Pill Demon, his face grim. "The Northern Reaches has access to profound resources. I can't believe they still have one of those trees left!" Even as the words left his mouth, the two giants strode toward the ninth spell formation, followed by a massive wave that was the Northern Reaches army. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators prepared to inundate the Southern Domain forces.

At the same time, five of the six peak Dao Seeking experts up in midair flew forward at top speed toward the ninth spell formation. They reached it in the blink of an eye, and employed divine abilities as they joined the two giants in attacking it.

A moment later, the land trembled and the sky filled with rumbling as the the ninth spell formation was destroyed, and then the eighth. When the seventh formation was destroyed, a destructive power hidden within it was unleashed that transformed into an explosive shockwave which roared outwards.

The giants bearing the golden door were incapable of fighting back against the attack. Trembling, they were forced back about three hundred meters. Many of the Northern Reaches cultivators behind them were incapable of standing up to the attack and were destroyed in body and spirit.

As the attack power spread out, the five peak Dao Seeking experts immediately sprang into action. Colorful divine abilities were employed, causing the ground to tremble, and the attacking power to dissipate….

"Charge!" roared Sagiri. He, along with Pill Demon and Patriarch Golden Frost, flew out, followed by five Spirit Severing experts and the 200,000 Southern Domain cultivators. This was the opening salvo of the final battle!

Pill Demon and the others headed toward the five peak Dao Seeking experts. Sagiri and Patriarch Golden Frost could only fight one enemy at a time, but Pill Demon had two lives worth of cultivation backing him. Although the magical symbols constraining him had not been fully removed, his peak Dao Seeking power far exceeded that of the other two.

When he attacked, the song of a great Dao swirled around him. A pill furnace materialized that seemed capable of refining Heaven and Earth, which he immediately sent against the effeminate Northern Reaches cultivator. At the same time, he waved his sleeve, enveloping the white-robed man who looked like a hopping vampire.

Booms filled the air as the three Southern Domain peak Dao Seeking cultivators waded into battle.

Unfortunately, the Northern Reaches had sent five peak Dao Seeking experts. There was still one left that could not be obstructed. That was the obese woman, who grinned as she shot toward Sagiri with a lethal attack.

However, even as she shot forward in attack, her scalp suddenly went numb and her face fell. She stopped in place and then retreated as a wooden sword suddenly materialized and slashed through the space where she had just been. The sword glittered with the power of Time, which caused the air around it to suddenly pass through tens of thousands of years of time.

"Who is it?!" she thought.

Naruto's second true self stepped out of thin air. He waved his hand, causing hundreds of magical symbols to appear, and a spell formation shaped like a parasol shot toward the woman.

The woman opened her mouth and spit out a writhing mist that transformed into the shape of a wild beast. It charged toward Naruto's second true self, and rumbling sounds filled the air. The woman's face flickered. She was not an ordinary peak Dao Seeking cultivator; she exceeded that. Normally, she could easily slay other peak Dao Seeking experts. She could never have imagined that she would meet someone here who was not weaker than her.

"So you're Naruto?" she asked. She wasn't the only one who had such thoughts. The effeminate man who was fighting Pill Demon looked over. The leader of the Northern Reaches, who had been observing the battle instead of fighting, also glanced over.

"That's Naruto's clone!" said the old man that looked like a hopping vampire.

Booming could be heard as the peak-level experts' battle unfolded in midair.

At the same time, the five Spirit Severing experts whistled through the air down below. Unfortunately, the Northern Reaches had sent seven Spirit Severing cultivators to block their way.

Five battles quickly broke out as the remaining two Northern Reaches Spirit Severing experts heading toward the ordinary cultivators from the Southern Domain with evil gleams in their eyes.

On the battlefield, no one discriminated regarding cultivation base, not when it came to killing. Battles were won or lost depending on how many of the enemy you could kill.

It was at this point that the cross-legged woman in the mist once again spoke out coldly.

"Three Elders of the Northern Sky, please make your move."

Immediately, the three wraiths in the mist began to cackle. Surrounded by swirling mists, they shot down toward the Southern Domain cultivators. Their eyes shone with mysterious light and bloodthirsty intent, as if they planned to consume the life forces of as many cultivators as possible.

The situation did not look good for the Southern Domain. However, there were still spell formations left standing. With that foundation, it was always possible to fall back to safety.

And yet, there still seemed little hope for victory. The most powerful expert from the Northern Reaches still hadn't made a move yet.

As the three wraiths descended like death toward the Southern Domain's main army, Naruto sat in Blood Prince Gorge. He saw what was happening, and the blankness left his eyes. A blood-like glow suddenly appeared, and then he vanished.

When he reappeared, he was in the middle of the battlefield!

Naruto appeared without a word or a sound. Not many people in the battle would be able to detect his sudden appearance. One of the few who did was the number one most powerful expert from the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief up in midair.

Naruto appeared just outside of the spell formation, swathed in red, his face pale white. He looked almost as if he were devoid of blood. He held the Lightning Cauldron in his right hand, which crackled with lightning as he suddenly vanished again.

Shockingly, when he reappeared, he had taken the place of a despairing Southern Domain cultivator who was being attacked by a burly Spirit Severing cultivator with wild hair.

The Southern Domain cultivator originally thought he was going to die, and was preparing to self-detonate. Then, his vision went blurry, and he switched places with Naruto. Even as his mind reeled with shock, Naruto reappeared in front of the burly cultivator with wild hair.

The burly man had already struck out with his hand. When he saw Naruto, his face flickered and his pupils constricted. Shocked, he was about to fall back when Naruto, like a soul vampire, moved forward and touched the man on the right arm.

A miserable shriek rang out from the burly man's mouth as his arm rapidly withered. The technique being used against him was like a black hole that rapidly sucked away his Chakra and Blood. In the blink of an eye, his burly frame was nothing more than skin and bones. His cultivation base was gone and his soul was sucked away. His body fell into pieces as massive quantities of red mist were absorbed into Naruto.

Naruto didn't even pause. After casually killing the man, the lightning cauldron flickered again, and he reappeared in front of a Spirit Severing expert who was slaughtering his way through the Southern Domain forces.

The old man's scalp went numb; the speed with which Naruto had killed the burly man was such that he didn't even have time to react. Even as his jaw was still dropping from shock, Naruto appeared in front of him.

Naruto's profound and mysterious face was devoid of any trace of blood, and a mysterious, dark glow filled his eyes. The old man was scared out of his mind.

"NO!"

He was about to flee when Naruto reached out and placed his hand on top of his head. The old man screamed miserably as his body withered, sucked out through the top of his head into Naruto's hand.

All of this happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. Naruto had just appeared, and already, two people had been slaughtered. The speed with which it happened caused all the onlookers to be taken aback.

Starting with the handful of people who Naruto had just saved, the Southern Domain cultivators began to chant his name.

"Exalted Naruto!"

"Exalted Naruto!"

"EXALTED Naruto!" The combined voices of all the Southern Domain cultivators turned into a massive sound wave that rolled out.

Naruto stood there, his blood-red robe fluttering, his white hair floating around him, his energy surging.

Up in midair,The Northern Reaches' number one most powerful expert, the Imperial Bloodline Clan chief, looked down with wide eyes.

"That kid is seeking death!" he said. Without hesitation, he transformed into a Lightning Roc surrounding by crackling electricity that shot toward Naruto in a deadly attack.

Naruto's expression was as cold as ever as he caused the Lightning Cauldron to flicker, and he vanished yet again.

In another location on the battlefield was one of the three wraiths, which vaguely resembled an old woman. She wore a twisted smile as she grabbed onto a Southern Domain cultivator, opened her mouth wide, and bit into the man's head. Crunching sounds could be heard as his skull cracked open and she began to absorb his soul.

The screaming man was still alive when suddenly, he vanished and was replaced by Naruto. The darkness in the woman's eyes flickered, and relying on the fact that her spirit body was illusory, she didn't pause. Laughing evilly, she opened her mouth to bite Naruto.

"Well," she said, "since you've delivered yourself up, let's see exactly how strong you are!"

Her mouth opened, a mouth which could cause the soul of an ordinary cultivator to be extracted with ease. Naruto's expression was cold as the mouth neared him. It was at this point that he opened his own mouth and began to inhale.

As he inhaled, the woman's body began to tremble. An indescribable sense of deadly crisis rose up in her, and she screamed. She immediately let go of Naruto and began to back up.

"Dammit! Are you even a cultivator?! How could it be that you practice ghost magic!?"

Before the old woman could back up very far, Naruto inhaled even deeper, and her body collapsed. It transformed into countless motes of sparkling light which shot into Naruto's mouth.

It was possible to see the image of the woman in one of those motes of light. She was screaming as Naruto swallowed her down. His face darkened for a moment, then returned to its previous pale white, shrouded by a head of billowing white hair. Nearby, the other two wraiths were already flying away in retreat, thoroughly horrified.

Behind Naruto, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief descended, roaring. He moved with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, was almost upon Naruto.

Naruto's eyes glinted with coldness. He suddenly turned, then shot up into the air, spinning rapidly. A droning sound could be heard as he smashed directly into the Lightning Roc.

Boom!

The deafening roar that rippled out shocked even the peak Dao Seeking experts fighting in midair. Even as the Lightning Roc collapsed, an ancient looking hand emerged and punched down toward Naruto.

Naruto was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth. As he fell back, the Lightning Cauldron flickered, and he switched places with a Northern Reaches cultivator off in the distance. Now he was directly in the path of one of the fleeing wraiths.

Shockingly, everything that was happening was exactly as Naruto had planned it.

The instant he appeared, he leaped forward without the slightest hesitation. His right hand flickered in an incantation gesture, then he waved his hand, and his body began to emanate red mist. The mist transformed into a cyclone that headed straight for the wraith.

The wraith's face fell and it let out a high-pitched shriek as it sped backward. Such action was useless, however. The cyclone swallowed it up instantly, whereupon it was shredded to pieces, destroyed both in form and spirit. As Naruto absorbed it, he could tell that the Blood Demon Grand Magic was becoming more refined.

"Just need a little bit more!" he thought, his eyes flashing with red.

The final wraith was now completely and truly scared to death. After sweeping across the Northern Reaches for years, he had finally been captured and transformed into a wraith. In the past he had been a powerful expert, but was then forced to consume souls as a form of cultivation. To him, feasting on human flesh to bolster his spirit was the natural order of things.

However, this was the first time he had encountered… a terrifying existence that could consume ghosts and wraiths like himself!

The wraith flew backward in complete astonishment, merging back into the green mist that hovered in midair, not daring to emerge again.

Up above, the two mountain-like giants with the golden door on their shoulders, and the huge tree, were now once again bombarding the Southern Domain's spell formations.

The sixth spell formation collapsed into pieces, and the fifth formation started crumbling.

Down below, the number one expert of the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, was once again in human form, his body surrounded by crackling lightning that formed his own Lightning Cauldron. He suddenly lifted his hand and waved his finger toward Naruto.

A lightning bolt immediately shot out from his Lightning Cauldron. It was black, and looked like a dragon as it sped through the air.

At the same time, the old man changed shape again, transforming into a three hundred meter long dragon. This was no ordinary dragon, this was a Lightning Dragon!

"Primordial Lightning Dragon Transformation!" cried the old man, his voice thrumming with what seemed like the power of Heaven. A savage and archaic aura rose up from his body, as the incarnated Primordial Lightning Dragon charged toward Naruto.

Unfortunately for the old man, this was not a true Primordial Lightning Dragon, but merely the shape of one. Even still, it was shockingly powerful!

For the first time, Naruto's face flickered; this old man was the most powerful person he had ever encountered other than the Dawn Immortal!

Although this man didn't match up to the Dawn Immortal in terms of bizarreness, the domineering extent of his energy exceeded hers. That was especially true of this Primordial Lightning Dragon incarnation, which clearly emanated a feeling of an archaic time. It seemed monstrously aggressive, as if anything which stood up against it could be crushed like dried twigs.

"What kind of dragon is that!?" thought Naruto, his eyes flickering as he backed up. "That cauldron in his hand just now looked very similar to my Lightning Cauldron…." Suddenly he vanished, switching places with a Northern Reaches cultivator off in the distance.

As soon as the Northern Reaches cultivator appeared where Naruto had been, he was ripped to shreds by lightning.

"You can't flee!" roared the old man in Primordial Lightning Dragon form. "There's nobody who can even lift a finger against the Primordial Lightning Dragon! Lightning Transformation!" His speed suddenly increased explosively by severalfold; he was clearly not going to allow Naruto to have another chance to flee with his Lightning Cauldron.

"I don't plan to flee," said Naruto, his eyes glittering. "As for this Lightning Dragon… I'll show you what happens when I lift a finger!" As the Primordial Lightning Dragon bore down on him, Naruto raised both hands into the air. A vortex appeared, which was Naruto himself. As it pushed outward, the countless struggling souls which surrounded him screamed bitterly. Hundreds of thousands of them were under his control. They flew like raindrops, merging together into the shape of a gigantic head.

This head was the color of blood, and had a horn sticking out of its forehead. It was none other than the head of a Blood Demon!

Before the two divine abilities could slam into each other, a miserable cry rang out from the sky up above.

Over the past days, Patriarch Golden Frost's wounds had remained unstable, despite the medicinal pills provided by Pill Demon. Currently, he was in full retreat up in the air, a look of madness in his eyes.

"My longevity was already reaching its end," he said. "I'm going to die soon anyway. The only reason I didn't die in previous battles was because the Shimura Clan Patriarch saved me. And now… if I'm going to lose my life, dying as part of the Southern Domain's struggle means my death is not in vain!" He roared, and suddenly his body burst into flames as he unleashed the flame of his life force. In the blink of an eye he was temporarily at his ultimate peak!

His legs had burned away, and his body began to dissipate. Apparently he was using every aspect of his life force to transform into… the final sword form of his entire life, a forbidden sword art!

"Golden Frost Immortal Slaying!"

A power capable of devastating Heaven and Earth rumbled forward.

The golden glow of the sword rose into the heavens, and it only took a moment for it to reach the black-robed old man who looked like a hopping vampire. He was incapable of evading, and after the sword passed by, his head toppled down toward the ground.

Patriarch Golden Frost, having unleashed this final sword form, completely faded away. His soul was dissipating, and would be incapable of entering the cycle of reincarnation.

"Patriarch!" Down below, the Golden Frost Sect disciples among the Southern Domain cultivators were all filled with grief and anger.

"If there was one mistake I could take back, it would be joining the Solitary Sword Sect to go to war with the Blood Demon Sect. It's the biggest error I made in my entire life. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators were pointlessly sacrificed in that war, and Fellow Daoist Blood Demon was injured so badly… that he cannot awaken!

"Were that not the case, the puny Northern Reaches would never be so arrogant as to dare to invade the Southern Domain!" Regret could be seen in Patriarch Golden Frost's eyes. Finally, he turned into nothing more than dust, and vanished from the lands of the Southern Domain.

Of the powerful experts of the four powers that had waged war against the Blood Demon Sect, the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch had perished in battle, as had the Black Sieve Sect Patriarch. Now, Patriarch Golden Frost transformed his life force into a sword, which slaughtered a Northern Reaches cultivator and then became ash in the wind.

As far as he was concerned, if the war with the Blood Demon Sect hadn't occurred, the Southern Domain would currently be much stronger. Even if the Northern Reaches did have eleven peak Dao Seeking experts, they still wouldn't have dared to send troops into the Southern Domain.

After all, the five great sects and three great clans had deep Dao reserves. Although they only had eight peak Dao Seeking cultivators, they did have several other Dao Seeking experts.

When you added in the precious treasures of the various sects and clans, it would have been more than enough to make the Northern Reaches cultivators pay a heavy price for any incursion.

But now… all of that was mere wishful thinking.

"Patriarch!" cried the Golden Frost Sect cultivators down below. Their minds were filled with grief as they watched their Patriarch fade away.

As for Patriarch Golden Frost, in his mind, he was atoning for his sins committed in the past.

Now there were only five peak Dao Seeking experts among the Northern Reaches forces. Unfortunately, the Southern Domain cultivators now only had the increasingly weakened Sagiri and Pill Demon, and then Naruto's second true self.

It was the three of them versus four peak Dao Seeking opponents!

Rumbling filled the air, and the fierce fighting continued down below. Heaven and Earth were wreathed in shadow, and the clouds churned. Miserable howls drifted through the air, as did the boom of magical techniques. In the final moments before death, some people chose to self-detonate. All of this transformed into something like a funeral dirge that echoed like thunder throughout all creation. Rivers of blood flowed wide and deep.

Down below, the number one most powerful person in the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, had transformed into the shape of a Primordial Lightning Dragon. Lightning crackled out from his body, seemingly connecting all the way up to the sky. The power it contained as he shot toward Naruto was indescribable.

Naruto had rotated the Blood Demon Grand Magic to the pinnacle of its speed. Hundreds of thousands of enslaved souls, incapable of entering the cycle of reincarnation, had merged together to form a Blood Demon's head, with its vicious horn. The head was huge, and anyone who saw it couldn't help but be astonished.

This was a duel between a Primordial Lightning Dragon and a Blood Demon!

This was a battle that could possibly have actually occurred countless years in the past. Now, it was occurring again. The Primordial Lightning Dragon and the Blood Demon were once again locked in deadly combat!

In the blink of an eye, the Primordial Lightning Dragon and the Blood Demon slammed into each other. The Blood Demon Head shattered and then exploded into countless pieces.

Simultaneously, the Blood Demon's horn glittered like a sharp blade which sliced into the body of the Primordial Lightning Dragon, then slashed through it, splitting it completely in half.

A shocking boom rolled out, accompanied by the roar of the Lightning Dragon and towering Demonic Chakra from the Blood Demon head. It turned into a powerful blast that rapidly spread out in all directions.

All of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators on the battlefield were momentarily shaken into senselessness by the blast.

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief appeared in the spot where the Lightning Dragon dissipated, blood oozing out of his mouth. Veins bulged out of his forehead as he glared at Naruto.

Naruto trembled and coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. He staggered backward a few paces, and even as the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief looked over, the lightning from his Lightning Cauldron covered him and he vanished. When he reappeared, he looked back to see a Northern Reaches cultivator standing in the spot he had just occupied.

As soon as he reappeared, Naruto stretched out his hands, causing vast quantities of red mist to spread out. The mist was apparently sentient, and it immediately shot toward thousands of nearby cultivators.

Miserable shrieks rang out across the battlefield as it bored into their bodies. One after another, the Northern Reaches cultivators' bodies dried up and died; their Chakra, blood, cultivation bases and souls emerged and flew toward Naruto.

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief was in a rage. Lightning seemed to pulse in his eyes as he took a deep breath and caused his body to expand. In the blink of an eye he had turned into a thirty meter tall giant. As his long hair floated around him, he lifted his head and roared, a roar which contained a bizarre natural law. Everything around him ground to a halt.

It almost looked like everything around him was moving slower, whereas he was moving faster!

His body flashed as he shot toward Naruto and punched out.

Naruto's eyes glittered coldly. This old man was powerful, and considering his current cultivation base and divine abilities, was difficult to fight back against.

"Unless… I could use the sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic!" Naruto pushed his hand down toward the ground, then lifted it up, causing the thousands of corpses in the area to fly up and shoot like meteors toward the incoming Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief.

"Time to die!" cried the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, his voice echoing out coldly. The corpses crumbled to pieces, and he appeared in front of Naruto. His punch landed!

BOOM!

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth as he suddenly vanished. He reappeared some distance away, where the Blood Demon Grand Magic suddenly surged into motion. The screams of thousands of surrounding cultivators once again rose into the air.

"Dammit!" the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief roared, enraged. He immediately shot forward in pursuit, in state of complete astonishment because of Naruto's gory technique. He couldn't allow Naruto to just sweep freely through the Northern Reaches cultivators. If he did, it wouldn't be long before that technique absorbed all of their lives.

"It doesn't matter what age or era this evil technique appeared in, anyone would consider it Devilishly evil!" he yelled. "Everyone would rise together to destroy it! Cultivating a technique like this has doomed you to face the wrath of Heaven! You WILL meet a violent end!"

"Magic is neither good nor evil," replied Naruto calmly. "That exists only in the heart. You are incapable of harming the Dao heart of Naruto!" He flickered to reappear in another location on the battlefield. The astonished Northern Reaches cultivators in the area tried to flee, but they weren't as fast as Naruto's red mist, which bored into their bodies and began to absorb them.

"Let's see who's faster, you or me!" said Naruto, his eyes flashing with the desire to kill. He could sense that he was just about to achieve the sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief 's eyes gleamed with a profound light as he ceased pursuit. Instead, he shot up into the air, his target being the location where the Northern Reaches' peak Dao Seeking experts were fighting Sagiri and the others.

"You kill Northern Reaches cultivators? Fine, I'll kill Southern Domain peak Dao Seeking cultivators!"

As the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief shot up into the air, Naruto's lips twisted into a cold smile. He stopped absorbing the life forces of the Northern Reaches cultivators and then caused the Lightning Cauldron to flicker. In response, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief laughed.

It only took a moment for his laughter to turn choked.

That was because Naruto had not switched places with someone nearby to block his path.

Instead… he reappeared next to the two giants, who were barreling forward with the giant golden door and the huge tree.

"Dammit, how insidious!" thought the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, his face falling. "This kid is vicious and merciless. If we don't get rid of him, it's going to be difficult to finish wiping out the Southern Domain!" With that, he shot in Naruto's direction.

Naruto had reappeared directly next to one of the golden-armored giants, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes. Completely ignoring the fact that the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief was closing in on him, he stretched his hands out. Rumbling could be heard as red mist exploded out from him.

It shot forward in the blink of an eye, boring into the body of one of the golden-armored giants, whose face then filled with astonishment. It let out a terrified howl.

Its body began to shake, and its eyes shone with an expression of unbearable suffering. Its body withered rapidly as its boundless Chakra, blood, cultivation base, and soul were rapidly extracted.

Its entire body withered in the blink of an eye. Cracking sounds could be heard as its legs, incapable of supporting the giant golden door, began to disintegrate. The giant then began to lean to the side, on the verge of collapsing.

It was then that the enraged Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief arrived. His fist slammed into Naruto, causing blood to spray from his mouth. Naruto immediately shot backward in retreat, his eyes shining with an extraordinary light.

"Die!" yelled the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, advancing at top speed. The Primordial Lightning Dragon appeared again, along with the roc, the python, as well as white tigers. The energy being unleashed was astonishing, and it all combined into a single punch.

Just when the punch was about to slam into Naruto….

The withered giant in the golden armor couldn't hold on any longer. Its life force vanished, and its corpse slammed into the ground. Massive amounts of red mist glittered brightly with the power it had absorbed.

The brilliance of the glow far exceeded that shown when Naruto had absorbed countless tens of thousands of Northern Reaches cultivators. As the red mist fused back into his body, he began to tremble.

The energy in his body was completely recovered, and the Blood Demon Grand Magic… all of a sudden reached…

The sixth level!

His energy was now vastly different than it had been moments before. Instantly, a blood colored tempest sprang up around him, stretching up high into the sky.

Within him, the Blood Demon Grand Magic was rotating at the pinnacle of speed. Naruto raised his hand in a palm strike that surged directly toward the incoming Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief.

A vortex appeared around the palm. At first it was only three meters across, but it rapidly expanded to three hundred meters. It looked like a huge mouth, biting voraciously toward the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief.

For the first time, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief felt a sense of deadly crisis. He immediately put all the power he could muster into his own strike.

A shocking, thunderous boom echoed out!

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief was consumed by the vortex. A moment later, an enraged roar could be heard, and the vortex collapsed. From within, a blood-soaked figure flew out.

It was the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. He was severely wounded, with blood spurting out of various wounds. An expression of astonishment could be seen on his face as he realized that twenty percent of his power had been withered away in the brief moment that had just passed.

The collapsed vortex immediately flowed back into Naruto. A tremor ran through him as his fleshly body grew even more powerful. In fact, even a bit of Immortal will could be detected!

His cultivation base also surged with rumbling power.

He hovered in midair, the blood-colored tempest raging around him, the Lightning Cauldron crackling with electricity, his hair whipping around. He looked like a Paragon!

He glanced down coldly at the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, and the aura of a Paragon grew even more intense. Colors flashed in the sky and the wind screamed. The hundreds of thousands of cultivators on the ground, even the peak Dao Seeking experts locked in combat up above, were all completely shocked.

Naruto looked like a blazing sun, rising up with infinite splendor!

The number one most powerful expert in the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, stared at Naruto with wide eyes. Earlier, Naruto had been pestering him, but now, the feeling he gave off was like that of some primordial wild beast. His gaze, his aura, the blood-colored tempest, all caused the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief to feel incredibly shocked.

His expression was grave as Naruto walked forward, eyes glowing with coldness. It only took him a moment to reach the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, after which he waved his hand, causing a blood-colored light to spread out. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had exchanged dozens of blows.

Booms echoed out. Around them, the fierce fighting continued, and up above, the battle of the peak Dao Seeking experts continued.

Originally, the Southern Domain had been in the weaker position, but now that Naruto had risen up with his Blood Demon and the sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, everything… had been turned around!

If Naruto could just kill the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, then the Southern Domain… would probably… have a chance to eke out a victory!

The morale of the Southern Domain cultivators surged, and they lashed out with increasingly vicious attacks.

Outside of the spell formations, one of the golden-armored giants had been killed, and the other stood there trembling, completely terrified of Naruto. The huge golden door, having lost one of the giants that had been supporting it, was now tilting awkwardly to the side.

The giant watched in horror as Naruto fought the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, and its scalp began to grow numb. Finally, it threw the huge door down and turned to flee.

After all, it was not a cultivator, but rather, a giant descended from an ancient bloodline. The thought of fighting Naruto struck terror into its heart.

However, in the same instant that it turned to flee, the cold, detached woman who floated in the churning green mist looked over with flashing eyes. Her beautiful hand stretched out and pointed at the giant.

"Fleeing before the battle is finished? I'll exterminate your bloodline to the ninth degree of kinship!"

Immediately, the giant began trembling, and a sealing mark appeared on its forehead. The mark began to burn, deep into its skin, all the way to the bone. The giant let out a miserable shriek, and madness appeared in its eyes.

"I shall erase your mind," said the woman calmly, "send you into insanity, replace your life force with madness. Kill a hundred thousand enemies, and the curse will be lifted." The giant howled, and its expression twisted into one of insanity. Its eyes were blood-red as it leapt toward the Southern Domain army.

Any Southern Domain cultivators it encountered were ripped to shreds before they even had a chance to flee. The giant crushed them with its feet, then picked them up and tossed them into its mouth. Blood flowed down its chin, and it seemed to be completely mad.

To the Southern Domain forces, a mountain-like giant with strength similar to Dao Seeking was a huge influence on the battle as a whole. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Southern Domain cultivators were killed.

It was virtually impossible to stop. The only way to faze it would be for tens of thousands of cultivators to all attack it in unison. Unfortunately… there was no way the Northern Reaches cultivators would give the Southern Domain the opportunity to do such a thing. Under the direction of the woman in the green mist, the Northern Reaches cultivators began to push forward in an offensive.

An endless sea of people surged forward like the tide in a general charge.

In the battle between the Dao Seeking experts up above, Sagiri and Pill Demon were anxious, and yet were incapable of doing anything to provide assistance to the Southern Domain. All they could do was watch as the flow of battle once again reversed.

Booms filled the air as Naruto fought back and forth with the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. The number one figure from the Northern Reaches had powerful energy, an incredible cultivation base, and wild, vicious attacks. That, along with Naruto's sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, made it seem as if the ground itself were about to explode up into the sky.

As they struggled back and forth in combat, Naruto saw the giant going crazy, and could sense the sinister woman hovering in the green mist.

"Time to die!" he said to the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he lifted his right leg up and then began to spin around rapidly. He turned into a cyclone that shot forward and slammed into the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief's incoming fist attack.

A huge boom echoed out, and blood sprayed from the mouths of both opponents. However, it was at this point that Naruto suddenly vanished, then reappeared in the place of a Northern Reaches cultivator next to the charging giant.

"You'll die for that!" roared the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. Naruto's nimble manipulation of the battlefield was giving him a headache. He was just about to give chase when Naruto decisively waved a hand, causing a gigantic red mist to appear. The mist instantly churned into a vortex that swallowed up the roaring giant.

A crunching, chewing sound could be heard. The sound was grating to the ears, and anyone who heard it couldn't help but be shocked.

Blood flowed out from the vortex, along with miserable screams. Rumbling could be heard as the vortex then faded away. The red mist within flowed toward Naruto, fusing into him, making him… even stronger!

He turned and punched directly at the incoming Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. A huge boom could be heard as, for the first time, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief was sent tumbling backward. His expression showed first shock, and then fury. Then his body flickered as he changed shape into a three-legged golden crow!

Brilliant light shone off of him, making him look like a sun. Intense heat blasted against Naruto's face.

At the same time, the woman in the mist looked on with coldly glittering eyes. She stretched out her hand, causing nine magical symbols to fly out at top speed. They swirled together in midair to form a huge sealing symbol!

The shockingly powerful sealing symbol immediately flew directly toward Naruto.

"Suppress!" said the woman lightly, her voice cold and devoid of any emotion. Her face was pale to begin with, but unleashing the nine magical symbols left it even paler.

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent. His cultivation base surged as he raised his left hand, within which appeared a shocking black claw, roughly the same size as a human fist.

As soon as the claw appeared, a brutal aura exploded out. At the same time, something that resembled the shriek of a cat echoed out, causing everything to shake.

This claw was none other than one of the items Naruto had acquired during the eruption of the ancient Dao Lakes! After refining it for some time in the past, he was finally able to use it!

It was not the claw of some wild beast, but actually, a cat!

It was a cat's claw!

The claw was black, and the cat it had come from was also completely black.

As soon as it appeared, a brutal aura filled the air, and the astonishing shriek of the cat shook the minds of everyone in the area. It almost seemed to be an attack levied against the soul. Catalyzed by Naruto's cultivation base, the claw flew up into the air and expanded. It grew larger and larger until it was dozens of meters wide. Instantly, the claw slashed toward the incoming three-legged golden crow.

The three-legged golden crow trembled, but was incapable of evading the strike. The claw slashed into it, and its three legs instantly exploded. It let out a miserable shriek as it morphed back into the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and his arms were slashed to pieces. He shot back in astonishment, simultaneously using a magical technique to instantly regrow his lost arms.

His face was ashen and his voice weak as he said, "Nine Hells Burial Cat!"

At the same time, the sealing symbol continued to barrel toward Naruto. He looked up at it, and the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex rumbled up around him, transforming into a tempest, and then a Blood Demon head. Its expression was savage as it shot toward the sealing symbol, surging with a shocking energy that seemed capable of ripping everything apart.

"Disperse!" said Naruto, his voice echoing out. The huge sealing symbol shuddered, then began to split apart. Cracking sounds could be heard, and then it exploded, transforming once again into nine magical symbols. Three of them were now dark, and gradually faded away. The other six flew back to the woman in the mist.

Then, Naruto began to slaughter his way toward the woman.

"Your turn to be suppressed!" he said. "Ninth Mountain!" He pointed out with his index finger, and everything shook. The Ninth Mountain appeared, followed by the Blood Demon Grand Magic, which fused into it, turning it bright red. It then shot directly toward the woman in the mist.

As it descended, a huge fissure opened up in the ground below, which consumed no small amount of Northern Reaches cultivators. The woman's face flickered, and she suddenly reached out and grabbed the remaining trembling wraith, then hurled it up into the air.

The wraith transformed into a shooting star which shot toward the Ninth Mountain. At the same time, the woman performed an incantation gesture, which caused her six remaining magical symbols to fly up at top speed and form a halo that joined the wraith as it slammed into the Ninth Mountain.

BOOOOOMMMMM!

Shockingly, the descending power of the Ninth Mountain seemed to have been obstructed.

"Black White Pearls!" Naruto said coolly. A black and white mist appeared around the Ninth Mountain, which then turned into two pearls. As they rotated around the Ninth Mountain, a rumbling could be heard, and the mountain began to descend once more. The wraith was shattered into pieces, and the halo exploded in a brilliant flash of colors. They were incapable of blocking the Ninth Mountain as it continued to descend toward the shocked woman.

Colors flashed in the sky and rumbling filled the air. The green mist was blasted to bits. The woman, as well as quite a few of the Northern Reaches cultivators in the area, were all completely crushed under the mountain.

As of this moment, there was a new mountain in the land!

Everyone in the area was shocked, including the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. His eyes were shot with blood. Because of Naruto, the Northern Reaches had sustained far too many losses in this difficult battle.

Originally, victory had been a certain thing for the Northern Reaches, but now… all because of Naruto, the tide had turned! If they couldn't handle Naruto, then the Northern Reaches… would lose!

Having reached this conclusion, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief's eyes flickered with determination. Originally, he wanted to avoid using the ancestral statuary, as it would waste a significant amount of Chakra reserves. That was why he had first attempted to handle Naruto himself.

Now he could see… that he had made a mistake.

"I should have used the ancestral statuary from the beginning, regardless of the cost! However, it's still not too late!

"Naruto, to be suppressed by my clan's ancestral statuary will be your good fortune!" The Imperial Clan Chief's eyes radiated determination as he pointed one finger up toward the sky and another down toward the ground.

"Ancestral statuary, please reveal yourself!"

As the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief's voice rang out, Naruto's eyes flashed, and an ineffable sense of deadly crisis abruptly rose up inside of him.

Naruto did not retrieve the Ninth Mountain, but rather, left it there towering above the land, emanating incredible pressure.

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief pointed up at the sky and down toward the ground. A bolt of blue lightning suddenly appeared, piercing Heaven and Earth….

Some distance away from the battlefield was an area that had previously been completely cloaked, but was now suddenly visible. It was as if a curtain had been pulled back to reveal… an enormous cage!

Inside the cage was a monkey, its body completely covered with magical symbols, and its eyes as red as blood. It seemed to be filled with a madness that could consume the Heavens.

As soon as Naruto caught sight of the cage and the monkey, his mind reeled. Even he… had been completely unable to detect the existence of the cage.

That indicated that the intense power of the cage exceeded Naruto's cultivation base by a huge amount!

Right now, even a false Immortal would be incapable of completely evading Naruto's detection. Thus, it indicated that the cage… was comparable to a true Immortal!

Furthermore, the Imperial Bloodline Clan would never use anything less powerful as their ancestral statuary!

It was a precious treasure formed from countless years of collected Chakra reserves.

The cage slowly rose up into the air, surrounded by lightning which stretched from the ground all the way up into the sky. The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief immediately dropped to his knees in worship, raised his hands into the air, and began to chant a bizarre spell.

The air suddenly filled with the music of a great Dao. It sounded like the chanting of countless voices, droning dully in a way that made it impossible to hear clearly. However, the surrounding cultivators who did hear it were shaken mentally. The peak Dao Seeking Patriarchs up in midair looked on with shock.

Naruto took a deep breath. The sense of deadly crisis had reached a pinnacle inside of him. He lifted the Lightning Cauldron up, and lightning spread out to cover his entire body. He suddenly switched places with a cultivator close to the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. He flew up into the air, performing an incantation gesture that caused the Blood Demon Grand Magic to appear as he sped toward the clan chief.

He could not allow the man to continue to perform his magic; the strange, ancient cage was something that filled Naruto's heart with fear.

BOOM!

His divine ability slammed into the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, who didn't do the slightest thing to evade. He knelt there in worship just as before, the spell's words pouring from his mouth. As Naruto's divine ability reached him, it was blocked by some invisible power, and then… dissipated.

Naruto's face fell.

It was at this point that, inside the cage, the monkey's eyes suddenly flickered. The countless magical symbols on its body began to squirm and wriggle, and then flew into motion across the surface of its body. Golden light emanated off of the monkey, along with an aura like that of an Immortal Divinity.

Naruto's scalp went numb, and his sense of deadly crisis rose even higher. Seeing that he couldn't attack the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, he began to back up, preparing to leave this area of the battlefield and the terrifying cage.

However, even in the moment that he began to back up…

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief looked up, and his expression was one of madness. "Ancestral statuary," he cried out in a loud voice, "please slaughter this person!"

Lightning descended to dance around the cage, making it like a sun of lightning in midair.

The magical symbols on the monkey's body began to move even faster than before. Then, all of the magical symbols on its right arm suddenly vanished, scattering to other parts of its body.

The magical symbols were like seals that kept it under constant suppression. Now… the right arm had been unsealed.

Next, one section of the cage in front of the monkey rippled and twisted into an opening!

A ferocious gleam appeared in the monkey's eyes, and it suddenly roared: "The world of Immortals is the root of all evil! Immortals… must be suppressed!"

As its voice echoed out, it stretched out its right hand, passing through the gap to appear outside the cage as it reached toward Naruto.

Naruto's scalp was numb. The Lightning Cauldron crackled, and he vanished, reappearing some distance off, where he immediately transformed into a shooting star that sped away.

In the instant that he took to flight, however, the arm stretching out of the cage began to expand. In the blink of an eye it was three hundred meters long. Another blink, and it was three thousand. Then thirty thousand!

An enormous hand shot after Naruto. It was huge, filling up the sky, blocking the light, exceeding mountains and rivers as it closed in on Naruto.

It was impossible to tell exactly what type of divine ability was involved. Naruto was astonished, as were the peak Dao Seeking experts.

Naruto spat out a mouthful of blood as he pushed himself forward at indescribable speed. However, the enormous hand seemed to have no limits. It was like a continent unto itself as it shot after him. It spread out to completely encompass him. Up ahead of him, what looked like five gigantic mountain peaks were descending from up above!

Naruto's eyes went wide from astonishment regarding this ancestral statuary. However, a cold gleam then appeared in his eyes, and the image of a roc appeared on his forehead. He burst forward as the image of a fish appeared in the air around him, its flapping tail shattering the air around him as he propelled himself forward. The war chariot appeared, and he circulated the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way. Rumbling filled the battlefield as he shot forward.

Utilizing the power of the war chariot, he was able to pass through one of the gaps between the five descending mountains.

Behind him on the battlefield, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief spat up a mouthful of blood. Immediately, the magical symbols reappeared on the arm of the monkey in the cage. The chief was enraged; how could he ever have imagined that the ancestral statuary would be incapable of capturing Naruto?

"Dammit, this is unbelievable!" The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief bit the tip of his tongue and spat some more blood out. Then he took out a skull fragment, which he pushed down onto his forehead. His body began to tremble, and rumbling sounds could be heard. A boundless radiance shone out from him, and countless voices spoke in unison.

"Ancestral statuary, please seal this person!"

As the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief's roar echoed out, the monkey's eyes flickered. No longer did they glow with red light; instead, they began to darken, as if the flame of its life force were burning out. It was at this point that the monkey transformed into a stone statue.

When that happened, the cage began to shine with brilliant light, simultaneously increasing in size. Then, it abruptly vanished.

Meanwhile, Naruto was speeding off into the distance, utilizing all the possible power of the war chariot. In the blink of an eye, he was far, far away. He turned to look behind him, and when he could see no enormous hand, he sighed with relief. Then, killing intent flickered in his eyes, and he was about to return to the battlefield, when suddenly, his mind reeled with shock.

Everything around him was flat and drab. The whole world looked peaceful and calm. In fact, there seemed to be no life present at all.

He looked up, and could see a mountain range off in the distance.

"Considering the power of the war chariot, and how hard I pushed it just now, I should be able to see the Milky Way Sea from here…." His mind spun, and a bad feeling welled up in his heart. Eyes flashing, he sped forward toward the mountain range he had just seen. Then, his face fell.

Those… were no mountains! Instead, they were enormous pillars!

Naruto's scalp tingled. He turned again and, shockingly, found himself looking up at a gargantuan statue.

It was a statue of a monkey, and the expression on its face was one of derision.

A thunderous roar filled Naruto's mind. If by this point he didn't understand what had happened, then he wouldn't be Naruto.

"I'm inside that cage!" he thought with disbelief. He had just employed the top speed he could muster, and had clearly outrun the monkey's palm. Panting, he again sped off into the distance. It only took a bit of flying around for him to determine that he was definitely not in the lands of the Southern Domain, but rather, a square-shaped world.

In each of the four directions, he ran into pillars. In the center of all of them was the gigantic stone monkey. Finally, Naruto's face fell.

It was at this point that chanting sounds began to pulse toward him from all directions. The voices seem to contain some unspeakable power. As they floated about, the world began to tremble. What happened next was clearly visible to Naruto. The entire world… began to shrink!

At the same time, a shocking pressure weighed down.

The more the world shrank, the more intense the pressure became. It was a suppressing force that made Naruto tremble; it felt as if a mountain were crushing down onto him.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, Pill Demon, Sagiri, and the others hovered above the battlefield, shaken. Down below, the cultivators of the Southern Domain looked hopeless.

Everyone could see that the cage up in midair, which was covered by countless lightning bolts, now contained a figure inside that was Naruto!

However, he seemed to have been shrunk down to a tiny size, and was being suppressed by some power within the cage.

A ruthless gleam appeared in the eyes of the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. He put away the skull fragment, then spit out a mouthful of blood. His body aged visibly; manipulating the ancestral statuary in the way he just had came with a steep price.

"This campaign has been fraught with setbacks. However, Naruto has finally been suppressed. At long last, the war of the Southern Domain shall end. The Northern Reaches will now control this territory!

"The Immortal destiny will definitely appear within a Northern Reaches cultivator!" He lifted his head up and laughed. The heavy price he had paid was worth it considering that the result was that Naruto was suppressed.

Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he shot up into the air, heading directly toward the battle with Sagiri and Pill Demon. After killing them, the battle would be completely in hand.

Down below, the Southern Domain cultivators were in a state of hopelessness, whereas the Northern Reaches cultivators were enlivened. Roaring, the Northern Reaches cultivators charged in attack; in the blink of an eye, the Southern Domain suffered heavy casualties, and were pushed back. The only thing they could do now was fall back behind the protection of the spell formations.

The spell formations were strong, but not strong enough that they could block an entire army of hundreds of thousands of maddened cultivators. The enormous golden door was once again hoisted up by tens of thousands of cultivators. The fourth spell formation was destroyed, then the third. Although some Northern Reaches cultivators died in the process, the second spell formation was also broken.

The Ninth Mountain still hadn't faded away. It remained there, emitting rumbling sounds, as if someone was inside trying to break out!

The Southern Domain was in a huge crisis!

Up in the air was another crisis!

Blood sprayed from Sagiri's mouth. He had lost another eye, ripped out by the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. Were it not for Naruto's second true self interfering with the Time Sword, he would surely have perished.

Sagiri, having lost both his eyes, was in a sorry state. Suddenly, his forehead tore open, and a brilliant glow appeared, which was his Nascent Divinity. Since he had no fleshly eyes, he would use his Nascent Divinity as his eyes so that he could continue to battle.

He couldn't afford to self-detonate. If he self-detonated in this moment of grave crisis for the Southern Domain, it would not only ensure that Pill Demon and Naruto's second true self would be defeated even sooner, it would also be a crippling blow to the morale of the Southern Domain cultivators.

"A fight to the death! What's the big deal in that?!" Laughing, Sagiri continued to battle on.

Pill Demon coughed up blood. He was fighting against two opponents, and considering how powerful the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief was, he couldn't hold his own. Thankfully, Naruto's second true self intervened, pinning down the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief as well as the obese woman.

"I already suppressed your true self, you trifling clone!" said the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief with a cold laugh. "Screw off!"

He waved his hand, and the Primordial Lightning Dragon appeared. Roaring, it bore down on Naruto's second true self.

Naruto's second true self looked coldly at the dragon. After his true self had been sealed, the connection between the two of them had been lost. Although he was incredibly nervous about the matter, there was nothing he could do about it except stall against the enemy.

The ground shook, and cracking sounds could suddenly be heard from the Ninth Mountain. A rift appeared on its surface, as if the person it was sealing would soon be freed. It was in that moment that a huge boom rang out; the Southern Domain's final spell formation was destroyed.

The backlash attack that it unleashed sent the Northern Reaches cultivators flying backward in retreat. However, it was only moments later that they charged once again, eyes bloodshot, faces covered with ferocious, cruel expressions.

The Southern Domain cultivators had been pressed down to the limit. Of their original force of 200,000, less than half remained. Now, they were prepared to put everything on the line in a final, brazen charge.

"Kill them!"

The ground quaked, rivers of blood flowed, and fierce fighting raged.

There was so much blood that the sky itself reflected it, turning red. The killing field that was the final battle for the Southern Domain shook violently.

Back inside the cage, Naruto was also experiencing deadly tribulation. His body trembled underneath the pressure, and he coughed up blood. It seemed that… the Southern Domain… would inevitably suffer a huge defeat!

The cultivators were in a disastrous situation. The Dao Seeking experts were in sore straits. The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief's eyes glittered ruthlessly; the battle seemed moments away from being won.

However, it was at this point that….

"South Cleaving!" An ancient voice rang out to echo through the land. It was like a windstorm that swept out in all directions.

"South Cleaving!" A second voice rang out, uttering the same words. It was an equally archaic voice that swept out to fill Heaven and Earth.

"South Cleaving!"

"SOUTH CLEAVING!" More voices rang out, until finally it was impossible to tell how many there were. Everything shook, and the sky flashed. Looks of shock began to appear on the faces of the Northern Reaches cultivators. The Southern Domain cultivators looked equally confused.

Up in the air, Sagiri and Pill Domain stared in shock. The Northern Reaches' Dao Seeking experts turned to look off into the distance.

As for the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, his face flickered.

"South Cleaving!" Amidst the rumbling, 10,000 figures suddenly appeared, striding through the air. They wore green armor that brimmed with an ancient air. It was as if these figures had existed for countless years; many were even dilapidated and broken down.

Inside the armor could be seen expressionless faces that appeared to be completely lifeless. They were puppets! Green-armored Demon guardians!

Every one of the green-armored Demon guardians had a core formation cultivation base, and the ground trembled as they advanced. Behind them were ninety additional figures wearing black armor.

Pitch black and circulating Demonic Chakra, these were… black-armored Demon guardians!

Each one had a Nascent Soul cultivation base, and possessed shocking power. As they advanced, it could be seen that behind them were six figures in violet armor.

Each of those six figures emanated Spirit Severing auras and shocking energy. As soon as they appeared, the ground trembled and the sky dimmed.

Behind those six figures were three old men wearing bronze battle armor. Their hair was white and floated about them, and their facial features were ancient. They seemed to have existed for many, many years. These old men were also puppets, no longer cultivators. However, the auras they emanated were that of the peak of Dao Seeking!

As these more than 10,000 people appeared, they all shouted the same thing.

"South Cleaving!"

As the sound rose up into the sky, the Southern Domain cultivators began to think about an ancient legend.

According to the legend, the Southern Domain and the Western Desert had not always been on stable terms like they were now. In fact, there had been lots of friction, including several instances of war.

In one of those wars, the Western Desert had been in the weak position, whereas the Southern Domain was much more powerful. The Southern Domain invaded the Western Desert, which prompted the Western Desert cultivators to join forces to create the South Cleaving Sentinels. Supposedly, all of their peak Dao Seeking cultivators volunteered to give up everything and become puppets. They created a mountain range to cleave the south from the west; it completely and thoroughly separated the Western Desert and the Southern Domain.

From that time forward, those boundless mountains were called… the South Cleaving Mountains!

Within those mountains existed eternal guardians of the Western Desert, which was the former legion… of the South Cleaving Sentinels!

Afterwards, the Western Desert declined in power, and then the Violet Sea arrived. No more Dao Seeking experts had arisen there, and so, relations with the Southern Domain gradually stabilized.

"South Cleaving Sentinels!"

"Those are the Western Desert's South Cleaving Sentinels!" The appearance of this new force left the Southern Domain cultivators completely shocked. That was especially because they weren't sure if the South Cleaving Sentinels came as enemies or allies!

The Northern Reaches cultivators were in the same position. The sudden appearance of a third party left them astonished.

It was at this point that a group of tens of thousands of people could be seen charging out from behind the South Cleaving Sentinels. They wore simple clothes, and looked rough and coarse. They had barbarous expressions, and their hair flung about wildly like savages.

They also gave off an archaic air, as if within their veins pulsed blood that had existed for countless ages. These people were… the Golden Crow Clan, the great Wild Flame Tribe, the great Demon Butterfly Tribe, and the great Cloud Sky Tribe!

The Western Desert had become the Violet Sea, the great tribes had migrated to the Black Lands, and these people were the warrior tribes of the Black Lands.

"Fellow Daoist Pill Demon, we are indebted to you for your kindness all those years ago. Fellow Daoist Naruto, we are here to join you in battle!"

"Patriarch Naruto, we're here!"

"We might have had our differences with the Southern Domain in the past. However, when the Violet Sea Apocalypse came, the Southern Domain permitted the Western Desert to occupy the Black Lands, and did not interfere with us. Nor did you take advantage of our situation to harm us. Such kindness… will be repaid by the Western Desert cultivators on this very day!"

"We have already consulted with South Cleaving Pass on this matter, and the Patriarchs agree. We will aid the Southern Domain to drive out the Northern Reaches!"

As the voices rang out into the ears of the Southern Domain and Northern Reaches cultivators, everyone was shocked.

The Southern Domain cultivators were trembling. They had never imagined that at the eleventh hour, the Western Desert… would actually send troops to their aid!

The Northern Reaches cultivators were also trembling. Just when the battle seemed to be clinched, another setback occurred!

It was at this time that behind the Western Desert Cultivators could be seen hundreds of thousands… of wild beasts!

Although the beasts were not incredibly strong, their speed and numbers were enough to darken the sky. Numerous Dragoneers could be seen controlling the beasts as they charged toward the battlefield, forming a pincer formation with the Southern Domain cultivators to completely surround the Northern Reaches forces!

The Southern Domain cultivators' spirits were instantly raised, and they began to fight passionately.

Trembling, Sagiri lifted his head and laughed. Next to him, Pill Demon also appeared to be moved. He had treated the Western Desert well in the past, often providing them secret assistance. That was because long ago, Reverend Violet East had once been on good terms with the Western Desert.

Now that the Western Desert cultivators had arrived, the Southern Domain had been given a new lease on life from its imminent crisis!

This was especially true considering the presence of the South Cleaving Sentinels. As soon as they reached the battlefield, the old men in the bronze armor immediately shot toward the peak Dao Seeking experts' battle.

"Dammit!" roared the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. "You Western Desert barbarians are looking to die!" He was immediately pulled into fighting with one of the three peak Dao Seeking Western Desert puppets from the South Cleaving Sentinels. Fierce fighting caused everything to shake.

Three great territories were now locked in battle! The Western Desert! The Southern Domain! The Northern Reaches!

As the battle raged, the sky grew dark. The land was shattered into pieces, and the air itself was rent. The sky above was torn, revealing a peek of what appeared to be a different set of stars up above. Even the whole of Lands of Ninshu seemed as if it had been tilted on its axis, and the entire planet trembled.

Originally, the Hebi Clan would have stepped in to prevent these three territories from going to war like this, and from shaking the very foundation of the lands of Lands of Ninshu. But now… the Hebi Clan was acting as if they didn't even notice. Not a single Hebi Clan member appeared.

Within the rumbling of battle, beasts and cultivators slashed murderously at each other. The Southern Domain, the Western Desert and the Northern Reaches all fought with madness. Currently, it was actually difficult to tell who was in the winning position.

No one was confident of clinching victory, neither the Southern Domain and Western Desert, nor the Northern Reaches.

The lands flowed with blood, and fierce fighting raged everywhere. Miserable screams drifted about, and countless corpses fell to the ground. Everything was stained with blood. The sky was dark. Everyone seemed to have become mired in a bloody slaughterhouse. The only thing to do was kill… and keep killing!

Up in midair, the five Northern Reaches Dao Seeking experts were fighting against three Southern Domain cultivators and three Western Desert experts, a total of six. Their battle thoroughly shook the sky up above, dissipating the Hebi Clan's sky and revealing the true starry sky of ancient times.

On any other occasion, the Hebi Clan would never have allowed such a thing to happen. But now… the Heavens of Hebi were severed. They had lost their protector, making it so that the current sky distorted into a massive vortex.

The spinning vortex looked like a huge eye, within which spun a starry sky!

The Violet Sea churned and the Milky Way Sea roared. The massive quaking was such that, in the area where the two seas bordered each other, it was possible to see that the Violet Sea was now leaking out into the Milky Way Sea. Instantly, shocking transformations began to occur.

The transformations were astonishing by themselves, but what was even more astounding was that… the blood that inundated the battlefield did not soak into the ground, but rather, began to slowly flow into the Milky Way Sea.

The lands which had once been the Blood Demon Sect were awash with blood that now poured into the Milky Way Sea. Considering that the Violet Sea was also flowing into it, the Milky Way Sea… erupted.

At this point, a faint voice rose up over the Milky Way Sea.

"He once said… when the vortex eye appears in the sky, when the lotus transforms, when there is a gap between Immortal and Devil, the Blue Lotus will appear…. And now…

"The stars can be seen, the blood of millions of cultivators flows freely, and the vortex eye can be seen in the sky.

"The Western Desert Apocalypse and the boundless Violet Sea concealed the transformations of the lotus.

"On the day the Heavens are numbed, filled with legions of grieving ghosts, I desire… to see the Blue Lotus!

"I will turn the blood of millions of cultivators into mud! I will transform all the wronged souls into a sludge. I shall… emerge spotless and unblemished from within that sludge of endless bloody mud! I shall… cast off the body of the Resurrection Lily and become the Blue Lotus!"

When the Milky Way Sea merged with the Violet Sea, its color changed; it was now indigo-blue!

The water on the surface churned, and the foamy waves suddenly looked like hair floating up from within the sea.

The enormous Resurrection Lily bridge that connected the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches suddenly began to tremble. Then the tentacles retracted from both the shores of the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches!

They pulled back to the surface of the Milky Way Sea to form… a shocking Resurrection Lily!

A seven-colored Resurrection Lily!

The Resurrection Lily was blooming, and its colors were fading along with the Milky Way Sea's change in color. It now bore the semblance of an indigo-blue lotus.

Boundless spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth surged toward the Blue Lotus that had once been a Resurrection Lily, as if the process of transformation desperately needed the entire planet's energy.

Colors flashed in the sky, and the winds screamed. The Hebi Clan immediately noticed these phenomena, and the clan members' minds were shaken.

In the lands of the Southern Domain, the ordinary cultivators didn't notice anything more than a slight reduction in the spiritual energy around them. However, the Dao Seeking experts up in midair could detect the astonishing changes that were occurring in the direction of the Milky Way Sea.

The number one most powerful expert of the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, couldn't help but look shocked. The other peak Dao Seeking experts of the Northern Reaches were also astonished. Now that the Resurrection Lily bridge had disappeared, they had no escape route back to the Northern Reaches!

"Dammit!" Their faces fell.

As for Pill Demon and Sagiri, their eyes flickered with killing intent. They weren't sure what the Resurrection Lily was planning to do. Right now, the most important task at hand was slaughtering the Northern Reaches cultivators!

Even if the sky were falling, they would still fight as desperately as before.

Rumbling filled the air, and fierce fighting raged. The three parties of the Northern Reaches, the Southern Domain and the Western Desert all fought bitterly. The Dao Seeking experts up in midair were the same. With the addition of the forces from the Western Desert, the battle was now much more even.

It was now a fair fight!

However, the battle was being fought in the Southern Domain, the home of the Southern Domain cultivators. If the fighting kept going on much longer, the Northern Reaches cultivators would surely be beaten!

Unfortunately, the Southern Domain and the Western Desert would have to pay a grievous price to win this war. However, it had to be won, no matter the cost. Anything was better than the foundation of their cultivation being destroyed.

"Kill them!"

The ground trembled and blood flowed everywhere. The sky was rent, and wild winds whipped across the land. The entire rotation of Lands of Ninshu was influenced.

In fact, there were even some areas of the Southern Domain which quaked so badly that the land collapsed, allowing the Milky Way Sea to rush in.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Bloodline Clan's ancestral statuary floated in midair, emanating an ancient aura. Inside the cage, Naruto was now facing the most critical danger he had ever faced in his life.

The cage's world was shrinking. As of this moment, he could see that the entire world was barely 30,000 meters wide!

An intense pressure bore down on him, sealing him completely.

Blood oozed out of his mouth. He performed incantation gestures to summon divine abilities. The Blood Demon Grand Magic raged as he attempted to break through the seal. However, nothing worked. No amount of power did anything to affect the area around him.

He could only watch, wide-eyed, as the 30,000-meter world became 25,000 meters, and then continued to shrink.

"Dammit!" he said, his eyes bloodshot. He flew up into the air, focusing all the power of his cultivation base to transform into a shooting star that sped up into the sky in the hopes of making a hole and breaking out.

BOOM!

Naruto's body shook violently and he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. He slammed back into the ground, having done absolutely nothing to weaken the power of the seal.

The area was continuing to shrink. Now there were only 20,000 meters left!

Naruto's head suddenly jerked up. His hair was in disarray, and his body was filled with rumbling. He took all of the Chakra and Blood power that he had absorbed earlier and focused it in his right hand, creating… the most powerful punch he had ever unleashed.

At the same time, his cultivation base exploded with incredible ripples, as he focused all of the cultivation base power he had absorbed into his right hand. By now, his right hand was glowing with a blinding, dazzling light.

"Souls!" Naruto roared, and vast quantities of struggling souls screamed out. Hundreds of thousands of them seemed to blot out the sky. Then Naruto's hand became a black hole that began to suck in the souls.

By now, his fist contained a terrifying destructive power, a power that was the absolute peak of what he could summon. He flew up and then struck out at the sealing barrier which surrounded him.

A massive boom raged out which caused the entire world to shake. Time ground to a halt, and a gigantic vortex ripped open that seemed capable of sucking the whole world into it.

Heaven and Earth distorted, and cracking sounds could be heard. The seal seemed to be on the verge of falling apart, until… the stone monkey in the middle of the world suddenly opened its eyes. A bizarre light shone out, which then surrounded the entire world.

Everything seemed to be freezing over!

BOOM!

The vortex collapsed, and the distortion disappeared. Everything returned to normal. The previous 20,000 meter distance was now 10,000!

Naruto coughed up some blood and backed up. The world was shrinking too much, and the pressure weighing down on him had doubled. He coughed up more blood.

An archaic voice echoed out from the stone statue.

"The world of Immortals is the source of all chaos. Immortals are the source of all slaughter. The Immortal Realm must be sealed! Immortals must be suppressed!"

The pressure grew more intense, and Naruto could hear cracking sounds inside of him, as if his bones were being broken.

Anyone else in this situation would already have been crushed out of existence; it was only because of his incredibly powerful fleshly body that he could hold out.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" he said. The words spoken by the stone monkey didn't make any sense to him. However, his eyes were completely shot with blood, and the killing intent he felt in his heart continued to grow stronger. Being stuck in this sealing cage was causing him to feel completely helpless.

"I was a bit too weak just now," he thought. "This stone monkey's gaze negates anything I do! I don't have the power to break open the cage, but… I can borrow some power!" His eyes suddenly filled with a gleam of determination. He took a deep breath, and no longer made any attempts to violently break out. Instead, he sank back down to the ground and sat down cross-legged, a profound look in his eyes.

"I've already reached an understanding regarding the path of my Third Severing…. I've only been hesitant about the correctness of the path. But now… I might as well just go ahead with it!

"I'll borrow the power of the blade of the Third Severing, the Dao Severing blade, to break open this cage!" His eyes gleamed with decisiveness.

"My First Severing cut away the Resurrection Lily, and carved out freedom. That was my direction!

"My Second Severing cut away the past, and carved out my Dao Fruit!

"My Third Severing… will cut away the Devil in my heart! I will carve away my desire to become Devilish. That is Devil Severing!

"I must… Sever the Devil and Seek the Dao!" When he looked up, an intense glow could be seen in his eyes. He took a deep breath and began to rotate his cultivation base. He used all of the power of his cultivation base to stimulate the blade of the Third Severing!

In Spirit Severing, there were three blades. As long as one was confident of the Dao, and one's spirit was ready, the blades could link with Heaven and Earth to cause a Dao blade to descend!

If the Severing was correct, then the cultivation base would experience a breakthrough. If the Severing was incorrect, the body would perish and the Dao would dissipate!

Spirit Severing cultivators who were not 100% confident would not easily perform a Severing. What they feared most was realizing at the last minute that they had Severed incorrectly. Their fate would then be death.

The First Severing was difficult, and the Second was incredibly dangerous. As for the Third Severing… that was the most critical of junctures!

If the Severing was correct, then the cultivator would step into Dao Seeking. If it was incorrect, the cultivator would die. If the Severing was somewhere in between, neither correct nor incorrect, the result was an existence of being crippled. No further advancements would be possible, and they would forever remain in the Third Severing stage until their longevity ran out and they returned to the dust.

As for what was correct and what was incorrect, the answer could only be found in the heart of the cultivator!

If the heart was correct, everything was correct. If the heart was incorrect, so everything else would be!

It had been a profound mystery since ancient times, and even in modern days, no one completely understood the matter.

Naruto's cultivation suddenly surged out. It was irrelevant that he was in a cage, or that he was sealed. The Dao was amorphous, and although places existed in Heaven and Earth where there was no Dao, clearly… this cage was not one of those places!

Almost as soon as Naruto's cultivation base exploded out to call his blade of the Third Severing, lightning and thunder crashed in the world outside. Rumbling filled the air, and the sky split. A vortex appeared, and the power of a great Dao suddenly emerged.

This great Dao power descended from the starry sky, nearing the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and the battlefield on the Southern Domain!

In the blink of an eye, virtually all of the cultivators down below could sense the power of the great Dao. One by one, looks of shock appeared on their faces.

"That's… a great Dao of Spirit Severing!"

"Who's calling to a Dao of Spirit Severing!?"

"Don't tell me someone is about to break through to Spirit Severing right in the middle of the battlefield!?"

Despite the fact that battle was raging, the appearance of the power of a great Dao made it impossible for people to remain calm. From the expressions on the faces of the peak Dao Seeking experts of the three territories, it was clear that they were thoroughly astonished.

Their gazes swept about, but none of them could see anyone who seemed to be attaining Spirit Severing enlightenment.

It was at this point that suddenly, the rumbling great Dao power intensified by tenfold. The vortex up above seemed to be completely obscured. It was as if nothing were left in the world except for the great Dao.

Even the cultivators who were locked in vicious combat suddenly found that it was extremely difficult to utilize any magical techniques or divine abilities. It was as if they were being assimilated by the great Dao.

It was the same with the peak Dao Seeking experts up in midair. People began to gasp, and expressions of shock could be seen everywhere.

"That's not a blade of First Severing, that's a Third Severing blade!"

"That can't be right! There's never been a Third Severing blade with such astonishing power before!"

"Don't tell me that…."

Rumbling echoed out as the power of the great Dao grew more intense. The entire sky of the lands of Lands of Ninshu was shaking and blurred. And yet, the power of the great Dao grew even stronger. Even the Resurrection Lily in the Milky Way Sea was astonished.

The power of this great Dao was shocking the entire world. It was like a wall that prevented anyone on the battlefield from attacking. Their expressions were that of shock as they realized that the Imperial Bloodline Clan's ancestral statuary cage was now emanating intense light.

After looking closely, it was possible to see that the source of that light was none other than Naruto, who was still in the cage!

The bright light appeared to be some sort of resonance!

A Great Dao Resonance!

"It's Naruto!"

"It's the exalted Naruto! How could that dinky ancestral statuary possibly suppress his excellency Naruto!?"

"Isn't his excellency Naruto at Dao Seeking…? How could there be a great Dao of Spirit Severing?"

The Southern Domain cultivators were in an uproar, and many of them were completely flabbergasted. From the feeling most people got, Naruto couldn't possibly be in the Spirit Severing stage. Essentially, most people had long forgotten that his cultivation base was actually at the Second Severing level!

In the history of the lands of Lands of Ninshu, there had never been a Spirit Severing expert who possessed a peak Dao Seeking clone. Nor had there ever been a battle in which a Spirit Severing cultivator actually fought and killed someone at the peak of Dao Seeking.

The things which these cultivators were witnessing were completely unheard-of. Therefore, there were quite a few people who actually believed that Naruto… was at the peak of Dao Seeking!

Of course, the Northern Reaches cultivators' shock and astonishment was even more intense.

"The ancestral statuary can't keep him suppressed! Just… where is this guy from!?"

"He's actually at the Spirit Severing stage? That's impossible!"

"Heavens! How… how could he possibly be a mere Spirit Severing cultivator!? If he can fight the peak of Dao Seeking now, then when he steps into Dao Seeking, doesn't that mean he could fight false Immortals!?"

The Northern Reaches cultivators were thoroughly astonished. One by one, they all looked over toward Naruto with expressions of shock and disbelief.

These people were not very familiar with Naruto. Now that they realized the truth about him, it was almost impossible for them to accept.

As for the Western Desert cultivators, they immediately began to make loud exclamations, the noise of which turned into a sound wave that shook everything.

"The number one non-Immortal in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu!"

"The exalted Naruto is about to free himself!"

"Spirit Severing into Dao Seeking!"

As for Pill Demon and Sagiri, they were unfazed. Although they knew Naruto's true cultivation base, and had gotten used to his incredible power, they had stopped paying attention to the fact that he was actually still in the Spirit Severing stage.

However, the Northern Reaches cultivators did not know this, and they stared with gaping mouths. The obese woman was especially astonished, and she suddenly glanced over at the expressionless face of Naruto's second true self.

Then she started to tremble, and her scalp went numb. She suddenly had the feeling that the Northern Reaches had made a colossal mistake in invading the Southern Domain.

There was someone who was even more shaken than her, a person whose heart filled with massive waves of astonishment. That was the number one most powerful expert from the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief!

He was in a daze, and could hardly believe what was happening. In fact, he wasn't willing to believe. The incredible battle he had just experienced with Naruto had left him wounded, and had forced him to use the ancestral statuary. And that… was a battle with a Spirit Severing expert!?

"Impossible!" he gasped. His eyes were filled with not just shock, but also terror. He could never have possibly imagined that there really was an unequaled Chosen who could accomplish the things Naruto had while merely in the Spirit Severing stage.

In his disbelief, he felt his scalp grow completely numb.

"No matter how you put it, you have to say that the Third Severing is the most critical of all," he thought. "The slightest mistake, and you immediately perish. Even if you aren't completely right or wrong, your cultivation base will be forever restrained.

"Naruto obviously hasn't prepared well for the Third Severing, that much can be determined. Therefore, this Spirit Severing right now is being done because he's been forced into a corner. It's a forced Severing!

"In that case… if he fails, then he will perish this very day!

"Naruto… there's no way that you can succeed!" The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief was truly frightened, and simply couldn't believe how unimaginably powerful Naruto would be if he succeeded in entering into Dao Seeking….

The great Dao was growing even more powerful. The entire sky above Lands of Ninshu was now completely obscured.

In the lands of Lands of Ninshu, in that tower of Tang, the man and woman stood together, trembling. The woman was excited, and the man was apparently trying to keep his cool, but failing.

They had been waiting for this day for a very, very long time.

"We still can't go," murmured the man. "Just wait a bit longer. Only a little bit…. This is the final stretch!

"If he succeeds, then we will finally be able to reunite. If he doesn't succeed…."

His wife clasped his hand tightly. Both of their palms were slick with sweat.

In their entire lives, this man and woman had never been so nervous, nor was there any event they had ever experienced that was so important. Even if some shockingly powerful individual attempted to interfere with what was happening, they would pay any price to stop that person from causing even the slightest bit of trouble!

"We've waited for three lives. For hundreds of years…. Just for this moment!"

"Naruto, you… must… succeed and reach Dao Seeking!"

Back in the cage, Naruto sat cross-legged, trembling slightly, his hair floating around him. The world around him had shrunk down to only about three thousand meters. There was virtually nothing around him except for air. All of the mountains and everything else had been crushed into dust by the shocking pressure.

Cracking sounds could be heard emanating out from his body, as if his skeleton were being ground away.

However, Naruto didn't notice. All of his concentration was focused on summoning the blade of the Third Severing. The more intense his summons grew, the more obscure Heaven and Earth became in the outside world.

The great Dao grew stronger, to the point where a mist appeared…. The mist was first seen on the battlefield and then spread out to cover all of the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

The peak Dao Seeking experts from the three territories immediately recognized what was happening. They began to speak in hushed tones, which were overheard by the other cultivators, causing their hearts to tremble.

"That's…."

"A Dao turned into mist!"

"The only time a Dao will take form as a mist is when an incredibly powerful expert gains enlightenment of a great Dao! Only then will such transformations of Heaven and Earth take place!"

"This is something you only hear about in legends! It's virtually unheard of in the lands of Lands of Ninshu!"

A gleam of excitement appeared in Pill Demon's eyes, and he almost couldn't hold back the laughter that burst out in his heart.

Sagiri looked equally excited.

In contrast, Naruto's second true self suddenly closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged in midair!

The descent of the great Dao caused all hostilities to cease. Even the peak Dao Seeking experts were incapable of making attacks during the great Dao's descent. The Northern Reaches experts could do nothing but stare in wide-eyed disbelief at Naruto's second true self sitting there cross-legged.

"Dammit! You'd better not pull it off, Naruto!" thought the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. His heart was pounding.

Currently, all of the powerful experts of the Northern Reaches, Western Desert and Southern Domain were closely observing the scene. Back in the Eastern Lands, the Hebi Clan was completely quiet. As for the young Patriarch with the missing arms, he was staring fixedly at what was happening.

By this time, there were other powerful experts from various sects and clans in the Eastern Lands who had also sensed what was happening. Shocked, they sent out their divine sense to observe. However, no one dared to do anything. After all, if the Hebi Clan wasn't interfering, how could they dare to interfere?

It was at this point that, back in the cage, Naruto abruptly lifted his head. His eyes opened, and he cried out: "Third Severing!"

His voice echoed back and forth within the world, which had now shrunk to 1,500 meters. At first it didn't seem that the sound could be heard in the outside world, but in actuality, it was as if there were innumerable Narutos issuing an echoing cry that could be heard faintly by those outside.

It almost seemed as if the sound was coming from the mist itself, as if the echoing response came from within the descending great Dao itself.

Countless ears heard the voice, and everyone who did was completely and thoroughly shaken.

As the voice echoed out, the mist that covered all of Lands of Ninshu suddenly surged back, roiling as it condensed above the battlefield in the Southern Domain. There, in midair, it formed into the shape…

Of a Mist Blade!

Mist Blade!

Dao enlightenment!

As soon as the Mist Blade appeared, the eyes of all of the peak Dao Seeking experts on the battlefield went wide. Their minds filled with a roaring sound. Even Pill Demon wore an expression of disbelief.

The fact that there was a Dao that became so strong it turned into a mist was shocking enough. Something legendary like that was possible to accept. However… to see the mist turn into a blade was something that filled them with uncontrollable shock.

"Mist… Blade!" thought the shocked Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. "That's… something that should be experienced on the Immortal Mountain, just before pushing open the Door of Immortality, when reaching Immortal Ascension!"

"Those who achieve true Immortal Ascension must face Immortal Tribulation. After they transcend the tribulation, they will stand on an Immortal Mountain of their own. As they take that step forward, a Mist Blade will fall. Then, they will be severed from the Spirit Realm and have the power to push open the Door of Immortality, and become a true Immortal!

"But he… is using a Mist Blade to perform his Third Severing! When that Mist Blade slashes through him, it will sever his Spirit Nucleus and stabilize the path to true Immortality!"

His mind was reeling, and his body trembling. Suddenly, he realized that sending troops into the Southern Domain had been a monumental error!

All of the peak Dao Seeking experts up in midair were shocked. Of course, it wasn't just them. In the Eastern Lands, the Patriarchs of the various sects were equally astonished. They could hardly believe what they were seeing, and were filled with shock and disbelief.

"Who is that young man!?"

"He's using a Mist Blade for his Third Severing! If he fails then it doesn't matter, but if he succeeds, wouldn't it be a defiance of the Heavens?!"

"If he succeeds, then will he step into Dao Seeking, or Immortality?"

The armless young man in the Hebi Clan suddenly rose to his feet, his eyes wide and filled with disbelief.

"Rumor has it that Minato, the number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, used a blade composed of twenty percent mist in his Third Severing. That caused a huge commotion among the ancient clans of the Ninth Mountain. Even the Patriarch watched the whole thing with rapt attention.

"This Naruto… he… he's actually even more Heaven-defying in his Spirit Severing than Minato. He's actually… using a complete Mist Blade!"

In the Sky Tower, the woman gasped.

"The Dao became a mist, and the mist became a blade!" The woman's eyes shone with excitement, and she was trembling violently. "Husband… can you believe Naruto is doing this!? He even… he… he didn't just bring SOME of the mist together, he actually used all of it to make a Mist Blade! He's vastly more shocking than you!"

"Seventh Year Tribulation," murmured the man. "Four lifetimes. Three incarnations predestined…. Only by preventing his Karma from being contaminated by ours, could we give him a slight chance at life!

"The Dao became a mist, the mist became a blade. That blade will complete the gap between Immortal and Devil!" The man's eyes shone with a bright light, and he couldn't help but lift his head up and laugh. "It's natural that a son of Namikaze is even more astonishing than his father!"

Third Severing!

The mist sent the sound of his voice throughout the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and then it, along with the contraction of the mist, was sucked back in. In the end, the mist was formed into a Mist Blade, and Naruto's voice echoed above the battlefield in shocking fashion.

The Mist Blade looked ordinary in every aspect.

It was made from nothing but mist, and yet that mist… was formed by a great Dao that had reached an utmost purity! Inside of that blade was the distillation of the entirety of the great Dao that had descended!

That blade didn't just contain the mist from before, all of the obscurity that had existed in the sky had been turned into countless amorphous strands of power that joined the mist in transforming into the enormous blade.

It was a blade, and it was a Dao!

It was a mist, and it was enlightenment!

It was a Mist Blade, and it was Dao enlightenment!

SEVER!

The Mist Blade descended toward the cage. Inside, the stone monkey's eyes snapped open, and they gleamed with a strange light that tried to fight back against the blade. However, almost as soon as it shone out, the light shattered. The blade dropped, slicing into the cage and bearing down on Naruto.

The stone monkey howled and leaped up into the air in an attempt to block the blade.

As soon as it touched the blade, however, rumbling filled its entire body and blood sprayed from its mouth. Then… it was directly sliced in half, powerless to affect the Mist Blade in the least.

There were only three hundred meters left within the world of the cage. As the Mist Blade sliced down, it easily split what had moments before been an unshakable barrier to Naruto.

Rumbling filled the air as the cage was completely split open!

The walls collapsed, the stone monkey was split in half. The cage that was the ancestral treasure of the Imperial Bloodline Clan was completely destroyed. It finally shattered into countless pieces, and Naruto once again appeared in the outside world!

He sat cross-legged just as before, looking up, his white hair fluttering around him. Devilish flames engulfed him, and his skin glowed with a black aura that seemed to penetrate deep down inside him.

That was his Devilish will, the source of his desire to kill. That was his Devilishness!

Rumbling filled the air as everyone looked on mutely. All onlookers were incapable of moving, even the peak Dao Seeking experts.

They could only spectate, wide-eyed, as this once-in-a-lifetime event occurred right in front of their eyes!

The Mist Blade rumbled as it sliced down. When it touched the top of Naruto's head, a twinge of pain could be seen on his face. The blackness that surrounded him rapidly flew into motion, becoming countless struggling, twisted faces.

Naruto quivered; the pain he was experiencing was indescribable. He almost felt like his body was being ripped apart. And yet, his eyes shone with determination.

By now, it wasn't just the crowds on the battlefield who were watching him. The Patriarchs in the Eastern Lands were using a variety of methods to observe, some of which even came at a high price.

The Hebi Clan was looking on, as were the couple in the Sky Tower.

Everyone was watching closely, keen to find out whether Naruto would succeed or fail!

"Sever the Devil!" thought Naruto, his eyes shining with decisiveness. He looked at the Mist Blade and let out a powerful roar, and his cultivation base exploded out with incredible power as he stimulated the Devilish will inside of him. Deep within his heart, the desire to slaughter rose up. At the same time, images appeared of all the murderous massacres he had carried out after becoming bedeviled.

The Mist Blade trembled, then continued to descend. This time, it stabbed three inches down into the top of Naruto's head. No blood flowed out, because this was not a physical blade, but a Dao!

And yet, Naruto still experienced intense pain, a pain more powerful than he would feel were the blade physical. The black aura began to spread out from him, where, shockingly, it transformed into a face.

That face… looked exactly like Naruto's!

However, it was filled with vileness, savagery, and madness. Devilish Chakra roared up, and the face opened its mouth, soundlessly howling at the Mist Blade.

The Mist Blade gradually descended further. The power of this blade did not come from the Heavens, from the Earth, or from the underworld. No, it was Naruto's!

This was Naruto's Severing!

The power of the Severing came from his own will. Whatever he wished to Sever, this blade would Sever. If he gave up, then the blade would fade away, and his Spirit Severing would be a failure!

"SEVER!" he said hoarsely, through gritted teeth. Rumbling could be heard as the Mist Blade continued to slice down. It cut through his head, then his neck. The blade trembled. As for the ferocious, vile face that existed around Naruto, it was now possible to see a huge split down the middle of it, something that would never be mended.

Miserable screams could be heard coming from the vile face's mouth. Then the face scattered and surged back into Naruto's body. Now, everything below his head was completely black.

"My path is not incorrect!" he murmured. "True freedom and true independence! The Resurrection Lily was incapable of possessing me! I even awoke from death! My Dao… is not the Dao of the Devilish!

"Devilishness can be a type of obsession. That kind of perseverance is something that I need. What I don't need is something that controls me. I am not a Devil. I am not an Immortal. I am me and nothing else!" He took a deep breath, and more power poured into the Mist Blade. Rumbling could be heard as it began to slice down once more.

RUMMMMMBLE!

The Mist Blade sliced through his shoulders, and then down to his dantian region. There was now only a moment left, and Naruto's Severing would be complete.

Currently, black Chakra had merged together on either side of him to form the shape of two wings. Gradually, they took on the appearance of Naruto himself. One of the figures was roaring in rage at Naruto, the other was whispering to him silently.

They seemed unwilling to be severed away; they were born of his Devilish will, and were part of him. They wanted to exist within his mind, and were not willing to be severed.

Naruto sat there silently, a blank expression on his face.

As of this moment, he forgot that he was engaged in Spirit Severing. In his mind, he saw two images of himself, and they were fighting each other.

As the Devilish will raged, he thought back to the things he had seen the first time he had charged into the Black Sieve Sect. As the other Devilish will whispered to him, he thought of how he had held Hinata's corpse, and the ruthless laughter of the Northern Reaches cultivators.

He paused.

In that moment in which his will paused, the Mist Blade also paused.

Everyone on the battlefield was watching him closely, as were the Patriarchs of the various sects in the Eastern Lands.

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief wore an expression of joy. Seeing that Naruto was hesitating, he joyously called out in his heart: "Stop! Just stop!"

In the Hebi Clan of the Eastern Lands, the armless young man, the Patriarch, looked on with shining eyes.

In the Sky Tower, the woman looked extremely anxious. And yet, there was nothing she could do. Anything she did to interfere could have a huge negative influence. Everything… was completely up to Naruto.

Ten breaths of time passed.

Even though it was a mere ten breaths, to everyone watching it seemed like a very, very long time.

Naruto sat there quietly, his eyes closed. When they opened, they were calm, so calm that it was impossible for anyone to tell what he might be thinking. However, the two Devilish images on either side of him appeared to be delighted.

"People say that there are two opposing concepts: good, and evil," murmured Naruto.

"Rather than say my Third Severing is a Severing of the Devilish, it would be better to say that it is a Severing of the evil.

"But… is it really possible to completely Sever evil?

"If humanity was left only with goodness, perhaps that would make the world a more beautiful. Unfortunately, that isn't realistic. Without the existence of evil, perhaps good… would no longer be called good.

"Good and evil are the desires of the heart. If I earnestly perform good deeds, evil can be suppressed. Likewise, if I malevolently perform evil deeds, good will be suppressed.

"Perhaps there is nothing truly good or truly evil in the world, similar to what my master Pill Demon told me about what is correct and incorrect. 1

"What I have… is my own will!

"The choices I make decide everything!" As his voice echoed out, the music of a great Dao rose up around him, as well as the power of natural law. These were things that did not exist moments before, but gradually appeared along with Naruto's words.

Apparently…The laws of nature were being dictated by the words that Naruto spoke!

When the Dao Seeking experts sensed that natural law, their minds trembled. It was at that exact moment that…

"Oh great Dao, continue your severing!"

RUMBLE!

The Mist Blade sliced down through Naruto's dantian region, completely passing through him. Miserable shrieks could be heard emanating out in all directions as the two Devilish figures on either side of him were separated completely from his body.

In that instant, any ferocious air that Naruto had faded away. The aura of a scholar returned. Furthermore, the mark on his right hand once again flickered brightly, filled with an aura of mystery. Powerful natural law surged around him, distorting the air, transforming into a shocking windstorm that swept about.

After witnessing what was happening, the Southern Domain cultivators on the battlefield instantly understood what had happened, and their faces went wild with joy.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!" The combined voices of a hundred thousand people rose up. Their eyes were filled with fanaticism. Fatty was in the crowds, yelling at the top of his lungs despite his hoarse throat.

The Western Desert cultivators were also roaring, especially the members of the Golden Crow Tribe and the Church of the Golden Light.

In sharp contrast, the Northern Reaches cultivators trembled and looked at Naruto with fear and dread.

Up in midair, Pill Demon was laughing uproariously, along with Sagiri, despite his weakened state.

The peak Dao Seeking experts of the Northern Reaches' faces were ashen and pale. All of them were wondering… exactly how powerful Naruto was about to become!

"He just entered Dao Seeking," thought the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. He clenched his jaw. "Well, I'll make sure that the day he enters Dao Seeking is the day that he perishes!" He pushed aside his dread, and intense killing intent could be seen in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the two Devilish wills merged together, transforming into a monstrous black aura. Since they had been Severed, they were unable to exist any longer, and began to fade away.

"It really would be a pity to let a Devilish will like this simply dissolve…." Naruto said coolly. With that, he lifted a finger, causing the Devil Construct to tremble. Then, it shot directly toward Naruto's second true self.

The second true self's eyes snapped open, and he sucked in a breath. Immediately, the Devilish will surged into him through his nose and mouth. The second true self's eyes instantly began to glow with intense coldness. It was a coldness that seemed to be completely callous and grim, even vile. The desire to kill began to emanate off of it.

He was surrounded by a black aura that made him look completely like a Devil Immortal!

Meanwhile, out on the Milky Way Sea, the enormous Resurrection Lily was shrinking in on itself. The petals folded up into a bulb, and the tentacle roots weaved together to form the shape of a Blue Lotus!

The Blue Lotus swayed back and forth, and although it appeared to be in full bloom, there also seemed to be something missing, as if it was unstable and could revert to the shape of a Resurrection Lily at any time.

"The gap between Immortal and Devil has appeared…."

On the battlefield in the Southern Domain, the crowds were crying out with loud voices. The Northern Reaches cultivators stood there ashen-faced as the great Dao blade slowly faded away.

At the same time, the state of motionlessness which had been imposed on everyone gradually disappeared. However, no fierce fighting broke out. The Northern Reaches forces began to form up in groups. Up above, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief let out a roar and transformed into the Primordial Lightning Dragon. Bypassing the three South Cleaving Sentinels in bronze armor, he shot toward Naruto.

"Let's see just how strong you are now that you're in Dao Seeking!" he roared.

As the old man neared, killing intent flickered in the other four peak Dao Seeking experts' eyes. Their cultivation bases burst with power; they knew that their only chance was to attack in unison. If they didn't do that now, the battle would definitely end in a huge defeat!

If they could kill Naruto now, then… they might have a chance to turn a defeat into a victory!

Five people closed in at incredible speed.

"Kill him!"

"He was already powerful before, so there's no chance that he won't be Heaven-defying now that he's in Dao Seeking. Except, his cultivation base is unstable since he just completed his Third Severing. Kill him now!"

"Only by killing him can we turn this battle around! We can't leave him alive!"

"Kill him before he truly enters Dao Seeking!"

Those were the thoughts running through their heads as they closed in, roaring.

The extremely obese woman rumbled through the air, surrounded by colorful streams of mist that transformed into seven hypertoxic strips of paper!

Each strip was a different color, and each one was covered with countless glittering magical symbols that pulsed with Dao Seeking auras.

Flying next to her at top speed was the effeminate man whose body emanated shocking coldness. The coldness transformed into an obscene statue that possessed both male and female properties. Furthermore, it emanated a Dao will that seemed to combine the properties of both yin and yang.

Glittering light spread out, and the effeminate man suddenly began to transform into a woman, extremely beautiful, and yet filled with a murderous aura.

Of the other two peak Dao Seeking experts, one of them was the old man who looked like a hopping vampire. Suddenly, black fur sprouted out all over his body, and his eyes began to glow with a green light. Cracking sounds could be heard as his body grew larger, and an aura of death surged out from him. Now he looked like a drought ghoul! 1

He was surrounded by an aura of death, and although he should have emanated yin-type coldness, he actually burned with ghost fire. The ghost fire spread out, its faint glow causing the sun and moon to tremble. Within the flames could be seen countless evil spirits, so many that they blotted out the sky and the land. Rumbling filled the air as they shot toward Naruto.

The last Dao Seeking expert was the man in the violet robe who had participated in the second wave army's attack. Despite being seriously injured, he had continued to fight all the way down to this final, decisive battle. He spit up blood, and seemed like an arrow at the end of its flight, completely spent of all energy. Nonetheless, he let out a roar, and his body suddenly grew larger. His features became aged, and in the the blink of an eye, he looked like an old man.

By sacrificing longevity, he was able to gain earth-shaking power. His body expanded rapidly, and scales grew out to cover his skin. A horn even grew out of his forehead, and a long tail appeared behind him. He now completely resembled a Demon Devil!

A savage aura burst out, as well as rancid wind. Dust swirled around him in the wind, transforming into a sandstorm that flew directly toward Naruto.

These four peak Dao Seeking experts went berserk as they unleashed pyrrhic divine abilities that could kill a thousand enemies at the expense of eight hundred allies. As for the number one most powerful person from the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, he instantly transformed into a Primordial Lightning Dragon. Thunderous booms filled the air as he shot toward Naruto.

The five of them swept through everything in their path, as if nothing could possibly block them. They closed in from five different directions, radiating such indescribable power that the air vibrated and everything shook. Not even Pill Demon and the others could block them.

From the look of it, even a false Immortal would be seriously injured by this allout attack by five peak Dao Seeking experts, in which caution was thrown to the wind!

Down below, the Southern Domain cultivators' eyes were shot with blood.

"Your excellency Naruto!"

"Not good! Blood Prince Naruto just performed his Third Severing and hasn't had time to stabilize himself! Those damned Northern Reaches cultivators!"

Sagiri's and Pill Demon's faces fell. They were just about to risk everything to try to block the Northern Reaches cultivators when all of a sudden, Naruto's voice echoed out.

"Allow them to come."

It was one sentence, with only four words. 2 They were words spoken with the utmost confidence, such confidence that apparently he didn't even need to utilize his second true self.

As soon as those words rang out, the Southern Domain cultivators calmed down.

No one did anything to block the Northern Reaches cultivators. As for the five peak Dao Seeking experts, rumbling filled the air as they shot through the air in five beams of colorful light.

"Naruto, you're DEAD!" they roared.

As they neared, Naruto looked up at them, his face calm in an unparalleled manner. Then he slowly rose to his feet from his cross-legged position.

The movement only took a moment, but during that time the air around him rumbled as a power exploded up within him that seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth apart.

Shocking thumping sounds filled the air.

As he stood, the power of natural law descended and the area around Naruto filled with streams of ancient magical symbols. They glittered brightly as they formed Naruto's personal natural law of Dao Seeking.

It was a Dao of freedom, a Dao of good and evil, formed from Naruto's will. It was a law that could transform Heaven and Earth with a single thought.

When the natural law appeared, the rumbling in the area grew even more shocking. The sky shook as something appeared that seemed to be a mountain. It was not the Ninth Mountain, but rather a lush, green mountain…. It was…

Mount Myoboku! It was also a Dao-confirming mountain!

As soon as it appeared, it began to shine with brilliant light. Naruto took a deep breath and looked down at the mark on his right hand. It was also pulsing with an aura that merged into his body and then transformed into the aura of an Immortal.

It was Immortal Chakra!

After experiencing the mist blade, Immortal Chakra had appeared on Naruto!

When the Immortal Chakra appeared, the world trembled. The Northern Reaches cultivators down below were shaking in their boots, and the Southern Domain forces were getting even more excited than before.

Pill Demon gasped, and then murmured, "Severing the Devil and Seeking the Dao. This is something rare that only exists in legends!"

Sagiri was equally excited.

Moments before, the peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches had a sliver of hope that they might win by a fluke. Now that the Immortal Chakra had appeared, they gasped, and their minds were sent spinning.

The five peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches were astonished.

"He just stepped into Dao Seeking and he already developed Immortal Chakra! Impossible! I've been in Dao Seeking for years and still haven't developed even a scrap!"

"Just what level of cultivation base does he have! I actually… can't even clearly make out what his cultivation base is!"

"It seems like early Dao Seeking, but at the same time, mid Dao Seeking, and also peak Dao Seeking! What's going on!?"

"Now that I think about it, there's a legend about a type of Dao Seeking which isn't split into multiple levels! As soon as you step into it, you're at the peak…."

However, they were already like arrows unleashed from the bow. They had to go through with their attacks; if they didn't, their fate would certainly be death.

Considering that retreat meant certain annihilation, then the only course of action they could take… was to attack!

The five of them closed in on Naruto, surrounded by rumbling sounds!

The fastest of them all was the man who had assumed the shape of a beautiful female cultivator. He was was the first to arrive, surrounded by a shocking cold aura. The matchlessly bizarre statue emanated faint light; it had been refined by the man after he had reached Dao Seeking, by sacrificing some of his his own life force. It could unleash a shocking divine ability.

"Yin-Yang Nine Tribulations!" the cultivator bellowed, stretching out both hands. His goal was to completely destroy Naruto in one shot.

However, even as he neared, Naruto clenched his right fist and punched out. It was a tidy and efficient blow, delivered with indescribable speed. The air was sucked in, and massive energy surged. The beautiful cultivator's face fell as he sensed an unsurpassable pressure surging toward him like Heavenly might. It was something impossible to contend with, and the amorphous power blasted into him before he even had a chance to retreat.

BOOOOMMMMM! A huge explosion rattled out.

The beautiful cultivator was at the peak of Dao Seeking, and was burning life force in an incredible display of power. Despite all of that, blood sprayed from his mouth in a constant stream. The statue shattered into pieces. His body trembled, and then exploded into pieces. His Nascent Divinity sped out, shrieking.

One punch had completely destroyed a peak Dao Seeking expert who was burning life force!

The sight caused countless gasps to ring out. At the same time, Naruto gave a cold snort. His eyes shone with a strange light as he unexpectedly did not destroy the Nascent Divinity, but instead, slapped his hand out toward the extremely obese woman and her hypertoxic, multicolored strips of paper.

The slap was calm and even leisurely, almost as if he were swatting a fly. As it neared her, the woman's eyes went wide and she let out a miserable shriek. She went all out with every scrap of power she had, causing the seven strips of paper to emanate blinding beams of light. Ghost images sprang up from the papers, making them look like a bound book. She placed her hand on the book and shoved it out to meet Naruto's palm.

BOOOOOOMMMMM!

A deafening explosion caused everything to shake.

The book composed of seven pieces of colored paper trembled, and didn't even manage to stay together for the space of one breath of time. It exploded into swirling confetti, which then became dust. As for the woman, her hypertoxic mist was completely incapable of fazing Naruto. She flew backward, blood spurting from her mouth. After ten meters, her arm exploded. After twenty meters, her entire body began to crack. After thirty meters, her body completely exploded.

Naruto did not destroy her Nascent Divinity either, but rather, allowed her to flee, her face filled with with terror and astonishment.

"And now you," Naruto said coolly, turning to the hopping vampire. He pointed out, and its body began to tremble. A look of despair appeared on its face as the ghost-fire which covered it was immediately extinguished. To Naruto, it was so weak it couldn't withstand a single blow. The man's Nascent Divinity emerged, surrounded by an aura of death. He looked at Naruto, trembling, his eyes shining with intense fear and astonishment.

"Invincible! He's invincible!"

Everything was shaking. Of the five peak Dao Seeking Experts, three had just had their fleshly bodies completely destroyed. As for the violet-robed man who looked like a Demon Devil and the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, they were roaring madly as they descended upon Naruto, like moths to the flame.

The violet-robed man who looked like a Demon Devil had skin covered with scales. Even his face had transformed; his eyes were deeply sunken in, whereas his jaws protruded, revealing a mouthful of wicked fangs. He had a long horn with a razor sharp tip, as well as a lashing tail.

He had already been shaken by Naruto, but now he had no other choice than to attack. He roared as his body burst into flames, causing his cultivation base to instantly surpass that of the three Nascent Divinities nearby. He became a cyclone that shot directly toward Naruto.

As he neared, he stretched out both hands in front of him and made a ripping motion.

"Rupture the Heavens!" he roared, causing everything around him to shake. A huge rift was ripped open in the air, like a gigantic mouth that wanted to swallow Naruto whole. However, even as the rift was almost upon Naruto, Naruto gave a cold glance in the old man's direction.

It was a single glance, a simple look.

The rift collapsed, and the fiend-form old man let out a miserable shriek. Naruto's gaze was like that of a god. Indescribable pressure bore down on the old man, causing first his hands, and then both arms to explode in a haze of blood.

His eyes were red, and he tilted his head as he attempted to use his horn to pierce through the pressure radiating out from Naruto's eyes. Perhaps he couldn't kill Naruto, but at least he would be able to wound him in some way.

However, just when the horn seemed about to stab Naruto, he reached up and grabbed it. His expression was calm, but he seemed to be recalling the brutal image of the old man slaughtering Southern Domain cultivators earlier. Naruto twisted his hand, and a cracking sound could be heard as the horn snapped off.

Screaming, the old man tried to attack with his tail, but before he could get near, a rumbling sound filled his entire body, which then began to collapse into pieces. Terror flooded into his mind, completely submerging him. His Nascent Divinity burst out, terrified, and tried to flee. As he did, one word blared out in his mind.

"Invincible…."

Down below on the ground, the cultivators gasped. Everyone was looking on, eyes wide with disbelief.

Four of the five peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches now had nothing left but Nascent Divinities. It was unclear why Naruto hadn't destroyed them; if he wanted to, though, all four of his opponents would already be dead.

As for Naruto, he was calm and unruffled. And invincible!

The last person left was the number one most powerful expert from the Northern Reaches, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, who was still in the form of a Primordial Lightning Dragon. He roared at the top of his lungs, and it was a roar filled with indignation, despair, and even… the desire for death.

"DIIEEEE!" he howled. Lightning crackled as he shot through the air, surrounding him with a lake of lightning. It was lightning summoned from the highest Heavens; apparently he wished to die together with Naruto.

At this point, the air behind Naruto rippled, the sky above him rumbled, and the ground down below quaked. The entire world seemed to be in motion, set off as a foil to Naruto himself.

The Immortal Chakra in his body grew stronger as he finally finished rising completely to his feet. He was surrounded by a boundless, blinding light as he gazed at the incoming Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. Suddenly, behind him, all of the motion swirled together to form… a giant!

The giant looked exactly like Naruto in every way, but was unimaginably tall. Its head touched the sky, and its feet were planted on the ground. Its body emanated a shocking pressure that caused the land to quake. The countless cultivators down on the ground below were completely shocked to find that their cultivation bases were utterly suppressed.

Gradually, all of the natural law in the area began to swirl around the enormous figure behind Naruto. Starlight from the starry sky outside of the vortex up above shone down on it, bathing it in brightness, giving it a completely unearthly energy.

It looked like a Paragon!

The enormous image behind him looked very much like the type of image that Dao Seeking cultivators could normally summon. And yet, it was completely different. The images summoned by Dao Seeking cultivators were illusory, powerful beings from ancient times who were summoned via means of a magical technique. In contrast, the image behind Naruto was like a projection of himself!

Of the two kinds of images, one was illusory and the other was a projection. Although neither were real, the difference in caliber between the two was like the difference between Heaven and Earth.

In fact, one day, if Naruto ever became strong enough, then anyone who received his approval could summon the same image by calling upon his name.

That was another area in which his image was completely different.

This image was referred to by a unique name….

Dharma Idol!

"It's a Dharma Idol!"

"He… he actually summoned a Dharma Idol!"

"Only Immortals can summon Dharma Idols! But look, he has one!"

As soon as the Dharma Idol appeared behind Naruto, everything began to rumble. All of the lands of Lands of Ninshu were shaken.

The Dao Seeking experts of the Northern Reaches, the Western Desert and the Southern Domain all gasped. In the Eastern Lands, gasps of disbelief could be heard in all of the ancient sects.

"He just stepped into Dao Seeking, but I can't see his cultivation base! That can only happen in that legendary state when both the fleshly body and the cultivation base are in the Dao Seeking stage! That man… that man couldn't have a Dao Seeking fleshly body, could he?! Impossible!"

"Immortal Chakra. He actually has Immortal Chakra! And it's not false Immortal Chakra, but that of a true Immortal! True Immortal Chakra! He hasn't even stepped into the boundless Immortal Realm, and yet he already has that aura!"

"The path to Immortality opens every 10,000 years. Don't tell me that Lands of Ninshu's sole true Immortal from this generation is that man!?"

"He actually produced a Dharma Idol. That's…. that's a divine ability that, according to the legends, belongs only to Immortals. That kid… that kid is half a step into true Immortality! Other than the Hebi Clan and a few other mysterious beings, this kid could could stand up to anybody!"

The great sects of the Eastern Lands were all shaken. Naruto hovered in the air above the battlefield, his face calm, and his aura devoid of anything even the least bit vile. Now, he looked like a scholar from the mortal world. He wore a green robe, and his hair was no longer white, but pitch black.

His eyes shone brightly, and the enormous Dharma Idol behind him radiated a shocking pressure that stifled the breathing of everyone in the area.

Next to him was his second true self, which radiated monstrous Devil flames. It was sinister to the extreme, filled with a vileness that carried the desire to kill. It looked around at the world with cold eyes.

"DIE!" the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief roared as he threw all caution to the wind, bearing down on Naruto in his Primordial Lightning Dragon form.

Naruto looked at the man and then waved his finger.

As he did, the Dharma Idol behind him also waved its finger. It seemed to blot out the Heavens, transforming into a gigantic land mass that descended to slam into the Primordial Lightning Dragon.

A massive boom rattled out. The Primordial Lightning Dragon collapsed into pieces. The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief coughed up blood and staggered backward, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief. He came to a stop several hundred meters back, where he continued to cough up seven or eight mouthfuls of blood. His body was listless and weak.

"You…." he said, his face deathly white. Naruto was now so powerful that the simple wave of a finger left the man seriously injured. Then, Naruto's gaze fell upon him, and he felt his mind reeling as an intense, indescribable pressure weighed down him. It felt like countless bolts of lightning were about to slam into him.

"That little cauldron of yours is connected to me by destiny," said Naruto, a bashful expression appearing on his face. He waved his hand, causing the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief's Lightning Cauldron to fly over onto his palm.

The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief's face grew even more pale, and he coughed up more blood. He seemed to have aged rapidly in just the past few moments, and his eyes shone with hopelessness. Behind him were the other Northern Reaches peak Dao Seeking experts, all of whom shook with fear as they looked at Naruto.

His gaze swept over them, and they trembled so violently that it seemed their Nascent Divinities would explode at any moment.

Finally his gaze shifted to the forces of the Western Desert, and the South Cleaving Sentinels. "Fellow Daoists from the Western Desert, many thanks for your assistance. This kindness… will be remembered by the Southern Domain for generation after generation. It will never be forgotten!"

With that, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

Immediately, the South Cleaving Sentinels bowed back with deep respect, as did all of the Western Desert cultivators. Naruto's incredible bravery and power, coupled with the events of past years, made it so that the Western Desert cultivators viewed Naruto as one of their own.

"This war is now over," said Naruto, looking out at the Northern Reaches cultivators.

"More killing would be meaningless. There is no path for you to return to your home, so you will stay in the Southern Domain. The price you will pay for this invasion is that your cultivation bases will be sealed. From this generation forward, your bloodlines will not produce Nascent Soul cultivation bases. Your path to Immortality is broken. Henceforth… you are felon citizens." Naruto's voice was calm, but his words struck like thunder, making it clear that his words would be strictly enforced. When he said 'felon citizens,' the words were branded deeply into the hearts and minds of the Northern Reaches cultivators, and they knew that this would be their identity for generations to come.

Furthermore, among the more than 100,000 Northern Reaches cultivators, all of the Nascent Soul cultivators trembled as their Nascent Souls involuntarily shattered. Their cultivation bases fell, and in the blink of an eye, not a single Nascent Soul cultivator could be found among the Northern Reaches forces.

Next, he turned his attention to the Dao Seeking experts.

"As for you people…. Your war has shattered the Southern Domain. Innumerable cultivators have died, and the spiritual energy of the land has become sparse. The five of you will be suppressed and turned into the Southern Domain cultivators' foundation in the future. For generations to come, the power of your Nascent Divinities will be extracted to replenish the spiritual energy in the Southern Domain!" Even as he spoke, he waved his hand, causing the Ninth Mountain, which had been trembling this entire time, to suddenly rise up into the air. Revealed beneath was a woman, blood oozing from her mouth, left with only a tiny scrap of life force.

The mountain then shot toward the five Dao Seeking experts.

"Henceforth, this mountain shall be called Sin of the North!"

Meanwhile, back in the Hebi Clan, in a hidden location, the armless young Patriarch took a deep breath. A look of regret appeared in his eyes, and he shook his head.

"Namikaze Clan…." he murmured. "Son of a Chosen, with fifty percent of the power of a true Immortal. Half a step into true Immortality…. That mark on his hand… it must be… THAT mark." A strange light appeared in his eyes, and he smiled. Apparently he had just recalled something.

"Interesting. I just remembered that the main branch of the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory has a peerless Chosen by the name of Menma. If the two of them ever meet, I wonder what will happen."

At the same time, the couple in the Sky Tower wore excited expressions. They exchanged a glance, then clasped hands and stepped forward.

"It's time to reunite…."

"We've been waiting for this day for so long…."

"Seventh Year Tribulation. Ah, the Seventh Year Tribulation. My son has transcended the tribulation. Now the fish will make its leap into being a dragon amongst men!"

"NO!"

"I've practiced cultivation for thousands of years! I refuse to be suppressed!"

"Sealing the path to the Nascent Soul for Northern Reaches cultivators? Suppressing us with a mountain? Extracting our spiritual energy to bolster the Southern Domain?! I won't allow it!" The five peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches, including the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, were in a rage. However, they were no match for Naruto, now that he had produced a Dharma Idol and was half a step into true Immortality.

The peak of Dao Seeking was simply not a match for him, not even when they joined forces like they had earlier. Roaring, the five transformed into prismatic beams of light as they attempted to flee.

In this war, the Northern Reaches had been defeated… completely and utterly defeated!

However, as long as the five of them remained alive, there was always the possibility that they could turn things around in the future. Therefore, they fled at top speed, each one heading in a different direction.

Naruto floated in midair, calmly looking on. He waved his hand, and the Ninth Mountain rumbled, shooting forward to appear directly in front of the obese woman.

The woman was moving with indescribable speed. However, as soon as the Ninth Mountain appeared, her body sank down and her Nascent Divinity flew out amidst the shattering air. She let out a miserable scream, and a boom rang out as the Ninth Mountain completely suppressed her, sealing her Nascent Divinity inside of it.

Then the mountain flickered again, reappearing off in the distance, where it began to suppress the old man who had looked like a hopping vampire. His cultivation base was the weakest of them all, and his Nascent Divinity had a look of despair on its face. He tried to attack madly, but was completely incapable of doing anything to the mountain. Rumbling could be heard as he was sealed inside.

After that, the mountain flickered again, to appear in front of the effeminate man. His body was covered with glittering magical symbols that made him look almost like a moon. Seeing that he would be incapable of escaping, a ruthless gleam appeared in his eyes, and he chose to self-detonate.

He would rather die than be suppressed!

However, before he even had time to self-detonate, the rumbling Ninth Mountain sealed his Nascent Divinity inside, filling the effeminate man's eyes with despair.

After quickly sealing those three people in succession, the Ninth Mountain's spiritual energy was incredibly strong. A droning sound filled the air as it moved once again, causing winds to stir and the air to distort. It was now in front of the old man who looked like a Demon Devil. He struggled, but it only made the situation worse. He was suppressed and absorbed into the mountain.

Finally… the mountain vanished for the final time, to appear in front of the Northern Reaches' most powerful expert, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. The man's face was ashen, and he began to laugh bitterly. Turning his head to Naruto, he said, "We will replenish the spiritual energy of the Southern Domain, but you have to give the Northern Reaches a time limit… then I will help you!"

"Ten thousand years!" said Naruto, his voice neutral.

"Ten thousand years…." The old man laughed bitterly, but ceased his struggling and allowed the Ninth Mountain to suppress and seal him.

After suppressing five powerful experts, the mountain was now bursting with spiritual energy. It looked like a spirit mountain as it slowly descended down to the lands below. When it touched down, it would fuse with the Southern Domain, and use the spiritual energy coming from the five peak Dao Seeking cultivation bases to nourish the land.

These five people were now like five spirit stones; their spiritual energy would be slowly sucked away until the Southern Domain's spiritual energy once again flourished like it used to.

It was then that, all of a sudden, a faint sigh echoed through the land. At the same time, a woman appeared, coming from the direction of the Milky Way Sea.

She wore a blue gown which spread out to cover everything beneath her, almost like a stretch of sky. She floated toward the battlefield from off in the distance, a swath of blue drifting between Heaven and Earth.

As soon as she appeared, the natural law in the world faded. Even time seemed to come to a standstill. The Ninth Mountain hovered there in midair, incapable of touching down onto the ground. As for all of the cultivators on the battlefield, they stood there trembling.

Even the Dao Seeking experts could do nothing but stop in place. Everything was motionless.

The woman was the only one who was moving. She strode through the air up toward Naruto.

"He once said… when the vortex eye appears, the lotus transformation will be seen; in the gap between Immortal and Devil, the blue lotus will appear…. And now…." The woman's voice was faint but profound as it echoed out through Heaven and Earth. Behind her, a faint image appeared, that of a Blue Lotus. It was… a Dharma Idol!

"Under the gaze of the countless stars, the blood of a million cultivators flows, and the vortex eye appears.

"The Western Desert Apocalypse created the boundless Violet Sea, within which was concealed the transformations of the lotus.

"The day has arrived in which the Heavens are numbed and filled with grieving ghosts. Now my Blue Lotus… can appear!

"The only thing I am missing is the gap between Immortal and Devil…. The Mist Blade descended, you severed the Devil and sought the Dao, and thus, the gap between Immortal and Devil appeared." The woman's gaze seemed somewhat distant. At first glance, her eyes looked calm, at second glance, insane, and at a third glance, profound. It was as if her gaze contained countless cycles of reincarnation.

"I will use the blood of millions as mud. The countless aggrieved ghosts as muddy stains. I will… emerge unstained from the blood-soaked mud, without a blemish upon me. I will… shed the Resurrection Lily and become a Blue Lotus!

"I sought the Dao on the day the Heavens were numbed. By dawn, I had already reached Immortal Ascension. I severed my goodness, and cut away my root of Immortality. Only when my evil reached the pinnacle, could I risk everything to make a transformation." She strolled forward, and came to a stop three hundred meters in front of Naruto.

"I've been making preparations for a long time. Now that the gap between Immortal and Devil has appeared, I can assimilate you, and then be complete.

"I scattered countless roots years ago, so the gap between Immortal and Devil was bound to appear eventually. Originally, I wouldn't have selected you, but you became part of the League of Demon Sealers. It seems you were fated by Karma. Now… I must thank you." With that, she gave him a curtseying bow.

Naruto didn't respond at first. The pausing of the natural law of Heaven and Earth, and of time, was all due to this woman. However, cracking sounds could suddenly be heard around Naruto, like that of something shattering. In the blink of an eye, Naruto was restored to normal. The Dharma Idol behind him began to shine with resplendent light.

"Mother of the Resurrection Lily," he said. "Dawn Immortal."

The woman nodded, and a faint smile could be seen on her face. It was a beautiful smile that contained reminiscence. As she studied Naruto, she suddenly looked a bit distracted.

"You don't look like him… but your aura is the same," she said softly. "From ancient times until now, the League of Demon Sealers… has been cold and heartless.

"I'll assimilate you, and become a Blue Lotus. Karma will be fulfilled. What was sown that year will be reaped this year. From now on, I owe him nothing, and he owes me nothing." She stretched out her hand and pointed toward Naruto.

Immediately, everything seemed to change. The world filled with shocking, illusory waves of seawater that swept toward Naruto from all directions, seemingly preparing to inundate him. However, it was at this point that the Dharma Idol behind him suddenly opened its mouth and roared.

It was one roar, but it caused everything to shatter. Cracking sounds echoed out, and the waves collapsed. The seawater vanished as if it had evaporated, transforming into endless dark clouds up above.

"Back in the Reliance Sect," said Naruto coolly, "you were lurking in the shadows. When I was in the Milky Way Sea, you were there hiding. You even showed your face at the battle of the Blood Demon Sect. And yet again, here you are in this territorial war.

"I don't care about your motive for all of this. You want to assimilate me…? Unfortunately, you're not qualified." His Dharma Idol's eyes glittered; it then took a step forward and lifted its hands up. The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, an enormous vortex which shot toward the woman.

If you looked closely, you would see that the Blood Demon Grand Magic was similar to the vortex up in the sky. As it rotated, the clouds up above swirled and also surged toward the woman.

"When the Resurrection Lily blooms with seven colors," the woman said softly, "the petals fall, Immortality in one thousand years." She looked at the incoming vortex, then waved her finger. Shockingly, a seven-colored Resurrection Lily appeared in front of her. Instantly, it shattered, forming seven multicolored wisps that floated through the air like dandelion seeds as they collided with the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex.

A shocking boom could be heard. As the seven multicolored wisps passed through the vortex, they trembled slightly. They might have seemed weak, but they didn't pause at all. They transformed into beams of multicolored light that shot directly toward Naruto.

As they neared him, they became seven flower petals that resembled magical sealing marks.

Naruto's eyes flashed with coldness. His Dharma Idol roared, causing the surroundings to distort, and the seven petals to stop in place.

It was at this moment that he raised his right hand, in which… the copper mirror appeared!

A glittering light could be seen within the copper mirror. If you looked closely, you would be able to make out… Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

When Naruto merged the Demon Weapon into the copper mirror, he had been unable to use it. Only after he had entered Dao Seeking, had Immortal Chakra, and could summon a Dharma Idol, was he finally able to sense Lonelytomb inside.

He pushed down onto the copper mirror and grabbed, and a huge roar filled the air. A gust of Demonic Chakra surged out, filling the air everywhere. It was at this point that a long, red spear appeared in his hands.

It was both red and white, the colors intertwined in a way that made it impossible to describe with any word other than Demonic.

With Lonelytomb in hand, Naruto didn't hesitate for even a moment. He immediately struck out toward the seven petals.

The spear shot through the air, and everything rumbled. Demonic Chakra surged out, sweeping across everything. As Demon Weapon Lonelytomb surged through the air, shockingly, a tombstone suddenly appeared in front of Naruto.

The tombstone instantly suppressed everything in the area.

BOOOOMMMMM!

The seven flower petals were destroyed, exploding into seven-colored motes of light that spread out into the air.

In this moment, Naruto stood there, holding Demon Weapon Lonelytomb in hand, and he looked like a Paragon of Heaven and Earth, undefeatable!

The woman's expression was the same as ever, as if she didn't care at all about Naruto's grandiose aura. In fact, a look of pity appeared on her face.

"You are of the League of Demon Sealers, so I won't lie to you. Nobody can save you. This planet's branch of the Hebi Clan owes me a favor, and they won't do anything to stop me.

"Other than them, there are a few ancient beings on this planet, but none of them will do anything to obstruct my way either. Today… nobody can save you.

"The time has come, for you… to be assimilated." As she spoke, she began to glow with boundless light. Behind her, the Blue Lotus began to sway and emit an indescribable, crushing pressure. For the first time, Naruto's facial expression flickered.

Neither he nor his Dharma Idol were capable of moving even the slightest bit. Furthermore, it even appeared as if a Blue Lotus… was about to sprout out of his body!

At this exact moment… a cold snort echoed out like thunder, shattering the air as it rolled across the land.

"I dare you to touch him. Just try it!"

"I should have killed you the last time we met in the Milky Way Sea, slut!" This second voice was that of a woman.

The two voices instantly shattered the pause which had caused everything to cease moving. The Ninth Mountain continued to descend, and all the cultivators could move again.

Even as the cold snort continued to echo about, a sword beam shot through the air to completely sever the invisible connection between the Dawn Immortal and Naruto!

Booming echoed out, and a tremor ran through Naruto. The Blue Lotus vanished, and his Dharma Idol was restored. His eyes went wide as he saw two figures approaching from off in the distance.

It was a man and a woman, and when Naruto could see them clearly, his mind filled with thunderous roaring.

He knew those faces well. Even if tens of millions of years passed, he would not be able to forget them. The woman was his mother, the mother who had held him in her arms when he was a child, and told him stories. The man was his father, who seemed strict, but whose eyes were filled with boundless fatherly love.

Naruto began to tremble, and could do nothing more than stare blankly. At the same time, the mark on his hand began to shine brightly.

As soon as the man and woman appeared, the Dawn Immortal's face flickered. She began to pant, and her expression was one of complete disbelief as she backed up.

She had only retreated by three measures when the man's gaze locked onto her.

A rumbling sound echoed out, and then blood sprayed out of the Dawn Immortal's mouth. A look of astonishment covered her face. It was at this point that the Dharma Idol behind her directly exploded into countless pieces.

Furthermore, the enormous resurrection lily on the Milky Way Sea, which was the Dawn Immortal's true body, also exploded, shattering into countless pieces. The Resurrection Lily… was completely defeated.

"One look from him shattered my Dharma Idol," thought the Dawn Immortal, her face pale. "It even seriously injured me…. What just severed my Blue Lotus bridge just now was not a sword, it was his gaze!

"Who is he!?

"His level of power is unimaginable. Even the Hebi Clan can't begin to compare!" Her foundation had been destroyed, and now, she didn't dare to back up any more. In the face of an almighty being like this, whether or not she lived or died wasn't up to her.

"Before I came to this planet," the man said coolly, standing between Naruto and the Dawn Immortal, "an old friend revealed to me that there was a flower here within the ocean, left behind by his benefactor. The flower had long since become a Demon that had existed for countless years.

"It had experienced nirvanic rebirth numerous times, and was not willing to truly ascend to Immortality. You must be the flower he spoke of.

"You clearly could have achieved true Immortal Ascension long ago, and made your way out into the starry sky. Why have you made things hard on yourself, and on others? Well, considering your existence has provided some benefit to my son through all his tempering, I won't slay you this day.

"Go break through to Immortal Ascension already!" The sky and land trembled as if struck by countless peals of thunder. When this man spoke, natural law conformed to his words. The Dawn Immortal's face went pale, and more blood sprayed from her mouth as she fell back a full three thousand meters. Finally, she looked up, and a smiled a heartrending smile.

The woman standing next to the man suddenly spoke up. "Why waste your words on her? Just sever her head!"

Naruto stood behind the two of them, his mind spinning with disbelief. His heart was in complete chaos, and he had no idea what to say.

"Sever me?" The Dawn Immortal laughed bitterly. Her face twisted savagely, and her hair was thrown into disarray. She had lost her foundation, the actual Resurrection Lily. Her Dharma Idol had been destroyed. And yet, a look of madness could be seen in her eyes.

"The League of Demon Sealers are all a heartless bunch. I kept that man company, but he severed me in the end!

"My heart beats with HATRED!

"I was born in ancient times, and yes, I could have achieved Immortal Ascension on many occasions throughout the years. The only reason I never left this place is because of what he told me back then.

"He severed me here, and then left on his own. I killed countless members of his bloodline, but my hatred remains!

"And now you… YOU want to sever me too!?" She lifted her head up and laughed. Then she flung her arms out wide.

"I have existed in the lands of Lands of Ninshu since ancient times. I may have stayed hidden and out of sight, but now, I call on all of the people who owe favors to me, the Dawn Immortal…. All of you… help me assimilate this child!

"Help me achieve my desire! Abide by your promises from the past!"

Her shrill voice echoed out throughout all the lands of Lands of Ninshu. As it did, a soft sigh could be heard echoing out from within the Ancient Dao Lakes. The sigh seemed to contain helplessness, and at the same time, shocking power.

"I should not emerge. According to the treaty from back then, I cannot emerge. And yet this favor… must be paid back." A gold-violet beast suddenly appeared from within the Ancient Dao Lakes.

At the same time, dust began to fall off one of the statues inside the Ancient Temple of Doom. The statue's eyes opened. At first, they looked confused, but then an archaic light began to shine out, and the statue slowly rose to its feet.

"It was she who enabled me to go into hiding in this ancient temple, and acquire that joss stick's power. If I don't emerge, I can't rest my heart at ease."

Far beneath the surface of the Milky Way Sea, an emaciated figure suddenly clawed its way out from within the mud and silt.

"The favor from years ago will be repaid today. However, before that happens, I must consume more blood."

In the vast Western Desert, because of the draining of the Violet Sea into the Milky Way Sea, its water level had been greatly reduced. Not too far beneath the surface of the Violet Sea was a mountain that at first seemed completely ordinary. But then the mountain began to shake, and suddenly a face appeared on it. This mountain… began to rise up.

It was no mountain, but rather, an enormous giant. It looked like a mountain deity as its head broke through the surface of the water. Its expression was archaic as it flew up into the air.

"Slaughter! To repay my debt, I shall slaughter a million cultivators!"

Also underneath the Violet Sea was a mountain range called the Black Dragon Mountains. The mountain range began to tremble, sending numerous boulders tumbling down its sides. Shockingly, an enormous crocodile appeared. It swished its tail as it shot out of the water, causing everything to shake.

A brutal gleam could be seen in the crocodile's eyes, and it did not speak. However, its unbridled ferocity exploded with intensity.

In the Northern Reaches, in the lands of a minor tribe, was an altar, upon which rested a skull that had remained in that position year in and year out. It was impossible to tell how long it had been there. At this moment, a dim light began to shine out from the skull, and it flew into the air.

Also in the Northern Reaches was a valley that was sealed over with ice. It was a forbidden zone for cultivators, and deep in its depths… was a chunk of ice. Sealed inside of the ice was a man who had golden wings growing out of his back.

The man's eyes snapped open, and cracking sounds could be heard as the ice shattered. He stepped out, frowned, then gave a light sigh.

"Back when I arrived, I was seriously injured and was on the verge of death. She kept me alive… and made me promise to pay her back."

In the vast Eastern Lands were two forbidden zones.

One was the Ancient Paradise. Rumor had it that the entire place was filled with countless ancient medicinal plants, each one of which emanated strong auras of death. That was because the Ancient Paradise was actually… an ancient battlefield.

Within the Ancient Paradise was an enormous, withered tree, whose roots spread throughout the ground. The tree trembled in response to the Dawn Immortal's call, and its roots retracted back into the body of the tree. When that happened, the tree… surged with shocking energy!

There was another forbidden zone in the Eastern Lands, which some people called the Immortality Temple. It was located in a sprawling mountain range, and was filled with innumerable restrictive spells. Deep in the mountains was an ancient, dilapidated temple.

The statue of whatever divinity it was that the temple had been erected to had long since crumbled, and was impossible to see clearly. However, inside the temple was an oil lamp which had not been lit for uncountable years. As of this moment, that oil lamp blazed with fire, and began to pulse with a divine light.

The light covered the entire ancient temple, as well as the statue of the divinity. Suddenly, a figure appeared, who then sighed.

"Well, she came from here, and is connected to me…." It separated from the image of the divinity, floated up out of the ancient temple, then flew off into the distance.

A total of nine auras surged out, causing rumbling to spread throughout all the lands of Lands of Ninshu. The sky turned dark, and the living creatures in the land trembled. All of the cultivators on the battlefield appeared to be on the verge of losing consciousness.

The great sects of the Eastern Lands were completely astonished, and their Patriarchs began to think about the various legends recorded in their ancient records.

In the Hebi Clan of the Eastern Lands, the armless young Patriarch stood up, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

"The Dawn Immortal is incredible! Even I could never have imagined that she would have set up so many contingencies!

"And it's no wonder! She has existed for… countless, countless years. If she had focused solely on cultivation, it would be impossible to even speculate what Realm she would be in."

As the lands of Lands of Ninshu trembled, the husband and wife stood there in front of Naruto. The woman's face flickered as she looked around, then she stepped back to stand next to Naruto.

Naruto's mind was still spinning, and as he looked at her face, he felt like he was in a trance.

"Are you… really my mom…?" he murmured.

"Naruto," she responded. "You've suffered many hardships throughout the years." This woman was none other than Naruto's mother. When she looked at him, her heart stabbed with pain. She reached out to clasp his hand, and her eyes were filled with both love and tears.

"It's all my fault," she said. "I'm a bad mother for not being able to take care of you. You were so young back then…. When daddy and I left, you ran out of the house crying and yelling. I saw you fall down, and my heart broke." 1

It was at this point that the man turned back to look at Naruto. It was a gaze that caused Naruto's mind to tremble. It was filled with love and kindness, and it instantly caused tears to begin to stream down Naruto's face.

He never imagined that he would cry at this moment in time. He had never imagined that he would reunite so quickly with his father and mother.

He wasn't sure what to say, but he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down.

His mother saw Naruto weeping, which caused more tears to flow down her own face.

"Naruto…." she said, and then embraced him warmly, which made Naruto think about the times when he was a boy, and how he hated leaving her side.

"Don't cry," said his father, tousling his hair. He was smiling, and the love in his eyes seemed to grow even stronger.

"You're grown up now…." he said calmly. "You're already half a step into true Immortality, so it's time that I pass on some Daoist magic to you. My Dao, is the Dao of the sword…. Watch carefully, I'm going to show you nine sword forms.

"First form!" He extended his left leg and bent it slightly. Then his body sprang into motion. He bent backward gracefully until he looked almost like a taut bow, completely at one with Heaven and Earth. In the next breath, it seemed as if Heaven and Earth were wholly incompatible with him, and yet were helpless to do anything. It was as if he had drawn an incredible burst of power down from the Heavens.

He extended his right hand, within which appeared an ordinary iron sword.

The sword… swept toward the Southern Domain's Ancient Dao Lakes!

"Three thousand great Daos," the man said softly. "They each have their powerful and extraordinary aspects. In fact, it's impossible to say which is the most powerful….

"The Dao exists in the heart, and the heart is born of the will. If your will is strong, then your Dao will be powerful, and your sword… will be invincible!

"Pay attention to my movements. There are nine in total, and each one can stir up the power of the stars." The iron sword descended.

The sky and land shook, and all the light in the world seemed to vanish. The only thing left behind was the sword beam. Everything grew faded and blurry; the only thing remaining was the iron sword!

The sword beam surged, and the iron sword descended. It appeared above the Ancient Dao Lakes, directly in front of the flying beast that had just emerged. The beast stared in shock at the sword beam, and its face fell completely. It let out a miserable shriek, and appeared to be in a state of thorough astonishment and disbelief. It raced backward in an attempt to get back into the Ancient Dao Lakes.

"This… this…." Even as the beast retreated, the sword beam closed in. At the same time, the Ancient Dao Lakes erupted, and an archaic voice echoed out.

"Your Excellency, please calm your anger. I beg of you to show mercy to this clan member of mine…."

"Request denied!" growled a voice which caused explosive pressure to fill the air above the Ancient Dao Lakes. The sword beam swept through the air, and the beast let out a bloodcurdling scream. Its body exploded into burning chunks as it was destroyed in body and spirit.

One sword blow blotted it out of existence. Everything rumbled as one out of the nine auras which had appeared was wiped away. The remaining eight auras froze in midair, and their faces filled with astonishment. After only a moment, they hurriedly retreated.

Unfortunately for them, it was too late!

"Naruto," said Naruto's father, "look carefully at the second sword form. Always remember that when you attack with a sword, your mind must be empty, free of all distraction. You are the Dao, and the Dao is the sword!" Shockingly, what he was passing on was the most powerful Dao he had ever mastered in his life.

A Dao could not be passed down lightly. However, this was his son. Considering that he had agreed to stand guard over Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years for Naruto, there was no need to even wonder about whether he would pass down a Dao.

Even as he spoke the words, he stepped forward with his right foot. The move was made so quickly that it kicked up a fierce wind. The second sword beam exploded out. The sky vibrated under the terrifying power; it almost seemed like all the man had to do was exercise a thought, and the Heavens could be slashed apart!

Rumbling could be heard as the sword beam appeared above the Southern Domain's Ancient Temple of Doom. The image of the statue was terrified, and already fleeing at top speed. However, before it could enter the temple, the sword beam slashed through the air. A bloodcurdling scream rang out as an almighty being was beheaded. His body raged with fire as he was completely destroyed.

The only thing that remained was the lingering cry of death.

"Above the Spirit Realm is the Immortal Realm," said Naruto's father. "Right now, you are half a step into true Immortality, which means you are in the space between the Spirit Realm and the Immortal Realm. When you complete that step… you will enter the Immortal Realm!

"Now, pay attention to the third sword form." Breathing steadily, he caressed the blade of the sword with his left hand, almost as if he were awakening its spirit. In this third sword form, the blade was stabbed down into the ground, causing the entire land to shake. The sword beam appeared beneath the Milky Way Sea, behind the withered figure there that was fleeing at top speed.

"Who are you!? Don't kill me! I surrender! I can be your son's Dao Protector!"

Back in the Southern Domain, Naruto's father looked back at him. "Naruto, do you want him?"

Naruto stared in shock, and then subconsciously shook his head.

His father laughed.

"Dao Protector? You're not worthy to play such a role for my son." As his voice echoed out, the sword descended. Rumbling filled the withered figure as his body collapsed into pieces which burned into nothingness.

Three sword forms had slaughtered three almighty beings!

When the Patriarchs of the ancient sects in the Eastern Lands saw what was happening, they rose to their feet and began to tremble with terror. As they observed, they began to surmise what exactly was happening.

In the Hebi Clan, the armless young Patriarch sighed.

"If you people hadn't showed your faces, none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have gone to make trouble for you. At any other time, it wouldn't have mattered. Considering his temperament, he really wouldn't have paid you any attention. But now… you had to go and mess with his son.

"Messing with his son is like rubbing a cat's fur backward! Who would dare to do such a thing?"

The remaining six auras were trembling violently. How could they ever have imagined that the Dawn Immortal would actually provoke someone this terrifying? Of these six auras, two ceased falling back, and instead shot high up into the sky, as if to flee the planet itself.

One was the skull, the other was the mountain deity from the Western Desert's Violet Sea.

"On the path of cultivation, one cannot rely on the protection of others. You haven't left Planet Lands of Ninshu yet in this lifetime. Let me tell you, I've seen far too many Chosen who utilize the help of Dao Protectors. By now… each and every one is as useless as a wild chicken or a stray dog." Naruto's father turned to him and chuckled, then performed an incantation with his left hand, extending his index finger and middle finger together. It almost seemed as if he were wresting away energy from Heaven and Earth, causing a bizarre glow to surround his entire body as he took two more steps forward. With each step, a blast of Sword Chakra shot up into the sky.

A moment later, the mountain deity let out a miserable shriek. Its enormous frame was clearly just about to escape Planet Lands of Ninshu. Nonetheless, it collapsed into pieces, which then burned into nothing.

As for the skull, it shot out into the starry sky and was speeding away. Unfortunately for it, even with such speed, it could not outrun the Sword Chakra.

"NO!" screamed the skull. Then, it was completely destroyed, including its Nascent Divinity.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he stared blankly at his father. He had taken five steps, and unleashed one sword after another. One by one he had slaughtered five terrifying beings as easily as if he were killing baby chickens. Those almighty creatures' auras were such that any single one would leave Naruto dazed; any of them could have slaughtered him easily. And yet, a single beam of Sword Chakra from his father, and they were completely eradicated.

"What… what Realm are they in?" Naruto murmured.

The first to reply was his mother. "They have opened their Immortal meridians, solidified their Dao Fruit, and stepped into the peak of the Immortal Realm. They refer to themselves as Dao Lords, but are unable to open the door to the Ancient Realm. They aren't even true Immortals, and will one day return to the dust."

"In the Spirit Realm, Dao Seeking is the absolute peak," said Naruto's father. "In the Immortal Realm, there are two paths. The first path involves offering worship to an ancestor, acquiring that ancestor's Dao Fruit, and then using it to tread the path to Immortality. On that path, you will never have a Dharma Idol of your own. Immortals like that are referred to as false Immortals. That is because, if that ancestor ever perishes, everyone who worships him will experience a drop in their cultivation base!

"That is the easy path to Immortality, the one which the vast majority of people choose to follow. However, there is another path…. On that path, you worship yourself. Your Dharma Idol is your own. You experience Immortal Tribulation and tread your own path. Others can worship you and tread your path of cultivation as false Immortals. This second path is the path of… the true Immortal!"

Naruto's father moved like the wind as he took two more steps forward. Each step caused the ground to quake. His hair swirled around him in the air, and wisps of mist rose up from the top of his head. He waved his right hand, causing two more beams of Sword Chakra to fly out, one toward the Eastern Lands, the other toward the Western Desert.

In the Ancient Paradise of the Eastern Lands, the tree's branches were rustling, and its aura surged. Its mind was unprecedentedly focused as it drew upon all the power it could muster. The entire Ancient Paradise began to vibrate. The ground split, and the tree's roots writhed as it prepared to fight back against the incoming Sword Chakra.

A boom rang out, and the tree wailed. All the power it could muster did nothing to stop the incoming Sword Chakra. The tree was split completely in half, and then began to burn. Screams of pain filled the air as the tree was transformed into ash.

Beneath the surface of the Violet Sea in the Western Desert, the crocodile was trembling. It fled with all the speed it could muster, but the Sword Chakra descended upon it nonetheless. In the blink of an eye, it was right above its head.

The crocodile wore a look of hopelessness.

"I… I can be a mount!" the crocodile cried out. "I don't qualify to be a Dao Protector, but I… I'm willing to be a mount!"

When it cried out, the Sword Chakra suddenly came to a stop in midair. It swirled around, transforming into a sealing mark which fused onto the crocodile's body.

"You possess some of the bloodline of a Scaly Dragon. Thus, you are qualified to be a mount for my Naruto."

The crocodile trembled, and its mind was completely occupied by terror and fear. After being sealed, its body shrank down until it was only about three meters long. Then it was pulled back rapidly until it appeared in front of Naruto.

The crocodile knew that it was dealing with a Little Patriarch, so it immediately put on an ingratiating air and swished its tail back and forth.

Naruto looked at the crocodile, an awkward expression on his face.

"Unfortunately," said Naruto's father, shaking his head, "you've only opened 53 meridians. If you could open at least 60 or more, then you could summon the power of the Scaly Dragon's bloodline.

"Naruto, in the Immortal Realm, there are no stages. There are only the 100 meridians of the Dao of Immortality.

"All living creatures have 100 meridians, that is a constant. No living thing has more or less.

"Once you enter the Immortal Realm, you will cultivate those 100 meridians. The soul is grouped into three spiritual aspects and seven physical aspects; a total of ten vessels. The meridians are organized into groups of ten, each of which form a vessel. If all 100 meridians are opened, you have achieved the Immortal Soul, and will produce your own unique Dao Fruit, whereupon you can open the door to the Ancient Realm!

"Unfortunately, success in the Immortal Realm is not so easy. From ancient times until now, someone with 50 opened meridians would be considered to be at the peak of the Immortal Realm, and could attempt to open the Ancient Door. According to legend, it is as easy to find someone with 80 opened meridians as it is to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn. Only Chosen who are direct descendants of various great sects and clans would have a chance to do so.

"90 opened meridians is something even rarer, and exists only in legends. As for the full 100 meridians… from ancient times until now, no one has ever done it."

"But you can, Naruto!" said his mother immediately.

His father laughed, then suddenly crouched slightly, then straightened up, his posture like a giant holding up the weight of the world. He took two steps forward and waved his arms, causing two beams of Sword Chakra to shoot out, one toward the Eastern Lands, the other toward the Northern Reaches.

Considering the level of his cultivation base, he actually didn't need to use such meticulous movements; he normally moved as fluidly as the clouds or flowing water. However, for Naruto's sake, he was demonstrating all of the movements in detail.

In the frozen valley in the Northern Reaches, the man who had walked out from the ice earlier was now laughing bitterly. He didn't make any move to evade, but rather, sat there cross-legged, chuckling, his eyes shining with a light of madness.

Suddenly, his skin turned purple, and the power of a curse began to circulate around him as the Sword Chakra bore down.

"Anyone who kills me will have their bloodline cursed!" he cried, and the wings on his back suddenly opened wide.

A cold snort echoed out. "Someone from a measly species of curse-users? Your bloodline isn't pure, and yet you dare to try to curse the house of Namikaze?"

The Sword Chakra descended, slashing directly into the winged man's head.

Flames burst out, dissolving the curse power. It never even had a chance to be unleashed before it was dissipated completely.

The final blast of Sword Chakra shot through the ground toward the deep mountains of the Eastern Lands, and the ancient temple. An intense, glowing light rose up from the temple, as well as the music of a great Dao. It seemed as if there were countless Immortal Divinities sitting cross-legged inside the temple. The mountain itself, as well as everything surrounding it, seemed to be part of a Daoist rites temple. It was even possible to see that crowds of Chosen had practiced cultivation there throughout the years.

"Oh?!" exclaimed Naruto's father. The Sword Chakra came to a stop.

The door of the ancient temple opened up, and a figure emerged. It was impossible to see the figure clearly, but it stood there facing Naruto's father.

"I didn't realize that there was an Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple here…. How rude of me! Well, since this location has been activated… hand over the Immortal Ancient Daoist Medallion!"

The figure was silent for a moment, then waved a hand. The ancient temple rumbled, and out flew a command medallion that pulsed with Immortal Chakra. The bright light emanating from the temple faded, and the figure vanished.

Nine powerful experts had appeared; one after the other perished. The crocodile became a mount, and the figure from the Immortal temple offered up an Immortal Ancient Daoist Medallion to prevent any trouble. The other seven were all slain.

It all happened incredibly quickly. By the time Naruto's father finished speaking a few words to Naruto, everything was over.

The cultivators on the ground in South Domain were astonished. The peak Dao Seeking experts in midair were completely shaken.

The Dawn Immortal laughed bitterly and staggered back a few paces. Blood oozed out of her mouth as she looked at Naruto and shook her head.

"Fate, how cruel you are…." she said. "I wanted to become a Blue Lotus… not for the sake of true Immortality, but because he said… once upon a time… that he loved lotuses." The Dawn Immortal chuckled sadly and backed up further. Her body seemed to be starting to dissipate.

She had lost her foundation, and since she couldn't assimilate Naruto and become a Blue Lotus, the only thing left for her to do now was fade away.

"Naruto…." she murmured. "You are of the League of Demon Sealers. From ancient times, they have always been cruel and heartless. One day, if you ever encounter one of them who mentions Resurrection Lilies, I'd like you to ask him something for me….

"Ask him if he remembers a flower back in the lands of Lands of Ninshu…. A Resurrection Lily whom he severed away."

She looked up into the sky, and tears glistened down her cheeks as she began to fade away. "I am filled with hatred…. But what I hate is not you. I hate myself… for not being a Blue Lotus." Her soft voice echoed out across the lands before fading away.

Naruto's mind trembled as he watched the Dawn Immortal vanish into nothing.

The war between the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches… was over.


	10. Surpassable Meets Unsurpassable

The Western Desert left, their towering South Cleaving Sentinels leading the way. The Southern Domain would never forget the kindness shown to them by the Western Desert; it would be engraved in their memories for generation after generation to come. As for the sinners from the Northern Reaches, they had lost their path back home, and become felon citizens….

There were now only a hundred thousand cultivators in the Southern Domain. Many sects and clans had been completely wiped out. Numerous core Daoist teachings and doctrines had vanished. Even the spiritual energy in the land was sparse. Thankfully, the mountain that Naruto had created continued to infuse the land with spiritual energy.

Perhaps many years later, the Southern Domain would once again shine with its former glory.

Pill Demon went back to the Violet Fate Sect, and Sagiri to the Nadeshiko Clan.

If you didn't count Naruto, they were the two remaining peak Dao Seeking experts in the Southern Domain. Furthermore, the Violet Fate Sect and the Nadeshiko Clan were now like Holy Lands within the Southern Domain.

In the days to come, they would lead the Southern Domain cultivators to rebuild their sects and clans, and also select appropriate people from among the mortal populace to begin practicing cultivation. Slowly, the Southern Domain would be restored.

What was needed was time; at the very least, hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of years.

The mountain in which the five peak Dao Seeking Northern Reaches cultivators was sealed, the one named Sin of the North, stood tall above the lands. As time passed, it would become a famous landmark in the Southern Domain.

The war… was over.

During that war, Naruto had risen to complete prominence. His name was famous in the Southern Domain and the Western Desert. It had even shaken the Eastern Lands. Naruto… had become the focus of attention of all the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

As for all the Chosen of his own generation, some were dead and some had faded into obscurity. None of them were able to keep up with Naruto, let alone surpass him.

To the cultivators of the Southern Domain, Naruto's stories were the stuff of legend.

He had started out in the Reliance Sect, acquired the Blood Immortal Legacy, thrown the Southern Domain into chaos, and shocked everyone at the Nadeshiko Clan. Then, in the Violet Fate Sect, he had rocked the entire Southern Domain again under the name of Pill Cauldron.

At the Rebirth Cave, he had slain one of the sons of Hebi, a Quasi-Array member!

In the Black Lands, he had participated in the siege of Holy Snow City!

In the Western Desert, he had led his tiny tribe through the Violet Rain Apocalypse. Because of him, they rose to glory one step at a time, until he finally brought them to the Black Lands.

Then, he had vanished, only to reappear years later, fighting the Spirit Severing expert Patriarch Hashirama in a shocking battle that had astonished the Western Desert and Black Lands alike. Then, he had left everyone reeling in shock as he went to the Demon Immortal Sect.

The Chosen of the Southern Domain had congregated in the Demon Immortal Sect, but couldn't do anything to Naruto even after joining forces. After wresting away virtually all of their good fortune, Naruto had next appeared in the Milky Way Sea!

Madara had appeared in person, and Naruto narrowly avoided death. His Perfect Dao foundation was stolen, and just when he was about to truly die, Hinata saved him, proving that they were destined to be bound in marriage. After he awoke in the Rebirth Cave, he battled the Black Sieve Sect, then shockingly, descended into Bedevilment.

At the Ancient Dao Lakes, he had snatched the soul of a true Immortal. Four powers of the Southern Domain had allied against the Blood Demon Sect in a shocking war. Then, on the day of his grand wedding, the Northern Reaches invaded. Hinata died, and Naruto went mad. Fight, fight, FIGHT!

Kill, KILL, KILLLL!

Finally, he severed the Devil and sought the Dao, stepping halfway into true Immortality.

Naruto's story swept through the Southern Domain like storm winds. The Western Desert heard the tales, as did the shocked Northern Reaches. Even the Eastern Lands caught wind. Naruto's name… had truly risen to prominence!

Currently, Naruto sat in Blood Prince Gorge in the Blood Demon Sect. His father and mother sat in front of him. Naruto was no longer shaken like he had been before. Instead, he sat there quietly, even taciturn.

Hundreds of years had passed, and he had finally reunited with his parents. Although the memories from when he was seven years old had not been erased, they were somewhat foggy. However, the affection he felt because of the blood connection with his parents made things even more complicated.

There were so many things he didn't understand, too many perplexing conundrums. Why did his father and mother leave that year? Why had they suddenly reappeared now? Where had they been this whole time…?

Where were they when he was experiencing grave crises?

Where were they when the Resurrection Lily infected him?

Where were they when Madara stole his Perfect Dao foundation?

Where were they when he nearly died in the Rebirth Cave?

Where were they… when Hinata died?

If they were merely mortals, it wouldn't matter. But they had just casually slain nine incredibly powerful experts in a single short battle. Naruto now knew that his father and mother were powerful. So powerful, in fact… that the Hebi Clan hadn't appeared during the entire affair.

He needed an answer. He needed an explanation. His heart… felt twisted into a knot.

"Naruto…." began his mother, tears streaming down her face. "You don't need to worry about Hinata. Your father placed a stream of divine sense on her. It will keep her safe during reincarnation, and will guide her back to you."

"I know what is gnawing at your mind," his father said. "You must have many questions." There was love in his eyes, and it was clearly strong. He stretched out his hand, and a brilliant glow appeared at the tip of his finger.

"Allow me to take you into the past, to awaken your memories. Then… you will see the explanation with your own eyes." The brilliant glow rose up and approached Naruto.

Naruto looked at his father, and then looked at the brilliant glow. Finally, he closed his eyes. The bright glow fused into his forehead, then pulled him down into the deepest recesses of his memories.

When he was born, there were two moons in the sky, and countless stars. It was picturesque.

He heard laughter ringing about in a magnificent temple. The temple was so enormous that it spread out across half of the entire planet it occupied. That entire area belonged to…

The Namikaze Clan!

"This boy will be a qilin of the Namikaze Clan! Throw a banquet that will last for 300 years! Invite all of the Fellow Daoists from Planet East Victory!

"Wait. Planet East Victory isn't enough. My grandson's name will definitely shake the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea! Invite the Fellow Daoists from all the other three planets! Invite the ancient sects as well!

"This child is my daughter's son, which means that his future path of might will encompass the Eighth Mountain too! Invite everyone from the Eighth Mountain to come offer their congratulations!"

The voice rang out amongst endless cheerful laughter. When Naruto opened his eyes, these were the things he heard and saw.

A woman was holding him in her arms. When he looked up at her, he saw his mother, although she looked much younger. Standing next to her was a young girl of five or six years of age, looking at him with a curious, mischievous smile. Occasionally, she would take advantage of her mother's distraction to make faces at him. That was his older sister.

Further off in the distance was his father, who looked very excited. He was surrounded by old men who were constantly toasting him.

Naruto's birth caused a huge sensation throughout Planet East Victory. The reason was that… his father was a direct descendant of the Namikaze bloodline, and also the eldest son. As for Naruto… he was also a direct descendant, and the eldest grandson!

Another reason was that Naruto's maternal grandfather was not from the Ninth Mountain. He was from the illustrious Uzumaki Clan of the Eighth Mountain. In fact, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain was surnamed Uzumaki!

When Naruto was born, even the Hebi Clan sent congratulatory gifts, and Lord Hebi sent a Dharma Clone to visit.

Naruto's birth rocked all four great planets, the entire Ninth Mountain, and all the ancient sects.

There were many people who understood that as long as this baby didn't turn out to be completely useless, then considering the power of the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans, he would one day shine with blazing brilliance among the stars and seas.

This was especially the case because the child had been born with a special mark on the back of his hand. It was a Nirvana Brand!

"Young Lord, you can't go in there! That's a restricted area! You can't just barge in!"

"Young Lord, I beg of you, please don't bite that!"

"Young Lord, stop it, stop it! You can't dig holes there! The Patriarch planted that tree there personally! Y-y-you… that tree never did anything to you, don't dig it up…."

He was a five-year-old boy who caused headaches for everyone in the Namikaze Clan. He was simply far too naughty.

Virtually every day he ran around followed by a trail of fellow clan members. If there wasn't someone keeping an eye on him at all times… havoc would be wrought.

"Little brother, you've been naughty again!" said his older sister, cracking her knuckles and looking at him with narrowed eyes and a mischievous smile. She was a head taller than him, and the sight of her stomping toward him caused Naruto's scalp to go numb. He backed up, stammering, and was just about to try to make an explanation when the smackdown began.

As his sister grew up, she continued to be very strict on him, to the point where Naruto's heart filled with fear at the thought of her and her violent personality.

"Young Lord, you need to study now…."

"Young Lord, stop bullying your cousin Prince Menma! Look, he's crying because you hit him!"

"Aiya! Young Lord, don't bully Princess Mei. She's… she's your future beloved! The Patriarch already issued the official order!"

Naruto gaped at everything that was happening. He watched the five-year-old version of himself pummeling another boy his age. Apparently the boy had told on him, which earned Naruto beating from his sister. This was his revenge. In the end, the boy was in tears and begging for mercy. In another scene, he saw himself setting fire to the hair of a young girl who was about the same age as him. That left him feeling quite shocked. In fact, he couldn't help but think… this kid couldn't really be him, could he?

He saw many unfamiliar faces, and he also witnessed the carefree life he had lived until he was seven years of age. The life he had lived was one of simple happiness.

He wasn't studious at all, which made Naruto recall how poorly he had fared in the Imperial examinations.

However, on his seventh birthday, everything changed!

The day his seventh birthday arrived, something completely unforeseen happened to him. It was a misfortune, an extremely shocking matter that caused a huge commotion throughout the entire Namikaze Clan, although the news was quickly hushed up.

The Namikaze Clan had a bloodline legacy, a Daoist Magic that was completely Heaven-defying. It manifested differently among different clan members, depending on their bloodline. It was a Daoist magic that could… allow for Nirvanic Rebirth up to four times! It was an ability that essentially gave them a chance to live up to four lifetimes!

The name Namikaze is composed of four strokes, just like those four lifetimes. It was this Daoist magic that ensured that the Namikaze Clan remained as a towering force in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, regardless of whether it was the era of Lord Asura or Lord Hebi.

Any clan member who was born with a Nirvana Brand was considered Chosen. If a clan member was born without it, it was very difficult to develop it later in life.

Furthermore… throughout all the years, it was virtually unheard of for anyone to actually live all four lifetimes. Even some of the clan Patriarchs, when they became old and weak, could only experience Nirvanic Rebirth once. Those who had been able to experience Nirvanic Rebirth twice were extremely rare.

It required a deep cultivation base, as well as a very pure Namikaze Clan bloodline.

Every time Nirvanic Rebirth was experienced, a Nirvana Flower would bloom. It would meld into the body, and allow the subject to become incredibly powerful by living an entire additional lifetime!

On Naruto's seventh birthday… he experienced Nirvanic Rebirth!

He did not have a powerful cultivation base, and yet… he experienced Nirvanic Rebirth!

This matter shook the whole Namikaze Clan. Naruto's father and mother were even more astonished!

That was because… although Nirvanic Rebirth was a good thing, and enabled someone to live more lifetimes, for something like that to happen to a seven-year-old child was the most brutal of calamities!

He hadn't even lived a life yet. He had a road of endless possibilities ahead of him, but was stifled before he could explore any of them! All of the essence of his flesh and blood, all of his fated good fortune that had yet to be revealed, was sucked into the Nirvanic Rebirth as he started over from the beginning!

His body began to degenerate as he passed backward from seven years of age until he was in the same state he had been when he was born. The Nirvana Brand on the back of his hand faded some, and a layer of it fell off, which then transformed into a flower. Shockingly, the flower… gave bloom to a fruit!

That fruit gave rise to further shock in the Namikaze Clan. Even the Patriarchs who were locked away in secluded meditation came out to see.

According to the legends, the pinnacle of the Namikaze Clan's Nirvanic Rebirth Daoist magic was none other than the Nirvana Fruit!

Nirvana Flowers were rare, but there were people in every generation who produced them…. However, for many many years in the Namikaze Clan, the Nirvana Fruit had only been spoken of as the stuff of legend. Up until then, in the entire Namikaze Clan there was only one shriveled up, auraless husk of a Nirvana Fruit.

Nirvana Flowers bloomed when a member of the Namikaze Clan experienced Nirvanic Rebirth and began to live another lifetime. They were born inside of the body, and could enable one to grow incredibly powerful. When that clan member died later on, the Nirvana Flower would wither and fade away.

However, Nirvana Fruit… were the absolute pinnacle of power. They could be preserved… and passed on as legacies!

And now… little Naruto actually produced a Nirvana Fruit!

This matter shook the Namikaze Clan, and many clan members started to view Naruto as an extraordinary Chosen. However, his father and mother were a bit uneasy about the matter. And as they watched as their son reverted from being seven years of age to being an infant, that unease grew more intense.

This type of good fortune was something that they didn't dare to think too deeply about. If they did… it caused their hair to stand on end in terror. It was the prospect of a child who, at seven years of age, had lost an entire lifetime, as if an eighth year of life didn't even exist for him.

Naruto's paternal grandfather looked on silently. Then one night, he left. Before leaving, he told Naruto's father and mother that he was going to seek an Outsider, who he believed was the only person who could explain what was happening. Naruto's maternal grandfather, the venerable old man from the Eighth Mountain's Uzumaki Clan, went with him.

The two of them disappeared into the starry sky.

Little Naruto grew up again, almost as if he had been reincarnated. He did not retain the memories of his previous life, and his personality had changed drastically. He was much quieter. He also noticed the strange looks that many clan members would give him when they thought no one was looking, and it scared him.

Such gazes were not the look you would give to a child, but rather, some type of Heavenly material or Earthly treasure.

When people looked at him in that way, his older sister would burst into a ranting rage and storm over with Naruto in tow to beat them up. She was frequently at his side, watching out for him.

"Don't be scared little brother, your big sister is here to protect you!" She was fifteen or sixteen years old now, and was already slender and elegant. However, her violent personality hadn't changed. In fact, she had actually grown more violent.

One day, a senior member of the clan gave Naruto that same strange look, which left him very frightened.

Later, he told his father about it. His father smiled and tousled his hair, then rocked him to sleep. After Naruto fell asleep, his father turned to leave, and his face was extremely grim. That day, the entire Namikaze Clan was sent into an explosive uproar, and many miserable shrieks rang out. Naruto's father swept through the entire clan, sword in hand.

From that day onward, there were far fewer such gazes cast Naruto's way.

Time passed. The other children who were once Naruto's age were now older, and the people he used to bully began to make progress along the path of cultivation. He could no longer set fire to that increasingly beautiful girl's hair. He was completely incapable of beating up Prince Menma, whom he found so objectionable. None of his former friends would play with him. Although he was constantly attended by various clan members, he was still plagued by a festering feeling of loneliness. Eventually, he also found out about the rebirth he had undergone when he had turned seven.

The only people who he truly had to accompany him were his father, his mother, and his older sister. During this second lifetime, Naruto rarely went outside. Most of those seven years were spent in silence….

Finally, the seventh birthday of his second lifetime arrived, and… he once again went through Nirvanic Rebirth.

When it happened, Naruto felt fear, and pain. His body withered, and everything went blurry. It was as if his flesh and blood were fading away. The mark on the back of his hand once again shone with a bizarre glow.

The Namikaze Clan was yet again thrown into chaos. As Naruto experienced the Nirvanic Rebirth, his mother held him in her arms, and tears flowed down her face onto his. As he experienced these blurry memories, Naruto couldn't help but stare blankly at his mother, and the look of pain and heartbreak on her face.

Little Naruto's voice was hoarse as he said, "Mother… don't cry…. Didn't you tell me that this is just like sleeping a bit…? I'll rest for a while and then wake up…. When I wake up, you have to tell me a story, okay…?" His older sister stood off to the side, weeping as she watched her little brother. She was already twenty years old, and to see her little brother grow up twice, only to experience Nirvanic Rebirth twice, was heartrending.

His father stood off to the side, fists clenched tightly at his sides, eyes seemingly on the verge of dripping with tears of blood. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to vent the anguish he felt in his heart.

Nirvanic Rebirth was certainly Heaven-defying. However… for it to happen twice to a young child on his seventh birthday, was no good fortune. It was a tribulation!

Seventh Year Tribulation!

If it happened a third time, and then a fourth, then what awaited Naruto would be certain death. He would leave behind four Nirvana Fruits, and would then vanish into nothing.

His life would be one in which… he never reached eight years of age.

A strange atmosphere fell over the Namikaze Clan. Many people were watching, waiting for Naruto to complete the Nirvanic Rebirth, and then give bloom to a second Nirvana Fruit. However, no strange looks could be seen, and no one spoke.

They watched as Naruto gradually degenerated, once again becoming a young child…. The mark on his hand produced a flower, which then bore a Nirvana Fruit.

Thus, the curtain fell on Naruto's second incomplete life.

When he finally became an infant yet again, he didn't cry. As his mother held him in her arms, he gazed blankly up at the stars.

His mother wept. Trembling, his father lifted his head up and roared. Unfortunately, that didn't change anything. They could see the mark on the back of Naruto's hand, the Nirvana Brand, and they knew that the third lifetime had begun.

This time, he was clearly doomed to experience Nirvanic Rebirth again on his seventh birthday.

There were many aged members of the Namikaze Clan who were observing what was happening. Many of them appeared to be very distressed; others sighed.

Word of the matter finally began to spread outside the clan. However, the secret of Nirvanic Rebirth was maintained. The only thing that people on the outside knew was that the Namikaze Clan's eldest grandchild, the direct descendant of the bloodline, was born with tribulation attached to him. Every seven years he would experience such tribulation.

A child like that was essentially crippled.

Naruto's mother spent her days with tears staining her face. His older sister's violent temper caused her to get into fights virtually every day, as if that was the only way for her to give vent to the anger in her heart. His father did everything in his power to try to figure out a way to solve the problem, but it was all in vain.

His two grandfathers never returned.

When he was one year old during his third lifetime, a young man came to Planet East Victory. His arrival caused the elder members of the clan to reel in shock. One after another, they came out to bow in respect.

The young man said he had been sent by Naruto's grandfathers. After laying eyes on Naruto, he was silent for a long time. His face flickered with memories and conflicting emotions, as well as surprise.

"In life, all things relate to the reaping and sowing of Karma. Farming is an example. You must work hard before you can bring in the harvest…. You must pay out before you can profit.

"As a husband and wife, are the two of you willing to abandon any future glory, to give up your current status and become the Prison Wardens of the Ninth Mountain, to guard the door of Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years? Are you willing, no matter what Heaven-shaking Earth-shattering events take place, no matter what calamitous tribulations occur in the outside world, to spend 100,000 tedious years in that one place and not step foot outside of Lands of Ninshu? Are you willing to guard the gate of Lands of Ninshu, and not let any living beings from the outside world pass through it?

"If you are willing to leave behind everything that has been polluted by your Karma, then take this child to Lands of Ninshu. That place is the origin of the entire Ninth Mountain. If you take him there… then you must leave him before his seventh birthday. Keep your distance from him until the day he reaches Dao Seeking. You must not meet him, and must not allow your Karma to contaminate him. All of this will depend on the level of your sincerity. If you are truly sincere, then you can succeed.

"He must not be surnamed Namikaze. Have him take his mother's surname.

"If you do these things, then perhaps… he will have a chance at a life."

Naruto's father and mother didn't hesitate for even a moment. As long as there was a chance for Naruto to get better, they were willing to pay any price. If that price was a loss of freedom, and required them to relinquish their status and prestige and go to Planet Lands of Ninshu to guard it for 100,000 years…

Then they were willing!

They would leave Planet East Victory, and take Naruto and his older sister with them. They would leave the Namikaze Clan!

On the eve of their departure, the entire elder generation of the Namikaze Clan emerged to see them. Because they could not take anything with them that was contaminated with their Karma, Naruto's father was forced to leave everything behind.

The only thing he took was an iron sword.

They did not take Naruto's two Nirvana Fruits with them. The clan's elder generation, including the Patriarch, chose to hold them in safe keeping. When Naruto recovered and returned, the two Nirvana Fruits would belong to him.

Naruto's father sneered coldly in response to this. How could he not understand the true meaning behind the directive? Originally, he hadn't planned to leave the Nirvana Fruits behind.

"Very well, the Nirvana Fruits will be left here with the Clan Chief," he said, his eyes glittering with a sharp light. "In a few years, Naruto will personally return to retrieve them!" With that, he tossed out the precious treasures that were the Nirvana Fruits.

Of course, what the elders didn't know was that to Naruto's father, these two precious treasures were actually the source of incredible sorrow.

They left a few days later, taking Naruto and his older sister with them. Ever since the most recent Nirvanic Rebirth, he had been lethargic and somewhat blank.

When they arrived at Planet Lands of Ninshu, they went to the remote Five Elements Nation, beneath Mount Myoboku, and settled down in Konoha County. Naruto's sister didn't stay with them. She went to the Eastern Lands, where she joined the Eastern Lands division of the Namikaze Clan, and focused on cultivation. She wanted to leave her father and mother alone to spend what remained of the seven years with her little brother.

During those seven years, Naruto was actually very happy. He gradually grew to be very intelligent, and began to focus on studying. On the eve of his seventh birthday, a violet wind gusted outside. His parents were heartbroken and anxious, but in order to save his life, they left. They had no other choice.

When he awoke and began to weep, his parents broke down….

Naruto opened his eyes. The tears streaming down his face had soaked his garments. The vision faded away, and he saw his father and mother sitting there in front of him.

He could now see some white hairs on his mother's head that hadn't been there before. His father's face looked older than it had in the past.

They were looking at Naruto with a love that made his heart tremble.

Now he understood everything. His doubts were resolved. His questions were answered. When he saw the events that had taken place in his previous two lifetimes, they seemed like a dream. Yet now he had awakened, and still, everything that had happened during the dream remained in his head, and would never be wiped away.

"Seventh Year Tribulation…." he thought. "My parents agreed to guard this place for 100,000 years…. for me. 100,000 years…." Naruto couldn't even wrap his head around such an incredible period of time. The twisted feeling in his heart was completely gone. He no longer felt wronged, and in fact, felt a bit of pain and regret.

His parents did not deserve blame.

They had paid far, far too much, and never complained even once. They did not make any demands of him, nor ask for any compensation. They only wanted… for him to be able to live.

Naruto trembled, and even more tears began to stream down his face.

"Mom…." he said softly. "Dad…."

Trembling, his mom stepped forward and took him into her arms. She was crying too.

"Naruto, everything's going to be fine. You transcended the tribulation. Everything will be okay…."

Naruto's father, who was once the eldest son and direct bloodline descendant of the Namikaze Clan, an astonishing Chosen who was still marveled at in the outside world, stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his wife and son.

"It's past us now, Naruto. It's all in the past now…." His voice quavered a bit, and he was crying too. This was only the second time he had ever cried as an adult.

The first time was when Naruto had experienced Nirvanic Rebirth for the second time. When he watched his son revert from being seven to an infant, when he saw the pain on Naruto's tiny face, when he saw his eyes slowly grow listless… he had cried.

"What about my big sister…?" Naruto asked softly. He would never be able to forget the image of his stern older sister protecting him in his second lifetime.

Nor would he ever forget the words she had spoken.

Don't be scared little brother, your big sister is here to protect you!

Weeping happily, his mother responded, "She's been in secluded meditation in the Eastern Lands for some time. After we go back, we'll wait for her to emerge, and then we can have a big reunion!"

"What about Grandpa Meng and Grandpa Namikaze…?" asked Naruto.

When he asked the question, his father stood there silently for a moment. Naruto's heart began to thump. He remembered that his two grandfathers had left together to go search for an Outsider.

The Outsider came, but his two grandfathers had never returned.

After a long moment, his father said, "All things come with a price. Your Grandpa Meng's and Grandpa Namikaze's life lamps still burn. They are still alive, but… we don't know where they are."

Naruto sat there silently, and his heart twinged painfully. Now that he knew the reason for everything, he felt deep guilt regarding his two grandfathers.

Were it not for them, that Outsider would never have appeared, and he would have long since returned to the dust, with only four Nirvana Fruits left behind.

It was because of him that his two Grandfathers had never returned.

Furthermore, his parents were stuck guarding Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years. When he thought about this, Naruto felt even worse. He looked at his parents, and although he didn't say anything, his feelings were already etched deeply in his heart.

He would never be able to pay back the kindness shown to him by his parents and relatives.

Patriarch Blood Demon never awoke, and soon it came time for Naruto to leave with his father and mother. His father and mother faced to Mount Blood Demon, clasped hands and bowed deeply.

A few days later, when the restoration work was well under way in the Southern Domain, Naruto and his parents left. Before returning to the Eastern Lands, they went to visit his master, Pill Demon.

His mother and father were very grateful for everything Pill Demon had done, and even offered expensive gifts. In response, however, Pill Demon's face darkened. It didn't matter that he was facing people with mighty cultivation bases, he refused to accept the gifts.

"Naruto is my disciple! How could I accept gifts from you!?" he said.

Naruto's father clasped hands and bowed deeply to him, then sent out a strand of his Dao will, which solidified inside of Pill Demon's body and caused a tremor to run through him.

Dao Will such as this was something very important to Pill Demon, and would help him to verify his path of cultivation.

"How rude of us," said Naruto's father. "Forgive me, Grandmaster. Please accept this strand of Dao will. Naruto was not born in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, so the Immortal destiny for this ten thousand year period cannot belong to him. Grandmaster, I very much admire your aspirations regarding the Dao. When your true Immortal Tribulation arrives, I will personally act as a Dao Protector for you!"

They stayed in the Violet Fate Sect for several days. Sakura continuously avoided Naruto, which caused him to sigh. However, he didn't force the matter, and eventually left with his parents. They went to visit Sagiri, and then finally left the Southern Domain.

When they transformed into beams of prismatic light that shot off into the distance, Sakura was standing proudly on a mountain peak in the Violet Fate Sect. She said nothing, but merely stood there, looking somewhat desolate. When Pill Demon caught sight of her, he sighed.

It was in this fashion that Naruto left the Southern Domain with his parents.

On the way, Naruto mentioned that he wanted to stop by the Milky Way Sea to look for that old turtle Patriarch Reliance. Naruto's mother shook her head with a smile.

"The turtle you're talking about left a long time ago. He's not in the lands of Lands of Ninshu any more."

Naruto gaped, and then a hateful expression appeared on his face. "It's a good thing he left so quickly," he thought to himself, "otherwise I would have tracked him down and shown him a thing or two!"

Meanwhile, out in the starry sky….

An enormous turtle was drifting among the stars. He had an entire continent on his back, upon which existed countless lives, including numerous cultivators and sects.

Of course, they didn't realize that they were floating out among the stars. When they looked up, what they saw was a magically produced sky.

The turtle, of course, was none other than Patriarch Reliance. Currently, his head was tucked inside of his shell, and he was humming a little tune. He looked incredibly happy and proud of himself.

"Heh heh heh! The Patriarch is the most incredible, yet again! Now that I've fled out here, that little bastard will never be able to find me!

"Hahaha! From now on, my future is as boundless as the sea and sky! The Patriarch has freedom at last!

"Let's see how that little bastard reacts when he finds out that I'm no longer on Planet Lands of Ninshu. He'll be struck dumb! Hahaha!" The thought of Naruto going to the Milky Way Sea to look for him, only to be unable to find him, caused Patriarch Reliance's spirits to instantly be lifted even higher. He continued to muse on how he was vastly more intelligent than Naruto.

"You want the Patriarch to be your Dao Protector? Impossible! Ai… it's all the fault of those old bastards from the League of Demon Sealers. They must have damaged my brain somehow. How come it didn't occur to me before that I could simply fly away from Planet Lands of Ninshu?!

"Although, it's better late than never. Now that I've finally flown away from Lands of Ninshu, I feel like I've actually gotten smarter!

"Aiyaaa, where should I go now? Ah, it doesn't really matter. I remember that years ago I had a beloved on Planet East Victory. I wonder how she's doing after all these years? I should go see my old sweetheart." Sighing somewhat emotionally, Patriarch Reliance flickered as he shot toward Planet East Victory, taking the Five Elements Nation with him.

As he flew, he hummed his little tune, feeling extremely happy….

There was someone else speeding along through the starry sky. It was a crazy old man who was clearly not Immortal. However, for some reason, he emanated a strong Immortal Chakra, and was capable of flying among the stars.

"Immortal Ascension…. Immortal Ascension…." As his voice echoed out, a strange transformation seemed to be occurring. His face was ancient for a moment… but then looked young all of a sudden.

However, the old face and the young face looked different from each other. They were two different people!

This was Madara. As for the transformation to his appearance… were Naruto here, he would recognize that young face. It was none other than… Sasuke, whose soul had been swallowed up by his ancestor!

Meanwhile, two figures appeared on the border between the Northern Reaches and the Eastern Lands, creeping forward stealthily. One of them was a young man in black robes who looked delicate and pretty, almost like a scholar. If you looked closely, he actually resembled Naruto. However, there was a perverted expression in his eyes that completely ruined the entire image.

Next to him was a tall, fat man, who occasionally mumbled complaints.

"Run, run, run away. All you know how to do is run away. I've been telling you all along, this is wrong. It's immoral! It's very, very shameless! We should never have fled back then…. We're finished. Completely finished! Naruto has become incredibly powerful…. What do we do now? What is Lord Third supposed to do now?"

"Shut the hell up!" the young man replied loftily, looking at the fat man out of the corner of his eye. "Lord Fifth hasn't even said anything yet, what are you flapping your gums for? What the hell do you want? Let me ask you, do you know what comes after three? Can you count all the way to five?

"Well, Lord Fifth can!

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! Lord Fifth is taking you to the Eastern Lands! With this feather that fell from the sky, we're definitely going to be able to live the good life!" The young man shook his body in much the same way that a bird does when straightening out its feathers.

In the vast Eastern Lands was the ancient city of Saitama.

It was a place that countless scholars in the lands of Lands of Ninshu dreamed of. All of them hungered to pay homage to the Sky Country, and to stroll through Saitama.

The military strength of the Sky Country was incredible, and even possessed garrison states populated entirely by cultivators. There was no location in the mortal worlds of Lands of Ninshu in which people did not pay homage to the Sky Country.

It was no surprise that there were great numbers of sects and clans in the Eastern Lands. Their strength and influence exceeded that of any of the powers that existed in the Northern Reaches, Southern Domain or Western Desert. In terms of sects alone, there were nine major ones.

In addition, there were seven great clans with vast numbers of disciples, followers, and clan members. The Eastern Lands were a flourishing place with countless Chosen, many of whom were famous even in the other continents.

Even the Imperial family had its own Daoist teachings and doctrines, which they used to exercise control over the whole continent. Sky Emperor himself possessed a powerful cultivation base, and although he rarely made public appearances, his power held sway over the all the land.

Saitama was the center of it all, and was encircled by ten defensive fortresses. Of those, eight belonged directly to the Sky Country, with the remaining fortresses belonging to two different clans.

One was the Namikaze Clan and the other was the Hebi Clan!

Just because they occupied the defensive fortresses didn't mean that these two clans bowed their heads to the power of the Emperor. They were independent, and in fact, above everyone else. It was the other sects and clans who bowed their heads to them!

This was especially true of the Hebi Clan. The Heavens themselves belonged to the Hebi Clan, so who was there that could possibly surpass them?

As for the Namikaze Clan, they had vast and powerful resources at their disposal. Although they were only a subdivision of the main clan, they were still deep and immeasurable. Of course, in compliance with their clan rules, they respected the Sky Country, and would protect the Sky Dynasty for all time. After all… the Sky Emperor was surnamed Otsutsuki!

However, despite the fact that these were the circumstances surrounding Naruto at the moment, they were far distant from his daily life.

Currently, Naruto sat cross-legged in a courtyard in the Namikaze Clan, underneath an ancient tree. Sitting next to him was a trembling little crocodile who was oh-so-cautiously looking at the man sitting cross-legged in front of Naruto.

That man was none other than Naruto's father.

"Naruto," he said, "your future path is your own to tread. As to what you do and how you do it, your mother and I can assist from the sidelines, but will not help you directly. The most important thing you should focus on is… Immortal Ascension!

"You're already halfway into true Immortality, lacking only that final half step. Then you will be in the Immortal Realm.

"The chance to gain true Immortality is something that comes along once every 10,000 years. There are many cultivators of the elder generation, and even current Chosen, who are willing to suppress their own cultivation bases, all for the chance to get that true Immortal destiny.

"During this 10,000 year period, the true Immortal destiny lies in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. However, since you weren't born on Lands of Ninshu, it cannot belong to you. The location of your true Immortality is on Planet East Victory.

"The simplest way to achieve true Immortal Ascension is by means of the rarely seen Immortality Illumination Vine. Use that to gain enlightenment regarding the meaning of Immortality, and you can achieve true Immortal Ascension.

"Although Immortality Illumination Vines are rare, it is not impossible to acquire them. In fact, there are enough that, during each 10,000 year period, most powerful sects manage to produce one or two true Immortals. However, the vines are only effective in the 1,000 years after the true Immortal destiny appears.

"The second way to achieve true Immortal Ascension is very difficult, and that is to acquire the Immortal destiny that appears once every 10,000 years, and use it to tread the path to true Immortality. That is the path your master Pill Demon must take.

"Both of these types of Immortals are true Immortals.

"Your master is going about it the most difficult way. If he succeeds, then he will most certainly be taken away by some powerful organization and made a Conclave disciple.

"Therefore, when the time comes for your master's true Immortal Ascension, the lands of Lands of Ninshu are going to be a very lively place. The various Chosen of other sects and clans who have left Lands of Ninshu will return to fight for their chance. When that time comes, I will act as Dao Protector for your master.

"As for you, after you help your master transcend his tribulation, then you will go to Planet East Victory. Father has already prepared an Immortality Illumination Vine for you there!

"Initially, using the Immortality Illumination Vine produces a slightly inferior result. However, cultivation isn't always dependent on the first steps, and using that method can also lead you to great glory.

"So there are only these two ways to achieve true Immortal Ascension?" asked Naruto, a bit surprised. "Why could the Resurrection Lily achieve it?"

"People aren't flowers and flowers aren't people. The path of the Resurrection Lily can be learned from, but if cultivators try to follow it, they will find it very difficult to realize their Dao.

"There is a third path which is not dependent on any of the planets or any Immortal lands. It is to achieve true Immortality… by your own power!

"This is a very rare thing. According to the legends, only Patriarch Bunpuku, the Earth Store Bodhisattva of the Fourth Mountain, has ever traveled that path. Other than him, no one has ever pulled it off. When he did, it caused all of the Immortal Chakra in the Mountain and Sea Realm to surge and swirl towards him, such that everyone knew about it.

"As to how to tread that path, even I don't know." Naruto's father shook his head. Even though he had a high opinion of Naruto, he didn't think it was possible for him to tread that third path. "For now," he said, looking at Naruto sternly, "focus on my nine sword forms. Make sure you understand them thoroughly."

Sadly, Naruto's older sister Karin was still unable to emerge from secluded meditation. Naruto's return had caused many in Lands of Ninshu's Namikaze Clan to act with great caution. They were unfamiliar with him, and didn't dare to even try to probe him for information.

Word of Naruto's deeds in the Southern Domain had long since spread amongst the cultivators of the vast Eastern Lands.

When it came to the Hebi Clan, there quite a few people there who were currently vacillating nervously…. Those people were the Chosen who owed Naruto spirit stones from back in the Demon Immortal Sect. There were Chosen from other sects in the Eastern Lands as well, all of whom had mixed feelings about Naruto.

As they sat there beneath the tree, Naruto's father waved his hand, causing a scintillating command medallion to fly out toward Naruto. It came to rest in front of him, where it floated in the air. It only took a glance for Naruto to be able to sense the vast ancientness pulsing off of it.

"This is an Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion," said Naruto's father.

"In the future, when you leave the lands of Lands of Ninshu, you could return home to the clan to continue your cultivation, or you could use this medallion to join the Ninth Mountain's Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite and cultivate their Daoist magic!

"In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, there are many Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temples. Whenever one of those temples opens its doors, it will attract a lot of attention.

"Currently, only the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite of the Ninth Mountain continues to pass on its legacies. Many cultivators practice cultivation among them, making them one of the most superlative Daoist Societies in the Ninth Mountain. By the time any Daoist rite temple is revealed to the world, it will already long since been left untended and abandoned.

"Only the most powerful of Chosen can join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. Lord Asura joined, as did Lord Hebi. The Namikaze Patriarch of that era also joined. Their requirements for accepting disciples are very strict. However, if you possess an Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion, then you can join directly as a Conclave disciple.

"Take good care of this medallion!

"The medallion has another function. I happened to discover an Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple. Although it's deserted, if you enter it, the temple will automatically come to life….

"Accept the medallion's guidance, and you can cultivate enlightenment in the temple. It will greatly improve your chances at achieving Immortal Ascension.

"However, after the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple comes to life, others will detect it. Therefore, Chosen from the sects and clans of the other planets will come to try to seize the luck and good fortune in the temple.

"What they will be most interested in obtaining is the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion.

"That will be your chance to hone your skills."

Naruto looked closer at the medallion, and inside, he could just barely make out an Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, filled with countless figures practicing cultivation. There was also a glowing Immortal who was giving a sermon regarding the Dao.

The music of a great Dao floated through the air, which Naruto couldn't hear clearly. However, it caused him to perceive an unusual sensation of being bathed in an celestial radiance, with Immortal Chakra swirling around him.

After a long moment, he trembled, and recovered his senses. He quickly reached out to take hold of the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion.

"Keep the Dao medallion safe, and achieve Immortal ascension. Those are my tests for you. If you can't accomplish these things… then it would be better for you to stay here with me and your mother.

"If you can fight with all your might against the Chosen of the sects and clans of the other planets, if you can protect this medallion, if you can achieve true Immortal Ascension, then… your mother and I will be confident that you are ready to leave us and forge your own glorious future!"

Naruto clutched the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion, looked up at his father, and slowly nodded.

Naruto's father looked back and then smiled. It was a smile full of love and encouragement.

"Go," he said. "Leave this crocodile here. When you achieve Immortal Ascension, it will be the mount you can use when you leave. Naruto… you did not have me and your mother at your side in this lifetime. You've reached your current stage by relying only on your own efforts!

"Likewise, I believe that in the future… you won't need help from me or your mother. Your path will lead you much further… and you can do it on your own!"

Naruto took a deep breath and then bowed to his father.

"Now go. We cultivators don't focus on the trifles in life. Besides… you've grown up." His father's smile grew wider. From the look in his eye, you could see that he wished for his son to be a dragon, to truly succeed. It was a look similar to the one Naruto had seen in the eyes of Mui.

Naruto rose to his feet and caught sight of his mother approaching. She walked up to him, adjusted his clothes, and then looked at him lovingly. She clearly did not wish to part with him, and was also worried.

"Mom, I'm fine," he said with a bashful smile.

When she saw his smile, his mother shook her head.

"That's the same smile you used to make when you were little," she said, "whenever you were about to get into mischief."

Naruto's smile grew even more bashful. He chatted a bit more with his parents, then clasped hands and bowed. Giving them a final deep look, he turned and made his way off into the distance.

They watched him leaving, and Naruto's mother sighed.

"This is how cultivators were meant to practice cultivation," his father said calmly. "Naruto is a dragon amongst men. His path… is his own to tread!"

"I'm still worried though…" his mother said.

"It was without our help that he stepped halfway into true Immortality," his father replied proudly. "He's grown up, and given his personality, it would be impossible for him to stay with us here for 100,000 years. Since we can't leave, he needs to temper himself with appropriate challenges. Moreover… in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea, there truly are few who have achieved a cultivation base like his at such an age!"

"I'm just afraid that this Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple that you've activated will attract people above the Spirit Realm…" his mother said softly.

Naruto's father laughed coolly. "Minato makes the rules here on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and I say… if anyone above the Spirit Realm dares to enter, I'll just kill them!"

Naruto left the Namikaze Clan, the first time he had done so since arriving. The streets were busy, and as he looked around at the bustle, it was clear that this was a city of mortals. There were cultivators present too, but they didn't dare to act superior to others. Apparently, cultivators were not permitted to act aggressively in the lands controlled by the Sky Country.

Naruto looked up, and off in the distance he could see an enormous city. That was… Saitama.

At first glance it looked ordinary, but when Naruto circulated his Immortal Chakra, he was shocked to find that there were ninety-five gold dragons spiraling through the air above the city. Occasionally they would let out shocking roars. Of course, it was something that everyone else could not see or hear.

Gradually, the ninety-five dragons merged together into a figure sitting there in midair. When Naruto looked at it, the figure seemed to sense his gaze, and then looked back at him.

Suddenly, a majestic voice filled Naruto's mind. "The son of Elder Brother Namikaze. As expected, you are quite extraordinary. It's a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to bless you with some Chakra reserves to incorporate into your body."

The ninety-five dragons each spit streams of draconic Chakra, which merged together into an extremely lifelike golden dragon. It turned into a golden beam of light that shot through the air and merged into Naruto. As it swirled through his body, an incredibly refreshing feeling filled him.

Cracking sounds could be heard from inside him, and an otherworldly aura seemed to be washing over him, like a baptism. It almost seemed as if he had formed a resonance with the land, and could now see various Daoist magics and natural laws wherever he looked.

Naruto's mind trembled as the figure looked away from him.

"Sky Emperor!" gasped Naruto. He was certain that the person just now…. was the Emperor of the Sky Country!

"The lands of Lands of Ninshu are filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers…." he thought. "The Emperor of the Sky Country has an unfathomable cultivation base. Is Lands of Ninshu the only place like this, or are the other planets similar? Perhaps only people in the same Realm as father can understand such things."

Naruto clasped hands and bowed toward Saitama. Then, he transformed into a beam of colorful light as he followed the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion's guidance toward the temple. His second true self became the shadow beneath him, following him wherever he went.

Naruto had just appeared outside the city, and was about to head off into the distance, when his eyes glittered.

"I heard mom say that the Hebi Clan isn't too far away from here…." A bashful smile appeared on his face and he rubbed his bag of holding. He still had many promissory notes inside, some of which were written by Chosen of the Hebi Clan.

"I think it's time to go settle accounts…." Naruto thought with a dry cough. He took out a jade slip which continued a detailed map of the vast Eastern Lands. After examining it for a moment, he headed toward the Hebi Clan's fortress….

The Hebi Clan didn't just have one ancestral mansion, but many. The one located within the fortress was just one of those.

It was enormous and sprawling, taking up roughly thirty percent of the entire fortress. On the outside it looked relatively ordinary, but once you stepped foot inside, you would catch sight of indescribably beautiful carved balustrades and marble steps.

An ancient, aged will emanated out in all directions, making every block of wood and stone seem sentient. It was something completely extraordinary that even the Eastern Lands' Namikaze Clan couldn't equal.

Naruto navigated his way through the fortress using the map, and eventually found the Hebi Clan's main gate. He walked up the gate and cleared his throat. As he looked around, he didn't see anyone around standing guard.

He knocked, and, seeing that there was no reaction from within, flew up into the air and prepared to simply fly into the mansion. However, a massive pressure bore down on him as soon as he rose up into the air. Clearly, the airspace here was restricted.

Naruto suddenly heard someone chuckling behind him.

"Fellow Daoist, don't waste your time! People like you come here every day hoping to pay respects to the Hebi Clan."

There were two cultivators there who had caught sight of Naruto as they were passing by.

"The Hebi Clan is the number one clan in the lands of Lands of Ninshu," said the first one, "and this is one of their ancestral mansions. You think you can just waltz right in? The only way to get inside is if you're invited by the Hebi Clan."

"Why even try?" chuckled the second one. "You might end up irritating one of the Hebi Clan members, and then you'd be in grave danger."

Actually, Naruto's handsome appearance and down-to-earth disposition left these two cultivators with a good impression, so they really were trying to help him out.

"I'm not here to pay respects," said Naruto, coughing lightly. "I'm here to collect some debts." His eyes suddenly glittered brightly as he caught sight of the two iron hoop handles that adorned the main gate.

The two iron hoops seemed ordinary, but by using his Celestial Vision technique, he could instantly sense the aura of ancient magical symbols pulsing off of them.

"These things are magical treasures!" Naruto thought. Taking a step forward, he grabbed one of the iron hoops and then yanked hard on it. Unfortunately, the gate didn't budge an inch. The two startled cultivators looked on in shock.

"Fellow Daoist, what… what are you doing?"

Naruto took a deep breath, and strange gleam appeared in his eyes. As he prepared to yank on the iron hoop a second time, the wide-eyed cultivators behind him began to back up. They came to the citadel frequently to go shopping, and often saw cultivators pacing back and forth in front of the Hebi Clan's main gate, hoping to gain entrance to offer respects.

However, they had never, ever seen someone covet the iron hoops on the main gate. The mere sight of it made their scalps numb. As they backed up, Naruto wrenched at the iron hoop with full force.

Some distance away, a group of seven or eight youths were loitering on the street corner, chatting and laughing. When they noticed what Naruto was doing, one of their number gaped for a moment and then let out a roar of fury. He instantly flew into the air toward Naruto.

"How brazen! Did you just eat a dragon heart?! How dare you behave so boorishly in front of the Hebi Clan!?"

The two cultivators near Naruto were so scared they could barely speak, and began to back up even faster.

"Not good! It's Nemui! He's a Quasi-Array disciple of the Hebi Clan!"

Nemui's hands flashed in an incantation gesture as he whistled through the air. Bright light pulsed off of his body, which then transformed into a long spear that emanated a strong force like a tornado. He stabbed the spear toward Naruto without hesitation.

As Naruto stood there at the entrance to the Hebi Clan, he turned his head to look at the incoming spear, then gave a cold snort. He waved his right index finger, causing the long spear to tremble and then explode into pieces. The shockwave didn't even lift a hair on Naruto's head, but Nemui was sent tumbling backward through the air. He slammed into the ground about three hundred meters away, coughing up blood, his face ashen.

His companions' faces filled with rage as they looked over at Naruto.

"Looking to die!?" Nemui howled, crawling to his feet. His cultivation base was at the late Nascent Soul stage, and although Naruto's cultivation base was not visible to him, he raged at him nonetheless.

"You're Nemui?" Naruto asked. "Okay, hold on a second…." With that, Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce a large stack of promissory notes. After flipping through them for a moment, his eyes sparkled and pulled out one in particular.

"Are you related to Kamikiri?" he continued, sounding hopeful.

"He's my big brother! How dare you act so wildly in the Hebi Clan! You're DEAD!" With a shrill cry, he waved his right hand, causing spiritual energy to surge in mid-air, giving rise to ripples that only a cultivator could see.

Naruto smiled bashfully, then proceeded to ignore Nemui and look back at the iron hoops. He was getting even more excited about them.

"This is really a lovely treasure!" he thought, causing his cultivation base to begin to rotate. His Dharma Idol flickered into being behind him, which then reached down to grab an iron ring and yank on it.

A boom could be heard as the entire main gate shuddered. Even the ground quaked as the iron ring… was ripped off the door by Naruto.

The two cultivators who had just been trying to persuade Naruto to leave, were now watching with wide eyes.

Nemui's companions' eyes went even wider with disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost. As for Nemui, his shrill cry gurgled to a stop, and he gaped at Naruto in shock.

The huge boom just now had echoed throughout the city, and quite a few cultivators had hurried over to see what was happening. When they saw what was going on, they instantly began to cry out in shock.

"He… he ripped off a door hoop?"

"That's… that's impossible…."

"Is that guy crazy!? How could he possibly dare to provoke the Hebi Clan!"

"This is the Hebi Clan's ancestral mansion, a representation of the whole clan's face! And yet… he actually ripped a door hoop off!"

"He's poking the Heavens in the eye!"

A buzz of conversation immediately echoed out.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he hefted the iron hoop in his hand to get a sense of its weight. Then, his eyes shone with a gleam of pleasure.

"Truly a lovely treasure," he thought. It was at this point that his head swiveled to look at the other iron hoop. He was just about to reach out and grab it when a cold snort echoed out from inside the Hebi Clan. Next, the gates silently swung open and a young man walked out.

His long hair draped down over his shoulders, and his features were handsome, albeit cold. A Spirit Severing aura swirled around him as he strode out. Instantly, a rumbling sound filled the air, as if bizarre ripples were spreading out from his body.

"According to the clan rules," the young man said as he walked out, "anyone who damages the clan gate will be exterminated to the ninth degree of kinship." He looked over coldly at Naruto, and then suddenly, his jaw dropped.

Three hundred meters away, Nemui didn't notice that point. He was extremely excited and cried out, "Big brother, kill that guy!"

Naruto's eyes gleamed with a strange light. As soon as he laid eyes on this newcomer, he couldn't help but feel happy. He laughed loudly and then said, "Fellow Daoist Kamikiri, do you remember me?"

At first, the young man's bearing had been cold and aloof, but after looking closely at Naruto and hearing his words, his face went deathly white. Even if he had a more steely will, he would still have cried out hoarsely in alarm. As it was, he couldn't prevent himself from staggering backward several paces.

"No, I don't remember!" he cried out, then slammed the gate shut.

Eyes glittering, Naruto lifted his right foot up and then kicked hard onto the huge gate. A boom echoed out as the gate crashed open. Kamikiri was on the other side, and was sent tumbling backward, blood spurting out of his mouth. Then he began to cry out loudly.

"Naruto's here! Naruto's here!"

His urgent call immediately caused the faces of numerous Hebi Clan old-timers to flicker. As for the Chosen who happened to be in the mansion, they didn't comprise all of the Hebi Clan Chosen. However, there were four or five who happened to owe Naruto spirit stones, and their faces filled with shock.

When the people gathered outside the Hebi Clan heard Kamikiri's call, they were completely taken aback. Many weren't able to put the pieces together, but there were some whose expressions flickered with understanding.

"Naruto? That's the guy who ended the war between the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches! He's half a step into true Immortality, and is the number one figure in his generation!"

"It's him… he's actually in the Eastern Lands. Dammit! Now that I think about it, the sect issued orders recently that we are not to offend Naruto in any way! I didn't understand before, because I thought he was in the Southern Domain. But it turns out he's already in the Eastern Lands!"

"So… he really is Naruto!"

Stories of the war of the Southern Domain had long since spread widely throughout all the lands, and Naruto's name could be heard everywhere. He had sealed the cultivation bases of more than 100,000 Northern Reaches cultivators, cutting off their path to the Nascent Soul stage and reducing them to felon citizens. Furthermore, he had summoned a huge mountain to suppress five peak Dao Seeking experts.

Because of all of that, Naruto was now thoroughly famous in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Nemui stood there quivering, face pale and eyes wide. He vaguely remembered that some time ago, word had been passed down through the clan forbidding anyone from provoking Naruto.

Everything trembled as Naruto entered the Hebi Clan. As he passed the nearly destroyed gate, he casually reached down to wrench off the other iron hoop, which he put in his bag of holding.

The sight of him doing so caused gasps to rise up from the people who stood outside watching; Naruto's domineering manner had already left them with a deep impression. On the other hand, flames of rage could be seen burning in the Hebi Clan members' eyes.

After all… there were only a few people who actually owed him spirit stones. To all the other members of the Hebi Clan, Naruto's actions just now were nothing short of blasphemous.

Immediately, eight older members of the Clan snorted coldly and then stepped forward. Hands were waved, and divine abilities appeared. However, when they neared Naruto, his eyes flickered and he flicked his sleeve. Rumbling echoed out as a storm wind rose up. It blasted out in all directions, causing the eight older clan members to tumble back with blood spraying from their mouths.

Naruto cleared his throat and pulled out some promissory notes.

"I'm not here to cause a ruckus," he said, as he began leafing through the notes. "I just want to collect some debts. Kamikiri, Orochimaruyi, Guren…." In a brief moment, he recited seven or eight names.

Finally, he looked up.

"When exactly were you people planning on paying me back the tens of millions of spirit stones you owe me?! Hand them over!"

His voice roared out to be heard not only by the entire Hebi Clan, but also everyone on the outside. Instantly, all of the people whose names he recited, with the exception of those not present, suddenly grew incredibly wrathful. How could they not? After all, the sheer amount of spirit stones owed… made it impossible for them to pay off the debt.

"You're shameless, Naruto! You forced us to write those promissory notes!"

"We didn't want to write them! You made us!"

"Yeah, you threatened us! We had no choice but to sign the promissory notes, so they don't count!"

When the other Hebi Clan members heard what was being cried out, they couldn't help but be shocked. The cultivators on the outside were also looking on with wide eyes.

"I can't believe Naruto was so daring back then! He actually forced Hebi Clan Chosen to write promissory notes!"

"Tens of millions of spirit stones! How… how do you force someone to the point of signing that kind of promissory note?!"

Naruto's eyes went dark. "Not going to acknowledge your debt!?"

The Hebi Clan members glared furiously at Naruto, their eyes brimming with killing intent. For years on end, no one had ever dared to crash through the Hebi Clan's gate. Well… except for a certain husband and wife.

Now, Naruto was the third person to do so.

"What a pack of lies!" a voice said from among the Hebi Clan members. As the same time, a surge of energy burst out, accompanied by three older clan members. They moved with incredible speed, and were in front of Naruto in the space of one breath. Their cultivation bases emanated the shocking power of Dao Seeking, and even as they arrived in front of Naruto, they snorted and launched attacks.

They knew Naruto was extraordinary, which was why they joined forces to attack in unison. Everything trembled violently, even the sun and moon. The illusory image of an altar appeared which rumbled toward Naruto, exuding incredible pressure.

"For the sake of your parents, we won't kill you today, but that doesn't mean we'll let you off without teaching you a lesson!" The ground quaked as the altar descended toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was calm. He smiled and glanced at the incoming altar, then suddenly clenched his fist. Even as his punch sailed through the air, the Ninth Mountain materialized, which then slammed into the altar.

A huge boom rattled out and the altar was sent spinning backward. The Ninth Mountain floated there, emanating shocking pressure, and most shocking of all, surrounded by swirling Immortal Chakra. The three Hebi Clan members staggered backward, blood oozing out of their mouths, their faces filled with shock.

In the same moment that they fell into retreat, seven more older clan members flew up into the air. They also joined forces, shoving their hands down from above to summon an enormous lake. There were fish swimming to and fro within the lake, one of which leapt out and transformed into a red dragon that roared and headed toward Naruto.

Naruto lifted his foot up and took a step forward. The ground quaked as a massive force rippled out in all directions. The three Dao Seeking experts coughed up blood and fell back once more, astonishment written on their faces.

As for the seven old clan members who had summoned the red dragon, blood sprayed from their mouths and they tumbled back through the air like kites with their strings cut.

Then there were the ordinary clan members, whose faces fell as they felt themselves being shoved back violently, their bodies completely beyond their own control. They looked over in shock at Naruto, who stood there, towering above everyone.

The people on the outside continued to watch with wide eyes and gaping mouths. To them, Naruto looked like a Paragon, standing there unmatched and invincible!

"Debts must be repaid!" Naruto said, walking forward again. "It's a law of Heaven and a principle of Earth! If you renege on your debt, then I'll just have to come take it myself." As he advanced, the Hebi Clan members were forced to fall back. It was almost like they couldn't even control their own bodies, and were literally being forced back by an incredible power.

One of their number was a young man who suddenly felt an incredible force wrapping around his body. He was suddenly hauled out from the other Hebi Clan members and pulled directly in front of Naruto.

It was Kamikiri.

"Naruto, you're pushing things way too far!" he cried shrilly, glaring furiously at Naruto. He looked like he was about to fly into a rage, but inwardly, he was trembling. Even as the words left his mouth, he braced himself for something horrible to happen. However, he had no choice but to speak such words; after all, this was the Hebi Clan, and if he didn't say something, how could he possibly hold his head up in front of his fellow clan members?

"You owe me money, and I'm here to collect! How is that pushing things too far?"

In the face of all the nearby Hebi Clan members, Naruto grabbed Kamikiri's bag of holding and opened it up. He frowned.

"You barely have more than 1,000,000 spirit stones? How could that be!?" Naruto's tone turned stern. "Kamikiri, that's simply not enough. Okay, let me see…. you owe me 7,650,000 spirit stones…." He reached out, stuck his hand into Kamikiri's robe and started to loosen it.

"Naruto! Y-y-you…." Kamikiri let out a roar. Naruto had just snatched away his bag of holding, and then taken away some of his other personal belongings. After that, shockingly, Naruto began to disrobe him! This caused Kamikiri to be frightened out of his wits, filled with unprecedented terror and astonishment.

"Y-y-you… what are you DOING!?"

He wasn't the only frightened one. The other Hebi Clan members looked on with wide, disbelieving eyes as Naruto pulled Kamikiri's robes off.

"You owe me money! These clothes are pretty nice. I bet I could sell them for a few spirit stones." Naruto put the robes away and then looked at the shivering Kamikiri. Finally, he heaved a sigh of pity.

"If I had known things would turn out this way," Naruto said, shaking his head sympathetically, "I would have done things differently back then. Ah, young people. You shouldn't write promissory notes so easily, you know? I hope that in the future, you keep that in mind. Turn over a new leaf!

"Although, don't forget that you still have to pay me back what you owe me. This little bit today can just be considered interest."

Kamikiri let out a mighty roar, and then coughed up a mouthful of blood. He was so enraged that he then passed out and flopped over onto the ground, although it was hard to say whether it was real or an act….

It was at this point that a cold snort echoed through the air. A shadow passed over the mansion, and an incredibly cold aura spread out. Boundless killing intent roiled through the air as an enormous black hand appeared up above. Rumbling pressure weighed down in all directions, transforming into the power of peak Dao Seeking. As Naruto looked up, the hand descended toward him.

Just barely visible behind the huge hand was an old man wearing a black robe. He was thin and emaciated, and emanated an aura of decay and rot, as if he had just climbed up from a grave.

"You don't qualify to run amok in the Hebi Clan!"

Rumbling filled Heaven and Earth, and astonishing killing intent filled the air. It seemed evil to the extreme, and caused the bright spring day to suddenly became as cold as dead winter. Black snowflakes began to flutter down, and the entire place appeared to have turned into… a midwinter battlefield.

Suddenly, countless corpses appeared on the battlefield, as well as innumerable cultivators locked in deadly combat. All of was incredibly realistic! It was… a Dao Seeking Region!

It was a peak Dao Seeking Region!

As Naruto stood there in the middle of the Region, his face grew dark and grim. Anyone who saw the expression found their hearts suddenly thumping. This version of Naruto seemed completely different, a vicious version which had been hiding inside him all along!

"Killing intent? You can't have more than I do," he said coolly. Suddenly, the shadow beneath his feet rippled, and his second true self emerged. At first, his eyes were closed, but as he stepped out, they opened, and blood-colored light spilled out. A killing intent radiated out that was exponentially stronger than the previous killing intent. It caused the sky to change color and the clouds to seethe. The sun and moon trembled as the intensity of the killing intent caused everything in the area to shake.

The emaciated man up in midair gasped, and his face filled with disbelief. The surrounding Hebi Clan members were all shaking in astonishment, and many of them were coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

Everyone on the outside felt as if they were frozen in place by icy coldness, and were shivering violently.

This was Naruto's second true self, who had absorbed his boundless Devilish will!

The Devilish will was shocking; a black aura exploded out from Naruto's second true self, transforming into roiling black clouds that then formed into the image of an enormous face. The face was matchlessly savage, and seemed to contain a madness that wished to exterminate all forms of life.

The intense killing intent immediately exerted incredible pressure on the emaciated old man, who felt his scalp go completely numb.

"This… this…." His mind was reeling. This ferocious spirit, this killing intent, this madness… were something rarely seen in life.

Naruto's mood had turned sour. His voice level, he said, "As for this battlefield illusion, let me ask you… have you ever seen a real battlefield before?"

His second true self's body distorted, causing what looked like beams of light to shoot out in all directions, causing… a different battlefield to appear!

It was a battlefield of complete carnage, with rivers of blood flowing everywhere. A mountain-like giant roared, and a woman was hidden in ball of mist. Fierce fighting raged as people chose to self-detonate rather than see their home be overrun. The ground was stained bright red, and up above in the sky, peak Dao Seeking experts fought at close quarters. One of them laughed uproariously and self-detonated.

The scene was incredibly realistic, because… these were images of things that had actually occurred in the war between the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches!

"Have you ever been on a battlefield like that?" asked Naruto. His second true self's eyes flickered and he took a step forward. His ferocious spirit merged with the energy of the battlefield, which then rose up into the air to meet the descending pitch-black hand, and the emaciated old man.

A huge boom rang out as the black hand collapsed into pieces. The emaciated man coughed up blood and was flung backward. As he flew through the air, he coughed up three more mouthfuls of blood. His cultivation base dropped, and cracking sounds rang out as a life-protecting jade slip was destroyed. Without that jade slip, he would most certainly have been dead.

Everything was dead silent. The Hebi Clan members were completely shaken as they stared at Naruto. It was the same with the cultivators on the outside.

"Now that… is Naruto!"

"He is a Chosen who rose to fame during the war between the Southern Domain and the Northern Reaches. He's the number one figure of this generation in the lands of Lands of Ninshu…."

"That battlefield just now must have been images from the war…."

A sharp inhalation could be heard, followed by the image of Naruto shaking his head. "Couldn't control it fully," he said.

With that, he made a beckoning motion, and his second true self vanished, once again turning into his shadow. From what everyone watching could see, it appeared as if Naruto was once again calm and tranquil.

"That's enough, you little punk!"

The next voice that echoed out was ancient and archaic. It came from deep within the Hebi Clan ancestral mansion, from a location that looked very different from the beautifully decorated buildings around it. It was a thatched cottage that seemed completely ordinary in every respect. Suddenly, the cottage's door opened, and a teenager stepped out.

He appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen, but had a full head of white hair. His expression was the type you would see on an old man; clearly, he cultivated some technique that allowed the body to reverse the effects of aging.

As soon as he stepped out, everything in front of him trembled. Shockingly, an enormous Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

The Dharma Idol was not humanoid, but rather, was an enormous bottle gourd which was a swirl of red, blue and yellow colors. As soon as it appeared, shocking light spread out to cover over the entire fortress.

As soon as the Hebi Clan cultivators saw the bottle gourd and heard the ancient voice, their spirits were lifted. Regardless of age, they all turned toward the gourd, clasped hands and bowed.

"Greetings, Patriarch Nine!"

"It's Patriarch Nine! Greetings, Patriarch Nine!"

Simultaneously, the teenager strode forward a single step. It was as if the entire Hebi Clan fortress shrunk; in the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of the crowd of Hebi Clan cultivators. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his white hair floated around him as he stared icily at Naruto.

A false Immortal!

This was a false Immortal!

The teenager made his appearance coldly, and as he stood in front of the other Hebi Clan members, his eyes fell onto Naruto.

"Screw off!" he said. He was well aware that Naruto had powerful backing, and didn't want to provoke him. However, the ancestral mansion was under his personal command. If Minato showed up, he wouldn't do anything to offend him. But for a member of the junior generation to dare to act in this way filled his heart with rage.

His appearance on the scene immediately caused the surrounding Hebi Clan members to grow excited. Kamikiri instantly "regained consciousness," and looked excitedly at Patriarch Nine. Then he looked back at Naruto with anticipation regarding his imminent vengeance.

"You're definitely going to get put in place this time!" he thought.

Naruto cleared his throat and looked up at the enormous bottle gourd Dharma Idol floating there.

"Dharma Idol, huh…." Naruto smiled. "Well I have one too." Eyes glittering, he took a step forward. Up to this point, he hadn't called on the full extent of his power. Now, he rotated his cultivation base, and Immortal Chakra emerged. As soon as it did, everything trembled and shook, and an enormous Dharma Idol appeared that seemed capable of holding up the sky.

The strength of this Dharma Idol was extraordinarily shocking; it was like some primordial giant whose face was that of Naruto!

The sky shook and the ground quaked the moment the Dharma Idol appeared; natural law spread out, along with a vast pressure that weighed down on everything. The bottle gourd began to quiver, and it seemed to be expending all of its energy as it struggled to fight back against Naruto's Dharma Idol.

The sky looked like it was on the verge of being torn to shreds, and ear-shattering booms filled the air. The incredible pressure seemed capable of tearing Heaven and Earth apart from each other, and the land looked as if it were about to shatter into pieces.

Almost instantly, Naruto and the teenager were in a deadlock!

The Hebi Clan members looked on, panting, their expressions blank. Their scalps were numb and their minds reeled. They knew that Naruto was strong, but… how could they ever have imagined that… he would be this strong!?

He could even fight Patriarch Nine to a standstill. And their Patriarch Nine… was an Immortal!

The teenager's face sank, and a strange light appeared in his eyes as he looked at Naruto. Inwardly, he let out a long sigh. He had known before that Naruto was extraordinary, but it wasn't until he actually faced up against him that he realized… he had underestimated him.

"So it's true that he's actually… half a step into true Immortality!"

By now, the nearby cultivators had spread the news that Naruto had charged into the Hebi Clan fortress. The news reached other sects, and soon all of the powerful experts of the Eastern Lands knew. Divine sense streamed forth, and gasps could be heard in the various sects throughout the Eastern Lands when they saw that Naruto could grapple with a false Immortal.

"This Naruto is incredible!"

"His father is extraordinary, and… so is he!"

"The Namikaze Clan…."

Countless eyes throughout the Eastern Lands were now fixed on the Hebi Clan, and Naruto. Naruto's eyes blazed with the desire to do battle; ever since his incredible cultivation base breakthrough, he had not battled a false Immortal. He truly wished to know how such a battle would turn out!

He reached out his hand and pointed toward the teenager, and his desire to fight was clear.

"Make your move!" he said.

The Hebi Clan cultivators were panting, especially those who normally flaunted their status as Chosen. Their faces were pale, and they were forced to admit that there was now a vast, unimaginable gap between themselves and Naruto. It was like the difference between Heaven and Earth, and was a chasm that could not easily be crossed.

"He… is so much stronger than us!"

"It's laughable to say that we are of the same generation. We can shake things up, but he… he can battle with our Patriarch!"

"We… don't even qualify to be his opponent…." This fact was quite a blow to the Chosen. Earlier, they had heard about Naruto's strength, but to witness it with their own eyes was shocking to the soul.

As he faced up against a bristling Naruto, Patriarch Nine realized that he was in somewhat of a dilemma. As the saying goes, if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off. Even as he hesitated, an archaic voice suddenly rang out from thin air to fill the Hebi Clan.

"The Hebi Clan cultivates Karma. Spirit stones are material objects, and can be considered a seed of Karma. The Hebi Clan must not be infected by such Karma. Anyone who owes this person spirit stones must pay them back!

"All of you, pay heed. The Hebi Clan's cultivation is different than that of the masses. To cultivate Karma, we must revere Karma. If you do not have the power to sever Karma, then you must yield to it!

"Give it to him! Him coming here to ask for his spirit stones is in fact an aid to you in severing Karma with him. Do you still not understand? Once the Karma is severed, your cultivation will surely flourish."

As these few sentences reverberated through the air, the voice vanished. Patriarch Nine's body jerked to a stop as he realized that the voice had come from the true Patriarch of the Hebi Clan here in the Eastern Lands. His energy immediately dissipated along with the Dharma Idol, and he clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.

"Many thanks for the assistance you have provided to these children of the Hebi Clan in severing Karma, my young friend. Please inform me of exactly how many spirit stones are owed, and I will give them to you."

There were many people who appeared to be enlightened, and not just members of the Hebi Clan. As for the handful of Chosen who owned spirit stones to Naruto, their bodies trembled as brilliant Dao light shone out from them. What seemed to be the music of a great Dao swirled around them, as if in this moment, their Dao heart was nudged forward.

Naruto gaped in shock at this sudden reversal. That was especially so when he saw that the Dao light shining off of Kamikiri had intensified. From the look of it, he was experiencing a cultivation base breakthrough, which caused Naruto to breathe deeply.

"I can't believe the Hebi Clan's magic is so Heaven-defying!" he thought. "Cultivate Karma, revere Karma, sever Karma…."

He watched wide-eyed as Kamikiri suddenly clasped hands and bowed to him.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, many thanks for helping me to sever the Karma from that year."

The Chosen who owed Naruto spirit stones immediately began to clasp hands toward him and bow in thanks.

"Many thanks, Elder Brother Uzumaki!"

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Naruto!"

Naruto abruptly took a few steps back. He was actually a bit angry. He had merely come here to collect some debts; how could it have ended with him helping them?

"Who was that old geezer who was talking just now?" he thought, frowning. "He's so powerful! With just a few words, not only was he able to settle the dispute, he provided his clan members with good fortune AND turned me into the grindstone to help them polish their understanding of severing Karma.

"Dammit!" Naruto was just about to leave when Patriarch Nine hurried forward, smiling.

"Young friend, what are you doing?" he asked. "How many spirit stones do they owe you? Tell me and I'll hand them over to you."

"Uhh, no, that's fine," Naruto said hastily. "All of us are actually good friends, and I was just pulling a little prank. Let's leave the debt in place, alright? I'm… I'm in no hurry." By this point, he was already back at the huge gate.

"No, that won't do," said the youthful-looking Patriarch Nine. "There's no need to say anything more, young friend. You're being too magnanimous." He turned to the Chosen. "All of you, tell me how much you owe. And tell me how much Guren and the other two owe, too." Patriarch Nine had also been somewhat enlightened now. He knew that to sever a Karma infection was something of great importance to these Chosen.

To Kamikiri and the others, it was clear that great fortune had just arrived. Having just been enlightened about such a great truth, they immediately responded.

"7,650,000!"

"9,180,000!"

"14… 14,000,000!"

"8,330,000!"

"Altogether, Guren and the other two probably don't owe more than 30,000,000…."

When the youthful-looking Patriarch Nine heard how many spirit stones were involved, he stared in shock, then looked deeply at Naruto.

"Young friend, you really are very magnanimous. In the future, you'll surely be incredibly rich."

"You're too kind, really," said Naruto clearing his throat, and backing up. "Since Guren and the other two aren't here, they can't return what they owe personally and it doesn't count as them settling the debt." As far as he was concerned, these people from the Hebi Clan were a bunch of lunatics. Who would possibly offer to pay back so many spirit stones? If he owed so many spirit stones to someone, he sure wouldn't pay them back, even if he were beaten to death!

"Really," he said, "there's no need to be hasty. How about this… you people get back to what you were doing. My dad asked me to help out around the house, so I'll head home now…." By this point he was outside the main gate. However, just as he was about to leave, a bag of holding flew out and landed in his hand.

"Inside that bag are all the spirit stones owed to you from the people here. As of now, they have no Karma connected to you."

There was a booming sound as the Hebi Clan's main gate slammed shut.

Naruto chuckled bitterly. The promissory notes in his bag of holding instantly turned to ash. Luckily… there were still three remaining, the ones belonging to Guren and the others. Since they weren't here, they wouldn't be able to resolve their Karma.

Naruto had his money, but was actually a bit depressed. Of course, what he didn't know was that his matter of collecting his debts had actually shaken the entire Eastern Lands. Countless gazes were being cast in his direction at that very moment.

He looked at the Hebi Clan's main gate, then recalled the iron hoops in his bag of holding. He hesitated for a moment.

"Fudge, who cares about all that crap he said about Karma!? I'm keeping the iron hoops!" With that, he turned, clasped hands to the surrounding cultivators, then turned into a beam of prismatic light that shot off into the distance.

He moved with such speed that in the blink of an eye, no trace of him remained. He reappeared far off in the distance, in the sky above the Eastern Lands. He sent some divine sense out to make sure that no one was watching him, and then his expression darkened.

After a long moment, his eyes flickered.

"I think that in the future, I should get more people to write promissory notes. Getting them to personally write the notes… is Karma….

"Interesting. Perhaps these promissory notes will be of some use in the future!" Eyes glittering, Naruto was just about to allow the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion to guide him to the Daoist rite temple when suddenly, he stopped in place.

"If I remember correctly… I still owe money to some people too…. I owe Steward Ebisu three pieces of silver…." When he considered the matter, something about it didn't seem right.

"But when went looking for him before, Steward Ebisu was already dead. Should I go find his descendants? Agh! That damned Patriarch Reliance has the Five Elements Nation on his back. And he left the lands of Lands of Ninshu! How… how am I supposed to settle that Karma!" After a moment, he smiled bitterly.

Shaking his head, he sighed, then sent some divine sense into the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion. Following its guidance, he headed off into the distance.

Several days later, Naruto appeared at the edge of a boundless mountain range in the depths of the Eastern Lands. He then vanished as he entered the mountains. As he proceeded along, he saw no signs of life. He passed many treacherous locations, and faced quite a few dangers.

As he traveled further into the mountains, the air up above became restricted, and eruptions of black mist would occur frequently. Despite Naruto's incredibly powerful fleshly body, he could still be injured by that black mist, which filled his heart with trepidation after it happened a few times.

"They don't seem like restrictive spells," he thought. "Could it be that somebody buried something here? Whatever they are, they're incredibly dangerous!" After some careful examination, Naruto was certain that there were items buried beneath the ground that would explode if stepped on.

There were also naturally occurring restrictive spells which, if he got caught in their explosions, would certainly cause his cultivation base to drop.

Thankfully, the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion was very effective in avoiding both the restrictive spells and the objects buried underground. Using the medallion's guidance, he was able to proceed onward for several days with no incident. Finally, he found himself on a narrow path which cut deep through the mountains in such a way that he could only see a sliver of the sky up above. This path also was laced with the buried, explosive objects. Thankfully, by means of the medallion, and utmost caution, he was able to proceed along the path for some time without incident. Three times, eruptions occurred, but in the end, he finally found himself… in front of a run-down old temple.

Twenty days earlier on Planet Lands of Ninshu, Naruto's father had slashed out with his sword, causing Sword Chakra to descend on the Eastern Lands. It had pierced into a mountain range, to a dilapidated old temple, whereupon the illusory images of a Daoist rite temple had appeared. The whole thing had been unsealed by Naruto's father.

When such a thing happened, it was only the beginning. The invisible ripples that spread out were very difficult to conceal, and in fact made their way from Planet Lands of Ninshu out into the starry sky, whereupon many almighty figures sensed them.

On Planet East Victory, about half of the entire planet belonged to the Namikaze Clan. Actually, if the Namikaze Clan wished it, they could easily take control of the entire planet.

When the invisible ripples spread out from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple on Planet Lands of Ninshu, an ancient voice floated out from inside of an archaic temple on Planet East Victory.

"So, another Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple has been unsealed… and in the lands of Lands of Ninshu…. Have the Array Chosen of the clan go to acquire good fortune…. Fugai. Futsu. Dei. You three have a predestined connection to go seek your fortunes there. Your clan uncle Minato is there on Lands of Ninshu, so he might be able to provide you with some assistance.

"As for the other clan disciples, although you might not have the destiny, if you wish to go… you may." The voice echoed out throughout the entire planet, and in response, incredible energy surged up from three specific locations. One such location was a lake, on the surface of which was a solitary boat. Sitting cross-legged in the boat was a woman wearing white garments, who seemed graceful in an otherworldly way. Her long, lustrous hair fell like a cape down her back, and she seemed ethereal, beyond that which was mortal. On either side of her were two indistinct figures, guards who were there to protect her at all times.

The woman's eyelashes fluttered as her eyes opened.

"If this is your order, Patriarch, then Mibuna will definitely make the trip."

In another location was a wild stretch of mountains that was constantly filled by roars of wild beasts so shocking they seemed capable of ripping the sky apart. This place was actually referred to as a restricted area, and was incredibly dangerous. Standing there in the mountains was a young, bare-chested young man currently locked in deadly combat with a gigantic ape that glowed with glittering, golden light. The ape roared, and shockingly, a Dharma Idol appeared. However, the vicious young man still managed to rip the ape in half, showering himself with copious amounts of blood.

"Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple?" said the young man. "That means that an Immortal Ancient Daoist Medallion will certainly appear! Menma is out training and won't be back any time soon. This good fortune will certainly fall to me, Dei!" The young man drank a huge mouthful of ape blood then rose to his feet. Two beautiful woman materialized, not with physical bodies, but with spirit bodies. Any worldly-wise person would know at a single glance that these were Wind Spirit bodies, something that only members of the Wind Spirit people could possess. Few members of their people existed like this; only a handful would be born in any given generation that were suitable to cultivate this type of Wind magic.

The two women picked up a cloak, which they draped over the young man.

The third location was an enormous basin filled with countless chunks of broken stone. These were no ordinary stones; each and every one came from outside in the starry sky, and had fallen to this place as meteors.

As a result, the basin was filled with incredible pressure, and any cultivator inside would find it hard to even take just a few steps. When inside, it felt as if one's entire body were bound tightly, and if you managed to force yourself to be able to walk, your body might explode.

Currently, a young man could be seen sitting cross-legged in the depths of the basin. He had no hair, and wore golden clothing. Cracking sounds could be heard ringing out from inside of him; his fleshly body was powerful to the extreme. In fact, he could rely on that power alone to resist the shocking pressure that surrounded him.

After a few moments passed, he opened his eyes. Within each of his eyes was the image of what appeared to be a planet, bizarre and strange.

"Interesting. An Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion…. If I could acquire that and give it to Goddess Tsukino, it would probably improve her impression of me." The bald young man smiled and rose to his feet. He walked out of the basin, where he was met by two old men who stood guard at his side.

In addition to these three people, there were more than ten others from Planet East Victory who chose to compete for this particular opportunity.

Meanwhile, a slender young man stood in the middle of a desert on Planet West Felicity. He wore a green robe which swayed in the wind, and the sword strapped to his back emanated a monstrous sword aura that caused the desert around him to seem like a lake of swords. The music of a Dao floated in the air, and the entire area seemed like a Holy Land. As he stood there, he appeared to be respectuflly listening to someone. After a moment, a brilliant glow appeared in his eyes.

"Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple…. I have the strange feeling that if I don't go, I'll regret it. In that case… I'll just have to go check it out." He smiled faintly, then transformed into a sword beam that shot off into the distance.

In another location on Planet West Felicity, a veiled woman sat cross-legged on a mountain peak. Demonic Chakra swirled about, causing wind and thunder to roll through the air. The woman's eyes were closed, and her aura seemed Demonic, and yet not; Immortal, and yet not.

"Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple," she murmured softly, her voice mesmerizing and charming. "The Southern Domain…." She smiled as she seemed to visualize the image of a young man.

"Ah, why not go and see some old friends?" she said. "I wonder if that little punk succeeded in Spirit Severing."

At the same time, on Planet North Reed, a shocking scene was playing out.

The Shimura Clan of the Southern Domain had merely been a collateral branch. The real Shimura Clan was extremely famous in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Currently, a massive airship was flying out of the Shimura Clan. It was fully 30,000 meters long, and at the front of the ship stood ten clan members, who looked out as the ship shot through the starry sky.

One of those clan members was an icily arrogant woman who sat ramrod straight at the head of the group. Moonlight flickered in her eyes, and the mark of a willow leaf could be seen on her forehead. Her expression was as cold as freezing ice.

"The Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion must be mine!"

There were two other locations on Planet North Reed where similarly shocking sights could be seen. In one location, an old man suddenly materialized outside the mouth of an enormous volcano. He clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Young Lord Sora, the Patriarch has issued a command. He wants you to lead some people to Planet Lands of Ninshu. An Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple has been activated. He wants you to go do your best to seize the good fortune."

Rumble!

A flame-cloaked figure strode out from inside the volcano. He stopped in front of the old man, whereupon the flames that surrounded him merged together to form a flame crow that perched on his shoulder.

He was a tall, strapping young man with a scar that ran from his forehead all the way down to his neck, giving him a thoroughly fearsome appearance. His garments were composed of magical flame symbols, merged together into robes.

"I understand," he said coolly, then made his way off into the distance.

In another location was a pitch-black bamboo forest, within which lurked numerous recently deceased souls that flew back and forth wildly. A young man sat cross-legged on a bamboo stem. He was handsome, with eyebrows like swords and eyes like stars. His eyes shone brightly as he looked over at another nearby bamboo stem.

On that other piece of bamboo was an old man who resembled a monkey. He was staring at the young man with arrogance and contempt, and the young man was staring back at him.

"You're coming with me!" the young man said.

"Like hell I am!" the old man replied with arrogant disdain. "Your Grandpapa has been famous for years. You think I'm going to go around with a wimpy little brat like yourself? Scram! If I was like the old me, I would already have beaten the crap out of you!"

"I'll remind you I'm surnamed Uchiha!" the young man through gritted teeth said.

"Shmong Uchiha! You bastard!" the old man said impatiently. He waved his hand, sending the young man flailing backward, blood spraying from his mouth.

When he rose to his feet, a ghost flitted over, came to a stop next to the young man, and whispered in his ear. The young man's eyes flickered with irritation.

"You just wait, you crotchety scoundrel! After your Young Master gets the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion, I'm gonna come back here and boil you to death! You belong to me!"

"SCREW OFF!" echoed the old man's impatient voice. "Listen to Grandpapa and screw the hell off!"

The unsealing of Lands of Ninshu's Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple sent great waves crashing throughout the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea. In addition to the super planets, there were many other smaller powers who detected the matter. Orders were issued, sending the disciples of many sects to Planet Lands of Ninshu to fight for good fortune.

Even the Hebi Clan of the Ninth Mountain was sent into motion. Their clan was located on the peak of the Ninth Mountain, where they ruled over all of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

Inside the Hebi Clan, several figures approached a teleportation portal. One of them was a tall, slender man who was surrounded by boundless, swirling Karma. It was difficult to clearly make out his features, but the other Hebi Clan members backed up as he neared, expressions of reverence and fanaticism on their faces.

He said nothing as he entered the teleportation portal and sat down cross-legged. When he closed his eyes, boundless Karma surged around him, transforming into thin strands that glowed with brilliant light when they touched each other. Everyone who looked at the scene was dazzled, and felt as if their souls were being tugged over, completely beyond their control.

"This Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple was activated when the Son of Hebi is in secluded meditation and can't emerge. I never thought that Chiyo would chose to go!"

"The year when those three fought over the title of Son of Hebi, the Heavens and Earth fell into darkness. Even the sun and moon trembled. The whole Ninth Mountain and Sea was shaken and countless people looked on…. In the end, Chiyo was defeated, and yet, he is still so powerful that he is viewed as a major rival by the Chosen of the Three Churches and Six Sects, the Three Great Clans, and the Five Great Holy Lands."

"In this generation… not many could stand up to people like him. Although, I heard that in the Namikaze Clan there's someone named Prince Menma who beat Chiyo in a fight once. I'm not sure if that's a true story though…."

The whole Ninth Mountain and Sea was in a stir. Countless sects and clans were spurred into motion and sent Chosen disciples toward the lands of the Lands of Ninshu, to try to acquire good fortune in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

Even the Ninth Sea, which was located between the Ninth Mountain and the Eighth Mountain, was included in the commotion. You could say that it was a sea, but actually, it was composed of countless fragments of heavenly bodies that emanated spiritual energy, which then turned into a sea of mist.

Rumbling could be heard within that starry sea as an enormous door rose up. As the door appeared above the surface of the sea, countless sea dragons flew out. Trembling, they prostrated themselves in front of the door, which emanated a boundless light, as well as the music of a great Dao. It almost seemed like countless Immortal Divinities were sitting cross-legged in meditation surrounding the door. The energy was completely shocking.

Slowly, the door opened, giving view to an entire world.

A woman walked out from that world. She had long hair that stretched all the way to her calves. She was incredibly beautiful, as if all the charm in Heaven and Earth were collected on her person. She emanated the air of an orchid as she waved her hand, causing the door to close behind her and then sink back down to the bottom of the sea.

"Currently, the Three Great Daoist Societies' Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite only has four Conclave disciples," murmured the woman. "That's one less than my Nine Seas God World. I can't let that daoist medallion fall into anyone else's hands." She took a step forward, and a roaring sea dragon flew out obediently beneath her feet, then carried her off into the distance at top speed.

In the great Ninth Mountain and Sea, the ancient Namikaze Clan, the Three Great Clans, the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Five Great Holy Lands, the Three Churches and Six Sects… were all mobilized into action. A vast group of Chosen were all heading toward Planet Lands of Ninshu.

Planet Lands of Ninshu. The vast Eastern Lands.

In the middle of a seemingly endless range of mountains was an area that was considered a forbidden zone by Eastern Lands cultivators. Even Dao Seeking cultivators who entered it would never come back out. According to rumor, there were fearsome entities inside that stopped countless explorers in their tracks and made it so that no one dared to ever enter.

Even a Patriarch of the Hebi Clan had on one occasion led a group in to search for the Karma within. However, the entire force was completely wiped out except for the Patriarch, who fled back to warn the Eastern Lands' Hebi Clan to never again set foot inside the area.

Actually, that Patriarch still resided in the Hebi Clan. He was the peak Immortal Realm young man who had just recently lost his arms!

Even he was incapable of penetrating the depths of the mountain range. En route, his force was completely rocked by the restrictive spells. This place was a mystery relating to the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and as such, the Hebi Clan Patriarch did not report the matter to his superiors. He knew that… there were far too many terrifying aspects to the place.

He never attempted to enter the place again. As far as he was concerned, the only way to do so was by use of incredibly powerful clan treasures. Without such treasures, it was simply impossible.

However, such powerful clan treasures were few and far between. Furthermore, considering his status in the clan, it didn't matter that he was in charge of the forces on Planet Lands of Ninshu. He still did not have access to such things. The Immortality Bestowal Dais was one such treasure, but it possessed its own consciousness and was not something that he could wield by means of force. Other treasures… were only bestowed upon Chosen disciples of the clan.

No one really understood why Planet Lands of Ninshu was so unique. There was actually no single power that held complete sway. Even the Hebi Clan's dominant position was maintained only by the threat of their clan's military might. It was a sharp contrast to Planet East Victory, where the Namikaze Clan occupied half of the planet, and yet could easily take over the entire planet if they wished.

In the lands of Lands of Ninshu, there were four main areas, each with their own core Daoist teachings and doctrines. If one investigated the matter, it became obvious that… most of the sects on Lands of Ninshu did not actually originate there. The majority were auxiliary branches of sects that existed outside the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

It was as if most major powers wished to leave some of their core Daoist teachings and doctrines behind there.

Furthermore, it was in the lands of Lands of Ninshu that Naruto's father had become the Prison Warden of the Ninth Mountain. At first, the word "Prison" seemed to explain a lot….

And yet, when Naruto asked about it, his father told him that the word "Prison" actually didn't carry the usual meaning of the word!

Regarding the particulars, he offered no further explanation. His expression was vague, as if he himself felt that the truth was so unbelievable that it caused him to be at a loss for words.

In any case, the lands of Lands of Ninshu… were completely unique!

Naruto had transcended his Seventh Year Tribulation there, and the League of Demon Sealers had also passed down their legacy there. Patriarch Blood Demon had hidden there when the ancient Demon Immortal Sect was destroyed. Even more unbelievable to Naruto was that… there was a mighty mortal empire, the Sky Country!

Naruto was even more astonished when he thought about the Sky emperor.

One thing that Naruto was very perplexed about was the area beneath the Ancient Dao Lakes, where he had participated in the trial by fire and heard the Overseer mention an ancient treaty. And there was… the terrifying experience of the final level.

The Essence of the Divine Flame!

All of it left Naruto feeling quite at a loss. Now, here he was, having followed the guidance of the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion to this place deep in the mountains. When he caught sight of that ancient temple, his heart trembled.

That was because, all of a sudden, his vision swam and he saw a completely different and unbelievable place.

It was a majestic Daoist rite temple that stretched seemingly without end. Mountain peaks, vegetation, everything around him vanished. He now stood on the green limestone-paved main square of that enormous temple.

Countless figures sat cross-legged around him, and each was so powerful that Naruto couldn't help but gasp. They seemed like innumerable Immortal Divinities sitting there in meditation. The music of great Daos floated around in all directions, and the sun and moon trembled in the sky as if here, in this place, they were incapable of emitting any light.

In the middle of the Daoist rite temple was an altar, upon which an old man sat cross-legged. He exuded the air of a transcendent being, and a faint smile could be seen on his lips as he gave a sermon on the Dao. His voice was muffled and indistinct and seemed to harmonize with and meld into Heaven and Earth. Naruto couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but he could see that many of the people who were listening to his sermon seemed to be gaining enlightenment.

It was at this point that the old man lifted his right hand up into the air, waved it about… and caused an enormous "Immortal" character to appear!

It was was an azure "Immortal" character!

It was simply a character, and yet it caused all the colors in Heaven and Earth to fade. The sun and moon dimmed, and Heaven and Earth seemed to prostrate themselves in worship to it in much the same way that people would.

Naruto trembled as he looked around at the terrifying world around him. Each green slab of limestone beneath his feet seemed to emanate an indescribable energy filled with Immortal Chakra. The intensity of that Immortal Chakra was difficult to even comprehend.

Also visible in the Daoist rite temple were nine gigantic cauldrons scattered about in different locations. Puffs of green smoke wafted out of them, and numerous worlds could be seen inside the smoke as it swirled up into the air.

Up in the sky… were heavenly bodies. A river of stars flowed; the sun and moon rose and fell. Even more unbelievable was that almighty figures could be seen flying about up in the sky. Occasionally, they would stretch out a hand and pluck a star out of the river of stars! It would then be refined by a massive illusory hand. When the hand returned to its owner, the star would be a glittering treasure in that person's palm!

There were other people who stamped their feet onto the ground, causing massive rifts to appear. Subterranean fire would rise up and transform into living creatures which resembled Earth spirits. The cultivators would snatch them up and then use them to pull war chariots that screamed through the sky, chariots to which were harnessed thousands of Earth spirits.

There was one man up in the sky who laughed heartily then spoke a few words. Popping sounds could be heard as his body grew rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was so large that you couldn't even see his entire body. The only thing that could be seen… was a toe that seemed to fill the entire world as far as the eye could see!

As for how large his body was, it was impossible to even imagine.

Flying about and plucking stars!

Refining spirits from the depths of the Earth!

Rising up to shoulder the universe!

All of these images swirled together in Naruto's eyes, finally merging into one… into a dilapidated temple.

The temple's main door was shut, and the grounds were in a state of complete disrepair. Portions of the outer wall were collapsed, making it so that you wouldn't even need to pass through the gate as there were "entrances" all around. Through these gaps the inner temple hall could be seen, where there should have been glorious statues of deities. Presently, though, all of the statues were in various states of disintegration. Their former glory now existed only in the praises uttered by later generations, and their eternal legends had long since crumbled into a void of nothingness.

There was a bronze oil lamp, covered in layers of rust that told the story of its ancientness. Oil burned within the lamp, emanating faint popping sounds. Lamplight shone out in all directions, within which could be seen the projections of numerous shadowy figures.

Other than that, everything was completely still and silent.

A well could be seen in the courtyard, the bottom of which was pitch black. Perhaps evil spirits lurked there, but it was impossible to tell. However, a single glance at the well would leave anyone scared stiff. Next to the well was a bamboo trellis, covered with dried-up vines. From the look of it, a grapevine had grown up to cover the bamboo trellis many, many years ago, providing a shady and cool place to rest one's head.

Underneath the bamboo trellis were some dried up white flowers, which were completely unremarkable in appearance.

Naruto stood there quietly. Everything he had seen amidst the silence suddenly caused his scalp to grow numb. Were it not for the fact that his father had instructed him to come here, he would immediately turn around and get as far away from this place as possible.

His heart trembled, and although he felt no pressure weighing down him, he found it difficult to breathe. There was no visible danger, yet he felt an unprecedented sense of crisis in his heart.

Everything about this place was completely bizarre!

Why was there a temple in these mountains? Clearly the temple was not in harmony with its surroundings; it was as if it had flown here from some distant place in some age long past.

Naruto took a breath, steeling himself, and then stepped forward. After only walking a few steps, he suddenly heard the sound of weeping. It was woman, choked with sobs, the sound of which caused Naruto's hair to stand on end as it floated past. His cultivation base surged with power, and he whipped his head around to look behind him. However, he saw nothing strange.

There wasn't even a wind blowing….

After a moment's silence, his eyes flickered and he slapped his bag of holding. Instantly, the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion appeared in his hand. Naruto wasn't sure whether or not it was specifically because of the medallion, but now, the place didn't seem as cold and sinister as it had.

He carefully proceeded forward until he was in front of the main gate. The strangeness of this place made him feel that it would be best not to jump over the wall or find alternate routes to enter. The best way to go in… would be the straightforward and above-board way.

He waved his sleeve, pushing the door of the temple open.

He had assumed the door would actually be difficult to open, but it wasn't. It creaked open, revealing the courtyard, the main temple hall, and the well.

A cold wind blew, making it seem as if something was walking past him. Naruto's face flickered as the feeling grew stronger. He circulated the Immortal Chakra inside his body, focusing it on his right eyes. After blinking several times, he looked around.

There was nothing except for ruins.

Naruto chuckled bitterly.

"Dad, what the hell kind of place did you send me to…?"

He took a deep breath and then stepped inside. Overall, the temple wasn't very large, nor was the courtyard. Naruto glanced over at the well, and couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very strange about it. He studied the bamboo trellis for a moment, and was just about to walk further into the courtyard when suddenly his scalp vibrated. He stopped in place and jerked his head to look back at the bamboo trellis. Panting, he walked over to the trellis and looked closely at the dried up little flowers beneath it. He couldn't prevent a look of astonishment from appearing on his face.

"These…. These are… Resurrection Lilies!" Naruto was more than familiar with Resurrection Lilies and was completely astonished to find that… all of the little flowers were Resurrection Lilies!

However, these Resurrection Lilies… were apparently just garden-variety flowers in this place. The scene caused him to breathe heavily; this place really was… completely veiled in mystery.

Currently, the sky was darkening as evening fell. Naruto hesitated for a moment as he looked around at the dilapidated statues of deities, and the dust that covered everything. Even the prayer mats that could be seen were old and worn out, but after a moment of thought, he knelt down on one of them and began to offer worship to one of the broken statues.

"Bless and protect me, Divine Immortal. Bless and protect me, Divine Immortal…." After murmuring his worship, Naruto felt as if the sinister air around him had again faded a bit. Apparently his prayers were effective. As he rose to his feet, a wind blew, and the lamplight flickered. Dust was lifted up from the ground, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow. Now that some of the dust had been moved, he could see that the ground… had an enormous character carved into it!

Immortal!

It was the same character he had seen in the vision he had experienced moments ago, when the old man had waved his hand.

It looked completely identical!

When he saw the character, a crude and ancient aura blasted against his face, almost as if someone was whispering something to him. It almost sounded like someone giving a sermon about the Dao, an archaic voice echoing out from ancient times.

However, Naruto's heart lightened at the thought of his good luck. He sat down cross-legged and retrieved the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion, then focused all of his attention on the character.

It was difficult to say how much time passed. It seemed both long and short. Outside, the sky gradually darkened, and faint moonlight spread out into the blackness.

Under the darkness of night, the flame in the bronze oil lamp danced back and forth, and it almost seemed as if the shadow of a person existed in the wick, looking up at the moon….

Shadows began to appear inside the temple, revealed by the lamplight. As the lamp's flame danced, the shadows seemed to sway back and forth gracefully.

Naruto didn't realize it, but the color of his garments were fading into a gray color, and were actually becoming tattered. It was as if his clothes were passing through time, becoming ancient even as he sat there cross-legged.

His whole person exuded this same feeling, as if his soul were being transported back through time to the ancient Daoist rite temple, to listen the music of the Dao. At the same time, the effects to his soul spread to his body, causing it to become ancient.

Deep night….

Suddenly, the sound of weeping floated out. It drifted out through the night air, clear and vivid. As the weeping echoed about, it gradually transformed into faint sighing.

"Do Immortals still exist in this world…?" asked a voice. Then there was silence, broken only by the rustling of the leaves in the trees.

At the same time, wisps of smoke began to rise up from the well. If there were someone standing next to the well, they would surely be shocked to find that it was filled with countless long strands of hair!

The black hair swirled out from within the well and then sank to the ground, where they spread out quickly to fill the entirety of the courtyard. It was at this point that cracking sounds could be heard coming from the bamboo trellis.

A dried up vine sagged down, making an arc-like shape that almost resembled a swing. It began to rock back and forth, almost as if… there were a person sitting on the vine, using it as a swing!

The sound of wailing drifted out from within the well, and laughter could be heard from the swing. They mixed together to fill the courtyard with an eerie sense of bizarreness. As for Naruto, he sat there in the courtyard, eyes closed, completely motionless.

He was surrounded by the flickering lamplight and the shadowy projections it revealed. The projections distorted and rippled, and then began to move, walking to and fro in the courtyard. Some sat down cross-legged, some prostrated themselves in worship. Some concocted medicinal pills, some held brooms in their hands that they used to sweep the floor. Some of them even approached the area where Naruto sat and peered at him curiously.

As for the dilapidated statue of the god, it now stood tall and straight like it had in the past. The statue's shadow, which stretched out beneath it, suddenly separated from the statue and transformed into an old man.

The old man's clothing looked very similar to Naruto's long, worn-out robe. The man's face was ashen, and blood oozed out from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth; severe injuries could be seen on his head. He looked like an evil spirit as he approached Naruto. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking as he floated to a position behind him, where he stood and looked down at the top of Naruto's head.

A moment later, all of the projections within the courtyard turned and looked at Naruto. They approached, crowding around to stare at him closely.

Up above in the sky, black clouds covered half of the moon, and a soft wind blew across the land, along with an intermittent wail that sounded like mournful, choked sobbing.

It was at this point that the ground trembled, and muffled moaning sounds could be heard coming from deep within the temple.

"Home…. This place isn't my home…. I want to go home….

"Take me home…. Take me home, Paragon… take me home…."

When the voice drifted out, the projections in the temple all trembled. In the temple's courtyard, the black hair spreading out from the well suddenly flew up into the air. The swinging vine suddenly stopped moving.

At the same time, a head emerged from the well. It was illusory and pallid, and the expression on its face was incredibly terrifying and ferocious. Apparently this was… a head that had been soaking in the well's water for millions of years, and yet had not decomposed. It was the head of a woman, whose listless, pupil-less eyes stared at the ground.

No figure was visible on the swing, and yet drops of black blood dropped down onto the ground beneath it.

It was at this point that a tremor ran through Naruto's body. A hair-raising sense of terror filled him, and he opened his eyes. When he looked up, his scalp went numb as he realized that a pitch-black figure was standing directly in front of him.

In fact, he was completely surrounded by shadowy projections, all of whom appeared to be on the verge of touching him. His mind was sent completely spinning.

The shades seemed to know that Naruto had awakened, and they floated backward and then sat down cross-legged some distance away from him. Naruto could clearly see all of the projections, as well as the black hair in the courtyard. He saw the swinging vine, and the floating head. Feeling more creeped out than ever, he slowly rose to his feet to leave the temple.

He was filled with the feeling… that this place wasn't somewhere he should continue loitering about in.

As he stood, he suddenly felt a coldness behind him. Without thinking about it, he turned his head and caught sight of an ancient face only an inch away from his own, blood flowing out of its eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Completely startled, Naruto staggered backward a few steps, his eyes widening.

"Who are you!?" he cried, sending his cultivation base rotating rapidly. His Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and his heart began to pound rapidly. The strangeness of this place left him feeling completely and utterly unsafe.

The old man's expressionless eyes completely ignored Naruto. He turned and walked back toward the statue of the deity. As he neared it, his body gradually faded and then disappeared altogether.

The other projections in the area were still there, some sitting in meditation, some walking about, some practicing cultivation.

Naruto was panting rapidly as he began to leave. However, when he reached the threshold of the temple, he stopped in place and looked over to see a shadowy projection sitting cross-legged off to the side. It had a pill furnace in its hand, and was apparently concocting pills.

Furthermore… Naruto had never seen this method of pill concoction before; it was as if through absorbing the power of Heaven and Earth, no medicinal plants or other physical ingredients were needed!

Naruto gaped in shock. After looking more closely for a moment, his eyes began to shine with a strange light. He was a grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, and his skill in concocting pills could be considered the highest in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, with the exception of Pill Demon.

"Creating something from nothing…." murmured Naruto, his eyes shining brightly. Back in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, he had created a pill from nothing, and it still remained in his bag of holding. He had never consumed it.

Naruto felt that it was a miracle that he had even succeeded in concocting that one pill, and he had even tried on one occasion to duplicate it with the copper mirror, but had failed.

Now he saw this dark projection concocting pills here in this place. Its hands moved with adept proficiency, calm and unhurried.

Naruto blinked, and then decided not to leave. He looked around at the projections around him. Some were practicing cultivation, some were walking to and fro, some were utilizing incantation gestures to perform various Daoist magics.

The scene caused Naruto's mind to tremble.

"Passing down Daos!" he murmured. "They're passing down Daos!" His heart trembled even more than before. A Dao was not something to pass down lightly, but that was exactly what these projections were doing. It was as if all he had to do was go observe and contemplate them, and he would have the opportunity to acquire them.

Naruto took a deep breath, then looked back at the dark projection who was concocting pills. He walked over and sat down cross-legged in front of it and watched as it worked. The light in his eyes grew brighter and more brilliant. After a while, he pulled out his own pill furnace and began to imitate the dark figure's pill concocting technique.

A night passed. It wasn't a long time, but it felt very, very long to Naruto. It felt like such a long time that he couldn't properly wrap his head around it. Finally, when the sky began to grow bright, the shadowy figure finished concocting a single pill, which it casually tossed out into the mountain range outside of the temple. At some point, Naruto became aware that he had also successfully concocted his own pill.

The sky was light now.

The projections in the temple faded away. The strands of hair in the courtyard vanished, and the vines returned to their original state, as if none of it had ever happened. Panting, Naruto looked down at the medicinal pill in his hand, which was surrounded by swirling blackness.

Actually, it was not really a pill. It was only a mass of swirling black mist. However, when the sunlight touched it, a black peel formed around it, and then it turned into a black-peeled medical pill.

There was no medicinal aroma to it, but rather, an explosive power.

Naruto frowned as he looked at the black-peeled pill. After a moment of thought, he squeezed it, whereupon his face instantly fell. Without hesitation, he threw the pill away from him. In midair, it began to emanate black mist, and then suddenly exploded.

A shockwave swept about in all directions.

"An incomplete concoction… and this is the botched product," he thought. "But it was still creating something from nothing." He was actually quite shocked. The explosive power caused by the medicinal pill's explosion was like an attack.

"It's too bad it's so unstable. Simply touching it causes it to explode. Although now that I think about it, something about it seems familiar." Eyes flickering, he thought back to the path he had trod up to this ancient temple. He had encountered many areas where the ground exploded. All of a sudden, he thought about how the figure had thrown out the medicinal pill just now, and everything clicked….

"This thing… has another use." Eyes glittering, he thought for a moment, then produced his pill furnace and began to use the same method he had learned the previous night to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth and use it to concoct more pills.

After several failures, he finally succeeded in producing two of the same swirling masses of black mist. When the sun touched them, they were covered over with a black peel. Holding the pills in his hand, he flew out of the temple. After a bit of experimentation, he found that the explosive effect would be activated simply by throwing it out. It could be used as a trump card.

"Burying it seems like a waste. I can't really control it. Throwing it out directly is the best way to use it. With something like this, I have another life-saving technique at my disposal. It's too bad though. This thing is pretty explosive, but appears to be connected to the unique aura of this place. I doubt I'll be able to concoct them outside." After some more thought, he returned to the temple and continued to concoct pills.

Several days passed. At night, Naruto would seek enlightenment regarding the Daos being passed down by the projections. During the day, he would concoct medicinal pills. Soon he had several dozen. He tried to imbue them with divine sense, but it was a failure and he eventually gave up on the idea.

He even left the mountains at one point to try to concoct the pills on the outside, but it didn't work. That confirmed his theory. This type of pill… could only be concocted using the spiritual energy that existed inside the temple.

After returning to the temple, he continued to concoct the unusual black-peeled explosive medicinal pills.

"I imagine that the Chosen from the other worlds will be arriving soon…." His eyes glittered with anticipation regarding the fighting that would break out when they came. He keenly desired to see how he measured up to them, and… exactly how strong or weak he was.

Time passed. During the nights, Naruto closely observed the projections in the temple. Upon deeper examination, it became clear that all of them were different from each other. There were men and women, old people and young. Some of the figures weren't even human, but were strange and beast-like.

After the passage of so much time, Naruto had long since lost any sense of fear toward the place. He was also used to all the bizarre scenes that played out. Every day at nightfall, the black strands of hair would emerge from the well. Eventually, Naruto found that sitting cross-legged in the hair would fill his body with an incredible coldness that benefited his attempts to gain enlightenment from the figures passing down their Daos.

As for the weeping which came from within the well, after listening to it for some time, Naruto realized that there was a bit of charm within the wails….

Then there was the vine swing. Naruto had the feeling that some great Dao existed within the swinging motion. An image appeared in his mind of a swing, swaying endlessly back and forth.

Naruto even got used to the voices calling out about "going home." Occasionally he would impulsively stamp his feet on the ground in annoyance when the voices disturbed his cultivation.

Essentially, he got used to everything that went on in the temple. That included the old man with blood oozing from his orifices. Whenever Naruto sought enlightenment, the old man would stand behind him and look at the top of his head.

After a while, he simply allowed the man to continue to do so.

Naruto changed his clothes several times, but no matter how new they were, whenever he awoke after having sunk into enlightenment, the clothes would be tattered and old. Finally, he gave up and stopped changing them.

Recently, Naruto had been observing one particular figure who sat cross-legged in meditation. However, powerful ripples emanated off of the figure's body. After observing for quite some time, the air in front of Naruto grew blurry, and a black roc appeared that emanated a savage energy.

"This is a Daoist Magic form!"

It made Naruto think of his battle with the Northern Reaches' Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, and the bizarre divine ability he'd used to transform into various wild beasts. In Naruto's opinion, it had been completely extraordinary.

He continued his contemplation, losing himself to it. It was as if he actually returned to that ancient Daoist rites temple to hear the music of the great Dao. He awoke when the sky turned bright, having been significantly enlightened.

Everything in the temple returned to normal around him. Naruto could sense that he had made great strides in terms of his cultivation base. His personal Dao Seeking did not contain discrete stages. According to what his father told him, the result of using the Mist Blade to perform his Severing turned his Dao Seeking into a single stage and put him at the very peak of the entire Spirit Realm.

His next step would be true Immortality.

To Naruto, the imparting of these strange Daos was incredibly suitable to his current situation. After working with the Daoist magic of Roc Transformation, he proceeded on to another Dao Projection after gaining some enlightenment.

Unfortunately, he could not gain enlightenment regarding all of the Dao Projections. Many were in conflict with his personal direction, which made it impossible for him to understand them.

Naruto was now watching a Dao Projection near the wall of the temple. The image that flickered in his eyes was that of a man floating in a clear sky. The man's hand formed into the shape of a claw, which he stretched out, causing the land beneath him to shatter into pieces.

"It's a claw attack method!"

Naruto's consciousness trembled as he imprinted the image into his mind.

A few days later, Naruto had just gained enlightenment regarding another Dao Projection when he saw a Daoist off in the distance stretching his hand out and grabbing onto a star. He then pulled down violently, causing the star to tremble and transform into a resplendent glow in the palm of his hand.

"That's… a… magic of Star Plucking!"

Naruto immersed himself in gaining enlightenment from the Daoist legacies in the temple. Eventually, he realized that the flame in the bronze oil lamp was showing signs of flickering out. He could tell that when that happened, the good fortune in this particular Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple would be over.

Several days later, Naruto took a deep breath as he woke from meditation. By this point, he had identified all of the Daoist Projections that he could gain enlightenment from; unfortunately they were quite miscellaneous. There were only three that Naruto truly had a basic understanding of.

The Claw Attack, the Roc Transformation, and the Star Plucking Magic.

However, these were just types of magic, not Daos.

"There are millions upon millions of magics, but the Dao can only exist in the heart. Where exactly is… the Dao of this Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple?" Naruto looked around until his gaze finally came to rest on the dilapidated statue of the deity.

Finally, he stood and approached the deity. After sitting down cross-legged, he looked up at the broken statue.

The deity statue was more than half destroyed. It had no head, and its torso was half gone. It was only possible to tell that it was sitting cross-legged, with its right hand extended to form an incantation gesture.

Naruto could make the same gesture, but when he did, he got no special feeling at all from the statue.

Feeling a bit annoyed, he turned to the old man behind him and said, "You've been following me around for half a month already. Is my head that interesting to stare at?"

Looking at the man, Naruto didn't think he looked fierce or frightening at all any more, just dull and lifeless. "You're formed from the shadow cast by the fire of that oil lamp. Don't tell me you've been watching me this half-month for no reason at all?"

"Immortal!" the old man suddenly said, his voice hoarse and scratchy.

Naruto's eyes widened. This was the first time the old man had spoken in the entire half month.

"What did you just say?"

"Immortal!" repeated the old man. "This statue is an Immortal!"

Naruto gaped.

"Do you wish to become Immortal?" the old man blurted. His eyes glowed with a strange light as he stared at Naruto.

Naruto was now starting to once again feel that this old man was very strange. His eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "I only have half a step to take and I'll be a true Immortal."

"How could Immortal be split between true and false…? That's an incorrect path." The old man shook his head, and from the look in his eyes, he seemed to be recalling the past. Then he murmured: "An incorrect path…. Has the legacy been cut off…? Too many years have passed since that war…."

All of a sudden the old man started laughing crazily. "They're all dead! The land is shattered! The river of stars is cut off…." The man continued to laugh, then started to pace back and forth in the temple, weeping.

"Cut off! I can't suppress the living, I can only suppress the ghosts….

"Gone, everything's gone…."

Naruto's mind was spinning. He looked at the projected image of the demented old man, and realized he seemed to be filled with an ancient forlorn sadness. The weeping from the well grew more shrill, and more blood dripped down from the swinging vine.

"Senior, which war are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

The old man laughed and wailed. The flame in the bronze oil lamp danced wildly, and the projections all rose trembling to their feet and walked around Naruto in circles, laughing and weeping.

Naruto was panting, and was on the verge of saying something when suddenly a popping sound rang out as… the bronze lamp was extinguished.

Everything vanished.

Darkness reigned. Naruto looked around in shock before noticing that far off in the distance, the sun was just beginning to rise.

Naruto was in a bit of a daze for the rest of the day. The old man's words, and all the other events of the previous night, left him feeling that there was some incredible mystery pertaining to this Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

It was a secret that perhaps… related to all the lands of Lands of Ninshu!

"Why did the enormous Daoist rite temple… disappear just now?

"All of those projections… where did they go to?

"Why is the temple hall in such a state of ruin?"

The day passed, and when night fell, the bronze lamp burned once again, although the flame was dimmer than it had been at the beginning. The old man appeared again. This time, he positioned himself next to the door of the temple hall. He was no longer weeping or crying, but rather, stood there silently.

After a moment, the man suddenly looked over at Naruto. "Your father is powerful. Even in the era in which I lived, he would be considered a powerful expert.

"He is also aware that his path is the incorrect one. However, he can do nothing to change that. If he could, he would be even more powerful.

"You have a good foundation, even better than many of the cultivators from my era. Do you… wish to become Immortal? I do not speak of any sort of false or true Immortal. Just Immortal…. A full 100-meridian Immortal!

"Only by opening all 100 meridians can one truly be considered Immortal! Even in past ages, full 100-meridian Immortals were few and far between. Only those who inherit great Daos might be able to reach that state, and with great difficulty at that."

Naruto's heart trembled. According to his father, 80 meridians made one Chosen, 90 meridians were rarely seen, and 100 meridians… supposedly didn't exist. Naruto nodded in response to the man, his eyes glittering.

"Magic can not be spoken of lightly, and Daos cannot be passed down recklessly. Now that this place has been unsealed, the whole Ninth Mountain and Sea will be set astir….This bronze oil lamp was kindled in ancient times, but what it illuminates is the present.

"It has already burned for more than ten days, and will soon be extinguished. Use your blood as the oil and ensure that it continues to burn unceasingly for seven cycles of seven days, forty-nine days. Do not allow anyone to set foot into the temple hall and touch it. Ensure that only your aura is present in it from beginning to end.

"If you do these things… if the flame burns for seven cycles of seven days, forty-nine days, then it will emit a strand of Immortal Ancient Dao Chakra. Fuse that into your body, and it will become an Immortal Ancient Dao Meridian!

"If you have that Dao meridian, given the proper circumstances, you can gain enlightenment of the Dao of Immortality!" The old man gave Naruto a profound look, then turned and merged back into the deity statue.

As Naruto stood there silently, a glow of determination filled his eyes. He looked down at the "Immortality" character carved into the ground, and an ancient aura suddenly rose up from within his heart to fill his whole body.

"False Immortal. True Immortal…. Immortal!" he murmured. The bronze lamp abruptly became dimmer, and showed signs of being extinguished. Naruto walked forward, cut a slice into his wrist and poured some of his blood into the lamp. Crackling noises could be heard as the flame, instead of being extinguished, actually burned brighter.

Naruto sat down cross-legged in front of the lamp, feeling an unprecedented level of clarity in his mind.

A few more days passed. Suddenly, brilliant beams of light appeared in the starry sky outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu. An enormous teleportation portal could be seen which caused all of the stars to dim. A glow of starlight spread out in all directions as several dozen figures appeared in the middle of the teleportation portal.

The first three were the Chosen from the Namikaze Clan. Behind them were more than ten additional Namikaze Clan members, as well as their accompanying Dao Protectors from the clan.

Their appearance caused the starry sky to shudder. However, most of them were not in the Immortal Realm, and thus could not stay out in the starry sky for long periods of time, requiring others to protect and escort them. Their cultivation bases were in between Dao Seeking and the Immortal Realm, as were those of the three Chosen.

However, there were some clan members who were beyond the Spirit Realm, and although they were not Chosen, their cultivation bases were Immortal. Their appearance on the scene was completely shocking.

"We're here. This is Planet Lands of Ninshu!"

"It seems the Namikaze Clan is the first party to arrive on the scene. Let's go. It's time to acquire some good fortune!" The group of a dozen or so people, including the Dao Protectors, immediately shot toward Planet Lands of Ninshu at top speed.

The three Chosen among the group kept their distance from each other. Each one of them was a person who the other clan members looked up to with reverence. The woman was Fugai, and the other two included the bald young man with stars in his eyes and the incredible fleshly body, Futsu. The other was the one who bathed in the blood of wild beasts, Dei!

These three were known as the Three Great Chosen of the Namikaze Clan. They had not yet reached the Immortal Realm because they were suppressing their cultivation bases in the hopes of building a solid foundation and breaking into true Immortality.

They were people who refused to become false Immortals!

Just as the group from the Namikaze Clan was about to enter Planet Lands of Ninshu, a cool voice echoed out from down below.

"Now that the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple has been unsealed, there are two rules here on Planet Lands of Ninshu. One. Only cultivators in the Spirit Realm may enter Planet Lands of Ninshu. Two. The door to Lands of Ninshu will only open once. All who wish to enter must wait to do so together with everyone else."

As the voice echoed into the Namikaze Clan members' ears, their facial expressions flickered.

"That was clan uncle Minato!"

"Clan uncle, can you please bend the rules a bit? The Patriarch commanded us to come here for good fortune. Clan uncle, please assist us in acquiring it!"

"Immortals can't enter? That's a good rule for others, but we're all from the same clan! We demand to be allowed to enter!"

The calm voice once again rang out from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. "I am the Prison Warden of the Ninth Mountain, and I guard Planet Lands of Ninshu. Anyone who breaks one of these two rules… will be struck down."

Killing intent bubbled up, causing the Namikaze Clan members' minds to spin. Many were actually enraged. One of the Immortal Realm clan members frowned, and then, relying on the protection his status earned him in the clan, flew directly toward Lands of Ninshu.

However, before he could even get close, a beam of Sword Chakra shot up and sliced through him like a sharp knife cutting a blade of grass. Blood spurted out in all directions, and the man's eyes went wide as his body was slashed completely in half. He didn't even have a chance to say anything before he was dead.

Immediately, the Namikaze Clan members all went silent. The eyes of Fugai, Futsu, and Dei went wide, and their faces fell.

"Minato, are you saying that we Dao Protectors are not allowed to enter Lands of Ninshu?" The voice that spoke was an ancient one. It belonged to an old woman who was positioned behind Fugai, and whose eyes glowed with a brilliant light as she spoke.

"You may not!"

"What happens if some accident befalls these members of the younger generation? What then?"

"They are Chosen, and have come to acquire good fortune. They should be prepared to die an early death! Life and death are determined by fate!"

"Just… just because your son is a cripple doesn't mean you should make it hard for other clan members! No matter what you say, they are your juniors. They—"

"I dare you to call my son a cripple again!" Minato's voice was suddenly ice cold, causing the old woman to shiver. Beads of cold sweat began to drip down her forehead, and she didn't speak another word.

It was at this point that an airship could be seen speeding through the void some distance away. More than a hundred people could be seen onboard; this was the Shimura Clan from North Reed. Sitting in the lead position was the extraordinary woman with the glittering willow leaf mark on her head.

"That's Mei Shimura!"

"They say that she's the Dao Daughter of this generation of the Shimura Clan! Her cultivation base is extraordinary, and even exceeds peak Dao Seeking. She could face Immortal Tribulation at any time!"

Next, another figure appeared in the starry sky. It was a young man who stood on a flying sword. Sword light spread out in all directions as he sped forward.

His expression was placid, his features handsome. Just barely visible on his forehead was a third eye. As he neared, quite a few members of the Namikaze Clan and Shimura Clan looked over, and their eyes flickered.

"That's Kazan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, one of the Three Great Daoist Societies. Every generation, they only send two disciples out into the world!"

"People say that he once fought Sora Nadeshiko from the Nadeshiko Clan, and defeated him!"

As the buzz of conversation rose up, a cold snort echoed out. A sea of flames appeared in the starry sky off in the distance, within which could be seen dozens of figures. In the lead position was a young man in a red robe. Perched on his shoulder was a flame crow, and his expression was one of fury. He seemed to emanate the air of a Paragon, and as he flew, the area around him twisted and distorted.

"Kazan!" he cried. "We didn't finish fighting last time. Why not pick things up where we left off!?" This young man was none other than Sora Nadeshiko of the Nadeshiko Clan. As he looked at Kazan, his eyes brimmed with the desire to do battle.

Dei of the Namikaze Clan stepped forward, his energy surging. Mei Shimura, daughter of the Shimura Clan, looked on with a calm expression, but the willow leaf on her forehead emanated an astonishing moon-like glow.

It was at this point that rumbling could be heard from off in the distance as two more teleportation portals appeared in the starry sky outside of Lands of Ninshu. Dozens of people appeared within each of the two teleportation portals. In one of them, a veiled woman could be seen. She was slender and graceful, and a bizarre aura emanated out as soon as she appeared on the scene.

Quite a few people looked over at this veiled woman.

In the other teleportation portal, a young man could be seen with eyebrows like swords and eyes like stars. His features were plain, his expression cold. As he stepped forward, his energy surged up with each step. It almost seemed like he wished to exert pressure on the other Chosen, all of whom snorted coldly.

"Demoness Tsukino from the Demon Immortal Sect!"

"That's… Clan Prince Shisui from the Uchiha Clan! They say that he has energy from Madara, and that he can even force the Uchiha Clan's ancient sword spirit to capitulate to him!"

Next, one teleportation portal after another appeared. Rumbling could be heard as people from the Five Great Holy Lands, the Three Churches and Six Religions, essentially every major power in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, all appeared in the starry sky above Lands of Ninshu. Ripples flowed out in all directions, and energy surged that seemed capable of repressing the entire planet.

Cries of astonishment could be heard from all directions. Each one of these groups contained Chosen who were already famous in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, so their appearance here was completely sensational.

It was at this point that suddenly, a scroll painting swirled out through the starry sky toward the congregated cultivators. It was fully 30,000 meters long, completely shocking, and depicted an enormous mountain.

Countless figures were seated cross-legged on that mountain. One of those figures was surrounded by a swirling Karma blade. When he opened his eyes, everything around that he looked at instantly began to tremble mentally.

"The Hebi Clan!"

"The Hebi Clan is here! That's… Chiyo!"

"The year that the three Hebi Clan members fought over the title of Son of Hebi, Chiyo was defeated. However, he is still considered Chosen, and few people of this generation could possibly contend with him!"

Everyone was shaken by the appearance of the Hebi Clan; however, the desire to do battle could clearly be seen glowing in the eyes of the various Chosen.

The scroll painting flashed by all of the other cultivators, completely ignoring them as it headed directly toward Planet Lands of Ninshu. Before it reached the planet, a beam of Sword Chakra flew out toward it. However, an old man then stepped out from within the scroll painting. He waved his arm to block the Sword Chakra, but then coughed up a huge mouthful of blood and staggered backward three thousand meters. He looked up, shaken.

"Minato, what is the meaning of this!"

The voice of Naruto's father could be heard from Planet Lands of Ninshu. "Two things are not permitted. Anyone above the Spirit Realm, and anyone entering ahead of the appointed time. Rule violators will be beheaded."

The old man's face flickered. "You…."

The faces of the cultivators from the other powers also flickered, and then stared down at Planet Lands of Ninshu.

"Minato…. I heard that he was honored with the position of top Chosen in the Namikaze Clan. He was a consummately powerful expert who could shake even the Patriarchs of the various sects!"

"It's too bad that for the sake of his crippled son, he agreed to guard Planet Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years… and not leave it."

"I also heard about his story. It's been a few hundred years, so presumably, his crippled son is long since dead. That's probably why he's not too happy with all these Chosen."

"Hmph! Even if his crippled son isn't dead, there's no way he could compare to the Chosen of all the sects! Why the hell is Minato not allowing Immortal Realm cultivators to enter!?"

Even as the standoff continued, a sea dragon appeared, floating through the void. It roared, and the stars seemed to become a sea. Everyone looked over at the woman who sat cross-legged atop the sea dragon, her long hair floating around her.

"That's Fū from the Nine Seas God World!"

"It's Goddess Fū!"

"I can't believe she's here!" Everyone was looking over at her, most notably, Fugai and Mei.

Dei's eyes gleamed brightly, and Kazan's expression brightened. The eyes of Shisui Uchiha from the Uchiha Clan also flickered brightly.

As of this point, all of the Chosen from the Ninth Mountain and Sea who could come, were present!

Naruto's father's voice once again drifted up from Lands of Ninshu. "The Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple has been unsealed. All of you may enter."

Someone immediately asked, "If those of us in the Immortal Realm seal our cultivation bases and limit ourselves to the Spirit Realm, can we enter?"

Naruto's father was silent for a moment, and was apparently thinking. Then he said, "If you seal yourself, then yes, you may enter. But if you exceed the Spirit Realm, you will be destroyed in body and soul!"

"Very well!" Although the various groups weren't happy, this was the mysterious Planet Lands of Ninshu, and they didn't dare to piss off Minato in his capacity as Prison Warden. Furthermore, before coming to Lands of Ninshu, all of the Patriarchs from their various organizations had instructed them to be cautious in all matters.

There were well over a thousand people who now flew toward Planet Lands of Ninshu. Those in the Immortal Realm sealed their cultivation bases so that they were at the peak of the Spirit Realm. Together, they formed a cluster of light beams that shot toward the planet.

On that day, the cultivators in the lands of Lands of Ninshu looked up to see over a thousand shooting stars flying across the sky. They descended like meteors, emanating astonishing energy that caused the minds of all Lands of Ninshu cultivators to tremble.

Many sects immediately ordered their disciples to remain indoors and not emerge.

There were some sect Patriarchs who came out from secluded meditation. There were precious treasures within their sects that emitted brightly shining light, apparently having formed resonances with some of the approaching strangers.

The lands of Lands of Ninshu were shaken, but the newcomers did nothing to interfere with the planet itself. Before coming here, they had been strictly instructed that because of the unfathomable mysteriousness of Planet Lands of Ninshu, it was not to be unnecessarily disturbed.

Therefore, the over one thousand beams of light whistled through the air but did not near any of the sects there. Relying on the auguries from the clan and sect Patriarchs, they headed directly for the Eastern Lands.

They charged into the deep mountains of the vast Eastern Lands, toward the mountain range that housed the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple. In the blink of an eye, the sky trembled and the land shook, almost as if it were on the verge of tearing itself to pieces. Countless numbers of cultivators noticed the shocking display.

There were some great sects in the Eastern Lands who came to the conclusion that some valuable treasure had appeared. That was the only thing that would cause such an incredible display of power.

However, nobody emerged. As they looked out from within their sects, they could see that many of the most terrifying figures emitted ripples that were only of the Dao Seeking stage. However… some were very close to being Immortal, and were obviously there to protect the younger members.

As for the young people, the feeling they gave people was that they were like gods. Soon they would be respected Immortals with flourishing energy, completely shocking to everyone. Therefore, the sects of the Eastern Lands were all struck with fear.

"These are definitely Chosen from outside of Lands of Ninshu. Not even the Hebi Clan has emerged… they're just watching."

"I wonder what sort of precious treasure appeared to attract so many fearsome Chosen. They… look young, and not because of some art of bodily preservation, but because they truly haven't practiced cultivation for very long. And yet, their cultivation bases are incredible…."

The sects were shaken, and even the Hebi Clan simply looked on from the sidelines. Not a single group from the Eastern Lands made a move. Some of the newcomers, upon passing through the Eastern Lands, were shaken by the draconic Chakra of the Sky Country. A few even looked a bit greedy and headed in that direction. However, as soon as they neared, the Sky Country's ninety-five golden dragons roared, and those people exploded into hazes of blood.

That, of course, shocked all of the outsiders; even Fū's eyes widened.

After that incident, no one dared to even get near the Sky Country, but steered clear as they headed toward the mountain range that was their destination.

During all the commotion, two figures could be seen lurking in one of the mortal cities that existed in the vast Eastern Lands. They sat there slurping noodles and looking around with shifty eyes.

The mortals could not see all the beams of light that whistled through the air up above, but these two men could. In fact, they were looking at them quite closely, studying them in detail. They noted the location of their bags of holding, as well as any pendants or jewelry they wore.

"It's too bad none of them have fur or feathers!" said one of the two, a young man. He shook his head and then slurped up a mouthful of broth. "Pay attention, Little Third. These people are definitely easy marks!

"In the days to come, we're going to eat and drink to our fill, all thanks to these fat sheep, ripe for the plucking. Come come. Let's pick one of them."

Next to the young man was a fat man who suddenly pointed up into the air. "I pick him! One look and I can tell he's a bad person. Immoral and completely shameless! He is obviously steeped in wicked deeds! Lord Third MUST convert him!"

The person he pointed at was a young man with an arrogant expression on his face. He wore silks and satins, and was surrounded by an entourage of attendants. He even wore a violet crown, making him look extremely powerful and extraordinary.

"Him? Alright. Now, use the method I taught you to turn into a hot babe." The fat man's young companion looked at the target with a wily glint as the two of them vanished.

Back in the deep mountains, Naruto sat cross-legged in the temple. His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he looked up into the sky.

"The time has come to begin the tempering that father talked about…." he murmured.

"The Immortal Ancient Daoist Rites Temple is a test. If I can pass it, and keep the bronze lamp from being extinguished, then a genuine Immortal Meridian will form in my body!

"I also want to see exactly how awesome these Chosen from outside of Lands of Ninshu actually are." A bashful smile appeared as he thought about all the black-peeled pills he had arranged outside of the temple.

He closed his eyes and continued to wait.

Time passed. A few days later, many Chosen of the Ninth Mountain and Sea were now gathered outside the mountain range, studying the place from afar. Their expressions were somber; in their view, this place was full of mysteries. As they neared, they realized that the airspace up above was restricted, and as they proceeded onwards the restrictions on their movement grew even stronger. There were fatal dangers hidden around every corner that would lead to calamitous results at the slightest inattention.

Of course, anyone who came to this place had made some advanced preparations. The various sects and clans split up and spread out, choosing different routes as they made their way into the mountain range.

Some disciples among the crowd had grim looks on their faces. Apparently something had happened to them in the past few days that had nearly driven them mad. Whatever it was, they weren't willing to talk to anyone about it, and could only grit their teeth and endure their frustration as they followed the other clans and sects into the mountains.

There were quite a few such disciples, several dozen in fact.

The holy Namikaze Clan, the Three Great Clans, the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Three Churches and Six Sects, and the Five Great Holy Lands, had all sent people here, with the exception of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. In total, there were over a thousand people entering the mountains, clutching magical items in their hands as they attempted to be the first to make their way into the unsealed Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

It didn't take long for the mountains to begin to echo with the sound of magical techniques being employed. Soon, the restrictions in the air above made flight impossible for everyone. Of course, they were prepared for this. However, injuries and deaths still occurred. Nonetheless, as a whole, the group made its way ever closer to Naruto.

"The real contest isn't on the road, but at the actual Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple itself!"

"Whoever gets inside first will have the best chance at getting the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Medallion!"

"Other than the medallion, the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temples always have Dao Projections passing down Daos. There will definitely be chances to get divine abilities and Daoist magics!"

"I'll kill anyone who tries to compete with me!"

The Chosen of the various sects and clans proceeded forward with glittering eyes.

One of the Five Great Holy Lands was Mount Sun. According to the legends, the mountain had actually been magically transformed from a sun that had fallen out of the sky. All of the people in that area had experienced a sort of baptism, and were blessed with a special bloodline. That was how the Mount Sun Holy Land came to be.

When Lord Hebi fought the Heavens, Mount Sun offered powerful support. Therefore, in later days Orochimaru conferred on Mount Sun the status of Holy Land.

There were a few dozen cultivators from Mount Sun in the group that had come to Planet Lands of Ninshu. The most impressive of all of them was a young man who was named Bisuke . He wore a golden robe that made him look like an actual sun, and radiated intense heat that caused the land around him to burst into flames wherever he went. Quite a few fellow clan members accompanied him, as well as some elder Dao Protectors.

This powerful group charged forward at top speed, and were one of the first to get close to the temple itself.

Eventually, they found themselves in a valley. One of the clan members that was in the lead checked the surroundings and determined that it was free of any obstruction. However, as soon as they set foot inside, a huge explosion rippled out, and a black light shot into the air. The Mount Sun cultivator who was caught up in the blackness screamed miserably and coughed up a mouthful of blood as his body was tossed backwards. At the same time, seven or eight additional explosions could be heard echoing out through the mountains in quick succession. More bloodcurdling screams echoed out.

This gave rise to instant shock on the part of everyone.

Bisuke's eyes flickered with a serious expression. Everyone exchanged glances, then proceeded forward even more cautiously than before. All of the forces that had come to Lands of Ninshu were the same.

Among the Namikaze Clan cultivators, Dei's face was grim, and blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth. He was the one who had just been injured by stepping in the wrong place. If he hadn't leapt to the side as quickly as he had, he would barely be alive.

In another area, one of the Shimura Clan cultivators wasn't so lucky, and was torn to pieces, destroyed in body and spirit. This filled the other Shimura Clan members' hearts with horror.

The Hebi Clan was moving very quickly, until one of their clan members made a misstep and was ripped to shreds….

Explosions rang out among the sects and churches, followed by bellows of rage.

All of these things were caused by the power of the restrictive spells that only grew stronger and more numerous as they neared the temple. Naruto himself had faced dangerous situations several times on his journey to the place, but with the help of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Medallion, had been able to avoid most of them with ease.

By now, Naruto could hear the explosions from his position inside the temple hall. He knew that this was a struggle over good fortune, and that hostilities were certain to occur. He took a deep breath, and the desire to do battle gleamed in his eyes. Finally, he stood up and poured some more of his blood into the oil lamp. It was something he had to do on virtually a daily basis, lest the flame flicker out.

Next, he left his second true self sitting cross-legged in the temple hall and walked out into the courtyard. When he reached the main gate and was just about to push it open, he paused, then headed back to the door that led into the temple hall. There, he dug a few holes and carefully placed some of the black-peeled medicinal pills inside. Satisfied with the results, he walked outside of the courtyard gate and sat down cross-legged.

It was time to wait for everyone to arrive!

"If there's going to be a battle, then I'll fight to my heart's content!" he thought. He steadied his breathing, and as he did, the glow of a great Dao began to emanate off of him. There were no distracting thoughts in his head; only the increasingly strong desire to do battle.

His current state formed something of a resonance with his surroundings. All of a sudden, he saw images of cultivators fighting a decisive battle in the ancient Daoist rite temple.

As of this moment, Naruto almost didn't seem to belong to the current world. He was back in ancient times, and was inundated by its aura. His entire person emanated an archaic air.

Coupled with his tattered gray garments, he seemed to be a part of the ancient temple which lay behind him. Anyone who looked at him would have a hard time telling whether or not he was from the modern age, or ancient times.

Several hours passed, during which time explosions rang out constantly. On a few occasions, seven or eight explosions could be heard at exactly the same time, causing the ground to tremble.

Because of all these things, the pace of the powerful clan members and Chosen of the various sects had slowed down to a crawl. Further, the closer they got to the temple, the fewer available paths existed, until there was only one left. Of the over one thousand people who had come, many were dead or severely injured. The survivors now looked at the tiny path that led up into the distance. Nobody seemed willing to go first.

"The fact that there are restrictive spells in this place isn't surprising. However, a mere step activates the explosive devices under the ground. For some reason, they don't seem like restrictive spells to me!"

"Is it possible that someone buried these things here on purpose?"

"From the looks of it, that's exactly the case. That means that the person who buried these things must be up ahead!"

"Dammit! How pernicious! How many of those things did he set up…?"

"I don't care who did it, when we get to the temple, he's dead!"

As more people joined the crowd, more and more enraged curses could be heard.

Finally, Bisuke of Mount Sun snorted coldly and stepped forward. His body shone with brilliant light, and his expression was indifferent. Quite a few people looked over.

"Of course they aren't restrictive spells," he said coolly. "They are black-peeled medicinal pills!" With that, he extended his hand. A bright glow appeared in his palm, within which was a black-peeled medicinal pill.

"I happened to dig this pill up from a location further back. There is a chaotic Chakra inside of it, very unstable. It's obvious that someone buried them here on purpose."

At this point, Kazan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto coolly said, "Ladies and gentlemen, these black-peeled pills do indeed contain extremely unstable chaotic Chakra, and it is certain that the path up ahead is riddled with pills just like this one. Why don't we all join forces to clear the way?"

As a representative of one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, his words carried a lot of weight.

"The chaotic Chakra in that medicinal pill is very dense," said Fū from the Nine Seas God World. Her voice was calm and pleasing to the ear, and when the Chosen of the other sects heard her words, they exchanged glances and then began to nod.

Since everyone was in agreement, people began to produce magical items. Ripples that resembled a great Dao flowed out, and a sound like the roaring of dragons and phoenixes could be heard. Beams of light intersected, and the ripples merged together to become a powerful force that surged ahead across the ground. As it passed, it seemed to scrape away the ground itself, cutting out a path about a meter deep.

Figures shot forward as the Chosen employed all the speed they could muster to follow the path toward the temple that could be seen at its end!

When they arrived, they saw a figure sitting cross-legged outside the temple wearing a tattered robe. He emanated an ancient aura, and seemed as archaic as the temple itself. Within the temple behind him could be seen the manifestation of an ancient Daoist rite temple, leaving everyone completely shocked.

The cross-legged man opened his eyes, and he almost seemed to be looking out at ancient times. When he spoke, his voice echoed out, bolstered by an archaic aura.

"I've been waiting for you…."

Everyone gasped and stopped in their tracks.

There were already more than ten Chosen who came to a stop when they saw Naruto. They had come to the conclusion that someone might have come to this place before them. But when they caught sight of Naruto, their thought process was turned on end.

"He's…."

"He looks young, but from the feeling he gives off, he seems have existed from ancient times all the way until now! Who is he?!"

"Look at his robes! They've obviously passed through countless years of time. Just look at them! He obviously didn't just put on some random tattered robes as a disguise. Those clothes rotted away while he was wearing them!"

"Could it be… could it be that he's the Dao Protector of this Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple!?"

"That archaic air about him is something you can't fake. It's definitely real!"

It really was true that the feeling Naruto gave off was not that of a cultivator belonging to their current age. By now, the elder members of the various sects and clans from the Ninth Mountain and Sea were arriving. When they saw Naruto sitting cross-legged in front of the ancient temple they couldn't help but gasp.

"This man's ancient aura is exactly the same as that of the ancient temple! Could it be… that he really is a Dao Protector?!"

"I once heard a story that in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, when those four other Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temples were unsealed, there were always strange aspects to them. In one, a person like a Dao Protector appeared!"

"But he… looks too young! What if he got here before us and is just trying to pull a fast one on us!?"

Various comments could be heard. Some people were shaken and some were suspicious. As for the Chosen, they were very intelligent people, adept in the arts of scheming. After all, one could not rely on latent talent alone to become an outstanding Chosen.

Although they had received a bit of a shock, they quickly began to look closely at Naruto, and strange gleams could be seen in their eyes.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but inwardly he was shocked. When he heard their discussions, his heart began to thump with eagerness, and then a bit of a bashful expression appeared deep in his eyes. After a moment, though, it turned serious, and his dispassionate gaze swept over the crowds.

His tattered robes rippled despite the lack of a breeze, and the ancient aura grew stronger. As he intentionally caused the music of the great Dao to grow stronger, Naruto slowly began to speak in a very ancient-sounding voice.

"The Immortal Ancient has been unsealed and the great Dao has descended. In this place of legacies, you must decide which path is the correct one…. Cultivators of the junior generation, step forward…. I… have been waiting for you for quite some time…." He lifted his right arm and then flicked his sleeve. However, the flicking of his sleeve caused nothing to happen.

The crowds looked around cautiously, eyes flickering. Seeing that nothing untoward was occurring, Bisuke snorted.

"You're an impostor!" he said, striding forward. "A deceitful mischief-maker!" However, he only made it three steps before he suddenly stopped in place and stared with unprecedented shock at something up ahead of him.

When the crowds saw this happen, their eyes flickered. Fugai took a step forward, as did Futsu and Dei. After three steps, all of them trembled and stopped in place, then began to pant as they stared at something up ahead.

A strange gleam could be seen in the eyes of Kazan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. He, along with Shisui and Sora from the Nadeshiko Clan, all stepped forward. They also stopped after only three steps.

Mei's eyes flickered as she stepped forward, along with Chiyo, around whose body swirled Hebi Clan Karma. They were followed by Fū from the Ninth Sea Godworld.

Eventually, all of the Chosen stepped forward, as well as their Dao Protectors. Only Tsukino remained behind as she stared in shock at Naruto sitting there cross-legged in front of the temple. She blinked a few times in disbelief and then… almost laughed.

By now, just about everyone had stepped forward. As soon as they passed into the three hundred meter area surrounding the temple, they experienced the same shocking vision Naruto had seen when he first visited this place.

It was a vision of a grand square made of green limestone. Countless figures practiced cultivation, and on a tall altar, an old man was giving a sermon about the Dao. His voice was impossible to hear clearly, but when he waved his sleeve, a huge "Immortal" character appeared.

A river of stars flowed through the sky, and the moon and sun rose and set. People plucked stars from the sky and stamped onto the ground to extract spirits. A rumbling battleground could be seen, and people gained Dao enlightenment. One man rose to his feet laughing, and his body grew unimaginably large until only a toe was visible. The rest of his body… couldn't be seen.

Everyone was shaken by what they saw. They almost felt as if they had been transported back into ancient times, and it left their minds spinning. What they saw in the end was a figure sitting cross-legged in front of them, a person that looked… like Naruto!

Before they could look closely, the vision faded away and everything returned to normal. Everyone was breathing heavily. Even Bisuke trembled as he looked over at Naruto. Now he didn't dare to speak in the same way he had before.

Now, it seemed obvious to them that when Naruto had flicked his sleeve earlier, it wasn't that a divine ability hadn't manifested. Instead, it was a Daoist magic that was too profound for them to understand.

The people in the crowd exchanged glances. They didn't want to believe, but the shocking images they had just witnessed felt too real.

A random female disciple clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto. "Senior… are you… the Dao Protector of this place?"

Having heard her question, everyone looked expectantly at Naruto. As for Tsukino, a strange expression appeared on her face.

The Chosen were completely focused. They might have received a shock just now, but their eyes glittered exactly as they had before. Kazan looked closely at Naruto, and the glow of swords could be seen in his eyes.

Fū's expression was tranquil, but a sharp gleam could be seen in her eyes as she looked from Naruto to the temple behind him.

Chiyo had an icy look. He said nothing as he stood there, and yet a strange pressure radiated off of him, and Karma swirled around him the same as ever.

The were all looking at Naruto. Naruto was now the center of attention of all the Chosen of the sects and clans of the Ninth Mountain. Many of the people who looked at him did so with narrowed eyes.

"I am not the Dao Protector of this Daoist rite temple," said Naruto, his voice quavering. "I am merely the groundskeeper." A look of reminiscence appeared on his face, something he had learned from the crazy old man in the temple hall.

HIs words instantly caused many people to inhale sharply.

"The groundskeeper? I heard a story once that in many ancient places like this, the most powerful people aren't the Dao Protectors, but rather, the unassuming groundskeepers!"

"I heard the same thing…." Even as people discussed the matter, an arrogant looking young man stepped out, a dark expression on his face. He wore splendidly decorated garments, and a crown. The power of the stars seemed to swirl around him as he walked out from the crowd.

"That's the Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal!"

"I heard that he once killed a false Immortal! Of course, he got injured in the process, but that's something an ordinary Spirit Realm cultivator could never do!"

More discussions buzzed as the young man walked in Naruto's direction. He was followed by dozens of disciples of the Church of the Emperor Immortal, as well as several old men who had sealed their cultivation bases. All of these people wore cold gazes and clearly didn't believe anything that Naruto said.

"I don't care if you're a Dao Protector, a groundskeeper, or even if you're just running a scam. Step aside! I'm going into that temple!"

As they neared, Naruto's face darkened. He raised his hand, and even though there was no wind in the area, his clothes rippled. Shockingly, the Black White Pearls appeared in his hand, transforming into an ancient, archaic power that spread out in all directions.

Naruto then recalled how the old man on the boat had looked all those years ago, and mimicked the same look. His eyes filled with an archaic aura as he looked at the young man from the Church of the Emperor Immortal.

"Stop right there!" he said coolly. The Black White Pearls emanated a brilliant glow, and in the blink of an eye, Naruto seemed to radiate an intense archaic will.

The Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal stopped in place, his face flickering. Then he stared dead on at Naruto.

The people who were following him, and in fact, everyone present, were all staring at Naruto. Each and every one of them weren't sure what to make of Naruto, and didn't want to rashly attempt to make a move against him.

"The Immortal Ancient has been unsealed, but that does not mean just anyone can enter and be enlightened regarding this Daoist rite temple. Any who are capable of achieving their Dao may approach."

The Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal hesitated. As he looked at Naruto he got the feeling that he was filled with some mysterious energy, although it was difficult to be sure about the matter. He looked back at the others in the crowd, and saw that they had similar expressions.

Nobody said a word. Currently, they sky was growing dark, and the moon had appeared. Suddenly a wind began to blow, and whimpering sounds could be heard. Darkness began to stretch out across the land. It was at this point that Dei chuckled coldly and stepped forward. His energy surged, and intense power rose up from his cultivation base.

"It doesn't matter who you are. It's time for you to give me some feedback on my combat skills!" He sped up, and was just on the verge of attacking Naruto, when Naruto muttered something to himself. The sky was getting dark, and the whimpering of the wind had given him an idea. He suddenly glared at Dei.

He rose up from his cross-legged position, instantly attracting the attention of all the onlookers. Many of them were skeptical about the whole situation, and didn't quite believe he was telling the truth.

Even Dei's eyes widened. Superficially, his actions seemed impulsive, but he was actually a very cautious person.

As everyone looked on, Naruto suddenly threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

"An incorrect path…. Has the legacy been cut off…? Too many years have passed since that war…." He continued to laugh, and soon the laughter was tinged with madness.

"They're all dead! The land is shattered! The river of stars is cut off…." Suddenly, he seemed to be weeping, and began to pace back and forth.

"Cut off! I can't suppress the living, I can only suppress the ghosts….

"Gone, everything's gone…."

His words seemed to provoke a reaction from his surroundings. The wind became cold and strong, and the sound of a weeping woman could be heard drifting about. The land trembled, and everyone's faces flickered as complete darkness fell. It was at this point that….

"Save me, I want to go home…. Paragon, save me. Save me, Paragon…." Dismal voices rose up from the ground, and a shocking coldness filled the air. Black hair roiled out from the well inside the temple. The vines drooped down and began to swing back and forth. The sounds of weeping and laughing filled the air.

The only faint light that could be seen was from the bronze oil lamp's flickering flame.

When you added in Naruto's voice, it all turned into a terrifying scene that would make anyone's hair stand on end. All of the Chosen who had doubted Naruto before were now completely shocked. Dei's scalp went numb, and he immediately backed up. The Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal gasped, and staggered backward in astonishment.

Naruto continued to weep and laugh in front of the temple, feeling very pleased with himself.

With the exception of Tsukino, all of the Chosen who had come to the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple were shaken. They were now… starting to feel convinced about Naruto.

Some had been skeptical before, but then, one bizarre thing after another appeared. The strange sights, the cold wind, the shocking aura… made it so they had no choice but to believe.

This was especially true when apparently, Naruto's crazed weeping and laughing resonated with his surroundings. It left the onlookers with tingling scalps. The bizarre phenomena in the place, the inky black hair, the swinging vine, the voices rising up from the ground, all of it appeared to them to have been caused by Naruto.

Even Tsukino stared with eyes wide from disbelief. If she didn't already know Naruto, she would have been completely astonished.

If everything went as planned, it might be able to buy Naruto some time, but not much. The people here were all extraordinary, and the slightest misstep could arouse their suspicions. All it would take would be for one person to attack him, and the charade would be broken.

In fact, it was at this moment that an elder member of the Hebi Clan suddenly moved forward, eyes glittering, clearly with the intent of testing Naruto out.

Naruto sighed as he realized that these people really weren't easy to fool. However, it was at this point that the old man from the Hebi Clan suddenly stopped in place, and his face filled with astonishment. Everyone else's expressions also flickered, and not a few people actually gasped.

Naruto was taken aback and wondered what he had done to provoke such a reaction.

It was at this point that a cold wind gusted against his back. It almost felt like ice on the nape of his neck. Reflexively, he turned around to see….

A head floating up from the well behind him. It was a head that looked like it had been rotting away in the waters of the well for millions of years!

When Naruto turned around, the head floated over toward him, and just when it seemed it would touch him, he blinked. Then he turned back to the crowds and, his voice placid, said, "This is Inky. There's no need to fear her."

He cleared his throat and then pointed over to the swinging vine that dripped with black blood. "Over there is Lily. Come on, Lily, say hello to everyone."

As soon as he spoke, the vine stopped moving. Then the dripping blood began to move, as if an invisible figure were walking over to stand next to Naruto.

Even Naruto was shocked by this. He looked at the black blood dripping to the ground next to him and could just barely make out the image of a little girl standing there, but it was unclear whether she was staring at the crowds of people, or at him.

Naruto wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. Giving a firm look at the crowd of nearly a thousand people, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to meditate.

He was starting to feel that he might have taken things a bit too far….

In the eyes of all the onlookers, Naruto, with his tattered robe, placid expression, and ancient air, seemed to be at one with the temple. As he sat there cross-legged, the pale-white head floated behind him, surrounded by drifting strands of inky blackness.

Next to Naruto was some invisible being that dripped black blood down onto the ground. Each drop that splashed onto the ground echoed with strange power that filled their hearts with shock.

No one dared to move a muscle, not even Kazan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, who stood there hesitating. Further off, Fū was staring at Naruto, a brilliant light flickering in her eyes.

Chiyo sat cross-legged some distance away, Karma swirling around him in such a way that it was impossible to even see him clearly.

The three Chosen from the Namikaze Clan all sat down. Occasionally, Futsu would look over at Tsukino with a look of adoration. Dei stared at the temple, his eyes flickering with desire.

Sora sat with the Nadeshiko Clan, proud and aloof. Occasionally he would look at Naruto, and the desire to fight could be seen flickering in his eyes.

As for Mei, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Her head was bowed and she seemed to be studying the earth in front of her. Occasionally she would gently stroke her hand across the surface of the ground, apparently performing some type of augury.

Shisui sat there with flickering eyes that made it impossible to read his thoughts.

The Chosen of the other sects, churches and Holy Lands were all lost in thought in the darkness of night. Shockingly, they sat there in front of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple for an entire night.

At dawn, the oil lamp winked out. Naruto knew that once night ended, the lamp would stop burning. However, only when it was truly extinguished would the trial by fire actually be over.

The instant the sky became bright, Naruto opened his eyes. The floating head had vanished, and the dripping blood was gone. Everything returned to its normal state. Many people in the crowd opened their eyes to look at Naruto.

Kazan was the first person to stand up and approach Naruto. Fū rose to her feet at almost the same time, and approached from a different direction. Mei looked coldly over at Naruto and also moved toward him.

In addition, Chiyo stood, Karma swirling around him as he began to stride in Naruto's direction.

There were other Chosen who also began to approach Naruto, angry looks on their faces.

"Stop right there!" said Naruto coolly.

The others said nothing in response, but rather, sped up. Kazan was the fastest, and he waved his hand as he closed in on Naruto, causing a stream of Sword Chakra to appear. The dragon-like Sword Chakra spread out, transforming into nine shocking Sword Dragons. Their roaring caused the air to vibrate as they twirled together to shoot toward Naruto.

"Fellow Daoist," said Kazan, "I can sense the aura of Lands of Ninshu on you! You're no groundskeeper!"

By the time he finished speaking, the Sword Dragons were almost upon Naruto.

"The Dao of the sword exists in the heart, and within one's will," continued Kazan. The nine Sword Dragons had transformed into nine swords that stabbed down toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered as his desire to fight exploded up. As he rose to his feet, his right hand clenched into a fist that punched out toward the nine swords.

As he punched out, a mountain appeared in front of his fist, which rumbled through the air to slam into the nine swords. A huge boom rattled out, and massive ripples spread out in every direction.

"Your Karma is not that of someone from ancient times." The cold voice belonged to Chiyo. As it echoed about, his body went blurry, then reappeared behind Naruto. His right hand flashed in an incantation gesture and then pushed out toward Naruto's back with lightning speed.

The motion caused Naruto's soul to tremble. All the memories in his life seemed to appear, which transformed into Karma that stirred his mind.

Naruto's expression was calm, and he snorted coldly. Since his act had been seen through, there was no point in continuing with the facade. His left hand flashed in an incantation gesture and he pointed toward Chiyo.

The Withering Character Incantation erupted out, and the air between Naruto and Chiyo seemed to collapse as a huge black hole appeared. It instantly exerted an incredible gravitational force that rumbled loudly. Naruto leapt backward as Mei appeared in front of him, her beautiful face twisted with the desire to kill.

"The memories of this land say you only got here a month earlier than us!" she said. Her graceful hands performed an incantation, and the willow leaf mark on her forehead flickered. Suddenly, a willow leaf appeared in her hand.

As soon as the willow leaf appeared, a boundless life force exploded out of it. When it reached its pinnacle, it suddenly began to show signs of death. The willow leaf turned black, and then flitted out into the air toward Naruto.

"Seal!" said Mei coolly. The willow leaf emitted a rumbling sound as it exploded. It transformed into a network of black veins that almost looked like a net, which then descended toward Naruto.

Seeing that he was about to be sealed, Naruto snorted coldly and then stretched out both arms. He lifted his head up and shouted, invoking some Daoist magics he had learned that enabled him to sprout feathers and grow hide. Shockingly, he transformed into a huge black roc, cruel and savage in appearance, that escaped the enveloping black veins.

As soon as he shot into the air, he heard a melodious voice speaking in his ear.

"Daoist Brother, you're quite exceptional. You almost had Fū here fooled." As the voice was transmitted to him, Naruto suddenly felt his hair stand up on end as a profound sense of danger filled him. Without hesitation, he produced the Lightning Cauldron. Lightning covered his body, and he switched places with Mei.

As soon as he switched places, he looked over at Fū and saw that she had a Blue Lotus in her hand. A moment ago, a young boy could be seen standing on the lotus, beckoning to him as if he wanted to turn him into a lotus seed to pop into his mouth.

There was also a rusted black needle that emanated an aura of rot, which had been thrown toward him by one of the old men standing next to Sora of the Nadeshiko Clan. If that needle had stabbed into him, he would have been transformed into a puddle of blood.

All of these things take some time to describe, but actually happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. Naruto had just exchanged blows with Kazan of the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, Chiyo of the Hebi Clan, Mei of the Shimura Clan, and Fū of the Nine Seas God World.

It seemed like a simple encounter, but in actuality, it brimmed with killing intent. The slightest misstep, and Naruto's blood would have showered down like rain. Even as the desire to fight burned in his eyes, Mei's face fell. The willow leaf mark on her forehead glittered rapidly, and Fū made a surprised grunt and held back her attack. Because of that, Mei was able to avoid the deadly Blue Lotus Magic.

Everyone watching the encounter was completely shocked. Strange gleams appeared in some of the Chosen's eyes as they flew into the air toward Naruto.

"Who is this guy? Kazan and those others all attacked at the same time, and he still didn't seem to be in a bad position!"

"He can't just be some random person! I wonder how long he's been practicing cultivation. If it's less than a thousand years, then he's definitely extraordinary!"

"He just avoided the Blue Lotus Magic of Goddess Fū from the Nine Seas God World! That Lightning Cauldron has the power of Form Displacement Transposition!"

"You're missing the most important part, which is… he got here before us! He must be in possession of the good fortune of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple!"

At the same moment in which such words were spoken, Naruto fell back. Simultaneously, a cold snort could be heard echoing out from some distance away.

"Last night I could see the clues," said Sora. "However, despite your fakery, the apparition behind you was real. Now… I will cut you down, and show you that nobody makes a fool of me!"

Sora was the Nadeshiko Clan cultivator with the scar that ran from his forehead down to his neck. Flaming magical symbols burst out around him, and the flame crow on his shoulder stared coldly at Naruto. When Sora stepped forward, the energy of peak Dao Seeking erupted out. However, this was not the ordinary power of peak Dao Seeking, but rather, something that exceeded that.

He was even more powerful than the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief who Naruto had fought. He had Immortal will swirling around him. Shockingly, despite still being in Dao Seeking, he cultivated a battle prowess comparable to a false Immortal.

Behind him was an emaciated old man who appeared to be nothing more than skin and bones. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were icy cold. He gave off a terrifying feeling that made him seem like a powerful Immortal that could suppress Naruto in a single move.

His body seemed to have numerous open meridians, but clearly they had been sealed and could not be used. Now, he was only able to wield the power of a false Immortal.

Actually, false Immortals were the highest level of cultivation that Naruto's father had permitted into Lands of Ninshu.

In the moment that Sora stepped forward, Naruto spun in midair and looked at him and the old man, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

The vicious needle thrown out by the Nadeshiko Clan just now had been incredibly sinister.

"I'm gonna kill you!" said Naruto, transforming into a huge roc that sped toward Sora. Shocking rumbling filled the air as the roc and Sora exchanged more than a hundred moves in the blink of an eye.

Fire rippled everywhere, and a sea of flames roiled off of Sora. It transformed into the shape of a flame crow that attacked Naruto.

Their attacks were shocking, and caused everything to tremble. Although they were fighting in midair, Naruto didn't want to get too far away from the temple's main gate. As for other locations along the wall where it seemed possible to go in, he ignored those. He remembered from his initial premonition that if someone tried to enter in that fashion, they would be struck dead.

Booms echoed out; Kazan and the others stopped in place to watch the fighting, as did everyone else.

"That guy is incredible. He was at a bit of a disadvantage earlier when he was up against Fū and the others, but now that he's fighting Sora alone… it's hard to say who's going to win!"

"It's got to be Sora! He was able to fight with Kazan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. Supposedly he lost, but he's also very smart, which is his strong point!"

Everything shook, and brilliant lights flashed about. Within his sea of flames, Sora looked like a flame Immortal, calm yet threatening. At one point, he flew into the air, lifted his right foot and violently kicked down toward Naruto.

"DIE!"

The kick gave rise to a flame sea, which then transformed into another flame crow that seemed capable of ripping the air apart. Flames spread out in all directions, and seemed to be on the verge of sealing Naruto.

At the same time, the old Dao Protector at his side laughed coldly and waved his hand. Another decaying needle appeared, which shot toward Naruto. Immediately, Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent.

He snorted coldly, raising his right hand into the air and pointing at Sora. Immediately, the Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, and a rumbling vortex formed around Sora. Like a dragon gulping down water, it sucked in the flame sea and left Sora completely revealed out in the open.

Sora's face flickered with astonishment. His right foot began to wither, and he let out a roar. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he fell back at full speed. Somehow… in this moment of grave crisis, he actually managed to escape the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex. He retreated, face pale, looking at Naruto with an expression of both shock and the cold desire to kill.

All of the observers were shaken. Amongst the crowd, Tsukino's eyes were wide, and she was panting. The divine ability vortex she had just seen reminded her of a legendary Daoist magic she had read about in the ancient records of her sect, something that had long since been lost to the passage of time.

Kazan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto was looking on with shining eyes, the flames of battle flickered in his pupils. Mei from the Shimura Clan of Planet North Reed was also panting. Her expression was one of extreme concentration as she stared at Naruto.

The four who had attacked just now did not do so with all their strength. Therefore, the fact that Naruto was able to evade those attacks merely left them thinking that there was more to him than met the eye. Nothing had happened that in any way left them thinking that he was worth paying attention to.

Karma swirled around Chiyo, and although it was impossible to see his expression clearly, he was surely surprised.

As for Fū, a strange light shone in her eyes, but her expression was placid. She radiated a sense of pureness and holiness, and at the same time, seemed cold and distant. However, her incredible beauty made it so that anyone who looked at her couldn't help but be instantly attracted to her, and would want to embrace her as a wife.

The person who Naruto resented was not Sora, but rather, the old man next to him. Twice so far, he had used sinister needles to attack Naruto. Naruto suddenly stretched his hand out in a claw-like motion which seemed similar to that used by the people he had seen plucking stars. Immediately, his hand seemed to become enormous, and he grabbed the needle out of the air.

Naruto had only gained a smattering of enlightenment about the Star Plucking Magic. If he completely came to understand it, and also had a sufficient cultivation base, he would actually be able to reach up and pluck heavenly bodies out of the starry sky!

As soon as he grabbed the deadly needle, Naruto's body flickered, and he shot toward the old man. The old man laughed coldly. Instead of retreating, he began to move toward Naruto.

"Don't know the difference between life and death? Allow me to educate you!"

"Old codger!" growled Naruto, summoning the roc. In response, the old man waved his hand, causing a gray aura to spread out that contained Immortal Chakra.

"Suppress!" said the old man.

"I'll be doing the suppressing!" replied Naruto. His cultivation base rumbled, and his Immortal Chakra roared as it filled his body. Immediately, everyone in the area was completely shocked.

The Immortal Chakra caused a huge rumbling roar to fill the air, and the old man's face flickered with astonishment.

"What sect or clan are you from?!"

Naruto didn't respond. As the Immortal Chakra swirled, he performed an incantation gesture and then pushed his hand out in front of him. The Ninth Mountain rumbled out, crushing down toward the old man.

"Not gonna tell me?" snorted the old man. "Well, don't blame me for eradicating you!" Suddenly, a Dharma Idol appeared behind him, the image of some powerful deity, a middle-aged man with an incredible bearing. Immediately, everything around him was thrown into chaos.

As Naruto and the old man closed in on each other in midair, Naruto let out a shout, and his own Dharma Idol appeared. The power that came from being half a step into true Immortality erupted out, transforming into an incredible pressure that weighed down on the old man. His face fell, and he shot backward using a magical technique. The killing intent in Naruto's eyes flickered, and he waved his right hand, causing eight black-colored medicinal pills to fly out. As soon as they hit the old man, they exploded.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his face fell. He had been seriously injured, and was just about to flee, when Naruto, moving at incredible speed, descended upon him. His right hand unleashed the Star Plucking Magic, and the old man let out a furious howl. He raised his right hand, and what appeared to be the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies could be seen in the palm that he sent surging toward Naruto

The man let out a miserable howl; at the same time, Naruto coughed up blood and staggered backward. The lightning cauldron appeared in his hand, lightning danced, and he vanished as he switched places with Fū, who had been attempting to sneak into the temple during the chaos of the fighting.

When he reappeared, Naruto stood tall and straight in front of the main gate of the temple, blood oozing out of his mouth. He seemed to be in command of everything, and when he stamped his foot onto the ground, everything trembled. At this point, he stretched out his right hand and made a claw-like gesture.

Three claw images appeared; it almost looked as if some ancient beast were awakening. The claws shot up into the air along with his Dharma Idol.

The huge attack surged toward Mei and Dei of the Namikaze Clan, who had just been preparing to charge toward him.

Amidst the rumbling booms, Sora's Dao Protector up in midair suddenly let out a miserable shriek. He had just noticed that, shockingly, a needle was sticking out of his hand! It was the same needle he had just tried to use to kill Naruto!

The decaying power of the needle was just as effective on the old man!

"NOO!" he shrieked, terrified. The flesh on his face was already starting to decay and fall off into bits of ash. Terror filled him. He was well aware of how quickly the vicious poison on the needle worked. In the blink of an eye, the poison contaminated all of his aura.

As his screams echoed out, the crowds gasped. The old man's body collapsed. All of his flesh and blood turned into nothing but drifting ash….

Instantly, complete silence fell.

This old man was no ordinary person. He was a Dao Protector of the Nadeshiko Clan, a powerful expert with an Immortal Realm cultivation base. He had opened dozens of meridians, and yet now… he died in this place… at the hands of a Spirit Realm cultivator.

It was only an accident, only a chance occurrence, had only occurred because his cultivation base was sealed. But regardless of those things… he was dead!

Dead at the hands of Naruto!

"Sora's Dao Protector… just died!?"

"He… he actually killed a Dao Protector!"

"Who is this guy? He can't be some random person, and he's definitely not from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. He must be a Chosen from some outside sect!"

"But he doesn't look familiar. I've never seen him before…."

Even as the buzz of conversation rose up, Tsukino looked on with wide eyes, astonished. Her cultivation base had originally been in the Immortal Realm, but after acquiring the Demon Immortal Body, she had pushed herself down into the Spirit Realm to reestablish her cultivation and gain a chance at even more power in the future. As such, she was far more powerful than she had been last time she was in the Spirit Realm. Even still, there was no way she could attack and kill a false Immortal.

"Who are you!?" Kazan suddenly asked.

Chiyo looked at Naruto, as did Mei, as well as Shisui, who still hadn't made a move yet. All of the Chosen from the various sects and clans, including Bisuke, were all staring over at Naruto.

As for Sora, he was panting in shock. His Dao Protector had just been shockingly killed, causing Sora's killing intent to grow even stronger.

Fū hovered in midair, now in the position that Naruto had occupied moments before. Fury burned in her heart, but her face was placid as she calmly said, "Daoist Brother, who exactly are you? Would you mind telling us?"

Naruto looked out at the Chosen. He had to admit that these people were strong. However, he still felt like fighting, and in fact, was looking forward to something in particular.

He was looking forward to when he left the lands of Lands of Ninshu and entered the world of the Chosen outside. He couldn't wait to see what kind of waves he would stir up then.

He looked calmly at the chosen of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, well aware that after this decisive battle, his name would surely spread rapidly until everyone knew who he was.

"Call me Naruto!"

All cultivators in the lands of Lands of Ninshu knew Naruto's name. If the Chosen of the sects and clans of the Ninth Mountain and Sea had spent more time there, they would also know the name.

This was their first time hearing it, though, and it would remain in their memories for all eternity.

Naruto!

Tsukino gazed absent-mindedly over at Naruto standing there by the main gate of the temple. She seemed to be recalling that young cultivator she had pushed around all those years ago, and then everything that had happened in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

Recalling all the memories, she couldn't help but take a deep breath. At the moment, she was the only one who knew that Naruto hadn't even been practicing cultivation for five hundred years.

"Not even five hundred years, and he already has Immortal Chakra…. Furthermore, he's… half a step into true Immortality!

"His Dharma Idol depicts himself. His Immortality… is not false. He walks the path of true Immortality!

"He has high aspirations. Like all of us, he is not willing to become a false Immortal. He wishes to transcend true Immortal tribulation and become a true Immortal!

"I wonder which sect he represents here. Immortality Illumination Vines are quite rare in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Without one, his only option is to go all-out for Immortal destiny, and then wait for the once-in-10,000-years chance to achieve true Immortal Ascension."

Amidst the rumbling that filled the air, Shisui from the Uchiha Clan of Planet North Reed suddenly said, "How long have you been here?"

Naruto looked over at him but didn't respond. He stood there in front of the temple gate, his desire to fight burning as hot as ever.

"He's obviously been here for several days," said Sora, hovering in midair, "and now he wants to prevent us from entering the Daoist rite temple!" Instantly, several Chosen flew out from the crowd, including Bisuke. Multicolored lights flashed, and energy surged as they transformed into eight beams of light that shot toward Naruto.

"Get the hell out of the way!" The voices of these eight people were like crackling thunder.

Behind them flew Dao Protectors from their respective sects and clans, who observed the proceedings with flickering eyes. In total, a few dozen people were now closing in on Naruto.

Even were Naruto more powerful, it would be impossible to do much against so many peak experts. Even Naruto's father could never have imagined that going to the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple would end him up in such a trial by fire.

Naruto's father had assumed he would end up fighting alongside everyone. He had also assumed that arriving early would provide Naruto with some advantages, but he'd never imagined that the primary good fortune of the entire place could be acquired in less than a month.

And yet… Naruto had done exactly that.

Right now, he couldn't back down. He couldn't allow people to enter the temple itself. As the dozens of people bore down on him, Naruto suddenly slapped his bag of holding to produce several dozen black-peeled pills, which he immediately threw out in front of him. As they banged against each other in the air, they exploded violently.

Any one of those medicinal pills could produce an astonishing level of power, but dozens exploding together caused the ground to quake and the mountains to tremble. A deafening roar filled the air as blood sprayed out of the mouths of everyone near the explosion. There were even two people whose bodies were ripped to pieces.

Bloodcurdling screams filled the air.

"It was him! It was him!" cried Bisuke, his voice shrill. "He's the one who buried all those black-peeled medicinal pills that we encountered!" Bisuke's arm had been completely vaporized in the explosion.

The people who had been injured on the path to the temple looked over at Naruto with killing intent flickering in their eyes. They had had their suspicions when Sora's Dao Protector died, but everything had happened so fast that there was no way to confirm the details.

Now, though, they immediately recognized the black-peeled medicinal pills, which were the same as those buried outside. New hatreds piled onto old ones.

Immediately, more people flew into the air to attack Naruto.

There were quite a few others, including Futsu, who flew toward the wall of the temple in an attempt to enter that way. Just before entering, Futsu was overwhelmed by a terrifying sensation, and stopped in place. The others, however, more than ten of them, unhesitatingly flew through the gaps in the walls.

As soon as they entered the run-down courtyard, they began to tremble, and then screamed miserably. Their bodies instantly began to decay, and in the blink of an eye, they had transformed into pools of black liquid.

Seeing this caused all the onlookers' minds to spin, and their faces to fall. Some of the people who had just died were Dao Protectors, and even they had been powerless to fight back, and been killed instantly.

"You can only get in through the main gate! No other way is permitted!"

"The main gate is the only path!"

"Naruto is blocking the main gate, and all the incredible stuff is obviously on the other side! Kill him so we can get in!"

Now that it was revealed that there was only one entrance, the pressure on Naruto was even greater. Booms rang out constantly. Even with the powerful black-peeled medicinal pills, Naruto would be incapable of holding out for much longer. After all, he didn't have very many pills left.

Killing intent bore down on him from all sides, but Naruto didn't retreat. Instead, he stayed as close to the main gate as possible. Kazan's Sword Chakra surged mightily, and then transformed into the shape of a sword, surrounded by a lake of smaller swords. He then shot toward Naruto at top speed, causing everyone else to move to the side to make way for him. As for Naruto, he immediately felt an intense sense of deadly crisis.

"This guy is strong!" he thought. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and he was injured in several places. Seeing that this was not the time to make a final stand, Naruto glanced at the incoming Kazan, and then his eyes flickered as he retreated back through the gate.

As soon as Naruto entered the temple gate, Kazan's sword arrived like a blazing sun, Sword Chakra glittering magnificently. Those behind him looked on with gleaming eyes as the temple gate was opened. Immediately, everyone surged forward to enter the temple.

However, in the instant that Naruto entered the temple, a monstrously murderous aura exploded up next to him. Killing intent and icy coldness appeared, along with a Devilish will. Writhing black smoke appeared underneath the evening sky.

A figure that looked exactly like Naruto suddenly walked out from behind him.

Naruto's second true self!

He walked out of the temple gate and waved his hand, causing the Wooden Time Sword to appear. Time power rippled out in all directions as the Time Sword met Kazan's sword.

A boom echoed out. Kazan's face flickered and he fell into retreat. The second true self gave a muffled snort as he advanced. Time power spread out, causing looks of shock to appear on all of the onlookers' faces. All of them could clearly sense their longevity withering.

"A Time cultivator!"

"Dammit, there's two of them, not just one!"

As his second true self stood outside the temple, Naruto produced some medicinal pills. After consuming them, he sat cross-legged in meditation for about ten breaths' worth of time. Then he opened his eyes and walked out of the main gate to stand next to this second true self. Booms echoed out as the two of them began to fight. Astonishing power was unleashed as a massive battle unfolded.

The first person to attack his second true self was Fū. At the same time, others attempted to charge into the main gate.

Naruto growled, and a blood-colored vortex appeared; the Blood Demon Grand Magic was finally completely unleashed. Instantly, everyone's faces fell, and they fell back in retreat.

Naruto was really an annoying headache to everyone present. His second true self had monstrous killing intent and sinister coldness. His attacks were ruthless, and he was surrounded by swirling Devilish will, as well as the power of Time. All of it was very hard to deal with.

Naruto fought back and forth with Dei, and explosions filled the air. In any situation where Naruto was on the verge of being forced away from his position in front of the gate, he would throw out black-peeled medicinal pills, which always resulted in countless angry curses.

He even used the Lightning Cauldron; whenever any Chosen were on the verge of being able to enter the temple, Naruto would quickly switch positions with them.

He switched places with Kazan, Fū, Mei, Shisui, Bisuke, Chiyo, Fugai… virtually all of the Chosen had opportunities to enter the temple, but Naruto seemed to be made of eyes, and whenever one of them got close, lighting would crackle and he would use Form Displacement Transposition.

By now, it was getting dark, and a cold wind sprang up. The vine in the courtyard once again drooped down and began to swing back and forth. Black blood dripped onto the ground, and tendrils of green smoke began to rise up from inside the well.

The oil lamp once again began to burn tenuously inside the temple hall, and countless projected images appeared. When all the newcomers saw this, they gasped. As for Naruto, he could feel the pulsing cold coming from behind him.

It was at this point that Fū's eyes glittered. Suddenly, the image of a door appeared in her pupils.

"In the gap between yin and yang, Ninth Sea God!" Suddenly her entire body appeared to be sucked into her own pupils! She vanished, and when she reappeared, she was inside of the courtyard!

In that instant, Naruto's expression flickered. He tried to use Form Displacement Transposition, but for the first time ever, it failed!

Fū's expression was one of indifference as she prepared to enter the temple hall. Naruto immediately flew toward her, extending his hand in a claw-like gesture. This left the main gate exposed, and his second true self was incapable of holding his position alone. In that short bit of time, one of the Dao Protectors managed to slip into the courtyard.

When that happened, he immediately screamed and vanished into a pool of black liquid.

This sudden turn of events caused everyone on the outside to gasp, and cease any aspirations of entering.

Naruto didn't have time to consider what had just happened. He transformed into a huge roc that shot aggressively toward Fū.

"Dammit!" he thought. "I forgot whether that crazy old man said to prevent people from entering the temple as a whole, or just the temple hall!" Furious, he called his second true self to join him in his attack.

His second true self's eyes glittered. Everyone looked on raptly as the second true self entered the main gate without any problem.

Seeing Naruto's second true self nearing, Fū's face flickered.

"How can he get in here too!?" she said. "Ah, he's not a cultivator, he's your clone!"

Rumbling filled the air. Fū's face was as indifferent as ever as she began to fight back and forth with Naruto. In the blink of an eye, there were more than a hundred exchanges. Everyone on the outside watched with glittering eyes. A random cultivator tried to use a special magical technique to enter through the main gate, but the result was that he died screaming. By now, everyone understood the situation.

"You can enter during the daytime, but not during nighttime!"

"Dammit, Fū realized this earlier, so she didn't use her divine ability until yin and yang transposed, and night replaced day! That's when she entered!"

"She let Naruto use Form Displacement Transposition on her a few times before to get him used to thinking it would work on her!"

"Her scheming ability is so profound! I hate those people from the Nine Seas God World!"

Everyone stood outside the courtyard, looking in with glittering eyes.

Within the courtyard, Naruto and his second true self were locked in combat with Goddess Fū of the Nine Seas God World. Off to the side, the vine swung back and forth, and laughter could be heard as the black blood dripped onto the ground.

At the same time, strands of black hair danced through the air. Countless Dao Projections appeared. Some sat in meditation, some concocted medicinal pills, and some employed Daoist magic. The copper lamp flickered weakly, illuminating the area. The crumbling statue of the divinity appeared to be emitting some faint, divine aura.

This was not the first night that these people had spent in the vicinity of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple. However, when they caught sight of the Dao Projections, many people made hoarse exclamations.

"Passing down Daos!"

"Those Dao Projections are passing down Daos! If we can just get inside, we can acquire new Daos!"

"The Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple is full of good fortune!"

"Dammit! I wonder how many days Naruto was here for before we arrived. From the look of it, he already got the greatest good fortune of all, the Immortal Ancient Daoist Medallion!"

Outside, conversations buzzed. Inside, Naruto and his second true self had already fought over a hundred rounds with Fū. Booming echoed out, and Fū frowned as she was constantly pushed back in retreat, unable to to get close to the temple hall. Not only that, she was actually being forced to the point where she might get shoved out the main gate.

Naruto had originally been extremely nervous. However, after seeing that everything in the temple hall remained the same even after Fū entered the courtyard, he was able to let out a sigh of relief.

"The crazy old man must have meant the temple hall and not the courtyard!" he thought. Eyes gleaming, he stretched out his hand toward Fū in a claw-like gesture.

Fū was getting angry. She snorted lightly and then lifted the Blue Lotus in her hand. Brilliant light shone out that seemed to contain blessings. It formed Immortal Chakra, which she sucked in through her eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Then, golden light began to shine out from her eyes. She looked at Naruto and said a single word.

"Suppress!"

That single word caused Naruto's pupils to constrict as he felt an incredible force come into existence around him. It instantly began to entangle him; even his second true self could feel its interference.

Fū's expression was cool as she prepared to enter the temple hall.

"Emerge!" Naruto shouted, and rumbling could be heard as his Dharma Idol appeared, shining with boundless radiance and surrounded by a great Dao. The Dharma Idol's light shone up into the sky, and it seemed as if countless Immortal Divinities were sitting cross-legged around it, meditating. A snapping sound rang out as the invisible fetters were destroyed. Naruto shook himself free, then stretched his right hand out to use the Star Plucking Magic.

All it took was one snatching motion, and Fū, who was still in mid-stride heading toward the temple hall, was dragged back to him.

Her body was completely beyond her own control as she flew through the air. Just when she seemed about to slam into Naruto's hand, she gave a cold snort and performed an incantation with her left hand. She pointed to the ground, and a vast sea appeared beneath her, from within which more than ten roaring sea dragons burst out.

Naruto's Star Plucking Magic dissipated, but by that point, his second true self had closed in. He waved his sleeve, and a boom could be heard as the air around Fū shattered. Blood oozed from the corners of her mouth as she was sent staggering backward. In the meantime, Naruto performed an incantation gesture and pointed out.

The Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex instantly appeared. Both Naruto and his second true self were on the attack. All of the rapid changes in the battle were dazzling to the eye. There was no hesitation on anyone's part, and attacks were made with complete confidence and speed.

RUUUMMMBLE!

Fū's face fell. Naruto's Blood Demon Grand Magic filled her with dread. She performed a double-handed incantation, causing a bright light to appear that seemed to shine down from the sky above. It descended to form the image of a mermaid behind Fū.

The mermaid had extremely long hair, and was incredibly beautiful, and actually resembled Fū somewhat, except that she wasn't wearing any clothes whatsoever. Her bottom half was covered with scales, but as a whole, she emanated an enticing aura that would cause anyone to be attracted to her.

"So high and mighty, yet you summon something without clothes?" said Naruto sternly, glancing at the Dharma Idol. "How scandalous!"

"You glib lowlife!" she replied evenly. "One look and I could tell that you were a lecher!" She performed an incantation, causing her Dharma Idol's eyes to shine with golden light.

"Ninth Sea God Lightning!" The four words echoed like thunder, and immediately caused four bolts of golden lightning to crackle down toward Naruto.

His eyes narrowed; these Chosen from the Ninth Mountain and Sea were all incredibly powerful. He had long since ceased to look down on them. He knew that he couldn't view them as being ordinary peak Dao Seeking cultivators. These were all people who had high aspirations; they wanted to achieve true Immortal Ascension.

There were even some of them who had clearly practiced cultivation for many years, but were intentionally holding their cultivation bases back to wait for Immortal destiny.

Some of them gave Naruto a feeling of impending crisis. One was Kazan, and another was Fū.

"There are many Chosen, and powerful experts are as numerous as the clouds," he thought. "My path of cultivation has just begun; the vast world is just now opening up to me…." The desire to fight burned hot in his eyes. He truly couldn't wait to step foot out of the lands of Lands of Ninshu into the starry sky, to contend with the Chosen of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Today is just a sneak peek," he thought. His body flickered as he sprang into motion. His Dharma Idol roared and grew even larger than before, and then sent a right hand speeding toward Fū.

The four bolts of golden lightning sent out shocking ripples, but they were all obstructed Naruto's Dharma Idol.

Echoes rattled out, and Fū's face fell. The second true self closed in along with a river of Time power, bursting with a murderous aura. Killing intent raged as he launched a vicious attack that very nearly sliced Fū's neck open.

"Just who is this Naruto…?" she thought. "There's no need to even mention this clone of his. He himself is incredibly powerful, plus he has a Dharma Idol that depicts himself. Based on his power, he must be half a step into true Immortality!

"At the moment he still hasn't merged back with his clone. When that happens…." Fū's eyes flickered.

"He seems to be concerned with people entering the temple hall. Could it be that there is some legacy process underway inside, and he doesn't want anyone to interfere? I must disrupt that legacy!

"I can't let a fifth Conclave disciple appear in this Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple!" Her eyes flickered with coldness.

"Ninth Sea God Will!" she said, retrieving a conch shell from her bag of holding. The conch shell immediately began to blaze with intense light that caused everything to tremble. The music of a great Dao began to spread out in all directions.

Everyone on the outside had long since been shaken by the intensity of the fighting inside. In addition, dread of Naruto had taken root in their hearts.

"To be able to fight with Fū of the Nine Seas God World means that this Naruto… is definitely a Chosen too!"

"That's… a precious treasure of the Nine Seas God World, the Nine Gods Conch!"

"According to legend, that conch once slew an almighty Dao Realm expert…."

"That's not the real thing, it's only a copy. However, it's still shockingly powerful!"

As the buzz of conversation filled the air outside, Naruto's face flickered. He could sense that this conch was intensely dangerous. His eyes flickered and he performed another incantation gesture, causing the sixth level of the Blood Demon Grand Magic to appear.

At the same time, Fū's eyes became ice cold as she raised the conch up and blew into it. As soon as her breath entered the conch, it began to emanate a golden light, within which was a strand of Dao music.

As the music drifted through the air, it sounded like a woman singing. It expanded out amorphously, transforming into three colorful bubbles, within each of which appeared to be a magical symbol. The sky grew dark, and wind screamed as one of the bubbles floated gently toward Naruto. He began to tremble, and his second true self seemed to lose control of his body and stopped in mid motion. It was at this point that bubble popped.

Blood sprayed from the mouth of the second true self as a roaring sound filled his ears. As he fell back, the second bubble floated forward and then popped. Naruto coughed up blood, and suddenly found that he was covered with countless strips of seaweed which were growing out from his skin to cover his whole body. At the same time, the seaweed bursting from his skin caused him to bleed profusely.

His second true self trembled as he too was covered with seaweed. The flourishing seaweed sucked away at Naruto's life force, causing it to grow longer, and even take root in the ground. As a result, Naruto and his second true self were rapidly being rooted in place.

People outside of the courtyard gasped.

"The Curse of the Ninth Sea!"

"This Naruto… is going to perish!"

Fū coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered backward a few steps, her face pale; she had payed an incredible price in order to blow on the conch shell.

She took a deep breath as she looked over at Naruto and his second true self entangled in the seaweed. Her expression calm, she turned and hurried toward the temple hall.

Just when she was on the verge of stepping into the temple hall, a tremor ran through Fū. The mud beneath her feet suddenly began to emanate a black mist. At the same time, a huge rumbling sound filled the entire area.

The courtyard trembled from the force of the explosion, and Fū coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her body was completely beyond her control as she was sent flying into the air, more blood spurting out from her mouth.

"Naruto!" she cried, her heart filled with rage. She had been incredibly cautious in everything, but could never have imagined that Naruto would have buried black-peeled medicinal pills in front of the temple hall's door.

Those pills had been secretly placed there by Naruto as a failsafe against the people from the outside.

At the same time that Fū was sent flying backward, the third bubble neared Naruto. He trembled, and his eyes filled with a cold gleam. His second true self shuddered; he slowly began to fade away and turn into Naruto's shadow, merging together with him.

"Fuse!" As he merged with his second true self, Naruto's left eye was icy cold, whereas his right eye burned with murderous desire. The Dharma Idol behind him then changed; shockingly, half of it became completely black!

To everyone looking at it, it no longer looked holy, but rather, like a mixture between an Immortal and a Devil!

Rumbling sounds could be heard as the third bubble popped. However, at the same time, Naruto freed himself from the seaweed and launched a counterattack in the form of a punch.

A huge explosion filled the air and Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. Nonetheless, a bright gleam could be seen in his eyes as his hand snaked out toward the beautiful Fū.

Fū's face flickered. She had been seriously injured, and now that Naruto had freed himself, she had no choice but to retreat from of the courtyard.

It was then that Naruto's hand latched onto her.

"Trying to get away?"

The Star Plucking Magic suddenly sprang to life, and Fū was snatched up and dragged back by Naruto before she could escape from the courtyard. A look of vicious hatred could be seen on her face, and she quickly performed a double-handed incantation, causing the conch shell to appear again!

Just when she was about to blow it, Naruto flung her forcefully toward the well in the courtyard.

"Why don't you get in that well and blow your shell for my Inky!" he said.

Fū's face filled with shock as, before she could blow the conch, she descended into the well, her body completely out of her control.

At the same time, Naruto performed an incantation, summoning the Ninth Mountain and sending it rumbling down toward the well.

A miserable shriek rang out from inside the well as the Ninth Mountain slammed down and sealed the mouth of the well, followed by rumbling booms. Naruto flitted up to the peak of the mountain, where he sat down cross-legged, his face somewhat pale. The murderous gleam in his right eye vanished, and boundless black mist surged out from within him, which then transformed once again into his second true self.

Blood oozed out from the sides of Naruto's mouth, and his second true self's eyes were somewhat dimmer than usual.

This was a result of the backlash from forcing a separation before fully fusing.

Everyone outside the courtyard was thoroughly shocked, and stared at Naruto in amazement.

"He… he actually sealed the Goddess of the Nine Seas God World inside a well?"

"If I remember correctly… that head which looks like it's been soaking in water for millions of years… came out from that well!"

"Dammit, I should kill him for treating the Goddess like that!"

As the buzz of conversation filled the air, Kazan's eyes flickered. He stared at Naruto, his desire for combat growing ever stronger. After all, he lived to fight!

"If you're good enough to suppress Fū," he thought, "then… I can't wait for day to break so that we can fight!"

Sora couldn't help but gasp in response to what had happened, as did Shisui, Mei, Dei and many others. When they saw Naruto fight Fū and then seal her up, it instantly left an indelible impression in their minds.

Bisuke's face flickered, but, not willing to be outshone, he snorted coldly and said, "You finagled your way to victory. If you step foot outside, I'll fuse your bones and blood, burn your soul, and then kill you!"

The Chosen from the other Holy Lands and sects now had a much clearer understanding of who Naruto was, as did the Dao Protectors, whose eyes glittered brightly.

The night grew deeper. Naruto sat on top of the mountain, listening to Fū's shrieks echoing out from down below.

She was inside the well, half submerged in water. Her scalp was numb with terror as inky black hair swirled around her. Although her surroundings were pitch black, because of her incredible cultivation base, she could just barely see the water-soaked head gazing steadily in her direction.

If you think about it, anyone in this situation would feel their blood run cold and their hair stand on end. Fū couldn't hold back from screaming.

The tendrils of black hair began to wrap around her, and the soaking head got closer and closer….

"Naruto, I won't let you get away with this!" she screamed. However, it didn't matter what divine abilities or magical techniques she used, there was nothing that could get her out of the well. In fact, the more magic she used, the more the black hair wrapped around her, and at one point, the floating head even touched her own head.

An icy sensation spread out across her skin, and Fū's scream was even shriller than before.

As Naruto sat on top of the mountain, he snorted and said, "Inky, if you take care of this wench for me, then you can have her!"

By now, he had recovered most of his wounds, and he glanced over to look into the temple hall, at the bronze lamp which, thanks to Fū's failure to enter the temple hall, had not been extinguished.

A strange light shone in his eyes, and suddenly a bashful gleam could be seen within.

"These Chosen all have lovely treasures on them, don't they…." He licked his lips and smiled, which the crowds on the outside found very surprising.

"What is Naruto smiling like that for?"

"Hmm. That smile looks… bashful! Is something fishy going on…?"

Naruto flew down off of the mountain and, as everyone watched, dug a hole and carefully put some black-peeled medicinal pills in it. Then, he cautiously stood on top of it, looked up, and extended his hand. The Lightning Cauldron appeared.

Electric light glittered, spreading out across his body, and the bashfulness in his smile grew even more apparent as he looked out at the crowd with anticipation.

"Dammit, Naruto's about to pull a con!"

"He has that Form Displacement Transposition cauldron, and black-peeled medicinal pills under his feet. If you step on that pill lightly, nothing happens. But when he switches positions with someone, the slightest force will cause it to explode!"

"Fudge! How could someone be so evil!?"

"Shameless! I've never seen a bastard as shameless as him!"

Everyone in the crowd began to back up, their faces flickering with various expressions. Naruto's eyes finally came to rest on Bisuke, whose face instantly went white, and his eyes wide. Before he could say anything, lighting from Naruto's cauldron flashed, and he switched places with Bisuke.

The instant the change occurred, Bisuke appeared in the middle of the courtyard, screaming. Apparently, this method of entering the courtyard did not violate the restrictive spells, so he was not instantly transformed into a pool of blood. However, as soon as his foot made contact with the medicinal pills, four or five of them instantly exploded, and he was engulfed in black mist.

Bisuke let out a bloodcurdling shriek, along with a spray of blood. Naruto's second true self instantly closed in on him.

As for Naruto, as soon as he appeared outside the courtyard, he instantly produced his war chariot. Rumbling filled the air as he shot back into the courtyard.

Only an afterimage remained in the spot he had just occupied, which was then instantly inundated by various divine abilities and magical techniques.

"Don't be so polite, Fellow Daoists!" he called out, looking back at the crowd and waving. "I don't need your gifts, really!" The ripples from the explosions couldn't catch up with him, leaving the onlookers so frustrated that their gums itched.

"Shameless!"

"How could he have such a high cultivation base but be so despicable!?" Numerous such curses filled the air.

Naruto just smiled nonchalantly and hummed a little tune as he watched his second true self grab hold of Bisuke and restrain him.

When Bisuke saw Naruto approaching, he began to tremble, and his eyes shone with a brilliant light.

"I'm from the Holy Land of Mount Sun! Our founder was Patriarch Sun—"

SMACK!

Naruto walloped Bisuke directly across the side of the face, causing blood to spray from his mouth, along with a couple teeth. He turned back to look at Naruto, a vicious expression of madness on his face.

"From the moment I started practicing cultivation," said Naruto, "I've heard Chosen like you say things like that when they're about to die. Do you know how annoying it is!?" Thinking about how often he had heard words similar to those uttered by Bisuke, he kicked Bisuke sharply with his right foot.

"Didn't you just say you were going to burn my bones and blood, then roast my soul?" Naruto kicked down again.

The shocked crowd looked on, trembling, as Bisuke's howls entered their ears. The Dao Protectors and other cultivators from Mount Sun were enraged, and several of them flew forward.

"Stay your hand!"

"Dammit, if you harm him, you'll call a great disaster down on yourself that will affect your entire clan!"

"Once the sun comes up, you're dead! No one will be able to save you!"

The two Mount Sun Dao Protectors stood outside the courtyard, glaring at Naruto and threatening him with gruesome words. In response, Naruto kicked Bisuke again, provoking another miserable shriek, then turned and stared a the two Dao Protectors.

"I'm from the archaic Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite! My dad is—" Naruto suddenly stopped talking and cleared his throat. Quite a few hateful looks appeared among the crowd, especially from the people from Mount Sun. It was quite obvious that Naruto had just been mocking Bisuke's words from moments ago.

Naruto grabbed Bisuke and dragged him over to the well. He lifted the mountain and then said, "Why don't you and the wench fool around together down there!"

Bisuke's eyes went wide, and he let out a panic-stricken yelp as he struggled against Naruto.

Naruto cleared his throat and then said, "Alright, I'll give you one last chance. You probably have a lot of magical items on you, right?"

"Let me go, and you can have them all!" Bisuke blurted. He was truly frightened; down below, he could see Fū and the soaking head, which was obviously a mysterious evil spirit connected to the Daoist rite temple.

"Hey, I'm a gentleman and a man of my word!" replied Naruto sternly. "What makes you think that I would contaminate my Karma by stealing your magical items!?" His expression became colder so quickly that Bisuke gaped in shock. However, it only took a moment for his mind to flash with understanding, and he quickly unfastened his bag of holding and held it aloft.

"Here, I'm giving it to you as a gift!"

Naruto took it, opened it up, and looked through its contents. His eyes lit up, after which he turned to look at the command medallion hanging at Bisuke's waist.

"Actually, that looks pretty nice…." he said.

"You can have it!"

"Eee? This thing is pretty nice too."

"You… you can have it!"

"I've never seen one of these before…."

"You can have it…." Bisuke was on the verge of tears as he handed his belongings over to Naruto one by one.

Naruto's hand closed around a fist-sized chunk of golden-colored stone which emanated an intense heat and blinding light. From the feeling it gave off, it almost seemed like something was sleeping inside. When Naruto swept it with his divine sense, the music of a great Dao filled his mind, and he sensed a pulsating aura of danger.

It almost seemed like this rock… was a sun!

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked it over. He had never seen anything quite like this particular item.

He slowly pulled the rock out of Bisuke's bag of holding.

Immediately, people on the outside began to comment in astonishment.

"A treasured magical item! It's a treasured magical item from Mount Sun!"

"Mount Sun is really getting the short end of the stick today…."

Bisuke's face was pale white as he looked bitterly at the rock in Naruto's hand. He had never even had a chance to take it out and use it before Naruto took it away from him.

Naruto closed his eyes as he examined the rock with his senses. After a moment, the heat emanating off of the rock seemed to decrease, and Naruto put it away. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Bisuke. Eyes narrowing, he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from within his robe, then handed them over to Bisuke, whose eyes went wide with shock.

"What are you staring at? Write out a promissory note! However much you think your life's worth, write down that many spirit stones. Although, if the amount you write down is too small, don't forget that I have a lot of spirit stones in my bag of holding, and I might just fork them over to buy you."

"You!" cried Bisuke, almost coughing up a mouthful of blood as he glared at Naruto. After a long moment, he sighed and then wrote down a huge sum onto the promissory note. Naruto carefully placed it with his collection of other promissory notes.

When the people in the crowd, and Bisuke, saw how many promissory notes Naruto had in his bag of holding, they gasped.

"How many people has he conned in the past…? I can't believe he has so many promissory notes!"

"Just where exactly is he from? He couldn't be a cultivator from the lands of Lands of Ninshu, could he?"

"There's no way. Lands of Ninshu is a strange place, but how could it produce a shameless bastard like that!?"

Bisuke looked at all the promissory notes and suddenly felt a bit better about his situation. With a forced smile, he looked at Naruto.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki…."

"Don't worry," Naruto said earnestly. "Naruto is honest with all customers, and open and aboveboard in all matters. I would definitely never use the promissory note to coerce you." Suddenly, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Alright, you've been very cooperative. Come come, tell me who among all those bastards out there you have a beef with. I'll grab that person next.

"Choose carefully." With that, Naruto stepped to the side, dug another hole, and then put some medicinal pills in it.

Bisuke stared at Naruto with wide eyes. The crowds outside gasped, and quite a few of their number began to back away. There were even a few who directly flew away.

Bisuke was in a daze for a moment, until finally his eyes flickered and he turned to look out at the crowds. Then, his gaze locked with that of Shisui from the Uchiha Clan.

"Shisui!" cried Bisuke, his face twisting with hatred. "He's the one! He stole my good fortune that year. Him!"

When Shisui, who stood off in the distance, heard what Taiying Zi said, his eyes flickered. The Dao Protectors near him stepped forward, their eyes radiating coldness.

"Got it," said Naruto. He quickly reached out and tied Bisuke up, then tossed him over to the grapevine trellis. Then he produced the Lightning Cauldron, which glittered with electricity as he looked over at Shisui. Shisui instantly rotated his cultivation base with all his power.

However, in the next instant, Naruto shifted his gaze to Sora. Instantly, the two of them vanished. Then, Sora reappeared in the courtyard. However, he remained hovering in the air, and didn't touch the ground.

"Do you really think it's worth it to play such ridiculous games?" Sora chuckled coldly. Most of the people in the crowd outside were now prepared for Naruto to use the Lightning Cauldron. However, it was at this moment that Naruto's second true self violently stamped his foot onto the ground. Immediately, a boom could be heard as the medicinal pills beneath Sora's feet exploded.

Sora coughed up blood as the explosion rippled out. He had no time to evade. His hair was thrown into disarray, and he let out a miserable shriek. At the same time, Naruto's second true self closed in.

As soon as Naruto appeared outside, booms filled the air as Mei, Futsu, Fugai, as well as the Hebi Clan members, and even Chosen from other sects, along with their Dao protectors, all attacked.

The gleam of spell formations appeared on the ground, which had been set up in secret earlier in order to cause problems for Naruto.

Some people even used magical items. Massive roaring filled the area in the blink of an eye. Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then sped backward in the war chariot. Lightning flickered as he switched positions several times in a row before he was finally able to extricate himself. Just when he was almost back into the courtyard, a sword shot through the air toward him. The sword filled the darkness with brilliant light, and left a bright streak in the air as it bore down on Naruto.

The shocking sword caused Naruto's face to flicker. He quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing divine abilities to explode out. At the same time, his Dharma Idol appeared and blocked the sword. Rumbling shook everything as the sword unexpectedly sliced through the Dharma Idol and then slashed down onto the war chariot.

A huge boom filled the air, and blood sprayed out of Naruto's mouth. However, he borrowed the momentum from the blast to shoot back into the courtyard. Once inside, he coughed up another mouthful of blood and then suddenly looked up. At some point, Chiyo had appeared right in front of the temple gate. His right hand stretched out, surrounded by swirling Karma power, clearly on the verge of passing into the courtyard.

Then, it did pass into the courtyard itself, apparently completely unaffected by the restrictive spells. Rumbling like thunder rippled out as he stretched his hand out about three inches into the courtyard. However, at that point, he could proceed no further and he slowly retracted his hand.

Many gasps could be heard from the crowd as they looked at Chiyo, whose back was to them all, making it impossible for them to see his facial expression.

Naruto's pupils constricted, and his heart trembled. As of this point, he was now aware of how incredibly powerful Chiyo was.

"Let me in, and I'll spare your life," said Chiyo. It was hard to tell whether his voice was that of a man or a woman. However, it was completely cold-blooded, and filled with a lust for battle.

Naruto smiled and wiped the blood off of his mouth. He then turned and walked over to the seriously wounded Sora, who had already been restrained and tied up by his second true self.

Sora glared hatefully at Naruto, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Naruto wasn't in the mood for chattering, so he simply slapped Sora in the face a few times, which of course cause his rage to surge even higher. Without another word, he took Sora's bag of holdings, rifled through them, and then finally then pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"I won't sign that thing even if you kill me!" raged Sora, looking especially ferocious because of the scar running down his face.

"Won't sign it?" Naruto responded coolly. He turned to look over at the swinging vine, from which the sounds of faint laughter and the drip of black blood could be heard. "Lily, weren't you looking for a friend to swing with you?"

From what Naruto could tell, Inky and Lily had changed quite a bit ever since the crazy old man gave Naruto his approval.

As soon as Naruto spoke, the swing stopped moving. Then, the astonished Sora flew up into the air, his body clearly completely out of his own control. Next, his body began to shrink; in the blink of an eye, he looked like he was seven or eight years old. Finally, he floated down to land on the vine, where he began to swing back and forth.

His expression was numb, but intense terror could be seen in his eyes.

At this point, the faint glow of dawn was just becoming visible. Soon, the strange phenomena inside the courtyard would disappear.

Killing intent flickered in the eyes of the crowd outside. This was especially true of the cultivators from Mount Sun and the Nadeshiko Clan, and the various Chosen who were smitten with Fū from the Nine Seas God World.

Naruto frowned. After looking up at the sky, he walked back into the temple hall, where he looked around at the Dao Projections and the ancient bronze lamp. Finally, he sighed.

"49 days total, but only half of them have gone by. Obviously… there's no way I can keep people out of this place for that long.

"There are simply too many of them outside. So far, I've only been able to stretch things out for two days…." He stood in front of the bronze lamp and looked at the flickering flame. During the day, the flame would go out, but after having observed the item for so long, Naruto knew that the flame itself wasn't truly extinguished. The heart of the flame still existed.

The lamp itself only burned brightly at night.

Muttering, Naruto once again poured some blood into the flames, which hissed and then emitted a delicate fragrance that left him feeling enlivened after smelling it.

"I'm not supposed to let anyone come inside to touch the lamp and contaminate it with their aura. It's… fundamentally impossible to meet that requirement." Naruto sighed. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed completely unfeasible. Furthermore, the sky was almost bright….

Naruto could sense the killing intent coming from the groups outside the courtyard. He was like a thorn in their sides, someone blocking their path to good fortune. Furthermore, some of that killing intent resulted directly from him offending people.

"Well, if I have to ask for help from dad and mom because of something as trivial as this, then I'm not Naruto!" His eyes began to shine with a cold gleam. Before reaching Dao Seeking, he had not relied on any assistance from his father and mother. He had stepped halfway into true Immortality all by himself.

He had experienced multiple deadly situations, had battled Madara in the Milky Way Sea, had tread the narrow gap between life and death, had fought in the great war of the Southern Domain, and had risen to the pinnacle of prominence.

Those were all things that made Naruto feel quite proud of himself.

"Besides, my road leads beyond Lands of Ninshu, whereas dad and mom… must stay here for 100,000 years. I have to walk my path alone. If I want good fortune… I'll take the risks myself and earn it myself!

"If I did it any differently, I'd be the same as all of those people out there." The desire to fight gleamed in his eyes. He took a deep breath, when suddenly, a new idea appeared in his mind. He stopped in place, and a strange expression filled his face.

"Wait a second….

"That crazy old man said that I couldn't let the flame be extinguished for 49 nights. He also said that I couldn't let anyone come in here to touch the lamp.

"In other words, actually stepping foot into this place isn't the problem. As long as no one touches the lamp, then the requirement will be met, right?" Naruto's eyes sparkled.

"If that's true, then it also goes to say that… it doesn't matter what I do; I could even take the bronze lamp away from here. As long as nobody else touches it, and it remains unextinguished, then everything will be fine."

Having reached this point in his train of thought, he began to pant. A gleam of determination appeared in his eyes, and he decided that since he couldn't prevent everyone from entering this place, he might as well… try out his new idea!

He immediately stretched his hand out and grabbed the lamp. The instant he tried to actually pick it up, he realized that the lamp was completely immovable; there was no way for him to put it in his bag of holding. A strange light flickered in his eyes as he rotated his cultivation base at full power. His Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and Naruto used all the power he could muster to try to pull up the bronze lamp.

Shocking rumbles could be heard coming from within the temple hall. The ground trembled and the entire temple shook. A deep, subterranean rumble could be heard, as well as the sound of laughing and crying from the courtyard. The mountain range, and in fact, the entire land, was shaking violently.

The crowds outside the courtyard stared at the temple hall in shock.

In that instant, all of the lands of Lands of Ninshu were shaken, to the extent that the entire planet temporarily ceased to rotate!

The Milky Way Sea roared, and all the continents trembled. All the powerful experts in Lands of Ninshu were shaking in astonishment!

In the Sky Tower, Naruto's father and mother were in the middle of playing a game of Go when suddenly his father's face flickered. Even as he looked up, Naruto's mother's face also flickered.

"That's…."

"The Immortal Ancient is in motion. Not good! There must have been some kind of accident!" Naruto's father rose to his feet and was just about to fly up into the air, when both he and Naruto's mother stopped in place. Their expressions flickered as they saw a figure approaching from off in the distance.

He had long gray hair, an ordinary-looking robe, and looked completely archaic. His eyes were filled with the glow of heavenly bodies. Not only did he look like a person who existed inside a painting, he looked like the type of person who could paint a multitude of universes with a wave of his hand.

Naruto's parents were immediately shaken. They clasped hands and bowed.

"Minato offers greetings, senior!"

"Kushina offers respectful greetings, senior!"

This was the same man who had appeared to them on Planet East Victory, and had indicated that they should come to Planet Lands of Ninshu. He was the one who had directed them to guard the planet for 100,000 years. He was… an Outsider!

If Naruto were here, he would immediately recognize that this person was… Sai!

"The chance for the Immortal was consumed by the Dao of Heaven," he murmured. "The Dao path has overlapped with the ancient. I saw nine fluttering butterflies once again flying in approach. I saw the one who has vanished; and the look in his eyes as he turned his head to look back…. It can't be predicted anymore, and I can't see through it anymore…. He… actually managed to change his fate!" A strange gleam appeared in his eyes as he gazed toward the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple in the distant mountains.

At the same time, within the Inner Ring of the Milky Way Sea, the water was boiling. A gray fog suddenly rose up, which spread out in all directions, filled with an aura of death.

An ancient ship slowly pierced through the fog, and as it did it seemed to cause flickering images of countless worlds to appear within the fog.

It almost seemed like the ship had just come from ancient times, and was now making an appearance in this day and age.

At the prow of the ship was an old man wearing a dilapidated suit of armor. His long hair was the color of silver, and it was impossible to see his facial features. It was only possible to see a pair of blank eyes that seemed to be staring off into eternity, looking for the answer to some unanswerable question.

Suddenly, the old man raised his head up and looked in the direction of the ancient Daoist rite temple off in the Eastern Lands.

"Who… has shaken the world?"

All of the ripples which were spreading out throughout Planet Lands of Ninshu suddenly vanished.

Outside the Sky Tower, Naruto's parents listened to Sai's words, and were shaken.

"Impossible to predict. He has changed his destiny.

"You two must not interfere; too many Karmic connections would be detrimental to him…. He… is connected to Lands of Ninshu by destiny."

"Senior…." said Naruto's father, his voice anxious as he looked at Sai.

"The tribulation…. is coming," murmured Sai. "I have seen countless corpses, and endless rivers of blood. I have seen the calamity which will leave only nine mountains in the starry sky. That calamity… is not very far off.

"The existences that were once subdued cannot cross over from ancient times, but the ones who escaped subdual will return full of vengeance….

"When was the enmity created? What was its root cause? Forgotten…. They've all forgotten everything…. Nobody remembers anymore….

"They… enslaved the Dao of Heaven. And they are on their way." He shook his head slowly.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the mountains, in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, the ground was quaking outside of the temple. Everyone was astonished as they listened to the shrill sound of weeping mixed with laughter, and the incredible roaring coming from deep beneath the ground. Then they saw the temple itself shaking. Cracks spread out, and suddenly, an illusory Daoist rite temple appeared once again.

Inside the temple hall, Naruto's face was pale. All he had wanted to do was to pick up the bronze lamp, so the intense rumbling, and the quaking of the land, caused his eyes to go wide.

Furthermore, he now could not separate his hand from the bronze lamp; intense pain stabbed into his hand, causing the skin to be slit open and blood to spray out, which was then absorbed by the bronze lamp.

After absorbing the blood, the lantern's flame burned even more radiantly. It emanated a red glow which seemed capable of piercing the air and tearing open the barrier to ancient times. Naruto was suddenly able to sense that everything was in motion.

The images around him began to rotate, spinning faster and faster, until they were roaring violently in the form of a vortex.

It was hard to say how long it lasted, but at a certain point the vortex suddenly ceased moving. Shaking, Naruto looked around to see… the exact same ancient Daoist rite temple that he had seen before. He could hear the sound of a sermon being given about the Dao, and everyone sat cross-legged beneath a river of stars.

On the altar was an old man who waved his hand, causing everything in Heaven and Earth to suddenly reverse; an enormous "Immortal" character appeared….

Shockingly, the "Immortal" superimposed over Naruto. It was as if the oil lamp in his hand had turned into the mountain, while he was the person! Together, they transformed into the character… "Immortal!"

Countless eyes fell upon him, and Naruto's mind spun. Everything that was happening was far too incredible, and he could barely believe it.

Next, the lamp began to absorb more and more of his blood. His face went pale as the world around him spun. Rumbling filled the air as everything once again ceased moving. Shockingly, Naruto found himself looking at yet another world.

An enormous hand could be seen in the sky, which smashed directly into the ground. There were countless cultivators locked in deadly combat; they attacked by hauling stars out of the sky and transforming them into divine abilities.

To defend, enormous swaths of earth were ripped up and hurled into the sky.

There was an enormous, amorphous figure who had stars shining in its forehead. Next to it were innumerable furred creatures with long tentacles, as large as planets, wreaking death in all directions.

It was impossible for Naruto to tell who was friend or foe. There were multiple powers all fighting each other. Far off in the distance, he saw an enormous rift tearing open to reveal… nine suns!

They were nine suns that caused the starry sky to tremble, caused the void to shatter into fragments, and caused all life to be extinguished!

Unexpectedly, the nine suns were hauling an enormous stone statue through the rift. The statue depicted a man who had ordinary features and yet emanated an unforgettable aura!

An indescribably large shadow began to spread out, seemingly intent on covering up the entire starry sky. From the look of it, it was possible to see that it was something completely unique and bizarre.

People began to cry out in alarm, to shout about the Dao of Heaven….

Even more shocking, from a different direction, nine butterflies could be seen flying in approach. They were indescribably gargantuan, larger than anything else. In the moment they appeared, what seemed like portals that led to other worlds opened up on their bodies, from within which emerged clouds of figures. Even more shocking was that behind the butterflies, Naruto could see what seemed like a huge land mass which was threatening to fill the entire sky as it approached.

"The world of Immortals is the source of all chaos! Immortals are the pinnacle of evil!" It was impossible to tell who this voice that rang out in Naruto's vision belonged to. The only thing that he could see were the nine suns, the nine butterflies, and below them, nine shocking mountains.

Massive rumbling filled everything, and then the vision faded away. Naruto's mind was reeling, and everything around him was shattered to pieces. Once again, a vortex formed, with Naruto in the middle of it. He reappeared from ancient times, and stepped out into the temple hall.

Almost all of his blood had been sucked out of his body into the bronze lamp. As for the lamp…. It had of its own volition floated up into the air above Naruto's head, where it was now flickering dimly.

It was at this point that the sky outside… grew bright!

In the moment in which dawn broke, the bronze lamp above Naruto's head flickered and transformed into an ember. It was not extinguished, but rather, turned into a weak, green smoke that bored into Naruto's mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. All of a sudden, he experienced an unprecedented clarity.

Naruto's mind trembled, and his eyes glittered brightly. He knew that now was not the time to hesitate. Followed by the shadow that was his second true self, Naruto emerged from the temple hall, flicking his sleeve to collect up Bisuke and Sora, who he then tossed into his bag of holding. He glanced at the well, which was still sealed by the Ninth Mountain, and then unhesitatingly left the courtyard.

When he emerged from the main gate, he saw that everyone outside had blank expressions on their faces. Apparently, they were still caught up in the vision of ancient times. Even the sons of Hebi were trembling.

Naruto immediately started flying. However, a beam of sword light screamed through the air toward him before he could get very far. It was none other than Kazan!

As it turned out, he was the first to awaken!

More people began to wake up, and when they saw Naruto, they instantly unleashed magical techniques as they chased after him.

"Hey, the Daoist rite temple is all yours!" he called. The war chariot appeared, and instantly shot forward at incredible speed. The incoming magic from his pursuers very nearly overwhelmed him.

Thankfully, he hadn't paused for even the slightest moment; furthermore, his mind was incredibly clear because of the bronze lamp. Everyone else, even Kazan, had just come to their senses, and as such, found it difficult to employ the full power of their cultivation bases.

Rumbling filled the air, and Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. However, he was being doggedly pursued, so he shot forward at top speed toward that narrow path surrounded on either sides by high cliffs.

Unfortunately, the airspace was restricted, and it quickly became apparent that the war chariot was having difficulty staying aloft. It began to slow down rapidly as soon as he entered the narrow path, until Naruto was finally forced to put it away. As soon as he touched down onto the ground, he shot away like an arrow from a bow. A whizzing sound could be heard as he shot off into the distance.

There were hundreds of people pursuing him, although none of them were Chosen. Instead, they were the Dao Protectors from the various sects and clans. Only Mount Sun and the Nadeshiko Clan sent all of their forces after him.

The other Chosen, after awakening, looked at the empty temple and then charged in.

As soon as they entered the place, the mountain above the well collapsed into pieces, and the desolate wail of a woman could be heard.

"Naruto! Things are NOT finished between us!" Fū flowed up from within the well, her face pale and her hair disheveled. All of the other Chosen who were so smitten with her were just about to rush forward to her when suddenly, they gasped. They looked at Fū with astonishment, and slowly began to back up.

Fū gaped, and her face fell. It was then that she raised her right hand; a bright light flashed, and a mirror appeared. When she looked into the mirror she could see that her face, although somewhat pale, was still as beautiful as ever.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Except then….

"Fū, b-behind you…."

"There's someone behind you!"

"Why… why did you carry a corpse up here on your back…?"

It was at this point that Fū caught sight of something else in the mirror's reflection. Behind her… floated the corpse of a woman, the exact same corpse which had tormented her inside the well.

Fū felt like her head was going to explode. She immediately flew up into the air, only to find that the corpse did exactly the same thing. It was almost as if their souls were connected; apparently, it would follow her no matter where she went.

Fū could only imagine what it would be like if, no matter where she went, she was followed by a corpse that had been fermenting in water for millions of years…. Such a matter would completely shock the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea once word got out.

Fū screamed….

"Naruto, I'm going to kill you. KILL you!"

By this point, the other Chosen had already entered the temple hall. They looked around in shock for a moment, then immediately fled out of the temple complex. Cracks spread out rapidly, and the ground shattered into a chasm, into which the entire temple immediately fell!

Thankfully, everyone moved with enough speed that no one was caught up in the destruction. However, they all looked back in shock as the remains of the temple were sucked down into the ground. After that, the ground returned to its normal state, as if nothing had ever been there….

"Dammit! That bronze lamp that Naruto took was obviously a precious treasure from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple!"

"He definitely has the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion!"

"Get him! The airspace here is restricted, so he can't have gotten far. Seal the entire mountain range! Lock down the air! Dig up the earth until we find him!"

It took only a moment for everyone from all of the various sects and clans of the Ninth Mountain and Sea to be sent into a blur of motion. They used a variety of techniques to lock down the mountain range. They used shocking divine will, secret magics, and various divine abilities as they spread out in all directions to search for Naruto.

This was especially true of Fū, who cried out shrilly as she sped through the air. Normally she was surrounded with a calm, holy air. That was gone now; any beautiful woman would be incapable of doing so when being constantly followed around by a corpse.

She could imagine how soon, news of the matter would spread throughout the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, which made her hatred for Naruto rise to new heights.

As for the Chosen from the rest of the sects and clans, they were proud people, and were the type who didn't like to show inferiority to anyone. Although they were used to the constant competition and fighting with other Chosen and the dangers that came along with that, they were not used to coming up empty-handed in their endeavors. Instead, they usually compared amongst themselves to see who ended up with more good fortune than the others.

But this time… in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, when meeting Naruto for the first time, they also encountered another first. They came face to face with incredible good fortune, but were unable to get even a scrap of it.

And when they thought of how Naruto had hoodwinked them all, had run a deadly con on them, it caused them to hate him so much that their gums itched.

"Too shameless! That guy is evil to the marrow!"

"For someone as extreme as that to NOT be famous in the outside world is simply impossible! He's most likely a cultivator from Planet Lands of Ninshu!"

"It doesn't matter who he is! We'll make him cough up the good fortune he stole from us!"

Whooshing sounds filled the air as hundreds of cultivators employed their top speed to spread out through the boundless mountains. They formed something like a huge web as they searched for Naruto.

Naruto proceeded along cautiously. Despite employing a variety of methods, he was unable to get the bronze lamp into his bag of holding. He was forced to just deal with it floating there, flickering above his head.

The land around him trembled, and divine sense swept about. Naruto increased his speed. These mountains were huge, and were also dotted with restrictive spells that, if accidentally triggered, would very likely kill him. Because of that, he wasn't able to maintain top speed.

As he proceeded along cautiously, his eyes gleamed brightly. Before, he had moved around in the area in front of the temple, but now the whole sprawling mountain range was open to him.

"Now that they'll be forced to come at me one by one, I'm curious to see which of these Chosen from the outside is actually the most powerful!"

Time passed by. Soon, it was midday. Naruto happened to be in a forested area, when suddenly his expression flickered, and he shot backward. A black arrow slammed into the ground where he had just been standing. The ground exploded, sending dirt and vegetation showering into the air. Then a cold snort could be heard.

"So, this is where you've been hiding!" someone said. A young man appeared, wearing a magnificent violet robe embroidered with dragons. He wore a crown on his head, and his cultivation base was incredible, beyond the peak of Dao Seeking. As soon as he appeared, his gaze locked onto the bronze lamp above Naruto's head.

"If I can subdue you, then I, Chiriku, will achieve even more fame than before! The good fortune of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple will belong to me!"

Next to Chiriku was an old man who radiated an archaic aura. He seemed extremely ancient, and although he was initially unprepossessing in appearance, his eyes suddenly began to shine brightly like two suns.

Chiriku turned to the old man and said, "Subdue him!"

The old man looked at Naruto and smiled. His body then surged with energy, almost as if an Immortal were inside him, sitting in meditation. As he stepped forward, ripples spread out, distorting the air around him.

Naruto silently turned to face the two people, and his eyes narrowed. He remembered these two; the young man was one of the Chosen he had seen back at the temple, one of the group of seven or eight who had attacked him.

"Let's see if you've got the skill to suppress Naruto," he said with a slight smile.

As the old man stepped forward, the world in front of Naruto seemed to stretch out, and then suddenly shrink back to normal. When the interchange was completed, the old man was standing directly in front of Naruto.

"Die!" he said coolly, extending his right hand. Something like a sun appeared in his hand, which began to emanate brilliant light. As the light enveloped Naruto, Naruto snorted coldly. Not only did he not retreat, he actually advanced, and as he stepped forward, a shadow appeared behind him that turned into his second true self. It radiated a murderous aura as it headed toward the violet-robed Chiriku.

"Kill the old one first, then cut down the young one!" said Naruto coolly. His Dharma Idol appeared, bursting with the energy of a cultivation base half a step into true Immortality. The Dharma Idol's hands lifted up and pushed out to fight back against the old man.

Rumbling filled the air, and the old man's arms trembled. A cold light appeared in his eye that was filled with a murderous aura. His body suddenly seemed to turn weak and skinny, but an incredible energy surged out from within him. He clenched his palm into a fist and then punched out toward Naruto.

Off to the side, Naruto's second true self was already fighting with the violet-robed Chiriku. Booms echoed and ripples spread out in all directions.

In ten short breaths of time, Naruto and the old man exchanged over a hundred moves. Suddenly, a blood-colored vortex appeared beneath Naruto, and the old man's face flickered in response. Naruto then shot backward, and the vortex began to speed toward the old man, apparently capable of sucking in any physical object in the area.

The old man's eyes flashed and he performed an incantation gesture. Shockingly, the illusory image of an emperor appeared behind the old man, who then waved his hand toward Naruto.

A look of scorn appeared on Naruto's face, and in the blink of an eye, he shapeshifted into a huge roc. With shocking speed, he flew past the old man toward his second true self and the violet-robed Chiriku.

The old man's face fell, and he immediately shot after him in pursuit.

Chiriku's face flickered, and he roared, "Wherever the Emperor stands is sovereign territory!" He performed a double-handed incantation and spit out a mouthful of blood. An emperor identical to the one behind the old man appeared behind him and took a step forward, causing the entire area to be locked down.

Naruto didn't say anything. He slapped his bag of holding with his right hand, causing a beast claw to appear. Using his superficial knowledge of its workings, he sent it slashing forward.

Sky and land darkened, and the screech of a cat filled the air. A black illusory cat appeared, which then clawed at the sealing power that had locked down the area. A boom filled the air as the sealing power was shattered.

In that instant, roc-form Naruto moved like lightning to appear directly in front of Chiriku, whose eyes narrowed. Even as he backed up, Naruto closed in and slashed a claw-like hand at him, and they began to fight.

The Ninth Mountain appeared next to Naruto, blocking an attack from the old man. At the same time, Naruto unleashed the Star Plucking Magic. An enormous hand appeared which grabbed Chiriku. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he struggled mightily, but Naruto closed in on him and pushed down onto his chest. The Blood Demon Grand Magic surged, and Chiriku screamed as his body withered up. Then Naruto quickly sealed him and tossed him into his bag of holding.

As he turned, the old man let out a roar of rage. His eyes were completely bloodshot as he watched Naruto capture the Young Lord Chiriku. He was instantly sent into a violent rage.

"Shouting isn't going to do you any good," said Naruto with a cold laugh. "You're not strong enough to suppress me, and yet you provoke me anyway? You've brought your death upon yourself." As Naruto sped backward, the old man shot toward him, howling furiously. The emperor image behind him let off a shocking pressure, causing Naruto's face to flicker. This old man was a Dao Protector and, despite his sealed cultivation base, was still incredibly powerful.

Naruto snorted coldly, and his eyes flickered. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, Shisui burst out from the forest behind Naruto. He had already been in the area when he sensed the ripples emanating out from the fighting. As soon as he appeared, his vision suddenly rippled, and electricity flashed all around him. In the next breath, he and Naruto had switched positions.

"Many thanks, little brother Uchiha," Naruto laughed. He instantly disappeared into the forest. His second true self transformed into a shadow and then vanished.

Shisui and the enraged old man slammed into each other, causing a huge boom to rattle out. Then they turned their heads in the direction Naruto had disappeared, and killing intent surged. Without another word, they shot after him in pursuit.

Naruto grumbled to himself in irritation, then gritted his teeth and sped onward.

Two hours passed in a flash. In addition to his incredible speed, Naruto also had the Lightning Cauldron. As he flitted through the forest, he sent his divine sense out. The forested area was not small, and although he was being pursued, it was relatively easy for him to make his way freely through the trees.

After a while, he slapped his bag of holding with his right hand, causing the crown-wearing Chiriku to appear.

"I'm from the Church of the Emperor Imm—"

POW!

Naruto slapped him across the side of the face.

Chiriku's eyes turned red and he glared at Naruto, panting. However, he didn't say anything further. Naruto completely ignored him, and instead looked through Chiriku's bag of holding, and then patted Chiriku down. In the end, his eyes went wide.

"You have nothing at all?" he said angrily. "What happened on your way here, did you get robbed or something?" He felt as if he had been fooled into snatching someone who was actually poorer than himself.

Chiriku's bag of holding had absolutely nothing in it….

Chiriku wanted to howl with rage. As a Chosen from the Church of the Emperor Immortal, he had come to Lands of Ninshu with vast quantities of magical items, and even some very rare items. In fact, some of the magical weapons were specifically useful because of his type of cultivation base, and could push his divine abilities to the peak of their power. However… before meeting Naruto, he actually had been robbed in a very humiliating fashion.

That was one reason why it had been so easy for Naruto to capture him.

"Are all of you people from Planet Lands of Ninshu bandits!?" said Chiriku through gritted teeth, his heart dripping with blood.

Naruto stared in shock. All it took was one question, and Chiriku revealed the truth. Naruto thought about it, and couldn't recall anyone in the lands of Lands of Ninshu who had tried to steal business from him. However, now that a competitor had appeared, he realized he needed to be on guard.

"Well, whatever," Naruto said with a slight sigh. "I guess it's just my bad luck. Now, write up a promissory note!"

"Y-you…. Forget about it! I'm not writing any promissory note!"

"You don't give me any magical items, and you won't write a promissory note?! You useless piece of crap! If it weren't for the fact that I don't want to cause any unnecessary problems for my dad and mom, I would just cut you down!" Glaring, Naruto reached out and grabbed him by the hair, then sealed his mouth and cultivation base, and finally, cast a minor magical spell on him that he had learned in the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Then, he sped off, dragging Chiriku by the hair behind him on the ground….

Chiriku was trembling. His cultivation base was sealed, as was his mouth. Whatever magical technique it was that Naruto had just used on him caused his sensitivity to pain to increase severalfold, making it so that being dragged across the ground felt like death by a thousand cuts….

As he was dragged along, Chiriku lost consciousness from the pain several times. However, the misery quickly caused him to reawaken. This was a feeling the likes of which he had never experienced before in his entire life.

Were he able to shout, he would definitely scream with incredible bitterness.

Naruto didn't even look at him. He gripped his hair tightly as he dragged him along, intentionally choosing a rough and difficult path to tread. Chiriku had no choice but to bump along behind him on the ground like a writhing snake.

Soon, darkness began to fall. When everything was pitch black, the bronze lamp above Naruto's head suddenly trembled. Naruto stopped in his tracks as he sensed the blood in his body being absorbed by the lamp. His face went pale as the lamp's flame hissed to life.

The flame was dim, but it cast countless shadows in all directions. Someone far away would not be able to see it, but anyone nearby would definitely notice.

Naruto frowned, but after trying everything he could to prevent the light from shining out, and failing, he sighed lightly and proceeded forward with glittering eyes. Instead of leaving the mountain range, he headed deeper in, proceeding along as fast as possible.

Here, there were many more restrictive spells….

Everything was silent. There was wind, but it made absolutely no noise as it brushed across his face. Chiriku's pain caused him to hover between life and death as Naruto dragged him around for several hours. By now, it was the middle of the night, and as Naruto walked along, he suddenly stopped in place. A sense of deadly crisis rose up, and he turned to find a woman approaching through the trees.

She was incredibly beautiful, and as she walked out from the darkness, she looked as if she were descending from an Immortal paradise. She wore a long gown and had mark on her forehead in the shape of a willow leaf. Everything seemed to fade in comparison to her beauty, as if she were the only thing worth looking at in the world.

"Give me the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion," she said calmly. This was none other than Mei from Planet North Reed. When she looked over at Naruto, her eyes seemed to be filled with heavenly bodies.

As she walked along, the grass swayed gently and grew taller, and flowers bloomed, as if her aura breathed life into everything around her.

"When Fū was around, I didn't notice that you were also really quite pretty," said Naruto, his eyes widening. Mei was another of the people who had ganged up to attack him earlier, and in the brief interchange with her, he could tell that she was beyond ordinary.

There was something dreadful lurking within her aura, although the only physical thing that drew Naruto's attention… was the willow mark on her forehead.

However, what caused his eyes to become like sharp blades was the fact that… there were no Dao Protectors standing next to her.

He clearly remembered that back when she stood outside of the courtyard, she had been followed by Dao Protectors. That there were none with her now indicated that she was extremely self-confident. Apparently there were quite a few other Chosen who possessed such confidence.

Kazan was the same, as was Chiyo. Fū was like that, and now this Mei.

Mei's expression didn't change at all in response to Naruto's words, as if she didn't care about them at all. She continued to walk forward, an intense energy surging out that caused an enormous, shocking tree to appear behind her.

The tree was wizened and withered, and a vine wrapped around it that looked like a flood dragon. The tree itself was pitch-black, but its leaves were emerald-green.

"Are you going to give it to me, or not?" she asked. Her expression seemed calm, but her eyes were filled with arrogant pride as she gazed at Naruto.

Naruto sighed, and then said, "I want to give it to you, but… I'm already married."

His words caused Mei's jaw to involuntarily drop. Naruto's response had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with her actual question.

Even as she gaped in shock, Naruto's eyes began to glow brightly. His Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and he shot forward in a flash, clenching his hand into a fist and punching toward Mei.

Chiriku had already been tossed off to the side. He was bound up, so all he could do was look on with anticipation as Naruto and Mei began to fight.

"You aboriginal Lands of Ninshu cultivators are incompetent insects," she said coolly. The vine on the huge tree behind her began to glow, and then countless branches shot out, slamming into Naruto's Dharma Idol with a boom. At the same time, Naruto's punch slammed into a huge leaf which blocked his way.

However, before Mei's expression could even change, Naruto snorted and then lifted up his left hand, within which appeared the Lightning Cauldron. As electricity danced, a scornful smile appeared on Mei's face.

"You can't get away!" she said. As the words left her mouth, countless branches sprouted up around Chiriku, completely locking him in place.

"I wasn't planning to run!" he said, almost simultaneously. Electricity flashed, and Naruto and Mei switched places!

Naruto really hadn't planned to flee, but instead, switched locations with Mei instead of Chiriku!

Mei was shocked, and before she could react, a rumbling echoed out as, in the blink of an eye, she and Naruto switched places seven or eight more times.

The rapid frequency of the transpositioning was something Mei couldn't deal with. One time was fine, and two could be dealt with. But after the third time, being shuttled back and forth left her feeling as if she would be ripped apart.

Thankfully, Naruto had an incredibly tough fleshly body, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to handle it either.

What caused Mei's face to fall more than anything else was how Naruto was able to launch attacks even in the middle of switching back and forth. He was able to use his divine abilities exactly as he normally could, but often Meis attacks would be interrupted.

BOOOMMMM!

In the blink of an eye, a brilliant light began to shine out from Mei. A vine flew out, which transformed into a flood dragon that shot between her and Naruto, tearing a rift into the air itself, pushing them completely apart.

Mei shot back rapidly, blood spurting out of her mouth. She looked up to glare at Naruto, shocked at the incredible power of his fleshly body.

"Despicable!" she said. However, electricity crackled around Naruto even as the words left her mouth, causing her face to fall.

However, Naruto did not switch positions; he was merely using the dancing lightning to startle her. He punched out again, followed by his Dharma Idol. At the same time, his second true self appeared, and was just about to assist in suppressing Mei when, shockingly, a Dharma Clone of Mei stepped out of thin air!

The Dharma Clone immediately began to battle with Naruto's second true self.

Booms filled the air, and Naruto roared as he turned into a roc, which flew forward as fast as lightning. Mei had already been injured, and now she was being forced back bit by bit. Naruto was incredibly ferocious, and his attacks provoked peals thunder and flashes of lightning. There was an aura of invincibility surrounding him that caused Mei to feel suppressed.

In a short period of time, the space of only a few breaths, they fought back and forth viciously. The Blood Demon Grand Magic reappeared. In response, Mei clasped her hands together above her, causing her entire body to glow with brilliant emerald-green light that transformed into the shape of a magical bottle which fought back against the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

Naruto transformed from a roc to the form of a Blood Demon head, slammed into the magical bottle, causing it to explode. At the same time, Mei waved her right hand, causing the image of a vine to materialize, which then slapped into Naruto.

The Blood Demon head shattered, causing blood to ooze from Naruto's mouth. However, he didn't retreat in the least. Instead, he charged forward, his fleshly body bursting with intense power. He waved a hand, causing countless enormous mountains to appear one after another. They became a mountain range that forced Mei to retreat, her heart filled with shock. From what she could tell, Naruto was actually more powerful now than he had been when fighting Fū.

In fact, he seemed to be building up his energy!

"He could actually become invincible," she thought. "I can't let him finish building up that energy. Otherwise… this battle will end with my defeat!" Eyes flickering, she backed up, performing a double handed incantation, her expression unprecedentedly solemn.

"World Tree, detonate. Rebuke the Heavens with your spirit. Transform for me! Stifle all the Earth!" As she spoke, she shoved both of her hands out in front of her. A sound could be heard that seemed explosive, and yet at the same time, stifled, like the thump of a heartbeat.

Naruto's face flickered. A second sound rang out, then a third, and a fourth. It was at that point, that the huge tree behind Mei collapsed into pieces, as if it had just passed through countless years of time. The pieces transformed into a three-hundred-meter log that then passed through Mei to shoot toward Naruto.

Naruto immediately sensed critical danger as the log neared him, as if it were filled with death itself. In that critical moment, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a rock.

It was a golden-colored rock that looked like a sun, which he shoved out toward the incoming log, filling it with all the power of his cultivation base. Even his Dharma Idol faded as he called upon all the power he could muster. A brilliant light exploded out, illuminating everything in the entire area in a way that everyone in the entire mountain range could see.

Something that looked like a burning sun slammed into the log, causing the ground to quake and the heavenly bodies up above to tremble. The log melted, and the stone's light faded away. Blood oozed out of Naruto's mouth, and Mei convulsed violently. Blood sprayed from her mouth, and she retreated backward with an expression of complete disbelief on her face.

"Trying to run away?" said Naruto, eyes flickering with killing intent. "My mom has no maidservant and you'll do just fine!" With that he extended his hand and pointed toward Mei.

The Eighth Demon Sealing Hex immediately surged out.

In that instant, Mei's face fell. All of a sudden, it was as if she had no cultivation base. Although it only lasted for a moment, in the middle of magical battle, a moment could change everything.

She stopped in midair, and Naruto appeared next to her. He was just about to reach out and grab her when a vicious expression appeared on her face. The air behind her flickered as she prepared to once again utilize the same magic she had used moments before.

However, there was no way Naruto would allow that. The Lightning Cauldron appeared, and they once again switched places. Then, again and again, until they had switched places dozens of times!

Even Naruto was having difficulty enduring, and his skin began to split and tear. Mei was even worse off; she coughed up blood as she sustained serious internal injuries.

Gritting her teeth, she crushed a jade slip, causing ripples to spread out into the air. Clearly, she was just on the verge of teleporting away. Naruto snorted, then lifted his right hand and employed the Star Plucking Magic… to suddenly viciously grab Mei's firm rear end and drag her back toward him.

Mei trembled, and her entire body went numb. Goosebumps spread out over her skin as she was pulled back to Naruto. He sealed her cultivation base, and then everything went dark as she was shoved into his bag of holding.

Off to the side, Chiriku's eyes were wide with astonishment as he watched Naruto tuck Mei into his bag of holding. The attacks he had seen just now left his scalp tingling.

"This guy's just one of those aboriginal local cultivators, how… how could he be so powerful!?"

Meanwhile, a roar of rage drifted out from some distance off. The voice belonged to Fū, who was followed by a large group of people.

Naruto's body flickered as he once again put Chiriku into his bag of holding. His second true self turned into his shadow as he then sped off into the distance.

The burning lamp floating above his head let off a weak light as Naruto proceeded forward. He wiped the blood off of his mouth and then produced some medicinal pills to consume. His eyes shone with a brilliant gleam as a beam of Sword Chakra flew down from a nearby mountain peak, where a single silhouette could be seen.

It was Kazan, who was separated from Naruto by a mountainous valley. The airspace in this area was restricted, so he was incapable of flying directly over. However, his Sword Chakra could slice through the air, and its incredible energy caused huge ripples to spread out in all directions as it descended on Naruto. Everyone to whom it was visible found it completely shocking.

Naruto looked up at the incoming Sword Chakra, and couldn't help but recall the nine sword forms taught to him by his father. Although the incoming sword was nothing compared to his father's, he could see some clues regarding the Dao of the sword within it.

His eyes shone with a strange gleam as he took a deep breath, then extended his left leg. His body bent like a bow, and in his mind, he could visualize the breathing technique his father had passed down to him. In that instant, multilayered ripples spread out, and the ground seemed to shrink. Naruto himself suddenly seemed to grow rapidly.

As he breathed, it seemed as if all the energy in the entire area were being sucked into him. Popping sounds could be heard as, although his hand did not hold a sword, shockingly… scattered bits of Sword Chakra appeared!

Naruto felt like his body was about to explode. He knew that the next movement involved moving his right foot forward, and that it must be executed rapidly along with a powerful gust of wind. Unfortunately, he wasn't capable of executing the movement properly. His body was already at its limit, filled with incredible, and in fact too much, power.

He decided not to go into the second movement, and instead, swept his arm up into the sky like an arrow. Immediately, all the hair on his body stood on end and the incredible energy within him, along with all the power of his cultivation base, exploded out.

Rumbling filled the air as the onlookers saw a shocking Sword Chakra on the mountain Naruto stood on. Although it was unfocused, it was still able to surge out and meet the incoming Sword Chakra from Kazan.

Cries of surprise instantly rang out throughout the mountains.

"The Dao of the sword!"

"What?! He's… he's proficient in the Dao of the sword too!?"

"The sword!? Only people with benevolent hearts can cultivate that Dao. This guy is shameless to the extreme! How is it possible for him to utilize the Dao of the sword!?"

Rumbling filled the air as the two beams of Sword Chakra slammed into each other. Brilliant, resplendent light flashed in the air, brightening the entire area.

On the mountain opposite Naruto, Kazan stood there trembling. Although he was not injured, he was excited. His eyes gleamed more than ever with the desire to do battle.

"It's you…. You are the grindstone to polish my sword!"

Tsukino was off in the distance, and when she saw what was happening, her delicate mouth went wide with shock. The more she learned about Naruto, the more enigmatic he seemed to be. In fact, he almost seemed to be completely different than the Naruto she remembered.

"How could he… have changed so much!?" she thought, gasping. It was at this point that Fū's enraged voice could be heard echoing off in the distance.

"Naruto, I'm gonna kill you!" she screamed, seemingly on the verge of going mad. The female corpse floated behind her like a shadow. During the day it wasn't so bad. It was frightening, but at least it didn't make any noises….

However, at nighttime…. The corpse's hair would fly about, and its eyes would shine with a strange light. It would begin to weep with choked, horrifying sobs that penetrated deep into Fū's soul. When she sat down and mediated, the weeping would wrench her out of her trance.

The Mount Sun Holy Land and the Nadeshiko Clan especially wanted to kill Naruto. However, they were worried because he had taken their Young Lords captive, and they weren't sure whether they were alive or dead. Therefore it was with both great anxiety and deadly intent that they pursued Naruto.

The three members of the Namikaze Clan had spread out in different directions to search. Dei was somber, and rarely made any moves in public. In fact, many people actually overlooked him. However, were it not for the inhuman Menma, the blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan would actually be Dei.

Futsu saw nothing unusual about Naruto's Sword Chakra, and as for Fugai, she was completely focused on cultivation and didn't pay much attention to the outside world. If it weren't for the fact that the Patriarch had made the request, she would not have come to this place. Therefore, although she didn't have negative feelings toward Naruto, neither did she have a good impression.

However, Dei was currently staring at Naruto disappearing into the mountains, and his mind was buzzing. He… actually recognized that sword move! It was a mysterious Daoist magic recorded in the ancient records of the Namikaze Clan. The Heaven Severing Sword!

In all of the Namikaze Clan, the only person who had mastered the Heaven Severing Sword and forged his own Dao, was Minato!

"Naruto…. That kid from all those years ago would actually be my older cousin…. He was the oldest grandson of my generation…. His name was Naruto!

"Naruto. Naruto…." Dei took a deep breath, and his eyes glittered brightly.

By the time everyone rushed over to the mountain where Naruto had just been seen, he was long gone and nowhere to be found.

However, it didn't take long for the members of the Shimura Clan to discover that their Holy Daughter Mei… was missing.

Soon, people from the Church of the Emperor Immortal realized that their Chosen had also vanished….

After double-checking, they came to the conclusion that Mei and Chiriku had in fact disappeared. Obviously… the person responsible for this was most likely Naruto!

"Heavens! Bisuke, Sora, Li Ling'ler, and Chiriku were all captured by Naruto!"

"Don't forget Fū. Although she wasn't taken captive, she's actually in a much more bitter position than if she had."

"This Naruto… wishes to defy the Heavens!"

Few words were spoken for the rest of the night. There were many people searching for Naruto, but the mountain range was simply too vast. The various sects and clans even used some secret powers at their disposal, but because they couldn't utilize flight, they were unable to find Naruto, at least temporarily.

Mysteriously, the restriction on the airspace actually did not decrease when the ancient temple disappeared, and actually, grew more intense, and covered an even wider area.

Soon it was dawn. Naruto stood beneath an ancient tree, his eyes gleaming brightly. After resting for a few hours, his energy was completely restored, and he was just about to continue onward when suddenly he decided to slap his bag of holding and take out Mei and Chiriku.

Their cultivation bases were sealed, so all Mei could do was glare at Naruto. Her hair was a mess, and she was grinding her teeth; as of this moment, there was no aloof pride to her whatsoever.

Chiriku was shivering, and when he saw that Naruto was about to grab him by the hair, he immediately wailed, "I'll write the promissory note!"

He did not dare to oppose Naruto any further. His clothing had long since been torn to shreds, and his flesh had become a mass of scrapes and wounds. After that, he had witnessed Naruto's fight with Mei, and he immediately decided to yield.

"Why didn't you say so earlier!?" said Naruto, smiling happily. He immediately produced a paper and pen and handed it to Chiriku, who sighed and then began to write down a huge sum. He looked sullenly at Naruto, and then inwardly swore that if he survived this ordeal, he would never forget Naruto's face for the rest of his life.

Having taken care of Chiriku, Naruto next turned to look at Mei. She stared back at him furiously, causing him to clear his throat.

"Don't look at me that way," he said. "I really am married already, and my wife is way prettier than you." With that, he took a look into Mei's bag of holding, and instantly, his eyes began to shine brightly.

"You Chosen… are… really stinking rich!" He took a deep breath as he glanced over the vast quantities of spirit stones in the bag of holding. There were also rare medicinal pills and a jade box.

Inside the jade box was a deep-gold shortsword, upon which was affixed a magical talisman.

The pressure it exuded was comparable to the sunstone he had acquired earlier. It was definitely a very precious item!

The sword was something that required advanced preparation to wield; Naruto's incredible power had put her in such a bad position during their battle that she'd never had time to focus on using it.

"I really hate to say it, but I'm going to need to take this sword," he said, clearing his throat. Flames seemed to be on the verge of bursting out of Mei's eyes. Naruto put her bag of holding away, then reached out and put his hand into her robe, and after searching for a while came out with a jade slip and a few other miscellaneous objects.

Off to the side, Chiriku looked on wide-eyed, feeling a bit envious of Naruto.

Mei's face went bright red, and her murderous intent and rage burned even harder. Even as Naruto took away all her miscellaneous items, her body suddenly flashed. Shockingly, she still had a bit of cultivation base accessible. She leaned to the side and then reached out toward the bronze lamp. She moved with lightning speed, having waited patiently for this one moment to make her move. As her hand closed in on the lamp, the flame dimmed, as if it were about to be extinguished.

"What a patient little wench," Naruto said coolly. He then lifted his right hand up and spanked her rear end.

A slapping sound rang out, and Mei let out a miserable squeal. Her entire body went numb, and she crumpled to the ground in pain, completely incapable of reaching out to touch the ancient bronze lamp. Her face went pale, and cold sweat began to drop down her forehead. Naruto had struck her… far too viciously. In fact, from Chiriku's vantage point, it was obvious that… Mei's buttocks were now uneven….

"You've been bad," Naruto said somberly. He lifted his right hand up into the air again, and as Chiriku looked on in shock….

SMACK!

Chiriku's mind was now completely blank as he realized that Mei's rear end… was now even once again.

Mei was in such pain that tears rolled down her face, and she couldn't see clearly. Somehow, that made her look even more beautiful than before in a way that could cause people to fall in love with her. Naruto looked like he was smiling, but actually, his eyes were completely calm. After everything he had experienced in his life, he wasn't the type of person to be moved easily by those kinds of things.

After thoroughly sealing Mei, he put her back into his bag of holding and then looked at Chiriku.

"Let's see, you're Fellow Daoist Chiriku, right?"

Chiriku began to shiver when he realized Naruto was staring at him. His heart trembled, and he put a very fawning expression onto his face.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, I still haven't introduced myself. In the future, you can just call me Li'l Chiriku….

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, you know, as soon as we all caught sight of you for the first time outside the temple, I could tell that you were a dragon amongst men, a Dao child amongst Chosen, a prodigy amongst Dao Children! Your eyes are like two seas of stars, and from the moment I saw you, my esteem for you was burned deep into the recesses of my soul!

"In fact, I, Li'l Chiriku, could not be more grateful for the painstaking instruction you have provided me with these past few days. That gratitude is etched upon my very heart, filling its every nook and cranny. Every bit of my soul is filled with respect for you, sir!"

Naruto gaped at him.

"Please," Chiriku repeated somberly, "from now on, call me Li'l Chiriku!"

Although Naruto had experienced a lifetime of volatile situations, to see Chiriku from the Church of the Emperor Immortal so quickly change his tone, to put on such a flattering air and to speak such fawning words, caused him to first gape and then sigh emotionally. He suddenly missed the shameful and degenerate meat jelly and parrot.

After Chiriku finished talking, Naruto cleared his throat. Although he was actually inwardly pleased, he glared solemnly at Chiriku and said, "Well aren't we glib!? Do you really think I'm the type of person who likes to be flattered!?"

Chiriku's heart began to pound, and he muttered to himself that things were not looking good. In his entire life, he had only met a few people with personalities as strong as this, and he knew that they were the most difficult of all to deal with. He hesitated for a moment, and then Naruto suddenly sighed.

"However," Naruto said, "considering that everything you said is completely true, I'll forgive you just this once." With that, he grabbed Chiriku by the hair and made to toss him back into his bag of holding.

Chiriku was inwardly outraged. It seemed to him that his hair was on the verge of falling out completely. However, he didn't dare to struggle, and actually put on a thankful expression.

Inside, he was cursing with grief and indignation.

After putting Chiriku away, Naruto coughed lightly.

"Gratitude etched upon the very heart, filling its every nook and cranny. Every bit of the soul filled with respect. Well said." Naruto looked up into the sky, then flickered into a blur as he headed deeper into the mountains. His expression was the same, but his eyes gleamed coldly as he proceeded along, completely soundless.

"Considering the level of dad's cultivation base, he could have prevented these people from even coming here. This is a trial by fire for me…. Therefore, it won't exceed the limits of what I can handle.

"All those old bastards are actually Immortals. Their cultivation bases definitely exceed the Spirit Realm, but they've obviously sealed themselves…." Naruto's eyes glittered as he considered the speculations he could put together with the clues he had.

"They don't dare to unseal themselves… otherwise they would face a complete catastrophe!"

One by one, several days passed.

Naruto would alternate between resting and traveling. When he would encounter pursuers every so often, he would often flee after a bit of fighting. Sometimes he would intentionally show up in order to baffle them and throw off their predictions of where he would be.

More days passed. Eventually, all of the injuries he had sustained during his battle with Mei were healed. The bronze lamp floating above his head continued to burn. By this point, he was able to vaguely sense traces of Immortal might swirling around inside of it!

That got him very excited, and fueled his determination to endure for the entire 49 days.

"The end is in sight!" he thought. Taking a deep breath, he once again sped off into the distance.

Three more days passed. It was evening, and Naruto was moving along as usual, when suddenly, he stopped in place, then dashed backward. A ghostly figure was closing in on him, seemingly heading directly toward his forehead.

At the same time, a person approached from off in the distance. Every step he took caused the ground to quake, as if he weren't a person, but rather, some ancient wild beast.

He had no hair, and was incredibly well-built. His body emanated incredible pressure, and his eyes seemed to be filled with glittering stars. Blinding, brilliant light swirled around him.

These were signs that his fleshly body had been cultivated to the peak. This person… was Futsu from the Namikaze Clan!

"Sure enough, I find you here," he said with a proud smile.

"Sure enough?" replied Naruto, his eyes glittering like swords. The words "sure enough" carried a lot of meaning, and this Futsu was not unfamiliar to Naruto. He was one of the three members of the Namikaze Clan that Naruto had taken special notice of back outside the temple.

Naruto had complicated feelings regarding the Namikaze Clan.

"I don't care about your good fortune. What I'm interested in is you yourself!" As he spoke, he rushed forward like the wind, rapidly closing the gap between him and Naruto.

"Join my entourage… or die!" As he spoke, the heavenly bodies in his eyes grew more apparent, and his energy surged up to the pinnacle.

The last word he spoke echoed out like thunder in all directions, causing everything to ripple. Amorphous rifts were torn into the air, and in the blink of an eye, Naruto turned into a tiny rowboat in a raging sea. The intense pressure weighing down seemed as if it would crush him at any moment.

"Screw off!" said Naruto, looking coldly at Futsu. His simple words rang out as shocking as massive peals of thunder, creating a sound wave that shattered the pressure formed by Futsu's invisible energy

"Looking to die?!" Futsu said with a cold laugh. He took a step forward, clenched his right hand into a fist, and then punched out with the energy of a fleshly body that exceeded peak Dao Seeking. Massive power exploded out. Furthermore, a huge, illusory Dharma Idol appeared behind him. It was blurry, making it difficult to clearly make out what exactly it was, but it was clearly humanoid.

Naruto's eyes grew colder, and he said nothing further. He strode forward, and the power of his own fleshly body exploded out as he punched out with his right fist, meeting Futsu's attack directly.

A rumbling boom echoed out as Naruto transformed into a roc. The Mountain Consuming Incantation became numerous mountains that linked together into a mountain range that swept across the area. Futsu's face flickered, and in the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred exchanges had occurred.

Booms rang out, and the air was ripped to pieces. Finally, they both separated. Futsu's face was pale, and he was unable to prevent the blood from oozing out of the corners of this mouth.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he prepared to leave.

"Stop annoying me!" he said.

Futsu's eyes were bloodshot, and blue veins bulged on his neck and face.

"Heaven Sundering!" he suddenly roared. Rumbling filled the air as the blurry image of the Dharma Idol behind him suddenly became clear. Shockingly, it was a two-headed giant!

The giant emanated an archaic aura, as if the Dharma Idol itself had originated in ancient times, and had traveled through time to appear here. The two heads tilted back and a shocking, soundless roar filled the air. At the same time, Futsu's energy shifted and became completely different than before.

It now possessed a shocking savagery!

He roared again as he shot forward, aiming another punch directly at Naruto.

Naruto's pupils constricted from the sense of grave crisis he felt from Futsu. His expression was solemn as his own Dharma Idol appeared, an equally shocking giant whose appearance caused everything to tremble. Naruto clenched his hand into a fist as he moved to intercept Futsu.

Even as the two of them closed in on each other, the sound of wailing filled the air as a figure appeared, shooting like lightning toward Naruto.

In addition to the wails of grief, the figure howled shrilly, "Naruto!"

The voice was filled with boundless hatred, and its owner was a woman. It was none other than Fū, and the wailing did not come from her, but rather… Inky, who was only a few inches behind her.

At the same time, two more figures neared. They were older cultivators, one from Mount Sun and the other from the Shimura Clan. From the method of their arrival, it seemed as if they knew Naruto would appear here.

Rumble!

As the three newcomers neared, Futsu's mouth twisted into a derisive smile. Although he looked crude and impetuous, he was actually very capable of crafty scheming. His right fist opened up into a palm that moved to grab hold of Naruto's fist. He was convinced that all he had to do was delay Naruto for a few breaths of time, and he would be defeated.

At this critical juncture, Naruto's eyes flickered. His right index finger pointed out as the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was unleashed. Demonic Chakra swept about, and Futsu trembled. His face fell as he realized he was suddenly completely locked in place.

Next, Naruto touched the tips of his five fingers together to form the shape of a mountain. A vicious expression could be seen on his face as his hand stabbed directly into Futsu's palm.

At the same time, his Dharma Idol roared as it slammed into Futsu's Dharma Idol up in midair.

Rumbling filled the air as mountains crumbled. Blood sprayed out of Futsu's mouth. Shock filled his face, but before he could retreat, Naruto turned into a roc that slammed into his chest. A cracking sound could be heard, and Futsu's face fell. It felt like a star was slamming into him. Even as his breastbone shattered, Naruto unleashed the Blood Demon Grand Magic, which began to suck away at Futsu. At the same time, his second true self emerged and shot toward Fū.

Naruto was now borrowing the strength of Futsu's fleshly body to replenish himself. At the same time, he endured the powerful incoming attacks from the two old cultivators.

A shocking boom could be heard, and Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. Futsu let out a miserable shriek as his body withered up. He was just on the verge of passing into death when Naruto tossed him into his bag of holding and then began to speed off into the distance.

The Lightning Cauldron appeared, crackling with electricity. He was just on the verge of using its powers when suddenly, a beam of starlight appeared. The electricity was snuffed out, and Naruto's Form Displacement Transposition failed!

Shockingly, Fū held a chunk of starstone in her hand, which radiated glittering starlight.

It was in that moment that a shocking beam of Sword Chakra shot down from up ahead, heading directly toward Naruto. That was none other than Kazan.

"So, somebody figured out that I would pass by this way, and… they set up an ambush!" Were Naruto unable to put the pieces of this puzzle together, he would never have been able to rise to prominence in the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

The flame in the bronze lamp above his head was still burning, but was much weaker than before. It looked like it might wink out at any moment. Furthermore, Naruto was in a very difficult position. Not only was everyone attacking him all at once, but at this time he was also the more seriously injured than he had been this entire time.

There was Sword Chakra blocking his path forward, which came from Kazan, who stood there looking like a sword Immortal. Behind him was Fū, who was tangling with his second true self. Her eyes radiated killing intent, and the sea of stars surrounding her surged toward Naruto to smash him.

On the left and right respectively were the two old cultivators. Their faces were cold and grim, and their sealed cultivation bases gave them power similar to false immortals.

Naruto was surrounded on all sides, and was the target of a deadly attack that would surely kill him!

Starlight filled the area, restricting the airspace completely and sealing his surroundings.

At the same time, Chiyo from the Hebi Clan sat cross-legged on a nearby mountaintop, surrounded by boundless, swirling Karma that made it difficult to make out his appearance.

However, his eyes obviously glowed with merciless coldness, piercing out through the layers of Karma to look… at the bronze oil lamp hanging over Naruto's head.

"That lamp… does not exist within Karma," he murmured. An unprecedented burning fervor gradually appeared within the coldness of his eyes.

"The main reason I came to the lands of Lands of Ninshu was because I could sense through Karma that there was an object here clearly connected to me by destiny!

"This Naruto is extraordinary, but that destiny… belongs to me!"

It was a deadly ambush. Naruto didn't even have the time to try and take Mei and the others out of his bag of holding to use as hostages. Power bore down on him from all sides, and in any case, Fū and Kazan wouldn't withhold from attacking him because of hostages.

In the time it takes a spark to fly up from a piece of flint, a threatening, cold gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes, and he stopped in place. He took a deep breath and then extended his right hand, within which was the sunstone he had acquired. Boundless blinding heat waves instantly exploded out in all directions.

Rumbling could be heard, and everything distorted as ripples spread out. The two old Dao Protectors stopped in their tracks, and Kazan's eyes exuded a penetrating glow. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into the shape of a greatsword that slashed down toward Naruto.

At the same time, starlight from Fū's starstone shot out to resist Naruto's sunstone.

A mere sunstone was in no way capable of doing anything to stop the combined attack of four experts. All it could do was make them pause for a moment. However, Naruto used that moment of time to spin around and transform into a prismatic beam of light that shot toward Fū.

He moved with incredible speed, and as he closed in, his Dharma Idol appeared and attacked. In the blink of an eye, he exchanged several moves with Fū. Naruto was shaken, and blood even spilled out of his mouth, but he did not back up. A vicious gleam appeared in his eyes, and he suddenly swung his leg in a kick that screamed through the air like a cyclone. A series of booms echoed out, and Fū's face fell. Naruto felt completely different to her than he had before; now he attacked relentlessly, consumed with boundless, bloody fiendishness.

Fū performed a double-handed incantation, and an enormous conch shell appeared behind her. As the susurrating droning sound of the conch filled the air, Naruto produced his beast claw. The image of a black cat materialized, and a piercing screech filled the air as it slashed toward Fū.

A snapping sound could be heard as the image of the black cat was destroyed. However, the conch also trembled and then exploded. Fū gave a cold snort, performed another double handed incantation gesture, and pushed forward. The shattered pieces of the conch then swirled together into a cyclone that shot toward Naruto.

Fū herself backed up rapidly, then faced off against Naruto's second true self.

Naruto's expression became even more vicious. Behind him was Kazan's monstrous Sword Chakra. The two old Dao Protector's killing intent was even more intense than before as they sped toward him. The ripples of power from Naruto's sunstone were now incapable of restraining them in any way.

Naruto shouted as he relied on the strength of his extraordinary fleshly body to slam head first into the incoming cyclone of conch shell fragments. He became a golden roc that moved with lightning-like speed as he smashed through the cyclone. He came out the other side slashed and bleeding, and before Kazan or the two Dao Protectors could get near, was speeding in pursuit of Fū!

Fū's face fell. She had never imagined that Naruto could be so vicious. In their previous encounter, she had taken him to be shameless, and nothing more. But in this fight, she could sense an unprecedented level of savagery on his person.

Such savagery wasn't something most people could possess. It was something earned from events that ordinary people couldn't experience, and that gave rise to incredible power.

Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent. The golden roc's wings spread as it swept toward Fū. Rumbling filled the air as she hastily made a counterattack. A boom rattled out, and blood sprayed from Fū's mouth. She instantly fell into retreat, her eyes filled with hatred as she crushed the starstone she held in her hand!

The stone shattered, causing boundless starlight to spread out and envelop Naruto. In the blink of an eye, Naruto was rendered motionless.

Because of that pause, the incoming Sword Chakra from Kazan… slashed down onto Naruto.

He trembled as the attack slashed a huge bloody gash down his back, revealing the bones within. Were it not for his powerful fleshly body, and the ripples of the sunstone causing everything in the area to be weakened, that sword would have completely cut Naruto in half!

Blood sprayed out of Naruto's mouth. In the same moment in which he was slashed by the sword, the two old Dao Protectors closed in from either side. Divine abilities and magical techniques slammed directly into Naruto.

A huge boom filled the air, and more blood sprayed out of Naruto's mouth. Thankfully, he was well prepared; a mountain range materialized around him, along with the Black White Pearls. The sunstone was weakened, but Naruto was not dead. However, he was sent spinning like a kite with its string cut. He flew through the air and then slammed into the ground some distance off. He struggled to his feet, coughing up more blood.

"DIE!" cried Fū, flickering as she charged toward him. A divine sea appeared around her, within which were countless roaring sea dragons that sped toward Naruto.

Kazan's expression was calm, albeit slightly disappointed. As for the two old Dao Protectors, they approached Naruto with cold smiles, clearly intent on cutting him down.

Naruto's vision was swimming, and the bronze lamp over his head was dim, and seemed to be on the verge of being extinguished. When he saw that, Naruto suddenly smiled coldly.

"Second true self…. Devilish will, return!" When his words rang out, the sky and the land began to rumble. The air twisted as his second true self closed his eyes. Immediately, black mist began to pour out of his nose, ears and mouth.

Shockingly, it transformed into an enormous head which radiated an indescribable murderous desire as it shot forward. This was Naruto's Devil Construct, formed from the murderous desire that had led him to kill countless enemies.

Back when he stepped into Dao Seeking, he had severed it, then fused it into his second true self, having believed that he would never need it again. The Devilish will could make him even more powerful, although the consequences would be immense!

It was even possible that it might influence him on a psychological level. In this critical moment, though, it was without hesitation that he took a deep breath, causing the boundless black mist to shoot toward him.

It moved with incredible speed, merging into him in the blink of an eye. Instantly, black veins appeared all over his skin. At the same time, an unprecedented murderous aura exploded out from him.

This was the aura of a Devil!

This was an aura of murder!

This was Naruto's previous pinnacle!

Countless evil spirits suddenly surrounded Naruto, ferocious and savage as they emitted soundless howls. These were the ghosts of all the people Naruto had slaughtered.

The entire area suddenly became incredibly cold, and filled with fluttering black snowflakes.

Naruto's hair whipped around him as his energy rocketed up. A cold mercilessness appeared in his eyes, and he suddenly gave off the feeling that he was a god of death!

Fū started trembling, and her eyes went wide with disbelief.

"Who is this guy?" she thought. "For such a murderous aura to appear all of a sudden, means… just how many people has he killed? Only a powerful expert who has climbed mountains of corpses and swam through seas of blood could have a Devilish, murderous aura like that!"

Kazan's eyes once again began to shine brightly.

The two old Dao Protectors stared in shock, but it was without hesitation that they charged toward Naruto, their killing intent even stronger than before.

As they closed in, Naruto suddenly looked up. Then, he started laughing. A Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex appeared, causing the vegetation and trees in the area to wither. Even the ground began to crack and split.

Naruto's energy was still soaring upward, and as his four enemies closed in on him, he rose to his feet and took a step forward. He extended his right hand and used the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex at full power.

RUMBLE!

The Eighth Hex coalesced all of the murderous aura and Devilish will inside of him. Explosive power caused everything to shake as invisible Demonic Chakra caused the four other cultivators to instantly stop in place.

Naruto took another step, and was then standing in front of Fū. He raised his right hand and punched Fū in the stomach, causing blood to spray from her mouth. Cracking sounds could be heard as three separate jade slips on her person were shattered, as if they took her place in passing away into death.

Naruto's face was cold and merciless as his right hand suddenly snaked out to latch onto Fū's arm. He violently wrenched down, and a ripping sound could be heard as Fū, her eyes filled with determination, allowed her arm to be ripped off as she herself shot backward at top speed. Naruto looked at her coldly, but didn't pursue. Instead, his body flickered, and he appeared in front of Kazan. Another punch was sent out, and Kazan was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth.

At that moment, Naruto raised his hand, holding the sunstone aloft.

"Shatter!" he said, his voice raspy. The sunstone shuddered and then exploded, causing a wave of intense heat to billow out in all directions, instantly enveloping Kazan.

Kazan's entire body burst into flames, and he let out a muffled grunt, then sped backward at top speed, blood spraying from his mouth.

At the same time, Naruto delivered a third punch. This punch landed on Mei's Dao Protector. Backed by the full power of the Devilish will, his blow caused the old man to cough up blood. He instantly sagged weakly, his expression one of astonishment.

As of this moment, it appeared as if Naruto had borrowed the power of the Devil Construct to temporarily break past the peak power of the Spirit Realm.

He did not land a fourth blow, as his vision had begun to swim. He could recall his Devilish will, but if too much time passed, the effects would be irreversible. It was at this moment that, all of a sudden, a figure appeared off in the distance.

"Stay away!" cried Fū, her facial expression flickering. The most important aspect of their ambush had been to restrict Naruto's ability to use his Lightning Cauldron. In addition to using the starstone to suppress it, it was also important that there be nobody in the area that he could switch places with.

This was something that everyone understood, and also why only four people were attacking him, while everyone else waited off in the distance, out of Naruto's field of view.

As soon as the approaching figure heard Fū's words, it sped backward at top speed. However, Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked at the figure off in the distance; suddenly, the Lightning Cauldron appeared in his hand. Electricity danced, and Naruto used Form Displacement Transposition on the distant figure.

The instant they switched places, Naruto heard a voice speaking in his ear.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, Chiyo is the one who figured out that you would pass by here."

Naruto ignored the voice, almost as if he hadn't even heard the words being spoken. His eyes were dark, and he almost didn't seem to be conscious. However, an almost undetectable flicker could be seen in his eyes when he realized that the person he had switched locations with was none other than Dei!

After switching places with him, Naruto was free of the ambush. Electricity danced around him as he looked toward the crowds of shocked people off in the distance.

He quickly found another target to switch places with. As long as he could see someone, he could switch places, and would not find himself locked down in an ambush like he had been.

Because of the repeated use of Form Displacement Transposition, his body was on the verge of collapse, and his Eternal stratum was hard at work. However, because it was still recovering from its earlier depletion, it was unable to provide its previous high-speed regeneration until it had fully been restored. And that, would require time.

Unfortunately, time was a luxury that Naruto did not have!

He was surrounded by Chosen and Dao Protectors from the various clans and sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Virtually all were present, and even though he could use Form Displacement Transposition, he still had his limits.

Furthermore, the Chosen and Dao Protectors had now recovered from being stunned at Naruto's escape from their ambush and were once again racing to catch up to him.

Naruto's face was pale as he sped along, pursued by Shisui and some other Chosen. Gradually, more and more figures began to gather in pursuit around him. Although Naruto couldn't actually see any of them, he could sense them, and knew that there were many.

The one-armed Fū was clearly visible behind him giving chase, although Kazan was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto could also see the Namikaze Clan's Fugai in the crowd.

From the look of things, a grand battle was about to break out. However, it was at this point that a huge boom rang out. The ground beneath Naruto's feet quaked, and massive fissures spread out as a mountain peak up ahead of Naruto collapsed into pieces.

As it exploded, a huge beam of majestic light shot out from the ruins of the mountain. It appeared to be some sort of precious treasure manifesting itself, and it immediately attracted the attention of all of Naruto's pursuers.

At the same time, the ground seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. A huge depression appeared as an enormous yellow loachsuddenly exploded out of the ground that was nearly a thousand meters long. Actually, it was not one, but a total of nine that appeared.

In an instant, the situation on the battlefield had completely changed.

"A Demon Loach!"

"How could there be a Demon Loach in this place!?"

"Dammit! Aren't Demon Loaches native to Planet North Reed!?"

The entire area was thrown into an uproar as the nine Demon Loaches roared onto the scene. The ground quaked, and all of a sudden, an urgent voice transmitted into Naruto's mind.

"Naruto, head toward the third Demon Loach!"

Because of the voice, Naruto awoke somewhat from his previously hazy mental state. He looked over at the third Demon Loach, and then instantly began to speed toward it. As he neared it, the enormous Demon Loach opened its mouth and swallowed him up, then dove back down toward the ground.

People on ground-level in the area began to call out, and several attempted to block the diving loach. However, it was at this point that the rest of the Demon Loaches spontaneously exploded. Massive booms rattled out over the land. At the same time, the bright light shining from the mountain reached a pinnacle of intensity, covering all the land until no one could see anything except the light.

Eventually, the light got so bright that it turned into blackness!

As for Naruto, everything went dark after being swallowed by the Demon Loach. However, he could feel that the creature was moving along at high speed, so he sat down cross-legged and rotated his cultivation base. He quickly began to exorcise the Demonic will, then consumed large quantities of medicinal pills to begin his healing process.

Naruto had been quite seriously injured in the battle just now. However, throughout his life, he had been seriously injured on many occasions, so from beginning to end, he was calm inside.

Time passed. A few days later, the Demon Loach finally stopped moving, and instead sank downward into the earth. Naruto's eyes opened, and he saw that there were three people with him inside of the Demon Loach's tunnel-like body.

The person in the lead position was a woman wearing a veil. It was impossible to see her features clearly, but her eyes were beautiful, and from that it was possible to tell that the woman herself was stunning.

Standing on either side of her were two old women, both of whom were ancient, with faces covered with wrinkles. They seemed to have seen many years between them, and their eyes were dim. Of course, within that dimness was hidden storm-like violence.

Naruto looked at the woman and calmly said, "We haven't seen each other for years."

The woman was none other than Tsukino!

One of the old women standing next to Tsukino coolly said, "The kindness you showed to the Demon Immortal Sect has been paid back to you by us two this day. Our Demon Loach has already taken you away from the the deadly ambush set for you by Chiyo."

The woman glanced at the bronze lamp above Naruto's head, then looked away and said nothing further. She, along with the other Dao Protector, sat down cross-legged.

Tsukino stepped forward to stand in front of Naruto. After looking him over for a moment, she covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.

Despite the fact that her face was covered by a veil, her laughter was sweet and attractive.

"Like I said, the Demon Immortal Sect was deeply in your debt," she said. She extended her right hand toward Naruto, within which was a jade bottle. "This is a medicinal pill, an ancient medicine from the Demon Immortal Sect. It should heal your wounds rapidly."

Naruto didn't respond, nor was he surprised by any of this. The urgent voice he had heard transmitted into his mind earlier had belonged to her.

He took the jade bottle and opened it up. There was a red medicinal pill inside, which, based on his skill in the Dao of alchemy, he could instantly tell was extraordinary. After a moment of consideration, he picked up the medicinal pill, examined it closely, then swallowed it.

"You're not afraid?" Tsukino asked suddenly.

"There is nobody in the lands of Lands of Ninshu who can harm me," Naruto said calmly.

"Oh? What about that deadly ambush just now?"

"I was tempering myself through training. If there was really a chance that I was going to die, things would have changed." With that, he closed his eyes, which caused the two old women to open their own eyes and look at him.

The pill contained no poison, and as soon as he consumed it, it transformed into a warm current that flowed through his body. The injury on his back immediately healed up, and black mist slowly seeped out of the palm of his right hand.

A few days passed, and by the time Naruto opened his eyes again, his hand was filled with a black mist that was the Devil Construct, which was now completely forced out of his body.

Having expelled the Devil Construct, Naruto felt his heart pounding in trepidation. The danger he had faced in this incident was not the threat to his life, but rather, the influence of the Devilish will. Although the Devil Construct could give him access to incredible power, he had to pay a steep price for that.

Now that the Devil Construct was taken care of, Naruto's injuries were nearly completely recovered.

"Thank you," he said to the two seated old women, and Tsukino.

Tsukino looked at the Devil Construct in Naruto's hand, thought for a moment, and then looked at Naruto.

"Chiyo sealed your second true self and took him away.

Naruto's eyes glittered coldly.

"That's fine," he replied. "I'll just have to go get him back." With that, he rose to his feet, clasped hands, and bowed deeply to Tsukino and the two old women. "Many thanks to you."

"There's no need to be so polite," replied Tsukino. "We were simply repaying you for the favor from that year." The two old women merely looked deeply at Naruto.

Tsukino smiled. Seeing that Naruto wished to depart, she waved her hand, causing a spinning vortex to appear behind him. Within the vortex could be seen the mountain range in the outside world.

"Regardless, I will remember what you have done for me this day," said Naruto. He bowed again, then gave Tsukino one final look. Tsukino couldn't prevent her heart from quivering a bit as she recalled everything that had happened back in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

Naruto turned and walked toward the portal.

"I heard you got married. Is it true?" asked Tsukino.

Naruto stopped walking.

"It's true."

"Congratulations," Tsukino said with the same calm smile as ever. "Oh, there's one other bit of news that I wanted to tell you. It won't be long now before something big happens in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. The Three Great Daoist Societies will be hosting a disciple recruitment event, which will be supported by the Five Great Holy Lands, and the Three Churches and Six Sects!

"This sort of thing happens every so often, and when the time comes, any cultivator in the Ninth Mountain and Sea who is above the Nascent Soul stage and below the Immortal Realm may participate.

"Some people do it in the hopes of joining a sect. Others do it for the precious treasures that are prepared as rewards for the momentous occasion!"

Naruto's eyes filled with a look of concentration. After a moment of thought, he nodded his head and then walked into the vortex, whereupon he vanished.

Silence reigned inside the Demon Loach. The two old women's eyes flickered as they exchanged a hesitant glance.

"He did me a great favor," said Tsukino calmly.

The two old women nodded.

"Oh well. He appeared to be injured, but he is obviously as cautious as ever. A Chosen like him would definitely have other tricks up his sleeve.

"Besides, after he woke up, he appeared to be confident in having someone to back him. Now that I think about it, that makes sense, especially considering he was able to get into the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple before everyone else."

Naruto left the Demon Loach via the vortex, emerging beneath an evening sky. A tongue of flame appeared in the bronze lamp above his head, which caused Naruto to breathe a sigh of relief.

The lamp was still unextinguished, and if Naruto's calculations were correct, there were only four more days left of the 49 day period.

"Four days…." he thought, a cold gleam appearing in his eyes.

"In four days, the good fortune of the bronze lamp will be completed. When that happens, I won't have anything holding me back from making all of these people pay the price for coming here!" He snorted coldly and then disappeared as he flashed off into the distance.

The first thing he did was find a suitable place to act as a hidden Immortal's cave. He sat down cross-legged to meditate and wait for time to pass.

As the days went by, the situation in the outside world reached a frenzy. In the boundless mountain range, numerous Chosen and Dao Protectors had spread out in all directions in their search for Naruto.

They had set up sealing spells all over the mountains to ensure that Naruto couldn't flee. They literally did everything in their power to find traces of him.

The battle that had resulted from the ambush made it so that none of his pursuers looked down on him any more. In fact, to them, he was now viewed as the cream of the crop when it came to the Chosen.

After all, any other Chosen who ended up trapped in an ambush like he had been, would surely have been killed!

In contrast, Naruto had seriously injured Kazan, severed Fū's limb, and severely hurt a Dao Protector. During the process, he himself had been seriously injured, and yet had managed to escape from the ambush.

Although quite a few people could tell that he had received aid in the end, his reputation was still rapidly growing!

One could imagine how, after all these people left Planet Lands of Ninshu, they would spread word of Naruto's escapades throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

He had suppressed Bisuke, sealed Sora, captured Mei and crushed Chiriku and Futsu.

Because of him, Fū was transformed from being a Goddess into a woman haunted by a ghost, and had also lost a limb. Kazan was seriously injured, and had retreated from battle. He had injured a Dao Protector, and evaded the search of roughly a thousand people for days. All of that… was enough to leave any Chosen completely shaken.

As of this point, Naruto's tempering was complete.

And yet… he wasn't satisfied!

"The end is almost here!"

The four day period was over. As the search continued in the outside world, Naruto's eyes opened, and were filled with anticipation regarding the bronze lamp.

This day was the 49th day Naruto had kept the bronze lamp alight!

This day was the last day!

It was currently nighttime, and the moon wasn't visible. The entire mountain range was swathed in pitch black, without the slightest bit of light anywhere.

The only light in the entire land… was in Naruto's Immortal cave… from that flickering flame.

The bronze lamp burned with Naruto's blood, creating an Immortal flame that had flickered to the very end.

Naruto was staring at the bronze lamp, waiting. He had experienced much carnage to reach this point, and now… the moment was here.

"Keep the lamp burning for 49 days," he murmured, "and then, in the moment that it's extinguished, it will form an Immortal meridian inside me!

"Gain enlightenment about that Immortal meridian, and my path… will be the path of ancient times!" By this point, the Chosen and Dao Protectors of the various sects and clans had sensed that something strange was going on.

A pressure had gradually arisen that weighed down on the entire mountain range. At the same time, the restrictions on the airspace… had suddenly been loosened.

Gradually, a sensation of imminent crisis could be sensed.

Chiyo stood atop a mountain, looking at the surrounding lands. Karma swirled around him, making it impossible for anyone to see him clearly. However, his eyes shone with intense light.

"Dammit… this Karma wasn't supposed to be his!" Chiyo abruptly vanished, transformed into countless strands of light that merged into the mountain range. This was a unique search method that he hoped would be able to locate Naruto.

The other Chosen in the mountain range used various other methods to try to track him down. This was especially true of Fū. Her arm had been recovered by this point, but having been thwarted twice by Naruto, her pride had suffered nearly irrecoverably.

"Only by defeating him can I confirm my Dao heart!" she thought, her eyes gleaming with killing intent.

Dei was sitting quietly off in another location, watching everything play out, a smile on his face. His actions earlier had made him the subject of suspicion, but he didn't care.

"Naruto. Naruto…. Interesting. I can't wait until he runs into Menma."

Shisui's face was grim. He felt that he was always a step too slow to catch Naruto. Every time they crossed paths, he hadn't had the chance to truly engage him in combat. Currently, he sat with his right hand placed onto the ground in front of him. He closed his eyes, and his face went slack as he employed a secret technique. His soul was now merged into the land as he used his divine sense to search for Naruto.

Most anxious of all were the cultivators from Mount Sun, the Nadeshiko Clan, the Shimura Clan, and the Church of the Emperor Immortal. Their Chosen had been captured by Naruto, which was a complete humiliation. Glum expressions could be see on their Dao Protectors' faces as they carried out their search.

"Dammit, if our cultivation bases weren't sealed, then Naruto would never dare to be so arrogant!"

"He's dead! Once we find him, he'll be dead without a doubt!"

Everyone was looking for Naruto, and gradually, the search perimeter grew smaller. Everyone was getting closer to Naruto and his Immortal's cave.

Nighttime… began to turn into dawn!

The bronze lamp's flame suddenly grew incredibly intense. It became a torch that illuminated the entire Immortal's cave. In fact, the light seeped out through the walls of the cave… to shine brightly in the outside world.

Naruto trembled as his blood suddenly began to flow in reverse. He started to bleed from his eyes, nose, ears and mouth, drops of which flew up and merged into the flame, causing it to burn even brighter.

Rumble!

The entire mountain range was shaking, and a roaring sound filled it as incredible pressure radiated out. Many of the cultivators began to tremble, and were forced by the incredible pressure to sit down cross-legged and begin meditating.

RUMBLE!

A second roaring sound rose up. At the same time, Naruto's Immortal's cave began to melt as a burning light rose up into the sky.

The ground was quaking even more severely, almost as if giants were running across it, and the intense pressure increased exponentially. On one particular mountain, countless Karma threads suddenly appeared, which then merged together into the shape of a person. It was Chiyo, and blood was oozing out of his mouth.

He had no choice but to immediately sit down cross-legged and fight back with all the power he could muster.

As for Shisui, blood sprayed out of his mouth and he immediately began to meditate. Fū and all the other Chosen were shaken and forced to meditate.

Next, a third roaring sound filled the air, and without exception, all of the Dao Protectors in the mountain range coughed up blood and sat down in meditation.

The mountains were trembling, and what seemed like a never-ending vortex appeared up above. Massive roaring sounds shook Heaven and Earth, and it was even possible to see the shape of the land changing!

Outside the mountains, in the Eastern Lands, Naruto's father and mother hovered in mid-air with Sai, staring off at the mountains. A strange light could be seen gleaming in Sai's eyes.

"The moment in which fate is changed!"

In the Milky Way Sea, the old man sat cross-legged on the ship. He slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the mountain range.

Back in the mountain range, in the location previously occupied by the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, there was only a crater. However, at this moment, a figure slowly coalesced in the middle of that crater.

It was an old man wearing a dilapidated gray robe, and he was looking off in Naruto's direction.

RUMBLE!

A fourth sound spread out, and this time it was filled with power that could tear open the sky. The blackness of night changed as the vast sky above the mountain range distorted, and then became a starry sky, seemingly that of ancient times.

Up in that starry sky, blurry figures could be seen, speeding along. There were numerous true dragons and mighty Immortal beasts, one after another.

A fifth sound echoed out. The land quaked, and countless mountains vanished as a Daoist rite temple suddenly appeared!

This was the real Daoist rite temple, with countless figures seated cross-legged in meditation. A towering pillar could be seen, seated atop which was an old man, giving a sermon on the Dao. Astonishingly, on top of his head… was a bronze oil lamp!

The flames emitted green smoke that rose up into the sky and, as the man flicked his sleeve, the smoke… transformed into a huge character.

'Immortal!'

In response to the materialization of the character, all of the figures in the Daoist rite temple began to prostrate themselves toward the old man. The stars in the sky dimmed, and countless figures up above began to kowtow.

In that instant, the sun and moon stopped shining, and even the stars bowed their heads. All living things knelt in worship, and it seemed as if all creation were bowing down!

It was then that the sixth roaring sound blasted out. Boundless dazzling flames surrounded Naruto, sending an indescribably brilliant light shining out in all directions.

All of the cultivators in the entire mountain range could now see Naruto as he slowly rose up into the air, surrounded by boundless light.

He was cross-legged, and shockingly, a bronze lamp could be seen above his head!

He looked almost exactly like the old man!

That was especially the case… when Naruto, bathed in light, rose up to superimpose over the image of the old man. Everyone was completely shocked.

Naruto's mind was blank, and his body was currently withering. All of the blood in his veins poured into the bronze lamp, which then began to burn with the final vestiges of his life force.

From the onlookers' perspective, Naruto was now replacing that old man!

All of the figures who were bowed in worship were no longer worshipping the old man, but rather, Naruto! The sun and moon trembled, and the stars went dim. All of the dragons and other Immortal beasts kowtowed in worship.

Everyone was prostrated in worship, even the almighty beings who plucked stars, the enormous giant who shouldered the starry sky, even Heaven and the Earth!

It was in this moment that a seventh roaring sound could be heard!

It filled all of the lands of Lands of Ninshu, almost like the tolling of a bell. It did not pass out of Planet Lands of Ninshu, and yet… in the other Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple on the Ninth Mountain, the temple where incense still burned and its legacy still existed, the tolling of the bell could be heard, and countless Immortal figures appeared, astonishing everyone on the Ninth Mountain!

At the same time, back in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, in midair above the mountain range, the bronze lamp on Naruto's head… faded away completely in response to the seventh roaring sound!

The flame was extinguished, but light still spread out!

A wisp of green smoke rose up above the bronze lamp, a smoke that seemed to embody a great Dao. In the moment that it appeared, it transformed into the character 'Immortal!'

A single character made up of green smoke, causing the minds of all onlookers to reel.

Next, the 'Immortal' character once again dissipated into green smoke, which then rushed toward Naruto. It poured in through his nose, mouth, and ears, then circulated through his body, linking together to become… an illusory meridian!

It was… an Immortal meridian!

The moment the Immortal meridian appeared, Naruto felt a tremor run through his body. Everything in his body felt as if it were changing. His bones, his flesh, his blood. All of it was completely transforming.

Rumbling filled the air, as if an Immortal were being born inside of him. His energy surged, and the sky and land darkened.

His Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and his cultivation base experienced an astonishing transformation!

Fifty percent of a true Immortal!

Sixty percent of a true Immortal!

Seventy percent of a true Immortal!

Eighty percent of a true Immortal!

Naruto's cultivation base rose in shocking fashion, and his Immortal Chakra grew more intense. His flesh and blood were reaching the pinnacle of power!

As he sat there cross-legged, he looked almost exactly like an Immortal!

The Immortal meridian was complete, and the path to Immortality was open!

He did not need some true Immortal destiny that appeared once every 10,000 years! He did not need some Immortality Illumination Vine! Naruto's Immortality was completely his own. He… would tread his own path of true Immortality!

He was not a true Immortal yet. However, based on the path he was treading, once that illusory Immortal meridian became true and complete… then he would, beyond a doubt, be a true Immortal!

When the day came that he opened 100 meridians, because he had this extra Immortal meridian, he would have more Immortal meridians than others. He would be… a 101-meridian Immortal!

When it came to those 100 meridians, whether you had 1 extra or 10,000 extra, they were all extra. Thus… having 1 extra was the same as having 10,000, which was the same as having 100,000,000, which was the same as having an infinite amount!

Everything rumbled as Naruto's eyes snapped open. The brilliant light that filled the world suddenly faded, and Naruto's voice filled the entire mountain range.

"Fū. Chiyo. Kazan. Who of you… will fight me!?"

Naruto's voice echoed out through the vast expanse of the sky. He hovered in midair, filled with power that held all under Heaven in contempt. A brilliant light surrounded him, and the Dharma Idol behind him did not look illusory in any way. Furthermore, he emanated pulses of Immortal might!

That… was a pressure that exceeded that of a false Immortal!

That… was eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal!

He hovered cross-legged in midair, looking every bit like an Immortal. His eyes appeared to contain stars, and his voice was awe-inspiring as it echoed through the lands like thunder.

Wild colors flashed in the sky, and the wind screamed. The cultivators in the surrounding rugged mountains could only watch, their minds filled with roaring. This was especially true of the three whose names Naruto had called out. Their minds were filled with panic and shock.

Fū's face had completely fallen, and she was panting as she stared at Naruto. Her heart was in tumult, and her face was a mass of disbelief.

"True Immortal might! He actually has true Immortal might!"

Furthest away of the three was Kazan, who stood on a far off mountain, his face pale. He had suffered severe injuries, and had had no choice but to withdraw from this struggle for good fortune. Now, he gazed silently at Naruto hovering in midair, and began to breathe heavily. The desire to fight burned in his eyes, but his pupils constricted, and it was easy to see that inwardly, he was anything but calm.

The last person who Naruto called out was Chiyo. He sat cross-legged on another mountaintop, looking at Naruto, face expressionless but hands clenched tightly at his side.

The entire mountain range was completely silent except for the sound of Naruto's voice echoing about. Countless Chosen and innumerable Dao Protectors looked on with trembling minds.

It was in this moment that the restriction on the airspace… suddenly vanished!

It was as if the restriction on the airspace had been in place only in preparation for good fortune to appear within Naruto.

"I'll fight you!" someone bellowed. A figure flew out from the mountains, a young man with eyebrows like swords and eyes like stars. It was none other than Shisui!

When he flew out, his fighting spirit burned brightly, and his heart was filled with rage. None of the three names Naruto had called out were his, which he took to be a personal humiliation.

As he flew, he performed a double-handed incantation, calling the wind and summoning the rain. Everything trembled as it all transformed into black dragons that roared as they shot toward Naruto.

Naruto looked over coldly at the incoming Shisui. As he neared, Naruto waved his hand to unleash the Star Plucking Magic!

Backed by Naruto's eighty-percent true Immortal cultivation base, the Star Plucking Magic caused everything to grow dark as an enormous hand appeared and shot toward Shisui.

Rumbling filled the air, and Shisui let out a shout, extended his hand and pointed out with his index finger. An incredible power exploded out that caused the descending, illusory hand to suddenly stop in place.

Shisui chuckled coldly and continued to charge toward Naruto. He performed another incantation gesture and then pointed toward Naruto. A will of extermination exploded out, turning into a shocking energy that seemed to contain infinite destructive power.

Before that power could even get near, Naruto took a step forward, appearing directly in front of Shisui, whereupon his hand slapped out with incredible speed. Shisui's face filled with shock as Naruto completely ignored his extermination attack, and in fact, allowed it to land on him. At the same time, his slap connected with Shisui.

A boom rang out and Shisui gave a muffled grunt. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he tumbled backward. A manic look appeared on his face, and he was just about to charge back into the fight when Naruto snorted and transformed into a golden roc.

The golden roc spread its wings, causing golden light to explode out. Then the roc disappeared as it transformed into a golden beam that shot toward Shisui. Numerous mountains appeared, which linked together into a mountain range that also slammed down toward Shisui.

Incredible rumbling sounds rose up. Shisui roared angrily and struggled with all of his might, but Naruto spun toward him like a tornado. Suddenly, a blood colored glow ignited and bashed into Shisui's shoulder.

A cracking sound rang out as Shisui's right shoulder was shattered. Intense pain filled him, and a cold sweat instantly broke out all over his body. In the blink of an eye, he began to wither up, and yet, he gritted his teeth, clearly not willing to give up the fight.

"Screw off!" said Naruto, punching Shisui in the middle of his stomach with eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. Blood showered out of Shisui's mouth, and his entire body trembled. Naruto grabbed Shisui's bag of holding as Shisui himself shot like a meteor down to the ground, where he slammed into the earth. He coughed up more blood, and his mind was filled with anxiety. He was completely shocked by the level of Naruto's power.

All of the surrounding cultivators looking on gasped. The Chosen's eyes were wide, and the Dao Protectors were watching with serious expressions.

"He's almost a true Immortal!"

"He got all of the good fortune of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple! Dammit!"

As the onlookers' expressions flickered, Naruto gave a cold snort and then swept his gaze across the crowds until he found the Dao Protectors from Mount Sun and the Shimura Clan. Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he looked at the two men.

Their faces fell as Naruto extended his right hand, within which was the Lightning Cauldron. Electricity danced as Naruto suddenly switched positions with someone standing near the Shimura Clan Dao Protector. As soon as he appeared, he stamped his right foot viciously onto the ground. A boom rattled out, and the ground was shattered. A blood-colored vortex sprang up, and just as the old man was about to flee, Naruto pointed out with his right index finger.

The Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was unleashed, and the old man's face fell. He instantly froze in place, and Naruto closed in. Naruto had an incredible fleshly body, and eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, all of which he poured into three powerful punches that slammed into the old man in quick succession.

Blood sprayed from the old man's mouth, and his face went pale. Roaring, he performed an incantation gesture, causing a divine ability to appear. An enormous magical bottle materialized in midair; it radiated boundless energy that instantly surged to envelop Naruto.

Naruto's Dharma Idol roared, which caused everything in the area to shake. Ripples spread out, and the magical bottle distorted. Even as the old man's face began to fall, Naruto's Dharma Idol punched out.

Booms echoed out as Naruto and the old man fought back and forth in midair. The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, a swirling blood-red vortex that turned into a Blood Demon head that viciously headbutted the old man.

Blood spurted out of the old man's mouth, and his body withered rapidly. He fell back, his expression one of astonishment and ferocity. At this point, he prepared to unseal his cultivation base, only to be shocked to find… that he couldn't!

"What…?" The old man's face flickered as Naruto once again turned into a huge golden roc. Blinding golden light flickered as he shot toward the old man with indescribable speed. The onlookers only heard a miserable shriek. When the golden light finally faded away, they could see that the old man's head had completely exploded into pieces.

Naruto took his bag of holding, and before the old man's Nascent Divinity could escape, had his Dharma Idol grab him and pop him into its mouth.

An air of ferocity filled the area, and gasps could be heard in all directions. Naruto's body flickered as he next moved toward the Mount Sun Dao Protector. It was time to collect interest from the debts incurred by those who had ambushed him earlier.

The Mount Sun Dao Protector's face flickered, and he shot backward, attempting to unseal his cultivation base. Then, his face completely fell when he also realized… that he couldn't unseal it!

His scalp went numb and he fled as fast as possible.

"Fellow Daoists!" he screamed miserably, "join forces with me to kill this bastard!"

Immediately, four or five people flew forward, clearly intent on blocking Naruto's path. However, it was at this point that electricity danced, and Naruto used Form Displacement Transposition to appear directly in front of the old man from Mount Sun. His expression was cold, and his eyes flickered with killing intent as he raised his right hand. The Blood Demon Grand Magic spun, a massive vortex that instantly enveloped the old Dao Protector.

Rumbling filled the air, mixed with the old man's bloodcurdling screams. Naruto and the old man were inside the vortex for only a few breaths of time before the four or five interlopers arrived and launched divine abilities. The blood-colored vortex faded, and Naruto's body flickered and reappeared off in the distance. As for the old man from Mount Sun, he was nothing more than a skeleton.

All of his flesh and blood, his cultivation base and soul, had been absorbed!

"Kill him!"

"Join forces to wipe him out!"

"He's on the verge of true Immortality! Refine his body and we might be able to concoct a True Immortality Pill!" Seven or eight people flew out, including several Chosen and Dao Protectors. After joining forces with the people who had just attacked, they made a force of more than a dozen that transformed into beams of prismatic light that charged toward Naruto.

Another group of about ten people approached from another direction.

There were others who looked on with flickering eyes. They had to admit that Naruto was powerful, but he was only one person. In their minds, that wasn't enough to shake all of them together.

Dozens of people closed in on Naruto, who hovered there in midair. Just as they were about to launch their deadly attacks, Naruto laughed coldly. The image of his father's first sword form appeared in his mind as he took a deep breath, bent his body like a bow and raised his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared to become like a black hole, sucking in all of the power of Heaven and Earth. Sword Chakra appeared, and as the people closed in, Naruto's hand suddenly chopped downward.

An astonishing beam of Sword Chakra exploded out, slashing about in all directions. Rumbling filled the air, and the dozens of attackers shot backward, faces filled with shock. There were even two or three who were directly slashed by the Sword Chakra and then shattered to pieces, leaving behind only bloodcurdling screams.

Naruto used this slight pause to again utilize the Lightning Cauldron, and Form Displacement Transposition to… close in on Fū!

"Fū, you wanted to kill me, right? Well, here I am!"

Fū's face fell. As of this moment, Naruto's power made him virtually invincible. There was no way for anyone to stand in his way. So far, Fū had lost an arm and been seriously injured. Although she had recovered some, the process wasn't complete, and she knew that there was no way she could win against Naruto. Her face fell as she retreated backward.

As soon as she started backing up, Naruto became a golden roc that shot toward her with incredible speed. Golden light filled the air, and he was upon her in the blink of an eye.

From a distance, everyone could see the beautiful Fū, her hair in disarray, facing up against a gigantic, golden roc, which extended its claws viciously toward her.

Many of the surrounding Chosen greatly admired Fū, so when they saw what was happening, their faces fell. There were even seven or eight who immediately flew out toward Naruto.

"Naruto, you're pushing things too far!" cried Fū miserably.

"Who cares!" replied Naruto coolly. The golden roc closed in.

Fū's pupils shrank into tiny dots, and she shot backward, simultaneously performing a double-handed incantation. Instantly, a boundless sea appeared behind her, made up of endless heavenly bodies, even suns and moons.

"Nine Seas God World!" she cried. In response, the huge sea behind her grew exponentially in size. In the blink of an eye, it had covered the entire area. Next, the heavenly bodies inside of it all began to shoot toward Naruto.

At the same time, the eight Chosen closed in on him.

"Without a face, a single word, flames of war unify!" As Naruto transformed into a golden roc and shot forward, he began to change color. He was now bright red. The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared around him, forming a massive vortex.

The vortex then turned into a face that emanated shocking, blood-colored ripples that spread out in all directions. The incoming group of Chosen were instantly affected. Then, the face opened its mouth and cried a soundless cry, immediately shaking their minds.

Instantly, smoke began to seep out from the tops of their heads, rising up as if from the flames of war! Shocking rumbling filled the air.

Suddenly, their blood began to flow backward, and then their bodies began to fall apart. In the blink of an eye, they were covered with masses of blood and gore. Faces filled with astonishment, they coughed up blood and were forced to retreat.

"Sundered clouds, a bloody rain, seas that cover the sky!" Naruto transformed into a huge, crimson roc that shot toward Fū and the Ninth Sea. As they barreled toward each other, sundered clouds appeared up above, and bloody rain fell, which transformed into a sea of blood! Shockingly, two massive seas were now visible in the sky up above.

One was the Ninth Sea, and the other was a sea of blood. Above the Ninth Sea, Goddess Fū glowed with boundless light. In the sea of blood, Naruto's Dharma Idol stood like a shocking giant. The two slammed into each other, and a massive boom echoed out.

The sky shook, and the land quaked and began to split. Everyone fell back, shocked by what they were seeing.

As the two seas collided, Naruto's roc form shot directly toward Fū and viciously raked out at her with sharp claws.

Rumble!

Fū performed a double-handed incantation. Nine sea dragons materialized around her and roared as they moved to block Naruto. However, sea dragons are not really dragons, only enormous serpents. The golden roc's vicious claws ripped them to shreds. Their miserable shrieks were still echoing in the air when Naruto finally reached Fū.

Sharp claws slashed at her, and blood sprayed from her mouth. She fell back yet again, her hair in disarray. Glaring at Naruto, she performed a double-handed incantation that caused the conch shell to appear again. Even as she began to unleash her divine ability, Naruto and his Dharma Idol roared, and he rotated his cultivation base to full power.

Shocking rumbling filled the area, and the sky went dim. The sound from the conch… was unexpectedly suppressed, and began to tremble violently. Fū coughed up another mouthful of blood.

At the same moment in which she began to retreat, Naruto's right hand extended in the Star Plucking Magic.

Fū's face fell once again, and she waved her hand, causing countless illusory, sensuous mermaids to fill the area. It took only a moment for them to organize into a huge formation that moved to block Naruto.

Naruto snorted coldly, and a bright, bloody glow rose up into the air. The Blood Demon Grand Magic was unleashed at full power. In the blink of an eye, a blood-colored vortex appeared, fully three hundred meters wide. However, as Naruto surged forward, all that could be seen was a gigantic Blood Demon head that directly headbutted the mermaid spell formation.

The resulting boom filled the entire mountain range. The spell formation collapsed, and the mermaids withered away. Naruto's Blood Demon head vanished, but he pressed forward, his body shining with bloody light. A fist descended, and a huge boom rattled out. Fū retreated again, blood spurting from her mouth, her face filled with astonishment.

This version of Naruto left everyone feeling shocked to the extreme. Naruto's momentum was impossible to stop!

"Die!" he said, slashing his hand toward Fū's neck. Just when it seemed to be on the verge of making contact, Fū let out a miserable shriek. Her body began to twist and distort as she transformed into a blue flood dragon. Her mouth opened wide as she shot forward to swallow up the golden roc.

There was a boom, and the flood dragon collapsed. Naruto's golden roc also shuddered and vanished, revealed Naruto himself.

Fū took advantage of this opportunity to use a secret magic. Her body suddenly experienced a rapid weakening in exchange for a burst of speed that put her far off in the distance. Then she waved her hand, causing the blue bracelet on her wrist to fly out. It shattered in midair, forming a wall of fragments that resembled heavenly bodies. It was as if the two areas she and Naruto occupied were now completely separated by a huge divide.

Fū glared at Naruto in a way that seemed to suggest she was committing his facial features to memory.

"We will meet again," she said through gritted teeth. "Next time, I'm going to kill you!" She performed a double-handed incantation, after which, rumbling could be heard as a huge door began to coalesce behind her.

That door lead directly to the Nine Seas God World!

Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes, and he was just about to tear apart the divide composed of heavenly bodies when the seven or eight Chosen who worshipped Fū moved to block his way.

They shot forward with incredible speed, immediately unleashing divine abilities. The images of a true dragon and a flaming phoenix appeared, as well as a vicious golden tiger. One of the Chosen waved his hand to produce 1-meter-long giant ants; more than a thousand of them filled the sky as they moved to block Naruto.

"There's not going to be a next time!" said Naruto, snorting coldly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Behind him, his Dharma Idol began to shrink down in size and then superimposed itself over his body.

In that instant, the Immortal Chakra inside of him suddenly exploded out. In that instant, he was the Dharma Idol, and the Dharma Idol was him!

The eight people closing in on him were instantly shaken inwardly. An intense sense of deadly crisis filled their hearts, and they were suddenly overwhelmed with the sensation that Naruto was too dangerous to even get close to.

As their faces fell, Naruto began to stride forward. The air vibrated, and the two Chosen nearest Naruto fell back in astonishment, blood spraying from their mouths. He didn't even attack them. The mere rise in his energy injured them, causing their terror toward him to climb even higher.

All of these people gasped and looked at Naruto in shock. Their bodies stopped in place, and they didn't dare to move forward even an inch. Everyone in the area was now beginning to back up, fully aware of how powerful Naruto was.

Even Fū's face completely fell.

Naruto took his first step forward, and the illusory Immortal meridian inside of him rotated and began to emanate scintillating light that swirled around Naruto. His second step took him through the air and completely into the divide. His body trembled a bit as he passed into it, and yet, he was able to take a third step!

At that moment, countless gasps could be heard from the surrounding cultivators.

"He fused with his Dharma Idol! That's something only people in the Immortal Realm can do! He's not in the Immortal Realm, though he's immeasurably close to it, and yet he can still successfully fuse with it!"

"Is he really a cultivator from the lands of Lands of Ninshu…?"

"This Naruto is just too powerful! If he doesn't perish in this battle, then he'll become completely famous in the Ninth Mountain!"

All of the exclamations came when Naruto took his third step. When that step fell, the divide began to vibrate; clearly he was just about to emerge from within it.

By this point, the huge door behind Fū was now fully visible. The door began to open, and Fū let out a quiet sigh. She gave Naruto one final cold glance, and then turned to enter the huge door.

"Inky!" Naruto suddenly said.

As soon as his voice rang out from the divide, the listless eyes of the corpse that followed Fū suddenly flickered. Long strands of black hair floated out and began to wrap around her.

Fū's face filled with panic and shock, and she nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Just when she was about to step into the door, rumbling filled the air. Naruto had taken his fourth step, and emerged from within the divide. In that instant, his Immortal Chakra was in full circulation, and he stretched his hand out in a claw-like gesture toward Fū, who screamed shrilly.

Fū was already halfway through the invisible door, and just about to vanish. Naruto frowned. He could sense an incredible feeling of peril from beyond the door, and yet didn't hesitate. He unleashed the Star Plucking Magic, and a gigantic, illusory hand appeared. Just in the moment when Fū was about to disappear…. the giant hand grabbed her by the hair.

The hand yanked back viciously. In that moment, a muffled grunt could be heard from Fū. She vanished, and the illusory door disappeared amidst a rumbling boom. Naruto was left with only a handful of hair, the roots dripping with blood, which caused his expression to darken.

Naruto looked at the hair for a moment and then thought back to one of the magical techniques he had learned in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. It was a cursing magic, which he immediately unleashed, causing the hair in his hand to burn with green flames. Then, he blew out the flames and performed an incantation, which resulted in a single black hair materializing in front of him. He quickly put the strand of hair away. He now had a powerful weapon to use next time he encountered Fū.

Everything was silent. All eyes were on Naruto, and no one was speaking. As far as the Chosen were concerned, Naruto was incredibly intimidating. Furthermore, because the Dao Protectors were unable to loosen the seals on their cultivation bases… they were no match for him either.

The shock was especially intense among the people who had fought with Naruto before. All of them began to edge back, hearts filled with astonishment. Naruto's gaze swept across the crowd until they finally came to rest on Chiyo, who was still sitting cross-legged on the distant mountain peak.

From start to finish, Chiyo hadn't moved from that mountain, and had watched Naruto achieve eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, as well as his apparent invincibility.

"Chiyo, you took something that belongs to me," Naruto said calmly. "Are you really sure you want to sow Karma between us?"

"You also took something that belongs me," Chiyo replied slowly, looking over at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered with coldness as he transformed into a roc that surged with Immortal Chakra. He flew into the air and shot directly toward Chiyo.

He moved with incredible speed, surrounded by a glow of blood. This was not a golden roc, this was a crimson roc!

"Taking care of you will be simple!" said Naruto as he closed in. The words were simple, but they contained a profoundly domineering air. Anyone who heard them felt shock in their hearts.

It must be said that although Chiyo had met defeat when struggling to become Dao Child of the Hebi Clan, he was still a Hebi Clan Chosen!

And the Hebi Clan… ruled the Ninth Mountain!

"Laughable!" said Chiyo coolly.

The words echoed out, and Chiyo's eyes flickered. As Naruto bore down on him, he slowly lifted his right hand and pointed toward Naruto.

Ripples immediately appeared around him as two black fish materialized, which then twisted back and forth as they sped toward Naruto.

As they neared, Naruto let out a cold snort. He waved his right hand, causing eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal to surge out. It transformed into a shocking sound which shattered the air in all directions and then transformed into a blood-colored vortex. The vortex was like a giant mouth that directly swallowed up the two fish.

In that instant, however, the fish leaped upward. Shockingly, they transformed in midair into two black dragons, which roared as they proceeded onward toward Naruto. Naruto snorted again and punched out. A mountain range appeared, which then rumbled through the air to crush down onto the two black dragons.

A boom rattled out as the black dragons crumbled to pieces. However, there were two black strands of light that were apparently impossible to blot out. They instantly formed a sealing mark on Naruto's palm, and then began to sink into his flesh. In that moment, everyone who knew Naruto suddenly felt their minds tremble, as if there were some amorphous force interacting with the Karma that existed between him and them.

A serious expression filled Naruto's face, but a cold smile could be seen on his lips. He advanced, as if he didn't even notice the fluctuations in the Karma. He appeared in front of Chiyo and raised his right hand, within which could be seen a blood-colored vortex. He shoved his hand toward Chiyo.

Chiyo's expression was the same as ever. However, his eyes flickered, and all of the Karma that surrounded him surged, transforming into countless illusory images behind him. These were all the people who he remembered, or who remembered him.

Shockingly, one of those figures was Naruto.

All of the figures had Karma Threads attached to them, which then exploded with energy. It was as if Naruto was now fighting back against all of them at the same time.

Rumbling filled the air and nearby mountain peaks crumbled. Naruto and Chiyo rose up into the air, and in the blink of an eye they had exchanged over a hundred moves.

The Blood Demon rumbled out, and Chiyo frowned. However, he didn't retreat. The Karma attached to him glittered, and then spread out to lock down the entire area. The glow of the confinement magic fought back against the Blood Demon, and was not affected in the slightest by the gravitational force it emitted.

Chiyo waved his right hand again, then performed an incantation. Then he pointed at the countless figures behind him, and the one that belonged to Naruto began to tremble, and then coughed up blood.

Naruto's face flickered, and he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. However, his eyes flickered, and he forced himself to take another step forward. As he raised his hand, Countless mountain ranges appeared, including the Ninth Mountain, which then crushed down toward Chiyo.

Rumbling filled the air as Naruto's Blood Demon head smashed forward. Wild colors flashed in the sky, and Chiyo was forced into retreat. An incantation gesture flashed in his hand, and the boundless Karma that surrounded him began to spread out and transform into threads that shot toward Naruto.

"When it comes to the Dao of Karma, you must not let yourself be contaminated. If you do, an accounting must eventually be made!" As Chiyo spoke, the Karma Threads began to entwine around Naruto. As of this moment, Naruto's mind was trembling, and he was secretly shocked. Seeing the Karma Threads threatening to bind him up, he threw his head back and roared. Immediately, his body began to expand, as if his Dharma Idol were struggling to break free from the boundless Karma.

"Karmic Severing!" said Chiyo, his eyes glinting coldly. Gazing steadily at Naruto, he lifted his right hand up into the air and then chopped it down.

As he uttered the words, the entire sky, all the lands, the whole world suddenly went deathly silent. It was as if all the natural laws had changed, or were influenced. Time almost seemed to stand still.

Absolutely everything went completely silent.

Naruto was locked down tight in midair. And yet, he still managed to lift his right hand and point toward Chiyo.

Although he said nothing, the power of the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex, Karmic Hexing, was being unleashed.

One was the power of Karmic Severing, the other was the power of Karmic Hexing!

In Karmic Severing, the Karma Threads are severed, and life becomes death!

In Karmic Hexing, Karma is restrained. The more Karma one has, the more powerful the effects!

The Karma that swirled around Chiyo seemed terrifying, but from Naruto's perspective, he was the perfect target for Karmic Hexing!

As he was rooted there in place, countless flickering threads of numerous shades and hues of color began to emerge from within Naruto. These threads were all of Naruto's Karma.

They started out as a solid clump, which then spread out in all directions. Some of the Karma Threads were connected to nearby cultivators, but most spread out over the vast lands of Lands of Ninshu.

"I have been shrouded by the Dao of Karma since I was young," said Chiyo. "I will not sever all of your Karma, only one thread. However, that will mean that you can never step into the Immortal Realm." Although his voice was calm, he was actually quite apprehensive about Naruto. That was why, when he finally attacked, he did so with his most powerful Daoist magic!

He gestured slightly with his hand, and Naruto's Karma seemed to ripple as if someone was flipping through them like they were pages of a book, then begin to rapidly connect to Chiyo's Karma.

The scene that was playing out in front of the nearby cultivators caused the expressions of even the Chosen to fill with shock.

"So this is the power of the Hebi Clan…."

"The Dao of Karma is something nobody under Heaven can fight back against. According to the legends, Lord Hebi used the Dao of Karma to place the Heavens over Lord Asura!"

"No wonder this Chiyo was able to contend for the spot of Dao Child. I heard that there was something bizarre about his birth, that he had Karma on him from the moment he appeared in the world. Supposedly, his skill in the Dao of Karma is incredible."

"Naruto… is definitely dead!"

However, in the instant in which Chiyo was browsing through Naruto's Karma, his face suddenly flickered with disbelief. Although no observer could see it, all of the Karma that surrounded him was suddenly thrown into chaos.

Then, Naruto's karma threads began to separate. Not just one, but all of them. Shocking rumbling sounds filled the air as the Karma Threads joining the two of them began to pull apart from each other.

At the same time, the Karma Threads connecting him and Naruto began to snap one after another. Each thread emitted shocking booms as they snapped, and the Karmic connection between the two was rapidly broken!

At the same time, the Karma Threads around Naruto slowly began to grow dim, and he was no longer locked in place, but could move normally. He hovered there in midair, staring impassively at Chiyo.

As for Chiyo, he was trembling, and his face was filled with disbelief. His Karma threads were in complete disorder, and rumbling sounds pulsed out from them. It almost seemed like countless screams were echoing out.

His Karma threads spread out in all directions, causing the air around Chiyo to ripple. Then the Karma threads began to merge together. Brilliant light would burst out every time one collided with another.

Chiyo was trembling. It was at this point that one of his Karma Threads drooped down onto him and bored into him like a sealing mark, the power of which then spread out to every corner of his body. After that, another Karma Thread descended onto him, bored into him, and vanished. Then another. And another.

As more and more of the Karma Threads vanished, Chiyo's appearance was finally becoming visible.

The onlookers were shocked at this development, and were unsure of what exactly was happening. Moments ago, Chiyo had clearly been unleashing the Hebi Clan's Karmic Severing. And yet a moment later, Chiyo was suddenly in a losing position.

All of it happened in the space of a few breaths of time. Now, people were able to see Chiyo's facial features for the first time ever. As soon as people's eyes fell onto Chiyo, the sound of gasps could be heard, and eyes went wide.

What they saw was the face of a young woman, beautiful, with pale skin. On her forehead could be seen an image depicting a pair of fish, and her entire person exuded an air of sickly beauty.

She… was Chiyo!

Even in the Hebi Clan, very few people knew that Chiyo was a woman!

Everyone looked on silently as Chiyo was revealed. She trembled as she sensed her cultivation base fading away. The Karma that she herself had cultivated was now not even under her own control. It was as if some astonishing power were interfering with it, allowing her opponent to use it to lock her down!

"This is impossible…." she thought, her mind reeling. In the entire time that she had cultivated Karma, she had never encountered a situation like this before. It left her feeling… completely terrified!

"You…." Her face was pale as she looked at Naruto. At this moment, the last of her Karma threads bored into her body, becoming a portion of what was sealing her.

As of now, everyone could clearly see that she was a young woman wearing a long black robe. The paleness of her face was a sharp contrast to the darkness of her robe, and for some reason, the contrast made her seem incredibly fragile.

"How are you doing this?" she asked.

Naruto's expression was placid, his eyes cold as he stepped forward. He stood before Chiyo, who now had no cultivation base, and was incapable of any struggle. He reached out, grabbed her, and threw her into his bag of holding.

As of that moment, everyone was filled with utter shock. As they looked at Naruto, they wondered what unfathomable secrets he carried.

The onlookers didn't really understand what had just occurred in the battle; only Naruto and Chiyo were aware of the frightening truth. Naruto had fallen victim to the Hebi Clan's Karmic Severing before, and knew how terrifying it would have been if Chiyo had succeeded.

As for his Karmic Hexing, it was the bane of those who pursued the Dao of Karma. The more Karma someone had, the more powerful its hexing effects, which made it especially shocking when used against the Hebi Clan.

It was at this point that a voice rang out from the crowd.

"Kill him! As long as he lives, he retains all the good fortune! He can't be allowed to remain alive!

"He already captured Bisuke, Mei, Chiriku, Futsu, and Sora. Now he has Chiyo! This guy's set a record for creating calamities! He's definitely going to end up dead!

"He must die! He might be strong, but he's only one person!

"He can fight back against the Dao of Karma, which means he's definitely hiding some precious treasure! It's probably good fortune from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple!" As the voice drifted through the area, it was obvious that this person was trying to stir up the crowd to attack Naruto.

People's eyes began to flicker in response to the voice. How could they not understand what this person's intentions were? After all, his argument made sense.

Even as their hearts began to surge, killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. The Lightning Cauldron danced with electricity, and Naruto vanished. When he reappeared, shockingly, he was standing directly next to a man wearing a wide bamboo hat.

Naruto's sudden appearance caused the man's face to fall. This, of course, was the person who had just spoken. He tried to retreat backward, but Naruto was too fast. He burst out with eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, causing rumbling to fill the air as he punched out seven times in quick succession. The young man in the wide bamboo hat was crushed as easily as dried weeds, and exploded into a haze of blood.

Naruto took his bamboo hat and bag of holding, then turned to face the dozens of figures who were currently bearing down on him. Behind them were hundreds of other cultivators, all flying toward him to attack together.

"You shouldn't be in such a hurry to attack me," Naruto said cooly. "Starting from now, and lasting until the time you leave the lands of Lands of Ninshu… we're going to play a little game!

"A game of cat and mouse!" His body flickered as he used Form Displacement Transposition to suddenly appear far off in the distance. Earlier, he had escaped an ambush with only fifty percent of the power of a true Immortal. Now that he had eighty, if he wanted to leave this place, there was nobody who could stop him.

When everyone in the area heard his words, their minds filled with shock.

Naruto transformed into a beam of prismatic light that shot off into the distance. Hundreds of people trailed behind him in pursuit, but as of now, most had cultivation bases that didn't compare to his at all, and the others were incapable of releasing the seals that would make them his match. Furthermore, Naruto had the Heaven-defying Lightning Cauldron and its Form Displacement Transposition. Therefore, it only took a few hours for him to completely lose any pursuers.

The hundreds of people who remained behind fell silent. After a while, some of them just decided to give up; they immediately flew up into the air to leave Planet Lands of Ninshu. However, there were still quite a few who weren't willing to give in so easily.

This was especially true of the sects and clans whose Young Lords and Ladies had been captured by Naruto. They obviously could not leave, and had no choice but to join together to search for Naruto.

By this point, they didn't care about the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple's good fortune at all. It had all been acquired by Naruto. Therefore, it was easy to imagine how, once everyone left Planet Lands of Ninshu, it wouldn't take long before Naruto's name was spread throughout the Ninth Mountain.

Naruto now sped along silently through the mountains, wearing a wide bamboo hat. The hat was actually quite miraculous; after putting it on, his aura was completely concealed, making him completely unfathomable. He could even use the hat to change his appearance.

If that were all there was to it, it wouldn't be a big deal, and the item could be considered as useless as chicken bones. After all, even after changing his appearance and hiding his aura, any intelligent person who had seen him take the hat would know it was him as soon as they saw the hat itself.

However… the bamboo hat had another function. After putting it on his head, the music of a great Dao surrounded him. Although it wasn't very clear, he felt incredibly tranquil once the music entered his ears.

Naruto felt that it wasn't a bad item, so he put it on as he began to rifle through the bags of holding he had acquired. Shisui's bag of holding had quite a few miscellaneous objects in it that caused Naruto's eyes to shine. The Dao Protectors' bags were also filled to the brim.

"Rich! These Chosen from outside Lands of Ninshu are all totally rich!" His eyes shone as brightly as two suns. After quickly putting the bags of holding away, his body flickered as he sped onward.

Two hours later, a boom echoed out, and the ground quaked. An enraged roar could be heard, along with a bloodcurdling scream. The source of the commotion was a group from one of the Three Sects and Six Churches, the Church of the Blood Orchid. Only moments before, Naruto had suddenly appeared and attacked them. He didn't kill anyone, but did beat them to a pulp until they were seriously injured, and then took their bags of holding.

Even as he made to leave, he scanned the bags of holding belonging to the Chosen of the Church of the Blood Orchid, after which his fury raged.

The bags of holding weren't all empty, but were definitely much lighter than they should have been. It was almost as if someone had looted them at some point earlier in time!

"Dammit!" cried Naruto. He turned and thrashed the Church of the Blood Orchid disciples a bit more. Their Dao Protectors were enraged to the point of insanity, but with their cultivation bases sealed, all they could do was endure.

As for the Chosen, they were forced to write promissory notes. The hatred they felt for Naruto was now completely beyond description.

"These Lands of Ninshu people are all bandits and thieves!" said one of the Chosen from the Church of the Blood Orchid, a young woman who appeared to be on the verge of bursting into tears.

"Don't worry," Naruto said grimly. "I'll help you get your revenge. Who the hell dares to steal my business!?"

Six hours later, in another part of the mountain range, the ripples of magical techniques spread out in all directions from a group from one of the Five Holy Lands, the Blue Lotus Sky.

Their fate was the same as the Church of the Blood Orchid. Naruto was invincible, booms rang out, and serious injuries were inflicted. Afterwards, Naruto took their bags of holding, and was happy to find that they were much fuller than the last group, and had not been ransacked before.

In the following several days, Naruto roamed about, occasionally killing people, but mostly just inflicting injuries. Despite that, widespread indignation and discontent rose up among the various power groups. Many opted to just leave, and when they finally reached the starry sky outside Planet Lands of Ninshu, they breathed sighs of relief. The Dao Protectors' cultivation bases were restored, and they hated Naruto down to their bones. However, they were incapable of setting foot back on the planet, and had no choice but to stamp their feet angrily and leave.

This was… an evacuation….

Naruto had single-handedly stood up to all the Chosen and Dao Protectors of the various sects and clans of the Ninth Sea. Now, the mountains were being evacuated. The fate of anyone he ran into was to be picked clean after failing to escape.

When he came across empty bags of holding, he would often make their owners write promissory notes. Anyone who didn't cooperate suffered the same fate as Chiriku, and were dragged around by the hair.

More and more sects and clans chose to leave. Even Mount Sun and the Shimura Clan eventually lost their courage and had no choice but to depart. Sticking around was simply a source of too much pain for them.

Though the Dao Protectors had higher cultivation bases than him, those cultivation bases were sealed. The fact that Naruto, a member of the junior generation, had defeated them, was driving them mad.

A few days later, Naruto spent an entire day searching without finding anyone left behind in the mountain range. After some thought, he came to the conclusion that everyone had left. However, it was at this point that suddenly, he stopped in place and turned to look off in the distance. Because of the level of his cultivation base, he was just barely able to make out some faint ripples.

"There's still someone who hasn't left?" he thought, surprised. During the past few days, he'd been methodically attempting to force a complete evacuation, and had assumed that everyone had already chosen to leave. Unexpectedly, he now found that there were still people remaining.

He disappeared in a flash as he shot off into the distance. Soon, he caught sight of a group of four people who were traveling along at maximum speed. One of them was Fugai. Next to her were two old women, apparently her Dao Protectors, and finally, an old man, who was presumably one of Futsu's Dao Protectors.

As Naruto neared, the faces of these four Namikaze Clan members flickered. The two old women stepped forward and glared at Naruto. As for Fugai, hatred flickered in her eyes as she looked at Naruto.

"Everyone else has gone," he said suddenly. "Why haven't you people?"

In response to his words, Fugai's face flickered suspiciously, and she rushed out from behind her two Dao Protectors to charge toward Naruto.

The old man quickly grabbed Fugai's arm.

"Young Lady, let's get out of here!"

The other two Dao Protectors, the old women, transformed into beams of light that shot toward Naruto.

"Go find your clan uncle Minato! Then you'll be safe! Get out of here!"

They had been advancing with extreme caution, and were obviously scared of attracting Naruto's attention. However, now that Naruto was here, there was no need to try to remain hidden, so they sped forward as fast as they could.

When Naruto heard the words "Minato", he couldn't hold back from coughing lightly. He was just about to say something when the two old women let out shrill shrieks, and then attacked viciously. A cloud of poison spread out, within which were two skeletons that radiated mysterious light. As they passed through the air, the vegetation beneath them withered up and died.

Naruto frowned, then punched out with his right hand. The Mountain Consuming Incantation caused a mountain range to materialize, which swept out to crush down onto the two old women.

Rumbling could be heard as the two old women attacked with all the power they could muster. False Immortal cultivation base power exploded out as they attempted to block Naruto.

Naruto snorted coldly, then waved his hand, causing his Dharma Idol to appear, whose fist slammed into the ground, causing everything to quake and fissures to appear on the surface of the land. The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, and instead of chasing after Fugai, he continued to battle with the two old women.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, booms filled the air and the old women coughed up blood. Their bodies were severely withered as they were tossed down to the ground, where they stared at Naruto with venomous hatred.

"You're dead!"

"We're in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and a powerful expert of the Namikaze Clan is stationed here! Now that you've dared to treat us this way, you're going to die beyond the shadow of a doubt!"

"I wasn't planning to kill you, so stop tempting me," Naruto said coldly.

With that, he turned and shot off in pursuit of Fugai. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something fishy going on with her. By now, everyone had left Lands of Ninshu, but she was still here. Most important of all was her reaction to his words just now.

"Could it be that there's still some good fortune left to be had in this place?" he thought curiously. Even as he sped through the air, the two old women's faces flickered. Gritting their teeth, they flew after him in pursuit.

Meanwhile, nine enormous teleportation portals had opened up in the starry sky outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu. Glittering light spread out in all directions as more than a dozen figures appeared in the nine huge teleportation portals.

The figures were blurry, and were obviously not true selves, but rather divine will clones. Despite being nothing but divine will, for them to appear here caused ripples to spread out through the starry sky, and immense pressure to bear down on Planet Lands of Ninshu.

The figures all began to speak at almost exactly the same time.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, we can forget about what happened in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple…. However, I only hope that you can return Chiyo of the Hebi Clan to us. Fellow Daoist Namikaze, please show some charity…."

"Elder Brother Namikaze, a Chosen of Mount Sun was also captured…. Please, allow him to be released!"

"The Shimura Clan has a good relationship with the Namikaze Clan. How could Mei of the junior generation possibly have been taken captive here…? She's a young woman, and if her purity has been compromised, the Shimura Clan can tolerate it. However, don't forget, Minato, Mei is the future fiancée that links our clans!"

"Elder Brother Namikaze, my eldest son Sora was also taken captive. We became friends as soon as we met way back when, Elder Brother Namikaze. Look what's happened now…."

"Elder Brother Namikaze, you're close friends with the Pontifex of the Church of the Emperor Immortal. Ai… the Pontifex is sealed in critical meditation and can't come out. So… could you give us some face? Chiriku is one of my own descendants."

"Big bro Namikaze… the Patriarch is somewhat at a loss considering what happened, and asked me to come talk with you…. Uh… my son, your nephew, Futsu was also taken captive…."

As the voices echoed about in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, Sai shook his head and smiled, then vanished. Minato and Kushina also chuckled bitterly. After the restrictive spells had been removed from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, they had seen and heard everything that had occurred.

"That rascal, he's too…." Minato sighed, and couldn't help but feel that he was, indeed, somewhat in the wrong. Had the people outside of Lands of Ninshu been rude and abusive, then the situation would have been easier to deal with. However, they were very calm and polite, and they were correct to point out the relationships that existed. As a result, Minato felt a bit embarrassed.

His wife, Naruto's mother, was actually beaming with joy and was clearly very pleased.

They exchanged a look. Then, Minato muttered and then waved his hand toward the sky. Everything trembled, and an enormous rift appeared. More than ten figures immediately flew down from up above.

Even though they were still blurry, their appearance caused all of Planet Lands of Ninshu to tremble from the incredible pressure that spread out. However, this was Planet Lands of Ninshu, and they still needed to act cautiously.

They clasped hands in greeting to Minato and Kushina, and in response, Minato smiled wryly.

"Fellow Daoists, this matter… oh, never mind. I'll take you to the scene to make sure the members of your junior generation are all safe."

These people were being polite because they had no desire whatsoever to offend Minato. In response to his words, the group transformed into prismatic beams that shot toward the mountainous location of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

All of the cultivators of the Eastern Lands could see the enormous rift up in the sky, including Naruto, who was currently in hot pursuit of Fugai. Suddenly, his heart began to thump, and he actually began to feel a bit guilty.

However, his eyes quickly grew calm and unperturbed, and he continued his pursuit.

Fugai was up ahead. The old Dao Protector continued to grasp her by the arm as he unleashed the fastest speed he was capable of. He even used secret magical arts and blood evasion techniques. Because this was already near the border region of the mountain range, before long they were able to charge out from within the mountains. They transformed into prismatic beams and shot toward the Namikaze Clan's fortress in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands.

At the same time, the two old women were anxiously pursuing Naruto, their hearts filled with venomous hatred.

"Once we find your clan uncle, all of this will be resolved," the old man said, "and that Naruto will be dead for sure!" Fugai bit her lower lip and nodded. She was inwardly alarmed, but was also certain that, based on her status in the Namikaze Clan, the clan uncle would definitely resolve the crisis. Furthermore, he would most certainly make Naruto pay the price for what he had done.

She believed this, the old man believed it, and the two venomous old women behind Naruto also believed it.

"My clan uncle is stationed here on Planet Lands of Ninshu, so if anyone dares to harm the interests of the Namikaze Clan, he'll definitely do something to stop it!"

"Your clan uncle might have imposed restrictions on the people entering Planet Lands of Ninshu, but he's still a member of the Namikaze Clan. This Naruto is malicious to the extreme, so he'll definitely be killed!"

"All we have to do is lay eyes on the clan uncle, and Naruto will be dead! No matter how deep the resources of Naruto's sect here on Lands of Ninshu are, nothing will be able to save him!"

There were two people up front, Naruto in the middle, and two old women following from behind. Five people whistled through the air, eventually charging out of the mountain range. It was at this point that Naruto extended his right hand and made a grasping motion. Rumbling filled the air as he snatched at the old man flying next to Fugai. The old man's body trembled, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood as he evaded Naruto's attack. A rancorous look filled his face as he began to speed away once again.

The two old women behind Naruto anxiously sent forth attacks, filling the air with rumbling sounds.

"Don't push things too far, Naruto! This might be Planet Lands of Ninshu, but even so, this area is the Namikaze Clan's jurisdiction!"

"You're going to die today!"

Naruto gave a cold harrumph, and prepared to attack again. He had no intention of killing anyone, of course; he just wanted to rummage through Fugai's bag of holding. However, it was at this point that over a dozen beams of light approached from off in the distance, moving with indescribable speed.

In the lead were Minato and Kushina. Behind them were the more than ten powerful experts from various outside sects and clans.

When Minato and Kushina caught sight of Naruto, Minato glared at him. As for Naruto's mother, she seemed to have a somber expression on the surface, but a smile could be seen in her eyes.

When Naruto saw them, the guilt he felt grew. As for the old man next to Fugai, when he saw the approaching newcomers, his face lit up with joy.

The two old women very nearly started laughing.

"Clan uncle, save me!" cried Fugai. The old man couldn't contain his excitement, and quickly clasped hands in greeting to Minato.

"Greetings, your excellency Namikaze!"

The two old women immediately stopped in place, joy bubbling up in their hearts. They quickly circled out to seal Naruto's paths of retreat. Their faces flickered with killing intent; to them, Naruto was already as good as dead.

After this, they clasped hands and bowed to Minato and Kushina.

"Greetings, your excellency Namikaze!"

Naruto slowed down and came to a stop, after which he stood there rubbing his nose.

In the blink of an eye, Minato and Kushina were already descending through midair. Behind them, the more than ten powerful experts could be seen, blurry and unclear, but radiating intense power and pressure that caused even the sky to grow dim.

As soon as their gazes fell onto Naruto, it was as if multiple mountains were crushing down around him, sealing him in place completely.

"Clan uncle, it's me, Fugai!" cried Fugai excitedly. "Clan uncle, please back me up here!" Now that she had caught sight of her two relatives, she found it impossible to hold back from giving vent to the humiliations she had just endured.

It was at this point that the old man and the two old women glanced over at Naruto. Looking pleased, and eyes brimming with hatred, they began to talk as if they were speaking of a dead person.

"Your excellency Namikaze, this is Naruto. He has a sinister and vicious heart, and is unmatchably shameless! He even used despicable methods to capture Futsu!"

"You can't leave this guy alive! Not only did he capture Futsu, he also humiliated Goddess Fū from the Nine Seas God World! Plus, he captured Chosen from the other sects and clans! He's contemptible to the maximum!"

"Yeah, that's right! Even more excessive was that he used disgraceful tactics to steal all the good fortune of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple for himself! The thought of it makes your hair stand up in anger!"

"This guy is rotten to the core! Not only did he plant landmines outside of the Daoist rite temple, which caused injury to everyone, but after that, he posed as a Dao Protector outside the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple! He even called himself the groundskeeper!"

"He has absolutely, positively no sense of shame! He occupied the entire Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple by himself, and didn't let anyone else inside, and then, used disgraceful techniques to extort and rob the rest of us! There were many fellow cultivators who were injured by him!"

Tears were now streaming down Fugai's face as she looked over at Minato and Kushina and bowed continuously.

"Uncle, aunt. This guy chased me down and was trying to kill me! If I hadn't run into the two of you, Fugai would definitely have been buried in this place, and I would never have been able to see you again." Fugai was not a direct bloodline descendant of the Namikaze Clan, so she could only use an informal version of the address "uncle." If she were a direct bloodline descendant, then she would have called him "Uncle Minato," and used a more formal version of the word "Uncle." After all, when it came to the direct bloodline of the Namikaze Clan, Minato counted as the eldest son, and Naruto as the eldest grandson.

When Minato and Kushina heard the words being spoken, their faces darkened. Naruto felt even more guilty, and a bashful, seemingly apologetic, smile appeared on his face.

The ten or more people behind Minato then began to laugh coldly as they looked at Naruto.

"So, you're Naruto of the junior generation!"

"How daring, Naruto. You still haven't released the Chosen of our Mount Sun? You'll be coming back to Mount Sun with me to atone for your crime!"

"You have Chosen Mei of the Shimura Clan. To pay for this crime, you must immediately drop to your knees, cripple your cultivate base, and dig out your eyes!"

"Sora is a Chosen of the Nadeshiko Clan! He is honest and upright, and has an extraordinary cultivation base. What underhanded tricks did you use to capture him!?"

"You have Chiriku and still haven't let him go? You're obviously young and ignorant, so I'll take your father and mother's place to offer you some discipline!"

If Minato and Kushina weren't here, any one of this group of people could have cut Naruto down where he stood. Instead, they just spoke cold words that made everything feel as frigid as ice.

Minato and Kushina's faces were equally icy.

When Fugai saw all of the people standing behind Minato, her heart swelled with joy, and she instantly gave Naruto a spiteful look and said, "Uncle, aunt, this guy even has the Immortal Ancient Daoist Medallion!"

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the old man from the Namikaze Clan. "Your excellency Namikaze. This young man not only has the Immortal Ancient Daoist Medallion, he also has a bronze lamp. That lamp gives him eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal!"

When the other people heard this, they stared at Naruto, who lowered his head with a bashful smile, like a little child who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Minato turned his head to look at Naruto.

"Is what they said true!?" he said.

Naruto blinked for a moment, then quietly said, "It's not as incredible as they make it sound…. I didn't do it on purpose!"

Fugai and the others didn't notice anything unusual about the way Minato and Naruto were speaking to each other. However, among the group of ten or more powerful experts, there were a few who felt their hearts quiver. All of a sudden, something didn't seem right.

Minato gave a cold snort and flicked his sleeve. Immediately, the pressure weighing down on Naruto vanished. Although the motion appeared casual, when the onlookers saw it happen, their hearts were shaken.

The expert from the Church of the Emperor Immortal narrowed his eyes. "It almost seems… like there's some fishy connection between Minato and this kid…."

The representative from the Hebi Clan looked over at Naruto, eyes glittering, then looked back thoughtfully at Minato.

Minato frowned and looked at Naruto, a serious look in his eyes.

"Why haven't you let those people go already?" he asked.

Naruto cleared his throat. He looked hesitantly at his mother, then back at his father, who was obviously putting on a forced and phony demeanor. Finally, he sighed and patted his bag of holding.

Chiriku came out first.

His clothes were in ribbons, and his expression haggard. However, as soon as he appeared, he immediately clasped hands to Naruto and fawningly said, "Elder Brother Uzumaki, Li'l Chiriku pays his respects, sir…." He was about to continue when he suddenly noticed everyone else in the area. He gasped, and then began to tremble excitedly.

The expert from the Church of the Emperor Immortal had an unsightly expression on his face. He shot a ruthless look in Chiriku's direction, clearly displeased with the face-losing words he had just uttered.

Chiriku's heart trembled, and yet, he couldn't hold back his excitement. Tears immediately began to flow down his face.

"Uncle!" he cried out loudly, using the respectful form of address. "Save me, Uncle! He forced me to do it! You have no idea how brutal this shameless bastard is! He took my bag of holding and stole all of my belongings, then he forced me to write a promissory note!

"I didn't want to, but he dragged me around by the hair and did everything he could to hurt me. Look, I don't even have any clothes any more, just rags. He forced me to do everything!" From the tone of Chiriku's words as they echoed out, everyone could sense what a miserable and terrible experience he had gone through.

Naruto stared coldly at Chiriku, his eyes wide. He said nothing.

"Hey, what are you looking at, you little punk!?" cried Chiriku, his eyes widening threateningly. "You're dead!" However, at the same time, he backed up quickly to stand next to his Uncle. Once he was there, he heaved a sigh of relief as he stared at Naruto.

Minato watched all of this with wide eyes and slack jaw. Kushina blinked a few times, and looked over a Naruto, a grin in her eyes.

"Release the other ones, too," said Minato. He looked like he might be getting a headache.

"Oh, right." replied Naruto, then slapped his bag of holding to produce Bisuke.

Bisuke looked miserable; his hair was disheveled, and he looked completely tattered. His eyes even looked blank, and he stood there in a daze for a moment before beginning to tremble with excitement.

"Master Uncle…." he said, his voice quavering with emotion from finally being able to see the light of day, as if he suddenly had seen a gleam of hope in his life again. Then, he sped over to stand next to the powerful expert from Mount Sun. Finally, he turned to look hatefully at Naruto.

"Naruto, I hope that you DON'T die here today! That way, one day I'll have the chance to slaughter you myself! I hereby swear that I will help you to understand what it means to live a life worse than death!"

Naruto glared back viciously at Bisuke.

"I dare you to say one more word!" said Naruto, his eyes burning with murderous intent. Bisuke was just about to open his mouth when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes, and suddenly, his heart began to tremble, and he didn't dare to speak another word.

"What incredible gall!" said the old man next to Fugai. He snorted coldly and glared at Naruto. Clearly… he hadn't yet picked up on any of the clues. By this time, however, of the more than ten people behind Minato, most had realized that the mood in the area… was off.

From the way Minato and Naruto talked to each other, it didn't seem that they were strangers. In fact, it was more like the way a father and son would talked to each other.

Light gasps could be heard. By following such a path of reasoning, they quickly called to mind the reason that Minato and Kushina had come to Planet Lands of Ninshu in the first place. Then, they looked at Naruto again, but in a different way than they had before.

"Stop stalling! Release them all!" said Minato. Inwardly, he was chuckling wryly, but also felt a touch of pride. After all, Naruto had accomplished something that few others could.

With a long face and somewhat of a pout, Naruto released Futsu and Sora. They appeared, looking distressingly haggard. Futsu's injuries seemed especially serious, and he coughed up some blood and then immediately fainted. The old man standing next to Fugai immediately stepped forward to catch him, then looked back at Naruto, killing intent swirling in his eyes.

Sora was taciturn as he walked off. He turned his head and gave a meaningful glare at Naruto, but didn't say anything. When he reached the powerful expert from the Nadeshiko Clan, he stood there with his eyes closed. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Any more?" asked Minato.

"Uh… a few," Naruto replied. He reluctantly released three more people from his bag of holding. These were three other Chosen he had captured in the past few days. As soon as they were released, they turned to look at Naruto with fury burning in their eyes, as well as the desire to kill.

When they saw that three additional Chosen had been tucked away in Naruto's bag of holding, everyone gaped, even Minato and Kushina. No one could have imagined that Naruto would be able to snatch up so many people. This was especially true of the powerful experts from the outside sects and clans.

They stared blankly at the people emerging from Naruto's bag of holding, and couldn't help but think that Naruto… truly was terrifying.

"Alright, that's it," Naruto said, spreading his hands wide and looking calmly at the powerful experts standing behind his father and mother.

In response to his words, the powerful experts from the Hebi and Shimura Clans glared back with wide eyes. Minato let out a cold snort.

"What about the Chosen from the Hebi Clan, and Mei!"

Naruto suddenly looked a bit startled.

"Mei? Who? Uh, I don't know her. Hebi Clan Chosen? I never saw any Hebi Clan Chosen!" As Naruto rambled on, Minato looked back at him with a deadpan expression, and finally sighed.

"I need to get off of Planet Lands of Ninshu," Naruto thought to himself. "It so boring being held back here." Finally, he decided to pull Chiyo out of his bag of holding.

As soon as Chiyo emerged, a thick mist appeared around her body, concealing her completely. Finally she looked back at Naruto, a profound expression on her face. Then she turned and began to walk over to the powerful expert from the Hebi Clan.

"Don't forget that you owe me a promissory note!" blurted Naruto. He had long since recovered his second true self, and had also cleaned out Chiyo's bag of holding.

Chiyo's pace faltered briefly, as if she was having to exert intense control over herself. After a long moment passed, she gritted her teeth and continued walking.

"Okay, that was really the last one!" said Naruto resolutely.

The more than ten people behind Minato stood there silently. If there were any of them who hadn't yet figured out what was going on by now, then they didn't deserve to have practiced cultivation to the level that they had. The expert from the Shimura Clan sighed, and apparently felt a headache coming on. In the agreement between the Shimura Clan and the Namikaze Clan all those years ago, Mei was supposed to be engaged to Minato's crippled son.

From the look of things, she could tell… that the crippled son from all those years ago was actually none other than the Naruto they were facing right now.

The Shimura Clan expert sighed and looked at Minato. "Elder Brother Namikaze… look…."

Minato smiled wryly then turned to glare at Naruto.

"Release her!"

Naruto set his jaw, took a step forward and glared at Minato. "She's supposed to be a maidservant for mom!"

His wording was quite barbaric, but it actually softened Minato's heart. He knew that from the time Naruto was very young, he and Kushina had been unable to be there for him, and he would surely react negatively to being restrained and instructed.

Kushina covered her smile with her hand, then took a few steps forward and looked at her son. Her tone gentle, she said, "Take her out and let me see."

Naruto slapped his bag of holding, and Mei flew out, her hair a mess and her lips still smeared with blood. Her buttocks were still slightly uneven and still had a deep impression of a handprint on them, and her face was pale. She appeared to be in such pain that she was on the verge of passing out.

As soon as she appeared, a vicious look gleamed in her eyes, and she spun toward Naruto. Her hands twisted into claws that slashed toward Naruto's face. Naruto glared at her and extended his right hand.

Mei's heart trembled, and she instantly fell back, glaring angrily at Naruto.

"Someone as savage as you isn't suitable to be my mom's maidservant. BEAT IT!" Naruto waved his hand dismissively. He was in a foul mood now considering how much he had just lost out on.

"Naruto!" screeched Mei, so furious that she trembled. She was just about to charge forward and attack again when the Shimura Clan expert held out a hand to block her way. She pulled her off to the side and transmitted a few words to her. Meis eyes went wide, and she stared at Naruto, then looked over at Minato and Kushina. Suddenly, her face went completely ashen, as if her entire world had gone dark.

"Impossible…." she murmured, almost as if she had been possessed. "It's impossible…."

"Hmph. Fine, that's everybody," said Naruto. "If there's nothing else then I'll be leaving now." He swished his sleeve and was about to leave when the old man from the Namikaze Clan, who still hadn't picked up on what was going on, suddenly laughed coldly.

"You want to leave? Hand over your bag of holding, then get on your knees and beg for mercy!" His body flashed as he shot toward Naruto. As for the two old women, they hesitated for a moment. Something seemed off to them, but in the end, they gritted their teeth and charged toward Naruto.

Fugai had not practiced cultivation for a very long time, but even she could tell that something was off, although she wasn't quite sure what.

Seeing the three people closing in on him, Naruto's face immediately darkened.

"Who the hell do you people think you are!?" His right hand clenched into a fist and he immediately punched out. A boom rang out as the three old Dao Protectors' bodies were shaken. They fell back, and were just about to unseal their cultivation bases when….

Suddenly, another cold snort echoed out, and Minato's voice reverberated through the air.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE!?" An icy light flickered out from his eyes. It was nothing more than a gaze, but it caused the three old Dao Protectors to tumble backward and cough up mouthful after mouthful of blood. Rumbling filled their bodies as numerous sword wounds appeared on them; they appeared to be on the verge of being sliced to pieces.

The three old Dao Protectors' faces fell as ninety percent of their cultivation bases were slashed away. Blood spurted about everywhere, and they were very nearly killed.

"Your excellency Namikaze…."

Off to the side, Fugai gaped. "Clan uncle…."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Fellow Daoists," said Minato, a slight smile on his lips. "I still haven't been able to make the proper introductions. This… is my young son." When his voice echoed out into the ears of the powerful experts, they began to smile wryly. Earlier, they had for the most part figured things, so to hear Minato personally speak the words came as no surprise.

However, Chiyo and all the others looked over at Naruto in complete shock. Mei was trembling, and her expression was blank. However, the most terrified of them all wasn't her, but Chiriku. He watched blankly as the scene played out, and thought back to everything he had said earlier. Immediately, a gloomy expression could be seen on his face, as if his whole world had gone dark.

By this point, Futsu had regained consciousness. He and Fugai stood there with minds abuzz and hearts filled with explosive thunder. The old man and the two old women gasped in disbelief.

They thought about all the threatening things they had said to Naruto… how they had tried to use a son's own father to threaten him. Then… they began to shake in their boots.

"I unsealed the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple on Lands of Ninshu to provide my young son with a training ground. From a young age, he has lived a rough, unrestrained life. For the sake of my face, I hope all of you Fellow Daoists will not be too offended by any of his faux pas." Laughing, Minato clasped hands to all the surrounding cultivators.

The more than ten powerful experts chuckled wryly and shook their heads. They then exchanged some polite words with Minato and Kushina, at the same time glancing over at Naruto occasionally. As for the bags of holding he had snatched, and all the other things that had occurred in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, it was a bit inappropriate to bring them up anymore.

"Since all of you are here," said Minato, "don't be in a hurry to leave. Please, come back with me to my clan headquarters and allow me to entertain you." The more than ten experts laughed to themselves. The matters of the junior generation were things they could afford to ignore. Therefore, they laughed and chatted as they followed Minato to the Namikaze Clan.

As for Sora and all the other Chosen, they hated Naruto just as much as before, and he them. They did nothing to conceal this fact, and neither did Naruto. He glared back at them hatefully, then pulled out a thick stack of promissory notes, which he then began to leaf through. Sora and the others had no choice but to grit their teeth and turn to follow the members of the senior generation.

Naruto decided not to go back home to the Namikaze Clan, nor did Minato attempt to force him to. Naruto's mother straightened his garments and then pinched his nose. Then, in much the manner one would speak to a young child, she warned him not to get into any trouble. Finally, she turned and left.

Futsu and Fugai were scared witless, and were just about to follow their seniors when Naruto stepped forward and blocked their way.

"C-cousin…." Fugai stammered.

Futsu snorted coldly and looked away, refusing to speak.

Naruto glared at him, then suddenly reached out and smacked him across the side of the face. Blood sprayed from Futsu's mouth, and he was sent tumbling onto the ground. His Dao Protector stood off to the side, head bowed, smiling bitterly, pretending like he didn't see what was happening.

"You!" said Futsu, looking up at Naruto. However, in the instant that the word was out of his mouth, Naruto's foot slammed down onto the sprawling Futsu.

"You refuse to address me as Cousin when you see me!? What kind of upbringing did you have!" Naruto viciously kicked him a few more times, and Futsu screamed. His head was now covered with blood, causing Fugai to be frozen in fear as she looked on. Naruto's viciousness now caused her to remember some scenes from when she was young. If she recalled correctly, she had actually been bullied by this older cousin of hers on a few occasions.

"AAAHHHHH! I'm gonna kill you!" roared Futsu.

Naruto's eyes glittered coldly, and he punched out again, landing a blow directly onto Futsu's mouth, shattering his teeth and making it impossible for him to speak. Blood spurted out.

By now, Fugai was trembling violently. The old man and the two old women were staring in shock, and yet didn't dare to interfere.

Futsu was being beaten senseless. His body was wracked with pain, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Memories from his childhood floated up, and he vaguely remembered being beaten up by a certain brother and sister team.

Miserable shrieks rang out as Naruto kicked him again. It seemed that if Futsu didn't speak up and say the right words, he would be trampled to death.

Filled with fear, Futsu spit out a mouthful of blood and then blurted, "C-cousin!"

Naruto's foot stopped in midair above Futsu's face. He slowly pulled his foot back, and then a bashful smile appeared on his face.

"Little bro, welcome to Planet Lands of Ninshu."

Naruto turned to look at Fugai, and in that instant, she produced a dilapidated bottle from her bag of holding.

"Cousin, this is something I found in the mountain range, it has the music of a Dao inside…."

Her heart stabbed with pain, but considering the fate of Futsu that she had just witnessed, she didn't dare to do anything other than hand over the bottle. This was especially true considering everything she had said in front of Naruto's parents. When she thought about that, her scalp went numb.

Likewise, how could Naruto forget all of the venomous things she had said just moments ago? He reached out and took the bottle, looked at it, then threw it back to Fugai. The bottle was not unfamiliar to him; there had been many like it inside the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

Although it had the music of a Dao inside, that was simply because it had existed inside the temple for so long.

Ignoring Fugai, Naruto turned and transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance. When he finally disappeared, the three old Dao Protectors sighed and helped the injured Futsu to his feet, then took him and terrified Fugai off into the distance.

Several days passed by in a flash. During that time, Naruto traveled around in the Eastern Lands, mostly in the area surrounding the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple mountains. He didn't reveal his appearance or aura, but instead concealed it with the bamboo hat.

As for clothing, he pulled out a long robe that had belonged to Chiriku from the Church of the Emperor Immortal. He roamed through the area slowly, waiting.

Waiting… for those two damned bandits!

"How dare they steal business from me!" he thought, his expression dark. Naruto had long since been brooding about the two mysterious bandits who had stolen all the items that belonged to him.

"Unless I'm mistaken, I know exactly which bastards pulled such a shameless stunt!" He snorted coldly as he flew through midair.

"Those two bastards fled during my battle with Madara, and haven't dared to show their faces since then. This time, I'll definitely track them down!" For some reason, Naruto was certain that there was no one other than the meat jelly and the parrot who could have accomplished something that caused him to lose out on so much.

"Although, those two little bastards aren't that strong. How could they have managed to rob so many Chosen?" Naruto was very curious about this, and it was the one thing he couldn't figure out.

"Did they come across some sort of good fortune?" he thought suspiciously. He continued to fly through midair in the region near the mountain range. Three days passed, until finally, he ran into one of the Eastern Lands' walled cities. He glanced at it, then slowly and deliberately flew around in the city a few times before finally making his way off into the distance.

What he didn't notice was that in one of the city's inns, two pairs of eyes were surreptitiously peering out at him.

Two burly fellows, tall and sturdy, were at a table slurping alcohol and chomping down on meat. One of them sat cross-legged in a chair, the other squatted down next to the table. Apparently, those were the only positions that were comfortable to these two.

Even stranger, the burly fellow who sat there cross-legged would drink the alcohol in huge slurps, and would toss enormous quantities of food into his mouth with each bite. As for the other man, he… pecked at his food almost like a bird would.

"Did you see that?" said the bird-like man. He blinked, and then a wily gleam appeared in his eyes as he watched Naruto disappear off into the distance.

"Huh?" said the other man, looking up to stare at Naruto's retreating figure.

"You idiot!" said the bird-like man, smacking the other man hard across the head. "Fool! Get a brain, would you! Lord Fifth has hauled you around for so many years now! How could you still be so stupid!?"

"What the hell?!" roared the big man, food spraying from his mouth, revealing dancing electricity inside. "You're being immoral! You're being shameless! This isn't right! I'm gonna convert you!"

"Quiet down," said the bird-like man self-assuredly. "Listen to me, did you see that guy with the bamboo hat? He was hiding his aura. That hat is definitely some kind of treasure!"

"Treasure!?" said the big man, his eyes lighting up.

"Right. Definitely a treasure. Based on my experience, people who carry treasures like that are usually weaklings. They're basically lambs waiting for the slaughter!

"Have faith in the Lord Fifth; that guy is definitely an easy mark! Furthermore, his cultivation base probably isn't very high, but his bag of holding is probably very deep. Did you see his clothes? Not too long ago, we robbed a guy who was wearing clothes exactly like that.

"Most important of all, he clearly doesn't want people to recognize him. That indicates he has secrets! Secrets, I tell you!" The bird-like man was continuing to get more and more excited.

"Secrets!" exclaimed the big man, his eyes glowing brightly.

"With secrets like that, and a weak cultivation base, plus a plump bag of holding… he's definitely ripe for the plucking. Besides, a single look, and you can tell he's the kind of person who knows how to dress well. He's the perfect mark for us. Trust me, if we can clean him out, then we'll be able to live in complete comfort." The bird-like man was even more excited than before.

The big man's eyes gleamed brightly, but then he hesitated.

"But we failed so many other times, and even almost got captured. Especially in the past few days. Whenever you take on HIS appearance, we end up getting chased by everyone…. Wait, is he a bully?"

"You got it!" said the bird-like man, nodding. "Of course he's a bully. He couldn't be anything else! Look, we'll definitely succeed this time, just have faith in the Lord Fifth. All the other times were mere mishaps. Those Chosen have all left, so the only people left behind have got to be easy marks."

"Straighten him out!" said the big man, clenching his jaw and nodding his head. "Fudge, Lord Third is gonna set him straight!"

"Hold on, let Lord Fifth plan this out. A person like that, hmm… there's an eighty to ninety percent chance that he's a ladies man. Okay, we can't use the same tactic that we used before. This time, we'll directly implement plan #9. Quickly, transform into a hot babe."

"#9? Which one is nine? How dare you ridicule Lord Third!" the big man raged.

"Uh… #3! Plan #3!" replied the bird-like man.

"Well why didn't you say so earlier? Alright, who should I look like?"

"Anybody, it doesn't matter, as long as she's hot and seductive. Come, hurry up, we need to go!"

"Hot and seductive?" The big man thought for a moment, and then a popping sound rang out as he changed form. Now he was a woman, extremely curvaceous and completely alluring, with a beautiful, entrancing face, and eyes that tugged at the heart and soul.

If Naruto were here, he would instantly recognize that this was… Demoness Tsukino.

"Too many clothes!" said the bird-like man. "Come on, less clothes!"

Pop!

The big man changed again.

"Now you're way too revealing! Y-y-you, you idiot! How could you even go outside looking like that!?"

After seven or eight adjustments, the bird-like man was satisfied and prodded the other man out the door.

The big man in Tsukino form wore extremely revealing clothes, and felt completely resentful because of it. Consequently, he started picking his nose and making big, manly strides as they walked down the road, causing the bird-like man to fly into a rage. More adjustments were made.

Naruto had just left the city. Beneath the bamboo hat, he was frowning. After traveling around the area near the mountain range for all these days, he still hadn't run into the two bastards he was looking for.

"Could they have left?" he thought. "Or maybe they detected my aura?" Suddenly, his face flickered, and he spun around. There, in midair not too far off, a woman was approaching him. An anxious expression could be seen on her face, as if she were being pursued.

The instant the woman appeared, Naruto's jaw dropped in astonishment.

This woman was none other than Tsukino, which was of course the big man in disguise.

She wore revealing clothing, and smelled like a spring breeze. She possessed an alluring charm and grace, and had a flirtatious look in her eyes, eyes that seemed capable of enchanting anyone who looked into them. Most people who laid eyes on her would instantly find their hearts pounding.

As she passed Naruto, she looked over and smiled shyly. Then she made to hurry off. However, before she could get very far, she turned and looked back at him, apparently having been attracted to him in some way. She gave him an entrancing, tantalizing look, then turned and walked off, her curves undulating gently. The sight of her slender figure from behind was enough to cause any man who saw her to palpitate with eagerness.

Naruto gaped.

'Tsukino' was not happy at all, and was inwardly muttering about how obvious things had been made, and yet the mark didn't respond at all. Instead, he just stared with a slack jaw. Finally, 'Tsukino' intentionally spit out a mouthful of blood.

Her face went pale, and she staggered in place.

"Fellow Daoist, save me!" she cried, looking back at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he examined 'Tsukino.' Then, a virtually imperceptible smile appeared in his eyes. Grinning, he approached.

"With me here," he said, "you have nothing to fear, Fellow Daoist."

"Someone's chasing me," said 'Tsukino' lightly, her voice somewhat weak and yet even more enticing than before. "As I fled, I was injured. Fellow Daoist, if you can escort me to my Immortal's cave, then I'll definitely be very grateful…."

Inwardly, Naruto laughed loudly, and mused about how fake this whole act was, and yet he smiled the same as before, and immediately nodded. Then, he flew into the air with the woman. The two of them sped into the mountains, to an Immortal's cave. The woman gestured for him to follow her inside.

At this point, Naruto's eyes narrowed. The Immortal's cave seemed extraordinary. The spell formation outside radiated a sense of danger, and based on Naruto's cultivation base, he knew that even he would have a tough time breaking out of it.

After stepping into the Immortal's cave, the woman sighed, and then stopped and turned to Naruto with a charming smile.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist," she said, intentionally edging closer to him. "Would you mind acting as Dharma Protector for me here? Once my wounds are recovered, I'll definitely repay your kindness."

"Of course, no problem!" said Naruto, suppressing the urge to vomit. He backed up a few steps.

The disguised man frowned. Things weren't going according to plan, and now he wasn't sure what to do. He quickly stamped his foot onto the ground, which instantly sent a secret notification to the bird-like man.

After a few breaths of time passed, the door of the Immortal's cave slammed open, and a monstrous aura surged out that gave Naruto quite a shock. A man emerged, wearing black robes, his features handsome. He even emanated the aura of a scholar.

"So, you're back, wife!" said the young man, laughing. However, when he saw Naruto and 'Tsukino,' he suddenly stopped in place, and then his eyes went wide.

"Slut! Y-you're actually committing adultery right here!?" The young man's face twisted with rage, and his aura exploded with power. Heaven and Earth went dark, and everything began to tremble and seemed to be on the verge of exploding. The door of the Immortal's cave exploded, and the shocking spell formation Naruto had seen collapsed into pieces.

A terrifying aura raged out that far exceeded the Spirit Realm. It was incredibly powerful, and made it seem as if an Immortal was descending. The entire area was instantly locked down, causing an intense sense of deadly crisis to rise up in Naruto's heart.

It seemed as if the person standing in front of him had an aura that could easily decide whether or not he lived or died.

"Husband, this is all just a misunderstanding…." said 'Tsukino.'

"Misunderstanding my ass! Get the hell out of my way! Since we're husband and wife, I won't kill you this day. However, this paramour of yours had better give me some compensation! I don't care what sect he comes from, when the one surnamed Uzumaki wants a person dead, who would dare to save him!?"

Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked at the young man, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

This young man looked… exactly like Naruto himself!

Of course, Naruto was wearing the bamboo hat, which changed his appearance in such a way that no one would be able to recognize him.

"Your majesty, you are…?" Naruto said.

"Hmph! I'm Naruto!" said the young man. "The number one ruler in Lands of Ninshu!" His aura scintillated prismatically, and his words caused everything to shake.

"Number one ruler! Do you know what that means!? It means that in all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, nobody dares to provoke me!" The young man lifted his chin, and an arrogant expression covered his face.

"Quick, give him some compensation," said the 'Tsukino.' "My husband is the number one most powerful expert in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, with the exception of some of those old-timers. He's at the peak of all Lands of Ninshu, and even ended the great continental war."

"Shut your trap!" said the young man, glaring and swishing his sleeve. "When men talk, the women should stand quietly off to the side!" He glared coldly at Naruto.

"Naruto says what he means and means what he says! Considering that this is your first offense, I'll let you off with your life, just this one time!"

Naruto wore an odd expression as he looked at this copy of himself talking. Then he looked over at 'Tsukino,' and smiled. He really couldn't think of anyone other than the parrot and the meat jelly who could pull off such a mistake-ridden scam.

"Presumably, you've heard of my illustrious name," the young man continued coldly. "Alright, forget it. I'm not going to make things any harder for you. Just hand over your bag of holding, and I'll allow you to use material goods as your form of apology!

"If you dare to resist, then you will be buried here this very day!" Once again, his aura burst out explosively, transforming into a tempest that swept across the land. Anyone who sensed such an aura would immediately feel incredible distress. It was as if some amorphous volcano were rumbling, and if one attempted to fight back against it, it would erupt, and one would instantly be killed.

The remnants of the spell formations outside of the Immortal's cave were now completely destroyed. Sand and pebbles raged into a sandstorm; mountains collapsed and fissures covered the surface of the land. The intense aura caused a riot of colors to flash through the sky. Even Naruto couldn't stop his eyes from widening.

If he wasn't absolutely sure that the two fellows in front of him were the meat jelly and the parrot, if he wasn't completely familiar with the two dunces, then he would surely be thoroughly intimidated.

"Hey, how do you know this is my first offense?" said Naruto with an enigmatic smile.

The young man gaped, as did 'Tsukino.'

"Dammit!" roared the young man. "Don't tell me this ISN'T your first offense!? This is ridiculous!" He waved his sleeve once again, causing the ground to quake and mountains to collapse as his aura surged up. He looked as if he was just about to smash Naruto into oblivion, but then forcibly restrained himself.

Naruto's current manner caused the bird-like man's heart to begin to pound. Suddenly, he had a bad feeling. After exchanging a glance with the 'Tsukino,' he snorted coldly.

"Apparently, you still don't understand Naruto! Do you know who my dad is? He's Minato!" Inwardly, the bird-like man was quite pleased with himself for assuming a role that was essentially the most powerful in all of Lands of Ninshu. In recent days, after assuming the visage of Naruto, he had learned about Minato from some other members of the Namikaze Clan.

"Scared yet?" he said.

Naruto cleared his throat, then blinked somewhat bashfully. "Are you really Naruto?"

"I, Naruto, would never change my surname OR my given name!" the young man said proudly. "Of course I'm Naruto!"

Naruto shook his head. "I heard that Naruto can stomp his foot down so hard that the ground shatters. Can you do that? I don't really believe that you can."

"You don't believe!?" raged the young man, glaring at Naruto.

"I don't!" replied Naruto decisively.

"Dammit! You actually don't believe!" Howling, the young man stamped his foot onto the ground. Shockingly, the Immortal's cave collapsed, the ground quaked and a huge fissure spread out.

"Well, what about that? Believe me now?!"

"That's just one single fissure," Naruto said with disdain. "I'm talking about shattering the earth and making a huge crater. Naruto can do that, what about you? Ah, forget about it. I know you can't."

"AGGGHHHH! You're really pissing me off! You really don't believe!? Dammit! Alright, pay attention. Watch and see whether Lord Fif— er, Naruto can do it or not!" The young man's eyes were completely bloodshot. There was nothing he hated more than people disbelieving him, nothing dismayed him more than a provocation. He suddenly flew up into the air, then slammed back down into the ground, instantly causing a huge hole to appear.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he looked at the ground in front of him, and then compared it to the vegetation off in the distance.

A moment later, the young man flew out pompously from within the hole.

"Believe me now?!"

"It's not deep enough," sighed Naruto.

The young man flew into a rage. His body flickered as he once again slammed down into the hole. A huge boom echoed out, and the land quaked. It almost seemed as if the hole would extend all the way down to the center of the planet; in fact, subterranean fire even shot up out of the hole, along with the young man. He glared at Naruto; from the look in his eye, if Naruto refused to believe him, he was willing to tear a hole all the way through the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Naruto coughed lightly.

"Alright, fine, I'm scared. I have a total of ten bags of holding, how many do you want?"

"All ten!"

"Three! I want three!" cried 'Tsukino,' whose eyes glittered brightly.

"Moron! We want ten!"

"You're the moron!" the big man roared back. "Three is the biggest number! We want three!" It seemed like a fight was about to break out as 'Tsukino' glared at the young man. "You idiot, three bags of holding is a lot! Y-y-you, you want ten? How many is ten? Is it bigger than three, huh?!"

"You IDIOT!" howled the young man. "Of course ten is more than three! Three is nothing! We want ten!"

The big man stared in shock.

Naruto sighed, and decided to switch conversation partners.

"Ai, Miss Fellow Daoist, for some reason, I get the feeling that this husband of yours is acting a bit too much like a bully. No matter how you look at him, he definitely seems to be a bully. Bullies like that should really be converted. I really feel sorry for you." To any other cultivator, these words would be incredibly childish and essentially wouldn't have convinced anyone. It was so obvious that he wanted to stir up dissension that he might as well just have told them to fight each other directly.

Of course, the big man and the young man didn't pick up on anything strange at all….

That was especially true of the big man. Once he heard Naruto say the word "bully" a few times, his eyes went wide and filled with a vicious gleam.

"Bully? Dammit! That's exactly what you are! You can't do this! You're immoral! You are far too shameless! I'm… I'm going to convert you!" Howling, the big man pounded toward the young man.

The young man nervously shot backward, letting out an equally enraged shout. However… he was slightly quicker on the pickup, and suddenly turned to look at Naruto.

"Hold on! Ol' Third, wait! Something seems off here…. We can't start fighting amongst ourselves. Something fishy is going on. Something's not right. This guy just said a few random sentences, and suddenly we're fighting!" Murmuring to himself, the young man looked closely at Naruto, and only seemed to grow more surprised.

Naruto was smiling the same as before as he stood there. He looked at the expression on the young man's face, and couldn't help but muse that the parrot actually wasn't that stupid after all, and had finally picked up on the clues.

It was at this point that the young man suddenly cried out, "I've figured out his identity! He saw through the flaws in our scam! He used only a few words to get us to fight each other. He's obviously… Patriarch Reliance!"

The young man let out a roar of rage, and the big man began to tremble. A popping sound could be heard as Tsukino disappeared, and the big man reappeared. He gasped, and staggered backward several paces.

"You're Patriarch Reliance!?" blubbered the big man. "You can't blame me! He forced me to change forms! He's the one who changed into Naruto!"

Naruto's face darkened. No longer in the mood for fooling around, he gave a cold snort and then removed the bamboo hat.

"You two morons open your eyes wide and see exactly who I am!"

The instant the bamboo hat left his head, his aura changed completely, and his appearance became clear to the young man and the big man. When they saw Naruto's face, the big man let out a shriek, and a pop could be heard as he transformed into the meat jelly.

"It's him!" he cried, flying away at top speed. "It's Naruto! He's caught up to us! Finished! We're finished! We're dead for sure. DEAD! It's all your fault! YOUR fault!"

The young man shivered and let out a piercing shriek. A pop could be heard as he transformed back into a colorful parrot, within whose claws was gripped a black feather. His wings began to flap furiously as he apparently prepared to use all the power he had left in his body to make his getaway.

"Dammit! How could you possibly show up here!? This is impossible! How could we run into YOU!?"

Everything was in complete chaos. The parrot and the meat jelly shrieked and tried to flee at top speed. As soon as they attempted to make their escape, the land in the area distorted and returned to how it looked before. There was no fissure in the ground, no hole, no Immortal's cave, not even any fearsome restrictive spells.

There had never been an Immortal's cave in the area, only a valley. Everything had been an illusion, a very realistic illusion.

The source of the entire illusion was the black feather that the parrot gripped in its talons. The feather gave off a bizarre, flickering glow, a power that would influence the area around it and create illusions.

Naruto watched as the parrot and meat jelly attempted to flee. He made no move to pursue them, but instead stood there and coldly said. "I'll give you three breaths of time to get back here. Whoever returns first will be exempt from punishment. The other will receive double punishment for abandoning me in my moment of crisis that year."

As soon as his voice rang out, the meat jelly and the parrot came to a stop in midair.

"Dammit," thought the parrot, "that meat jelly has a completely one-track mind. That idiot will definitely be fooled by this. That means that the safest thing is for Lord Fifth to be fooled first!" Immediately, he turned around and shot toward Naruto as fast as he could.

The meat jelly trembled.

"That parrot is completely crafty. He was the cause of all of this! He was the one who incited me to flee in the first place. There's no way I'll take his punishment for him!" Almost in the same instant that the parrot turned around, the air surrounding the meat jelly began to crackle with lightning. He employed all the power he could muster to shoot back toward Naruto.

"I surrender!"

"Fudge! I also surrender!"

The parrot and the meat jelly shot back toward Naruto urgently. Naruto gave a cold snort and suddenly lifted his right hand up into the air, within which appeared the copper mirror. The parrot squawked, transforming into a beam of light that shot into the mirror.

As for the black feather, it floated down into Naruto's hand. The meat jelly was trembling as it began to cry out.

"Master, Lord Third has missed you to death! It was that damned parrot who dragged me with him when he left that year! It's his fault, master! Let's convert him together!"

Naruto slapped out with his right hand, hitting the top of the meat jelly's head. A boom could be heard as it shrank down into a tiny ball that Naruto grabbed in his hand then tossed down toward the ground. The ground trembled as a huge crater appeared. The meat jelly let out a miserable shriek as it bounced up and Naruto grabbed it again. As he proceeded forward, he bounced the meat jelly down again and again, causing it to let out continuous screeches.

"Quit faking," said Naruto, causing the meat jelly's screams to instantly turn into entreaties.


	11. Unsurpassably Killing Kirito

For the following several days, the meat jelly spoke nonstop of all the bad things the parrot had done. From the Milky Way Sea, all the way down to their bandit days in the Eastern Lands, it revealed everything, complete with highly embellished details. It even voluntarily handed over three bags of holding that contained all of its portion of the spoils they had taken.

Naruto had constantly smashed it into the ground over and over during the past few days, and it feared further reprisals. Furthermore, Naruto's cultivation base was now incredibly high, and if he felt like it, he could use a strand of Immortal Chakra to seal its mouth and prevent it from speaking even a single word. To the meat jelly, that was the most terrifying thing that could happen.

As far as the parrot was concerned, Naruto didn't ask it any questions at all. He kept it sealed inside the copper mirror, with no chance whatsoever to even see anything that had fur or feathers. That was the greatest punishment which could possibly be inflicted on it.

After studying the black feather for a while, Naruto was shocked. The feather brimmed with transformative power, which was why the parrot had been able to release such an astonishing aura. It was all thanks to the feather.

According to the meat jelly, the feather had simply fallen from the sky when the two of them were on their way from the Milky Way Sea to the Eastern Lands….

Naruto wasn't quite sure that he believed this, but after putting the feather away, he returned to the Namikaze Clan. By this time, the members of the sects and clans from the Ninth Mountain and Sea had long since departed. The lands of the Southern Domain had now quieted down. Unfortunately, Naruto's older sister still hadn't emerged from secluded meditation.

An entire month had soon passed by.

During that time, word of Naruto began to spread in the world outside of Lands of Ninshu, in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Of course, the stories told about him were always accompanied by gnashing teeth. Soon, many people in the Ninth Mountain and Sea knew that on Planet Lands of Ninshu, there was a shameless fellow who went by the name of Naruto.

He had monopolized the good fortune of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, had caused the corpse of a woman to become attached to Fū, had captured numerous Chosen, had defeated Chiyo in one move, and most excessive of all was his unusual habit of forcing people to write promissory notes.

No one could figure out that last matter, or guess why Naruto had such a strange hobby….

There was another matter that shook the Ninth Mountain and Sea during that month, and caused a huge stir among countless cultivators. Many clans took special note of the event.

The Three Great Daoist Societies, which consisted of the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, and the Nine Seas God World, were holding a disciple recruitment event open to all cultivators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

Anyone of the Nascent Soul stage or higher, but below the Immortal Realm, could participate.

Furthermore, members of the Five Great Holy Lands, the Three Churches, and Six Sects would all participate, so that this disciple recruitment event would be as grand as possible. Any rogue cultivator from the four planets and all over the 9th Mountain and Sea would be able to participate regardless of their age or heritage as long as their cultivation base met the requirements.

To most cultivators, it represented a chance to make great advancements in a single leap. This was especially true of the cultivators who normally had no way of leaving their respective planets. It was a chance they had to seize, a once in a lifetime opportunity that would change their fate if they were successful.

A disciple recruitment event such as this was something that might happen only once in a period of tens of thousands of years. Now that the event was underway, it was impossible to say when it would happen again. In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the four great planets contained many cultivators of the appropriate cultivation base to participate. There were even more such cultivators who actually resided on the Ninth Mountain itself.

Then there were the various meteor-like islands in the Ninth Sea, which were also inhabited by numerous cultivators, as well as various other smaller worlds attached to and dependent on the Ninth Mountain and Sea. It was easy to see that an enormous number of people would be participating.

There were to be three levels of recruitment during the event. Nascent Soul. Spirit Severing. Dao Seeking. The participants from these three different stages would all compete in different areas, and would have no contact with each other.

Even more shocking was the news that anyone who got first place in any of the three stages would not only just be able to join one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, but they would immediately become a Conclave disciple, and would be rewarded with precious treasures.

That even caused the Chosen of the various great clans to be excited. Clan cultivators were not required to remain within their respective clans, but often went out to join other sects. The clans generally did not force their members to stay.

When it came to the Three Great Daoist Societies, they had existed for countless years, and apparently had histories that stretched further back than the current era.

That was one of the reasons why the Three Great Daoist Societies were so aloof, and rarely involved themselves in any sort of conflict. Actually, the only enemies the Three Great Daoist Societies had were themselves. Most important of all, they never participated in various clan struggles.

For instance, in the year Lord Hebi altered the Heavens, the Three Great Daoist Societies did not interfere in any way, seemingly because they had already seen far too many changes occur throughout the long years of their existence.

In this particular disciple recruitment event, the Three Great Daoist Societies were each looking to recruit only one disciple.

From all the vast crowds of cultivators from the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they would be the only three who were formally recruited. From this, it could be seen that whoever those three people were, their lives and destinies would soon be completely changed.

As for those who didn't end up being recruited by the Three Great Daoist Socities, it was still possible that the Five Great Holy Lands or perhaps the Three Churches and Six Sects would select them from within the competition.

News of the matter spread like wildfire throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, via the mouths of innumerable cultivators. Even the four great planets, including Planet Lands of Ninshu, were informed.

In fact, Lord Hebi issued a Dharmic decree to Planet Lands of Ninshu, which the Hebi Clan there sent throughout all the lands. In the blink of an eye, all of the cultivators on Planet Lands of Ninshu who were of the Nascent Soul stage or higher, were filled with excitement.

There were many among them who hadn't even been aware that other worlds existed outside in the starry sky. When they found out, their hearts trembled. As for those who already knew about these other worlds, they were filled with even more intense anticipation.

The whole Ninth Mountain and Sea was in a spectacular stir. The recruitment event was the subject of almost every conversation in every location.

It was at just about this time that Naruto received a jade slip from Grandmaster Pill Demon.

"Return to the Violet Fate Sect immediately!"

The message was short, but Naruto could sense Immortal will within its words!

Minato stood next to Naruto. He wasn't looking at the jade slip, but rather, up into the sky, as he said, "Your master is about to attempt to transcend his Immortal Tribulation."

Naruto's heart trembled. He was well aware that true Immortal Ascension was a very difficult matter. Furthermore, he knew that when the true Immortal destiny appeared on Planet Lands of Ninshu, it would not be his. The true Immortal destiny came once every ten thousand years, and as to which of the four great planets it would appear on, that only became detectable in the few hundred years before it appeared.

Furthermore, only people born on that planet would be qualified to acquire the destiny. Since Naruto wasn't born on planet Lands of Ninshu, the true Immortal destiny did not belong to him.

"True Immortal destiny," said his father said calmly. "Immortal Tribulation approaches…. Your master will be competing with people who intentionally arranged for their male heirs to be born on Planet Lands of Ninshu. They will come to try to seize the Immortal destiny!

"There will also be other peak Dao Seeking experts from Lands of Ninshu who will choose that moment to strike!

"Your master showed great kindness to you, and that kindness will be paid back. I will act as his Dharma Protector during the true Immortal Tribulation. I will not allow anyone from the outside to enter Planet Lands of Ninshu. As for the lands of Lands of Ninshu themselves… I will leave that to you!"

Naruto took a deep breath, then stood and faced his father.

Minato flicked his sleeve, and the air around them began to distort. Ghost images sprang up in front of them, which then formed into the image of a map of the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Minato stepped forward, followed by Naruto, and the two of them stepped into the illusory map. Naruto's eyes swam, and when his vision grew clear again, he could sense the aura of the Southern Domain.

In one instant, they traveled from the Namikaze Clan in the Eastern Lands, to the Violet Fate Sect in the Southern Domain.

The Violet Fate Sect's grand protective spell formation had long since been activated. A soft glow spread out in all directions, and the enormous statue of Reverend Violet East emanated a bright glow as well. If you looked closely, you would be able to see that Immortal Chakra swirled around it.

Shockingly, a person could be seen sitting cross-legged on the very top of Reverend Violet East's head. It was Pill Demon.

He opened his eyes from meditation and turned his head to look at Naruto and Minato. A kind smile broke out on his face, and he waved his hand, causing an opening to appear in the grand spell formation. A beam of light extended out toward Naruto.

"You go," said Minato. "Father will wait here for the Immortal Tribulation to start, and then act as Dharma Protector." He nodded to Naruto, and before Naruto could even enter the spell formation, sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Naruto took a deep breath and then stepped onto the flowing light. In a flash, he appeared directly in front of the statue of Reverend Violet East, and Pill Demon.

"Master…." said Naruto softly, his heart filled with nervousness and worry. He already had a cultivation base with eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. His path was different from Pill Demon's, but he could still faintly sense that when he reached one hundred percent of the power of a true Immortal, his own Tribulation would descend. That tribulation would be even more terrifying than Pill Demon's true Immortal Tribulation.

In true Immortal Tribulation, the chances of making it through alive were small.

"You should be happy for your master," said Pill Demon, smiling kindly. He looked at the disciple who had kowtowed to him three times, binding their destiny as master and apprentice. Now, his own apprentice was already stronger than him, and that made Pill Demon happy.

"Your master has prepared for true Immortal destiny for two lives…. In my last life, I was Reverend Violet East. At the peak of Dao Seeking, I refused to become a false Immortal. I desired true Immortality, so I reincarnated to reestablish my cultivation!

"In this life, I started out as a medicinal pill, which refined a strand of consciousness and then formed a body. Finally, I have reached this day…. Regardless of whatever destiny or tribulation there is, the next step… must be taken!

"Even if my Dao vanishes and my body dies, I will have no regrets!" Pill Demon sighed softly, then looked up into the Heavens. His eyes gleamed with stubborness and determination, as well as anticipation.

It was anticipation regarding the Dao, and the determination to become Immortal.

"I had thought of giving up before. Not because I didn't dare to make the attempt, but because of you. When Immortal destiny descended, how could I possibly fight over it with my own apprentice? But now, everything is clear. This Immortal destiny… belongs to your master!" As Pill Demon spoke, his energy surged, and Immortal Chakra flourished.

"Immortality 仙. One man 人 and one mountain 山!

"In Immortal Ascension, a Dao Corroboration Mountain is required. The mountain statue from my first life is that Dao Corroboration. It represents my Dao Heart. I shall stand atop my first life, to search for Immortality in my second!

Pill Demon turned to look at Naruto and carefully said, "Whether I succeed or fail, the next few days will be an interesting experience for you.

"Pay close attention. What you see happening will be extremely important to you in your coming true Immortal Tribulation!

"I have your father to act as Dharma Protector, which is good. As for the other old-timers from the lands of Lands of Ninshu, they have the same mind-set as me. You don't need to interfere with them. If master isn't confident enough to contend with them, then how could I become a true Immortal!

"You stay here and just watch as your master… transcends true Immortal Tribulation to become a true Immortal!" Pill Demon's voice rang out, and Naruto took a deep breath. He looked at his master, and could sense the determination he had to corroborate his Dao, and pay any price to achieve his goal.

He did not fear death. He only feared… not achieving true Immortal Ascension!

Naruto's mind trembled. Seeing his master like this, and hearing the determination in his voice when he spoke of Immortal Ascension, caused his heart to twinge. He offered no words of advice, but rather sat down cross-legged, an enlightened expression on his face.

"If you wish to achieve Immortal Ascension," said Pill Demon, "you must possess incredible willpower and ambition. Fuse them into a Dao Heart, which searches for Immortality.

"That Dao Heart represents a lifetime of obsession that will cause you to feel regret to your dying day if you cannot achieve true Immortality."

Pill Demon smiled slightly, then closed his eyes. In only a few days, the true Immortal Tribulation would descend. During that time, he needed to preserve his calm mind, and keep himself at the absolute pinnacle of readiness. Then, he could be ready to meet the Immortal Tribulation that he had been waiting for two lifetimes to see!

Time passed. More and more Immortal Chakra began to circulate through Pill Demon's body. The Violet Fate Sect's grand protective spell formation was in full rotation, and all of the sect's disciples sat cross-legged reciting scriptures. Their will poured out, forming together to create a bizarre power that bolstered the statue of Reverend Violet East. As a result, the statue appeared to grow more and more lifelike.

Sakura was in the crowd. She saw Naruto, and then closed her eyes. She could sense that the gap between the two of them was only continuing to grow more vast. Naruto was almost an Immortal, and she was still in the Nascent Soul stage.

It was as if a vast ravine existed between the two of them that cut off any future possibilities.

The atmosphere in the lands of the Southern Domain was gradually becoming oppressive. Sagiri came, along with the South Cleaving Sentinels of the Western Desert, as well as countless other cultivators. They did not approach the Violet Fate Sect, but rather took up positions around the perimeter to stand guard and act as Dharma Protectors.

Anyone who had been shown favor by Pill Demon throughout the years appeared to pay back his kindness by acting as Dharma Protectors. At the same time, in the vast Eastern Lands, as well as in other secret locations throughout Lands of Ninshu, people who had suppressed their cultivation bases and gone into secluded meditation, began to awaken. These were people who had been waiting their entire lives for true Immortal Ascension.

They stepped out into the various mountains in the wilderness that housed their places of secluded meditation, and used varied methods to approach the lands of Lands of Ninshu. They didn't interfere with the Violet Fate Sect, but rather chose nearby locations to set up their own restrictive spell formations, within which they sat cross-legged, rotating their cultivation bases as they waited for the chance to fight for Immortality!

On this occasion, all the cultivators in the lands of the Southern Domain who wished to fight for Immortality, would appear.

This was the reason that the experts from the Northern Reaches had originally decided to wage war on the Southern Domain. They had wanted to occupy the key position in the fight for Immortal destiny.

The sky gradually grew murky; even at nighttime, it was still not completely black. The heavens were in a perpetual state of evening. Furthermore, a shocking pressure weighed down on all of Planet Lands of Ninshu.

The mortals all slipped into comas, and the vegetation seemed to fall dormant and become devoid of life. The animals all lay prone on the ground in hibernation.

The highest of mountains no longer seemed high, and the rivers ceased to flow. No waves could be seen on the Milky Way Sea; it was as flat and smooth as a mirror.

It was at this point that countless beams of light appeared outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu. Numerous teleportation portals popped up, sending ripples out in all directions. People hurried toward Lands of Ninshu from locations all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea. These were people who, by various methods, had left clan members behind on the planet who were now emerging to fight for Immortal Destiny. It was only natural for their relatives to return at this critical juncture.

However, as they neared the lands of Lands of Ninshu, a beam of Sword Chakra rose up into the starry sky and encircled the entire planet. Minato's voice then resonated out.

"Planet Lands of Ninshu is now sealed. Fellow Daoists, please take your leave."

When the people rushing through the starry sky heard the echoing voice, their faces flickered. Many of them transmitted requests to step foot onto the planet, along with promises and pledges of various sorts, but Minato ignored them. He continued to sit with his eyes closed outside of the Violet Fate Sect, using divine sense to control the Sword Chakra that had sealed all of Planet Lands of Ninshu.

He knew that such actions directly cut off the path of Immortality for many. He also knew that numerous other sects and clans would be displeased by the matter. Although it wouldn't affect him very much, it wasn't a good thing for Naruto.

Minato had previously explained these things to Naruto, who hadn't said anything in response. The determination glowing in his eyes said all that needed to be said.

"That's exactly how my son ought to be," thought Minato. "Kindness should be repaid, and enmities should be avenged!"

Planet Lands of Ninshu was sealed, making it impossible for the crowds on the outside to enter. They could only look on nervously. Some of them gritted their teeth and transformed into beams of prismatic light that tried to force their way in. However, before they could even get near, the Sword Chakra swept out, and they were sent flying back, blood spraying from their mouths.

"That was just a warning," said Minato, his voice cold. "From now on, any trespassers will be executed immediately." The people on the outside were both resentful and, at the same time, filled with fear.

Three days later!

The lands of Lands of Ninshu were filled with rumbling sounds that emanated not from the planet itself, but from the starry sky overhead. It was almost as if a giant were roaring from outer space.

Roaring out to cause a character to appear!

That character, was the character 'Immortality!'"

As the sound echoed out, it seemed as if everyone in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea would hear it, and yet… it was only audible on Planet Lands of Ninshu!

At the same time, the starry sky outside Lands of Ninshu trembled, and countless shards appeared that began to form together into… an enormous door!

The door emanated boundless antiquity. It appeared to be made of bronze, and was carved with countless totemic patterns. Although it was impossible to clearly make out all the details, the archaic air of the door made it seem as if it had existed since the beginning of Heaven and Earth.

The door was somewhat dilapidated, as if it had experienced horrifying wars. Black stains could be seen on its surface that appeared to be blood, and it radiated a powerful, terrifying aura that was virtually impossible to describe. As for the size of the door, it was matchlessly gargantuan, seemingly large enough to prop up the starry sky itself.

Even Minato was mentally shaking after sensing the door and its aura. Were this thing a magical item, it would surely be able to suppress all living things once its power was unleashed.

When it appeared in the starry sky, the crowds of cultivators outside, who were incapable of entering Planet Lands of Ninshu, looked on with shock and couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

"The Door of Immortality has appeared! True Immortal destiny has arrived!"

"Dammit! Minato is blocking the way so that we can't get in! Don't tell me that we're just going to have sit idly by and watch the good fortune get taken away!?"

"Does Minato really think that he alone can stop all of us! Let's storm the place!" The eyes of all the onlookers were completely bloodshot.

At the same time, gusts of Immortal mist began to emanate off of the Door of Immortality, which then flowed directly toward Planet Lands of Ninshu.

It covered all of Planet Lands of Ninshu in the blink of an eye, making it seem like a planet of mist. Next, the door began to move forward, passing through the crowds to enter those mists, then sink down toward the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

As of this point, the cultivators on the outside were going crazy, and they began to charge Lands of Ninshu. In response, Naruto's father sent his icy divine will out. Sword Chakra rumbled, sweeping across the crowds that wished to descend onto Lands of Ninshu.

Rumbling echoed out, and the starry sky trembled. Miserable screams could be heard, and blood showered down like rain. The Sword Chakra swept about, making it impossible for even a single person to pierce through to the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Down on Lands of Ninshu, the sky was a mass of roiling Immortal Chakra that replaced the previous perpetual evening. Rumbling filled the air, the result of the mists chafing against each other; this was Immortal thunder.

There were also lightning bolts that danced about within the mists. Every single lightning bolt that appeared filled the onlookers with shock, and they felt as if their souls were about to shatter.

"Immortality!" An archaic voice spoke from within the mists, and the word echoed throughout all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, to be heard in the minds of all Dao Seeking cultivators. That character became a key that opened the path of Immortality to any who were qualified.

"Immortality!" Pill Demon looked up and opened his eyes, which shone with intense determination. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

At the same time, there were all the other Dao Seeking experts who were now in the Southern Domain, be they from the Eastern Lands, be they experts who had suppressed their cultivation bases for an entire life, or be they cultivators like Pill Demon who had reestablished their cultivation.

All of them were waiting for this true Immortal Tribulation!

Simultaneously, all of them opened their mouths and began to speak the word 'Immortality.' Then, they began to fly up toward the source of that ancient voice in the mists.

Naruto's mind trembled, and he rotated his cultivation base. His blood began to circulate faster; just now, the Immortal Chakra in his body had been stimulated, and even he had almost began to call out 'Immortality.'

However, he was not born in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and was not part of the group to whom this destiny belonged. Therefore, he endured. However, everything that was happening up in the sky left him with an indelible impression.

Next, the mists began to churn. More thunder rumbled out, and countless bolts of lightning danced as a gigantic door began to descend!

The ancientness of the door was impossible to describe, as if it had existed from the beginning of Heaven and Earth. It was incredibly old, perhaps even older than the Nine Mountains and Seas. Its emergence made it seem as if the lands below were nothing in comparison. The carvings on its surface were stained with blood, and the aura it emanated left everyone breathing raggedly. It was almost as if looking at this door was looking back into the lost pages of history!

"Where did it come from?" thought Naruto as he looked at it. "How come it can turn people into true Immortals?" Suddenly, the bronze lamp in his bag of holding began to vibrate, as if there were some resonance between it and the bronze door.

Pill Demon lifted his head up and laughed.

"The Door of Immortality descends! This… this is true Immortal Tribulation!

"There is no tribulation for false Immortals. They only need a Dharmic decree from a true Immortal, and then they can achieve false Immortal Ascension. However, if a true Immortal dies, then his false Immortals will also die!

"That's not the path of a cultivator. That's charity! What cultivators cultivate defies the laws of Heaven; it is a path of freedom. How could a cultivator become an Immortal enslaved to another?!

"Step onto the Dao Corroboration Mountain, break open the Door of Immortality during Immortal Tribulation. That is true Immortal Ascension!

"If the Door of Immortality doesn't open, and the Immortal Tribulation does not dissipate, then what does it matter if you die?!"

Beneath Pill Demon's feet, the mountain that was the statue of Reverend Violet East uprooted itself. Rumbling rose up as a soft and gentle power spread out, pushing Naruto away from the enormous statue.

At the same time, the same bizarre power caused the statue to rise up into the air and head toward the Door of Immortality.

Simultaneously, seven completely unique mountains suddenly appeared throughout the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Of those seven mountains, the largest resembled a needle-like sword, and the smallest looked like a burial mound. Each one was different, but all seven of them belonged to ancient beings who would contend with Pill Demon over the Immortal destiny. These were the Dao Corroboration Mountains of powerful Dao Seeking experts!

In much the same fashion as Pill Demon, those powerful experts stood on their respective mountains as they rose up into the air toward the Door of Immortality.

Beneath the feet of each person was a mountain that was their own Dao Corroboration Mountain. One person 人, one mountain 山, that… was an Immortal 仙!

Eight people, eight Immortals, flying through the air.

The true Immortal Tribulation was not something that would eventually fade away. No, it would only grow more and more intense until, in the end, it would be strong enough to destroy any cultivator in the Spirit Realm. Even cultivators of the Immortal Realm or the Ancient Realm… would all be destroyed when facing that level of power!

The key to transcending the tribulation was attacking the Door of Immortality!

Only by breaking open that door could the tribulation be dispersed, and successfully transcended.

Almost in the same instant that Pill Demon and the other eight began to fly up on their respective mountains, the Immortal mist up above churned, and eight bolts of lightning shot down. Each bolt of lightning was as thick as an arm, and moved with incredible speed. They contained enough power to easily eradicate any normal peak Dao Seeking expert.

A massive boom rang out from the direction of each of the eight cultivators. The ground quaked and the sky churned. Magical items were utilized and divine abilities unleashed. All eight cultivators roared and forced their way through the lightning as they continued on toward the Door of Immortality.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he hovered there in midair. He could clearly tell that of the eight bolts of lightning, his master Pill Demon's was somewhat different from the others.

That particular lightning bolt seemed to possess intelligence and personality. Although initially it seemed similar, upon closer examination, it was clearly different.

"That's the main bolt of lighting, while the other seven are auxiliary!" he thought. "Right, father mentioned that the true Immortal destiny of this lifetime belonged to my master. Considering the level of father's cultivation base, and his vast experience, he wouldn't randomly say such a thing.

"It goes to show that the Immortal destiny of this lifetime has selected master. Therefore, the main bolt of lightning sought him out. However, the others could still seize the main position and take his place!" Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. He had experienced many things in his time as a cultivator, and had long since developed a decisive and ruthless personality.

He didn't know these seven people, but since they were just about to fight his master over the true Immortal destiny, that made them Naruto's enemies.

He snorted coldly, and killing intent glittered in his eyes. He flew out and began to head in the direction of one of the old men, circulating the Immortal Chakra which existed inside of him as he prepared an explosive attack.

Up in midair, Pill Demon was charging toward the Door of Immortality along with the other seven cultivators.

"Naruto, get back!" he shouted, his tone serious. "Master will fight alone for the Immortal Destiny. Stand down!" Of course, he was also concerned that considering Naruto's current state, participating in this Immortal Tribulation might have an influence on him in the future. Therefore, he instructed Naruto to hold back.

Naruto stopped in place. He could hear the urgency and care in his master's words, and he didn't want to cause any distractions. Therefore, he clenched his jaw and ceased his charge. However, eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal surged out explosively. Instantly, a wind whipped up, and the seven old men who were about to contend for the Immortal destiny trembled.

"Listen up, you seven!" said Naruto, his eyes glittering. "Do your best to fight with my master, and I won't interfere. But if any of you try any tricks, then don't blame me for attacking.

"And let's make another thing clear. Even if you succeed in getting the Immortal destiny… well, I've killed a few false Immortals and… I'm itching to try to slaughter a true Immortal." The first statement was intimidating, and the second was outright threatening. His goal was to sow chaos in the hearts of the seven contenders, to thoroughly distract them on their path to fighting for Immortality.

Immediately, two among the seven spoke, their voices cold and sinister.

"The Immortal destiny is descending on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and anyone born here qualifies to fight for it. What the hell gives you the right to say something like that!?"

"Hmph! You're playing with fire, kid! Immortal destiny is good fortune, and anyone can get it! If you dare to interfere, then you'll be fighting against the Door of Immortality. I'm also curious to know why the hell you think you can interfere with Immortal destiny!"

Clearly, these two people had been in secluded meditation for far too long, and had no idea what had happened recently in the outside world. The only reason they emerged was because of the Immortal destiny, and they had no idea who Naruto was. Of the rest of the seven, four were from the Eastern Lands, and didn't say anything.

"What the hell gives me the right?" said Naruto, flicking his sleeve. "How about my father, who's preventing people from all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea from returning to Lands of Ninshu to help the offspring they planted here on Lands of Ninshu!

"How about the fact that if they managed to return, you would have no chance of fighting for the Immortal destiny!

"How about the fact that the Southern Domain is my home!"

"Who cares about all that?" responded one of the old men among the seven. "Immortal destiny is in front of us and we all have the chance to get it. Your master has been waiting for a long time, but so have we. Even if we steal the Immortal destiny, what's so wrong with that?"

Naruto's face darkened. Looking over the seven, he continued, "You're right, there's nothing wrong with it. My mistake. However, even if I'm mistaken, I'll still do exactly as I said."

The old men who had just spoken made no retorts. Not only could they sense the massive ripples of the huge battle being fought in the starry sky outside, they could also feel the determination in Naruto's words.

Rumble!

A second round of lightning descended. Booms rang out as Pill Demon and the others were shaken, and came to a stop. A third round of lightning bolts then materialized and slashed down like flying swords. Rumbling filled the air as Pill Demon and the others unleashed divine abilities and magical items. Even still, blood sprayed from their mouths.

However, they continued to press on toward the Door of Immortality. By the time the sixth round of lightning descended, they were there. They arrived at almost exactly the same time, and immediately began to levy attacks against the Door of Immortality itself.

Massive booms rattled out, and yet Pill Demon and the others, despite unleashing the full powers of their cultivation bases, could not budge the door even the slightest bit. It didn't even crack open, which caused all the hearts of all eight to begin to thump.

Down below, Naruto's face was anxious.

More waves of lightning crackled down. The sky churned as the ninth wave fell. These lightning bolts were as thick as water buckets, and illusory flood dragons could be seen inside of them. As soon as they appeared, wild colors flashed, and a massive pressure weighed down. The flood dragon that shot toward Pill Demon had a long horn, and was clearly different than the other seven flood dragons.

The booms that rattled out caused the land to quake and the air to shatter. Pill Demon coughed up blood, and the magical items he had just been using collapsed into pieces. He trembled and fell back a few paces. As for the other seven, they also coughed up blood. However, they seemed to have taken less damage than Pill Demon. They gritted their teeth and resumed their attacks on the Door of Immortality.

And yet, the door still would not budge!

It was at this moment that Pill Demon raised his head and roared. Immortal Chakra swirled around his body, almost as if he were on fire. Beneath him, the statue of Reverend Violet East was also wreathed in flames, and the statue's eyes shone with bright light.

It almost seemed as if the statue were coming to life. As for Pill Demon, he stood on the head of the statue, performing a double-handed incantation. Then he pointed out at the Door of Immortality. Instantly, the statue trembled and, carrying Pill Demon with it, flew up directly through the lightning to appear directly in front of the Door of Immortality. The statue then clenched its right hand into a fist and punched out at the door.

Pill Demon also clenched his hand into a fist and punched out.

This was the combination of two lifetimes' worth of cultivation, all coalesced into a single strike!

The blow coming from the statue of Reverend Violet East almost seemed to be coming from ten thousand years in the past, traveling through time to appear here to join with the power of his second life and create an indescribable force.

"Immortality!" shouted Pill Demon, and his voice echoed out in all directions. The other seven cultivators were shocked to see the punch… slam directly onto the surface of the enormous Door of Immortality.

Crashing sounds filled the air as the Door of Immortality… finally moved! The combined attack of Pill Demon and the statue of Reverend Violet East caused the door to open by a tiny, tiny sliver!

In the instant that the sliver-like opening appeared, Pill Demon coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. Beneath him, the statue trembled, and almost looked as if it might collapse into pieces. However… in that moment, the Immortal Chakra within Pill Demon suddenly grew denser.

Tribulation Lightning descended again. As for the other seven cultivators, one lightning bolt descended on each of them. In contrast, three bolts of Tribulation Lightning fell toward Pill Demon. Seeing this caused the seven others' faces to flicker, and their hearts to tremble.

"We can't let him continue to attack! We have to kill him!"

"He's already opened the door by a sliver! If he keeps going, the Immortal destiny will belong to him!"

"Stop him! Kill him! The only way for us to keep fighting for Immortal destiny is for him to die!"

Naruto's threat had been somewhat effective before, but now that the good fortune was clearly visible, and everyone had the chance to get it, how could the other seven continue to act rationally?

Killing intent flickered in their eyes. They had practiced cultivation in hiding down to this very day; they were Paragons of their generation, and this caused determination to flicker in their eyes. There were three in particular who charged directly toward Pill Demon.

"He has the aura of Immortal destiny on him! Whoever kills him will be wresting away destiny!"

As the three closed in on Pill Demon, three lightning bolts also descended. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his face was pale; he seemed to be just on the verge of collapsing.

From his position down below, Naruto looked up, his eyes bloodshot. Eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal exploded out. His Dharma Idol materialized, and his energy rocketed up. He flickered, appearing in front of Pill Demon, and punched out at the incoming three cultivators.

"Don't force me to kill you!" he said, his voice echoing like thunder. His voice, backed by eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, transformed into a destructive attack that slammed into the three men. Instantly, their faces filled with shock, and blood sprayed from their mouths. There was even one among their number whose arms exploded in a haze of blood. A bloodcurdling scream echoed out, and a vicious gleam appeared in the old man's eyes. His eyes began to bleed black blood, and two beams of black light shot out from them. The two beams seemed capable of defiling anything and everything as they shot toward Pill Demon.

"You're looking to die!" shouted Naruto, his body transforming into something like a hurricane as he whistled forward through the air and let out another punch.

This punch shook the sky and rocked the land. The armless old man was simply too slow to dodge to the side. He didn't even have time to produce one of the magical items he had prepared to help transcend the tribulation. In the end, he was simply at the peak of Dao Seeking; despite the fact that he was participating in Immortal Tribulation, he had still not achieved Immortal Ascension.

"You dare to interfere with Immortal destiny!" he screamed as he died. "You will be punished!" Then he exploded, completely destroyed in body and spirit.

Naruto snorted coldly and turned away. In that instant, the mist up above seethed, and a sound like a roar of rage could be heard as a lightning bolt descended that was clearly different than all the other lightning bolts. This lightning bolt was crimson, and it tore a rift into the air as it shot down toward Naruto.

This was the punishment!

The punishment for interfering with Immortal Tribulation!

"Naruto!" cried Pill Demon anxiously, and was just about to assist him.

Naruto looked up and took a long, deep breath. As he did, his Dharma Idol was sucked inside of him. He performed an incantation gesture and then pointed up toward the red lightning bolt.

Flashes of color swept across the sky and land; mountains crumbled and the land shattered. Massive rumbling filled the air as Naruto was shoved downward several paces. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, but the red lightning bolt vanished.

"That was the punishment?" said Naruto, looking up. "Master, don't worry about me. You keep blasting that Door of Immortality. Apprentice… will act as your Dharma Protector!"

Pill Demon knew that his apprentice was powerful. After all, he had completely suppressed all of the experts from the Northern Reaches, and had transformed over a hundred thousand cultivators into felon citizens. The mountain called Sin of the North still stood, within which were five peak Dao Seeking experts, whose spiritual energy was being used to replenish the Southern Domain.

Pill Demon took a deep breath. He saw the determination in Naruto's eyes, and it filled his heart with warmth. He smiled, and then his expression turned decisive. His body flickered as he once again used the power of two lifetimes to attack the Door of Immortality.

Pill Demon knew Naruto, but when it came to the two remaining old men among the group who had attacked Pill Demon, this was their first time encountering him. Their faces fell, and their scalps went numb. The red lightning bolt that had fallen just now was clearly far more powerful than any of the other lightning bolts that had descended during the Immortal Tribulation. Had they been the subject of such an attack, they would surely have been killed.

And yet, the young man in front of them directly fought back against it with his own might. He didn't even use magical items, and most importantly, the only thing that happened as a result was a bit of blood seeping out of his mouth. In their view, that made Naruto completely inhuman, and caused their breathing to come in ragged pants. However, they did not retreat. If one did not succeed in Immortal Tribulation, the result was death.

"If you don't do anything to interfere with my master, and simply struggle normally to acquire the Immortal destiny, then I won't do anything to you," said Naruto. He hovered in midair, looking at the two men in front of him, as well as the other four who were still nearby.

The six men exchanged looks. Even the cultivators from the vast Eastern Lands who knew the might of Naruto's status, didn't care about that by now.

"Struggle normally to acquire Immortal destiny…? Killing the lucky one and taking his destiny IS the normal way. There's no going back now!"

"There is no enmity between us, and you block our path to Immortality? That makes us irreconcilable foes!"

"There is no going back! Defeat means death! Only by killing this guy with two lifetimes can we have the chance to reach Immortal Ascension!"

Considering their hearts were filled with the desire to transcend the tribulation, how could they possibly fear death? Killing intent flickered within the six men's eyes as they suppressed their dread of Naruto and shot toward him.

Naruto stood there silently. He wanted to block their way, and had no desire to kill any of them. However, when it came to the path to Immortality, there was no right or wrong. Blocking the path to Immortality truly did make them irreconcilable foes.

Naruto hovered by Pill Demon. Not making his stand in this way would be the wrong thing to do. However, from the perspective of the other six men, Naruto's actions were an unforgivable sin!

"There is no enmity or hatred between us," said Naruto, his voice profound. "Perhaps blocking your way to Immortal Ascension and cutting off your path to Immortality… will result in Karma. If so, I will do my best to accept it." A cold gleam flickered in his eyes.

As the six men closed in, Naruto's body flickered, and suddenly shone with boundless golden light. He transformed into a golden roc that shot screaming toward one of the incoming enemies.

From a distance, it was possible to see the golden roc swooping down, with talons sharp enough to slice metal and rock. It slammed into the old man, who was employing all of the divine abilities he could summon, as well as magical items. None of it made any difference. The gap between him and Naruto was too great. In a few short breaths of time, he was seriously injured and on the verge of death. At the critical moment, his eyes filled with madness and he suddenly reached out his right hand, within which appeared a jade slip.

The jade slip pulsed with Immortal Chakra, and emanated a feeling of nameless danger that caused Naruto's eyes to widen.

"DIE!" cried the old man, crushing the jade slip. This was an object he had prepared for use in a critical moment when transcending tribulation. However, considering he had been pushed into a corner, he didn't hesitate to use it now. Rumbling spread out as something like a sun materialized in front of the old man. Boundless rays of blinding light shot out from the sun as it hurtled toward Naruto.

Naruto remained silently in place. He could have used the Lightning Cauldron and Form Displacement Transposition. However, out of respect toward these people and their struggle for Immortality, he did not wish to use tricks to kill them.

The jade slip unleashed incredible power, such that even a false Immortal would be shocked by it. Back when Naruto only had fifty percent of the power of a true Immortal, he would have had no choice other than to dodge. Now, though, he had eighty percent of that power. As soon as the sun began to explode, he lifted up his right hand, causing magical light to surge up around him. He shot forward, stabbing directly into the sun. As it exploded, Naruto pointed his finger toward the old man's forehead.

The old man's eyes went wide with disbelief at what he was seeing. The item he had specially prepared to assist him in transcending this tribulation unexpectedly… was incapable of doing anything against this terrifying figure in front of him.

Smiling bitterly, the old man's eyes began to grow dim. Suddenly, however, a gleam could be seen in them once more, as if in looking at Naruto, he had suddenly realized something. His eyes went wide, and he laughed loudly.

"So, it turns out you are a thief too."

A boom could be heard as the sun exploded. Before the ripples could even begin to spread out, Naruto was back in his original position. As for the old man, none of his aura could be sensed anymore.

Naruto waved his hand, and the old man's corpse began to peacefully float back down to the ground.

The Immortal mist up above began to rumble loudly, and a red bolt of lightning even bigger than the previous one suddenly began to fall. It moved with incredible speed, giving Naruto almost no time to react.

A rumble could be heard as Naruto's golden roc collapsed into pieces. Naruto himself reappeared, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Then he took a deep breath and shifted his gaze toward another of the incoming old men.

The old man's face was pale white, and filled with the utmost astonishment.

"After all my years in secluded meditation, how could someone so inhuman have appeared in the lands of Lands of Ninshu!" he exclaimed bitterly. "Just who is this man!? Tribulation Lightning can't kill him, and he's already killed two of us! Don't tell me this is how our Tribulation will end!?" The old man wasn't willing to give in. His eyes gleamed with venomous madness, and, knowing that he couldn't hide or flee, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bottle of blood. He placed it against his lips and consumed the entire bottle, and his energy suddenly began to flow in reverse. At the same time, a bloody mist began to emerge from the top of his head.

His face distorted, and veins bulged out on his face as he let out a vicious roar like that of a wild animal.

"Blocking my path to Immortality is the same as cutting off my chance at life! If I can't achieve Immortal Ascension, then I am certain to die. Therefore… it doesn't matter whether I die by the Immortal Tribulation or by your hand. There's no difference!" Face filled with bitterness, the old man charged Naruto.

Simultaneously, lightning crashed, as Immortal Tribulation Lightning bolts descended one after another. They grew stronger and stronger, causing everything to shake. Pill Demon once again neared the Door of Immortality. Surrounded by rumbling sounds, he focused the power of two lifetimes, braced himself against the Immortal Tribulation, and attacked the Door of Immortality again.

Blood sprayed from Pill Demon's mouth, and the Door of Immortality trembled as it opened slightly further. However, it was in that instant the the remaining four old men unleashed divine abilities and magical techniques in a direct attack against Pill Demon.

It was a moment of grave crisis. Pill Demon was already seriously injured, and was fighting back with everything he had. Not only was he forced to fight these four people, but lightning continued to fall on all of them. Everything was shaking as Naruto battled against the beast-like old man.

The old man roared as he fought. He wasn't a match for Naruto, but in his heart, he was prepared to die, and didn't care about defending himself. He attacked with full power, causing Naruto to sigh as he lifted his right hand and utilized the Star Plucking Magic. A gigantic hand appeared out of thin air, and crushed down on the old man, whose body was smashed into pieces as he screamed.

Naruto did his best to keep the body intact as it floated back down toward the ground, then he shot toward the remaining four old men who were attacking Pill Demon. Up above, a third red lightning bolt formed within the roiling clouds. This time, the lightning also contained blackness, which made the entire lightning bolt appear violet. As it slammed into Naruto, his body trembled, and he coughed up two mouthfuls of blood before he managed to continue onward.

He transformed into a golden roc that shot toward the remaining cultivators who were fighting Pill Demon. At the same time, lightning descended onto Pill Demon. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and the mountain beneath his feet seemed on the verge of collapsing.

Magical light swirled around Naruto as he closed in, transforming into a cyclone. Rumbling filled the air as he attacked the four old men, forcing them into retreat, blood spurting from their mouths. They smiled bitterly, and at the same time, their desire to kill grew even stronger.

"All of you, stop forcing my hand!" said Naruto, standing firm in front of Pill Demon. Pill Demon's face was pale and he appeared to be on the verge of collapse. He consumed some medicinal pills and then attacked the Door of Immortality once again with all the strength he could muster.

The door trembled, and the crack opened wider. More Immortal Tribulation descended.

The glittering glow of lightning covered the land, and Naruto stood between Pill Demon and the four other cultivators, almost like a massive, uncrossable ravine!

"There is nowhere to turn back to! Unless we kill this cultivator with two lives and steal his destiny, there is no way we can break open the door!"

"Death lies on the left and the right. Life only exists straight ahead! If we die, we'll die fighting!"

"We have waited for this day for too long. Now that it is here… it seems it truly is a tribulation…." The four men began to laugh loudly. Their hearts were focused on striving for the Dao, a desire that had not lessened even now.

Laughing, they transformed into beams of colorful light, burning their cultivation bases to achieve the absolute pinnacle of power as they shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was complex. Silently, he took a deep breath as the four cultivators bore down on him. His Dharma Idol suddenly began to expand, transforming into a giant that stepped toward the four incoming old men. It became something like a wall that the four of them then slammed into.

A huge boom rattled out, and everything shook as an astonishing shockwave spread out. However, because of the Dharma Idol, none of the ripples interfered with Pill Demon.

Pill Demon looked over at Naruto silently. Although he said nothing, it was clear that everything that was happening was being etched deeply onto his soul.

"If this sows Karma," he murmured, "then I refuse to allow my apprentice to bear it! Let their souls be entangled with mine for all generations to come!" With that, his body flashed as he attacked the Door of Immortality yet again. The statue beneath his feet seemed to be on the verge of collapse, and his own body appeared to be at its limit. However, the attack shook the door, which was now opening even wider than before. At the same time, however, the Tribulation Lightning was getting even stronger!

Meanwhile, the four old men on the other side of the Dharma Idol were like lamps with little oil left in them. Laughing bitterly, they all suddenly flew straight up into the air. They did not wish to die by Naruto's hands, but rather, chose to die by Immortal Tribulation!

They flew up, and the Immortal Tribulation descended. Booming sounds rang out as all of them were destroyed in body and soul.

Although Naruto didn't kill them himself, they had died because of him. In the same moment that they died, the mist in the sky above seethed, and something like a roar of rage echoed out. Massive quantities of red lightning bolts began to form together, transforming into a sea of lightning that then shot down toward Naruto.

From a distance, the massive quantity of lightning looked almost like a huge hand that wished to crush Naruto to death.

Despite the level of Naruto's cultivation base, the massive lightning hand that descended caused him to feel a sense of impending doom. Almost as soon as it began to fall from the sky, Naruto's eyes glinted with madness. He raised his hand, and the Blood Demon Grand Magic surged with full power. Rumbling filled the air, and his entire body radiated magical light.

In the blink of an eye, all existence was illuminated by the glow of his magic.

At the same time, the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex roared like a beast from ancient times. All the cultivators in the Violet Fate Sect could clearly see a red horn protruding from the middle of the vortex.

Next, a gigantic head appeared, the head of a Blood Demon that then hurled itself directly toward the glittering lightning hand.

When they met, the resulting explosion caused all creation to shake violently. The Blood Demon head's horn shattered, after which, the entire head collapsed into pieces. The blood-colored vortex shattered, as did Naruto's Dharma Idol.

As for the lightning hand, it was also shaken. One finger after another collapsed, until all that remained was a single finger that continued to jab viciously down toward Naruto.

Just when it was about to slam into him, Naruto's body began to shine with boundless golden light. He became a golden roc, which flapped its wings, sending him speeding off into the distance. As the palm raced after him in pursuit, Naruto rotated his cultivation base and then unleashed another divine ability. He pointed directly toward the incoming palm.

BOOM!

A huge crash could be heard, and the lightning palm vanished. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and he staggered backward to a position nearly three thousand meters away. After coughing up seven successive mouthfuls of blood, he finally came to a stop.

His face was pale, and his body was wracked with trembling. Sparks of electricity continued to dance around his body, and he had lost more than half of his Chakra and Blood. There was a massive wound in his chest, which burned with intense pain.

Naruto gritted his teeth and looked up; his eyes shone with a boundless, intense light.

He had completely surpassed the Tribulation Lightning's punishment!

As of this moment, all of the Southern Domain cultivators who had come to act as Dharma Protectors for Pill Demon were left in complete and utter shock. What they had just witnessed exceeded anything they had ever seen before in their lives.

They had the impulse to rush to help Pill Demon in his true Immortal Tribulation. However, the massive pressure that weighed down not only filled them with awe, it made it impossible for them to even fly into the air.

They could only look on as Naruto acted, and his intense strength only deepened their impression of him.

In the Violet Fate Sect, all of the disciples' minds were shaken. Everything that Naruto was doing caused their gratefulness to him to become even more intense.

Were it not for Naruto's presence, Pill Demon might still have been able to avoid death during this tribulation. However, it definitely would have been much more difficult to acquire the true Immortal destiny. And if he had failed… he would have perished and his soul would have been dispersed.

Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up into the sky. He saw his master Pill Demon, standing on the damaged statue of Reverend Violet East, once again combining the power of two lifetimes to strike the Door of Immortality.

Once, twice, three times….

He struck the door again and again, and it continued to open wider and wider. At the same time, more Immortal Tribulation Lightning descended, with increased intensity. By now, all of Pill Demon's magical items were in use, and the Immortal Tribulation had reached a shocking level of intensity.

The Violet Fate Sect's grand spell formation was activated to the fullest extent to help Pill Demon fight back against the Immortal Tribulation. However, the Immortal Tribulation was growing more intense, and the Door of Immortality was only forty percent open! There was still another sixty percent to go!

"Fellow Daoist Pill Demon, use this magical item of mine!"

"Senior Pill Demon, take my magical item!"

"Pill Demon, this is a treasure I prepared to help you transcend the tribulation!"

Many among the crowds down below began to produce various magical items. They severed their own connection with them and then tossed them up into the sky.

The magical items transformed into countless beams of glowing light that shot toward Pill Demon and then swirled around him. These were all lightning-resisting items, and all of them were extremely valuable.

At this moment, they didn't hesitate for even a second to give them to Pill Demon. Pill Demon trembled, and his heart filled with appreciation. Now was not the time for words, though. He took a deep breath, clasped hands to the crowds below, and then waved his arm, causing the hundreds of magical items to emit a boundless glow that fought back against the Immortal Tribulation!

Naruto hovered off in the distance, watching the scene. He also waved his hand, sending a magical item out, his beast claw. It emitted an incisive glow that, when it joined the other magical items around Pill Demon, transformed into a bizarre light.

Naruto's eyes gleamed with the anticipation of being able to bear witness to his master becoming a true Immortal.

RUUMMMMBLLEEEE!

Bolt after bolt of Immortal Tribulation Lightning slammed down, without end. Soon, they were so numerous that they became a lake of lightning. It was almost as if a hole had been ripped into the sky, and lightning was falling like rain in a violent downpour.

Pill Demon's figure was submerged in the lightning to the point where onlookers couldn't see him clearly. Only Naruto was just barely able to see him.

The blasts against the Door of Immortality continued. Fifty percent. Sixty percent….

The magical items surrounding Pill Demon were beginning to shatter. In the instant that the door opened by sixty percent, even Naruto's beast claw collapsed into pieces. By the time all of the magical items were destroyed, Pill Demon was like a flickering lamp about to be extinguished. He laughed bitterly, and looked up at the Tribulation Lightning, then at the Door of Immortality, which was only sixty percent opened. Then, he sighed.

"True Immortality really is a challenge…." he said, his voice filled with pain. "A chance that comes once in ten thousand years, and is incredibly difficult…. Despite my best efforts, I fell short by forty percent." The sky rumbled, and the lake of lightning screamed. It seemed to cover everything, filled with destructive power as it bore down onto Pill Demon, who stood in front of the Door of Immortality.

However, at this moment, Naruto's eyes glittered, and he smacked his bag of holding. The meat jelly appeared, and Naruto threw it into the air before it could even react. It shrieked as it became a beam of prismatic light that shot toward Pill Demon and the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Master, keep battering that door!" yelled Naruto. As soon as the meat jelly reached the lake of lightning, it let out a curse and then opened its mouth. It began to inhale, and the lake of lightning trembled, then began to move toward the meat jelly.

Popping sounds rang out from the meat jelly, and it turned completely black in the blink of an eye.

"Naruto you bastard, you bully! You've gone too far! Y-y-you…! Lord Third is gonna convert you!"

Pill Demon trembled, but didn't hesitate for a moment to lash out toward the Door of Immortality with all of his power. The meat jelly continued to consume the lake of lightning, and currently, no more Immortal Tribulation Lightning fell. Pill Demon went all out, combining two lives' worth of good fortune to break open the Door of Immortality!

Seventy percent….

Eighty percent!

When the door opened by eighty percent, a boundless glow of Immortal light spilled out, as well as thick Immortal Chakra. Instantly, the sky became like an Immortal paradise, and the air filled with the music of great Daos, as well as the sound of scriptures being chanted.

The cultivators down below, and the disciples of the Violet Fate Sect, were bathed in the light of Immortality. Their cultivation bases instantly began to rotate as they acquired good fortune.

However, it was in this moment that the meat jelly let out an agonized shriek. It trembled, and countless rips spread out across its body. Although it was capable of consuming Immortal Tribulation Lightning, it could only withstand so much. Finally, it screamed and flew away, unable to hold on any longer.

The lake of lightning once again rumbled down, enveloping Pill Demon. Pill Demon roared and caused his cultivation base to explode at full power to fight back. His entire body shook violently, and the statue of Reverend Violet east was starting to collapse.

Naruto was getting very worried. However, something suddenly occurred to him, which caused him to take a deep breath. Without any hesitation, he summoned his second true self. He extended his hand and pointed, and his second true self began to tremble. His eyes grew dim as his soul flew out of the top of his head.

This was… a true Immortal's soul!

In the past, Patriarch Blood Demon had mentioned that this soul would be strangely effective when transcending tribulation, most especially when reaching true Immortal Ascension.

Naruto wasn't sure if the soul of the true Immortal would be of any help in this situation; no matter how he had contemplated it or observed it in the past, it didn't seem useful for anything. Having no other options, Naruto extracted the soul itself.

In the instant in which the true Immortal's soul emerged, all of the lightning that was striking toward Pill Demon suddenly stopped in place. Then, it abruptly left Pill Demon and shot toward Naruto, or, more accurately speaking, toward the soul of the true Immortal.

This soul… could actually attract Immortal Tribulation!

Rumbling filled the air as the lightning shot forth. It rapidly surrounded the true Immortal's soul, as if it violated some Heavenly decree, and deserved to die a horrific death at the hands of the lightning.

With no lightning striking him, Pill Demon, his eyes completely bloodshot, went all out. Both he and the Dharma Protecting cultivators below had expended all the resources they could. This was the critical moment. If there was no success now, the result would be death!

Pill Demon roared, and his body burst into flames. He was burning his life force, as was the statue of Reverend Violet East beneath him. This was the power of two lives' worth of cultivation base.

Within the flames, Pill Demon turned into something like a shooting star that sped toward the Door of Immortality. He would blast into it with all of the power of his life force.

A huge boom rattled out through the entire Southern Domain, and, in fact, through all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, as the Door of Immortality was knocked open even more.

Ninety percent!

Massive rumbling could be heard as the statue of Reverend Violet East collapsed. Pill Demon had aged dramatically, and he looked as if he were at the very end of his life. However, he was not willing to give up. Roaring at the top of his lungs, he used the power of his life force to once again strike against the Door of Immortality, like a moth drawn to the flame.

BOOM!

The sound shook all of Planet Lands of Ninshu, and even rolled out into the starry sky, to be heard by all of the people outside who were trying to fight their way past Naruto's father.

When they heard the sound, everyone felt as if… their minds were reverberating with the tolling of bells.

The Door of Immortality… was ninety-five percent open. Only a tiny sliver… and it would be completely open!

However, it was in this moment that the sky churned, and a wind sprung up in the seething mists!

This was a Spirit Extermination Tribulation Wind, the second stage of tribulation that came after the Tribulation Lightning!

When the wind blew, Pill Demon, who was already like a sputtering candle, whose statue of Reverend Violet East had already been destroyed, began to fade away.

He had failed.

In this moment, all the lands went quiet, and everyone who was watching the scene felt waves of sorrow rise up in their hearts. The sound of wailing began to drift out of the Violet Fate Sect.

Pill Demon's body began to rapidly vanish. Behind him, the Door of Immortality started fading away….

It was ninety-five percent open, with only a tiny bit left to go!

Pill Demon sighed. He felt no bitterness. However, his reluctance to part with the world could be seen on his face. He did not wish to leave the people he knew down below. He did not wish to say goodbye to his apprentice. Nor did he wish to abandon his Dao. But he had reached the end.

Pill Demon wanted to say something, but by this point, he couldn't speak. His body was growing illusory, and half of it had already transformed into ash and been destroyed. The rest of his fleshly body was now continuing to turn into ash. His skin fell off, and he began to vanish into the air.

He could only use his gaze to offer his blessings to all of the crowds of people down below.

Naruto was trembling, and his eyes were shot with blood. Seeing that the Door of Immortality was fading, and that Pill Demon was on the verge of death, he couldn't hold back. He shot forward.

"Master, I'm coming to help!"

Spirit Extermination Tribulation Wind was the second form of true Immortal Tribulation, and was far more powerful than the Tribulation Lightning from earlier. Once the wind blew, the fleshly body would scatter, and the soul would vanish.

In the instant that Pill Demon's body began to fade away, Naruto unhesitatingly shot forward. There was no time to consider the danger he may be facing, nor was he thinking about how his actions might benefit him in the future. In this moment, the only thing he was thinking about… was how kindly his master Pill Demon had treated him.

That kindness had originated in the days of the Violet Fate Sect, and had grown with all the little things that happened after that. It was the relationship of a master and an apprentice.

Back when he didn't know where his father and mother were, back before his father-son experience with Mui, Pill Demon had been the only parental figure in his life that had cared about him.

Because of that, Naruto charged in without hesitation.

As soon as he entered the Spirit Extermination Tribulation Wind, his fleshly body began to vanish, his soul began to get blurry, and his spirit began to gradually disappear. However, he didn't care about any of that.

Time seemed to stretch out, but Naruto was filled with determination, and as he closed in on Pill Demon, he used all the power he had to fight back against the agony that the deadly wind sent through him. Then he grabbed Pill Demon and rammed the Door of Immortality himself!

Head first!

BOOM!

The Door of Immortality had been on the verge of fading away, but now it trembled. That tiny bit that had remained unopened, was now thoroughly gone! The door was completely open! Rumbling filled the air, and majestic Immortal light poured out. Naruto had used every scrap of strength he could muster to push Pill Demon into the Door of Immortality!

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and his entire body became incredibly withered, almost completely fading away. Now, he was shooting down toward the ground at rapid speed.

Everything happened so quickly that the people down below didn't even have time to react. Naruto slammed into the ground and flopped over a few times. His body was virtually in pieces, his flesh decayed, his aura incredibly weak. However, his eyes shone brightly, completely devoid of any regret as he looked up into the sky.

Up above, Pill Demon could be seen within the Door of Immortality. His eyes were somewhat blank at first, but as soon as he entered the door, his entire body surged with boundless Immortal Chakra. It rapidly swirled around him, reforming his body anew. At the same time, the tribulation mist up above no longer sent down tribulation, but rather, swirled toward the Door of Immortality.

At the same time, boundless Immortal light rose into the sky. Immortal Chakra surged, and Dao music floated about. Pill Demon was surrounded by swirling lights as the aura of a true Immortal came into being around him.

"In my previous life, I was Violet East, and in this life, Pill Demon. For a lifetime, I focused everything on cultivating the Dao of alchemy…. Now, I am a true Immortal, and have formed true Immortal pill Chakra…. This Chakra contains my life force, and I won't restrain it inside of me. Instead, I will give it to my apprentice…." Pill Demon looked down at Naruto down below, and his expression was one of kindness and gratitude. He extended his right hand, and suddenly, a beam of green Chakra flew out toward Naruto.

As it flew through the air, flowers bloomed, sleeping animals awakened, and rainbows filled the sky. All the lands filled with a majestic medicinal aroma. This was the life force pill Chakra formed as Pill Demon became a true Immortal, and it exceeded even an Immortal pill!

Naruto couldn't refuse this pill Chakra even if he wanted to. In the instant it fused into his body, all of his injuries began to heal up. Furthermore, his Eternal stratum, which had never fully recovered, was now completely restored.

With his Eternal stratum fully returned, Naruto's body filled with roaring sounds. His injuries healed completely, and he rose to his feet. He looked at his master up in the sky and then clasped hands and bowed deeply.

As Pill Demon stood within the Door of Immortality, more and more Immortal Chakra began to gather. Everyone present felt some of that Chakra washing over them, like a baptism, and their cultivation bases experienced advancement. There were even some who made cultivation base breakthroughs because of it.

The aura of a true Immortal around Pill Demon became more and more intense. After the space of about ten breaths, rumbling filled the air, and Pill Demon began to radiate a mighty pressure similar to that of Naruto.

True Immortal!

As his energy surged, true Immortal will became even more apparent, although it was different than Naruto's. Boundless light radiated off of Pill Demon. His soul became the soul of a true Immortal, and his Dao became the Dao of a true Immortal.

His body… became the body of a true Immortal!

In this instant, he was thoroughly, in all aspects, a true Immortal!

The Door of Immortality also rumbled. Apparently, there was an entire world inside of it, a world that others could not see. Even Naruto could barely make out any details. Only Pill Demon could see it clearly, and when he looked at that world inside the Door of Immortality, his body trembled.

Next, a beam of Immortal light emerged from inside the door, within which was a scroll. When the scroll unfurled, one could see that countless names were written upon it.

Some of the names were dim, as if the people to whom those names belonged were now dead. But others shone with light as bright as the sun. It was impossible to see exactly how many there were. These were… all of the true Immortals who had existed in the boundless history of the great Nine Mountains and Seas.

There seemed to be many, but in actuality, when compared to the vast population of cultivators in the Nine Mountains and Seas, true Immortals… were as difficult to find as phoenix feathers or qilin horns.

After all, the Nine Mountains and Seas would only produce nine true Immortals every ten thousand years, one for each of the Mountains and Seas.

Of course, there were also the Immortality Illumination Vines, which meant that the number was larger than that. Even so, the number of true Immortals that appeared in the Nine Mountains and Seas in any ten thousand year period would not exceed one hundred.

And as of now, a new name appeared on that scroll…. Pill Demon!

This meant that as of now, Pill Demon was a true Immortal in all respects!

Furthermore, in the following one thousand years, there would be Chosen in the Nine Mountains and Seas who used Immortality Illumination Vines to also become true Immortals. Their names would also appear on the scroll, although no one would be there to see that happen. Only after another ten thousand years had passed, and someone else acquired Immortal destiny and achieved true Immortal Ascension, would anyone be able to see them.

The Door of Immortality faded soundlessly, transforming into a beam of light that shot up into the sky and out into space. As for all the crowds in the starry sky, the ones trying to get into Planet Lands of Ninshu, they sighed and stopped in place. None of them said anything as they slowly turned and left, filled with regret.

Of course, it would be difficult for them not to harbor resentment toward Minato, and the person down below who had succeeded in becoming a true Immortal.

It was at this moment that an enormous teleportation portal suddenly appeared in the starry sky. Boundless light spread out to cover everything, and an old man materialized, mounted on a white deer.

The old man's features were ordinary, and he wore a smile. The white deer he rode had a vicious set of antlers, and its eyes shone with a savage glow. It was only a white deer, and yet, it emanated a completely shocking aura. When the old man made his appearance, everything trembled, and the starry sky went dim. Among the departing crowds were people who recognized the old man, and instantly gasped.

"Daoist Baldy from the Baldy Society!"

"The Baldy Society is one of the most mysterious of the Three Churches and Six Sects, and Daoist Baldy is their Sect Leader!"

"I can't believe that he actually showed up here…. That white deer must be the fiendish deer that wreaked havoc in the Ninth Mountain fifty thousand years ago!"

Minato's eyes glittered, and his pupils constricted a bit.

"Greetings, Daoist Baldy." Despite how powerful he himself was, Naruto's father clasped hands and bowed deeply to Daoist Baldy.

"Minato," replied the old man with a smile, "I'm here to get my apprentice back. He inherited my teachings via a dream of mine, and his name is Violet East. Now that he has achieved true Immortality, the time has come for him to return." Everyone in the area looked on in shock. Many people's eyes widened, and the hatred they had been feeling toward the person who had just become a true Immortal, vanished completely.

The Baldy Society was one of the Three Churches and Six Sects, and were shrouded in mystery. They kept their secrets to themselves. Furthermore, had they lent their assistance to Lord Hebi when he altered the Heavens, the Baldy Society would have become a Holy Land, and there would now be more than five Holy Lands.

Minato's eyes widened, but he said nothing. Daoist Baldy did not pressure him, but instead smiled.

A moment later, the image of Minato that had materialized outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu stepped aside, then gestured for Daoist Baldy to enter. Daoist Baldy smiled and nodded.

"I will not forget this kindness," he said. Everyone watched as the white deer approached Planet Lands of Ninshu and then appeared in the Violet Fate Sect in the Southern Domain.

When Naruto caught sight of the old man riding the white deer, his jaw dropped.

Up in midair, Pill Demon saw the old man, and an absent-minded expression could be seen on his face, as if he had suddenly recalled something. He approached the old man, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"Do you remember now?" said the old man, smiling.

"I remember. Greetings, master!"

"In the childhood of your previous life, I appeared in your dreams to offer guidance in your cultivation, pointing the way to the Dao of alchemy. In that life, before your Nirvanic Rebirth, I left, and you asked when we would meet again.

"At that time, I said that when you reached true Immortal Ascension, that you would become my Legacy Apprentice.

"Today, I'm here to accept you." The old man smiled.

Pill Demon took a deep breath, then bowed once again.

"Master, my own apprentice, he…."

"He has his own path. Come, it's time to leave. Who knows, you may meet him again soon in the future. However, there are a few people within the sect you founded that have the necessary latent talent, and we can bring them along too." After a glance and nod at Naruto, Daoist Baldy's eyes swept over the rest of the Violet Fate Sect. He raised his hand, and seven or eight people, including Sakura, slowly flew up into the air with stunned looks on their faces.

"Let's depart. You shall walk the path of Baldy, and speak of the Dao of Baldy. From now on, your cultivation will leave with the desire to prostrate yourself before Baldy."

Daoist Baldy chuckled, then waved his sleeve, sweeping up Pill Demon, Sakura and the others as he turned to leave.

Pill Demon looked back at Naruto with an encouraging look in his eyes.

Sakura also looked back, but she looked as confused as ever. Complex emotions could be seen in her eyes as she looked at Naruto, but then, her eyes grew calm. She nodded at Naruto, and then turned away.

Naruto looked on in shock as Pill Demon, Sakura and the others were taken away by Daoist Baldy. Gradually, they disappeared off into the starry sky.

Then his father appeared next to him.

"Planet Lands of Ninshu is too small," he said softly. "You and your master, and even that little girl, all have your own paths to tread… out in the stars, not on this planet.

"Don't waste time missing them. The Ninth Mountain isn't a very big place either. You'll see them again one day."

"The next time we meet," murmured Naruto, "it will be out in the starry sky." The departure of Pill Demon, Sakura, and the others, was too sudden, and left him feeling empty.

He thought back to his hundreds of years of cultivation, and it seemed like there many people who had ended up departing, and were no longer in the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Patriarch Reliance was gone. Hinata was gone. Pill Demon was gone. Sakura was gone….

Thankfully, Fatty, Guy, and the others were still there. There were some people Naruto wasn't sure about; Madara for example, Ino from the former Black Sieve Sect, and of course Dong Hu, who had joined the Reliance Sect at the same time as him.

Naruto sighed. He did not leave the Southern Domain along with his father. Instead, he went to the Golden Frost Sect. He and Fatty drank together. Fatty sent his more than one hundred beloved concubines away, and he and Naruto sat on top of a mountain, drinking and talking about the past.

They talked about the Five Elements Nation, and about Konoha County. They talked about the Reliance Sect, and everything that had happened there. Eventually, evening fell, and the stars slowly came out. It was impossible to tell how much exactly they had drunk.

"I'm going to join the disciple recruitment event held by the Three Great Daoist Societies of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!" declared Fatty, tossing aside his alcohol flagon and looking determinedly over at Naruto. "I don't want to be stuck in the lands of Lands of Ninshu for the rest of my life. I want to go out into the starry sky!"

Naruto looked back at Fatty. He himself had heard from Tsukino about the Three Great Daoist Societies' disciple recruitment trial by fire. News about the matter had now spread throughout the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, even here to Planet Lands of Ninshu.

Fatty gazed at Naruto with an expression of determination.

"You don't need to say anything," Fatty continued. "I know that you won't stay in the lands of Lands of Ninshu for much longer either. Your path exists in the starry sky. Well, we're brothers, so if you go, then I won't stay behind! I'm going to give it a shot!"

Naruto didn't respond at first. He simply lifted his wine flagon and took a drink, looked at Fatty, and smiled.

Then he said, "Considering those teeth of yours, you'll definitely get some good fortune!"

Fatty laughed uproariously, then grabbed a flying sword and began to file at his teeth. The two of them laughed together, and then continued to chat until the sky turned bright. Naruto stayed with Fatty for a few days before leaving. The next stop on his journey through the Southern Domain was to visit Guy.

Guy sat as he always did, next to the mountain boulder. Naruto meditated silently next to him. Guy no longer drank alcohol, but the stubble of a beard was still visible on his chin. An abstruse gleam could be seen deep in his eyes, but most of his time was spent gazing at the boulder, as if he were immersed in memories.

Naruto didn't interrupt him, but rather sat next to him for an entire night.

When the sky grew bright and the time had come for Naruto to leave, Guy suddenly said, "I've decided to go to the trial by fire held by the Three Great Daoist Societies."

Naruto nodded and left.

His next stop was the Blood Demon Sect. He saw Shikamaru, who, much like Fatty and Guy, was interested in the trial by fire.

He also decided to participate, to take a chance for his future.

Naruto didn't see Patriarch Blood Demon. Outside of Patriarch Blood Demon's Immortal's cave, Naruto could sense a dense aura of death. He stood there for a long time before finally clasping hands and bowing deeply.

"Senior, I will never forget your kindness in helping me to Sever the Devil and Seek the Dao!" He bowed again.

The aura of death was the same as ever as Naruto finally turned to leave. Off in the distance, he could see the valley where he and Hinata had spent their final days together, as well as the location where they had been married.

It was a mountain, on one side of which were the beautiful memories of Hinata, on the other side of which was carnage and battle. That was where he and Hinata had been married.

As he gazed at the location, Naruto suddenly felt very lonely. After staring for a long moment, he finally left.

Now, he wasn't sure where to go in these sprawling lands. All he could do was look up into the starry sky.

"Perhaps it's time for me to leave as well."

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Naruto went to the Milky Way Sea, to the Western Desert, to the Northern Reaches, and finally to the Eastern Lands. Eventually, the day came when the sky began to rumble, and the music of a great Dao spread out in all directions. Three enormous, multi-colored vortexes appeared in the sky.

The three vortexes' rotation caused a sound to echo out that could be heard by all cultivators in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. Be they in the Western Desert or the Southern Domain, in the Northern Reaches or the Eastern Lands, in that instant they could all see the three bizarre vortexes up above.

They looked like they were up in the sky, but actually, they existed in everyone's eyes.

Regardless of where the cultivators were located, as long as their cultivation bases met the requirements, and they had the desire to seek the Dao and find good fortune, then all they had to do was take a step forward and enter the vortex.

At the same time the vortexes appeared, an archaic voice echoed out from within them. Everything trembled, and no natural law could prevent the voice from echoing out as if from ancient times, striking fear into the hearts of all.

"The trial by fire was founded by the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Five Great Holy Lands, and the Three Churches and Six Sects!

"Anyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea may participate, regardless of background, regardless of age, as long as the cultivation base requirement is met!

"The three vortexes are for the Nascent Soul stage, the Spirit Severing stage, and the Dao Seeking stage!

"First, walk upon the Ancient Road. The ten thousand people who reach the end the fastest will be able to participate in the honorable trial by fire!

"Of those ten thousand people, seven thousand will be from the Nascent Soul stage, two thousand from Spirit Severing, and one thousand from Dao Seeking! Cultivators of the Ninth Mountain and Sea…. let the trial by fire begin!"

Planet Lands of Ninshu trembled. Everyone knew that the enormous disciple recruitment trial by fire held by the Three Great Daoist Societies… was now underway!

Countless cultivators were prepared to participate. Their blood boiled at the possible good fortune in front of them. Without becoming Immortal, it was impossible to tread through the starry sky. Therefore, if they could seize this opportunity, they could have a meteoric rise, and be like a fish leaping from the sea into the heavens.

Simultaneously, similar vortexes appeared on Planet North Reed, Planet East Victory and Planet West Felicity, along with an identical voice with identical words. It was the same in the Ninth Sea and the Ninth Mountain. Throughout all locations in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the voice echoed out, and three vortexes appeared.

The Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely abuzz, and countless cultivators were filled with determination, and hearts that wished to search for the Dao. They flew up toward the vortexes from innumerable locations.

More than ten thousand people flew up from the lands of Lands of Ninshu alone. Most were Nascent Soul cultivators, who flew into the Nascent Soul vortex to tread the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul. There were a smaller group who flew into the Spirit Severing vortex.

The smallest group was that which walked… the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

If you looked at the Ninth Mountain and Sea as a whole, it was really impossible to tell how many people tread the Ancient Roads.

This was a grand event for the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, so the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Five Great Holy Lands and the Three Churches and Six Sects all sent people to stand guard over the three Ancient Roads.

These three roads had a long history. They might be called Ancient Roads, but in truth, they comprised an ancient set of crumbled ruins within the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Within those ruins existed uncountable good fortune, and they had supposedly existed longer than the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

In truth, the three roads were only a small portion of the larger set of ruins that the Three Great Daoist Societies exercised control over. The fact that the roads were opening now aroused ambitions in countless hearts in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

This was especially true because… these ruins were called the Ruins of Immortality, and in the past, people had discovered Immortality Illumination Vines there. That was what had changed the entire structure of true Immortality in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Furthermore, the other eight great Mountains and Seas had similar ruins in them.

Most areas inside of the ruins were restricted areas. This was especially true in the depths of the ruins. If you entered those places, you would almost certainly die. Throughout countless years, only the most powerful of experts had ever dared to travel into the depths of the Ruins of Immortality, and virtually no one had ever emerged alive.

Rumor had it that Lord Asura had traveled into the depths of the ruins, but as for what had happened there, no one knew. They only knew that the Dharma Clone he had left behind issued the Dharmic decree regarding returning life to the Heavens.

It was because of that Dharmic decree that, in following days, Lord Hebi replaced the Heavens, which in turn drew the support of most of the powers within the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

There was another rumor that in the great Nine Mountains and Seas, regardless of which Mountain or Sea, anyone who could gain enlightenment regarding the ultimate secrets of the Ruins of Immortality, would become the Lord of all the Nine Mountains and Seas.

Although this was a generally acknowledged point, no one could actually accomplish it, not even Bunpuku, the Lord of the Fourth Mountain and Sea.

Now that the trial by fire had begun, countless figures vanished into the three vortexes. Fatty, Guy, Shikamaru, and others all decided to take a chance to try to get some good fortune.

As for Naruto, he sat cross-legged underneath a towering tree in the Namikaze Clan of the Eastern Lands, looking up at the three enormous vortexes. After sitting there quietly for a moment looking at the flashing vortexes, a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

"You have the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion, so if you want to join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, then you don't have to participate in the trial by fire." The voice came from Naruto's father, Minato, who strolled up from behind him. He stood behind Naruto and continued, "Furthermore, there is always the danger of perishing in the trial by fire. Aren't you scared of that?"

"Other than the chance to join one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, is there any other good fortune to be had?" asked Naruto.

"Of course there is!" replied his father. "If you get first place, then you can acquire a precious treasure. Considering the resources at the Three Great Daoist Societies' disposal, even I would be excited at the prospect of getting a magical item from them.

"Furthermore, father can tell you another secret. In addition to the founders of the Three Great Daoist Societies, the founders of the Four Great Clans, the Five Holy Lands, and the three Churches and Six Sects… all previously walked the Ancient Roads of the Ruins of Immortality!

"It was there that they acquired the unimaginable good fortune that allowed them to found their various clans and sects.

"It was the same with the Namikaze Clan Ancestor. That was where he acquired the bloodline that has ensured that the Namikaze Clan stands tall in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. That, of course, is…. the Namikaze Clan's Four Lives Awakening!"

"Dad, did you go there?" asked Naruto.

Minato didn't respond at first. After a long moment, he shook his head.

"Originally, your mother and I planned to wait for you to grow up, then we planned to take a trip there."

When he looked at his father, Naruto could sense that some amount of regret existed in his heart. He glanced back up at the three vortexes, and then a gleam of determination appeared in his eyes.

"Dad, I want to go."

"If you want to go, then go. We cultivators should never be afraid of dying!" Minato looked at Naruto, and the love in his eyes was clear, as was the look of encouragement.

"At the end of the Ancient Road are the arena matches. Actually… I hope that you do participate in this event!

"Do you know why your father's name is known throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and is even known in other Mountains and Seas? That's because even when I was in the Spirit Realm, I never shrank from a fight with anyone in the same stage as me. I fought and killed my way to the place I am now. I passed up all the members of my same generation, suppressed them, and seized destiny. That is how to become powerful! You must always strive forward; that is the way to reach the pinnacle of power!"

Naruto coughed dryly, and a bashful smile appeared on his face.

"Dad, I can't really identify with your path. I think… getting all of the Chosen in the Ninth Mountain and Sea to owe me money is the ideal way."

Minato's jaw dropped as Naruto chuckled and then flew into the air. His body flashed as he flew toward the Dao Seeking vortex. He took a deep breath, and without any further hesitation, entered.

The vortexes in the sky rotated, sending rumbling sounds echoing out in all directions. In virtually all regions of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, people were flying up into the vortexes. However, many of those people took steps to change their appearance upon entering.

They had various reasons for not wanting others to know who they truly were. After all, a grand event like this would draw the attention of the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

As soon as Naruto entered, he immediately sent some divine will out to the meat jelly. Moaning and groaning, the meat jelly helped Naruto to change his appearance to that of Kazama, from back in his days in the Violet Fate Sect.

Naruto was attending this event only for the trial by fire, and considering how he had flaunted his abilities in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and was now making his way alone off planet, he figured it would be much more convenient to rely on a second identity.

Furthermore, there would be no better opportunity to become famous under a second identity than this trial by fire hosted by the Three Great Daoist Societies.

"It's too bad my second true self is temporarily incapacitated because the true Immortal's soul was damaged by the Immortal Tribulation," he thought. "But, that's not such a bad thing." Naruto's eyes glittered brightly after making the transformation, and he looked out at the pitch blackness surrounding him. He could just barely make out a vortex spinning around him, with faint beams of light occasionally coming into view as they spun around him.

The sensation of being pulled along grew even stronger, and he felt increasing pressure weighing down on him.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, a bright light became visible up ahead in the darkness. It grew brighter and brighter, and soon, completely enveloped Naruto.

When his vision grew clear once again, Naruto found himself looking out at a void, which was densely packed with countless platforms. Some were thirty meters wide, others, three hundred, and some three thousand.

The sizes varied, and in the center of each of the platforms was a stone stele, upon which could be seen a map. Beneath each stone stele was a candle holder. The candles were unlit, leaving the maps on the stone steles cloaked in darkness.

As for how many platforms there were, it was impossible for Naruto to count. His divine sense was under incredible pressure, making it impossible to send it out very far. As Naruto looked around, more and more people came into view. Much like Naruto, they stared out in shock at all the platforms.

All of them had peak Dao Seeking auras, and there were even a few who didn't quite measure up to the Chosen he had encountered before, but were very close.

They all wore different clothing, and bore different appearances. There were men and women, old and young. Some weren't even humanoid, but looked like beasts. From what Naruto could tell, there were several hundred in his immediate vicinity, with more and more people appearing off in the distance.

It was hard to tell who it was that flew out first, but soon, one of the three-thousand-meter platforms was occupied by a cultivator. After that, all of the cultivators who materialized in the void shot out toward the platforms at full speed. Each person who appeared occupied a single platform. Fighting broke out, but it was controlled. After all, there was no reason to unleash vicious fighting the moment they entered the Ancient Road trial by fire. It wasn't worth it.

Furthermore, any ownerless platform apparently created a bond to whoever set foot on it first, and the unlit candle would then begin to burn, illuminating the map on the stele.

As such, there wasn't very much fighting. As the saying goes, first come, first served, so anyone who was beaten to a particular platform would quickly leave in search of another.

Naruto's eyes glittered. The three-hundred-meter and three-thousand-meter platforms were relatively far away from him, and the closest one to him was a thirty-meter platforms, so he quickly made his way toward that one.

However, just when he was about to step foot onto it, someone else nearby apparently had the same idea as he did. It was a tall, hulking man with ripples spreading out from beneath his feet which, if you looked closely, resembled illusory seawater that contained three swimming fish. Overall, it made the hulking man seem incredibly impressive.

He and Naruto were both about to step onto the platform at exactly the same time, when the hulking man snorted coldly. Killing intent flickered in his eyes.

"Screw off!" he said.

With that, his right hand made a hurling motion toward Naruto. The fish began to swim through the water at incredible speed, and an intense power surged out, transforming into an illusory sea dragon which shot toward Naruto, mouth gaping open to consume him.

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever, but he moved with explosive speed as he dodged past the sea dragon and then set foot onto the platform one breath of time before the hulking man.

In that instant, the candle on the platform burned to life, sending light spreading out in all directions. The hulking man's face was very unsightly as he glared at Naruto, and he let out a cold snort as he shot toward another nearby platform.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, and he completely ignored the hulking man as he sat down cross-legged in front of the stone stele to examine the map. The map encompassed a huge area, but roughly ninety percent of it was covered in darkness, leaving only about ten percent clearly visible.

Within that small visible area, he could see numerous narrow roads spreading out, the origin of which was the location he was in now. The end location of all the roads was a place near the dark area on the map.

Out in the void, more and more candles were springing to life; apparently the number of platforms here was equal to the number of people who had arrived. Before long, all of the cultivators had occupied a platform.

Unfortunately, a handful of unlucky cultivators ended up dying in the fighting.

As for the hulking man from earlier, he had managed to secure a platform to the right of Naruto. He looked over at Naruto occasionally, his eyes glowing with killing intent. The spat between the two of them had obviously left him irritated.

Apparently, Naruto didn't notice the man, and focused intently on studying the map.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, everything grew quiet. Finally, an archaic voice boomed out through the void.

"I am Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World. As of now… the Dao gate has opened, and the Ancient Road stretches out. All of you must traverse the road… use it to corroborate your Dao, and to corroborate your destiny!

"The road is well-lit, but is filled with danger. Any who tread it must do so with utmost caution!

"As of this moment, if you turn back, you still have a chance to retreat. But once you step forward…when you look back, there won't even be the safety of a shoreline." His voice rang out over all the platforms, filling the entire area. All of the Dao Seeking competitors in the trial by fire could hear him.

When Naruto heard the Nine Seas God World mentioned, he looked up. It instantly made him think of Fū, and he felt a bit apprehensive. He reminded himself that he had changed his appearance, but still didn't feel any less nervous. He quietly took out the black feather the parrot had acquired, and placed it an easily accessible location in the front of his robe.

"You may now enter the road. This is a trial by fire, and anyone with unsuitable latent talent will be eliminated first, leaving behind only the most suitable candidates.

"After that, you shall not simply walk as you wish along the road. At every stage along the way, you will be tested.

"Depending on your performance in the tests, I will arrange for you to proceed a certain number of steps. Everything you do here is visible to observers on the outside, so you need not fear that I will be unfair in my decisions.

"And now, let the first stage begin, the stage of combat!

"You may use any means fair or foul, even deadly means, to snuff out as many candles as you can in the time it takes an incense stick to burn! Anyone whose candle is snuffed out will lose the qualification to continue. Anyone who is killed will automatically be considered to have their candle extinguished!" As soon as they heard Dengaku's words, all the Ninth Mountain and Sea cultivators in the Dao Seeking trial by fire felt their hearts tremble, and their killing intent exploded up.

Everyone had assumed that all participants would be allowed to enter the Ancient Road, and that the fastest one thousand among them who reached the end would be able to proceed. They had never imagined that the trial by fire would actually begin in this way.

The point of the first stage was to prevent one's candle from being extinguished, and at the same time, put out the candles of the others.

In the blink of an eye, people began sending out Dharma Clones to charge toward other platforms. Instantly, fierce fighting broke out; divine abilities and magical techniques caused everything to rumble and shake. The entire area was thrown into chaos, and roaring filled the ears of everyone present. It only took a moment before screams of death rang out.

Even as Naruto's eyes began to glitter coldly, the hulking man off to his right who had been glancing at him murderously gave a vicious laugh and waved his right hand. Instantly, a Esoteric compass flew out, which then transformed into a glittering spell formation that spread out to protect his candle. Then the man flew out toward Naruto.

"I've killed lots of peak Dao Seeking experts," he said. "Since you dared to compete with me, then you'll be the first person I kill in this trial by fire!" The illusory seawater swelled beneath his feet as he stepped onto Naruto's platform. He quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing a sea dragon to roar toward Naruto.

Naruto was sitting cross-legged next to the candle, and when he looked up his face was calm. There wasn't even a cold gleam visible in his eyes. He looked placidly over at the hulking man, then waved his hand through the air in a snatching motion. Shockingly, the Star Plucking Magic was unleashed.

The first thing that it grabbed was the sea dragon, which was completely incapable of fighting back, and although it struggled for a moment, Naruto simply pinched his fingers together, and it collapsed into pieces. The hulking man's eyes widened; he was well aware that the sea dragon had materialized with roughly eighty percent of his total power. Normally speaking, there were few peak Dao Seeking experts in the Ninth Sea who could possibly evade this sea dragon.

However, he had just watched as his opponent casually waved a hand and crushed it to pieces. In that instant, the hulking man's scalp went numb, and he was very nearly scared out of his mind.

"Not good!" he thought. "Don't tell me this is one of those inhuman freaks from one of the sects or clans? Impossible! I've seen all of those people from afar, but I've never laid eyes on this guy before!"

The man's face fell, and he immediately cried out with a loud voice: "Misunderstanding! Fellow Daoist, this was just a misunderstanding…."

As he spoke, he retreated at top speed. However, Naruto's Star Plucking Magic bore down on him and snatched up him. The hulking man's face filled with fear, but Naruto's was expressionless as he gently squeezed down.

Boom!

Before the hulking man could even let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body was crushed into pieces, and he was destroyed in spirit and body. When he died, his candle immediately snuffed out.

After making his deadly attack, Naruto pointed toward the Esoteric compass that covered the hulking man's candle. It trembled, and was just about to fly back toward Naruto when a black beam flew toward it. The beam turned into a black-robed youth, who reached out to grab the Esoteric compass.

However, almost as soon as his hand latched onto the item, Naruto's cold snort echoed out. When it entered the young man's ears, he began to tremble violently, and subconsciously looked over at Naruto. When their gazes locked, his mind filled with a roaring sound.

To him, Naruto's gaze felt like two sharp swords, stabbing into his eyes and threatening to slash his mind into pieces, stabbing into his brain and down into his soul.

The young man's face fell, and he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. His face was pale, and he ceased all attempts to grab the Esoteric compass.

"Fellow Daoist!" he cried urgently in a raspy voice. "Pardon my offense!"

Naruto didn't immediately slaughter the young man. He calmly beckoned with his hand, causing the Esoteric compass to fly over and settle onto his hand. Because the hulking man was dead, the item was currently masterless, so after Naruto sent some divine sense into it, it was branded to him.

"It's definitely mysterious," he said, "but unfortunately, not very powerful." He waved his hand again, causing two ultra high-grade spirit stones to fly out from his dwindling collection. He pushed them onto the Esoteric compass before their aura could spread out and be detected.

In the blink of an eye, the Esoteric compass changed. Although it looked normal, it now exerted a spell formation which was far mightier than it had been before. It was worlds apart. Naruto quickly placed it down next to him, whereupon its glow spread out to cover the candle.

"Unless someone like Bisuke or one of the other Chosen show up, this should hold out for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Ordinary peak Dao Seeking cultivators won't be able to break through it." He rose to his feet and looked around. By now, half of the time was already gone, and he had only extinguished one candle. There were others off in the distance who had snuffed out seven or eight. Perhaps some people even further off had extinguished even more.

In the same moment that Naruto left his platform, people in the outside world, in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, were looking up at what had once been merely swirling vortexes, but now contained enormous viewing screens.

Those screens displayed everything that was happening on the Ancient Roads, although the images were very small. Of course, if one's cultivation base was high enough, it was still possible to clearly see each and every individual despite how small they were on the screen.

Countless people in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching the screens. There were people from the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Four Great Clans, the Five Holy Lands, and the Three Churches and Six Sects, as well as various powerful rogue cultivators.

The various sects were paying especially close attention. They were not clans, and therefore had to recruit disciples from outside. Therefore, they would be paying close attention to the trial by fire. Many would not wait until the end of the event was reached, but would select disciples to recruit throughout the process.

Of course, numerous conversations could be heard among the crowds throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"The Three Great Daoist Societies have created ten stages within the three Ancient Roads in the Ruins of Immortality. Each stage involves a different test, which will allow them to slowly filter out the competitors, and leave behind only the future Chosen."

"It's possible that some of the people who get eliminated might have great potential, but were just unluckily knocked out."

"Look, the current leader on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul has already extinguished 39 candles. Although the Nascent Soul cultivators' cultivation bases aren't very high, they have an intense will to fight!"

"The highest number of extinguished candles on the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing is 27!"

"Who is that masked young man on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking…? He's already extinguished 19 candles!"

"The Ancient Road of Dao Seeking is the most interesting after all. See that one guy? He's probably a disciple of the Shimura Clan. He's changed his appearance, but you can recognize who he is from the divine abilities he's using. He's already put out 15 candles."

Even as the discussions were going on outside, Naruto flew out toward a thirty-meter platform on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. As soon as he set foot on it, an enraged roar echoed out, and an old man with disheveled hair appeared. A will of madness radiated out as he charged toward Naruto.

"Die!" he cried, performing an incantation gesture that caused a fissure to appear, which then transformed into a broadsword!

"Void Severing!" he cried, causing some others in the area to look over in shock and then backpedal. Naruto turned, his expression calm as he gazed at the incoming Void Severing attack. He did not retreat, but instead utilized the Golden Roc Transformation. At the same time, he used the powers of the black feather inside his robe so that the golden roc actually looked like a pitch-black vulture instead.

The vulture sped through the air toward the incoming Void Severing attack. When they slammed into each other, a huge boom echoed out, and the Void Severing blade collapsed, completely incapable of fazing Naruto in the slightest. When the old man saw this, his face filled with shock, and he fell back. However, before he could get very far, a blast of wind gusted against him as Naruto swooped down in vulture form. Claws slashed out, and a splattering sound could be heard as the man's head was crushed.

This was a trial by fire, a fight for good fortune. If you didn't kill your opponent, your opponent would kill you.

Naruto had experienced much gory brutality, so he was used to things like this. He wouldn't allow such a thing to affect him inwardly. When the old man died, his candle went out, and Naruto proceeded to the next platform. If nobody blocked his path, he would merely extinguish the candle; if people tried to kill him, he would return the favor and end their lives.

In a brief moment, Naruto swept across the entire area. No one could offer any resistance for longer than the space of a single breath, and ended either with a death, or an extinguished candle.

Naruto proceeded along as if he were walking across dried up weeds, his intense energy allowing him to rapidly rise up above the others.

Three candles. Four candles. Five candles….

Naruto attacked viciously and decisively. Currently, of the dozen or so people in his vicinity, there were four or five who were concealing their cultivation bases. When Naruto attacked them, their power exploded out; although none of them seemed to be on the level of Bisuke and the other Chosen, they still possessed unique and exceptional divine abilities.

There was even one person who controlled powers which resembled those of Zabuza, the Chosen from the Northern Reaches who used a Time divine ability. When this person attacked, he could seemingly lock down space and time in shocking fashion.

Any other peak Dao Seeking expert who went up against people like this, especially the one who could control space-time, would most certainly perish. However, Naruto possessed eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, and could even eradicate false Immortals. Each and every attack he made either killed someone, or snuffed out a candle. Booms rattled out constantly.

The only time he didn't instantly attack with lethal force was when he faced the old man who could control Time. After a bit of observation, he realized that this Dao of Time was the same type he had gone up against when he fought Zabuza. At the time, it had definitely tantalized him, but was something that until now he still couldn't quite understand no matter how much he contemplated it.

When he attacked, he paid close attention to the results. Considering he had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, he was able to pick up some clues. As they fought, the old man grew more and more shocked, until finally he was virtually scared witless. From his view, he was fighting what appeared to be an ordinary youth, one that still somehow appeared to be analyzing and even imitating his Dao of Time. At a certain point he even seemed to be utilizing some of the same power, which left the old man completely shocked.

"Inhuman! This guy must definitely be one of those legendary Chosen!" The old man's heart trembled, and it was without hesitation that he suddenly extinguished his own candle to ensure that he could continue to live.

Naruto's eyes glittered in response to the old man's decisiveness, and he made no further attacks. After the candle went out, he gave the old man a glance and simply teleported past him and continued onward.

Roughly a third of the amount of time it takes an incense stick to burn remained, and Naruto had already extinguished 19 candles!

Most of the platforms in the area were empty. As for the people whose candles were extinguished but who were not killed, one by one, they faded and were teleported away by the power of the Ancient Road, having lost any qualifications to continue with the trial by fire.

Many people were shocked by this; it didn't matter if you died or simply lost the qualifications, you were eliminated either way. This was a heavy blow to anyone who had placed high hopes in coming here and skating through some of the tests.

"So that Dao of Time is similar to the power of Time that I wield. There are similarities, but they're actually different!" Naruto's eyes were calm, but a thoughtful flicker could be seen in his pupils. The battle just now had not been short, and Naruto had actually benefited quite a bit. 2

As of now, he stood on one of the platforms, and his eyes swept about the area. Finally, his body flickered and he flew off in a different direction.

It was at this point that the archaic voice of the Nine Seas God World's Dengaku suddenly echoed out again.

"Of that one incense stick's worth of time, there are now less than one hundred breaths of time left…. After those one hundred breaths of time, the first stage will be complete. Those of you who extinguish the most candles during that time, and also prevent your own candle from being extinguished, will receive a special reward!"

This announcement caused the entire Ancient Road of Dao Seeking to boil with excitement. Similar announcements were made on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul and the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing. The participating cultivators' killing intent immediately soared upward.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, vast crowds were paying close attention to the three screens visible in the giant vortexes. The Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul was a mass of chaos. On the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing, the fighting was more orderly.

The Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was unique. On the screen, what was clearly visible were over ten thousand locations in which a powerful expert had completely cleared out all of the candles nearby, making something like a vacuum for themselves.

Of those ten thousand or so areas, some were large and some were small. However, if you could rise above the field of competitors like an awl poking through a sack, it proved that you were a powerful expert. Soon, the experts began to fight among themselves.

"There's already someone who's extinguished seventy candles on the Dao Seeking road!"

"There's not much time left! This trial by fire is completely brutal! So many people have already been eliminated!"

The outside world was abuzz. Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, many people were so agitated that their eyes were completely red. Some were attacking with deadly force, and some had already made significant achievements and were just stalling, waiting for time to run out. Naruto looked around, then barreled into a nearby area where eight people were all fighting each other at the same time. All of these people were powerful experts who had already cleared out the other nearby areas.

Shockingly, one of them was a fierce pangolin, a wild beast whose bright eyes revealed that it was no less intelligent than any human.

There was also a woman whose body appeared to be young, but whose face was covered with wrinkles. A pink, illusory image, which was clearly the early form of a Dharma Idol, could be seen behind her.

All of these seven or eight people fought with vicious attacks that sent booms rattling out in all directions. However, none of them seemed capable of overcoming the others, and in fact, some of them appeared to have joined forces.

As soon as Naruto neared, they looked over at him. None of them knew him, nor each other; they were all from different locations in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. They were here to fight for good fortune, so the instant they saw Naruto, the pangolin flashed through the air as it charged toward him. A few of the others also charged Naruto, their eyes flashing.

"No matter how much we fight, we can't overcome each other! Instead of wasting time fighting each other, let's go kill some other people! The good fortune will go to whoever is lucky enough to land the killing blow!"

"Yeah! This guy showed up here after us. His battle prowess is obviously ordinary, otherwise he would have already wiped everyone in his own region out!"

"He's just unlucky! Kill him!"

The seven or eight people charged with killing intent in their eyes. Of course, despite their words, they were still on guard against each other. They might seem to have joined forces to attack someone else, but that didn't mean they were any less likely to attack each other.

As the eight people closed in, Naruto's expression was calm, and he stopped in place. There were now less than 61 breaths of time left before the conclusion of this stage; time was running out quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the eight people were upon him. The pangolin's numerous scales lifted up as a divine ability rumbled out, seemingly powerful enough to break apart a mountain. The woman also waved her hand, causing a pink aura to spread out behind her, which transformed into a pink skull.

The others also unleashed various divine abilities as each and every one leveled astonishing attacks.

Naruto looked on calmly, then clenched his right hand into a fist and punched out toward them through the void.

When the punch landed, an indescribable blast rose up, sweeping across the eight attackers. Their faces fell as Naruto made his move!

He transformed into a wind. A whirlwind!

The intense whirlwind swept out in all directions through the void, filled with crackling lightning. It was like a windstorm that swept across everything as it shot toward the incoming eight cultivators.

When the windstorm hit them, their divine abilities were shaken, and their expressions became that of shock. Their hearts trembled with astonishment. All of these people had slaughtered their way out of their own respective zones among the platforms, and were essentially the strongest people from those areas. In the outside world, they could be completely domineering in all the Spirit Realm, to the point where it was even difficult for them to outdo each other.

No one had ever been able to stand up to them, or outdo them in terms of power. And yet, Naruto's one punch left them feeling as if they had run into a windstorm.

This was a windstorm they couldn't fight back against nor resist. This windstorm… contained the might of Heaven and Earth, limitless destructive power that could rip them to pieces as easily as dried up twigs!

This was… a completely and thoroughly crushing power!

Intense rumbling rose up, and the whirlwind screamed, filled with never-ending bolts of lightning as it hurtled at top speed toward the eight cultivators. The eight cultivators' minds filled with roaring sounds, and intense light. The incredible scene instantly drew the attention of other people on the larger battlefield.

In that moment, everyone outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea who was watching the trial by fire stared fixedly at the three vortex screens.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, massive carnage was visible. The Ancient Road of Spirit Severing was similar. Fatty could be seen there, soaked in blood, roaring as he pounced forward to latch his teeth onto the neck of an enemy. His eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth glittered brightly. He howled as his opponent's candle was extinguished.

Even Fatty didn't realize how ferocious, and even savage, he appeared. He had already drawn the attention of quite a few sects.

Then there were Guy, Shikamaru, Chino, and others who Naruto knew from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. They were all on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul. Some died, some were disqualified, others… fought until the very end!

Guy held a sword in his hand. His expression was gloomy, seemingly without the slightest bit of life in it whatsoever. He seemed empty and dark, which affected his attacks, causing them to be filled with a similar gloominess. However, a black aura swirled around his sword, and anyone who encountered it would feel their emotions suddenly being affected. Therefore, Guy was also distinguishing himself on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, and drawing quite a bit of attention.

Fatty and Guy had both been noticed, as had many others. This was merely the beginning of the event, and if they could continue to perform so stunningly, or even take first place on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, then they would definitely have a chance at good fortune.

Of course, what drew the most attention was the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. The fighting there had given rise to a foul wind and a bloody rain and, having come to its most critical juncture, was definitely the focal point for most of the audience.

It was easy to see the contrast with the chaos of the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing. The Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was filled with a shocking murderous aura. Of the previous ten thousand or more areas, each one was now controlled by a single powerful expert, all of whom were now fighting each other viciously as they attempted to extinguish each others' candles.

Victory or defeat was determined within the space of a few breaths in battles like that, and soon, massive changes to the situation on the battlefield could be seen.

"93 candles extinguished! Who is that? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Look at that guy in the mask! He's put out more than almost anyone else. He's the first to extinguish more than 100!"

"Look, the Chosen from the Shimura Clan has extinguished more than 100 too!"

Everyone was in an uproar, and was crying out loudly.

"200! The person in first place has put out 200 candles!"

"Things are happening too fast! The suspense is killing me! The guy with the mask, he's… he's… he's actually exceeded 300!"

"He's the only one who's exceeded 300. The next four people behind him have around 200 or more. Those five are definitely the most powerful people in this stage!"

"Time's almost up!"

The sound of the uproar filled the air.

Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, there were five people who had attracted the most attention from the other cultivators. The cultivators from the Three Sects and Six Churches, the Five Great Holy Lands, and the Three Great Daoist Societies watched the vortex screens, eyes filled with strange gleams. All five of those people shared something in common….

They stood completely alone in their respective areas, surrounded by emptiness!

Of those five people, the most prominent was the young man wearing the pitch-black mask. His black hair floated around him, and he wore a black robe. He looked almost like a shadow, and he exuded a cold, desolate and deadly aura.

His attacks were incisive, and he didn't even seem to use any divine abilities. The simple wave of a finger would cause the divine will of other peak Dao Seeking cultivators to be destroyed, and their Nascent Divinities would be shattered and perish.

There was another person among the five, a young woman. She wore a gauzy violet gown that made her look like the flower of the same name. Her face was obscured by some unknown technique, making it impossible to tell exactly what she looked like. She seemed charming and gentle, but attacked with complete ruthlessness. She was surrounded by countless violet flower petals, and upon each one could be seen a drop of blood. It was an astonishing sight.

The third among the group of five was a boy. He was skinny and virtually hairless, but possessed of remarkable speed. Furthermore, his body was covered with countless blue-colored decorative patterns that looked like sealing marks, which appeared to have formed naturally, as opposed to having been added later.

He exuded a wild and barbaric aura that he concealed as best he could; however as his blood flowed through his veins, the aura seeped out, and it made him seem like he wasn't a cultivator, but rather some savage beast from the wilderness.

The fourth person was a middle-aged man. His expression was cold and haughty, and he wore a white robe. He was surrounded by a cloud of brown mosquitos, each one of them the size of a fist. Their mouthparts were long and pointed, and buzzing could be heard as they circled around him. The sight was enough to cause anyone's scalp to go numb.

The mosquitos' bright red eyes and savage bloodthirsty appearance left everyone trembling from fear.

The fifth person was extremely peculiar. Sometimes he looked old, sometimes he looked middle-aged, and sometimes he looked like a teenager. It was as if his age were in constant flux. Every time he changed, his battle prowess would surge; he clearly cultivated some strange and bizarre Daoist magic.

These five people were currently the focus of most of the attention on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Each one of them had extinguished more than 200 candles, and the masked young man had put out more than 300.

Ranked behind them were many other Chosen who weren't the focus of as much attention. However, this was only the first stage, so it was really impossible to say how things would turn out in the end.

"There are less than thirty breaths of time left!"

"These people are the mightiest amongst the mighty! With only thirty breaths of time left, it would be hard to change the outcome. The first stage is essentially over! The results are set!" Most people were thinking this way. Even the cultivators from the major sects felt the same way.

It seemed like time was about to expire, but just at this moment the whirlwind created by Naruto's fist swept over the eight people who were attacking him.

"Impossible!" cried the woman. Her eyes shone with disbelief, and she performed a double-handed incantation in an attempt to fight back. All of the power she could muster transformed into a mist that blocked the windstorm. However, the mist was instantly shattered, and the woman let out a bloodcurdling scream as she first began to vibrate and then was ripped to shreds by the windstorm, destroyed in spirit and body.

The windstorm spread out, accompanied by her shriek. Three more people went all out with their cultivation bases, and yet were incapable of standing up to the crushing power of the windstorm. Popping sounds rang out as they were exterminated.

The remaining four people were scared out of their minds, and wanted to flee, but couldn't. The windstorm surrounded them, and the shadow of death loomed up. Their original intent was to slaughter Naruto, but his deadly counterattack left them trembling, minds filled with terror.

They were about to plead for mercy, but the windstorm overwhelmed them. Two of them had no time to even speak, and were shattered into fragments. Their candles winked out.

"I refuse to accept this!" roared the beast cultivator, the pangolin. His fleshly body was the most powerful among them, but even he could only hold out for a single extra breath of time before his scales were ripped off and his flesh shredded by the windstorm. In an instant, he was nothing more than a skeleton.

All eight cultivators were dead!

In that moment, Naruto's count of extinguished candles broke past the 100 mark and began to climb toward 200!

The windstorm did not fade away. Naruto remained in the center position, his expression calm as he punched downward three more times. Then he took a deep breath and punched another three more times.

Rumbling filled the air as the windstorm experienced a threefold increase in size. Massive amounts of lightning crackled about, and the sound of thunder was deafening. The gigantic windstorm swept out in all directions, and reached a size of 3,000 meters in the following ten breaths of time.

By now, even the people on the outside world had noticed the enormous, lightning-filed windstorm on the vortex-screens.

"What's that!?"

"I didn't notice that before! Where did that huge windstorm come from?!"

"Heavens! That windstorm is still growing!"

It wasn't just the crowds who were now paying attention to the windstorm. Even Dengaku from the Nine Seas God World was eying it. By now, there were only three breaths of time left before the first stage ended!

Three. Two! One!

Boom! BOOM! BOOOMMMM!

In the same instant in which the stage concluded, Naruto's windstorm spread out to a size of 30,000 meters! Simultaneously, it exploded, accompanied by numerous miserable shrieks, cries of alarm, and roars of defiance.

Furthermore, the number of candles listed next to Naruto's name rose rapidly!

200!

300!

400!

500!

All of the cultivators caught up in the enormous 30,000-meter windstorm were completely wiped out. In the blink of an eye, the entire area of the windstorm was swept completely clean. The only person remaining… was Naruto. He stood in the middle of the windstorm, his hair whipping about, his expression calm. However, even the outside audience could sense that deep within the calmness was a vicious ruthlessness.

In that instant, the entire Ancient Road of Dao Seeking went completely quiet. The audience outside stared at the vortex screens, eyes wide with disbelief at the sight of Naruto standing there, surrounded by complete emptiness.

He had come up from behind at the last minute to clinch first place in the first stage!

As of this moment, all eyes were on Naruto!

It wasn't just the people watching in the outside world. The remaining cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking couldn't help but look over at Naruto. Although everyone was separated by large distances, within the void of the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking he was the only one who had been able to clear out everyone within 30,000 meters. The sight was enough to shock everyone.

Even the person who had previously been in first place, the masked young man, had only been able to clear an area around 20,000 meters wide to call his own.

As of now, the high-level members of the Three Sects and Six Churches, the Five Great Holy Lands, and even the Four Great Clans, were all inwardly shaken. Their eyes glittered brightly, and many voices could be heard.

"Use any means necessary to send that man a message. Whatever his requirements are, get him to join the Burning Incense Stick Society!"

"Getting first in the rankings during the first stage doesn't say too much. There are quite a few more stages to go, so there will certainly be others who rise to prominence. I'm afraid the person who came in second place won't be shown much interest at the moment. However… the first place winner, even if he doesn't do well in the following stages, showed such amazing strength in the first stage that we, the Church of the Emperor Immortal, must have him as a disciple! Send word down immediately!"

"His battle prowess is astonishing, and his temperament ruthless. A person like that is perfectly suitable to join us in the Church of the Blood Orchid!"

Quite a few of the powers who made up the Three Churches and Six Sects were instantly attracted to Naruto because of his flashy display of power.

As for the Five Great Holy Lands, the Four Great Clans, and the Three Great Daoist Societies, although they were astonished, none made any such proclamations. However, they definitely looked at him differently than the others.

Also watching the Ancient Roads on the vortex screens were Naruto's parents. They were in the Namikaze Clan in the vast Eastern Lands, looking up at the spectacle. Naruto might have changed appearances, but Minato and Kushina could still recognize him instantly.

When they saw that he had taken first place in the first stage, both of them smiled. They were smiles filled with pride and anticipation. Of course, Naruto's mother's smile also contained a bit of concern. However, she knew that Naruto's path… was his own to tread.

In the Baldy Society, Grandmaster Pill Demon was watching the Dao Seeking vortex screen. Although nobody else might recognize Naruto, how could Pill Demon not be able to identify that person who had once been called Kazama?

Sakura stood next to Pill Demon, looking on silently. There were emotions in her heart which she would never be able or even willing to forget. After all this time, she had grown used to watching Naruto from a distance.

She was Pill Demon's apprentice, but in the Baldy Society, Pill Demon had been directly accepted as Daoist Baldy's apprentice, and had instantly become a blazing sun. Because of that, Sakura also had a unique position. It only took a short time for her to become acquainted with many of the Chosen there. Furthermore, because of her incredible beauty, countless Baldy Society disciples began to pursue her.

Her worldview was now completely different. There was no sky above her head now, but rather, stars. What she saw when she looked around were not towering mountains, but rather, a sea of heavenly bodies.

Despite all of that, though, the memories of everything that had happened on Planet Lands of Ninshu were etched deep into her soul.

The first stage was over. Vast numbers of competitors had been eliminated from the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking. Those who had made it through now waited for the second stage, exhausted and anxious.

Next, archaic voices spoke out in the three different Ancient Roads. The words spoken were different, but the meaning was the same, as the voice notified everyone that the first stage was over, and at the same time… announced how many steps each competitor would be able to take!

"Those who extinguished fifty candles or less in the first stage may go forward 3,000 paces! One hundred candles or less, 5,000 paces!

"Two hundred candles or less, 7,000 paces. Three hundred candles or less, 9,000 paces… Five hundred candles, 10,000 paces!" For the first time, Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World appeared personally in the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. He was thin, and wore a long green robe. He had white eyebrows, and a blue mark could be seen on his forehead that seemed to contain an entire ocean!

He stood there, his aura pulsing with monstrous power, as if he himself were made of a sea of stars!

Shockingly, the illusory image of a nine-headed sea dragon could be seen behind him. Although it was illusory, when Naruto looked at it, he felt as if he were looking at some celestial force.

Dengaku could be considered one of the top most powerful experts in the whole Ninth Mountain and Sea!

His eyes swept the area, lingering for a moment on Naruto.

After he finished speaking, Dengaku waved his sleeve, causing everyone in the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking to disappear as they moved forward beyond their own control, traveling an exact amount of steps in accord with the explanation that had just been provided.

Step by step, they advanced, encountering no candles or platforms along their way. They floated through the void until they reached a stretch of endless ruins. The crumbled remains of buildings could be seen, as well as ancient statues, dried up forests, rivers, and mountain ranges.

They were now in… the Ninth Mountain and Sea's Ruins of Immortality.

The void they had just been in was simply the entrance!

The only words that could be used to describe this area were: lifeless, archaic, ancient, mysterious, silent, and enormous!

Those were the six words that floated in the minds of all the competitors as they laid eyes on the Ruins of Immortality for the first time. The last word was actually the most prominent feeling that they experienced.

It was almost impossible to tell that this was a road of any sort. The one thing that stood out were the countless altars that stretched off in a line off into the distance. They seemed to be filled with an air of time, an ancientness. They were carved with complex magical symbols that were impossible for anyone to understand. The altars further off in the distance were covered even more thickly with magical symbols than the nearer ones, and gave off an air of incredible mystery.

If you had to call this place a road, then perhaps… the way the altars stretched out made the shape of that road visible.

It was impossible to tell how many altars there were; they extended out endlessly off into the distance.

Upon first glance, the altars didn't seem very big. However… they were actually incredibly enormous. In fact, the smallest of them were about thirty percent of the size of the entire void they had just been in.

Each and every one of the altars was simply gargantuan!

From this, it can be imagined how shocking the Ruins of Immortality were. From the feeling Naruto got, it was as if this place had not been constructed for use by cultivators, but rather, but some enormous race of giants.

But then, he suddenly changed his mind as he thought back to… what he had seen in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple in the mountains in the Eastern Lands. In his vision, he had seen many things that seemed to indicate that many such things existed ancient times. Perhaps giants and cultivators were actually one and the same.

The group that stopped at 3,000 paces was relatively small. They all ended up on one of the altars, and there was no crowding whatsoever. The largest group was made up of those who could go 5,000 paces. Despite the large number of people, each person still had a large area to call their own on that particular altar.

Next were those who could move 7,000 paces. There were fewer in that group, and they quickly spread out across the altar, eyeing each other.

When it came to 9,000 paces, there was only the masked young man and the person who could change his age. Currently, he had changed from being an old man to being young. He and the masked youth shared one enormous altar.

As for Naruto, he was the last person to come to a stop, in the lead position. He was the only person to occupy an entire altar all by himself!

Similar scenes were playing out on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing.

"The second stage, is the stage of killing!" said Dengaku, his voice cold.

"The first stage was a test of your ability to engage in magical combat. Cultivators practice cultivation to be able to fight. We fight people, we fight the Heavens, we fight Earth. Only by fighting can we hew out a Heaven-defying destiny!

"This second stage of killing tests exactly how powerful you are in the Dao Seeking stage!

"This stage seems similar to the first stage, but is actually very different. In the first stage, you all fought different opponents. Some were weak and some were strong. There was no way to objectively determine exactly how powerful you are.

"In the second stage, you will all be fighting exactly the same enemy!

"To us cultivators, the Dao is of utmost importance. Our magics are prepared to protect our Daos. Without sufficient magic, how can we achieve our Dao? Therefore, all of you must unleash all the power you can in this second stage!

"In this stage, the time limit will again be set at one incense stick. This test is not regarding the number of fatalities you can inflict, but rather… how fast you can kill!

"Kill everything that you see. Anyone who cannot complete the task in the time it takes one incense stick to burn will be eliminated. In this second stage, your lives will be at risk. If you wish, you may turn and leave of your own volition right now!" Dengaku's eyes swept across the crowd, but no one chose to withdraw. His expression cold, he swished his sleeve, and immediately, the magical symbols on the altars began to shine brightly. Rumbling filled the air, and brilliant light swirled everywhere.

The light quickly spread out to cover the entirety of each altar, completely enveloping each and every person.

1,000 paces behind Naruto, the masked young man stood there, staring at Naruto as the light enveloped him. His eyes shone with a fierce gleam as he watched Naruto disappearing.

"You won the first stage, but the second stage will not belong to you!"

The old man with the age-changing ability was now a teenager, and his eyes shone with a similar light.

Behind them were all the other contenders who had earned top marks in the first stage. Each one was looking at Naruto's disappearing figure, their eyes filled with stubborn gleams.

"Earlier, he obviously used some trick at the last minute. This time… he'll be forced to show his true colors!"

At the same time, on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing, everyone was also being covered up by the brilliant light. Soon no one was visible at all, and the only thing that could be seen within the glowing light was a list of names.

After each name was a number that indicated how many fatalities they had inflicted.

Back on Naruto's altar, a cold voice suddenly rang out in his ear asking his name. Naruto's face flickered slightly, and after muttering to himself for a moment, he responded with "Kazama Namikaze."

In the blink of an eye, the words Kazama Namikaze appeared in the altar's light. Immediately, everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea could see it.

"His name is Kazama!"

"Could it be possible that he's connected to the Namikaze Clan? Although, there are tons of people surnamed Namikaze who aren't connected to the Namikaze Clan."

"Kazama. Kazama…. He got first place in the first stage, I wonder how he'll perform in the second stage…."

"Don't think too much of it. There's no way somebody could take first place in the first stage and then again in the second stage. I suspect that he used some sort of forbidden Daoist Magic at the very last minute. Otherwise, he would never have come to the fore in the first stage. That's why he suddenly jumped into the spotlight at the last minute."

"Be that as it may, if he takes first place again, it would be totally Heaven-defying. The sects would be thrown into an uproar!"

The three Ancient Roads were filled with splendorous light that covered everyone. The only thing visible were the lists of names, some of which were real and some assumed.

Soon, the only thing Naruto could see was bright light, and then everything around him changed, even the sky; the altar seemed to become a massive, glowing spell formation. It didn't last for very long, only the space of a few breaths of time, and then the light vanished.

Everything around him had changed. There was no sky up above, only stars. There was no ground beneath his feet, only a gigantic 3,000-meter long ancient beast!

It was an enormous python, completely pitch-black in color, its body covered with scars and wounds. It was even possible to see its bones in some places, and in other locations, you could see all the way through its entire body.

It appeared to be just on the verge of death, its life force fading, with barely enough energy left to even fly. Although it seemed to be just barely clinging to life, there was still a terrifying aura surrounding it it, the power of which shocked even Naruto. Were it to explode out, even a true Immortal would likely be killed by the blast.

Naruto was standing on the head of the ancient python, and it appeared to connected to him, as if he could control it.

After staring in shock for a moment, Naruto looked down to find that he was wearing a suit of armor. The armor seemed brand new, and it radiated a mild energy. Overall, he seemed to physically be in this place, but at the same time, his body also seemed to be illusory. Furthermore, up ahead of him was a planet!

It was much, much smaller than Planet Lands of Ninshu, and in fact, might not even have been large enough to actually call a planet. Perhaps it was nothing more than a large asteroid. It also seemed completely unstable, filled with chaos.

Almost as soon as Naruto laid eyes on the black planet, innumerable dots of light appeared that looked like eyes. All of the eyes opened and looked straight at Naruto.

An intense sense of crisis filled Naruto, and his mind trembled. Suddenly, whistling sounds could be heard, and, astonishingly, one thousand beams of light shot toward Naruto from the planet.

Figures could be seen within these beams of light, figures that weren't cultivators, but rather, puppets!

Naruto was not the only one to be seeing this. Each and every one of the cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was in a unique world of their own. What they were seeing and experiencing was exactly the same as Naruto.

Naruto's eyes glittered coldly, and he didn't instantly spring into action. Instead, he took advantage of the time it would take for his opponents to reach him, to further study the ancient python. It appeared to be severely wounded, and on the verge of death, although it clearly had the power to make one final attack.

Such an attack would surely leave the beast completely dead in spirit and body. However, that final attack would surely be shocking, that much Naruto could tell.

He frowned and sent his divine sense out, then sighed. All of the puppets flying out from the planet had peak Dao Seeking auras, though not one of them was comparable to a false Immortal.

Just then, however, five auras suddenly exploded out from the planet, five auras that were all of the false Immortal stage. If that were all there were to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. But in that moment, yet another aura, even stronger than the others, exploded out.

The planet shook, and ripples spread out in all directions. The energy rose up, growing more and more powerful. It was very similar to the asteroid-like planet, completely filled with a will of chaos and madness.

Naruto's face sank, and his eyes widened….

It was a true Immortal!

"One thousand puppets, five false Immortals, and one true Immortal…so this is the trial by fire?

"According to what Dengaku said, I'm supposed to kill all of these enemies within the time it takes an incense stick to burn. That's the only way to pass this stage. Ordinary attack methods would never be able to accomplish such a thing."

Naruto muttered to himself as the more than one thousand puppets whistled ever closer to him.

"There's no way that this trial by fire will eliminate almost all the competitors in only the second stage…." Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked down at the ancient python beneath his feet.

"This ancient beast is powerful…. The last attack it makes before dying will be powerful enough to kill all those thousand peak Dao Seeking puppets. Or, if I wait a bit, I could kill the five false Immortals with it. If I wait until the very end to use it, then I could kill the true Immortal.

"I only have one shot….

"That's the choice we competitors are being given!" The light of understanding flashed in his eyes.

In the various other worlds in which the cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking all faced the same scenario, everyone was hesitating regarding how to stick out from the crowd. There were many Chosen hidden among the competitors, and they were all intelligent people. It only took them a moment to come to the exact same conclusion Naruto had about the crux of this stage.

The masked young man looked out with flickering eyes. Without hesitation, he shot out to fight the more than one thousand peak Dao Seeking puppets, intending to use the ancient python's final attack to kill the true Immortal.

Such a decision was audacious, and required incredible self-confidence.

As for the old man with the age-changing transformation ability, his eyes flickered as he chose the same tactic.

There were, however, quite a few cultivators who chose to use the ancient beast's powerful attack first, rumbling out and slaughtering the thousand peak Dao Seeking puppets. After the puppets had been completely wiped out, the cultivators would step forward themselves to fight against the five false immortals.

There were multiple cultivators who made each of the various choices. Shortly, the echoing sound of booms and the glow of magical abilities rocked Heaven and Earth within each of the various worlds.

However, the actual scenes playing out within these worlds was hidden to the observers out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea; the only thing they could see was the list of names and the numbers representing the kill count next to each name, which were quickly soaring.

As for the high-level Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies, Four Great Clans, Five Great Holy Lands, and the Three Churches and Six Sects, they were all sitting cross-legged in an enormous palace in the starry sky, staring at an enormous ancient mirror.

The mirror was split into three sections, within which could be seen clear images of everything that was happening on the three Ancient Roads.

"That masked young man chose the hardest path, but from that, you can see that his heart is as resolute as a boulder. He definitely has potential."

"That cultivator with the age-transformations is most likely an apprentice of Patriarch Mirage. He might also be a rogue cultivator, but in any case, it's quite rare to see cultivators of the Dao Seeking stage who practice time transformation magic."

"There are many potential stars in this trial by fire…."

"From the three choices given them, we can learn about their personalities. Although, it doesn't matter which choice they make, as long as they pass this stage, they can be considered Chosen!"

The old Patriarchs discussed the matter calmly, occasionally glancing at the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing to identify people they deemed worthy of notice.

Naruto, naturally, also received some attention. And yet, on the outside, there were currently no numbers displayed next to the name Kazama.

Meanwhile, the Patriarchs were continuing to discuss the matter….

"Hmm. That young cultivator with the mosquitos is the first one to make an unexpected move."

"There's also that kid in the yellow robe. He didn't make any of the obvious choices either!"

All eyes in the palace were fixed on one of the scenes playing out on the mirror's surface. The young man with the mosquitos waved his hands, causing his mosquitos to fly toward the python, whereupon they stabbed their mouthparts into it and began to absorb its blood.

Another image depicted a young man who had performed unremarkably in the first stage. His body suddenly went blurry, and he fused down into the python. He quickly took control of it and set it to fighting, hoping to use it to kill both the puppets and the false Immortals.

Not too much time passed before other cultivators also began to use various unorthodox methods that did not conform with the three obvious choices. None of the members of the crowd in the palace seemed to find this unexpected, and in fact, had apparently predicted that such a thing would happen.

"This is excellent. There are far more people doing the unexpected than in the last trial by fire."

"From ancient times until now, there are always competitors in the Ancient Road's trial by fire who make breathtaking achievements in their later days. This group of cultivators is not bad at all!"

"How come that Kazama hasn't done anything yet?"

Amidst their chatting and laughing, some people had been paying attention to Naruto all along. Instantly, all eyes turned to the image portraying Naruto. He stood atop the head of the python, seemingly in a daze as the more than one thousand puppets bore down on him. They were now only about three hundred meters away.

"That Kazama most likely doesn't have any plan at all. It's not uncommon for cultivators to struggle when it comes to making decisions."

"That's too bad. I'd hoped to see if he could perform exceptionally well in the second stage too."

"For someone to take first place in two stages in a row isn't unheard of, but isn't very common either. Unfortunately, I'm afraid he's not the type that can do it."

As the puppets whistled toward him, Naruto's eyes glittered, and his lips turned up slightly into a cold smile.

"The three choices seem different, but in fact, they are the same. Perhaps by using some unexpected tactics, it would be possible to introduce some degree of variation in the results. However, even if you were able to wipe all of these things out, that would be overlooking something even more important!

"And that is… that planet!" His eyes shone with a strange light as he looked at the planet.

"In truth, this python has another function other than its one attack… and that is the power of flight!

"Before I proceed, though, I need to test out whether or not this body is real!" Eyes glittering, he suddenly reached his right hand out and then slapped it down hard onto his chest.

A boom rang out, his body trembled, and his eyes began to glow with a brilliant light. He'd felt like something was off as soon as he'd entered this place. Although everything seemed real, after experiencing the illusory world of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, he had a much deeper understanding of such things.

In all the other worlds, everyone was already in the midst of furious fighting.

In Naruto's world, the puppets were closing in. Naruto suddenly sat down cross-legged and then stretched his hands out to rest on the ancient python's head.

The python's eyes turned bright red, and it let out a roar. Then its body burst into flames as it used the last scraps of its life force to shoot forward at blinding speed.

The puppets scattered as the python swept through them. Even the five false immortals were incapable of blocking it. It moved with shocking speed as it carried Naruto directly toward the planet.

As soon as it reached the planet itself, the python collapsed into bits of ash that vanished. At the same time, the aura of a true Immortal exploded out from within the planet. A figure flew out, wreathed in golden light, moving with astonishing speed toward Naruto, who had just stepped foot onto the planet itself.

Its energy soared, and it looked like a windstorm as it bore down on Naruto.

However, even as it neared, a vicious expression appeared on Naruto's face, and he unleashed the Star Plucking Magic. A huge hand appeared that grabbed onto the golden figure, after which, Naruto closed his eyes. With ruthless decisiveness, he caused his cultivation base…

To detonate!

The power of the self-detonation was channeled directly into the golden figure through the Star Plucking hand. It didn't matter how incredibly powerful this figure was; its body was filled with roaring and, because its aura was chaotic to begin with, the power of the self-detonation compelled its inner aura to become even more turbulent, such that the figure was also forced…

To self-detonate!

A massive boom rattled out as both Naruto and the figure self-detonated together. The entire planet was then thrown into instability, causing it to shatter into countless pieces. A massive destructive power was unleashed as the fragments then transformed into a black hole which began to suck everything in!

The puppets and false Immortals had no time to fight back; they were instantly swallowed up by the black hole.

In the palace in the starry sky, the members of the crowd looked on in stupefaction.

Crowds in locations all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching the events on the vortex screens. However, regardless of location, the eyes of every spectator suddenly went wide with disbelief.

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Kazama's name had previously had no number next to it. In the blink of an eye, there was suddenly a number: 1,006!

The number appeared so quickly, so suddenly, that people didn't even have a chance to register it mentally before both the number, and Kazama's name, disappeared.

The light that covered the altar upon which Naruto stood slowly faded away, to reveal Naruto, sitting there cross-legged.

He was the first person…

To pass the stage!

"That's… that's impossible!"

"What just happened? I remember that just now, Kazama didn't have any numbers next to his name at all. That means he hadn't even killed a single enemy. Then I blinked my eyes, and he passed the stage?"

"A bunch of numbers appeared just now, and then they vanished, and Kazama passed the stage. Is it possible… is it possible that he used only one move to kill all of the enemies!?"

"Heavens! He got first place in the second stage too! Hardly any time has passed, not even a hundred breaths!"

"He got first place in the first stage, and now first place in the second stage!" Everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely shocked. Cries of astonishment rang out in all of the locations where people were watching, and the buzz of conversation immediately rose up.

In the vast Eastern Lands, Minato and Kushina were gaping at the scene. Even they weren't too sure exactly what Naruto had done.

Pill Demon and Sakura were also looking on with wide eyes, staring dumbly at Naruto on the screen.

The crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were in an uproar.

"That Kazama, he's definitely the star of this whole trial by fire!"

"How powerful is he exactly? He actually… he actually killed all of the enemies with one move!"

"I want to see how exactly he did it. It must have been breathtaking!"

Meanwhile, not too far away from Planet East Victory, an enormous turtle floated in the starry sky, carrying an entire continent on its back. He was staring in shock at the three vortex screens down below on East Victory.

"Dammit. It must be him! Even if he transformed into dust, the Patriarch would still recognize that little bastard!

"But… what exactly did he do? He got first place in the blink of an eye!" This gargantuan turtle was of course none other than Patriarch Reliance.

At the same time, in another location in the starry sky, a figure could be seen sitting cross-legged on an asteroid, hair disheveled as he looked up at three vortex screens. His expression was taciturn, but a brilliant light glittered in his eyes.

"How could I have imagined that I wouldn't die…. Naruto, Planet Lands of Ninshu was only the first half of my life. I have to thank you for helping me understand so much. In the remaining years, I will definitely find a way to pay you back."

Even as everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was shaken, back in the palace among the stars, silence reigned. The Patriarchs of the various sects and clans, even the representatives from the Three Great Daoist Societies, were all watching with wide eyes and slack jaws.

After a long moment, one of the old men chuckled wryly and said, "That's cheating!"

These people were the only ones who could clearly see what had actually happened.

"The fact that he came up with a way to seize victory like that might be considered cheating, but it's amazing nonetheless!"

"He didn't hesitate to kill himself along with the enemy! Fervor like that is what clinched the victory!"

"Compared to this Kazama, all the others couldn't even be considered to be using unorthodox tactics. His methods are truly astonishing. To self-detonate with such decisiveness, and furthermore, to control it so ingeniously… we can be certain that Kazama was the first person to realize that the second stage was an illusory world!"

"Even still, he should be disqualified! Fraudulent methods like that are a complete disgrace!"

"Oh please, you want him disqualified so you can secretly go recruit him! That's not cheating. The other competitors just didn't think of that idea, or perhaps couldn't pull it off. That's just weakness on their part. This Kazama has definitely cleared this stage!"

As the discussions continued in the palace, one of the three Elders from the Three Great Daoist Societies who sat at the head of the group suddenly opened his eyes, filling the palace with endless light.

"Kazama. Stage cleared!" He spoke only four words, but they echoed out from the palace into the starry sky, and then, by means of a special technique, echoed throughout the Ancient Road, and then out into the rest of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Suddenly, a ranking list appeared in the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, and in first place was the name Kazama. Every spot beneath it was blank.

The Ninth Mountain and Sea was abuzz, and many of the Patriarchs seated in the palace pulled out jade slips to transmit information to their sects, ordering them to attempt to recruit Kazama.

It was at this point that Naruto opened his eyes. At first, they seemed blank, but then quickly grew bright. His expression was calm as he sat there cross-legged and unmoving.

The second stage was a complete illusion, and the so-called risk to the lives of the competitors was false. However, because of the brutality of the first stage, the other competitors subconsciously assumed that the second stage would be exactly the same.

By now, roughly half of the prescribed time period had passed. Shockingly, a blue-robed young woman from the group who had proceeded 3,000 paces suddenly became visible from within the light that surrounded her. Her eyes brimmed with confidence as she looked over at the ranking list, and then suddenly went wide with shock.

"He was actually faster than me!" she thought. "I possess the Dao of souls, allowing me to take control of the puppets. And yet Kazama possesses some more powerful divine ability? Just what is it?!"

More people began to clear the second stage after the young woman. It didn't take long for enough time to pass for an incense stick to burn. Roughly a third of the competitors didn't manage to clear the stage. As for those who did, they used a variety of methods to succeed. When it came to the true Immortal, most of them chose to use the python to destroy it in a single blow.

No one used the same method as Naruto.

As people emerged from clearing the stage, they looked over at the ranking list, and were shocked.

"Kazama took first place in the first stage, and now he took first place in the second stage too!"

"Dammit!" The masked young man was one of the last to emerge from the second stage. Behind his mask, his face was extremely unsightly. His previously high aspirations had been dealt a heavy blow. As for the old man with the age-transformation powers, he also looked ashen-faced, and was frowning.

Most of the cultivators who distinguished themselves in the first stage did not fare very well in the second stage.

Meanwhile, on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing, the second stage had likewise concluded. Fatty, Guy and Shikamaru had all succeeded. Guy put on the most astonishing performance, and although he didn't take first place, he was in the top 100, which was quite an accomplishment!

As for Fatty and Shikamaru, they ended up in the top 1,000.

Chino ranked toward the bottom, and had barely been able to pass.

It was only the second stage, but the previously large number of competitors had already been whittled down by roughly half.

Of course, Naruto's performance caused a huge stir in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and the name Kazama was now planted thoroughly in everyone's minds. Many people were now looking forward to the third stage, to see if he could take first place yet again!

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World stood there in illusory form, looking out at the crowds. This time, his gaze lingered on Naruto for a bit longer than it had last time.

Without another word, he then waved his hand, causing everyone to disappear. When they reappeared, they were further along down the Ancient Road. They still stood on altars, although everyone's positions were now changed. Some who were in the lead, were now sent further back, whereas some who had been far in the back, had now caught up.

Only Naruto was alone, far up ahead of everyone on his own altar. Behind him were all the other Dao Seeking cultivators, staring at his back, faces filled with the desire to do battle.

"The previous two stages tested your battle prowess," Dengaku said coolly. "You will now pass through the third, fourth, and fifth stages simultaneously. They will test your latent talent, the depth of your cultivation base, and also… your true age!

"The higher your latent talent, the deeper your cultivation base, and the younger you are, the more outstanding your results will be!

"This is a composite test. Even if you did not perform well in the first two stages, if you do well in this third stage, you can still rise above the other competitors." With that, he waved his hand, causing everything to flash with bright colors, and a wind to pick up. Suddenly, three enormous stone steles rose up out of the altars in front of each competitor.

Each stone stele was inscribed with a single large character.

Talent! Cultivation! Age!

"Place your hand onto the stone stele, and allow its power to enter into you. Let the testing begin!"

The majority of the cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking stepped forward and placed their hands onto the 'talent' stone steles. In the blink of an eye, columns of light began to rise up from the stone steles, each one reaching a different height. Most reached a height of approximately 30 meters. However, there was one that suddenly shot up to 60 meters, drawing quite a bit of attention.

To any sect, the latent talent a cultivator possessed was actually more important than battle prowess.

Next, a 90-meter column of light appeared, then a 150-meter column, a 180-meter column, and even a 300-meter column!

That one belonged to the young woman who had emerged from the second stage right after Naruto. She looked at the column of light, her expression as calm as it usually was.

Behind her, more 300-meter columns appeared. Among the other cultivators who possessed 300-meter columns were the masked young man and the cultivator with the mosquitos. Those two, along with the young woman, were known to the audience by now. The others whose columns reached 300 meters were all people who hadn't attracted much attention in the previous two stages, but were now making a spectacular showing.

"A 300-meter column of light shows an incredible level of latent talent. I never imagined that there would be seven people with such latent talent in the Dao Seeking division of the trial by fire!"

"There are nine in the Spirit Severing division!"

"There are even more in the Nascent Soul division! A total of seventeen 300-meter columns!"

"I wonder how Kazama will perform…." While the crowds outside discussed the proceedings, the Patriarchs in the palace who represented the various sects and clans were looking on with glittering eyes. They eyed the various cultivators with exceptional latent talent, and of course, were looking at Naruto.

Naruto hesitated for a moment. He had never really paid much attention to his latent talent, but he lifted his hand up and then placed it onto the stone stele.

As soon as he touched it, a gentle power spread out into his body from the stone stele. It quickly flowed into his Chakra and Blood passageways, eventually swirling out through his whole body. However, it was at this point that the illusory Immortal meridian created by the bronze lamp suddenly quivered. Then, it began to emit a gravitational force that… instantly sucked up the gentle power from the stone stele.

Naruto's eyes went wide.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, glittering light rose up. Fatty stared blankly at the stone stele in front of him; the beam of light that rose up was only 90 meters tall, although there were still quite a few others that weren't as tall as his.

"Fudge!" he thought, his eyes blazing with fury. "Why the hell isn't my latent talent the best? That doesn't make sense! All those years ago the Golden Frost Sect told me that my latent talent was unequalled in the whole world!" He was especially depressed when he looked over and saw that Shikamaru's column of light was 150 meters tall.

Then he looked over at Guy, and Fatty's eyes went wide with disbelief. Guy's beam of light… was actually among the 300-meter columns!

Chino's wasn't quite 300 meters tall, but was still tall enough at 250 meters.

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, as the competitors placed their hands on the stone steles, radiant light shot up, filling the area with scintillating brightness. Only Naruto's stone stele was completely without any light whatsoever. He smiled wryly.

It was impossible for the stone stele to emit any light whatsoever, because the gentle power that was the source of the light never returned from Naruto's body into the stele. Instead, it had been swallowed up by the ethereal Immortal meridian inside of him.

Right now, the audiences in the outside world were all abuzz. Much importance was attached to the latent talent stage of the event. After all, latent talent was an important foundation for cultivators, and all sects paid close attention to it. As for the cultivators who displayed unusual amounts of latent talent, they were immediately taken note of.

There were quite a few people who looked over at Naruto. He had taken first place in the previous two stages, which put him directly in the limelight. Many people were waiting in anticipation to see if he would take first place in the third stage as well. Of course, there were also others who looked on with cold smiles, just waiting to ridicule him.

By now, all of the stone steles were lit up, be they on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul or Spirit Severing, or the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Now, all attention was focused on Naruto….

This was especially the case because, after taking first in the first two stages, he was now ahead of everyone on the Ancient Road. There weren't even any other cultivators around him, which made his position even more conspicuous.

"What is Kazama up to?"

"Eee? There's no light coming from the stone stele at all! What's wrong? He can't possibly be completely devoid of latent talent. Even if it's poor, there would still be some light, right?"

"Maybe he didn't actually start the analysis yet. But hold on, his hand is clearly resting on the stele!"

Soon, everyone on the outside was looking over at the image of Naruto on the vortex screens, and were astonished.

The powerful experts from the various sects were also watching, as was everyone in the palace up the starry sky. Everyone from the Three Churches and Six Sects, the Five Great Holy Lands, the Four Great Clans, and even the Three Great Daoist Socities, was now looking at Naruto and his lightless stone stele.

"What crafty scheme is that little bastard pulling off?" thought Patriarch Reliance, his face twisted with fury. Although he had a complex relationship with Naruto, Naruto was the sole Inner Sect disciple from the Reliance sect. Therefore, the scene that was playing out right now left Patriarch Reliance feeling quite disgraced.

Back in the vast Eastern Lands, Minato and Kushina were also staring in shock. They knew exactly what kind of latent talent Naruto had. Although he'd experienced the Seventh Year Tribulation, he was also the first person in the entire Namikaze Clan in years to actually experience a second and even a third lifetime.

Because of that, they knew that his bloodline ran especially strong. A cultivator's bloodline was one of the aspects of their latent talent, so they couldn't understand why the stone stele in front of Naruto did not shine with light.

Naruto cleared his throat and looked around at all the other people and their columns of light. Feeling all the eyes boring down into his back, he slowly lifted his hand up and then pressed it down again onto the stone stele.

The gentle power appeared once again, but just like the last time, the Immortal meridian swallowed it up. It was at this point that Naruto noticed that after absorbing the power, the Immortal meridian was a bit different.

He casually lifted his hand up again and then pushed it down, causing more of the gentle energy to spread out inside him. The spectators looked on in shock as Naruto continuously attempted to activate the light.

After trying seven or eight times, he realized that the Immortal meridian had absorbed too much of the gentle power, and now there wasn't any emanating out from the stone stele at all. However, the Immortal meridian inside of him had changed from it's previous illusory state. About ten percent of it had solidified.

This development caused Naruto's heart to pound with wild joy and excitement. He knew that the moment the Immortal Meridian was complete, he would step into true Immortality.

Suppressing his excitement, he plastered an expression of surprise onto his face and then pushed his hand down onto the stele a few more times experimentally. He glanced around, then looked up, apparently frustrated, and called out into the void: "Senior Dengaku, are you there!? This stone stele is broken! Can I have another?

"Actually, sir, it would be best to bring out several, just in case there are any other broken ones. That will save you some frustration in the long run." He gazed up into the starry sky, an expression of eager anticipation on his face.

Everything was silent. The other cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking all looked on silently.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs from the various sects were all frowning. However, they knew that the Ruins of Immortality were veiled in mystery. Even though the Three Great Daoist Societies held control of the three Ancient Roads, there were many things about them that they didn't understand.

After a long moment, the Patriarch of the Nine Seas God World said, "Fellow Daoist Dengaku, give him another."

The voice echoed out into the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, and Dengaku materialized out of the void. He looked down indifferently at Naruto, then waved his sleeve, causing the stone stele in front of him to vanish as if had been teleported away. Moments later, it was replaced by another stone stele.

Naruto's eyes gleamed as he quickly reached his hand out and pushed it down onto the stone stele.

"SHINE!" he bellowed. The gentle power once again entered his body and began to flow about. At the same time, an imperceptible flicker appeared in Naruto's eyes as he used both the meat jelly and the black feather to conceal anything that was happening inside of him.

The Immortal meridian quickly sucked in every last bit of the power, although it didn't seem to have a very drastic effect on the meridian itself. Naruto blinked. Then, as Dengaku looked on wide-eyed, he dramatically inspected the stone stele and tried to place his hand onto it several times. Soon, all the power from the stele was sucked away by the Immortal Meridian.

Dengaku wasn't the only person who was paying close attention to what was happening. The people in the starry sky palace were also observing closely, and their frowns deepend.

"There's something wrong!"

"The stone stele isn't defective. Even though everything seems normal, there's actually something strange going on inside of his body."

"He must cultivate some unique Daoist magic…."

As the discussions buzzed in the palace, an old man wearing a long crimson gown suddenly rose to his feet.

"There's no need for any testing," he said. "Ladies and Gentleman, Mount Sun would be happy to dispel any doubts for you. I will recruit him to join Mount Sun, and then all disputes will be resolved." Laughing heartily, he began to walk forward, but then his path was suddenly obstructed.

"There's no need for the Holy Land of Mount Sun to go to that trouble! The Burning Incense Stick Society is more than willing to take the risk of recruiting him."

In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere in the palace was completely astir. As they verbally sparred over the matter, Naruto stood on his altar on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Sighing, he looked up at the grim-faced Dengaku.

"Senior, this… this one's broken too! Why don't you give me a few more…?"

Dengaku stared at him silently for a moment, then waved his hand. Rumbling echoed out as four stone steles with the character 'talent' inscribed on them suddenly appeared.

Naruto's heart thumped, and he coughed lightly again and began the assessment.

"Hm, this one's broken.

"Eee? This one's broken too! Dammit!

"Heavens! Who would have thought that this one would also be broken!

"I… I can't believe it! This one's broken too!" Naruto looked up with a sheepish, pained expression, as if the Heavens were playing a cruel joke on him. Dengaku looked back with an extremely unsightly expression.

Of course, inwardly, Naruto was extremely excited. Although the five stone steles from just now had not been incredibly effective, they had pushed his Immortal meridian from being ten percent solid to twenty percent.

Of course, all of the crowds looking on in the Ninth Mountain and Sea weren't sure whether to laugh or cry. Although Naruto was no longer in first place, he was actually even more a center of attention than before, when he had placed first.

"Senior, why don't you give me another ten," Naruto said expectantly.

Dengaku's eyelids twitched. With a cold harrumph, he waved his hand, then apathetically announced the first place winner of the third stage.

After that he said, "The next stage assesses cultivation base! Let the assessment begin!"

As his words rang out, the 'talent' stone steles vanished.

The first place winner of the third stage glared at Naruto in frustration, but could do nothing except wallow in anger.

"Senior!" Naruto cried out in distress. "Hey, senior! I'm not done with the assessment! This isn't fair!"

Dengaku completely ignored Naruto, and in fact, vanished into thin air.

Nobody paid any attention to Naruto's complaints whatsoever. At the same time, everyone else on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking stepped forward toward the 'cultivation' stone steles. The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace up above looked on with glittering eyes. Although they had been bickering moments ago, it was all in accord with the various plans they had.

As for the crowds in the Ninth Sea, they had originally had high expectations for the third stage, but after what had happened with Kazama, the mood… was completely different.

"This is so unfair!" grumbled Naruto. He walked forward to the 'cultivation' stone stele, reached out his right hand, and was delighted to find that the gentle power, although somewhat different than the power from before, was actually slightly more powerful. As soon as it entered his body and began to circulate around, the Immortal meridian trembled and then thirstily spread out to absorb all of it.

"Dammit! How could this one be broken too?" exclaimed Naruto, seemingly furious. As all of the other stone steles around him shone with bright light, Naruto continued to attempt to get his to work, looking as though he refused to believe it wouldn't. After the seventh or eighth attempt, he had absorbed enough power from the stone stele to solidify his Immortal meridian to thirty percent.

His cultivation base, with its eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, actually experienced some advancement.

Licking his lips, Naruto once again called out loudly. "This really isn't fair! Senior Dengaku, please, let me switch steles!"

Dengaku materialized and, his expression dark, looked at Naruto and waved his arm. The 'cultivation' stone steles vanished, and then Dengaku's annoyed voice echoed out.

"Pipe down! Any more chatter from you and you'll be disqualified! Next stage, the age assessment!"

Naruto blinked. Feeling slightly guilty, he proceeded toward the 'age' stone stele and pushed his hand down onto it.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, everything was normal. The cultivators on the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing had made incredible progress. These three stages of talent, cultivation, and age assessments tested one's foundation, and as such, were of great importance to the various sects and clans. There were already quite a few people from both the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing whose names had been recorded by the sects. As long as they continued to perform well in the following stages, their future good fortune was essentially guaranteed.

Guy was just such a person!

Unfortunately, Fatty and the others had not yet made it onto any of the lists.

In contrast, the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was in complete chaos. It wasn't that the proceedings themselves were chaotic, but rather, there was a feeling of unpredictability because nobody was paying attention to who would take first place in the assessments of talent, cultivation and age.

All sorts of conversations were playing out throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Just what kind of latent talent does Kazama have? And what cultivation base? How old is he?!"

"I can't believe the stone steles didn't work! They even changed steles several times. There's obviously something special about Kazama!"

"Oh right, who took first in the talent and cultivation assessments?"

"I wasn't really paying attention. I'm just wondering whether the age-assessing stone stele will be effective on Kazama!"

Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Naruto was like an unwelcome guest whose style and actions took the wind out of everyone's sails. He was now, once again, the focus of all attention.

Although he wasn't in first place… the current first place competitor was being completely ignored.

More and more sects were becoming interested in Naruto, and in fact, his name had already been recorded by all of the Three Churches and Six Sects. Furthermore, it was in first place on all of those lists!

Naruto bashfully placed his hand on the 'age' stone stele, sucked in the energy, solidifying his Immortal meridian to forty percent.

He felt that it was quite a pity that Dengaku was so stingy. Sighing wistfully to himself, he thought of yelling out another complaint about how unfair it all was, but managed to keep his mouth shut. He said nothing, but rather, stood there gauging the other competitors' columns of light. No matter how high any of those columns were, everyone's faces were extremely unsightly.

"The age-assessing stage is concluded!" announced Dengaku with the flick of a sleeve. Everyone except for Naruto vanished and reappeared on altars further off in the distance.

Naruto had now gone from first place to dead last.

This development caused everyone who was competing in the trial by fire on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking to be very agitated. Virtually, all of them turned to glare back at Naruto, inwardly musing about how benevolent Dengaku was. In their minds, someone like Naruto should obviously have been disqualified immediately.

"He obviously just doesn't have enough latent talent, so he used some insidious technique to disable the stone steles. How shameless!"

"There must be something weird about his cultivation base that he doesn't want anyone to know about. To use such methods to skirt the issue is really detestable. You know, he should be disqualified! Merely getting sent to last place is really showing him mercy!"

"Punish him to sate our anger!"

Everyone on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was furious at Naruto, especially those who hadn't made a name for themselves in the previous two stages. Those who had excelled in the assessments of talent, cultivation, and age were especially angry.

"This isn't fair!" yelled Naruto.

"Not fair?" replied Dengaku, glaring back at him. "You didn't earn any marks in the last three stages, you wasted several stone steles, and even depleted some of the valuable resources of the Ruins of Immortality! You're lucky to not be disqualified! I dare you to keep yapping!"

Anyone else who was in Naruto's position that received such words and such a gaze from Dengaku would instantly be filled with awe, fear, and concern over the consequences of their words. However, as far as Naruto was concerned, he hadn't come here to join any sect.

"Oh great and powerful senior," he said, "I know that I was in the wrong. Listen, how about this. Just give me three more stone steles to try out. If they don't work, then junior will resign himself to his fate."

Dengaku gaped at Naruto, so angry that he almost felt like laughing. Were it not for Naruto's previous performance having attracted the attention of all the spectators outside, he would definitely disqualify him immediately. Naruto was turning into a real headache. In the end, Dengaku just pretended he didn't hear him.

"The sixth, seventh, and eighth stages will assess your divine sense, willpower, and intuition!"

In response to Dengaku's words, Naruto blinked. Inwardly, he vowed that the next time he saw Fū, he would definitely show her who was boss, and vent his anger toward Dengaku on her.

"You will pass through these three stages simultaneously. Each of you will find yourself in your own world, filled with unique and strange phenomena, which you will use to create your own divine ability!

"Depending on the results of your creation, you will be presented with a certain number of…." At this point, Dengaku faltered for a moment before speaking the final two words.

"… stone steles!"

When Naruto heard the words 'stone steles,' his heart began to thump, and his eyes shone brightly.

Dengaku waved his hand, causing all of the altars began to tremble; massive amounts of fog began to accumulate, covering over everyone present. Then, the power of teleportation spread out, and everyone disappeared.

Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, everyone settled their Chakra and calmed their minds, then focused on the scenes playing out on the vortex screens. It could be said that the first two stages tested fighting, and the third through fifth stages tested the foundation. In that case, the sixth, seventh and eighth stages tested creativity!

For cultivators, creativity required divine sense, willpower, and of course intuition.

Every time the Three Great Daoist Societies held a recruitment event, shocking and peerless individuals would create divine abilities in these three stages that would become incredibly famous.

Everyone was watching with keen anticipation.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were no longer squabbling, but instead, were watching with rapt attention. The Five Holy Lands, the Three Great Daoist Societies, all of them were closely examining the screens, and the cultivators on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing and Dao Seeking.

The people who had ended up on the name lists of the various sects were the subject of special scrutiny. As long as they maintained good positions during these three stages, then there was no question about whether or not they would eventually be recruited.

As for the rest of the people who hadn't made it onto the name lists, if they performed spectacularly in these three stages, they would surely be noticed and their names would be added to the lists.

Up in the palace among the stars, everyone was sighing emotionally.

"Creating a divine ability is not a simple thing! It's very difficult…. I can't wait to see what stunning divine abilities we will see!"

"In any other place, it would probably be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone in this group who could create a divine ability. However, the Ruins of Immortality are a special place, with a unique power. There are astonishing things here that would normally be very rare, or even nonexistent in the outside world, things that can inspire the competitors, and influence them inwardly."

"That's right, on the Ancient Roads, it will be much easier for them to create divine abilities. If they can't make one here, it shows that their future path will not stretch very far."

"Divine abilities must be created, a process that stems from the intuition of the creator. Willpower could be considered part of intuition, whereas divine will acts as a Dao Protector. In the final analysis, the same objects and the same source of inspiration will be viewed differently by different people, and can lead to different forms of enlightenment."

"From ancient times until now, the Daoist Societies have held this trial by fire on several occasions. The most powerful person to ever participate was Sir Nauma from the Nine Seas God World. When he created his divine ability that year, he caused nineteen stone steles to appear, which is a record that stands to this day!"

"He created The Mortal Sea Becomes Immortal, which was eventually developed into a Daoist magic, one of the most powerful ever!"

Meanwhile, as the people in the starry sky palace were sighing in emotional reminiscence, all of the people being teleported opened their eyes as the scenery around them became clear.

A tremor ran through Naruto as he looked around at completely unfamiliar lands. Everything around him was a mass of black soil that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

It was blazingly hot, and nine suns could be seen high up in the sky, almost like nine mighty Immortals looking out across the lands.

This place was a wasteland!

Scattered structures were visible off in the distance, half sunken into the soil; those that remained above the surface were in a state of collapse. However, carvings of auspicious beasts could be seen on their surfaces, harkening back to their former glory.

A moaning wind blew through the land, brushing against the black soil, causing what sounded like a sad melody to spring up. It filled one with the desire to go searching for whoever might have listened to such a song in the past, but as it floated across the land, it seemed to be drifting through countless ages of time, and ancient memories.

Naruto stood there, completely alone in this vast stretch of land.

The only thing to accompany him was the murmuring wind, the black soil that stretched out in all directions, and the ruins that could be seen off in the distance.

Being in such a location caused Naruto's mood to sink, and his eyes flickered with a strange light.

"So, this place can influence the emotions," he thought, sending his divine sense spreading out. It swept the area, and in addition to everything he had already seen, he could now sense a faint pressure weighing down on him.

If he hadn't sent his divine sense out, he would have never detected it…. Furthermore, he was only aware of it within the range of his divine sense.

Naruto's expression slowly changed as he carefully examined his surroundings using divine sense. Now he could sense that there were actually different ranges of pressures, some strong, some weak, coming from all the various ruins lying about!

It was at this point that Dengaku's voice echoed out to everyone on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. It almost sounded like it was coming from a different world that overlapped with this one.

"Sixth stage, divine sense.

"Seventh stage, willpower.

"Eighth stage, intuition.

"The world you are in contains 99 ruins, as well as a virtually intact Immortal pavilion. The pressure is different in each area, and you will find different forms of enlightenment in each location. The more powerful your divine sense is, the more Immortal ruins you will be able to sense, and the greater your enlightenment will be.

"After you find each Immortal ruin, your willpower will determine whether or not you can stand up to the pressure there.

"Your intuition will decide your final type of enlightenment, and how it becomes a divine ability!" Dengaku's archaic voice echoed about in the wasteland; it almost sounded like he was a figure from ancient times, that his voice was being affected by the agedness of the ruins and then transmitted through time into the ears of the competitors.

The wind whimpered, and the land looked as ancient as ever. Naruto's eyes glittered as he sent his divine sense out and found that it was impossible to cover the entire world. He could only see seven sets of ruins.

The nearest was about three thousand meters away, and it appeared to be a dried up well, surrounded by a broken-down wall.

Naruto strolled over, and when he was about three hundred meters away from the well, he could sense pressure pushing down on him. It was powerful, like a windstorm.

The windstorm bore down on him, accompanied by a voice that, when compared to Dengaku, truly did seem to come from ancient times.

"Whenever I see it, I think of you….

"To anyone who hears my voice in the future: Have you felt the same way as I do? Do you also have an object that makes you think of someone?"

Naruto stopped in place and stared blankly at a vague illusion that suddenly appeared in front of him. He saw a middle-aged man wearing a long white robe, sitting cross-legged in front of the well.

The wall surrounding the well was suddenly intact, and a simple hut could be seen attached to it, the sides of which were covered in bottle-gourd vines.

The middle-aged man seemed to be gazing eternally at the well, as if he were locked in a single moment for all eternity.

It was a simple vision, almost ordinary, but Naruto felt himself trembling. The voice in his ear penetrated into his mind and echoed through his soul.

He thought of many things, many people, many objects.

He wasn't sure when, but at some point, he had walked up, sat cross-legged in front of the well and started staring at it. His mind filled with perplexity and struggle, as if the ancient voice from just now was allowing the dilapidated Ancient ruin here to interfere with his willpower and make him lose himself.

Inside, he was fighting against the pressure, and based on the intensity of his willpower, he was able to maintain a scrap of consciousness that prevented him from losing himself.

After two hours passed, the perplexity in Naruto's eyes slowly faded away, and was replaced with a bright light.

"What an incredible Dao Projection!" thought Naruto. Sweat pouring down his forehead, he took a deep breath and thought back to the daze he had just been in, and it frightened him. If there were any deadly forces in this area instead of just good fortune and chances for enlightenment, then Naruto would have been in great danger just now.

"Divine sense will allow me to find more of these Immortal ruins, and my willpower will enable me to fight back against the pressure. As for intuition, that is what I need to gain enlightenment. That… is what leads to creativity."

After a moment of silence, Naruto continued to sit there cross-legged, recalling everything he had just seen.

"There must be an object which, when I see it, will make me think of someone," he murmured. He opened his bag of holding and swept it with his divine sense. Suddenly, he paused, and his eyes flickered awkwardly.

"Uh…." He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a stack of paper from his bag of holding.

"Every time I look at this particular promissory note, I think of the resplendent Bisuke….

"And this paper makes me think of Guren.

"This one makes me think of Sora.

"And this one… Mei. This one is Chiriku. It's too bad I don't have a promissory note from Fū. Chiyo didn't write one either." After looking over the promissory notes, he smiled wryly and realized that the enlightenment he had experienced didn't seem to be the same as that of the middle-aged man in front of the well.

The man obviously missed an old friend or acquaintance, or perhaps a significant other. Naruto's experience was quite different than that.

Sighing, Naruto put the promissory notes back in his bag of holding and rose to his feet. After looking at the ruins one last time, he flickered off into the distance.

"I don't think the enlightenment of that place suits me," he thought, shaking his head. "If it did, how come I would think of promissory notes in a place that was clearly designed to make one think of old friends?" He turned into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Of course, his divine sense was backed by eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, so when he sent it out to search for another ruin, he quickly found one, and then flew in that direction.

What he found was a dried-up old river.

The only thing left behind was an empty riverbed, and pressure once again radiated out as Naruto neared. This time, there was no voice, only pressure, and this pressure was stronger than that which he had experienced at the well.

He sat down cross-legged in the riverbed and wrestled against the pressure for about an hour. When he returned to his normal state, he was panting, and more sweat poured down his forehead.

"If there are 99 sets of ruins like this, plus an intact Immortal pavilion, then that means that the more enlightenment I gain, the better my results will be when I create my divine ability.

"However… I'm only at the second ruin and it's already so difficult. I wonder how many ruins some of the others have reached enlightenment in." Naruto frowned and looked at the riverbed. Fighting back against the pressure with his willpower, he began to experience a vision.

He saw water flowing up into the sky, and boundless waves. This river seemed capable of shaking Heaven and Earth. As it flowed upward, it cut a huge rift through the sky.

"I bet if I can understand this river," he murmured to himself, "I'll be able to create a divine ability that has to do with flowing water. When I unleash it, a celestial river would appear all around me that would sweep over everything." After thinking about it, he decided that such a divine ability would definitely be powerful. Therefore, he continued to sit there cross-legged, silently trying to reach enlightenment.

However, after six hours flowed by, he opened his eyes in frustration. After all that time, he wasn't even able to organize his thoughts.

"When I look at the river, I know that it can lead to enlightenment about a divine ability, but I can't stop thinking about the river beneath Mount Myoboku, the bottle gourd I threw into it, and the slip of paper that was inside." Scratching his head in puzzlement, he remembered how he had written down his great aspiration onto that note, and how he still hadn't achieved that goal. He couldn't help but sigh. 1

"It seems this place doesn't suit me either," he thought.

Standing, he sent his divine sense out to look for more ruins.

Meanwhile, everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was watching the various scenes playing out on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking. Of course, everything was quite blurry; not even the Patriarchs from the various sects up in the starry sky palace could clearly see what was happening.

After all, these Immortal ruins were filled with incredible power. It wouldn't be until the various participants created their final divine ability that everyone outside would be able to see what was happening.

However, the audience was able to see the three Ancient Roads, and knew that all of the participants were trying to gain enlightenment from the ruins.

Up in the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were discussing the scenes on the screen.

"It seems most of the competitors are still immersed in studying their first Immortal ruin. I wonder what type of enlightenment will be gained by the person who studies the most!?"

"Well whoever that is, they will definitely be able to create an incredibly powerful divine ability, that much is certain."

"That's right, Sir Nauma from the Nine Seas God World gained enlightenment from 91 of the Immortal ruins. That was how he managed to create the stunning and peerless Mortal Sea Becomes Immortal! In the end, he got 19 stone steles!"

"Creating divine abilities has a lot to do with one's disposition. Grand and magnificent people create divine abilities that match their personality, whereas people with narrow thinking tend to make extreme divine abilities. Different personalities, different divine abilities."

It was at this point that the Patriarch from the Burning Incense Stick Society suddenly looked over at Naruto's screen. "Huh? Kazama has already gained enlightenment from two Immortal ruins!"

Shockingly, two bright dots could be seen on Naruto's screen.

Meanwhile, on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, Fatty was sitting next to a woodpile, seemingly in a daze. The woodpile seemed ancient, as if it had existed for countless years, and was over three hundred meters tall, towering above the lands.

At the very top of the woodpile was a magic fungus!

It was an enormous magic fungus shaped like a millstone, completely violet in color, and emanating a fragrant aroma. Fatty swallowed, and then his eyes began to shine brightly.

"That thing is a treasure…. Just smell it and you can tell it's some Heavenly material or Earthly treasure." He immediately produced a flying sword from his bag of holding and sent it flying toward the magic fungus. The sword trembled as it neared, then was hit with a jolt that sent it flying back. The mushroom did not move one iota.

Fatty's eyes shone with determination, and he produced some more magical items, then pushed out hard with his cultivation base. After an hour passed, he had not even succeeded in breaking the magic fungus' skin.

"I don't believe it!" he said, leaping to his feet. Gritting his teeth, he flew up to the magic fungus and then opened his mouth ferociously and bit it.

When he bit down, he couldn't help but scream out in pain as he tumbled backward. Stars swam in his eyes, and his teeth felt as if they might shatter. Tears flowed down his cheeks, and his expression was much the same as that year back in the Violet Fate Sect when Naruto had concocted a special medicinal pill for him to eat.

"I won't back down!" he roared, flying forward again and using all the power he could summon from his cultivation base and focusing it on his treasure-like teeth. Once again, he bit down viciously onto the magic fungus.

Pain washed over him, but Fatty endured it and surged with even more energy.

"There's nothing that Grandpa Fatty can't bite through!" he cried, his eyes shot with blood as he bit down even more viciously. It was fortunate that no one was here to witness what was happening, otherwise they would have been dumbstruck.

If someone were to paint this scene, it would depict Fatty, looking much like a wolfhound as he tore at the magic fungus with his teeth….

After biting it over and over again for an hour, Fatty let out a roar of rage and finally, was able to bite a tiny chunk out of the magic fungus.

His eyes were bright red as he chewed the magic fungus viciously and then swallowed it. He was just about to continue with his efforts when suddenly, a tremor ran through him, and he flopped over onto his back, unconscious.

After lying there unmoving for two hours, he finally opened his eyes, and they looked blank.

"What a dream!" he thought. "I saw myself creating a divine ability…." After a moment, his eyes began to shine with a bright light, and he resumed ripping at the magic fungus until he tore off another chunk, after which he passed out again.

The cycle repeated itself over and over again, so many times that even Fatty was unaware of how long it had been going on. Eventually, he had managed to eat about half of the magic fungus.

Also on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul was Guy, who stood silently next to an enormous boulder. A brush could be seen in his hand, and his expression was blank, as if he were submerged in a reverie. Finally, he extended his hand and began to draw the image of a woman.

It was none other than his wife, Rock Lee.

"My spirit has darkened," he murmured, "but I won't forget love, not for the rest of my life."

In another location was Shikamaru, in front of whom was an enormous bronze mirror that looked completely and utterly ancient. He sat there cross-legged, staring at the image of himself in the mirror.

A vicious expression could be seen on his face, which was sometimes replaced by blankness, and then other times, an expression of enlightenment. He had already been sitting there for a long time.

His voice was hoarse as he said: "When I look at the world, when I look out at Heaven and Earth, I see the future, and I see the past…. However, I know that these eyes of mine can see more than that!" He almost appeared to be on the verge of going mad.

When Naruto, Dong Hu, and Shikamaru had joined the Reliance Sect that year, Naruto could be described as quick-witted, Dong Hu as somber, and Shikamaru as stubborn!

There was one other familiar person on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, Chino.

She wore a long white robe, and walked slowly across the black soil, sending out divine sense until she found an Immortal ruin off in the distance.

She would not make her selection casually, nor rashly begin to test herself against the ruin. That was her personality.

After walking along for some time, she finally came across a blood-colored lake. At one time, the lake had been vast and deep, but now there wasn't much left to it.

At the very bottom, a bloody flower was visible.

It was an orchid that was as red as blood.

A Blood Orchid.

Chino looked at the orchid silently for a while, after which a gleam of determination appeared in her eyes, and she walked toward it. This was the first ruin she had selected. Now that she had made her decision, she would see it through to the end. That was her personality.

"There is much good fortune in this world," she murmured softly, "and I can't have all of it. I just want to find something that is suitable for me, that will be good enough." As she walked toward the Blood Orchid, she felt increasing pressure. Eventually, she sat down cross-legged, her expression blank as she submerged herself in contemplation.

Virtually all of the people on the three Ancient Roads were similarly deep in contemplation. Some were like Chino, who made her selection carefully. Others tried out one Immortal ruin after another.

Different personalities. Different paths.

Time passed. Everyone was fighting for their own future, attempting to gain enlightenment regarding their own personal divine ability. The crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were all watching closely and patiently. This was the creation of a divine ability, not some simple copy of some other magic. The more time one spent developing the divine ability, the more likely it would lead to something breathtaking.

"After these three stages, there will definitely be people who become famous overnight and draw the attention of all of the sects. There might even be some people, whether they are on the name lists or not, who be immediately recruited!"

"There will also be people who suffer disastrous failures and completely lose any advantage they previously had."

"We definitely have to watch closely in case someone creates a ten-stele divine ability. In the future, that person will surely be deemed Chosen."

Conversations like this played out in many of the various areas in the Ninth Mountain and Sea where people had gathered to watch the trial by fire. Some of those people were Chosen like Bisuke, who had been to Planet Lands of Ninshu, but most of them were people who had never seen Naruto, only heard of his name.

As of this moment, all of these Chosen were watching the trial by fire with their own thoughts and feelings.

They knew that there very well might be people participating who in future days would be their competition within their own sect.

Time passed by. Soon, three days had passed. Naruto had already passed through 19 Immortal ruins, and after spending some time at each one had left disappointed and wondering if something was defective about him.

"It's so depressing…." he said with a sigh. "How come the enlightenment I achieve at each of these ruins always has to do with spirit stones…." Currently, he was walking up to an enormous copper mirror, which, as soon as he laid eyes on it, filled him with the impulse to pull out a spirit stone and put it on the surface of the mirror.

After a moment, Naruto left the mirror, his face filled with determination.

"Apparently each one of these ruins makes me involuntarily think about spirit stones. That inevitably leads to thinking about those promissory notes… Well then, I'll just make a divine ability that's completely unique!" Taking a deep breath, he made his decision, and his eyes began to shine with a strange light. The more he thought about it, the more sense his choice made.

His body flashed as he shot off toward another Immortal ruin.

More time went by. Fatty had passed out and regained consciousness numerous times during the past few days. Every time he awoke, he would grab hold of the mushroom and viciously chomp a few bites out of it. He was currently chewing the final mouthful of the magical fungus. Feeling a bit anxious about leaving anything behind, he bit a chunk out of the wooden stump that the mushroom had been growing out of, swallowed it down, and then passed out again with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, and a look of anticipation.

Guy still stood in front of the boulder, painting his beloved wife. His brush moved with increasing quickness, and Rock Lee's image was becoming clearer and more and more lifelike with each brushstroke.

Shikamaru continued to sit in front of the bronze mirror, his eyes bloodshot to the point where tears of blood were dripping down his face and onto his clothes. His entire body was trembling, and blue veins bulged out on his face and neck. His expression was savage and hideous.

"I can see more than this!"

As Chino quietly stared at the Blood Orchid, her previously white clothes were beginning to turn red, the exact same red as the flower itself.

Three more days passed. Naruto had now passed through 39 Immortal ruins. It was at this point that rumbling echoed out from the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, and all the cultivators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea who were watching the Ancient Roads turned their attention to the Nascent Soul vortex screen with eagerness.

"Someone succeeded!"

"The sound's coming from the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul! I wonder how many stone steles will appear!"

The Patriarchs in the palace floating in the sky all began to look over.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, an old man had lifted his head back and was laughing uproariously. He waved his hand, and all of the black-colored mud and soil around him suddenly lifted up into the air, then began to form together into a statue. It had three heads and six arms, and as soon as it fully coalesced, emanated a shocking might.

"I have gained the enlightenment of this barrow!" declared the man. "This soil contains spirits, spirits that I will transmogrify into the divine wills of the people who are buried here! This will become my divine ability, which I shall henceforth name… Descent of the Spirits!"

As the old man's voice rang out, two stone steles rumbled out from the void to land in front of him. A powerful glow could be seen that filled the entire world, revealing everything clearly to the onlookers.

"Two stone steles…. Not bad! This guy's pretty good!"

"He also used the least amount of time. Earlier, nobody really noticed him, but now people are going to start paying attention to him." As the discussions continued among the spectators, the representatives from the various sects quickly began to add the old man's name to their records.

However, even while the old man's laughter was still ringing out, rumbling sounds could be heard from seven or eight other cultivators on the three various Ancient Roads, as they too completed their divine abilities.

Rumbling filled the air as one stone stele after another descended. In all cases, though, there were only two pillars, never three.

In the following days, more and more contestants completed their divine abilities, one after another. All of the three Ancient Roads were the same. At the very least, one stone stele appeared, and at the most, four, which of course attracted much attention.

Suddenly, on the seventh day, on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, a roar could be heard unlike anything before it.

The old man with the age-transformation powers now bore the appearance of a middle-aged man, an age that was truly the prime of life. He floated in midair, performing an incantation gesture, causing an extra layer of skin to appear on him, which then began to peel off as if he was molting. These were not scattered bits of flesh, but a fully connected body of skin!

The skin seemed to be smiling, although that smile was horrifying to look at!

"I have created this divine ability, Life Possession!" he said coolly as he floated there in midair. "This skin that I have shed can possess the body of even a false Immortal!" Everything rumbled as eight stone steles descended.

Those eight steles caused wild colors to flash about, and sent the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea completely abuzz.

There were even several Patriarchs in the starry sky palace whose eyes shone with gleams of surprise.

"Eight stone steles! What a shocking creation!"

"He performed well in the previous stages, and now that he's created an eight-stele divine ability, it goes to show that he definitely has potential!"

"Hahaha! The Three Great Daoist Societies might not spare him a second glance, but the Seven Seas Sect must have disciples such as him."

The outside world was in an uproar, too. Eight stone steles was currently the most that had appeared for anyone.

Almost in the same moment as the eight stone steles descended, rumbling could be heard coming from the images of more people on the Ancient Roads trial, as if some specific critical point had been reached. More divine abilities appeared, although none of them caused eight steles to descend; at most, six appeared.

But then… an incredible noise rose up on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, and everything began to tremble. Wind screamed and massive energy surged that stifled even the old man with the eight stone steles. Soon, all of the powerful experts in the outside world were looking over.

The source of the noise… was Fatty!

He hadn't made a very big impression in the previous stages, mostly because of his lack of control. Now, he opened his eyes, and while they seemed blank at first, it was possible to see that nearly half of the huge woodpile had been consumed; it appeared to be in a shambles.

Fatty rose numbly to his feet, then suddenly opened his mouth and took a deep breath. That breath caused the Heavens to tremble, and clouds to gather together. In the blink of an eye… an enormous mouth was visible up above.

The mouth was filled with numerous razor-sharp teeth, and as it bit down toward the ground, it grew larger and larger, until it was more than ten thousand meters wide. Everything trembled violently as the enormous mouth slashed through anything and everything to take an enormous bite.

Everyone on the outside looked on with wide eyes and slack jaws.

It was at this point that the Heavens rippled as thirteen stone steles descended, rumbling, from up above. They were floating in the air around Fatty as his eyes grew clear from his previous reverie.

"Thirteen stone steles! What… what divine ability did that fat guy create?!"

"Thirteen stone steles! That's second only to Sir Nauma from back in the day! This little fatty is extraordinary! I never imagined that he would have such powerful intuition!"

In the palace in the starry sky, the sect Patriarchs were all watching with wide eyes. Even the Three Daoist Societies were shocked. It was at this point that the Patriarch from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, one of the Five Holy Lands, suddenly rose to his feet. It was with incredible speed, and before anyone could react, that he shot forward and disappeared into the screen up ahead.

There were four other Patriarchs who stood up, but they weren't fast enough, and the Patriarch from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum suddenly appeared in the world in front of Fatty. He had long gray hair that draped down over his shoulders, and wore a long robe.

"What is the name of this divine ability?!" he asked as soon as he materialized. He immediately waved his hand, causing the entire area to be locked down so that no one else could enter.

Fatty started shivering.

"I'm not sure," he replied, unsure of how this old man had appeared in front of him. "I just ate some of that wood, and the magical fungus, then I had a dream about being really hungry, and my gums were itching and I constantly felt like I had to file my teeth and eat stuff."

"Excellent, excellent. A loyal personality and an excellent divine ability. Henceforth, it shall be known as Gulping Down Heaven!

"Are you willing to join the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum as one of our disciples?!" The old man's eyes shone with a mysterious and approving light as he looked at Fatty.

"Uh, alright," replied Fatty, blinking. Then he asked, "But… but what about all my beloved concubines back home? Can they come with me?"

"As I thought, you're a man who values relationships. Don't worry. Your concubines may also join the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum!" With an emotional sigh, the old man waved his hand. Fatty was covered with a brilliant light, and then he vanished, and the world around him collapsed. Back in the palace in the starry sky, the various Patriarchs weren't very happy, but there was nothing they could do.

The other Patriarchs were angrily grumbling in the palace up in the starry sky.

"Dammit, I was just a bit too slow and lost out on a potential star! He got snatched away!"

In the outside world, great waves of shock rolled about as a consequence of Fatty being taken as a disciple.

"What was that fat guy's name again? I can't believe he got taken as a disciple by the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, one of the Five Great Holy Lands!"

"I'm pretty sure his name is Choji. His life is sure going to be different from now on!"

"Considering he made a thirteen-stele divine ability, that Choji is definitely Chosen. Think about it; it won't be long before he has a cultivation base breakthrough. Eventually, he'll definitely get to Dao Seeking, and then he'll then move on to Immortality!"

"But what about that tree stump he was on top of? How come it had all those bite marks, as if a dog had been chewing on the wood? Was it like that from the beginning?"

All of the spectators outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were shaken inwardly. Some couldn't figure out what to think, others were filled with envy.

As the discussions continued, another rumbling sound could be heard from the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul. This time, it came from Chino. By now, her garments were entirely the color of blood. She sat cross-legged next to the Blood Orchid, almost as if she herself had become a part of it!

She opened her eyes, and in that moment, the Blood Orchid… completely wilted!

When that happened, Chino's countenance shone with unprecedented spirit and vigor. Instantly, her cultivation base rose up, pushing her immeasurably close to Spirit Severing.

At first, she looked confused, but once she regained clarity, she performed an incantation with her delicate hand and then pointed up into the air. All the Heavens up above turned blood red, and a Blood Orchid materialized over her and slowly began to bloom.

Rumbling echoed out, and one stone stele after another descended from the blood-red Heavens. One, two, three… ten, twelve… thirteen….

In the end, fourteen stone steles fell from up above to stand tall in the earth around Chino, causing everything to tremble and shake. As Chino rose to her feet, she was the complete focus of all attention.

The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea exploded into an uproar.

"Heavens! She's even more shocking than that fat guy! Fourteen stone steles!"

"She was enlightened about the Blood Orchid? The Church of the Blood Orchid is definitely going to go crazy! They won't hesitate to pay any price to recruit her!"

"How could it be that two Chosen appeared on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul? Neither of them were very eye-catching before, and yet now, they're so shocking!"

When Fatty made his debut, five Patriarchs in the starry sky palace had flown out, including the Patriarch from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. Now, however, seven people flew into the air. No one from the Three Great Daoist Societies had moved a muscle. However, even the Patriarch from Moonset Lake, one of the Five Great Holy Lands, was in motion.

The seven Patriarchs reached the screen at the same time, and then all of them appeared in front of Chino in the world of the trial by fire.

"Girl, are you willing to join the Moonset Lake, one of the Five Great Holy Lands?!"

"The Five Great Holy Lands already have plenty of Chosen," said another of the seven. "If you join them, you might never be able to distinguish yourself. Based on your powers of understanding, you could definitely be an Empress of this generation in the Church of the Emperor Immortal!" Everyone was now trying to recruit Chino.

It was at this point that an old man wearing a blood-colored robe suddenly spoke up.

"You were enlightened regarding the Blood Orchid, and used that to create a divine ability. This shows that you have destiny connecting you to the Church of the Blood Orchid. Join us, and you will be in line to become our Holy Daughter!" The other six Patriarchs present were all shocked. The cultivators recruited from within the trial by fire usually had to pass through a probationary period. However, the Patriarch from the Church of the Blood Orchid offered to make a candidate their Holy Daughter, which was not in keeping with the general rule. However, considering she had been enlightened regarding the Blood Orchid, the others could understand.

Chino looked quietly for a moment at the old man from the Church of the Blood Orchid. Finally, she made a curtseying bow.

"Senior, I am Chino, and I am willing to join the Church of the Blood Orchid."

The uproar in the outside world grew even more intense. Chino left with the Patriarch from the Church of the Blood Orchid, after which all the cultivators from that organization knew that a young woman named Chino was like the fish who had jumped over the dragon gate, and had successfully passed her examination.

In the future, her glory would likely exceed that of Choji. She had gained enlightenment of the Blood Orchid, and had then created a divine ability from it. To the Church of the Blood Orchid, which had been established because of the Blood Orchid itself, this definitely qualified her to be a candidate to become a Holy Daughter.

By this time, Naruto had passed through 72 Immortal ruins. Fewer people were paying attention to him because of all the commotion caused by Fatty and Chino. However, some people with especially high cultivation bases were the type to consider the future, and look deeply into matters.

They did not participate in the various discussions, but when they saw Naruto gaining enlightenment from so many Immortal ruins, they were inwardly shocked. The Patriarchs in the palace were also paying attention to this, although no one took the initiative to say anything about it.

By now it was obvious that if any of the other sects tried to fight over someone like Naruto, they would be forced to offend the Three Great Daoist Societies. After all… the Three Great Daoist Societies were in charge of the entire trial by fire.

Everyone well knew that in the assessment of divine ability creation, only those with wild ambitions could gain enlightenment from so many Immortal ruins. Regardless of whether it be on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Spirit Severing, or the Nascent Soul, there were few people who walked the same path as Naruto. Most others gained enlightenment from a handful at most, which was a vast difference from Naruto.

As people in the outside world discussed the matter of Chino and Fatty, Shikamaru sat cross-legged in front of the bronze mirror. His eyes were completely red, and continuously dripped with blood. His body was trembling, almost as if he were possessed.

"I can see even more! I can see everything….

"My latent talent doesn't measure up to Dong Hu, and my cultivation base is not as good as Naruto's. But I refuse to back down!" More blood built up in Shikamaru's eyes, and his pupils seemed on the verge of exploding.

"This is my only chance. In the past several stages, nobody was paying attention to me. But now… I WILL rise to prominence!

"I want to see… everything! I want to see all destinies. My eyes will see what lies beyond the Heavens, and past the underworld that lies beneath the Earth!" Blood flowed out of his eyes continuously, and his pupils were beginning to shatter.

After ten breaths of time… a rumbling sound could be heard from the world in which Shikamaru sat. At the same time, Shikamaru's murmuring voice could be heard.

"I can see now…." In the instant he spoke the words, his eyes suddenly collapsed into pieces. Everything in front of him went black, and from this instant, was gone for all eternity. As his eyes shattered, he closed them.

The shattering occurred in a split second, and as it did, the world around Shikamaru cracked and… exploded into pieces.

As everything fell apart, he rose to his feet. Stone steles were descended through the shattered canopy above, one after another. By now, all attention on the outside world was focused on Shikamaru.

They saw the world shatter, and saw the stone steles descended, and everyone gasped.

One, five, ten, thirteen, fifteen….

A total of sixteen stone steles descended, swirling around Shikamaru, who stood there quietly with his eyes closed.

"Henceforth, my eyes shall remain closed in perpetuity. Should they open, Heaven and Earth will experience shocking changes!

"My divine ability, is called…. Blackest Night."

As Shikamaru's voice rang out, the Ninth Mountain and Sea looked on in astonishment.

"Sixteen stone steles! There are actually sixteen stone steles!"

"That's Heaven-defying! From ancient times until now, the only person who ever exceeded that is Sir Nauma of the Nine Seas God World, whose exploits are recorded in the ancient records!"

"I bet even the Three Great Daoist Societies are shocked!"

In the starry sky palace, many of the Patriarchs of the various sects gasped as they watched Shikamaru. Even they were shocked by what they were seeing.

"He destroyed his own eyes to create a divine ability, leaving him blind! However, considering his battle prowess, even though he's in the Nascent Soul stage, he's capable of slaughtering Spirit Severing! When he reaches Dao Seeking, if he opens his eyes, the result will be shocking."

"How ruthless! How stubborn!"

Ten people flew toward the display screens with incredible speed. The fastest was the Patriarch from Moonset Lake. However, he did not enter the screen, but rather turned and clasped hands to everyone else.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Daoists, the Daoist magic of Moonset Lake is quite suitable for this child. After the moon sets, there is no light in the sky. Instead, the black night is endlessly deep. I request… that you please do not fight with me over this child!

"Daoist Elders of the Three Great Daoist Societies, if you give some face to Moonset Lake, then we promise to repay the favor in future days!" He clasped hands and bowed deeply, his expression very somber. Everyone else stopped in their tracks, their eyes glittering. No one spoke, but instead looked toward the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies.

The Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World thought for a moment and then nodded his head. "I take no issue."

Sitting in the center position of the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies was an old man who had the bearing of a transcendent being. He wore a white robe, and had a calm expression. Immortal Chakra swirled around him as he said, "There is a person here who has destiny with the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. However, he will not join us during this trial by fire. Actually, the only reason I agreed to hold this event was to see him. The person you have mentioned is not him, so I will do nothing to stop you."

Next to him was an old man from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. He smiled slightly, a smile that seemed somewhat cold and almost looked like a fierce sword.

"I have also taken a liking to this child, but… huh?" The old man from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto had just begun speaking when suddenly, his face flickered, and he looked over at the screens. Next to him, the Patriarchs from the Nine Seas God World and the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite did the same.

"91!"

"He's gained enlightenment from 91 Immortal ruins!"

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Naruto stood in a tall pagoda. When his eyes opened, they seemed confused, but quickly regained clarity. Without pause, he left and headed in another direction.

He sent his divine sense out, looking for more Immortal ruins, eventually finding the 92nd, and then the 93rd….

Time passed by on the Ancient Roads. One person after another created their divine abilities, but none were as shocking as those which had occurred earlier. Guy created his divine ability, but only eight stone steles descended in response.

At any other time, it would have been shocking, but at this point, it was nothing especially noteworthy.

Time passed, and now more attention was being paid to the participants who had not created their divine abilities yet, but were still continuing to gain enlightenment from the Immortal ruins. Everyone understood that these people would either fail, or would have Heaven-defying results.

Once again, Naruto became the center of attention. By now, the number of Immortal ruins he had gained enlightenment from had exceeded that of Sir Nauma!

"96!"

"Does he really seem like the kind of person who can gain enlightenment from all 99 ruins? From ancient times until now, less than a hundred people have ever done that! Of course, of all those people, Sir Nauma was the only person that ended up creating a nineteen-stele divine ability!"

"No one else could measure up to Sir Nauma. I wonder how many stone steles… will descend when Kazama creates his divine ability!?"

Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, everyone was watching Naruto and discussing his progress.

"Maybe he'll outdo Shikamaru from earlier. Or who knows, maybe he won't match up!"

"There's no way he'll come in behind Shikamaru. From ancient times until now, less than a hundred people have ever gained enlightenment from more than 90 Immortal Ruins!"

"You can tell that this Kazama has terrifying divine sense and incredible willpower. The final creation of his divine ability will truly be a test of his intuition!"

In the palace in the starry sky, each and every one of the various Patriarchs were also staring fixedly at the screen that represented Naruto's area.

While everyone paid such close attention to the screens, Naruto was standing atop a towering cliff. His eyes opened, and his expression was blank like before. Then he headed off into another direction.

Nearby the cliff were the ruins of an archaic temple. This was the 97th Immortal ruin he had gained enlightenment from, which then caused another dot of light to appear on his screen in the outside world. That immediately sent everyone into an uproar.

"97 Immortal ruins! This Kazama defies the Heavens!"

"I can't wait to see whether or not he can create an even more Heaven-defying divine ability!"

"It's not guaranteed. Of all the people who have done a similar thing, only Sir Nauma followed up with a peerless divine ability!"

As for all the other people who were going about the trial by fire in the same way as Naruto, the person with the next greatest amount of Immortal ruins under their belt only had 83!

That was the young man in the mask. Had Naruto not participated in the trial by fire, he would definitely have been the complete center of attention in the previous stages, and would now be in first place.

Naruto's appearance on the scene cast him in the shadows.

Currently, he had no idea what was going on outside his own world. His expression was one of determination as he gritted his teeth and continued onward. He left the 83rd Immortal ruin and then began to search for another.

As more time passed, they made slower and slower progress. It took a few days before Naruto finally regained his senses in the 97th Immortal Ruin. After sitting there cross-legged for some time, he slowly rose to his feet and made his way to a different location, a deep crater.

Glittering light could be seen deep within the crater, as if, years in the past, a meteor had smashed down here.

This was not a location that just anyone could find. Anyone who did find it would find it difficult to endure the pressure. Only Naruto, with his incredible divine sense and shocking willpower, was able to descend into the crater and then sit down cross-legged.

"98!" The crowds in the outside world were shocked, and the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on with glittering eyes.

"After this, there's only one more, and that will be all 99!"

"From ancient times until now, no one in the Spirit Realm has ever gained enlightenment from so many Immortal ruins on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking!"

"Who exactly is this Kazama?! Where is he from? If he can really pull it off, his fame will shake all of the Ninth Mountain!" The outside world was abuzz, but the palace in the starry sky was dead silent.

All of the Patriarchs from the various sects were paying close attention, and none of them were speaking.

As for the other competitors in the trial by fire, no one was paying attention to any of them. Even the masked young man, who had just reached the 88th Immortal ruin, was behind Naruto, who was clearly in first place.

Five days passed!

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He looked exhausted, and even more blank than before. This time, he had teetered on the edge of not awakening. The crater was filled with chunks and fragments of stone, each one of which emitted different auras, which had combined together to transform into an ancient vortex that influenced the mind.

It was as if he had been experiencing a Daoist magic that came straight from an ancient era. Someone had waved a hand, and a star up above was crushed down into a meteor, which then slammed into the ground.

The massive blow had cracked the land, and shattered some of the heavenly bodies up above. In that instant, Naruto had felt as if his own divine sense were being ripped to shreds. It was only by virtue of his intense willpower that he was able to claw his way back to lucidity.

"More and more difficult…." he thought. "I've already gained enlightenment from 98 Immortal ruins. According to what Dengaku said, there are a total of 99 Immortal ruins, and after that, an intact Immortal pavilion!

"But, after sending my divine sense out, I can sense the final Immortal ruin, but not any Immortal pavilion.

"Unfortunately, even with my divine sense, I'm only able to sense the general direction of that final Immortal ruin, and not anything specific about it. However, I have a premonition that it… is very dangerous!" After a moment, he stood up and walked silently out of the crater. After that, he stood on the edge of the crater, thinking.

He was currently hesitating about whether to continue onward, or just make his divine ability right here. By this point, he already had some ideas about what type of divine ability he wanted to create.

After a moment, his eyes shone with decisiveness. He was not the type of person to back down easily. Even if the danger was great, he was stubborn. Were that not the case, he would not have been able to travel the long path from being a scholar to possessing eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal!

"The more powerful the divine ability, the more stone steles will descend. And I need stone steles!" Naruto took a deep breath, ceased any thoughts of hesitation, then headed off in the direction of the 99th Immortal ruin, as indicated by his divine sense.

Although he didn't know the specific location, Naruto was confident that he would be able to find it. He just needed to expend a little bit of time.

One day. Two days. Three days….

The palace in the starry sky was completely silent as the Patriarchs of the various sects looked on.

Then, an archaic voice echoed out within the palace. This person had not spoken at all yet, nor had he attempted to solicit recruits. It was an old man from the Baldy Society.

"Can he find the 99th Immortal ruin? Actually, I'm very curious about something. This 99th ruin which is shared by all three Ancient Roads… what exactly does it look like?

"Fellow Daoists of the Three Great Daoist Societies, could you quell my curiosity?"

Were it any other sect that inquired about the matter, the Three Great Daoist Societies would pay no heed to the question. But the Baldy Society was different. The three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies exchanged glances, after which the old man from the Nine Seas God World spoke up.

"According to the legends, during the great war, the three exalted Paragons united all of the Immortal Ancient Doyens. They extracted all of the Immortal Chakra from the world and sacrificed it to a boundless spirit, which was the fallen… Pāramitā Heaven-Trampling Foundation!" 1

These words provoked a collective gasp from all of the Patriarchs. Looks of astonishment appeared on their faces, and some of them even rose to their feet.

"WHAT?!"

"The legendary Pāramitā Foundation?"

The Baldy Society elder's eyes went wide. He said nothing, but from his expression, he was clearly shaken.

Time passed, and Naruto continued to search for the 99th Immortal ruin. More people created divine abilities on the three Ancient Roads. There were also people who failed, and chose to give up.

Seven days later, there were only seven people on the three Ancient Roads who had yet to create a divine ability!

Those seven people were now the subject of intense scrutiny. Everyone was watching to see what would happen. There was one person on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, two people on the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing, and the remaining four were on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

One of them was the young man in the mask, another was the cultivator with the mosquitos.

"If anybody in this trial by fire can exceed twenty stone steles, it's one of these seven!"

"See that one, with 90 Immortal ruins? His name is Ashitaba, that cultivator with the mask. He's yet another that has gained enlightenment of 90!" 2

"This is really incredible. Now there's a second person in this trial by fire who has acquired enlightenment from 90 Immortal ruins!"

There were many cries of shock in the crowds in the outside world as quite a few people began to pay attention to the masked young man, Ashitaba. As for the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, they too would occasionally glance away from Naruto to look at the masked young man's screen.

Currently, Naruto was making his way through the world, following the direction of his divine sense as he searched for the 99th Immortal ruin. He had already searched for seven days, and felt certain that he had thoroughly explored all of the areas indicated by his divine sense. Despite that, he still hadn't found the ruin.

"Just… where is it?" Suddenly, Naruto stopped in place. Frowning, he looked around silently, and then simply closed his eyes. He sent his divine sense out again, and could vaguely sense that there were Immortal ruins up ahead of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing.

Muttering to himself, he closed his eyes again. Then, without opening his eyes, he began to walk forward. It was using this method that he proceeded on for about two hours until, suddenly, his body trembled.

He did not open his eyes, and yet, was able to see something incredible with his divine sense, right there in front of him.

He saw… nine bridges! 3

Nine incredibly shocking bridges that seemed to rise above the heavens. The sight of these bridges was unmatchably astonishing as they rose up into the air, each one higher than the one before it. They formed something that almost looked like a staircase, linking up into the boundless starry sky.

As he examined the bridges with his divine sense, Naruto gradually got the feeling that if someone could tread these nine bridges all the way to their end, then that person would definitely become matchlessly powerful.

Naruto's body was trembling; there was an indescribable pressure radiating out from the bridges, something that seemed capable of crushing him in an instant. Right now, it wasn't being sent out at full force, but rather, simply swirling around the bridges.

Even still, Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered backward several paces. He had the intense sensation that these nine bridges were actually incomplete. Were they intact, then even looking at them would destroy him in body and spirit.

"What exactly are these bridges?!" he gasped, not daring to open his eyes. He carefully observed with his divine sense, and began to experience a vision.

He saw illusory images of things that had happened countless years in the past. He saw a figure that looked like a sun attempting to tread on the bridges. However, before he could get past the first bridge, he shattered into countless pieces.

He saw an old man with white hair, who radiated boundless coldness. He stepped onto the first bridge, then the second….

As he proceeded higher and higher, he became more and more powerful. In the end, all the colors in the sky and the land faded. The ninth bridge began to tremble, as if it couldn't stand up to the old man's steps.

The old man reached the end and stood atop the final bridge. Then he turned, and Naruto was able to clearly see his eyes. In that instant, Naruto's mind filled with roaring.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he once again staggered back. When he lifted his head back up, he unhesitatingly opened his eyes.

As soon as his eyes opened, the nine bridges vanished. The air up ahead of him was absolutely empty, devoid of any object.

"This place is the location of the 99th Immortal ruin!" Naruto was panting, and his eyes glowed with a strange light. He wiped the blood from his mouth, sat down cross-legged, and rotated his cultivation base to begin healing his injuries.

It was at this point that, in the outside world, 99 dots of light appeared on the screen which represented him in the outside world!

99!

"He found it!" In the palace, the old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies were all watching with brightly shining eyes. This was especially true of the old man from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, whose entire face glowed with unprecedented brightness.

"He is the first person from ancient times until now to tread the Ancient Road with a Spirit Realm cultivation base and find the Pāramitā Heavenly Foundation!"

"He can only observe from a distance, not get near. Based on his divine sense and willpower, he should be able to determine that it isn't safe. He won't brazenly get close."

"That depends on his good fortune. In these worlds of the sixth, seventh, and eighth stages, time passes differently than in the outside world. Actually, contemplating enlightenment for one day in there is like spending ten years at it out here!"

Murmured conversations filled the palace.

In contrast, the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were buzzing with chatter.

When they saw the 99th dot of light, everyone knew exactly what it meant. Everyone was in an uproar, and now, the name Kazama was deeply imprinted in the hearts of everyone present.

Even as everyone on the outside was in a tumult, Naruto opened his eyes. He breathed heavily for a moment, then gritted his teeth and closed his eyes again. He sent his divine sense out to once again observe the nine astonishing bridges.

The bridges appeared to be complete, but Naruto knew that if they had been, he would have been killed simply by looking at them. Right now, even observing them from a distance caused him to be injured. Actually, it was a good thing the bridges were broken down. Otherwise, considering his cultivation base, as soon as his divine sense touched them, he would have been completely annihilated.

"Nine Heaven-defying bridges like this were actually destroyed…. These are no mere bridges! They were obviously especially created to allow cultivators to experience incredible cultivation base growth, to be able to punch through to an incredible realm of power!

"I never imagined that I would be able to see something like this here! This is extremely good fortune for me!" As he thought about it, Naruto's mind suddenly trembled.

"There was never any rule about only being able to create one divine ability…. In that case, why not create two?" Originally, Naruto had already devised a plan to create a divine ability, but after seeing the nine bridges, a new form of enlightenment had appeared in his mind, which then transformed into the shape of a divine ability. Furthermore, he didn't wish to give up on either of the two ideas.

The first divine ability aligned perfectly with his personality. As for the second one, Naruto sincerely desired to possess it.

He took a deep breath and then decided to stop thinking about it. He focused his divine sense on the nine bridges, and on resisting the pressure. Not only was he imprinting the image of the bridge onto his mind, he decided to try to get a bit closer, to acquire a bit of good fortune from the pressure weighing down.

Time slowly passed by.

Ten days later, only four people remained. The other three had finally realized they couldn't continue to gain enlightenment from the Immortal ruins, and had decided to create their divine abilities. Of those three, the individual who had found the most Immortal ruins had found 76.

The divine abilities they created were powerful. One of them caused eleven stone steles to descend, which provoked a lot of attention.

Ten more days passed, and of the four remaining people on the Ancient Roads, two of them could not continue, and chose to create their divine abilities. One of them was the young man with the mosquitos, who had found 89 Immortal ruins. At that point, he created a thirteen-stele divine ability.

Quite a few people were astonished by this, and the young man quickly rose to prominence.

As of this moment, there were only two people left on the Ancient Road. One of them was Naruto, and the other was the young man in the mask, Ashitaba!

Ashitaba had already found the 93rd Immortal ruin, and was now the second person in the trial by fire to have exceeded Sir Nauma.

He and Naruto were the focus of the attention of the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Three more days passed. Naruto coughed up some blood, and his vision went blurry. During the more than twenty days that had passed, he had sustained injuries on multiple occasions as he forced himself to continue to contemplate the nine bridges, and imprint their image on his mind.

It was difficult, but with his intense willpower, he was slowly but surely able to continue to grind away. He was not so wildly ambitious that he intended to commit all nine bridges to memory, only the first one.

Finally, the twenty-first day arrived. In this special location, contemplating enlightenment for that amount of time was like spending more than two hundred years on the outside. Rumbling filled Naruto's mind, and his eyes shone with the glow of enlightenment as the full image of the first bridge materialized in front of him.

In that instant, deep within his mind, he was able to sense exactly how damaged the bridge was. Suddenly, ninety-nine percent of the bridge actually vanished, and he found that the first bridge was actually… nothing more than a fist-sized rock!

It was a mere stone, but even looking at it caused Naruto to cough up blood, and he knew that if he approached it, he would be destroyed in body and spirit. These more than twenty days of contemplation were like two hundred or more years in the outside world.

In the moment that he understood the real situation regarding the first bridge, and the outline of the bridge itself appeared in his mind, images began to appear in his eyes, a vision.

Within the vision were nine enormous suns hauling an astonishing statue. They seemed so large that they were impossible to see the ends of. An army of countless cultivators lashed out with attacks that ripped a huge hole in the air, which they then entered.

Behind the shocking statue were nine astonishing bridges that shook the heavens. Boundless light that covered everything radiated off of them.

The scene caused Naruto's mind to tremble, and reminded him of the things he had seen back in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple. Some of the images were almost exactly the same. 1

Then, the vision changed. He saw a world-shaking war. Countless living things were being slaughtered, and heavenly bodies collapsed. The starry sky shattered, and in every breath of time, endless numbers of lives perished.

The nine bridges exerted incredible pressure, causing the starry sky to begin to collapse. Next, Naruto saw three enormous figures appear up above. When they joined forces, the starry sky disappeared, and the world went black, as if all the auras in existence were absorbed, condensed to form nine mountains, which then crushed down toward the nine bridges.

The bridges… shattered!

The vision abruptly ended. Naruto had no time to thoroughly analyze the images before they vanished. He was left standing there, his jaw slack, his eyes wide. His mind was blank and trembling.

"Those nine mountains…." Naruto was panting. From what he could sense, he had only been able to glimpse a tiny bit of some huge secret.

"Why does the world I live in consist of only nine mountains and nine seas, with four planets circling around each of those mountains?!

"I never thought about it too much before, but how come Planet Lands of Ninshu is so special? Why did that Outsider want my parents to guard it?!

"Also, what about that place I went to underneath the Ancient Dao Lakes on Planet Lands of Ninshu? That being which was crushed and then sealed there said something like… Immortals are the source of all chaos! 2

"What exactly does that mean?!" Naruto's breathing was unprecedentedly ragged, and he was shivering all over. He now had an idea of what it all meant, but didn't dare to consider that it was true.

As his mind trembled, the nine bridges in front of him vanished. This time, they really were gone; even when Naruto searched with his divine sense, he was unable to find them.

After a long moment of silence, Naruto sighed lightly. The matter of the vision was something far removed from the current situation, and considering the level of his cultivation base, he wasn't really qualified to begin to probe such secrets.

"One day, I'll understand it all!" he thought, his eyes shining with determination. He took a deep breath and sent his divine sense out one last time. Seeing that it was impossible to locate the bridges, he decided to search for the Immortal pavilion that Dengaku had mentioned.

Several days later, he still remained empty handed. No matter what methods he used, even closing his eyes, he was unable to detect any Immortal pavilion. In fact, he was now fairly certain that he would be unable to find it at all, so he decided to sit down cross-legged in the location where the nine bridges had stood, and begin to create his divine ability!

He quickly slipped into a trance.

Many ideas and thoughts flitted through his mind, as well as numerous flickering images. The enlightenment he had received in the 99 Immortal ruins began to merge together, until finally, a will exploded out from within his mind that was a divine ability belonging solely to him.

As Naruto was piecing together the enlightenment to create a divine ability, Ashitaba had passed the 95th Immortal ruin, but could not find the 96th.

After a while, he had no choice but to stop regretfully and begin to create his divine ability.

By this point, everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, as well as the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, were now waiting to see what types of divine abilities Naruto and Ashitaba would create.

There was something else going on that nobody in the palace noticed. Although the elders from the Three Great Daoist Societies seemed to be looking at the vortex screens with glittering eyes, deep within their gazes could be seen faint sighs of disappointment.

Such sighs were deeply hidden, yet seemed to be a disappointment that was not entirely unexpected.

Days passed, and the anticipation among the audience out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea only continued to grow.

"Just what types of divine abilities are Kazama and Ashitaba creating? Which one will have the most stone steles?!"

"My guess is Kazama. After all, he gained enlightenment from 99 Immortal ruins. That's unheard of!"

"It won't necessarily be Kazama. It could be that he just took advantage of some lucky situations. In the end, I bet the best divine ability will be created by Ashitaba!"

"If neither of them can create a sixteen-stele divine ability, then that means Shikamaru will take first place in the sixth, seventh, and eighth stages!"

Two more days passed, when suddenly the area around the masked Ashitaba burst into flames.

The flames were black, and instantly set the Heavens ablaze. Ashitaba's eyes opened, and his pupils were composed entirely of fire!

Flames roared all around him, covering the land, burning everything. The entire world became a sea of flames, and then began to melt, as if it couldn't sustain the heat. The people outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were now able to clearly see Ashitaba and everything that was happening in his world.

Gasps rang out from many areas in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and in the palace in the starry sky, the Patriarchs looked on with strange gleams in their eyes. The old man from the Bones of the Flamedevil, one of the Five Great Holy Lands, couldn't help but observe with wide, glowing eyes.

"Ashitaba is incredible! What type of flame divine ability did he create? It can actually melt the entire world!"

"He'll definitely get at least sixteen steles. His divine ability appears to be on a similar level as Shikamaru's, but from the feel of it, it's more powerful!"

Ashitaba slowly stood, a proud expression on his face beneath the mask. Then, he breathed in three times.

Each breath caused everything to tremble, and the flame sea to spread out even farther. After three breaths, the entire world was engulfed in flames. Finally, Ashitaba inhaled deeply.

When he inhaled, all of the flames in the world began to churn and roil, tumbling toward Ashitaba as he sucked them into his body.

Next, a rumbling sound emanated out from his body, and although no one could see any flames, when they looked at Ashitaba himself, it caused them to feel twinges of pain like that caused by fire.

"A body magic!"

"Heavens! That's the most difficult thing to create! A body magic!"

"It's not just any body magic, that's almost a Daoist magic!"

"Although it's not a complete Daoist magic, it's definitely unique. If in the future he continues to cultivate it to the peak, there's a high likelihood he could refine it into a true legacy Daoist magic!"

Everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely shaken. In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs of the various sects looked on with strange gleams in their eyes. The elder from the Holy Land of the Bones of the Flamedevil chuckled and rose to his feet.

"Presumably, this young man is not the type to be selected by the Three Great Daoist Societies. This magic is connected by destiny to the Bones of the Flamedevil. Ladies and Gentlemen, I humbly request that you do not compete with me in this matter." Even as he spoke, the old man moved with incredible speed. However, at the same time, eight or nine other people sped forward.

Of the Five Great Holy Lands, Shikamaru and Fatty had been taken by the Moonset Lake and the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum respectively. Up to now, only the Blue Lotus Sky, Mount Sun, and the Bones of the Flamedevil hadn't truly made a move. Now, though, they sprang into action.

Even as they neared Ashitaba's world, rumbling echoed out as multiple stone steles descended. One, three, five, seven….

In total, seventeen stone steles appeared!

One more than Shikamaru!

Each one of the seventeen stone steles was fully three hundred meters tall, and as they spun around Ashitaba, they turned into a vortex that sent light towering up into the sky. Ashitaba stood in the middle of it all, surrounded by the boundless glow, looking like an unparalleled Chosen.

When the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw the seventeen stone steles, they were completely shocked.

"From ancient times until now, he's second only to Sir Nauma!"

"Seventeen stone steles! He's definitely worthy to have been enlightened regarding 95 Immortal ruins! He created a body magic that summoned seventeen stone steles!"

"It's impossible to predict what kind of future he will have, especially since his cultivation base is at the peak of Dao Seeking. Once he joins a sect, he'll get some training and will definitely become an incredible Chosen!"

All sorts of envious and jealous comments could be heard echoing out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. In Ashitaba's world, the Patriarchs from the various sects had arrived. After some bickering, the Bones of the Flamedevil managed to recruit Ashitaba as a disciple.

As of now, the only person left in the world of the sixth, seventh, and eighth stages was Naruto. His divine ability had not fully been created yet.

Everyone was now watching closely, including the Three Great Daoist Societies in the palace up in the starry sky.

The anticipation in the air continued to grow more intense.

"If he can outdo everyone else, then he'll take first place! Let's see how many stone steles his divine ability will cause to descend!"

"He gained enlightenment from 99 Immortal ruins. If he gets anything less than fifteen stone steles, it would be completely disappointing!"

"It's hard to say. I heard that one year, somebody gained enlightenment from 98 Immortal ruins, but in the end only created a nine-stele divine ability!"

Three days later, as Naruto sat there cross-legged, his eyes suddenly opened.

"Each time I gained enlightenment from the first 98 Immortal ruins," he thought, "I saw images of spirit stones and promissory notes. In the future, I hope to make all the Chosen in the great Nine Mountains and Seas write me promissory notes!

"That is my grand aspiration….

"Writing me a promissory note is also sowing Karma, and those Karma threads can be used to interfere with fate. However, most people aren't willing to write promissory notes. Therefore… I will create a divine ability that forms ties of destiny with them by force!" Naruto's eyes glittered and he raised his right index finger.

Immediately, the world began to tremble as countless threads appeared. Some of the threads were bright, and some were dark, but all were Karma Threads, and they did not originate from this world, but from Naruto!

Shockingly, just a movement of his finger had caused all of his Karma Threads to become visible. The entire world began to shake even more violently, and roaring filled the air, as if the entire place were about to collapse.

Naruto looked up and gazed at the Karma Threads, and his eyes glittered brightly. He suddenly formed his right hand into a claw, which reached out and grabbed one of the Karma Threads. The instant he touched it, he suddenly saw an image of Fū.

He yanked on the Thread, and it twisted. At the same time, Naruto pulled out a piece of paper. Then, he unhesitatingly caused the Karma Thread to twist into the shape of a magical symbol, which he then imprinted onto the piece of paper.

As soon as the mark appeared, Fū, who sat cross-legged in meditation in the Nine Seas God World trying to suppress the female corpse on her back, felt a tremor run through her. Her eyes opened wide and then shone with astonishment.

Next, her face flickered, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. A look of astonishment covered her face.

"What just happened? Did somebody just use the Dao of Karma to plot against me?"

In the instant that Fū's face flickered, Naruto's expression became one of excitement. He took a deep breath, and then a strange light appeared in his eyes. This magic which forced ties of destiny was only in the first level of development. In the second level, he would be able to fuse promissory notes into the Karma Threads, and then unleash the full divine ability.

As far as the third level went, he would be able to use the promissory notes as Karma seeds, which, if successfully planted and the magic was allowed to grow to its full extent, would give Naruto the power to determine life or death with a mere thought.

"This is my divine ability. A Writ of Karma. It might not be complete, but in the future, as my cultivation base grows more abstruse, I WILL perfect it!" As Naruto's words rang out, the world around him shook, then filled with fissures. Everything trembled as Naruto came into clear view of everyone on the outside world.

The Patriarchs up in the palace were shocked.

"It's a Daoist magic!"

"It's the Hebi Clan's Dao of Karma! Wait, no! It's something different than the Hebi Clan's Dao of Karma! The Hebi Clan severs Karma, but this forcefully ties destiny together. It's equally domineering, equally shocking!"

"That's not just a Daoist magic, that counts as a secret magic! Kazama's intuition is incredibly high!"

"I'm curious to know what enlightenment led him to create such a Daoist secret magic like this!"

Daoist magics were rare, but secret magics were even rarer!

The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were looking on with wide eyes. Gasps could be heard, and unprecedented looks of astonishment could be seen.

"This defies belief!"

"This Kazama created a magic that seems to be both a Daoist magic and a secret magic! I'm afraid only the powerful experts from the great sects would be able to understand it!"

"In any case, it caused the world to begin to collapse. Now, I wonder how many stone steles will descend!? Will he exceed Ashitaba?!"

As the world trembled around Naruto, intense rumbling sounds could be heard as the stone steles began to fall.

One, three, five, seven….

People looked on, astonished, as a total of twenty-one stone steles descended. They Circulated around Naruto endlessly, creating a completely astonishing spectacle.

Instantly, the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea began to seethe with excitement.

"Twenty-one stone steles! Heavens! That… that exceeds Sir Nauma!"

"Inhuman! This guy's battle prowess is monstrous, and his creativity is inhuman! Even though we couldn't see his latent talent, it's surely extraordinary! He'll definitely take first place in this trial by fire!"

"I bet all of the Three Great Daoist Societies are in shock! Twenty-one stone steles! This Kazama is definitely going to be famous in the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were all sitting there as before. However, everyone else had already leapt to their feet. Their eyes shone with incredible brightness. If by any chance the Three Great Daoist Societies did not want to recruit Naruto, then they were ready to fight over him.

All of the disciples that had been recruited before Naruto could still be considered Chosen. However, sometimes people or events can come along that are simply beyond compare. Attempting to compare them with others would be unfair.

In the vast Eastern Lands, Minato and Kushina looked at each other and smiled. Kushina's face was covered with a proud smile as she looked back at Naruto on the vortex screen, and her heart filled with love.

"Little bastard!" muttered Patriarch Reliance. "It's good that in the end, you didn't lose me any face!"

Pill Demon and Sakura both let out light sighs. Sakura didn't understand much about Naruto and his proclivity toward promissory notes, but Pill Demon knew something of it, and a strange expression could be seen on his face. As for the rest of the crowds, most of them didn't understand Karma very well, but they could speculate as to the general idea.

"With a magic like this, who will ever dare to refuse to write me a promissory note!" Naruto was inwardly delighted, and completely satisfied with the divine ability he had created.

At this point, everyone assumed that the Three Great Daoist Societies would swoop in to recruit Naruto. The Nine Seas God World and the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto were definitely moved, and they were just getting ready to enter discussions with the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, when all of a sudden, Naruto suddenly closed his eyes again. Apparently… he was sinking back into contemplation!

This scene instantly caused everyone to stare in shock.

"What is he doing?"

"Could it be… could it be that he intends to create another divine ability?" Even as shock rolled through everyone, a bright light suddenly began to shine around Naruto, and the music of a great Dao began to echo out.

Naruto truly was in the midst of contemplating enlightenment. The reason he didn't immediately absorb the power of the twenty-one stone steles was that, considering his current state, he was now ready to use his understanding of the nine bridges to create another divine ability.

"He's actually going to create another divine ability!"

"How… how is that possible? He already created one divine ability, how can he create another one? Does he think that creating divine abilities is as simple as eating or drinking?"

All the spectators in the outside world were completely shocked, even Naruto's father and mother. The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were also staring with wide eyes.

Ashitaba, as well as all the other competitors who were now waiting outside, stared at Naruto in a daze.

This was especially the case when, only a few hours later, a massive rumbling sound surrounded Naruto, and an intense energy surged up from him. Because the previous world had already collapsed, the energy affected the altar Naruto sat on, which everyone could see. There was no need for them to experience the divine ability; everyone was able to sense that this incoming divine ability was incredibly shocking.

"He's actually creating another divine ability! What kind of jinx is this guy?!" The crowds were in an uproar, and before they even had a chance to calm down, Naruto suddenly frowned.

"No," he murmured, "my line of thinking was a bit off." He waved his hand, causing the surging energy that had shocked everyone to suddenly be extinguished. Once again, he began to contemplate.

When everyone saw that happen, they were left completely speechless…. The other competitors in the trial by fire began to smile bitterly. The divine ability that Naruto felt to be off, was actually far more powerful than any of the divine abilities they had created. Each and every one was left completely without words.

After a few more hours, energy once again began to surge up from Naruto. But then….

"Off again!" he said angrily. He once again quashed the energy and started over.

The crowds were now looking at each other, dumbfounded. They began to smile wryly as they looked over at Naruto on the vortex screen.

As for the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, their eyes were shining brightly, and it looked like they were getting ready for a struggle. An inhuman cultivator like this was someone each and every one did not wish to allow the Three Great Daoist Societies to recruit as a disciple.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were gaping in astonishment. Then, they exchanged glances, and within each others' glittering eyes, they could all see anticipation and something hidden deep within…. Hope!

This was a hope that they had held throughout all the numerous times they had hosted this trial by fire in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

It was actually a far more important reason than disciple recruitment!

The three elders were panting slightly, but considering their high cultivation bases and levels of concentration, it didn't matter how many years they had watched the recruitment event with such hope; they wouldn't allow others to pick up any clues by looking at their facial expressions.

However… a virtually imperceptible flicker of astonishment could be seen in the eyes of the old man from the Baldy Society, who seemed to have picked up on a few of the oddities about the situation.

Time passed by slowly. Several hours later, rumbling once again surrounded Naruto, quickly vanished… and then returned with even more intensity than before.

This indicated that the divine ability Naruto was creating was growing in power!

The audience in the Ninth Mountain and Sea stared fixedly at the vortex screens, and the cross-legged Naruto. They waited in keen anticipation to find out what miraculous divine ability he would create.

"That Daoist magic from before caused twenty-one stone steles to descend. Then he started making another divine ability. If he succeeds… I wonder how many stone steles will appear?!"

"This is unheard-of! The ancient records don't contain information about the first time the Three Great Daoist Societies held this trial by fire, but from the time records were kept until now, nobody has shaken the stars like this shocking Kazama!"

"A Chosen like that would be the focus of all attention no matter which sect he joined. It's just strange that before today, I've never heard of him before!"

The buzz of conversation echoed out everywhere, both in the outside world, and among the trial by fire competitors on the Ancient Road. Everyone was shaken by Naruto.

They were all waiting… for Naruto's miraculous creation!

The next day, more shocking rumbling could be heard. The following day, the sound of it filled the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Three days later… it once again began anew. Even the people on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing could hear it.

It had filled the entire Ancient Road!

More people were astonished than ever!

Four days later, the intense roaring that echoed out from Naruto left the Ancient Road via the vortexes, passing out into the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

When that happened, Naruto finally opened his eyes.

In that instant, boundless, radiant light poured out from his pupils, such that anyone who faced him would feel blinded by the piercing light. Naruto's expression was calm as he raised his hands into the air. There in his mind was the image of the first bridge, indelibly imprinted there, never to disperse for all eternity.

As he raised his hands into the air, the world around him began to tremble, and countless rifts appeared. The air swirled, and began to scatter in layers. In just a few breaths of time, all of the land around him was shattered and began to break down. Wind screamed, and the air collapsed.

As for Naruto, he remained cross-legged, but as everything around him dissipated, it seemed as if he was floating in the middle of nothing, surrounded by twenty-one stone steles, each one three hundred meters tall.

It was at this point that, all of a sudden, a rumbling sound could be heard coming from the boundless void up above. It was like an echoing roar, which was accompanied by… descending stone steles!

One, two, three… a total of nine made their way down to join the other twenty-one stone steles. Furthermore, these new steles were actually silver-colored!

Their appearance was far more magnificent than the other twenty-one steles, and far more shocking.

The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on with widened eyes, and the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were immediately sent into an uproar of disbelief.

"He… he isn't even finished creating the divine ability! He's just mobilizing his energy, but the stone steles already descended!"

"Those stone steles are silver-colored! I've never even heard of such a thing!"

"This divine ability is surely Heaven-defying! If it wasn't, how come a mere surge of its energy would cause the stone steles to descend, even before it's complete!"

"Just what divine ability is this?!"

While the crowds engaged in heated discussion, Naruto sat there, his face calm, his eyes devoid of either joy or sadness. His mind seemed to be completely immersed in silent contemplation of the first bridge.

His energy continued to grow more intense. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the image of the bridge in his mind suddenly began to expand, growing out in the blink of an eye, until it covered his entire body.

It was as if he had become the bridge!

And at the same time, the bridge… had become him!

Even more noticeable to Naruto was the indescribable pain that completely filled him. It was an anguish that made it seem as if a hundred streams of Chakra were ripping his insides open.

Great beads of sweat rolled down his face as within his body appeared… one hundred meridians!

These one hundred meridians were Immortal meridians, which previously had not yet existed inside of him. However, now that the bridge had spread out, it forced them open. Although it would only last for a moment, and was not permanent, it actually created a mold for Naruto's Immortal foundation!

When you added in the ethereal Immortal meridian he already had, it was a scene that would thoroughly flabbergast anyone who could see it. However, even the three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies would be incapable of seeing what was happening inside of him. Even if they tried to force their vision inside of him, all they would be able to see was a blinding light.

The instant the one hundred meridians were forced open inside of Naruto, massive rumbling could be heard as more stone steles descended from up above. Shockingly, there were nine gold-colored steles!

The sight of these nine gold-colored stone steles threw the crowds in the outside world, as well as the other competitors in the trial by fire, into complete tumult.

"Eighteen stone steles!"

"Heavens! Nine silver steles and nine golden steles! The divine ability isn't fully created yet, but… but there are already eighteen stone steles!"

"This guy is peerless among Chosen!"

Naruto couldn't hear the buzz of conversation from the outside world. His body was trembling, and he was filled with the sensation that this divine ability that he had created was indescribably powerful. It seemed like a magic that he was actually incapable of wielding with his current cultivation base.

It was a magic that required all one hundred meridians to be genuinely open before it could be used!

Even a weaker version would still need at least fifty meridians.

At the moment, all of his one hundred meridians had been forcibly opened, but Naruto knew that it was only temporary. He was borrowing power from his own good fortune, a result of his creation of a divine ability, and it was something that wouldn't last for very long. However, to Naruto, it was still incredible good fortune. It opened up a path for him, so that all he had to do was take a step forward, and he would be able to proceeded unhindered into true Immortality.

"Even if I can't actually use this magic for the time being, I will still see it completely created!" His eyes shone with determination as the full power of his cultivation base surged into action, causing an intense roaring to fill the air.

Gradually, the image of a bridge started to be visible behind him!

The bridge was just a vague illlusion. If a perfectly clear image of the bridge could be considered a hundred percent, then this illusory image would only be ten percent!

However, even with only ten percent clarity, it was still filled with an archaic, ancient aura. It seemed to be filled with a natural law that did not conform with the Nine Mountains and Seas. That natural law was Heaven-defying, as if it could split open the vault of heaven, and place the Heavens… beneath its feet!

The energy was boundlessly domineering, as if, when it looked out, all living things would have no choice but to worship on bended knee! This was a supreme power!

Naruto began to tremble with increased intensity. The one hundred meridians that had been opened had been shining with boundless light moments ago, but were now beginning to grow dim, as if their light were being sucked in by the bridge.

In the blink of an eye, only thirty of the meridians remained open. At this point, a frenzied determination shone in Naruto's eyes. He tilted his head back and roared, and the remaining Immortal meridians inside of him went dim. In that instant, the bridge behind him suddenly became twenty percent clear!

That twenty percent caused all three Ancient Roads in the Ruins of Immortality to quake. Up above in the palace, the Patriarchs' minds were reeling. They appeared to be completely shaken. Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, there were even some cultivators who coughed up blood.

Furthermore, up above in the void appeared nine… seven-colored stone steles!

Nine silver. Nine gold. Nine seven-colored!

The entire world was dumbfounded!

"What divine ability is that!?"

"That's beyond a Daoist magic, and even above a secret magic! Just what magic is it?!"

"Could it be… could it be a legendary Paragon magic!?"

With the exception of the three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies, everyone in the starry sky palace was on their feet, faces filled with astonishment.

"Paragon magic! For Kazama to be able to create a Paragon magic while in the Spirit Realm means that his intuition is stupefying!"

"He can't actually use the magic right now, but in the future, when his cultivation base rises into the peak of the Immortal Realm, he'll be able to use this magic to slay experts of the Ancient Realm!"

The Patriarchs were now in an uproar. The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were completely astonished, and were staring with wide eyes and open mouths. They didn't know what Paragon magic was, but when the bridge appeared behind Naruto, they could sense their cultivation bases trembling!

Blood sprayed out of Naruto's mouth, and he was incapable of continuing on any further. The bridge winked out, and his body returned to its normal state. However, he felt completely exhausted, almost as if he were ill, and his face was ashen. But his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness.

"When that bridge appears, it is supreme and unparalleled. In that case, its name shall be…

"The Paragon Bridge!

"This is my second divine ability!"

Naruto slowly rose to his feet, under the eyes of the countless people watching in various locations.

Naruto took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and sent his divine sense out to the forty-eight stone steles.

He suddenly inhaled, and the stone steles trembled and began to emit Immortal Chakra. It transformed into a gentle power that rushed toward Naruto, surrounding him like a vortex. As he absorbed it into his body, his Immortal meridian almost seemed to come alive as it voraciously consumed the Chakra.

Thirty percent, forty percent, fifty percent, sixty percent, seventy percent!

Before coming to the Ruins of Immortality, Naruto's Immortal meridian had only been illusory. But now, it was consuming Immortal Chakra with shocking speed. The stone steles began to vanish, and by the time the last one was gone, the Immortal meridian inside of him was fully eighty percent solidified!

This was an Immortal Ancient Dao meridian, formed by the ancient bronze lamp. It was an Immortal meridian that exceeded that which any modern cultivator could have, and came from ancient times. According to Sai, it had even changed Naruto's destiny!

Now, it was eighty percent complete, and radiated Immortal might. Now, Naruto's cultivation base exploded with intense energy, that of a true Immortal!

With an Immortal meridian that was eighty percent complete, he now seemed to be undergoing huge transformations. Although he clearly was not a true Immortal yet, he was actually… even more powerful than Pill Demon when he had become a true immortal!

The crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were staring with wide eyes and slack jaws. Their minds were completely and utterly blank.

"He gained enlightenment from 99 Immortal ruins, created two grand divine abilities, and caused a total of forty-eight stone steles to descend…."

"Never before has something like this happened, and perhaps it never will again…."

"Which Daoist Society… will he choose to join?!"

As the discussions raged, Naruto stood there, filling everyone with unprecedented shock.

That was especially true of the Chosen of the various sects. By now, the name Kazama was deeply rooted in their hearts, and to them, he was clearly the most powerful opponent they would ever face.

"His energy… is that of a true Immortal!" The Patriarchs up in the starry sky palace were all panting, and their eyes shone with light.

"Earlier he was clearly not a true Immortal. Could it be that after creating that shocking Paragon magic, he actually became a true Immortal?!"

"There was a legend in ancient times that creating Paragon magic would transform the cultivation base. It seems that legend is accurate!"

"No, he's still not a true Immortal. He has the energy of a true Immortal, but lacks the Immortal root!"

As the other Patriarchs discussed the matter, the hope in the eyes of the three old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies grew even more intense. They did not speak, but they were all looking at Naruto. More specifically, they were looking at the area surrounding Naruto.

It was at this point that the old man from the Baldy Society suddenly said, "This Kazama has already created a Paragon magic. Logically speaking, he should now appear on the altar on the Ancient Road."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies narrowed their eyes.

By now, the forty-eight stone steles around Naruto had vanished completely. It was then that, all of a sudden, an ancient pavilion suddenly materialized directly in front of Naruto.

It was richly ornamented, and brimming with Immortal will. This was no ruin; it floated up above in the air, surrounded by green stone slabs and exotic plants. Its marvelous appearance made it seem like the only thing in existence.

Immortal Chakra swirled around it, letting off an ancient will, and a feeling of holiness. It was as if this place had at one time been a Holy Land.

The pavilion was decorated with carved black jade, and emanated intense pressure. It was the same feeling Naruto had gotten when looking at the nine bridges. In front of the pavilion was an enormous boulder, upon which two characters were written in calligraphy as flamboyant as flying dragons and dancing phoenixes.

Warrior Pavilion!

The two characters were blood red, and shone with intense light. When Naruto read them, he could hear roars that truly sounded like they came from real dragons and phoenixes.

As for the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they couldn't see what was happening clearly, because the vortex screen depicting Naruto had suddenly gone blurry.

People began to cry out in shock.

"What just happened?"

"All of a sudden, we can't see the screen!"

Back in the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies slowly rose to their feet. The other Patriarchs were staring in shock; they couldn't see the images on the screen either. Apparently, the Immortal pavilion blocked the view of anyone on the outside.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies had very serious looks on their faces as they looked at each other and then transmitted three sentences amongst themselves.

"He actually found it! Activate the spell formation and unleash the Heavenly communication magic!"

"I never imagined that, after all these tens of thousands of years of trials by fire, this day would finally arrive!"

"Throughout the years, our Three Great Daoist Societies have tried every means possible, but have been unable to even lay eyes on it, let alone acquire the legendary item within. According to our previous calculations, only people in the Spirit Realm can actually find the Immortal pavilion!"

Although no one could hear the three Patriarchs' words, the old man from the Baldy Society narrowed his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, his face suddenly lit up.

"So, it turns out that the Three Great Daoist Societies have repeatedly held this trial by fire throughout the ages, not just to recruit disciples, but for another purpose!"

Other Patriarchs apparently recalled something in particular and, from their expressions, seemed shaken. Despite their cultivation bases and abilities of concentration, they were still panting and trembling.

"Fellow Daoists from the Three Great Daoist Societies, this matter…."

The person who responded was the old man from the Nine Seas God World.

"This is a private affair of our Three Great Daoist Societies," he said, his eyes shining with a strange light. "It has nothing to do with you, Ladies and Gentlemen. In a moment, the trial by fire will continue!"

Meanwhile, Naruto was looking at the Immortal pavilion. It had appeared in front of him quite suddenly, apparently in response to his creation of the Paragon magic.

"Dengaku said that there were 99 Immortal ruins as well as an intact Immortal pavilion. Could it be that this pavilion is… the very one I was looking for before, but couldn't find?" His eyes went wide.

After a moment of thought, he was about to step forward when, quite abruptly, an ancient voice was transmitted into his mind.

"Kazama, I am Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World. I represent all of the Three Great Daoist Societies to pass a message to you. Use whatever means necessary to enter the Immortal pavilion and bring out a Esoteric compass that rests inside. If you do, the Three Great Daoist Societies are willing to give you any reward you wish. As long as it is within our power to accomplish, we will do it!"

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he didn't respond. However, he did stop in place, and a look of hesitation appeared on his face.

"There is no need to worry about any danger," Dengaku continued. "The Immortal pagoda appeared because of your good fortune, and I am personally unable to appear there at all; if I were to appear there, it would cause the pavilion to immediately vanish. As for you, there will be no danger to you when you go inside."

Naruto hesitated for another moment before a gleam of determination appeared, and he hurried forward toward the Immortal pavilion.

No one in the outside world could see what was happening on the screens. However, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were panting, and their eyes shone with a strange gleam.

They could not enter the world Naruto was in either, and could only remain on the outside. They had waited for many years for this particular opportunity.

As Naruto neared the Immortal pavilion, the pressure grew more and more intense. However, for some strange reason, while the pressure would have prevented any other person from getting close, it actually dissipated for Naruto, making a sort of personal path for him to walk.

Naruto's eyes glittered. He sensed no danger, so he slowly walked up to the Immortal pavilion and stood in front of it. Then he took a deep breath as he lifted his hand and pushed on the front door.

Absolutely no sound could be heard as the door opened. However, the instant it did, boundless light shone out from inside, blinding light that completely enveloped Naruto and then spread out in all directions outside of the pavilion. After a moment, Dengaku let out a miserable shriek. As it turned out, he had actually been following Naruto in an attempt to personally enter the Immortal pavilion.

However, the light instantly forced him back. Blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose and mouth, almost as if he had been cursed. Filled with fear and shock, he immediately shot backward and then left the world, lest he be killed.

Now, Naruto was the only person in the vicinity of the Immortal pavilion. He stood there in the light, completely unharmed, until the glow slowly faded away. He looked blankly at the pavilion in front of him, then took a deep breath.

"What is this place…?" he murmured. Inside of the Immortal pavilion, he could now see numerous shelves, which, shockingly, were completely filled with all sorts of magical items.

There was a whip that was surrounded by a dragon-like mist of swirling smoke. It appeared to have been constructed from sinew and tendons, and it emanated a shocking pressure, as if it had been refined from a true dragon. There was an ancient mirror, covered with cloudy mist. From the look of it, there was some living being sealed inside of it.

There was a crimson eye that, although shut, gave Naruto a shocking feeling when he looked at it.

There was a cauldron that rested atop a toad, which it seemed the cauldron was suppressing.

Further away was a long, green spear, with a spearhead carved from bone. When Naruto looked more closely at the wood that made up the shaft, his mind reeled. He recognized that wood! It was from… the World Tree! 1

There was a broadsword, stained with black, wet blood. That blood seemed to still contain a consciousness and was emitting shocking howls.

In addition to those items, there was also a Esoteric compass. For the most part, it was ordinary in appearance. However, a white crystal was inset into the very middle of the compass. The crystal emanated a gentle glow that caused the entire Esoteric compass to appear extraordinary.

From the look of it, the white crystal could be removed from the center of the compass, as if the compass had merely been created to allow the crystal to emanate its power.

There were many magical items of all sorts, the use of many of which Naruto was unable to determine. The whip was one of the more bizarre items, but actually any of them would cause a huge stir if they showed up in the outside world.

In addition to all the magical items, there was also a desk in the Immortal pavilion, upon which were some bamboo slips, as well as various other writing utensils.

Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with brilliant light as he took a step forward, entering the Immortal pavilion. As soon as he stepped foot inside, the door shut behind him.

Simultaneously, an ice-cold voice suddenly echoed out.

"In compliance with the last will and testament of the Three Great Paragons, anyone with a Spirit Realm cultivation base who creates Paragon magic may enter the Warrior Pavilion and select a treasure."

Naruto looked around, but couldn't see anyone except for himself in the Immortal pavilion. The voice that had just spoken was cold and detached, seemingly emotionless. After it spoke that single sentence, it said nothing further.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then began to look around at the various precious treasures, his heart thumping eagerly.

He actually wished he could take all of the magical items in sight, but after gazing about for a bit, his eyes came to rest on the Esoteric compass.

"That must be the Esoteric compass the Three Great Daoist Societies want me to get for them," he thought, his eyes flickering. After looking at the Esoteric compass for a moment, he began to mutter to himself.

"The Three Great Daoist Societies' trial by fire has an additional purpose, which is to get someone to come in here and retrieve this item for them. If I don't comply with their wishes, I fear my future will be fraught with grim possibilities after I leave this place." He wasn't quite willing to go along with their request, but after a moment of consideration, he looked at the Esoteric compass with glittering eyes. Then he stepped forward and picked it up.

In the moment he lifted up the Esoteric compass, he also retrieved a flying sword from his bag of holding and vigorously went to work trying to pry the white crystal out.

"You people think you can profit at my expense!? Never!" Gritting his teeth, he shoved down on the sword until a popping sound rang out and the crystal flew out from its spot in the center of the Esoteric compass. Naruto grabbed it, then smiled as he carefully put it away in his bag of holding.

Then he looked over the Esoteric compass again. It actually looked perfect. After ensuring that there were no scratches on it, he cleared his throat and looked around at all the magical items.

"Although that voice said I could only take one treasure, it didn't say anything about repercussions for taking another. I might as well try." His heart began to beat even faster as he walked over to the spear. He reached his hand out, but almost as soon as his hand was about to grab it, a powerful force of expulsion pushed back at him.

The cold voice once again rang out inside the Immortal pavilion.

"This item is not connected to you by destiny. You have already taken a treasure. You may leave now."

"Not connected by destiny?" thought Naruto. "Destiny is like the cause and effect of Karma. So does that mean that I have no Karma connecting me to these magical items?" A strange light gleamed in his eyes, and he suddenly cleared his throat. It was at this moment that the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex, the magic of Karmic Hexing, was suddenly unleashed.

The Seventh Demon Sealing Hex was a magic unique to the League of Demon Sealers. It seemed similar to the Hebi Clan's Dao of Karma, but was fundamentally different. As he unleashed the magic, Naruto's eyes gleamed with a strange light, and he looked around at all the magical items.

Instantly, he was able to see numerous threads attached to the various magical items. These were none other than Karma Threads.

All of the magical items had Karma Threads attaching them to the Warrior Pavilion, and now Naruto could see each and every one of them clearly.

"So, even magical items can have Karma on them," he thought. "Well, now I'm not so worried." Clearing his throat, he glanced around craftily.

"First, I'll hex the Karma on these magical items, and then I'll form a destiny connection with them!" Waving his hand, he caused the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex to cover all of the magical items in the Warrior Pavilion.

In the blink of an eye, bright light shot out in all directions, and the entire Warrior Pavilion began to shake.

Naruto's heart pounded as he waited for a few moments. Seeing that there was no further reaction, he relaxed a bit, then looked around craftily one more time.

"The floor tiles here are excellent," he thought, licking his lips. "Later on, I think I'll pry up a few to take with me. And the wood those shelves are made from is anything but ordinary….

"Those decorative tiles are nice too!" His eyes shone brightly as he took a deep breath.

He quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing Karma Threads to appear on top of his head. These were his own personal Karma Threads, which glittered with resplendent colors. Naruto settled his Chakra and calmed his mind, then searched through his Karma Threads until he found one that seemed to be on the verge of fading away.

That Karma Thread was the one that had been created when he first laid eyes on the spear moments ago. Of course, the thread was incredibly thin, as if even a slight breeze would cause it to scatter.

Naruto took a deep breath, then lifted his hand and pointed out toward that particular thread. Instantly, the Karma Thread twisted into the shape of a magical symbol, which then descended into Naruto's hand.

"Bind destiny!" he said. Instantly, the thread began to glitter with radiant light. At the same time, the spear began to tremble, as if it were struggling against something.

As it fought, the Karma thread attached to Naruto's head that represented the spear suddenly grew very clear. Now it seemed to be even more closely attached to Naruto, as if the Karma between the two of them was growing deeper.

"A Writ of Karma! Bind destiny!" Naruto's eyes shone with bright light, and he let out a bellow. The magical symbol on his right hand began to glitter radiantly as he crushed it. A boom rattled out as the magical symbol shattered. In the moment that it dispersed, the spear ceased struggling, and Naruto could suddenly feel something like a summons, echoing out from the spear.

Unable to withhold his excitement, he stretched his hand out into the air. The spear immediately flew through the air with a screaming whistling sound and landed directly in his hand

Naruto laughed out loud.

"Mine! All of the magical items here are mine now!" Even as excitement filled his heart, suddenly, a murderous aura surged toward him from behind.

The aura was so intense that it seemed capable of destroying him in body and spirit by merely brushing against him.

Naruto's face fell, and he jerked his head around. However, there was nobody behind him. The murderous aura was still there, though; apparently it came from the Warrior Pavilion itself.

Cold sweat dripped down Naruto's face, and he didn't dare to move. The murderous aura filled him with intense nervousness, and he began to edge his way toward the door. The murderous aura followed him as he went, as if it were attempting to intimidate him.

"I was just creating some ties of destiny!" Naruto said quickly. "What are you flipping out for?" After a moment, he continued, "Uhh… a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Warrior Pavilion, my brother, this was all just a misunderstanding, alright?" The murderous aura seemed as intense as ever.

After a long moment, though, Naruto sensed that the aura was dissipating. Seeing that it hadn't attacked him, his eyes darted around. He had half a mind to leave, but when he saw all the magical items around him in the Warrior Pavilion, he just couldn't make himself do it.

"Warrior Pavilion, my brother, don't pay any attention to me!" he called out loudly. "I'm fine here by myself. You get back to whatever it was you were doing, alright?" With that, he carefully sidled over to the sword covered with black blood.

Ever-vigilant of the murderous aura, he quickly used A Writ of Karma to find the Karma Thread that connected him to the sword, then bound the destiny as quickly as possible.

The sword trembled, and the murderous aura from the Warrior Pavilion exploded out. Cold beads of sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and used Ties of Destiny a few more times. After the third time, the sword stopped struggling, and an invisible connection formed between the two of them.

The sword flew out and began to swirl around Naruto like a dragon.

Naruto had no time to rejoice as the Warrior Pavilion's murderous aura exploded in intensity throughout the entire pavilion. It seemed to be incensed, and matchlessly fierce.

"That was the last time!" said Naruto. "The last time!"

He then licked his lips and stood in place, not daring to move for a long moment, after which he cautiously inched over toward a magical jade flower. Gritting his teeth, he immediately slammed A Writ of Karma into the magical flower. A magical symbol appeared; this flower was apparently different from the other magical items, and he succeeded on his first try.

Almost immediately, the shocking murderous aura caused everything to tremble violently. Naruto's entire body was now soaked with sweat.

"That was the last time!" he cried out urgently. "I promise, that was really the last time!

"Warrior Pavilion, my brother, it was really the last time. I'm taking off now, see you!" The intensity of the murderous aura caused Naruto's face to grow pale, and his heart to tremble. Even as he spoke, he quickly began to walk toward the exit.

However, after only a few steps, he couldn't help but use Ties of Destiny on a little bottle he saw on a nearby shelf. It was blackish-green, and although it seemed unremarkable, Naruto could sense a boundless aura emanating off of it.

"Dammit!" he thought, gnashing his teeth. At the same time, he found the Karma Thread connecting him to the bottle and used it to make a magical symbol. As soon as the symbol landed in his hand, he crushed it and, without taking the time to check whether or not he had succeeded, quickly grabbed the little bottle.

As soon as his hand wrapped around it, his body flashed toward the Warrior Pavilion's exit. At the same time, the murderous aura exploded toward Naruto at an incredible speed, and a faint roar of rage could be heard echoing about.

"The last one!" he cried. "That was really, really the last one. I'm going now, I'm going now!" Naruto's scalp was numb as he shot forward. Behind him, the murderous aura swept toward him as if to drive him out.

Next to the door was the table he had seen earlier. As he passed, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to grab a jade slip he saw sitting there.

That seemed to push the murderous aura of the Warrior Pavilion past the limits of its patience. It transformed into an explosive attack that shot toward Naruto.

A faint howl could be heard from within the murderous aura: "Get the hell out of here!"

When it smashed into Naruto, blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was flung toward the door like a kite with its string cut.

The door slammed open, and Naruto was thrown out, whereupon the door slammed shut again.

Almost immediately, the Warrior Pavilion began to fade away. At the same time, the scene was now clearly visible to the Patriarchs of the Three Great Daoist Societies up in the starry sky palace, as well as the Patriarchs from the other sects.

On the screen, they saw Naruto flying out, blood spraying from his mouth, his expression one of incredible determination. From the look of it, he had been willing to look death calmly in the face in order to complete the task assigned to him, and had been willing to pay any cost.

Naruto coughed up another mouthful of blood and then cried out, "Kazama of the junior generation, despite facing great personal injury and near death, went through hell and high water to accomplish the mission given to him by the mighty Three Great Daoist Societies!" With that, he produced the Esoteric compass and held it aloft.

It was a very moving image. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and his face was pale white. His body trembled, and he was clearly very seriously injured. His words, and the image he presented, instantly moved the three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies.

The three Patriarchs were panting, and were completely incapable of controlling the wild exuberance they felt in their hearts.

It was at this exact moment that the pale-faced Dengaku suddenly materialized in front of Naruto. He immediately made a grasping gesture with his right hand, and the Esoteric compass in Naruto's hand flew over to him. He nodded to Naruto, and then sighed inwardly with emotion. He himself had just been injured by the light from the Warrior Pavilion, and knew how dangerous it could be. When he saw the injuries Naruto had received, he was filled with sympathy. Then he noticed Naruto's solemn and stirring facial expression, and he suddenly had the feeling the things that had previously occurred between the two of them must have been misunderstandings.

"What a good kid!" he said. "Here, take this medicinal pill. It'll take care of those injuries!" Moved, he waved his right hand, causing a white medicinal pill to fly out and hover in front of Naruto. Because of his skill in the Dao of alchemy, Naruto could tell from the medicinal aroma of the pill that it was definitely a treasured pill.

"It's too bad I can't duplicate it right here and now," Naruto thought. He quickly accepted the pill and then put it into his bag of holding.

"I think you should eat it now," said Dengaku, looking concerned. "Those injuries are quite serious."

Inwardly, Naruto chuckled bitterly. He had no desire whatsoever to consume the medicinal pill. All he needed to do was activate his Eternal stratum, and he would recover almost immediately. However, Dengaku's was staring right at him, so Naruto endured the pain of his loss, clenched his teeth, and finally consumed the pill.

As soon as the medicinal pill dissolved into him, a warm current filled his body, and all of his injuries were healed.

"What a loss," he thought. "What a terrible loss. If I could have duplicated that medicinal pill, I could have sold it later for an exorbitant price." Inwardly, he was laughing bitterly, but on the outside he put on an expression of appreciation as he clasped hands and bowed toward Dengaku.

Dengaku nodded again. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Naruto was among the best of the best, both in terms of cultivation base and intuition, not to mention fate.

"I really misunderstood him in the matter of the latent talent and those other stages," Dengaku thought.

Smiling broadly, he then said, "Kazama, are you willing to become a Conclave disciple of the Nine Seas God World?!"

In response to the words, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace all looked on with glittering eyes.

The Patriarch from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite smiled faintly, a smiled that contained abstruse meaning. The Patriarch from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto hesitated for a moment. As for the Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World, he laughed out loud.

Naruto gaped for a moment, and was thinking about refusing. Then he thought about how funny it would be if he joined the Nine Seas God World under his assumed name Kazama, considering that Fū was also a member.

He cleared his throat and clasped hands.

"Junior is willing," he replied. "Unfortunately, I have a few random matters that I have to take care of. If senior is willing to give me a bit of time to handle those affairs, then when I'm finished, I will immediately go to the Nine Seas God World."

"Of course, if that is your wish," Dengaku said with a smile. "Why don't you think about it a bit. Once you get to the Nine Seas God World, you can give me your final answer." He waved his sleeve, causing a command medallion to fly out to Naruto.

"When you've taken care of your affairs, crush that medallion. It will bring you to the Nine Seas God World." With that, Dengaku turned and vanished. At the same time, the air around Naruto shattered. When things grew clear again, he was back on the altar on the Ancient Road.

All of the other competitors in the trial by fire were looking at Naruto with expressions of disbelief.

As for everyone in the outside world, although they weren't sure about the details of what had gone on between Naruto and the Three Great Daoist Societies, that didn't mean they were any less amazed regarding Naruto's rise to prominence in the trial by fire.

This was especially the case due to Dengaku's recruitment of Naruto as a Conclave disciple.

When the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea heard that, their gazes became torn between envy and admiration. All of them were staring at Naruto on the screen.

"He's pretty much the number one figure in the entire trial by fire. It's no surprise that he ended up joining the Nine Seas God World."

"I wonder if he'll participate in the final two stages. Of course, after that is the most important part… the arena matches!"

"If I were him, I would participate in the final two stages, but not the arena matches. After all, the Chosen from the great Sects will be able to join in the fighting there. They're qualified to do so without participating in the testing, which is why they don't walk the Ancient Road. They can directly go straight to the arena matches!

"This Kazama might be strong, but it's doubtful that he can measure up to all those Chosen."

"That's really too bad. Throughout the successive trials by fire put on by the Three Great Daoist Societies, the arena matches are the highlight. There are incredible prizes up for grabs!"

Even as the discussions continued outside, the ninth stage was beginning on the three Ancient Roads.

The number of people still participating in the trial by fire had already been significantly reduced. People had been eliminated consistently throughout the previous eight stages. Plus there were people like Fatty and the others who had been directly recruited and escorted away by various sects, and would not be participating in the final two stages or the arena matches.

Dengaku suddenly materialized on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

"The final two stages will assess the heart, and the Dao!" he said. He looked over at Naruto with an approving smile, and then swept his hands through the air. This caused everyone's positions to change once again, and Naruto was yet again in the lead position.

"The ninth stage refines the heart! The tenth stage inquires of your Dao!

"After these two stages, seven thousand Nascent Soul competitors, two thousand Spirit Severing competitors, and one thousand Dao Seeking competitors, will be chosen to partake in the arena matches!

"I must remind you that there are many prizes available during the arena matches. However, your opponents will not just be fellow competitors in the trial by fire. You will also be up against Chosen from various sects, as well as disciples from the Three Great Daoist Societies.

"This might be a bit unfair, but there are many things under Heaven that are like that. The truly mighty will definitely rise above the others!" Dengaku waved his hand again, and the altar once more began to grow hazy.

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were gazing steadily at the screens as they waited for the final two stages. In the palace in the starry sky, the various Patriarchs were also looking on with pensive expressions. None of them asked any questions of the Three Great Daoist Societies, but instead, focused on the competitors in the trial by fire who they had taken note of earlier.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies sat up front, their expressions calm. They themselves were the only ones who knew how truly excited they were.

Meanwhile, many discussions were being carried on in the outside world.

"The ninth stage tests the heart, and whether or not the contestants can be victorious over the Devil in their hearts!"

"That stage has something to do with willpower, but not a lot. The key to being victorious over the Devil in one's heart is not just willpower, but most importantly the certitude of one's Dao Heart. That's why the ninth and tenth stages are conducted together.

"I wonder if Kazama will continue to be the center of attention in this stage. If he stays in first place like he has so far, then his glory will be completely and utterly established. After all, he's completely surpassed tens of thousands of others in each of the various stages."

"I'd say… not necessarily. He might have come in first in the previous stages, but now that the final two stages are here, he's definitely exhausted. It will be difficult for him to succeed!"

As the discussions continued, the competitors in the trial by fire on the Ancient Roads were gradually being covered over by the blurriness as they were taken to a special world. This world was completely different than the others they had been to.

Naruto opened his eyes to see… a purgatory!

It was a world of flames. Even the sky was on fire, and what land was visible that didn't have flames was dry and cracked, without the slightest sign of life.

Furthermore, Naruto quickly realized that he had been strung up, bound by an iron chain. As he looked around, he saw that there were iron chains everywhere, all of which bound people.

Among those were Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing cultivators, as well as some Dao Seeking cultivators like Naruto. Naruto saw the young man in the mask, as well as Guy with his Nascent Soul cultivation base.

"What's… what's going on?!" Before coming into this world that tested the heart and the Dao, he had been full of confidence. After all, he had passed through all the previous levels as the center of attention.

Now, though, as he looked around at this unique world, for some unknown reason he was suddenly filled with a stifling sense of crisis.

He was not the only one to be regaining clarity. Around him, there were roughly a hundred thousand cultivators all recovering their senses. When they realized the situation they were in, they began to cry out in alarm.

"What is this place? How could the final two stages be like this!?"

"I never thought… I never thought that we would all be tested together!"

Naruto's breath came in ragged pants as he tested out the chain that bound him and found that he couldn't make it budge an inch. Also, his ability to use his cultivation base had apparently been suppressed, leaving him with nothing but the ordinary power of Dao Seeking.

Even more shocking to Naruto was that he could feel the iron chain that bound him swaying back and forth. Also, when he looked off into the distance, what he saw caused him to gape. In fact, there were even some people whose eyes went wide when they saw what was off in the distance, and they let out cries of shock and alarm.

Naruto was able to clearly see that at the very end of the iron chains that bound all the cultivators was an enormous cudgel, which was in turn slung over the shoulder of a giant!

The giant was gargantuan, and bare chested. He wore animal hide clothing, and his skin was pitch-black, with a violet tint. He moved forward at a run, which caused the iron chains to sway back and forth, making everyone attached to them feel as if the entire world was spinning.

The crowds in the outside world of the Ninth Mountain and Sea were equally shaken. They watched the vortex screens, and the gargantuan giant which had appeared.

"So the final two stages are like this!"

"What kind of test is this?"

It was at this point that a huge rift appeared in the sky of the world that Naruto and the others were in, out of which flew hundreds of thousands of figures.

These figures were not cultivators, but rather, winged beasts. Their appearances were savage, and they kicked up a shocking wind as they immediately began to fly toward the cultivators.

It was at this point that the giant suddenly stopped running, and then swung the huge cudgel into the air, which also swung the iron chains attached to its end. All of the cultivators were buffeted by gale force winds that made it feel as if they had been slammed into a huge cliff face. The cultivators were sent flying directly into the charging flying beasts.

The beasts' eyes were bright red, and voracious grins could be seen on their faces. They immediately pounced onto the cultivators, and in the blink of an eye, miserable screams could be heard. Many people were instantly killed in the initial salvo, completely wiped out by the beasts, who swallowed them alive.

A rain of blood fell down toward the ground, causing the sea of flames down below to dim and darken.

A vicious gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes as his body swung with the chain, completely out of his own control. However, he was still able to attack, and he didn't hesitate to perform an incantation with his right hand. He made a claw-like gesture, and lines of claw marks appeared, which slammed into an incoming beast's head.

A boom could be heard, and the beast shrieked, after which its head exploded. However, even as its body tumbled past Naruto, three more beasts appeared behind it.

More booms could be heard as Naruto attacked like the wind. He had a vicious personality that he now made no attempt to hide. His attacks sent blood flying through the air, and the killing intent which shone in his eyes grew more and more intense. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, more than thirty beasts had died under his attacks.

There were many other cultivators like Naruto, all engaged in fierce fighting. Gradually, more and more of them died. The few people that were left behind were now facing ever greater numbers of beasts.

Furthermore, some beasts had appeared that were similar to the Dao Seeking stage in power. Within an hour, false Immortal beasts were on the scene, and one cultivator after another died around Naruto. After two more hours passed, there were less than a hundred people, who were surrounded and quickly being overwhelmed.

Naruto held on for fifteen breaths of time before his body collapsed and his head was devoured by a beast. In the last moments before his death, he was able to see that he had held out long enough to be the last person to die.

Everything went black.

When things became clear again, Naruto found himself in a world of flames, with a dismal sky, and swaying chains. Everything he saw was exactly the same as before. Other people began to awaken, then stare around themselves in shock.

Naruto was also gaping, and then his scalp went numb. Apparently, nothing had changed. The giant was still running forward, and everyone who had died was back where they had been before.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, the rift opened up in the sky and the beasts poured down. It was all exactly the same as before, almost as if they had been reincarnated. Yet again the giant roared and flung the cudgel out. Naruto and all the other cultivators who were attached to the chains were once again thrust into battle.

Naruto quickly found that exactly the same beasts as before came to attack him.

After two hours passed, Naruto died. When he opened his eyes, the chains were still there, swinging….

Once, twice, three times…. Naruto quickly lost track of time and how many times he had died. Soon, people around him began to grow numb to what was happening. As soon as they were tossed out, they chose to die, then begin the cycle again.

An expression of frustration gradually appeared on Naruto's face. There was no way to leave this place. This was supposed to be a trial by fire, but there seemed to be no chance to live.

Die, die, and die again.

Revive, revive, and revive again.

Some people began to collapse into frenzied howls. However, that made no difference. Some people silently contemplated different methods of success, but all craftiness and plots were in vain.

Naruto watched as a Dao Seeking cultivator used some unknown method to try to possess one of the attacking beasts, then use it to flee. Soon, he vanished, apparently having escaped.

However, the next time Naruto regained consciousness, the man was still strung up on the chain, just like before.

As to what exactly had happened, the man gave no explanation.

Dying fills people with fear. Dying 100 times will make people numb. Dying 1,000 times can cause one to feel lost. Dying 10,000 times…

That can make someone feel as if they aren't even human any more.

Such an experience gave birth to pain, a pain that the competitors could only hope would just come to an end. A pain that spread into the hearts of everyone. Their hearts filled with torment to the point that their Daos were in peril of being lost.

This trial by fire was like an enormous grindstone, slowly crushing away their wills as it turned and turned.

More and more people gave up on fighting back. If fighting back 10,000 times in a row did no good, how many people were there that could persevere…?

Naruto persevered. Every time he woke up, he would continue to fight and kill the beasts that attacked him. 10,000 times.

As time went by, Naruto saw countless cultivators making various decisions. Some chose to try to flee. Some chose to attack the giant. Some chose to commit suicide.

There were even some people who attacked other cultivators.

Regardless of what they did, every time Naruto regained his senses, he saw the same people in the same places on the iron chains, without exception.

The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea watched the screens, and their hearts and minds trembled. If you said that the spectators had been shocked by the previous eight stages, then this stage left them completely astonished.

Before, they had been envious of the competitors, and had even sighed, wishing that they could switch places. Now that they saw what was happening in the final two stages, however, they could only watch silently.

As for how many times the cultivators had actually died, nobody knew.

"Just what kind of test is this? How does dying over and over again help their hearts and their Daos?"

"These last two stages are basically Hell!" By this point, the audience members were all breathing in ragged pants.

"You can see people trying all kinds of different methods. If you add everything together, it seems they're trying every possibility! But in the end, there's no other result than defeat."

"How can this test be passed? I'm afraid Kazama will have no way to clinch first place."

Complete silence reigned in the starry sky palace as the Patriarchs stared wordlessly at the display screens.

The dying continued, over and over again, an endless cycle.

Naruto remained silent and taciturn throughout the process. However, unlike many of the people around him, he never attempted to flee, nor did he lose his desire to fight. From beginning to end, every time he regained lucidity, he would begin killing.

However, his deaths came more and more quickly. That was because more and more of the others ceased resisting. When the iron chains were flung out, they would simply close their eyes and wait to die.

Gradually, fewer and fewer people were like Naruto, constantly fighting back. Of the tens of thousands of people who had started out fighting, there were now only a few thousand remaining. Suddenly, Dengaku's voice echoed out within the world.

"If you say 'I give up,' you can leave."

The instant these nine words spread out, among the countless cultivators who had grown numb to the constant dying and were once again on the verge of being killed, someone quaveringly spoke up.

"I give up…." As soon as he spoke the words, he vanished, leaving the world entirely.

After him, one voice after another began to ring out, and one cultivator after another began to vanish.

Without the presence of despair, if someone is given hope, they might not attach too much importance to it, especially if they have a steadfast heart and an unchangeable Dao.

However… if you torment someone to their limits and place them in the midst of despair, then give them a sudden scrap of hope, an opportunity to be extricated, then most people would not hesitate to grab that chance.

More and more people chose to give up. However, there were also others who had previously ceased resisting, who suddenly seemed to be filled with energy, and began to fight the beasts.

Time passed by. They died over and over again, and as they did, the words 'I give up' seemed to become like an inner Devil, lurking in the hearts of all the cultivators.

Simply speaking, all they had to do was say some words, and the constant torment would be over. They would be released.

"What a brutal test," said one of the Patriarchs in the palace.

"From ancient times until now, the mark to pass this stage has been 30,000 deaths."

"More than 50,000 marks a participant as Chosen!"

"To date, no one has exceeded 79,113. That was the mark set by Sir Nauma."

"So, he participated in this part too. Without the element of despair, perhaps many could grit their teeth and continue on. But with hope right there, so close that all they have to do is reach out and grab it, how many people will be able to persevere?"

"The ninth stage tests the heart, the tenth stage inquires of the Dao. These two stages test how strong one's heart is and how unyielding one's Dao is!"

"The longer they endure, the more terrifying everything becomes!" In addition to the Patriarchs in the palace who were discussing the matter, there were many outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea who were able to piece together some clues about the nature of the two stages.

"I heard that when Sir Nauma reached these last two stages, he died more than 79,000 times. He held on until he was the very last person before giving up."

The outside world was abuzz, but their discussions could not pass into the world in which Naruto was continuing to persevere. Inside of him, two voice were speaking, one of them telling him to give up, the other telling him to endure.

Every time, he would die wracked with pain, and would wake up confused. It is a simple thing to describe, but it was nothing short of torture. The number of cultivators left behind continued to shrink.

The sound of the words 'I give up' that echoed around was like the voice of that inner Devil. It actually caused even more of the remaining cultivators to eventually decide to quit.

Time passed by. Fewer and fewer cultivators remained behind. Soon there were only a few hundred. After three days, there were only a hundred. After another three days, there were only nine.

Of those nine, there were three who were enduring, but had ceased to fight back. It was a somewhat fraudulent method, and although it initially seemed as if it would lessen their torment, in the end, it actually made things even more painful.

The other six included Naruto. Every time he awoke, he would begin to fight.

He had no idea how many times he had died. His eyes were bloodshot, and everywhere he looked, he saw blood. Another three days passed, and the three people who had been passively allowing themselves to be killed, finally couldn't take it any more and gave up.

Of the five people other than Naruto who had continued to fight, four quit.

There were now only two people left. One was Naruto, the other was… Guy!

Guy fought. Every time he regained his senses, he fought viciously, almost as if he hoped to achieve some special state amidst all the carnage.

Out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, everyone was shocked. In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were watching with baited breath, closely observing Guy.

Guy had had his outstanding moments in the previous stages, but had not attracted much attention when creating his divine ability. Now, in these last two stages, he was suddenly rising to prominence.

"With such a heart and such a Dao, this young man has incredible good fortune!"

"He could give up at any time, but has endured all the way to this point! He's already died 70,000 times!"

"He'll most likely be able to hold on for a while longer. In this stage, the most difficult point is when there is only one person left. At that point, first place is secured, which leads to a softening of the heart, making it difficult to continue on. Even Sir Nauma, when he reached that point, didn't last for more than a thousand deaths before giving up.

A day later, Guy began to tremble, and finally chose to quit. He had endured for more than 70,000 deaths, which was second only to Sir Nauma's performance all those years ago. He was now quite the center of attention, and there were several sects who were preparing to try to recruit him.

At this point in the shocking trial by fire, everyone was looking at the final remaining participant… Naruto.

"He took first place in the first two stages, outshone the first place winner in the middle three stages, and then in the following three stages, took first place yet again. Now in the final two stages… he actually… took first place again!"

"He's definitely going to rise to complete prominence! Nobody can get in his way. As long as he doesn't get killed, then he's going to be thoroughly famous in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

"It's like we're looking at a future Paragon…." All of the cultivators who were watching the trial by fire out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea could now feel their minds spinning.

By now, especially after seeing the final two stages, they all had to admit that if they were in Naruto's place, they would not be able to do what he was doing.

Naruto was still hanging on. He knew that he was the only person left, and yet he didn't give up. A vicious, ruthless smile appeared on his face, and each time he regained consciousness, he would wade into battle with the countless beasts. It was in the middle of this carnage that he tempered his heart and his Dao.

"My Dao is the endless path of life, freedom and independence! Now, I am restrained by these chains, which is the furthest thing from freedom!

"My heart is unconstrained. If Heaven and Earth collapse, it will not be destroyed. If all living things become ancient, it will not wither. But now, it hesitates!

"My Dao is not free, but I desire freedom! My heart hesitates, but I wish to persist past the point of hesitation!

"This trial by fire is testing me, and I'm using it to polish my Dao. In this way, although I might seem to be restrained, in actuality they are nothing but chains. They can't tie me up, they can only polish my Dao!

"As for my heart, if I wish it to be unhesitating, then I need to endure. Endure to the point… where I do not feel pain in this trial by fire, but instead, happiness!

"When I pass this stage, then I will be truly free, and my heart will be incredibly strong!" Eyes shining brightly, he launched an attack.

73,000. 76,000. 79,000….

80,000!

When Naruto died for the 80,000th time, the audiences in the outside world roared, and the patriarchs in the starry sky palace, despite being somewhat accustomed to how Naruto worked wonders, were still completely shaken.

"He exceeded Sir Nauma!"

"I just added it up, and that was the 80,000th death! That puts him in first place among everyone from ancient times until now!"

"Kazama. Kazama! This name is definitely going to shock the Heavens!"

While the audience was in an uproar, Naruto continued to persevere. A smile could be seen on his face, and he actually seemed to be incredibly happy. It wasn't happiness because of dying, or killing, but rather, a happiness because of his own Dao. His heart was now growing even more resolute.

To his heart and his Dao, death… was unworthy of being anything more than a grindstone.

A few days later, he died for the 90,000th time!

A few more days, and it was… 100,000!

That 100,000th death caused universal uproar. When Naruto opened his eyes afterward, wild colors flashed in the sky, and a wind screamed. The giant slowly dropped to one knee and raised the cudgel aloft. The countless beasts that had poured out of the rift all dropped to the ground.

It was as if they were prostrating themselves in worship!

The stage had been cleared!

"What a Chosen!" By this time, all of the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace had risen to their feet with expressions of deep emotion on their faces. They were looking at the vortex screens, where the giant and the beasts were all bowing in worship to Naruto.

All of the sects wanted to recruit Naruto as a disciple, but the Nine Seas God World of the Three Great Daoist Societies had already made a move, leaving them with no opportunity.

It wasn't just the other Three Great Daoist Societies who were in such a position, but also the Five Great Holy Lands.

"This Kazama is one of the most incredible Chosen to appear in countless years!"

"Congratulations to the Nine Seas God World. Kazama will definitely demonstrate extraordinary talent and skill in the God World!" In response to such words from the various Patriarchs, the old man from the Nine Seas God World laughed heartily. His expression was one of extreme contentment.

By now, it was clear that Kazama was definitely in first place in this trial by fire!

Of course, the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were in commotion. When it came to the final two stages of the heart and the Dao, Naruto was the first person to ever clear the entire stage. Not even Sir Nauma had been able to do so.

Naruto had earned everyone's complete and utter attention!

"He definitely deserves to be in first place!"

"His name will soon shake the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea. He's going to be number one among all Chosen! Once he joins the Nine Sea God World, if he continues on this path of growth, he'll definitely become a Divine Son! If he and Fū get together, then they'll definitely become a legend!"

"You guys didn't notice, but in the final twenty thousand deaths, Kazama was actually happy! Compared to the pain everyone else was in, that's probably even more frightening!"

As the echo of discussion spread throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, Patriarch Reliance was out in the starry sky, looked quite pleased. Then, he suddenly shuddered.

"Dammit! I've been thinking about this wrong! What the hell does that little bastard's life or death have to do with me? His being the center of attention has nothing to do with the Patriarch! We're enemies! Dammit! Dammit! I've been looking at it all wrong!"

Also somewhere in the starry sky was Madara, his hair disheveled, his eyes narrowed as he looked off into the distance.

"Strong… much stronger than I remember," he murmured. Deep within his eyes flickered the glow of Sasuke's spirit. "Naruto, I truly can't wait until the moment when we meet again!" With that, he turned and disappeared into the distance.

In the Baldy Society, Pill Demon and Sakura looked on with trembling hearts. Having personally witnessed everything that had gone on in the trial by fire, were they not already aware that Kazama was Naruto, they would never have possibly drawn a connection between the two.

Kazama… really was the complete focus of attention.

"Planet Lands of Ninshu is too small," Sakura murmured, a twinge of obsession visible in her eyes. "You were being held back there. Your world… is out among the stars."

Back on Planet Lands of Ninshu, in the Namikaze Clan in the vast Eastern Lands, Naruto's parents looked at the vortex screens with smiles on their faces. Of course, buried within those smiles were emotional sighs.

"Naruto really is going to leave us," murmured his mother, her voice soft.

After a moment of silence, his father gently said, "Planet Lands of Ninshu is too small for him, and was limiting his growth. He was bound to leave Lands of Ninshu sooner or later. After this trial by fire is over, I won't try to get him to stay too long."

"But he's just a child," she replied bitterly.

"He's grown up. If you don't let him fly, how can he ever come to know the boundless universe?"

Meanwhile, on Planet West Felicity, Kazan was polishing his sword, and the desire to fight flashed within his eyes. Then he looked away from the vortex screen up in the sky.

"I must not underestimate all of the other members of my generation out there. I never imagined someone else like Naruto of Planet Lands of Ninshu existed. But now, this Kazama appears in the trial by fire!" The desire to fight burned hot in his eyes.

"I truly hope that you participate in the arena matches!" said Kazan, taking a deep breath and then closing his eyes. He would of course take part in the arena matches, and would actually lead the disciples of the Sublime Sword Flow Grotto into the fighting.

Only one cultivator from the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking stages would come out victorious in the arena matches. Then, they would be recruited as a disciple by one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, and become a Conclave disciple at that.

Of course, that didn't mean that participation was restricted. On the contrary, if disciples from the Three Great Daoist Societies participated and took first place, then they would also be able to join the Conclave.

As far as other sects went, they did not participate for the chance to join a Daoist Society, but rather, for the incredible prizes offered up in the arena matches.

In the Nine Seas God World, Fū sat cross-legged with her eyes closed. Her complexion was ashen, and there seemed to be a trace of Karma in it. For some reason, she kept thinking about Naruto, whom she hated with a passion that had permeated even her bones.

Behind her, as always, was the female corpse. When her master saw the corpse, he did not attempt to help her get rid of it. Instead, he told her that it was good fortune for her.

However, Fū did not wish to have good fortune like this.

"How come just looking at this Kazama pisses me off!?" thought Fū as she looked up at the vortex screen, her graceful brow furrowed. She was another of the Chosen who would participate in the arena matches.

In the Shimura Clan on Planet North Reed, Mei's expression was indifferent as she sat cross-legged in the clan's Daoist rite centers. Seated in front of her was a large group of Shimura Clan members, all of whom were listening to her give a speech about cultivation. To these clan members, Mei was like a celestial goddess, selfless, incorruptible, and aloof.

Occasionally, the vortex screens up above would draw the attention of the Shimura Clan members, and even Mei would occasionally look over.

When the clan members asked her if she would participate in the arena matches…

"Yes, I will!" she responded coolly.

Bisuke, as well as Chiriku of the Church of the Emperor Immortal, were both required by their sects to participate in the fighting. Virtually all of the sects and clans sent their Chosen to join the arena matches.

Some of them were people Naruto knew, but many were Chosen who hadn't ever been to Planet Lands of Ninshu.

In the outside world, everyone was preparing for the arena matches. As for Naruto, the world around him shattered into pieces. When he reappeared, he was back in the lead position on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

Behind him were all the other competitors in the trial by fire. They looked at Naruto with awe in their eyes, even the masked young man and the cultivator with the mosquitos.

Naruto had used his own strength to crush the other participants in virtually every way.

Dengaku materialized up in midair. He hovered there, looking at the crowd for a moment before speaking.

"The ten stages of testing have concluded," he said coolly. "Being responsible for the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, I will now select one thousand people to continue." With that, he waved his hand, causing several thousand Dao Seeking cultivators to instantly vanish, teleported back to their places of origin.

One thousand people remained.

"All of you have passed the testing phase. Next, you may decide whether or not to participate in the arena matches.

"In the arena matches, anyone who makes it to the top 100 will receive a prize of 1,000 Immortal jades. Perhaps some of you are unfamiliar with Immortal jades. They are objects that can be used in cultivation after you reach the Immortal Realm. They are a rare thing in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. 1,000 Immortal jades is similar in value to 10,000,000 spirit stones."

Originally, Naruto hadn't been very interested in participating in the arena matches. However, when he heard this, his eyes went wide and began to shine with a bright light.

"10,000,000 spirit stones…." he thought, panting. "The Three Great Daoist Societies are way too rich! You get 10,000,000 spirit stones just for getting in the top 100?!" Naruto was now feeling a bit excited.

"If you get into the top 16, the prize is 5,000 Immortal jades," Dengaku continued. As his voice echoed out, Naruto got even more excited. All of the remaining participants were now panting eagerly.

"If you reach the top 8, the prize is 10,000 Immortal jades!"

Naruto's mind filled with roaring, and he was mentally adding up how much 10,000 plus 5,000 plus 1,000 Immortal jades was in spirit stones. After finishing the calculation, his eyes began to shine with fierce light.

"The prize for reaching the top 4 is an Immortality Illumination Vine!" continued Dengaku, which instantly caused many among the thousand remaining participants to cry out loud in disbelief. Naruto didn't seem to care too much, but the eyes of the others around him instantly went completely bloodshot.

To most people, Immortal jades were just material wealth, and although they could be used in cultivation, that wouldn't help until the Immortal Realm. However, an Immortality Illumination Vine could completely change one's fate in life, and could make true Immortal Ascension possible!

This was especially important because of the fact that a true Immortal had recently appeared on Planet Lands of Ninshu. In the following thousand years, Immortality Illumination Vines could be considered precious treasures to everyone, except perhaps Naruto.

They could change fate and determine the future!

There were different prizes offered on the other two Ancient Roads. However, regardless of the stage they were in, when the cultivators found out what rewards that were being offered, it sent their blood boiling. They weren't the only ones. When the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea heard of the prizes available on the three Ancient Roads, their eyes went bloodshot, and they began to breathe heavily. Were it not for the fact that they didn't possess the requisite qualifications, they too would be there to participate in the fighting.

This was especially true when they heard that one of the prizes on the Ancient Path of Dao Seeking was an Immortality Illumination Vine.

"I can't believe the prize is… an Immortality Illumination Vine!"

"Dammit! If I had known that, I would have participated! In the next thousand years, anyone who has an Immortality Illumination Vine has a high likelihood of becoming a true Immortal!"

"True Immortality! Although using an Immortality Illumination Vine doesn't measure up to seizing destiny, it doesn't matter how you become a true Immortal among the stars, you're still a true Immortal!"

Dengaku looked out with satisfaction at all the looks of shock. However, when he looked at Naruto, he could tell that although he was cheering like everyone else, it seemed a bit perfunctory. After a moment of thought, Dengaku spoke out again.

"Kazama, although you are a Conclave disciple of the Nine Seas God World, if you don't perform enough meritorious service in the future, you won't be awarded with an Immortality Illumination Vine. You must seize this opportunity to acquire one."

Naruto quickly nodded his head, and then suddenly asked, "How many spirit stones is an Immortality Illumination Vine worth?"

Dengaku's jaw dropped.

"They're priceless," he responded. "If you put one up for auction, it's very likely that it would sell for millions of Immortal jades."

When Naruto heard that, his mind spun, and he began to tremble. Immediately, his eyes went completely bloodshot, and his expression turned completely vicious.

Seeing Naruto like this caused Dengaku to clear his throat. He was gradually starting to understand Naruto's personality a bit more.

"Whoever takes first place will receive a prize of…." Dengaku paused dramatically.

"A drop of blood passed down by the Three Great Paragons!"

The response to his words was complete silence. However, there were some people who began to tremble, and expressions of intense disbelief covered their faces, looks that exceeded the ones that had appeared when they were told about the Immortality Illumination Vines. The outside world was quiet too, but only for a moment, after which a great tumult broke out.

"A drop of blood from the Three Great Paragons! Heavens! That would contain the Dao of the Three Great Paragons!"

"The Three Great Paragons!? According to legend, they were powerful experts from ancient times. They… they actually left behind a drop of blood!?"

"Is this for real?!"

Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace could hardly believe it. They shot to their feet, panting, expressions of shock written on their faces.

Only Naruto didn't seem to have much of a reaction. However, Dengaku's next words, which were clearly directed at him, caused Naruto's heart to skip a beat.

"Kazama, if you put this drop of Paragon's blood up for auction, it would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone in the Ninth Mountain who could afford it."

Naruto took several more deep breaths, but he was unable to calm himself. Even he had to admit that deep down, his main weakness was… his love of money.

But that wasn't his fault! He had been poor since he was little, and even though lots of people owed him money, those debts hadn't been repaid. Things really weren't easy for him!

When he was young, he had been so poor that he developed a fear of lacking money. After he grew up, he entered the world of cultivation, and still had never really been rich. There was that short period of time in the Milky Way Sea, and his unexpected windfall. However, when he thought about it, the only reason he had been able to save up the money he had now was because he hadn't used the copper mirror in a long time. When he thought about how voraciously the copper mirror consumed wealth, it made Naruto feel completely impoverished.

1,000 Immortal jades made him excited. 10,000 sent his blood boiling. The value of the Immortality Illumination Vine made his eyes go bloodshot. Now, there was the drop of Paragon blood, which caused Naruto's eyes to go green.

When Dengaku saw that green glow, he stared in shock for a moment. He had never before seen a light like that shining in someone's eyes. This was the first time.

However, it only took a moment for more heavy breathing to be heard. Many of the other participants were much like Naruto, and didn't originally understand the value of a drop of Paragon's blood. When they heard Dengaku's second sentence, their minds filled with roaring.

They weren't the only ones. The Patriarchs in the starry sky temple were also panting; to them, a drop of Paragon's blood was like a precious treasure.

They were well aware that an item like that was something that only the Three Great Daoist Societies could possess. They would most certainly not have very many either. It was a precious treasure, the likes of which was not common in this age. And yet, unthinkably, the Three Great Daoist Societies were offering it up as a prize in this trial by fire.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies smiled slightly, but did not speak. Obviously, there was some profound meaning behind offering the Paragon's blood as a prize. Actually, it didn't really matter who it was specifically that acquired it. The point was to let everyone know that they had Paragon's blood!

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were seething with excitement. Even the Chosen out in the various sects who were preparing to participate in the fighting began to pant. The disciples from the Three Great Daoist Societies were much the same. Although they were members of the Daoist Societies, it would normally be impossible to acquire the things that were being offered as prizes unless they performed some incredible service to the sect.

But now… all they had to do was win first place, and it would be theirs!

Kazan rose to his feet, bursting with the desire to fight. "Paragon's blood…. It's impossible to say which Paragon, but if I fuse it into my Dao of swords, it will definitely make my Dao even more incisive!"

Fū's eyes went wide, and she began to pant.

"With that blood, perhaps I can finally free myself from this corpse!"

Mei, Bisuke and Chiriku, as well as the other Chosen, all had similar reactions. There were even some Chosen who had elected not to participate in the fighting, such as Sora and some others, who immediately regretted their decision.

"The arena matches will take place inside the Ruins of Immortality," continued Dengaku. "However, the location will not be here on the three Ancient Roads, but rather, on an ancient Dao Tree located further within!

"All of you will be given three days of rest, after which, I will personally take you to the ancient Dao Tree!

"During those three days, if any of you wish to leave, you may do so freely." With that, Dengaku turned to leave.

"Patriarch, please wait a moment!" Naruto hurriedly cried out.

Dengaku stopped in place, then turned back to look at Naruto. His eyes were filled with approval, and a smile could be seen on his face.

"What's the matter?"

A bashful smile could be seen on Naruto's face as he somewhat embarrassedly said, "Patriarch, er… earlier you mentioned that I could ask for anything I want, and you would give it to me. Well… I think that a drop of Paragon's blood would do nicely."

When Dengaku heard this, his eyes went as wide as saucers. He was just about to rebuke Naruto, when he noticed Naruto's expression. Then he thought about how stirring all of Naruto's actions had been, and his anger cooled.

"That is not something I can personally decide," he said, shaking his head. "How about this: once you get to the sect, we will continue this discussion." With that, he left.

"I knew all along they wouldn't keep their promise," Naruto thought. "I should have plucked off the pointer needle on the Esoteric compass too."

Time passed. None of the thousand participants on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking chose to leave. They all sat down in meditation, taking every moment of opportunity to practice cultivation, hoping to put themselves in top fighting condition.

Most of them felt quite drained from the previous ten stages of the trial by fire. They had expended much, were mentally exhausted, and their cultivation bases were running low. This was especially the case after the final two stages, and their near collapse into complete despair.

The torment they had experienced was severely draining mentally. However, the remaining 1,000 people were naturally outstanding individuals, so they took advantage of every moment to restore their energy.

Naruto had his Eternal stratum, so he was the only person who didn't need to spend any time recovering.

"So, there are three more days until the arena matches," he thought. "Why do I have the feeling that I've really lost out on a lot during my time here? I wasn't able to take the floor slabs and decorative tiles from the Warrior Pavilion, not to mention the shelving. There wasn't any time….

"The Three Great Daoist Societies took the Esoteric compass as well." He turned to look over at the trial by fire contestants on the other altars, then suddenly felt a flash of inspiration. He stood up and flew to the edge of the altar, and as he neared, sensed an intense pressure. A faint rumbling sound could also be heard.

The rumbling immediately attracted the attention of the other thousand participants. They looked over with wide eyes to see what Naruto was doing, and instantly, their faces began to flicker. Even the people in the outside world noticed and were shocked.

"What's he doing?"

"He needs to calm down! Why is he trying to move off of the altar?"

In the palace in the starry sky, the Patriarchs of the various clans looked on with shock. Dengaku suddenly appeared as well, and he looked on in astonishment.

Naruto had once again succeeded in drawing all attention onto himself. As he moved out into the gap between his altar and the one behind it, the pressure grew even more intense. Finally, massive rumbling filled the air, and great beads of sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead. He began to tremble, and yet, his eyes shone with a brilliant light.

When the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw this, they immediately picked up on what they thought were the hidden details, and began to heave sighs of praise.

"He's practicing cultivation!"

"He definitely deserves to have taken first place in the trial by fire! Even during the three days of rest before the arena matches, he actually refuses to waste time, and is working hard at cultivation!"

Soon, everyone came to the conclusion that the only possible explanation for Naruto's actions was that he was practicing cultivation.

The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace began to nod in approval.

"Excellent. Using the pressure weighing down on the Ancient Roads to practice cultivation. Considering the level of pressure, cultivating there for three days is like spending thirty days in the outside world. If you spent longer, you would get even more used to the pressure, and once you were released, would be able to unleash explosive might. Such a thing would give you much greater momentum going into the arena battles."

"No wonder he was able to take first place in the trial by fire. His awareness of cultivation is deeper than most people could comprehend."

As the Patriarchs nodded and discussed the matter, the three elders from the Three Great Daoist Societies were all smiling.

Meanwhile, the Chosen from the various sects on the outside were practicing cultivation in preparation for the arena matches. They cared little about most of the people they would be facing up against. However, there were some that had left them with deep impressions. Naruto, of course, was the one from whom they felt the most pressure.

When the Chosen saw Naruto practicing cultivation out in the pressure of the Ancient Roads, their expressions became serious.

"In a situation like that, to be able to think up such a method to practice cultivation…This Kazama really is extraordinary," said Kazan.

"This Kazama will be a formidable adversary." Fū frowned.

Mei, Bisuke, and Chiriku all had solemn expressions on their faces.

Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Dengaku hovered in the void, slowly nodding his head, the look of praise on his face growing even deeper.

Slowly, the participants on the other altars began to react. Quite a few began to imitate Naruto, and stepped off the altars and into the pressure. However, none of them could last for very long before being forced to return to their altars.

That only served to increase their awe of Naruto.

Four hours passed by, after which Naruto finally managed to close in on the nearest altar. On that altar, Ashitaba's pupil's constricted. Although he had long put himself on guard inwardly, his expression didn't change, and he looked over at Naruto coldly.

He had also attempted to move out into the pressure outside the altar, but had only been able to last for an hour before being forced to return. As for Naruto, he had persisted for four hours; that was something that left Ashitaba completely shocked.

At first, he assumed Naruto would only rest for a bit and then go back, but in complete contrast to his expectations, Naruto actually approached him.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, come no closer!" he said, his eyes glittering coldly. His hair was already standing on end, and he couldn't be any more vigilant. He waved his hand, causing a shield to immediately appear, bursting with energy.

The scene instantly attracted quite a bit of attention. The people in the crowds in the outside world all began to look over.

"Fellow Daoist," Naruto responded with a smile, "don't get the wrong idea. I have no ill intentions. I'm just here to sell some medicinal pills. Look, right here, I happen to have a wonderful Spirit Reviving Pill." With that, he adroitly produced a medicinal pill from his bag of holding.

"One pill will completely enliven you, and will increase your energy by a hundredfold. How about this: for 100,000 spirit stones, I'm willing to part with this medical pill and give it to you!" He looked over at Ashitaba.

Ashitaba was staring with wide eyes, as were all of the other competitors in the trial by fire. Up in midair, Dengaku was in complete shock.

The crowds in the outside world looked on agape, and all of the Chosen were staring fixedly. Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were gaping.

"He… he expended all that effort, fought back against that enormous pressure, just to… just to sell some medicinal pills?!"

"And he wants 100,000 spirit stones for a Spirit Reviving Pill? That's… that's way too expensive!"

Dengaku wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. At first he wanted to get angry, but then he thought about how sensitive Naruto was regarding spirit stones, as well as the stirring matter of the Esoteric compass, and he sighed.

"This kid is definitely a rogue cultivator. He's no doubt experienced many hardships in his practice of cultivation. Therefore, he has a strong attachment to spirit stones."

Ashitaba looked hesitantly at Naruto. He actually did want to buy the medicinal pill. The problem wasn't about the amount of spirit stones, but that he didn't dare to actually buy it. At this moment, he wasn't sure if he could trust that what Kazama was saying was true or not.

After a long moment, Ashitaba carefully replied, "Fellow… Fellow Daoist Namikaze, I actually have my own medicinal pills."

"Oh, I see," said Naruto, looking disappointed. He then turned to look at the participants on the other altars.

Most of them looked back silently. However, there happened to be a middle-aged man who stood six altars away from where Naruto currently was. He looked on with an arrogant expression.

"I can't believe someone who cares so much about money could take first place," he called out. "I've really been blind. If you can personally deliver those medicinal pills to me, then however many you want to sell, I, Inuzuka, will buy.

"However, I'll only wait for half a day. If you can't make it here in that amount of time, then you'll just have to scram."

Naruto looked up at the middle-aged man. Then, a bashful smile appeared.

Naruto stood there on the second altar, looking at the man standing on the eighth altar. There were a total of five altars standing between them!

This man was one of the thousand participants on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, and back home, he was a Chosen. That was why he was able to stick out so well on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

Originally, he had believed himself capable of struggling his way into the top ten, but the brutality of the trial by fire had resulted in him sustaining some severe blows to his self-confidence. However, during the three trials of talent, cultivation, and age, he had taken second place in the trial of talent. He had been very excited about that, but then Naruto had thrown everything into chaos, the result being that few people had taken note of him.

Jealousy of Naruto had taken deep root within him then and there. Then, Naruto's spectacular performance in the other stages had caused that jealousy to transform into bone-deep hatred.

Of course, he was not a witless person. If he was going to attempt to humiliate Naruto in full view of everyone, he would definitely have to ensure his own safety. That was why he had put a half-day time limit on his offer.

He did not believe that Naruto could possibly make it to him in half a day. After all, Naruto had spent roughly four hours to get to the second altar. Half a day contained twelve hours, so therefore, the man was confident that Naruto would not be able to reach him.

"If the time passes and he still comes, he won't be able to do anything at all to me. There are rules, after all! If he tries to attack me, the Three Great Daoist Societies will intervene. That he's a disciple of the Nine Seas God World… makes no difference!

"Rewards come only with risk. If I humiliate Kazama, people will definitely notice me. This is my opportunity to get my name out there to the sects. This is my chance to get noticed!" The man's eyes flickered, and his mouth turned up into a cold smile.

A bit of a bashful smile tugged at Naruto's lips. He nodded at Ashitaba, then turned and headed toward the edge of the altar. When he stepped out into the void, the pressure of the outside once again weighed down on him. Naruto was like a rowboat in an angry sea, his robes whipping about. However, he proceeded forward with firm steadfastness, moving ahead one bit at a time.

When he started out toward the next altar, it instantly caused all of the competitors in the trial by fire to look over. Their eyes glittered as various thoughts ran through their heads.

"Even if Kazama does something more spectacular than he already has, I don't think he can get to that man in half a day."

"That's not very smart. He should just have put up with the man's words and waited to handle the matter after the arena matches."

"That guy really is malicious. He's smart though. He actually went out of his way to provoke Kazama. If he ends up humiliating him, he'll really earn a name for himself."

The remaining competitors in the trial by fire were intelligent people, and they quickly understood what was going on.

Up in midair, Dengaku looked on with a cool expression. Considering the level of his cultivation base, he wouldn't pay too much attention to the competitors jockeying for positions. However, he couldn't help but feel quite a bit of admiration for Naruto, and began to watch, wondering if Naruto would be able to reach his destination in less than half a day.

The cultivators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea looked on with interest, and quite a few of them realized what the middle-aged man was thinking. There were, of course, varying opinions about the matter.

"This Kazama is a bit impulsive."

"He shouldn't have tried to sell those medicinal pills. He's just giving his opponents an opportunity and invitation to humiliate him."

The Patriarchs up in the starry sky palace settled their Chakra and calmed their minds. The conflicts between the trial by fire competitors weren't something they would pay close attention to. However, considering everything that Naruto had accomplished, many of them were waiting to see how he would resolve this issue.

"This is actually a test in and of itself," said the Patriarch from the Church of the Emperor Immortal. "The previous stages all tested internal weaknesses. A person's response to provocation can reveal a lot about their instincts." Many others nodded in response.

Time passed by. Two hours later, Naruto was moving along at a quick pace. He was now between the second and third altars, and the pressure weighing down on him from the surrounding void sent his hair whipping about. However, his expression was calm, and he continued without pause.

The other competitors were all silently shaking their heads. They knew that the half-day timetable was something Naruto couldn't meet.

The middle-aged man's facial expression was one of complete complacency. When he'd opened his mouth earlier, it had actually been with some nervousness, but now he was completely calm and even laughing.

"Kazama, you only have half a day! If you can't make it here by then, you can just get the hell back to your own altar. After half a day passes, even if you offer your medicinal pills to me for free, I won't take them."

The arrogance in his tone was extremely apparent.

Naruto looked up at the man far off in the distance, and smiled. He proceeded forward, taking about an hour to get to the third altar.

This time he finished the trip an hour faster than the last time, which was of course shocking to many onlookers. However, of the twelve hour time limit, there were now only nine hours left. The middle-aged man looked even more relaxed, and laughingly called out.

"Kazama, you have five altars to go, but only nine hours left! You'd best take advantage of your time. I'm curious to see how many altars you can get under your belt before the nine hours is up!"

Naruto smiled bashfully, then stepped out into the void once again. The pressure surrounded him, and his energy surged. Boundless light radiated off of him, and he continued onward without pause. Although he was moving slower, and the pressure was increasing, he managed to reach the fourth altar in only two hours.

That gave rise to quite a bit of astonishment among the onlookers. The middle-aged man's face flickered a bit, but he called out just as arrogantly as before.

"So what? There are still four altars between us, and you only have seven hours! Do you really think you can make it here?"

"I don't need that much time," said Naruto, his first time speaking to the middle-aged man. Even as he spoke, lightning crackled out around him and he stepped out into the void. Rumbling echoed out because of his incredible speed, almost as if from friction. This time, he used only one hour to set foot onto the fifth altar.

"What!?" Many of the trial by fire competitors jumped to their feet, their expressions that of astonishment. The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were also looking on wide-eyed.

To cross the gap between two of the altars in only one hour required astonishing speed. That was especially true considering that his first attempt had taken a full four hours.

"Was he intentionally holding back the first time around? Or is he just getting used to the pressure!"

"Is this Kazama really going to pull off some kind of miracle?!"

The outside world was in an uproar, and the middle-aged man's face had fallen. He was panting as he stared at Naruto, fully cognizant of the fact that there were only three altars between them.

In terms of the time limit, there were six hours left!

"Impossible!" thought the man. His face was ashen, and his eyes wide as he looked over at Naruto charging toward him. There was a shy smile on Naruto's face, and it seemed almost apologetic.

Next, Naruto strode out to cross the void. This time, his speed was such that he only needed the time it takes an incense stick to burn before landing with a bang on the sixth altar. He was now very close to the middle-aged man on the eighth altar.

Without even a pause, he proceeded from the sixth altar out into the void toward the seventh altar. This time, he didn't even need the time it takes an incense stick to burn before he was standing at the edge of the seventh altar, looking at the middle-aged man not too far off in the distance.

The man's scalp was numb as he rose to his feet, an expression of astonishment on his face.

"Impossible!" he said, trembling, and edging backward slowly. He now felt incredible regret, and if he had a chance to do things over, he would definitely never have chosen to provoke Kazama.

All of the surrounding competitors were also astonished, especially the cultivators on the seventh altar where Naruto currently stood. They quickly rose to their feet and made a path for Naruto to walk through, clasping hands and bowing deeply at the same time.

Naruto's might left them all stunned. The cultivators watching from outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were equally shocked, especially the Chosen. They stared at Naruto on the vortex screens, and by now, had placed him in a very high position mentally.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs had strange looks in their eyes.

Dengaku hovered in midair, smiling slightly and looking at Naruto with admiration. His cultivation base was profound, and he had long since seen through the various clues. This was not a case of Naruto concealing his cultivation base, but rather, him becoming accustomed to the pressure in the place.

"For him to be able to create Paragon magic, to have the image of the Pāramitā Bridge in his heart, and considering the profundity of his cultivation base, very few types of pressure under Heaven would be able to stop him."

Now many among the crowds of trial by fire competitors were looking over mockingly at the middle-aged man. His face was ashen, and he was trembling. Earlier, he had been surrounded by no small amount of fellow competitors, but now, they had all edged away from him.

"It's never a good idea to provoke people, and yet this guy chose to provoke Kazama."

The middle-aged man trembled, and his heart was pounding. Roaring filled his mind, and he had no time to think of any more ideas as Naruto flew out and crossed the last void in the space of twenty breaths of time.

Naruto looked like an Immortal Divinity as he flew through the void to appear directly in front of the middle-aged man. All of the other competitors immediately clasped hands and bowed, then backed away.

The man trembled and stared fixedly at Naruto. After taking a deep breath, he then let out a cold snort.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, clearly you have a profound cultivation base to be able to come here personally. Fine, I, Inuzuka, will buy your medicinal pill." With that, he produced a bag of holding which he tossed over.

"There are 100,000 spirit stones in there. Take them and leave."

Naruto smiled as he caught the bag of holding. Then his expression turned a bit bashful.

"Oh, this won't do," he said. "I have a lot of Spirit Refreshing Pills, you know." With that he patted his old bag of holding to produce… a pill bottle.

He waved the pill bottle in front of the middle-aged man's face. Inside were dozens of medicinal pills.

The middle-aged man's eyes went wide, and he began to inch backward.

"You never said how many you had! You…."

"Huh?!" In one moment, Naruto had a sincere smile on his face, but the next, it darkened.

"I came here from all the way over there to deliver medicinal pills to you! And now you're not going to buy them!?" He stepped forward until he was directly in front of the man, and then his hand lashed out.

The man tried to fight back, but how could he possibly be a match for Naruto? A boom could be heard, and blood sprayed out of the man's mouth. Naruto grabbed his hair and shoved him down onto the ground.

"Trying to make a fool of me?" growled Naruto, killing intent flickering in his eyes. He lifted his right foot up and kicked down viciously onto the man. Cracking sounds could be heard, and blood sprayed from the man's mouth. Bones were smashed, and the man opened his mouth to say something, but in that moment, a vicious expression appeared on Naruto's face and he punched downward.

A boom echoed out. Naruto had attacked viciously, immediately prompting a miserable shriek from the middle-aged man. He was now broken and bleeding, miserable to the extreme.

"Misunderstanding! Fellow Daoist Namikaze, this was just a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding my ass!" Naruto leapt up into the air and then trampled down onto the man's face. A bloodcurdling scream rang out. The man was now soaked in blood, cradling his head in his arms as Naruto thrashed him.

"Wanna buy my stuff? Buy it! Don't wanna buy it? You're gonna buy it anyway!" Naruto grabbed the man by the hair, lifted his head up, and then slammed it back down into the ground.

Before the man could even scream, Naruto lifted his right leg up and kicked down hard. A crack could be heard as the man's leg was shattered!

This scene of explosive violence, and the rapid change in Naruto's facial expression, caused all of the surrounding onlookers to stare in complete, jaw-dropping shock.

The audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea gasped, and stared blankly at what was happening on the vortex screens. Naruto's savagery left them totally astonished.

"This guy is definitely someone you can't provoke!"

"What a brutal personality! He's definitely someone to avoid pissing off!"

"I can't believe that a cultivator with a scholarly aura like that could have such a violent temper!"

The Chosen from the various sects were also taken aback, some more than others. For example, Chiriku looked on with wide eyes, panting. He watched blankly as Kazama grabbed the middle-aged man's hair, and then Chiriku began to tremble. He suddenly called to mind something that had happened to him that he would never be able to forget for the rest of his life, a completely humiliating and embarrassing memory.

"This seems… somewhat similar…. But that's not him, is it…?" Chiriku hesitated for a moment. After recalling that certain person, a tremor ran through him. The whole incident was a nightmare. After returning to the Church of the Emperor Immortal, he had often been jolted out of meditation by the shocking memories. Furthermore, he had shaved his hair, and was now completely bald.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs looked on with wide eyes, staring in shock as Naruto violently beat the middle-aged man. At first, they were completely shocked, but then they began to chuckle.

"This Kazama's personality is kind of amusing."

"He exacts revenge for the slightest offense, and isn't willing to suffer any losses whatsoever. Well, truth be told, the other man was the one who started the whole thing."

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Dengaku chuckled and shook his head, pretending as if he hadn't seen what was happening.

The middle-aged man was dripping with blood, and was both screaming miserably and also trying to fight back. However, the more he struggled, the more ruthlessly Naruto beat him. More cracking sounds echoed out as another bone was broken.

Of the surrounding trial by fire competitors, one after another gasped, and all of them were looking at Naruto with intense terror in their eyes. They were so afraid of Naruto that their scalps were numb.

"This guy seemed perfectly normal! How could he be so brutal!?"

"Must not provoke him! Absolutely must not provoke him!"

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he jabbed two fingers of his right hand toward the middle-aged man's eyes.

The man let out a miserable shriek and then urgently cried out, "Buy! I'll buy!"

The words floated into Naruto's ears like a melody of nature. His right hand stopped in place, and the brutal, vicious expression on his face vanished, to be replaced by a bashful smile and a somewhat embarrassed expression.

He cleared his throat and then said, "Well, look at you! Why didn't you speak up earlier?"

He quickly squatted down and, as the trembling middle-aged man looked at him with terror in his eyes, slowly helped him to his feet.

"You don't need to help me up, really…." The simple action of being helped to his feet caused the man to be even more frightened than before, and he began trembling violently. Before he could even finish speaking, though, Naruto glared at him, and he didn't dare to say another word.

"This pill bottle is full of Spirit Reviving Pills," said Naruto. "Delivery fee included, one pill costs 200,000 spirit stones. There are a total of 15 pills, so that's a total of 3,000,000 spirit stones." He placed the pill bottle into the man's hand and then looked at him expectantly, eyes gleaming.

The man was on the verge of bursting into tears. The single thought that occupied him now was just to get Naruto to leave as quickly as possible, lest he find himself in an even more deadly situation.

"Okay, I'll buy them…." The middle-aged man immediately produced a vast quantity of spirit stones.

Naruto's eyes gleamed as he caught sight of the huge amount of the spirit stones that were still left in the man's bag of holding. He obviously had quite a few left over even after buying the pills. Naruto cursed the fact that he only had one bottle of Spirit Reviving Pills in his bag of holding.

"Look, you're a customer, so I'm responsible for your safety," Naruto said solemnly. "Tell me who it was that beat you up, okay? Or, well, never mind. That's not important. The important thing is that you're hurt, and you're going to be participating in the arena matches that begin in two days. But you don't need to worry, Fellow Daoist. I have more medicinal pills!

"These are top-notch injury-treating pills, for only 200,000 per pill. Don't worry, I'm honest and fair with all customers." Naruto immediately pulled out seven or eight pill bottles, which he then handed to the middle-aged man.

The man stared in shock. He really and truly wanted to weep now. For a moment, he considered not buying them, but when he looked at Naruto and his bashful smile, he began to shiver uncontrollably. Gritting his teeth, he purchased each and every one of the pills.

Naruto took a deep breath, then began to stare at the man's bag of holding, his eyes shining brightly. Clearing his throat, he said, "Fellow Daoist, considering the level of your injuries, I don't think those medicinal pills are enough. It seems even your Nascent Divinity was injured."

"What?" The middle-aged man's scalp was going numb. His Nascent Divinity had not, in fact, been injured, but when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes, he knew that it very easily could be.

The man scowled miserably, and his heart was filled with intense regret. He was already starting to run out of spirit stones; these were his life savings, including special rewards given to him by his sect.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, let me go, alright?" he pleaded. "It really was my mistake…." Of course, deep inside, his hatred burned, and he wanted to tear Naruto into pieces.

Naruto smiled, but his eyes were completely cold as he said, "You know, the first person I ever killed was also surnamed Inuzuka." 1

The man trembled, and he felt like a cold breeze was filling his entire body. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out some more spirit stones and bought Naruto's new medicinal pills. By now, his bag of holding was completely empty.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction, then patted the man on the shoulder.

"If you have any other needs, don't hesitate to call me over."

The middle-aged man trembled and nodded.

Naruto turned and stepped back out into the void. This time, his trip all the way back to his original position on the first altar only took about an hour. The entire way, the other trial by fire competitors clasped hands and bowed, making way for him, their eyes filled with fear.

Back on the first altar, Naruto sat down cross-legged and began to take inventory of everything he had acquired. Looking at the accumulation of spirit stones inside, he finally felt as if his trip here hadn't been a waste.

"It's too bad that Warrior Pavilion was so stingy, though," he thought. "All I did was take a few magical items, right? I didn't take the floor tiles or the shelving. I didn't even touch the decorative tiles!

"Back in the Bridge of Immortal Treading, I dug up all the floor tiles!" When he thought about how stingy the Warrior Pavilion was, his hatred grew. There was nothing he hated more than stingy people.

"Well, in any case, a lot of small gains can add up to a windfall. As long as I keep going in life, then one of these days, I'm going to be the richest person in the all the Nine Mountains and Seas!" Thinking about his grand aspirations, he took a deep breath. For some reason he felt as if he was now one step closer to fulfilling his dreams.

"When I find Hinata, the two of us will always have more than enough money to spend." He sighed emotionally.

Time passed by, and soon the three day rest period had ended. The trial by fire competitors opened their eyes, and bright gleams could be seen. With Naruto there, most had no thoughts of trying to take first place; they just hoped to make it into the top 8!

Dengaku materialized out of the void and glanced over the crowds.

"The arena matches will be held in the ancient Dao Tree of the Ruins of Immortality. All of you must keep one point firmly in mind. The location of the Dao Tree cannot be considered the depths of the Ruins of Immortality, but it is still a place of extreme danger. Virtually anything could happen outside of the tree while you participate in the fighting. Remember… you must not, under any circumstances, leave the ancient Dao Tree.

"Only by staying on the tree itself can you guarantee your safety. If you leave the tree… it is impossible to say whether you will survive or not!" Dengaku gazed sternly at the competitors, then waved his hand. Immediately, a red glow sprung up everywhere, and the void trembled. Ripples spread out as everything present, including Naruto, flew up into the air. Dengaku suddenly seemed to grow incredibly large, whereupon he swished his sleeve, causing everyone to fly inside of it.

This scene caused Naruto's heart to tremble!

"What an extraordinary divine ability!" he thought, panting. After all the trial by fire competitors were pulled into Dengaku's sleeve, they could clearly see the outside world whizzing by, and knew that Dengaku was now moving forward at incredible speed.

The audiences in the outside world watched as similar scenes played out on the Ancient roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing. The two old men in those locations also flew up, and soon joined Dengaku as they flew off into the distance.

The path they traveled was covered with mist, and occasionally, wails and howls could be heard echoing about, as well as terrifying roars. Gradually, an enormous head became visible, floating there in the mists. Blood oozed out of its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and an enormous centipede could be seen burrowing in and out of its eyes.

When the crowds on the outside saw these things, they gasped and stared at the vortex screens in shock.

"Ruins of Immortality! These are the real Ruins of Immortality!"

"That giant's head is at least ten thousand meters tall!"

Inside of Dengaku's sleeve, Naruto could see everything that was happening outside. He also saw the giant's head, and he couldn't help but feel shocked as they passed it by.

More time passed. The mists grew thicker, and the wailing undulated endlessly. Eventually, a huge vine appeared up ahead, swinging back and forth. Shockingly, there were countless corpses bound up on the vine, corpses that were ancient and shriveled, and yet who possessed magical items and treasures that were related to bags of holding.

Considering that the items still existed after all these years, it showed that… this vine was incredibly mighty, and would tolerate no incursions.

Several days passed, during which time Naruto saw countless bizarre things. He saw an enormous ball of fur the size of a planet. He saw a gigantic bleeding eye. He saw an army of cultivators in tattered clothes, walking slowly through the void with blank looks on their faces.

Each of those cultivators was so powerful that Naruto found it difficult to breathe.

Most shocking of all, though, was when Naruto saw… a ship, floating slowly through the mists. Naruto was not unfamiliar with this ship, and when he saw it, his mind trembled. This was the same ship he had seen in the Milky Way Sea, and just like before, an old man sat at the prow!

Seven days went by. Dengaku and the other two old men gradually began to decrease their speed, and looks of concentration appeared on their faces. Although they had made this trip on numerous occasions, every time they did, it was with the utmost caution. These were the Ruins of Immortality, not some other random location. Although not every single step was filled with danger, there were still many shocking things that could fill even them with senses of deadly crisis.

One misstep, and they might end up being buried in this place. Furthermore, this was a trial by fire, so if there were any accidents, they wouldn't be the only ones who died; all of the people stored inside their massive sleeves would go along with them.

If that happened, it would be a huge blow to the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Dengaku and the others stopped in place for a moment to perform some incantations of augury. Then they exchanged glances, and one of them commented, "Are the lives of the Chosen from the great sects really that much more valuable than all the other lives?"

Dengaku shook his head and declined to answer. Whereas the three of them were personally escorting all of the trial by fire competitors, the Chosen from the great sects would simply wait for them to arrive at the ancient Dao Tree. There, a teleportation portal would be set up, and they could go to the place directly.

The teleportation portal would only be able to remain active for the space of about ten breaths of time, and could only handle a volume of about one hundred people. Even that would require a huge expenditure of resources.

That price would be split between the various sects, all to ensure that their Chosen would reach their destination without any complications.

"There are still ten hours left before the entrance appears," said the old man who carried the Spirit Severing competitors. "Why don't we rest for a bit?" With that, he sat down cross-legged.

The one who had complained before was the old man carrying the Nascent Soul cultivators. He gave a cold harrumph and looked off into the distance.

"Let's bring the competitors out and let them take a look around," said Dengaku. "This ten hour period should be relatively safe." He swished his sleeve, and the one thousand Dao Seeking cultivators, including Naruto, immediately appeared. Many of them gasped as they were finally able to personally see the surroundings. Their minds were clearly shaken, but none of them spoke a single word.

Moments later, the Spirit Severing and Nascent Soul experts appeared in vast groups. They looked around at their surroundings and sharp inhalations of breath could be heard everywhere.

"Do nothing rash, and do not stray too far," Dengaku said, his voice echoing about. "We are now in the real Ruins of Immortality, and there are many dangers lurking about. Considering the level of your cultivation bases, you would never normally be able to come to a place like this. Since you're here with us now, take a moment to experience what it feels like. You can consider this one of your rewards."

Naruto took a deep breath as he looked around. They were surrounded by mists, some thin, some thick. Many areas radiated intense pressure. Clearly, there were different areas, some of which were possible for people of greater power to enter, other areas not so much.

The area they occupied contained the weakest pressure of all. Furthermore, the three old men were pushing back, reducing the power by at least half. Even with much of the power being deflected by the three old men, it was still difficult for many of the competitors to hold up.

The majority of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing cultivators were meditating cross-legged. The remainder that were not forced to focus fully on fighting back against the pressure, were examining their surroundings. Among the Dao Seeking cultivators, about half were meditating, with the remaining several hundred moving about in the area.

Naruto walked ahead until he was about three hundred meters out. There, he stopped. He suddenly had the feeling that the pressure would increase explosively if he proceeded any further. He stood there silently for a moment before smacking his bag of holding to produce a flying sword. He gradually extended it out, and when it went past the three hundred meter mark, cracking sounds could be heard. Fissures spread out across the sword, and after a few breaths of time, it disintegrated into ash.

"Five breaths of time," he thought, his eyes glittering. The flying sword he had used just now was a Spirit Severing treasure, and yet here, it could only last for five breaths of time.

Shaking his head, Naruto began to back away from the three hundred meter mark, when suddenly, a voice echoed into his mind.

"Come… come…."

He stopped in his tracks, and his eyes began to shine with a brilliant light. As he looked out into the Ruins of Immortality, the voice continued to echo in his mind. He turned to look at the people behind him, but apparently, not even Dengaku and the other two could hear what he was hearing. It seemed that only he could detect the voice.

At the same time that the voice echoed out, the ancient Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding suddenly began to emanate flickering light.

The Demon Sealing Jade had remained dormant for a very long time, but now it was glowing once again. However, unlike the previous occasions, it did not speak.

The voice from moments before continued to speak.

"League of Demon Sealers… come here… come to me…." As the voice spoke, the mist in front of Naruto seemed to weaken and change, as… a path appeared.

Naruto's mind trembled as he looked at the path. He did not walk forward, but rather, began to edge backward. He knew that the level of his cultivation base placed him at the peak of his peers. However, when you considered the Mountain and Sea Realm as a whole, he was merely in the Spirit Realm, which made him very weak.

This path might lead to good fortune, but considering the level of his cultivation base, that good fortune could very well lead to his death.

In the moment that he stepped backward, the voice continued on with even more urgency.

"The League of Demon Sealers…. I am a member too. Come to me, I shall give you good fortune…. I shall give you destiny to step upon the Heavens, to achieve a meteoric rise! You can directly become Immortal!"

The more the voice tried to persuade him, the more Naruto backed up. When he had backed up about thirty meters, the mist in front of him suddenly began to churn, as if some incredible power were approaching, heading directly toward Naruto.

His face fell, and he began to speed backward. By this time, Dengaku and the others had sensed that something was happening. Faces flickering, the three of them immediately sprung into action, pulling all of the trial by fire competitors back into their sleeves, and at the same time, striding forward to stand next to Naruto. By this point, the swirling mists had spread to reveal a figure.

It was a cultivator whose body was in a state of decomposition. His head was half destroyed, and his clothes were tattered. An archaic, rotting aura emanated out from him, and he was surrounded by swirling mists. In his hand, he held a tattered banner, and he stood there, staring listlessly at Dengaku and the others with his one remaining eye.

Dengaku and the other old men stared at the man as if he were a deadly enemy. Their energy surged, and the light of magical techniques began to swirl around them.

"Senior, you have already perished," said Dengaku. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We of the junior generation are still alive, and are just passing through here. We disturbed your rest, please forgive us. Senior, kindly return from whence you came!"

The half-headed figure slowly raised his right hand and pointed a decomposing finger directly at Naruto.

"I… want… him…."

Dengaku's face fell, as did those of the other two old men.

Breathing heavily, Naruto backed up until he was behind the three old men. As he stared at the figure, his heart trembled. It was at this point that he noticed that the half-headed man… had a sword stabbed into his waist.

The sword was pitch black and emanated a freezing aura. However, Naruto could also tell that the sword possessed Demon Sealing power. It only took a moment for him to realize that it was the power of a Demon Sealing Hex!

It was at this moment that the ancient Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding finally spoke into his mind with its archaic voice.

"Sixth Demon Sealing Hex!"

Dengaku placed his right hand onto his bag of holding. "Senior," he said, "Please don't push us too far!"

The half-headed man suddenly looked over at him, and flames leapt up within his single remaining eye. He suddenly lurched forward, the mists surrounding him seething, as if they contained countless vengeful souls, screaming miserably. He waved the banner, and rumbling sounds could be heard as mist poured toward the three old men.

Dengaku's face flickered and he let out a roar, unhesitatingly slapping his bag of holding to produce a talisman.

It was an ancient talisman that emanated a boundlessly archaic aura. It seemed to have existed through countless years of time. All it depicted was a simple, smiling face. However, as soon as it appeared, the half-headed man stopped in place, and even the incoming mists stopped, seemingly stuck permanently in place, not daring to get any closer.

Dengaku took a deep breath, performed an incantation gesture, and then pointed out. The talisman immediately floated up into midair. At the same time, Dengaku grabbed Naruto and then shot backward at top speed. The other two old men also retreated, leaving the talisman floating there in the air.

"I can't believe we ran into a revenant here. That talisman should hold it in place for twenty hours." Dengaku frowned and looked over at Naruto. "How did you draw its attention?"

Naruto smiled wryly, unsure of exactly what to say.

"It probably has nothing to do with him," said the man carrying the Spirit Severing cultivators, who happened to be from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. "The revenants here usually just look for people they think will be suitable to help them to return to life. We've run into them before, haven't we?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Seniors, what is… a revenant?"

"Some ancient cultivators left strands of resentful will behind when they died. Those strands of will exist outside of the natural law of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and continuously attempt to return to life. Those are revenants."

Naruto nodded and looked back at the half-headed man. He had a mind to go and try to retrieve the sword, but he knew that it was impossible to do so. Inwardly, he sighed with regret.

Soon, ten hours had passed, and the surrounding mists were churning. Naruto was back in Dengaku's sleeve, and yet, was still able to see the world outside. Shockingly, off in the distance… was an indescribably large corpse.

It was so huge that Naruto could do nothing less than gasp. It seemed larger than a planet, seemingly without end. A cultivator who stood in front of it would be smaller than an ant.

The corpse appeared to be almost like an enormous continent, hanging there in the void.

As Dengaku and the other two old men flew forward, they each produced a magical symbol that caused their bodies to emanate a gray light. They shot toward the huge body, and in the blink of an eye, touched down onto it and then sped forward.

Naruto looked on gaping as Dengaku and the other two continued onward for an entire month at an indescribable speed. Despite that, they still had not crossed the entirety of the corpse. Eventually, a tree appeared up ahead.

It was a gargantuan, shocking, ancient tree.

Apparently, the tree was growing directly up from within the corpse, as if it were feeding off of its lood and flesh.

The trunk of the tree stretched high up into the air, until, at a certain point, two huge branches split off in opposite directions, making it look like an enormous fork.

The tree was covered with innumerable leaves, each one of which was fully three hundred meters wide. The leaves did not bend downward, but spread out evenly like platforms.

"We're here!" said Dengaku. He and the other two came to a stop, then waved their hands, causing all of the competitors to fly out from within their sleeves and land on the tree leaves.

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching on the vortex screens, and could see everything that Dengaku and the others encountered.

That included the decomposing, half-headed man, as well as all the other things lurking in the mists.

Many gasps could be heard from the cultivators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. For most of them, this was their first time ever seeing the Ruins of Immortality. In previous trials by fire, outsiders were not permitted to see these things, but this time was different. Not only were the prizes astonishing, but for the first time, everyone was able to catch a glimpse of the Ruins of Immortality.

Although it was only a tiny portion, it was still enough to capture the attention of innumerable cultivators.

When they saw the gigantic corpse, cries of shock echoed out in all directions. Then the ancient Dao Tree appeared, and even greater shouts of astonishment could be heard.

"It's actually… growing on the top of the giant's corpse!"

"That's the ancient Dao Tree? What exactly is it? Why is it called a Dao Tree?!"

"That corpse… Heavens! I never imagined that things that huge existed! How is this possible?! If that thing wasn't dead… who could possibly fight it? It's… actually a real corpse!"

The faces of the Patriarchs up in the starry sky palace were calm; all of them were familiar with the Ruins of Immortality.

However, they were all wondering what motive the Three Great Daoist Societies had to allow all the crowds on the outside to see.

A huge corpse. An ancient tree.

"The tree leaves are the arenas," said Dengaku. "The leaves on the left side will be the Nascent Soul battleground. The leaves on the right are for Spirit Severing. As for the central main trunk… that is where the Dao Seeking fights will take place!" As his words echoed out, Naruto stood there on one of the leaves on the main trunk, at the bottom level.

All of the other Dao Seeking cultivators were also located on bottom-level leaves. When they looked up, they could see that the branches sticking out from it were arranged in layers, the highest of which was ten levels away.

The higher the level, the fewer the leaves. In fact, at the apex, there was only one golden leaf, which was completely eye catching.

As for the battlegrounds on the left and right, they were also arranged in levels, although instead of climbing straight up, they moved out to the side. Similarly, though, as they reached their ends, the leaves grew sparser, until at the very end of each, was a golden leaf!

Three golden leaves. Those were the limits of the ancient Dao Tree, and the locations where the final matches would be fought.

Even as Dengaku provided his explanation, he and the other two old men performed incantation gestures and produced magical materials which they used to begin to set up teleportation portals on the giant's corpse beneath the tree.

After the teleportation portals took shape, the three old men performed incantation gestures and pointed out, causing boundless light to shine up. Out in the sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, as soon as the light from the teleportation portals rose up, Kazan, Bisuke, Fū, and other Chosen all stepped forward onto the teleportation portals at their locations. Light flashed, and they vanished.

When they reappeared, they were standing atop the giant's corpse in the Ruins of Immortality.

It only took the space of about ten breaths of time for roughly a hundred people from all the sects to arrive. Then, cracking sounds could be heard as the teleportation portals shattered and faded away.

As Fū and the others spread out, they looked around with trembling minds. This was apparently their first time coming to this place as well.

From the leaf he stood upon, Naruto could see Fū, Bisuke, even Chiriku and others. His eyes flickered and a smile appeared on his face.

Dengaku waved his sleeve, causing the nearly one hundred Chosen to fly out toward tree leaves according to the level of their cultivation base.

Soon, Fū and the others were standing on leaves on the lowest level of the tree. As for Fū, she wore a white robe, and behind her swirled a globe of white mist. It was very thick, making it impossible to see exactly what was inside.

The leaf she stood upon wasn't very far away from Naruto, and he couldn't help but glance over at her. His eye was especially caught by the white mist behind her.

Fū noticed him looking at her, and frowned. However, she knew the two of them would soon be fellow disciples of the same sect, so she suppressed her anger and merely glared at him.

Naruto quickly looked away, focusing his attention on Kazan, then Mei. When he looked at Mei, he subconsciously… checked out her rear end.

He could still remember how he had spanked her two times, leaving her buttocks uneven.

Mei glanced at him coolly, then ignored him completely. Feeling somewhat pleased, Naruto then looked around until he noticed one particular young man who happened to be looking at him.

When their gazes met, the young man trembled. He was… naturally, Chiriku.

Chiriku didn't recognize Naruto, but for some reason, when Naruto looked at him, it caused him to gasp and be filled with a cold, unsettling feeling.

At first, Naruto didn't recognize who the bald-headed youth was. But after a moment, his jaw almost dropped.

"What happened to all his hair?" he thought. "I seem to remember leaving quite a bit behind." It wasn't just Naruto who was sizing up these Chosen. Many of the other competitors in the trial by fire were examining them closely.

Not much more time passed before Dengaku's voice was heard once again.

"The arena matches of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking, will be completely separate from each other, and shall progress separately. The ancient Dao Tree leaves upon which you stand contain a teleportation function. Not only will it teleport two people onto one leaf to fight, but it will also teleport the winner to the next level!

"The matches will proceed in this fashion all the way until the final battle.

"In the arena matches, life and death are determined by fate. Defeat will result in elimination from the competition. If you utter the words 'I concede,' then you will also be removed from the competition.

"Bear in mind that we are in the Ruins of Immortality, and danger lurks everywhere! Even if some strange things appear on the outside, things which attempt to distract you, or lure you out, you must under no circumstances leave the tree leaves.

"On the tree leaves, you are safe. If you leave them, though… it is impossible to say whether you will make it back alive.

"And now, let the arena matches begin!"

Almost in the same instant that the words left Dengaku's mouth, Naruto suddenly cried out loudly.

"Patriarch, wait a moment!"

His voice echoed out, attracting quite a bit of attention from those around him. Dengaku frowned and looked over at Naruto. At first he was tempted to ignore him, but after thinking about the expression on Naruto's face when he held the Esoteric compass aloft, his heart softened.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Patriarch, I wanted to know, the enormous corpse down there, is it a cultivator?" Actually, Naruto wasn't the only person who wanted to know the answer to that question. All of the competitors were wondering the same thing. As for the newly arrived Chosen, they remained silent; they had already asked about the subject when they were in the outside world.

Dengaku remained silent for a moment. He didn't actually have the sole authority to answer such a question. He looked over at the other two men, and all of them exchanged glances. Then, they produced jade slips which they used to communicate with their sect headquarters, inquiring as to whether they were permitted to respond.

After a moment, Dengaku put his jade slip away and looked back up at Naruto.

"This is a God of the Pāramitā!"

After uttering those words, Dengaku didn't wait for anyone's reaction. He immediately called out again, "Let the arena matches begin!"

Naruto's mind trembled, and he couldn't keep himself from taking in a deep breath in response to the answer he had just received. A God….

Actually, all of the trial by fire participants were mentally shaken. However, even as this happened, the world in front of them distorted, and they began to grow blurry. In the blink of an eye, everyone grew clear again, and they were on the next level of leaves.

However instead of being alone on the leaves, each person was now facing an opponent.

Naruto found himself looking at a young man who had originally been bursting with power. However, as soon as things grew clear and he saw that he was facing Naruto, his face fell.

He was not one of the Chosen from the outside sects, but rather one of the competitors from the trial by fire. Furthermore… he had been on the same altar as the middle-aged man upon whom Naruto had vented his anger earlier. He had personally witnessed the entire incident.

Although he felt torn inwardly, his eyes quickly filled with a fierce light. He let out a powerful roar and employed the full power of his cultivation base as he turned into a prismatic beam of light that shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's face was calm as the young man closed in. He raised his right hand and punched out into the air, then spun and began to walk toward the edge of the arena.

Almost in the same moment that he turned, a huge boom could be heard, and blood sprayed from the young man's mouth. Although he had been approaching like a shooting star, in that instant, his light went dim, and he was forced back more than thirty meters, where he coughed up another mouthful of blood. His expression was now dismal, and his face ashen.

He was well aware that Naruto had been holding back. The blow just now had been directed at the air in front of him, and had it actually landed on his body, he would not have gotten off as easily as being forced back a bit and only slightly injured.

He took a deep breath, then looked sadly at Naruto, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"I concede," he said, sounding a bit bitter.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he faded away, returning to the first level of leaves, which indicated that he had been eliminated. As for Naruto, he sat down cross-legged at the edge of the arena and looked around at the other matches that were taking place.

He was feeling quite pleased with himself, but as for the cultivators from the Ninth Mountain and Sea watching the arena matches, they were completely shaken by Naruto's power.

"One punch… into the air! And he actually injured a peak Dao Seeking cultivator!"

"This Kazama hasn't even used any magical techniques! He's just relying on the strength of his fleshly body!"

"No wonder he could stand up to the pressure outside those altars! Such fleshly body strength is extremely rare!"

The first round of the arena matches was a simple thing for Kazan, as well as the other Chosen. None of them needed more than ten breaths of time to secure victory.

Naruto looked around at the other arena locations and identified about ten other people besides the Chosen who were worth paying attention to. Among those, one was the masked young man Ashitaba. Another was the cultivator with the mosquitos, and a third was a young boy who was also one of the trial by fire competitors. Although he never spoke, he had made it into the group of one thousand Dao Seeking competitors, and had his own unique capabilities.

In the first round, he attacked viciously, the result being that his opponent was instantly reduced to a bloody pulp.

The fourth person was a garrulous old man who constantly shivered and muttered to himself. His first opponent was a Chosen from the Seven Seas Sect. Strangely, as soon as he appeared in front of the mumbling old man, the Chosen suddenly seemed to go crazy and tried to charge outside of the leaf arena. Were it not for Dengaku immediately intervening to save him, he would have been in great danger.

Of those four people, the one who caused Naruto the greatest consternation was not the garrulous old man or Ashitaba, but rather, that unprepossessing young boy!

"He has at least thirty percent of the power of a true Immortal!" thought Naruto, looking at him closely. Almost in the exact instant that Naruto looked at him, the boy turned his head to return the gaze. Their eyes locked over all the various arenas between them, and the boy's mouth twisted into a vicious smile.

Other than those four, there were six Chosen who Naruto hadn't seen on Planet Lands of Ninshu when all the outside Chosen came. Four were men and two were women. One of the women wore a white mask and a long red robe. When she attacked, a Blood Orchid bloomed around her, indicating that she came from the Church of the Blood Orchid.

The other woman wore garments of five colors, and was not very pretty. She attacked with shocking five elements magic, and even though Naruto had previously cultivated a five elements Nascent Soul, he had the feeling that this woman's skill with the five elements exceeded his own. She was from the Five Colors Sect.

The other four cultivators were all young men. One of them did not personally attack his opponent, but rather, caused a coffin to appear, from within which emerged a corpse. The corpse easily slaughtered the young man's opponent. He was from one of the Five Great Holy Lands, the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum.

The second young man was bony, with eyes that burned like fire. Like the other young man, he did not personally attack, but instead, simply stared at his opponent, who then burst into flames and then transformed into nothing but ash.

The third young man was handsome and, shockingly, had a third eye on his forehead. It was clearly a Dharma Eye, and it remained closed the entire time. The young man wore a slight smile, and he seemed almost completely harmless, as if he lacked any ability to attack whatsoever. Furthermore, his opponent didn't attack either! The two of them transmitted a few words to each other, and then the opponent knelt down on one knee, looking at the young man with a pious expression, and conceded.

This young man was from the Burning Incense Stick Society.

The last person was a hulking man from the Baldy Society. He was stalwart, with a powerful fleshly body. He started his match standing there like a mountain. When his opponent attacked, he waved a finger, causing a huge mountain to descend, smashing into his opponent and instantly defeating him. However, he did not kill his opponent.

When Naruto saw that, his eyes suddenly shone with the desire to do battle.

As the intense fighting of the first round of arena matches played out, the audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea closely watched the screens in the three vortexes. Each of those screens was divided into multiple smaller screens which depicted each of the battlegrounds.

In the palace in the starry sky, the various Patriarchs were closely observing to the goings on, and were paying especially close attention to the Chosen from their own sects. They were also watching the cultivators from the other sects. Although most of the Chosen were not particularly powerful, they were the future blazing suns of the various sects.

As long as they did not unexpectedly perish and could mature and grow stronger, they would eventually allow their sects to gain more power and influence.

"This generation has come across the fate of becoming a true immortal; in the Nine Mountains and Seas, every 10,000 years, the true immortality destiny descends, and an entire generation of Chosen always comes out of the woodwork."

"I wonder which three will last until the end to take first place in their stage!?"

Everyone was watching the fighting, hearts filled with anticipation.

Back in the battleground, Naruto's expression was calm as he sat there cross-legged on the leaf. He looked around at the other arenas, and could see many people looking back at him.

After looking around for a while, Naruto had the mind to take a look at the Nascent Soul battles, but unfortunately, it was currently impossible to see the fighting taking place in the other two areas. Finally, he closed his eyes and waited for time to pass.

On the Nascent Soul battleground, Guy's expression was as gloomy as ever. His attacks appeared to be normal, but his opponent seemed to have been infected by his mood, and as such, was only able to fight with half of the power of his cultivation base.

On the Spirit Severing battleground, the fighting was equally intense.

The first round of arena matches for the Dao Seeking stage was the first to end, after a total of four hours. Half of the competitors were eliminated, and the other half stood on their leaves on the second level, eyes flickering. The leaves beneath their feet began to shine with light that spread out to cover everyone and teleport them to the third layer of leaves.

When he reappeared amidst the flickering light, Naruto was facing an old man whose face was covered with dark blotches. Immediately, a murderous aura sprang up, along with shocking energy. The man held a cane in his hand, and as he walked forward, he suddenly realized he was facing Naruto, and his pupils constricted.

"Kazama!" he thought, and his heart began to pound with unease. He had never imagined that he would end up facing the mighty Kazama in the second round. "His fleshly body is incredibly powerful, and his divine sense is incredible. He has a profound cultivation base and attacks without mercy…. Dammit, why did I have to end up facing him? Although, I might not necessarily be unable to earn a victory. I excel in terms of speed!"

Eyes flickering, the old man turned into a blur as, all of a sudden, nine clones appeared.

The nine clones closed in on Naruto, each one coming from a different direction.

Naruto stood there, looking around coldly at the incoming figures. His expression was calm as he raised his right hand and once again released one punch. As soon as the punch landed on the ground, he turned and, just as he had in the last battle, began to walk to the edge of the arena.

Behind him, massive booms rang out. His one punch caused a huge vortex to appear, which emanated a shocking gravitational force and intense rumbling. Ten figures immediately began to be sucked in toward the vortex. Nine of them collapsed into pieces, and the old man's true self coughed up blood. His expression was one of astonishment as he quickly called out that he conceded.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he faded away to reappear back on the first level of leaves. He had been completely defeated.

By that point, Naruto had reached the edge of the arena, where he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Many people in the outside world were paying attention to Naruto, and what they saw shocked them.

"One punch again! It was exactly the same as the first round, except that the old man's cultivation base was clearly much higher than the guy from the previous fight!"

"This Kazama's fleshly body is so powerful that he can create a vacuum! Maybe his speed truly isn't that great, but he's so strong that he doesn't even need speed! Who could possibly fight back against that one punch!"

"He's definitely going to get into the top 16. I can't wait to see him fight against some of those Chosen!"

The outside world was in an uproar. It didn't take long for the second round of arena matches to end, and the third to begin. Naruto appeared on the next level of leaves, where he looked at the glittering lights in front of him and watched his opponent emerge.

This person was no Chosen. Instead, it was the young man with the mosquitos. When he laid eyes on Naruto, instead of looking nervous like the previous two opponents, his eyes gleamed with the desire to do battle.

"Kazama," he said. "It's my pleasure to be able to fight with you. Finally, I'll be able to see exactly how powerful you are!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever; completely emotionless. What he had been paying attention to this whole time was not the young man himself, but rather his mosquitos.

Before the young man even finished speaking, he waved his hand, causing a shocking cloud of fierce mosquitos to appear. The largest were a meter long, and many were the size of a fist. They spread out in a great cloud as they shot toward Naruto.

A buzzing sound could be heard as they closed in. Naruto's eyes flickered as he clenched his fist and then punched out.

Just like the previous matches, it was only one punch. Rumbling filled the air and ripples spread out in all directions. At the same time, Naruto turned and walked toward the edge of the arena.

Behind him, the shocking ripples slammed into the mosquitoes, causing them to collapse into pieces. The young man's body began to vibrate uncontrollably as he shot backward. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his expression was one of shock. He hadn't even been able to attack, and yet his cultivation base was suppressed, and he almost felt as if his vital organs were being tossed about.

At the critical moment, even the young man's voice quavered as he cried out, "Concede… I concede!"

He looked over at Naruto with an unprecedented expression of fear. He had been aware that Naruto was powerful, but had never imagined that he was THIS powerful!

As the scene played out in front of the eyes of the audience in the outside world, it sent them into tumult. In the first round, one punch. In the second round, also one punch. In the third round, facing up against a powerful opponent, and… also one punch!

"Just… just how powerful is he!?"

"He definitely deserves to take first place! With power and confidence like that, he's basically invincible!"

"I'm guessing that only the Chosen from the great sects can actually fight him!"

"I wonder who will force him into using two punches!?"

Up in the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were nodding in approval. None of them had any reason to deny that among his generation, Naruto truly was incredibly powerful!

"He must be using a vibration magic. This Kazama isn't very old, but he's actually mastered the magic of vibration!" 2

"That's a fleshly body technique that can only be learned when the fleshly body has reached a certain level of power. It can be considered very strong within the Spirit Realm. In fact, even in the Immortal Realm, there are only a handful of people who have mastered it!"

Naruto's performance was flashy and eye-catching, making him the center of attention of everyone watching the arena matches. When it came to the Chosen who were participating in the arena matches, they were also paying close attention to Naruto. Although their matches ended quickly, none of them were able to finish them with the ease that Naruto did.

"Hmph, he's just gotten lucky. How could he have run into so many weak opponents?! If he had faced off against formidable adversaries like we did, there's no way he would've gotten off so easy!"

"The further along we get, the more powerful the opponents will be. Let's see exactly how many rounds he can last!"

Discussions like these could be heard as the third round of matches concluded, and the fourth round began. By now, most of the cultivators had been eliminated, and only about a hundred remained.

Each and every one… was incredibly powerful!

Naruto stood on the fifth level of leaves as another opponent appeared amidst glittering lights. It was a hulking man who wore a long robe. Ripples spread out as he materialized. This was not the powerful expert from the Baldy Society, but was a Chosen nonetheless.

He came from the Seven Seas Sect.

In each of the previous rounds, he had torn his opponent to shreds. All of them had died. When walked out into the arena, a cruel smile could be seen on his face, and his eyes shone with a vicious gleam.

"Kazama…" he said. "We meet at last. You made quite a show in the past few rounds, but that was only because the people you were up against were weaklings!

"This time, I'll help you to understand how wide the gap is between a rogue cultivator like you and us Chosen. That gap… will leave you in despair!" The man laughed uproariously, and put on the appearance of being crude and rash. In truth, he was actually being very cautious, and was careful not to let any of his scheming thoughts show on the surface. As he spoke, he began to charge forward, and illusory seawater appeared around him. Seven seas appeared, causing rumbling sounds to fill the air. Simultaneously, a huge sea dragon materialized and roared toward Naruto.

As of this moment, many people among the audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching Naruto in the arena. When they saw the Chosen from the Seven Seas Sect attacking Naruto, many of them sighed.

"Kazama will definitely be incapable of pulling off something amazing with a single punch like before."

"Hmph. Going up against weaklings makes it easy to seem powerful. But now that he's fighting a Chosen, he'll have a tough time remaining calm. Even if he wins, this battle is definitely going to be like a fierce struggle between a tiger and a dragon."

"I've heard that the Seven Seas Sect's Yun Tianhe has a bizarre energy. After combining that energy with the cultivation base, it create a power that enables him to fight a false Immortal without being at a disadvantage."

The discussions in the outside world could not be heard in the arenas. At the same time, the hulking man from the Seven Seas Sect let out a powerful roar as he closed in on Naruto. Naruto's expression was as calm as ever as, just the same as before, he punched one time!

"Looking to die!?" said the hulking man with a malicious grin. He was clearly not pleased with Naruto's plan to end the fight with one punch. Sneering inwardly, he redoubled the power he was putting into his attack, and also unleashed a forbidden technique of his sect, which further increased its power by thirty percent.

He didn't just want to win, he wanted to kill his opponent, and he seemed very excited at the prospect of ending the life of the first place competitor who was also a future Conclave disciple of the Nine Seas God World.

Killing someone in an arena match was nothing anyone could complain about, so there was little danger of repercussions. His sect would reward him, and even more importantly, protect him.

What he saw was a chance to make great advancement with little effort, right there in front of him.

"DIE!" he roared, his eyes bursting with a murderous look as he caused the Seven Seas Dragon to suddenly grow another vicious head, which also snapped toward Naruto.

It was at this point that Naruto's fist connected with the dragon.

It was only one punch, but that punch slammed into the dragon with an enormous boom. A violent tremor ran through it, and then its first head cracked and exploded. The second head also exploded, and then, bit by bit, its body.

The seven seas rumbled briefly and then collapsed, vanishing in the blink of an eye, as if they had never been there to begin with. At this point, Naruto's fist slammed into the hulking man's chest.

The big man's eyes went wide as he looked at Naruto, and his face twisted. Naruto's expression was calm as he pulled his hand back and walked off to the edge of the arena.

In the instant he turned, blood sprayed from the hulking man's mouth. Fissures spread out from the point of impact on his chest, and in the blink of an eye, they had covered his entire body. A look of disbelief could be seen on his face, and he opened his mouth to say something. Before any words could come out, though, he exploded.

As the haze of blood and gore blasted out, Naruto reached the edge of the arena and sat down cross-legged. The entire time, only one, placid expression could be seen on his face. He reached up to wipe a drop of blood off of his cheek, then closed his eyes.

Gasps could be heard from the audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea as they watched Naruto in terrified shock.

"That was still… just one punch!"

"Heavens! Just exactly how powerful is this Kazama!? That Chosen from the Seven Seas Sect could match up to a false Immortal, and yet he collapsed from a single punch! Kazama hasn't even punched two times yet."

"Four matches, and he only punched one time each! Kazama is way too powerful!"

"He's already in the top 100, with only four punches!"

Even the eyes of the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace went wide.

Naruto was the focus of the attention of all the Chosen from the various sects, and was now viewed by most of them as a major adversary. Even Kazan was wondering whether or not he could beat the Seven Seas Sect's Chosen with only one punch. Of course, if he used a sword, he was confident he could.

Rumbling booms continued to echo out as the fourth round of arena matches proceeded. There was another battle that was particularly eye-catching. In fact, after Naruto's match ended, most eyes among the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea turned to watch it.

That battle was the match being fought by a disciple from the Holy Land of Mount Sun, the illustrious Bisuke!

His body was surrounded by boundless light, making him look almost like a sun. His opponent was a boy, the same competitor Naruto had noticed earlier, and had been paying special attention to.

From what Naruto could tell, he possessed at least thirty percent of the power of a true Immortal.

When the battle started, most of the spectators were confident that Bisuke would come out victorious. And yet, contrary to all speculations, he actually lost!

Furthermore, it was an incredible defeat. If he hadn't uttered the words 'I concede,' then he would almost certainly have died. The boy's magic caused a bloody glow to emanate out, and it seemed incredibly bloodthirsty. The sight of it caused quite a stir among the crowds, and many of the cultivators participating in the arena matches were shocked.

"Junior Blood Immortal! That was one of the names that came up in the trial by fire!"

"He actually defeated Bisuke!"

"He's making his rise to the top!"

While the outside audiences were discussing the matter, Naruto looked over at the boy to find him looking back with killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Two hours later, the fourth round of matches ended. There were now only a bit over sixty people left in the competition. The next round… would determine the top 32!

From more than a thousand people, 32 would move on! One could imagine that even if there were a weak person among that number who had happened to overcome more powerful people by chance, then that luck could be considered an aspect of their power.

"The top 32 are about to be determined!"

"Even some of the top Chosen from the great sects were defeated in the previous fights. I wonder who will make it to the top 32!"

While the outside audiences buzzed, Dengaku stood below the ancient Dao Tree and glanced over the more than sixty competitors who remained.

"In the Dao Seeking arena matches," he announced, "the most powerful people will form the top 32. Unfortunately, you have three too many people to make all the matches even. Therefore, some of you will be fighting more than one battle to make it into the top 32. As for who those people are, only the Heavens know. It will all be up to the Dao Tree's teleportation.

"You will have four hours to rest, after which the battles to determine the top 32 will begin!"

During those four hours, Naruto sat there cross-legged, meditating. He could sense that there were many people watching him, but he didn't open his eyes. Considering the level of his cultivation base, he was clearly at the pinnacle of the competitors in the arena matches. Were it not for the Immortal jades and the precious treasures, he would never have participated.

However, now that he was here, there were a few people who had attracted his interest. Unfortunately, he had yet to face them as opponents.

Four hours later, glittering light covered the leaves of the Dao Tree, teleporting Naruto and all the remaining contestants up to the next level of leaves. From within the glittering light in front of Naruto, a young woman stepped out.

She wore a blood-colored robe, and a white mask. This was the Chosen from the Church of the Blood Orchid, and as soon as she caught sight of Naruto, she stopped in her tracks. However, it took only a moment for her to emanate a powerful will to fight.

The intensity of that will caused Naruto's eyes to shine with a fierce glow.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze," she said, her words echoing out coldly from behind her mask, "please give me some fighting tips!" Even as she spoke, she performed an incantation gesture with her right hand, causing a Blood Orchid to appear in front of her. As the flower swayed back and forth, it began to grow rapidly. Rumbling sounds could be heard as, in the blink of an eye, it grew to a size of thirty meters.

It had a thick trunk, blood-colored petals, and looked both extremely imposing and visually stunning. At the same time, the flower twitched, causing branches to shoot toward Naruto.

Naruto stepped forward, clenched his fist, and sent out a single punch.

As of this moment, everyone in the outside world was watching as the punch caused a huge vortex to appear. Rumbling sounds spread out, causing the air to vibrate, and everything else to shake violently.

The incoming Blood Orchid branches twisted and then completely collapsed. However, in that moment, the Blood Orchid's petals spread wide as it bloomed. A drop of blood emerged that flew back to land on the forehead of the young woman's mask. Radiating an intense aura, the young woman then flickered as she shot toward Naruto.

Naruto stood in place, neither retreating nor advancing. However, at the same time, he punched a second time.

This second punch caused the air to ripple, and a massive force to explode out and sweep across the young woman. Her body trembled, and she was about to unleash a divine ability when an intense pressure crushed down onto her cultivation base. In the blink of an eye, she completely lost any ability to rotate her cultivation base, which left her not only completely surprised, but also incapable of avoiding the punch that slammed into her.

A boom could be heard. Beneath the mask, blood spurted from the young woman's mouth, and she staggered backward a full thirty meters, after which she looked up at Naruto, panting.

"You're no match for me," Naruto said coolly.

The young woman was silent for a moment, after which she chuckled bitterly and nodded.

"I concede," she said, and then vanished. When she reappeared, she was back on the first layer of leaves.

Naruto had won once again, but before the audiences outside could comment, light began to glitter on the tree leaf again, and… another person emerged!

It was a boy, none other than the same boy who had just defeated Bisuke. Junior Blood Immortal!

His appearance on the scene instantly sent the audience into tumult.

"Kazama is one of the people who has to fight twice!"

"There were three extra people in the competition, so some people have to fight more than once to get into the top 32. I never thought that Kazama would be one of them!"

"This is going to be one intense battle! Kazama versus Junior Blood Immortal! I wonder who will be strongest!?"

Junior Blood Immortal emerged slowly, and when he saw Naruto, his mouth twisted into a vicious grin. Killing intent flickered in his eyes.

"So, we meet at last!" he said in a raspy voice, licking his lips. A shocking red glow could be seen in his eyes as he stared at Naruto.

Naruto looked the boy over. He knew that he attacked with bizarre ferocity, and had reduced all of his opponents to pools of putrid blood, with the exception of Bisuke.

Contrary to what one might expect, the boy had not made much of an impression during the ten stages of the trial by fire. He had achieved just enough to make it into the top 1,000. Clearly, he had been holding back in virtually all aspects.

Naruto's expression was calm, and he said nothing. He merely looked indifferently at the boy.

When their gazes met, roaring sounds filled both of their minds as their divine senses made contact with each other. The boy's eyes filled with surprise. He knew his opponent was powerful, and yet, still remained fully confident in himself. Taking advantage of the rumbling caused by the divine sense, he charged toward Naruto, raising his right hand to perform an incantation gesture. Bloody light flickered up, and the in the blink of an eye, a blood-colored bottle gourd appeared, rotating as it sped through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he took a step forward. In that instant, the entire arena match leaf began to quake, and a wind began to swirl around Naruto.

"This divine ability of mine will cause all of the blood in your body to boil and turn into a putrid sludge!" The Junior Blood Immortal's voice was now shrill as he called out. In the blink of an eye, the blood-colored bottle gourd began to exert an incredible gravitational force, as if it wanted to suck Naruto inside of it.

Naruto snorted coldly. He did not level any punches; this Junior Blood Immortal had a bizarre cultivation base, and Naruto would not take him lightly. The wind swirling around him quickly transformed into a violent tempest that shot forward. At the same time, his body transformed into a black vulture, which flapped its wings, charging through the gravitational force to appear directly in front of the boy, where it slashed out with claws vicious enough to shatter stone and metal.

The boy's expression flickered, and blue veins popped out on his forehead as he howled at the incoming vulture. Sound waves rippled out that seemed to wish to shatter the air. The boy's expression was vicious as he raised both hands up, causing a sea of blood to appear and surge out toward Naruto.

Booms rang out as the two of them fought back and forth in midair. At one point, the boy let out a shrill cry, causing the sea of blood to turn into a blood-colored vortex that tried to suck Naruto in.

Naruto waved his hand, causing numerous mountains to appear, which then linked together to form a mountain range. However, thanks to the black feather, that mountain range actually looked like a huge river, which then surged in counterattack against the blood-colored vortex. The vortex was crushed as easily as dried twigs, shattering into pieces as vulture-form Naruto once again slashed through the air, his claws extended toward the boy's torso.

Boom!

Blood sprayed from the boy's mouth as a huge hole was ripped into his chest. He immediately shot backward in retreat, biting the tip of his tongue and spitting out some blood, which twisted in the air to become ten blood drops. Each drop immediately began to expand, turning into ten seas of blood that spread out to cover everything.

"Ten Seas, Blood Slaughter!" roared the boy. Naruto's face was calm, and he didn't retreat. Instead, he advanced, an aura of invincibility exploding out of him. As he faced the ten seas of blood, he clenched his hand into a fist and punched out into the air. Then, he punched again.

Two mere punches did not seem capable of fighting back against the ten roaring seas of blood. However, the boy's face flickered as he realized that something didn't seem quite right about the two blows, although he wasn't sure what.

In the blink of an eye, and before he had any time to react, Naruto attacked a total of nine times. He didn't even seem to be paying attention to the seas of blood that surrounded him, but instead, was punching directly forward.

Nine punches, each one more shocking than the one before.

This was… a Daoist magic! Nine Heavens Destruction! 1

As soon as the ninth punch exploded out, the boy's face fell. His pupils constricted as he retreated at top speed. At the same time, a massive boom echoed out, so powerful that cultivators in the surrounding arena matches heard it and were shocked.

A gigantic vortex surged out as a result of the nine punches. The blood seas were completely incapable of doing anything except be sucked up by the vortex. As for Naruto, he stood next to the vortex, his expression cold as he watched the boy fleeing. Then he raised his hand and stretched it out in a grasping motion.

Star Plucking Magic!

BOOM!

Blood sprayed from the boy's mouth. An expression of astonishment covered his face as he was dragged back toward Naruto, his body completely beyond his own control. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Naruto, and was close enough that he could even see the cold look in Naruto's eyes.

"You're looking to die!" howled the boy, his eyes bright red. Suddenly, his skin turned crimson, and black mist began to float up from the top of his head. Shockingly, an enormous image began to form above him.

It was a gigantic leech, covered with scales, that emanated an intense pressure. As soon as the cultivators of the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw it, their faces flickered with shock.

"Blood Leech Grand Magic!"

"That's a forbidden magic! That boy's actually using a forbidden magic!"

In the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were looking on with strange gleams in their eyes.

"That boy has remained undercover this entire time. Considering he cultivates a vicious magic like that, it's little wonder he could defeat Bisuke!"

"However, Saint Blood Leech was exterminated years ago by the Three Great Daoist Societies. Even if some of his Divine Clones survived, they wouldn't be able to do this alone! It seems this boy must have gotten his hands on one of them. Although it's only the first form of the Blood Leech Grand Magic, Kazama is still in grave danger."

"According to legend, the only thing that can restrain this magic is the Dao of the Blood Demon. Either that, or an incredibly powerful cultivation base."

Back in the arena, a vicious expression could be seen on the boy's face. This was his trump card, which he had intended to save for someone in the top 4. However, he was now forced into a corner, and had no other choice. His desire to kill Naruto now grew even stronger.

"Killing you won't be a waste of my grand magic," said the boy with a hideous grin. "Considering your reputation, slaying you will make me famous!" The enormous illusory Blood Leech opened its mouth, revealing countless sharp teeth as it pounced toward Naruto.

Naruto frowned slightly. This leech left him feeling as if his blood were unstable, and that it would burst out from inside of him at any moment. He snorted coldly, and rumbling filled the air as his Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

Because of the transformative powers of the black feather, the Dharma Idol now looked exactly like Kazama. It was three hundred meters tall, and emanated boundless magical light. As soon as it appeared, it stepped forward and punched toward the enormous leech.

A boom could be heard, and the boy's face fell. Blood spurted out all over his body as he tumbled backward. The enormous illusory leech trembled, seemingly on the verge of collapsing to pieces.

"I refuse to back down! Kazama, DIE!" The boy howled as countless rips and tears appeared all over his body. At the same time, the image of the leech shattered, transforming into innumerable fragments that shot toward the boy and fused into him. In the next moment, the boy suddenly exploded.

In that moment of explosion, the boy's flesh and blood transformed into numerous blood-colored leeches, a vast cloud of nearly a thousand. Buzzing could be heard as they shot toward Naruto. In addition to the leeches, a bloody mist spread out in all directions, making it impossible for onlookers to see what was happening clearly.

This new development caused great shock among the onlookers in the outside world. Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were surprised.

"The second form!"

"I can't believe this boy has cultivated the Blood Leech Grand Magic all the way to the second form!"

Not even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace could see what was happening inside the red mist. Were this some other location, nothing could block their divine sense. However, these were the Ruins of Immortality, so they could only watch with their eyes, not with their divine sense.

Even Dengaku and the other two old men couldn't do anything but watch. Their faces flickered as they considered the danger Naruto was in.

The outside world was in tumult.

"Don't tell me Kazama is going to perish!"

What the people on the outside couldn't see was that Naruto was standing in the middle of the bloody mist, his body glowing with red light as he stared coldly at the more than one thousand incoming Blood Leeches. The leeches were now trembling in terror.

The boy's quivering divine sense emanated out from the leeches.

"Blood… Blood Demon Grand Magic? Spare me, Fellow Daoist Namikaze, spare me…."

Naruto ignored him. After sweeping his own divine sense across the leeches, he exercised a bit of will, and booms could be heard as one leech after another began to explode. All of them transformed into nothing more than drifting ash.

As the bloody mist faded away, Naruto walked calmly over to the edge of the arena and sat down cross-legged.

The outside world was in an uproar.

"That boy's grand magic was actually defeated!"

"There were clearly more than a thousand leeches just a moment ago. Then that red mist covered everything over, and we couldn't see anything. How exactly did Kazama secure victory!?"

"Junior Blood Immortal defeated Bisuke, and then Kazama defeated Junior Blood Immortal! Kazama… is invincible!"

The outside crowds were astonished, and the Patriarchs inside the palace were frowning. They were all looking at Naruto with thoughtful expressions.

They had been unable to see what had happened inside the red mist, but they knew that the second form of the Blood Leech Grand Magic was incredibly difficult to deal with. The fact that it had been defeated so quickly was quite puzzling to them.

As everyone pondered these matters, the old man from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite spoke up.

"Perhaps the boy's version of the second form wasn't stable, and he accidentally self-destructed," he said slowly, his voice echoing about.

This was the only answer that made sense. After all, the second form of the Blood Leech Grand Magic was very difficult to cultivate successfully.

Back in the arena, Naruto sat there calmly. His battle with the boy just now had caused quite a bit of shock amongst the other competitors, especially the Chosen. The boy had just defeated Bisuke, so the fact that Naruto had ended up killing him caused even more attention to be sent his way.

The Chosen had been quite shocked just to see the Blood Leech Grand Magic; what had played out after that left them filled with a sense of mystery.

Kazan's eyes flickered, and his desire to fight grew stronger as he looked over at Naruto. He said nothing, but the look flickering in his eyes grew even more intense.

Fū frowned. On the one hand, she felt some mysterious and unexplainable loathing toward Naruto, but on the other hand, she had to admit that he was definitely on her level.

Mei and Chiriku also looked over at him. Compared to Mei, Chiriku's feelings were far more intense; to him, looking at Naruto kept causing him to think about his nightmarish experience on Planet Lands of Ninshu.

The other matches proceeded along. Now that Naruto's battle was over, there was another intense match that drew quite a bit of attention. That was the masked young man, Ashitaba, who was fighting the emaciated youth from the Bones of the Flamedevil.

The youth attacked with a monstrous sea of flames, and fire burned within his eyes. As for Ashitaba, the fighting had reached the point where he had finally removed his mask, revealing a scar-covered face, and eyes that brimmed with the desire to do battle. They fought with shocking attacks until Ashitaba finally ran out of power. However, the Chosen from the Bones of the Flamedevil was also seriously injured.

Because of Ashitaba's defeat, Naruto now had a much better idea of exactly how powerful he was.

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were sighing.

"What a pity. It seems Ashitaba isn't strong enough to make it into the top 32. However, this was a battle against Gekomatsu from the Bones of the Flamedevil, and he's incredible. Even though Ashitaba lost, he still managed to seriously injure Gekomatsu."

"You can only chalk it up to bad luck. At least he can feel proud in defeat!"

"I wonder how many competitors from the trial by fire will be left in the end. Will the first place spot for the stages of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking belong to them, or to the Chosen?!"

In the palace among the stars, the Patriarchs were watching the various battles thoughtfully, but their expressions revealed nothing about what they were thinking.

In contrast, bets were already being placed in the outside world regarding who would make it into the top 8.

Soon, this round of matches was over. The extra three people were eliminated, along with half of the other participants, leaving 32 competitors behind!

These 32 were incredibly powerful cultivators!

"Spend the next day in rest and recovery," said Dengaku. "After that, the top 16 will be selected!" Naruto and the others among the top 32 were now getting ever closer to the top of the main trunk of the ancient Dao Tree. Currently, they began to rest and prepare for the battles to get into the top 16.

By now, the battles to select the top 32 had already begun for the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing stages. From Naruto's position up above, he could finally see Guy down in the Nascent Soul arena matches.

Although Guy was currently fighting against a Nascent Soul cultivator like himself, the level of difficulty to get into the top 32 was extreme.

Nevertheless, he was still enduring. His sword strikes had gained an additional sharpness which, combined with his gloomy demeanor, caused shock to fill the heart of his opponent.

Guy had long since drawn the notice of quite a few sects. His sword contained a Domain, even though he himself was only in the Nascent Soul stage. Someone like that was certain to make stunning accomplishments in the future.

One of the Three Churches and Six Sects, the Solitary Sword Pavilion, which was somewhat related to the Solitary Sword Sect, was especially interested in Guy. They were actually the first to take note of him.

The day passed by quickly, and in the end, Guy made it into the top 32.

As for Naruto, he began to fight for his spot in the top 16!

As the battle began, glittering light spread out, and they moved closer to the top of the tree. Naruto's opponent was another Chosen!

It was the young woman from the Five Colors Sect, who wore robes that were a mixture of five colors. Naruto had been paying attention to her in previous battles, and knew that she had astonishing skill in five elements magic.

This young woman was much more cautious than Naruto; once she saw who her opponent was, her heart began to thump. Of the handful of people she truly feared in the arena matches, Naruto was one of them.

After she and Naruto clasped hands to each other, the young woman took the initiative, performing a double-handed incantation, immediately unleashing metal, wood, water, fire and earth, all five elements. They materialized into a massive sea, a huge battleship, a blazing sun, and an enormous clay golem that wielded a golden greatsword, all of which shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes gleamed with the light of anticipation. Body flickering, he waved his hand, causing a Violet Sea to descend, which was his water totem. Then the Golden Crow appeared, his metal totem. After that were his wood, fire, and earth totems. Shockingly, five elements fought against five elements.

The clash caused wild colors to flash about, and rumbling to fill the air. The audiences in the outside world were looking on with rapt attention.

In the arena, Naruto and the young woman fought back and forth in midair. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, the five elements, were unleashed amidst rumbling booms. In a short time, they had exchanged several dozen attacks, but throughout it all Naruto never went all out. Rather, he merely relied on the five elements as the avenue of attack while facing off against the woman.

He was using this fight to strengthen his five elements magic. Considering that the young woman was even more skilled than Naruto in the use of the five elements, this match gave those watching it the feeling that it was two disciples from the Five Colors Sect who were fighting.

In fact, the disciples from that very sect were somewhat confused, and watched in shock as the battle unfolded.

"Kazama actually excels in five elements magic as well!"

"This is unbelievable! Although many people can use five elements magic to some degree, no one can compare to the Five Colors Sect. And yet, Kazama is actually evenly matched with Han Mei!"

There were sixteen arenas with thirty-two people fighting in them; no one had secured victory as of yet. It was at this point that a black wind rose up within the Ruins of Immortality. Not even the enormous corpse beneath the ancient Dao Tree could do anything to prevent its arrival. It swept out, appearing directly above the huge tree. Inside of the black wind, a pair of white eyes could be seen, which stared down at the crowds of people fighting down below.

The instant the black wind appeared, the faces of Dengaku and the other two old men flickered. It wasn't just them; the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were also shocked.

Most nervous of all were the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace. They all rose to their feet, even the old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies, their eyes widening in response to the sudden appearance of the black wind.

"The ancient Dao Tree was personally planted by the Paragons, and contains a bit of the Paragons' will," said the Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World. "They will be safe as long as they stay on the tree."

By now, all of the fighters on the Dao Tree had seen the Black Wind, and their faces flickered. Dengaku and the other two old men took deep breaths, and then Dengaku's voice rang out.

"You must not leave the leaves of the tree! As long as you remain on the leaves you will be in no danger!"

Almost in the same instant that Dengaku's words could be heard, a scream rang out from off in the distance, a sound so piercing it seemed capable of shredding iron or rock. It echoed about, and to the people on the tree it merely gave them a twinge of pain in their ears, inflicting not even a minor hindrance to them. However, Dengaku and the other two old men coughed up blood and, faces falling, quickly retreated as close as possible to the tree.

In that same moment, an enormous eyeball began to descend from up above. It was thoroughly bloodshot, and as it neared, the veins of blood within the eye began to extend themselves and whip around. Suddenly, a shrill voice echoed out.

"Who! Who plucked out my right eye!?

"My right eye! Get back here, come back…."

As the sound echoed about, the crowds on the Dao Tree coughed up blood. Thankfully, a bright glow spread out from the Dao Tree, ensuring that there were no deaths, only injuries.

The black wind and the eye merely milled about outside the Dao Tree, apparently in dread of it. However, after a moment, the black wind seemed to lose patience. A shrill shriek could be heard as an enormous, decomposing roc flew out from inside. It was shockingly large, and as it flew out, its sharp talons slashed out toward the Dao Tree.

Before it could get very close, brilliant light spread out from the Dao Tree, causing the roc to let out a miserable shriek and fall back. However, it did not leave. Instead, it continued to loiter outside of the Dao Tree, its eyes radiating an intense aura of death and savagery.

Considering that was all that happened, Naruto, although shocked, didn't pay very close attention to the matter. However, just when he was about to resume fighting with the young woman, another figure approached from off in the distance.

It was a man with half a head, his body surrounded by swirling black mist. He held a banner in his hand, and a sword had been plunged into his side. The grievous wound that had taken off half of his head did not appear to have been inflicted while alive, but rather as if some creature had bitten it off after he was already dead. Instead, the fatal blow that killed him was apparently delivered by the sword that was still stuck into his side.

He approached slowly, his one remaining eye sweeping over the crowds until it finally came to rest on Naruto. Then, he began to head directly toward him.

When Dengaku and the others saw the man, their faces fell. Naruto's eyes flickered.

It was at this moment that the young woman from the Five Colors Sect suddenly performed an incantation gesture and attacked. Her five elements magic caused five-colored light to blaze up, transforming into a five-colored sealing mark that rotated rapidly as it shot through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto frowned. He was no longer interested in fighting, so he punched out with his right hand, simultaneously causing his Dharma Idol to appear. Intense energy surged out, and a boom could be heard as the five-colored sealing mark shattered. The young woman's face fell, and blood spurted from her mouth.

It was in this moment that the half-headed man waved his right hand, causing the banner in his hand to unfurl. A black mist appeared, which transformed into a huge vortex. At the same time, he pointed toward Naruto.

"Come… come… come…." His voice was archaic, as if it had originated in ancient times. As the voice echoed out, an enormous gravitational force exploded out and enveloped the tree leaf Naruto was on. Naruto's face flickered, and he immediately dropped to the surface of the leaf. However, the face of the young woman from the Five Colors Sect fell as she was involuntarily swept up into the air. In the blink of an eye, she appeared to be on the verge of… flying completely away from the leaf.

Everyone looked on as it happened, but none of them were able to do anything to come to her aid. Dengaku and the others stared with wide eyes, but could do nothing to help.

The crowds watching in the Ninth Mountain and Sea observed the scene with wide eyes, and many gasps could be heard.

In the starry sky palace, the Matriarch from the Five Colors Sect watched with an expression of unprecedented anxiety. The young woman participating in the arena matches was not a Chosen of the sect, but one of her direct bloodline descendants.

"Save me!" the girl cried in shrill alarm. She was now flying through the air toward the edge of the leaf, and was just about to be sucked outside. She could see the terrifying roc inside the black wind nearby, opening its decomposing mouth. She could also see the eyeball, with the countless veins stretching out from it.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he suddenly extended his hand toward the girl and made a grabbing motion. The Star Plucking Magic was unleashed as he grabbed onto her and began to pull her back. However, the suction force was too strong, and all Naruto could do was slow her down a bit.

"Hurry up and concede!" he growled.

The young woman suddenly seemed to come to her senses, and urgently cried out, "I concede!"

As soon as the two words left her mouth, and just as she was about to be sucked outside, glittering light surrounded her and she vanished. When she reappeared, she was back down on the first layer of leaves, badly shaken and her face ashen. She looked up toward Naruto with an expression of deep gratitude.

Naruto heaved a sigh of relief, then sat down cross-legged, looking out coldly at the half-headed man outside of the Dao Tree.

Everyone else who had been watching also sighed in relief. Dengaku looked over at Naruto with even more admiration than before. Even he hadn't thought of using the words 'I concede' to get out of danger.

Everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely surprised by everything that had happened. They were especially shocked by how quickly Naruto had reacted. To them, it was evidence of incredible quick thinking and resourcefulness.

"That's right! All she had to do was concede, and then she was teleported out. It took a moment, but that was definitely the simplest method. How come I didn't think of that!?"

"This Kazama is extremely quick-witted to come up with a plan like that in such a situation!"

Up in the palace in the sky, the Matriarch from the Five Colors Sect took a deep breath and then glanced at Naruto on the vortex screen. Her expression was one of gratitude; she was not the type of person who liked to owe favors to others, so this was a kindness she would be sure to repay in the future.

"The arena matches will now continue," said Dengaku from his position beneath the Dao Tree. "All of you must remember to never step foot outside of the arena. If any situation arises similar to what has just occurred, it would be much better to concede than to die." Dengaku sighed. Although he was aware of why the Three Great Daoist Societies had chosen this place to hold the arena matches, the dangers of the area made it such that those in the Spirit Realm really should not be here.

The arena matches continued as the top 32 continued to fight. The dangers of the outside world had now become a sort of a tempering and assessment of their own.

Because the young woman from the Five Colors Sect conceded, Naruto was the first to complete this round, and he sat there cross-legged in the arena, looking at the half-headed man outside. The man looked back at him.

Although there was a vast gap of empty space between them, as they looked at each other, Naruto could sense the feeling of a summons rising up within him.

"If I get the chance, I WILL take back that sword!" Naruto's eyes flickered. Although the sword might not seem special to anyone else, to Naruto, it had the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex!

Each of the eight Demon Sealing Hexes were strange and mysterious. Both the Body Hexing and Karmic Hexing gave him superiority in flexibility when it came to fighting, and basically prevented anyone from guarding against his attacks.

After four hours passed, the various arena matches wound to a conclusion. The top 16 were now set. From over a thousand cultivators, successive victories had led these people into the top 16. Each and every one could be considered a peak expert of the Spirit Realm.

Experts like this could crush false Immortals, and could even compare to some extent to true Immortals. In fact, most of them would assuredly employ an Immortality Illumination Vine in the near future, after which it wouldn't be long before they became true Immortals.

Their path to Immortality would be a smooth one, and given their accumulated resources, it would only be a few short years before they were at the peak of the Immortal Realm.

This sequence of events happened once every ten thousand years; since every true Immortal could cultivate at a speed that far exceeded a false Immortal, true Immortals always rose to prominence and became famous in all the Mountains and Seas.

Were it not for the incredible prizes being offered up during the arena matches, the various sects would not have sent their Chosen here, but would have kept them in secluded meditation to prepare for true Immortality.

Actually, one of the reasons even more Chosen hadn't joined the arena matches was that most of them were still in secluded meditation. Once they emerged, as long as they didn't fail in the process, they would be true Immortals.

Naruto took a deep breath, rose to his feet and looked around at the top 16 competitors in the arena matches.

Kazan was among them, as was Fū. Chiriku, surprisingly, was there too, as well as some of the other Chosen who Naruto had previously taken note of. As far as competitors from the trial by fire, Ashitaba had been defeated, as had the young man with the mosquitoes and Junior Blood Immortal. Other than Naruto, the only remaining competitor from the trial by fire was the garrulous old man.

Top 16!

"Rest and recuperate for one day, and then the battle for the top 8 will begin!"

The next day, the battle for the top 8 began!

On the main trunk of the Dao Tree, at the very top, there was a single golden leaf. Beneath that were two silver leaves, further down were four bronze leaves, and beneath that were eight light green leaves.

The battles for the top 8 would be fought on those eight light green leaves!

Eight battles, fought simultaneously. All of the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were paying rapt attention.

"The top 8 will be selected from these sixteen people! Each one is a top expert of the Dao Seeking stage. This round is definitely going to be spectacular!"

"I wonder who exactly is going to win! Who's going to be eliminated!? Even the top 16 experts have no way of knowing!"

"The thing I'm most curious about is whether that Kazama will be able to enter the top 8!"

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were also paying close attention.

By this point, many people had already forgotten about the main reason why the arena matches of the trial by fire were being held to begin with. Whoever took first place would have a chance to be taken in by the Three Great Daoist Sects as a disciple. The three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies did nothing to remind anyone of this.

It was almost as if the taking of disciples wasn't very important at all.

Light glittered in front of Naruto and next, he was standing on a light green leaf. In front of him, a thin, emaciated figure appeared.

Although he was skinny, amorphous flames spread out around him as he walked forward. They were invisible, but Naruto could feel them, as if what was walking toward him was not a cultivator, but a flame Devil!

Within his eyes, flames could be seen flickering. He wore a long black robe, and his hair floated around him. He stood there, his energy surging, growing more and more powerful. In the blink of an eye, the air around him began to ripple and distort.

This was the Chosen from the Bones of the Flamedevil, one of the Five Holy Lands… Gekomatsu!

Back in the ten stages of the trial by fire, the masked Ashitaba had repeatedly performed just behind Naruto. He had been defeated by Gekomatsu, although he had ended up seriously wounding Gekomatsu in the process.

Naruto looked at him calmly, and Gekomatsu looked back at him.

Neither of them spoke. The flames in Gekomatsu's eyes burned bright, and the air around him distorted as the invisible flames burned. The flames seemed capable of scorching anything and everything as they shot toward Naruto.

No observer could see the fire, but by using divine sense, Naruto was able to sense them clearly. What he saw was an illusory body of flames rushing toward him.

"This is not the fire of the five elements!" Naruto thought, his eyes glittering. The fire of the five elements was a natural law of Heaven and Earth. In fact, the fire wielded by the young woman from the Five Colors Sect had contained that natural law. However, the flames unleashed by Gekomatsu from the Bones of the Flamedevil had no natural law, but instead, a strange will!

After examining it closely for a moment, he realized that it seemed to be bound by some sort of summoning contract, as if… some all-powerful being had bestowed the power of the flames. It was as if this flame was actually a type of life force flame.

Naruto's expression was normal as he clenched his right hand into a fist. As soon as he punched out, a vortex appeared, which sent ripples spreading out. Explosive rumbling could be heard as it slammed into the flames, and was then completely submerged by them.

"Eee?" said Naruto, falling back for the first time. Gekomatsu's eyes overflowed with the desire to fight, and as Naruto retreated, he advanced, performing an incantation gesture that caused more roaring flames to appear around him. Shockingly, they transformed into the shape of an enormous mouth that bit toward Naruto.

The sight of Naruto retreating caused quite a stir in the outside world. This was the first time they had ever seen him back up in a fight.

However, as the flame mouth closed in on him, Naruto stopped in place and set his jaw. A look of anticipation gleamed in his eyes as he performed an incantation gesture. Then, he punched out repeatedly, using the Nine Heavens Destruction once again.

Booms rattled out in all directions as Naruto then transformed into a vulture that shot toward Gekomatsu like black lightning. Gekomatsu's face fell, and he performed an incantation gesture. Immediately, a set of flaming armor appeared around him. He reached out with his right hand in a grasping motion, causing an enormous flame spear to materialize. His hands closed around it, and he stabbed it toward the incoming Naruto.

The scream of the spear was ear-splitting, and countless erupting volcanos appeared around it as it shot toward Naruto in shocking fashion.

Naruto snorted coldly as mountains of his own appeared and linked together into an equally shocking mountain range, although it appeared as a huge river to onlookers. It slammed into the volcanoes, causing a huge boom to rise into the air. It was at this point that Naruto's shocking Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

In that instant, Gekomatsu tilted his back and roared. His own incredible Dharma Idol appeared, a corpse which was covered in scales and emanated black flames. It immediately began to contend with Naruto's Dharma Idol.

When the Dharma Idols collided, Naruto employed the Star Plucking Magic. An incredible force that Gekomatsu could not resist suddenly grabbed him, causing a sense of crisis to well up inside of him. Letting out a bellow of rage, Gekomatsu caused his suit of flame armor to detonate, using the force of the mighty explosion to fight against Naruto's Star Plucking Magic.

Gekomatsu's face was ashen, and blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth. As of this point, he knew that he wasn't a match for Naruto, and yet he chose to continue fighting anyway.

However, in the instant that his flame armor exploded, Naruto's eyes began to shine with an intense desire to do battle. He strode forward; even the roaring flames could do nothing to prevent his charge. As he passed through the sea of flames, he let out a huge roar.

The roar caused the entire leaf to tremble, and even passed outside of the Dao Tree itself. At the same time, his roar caused an enormous wind to spring up, slashing into the sea of flames and cutting a path through them directly to Gekomatsu.

Gekomatsu's face fell as he realized how powerful this Kazama was. It was only at this decisive moment of the battle that he realized that his opponent was completely terrifying. Magical techniques and divine abilities were secondary; the critical factor was his incredible energy.

"He has an aura of invincibility about him!" thought Gekomatsu, madness glowing in his eyes. He bit his tongue and spit out some blood, which then transformed into lava, and then exploded into meteors that streaked through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto snorted coldly, then pointed out with his right finger as he unleashed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex onto the sea of flames and the shooting stars. No outsider would be able to tell what was happening, but Gekomatsu's face instantly fell as his cultivation base lurched to a standstill.

The cost of that standstill was…

Naruto closed in, causing all of the shooting stars and the entire sea of flames to be sent spinning away. As Naruto bore down on Gekomatsu, he punched out. A boom rang out as blood sprayed from Gekomatsu's mouth. It only took a moment for him to recover, after which a fierce flame appeared in his eyes. Taking advantage of his backward motion, he spun his right leg around rapidly toward Naruto's head.

At the same time, a look of determination appeared in his eyes.

"Flamedevil Transformation!" he cried out

This battle was the complete focus of all eyes out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. As of now, they were beginning to see how invincible Naruto's power was. As for Gekomatsu, he also possessed similar power. As they battled, neither of them spent any time on defense, but instead, consistently attacked!

Naruto did nothing to evade Gekomatsu's spinning back kick. He lifted his left hand and grabbed down hard onto Gekomatsu's leg, sending a massive power of vibration into it. Rumbling could be heard, and Gekomatsu coughed up some blood. However, by this time his entire body was turning red!

This red was not the red of blood, but rather, the red of flames!

It was as if all the blood in his body had turned into lava. Flames burst out all around him, engulfing him entirely. His skin didn't seem capable of bearing the flames, and began to split apart all over. Soon, the rips and tears covered him completely.

However, his energy exploded up, and despite the fact that Naruto was holding onto his leg tightly, he let out a bellow and caused flames to surge toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was calm as he released his hand, then kicked out viciously with his foot. A boom could be heard as Gekomatsu was sent flying several dozen meters back.

"Body transformation magic, huh?" said Naruto coolly. "Well, I'll just have to beat you back into your original state." He suddenly transformed into the vulture, which shot forward at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it appeared in front of Gekomatsu and slashed at him with its claws. Then Naruto returned to human form and punched out with a fist.

BOOOMMMM! After changing forms, Gekomatsu thought that he would be even more powerful, capable of fighting Naruto. However, he never imagined that a few punches from Naruto would slam into him like wild tempests. The speed and power were incredible, and he was incapable of standing up to it. Just when he was about to try to resist, Naruto's divine sense transformed into an incredible crushing power that slammed down onto him.

Naruto advanced as if he were crushing rotten twigs. Gekomatsu fell back continuously. In the blink of an eye, dozens of lightning-like exchanges occurred between the two of them. Gekomatsu constantly coughed up blood, and his energy was rapidly depleting. In the end, he slammed down onto the surface of the arena. The flames covering his body were extinguished, and blood spurted out all over. After struggling to his feet, he found a long spear leveled against his throat.

It was none other than the spear Naruto had acquired in the Warrior Pavilion, with the shaft made from part of the World Tree, and a sharp bone spearhead. Thanks to the power of the black feather, however, it looked completely different, and was something no one would ever recognize.

Gekomatsu shivered as he sensed the murderous aura coming from the spearhead, which left his entire body feeling ice cold. Then there was Naruto, whose eyes had remained intensely cold from the beginning of their battle until this moment. He seemed to be waiting for Gekomatsu to say something, and if Gekomatsu didn't say it… then the spear would immediately stab completely through his throat.

Naruto didn't say anything. He just looked calmly at Gekomatsu.

Out in the world of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, cultivators watched the match with thumping hearts. They had never heard of Kazama before, but now, he astonished them in battle after battle, proving that he was more powerful than any opponent could imagine!

"He can definitely take first place!"

"Heavens, he took first place in the trial by fire already. If he also takes first place in the arena matches, then he… he…."

"This is matchlessly breathtaking! Throughout all the years, there has never been another person like this!"

"Just who is he? There's no way a person like him could be an obscure nobody!"

While the audiences were in an uproar, Madara floated in the starry sky. His eyes glittered brightly, and Immortal Chakra swirled around him for a long moment before he retracted it. The desire to fight burned strongly in his eyes.

"Naruto…."

Near Planet East Victory, Patriarch Reliance switched back and forth between smiling broadly and gnashing his teeth. He definitely had very complex feelings regarding Naruto.

Everyone was watching as Gekomatsu lay silently in the arena. He took a deep, painful breath and looked up at Naruto.

"How much of your cultivation base did you use?" he asked suddenly.

"Is that really important?" Naruto replied coolly.

"It is to me!" said Gekomatsu firmly.

"Well, not to me." Naruto shook his head, staring at Gekomatsu coldly and with a bit of impatience.

Gekomatsu's trembling heart filled with coldness. Then he suddenly recalled standing in the outside world, watching some of Kazama's bizarre actions. Immediately, he pulled a bag of holding out from within his robe.

"There are over 3,000,000 spirit stones here. I didn't bring many with me today, but you can have them if you just answer my question."

Moments before, Naruto's expression had been ice cold, as emotionless as a cold-blooded killer. Now, however, his eyes narrowed, and a slight smile could be seen on his face. It happened so quickly that Gekomatsu stared in shock.

Naruto quickly grabbed the bag of holding and scanned it with his spiritual sense. Finally, his face beamed with joy.

"Elder Brother Guy, there's really no need for this," he said, licking his lips. "It's just a question, right? What's the point in pulling out so many spirit stones? Alright, alright. If I refused them, that would be an insult to you. In that case, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and take them." His current expression was indeed vastly different than what it had been before. Gekomatsu stared in disbelief at how different Naruto was now, and how quickly he had changed. It seemed unbelievable how completely natural the change had come to him.

"Taking money to resolve others' issues… Elder Brother Guy… just now I was using…

"Seventy percent full power!" These last four words were transmitted directly into Gekomatsu's mind. Of course, as to how much he actually used, naturally, that was something he would never reveal.

Gekomatsu rose to his feet, taciturn. He didn't want to believe Naruto, but the answer mostly lined up with his own judgement and perception. Giving Naruto a long, penetrating look, he finally uttered the words 'I concede.'

Immediately, he faded away and reappeared on the first level of leaves.

Naruto was feeling very pleased. He had never imagined that he would be able to earn some spirit stones in the middle of fighting. Suddenly, he looked up in thought, and then an annoyed expression appeared on his face.

"How could I have forgotten about making money? If I'd thought of doing this earlier, I probably could have made a small fortune in the past few matches."

As the battles to decide the top 8 continued, Naruto sat down cross-legged. After glancing around at the other battles going on around him, he looked down toward the Nascent Soul arena matches, and Guy.

The Nascent Soul arena matches were also in the middle of determining their top 8. Guy was soaked in blood as he fought a young woman. A look of annoyance could be seen on her face as they fought back and forth. Up to this point in the battle, the gloomy will cast out by Guy's attacks had kept the woman feeling quite suppressed.

However, this young woman was not one of the trial by fire competitors. She was a Nascent Soul Chosen from the Solitary Sword Pavilion, and was definitely powerful enough to make it into the top 4. She and Guy were currently fighting back and forth.

Naruto watched the battle silently. Based on the level of his cultivation base, he was able to tell that Guy had reached the end of the line in this battle.

Moments later, Guy lost, and was unable to enter the top 8. He clasped hands silently to the young woman as his body faded away, and he reappeared down below.

Naruto sighed. He had sensed the deep bitterness within Guy on previous occasions, but it wasn't until Hinata finally departed that he came to understand why Guy had fallen so low.

Time passed, and rumbling booms echoed out. Gradually, victory and defeat were determined in multiple arenas. However, it was at this time that, all of a sudden, numerous figures began to appear outside of the Dao Tree. They hovered there, faces blank as they stared at the arena matches on the Dao Tree.

Each and every one of these figures emanated auras that would cause anyone to tremble. Dengaku and the other two old men immediately started to get nervous.

By the time the battles to select the top 8 had concluded, there were numerous terrifying figures outside of the Dao Tree. One of them had the upper body of a cultivator and the tail of a snake. The creature materialized in midair, then looked coldly over at the Dao Tree, her eyes flickering with a bloodthirsty gleam.

There was another shocking thing that attracted all eyes. It was not a living creature, but rather, an enormous battle-ax. The head of the ax was carved with mountains and rivers, and appeared to be flecked with rust. The battle-ax made no sound as it materialized, but after it appeared, most of the other entities near it immediately moved away.

This battle-ax sent the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea into an uproar. However, there were actually few people who knew what the battle-ax represented, other than… the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace.

The three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies all rose to their feet. Their expressions were deeply solemn, and within their eyes could be seen gleams of hope and excitement.

The Patriarchs from the other clans also had serious expressions as they stood up. One of the main reasons they had agreed to hold the arena matches in the Ruins of Immortality was because of the plan that had been laid out before them earlier by the Three Great Daoist Societies.

If that plan succeeded, then all of the sects would benefit.

"So… will SHE appear…?" asked the old man from the Baldy Society. When he spoke the word 'she,' his voice quavered a bit.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," said the Patriarch from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. "Either way, we have a chance."

Back in the location of the Dao Seeking arena matches, the top 8 had been selected. They stood on their eight respective green leaves, the center of all attention.

Those eight cultivators included Naruto, the garrulous old man, Kazan, Fū, and Mei. In addition to those five, there was the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, who fought using corpses and coffins.

The seventh person was the tall, muscular man from the Baldy Society who attacked with descending mountains. He was the one who had defeated Chiriku.

The last person was the youth from the Burning Incense Stick Society. He had a third eye on his forehead, and throughout all the matches, had only ever attacked anyone once. All the other times, he merely transmitted some words, whereupon his opponents would prostrate themselves on the ground and look at him with fanatical piety.

Of these eight people, six were Chosen, and two were competitors from the trial by fire. They were now the focus of all attention from the outside world.

Countless eyes looked on with anticipation, waiting to find out which of the eight would make it into the semifinals, and after that, the final battle!

"The semifinal qualification matches will be different than the previous matches," said Dengaku, his voice echoing out in all directions.

"Victory will no longer be determined by a single battle. Each and every one of you must fight at least four battles!

"First, we will determine who are the top 4 and the bottom 4. The winners of the first fight will become the top 4, the losers will be the bottom 4.

"Then, each of the top 4 will fight the remaining three competitors who they did not fight previously. In the end, the four people who end up with the most victories will become the final 4!

"The outcome of any tie will be determined by a tie-breaking match.

"You will have three days to rest and recuperate. After that, the semifinal qualification matches will begin!" This method of determining the final 4 would prevent anyone from winning out through sheer luck. Furthermore, the final 4 would well and truly deserve to be called the most powerful!

The Three Great Daoist Societies had decided on this method, and none of the other sects had disagreed.

Time passed. Naruto sat there cross-legged, feeling quite confident. However, the other seven people in the competition were all powerful experts, especially Kazan and the others. Naruto had already tangled with them on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and was very curious as to how the coming matches would turn out.

Even more curious were the audiences out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Many bets had already been placed on the final outcomes.

"Kazan will definitely make it to the semifinals!"

"Fū will most likely make it as well!"

"I wonder if Kazama will be able to continue his legendary run!"

Three days later, just when Dengaku's echoing voice was announcing the beginning of the semifinals qualification matches, and all eyes in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were focused on the vortex screens in anticipation….

Suddenly, music could be heard drifting toward the Dao Tree from off in the distance. The music drifted slowly about, echoing in the ears, penetrating the mind. Everyone who heard it suddenly felt sorrow in their hearts, which immediately influenced their emotions.

It was a sad song, filled with longing, as if it were recalling the past, and an old friend.

As the music echoed about, a woman approached from off in the distance. She wore a snow-white gown, and was stunningly beautiful. She approached slowly and came to a stop above the Dao Tree. Her face was ice cold, seemingly devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

Her sudden appearance on the scene caused everyone to stare in shock. She was as different from the other beings in the Ruins of Immortality as black is from white. Immediately, the black wind shuddered, and the huge roc let out a miserable shriek; they both fled in terror at top speed.

Apparently, that roc had been killed by the woman in the past!

As for the blood-colored eye, it shrank back, trembling, and then fled. The other almighty figures all dropped to their knees and then… kowtowed to the woman!

As for the naga cultivator, she let out a shriek of astonishment and then fled, terrified.

The battle-ax emitted a droning sound as it approached the white-robed woman, and began to circulate around her. She looked at it, and slowly, an expression of reminiscence and sorrow appeared on her face.

Everyone on the ancient Dao Tree felt their hearts thumping as they stared blankly at the woman.

Dengaku and the other two old men were also trembling, and their faces were pale white. They said absolutely nothing.

Naruto's eyes widened as well. However, what was most concerning to him was not the woman and her appearance on the scene, but the fact that the half-headed man who had been following him, and was now hovering near the arenas, did not flee or bow like the other beings. He quivered a bit, but by force of will remained hovering there just as before.

When Naruto saw this, his heart began to pound.

It was at this point that the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies urgently stepped forward toward the vortex. Their expressions were that of shock, and they seemed to be thinking a variety of thoughts. Moments later, though, they began to tremble with wild joy.

All of the other Patriarchs were staring at the woman, dumbstruck.

"It's actually… HER!"

"She looks exactly like the image recorded in the sect's records!"

"When the Three Great Daoist Societies told us about their plan, I thought it was crazy…. That woman… how could she be alive after all this time!?"

The Patriarchs from all the sects were now on their feet, staring at the white-robed woman in the vortex screen in disbelief.

"She's the Paragon from the legends…." murmured the old man from the Baldy Society.

Similar words echoed about in the minds of all of the other Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, and waves of audible gasps arose from the crowd there.

Meanwhile, at the very peak of the Ninth Mountain, was a statue of a cross-legged man, sitting atop a boulder. The statue seemed devoid of any life force whatsoever, and yet, in this instant, cracks spread out across the surface of the statue. At the same time, the stars in the sky above the Ninth Mountain went dim, with the exception of one, which shone brilliantly, almost as if it were a solitary eye.

It seemed expressionless and ancient, as if it could lord it over all the entire starry sky and everything in it. It looked at the nearby vortex screen and saw the woman floating there, and the eye… trembled.

"Paragon…." murmured an ancient voice.

Back by the arenas, the white-robed woman hovered there in midair, looking at the Dao Tree. All of the cultivators on the tree got the feeling that she was examining them personally.

Dengaku was panting, as were the two old men next to him. After a long moment passed, he clenched his teeth violently and then, face ashen, said, "Cultivators of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking stages in the arena matches, let the qualifying round for the semifinals begin!

"Unleash your most powerful divine abilities. Let loose your most powerful Daos. All of you… are fighting in arena matches. However, this is also… a chance for perhaps the greatest good fortune of your entire lives!

"Whether or not you can seize this opportunity is up to your own destiny!" Dengaku wasn't able to reveal any further information. What he had already said pushed the limits of the boundaries.

His words caused the hearts of all the cultivators in the arenas to tremble. Naruto was especially interested in the white-robed woman.

He got a very strange sensation when he looked at her. He could see her with his physical eyes, but when he tried to look at her with divine sense, it was as if she wasn't even there.

It was at this point that glittering light surrounded all of the cultivators, and they appeared on the green layer of leaves. In the blink of an eye, everyone was facing an opponent.

Naruto's opponent was none other than… Mei!

Kazan was facing the hulking man from the Baldy Society. As for the other matches, the garrulous old man was up against the smiling youth from the Burning Incense Stick Society.

The last match was between Fū and the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum.

The match to decide the top 4 and the bottom 4 was now beginning!

As Mei and Naruto faced off against each other, the willow leaf mark on Mei's forehead suddenly began to shine brightly, and an incredible aura exploded out from her.

A strange expression could be seen on Naruto's face, and he cleared his throat. Without even thinking about it, he glanced toward her rear end.

"How shameless!" she said with a cold frown. She raised her right hand, instantly causing an ancient, archaic tree to appear behind her. Shockingly, as soon as it materialized, it seemed to form a resonance with the ancient Dao Tree, and brilliant light rose up to surround Mei, causing her energy to surge.

She waved her hand, causing the ancient tree's branches to whip through the air, weaving together almost like vines as they snaked toward Naruto at incredible speed.

This was not the first time Naruto had gone up against Mei. Back in the Southern Domain, he had defeated her and taken her captive. However, his victory had come as the result of a bit of trickery; he had used the teleportation power of the Lightning Cauldron to quickly defeat her.

It was not possible to use the Lightning Cauldron in the arena matches, lest he reveal his identity.

However, Naruto was also different than he had been during their initial encounter. Now he had an Immortal meridian that was eighty percent solidified, and his true Immortal powers made him vastly, vastly more powerful than before.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he observed the incoming vines. Then, he kicked out, his energy surging with the power of true Immortality. Behind him, his Dharma Idol appeared, disguised with the transformative powers of the black feather. The gigantic Dharma Idol brandished its fists and then punched out, causing boundless light to appear that transformed into a Dharma Sea, which then shot toward the incoming vines.

A huge boom could be heard, and massive ripples spread out. Naruto didn't back up even an inch, but instead headed directly toward Mei. Last time, he had relied on his aura of invincibility to capture her. Now, his true fighting style could be unleashed. As he closed in, he transformed into a vulture, which slashed its claws toward Mei with lightning speed.

Mei's face flickered, and she performed a double-handed incantation gesture. A magical bottle appeared, which she then tossed out ahead of her.

"Shatter!" said Naruto. His vulture-form slashed viciously at the bottle, and at the same time, he secretly unleashed the claw magic that he had learned from the wall of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple. 1

A boom rang out as the bottle exploded. In their last encounter, Naruto had been forced to use the Blood Demon Grand Magic to deal with the magical bottle, but this time, all it took was a single strike on his part. 2

It was just a simple magical technique, but Naruto could clearly sense how much more powerful it was now.

Mei's face fell, and she began to pant. She anxiously fell into retreat, and yet, no matter how fast she moved, Naruto always kept up, bearing down on her as the vicious vulture. He slashed at her again, causing the air to vibrate, as a will of invincibility exploded out.

BOOOOMMM!

Mei was defeated in exchange after exchange. No matter how she attacked, no matter what divine abilities or magical techniques she employed, regardless of the various magical items she used, they were all useless. Naruto bashed her over and over again like a buffeting windstorm, as easily as he would step on a dried weed.

After only the space of a few breaths, the two had exchanged dozens of blows. Blood sprayed from Mei's mouth, and a look of shock could be seen on her face. This match immediately caused her to recall Naruto from Planet Lands of Ninshu. He was equally swift and fierce, equally invincible, equally impossible to rattle.

Were it not for the fact that she got the feeling that this Kazama far exceeded Naruto, she would definitely have assumed that they were one and the same person!

"They can't be the same," she thought. "Naruto might have possessed a will of invincibility, but his energy was not incredible like this. Kazama… has intense energy, far more than that damned Naruto!" She fell back again, gritted her teeth, and performed another incantation gesture, causing her enormous tree to suddenly begin to vibrate.

"World Tree, detonate. Rebuke the Heavens with your spirit. Transform for me! Stifle all the earth!"

Mei's voice echoed with an ancient cadence, and immediately caused the air between her and Naruto to echo with deep rumbling.

Thump!

The sound caused everything to shake. The surface of the arena trembled, and Naruto's face flickered. Mei had used this exact same divine ability the last time they had fought, and it was as astonishing as it had been before; the pressure exerted by the image of the World Tree was intense.

Last time, if he hadn't possessed the sunstone, he would never have been able to win the battle. After all, Mei possessed fifty percent of the might of a true Immortal.

Thump!

Thump!

THUMP!

The successive rumbling sounds seemed to strike at Naruto's heart. The air around him distorted, and wild colors flashed. Everything was shaking as the tree behind Mei suddenly collapsed. Its leaves fell, and its branches withered until all that was left of the tree was a single log!

It was… the World Tree!

As it fell towards the ground, it emitted a droning sound and passed through Mei to shoot toward Naruto. She performed a double handed incantation, causing her hair to whip around her head, and more power to pour into the attack.

At the same time, a pearl appeared above her head. It began to rotate rapidly, which would apparently sustain her cultivation base, preventing it from being drained by the tree.

"That's nothing but an illusory World Tree!" said Naruto, his eyes glittering. His cultivation base far exceeded its previous level. He extended his right hand, and the World Tree spear appeared with its bone spearhead. Naruto hefted it and then flung it toward the incoming illusory World Tree.

From the perspective of the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, a green sun suddenly appeared between Naruto and Mei as the World Tree and the long spear slammed into each other.

In the blink of an eye, a monstrous roaring sound filled the air as the illusory World Tree trembled and, incapable of standing up to the long spear, collapsed into pieces and then violently exploded.

The spear sliced through the illusory tree like a sharp knife through a piece of bamboo, emerging from the shattered remnants to bear down on Mei with incredible speed.

In that critical moment, the pearl floating above Mei's head shattered, causing a gentle force to flow out and then shove her off to the side. The long spear whistled through the air, kicking up a powerful wind that instantly sent Mei's hair into complete and utter disarray. Naruto appeared off to Mei's side, grasping the long spear and glancing down at her curvaceous rear end.

At the same time, Mei, who had just avoided the attack, looked over with eyes that flickered with killing intent. In the same moment that she passed Naruto, she raised her right hand, gathered the power of the exploded pearl treasure, and then stabbed her two fingers toward Naruto's eyes.

In that instant, Naruto let out a cold snort and extended his left hand to violently spank Mei's buttocks!

It was a cruel strike, similar to the strike which had landed on her not too long ago….

The slapping sound was accompanied by a miserable shriek from Mei. Once again, her rear end was now uneven, she even felt her pelvis creaking. She immediately staggered backward in retreat, her face pale and devoid of any blood.

"I'm gonna kill you!" raged Mei. Subconsciously, she had already superimposed Naruto's image over Kazama. She didn't realize that this had happened, as the sudden intense pain in that specific region left her with no time for deep consideration.

Just when she had been about to attack, agonizing pain sent her staggering backward. At the same time, the long spear whistled through the air and came to a stop right in front of her forehead.

Naruto looked down at her coldly. After the previous incident, his mother had told him that Mei was the same Princess Mei whose hair he had lit on fire as a child. He also knew that his Grandpa Namikaze had arranged for the two of them to be married.

However, Naruto did not approve of such an agreement. He only had one wife, and that was Hinata.

Mei trembled as she felt the coldness radiating off of the spear that was pointed at her forehead. A sensation of imminent death washed over her, and she knew that if she didn't say the two words that Naruto was expecting to hear, the spearhead would unhesitatingly stab directly into her forehead.

"I don't want to kill you," Naruto said coolly. Actually, there was something else that he wanted to say…. He still had Mei's promissory note in his bag of holding, so until he got his spirit stones, he needed her alive.

If she died, who would repay the spirit stones…?

Mei glared at Naruto, her ample chest rising and falling as she breathed heavily. Finally, she gritted her teeth and slowly said the two words.

"I concede." Immediately, she vanished, then reappeared on the next layer of leaves. She had not lost her chance to get into the semifinals. If she won out in the following three matches, she would still have that opportunity.

After all, this first round was only to determine who was in the top 4 and the bottom 4.

Immediately, the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea began to comment.

"Kazama beat Mei!"

"He'll definitely be in the top 4! Mei is a Chosen of the Shimura Clan, and will without doubt become a true Immortal in the future. I even heard that she's never been beaten before, and that a fight between her and Fū once ended in a draw!"

"This Kazama is invincible!"

Naruto was actually not the first person to secure a win. Shockingly, the first battle to end was the one between Kazan and the hulking man from the Baldy Society.

That battle had been just as astonishing as Naruto's fight just now, and had drawn quite a bit of attention. When the man from the Baldy Society attacked, he used an enormous chain of mountains. Even he himself seemed like a mountain, completely impervious to all attacks.

However, Kazan was also a terrifying figure, which became clearly apparent in their battle. He only used six Earth-shattering sword moves in the fight. Each sword attack was more shocking than the one before it, and they slashed down onto the mountains, severely injuring the big man from the Baldy Society.

The final sword blow was so powerful that the man from the Baldy Society was powerless to resist it. His mountains exploded, and were it not for the fact that Kazan was holding back his killing intent, the man would definitely have been slain.

The battle's result caused quite a commotion in the outside world. Unfortunately, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were not watching the arena matches, but instead were focused on the white-robed woman. Their expressions were a mix of reverence and other complex emotions.

Booming sounds continued to rattle out as the garrulous old man, one of the trial by fire competitors, fought against the young man from the Burning Incense Stick Society. Although their ages were different, both of them gave off the feeling that they were hustlers of some kind.

One of them didn't attack, but rather, constantly mumbled and chattered madly at his opponents, frothing at the mouth. The other smiled and transmitted words into his opponent's minds, causing them to fall down and worship him. In fact, even after those battles ended, the opponents would continue to look piously at the young man from down below on the lowest layer of leaves.

When they fought, they didn't engage in close quarter fighting. Instead, they sat down cross-legged and looked at each other. Although nothing usual seemed to be going on, those who were in the know understood that they were currently in an extremely ruthless showdown.

"A battle of divine will!"

"The Burning Incense Stick Society excels in the use of divine will. They coalesce the will of many living things to become their Dao of burning incense. Hishaku is a Chosen of the Burning Incense Stick Society, and supposedly, he's in the running to become Dao Child! His strength in divine will is spectacular!" 1

"If I remember correctly, the old man's name is Hoki. He… is actually going to participate in a divine will contest with Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society!" 2

On the other battleground, Fū was facing the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. Fierce fighting raged between the two of them, and the face of the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum twisted with passion. His eyes seemed capable of melting any coldness, but what had driven him mad was not Fū. Rather, part of the mist behind Fū had been scattered during the course of the fighting to reveal the female corpse behind her.

"That is… the most beautiful corpse I have seen in my entire life!" murmured the young man. Seven coffins were arrayed in front of him, all of them opened to reveal seven corpses, which he was using to fight Fū.

Fū was on the verge of going mad. Right now, there was nothing she hated more in the world than corpses, and the look in her opponent's eyes filled her with revulsion.

Booms rang out, and time slipped by. The white-robed woman continued to float above the Dao Tree, coldly watching the cultivators in the arena matches. It was impossible to tell what she might be thinking.

After a long moment passed, a boom rattled out next to Fū, and the young man coughed up a mouthful of blood. He fell back, and as he did, a black hair suddenly appeared in his hand. It did not belong to Fū, but rather, the female corpse.

Fū's face twisted into a unsightly expression as the mist behind her vanished. The white-robed corpse was now clearly visible to everyone who was watching in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"I concede!" cried the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. He coughed up some more blood, but his face was plastered with a look of enchantment. He held the hair up to his nose and inhaled deeply, then carefully put the hair away. Eyes burning, he looked over at the female corpse behind Fū.

"She is my true love. Fū, you better take good care of her." With that, the young man vanished to appear on the set of leaves for the bottom contenders among the top 8. However, he continued to look down at the corpse, intoxicated.

Discussions immediately rose up among the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"That guy Hinoki from the Paleo-Immortal Museum is such a pervert! He's a Chosen, but it turns out he's actually a necrophiliac!" 3

"I can't believe what everyone has been saying is true! There's a female corpse floating behind Fū!"

"From what I heard, the corpse got attached to her when she ran into some fellow named Naruto on Planet Lands of Ninshu!"

As the crowds buzzed about the matter, the match between the garrulous Hoki and Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society had come to an end. Hishaku's face was flushed, and blood gushed out of his mouth. After wiping it off, he sighed lightly, rose to his feet, and bowed to the old man.

"I have been thoroughly convinced that your divine will magic is an amazing inheritance, Fellow Daoist," he said. "I, Xie, concede."

Hoki's face was also a bit pale. His eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet, then solemnly clasped hands toward Hishaku.

Conversations immediately broke out.

"So, Hoki actually won!"

"He defeated Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society. Just how strong is his divine will? He's really a dark horse in this competition. Earlier I had assumed he wouldn't make it past the top 16. I never imagined he would pull off a win like this and make it into the top 4!"

Regardless of the analyses of the outside crowds, the top 4 had been decided: Naruto, Kazan, Hoki, and Fū!

The bottom four consisted of Mei, Hishaku, Hinoki and the hulking man from the Baldy Society. What would happen next would be the final three battles of the round!

Now everyone from the top four would have to fight against the rest of the bottom four. After all of the battles were completed, the four people with the most wins would become the semifinalists!

After six hours of rest, when everyone was back at their peak readiness, the second fight in the struggle to qualify for the semifinals began! Naruto stood motionless on the bronze leaf as light glittered in front of him to reveal the hulking man from the Baldy Society.

The man stepped forward, and it was like the descent of numerous mountains, although Naruto's expression was the same as ever. Regarding the various sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, he was already familiar with the Demon Immortal Sect, because of Tsukino. Also, he knew of… the Baldy Society.

His master Pill Demon had joined the Baldy Society, and because of that, Naruto smiled amiably at the hulking man.

The big man stared in shock, then nodded at Naruto and clasped hands.

"I am Gen'yūmaru from the Baldy Society," he said. "Fellow Daoist Namikaze, please give me some fighting tips!"

"Of course!" replied Naruto, clasping hands back at the man.

Introductions having been made, Gen'yūmaru's eyes began to glow brightly, and a massive aura exploded out as he charged toward Naruto. As he neared, shockingly, numerous mountains materialized around him.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but his pupils constricted. He had noticed before that this hulking man was actually wielding… the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

The Mountain Consuming Incantation was a Daoist magic from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, and previously, Naruto had assumed it was something only he could wield. Having seen the hulking Gen'yūmaru in action, though, he was now much more interested in the Baldy Society.

"So, the Mountain Consuming Incantation…?" thought Naruto. Laughing inwardly, he also stepped forward, causing numerous mountains to materialize around him. Of course, with the help of the black feather, he made them look like streams of water.

In the blink of an eye, the two began to fight back and forth. They did not use a variety of techniques, but rather, focused on the Mountain Consuming Incantation, and their incredibly powerful fleshly bodies.

RUMMMBLE!

Dozens of exchanges occurred, after which Gen'yūmaru fell back, body trembling, but eyes overflowing with the desire to fight.

"Wonderful! This match is far more enjoyable than the fight with Kazan!" Gen'yūmaru laughed heartily, then clenched his fists, causing the mountains around him to link up into a mountain range. He himself seemed to change into an enormous mountain.

Naruto was laughing as loudly as Gen'yūmaru. He attacked, causing the streams to unite into a mighty river that rumbled through the air. They fought back and forth again, holding nothing back. Booms echoed out, attracting quite a bit of attention from the shocked audience.

They didn't fight for very long, only enough time for an incense stick to burn. Finally, Gen'yūmaru was sent staggering backward seven or eight paces. Panting, he flicked his sleeve, causing the mountains to vanish. Then he stood there and gazed deeply at Naruto. Finally, he shook his head and laughed.

"I'm not a match for you. I have to concede! However, I do have to say that this was the most fun I've had in all of the arena matches!

"Gen'yūmaru won't be entering the semifinals. However, if you have time, Elder Brother Namikaze, please come to the Baldy Society so that we can drink together!"

Naruto laughed. He could sense that Gen'yūmaru was an outspoken and straightforward person. After all of Naruto's years spent in the world of cultivation, he could tell that the man was no hypocrite or faker. Naruto nodded and smiled.

"I will definitely be going to the Baldy Society!" he said.

Gen'yūmaru laughed as he faded away to reappear on another leaf for his third battle.

Naruto took a deep breath and then sat down cross-legged. After an hour passed, light suddenly glittered as the third battle began. However, no opponent appeared. Instead, rumbling could be heard as nine coffins materialized, smashing down from up above.

"The female corpse behind Fū is my true love, so I can't harm her. The rest of you, however, are completely different!" The voice which spoke was soft and feminine, but the figure who walked out of the light was a man.

This was none other than Hinoki from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, one of the Five Great Holy Lands!

When Hinoki made his appearance, a cold wind sprang up, causing his hair and robes to flutter. He was clearly male, but there was also something overtly feminine about him. This was especially true when it came to his cheerless eyes, which caused his handsome features to be strangely twisted.

Hinoki stood there in the middle of the arena, looking at Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he stood there looking past the nine upright coffins at Hinoki.

"Nine Heavens Asura Squad!" cried Hinoki, his eyes flickering with killing intent. He waved his hand, causing rumbling sounds to emanate out of the nine coffins, which then simultaneously opened, causing a thick aura of death to spill out.

The air twisted, and strange colors danced. Nine tall figures appeared within the coffins, nine corpses who abounded with auras of death. Their bodies were not decomposing, but rather, mummified. They wore tattered clothing and had vicious expressions, and it was just possible to tell that seven were men and two were women.

"Kill him!" said Hinoki with a vicious chuckle. A ruthless gleam could be seen in his eyes as the nine corpses charged toward Naruto, kicking up a foul wind.

They closed in on Naruto in the blink of an eye. However, Naruto's expression didn't change in the slightest. He extended his right hand, within which materialized the World Tree spear with the bone spearhead. Then, he dashed forward like the wind, the spearhead leading the way.

A bang could be heard, along with an ear-piercing rumble as a huge vortex appeared, spreading out in all directions and instantly interfering with the nine corpses' movement.

Naruto moved rapidly, bypassing the corpses and heading directly toward Hinoki. In the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint, Hinoki performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and pointed toward the surface of the arena. Immediately, Yin-type Chakra surged up, transforming into a blast that shot toward Naruto like a huge wall.

A boom could be heard as Naruto's spear pierced the Yin Chakra wall. The wall shuddered and then collapsed, after which Hinoki waved his hand, causing nine black magical needles to appear. They immediately shot toward Naruto like nine black vipers.

At the same time, the nine corpses that were now behind Naruto turned, becoming black beams of light that immediately began to surround Naruto.

Hinoki laughed coldly. He had unleashed his most powerful magic in an attempt to catch his opponent off-guard.

"DIE!"

In this moment of deadly crisis, Naruto simply snorted. He stabbed his spear into the surface of the leaf, causing a boom to echo out. Cracks spread out across the surface of the arena as a shocking energy suddenly exploded. It transformed into a storm-like vortex that spread out in all directions, slamming into the corpses. The corpses fell back, trembling, and as for the nine needles, cracking sounds could be heard as they simply fell to pieces mid-flight.

Within the screaming vortex, Naruto released his grip on the spear, then transformed into the vulture. There was a flash, and then he appeared directly in front of Hinoki and slashed at him viciously.

Boom!

Hinoki's face fell, and he quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing the Yin Chakra to surge, transforming into another wall to block against the vulture's slash. A huge boom could be heard as that wall collapsed, too. Before Hinoki could even fall back in retreat, the vulture vanished and Naruto reappeared, his leg flashing around in a spinning kick.

A bang could be heard as the kick, seemingly powerful enough to smash mountains, formed a semicircle and slammed directly into Hinoki. In that critical moment, Hinoki's eyes went wide, and he spit a pearl out of his mouth. The pearl emanated a powerful glow that attempted to block the kick, and yet instantly shattered, completely incapable of standing up to the attack. However, it did manage to give Hinoki a moment of breathing room. Coughing up blood, he rapidly fell backward in retreat.

At the same time, Naruto increased his speed and levied another attack. Currently, he paid no heed to defending, but rather, attacked like lightning, like a windstorm that could crush anything in its path.

He bore down on Hinoki like a tempest, performing an incantation with his right hand and then stabbing his finger out ahead of him. The shocking finger attack caused the air to vibrate, and Hinoki's face to fall. This magical battle was unfolding so quickly that Hinoki had no time to even breathe. He had to exercise complete and utter attention; the slightest misstep would leave him dead.

Hinoki performed an incantation gesture as fast as possible, causing the Yin Chakra to form into numerous pearls.

"Burst! Burst! BURST!" roared Hinoki. Booms rang out as the pearls flew toward Naruto and then exploded, transforming into a powerful shockwave that swept out in all directions. A vicious smile appeared on Hinoki's face. The Yin Chakra pearls seemed ordinary, but in fact, they were a secret magic from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. Any one of those explosions was powerful enough to slay a peak Dao seeking expert.

Hinoki knew his opponent was powerful, but even a Stone Golem would at least be injured by their detonation.

"I just need to put a bit of distance between us," Hinoki thought with a cold laugh. "Then I can send the nine corpses to slaughter him!" Just as Hinoki was about to continue to fall back, the air twisted as Naruto actually stepped into the explosions. To him, these detonating pearls could do nothing more than inflict flesh wounds. His right hand clenched into a fist and he sent out a punch.

BOOM!

Hinoki let out a miserable shriek. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he tumbled backward. In the blink of an eye, Naruto was on him again, slamming out with an attack that could shatter rock. Hinoki once again fell back, blood pouring from his mouth.

In the blink of an eye, ten more exchanges were made. Naruto's shocking energy and will of invincibility made it so that all Hinoki could do was fall back and focus all of his energy on defending himself. He wasn't the slightest bit capable of attacking.

Naruto's moves were just too swift and too vicious. Booms echoed out in the short span of a few breaths that to Hinoki, seemed like a very, very long time. Then, a cracking sound rang out as his leg was broken by Naruto.

Intense pain caused his face to go pale. A look of complete astonishment could be seen on his face.

"Dammit," he thought, "I can't let him build up any more energy. Otherwise, I'm going to be defeated for sure!"

The crowds outside watched the semifinal qualification rounds with intense concentration. Many were focusing on Naruto, and were completely astonished by what they saw.

"If I were in Hinoki's place, I would be just as powerless!"

"This Kazama is completely domineering! His attacks are swift and fierce; he's totally incomparable!"

"You definitely can't let yourself be put on the defensive when facing Kazama. Doing that… is just giving him a chance to explode with ferocity and turn the battle into a catastrophe!"

Hinoki gritted his teeth, and a look of madness appeared on his face. Roaring, he caused bursts of Yin Chakra to explode out, which formed into numerous ghostly figures. Just as he was going to attempt to make a counterattack, Naruto's fist landed again. All of Hinoki's Chakra collapsed, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spurting from his mouth.

Then, with indescribable speed, Naruto shot toward Hinoki and extended his finger toward his forehead, killing intent roiling.

Hinoki's eyes went wide, and his heart was trembling. In this moment of deadly crisis, he bit the tip of his tongue, burning some of his Essence Blood and longevity to unleash a forbidden magic.

"Time to risk it all," he cried. "YIN MOON SEVERING!"

A crescent moon appeared on his forehead, which rapidly transformed into a black-colored moon that shot toward Naruto in a slashing motion.

Naruto's eyes widened as the moon closed in on him. Suddenly, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and its fist shot out to meet the incoming Yin Moon.

A huge boom could be heard, and a tremor ran through Naruto as the Yin Moon exploded. Blood oozed out of Hinoki's mouth, but he used the short moment of freedom to shoot backward. Face twisted with unprecedented bitterness, he let out a shout.

"Nine Corpses Demon Transformation!" he cried. Immediately, the nine corpses that had continuously been behind Naruto and unable to even touch him, began to tremble violently. In the blink of an eye, long black fur began to grow out of their bodies, and their appearance became even more ferocious than before. Furthermore, Demonic Chakra began to surge within them, although that was something nobody would be able to detect.

As the Demonic Chakra surged, the nine corpses' cultivation bases began to rise dramatically. In the blink of an eye, they were comparable to false Immortals!

Nine false Immortals!

This was Hinoki's trump card that he had originally hoped to use to secure first place. It was not something he would casually unleash, but he had been forced into a corner, and therefore, in the frenzy of this fight, he didn't hesitate at all.

"DIE!" he roared as the nine false Immortal corpses bore down on Naruto. One by one, they began to lash out with astonishing attacks that caused the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain to reel in shock.

"Heavens! That's false Immortal energy!"

"What magical technique is that!? He actually gave those nine corpses the powers of false Immortality!"

"Hinoki didn't even use that divine ability in his fight with Fū!"

As the outside crowds were in a commotion, the nine corpses closed in on Naruto, bursting with explosive energy. As for Naruto, an odd expression could be seen on his face.

"Demons…." he thought, his facial expression quickly returning to normal. His right hand suddenly rose into the air, and he performed an incantation gesture. The art of Righteous Bestowal was unleashed. This art was different than the Eighth Hex, and was designed specifically for subduing Demons!

No one got any special feeling when Naruto unleashed the art. However, as soon as his hand lowered, the nine corpses suddenly stopped in place and began to tremble. Their previously blank eyes then began to glow with bright light.

Hinoki's face fell completely, and he retreated in astonishment, frantically performing incantation gestures in an attempt to regain control of the nine corpses.

However, it was at this point that Naruto extended his right hand. A strange light could be seen in his eyes as, under the cover of the transformative powers of the black feather, he unleashed the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex, Karmic Hexing!

Rumbling filled the air as the Karma threads connecting the nine corpses to Hinoki began to separate. As that happened, the corpses trembled even more violently, and explosive death auras radiated out of them. Then they toppled over onto their faces.

Hinoki was trembling, and he coughed up nine successive mouthfuls of blood. From the look on his face, he was completely gobsmacked. He stared at Naruto for a moment, shaking violently.

"I concede!" he yelled, fearful of losing his life in this place.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he was surrounded by flickering lights, and then vanished.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he picked up his spear and walked off to the side.

He stood there, his energy surging, the focus of attention of all eyes in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Three fights, three wins!"

"There's one more fight, but Kazama is definitely in the semifinals!"

"Not even Hinoki was a match for him. From the look of things, Kazama hasn't even used all of his power yet. Just… how strong is he?!"

When Naruto attacked, the white-robed woman floating in midair outside of the Dao Tree looked at him calmly for a moment, although no onlooker would notice that fact, not even Naruto.

Hinoki reappeared on another leaf, his entire body shaking as he looked back at Naruto with terror and astonishment. Before their battle, he had been aware that Naruto was powerful, but he had never imagined that he would only be able to defend and would be completely incapable of fighting back against him.

He had even burned some of his longevity and used his Nine Corpses Demon Transformation, explosively increasing their cultivation bases to be similar to false Immortals. And yet, his opponent had then unleashed some unknown divine ability… to cause his nine corpses to stop in mid-flight, and even sever their connection to him.

As he thought about it, Hinoki took a deep breath. This was the first time he had ever truly been afraid of another person.

"He's somebody I can't ever provoke! If I ever meet him again, I'll simply flee! His magical technique… can inhibit my Dao!" Hinoki took another deep breath as he looked at Naruto. Intense terror filled his heart, and he rejoiced at his decision to concede when he did. If he hadn't, he himself might be a corpse now.

Almost in the same moment that Naruto finished his match, Kazan also secured another victory. After that… the fourth battle began.

Naruto stood as usual on his leaf. From the very beginning to now, he had not moved to the losers bracket. There was only one other among the top 4 who had done the same, and that was Kazan!

Even Fū had been defeated, by none other than Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society.

That match garnered quite a bit of attention, and caused Hishaku to suddenly rise up abruptly in the eyes of the onlookers.

The bizarre Hoki ended up being defeated by Mei, whose magical techniques were somewhat effective at counteracting the old man. However, in the very end, it was actually difficult to say who won and who lost. Mei earned her victory mostly due to luck.

As of this moment, Naruto and Kazan were certain to enter the semifinals, but as for everyone else, it was hard to say.

Naruto's opponent in the fourth battle was the Chosen who had beaten Fū, Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society. As soon as he emerged from the glittering light to stand in front of Naruto, his eyes gleamed seriously.

Of all the people who made it to the top 8, he truly feared three of them. One was the spectacular Kazan, the other was the talkative Hoki, and the last… was none other than this Kazama.

"I am Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society. Fellow Daoist Namikaze, please give me some fighting tips!"

Having said this, Hishaku suddenly sat down cross-legged and performed an incantation gesture with his right hand. Immediately, a copper furnace appeared in front of him.

Stuck into the very top of the copper furnace was an incense stick.

As the incense stick burned, streams of smoke curled up into the air to surround Hishaku, obscuring him slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, my magical technique is different from the kind you've seen before. If you can stand up to it for the amount of time it takes this incense stick to burn, then I will concede."

Naruto stood in place, his expression the same as ever. He had been paying close attention to how Hishaku fought. Right now, Naruto didn't even speak. He took a step forward, and then suddenly, everything around him distorted, and in the blink of an eye, the arena was gone. In its place, a boundless land stretched in front of Naruto.

Countless cities could be seen dotting the land, and within each one was an enormous statue. If you looked closely, you would see that the statues depicted none other than Hishaku.

Naruto's eyes glittered.

At this point, a majestic voice rang out throughout the world.

"The Heavens are grand, the Earth majestic!" As soon as the voice echoed out, the statues of Hishaku trembled and opened their eyes, almost as if they were coming to life. They flew up into the air, a total of 9,000 of them, which then began to circulate around Naruto and emanate radiant light. In a short moment, the statues merged together into one.

They became… a lifelike Hishaku.

He hovered there in midair, smiling slightly at Naruto.

"The Heavens are grand, and the Earth is majestic, but the greatest of all is the host of all living things!

"Living things possess desire. Desire becomes thought. Thought becomes burning incense. Worship the gods, pray for their blessing. Through the cultivation of this burning incense, if they worship me, then I am a god! If they pray to me, I am a god!

"This place is my Burning Incense World. Here… I am a god, and in this place, I cannot be defeated!

"If I say that a single breath will last for ten thousand years, then ten thousand years that breath shall last!

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, you have a monstrous cultivation base, and shocking divine sense. Willpower and determination like yours is something I rarely see. Why not become my follower here? Become part of my Burning Incense Flock. Cultivate the Dao of burning incense. Then one day, you too can be a god." Hishaku's words were spoken indifferently, but seemed to contain a bizarre power. As they echoed out into Naruto's ears, he felt his mind trembling, as if there was something within the words that made them impossible to resist, and that was forcing him to comply.

"If I become part of your Burning Incense Flock, how many spirit stones will you pay me per month?" asked Naruto coolly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hishaku gaped. After a moment, though, he laughed loudly, then waved his hand. A massive roaring could be heard that transformed into a continent of spirit stones. All of the mountains, cities, even the vegetation, turned into spirit stones.

In the blink of an eye, the entire world transformed into endless, uncountable spirit stones.

"You can have however many you wish."

Naruto looked around and then shook his head. "I don't want these. I want real spirit stones, in the outside world."

Hishaku's face darkened, and he gave a cold snort. The sound started out light, but then rapidly turned into something that sounded like thunder, echoing out with incredible pressure. It was like Heavenly might that crushed down onto Naruto.

"Kneel before me!" said Hishaku. His voice echoed out shockingly, filled with a will that seemed almost impossible to resist.

Naruto looked up, his expression the same as ever.

"That's all the pressure you can exert?" he asked. Suddenly, he transformed into a vulture that shot toward Hishaku. A boom rang out as Hishaku's body collapsed. A moment later, he reappeared some distance off.

"My life force is limitless in this place," he said coolly. "You can't kill me!" He raised his right hand, coalescing the power of the world into a huge palm that shot toward Naruto.

Energy raged, and boundless pressure emanated out.

"Can't kill him?" thought Naruto, frowning. "Is that because the magic is an illusion? Or because I haven't affected the essence of his life force?" He extended his right hand and made a grasping gesture. Instantly the Blood Demon Grand Magic surged into action. An enormous blood-colored vortex appeared, which spread out to cover Hishaku, enveloping him completely.

A boom rang out as his body collapsed into pieces. At the same time, another image of him appeared off to the side. But this time, his face was pale and filled with astonishment.

"What magical technique is that!?"

"Ah, so it was because the essence of his life force hadn't been affected." Naruto smiled, and then suddenly, his hand turned bright red. He immediately flew out, closing in on Hishaku. Even as the young man stared in shock, Naruto slapped out with his palm.

A bang could be heard as Hishaku once again collapsed into pieces. Actually, his battle prowess wasn't very high to begin with. What was truly shocking was his magical technique. Unfortunately, that magic wasn't very useful on Naruto.

In the past, whenever someone killed him in this world, he would come back to life. It could happen over and over again, without end, leaving opponents completely dispirited.

Now, though, every time he died, some of his life force was actually drained away. It was something that had never happened to him before, and in his shock, he tried to evade Naruto. However, he was no match at all. Were it not for the magical technique he was using, Naruto could have killed him numerous times in the blink of an eye.

Rumbling echoed out. Every time Hishaku died, one of his statues would shatter. Every time Hishaku reappeared, his face was covered with astonishment, and he would instantly fall into retreat.

"Elder Brother Namikaze, stop! I'll let you out, you can leave…."

"You don't need to let me out," Naruto replied calmly, "I can get out on my own." With that, he slammed his foot down onto the surface of the ground. A huge boom could be heard as his Dharma Idol appeared, towering 300 meters into the air, its energy surging.

Hishaku's face flickered, and he was just about to say something else when Naruto suddenly stamped his foot down again. Rumbling could be heard as his Dharma Idol rapidly grew in size. Now it was 3,000 meters tall!

Monstrous energy surged, and the power of a true Immortal erupted out. Hishaku's face instantly fell as Naruto stamped down a third time.

BOOM!

Naruto's Dharma Idol grew again. In the blink of an eye it was now 6,000 meters tall, seemingly big enough to prop up the sky.

"Tear this place open!" said Naruto, his eyes flickering with killing intent. As he spoke, he raised both hands high into the air, then slammed them down. Rumbling filled the air as his Dharma Idol also raised its hands up, grabbed ahold of the air, and then began to rip it in two different directions.

Massive, shocking rumbles echoed out. Hishaku's face flickered as he performed incantation gestures, causing the world to begin to rotate and stabilize. However, despite his efforts, a massive rift appeared in the sky.

The world was actually being ripped apart!

"Impossible!" shouted Hishaku. "This is my Burning Incense World! I am God here! Maybe you can hurt my life force, but if I say that nothing can destroy this land, then no power exists that can do so!"

"I'm afraid your cultivation base is simply… not high enough," said Naruto, his voice cool. He stamped his foot down onto the ground a fourth time, and his cultivation base surged with eighty percent of an Immortal meridian, and eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. His Dharma Idol grew again; it was now 12,000 meters tall. It lifted its hands up, then violently ripped at the sky. The earth quaked and bright colors flashed in the sky. A massive rumbling sound echoed out.

The rift in the sky opened wider, and an enormous rumbling sound filled the air. Naruto's Dharma Idol was literally tearing the sky open!

As the sky was ripped open, the entire world, as well as Hishaku, suddenly shattered. When things grew clear again, Naruto was standing in the same place as before in the arena. Hishaku was there in front of him. Only about ten percent of the incense stick in front of him had burned so far. A cracking sound rang out as the incense stick suddenly collapsed into pieces.

When that happened, the smoke dissipated, revealing Hishaku sitting there cross-legged. He opened his eyes and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Face pale, he looked at Naruto and smiled bitterly.

"Elder Brother Namikaze, you are quite powerful… I concede!"

Even as the words left his mouth, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. Suddenly, a rip appeared on his forehead, a wound that seemed very difficult to heal. It was a Dao Wound!

The cause of the wound was none other than the tearing open of his Burning Incense World.

This fight had been a very strange one. From start to finish, barely a hundred breaths of time had passed, and all the other matches were still in progress. The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were instantly in an uproar.

"Four battles, four victories!"

"The last battle seemed ordinary, but actually, the disciple from the Burning Incense Stick Society was in grave peril!"

"A tear appeared on Hishaku's forehead! I heard that if the magic of the Burning Incense Stick Society is broken, it can cause a backlash that will turn into a Dao Wound! Don't tell me… that's a Dao Wound!"

Everyone watching in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was stunned. Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were looking on with surprise. It was clear that the most-watched person in this trial by fire and these arena matches was Naruto.

From the beginning of the trial by fire, all the way to the end of the arena matches, his path had been one of power and prominence.

The qualifying matches for the semifinals were still underway. After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, Kazan finished his battle. He easily defeated Hinoki from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, who had long since lost his will to fight. His connection with his nine most powerful corpses had been severed, making it impossible for him to fight for a spot in the semifinals.

Kazan was now the second cultivator to secure a place in the semifinals. Throughout all four of the battles he had fought, he never left his arena. He looked over at Naruto, who was two arenas over, and their gazes locked for a moment. Kazan's eyes brimmed with the desire to fight, but Naruto's expression was calm, and after a moment, he looked away.

An hour later, the other two battles concluded. Mei, with four battles and three victories, had successfully made it to the semifinals.

Mei had made quite the comeback. She fought her way from the bottom four into the semifinals, which caused a big stir out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, especially in the Shimura Clan, where everyone was very excited.

Hoki had also won three out of his four battles. His only defeat had been at the hands of Mei. All of his other opponents had temporarily gone insane to some degree or another. Only Mei did not react to his magic at all, which secured her victory.

Fū was eliminated. She had been defeated twice, once by Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society, and once by Mei. All of this was a huge blow to her.

Her expression was gloomy as she sat there cross-legged on the lowest layer of leaves, staring off into the distance. Mentally, she replayed the various battles she had fought, and finally bowed her head. As of now, she understood that the reason for her failures was that her Dao Heart had been split.

That split was caused by the female corpse.

She took a deep breath, after which her expression brightened.

"This is my personal tribulation," she thought. "However, master said that it's actually good fortune for me. Therefore… from now on, I won't hide the corpse. I will reveal her for all to see, and will not resist her, but accept her!" As of that moment, the mist behind her vanished to clearly reveal the female corpse.

She completely ignored all the people who suddenly turned their heads to look at her. Her eyes gleamed with determination.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World nodded his head slightly. From his perspective, this huge defeat for Fū was actually a good thing for her.

The semifinalists had been selected!

These four people were the subject of the complete and utter attention of everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Dengaku glanced cautiously over at the white robed woman floating above the Dao Tree, and then spoke out.

"You have three days to rest, after which… we will find out who is qualified to make into the final round!"

Naruto sat there cross-legged, his eyes closed, not speaking. The half-headed man had remained floating near his arena this entire time, staring at Naruto, not even blinking.

That gaze was enough to cause anyone to feel so terrified that their hair would stand on end. However, after all this time, Naruto had gotten used to it, and ignored the man completely.

A day later, the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing arena matches produced their semifinalists.

Three days later, the semifinal rounds began!

When Dengaku's voice rang out, a buzz of excitement rose up among the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"There's no suspense at all! Unless Kazama and Kazan fight each other in the semifinals, then the final match will definitely be between them!"

"You're absolutely right. Mei already lost to Kazama, so the only person for him to fight is Hoki. Hoki's cultivation base is mysterious and unfathomable. That would be an interesting matchup."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see how the matches are arranged!"

As the audiences waited in anticipation, Naruto vanished from his spot in the arena. Before he or any of the other semifinalists reappeared, a virtually imperceptible flicker could be seen in the eyes of the woman floating outside the Dao Tree. Apparently, that flickering did something to the Dao Tree.

Moments later, everyone appeared.

When Naruto emerged from the light, he was just beneath the golden leaf at the top of the Dao Tree.

The leaf he currently stood on was silver-colored, one of only two such leaves on the Dao Tree.

When Kazan appeared, the person he found facing him… was not Naruto! Instead, Mei emerged from the glittering light.

As for Naruto's opponent, it was the crazy old man, Hoki.

These were the exact match ups that the audiences in the outside world had wanted, and the excitement and anticipation was building. Of course, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace noticed that something odd had just happened, and many faces flickered. The old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies took deep breaths, and looks of excitement appeared in their eyes.

"So, she actually did something to interfere with the Dao Tree!"

"That shows that she approves of the competition!"

Back in the arena, Naruto's face was calm as he watched Hoki approaching. In this group of semifinalists, Naruto and Hoki had both risen up from through the trial by fire to reach this point.

Hoki looked at Naruto silently for a moment, and a bright light could be seen coalescing within his eyes. His energy began to rise up, reaching a level far beyond that which had been seen in previous matches.

Not even when he was defeated by Mei had he focused so much energy.

"I am Hoki. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Namikaze. During this battle, I will use all the power I can muster. I want to take first place, and my only chance to do that is by defeating you!"

Naruto gazed at Hoki. He had been paying attention to this old man earlier. The fact that he had made his way through the trial by fire all the way to here proved that he was beyond ordinary.

That was especially the case considering he had won a victory over Hishaku. Although Naruto had seemed relaxed in his fight against Hishaku, if he didn't have the Blood Demon Grand Magic to steal the young man's life force, the battle would have been very difficult. Of course, based on the power of Naruto's cultivation base, the Burning Incense World would not have been able to restrain him forever.

In any case, Naruto wasn't sure exactly how this old man had managed to win out over the Burning Incense World.

"Every person who fought him went crazy," he thought. "Even Hishaku and the other people he defeated all showed signs of insanity to some extent or another." Naruto's eyes glittered brightly. "Interesting."

Clenching his right fist at his side, he nodded at the old man.

Hoki took a deep breath, and then all of a sudden, his body began to inflate like a balloon. Cracking sounds could be heard as his emaciated frame suddenly bulged with muscles. In the blink of an eye, he had grown taller by two heads, and his energy surged with power.

The sight of it caused Naruto's eyes to shine. The audiences in the outside world were shocked; Hoki had never done anything like this in his previous matches, not even when he fought against Mei.

Rumble!

Hoki flew into the air with incredible speed, leaving a ghost image behind as he shot forward to appear directly in front of Naruto. He immediately sent out a punch that was met by Naruto's palm.

As a massive boom shook the arena, Hoki's foot spun through the air toward Naruto in a roundhouse kick.

Naruto's eyes were shining even more brightly now. He didn't retreat, but rather took an exploratory step forward. He waved his hand, causing numerous streams of water to materialize around him, which then formed together into a massive river that swept across the entire arena.

A bang rang out as Hoki fell back. However, he immediately performed an incantation gesture, causing the image of a sun and moon to materialize. They rotated rapidly, creating a vortex that surged toward Naruto. Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he transformed into a vulture that charged toward the old man. It was at this point that a look of surprise appeared in Hoki's eyes, and he suddenly let out a loud shout.

"Wicked!"

The word seemed to contain some bizarre power that poured into Naruto's ears and entered his mind. Suddenly, his mind began to spin, and wicked thoughts suddenly rose up unrestrained within his heart.

Because of the wicked thoughts, Naruto was incapable of maintaining the vulture form, and once again returned to human shape. Hoki then performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and then waved his finger. Naruto snorted coldly and was about to attack when…

"WICKED!" roared Hoki.

This time, the sound was like a thunderclap that exploded in Naruto's mind. Wicked thoughts multiplied in him with an unbridled frenzy. He was incapable of controlling the thoughts, which filled him with a sensation of insanity.

Gradually, Naruto realized that the Devilish will that he had severed during his time of Severing the Devil and Seeking the Dao… was now reappearing. In the blink of an eye, the Devilish will consumed the wicked thoughts. Apparently, the Devilish will had been inside of him all along, hiding deep inside of him, sealed away.

Now, in response to Hoki's astonishing magical technique, the Devilish will was forming once again!

In the blink of an eye, Naruto and Hoki exchanged dozens of moves. Hoki ended up calling out the word 'wicked' six times. Each time, it caused Naruto's magical techniques and attacks to be interrupted. For the first time in all of his arena matches, Naruto was now forced into constant retreat.

Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot. A terrifying aura seemed to be on the verge of being unleashing from inside of him. Hoki was the one responsible for releasing the Devilish will, although he actually had no idea what he was unleashing. Despite not knowing what he was dealing with, he was still very excited, and continued to unleash monstrous attacks.

When the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw what was happening, their expressions flickered in astonishment.

"Kazama is actually being beaten back!"

"Just what magical technique is Hoki using to be able to stifle Kazama?!"

"Could it be that Kazama will finally be defeated!?"

As the audiences buzzed in astonishment, Hoki attacked relentlessly, causing repeated booms to echo about. Naruto's face was pale, and his eyes were completely bloodshot, as if he were on the verge of going insane. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and yet, a faint grin suddenly blossomed on his face.

"You're finished!" Hoki transmitted into Naruto's mind, so that only he could hear. "My magic can steal good fortune from Heaven and Earth! It doesn't matter how strong your willpower is, if you have even a scrap of wicked thoughts in your heart, they will be evoked by my magic!

"When the wicked thoughts explode out, they will cast your body into flames, and you will be defeated!

"I must use this art on you in order to secure my chance at taking first place. I've been holding back this entire time, and I even let myself be defeated by Mei because I was sure I would make it into the semifinals, and I didn't want you or Kazan to be on guard..

"The only thing you can blame is your own bad luck, since you're letting Kazan off the hook by giving him a chance to prepare some defenses!

"I will unleash all of your wicked thoughts, transforming them into a fire of retribution to burn your soul, to destroy you in body and spirit!

"WICKED!" he roared, performing an incantation gesture and pointing at Naruto. This was… the ninth 'wicked!'

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Devilish will inside of Naruto surged and was completely unleashed. His eyes were bright red as he was wrapped up in a gloomy, ruthless madness. Deep within that madness, was an unprecedented coldness.

Black flames leapt from his skin and raged madly high into the sky. However, the flames didn't hurt Naruto in the least. He looked up at Hoki, and a rumbling filled the old man's mind. His face instantly fell.

"These aren't wicked thoughts! What… what exactly did I unleash!?"

Hoki's face fell, and he staggered backward several paces, his face ashen and his eyes wide. An intense sense of deadly crisis crashed through him.

"What exactly did I unleash!?" said Hoki hoarsely. "These aren't wicked thoughts! Wicked thoughts would form fires of retribution, a fire that can burn a person up in moments, destroy them in body and spirit!

"This… this feeling, this aura, even the black flames of retribution are incapable of burning it. This will… is so powerful that it's suffocating!" As Hoki backed up, his heart filled with incredible regret. Were he given another chance, nothing could have convinced him to unleash whatever it was he had just unleashed.

He had the feeling that he had opened a sluice gate, unleashing a horrific Devil.

The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were all astonished at the sight of Naruto on the vortex screens, covered with black flames that seemed completely incapable of harming him whatsoever.

Naruto's red eyes seemed to be filled with the utmost insanity, and yet… they were also unshakably level-headed. Furthermore, his energy was rocketing higher and higher.

"He… he…."

"What state is he in? What technique does he cultivate? Why did he instantly become so blood-chillingly terrifying?"

"Devil! Heavens! It's a Devilish will! A monstrous Devilish will! Only someone who has carried out endless slaughter, who is cold and ruthless to a Heaven-defying extent, could possibly have a Devilish will like that!"

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were all on their feet, panting and watching with serious expressions.

"What a shocking Devilish will! But earlier, he seemed completely normal! This kid… this kid has shocking willpower!"

"A Devilish will like that can never be fully expelled, nor completely severed! It will even accompany him through reincarnation!"

"From ancient times until now, anyone who possessed a Devilish will like that has ended up facing countless deadly twists and turns throughout their lives!"

Up above the Dao Tree, the white-robed woman had floated there absolutely expressionlessly for this entire time. However, as of this moment, her eyes began to shine with a curious light as she looked at Naruto.

As for Hoki, he hadn't ceased backing up, and was trembling with fear. His scalp was numb and he was scared witless. Naruto hadn't even attacked yet, but the energy of the Devilish will and the fire of retribution had astonished Hoki to the extreme. The sensation of blood and gore, the towering murderous aura, left him shaking in his boots. He almost felt like what he was looking at was not a cultivator, but mountains of corpses and seas of blood, an evil star risen up from the Yellow Springs.

"I conc—" Before he could even finish speaking the words, Naruto's eyes turned to look directly at him.

Those eyes were like oceans of blood, with pupils that emanated brilliant rays of eternal light that seemed capable of absorbing the soul.

As soon as their gazes met, Hoki's mind roared, and felt as if it were about to explode. His body trembled, and he felt as if sharp blades were piercing into his eyes, stabbing into his soul. They exploded inside of his brain, transforming into a battlefield covered with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He saw a person on the battlefield, surrounded by a vortex. Wherever that man went, countless cultivators let out bloodcurdling screams as their bodies were withered up, their flesh and blood was absorbed, their souls were consumed. In the end, the only things left behind were desiccated corpses staring wide-eyed up into the sky.

Hoki coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then, suddenly his vision cleared and he saw that Naruto had appeared directly in front of him, covered with raging black flames. Naruto lifted his right hand and grabbed the old man's neck, then lifted him up into the air. His eyes burned with cold madness, and his mouth twisted into a brutal smile.

"Thank you. This feeling is… wonderful. It's too bad that this state doesn't conform with my Dao Heart. I thought I had completely severed it away, and never imagined that it still existed….

"In any case, I still have to thank you for helping me to realize that it was here all along. And now… I will give you a grand burial ceremony!" Naruto chuckled, and Hoki's eyes went wide. He was currently incapable of speaking a single word, and was trembling violently. Within his wide eyes could be seen extreme terror.

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, the black flames that surrounded him surged up, transforming into the shape of a huge mouth. The mouth twisted with savagery and insanity as it shot toward Hoki.

It took only a moment for the black flames to inundate him. He let out a miserable shriek that didn't even sound human. The wretched sound echoed about in all directions, causing all of the cultivators on the Dao Tree to feel not only shock, but sympathy. Then they began to shiver.

Mei's face went pale when she saw what was happening. Even she began to shiver from the intensely terrifying feeling she got from Naruto.

Kazan's face was covered with an expression of intense concentration as he looked over. Both he and Mei were panting.

Hoki screamed as his body rapidly withered. As he slipped into death, he gazed blankly at Naruto, and his mind filled with intense regret. He knew that he should never have unleashed wicked thoughts inside of his opponent. In the end, he had personally… unleashed a Devil!

In the space of only a few breaths of time, Hoki transformed into nothing but drifting ash.

Naruto lowered his hand, and the flames winked out, transforming into black sealing marks that were visible on his skin. As he stood there, his energy raged.

At this point, he suddenly flew up out of the arena and landed on the golden leaf at the top of the Dao Tree, then turned and looked back at Kazan.

"Kazan, you wanted to fight me, didn't you? Well, come on!"

The half-headed man who was watching Naruto apparently sensed the Devilish will, after which he trembled almost imperceptibly. Apparently, even he was in fear of the Devilish will.

A tremor ran through Kazan as he looked up at Naruto. A very serious expression covered his face, and his eyes burned with the desire to fight. Completely ignoring Mei, he also flew up into the air and landed in front of Naruto on the golden leaf.

He reached his right hand out, and suddenly, an azure sword appeared.

The sword was two meters long, and glittered with greenish light, as well as a coldness as vast as a sea. Kazan looked at Naruto, then raised the sword and slashed toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The sword caused the air to vibrate, and wild colors to flash about. Intense coldness surged out in all directions, and dragon-like Sword Chakra formed together into the shape of an Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon had vicious claws that slashed the air into pieces, and long whiskers that shattered its surroundings. Rumbling filled the air as the dragon shot toward Naruto. The entire arena quaked, and the air was ripped apart. It almost seemed as if this Azure Dragon could smash through any and all obstacles in its path.

In the blink of an eye, it was directly in front of Naruto. In the moment before it impacted, Naruto's expression was cold, and his eyes were bloodshot. Unexpectedly, he did nothing to avoid it, but instead, lifted his hand up and pushed it out toward the dragon.

Massive rumbling could be heard as beams of Sword Chakra rapidly expanded out in all directions, transforming into an arcing barrier formed of ten thousand swords. Naruto's hair whipped about him… as he stood there unmoving, using only that one hand movement to send Sword Chakra out in defense.

It was as if his one hand could eclipse everything!

Everyone looked on with astonishment at this final, decisive battle!

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were also watching with full concentration.

The decisive battle had begun too quickly. As of this moment, everyone in the Dao Tree now served as foils to Naruto and Kazan, who were the complete center of attention.

Naruto gazed coldly at Kazan, and slowly clenched his hand into a fist. As he did, the arcing barrier that had spread out began to emit cracking noises, and then suddenly shrank down.

As it shrank, the Azure Dragon within it struggled, but to no avail. Naruto's hand closed into a fist.

Boom!

The Sword Chakra obstacle shattered, and the Azure Dragon collapsed into pieces and then exploded. The sword attack vanished, and all that remained behind to show for it was a white mark on Naruto's palm. It seemed like it should have been a wound, but in the blink of an eye, it was healed, and the mark vanished.

This development was noticed by the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and they were astonished.

"He has regenerative powers!"

"He used a single hand to block Kazan's sword, and all it did was cut him a little! Heavens! He already recovered!"

"This is Kazama's true power! Before, he was concealing his cultivation base!"

As the crowds were in an uproar, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were panting, and staring fixedly at the image of Naruto on the screens.

"That must be… an Eternal stratum!"

"He actually possesses the Eternal stratum of legend!"

"With a stratum like that, he can be considered invincible to his peers!"

Meanwhile, outside of Planet East Victory, Patriarch Reliance was staring blankly at the vortex screen, eyes wide. He began to pant, and then moments later, started muttering curses.

"Little bastard, I can't believe he has an Eternal stratum!"

Another strange gleam appeared in the eyes of the white robed woman floating above the Dao Tree as she looked at Naruto.

At the same time, outside of the arena where Naruto stood, the half-headed man hovered there, motionless. However, his one remaining eye stared dead at Naruto, glowing with what seemed to be avarice.

Kazan's face flickered, and he took a deep breath. His Dharma Idol suddenly appeared behind him, and the image it depicted was of himself!

It was an enormous giant, 3,000 meters tall, that radiated shocking energy.

In order to have a Dharma Idol like this, one had to possess one's own power of true Immortality, at least sixty to seventy percent. Back in the Southern Domain, Kazan had been strong, but not this strong. In fact, it was even possible to just barely see some sort of glowing vine on the Dharma Idol!

It was… an Immortality Illumination Vine!

"Heavens! Kazan is actually engaging in battle at the same time as he's using an Immortality Illumination Vine! Most other people would be in secluded meditation right now, but he dares to come out and fight!"

"Is he using battle to contemplate enlightenment? Using a duel to illuminate Immortality and open his path to true Immortality? This Kazan definitely deserves his reputation as one of the two most powerful successors to have appeared in years in the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto!"

Even more shocking was that his Dharma Idol gripped a mighty longsword, upon which were inscribed two characters.

Cloud Sealing!

The words were somewhat indistinct, but everyone could see them.

As soon as people caught sight of the two characters, everyone was sent into an uproar.

"A Cloud Sealing Sword! His Dharma Idol actually produced a Cloud Sealing Sword!"

"The Sublime Flow Sword Grotto has three types of divine swords, and the Cloud Sealing Sword is one of them! They are swords which don't exist in reality, but can only be summoned by cultivating Daoist magic from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. There are only a few Chosen who have the magical techniques and divine abilities to do it.

"But… but for the sword to appear in the hands of a Dharma Idol is completely unheard-of! Doesn't that mean that he can use any magical technique and divine ability he wants, and still unleash the power of that Cloud Sealing Sword at the same time!?"

Kazan suddenly looked up at Naruto, and his eyes overflowed with the desire to fight. Before his trip to Planet Lands of Ninshu, there had only been two people of his same generation who filled him with such a desire to fight.

After Planet Lands of Ninshu, there was another, Naruto. And now… yet another, Kazama.

Monstrous fighting desire raged inside of him. Behind him, his 3,000-meter Dharma Idol held the Cloud Sealing Sword, and was radiating shocking Sword Chakra. As Kazan raised his head, he also lifted up his hand. Simultaneously, his Dharma Idol raised the Cloud Sealing Sword.

"First Sword, Felling the Mortal!" cried Kazan, and the sword descended!

The sword did not transform into an Azure Dragon, but rather, a green beam of light that instantly caused the entire golden arena to quake. A huge rift was ripped open in the air, and a massive rumbling sound echoed out. Wild colors flashed, and the heavenly bodies shook. Radiating a monstrous will, it shot toward Naruto, seemingly incapable of being blocked.

Almost as soon as the first sword descended, Kazan's energy surged upward, and in the midst of the already intense power, more explosive power appeared. Kazan swept forward like a whirlwind, and then gave a piercing shout.

"Second Sword, Shocking the Spirit!"

After that, a third sword appeared.

"Third Sword, Severing the Immortal!"

This sword caused rumbling to fill the air as it followed the first two swords, splitting Heaven and Earth, surging forward invincibly!

After that, a fourth sword appeared.

"Fourth Sword, Shattering the Ancient!"

Each sword was faster than the previous sword, and more powerful. The four swords caused colors to flash, and the air to vibrate. Everything began to shake, and all the other cultivators on the Dao Tree looked on in astonishment.

The heavenly bodies seemed to grow dark, as if all the splendor of the world was being replaced by these swords.

However… Kazan wasn't finished.

"Fifth Sword, Trampling the Heavens!"

Shockingly, a fifth sword appeared. This fifth sword was far more incisive than all the previous four swords. Everyone who could see it with their own eyes felt as if they were being suffocated. The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea made a collective gasp, and the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on with shining eyes.

Five swords, shocking to the extreme!

Naruto remained standing in his original position. Although his expression was calm, a nearly undetectable desire to fight flickered in his eyes. As the five swords descended toward him, the black sealing marks all over his body began to move, swirling across his skin. His Devilish will exploded out, distorting the air and even affecting time. To him, it seemed as if everything he was seeing was now moving in slow motion.

He didn't move, but instead lifted his hand, performed an incantation gesture, and then tapped the first sword.

A boom could be heard as black light spread out from Naruto's finger. The first sword, with its astonishing energy, came to a stop in front of the fingertip. A howl of rage could be heard echoing out from the sword as it suddenly transformed into millions upon millions of swords. Just when they were about to try to sidestep the power of Naruto's finger attack, they began to tremble, and then simply exploded. Sword Chakra spread out in all directions, causing the golden arena to shake violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Naruto took a step forward, then pointed out a second time with his index finger to tap the second beam of Sword Chakra.

A massive boom rattled out in all directions. Everything shook as the second sword collapsed in response to Naruto's finger attack, transforming into even more swords than had appeared just moments before, all of which then exploded.

When the spectators on the outside saw this, they were astonished. Everything was happening too quickly, giving them virtually no time to react. Naruto took a third step forward, right into the middle of endless sword shadows. Boundless Sword Chakra swirled around him, and the number of swords was innumerable. It was almost as if he had entered a world of swords.

The third sword attack formed a globe of swords that began to shrink down as soon as Naruto stepped into it, transforming into one sword that slashed down toward him. Naruto's right hand lifted up, and a third finger attack was unleashed.

When it touched the third sword, a boom rattled out that shook the whole Dao Tree. A massive wind kicked up, and everything went dark for a moment. Even the mists outside of the Dao Tree began to churn.

In the midst of all the noise, the third sword attack… shattered into pieces. Everyone in the outside world watched as the sword world collapsed, and Naruto stepped out, his fourth step.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually, Naruto's four steps took place in the space of only a few breaths. By this time, the fourth and fifth sword attacks were bearing down on him simultaneously. They were like two lightning bolts that slashed through the air, bearing monstrous sword will.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he raised his right hand. He waved his finger two times, once for each of the two beams of Sword Chakra. Shocking rumbling could be heard, booms that caused everything to quake. The air surrounding the arena twisted and distorted, and even the barrier separating the Dao Tree from the outside world seemed to be affected.

The Sword Chakra collapsed, dispersing as Naruto took his fifth step. By that time, he was directly in front of Kazan, whereupon his right hand stretched out in a claw.

Kazan immediately fell back, waving his arm and causing a sixth sword to appear. After that came a seventh sword, which descended toward Naruto amidst massive rumbling. Two beams of Sword Chakra swept toward him, although they did nothing to prevent him from advancing.

"Seven Swords Slaughter Mount Heaven!" roared Kazan in an earth shattering voice. His Dharma Idol took a step forward, raising its right hand to lift the 300-meter Cloud Sealing Sword. In this moment, it looked incredibly realistic, as if it truly existed.

Colors flashed, and a will of invincibility exploded out as the sword descended toward Naruto.

Naruto stopped in place and looked up. A vicious smile then appeared on his face, and he stamped his foot down onto the surface of the arena. Rumbling could be heard as… his own enormous Dharma Idol materialized!

When the Dharma Idol appeared, it was 3,000 meters tall, filled with shocking energy. It stepped forward and performed a double-handed incantation, then punched toward the huge sword descending from above.

From a distance, it was possible to see the two enormous Dharma Idols engaged in fierce fighting. Down on the surface of the arena, Naruto's body was wreathed in black flames, making him look like some sort of terrifying Devil. He advanced toward Kazan, waving his hand to cause millions of streams to appear, which then transformed into an enormous river.

Kazan's face flickered; he bit his tongue and then spit out some blood, each droplet of which transformed into an enormous sea, all of which then formed together into an even larger shocking composite sea. This was a sea that was not composed of water, but countless swords!

It was… a sea of swords!

The sea of swords immediately slammed into the massive river that was Naruto's Mountain Consuming Incantation. A shockwave spread out in all directions, causing everything to tremble. The dazzling light of magical techniques and divine abilities radiated out in all directions.

Naruto didn't stop for a moment. His body flickered as he transformed into an enormous black, flaming vulture. He whistled through the air, piercing the sea of swords to appear in front of Kazan and viciously slash razor-sharp claws at him. Kazan's face darkened as he fell back in shock. At this moment, he finally understood why all of Naruto's previous opponents had suffered setback after setback in combat. Now that he was experiencing the same thing himself, he truly felt terror of Naruto.

Naruto had an aura of invincibility, and he only attacked, sparing nothing for defense.

Facing this energy, one had no choice but to retreat, and by doing so, involuntarily fall into Naruto's rhythm of battle. Eventually, the continuous retreat would lead to one end… defeat.

Booms echoed out as over a hundred exchanges occurred between Kazan and Naruto. The golden arena was wracked with massive booms. As for the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they watched the scene unfold with pounding hearts. The only thing they were paying attention to was the groundbreaking championship battle between Naruto and Kazan.

"I can't keep retreating!" thought Kazan, blood oozing out of his mouth. Suddenly, a fierce gleam appeared in his eyes as his Dharma Idol, which was currently locked in combat with Naruto's Dharma Idol, grew to a height of 6,000 meters, causing something like a violent windstorm to spread out across the arena.

Taking advantage of that blast of power, Kazan took a deep breath, and looked at Naruto with an unprecedented look of solemnity.

"Five Cleaving Swords, First Cleaving… Rising Sword Form!" As he spoke, he lifted his right hand. Sword Chakra began to swirl around each of his five fingers, and his speed suddenly increased to shocking effect. He waved his hand, causing numerous beams of Sword Chakra to shoot out.

In the blink of an eye, 100 swords appeared in the form of Sword Chakra. Shockingly, they flew up into the air, then spun and began to fall down toward Naruto like a rain of swords. Naruto's eyes glittered as he stretched out his right hand and made a grasping motion, which caused the long spear with the World Tree shaft and the bone spearhead to appear. He immediately swept it out in front of him, causing rumbling sounds to be heard as the 100 swords were deflected and sent stabbing into the surface of the arena.

However, Kazan's divine ability was still unfolding. 1,000 swords appeared up above, which then whistled down toward Naruto. The long spear danced, and more booms could be heard as the thousand swords were scattered and sent plunging into the ground. However, it was at this point that 10,000 swords appeared up above.

Rumbling filled the air as they began to fall. The arena had now become a world of swords. Naruto was surrounded by a whirlwind, which was the long spear. Banging sounds could be heard as the 10,000 swords were vanquished and sent stabbing into the ground.

However, it was at this point that Kazan spoke again.

"First Cleaving, Swords Cleave the Heavens!" Instantly, the 11,100 swords that had been stabbed into the ground rose up into the sky, where they merged together to form one huge sword.

One shocking sword appeared, a sword that caused the entire world to go still. For the first time, Naruto's facial expression changed as he looked up to stare at the huge weapon. He took a deep breath, raised his right foot up, and then stamped it down hard.

A boom echoed out, and his Dharma Idol suddenly began to expand until it too was 6,000 meters tall. It took a step forward and then punched out toward the huge sword.

The resulting boom was deafening, and the entire world trembled. The sword slashed through the fist of Naruto's Dharma Idol, then continued to cut down until it was only seven inches away from the top of Naruto's head, where it came to a stop. A defiant droning sound could be heard from the sword, and then it collapsed.

When the sword fell to pieces, Kazan coughed up blood and staggered backward.

Naruto looked up at the collapsing sword, and then turned to look at Kazan.

"You're pretty strong…." he said. "But now, it's my turn." With that, he vanished. When he reappeared, he was directly in front of Kazan, whereupon he clenched his hand into a fist and punched.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Naruto punched nine times; this was none other than the Nine Heavens Destruction.

The final blow unleashed violent upheavals. Kazan was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth. He toppled head over heels along the ground, but before he could get very far, Naruto transformed into the vulture and swooped down toward him.

The vulture's claws could shred metal and crush stone!

Blood sprayed from Kazan's mouth, and his chest was a mass of mangled flesh. However, his mouth was twisted in a cold grin and he suddenly opened his mouth, causing a sword to fly out. In the blink of an eye, it pierced through the air and was about to stab into Naruto. Naruto's eyes shone with a gleam of surprise, and he let out a mighty roar.

The sound of the roar caused ripples to spread out, and the sword stopped in place for a moment. In that short pause, Naruto's right hand moved like the wind, unleashing the Star Plucking Magic to grab the sword and crush it violently. Cracking sounds rang out as the sword shattered. Kazan coughed up blood yet again.

However, he also took advantage of that moment to leap up into the air.

"Dharma Idol True Body!" An expression of madness flickered on his face as he held his ground and refused to concede. As his words echoed out, his Dharma Idol suddenly vanished as it merged into his body. A moment later, a 6,000-meter giant appeared in midair.

It was Kazan.

"Kazama, our battle isn't over yet!" With a roar, he lifted his right hand, within which appeared the Cloud Sealing Sword, which he slashed down toward Naruto.

Almost in the same moment in which the sword began to fall, Naruto closed his eyes. When he opened them, his Dharma Idol vanished and merged with his body, whereupon another 6,000-meter giant appeared. His foot sped through the air in a roundhouse kick, smashing into the sword. Then, the two of them began to fight back and forth up in the air.

Booms echoed out, and the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were breathing heavily.

"They're too powerful!"

"Neither Kazan nor Kazama are Immortals, but even false Immortals would be like ants to them! They could kill them without expending any effort at all! They could probably even fight true Immortals!"

"They're both only at the peak of the Spirit Realm, but they're shocking even to me, and I've opened 30 meridians!"

"Too powerful!"

"If the two of them actually become Immortals, then of the ten stages in the Immortal Realm, they would definitely have at least 90 meridians!"

In the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were staring fixedly at the proceedings. Although any one of them could easily defeat Kazan or Naruto, the battle that was playing out in front of them was stunning and spectacular. After all… even though it was only a Spirit Realm battle, the Patriarchs were able to sense that both Kazan and Naruto both had the potential to be future Paragons.

"They both have 6,000 meter Dharma Idols. That's comparable to a stage two Immortal. In the ten stages of the Immortal Realm, each stage adds 3,000 meters to one's Dharma Idol!"

"Both of them have built a strong foundation for success. Kazan has been suppressing himself in the Spirit Realm for a long time, just waiting for true Immortal destiny to appear. Then, he can use his Immortality Illumination Vine to achieve true Immortal Ascension. One thing is for certain, once he enters the Immortal Realm, his cultivation speed will be explosive. He'll most likely reach the peak of the Immortal Realm in less than a hundred years!"

"It looks like Kazama is in the same position. In fact, the Chosen of the all the important sects in the Ninth Mountain and Sea are all like that!"

Back in the arena, Naruto and Kazan were fighting fiercely. However, Naruto had not yet unleashed his full power. Even though his Devilish will had been rekindled, making him stronger than ever, he could sense that Kazan was still hiding some sort of terrifying aura, so because of that, Naruto was also holding back.

Rumbling filled the air, and Kazan's eyes were completely bloodshot. By this point in the battle, he was already using everything that he could exercise control over, and yet was still not a match for his opponent. In fact, he was consistently forced into retreat.

"I refuse to accept this!" he thought. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, and even as he fell back, he suddenly took a deep breath. It was at this point that a vine suddenly appeared, wrapping around his body and emanating gentle light, as well as Dao music. It was none other than an Immortality Illumination Vine.

Kazan threw his head back and roared. At the same time, the Immortality Illumination Vine began to glow radiantly. He began to tremble, and then grew even larger. He was now 9,000 meters tall!

His 9,000-meter tall body radiated shocking power, a power that Kazan actually found difficult to control, a power that came from sacrificing the Immortality Illumination Vine.

When the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw what was happening, they were sent into an uproar.

"He was actually suppressing his cultivation base before!"

"Heavens! He's actually… comparable to a stage three Immortal!"

"Kazama is finished!"

Kazan's vision had grown blurry. The only thing that he could see now was Naruto, and the only thought that existed in his head was that he had to defeat Kazama!

BOOM!

Kazan's body flashed, and his energy surged to the heavens. He closed in on Naruto, Sword Chakra raging in all directions, shattering the air. Rumbling sounds rang out as they once again began to fight.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Black flames surged around him as his Dharma Idol body suddenly grew with explosive speed. Now he was 9,000 meters tall too!

In that instant, a collective gasp of disbelief could be heard out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and even from the cultivators on the Dao Tree.

"Heavens! Kazama was also concealing his true cultivation base. I can't believe that he… is also comparable to a stage three Immortal!"

"Just who is going to win this battle!? Who… is going to take first place!?"

Booms rang out as Naruto and Kazan fought back and forth. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of exchanges had taken place. The ground quaked, the entire golden arena was shaking, and rifts could be seen in the air in all directions.

Finally, Kazan staggered backward, blood spraying from his mouth, a look of despair on his face. He had unleashed all the power he could muster, had done almost everything he could do, and yet still could not gain victory over his opponent.

"No," he thought. "I still haven't used everything. I still haven't used the Second Cleaving of the Five Cleaving Swords. But…."

Kazan's eyes radiated madness, and as he fell back, he suddenly stared straight at Naruto.

"Kazama, unleash the battle prowess of your most powerful cultivation base! We're going to determine victory and defeat with one move!" With that, Kazan tilted his head back and laughed uproariously. His lips were twisted with madness, and the obsession to win. Suddenly, he began to shake, and a burning aura exploded out.

In that instant, his Dharma Idol body began to emit blinding light. The light spread out and then all of a sudden… shrank back down!

This was… Dharma Idol self-detonation!

"Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, Five Cleaving Swords, also known as Five Immortal Swords. With my current power, I can unleash the First Cleaving. Now, I will utilize the power of self-detonation to unleash the Second Cleaving!

"Kazama, if you can't stand up to this attack, then you will be defeated!" As Kazan spoke, his Dharma Idol rapidly grew smaller. However, his terrifying aura grew more and more powerful.

The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were in an uproar. In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs had all risen to their feet. The old man from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto stamped his foot onto the ground.

"So impulsive!" he thought, frowning. As he watched the scene playing out on the vortex screen, his expression darkened.

"Kazama," cried Kazan, "after this attack, I will be powerless to do anything. If I don't die, then at the very least, I'll have to go into secluded meditation to recover, and it will be difficult for me to create another Dharma Idol. But I, Kazan, have no regrets!

"This battle, this attack, contains all of my hope! Show me… exactly how strong you actually are!" By now, Kazan had shrunk from 9,000 meters tall to only 900. His energy continued to surge, and the air around him shattered. Even the arena itself was trembling.

Naruto looked in Kazan's eyes, and what he saw was a madness inspired by the heat of battle. He nodded his head silently, and suddenly, the Devilish will inside of him exploded out. Black flames surged into the Heavens, and his Dharma Idol once again began to grow!

9,500 meters. 10,500 meters. 11,500 meters…. All the way to….

12,000 meters!

He stood there, surrounded by intense rumbling. All of the cultivators on the Dao Tree were flabbergasted. None of them had ever heard of someone in the Spirit Realm who was comparable to a fourth stage Immortal!

They could understand Kazan's extraordinary display of power, especially because he had an Immortality Illumination Vine to rely on. But Naruto's Dharma Idol had no Immortality Illumination Vine!

Such a thing was… completely terrifying!

Out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the crowds were going wild. The buzz of conversation echoed about everywhere, and anticipatory shouts drifted about.

"Kazan is detonating his Dharma Idol and drawing on his life force to unleash his most powerful sword attack! And Kazama… is actually comparable to a fourth stage Immortal!"

"Victory and defeat will be determined right now! I wonder which of these two… will take first place!"

The most anticipated moment of the entire trial by fire, and of all the arena matches, had now arrived!

The audiences' eyes were glued to the vortex screens as Kazan's body shrank down to the size of a normal person. His 9,000-meter Dharma Idol had collapsed, and all of the power of that collapse had been coalesced into the sword that he held in his hand.

This was no ordinary sword!

"Five Cleaving Swords, Second Cleaving…. Immortal: Why Sever the Mundane World?!" As Kazan's voice rang out, he lifted his right hand, and his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness. This sword attack contained his life force, his Dharma Idol, his willpower, his everything!

He raised his sword up, and then swung it downwards. It transformed into a Heavenly sword, something that could sever mortality. It was as if the sword were asking an Immortal, 'will you sever the mundane…? Or not?!'

Rumbling filled the air as the sword slashed down. Naruto took a deep breath. He had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, and the power of an Immortal meridian. All of that power exploded out as his Dharma Idol performed a double-handed incantation, then prepared to punch out. Shockingly… an Immortal meridian appeared in the air around his Dharma Idol!

The Immortal meridian looked like a strand of silk, swirling around him, bursting with shocking Immortal Chakra that coalesced onto his hand, creating the most powerful punch he was capable of. The punch slammed out into the air above the arena.

When the sword and the punch collided, a massive boom rattled out, shaking the entire Dao Tree. The air churned, and even the people outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea could sense it. In the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were all panting.

BOOOMMMM!

The sound seemed capable of ripping open the Heavens. A gigantic vortex appeared, instantly spreading out to cover the entire golden arena. The aura inside the vortex grew more and more intense, as all of the power unleashed by Naruto and Kazan gathered together. At the same time, the entire arena began to collapse!

It was at this point that a massive backlash of power rose up in the vortex, which then swept down directly onto Kazan. It was far too much power for him to bear, and a wan smile suddenly appeared on his face as he realized that he had been defeated.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and cracking sounds could be heard all over his body. More than half of the bones in his body were shattered as he was violently thrown out of the Dao Tree itself.

"I lost…." he murmured. In the moments before he lost consciousness, he saw Naruto standing there, fighting back against the power. Then Kazan passed out.

After Kazan lost consciousness, Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. Instantly, the flames from the Devilish will were extinguished, and a peaceful glow appeared in his eyes. However, the force of the attack against him sent him tumbling back, out of control. Rumbling could be heard as he was sent flying off of the arena and outside of the Dao Tree!

In that exact moment….

The half-headed man who had been lurking outside of the arena the entire time looked over with an expression of excited greed. Utilizing incredible speed, he shot from his position by the arena toward Naruto, who was tumbling through the void above the Ruins of Immortality.

"Dammit!" Naruto's face fell. Everything that had happened moments ago seemed almost like a dream. When Hoki drew out his Devilish will, it influenced Naruto on an emotional level, and had also changed his personality. Although he had seemed calm and cool-headed, it was merely an external thing. He had actually lost any sense of what was going on around him.

Situational awareness was something incongruous with the Devilish will.

And now, here he was being ejected from the arena into the outside.

Because of the intense power he had just unleashed, the Devilish will had been completely set aboil, and because of the force that caused him to shoot out of the arena, it had dissipated by more than half. Because of that, Naruto's consciousness was not being interfered with any more; it was almost as if he had awoken from a dream.

There was no time to worry about expelling the rest of the Devilish will. Naruto was now in the middle of a maelstrom of danger. As soon as he left the arena, the half-headed man closed in and grabbed ahold of him.

His hand was ice-cold, and as soon as it latched onto Naruto, Naruto's entire body turned icy. He was just about to try to struggle when, all of a sudden, his face flickered. This was a result of something the half-headed man did, a magical art that he unleashed that Naruto was very familiar with!

It was… the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

In an instant, Naruto was completely confined, incapable of even the slightest movement. At the same time, his life force, his cultivation base, everything was instantly sent toward the half-headed man, as if he wanted to voraciously consume it.

Naruto's mind was reeling as the half-headed man instantly shot off into the distance with Naruto in tow, to disappear into the mists.

It all happened too quickly. Naruto was gone before anyone on the Dao Tree could react.

Dengaku's face fell, and he flew up into the air. However, when he looked out into the boundless void, despite his anxiety, he knew… it was impossible for him to go out into the mists.

The other two old men also had dark looks on their faces as they stared out at the spot where Naruto had disappeared into the mists.

Everyone on the Dao Tree gaped in shock.

Everything had happened too quickly, and it was something nobody could have predicted. As for Kazan, he now lay crumpled on the ground beneath the Dao Tree, unconscious and hovering on the brink of death.

Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the cultivators who had been watching the battle now felt their minds trembling. Expressions of disbelief appeared on their faces as they watched the half-headed man take Naruto away.

"He… he got first place, but…."

"What's going on? How could something like this happen? This is impossible!"

"Dammit! He got first place! He defeated Kazan! He got first place in the trial by fire, and then first place in the arena matches. He's supposed to become famous in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. How come… how come it had to end up like this!?"

"I can't believe the Ruins of Immortality are this dangerous! Why did they have to hold the arena matches in a place like this!?"

Many people in the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were furious. They had all just witnessed Kazama's rise to prominence. Many had even come to view him as a future Paragon, and yet all of it disappeared in an instant.

There were some people who actually breathed sighs of relief. Kazama was far too powerful, to the point where cultivators of his generation felt stifling pressure. For him to simply disappear was the best outcome, as far as they were concerned.

"Kazama is definitely dead. That half-headed man took him away to experience an untimely death."

"What an unlucky Chosen. Well, now there's one less person for me to challenge in the future."

While the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were abuzz, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on in shock. The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies also wore grim expressions as they slowly rose to their feet. First, they looked toward the spot where Naruto had disappeared, and then they turned their attention to the white-robed woman who hovered above the Dao Tree.

The woman glanced down at the unconscious Kazan, then turned her head to look out into the void. She appeared to be muttering to herself for a moment, and then suddenly she turned and disappeared in the same direction Naruto had gone.

After seeing this, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were extremely excited.

"Perhaps… Kazama isn't dead!"

"Perhaps… we really will succeed this time!"

"Ah the Echelon. In the great Nine Mountains and Seas, only the Ninth Mountain and Sea have yet to send someone into the Echelon…."

Meanwhile, outside of Planet East Victory, Patriarch Reliance floated among the stars, his eyes wide with astonishment, breathing heavily as he looked at the vortex screen.

"Is the little bastard going to die just like that? Impossible! If the little bastard was that easy to get rid of, well wouldn't that be poetic justice? Although, how come… how come that half-headed man… looked so familiar…?"

Madara sat cross-legged on an asteroid shooting through the starry sky, watching silently as the events played out on the vortex screen up ahead.

In the Baldy Society, Pill Demon was trembling, and a brilliant light shone from his eyes. Although he didn't believe Naruto could be killed so easily, it was the Ruins of Immortality….

Sakura was also shaking. Her breath came in ragged pants, and her face was pale white. She didn't dare to believe that Naruto was really dead. All of the energy seemed to drain out of her, and she staggered back a few steps. Tears began to stream down her face.

"He won't die…."

On Planet Lands of Ninshu, in the vast Eastern Lands, Naruto's parents sat in the Namikaze Clan, their faces pale, holding hands tightly. Minato's expression was calm, but in his heart, a monstrous desire to kill had risen up.

After a few deep breaths, he growled, "Naruto is not the type of person to die young. He won't be killed. But if he does perish… then I, Minato, vow that I will continue to guard this planet. However, after the 100,000 years have passed, then I will personally open the door to release the evil Devils, and ensure that the Three Great Daoist Societies are buried together with my son!

"Furthermore, those Ruins of Immortality… will serve as burial objects!"

When Guy, Fatty, and Chino saw what had happened, they trembled in disbelief.

All of the Ninth Mountain and Sea was in an uproar. Naruto had just earned first place, and then… had disappeared to who knew where!

Naturally, Naruto was not dead.

The half-headed man grasped him tightly as they shot through the mists. Naruto trembled as his life force, cultivation base, and aura were absorbed by the man.

Slowly, the flesh and blood of the man's head began to heal. His aura gradually moved away from death, and a bit of life force could be detected. However, he still seemed to be lacking in terms of consciousness, as if he had no mental faculties, and was only acting on instinct.

Naruto couldn't move, and his thoughts were sluggish. Icy coldness filled him. However, as his life force was sucked away, the remaining Devilish will inside of him was also absorbed.

As the half-headed man absorbed more and more of the Devilish will, he suddenly stopped in place, and black flames flickered on his body.

The man had feared the flames of the Devilish will before, and now that he was absorbing Naruto's cultivation base and life force, he himself began to burn, and an expression of anguish appeared on his face.

In that instant, Naruto was suddenly able to move again. He also recovered his mental faculties, and was instantly shocked.

"He… he can use the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!" he thought. "Who is he? Don't tell me… he's also from the League of Demon Sealers!?

"That sword contains the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex, and it's stuck into his side. If he's from the League of Demon Sealers, then either there was infighting within the League of Demon Sealers, or… he stabbed the sword into himself, as a sealing!" Numerous speculations ran through Naruto's head, but in this critical moment of danger, he had no time to think too much about it.

Eyes glittering, Naruto took advantage of the moment to unleash his cultivation base. His Immortal meridian began to emanate Immortal Chakra, which he attempted to use to struggle against the half-headed man. Unfortunately, the man was far too powerful, and Naruto's efforts were in vain.

However… Naruto was not interested in battling the man. Instead, he used the brief moment in which he could move to suddenly reach out and grab the sword that was stabbed into the man's side.

As soon as he touched the sword, the ancient Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding began to vibrate madly. At the same time, the half-headed man began to let out a miserable shriek. As this happened, Naruto used every scrap of power he could muster to yank the sword out from the man's side.

As he pulled the sword out of the man… a stream of black blood sprayed out with it. The man trembled, releasing Naruto, who then backed up at top speed, face pale and blood spurting out of his mouth.

He had lost a lot of life force, and his cultivation base was in chaos. He was in very sore straits, and yet, he didn't pause for even the least bit, but instead, unleashed every bit of speed that he could to escape.

The half-headed man trembled, and pushed his hand down onto his wound. However, no matter what he did, blood continued to stream out of the wound.

"Who am I…? Who… who am I?" the man murmured, a confused expression on his face. His mind seemed to be in chaos as his words echoed out.

"My sword… my sword…." As his words rang out, the blood flowing from his body suddenly congealed together to form into blood snakes. Their bodies were covered with long feelers, and they looked extremely vicious. More and more of them continued to pour out of the man's wound, until they filled the area, nearly a thousand of them.

Naruto's scalp was going numb.

It was at this point that a shrill whistling sound could be heard from off in the distance. A black wind was approaching, along with the decomposing roc, the same things Naruto had seen outside of the Dao Tree. The roc closed in greedily, heading straight toward the half-headed man.

As it neared, the man murmured something, and then his eyes glittered, and he performed an incantation with his right hand, then pointed at the roc.

Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

That one wave of a finger caused the huge roc to stop in place and then fall downward.

Naruto's mind was trembling.

Next, the mists began to churn as more and more figures appeared. One of them was the naga cultivator, and all of them were staring greedily at the vicious blood snakes that were boring out from within the man's wound. From the look in their eyes, it was as if they were staring at treasures. In the blink of an eye, they charged forward madly.

"I am… the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer…." the half-headed man said. He looked around blankly at the incoming figures. His hand was pressed onto the wound at this side as he attempted to prevent the blood snakes from emerging. Within his eyes, a gleam of clarity suddenly appeared.

"Sixth Demon Sealing Hex… Life-Death Hexing!"

With that, he waved his finger.

Sixth Demon Sealing Hex, Life-Death Hexing!

The Sixth Generation Demon Sealer pointed out with his right index finger, and instantly two streams Chakra poured out, one black and one white. They swirled around each other to form a vortex.

That vortex… was gray!

The gray vortex expanded rapidly; in the blink of an eye it was over 3,000 meters wide, and exerted a gravitational force in all directions. The figures that surrounded the area began to let out miserable shrieks; they trembled as their bodies decomposed, and magical symbols appeared all over them.

Those magical symbols were also gray, and they glittered as the figures screamed, then looked blankly toward the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer, dropped to their knees and bowed in worship.

Even the powerful naga did so.

As Naruto watched all this, his scalp tingled, and he continued to back up rapidly. However, it was at this point that the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer slowly turned his head to look directly at Naruto.

In that instant, the man's jaw dropped.

Naruto felt as if his blood were freezing. An intense sensation of deadly crisis appeared, and he suddenly stopped in place and stared back at the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer. He had the sudden feeling that if he continued to back up, the man would attack him.

Currently, the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer seemed to be hesitating, thinking.

Time seemed to slow down. More and more black snakes poured out of the man's wound, and they swirled around him, seemingly on the verge of escaping. However, for some reason they also seemed to be locked in one area, unable to leave.

After a long moment, the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer began to speak.

"End the League of Demon Sealers in exchange for keeping the spirit of Pāramitā asleep," he murmured, "or… allow fate to run its course, and give hope to the League." He gazed deeply at Naruto for a long moment, and then looked down at the sword Naruto held.

"Take this chance to contemplate the matter thoroughly," he said softly, his expression kindly. Then he turned, keeping his hand pressed down onto his wound, and began to walk off into the distance, surrounded by shrieking black blood snakes. The snakes apparently wished to flee from the area surrounding the Sixth Demon Sealer, but were incapable of doing so, and were dragged along with him as he walked off.

As for all of the other figures in the area who had been caught up in the Life-Death Hexing, they seemed to have lost all sense of themselves, and slowly began to follow the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer.

"Senior!" Naruto suddenly cried out. "What happened to you? Where are you going!?"

"I was defeated in the third Mountain and Sea Tribulation…." The Sixth Generation Demon Sealer's voice was archaic and ancient. "I am going to search for my final resting place…. As for you… in the future, you will also face the Mountain and Sea Tribulation. If you are defeated, then we will be waiting for you on the road to that final resting place.

"Demon Sealers. The League. We are the most powerful in the Nine Mountains and Seas. We are also the ones… who bear the most grief.

"It is a rough and bumpy road, so take care of yourself…."

Naruto looked at the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer's back as he floated off into the distance.

"Defeated?" he said, staring in shock. Then he suddenly thought back to the words uttered by the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer, which were recorded in the jade slip. He had also spoken of transcending the Mountain and Sea Tribulation!

"What is the Mountain and Sea Tribulation!?" Naruto asked urgently. As he looked at the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer, Naruto suddenly had an intense premonition that one day… he could end up just like this.

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens, Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!

"Ancient Dao; Study Demons of Myriad Variations; Tread not the Path of Immortals; Face the Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Dao is Eternal; the Masses Have Erred, but My Dao Is True; My Fate is the Aeon!"

Those same two verses!

Naruto's mind trembled. They were the same words that had been uttered by the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer.

"What happens in the case of success!?" Naruto asked. The Sixth Generation Demon Sealer was already far off in the distance, but after a long moment, his ancient voice echoed weakly into Naruto's ears.

"With a thought, the Nine Mountains came into existence. With a thought, the Nine Seas appeared. The Nine Mountains and Seas, return to the Essence."

Naruto's face was pale. Everything he had seen since leaving the arena was like a dream. It turned out that the half-headed man was actually… the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer.

"If all that happened was that he failed to transcend some tribulation… then what horrifying thing happened to his body? And what were those blood snakes?!

"With a thought, the Nine Mountains exist. With a thought, the Nine Seas appear. Nine Mountains and Seas, return to the Essence. Just what does that mean?

"Nine Mountains and Seas. The Essence…. The League of Demon Sealers…." Naruto was now panting.

"Also, how could the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer use the Eighth Hex?"

After a long moment, he grew silent and then looked around. Then, doing his best to remember the path the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer had taken to get to this place, he began carefully making his way back.

There were far too many dangers lurking in this place, many of which would be fatal to him. All he could do was remain as cautious as possible. The slightest misstep could lead to him perishing.

Time passed.

The arena matches were over. A pained expression could be seen on Dengaku's face. He really had attached a lot of importance to Naruto. He couldn't forget the steadfast expression on his face when he'd retrieved the Esoteric compass.

He left, along with the other two men from the other Great Daoist Societies. They took the cultivators away from the arenas, the Dao Tree, the God corpse, and the Ruins of Immortality. They returned to the starry sky.

Some people went home, others were taken in by the sects as disciples. The Three Great Daoist Societies' trial by fire and accompanying arena matches were officially concluded.

Kazan was taken back to the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. When he regained consciousness and heard about what had happened, he balled his hand into a fist and slammed it into the ground. Blood spattered out of his fist, and intense regret could be seen in his eyes, along with determination.

In the end, Guy was taken in as a disciple of the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto.

Fatty went to the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. When his master accompanied him back to Planet Lands of Ninshu and found out that he had over a hundred beloved concubines, he stared in shock, and was speechless for a very long moment.

Chino joined the Church of the Blood Orchid. Considering her experience fusing with the Blood Orchid, she was immediately put into the running to become Holy Daughter.

Shikamaru's unsurpassed brutal experience, a madness in which he had destroyed his own eyes, leaving him in a world of darkness, was actually in perfect concordance with the Dao of the Moonset Lake.

After moonset, there is no light whatsoever in Heaven and Earth. Before light arrives, when there is no moon, everything is covered by…darkness.

In addition to these four, there were quite a few others from Planet Lands of Ninshu who participated in the trial by fire and were accepted as disciples into other minor sects. Others returned home in disappointment.

Time passed, an entire month. During that month, the name Kazama became well-known throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Even cultivators who hadn't been watching the vortex screens heard of the stories.

He was not Immortal, and yet was as powerful as a stage four Immortal!

He took first place in the trial by fire and first place in the arena matches. Because of everything that had happened, Kazama became a legend. That was especially true when it all ended with him disappearing into the Ruins of Immortality. Because of that, the legend spread even more widely.

Meanwhile, Naruto plodded along through the Ruins of Immortality, his face pale. He sent his divine sense out, but didn't dare to send it too far. During the past month, he had already faced several dangerous situations. On three of those occasions, he had almost ended up dead.

On more than one occasion, he saw a group of huge floating heads. Each of the heads seemed to be as big as a planet, causing Naruto to pant, and his mind to spin.

He saw an ancient battlefield, filled with countless corpses. Roving amongst the corpses were people who… feasted on the rotting flesh around them. He had no idea when the battle had actually taken place, but the corpses still had flesh on them, as if they would never rot away.

He saw a huge medicinal plant garden, choked with weeds. However, within the weeds, Naruto caught sight of some legendary medicinal plants, the sight of which left him panting.

They were plants that Pill Demon had spoken of back when he cultivated the Dao of alchemy in the Violet Fate Sect, plants that were supposed to be extinct. However, within that medicinal plant garden, he saw at least a hundred different varieties of such legendary plants.

There was something else he saw there that was especially noteworthy… an Immortality Illumination Vine!

The only problem was that there were innumerable black beetles in the area, seemingly without end. If he got too close, they would fly up in great clouds, forcing him to flee off into the distance. If he had been even the slightest bit slower, it would surely lead to his death.

He saw something the size of a planet, but covered with tentacles. Even the mere sight of it in the distance caused Naruto's scalp to grow numb, and he immediately fled.

At one point, he saw a right hand that was so huge it looked as big as a galaxy….

In addition to these things, he saw innumerable corpses floating about in the Ruins of Immortality. There were shattered remnants of buildings, vast stretches of land, and even wild beasts whistling through the air.

Compared to these vast and mysterious Ruins of Immortality, Naruto himself was tiny and weak. Compared to all of the amazing things he saw, he was nothing.

During the month, some of his life force actually vanished. However, his cultivation base was slowly recovering, which gave him some more confidence. Most importantly, the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer's sword contained some strange power. Any time he faced some danger, the sword would emanate a bright light, which was one of the main reasons Naruto was still alive.

When he touched the surface of the sword, he was able to feel the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex. However, this hex was a difficult one, and during the month, Naruto was unable to gain enlightenment.

After walking around for a month, he was unable to find the corpse of the Pāramitā God. Nor did he ever see the Dao Tree. The only way for him to find his path back home was if he found that corpse and that tree.

One day, he saw an Immortal's cave, floating there in the air. It appeared to be in the midst of a phasing teleportation cycle, occasionally there, occasionally not there.

It was covered with cracks, as if countless battles had been fought outside of it. When Naruto looked at the cracks, his mind spun, as if there were shocking divine abilities and magical techniques inside of them.

In the instant that he caught sight of the Immortal's cave, its door opened soundlessly, and a white-robed woman could be seen sitting there. In that moment, it seemed as if everything else disappeared except for the woman, sitting there all alone.

Her gaze was tranquil as she looked off into the distance, and also seemed to be filled with an unending loneliness….

She seemed to be the type of person who could elicit the worship of all living things, who could cause the Ruins of Immortality to tremble. She seemed to have lost something that she could never get back, something that only the sad song that had echoed out by the Dao Tree could possibly clearly explain.

She slowly looked up, and her gaze fell onto Naruto.

Naruto trembled as he realized that this woman… was none other than the one who had appeared by the ancient Dao Tree, the one who had caused all the other figures to bow in worship.

"Henceforth you are 13th in the Echelon," she said slowly. Her echoing voice sounded as if it was resonating out from ancient times.

"13th in the Echelon?" said Naruto, gaping at the woman. He had no idea what she was talking about.

The woman didn't respond at first. She simply looked at Naruto, her expression one of seeming reminiscence, as if she were thinking of something she had once experienced. After a long moment, her cold voice echoed out once again.

"In the great Nine Mountains and Seas, there are only room for nine. There are a thousand years until the plan can be carried out. The nine people who break into the Ancient Realm first, can set off on the journey.

"There are already seven people ahead of you who have succeeded.

"The Ninth Mountain and Sea has already fallen behind by quite a bit." With that, she extended her right hand and pointed at Naruto. He was incapable of resisting as a sealing mark flew out and settled onto his forehead.

The sealing mark glittered with dim light, flashing thirteen times before it faded away.

The sealing mark caused Naruto to tremble, and suddenly, he felt as if an additional stream of Chakra had appeared inside of him. The Chakra circulated throughout his entire body, then concealed itself, fading away.

"This sealing mark can protect your soul from being destroyed, but only twice," the woman said, her ice-cold voice echoing about.

"After that, if your soul is exterminated, then naturally your qualifications will vanish. However, if you eventually enter into the top nine rankings… then your future potential is limitless.

"Seize this opportunity." Having finished speaking, the door of the Immortal's cave began to close, and the Immortal cave itself began to fade, as if it were about to vanish.

"Senior," he replied, "the opportunity you speak of, and this setting off on a journey. What's the destination?"

The woman's voice echoed out from within the Immortal's cave: "Outside the great Nine Mountains and Seas, to the outside world. To find out the true reason that ancient war was fought.

"There are some who wish to awaken a certain person," the woman murmured. "There are some who wish to bring a certain person back to life…. The fault does not lie with us!" She seemed to be on the verge of fading away.

"Senior, wait a moment," said Naruto. He still had the feeling that the sealing mark wasn't a good thing, and that the so-called good fortune was good fortune in word only. Currently, he was left with a sense of extreme danger. "I still don't understand," he continued. "If my soul is exterminated, and my qualifications vanish, then what about the person who kills me?"

"Whoever kills you will acquire the sealing mark. If they can come to me here, then they will be the successor of your qualifications." The Immortal's cave was now approximately seventy percent vanished, and the woman's voice was faint.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he anxiously said, "Senior, um… my father and mother are getting old, and I also have an older sister. I'm waiting for my beloved to return to me. Uh… can I decline to go? I don't really want this sealing mark."

"You were enlightened regarding Paragon magic, took first place in the arena matches of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and have the qualifications of a Daoist Society. Therefore… you cannot decline to receive my sealing mark. If you do not wish to make the journey, then go out and find someone to exterminate your soul twice." The Immortal's cave was fading away rapidly, and now only ten percent remained.

"You…." Naruto was getting really anxious now. "Senior, I'm stuck here, and can't get out. If I'm 13th in the Echelon, is there any way you can get me out of here?

"If I can't get out, then I might perish, then you putting me in the Echelon would have been completely in vain. Furthermore, this place is simply too dangerous for someone like me."

Naruto was pretty sure that most of the sects would have no idea what this woman was talking about when she mentioned the Echelon. However, the Three Great Daoist Societies definitely knew. And while they might not bear him any ill intentions, he didn't like his own life or death to be determined by a mere thought on the part of someone other party.

The vanishing of the Immortal's cave paused momentarily, and after a moment of silence that lasted for the space of a few breaths, a crystalline beam of light shot out from inside to land in Naruto's hand in the form of a jade slip.

"That jade slip will teleport you out of here. You can only use it once, and it will take you anywhere that you can mentally recall." After she finished speaking, the Immortal's cave vanished completely.

Naruto held the jade slip in his hand, and his eyes widened. Then he frowned and touched his forehead. After a moment passed, his eyes began to glitter.

"Forget about this Echelon business for now. Just finally being able to get out of here is good thing!" Naruto knew that if he only relied on the power of his cultivation base to get out, it would be far too difficult.

After taking a deep breath, he hefted the jade slip and was about to use it to teleport out, when suddenly he gave a start.

"Now that I can leave any time I want… well, if I left now, it would be a bit of a waste." After thinking about it for a moment, his eyes filled with determination, and he gritted his teeth.

"I'm gonna give it a shot!" he thought. That was Naruto's personality. To go out and return empty-handed was a waste. Therefore, he turned and retraced his tracks back to the medicinal plant garden.

Rewards come only with risk!

After Naruto left, the Immortal's cave that had just vanished suddenly reappeared. The white-robed woman also returned, and she watched Naruto walking off into the distance, a look of reminiscence on her face.

"The League of Demon Sealers…." she murmured. In that moment, a rare tenderness appeared on her face.

Naruto proceeded cautiously through the Ruins of Immortality. In almost any location in this place, it was possible that there were terrifying things lurking about that could destroy him in body and spirit. There were many places that he couldn't avoid no matter how cautious he was. It was fortunate, therefore, that Naruto had already traveled this path before and thus didn't attempt to explore any of those locations. Instead, he proceeded slowly and carefully for about half a month until he once again found himself outside the medicinal plant garden, where he stood there and salivated at what he saw.

From a distance, the medicinal plant garden seemed like a vast stretch of land overrun with countless weeds. However, amidst the weeds were random medicinal plants, many of which were virtually extinct in the outside world, and which would be called Celestial medicinal plants. There were even some locations that had legendary holy medicinal plants.

The problem lay in the innumerable, frightening black beetles with razor-sharp mandibles that had occupied the entire garden and posed a threat to everything nearby.

"That's… Reincarnation Leaf!

"And there's a Sun Blossom!

"That's Arhat Grass!" Naruto was trembling with anticipation. Even from a distance, he was able to recognize these three Holy medicinal plants. Any one of them was enough to cause people in the outside world to go crazy.

Further in, there were a greater quantities of even better Holy medicinal plants, but Naruto knew how to restrain himself. It would clearly be impossible to get that far in. Not to mention, even though everything in the area of the much-closer Reincarnation Leaf seemed harmless at the moment, Naruto remembered that when he had come here earlier, a step too close had given rise to clouds of black beetles.

The Reincarnation Leaves were growing on a small violet-colored tree. There were nine of them in total, and they were shaped like crescent moons; a unique magical symbol glittered brightly on each of them. Just looking at the tree gave a person the sensation that they were looking at the cycle of reincarnation itself.

As for the Sun Blossoms, they creeped along the ground, tiny orange flowers that looked exactly like suns, glowing with brilliant light.

Then there was the Arhat Grass, which was an ordinary-looking plant that resembled a dandelion.

Naruto took a deep breath and then narrowed his eyes. Holding the jade slip in his left hand, he gritted his teeth and then slowly caused his aura to weaken.

"When I came here before," he thought, "tens of thousands of beetles appeared when I got within three thousand meters of the medicinal plant garden…. It seems the beetles are sensitive to auras…." His aura continued to grow weaker and weaker, until he had suppressed himself to the point that he bore the appearance of a Core Formation cultivator.

"A bit more!" he thought, still not quite convinced that it was enough. After pushing his aura down even further, it was at the Foundation Establishment stage. This was the limit of what he could accomplish at the moment.

Next, his body flickered as the shapeshifting meat jelly was tossed out. It was just about to begin jabbering when it suddenly looked around and started shaking.

"Dammit! Dammit! I was only asleep for a bit and y-y-you… you brought me to a place like this? Heavens! Heavens! This… this place is way too dangerous!"

"Quiet!" snapped Naruto. He quickly retrieved the black feather, gave it to the meat jelly, and then provided a few instructions. After hearing his plan, the meat jelly was shocked, and shook its head vigorously. However, after Naruto uttered enough threats, the meat jelly put on a long face and agreed to the plan.

Naruto crept slowly toward the medicinal plant garden. He'd already made the decision that if he couldn't acquire the Holy medicinal plants, then he would swallow his regret and teleport out. However, by this point, he had reached the 3,000-meter position that had caught the attention of the countless beetles before.

His heart pounded madly as his foot stepped past that point. He stared up ahead, vigilantly preparing for the beetles to appear, yet none did.

"This method works!" Licking his lips, he continued forward until he was at the 1,500 meter mark. Suddenly, dozens of black beetles flew up from within the weeds. Naruto's face fell, and he gripped the jade slip tightly. However, he held his ground, gritting his teeth and remaining stock still.

The dozens of black beetles all emanated ferocious auras as they flew about. However, after finding nothing, they slowly flew back down to the ground.

Beads of sweat rolled down Naruto's face. He knew that at this distance, if the black beetles suddenly attacked, he would be in great danger.

After a long moment passed, he gritted his teeth and crept forward again. He was now at the 1,000-meter mark, and a thousand beetles flew up buzzing into the air. Naruto was even more nervous than before.

"The only way I can get close is be suppressing my aura to the point where they think I'm too weak to be a threat." A moment later, the black beetles all flew back down to the ground, and Naruto crept forward once again.

600 meters. 300 meters. 150 meters!

As soon as he passed the 150-meter mark, his eyes widened, and his throat tightened as everything turned black.

Tens of thousands of beetles instantly shot up into the air.

In that moment, Naruto urgently sent out divine will. Further out, the meat jelly was trembling and cursing inwardly. Gritting its teeth, it used the black feather to suddenly cast out a shocking aura.

Immediately, the beetles up ahead of Naruto were sent astir. A black sheet of light rose up that was composed of tens of thousands of black beetles, all of whom shot directly up into the sky.

The auras cast out by the beetles brushed against Naruto, and blood sprayed from his mouth. However, his expression was one of complete determination and utter excitement. His body flickered as he shot down toward the Reincarnation Leaf. Without the slightest hesitation, he didn't collect the leaves, but actually tried to wrench the entire tree out of the ground, along with the Immortality Illumination Vine that was at its root!

The little violet tree was actually very tough; unexpectedly, it resisted Naruto's efforts to pull it out of the ground. A brutal gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes, and he used all the force he could muster; the power of a stage four Immortal exploded out as he tugged violently on the tree until a boom could be heard, and the tree was pulled up out of the ground.

"Rich! I've struck it rich!" Naruto's eyes gleamed with excitement, and his heart pounded with happiness. He turned and sped toward the Sun Blossoms. Eyes burning with madness, he waved his sleeve to pull them up by the root as well.

All of this happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. In the meantime, the meat jelly was hollering and blubbering as it speedily retreated through the sky above, its entire body numb as it looked at the endless black beetles flying toward it. As it shot backward, the illusion created by the black feather fell away.

With its aura suddenly weakened, Naruto's actions down below were instantly noticed by the black beetles. Such provocation was something they hadn't experienced in years; no one had ever had the gall to try place themselves within the mouth of the tiger.

Rumbling could be heard as the beetles performed an about face and shot toward Naruto. They moved with incredible speed, blanketing the area as they closed in. The meat jelly gritted its teeth. It didn't want to follow the plan that Naruto had laid out, but it thought about how dangerous the place was and changed its mind. Wailing piteously, it used the black feather to make itself look like a black beetle, which then joined the army of other black beetles in their charge.

Such a transformation would be very difficult to pull off without the black beetles noticing, and sure enough, some of the beetles detected the anomalous presence of the meat jelly. Some of them charged toward it madly and began to voraciously bite it. The meat jelly howled, but continued to shoot toward Naruto as fast as possible.

Naruto's face flickered as he looked at the cloud of black beetles closing in on him. Scalp tingling, he used his left hand to press down on the jade slip. Rumbling could be heard, and a bright light began to shine as the power of teleportation exploded out.

In that instant, Naruto used the Star Plucking Magic to grab another Holy medicinal plant off in the distance. In the blink of an eye, the plant flew through the air to land in his hand.

At the same time, the black beetles roared down toward him. The quickest of them all was the meat jelly; when it saw the light of teleportation growing stronger around Naruto, it nearly went crazy. It had no desire to be left behind in this place, so it burst forward with all the speed it could muster, latching onto Naruto's robe with its mouth and holding on for dear life.

The countless black beetles pounced onto Naruto, but in that instant, the power of teleportation peaked, and he vanished.

Suddenly, the land began to tremble in response to the provocation of the teleportation. In all directions, everything turned black as millions of black beetles flew up into the air, covering the sky. At the same time, the land continued to change violently. Even though the beetles had flown up into the air, the land didn't change color; it was as black as ever.

A muffled roar could be heard from the ground, and everything was shaking. Suddenly, it became clear that… the land was not land at all, but actually, an enormous black beetle!

In a scene reminiscent of Patriarch Reliance that year, the land in the area turned out to be resting on the back of an enormous black beetle!

Snatching food from the tiger's mouth!

If Naruto did not possess the teleportation jade slip, then even if he had a cultivation base in the Ancient Realm, it wouldn't have mattered. He would have been killed in body and spirit.

In the vast Eastern Lands on Planet Lands of Ninshu, snowflakes drifted through the air, and the land was the color of silver. It was winter.

In the mountains where the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple had once stood, a bright light rose up into the air as an enormous teleportation portal appeared.

Rumbling could be heard, and the bright light faded to reveal Naruto. As soon as he appeared, he shot forward at top speed. The meat jelly was still latched onto his robe, and there were seven black beetles following him that had been caught up in the teleportation.

The black beetles were streaks of black light that shot murderously toward Naruto.

He took a deep breath, and, sensing that he was back on Planet Lands of Ninshu, lifted his head up and laughed. The feeling of narrowly escaping a catastrophe was exhilarating. He turned and faced the seven black beetles, his eyes flickering coldly.

"Seven? That's nothing!" He extended his right hand and unleashed the full power of his cultivation base, the power of a stage four Immortal. His Dharma Idol appeared, throwing a punch that gave rise to a tempest, which then bore down onto the seven black beetles.

Of the seven black beetles, five were similar to false Immortals, and two were even more powerful, emanating the aura of stage two Immortals. Back in the Ruins of Immortality, when the beetles were all grouped together, their collective power was like that of the peak of the Immortal Realm. It was something completely hair-raising. But now, there were only these seven, and under the power of Naruto's punch they were all flung backwards. Their carapaces were crushed, and they were flung violently against the side of a nearby mountain.

Despite being injured, they were as vicious as ever. Radiating ferocity, they once again shot toward Naruto in a deadly attack.

Naruto's eyes glittered brightly.

"My attack just now could have killed a stage two Immortal with twenty opened meridians. But these seven beetles are as ferocious as ever. No wonder, considering they're from the Ruins of Immortality. It would be a real waste to kill them!" He flickered forward, and as the seven black beetles closed in, he reached out, grabbed them, and threw them into his bag of holding, where he forcibly sealed them.

The seven black beetles struggled in vain as the sealing marks were laid onto their bodies. Even afterward, they still viewed Naruto as an enemy, and although they couldn't escape, they would be difficult for him to control.

"When I have the time, I'll refine them a bit. Or maybe when I fully understand the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex, I can use that to control them." Naruto took a deep breath and then headed off into the mountains.

"The trial by fire ended with an unforeseen occurrence. I really need to get home to see dad and mom. They're going to be worried." Naruto turned into a beam of light that shot out of the mountains and headed toward the Namikaze Clan.

On the way home, Naruto saw snowflakes filling the sky, and colorful lanterns and streamers decorating the homes he passed. Children played happily, and a feeling of warmth and joy filled the air. Lights burned brightly in all the windows.

"Is it New Year already?" Naruto suddenly stopped in midair. He suddenly realized that he missed his family. During the New Year festival, such feelings tend to grow stronger. He was just about to continue onward when he suddenly thought of something. 1

"Hey, I got first place in the final arena match! But I never got my prizes! My Immortal jades! My Immortality Illumination Vine! My Paragon's blood!" When he remembered these things, his jaw dropped.

When he thought of the value of the Immortal jades, how precious the Immortality Illumination Vine was, and how many Immortal jades the Paragon's blood was worth, his eyes were instantly shot with blood. After a long moment, he clenched his jaw.

"This won't do. Those things belong to me! I'm definitely going to be heading to the Nine Seas God World! The Three Great Daoist Societies had better pay me what they owe!" There was nothing he could do about it now, though, so he had no choice but to sigh in frustration and fly back to the Namikaze Clan.

It didn't take long before the Namikaze Clan fortress appeared up ahead, decked out with lanterns and colorful banners. The feeling of New Year was heavy in the air. All of a sudden, Naruto sensed an aura, not of a true Immortal, but perhaps twenty to thirty percent of that of a true Immortal.

At the same time, a young woman appeared. She flew out from the Namikaze Clan and hovered in midair, looking at Naruto.

It was none other than Karin.

She had emerged from secluded meditation while Naruto was in the trial by fire. Her cultivation base had risen all the way to the peak of Dao Seeking. With some guidance from Minato, she was now more powerful than a false Immortal. She also would travel the path of true Immortality, although she would use an Immortality Illumination Vine to do so.

When Karin saw Naruto, her face lit with happiness. Moments later, Naruto's father and mother appeared from behind her, smiles on their faces.

Actually, Minato had sensed Naruto as soon as he had appeared on Planet Lands of Ninshu. He gazed at Naruto with a loving, although somewhat reserved, smile. As for Naruto's mother, tears were streaming down her face. The past few months in which they hadn't been certain whether Naruto was even alive, had left her haggard from grief.

"Dad, mom, I'm back," Naruto said, smiling. Then he looked at Karin, and couldn't help but recall memories from Planet East Victory. This was his big sister, who had protected him when he was small. She had a violent personality, which as a youngster had left him awestruck, but there was a warmth between them that came from being family, and Naruto could never forget that.

"Sis…." he said cautiously. He actually felt a bit guilty. Before, when they had met for the first time, he had been unaware of who she was, and they had actually battled each other. 2

"When you say it like that, it sounds a bit forced," she said with an enigmatic smile. After emerging from secluded meditation and learning that Naruto had transcended his tribulation, she was very happy. When the two of them were young, and she was forced to watch as he never grew older, it had filled her heart with pain. It was a feeling she would always remember.

Seeing her own little brother in misery was a misery for her as well. His frustration left her feeling unhappy. She would never forget how she had watched him lying in their mother's arms, reverting from seven years of age back to infancy. Karin had stood there, hands clenched into fists, tears streaming down her face as she watched.

She was willing to do anything for her little brother, as long as it would let him be happy, and actually grow up. Back when they were both young, she had stood in front of him on countless occasions, unleashing her violent personality onto any clan members who bullied him.

Back on that occasion when they first met, outside the Rebirth Cave in the Southern Domain, she had immediately sensed something familiar about him. Then she saw the mark on his hand, and despite her violent personality, had been shaken inwardly, and had barely been able to hold back from crying.

In that instant, she recalled all the hardships her parents had endured, and then suddenly feared that Naruto might notice something about her, so she had deliberately spoken some confusing and meaningless words to throw him off the trail. From that day forward, she had been looking forward to the day when their whole family would finally be reunited.

Of course, there was also the time she ran into him in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. At that time, she had an even stronger sense of family. After all, he was her little brother….

She couldn't refrain from forcing him to call her 'big sis.' Later, some of the other Namikaze Clan members had scorned Naruto, which had caused her rage to flare. She had even been worried that Naruto wouldn't be able to find a host body, and had given one of the Namikaze Clan's host bodies to him.

There had been one moment in the Demon Immortal Sect when she had been fighting Guren and the other Hebi Clan Chosen. Naruto had turned to leave, and in that moment, she was assured that he didn't know who she really was. And yet, seeing him leave like that broke her heart.

Then he had stopped and turned back to look at her fighting the Hebi Clan, and she had smiled.

"It's not forced!" Naruto replied quickly. He smiled. "Sis, you look prettier than ever!"

"Oh, really?" Karin smiled and began to walk toward him. She lifted her hands up and cracked her knuckles. At the same time, explosive energy surged up, and a brutal aura began to emanate out from her.

Naruto's face fell, and he began to fall back. Even as he took his first step back, Karin pounced on him like an explosive dragon.

"Back then you dared to say I was violent!? Well, today I'll show you what violence really is!"

Minato and Kushina looked at each other and smiled. Then they turned to watch Naruto getting chased and beaten up by Karin. He didn't even dare to fight back against her. Minato and Kushina sighed emotionally.

"It's been so long since our whole family… has been together like this."

Off in the distance, magical fireworks exploded in the sky. A beautiful New Year had arrived.

Naruto spent an entire wonderful year with his family. The laughter and happiness they shared would exist forever in his heart.

Some days after that year ended, Karin left. She did not return to the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory. Minato made different arrangements. An Elder from the Church of the Emperor Immortal came to Planet Lands of Ninshu to personally take Karin away.

Minato had decided long ago that Karin should join the Church of the Emperor Immortal. Her latent talent conformed with the their cultivation requirements. Furthermore, in the past, Minato and the current Pontifex of the Church of the Emperor Immortal had experienced harrowing adventures together.

With the Pontifex watching out for Karin, and the threat of Minato himself, it was assured that no one would cause problems for her, despite the fact that Minato couldn't leave Lands of Ninshu.

Minato was very protective of his daughter, but when it came to his son, his line of thinking was different.

Before leaving, Karin hugged Naruto tightly, and then gave him a long look. The affection in her eyes caused Naruto's heart to fill with a deep reluctance to part ways with her.

"Little brother, we'll meet again out in the stars," said Karin, tousling his hair. In this moment, there was nothing violent about her at all. She was just a gentle older sister.

Karin bade farewell to her parents, then took a deep breath and followed the respectful Elder from the Church of the Emperor Immortal as he stepped into the teleportation portal. Bright light flashed, and they vanished.

Minato and Kushina were also reluctant to part with their daughter, especially Kushina, whose eyes were filled with tears. Being unable to leave Planet Lands of Ninshu, she was very worried about Karin, and currently clutched Minato's hand tightly.

Minato patted his wife gently on the shoulder and watched as his daughter left. His eyes were filled with both sadness and hope. Then he turned to look at Naruto.

He knew that it wouldn't be long before Naruto also left Planet Lands of Ninshu.

"Naruto, your path doesn't lie in becoming a true part of the Namikaze Clan," he said. "I've already arranged for you to join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, although, if you're not happy with that, you don't have to go there.

"Whatever choice you make, there is one thing that you absolutely must do before anything else.

"You must first go back to the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory. I left an Immortality Illumination Vine there for you, so that you can achieve true Immortal Ascension!

"Even more importantly… your two Nirvana Fruits are also waiting for you there!

"Those two Nirvana Fruits belong to you. Now that you've transcended your tribulation, you can assimilate them, and they will help you reach the peak of the Immortal Realm in a very short period of time. In the future, you must not fall behind the other Chosen, but instead, must surpass them! Leave them behind you for all eternity!"

Next to speak was Kushina.

"If you have the chance," she said softly, "you can go to the Eighth Mountain and Sea. That… is mother's home."

Naruto nodded his head solemnly. He understood the deeper meaning in his father's words, the meaning that was left unspoken. His father wanted him to return to the Namikaze Clan and rise to prominence there. He wanted to makes sure everyone knew that Minato's son was no cripple, but rather, a blazing sun!

Therefore, Naruto vowed to himself that not only would he rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan of Planet East Victory, in the future… he would definitely go to search for his Grandpa Namikaze and Grandpa Meng.

"You can leave the lands of Lands of Ninshu any time you want," Minato continued. "When you're ready, just let me know. I'll arrange for someone from Planet East Victory to come and escort you there. Remember, your path is that of true Immortality. On Planet East Victory… you can become a true Immortal. Force all the people in the Namikaze Clan to tilt their heads back to look up at you; make them acknowledge that you are my son." Minato looked deeply at Naruto, his son, and his pride in life.

Naruto took a deep breath and then nodded deeply.

A few days later, Naruto left the Eastern Lands. There were a few more matters he needed to attend to, after which he planned to leave Planet Lands of Ninshu.

"My path to true Immortality is different from that of others," he murmured to himself as he flew through the air. "When the Immortal meridian inside of me is completely solidified, then I will become a true Immortal.

"I actually gained a lot from the trial by fire in the Ruins of Immortality, both in terms of the creation of divine abilities and in progress with my Immortal meridian…."

Naruto was able to sense when he cultivated via breathing techniques that his Immortal meridian was continuing to naturally solidify. However, the process was very slow, and unfortunately, things like the stone steles from the Ruins of Immortality were things that could only be encountered serendipitously.

"Back when master opened the Door of Immortality, the power that emerged from within the door was probably similar to the power in those stone steles. Both of them can be used to become a true Immortal.

"The fastest way to achieve true Immortal Ascension is via the Door of Immortality….

"Could it really be true that it's now impossible to achieve true Immortal Ascension here in the lands of Lands of Ninshu?" Naruto sped through the air, lost in thought. He passed over the Milky Way Sea and then reached the Southern Domain.

He flew down into the Violet Fate Sect, although nobody noticed him. He stood on a tall mountain, looking out over the sect. The statue of Reverend Violet East was no longer there, but this particular mountain that he stood on was one that Pill Demon had frequented.

As he stood there, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He rotated his cultivation base, and the Immortal meridian inside of him, at full power. The Immortal meridian was eighty percent solid, and shone with glittering light. Dense Immortal Chakra emanated out from Naruto, and eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal merged into the surrounding lands.

In the blink of an eye, winds began to sweep about, and the lands rumbled and quaked. All of the cultivators in the Southern Domain trembled inwardly. Soon, it wasn't just the Southern Domain that was affected. The Western Desert, the Northern Reaches, and even the Eastern Lands were all experiencing bizarre transformations.

Gradually, a vortex formed above the mountain peak where Naruto sat. However, almost as soon as the vortex appeared, some sort of incredible restraining power exploded out from Heaven and Earth, destroying the vortex.

It faded away, and everything returned to normal. The lands were quiet, and the cultivators of Planet Lands of Ninshu were left wondering what astonishing event had just occurred.

Naruto opened his eyes and sat there quietly for a long moment before shaking his head.

"Sure enough, it didn't work…. I can sense the path of true Immortality, but am not able to summon the Door of Immortality. In each of the Mountains and Seas, Immortal destiny will appear on one of the planets, every 10,000 years. The rule cannot be broken.

"What if I used the Immortality Illumination Vine…?" Eyes glittering, he produced an Immortality Illumination Vine from within his bag of holding, the one he had acquired in the medicinal plant garden in the Ruins of Immortality.

After a bit of muttering, he shook his head.

"The Immortality Illumination Vine can definitely lead to true Immortal Ascension. However, it also cuts off the Spirit Realm, and all the advancement made therein. It's a forced breakthrough.

"The Chosen of the other sects build themselves up for years, restrict their cultivation bases until the critical moment, and then use Immortality Illumination Vines to instantly break through.

"As for me, I'm currently at eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. If I used the Immortality Illumination Vine to break through, I would become a true Immortal, but I would be stuck at eighty percent. That eighty percent would then become my one hundred percent.

"Apparently, my path of true Immortality really can't be tread here on Planet Lands of Ninshu. Perhaps going to Planet East Victory like my father said is really the best choice." Naruto's eyes flickered as he gave up on the thought of using a vine to make his breakthrough, and then he took a deep breath and turned to leave.

No one detected his arrival or his departure from the Violet Fate Sect. He next went to the Blood Demon Sect, where he stood outside of Patriarch Blood Demon's Immortal's cave. The only thing he could sense was an aura of death; there didn't seem to be even the slightest bit of life force inside.

Patriarch Blood Demon did not emerge.

After standing there quietly for a long time, Naruto went to Blood Prince Gorge. It was maintained by Blood Demon Sect disciples on a daily basis, who kept the entire valley neat and clean. Naruto looked at the log cabin, and all the other familiar sights in the valley, and suddenly he seemed to go into a bit of a trance. He saw the outline of a woman, smiling sweetly at him.

"Hinata…." he murmured. He would never forget the agreement that he and Hinata had made.

"Wait for me…. I WILL find you!" A warm look could be seen on his face as he recalled the times he had spent with Hinata in Blood Prince Gorge. After a while, he left the valley and walked over to the place where he and Hinata had held their wedding.

A few days later, Naruto left. This would be the final time he visited these places, where memories of Hinata abounded, before leaving Planet Lands of Ninshu.

After visiting the Blood Demon Sect, he traveled about in the Southern Domain. He stopped outside the Nadeshiko Clan and swept it with divine sense. He could see Sagiri, who was incapable of detecting Naruto's presence.

Naruto also saw a familiar woman, Shizuka. She sat there cross-legged, meditating. Although she was beautiful, it was possible to see the signs of aging on her.

"She didn't go to the trial by fire to join a sect among the stars. Does she really want to stay behind on Planet Lands of Ninshu…?"

Images from the past flitted through Naruto's mind. After a long moment, he turned and left, leaving Shizuka undisturbed.

He went to the Rebirth Cave, walking through the pressure that had been so difficult to deal with all those years ago. Back then, it had been difficult to take each step, but now, it was as easy as walking down a paved road. The surrounding cultivators in the region of the Rebirth Cave looked at Naruto casually walking toward the Rebirth Cave itself, and their faces flickered with astonishment.

"Who is that?"

"He… he's actually walking right into the depths of the Rebirth Cave region! The pressure here is difficult even for Spirit Severing experts."

"Why does he look so familiar…?" As he neared the Rebirth Cave itself, more people saw him, and all of them were astonished.

He calmly proceeded deeper into the region, and was soon near the cave mouth itself.

About 1,500 meters from the cave, he saw two old men with Spirit Severing cultivation bases. They sat there cross-legged, resisting the pressure and staring at each other as if they had some enmity between the two of them. Their life forces burned low, and, they clearly hoped to find some good fortune within the Rebirth Cave.

As soon as Naruto approached, the two stared at him in shock.

"Who are you?" one of them growled. Then Naruto simply walked past them.

This left them in complete shock, and they watched wide-eyed as Naruto casually walked past the 1,500-meter mark and then entered the cave itself.

Panting, they exchanged glances, and could see the disbelief in each others' eyes.

"He looks familiar…."

"Is… hey! That was Naruto! Heavens! He's the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect! He sealed the Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches, and turned a hundred thousand Northern Reaches cultivators into felon citizens! That was Naruto!"

When the two old men realized it was Naruto, their minds filled with a roaring like that of thunder.

Naruto calmly walked into the rugged interior of the Rebirth Cave. He saw bones lying about, which grew fewer the further he went into the cave. He stood in the spot where he had died, and as he looked down, his heart twinged in pain.

He thought of Hinata.

She had used her own life force to keep him going, and then, in order to resurrect him, had ended up being imprisoned in a restricted area in her own sect. Everything that had happened after that flitted through Naruto's mind. After a long moment, he sighed.

He then walked further into the depths of the Rebirth Cave, but saw nothing there.

There was no Immortal's corpse like the one that had fallen from the sky all those years ago, nor were there any other bizarre beings. There was a strange power that he could sense, but other than that, there was nothing.

"Rebirth Cave…. Rebirth Cave…. Yes, it was here that I actually… experienced a rebirth." Naruto shook his head and was about to leave, when all off a sudden he stopped in place and turned his head to look toward the very end of the Rebirth Cave. The cave wall there appeared to be normal, but moments ago, he had sensed a strange aura emanating out from that very spot.

He walked over and examined the area carefully, after which his eyes suddenly went wide, and an expression of astonishment and disbelief filled his face. He had just seen a door in the cave wall.

A closed door!

He took a deep breath and looked closer, but saw nothing. However, he was very certain that moments ago he had not been mistaken in what he saw.

"Now this is the kind of mystery that makes the Rebirth Cave worthy of its name," he thought. He stood there looking at the cave wall for a long time, before finally turning and leaving. He was very curious, but after his experiences in the Ruins of Immortality, he well knew that there were many great secrets in the world, secrets that the level of his cultivation base did not allow him to understand.

When he walked out of the Rebirth Cave, the two old men were still sitting there cross-legged. When they saw Naruto, they began to pant, and immediately got to their knees to kowtow.

"Greetings, Blood Prince Uzumaki."

"Greetings, your excellency Naruto!"

Naruto stopped, nodded to the two men, and then prepared to leave.

One of the old men, whose life force was very dim, hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Your excellency Naruto… uh… what exactly is inside the Rebirth Cave?"

Naruto didn't respond at first. After a moment passed, he said, "Hope."

Then he left.

The two old men's spirits lifted. Sighing, they settled back down cross-legged, hope surging in their hearts.

"According to the legends, the exalted Naruto actually experienced rebirth inside of the Rebirth Cave!"

"He said hope exists in there, so maybe we do have hope!" The glanced at each other, and their eyes shone brightly.

After leaving the region of the Rebirth Cave, Naruto flew up into the air and looked around emotionally. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the Ancient Temple of Doom.

After a moment of silence, he shot in that direction. It only took a moment for him to appear in midair above the Ancient Temple of Doom. He looked at the grand temple, and thought about Sakura, and the gorge they had spent time in, and the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament.

"Now that I think about it, this temple… protected me from the Heavenly Tribulation that year." He floated down from midair to stand directly in front of the archaic and dilapidated Ancient Temple of Doom.

Stone steps led up to the temple itself, and numerous deity statues could be seen within, statues that bore the appearance of Immortal Divinities, solemn and grand.

There were quite a few cultivators congregated outside of the temple. This was one of the three most mysterious locations in all of the Southern Domain, and was the least dangerous of all, which attracted cultivators who wanted to try to acquire some of the good fortune inside.

Naruto's arrival was noticed by a few of the cultivators, but no one paid very close attention to him.

Naruto looked at the temple for a moment, then walked forward. Not too far behind him was a cultivator who was observing the temple, but didn't dare to get very close. When he saw Naruto walking closer the temple, he called out in a sincere voice.

"Fellow Daoist, you can't get too close to the Ancient Temple of Doom! It's very dangerous!"

It wasn't just this man who noticed Naruto now. Many of the surrounding Southern Domain cultivators saw him approaching the temple. Quite a few looked on with cold sneers, or even open ridicule as they waited for something exciting to unfold.

"This temple is something that the average person can't get close to. Our location here outside of the perimeter is the closest one can get. With the exception of some of the Patriarchs, anyone who gets any closer is dead for sure!"

"That guy doesn't look very familiar, what sect is he from?"

As the crowd discussed what was happening, Naruto reached the staircase and then began to climb up one step at a time. The other cultivators looked on with wide eyes, panting. Expressions of disbelief and astonishment could be seen.

"He's… he's actually going up the stairs!"

"What cultivation base does he have? This is impossible!"

"How come… he looks somewhat familiar…?"

As the cultivators looked on in shock, Naruto finished climbing the stairs and now stood directly in front of the towering temple. The doors had long since been broken completely open, and as Naruto stood there, he could clearly see all of the deity statues inside.

Each and every one depicted a powerful expert from the Ancient Doom Clan.

"They fought with Orochimaru…" murmured Naruto, "and were defeated. Before their clan was exterminated, they built this temple, the Will of which shall eternally resist the Heavens of Hebi…." As he stood there, he felt as if he were looking at a former mighty clan, displaying all the brilliance of their long history.

After a long moment passed, he clasped hands and bowed deeply to the temple.

The entire Ancient Temple of Doom trembled in response to his show of respect. Rumbling sounds echoed out, and all of the cultivators further out felt their minds trembling, and backed up in astonishment.

That astonishment came from the fact that they were witnessing Naruto bowing to the temple, and in response, more than half of the statues inside the temple bowed in return, as if they had come to life.

Furthermore, a brilliant light rose up from the temple, which spread out in all directions to cover everything.

"Heavens! What's going on? How can this be happening!"

"The statues in the Ancient Temple of Doom, they're… they're actually alive!"

"Who is that cultivator?! Can it really be that the temple cannot bear to accept his show of respect without returning the salute?" Even as the crowds were in an uproar, Naruto looked up and saw that roughly sixty percent of the statues were bowing to him. The other forty percent were looking at him with faint smiles.

At the very back of the temple stood three majestic statues who remained completely unmoving. However, they looked at Naruto without any ill will whatsoever.

"That's… that's his excellency Naruto!"

"It's Naruto! That's Blood Prince Naruto!" As more and more people recognized him, a buzz of conversation instantly rose up.

As Naruto looked into the temple, he gradually became aware of numerous ancient voices murmuring in his ears. The voices were obscure, but they seemed to contain anticipation, hope that one day they would be able to leave the temple and carry out a slaughter in the Heavens.

After a long moment, Naruto bowed again, then turned to leave. As he flew into the air, the light shining up from the Ancient Temple of Doom slowly faded, and the temple returned to its original condition.

After leaving the Ancient Temple of Doom, Naruto did not depart from the lands of the Southern Domain, but instead, headed toward the Ancient Dao Lakes.

"I wonder if Zabuza and those others are still trapped under there," he thought. He proceeded onward, passing the various locations where he had experienced such dangerous situations that year, and eventually came to a stop above the enormous Dao Lake in the middle of the region.

As he hovered there in midair, looking at the lake, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. Were he to pick one place in the Southern Domain that was the most dangerous place of all, the Ancient Dao Lakes would definitely be his choice.

That was especially true due to the third level of the trial by fire therein. When Naruto thought back to that incident, he was still unsure as to whether or not he could succeed if he went back. But then his eyes glittered, and he patted his bag of holding to produce a white crystal that emanated pulsing coldness.

The coldness seemed faint, but according to Naruto's speculations, there was something about this object that was completely extraordinary. This item… was the crystal he had acquired from the Esoteric compass in the Warrior Pavilion in the Ruins of Immortality.

"The Essence of Divine Flame…." A gleam of curiosity appeared in Naruto's eyes. He still remembered the enormous flame seed inside the third level. The incredible intensity of that fire had been beyond his imagination.

Because of the level of his cultivation base that year, Naruto didn't understand what the term 'essence' meant. Even now, he still didn't fully understand; he only had a vague idea.

"Even with this white crystal, it will be difficult to pass the test in that level. I only want a little bit of that flame… but what can I take it away in?"

After a moment of silent thought, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bronze oil lamp whose flame had long since been extinguished. As he gazed at the lamp, his eyes glittered.

"Once I leave Planet Lands of Ninshu, it's impossible to say when I'll return. I'll definitely be facing all sorts of peril. If I can take some of that flame essence with me, it can serve as a trump card for me in dangerous situations. I'm not sure if I can succeed, but I have to try." Naruto took a deep breath and then flew down to the surface of the Dao Lake, which he then sank down into.

In the blink of an eye, he was at the bottom of the lake. There was no entrance visible; everything looked completely ordinary. However, considering that he had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, when Naruto looked at the lake bottom, he saw a huge teleportation portal.

His body flickered as he moved to stand within the portal, and yet nothing happened.

As he stood there, he transmitted a message with divine will. "Oh senior member of the people who guard the world beneath the lake, I have returned to once again challenge the third level!"

In response to his divine will, the lake began to churn. After a moment, the teleportation portal rotated into operation, and brilliant light swallowed Naruto up.

A moment later, Naruto could see again, and he was underground. He was surrounded by numerous mountains formed from magical items, and countless beasts of different colors. There was an enormous door, before which lay a golden beast. All of a sudden, the beast turned to look at Naruto.

"You… wish to challenge the third level?" The echoing voice had been very intimidating the first time Naruto had come here, but now he simply looked out calmly over the first level. At the moment, he couldn't see any of the other people he had come here with that year.

"There's no need to look for those people," the voice continued. "With the exception of Zabuza, all of them… have long since perished.

"Are you certain that you wish to challenge the third level?" asked the golden beast, its voice rumbling out like thunder. All of the other beasts in the area looked at Naruto, their eyes radiating ferocity.

Naruto took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, I wish to make the challenge!"

The golden beast looked deeply at Naruto, then threw its head back and roared. Instantly, all of the other beasts in the first level parted, creating a path for Naruto to follow to the huge door.

Naruto proceeded forward, passing through the animals, his gaze fixed on the door. Suddenly, an enormous beast off to the right who possessed a Spirit Severing aura, roared and pounced toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was normal, and he didn't even look at the beast. He simply raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward its forehead.

When compared in size to the enormous beast, Naruto's hand was miniscule. However, he viciously grabbed onto the beast's head, instantly causing it to begin to howl miserably. In response, the surrounding beasts leapt angrily to their feet.

Naruto's expression was calm as he continued to walk forward. He did not loosen his right hand, but instead, dragged the enormous beast along with him as he walked.

The golden beast lying beneath the huge door looked on with wide eyes. However, it did nothing to interfere. It allowed Naruto to approach the door, where he finally released the beast from his hand, then looked at the golden-colored beast and nodded. Then he stepped through the door.

When he reappeared, he was on the second level, where he saw the same ancient, white-colored overseer beast that he had seen the last time. He also saw Zabuza, sitting cross-legged in meditation, just a single pace away from the final level.

The stubble of a beard could be seen on Zabuza's face, and his clothing was in tatters. However, his face shone with a brilliant light, and as soon as Naruto appeared, he glanced over. A look of shock appeared on his face.

Naruto stood down below and looked up at the ancient beast. "Senior, I would like to attempt the third level."

The beast looked down at Naruto and, after a long moment passed, nodded its head. Naruto immediately flew up to the peak of the level.

The beast's pupils constricted, and a look of concentration appeared on its face.

"You've changed," said the beast. "You're far more powerful than the last time we met…. However, I would like to give you a bit of advice. Considering the level of your cultivation base, you will not be able to pass this third level.

"Considering how you passed the second level last time, you were given a chance to experience the third level for a moment, which is how you escaped death. This time… if you fail, you will likely have no chance to leave the level, and will perish inside.

"The test of the third level is to completely absorb the Essence of Divine Flame into your body."

Naruto looked back silently at the overseer, but his eyes gleamed with determination. He nodded.

The beast thought for a moment, but did nothing more to block Naruto's way. It waved its hand, and an enormous vortex appeared, within which could be seen the flicker of flames. This sea of flames was none other than the entrance to the third level.

Naruto was just about to step in when….

Zabuza couldn't hold back from calling out.

"Naruto…. Um… how are things outside?" He had been privy to the Northern Reaches' invasion plans, and as such, he knew that the Southern Domain should have been occupied. However, now he saw Naruto, with a cultivation base even more terrifying than before. He himself had performed his third Severing, and had successfully stepped into Dao Seeking. However, with his early Dao Seeking cultivation base, he was unable to clearly see Naruto's cultivation base.

He had a very bad feeling, a feeling that caused his face to go pale.

Naruto stopped in place and looked back at Zabuza silently for a moment before replying.

"The Northern Reaches' invasion failed. Most of your Dao Seeking experts were killed."

"Impossible!" replied Zabuza, his voice hoarse. "The Grand Elder, the High Priest, and all the others aren't just at peak Dao Seeking. Some of them are comparable to false Immortals! Plus, they have powerful magical items! Even a false Immortal who went up against the Northern Reaches would perish! How could they all be dead?!

"The Northern Reaches has vast resources! How could an army of a million cultivators suffer a defeat like that!?"

Naruto's voice was calm as he responded, "The Grand Elder you speak of, as well as the High Priest, and a few of the other strongest Dao Seeking experts are all suppressed under a mountain called Sin of the North. Their cultivation bases are being used to replenish the spiritual energy in the lands of the Southern Domain.

"As for the army you speak of, most of those million cultivators died. The surviving hundred thousand or so had their cultivation bases severed and were turned into felon citizens. For generations to come, the bloodlines of the Northern Reaches' cultivators will never produce Nascent Soul cultivators.

"And then there's you. If you get out of this place, you can go to Sin of the North to bear witness yourself. If, from this day forward, you agree to practice cultivation peacefully, then I won't kill you where you stand. However, if you cause any problems… there are people in the outside world who will slaughter you." With that, he ignored Zabuza and stepped into the vortex.

Zabuza's face was pale white, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. From the way Naruto spoke, he could tell that his words were not false. Everything he had said was true.

He was silent for a moment, and then began to chuckle bitterly. He thought of his friends from home, his master, his Patriarch. He had never imagined that while he was stuck in this place… the entire world outside would be turned upside down.

In the moment that Naruto stepped into the vortex, he felt as if he were passing through a boundless sea of flames. At the same time, a terrifying roaring could be heard.

The roaring became very clear as soon as Naruto stepped fully into the world of the third level. In front of him was no sea of flames, but rather, a blood-colored field.

The lands were also filled with white grass.

A total of 990,000 pagodas could be seen circling out in all directions, in the middle of which was a black city. The city was overgrown with the white grass, and a flame spark hovered in midair above it. The flame seemed as if it would burn for all eternity, and cast brilliant, flickering light throughout the entire world.

Then, the same voice Naruto had heard the previous time he had been here echoed out.

"Sun Wukong, you must die!

"You killed me, Sun Wukong, and if I'm reincarnated, I'll definitely kill you!

"The Immortal World is doomed to experience tribulation! The Immortal lands will grow old, and the Immortals will perish! But I refuse to give in!

"I know the truth! No matter how long you suppress me, I won't admit defeat!

"Damned monkey! If I can get free, I'll have your hide!

"If I'm transmigrated, I will slaughter myself out of this place! If my transmigration fails, I will fall into oblivion like all other living things, with virtually no hope of reawakening even after countless cycles of reincarnation. Therefore, I will leave a Dharmic decree for this place!

"My decree contains the essence of my Dao flame, the last vestige of me, Huoyan Zi. I hope that countless years later, that vestige will still exist!"

The voice was like a sharp sword, stabbing into his mind. His head spun, and he felt as if his body were about to collapse into pieces.

However, this time, not only had Naruto come prepared, but also, his cultivation base was far different than before. It was like the difference between Heaven and Earth. Now, the only thing that happened was that he bled from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. His body did not begin to fall apart like last time. As the sound echoed out, Naruto looked at the enormous Essence of Divine Flame up ahead.

The Essence suddenly burst with power that rumbled out through the entire world. Originally, there had been no flames here, but now, everything burst out with fire. The land, the sky, everything turned into flames. In the blink of an eye, the whole world was aflame.

The flames were shocking, and Naruto felt a sense of deadly crisis as soon as they spread out. These flames were definitely powerful enough to kill him.

In the moment of crisis, Naruto unhesitatingly produced the white crystal from his bag of holding. As soon as he grabbed ahold of it, icy coldness spread out to cover his body, blocking the flames.

When that happened, Naruto sighed in relief. The whole reason he had dared to come to this place was because of the crystal. However, he had only been eighty percent sure that it would be successful, and had thus hesitated. However, now that he saw that the crystal was indeed effective, Naruto's eyes glittered brightly.

He looked up at the Essence of Divine Flame, and smiled in anticipation.

The huge flame spark hovered in midair, spewing out a sea of flames, as if it were the source of all flames.

Naruto took a deep breath. Then, hefting the crystal, he began to slowly move forward. The flames around him raged ferociously, battering against him in waves. The power of the fire was shockingly intense, and he knew that if even the tiniest ember from those flames touched him, even his Eternal stratum would only keep him alive for a short time before he was completely destroyed.

Time passed, and Naruto continued to get closer and closer to the enormous Essence of Divine Flame. After a while, he came to a stop a few thousand meters away from the flame. He found it very difficult to progress further, not because the crystal was incapable of absorbing any more of the flame's power, but because he was physically unable to approach any further even by employing his cultivation base at its maximum power. The pressure in the area was just too intense.

If he didn't have the crystal, at most, he could reach a point around ten thousand meters away from the flame.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked around at the sea of flames. By this point, he could see images within the flames, including beasts, magical items and types of vegetation.

Each image was intensely powerful, something that would shock even someone at the peak of the Immortal Realm. The closer he got to the Essence of Divine Flame, the more terrifying the flame spirits became.

"I don't want to take away the entire Essence of Divine Flame," he thought. "I just want a bit of fire to use as a trump card in the future." He cautiously sent his divine sense out, opened a gap in the protective shield created by the crystal, and pulled in a flame spirit that looked like a butterfly. Once it was inside, he backed up at top speed, and used all the power of his cultivation base to use the power of the crystal to envelop the flame butterfly.

After backing up some distance, the power of the flame sea decreased a bit, and Naruto stopped. Panting, he looked at the butterfly fluttering around within the power of the crystal. Then, he carefully sent a stream of divine sense toward the flame butterfly. As soon as it made contact, his divine sense ignited into flame, and he instantly severed the connection.

Determination appeared in his eyes as he produced the ancient bronze lamp from his bag of holding. Exercising the utmost caution, he extended it toward the flame butterfly.

"If this works, then I'll have an excellent trump card to use in the future. If I fail, well… I won't have lost out on anything." Gritting his teeth, he touched the bronze lamp to the flame butterfly.

In that instant, the bronze lamp suddenly flickered. The flame butterfly landed on the lamp's wick, and a puffing sound could be heard as the flame blazed to life!

It only burned for a moment, and then went dark. However, there was now a glimmering spark inside the lamp.

Naruto excitedly attempted to put the lamp back into his bag of holding, and was successful. Then he pulled it back out and blew on it. Instantly, a sea of flames erupted out, and Naruto held his breath. A moment later, the flames died out, and only a spark remained in the lamp.

"Success!" he said, laughing loudly. Licking his lips, he thought about trying to collect some more flame, but then he looked at the Essence of Divine Flame floating there in midair and considered the bizarre nature of the place. In the end, he decided that it wasn't wise to act rashly. Reigning in his greed, he backed up a bit and then put the the crystal away. He allowed the flames to burn him a bit, then, eyes glittering, stepped into the exit and vanished.

In the moment that he vanished, a vertical eye suddenly appeared within the Essence of Divine Flame. It stared coldly at Naruto as he faded away, and then, after a moment, a long sigh could be heard.

"After all these years, he is the first person to succeed…. He… will definitely be back!"

As soon as the old white-colored beast saw Naruto appear back in the second level, he looked a bit surprised.

"Considering your cultivation base, you were doomed to fail," he said, his voice echoing about. "And yet, you didn't perish in there…." He looked deeply at Naruto, and when he noticed his tattered, charred clothing, his suspicions mostly vanished.

Naruto smiled wryly and shook his head, then took a deep breath.

"Senior, I was crude and rash. I thought that my cultivation base was different, and that I could give it a try. I never thought that, as you mentioned, I would fail…. Thankfully, I didn't get too close, otherwise I would have ended up dead and buried in there."

The old beast nodded, and Naruto clasped hands and bowed. The old beast did nothing to prevent Naruto from vanishing into the exit portal.

As for Zabuza, he silently watched Naruto leave.

In a certain region outside the Ancient Dao Lakes, glittering light rose up as Naruto was teleported out of the underground world. His expression was one of excitement as he patted his bag of holding and took a deep breath.

"That fire spirit from the 3,000-meter region is a trump card I can use if I ever run into a dangerous situation involving someone at the peak of the Immortal Realm. Unfortunately, the fire isn't eternal. I wonder how many times I'll be able to use it? Not many, I'm sure." With that, Naruto vanished.

Naruto appeared in many places throughout the Southern Domain over the following days. He went to many familiar places, including the Black Lands, where he visited many old friends.

The Western Desert was still, for the most part, covered by the Violet Sea, and was lifeless.

After bidding farewell to his friends in the Black Lands, he went to the place where he'd once encountered the being who had fought with the Heavens of Hebi. When he got there, there was no trace of anyone present at all. 1

After that, he went to the Milky Way Sea, where everything was still and silent, a sharp contrast to how it had once been. It was in the Inner Ring was where he had seen the ancient ship to which he felt so much gratitude, the same ancient ship he had also seen in the Ruins of Immortality.

After circling about the Milky Way Sea, he went back to the Eastern Lands. Finally, he let out a long sigh as he realized that it really was time to depart.

"Fatty is now in the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, Elder Brother Guy went to the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, and Shikamaru joined Moonset Lake…. Even all those Chosen I know from the Hebi Clan have left to go to the Ninth Mountain." These were all things Naruto had recently been told by his father.

All of the Chosen that he had known from the Southern Domain were either dead, gone, or far beneath him in terms of power. Most did not even qualify to meet his gaze.

"It's really time to leave," Naruto thought with a sigh. He was now walking through the Eastern Lands, past mountains and through plains, making sure that his memories of the lands of Lands of Ninshu were firmly implanted in his mind. One day, he found himself on the shore of a mighty river in the Eastern Lands, where he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He had sensed a familiar aura, although it was incredibly faint. If he hadn't been walking through this area, he would never have noticed it.

"This aura…." He looked at the river in front of him, which was considered the main river in the Eastern Lands. It divided the sub-continent in half, and actually flowed out from the Milky Way Sea.

The strangest thing was that this aura was not just familiar, it was incredibly familiar. It was… his own aura!

Muttering to himself, Naruto followed the traces of the aura until he found himself on a remote shore of the river. There were no people anywhere nearby, and evidence of wild animals could be seen.

At a certain point, he suddenly caught sight of an object on a shallow bank nearby that instantly caused him to stop in place and stare with wide eyes.

Time seemed to suddenly come to a standstill, and the world seemed to cease its rotation. Everything else in front of Naruto vanished, except for that one item, floating there in the water. It seemed as if it were something eternal, and quickly became the only thing he could see.

It was a bottle gourd.

It was stuck between two rocks, battered by the elements, having soaked in the river water for countless years. It was thoroughly dilapidated and apparently on the verge of rotting to pieces completely. It floated there quietly, as if it were waiting for someone to come along and pick it up.

Perhaps, were it not for the two rocks that kept it stuck in place, the bottle gourd would have floated away long ago. Perhaps… it would have made it to the Sky Country.

Naruto began to tremble. The bottle gourd looked ordinary, but it was something he would never be able to forget.

Back when he was a young scholar, he had yet again failed in the Imperial examinations, then stood atop Mount Myoboku, where he wrote something on a slip of paper, stuck it in a bottle gourd, and threw it into the river at the bottom of the mountain. 2

That river had been said to flow all the way to the Eastern Lands, but Naruto had long since learned that it connected not to the Eastern Lands, but to the Milky Way Sea.

It was as if, over the years, there were some power that had guided the bottle gourd across the Milky Way Sea and all the way to the Eastern Lands, where it got stuck in this river.

Naruto stared at the bottle gourd with its familiar aura. He had never imagined that one day he would once again see this bottle gourd. He had assumed that it had long since sunk to the bottom of the river or the sea, or had been picked up by someone.

"I threw this bottle into the river before I began to practice cultivation. Now, just when I'm about to leave, I've run into it again…." He walked quietly over to the bottle-gourd, then bent down to pick it up.

It was rotting, and as he held it in his hand, he felt as if he didn't even need to expend any effort to break it open.

"But how… could it possibly still be around after hundreds of years…? It's just an ordinary bottle gourd. It should have vanished long ago." After looking at it for a long moment, he uncorked the gourd. Inside, it was slightly damp, but there was no water. Naruto turned it upside down, and a rolled up strip of paper fell out.

When he saw the paper, an emotional expression of reminiscence appeared on his face. He thought back to the youthful version of himself, standing there on Mount Myoboku, and the bellowing rage he had flown into after each time he failed the Imperial examinations.

He also thought about his life in Konoha County, and all the things that had happened there.

He gingerly uncurled the strip of paper. Although the words were somewhat blurry, he was able to vaguely make out the grand aspiration that he had written down that year….

He looked at the piece of paper, and as he smiled, it seemed as if the bottle gourd no longer bore the weight of his desire, and it transformed into ash. The strip of paper also gradually disintegrated into tiny pieces that drifted through his fingers and vanished with the wind.

Naruto then felt that familiar aura fade away.

He stood there quietly for a moment, saying nothing. Finally, he closed his eyes. Time passed. One day after another went by, until an entire week passed. The river water flowed, the sun and moon rose and set. Birds and beasts scampered to and fro along the river bank.

Seven days later, Naruto opened his eyes, and they shone with enlightenment.

"There is a mysterious power in the world…." he murmured.

"And that power is desire.

"That ordinary bottle gourd was able to survive down to this day because it was sustained from within by my desire. As a cultivator, the desire that I had back then has grown stronger even as I have grown stronger, however far away the realization of it was.

"It was my own familiar aura which helped that bottle gourd… to survive all these years.

"After picking it up, the desire that had coalesced in the bottle gourd and the piece of paper vanished and returned into my hand. That is why it disappeared into Heaven and Earth.

"It's similar to what Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society said during our arena match. Burning Incense… coalesces the desires of all living things, and the cultivation of that desire is burning incense. 3

"I never imagined that I would be enlightened here regarding the power of burning incense." After a moment he looked down at his hand, which he then waved.

Time seemed to move in reverse, as the drifting pieces of ash from seven days before suddenly reappeared. They transformed into a piece of paper, as well as the bottle gourd which had vanished.

Naruto's expression was calm as he once again placed the strip of paper into the bottle gourd and tossed it into the river. As the water flowed, the bottle gourd bobbed up and down, drifting off into the distance.

"I still haven't achieved what I desire, so how could I let that bottle gourd disappear…? Perhaps years from now, someone will find my bottle gourd and open it up to reveal my desire… and my aura…." As he watched the bottle gourd disappear into the distance, a faint smile broke out on his face.

"It's time to leave," he said. Taking a deep breath, he turned and, his expression one of determination, strode off into the distance. Eventually, he appeared up in the sky, where he became a beam of light that disappeared off into the distance.

One day later.

In the Namikaze Clan of the Eastern Lands, a huge teleportation portal had been set up in a rear courtyard. Glittering light rose up from the portal, next to which stood Naruto, his parents, and another middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man acted extremely respectfully toward Minato and Kushina, and when he looked at Naruto, an emotional and loving expression could be seen.

"Naruto," said Minato, "this is your 19th Uncle. He's my younger cousin and a member of our bloodline."

Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply.

19th Uncle laughed heartily and quickly straightened Naruto up from his bow. His expression of fondness only continued to grow deeper.

"You're a good kid," he said. "Wonderful, truly wonderful. When we get back to the clan, I hope that you can help me take care of my own son. He loafs around all day and is always a big headache."

"The Namikaze Clan is on Planet East Victory, which is far away from Planet Lands of Ninshu," said Minato, looking at Naruto with a serious expression. "With your cultivation base, you can't travel directly through the stars. You will need two teleportation portals to get there. Your 19th Uncle has come here personally to escort you along the way."

Kushina stood next to Minato, clearly reluctant to part from Naruto. However, she knew that Naruto's path lay among the stars, not on Planet Lands of Ninshu.

All she could do was start straightening up his luggage. Although he had a bag of holding, she had personally sewn some luggage for him. She straightened up his clothing, then looked over her son, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mom," he said softly, "don't worry, I'll be fine."

"I can't leave Planet Lands of Ninshu," said Minato. "If you face any dangers out there, I can't protect you. This crocodile can temporarily act as your Dao Protector, but in the end, you must watch out for yourself." He waved his hand, causing the crocodile to emerge and obediently shrink down and descend onto Naruto's palm, then scurry up into his sleeve. Minato continued quietly, "If you perish….

"Father will get revenge for you!"

Naruto and 19th Uncle stood in the teleportation portal. Soft light glittered out as Naruto looked at his parents standing outside of the portal. Suddenly, his eyes felt moist, and he dropped to his knees to kowtow three times to his parents.

"Dad, mom. I'm leaving now…. You don't need to miss me or worry about me, I'll come back to visit often."

Rumble!

The light from the teleportation portal rose up into the air. In the moment before he vanished completely, Naruto waved at his parents.

Kushina couldn't hold the tears back any longer as she watched Naruto disappear. Her heart filled with worry, and in that brief moment, she grew older.

Minato seemed strong on the outside, but even his eyes grew blurry.

"The kids have grown up. We have to let them fly on their own."

The scintillating lights on Planet Lands of Ninshu lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before fading completely away.

Out in the starry sky was an asteroid field that seemed to be eternally drifting among the stars.

The largest of the asteroids were tens of thousands of meters wide, the smallest were dozens. From a distance, the asteroid field almost looked like a river of stars floating through space.

This portion of space was actually not completely black; occasional dots of sparkling light glittered to and fro. At first glance, the starry sky seemed without end, but in fact, it was not so. It also seemed to pulse with life.

The asteroid field was filled with many large asteroids that were apparently surrounded by shocking power, almost like shields.

One of those asteroids was tens of thousands of meters wide, and emanated glittering light. It was possible to see numerous teleportation portals carved into its surface, over a thousand of them packed tightly together.

One of those teleportation portals was currently emanating dazzling light, and the figures of Naruto and 19th Uncle slowly became visible.

"Naruto," 19th Uncle said with a smile, "there is a vast distance between Planet Lands of Ninshu and Planet East Victory. It would be difficult to teleport there directly. That's why we need to transfer teleportation portals here." When he looked at Naruto, the emotion and love in his gaze was apparent.

He was very pleased that his older cousin's son had successfully transcended his tribulation, and was finally able to return to the clan.

When he thought of the steep price Minato had paid over the years, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"You can take a look around," 19th Uncle continued. "This asteroid belongs to the Namikaze Clan, so we're in no danger. I need some time to make some adjustments to the teleportation portal. The way it is now, your body probably couldn't handle it. I need about… enough time for an incense stick to burn." With that, he began to make adjustments to the teleportation portal.

Naruto nodded in response, then stepped out of the teleportation portal to look around.

There was no sun and no sky. The only things he could see were sparkling stars amidst pitch black darkness. Although this was not Naruto's first time stepping out into the starry sky, it was different than those other times.

"I've really left Planet Lands of Ninshu…." He looked off into the distance, but actually had no sense of direction, and no way to determine where Planet Lands of Ninshu might be. His heart felt a bit empty, and he was also nervous about arriving as a stranger on Planet East Victory.

Of course, that was where he had been born, and was also a planet that belonged to his own Namikaze Clan.

He patted his bag of holding, within which was a jade slip given to him by his father. It contained a map of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, along with various paths among the stars.

"Once I've finished making these adjustments, we can be on our way," 19th Uncle called out, smiling as he continued to adjust the teleportation portal to suit Naruto. "The Patriarchs are all in secluded meditation, and have left the Grand Elder in charge. He was very happy to hear that you're returning, and has arranged for large numbers of clan members to gather together and receive you.

"It's going to be very lively! Hahaha! Once we're back, you really have to help me get my son in line!"

Naruto nodded, and for some reason, he wasn't able to keep a bit of warmth from rising up in his heart. That was the warmth of family, a warmth that had begun to grow cold almost as soon as he left Planet Lands of Ninshu and stepped out into space.

"19th Uncle, does all of Planet East Victory belong to the Namikaze Clan?" he asked.

"Your father didn't tell you? Well, that makes sense. Cousin is a bit resentful of the clan. Ai….

"Naruto, you probably already know that all the lands and stars are actually part of nine mountains and seas. Another way of putting it is that nine mountains exist in the starry sky, and each mountain has a sea, thus, nine seas.

"The Nine Mountains and Seas are divided into groups of mountains and seas, and thus nine worlds.

"In each of those, there are four planets which rotate eternally around their respective mountains. Outside of the Nine Mountains are two enormous heavenly bodies; the sun and a moon.

"Because of the reflections cast by the sea of stars, the sun and moon look different on each of the planets, but in fact, there is only a single sun and a single moon for all the Nine Mountains and Seas.

"In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, one of those four planets is Planet East Victory, which belongs completely to the Namikaze Clan. Although there are other sects and power structures on the planet, if the Namikaze Clan wanted to, we could unify the other powers. Instead, we permit them to exist.

"Actually, the largest planet in the Ninth Mountain and Sea is not Planet East Victory, but rather Planet North Reed. It is several times larger than Planet East Victory, and is where the Uchiha Clan, Nadeshiko Clan, and Shimura Clan, the Three Great Clans, all call home.

"Then there is Planet West Felicity, where you can find the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, as well as other illustrious sects.

"To further analyze matters, you have to look at the Ninth Mountain and the Ninth Sea as a whole.

"Compared to everything else, Planet Lands of Ninshu is special. Since your father didn't tell you the details about that, then I won't presume to talk about them." After providing his explanation, 19th Uncle smiled and continued with his adjustments to the spell formation.

Naruto's eyes glittered with an intense light. 19th Uncle's description overlapped with his own understanding of matters to provide a much larger picture in Naruto's mind.

"19th Uncle, what other sects are on Planet East Victory?" he suddenly asked.

"The most famous are the Church of the Blood Orchid and the Church of the Puppet God, which are listed among the Three Churches and Six Sects. In addition to them is the Medicine Immortal Sect. They might not be listed among the Three Churches and Six Sects, but when it comes to the Dao of alchemy, in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they are second only to the Baldy Society.

"Most accurately speaking… the Medicine Immortal Sect has a deep connection with the Namikaze Clan. Ai… it was actually founded by a Patriarch of the Namikaze Clan who got angry and left to start his own sect.

"After we get back to the clan, my son, your cousin, can tell you more about all that." 19th Uncle extended his right hand and pushed down onto the surface of the teleportation portal, causing bright light to glitter up.

"Alright, that's it! Let's get going, Naruto. After enough time passes for an incense stick to burn, you'll be able to lay eyes on Planet East Victory!" Laughing loudly, 19th Uncle stepped into the teleportation portal, followed closely by Naruto. As the light of teleportation surrounded them, a glow of anticipation could be seen in Naruto's eyes.

Naruto and 19th Uncle soon vanished with the light. However, in the moment that they faded away, a black-robed cultivator appeared above the teleportation portal.

He wore no expression at all on his face, which was as cold as ice. He almost seemed completely devoid of emotion. He appeared without making a single noise, and when he saw that Naruto and 19th Uncle had disappeared into the portal, he stamped down viciously with his right foot, instantly shattering the teleportation portal.

The teleportation portal was fundamentally very difficult to shatter. Otherwise, Naruto and 19th Uncle would not have been so confident in using it; after all, this asteroid belonged to the Namikaze Clan, and was protected by a shield, making it very difficult for outsiders to get into the place.

The black-robed man pulled out a jade slip and sent some divine will into it.

"Target acquired. Teleportation portal's foundation destroyed." With that, he vanished.

Almost in the same moment that he vanished, brilliant lights could suddenly be seen at a point somewhere between the asteroid and Planet East Victory, accompanied by massive rumbling. In the middle of the light was a hole that had been ripped in the void, from which a multicolored glow surged out, as well as deadly ripples. A roar could be heard, which was 19th Uncle, who shot out from within the hole, his hair in disarray, his expression that of rage, and his cultivation base rotating at full power. Next, Naruto stepped out from within the hole, surrounded by thunderous roaring.

19th Uncle's face was grim, while Naruto's eyes gleamed with an intense light. Moments ago, they had been in the midst of teleportation, when suddenly, the teleportation tunnel collapsed. If 19th Uncle hadn't protected Naruto with his powerful cultivation base, then Naruto would definitely have been killed.

Almost as soon as 19th Uncle and Naruto appeared, ripples began to spread out all around them. In the blink of an eye, nine completely emotionless black-robed figures appeared. From the look of things, they had already calculated any avenues of escape that would be open to 19th Uncle and Naruto, and had sealed them off; this was a deadly ambush!

Rumbling echoed out as the nine people attacked in unison… all with peak Immortal Realm power!

"Dammit!" roared 19th Uncle. "You people really have gall! Didn't you know that was a teleportation portal of the Namikaze Clan!?" He immediately performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing an explosively destructive aura to surge out in all directions.

However, it was at this point that a faint aura suddenly materialized in the void, and then roared out explosively. This aura was not that of the Immortal Realm, but a step beyond that, the early Ancient Realm!

The appearance of this new aura caused 19th Uncle's face to flicker. He gritted his teeth, and a look of determination appeared on his face. He quickly grabbed Naruto and threw him off into the distance, as well as some other object, which turned into a beam of light that followed Naruto.

"Naruto, they're probably after me. You get out of here, and I'll come after you later!" 19th Uncle then began to perform a double-handed incantation.

"Great Heavenly Void!" cried out 19th Uncle. His entire body suddenly transformed into an enormous vortex that instantly sucked in the hidden Ancient Realm aura, as well as the nine peak Immortal Realm cultivators. Then, they all vanished.

Everything happened extremely quickly. From the collapse of the teleportation to 19th Uncle unleashing his divine ability and swallowing up his opponents, barely enough time passed to blink an eye.

Naruto was panting as he tumbled through the void. The beam of light that had been following him materialized into a flying shuttle, which surrounded Naruto and sped off into the distance. The shuttle would provide Naruto protection from the starry sky for quite some time.

Naruto's face flickered, and he turned to look back at the spot where 19th Uncle had fought the mysterious assailants. There was nothing to be seen; apparently, Naruto was now the only person out here among the stars.

"Were those people after 19th Uncle, or were they… coming after me!?" Naruto's eyes flickered. He was not a novice in the Cultivation world. Contrariwise, he was extremely discerning. After all, he had traveled the road of cultivation all the way to the peak of Dao Seeking completely on his own power and ability, all without even knowing his father and mother. The tempering he had gone through had left him with shocking willpower and intuition.

Without pausing for a moment, he sent some divine sense into the flying shuttle. After a moment of thought, he realized that while he didn't distrust 19th Uncle, he also knew that if those people weren't targeting him, then he could do whatever he wished right now. However, if they were targeting him, then that meant they had the ability to determine not just 19th Uncle's location, but his own. Therefore… he was not safe in this shuttle.

He decided not to use the shuttle after all. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and then flew out of the shuttle into the starry sky.

As soon as he left the shuttle, a suffocating pressure bore down on him. His body was immediately sent out of balance, and he began to sweat profusely. Fundamentally speaking, anyone who was not Immortal could not tread among the stars.

"I have eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. I can kill false Immortals as easily as turning over my hand, and I'm actually comparable to a 40-meridian Immortal. Plus, my fleshly body is incredibly powerful. Therefore… I can rely on myself to fly through the stars!

"Although my speed might not be that great, I can still do it safely!" He lightly tapped the shuttle, sending it flying off in another direction, and splattered some blood onto it at the same time, which instantly transformed into a crude Blood Clone that could not wield divine abilities.

The flying shuttle speedily drifted off into the distance carrying his Blood Clone.

With that, Naruto turned into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Traveling through this endless void was different than traveling through the Ruins of Immortality. Here, Naruto had experienced an intense sensation of weightlessness. Here, things were different.

However, with his cultivation base, Naruto was able to quickly adjust and find his center of gravity, then was able to right himself and proceed along stably.

"So, I really can travel among the stars with this cultivation base," he thought, his eyes glittering. He could not breathe, but to cultivators, merely rotating their cultivation base was enough. He did not need anything from outside his own body to sustain himself.

He tapped his bag of holding to produce the jade slip his father had given him. After scanning it with divine sense, he quickly pulled up the map, and found Planet East Victory. When he found his own location and compared the distance between the two, he realized… that although it didn't look too far away, his current location was actually incredibly remote.

He muttered to himself for a moment, then put the jade slip away and continued speeding along. As he traveled, he would frequently unleash magical techniques and divine abilities, all to get more used to magical combat among the stars.

Several days later, as he proceeded along, his face suddenly flickered. He had just sensed that the Blood Clone he had left in the flying shuttle had disappeared.

"So, they were targeting me after all!" he thought. His eyes flickered with the desire to kill.

At the same time, in another location in the starry sky, two black-robed men hovered there, frowning. They wore the same type of clothing as that which had been worn by the black-robed men from earlier, although they were clearly not among the ten who had already shown their faces.

In front of them was the wreckage of the flying shuttle. Moments ago, a body could be seen inside the shuttle, but it had vanished, leaving behind only a spatter of blood, which then turned into a mist and faded away.

"What a cunning little son of a bitch," said one of the men. "I never thought someone so young could be such a profound schemer. He's really playing it careful."

"He's just a Spirit Realm cultivator," replied the other. "Even if he's comparable to a false Immortal, with forty or fifty percent of the power of a true Immortal, he won't be able to get very far. It will be very difficult for him to travel through the starry sky. Let's split up and look for him. There's still time to track him down!"

After exchanging a glance, the two men split up and began to search in two different directions with their divine sense.

Each of these men was at the peak of the Immortal Realm. However, they were incapable of opening 80 meridians, and in fact only had 70 or so. That made them stage 7 Immortals, which was their apex .

Naruto's face was grim as he sped along. As he grew more familiar with the starry sky, his speed increased. Soon, there was little difference between this type of travel and moving about on a planet.

Anyone else would be incapable of achieving something like that. However, based on all the things Naruto had experienced, he was naturally able to quickly adapt.

"I'm not sure how they managed to interrupt the teleportation process in the first place," thought Naruto, "but it shows that they're clearly very powerful.

"If 19th Uncle hadn't unleashed his divine ability, they might have just tried to pin him down, then go after their true target, me!

"Who is it exactly that wants to kill me?" Naruto frowned, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

"Could it be those Chosen that I crushed back then on Lands of Ninshu? Or was my identity as Kazama revealed?

"There's also another possibility, that the enemy tracked down and destroyed the flying shuttle to simply get rid of witnesses. Maybe they weren't targeting me." There was really no way for Naruto to be sure, but there was also one other guess as to the enemy's motives that he had contemplated in silence…but it was an answer that he didn't dare to lightly consider, and instead, focused on continuing forward at top speed.

Seven days passed, during which time the black-robed men continued to thoroughly search the area. Another black-robed cultivator arrived, making a total of three. Despite their combined efforts, there were no results.

Finally, they met back together to confer.

"Dammit! Did the kid grow wings and fly away? There's no sign of him anywhere!"

"Maybe he has a magical item that allows him to survive for long periods out in the stars. Let's widen the area of our search. We absolutely must track him down and kill him!"

"Once we find the son of a bitch, he's dead for sure!"

The three headed off in different directions to carry out a wider search.

One of them ended up searching the area where Naruto actually was.

A few days later, Naruto was speeding along when suddenly, his face fell. An intense killing intent exploded out from behind him, and he turned to find a black-robed cultivator closing in on him through the void.

The black-robed man was expressionless, and a flicker of ridicule could be seen within his cold eyes. Before he even got close, his voice echoed out.

"We underestimated you," he said. "Never thought you could get this far." As he closed in, the power of a stage seven Immortal exploded out, and a huge statue appeared behind him.

The statue was 21,000 meters tall, and pitch black. It was fearsome in appearance, and looked absolutely nothing like the black-robed man.

He wasn't a true Immortal, but a false Immortal. However, even a false Immortal who had reached the seventh stage, and opened 70 meridians, possessed shocking energy that would pose quite a bit of difficulty for Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered, and his expression was one of alarm and terror as he edged backward.

"W-what do you want?!" he cried out loudly, his voice quavering. "I'm from the Namikaze Clan! My father is Minato! How dare you try to kill me!" It was almost impossible to see in his eyes that he was actually gauging the distance between him and his opponent.

The black-robed man grinned viciously. He didn't respond, but instead got closer, raising his right hand into the air. The eyes of the statue behind him glittered, and it sent its massive hand out toward Naruto, clearly intending to crush him to death in a single blow.

Naruto stood in place as if he were scared stiff, allowing the huge palm to fall down toward him. At the same time, the black-robed man continued to get closer. He was now less than three hundred meters away.

In that instant, Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent. Three hundred meters was close enough for him to unleash some of his divine abilities. He stretched out his right hand and pointed toward his opponent. Instantly, the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was unleashed. The starry sky distorted, and the black-robed man was suddenly locked in place.

Blood began to ooze out of Naruto's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, a result of the backlash caused by using this Hex on someone whose cultivation base vastly exceeded his own. However, no look of pain could be seen in his expression, only the desire to kill. His expression grew more and more fierce.

In the same moment that his opponent was locked in place, Naruto waved his sleeve. A black beam flew out, along with a astonishing energy, as the crocodile appeared. Shockingly, the crocodile was also comparable to a stage seven Immortal, and as soon as it appeared, it swished its tail. A boom could be heard as the black-robed man's eyes went wide and blood sprayed from his mouth. Because he was so close to Naruto, there was no way for him to dodge. He had no choice but to take the blow straight on and then shoot backward in retreat. The enraged crocodile pounced on him, and they began to fight back and forth.

"Dammit!" said the black-robed man, his face pale. He now realized that he had underestimated his opponent, and had been fooled. The battle hadn't even started, and he was injured, causing his killing intent to boil. He was just about to make an attack, when Naruto waved his hand out in a claw-like gesture. Immediately a long spear appeared that had a haft made from the World Tree, and a bone spearhead. Even as he hefted it, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and his cultivation base exploded out. Now was not the time to hold back, so in the blink of an eye, his Dharma Idol grew to 12,000 meters.

As soon as the Dharma Idol appeared, the black-robed man's face flickered with disbelief. According to the report he had received, his opponent only had power equivalent to thirty or perhaps fifty percent of that of a true Immortal. However, he was now obviously facing a stage four Immortal, which was especially shocking considering his target… was clearly not in the Immortal Realm.

"No wonder his majesty ordered this kid dead. He's incredibly discerning and cunning, and has a Heaven-defying cultivation base! He can't be left alive!" Astonishment filled the black-robed man's heart as Naruto closed in, killing intent glittering in his eyes. Behind him, his Dharma Idol barreled forward, and at the same time, the Mountain Consuming Incantation was unleashed, causing countless mountains to appear, which then linked together to form a mountain range that crushed down onto the black-robed man.

The black-robed man's face fell, and even as he prepared to fight back, the crocodile roared and lunged forward again. The already injured black-robed man was once again forced into retreat.

Rumbling could be heard, and blood poured out of his mouth. However, it was at this moment that a second black-robed man suddenly appeared, moving toward them at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was upon them. A boom rang out from the shocked Naruto's chest as it instantly caved in. He was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spewing from his mouth.

It didn't matter that Naruto's cultivation base was so much lower than the second black-robed man; he attacked him with full power anyway. However, when the man caught sight of Naruto again, a look of surprise could be seen on his face.

"Not dead?" His body flickered into motion as he attacked Naruto once again.

Naruto's chest was wracked with intense pain, and blood flowed from his mouth continuously. His chest was a mangled mess, but his eyes overflowed with killing intent. His Eternal stratum was currently healing him, but even as it did, Naruto realized that a third black-robed man had appeared off in the distance.

"There are actually three of them!" he thought, an imperceptible flicker running through his eyes. Temporarily suppressing the restorative power of the Eternal stratum, he transformed into a golden roc to evade the second black-robed man. A boom rang out, and Naruto transformed back into human form, blood spraying from his mouth. The second black-robed man frowned and then shot toward Naruto once more, utilizing bizarre speed.

However, just when the man was almost upon him, he suddenly extended his right hand, within which appeared the Lightning Cauldron. Electricity danced, and rumbling echoed out as he vanished to switch places with the third black-robed man.

The sudden switch in position aggravated Naruto's wound, and blood sprayed from his mouth. As he back up anxiously, the third black-robed man's eyes lit with a bright light.

"Precious treasure!"

A gleam of greed could be seen in the second black-robed man's eyes as well. He and the third black-robed man employed the full explosive power of a stage seven Immortal at almost the same time. To them, Naruto was something that could easily be killed, and yet, even still, they employed all the power they could possibly muster, transforming into beams of light that shot toward Naruto in quick succession.

They looked like strings of light flashing through the air, like arrows that, in the blink of an eye, were only thirty meters away from Naruto.

"Die!" the second cultivator said coldly. The killing intent in Naruto's eyes flickered, and suddenly, his body split in two as his second true self appeared. His second true self stepped forward and spread his hands wide to block, while Naruto's true self backed up. Then, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bronze lamp.

As soon as the bronze lamp appeared, a weak flame flickered inside, and a terrifying aura exploded out. The two black-robed men's faces fell completely.

The faces of the two men instantly fell, and they immediately wanted to flee. They were in a dangerous situation, but considering the level of their cultivation base, it wasn't impossible to dodge aside. However, it was at this moment that Naruto's eyes flickered with a vicious gleam.

He immediately sent out a message with divine will: "Second true self, detonate!"

His second true self's eyes flickered, and his arms locked in place. In the blink of an eye, he self-detonated. This was the self-detonation of a true Immortal's soul and Naruto's fleshly body, as well as the Devilish will inside. A massive explosion shook the stars, and brilliant light spread out in all directions, almost like a sun.

BOOOMMMM!

The sudden detonation of Naruto's true self was a decisive move that few other people could pull off. However, Naruto had practiced cultivation for many years and had experienced many deadly situations. Because of his decisive personality, he didn't hesitate for a moment to detonate his second true self.

The two black-robed cultivators had been on the verge of fleeing, but the self-detonation was something that shook even them. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they lost their chance to retreat.

At the same time, raging killing intent could be seen in Naruto's eyes. He held out the ancient bronze lamp and then blew. A tiny bit of his breath brushed against the lamp, causing the flame inside to suddenly expand. Instantly, a flame sea sprang into being in front of Naruto.

The stars trembled as the flame sea raged.

It didn't spread out very far, only a few dozen meters. However, within that space, the shocking flames caused everything to ripple and distort. From a distance, the sea of flames resembled an enormous fiery butterfly, spreading destruction as it fluttered its wings.

The two black-robed men let out miserable screams. They tried to use magical items to defend themselves, but even the third black-robed man's treasures were instantly destroyed. Flames engulfed their bodies, and their skin cracked and burned.

The potency of the flame went beyond even Naruto's expectations. In the end, it only took a few breaths of time for the fire to completely incinerate the two black-robed men, who had actually excelled in terms of speed. One of them, in the moment before his death, glared at Naruto viciously, then used some unique divine ability to rapidly wither his own body and send a burst of energy out.

"We die together!" he howled. The energy surged toward Naruto, enveloping him.

Naruto's entire body began to tremble; massive power began to shred his skin. In the exact same moment that his body exploded, his Eternal stratum surged into action. The only thing left behind was the bronze lamp. By that time, the second black-robed man finally transformed into ash, and his soul dispersed. In the last instant before he died, no regret could be seen in his eyes; he had accomplished his mission.

The two men were incinerated, even their bags of holding and very bones transformed into nothing but ash.

Any presence of their existence was completely blotted out.

Off in the distance, the first black-robed man was still tangling with the crocodile. When he saw what had just happened, his jaw dropped in disbelief and terror.

"What fire is that!?"

He could never have imagined that the person he was going up against would be so terrifying. In order to kill him, two of his compatriots, both stage seven Immortals, had been killed, and had even been forced to attempt to end their own lives to accomplish the mission.

Those flames left the black-robed man's face completely ashen, and his heart pounding. He was now even more frightened than before, and was actually rejoicing that he hadn't been so hasty in his attack earlier. If he had been, he would most likely be dead now.

"This Naruto was vicious! He actually detonated his own clone to kill his opponents! Were it not for his decisiveness, the two of them would have been able to flee. With their cultivation bases, they shouldn't have been destroyed in body and spirit.

"If this kid hadn't met such an early end, then he would definitely have become famous throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

"Well, it's too bad that he did die!" A look of greed appeared in the man's eyes. Even as he fought with the crocodile, he looked over at the bronze lamp, which had a slice of bloody flesh laying across it. Next to it was Naruto's bag of holding.

"That precious treasure belongs to me now! Also that Lightning Cauldron with the transposition powers!

"Plus, now I will get all the credit for killing Naruto!" However, it was in this moment of excitement that his face suddenly filled with disbelief. Voice hoarse, he said, "Impossible!"

In that moment, the shredded, bloody pieces of Naruto's body formed back together. An ancient aura spread out that carried the feeling of Eternity. In only a moment, Naruto was completely formed anew!

His face was pale, but his eyes flickered with the desire to kill. He looked up at the black-robed man, his expression icy, as if he were looking at a dead man. The black-robed man's face fell and, despite the level of his cultivation, he was filled with terror and wanted to flee. Unfortunately for him, the crocodile went crazy to block his way.

Naruto coldly patted his bag of holding to produce a set of clothing, which he quickly donned. Then he put the bronze lamp back into his bag of holding. The spark inside was clearly much dimmer; it would probably only be usable once or twice more.

After putting everything in order, Naruto looked at the spot where his second true self had detonated. He waved his hand, causing all of the bits of blood and flesh to fly toward him. The soul of the true Immortal had not completely dissipated, although it had been reduced to only ten percent of its former power. All that was left of his body was a lump of gore, within which was the fully coalesced Devilish will. The whole thing resembled a black heart.

After sealing it and putting it away, Naruto headed toward the crocodile and the black-robed man.

He had sustained heavy losses in this fight, but had survived thanks to his Eternal stratum. If he hadn't made the sacrifices he had, he would definitely be dead now.

The black-robed man looked at him, his heart filled with fear. Naruto looked like some ancient fiend as he slowly approached.

The black-robed man was filled with shock, and had already sustained injuries. His heart was in chaos as the crocodile suddenly bit down on his right leg, causing cracking sounds to emanate out as the leg was shattered. It was in that moment that Naruto arrived, a red vortex beneath his feet. The vortex grew larger and larger until it resembled a sea of blood.

"Come no closer!" howled the black-robed man. He tried to retreat, but the crocodile had him pinned down, and he was injured again. By this point, he couldn't even unleash the full power of his cultivation base; he was now at the level of a stage five Immortal.

Naruto moved forward with incredible speed, the blood sea beneath his feet growing larger and larger. In the end, the sea of blood churned in a massive vortex that surrounded Naruto, until he wasn't even visible anymore.

BOOM!

The black-robed man performed an incantation, unleashing a divine ability that slammed into the sea of blood. It began to fall apart, but then reformed. The black-robed man's face was pale white, as he performed constant incantation gestures and constant attacks. He continued to try to retreat, and was continually harassed and injured by the crocodile.

His will to fight had long since vanished. Seeing his two companions die had struck quite a blow, and then Naruto had returned to life, which was an even more intense shock.

Furthermore, no matter how he attacked, Naruto's blood sea vortex couldn't be destroyed. Every time the vortex began to fall apart, it would quickly recover. In the space of a few breaths of time, the blood sea vortex reached the black-robed man and then began to envelop him.

Booms rang out, accompanied by the black-robed man's muffled, bloodcurdling shrieks. The vortex collapsed, but then exploded back out. Every time it collapsed, it reformed, until gradually, the screams grew weaker. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the cries faded away.

After a moment, the blood sea began to shrink back down, transforming into Naruto once again. In front of him was the desiccated corpse of the black-robed man, who stared up with wide, vacant eyes. His flesh and blood, cultivation base, and even soul had been sucked dry.

Naruto's face was a bit flushed as he hovered there among the stars, eyes closed. After a long moment, he opened his eyes, and he looked exhausted. Yet, within that exhaustion could be seen the desire to kill.

"So, they're actually from… the Namikaze Clan!" In the end, Naruto had used one of the abilities of the ultimate form of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, a terrifying divine ability with potentially fatal side-effects, that required only a bit of time to perform.

It was an ability that left him completely vulnerable to outside attack, which was why he had never used it before, a divine ability that allowed him to completely absorb the victim's memories.

"How cute," he thought, "and what a lovely clan. I haven't even arrived yet, and they've already sent people to kill me….

"Clearly, someone doesn't want me to get back to the Namikaze Clan alive….

"It's too bad that someone used a memory-wiping technique on this black-robed cultivator, making it impossible to determine who gave the orders to kill me. Clearly that person truly fears me." Naruto smiled, although it was a somewhat sinister smile.

As of now, he was no longer the Naruto who, after reuniting with his father and mother, could rely on their help. He was back to his old self, running wild, with only himself to depend on.

"The more somebody wants to prevent me from getting back alive, the more I want to get to the Namikaze Clan," he thought, his eyes flickering with murderous intent. Gradually, the killing intent faded into the recesses of his mind. He opened the black-robed man's bag of holding, but there was nothing inside other than a flying shuttle.

The flying shuttle operated on spirit stones, and would enable to him to make his way through the stars. As long as he had spirit stones, it would work. Unfortunately, because of the quality with which it was constructed, and the spell formations that it operated, its effectiveness was limited. However, higher quality spirit stones would enable it to move much faster

After he saw the flying shuttle, Naruto examined it closely. After determining that there were no booby traps or similar dangers, he quickly branded it with divine sense, then waved his hand, causing the shuttle to grow larger. When it reached thirty meters in length, he sat down inside of it, then, suppressing the pain he felt, placed a high-grade spirit stone down onto its surface. Rumbling could be heard as the shuttle then began to move forward.

Meanwhile, in another location in the starry sky, another black-robed man whose cultivation base exceeded the Immortal Realm suddenly stopped in his tracks. He lifted his right hand, and three shattered jade slips appeared within it.

"Dead? I sent those three to kill a Spirit Realm cultivator, and they ended up getting killed…? Did someone else interfere?" After a moment of silence, the black-robed man continued onward at top speed, intending to search for Naruto personally.

"In order to have Naruto killed, his excellency even sent people to keep Prince 19 from interfering. All just for this chance. Failure is not an option. Naruto… must die! He must not get to Planet East Victory alive!"

The flying shuttle was a beam of bright light that shot through the starry sky at a speed far, far greater than that Naruto was capable of achieving. At the same time, the rate with which it consumed spirit stones was terrifying.

Naruto's heart hurt, but he had no other options at his disposal. He could only continue to feed the high-grade Spirit Stones into the slot.

This type of flight method was something most people only used over short distances. To use it over a long period of time in the way Naruto was using it right now was quite rare.

"Just to be safe…." Naruto patted his bag of holding and the meat jelly appeared. It immediately began to jabber on and on but, this time, no matter what Naruto said in response, it wouldn't agree to help him.

Having no other choice, he finally produced the copper mirror and brought out the parrot.

As soon as it emerged, it began to wail and shout.

"Dammit, Haowie! Dammit!" it cried, seemingly on the verge of tears. "Dammit, Lord Fifth is finally out!" It had been sealed in the mirror for a long time; from its perspective, it seemed almost like 10,000 years. Now that it was free, it flew out squawking.

Naruto looked at the meat jelly and the parrot, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"Have the meat jelly change my appearance again," he said. "Otherwise I'll seal you back inside."

The parrot was enraged and refused to cooperate, but then it thought of the pain of being sealed away, and recalled being unable to have furred and feathered lovers, and was suddenly extremely frightened.

Finally, they reached an agreement. As long as the parrot agreed not to do anything out of line, it wouldn't be sealed away again. It immediately flew up to the meat jelly and began to arrogantly use some unknown method to get the meat jelly to suddenly look very anxious. Finally, with a dour expression on its face, it helped Naruto change his appearance, as well as the appearance of the flying shuttle.

The flying shuttle then whooshed away, taking a circuitous route toward Planet East Victory, instead of heading directly toward it.

Several days later, the black-robed man with a cultivation base exceeding the Immortal Realm appeared in the location where Naruto had fought the other black-robed men. After looking around for a moment, he was visibly moved.

"What flame was it that burned them up…?

"Don't tell me he has a Dao Protector who cultivates a flame power of the Ancient Realm!" An unsightly expression appeared on the man's face. After a moment, he sent his divine sense out, but couldn't find any traces of Naruto. Most importantly, he couldn't detect Naruto's aura, and thus couldn't lock down a specific area in which to search for him.

Finding someone in the middle of space is like looking for a needle in the middle of an ocean.

"If I say you can't escape, then escape you shall not!" said the man with a cold harrumph. He lifted his right hand, within which could be seen an archaic turtle shell which was obviously very, very old.

"His excellency even gave me this precious treasure to use, all for the purpose of seeing you dead! With this item, I can definitely track you down." Eyes glittering, he slowly raised up the turtle shell and began to chant a complicated, awkward-sounding incantation. Finally, he spit out some blood onto it.

"Naruto!" he growled. The turtle shell sucked in the blood and then began to quiver. Slowly, bubbles began to rise up from it, and images floated within each of them.

The black-robed man stared intently at the bubbles, chuckling coldly. He was very confident that this strange treasure would be able to find Naruto because of the clan blood that ran in his veins.

A moment later, the treasure began to shine with flickering light, and Naruto's image appeared. However, in the exact moment that he appeared…

The strange treasure began to shake, as if during the process of searching for Naruto, it had encountered some indescribable force of interference. Then a boom could be heard as the treasure exploded into countless fragments.

As it exploded, a shocking aura surged out from the treasure that caused the black-robed man to tremble, and a roaring sound to fill his mind.

It happened so quickly that he didn't have time to react. The force of the explosion sent him flying thirty thousand meters away, where he coughed up three mouthfuls of blood. A look of shock filled his face.

"His fate is untraceable?!" he said, his face ashen. Then he thought of the aura just now, and his scalp went numb.

Time passed. Three months. The atmosphere in the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory was a strange one during that time. Three months before, a clan member had been set to return, and yet no one showed up.

The welcoming ceremony was cancelled. Eventually, they realized they had lost contact with Prince 19, who had been sent to escort the direct bloodline grandson back. His disappearance made the atmosphere even stranger than before.

All of the members of the direct bloodline were furious. Many of them even left Planet East Victory to conduct searches of their own, but it was all in vain.

It wasn't just the direct bloodline clan members who went out searching. Ordinary clan members also went out to search for Naruto. Of course, the black-robed men were out searching as well, to find either Naruto or his corpse.

No one dared to deliver the news to Minato on Planet Lands of Ninshu. When Prince 19 finally returned and made his report to the Grand Elder, his face was extremely dark.

The Grand Elder appeared to be enraged, and even personally went out to where the teleportation tunnel had collapsed. Eventually, he determined that it had been an ambush set up by a sect who had harbored enmity with Prince 19.

The fact that Naruto had been dragged into this situation caused quite an uproar, and the Namikaze Clan eventually sent some experts to destroy the offending sect completely, which was quite a shock.

After three months with no news from Naruto, his 19th Uncle wallowed in guilt on a daily basis. He would constantly go out to search for Naruto, but never found anything. 19th Uncle felt especially guilty towards Minato, but didn't dare tell him about the matter.

Of course, he had been scared of his older cousin from the time he was small, and knew exactly what type of personality he had. If Minato found out what had happened, who knew what could happen as a result. One thing was for sure… a catastrophic storm would definitely occur.

Slowly, things calmed down in the Namikaze Clan. Fewer people went out to search for Naruto, until eventually, only the direct bloodline members were interested in the matter.

The Namikaze Clan was huge, and the direct bloodline had once been at the peak of glory. Naruto's grandfather had a monstrous cultivation base, there were other direct bloodline Patriarchs, and of course Naruto's father was a Chosen who struck awe into the hearts of everyone in his generation.

Now, however, Naruto's grandfather was missing, the other direct bloodline Patriarchs were reaching the point of Nirvanic Rebirth, and were in secluded meditation, and Minato had gone to Planet Lands of Ninshu.

In addition to all that, Naruto, the eldest grandson, had been born crippled. Gradually, the direct bloodline was now losing its power and influence. Before, it had been at the height of power, but now, only about ten percent of the other clan members were still loyal to the direct bloodline.

As the direct bloodline declined, auxiliary bloodlines rose. There was one bloodline in particular from which the Chosen Menma descended. His father, and other Patriarchs of the bloodline, were shining radiantly, and in the past few hundred years, had worked hard in service of the clan. Their reputations had even spread outside the clan, and therefore, their power only continued to grow. Soon, they commanded the loyalty of roughly thirty percent of the clan.

The remaining sixty percent remained in a position of neutrality, maintaining their own power structures and assisting each other as needed.

An entire half year passed. It was now almost a year since Naruto had gone missing. By now, even the direct bloodline had little hope that he would return, and ceased virtually all searching.

Even the cultivators in the black robes gave up, having assumed that Naruto died out in space. Not even the black-robed expert whose cultivation base exceeded the Immortal Realm was able to find traces of Naruto. Space is an enormous place, and it was impossible to completely lock down the starry sky which surrounded Planet East Victory; there was simply too much activity there.

Planet East Victory gradually returned to normal, and people stopped thinking about Naruto.

On one particular day, two thirty-meter flying shuttles limped and tottered into the starry sky outside Planet East Victory. As they gradually approached the planet, Naruto could be seen sitting cross-legged in one of the shuttles. His clothes were in tatters, and his face was withered and yellow. However, his eyes shone brightly. At first glance, he seemed to cut a sorry figure, but deep in his eyes, he seemed even more powerful than when he had left Planet Lands of Ninshu.

He had been traveling for nearly a year to get to the planet up ahead; at long last, he was almost there.

The number of spirit stones he had wasted had reached a shocking level. Whenever he thought about it, he gnashed his teeth, and his heart hurt painfully.

Throughout the year of travel, he had been forced to be extremely cautious in order to avoid being tracked down and killed. Even so, he had faced many dangers and run into many evil cultivators. Magical battles had ensued on multiple occasions.

It could even be said that he had experienced tough training throughout that year. He quickly forgot about the protection he had enjoyed from his father and mother. Once again, he experienced what it was like to be on his own.

"Finally… I can see Planet East Victory with my own eyes!" he thought, looking at the planet up ahead. It was huge, composed of about thirty percent blue ocean water, and seventy percent land. One of the continents spread out over nearly half the planet, was red in color, and emanated a bizarre aura.

The planet also had a glowing ring surrounding it, composed of countless drifting asteroids. The sight was spectacular.

As he looked over the scene, Naruto was shocked to find that there were cultivators sitting cross-legged in meditation on many of the asteroids. There were even some asteroids that had Immortal's caves cut into them.

The planet seemed to teem with powerful experts, and their shocking auras combined together to emanate dazzlingly out into the starry sky.

Without even setting foot onto the planet, Naruto was able to tell that it was a flourishing place. Countless cultivators entered and exited the planet. Colorful beams of light flashed to and fro, and the whole scene looked very different than Planet Lands of Ninshu, causing a cold light to shine in Naruto's eyes.

A young man sat cross-legged in the flying shuttle next to Naruto's. Smiling, he used divine will to transmit a message to Naruto.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, this is Planet East Victory. Once you take care of your affairs, don't forget to come visit me in the Medicine Immortal Sect. I can introduce you to some nice friends."

The young man's name was Gitai. Naruto had rescued him from the clutches of a gang of rogue cultivators, for which Gitai had been eternally grateful. After they had begun chatting, Naruto found out that he was a disciple of the Medicine Immortal Sect. Upon hearing that Naruto was traveling to Planet East Victory, he had immediately volunteered to personally escort Naruto there.

"Many thanks, Elder Brother Gitai," Naruto replied with a smile. "I definitely will." As he looked at Planet East Victory, the bright light in his eyes suddenly turned cold.

"According to my analysis," he thought, "the people in the Namikaze Clan who tried to kill me are definitely also afraid of my father. There seem to be some other reasons as well. Perhaps because of certain clan affairs, they feared anyone finding that they were the ones who killed me if they succeeded.

"That's why they lured 19th Uncle away, and then sent those black-robed men to kill me. Plus… those men had their memories erased, which lends proof to my speculation.

"Well then, although the Namikaze Clan might seem to be a dangerous place for me, I should actually be pretty safe there. They won't dare to kill me right in the middle of the clan!

"I have a high position in the Namikaze Clan, so they definitely wouldn't be so bold as to do something in the open." Chuckling coldly, Naruto sent the flying shuttle closer to Planet East Victory. As soon as he neared, a powerful divine sense shot out from the planet. It swept over him, then vanished and transformed into a vortex.

Simultaneously, a cold voice transmitted into his ear.

"Foreign cultivator: enter the vortex up ahead of you, and it will take you to the planet. Prepare your travel permits and jade identification plaque."

An imperceptible gleam flickered in Naruto's eyes. A vortex had appeared in front of Gitai as well. Looking around, Naruto saw similar scenes playing out with other arriving cultivators. Apparently, this was how things worked on Planet East Victory.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, there are a lot of rules on Planet East Victory. Everyone who arrives here is treated like this. If you have no travel permits and no identification plaque, then you'll have to pay dozens of times as many spirit stones, but will still be able to enter. Of course, the amount of spirit stones you pay will depend on how long you plan to stay on the planet.

"If you try to force your way in, you'll be killed.

"There's really nothing you can do about it. The entire planet is under the power of the Namikaze Clan. Years ago, Lord Hebi actually gave the entire place to them…." Smiling wryly, Gitai collected his flying shuttle, clasped hands to Naruto, and stepped into the vortex.

After a moment of thought, Naruto also put his flying shuttle away and stepped into the vortex.

Glittering light filled his eyes, and when everything became clear, he was no longer out in space. A sparkling shield of light stretched out beneath his feet, allowing him to see the lands below.

Directly in front of him was an enormous gate!

The gate was thirty thousand meters tall, forged from bronze, and was completely ancient in appearance. Carved with designs that appeared to have come from ancient times, it was completely shocking. However, if you looked at it closely, the images on the gate would be too blurry to make out.

There were three characters inscribed on top of the gate that were visible to all.

East Heaven Gate!

It was just a gate, but when Naruto looked at it, his pupils constricted. This gate… actually resembled the Door of Immortality.

Arranged in formation in front of the gate were over a hundred cultivators, looking around coldly at the over 1,000 other people who were lined up, waiting to enter.

On either side of East Heaven Gate were three other gates, much smaller. One of those gates was inscribed with the characters Puppet God, and on the other was a carving of a Blood Orchid.

The last gate was special. It looked archaic and bizarre, but it pulsed with a power that stimulated the bloodline power within Naruto.

Gitai appeared next to Naruto and began to explain.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, this is East Heaven Gate. Those other two gates are for the Church of the Puppet God and the Church of the Blood Orchid. The last one… is only for children of the Namikaze Clan."

East Heaven Gate was the only gate that had large numbers of cultivators lined up outside of it. The gates for the Church of the Puppet God and the Church of the Blood Orchid had no lines whatsoever, nor did the Namikaze Clan's gate.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, the only way to get onto Planet East Victory is by going through this gate. I'm actually from Planet East Victory, and even though the Medicine Immortal Sect has no gate, I have special privileges. However, since this is your first time here, I'll wait in line with you." Gitai ended his words by clasping hands and bowing.

Naruto clasped hands in thanks and the two of them took their place at the end of the line. He looked around at everything that was happening and mused about how completely different this was from Planet Lands of Ninshu.

Planet East Victory was huge, and in terms of how it was guarded, as well as how orderly everything was, there was a sense of sternness to everything. There also seemed to be an excess of rules.

Any cultivator who entered the Planet was carefully inspected. Only members of the sects from Planet East Victory enjoyed any sort of special treatment, and the most special treatment of all went to the Namikaze Clan.

As Naruto stood at the end of the line, he noticed that virtually all of the cultivators around him were in the Immortal Realm, although the majority were only stage two or three. There were few who were stage five or higher. Furthermore, although there seemed to be large numbers of them, they were all False Immortals.

After all, only cultivators in the Immortal Realm could step out into the starry sky. Cultivators in the Spirit Realm could only go there temporarily.

As time passed, the cultivators in line slowly passed through East Heaven Gate. Naruto remained in place, his expression calm, as he watched the cultivators handing over spirit stones in exchange for jade medallions.

Occasionally, miscellaneous cultivators from the Church of the Puppet God or the Church of the Blood Orchid would return from the stars, and would disappear into the gates specially set up for their sects. Every so often, people would leave from those gates as well.

Four hours passed rather quickly. Soon, Naruto was toward the front of the line, with only about seven people ahead of him. It didn't take long until their turn arrived. It was in this moment that ripples suddenly spread out up above in the starry sky. In the blink of an eye, eight streaks of light shot down.

They were eight cultivators, dressed in luxurious clothing, laughing and chatting as they proceeded along, as comfortable as if they were walking through the garden of their own house. The two cultivators in the lead position seemed to be in high spirits, full of energy and with extraordinary cultivation bases. They emanated an air of elitism.

"Look, people from the Namikaze Clan!" Gitai whispered to Naruto. "I recognize the two in the front. They're from a collateral bloodline of the Namikaze Clan that is second only to the direct branch of the clan."

The cultivators in the area immediately began to whisper to each other. Naruto's expression didn't change, though a barely detectable flicker could be seen in his eyes.

When the hundred or so cultivators gathered in front of the East Heaven Gate saw the eight newcomers, their expressions turned solemn. They immediately stepped forward, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Princes."

The two cultivators in the lead position among the eight smiled and turned back to a young woman among their number.

"Junior Sister Jimei," one of them said, smiling, "9th Uncle has been waiting for some time for you to return from your outside training!"

The pretty young woman smiled in response. Then she and the rest of the group walked past the bowing cultivators, nodding to them as they headed toward the Namikaze Clan gate. One by one, they passed through the gate, and as they did, glowing beams of light rose up into the air. The height of each beam was different, and when the young woman who had been addressed as Junior Sister Jimei stepped through the gate, the light shot up roughly 300 meters into the air.

Expressions of envy could be seen on the faces of the cultivators around Naruto as they discussed what was happening in low tones.

"A 300-meter Bloodline Gatebeam! That young woman… she definitely has a high position in the Namikaze Clan! Could she really be THE Jimei!?" 1

"It probably is. The Namikaze Clan gate only opens for members of the Namikaze Clan, and the thicker their bloodline is, the higher that beam of light!"

"Last year I was fortunate enough to catch sight of Prince Menma. When he walked through the Namikaze Clan gate, the Gatebeam was 24,000 meters high! It was spectacular!"

Of course, despite their envy, there was nothing they could do to alter their own bloodline backgrounds. Even if they became Outer Clan disciples, having Namikaze Clan blood was still an honor they wouldn't have.

Gitai was a disciple from the Medicine Immortal Sect, but even he was sighing in envy. Then he proceeded to explain all the advantages of being a member of the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory to Naruto. Of course, despite everything he said, it was still possible to hear how proud he was of his own identity.

"The Namikaze Clan might be powerful, but I'll never leave the Medicine Immortal Sect," he concluded.

Naruto listened silently during Gitai's explanation.

Eventually, the bowing cultivators straightened up. Their ingratiating expressions became once again solemn, and they resumed collecting spirit stones from the line of cultivators in exchange for allowing them to enter one by one.

Finally, Naruto was standing directly in front of the gate. The cultivator responsible for collecting spirit stones had a black birthmark on his forehead, making him look quite ferocious as he stared coldly at Naruto.

"How long do you plan to stay?" he asked. "If you have no identity medallion, then you'll have to pay 100 spirit stones per day. If you exceed a month, the price increases to 1,000 per day. After two months, the price is 10,000 per day."

Naruto frowned. He had heard the prices mentioned earlier, when he was further back in line, and they seemed extremely expensive. In contrast, if you did possess an identity medallion, then the price was only 10 spirit stones per day.

"I have no identity plaque," Naruto muttered, holding out a hundred spirit stones.

"One day?" The cultivator with the black birthmark grinned slightly. Over the years, he had encountered many cultivators who had claimed to only plan to stay one day, but who actually intended to stay longer, and just wanted to avoid paying the spirit stones.

People like that were eventually arrested by the Namikaze Clan, and then ended up paying even more spirit stones.

The man looked Naruto up and down, then tossed him a white command medallion and looked at Gitai, who stood further back.

Gitai's demeanor was different now than the one he used with Naruto. He looked a bit proud and arrogant as he threw his medallion over to the man. As soon as the cultivator saw the command medallion, his face broke into a smile, and, although he didn't clasp hands the way he had for the members of the Namikaze Clan, obviously treated him differently than Naruto.

Naruto held the white command medallion in his hand and walked toward East Heaven Gate. Just as he stepped into the gate, a powerful repelling force surged out, enveloping him and ejecting him from within the gate.

This scene immediately caused expressions of sympathy to appear on the faces of the cultivators in line. Gitai gaped in shock, then suddenly seemed to realize something, and involuntarily frowned. As for the cultivators standing guard outside the gate, their cultivation bases exploded with power and they immediately surrounded Naruto.

"Ejected by East Heaven Gate, huh? Seems you must have some evil intentions! Come with us. If the investigation proves that you're innocent, then you'll obviously be set free!"

"East Heaven Gate only rejects people who harbor malicious thoughts. Your cultivation base isn't very high, so if you resist us, we'll just kill you!"

The guard cultivators all stared at him with cold eyes.

Naruto frowned and looked down at the identity plaque he held. A moment ago, he had clearly sensed that the reason he had been obstructed by East Heaven Gate was because of the jade medallion, not he himself.

Gitai immediately approached, not hesitating to mention his status as he smoothed the matter over. After he finished speaking, the cultivator with the black birth mark, the one who had given Naruto the jade plaque, spoke up.

"Since Fellow Daoist Gitai here is willing to vouch for you, we can forgo the investigation. Just hand over 10,000 spirit stones as bail, and we'll forget the matter." His eyes overflowed with scorn as he looked at Naruto. He was convinced that a person like Naruto, with no identity medallion and a low cultivation base, had obviously run into trouble outside, and was now attempting to seek refuge on Planet East Victory.

Had Naruto been generous to begin with, and just handed over 10,000 spirit stones to purchase the right to stay there, then he wouldn't have caused any problems for him. However, he was obviously seeking a favor from Planet East Victory, and yet at the same time was being stingy. Whenever the cultivators who guarded the gate ran into people like this, they would make sure to teach them a lesson.

Of course, if Naruto had an incredible cultivation base, then they wouldn't dare to do something like that. But with his current cultivation base, he was definitely the type they would give a hard time to.

If it weren't for the fact that they wouldn't do anything to offend Gitai personally, they would definitely do everything they could to take advantage of Naruto.

Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. He had never imagined that just being a little stingy and handing over too few spirit stones for the toll would cause such a fuss.

Especially since… this was his home, the Namikaze Clan of Planet East Victory.

Especially since… he had experienced numerous twists and turns on his journey here, and had even had people trying to track him down and kill him. All of those things which had been brewing in Naruto's heart were now on the verge of causing him to explode.

Originally, his plan had been to get onto Planet East Victory, look around a bit, and then go to the Namikaze Clan. But as of this moment, he changed his mind. Now that he had finally arrived at Planet East Victory, he actually needn't keep a low profile any more. It was time for him to see who it was that actually dared to try to kill him!

He chuckled coldly, slapped his bag of holding, and caused 10,000 spirit stones to trickle out and form a small mountain.

The surrounding cultivators who guarded East Heaven Gate looked on with snide smiles. The man with the black birthmark made a grasping motion to collect the spirit stones. Then he looked scornfully at Naruto and threw him a jade plaque.

"If you'd done this to begin with you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble. Now, you may enter Planet East Victory."

Gitai quickly walked over to Naruto and murmured, "I forgot to mention this earlier, Elder Brother Uzumaki. These aren't ordinary guards, they're Outer Clan members of the Namikaze Clan…. If you had just spent a bit more money, then they wouldn't have given you a hard time.

"But, you only bought one day on the planet, and you didn't even have an identity medallion…." Inwardly, Gitai was shaking his head; were it not for the fact that Naruto had saved his life before, he would never have intervened and vouched for him.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he looked at Gitai and coolly said, "Many thanks for your assistance in this matter, Elder Brother Gitai. However, on Planet East Victory, if somebody takes my spirit stones, they will pay me back a hundredfold."

His words caused Gitai to gape.

Naruto turned and headed, not toward East Heaven Gate, but rather, in the direction of the Namikaze Clan's gate.

This immediately caused all of the cultivators in the area to stare him shock.

The more than one hundred gate guards were also looking on in astonishment.

"Is this guy crazy? He's actually heading toward the Namikaze Clan's gate?"

The man with the black birthmark sneered and said, "How reckless! Well, if he tries to force his way through the Namikaze Clan gate, then he'll be crushed to death. We don't have to do anything."

Gitai's face fell and he immediately hurried forward.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, it's… it's impossible for you to enter this gate! If you don't have the blood of the Namikaze Clan in you, then you'll be killed!"

Naruto paid him no heed, and in the blink of an eye, was in front of the gate. While all the other cultivators looked on in astonishment, he lifted his foot and stepped into the gate.

Discussions immediately broke out among the onlookers outside of East Heaven Gate.

"This guy is nuts…."

"If he doesn't have Namikaze Clan blood, then he's dead for sure! But, if he does possess a Namikaze Clan bloodline, then why would he wait in line and even pay a spirit stone tax?"

"Maybe he has some other way to get through the Namikaze Clan's gate. But wait, that's not possible! No matter what you do, even if you're from the Namikaze Clan itself, you can't hide your bloodline. Anyone who isn't from the Namikaze Clan will definitely be killed by that gate."

The over one hundred Namikaze Outer Clan members standing guard outside the gate looked on with cold smiles, especially the cultivator with the black birthmark, whose eyes especially shone with scorn.

"You went looking to die, so you can't blame anyone else," he sneered. "Fellow Daoist Gitai, it's not that I didn't give you face, sir. I already gave him permission to enter East Heaven Gate, and yet, he's choosing to kill himself."

Gitai stamped his foot, and then an anxious expression appeared on his face. However, there was nothing he could do.

It was in this moment that Naruto began to step into the Namikaze Clan's gate. Only half of his foot had actually entered the gate when it began to rumble.

"It's going to crush him to death!" said the cultivator with the black birthmark, a coldly sinister smile plastered across his face. A moment later, that smile suddenly froze, then turned into an expression of disbelief. Everyone else who was discussing the matter also stopped, and their eyes went wide.

The more than one hundred Outer Clan disciples who were guarding East Heaven Gate stared with open mouths.

Gitai's eyes flickered with shock, and his brain filled with roaring as he gasped in astonishment.

Everyone could clearly see that as Naruto stood there, the gate trembled and… began to shine with light.

It took only a moment for a 300-meter beam of light to rise up, completely filling the pupils of all onlookers with glittering reflected light.

"Impossible!" said the cultivator with the black birthmark, his voice hoarse. He suddenly began to quiver.

The more than one hundred cultivators guarding East Heaven Gate gasped, and their minds reeled.

The crowds immediately went into an uproar.

"A 300-meter Gatebeam! Heavens! He's a member of the Namikaze Clan, and not an ordinary one at that! The fact that he has a 300-meter Gatebeam shows that his bloodline exceeds that of an ordinary clan member!"

"If he's a member of the Namikaze Clan, then why did he try to go through East Heaven Gate?"

It was then that the crowds fell silent.

As soon as Naruto's foot touched onto the ground, and half of his body entered the gate, the beam of light shot up… from 300 meters to 3,000 meters, accompanied by deafening rumbling sounds.

The 3,000-meter Gatebeam was spectacular to behold, and all of the cultivators outside of East Heaven Gate felt as if they couldn't breathe. They stared in shock and disbelief, their minds reeling.

"A 3,000-meter Gatebeam…. Heavens! He's a Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!"

"Who is he? A cultivator with 3,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam can't be a nobody! He must have a high status in the Namikaze Clan!"

The cultivator with the black birthmark staggered backward a few steps, his face deathly pale, and a feeling of intense regret rose up in his heart. He even felt resentful.

"Y-y-you… you're actually a member of the Namikaze Clan!" he thought, panting continuously. "With a bloodline like that, why would you go through East Heaven Gate!? Why did you have to make trouble for me…? Well, even if you do have a 3,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, I was just enforcing the law as I should have, so my actions were justifiable!" Even still, his heart was filled with intense apprehension.

Gitai stood there gaping at Naruto, unable to even speak.

If that were all there were to the matter, it wouldn't be a big deal. But then, Naruto finished stepping into the gate, which caused the rumbling sounds to increase, and the beam of light to shoot higher into the air.

3,000 meters. 4,500 meters. 6,000 meters. 7,500 meters….

In the space of only a few breaths of time, the beam of light reached a height of 9,000 meters!

A plopping sound could be heard as the cultivator with the black birthmark suddenly seemed to lose all of his cultivation base and strength. He sat down onto the ground, his face as pale as a corpse's, without the slightest sign of color.

"9… 9,000 meters!" he thought. "Finished. I'm finished! If… if it were only 3,000 meters, I could still say I was just enforcing the law, but he… he has a 9,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam. A clan member like that, I… I…."

He wasn't the only one who was acting like that. The Namikaze Outer Clan members who had surrounded him earlier and mocked him coldly were now looking on with fallen faces. Their scalps were numb, and they were terrified.

The rest of the people standing outside of the gate were watching with wide eyes and slack jaws, their minds trembling.

"9… 9,000 meters…. What bloodline is that? That's second only to the number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, Prince Menma. When Prince Menma entered the door, his Gatebeam reached 24,000 meters!"

"Who is this guy…?"

It wasn't just the people outside the gate who were shocked. In the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion in Planet East Victory, there was a huge bell. Moments ago, that bell had begun to toll. The sound of it rang out through all of the clan's various branches. No outsider could hear it; it rang out only in the minds of the members of the Namikaze Clan.

In the main hall of the ancestral mansion, an old man with a full head of white hair sat cross-legged in meditation. His expression was solemn, and when he opened his eyes, his gaze was profound, and his eyes flickered like lightning. Sitting in front of him were eight other people, all of whom were engaged in a discussion.

When the bell tolled, the faces of all of the men in the main hall flickered, and they looked up.

"Someone with a strong bloodline just entered the Namikaze Gate and has invoked the toll of the bell!"

"The Dao Bell only tolls when a clan member enters the gate for the first time, and a Bloodline Gatebeam of 3,000 meters or higher appears!"

"What member of the junior generation has gone to test out their bloodline?"

Everyone was shocked, and the old man sitting up front looked up, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

When members of the Namikaze Clan came of age, they would enter the Namikaze Gate to test their bloodline. The Dao Bell would only ring the first time they did so.

As of this moment, there were many locations within the Namikaze Clan in which expressions of surprise could be heard. Naruto's 19th Uncle was currently sitting cross-legged next to a lake, clutching a flagon of alcohol, his face glum and anguished. When the bell tolled, he almost didn't seem to hear it, and just kept drinking. Off to the side, a young man with a bitter expression on his face hung upside down in midair.

In another location was a stretch of pitch black land from which a volcano rose up. Sitting cross-legged deep inside the volcano was a middle-aged man, whose eyes suddenly snapped open and began to shine with brilliant light.

In another area, there was a blood-red desert, where a young man could be seen sitting. He suddenly raised his head and looked up into the sky.

In a variety of locations, clan members began to take notice of the tolling of the bell. When it tolled a second time, even more people were visibly moved. When it tolled a third time, even more people were shocked.

However, after the third tolling of the bell… it didn't stop!

Naruto stood there in the Namikaze Clan's gate, unmoving, surrounded by a gentle aura that swirled around his body, stimulating his bloodline. His face was calm; since he had chosen this route, then he would continue to shock Heaven and Earth.

He took a deep breath and fully released the power of his bloodline, allowing the gentle power of the gate to thoroughly assess its strength.

In the blink of an eye, the Gatebeam exploded up. It broke through from 9,000 meters to 12,000, causing the bell to toll a fourth time!

That fourth bell toll could be heard by all the Namikaze Clan members over the entirety of Planet East Victory, and caused even more people to feel astonishment. Next, however, the Namikaze Gate's Gatebeam shot higher, reaching 15,000 meters. A fifth bell toll echoed out, shaking the entire Namikaze Clan.

"Five bell tolls! Who is testing out their bloodline? It's… so strong!"

"In the younger generation of the Namikaze Clan, there are less than fifty people who can achieve a 15,000-meter Gatebeam! When it comes to a 18,000-meter beam, there are less than ten, and as for a 21,000-meter beam… there are only three! And then there's… Prince Menma, with his 24,000-meter beam!"

The Namikaze Clan was in an uproar. Naruto stood bathed in light in the Namikaze Clan's gate, the Gatebeam so bright that no one could see him inside of it. Naruto took another breath, and his eyes glittered as the Gatebeam… shot up once again!

It went from 15,000 meters up to 18,000 meters, the scintillating light seemingly limitless. All of the people outside of East Heaven Gate were struck speechless.

When the sixth bell tolled, the entire Namikaze Clan was sent into a stir.

Multiple figures shot up from various locations in the clan and headed toward East Heaven Gate. Even the Elders in the main hall of the Ancestral Mansion flew outside and then began to teleport toward the gate.

Tens of thousands of people all flew out at the same time, including countless powerful experts. In the blink of an eye, numerous people emerged from East Heaven Gate and looked over toward the Namikaze Clan's gate.

The other cultivators outside of East Heaven Gate began to edge backward, their bodies trembling, their expressions that of excitement. They looked at the people walking out of East Heaven Gate and realized that all of them were cultivators from the Namikaze Clan, powerful experts.

These people peered at the Namikaze Clan's gate, but were unable to clearly see who was inside.

"I wonder which branch's child has achieved such a level!"

"Hahaha! The Immortals are blessing the Namikaze Clan. Another Chosen has appeared!"

"Who is it? Is it Jugo? Or Jigumo? Perhaps Jimei?"

The Namikaze Clan members who had just arrived were all waiting in anticipation. It was at this point that a group of eight figures appeared, led by the white-haired old man who had been sitting in the lead position in the main hall of the ancestral mansion.

As soon as he appeared, the other Namikaze Clan members looked over in shock, and then clasped hands.

"Greetings, Grand Elder!"

This old man was none other than the person who had been left to preside over the Namikaze Clan's affairs after the Patriarchs had gone into secluded meditation. He was… the Grand Elder, Kageki! 1

Just as his name suggested, Kageki had an exceedingly high cultivation base that was virtually beyond comprehension. As he walked out of East Heaven Gate, he looked over at the Namikaze Clan's gate, but even he could not see who was inside. All he could see was a vague shadow.

Kageki laughed loudly and said, "An 18,000-meter Gatebeam is an incredibly important matter for the Namikaze Clan. Very well, very well… a clan member with a bloodline like this means that the Namikaze Clan will definitely have a new Chosen!"

At the same time, more and more Namikaze Clan members were emerging from East Heaven Gate.

Meanwhile, the Outer Clan cultivators who had been guarding the gate were so scared that their limbs had become like jelly. They seemed on the verge of dropping dead from fright. As for the cultivator with the black birthmark, he was laying on the ground shivering uncontrollably.

Gitai was also shaking. He looked around at the powerful figures around him, and then back at the Namikaze Clan's gate, his face covered with a look of disbelief.

It was at this point that more rumbling sounds could be heard as the light exploded up once again. It went from 18,000 meters to 21,000 meters, completely shocking the Namikaze Clan and everyone else outside the gate.

Grand Elder Kageki's eyes were shining with unprecedented brightness.

"21,000 meters! In the current generation of the Namikaze Clan, there aren't even ten people who can cause a 21,000-meter Gatebeam to appear! Today… there's one more! Who is this person?"

"It's definitely someone from an auxiliary bloodline. I'm eighty percent certain that it's Jimei."

The Namikaze Clan members outside East Heaven Gate were completely astonished. Meanwhile, back on Planet East Victory, seven bell tolls had rung out into the ears of all Namikaze Clan members. It was at this point that Naruto's 19th Uncle, who sat by the lake drinking alcohol, suddenly quivered. He slowly put the flagon of alcohol down and looked up into the sky.

"Seven bell tolls…" he thought. "Who exactly is stepping into the Namikaze Clan's gate for the first time. Could it be… that it's Naruto?!" 19th Uncle suddenly stood up and waved his hand. The young man who had been hanging there upside down let out a shriek as 19th Uncle grabbed him and flew up into the air.

"Dad! Dad, it was my fault! I really made a mistake…." 19th Uncle completely ignored the young man's shrieks, simply carrying him along as he shot toward East Heaven Gate. He had to see if this newcomer… really was Naruto!

Meanwhile, in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, there was another temple hall in which two people sat. One was an old man, the other slightly younger. They sat there cross-legged, listening to the tolling of the bell.

The old man's eyes opened, and he coolly said, "Go see which bloodline this person comes from. If it's ours, then it doesn't matter. If not… ask that person to come here; I can always adopt another grandchild."

The middle-aged man's expression was dignified, and he actually somewhat resembled Minato. He nodded, then strode away and vanished. When he reappeared, he was up in the sky.

His eyes glittered brightly.

"Latent talent with a 21,000-meter Gatebeam. That's only a little bit less than my boy, and makes this person worthy of becoming his little brother."

At the same time, deep down in the earth beneath the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, there was an Immortal's cave. It was filled with dense Immortal Chakra, the reason being that the entire Immortal's cave… was made of Immortal jade!

A young, bare-chested man sat cross-legged in that Immortal's cave, surrounded by nine wizened old men. The old men were bound with iron chains that were in turn connected to spell formations. The men howled shrilly as Immortal Chakra flowed out from them into the spell formations, and was then absorbed by the young man.

There were an additional three old men who stood in the cave, observing the process with slight smiles.

"Prince, your cultivation base is continuing to progress."

"Considering your latent talent, Prince, you can definitely be reckoned one of the very best in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Soon, even the Chosen from the Three Great Daoist Societies will have no choice but to bow their heads in your presence."

"Prince, you have incredible ambitions. It won't be long before you reach true Immortal Ascension. Then, you will be able to sweep across all the Chosen in the Ninth Mountain and Sea."

It was at this point that the tolling of the bells reached their ears, and the faces of the three men flickered. The young man, however, continued to meditate.

None of the non-Namikaze Clan members on Planet East Victory could hear the bells. However, more and more Namikaze Clan members were flying out and heading toward East Heaven Gate, gathering there to look at the boundless Gatebeam.

"Just who exactly is it…?"

"There's no need to get excited. We'll be able to see who it is soon enough. Pretty soon, this person's rank in the clan is going to be very different from everyone else!"

Within the crowd, Naruto's 19th Uncle peered toward the shadow in the Namikaze Clan's gate, trembling. Nobody else had ever seen Naruto before, and thus, wouldn't recognize him. However, 19th Uncle could sense something familiar about the shadow.

"Who is it?" asked the young man next to 19th Uncle, staring with wide eyes. "Who has a 21,000-meter Gatebeam?" In response, his father smacked him hard.

"Dad…." grumbled the young man, scowling. He was just about to say something else when, all of a sudden, more rumbling could be heard, and the beam of light coming from the Namikaze Clan's gate… shot higher once again.

RUMMMBLLLE!

It went from 21,000 meters all the way to 24,000 meters. The grand sight caused all the Namikaze Clan Members outside East Heaven Gate to stare blankly.

"Heavens! What's… what's going on!?"

"24,000 meters. I can't believe… that it actually reached 24,000 meters! Prince Menma's Gatebeam is also 24,000 meters! This person's bloodline is actually as strong as Prince Menma's!"

"Who is there in the clan that could pull this off? It's impossible! If I remember correctly, there is no clan member at all who has a bloodline like this!"

Amidst all the uproar, there were a few old men in the crowd from the Namikaze Clan whose expressions were grim and bitter, and who said nothing. There weren't many people like that in the crowd, but they were all direct bloodline descendants of the Namikaze Clan!

Their glory was now a thing of the past. First Naruto's grandfather had gone missing, then his father went to Planet Lands of Ninshu. After that, the direct bloodline Patriarchs all went into secluded meditation and wouldn't emerge. The direct bloodline was in decline, and the situation was only continuing to grow worse.

When they saw the boundless light in front of them, they could only sigh.

"Our bloodline used to have someone who could considered a true Chosen! It's too bad… he was supposed to return last year, but… now we don't even know if he's alive or dead."

There was another person in the crowd, a person who had just arrived. He was the middle-aged man who intended to try to acquire Naruto for his own bloodline. Originally, he stood there in the middle of all the other clan members, smiling broadly.

However, now that the Gatebeam had reached 24,000 meters, his eyes widened, and deep therein could be seen a flicker of killing intent. It didn't matter who this person in the gate was, the fact that they had caused a 24,000-meter Gatebeam to appear meant that they were a threat to his son.

Grand Elder Kageki's pupils constricted imperceptibly. However, his expression was one of kindness, and even more so, excitement.

"Wonderful! It appears that the Namikaze Clan will soon have another almighty Chosen like Menma!"

The Namikaze Clan was in an uproar. On Planet East Victory, the bell had tolled eight times, and the clan members who had not already flown up into the air were astonished. Whether it was the young man in the blood-colored desert, or the middle-aged man practicing cultivation in the volcano, or anyone else, they all flew up.

Back in the ancestral mansion, the old man who had sent his son to East Heaven Gate suddenly opened his eyes, and they shone with terrifying light.

"24,000 meters. Other than my grandson, there is no one in the current generation of the Namikaze Clan who has such a strong bloodline. This person must not be from Planet East Victory!

"It's him… it must be that damned son of a bitch! He's not dead after all!" At first, killing intent flickered in his eyes, but then he frowned, and felt fear welling up in his heart. This was Planet East Victory, and because of the Namikaze Clan Dao Reserves… it didn't matter how high up he was in the clan, he didn't dare to publicly break clan rules.

"Dammit, he's making such a big scene! You can tell he's a profound schemer!"

By now, everyone in the Namikaze Clan was shaken. Naruto's Gatebeam put him on par with the number one Chosen in the clan, Menma. The strength of such a bloodline was completely terrifying.

The ordinary clan members were all excited, but those clan members with deep cultivation bases or otherwise held significant influence watched with various expressions. They were happy to see a Chosen appear. However, if that Chosen's power reached a terrifying level… then it wouldn't actually be a joyous occasion.

If this person threatened Menma's status, a fight would surely break out like that between a dragon and a tiger, the result would be a clan member dying, and would affect the struggle for supremacy by the various sub-branches in the family. In-clan fighting was a very complicated thing.

Naruto stood there in the Namikaze Clan's gate, his eyes closed but his blood surging. As it flowed through his body, he could sense that… there was still more power locked in his blood.

He took a deep breath and then suddenly opened his eyes.

"If I'm going to make a big scene, then I might as well go all out!" His cultivation base exploded with power, his blood flowed, and the entire gate began to shake. The Gatebeam outside once again shot up higher into the sky.

25,000 meters. 26,000 meters… 27,000 meters!

A buzz of conversation rose up, but was quickly silenced as… the beam continued to climb higher!

28,000 meters. 28,500 meters… 29,000… All the way to…

29,900 meters!

30,000 meters! 1

All of the Namikaze Clan members were completely shaken to the maximum. Although Grand Elder Kageki's pupils dilated with shock, his face was plastered with a huge smile. The older members of the clan were frowning, but the ordinary clan members were shouting out in happiness.

"30,000 meters! That's even more than Prince Menma! This person's bloodline purity is unprecedented!"

"A 30,000-meter Gatebeam! In the tens of thousands of years of recorded clan history, there has never been something like this before!"

"According to the legends, only the early ancestors of the clan had a 30,000-meter Gatebeam. That means this person's bloodline… evoked an Ancestral Awakening!"

Naruto's 19th Uncle was incredibly excited, and his eyes shone brightly.

"It's definitely Naruto. Only a grandson of the direct bloodline could have blood like that!"

On Planet East Victory, the ninth bell tolled, and then a tenth. As they echoed out, the old man in the ancestral mansion suddenly shot to his feet, an expression of disbelief on his face. Deep beneath the surface of the ground, the young man in the Immortal's cave who was absorbing the Immortal Chakra from the nine old men suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils were violet, and shone with a strange glow.

"So, has he returned…?" the young man murmured.

On this day, the Namikaze Clan members were sent into unprecedented astonishment.

On this day, the crowds were packed tight outside East Heaven Gate.

On this day, all of the powerful experts of the Namikaze Clan flew out to East Heaven Gate.

On this day, the cultivators who had lined up outside East Heaven Gate experienced something they would never forget.

On this day, Gitai saw something that he would remember for his whole life, something like a dream. A cultivator he knew as Naruto… stepped into the Namikaze Clan's gate, and a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam shot up. It was the stuff of legends, and perhaps, the foundation of a myth.

Rumbling echoed out from the Namikaze Clan's gate as the brilliant light slowly faded away. The eyes of all onlookers, of all the Namikaze Clan members, were cast toward the gate. Gradually, what became clear was an unfamiliar young man who walked out to stand in front of everyone.

He was tall and slender, and wore a long blue robe. His black hair drifted about in the air around him, and his face was somewhat sallow and thin. However, as he stood there, he looked like he was standing on top of the sun.

His eyes shone brightly, like stars, and as he stood there, he looked around at everyone a bit bashfully.

"My father is Minato. My mother is Kushina. My big sister is Karin. I took my mother's surname, and my name is Naruto. Grandfathers and Grandmothers, Uncles, Brothers and Sisters… greetings!"

Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply.

Naruto looked at all the members of the Namikaze Clan and introduced himself in an unprecedented fashion. The response to his words was complete and utter silence.

All the clan members looked at Naruto, at his unfamiliar face, and the Namikaze Clan gate behind him. The 30,000-meter beam of light from moments ago had faded away.

Naruto was a name they weren't familiar with, but when it came to Minato, that was a name that had once been the most glorious name in all the Namikaze Clan, and a name that would never be forgotten. Minato was the eldest son of the direct bloodline, and the number one Chosen of his generation. He had swept easily across all the other clan members of the other bloodlines, and had also suppressed the Chosen of various other sects in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

During that time, Minato was so mighty that he was like a blazing sun in the sky and all others in his generation were like ordinary stars that served only to illuminate him in his splendor.

Furthermore, he ended up marrying an exceptional daughter of the Meng Clan. People came from the Eighth Mountain to attend their cultivator bonding ceremony, turning it into a grand occasion that people from both of those great Mountains and Seas still discussed.

Then Naruto was born, which pushed Minato and Kushina to the peak of fame.

But then, in much the same way that luxury often fades to poverty, everything had changed in the blink of an eye. To the surprise and disbelief of many, Minato's father disappeared, and then Minato… went to Planet Lands of Ninshu to guard it for 100,000 years….

And all of this was for his son, Naruto!

He was a boy with a strong bloodline, who had experienced Nirvanic Rebirth at the age of seven. He had a Heaven-defying bloodline, but had been born crippled. During those years, there were many people who believed that Naruto was holding his mother and father back.

But now, Naruto had returned!

Or perhaps you could say, Naruto had returned!

The return of this one individual had prompted the entire clan to emerge to receive him. When he left with his parents, it shook all of Planet East Victory. Then he returned, and similarly shook the entire planet once again.

That was because his return was marked with a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, which immediately vanquished the number one Chosen of the Namikaze Clan, Menma. His actions swept across all clan members, and made him the focus of all eyes.

After a moment of silence, the clan members erupted into conversation.

"Naruto…. He's Naruto! The eldest grandson of the direct bloodline!"

"Heavens! It's actually him! He's returned! He's the kid from years ago who had the strong bloodline and underwent Nirvanic Rebirth at the age of seven! He's… back!"

When Naruto spoke the names of his parents, the direct bloodline clan members in the crowd began to tremble with excitement. 19th Uncle strode forward, staring at Naruto. During the past year, he had been wallowing in guilt and self-blame for letting his older cousin down, to the point where he had almost drowned in the negativity. Now that he saw Naruto safely returned, and also surging with incredible power, the joy he felt was virtually impossible to even describe.

Laughter rang out as Grand Elder Kageki walked forward. He looked at Naruto and then smiled kindly.

"As long as you're back, that's what's important. It doesn't matter if your name is Naruto or Naruto, you are still a member of the Namikaze Clan, and the eldest grandson of the clan's direct bloodline!

"I held you in my arms when you were a little kid, you know." Kageki laughed heartily, and the kindness on his face was readily apparent. The more he looked at Naruto, the happier he seemed.

Behind him were other elder members of the clan, all of whom wore happy smiles on their faces as they approached Naruto.

"What a good kid! You must have suffered many hardships through the years."

"As long as you're back, that's what's important. Now that you've returned to the clan, your future prospects are limitless."

"Today is a day for great rejoicing! Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"

All the members of the Namikaze Clan were crying out in joy. In the cultivation world, when it comes to clans and sects, bloodlines and family, while they may be complicated, they are sometimes very simple.

Naruto's return was the subject of great happiness for countless individuals. The previously taciturn middle-aged man was laughing out loud. He stepped forward, looked Naruto over, and then sighed deeply.

"Naruto, I'm your 2nd Uncle. Years ago, your father and I fought in battles together, grew up together, and practiced cultivation together. In fact, you and Menma were born only an hour apart. You were virtually born together.

"The most important thing is that you're back. You're a member of the Namikaze Clan, and within our clan, you are definitely Chosen!"

More people crowded around Naruto, especially the direct bloodline clan members. They were more excited than anyone else. Naruto's return was a source of incredible inspiration and encouragement. Furthermore, the appearance of the 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam finally gave them hope for their own bloodline.

"Naruto," said the Grand Elder, "come. Come here to me, and we can return home together." The praise and geniality in his eyes were clear.

19th uncle approached and began to introduce everyone to Naruto. "Naruto, this is the Grand Elder. The Patriarchs are all in secluded meditation. Fortunately, the Grand Elder is here to handle clan affairs."

Naruto quickly clasped hands and bowed.

"Junior offers greetings, Grand Elder."

The Grand Elder laughed; he seemed to be growing fonder of Naruto by the minute.

"However, I can't return to the clan at the moment," said Naruto, sounding a bit embarrassed. In response to his words, everyone stared in shock.

"A few moments ago, somebody stole some of my spirit stones," Naruto continued, sighing. His gaze swept across the group of Outer Sect cultivators who had been guarding East Heaven Gate, lingering for a moment on the cultivator with the black birthmark. In response, a tremor ran through the man, and then he passed out from fear.

"How much was stolen?" asked the young man standing next to 19th Uncle, looking excitedly at Naruto.

"A million," Naruto replied indignantly.

"Alright, well I'll take care of it." The young man licked his lips. "Oh, my name is Hotarubi." This young man was also a direct bloodline descendant, and was Naruto's younger cousin. 1

The rest of the Namikaze Clan members started to laugh out loud. The scene that was playing out in front of them was almost like a comedy. Clearly, someone had offended Naruto earlier, before they had known who he was. The Namikaze Clan members viewed the honor of the clan as an important thing, and wouldn't tolerate that honor being trampled, not even by Outer Clan cultivators who weren't aware of Naruto's identity. Those cultivators had unwittingly committed a grave mistake, and would have to be punished.

Immediately, clan members sprang into action, lining up the ashen-faced guard cultivators and taking them away.

As the cultivator with the black birthmark was taken away, he howled miserably. In his regret, tears streamed down his face.

The Grand Elder shook his head and laughed, then clasped Naruto's hand and led him into the Namikaze Clan's gate. The other Namikaze Clan members followed behind. Light from the gate shot high into the air, and rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions.

Gitai stared in shock. As Naruto walked off, he turned back and nodded benevolently. Although Naruto said nothing, Gitai was very moved.

Gradually, all of the Namikaze Clan members returned to Planet East Victory. A new set of cultivators was brought to stand guard outside the gate. These new cultivators trembled nervously; they knew what fate was in store for the previous guards, and held deep respect and fear for Naruto.

Now, they treated the crowds lined up outside the gate with incredible courtesy as they let them through.

Back in the Namikaze Clan, clan members from various bloodlines returned from afar and gathered together in the ancestral mansion for a grand welcoming ceremony.

Compared to the gathering that had been prepared one year before, it was exponentially grander. After all, the previous gathering had been more for show. This time… many people came back of their own volition. They wanted to see for themselves exactly what Naruto looked like, this clan member who had a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam.

Roughly half of Planet East Victory was under the Namikaze Clan's jurisdiction and was occupied by various auxiliary bloodlines. On this planet, there was no Imperial dynasty, only the Namikaze Clan.

Regardless of whether it was their mortal cities, or their cultivators, the Namikaze Clan… was so large and powerful that they eclipsed everyone else. Furthermore, the Church of the Blood Orchid and the Church of the Puppet God both had deep connections to the Namikaze Clan.

Of course, the Medicine Immortal Sect was independent, since it had been founded by a Patriarch of the Namikaze Clan who was still alive, creating a unique relationship.

The Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion was essentially a huge city, and served as the capital city of the Namikaze Clan. It was situated next to an ocean, and was the location where the innumerable bloodlines of the Namikaze Clan would come to gather. It was filled with extravagantly decorated palatial buildings and numerous pagodas that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

In the past, only the direct bloodline had occupied the ancestral mansion, but in recent years… as the direct bloodline declined, some areas had been occupied by an auxiliary bloodline. Now, the direct bloodline only controlled about half of the entire ancestral mansion. In fact, signs pointed to that auxiliary bloodline eventually coming to be considered the main branch.

The welcoming ceremony for Naruto's return was an affair attended by tens of thousands of clan members, who were now gathered in the central square in the middle of the ancestral mansion. To Naruto, it looked vaguely similar to what he had seen in the illusory Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

The ground was paved with green stone slabs, and numerous spell formations could be seen, which emanated incredible pressure. To Naruto, it almost felt as if an enormous ocean were covering everything and weighing it down.

The buildings he saw in all directions were luxurious, and it was as if an enormous sect that could shake all of the Ninth Mountain and Sea had suddenly revealed a tiny portion of itself to Naruto.

Yet, all of it was really just the tip of the iceberg. There were further layers of power that Naruto couldn't even sense with his cultivation base. All he knew was that it was impossible for him to even imagine how many Namikaze Clan members there were on Planet East Victory, and that wasn't even mentioning the Outer Clans or other cultivators who had been specially bestowed with the surname Namikaze.

Altogether… it was a staggering number of cultivators.

Furthermore, the people who had appeared earlier outside of East Heaven Gate were only the most illustrious members of their various bloodlines.

The Grand Elder presided over the welcoming ceremony, and introduced Naruto to many clan members. After sacrifices were made to the ancestors, he gave Naruto a command medallion and numerous other trifles. After that, he led Naruto to the Namikaze Temple in the ancestral mansion.

The temple was enormous, and from the outside, resembled some enormous beast sitting there cross-legged. Inside was a coliseum-like structure, with ten thousand seats arranged in concentric rings. At the moment, more than half of those seats were occupied by various elder members of the clan. All of them looked on with sparkling eyes, and had cultivation bases so profound that Naruto couldn't assess them.

Grand Elder Kageki sat up in the front, his gaze as bright as fire as he looked at Naruto standing in the middle of the temple. There were many other clan members seated nearby, including his 2nd Uncle, as well as an old man covered with wrinkles, who gazed piercingly at Naruto as he measured him up. That old man… was Menma's paternal grandfather, the same old man within whom killing intent toward Naruto had flickered earlier.

There were other clan members seated in the area. Most of them were young, and among their number, Naruto caught sight of Dei, who looked at him and smiled. 2

Naruto also saw Fugai. When she saw him looking at her, she trembled and lowered her head. She obviously still remembered everything that had happened on Planet Lands of Ninshu 3

Many Chosen from the Namikaze Clan were there, including a young man in a white robe, with skin as smooth as jade. He was the young man who had been practicing cultivation earlier in the Immortal's cave deep under the ancestral mansion. Currently, he sat in a seat, surrounded by a group of over a hundred cultivators roughly his age.

One of the young cultivators near him was Futsu! 4

Futsu gave Naruto a venomous stare, then leaned over and whispered something into the ear of the young man in the white robe.

Actually, that young man had no need for the entourage. Comparing their energy to his was like comparing the darkness of night to a raging fire. He seemed like a wolf in the middle of a flock of sheep, and was someone anyone would recognize at a single glance.

This was the previous number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, Prince Menma… Menma!

Menma was always surrounded by groups of fellow young cultivators. No matter where he went, he was the center of attention. After all, he was Menma, the long time number one Chosen of this generation in the Namikaze Clan.

He was famous in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

Furthermore, although he wasn't the legitimate eldest grandson of the Namikaze Clan, he essentially held that position.

In this generation of the Namikaze Clan, the only person who ranked above him in seniority was Naruto!

As he sat there calmly, he glanced at Naruto for a moment, then closed his eyes. A year before, when the clan had convened the welcoming ceremony, he did not make an appearance; he couldn't care less that Naruto had been scheduled to return.

The only reason he came today was because the strength of Naruto's bloodline had piqued his interest.

The air in the temple was very solemn. All of the people seated inside were Namikaze Clan Elders, and although not every single clan Elder had come, this group comprised the majority of those who were on Planet East Victory.

Each person in the temple looked like an Immortal Deity. All of them, be it in terms of their Chakra and Blood, or in terms of their aura, were terrifying to the extreme. As Naruto looked around, he realized that he couldn't gauge any of their cultivation bases.

As of this moment, Naruto gained a clearer understanding of how powerful the Namikaze Clan was.

If you didn't count the Hebi Clan, this clan could actually be considered the number one clan in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea. The year that Lord Asura disappeared, if the Namikaze Clan had been stronger by just a hair… the Ninth Mountain and Sea might now be following a Lord Namikaze.

Naruto was also well aware that he was really only looking at the tip of the iceberg. The Namikaze Clan had even deeper and more powerful resources, making them a force that few would ever trifle with lightly.

Furthermore, Naruto… was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline of the Namikaze Clan. It was easy to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't experienced the Seventh Year Tribulation. Had he grown up in the Namikaze Clan, his status and fame would definitely have made him well-known throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, as well as the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

All of the Elders were now looking at Naruto. It was impossible to tell whether they were happy or angry; their expressions were abstruse and impossible to read, and filled the hall with incredible pressure. As for Menma, and his father and grandfather, undetectable gleams flickered in their eyes.

Naruto was the only person standing, right there in the middle of the temple. As for the pressure that emanated from those surrounding him, Naruto didn't even flinch.

After a long moment, Grand Elder Kageki finally spoke.

"Naruto!" he said, his expression solemn. His voice echoed out in the temple, making it sound almost as if a throng of people were speaking. Everything trembled.

"Having offered sacrifices to the ancestors, you are now officially a member of the Namikaze Clan. Henceforth, you shall enjoy access to the Namikaze Clan's cultivation resources, and many things will now tilt in your favor.

"However, there is something you must never forget!" The Grand Elder's expression was suddenly threatening, although it lacked any anger.

"Now that you are a member of the Namikaze Clan, you must follow all of the clan rules. Violate those rules, and it doesn't matter how strong your bloodline is, or that you have a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam. Despite that… you will still be punished!

"Speaking of the clan rules, I will give you a detailed copy that you can study in a moment."

Naruto stood there silently, looking at the Grand Elder.

After the Grand Elder finished speaking, a white-haired, ruddy-faced old man seated off to the side smiled and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the clan, let us discuss how the cultivation resources will be allocated to Naruto."

"Naruto is the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline," someone said. "In fact, he is the highest-ranking grandson of his generation in the entire Namikaze Clan. He's had a hard time in the outside world during these years. Now that he's back in the clan, he should naturally be given the very best of everything!"

"The Immortal's cave next to Brightmoon Lake has good fortune of Heaven and Earth inside," another person said. "Furthermore, the remains of a Heavenly Dragon can be found therein. It is absolutely the best Immortal's cave in all of Planet East Victory. From my perspective, that Immortal's cave should definitely be given to Naruto."

Another of the Elders looked at Naruto with praise in his eyes and said, "That's right. For years, no one has possessed the qualifications to have that Immortal's cave. We of the direct bloodline have him as our eldest grandson, and in fact, the highest-ranking grandson of his entire generation! He is the only one who could possibly be qualified to have that Immortal's cave."

This was not a situation where people were trying to bring Naruto down by over-praising him. These people truly wanted Naruto to have the best resources to help him advance himself in the quickest manner possible.

Almost as soon as the Elder from the direct bloodline finished speaking, other Elders began to speak.

"That's not entirely proper. Naruto has just returned, and hasn't yet made the least contribution whatsoever to the good of the can't reward him with that Immortal's cave on the basis of his position alone. That wouldn't be fair."

"Precisely. In the Namikaze Clan, one's standing is based on how much one has contributed to the clan. To avoid causing other clan members to have feelings of resentment, Naruto should not be given that Immortal's cave."

It only took a moment for a clamor to arise as numerous Elders began to give their opinions. In the end, Naruto could tell that about thirty percent of the Elders disagreed, with only about ten percent standing on Naruto's side. The rest maintained their silence.

The Grand Elder had predicted that something like this would happen, so he sat there silently, his expression the same as usual.

It was at this point that suddenly, Menma, who sat in a chair surrounded by over a hundred young companions, suddenly opened his eyes to speak.

"Respected Elders, I regret to inform you that Junior has already taken the Immortal's cave by Brightmoon Lake and gifted it to someone." His voice was placid and seemingly devoid of any emotion whatsoever. As soon as he spoke, the direct bloodline Elders' faces grew dark. However, none of them offered any sort of response.

An imperceptible flicker appeared in Naruto's eyes. The words spoken by Menma carried much meaning. This was a meeting of Namikaze Clan elders, and none of the other members of the younger generation had seats except for Menma.

Furthermore, his words actually carried a domineering weight that seemed to be intolerant of any opposition. It was so domineering… that even the direct bloodline Elders didn't dare to retort.

Naruto looked over at Menma, and Menma looked back at him for a moment before closing his eyes.

Then, the direct bloodline Elder spoke up again.

"Other than the Immortal's cave, there are also the ten batches of Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills concocted by Pill Elder from the Dao of Alchemy Division. That type of pill is a rare medicine that provides mysterious assistance when rising from the Spirit Realm into the Immortal Realm. Seven batches of those pills should be given to Naruto!"

"That's not appropriate either," said another Elder. "Only ten batches of pills are concocted per year, and the medicinal plant ingredients are all extinct in the outside world. The Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pill is the Namikaze Clan's strongest type of pill that exists in the gap between the Spirit and Immortal Realms. They are concocted for the benefit of the entire junior generation. Therefore, giving seven batches to Naruto is impossible. I say, one batch should be enough."

As before, the Grand Elder said nothing. It was at this point that the white-robed Menma opened his eyes and spoke again.

"Respected Elders, I regret to inform you that Junior has already made arrangements for all ten batches of Rainbow Immortality Evanescence Pills."

Immediately, silence once again filled the entire temple. Fury burned in the direct bloodline Elders' eyes, but all they could do was clench their jaws and maintain silence.

Naruto had not spoken yet either, but his brow had gradually become furrowed as he looked over at Menma. Menma had only spoken twice, yet each time his words had silenced the Elders. This fact revealed a lot.

In addition, Naruto was gradually coming to detect something familiar about Menma, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. After a moment, he began to wonder if he was just imagining it.

Silence reigned in the temple, and while the direct bloodline clan members sat there gloomily, there were Elders from other bloodlines who were smiling slightly. Finally, Grand Elder Kageki cleared his throat and then began to speak, his eyes shining.

"Well, since we have a disagreement regarding the Immortal's cave and the medicinal pills, let's put those matters aside for now. Naruto, you are the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, so I will take responsibility for you now. There will be no more discussion. You will be given the highest quality compensation from the clan." With that, he waved his right hand, causing a jade slip to fly out and come to float in front of Naruto.

"Take this jade slip to the clan's Hall of the People. That is where you can withdraw your monthly set cultivation resources.

"As for the Immortal's cave…." The Grand Elder muttered to himself for a moment, then waved his hand, causing a gentle light to spread out, which rapidly solidified into a map.

There were various dots of glowing light on the map, each of which represented an Immortal's cave. The closer the Immortal's caves were to the center of the map, the stronger the auras they emitted. In the very center of them all was a lake, which was none other than Brightmoon Lake.

"Naruto, go ahead and select an Immortal's cave from among the ones you see here. The dim lights represent Immortal's caves that have already been spoken for." As the Grand Elder spoke, about eighty percent of the lights on the map went dark. Not many were left behind. There were still a few next to Brightmoon Lake, but most were located in other areas, and especially along the edges.

All eyes were on Naruto, and most of the onlookers seemed concerned, although it was impossible to tell whether such feelings were true or false.

Naruto was silent for a moment, then clasped hands and bowed to the Grand Elder.

"Grand Elder, Junior has come to Planet East Victory upon my father's request to take my two Nirvana Fruits. I don't really care about Immortal's caves or medicinal pills. I don't need them. I just want my Nirvana Fruits." Having directly spoken these words, Naruto gazed at the Grand Elder.

Complete silence filled the temple.

Finally, the Grand Elder waved his hand as if he couldn't accept Naruto's refusal of the Immortal's cave and other things.

"Naruto, you just got back to the clan," he said, his voice kind. "You need some time to get familiar with everything. An Immortal's cave, cultivation resources, and those medicinal pills are things that, as a member of the Namikaze Clan, belong to you by right.

"Regarding the Nirvana Fruits, fear not, they're yours. Naturally, they will be returned to you. I personally promised your father exactly that when he left.

"Don't worry about that matter. Although, it is a significant affair. Two days from now, I will make an announcement throughout the entire clan, inviting clan members here to bear witness to the returning of the Nirvana Fruits into your hands."

Naruto didn't respond. Originally, he didn't have any desire to come to the Namikaze Clan. Now that he was here, and he understood the situation, he was even less willing to stay.

In fact, he was even of a mind to simply leave right then and there. However, when he thought of his parents' hopes, he took a deep breath, and a fierce glow appeared in his eyes for a brief moment. He nodded, and then decided to say one more thing.

"Grand Elder, there is also an Immortality Illumination Vine that my father had prepared for me. Could you please return that to me as well?"

Before the Grand Elder could even respond, the white-robed Menma's voice could be heard.

"I regret to inform you that I've already made arrangements for that Immortality Illumination Vine as well," he said coolly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto's eyes sparkled with icy coldness. He looked over at Menma, smiled slightly, and then began to speak.

"Junior Cousin Menma," he said, his voice ice cold despite his smile, "apparently, I beat the crap out of you too hard when we were young. That's the only explanation for why you've become such a nutcase. Otherwise, what would possibly make you think it was acceptable to steal from me?" 1

When Menma heard this, his eyes glowed with icy coldness as he stared dead at Naruto.

"Could it be that as long as something belongs to me, you'll try to steal it?

"Your twisted view of life is really my fault. In the future, I'll do my best to help you correct the error of your ways." Naruto said these things while staring directly at Menma.

"Do you want to die?" replied Menma coolly.

"How pretentious of you!" said Naruto, walking toward Menma. Each step he took caused the ground to tremble, and his eyes were cold as he stared at Menma.

"In terms of status," he continued coldly, "I am the eldest grandson. In terms of bloodline, my Bloodline Gatebeam was 30,000 meters. In terms of clan seniority, I'm your Elder Cousin. It's my duty to admonish you, and you have no grounds upon which you would be justified in resisting! Since you insist on spewing hogwash, I have to ask you, Menma… do YOU want to die?" Naruto's words were incredibly aggressive.

After he finished speaking, he turned to the Grand Elder and clasped his hands.

"Grand Elder, Menma has shown disrespect to his elders, which undermines the norms of etiquette, a sin that neither Heaven nor Earth can forgive. For a clan to prosper, it must have a standard of conduct. Given the Namikaze Clan's status as a great clan of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the rules must be stricter than others. Respect for seniority is the standard which must be met for the future growth of the clan!

"Do the clan rules permit someone to act in this way? If not, then he has violated clan rules. What might the punishment be for such actions?" As he spoke, the surrounding Elders' eyes went wide, especially the direct bloodline Elders, who were greatly shocked.

When Naruto spoke, his words were as sharp as a sword, completely astonishing everyone in the audience. None of them could possibly have imagined that he would speak in such a vicious tone.

Of course, they didn't know that Naruto had been raised as a scholar, and loved to spar with words. Back in his days as an alchemist, he had engaged in a debate that had resulted in his opponent's Dao Heart becoming unstable. From that, it could be seen how sharp his words could be.

Furthermore, he had verbally dueled with the meat jelly on many occasions, which could be considered further training in debate.

It was at this point that Menma's father, who sat off to the side of the Elders, suddenly spoke, his voice cold.

"Naruto, clan rules prohibit internal conflicts. How could you speak such malicious words? You need to spend some time in self-examination! Men, take him away!"

Naruto showed no fear in response, but instead, began to laugh uproariously. Now that he was here in the Namikaze Clan, and could now take advantage of the Clan's regulations and ordinances, he would not allow anyone to dare try to openly put him at a disadvantage.

"2nd Uncle, correct? Were my words really malicious? I said that I beat him too severely when we were young. That is a simple fact. I said that he has become abnormal, an expression of regret. Then I said that I wish to help him correct the error of his ways. As his Elder Cousin, all of this is a condemnation of myself!

"As his senior, it is my responsibility, in fact, my DUTY to help my Junior Cousin. Therefore, I am unsure as to why 2nd Uncle would call such words malicious."

Menma's father frowned. "How nasty and derogatory! Your histrionics will do you no good! Facts are facts!"

"I'll tell you the facts," retorted Naruto. "This headstrong Junior Cousin wants to steal my Immortal's cave. He also wants to steal my medicinal pills. Despite that, I said nothing. He is the Junior and I am the Senior. If I ALLOW him to have those things, then very well, he can have them.

"However, the reason that I chided him was because he also expressed his desire to steal the Immortality Illumination Vine left for me by my father. Since that item belongs to my father, how could a Junior member of the clan possibly steal it? Can a Junior member of the clan actually be permitted to steal things that belong to someone of the Senior generation? 2nd Uncle, is it possible that you actually approve of such a thing?

"Isn't such behavior a violation of clan rules? It certainly does not respect the rules of seniority, does it? Aren't such actions tantamount to open rebellion?

"In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, what clan exists that permits members of the Junior generation to steal things from the Senior generation? What clan exists that believes such a thing to be proper? Furthermore, what clan exists that intentionally misrepresents the facts, inverting right and wrong?

"2nd Uncle, please, enlighten me. Junior's experience is limited, and I'm really unsure of the answers to these questions." Naruto flicked his sleeve and looked over at Menma's father, his eyes glittering.

"You…." Menma's father looked enraged, but he apparently couldn't think of anything to say in response.

The temple hall was completely silent. The Elders who had originally maintained a position of neutrality were now looking over curiously at Naruto.

19th Uncle's son, Hotarubi, was also there in the crowd, staring blankly at Naruto. He had never imagined that Naruto could speak so incisively.

Naruto had just taken a small matter and turned it into something important, had transformed a relatively minor event into a huge one. He had struck people speechless. Such skill in speaking was something that Hotarubi had never encountered before in his life, and it caused his eyes to shine brightly.

"Enough!" said Grand Elder Kageki. He frowned and swished his sleeve.

"We're all members of the same clan; there's no need for bickering. The matter has passed and will not be brought up again. Naruto, the Immortality Illumination Vine left behind by your father will be given to you." With that, he made a grasping motion, causing a bag of holding to suddenly appear in his hand. He tossed it out toward Naruto, who grabbed it and scanned it with spiritual sense. Inside, he could see the Immortality Illumination Vine, roughly three inches long and as thick as a finger.

Killing intent flickered in Menma's eyes. He gave a cold harrumph, then stood up and walked out of the temple, completely ignoring Naruto in the process. Rustling sounds could be heard as his more than one hundred followers left with him. Each and every one glared menacingly at Naruto as they left, especially Futsu, whose eyes were filled with intense venom.

Naruto ignored Menma, as if he wasn't worth looking at. He clasped hands and bowed to the Grand Elder, then looked back at the map of Immortal's caves. As of now, he was determined to rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan, all for the sake of his father and mother. As such, he would need to make some preparations.

"Dad and mom want me to fight hard and excel for their sakes, and they want me to make sure all the people in the Namikaze Clan see it…. As their son, that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

After looking over the Immortal's caves, he found one that didn't seem very extraordinary at all, although it did have a nicely-sized medicinal plant garden.

"Grand Elder, I'll take this Immortal's cave."

The Grand Elder nodded and performed an incantation gesture. Immediately, a command medallion appeared and flew out toward Naruto.

"Very well. This clan meeting will now adjourn." Next, he looked kindly at Naruto and said, "Naruto, in two days, come back here, and I will personally give you your Nirvana Fruits. There's no need to feel anxious about that." It seemed the Grand Elder approved of how Naruto had behaved during the meeting.

As the crowds dispersed, 19th Uncle called Naruto over and introduced him to the Elders of the direct bloodline. When they looked at him, emotional expressions of reminiscence could be seen on their faces.

Some of these men had watched Naruto's father grow up, and had even held Naruto when he was a baby. They began to talk, and when Naruto's father was mentioned, they sighed. Then the subject of his grandfather came up, and their expressions darkened.

It was evening before they finally dispersed. Hotarubi volunteered to escort Naruto through the ancestral mansion to his Immortal's cave.

En route, Hotarubi took him to get his cultivation resources, and the two of them began to chat amiably.

"Ai, Coz, it's a good thing you're finally back. If you hadn't returned, the direct bloodline would only continue to waste away….

"You have no idea how angry I've been recently. Every time I see Menma, I have to hold back from giving him a taste of my fist! What's so special about that bastard, huh? His latent talent? His strong bloodline?

"Hmph. If it weren't for his father and grandfather, and their Patriarch who occasionally shows his face, their branch would never have started eyeing the ancestral mansion!"

Hotarubi continued to complain to Naruto the entire way.

"In terms of latent talent, Coz, yours is definitely the best. Your Bloodline Gatebeam was 30,000 meters high! Menma can't even compare! Let's see how he continues to claim to be the number one Chosen in the future!

"And then there's that good-for-nothing Futsu. He's vicious! Coz, in the future, you really need to be careful about him.

"Come to think of it, Coz, your cultivation base needs some improvement. It's too bad about those Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills. They're powerful, very powerful. With pills like that, coupled with the power of an Immortality Illumination Vine, it's easily possible to achieve true Immortal Ascension, and then have a big improvement in your cultivation base.

"It's one of the Namikaze Clan's miraculous pills. In fact, when you consider medicinal pills for the Spirit Realm, Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills are one of the top types of pills in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

"Damn that Menma! If it wasn't for him, all of those pills would have been yours." Hotarubi jabbered on and on, almost like the meat jelly. Eventually, he started to tell Naruto stories from when he was young, starting from the time he was one year old and going all the way until he was hundreds of years old….

Naruto just smiled and listened to Hotarubi's grumblings and other explanations about the Namikaze Clan. From all of this, he now had a much better understanding of the Namikaze Clan. Gradually, though, Hotarubi's energetic blabbering turned into nothing more than a buzzing in Naruto's ears.

Overall, though, Naruto could sense the sincerity in Hotarubi.

As they walked along, they ran into many Namikaze Clan members, all of whom looked curiously at Naruto. Some wore smiles, other scowls. Just about any expression imaginable could be seen.

"Coz, there's another important thing. You were really badass back at the temple! I've never seen anybody from the Junior generation dare to stand in the middle of the temple and talk like that. Every single thing you said was true and sensible. They were all struck speechless!"

Night had fallen by the time Hotarubi led Naruto to his Immortal's cave, which was located in the far northern section of the ancestral mansion. It was a quiet, idyllic location that almost looked like a painting. It was night, but the two moons in the sky lit up everything, making it a beautiful scene.

Naruto's Immortal's cave was actually a sprawling two-story residence, beautifully decorated and quite luxurious. There was a small lake nearby, and a stone path which led to it. The canopy of stars overhead was reflected by the lake water, making everything sparkle.

A garden surrounded the little lake, within which grew a variety of medicinal plants. There wasn't a huge amount, but they still caused a sweet fragrance to fill the air. Lotuses could be seen floating on the surface of the lake, and overall, the entire scene looked like something celestial.

Naruto looked around and was quite content. Although this place might not count as very special when compared to all of the other Immortal's caves in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion, in the outside world, it would be considered one of the best.

There was abundant spiritual energy here, as well as Immortal Chakra. Naruto walked into the courtyard and then took a deep breath; he really liked this place.

"Coz," said Hotarubi, "about your gift of the tongue… do you think you could teach me about that? My dad says that I jabber all the time, but that nothing I say makes sense. He's even beaten me on more than one occasion because of it. Coz, could you help me out? Please?" Hotarubi's tone was one of piteous entreaty.

Naruto turned to look at Hotarubi and smiled.

"Are you sure?"

Hotarubi's expression brightened, and he nodded.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but seeing Hotarubi's hopeful expression, he couldn't help but sigh. Tapping his bag of holding, he caused the meat jelly to appear in his hand.

The meat jelly immediately pouted and then began to jabber discontentedly.

"Naruto, you bastard, you deserve to die a horrible death! You dumped me and then exploited me! Wait. No. You exploited me then dumped me! Y-y-you, you're immoral! You're shameless! You're a big bully! I'm going to convert you!"

"Hotarubi," said Naruto, clearing his throat, "keep coming to visit me. Every time you do, you can chat with this thingamajig. When you can hold a conversation with it for three days, you'll be a badass."

"That thing?" said Hotarubi, staring with wide eyes at the meat jelly. The meat jelly suddenly stopped talking and looked at Hotarubi. Both of them seemed to be somewhat at a loss at first, but soon, bright glows appeared in both of their eyes.

"Killing intent!" gasped Naruto, backing up as he sensed the aura building between the meat jelly and Hotarubi.

"So, finally a worthy opponent!" said the meat jelly, leaping up into the air and landing next to Hotarubi, an expression of unprecedented solemnity on its face.

"It seems I've met my match!" replied Hotarubi, having sensed the energy within the meat jelly. It was an explosive energy that only he could sense, and from it, he knew that the meat jelly could continue a conversation for days on end.

"It seems I need to warm up a bit first," said the meat jelly, clearing its throat. "Ahem. Look kid, Lord Third is going to tell you a story that took place three three three three three… well anyway, countless three years ago. This was back in the early days of Heaven and Earth…."

"Cut the crap! All you know is three? Three three three three three. What a disgrace!" Hotarubi hadn't even begun speaking when all of a sudden, the parrot flew out from Naruto's bag of holding. It landed on a nearby tree branch and looked at Hotarubi with a look of disdain.

"Kid, don't listen to his jabbering," said the parrot. "You study with Lord Fifth. Look at my mouth, is it sharp or not? From that, you should be able to imagine how sharp-tongued I am!"

Naruto quickly left the courtyard and fled into the Immortal's cave itself. In his opinion, the battlefield occupied by the meat jelly, the parrot and Hotarubi, was a place he shouldn't remain in. He had already experienced some of Hotarubi's gift of the tongue on the way here. He had talked the entire way, telling stories from the day he was one year old all the way to the present, and tales from the founding of the Namikaze Clan all the way to modern times. When he had run out of conversation topics, he had then begun to introduce the different members of the Namikaze Clan to Naruto.

Of course, it wasn't an introduction made in person, just his own opinions….

Inside his residence, Naruto looked around and saw extreme luxury. Even the furniture was made of spirit stones, which caused his eyes to grow wide.

"The Namikaze Clan… is really rich! And I'm the eldest grandson! Yet… I'm so poor…." Sighing at the injustice of it all, he waved his hands, causing all of the spirit stone furniture to be sucked into his bag of holding.

The once luxurious residence was now simple and stark, and as he looked around, he felt much better. Finally, he sat down cross-legged on the ground, his eyes glittering.

"Father wanted me to get my Nirvana Fruits. It goes without saying that reason is because he wants me to rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan….

"It won't be incredibly difficult to do that, but as for the Nirvana Fruits… the Namikaze Clan… will they actually be able to give them to me?" Frowning, Naruto considered the ambush he had experienced on the way here, and how they had tried to kill him, and his eyes glowed with coldness.

"I wonder if Menma's branch of the clan sent the assassins…." Naruto had learned of how the clan's direct bloodline was currently in a very poor situation. On the other hand, Menma's branch of the clan was on the rise. Not only did they have the support of many of the clan Elders, but they had even occupied some of the ancestral mansion. Some branches of the clan remained neutral, but for the most part, Menma's branch had completely eclipsed the direct bloodline.

"The Grand Elder was acting strange," Naruto thought. "He seemed kind, but in my opinion, it was just an act." He smiled coldly. Other people all assumed that he had been taken care of by his father and mother from the time he was young. They believed that, although his life had not been what it might have been had he stayed in the Namikaze Clan, surely he had not experienced the twists and turns of a dangerous life.

The truth of the matter was that from the age of seven onward, Naruto had been completely alone. In the mortal world, he had struggled hard during his youth, and had developed a spirit of independence. Then he had entered the cultivation world, and had experienced many things, and had survived numerous deadly crises. Step by step, he had advanced through life to reach his current situation. The help he had received from his parents had been scant, to say the least.

Although he might not be a perfect judge of character, he rarely made mistakes when sizing people up. He had quite a bit of experience in contending with others, and naturally, had become quite good at it.

"In two days, they will most likely not give me the Nirvana Fruits. They'll come up with some excuse that I won't be able to dispute, and then delay the matter….

"Of course, me returning to the clan has probably caused a huge headache for whoever it was that was trying to have me killed. However… the higher my position within the Namikaze Clan, the more afraid they will be to do anything to me."

After some more thought, his eyes flickered, and he opened the bag of holding that contained his cultivation resources from the Namikaze Clan. After looking it over, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

There were a hundred bottles of medicinal pills, 1,000,000 spirit stones, and one hundred magic manuals. Although there were no Daoist magics, there were many powerful divine abilities. As for the Namikaze Clan's most powerful Daoist magics, of course there were none.

That was something else Naruto had learned from Hotarubi. Not even Menma could have access to those core Daoist magics, not without performing deeds of merit. Such deeds were considered contributions to the Namikaze Clan.

The more deeds of merit one performed, the more rewards could be acquired.

It was a rule that applied to all of the Namikaze Clan; not even the Grand Elder could violate it.

"I get one thousand merit points every month based on my status in the clan alone. Unfortunately, that's simply not enough to enable me to get some of those core Daoist magics." Naruto's eyes gleamed as he pulled out a jade slip which listed the names and properties of countless medicinal pills, Daoist magics, and other magical items.

All of these things were items that could be purchased with merit points.

There were many that caused Naruto's heart to thump after seeing them.

"There are many ways to earn merit points. The most common way is to complete some of the various trials by fire that are publicly announced throughout the clan. Different trials by fire can earn you different amounts of merit points."

At the same time that Naruto was studying the jade slip, Menma's father and grandfather were seated cross-legged in a temple in the eastern section of the ancestral mansion.

Menma's father was named Kajura. Frowning, he looked at his own father and said, "Dad, I can't believe that brat has returned…." 1

"It doesn't matter," the old man replied coolly. "I've already taken care of the matter." A sinister gleam appeared in his eyes. "If he had returned and kept a low profile, it wouldn't have mattered. But since he has decided to act so high and mighty, he's already placed himself half a step into the Yellow Springs.

"Make sure Menma focuses on his cultivation. He's a Chosen of the Namikaze Clan, and the Patriarch of our bloodline has high hopes for him. Don't let him get distracted."

"Dad, there's no need for you to worry about that. Menma has true willpower. He won't be rattled by that son of a bitch." Kajura smiled.

"The direct bloodline is rapidly declining," said the old man confidently, his eyes flickering as if with fire. "Shin has been missing for years, and although his life force flame has not been extinguished, if he were capable of returning, he would have long since done so. 2

"His son Minato agreed to guard Planet Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years for his crippled son. All of that has doomed the direct bloodline to fall!

"It has also ensured that our bloodline will once again become the next lords of the Namikaze Clan, and the new direct bloodline!

"Years ago, Shin suppressed me, and his son Minato suppressed you. In this generation, our Menma will definitely rise to prominence. That insignificant Naruto will be nothing more than a mere stepping stone to him." The old man flicked his sleeve.

Time passed. For two days, Naruto did not leave his residence. He sat there meditating, doing breathing exercises to absorb Immortal Chakra. Those two days were like an entire month spent on Planet Lands of Ninshu. Being able to practice cultivation like this was of great benefit to Naruto.

He pulled out the heart of his second true self and began to nourish it with the Immortal Chakra near his villa.

It was about noontime when Naruto opened his eyes from his trance to slap his bag of holding and produce a jade slip that was glowing brightly. He quickly scanned it with divine sense.

"Naruto, come to the main temple." It was the voice of the Grand Elder, and in response, Naruto smiled coldly. He put the jade slip away and walked out of the residence. The first thing he saw in the courtyard was Hotarubi. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his aura was incredibly weak.

The meat jelly and the parrot were currently taking turns bombing him indiscriminately with various arguments.

As soon as Hotarubi saw Naruto, he hurried to his feet and looked over at Naruto with an expression of both madness and veneration.

"Coz, you're incredible," he called out. "Having these two following you day in and day out, and living to tell the tale, it must be so hard. Coz, don't worry. I'll definitely learn the ways of a sharp tongue!" Hotarubi gritted his teeth with resolve.

A strange expression could be seen on Naruto's face, and he cleared his throat, unsure of exactly what to say. Then he saw the determination in Hotarubi's eyes, and he patted his shoulder and left the courtyard.

"Speech is endowed by Heaven, but requires tempering," he thought. "If he can endure the training provided by the meat jelly and the parrot, then he will eventually gain the long-windedness of the meat jelly, and the acidic speech of the parrot." Clearing his throat again, he hurried toward the main temple.

The ancestral mansion was huge, and flight was prohibited there. It took Naruto two full hours to stroll all the way to the temple. When he got there, he could see tens of thousands of clan members, as well as the Grand Elder, filling the area, seated cross-legged.

As soon as he saw Naruto, the Grand Elder's face broke out in a kind smile, and he nodded his head.

"Naruto, your Immortal's cave is some distance away. How about this, I'll give you a command medallion that gives you special privileges in the ancestral mansion. Other than some specially restricted areas, you will now be able to fly wherever you wish." With a smile, he handed Naruto a violet jade slip. When the onlookers saw this happening, they gaped in shock and jealousy.

Normally speaking, only Elders were permitted to fly inside the ancestral mansion. Of the members of the Junior generation, only Menma had the honor of being able to do so. Now, Naruto did too.

Naruto accepted the jade slip. If he didn't trust his own judgement, then it would seem for all intents and purposes that the Grand Elder really did like him a lot. Considering his position as Grand Elder, it appeared as if what he was doing was not only a true kindness, but at the same time, just and even-handed. He was doing his best to follow the clan's rules.

"Today, many clan members have gathered to bear witness to an important event!" the Grand Elder proclaimed.

"Years ago, Naruto became weak with illness. His Seventh Year Tribulation caused many clan members to worry greatly about him. As for me, when I saw a young lad like him enduring such incredible suffering, it also pained my heart.

"Thankfully, the Immortals are blessing the Namikaze Clan, and an Outsider came, providing us with a way to deal with the problem. Minato and his wife took the child away, leaving the Nirvana Fruits behind with the clan."

Naruto stood in front of the Grand Elder, staring in shock. From the way the old man was speaking, and the expression on his face, it didn't seem at all like he was going to delay the matter; rather, it looked like he was really going to hand the Nirvana Fruits over.

"Don't tell me I was overthinking things…?" thought Naruto.

"Years ago, the Patriarchs who are now in secluded meditation personally said that these Nirvana Fruits were to be returned to Naruto when he came back to the sect. What once belonged to him, will always belong to him!

"It doesn't matter that he only just arrived and is not yet familiar with the clan, or that his cultivation base is not at the proper stage to assimilate the Nirvana Fruits, or that he has not performed any meritorious service to the clan!

"No…. He is the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, and was once a blazing son of the Namikaze Clan. He has endured many hardships over the years, and as such, now that he has returned to the clan, none of those other things matter. It is as if they don't exist!

"These two Nirvana Fruits are his!

"Today, I will take the responsibility to give him these Nirvana Fruits! If the Patriarchs come out of meditation in the future and ask about the matter, I will assume all responsibility!" The Grand Elder's words were spoken decisively, and his face was very solemn. When it came to the part about the past, he sighed emotionally.

Many of the surrounding Elders had looks of surprise written on their faces, and those from the direct bloodline seemed, at first shocked, but then excited.

Naruto was panting as he looked at the Grand Elder speaking so warmly. Naruto had never imagined that the Grand Elder would say such things in front of so many people.

"Don't tell me… I really misjudged the situation?" thought Naruto. "Impossible! He'll definitely say something more." Naruto took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"Naruto!" the Grand Elder said suddenly. His eyes shone as he looked at Naruto. "Remember, you will always be a member of the Namikaze Clan. The blood of the Namikaze Clan runs through your veins. You can always determine what will happen to you in the future, but you can never make any decisions regarding your birth!

"Your surname is Namikaze!

"We Elders are old, and the Patriarchs are even more ancient. Even if they are still alive now, they will eventually perish. But you… you are a future blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan! You are the hope for the future.

"You must work hard in your cultivation. The day will surely come in which you will grow into a mighty tree that stretches up into the Heavens!" Grand Elder Kageki seemed quite excited. As he spoke, he raised his hands up, clasped them together, and then bowed toward the rear of the temple.

"Respected Patriarchs. On this day, I, Kageki, ask all of these clan members to bear witness to the return of the Nirvana Fruits to Naruto!" With that, he lifted his right hand up into the air and made a grasping motion.

Immediately, shocking rumbling filled the sky, echoing out in all directions. A huge vortex appeared in midair, and as it spun, it slowly revealed some sort of celestial abode.

A tall pagoda could be seen, glowing with boundless light that attracted all eyes. The nearby Namikaze Clan members saw the pagoda and began to cry out in shock.

"It's the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda!"

"In the Namikaze Clan, only precious treasures can be placed within the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda!"

"The pagoda itself is a precious treasure left behind by the first generation Patriarch!"

"Even if Heaven and Earth were destroyed, the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda would survive. Even the Grand Elder can only exercise limited control over it to retrieve items. He says the name, and the pagoda will send the item out."

Naruto couldn't believe it. What was happening went completely contrary to his sense of judgement. Everything that was happening was the opposite of how he had expected it to be. His heart was now starting to pound with shock.

He had great faith in his sense of judgement, but what was happening right now was impossible to disbelieve.

The Grand Elder took a deep breath, then performed a double handed incantation gesture. Finally, he shouted, "Ancestral Treasure Pagoda, please produce the Nirvana Fruits!"

Immediately, rumbling could be heard, and more beams of brilliant light shot out. At the same time, a jade box flew out from the pagoda. In the blink of an eye, it had already sped out of the vortex and landed in the Grand Elder's hands.

After that, the vortex up above gradually faded away, obscuring the treasure pagoda, which disappeared from sight.

Naruto was panting as he stared at the jade box. Even now, he still couldn't believe that the Grand Elder was simply going to hand the Nirvana Fruits over to him.

He had assumed it would be difficult to get them, but it had turned out to be quite the opposite. It all seemed too simple.

The Grand Elder unhesitatingly opened the box and lifted it up for all the surrounding clan members to see.

Naruto immediately caught sight of two withered fruits. They were so dried up that it seemed as if the slightest breeze might cause them to vanish. As soon as he laid eyes on them, Naruto's blood surged in his veins, and he felt a sensation like that of a summoning. He was immediately able to tell that these were, in fact, Nirvana Fruits.

"Nirvana Fruits!"

"Years ago, I saw Naruto's two Nirvana Fruits, and those are definitely them!"

Many of the surrounding direct bloodline clan members were shocked, especially Naruto's 19th Uncle.

"Those are Nirvana Fruits!"

Naruto panted as the Grand Elder looked over at him with glittering eyes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Naruto.

"Maybe he's giving them to me because he intends to send someone to steal them from me?" Naruto still had faith in his own judgement, and he just couldn't believe that the grand Elder would hand over the Nirvana Fruits so lightly.

The Grand Elder suddenly tossed the jade box out into the air toward Naruto, who caught it. As soon as he touched the box, the blood in his veins seemed to boil.

"There is one more thing that I must say in the presence of all you clan members," said the Grand Elder, looking around with coldly glowing eyes. "Let me make one thing very clear.

"These Nirvana Fruits belong to Naruto, and now, he has them in hand. Perhaps there will be people who harbor malicious intentions. However, in all of Planet East Victory, neither the Church of the Blood Orchid nor the Puppet God Sect would dare to try to steal a precious treasure of the Namikaze Clan. Even now that they are in Naruto's possession instead of the clan's, they still wouldn't dare.

"Regarding the other sects around here, they would be even less willing. When it comes to people not from Planet East Victory, we have the East Heaven Gate, which restricts most people from entering. Therefore, if Naruto's Nirvana Fruits turn up missing, then the only culprits would be other members of the Namikaze Clan!

"Therefore, do not blame me for reminding all of you that if any person steals the Nirvana Fruits from Naruto, I will have no choice but to carry out the will of the Patriarchs and exterminate that person's entire bloodline! Io, your bloodline would do well to keep this in mind!" As he spoke the final words, the Grand Elder's eyes shone with cold light as he stared at Menma's grandfather. The old man's face was unsightly, and he bowed his head in acknowledgement. 1

"The rules of the clan must be complied with. Today, I swear an oath that if anyone dares to steal Naruto's Nirvana Fruits, I will without fail take action. Furthermore, if I myself have any selfish thoughts regarding the matter, the Heavens shall eradicate my soul!" As soon as the words left his mouth, rumbling sounds could be heard up above; Oath Thunder, which indicated that he was swearing upon the Dao.

The other clan members were shaken. Moments ago, some of them had actually harbored some malicious intentions. As of this moment, however, those malicious intentions were completely wiped away.

Naruto's mind trembled even harder. He really couldn't believe everything that was happening. However, the facts were right in front of him, and the Grand Elder had even gone so far as to swear an oath.

"Perhaps I was actually wrong…." Naruto thought. "But, how come I still feel like the Grand Elder is putting on an act…. Of all the things he's said, what is true and what is false?" Naruto didn't say anything. He took a deep breath, put the Nirvana Fruits away, and then bowed deeply toward the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder looked at Naruto, his kind smile wider than ever.

"Naruto," he said loudly, "I've already made arrangements for the Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills. Seven batches are really too much, so you'll be given five batches!

"As for the Immortal's cave, you can switch at any time. It doesn't matter what arrangements have been made, I have the authority to make these decisions!" The surrounding clan members' hearts trembled.

Now, they looked at Naruto in a completely different light than before.

"All of you are dismissed," said the Grand Elder, waving his arm. "Naruto, you come with me." As he led Naruto inside the temple, the surrounding clan members burst into conversation. The events that had just occurred would surely spread through the entire clan in a very short period of time.

Naruto took a deep breath and suppressed his suspicions as he followed the Grand Elder into the temple.

The temple was quiet, and nobody was inside other than Naruto and the Grand Elder.

As soon as they were inside, the Grand Elder turned and looked at Naruto. His expression was one of approval and reminiscence, as if looking at Naruto caused him to remember things which had happened in the past.

"Grand Elder…." Naruto said softly.

"When no one else is around, you can call me Third Grandpa," said the Grand Elder. "Your grandfather is my older brother, and he used to occupy the position of Grand Elder. However, he went missing, and your Second Grandpa and his bloodline are up to no good…." He sighed.

"Therefore, the Patriarchs asked me to assume the title of Grand Elder. The Namikaze Clan has no Clan Lord, and since the Patriarchs are normally in secluded meditation, the Grand Elder is responsible for just about everything in the clan.

"I… am also a member of the direct bloodline," he said quietly. "Your grandfather and I are blood brothers.

"However, from the moment I took on the position and responsibilities of Grand Elder, I officially belonged to no bloodline. I maintain the entire clan's operations, and have to keep a balanced relationship with all the different bloodlines.

"There are many things in which… I have no power. My heart lies with our bloodline, but my position forces me to be unbiased in everything. All my decisions… must be in accord with the clan rules!

"This is the only occasion in which I asserted my authority and made a decision unilaterally, and gave you your Nirvana Fruits!" The Grand Elder looked kindly at Naruto, almost as if he were looking at his own grandson.

"I have no son, and since your grandfather is my Senior in the bloodline, it means that his grandson is also my grandson.

"Grand Eld—" almost as soon as Naruto began to speak the words, the Grand Elder scowled. Naruto quickly said, "Third Grandpa!"

His heart was filled with complex emotions. He still felt that something fishy was going on, but he couldn't figure out what it was that made him feel so uneasy.

"Naruto, these two Nirvana Fruits are now several hundred years old, and have long since dried up. However, they are precious treasures formed from the Namikaze Clan's bloodline. Therefore, they won't wither away. As long as you have some Spirit Extract, you can return them to their previous state.

"The next step you need to take is to cultivate these Nirvana Fruits on a daily basis. Fuse as much Spirit Extract as you can into them. Because they belong to you, you can actually absorb them very easily. Once you absorb them… your cultivation base will advance by leaps and bounds. You can easily advance to be the Number One Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, and become the blazing sun that you once were!

"Remember, you must absorb them as quickly as possible. This might be shocking to the clan, but the longer you wait, the more likely it will be that someone will recklessly try to make a move against you. However, once you absorb them, they won't be able to do anything.

"Naruto, remember, absorb them as quickly as possible. Third Grandpa has bought you some time, but I'm afraid it won't be much."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement, but inside, his heart was thumping.

"Spirit Extract…." he thought. "Is it possible that my feelings of suspicion have something to do with the Spirit Extract?"

"Another thing," said the Grand Elder. "The Spirit Extract you need to absorb the Nirvana Fruits requires your own blood to be part of the mixture. That's something nobody else would have access to. Therefore, you don't need to worry about that aspect. How about this: I noticed that the Immortal's cave you selected has a medicinal plant garden. Assumably, you know something of the Dao of alchemy.

"Why don't you go to the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. You can use your merit points to get some medicinal plants and Spirit Extract formulas. Spirit Extract is easy to concoct, so making it yourself will be the safest thing." The Grand Elder seemed very sincere in his words. Perhaps what he had said was coincidental, but the result was that all of Naruto's conjectures were shattered.

Naruto silently clasped hands and bowed deeply to the Grand Elder, who looked on with a kind smile as Naruto left.

Finally, the Grand Elder was the only one who remained in the temple. Gradually, the kind look faded away, to be replaced by a tranquil calm. However, deep within his eyes, a sinister coldness flickered, something no one would be able to detect.

He turned, and headed deeper into the temple.

A cold voice suddenly echoed out within the temple, causing the Grand Elder to stop in his tracks for a moment.

"Thank you."

"I'm not helping you," the Grand Elder replied, "I'm just following the clan rules. Everything… is for the clan!"

Naruto sped through the ancestral mansion in a bright beam of light until he reached his Immortal's cave. As soon as he set foot into the courtyard, he saw Hotarubi sitting there quietly in front of the meat jelly and parrot.

Considering how mentally preoccupied he was, Naruto walked past them and sat down cross-legged in his residence. Eyes glittering, he pulled out the box containing the Nirvana Fruits and looked down at it.

"Contrary to expectation… the Grand Elder really did hand it over to me….

"Nothing he said in the temple seemed fake, but I still can't shake the feeling… that there was more to what he was saying than what was on the surface."

Naruto wasn't acting paranoid. After stepping into the cultivation world, things had not always gone as he had expected. He knew that if he wasn't constantly on the alert, he could easily have ended up perishing on multiple occasions.

He was also aware that he was in danger here in the Namikaze Clan. If he wasn't cautious in everything, he could easily find himself in a deadly situation.

"There must be something wrong with the Nirvana Fruits themselves!" he thought, his eyes glittering. He was still sticking to his original judgement of the Grand Elder; none of the things the old man had said could change that. Finally, he looked down at the box and slowly opened it up.

A faint pressure began to emanate from within the box as Naruto looked in thoughtful silence at the two withered fruits inside. Each of them was about the size of an infant's fist.

The blood in his veins surged, a bloodline connection to the fruits that caused Naruto to suddenly feel a twinge of doubt regarding his judgement.

"These truly are Nirvana Fruits, and they're definitely stimulating my blood. It seems like… they really are the Nirvana Fruits I produced all those years ago.

"Don't tell me that I really was thinking too much into things?" He sighed and then slowly picked one of the Nirvana Fruits up. As soon as he touched it, the reaction from his blood was even stronger, as if it longed to assimilate the fruit. He placed it directly in front of his face and looked at it closely.

"I need a lot of Spirit Extract to return these Nirvana Fruits to their original state. At that point, I can absorb them…." He sighed again and then began to place the Nirvana Fruit back into its box. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, his hand stopped in place, and a bright gleam appeared in his eyes.

"Wait, something's off. The aura of Time on these Nirvana Fruits… is not that of only a few hundred years!" Panting, he slowly lifted the Nirvana Fruit back up and stared at it closely. After a long moment, a grim expression filled his face.

Naruto had cultivated the magic of Time in the past, and had used Time-based divine abilities. Therefore, there were few people who could accurately judge matters of Time the way he could. Although the auras of the Nirvana Fruits were incredibly weak, they had been perfectly preserved inside the jade box. Because of that, the aura of Time was still there, and even though it was almost impossible to detect, Naruto… could sense it!

This was something that nobody, not even the Grand Elder, could possibly have predicted.

"It's time to find out exactly how old these particular Nirvana Fruits are!" He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, unleashing Time magic. He made a sealing mark, and then the light of augury could be seen in his eyes as he slowly stripped away the layers of mystery that surrounded the fruit.

100 years. 200 years. 300 years….

Two hours passed, after which Naruto began to breathe heavily.

"10,000 years already!" By this point, he could determine with absolute certainty that this Nirvana Fruit was not his. A cold light flickered in his eyes, and after taking a deep breath, he continued to utilize Time magic to determine exactly how old the Nirvana Fruit was.

15,000 years. 20,000 years. 25,000 years….

If Naruto didn't possess eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, and have an Immortal meridian inside of him that was eighty percent complete, then he definitely would not have been able to use Time magic for such an extended length of time. The sun soon set, and the moon rose high into the sky. A tremor ran through Naruto; his cultivation base was almost thoroughly exhausted… However, he was finally able to roughly determine the true age of the Nirvana Fruit.

"More than… 100,000 years!"

Naruto panted, and a look of disbelief could be seen on his face. He then glanced over at the second Nirvana Fruit. To his senses, both seemed to be exactly the same.

"They both exceed 100,000 years!

"These aren't MY Nirvana Fruits! Whose are they?" Naruto's eyes flickered, and as of this moment his faith in his own judgement was stronger than ever. The Grand Elder definitely had some sinister motive in giving him these Nirvana Fruits.

"The problem doesn't lie with the Spirit Elixir, nor in the words he spoke. Instead… the problem lies in that which I would least suspect… the Nirvana Fruits themselves!" His face darkened.

"Now that I think about it, one of the things he emphasized the most, the part that seemed to be spoken out of care for me, was the part about absorbing the Nirvana Fruits as quickly as possible. That part… is definitely suspicious!" Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. As of now, he was certain that if he tried to absorb the Nirvana Fruits, he would find himself in some sort of deadly crisis.

Snorting coldly, Naruto put the Nirvana Fruits back in the box, then strode out into the courtyard and interrupted the duel between Hotarubi and the parrot and meat jelly.

"Hotarubi," he said, "have you heard of anyone else in the clan producing Nirvana Fruits?"

Hotarubi looked completely exhausted, although a gleam of stubborness and even excitement could be seen in his eyes. When he heard Naruto's question, he gaped in shock.

"No, I haven't," he replied. "Only Nirvana Flowers, but those are kind of useless. The only person to ever produce Nirvana Fruits is you…. Eee? Wait, now that I think about it, there's a rumor that the first generation Patriarch produced Nirvana Fruits. Why, what's wrong?"

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he promptly avoided answering the question. However, more feelings of suspicion rose up in his heart.

"The Nirvana Fruits of the first generation Patriarch," he thought. "They would definitely be considered a precious treasure. Why would the Grand Elder give them to me? Apparently, these Nirvana Fruits are incredibly ancient, over 100,000 years old…."

Starting the next day, Naruto made his way around the ancestral mansion filled with doubts, although no trace of his feelings could be seen on his face. He met quite a few clan members, and went to quite a few different buildings. He did his best to act exactly as a clan member would who had been missing for years, and finally returned to the clan. For example… he thirstily devoured information about the clan's history.

Everything he did seemed completely normal, and not suspicious in any way. Days passed. About a week later, Naruto's interest in the Clan History Pavilion seemed to grow deeper.

Much of the information about the clan's history was recorded there, and Naruto often showed up to pore through the records, which no one found strange. There were a vast quantity of jade slips filled with information about past events. Unfortunately, there wasn't much information about clan Patriarchs, usually just a sentence or two, or a brief description.

Half a month passed. Occasionally, the Grand Elder would kindly summon him and remind him to concoct the Spirit Elixir as soon as possible, and then absorb the Nirvana Fruits. In the end, Naruto finally managed to piece together a relatively intact story from all of the scattered bits of information he had found.

Currently, he sat cross-legged in his residence, eyes closed as he reviewed all of the information he had gathered in the past days.

"A sixth generation Patriarch, with an exceedingly high cultivation base, went into secluded meditation for a single day… and suddenly died!

"A tenth generation Patriarch was also in secluded meditation… and suddenly died!

"The same thing happened to a thirteenth generation Patriarch and a sixteenth generation Patriarch. Both of them went into secluded meditation and then… suddenly died!

"It wasn't just them. In the past 100,000 years, there were other Chosen and various clan members who went into secluded meditation and then mysteriously died."

All of this was information he had discovered in the jade history slips, tiny clues and scraps of knowledge that at first seemed unremarkable.

Although they didn't seem out of the ordinary when taken alone, Naruto, being in the crisis that he was, had discovered all the information and organized all the clues. In the end, an intense desire to kill rose up in his heart.

"Roughly 30,000 years ago, the frequency of the sudden deaths decreased. Nowadays, they rarely occur." When he opened his eyes, they shone with a bright light.

"After tracking down more information about those ancestors who had died… there was one common factor connecting all of them together. Some of them went directly into the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda, and others traded merit points to acquire rewards from the same pagoda.

"That's definitely suspicious. Throughout the past 100,000 years, many clan members have earned rewards from the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda. These people were the only ones who died suddenly. It does seem suspicious, but somewhat circumstantial.

"Until…." Naruto patted his bag of holding to produce a jade slip. His eyes began to glow coldly.

"Until I found out this bit of information about the last clan member to suddenly die, 30,000 years ago, information recorded in the diary of his son!

"Just before dying, he managed to pass word to his son that he was going to assimilate an object belonging to an ancestor. It was something no one in the past had ever succeeded in doing. Furthermore, anyone else who had attempted to accomplish the same feat had died. However, word had been passed down by one of the ancestors that if someone could successfully absorb it, it would solve the riddle of the Namikaze Clan bloodline!"

Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment, they opened again, and were extremely calm. There were no waves of shock or astonishment as he looked down at the jade box.

"If my speculations are correct, most, if not all, of those people suddenly died for exactly the same reason. And that reason was none other than these two Nirvana Fruits!

"These Nirvana Fruits… originally belonged to that ancient ancestor!" A cold smile broke out on Naruto's face.

"The Grand Elder is pushing me to absorb them because he wants me to experience that same sudden death!

"The Grand Elder gave me the Nirvana Fruits in front of everyone, so that it would be no secret. All the things he said, even that biased oath, all seemed extremely aboveboard and honest.

"Therefore, if I died while absorbing the Nirvana Fruits, just like everyone else who has attempted to do so, he would have done nothing except lead me in that direction with his words. Any blame for my death would have been placed solely on the Nirvana Fruits.

"Quite a flawless plan. I would die a meaningless death, and the Grand Elder might even hold an incredible funeral service for me…." Naruto's smile became even colder than before.

The Grand Elder didn't think he had underestimated Naruto, but in the end… that is exactly what he had done.

To the Grand Elder, Naruto was simply a member of the Junior generation. However intelligent he might be, he was still just a Junior.

He could never have imagined that Naruto had cultivated Time magic, and that because of his unbridled persistence, would need only half a month to sift through the vast clan histories and piece together random clues into the truth!

The two Nirvana Fruits were exactly what Naruto had speculated; items belonging to the first generation Patriarch that had been left behind as precious treasures. However, one clan member after another had suddenly died while trying to absorb them. Eventually, they became something like taboo objects.

30,000 years ago, the clan had clamped down on all information regarding the two Nirvana Fruits, and they had been put into long-term storage in the Ancestral Treasure Pavilion. Despite being objects from that first generation Patriarch, they were completely useless.

Nowadays, it was possible that there were a few people in the clan who knew that one of the Patriarchs had left Nirvana Fruits behind, but it would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone who remembered about those clan members suddenly dying.

Not even Naruto's father would be aware of such a thing.

Were it not for Naruto's suspicious nature, and his ability to use his Time magic to determine the true age of the Nirvana Fruits, then even if he did search through the clan histories, he would never have been able to detect all of the random, inconspicuous clues that he had.

"Well then, what about MY Nirvana Fruits," he thought. "Are they still around… or not?" He looked down at the jade box, a complicated expression on his face. As of now, Naruto realized that all of the spectators who had looked on as the Grand Elder handed him the jade box must have thought that the Nirvana Fruits really did belong to him.

Sometimes, if everyone believes something to be true, then the matter basically becomes true, and cannot be changed.

After a long moment of thought, Naruto looked down at the two Nirvana Fruits, and his eyes began to glitter.

"In terms of value, these two Patriarch's Nirvana Fruits are surely priceless…. Based on all the clues I pieced together, those clan members who suddenly died all ended up as desiccated corpses, as if their life force had been sucked away.

"From the look of it, the Nirvana Fruits can't be restored simply by feeding them some Spirit Elixir as the Grand Elder suggested. Doing that will probably only revive them temporarily. Absorbing them during that period of brief restoration will most certainly lead to death.

"That's because fundamentally, they are still dry and withered. Unless…. I can truly and completely restore them. Perhaps… then I actually could absorb them.

"Of course, there must have been clan members who came to that same conclusion, and yet they also failed. Perhaps my line of thinking is just as flawed as theirs…. In that case, perhaps it's simply impossible to gather enough Spirit Elixir to restore them completely!

"If that's the case, then there are two possibilities. One is that not even the Namikaze Clan… can afford the terrifying wastage of resources that would be required to get enough medicinal plants. After all, the supply of medicinal plants is not infinite. Perhaps it's really impossible to restore the Nirvana Fruits completely, even if you use substitute ingredients in the Spirit Elixir.

"Even more likely than that possibility is the second possibility. Perhaps these Nirvana Fruits were withered from the very moment they were created." Naruto's eyes flickered for a moment, after which he patted his bag of holding to produce the copper mirror.

"There's always the chance that I really could restore the Nirvana Fruits to a state of completeness!" Naruto was panting, and a strange gleam could be seen in his eyes. Then he thought about his beloved spirit stones, and he gritted his teeth in hesitation.

"There are plenty of Chosen in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and in the future, I should have plenty of chances to bleed them dry of spirit stones. But if I could restore these two Patriarchs' Nirvana Fruits, then absorb them… then it would be the greatest good fortune I could get here in the Namikaze Clan!

"Time to go to where they concoct pills around here!" As of this moment, a gleam of determination could be seen in Naruto's eyes.

The next day at dawn, he walked out of his residence to find that Hotarubi was nowhere to be seen.

In the end, Hotarubi felt that he had made great strides in his gift of the tongue, and was ready to graduate to the next level. Therefore, he had decided to test his debating abilities out on the masses.

The meat jelly and the parrot, claiming that it was time to test him out, had gone along to supervise.

The courtyard was silent as Naruto transformed into a beam of light and flew toward the direction of the clan's Pill Concocting Quarter.

The Namikaze Clan was an enormous clan, so they naturally had their own Dao of alchemy, and had set up their own Dao of Alchemy Division. Every cultivator there was drawn from the Namikaze Clan itself, and no matter what bloodline they came from, once they were inducted they belonged solely to the Dao of Alchemy Division.

The clan's Dao of Alchemy Division was set up outside the ancestral mansion, in its own area. It was almost like a sect, with mountains winding about in all directions, dotted with various pavilions and buildings. Radiant light shone up into the air, and the place pulsed with energy.

The Dao of Alchemy Division was made up of more than 100,000 alchemists, ensuring that the aroma of medicinal pills would always waft about and never disperse. It was always possible to see the colorful aura of medicinal pills, which was beautiful beyond compare.

The Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division had a strict division of ranking among alchemists. It was not like the Violet Fate Sect, which simply divided the higher levels into Furnace Lords and Violet Furnace Lords. In the Namikaze Clan, the alchemists were organized into nine tiers.

Tier 9 was the absolute peak, whereas tier 1 was the level for novices. Underneath the alchemists were vast numbers of apprentice alchemists, roughly 1,000,000 in total.

When practicing cultivation, medicinal pills were an absolute necessity. That was even more true in the Immortal Realm, in which cultivators cultivated boundless Immortal Chakra. There simply wasn't enough Immortal Chakra in the Ninth Mountain and Sea to support all of the cultivators, which meant that they needed to rely on the assistance of the power of plants and vegetation within medicinal pills to condense the vast amount of Immortal Chakra that they needed.

Because of that, alchemists occupied a very lofty position. Of course, not every clan member was gifted in the Dao of alchemy; people with such talent were not common. This was especially true of tier 6 alchemists, who were quite rare. When it came to tier 9 alchemists, there was only one in the entire Namikaze Clan, and he was referred to as Pill Elder.

For the most part, he only concocted pills for the clan Patriarchs who were in secluded meditation for long periods of time.

From the moment Naruto flew out of the ancestral mansion, he could see the mountains that made up the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. As he neared, he could sense a terrifying spell formation that had been set up to block the entrance to the mountains, so he produced his jade identity plaque, whereupon the spell formation flickered. After confirming Naruto's identity, bright light spread out over him, stimulating his blood flow. Finally, he was allowed to enter.

The aroma of medicinal pills washed over Naruto, and he felt enlivened. It was a very familiar scent, and it instantly made him recall the Violet Fate Sect. He took a deep breath, and immediately began to analyze what different medicinal plants he could detect in the air, and how they had been blended together.

When it came to the Dao of alchemy, even Pill Demon had to admit that Naruto exceeded him. His pill concocting skill had reached a terrifying level.

Mountains could be seen in all directions, and Naruto could sense the aura of numerous alchemists. There was also the heat of Earthly fire, making the entire place quite hot. He could see alchemists moving about to and fro among the mountains, although it was more common to see apprentice alchemists in their unique jackets, flying back and forth in beams of colorful light between the various regions that comprised the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"I wonder what the alchemists here are like…?" thought Naruto, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Clearly, the Grand Elder had made arrangements in advance, because as soon as Naruto entered the Dao of Alchemy Division, a middle-aged man flew toward him from a nearby mountain. He landed in front of Naruto and then looked him over, sizing him up.

"You're Naruto? The one with the 30,000 meter Bloodline Gatebeam?" The man wore a long green robe, and his expression was one of arrogance. The collar of his robe was embroidered with five golden dragons, indicating that he was a tier 5 alchemist.

Naruto nodded.

"I really don't know what the Grand Elder was thinking," said the man, looking at Naruto a bit impatiently. "It doesn't matter you have a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, this is the Dao of Alchemy Division. If you want to study pill concocting, having a strong bloodline won't help you one bit.

"You need to be gifted in the Dao of alchemy to study pill concocting. Can you concoct pills?"

This question caused Naruto to hesitate. The Dao of alchemy was vast and limitless, so he wouldn't dare to say that he thoroughly understood pill concocting.

"I understand something about it," he responded.

"Something?" The man didn't seem too pleased. He himself had been immersed in the Dao of alchemy for many years, and the more he understood about it, the more he realized how boundless it was. Even an entire lifetime of hard work was not enough to grasp a tiny a corner of it. If someone asked him how much he knew, he would never dare to say that he knew 'something.' At most he would say that he understood 'a bit.'

And yet this young man standing in front of him, a Chosen with a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, actually dared to say that he understood 'something' about the Dao of alchemy. Obviously, he knew nothing!

"How many years did you spend formally studying pill concocting?" the man asked coldly, his expression even more displeased than before.

Naruto hesitated for a moment and then said, "In terms of formal studying, I guess a little more than a year…."

The man's face darkened, and he impatiently threw a bag of holding toward Naruto.

"Inside, you'll find the formula for the Spirit Extract that the Grand Elder wanted you to have, plus ten sets of medicinal plants." The man then waved his hand and sent a wooden placard in his direction.

"Concocting Spirit Extract is much simpler than concocting pills. Just follow the description in the formula and you'll be able to concoct it with no problem. If it's too difficult for you, find an apprentice alchemist to make it for you. If you want to study the Dao of alchemy, you need to start by learning to identify medicinal plants. Take that placard to Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191. Study there for about a hundred years, then come back and find me." With that, the man turned, took about seven or eight steps, then stopped and looked back.

"Don't forget," he said, "the Dao of alchemy is vasty and mighty. In the future, if someone asks you about it, don't give such a wildly arrogant answer. You think that after studying for a year you can know 'something' about the Dao of alchemy?!

"Furthermore, your 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam doesn't mean anything here. Here, you're not a Chosen, you're just a regular clan member. If you don't have the natural talent, then there's no need to stick around here wasting the clan's resources! Just go back to wherever you came from!"

Having finished reprimanding Naruto, the man turned and transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Naruto smiled wryly. He felt that his answer had been quite appropriate, but it had ended up irritating the man. Naruto scanned the bag of holding with divine sense, then pulled out the formula. He looked it over, and found that the Spirit Extract really was incredibly simple to concoct. One didn't need to be an alchemist to concoct it; even an apprentice alchemist could do so.

However, the medicinal plant ingredients were quite expensive, including some medicinal plants that were considered quite rare on Planet Lands of Ninshu.. There were enough sets of ingredients to produce ten batches of Spirit Extract.

There was one plant that only had three leaves, and emitted Immortal Chakra.

"Three Immortals Leaf!" he thought, his eyes glittering. Seeing that particular plant helped him understand exactly what resources were at the disposal of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy division.

"If I can have access to plants like Three Immortals Leaf, that means this Dao of Alchemy Division is like a Holy Land!" Naruto's eyes glittered, and his breathing sped up a bit. He actually wasn't sure exactly what level his Dao of alchemy had reached. After all, when it came to many of the medicinal pills that were frequently used to gauge the strength of someone's Dao of alchemy, he had always lacked some of the key ingredients, and had never had the chance to concoct them.

"Well, I might as well go see how strong my Dao of alchemy is in comparison to the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy!" Clutching the wooden placard in his hand, he followed the map toward Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191.

The mountains that made up the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division stretched out boundlessly in all directions. There were 10,000 mountains in the inner region that were occupied by alchemists, which were surrounded by 100,000 additional mountains.

The higher a given alchemist's ranking, the closer that alchemist could get to the center of all the mountains.

The 100,000 outer mountains were divided into ten districts, which were areas in which apprentice alchemists studied. They were known as Alchemy Lodges, and were comprised of 10,000 peaks each.

Naruto's destination was Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191.

Thankfully, there was no prohibition on flight here, otherwise it would have taken Naruto a very long time to reach his destination. He shot forward at top speed and, with the help of the map, soon reached an ancient and primitive-looking mountain peak.

The peak was not sharp and tall, and in fact, it appeared as if the top had been directly cut off to create what looked like a huge public square. Currently, several hundred people sat cross-legged surrounding a raised central platform, listening to an old man give a lecture about medicinal plants. He wore a long robe, the collar of which was embroidered with a single golden dragon.

The old man rambled on and on, occasionally holding out a medicinal plant. Every so often, one of those plants would bloom, and would be surrounded by multicolored light. The audience members were apparently experiencing significant enlightenment as they watched.

In the audience of hundreds of cultivators could be seen men and women, old people and young, all of whom were members of the Namikaze Clan, come here to study pill concocting. Of course, everyone had to start out as an apprentice alchemist.

No one paid much attention to Naruto's arrival. He sat down off to the side to listen to the old man's lecture.

"This is Godshine Flower," the old man said coolly, "which is also known as Sunbirth Leaf. On any given day, its medicinal strength is at its peak at high noon. Make sure to pay close attention to this flower's vein pattern, because it looks very similar to Godrain Flower." With that, he pulled out another medicinal plant and began to introduce it.

Occasionally, the old man would look out at the crowd, and when he saw the earnest expressions of the faces of the apprentice alchemists, he felt quite a sense of accomplishment.

He was a mere tier 1 alchemist, and had virtually no hope of ever being promoted for the rest of this life. Therefore, he had been assigned to deliver lectures on plants and vegetation to the apprentice alchemists. It was only during times like these that he could enjoy the sensation of a crowd looking at him enviously.

Even as he continued his lecture, a glimmer of displeasure suddenly flickered within him. He had just seen a young man in the audience frowning at what he was saying. At first, he didn't pay the matter much attention, but over the course of the next two hours, he realized that the young man had frowned seven or eight times.

That made the old man more and more irritated. He had been giving lectures here for many years, and every single apprentice alchemist looked at him with deep respect and courtesy. Even Chosen from other clans' Dao of Alchemy Divisions would recognize his authority in this place.

The old man had never encountered someone like Naruto, who frowned at what he said. The more he saw this happening, the more offensive he found it.

Naruto continued to listen to the lecture. Eventually the old man began to talk about Brightmoon Vine, and Naruto frowned again. He could clearly tell that this old man had an incorrect understanding of plants and vegetation. He was making mistakes that, if the audience of apprentice alchemists paid attention to, could cause problems for them in the future. They might even pay heavy prices before they understood the truth.

"This type of tree grows in the frigid weather of regions that were once extremely hot. It is called Midwinter Tree. When it is burned, it can produce a type of sap that is considered a precious treasure, the name of which is Midwinter Sap!" As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Naruto frown yet again. That made it more than ten times in which Naruto had frowned. At long last, the old man couldn't take it any more. Face cold, he pointed directly at Naruto.

"You! What's your name!?" he asked, his voice rumbling like thunder. The surrounding apprentice alchemists had just been listening to his lecture in a virtual trance, and were instantly shocked. They quickly followed the line of the man's finger to see Naruto.

"Naruto," replied Naruto coolly. "Or, you can also call me Naruto."

"You have no regard for your elders and betters! In my role as an alchemist, I will ask you, an apprentice alchemist, a question. Let's see if you dare to stand up and answer!" The old man chuckled coldly.

Naruto had no desire to get into an argument with the old man, so he casually stood up.

"Do you acknowledge your error?" the old man demanded. "Well, too late! Let me ask you: why was your attention wandering during my lecture? Why did you keep frowning? If you don't enjoy listening to my lectures here, then you can just get lost! You're not permitted to stick around here and annoy people!

"You're name's Naruto, huh? From now on, you are not welcome here!" He snorted coldly. This old man was not a tolerant person, so Naruto's continued frowning had really been a provocation, or even a challenge.

Naruto frowned, and an icy coldness could be seen within his eyes. He looked at the old man for a moment, but didn't say anything. As he turned to leave, the old man snorted again.

"Did I say you could leave? If you can't explain why you were frowning just now, then I'll throw you out! You can't just walk away!"

Naruto stopped in place and slowly looked back at the old man. Then, he began to speak, his voice calm.

"The first time I frowned was when you mentioned Sunbirth Leaf. Although that leaf's medicinal strength is indeed greatest at high noon, that is not a suitable time to harvest it, let alone to use it to concoct medicine. At that time, the Yang energy in the leaf is too intense. If you concoct medicine with it then, and it is not the primary ingredient, then it doesn't matter. However, if you use it as the primary ingredient, the concoction will fail! The correct time to harvest said leaf is at a specific time AFTER high noon!"

Naruto's voice boomed out in all directions as he took a step forward toward the man.

The old man's face darkened, and he was just about to say something when Naruto continued to speak.

"The second time I frowned was when you talked about Groundfall Root. What you said was completely incorrect. You said that Groundfall Root contains an aura of rot. However, true Groundfall Root is the part that connects the plant to the ground. Half an inch is underground, the other half is above ground! If you harvest the incorrect part of the plant, then any pill you concoct will be black and full of toxins. It would be detrimental to anyone who consumed it."

As he spoke, he took another step forward, and his energy surged.

The old man's face flickered. When it came to Sunbirth Leaf, he had an argument that he could make in his defense. But when it came to Groundfall Root, as soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, his heart began to thump. He suddenly remembered that when he had attempted to concoct a pill with Groundfall Root in the past, the result was exactly as Naruto had described.

"The third time I frowned was when you brought up Tenderwillow Branch. The first half of what you said about it was absolutely correct. If you take nine of its leaves and refine them together, it will form a true Tenderwillow Leaf. However, you missed something very important; it is vital to collect some of the soil from beneath the tree itself and combine that into the mixture. The reason is that the soil in areas where Tenderwillow Branches grow, when compounded with wood and metallic elements, can purify the metal portion, leaving behind a newborn plant!"

As Naruto took another step forward, the old man's face flickered again. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he subconsciously took a step backward. As Naruto neared, the man sensed an amorphous energy that filled him with fear.

Most importantly of all, what Naruto had said about the Tenderwillow Leaf left him completely shocked. It was actually the first time he had heard of such a thing. However, it suddenly caused him to think back to a time when he had been invited to visit another alchemist, who at the time happened to be concocting a pill with Tenderwillow Leaf. He had actually put some soil into the mixture. At the time, the old man had been confused as to why he would do that, but too embarrassed to ask about it.

"The fourth time I frowned was when you spoke of Cloudsipping Grass. How could that grass possibly grow inside of clouds, which is exactly what you said? That's nothing but sheer and utter nonsense! It's a grass that grows in mountain streams, surrounded by wisps of cloud and mist. THAT'S why it's called Cloudsipping Grass!" The next step Naruto took left the old man completely ashen-faced. Yet again, he subconsciously stepped back. He suddenly remembered that Cloudsipping Grass was exactly as Naruto had just described it. When he had talked about it earlier, he had intentionally spouted some hogwash; his explanation actually had nothing to do with reality. That was because he had no idea what the plant really was.

"The fifth time I frowned was when you talked about the Tree of Nine Eyes….

"The sixth time I frowned was because of what you said about Gauzewood Moss….

"The seventh time I frowned…."

Every time he spoke, Naruto took another step forward, and the old man's face grew paler as he fell back in retreat. His expression soon became one of panic, which caused the surrounding apprentice alchemists to stare in shock.

"The twelfth time I frowned was because you said that Brightmoon Vines have flowers that bloom with two different colors. One color is toxic, the other isn't. You spoke of the plant's medicinal properties, but then never explained how to tell the difference between the two. That is why I frowned!" Naruto advanced with each of his explanations, and the old man fell back. By this point, Naruto was now standing on the platform.

"The last time I frowned was when you talked about Midwinter Sap. I have no idea from whom you learned about plants and vegetation, but even though Midwinter Sap can be produced by burning it with a cultivation flame, that will produce an inferior product. The highest quality Midwinter Sap requires magically induced lightning to create!" With that, Naruto flicked his sleeve.

Voice echoing, he continued, "The Dao of alchemy is vast and limitless. The number of medicinal plants is like the water in the sea. No one can remember all of them, and the mistakes you made are not unforgivable. However… we are in our clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. The apprentice alchemists here to listen to your lecture are all fellow clan members. If you know something, then talk about it. If there's something you're not clear about, no one will make fun of you for that. That being the case, there is absolutely no reason to make up random garbage! If you do that, these apprentice alchemists might end up paying with their lives because of the mistakes they will make in the future!"

Naruto's words were spoken with little courtesy. Originally, he had intended to simply leave. However, the old man had aggressively provoked him, and as such, he laid bare all of the reasons why he had frowned earlier.

The old man opened his mouth to respond, but there was nothing he could say. His mind spun as he realized that there were indeed aspects of his speech in which he didn't know what he was talking about. However, he had fallen into a habit of lecturing on those things merely based on his own personal experience and judgement.

Currently, his face was as pale as death, and he was trembling. There was nothing he could do to refute Naruto's stern criticism. In fact, for some reason, the feeling he got when he looked at Naruto was the same feeling of awe he'd had years ago when he was an apprentice alchemist looking at the full alchemists.

Everything Naruto had said left him shaken, and actually answered many questions that he himself had wondered about.

In the silence that followed, the surrounding hundreds of Namikaze Clan apprentice alchemists began to talk.

"Naruto…. I just remembered! He's the one with the 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam! His bloodline is inconceivably strong! It's that Naruto!"

"It's really him! He came from Planet Lands of Ninshu. Supposedly, he experienced some kind of Seventh Year Tribulation. Now he's back, and not only does he have a strong bloodline, he also managed to silence an alchemist on the subject of plants and vegetation!"

"He's the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline! His bloodline is even stronger than Prince Menma's. I can't believe he's here in the Dao of Alchemy Division!"

"After hearing him talk about all those different medicinal plants, I suddenly feel like I understand them far better than I did before! Could it be that Naruto is also an alchemist?"

Naruto was just about to leave when the trembling old man stepped forward. Clasping hands, he bowed deeply to Naruto.

"Alchemist Namikaze. Sir, you were right to chide me. My name is Ibuse, and everything was my fault. Would you mind staying for a moment and clearing up some of my confusion, Alchemist Namikaze? I… I actually have some questions about plants and vegetation that I hope you can help me with." Although Ibuse seemed a bit embarrassed to say these things, he didn't hesitate to speak them. 1

His words caused instant excitement among the surrounding apprentice alchemists. They could clearly see that Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation far exceeded that of Ibuse.

The idea of being able to hear a lecture by an alchemist like that was a rare opportunity, and true good fortune.

"Please, Alchemist Namikaze, stay for a bit. Give us some pointers!"

"Alchemist Namikaze, we have a lot of questions about plants and vegetation! For the sake of us fellow clan members, could you stay and dispel some of our confusion…?"

Everyone began talking at once, clasping hands and bowing. Naruto stopped in his tracks and looked around for a moment before nodding.

A cheer of excitement rose up from the enthusiastic crowd.

"Heavenrain Leaf veins will only appear when they are soaked by heay rainfall. As far as what types of medicinal pills can be concocted with those veins, I know of 87,645 different types….

"Golden Mean Tree cannot be used as a primary ingredient. However, you can add it to the mix during the concocting process to increase metal-type energy. Furthermore, it will add a golden color to the medicinal pill."

Naruto was currently standing on the platform. He had just introduced a variety of unique medicinal plants that were easily misidentified, and was now fielding questions from the apprentice alchemists.

Ibuse sat down below, constantly asking questions about various plants and vegetation that he wasn't clear about. He seemed very excited.

"Milky Way Stone isn't really a type of rock. It's actually a type of sea moss that grows in the narrow crevices rocks. Furthermore, the more cracks a stone has, the higher the quality will be.

"Nine Dragons Spice is not naturally occurring. No, it is actually the result of a graft of nine different medicinal plants. The grafting formula is actually a secret, so all I know about it is from my own conclusions based on what I've heard about the pill itself; I can't actually be 100% certain of the exact method of grafting."

Naruto spoke patiently to the apprentice alchemists and the excited Ibuse. The sky was growing dark, but the audience didn't seem tired at all. Quite the opposite. Many of them were excitedly recording the information Naruto was giving them onto jade slips.

Soon, the moon hung high in the sky, and yet, nobody had left. Eventually, passing apprentice alchemists from nearby mountains noticed that something was going on, and came over. When they saw that an alchemist was listening to this lecture about plants and vegetation, they were shocked. That was especially true after many of them recognized Ibuse. In the end, these curious newcomers… didn't leave either.

It didn't take long before the mountain platform was packed tight with, not several hundred people, but several thousand. All types of questions were asked, and there wasn't a single one that Naruto couldn't answer.

Some people even started to intentionally ask trick questions, but Naruto didn't even need to think before providing an answer. Everything he said was correct and complete, which caused even the questioners trying to trip him up to feel completely astonished.

Eventually, the mountain was packed. The new arrivals, who of course didn't want to leave, had to float in the air nearby to listen.

Naruto tried to conclude the lecture on numerous occasions, but there were too many people in the audience, and too many questions. He wanted to leave, but considering that he was trying to rise to prominence in the clan, the Dao of alchemy was probably his best chance to do so. Therefore, he stayed.

Gradually, an entire night passed, and to these alchemy cultivators, Naruto's lecture was almost like a sermon about the Dao. More and more apprentice alchemists crowded around. By the time the sun rose, there were over 10,000 people present.

That in and of itself sent the surrounding areas into a commotion. More people approached to hear Naruto's lecture, and to ask questions. However, from start to finish, there seemed to be nothing Naruto didn't know, and no question that he couldn't answer, or even give him the slightest pause.

Shock spread through all hearts, and soon, some of the other alchemists in the area who had been preparing to give their own lectures noticed. At first they chuckled coldly, but soon their eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"His skill with plants and vegetation… it's actually… it's actually incredibly high!"

"Heavens! The questions are never-ending, and they touch upon virtually all aspects of plants and vegetation. But this guy can actually answer all of them! What an incredible knowledge base!"

Gradually, the size of the audience grew. Naruto spoke for three days straight, and eventually, there were 30,000 people in attendance. The entire world of the apprentice alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division was shaken. There were even many tier 1 alchemists who came. As for the tier 2 alchemists, however, most stayed in the inner mountains. They rarely interfered with the affairs of the outer mountains, nor did they pay too much attention to what happened there. After all, most alchemists spent their time in seclusion, concocting pills.

"Three Immortals Leaf is a rare medicinal plant. I would never have expected the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division to be able to grow them. If you use this medicinal plant as the main ingredient, a vast amount of medicinal pills can be concocted. Although I haven't personally concocted anything using Three Immortals Leaf, I'm aware of around one thousand pill formulas that use it.

"Sun Blossom? That's a legendary medicinal plant that has long since gone extinct. Naturally, I've never laid eyes on one, but I've heard that if you add Sun Blossom to a medicinal pill, you are certain to produce a one hundred percent consummate pill." 1

Naruto was now seated cross-legged on the platform, smiling as he spoke. Everyone in the audience was still excited. Even after three days, they didn't seem tired at all. All of them were deeply aware that this was a very rare opportunity for them.

Meanwhile, word spread to the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion. Futsu sat in his Immortal's cave, listening as an apprentice alchemist gave a lively description of Naruto's lecture on plants and vegetation.

Futsu's face darkened, and then after a moment, broke out into a cold smile.

"What does that prove?" Futsu said coldly. "Any tier 2 alchemist from the inner mountains of the Dao of Alchemy Division could go out and give a lecture on plants and vegetation. Any one of them would draw a crowd of tens of thousands, or even more.

"Piddling Naruto. You come here from a backwater place like Planet Lands of Ninshu, so even if you have a bit of skill, it's still bound to be quite limited. You just joined the Dao of Alchemy Division and are already acting so arrogantly? You're nothing but a loser who thinks he's hot stuff." He still constantly brooded over the events that had taken place on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and hated Naruto to his bones.

He really wanted Prince Menma to go punish Naruto. Unfortunately, Prince Menma never did anything, no matter how Futsu pushed the subject. Now, just as he was managing to quell his frustration, this apprentice alchemist came to tell him about the waves Naruto was making in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Finally, he snorted and sent the apprentice alchemist away, then sat there frowning.

"This damned Naruto, I can't just let him trot around so happily!" Grinding his teeth, Futsu produced a transmission jade slip, imprinted it with divine sense as well as some various promises, and then threw it out.

The jade slip immediately shot into the air.

Shortly thereafter, somewhere within the 10,000 inner mountains of the Dao of Alchemy Division, on one particular mountain that was fairly close to the outer mountains, a middle-aged man was concocting some medicinal pills. He wore an alchemist's robe that had two golden dragons embroidered on the collar.

The pill furnace in front of him glowed bright red, and flickered with light. A medicinal aroma wafted out from the furnace, which surrounded the entire mountain and seemed to nourish all of the vegetation in the area.

In the middle of his concocting, a jade slip suddenly appeared. It floated there off to the side, but the middle-aged man ignored it completely, instead continuing with his pill concocting. Two hours passed before the bright red color of the pill furnace began to fade away. When the furnace cooled completely, the man began to murmur to himself.

"I've been working on this batch of Mortality Convergence Pills for three months. It's too bad I wasted so many ingredients…. I wonder if I succeeded this time. If not, I'm going to have to go get some more medicinal plant ingredients." The man frowned and then waved his hand, causing the jade slip to fly over. After scanning it with divine sense, his eyes began to glitter.

"Naruto? Even I've heard of that name recently. He had a 30,000 meter Bloodline Gatebeam. However, in the Namikaze Clan, you can't only rely on your bloodline.

"Naruto might be a Chosen….

"But this is the Dao of Alchemy Division, and things are different here. Nobody cares if you're a Chosen or not. Furthermore, I have no conflicts with Futsu, and considering what he's offering me, it won't hurt to help him out this once." He hesitated for a moment and looked at the pill furnace. If this batch of pills went bad, then he would have to go get more medicinal plant ingredients, which he really didn't want to do. He thought for a moment, then decided not to refuse Futsu's request. He quickly headed toward the outer mountains.

"What kind of ability could some trifling clan member from Planet Lands of Ninshu have? Besides, skill with plants and vegetation is a low-level fundamental skill, that's all. Any tier 2 alchemist could get a whole bunch of apprentice alchemists to gather around them.

"As for the tier 1 alchemists, well…." He snorted coldly. In the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy division, the only tier 1 alchemists who were stationed in the outer mountains were the ones who had no hope of advancing to the next tier.

"7191…. Right, I remember. That place is overseen by Ibuse." The man chuckled. Ibuse was the lowest ranking of all the tier 1 alchemists. The fact that he had passed the test was a completely lucky break.

The man flew out of the inner mountains at top speed. Whenever any apprentice alchemists saw him, they respectfully clasped hands and bowed. He hurried to the outer mountains as quickly as possible, and after enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, he caught sight of Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191. The first thing he saw was the crowd of tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists packed together. It almost looked like a static cyclone.

The sight of it caused the middle-aged man to give a cold harrumph. He was actually a bit offended. Whenever he went to the outer mountains to give lectures, he would usually draw a crowd of about 10,000. However, there were clearly about 30,000 apprentice alchemists in attendance here.

The man neared, but because all of the apprentice alchemists were paying close attention to Naruto, no one noticed the newcomer.

The man frowned and then snorted coldly, the sound of which echoed out and caused numerous nearby apprentice alchemists to turn around in shock. When they saw him standing there, their faces fell and they quickly clasped hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Alchemist Katazu!"

"It's Alchemist Katazu!"

It didn't take long before everyone was turning to Katazu and bowing in greeting. He nodded back proudly, and proceeded forward. People backed up, creating a path that he followed all the way to the mountain peak, where he stood on the platform next to Naruto.

He looked Naruto over a few times.

All of the apprentice alchemists, and even Ibuse, rose to their feet, bowing to Katazu with clasped hands.

Naruto was the only one who remained seated. It was obvious that this man came with ill intentions, and the measuring look in his eye also contained a bit of scorn.

"So you're Naruto?" he asked coldly.

Naruto nodded, after which Katazu smiled, and the disdain therein was clear. He waved his sleeve and coldly announced, "You're only an apprentice alchemist, and yet you dare to give a lecture about plants and vegetation? How scandalous!

"However, I won't make things hard for you. I'll ask you about three types of medicinal plants, and if you can't answer, you will put end to this commotion immediately, and focus on being a good apprentice alchemist instead of arrogantly assuming the mantle of a full alchemist!" After saying these things, Katazu suddenly recalled an additional requirement that Futsu had laid out.

"Also," he added coldly, "for however long you sowed chaos in the Dao of Alchemy Division with your lecture, you will kneel here for the same length of time!" 3

Naruto looked at the arrogant man standing in front of him, and frowned.

"I'm just an apprentice alchemist and you're a full alchemist. Doesn't this count as bullying? Also, what happens if I answer your questions correctly?"

"Then you can continue your lecture!" replied Katazu with a cold laugh.

Naruto hesitated, as if he was debating whether to accept the challenge. Then he looked around, as if he was considering the face he would lose in front of all these people if he didn't accept. Gritting his teeth, he produced a bag of holding and put it down off to the side. Eyes bloodshot, he looked over at Katazu.

"I came here with good intentions to explain matters of plants and vegetation to fellow clan members. You've come to stop me. If I lose the challenge, you want me to kneel here in humiliation. However, if you lose, there is no loss on your part. That's not really fair. Why don't we REALLY throw down? If you match the number of spirit stones in that bag of holding, then I'll accept your challenge!

"If not, then I might as well just leave."

Katazu frowned. Coming as he had in his role as a full alchemist really was a case of the big bullying the small. There were a lot of people watching, and he had to consider how the matter would affect their view of him. However, if he didn't get Naruto to kneel, then he wouldn't be meeting the requirements laid out by Futsu. Finally, he looked at Naruto and laughed coldly, imagining what it would look like when he was humiliated and kneeling on the ground. He would definitely have to make Futsu give him an extra bonus as a reward. Without further hesitation, he pulled out a bag of holding and threw it down next to Naruto's.

He said nothing, but his eyes glittered coldly.

Naruto took a deep breath and licked his lips. A bashful smile appeared on his face, and he even looked a bit embarrassed.

"Many thanks, Alchemist Namikaze. Now, let's throw down."

Alchemist Lodge Peak #7191 was now surrounded by tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists, all of whom were staring fixedly at Naruto and Katazu on the platform.

It was especially interesting that there was a wager between the two of them, and the apprentice alchemists couldn't wait to see what happened. Many could read between the lines, and knew that Katazu had intentionally come here to stir up trouble with Naruto. However, considering that it didn't affect them personally, those people were even more excited than the others. They wanted to see who exactly was better when it came to knowledge of plants and vegetation.

If Naruto hadn't just given a three-day lecture on the subject, the apprentice alchemists would not have hesitated even a moment to say that Katazu would prevail. Now, however… it was hard to say.

Naruto looked extremely bashful as he embarrassedly scanned Namikaze Katazu's bag of holding with divine sense. Then he licked his lips and looked back over at Katazu. He felt luckier with every minute that passed. He had never imagined that, having only been in the Dao of Alchemy Division for a few days, there would already be someone who came looking to deliver up spirit stones.

When he realized what he was thinking, he suddenly felt a bit more embarrassed.

Seeing all the eyes focused on him, Katazu snorted coldly. He had been immersed in the Dao of alchemy for many years, and was highly proficient when it came to skill with plants and vegetation. As the saying went, his proverbial pill furnace glowed with the bright green of perfection. Actually, he was already qualified to be promoted to a tier 3 alchemist, and as such, was absolutely confident in being able to win the bet.

Were it not for the fact that he was badly in need of alchemy resources, he would never have come here. After all, participating in something like this was really beneath his status.

His expression proud and lofty, Katazu raised his hand high and then smacked his bag of holding. Instantly, a medicinal plant appeared in his hand. It was green, and looked no different from an ordinary blade of grass. He waved his hand, sending it flying through the air to hover in front of Naruto.

"I won't make things hard for you," he said coolly. "I'll show you three medicinal plants. You simply have to tell me their names and properties. This is the first one." From his perspective, this plant in and of itself was enough to stump his opponent. He planned to show this Naruto the height of the Heavens and the depths of the Earth. He would help Naruto to know exactly how vastly separated the two of them were in terms of qualifications.

As a tier 2 alchemist, he wanted to ensure a quick victory. Considering his status in the Dao of Alchemy Division, knocking his opponent out of the competition with a single blow would be the most suitable result.

Katazu smiled coldly, swished his sleeve, then clasped his hands behind his back and looked arrogantly at Naruto. "Forget about this guy," he thought. "Not even a tier 1 alchemist would recognize this medicinal plant."

Naruto was smiling just as before as he looked at the medicinal plant.

All of the apprentice alchemists were also staring at it, trying to guess what it was. The tier 1 alchemists in the area were also digging through their memories, and yet, none of them could recall even the slightest scrap of information about a plant like this.

Immediately, a buzz of conversation rose up.

"This can't be right. That medicinal plant doesn't look special at all. It doesn't even look like a medicinal plant! Is it just an ordinary plant from the mortal world?"

"I might not have incredible skill when it comes to plants and vegetation, but I know a bit. However, this plant… is something I've never seen before."

"He definitely deserves to be a tier 2 alchemist. He pulled out a medicinal plant that nobody even recognizes!"

Katazu looked haughtily over at Naruto.

"If you don't recognize it, then kneel upon this mountain peak for three days, and then screw off." Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, however, Naruto suddenly looked up at him and chuckled.

"Alchemist Namikaze, I never imagined that you would actually possess this type of Wind Spirit Grass. Such a plant is useless for medicinal purposes. However, when struck by a strong wind, it will blossom with a Spirit Flower. That flower can bloom with up to seven colors, with seven being the optimal number. That medicinal flower is one of the most important ingredients used when concocting wind-type medicinal pills.

"Unfortunately, Alchemist Namikaze, this particular plant of yours has a lot of imperfections. It will only produce a three-colored flower."

Naruto's words left the surrounding apprentice alchemists in shock. Even the tier 1 alchemists were astonished. They had never even heard of Wind Spirit Grass, although many knew of Wind Spirit Flower. At this point, they suddenly had an epiphany, and realized the origin of Wind Spirit Flowers.

It was at this point that Naruto blew onto the blade of grass. Because of the level of his cultivation base, that breath was like a gale force wind. A rumbling sound filled the area, and then the blade of grass began to wriggle and sway back and forth. Everyone watched as a three-colored flower bloomed at the tip of the blade, and a medicinal aroma filled the area.

"It really has three colors!"

"Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation is astonishing after all! He didn't just recognize that plant, he was able to judge its nature entirely!"

The surrounding crowds were in an uproar. The tier 1 alchemists were now looking at Naruto with complete and utter respect. In the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division, powerful alchemists were treated with fervor and veneration.

Katazu's eyes widened, then he stared dead at Naruto, and a serious look spread out across his face. The Wind Spirit Grass might seem like an ordinary medicinal plant, but it was actually a line of demarcation when it came to determining skill with plants and vegetation. Even many tier 2 alchemists wouldn't know much about it. Even more shocking to him was how his opponent had identified how many colors the flower would bloom in. That was something that only tier 3 alchemists should be able to do.

"So, this guy has some skill after all," he thought. "It seems I need to take things a bit more seriously." Katazu waved his hand to pull the Wind Spirit Grass back into his bag of holding, from which he then produced another medicinal plant.

This plant had more than one hundred leaves, which formed the shape of a triangle. The stamen of the plant's flowers were long and almost looked like tentacles as they drifted back and forth.

A single look at this medicinal plant, and it was clear that it was beyond ordinary. Everyone looking at it also felt a faint sense of danger.

"In order to avoid any accusations of bullying," said Katazu, "I will not require you to explain the properties of this plant. Merely telling me its name will suffice." He stared icily at Naruto. Although he didn't say anything further, inside, he was laughing coldly. In his opinion, he had underestimated his opponent a bit when it came to the first medicinal plant. However, with this second one, he was completely confident that he could secure victory.

"When I first got this medicinal plant," he thought, "I didn't have any idea what it was. It was personally grown by one of the tier 5 alchemists, and I had to spend a small fortune to acquire it.

"It's completely one-of-a-kind. Not a single manual of plants and vegetation will contain a description of it. It was grafted together from a variety of other medicinal plants, using the top-secret technique of a tier 5 alchemist.

"I simply can't believe that an inconsequential apprentice alchemist will be able to identify it!" Smiling coldly, Katazu lifted his chin and stood there, hands clasped behind his back as he looked at Naruto.

He could visualize his opponent with tears streaming down his cheeks, racking his brains as he tried to identify the plant. He would probably spout a bunch of nonsense, for which Katazu had already prepared appropriate words of response.

Everything was completely quiet. All eyes were focused on the medicinal plant. Because of the vague sense of danger it emanated, everyone was now paying close attention to it. Gradually, the medicinal aroma wafting out from the plant vitalized the minds of all present.

"What medicinal plant is that!?"

"I'm pretty sure I've never seen it before, although something about it seems familiar. How strange!"

Even the tier 1 alchemists were all frowning and trying desperately to recall what this plant was. Some people even pulled out jade slips containing information about plants and vegetation, which they began to search through for clues.

"That plant is even more mysterious than the Wind Spirit Grass from before!" As the members of the audience began to speculate further about the plant, Naruto looked at it, and his eyes began to shine.

"I never imagined that the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division would be so skilled with plants and vegetation," he said. Immediately, the audience went silent, and everyone looked at Naruto.

Katazu laughed coldly.

"Can you identify it, or not? There's no need to be deliberately cryptic."

Naruto chuckled in response.

"This medicinal plant is something I doubt you could grow," he said. When the onlookers heard this, they didn't think too much of it. However, Katazu's heart began to thump.

"It has no name," Naruto continued slowly. "Or, perhaps you could say… the only person qualified to name it, is the alchemist who created it."

When Katazu heard this, his face flickered. Naruto's two sentences were like lightning bolts striking his brain. How could he ever have imagined that his opponent would be able to pick up on the clues with just a glance? He quickly prepared to retrieve the plant and put it away, since Naruto's first two sentences had already revealed the truth regarding the name of the plant.

He recalled how the first time he had ever laid eyes on this plant years ago, he had stared in shock. To him, it had seemed like some strange and miraculous item. It wasn't until the tier 5 alchemist explained the plant to him that he understood the truth, and prostrated himself in admiration.

"Just how skilled is this Naruto?" he thought. "He actually recognized the plant! Dammit! No, I really have to pull a fast one!" Feeling more on guard than ever, he immediately had the urge to slander his opponent. However, in the Dao of Alchemy Division, reputation was extremely important, and with so many people looking on, word would spread quickly.

Katazu gritted his teeth, and was just about to retrieve the medicinal plant and put it away when suddenly, Naruto started talking again.

"This is a medicinal plant produced by a grafting technique. Let me see…. It seems to be grafted from nineteen different medicinal plants. Those nineteen plants consist of Watershed Root, Spiritdream Grass, Mount Heaven Leaf, Mortality Bloom…." Naruto calmly listed all nineteen varieties of plants.

Katazu's eyes widened, and he began to pant. He subconsciously staggered backward several steps, his expression one of disbelief. As for the next plant he had planned to pull out, Naruto had just mentioned it in the list he had rattled off, so Katazu had no choice but to abandon any idea of using it. How could he have ever imagined that this person could possibly…

Could possibly name all of the plants that made up the graft! Katazu's mind was spinning. Of course, he couldn't be absolutely certain as to whether what Naruto had said was completely correct or not, because only the tier 5 alchemist who created it would be able to verify it.

After all, this was… a top secret technique!

Eventually Naruto reached his conclusiion and said, "…afterwards, use the magic of the four seasons, invert Yin and Yang, graft three plants simultaneously. Combine all nineteen medicinal plants, do not allow them to be touched by the sun, allow the Yin Chakra to coalesce, which completes the process.

"Because this medical plant was created by grafting nineteen other plants together, if it is used in pill concocting, there are many possible transformations. An ordinary alchemist would probably be incapable of using it to concoct anything at all. Presumably, the alchemist who gave you this medicinal plant also gave you a pill formula specifically designed to be used with it.

"Tell me, Alchemist Namikaze, am I correct?" Naruto smiled and looked at Katazu.

Naruto's words were followed by deathly silence. Everyone was looking at Katazu, whose face flickered back and forth between various emotions. He felt like lightning was crashing around in his head, and without realizing it, he stepped backward. He was now looking at Naruto with wide eyes, as if he were some type of evil spirit.

"Impossible! This is Impossible!" Katazu's heart trembled violently. He had no idea how the medicinal plant had been grafted together and no way of knowing whether Naruto was correct or not. However… based on his skill in the Dao of alchemy, he was fairly certain that what Naruto had said was true.

Most importantly, the tier 5 alchemist from whom he had acquired this medicinal plant had indeed given him a pill formula to use with it. Furthermore, the words that alchemist had used to describe the plant were exactly the same as the words Naruto had uttered just now!

"You…."

The surrounding apprentice alchemists noticed Katazu's pale face, the fact that he had backed up, and his facial expression. Virtually all of them understood exactly what it meant; Naruto had been completely correct in what he had said.

There was no other reason for Katazu's expression to change the way it had.

"Naruto was right again!"

"Not even Alchemist Katazu is capable of outdoing Naruto when it comes to plants and vegetation!"

"It's a good thing I kept good notes from when Naruto was lecturing about plants and vegetation earlier. I'm going to go back and review them thoroughly!"

The surrounding apprentice alchemists were abuzz. After all, as mere apprentice alchemists, they didn't really understand much about alchemy. Even the tier 1 alchemists were panting and looking on with wide eyes. Then they exchanged glances, and saw similar looks of disbelief on each other's faces.

They were alchemists, and though they might only be tier 1, their knowledge base far exceeded that of apprentice alchemists. Since they couldn't identify the medicinal plant Katazu held in his hand, they initially hadn't felt that there was anything special about it. However, after Naruto spoke, and especially after he revealed the grafting technique, their minds trembled.

"Uh… that grafting technique is a top secret method of a tier 5 alchemist!"

"Nineteen medicinal plants! I'm afraid only a tier 5 alchemist could create something like that. But… but Naruto is so inhuman that he actually… easily identified the grafting method by simply looking at the plant!"

"Just what is the full extent of his skill in plants and vegetation, and his Dao of alchemy? How frightening! It's almost like no secrets that relate to plants and vegetation can be kept from him!"

Because of their advanced understanding, the tier 1 alchemists were thoroughly astonished.

Katazu's face was pale white as he looked at Naruto, who in his view had become completely inscrutable and terrifying. He could never have predicted that anyone would be able, with a single look, to see through an alchemist's top secret technique and reveal the grafting method.

To him, such a thing was vastly terrifying.

As of this moment, he knew that he was absolutely no match for Naruto when it came to skill in plants and vegetation. He simply didn't stand a chance of winning when up against an inhuman like this in a competition.

"Damn you, Futsu!" he thought. "You just wait until I get back. I'll teach you a thing or two!" Katazu was filled with bitterness, as well as a sudden, bone-deep hatred of Futsu. As for Naruto, he didn't dare to hate him.

Because the Dao of Alchemy Division had its own way of doing things, he could ignore the fact that Naruto was Chosen. However… after getting a sense of Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation, he was frightened to death.

"With skill like that," he thought, "even if he's not very good at pill concocting, he'll still rise to complete prominence…. Furthermore, what if he's just as gifted in pill concocting? That would be petrifying. He'll certainly exceed me in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Now, thanks to Futsu, I've offended him. It definitely wasn't worth it…."

Katazu took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and was just about to admit defeat when suddenly his heart quivered. He suddenly realized that this defeat could actually be turned into an opportunity. He hesitated for a moment, then clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.

"Alchemist Namikaze, your skill in plants and vegetation is profound. I'm no match for you. I was crude and rash earlier, and I hope you can look past that. Please take the spirit stones in that bag of holding as my gift to you upon our first meeting. I admit defeat…." His words sent the apprentice alchemists into an uproar. However, the tier 1 alchemists had already surmised that he would take such action.

There would obviously be something wrong with any of them who would still feel confident enough to continue even when faced with someone so inhuman as to be able to identify a top secret grafting technique.

"However, I would also like to ask for some pointers, if that's okay. I… I saw a medicinal plant a while back. I've asked many people about it, but no one can tell me exactly what it was." Katazu once again clasped hands and bowed. "Alchemist Namikaze, if you can help me out a bit, I'd be more than happy to give this grafted medicinal plant to you as an expression of my thanks."

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever. However, inwardly, he sighed, thinking that he should have acted a bit weaker earlier. Showing off so much had only deprived him of a chance to fleece this fat sheep.

"It's too bad," he thought. "I have a lot more spirit stones in my bag of holding, and I was planning to con this guy even harder. Now I've lost the chance." Feeling a bit depressed, he waved his hand to collect Katazu's bag of holding. After scanning it with divine sense and seeing how many spirit stones were inside, he felt a bit better.

Then he looked up at the grafted medicinal plant. He knew that the value of such a plant would be significant. Besides, the grafting techniques that had been used were intriguing. As a result, he nodded to Katazu.

Katazu's expression brightened, and he immediately produced a jade slip from his bag of holding, which he respectfully handed over to Naruto, who accepted it and scanned it with divine sense.

Immediately, an image of a violet flower appeared in his mind, growing on top of a tiny, hand-sized horse, which was galloping at top speed.

That was all he saw before the image vanished.

Naruto's expression became more serious, and he scanned the jade slip again. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Where did you see this?"

"On an island in a sea district here on Planet East Victory. I just randomly happened to see it, and chased after it for a while to no avail. I asked some of the local fisherman about it, and all of them reported seeing it before on occasion.

"However, even after returning to the location on a few times, I was never able to find it again." Katazu had shown this jade to slip to numerous alchemists, but none of them had ever been able to identify it. The best he had gotten were speculations that it was some type of rare medicinal plant.

"I think that horse is actually the root of the medicinal plant," said Katazu.

"You would be wrong," said Naruto, shaking his head. "That's not a medicinal plant. It's… a medicinal pill! A sentient medicinal pill!"

"What!?" exclaimed Katazu, feeling both shock and disbelief. None of the numerous alchemists he had asked about this image had ever come to the conclusion that it was a medicinal pill. No matter how you looked at it, the only answer that made sense was that it was some kind of medicinal plant.

"How is that even possible?" said Katazu, mostly to himself. "Medicinal pills are medicinal pills! They're concocted by people! How could a medicinal pill come to life?"

"Such things do exist," said Naruto. "I've seen them." Without providing any further explanation, he handed the jade slip back to Katazu, then clasped hands and bowed to the crowd. Finally, he turned and left.

Even after Naruto left, Katazu was still in a state of disbelief. The surrounding apprentice alchemists all began disperse excitedly.

Soon after, Katazu returned to his residence, whereupon he took out Futsu's jade slip and then grimly transmitted a stream of divine will into it.

Meanwhile, Futsu was in the ancestral mansion, meditating in his residence as he waited for news from the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"Alchemist Katazu is a tier 2 alchemist. His skill in the Dao of alchemy is incredible. Once he shows up, that Naruto will definitely get put in his place. Forcing him to kneel there for three days will definitely lighten my heart a bit." He chuckled coldly, and he felt incredible anticipation for the moment when he could visit the Dao of Alchemy Division and personally look at Naruto kneeling there.

"Your dad was there on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and that's why you could be so arrogant and despotic. But here, you're an outsider. Let's see you try to be pompous here!" A wide smile appeared on his face. It was at this point that his expression flickered as he produced a jade slip from his bag of holding. Then he laughed out loud.

"Alchemist Namikaze sent me a message!" His expression one of anticipation, he sent his divine sense into the jade slip. After a moment, the jade slip began to glow, and an illusory version of Katazu's face appeared. His expression was grim.

As soon as he saw Katazu's expression, Futsu gaped in shock. Before he could even say anything, Katazu had already begun to speak.

"Futsu, what enmity is there between us?! You set me up, you bastard! You wanted me to humiliate Naruto? His skill in plants and vegetation is inhuman! Futsu, I'm not going to forget the trouble you've caused me!"

Futsu's face fell.

"Alchemist Namikaze, this…."

"Don't call me Alchemist Namikaze! From this day forth, when you want pills concocted, don't come looking for me! Furthermore, none of my alchemist friends will concoct for you either!

"Futsu, what you've done is far too excessive!" Katazu glared at Futsu for a moment, then gave a cold snort and severed the divine will connection.

Futsu's face flickered with various emotions, and then suddenly, he shot to his feet and pulled out another jade slip, which he used to connect with the apprentice alchemist he had sent away earlier. After finding out what had happened between Naruto and Katazu in the Dao of Alchemy Division, his face darkened. He wrathfully smashed the jade slip, and his face twisted with rage.

"Naruto!" he howled, and his hatred for Naruto grew even more intense.

In the Dao of Alchemy Division, everyone watched Naruto leave, and then dispersed. It didn't take long before Naruto's name began to be spread by all of the apprentice alchemists who had been present. The story of the bet between Naruto and Katazu was especially popular.

When the apprentice alchemists from the outer mountains learned that Naruto had actually defeated Katazu in terms of plants and vegetation, it only made Naruto all the more mysterious, and the subject of even more debate.

He had a 30,000 meter Bloodline Gatebeam, he had experienced the Seventh Year Tribulation, was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, and was a Chosen of the Namikaze Clan.

Word of all of these things spread, and soon, Naruto's name began to rise to prominence among the apprentice alchemists. There were even some low-level alchemists who took note.

In the ancestral mansion, Menma's father and grandfather sat in a temple, their faces grim as they listened to a tier 1 alchemist retell the story of what had happened that day at the Dao of Alchemy Division.

After a long moment, the tier 1 alchemist left. Menma's father, Kajura, looked incredibly gloomy.

"Dad, if that son of a bitch keeps doing things like this, it's going to cause waves of disturbance…."

"It doesn't matter," the old man said somberly. "He won't live much longer. Besides, even if he becomes famous in the Dao of Alchemy Division, the rules of the Namikaze Clan are clear; anyone who practices cultivation must contribute merit points.

"He just arrived, and will be provided with a set monthly allowance of merit points. It doesn't matter if it's in terms of cultivation or pill concocting, he won't be making any waves.

"Besides, if he wants to earn more merit points, he'll have to accomplish tasks set forth by the clan…. When that happens, it doesn't matter if he's avoided death so far, he'll be on the outside, where accidents can happen at any time."

Naruto had returned to his Immortal's cave residence. He already had some idea as to what would be happening right now back in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and some of those things were exactly what he wanted.

"My cultivation base isn't good enough to help me rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan, but since they have their own Dao of alchemy, why not rise to prominence there? That can make me just as popular and famous.

"The higher my status in their Dao of Alchemy Division, then the higher my status will be in the clan in general.

"The Dao of alchemy…. If I could become the most powerful alchemist in the Namikaze Clan, then I would definitely be super famous. When I control the entire Dao of Alchemy Division, then finding out what happened to my two Nirvana Fruits won't be very difficult!" His eyes gleamed, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

After a moment, Naruto closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base, as well as his Immortal meridian. The portion of it which remained illusory was slowly becoming solid.

"I still need more time before my Immortal meridian is full and complete. When that happens, I'll be a true Immortal!" He took a deep breath. Outside, it was gradually growing dark, and the moon had risen. Naruto's eyes finally opened, and he waved his hand, causing the ten sets of ingredients for Spirit Elixir to emerge.

Naruto looked them over carefully, then examined the formula for a while.

"This formula is pretty simple," he thought. "Also, the Spirit Elixir it produces won't be very high quality." Eyes glittering, he produced the jade box and took out the Nirvana Fruits. After examining them for a bit, he tried his hand at concocting the Spirit Elixir.

First, he made one batch using the method described in the formula. To Naruto, that method was simply too basic. After concocting the first batch, he decided to use his own method. He altered the formula a bit, then produced a total of nine batches of Spirit Elixir, each one slightly different than the others.

Then, he carefully dripped them onto one of the Nirvana Fruits one batch at a time, and observed the various reactions.

He was immediately able to see signs of restoration on the fruit. By the time the ninth batch of Spirit Elixir had been absorbed, the Nirvana fruit was no longer cracked and wrinkled, and in fact looked wholly recovered. It even emanated a splendorous light that strongly stimulated the blood in Naruto's veins.

He even had the mistaken feeling that he should immediately absorb the Nirvana Fruit into his body. He quickly closed his eyes and suppressed the impulse to try it out. After four hours, the Nirvana Fruit slowly began to wither back up. By the time six hours had passed, it had returned to its original dried-up shape.

"If I had actually tried to absorb it," he murmured, looking at the withered fruits, "then I would have been turned into a desiccated corpse just now. A sudden and unexpected death.

"If I want to absorb these Nirvana Fruits, then I need to truly restore them so that they aren't dangerous. Of these nine batches of Spirit Extract, the seventh was the strongest. It was around twice as strong as any of the others." He looked down at the final remaining set of ingredients. After a moment of hesitation, a gleam of determination appeared in his eyes.

"This formula still isn't good enough. The medicinal plants used to concoct the Spirit Elixir can actually be substituted with other medicinal plants." Naruto sank into contemplation regarding the combination of medicinal plants. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a Sun Blossom and a Reincarnation Leaf, legendary medicinal plants that were extinct in the outside world. After adding them to the formula, he began to concoct more Spirit Elixir.

This time, it took him two full days to complete the concoction. When the medicinal plants were finally refined into a liquid, he ended up with a glob of emerald-green fluid about the the size of a fist, which he then placed into a small bottle.

It was filled with dense Immortal Chakra, and because it contained Sun Blossom and Reincarnation Leaf, it meant that this bottle was shocking in terms of both quality and value.

Enduring the pain in his heart, Naruto produced the copper mirror and duplicated it, then very carefully poured a single drop from the bottle onto one of the Nirvana Fruits. It instantly returned to life, and began to glow with scintillating light.

However, Naruto knew that the fruit had not truly recovered. He continued to pour one drop after another onto the fruit, a total of one hundred. When the liquid was completely absorbed by the Nirvana Fruit, it gradually began to transform. Although it was difficult to describe the exact nature of the transformation, Naruto was just barely able to detect some sort of life force from within.

"It's working!" he thought, his eyes flickering. However, his heart then began to twinge with pain. Duplicating that single bottle of Spirit Elixir had removed a distressing amount of spirit stones from his bag of holding.

He clenched his jaw.

"It's just a bit of money, right…?" he said through gritted teeth, and then duplicated another bottle. Time passed. Five days.

"Dammit! Do you absorb Spirit Elixir or spirit stones!?

"Y-y-you're… you're still absorbing the Spirit Elixir!?

"It-it… it's like I've fallen into a bottomless pit!

"Argh, my spirit stones!"

Naruto's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the Nirvana Fruit. During these five days, he had depleted the number of spirit stones in his bag of holding by half. He had duplicated an ocean of Spirit Elixir, all of which had been absorbed by the Nirvana Fruit. The life force inside of it was growing stronger, but there seemed to be no end in sight. Naruto could clearly sense that it was thirsty to absorb more Spirit Elixir.

If you calculated exactly how much Spirit Elixir the Nirvana Fruit had absorbed, anyone in the Namikaze Clan would have been shocked. Furthermore, that Spirit Elixir was of the finest quality. A few bottles might not have been a big deal, but for most people, it wouldn't just be a problem of spirit stones; they simply would never be able to gather that many medicinal plants. Especially not the Sun Blossoms and Reincarnation Leaves.

"Only when it reaches the point that it can't absorb any more Spirit Elixir, will I know that it's fully restored!" Naruto's heart dripped with blood, and he ceased duplicating the Spirit Elixir. He quickly packed the Nirvana Fruit up and then closed his eyes.

After a moment, he opened his eyes again and then frowned.

"This isn't the right method. I need to increase the Spirit Elixir's power. To do that, I need to replace all of the current medicinal plant ingredients. If I can create an even more powerful Spirit Elixir, that would be the best thing. Although it might cost more spirit stones to duplicate on an individual basis, overall, I'll be able to save a lot of resources."

Naruto took a deep breath and then rose to his feet, ending the current madness of duplication and concoction. He was now preparing to make another trip to the Dao of Alchemy Division, and figure out a way to get the medicinal plants he needed.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the clan merit points I need…. However, that problem is solved easily enough." Eyes shining brightly, he turned into a beam of light that shot toward the Dao of Alchemy Division.

People recognized him almost as soon as he arrived. That was especially true when he reached Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191. The apprentice alchemists there, including the old alchemist Ibuse, immediately rose to their feet excitedly, clasped hands, and invited him onto the platform.

Naruto didn't decline, but instead took his place and began to lecture about the Dao of alchemy, and even asked the apprentice alchemists to go invite others to come listen.

"All of this is for the clan," Naruto announced in a profound voice. "I hope that, even with my meager skills, I can help to advance our clan's Dao of alchemy." His voice seemed to be full of loyalty and righteousness toward the clan.

The apprentice alchemists were getting excited, and immediately took out jade slips to inform their friends, who quickly hurried over, and also spread the word.

Over the course of the following four hours, the mountain peak came to be surrounded by tens of thousands of onlookers, who packed together to listen to Naruto lecture about plants and vegetation. Many among the audience were people who had heard of the events that had previously occurred, and were skeptically listening to Naruto for the first time. However, after listening for only a short time, their eyes went wide, and they were quickly absorbed in the information, seemingly entranced.

Naruto lectured for an entire day, after which he started to look a bit tired.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the clan, it's not that I don't wish to continue, but I really don't have enough time. I have to go do some tasks for the clan. Next time I'm free, I'll be sure to come back."

No matter what the crowd said to try to get him to stay, Naruto refused, and immediately left the Dao of Alchemy Division.

Later, for no apparent reason, Hotarubi suddenly became interested in the Dao of alchemy. He pulled some strings to get a chance to become an apprentice alchemist, and went directly to Peak #7191, quickly becoming familiar with some of the apprentice alchemists there.

In the following days, whenever Naruto returned, Hotarubi was in the crowd. Every time Naruto showed up, it was evening, and he would only talk for four hours before leaving.

Of course, each and every time, he would stop right at a critical moment in the lecture, which made the apprentice alchemists even more excited to hear what was next. He would always appear to really wish to keep lecturing, but be unable to because of Clan assignments, and would leave.

On one particular occasion, he lectured for about six hours before preparing to leave. It was at this point that one of the apprentice alchemists called out in a loud voice.

"Naruto, isn't the point of performing clan assignments to get merit points? How about I give one of my merit points to you, and you keep talking for two hours! What do you think?!" This apprentice alchemist was none other than Hotarubi. From the look on his face, he was prepared to go all out, to pay any price necessary to gain more knowledge of plants and vegetation.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the surrounding apprentice alchemists hesitated for a moment. However, there were a few others who immediately voiced their approval, calling out to Naruto, who stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea…." he said hesitantly.

"What's not good about it!?" hollered Hotarubi at the top of his lungs. "Naruto, your skill in plants and vegetation is so high that even a tier 2 alchemist is no match for you! If you're willing to sacrifice your own merit points for the clan, and for us, then we're willing to do the same thing for you! If we weren't, it would be a huge shame for us!"

Other apprentice alchemists began to chime in.

"That's right! Naruto, during these days, we've personally witnessed the sacrifices you have been making for the sect, and for us. We're all very grateful…."

"Naruto, you're a Chosen, and yet, you're not arrogant at all! No matter what questions we come up with about plants and vegetation, you patiently answer them all! You deserve to get merit points from us!"

"That's right! Anyone who refuses to part with their merit points should just get the hell out of here! The most valuable thing in the world isn't bullying other people! It's knowledge!"

As the atmosphere in the area grew more passionate, Naruto's face filled with emotion. Finally, he took a deep breath and stood tall on the platform, nodding his head.

"Very well," he said, sounding determined. "Thank you for your support, everyone. Since all of you demand this, then I will forgo any service to the clan, and will instead personally impart all of my knowledge of plants and vegetation to all of you!

"For two hours, I'll charge only one merit point per person! Don't offer any more! If you do, I won't accept!"

The surrounding apprentice alchemists all had strange looks on their faces. Some were actually looks of disdain; how could people not have at least some idea of what had just happened?

Immediately, conversations rippled through the crowd.

"He's actually charging a fee!"

"Doggone-it! How shameless! How fake!"

"Let's go to some other peak. None of the other alchemists charge merit points!"

Almost immediately, tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists flicked their sleeves and left. Naruto watched them leave and sighed.

"These Namikaze Clan people are so stingy," he thought. "There were so many people before, but as soon as I mentioned charging merit points, so many of them just got up and left…."

In the end, only about a thousand people remained behind. To them, one merit point wasn't very much; considering it was Naruto who was lecturing, they felt it was worth it.

This time, Naruto lectured for six hours, after which, he collected several thousand merit points, then left the Dao of Alchemy Division and returned to his Immortal's cave. A few hours later, Hotarubi returned, looking both excited and cautious at the same time. The parrot perched on one of his shoulders, the meat jelly on the other. He looked very proud of himself.

"Coz! We really made a profit this time!"

Naruto laughed, and his eyes glowed with bright light. In the Namikaze Clan, merit points were essentially the same thing as spirit stones, or even Immortal jades. Anything you wanted required an exchange of merit points.

Naruto waved his sleeve, producing a jade medallion. After scanning it with divine sense, he partitioned a hundred merit points and transferred them to Hotarubi.

"We need to make sure the apprentice alchemists you hired don't get discouraged. Tell them that the better they do in promoting me, the more merit points they can earn."

Hotarubi was actually quite excited. He had never before thought of using such a method to earn merit points. Normally speaking, the most he could ever get in a one-month period was about five hundred. But just now, it only took about six hours to make several thousand. To him, it made Naruto even more enigmatic than before.

It was at this point that Hotarubi said, "Coz, I promised them ten points apiece…."

"Don't be stingy, Hotarubi," Naruto replied, sounding very solemn. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but you're simply too stingy. You need to think big! It's just a bit of money, right?! If cultivators like us are constantly thinking about material things, then how can we ever increase our cultivation base?"

Hotarubi gaped for a moment in hesitation, but couldn't hold back from carefully saying, "Coz, what I mean is… you didn't give enough. I promised them ten per person, and I hired 173 people…."

Naruto's face immediately flickered, and he said nothing for a moment.

His silence caused Hotarubi to immediately get nervous, and he quickly continued, "Coz, I know I messed up. Next time I hire them, I'll tell them it'll be fifty per person."

Naruto's cheek suddenly twitched. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Hotarubi and sincerely said, "Hotarubi, listen. You haven't lived the hard life, so you don't know how difficult things can be. Do you know what cultivators like us use up the most? Resources! Spirit Stones! Immortal jades!

"If you want to be stronger than everyone else, then you need more spirit stones! More resources! That's the path to power!

"Now, don't take this the wrong way, but you need to learn how to work hard and live a simple life! Be diligent, thrifty! Learn how to take only one merit point, and split it ten ways! That's how cultivators like us can reach the top and stay there!" Naruto patted Hotarubi's shoulder. Suppressing the inward pain he felt, he took out his command medallion and once again sent his divine sense out, causing a thousand merit points to transfer over.

"Remember what I just told you," Naruto urged. "One merit point, split ten ways…. You can't just throw your money away!"

Hotarubi gaped at Naruto in utter shock. The words he had spoken just now were the complete opposite of what he had said before. And yet, both made sense.

In the end, Naruto couldn't hold back from adding, "Next time you hire people, it's one merit point per person. That should be enough."

Sighing, he turned and headed into his residence.

Of the more than three thousand merit points he had started out with, he now had less than half left. It was quite a blow.

Add to that the fact that later that night, Naruto had to duplicate more Spirit Elixir to use on the Nirvana Fruit, and the result was that by the following day, his bag of holding once again seemed sadly shrunken. By that time, Naruto truly felt as if he were about to go crazy.

He loved spirit stones, and loved being wealthy. Furthermore, what he loved least was spending his spirit stones….

To him, it felt like draining out his own blood.

At dawn, Naruto emerged. When Hotarubi saw him, he stared in shock.

"Coz, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Naruto's eyes were completely red, and his expression had become somewhat vicious. He took a deep breath and cleared his head. Deep within his eyes, a brilliant light flickered.

"I HAVE to get rich! I HAVE to get merit points!"

Naruto returned to the Dao of Alchemy Division, and to Peak #7191. Yet again, he lectured about plants and vegetation. However, this time, there were actually fewer people than last time, only about nine hundred.

There wasn't much he could do. In order to get as many merit points as possible, he lectured for an entire day before leaving in exhaustion.

Each time he came after that, there were fewer people. After about a month, there were just over four hundred people who came, causing Naruto to sigh. The ones that stayed behind were the original group of apprentice alchemists, the ones whose fervor toward Naruto was the most intense.

Among their number was also tier 1 alchemist Ibuse, who fairly worshipped Naruto.

After finishing his lecture, Naruto didn't leave. Instead, he went to Ibuse's Immortal's cave and directly asked some questions.

"Ibuse, in the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy division, how do apprentice alchemists get promoted to full alchemist?"

Ibuse always treated Naruto very respectfully. Despite his surprise about the question, he quickly answered.

"To become a full alchemist, you have to concoct at least a thousand tier 1 medicinal pills, and must also pass through the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

"The first thing to do is pass through the Medicine Pavilion. That indicates that your skill with plants and vegetation has reached the level of a tier 1 alchemist.

"Unfortunately, it's very difficult. Anyone in the Dao of Alchemy Division who hasn't studied plants and vegetation for at least ten years would have a very hard time passing the first level. Take me, for example. I can concoct tier 2 medicinal pills, although my success rate isn't very high. However, despite my best efforts, I barely passed the examination of the Medicine Pavilion. Due to my lack of skill in plants and vegetation, I wasn't able to get past the second level, and in the end, I became a tier 1 alchemist." Ibuse chuckled bitterly.

"Medicine Pavilion?" asked Naruto, his eyes sparkling. "How do you get into it?"

"It doesn't matter if you're a full alchemist or an apprentice alchemist, anyone can enter the pavilion at any time. The Medicine Pavilion was set up in the past by a Patriarch of the Dao of Alchemy Division. It tests everything that you can think of, and has nine levels, which corresponds to the nine tiers for alchemists.

"Anyone who feels confident enough, can pay one hundred merit points to go to the inner mountains and take the Medicine Pavilion trial by fire.

"It's extremely hard," said Ibuse, lowering his voice. "Of all the apprentice alchemists from Peak #7191, only about seven or eight might be able to attempt it, and that would only be after another ten or more years of study. As for the rest, most would need dozens of years of study before they could even think about trying. If you were to try to brute-force imprint your memory with knowledge, your mental world would burst from being overwhelmed by the infinite possible varieties of plants and vegetation. Unless your cultivation base is at an unfathomable level, of course."

Naruto knew that when it came to plants and vegetation, there were endless variations, which were hard to imprint with spiritual sense. After hearing Ibuse's explanation, Naruto began to mutter to himself. Then, a plan started to form in his mind.

"Is there any other way to become a full alchemist?" Naruto asked.

"Other ways…?" Ibuse thought for a moment, and then his eyes brightened. However, they grew dull again just as quickly. "There is, but it's too difficult. In fact, it's impossible to succeed that way.

"For tens of thousands of years, there have been three specific medicinal pills in the Dao of Alchemy Division which, if any full alchemist or apprentice alchemist can concoct, will allow them to immediately be promoted to tier 8 alchemist. That person would instantly become famous in the entire clan.

"Those three pills are famous pills concocted by past Patriarchs. Unfortunately, even though they left pill formulas behind after they perished, no one has been able to successfully concoct them.

"In all of Planet East Victory, even the Medicine Immortal Sect is only capable of concocting two of those pills. Of course, even though the Medicine Immortal Sect has its roots in the Namikaze Clan, and might even be considered a branch of the sect and a part of our Dao of alchemy, they are still almost considered outsiders. The fact that they can concoct pills that we cannot is somewhat disgraceful.

"That's why those three pill formulas were placed in the Pill Pavilion. The clan has posted incredible rewards for concocting them. Supposedly, the reward for even the most simple of the three includes Immortal jade, tons of spirit stones, and 5,000,000 merit points, not to mention vast quantities of medicinal plants, magical items, and technique manuals.

"Unfortunately, after all these tens of thousands of years, nobody has ever succeeded. Even our only tier 9 alchemist, Pill Elder Isago, had to admit that he can't concoct them." 1

Ibuse shook his head.

Naruto's eyes glittered and then almost seemed to glaze over.

"Another thing: because the cost of the medicinal plant ingredients is so high, anyone who attempts to concoct the simplest of those pills is must put up 1,000,000 merit points as a collateral. Regardless of whether they succeed or fail, the merit points will be erased."

When Naruto heard that, he felt like someone had grabbed him by the neck and started squeezing down tightly. It took him a long moment before he could breathe again.

"Merit points! Merit points again!" He suddenly frowned, and pushed down the impulsive feelings rising up in his heart. After spending a bit of time planning, his eyes began to glitter.

"Take me to the Medicine Pavilion!" he suddenly said.

"You… you want to try to challenge the Medicine Pavilion!?" asked Ibuse, looking shocked. Then, he suddenly looked excited. He was well aware that he had no idea as to the limits of Naruto's skill in plants and vegetation.

"Try to challenge the Medicine Pavilion?" Naruto replied, sounding surprised. "What, are you going to pay for it? Nah, I'm not going to try to challenge it, I'm just going to take a look at the first level." With that, Naruto flew out of the Immortal's cave.

"Uh… no, I'm not going to pay for it…." Ibuse hurried to follow as Naruto shot through the mountains.

Soon, two mountain peaks appeared ahead of Naruto, between which was an enormous treasure pavilion, floating there in mid air, emanating brilliant and colorful light. Clouds and mist floated around it, and it truly looked like an abode of Immortals.

Two old men sat cross-legged outside of the treasure pavilion, next to an enormous stone slab.

"This is the Medicine Pavilion," Ibuse said softly, a pious look in his eyes. "According to the stories, this pavilion is actually a magical item, a precious treasure that the first generation Patriarch brought from off planet. It was originally owned by someone else, and had always attempted to fly away to rejoin him. However, after the Patriarch passed away in meditation, it has remained locked in place here, floating in midair and unable to go anywhere."

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he flew up into the air directly toward the Medicine Pavilion. As soon as he got close, an incredibly powerful medicinal aroma hit him in the face. In the blink of an eye, he sensed millions upon millions of different types of medicinal aromas all mixed together.

"So many types of plants and vegetation!" thought Naruto with a gasp. He was still outside, and yet could already tell how terrifying it must be inside.

As he neared, the two old men who acted as guards outside the Medicine Pavilion opened their eyes. They appeared to be incredibly ancient, as if they were Immortal Divinities with unfathomable cultivation bases. From what he could tell, they were even more powerful than the Grand Elder.

His face solemn, he clasped hands and bowed.

The two old men looked over Naruto, and it almost seemed as if they could see through him. Finally, they retracted their gazes and closed their eyes. Naruto took a deep breath and then looked at the huge stone stele that rested off to the side.

The stone stele was divided into nine levels, upon each of which were written names. The first level had the most names, hundreds of thousands of them. After the first level, the higher you went, the fewer names there were, and some of the names were gray-colored. On the ninth level, there were ten names, with nine being gray, and one shining brightly.

Isago!

In the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division, there was currently only one tier 9 alchemist, the man known as Pill Elder… Isago.

Naruto looked at the ten names on the ninth level of the stone stele, and suddenly thought of his master Pill Demon.

"From my current perspective, it's now obvious that Pill Demon's skill in the Dao of alchemy vastly exceeded any standards for Planet Lands of Ninshu. Were it not for the fact that he lacked certain medicinal plant ingredients, he would surely have been able to concoct some medicinal pills that were famous in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Now, he's a member of the Baldy Society, with even more resources at his disposal and able to focus completely on the Dao of alchemy." When Naruto thought of his master, he couldn't help… but also think of a certain woman. It was Sakura, who had left with Pill Demon to go to the Baldy Society.

"Waiting to meet out in the big wide world… is a beautiful type of regret." Naruto shook his head. To him, emotions were not everything. In this life, it was enough for him to have only Hinata.

Even more important was to accomplish something incredible, all on his own.

"I'm going to become the richest person in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!" he thought, his eyes filling with determination as he strode into the Medicine Pavilion.

As soon as he entered, a gentle light swept over him, and his identity jade medallion flew out. Glittering light could be seen as one hundred clan merit points were deducted from within.

Naruto's heart twinged in pain. Those one hundred merit points represented lecturing to a hundred apprentice alchemists for two hours.

"No pain, no gain!" he thought. "I'm going to go for it!" Gritting his teeth, he continued onward into the Medicine Pavilion. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by thick mists that made it difficult to see.

After a moment, a glowing light appeared in front of him, within which were 1,000 types of medicinal plants. It was hard to see them clearly, as they were obscured by mist. Simultaneously, an archaic voice echoed throughout the first level.

"One hundred breaths of time. Identify at least 900 medicine plants and imprint them with divine sense. You will be given ten sets; completing nine of them will count as passing the level."

As soon as the voice finished speaking, the mists covering the 1,000 medicinal plants vanished, leaving them clearly visible. Naruto's gaze passed over them, and he immediately recognized all of them. However, he did not imprint any of them with divine sense, but instead committed all 1,000 plants to memory.

One hundred breaths of time quickly passed, and the light flickered. The 1,000 medicinal plants vanished, to be replaced by another set of 1,000.

Naruto quickly looked them over, and his eyes sparkled as if with electricity. After committing the medicinal plants to memory, he waited for the hundred breaths of time to end, and the third set of 1,000 medicinal plants to appear.

In this manner, he consumed all ten opportunities that he was given. After being shown 10,000 medicinal plants, he was wrapped up by a gentle force, and, in the blink of an eye, sent flying out of the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, to appear outside.

Ibuse was waiting outside, filled with anticipation. As soon as he saw Naruto appear, his jaw dropped. Whenever anybody passed the first level, glowing lights would appear. And yet, the first level looked exactly the same as when Naruto had entered it.

Ibuse gaped in shock, and was about to step forward when Naruto suddenly strode directly back toward the entrance, paid his one hundred merit points, and entered the Medicine Pavilion again.

Inside, he once again memorized the 10,000 medicinal plants that were shown to him, and was expelled. Gritting his teeth, he went in again.

Twice, three times, four times…. In a relatively short period of time, Naruto entered ten times. His merit points were vanishing rapidly. However, he stuck with it. Ibuse was struck dumb, and could scarcely believe that Naruto couldn't pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. And yet, here he was watching the bizarre scene play out right in front of him.

"What exactly is he doing?" thought Ibuse. In his estimation, it should be a relatively simple matter for Naruto to pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. He just couldn't figure out why he would want to go in at the same level over and over again.

Time passed. Naruto, seemingly bewitched, tried out the first level ten times, twenty times, thirty times. In the end… he entered the first level a hundred times.

That was 10,000 merit points, and considering he hadn't even earned 20,000 merit points over the last month or so, that meant he had now depleted his supply by more than sixty percent.

"100 times!" he said after appearing outside. He looked over at the Medicine Pavilion and took a deep breath.

After taking the examination over 100 times, he had been shown 1,000,000 medicinal plants. However, many of those were actually duplicates. After some thought, he looked at the more than 4,000 merit points he had left, gritted his teeth, and entered the Medicine Pavilion yet again.

After passing through 40 more times, Naruto had less than a hundred merit points left. The two old men sitting outside the Medicine Pavilion watched his odd behavior with fascination. They could clearly sense the determination that filled him.

"140 times! You would think that 1,400,000 medicinal plants would appear. But in reality, when you eliminate the repetitions, there were only about 1,000,000.

"From all those 1,000,000 medicinal plants, each section of the test only selects 1,000. All you need to do is recognize 900, and then, do that nine times…. In other words, in any given test, you actually only have to identify about 8,100 medicinal plants correctly!

"When you think about it that way, it's not really that hard." Naruto mused thoughtfully. In particular, there were about 5,000 medicinal plants that recurred most often in the test, which had special significance. These were plants that were easily confused with others.

Eyes glittering, he turned and left, followed by Ibuse. Ibuse wanted to ask some questions, but after seeing Naruto's thoughtful look, he hesitated, and then decided not to interrupt.

Evening was falling, but Naruto did not return to his Immortal's cave. Instead, he accepted Ibuse's invitation to stay at his Immortal's cave for the night. During that time, he did not practice cultivation, but instead took out a jade slip and began to analyze and record information from his 140 examinations in the Medicine Pavilion, and to gather together information about the most common medicinal plants to appear.

Day and night, he classified and categorized the different plants. Three days later, he emerged, his expression one of exhaustion, and yet with brightly gleaming eyes.

"Measly Medicine Pavilion," he thought. "I'm going to help all of the apprentice alchemists who listen to my lectures pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. When that happens, there will definitely be a huge increase in my audience." He laughed heartily, and his eyes shone with anticipation and determination. To do something like he was doing was something no other alchemist would ever think was possible.

The reason Naruto could do it was because his skill in plants and vegetation had reached a completely terrifying level. Because of that, he was capable of memorizing and then organizing all of those 1,000,000 medicinal plants.

Of course, other high level alchemists might be able to do the same thing. However, they would never think to use the same method, to waste such energy and such a large amount of merit points, to organize all that information for the purpose of cheating.

After spending a few more days organizing all of the information and data, Naruto was completely confident. The next time he went to lecture the more than 400 fanatical apprentice alchemists, all the content was regarding information about those specific medicinal plants.

He especially focused on the most common plants, as well as the ones that were most easily misidentified.

This was a method that focused specifically on memorizing correct answers. Naruto completely forgot any exhaustion he felt, and committed himself to lecturing. A month later, the number of apprentice alchemists didn't increase, but neither did it decrease.

By the time that month ended, Naruto had finished introducing all of the plants that most commonly appeared in the Medicine Pavilion test. After finishing a lecture, he would wave his hand, and use the magic of a divine ability to cause 1,000 medicinal plants to appear.

"Next, I'll give you a little test," he said. "I'll give you two hours to try to identify as many of these 1,000 medicinal plants as possible. Mark down any that you don't know. When the time limit is up, I'll give you the correct answers."

This was a completely fresh and new experience for these apprentice alchemists, but as for Ibuse, he looked on with wide eyes. After listening to Naruto's lectures for a month, he was starting to feel a bit apprehensive. After all, he had passed through the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, and was starting to pick up on what Naruto was doing. This was especially the case when Naruto started using the same testing method as the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. It was at this point that he started panting, and a look of astonishment could be seen on his face.

"Don't tell me… he actually went through the first level of the Medicine pavilion more than a hundred times just to be able to see all the test's contents!

"That's… that's basically the same as just seeing all the answers! Now that he's giving specific lectures about the answers, these apprentice alchemists will have a much, much higher chance of passing the examination. That's… that's cheating!

"It's even more so the case considering he's using the same testing method as the Medicine Pavilion, just to get them used to it…." Ibuse couldn't help but gape in shock.

Two hours later, the images vanished, and the apprentice alchemists began to ask questions about the medicinal plants they couldn't identify. Naruto emphasized various key points, and then waved his hand again, causing another set of images to appear.

It was in this fashion that time slowly passed. Naruto rarely returned to his Immortal's cave. Most of his time was spent in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Eventually, he reduced the amount of time he gave the apprentice alchemists from two hours to one hour. Then to the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Then half that amount of time.

By the time another month had passed, Naruto had reduced the time limit to one hundred breaths.

His audience gradually got used to it, and eventually started to get excited about the continually increasing number of medicinal plants they could identify, and the continuously increasing speed at which they could identify them. Actually, it was virtually impossible for them NOT to identify the medicinal plants, because during that time, Naruto lectured exclusively on the contents of the Medicine Pavilion examination.

During that three month period, the apprentice alchemists gave most of their merit points to Naruto. In exchange, there were more than a hundred among the group who had reached the point of being able to identify more than 900 medicinal plants in one hundred breaths of time.

On that day, Naruto ceased lecturing. Instead, he looked seriously at all of the four hundred members of his audience.

"Your merit points have not been spent in vain," he announced. "Right now, all of us are going to the Medicine Pavilion to participate in the first level examination. Trust me, at least twenty percent of you will definitely pass!" In response, the apprentice alchemists looked at him with shock and hesitation.

"Ibuse, lead the way!" said Naruto, waving his hand. Ibuse gritted his teeth, nodded, and walked forward. The four hundred unconfident apprentice alchemists then followed his lead to the Medicine Pavilion.

Naruto flew along with them.

Along the way, more than few people noticed what was going on, and when they heard that the group was going to the Medicine Pavilion to take the examination, they began to laugh out loud.

"How long have they been studying? And they think they can take on the first level of the Medicine Pavilion?"

"Without studying about plants and vegetation for dozens of years, how could you possibly succeed in the Medicine Pavilion? Do you people want to just throw away their merit points or something?"

"That's funny. A lot of them have barely studied plants and vegetation for three years, right?"

More and more apprentice alchemists took note. All of them wondered what the reason was for all of this, and they began to laugh and ridicule them.

The ridicule caused many of the four hundred apprentice alchemists to feel very embarrassed, and even hesitant. They weren't confident in their chances of success at all, but Naruto was very enthusiastic about the whole matter. Were it anyone else, they would think they were intentionally being set up to look bad.

"Ignore all of them! Trust me!" cried Naruto, his expression solemn. The four hundred apprentice alchemists gritted their teeth.

They still weren't confident, and yet, were still interested in knowing how far away they were from being able to succeed in the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

The sound of the onlookers' mockery rang out, and there were quite a few people who decided to follow along to see what happened when the group tried to pass the examination in the Medicine Pavilion. There were some tier 1 alchemists who recognized Ibuse and, when they saw what was going on, shook their heads.

"Ibuse is really too shortsighted. Those are apprentice alchemists from Peak #7191, right?"

"Although it's true that an alchemist lecturer will receive a reward if any apprentice alchemist from their peak passes the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, these people only have a few years of experience with the Dao of alchemy; they definitely have no chance of succeeding."

"I heard that Naruto took over for Ibuse over the past few months to give lectures at Peak #7191. He even started charging merit point fees. What a joke."

Surrounded by laughter and ridicule, Ibuse and the four hundred apprentice alchemists slowly passed into the inner mountains and then appeared in front of the Medicine Pavilion. Although some of the alchemists in the inner mountains noticed them passing by, none took an interest.

Granted, there were four hundred people all going to take the test together, but that wasn't something unheard of. After all, there were many, many people who were members of the Dao of Alchemy Division. Furthermore, the Medicine Pavilion was a mysterious place; entrance was not limited to a single person. Even 10,000 could enter at one time if they wished.

The interior of the pavilion would appear empty to each participant, as if they were taking the test alone.

The four hundred apprentice alchemists gritted their teeth, paid their merit points, and were about to step into the Medicine Pavilion when Naruto took a deep breath and called out.

"All of you, remember, just do things the way you normally do, and you won't have any problems!"

The four hundred apprentice alchemists gave nervous, forced smiles to Naruto as they clasped hands and bowed to him. Then, clenching their jaws, they entered the Medicine Pavilion one after another. In the blink of an eye, four hundred people vanished.

By this point, a few thousand people had gathered to watch, and were all laughing and joking.

Ibuse was extremely nervous. Many of the people who had gathered were familiar with him, and he could clearly hear their jokes, but there was nothing he could say in response.

Naruto's expression was calm as he floated there in midair looking at the Medicine Pavilion.

Meanwhile, inside, the four hundred apprentice alchemists inside all faced empty mists. Then, 1,000 medicinal plants appeared in front of them, and the vast majority were shocked.

"Huh? How come it's exactly like the tests Alchemist Namikaze gave us?"

"This seems… actually, kind of simple! I know almost all of these…."

"One hundred breaths of time? I've practiced so many times, I'm used to it!" Virtually all of the apprentice alchemists were shocked and excited. Earlier, they never believed that they could succeed, but now they suddenly felt hope.

Time passed by…. One thousand breaths.

Of course, the onlookers were all still laughing about the matter.

"I really don't get what Ibuse is thinking. And as for all those apprentice alchemists, they don't know the height of the Heavens and the depths of the Earth. There's no way they can succeed."

"Time's almost up. They'll be coming out soon. If even one of them succeeds, I'll beat myself to death."

It was at this point that a beam of light appeared on the first level. Instantly, the laughing was silenced.

"Wow, somebody actually succeeded? Well, I guess out of four hundred people, it was inevitable that someone would get lucky…."

"It's possible that person is a Chosen in the Dao of alchemy. It's a given that someone like that would perform shockingly."

Even as the discussions broke out, silence once again reigned as a second beam of light appeared on the first level.

After that, a third, fourth, and a fifth…. 113 beams of light appeared in the blink of an eye. They formed a dazzling spectacle that could be seen from quite a distance away.

The onlookers were deathly quiet and stared with gaping mouths. Their eyes were wide and filled with disbelief, and their minds roared.

This vastly exceeded anything they could have ever imagined, and they could hardly believe it.

It was at this point that, from within the dazzling lights, four hundred apprentice alchemists appeared. The ones who had succeeded in passing the first level were wild with joy. As for the ones who had met with failure, they weren't dejected at all. Instead, their eyes shone brightly with hope; they knew that they had come very close to succeeding.

All of them rushed over to Naruto and began crying out excitedly.

"That was so simple! I actually identified all of them!"

"I did it! Hahaha! I passed! I've only studied the Dao of alchemy for three years, but I passed the first level of the Medicine Pavilion and I succeeded!"

"Thank you, Alchemist Namikaze! Thank you!"

Ibuse was equally excited.

Naruto smiled widely, then cleared his throat. After glancing over at the shocked onlookers, he looked back at the apprentices and then put a solemn expression onto his face.

"What's there to be excited about? What's the surprise?

"During these three months, you paid a few hundred merit points to listen to my lectures about plants and vegetation, so the big surprise would be if you didn't pass the measly first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

"Now, all of you, tell me. Was it worth it to spend those merit points on listening to my lectures?"

The instant the question left his mouth, the more than four hundred apprentice alchemists joined their voices into a mighty roar of approval. All of the onlookers began to tremble inwardly.

Naruto laughed heartily, then turned to leave, sure that this matter would quickly turn into a massive wave that swept through all of the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"I need to stop giving lectures for a few days," he thought. "I'll wait a bit… and then there will surely be more people willing to fork over their merit points." His eyes glittered with anticipation.

However, Naruto had actually underestimated the matter. Over the course of the following days, the Dao of Alchemy Division was struck by a massive tempest. After all, four hundred people had simultaneously taken the Medicine Pavilion examination, and then more than one hundred had successfully passed.

That in and of itself was not shocking. However, when you took into account the amount of time those test takers had been studying the Dao of alchemy, it was completely astonishing.

Those who had studied the longest had five years under their belt. The shortest amount of time any of them had studied was three years. An event such as this was enough to cause shock even among the alchemists of the inner mountains.

It eventually reached the point that the Alchemist Council, which was responsible for the operational affairs of the Dao of Alchemy Division, called a session to discuss the matter. Nineteen alchemists converged in the meeting location; these were the Pavilion Elders of the Dao of Alchemy Division.

All of these nineteen Pavilion Elders were tier 8 alchemists!

Deep in the inner mountains, on the cloud-cloaked peak of a tall mountain, was an ancient temple. Ten enormous statues stood guard outside the temple, each one of which represented a glorious past alchemist of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division.

This was the location where the Alchemist Council held their session. In the main hall of the temple, nineteen enormous seats floated in the air, in the middle of which was an enormous illusory pill cauldron that emanated flickering light.

The seats were occupied by ancient old men with extraordinary cultivation bases, and whose Dao of alchemy could shake Heaven and Earth. Any one of these old men could be the founding Grandmaster of an alchemic sect.

"Naruto arrived four months ago from Planet Lands of Ninshu," said one of the old men, whose face was covered with wrinkles. He barely seemed to have the energy to open his eyes, but a strong medicinal aroma was eternally attached to him. "With a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, he is a Chosen of the clan. Later, the Grand Elder from the main clan arranged for him to come to the Dao of Alchemy Division. Therefore, tier 5 alchemist Shinoto took responsibility to send him to Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191!

"I made some of my own inquiries, and also got some answers from Shinoto. Shinoto believed that while Naruto might have some understanding regarding pill concocting, he was also wildly arrogant. Let's ignore his subjective presumptions for now. Within two hours of Naruto's arrival at Peak #7191, he discovered twelve areas in which tier 1 alchemist Ibuse made errors in explaining plants and vegetation. Naruto then personally gave a lecture about the subject that attracted tens of thousands of spectators.

"Tier 2 alchemist Katazu was incited by the main clan's Futsu to challenge Naruto, making a wager regarding plants and vegetation. Naruto easily defeating him, instantly identifying the top secret grafting technique of a tier 5 alchemist, and also revealing the collocation technique. I personally went to verify that the collocation technique was indeed correct!

"Later, he used his plant and vegetation lectures to collect merit points from the audience…." At this point, the old man paused. Some of the other elders began to chuckle.

"His audience dwindled to only a few hundred people, and his profit ranged only in the tens of thousands of merit points. Unsatisfied, he went to the Medicine Pavilion, where he took the examination 140 times in a row.

"He didn't pass, not even once. However, that was because he intentionally failed. After finishing, he organized all the information about plants and vegetation from the exam and began to lecture the apprentice alchemists of Peak #7191 regarding… all of the test material from the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

"In this way, by developing a cheating technique and preparing the apprentice alchemists for the test by training them in the test method. He then took four hundred people to the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, and over one hundred of them succeeded.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, these are the results of my investigation into Naruto. What do all of you think?" The old man's voice was cool the entire time. Even he found Naruto to be somewhat amusing.

People immediately began to voice varying opinions.

"Is the kid crazy or something? I can't believe he charged merit points for lectures on plants and vegetation! Why didn't I think of that when I was his age!?"

"Amusing, but in the end it was cheating. He should be punished somehow. Perhaps have him clear out the pill rubbish receptacles?"

"No way! A punishment like that is too severe. Let me handle it. I'll have him try to concoct some of my pills for me; I'll show him a thing or two."

"That's not really cheating. To be able to memorize all of the medicinal plants from the first level of the Medicine Pavilion shows that he has a terrifying level of skill with plants and vegetation. I'm curious to see what level he could get to in the pavilion if he really tried."

There were differing views on the matter. Some of them thought it was nothing more than a small matter, and were actually interested in Naruto. Others thought he was a problem waiting to happen, which should be punished and dealt with immediately.

Eventually, everyone finished speaking without reaching a consensus. Located in the middle of the nineteen chairs was an old man who wore a long robe and had flowing white hair. He hadn't spoken the entire time and was instead sitting there with his eyes closed. Finally, his eyes opened, and they seemed to be filled with starlight. It was as if all the heavenly bodies had been shockingly fused together, and existed inside of him.

He cleared his throat.

In that moment, all of the other elder alchemists quieted down and looked at the old man with expressions of ardor and veneration.

"He's nothing more than a member of the Junior generation," the old man said slowly. "Let him do as he pleases. Although, the rules of the first level of the Medicine Pavilion will need to be changed."

In response to his word, all of the Pavilion Elders bowed their heads in acquiescence.

As they did, a strange light appeared in the old man's eyes.

"Baldy Society alchemy methods… and some vestiges of the Demon Immortal Sect. Interesting. Very interesting."

When four hundred apprentice alchemists all challenged the Medicine Pavilion together, and over a hundred succeeded, the news didn't cause a huge stir in the inner mountains, but in the outer mountains, a tempest erupted.

To any apprentice alchemist, passing the first level of the Medicine Pavilion was a major step in life, and something incredibly important. That was even more so for those who had been studying for dozens or even more than a hundred years, and yet still could not pass. They were on the verge of going crazy.

Then there were the apprentice alchemists who hadn't been studying for very long. When they saw others who had been studying for a similar period of time suddenly succeed, and not because they were naturally gifted, but rather, because they had studied with Naruto, and listened to his lectures, it is easy to imagine how violent of an uproar it caused.

Even more so, the apprentice alchemists who had chosen not to pay merit points to listen to Naruto felt intense regret, and couldn't help but think about how a few hundred merit points over the course of three months could have gotten them past the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. Then they would have been pre-qualified to become tier 1 alchemists, which could not be bought with merit points, no matter how many they offered to pay.

Naruto didn't make an appearance for three days. In the meantime, the storm among the outer mountain apprentice alchemists continued. Tens of thousands had gathered outside of Peak #7191 to wait for Naruto. Some people even got into magical combat in order to get a good seat.

On dawn of the fourth day, Naruto appeared in the Dao of Alchemy Division. A soon as people spotted him, word spread like wildfire.

Naruto was quite pleased about all this. Murmuring to himself about how his methods really were effective, he eventually reached Peak #7191. When he saw how many people were waiting, he immediately got excited.

"There have to be about 40-50,000 people here," he thought, panting. "At one merit point a piece for a two hour lecture, I would get around 50,000 merit points! If I lecture for four hours, it would be 100,000. If I lectured for eight hours, 200,000!" Eventually, he took a deep breath. Smiling the whole way, looking like a preeminent Daoist master who viewed material wealth as filth, he slowly strode forward.

When all of the apprentice alchemists gathered around the mountain saw him, they clasped hands and bowed. Then, they joined voices in greeting.

"Greetings, Professor Namikaze!"

The combined voices of all the apprentice alchemists echoed out like thunder. Naruto stepped foot onto the platform, looked out at the audience with shining eyes, and then cleared his throat.

"Today, I will lecture for eight hours," he said.

Immediately, Hotarubi flew out of the crowd with a jade slip in hand, and called out, "Professor Namikaze is kind and generous. To him, material wealth means nothing. In previous months, we had to force him to accept our payment. Now, because he cannot bear to watch the clan's apprentice alchemists fail the examination of the Medicine Pavilion, he has come here to lecture about plants and vegetation. We can't let him down!

"Come come. Everyone put some merit points into this jade slip. Even if Professor Namikaze doesn't want it, we'll force him to take it!" At the same time that Hotarubi yelled out these words, a group of several hundred apprentice alchemists flew out from the crowd in various areas, jade slips in the hand. They immediately began to accept merit points from the other apprentice alchemists in their area.

This time, not a single one of the 40-50,000 people departed. All of them paid their merit points, and then the several hundred jade slips were placed in front of Naruto.

Naruto's face darkened.

"What do you people think you're doing!?" he snapped, flicking his sleeve and looked very displeased.

Yet again, Hotarubi took the lead in crying out.

"Professor Namikaze, this is only what should be yours by right. Sir, please accept!" When Hotarubi finished speaking, his hundreds of companions began to shout.

"Accept it, Professor Namikaze. If you don't, we'll be very upset!"

After listening for a moment, Naruto hesitated, then let out a long sigh and collected up the jade slips.

"Very well," he said emotionally. "Since you demand it, all I can do is work as hard as possible to help you pass the examination of the Medicine Pavilion.

"Material wealth is nothing," he said, shaking his head. "What I care least about in life is just that, money." Inwardly, of course, he was extremely excited and was shouting about how he was rich now.

The eight hour lecture ended quickly. Naruto again talked about the key medicinal plants from the medicine pavilion. After a while, he would wave his hand, causing a thousand medicinal plants to appear, just like the examination in the Medicine Pavilion. Many of the apprentice alchemists who were experiencing this for the first time were instantly enlivened.

In the following days, Naruto was engrossed in lecturing about plants and vegetation. He lectured for eight hours a day, and as time progressed, more and more people came to listen, until the audience exceeded 100,000!

The area was packed full of people, and no end could be seen to the massive crowds. This only spurred Naruto on to put even more energy into his lectures. He even employed his cultivation base and some divine abilities to broadcast his voice out into the distance so that every person could hear him

He was now making hundreds of thousands of merit points every day. To Naruto, that income was a powerful motivating force. Eventually, his lectures became the center of attention of all the outer mountains.

As Naruto got more and more merit points, he was able to get more and more valuable medicinal plants. As such, the ingredients he needed for the Spirit Elixir were all replaced by what could be considered treasured items. Soon, the efficacy of the Spirit Elixir reached a terrifying level.

As for the leftover merit points, he would acquire other medicinal plants, which he would take to his Immortal's cave to concoct medicinal pills. This enabled his Dao of alchemy to steadily improve with each passing day.

He would also exchange merit points for spirit stones, which he would use to duplicate the Spirit Elixir. The life force in the Nirvana Fruits continued to grow stronger.

Of course, not a few people saw what was happening, and their eyes went bloodshot. The other alchemists gazed over at Naruto like ravenous wolves. Although they had never thought to use a method like his, when they saw how much he was profiting, many of them began to imitate him. There were even tier 5 alchemists who left the inner mountains and began to lecture about plants and vegetation, all in order to earn merit points.

Because the Alchemist Council didn't oppose what was happening, it meant they tacitly approved. In fact, they were happy that more alchemists were opting not to spend all their time concocting pills, but instead, were going to the outer mountains to speak to the apprentice alchemists about plants and vegetation, as well as the Dao of alchemy.

It was as if the entire Dao of Alchemy Division was invigorated, and now bustled with activity. Things were very different than before. Now that more alchemists were coming out of the inner mountains and charging to give lectures, some of Naruto's audience was being drawn away. However, there were a million apprentice alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division, so even if a few left, others would take their place. The Dao of Alchemy became a place where numerous viewpoints and expressions were now being heard, and everyone was struggling to promote their own perspective.

Alchemists began using all sorts of methods to attract more apprentice alchemists to their lectures. Some would even lecture about their top secret methods. Gradually, because they were able to attract more and more attention, everyone was able to make a handsome profit.

Soon, tier 6 alchemists and even some tier 7 alchemists were moved to the point of emerging from the inner mountains. The atmosphere in the Dao of Alchemy Division had reached a peak, and even the main clan was was affected, and the Grand Elder, shocked, made a personal visit.

That event caused quite a stir, and word soon spread throughout the clan.

As the apprentice alchemists began to run low on merit points, they chose to perform service for the sect, all to get more merit points. People even began to compete over the tasks assigned by the Dao of Alchemy Division. Everything was flourishing.

"What a change in the Dao of Alchemy Division!" Even the nineteen tier 8 alchemists were very excited. They watched the developments in the atmosphere in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and could tell that if things kept going on this way, the Dao of Alchemy Division would definitely experience a great rise, and a new generation of alchemists would soon come forth.

All of it started with Naruto, and because of it, everyone was once again speaking his name!

Back in the ancestral mansion, the Grand Elder sat silently in the temple, his face dark. It had already been several months since he gave Naruto the Nirvana Fruits, and there had been plenty of time for him to concoct whatever type of Spirit Elixir he wanted. And yet, Naruto had not suddenly died. By this point, the Grand Elder was starting to put the pieces together.

"I underestimated him," he thought with a sigh. "He must have detected something somehow. What a pity…. In any clan, clan rules are everything. All clan members must respect the clan rules. As for him…." The Grand Elder shook his head, and within his eyes could be seen a glint of killing intent.

In another temple in the ancestral mansion, Kajura and his father sat there, extremely grim faced because of the huge name Naruto was making for himself.

"That damned son of a bitch!" grumbled Kajura, frowned. "He actually thought up a scheme like this to earn large amounts of merit points! The amount he's earning on a daily basis is enough to cause even my eyes to turn red…. With things like this, it's going to be impossible to constrain his development." He looked over at his father.

The old man opened his eyes, and a cold glimmer could be seen within.

"What are you losing your head over?" he said coolly. "He's just a child. The only reason he came up with this method was because someone from the direct bloodline is coaching him. Even still, it doesn't matter.

"I have my methods to cut off his source of merit points!" With that, he produced a jade slip, imprinted it with some divine sense, and then flung it out the door.

"Just wait and see," he said, closing his eyes once again.

As Naruto rose to prominence, Dei, who was a member of one of the neutral bloodlines in the clan, was watching. From the very beginning, he had been paying attention to Naruto and Menma, and now that he saw Naruto becoming famous in the Dao of Alchemy Division, his sense of anticipation was growing. 1

"It won't be long now before he and Menma fight each other!" he thought. He took a deep breath and then smiled.

In the ancestral mansion, in the subterranean Immortal's cave, Menma sat cross-legged in meditation. Yet again, there were nine old men surrounding him, who trembled as their Immortal Chakra was absorbed by Menma.

Futsu kneeled in front of him respectfully, eyes shining with zeal as he looked at Menma.

A moment later, Menma opened his eyes and finished his session of cultivation. Of the surrounding nine old men, three of them coughed up blood, and then their bodies rapidly withered away until they were desiccated corpses.

"What's the matter, Futsu?" Menma asked coolly.

"Cousin," replied Futsu, "your Cultivation base is incredible. You're just a step away from the Immortal Realm. When you finally become Immortal, you'll be able to sweep across all of the Chosen of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

Menma's expression was the same as ever, and he didn't respond. He just looked at Futsu.

"Cousin," continued Futsu, "do you remember Naruto? He's that bastard who was disrespectful to you in the temple a while back. You are generous and open-minded, and would never sink yourself to his level, but he's not like that. He is narrow and petty-minded, and already views you as a thorn in his side.

"Recently, he's been using despicable methods to make a name for himself in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and he's even started spreading harmful gossip about you. Cousin, he's tarnishing your name, which really makes me mad. Unfortunately, I can't beat him. I can only watch as he rises to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division." Futsu chuckled bitterly.

Menma's expression was the same as usual. He seemed neither joyful nor angry. He looked calmly at Futsu, as if he could see all the way through him, as if he could tell exactly how much of what he had just said was true or false.

Seeing that Menma was studying him, Futsu suddenly began to tremble in fear. He had no idea what Menma was thinking, so he didn't dare to say anything further. He was just considering leaving, when Menma finally spoke.

"Tell me about it."

Futsu was immediately enlivened, and began to explain in detail everything Naruto had done in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

After listening to everything, Menma closed his eyes for a few moments. Then he opened them and coolly said, "There are a lot of people in the world who like to get things for free. When you have the option of getting something for free, or paying, most people will opt for the first. Futsu, do you get my meaning?"

Futsu gaped. After a moment of thought, his eyes grew bright, and he rose excitedly to his feet, laughing.

The Dao of Alchemy Division was undergoing a renaissance in the form of competition. One high level alchemist after another came out from the inner mountains to give lectures, all to get merit points from the apprentice alchemists. The Dao of Alchemy Division was booming, and the bustle was incredible.

Furthermore, competitive fire is something that exists in all people's hearts, and although the alchemists didn't pay too much attention to it, everyone knew that the number of apprentices that could be attracted to any given alchemist's lecture would show how much influence that alchemist had, as well as the level of their Dao of alchemy.

Soon, competition between various parties formed. However, the resulting conflicts proceeded according to the Dao of Alchemy Division's rules governing competition. The result was that in the outer mountains, the apprentice alchemists had to make a daily choice: which alchemist would they go listen to?

Of course, Naruto wasn't very happy about this. More and more of his audience was being stolen away. In the end, he was only able to keep about 50,000. That was about half of his original audience, which meant that he was losing out on over 100,000 merit points per day.

It was as if someone was slicing off his skin.

He could endure it though. After all, his lecture was something unique, and in the end, the apprentice alchemists who listened to his lectures had exponential increases in their confidence in being able to pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

However, it wasn't long before Naruto became furious. The reason was because, on the mountain just across from him, Peak #7192, a tier 7 alchemist had suddenly appeared to give lectures.

It was an old woman who rode an enormous five-colored peacock, and whose expression was haughty and arrogant. She was a tier 7 alchemist, someone the apprentice alchemists could only hope to meet in person on accident, and could never go to seek out. She was like a supreme entity to them.

Up to now, there had only been one tier 7 alchemist who had come out to give lectures. Furthermore, that alchemist did not come out on a daily basis. The 100,000 seats available for those lectures were always the subject of fierce contention. In fact, were there even more seats available, it was certain that more people would attend.

Now, another tier 7 alchemist appeared. She was very famous in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and when she came to give a lecture right across from Naruto, a lot of the alchemists in his audience immediately went over to listen to her.

In a single day, Naruto lost more than half of his current audience, leaving him with only about 20,000 apprentice alchemists. He stood there on the platform, looking at the 100,000 people crowded around that old woman, and ground his teeth angrily.

"That old granny is doing this on purpose!" he thought with a cold harrumph. The outer mountains were vast, and the lecturing alchemists would always distance themselves from each other, and would certainly never get very close. Considering the old woman intentionally selected this particular location, if someone tried to convince Naruto she wasn't doing it to target him, he would refuse to believe them.

Any apprentice alchemists who came to listen to Naruto would look the scene over and then be forced to make a decision. Would they listen to Naruto, or would they choose the tier 7 alchemist? Naruto was furious, especially because the old woman only charged one merit point for four hours of lecturing.

That was half as much as Naruto.

Naruto's audience continued to shrink. Three days later, only about 10,000 remained to listen to him.

Were that all there were to the matter, it wouldn't be a big deal. Although his audience had been significantly reduced, he was still making tens of thousands of merit points per day. But over the following days, Naruto gradually came to the realization that someone had been imprinting his lecture information onto jade slips, which they were distributing for free! Information people had to pay three merit points to hear personally, could be acquired without charge in this fashion.

This was a near-fatal blow to Naruto's lectures. Soon, his audience dwindled from 10,000 down to only about 1,000.

Naruto could only watch helplessly as the enterprise he had created was ruined. His audience had started at a peak of 100,000 members, in which he was making hundreds of thousands of merit points per day, and was slowly reduced to only 1,000. Now, he was only making a few thousand merit points per day.

One day, Naruto took a deep breath and ended his lecture. Then he flew over to the old woman, paid some merit points, and began to listen to her speak.

The old woman sat cross-legged on the platform, her five-colored peacock circling through the air above her. The peacock would occasionally spread its beautiful tail feathers, making it even more magnificent than normal. The old woman spoke indifferently about plants and vegetation, and occasionally mentioned some things about certain techniques of the Dao of alchemy, which would provoke a buzz of comments from the audience. Every single thing the old woman said was original and distinctive.

Naturally, she noticed Naruto arrive, and an expression of scorn appeared on her face. There weren't even a hundred tier 7 alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and although she was not the most powerful among that group, but more toward the middle of the pack, she still possessed the skill of a tier 7 alchemist. She had passed the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, so it was a simple thing for her to speak on the subject of plants and vegetation.

Her command of knowledge regarding plants and vegetation was terrifying, and normally speaking, she would never show her face to target Naruto in the manner she had. However, a member of her auxiliary branch, someone who she could not easily refuse, had made a request. Of course, she was a member of the Dao of Alchemy Division, which operated under their own system. But when all was said and done, she was still a member of her clan division, and thus had emerged from the inner mountains.

In her opinion, the gap between herself and Naruto was as vast as that between Heaven and Earth. She didn't even actually have to try; all she had to do was give random lectures, and that would be enough to completely destroy Naruto.

Naruto hovered there quietly, listening to the woman speak about plants and vegetation. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, his eyes flashed, and he turned to leave. The woman glanced over at him making his way off, and then completely ignored him.

In her opinion, Naruto's lecture audience would be whittled down until only a few hundred people remained. Eventually, he would be incapable of making any big waves whatsoever.

The main reason for her confidence was that she had heard a rumor that the rules of the examination in the first level of the Medicine Pavilion were going to be changed.

Sure enough, three days later, an announcement was made in the Dao of Alchemy Division that the Medicine Pavilion's first level rules had been changed. All of the 1,000,000 medicinal plants had been replaced. Now, the examination content could be taken from 10,000,000 plants of various varieties. It was really a terrifyingly high number.

In addition, another rule change had been made. Now, the test was to determine how many medicinal plants could be identified in a given period of time. That change instantly caused Naruto's lectures to be thrown into chaos. To top it all off, and prevent any unforeseen problems, each apprentice alchemist would only have one chance per month to enter the Medicine Pavilion.

These changes completely foiled any of Naruto's cheating techniques.

All of this was a critical blow to Naruto. Within two days, his audience dropped from 1,000 to only a few hundred.

Most of those were the people who had been his audience all along.

However, after some time, many of those also chose to leave. After all, the situation was different than it had been in the beginning, when Naruto was outshining anyone and everyone. After all, they now had the chance to hear tier 7 alchemists speak, and who would turn down an opportunity like that?

In the end, Naruto was left with a bit more than 70 audience members….

All of these blows had struck like lightning, leaving Naruto panting. He looked out at his sparse audience of several dozen apprentice alchemists, and suddenly a bright light appeared in his eyes. Then, he turned his head to look over at the nearby mountain with 100,000 people circled around it.

"Coz, what do we do?" Hotarubi asked quietly from off to the side. "Even Lord Third and Lord Fifth headed over there…." Unexpectedly, the parrot and the meat jelly had rushed over to the other mountain to listen to the tier 7 alchemist's lecture. It was impossible to say whether they understood what she was talking about, but from the look of it, they were entranced.

Naruto, of course, knew that the parrot was actually hung up on the five-colored peacock. As for the meat jelly, it was completely oblivious, and had merely been dragged along by the parrot.

"Hardships prompt changes, changes bring solutions!"

Hotarubi gaped.

"Somebody is trying to restrict my path to wealth, to cut off my path to riches! It's like they're trying to chop me into pieces with a knife!" Naruto clenched his jaw and then flicked his sleeve as he flew into the air.

Hotarubi followed as he made his way off into the distance. He didn't really understand what Naruto had just said, so he quickly asked, "Coz, what's the plan now?"

"There's no plan," Naruto replied, "My name is going to rock the Dao of Alchemy Division, and END this predicament!" As his voice echoed out, he pushed his speed to the maximum. Rumbling sounds could be heard as he shot into the inner mountains. Avoiding any restricted areas, he headed directly toward the Medicine pavilion.

It didn't take long to reach it.

There were a few apprentice alchemists gathered outside, hesitating as to whether or not to enter. There were even some full alchemists off to the side. They all noticed Naruto arrive, and suddenly seemed energized, and began to talk amongst themselves.

"I heard word spreading outside that the rules of the first level have been changed. It was all because Naruto memorized the entire first level, and figured out some way to cheat. That's how all those apprentice alchemists were able to pass so easily!"

"Could it be that he's shown up to try to figure out a way to cheat on the first level again?"

"Interesting. Although, considering the way the rules have been changed, it would be difficult to do that. He can only go in once per month."

Naruto didn't pause for even a moment as he headed toward the Medicine Pavilion. The two ancient old men sitting outside the pavilion opened their eyes and looked at Naruto. Although they didn't normally pay attention to what went on in the outside world, the occasion in which Naruto had charged through the first level 140 times had left a deep impression on them. Combined with the rumors they had heard, they now knew that Naruto's efforts back then had been a deliberate effort to study the level for the purposes of cheating.

The two old men looked at Naruto solemnly.

"This is the Dao of Alchemy Division," one of them said. "How can one always think of getting in via alternative paths? Your latent talent is excellent, as is your skill in plants and vegetation. You should tread the straight and narrow path."

Naruto, apparently directly accepting the advice, clasped hands and bowed to the two old men.

"Elders," he said immediately, "I am aware of my mistake. Now is the time for repentance and reformation. I am not here to research cheating methods. I am here to truly test myself!"

The two old men nodded and closed their eyes.

Naruto took a deep breath. As everyone in the area looked on, he stepped into the Medicine Pavilion. As soon as he entered, a few among the Dao of Alchemy Division's nineteen tier 8 alchemists immediately noticed. They ceased their pill concocting and sent out divine sense, which coalesced outside of the Medicine Pavilion.

It was three white-haired old men who materialized.

"Don't tell me this Naruto has showed up looking for ways to break the system again? Is he addicted?"

"How can the little bastard be such a slow learner? We spent a lot of effort to make the first level completely flawless, and yet he shows up again?!"

"If this kid gets up to troublesome things again, I have half a mind to pull him out and smack him around. I wouldn't be scared even if his father showed up. I concocted pills for his father once, you know."

Although they seemed angry, they were actually very excited. In all their years, no one had ever appeared who could cause so many problems for them. To them, the whole situation was very amusing.

No one was able to detect their presence except for the two old men keeping guard outside the Medicine Pavilion, who merely glanced at them.

"Hardships prompt changes, changes bring solutions!" Naruto's eyes shone with the light of obsession. This saying was something he had come across in a book he had read when he was a scholar living at the foot of Mount Myoboku.

Nowadays, he had not forgotten the true meaning of the phrase. However, because of his personality, he had come to a new understanding. To him, the first character of the expression… referred to being poor! 1

"If I can't make a profit when it comes to merit points, then it means I'm poor… therefore I need to think of some ways to change the situation. That's the only way to make it through the impasse. After I make it through, then I can start earning merit points again."

After stepping into the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto was surrounded by mists. He took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine brightly.

"In the past, I didn't have a lot of spirit stones, but with over 100,000,000, it couldn't count as being in short supply…. But, dammit! The Nirvana Fruits basically consume spirit stones! I barely have thirty percent of my original stockpile….

"It's like a bottomless pit! Considering I've spent so many spirit stones on them, I definitely can't stop now. I have to keep going! I wonder if the Grand Elder knew all along that I had a lot of spirit stones, and wanted to use this method to force me to go broke!

"A tier 7 alchemist sitting next to me, lecturing about plants and vegetation, cutting off my path to wealth! That's outright bullying! Unbelievable!" Naruto was actually very angry.

Fueled by obsession and anger, he stalked into the first level of the Medicine Pavilion and was surrounding by swirling mists. In the blink of an eye, three incense sticks materialized in front of him.

Black smoke rose up from the first incense stick, swirling through the air to surround Naruto. Shockingly, a brilliant light appeared, as well as the images of countless medicinal plants.

At first glance, there appeared to be at least 10,000,000, packed together endlessly. It was only by looking closely that it was possible to clearly make any of them out.

In the space of a single breath, before Naruto could imprint any of them with divine sense, the 10,000,000 medicinal plants suddenly flickered with light, and then began to superimpose over each other. In the blink of an eye, they all merged together in the form of an ancient tome.

The book seemed archaic and old, and five words were written on its cover.

Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

Next, an ancient voice echoed out through the first level.

"In the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, identify the first 10,000 medicinal plants in the Classic of Plants and Vegetation. If you make a hundred mistakes or more, the result will be failure."

"Now that the rules have changed," thought Naruto, "this test is certainly a bit more impressive." He sent out his divine sense to open the Classic of Plants and Vegetation to the first page. Visible there was a single medicinal plant.

"Quickspirit Flower!" he thought, identifying it immediately, branding it with divine sense, and also providing a quick description of its properties and use in medicines.

The tome flickered, and the second page appeared. Naruto made another divine sense imprint with incredible speed. Gradually, it began to appear as if a strong wind were blowing across the tome in front of Naruto. The pages flipped rapidly in quick succession.

Naruto stood there, not speaking, his divine sense covering the tome. To him, identifying these medicinal plants was a simple matter.

Before the incense stick had even finished burning, it seemed as if the tome's pages were flipping by so fast they couldn't go any faster. Dozens of pages would flip by in the blink of an eye. By the time the incense stick had burned to about 90%, Naruto had already identified 10,000 medicinal plants without making a single mistake.

However, he didn't stop there. If his goal was simply to pass the level, then it wouldn't matter. But if he was going to take this exam, he would do so in shocking fashion. He would make sure his name spread far and wide. That was the only way he could ensure that his lectures on plants and vegetation were profitable.

Therefore, he continued to identify medicinal plants. Soon, hundreds of pages flipped by in every blink of an eye. As soon as Naruto scanned them with divine sense, the profiles and information regarding these plants and vegetation appeared in his mind.

10,000. 30,000. 50,000. 100,000.

Faster and faster.

In the time it took an incense stick to burn, Naruto had identified 1,000,000 medicinal plants without a single mistake. The mist around him churned, and brilliant rays of light flickered. It was just barely possible to see countless magical symbols swirling around in response to Naruto's miraculous performance.

Outside the Medicine Pavilion, it was impossible to tell what was happening on the inside. Many of the full alchemists and the apprentice alchemists were discussing and speculating about the matter. None of them believed that Naruto would fail to pass the level, but then they considered how the rules had been changed, and figured that even he might have to expend some effort.

The three old tier 8 alchemists looked at each other and then began to talk.

"How come the kid is taking so long?"

"If he's really interested in taking the examination, then he should be able to pass the first level in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Since he hasn't come out, does it mean… that the kid is actually going to try to crack the test?"

Back in the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto was frowning.

"Time's running out. It seems I was going a bit slow before." His eyes flickered, and his right hand suddenly reached out to grab the tome's right cover. At the same time, his divine sense exploded out, entering the tome. Naruto closed his eyes.

In that moment when his eyes closed, his divine sense filled the tome completely. It was as if countless medicinal plants had appeared in front of him, which he immediately began to identify and imprint at top speed.

1,000,000. 1,500,000. 2,000,000!

In the blink of an eye, rumbling sounds could be heard, and the mists surrounding him were churning in a violent and shocking manner. Brilliant light shone out, and more magical symbols appeared, with Naruto seemingly at the center of them all.

3,000,000. 4,000,000. 5,000,000!

The second incense stick was almost completely burnt out. Naruto's skill in plants and vegetation was extremely deep and profound, so much so that it had even left Pill Demon shaken back in his days in the Violet Fate Sect. When you added in his later experiences, his mastery had only increased. By the time he went to the ancient Demon Immortal Sect's illusory world, he had been able to master much of that sect's Dao of alchemy as well. Due to that, his skill in plants and vegetation had risen even higher, reaching an indescribably terrifying level.

Right now, all of that accumulated knowledge was exploding out, causing the tome's pages to flip by at incredible speed. It was now impossible to even see the pages moving. Several thousand pages would flip by in the time it takes to blink an eye.

The second incense stick finished burning, and the third incense stick ignited. Naruto grabbed the other side of the tome with his left hand. It was at that point that eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal exploded out.

Glittering light shone out in all directions, and the mists were seething. A sound like thunder rumbled, and the magical symbols swirled around him endlessly. As of now, this place didn't resemble the Medicine Pavilion, but rather, some bizarre world in which Naruto was the nucleus of everything.

By now, 10,000 pages flipped by with each blink of an eye. Not a single medicinal plant caused the slightest problem for Naruto. Each and every one of them was already encompassed by Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation.

Outside the Medicine Pavilion, expressions of bewilderment could constantly be heard. Although they couldn't see the shocking scene on the interior of the Medicine Pavilion, they felt that something was amiss. Even though some of the people present had ill feelings toward Naruto, everyone felt that it would be a simple matter for him to pass the first level.

And yet, enough time had passed for two incense sticks to burn, and yet Naruto still hadn't emerged from the first level. Everyone was astonished.

However, the three tier-8 alchemists had serious expressions on their faces. As they looked at the Medicine Pavilion's first level, expressions of shock became visible on their faces. Although they couldn't see what was happening inside, these three men were gradually coming to realize that the first floor was building up with incredible pressure.

"What's this kid doing?!"

"That pressure appears when someone identifies more than 1,000,000 medicinal plants. Is it possible that this kid has identified more than 1,000,000 medicinal plants in the time it takes two incense sticks to burn?"

As the old men looked on in shock, Naruto had his hands planted firmly on the tome. His eyes shone with brilliant light as he thoroughly identified all of its contents.

6,000,000. 7,000,000. 8,000,000….

The third incense stick was still burning, but still had about halfway to go. Finally, a tremor ran through Naruto's body, and he looked up. His hands slowly released the tome. He had finally reached the very last page!

10,000,000!

The entire first level of the Medicine Pavilion was rumbling, and brilliant light shone out in all directions. Magical symbols swirled about, and something that sounded like Immortal music could be heard drifting about.

Usually, when someone passed the first level, a beam of light would appear on the outside. However, when Naruto reached the last page of the tome, what people on the outside saw was the entire first level shining with unprecedentedly bright light!

It was as if the first level was completely bathed in boundless, unfathomable light that spread out in all directions, and even up into the Heavens. The Heavenly bodies trembled, and strange colors flashed through the sky.

Each and every person in the Dao of Alchemy Division, in all 10,000 inner mountains and all 100,000 outer mountains, could now see what was happening.

"What's going on!?"

"Why are there such transformations in Heaven and Earth!? What is that pillar of light!?"

All of the apprentice alchemists listening to lectures were thoroughly shocked as they looked up into the sky at the boundless light. As for the alchemists, their faces flickered with shock.

"Could it be that some member of the Senior generation is concocting pills?"

"No, that's not it! Look at that light! It's rising up from the location of the Medicine Pavilion!"

Even the clan members in the ancestral mansion could see the bright light coming from the Dao of Alchemy Division. Many clan members left their residences and looked in that direction, expressions of shock on their faces.

Everything was shaking, and the countless apprentice alchemists of the Dao of Alchemy Division, as well as numerous full alchemists, were all staring in shock. When they realized that the light was coming from the Medicine Pavilion, they began to fly toward it.

In a brief moment, innumerable beams of colorful light filled the Dao of Alchemy Division.

The crowd outside the Medicine Pavilion was panting, and their minds trembled. They were shocked, and completely ignorant of what exactly was happening. They didn't understand how Naruto passing the first level would cause such a boundless light to appear.

The three tier 8 Elders exchanged glances and could see the shock in each others' eyes.

"He identified 10,000,000 medicinal plants! Because the rules have been changed, it's something that nobody has ever done before! The result of his passing the first level in this way is this incredible pillar of Dao Light!"

"I can't believe this Naruto… has such an incredible foundation in plants and vegetation!"

"That's comparable to a tier 4 alchemist! Perhaps even beyond that! However, it's still not quite at the level of a tier 5 alchemist."

The Dao of Alchemy Division was in a tumult. More and more people were showing up outside the Medicine Pavilion to stare with astonishment at the brilliant light that shone up into the sky. Eyes wide, they immediately began to ask others in the area what was going on, and when they heard that Naruto had entered the Medicine Pavilion, giving rise to these transformations, their expressions were that of incredible shock.

"I can't believe it's Naruto!"

"So, he's the one going through the Medicine Pavilion. His… his skill in plants and vegetation actually made the Medicine Pavilion shine with that much light!?"

"I listened to one of his lectures on plants and vegetation once…. But, is the person who caused such shocking transformations really Naruto?" By now, more than 10,000 people were present. Even as everyone was staring in shock at the bright light, some people turned their attention to the stone stele outside of the Medicine Pavilion.

Hundreds of thousands of names could be seen on the lowest level of the stone stele. As of this moment… all of the names went dim, and then seemed to move backward one space. At the very top of the list… was a new name!

Naruto!

When the onlookers saw the name there at the top of the list, another buzz of conversation rose up.

"It's really Naruto! His name is first on the list!"

"Most people who pass this trial have their names show up in the bottom, and only a few ever make it even to the middle of the pack! And yet Naruto is actually in first place!"

"For him to take the first spot means that his skill with plants and vegetation is greater than all of the other hundreds of thousands of people on the list!"

"Of course, all the strong alchemists' names are higher up on the stele. Who knows whether Naruto will actually continue higher in the Medicine Pavilion this time, or whether he'll try to find a flaw in the system to benefit the apprentice alchemists, just like the rumors said he did last time."

The conversations continued. Eventually, they realized that Naruto had not emerged from within the Medicine Pavilion. That led them to the conclusion that… he was continuing with the examination!

Everyone immediately got even more excited than before. Also, they wanted to know… the exact level of skill Naruto had with plants and vegetation, this newcomer who had just recently risen to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

It wasn't just them who wanted to know. The surrounding alchemists were also very curious.

Inside the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto took a deep breath and waited for the mists around him to slowly fade away. A staircase appeared in front of him, which led to the second level. Naruto immediately headed up the stairs.

"If I'm going to shock people, then I might as well do a thorough job of it," he thought. "I'm also curious how far my level of skill with plants and vegetation will take me in the Namikaze Clan's Medicine Pavilion.

"In the Namikaze Clan, plants and vegetation are the most important aspect of their Dao of alchemy. In order to rise among the ranks of the alchemists, one must first earn qualifications in the Medicine Pavilion. Actually, this system makes a distinction between apothecaries and alchemists!" After reaching the top of the stairs, he found himself on the second level.

Bright light filled the second level, and yet again, 10,000,000 medicinal plants appeared, some of them repeats from the first level. They quickly merged together into the form of a tome.

This time, it wasn't three incense sticks that appeared in front of him, but six.

Yet again, an archaic voice echoed out through the second level.

"You have the time it takes six incense sticks to burn to identify the first 100,000 medicinal plants, in which case you can pass this level. If you make ten or more mistakes, you fail."

Naruto frowned, then looked around at the second level for a moment.

"So this is the second level," he thought. He stepped forward and opened the book, then poured his divine sense into it and began to imprint the medicinal plants.

Three incense sticks of time seemed to pass relatively quickly. Boundless light shone off of the tome; Naruto had already imprinted all 10,000,000 medicinal plants. Rumbling sounds filled the air, and another staircase appeared in front of him.

He climbed the stairs to the third level without hesitation. After looking around, an expression of disappointment could be seen on his face. The third level again featured 10,000,000 medicinal plants floating around, which then superimposed to create the same Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

However, the requirement to pass this level was not just to identify 100,000, but to identify 1,000,000, and also to list them in order according to a special method required by the ancient tome. Furthermore, just three mistakes would be considered a failure.

To Naruto, that wasn't very difficult at all. Shaking his head, he stepped forward and opened the ancient classic.

This time, he only needed two incense sticks' worth of time before the tome began to rumble, and the third level sent bright light outside. Yet again, Naruto had passed. When he reached the fourth level, his expression finally brightened.

What he saw on the fourth level was fully ten times as many medicinal plants as he had seen on the third level. There were over 100,000,000 plants, which caused his eyes to glow with a bright light.

"Now things are getting interesting," he murmured. "Although there are still too few plants." The 100,000,000 medicinal plants formed together into an ancient tome, which was labelled, yet again, the Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

The requirement for the fourth level was to identify 10,000,000 medicinal plants, without making any mistakes. A single mistake meant failure.

"100,000,000 medicinal plants, huh?" Naruto took a deep breath, eager to try. Back in the Violet Fate Sect, he had really enjoyed examinations like this. They reminded him of his scholar's days back in Mount Myoboku, and his experiences with the Imperial examinations.

Without hesitation, he placed his hands onto the book, poured in his divine sense, and immediately began to brand medicinal plants.

By now, over 100,000 people were standing around outside the Medicine Pavilion, having been drawn there by the bright lights. Before the light from the first level had even dissipated, a brilliant light already shone up from the second level, and then the third level.

Although the new light wasn't as scintillating and blinding as the light from the first level, it was still shocking. Most importantly, as Naruto's name moved up to the second and then the third level, it maintained its position as first in the lists!

Many of the surrounding alchemists were watching with very serious expressions.

"He's gotten to the fourth level!"

"This Naruto passed all the way through the third level in a very short time. I wonder if the fourth level will cause any problems for him!?"

"In the Dao of Alchemy Division's Medicine Pavilion, the first three levels are simply foundational. From what I've heard, no more than 10,000,000 medicinal plants will appear. The fourth level is different. The difficulty level is ten times higher!"

Back inside the fourth level, Naruto's eyes shone with a bizarre light. His divine sense rumbled as he imprinted medicinal plants at an incredible speed. He immediately recognized every medicinal plant that he saw, causing the tome's pages to flip by rapidly. It turned into a blur that, if any outsider was able to see, would leave them shocked.

Actually, Naruto wanted people on the outside to see. If they could watch, it would definitely be a big help in his efforts to earn merit points. After a moment, he retracted his divine sense and then decided to ask the Medicine Pavilion if such a thing was possible.

Everything was quiet for a moment, before an archaic voice slowly spoke out.

"The Medicine Pavilion has no such power now. However, if you can identify all 100,000,000 of these medicinal plants, then I can attempt to do so on the next level."

Hearing this, Naruto immediately nodded his head, took a deep breath, and continued imprinting.

"In order to give the people on the outside more of a reason to listen to my lectures, in order to earn more merit points… I'm going to go all out!

"Just wait until I get out of here! I'll definitely raise my prices! Two hours, two merit points!" His eyes shone with determination, which seemed to affect his divine sense, making it even faster than before.

1,000,000. 10,000,000. 30,000,000….

Naruto continuously imprinted the medicinal plants that appeared in his divine sense. The feeling he was experiencing made him sigh emotionally. If he'd had a skill like this when he'd taken the Imperial examinations that year, then he would surely have become a high official in the Five Elements Nation.

"Although, not for very long," he thought. "Several hundred years have passed since then. If I hadn't started practicing cultivation, I would be long dead." He shook his head, sighed, and continued to imprint.

The tome couldn't even be seen clearly. The pages flipped by so quickly that the whole book seemed frozen in eternity, almost unmoving.

40,000,000. 50,000,000. 60,000,000…

Time passed. To Naruto, it felt like he wasn't expending any energy at all. Furthermore, his mastery of plants and vegetation seemed to be growing even more firm.

70,000,000. 80,000,000. 90,000,000….

In the end, Naruto let out a sharp breath and slammed the book shut.

100,000,000!

The Medicine Pavilion trembled, and boundless light shone out in all directions. A staircase appeared, which Naruto climbed, filled with anticipation.

Everyone outside the Medicine Pavilion looked on as brilliant light from the fourth level spread out in all directions.

"He passed the fourth level!"

"If he passed the fourth level, that basically means he's a tier 4 apothecary! If his pill concocting skill is just as strong, he'll be a tier 4 alchemist!"

The crowd was in quite a commotion. Of course, there were some people with looks of disdain on their faces. In their view, any tier 4 alchemist could pass the fourth level, which meant that Naruto hadn't accomplished anything unusual. At the most, he had done something special on the first level only.

However, before the discussions could finish, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the fifth level. It flew into the air and then began to ripple out.

Shockingly, within those ripples, appeared… a screen!

Naruto was visible within the screen, walking up a staircase into the fifth level.

This scene caused the surrounding 100,000 spectators to stare in shock. Even the three tier 8 Elders were astonished.

The screen was so huge it seemed to fill the sky. There were many people in the Dao of Alchemy Division who hadn't come to the Medicine Pavilion but, after catching sight of the huge screen, were suddenly curious, and began to head over at top speed.

One of them was the old woman, the tier 7 alchemist who had disrupted Naruto's lectures. Shocked, she flew in from the outer mountains.

Everyone around the Medicine Pavilion began to discuss the unprecedented appearance of the screen. They were all very excited.

"What's going on? I've never heard of a screen appearing when people entered the Medicine Pavilion."

"Could it be that that this is a new divine ability manifested by the Medicine Pavilion now that the rules have been changed?"

"Hahaha! This is great! We'll be able to clearly see how Naruto passes through the fifth level. This is much better than before!"

The three tier 8 Elders stared in shock and then exchanged suspicious glances.

It was strictly prohibited to reveal what happened inside the Medicine Pavilion. Even though some people might secretly find out some details, they would keep things low key and not spread the information around. That was especially true of the fifth level and higher.

"Pill Elder is in control of the Medicine Pavilion, could it be that he has some secret plan?" Even as the three old men transmitted a discussion, everything around them went quiet. On the screen, it was possible to see Naruto, who had just stepped foot off of the stairs and onto… the fifth level.

At the same time, on the stone stele located outside of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto's name appeared on the fourth level, yet again first on the list!

In the instant that he entered the fifth level, Naruto stopped in his tracks and looked around. Then he took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine with a brilliant light.

He began to tremble, a trembling that originated from the excitement in his heart, and seemed very difficult to control. Naruto would never act like this in a life-or-death battle, but this was an examination, a test of his skill with plants and vegetation.

He truly wished to know the extent of his skill. Therefore, he wanted the examination to get harder, and for there to be more medicinal plants involved.

As of this moment what he saw was… an enormous fifth level, filled with glittering lights and seemingly infinite medicinal ingredients. There were plants of all kinds and types, and even some things that bore the semblance of wild animals.

From the look of it, this level had ten times as many items as the previous level!

"1,000,000,000…." Naruto thought, his eyes shining as he looked around. As of this moment, he now had a much deeper understanding of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy. These 1,000,000,000 medicinal ingredients were essentially anything that could be counted as medicinal that had appeared in the Ninth Mountain and Sea throughout tens of thousands of years of history.

These items weren't just limited to plants and vegetation!

They were not grafted plants either. Everything was whole. Naruto glanced over them and saw tens of thousands of items that he didn't recognize.

He began to breathe heavily. These 1,000,000,000 medicinal resources suddenly superimposed over each other in front of Naruto to transform into an enormous ancient tome that was as tall as a person.

Yet again, it was the Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

However, underneath the title of the book were the words 'volume one.'

"This must be the full first volume of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation!" thought Naruto, his heart pounding. "1,000,000,000 medicinal plants. The Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy truly is boundless and profound!"

The crowds in the outside world were equally shocked.

More and more cultivators were showing up, and when they saw the image on the screen, their jaws dropped.

"Is that… the fifth level?!"

"1,000,000,000 medicinal plants…. The only way to ever be promoted to a tier 5 alchemist is to pass this level! Any tier 5 alchemist in the Dao of Alchemy Division is incredibly famous and powerful in the outside world!"

As the buzz of conversation filled the air outside, an archaic voice could be heard filling the fifth level.

"1,000,000,000 medicinal plants. Identify the first 100,000,000 in the Classic of Plants and Vegetation to pass this level. One mistake means failure."

Naruto's eyes glittered with a bright light. Expression solemn, he slowly walked forward. As far as he was concerned, this was the first time the test had actually seemed difficult. Even his first cursory scan confirmed that there were tens of thousands of items that he wasn't familiar with.

One mistake in those first 100,000,000, and he would fail.

"It seems I've underestimated the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy," he thought. Expression serious, he reached out, placed his hand on the ancient book, and sent his divine sense into it.

Immediately, countless medicinal plants appeared within his divine sense, which he immediately began to imprint. The pages of the ancient book began to flip at high speed. In the blink of an eyes, several thousand pages had already been turned over.

None of the observers had ever seen anything like this before. Now, though, the scene was playing out right in front of them, clearly visible on the screen. Tens of thousands of observers on the outside looked on in shock. Deathly silence filled the air, and all minds reeled as they watched Naruto and the ancient book.

The apprentice alchemists' eyes went wide, and as for the full alchemists, they began to pant. Even the tier 5, 6, and 7 alchemists were stunned.

The three tier 8 Elders gasped. The scene playing out left even them truly amazed.

They even began to wonder whether they could make the tome's pages flip so quickly. From the look of things, Naruto was simply a natural born genius when it came to plants and vegetation.

"Just how familiar is he with plants and vegetation? He doesn't even need to think! He recognizes them the instant he looks at them!"

"His foundation in plants and vegetation really is terrifying. With whom did he study the Dao of alchemy to lay such a foundation!?"

"This is unbelievable!"

As the audience's reaction swelled into an uproar, Naruto was inside, concentrating solely on the contents of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation. Time passed, and he identified more and more of the tome's contents, faster and faster.

10,000,000. 30,000,000. 50,000,000….

It didn't take long before he had identified 90,000,000. The spectators observed with rapt attention. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, Naruto stopped turning the pages of the ancient book. There on the page in front of him, a heart had appeared.

It was a wooden heart, parched and cracked. A few tiny flowers could be seen growing out of it, and when Naruto saw it, he stood there quietly.

The alchemists in the world outside were watching the screen closely. Some of the tier 5 alchemists looked at the wooden heart, then frowned and began to wrack their brains to try and identify it. Some of the tier 6 alchemists hesitated, and were unable to determine with certainty exactly what it was.

Even the old woman who had stolen Naruto's business looked on with flickering thoughtfulness.

Only the three tier 8 alchemists didn't seem fazed. They exchanged glances and began to transmit a conversation.

"Naruto really got unlucky. In the fifth level, there are ten types of medicinal plants that have long since become extinct. They are plants no outsider would ever know about. Even we didn't find out about them until we reached tier 8."

"He definitely won't be able to identify the Woodbear Heart."

"The test is over. What a pity. However, he can try again in a month. Considering the momentum he built up before, as long as he doesn't run into a medicine plant he's never seen before, he shouldn't have much of a problem passing the fifth level."

"Although, I find it strange that this particular medicinal plant would appear in the first 100,000,000. Yet, there it is."

The three old men were then lost in thought, and didn't converse any further.

Back on the fifth level, Naruto looked at the image in front of him, muttering. He didn't recognize the item, and in fact had never seen it before. At first glance, if you didn't know it was wood, you would probably think it was an actual heart.

Naruto extended his right hand and pointed at the page. Immediately, glittering light rose up, and an illusory version of the wooden heart appeared in front of him, then rapidly grew very clear.

He could even sense a faint medicinal aroma emanating out. After inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and began to make some mental deductions. Although he didn't recognize this wooden heart, he was still able to use his skill with plants and vegetation to analyze its medicinal properties.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he began to make an imprint with divine sense.

"Effective against chills that enter the body. Is filled with rich spiritual energy, and the power of fire and wood. Contains 9,137 variations. Can be grown using Spirit Extract, and when it reaches maturity, it contains the potential to materialize Immortal Chakra. When using it to concoct medicinal pills for the Immortal Realm, depending on which variations are used, and which of those is the main ingredient, then, regardless of which medicinal pill is created, as long as you add Apefever Flower, its medicinal strength can be increased by ten percent!" Naruto quickly finished imprinting the information. Although he didn't know the exact name of this medicinal item, the name… wasn't actually important.

After finishing the imprint of information, the wooden heart vanished from the page, to be replaced by a block of text that thoroughly described the plant's properties and growth characteristics. The description was incredibly detailed, including information about medicinal effects, details vital to using the ingredient to concoct medicinal pills, descriptions about how to harvest it, and other information.

When Naruto saw all the information, he took a deep breath. Although he had determined many correct bits of information about the wooden heart, his information had not been as detailed as the final description. He quickly committed the information to memory.

Then he waved his hand and continued to flip through the pages.

When the spectators saw what had happened, they were shocked. Even the three tier 8 Elders gasped, and stared with wide, astonished eyes.

"He most likely has never seen that Woodbear Heart before. And yet, he just smelled it a few times and then was able to explain its medicinal properties!"

"What an incredible Dao of alchemy! What profound skill with plants and vegetation!"

Deep within the Dao of Alchemy Division was a mountain that was considered to be a sacred location. This was where Isago resided, the Dao of Alchemy Division's only tier 9 alchemist!

He had a full head of white hair, and as he sat there cross-legged on the mountain peak, his eyes slowly opened. He then gazed in the direction of the Medicine Pavilion, his eyes shining with a gleam of curiosity.

"I wonder which Grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy trained a disciple like this…. His skill with plants and vegetation has already reached incredible heights. He came from Planet Lands of Ninshu…. I haven't ever heard of any Grandmaster on Planet Lands of Ninshu who could develop such a talented pupil." The old man sighed.

"Although, Planet Lands of Ninshu is shrouded in mystery. It's possible this kid… has had some unique opportunities." He continued to look at the Medicine Pavilion in silence.

Back on the fifth level, Naruto continued to rapidly flip through the tome's pages. They moved so fast that the entire book seemed like one connected piece. Soon, he had completely imprinted ten percent of the 1,000,000,000 items inside. However, Naruto didn't stop there.

His mind was completely absorbed in the book, to the extent that he forgot his original reason for drawing everyone's attention to him here. Gradually, the ten percent became twenty, then thirty….

After completing fifty percent, his speed gradually slowed. He would occasionally encounter medicinal plants that he didn't recognize, but in those cases, he actually got excited.

He wanted to see more medicinal plants that he had never seen before. That was the only way for him to experience the sensation of groping for the correct answer. That was when he could truly unleash his skill with plants and vegetation, analyzing the item from various angles and using his best judgement to determine, not necessarily the name, but rather, enough information to imprint it with divine sense. When the full description appeared, he would commit it to memory. He was now getting the feeling that attempting to pass through the Medicine Pavilion was really helping him to learn a lot more about plants and vegetation.

Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation had reached an incredible level. By now, there were few types of plants or vegetation within the Ninth Mountain and Sea that he was unaware of. Every single new one that he encountered pushed his skill to an even more refined extent.

Sixty percent. Seventy percent. Eighty percent….

Naruto wasn't aware of how much time had passed. However, the closer he got to the end of the book, the more medicinal plants he encountered that he was unfamiliar with, which required even more time. And yet, his excitement only grew.

Outside of the Medicine Pavilion, there were now nearly 200,000 cultivators clustered around, watching the screen with blank expressions. The excitement on Naruto's face was clear, and the more medicinal plants he identified, the more everyone's minds reeled.

"Inhuman…. When it comes to plants and vegetation, this Naruto is a beast!"

"Don't tell me he was actually a medicinal plant in a past life? Otherwise, how else could he be so inhuman!"

"The fifth level has 1,000,000,000 medicinal plants, and from the way he's going, it looks like he's going to identify them all…."

"I just realized something! The merit points I paid to hear him lecture about plants and vegetation were worth it! Definitely worth it!"

As time passed, a few people noticed that under normal circumstances, the fifth level would have already concluded. However, Naruto was still plugging away.

Apparently, the time limit had been cancelled, leaving Naruto free to spend as much time as he wanted there.

Slowly, the number of plants and vegetation he identified increased. Eventually, three days went by.

Naruto could never have imagined that he would need to spend so much time and energy on the fifth level. His eyes were bloodshot, and he felt that he was on the verge of mental exhaustion. However, he was still excited and his spirits were high.

Among the final twenty percent were many types of of the plants and vegetation that Naruto didn't recognize. Each one required a great deal of time and energy to analyze and judge before he could identify some clues that would lead him into further levels of investigation. Eventually, he would get enough information to be able to create a divine sense imprint.

Detailed introduction on the plant would appear every time he made his imprint. That was what he truly looked forward to; he was like a dried-up sponge, just waiting to absorb boundless knowledge about plants and vegetation.

Three more days passed…. None of the audience members left, but instead settled themselves cross-legged in the area. Were these ordinary cultivators, they would probably find the affair boring. However, they were alchemists and apprentice alchemists, people who had devoted their lives to the Dao of alchemy. Watching Naruto's examination on the screen enabled them to see medicinal plants that they might otherwise never be able to see, which was an incredible opportunity.

Everyone was imprinting the information into their minds, studying and learning.

More and more people joined the crowd. On the tenth day, there were nearly 300,000 people present, densely packed together as far as the eye could see.

On the fifth level, a tremor ran through Naruto's body as he woke up from his reverie of plants and vegetation. There in front of him was the final page of the ancient book.

At that moment, all of his exhaustion from the past days enveloped him, and his head felt swollen and began to pulse with pain. To him, these past ten days left him feeling more worn out than when he had fought the three black-robed Immortal Realm cultivators.

And yet, he did not close his eyes. He examined the tome, upon which his results for this level were revealed.

He hadn't paid any attention to the results for the first four levels, because he was absolutely confident that he hadn't made any mistakes. However, on this fifth level, he wasn't so confident.

"I missed more than 200…." he murmured, "all of them in the final 300,000,000 plants." Finally he closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base to restore his composure

He wasn't happy with his results at all. However, he had been introduced to many, many unfamiliar medicinal plants on this level, and his skill with plants and vegetation had increased by a whole level.

To the outside audience, the results were completely shocking, and that included the three tier 8 Elders. Everyone gasped, and then a huge uproar occurred.

"1,000,000,000 plants and he only missed a bit over 200…. He's definitely inhuman!"

"Any tier 5 alchemist would pass by identifying the first 100,000,000. But Naruto required more of himself! He went through all 1,000,000,000. From the look on his face, he seems a bit disappointed."

The sound of the conversations among the 300,000 audience members was like thunder that spread out in all directions, and was heard by quite a few of the Dao of Alchemy Division's apprentice alchemists and full alchemists. The ground trembled and the clouds in the sky shattered.

The three tier 8 alchemists wore forced smiles on their faces as they exchanged glances.

"When I attempted the fifth level that year, I couldn't have done that."

"Forget about back then. Even right now, we're probably the only people who could. Even the tier 7 alchemists probably couldn't pull something like that off."

Bright beams of light appeared off in the distance as more tier 8 alchemists appeared. Of course, no one present could see them. As they arrived, they looked at the Medicine Pavilion… and their eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Finally, our Dao of Alchemy Division has… a truly Chosen member of the clan!"

Back on the fifth level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto opened his eyes. Much of his tiredness and exhaustion had vanished. He took a deep breath, rose to his feet, and stepped forward toward the ancient tome. Then, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Many thanks for bestowing me with such kindness!" he said softly. Each and every word rose up from the depths of his heart. To cultivators of the Dao of alchemy, Naruto's experience just now was truly like being gifted with an amazing Dao.

The tome vanished after Naruto bowed, and a flight of stairs appeared up ahead of him. At the same time, his name moved from its previous position up to the fifth level, where, as before, it was now in first place on the list!

His expression was somber as he strode forward toward the steps and began to climb up to the sixth level. When he arrived, what he saw absolutely nothing.

There were no medicinal plants, there was no tome, there was no mist. There wasn't even any light. There was only complete darkness. Everything seemed empty, as if nothing at all existed there.

Naruto gaped in shock, and he wasn't the only one. The people outside were also staring at the screen, astonished.

The only ones who didn't were the alchemists who had previously been on the sixth level. Their faces were grave as they stared closely at the screen. The tier 7 old woman looked on, her face grim. Now that she had seen how inhuman he was, she regretted what she had done earlier. She had offended him, but she also knew that there was little she could do about it now, and so she might as well stick to her guns.

After all, from her perspective, he might be inhuman, but he couldn't compare to the people who had sought out her help in the clan. The compensation they had provided was incredible.

"I might not be able to do what he did in the fifth level," she thought to herself, "but that doesn't matter. As an alchemist, you don't need to have such breadth and depth of knowledge regarding plants and vegetation. It's enough to be intimately familiar with the ones that you do know.

"I failed dozens of times at this level before finally passing. There's no way this Naruto will succeed on his first try. After all, the sixth level is completely different from the first five." She smiled coldly.

The nearby tier 5, 6, and 7 alchemists were shaking their heads. All of them had challenged the sixth level of the Medicine Pavilion, so they knew how difficult it was.

"This level is a watershed," commented one of the tier 8 Elders, his voice light.

"The first five levels require sufficient knowledge of plants and vegetation. The last four levels are completely different, and it only gets harder and harder."

On the stone stele outside of the Medicine Pavilion, hundreds of thousands of names could be seen on the first level. There were only 100,000 on the second level, 50,000 on the third level, 20,000 on the fourth level, and less than 10,000 on the fifth level.

As for the sixth level, only 5,000 people had ever passed it.

The seventh level had 1,000 names and the eighth level only had a bit more than 200. The last level, the ninth… only had 10.

It mustn't be forgotten that those numbers represented the accumulation of all the generations that had existed since the founding of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. From this, it was easy to imagine how difficult the Medicine Pavilion was.

Furthermore, whenever anyone passed the sixth level, the first thing that would happen would be that a Dao Bell would appear in the sky above the ancestral mansion. No outsider could see that bell, and when it tolled, only the members of the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory could hear it in their minds.

That bell represented true honor and glory!

Naruto stood on the Medicine Pavilion's sixth level, looking around at the pitch black around him. Even after sending his divine sense out, he could sense nothing but darkness. After hesitating for a moment, he took a step forward.

As soon as his foot landed, he stopped in place and cocked his head. His expression flickered.

Just now, he hadn't seen anything within the darkness, but had been able to smell the fragrance of medicinal plants. Some of the aromas were faint, some were dense. They all melded together to fill the entire area, and seemed to grow even thicker further on.

It was at this point that the archaic voice echoed out through the sixth level.

"Aroma Scrying is one of the realms of skill with plants and vegetation. You may take up to 100 steps. With every step, you will smell the fragrance of different medicinal plants.

"Determine what each plant is based on its smell, and imprint the information into the darkness. One mistake means failure."

Naruto wasn't the only one who could hear the voice. The audience of more than 300,000 in the outside world could also hear it, and it caused their faces to flicker with expressions of disbelief.

"How… how could you possibly provide all the answers! No wonder this sixth level is considered so difficult. Aroma Scrying is virtually a legendary realm!"

"I never thought that the test would involve Aroma Scrying! I heard about this realm when I first became an apprentice alchemist. To think that over all the past tens of thousands of years in the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division, 5,000 or so people have actually passed this level!"

The outside world was in a huge commotion. Virtually everyone took this test to be excessively difficult. It was in a completely different league than the previous five levels.

The tier 7 old woman chuckled coldly. As she thought back to the difficulty of this level, she actually felt frightened.

"The seventh level is even harder, for any alchemist," she whispered to herself. "And then there's the hell-like eighth level!"

Back on the sixth level, Naruto began to breathe deeply, allowing the fragrances of countless medicinal plants to enter his nose. Immediately, his mind exploded as images of numerous medicinal plants appeared, each one of which was associated with one of the fragrances he had detected.

There were no less than 10,000, but in the blink of an eye, his divine sense swept out, and the images of medicinal plants began to appear in the dark void around him.

Furthermore, the outline of an illusory lotus appeared beneath his feet.

He took a second step, and once again breathed in deeply. A tremor ran through his body, and another 10,000 images appeared around him. A second lotus appeared beneath him.

One step after another, and another….

Naruto proceeded forward, and with each step he took, he breathed in deeply. Afterward, numerous medicinal plants would appear around him, causing the pitch-black world to be lit up by what looked like a procession of blazing lanterns.

Furthermore, lotuses continued to appear beneath his feet.

After taking 69 steps, 69 lotuses had appeared, and he was surrounded by millions of shining medicinal plants.

To everyone who was watching, Naruto almost looked like a holy being, surrounded by swirling plants, lotuses blooming with each step he took.

"Lotuses with each step!" thought the old woman. Her eyes were wide, and she was panting. She well knew how difficult the sixth level was, and also knew that the only way a lotus would appear would be if he correctly identified the fragrance of every single medicinal plant, and imprinted it correctly.

When she had passed the sixth level, she had only caused three lotuses to appear. But Naruto… shockingly… created lotuses with each step!

She wasn't the only shocked one. All of the alchemists who were familiar with the sixth level were shaken. They watched Naruto on the screen, and the image they saw would eternally be imprinted into their minds. It was an unforgettable scene that they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

The handful of tier 8 alchemists in the area were visibly moved. They looked at Naruto on the screen, and their eyes shone with both praise and hope.

The Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division was not a sect, but rather, a division of the clan. All of the alchemists and apprentice alchemists were clan members, and their sense of clan pride and honor was at the core of what had kept the clan from falling into ruin over the ages.

Actually, merit points were one of several methods that kept clan members from becoming estranged from the clan.

Of course, the Dao of Alchemy Division hoped for a truly Chosen alchemy cultivator to appear, to arouse interest in the Dao of alchemy and to bring glory to the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division once again. However, despite the passage of many years, although other divisions of the clan had produced Chosen, the Dao of Alchemy Division had remained a quiet and desolate place. Chosen alchemy cultivators were something that could only be happened upon, and never sought out.

There were some who had the talent for it, but were not the type who were inclined to study the Dao of alchemy, and instead preferred to focus on cultivation. People like that believed that the road to power would only be obstructed by focusing on other practices.

Today, though, these tier 8 Elders finally had a bit of hope.

On the sixth level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto was taking his 70th step. In that instant, he deeply inhaled the dense odor of plants and vegetation. His nose and brain exploded with soundless rumbling, and a tremor ran through him. All of the blood in his body suddenly began to circulate in reverse.

Images of medicinal plants began to float up in his mind, endless varieties of them. This type of Aroma Scrying did not just test someone's skill with plants and vegetation, it also tested instincts!

To be able to know how many types of medicinal plants there were by simply sniffing, without thinking about it too much…. This was something… that could really only be done by instinct, and by being incredibly familiar with all sorts of plants and vegetation.

This higher level of skill with plants and vegetation was like the Instantaneous Formula Scrying of the Dao of alchemy. They were actually two branches of the same skill and the same realm. 1

The level of difficulty of this sixth level examination was such that the requirement to pass was that the test-taker successfully take twenty steps. With each of those steps, ten or more misjudgements were tolerated before that step would be counted as a failure.

The reason for the rules being set in such a fashion was because this level was simply too difficult.

Therefore, it was easy to imagine how Naruto, who had already taken 70 steps, with lotuses blooming for each step, would be so incredibly shocking to all the alchemists outside who understood how difficult the test was. They could hardly believe their eyes.

71 steps. 72 steps. 73 steps…. Naruto didn't pause. He kept moving forward, heading further and further in. The aromas of plants and vegetation grew stronger, and were filled with even more types.

And yet, Naruto continued to produce… lotuses with each step.

It wasn't until he reached the 80th step that he finally started to slow down, although to the alchemist watching outside, it still looked fast.

81, 82, 83…. With each step he took, the surrounding void of darkness glittered more and more brightly. Botanical lanterns shone with scintillating light, until the entire sixth level now appeared to be brightly lit.

Having taken his 90th step, he only had 10 more steps to go. He was now moving even slower, as if these ten steps were difficult even for him. Each step took a lot more thought, which was clear to the audience.

His instincts now felt clouded, and now he needed to spend more time analyzing and deducing each aroma. It was only after painstaking examination that he was finally able to identify all of the medicinal plants.

The outside world was filled with silence. 300,000 spectators were all staring at Naruto on the screen. Behind him was a path of lotuses, and he was surrounded by endless numbers of botanical lamps.

As of this moment, Naruto was like an Immortal of plants and vegetation. He was the focus of all attention; even that old woman looked on silently.

91, 92, 93… each step now took approximately two hours. Each time, lotuses would bloom, and bright lanterns flickered everywhere.

The 95th step took him six hours; he stood there motionless within the boundless aroma before he finally imprinted all of the plants and vegetation within it.

The 96th step took twenty hours.

The 97th took two days.

By the 98th step, Naruto had long since lost track of time. Everyone in the outside world was staring closely at the screen. Five days later, he stepped forward again, and another lotus bloomed.

The 99th step took ten days, but yet again, a lotus bloomed, and the crowds went wild.

By now, approximately 400,000 people had gathered in the area. All of them were breathing heavily as they waited for Naruto… to take the final step.

The 100th step!

There on the sixth level, Naruto's eyes were closed. He had no idea how many steps he had taken. Without even thinking about it, he took another step forward. Rumbling sounds filled his mind, and his body trembled.

Naruto was panting. Every imprint he made forced him to sift through a blur of obfuscating information, and required much analysis.

More time passed. Everyone in the outside world waited. Three days. Seven days. Ten days….

Finally, twenty days passed!

The outside world was abuzz; no one had ever been able to spend so much time testing inside of the Medicine pavilion. Naruto had already taken nearly two months to pass from the first level all the way to the sixth.

Five more days passed, when suddenly, all of the innumerable botanical lamps in the sixth level exploded with scintillating light. Beneath Naruto's foot… appeared the 100th lotus!

His eyes opened, and his body shook. Blood sprayed from his mouth. This level was so difficult that Naruto only passed it by shedding blood, sweat, and tears. The last step had pushed him to the limits of his skill with plants and vegetation, which, in the end, had enabled him to pass with perfect marks!

Up ahead, the innumerable botanical lamps merged together to form a staircase of vines, something that seemed suitable only for a sovereign of plants and vegetation.

The seventh level was now open!

At the same time, from the view of the outside world, the sixth level began to shine with boundless light. The sky went dim, and all darkness was dispelled. The Dao of Alchemy Division was now the focus of all eyes.

Naruto's name appeared on the stone stele, in the first position on the list of names for the sixth level!

The audience was abuzz.

"He… passed the sixth level! Lotuses blossomed with each step! One hundred steps, one hundred lotuses!"

"Could it be that this Naruto is going to bring about a renaissance in the Dao of Alchemy Division!?"

"Just wait until he's finished here in the medicine pavilion! I'm definitely going to go listen to his lectures on plants and vegetation!"

Meanwhile, an enormous, ancient bell appeared in the air above the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion. From the look of it, the bell appeared to have seen the passage of ages. It was engraved with mountains and rivers, and as soon as it appeared, it rang loud and sharp.

The sound echoed out through Planet East Victory, to the ears of anyone with Namikaze blood in their veins. Outsiders could not hear, but the Namikaze Clan members could!

The Namikaze Clan was shaken. Everyone in the Dao of Alchemy Division who was not already at the Medicine Pavilion was aroused. Sensing the light shining up from the Medicine Pavilion, many of them immediately flew in that direction.

Everyone in the ancestral mansion was equally shaken. First, there was the light shining up from the Dao of Alchemy Division, and then there was the bell. All Namikaze Clan members were shocked, and many flew toward the Dao of Alchemy Division to see what exactly was going on.

The Grand Elder stood silently in the main temple, his expression complex, and even somewhat confused.

"Did I… make a mistake?" he murmured. "No, I didn't. Everything is for the clan. Everything I have done is according to the rules of the clan!" The Grand Elder took a deep breath, but he still seemed to be at a loss. He looked over at the Dao of Alchemy Division, and a fierce glint could be seen in his eyes.

Naruto sat cross-legged on the sixth level of the Medicine Pavilion. After meditating for a period of time, he opened his eyes, which were still slightly bloodshot.

"From the difficulty of the fifth and sixth levels, I can see the boundlessness of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy," he murmured. "I made a lot of mistakes on the fifth level, and the sixth level was actually even harder. It's only because I absorbed the Resurrection Lily that I can have such instincts with plants and vegetation!

"Therefore… my ability with Aroma Scrying is actually a bit of a cheap trick.

"This seventh level will definitely be even harder than all the others!" With that, he stood up, and his eyes flashed with a glimmer of obsession. When he had started in the Medicine Pavilion, his goal had been to amaze the world and become an overnight celebrity. It had all been for the merit points. Now, however, he was doing it to improve his skill with plants and vegetation.

He wasn't just concerned with passing the level; he wanted to pass every level at the pinnacle. That was the only way for him to increase his skill with plants and vegetation.

He took a deep breath and began to walk up the stairs.

At the same time that he set foot on the seventh level, all of the hundreds of thousands of spectators outside were looking on. Compared to the sixth level, the seventh level didn't seem very extraordinary. The only things that were visible were two enormous books.

One of them was, of course, the first volume of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation, with its 1,000,000,000 medicinal plants.

The second was empty. It apparently had no content whatsoever.

Even as Naruto laid eyes on the two books, the archaic voice rang out through the seventh level.

"Using grafting techniques and your knowledge of the mutual augmentation and suppression between different types of plants and vegetation, you must create… 10,000 unique medicinal plants. That is the threshold to pass this level. If you wish to pass the level with perfect marks, you must create 100,000."

Naruto's heart trembled. He took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine with bright light.

"Finally… a level like this!" He knew that having accumulated so much knowledge regarding plants and vegetation, the time had eventually come to step into a new realm. It was a realm which used the principles of mutual augmentation and suppression, along with grafting techniques, to create medicinal plants that belonged to him and him alone.

Using medicinal plants like that to concoct pills would make it very difficult for others to identify the pill formula. Even if they could, it would still be very difficult to create the necessary medicinal plant ingredients. This was also a higher realm of pill concocting.

Back when Naruto was in the Violet Fate Sect, he had encountered such things, but not very often. The ancient Demon Immortal Sect's Dao of alchemy also touched on such matters, but he had never had a chance to systematically study it.

Now, he settled his Chakra and calmed his mind, then stepped forward toward the tome and closed his eyes to think.

All of the people in the outside world who had never heard of what the seventh level was like, now gasped. Actually, according to the requirements of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy, alchemists began to explore grafting techniques beginning in tier 5. In order to become a tier 7 alchemist, it was necessary to create 10,000 personally grafted medicinal plants.

Among the hundreds of thousands of spectators, the tier 6 and 7 alchemists all began to whisper among themselves.

"I wonder if Naruto will be able to pass the seventh level…. How many kinds of grafted medicinal plants will he create!?"

"It's going to be difficult for him to pass. No one has ever done so on the first try. Not even his excellency Pill Elder was able to; it took him four tries."

"Only with a profound knowledge base, and significant experience with grafting plants and vegetation, can someone even attempt the seventh level, let alone pass it."

On the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto stood in front of the tomes for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, thinking. Then, his eyes opened, and he waved his hand, causing the Classic of Plants and Vegetation to rapidly flip open to a certain page. Instantly, a medicinal plant appeared and floated up into the air.

More pages flipped in quick succession, nine of them, and nine more medicinal plants appeared. Naruto made a grasping motion, causing all nine plants to appear on the blank tome's first empty page.

Next, the plants followed his line of thought. Some were stripped of their bark, others had flowers removed. In the end, they formed together within Naruto's divine sense, where he used the techniques of mutual augmentation and suppression to graft them together.

The medicinal plant on the first page glittered brightly, whereupon the book seemed to analyze and judge it. After the blink of an eye, the page slowly turned, indicating that Naruto had successfully created his first medicinal plant.

He once again waved his left hand over the Classic of Plants and Vegetation, pulling out more medicinal plants and using his divine sense to transform and graft them together, continuing to create different medicinal plants according to his desires.

Time passed. To cultivators who didn't understand the Dao of alchemy, this examination seemed somewhat boring. However, to the cultivators of the Dao of Alchemy Division, it was an unprecedented opportunity for good fortune.

Even the tier 7 alchemists looked on with strange lights glowing in their eyes. As Naruto created his medicinal plants, they gained more enlightenment, and were continuously shocked. In fact, their own skill with plants and vegetation was slowly creeping upward.

"I can't believe that you can make cold-type plants that way…. After adding nine hot elements, the original formula was to add one cold element. But instead, he added nine cold elements. According to the law of mutual augmentation and supression, you would think that the result would be neutral. And yet, the result is like that!"

"That Moonspirit Flower can actually turn into Sunsplendor Leaf through grafting! What an outrageous line of thinking, and yet, it works!"

Even the old woman stared with wide eyes. Subconsciously, she began to imitate Naruto, and her own skill with plants and vegetation gradually began to increase.

The tier 5 and 6 alchemists were incredibly excited. When it came to plant and vegetation grafting, they were just in the initial stages of learning. As they watched Naruto at work, they committed everything they saw to memory.

To them, this was an extremely rare opportunity.

As for the lower level alchemists, this was a realm far removed from them. However, they all understood that if they wanted to travel far along the path of the Dao of alchemy, then they would eventually have to learn how to graft plants and vegetation. Therefore, they also did as much as they could to take advantage of the situation.

The apprentice alchemists were even less clear about what was happening. However, seeing the intent expressions on the faces of the higher level alchemists, they also realized that what Naruto was currently doing with grafting techniques was astonishing. Therefore, they kept their eyes glued on Naruto and did their best to try to remember what sort of grafting techniques he used.

The world outside the Medicine Pavilion was completely quiet. Even the two old men who stood guard outside had opened their eyes and were looking at the screen up in midair.

The tier 8 alchemists stood there silently, watching Naruto and observing his grafting techniques. All of them were filled with anticipation.

Naruto once again lost track of time as he absorbed himself in the grafting of plants and vegetation. His left hand sped over the first volume of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation, seemingly flipping pages nonstop.

Time passed. Naruto created more and more medicinal plants. 10. 100. 1,000….

Seven days later, Naruto finally created 10,000 medicinal plants. He took a deep breath, but he wasn't finished. Instead, he focused inwardly for a moment, experiencing a similar feeling regarding plants and vegetation to that which he felt when practicing cultivation. He could clearly tell that as he created more medicinal plants, his understanding of plants and vegetation grew more refined.

Although it had been a long time since he had concocted medicinal pills, he could also sense that his pill concocting skill… was becoming stronger.

"My hand is the pill furnace, and I will blend all Heaven and Earth together in my palm to create an almighty medicinal pill!" His eyes shone with a light that originated from his Dao, with his Dao of alchemy. With this Dao, he could corroborate his heart, and then use that heart to concoct pills.

Seven more days passed. By now, Naruto had created more than 15,000 medicinal plants. Everyone outside was shaken, and their admiration for Naruto had reached the pinnacle.

Even the old woman had to ask herself whether her own skill with plants and vegetation was equal to Naruto's. In the end, she had to sigh and admit that people like Naruto were exactly what the Dao of Alchemy Division lacked, and in fact, desperately needed.

As for her… if she continued to comply with the wishes of those in the main clan who wanted her to target Naruto, perhaps she would fall out of harmony with the Dao of Alchemy itself.

"Forget it," she thought, her eyes shining with determination. "After all… I am a member of the Dao of Alchemy Division!" She took a deep breath, and dispelled all thoughts of targeting Naruto. All of a sudden, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of her. She focused on the screen, and on contemplating plants and vegetation.

15,000. 20,000. 30,000….

A month passed by, during which time Naruto created 30,000 medicinal plants. More people gathered outside. By now, there were over 500,000, spread out in all directions.

Everyone was watching Naruto create medicinal plants. Occasionally, people seemed to go wild with joy at what they were seeing, and at other times they looked confused. However, in the end, everyone watching was able to gain something.

Unfortunately, Naruto was completely absorbed in what he was doing, and had no idea what was going on outside. If he did know, he might well have gone nuts. After all, this was a prime opportunity… to charge merit points.

If at this moment he stepped out of the Medicine Pavilion and bellowed out that he demanded payment, virtually everyone in the audience would instantly pay what he asked.

From the moment he had entered the first level until now, a full four months had passed. Although cultivators had a long lifespan, and often a single meditation session might last years, to them, four months would still seem to pass by slowly if they weren't meditating.

Despite that, no one grew impatient. Instead, they continued to make gains by watching.

Naruto immersed himself in grafting, and he was happy. There was no other place like this Medicine Pavilion, with 1,000,000,000 medicinal plants inside that he could choose from.

Although they were all illusory, that didn't really didn't matter to Naruto. They could still help him advance to a higher level in his skill with plants and vegetation.

Another month passed, and Naruto's eyes were bloodshot. He had now created 50,000 medicinal plants.

In the beginning, it had been relatively simple. However, the further along he progressed, the more difficult it became. Were he content to do a perfunctory job, this level would have been simple. However, he placed high requirements on himself. The medicinal plants he was creating now all were composed of at least one hundred other medicinal plants.

In fact, the past 10,000 he had created were grafted from at least five hundred other medicinal plants!

Exhaustion swelled up within him. The fifth, sixth, and seventh levels had all been quite a mental strain on him. In fact, as a result, he had even unwittingly grown a great deal in terms of divine sense.

Even more amazing to Naruto was that over the past months, his cultivation base was nearing ninety percent of the power of a true Immortal.

As the sixth month arrived, Naruto trembled. His mental energy was almost completely depleted, and his head felt as if it were swollen. Piercing pain occasionally stabbed through his temples, and even his thinking had slowed.

However, he had now created nearly 70,000 medicinal plants.

Not a single one was a repeat, and any of them that appeared in the outside world would certainly cause a huge stir. That was especially true of the last 5,000…. Each one of those contained more than a thousand different grafting elements.

Medicinal plants like that could be refined into a pill just by adding a few minor ingredients.

The spectators outside were entranced and deeply moved by Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation. Another half a month passed. Finally, Naruto's energy was spent. His face was ashen, and he seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. Even his Eternal stratum couldn't keep up with the mental strain.

He let out a long sigh and finally ceased working.

He had created over 75,000 plants.

"My mind isn't up to the task," he thought. "If I keep going, I might injure my foundation. Most important of all… my mastery of plants and vegetation isn't good enough, at least not in terms of grafting.

"I think perhaps 10,000 more would be my absolute limit.

"Furthermore, considering my current skill with plants and vegetation, creating an almighty medicinal plant composed of 10,000 grafts, would be too difficult." He took a deep breath and then slowly rose to his feet, his eyes shining with a gleam of obsession.

"I must deeply study the Namikaze Clan's way with plants and vegetation!" With that, he turned and vanished. When he reappeared, he was outside the Medicine Pavilion. When he saw the packed crowd of 500,000 cultivators, he gaped in shock.

Although he had assumed some people would come to observe, he had never imagined that so many people would show up. He even saw that all sorts of full alchemists were present, many of them still not fully awakened from the reveries of enlightenment they had fallen into while watching Naruto.

He was too tired to say anything. The only thing he wanted to do was return to his Immortal's cave and rest for a few days. He immediately flew into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

As soon as he flew into the air, the crowds began to come to their senses. They looked at Naruto making his way off into the distance, and then went completely crazy.

"That was Naruto!" someone shouted. "He came out!" More people came to their senses, and when they realized that the screen was gone, they understood that Naruto had already emerged from the Medicine Pavilion.

"75,000 medicinal plants, huh. He's a Grandmaster of plants and vegetation! He fully deserves to be called an apothecary!"

"With Grandmaster Naruto's skill in plants and vegetation, if he wanted to simply pass through the Medicine Pavilion, I wouldn't dare to say he could pass the ninth level, but the eighth level would definitely be no problem!"

Everyone was in a tumult as they watched Naruto leave. Their eyes shone with fanaticism and reverence. In the world of cultivation, the strong are respected, and it was no different in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"He stopped on purpose this time, but in a few months, he'll definitely keep going!"

The surrounding alchemists watched Naruto leave, and they all sighed emotionally. This was especially true of the tier 8 Elders, whose faces were filled with hope and excitement.

Deep in the inner mountains, Pill Elder Isago had been watching Naruto the entire time. Finally he sighed, and a smile appeared on his face. "There is finally a successor for the Dao of Alchemy Division…."

He waved his right hand, within which appeared an ancient book, upon which were written the words "Classic of Plants and Vegetation."

"Give this to Naruto," he said softly, waving his hand again. A mysterious light appeared, covering over the book and taking it away.

Naruto flew out of the Dao of Alchemy Division, not even fully aware of his surroundings. However, a moment later, he suddenly stopped in place, and his eyes went wide. His mind felt as if it had just been struck by lightning.

"Dammit! How could I have forgotten to charge merit points!? There were more than 500,000 people there just now! How many months was I in the Medicine Pavilion!? This… This…."

Naruto trembled, his face pale white. At first, he tried not to calculate how much he had lost, but in the end, he couldn't stop himself. His mind filled with a terrifyingly huge number of merit points, and he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Screwed! Royally screwed!" He felt like weeping, but no tears would come. All he could do was curse his horrible luck at having completely wasted such a good opportunity to earn merit points.

At this thought, he threw his head back and roared, which caused quite a few nearby birds to scatter in flight.

Trembling, heart bleeding, face ashen, Naruto felt completely drained of energy. Listless and depressed, it was at this point that he suddenly noticed that someone was flying through the air behind him.

He turned feebly and saw a young woman; his lifeless countenance caused her to stare in shock.

She was graceful and beautiful, with an entrancing face. She wore a long pink garment, and her fragrance was delicate and pleasing.

She looked at Naruto in shock for a moment, before tentatively asking, "Um, are you… Elder Cousin Naruto?"

Naruto listlessly nodded his head. He was still inwardly tied up in knots over the huge sum of merit points he had lost. In his mind, even the sky had turned completely black.

The young woman's face grew serious as she looked at Naruto. She thought to herself that this person was willing to drive himself crazy before giving up, all for the sake of skill with plants and vegetation. She could see a level of unswerving determination in Naruto that she did not possess.

"Elder Cousin Naruto, I saw you in the Medicine Pavilion just now, and I, Shizune, couldn't help but admire you." She clasped hands and bowed, then held out a tome toward Naruto. "This… is a tome that his excellency Pill Elder wanted me to give you."

Naruto was still in a daze. Face blank, he muttered, "I just had an unimaginable amount of merit points placed in front of me, but I didn't cherish them as I should have… what a waste!"

The young woman gaped for a moment, unsure about the meaning of what she had just heard. "Elder Cousin, what did you just say?"

Naruto shook his head and dejectedly accepted the tome. Then he turned and, looking incredibly depressed, headed off into the distance. The young woman watched him make his way off, and couldn't help but feel even more admiration for him.

"He is definitely worthy of being the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. Elder Cousin Naruto is crazy about the Dao of alchemy. He created more than 70,000 medicinal plants on the seventh level of the Medicine pavilion, but he still feels disappointed. It's almost like he's lost his faith and ideals. A person like that is really rare. No wonder his excellency Pill Elder wanted me to give him that tome.

"Shizune," she said to herself encouragingly, "you have to work hard and study more, like Elder Cousin!" She looked at Naruto leaving, and was filled with reverence.

Naruto had no idea how much encouragement his expression had given to that fragile young woman. He continued along his way toward the ancestral mansion, drowsy and out of sorts.

As soon as he entered the ancestral mansion, his mood worsened. Even as he transformed into a beam of light and shot forward, a group of seven or eight people strolled out ahead of him, chatting and laughing.

Among that group of people was a young woman who Naruto recognized from when he had first arrived at East Heaven Gate. She was a female cultivator named Jimei. She was clearly a natural born beauty, and she currently wore a long, pale garment. She held her hand in front of her mouth and laughed as she walked along. Among those walking with her, three had cultivation bases at the peak of Dao Seeking, similar to false Immortals. There were a few others who were in the Spirit Severing realm.

All of them were people Naruto had seen following Menma back in the temple.

Behind them trailed an old man with salt-and-pepper hair and an apathetic expression. He held his hands in front of him, tucked into the opposite sleeves, and followed the group with a slight bow, almost as if he were a servant.

He was not a member of the Namikaze Clan, but had a different surname, and had taken shelter with the Namikaze Clan in exchange for acting as a Dao Protector to members of the younger generation.

The young cultivators around Jimei chatted and laughed.

"Jimei, I heard that when you went out for training this time you ended up taking Reverend Shui Yun as your master. Senior Shui Yun might be just a rogue cultivator, but his cultivation base is incredible. Congratulations! Oh, and now that you're back, don't be in a hurry to leave again. It won't be long now before the centennial rising of the East Ascension Sun. Prince Menma will be in charge of the East Ascension Pavilion, and he's already invited Chosen from quite a few other sects to come enjoy the spectacle. When the time comes, you can meet all of them."

"Yeah, that's right! Princess Hong, of all the Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, there are few whose cultivation bases exceed yours. You'll definitely be a blazing sun in the East Ascension Pavilion.

In response to what everyone was saying, the young woman smiled slightly and shook her head, although her expression revealed traces of pride.

"Prince Menma and Prince Han both have cultivation bases higher than me," she said. "And as for you, Prince Tao and Prince Hai, with your cultivation bases, as long as you make the proper preparations, you should be able to use an Immortality Illumination Vine at almost any time."

"Not necessarily," said one of her companions. "The clan has Immortality Illumination Vines, but they're rare. There are only a few available in this generation. Unless you're one of the top three in the current generation, then the only way to get one is to pay a ton of merit points. It's really difficult."

"That's not the case with you, though, Jimei. With the help of Reverend Shui Yun, you have a much better chance than all of us." Sighs could be heard. It was at this exact moment that Naruto flew overhead in a beam of light. The people down below looked up, and the three youths with cultivation bases similar to false Immortals all frowned.

Even the young woman Jimei was frowning.

In the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, there were only two people who were qualified to fly. One was Menma, and the other… was none other than Naruto.

"Sir Guy, I don't like people flying over my head," said Jimei, her voice calm. In response, the old man who had been following the group looked up, and his previously calm eyes began to glow brightly. He looked up at Naruto flying through the air.

"Get down here!" he bellowed. He didn't attack, he just spoke. His words didn't echo out very far; they were directed solely at Naruto, and appeared to contained natural law that required his orders to be followed. They transformed into something like explosive, muffled thunder that only Naruto could hear.

Boom!

Naruto suddenly screeched to a halt in midair as an enormous force built up around him. It was as if the air around him had been restricted, and he was suddenly forced downward. Something like a huge hand pushed down, forcing him out of the sky.

His body trembled, and he felt incredible pressure like that of the peak of the Immortal stage, that of a stage 7 Immortal.

"Huh?" thought the old man, frowning. Seeing that he hadn't instantly suppressed Naruto, he gave a cold snort and caused his cultivation base to explode out with power. Massive pressure swelled out, and Naruto lost control of his body completely and fell out of the sky.

It wasn't until he landed on the ground that the pressure faded away. The old man's face was calm as he lowered his head, almost as if nothing had happened.

Jimei and her followers all looked over at Naruto.

Immediately, Jimei's followers spoke up.

"So, you're Naruto, the one who caused all the ruckus in the Dao of Alchemy Division?"

"Don't forget, it doesn't matter if the Grand Elder gave you the qualifications to fly in the ancestral mansion. If you don't have enough power, don't randomly fly over people's heads."

"You may go now."

These people didn't know much about Naruto. After all, the first thing he had done after returning to the clan was spend most of his time in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

All they knew was that his Bloodline Gatebeam was 30,000 meters. This made them feel a bit self-conscious. When it came to the Dao of alchemy however, they viewed it as a lesser type of Dao that wasn't worthy to share the stage with cultivation.

Having spoken their words, they resumed chatting and laughing, completely ignoring Naruto as they brushed past him.

Naruto had already been in an abominable mood. He had just been flying along, minding his own business, when suddenly he was forced down to the ground. Considering his personality, how could he possibly accept such a thing? His eyes grew cold, and a smile slowly spread out across his face.

It was a smile, but it was a very cold smile.

"So," he said indifferently, "you people see me but don't offer formal greetings! It seems you've forgotten all about the clan rules!"

The eight people frowned and stopped in place, slowly turning back to look at Naruto.

"Sir Guy," said Jimei, "get him out of here, why don't you."

Sir Guy's expression was as calm as ever as he nodded, then stepped toward Naruto. He pushed out with his right hand, causing an incredible force explode out toward Naruto. His goal was to physically push Naruto completely away.

As he advanced, the force rumbled out ahead of him. Naruto flicked his sleeve, causing a black beam of light to fly out, which transformed into the crocodile. It swished its tail, causing an incredible energy to surge out.

The old man's face flickered as the tail slammed into him, causing a huge boom to fill the air.

"You, a foreign servant, dare to raise your hand against me?!" Naruto said coolly. Then he stepped toward the group of eight.

The eight young cultivators' faces fell as they first saw the old man fighting the crocodile, and then saw Naruto walking toward them.

"And then, you people! I can't believe you see me but refuse to offer greetings!" He advanced toward them, his energy surging and a cold gleam flickering in his eyes.

The three young men with cultivation bases equivalent to false Immortals immediately stepped forward.

"Why the hell do you think we would offer greetings to you?" said one of them.

"Why the hell do I think you would offer greetings to me? Because I'm the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline! It doesn't matter which bloodline you people are from, or which branch. All members of this generation call me Cousin!" Even as Naruto's voice echoed out, he slapped out with his right hand.

The three young men snorted, and were just about to attempt to fight back, when all of a sudden, their faces fell. They were completely incapable of doing anything; Naruto's shocking wave of power completely destroyed all of their divine abilities and magical techniques.

Booms rang out as Naruto's hand slapped into all three of their faces in succession. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they were sent tumbling backward.

In that same moment, Naruto stepped forward, and his leg blurred into a whirlwind as he kicked the three young men over and over again. Booms mixed with bloodcurdling screams as they were sent hurtling backward, where they slammed into the ground.

Cracking sounds could be heard as more than half of their bones were broken.

"What do you think you're doing!?" said one of them, his face falling. "We're inside the clan, you—"

"Oh, so it turns out you do know that we're in the Namikaze Clan," said Naruto coldly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten that I'm also surnamed Namikaze!?" He stepped forward again, then waved his right hand, causing Jimei's Spirit Severing acquaintances to cough up blood as many of the bones in their bodies were crushed. Miserable shrieks rang out.

"You see me and actually don't extend greetings!? I'm the eldest grandson, so I guess all I can do is teach you a lesson about the clan rules. And then there's you…." He turned to face Jimei. As soon as he stepped forward, a voice called out from the distance.

"Stay your hand!"

Jimei's face flickered, and she quickly lifted her right hand into the air, causing a huge, illusory cauldron to appear, upon which the character 'Namikaze' could be seen. It immediately crushed down toward Naruto.

"Ten percent of the power of a true Immortal!? Puny!" Completely ignoring whoever it was behind him, Naruto smiled coldly and clenched his hand into a fist. He punched out, causing a boom to echo out as the cauldron shattered. His fist continued on toward Jimei.

Another boom could be heard. Blood sprayed from Jimei's lips as she doubled over in pain. Naruto's punch was too fierce, and her Chakra passageways were shattered as she hurtled backward. It didn't matter that she was a woman, Naruto was as cold as ever.

After punching her, he turned icily to to face the group that was speeding toward him in the distance.

"Naruto, you twerp! How dare you!" Six people were flying through the air. Three of them were white-haired old men with cultivation bases in the Immortal realm. The one in the middle was clearly more powerful than the others, and was at the peak of the Immortal Realm.

That was the one who had spoken just now.

Behind the three old men were two masked cultivators, one whose cultivation base was hidden, making it impossible to see how deep it was. However, he emanated a desolate, murderous aura that was especially strong, as if his only job in the Namikaze Clan was to kill people.

The last of the group was none other than Futsu!

He was the one who had yelled out to Naruto to stay his hand.

As for the old man who had just spoken, he appeared next to Jimei even as his words echoed out. He immediately picked her up in his arms and gave her some medicinal pills.

Jimei's face was pale, and she was quivering. Blood oozed out of her mouth, and it was with difficulty that she swallowed the medicinal pills.

"Grandpa," she said with a bitter smile, "my… my Chakra passageways…."

The old man had already noticed that Jimei's Chakra passageways had been shattered, and he responded, "Don't worry. Grandpa will fix this for you!" With that, he turned to glare at Naruto, his eyes flickering with killing intent.

"What gall you have! How dare you slaughter people within the clan! There's no need to send you to the clan dungeon, I'll execute you here and now!" With that, the other two old men who had accompanied him began to close in on Naruto.

"That crocodile too! Kill it!" The two masked cultivators immediately headed toward the crocodile. Sir Guy instantly fell back to Jimei's side, his face anxious.

A cold smile appeared on Futsu's face, and inwardly, he was going wild with joy at finally being able to catch Naruto off guard. This time, he knew that Naruto was going to be killed without a doubt.

"Sixth Grandpa, correct?" Naruto stood his ground, completely ignoring the two old men who were closing in on him. "Let me ask you, did you see me slaughter anyone?" He slapped his bag of holding to produce his identity medallion.

"I'm the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. My dad is Minato, and the Grand Elder is my Third Grandpa. If you people dare to kill me, you'll be violating clan rules. Anyone who violates clan rules will be put to death!" As his voice echoed out, the two old men who were moving toward him suddenly stopped in place, their faces flickering as they hesitated.

"I was flying happily through the air," Naruto continued calmly, "when these clan members asked this foreign servant to suppress me. And after seeing who I was, they refused to greet me respectfully. Apparently, they aren't familiar with the clan rules, so I set about to teach them a lesson. Sixth Grandpa, have you suddenly developed a vision problem?" He stood there, his expression stony.

"Kill him!" cried Jimei's grandfather a second time, with a cold snort. Hearing his words, the two old men clenched their jaws and continued on toward Naruto.

Naruto's face flickered, and he fell back. Even before the two old men could get close to him, he slapped his own chest with his palm, coughing up a huge mouthful of blood, and then letting out a miserable shriek. At the same time, he ripped open his bag of holding, causing the jade box that contained the Nirvana Fruits to fly out.

Next, he yelled out at the top of his lungs, "You want to steal my Nirvana Fruits! Grand Elder! Third Grandpa! Someone's trying to steal my Nirvana Fruits!"

Using all the power his cultivation base could muster, he sent his voice echoing out in all directions.

When the Grand Elder gave Naruto the Nirvana Fruits, he had sworn an oath that anyone in the clan who dared to steal them from Naruto would be exterminated. As Naruto's voice spread throughout the clan, many people heard it. The two old men who had been closing in on Naruto to kill him, suddenly stopped in place, and their faces fell.

Even Jimei's grandfather's face fell, and he gritted his teeth.

"I get it!" continued Naruto, backing up, and at the same time, crying out loudly. "You clan members of my generation pulled me out of the sky because you're… you're in collusion with that foreign servant to steal my Nirvana Fruits!

"You Heaven-damned clan delinquents! How could you be so ruthless! How could you try to steal my Nirvana Fruits!

"Grand Elder, save me! Third Grandpa, if you don't show up quickly, my Nirvana Fruits are going to be taken away! Third Grandpa, Grand Elder, SAVE ME!"

His bellowing caused the enraged three youths with the near-false Immortal cultivation bases to one again cough up blood.

"Stop talking nonsense!" cried Jimei, blood oozing from her mouth. She was also getting nervous. "We saw you flying toward us and just wanted you to go around us! We never brought up anything about your Nirvana Fruits!"

"You sharp-tongued troublemaker!" howled Jimei's grandfather. "You're not from the Namikaze Clan! DIE!" As he closed in on Naruto, it became apparent that the Grand Elder was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto's eyes flickered coldly, and he suddenly lifted his right hand. The Lightning Cauldron appeared. In that critical moment, he looked over at Futsu, whose face instantly fell.

Rumble!

They instantly switched places, and Naruto watched from off in the distance as the old man's palm descended onto Futsu, who let out a piercing scream.

The old man pulled his palm back at the very last moment, then turned to look at Naruto. He was just about to charge toward him once again, when suddenly, several dozen beams of light shot through the air toward them from various directions.

"6th Older Uncle, my Older Cousin entrusted Naruto to me for safekeeping. If you dare to touch him, I'll wipe out your entire bloodline. Worst case scenario, afterward I'll take my entire family to stay with my Older Cousin on Planet Lands of Ninshu!" The speaker was none other than Naruto's 19th Uncle, who came to a stop directly in front of Naruto. He looked over coldly at Jimei's grandfather.

More beams of light descended. Two were middle-aged men, who intercepted the attacks of the masked cultivators against the crocodile, saving it from certain annihilation.

In the blink of an eye, the entire situation had changed. Naruto was surrounded by more than a dozen cultivators. However, the man who 19th Uncle had called 6th Older Uncle was also joined by quite a few newcomers.

As they faced off with proverbial daggers drawn, the archaic voice of Grand Elder Kageki suddenly echoed out from deep within the ancestral mansion.

"That's enough. Jugo, Jimei Jimugo, and the rest of your companions, you disrespected the rules of seniority. You will be punished in the Fire Smelting Pit for ten days!

"Naruto, although clan members treated you disrespectfully, there was no need to attack so viciously. You will also be punished in the Fire Smelting Pit for ten days!

"The sentence will be carried out immediately!"

As soon as the Grand Elder's voice rang out, Jimei and the others' faces went pale. The Fire Smelting Pit was also called Hell, and to spend ten days there would be like being skinned alive.

The clan members in the area, both those of Naruto's bloodline and 6th Older Uncle's, didn't dare to say another word. 6th Patriarch's eyes flickered and he held his tongue.

However, Naruto opened his mouth immediately.

"Third Grandpa, Grand Elder, um… my Spirit Elixir is almost finished! I'm almost ready to absorb the Nirvana Fruits, so I really don't have time to go to the Fire Smelting Pit. Look, if you make an exception, I'll make up the punishment later. What do you think?"

Naruto's words were met with utter silence. No one would ever dare to contradict the Grand Elder's orders. Jimei and the others looked on with wide eyes. In their opinion, Naruto was really far too brazen. Even the other Elders in the area were gaping at him.

Futsu was elated, and inwardly, started laughing uproariously. In his hatred for Naruto, he rejoiced at Naruto's words to the Grand Elder, and couldn't wait for Naruto to experience even more misery.

"Be quiet!" hissed 19th Uncle. All of the other clan members surrounding Naruto also felt that his words were far too crude and rash.

"What?" said the Grand Elder. He had never imagined that Naruto would dare to speak up, and when his voice echoed out, it seemed to send a chill through the entire area. However, after the space of a few breaths went by, he spoke further, and the words he uttered caused everyone to gasp.

"Very well. Absorbing the Nirvana Fruits is a very important matter. As soon as you finish, go to the Fire Smelting Pit!"

"Many thanks, Third Grandpa," said Naruto, looking very grateful. Everyone else looked on with shock and other strange expressions. In their memory, the Grand Elder had always been unswervingly just, which was how he had earned the clan's respect over the years.

But now, he was clearly being partial toward Naruto.

"This… the Grand Elder actually just…."

"He called the Grand Elder by the address Third Grandpa…. Now that I think about it, the Grand Elder used to be part of the direct bloodline!" All of a sudden, thoughtful expressions could be seen on the onlookers' faces. The 6th Patriarch's face flickered, and he gritted his teeth. Finally, he let out a cold snort. His face extremely grim, he flicked his sleeve and carried Jimei away.

As Jimei was taken away, she looked back at Naruto, and she couldn't help but muse about how terrifying he was.

"The Grand Elder actually showed partiality toward him…."

The youths with the near-false Immortal cultivation bases were trembling as they clasped hands and bowed toward Naruto.

"Cousin…."

Naruto grunted in response, then looked over at Futsu, who was gingerly attempting to sneak away, and gave an obviously fake smile.

Futsu's scalp went numb, and the images of what had happened on Planet Lands of Ninshu flitted through his mind. Gritting his teeth, he bowed his head.

"Cousin…."

Naruto smiled, then turned to clasp hands and express his gratitude to 19th Uncle and the other members of his bloodline. All of them looked at him encouragingly as he transformed into a beam of light and shot away.

"When the Grand Elder looks at Naruto, he must be thinking of Naruto's own grandfather. The two of them were brothers, and were very close!"

"Yeah, that's right. The Grand Elder is always unswervingly just. In the past several hundred years, he's never shown partiality toward anyone. He hasn't made a single exception!"

"Naruto is really a blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan. The fact that the Grand Elder is willing to make an exception for him illustrates that point!"

Even as they discussed the matter, Naruto disappeared off into the distance.

Eventually, he reached his Immortal's cave.

As soon as he set foot inside, his eyes turned cold, and a grim expression covered his face.

"Grand Elder. Third Grandpa. Why do you want so badly for me to die…?"

Naruto took a deep breath as he sat there cross-legged in his residence. Although he was physically in the Namikaze Clan right now, he didn't have much of a sense of belonging.

"This isn't my home," he murmured softly. "My dad and mom aren't here. Since they're on Planet Lands of Ninshu, Planet Lands of Ninshu is my home."

At the moment, he was completely exhausted. After spending half a year in the Medicine Pavilion, and then experiencing the encounter moments ago, he was worn out mentally and in pain physically.

Then he thought again about all of the merit points he had basically lost while he was in the Medicine Pavilion. It was like a knife stabbing through his heart.

"Oh, the pain…." he thought, clenching his jaw. "Thankfully, I didn't go all the way through. Next time I'm definitely going to arrange things ahead of time. No merit points, no watching me!" Having made this decision, he let out a long sigh and then closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base to begin his recuperation.

Ten days later, he opened his eyes, and they shone with an energetic gleam. He took a deep breath. During the past half year, he had expended a lot of mental energy. Now that he was fully recovered, his eyes glittered. He produced the tome that had been given to him from his bag of holding.

"So, Pill Elder gave this to me…." After a moment of thought, he began to flip through the pages. The more he saw, the more brightly his eyes glowed. This was the true Classic of Plants and Vegetation, and it was incredibly detailed. There were even medicinal plants recorded therein that he hadn't seen in the Medicine Pavilion.

As he skimmed its contents, Naruto suddenly realized that his divine sense had experienced growth after his experience in the Medicine Pavilion. He sent it out into the courtyard, where he saw Hotarubi sitting there abjectly. The parrot and meat jelly were not sitting on his shoulder as usual. They were nowhere to be seen.

Naruto gaped for a moment. He remembered seeing Hotarubi in the group of 500,000 spectators outside of the Medicine Pavilion, but he couldn't remember if the parrot and meat jelly had been there. He pushed open the door of his residence, and the sound caused Hotarubi to look up. His eyes were a bit blank, and when he saw Naruto, he sighed and rose to his feet.

Hanging his head, he bitterly said, "Coz, you need to punish me. It was all my fault. Lord Fifth and Lord Third, they… I… I…."

Apparently, he couldn't finish his thought.

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto in amazement.

"I don't know what happened with Lord Fifth. After you came out of the Medicine Pavilion, I was going to take him and Lord Third back here. However, something happened to Lord Fifth. All of a sudden… he headed toward tier 7 alchemist Kotohime, that old woman. Lord Fifth and her peacock started fighting….

"There was nothing I could do to stop it. Lord Fifth went crazy…. Lord Third couldn't say anything to stop what was happening either, so he eventually just joined Lord Fifth." Hotarubi seemed to be completely out of sorts, and wasn't even speaking coherently.

As soon as Naruto heard Hotarubi's story, he knew exactly what was going on. He remembered that peacock, and its luxuriant coat of feathers….

"Don't worry about it, the parrot was just having some fun with the peacock," Naruto said euphemistically.

"Having fun? Coz!" exclaimed Hotarubi in agitation. He seemed upset. "There was definitely nothing fun going on!

"You didn't see what happened. It… it was terrifying. The peacock's rear end virtually exploded! It was horrific!" Hotarubi shuddered. When he thought about what he had seen, he felt a sense of terror. Then he thought about how much time he'd spent with Lord Fifth, and how the parrot was constantly glancing behind him, and all the hair on his body stood on end.

"Coz, that bird… you need to find a place to set it free. It's simply appalling!" Hotarubi's breath came in ragged pants.

"You're still young so you don't understand," Naruto said, sounding very sure of himself. "As far as the birds are concerned, it was just having fun."

"Coz, there's something else I didn't mention," Hotarubi continued, unable to hold back. "Once when I went out with Lord Fifth and Lord Third, we encountered a fierce bear, and Lord Fifth… Lord Fifth had… had some fun."

Naruto patted Hotarubi on the shoulder and explained once again that it was all in good fun.

"In the end," added Hotarubi, "Lord Fifth and Lord Third were taken away by Alchemist Kotohime…."

"Don't worry," said Naruto, waving his hand nonchalantly, "That meat jelly can't be killed, and if the parrot dies, then the world will simply have one less scourge to worry about. Don't pay them any more attention." He was well aware that the two morons were incredibly tenacious, and couldn't be hurt easily. They were virtually indestructible.

"But—"

"Really, don't say anything more. Come on. Let's head over to the Dao of Alchemy Division. I wasted an entire half year in the Medicine Pavilion. It's time to go make some merit points!" Naruto shot out of the Immortal's Cave and Hotarubi reluctantly followed him. The two of them sped toward the Dao of Alchemy Division as fast as possible.

Along the way, Naruto's heart began to surge with excitement. He very much wanted to find out if his tactic of going to the Medicine Pavilion would solve his problem with the merit points.

"Hardships prompt changes, changes bring solutions, solutions resolve hardships!" Before long, the two of them reached the Dao of Alchemy Division and entered the outer mountains. Naruto was instantly recognized.

"It's Naruto! He's here!"

"Could it be that he'll go to the Medicine Pavilion again!? It's too early, isn't it? Wait, don't tell me… he's going to give a lecture on plants and alchemy!?" As soon as the nearby apprentice alchemists saw Naruto, they got very excited, and began to spread word to their friends in the clan.

By the time Naruto got to Peak #7191, he was being followed by tens of thousands of people. He stepped onto the platform, cleared his throat, and was just about to begin speaking when suddenly, numerous beams of bright light shot toward the area. In the blink of an eye, the crowd exceeded 100,000 people.

There were even alchemists who emerged from within the inner mountains to come hear Naruto lecture about plants and vegetation.

Naruto had proven to everyone how terrifyingly skilled he was with plants and vegetation. By now, most people were convinced that his skill was at least tier 8 level!

In the entire Dao of Alchemy Division, not counting Naruto, there were only nineteen people who were presently at tier 8 level when it came to skill with plants and vegetation. Those were the tier 8 alchemists, also referred to as Pavilion Elders of the Pill Pavilion.

People like that would never go out and give lectures. From this, it can be imagined how enthusiastic the audience was. Before much time passed, the audience swelled to 200,000.

Naruto didn't need to say a word about the merit points. Everybody knew the rules, and immediately paid their due.

Naruto was also excited to note that the old woman Kotohime was no longer present on the opposite mountain peak. Without any competition to worry about, he shelved his idea of increasing prices and proceeded to give his lecture.

Six hours later, having collected hundreds of thousands of merit points, Naruto gritted his teeth and decided to talk for four more hours. That pushed his profit into the 1,000,000 range, and Naruto went wild with joy.

With so many merit points, Naruto now felt much more at ease. All he had to do was give a lecture for a few hours a day, and vast amounts of merit points would come flowing in. All of a sudden, he felt a sense that the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division was showing him quite a bit of hospitality.

Naruto now lived a life of extravagance. He bought vast quantities of medicinal pills and medicinal plants. He even procured plenty of Immortal jade, which, after absorbing the spiritual energy, causing his Immortal meridian to become even more solid. On one occasion, after acquiring what was essentially the clan's entire yearly supply of Immortal jade, he was able to instantly solidify his Immortal meridian to a degree of ninety percent!

His cultivation base experienced rapid growth. He no longer had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, but rather, ninety percent. His battle prowess even broke past that of a stage 4 Immortal. Back in his Immortal's cave, he produced the crocodile, and after a bit of sparring, determined that he was now comparable to a stage 5 Immortal!

He was also just barely able to detect the power of Tribulation forming. He knew that once he became one hundred percent true Immortal, the Door of Immortality would descend.

"I've been waiting for a long time for that day to arrive," he thought, eyes glittering with excitement. "I've prepared well, so once I step into true Immortality, I'm going to absorb huge amounts of Immortal Chakra from the Door of Immortality. I'm going to open dozens of Immortal meridians in one shot!"

This was the same reason why the Chosen of so many sects consolidated their power and waited for true Immortal destiny before making their breakthrough. They wanted to burst into true Immortality by opening multiple Immortal meridians. There were even some Chosen who opened sixty or seventy Immortal meridians in one shot.

Such opportunities were available only when the Door of Immortality appeared. At other times, it would be impossible to experience such a wild leap in one's cultivation base.

At the same time, Naruto continued to concoct Spirit Elixir with increasingly rare plants. The quality of the Spirit Elixir he was producing had reached a terrifying level.

The life force in the Nirvana Fruits was growing stronger. Of course, his spirit stones were rapidly depleted, and when he finally reached the end of his supply, he started exchanging merit points to get more spirit stones.

Unfortunately, after making a few exchanges, he was unable to acquire any more spirit stones; the number of spirit stones that could be doled out to any given person was limited.

Actually, few people were aware that such a rule existed. After all, not many people would ever spend as many merit points as Naruto had on spirit stones. Naruto was shocked by this development, and nearly went mad.

Right now, he did not lack merit points, he lacked spirit stones. He even thought about selling his merit points for spirit stones, but that was actually a violation of clan rules. Of course, violating the rules didn't bother him, since he didn't care much about the rules to begin with.

However, the Namikaze Clan was in a delicate state at the moment. Naruto knew that there were quite a few people who were secretly watching him, and even the slightest mistake could be turned into a major issue.

There were some areas of the ancestral mansion that Naruto had never visited. He had stuck to and risen to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Thanks to his fame and position there, the people who considered him a problem couldn't make a move against him easily.

For the most part, he wasn't very familiar with the Namikaze Clan. He wasn't well acquainted with the various relatives from other branches, and didn't even know very many people from the direct bloodline.

The people he had dealings with the most were Hotarubi and 19th Uncle. He didn't really feel like getting very close with anyone else.

He caught sight of Dei a few times, who always seemed to be trying to avoid him. Naruto knew quite well that he was a Chosen, just like Menma. However, he had been suppressed by Menma, and was looking forward to when Naruto and Menma finally squared off. Naruto understood how he felt.

As far as Fugai went, she also avoided him. On the few occasions when they ran into each other, Naruto could see the fear in her eyes.

He couldn't help but sigh at this. Was he really that scary?

Regarding the other Chosen, he didn't know them, nor did he have any desire to get to know them.

He had no plans to stay in the Namikaze Clan for a long time. After all, he had only three objectives in coming here.

The first was to get his Nirvana Fruits. The Second was to excel for his dad and mom's sake, and make all the Chosen of the Namikaze Clan look at him with respect.

The third was to reach true Immortal Ascension!

Once he achieved those objectives, Naruto would leave the Namikaze Clan. Then, he would use his Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion to join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. There… was where he would continue practicing cultivation and truly rise to prominence.

"It's important to have someone to rely on. I learned that when I was in the Reliance Sect. Here in the Namikaze Clan of Planet East Victory, the Dao of Alchemy Division is what I have to rely on." Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes glittered. Moments later, though, he grimaced.

"However, I'm out of spirit stones. What do I do about that…?"

"Spirit stones… spirit stones!" Naruto's face glowed and he took a deep breath.

"Ibuse told me that the Dao of Alchemy Division has three types of medicinal pills that no one has ever been able to concoct. The clan will give a huge reward to anybody who does. Since I don't have any spirit stones, I might as well go see if I can concoct one of them and get that reward!" This was the simplest method he could think of, and he was just about to go try it out when Hotarubi's excited voice could be heard outside his residence.

"Coz, are you there?!"

Before Naruto could even respond, Hotarubi pushed the front door open and rushed in, looking very excited, even entranced. As he ran over, Naruto noticed that sky outside looked somewhat different than usual.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in concentration.

It was currently midday, but the sky outside almost appeared to be aflame. The entire sky was crimson red, yet no sun was visible.

It was just barely possible to see that the natural law of a great Dao hung up in the sky.

"Coz, I just saw Goddess Fū from the Nine Seas God World!

"And Mei from the Shimura Clan! And also some new disciple from the Church of the Blood Orchid!" Hotarubi seemed very excited. When he mentioned Fū's name, his eyes seemed to gleam with adoration, and he seemed especially enthusiastic when he talked about Mei.

"Lots of Chosen have come. Bisuke, Chiriku from the Church of the Emperor Immortal, Shisui from the Uchiha Clan, and Sora from the Nadeshiko Clan. There's even a guy from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, someone named Ikanago!" As Hotarubi spoke, Naruto rose to his feet. Eyes shining, he reached out and grabbed Hotarubi's shoulders.

"Bisuke is here? And Sora? Mei? And Chiriku…?" Naruto started laughing out loud. Just when he started worrying about his lack of spirit stones, a whole throng of people showed up who all happened to owe him money.

"Over the next few days, even more Chosen are going to arrive from the various sects and clans. They're here to watch the East Ascension Sun from the East Ascension Pavilion," Hotarubi exclaimed excitedly. Although he felt that Naruto was acting a bit strange, he didn't put too much thought into it.

"East Ascension Sun?" This was the second time Naruto had heard someone mention East Ascension. The first time had been when Jimei's group had mentioned it.

"Every hundred years, the sun outside of the Nine Mountains and Seas reaches the point in its orbit in which it is closest to Planet East Victory. At that time, Planet East Victory will experience a brand new rising sun!

"Daoist magic and natural laws of Heaven and Earth will appear. Because the sun is so close, if you have the intuition and understanding, then in the moment that the East Ascension Sun rises, you can bathe in the resulting boundless sunlight. That sunlight contains a great Dao that can strengthen your fleshly body!

"Coz, you definitely have to go watch. When the East Ascension Sun appears, all of the clan members under the age of 1,000 will fly up to bathe in the sunlight. The higher you fly, and the closer you get to the sun, the more you'll benefit!

"A hundred years ago," Hotarubi continued excitedly, "Wu Daozi from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite made a breakthrough, and his fleshly body reached a height almost comparable to true Immortality!"

Naruto's eyes glittered. His fleshly body was already incredibly powerful, but now that his Immortal meridian had appeared, his fleshly body was actually a bit weaker than his cultivation base. Furthermore, he knew of no way to improve it. If he could use this chance to do so, it would be great good fortune.

"When does it start?" Naruto asked.

"In seven days," Hotarubi replied.

Naruto rubbed his bag of holding and then licked his lips. "Where are Bisuke and all the others?" he asked. "Take me to them."

"Huh?" Hotarubi hesitated for a moment. Just now, he had seen the aforementioned group at the ancestral mansion's main gate. "Oh, Menma invited them all to the East Ascension Pavilion in the East District. That… belongs to their branch of the clan. It would be appropriate to go there on the actual day of the East Ascension Sun, but right now…."

"Oh, I see…." Naruto's eyes glittered, and he smiled. "Well, never mind, then. I'll just see them in seven days. First, I need to make a trip to the Dao of Alchemy Division. Why don't you come along?"

Hotarubi shook his head.

"Dad wanted me to go find him. I only came here to tell you about the East Ascension Sun. You go ahead without me, Coz."

Naruto nodded, and he and Hotarubi walked out of the residence, after which they went their separate ways.

Naruto transformed into a beam of light that shot out of the ancestral mansion and headed toward the Dao of Alchemy Division. Before long, he arrived. Many of the apprentice alchemists were discussing the East Ascension Sun, and numerous full alchemists were making special preparations to concoct pills during that time. Condensing the power of the sun into fire-type medicinal pills would significantly increase their medicinal strength.

Furthermore, the power of the sun could be used to condense sunlight itself to concoct East Ascension Pills. Such pills could only be concocted once every hundred years, during the rising of the East Ascension Sun!

Furthermore, only tier 7 alchemists or higher could actually concoct such pills.

Naruto did not go to Peak #7191, but instead, went to find Ibuse. After he explained what he wanted to do, Ibuse stared back at him in a daze. He had never seen Naruto concoct pills. In fact, he wasn't the only one. No one in the entire Dao of Alchemy Division had ever seen Naruto concoct pills.

Because of that, many people speculated that Naruto only understood plants and vegetation, not pill concocting.

Others believed that Naruto would definitely have an understanding of the Dao of alchemy, and only wondered what realm his pill concocting was in.

When Ibuse heard that he was going to try to concoct one of the three legendary pills that nobody had ever concocted, he stared in shock. A moment later, though, he started to get excited. Nodding his head, he began to show Naruto the way.

The two of them sped through the Dao of Alchemy Division, straight into the inner mountains. Many apprentice alchemists saw them, and their eyes began to shine.

"Naruto's going into the inner mountains? Could it be that he's heading to the Medicine Pavilion again?!"

"I need to go early this time or I won't get a good seat."

"Come on, let's follow him!" Numerous apprentice alchemists hurried to follow Naruto, and soon, he had a crowd of thousands following him. Bright beams of light shot through the air into the inner mountains. Many of the alchemists there sensed what was happening, and immediately joined the crowd.

After they realized he wasn't heading to the Medicine Pavilion, many of them were disappointed. However, it was at this point that people started to realize that he was actually headed…

To the Pill Pavilion!

The Dao of Alchemy Division had a Medicine Pavilion and also a Pill Pavilion!

Enshrined within the Pill Pavilion were vast quantities of medicinal pills. Whenever alchemists concocted pills, they could actually sell them here in exchange for other items that they needed.

It was also the location where a huge reward was offered for those three sacred pills!

"He's going to the Pill Pavilion? Maybe he's going to buy some medicinal pills?"

"No, that isn't right…the Pill Pavilion doesn't sell pills, it only buys them…. Don't tell me he knows how to concoct pills?"

All of the people following Naruto were very curious. Few of them left; most continued to follow him as he neared the Pill Pavilion.

This pavilion didn't look very different from the Medicine Pavilion. There were also two old men standing guard outside, as well as a huge stone stele that was packed tight with the names of various medicinal pills.

Another difference between the two was that the Medicine Pavilion floated in the air, seemingly held in place by fetters, as if it wished to fly out of the Dao of Alchemy Division into the sky.

The Pill Pavilion did not float in the air. It was held down on the ground by an enormous stone hand, the fingers of which pierced into the pavilion itself. It, too, seemed to wish to fly away, but was forever obstructed by the gigantic hand.

"The Medicine Pavilion was obviously snatched from somewhere else and then brought to the Dao of Alchemy Division by the Namikaze Clan's first generation Patriarch," thought Naruto. "That's why it's held in place with fetters; to prevent it from returning to its original master. As for the Pill Pavilion, at a single glance you can tell that it was also snatched from somewhere else, and is being held in place to prevent it from going back to its true master." A strange expression could be seen on Naruto's face as he looked at the Pill Pavilion. From the situation of these two pavilions, it was possible to see how domineering the first generation Namikaze Patriarch had been.

In front of the Pill Pavilion were three enormous drums, each of which looked ancient, as if they had existed for countless years. On each of the drum heads could be seen ancient characters, glittering with radiant light.

Heavenly One Thought Pill!

Sea-Cleaving Heaven-Defying Pill!

Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

Three drums, three sets of ancient characters. These three medicinal pills had been the life's work of three Patriarchs of the Namikaze Clan of ages past. And yet, in all the years since, no one else from the Namikaze Clan had been able to concoct them!

It was even publicly acknowledged that not even this generation's most powerful alchemist, Isago, could concoct it. However, some people speculated that, although Pill Elder could not concoct the Heavenly One Thought Pill and the Sea Cleaving Heaven Defying Pill, he actually could concoct the easiest of the three pills, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill.

Naruto took a deep breath and sent out his divine sense. As soon as it touched the three drums, an archaic voice echoed inside of his head.

"Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. Whoever concocts this pill will receive a reward of 100,000,000 spirit stones, 100,000 Immortal jades, 5,000,000 merit points, 10,000 medicinal plants of your choice from the Dao of Alchemy Division, three clan Daoist magics, and one Immortal treasure. Furthermore, the Dao Bell will toll nine times! Those who wish to attempt this pill, strike the drum and produce the fee of 1,000,000 merit points to acquire a set of ingredients.

"Sea-Cleaving Heaven-Defying Pill! Whoever concocts this pill will receive a reward of 1,000,000,000 spirit stones, 1,000,000 Immortal jades, 20,000,000 merit points, 100,000 medicinal plants of your choice from the Dao of Alchemy Division, six clan Daoist magics, and one Ancient treasure. The Dao Bell will toll 18 times! The ingredient fee is 10,000,000 merit points."

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he began to pant. He looked at the drums with wide eyes.

"Heavenly One Thought Pill. Whoever concocts this pill will be the Lord of the Dao of Alchemy Division! The prerequisite to attempt this pill is to concoct the previous two pills. The ingredient fee is 100,000,000 merit points."

Naruto's mind reeled. He knew that, considering the rewards that were available, and the fact that tens of thousands of years had passed without anyone concocting the pills… the Heavenly One Thought Pill was incredibly difficult to concoct.

"I don't really need to concoct the Heavenly One Thought Pill," he mused. "If I can simply concoct the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill and get that 100,000,000 spirit stone reward, that will be enough." Licking his lips, he kept the thought of the reward in his mind as if he had just imprinted it onto his soul. His eyes were completely bloodshot.

"For the spirit stones! And for that Immortal treasure!" He flew forward.

"I'm going to go all out!" Transforming into a beam of light, he shot toward the Pill Pavilion as the surrounding audience of several thousand looked on. He didn't enter the pavilion, but instead, headed toward the three drums. The eyes of the audience went wide.

In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of the drums. He then extended his right hand toward the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill drum and struck it with his palm.

DONG!

The drum reverberated with a deep thrum that echoed out through the entire Dao of Alchemy Division. Ripples spread out in all directions, and all alchemists and apprentice alchemists heard the sound.

"That's… the sound of someone striking a drum at the Pill Pavilion!"

"Someone's trying to concoct one of the three impossible medicinal pills! Even the simplest one requires a fee 1,000,000 merit points. Who could possibly be so rich? Those pills can't be concocted! It's a complete waste of 1,000,000 points!"

"That's… an entire 1,000,000 points!"

The Dao of Alchemy Division was instantly thrown into an uproar.

Many of the apprentice alchemists in the outer mountains were listening to various alchemists giving lectures about plants and vegetation. When the drum echoed out, all of the apprentice alchemists lifted their heads up in shock. When they realized that the sound of the drum came from the Pill Pavilion, their faces flickered.

"That's the sound of the drum from the Pill Pavilion! Someone's trying to concoct one of the three legendary medical pills from the Dao of Alchemy Division!"

"The simplest of them all requires a fee of 1,000,000 merit points! Unless you successfully concoct the pill, those merit points are wasted!"

"Who is it, I wonder?"

The apprentice alchemists in the outer mountains weren't the only ones to have such a reaction. The alchemists in the inner mountains also heard the sound of the drum, and their faces filled with shock. There were some who even subconsciously sneered.

"Nobody has tried to concoct one of those pills for years. I wonder which alchemist is going to try."

"1,000,000 merit points is such a waste. It's a real pity. Although, things like this only happen every so often, so I definitely need to go watch."

Many alchemists flew up from the inner mountains. There were even many alchemists who rarely made public appearances, but still flew toward the Pill Pavilion. After all… this was a spectacle that could only be had at the cost of 1,000,000 merit points.

The tier 7 alchemists in the inner mountains flew into the air with glittering eyes. Even the nineteen tier 8 alchemists heard the sound of the drum, and several of them immediately flew toward the Pill Pavilion.

In the very center of the inner mountains, Pill Elder Isago sat cross-legged on his mountain peak, looking off toward the Pill Pavilion, his eyes shining with a light of curiosity.

"So, Naruto is finally going to try his hand at pill concocting."

It took only moments for tens of thousands of people to gather around the Pill Pavilion. Beams of light shot toward it continuously as more and more people arrived. When people saw that it was Naruto standing outside the Pill Pavilion, they were shocked.

"It's Naruto!"

"Now it makes sense that someone could afford so many merit points. It turns out to be him! But… can he concoct pills? Even if he can, does he really dare to take on those legendary pills, a challenge that countless people have failed over the past tens of thousands of years?"

"He has too many merit points. You know, I think he's just flaunting the 1,000,000 merit points to attract the attention of the whole Dao of Alchemy Division, and thus, gain more fame. That's all."

Naruto ignored the crowds that were gathering. As the sound of the drum reverberated out, he held out his identity jade medallion, and 1,000,000 merit points vanished.

Simultaneously, the sound of the drum seemed to enter Naruto's body, and suddenly, a pill formula appeared in his mind. The pill formula was extremely mysterious: he could see it clearly, and yet was unable to commit it to memory.

It was also impossible to imprint it onto a jade slip. Apparently, it was protected by some unique restrictive spell. Actually, Naruto was not unfamiliar with such a situation; he had experienced similar things in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

"They want to protect the pill formula, in order to make sure it doesn't get leaked outside the clan." His eyes flickered as the head of the drum in front of him suddenly rippled like water, and a set of medicinal plants floated out.

In total, there were thirteen of them.

Each medicinal plant could be considered extremely precious. There were five of them that caused a shocking botanical aroma to spread out in all directions as soon as they appeared. Even Naruto's pupils went wide because of that. There were two plants in particular that he found shocking.

One was completely black, with a single delicate flower. It was beautiful, and at a single glance it was obvious that it had an aura of extreme heat circling around it.

Surprisingly, the other plant… was a Sun Blossom!

Naruto took a deep breath. He had thought Sun Blossoms to be virtually extinct in the outside world. He had never imagined that he would run into one here. Unfortunately, when compared to the Sun Blossom he had harvested in the Ruins of Immortality, this Sun Blossom was damaged and incomplete. However, it was still a Sun Blossom.

"Considering all of this, those 1,000,000 merit points were actually worth it…." he thought, taking a deep breath. However, he knew that he couldn't simply take these medicinal plants away; he had to use them here and now to concoct a medicinal pill.

Naruto sat cross-legged in front of the Pill Pavilion and closed his eyes to analyze the pill formula. Time passed. More and more people arrived, and soon, 500,000 people were crowded around.

All of them stared at Naruto. The sight of someone spending 1,000,000 merit points to concoct a pill was a sight that could only be come across serendipitously. And yet, such a scene was playing out right in front of them. Whether or not Naruto succeeded, all of the onlookers were happy to be able to watch this rare scene.

Four hours later, Naruto opened his eyes, and they shone brightly.

"This medicinal pill… will not be easy to concoct," he murmured. "I've never come across anything like it before…. It might not be as difficult as concocting something from nothing, but it's still very challenging. Most importantly, if I fail, the cost will be immense!" He frowned.

"The concocting method actually changes depending on the weather and the time of day. Furthermore, it must absorb Yang Chakra from each of the twelve two-hour periods in the day without interruption. Divine Will then comes into being, and it can become a sun spirit!

"However, that's not all. The first word in the name of the pill, Skypalace, is important. It's actually referring to that mythical celestial palace which exists beyond the clouds in the sky…."

Naruto frowned deeply. After a while, he patted his bag of holding to produce a pill furnace. It was pitch black, and a face was just barely visible on its surface, which stared fiercely at Naruto.

This was the pill furnace Naruto had acquired years ago when he became a Violet Furnace Lord in the Violet Fate Sect. 1

He tapped the pill furnace, and a clear, crisp sound echoed out. The pill furnace shuddered, and the face's vicious expression suddenly turned into one of fear and respect.

When the sound of the pill furnace spread out, the apprentice alchemists didn't think much of it. However, the expressions on the faces of the tier 5 and higher alchemists all changed. No longer did they look at Naruto with scorn, but rather, with intense concentration.

Whenever masters go to work, the evidence of their foundation can be seen.

All of the tier 5 and higher alchemists could tell that the method with which Naruto tapped the pill furnace contained the Dao of alchemy!

"All pill furnaces need to be warmed up! Even a pill furnace that has been used millions of times needs to be warmed up before its full power can be unleashed. But Naruto simply tapped the furnace… and produced the same result! Ingenious!"

"It's a different technique for warming up the furnace! How domineering! He dispersed the medicinal Chakra within the furnace, making it easier for the pill to take shape!"

"To accomplish something like that requires incredible skill in the Dao of alchemy!"

Naruto ignored all of the comments from the audience, and focused all of his attention on the medicinal pill he was going to concoct. No matter how he went about it, he had to attempt to the concoct the pill in order to solve his spirit stone quandary.

"I'm actually not sure I can do it," he thought. After reflecting for a moment, he reached out to grab one of the medicinal plants. As he held it there in his hand, it seemed to come to life. All of its impurities dissipated, and it turned transparent, like crystal. Then Naruto crushed it and placed it into the pill furnace.

This action also caused the other alchemists to be visibly moved.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked up into the sky. Then, he placed his left hand onto the pill furnace, causing it to burn, although there was no flame. The medicinal plant instantly began to melt into a liquid.

Two hours later, Naruto's eyes flickered, and he selected another medicinal plant. Soon, 24 hours had passed. Last, he put the Sun Blossom into the mix, and then, he placed both hands onto the pill furnace.

Everyone was panting as they watched. During the last day in which they had watched Naruto work, they had been able to catch glimpses of his pill concocting techniques. People began to grow more and more shocked at Naruto's proficiency in the Dao of alchemy.

"Time to look at this pill!" Naruto growled above the rumbling sound that echoed out from within the pill furnace. Suddenly, the pill furnace's lid popped off, and a medicinal pill flew out.

As soon as it appeared, it radiated incredible light for 300 meters in all directions, causing everyone's minds to reel, and a collective gasp to ring out.

"He succeeded?"

"He… actually succeeded?"

Naruto closed his eyes. Cracking sounds could suddenly be heard from the medicinal pill, and it shattered, transforming into black sediment that appeared to be somewhat toxic. The sediment slowly transformed into wisps of black smoke.

Failure.

After a moment of silence, everyone burst out into conversation. Naruto sat there with his eyes closed, thinking. In truth, he had already known that he had failed about halfway through the concocting process.

However, a failure was exactly what he needed. Based on his skill in the Dao of Alchemy, his analysis of the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill formula told him that there were thousands of different possible concoction methods. Each one seemed as if it would lead to success, and yet simultaneously seemed doomed to lead to failure.

After an hour, Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. "Based on what I learned from this failure, further analysis now reveals 791 possible concocting methods remaining."

With that, he extended his hand and struck the drum again. The sound of it echoed out, and 1,000,000 merit points vanished. Once again, thirteen medicinal plants flew out.

The audience saw Naruto making another attempt and thought he was crazy. Despite the outrageous amount of merit points he was spending, he had decided to try again.

24 hours later, the pill furnace rumbled, and another medicinal pill flew out. This time, it radiated light for 3,000 meters. The pill itself was violet-gold in color, and looked like an inimitable treasure. However, a moment later, cracking sounds could be heard, and it collapsed into wisps of black smoke.

"As expected," Naruto thought, "Based on what I learned this time, I've narrowed it down to 216 concocting methods!" Without stopping to rest, he hit the drum, paid another 1,000,000 merit points for thirteen more medicinal plants, and started a third concocting effort.

The audience gaped in shock. When they saw him squandering such a vast amount of wealth, even they felt pain in their hearts.

"Just how many merit points does he have to squander them so freely? After all these years, nobody has ever successfully concocted that medicinal pill, what makes him think he can?"

"If he thinks he has too many merit points, he should just give some of them to me…."

Another 24 hours passed, and rumbling could once again be heard. Naruto's third concoction was a failure.

However, his expression lacked the slightest bit of dejection, and in fact, his eyes were glowing.

"From this third defeat, I've now narrowed it down to 17 possible methods that could lead to success!" He struck the drum a fourth time, shocking everyone. Even the tier 6 alchemists thought he was crazy.

After another 24 hours, four straight days of concocting, he failed again.

"From this fourth failure, I have now narrowed down the total possible methods to only 3!" Taking a deep breath, eyes completely bloodshot, he struck the drum again.

The sound reverberated through the air as he began a fifth concoction.

24 hours later, a medicinal pill flew out of the furnace, shone with brilliant light, and then collapsed. Naruto suddenly shot to his feet.

"I understand now!" Eyes shining, he struck the drum a sixth time!

All of the successive failures left the onlookers astonished. However, the tier 7 alchemists were starting to catch on to what Naruto was doing.

"Every failure actually represents an exponential increase in the chances for success!"

"He… might really be able to succeed in concocting it!" The tier 7 alchemists were all panting as they exchanged shocked looks.

As for the tier 8 alchemists present, their eyes shone with curious gleams.

Naruto now only had a bit more than 1,000,000 merit points left. If he failed for a sixth time, he would be unable to continue with further attempts. He spent the merit points, and then his eyes flashed as the thirteen medicinal plants flew out.

"The first difficult aspect of concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill is that the medicinal plants must be adjusted every two hours according to the weather, time, and strength of the spiritual energy in the area!

"Success requires profound skill with plants and vegetation, as well as significant preparation in terms of grafting techniques.

"The second difficult aspect has to do with the pill itself. Although the role of the thirteen medicinal plants in the pill formula seems fixed, in actuality, there is no true set pill formula. The thirteen medicinal plants cannot be used in a fixed sequence, but rather, must be added according to the time of day in which the pill is being concocted.

"The original pill formula can definitely be used to successfully concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, but only in a unique place, at a unique time, and under unique conditions of spiritual energy. Under any other circumstances, concocting the pill with the original formula would lead to failure." Naruto eyed the thirteen medicinal plants and took a deep breath.

"A third area of difficulty… is that this pill actually does not require a pill furnace. It requires twelve two-hour periods to concoct, and yet thirteen medicinal plants are provided. One of those medicinal plants… acts as the pill furnace!

"A fourth difficulty is that the concocting must be completed in exactly twelve two-hour periods. Even one breath beyond that amount of time will lead to a high chance of failure." Naruto's eyes shone with a bright light. He had concocted many pills, and had even concocted something from nothing.

His skill in the Dao of alchemy was unfathomable. And yet, this was his first time encountering a medicinal pill that had so many intrinsic internal variables. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Currently, it was midday.

He waited silently. Time passed one breath at a time. Most of the audience looked on, astonished, but the tier 8 alchemists' eyes were suddenly shining brightly.

Simultaneously, at the center of the inner mountains, Pill Elder rose to his feet and gazed at the Pill Pavilion. A glimmer of excitement could be seen deep in his eyes.

"He's onto something!" murmured Isago. "Actually, I can also concoct Skypalace Sunspirit Pills, but only on this mountain, during the middle of the centennial rising of the East Ascension Sun. That is the only day… when I can perfectly concoct it.

"On any other occasion, my success rate of concoction would be only one in ten, and the result wouldn't be of very high quality."

Back above the Pill Pavilion, the sky was now shifting into afternoon. Naruto's eyes glittered, and he quickly reached out to grab the Sun Blossom. All of its branches and leaves were stripped off in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only the flower petals themselves, which spread open into the shape of a bowl.

"Refine the Sun Blossom into a pill furnace!"

In the moment that the Sun Blossom was successfully transformed into a pill furnace, Naruto's eyes flickered with the glow of augury as he mentally analyzed all of the twelve medicinal plants. Then, he reached out to grab one of the medicinal plants, at the same time sending the power of his cultivation base out to transform the shape of the plant. Its medicinal properties were neutralized, and he began to mold it according to the current Yang Chakra and spiritual energy in the area.

A moment later, the entire medicinal plant transformed into a drop of shining, golden liquid, which he dropped into the Sun Blossom.

Beads of sweat dotted his forehead by the time he finished with that first drop. He continued to channel heat into the Sun Blossom, and also meditated to clear his mind. Soon, the second of the two-hour time periods arrived, and his eyes snapped open. He looked up at the sky, felt the sunlight and the spiritual energy, and then selected another medicinal plant. Following the same method as before, he transformed it into a liquid, which he dropped into the Sun Blossom.

The third two-hour period arrived, then the fourth, and the fifth…

Time passed. The sun set, and dusk fell. Two moons rose as Naruto refined a black flower. His expression was extremely intent, especially during the final four two-hour periods. He was clearly expending an incredible amount of mental energy, as much as he had when challenging the Medicine Pavilion.

Every two hours, he had to select the appropriate medicinal plant, and then transform it in accordance with the transformations of Heaven and Earth. This required significant consideration and judgement, and was something that even tier 8 alchemists would have difficulty with.

If it wasn't for the fact that Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation was at an incredible level, and that he also had shocking talent in the Dao of alchemy, he would never have been able to accomplish this.

The ninth two-hour period came, then the tenth and the eleventh….

Noon of the second day arrived as Naruto selected the final medicinal plant. He transformed it into a liquid, and then dropped it into the Sun Blossom pill furnace. Eyes bloodshot, face a mask of exhaustion, he extended both hands and pushed down onto the Sun Blossom.

His action caused the Sun Blossom to wrap around itself, transforming into a fist-sized flower bud that slowly floated up into the air.

As of this moment, the eyes of hundreds of thousands of panting spectators were all fixed on the flower bud.

The events of the past six days had left everyone shaken, apprentice alchemists and full alchemists alike. Naruto's pill concocting was something that exceeded the imaginations of everyone present. Despite having witnessed the matter with their own eyes, it was still something that words could not describe. They weren't even sure exactly what he was doing.

The moment had arrived which would reveal whether this concoction was a success or a failure.

Naruto looked up at the floating Sun Blossom bud.

Suddenly, beam after beam of light began to shoot out from inside. They pierced through the petals, shining out for 100,000 meters in all directions, penetrating Heaven and Earth.

More beams of light continued to shoot out, the pinnacle of resplendence. The flower bud slowly began to open, the petals spreading apart one by one to reveal a blinding light.

The light caused the sky to fade and all the land to go quiet. In the blink of an eye, all color everywhere dimmed, despite it being high noon. It was as if these flower petals… contained a sun.

That sun rose up, and just barely visible within was a figure seated cross-legged. It was almost as if this figure had been born inside the sun, and was a sun spirit!

Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

DONG…. DONG…. DONG….

The ancient Dao bell slowly appeared above the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion and began to send out its ancient toll. Nine tolls could be heard, which echoed out in all directions. At the same time, writing became visible on the surface of the bell itself.

Naruto – Skypalace Sunspirit Pill Concoction – Success!

The words, along with the sound of the bell, were transmitted into the minds of every clan member on Planet East Victory. As of that moment, everyone knew exactly what had just occurred.

The entire Dao of Alchemy Division was thrown into an uproar. Even people who had not come to watch events unfold at the Pill Pavilion could see the blinding light emanating from that very area, and their faces flickered.

Then the toll of the bell could be heard in their minds, and they flew into the air toward the Pill Pavilion.

At the same time, every Namikaze Clan member on Planet East Victory felt roaring in their minds, regardless of where they were or what they were doing at the moment.

"Naruto again! He… he actually concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!"

"Nobody has been able to concoct that medicinal pill for tens of thousands of years. I can't believe he succeeded! From today on, his position within the Namikaze Clan is going to be completely different!"

All bloodlines were astonished, and countless clan members felt their minds reeling. By now, the name Naruto was committed to all of their memories. It could be said that during the past year, Naruto… had repeatedly astonished the Namikaze Clan.

In all of the Namikaze Clan, he was the one who had caused the Dao Bell to ring the most. Not even Menma could do something like that. Even more important… he caused his name to appear on the Dao Bell itself. To the Namikaze Clan, that was an inestimable honor!

His name, and the words next to it on the Dao Bell, would last for an eternity. As long as the Namikaze Clan existed, along with its Dao Bell, those words would remain!

The direct bloodline was thrown into a state of complete excitement. The more Naruto rose to prominence, the greater their hope in the revival of the direct bloodline.

"Cousin, it's clear that Naruto is a true Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!" thought 19th Uncle, laughing loudly as he looked in the direction of Planet Lands of Ninshu.

Meanwhile, Menma's father and grandfather sat gloomily in the ancestral mansion. Menma's father, Kajura, grabbed a magical jade bottle that rested next to him, and crushed it.

"That damned son of a bitch! I can't believe his Dao of alchemy is at such a high level!

"He concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. By rising to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division, he has risen to prominence in the clan in general. Nobody will dare to make a move against him now!" Kajura gritted his teeth, and a vicious expression could be seen on his face.

"Dad, that son of a bitch MUST die, for Menma's sake! We need to open the Namikaze Clan Immortal World!"

His father took a long, deep breath, and his eyes flickered with killing intent.

"That's not something I can do on my own," he said. After a moment of thought, even stronger killing intent flickered in his eyes.

In the main temple of the ancestral mansion, Grand Elder Kageki stood at the door, gazing off toward the Dao of Alchemy Division. On his face could be seen rare look of surprise.

"Did I… do the wrong thing?" The Grand Elder suddenly seemed to grow a bit older. "No, I didn't. It's all for the clan!"

In another location within the East District of the ancestral mansion was a lake known as Brightmoon Lake. Long ago, an ancient Heavenly Dragon passed away in this location, making the Immortal Chakra abundant there. In fact, the location was essentially a one-of-a-kind Blessed Land on Planet East Victory.

In the middle of the lake was a beautifully ornamented building. It was very large, and was currently occupied by a few dozen people who were talking and laughing. In the middle of them all was Menma, next to whom as Futsu and other Namikaze Clan Chosen such as Jimei.

Dei and Fugai were there, as well as Bisuke, Chiriku, Sora, Shisui and Mei, and Chosen from other clans.

Fū was also in the group, with the female corpse floating there behind her. Her expression was calm, and she did not seem out of sorts like she had back in the Ruins of Immortality. Quite the opposite; she now wore a sweet, beautiful smile.

Menma was also smiling softly. He was versed in the ways of etiquette, and was very cultured and refined, causing quite a few of the female cultivators to be in very high spirits.

Currently, the group was discussing the Three Great Daoist Societies' recent trial by fire. Of course, the name Kazama came up; many people believed that Kazama… was either not a member of the Namikaze Clan, or was actually Menma himself.

Menma did nothing to refute the idea that he was Kazama; all he did was shake his head and change the topic. Of course, that only confirmed the suspicions of many.

"I've heard that the Namikaze Clan has an Astral Projection magic," said Bisuke, his eyes glittering. "So in the end, is Kazama… really you, Elder Brother Namikaze?"

Menma smiled, and was about to say something in response when his face suddenly flickered. It wasn't just him; the faces of all the members of the Namikaze Clan flickered, and they subconsciously turned to look toward the Dao of Alchemy Division.

Futsu's face suddenly looked extremely unsightly. The faces of the other Chosen who surrounded Menma also darkened, as did the faces of all the other Namikaze Clan members who were there to accompany Menma.

In their opinion, even though Naruto was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, in the Namikaze Clan, it was Menma who had been declared Dao Child by the Patriarch. Menma was sure to reach the Ancient Realm within a thousand years, and therefore, he was someone that no one could afford to depose or offend.

In addition to that, there were Futsu's provocations; he constantly told everyone about how vicious Naruto was. In the end, many of the Chosen of the clan were already fed up with Naruto.

Deep within Dei's eyes was a virtually imperceptible flicker. Everything that was happening was exactly what he wanted to see. The more Naruto rose to prominence, the more at odds he would be with Menma, and the two would surely become irreconcilable adversaries.

"The two of them are going to fight each other sooner or later," he thought. "And my own opportunity to rise up will come… when that battle ends!" He lowered his head so that others would not be able to see the wild ambition in his eyes.

Fugai stood off to the side, panting, her eyes wide. She had seen Naruto a few times within the clan, and had always scurried away at the sight of him. Now the sound of the bell echoed in her mind. How could she ever have imagined that Naruto… would actually concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill?

The entire Namikaze Clan was shaken!

"What happened?" asked Sora with a smile, his eyes flickering. The Chosen of the other clans all looked curiously at Menma, even Mei and Fū.

A touch of scorn could be seen within Mei's expression. When the subject of Kazama came up earlier, she could only laugh grimly at how Menma had acted. She well knew that Kazama was not Menma, but rather, the detestable Naruto.

Menma's expression returned to normal, and he smiled slightly as he turned back to the other Chosen.

"Oh, nothing really," he said. "Just a clan member concocting a pill, which caused the Dao Bell to toll, that's all. Fellow Daoists, once this day passes, the day of the East Ascension Sun will be upon us.

"I, Menma, would like to congratulate all of you ahead of time on what you will gain. This is a day of jubilee for the Namikaze Clan that happens once every hundred years, and as one of the Four Great Clans of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, it is always our pleasure to invite disciples from all the various sects and clans. Let us once again enjoy this East Ascension Sun together!"

Menma's words made it difficult for anyone to ask further questions. They resumed chatting and laughing, although nobody forgot about what had just happened.

Chiriku's expression was that of extreme haughtiness as he chatted politely with the Namikaze Clan cultivator next to him. The Namikaze Clan members didn't show the slightest bit of disrespect. After all, they had recently heard that Chiriku had clinched the nomination to become the Imperial Child of the Church of the Emperor Immortal.

"Now that you mention it," said Chiriku, laughing heartily and rubbing his bald head, "I actually have a deep connection with the Namikaze Clan.

"I have a Junior Sister in the Church of the Emperor Immortal who happens to be a member of the Namikaze Clan." When Chiriku mentioned this Junior Sister, his eyes glowed with adoration. He still remembered the first time he had seen the young woman, how he had stared blankly, and how it felt as if his mind were being struck relentlessly by lightning. In that moment, it had seemed as if that young woman from the Namikaze Clan was the only thing that existed in the whole universe.

Although her true identity was kept a secret in the Church of the Emperor Immortal, Chiriku knew that she was a member of the Namikaze Clan.

He had sworn an oath that, one day, the two of them would be united as beloved. In the course of pursuing that dream, he had already been violently beaten up on several occasions, all just to be near her….

Each time he was beaten up, he got extremely excited, as he took it as an expression of her desire to be on intimate terms with him.

Within the East Ascension Pavilion, everyone was talking about the imminent sunset, and then the following rise of the East Ascension Sun. Outside of the pavilion, the shores of Brightmoon Lake were encircled by more than a hundred thousand people. Most of them were Namikaze Clan members younger than 1000 years of age, and although they were all extremely excited in their anticipation of the following day's sunrise, they were now all shaken inwardly by the tolling of the Dao Bell.

Hotarubi was in the crowd, a bit closer to the lakeshore than most of the others. Currently, he was clenching his fists in excitement, but also feeling a bit disappointed that he hadn't gone to watch Naruto's performance earlier.

In his excitement, he didn't notice that within the East Ascension Pavilion, Futsu's grim gaze had come to rest on him.

"I don't dare to provoke Naruto again," Futsu thought, "but Hotarubi… is always following him around! He's just looking for trouble!" With a cold snort, he turned his head to a nearby clan member and whispered a few sentences. The young man hesitated in response, after which Futsu spoke a few more words. The young man immediately left the pavilion to go make the appropriate arrangements.

Meanwhile, back in the Dao of Alchemy Division, Naruto was looking at the medicinal pill floating in midair. He exhaled deeply as the blinding but gentle light surged out from the medicinal pill. Finally, he made a grasping motion, causing the pill to fly down into his palm, whereupon he examined it closely.

The minds of the surrounding cultivators trembled as they stared blankly at Naruto and the medicinal pill in his hand. Gasps filled the air.

It was clearly… a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

The medicinal pill contained unsurpassable Yang characteristics, as well as a divine air. To cultivators who cultivated fire magic, it was like a Heavenly material or Earthly treasure. In fact, it was a medicinal pill that Spirit Realm cultivators couldn't consume, and even Immortal Realm cultivators who used it would do so with extreme caution.

After absorbing it successfully, one's fire magic would without doubt achieve an incredible breakthrough, as would one's cultivation base. Any fire poisoning that resulted would actually be an incredible divine ability to any cultivator who practiced fire magic.

Furthermore, because of the East Ascension Sun on the following day, if this pill was consumed at that time, the internal fire and the external fire would combine, catalyzing the pill's medicinal properties and making it endlessly powerful in terms of body refinement!

To any alchemist, this pill… was even more precious. By studying it, one could potentially refine and improve one's Dao of alchemy. When it came to the other two rare medicinal pills of the Namikaze Clan, there were none left in the Pill Pavilion. There were still some Skypalace Sunspirit Pills remaining though, less than ten.

Rumor had it that those pills had been there for a long time, and could only be acquired by exchanging a significant amount of merit points.

Of course, the Medicine Immortal Sect could concoct the pill, but to purchase it there required a vast and dreadful expenditure of spirit stones. Even tier 7 alchemists wouldn't necessarily be able to buy one.

Immediately, the surrounding alchemists began calling out, desirous of purchasing the pill.

"Alchemist Namikaze, are you going to sell that pill?"

"How many spirit stones are you selling it for?! I want to buy it!"

As soon as Naruto heard spirit stones mentioned, his eyes began to glow. As he hesitated, the previously invisible tier 8 alchemists in the area suddenly materialized.

Immediately, the faces of the full alchemists in the crowd flickered, and they simultaneously clasped hands and bowed.

"Greetings, Pavilion Elders!"

Their reaction caused the other members of the audience to gasp and look at the unprepossessing old men who had just appeared. Their minds spun as they realized that, other than Pill Elder, these were the most supreme figures in the Dao of Alchemy Division, the Pavilion Elders!

"Greetings, Pavilion Elders!"

"Greetings, Pavilion Elders!"

All of the surrounding hundreds of thousands of cultivators clasped hands and bowed. The rumbling sounds of their voices echoed out like thunder. In response, the five Pavilion Elders' faces remained expressionless. One of them, a rather short, hunchbacked old man, smiled and waved his hand, causing him to flicker and then appear in front of Naruto.

"Naruto offers greetings, Pavilion Elder!" said Naruto, clasped hands and bowing.

"Naruto, there's no need to act like this. The Dao of Alchemy Division has a rule that any person who concocts one of the three sacred pills will be granted the status of Pavilion Elder. Come. I shall take you to pay a visit to Pill Elder." The old man's face glowed with admiration and approval. The other four elders around them, despite their expressionless faces, emanated similar feelings.

Naruto took a deep breath as he obediently followed them. The entire group transformed into beams of prismatic light that shot further into the inner mountains.

They left behind hundreds of thousands of cultivators, all of whose faces shone with envy. As for all of the apprentice alchemists who had listened to Naruto's lectures, they looked extremely excited. Since they considered themselves to be followers of Naruto, that meant… they were the followers of a Pavilion Elder!

Off in the distance in midair, the Pavilion Elders looked at Naruto's obedient and charming demeanor, and their approval of him deepened.

"Neither arrogant nor rash," said one of the elders, smiling. "Furthermore, you have no flaws of character, and also understand etiquette. You might be a bit greedy, but there's no harm in that. Naruto, you're really remarkable! Far more exceptional than your father."

"My dad?" Naruto gaped.

"Back before your father met your mother, he came to me to concoct some pills. He was extremely arrogant and domineering, and even threatened me! He said that if I didn't concoct the pills for him, he would set up my granddaughter with some Junior Brother of his." The old man suddenly looked a bit irritated, and he harrumphed.

"Really?" exclaimed Naruto, staring with wide eyes. He could hardly believe that his father, who seemed so mighty and solemn, eternally strict, would act like the person this Pavilion Elder had just described.

"It's absolutely true in every way!" said another of the Pavilion Elders, nodding earnestly. "After he met your mother, your father became much more restrained. To think that, back in the day, he was the number one bully on East Victory. He oppressed all the men and subjugated all the women!" The old man sighed.

Naruto cleared his throat and shook his head, unsure of what to say, and still not quite able to believe what he was hearing.

"That's why I say that you're remarkable, Naruto," said the hunch-backed old man. "Wonderful and with boundless prospects." He laughed heartily and looked at Naruto with an expression of praise.

"Pavilion Elder," Naruto asked, "in the end… did you refine the pills for him?"

"Hmph! I am upright and proud," the old man said haughtily. "I won't bow my head to anyone! I have my principles, and because of that, if I don't feel like concocting pills, it doesn't matter who comes to me, even your father, do you think I would make an exception? Therefore, I only concocted five hundred batches of medicinal pills for him. Not one more!"

Off to the side, another old man who hadn't spoken so far looked at Naruto and winked.

Naruto blinked, cleared his throat, and didn't dare to ask another question.

Before long, the Pavilion Elders had led Naruto to the very center of the inner mountains. Off in the distance was a peak that towered up into the swirling clouds. Upon close inspection, it was possible to see countless caves riddling the heights of the peak.

Gradually, a droning sound became audible from within the caves, a sound that caused Naruto's scalp to go numb.

Before they could get very close, countless black beams shot out from the caves. In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with millions of black beetles, which were usually known as Split-horned Scarab Beetles! 1

Buzzing sounds filled the air as millions of them swarmed around Naruto's group, emanating astonishing energy.

"Fear not," said the hunchbacked Pavilion Elder, smiling. "We call these bugs Unicorn Immortals, and they are personally raised by Pill Elder himself. Actually, there's something about him you probably don't know. Pill Elder… excels, not in the Dao of alchemy, but in the Dao of insects!"

Naruto was shaken. Pill Elder didn't excel in the Dao of alchemy, and yet was a tier 9 alchemist. One could only imagine how terrifying he would be if he did excel in it. Seeing these Unicorn Immortals, caused him to recall the countless black beetles he had seen in the medicinal plant garden in the Ruins of Immortality.

It was at this point that an archaic voice suddenly echoed.

"Naruto, come…."

The Unicorn Immortals circled around the mountain peak and then shot back into one of the caves.

Naruto took a deep breath and headed toward the mountain peak. When he arrived, he saw an old man in white robes, surrounding by swirling mists. He stood on top of the mountain, his back to Naruto. As Naruto approached, the man turned to face him, and smiled.

Naruto's eyes widened as soon as he caught sight of him.

The feeling he got when he looked at this old man was very similar to the feeling he got from Pill Demon!

It was actually extremely similar. In fact, although their physical appearance was different, in terms of the energy within him, it seemed almost exactly the same.

As he stood there with the mists swirling around him, Naruto almost thought he was looking at his master.

Both wore white robes, and both had long white hair. Both were aged, and both were surrounded by a swirling medicinal aroma. They seemed equally kind, and seemed to both be filled with the same feeling of anticipation.

The old man looked over at Naruto and said, "Naruto, to be able to concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, especially considering that it was done at a time of year and time of day not specific to the pill formula, means that your Dao of alchemy has already reached the pinnacle."

From the man's words, Naruto was already able to tell that the rumor about Pill Elder being incapable of concocting the three sacred medicinal pills was likely not true.

The key to understanding the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill was understanding that there was 'no specific' time or hour. For Pill Elder to say this indicated that he already had a deep understanding of the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill.

Naruto thought for a moment. As he looked at Pill Elder, the drone of the Unicorn Immortals filled his ears. Sometimes, all of them would make noise at the same time, giving rise to an incredibly intense sound. Other times, only a few would make noise. Either way, the sound was continuous.

"Naruto, look over there, and tell me what you see." Pill Elder glanced off into the distance, toward the numerous cloud-wreathed mountain peaks.

Naruto suddenly realized that his heart had become very calm after laying eyes on Pill Elder. He felt free and at ease, as if listening to the old man speak had caused him to enter some strange state.

Although he couldn't explain it clearly, for some reason his heart felt more and more calm as he looked off into the distance at the mountains and clouds.

Instead of answering the question, he asked one of his own. "Senior Pill Elder, may I ask, what do you see, sir? Or perhaps you can tell me what it is you wish me to see?"

Pill Elder laughed at Naruto's slippery words. He didn't seem to mind, and in fact, seemed to approve. Apparently he hadn't been looking for an answer to begin with.

"I see mountains, and I see clouds," said Pill Elder. "I see the cultivators of the Dao of Alchemy Division, and I see the world that belongs to our Dao of Alchemy Division." He sighed.

Naruto remained silent, unsure of what hidden meanings might be contained within Pill Elder's words.

"These things are tools. They are both tangible and intangible, visible and invisible. They are tools of the Dao of Alchemy Division, or perhaps you could even say, its physical form.

"30,000 years ago was the golden age of the Dao of Alchemy Division. Our Dao and our tools were united, and seemed as if they would exist for all eternity…. However, many of the Patriarchs of the Dao of Alchemy Division passed away into meditation. Then, the last of the Patriarchs from that age turned against our Dao of alchemy, and founded the Medicine Immortal Sect.

"At that time, we were battered by theories from other Daos of alchemy from the outside world. From that time on, the tools of the Dao of Alchemy Division… were shattered.

"For tens of thousand of years after that, one generation of alchemists after another has contemplated alchemy, and attempted to restore us to our previous pinnacle. However… their Dao of alchemy had long since forgotten the existence of our own tools, and was influenced by the Daos of alchemy from the outside world.

"It was as if their Dao of alchemy was soulless.

"As if their souls had fled, leaving behind an empty husk.

"It was as if the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy had been walking in a dream. Its soul had been struck too viciously by the outside world, and had been influenced by too many random alchemical philosophies. The body of the Namikaze Clan had no soul, and therefore rested all its hope in aimless searching… among the philosophies of the outside world.

"If things continue in this fashion, then the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy will gradually become a lost part of history, and will fade into nothing.

"Daos and tools must be combined. Pick up the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy, and restore it to its pinnacle. That is the true way to cause the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division to rise to prominence once again.

"And thus, the three sacred medicinal pills!

"Do you understand?" His gaze returned from the distance to settle on Naruto. His eyes seemed to be piercing deep into Naruto, to be viewing his very soul.

Naruto was silent for a long moment and then nodded at Pill Elder.

"I think I understand some of what you mean, Senior," he said. "Tools can be tangible or intangible. The Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division used them for many years, after which they formed a soul. That soul must return to the body, lest the Dao of Alchemy Division be submerged in ignorance."

Pill Elder stood there quietly, unspeaking.

"However, there is one thing I don't understand, Senior," Naruto continued calmly. "People who comprehend the Dao, and who also absorb various schools of thought, will eventually form their own Dao. Isn't such a thing unavoidable when coming to comprehending the Dao?"

"Absorbing various schools of thinking regarding the Dao of alchemy in order to achieve your own Dao, is absolutely a path to comprehending the Dao. However… the premise is that you possess your own Dao to begin with. If you do, then of course you can absorb the ideas of others. However, if you don't, and simply attempt to tangle with the tools of the other schools of thought, then you won't be absorbing them, you will be assimilated by them.

"Tools are like a home. The Dao is the heart. When you merge tools with the Dao, then your heart is home! Naruto… do you really understand?" He once again looked deeply at Naruto.

After a moment, he casually continued, "I heard that the Grand Elder gave you two Nirvana Fruits."

It was hard to say whether or not it was a coincidence, but as soon as he began to speak those final words, the Unicorn Immortals on the mountain suddenly began to buzz loudly. If Naruto hadn't been standing very close to Pill Elder, he wouldn't have been able to hear clearly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Pill Elder waved his hand, causing a bag of holding to fly over and hover in front of Naruto.

"In there are the rewards for concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, with the exception of the Immortal treasure. Think about your exact requirements for the treasure, and tell me later. I'll make the arrangements to have it forged for you."

Naruto trembled. As he thought about the two exhortations just given to him by Pill Elder, he had to ask himself if he truly understand what it all meant….

"Perhaps the deeper meaning in his questions about the Dao of alchemy are a reminder that the Nirvana Fruits are not mine," he thought. "Or could it be that he's indicating that there are still secrets I don't understand about the Nirvana Fruits?" Naruto didn't pursue the conversation topic. Instead, after hearing about the Immortal treasure, his eyes flickered.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Senior Pill Elder, um… I really don't need any Immortal treasures. Can I exchange that reward for something else?"

Pill Elder looked at Naruto for a moment, and then began to chuckle. This was the first time he had actually smiled. "What exact reward would you like to exchange it for?"

"Um…." Naruto cleared his throat and decided that he might as well give his idea a shot. "Senior Pill Elder, I think those Unicorn Immortals are pretty incredible. Would you mind teaching me a bit about the Dao of insects, sir?"

"Oh?" Pill Elder replied with a smile. "Well, these Unicorn Immortals have the power of Ancestral Awakening in their bloodline. I raised them for years before they reached the point where they could be trained. The Dao of insects is a top-secret magic. Even though you're a clan member, you would still need to undergo an assessment before you could start to work with it."

Naruto's eyes glittered. Considering that Pill Elder hadn't refused him outright, that meant that there was a bit of hope. As soon as he had neared this mountain, those Unicorn Immortals had drawn his attention. Ever since he'd returned from the Ruins of Immortality, there had been an idea percolating deep within him.

He had long since become quite envious of that cloud of beetles he had seen in the Ruins of Immortality. Ever since, he had thought that if he could wave his hand and cause tens of millions of black beetles to fill the sky, then any opponent he faced would instantly become as petrified as he had been that year. With a mere thought, he could instantly turn his enemies into nothing but ash.

The mere thought of being able to do something like that one day, left Naruto very excited.

This was especially true considering that there were several black beetles currently inside his bag of holding. Their life force was incredibly powerful, and they had not died, but rather remained dormant inside his bag of holding after being sealed.

"Senior, look, you know… I'm the kind of old-fashioned cultivator who doesn't like to rely on external weapons." As he spoke, his tone continued to grow more somber. "If you start using magical items, then eventually you'll start to rely on them. The Dao of insects is different! It's like a divine ability, an academic art, even more so, a Dao!

"Senior, I don't want any magical weapons. I just seek the Dao." As he spoke his final sentence, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

In his mind, he felt quite satisfied with his eloquence, especially in the delivery of that last line.

Pill Elder looked at Naruto for a long moment, then waved his right hand. A jade slip flew out to hover in front of Naruto. It was emerald green, and one side was carved with the image of a Unicorn Immortal. The creature seemed matchlessly vicious, with a monstrous killing aura.

The other side was carved with another Unicorn Immortal. However, this one was extremely placid, and looked like it wouldn't even hurt a fly.

"Take a look at the first of the three volumes on the Dao of insects. If you have the talent, I'll teach you.

"You'll also find a command medallion in that bag of holding. According to the rules of the Dao of Alchemy Division, anyone who concocts the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill will automatically become a tier 8 alchemist. Your status in the clan is now equal to a Clan Elder. You may also select any mountain in the Inner Mountains to serve as your Immortal's cave."

With that, he waved his sleeve, causing a gentle wind to materialize. It swirled around Naruto, causing his vision to swim. When it became clear again, he was far away from the mountain.

He looked back toward the mountain peak in the center of all the other mountains. For just a moment, he could make out all of the caves on the peak. Eyes glittering, he took a deep breath, clasped hands and bowed.

Then, he left.

He flew out of the inner mountains, during which time he encountered several alchemists. As soon as they saw Naruto, their expressions filled with awe, and they immediately clasped hands in greeting. The story of Naruto concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill had already spread throughout the Namikaze Clan, and everyone knew about it.

There were some people who hadn't been convinced by Naruto charging all the way to the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion. Now, though… Naruto had concocted a legendary medicinal pill. In Dao of Alchemy Division, he was as stable as Mount Tai, and not a single voice of doubt could be heard regarding him.

In the world of cultivation, respect is given to the powerful. It was no different in the Dao of Alchemy Division!

Just as Naruto was about to leave the inner mountains, he suddenly stopped in place and turned his head to look at one particularly beautiful mountain peak. The entire mountain was jade green, and its snow-capped peak was surrounded by swirling clouds.

Almost in the exact moment that he turned to look at the mountain, he heard a miserable, bloodcurdling shriek echo out from within the misty mountain.

That scream was not the scream of a cultivator, but rather… it came from the beak of a beautiful peacock.

At the same time, a bellow of rage could be heard that obviously came from the mouth of an old woman.

"You damned mutt of a bird! It's time we fight! I'm going to refine you into a pill!"

Next, the arrogant and despotic voice of a parrot could be heard squawking out. "Do you know how many years Lord Fifth has swept across Jianghu? Huh? Look, you old crone, Lord Fifth screwed a hole through the Heavens before you were even born!

"Do you know who Lord Fifth's master is? Well I'll tell you, and you're gonna be scared to death! Lord Fifth's master is Naruto!"

Naruto's face was unsightly. Feeling somewhat helpless, he watched a multicolored parrot flapping its wings as it flew through the air. A small bell could be seen attached to its claw, and the parrot looked very pleased with itself. It somehow seemed licentious, and even had a black strip of cloth wrapped around its head, covering one of its eyes. The remaining visible eye gleamed brightly as it flew out from the mountain peak.

"You just wait for Lord Fifth, you old hag. And as for you, my beloved concubine, don't worry, Lord Fifth will be coming back for you. I'll risk everything to rescue you from this place!"

Behind the parrot was the tier 7 alchemist, the old woman. Her face was a mass of fury as she shot after the parrot at top speed. Behind her was a beautiful young woman, clad in a white robe, the picture of purity and innocence. This was the same young woman who Naruto had encountered after challenging the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, the clan Junior Sister named Shizune.

Miserable shrieking could be heard in the distance, and Naruto could just barely make out a beautiful peacock, gasping and struggling in vain to rise to its feet. From the look of the situation, it had just experienced some unimaginable catastrophe.

Naruto sighed, feeling quite sorry for the peacock. Anything with feathers that showed up in front of the parrot would find it difficult to escape the bird and its fiendish hobbies.

As soon as the parrot flew out, it caught sight of Naruto, and its uncovered eye lit up. It hurried over and began to cry out plaintively.

"Master, save me! Master, this old hag is out of control! She's trying to kill me! Save me, master!" As the parrot cried out, the bell attached to its claw suddenly made a popping sound and transformed into the meat jelly, which also began to cry out to Naruto.

"Master, here you are, finally! There's a bully following us! Master, she's a real bully!"

Not too far behind, the furious old woman caught sight of Naruto, as did the young woman in the white robe. The young woman's jaw dropped in surprise, as if the Naruto in her mind couldn't possibly have anything to do with this shameless parrot.

Clearing his throat, Naruto hurriedly backed away, and then made to continue on his way as if he hadn't seen anything that was happening.

"Master, save me…." the parrot screeched immediately, flying toward Naruto at top speed.

Naruto waved his hand, and his body disappeared in a minor teleportation. When he reappeared off in the distance, the parrot immediately changed directions and continued to speed toward him. As for Naruto, he suddenly seemed to radiate an air of righteousness. Expression solemn, he began to speak.

"I do not know you, evildoer! Exactly who the hell are you?" he said. Then a slightly confused expression appeared on his face as he looked at the pursuing old woman.

"Naruto!" squawked the parrot, glancing back the old woman, who was about to catch up. "I have spirit stones!"

"Hold your tongue, evildoer!" said Naruto, stopping in place. His face was somber, as if he was the sole representative of justice. "There is no enmity between us, and yet you try to frame me? Well, never mind. I might as well just put you in your place right now!" With that, he waved his right hand.

Naruto didn't even have a chance to unleash a divine ability. Before anything could actually happen, the parrot let out a miserable shriek, and then its body went stiff, as if it had just been seriously injured. Then, it shot directly into Naruto's sleeve.

Naruto cleared his throat and inwardly cursed the parrot's unconvincing performance.

"Senior," he said to the old woman, cautiously backing up. "This bird is vile and detestable. I'm just on my way back from visiting Pill Elder, after having been fortunate enough to become a tier 8 alchemist. Junior will help you take care of this bird, don't worry."

The old woman's cultivation base was so profound that Naruto couldn't assess it. In the Dao of Alchemy Division, alchemy was the true Dao, and one's cultivation base played a mere supporting role. However, because of all the life-or-death scenarios that Naruto had faced, he still edged backward carefully as if guarding against any contingencies, simultaneously flashing his tier 8 alchemist's command medallion.

The old woman looked at Naruto backing away, and said nothing. Eventually, he transformed into a beam of light that fled into the distance. At that point, the old woman's eyes flashed.

The young woman hesitated for a moment, then quietly said, "Grand-aunt, that bird…."

"Just forget about it," said the old woman, turning to head back toward the mountain. The young woman followed.

Along the way, the young woman couldn't refrain from asking, "Grand-aunt, Naruto…?"

The old woman did nothing other than shake her head. A flash of insight could be seen deep within her eyes. From the moment Naruto had challenged the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, she knew that he would be a new force coming to the fore of the Dao of Alchemy Division. Then he concocted the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, which left her shaken inwardly, and also thoroughly convinced that Naruto would be a blazing sun of the Dao of Alchemy Division!

She wasn't sure if he was the type of person to nurse grudges. Because of the level of her cultivation base, she had been aware all along that the parrot and the meat jelly belonged to him. Furthermore, she had intentionally driven them out at the exact moment in which Naruto had been passing by.

Her entire goal had been to resolve any feelings of resentment Naruto might have toward her.

She was much higher than him in terms of clan seniority, had a profound cultivation base, and had been famous for many years. Therefore, she was well versed in finding clever ways to resolve problems, and the scene that had played out just now was just the method she had come up with to resolve her issues with Naruto.

Naruto continued flying through the Dao of Alchemy Division. When he realized that the old woman wasn't pursuing him, his eyes flickered. He, of course, understood her intention.

As they emerged from the Dao of Alchemy Division, the parrot's spirits seemed to lift. It flew out of his sleeve and arrogantly cried, "You just wait for Lord Fifth, you old hag! Lord Fifth will be back!"

Off to the side, the meat jelly nodded its head vigorously. For the meat jelly to act in such a way was clear evidence of the sufferings these two dunces had endured in recent days.

However, as soon as the parrot finished speaking, Naruto's right hand shot out, grabbed the parrot, and dragged it in front of him. The parrot's eyes bulged.

"What are you doing!? What are you grabbing your Lord Fifth for!?"

"What did you say just now about spirit stones?" Naruto asked coldly. Whenever he and the parrot interacted, it was never with courtesy.

"Spirit stones?" the parrot pretended to be confused. "What spirit stones?"

Naruto glared at the parrot, and then suddenly, a bashful expression appeared on his face. The parrot's eyes immediately went wide, and it began to shiver.

The meat jelly gasped and let out a muffled shriek.

"It's that expression again! Finished! We're finished! Whenever that expression appears, it means the end is near! The bird is really done for this time…."

The parrot's eyes filled with fear, and before Naruto could even say anything, it fawningly said, "Hahaha! I'm just playing around with you! Spirit stones… ah, spirit stones. That old hag has a whole vein of spirit stones underneath that mountain of hers. Whenever you feel like going to steal them, Naruto, I'll help you dig them up.

When Naruto heard the words 'vein of spirit stones,' his eyes began to shine. He then began to ask about the specifics.

One man, one bird, and one meat jelly flew back toward the ancestral mansion, conversing with each other in hushed tones.

By now, evening was falling. Off in the distance, the setting sun filled the sky with golden light. When Naruto got back to the ancestral mansion, he saw numerous clan members heading toward the East District. Naruto looked in that direction and suddenly remembered what was going to be happening in the morning.

"East Ascension Sun!" Muttering to himself, he changed directions and flew toward the East District. The parrot perched on his shoulder, and the meat jelly transformed into a bell and attached itself to the parrot's claw.

Meanwhile, in the East District's East Ascension Pagoda, Menma smiled as he chatted with the various Chosen. Not once did he mentioned the event which had just sent the entire Namikaze Clan astir.

Although nothing seemed unusual about the way the other Chosen were carrying themselves, all of them had long since caught on to the fact that something unusual had happened. The mere fact that Menma had brushed the matter aside was what had led them to this conclusion in the first place.

At one point, somebody brought up Kazama again. Just like before, Menma didn't openly admit that he was Kazama, and yet, he looked over and gave Mei an apologetic smile. Quite a few Chosen noticed this, and began to consider what it meant.

Mei snorted coldly, and even more derision could be seen in her expression. She was even more convinced than Chiriku that Naruto was Kazama. She hated Kazama deeply, but when she looked at Menma, her expression was one of ridicule. She seemed to be sickened by him.

When Menma saw the look on her face, his eyes flickered imperceptibly. He suddenly changed the topic and began to chat about the East Ascension Sun.

Chiriku's eyes flashed, but when he thought about how the girl he adored was a member of the Namikaze Clan, he didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled another of the Namikaze Clan Chosen off to the side and asked whether or not he knew a member of the Namikaze Clan clan named Karin.

The sky was growing dark, and more and more members of the Namikaze Clan clustered together around Brightmoon Lake. Originally, they had been waiting quietly, but now they were all discussing the matter of Naruto concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. Although the Dao Bell had long since ceased to toll, the sound of it still rang within their hearts.

"I can't believe Naruto actually concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!"

"That's one of the three sacred pills! I never could have imagined that he would be able to concoct one of them!"

"When Naruto returned, I didn't really think much of him. He was kind of quiet. But now he's causing all sorts of waves!"

Words such as these echoed out constantly. Menma's expression was the same as ever, making it impossible to determine what he was thinking. In contrast, Futsu's face only continued to grow darker. Then he looked over at Hotarubi near the lakeshore, chatting excitedly with the clan members around him, and he snorted coldly.

A cold gleam flickered in his eyes, and his lips twitched into an icy smile; the people he had arranged to take care of Hotarubi were now closing in.

"The direct bloodline… is crap! They had their glory in the past, but now they're in decline. The Namikaze Clan… is no longer a place where they hold the upper hand!" Futsu snorted again. "Today is the day when I humiliate Hotarubi of the direct bloodline!" His eyes narrowed.

Meanwhile, Hotarubi stood in the crowd, excitedly flaunting his recent experiences to the clan members standing next to him.

"Of all the people over all the years in the Dao of Alchemy Division, nobody has ever been able to concoct that medicinal pill. But my Coz concocted it!

"He had a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, and he even challenged the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion. And then he concocted the legendary Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. That's my Coz! Naruto!" The other clan members panted as they heard the stories of Naruto. More and more people were elevating their personal estimation of Naruto's status to the same level as Menma.

About this time, two young men appeared nearby, pushing their way through the crowd. Their expressions were icily arrogant as they neared Hotarubi, then rudely waved their hands, causing a burst of wind to materialize. It descended onto Hotarubi, causing his face to flicker. He tried to fight back, but was no match. He made a slight grunt as he was involuntarily shoved backward ten paces.

"The clan has ordered that it is prohibited to be loud and disorderly during the rise of the East Ascension Sun!" said one of the two young men, his eyes cold. "Anyone who violates the rule will be stripped of the qualifications to observe!"

"You…." said Hotarubi, looking up with rage in his eyes. However, when he saw who the two young men were, his face fell. The other clan members in the area also looked shocked, and immediately backed up.

The young men who had pushed Hotarubi back wore long black robes decorated with images of a moon. There seemed to be an especially stern and forbidding air about them, an icy coldness that caused anyone they looked at to feel as if they were being stared at by a viper.

Furthermore, they had stage 3 Immortal cultivation bases, and emanated amorphous ripples that gave them the appearance of mighty Immortals.

As soon as the surrounding clan members saw who the two young men were, their faces flickered and their hearts filled with awe. They slowly backed up.

"They're Blackmoon Guards!"

"Lots of Chosen from other sects are here for the East Ascension Sun, and the Blackmoon Guards have been tasked with keeping things orderly!"

"There are nine guard corps in the Namikaze Clan, four of which are stationed off-planet, and five of which have jurisdiction here on Planet East Victory. Of those five, the Blackmoon Guards and the Violetsun Guards are responsible for the ancestral mansion!"

The nine guard corps of the Namikaze Clan had each earned glorious achievements in battle, and had shaken the Ninth Mountain and Sea. As for the Blackmoon Guards, they were known for being sinister and vicious, just like vipers.

That was their reputation among outsiders and within the Namikaze Clan itself. Everyone feared the Blackmoon Guards.

Hotarubi looked at the two young men, and his face flickered. Whatever words he had been about to say stuck in his throat. He might be from the direct bloodline, but everyone in the clan knew that the direct bloodline was on the decline. He… could not afford to offend the Blackmoon Guards.

"Hotarubi," said one of the young men, his voice cold, "for loud and disorderly conduct on the shore of Brightmoon Lake, for disturbing public order, and for losing face for the clan in front of guests from other sects, you will move your ass 300 meters back from this location!" The young man spoke without the slightest bit of courtesy.

"If you dare to step within 300 meters of any Blackmoon Guard," said the other young man, his eyes brimming with scorn, "then it will be taken as an act of insurrection! Hotarubi, get the hell out of here!" With that, he waved his hand, causing another shocking wind to appear, which swept Hotarubi up and forced him back.

Hotarubi was powerless to resist, and in the blink of an eye had fallen back nearly three hundred meters. There was complete silence as all of the surrounding clan members looked over at Hotarubi.

He finally came to a stop at 299 meters. His face was pale, and he was trembling. Rage flickered on his face as he glared murderously at the two young men.

He was no fool, and knew that these two had intentionally come to humiliate him in front of the other clan members. Word would quickly spread that he had been unceremoniously dismissed by them.

What was especially obvious… was the sinister way in which they went about humiliating him. With their cultivation bases, they could have easily pushed him 300 meters away. Instead, they only pushed him 299 meters, making sure that Hotarubi would have to voluntarily step back the final meter.

Hotarubi's eyes were bright red, and he panted as he glared at the two young men nearly 300 meters away. He did not wish to step back, but he also knew that clan rules took precedence over anything and everything. The Blackmoon Guards were responsible for keeping order in the area, and if he defied them openly, they would have a vast array of options regarding how to deal with him. Most important of all was that the Blackmoon Guards… were under the direct control of Menma's branch of the family.

Hotarubi clenched his fists tightly and, as everyone watched, bowed his head and stepped back one last meter until he was at the 300-meter mark.

That final step was a movement that crushed Hotarubi's dignity, and humiliated his bloodline. However, Hotarubi had to accept it; there was no way he could fight back.

He stood there trembling as everyone looked at him. Not a word was spoken by anyone, although many of the onlookers sighed inwardly.

As for the two young Blackmoon Guards, they laughed coldly and then, ignoring Hotarubi, turned and left.

Everyone who was watching assumed that the chiding of Hotarubi was now over. Even Hotarubi assumed that by bowing his head, he would face no further difficulties….

However, it was at this point that two Blackmoon Guards suddenly appeared next to Hotarubi. Instantly, they waved their hands, causing their cultivation bases to surge with power. A fierce wind kicked up, wrapping around Hotarubi and driving him backward yet again.

This time, he was yet again sent back 299 meters.

"The Blackmoon Guard has already warned you once," said one of the two, his voice cool. "You must remain 300 meters away from any location we occupy! We're standing here now, so scram!"

"YOU!" Hotarubi was trembling, and his eyes were bright red.

The two Blackmoon Guards laughed at Hotarubi's reaction, and their eyes radiated cold glows. It was as if they were just waiting for Hotarubi to fight back. Although they might fear his father, they had received orders under the auspices of Prince Menma. Besides, they were responsible for maintaining order here, so if Hotarubi did anything rash, their backers would shield them from any consequences.

Hotarubi was in a rage, and he wanted to cast everything aside and fight back. But then he thought about how often his father sighed about the decline of the direct bloodline. Hotarubi didn't have a strong personality, and in fact, was often gentle. Not wanting to cause any further troubles for his father, he bitterly took another step back.

As he stepped back, a hint of dejection could be seen in his eyes.

It was at this point that more than ten Blackmoon Guards suddenly appeared. The crowds stepped back, making a wide path for them. The Blackmoon Guards stared at Hotarubi with cold eyes.

Hotarubi lowered his head and continued to retreat. 300 meters. 1,500 meters. Soon he was almost out of the crowd entirely, a full 3,000 meters away from Brightmoon Lake. The Blackmoon guards stared contemptuously at Hotarubi, who was by now figuratively scarred and battered.

"One more step!" said the Blackmoon Guard closest to Hotarubi, his voice cold. Currently, they were separated by 299 meters.

Nothing could be heard but silence. Many of the Namikaze Clan members sighed inwardly, but said nothing. The Namikaze Clan's direct bloodline was on the decline, and Menma's was on the rise. That was current state of affairs.

Hotarubi laughed bitterly as he realized that he couldn't stay here any longer. He was just about to turn and leave when suddenly, a hand appeared behind him and patted him lightly on the back, preventing him from taking that final step.

At the same time, a calm voice could be heard from behind him.

"What's wrong, Hotarubi?"

When Hotarubi heard that voice, a tremor ran through him. He turned back to see that Naruto was behind him, having appeared there at some undetermined point in time. Perched on Naruto's shoulder was the parrot, who winked at Hotarubi.

Naruto had appeared without the slightest sound, and not a single one of the nearby clan members had even noticed. All they saw was Naruto suddenly standing there, right behind Hotarubi.

The more than ten Blackmoon Guards looked over with fiercely glinting eyes. They were shocked, because even they had no idea how Naruto had appeared there. He had literally shown up in the blink of an eye.

His appearance on the scene immediately caused a stir among the Namikaze Clan members.

"It's Naruto!"

"What a strange way to make an entrance! He didn't make any ripples of displacement at all!" Many people felt their hearts beginning to pound. Naruto had just concocted the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and had caused the Namikaze Clan's Dao Bell to ring. By now, Naruto was a person many of the clan members were pondering deeply.

"Coz…." said Hotarubi, looking over at Naruto. His expression was one of grievance, the kind of look that appears when a dear relative shows up right when you are being picked on.

Naruto smiled lightly, then patted Hotarubi's shoulder. However, within Naruto's heart, icy coldness surged up to monstrous heights. A moment ago, he had been off in the distance, watching Hotarubi being pushed back by the sinister Blackmoon Guards.

"Hotarubi, you stick with me. Let's see who tries to stand in my way." With that, Naruto stepped in front of Hotarubi and then began to walk forward. Hotarubi took a deep breath. Eyes filling with determination, he began to follow Naruto.

The dozen or so Blackmoon Guards watched with various expressions as Naruto walked forward. When he had walked about thirty meters toward them, two of the Blackmoon Guards snorted and then closed in on him.

"You may approach," said one of them, "but Hotarubi disturbed the public peace here, and if he dares to step within 300 meters of us, he'll be punished!" In the blink of an eye, the two Blackmoon Guards were right in front of Naruto.

Their words still hung in the air as Naruto suddenly lifted his right hand and pushed it out in front of him. Rumbling could be heard as a gale force wind sprang up. An incorporeal Flying Rain-Dragon suddenly appeared, roaring soundlessly as it shot toward the two Blackmoon Guards. In the blink of an eye, it was upon them. Their faces flickered, and they fought back with all the power they could muster. However, blood sprayed from their mouths as they were tossed to the side.

This development immediately sent the crowds into an uproar. It must be noted that even though the Blackmoon Guards had targeted Hotarubi, the only thing they did was drive him away. They did not attack or injure him. In sharp contrast, Naruto attacked with domineering force, immediately injuring the two Blackmoon Guards.

Hotarubi instantly started to get nervous, but Naruto's expression was as cold as ever. As he proceeded forward, the rest of the dozen or so Blackmoon Guards up ahead began to head toward him.

"You've disturbed the peace and even dared to hurt people! Naruto, it doesn't matter if you're backed by the Dao of Alchemy Division, you will still face the clan's punishment this day!"

The dozen or so Blackmoon Guards bore down on Naruto. When they were only a few dozen meters away, brilliant beams of light suddenly exploded from Naruto's eyes, and he said one thing.

"SCREW OFF!"

The words rang out like claps of thunder. Rumbling filled the area, and even the Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion heard it and looked over.

The Blackmoon Guards in front of Naruto felt as if some enormous, invisible mountain was crushing down onto them. Blood sprayed from their mouths, and deafening roars filled their ears. They suddenly felt as if their cultivation bases had become unstable. It didn't matter that they were in the Immortal Realm; they began to tremble as a terrifying wind swept over them, sending them tumbling backwards. Naruto's one sentence caused their minds to reel, and sent them flying away.

The surrounding Namikaze Clan members were completely shocked.

Hotarubi looked on, stupefied, as Naruto calmly proceeded to walk forward. The crowds immediately parted, making a path for him that led all the way to Brightmoon Lake!

On the island in the middle of the lake, within the East Ascension Pagoda, Menma and the others around him all saw the crowd part as if some sort of Immortal Divinity had appeared.

Naruto strode out, back straight, long hair draped over his shoulders like a cloak. His expression was grave and stern, as if his rise to prominence gave him a blinding aura that no one could ignore.

When the Chosen in the pavilion saw that it was Naruto who was walking toward them, a variety of different expressions could be seen.

Mei's face flickered with hatred as she stared at him.

Chiriku's eyes went wide, he took a deep breath, and subconsciously edged backward.

Sora and Bisuke saw Naruto at the same time, and their eyes shone with piercing light.

Then there was Fū, whose gaze turned as sharp as a dagger. In that moment, she had no stronger desire than the wish to chop Naruto into tiny pieces. She began to pant, and it suddenly became impossible for her to maintain her previously stoic expression.

"Naruto…."

Menma's gaze immediately fell onto Naruto. His expression was the same as ever, although his pupils constricted. He wasn't surprised to see that Naruto had shown up. Back in their initial meeting in the main temple, the moment they looked at each other, Menma could tell that Naruto was not a pushover. However, he hadn't paid much attention to him, and had in fact disregarded him. It wasn't until Naruto rose to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division that he had been forced to take him seriously.

That was especially true now, when he was suddenly acting so aggressively. Menma snorted coldly.

A moment later, his expression was seemingly as placid as ever, without any hint of disturbance.

Shisui was also there in the East Ascension Pavilion. When he saw Naruto, his eyes shone with a sharp light, and his desire to do battle increased.

Futsu stood there as well, looking venomously in Naruto's direction, a cold smile twisting the corners of his lips.

The crowds surrounding Brightmoon Lake were in an uproar. They made way for Naruto as he strode slowly forward, Hotarubi in tow, who was both excited and nervous. The Blackmoon Guards were one of the nine guard corps of the Namikaze Clan, and were responsible for maintaining peace. They would most certainly not respond kindly to Naruto provoking them.

"Coz…." he whispered. Suddenly, whistling sounds could be heard as more than thirty figures closed in on Naruto from all directions.

These were more Blackmoon Guards, the keepers of the peace! As they flew toward Naruto, their cultivation bases roared with power; shockingly, all of these cultivators were in the Immortal Realm!

Two of them were even stage 5 Immortals, and as they all closed in at high speed, they unleashed divine abilities and magical techniques. Brilliant light shot out in all directions, exerting intense pressure.

"How brazen!"

"You dare to attack the Blackmoon Guard? You dare to sow public chaos!? It doesn't matter who you are, kneel now and prepare to be sent to the dungeon to be tortured!"

As the shouts echoed out, Hotarubi started to look anxious.

However, Naruto's expression didn't change at all. Instead, he smiled coldly.

"It seems that even random nobodies dare to squawk in front of me," he said. "Could it be because I haven't used force often enough in the clan?" With that, he stepped forward. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he transformed into a bright beam of light.

The beam of light was gold-colored, and inside, Naruto took the form of a golden roc. A droning could be heard as he shot toward the incoming Blackmoon Guards at high speed.

In the blink of an eye, he slammed into three of them. The roc's talons slashed, ripping the air and causing cracking sounds to ring out. The three Blackmoon Guards' faces fell and blood sprayed from their mouths and their bodies twisted before they could even fight back. They were instantly sent flying backward by Naruto's talons, powerless to resist.

Even as they flew backward, coughing up blood, they looked back at Naruto with expressions of shock.

"How… how could he be so strong!?"

Naruto didn't pause for even a moment; he instantly swept towards the other guards. The roc flapped its wings, and in the blink of an eye, five more Blackmoon Guards let out muffled grunts. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they were thrown into the air, and looks of shock covered their faces as they looked at roc-form Naruto.

"What cultivation base does he have? Even the combined power of all five of us can't stop him!"

To describe all of these actions takes quite a few sentences, but these eight people were injured and sent tumbling hundreds of meters away in a brief flash. Eight people had been injured and flung over 300 meters away. Now, there were seven Blackmoon Guards left in front of Naruto.

Among those seven were the two stage 5 Immortals, who were now panting. Their expressions that of astonishment, they gritted their teeth and joined voices to call out, "Blackmoon Formation!"

Immediately, the other five of their number joined with the first two, combining together to form the shape of a moon!

Because their clothing was black, that moon… was also black!

A black moon!

As soon as the moon appeared, a monstrous energy surged out that weighed down on everyone in the area. The Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion all looked on with strange gleams in their eyes.

"The Blackmoon Guards' first fusion art!" said Bisuke, his eyes flickering.

"Rumor has it," said Chiriku, eyeing the black moon, "that with this art, seven people make the formation, seven formations make a magic spell, seven spells make a divine ability, seven divine abilities make a Dao!"

Others had similar reactions, although Mei simply watched with coldly flickering eyes.

The crowds surrounding Brightmoon Lake were also in a commotion.

Hotarubi's face fell, and Futsu smiled an overtly sinister smile.

In that moment….

Naruto, in golden roc form, didn't hesitate for a moment. He charged toward the black moon, and as he did, the roc turned blurry and transformed into numerous mountains. The mountains linked together to form a chain of mountains that then crushed down onto the black moon!

This was none other than the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

From a distance, it looked like massive mountain peaks suppressing the very moon in the Heavens. Boundless, enormous mountains filled the sky, and as for that black moon, it was visibly shrinking.

Everyone watching was astonished, especially the Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion who had previously crossed swords with Naruto. When they saw the mountains, they were reminded of that year in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, when Naruto had single-handedly swept over all of the Chosen. Despite being chased by over a thousand opponents, he had been as valiant as ever.

Booms echoed out in all directions.

The black moon only lasted for the space of a few breaths under the crushing pressure of the mountains. Subsequently, it shattered into pieces, and the seven people inside coughed up blood and tumbled backward, their faces filled with terror.

The mountains faded away, and Naruto stepped out from within them. He once again transformed into a beam of light that shot forward.

"Hotarubi, keep up!" he said loftily. "I'm taking you to the pavilion on the lake!" To everyone who heard his booming voice, it was as if Naruto was the only person in existence.

There were many clan members who suddenly felt as if they were meeting Naruto for the first time. Their hearts trembled with shock, and even Hotarubi was panting. Gritting his teeth, he flew to follow Naruto.

The two of them proceeded onward toward Brightmoon Lake, Naruto in the lead, Hotarubi following.

In the East Ascension Pavilion in the middle of Brightmoon Lake, the various Chosen were all looking at Naruto. Regardless of whatever conflicts they had with him, as of this moment all of them had no choice but to admit that Naruto… was a blazing sun!

Menma stood there quietly, his eyes icy. Futsu, on the other hand, had an expression filled with incredible venom.

Jimei was already in awe of Naruto, and subconsciously stepped backward, as did Fugai. Dei was secretly excited; this outcome was exactly what he wanted, a fight between Naruto and Menma.

As everyone watched Naruto nearing the edge of Brightmoon Lake, all of a sudden, a person appeared on the shore.

It was a middle-aged man wearing a black robe embroidered with two moons. He had the flourishing cultivation base of a stage 6 Immortal.

"You ignominious fool!" the man said coldly. "Back down!" This stage 6 Immortal was the leader of the Blackmoon Guards in this area. He stood there, brow furrowed, doing nothing to conceal his loathing of Naruto. Even as he spoke, he pushed his hand out in front of him, causing shocking pressure to roil out. At the same time, an enormous, illusory hand appeared that shot toward Naruto.

"I'm from the direct bloodline of the Namikaze Clan," Naruto replied, "I'm the eldest grandson of this generation, with a supreme status in the clan. You're the one who'll be backing down!" Instead of slowing down, he sped up. At the same time, he clenched his right hand into a fist and punched out into the air nine times.

Nine Heavens Destruction!

RUMMMBLLLLE!

Massive roaring filled the air as his Dharma Idol suddenly materialized behind him. 15,000 meters tall, shocking to the extreme, it also punched out. Nine blows descended toward the middle-aged man, seemingly capable of shattering Heaven and Earth.

When Naruto's attacks slammed into the palm strike, the hand shattered. The man's face fell as Naruto's fist continued onward the man himself.

Dozens of blows were exchanged in the blink of an eye. Each exchange caused the man's face to flicker; his expression was now being taken over by fear as he realized that his cultivation base was being weakened, as was his life force. It was being absorbed by Naruto!

In the end, blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was forced to retreat.

In that moment, Naruto grabbed Hotarubi. As everyone watched, he flew up into the air… directly out over Brightmoon Lake!

As soon as Naruto was airborne, all of the dozens of Blackmoon Guards in the crowd urgently took flight and sped toward Naruto. It didn't matter if he was a fellow clan member, his flagrant challenge of the Blackmoon Guards was something that could not go unanswered.

However, Naruto completely ignored them. He dragged the astonished Hotarubi through the air, transforming into a long beam of light that shot over Brightmoon Lake toward the East Ascension Pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, the Chosen were all shocked. Mei clenched her jaw, and a cold light could be seen in Fū's eyes. Shisui was itching to fight, and Sora's face was icy. As for Chiriku, he was getting nervous. Bisuke and the others felt their energy surging as Naruto sped toward them.

Menma frowned. Futsu was panting; seeing Naruto's powerful momentum caused him to subconsciously step backward.

Everyone watched as Naruto carried Hotarubi across the water. In the blink of an eye, he was almost at East Ascension Pavilion. Just when he was about to set foot inside….

"You don't qualify to be here," Menma said calmly.

He took a step forward and then struck out with his palm!

The palm strike unexpectedly… caused everyone to feel as if the land were quaking and the mountains were trembling. The surface of Brightmoon Lake churned, as if some ancient being were awakening underneath and was now emitting a terrifying aura.

The palm strike looked ordinary, and yet as soon as it was delivered, a golden magical symbol appeared outside of the East Ascension Pavilion. The symbol was like the sun, instantly causing everything outside to turn golden.

In response to the palm strike, all of the Chosen in the pavilion, even Fū and Ikanago from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, narrowed their eyes in concentration. Various expressions could be seen; the explosive energy of Menma's attack left everyone shocked.

This was even more the case when people realized that Menma's attack contained an aura of reincarnation. It was almost like a natural law, as if… anyone who opposed Menma was actually an enemy of the Heavens!

A sense of crisis rose up in Naruto, and his eyes widened. He released Hotarubi, simultaneously causing the Black White Pearls to swirl out. Furthermore, a Blood Chakra rose up, transforming into the head of a Blood Demon. All of it coalesced onto Naruto's hand, after which he also… struck out with his palm.

Rumbling filled the air in the space between Naruto and Menma in the East Ascension Pavilion.

This was the first time that Naruto and Menma exchanged blows!

It was a collision of gold and blood!

It was a struggle between the power of reincarnation and the Black White Pearls!

This was Menma… versus Naruto! Their first battle!

Rumbling filled the air as the colors of gold and blood smashed into each other. The night sky suddenly grew bright as the power of reincarnation and the Black White Pearls collided, causing Heaven and Earth to tremble. Massive roaring echoed out in all directions.

The Blood Demon head collapsed, and the world of gold shattered. The sensation of reincarnation faded away… and Naruto's Black White Pearls also collapsed.

A tremor ran through Naruto, and his Eternal stratum immediately surged into action, giving him the power to completely shrug off the blow. What all onlookers saw was that Menma's palm strike did nothing to stop him! He didn't even pause… he just stepped right into the East Ascension Pavilion!

Menma's eyes brimmed with icy coldness, and his face had turned a bit pale. Although he had been separated from Naruto's counterstrike to his palm attack, he was still struck by the backlash.

Most shocking of all was that this was Brightmoon Lake, a place where Menma practiced cultivation. He had formed a resonance with the lake water, and therefore held the upper hand. Furthermore, Naruto had been protecting Hotarubi.

In the end, however, it was really difficult to determine which of them was actually more powerful!

Almost in the same moment that Naruto set foot into the pavilion, dozens of Blackmoon Guards flew out across the lake toward him.

Naruto completely ignored them. Instead, his cold gaze flitted across the crowd and came to fall on Menma.

"Junior Cousin Menma, why is it that I'm not qualified to enter this pavilion?"

"Anyone who is being pursued by the Blackmoon Guards is naturally not qualified to set foot inside," Menma replied coolly. The Blackmoon Guards were closing in on the pavilion, and even more were now converging further out beyond the lakeshore. Furthermore, it would only be a short time before their true experts arrived.

In his heart, Menma laughed coldly. He truly wanted to see how Naruto could possibly resolve the current situation.

Hotarubi's face was ashen as he stood there next to Naruto, panting. He had never been inside the East Ascension Pavilion before, and would normally have been very excited. Right now though, the Blackmoon Guards were moments away from catching up, and when he thought about what would happen then, he couldn't help but take a deep breath and brace himself to go for broke.

He had already decided that because all of this was happening because of him, he would take full responsibility, and make sure that the clan didn't cause any problems for Naruto.

"Is that so?" replied Naruto, smiling. Sharp whistling sounds could be heard as seven or eight Blackmoon Guards shot through the air behind him. Their expressions brimmed with killing intent, and they were just about to attack when…

Naruto casually raised his hand and showed something to the Blackmoon Guards behind him.

Then, without even turning his head, he coldly barked, "Screw off!"

As his voice echoed out, the Blackmoon Guards outside of the pavilion saw the item in his hand. Their faces fell, and they suddenly stopped in place, staring in disbelief at Naruto's hand, and the object therein.

Then they began to pant. Meanwhile, more Blackmoon Guards converged in the area. All of them had the same reaction, as if lightning were crashing around inside their minds.

The dozens of nearby Blackmoon Guards, and the hundreds that were gathered further off, all stared wordlessly in shock.

When the Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion saw what was happening, their eyes gleamed with a strange light. Menma suddenly seemed to remember something, and his face turned extremely unsightly. Futsu gaped, unsure of how to react to this sudden development.

He couldn't understand what the Blackmoon Guards had seen that would suddenly cause them to stop in place and not dare to get any closer.

Jimei stared in shock. Fugai hesitated. Dei's eyes shone with curiosity.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" said Naruto icily, still not deigning to look behind him.

The instant the words left his mouth, the Blackmoon Guards behind him gasped. They suddenly clasped hands and bowed to Naruto, then bitterly turned and made their way off.

Many among the audience around Brightmoon Lake saw this, and gaped in shock. They had just personally witnessed the Blackmoon Guards, brimming with killing intent, suddenly stop in place and then retreat en masse, clearly not daring to get even an inch closer.

There were a few people in the crowd who had exceptional eyesight, and managed to catch a glimpse of the object Naruto held in his hand. They gasped, and expressions of blank disbelief appeared on their faces.

"The command medallion of a tier 8 alchemist!"

"That's the same as a clan Elder's command medallion…. A tier 8 alchemist's command medallion! That gives him the same status as a clan Elder! And clan Elders… are qualified to order the Blackmoon Guards to stand down!"

"Naruto concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, which means that he instantly became a tier 8 alchemist!"

The sounds of the tumult outside drifted into the pavilion, causing the cultivators gathered there to inhale sharply.

Hotarubi gaped, and then suddenly went wild with joy.

Naruto slowly lowered his hand, looking at Menma with a slight smile.

"Would you say I'm qualified now?"

Menma's expression was extremely unsightly as he stared at Naruto. Before he could even respond, Naruto stepped forward and raised his right hand. Futsu's face fell, and he tried to escape, but his body involuntarily flew through the air toward Naruto, who grabbed him by the neck.

"You see me, and don't greet me properly," Naruto said, smiling, gently patting Futsu's cheek. "Ah, Futsu, it seems that the last time I taught you a lesson, you just didn't get it."

Naruto's smile caused Futsu to begin to tremble. He was about to say something, when suddenly Naruto's face darkened and he slammed Futsu onto the floor of the pavilion.

The pavilion was magically reinforced, and couldn't be damaged by such an action. It was incredibly tough, which resulted in Futsu letting out a bloodcurdling scream. Next, Naruto slammed him into the ground seven or eight more times.

Blood sprayed from Futsu's mouth, and he screamed over and over again. He even begged for mercy. Menma frowned.

"That's enough!" he said.

Naruto smiled and looked over at Menma.

"Under my authority as an Elder, I'm reprimanding a clan member. Junior Cousin Menma, on what authority did you speak those two words to me just now?"

With that, Naruto grabbed Futsu by the hair, swung him around and then chucked him off to the side. Blood spattered everywhere. The Chosen in the room watched and said nothing. However, as they observed at Naruto's actions, each of them were thinking different things.

That was especially true of Chiriku, who was shivering slightly.

Menma's expression was extremely grim as he looked at Naruto. He was about to say something, when Naruto laughed.

"On the other hand," he said, "the moon is out tonight, and the stars are bright. Tomorrow is the rise of the East Ascension Sun, an auspicious day. Besides, I see a lot of old friends here, which makes me happy. I won't make things any harder for you." He looked out at all the Chosen, each of whom had different expressions on their faces.

Chiriku subconsciously bowed his head. Mei stared in rage. Fū's face flickered with killing intent, and Shisui looked like he wanted to fight then and there. Sora and Bisuke were both staring at him with clenched jaws.

Their past experiences with Naruto were things that they would never be able to forget.

Naruto looked slightly embarrassed, then chuckled bashfully as he looked down at the terrified Futsu, who lay there bedraggled and broken-boned.

"Write me a promissory note," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes and smiling. He immediately produced pen and paper from his bag of holding, which he held out in front of Futsu. "You know me, and you know what to write."

With that, he patted Futsu on the head.

Futsu's face was pale white. To him, Naruto was the most evil fiend imaginable in Heaven and Earth. Trembling, he used his own blood to write out a promissory note.

Naruto accepted the promissory note, blew on it a bit to dry it, and gingerly placed it in his bag of holding as if it were a treasure. Then, he smiled at Futsu and said something that caused Futsu's blood to run cold.

"Futsu, you'll get no third chance. If you act like this again the next time you see me… I'll make sure you live a life worse than death." Naruto's smile stretched from ear to ear, but his words were as cold as ice. It was a stark contrast that caused all of the Chosen in the pavilion to look on in reticent silence.

Futsu started to pant and tremble, and his expression turned into one of extreme terror. He could sense the murderous intent in Naruto's words, and was also certain that when Naruto said he would do something… he would never fail to follow through on his promise.

Futsu knew that if he did not respectfully greet Naruto the next time he saw him, Naruto would definitely… leave him wishing he were dead.

He was frightened, well and truly frightened. Even Menma was incapable of helping him in this situation, causing his fear to reach heights that it could not be described even with the word 'terror.'

"Now, screw off to whatever hole you crawled out of," said Naruto. He grabbed Futsu by the hair and violently tossed him out of the pavilion. Intense pain wracked Futsu's body as he flew out over Brightmoon Lake and landed in the middle of the crowd outside.

After being helped to his feet, he left immediately, trying to put as much distance between himself and Naruto as possible. The entire time, his heart was gripped with icy terror.

Back in the East Ascension Pavilion, Naruto looked around at the various Chosen, and a bashful smile appeared on his face, as if he were slightly embarrassed to have suddenly run into so many old friends.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists!" he said. "We meet again! I've missed all of you!"

Looking quite at ease, he walked up to Chiriku and, before he could back away, slid his arm around his neck, as if they were good friends.

"Hey, if it isn't L'il Hai! How are you?! Have things been well? Why did you shave your head? Not bad, I think it's quite a unique hairstyle."

Chiriku started to tremble, and he looked as if he might start crying at any moment. Naruto's shadow lurked perpetually in his heart, a point that could be seen clearly from his cleanly-shaven head.

Naruto rubbed Chiriku's shiny head and patted it a few times. Chiriku choked with silent fury, feeling frustrated to the extreme. At this point, Naruto's gaze came to rest on Mei. Subconsciously, he couldn't refrain from… looking at Mei's curvaceous rear end.

"Aiya! Little sis Mei, I haven't seen you for so long! You're even prettier than before. Your rear end… looks really nice…." He cleared his throat. "Hey, don't look at me that way! You know, now that I think about it, we were actually engaged as children!"

Mei's expression was extremely dark as she stared at Naruto. Her chest rose and fell as she panted, and she looked like she was on the verge of exploding. Were it not for the fact that she knew she wasn't a match for Naruto, and that they were also in the Namikaze Clan, then she would definitely go all out to fight him.

Seeing that Mei was on the verge of bursting, Naruto quickly looked away, turning his attention to Fū. Instantly, his eyes brightened.

"Eee? Inky! You're here too! Little sis Fū, I've already loaned you Inky for quite a while now, when will you be giving her back to me?"

Fū's eyes blazed with rage, and she raised her right hand. Cracking sounds could be heard as two violet flying daggers suddenly appeared. Mysterious flames hissed up from the daggers, and they emanated terrifying auras.

"I dare you to say one more word!" she said through gritted teeth.

Her words overflowed with killing intent, as if a single inappropriate word would lead to a fight.

Naruto blinked and then coughed lightly. Keeping his arm wrapped around Chiriku, he looked around at some of the others.

"Well, if it isn't Sora! And Bisuke! Shisui, you're here too! Wonderful! You're all here. Well then… when are you going to be paying back the money you owe?"

Naruto's handful of sentences instantly provoked a reaction from the various Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion. Some burst out angrily, others glared at him furiously, and some had bloodshot eyes.

"Shut the hell up!"

"Shut your trap!"

"Naruto, you're pushing people too far!"

"Naruto, if you dare to insult me one more time, we're going to have a blood feud the likes of which has never been seen before!"

When Hotarubi saw all of this happening, he stared at Naruto in blank shock. Then he looked at the enraged Chosen, and took a deep breath. He had no idea what Naruto had done to provoke such widespread indignation, to cause these Chosen to be so wrathful.

Hotarubi was even more thunderstruck by the words exchanged between Naruto and Mei, as well as Fū. Actually, Fū was the celestial goddess of Hotarubi's dreams….

And yet, in the blink of an eye, that celestial goddess had summoned deadly weapons. Any rapturous illusions Hotarubi had about her were instantly dispelled by her vicious wrath.

Hotarubi wasn't the only shocked one. Jimei also stared with wide eyes. She couldn't imagine what disputes Naruto had with these people to make them act in this way. Apparently, Naruto's brief words had stabbed deep into their hearts.

Even Menma was at a loss as to how Naruto could be so familiar with these people….

Only Fugai and Dei truly knew of the inspiring and tragic connection between all of them, and how world-shaking those events had been.

The surrounding Namikaze Clan members stared in shock at Naruto and the Chosen, their minds reeling.

Naruto's appearance in the pavilion made him the complete center of attention. Even Menma was somehow surpassed.

The Chosen's response to his words caused Naruto's face to suddenly darken.

Before he could even say anything though, the parrot, which had maintained silence up to this point, rolled its eyes and then glared at all the people.

"He who owes shall repay!" it squawked. "This is a principle of Heaven and Earth! You shameless bunch had better repay what you owe immediately!

"If you have no money, then find some furred or feathered beasts for Lord Fifth! If Lord Fifth is satisfied, then he'll help you pay back the debt! What do you say?"

Naruto snorted coldly and glared at the crowd. Then he slapped his bag of holding and produced a stack of promissory notes. He began tapping his finger on the notes, and then looked up.

"White paper and words written in blood. The handwriting is very clear, yes? Do you people really dare to renege on your debts?" Naruto was clearly incensed. He was well aware that concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill had temporarily resolved his spirit stone quandary. However, according to his calculations, what he had earned still wouldn't be enough. Now, his joy at finding so many people who owed him money was turning into fury.

In the instant that Naruto pulled out the stack of promissory notes, Hotarubi gasped. Jimei's eyes went wide, and even Menma stared in shock.

All of the surrounding members of the Namikaze Clan stared blankly in disbelief at Naruto standing there, tapping his finger on the promissory notes. This image of Naruto was now deeply ingrained in their hearts.

"How… how many promissory notes does he actually have?"

"Didn't Naruto come from Planet Lands of Ninshu? How could there be so many people who borrowed money from him?"

"What exactly does this guy do? Is he a cultivator? How come he just doesn't seem like a cultivator to me?"

The Namikaze Clan's Chosen gaped as their minds filled with buzzing thoughts.

"Chiriku," said Naruto, sounding very displeased. "Why don't you start first." He patted Chiriku's head. "Don't think that because you're bald now that I can't grab ahold of you. There's always going to be some place on your body that has hair, right?"

Upon hearing these words, the parrot's eyes suddenly shone brightly, and it stared at Chiriku with interest.

Chiriku began to quiver. He gritted his teeth and was about to protest, when Naruto's words suddenly reminded him of his nightmarish experience on Planet Lands of Ninshu. Finally, he scowled.

"Uh…can I pay back a little less than I owe?"

Naruto was instantly pleased.

"Alright!" he said, eyes shining. "Let's start with the interest, how about that?" Chiriku grimaced, clenched his teeth, and then slapped his bag of holding, producing some spirit stones that he handed over to Naruto.

Naruto quickly collected them up, licked his lips, and then eyed Chiriku's bag of holding.

"Considering how rarely we run into each other, why don't you repay a bit more than that?"

"I really can't," said Chiriku. "I… I actually came to the Namikaze Clan to buy something particular…. It's… well, I know this girl from the Namikaze Clan, and I really want to buy her a gift. Hey, you never know, we might end up being family!"

"Oh, so that's how it is," said Naruto. "Why don't you repay a bit more of your debt, and I'll put in a good word for you." He smiled and patted Chiriku's head.

He suddenly realized that patting Chiriku's head actually felt very good, so he patted it a few more times for good measure.

"Li'l Hai, don't worry. Pay back those spirit stones, and I'll help you out. In the Namikaze Clan, the highest Elders and the lowliest branch members all have to give me face."

Chiriku hesitated for a moment. He knew that Naruto was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. Even though the direct bloodline was in decline, Naruto's father was still alive, and Naruto had certainly been throwing his weight around the clan recently.

Based on his earlier inquiries, none of the other Chosen in the clan were familiar with the girl he liked, which was making Chiriku anxious. Now that he saw how domineering Naruto was, he figured… he might as well give Naruto's suggestion a shot.

"I wonder if he'll really put in a good word for me…." Chiriku thought, gritting his teeth. He was thoroughly entranced with this Namikaze Clan girl, to the point where he wasn't even acting rationally. Finally, he slapped his bag of holding and passed an even larger sum of spirit stones over to Naruto.

When Naruto saw them, his eyes shone with brilliant light.

"Li'l Hai, don't you worry. You leave everything to your Big Bro." Naruto put the spirit stones away, and before Chiriku could say anything more, began to walk over to Mei.

She stared at him, furious, her expression icy.

He hesitated for a moment, then glanced down at her rear end. Sighing, he thought about his actions as Kazama, and realized that there was an eighty percent certainty that Mei had recognized him. Therefore, he couldn't push her too far.

He turned to look at Fū, but when he saw the deadly-looking violet flying daggers swirling around above her hand, his expression turned somber, and he turned to walk toward Bisuke and the others.

"Bisuke, Sora, Shisui!" he barked. "All of you owe me money. It's time to PAY UP!"

Bisuke and the other two glared back at Naruto, flames of rage flickering in their eyes.

They all stared at each other for a few breaths of time, after which Naruto took a step forward toward them. At this exact moment, Bisuke and the others attacked simultaneously. Booms echoed out as all four of them flew out of the pavilion and began to fight.

Rumbling filled the air as Naruto transformed into a golden roc that slashed its talons toward Bisuke. At the same time, a chain of mountains rumbled out next to him, crushing down toward Sora. A moment later, he flapped a wing, causing the air to shred as power shot toward Shisui.

Booms echoed out in all directions. Even though it was late at night, and very dark, the light of magic filled the air, and all of the Namikaze Clan members down below stared up to watch. When they saw Naruto single-handedly battling three amazing Chosen, their minds trembled.

"That's Sora from the Nadeshiko Clan. And Bisuke from the Five Great Holy Lands! The last one is the Uchiha Clan Chosen, Shisui!"

"All three of them are in the process of rising to be true Immortals! Once they do, they'll definitely be even more famous than they are now!"

"I can't believe Naruto is fighting all three of them at the same time!"

Booms echoed out as the four of them fought back and forth constantly. Naruto clenched his fist and then punched out, unleashing the Nine Heavens Destruction. Blood sprayed from Sora's mouth. As for Shisui and Bisuke, one of them called wind and summoned rain, while the other transformed into blinding sunlight. Even as they closed in on Naruto, he snorted coldly. A Blood Demon head appeared, which head butted Shisui. Simultaneously, the Ninth Mountain materialized, slamming toward Bisuke.

"You guys are a lot stronger than the first time we fought," said Naruto. "Unfortunately for you… I could put you in your place last time, and I can do the same thing today!" His cultivation base surged with power, and he extended his hand. Rumbling filled the sky as numerous mountains descended, cutting off all avenues of escape for Bisuke and the others.

Roaring, the three of them materialized their Dharma Idols. Naruto responded in kind. The Dharma Idols belonging to Bisuke and the others all bore visible traces of Immortality Illumination Vines.

As they fought, Bisuke and the others were continuously forced to retreat. Finally, a boom could be heard, and blood sprayed from their mouths as they tumbled backward. Naruto's eyes glittered, and he prepared to rush forward in pursuit.

However, it was at this point that an archaic voice rumbled out from the ancestral mansion.

"Magical battle is prohibited during the rise of the East Ascension Sun. If anyone makes another attack… their right to bathe in the sunlight will be revoked!"

As the voice echoed out, two ancient figures noiselessly appeared in midair around the East Ascension Pavilion. Massive pressure radiated out, separating Naruto from Bisuke and the others.

These two old men were Elders of the Namikaze Clan. They looked over at Naruto, frowned, then looked at Bisuke and the others.

"All of you get back into the pavilion. Sunrise is almost upon us."

Bisuke and the others took deep breaths. Then they clasped hands and bowed to the two old men. Glaring angrily at Naruto, they flew back into the pavilion.

Naruto glared back at them, then headed back to the pavilion himself.

"Still won't pay me back?" he said with a cold smile. "From now on, any time I run into you, I'll definitely put you in your place!" After setting foot back into the pavilion, he looked around until he saw Hotarubi and Chiriku, after which he walked over to Chiriku.

As time passed, most everyone in the pavilion sat there cross-legged. Menma remained quite subdued; after Naruto returned to the pavilion, he remained mostly silent. His expression did not reveal anything either, as if the previous clash between the two of them didn't matter to him at all. In fact, when Naruto had fought with Bisuke and the others, he had taken one glance and then looked away as if he didn't care.

Soon, everything quieted down. Daybreak was nearing. Eventually, it reached that darkest of pre-dawn moments in which everyone knew that the East Ascension Sun… was about to rise!

Naruto's eyes shone with a strange light, and he took a deep breath. It was at this point that Chiriku hesitated for a moment, then quietly began to speak.

"Naruto… um… about that thing you promised earlier…."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," said Naruto, yawning. "Oh, right, how far along are you in your relationship with this girl?"

Chiriku's face reddened, and he lowered his voice even more.

"I'm not really sure," he said. "She always beats me up…."

When Naruto heard this, he suddenly perked up.

"Well, that won't do!" he said. "What's her name? Is she here in the pavilion? Of all the nerve! How could she dare to beat people up?!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Chiriku hurried to respond. "Every time she hurts me, I actually feel very happy…. She's not here now, though. She's a disciple of the Church of the Emperor Immortal. Her name is Karin."

It was now the moment before daybreak. Everything was pitch black, and all eyes were fixed on the east!

It wasn't just the group inside the East Ascension Pavilion who were staring eastward. All of the Namikaze Clan members on the shores of Brightmoon Lake, throughout the rest of the ancestral mansion, and even on all of Planet East Victory, were now waiting.

However, back in the East Ascension Pavilion, Naruto heard the name 'Karin,' and his expression instantly changed. His eyes went wide, and he turned to look at Chiriku.

Chiriku looked a bit embarrassed. Whenever he said Karin's name, he felt happy, and an expression of longing would appear on his face.

"Did you just say that the girl you like is named Karin?" asked Naruto. He was starting to pant, and he suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Yeah, that's right," Chiriku replied, nodding his head. "Her name is Karin. She's a member of the Namikaze Clan, but also a disciple of the Church of the Emperor Immortal." The happiness he felt grew stronger, and as of yet, he hadn't noticed the change in Naruto's facial expression.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, it's all up to you now," he continued. "However many more spirit stones you need, as long as I can get my hands on them, I'll give them to you. Elder Brother Uzumaki, please, please put in a good word or two for me…."

Naruto's expression changed again. Now he was staring blankly.

Unwilling to accept the truth, he asked another question.

"That Namikaze in her name, is it the same Namikaze as from my Namikaze Clan? And the Yu, is it the same character that means 'beautiful jade?'"

"Yeah, that's right!" said Chiriku, looking somewhat intoxicated. "She's none other than Karin, as beautiful as a piece of fine jade."

Naruto's heart started to pound. "Did she join the Church of the Emperor Immortal less than two years ago?" he asked, still hardly capable of believing what he was hearing.

"Eee? How did you know? That's right! She just joined the Church of the Emperor Immortal a little less than two years ago! However, Junior Sister Namikaze's latent talent is shocking. It's impossible to say clearly what her future prospects are." Chiriku sighed.

"You…." Blue veins had popped out on Naruto's forehead, and he was staring wrathfully at Chiriku.

Chiriku gaped as he finally noticed Naruto's strange expression.

Surprised, he quickly said, "Elder Brother Uzumaki, don't worry. Chiriku will never forget this kindness. If Karin and I ever get married, I'll definitely invite you to the wedding banquet…."

Naruto's mind filled with roaring as he thought about the explosive temper of his older sister Karin. If she knew about what he had promised to do for Chiriku, it would be impossible to say how many times she would beat him up the next time she saw him…. All of a sudden, he felt like the biggest idiot in the entire world. He had actually… sold his older sister off….

Chiriku then continued, getting more and more excited as he spoke.

"If we have a son, you can even be his godfather!

"As a husband and wife, we will never forget your kindness for the rest of our lives…. It's all riding on you, Elder Brother Uzumaki….

"Oh, Elder Brother Uzumaki, could you help me ask around and find out which bloodline Karin is from? I'm planning to go make a formal visit soon…."

"Shut your mouth this instant!" roared Naruto. He truly felt stupid for not having thought of this possibility. His sudden outburst caused numerous faces in the pavilion to turn and look his way. Chiriku gaped, uncertain of why Naruto would suddenly be so angry.

Naruto reached out, grabbed Chiriku, and pulled him close. Jaw clenched, he stared Chiriku in the eye, certain that Chiriku had done all of this on purpose, had dug a pit for him, and then pushed him in headfirst.

Yes! It was definitely on purpose!

"Do you have a younger sister?" Naruto asked through clenched teeth.

Chiriku was momentarily struck dumb. From the feeling he got at this moment, Naruto seemed to be on the verge of flying into a rage.

"Uh… yeah, yeah I have a younger sister, she—"

"Who's more of a bitch, you or your sister!" Naruto interrupted loudly. "You joker! I can't believe you have the gall to con ME!" His eyes were bloodshot, and his heart pulsed with rage. All his life, he had been the one to con others, and had never imagined that somehow, Chiriku would manage to pull a con on him.

That was especially true when he remembered that he had promised to act as a go-between. Naruto couldn't help but sigh inwardly. There was no way that he would dare to have anything to do with his sister's love life. Any time he thought of her violent temper, he would feel his head starting to ache.

"I didn't con you!" said Chiriku, looking confused. "I really do have a younger sister. Her name is Chirika." Naruto's flare of temper was really strange to him. Moments ago, everything had been going smoothly, then he flew into a rage in the blink of an eye. All of a sudden, Chiriku had the feeling that Naruto and Karin were very similar in some ways.

Naruto burned with anger and was just about to say something else when light appeared in the darkness outside.

The light swept out instantly, shredding the darkness into pieces. Sunlight expanded in all directions, a mighty power that instantly suppressed all the dark of night.

In that instant in which darkness and light intersected, where white and black clashed, all eyes in the world seemed to be locked… on the east, which was the source of all the beams of light.

"It's here! The East Ascension Sun!"

"The East Ascension Sun rises every 100 years. The one hundred year cycle reaches its culmination now! This is when the Sun is at its closest point to Planet East Victory!"

"If you bathe in the light of the East Ascension Sun, your fleshly body can reach a point of incredible power!"

Even as the buzz of conversation spread out, the entire world of Planet East Victory suddenly became filled with indescribable, broiling heat. It was almost as if the whole planet had been wrapped in fire!

Black smoke rose from the ground, and steam ascended from bodies of water. The land seemed to ripple, as if the heat was affecting the entire planet.

The East Ascension Sun… was rising!

Even Naruto forgot about his plans to cause trouble for Chiriku, and looked up.

The sight immediately sent his mind spinning, because… the sun was clearly rising up from the east, and, according to how things would normally go, it should rise up slowly. However, in the instant that Naruto glanced over, what he saw… was the noon sun!

It was as if the process of the sun rising up from the horizon into the middle of the sky took only the space of a few breaths.

Actually, this was not the movement of the East Ascension Sun, but rather, the movement of Planet East Victory. In that instant, some unfathomable method caused the entire planet to rotate, adjusting its angle so that the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion was fixed at the point closest to the sun!

It was now moving along with the sun, which meant… that with the East Ascension Sun in the sky, instead of a normal 24-hour day, the daylight would last for 36 days!

36 days later the Sun would continue to move off into the distance, and would no longer be closest to Planet East Victory, whereupon the planet would return to its normal state of affairs.

That would mark the end of the rise of the East Ascension Sun. As for the people on the other three great planets in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they might receive some benefit, but because they were further away, they would not gain nearly as much as those on Planet East Victory!

Sunrise lasted for only a moment and then, for 36 days, it would be high noon!

The entire scene was even clearer when viewed from out in space. Planet East Victory hung there, shimmering, smoke rising up from it, almost as if it were on the verge of melting!

The power that put Planet East Victory on the verge of melting… came from a bright, shining field of light that lit up the entire starry sky!

The light shone from the east, sweeping through the starry sky, its power dissolving anything that it touched.

Countless meteors and debris vanished without a trace, almost as if they had evaporated.

If there were some almighty figure who stood inside of that light, they would be able to see that, to the east of Planet East Victory, within the previously pitch-black void of space, there was now… suddenly… a matchlessly enormous heavenly body!

This heavenly body was crimson, as if it were formed from lava, and it emanated intense heat and light. This was… the sun!

This was one of the two heavenly bodies that existed outside of the Nine Mountains and Seas. The sun!

Outside of the Nine Mountains and Seas was an enormous sun and a gigantic moon, which maintained fixed orbits around all of the mountains and seas. Around and around, they had spun for countless years without crossing paths, and apparently, would continue to do so for an eternity.

Because of the position of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, it and the First Mountain and Sea were the places in which one could now bathe in the light of the sun and the moon. As for Planet East Victory, it was the closest one could get to the sun in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

As of this moment, there were few cultivators who could survive out in the space between the sun and Planet East Victory. The only people who could… were Dao Realm experts of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

There were other almighty figures who had long been waiting for this moment to be able to bathe in the light of the sun, and thus acquire good fortune.

Almost in the exact moment that the sun rose, numerous cultivators on Planet East Victory flew up into the sky, to feel the light of the sun, to be bathed and baptized in its light.

Such people were not qualified to go to the Namikaze Clan to bathe in the light of the sun, and could only experience a scaled-down version of it in various other regions.

Of course, in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion, the East Ascension Pavilion atop Brightmoon Lake was the absolute closest location to the East Ascension Sun. Currently, that was the most desirable place to be on the entire planet.

Other than stepping out into the starry sky itself, there was no better place to bathe in the light of the sun than the East Ascension Pavilion. Of course, no one under the Dao Realm could possibly step out into the starry sky to face the sun without dying.

As such, it is easy to imagine how precious of an opportunity it was to be present in the East Ascension Pavilion.

At the same time, the Namikaze Clan Elders mobilized 30,000 powerful experts, who sat down cross-legged, outlining the shape of a massive spell formation. When the spell formation was activated, a huge pillar of light shot up!

The pillar of light surrounded Brightmoon Lake, stretching out to a width of 9,000 meters and then shooting from the ground all the way up into the Heavens, seemingly linking them to Planet East Victory. This beam of light made it impossible for any outsider to enter that area, and made the power of the East Ascension Sun, which had already been much stronger here than in any other area, exponentially stronger than it had been before!

Within the 9,000-meter beam of light, ninety percent or more of the people were members of the Namikaze Clan. Any others were Chosen who had recently come to Planet East Victory.

You could say that even if someone merely sat down cross-legged within the light, and didn't even rise up into the sky, they would still experience incredible progress with their fleshly body. The main question was how long someone could remain in the light. If someone pushed beyond their limit, their entire body would be burned to ash.

Of course, the truly powerful experts would not be content to just sit cross-legged on the ground. They would choose to fly up into the air. The higher one flew, the closer one got to the East Ascension Sun. If one were able to reach the boundary between the planet and outer space, that person would experience unimaginable gains.

Unfortunately, throughout all the years, no one under the Dao Realm had reached such a point.

Furthermore, it was impossible to tell exactly where that point lay!

Some people said it was at 150,000 meters. Their line of reasoning was that 150,000 meters was where the sky was no longer blue, but rather, a deep violet color. Other people said that the point lay at 300,000 meters, because in that location, the sky was black, and there was little difference between that area and the starry sky itself. From there, one could look down and see the entire planet beneath one's feet.

There were some people who said the point lay at 600,000 meters, and others even said 900,000 meters. There were many opinions. However, no one could make any definite judgements. After all, the size of the planet itself actually had a lot to do with the matter.

Therefore, the exact height of the Heavens of Planet East Victory was difficult to judge.

According to the Namikaze Clan, the point of demarcation between the planet and the starry sky was set at 300,000 meters!

Right now, nobody under the Dao Realm could possibly fly to that end point of 300,000 meters!

Of course, people in the Dao Realm didn't need to passively bathe in the the light of heavenly bodies. They could fly off the planet itself and directly face the light of the sun!

Right now, within the the 9,000-meter area around Brightmoon Lake, everyone sat cross-legged, bathing in the light of East Ascension Sun. Suddenly, Menma flew out from the East Ascension Pavilion, and proceeded to shoot up into the sky without the slightest pause.

The boundless sunlight was shockingly hot. The entire world seemed visibly distorted, as if all of the moisture in the air had been completely sucked away. All of Brightmoon Lake seemed to have evaporated into a mist, and was now completely dried up.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the ground as the Namikaze Clan members around Brightmoon Lake soaked in the power of the sunlight and used it to strengthen their fleshly bodies to shocking levels.

When Menma flew out, it attracted a lot of attention. He was a Chosen, a blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan. He instantly shot up to a height of 3,000 meters with incredible speed. It was there that he took a deep breath and then settled down cross-legged, seemingly transforming into a black hole that rapidly sucked in sunlight.

A commotion immediately broke out.

"Prince Menma is really deserving of his reputation!"

"He's not just absorbing the sunlight, he's gobbling it up! What profound understanding of the East Ascension Sun!"

Even the experts and Elders in the ancestral mansion were silently nodding their heads.

The second person to fly up into the sky was Shisui, Chosen of the Uchiha Clan. His eyes flickered with a strange gleam as he flew up into the air, his expression quickly turning into one of excitement.

"The Patriarch had a magic called Sundered Night, which was created after he gained enlightenment of the rising sun…. Today, I, Shisui, will contemplate the East Ascension Sun, which will improve my own enlightenment of Sundered Night!" 1

After Shisui, it was Bisuke, who rose up into the air laughing. He was from one of the Five Holy Lands, Mount Sun, and he cultivated a magical technique that had a lot to do with the sun. Therefore, the good fortune of this day meant more to him than anyone else.

Bisuke immediately flew to a position roughly 2,400 meters high. He took a deep breath, and then… completely transformed into something that looked like a sun! Everyone who could see him was instantly shocked.

Next were Fū and Mei. The two young women flew up, one to a height of 3,000 meters, the other to a height of 2,700 meters, where they both settled cross-legged. Both of them were beautiful to begin with, but underneath the light of the sun, they were scintillating, and emanated a feeling of holiness. Anyone who saw them would feel their hearts pounding, as if they were looking at celestial beings.

Sora followed closely behind. After him were the other Namikaze Clan Chosen, among whom Dei was the swiftest. He came to a stop at a position roughly 1,800 meters high, astonishing many clan members.

Naruto released Chiriku, whose expression was somber as he stepped forward and then flew up to a height of 2,100 meters. He emanated the energy of an Emperor, causing vast quantities of sunlight to build up around him.

Of all the Chosen who flew out from East Ascension Pavilion, none stopped at a position lower than 1,200 meters. Even Hotarubi managed to make it to 1,200 meters, where he began to meditate. There were quite a few other clan members in that same position, most of whom flew up from positions surrounding Brightmoon Lake.

Naruto didn't fly up. He remained sitting cross-legged in the pavilion. The heat from the outside penetrated into his body, making him feel as if he had caught fire.

It caused beads of sweat to begin to roll down his face, all of which were pitch black. It was as if there were impurities within his body that were now being forced out. At the same time, he began to absorb some of the heat, strengthening his Chakra passageways, toughening his bones, and increasing the power of his blood and flesh.

"East Ascension Sun!" he thought, taking in a deep breath. The heat battered his face, pouring into his body, which began to tremble. After some time past, he finally flew out of the pavilion.

The instant he appeared outside, he could hear the clamor of voices. People weren't talking about him, though, they were focused on… Menma!

"21,000 meters! I can't believe Prince Menma reached 21,000 meters!"

"It's only been an hour, and he's already at 21,000 meters! the heat there could vaporize an ordinary Spirit Realm cultivator in the space of a single breath!"

"Prince Menma really deserves his reputation!"

Naruto heard the cries of surprise ringing out. Earlier, he had spent one hour inside of the pavilion to get used to the sunlight of the East Ascension Sun. Now, as he looked up into the sky, he could see the various Chosen up in their various positions high in the sky.

The highest, of course… was Menma!

He wore white garments, and floated alone at a height of 21,000 meters, grand and magnificent. Golden light surrounded him as sunlight poured into his body.

Menma's hair floated around him, making his normally handsome appearance even more shockingly elegant and graceful. Anyone who caught sight of him would be unable to withhold a cry of praise.

The three people just below Menma were Bisuke, Fū and… someone Naruto wasn't familiar with. When he had been with the other Chosen earlier, laughing and chatting, Naruto had learned that this was the Chosen from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto… Ikanago!

Seeing Ikanago reminded Naruto of someone else from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto….

"I wonder how Kazan is doing…." he thought.

When Naruto had first gotten to know all of these Chosen, Bisuke's cultivation base did not allow him to stand on a level similar to Fū. However, the magic he cultivated gave him an advantage due to being connected to the sun, and therefore, he was at the same level as the other two, 19,500 meters. Below them at the 18,000-meter mark were Mei and Shisui!

Sora, Chiriku and the others were all at the 15,000-meter level. Dei was among their number, and many were paying attention to him. The main reason for that was that he normally kept a very low profile in the Namikaze Clan, and yet on this occasion, unexpectedly made it 15,000 meters high.

Meanwhile, back in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, many of the Elders and other powerful experts were watching events play out. The Grand Elder was one of them, and as he looked at Menma's lofty position, his face was devoid of any expression. No one who looked at him would possibly be able to guess what he was thinking.

Menma's father and grandfather sat some distance away from the Grand Elder. Both of them were smiling.

"Menma has been preparing for years, building up resources, all with the goal of reaching a height of 300,000 meters…."

"If anyone can do it, it's Menma!"

Outside of the East Ascension Pavilion, Naruto watched as everyone, including Menma and the other Chosen, slowly climbed higher and higher. As they did, the good fortune they acquired increased.

Naruto's eyes glittered.

"I haven't kept a low profile at all in the Namikaze Clan, and today will be no different!

"Moreover, this sunlight will greatly benefit my fleshly body. In fact, it's possible that… I can take my fleshly body… to the level of true Immortality!"

Naruto took a deep breath and then began to rise into the air. In one simple movement, he reached 3,000 meters. He stopped there for a moment to take a breath. The sunlight distorted as it engulfed him, and was then sucked into his mouth.

Because of the massive amounts of sunlight that Naruto was absorbing, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed out!

It was a sound created from light containing natural law being accelerated to a high speed in the process of being absorbed. It was a strange sound that first sounded like rumbling, but then, if one listened closer, sounded like an enraged roar.

As the sound spread out, it immediately attracted quite a bit of attention.

"That's Naruto!"

"What was that sound just now?"

"It's coming from around Naruto! The rays of light are distorted. He's gulping them up just like Prince Menma did!"

Naruto ignored the buzz of conversation. His body felt like it was about to burst into flames. He trembled for a moment, then closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of becoming like an incarnation of flame. His fleshly body was on fire, and because of it, was in the midst of transforming!

"Wonderful," he thought, opening his eyes. Flames danced within his pupils. He threw his head back and laughed, then proceeded on higher. He was now at the 6,000-meter position!

As soon as he arrived, the other clan members at the 6,000-meter position looked over at him. Hotarubi was there, and when he saw Naruto, he started to get excited.

Naruto took a second deep breath, sucking in more sunlight. The intense temperatures around him turned into a whirlpool, and he was completely inundated by sunlight.

Yet again, that strange noise emanated out!

Next, Naruto laughed and then proceeded on a third time, then a fourth, then a fifth!

9,000 meters. 12,000 meters. 15,000 meters!

The shocking sound echoed out yet again, three times! RUUUMMMMBLLLE!

Everything in the area shook, and the clan members sitting cross-legged on the ground, bathing in the sunlight, began to look up, startled by the sound. When they saw what was happening, their expressions flickered with shock and astonishment.

They weren't the only surprised ones. All of the people at the 15,000-meter position were shaken as they personally watched Naruto approaching at top speed. Every time he moved, he rose 3,000 meters, and creating massive rumbling sounds!

"Five steps to get 15,000 meters! Naruto… isn't just astonishingly skilled in the Dao of alchemy, his fleshly body is incredibly powerful!"

"It takes a strong cultivation base to bathe in the sunlight, but even more important is a strong fleshly body to support you! Without that, if you climb too high, you'll be instantly killed!"

In the ancestral mansion, a strange gleam could be seen in the Grand Elder's eyes as he watched Naruto. Menma's father and grandfather were frowning. As for all the direct bloodline clan members, they were starting to get excited. Hotarubi's father, 19th Uncle, was laughing happily.

Naruto took a deep breath as he hovered there at the 15,000-meter position. He took a moment to experience the shocking temperature, and the sunlight that was apparently capable of refining his body. He felt as if his entire person were being refined inside of some sort of furnace of Heaven and Earth.

"With Heaven and Earth as the furnace, pills can be refined, and so can people!" Naruto moved onward. To the shock of the other clan members at the 15,000-meter location, it only took one movement for him to shoot another 3,000 meters to the 18,000-meter position!

By this time, Menma had reached 27,000 meters. Bisuke, Ikanago, and Fū were at the 24,000-meter position, and Mei was only 3,000 meters away from Naruto's current location!

By now, all of them had noticed Naruto. Of course, none of them were surprised to see him climbing so high. Deep in all of their hearts, they had long since begun to consider Naruto to be Chosen just like them.

This was especially true of Li Linge'r, who knew that Naruto and Kazama were one and the same. Seeing him below her, she clenched her teeth and pushed on higher.

Menma, at the 27,000-meter position, wore the same facial expression as usual. When he looked down at Naruto below him, a flicker of scorn could be seen in his eyes. He didn't care that Naruto was rising higher; he chose to disregard him the way he always had.

"My goal is 300,000 meters," Menma murmured. "I don't need to compare myself to others.

"As I continue to advance on my path, I will surpass everyone and leave them in my dust….

"I will be the person that everyone tries to catch up to. Naruto… your goal is most likely to outdo me. Well, you'll have to work a bit harder. Don't get left too far behind." With that, Menma pushed higher, stepping into the 30,000-meter position.

The instant Menma stepped into the 30,000-meter position, the Namikaze Clan members started getting excited.

"30,000 meters! Prince Menma is the first person to reach 30,000 meters this time!"

"It was inevitable. A hundred years ago, Prince Menma was already close to the Immortal Realm, and in the end, he reached over 69,000 meters!"

"After a hundred years of cultivation, Prince Menma is definitely going to exceed 150,000 meters!"

Discussions raged. When he was born, Menma had not been the center of attention in the Namikaze Clan. That spot had originally been occupied by Naruto.

However, in the hundreds of years after Naruto's parents took him away from Planet East Victory, Menma slowly became the focus, and eventually, the leader of his generation of the clan.

With a status and position like that, as well as the fact that his father and grandfather were leading his bloodline into prominence, Menma had become the most famous person of his generation.

After reaching the 30,000-meter mark, Menma took a deep breath. Cracking sounds could be heard from his body as the boundless sunlight washed over him. When he looked down, he saw everyone beneath him, and although his expression was the same as ever, in his heart, he felt as if he were trampling on the world, proudly placing everyone beneath his feet.

"From up here, they look like ants.

"It is destiny. I am the first person to reach 30,000 meters, therefore, I am also destined to lead the pack the entire way. I will forever… leave everyone behind in my shadow.

"That is because I have only used thirty percent of my cultivation base to reach this 30,000-meter mark." Menma smiled and closed his eyes. After a few breaths of time, his eyes opened, and his cultivation base surged. A windstorm kicked up around him, inwardly shaking anyone who looked at it.

The windstorm grew more and more powerful. After three breaths of time, Menma advanced, causing rumbling sounds to echo out. He picked up speed as he flew up into the sky. In the blink of an eye, he was three thousand meters higher. Then six thousand. In the time it takes to breathe in and out, shockingly, he was 45,000 meters high.

He didn't stop there. He continued, his cultivation base surging. Golden light surrounded him, and he turned into a golden streak that shot to a height of 54,000 meters.

From that position, he overlooked all the lands, and his heart filled with even more intense pride.

All of the Namikaze Clan members below stared up with wide eyes. Bisuke was the second to reach 30,000 meters. After him were Fū and Ikanago, who reached 30,000 meters at almost exactly the same time.

Bisuke let out a long cry as sunlight surrounded him. He looked like he was a sun of his own, battling to outshine the sun in the sky. Amorphous flames surrounded him, and surprisingly… he did much the same as Menma had, shooting up to 45,000 meters, garnering mass attention.

However, moments later, Fū and Ikanago also unleashed their cultivation bases. To Chosen like this, reaching 30,000 meters was simply a warmup. After getting accustomed to their surroundings… they would be able to acquire the true good fortune!

The higher they got, the greater that good fortune would be!

Fū was surrounded by a magical sea that seemed to sweep her up along with it as it rose higher, to a height of 48,000 meters. At the same time, Bisuke, despite his special method, was beginning to fall behind.

Ikanago from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto was surrounded by sword light as he shot upward, reaching a spot somewhere between Fū and Bisuke.

Then there were Mei, Shisui, Sora and Chiriku, all of whom reached 30,000 meters, then unleashed their cultivation bases and began to shoot higher.

The explosive rise of the Chosen caused the Namikaze Clan members down below to be completely shocked. They knew that in the future, these Chosen would be the most powerful experts in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Were it not for the fact that they had been waiting for Immortal destiny, any one of them could have long since entered the Immortal Realm. They had built up resources and prepared for years, and once they fused with an Immortality Illumination Vine, they would instantly be able to explode to the peak of the Immortal Realm.

"30,000 meters is only the first step for them. After that, they unleash their cultivation bases, utilizing indescribable energy!"

"Luckily, our Namikaze Clan's Prince Menma is in first place!"

"With Prince Menma here, all of the other Chosen from the Ninth Mountain and Sea will have to hold the Namikaze Clan in awe!"

At the same time that the Chosen started rocketing skyward, Naruto advanced for the eighth time, then the ninth, and the tenth.

24,000 meters. 27,000 meters. 30,000 meters!

He moved with incredible speed, 3,000 meters per movement, quickly joining the group of people who had made it to the 30,000-meter point. There, he took a deep breath and looked down at the shrinking land beneath his feet. He saw the ancestral mansion, and all the vast lands surrounding it, including the mountain range that was the Dao of Alchemy Division.

The sunlight here was incredibly intense and hot, enough to melt a Spirit Realm cultivator. Of course, to Naruto… that was not enough to prevent him from advancing.

As he breathed, the heat fused into his body. Sweat poured out of him, each drop of which removed impurities from his body.

He was slowly becoming transparent, and his fleshly body was becoming increasingly powerful.

He clenched his hands into fists, cracking his knuckles as he felt himself growing stronger and stronger.

"The warmup is finished. Now… it's time to burst out!" Eyes glittering, he took a deep breath, and then, his cultivation base began to seethe, and suddenly exploded with power. A vortex formed around him in the blink of an eye.

The vortex spread out in all directions, becoming like a massive black hole that sucked in all of the light and heat and merged it into Naruto's body. In that instant, he suddenly shot up at high speed.

The sight was shocking, causing all of the countless Namikaze Clan members down below to gasp.

They watched as Naruto sped upward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Nothing could stand in his way. No obstacle could obstruct him. Rumbling filled the air as he reached 39,000 meters. 45,000 meters. 54,000 meters….

He passed Mei and the others. He passed Bisuke. He passed Fū and Ikanago. As he did, their eyes widened. Then he shot even higher.

In the blink of an eye, he reached 60,000 meters!

This development sent huge waves of shock through the Namikaze Clan members down below. Their eyes went wide with disbelief, and hoarse exclamations rang out.

"That's… that's impossible!"

"He exploded with speed after 30,000 meters, advancing another 30,000 meters in the blink of an eye! I can't believe Naruto… is so shocking!"

"He's the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. Naruto! Back when he was here in the clan, Menma was nothing. Naruto is the true Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!"

Amidst the uproar from the crowd, almost exactly at the same time as Naruto flew past the 60,000-meter mark, he was joined by Menma!

Menma was completely shocked, but his expression soon filled with determination. Without the slightest hesitation, he caused his cultivation base to surge, holding nothing back as he flew higher, neck and neck with Naruto.

At the same time, Fū and the others near her looked on in shock. Then they pushed hard with their cultivation bases, flying higher. Mei and all the other Chosen were the same. Thanks to the provocation from Naruto, all of them pushed higher.

RUMMBLLE!

From the ground, it looked like numerous beams of light were slicing through the air. Highest of all were the two beams of light that were Naruto and Menma, and it was impossible to tell who was in front and who was behind.

Further back were Fū and Ikanago, speeding along. Mei was close behind, as was Bisuke, thanks to his special technique.

As for everyone else, none were very far behind, and were working hard to catch up.

"Barely two hours have passed. And yet, each rising of the East Ascension Sun lasts for 36 days!"

"Are these people crazy, or what?! And look! Naruto is going neck and neck with Menma!"

"They're not crazy. That's called being competitive!"

The crowds below felt their hearts trembling. Hotarubi remained at a position several thousand meters up, and even there, it was difficult for him to absorb the heat and light. Despite that, he was very excited.

He looked up at Naruto shooting higher and higher, and his expression was one of extreme enthusiasm.

"Coz, you definitely have to exceed Menma!"

In the ancestral mansion, the Namikaze Clan Elders were all looking up into the sky, watching as the Chosen used this unique method to engage in battle. The Grand Elder's face was expressionless; on the other hand, Menma's father and grandfather, who were not too far away from the Grand Elder, looked extremely grim.

All of the members of the direct bloodline were very excited.

The members of the Dao of Alchemy Division were more excited than anyone else, and were all watching the developments with rapt attention.

"That's Alchemist Naruto!" people cried out. There were now more than ten tier 8 alchemists in the inner mountains who were paying close attention to the proceedings. They were smiling as they watched, but at the same time, their hands never ceased moving as they continuously concocted medicinal pills.

To the Dao of Alchemy Division, the rise of the East Ascension Sun was the perfect time to concoct fire-type medicinal pills!

Pill Elder Isago sat cross-legged on the mountain peak with the Unicorn Immortals. Shockingly, a seven-colored flame could be seen in the palm of his hand, within which a medicinal pill was beginning to form.

If Naruto were there, he would instantly recognize the pill that was being concocted. It was none other than… a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

High up in the sky, the sunlight was extremely intense. The higher one got, the more capable it was of burning away anything and everything. Menma's expression was grim as he unleashed all of his power. However, he was still incapable of passing up Naruto. At the moment, neither of them had seized the highest position.

66,000 meters. 72,000 meters. 78,000 meters. 84,000 meters….

It was at that point that Menma snorted coldly. His body trembled for a moment, and then he suddenly exploded with golden light. Within that golden light, he seemed to turn completely golden. Simultaneously, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and he suddenly shot up with incredible speed.

"I will always be the person you hope to exceed!" he said. Even as Naruto heard his words, Menma shot past him. In the space of a few breaths of time, Menma reached the 90,000-meter mark!

But then, Naruto's Dharma Idol appeared behind him as well, and his speed also increased dramatically. He also shot up to 90,000 meters in exactly the same way Menma had moments before!

"You think a bit too highly of yourself," he said coolly.

As soon as Menma reached the 90,000-meter mark, he paused. His looked deeply at Naruto for a moment, then ignored him and settled himself cross-legged to meditate.

Naruto's expression flickered as he realized that the sky at 90,000 meters was not blue, but almost violet. Furthermore… the sunlight here was also violet!

Apparently, 90,000 meters was a line of demarcation. Naruto hesitated for a moment, then crossed his legs and began to breathe deeply. A vortex formed around him as he began to absorb the indescribably hot, violet sunlight.

His fleshly body was now becoming even more powerful!

Soon, he would reach a critical point, the threshold of a true Immortal fleshly body!

The violet sunlight contained shocking heat. It was like a violet sea of flames that submerged Naruto inside of it, burning him inside and out. He was engulfed in flames.

The impurities within him were being thoroughly scorched away, causing his fleshly body to draw ever closer to that of a true Immortal.

Menma was also absorbing the light and heat. One by one, Fū and some of the others arrived at the 90,000-meter level. All of them crossed their legs and began to meditate, absorbing the violet sunlight to strengthen their fleshly bodies.

Most of the other cultivators were down below, beneath the 30,000-meter mark. There were only a handful who were hovering at around 60,000 meters. The division between the various groups was very clear.

In the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion, the Elders were watching the unfolding events closely. As they did, the conversed among themselves.

"The Heavens at 90,000 meters are violet. At 180,000 meters, they become deep violet that borders on black. At 270,000 meters, they're pitch black!"

"Each of these 3 strata of height will provide shocking results in terms of fleshly body tempering. I wonder if anyone will be able to reach 180,000 meters this time!?"

"For countless years, less than thirty people have ever been able to reach 180,000 meters."

Time passed. Eight or nine people were now at the 90,000-meter level, including Naruto. All of them had their eyes closed in meditation as they absorbed the violet sunlight. It was also possible to see vortexes spinning around all of them like black holes as they voraciously swallowed up the heat and sunlight.

The most astonishing of all of these were the black holes around Naruto and Menma, which were hundreds of meters wide, and absorbed all of the violet sunlight in their respective areas.

The entire time, it was high noon. The more than 60 hours that passed by were equivalent to the normal passing of three days.

When the 100th hour arrived, Bisuke was the first person to open his eyes. He took a deep breath as rumbling sounds echoed out. His eyes shone with a brilliant light, and incredible heat radiated off of him as he rose to his feet.

"My body has reached its limit here at 90,000 meters. An obstacle has appeared that prevents me from absorbing any more…. The only thing I can do… is to go higher and absorb more intense sunlight and heat. Only then can I destroy that barrier and push my fleshly body to another breakthrough!" He looked around at the others near him, and his gaze eventually came to rest on Naruto and Menma.

"To be born in the same era as them… is both a blessing and a curse." He sighed lightly, then gritted his teeth. Eyes shining with determination, he took a deep breath and raised his right hand. A stone suddenly appeared in his palm which, despite the violet light surrounding it, still emanated bright golden rays.

"Sun Immortal Veins!" he roared, clasping the stone tightly. Behind him, an enormous Dharma Idol appeared, several thousand meters tall. Shockingly, the Dharma Idol depicted Bisuke himself, and the Immortality Illumination Vine wrapping around it appeared to be burning.

At the same time, a pattern of veins suddenly spread out across Bisuke's entire body, causing him to surge with shocking power.

"When this is over, it doesn't matter what the level of my fleshly body is! I'm going into secluded meditation, and I'm going to break through to the Immortal Realm!" Bisuke's body burned like a shooting star as he shot past the 90,000-meter level, rapidly rising several thousand meters. He reached the 120,000-meter level in the space of a few breaths, which was when he finally started to slow down. Despite that, he gritted his teeth and continued onward.

He next broke through to 150,000 meters. At 159,000 meters, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the stone in his hand began to crumble. His body looked as if it was about to melt, but he forcibly held it together, crossed his legs, and began to meditate.

"I still have three of these precious Divine Sunstones. However… this is the absolute limit for my fleshly body. If I go forward even one more meter, then I'll die!" His expression was one of defiance, and yet, he closed his eyes and absorbed the sunlight madly.

Soon after, Chiriku opened his eyes. His energy surged like that of an Emperor as he produced a crown and placed it on his head. Then, he began to rise, struggling to a height of 156,000 meters before finally coming to a stop.

Shisui followed close behind Chiriku. His cultivation base roared as a strange aura appeared around him that seemed to contain elements of the rising sun. In his hand was a jade slip that seemed able to dispel any darkness of night that he might perceive around him. Shockingly, he rose to a height of 162,000 meters!

When the 126th hour arrived, Mei opened her eyes. At the same time, so did Sora. Neither of them looked at the other, and yet they simultaneously produced objects from within their robes.

Mei pulled out a magical bottle that rose to float above her head. Occasionally, drops of liquid would seep out. When they splashed onto Mei, they transformed into steam that she then absorbed.

Sora pulled out a Esoteric Compass composed entirely of translucent crystal, which emanated a pulsating Chakra that he breathed in through his nose and mouth.

Similar to Bisuke, these two were using items prepared especially for them by their respective organizations, treasures useful in resisting sunlight. Their energy surged, and they shot higher up at almost the exact same time.

"They're Chosen, but so am I!" thought Sora. "Only by trampling them beneath my feet can I succeed in treading my path!"

"Immortal destiny has appeared, and I have an Immortality Illumination Vine," thought Mei. "I can see my path to Immortality, and I will succeed!"

120,000 meters. 150,000 meters…. At 165,000 meters, Sora coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was wreathed in flames, and he finally had no choice but to stop. Mei held on until 174,000 meters before stopping, her face pale. Blood oozed out of her mouth, which instantly transformed into a bloody steam.

Sora chuckled bitterly, closed his eyes, and began to absorb sunlight. Mei said nothing. She looked at the 180,000-meter position, only a few thousand meters away, and sighed inwardly.

Her current position was the absolute limit for her fleshly body.

Time passed. When the 200th hour arrived, Ikanago from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto and Fū both opened their eyes. They, too, produced sun-resisting treasures and flew up at high speed. They passed everyone, reaching 177,000 meters before their faces went pale and they started to slow down. However, they still managed to force their way to a height of 180,000 meters before they each coughed up three successive mouthfuls of blood, then trembled and settled down cross-legged, their bodies wreathed in flames.

This scene caused all the observing Namikaze Clan members to tremble inwardly with shock.

"They… really deserve to be called Chosen!"

"All of them are fighting with all of their might! For their own Dao, for the path they wish to tread!"

"As Chosen, the pressure they feel and the responsibility they have are equally weighty! They aren't willing to let others supersede them, and they're all striving to leave behind their own mark of glory…."

When the 240th hour arrived, only Naruto and Menma remained at the 90,000-meter mark. At this point, Menma's eyes opened, and he looked over at Naruto, his expression grim.

"Still haven't reached your limit yet…? Well, that doesn't matter. Goals are everything, and I… have only one goal. To reach 300,000 meters!" Eyes shining brightly, he rose to his feet. Unlike the other Chosen, he used no precious treasure. Instead, his energy burst out, sending golden light emanating out in all directions.

Finally, his Dharma Idol appeared!

In addition to the golden light, his body emanated the aura of reincarnation. It grew stronger and stronger until, in the end, it created a vortex around him. Menma then began to rise up higher into the sky.

In one move, he rose 30,000 meters!

When he reached 120,000 meters, he began to slow down. However, Fū and everyone else up ahead him looked on with wide eyes.

"He's not using any magical items! He's relying only on his cultivation base and his fleshly body!"

"He's using a unique divine ability. That's the aura of reincarnation…. That must be one of the Namikaze Clan's special magics, One Thought Reincarnation Incantation!"

Everyone in the Namikaze Clan was watching as Menma reached the 120,000-meter mark, including the Elders in the ancestral mansion.

"Reincarnation Second Life!" roared Menma. Immediately, the aura of reincarnation that surrounded him exploded out. Rumbling could be heard as, shockingly… a second Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

This Dharma Idol didn't look like his first Dharma Idol. It was blurry and unclear.

As soon as the second Dharma Idol appeared, Menma's body flickered, and he continued to advance, quickly reaching a height of 150,000 meters.

A hubbub of conversation rose up from down below, and shock filled the hearts of Sora and the other Chosen.

"Reincarnation Third Life!" Menma cried out. As his shocking call echoed about… a third Dharma Idol appeared behind him. His cultivation base roared to monstrous heights as he advanced a third time. Rumbling could be heard as he instantly reached a height of 180,000 meters!

He planned to put everyone beneath his feet!

All the crowds were in an uproar. Actually, not everyone in the Namikaze Clan could actually see 180,000 meters into the sky. Only the most powerful experts could do so. However, those who could see were incredibly excited, especially the members of Menma's bloodline, who were elated.

"The Reincarnation Incantation can reincarnate four lives. Prince Menma's latent talent is so shocking that he's already refined three lives!"

"He… he isn't even in the Immortal Realm yet! Once he breaks through, he'll definitely be a 90-meridian peak Immortal!"

"With a Chosen like that, our Namikaze Clan is destined to last throughout the ages!"

Menma hovered at a height of 180,000 meters. From this vantage point, he could see the arcing curvature of the planet, and almost seemed to be floating in the starry sky. He did not cough up any blood as he looked down at the other Chosen with their varied expressions, and at Naruto.

When he looked at Naruto, he realized that Naruto's eyes were not closed. Instead, he was staring back at Menma with an abstruse look in his eyes.

Naruto had actually opened his eyes earlier, when Menma had begun to fly up. The instant their eyes met, Menma could see a piercing glow in Naruto's eyes, and a smile on his face.

Next, Naruto's lips moved slightly, and although he didn't speak, Menma instantly knew what he was saying.

"Are my Nirvana Fruits working well for you?"

Immediately, Menma's eyes widened, and his expression turned grim.

When Menma started flying higher into the sky earlier, Naruto awoke from meditation, not naturally, but because he had felt the intense sensation of something calling to him, something very familiar.

That sense of familiarity came from Menma.

It was a sensation like nothing else, and it came specifically from Menma's second and third Dharma Idols. It was now obvious that they were calling out to Naruto's blood.

He had felt that there was something familiar about Menma's aura from the very beginning. He'd had his speculations, but it wasn't until now that those speculations were validated. 1

From Menma's second and third Dharma Idols, Naruto got the feeling that… they actually belonged to him.

They were… manifestations of his Nirvana Fruits!

Now that the truth had presented itself in front of Naruto, he was unexpectedly calm. The entire clan had witnessed the Grand Elder giving him "his" Nirvana Fruits, so bringing up the subject would be useless.

Naruto smiled, a cold smile that contained no anger, but rather, calmness.

He slowly stood up, then began to fly upward, relying on no magical items to resist the sunlight and heat. He put the matter of the Nirvana Fruits aside for now, and instead focused on a Daoist incantation.

Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

Flame Character Incantation!

A blistering heat rose up inside of him that rapidly spread throughout his entire body. The heat turned into a sea of flames that spread out from Naruto, raging up to merge with the violet sunlight and absorb its heat.

His Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and it was also surrounded by a sea of flames, making it look incredibly shocking.

In that moment, his fleshly body seemed to be on the verge of making a breakthrough as he madly absorbed all of the intense heat around him.

Within his mind was not just the Flame Character Incantation; he also had the Withering Character Incantation and the Self Character Incantation. These three Daoist incantations all seemed to merge together inside of him. Under the intense heat, Naruto's body began to wither, and yet, within that withering was an intense life force. 2

In fact, as he withered, more violet sunlight and even more intense heat were incited by the Flame Character Incantation, causing his body to recover. The withering was then focused inside of him, transforming into a true black hole.

Naruto's Flame Character Incantation rapidly solidified as it absorbed the vast amounts of violet sunlight, causing the incantation to become thoroughly completed.

"The Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao contains seven incantations," Naruto murmured. As of this moment, he gained more understanding of this Daoist magic that he had picked up in that primordial Demon Immortal Sect.

"Even so, it doesn't quite measure up to the Namikaze Clan's Reincarnation Incantation." Naruto sighed. The One Thought Reincarnation Incantation was one of the four great Daoist magics of the Namikaze Clan, and was famous throughout the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Those four great Daoist magics were Daos of the clan, and even Naruto couldn't study them unless he exchanged enough merit points for it. Even then, he wouldn't personally be able to master them without the help of a Patriarch-level expert.

"Fire…. Light…." Naruto was suddenly lost in thought, and began to see images in his mind. Within the vision, he saw a spherical mass of fire and light that was like a sun, or an eye.

It was none other than… the Essence of Divine Flame beneath the lands of Lands of Ninshu!

That was the most intense mass of fire and light that Naruto had ever seen in his entire life!

He closed his eyes and began to recall his experience with the Essence of Divine Flame. Things began to grow clearer as he remembered returning to the third level of the underground land. In the moment that he had acquired some of that Essence, what he had seen was not the light of a sun, but rather… the flaming eye formed by the Essence of Divine Flame!

In the same moment that Naruto was experiencing this vision, back in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, in the third level of that underground land, a place guarded by all the bizarre beasts, within a world of flames, the eye of the Essence of Divine Flame suddenly… opened!

The moment that the eye opened, it seemed to form a resonance with the image of the Essence of Divine Flame that existed in Naruto's mind. Rumbling sounds could be heard, and Naruto's energy level suddenly began to rise.

At the same time, the sea of flames around Naruto suddenly turned black. They swirled around him, transforming into an enormous spherical globe.

Naruto existed in the very center of that globe, held up by his Dharma Idol. From a distance, it almost looked like he had… become a sun!

This sun was far bigger and more realistic than the sun created by Bisuke's divine ability, and the heat it radiated was boundless.

Down in the ancestral mansion, the faces of the Elders who were watching the scene instantly flickered with shock. Even the Grand Elder, who had remained completely calm this entire time, felt his eyes going wide.

"That's… a projection! A projection of the sun!"

"What divine ability is Naruto using!? I can't believe he's created a projection of the actual sun!"

"In all the past years, only two people have ever created a projection of the sun during the rise of the East Ascension Sun, and they were Patriarchs, tens of thousands of years ago! And yet Naruto… is actually doing just that!"

Deep down in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, in a stony cavern, seven archaic old men sat cross-legged.

These seven were all incredibly famous figures. If they emerged into the outside world, they would cause a huge stir in the starry sky, and could suppress all living things.

They sat cross-legged in meditation, and looked as if no aura of life existed in them whatsoever. The color of their clothing was varied, and currently, the old man who wore a crimson robe suddenly opened his eyes.

He slowly raised his head, and his gaze penetrated through the rock and stone into the outside world.

"The aura of Essence…."

Back outside, in the 90,000-meter position up in the sky, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. To those looking on, it appeared as if he was surrounded by a projection of the sun. However, Naruto knew that this was not the case. Instead… he had used his memories of the Essence of Divine Flame, as well as the Flame Character Incantation, to borrow the power of the sun and copy its image.

He looked up at Menma in his position at the 180,000-meter mark, and his expression became even more placid than before. Then, he lifted his right leg and then pushed it down, propelling himself high into the air!

It was one movement, but it caused massive rumbling to fill the air. The void rippled, and even the sun high in the sky seemed to distort. At the same time, the sun surrounding Naruto began to expand.

The path that stretched out in front of Naruto's eyes seemed to shrink, as if the intervening 90,000 meters were nothing more than a single meter!

One movement spanned a single meter… but caused him to leap 90,000 meters! 3

He passed Mei, superseded Chiriku and Bisuke, and appeared directly above Fū!

He… moved directly to a height of 180,000 meters. When he appeared next to Menma, Menma's eyes widened, and he shook visibly.

Naruto was now radiating boundless violet light in the shape of a sun. It was a sight that shook Heaven and Earth, leaving everyone astonished. People watching from down below even had the mistaken impression that the sun had descended!

"You!" said Menma. This was the first time he had become flustered. His face flickered, and he was so shaken by Naruto that he involuntarily retreated backward.

Fū was panting as she stared up at Naruto. She had to admit that as of this moment, Naruto was shocking even to her. He had formed a projection of the sun, and crossed 90,000 meters in a single movement! It was terrifying!

Ikanago of the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto looked on with a sharp gaze, virtually unable to believe the feeling of defeat that existed in his heart.

Mei took a deep breath as she gaped in shock. She knew that Naruto was Kazama, and she knew that with his latent talent, he was the number one figure in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Even still, she was once again completely shaken by him.

Gradually, Naruto's position in her mind was reaching the pinnacle, like a huge mountain that was impossible to supersede.

Sora trembled and bitterly lowered his head. Bisuke stared blankly for a long moment before sighing.

"It is a blessing to be able to live in the same age as him, and thus, bear witness to his actions. It is a curse… because his brilliance casts everyone else in shadow."

Shisui's fists were clenched tightly, and deep inside, he wanted to fight. His gaze was defiant as he repeatedly told himself that his surname was Uchiha, and that the surname Uchiha… had a very special meaning!

To be a Chosen of the Uchiha Clan meant that you didn't lose to anyone!

Chiriku was shaken, and chuckled bitterly. He actually had no desire to compete with Naruto, and yet, he still sighed.

Naruto hovered at the 180,000-meter position. Here, the sky was deep violet, almost black. It was so dark that only by looking closely could you pick up the violet hues. In addition, the sunlight was vastly more powerful than at the 90,000-meter position, so much so that it seemed capable of melting the body.

Even magical items would be instantly transformed into a liquid that would quickly become nothing more than steam.

However, Naruto's expression was calm. He was like a black hole, furiously absorbing the sunlight and heat. The sun that surrounded him looked just as magnificent as the sun that hung up above in the Heavens.

Naruto turned to look at the grim-faced Menma.

"Menma," he said calmly. "Do you want to have a little competition? Let's see… who can go the highest!"

Menma's eyes widened as he stared at Naruto.

"We don't even need to bet anything specific," Naruto said with a slight smile. "However, the winner will get to punch the loser. Once. It's just that… I really feel like punching you."

Menma snorted coldly, declining to say anything in response. Instead, he responded with action. The three Dharma Idols behind him suddenly exploded with power, and he himself shot high up into the sky.

Naruto's expression was the same as usual. As soon as Menma flew up, he followed, and the two of them turned into bright streaks of light that shot upward.

In the blink of an eye, they had reached 210,000 meters!

Naruto's entire body was covered in flames. The sun which surrounded him was still in place, despite the fact that the light and heat here was ten times as powerful as it had been at the 180,000-meter position. Menma was trembling, and the Dharma Statues behind him fell to pieces. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a medicinal pill, which he immediately swallowed.

It was a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and as soon as he consumed it, he threw his head back and roared, then shot even higher than before.

225,000 meters. 240,000 meters!

The sky was now completely black. Menma's body was in flames, and fissures were spreading out across his skin. Even with the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, he was incapable of staying at such a height for very long.

Naruto's sun was beginning to collapse, and his body withered. His flesh and blood appeared to be evaporating and dispersing. The intensity at the 240,000-meter position was ten times as powerful as before, and the heat and light had reached a terrifying level. However, even as his body withered, he looked over at Menma with a cold gaze.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Can't keep up?"

To Menma, this incredible heat and light was terrifying. It was the same for Naruto. However, there was something unique about Naruto; however ruthlessly he treated others… he treated himself even more ruthlessly.

Naruto also had a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and yet, he didn't consume it. He wanted to use Menma's arrogance to bring him down, to openly, and without any tricks, mess with him until he was destroyed and brought to ruin!

He also wanted to damage Menma's Dao heart, by defeating him without even needing to consume a single medicinal pill. It would be like a mortal blow to Menma.

Considering Menma's level of intelligence, how could he not understand that Naruto was leading him on? This was obviously… a battle for the position of number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan!

As of this moment, all of the Namikaze Clan's experts, all of the Elders, and even the Grand Elder, were paying rapt attention!

Menma's eyes were bright red as he glared at Naruto. The pride in his heart had been trampled upon; he had already consumed the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and yet… he was still not able to shake Naruto.

Even more impossible for him to accept was that from the very beginning until now, Naruto still had not used any external aid. He was relying only on his fleshly body and cultivation base, and yet was still capable of reaching this incredible height.

That fact was a massive blow to Menma.

"I'm the number one Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!" he thought, gritting his teeth. "From the moment I was born, I was destined… to shake the Ninth Mountain and Sea!" He lifted his right hand, within which appeared a bone fragment.

It was covered with intricately carved magical symbols, and emanated a barbaric aura, as well as a feeling of incredible ancientness. Menma violently clenched his hand around the bone fragment, which did not fracture, but rather sank down into the flesh of his palm.

Drops of blood appeared, along with a faint, bizarre power. As the pieces of the bone fragment merged into his body, Menma began to tremble, and blue veins popped out on his face.

"I, Menma… will never lose!" As he spoke the words, rumbling echoed out, and he once again rose higher into the sky.

Naruto's eyes flickered. He could have allowed his Eternal Stratum to heal him, but had not done so yet. He wanted to completely and utterly destroy Menma's self-confidence, to thoroughly crush him and drag him down into destruction.

Enduring the intense light and heat, Naruto also shot upward.

The two of them became beams of colorful light as they ascended. Anyone who could see them, be they the Chosen from the various clans or the Namikaze Clan experts, watched as Naruto and Menma shot up into the sky with determination and roiling energy.

249,000 meters!

Rumbling echoed out at this incredibly high position. Blood sprayed from Menma's mouth; even with the power of the bone fragment, he had barely managed to force his way those extra 9,000 meters higher. This position was truly his final limit.

He had possessed only one Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. Such pills were rare, even for Menma. His father and grandfather had paid a steep price to get their hands on a single Skypalace Sunspirit Pill from the Dao of Alchemy Division.

After all, the Dao of Alchemy Division could act autonomously in the clan, and not even the Grand Elder could give them orders, unless the clan was in a state of war.

In the same moment that Menma couldn't hold out any longer, the black sun surrounding Naruto suddenly crumbled away in layers, transforming into countless fragments that rapidly evaporated due to the intense heat.

Naruto was now completely exposed, and his skin began to wither up. Soon, he looked like nothing more than a desiccated corpse that might melt away into death at any moment.

And yet, his eyes sparkled as he looked at Menma.

"Admit defeat?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Menma's heart trembled as he gazed upon Naruto's intense strength. He saw Naruto's withered body, and to Menma, it appeared as if he could proceed higher only a few hundred meters, Naruto would be unable to keep up, and would be killed by the power of the sun.

As he hovered there silently, a gleam of madness suddenly appeared in his eyes. He said nothing, but instead threw his head back and let out a mighty roar. His body shook as his three Dharma Idols suddenly appeared.

"Three Lives of Reincarnation! Glory of a Lifetime!" he howled, flashing an incantation gesture that caused all three Dharma Idols to superimpose. Next, an aura that appeared to be Menma's rose up, growing stronger and stronger until it reached a boundless level.

"I am Menma, and I… will NEVER lose!" He clenched his teeth and once again rose up higher, surrounded by rumbling sounds. As he soared higher, his body began to wither, and the flame of his life force began to grow dim. And yet, looking every bit like a shooting star, he continued to rise higher.

252,000 meters. 258,000 meters. 267,000 meters!

Menma's blood was being transformed into mist as he pushed himself higher. Naruto followed silently, and his body became even more withered. His cultivation base was in full rotation, and his Dharma Idol was supporting him from behind. His energy was operating at the full peak.

Especially noteworthy was his Immortal meridian, which glowed with intense light that filled his body. A Blood Demon head materialized around him, and the Ninth Mountain appeared, as well as the Black White Pearls.

He also used A Writ of Karma, as well as various other divine abilities and magical techniques. His aura surged to its limit as he combined everything at his disposal to keep pace with Menma. Soon, he too arrived at the 267,000-meter position.

It was at that point that Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was now withered virtually to its limit, to the point where it seemed that if Menma took only one more step, Naruto would be left behind and would be unable to keep up.

Menma looked at Naruto, and his eyes blazed with the desire to fight. From the very beginning until this very moment, Naruto had constantly seemed to be on the verge of death. And yet, as he advanced, he was not melted by the sun.

Menma had already gone all out, and had almost reached 270,000 meters, and yet, it seemed that he would be incapable of surpassing Naruto.

Both Naruto and Menma hovered at 267,000 meters, and neither one of them was in the lead position.

"Naruto…." said Menma. He gazed at Naruto with a look of madness. Panting, he slowly lifted up his right foot. It was a simple motion, but it caused his body to tremble violently, clearly on the verge of complete collapse.

At that point, back down in the ancestral mansion, Menma's father's face fell, and he suddenly called out.

"Menma, just remain in that position and meditate! Get used to your surroundings before proceeding higher!" It wasn't just Menma's father who had such a reaction. There were other Elders of his bloodline who all started calling out to Menma to stop trying to get higher.

"Menma, don't fall into his vicious plot! Don't be rash!"

"Menma, you need to rest and adjust your breathing! Your goal has nothing to do with other people, it is Heaven itself!"

Menma said nothing. Neither did Naruto, who simply hovered off to the side, looking coldly at Menma.

Time passed. After the space of several breaths had passed, Menma's eyes suddenly filled with determination and he stared at Naruto.

"I know the meaning behind your actions earlier," he said. "I also know what you're trying to do. You want to coax me into competing with you in the hopes of delivering a blow to my Dao heart. Such things… I understand." His eyes gleamed with the light of obsession.

"However!" he continued. "I am Menma, and I won't lose to anyone. You want to fight? Then let's fight! You want to compete? I'll compete with you! I'm going to move one step further, and if you're good enough, see if you can keep up!" Eyes bloodshot, Menma lowered his right foot and moved higher again.

In that instant, his grandfather let out a bellow of rage.

"Menma, get back here!"

Rumbling echoed out. As Menma finished moving up, blood spurted out all over his body, and his hair was burned completely away. His skin began to burst, and he appeared to be engulfed in a sea of flames.

He even began to stagger, as if he couldn't support his own weight. However, at the same time that this was happening, Naruto also moved higher. Similar rumbling echoed out, and he was also inundated in a sea of flames. He also began to tremble, and yet… he remained solidly in place. Then he looked back at at Menma.

Blood sprayed from Menma's mouth, and he tumbled backward.

Naruto expression was a complicated one. There were actually some things about Menma that he felt to be worthy of praise. He had stubborness, which was something incredibly valuable to cultivators. However, everything was a matter of perspective, and because of the way things were, Naruto could never sympathize with him.

"You're simply not good enough," he said calmly. "You even have my Nirvana Fruits, and yet you still don't measure up." Those words were like a sharp sword that stabbed directly into Menma's heart. His face went ashen, and he coughed up more blood.

"All you did was get one step past me!" he said, gritting his teeth as the flames surged around his body. He had only fallen back one pace, but then held his place, forcing his body to stay together as he glared at Naruto.

"One step?" said Naruto softly. It was at this point that he unleashed his Eternal stratum. It exploded out, and in the blink of an eye, Naruto's withered frame began to heal. His hair grew out long, and his skin shone with a gleaming luster. All of his injuries were now completely restored!

This development caused Menma's face to fall again. His mind reeled, and the blood drained from his face as he tumbled further backward.

"Impossible! This… this…."

"Why do you think it's impossible?" Naruto said coolly. With that, his body flickered, except, instead of moving up higher, he appeared directly in front of Menma.

"You lose," he said, and with that, he punched out toward Menma.

Menma's three Dharma Idols reappeared as Naruto's the punch descended, and the aura of reincarnation exploded out. He went all out to resist Naruto, and yet, at that moment, Naruto said four words.

"A Writ of Karma!"

BOOOMMM!

One devastating punch slammed into Menma, sending him hurtling from a height of 270,000 meters in the sky all the way down toward the ground.

One devastating punch shattered two of Menma's three Dharma Idols. Those Dharma Idols had been formed from Naruto's Nirvana Fruits, and by forming ties of destiny with them using A Writ of Karma, they were instantly shattered and sealed.

The deeper the Karma, the more intense the power!

In the instant that Naruto's blow landed, seven or eight figures shot up from the ground below to appear around Menma. They grabbed him, and immediately poured cultivation base power into him to heal him. Then they looked up angrily at Naruto, killing intent surging.

At the same time, more than a hundred powerful streams of divine sense immediately formed near Naruto. From the look of it, if he made any further threatening actions toward Menma, they would exterminate him immediately.

Even more shocking, the Grand Elder's gaze shot up to the 270,000-meter position, where it hung over Naruto like an infinitely sharp blade, ready to cleave his life force away.

When Naruto sensed all of the divine sense focused on him, as well as the murderous looks being given him by the seven or eight elders down below, he simply smiled arrogantly.

He had never had any plans to wrest back his Nirvana Fruits and kill Menma. If he did do something like that, it would be in a way that nobody in the entire clan could voice a word of dissent.

He had punched Menma just now for the purpose of teaching him a lesson, nothing else.

Of course, it was a very tough lesson.

Ignoring all of the divine sense, the murderous looks from the seven or eight Elders down below, and the gaze of the Grand Elder, Naruto looked up into the pitch black sky, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"I wonder… how far up I can get?!" With that, he turned and transformed into a beam of light that shot upward. Everyone down below watched in shock as he rocketed upward. Apparently… Menma was nothing more than a passing distraction who, after being surpassed, wasn't worth looking back at.

To the cultivators down below, Naruto turning and heading further up into the sky made their impression of him grow even greater. As for the Chosen up in the sky with him, the increasing distance between him and them seemed to represent the vast difference in their levels, a difference that only continued to increase.

Profound sensations of utter defeat and powerlessness appeared in their hearts.

Fū watched silently, even defiantly. After a long moment, her eyes glittered.

"He has his road, and I have my path. His road and my path might have different ends, but… the journey is the most important part!"

Ikanago's eyes widened as he looked at Naruto. He felt incredible pressure that, for some reason, made catching up to Naruto become his new primary goal.

Chiriku, Bisuke, and Sora all watched silently. Deep in their hearts, all of them had a similar feeling; being born in the same age as Naruto was both a blessing and a curse. Gradually, they began to form a sympathetic resonance with him, and yet, that resonance quickly shattered and was replaced with looks of determined obsession. This was the case even with Chiriku.

"This is just a little contest about the sun," he thought. "The path into the future is long; there will be plenty of other chances to outdo him."

Mei was the only one among the group who understood Naruto better than everyone else. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her teeth grated together as she rotated her cultivation base and began to rise up into the sky.

Shisui was panting. He stared at Naruto getting further and further away, and the desire to fight him burned within his eyes.

Down on the ground, the Grand Elder sat there silently, as did the clan members from the neutral bloodlines. No one viewed Naruto with indifference, the way they had previously. Things had changed.

Looking at Naruto now made them feel as if they were looking at a future Paragon!

This was even true of the Grand Elder. Now, there was something different flickering in his eyes as he watched Naruto.

Of course, there was no need to even mention the members of the direct bloodline, who were boiling with excitement.

The only people who were grim-faced were the members of Menma's bloodline. Their killing intent was strong as they looked at Menma up in midair, coughing up blood. Although there were clan members next to him, healing him, the injuries to his fleshly body were so great that he was incapable of preventing his Dharma Idols from collapsing.

That collapse seemed to contain the power of some sort of natural law, as if something had been indelibly branded onto Menma's soul. He could only watch as two of his three Dharma Idols shattered into countless pieces that were unable to reform.

Menma's father and grandfather even teleported up to him. His grandfather scanned his wounds, and his face grew extremely unsightly.

"What a vicious little son of a bitch," he said, killing intent flickering in his eyes. "This is the power of Karma. That bastard must be connected to the Hebi Clan somehow. He's sealed Menma's Dharma Idols!"

Menma's face was ashen, but he remained calm. He even prevented his father from treating his injuries, and hovered there in midair, teetering unsteadily as he looked at Naruto far, far up above.

Naruto was a beam of light high up in the air, shooting higher and higher. He looked almost like a bird, wreathed in flames. He was not living within those flames, but being consumed by them, an undying phoenix with burning wings that soared high into the sky!

As he soared through the air, the essence of the Flying Rain-Dragon that had existed inside of him for so long suddenly surged into action, causing a gentle power to spread throughout his body.

270,000 meters!

276,000 meters!

282,000 meters!

Even when he reached that position, he continued to go higher. The determination in his eyes increased, and the flames that burned his body raged into a peak of intensity. Even with the healing of his Eternal stratum, he would soon be completely destroyed.

However, the impending failure of his Eternal stratum didn't cause Naruto to hesitate. He immediately pulled out… the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill that he had personally concocted!

This would be his first time consuming the pill, and the first time he would rely on its power. As soon as the pill entered his mouth, his body filled with rumbling, and a boundless life force exploded out from within him. It was fiery, and contained a light and heat which stemmed from Heaven and Earth, from plants and vegetation, from the twelve 2-hour time periods in a day. That light and heat then transformed into a flame of life force.

As that flame surged inside of him, it caused his Eternal stratum to suddenly roar to life.

285,000 meters. 291,000 meters. 297,000 meters!

He flew like a phoenix reborn from within the flames, as if he had been born with the will to soar, as if he was a sovereign of the sky, a Flying Rain-Dragon!

As the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill dissolved and spread through his body, not only did it fill him with a boundless life force, it also caused his fleshly body to grow even tougher than before.

It was as if a sun now existed inside of him, a sun that radiated an everburning light and heat. It even made it so that Naruto seemed to form a resonance with Heaven and Earth, and with the sun that existed outside of the starry sky.

That resonance caused Naruto to suddenly be partially enlightened regarding certain natural laws, although they were vague and he couldn't quite grasp them. He could sense that these natural laws contained the Dao of the sun, a Dao that became clearer the closer one got to the sun itself.

"If I had one more Skypalace Sunspirit Pill…." he thought. His eyes glittered as he used the power of the pill to begin to push himself through the final stretch to reach 300,000 meters!

RUMBLE!

He rose up like a blazing sun, the focus of all attention as he… passed the 300,000 meter mark!

Throughout countless years, and all the generations of Chosen, no one in the Immortal Realm or under had ever reached this height. From his position, Naruto could see the vast majority of Planet East Victory.

All of the other Chosen in midair stared with wide eyes. All of the other powerful experts of the Namikaze Clan were completely silent for a moment before bursting into conversation.

"He… he flew up to 300,000 meters!"

"From ancient times until now in the Namikaze Clan, nobody in the Immortal Realm or under has ever reached 300,000 meters! Naruto is the first!"

"Unheard-of! This Naruto has suppressed all of the other Chosen, even Prince Menma! He's now the complete center of attention!"

As the conversations buzzed in the ancestral mansion, the Elders' eyes filled with strange gleams.

Of course, the Elders were able to keep themselves under control much better than everyone else. Naruto really was the first person in the Immortal Realm or under to ever reach 300,000 meters. However, there were in fact a few Ancient Realm cultivators who could accomplish this same thing.

And yet, this trial by fire of fleshly body tempering was good fortune set aside for members of the younger generation. The clan experts of the Ancient Realm held their training sessions in other places.

Menma stared fixedly at Naruto's receding figure. Watching him reach a height of 300,000 meters felt like having a massive fist slam ruthlessly into his chest. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and his expression darkened. Inside, he was nearly going mad with defiance.

"I should be up there… not him!"

As everyone was shaken mentally, Naruto hovered at 300,000 meters. It was impossible to breathe this high up, but with Naruto's cultivation base, he didn't need to breathe. He hovered there like a peerless Paragon.

Because of his Eternal stratum, his fleshly body was very close to that of a true Immortal. Furthermore, he tread a path that was different than everyone else, a path that even exceeded Pill Demon and his true Immortal destiny. His path… was to become a true Immortal among true Immortals!

His was a path in which he relied only on himself. He needed no Immortal destiny. He would move directly into true Immortality. In fact… among the few people who tread such a path, his was unique. He already had an Immortal meridian inside of him, an Immortal meridian… from a primordial Daoist Rite Temple!

All of these things were reasons why he now hovered above 300,000 meters!

Here, the light and heat surrounded Naruto in a strange way. He couldn't see the light, or feel the heat… he existed inside of the light, and was being smelted in the heat itself.

He slowly looked up, and began to tremble as his fleshly body was tempered to an even greater degree.

Up ahead of him was the boundless starry sky, and then beyond that, he could see… the actual, true sun!

It was an enormous, crimson sphere, seemingly in the depths of the starry sky, illuminating everything.

When Naruto looked at it, he could sense the Dao of the sun, much more clearly than before. However, it still wasn't clear enough. Even flying up 300,000 meters left the sun too far away!

"My fleshly body is just a hair away from a breakthrough!"

His eyes filled with determination. Everyone believed that he had reached the ends of the sky and could go no further. However, he charged onward, using the power of his cultivation base, his fleshly body, and the sun of the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill to support him as he flew.

303,000 meters. 309,000 meters. 315,000 meters…. His flight speed was not incredible. Time went by, and he continued higher!

Everyone down below was in a complete uproar.

"I can't believe he's still going!"

"300,000 is an end mark! Going any further vastly increases the danger. At a certain point, he's going to step into the starry sky. That's a place where only Dao Realm experts can enter!"

"What is he doing…?"

Chosen. Clan members. Everyone was astonished.

When he reached 315,000 meters, everyone thought that he was finished. But then…

The constant cyclical interchange between his Eternal stratum and the light and heat caused his fleshly body to begin to emit rumbling sounds. A white light then exploded out from inside of him!

As soon as the light appeared, anyone who could see it gasped. Even the Chosen who felt so separated from him were instantly shocked.

"That white light… it's…."

"That's Immortal light!"

"That's a type of true Immortal light of Heaven and Earth that only appears right before the fleshly body reaches the true Immortal level!"

Fū and all the other Chosen felt their minds reeling. The Elders of the Namikaze Clan, and other members of the clan who could see the light, were all trembling inwardly.

Menma saw the light, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. Even his father and grandfather felt as if they were being struck by lightning, and gaped in shock.

Many people immediately flew out from within the ancestral mansion to look up into the sky. Their expressions were first that of astonishment, then disbelief, and finally, amazement!

"Immortal light…" The Grand Elder was struck speechless, something that rarely happened.

"I can't believe he's forming Immortal light!" In the stony cavern deep beneath the ancestral mansion, the withered old man in the crimson robe was watching with a gaze that blazed like fire.

"Could it be that someone from the Namikaze Clan… will finally be able to look down on the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea? After all these years, will there be another rarely seen… fleshly body true Saint!?"

Cultivators in the Immortal Realm who had true Immortal fleshly bodies were called Saints!

Saints are victorious, so the term itself implied that they were unrivaled in the Immortal Realm! If a true Immortal cultivation base was then added on top of that, then… that person would be a true Immortal and a true Saint at the same time. That was… a Paragon! 1

That was… an invincible Paragon of the Immortal Realm!

All of that would be preceded by light.

Immortal light!

Before the true Immortal fleshly body appeared, white light would shine out. Immortal Chakra would naturally exude from within that light, creating a unique color, which was none other than that unique Immortal light!

Only… when a true Saint fleshly body appeared, would it be possible… to see that light!

Within the light, Naruto trembled slightly. He could feel the dense Immortal Chakra in the light around him, a Chakra that did not come from the outside world, but rather, had grown inside his body.

It was as if it had been hidden in his blood vessels, concealed in his soul, obscured within his life force!

When the Immortal light appeared, it came with dense Immortal Chakra. Naruto's fleshly body began to emanate rumbling sounds as it rose madly toward the state of being a true Immortal fleshly body.

A flame burned deep inside of Naruto's eyes as an incredible power surged up within him. In that moment, he began to fly. He had long since stopped paying attention to the flow of time. From the moment he had flown out of the pavilion until now, more than half of the East Ascension Sun's 36 days had passed. By now, only 15 days remained. And yet, Naruto had not stopped moving.

318,000 meters. 324,000 meters….

330,000 meters!

The light surrounding him grew stronger and more intense!

There was more Immortal Chakra, and the light and heat that existed in the blackness of space had turned into something like a cocoon, wrapping around Naruto, waiting… to be broken open to reveal new life!

The cocoon also nourished him, making Naruto's new life force grow even stronger!

His eyes glowed with an obsession to become more powerful. Therefore, he didn't stop, but instead, pushed onward. A soaring phoenix circled around him, which was the manifestation of the will of his soul. He roared like a Flying Rain-Dragon, which was caused by the will of the sovereign of the skies that nestled inside of him.

RUMBLE!

333,000 meters!

"Still not enough!" thought Naruto, squinting his eyes against the blinding light around him. By now, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill inside of him had been thoroughly absorbed. At this height, even surrounded by Immortal light, his body was still burning up. It was something that was impossible for him to deal with; even his Eternal stratum couldn't keep him going. Unless he stopped, then when the cocoon around him broke, he would die.

"There's another way…." he thought, his eyes glittering. He suddenly extended his hand, causing a black flame to appear in his palm.

"I can concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill right here and now! I don't have the medicinal plants, so I'll have to use the grand alchemic Dao of creating something from nothing!"

His eyes gleamed with determination as he suddenly stopped in place. Enduring the incredible scorching heat, he held out his hand, causing the flame to grow. At the same time, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill formula suddenly appeared in his mind.

Creating something from nothing was using one's imagination to materialize a real medicinal pill. That pill could not be consumed by anyone else, nor could it be sensed by others. Only the person who concocted it would be able to see it and consume it.

"At this height of 333,000 meters, there is incredible light and heat. These are the optimal conditions for concocting a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!" He closed his eyes and performed an incantation with his left hand, simultaneously imagining the medicinal ingredients he needed. Then he waved his hand, causing the light and heat to swirl around into the image of several medicinal plants, which he then grabbed with his right hand.

His right hand was like a grand furnace of Heaven and Earth, blazing hot and bright.

All of his energy was focused on the medicinal pill. He relied on the Immortal Chakra that swirled around him, on his mind, on his soul, on his will. He almost seemed to be having an out of body experience as he focused himself fully on creating something from nothing.

He could not fail, and he would only have one chance. He could stay here for a maximum of twelve 2-hour periods. If his pill concocting failed, he would have no other choice than to break out of the cocoon into his true Immortal fleshly body.

But that was an outcome he couldn't accept! He knew that if he could get even higher, his fleshly body breakthrough would be even more incredible.

This was a chance, a good fortune that he was willing to fight for!

At this height, his actions weren't visible to most of the people down below. However, everyone who could see clearly was now staring in shock, unclear as to what exactly he was doing.

Only the most powerful experts gradually began to put the pieces together and to speculate as to what was going on. Their speculations led to disbelief; it was a prospect that none of them dared to believe.

"He's actually…."

"Concocting pills!?"

"I don't see any medicinal plants, and yet he really is concocting pills!"

"I once heard Pill Elder talk about a legendary realm of the Dao of alchemy… they call it… creating something from nothing!"

The Namikaze Clan Elders' faces all flickered with shock.

The Grand Elder was panting as he looked high up into the sky. His expression was that of terror; Naruto had repeatedly and continuously shocked him with his actions and achievements.

Meanwhile, in the Dao of Alchemy Division, the dozen or so tier 8 alchemists suddenly stopped concocting pills and slowly looked up, as if they were reacting to the sensation of Naruto's alchemy. In the space of a few short breaths, their expressions completely and utterly changed.

"That aura…."

"That's…."

"Creating something from nothing!"

Within the Dao of Alchemy Division's inner mountains, on the mountain filled with Unicorn Immortals, Pill Elder stood there, looking up into the sky. Slowly, a smile spread across his face, a smile that grew wider until he started laughing.

The Chosen from the various sects were flabbergasted. How could they have ever imagined that Naruto… was able to concoct pills himself. He was already at a terrifying height, surrounded by shocking heat and light, and yet he actually… was still able to concoct pills!

These Chosen had been groomed by their sects and clans for years, and had seen many things. Some of them suddenly thought of that legendary realm of pill concocting.

"How is this possible!?" thought Mei, gaping at Naruto with wide eyes. The only thing she could hear was her own heart pounding in her chest.

Fū, Ikanago, Chiriku, Bisuke, all of them were gaping with wide eyes.

"Is there anything he can't do?" thought Shisui, his heart filling with a sense of profound defeat.

Then there was Menma, within whose expression could be seen a touch of blank confusion.

Time passed. Soon, the twelve 2-hour periods had passed. Naruto was trembling, and his body was withering. His energy was rapidly fading away.

He was now thoroughly immersed in pill concocting. Despite being in the middle of the rise of the East Ascension Sun, in which there were 36 straight days of noon, alchemists were naturally able to measure the passage of time through their body's senses.

Most importantly, he was already incredibly familiar with the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. He was able to adjust the pill formula based on his environment, so when the thirteenth 2-hour period arrived, scintillating light exploded out from the palm of his hand into the darkness that surrounded him.

The only thing that any observer could see was that resplendent light. However, what Naruto saw was a medicinal pill resting in the palm of his hand.

It was a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill created from nothing!

In these extreme conditions, he had used the technique of creating something from nothing to concoct a medicinal pill. The result was that he appeared to be on the verge of collapse. Although this was not his first time creating something from nothing, it was the most exhausting .

In fact, he had the feeling that if he attempted to duplicate this attempt, he would fail.

The creation of the medicinal pill marked his absolute limit. He looked at the pill laying there on the palm of his hand, radiating light like some magnificent treasure of Heaven and Earth. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he took the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill that no one else could see, and placed it into his mouth.

As soon as the medicinal pill entered his mouth, it exploded, transforming into a brilliant sun inside of him that generated boundless light and heat. It transformed into life force that in turn caused the Immortal light around him to become even more shocking.

"He… he succeeded!" One by one, the tier 8 alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division rose to their feet. Pill Elder's laughter once again echoed out from the inner mountains.

In the ancestral mansion, the Grand Elder's face was a mass of disbelief. The other Elders in the area were silent for a moment before their eyes also began to radiate a strange light.

There was little need to mention the other Chosen, who had long since been indescribably shaken by Naruto.

This time, Naruto… was rising to prominence under his own name! He was truly stepping into the cultivation world of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Bolstered by the power of the medicinal pill, Naruto looked up, and his eyes burned with decisiveness.

"True Immortal fleshly body!" he said. His body rumbled, and blinding light shot out of him as he climbed higher into the sky. Days passed as he went higher and higher and higher. 348,000 meters. 354,000 meters….

360,000 meters!

369,000 meters. 378,000 meters…. 387,000 meters!

When he reached that shocking height, the Immortal light around him exploded out in all directions, enveloping the entire area.

It was also in that moment that Naruto's fleshly body broke through the bottleneck. A distinct shattering sound could be heard that rapidly transformed into a boom like rolling thunder.

At the same time, he completely absorbed all of the Immortal Chakra and Immortal light, and his body suddenly surged with earth-shattering power.

The swirling Immortal Chakra transformed his body into something like a precious treasure. Every bit of his flesh and blood was like a true Immortal magical item. His bones became strong to an astonishing degree, and his Chakra passageways opened wide, allowing terrifying power to flow through them.

His hair grew long, and his body became slightly taller and more slender. His face was strikingly elegant, and his aura was enough to strike fear into the hearts of all Immortals. His entire body was like a precious gem that hovered there high in the sky, causing everyone who could see him to be completely shaken.

True Immortal fleshly body!

True Saint!

A true Immortal fleshly body meant that he was a true Saint!

This in turn meant that Naruto's body was now powerful to a terrifying level. He had been baptized in Immortal light, which had then coalesced inside of him, creating…. an Immortal body!

Naruto clenched his fists. He could tell that if he ran into a so-called peak Immortal Realm cultivator, one punch would easily be able to rock such a person.

He could sense his might; it felt as if he had completely changed on a fundamental level. The terrifyingly powerful light and heat from before now seemed vastly weaker.

"This is the power of a true Immortal fleshly body…." He looked up higher into the sky, and his pupils glimmered with fire.

"Now it's time to find out… how high the Heavens really are!"

Rumbling could be heard as he climbed relentlessly up into the sky.

Even at this height of 387,000 meters, the light and heat were no longer something that Naruto felt incapable of enduring. He rose up from Planet East Victory in a piercing beam of light.

Naruto was now so far up that few down below could see him. The only thing most people could see was a long streak of prismatic light that seemed to be on the verge of rattling the Heavens and the starry sky, rising higher and higher.

Naruto was surrounded by flames as he soared higher at top speed. If you were close up, you wouldn't be able to see them, but from down on the ground, the clan members could see them clearly.

Naruto seemed to exist inside a scorching sea of flames, within which he could live eternally!

The Chosen up in midair were shaken; to them, Naruto seemed as if he were a mighty mountain. Subconsciously, they all simultaneously reached a similar conclusion: perhaps they would always be behind Naruto in this lifetime.

Perhaps they would never have a chance to outdo him, never have a chance to catch up to him. Perhaps… they would only continue to fall further and further behind!

Of course, it was impossible for them to know that one of the past Sovereigns had already classified him as… 13th in the Echelon of the entire Nine Mountains and Seas!

Fū watched in silence. Ikanago said nothing. Mei, Bisuke, Sora, Shisui, Chiriku, and all the other Chosen from the sects and clans had complex expressions on their faces. They looked at Naruto getting even further away from them, a blazing sun wreathed in flames.

Menma trembled, and slowly, he closed his eyes, making it impossible for anyone to see the gloominess and resignation therein.

Menma's father and grandfather were on the verge of going mad. They looked at the blazing sun up in the sky, and unprecedented murderous rage welled up from the bottoms of their hearts.

The Grand Elder sat silently in the ancestral mansion, looking up into the sky. No one could tell what he was thinking, nor even guess what he might possibly be feeling.

"Naruto…. Menma," he murmured.

Naruto continued on at top speed, like a Flame Phoenix, like a Flying Rain-Dragon. The Flying Rain-Dragon core inside of him was now rapidly dissolving, and bits of the legacy's knowledge appeared in his mind.

However, Naruto didn't pay any attention to that. The only thing he was thinking about was… finding out how high the Heavens were!

His expression was that of resolute will. Rumbling surrounded him as he flew another three thousand meters until he was 390,000 meters high. And yet, he did not stop.

The pressure was shocking, the transforming light and heat was petrifying. But Naruto did not decrease his speed at all, nor did he pause for even a moment. He was as unimpeded as his Dao heart, seemingly untouched by any impurity.

One day. Two days. Three days…. Time passed quickly, until only a few days of the East Ascension Sun remained.

Naruto proceeded onward, piercing through space, heading toward the only goal upon which he kept his eye; the sun which hung outside of the starry sky!

By now, he had far surpassed all of the other Chosen, all of the other members of his generation who had sought good fortune in this trial by fire. Now, the only person left for him to supersede… was himself.

He would surpass himself! He would pursue his dreams! It was like his Dao, a Dao that sought to cross numerous mountains, to pass over rivers and seas. It was a Dao of freedom and independence, unrestrained and unfettered, always moving toward glory.

Even the Heavens could not cover him up or cause his Dao heart to fall!

One day. Two days. Three days!

393,000 meters. 399,000 meters… 405,000 meters….

And he kept going!

The other Chosen up in the sky looked on, taciturn. They saw Naruto, and his obsessive progress, and the same thought floated up in all of their minds.

"In the end… how high will he get!?"

Mei was thinking this, as were Fū, Bisuke, and Sora.

The various Elders were also watching closely.

"The boundary between the planet and the starry sky is vague, and can fluctuate due to various factors. In the moment when the sun is nearest, that boundary will become clearer."

Days later, Naruto was still speeding along.

417,000 meters. 420,000 meters!

He felt like he was reaching the end. The light and heat around him had reached an indescribably high level. Despite the fact that his fleshly body was in the true Immortal Realm, he still felt as if he were about to be melted into a pool of blood, and then evaporate into a bloody mist.

He shook, and his Eternal stratum worked madly to restore him and support him, to allow him to go even higher.

"I can hold on a bit longer," he thought, his eyes narrowing as they focused ahead with firm determination.

RUMBLE!

426,000 meters!

432,000 meters!

438,000 meters!

The sun appeared to be getting closer and closer. His eyes were crimson, and his entire body was shaking. He was now withering away, and yet… he kept flying!

The flames around him grew more boundless, and from a distance, it almost seemed as if the sky would catch fire. The flames spread out like wings that seemed to be flapping, preparing to attack the Heavens.

The lands quaked, and the hearts of all onlookers trembled.

At some point, the Grand Elder had emerged from within the ancestral mansion. He stood in the wide public square, looking up into the vast sky.

"Time is almost up…." he murmured softly.

Right now, all eyes were on Naruto. It wasn't just the Namikaze Clan. Shocked powerful experts from all corners of Planet East Victory had all long since turned their attention to the scene that was playing out.

"Who is that?!"

"That person flew out from the Namikaze Clan. Could it be… Menma?!"

"Even Menma couldn't fly that high! This person is getting close to the boundary with the starry sky! Once he steps out there, he'll die unless he's in the Dao Realm!"

As the experts of Planet East Victory were shaken, there happened to be a huge island in a sea somewhere on the planet. As it floated there, an old man with the bearing of a transcendent being was gaping up at the sky in shock.

"Fudge! That little bastard… Dammit! Dammit! The Patriarch comes all the way here to hide and he… he actually found me!?"

The old man was in such a bad mood that he let out a series of howls that shook the entire island.

Standing next to the old man was a shockingly beautiful young woman. She smiled happily as she looked up into the sky.

Rumbling emanated out from Naruto as he gritted his teeth and sped higher. 444,000. 447,000!

Naruto's expression twisted with madness. From the outside, it looked as if his body were literally burning up. His internal organs were scorched, and he was on the verge of being transformed into nothing more than ash.

And yet… he didn't stop!

447,300 meters. 447,900 meters. 448,500 meters….

Naruto let out a bellow as the flames engulfing him grew even stronger, inundating him completely. He flew another 900 meters, reaching a height of 449,400 meters.

By now, the 36th day was almost over. Naruto only had about an hour left!

"I have to get past the 450,000 mark!" Naruto was filled with madness and determination. By now, the only thing about him that was visible was a vague, shadowy outline.

449,700 meters. 449,850 meters. 449,970 meters…

Time flowed by. The world was silent, and the lands were still. Everyone's attention was fixed on Naruto… as he arrived at a height of 449,990 meters!

He was now only 10 meters away from the 450,000 meter mark!

Furthermore, there were only fifteen breaths of time until the rise of the East Ascension Sun ended!

Those final 10 meters seemed so close, and yet, they were the boundary between the planet and the starry sky!

How high were the Heavens of Planet East Victory? As of this moment… Naruto knew the answer. The Heavens… were 450,000 meters high!

He was now only 10 meters away from that height when he came to a stop, his body wreathed in flames, but his eyes shining with sharp light.

In addition to the enormous sun, he also saw a strange scene out in the starry sky. When he focused his eyes… he saw an enormous crimson Tribulation cloud. Shockingly, a gigantic yellow tree was just barely visible within that cloud.

The tree emanated an archaic aura, as if it had come into being along with Heaven and Earth, as if it had always existed within the Nine Mountains and Seas. It would not appear easily, and could only be seen under very special circumstances.

That was… something that would appear after acquiring a true Immortal fleshly body, and becoming a true Saint. It was… Saint Tribulation!

It was similar to the true Immortal Tribulation that came along with true Immortality!

Immortal Tribulation had a door, Saint Tribulation had a tree!

One movement would take Naruto out of the planet and into the starry sky.

One movement would cause the Saint Tribulation to descend!

Naruto stopped at that 10-meter mark and silently examined the distance.

In that moment, the Elders down below with profound cultivation bases looked on with incredible shock.

"Saint Tribulation!" thought the Grand Elder. His eyes closed, and his right hand clenched into a fist.

Naruto's eyes shone with a threatening decisiveness, a decisiveness as sharp as a honed blade. Finally, he sighed.

"If I don't go out into the starry sky and face the sun directly, then this whole trip will have been a waste.

"Time is almost up…. If my calculations are correct, I can endure… for ten breaths of time!" With that, he looked up, waiting for five breaths of time, and then moved forward one more time.

One movement, ten meters!

In the instant that Naruto moved forward, all of the observing cultivators on Planet East Victory were shocked, and cried out in surprise.

That final movement took him ten meters… and now, there were only ten breaths of time until the rise of the East Ascension Sun was over.

That final movement put Naruto at a height of over 450,000 meters. He had now stepped… out of Planet East Victory and into… the starry sky!

In that instant, he felt an indescribable wave of light and heat bearing down on him. It seemed capable of melting him to nothing in an instant. At the same time, he also saw the yellow tree in the Tribulation Cloud suddenly begin to shoot toward him.

All of these things literally happened in the blink of an eye.

In the moment that he made that final move out into the starry sky, his Dharma Idol materialized behind him, and it wasn't 15,000 meters tall anymore, but rather 21,000 meters!

21,000 meters was comparable to a stage 7 Immortal, or an Immortal with 70 opened meridians. To most ordinary cultivators, a stage 7 Immortal would be considered the peak of the Immortal Realm.

The reason Naruto had a Dharma Idol 21,000 meters tall was not because he had seventy Immortal meridians. No, he still only had one. However, he was hovering on the verge of a breakthrough.

Now that he had a true Immortal fleshly body, his aura had been stimulated significantly, which caused the Immortal meridian to be further solidified.

However… even though it wasn't complete, it was enough that Naruto was now able to use the most powerful divine ability he had been enlightened regarding… the Paragon Bridge!

He had begun to contemplate enlightenment of this divine ability in the Ruins of Immortality! The Paragon Bridge!

Many people had seen the manifestation of the divine ability, so if he used it now, his identity as Kazama would be revealed. However, he had prepared beforehand, so when he unleashed the Paragon Bridge, it did not look like a bridge, but rather, a huge tree.

The huge, ancient tree that appeared around Naruto was in fact the Paragon Bridge. As it materialized, it exploded with a supreme level of energy.

That burst of energy dispelled the light and the heat, and then rumbled toward the Tribulation Cloud.

When it struck the cloud, Naruto's entire cultivation base surged, pouring all of its power into the tree-form Paragon Bridge as it went all-out in attack!

BOOOOMMM!

A huge explosion resulted when the two massive trees collided. The Tribulation Cloud's tree trembled and then… unexpectedly collapsed, layer after layer, eventually shattering into fragments.

Simultaneously, the Paragon Bridge shook, and then faded away. The Paragon Bridge was powerful, but Naruto's cultivation base currently wasn't powerful enough to be able to use it to full effect. However, by going all-out with every bit of power he could, even to the point of adding in the power of his life force and soul, he destroyed the Tribulation Cloud completely.

Naruto trembled and coughed up a mouthful of blood. It was a completely and utterly shocking event to witness.

Never before had anyone fought back against Immortal Tribulation by destroying it completely. Furthermore, the boundless power of the Paragon Bridge was incredibly domineering.

As the Tribulation Tree shattered, and the Tribulation Cloud dispersed, bursts of Immortal Chakra shot toward Naruto. They entered his body through his pores, filling him, transforming his body so that as of this moment, he truly and utterly possessed an Immortal body. He was now a true Saint!

Immortal Chakra poured into him with unbridled frenzy, giving him the qualification to be in the starry sky and look at the sun. Even though it was the barest of possible qualifications, snatching himself out of the mouth of death for a few brief moments, to Naruto… it was still enough!

Using the nourishment of the Immortal Chakra, he hovered there calmly in space, ignoring the Tribulation Cloud and its tree, resisting the heat and the light. All of what he had done… was for these ten breaths' worth of time.

He stared at the huge sun, bolstered by the Immortal Chakra and sustained by his true Immortal fleshly body. Even still, only someone in the Dao Realm could possibly stand up to the terrifying power of the sun. Therefore, he began to melt. After only three breaths of time, his legs were completely melted. After six breaths of time, his arms and body were gone. However, his eyes remained, staring fixedly at the sun.

Enlightenment flickered in his mind. Natural law, a Daoist magic, poured into his thoughts. He quickly absorbed it, and at the same time, completely maintained his composure. This was not a disregard toward death. No, Naruto knew… that he wouldn't die!

After seven breaths of time, his body was a blur. By eight breaths of time, only one eye remained unmelted. By nine breaths of time, his head had collapsed.

In the moment of death, he only had one eye left, which continued to stare fixedly at the sun. He was not the least bit alarmed. Everything that had occurred since he stepped out into the starry sky was exactly as he had anticipated ahead of time. Nothing unexpected had occurred.

At last, the final breath of time… arrived!

In the moment in which Naruto's consciousness was about to fade away, the huge sun began to fade. At the same time, Naruto could see a profound natural law. A huge shadow suddenly appeared in front of the sun, completely eclipsing it.

The shadow obscured the sun, causing everything in the starry sky to go pitch black. The light and heat faded away without a trace.

The deadly, scorching heat that surrounded Naruto was gone. His Eternal stratum immediately began to restore him, and in the space of a few breaths, his body once again appeared in the starry sky.

He looked up, his expression the same as it had been the entire time, calm and unruffled. He looked out into the darkness of the starry sky, and, although he saw nothing, he could sense the sun's presence.

"The Ninth Mountain just eclipsed the sun…." he murmured. In his mind, he recalled the scene of the sun being covered up, and the natural law of the sun that he had been contemplating during those ten breaths of time.

Finally, he closed his eyes, gathered together the fragmented images of what had just occurred, and then settled himself cross-legged. In that same moment, numerous figures suddenly flew up from Planet East Victory. Hotarubi's father was among a group of over a hundred individuals, each and every one of whom was… a powerful expert from the direct bloodline.

Their expressions were that of excitement, and as they neared Naruto, they realized what he was doing, and they were shocked.

"He's contemplating enlightenment!"

"Only Dao Realm experts can face the sun in the starry sky, but this kid was able to do it, even with his cultivation base. It was only ten breaths worth of time, but to him, such good fortune is astonishing!"

"We can't let anyone disturb him." The direct bloodline Elders immediately took positions around Naruto to act as Dharma Protectors. Soon, other direct bloodline members approached in excitement and also took positions as Dharma Protectors.

Amidst rumbling, Planet East Victory resumed its previously-halted rotation. The light of the sun faded away, and night fell.

The rising of the East Ascension Sun was over, and the opportunity for good fortune had ended.

Fū and the other Chosen left Planet East Victory with varied emotions. However, as they flew out toward the starry sky, each and every one took a long and hard look at Naruto.

Ikanago, Sora, Shisui, Bisuke, Chiriku, Mei… all of them were the same.

As they passed by, they saw the direct bloodline members surrounding Naruto, and all of them murmured a sentence or two to themselves.

Ikanago looked at Naruto and quietly said, "I'm going to go back, head into secluded meditation, and not come out until I've reached true Immortality!"

"Unless something unexpected happens," Mei said, glaring angrily at Naruto, "I'll reach true Immortality within a hundred days!" With that, she turned and sped off in her flying shuttle.

"Naruto," Fū said through grated teeth, "based on all of the preparations we've made, each and every one of us will directly rise to the peak of the Immortal Realm, and open 90 or more Immortal meridians…."

"I hope you keep working hard," Shisui said, clenching his fists at his side. "Otherwise… when you step into true Immortality, you'll leave me plenty of opportunity to exceed you!"

They left, and the focus of the Namikaze Clan became Naruto. To most people, he had now superseded Menma… to become the number one Chosen of his generation.

Menma remained silent as he returned to a location deep in the ancestral mansion with his father and grandfather. He refused to admit defeat, and went down to his subterranean chamber, where his eyes glinted with determination as he looked back at his father and grandfather.

"I'm going to cultivate… the One Breath Yellow Springs Incantation!" he declared.

When his father heard this, his expression flickered.

"Absolutely not!" his father replied angrily. "It's one of the four great signature magics of the Namikaze Clan, but it's not complete. It's far, far more dangerous than the One Thought Reincarnation Incantation. You have the mark of the Sixth Patriarch on you, and will be in charge of the Namikaze Clan in the future. You can't lose control of your Dao heart because of one measly defeat!"

"But it's the Namikaze Clan's most powerful Dao," Menma replied calmly. "With it, 98 Immortal meridians can be opened, which is four more than the One Thought Reincarnation Incantation. I think that will be very pleasing to the Sixth Patriarch!"

Menma's father was about to say something further when Menma's grandfather stopped him. He looked deeply and Menma, and then said, "Have you thought this through clearly?"

"Very clearly," Menma replied softly, closing his eyes. "I shall cultivate the One Breath Yellow Springs Incantation. If I use this Dao to achieve Immortal Ascension, then within one hundred days, I'll either fail and sink into the Yellow Springs, or succeed and open 98 Immortal meridians!

"Father, grandfather, if I fail, then return Naruto's items to him.

"However, if I succeed, then it means he was doomed from birth to help me achieve my goals!" His eyes sparkled with a piercing light.

Menma's father did not respond. However, his eyes glittered as he nodded his head, then turned and left the hidden chamber.

Menma's grandfather held his tongue. Seeing Menma's determination, he sighed. At the same time, his heart surged with the desire to slay Naruto.

"It doesn't matter whether Menma succeeds or not," he thought. "Naruto… you won't live past a hundred days!" Face dark, he turned and left.

Time passed. After the end of the Rise of the East Ascension Sun, all of the Chosen in all of the various clans and sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea began to go into secluded meditation.

It was time for them… to break through to the true Immortal Realm!

Seven days later, Planet East Victory had returned to its usual state. The rising of the East Ascension Sun was now a thing of the past. However, because of the amazing display of the acquisition of good fortune, the name Naruto rose to new heights.

All of the Namikaze Clan was talking about Naruto, and the name also began to spread to the rest of Planet East Victory.

He had a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam!

He dominated the Medicine Pavilion all the way to the seventh level!

He concocted… one of the three sacred pills, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

He had a true Immortal fleshly body!

He stepped out into the starry sky to face the sun!

Word spread of Naruto's various deeds, and the Namikaze Clan was completely shaken. Other cultivators on Planet East Victory now viewed Naruto as a blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan.

During that entire time, Naruto remained cross-legged in meditation up in the starry sky. Facing the sun had been a shocking type of good fortune for him, especially when he saw the Ninth Mountain eclipse it. That image thoroughly shook him inwardly.

He contemplated enlightenment for seven days, during which time his body shone with bright light. When the light spread out, shockingly, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

The Dharma Idol was 21,000 meters tall, and when the direct bloodline clan members saw it, they stared.

That was because almost as soon as it appeared, the Dharma Idol started to grow!

At the same time, Naruto's Immortal meridian grew even more solid. Apparently, this period of enlightenment was pushing Naruto even closer to true Immortality.

Time passed, three more days. Naruto's entire body radiated brilliant light, and his Dharma Idol was no longer 21,000 meters tall, but rather 22,500 meters.

Such height was equivalent to an Immortal Realm cultivator with 75 opened meridians, and immediately lifted the spirits of the direct bloodline clan members.

Five more days passed. Naruto had now been contemplating enlightenment for half a month. At that point, more light exploded out from him, and his Dharma Idol grew from 22,500 meters to 24,000 meters!

A Dharma Idol like that could shake Heaven and Earth, and caused the direct bloodline clan members to stare in excitement.

Naruto was now equivalent to an Immortal Realm cultivator with eighty opened meridians. That was a level of the Immortal Realm achievable only by Inner Sect disciples of certain sects.

"He still hasn't even become a true Immortal, and he's already comparable to those Inner Sect disciples!"

"All of you, look closely…. Naruto's Dharma Idol… has no Immortality Illumination Vine on it!"

The direct bloodline clan members' hearts trembled as they peered at Naruto, and then voiced expressions of disbelief.

"He's not using an Immortality Illumination Vine. Could it be… could it be that he's walking his own path to true Immortality!?"

"Walking one's own path to Immortality is incredibly difficult! But look, his Dharma Idol is already 24,000 meters tall!"

"The direct bloodline is destined to rise again!"

It was at this point that Naruto slowly regained his senses and opened his eyes. Within his mind flashed images of everything he had learned from the sun regarding natural law. In that moment, they suddenly fused together into a divine ability.

His enlightenment of the sun, and the sight of the Ninth Mountain eclipsing it, allowed him to create yet another divine ability, his third!

He slowly lifted his hand, within which appeared a spark of light. The light became a sphere, which then sucked in all the heat in the area, causing Naruto's appearance to ripple and distort.

Seeing that Naruto was awakening initially caused the direct bloodline members to get very excited. However, their faces quickly fell and they backed away.

They had just noticed that their entire bodies had become icy cold in a very short period of time, as if all the heat was being sucked out of them.

Even more shocking was that the entirety of Planet East Victory was apparently affected. Countless streams of heat rose up from the ground, from all living beings on the planet.

The amorphous heat caused everything to distort as it shot toward Naruto. His expression was calm as he observed the scene; from the look in his eyes, it seemed that he was still sunk in contemplation.

The sphere of light in his hand continued to suck in the heat, faster and faster. In the end, he raised his hand, and the sphere reached a size of thirty meters. Within the sphere circulated brilliant light that emitted a shocking aura.

The aura seemed to increase in strength as it absorbed heat until it even began to absorb light.

The sphere grew larger and its aura grew more intense. All of the light and heat around Naruto was being absorbed, leaving everything ice cold….

Down below on Planet East Victory, the effects were even more noticeable. Gradually, the temperature on the entire planet began to drop.

Not only that, everything started to get darker. Powerful experts all over Planet East Victory noticed, and instantly sent divine sense out to investigate the cause. Soon, they saw Naruto, and the enormous sphere of light above him, now several hundred meters wide.

It looked like a small sun, and anyone who saw it was left feeling shocked. The aura it contained was mad and brutal, and… truly made any onlookers feel as if they were looking at the sun!

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Planet East Victory's temperature dropped further, and it got even darker. The globe of light was now over 3,000 meters wide, and caused anyone who looked at it to feel a sense of impending crisis.

If the energy inside the globe were to explode out, it would leave even experts of the Ancient Realm astonished and pale-faced.

Most shocking of all, it appeared that if Naruto were given enough time, the sphere would continue to grow without limit. This caused many powerful experts on Planet East Victory to be filled with a sensation of vigilance. There were even streams of divine sense that converged on the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion.

The direct bloodline clan members in Naruto's vicinity immediately began to urgently transmit messages with divine will.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto, wake up!"

Naruto trembled as the surrounding clan members called out. His eyes gradually began to grow clear and bright as he regained his senses. At first he looked confused, but then he raised his head up to look at the 3,000-meter sphere of light up above.

"Naruto, cease that magical technique!" barked Hotarubi's father.

A sense of crisis gradually rose up in Naruto from the streams of divine sense, and also from the fact that he realized that he was about to lose full control the globe of light.

Eyes flickering with concentration, he let out a growl and lifted both hands up above his head. Using all the power he could muster, he exercised control of the last strand that connected him to the sphere to reverse its suction.

The sphere gradually stopped absorbing light and heat, and then started to shrink. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the sphere began to fade away. Sweat poured down Naruto's forehead.

He utilized all of the energy in his body, and knew that even the slightest lapse in concentration would result in the sphere exploding.

After it finally disappeared, the direct bloodline descendants approached him. Smiles could be seen on their excited faces.

Naruto looked back at his 24,000-meter Dharma Idol, and sensed the Immortal meridian within him, and knew that it would be complete with only a tiny bit of effort.

"Soon, the day will arrive in which my cultivation base will move into the Immortal Realm!" Naruto's eyes shone with determination.

"Naruto," said one of the direct bloodline Elders, smiling, "what magical technique was that?"

"It's a divine ability I created after being enlightened regarding the sun…." said Naruto, turning to clasp hands to the Elder. He had now created three divine abilities. One was A Writ of Karma, the other was the Paragon Bridge, and the third… was this sphere of light.

"I'll call it… Supernova Magic!" he said, his eyes shining brightly.

"Supernova Magic…. Naruto, this divine ability of yours… is powerful! It's able to absorb a virtually limitless amount of heat and light and create a copy of the sun, and depending on how much it absorbed, the force of its explosion would be inestimable." The Elder gazed deeply at Naruto. "However, it has a fatal flaw. It would be easy to interrupt you while you use it. Furthermore, it takes too long to prepare. It only reached 3,000 meters in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. To reach 30,000… would take several hours.

"In addition, I could tell that you were not in complete control of it. If it had grown any larger, you would likely have lost control completely.

"You need to analyze this magic thoroughly before you use it again." It only took a few sentences for the old man to analyze the magic's strengths and weaknesses.

Naruto nodded, then clasped hands and bowed deeply to all of the direct bloodline clan members who had stood as Dharma Protectors for him. He felt very grateful toward them, and the sensation of being their blood relative grew even stronger.

Soon, the group of them turned into prismatic beams of light that shot back toward the surface of Planet East Victory. As they neared, Naruto saw numerous clan members flying out of the ancestral mansion, their faces filled with respect.

"Greetings, Prince Naruto!"

This term of address caused Naruto to stare in shock. After blinking a few times, a warm smile appeared on his face, and he offered formal greetings to all the direct bloodline clan members. Then he made to return to his Immortal's cave.

It was in that moment of departure that the Elder who had pointed out the flaws in his divine ability moments ago transmitted a message with divine will.

"Be careful of Kajura!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He knew that Kajura was Menma's father, so he nodded in response and then left.

After returning to his residence, he sat down cross-legged to meditate. After some probing, he came to the conclusion that his Immortal meridian was now more than 99% complete.

"Just a bit more," he thought. "In less than a hundred days, it will be perfectly complete, and then…." His eyes glittered with cold light. "I will become a true Immortal!"

"As far as my Supernova Magic is concerned, it has some flaws. However, once my cultivation base gets high enough, I can fix them, and then I'll have another trump card to use in battle!" He lifted his hand, and a sphere of light appeared in his palm. As it grew larger, the Namikaze Clan suddenly got colder. Naruto did nothing at first, allowing it to grow larger for a certain period of time. Then he cut off the absorbing power.

"I gained a lot during this rising of the East Ascension Sun. My Dharma Idol grew to 24,000 meters, and I gained enlightenment of the sun. Plus, my fleshly body… finally had a breakthrough and reached true Immortality!

"I wonder how strong I'll be when my cultivation base has the same breakthrough!?" Naruto's expression flickered with anticipation.

Several days later, Naruto emerged within the clan. All the clan members who he ran into looked at him with extreme respect, and the fervor with which people had previously treated Menma was now shown toward Naruto.

As for Menma, he had apparently disappeared, and was nowhere to be found.

Hotarubi made some inquiries, and finally got a smattering of information that he immediately passed on to Naruto. When Naruto heard that Menma was in secluded meditation in an attempt to break through to true Immortality, his eyes flickered coldly.

"A Writ of Karma will lock down the Nirvana Fruits inside of him that belong to me. My good fortune with the sun was a huge blow to his self-confidence, and surely cracked his Dao heart. And yet, he stood up tall after all of that." He thought about their interchange high up in the sky for a moment, and sighed.

Naruto was displeased with Menma, but all told, he was not guilty of any terrible crimes. In fact, Naruto knew that if he looked at things from Menma's perspective, Menma hadn't done anything wrong.

"The ones who are wrong…are certain other people in this clan," he mused. As he thought back to everything that had happened since he had returned to the clan, he was struck with the increasing sensation that there was some vast conspiracy afoot.

It was a mystery involving Menma, and also had something to do with the Grand Elder. Perhaps… even a Patriarch.

That was why the Grand Elder had been acting so strange. That was why everyone maintained silence regarding Menma. Apparently, a Patriarch had appointed Menma to a position of authority years ago, although Naruto wasn't completely sure of the truth behind it all.

It was as if the entire matter was taboo. No one dared to speak of it.

"Do you understand…?" That was what Pill Elder had said to him on the mountain peak. 1

"Was he warning me that there was something wrong with the Nirvana Fruits the Grand Elder gave me? Or was he hinting at something else…?" Naruto frowned. After considering that matter for a bit longer, he began to duplicate some Spirit Extract, which he placed onto the Nirvana Fruit.

Naruto had already decided that once he fully restored the Nirvana Fruit, he would definitely absorb it. He had the feeling that the benefits it would provide him would be immense, and would help him begin to unravel the enigma of the Namikaze Clan.

That feeling stemmed from his confidence in his ability to analyze and judge matters, as well as his keen intuition.

"Nobody has ever been able to absorb the first generation Patriarch's Nirvana Fruits. I wonder what miracles will result if I succeed?" After a while, he stopped considering the matter, and calmed his mind.

Seven days later, Naruto looked worriedly at the copper mirror, which had rapidly consumed all of his hard-earned spirit stones in exchange for batch after batch of Spirit Extract. That Spirit Extract had then been greedily absorbed by the Nirvana Fruit.

As he nourished the Nirvana Fruit with the Spirit Extract, it seemed to be gradually awakening, as if… it were almost completely restored.

As the copper mirror consumed all of the spirit stones he had acquired from concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, as well as what he had gotten from Chiriku, stabs of pain filled Naruto's heart. It was as if he had just thrown away a vast sum of spirit stones directly into the Nirvana Fruit.

Each one of those spirit stones was enough to break Naruto's heart.

"Making money is so hard, so how come spending it… is so easy?" he thought with a sigh.

Even the entire Namikaze Clan would be incapable of producing so much Spirit Extract. After all, the medicinal plants he had used to make it were the ones he had acquired in the Ruins of Immortality, plants which were rare and, in fact, virtually extinct in the outside world.

As such, this Spirit Extract was essentially priceless. Not even the Namikaze Clan as a whole would be able to afford to restore this Nirvana Fruit; only Naruto, with his copper mirror, could manage it.

"Dammit!" he thought, gritting his teeth and then letting out a long sigh. "I need to think of yet another plan to make some more spirit stones…." He sat there with furrowed brow for a long time before finally clenching his jaw.

"Those sacred pills are not easy to concoct. They will be my last resort. I still haven't finished the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion. I should take advantage of the fact that I'm so famous in the Namikaze Clan right now. Maybe I can strike it rich in one fell swoop!" Having made up his mind, he called Hotarubi over and the two of them spent some time discussing the matter. Finally, Hotarubi left in excitement to enact the plan.

It only took a few days for word to spread through the clan like stormwinds.

"Did you hear? Tomorrow, Prince Naruto is going to the Dao of Alchemy Division to challenge the Medicine Pavilion!"

"Last time he went to the Medicine pavilion, he completed every level perfectly! It caused a huge sensation in the Dao of Alchemy Division."

"From ancient times until now, it's been easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone who can make it through the ninth level of the Dao of Alchemy's Medicine Pavilion. Each and every one is a Grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy. I heard that Prince Naruto's goal is just that: to make it through the ninth level!"

News about Naruto challenging the Medicine Pavilion quickly spread through the clan, and especially through the Dao of Alchemy Division. In the end, it was like great waves rolling across the entire clan.

Naruto was very pleased with this sort of clan environment, and had things all worked out with Hotarubi. Hotarubi would wait outside the Medicine Pavilion area to collect spirit stones. Anyone who didn't pay spirit stones would not be allowed to observe.

Before, it would have been difficult for Naruto to pull something like that off. However, after the rising of the East Ascension Sun, he was the number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, and his every word and deed was the subject of widespread attention.

"This time, I'm definitely going to make a killing!" he thought. The next morning at dawn, he woke early and pushed open the door of his residence. Just when he was about to fly into the air toward the Dao of Alchemy Division, he saw six beams of light flying toward him at high speed. They quickly arrived and surrounded him.

These six people surged with energy. Five of them were stage 7 Immortals, and Naruto could sense that the remaining one had a cultivation base as profound as a deep sea. He was a middle-aged man with a grim face who looked Naruto over and then said, "The Grand Elder has summoned you, Naruto. Come with us."

Naruto frowned at the six men and then coolly replied, "Understood. I'll go over a bit later."

With that he strode forward and prepared to fly past the men.

When the middle-aged man heard Naruto's response, his face tightened with displeasure.

"The Grand Elder has summoned you, and you dare to cause a delay? You're coming with us now, or else—"

"Or else what?" said Naruto, stopping in place and looking at the man with an enigmatic smile. A vast coldness swirled deep within his pupils.

"Arrest him!" said the man, staring back at Naruto.


	12. Unsurpassably Resisting Arrest

Immediately, the other five stage 7 Immortals transformed into beams of light, and their cultivation bases surged. Dharma Idols appeared, 21,000-meter illusory giants. Of course, none of these Dharma Idols represented the cultivators themselves; all of them were false Immortals!

They closed in on Naruto in the blink of an eye. One of the Dharma Idols was an enormous war drum, which emanated a rumbling like that of thunder. Two of the other Dharma Idols were vicious black dragons, which roared as they slashed through the air toward Naruto.

Of the final two Dharma Idols, one was a three-headed six-armed statue, and the other was an enormous crimson python with a forked tongue and sinister eyes.

The five men all attacked simultaneously, and it didn't look like they were trying to arrest Naruto. Instead, killing intent flickered in their eyes, although it was faint and well-concealed. However, Naruto had experienced many things during his life, including two intense wars on Planet Lands of Ninshu. He had also slaughtered countless people, so killing intent like this was something he was keenly attuned to.

"Wanna kill me?" he asked with an icy cold smile. He took a step forward and clenched his right hand into a fist. It shot toward the crimson python at high speed, creating a sonic boom that echoed out in all directions. The air distorted as the power of Naruto's true Immortal fleshly body exploded out.

As the boom rang through the air, the crimson python shattered, revealing the cultivator behind it, ashen face awash with shock. Before he could retreat, Naruto leaped forward and kicked him viciously with his right foot. Cracking sounds could be heard as it slammed into the man's chest, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He tumbled backward.

At the same time, the other four cultivators closed in, divine abilities and magical techniques raging. Naruto's face flickered with iciness. Instead of dodging to the side, he turned and transformed into a golden roc, then shot directly toward his four opponents with incredible speed. A wave of a hand caused numerous mountains to appear, which formed a mountain chain that dropped down toward them.

Next, he made a grasping motion, and a long spear appeared in his hand, the haft carved from the World Tree and the spearhead made from white bone. When he stabbed forward with it, everything darkened, and a sobbing sound rang out. The war drum collapsed into pieces, and the cultivator within it coughed up blood and fell into retreat.

Simultaneously, the head of a Blood Demon appeared, and a blood-colored halo materialized beneath Naruto's feet. He punched again, and the three-headed, six-armed statue exploded. At the same time, the two black dragon Dharma Idols managed to land attacks on Naruto's chest.

The two cultivators controlling the black dragons glared with killing intent. Their cultivation bases exploded with power that would be enough to fell virtually any other cultivator who was weaker than a stage 7 Immortal.

A boom could be heard, and suddenly everything went silent. The two cultivators who had just successfully landed attacks on Naruto stared in shock, and then gasped. It wasn't that they weren't aware that Naruto had a true Immortal fleshly body. However… in their minds, his cultivation base was not at the true Immortal stage, so therefore, they didn't believe his true Immortal fleshly body would really be all that powerful.

As of this moment, though… they had a clear idea… of what exactly a true Immortal fleshly body was!

"So weak!" Naruto said casually. He glared at the men aggressively, and it was like piercing light stabbing into their eyes.

Naruto hadn't even budged an inch. In fact, he didn't even appear to be harmed at all. At the same time, the two men who had just attacked him felt a powerful counterattack surging toward them, and suddenly, blood oozed out of their mouths.

The two men were scared witless, and were about to retreat when Naruto reached out and grabbed one of them, then lifted him into the air and shook him back and forth. The man couldn't control his own body, and felt massive power battering him. Cracking sounds could be heard as his bones were broken and dislocated, and he was then thrown violently toward the second retreating man.

A boom rang out as the second man was sent tumbling backward, his bones shattered and blood spraying from his mouth.

All of this took place in only a few breaths' worth of time. Five stage 7 Immortals were seriously injured, and Naruto remained standing there. He then turned toward the first middle-aged man, the one with the unfathomable cultivation base.

The man's eyes widened. He had never imagined that a true Immortal fleshly body would be so shockingly powerful. It was an exceedingly rare thing for a cultivator to have a fleshly body developed to this level, and was in fact something he had never seen before.

As the two of them faced off, Naruto's Dharma Idol appeared, 24,000 meters tall. Combined with his true Saint fleshly body, it caused his energy to surge with intense power that only continued to increase. He then extended his right hand, and a glowing sphere materialized above it. As it floated there, the sphere seemed to suck in all of the warmth in the area and cause everything to instantly grow cold.

The man's expression was solemn, and his eyes focused intently on Naruto. He sensed a feeling of grave danger when he looked at the sphere of light. And then, Naruto started to walk toward him. It was at this moment that…

"Naruto, come to the main temple!" The Grand Elder's archaic voice echoed out around them.

Naruto said nothing, but his eyes flashed almost indiscernibly. As for the middle-aged man, when he heard the Grand Elder's voice, he gave an inward sigh of relief.

At the same time, his eyes emanated a sharp glow, and a murderous will gradually rose up in his heart. That was because he had realized that Naruto's Dharma Idol was still standing there, and Naruto's powerful energy hadn't faded away. It was almost as if he was preparing to refuse the Grand Elder's summons.

The man's eyes glittered as he readied himself. He looked at Naruto.

Ten breaths of time passed, during which Naruto's expression never changed. Finally, his Dharma Idol vanished, and his surging energy dissipated. Everything returned to normal. However, the glowing sphere remained floating there. As he began to walk forward, it drifted up toward the top of his head, sucking in all of the heat and light around it.

Naruto put the bone-tip spear away, and then completely ignored the middle-aged man as he flew into the air toward the ancestral mansion's main temple.

Inwardly, the middle-aged man sighed in regret, and then reined in the killing intent in his gaze. Finally, he followed Naruto. As for the other five men, they had not received fatal injuries, but were still very seriously hurt. They wouldn't be able to fully recover any time soon, so for the moment, all they could do was struggle to their feet and then consume some medicinal pills. After that, they followed along, faces pale.

Naruto flew the entire way, followed by the six men. Quite a few clan members saw him. Many of them had originally intended to go observe his efforts in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and were taken aback when they saw him flying toward the main temple.

This was especially the case when they saw the six men following him, five of whom were seriously injured and had dismal, ashen faces. The clan members who saw this were all shaken inwardly.

From the look of things, a violent storm was brewing under the surface of the Namikaze Clan, and was just barely being kept under control.

At some point, the sky above the Namikaze Clan had changed from its usual bright, sunny, and endlessly blue appearance. Now, black clouds gathered, and the rumbling of thunder shook the ground. Flashes that resembled silver dragons could occasionally be seen flickering in the clouds.

When the Namikaze Clan members saw this, they grew very quiet. They weren't sure exactly what had happened, but they could clearly sense that the air was growing increasingly colder.

Naruto's expression was calm as he proceeded forward. The sphere of light above his head continued to grow larger. Soon it was 300 meters wide, and incredibly shocking in appearance….

The six Namikaze Clan guardsmen behind him looked on with tingling scalps, completely astonished. No one else understood why the sky had changed color and the air was growing cold, but they knew. It was all caused by the glowing sphere of light above Naruto's head!

As Naruto headed toward the main temple, the sphere of light continued to absorb all the heat and light around him!

"This is the divine ability he created when he faced the sun!" thought the leader of the group of six men. His eyes widened, and despite the level of his cultivation base, he still felt fear growing inside of him.

It didn't take long before the sphere of light was 600 meters wide. Naruto was now outside of the main temple. The first thing he noticed was the Grand Elder, sitting there inside.

There were also numerous Elders sitting in the enormous seats that filled the temple hall. Each one of them wore calm expressions, and none of them spoke, which actually caused the temple hall to be filled with enormous pressure.

Sitting near the Grand Elder were Menma's grandfather and father. Both of them looked over icily at Naruto.

Killing intent flickered deep within Kajura's eyes.

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever. Without any hesitation, he stepped into the middle of the temple hall.

As for the 600-meter sphere of light, Naruto left it floating just outside of the temple, where it continued to absorb light and heat.

Because of the sphere, Naruto's entrance into the temple hall was accompanied by icy coldness. The light even began to fade, and frost began to appear on the ground.

The surrounding Elders' facial expressions did not change, but they had long since sent their divine sense out to inspect the sphere of light hovering outside the temple.

"Naruto extends greetings to the Grand Elder and other Elders," he said, his voice neither haughty nor humble as he clasped hands and bowed deeply. He was clearly following the clan rules down to the letter.

The Grand Elder's face was expressionless as he looked at Naruto.

"Naruto," he said slowly, "you displayed shocking talent during the rise of the East Ascension Sun. You flew up higher than any member of the Junior generation of the clan has ever flown throughout our countless years of history.

"You stepped off of the planet and into the starry sky, you faced the sun for ten breaths of time, and you received significant good fortune and enlightenment.

"All of these things make me very happy for you." Although he spoke words of praise and encouragement, his expression was completely emotionless the entire time.

Naruto stood there silently and scanned the crowd. He remembered the words of that direct bloodline Elder who had warned him about Kajura. Half a month had already passed since then, and from what Naruto could tell, this summons could not be a good thing for him.

That was especially true when he noticed the anxiety within the eyes of the direct bloodline Elders who were present in the temple. Furthermore, Hotarubi's father was present, and was looking nervously at Naruto.

"The Elders have all proposed that you be rewarded for your actions," the Grand Elder continued, "and after much thought, I have come to the conclusion that I agree. Your reward will come in the form of access to the clan's ancestral land, which was created by the first generation Patriarch. At one time, our ancestral land was part of the Ruins of Immortality. However, the Patriarch cut that part of the Ruins away and brought it here."

When Naruto heard this, his eyes narrowed. He knew that the Namikaze Clan possessed deep resources, but he hadn't been aware that the first generation Patriarch was so strong that he could take away part of the Ruins of Immortality and bring it back to the clan to serve as an ancestral land!

"The divine abilities and magical techniques of the Namikaze Clan were not all simply handed down by the first generation Patriarch," the Grand Elder explained. "Instead, for generation after generation, members of our clan have entered the ancestral land he left behind. After thoroughly searching it over and over again, the various magics of the Namikaze Clan have slowly been collected together.

"However… there are still many magical techniques that have yet to be discovered. To find them is a matter of chance and good fortune.

"Furthermore, for countless years, any Namikaze Clan member who reached the Dao Realm and did not perish off planet, chose to be buried in this ancestral land when it came time for them to return to the dust. There, they would leave behind their cultivation magic and other secrets, where they remain, just waiting for a predestined successor to go in and acquire them.

"As for the first generation Patriarch's five great Daoist magics, four of them have been located. However, the most powerful of them all, the One Thought Stellar Transformation, has never been found. 1

"In addition to all that, there are also medicinal plants and pill formulas in the ancestral land. There are even Immortal Ancient Daoist Treasures, all just waiting for their destined person to come along and take them." As the Grand Elder spoke, his cold voice echoed throughout the temple hall.

Naruto listened to everything, his face as still as stone.

"Opening the ancestral land requires a significant expenditure of resources. Generally speaking, we only open it once every thousand years. However, even though the appointed time has not arrived, we are going to make an exception and open it for you.

"However…." It was at this point that the Grand Elder suddenly paused and looked deeply at Naruto for a long moment before continuing.

"Great danger lurks inside. That danger exists in the form of trials by fire left behind by the first generation Patriarch for his successors. The ancestral land is a bizarre place, in which various strange beings can arise.

"Therefore, to someone like you, the ancestral land might be a place of good fortune, but it can also be extremely dangerous. Although not many people have actually died in the ancestral land over the years, some have.

"You may consider… whether or not you wish to take advantage of this reward." The Grand Elder's final words caused Kajura's and Menma's grandfather's expressions to flicker almost imperceptibly. Without even thinking about it, they glanced over at the Grand Elder.

Kajura's brow furrowed. According to their previous agreement with the Grand Elder, when the ancestral land was opened, Naruto would be forced to enter it whether he wanted to or not. He was not to be given a choice in the matter.

As of this moment, both Kajura and Menma's Grandfather couldn't understand why the Grand Elder, who had always supported their bloodline, would, at the very last moment, suddenly give Naruto the option of whether or not to enter!

As the two of them hesitated, the Grand Elder waved his finger, causing a vortex to appear in midair in the middle of the temple. The vortex spun out, growing to dozens of meters in size. It was filled with swirling mists, within which slowly appeared the image of another world.

Gradually, that world grew clearer and clearer.

Naruto's face was calm as he looked at the Grand Elder. The fact that he had been given a choice was somewhat strange. After a moment of thought, he glanced over at the direct bloodline Elders, and could see that they were also hesitating. He was now being given an opportunity that he would be hard-pressed to come across in any other situation.

At the same time, he was facing imminent danger.

"Naruto," said Hotarubi's father, 19th Uncle, "you really need to consider the matter carefully. I suggest that you don't enter the ancestral land. Wait until you're in the Immortal Realm. In another few hundred years, then you can go into the ancestral land. That would be much better. There's really no reason for you to enter now. Naruto, consider things carefully."

Naruto was silent for a moment before turning back to the Grand Elder, clasping hands and bowing deeply.

"Grand Elder, am I the only one who can enter on this occasion? May I choose to decline the chance to enter?"

"If you enter, you will do so alone," the Grand Elder said slowly, his expression one of neither joy nor anger. "If you wish to decline the chance to enter, you may go to the Dao of Alchemy Division to challenge the medicine pavilion."

Off to the side, Kajura sat there nervously. He had paid a very heavy price to arrange this matter, and if Naruto didn't enter, it would be impossible for him to have Naruto killed.

"Bear in mind," continued the Grand Elder, looking at Naruto with a piercing gaze, "all contact with the outside will be severed once you enter the ancestral land. Nothing that happens inside will be visible to any of us."

Those words caused Kajura's face to twitch. He looked over at his father, and saw that, although his face was expressionless, his pupils had constricted.

Naruto was unsure as to why the Grand Elder was taking this stance. The normal thing to happen would be for the Grand Elder to give him no choice in the matter. For things to turn out this way caused Naruto to look over at the vortex thoughtfully. He was just about to say that he would decline what was obviously an ambush set up by Kajura when suddenly, a tremor ran through his body. As he looked into the world inside of the vortex, his eyes suddenly went wide.

For a moment, it seemed as if he had caught sight of something completely unbelievable. However, his expression quickly returned to normal. Nontheless, inwardly, he was more shocked than if he had been struck by lightning. His heart began to pound beyond control.

Mouth and throat dry, he immediately said, "I choose to enter the ancestral land!"

When the Elders in the temple who tended to support Menma's bloodline heard Naruto's words, they looked over at him expressionlessly. As for the direct bloodline, anxious expressions could be seen on their faces. However, since this was Naruto's decision, they did nothing to persuade him to change his mind.

After all, the Grand Elder had clearly explained that there would be great danger in the ancestral land. Considering that Naruto had chosen to enter even under such circumstances caused 19th Uncle and the direct bloodline Elders to be able to sense his level of determination.

All they could do was sigh inwardly.

The Grand Elder looked deeply at Naruto for a moment, his expression revealing nothing about what he was thinking. However, the way he was looking at Naruto did seem… somewhat strange.

Most excited of all was Kajura. He took a deep breath and stared at Naruto without revealing any of the boiling killing intent in his heart. Menma's grandfather frowned thoughtfully at the way the Grand Elder was looking at Naruto. For some reason, he had a very uneasy feeling inside.

The Grand Elder was silent for a moment, then coolly said, "Since that is your decision, then go now."

He waved his hand, and a gentle breeze rose up, wrapped around Naruto, and sent him toward the vortex.

"In two months, the ancestral land will automatically open again, and you may come out. During those two months… please take care of yourself." Even as the words rang out, Naruto flew through the air in the wind. In the blink of an eye, he was right outside of the vortex. When he looked inside, his heart pounded madly, and a feeling of reminiscence floated in his heart.

RUMBLE!

Upon contact, he sank into the vortex as if it were water. Then he vanished. The vortex stopped moving, and then faded away from the temple hall.

In that same moment, there were nine areas in different parts of Planet East Victory which suddenly shone with mysterious black light. That light was cast up by teleportation portals, within which sat nine cold and expressionless cultivators wearing black robes.

These nine cultivators seethed with murderous auras, as if innumerable foes had been slain by their hands.

If Naruto were able to see any of them, he would recognize them immediately. The black robes worn by these nine men seemed to be exactly the same as the ones worn by the people who had ambushed him and 19th Uncle en route to Planet East Victory!

As they sat there cross-legged in the teleportation portals, light suddenly rose up around them, and they vanished. This was in the exact moment in which Naruto vanished into the ancestral land.

Another thing happened at exactly the same time. Deep underground beneath the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, seven withered figures sat cross-legged in meditation. One of them was the crimson-robed old man who had opened his eyes during the rising of the East Ascension Sun, aroused by Naruto's Essence of Divine Flame. At this moment, his eyes opened, and they shone with boundless ancientness.

"This kid's bloodline is strong…. He's a descendant of Eldest Brother. He must be THE Chosen of this generation of the clan." The old man's eyes flickered as he sensed the black-robed men vanishing, and then a cold light gleamed therein.

"Interesting. Someone actually dares to violate clan rules and fight inside the clan…. Not only that, but they chose to fight within the ancestral land!" The coldness in his eyes grew more intense.

"Is it Sixth Brother's bloodline….?" The old man's brow furrowed in thought for a while. He turned his head to look at the sixth figure sitting there meditating in the inky blackness of the stony cavern.

There were a total of seven people inside this underground lair. Originally, the old man in the crimson robe should have been asleep, and should not have awakened in this age. According to the clan rules, it was the Sixth Patriarch who was supposed to regain consciousness in this millennium.

However, Naruto's Essence of Divine Flame had stimulated his aura during the rise of the Eastern Ascension Sun, reviving him. Afterward, he had planned to return to meditation, but had then changed his mind.

"Sixth Brother is in an astral projection. His soul is no longer in his body." He thought for another moment.

"Sixth Brother has already cultivated the Reincarnation Incantation Daoist magic to the pinnacle. But… was it worth it?" The old man closed his eyes. This closing of the eyes was not a return to a state of inactivity. Instead, he quietly sent out some divine sense, which transformed into a stream of divine will that made its way through the earth… toward the ancestral land!

Heaven and Earth trembled as lightning and thunder danced about in the clouds, as if seeking a way to lash the earth. The ground itself was a brownish color that made it look like it was soaked with blood, and stretched out as far as the eye could see.

What parts of the land were not covered with deep cracks were choked with weeds.

A seemingly eternal air of desolation and bleakness spread out in all directions. Off in the distance, ruins could be seen, and even further off, a volcano which belched thick black smoke.

Occasionally, frightening roars could be heard echoing about, which raged across the lands like storm winds, causing everything to shake.

The mystery of this place came from the fact that it used to be part of the Ruins of Immortality. Its solemn dignity came because it was now an ancestral land of the Namikaze Clan.

The first generation Patriarch was buried here. Other Dao Realm Patriarchs of the clan, his descendants, were also laid to rest here after passing away in meditation.

The entire ancestral land was laid out in the shape of a straight line. The further one went in, the more danger there was. As for the brown-earthed region near the entrance, two chains of mountains were visible.

These two mountain ranges were like two stone dragons, lofty, imposing, and jagged.

Between the two mountain chains was a path, so far down from the peaks of the mountains that the sky was almost like a sliver up above. It was like a great door leading into the ancestral land, although there was no actual door present, only… an enormous statue larger than the mountains themselves!

This statue looked as if it were inseparably connected to the mountains. It was pitch black, and wore a heavy suit of armor. Its two hands rested on the pommel of a greatsword, and the statue itself seemed incomparably ancient.

The sword was dozens of meters wide, and was thrust down into the earth. Ancient magical symbols were engraved onto its surface, which seemed simple and almost crude, and yet contained profound meaning that was impossible to decipher.

The statue's eyes lacked any expression whatsoever, making the statue itself seem completely lifeless. It almost seemed to be a mere decoration standing guard over the ancestral land.

However, from a distance, it was possible to see that the statue was looking up into the sky, staring off into the distance as if… it was waiting for something.

Any Namikaze Clan member who had been to the ancestral land knew about this statue. According to the legends, the origins of the statue were a complete mystery. Supposedly, it had flown here from somewhere out in the starry sky, the same year that the Hebi Clan changed the Heavens and took over the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

From then on, the statue had remained in this spot, apparently guarding the ancestral land.

Over the years, rumors began to spread that the statue was not just there to guard the ancestral land, but actually, all of the Namikaze Clan's bloodlines.

Years and years passed, and eventually, the rumors and stories died out. In every generation of the Namikaze Clan, there would be many people who came and laid eyes on the statue. However, they never called to mind the absurd stories of the past. After all… they were simply legends.

As for the reason why the statue held its head up as if it were waiting for something, people had long since stopped wondering about it.

No one had any idea why this statue had come here to the Namikaze Clan on its own… nor what it was waiting for.

It emanated the aura of a powerful expert, an intense aura that was strong enough to shake Heaven and Earth. When Naruto looked at it, the feeling he got was so intense that not even the Grand Elder could compare.

This statue was so strong… that in the past, Naruto wouldn't have been able to even identify how powerful it was. Now, though, when he looked at the statue, he understood…. This statue's aura was almost like that of a Paragon!

Naruto stood in the vast land between the two mountain chains. This was the location that he had appeared in upon entering the ancestral land. Currently, he was standing there stock-still, looking thoughtfully at the statue.

He was well aware that this trip to the ancestral land was an ambush. He also knew that the best choice had been to not come here, but instead take advantage of the opportunity given him by the Grand Elder.

In fact, originally he had no plans whatsoever to enter this place. However, after looking into the vortex and seeing this enormous statue, his heart had filled with roaring.

The roaring had soon inundated him completely, tugging at him, pulling him into distant memories.

He trembled, and his eyes flashed with reminiscence. He couldn't even control himself as he walked forward to stand in front of the statue. He came to a stop in front of its foot, after which he reached his hand out and patted it gently.

His hand shook, and after it touched the statue, his whole body started trembling. He slowly looked up at the enormously tall statue, and then started to float up into the air.

He moved slowly, as if he wanted to take a clear look at the entire statue. Eventually, he reached its head, and looked into its eyes. It was at this point… that tears appeared in his own eyes.

"Terracotta soldier…." he murmured softly. Finally, the tears began to roll down his cheeks and fall to the ground. He remembered this terracotta soldier being about three meters tall. Even though it was now much bigger than before, he would never forget this terracotta soldier with whom he had such a connection.

The only reason he had chosen to enter this ancestral land despite all the danger… was because of this statue.

Back in the temple, when he had looked into the vortex and seen the statue, he almost couldn't believe it.

How could he have forgotten about this statue…? How was it even possible?

This was… one of the two terracotta soldiers that had been created for him in illusory world of the Second Plane of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, by his foster father Mui!

He would never, ever be able to forget the life he had lived as Muku back in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

"Father…." said Naruto, tears streaming down his face. His entire body shook, and as he looked at the statue, he wept. All of the memories of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect flooded into his mind. All of a sudden, Mui's stern and yet loving face appeared in his mind.

The ninety-nine bell tolls from that year seemed to echo in his ears once again. 1

He had long since assumed that he would never see the two terracotta soldiers again. He had searched for them in the Third Plane of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, in the real world, but hadn't found them.

There was no possible way that Naruto would ever have thought that he might see one of the statues here… in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral land.

Mui, knowing that his longevity was reaching its end, had created this terracotta soldier to protect Naruto. It was only because of it that Naruto had unhesitatingly entered the ancestral land, despite knowing of the dangers.

It wouldn't have mattered if the danger had been was exponentially greater than it was, Naruto would never have hesitated to come here.

And the entire reason… was because of Mui!

What was it waiting for?

This was a question that no one in the Namikaze Clan had been able to answer for generations.

Naruto looked at the statue, weeping, fully aware… that the statue had been waiting for him.

It had waited here alone for him for tens of thousands of years….

The reason it had flown here to the Namikaze Clan was because of the soul blood that had emerged from Naruto's forehead to connect him to the statue. Because of that, it didn't matter how much time separated them, or who ended up taking possession of the soldier. Naruto… was always its original master. 1

Years ago, before Naruto had even been born, the statue flew through space, guided by his blood, all the way to the Namikaze Clan. It had found a place where it sensed a familiar bloodline, and then chosen to wait there in silence.

This was the simple answer to the question asked by so many members of the Namikaze Clan.

This was only one of the two statues that had been created for Naruto by Mui.

As for the other statue, perhaps it had fallen in battle at some point throughout the years. Or perhaps it was in some other distant location, standing alone and looking off into the sky just like this statue, waiting for Naruto to come.

Time passed by slowly, and eventually, Naruto sat down cross-legged on the statue's head. He patted the surface of the statue, and his expression continued to be one of reminiscence. He recalled everything that had happened in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, and his heart filled with sorrow.

Sometimes, a certain object will make you think of a certain person.

When Naruto looked at the statue, he missed Mui. He missed the man he had called father in that ancient world.

At the same time that Naruto sat down on the statue, there were nine areas in the Namikaze Clan ancestral land where the air distorted, and nine black-robed men emerged. They immediately produced jade slips that they could use to detect bloodlines, then transformed into beams of light that shot away from their original locations.

Killing intent boiled in the ancestral land.

One of the black-robed men held the jade slip in hand, and the desire to kill gleamed in his eyes as he realized that he was the closest of them all to Naruto. He made no effort to conceal the level of his cultivation base. Power exploded out as he shot through the air in a beam of light, following the jade slip's guidance.

His cultivation base caused the clouds up above to seethe, and the ground to shake. This was an Ancient Realm cultivation base, and as he sped through the air, it was possible to see nine lamps behind him.

They were wooden lamps that burned with green flames. Eight of the lamps were lit, one was began orbiting around the man, and they pulsed with the power of a natural law of Heaven and Earth!

The Ancient Realm is also called the Ancient Soul. Based on the accumulations and preparations made in the Immortal Realm, a minimum of nine Soul Lamps will appear upon breaking through to the Ancient Realm. More can appear depending on the profundity of the cultivator's cultivation base. To proceed through the Ancient Realm, the lamps must be extinguished one by one. The extinguishing of each lamp counts as a deadly test, and if the cultivator can extinguish all of the lamps and remain alive, then they will be qualified to step into the Dao Realm!

However, to do so is incredibly hard!

The more Soul Lamps one possesses, the harder it is to break through, and the greater the chance of death. At the same time, though, the more Soul Lamps one has… the more shockingly powerful they will be if they succeed in breaking through!

That was so much so that there were some people with ten or more Soul Lamps who, after reaching the late Ancient Realm, were qualified to fight with someone in the Dao Realm!

In any given clan or sect, a cultivator with one extinguished Soul Lamp would be considered to have the status of an Elder. The single stamp of a foot could shake everything. Just one such person would be enough to slaughter Naruto, but Kajura was obviously uneasy about the situation. It was impossible to say what vast price he had paid, for he had actually hired nine almighty Ancient Realm cultivators, each of them with one extinguished Soul Lamp. Clearly, he wanted no mishaps or accidents in having Naruto exterminated.

Meanwhile, a vague image appeared high up in the air where it was impossible for anyone to see. An old man hovered there, looking down at Naruto, who was still sitting on the statue's head.

This image was none other than the divine will of the Seventh Patriarch from the subterranean cavern beneath the Namikaze Clan.

When he saw Naruto sitting there abjectly on top of the statue, he gaped in shock.

"What's the kid doing?" he thought.

Naruto sat there atop of the statue for a while before raising his head and looking off into the distance, where he saw a figure speeding toward him like an arrow piercing through the roiling clouds.

The figure moved with incredible speed, bursting with astonishing energy that seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth. This was a power that Naruto could never fight against. Behind the figure were nine lamps, eight burning and one extinguished, which emanated a primordial will that cast strange colors into the sky.

Naruto's eyes widened. This was his first time seeing Soul Lamps, and after a moment of consideration, the coldness in his eyes grew more intense.

"Soul Lamps are cultivated in the Ancient Realm…." he murmured. "So, an Ancient Realm expert has appeared in the ancestral land. Kajura… is this the expression of your killing intent?" He looked at the figure that split the air as it shot toward him. It was a powerful expert wearing a black robe, and he was closing in rapidly.

He made no effort to conceal his monstrous cultivation base or his massive killing intent. A wind kicked up, spreading across the lands and kicking up dust. The wind couldn't dispel the bleak feeling that lay over the land, and in fact, made everything even more harsh and desolate.

The moment Naruto saw the black robe, killing intent flickered in his eyes. He immediately thought back to how he had fled from deadly pursuit in the starry sky.

"So, I guessed correctly," he thought. "It was Menma's bloodline who tried to prevent me from making it back to the clan alive." His face was calm as he faced the wild wind. His robes and hair flapped in the wind, and yet, he continued to calmly pat the statue's head.

The Seventh Patriarch's divine will image floated in midair, astonished. In his opinion, Naruto was now facing an Ancient Realm expert with one extinguished Soul Lamp. For him to be acting so calm left the Seventh Patriarch in a state of wonderment.

"Let's see what kind of trump card the kid has to get him out of this deadly situation," thought the Seventh Patriarch, smiling and paying close attention. He had already decided that he would take action in the moment before Naruto would actually be killed.

The reason he had come here, though, was not for Naruto, but rather, for those people who had dared to violate the clan rules.

Screaming wind filled the air as the black-robed man shot toward Naruto. He was middle-aged and very skinny. His expression was calm, without the slightest bit of excitement visible. To him, killing a member of the Junior generation who wasn't even an Immortal, was far too simple of a task.

It didn't matter if his target had a rare true Immortal fleshly body. To him, Naruto was merely a member of a younger generation. In his opinion, Kajura was making a mountain out of a molehill to ask nine people to all attack Naruto.

By this point, he was about 3,000 meters away from Naruto. In a flash, that distance shrank to only a few hundred meters.

He said nothing, just extended his right hand and pointed toward Naruto.

In response, the land up ahead twisted as a huge fissure opened up. It looked like a vicious, evil dragon that shot toward Naruto.

Bizarre colors flashed, and natural law manifested. The light and the darkness in the world seemed to be in flux.

From a distance, the sky appeared to have become a huge net; as soon as the fissure appeared in the ground, the entire sky seemed to have shattered!

Naruto's pupils constricted. The man's arrival made it seem as if a stifling pressure were weighing down on the entire area, like Heavenly might. The pressure caused his blood to seethe, and his cultivation base to begin to shatter. Even his fleshly body began to emanate cracking sounds.

"So this is an Ancient Realm expert, huh…?" A strange light gleamed in Naruto's eyes as the air ripped apart in response to the man's waving finger. This man's manipulation of the natural law of Heaven and Earth had already reached the acme of perfection; apparently, if this man wanted the air to rip apart, then the air would absolutely do just that.

An intense sensation of deadly crisis rose up in Naruto.

However, as that fissure snaked toward him, Naruto's lips twisted up into a smile of ridicule.

In that moment, he did not move. What moved was the statue beneath him!

The statue's eyes had previously been blank, without the slightest sign of life. But now, they suddenly began to shine with bright light that turned into consciousness. The face now flickered with expression, and its aura roiled out.

It was nothing more than an aura, and yet it caused Heaven and Earth to tremble, and the fissure that was extending rapidly toward Naruto suddenly vanished into nothing!

The massive net up in the sky also collapsed.

Rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions, and the ground quaked. The mountains themselves shook as Naruto's statue seemed to wake up from a slumber that had lasted for tens of thousands of years. It was as if it were being resurrected from the dead.

Its aura grew stronger and stronger, growing infinitely close to the level of a Paragon. This type of Paragon was not the same type of Paragon as the title held by that white-robed woman who had appeared in that year in the Three Great Daoist Societies' trial by fire. This was… the Quasi-Dao Realm, which was referred to by the title Paragon in the Nine Mountains and Seas!

As for why exactly it was referred to in that manner, there was a specific reason!

The terracotta soldier's eyes were growing brighter and clearer, and its energy was surging to monstrous heights. It was as if the statue was now rising up to accomplish the mission assigned to it by Mui all those years ago!

Its mission… was to protect Naruto for all time, to eternally act as his safeguard!

It was to never allow Naruto to come to any harm, to never experience grief, and most definitely to never be killed. That… was the statue's mission, and the entire purpose why Mui had created it.

Naruto sat on top of the statue, and he saw Mui in his mind's eye. His face was stern, but his eyes were filled with love. Yet again, tears appeared in Naruto's eyes.

Once again… he felt Mui's fatherly love.

This time, it was manifested in the real world.

Cracking sounds could be heard, and everything shook. Fissures appeared in the mountain chains and then spread out in all directions.

The middle-aged man's face flickered with disbelief and astonishment, and his mind reeled. He subconsciously stopped in place, and his eyes widened.

He was also a member of the Namikaze Clan, and what he was seeing left him stupefied. He watched with his own eyes as the legendary protector of the ancestral land and the Namikaze Clan itself, that enormous statue which had never budged over countless years… suddenly moved!

He saw Naruto sitting atop the statue as it lifted its right foot and took a step forward.

From a distance, the statue looked boundlessly tall and shockingly powerful. When its foot landed on the ground, the entire world quaked. At the same time, the statue's arms moved, and cracking sounds could be heard as the mountains that were connected to the statue crumbled, transforming into nothing but rocks and dust that rolled off of the statue down onto the ground.

Everything was covered in a haze of dust, which only served to make the statue in the center of it all even more shocking.

It raised its other foot and took another step, causing the land to rumble, and more mountains to collapse.

The haze of dust continued to spread out rapidly in pulsing waves, creating an astonishing sight. The middle-aged man's scalp went numb, and his mind spun. This was literally the most unbelievable thing he had ever seen in his entire life. His face instantly became devoid of blood, and he looked shocked beyond belief.

He suddenly cried out involuntarily, "That's… that's… that's the aura of a Quasi-Dao Realm Paragon!"

His eyes were wide, and his heart pounded wildly.

He was well-aware how powerful a Quasi-Dao Paragon was, and what they represented. He was extremely conscientious of the fact that the Quasi-Dao Realm… was a completely astonishing Realm within the Nine Mountains and Seas. It was a realm of madness and terror, so powerful that strongest experts in the Nine Mountains and Seas had no choice but to call people in that Realm… Paragons!

The middle-aged man wasn't the only shocked one. The old man up in midair, the manifestation of the Seventh Patriarch's divine will, was watching with wide eyes and open mouth. He was completely astonished, and could scarcely believe what he was seeing.

"How is this possible?!" he thought, panting, his mind spinning. "The Dao Guardsman, is actually… moving!" He suddenly looked at Naruto sitting on top of the statue's head, and viewed the look of sorrow on his face in a new light. For an instant, the rarely-shocked Seventh Patriarch's scalp went numb.

The ground quaked and mountains crumbled. A massive rumbling sound filled the air, and the haze of dust churned as boulders crashed down.

The weeds in the area were blown flat by the wind, and cracks appeared in the surface of the ground, although it was all rapidly covered over by the dust.

Up in the air, the Seventh Patriarch was panting as he stared mutely at the statue.

As for the skinny man, he couldn't be more shocked. His mind reeled as he looked at the earth-shaking statue. He could sense the aura emanating out from it, and it turned his face ashen. Without another moment's hesitation, he fled.

This unexpected turn of events was something he couldn't handle. From his perspective, killing Naruto should have been as simple as turning over his hand. Moments later, though, everything was completely reversed.

He suddenly realized why Kajura would hire nine experts like himself to kill a mere member of the Junior generation. Although the conclusion he reached was actually fallacious, in his mind, it was the obvious answer.

"Dammit! How could things turn out like this! Kajura, you bastard, you conned me. Y-y-you sent me, with one extinguished Soul Lamp, in here to kill a cultivator protected by a Quasi-Dao Paragon? Why didn't you tell us ahead of time that this inhuman Naruto could actually bring the Dao Guardsman back to life!?" The man retreated with all the speed he could muster.

However, in the moment that he began to flee, the statue's gaze stabbed through the haze of dust like a beam of light to land directly on the man.

In the instant the statue's gaze locked onto him, a sound like thunder rumbled in the man's mind. An intense sense of deadly crisis rose up, and he let out a bellow. He instantly spit out blood and unleashed a secret magic to try to flee.

He was scared. As an Ancient Realm expert, he did not often encounter frightening situations, but as of this moment, he was afraid. In fact, he was terrified, all the way down to his bones.

He knew exactly how terrifyingly powerful a Quasi-Dao Paragon was. Years ago, he had actually personally witnessed the wild and devastating power of just such an individual.

There was no way he couldn't feel terror. The awakening of the statue shook his mind, and caused him to think back to the legends he had heard regarding the statue.

"I… have provoked a truly inhuman monster! I can't believe… I can't believe this is happening!" He felt incredible regret, and swore that, if he managed to live through this, he would make things very difficult for Kajura when he got out of the ancestral land.

However, it was at this moment that the huge statue's hands tightened on the enormous greatsword that was thrust into the ground. Rumbling and cracking sounds could be heard from the ground as fissures spread out from the sword in all directions. Suddenly, the greatsword… was pulled out from the earth!

The shocking statue's eyes were as cold as ice as it hefted the greatsword in both hands. Then it swung the sword, which descended as fast as lighting toward the fleeing man.

The sword caused the whole world to go silent.

The avalanches of boulders made no sound. The crumbling mountains were silent. The haze of dust seethed in terrifying quietude. It was as if time itself… were frozen in place.

The fleeing man also seemed to be stopped in midair, his expression that of terror and astonishment. His pupils were frozen in place, and the nine Soul Lamps behind him were motionless. It was as if everything in the world were completely incapable of moving.

The only thing that was moving was the statue's greatsword. As it cleaved downward, blood oozed from the man's forehead, then trickled down his nose, then his chin. Finally, the sword passed through his torso, simultaneously shattering his Soul Lamps.

The world returned to normal. The terracotta soldier's greatsword once again stabbed into the ground, which trembled and quaked. Sound returned… in midair, the middle-aged man's body had been completely cleaved into two pieces, and all of his Soul Lamps were destroyed.

The man had numerous magical items, all of which were shattered, and flew out in pieces along with the man's flesh and blood.

There was no way for him to fight back or block. He couldn't even struggle, let alone evade.

Blood sprayed out as his Nascent Divinity, his Soul Lamps, all of him… faded away.

Only his bag of holding remained, which came to float in front of Naruto.

Naruto sat silently on the statue.

High up in the air, the Seventh Patriarch took a deep breath. Even he felt a sense of fear when he looked at the statue, and also knew how shocking and terrifying its sword was.

"That sword has its own Dao that replaces the natural law of Heaven and Earth! That sword… can sever Daos, sever natural laws, can sever… anything that exists!

"This is definitely the power of a Quasi-Dao Paragon! However… it's obviously nothing more than a statue! If a statue could be so powerful, then whoever created that statue… must be even more terrifying!

"I suppose… only someone in the true Dao Realm, who also possessed some rare Heavenly material or Earthly treasure, would be able to create something like this. But…with such a treasure, it would make more sense to craft some other item, something that would be of more use to a Dao Realm cultivator." Simply looking at the statue caused the Seventh Patriarch's heart to tremble.

He knew that Quasi-Dao Realm cultivators… were a maniacal bunch. They were madmen who could ignore anybody; they were people who nobody dared to provoke.

They were people who had prepared for years, who had transcended one deadly Soul Lamp tribulation after another, who had reached the peak of the Ancient Realm filled with hope. But after extinguishing their final Soul Lamp, they were unable to enter the Dao Realm, and would exist forever half a step away from it. Their lifespans had crumbled away, and they would be left with only a few dozen years of life. People like that… were in the Quasi-Dao Realm!

They were doomed to die, and could not be saved by anything in Heaven and Earth. Therefore, they went mad, stuck half a step into the Dao Realm, possessing a certain level of Dao Essence that earned them respect and awe. No one dared to provoke them, and everyone called them Paragons.

For tens of thousands of years, only eleven such people had ever appeared in the Namikaze Clan. Some of them went mad and carried out slaughters. Some of them quietly waited until their life force reached its end.

When the Grand Elder had spoken of past Dao Realm Patriarchs of the Namikaze Clan who were buried in the ancestral land, he was referring to… Quasi-Dao Paragons! The only one among these who was a true Dao Realm expert was the first generation Patriarch!

Mui had also met with failure at that final step. However, his cultivation base was so terrifyingly profound that, even after his failure, even being only half a step into the Dao Realm, even with a failing longevity… he had still managed to force out many more years of life to protect his son.

At that time, his battle prowess had far exceeded the Ancient Realm, and could actually be considered to be in the Dao Realm.

As for his final Soul Lamp, that was the very lamp with the body of a dragon and the wick of a phoenix, the one he had been buried with!

He had actually used that lamp to make the terracotta soldiers, which had thus contained much of Mui's life force. As a result… they were incredibly powerful!

The Seventh Patriarch was panting as he looked at the statue in fear. He himself… was not in the Dao Realm; he was only in the Ancient Realm. However, he had summoned fifteen Soul Lamps, and to date had managed to extinguish thirteen of them.

"Only Elder Brother, the Earth Patriarch, could suppress that statue with his Dao Realm cultivation base. Nobody else could, not even Old Second and Old Third with their fourteen extinguished Soul Lamps. They only have one more lamp each to extinguish, but they still wouldn't be matches for this statue. After all, they're still merely in the Ancient Realm!"

Most shocking of all to him was that this Dao Guardsman of the Namikaze Clan was actually protecting Naruto!

"This kid actually managed to get the Dao Guardsman to move! How did he pull it off? Why was he able to do it? The fact that he was so confident before shows that he was sure ahead of time that the statue would fight for him and protect him!

"This… is absurdly unbelievable!" The Seventh Patriarch took an incredulous breath as he looked down at what was happening. There was no way for him to explain what was going on, and if his divine will wasn't here to personally witness it, then, if he had been told the story later, he would have called it nonsensical ravings.

And yet, here he was watching it happen, shocked.

Naruto patted the statue's head. Gradually, the land around him quieted down. The dust faded away, and everything returned to normal. Naruto looked up, and returned the precious memories of Mui to the depths of his heart. Sometimes a certain object will make you think of a certain person. His memories filled him with grief that he couldn't somehow undo the death of Mui.

He closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again. The he looked down at the statue. To him, it was no mere terracotta soldier, but rather, a precious memento left to him by Mui.

"Let's go," he said softly. "Come with me to take a look around this ancestral land of the Namikaze Clan." The statue's eyes shone brightly as it flew into the air and took Naruto further into the ancestral land.

That simple action almost caused the Seventh Patriarch's eyeballs to pop out of his head. He very nearly cried out in shock.

He gasped, and a look of disbelief covered his face as he stared at the statue taking Naruto off into the distance. He was well-aware of the difference between Naruto getting the statue to protect him, and getting it to carry him around. They were two completely different things.

One required passively responding, the other required taking action!

"He… can actually control the clan's Dao Guardsman!" The Seventh Patriarch was panting. Now that he knew the full situation, his mind spun, and he completely forgot about any rule-violating members of the clan. He looked at Naruto with shining eyes, and couldn't help but be filled with the growing notion that Naruto would be a future pillar of the clan.

As Naruto proceeded along, he opened up the bag of holding that had belonged to the man who had just been killed. He scanned its contents with divine sense, finding a good quantity of spirit stones and Immortal jade. There were also a lot of medicinal pills, and even some jade slips. One of those jade slips was black, and Naruto's face grew frosty as soon as he picked it up and scanned it.

"He was an Elder of the Namikaze Clan!" he murmured. The command medallion he held in his hand was a token of authentication provided by the clan, and revealed that the man from moments ago was definitely one of the clan Elders.

After all, this was the Namikaze Clan's ancestral land. Kajura wanted Naruto dead more than anything, but he still wouldn't dare to allow outsiders into the ancestral land. He wouldn't have been able to bear the consequences of that.

In his estimation, when it came to killing Naruto, reducing the risk and aftermath was only a matter of using his bloodline's status in the clan a bit cleverly.

After grabbing the identity medallion from the bag of holding and tossing it aside, Naruto pulled a jade box out. It glittered with bright light, and emanated strong Immortal Chakra.

After opening it, he began to pant, and his eyes shone brightly.

Inside the jade box was a tiny bell made completely of jade. It was exquisitely beautiful, and Immortal Chakra swirled around it. Naruto instantly recognized that it was an Immortal treasure of the highest quality. It was definitely no ordinary object.

He picked up the tiny bell and held it in his hand. Then, he sent some Immortal Chakra from his Immortal meridian into the bell, which caused it to emit a droning sound. It flew up into the air above his head, growing to a size of three meters and rotating around him, emitting countless magical symbols at the same time.

An intense pressure immediately spread out.

Naruto's eyes shone, and he took a deep breath.

"As far as Immortal treasures are concerned, this bell is definitely of an extremely high quality!" He could sense the Immortal might emanating off of the bell, and his eyes glittered as he opened his mouth and breathed in. In response, the bell shrunk and then turned into a beam of light that shot into Naruto's mouth and came to rest inside of his Immortal meridian.

Immediately, his entire body filled with the echoing toll of a bell. The bell began to emit bright light, and at the same time, his Immortal meridian grew more solid.

Naruto's spirits were instantly lifted. What he didn't know was that this Immortal bell had been a gift prepared by Kajura for that clan Elder. Although it wasn't an Ancient treasure, it was an extremely high quality Immortal treasure, and with a bit of refining could have been turned into something similar to an Ancient Realm treasure.

Ancient treasures were rare, and were something that many Ancient Realm experts didn't even possess. Even though the man had been a Namikaze Clan elder, he had only extinguished one Soul Lamp, and therefore didn't qualify to acquire Ancient treasures from the clan.

Actually, Kajura had expended quite a bit of resources a few years back to acquire the tiny bell. However, for the sake of having Naruto killed, he had employed everything at his disposal.

"He was a clan Elder, and all he had was this one magical item?" Naruto seemed a bit skeptical, but then he remembered all of the magical items that had shattered in the moment of his death.

"There seem to be many unique aspects to the Ancient Realm," he thought. He scanned the rest of the jade slips in the bag of holding, and then suddenly, his eyes came to rest on one of them. After further scanning, his face darkened.

This jade slip was a bloodline tracker. He could clearly see nine dots of light, one of which represented himself. The other eight were spread out in various directions, and were all heading towards him.

The nearest one wasn't very far away.

"So, you actually sent nine people to kill me." Naruto's eyes were like ice as he sent out some divine will that caused the terracotta soldier to stop in place, then change directions. Suddenly, it began to speed off in the direction of the dot of light closest to Naruto.

"There's no need to come looking for me," said Naruto. "I'll come to you!" He sat there cross-legged atop the statue, his eyes boiling with murderous intent. His pupils shone with an intense light like that of a razor-sharp blade.

As of this moment, his entire person seethed with the desire to kill.

He wouldn't dare to kill anyone inside the Namikaze Clan itself. That was a violation of clan rules. However, in this place… he had no compunctions whatsoever. Since these people had come here to kill him, then he might as well return the favor one by one!

"This place won't open up again for two months. That's plenty of time for me to have some fun with you people!" Powerful killing intent flickered in his eyes, and the murderous aura which surrounded him grew stronger.

Up above, the Seventh Patriarch followed along, his excitement and interest in Naruto growing stronger.

The terracotta soldier moved with such incredible speed that it caused sonic booms to echo out. It shot forward, seemingly slicing a hole into the air of the ancestral land.

Naruto sat cross-legged up above, his hair whipping about as the powerful wind buffeted his true Immortal fleshly body.

Roughly five hundred kilometers ahead of him, a beam of light shot through the air, within which was a black-robed young man. Although his appearance was young, there was something about the way he furrowed his brow that seemed to carry an ancient will.

He was surrounded by nine lamps, which rotated around him. Just like the other man, eight were burning and one was extinguished. These Soul Lamps didn't seem to be real, but rather illusory.

His passing caused the sky and the land to distort, and he kept his hands clasped behind his back as he proceeded.

His expression was calm, but a gleam of vigilance could be seen deep in his eyes.

"I can't believe one of us died…." he murmured, his eyes flickering. "All we're supposed to do is kill someone from the Junior generation, and yet somebody actually perished…. Furthermore, he wasn't killed by something dangerous from within the ancestral land. He died a short time after making contact with that member of the Junior generation." A strange gleam appeared in the young man's eyes. Moments ago, one of the dots of light had vanished from the jade slip he had been observing, which left him shocked.

"No wonder Kajura wanted nine of us to come in here. This Junior… must be harboring some incredible secret!

"Whatever that secret is, it enabled him to kill an Ancient Realm cultivator with one extinguished Soul Lamp, while he himself barely counts as being in the Immortal Realm!

"However, whatever method he's using definitely can't be used long-term." A cold glow appeared in the young man's eyes, and his pupils glittered with greed. He lifted his right hand and sent divine sense into the jade slip held therein. Then, his face flickered, and he suddenly stopped in place.

"That can't be right," he thought, frowning. "He changed direction, and now he's heading toward me…. And look at how fast he's moving! Even with a true Immortal fleshly body, he shouldn't be able to move that fast!" The young man hesitated.

"Is it just an empty show of strength, a bluff? Is he just trying to scare me off, or… does that secret technique give him the confidence to think he can kill me?" The young man's eyes flickered a few times before filling with determination.

"It doesn't matter. I can just check the situation out from a distance to see whether or not he's just putting on a show." With that, the young man hovered there in midair, coldly looking off into the distance as he waited for Naruto to approach.

He was being very cautious, and was even ready to flee away at top speed if necessary. He kept his cultivation base rotating, ensuring that he was at the peak of power and readiness.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, a rumbling sound could suddenly be heard from off in the distance. Everything began to shake.

Even the condition of the sky changed; the clouds churned, and endless bolts of lightning danced about.

The young man's eyes went wide, and he sent his divine sense out to scan the area up ahead. It was at this point that a tremor ran through him, and his eyes went wide with disbelief. He couldn't even breathe, and his eyes bulged. It almost looked like someone was strangling him. His mind filled with a buzz, as if someone has struck him hard on the top of the head.

He staggered backward, panting, face pale.

"That's… that's…." He almost didn't dare to believe what he was seeing. "What is that!?"

Tens of thousands of meters up in the sky, the clouds parted as an enormous statue appeared. It was thousands of meters high, and caused the clouds to surge away from it as it descended.

Its energy was shocking and virtually impossible to describe!

Its speed was incredible, causing flames to lick the air around the terracotta soldier. It was like a shooting star!

Naruto sat cross-legged atop the terracotta soldier, eyes flashing with killing intent. He looked like a drawn sword that refused to be sheathed without shedding blood!

RUMMMBLLLLE!

Massive roaring sounds filled the air as the terracotta soldier screamed through the air toward the black-robed youth. As it neared, the aura of a Quasi-Dao Paragon rippled out in all directions, shaking everything.

The terracotta soldier's eyes were icy and emotionless, and it held a greatsword in its hand. When the young man saw all of this, his face drained of blood.

"That's the ancestral land's Dao Guardsman!

"It has the aura of a Quasi-Dao Paragon!

"How… how could this be? He… he can actually control the Dao Guardsman!?" The black-robed young man's scalp was tingling so hard it seemed like his head was about to explode. Flabbergasted and scared witless, he didn't even have time to think. He immediately turned and employed all the power he could muster in a mad dash to flee.

As of that moment, he cursed the fact that he had only extinguished one Soul Lamp. He cursed the fact that he couldn't flee fast enough. He cursed the fact that he had been conceited enough to just stand there waiting for his opponent to arrive.

He suddenly understood why that other Ancient Realm Elder had died!

"Damn you, Kajura! I can't believe you sent us in here to kill a monster who can control the Dao Guardsman! You… you didn't send us in here to kill him… you obviously sent us in here so that he could kill us!" The black-robed young man's heart was pounding, and his face was as white as death. Nearly frightened out of his mind by the sense of deadly crisis, he roared, spitting out blood and using all the secret magics he knew to try to get away.

No one outside could see the things that were happening in the ancestral land.

Neither the Grand Elder nor Menma's father and grandfather could see anything at all. The Grand Elder hadn't been lying when he had explained that point. It was literally impossible for anyone to observe what occurred inside.

In the Namikaze Clan, everything was going along as normal, except that the direct bloodline clan members were very nervous. Hotarubi was in incredibly low spirits, and was very worried about Naruto.

The Dao of Alchemy Division had received news of Naruto heading into the ancestral land as a trial by fire, and were also extremely anxious. In fact, the eighteen tier 8 alchemists all went in person to speak with the Grand Elder.

A huge argument ensued that ended with the tier 8 alchemists storming off in a fury. Not long after, the Dao of Alchemy Division announced that they wouldn't concoct pills for the clan until Naruto returned safely.

As word of this development spread, the entire clan was shaken. The Grand Elder then personally went to the Dao of Alchemy Division to pay respects to Pill Elder, yet Pill Elder flatly refused to see him.

It was at this point that Menma's bloodline was starting to realize that Naruto had firmly rooted himself within the clan, and had built up such a level of power that even they were beginning to feel fear rising up inside of them.

The Dao of Alchemy Division was definitely Naruto's bastion of reliance within the clan!

The whole matter was a major slip-up on the part of Kajura. The only thing he could do was spend vast resources to placate the anger and dissatisfaction of the Elders in his own bloodline regarding the losses they had suffered.

However, Kajura still had hope. As long as Naruto died, then the Dao of Alchemy Division wouldn't fight against the clan over a corpse. Everything would be resolved, and his own son, Menma, would once again be the number one Chosen in the clan, and his bloodline would finally be able to supersede the current direct bloodline!

However, his hope… was rapidly unraveled because of what happened next.

Menma was currently sealed in secluded meditation in his secret chamber. Kajura sat cross-legged outside, his face a mass of disbelief as he looked at a crystal he held in his hand.

Within the crystal was an image of the Namikaze Clan's Lifeslip Hall. There, countless jade slips that represented the lives of Namikaze Clan members were on display.

If a clan member died, the jade slip would shatter, immediately notifying the clan, which would then investigate the matter.

Moments ago, Kajura had been looking at Naruto's jade slip, which rested among all the other countless jade slips.

As soon as Naruto had returned to the clan and acquired a jade command medallion, he had also left a lifeslip in the Lifeslip Hall. Currently, it glowed with bright light, and wasn't even the least bit cracked.

On a higher shelf were the lifeslips of all of the clan's Ancient Realm clan members. Just now, one of those jade slips had made a cracking sound and then shattered. This instantly attracted a lot of attention, and an investigation had begun.

The shattering of that jade slip caused Kajura's heart to begin to pound.

He had paid a heavy price to arrange for nine Ancient Realm Elders to go into the ancestral land and kill Naruto.

"What happened in there!?" he thought, panting. "An Ancient Realm Elder… actually died? How!?

"To top it off, that damned son of a bitch is still alive!" He couldn't even imagine what possibly might have happened inside the ancestral land.

The clan began a thorough investigation into the Ancient Realm clan member's death. Fortunately for Kajura, he had previously arranged for all nine of the experts who entered the ancestral land to make it seem like they had left the planet to carry out clan assignments.

However, that would only delay the clan for so long. The rigorous investigation would eventually turn up clues.

"He probably died because of some dangerous situation in the ancestral land," thought Kajura. "This was nothing more than an accident…. It won't be much longer before that damned son of a bitch is dead in body and spirit!" Killing intent flickered in his eyes, and he couldn't wait to see Naruto's lifeslip shatter.

"Once the little son of a bitch is dead, and Menma makes his breakthrough to true Immortal Ascension, then… it doesn't matter even if people do discover the truth. By that time, it won't matter. Naruto's death will be meaningless to the clan!"

Kajura took a deep breath, and his eyes filled with veins of blood.

Meanwhile, in the Namikaze Clan ancestral land, the black-robed young man was indignantly cursing Kajura as he fled in terror.

"How shameless!" he thought. "What a deception! Two months? Dammit! There are still two more months… before this place will open up and I can get out of here. W-what do I do?" The young man's face was pale white as he fled. Behind him, rumbling sounds echoed out, piercing through his ears into his very heart.

Further back, Naruto's statue was wreathed in flames as it shot after the young man. Naruto sat cross-legged atop it, and as they closed in, his eyes flickered with killing intent.

The distance between them narrowed. 30,000 meters. 25,000 meters. 15,000 meters. 10,000 meters….

At that point the black-robed young man was virtually going crazy, and was ready to pull out all the stops. He spun in place, performing an incantation gesture that caused his nine Soul Lamps to rotate rapidly and then shoot toward Naruto.

He was attacking with Soul Lamps that contained his own life force. From this, it was possible to see how mad and desperate he was.

When the eight lit and one extinguished Soul Lamps neared Naruto, Naruto's statue raised its greatsword, and the explosive aura of a Quasi-Dao Paragon exploded out.

"Leave him alive," Naruto suddenly said.

Instantly, the terracotta soldier switched the great sword from its right hand to its left. Then, it's right hand shot out to grab the black-robed young man.

Instantly, everything in the area stopped moving, just like before. The black-robed young man was stuck in place, his body stiff and incapable of moving. His consciousness even began to fade.

A power surged out that was impossible to resist or fight against and seemed to envelop the entire sky. In front of the terracotta soldier, the black-robed young man with his one extinguished Soul Lamp was like nothing more than an insect.

When the terracotta soldier's huge hand reached the nine Soul Lamps, it almost seemed as if it was on a different plane of existence. It passed directly through them and, to the astonishment and despair of the black-robed young man, closed around him in the blink of an eye. As the hand tightened, cracking sounds could be heard as many of the young man's bones were crushed.

After grabbing and retrieving him, the world returned to normal. The air once again moved, and the sounds of the black-robed young man's screaming echoed out in all directions.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and intense pain wracked his body. He was completely trapped inside the terracotta soldier's hand, his cultivation base dissipated and as weak as a mortal. He trembled, and hopelessness filled his eyes, along with the fear of dying.

"Kajura!" he screamed. "I won't let you off for this even if I become a ghost!" At the moment, he hated Naruto, but he hated Kajura even more.

"And you, Naruto," he raged, "if it weren't for our clan's Dao Guardsman, I'd kill you… it would be as easy as crushing a chicken to death!" Blood oozed from his mouth, and his eyes shone with hatred for Naruto.

"At the moment," said Naruto, his face calm. "I could crush you to death much easier than crushing a chicken."

Eyes flickering, he performed a strange incantation gesture with his right hand. Suddenly, numerous magical symbols appeared on his hand.

The magical symbols flickered, some of them white and some of them black. It almost looked like his hand had turned black and white.

A bizarre aura appeared around him, seemingly forming a stream of Chakra that converged on his hand and then merged with the magical symbols. Soon, everything in the area looked black and white.

Naruto's hand trembled, although no onlooker would be able to tell, not even the Seventh Patriarch up in midair. All he could sense was that the black and white magical symbols on Naruto's right hand contained the aura of some sort of Essence.

This was… the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex!

Naruto had acquired it from the sword in the Ruins of Immortality, which contained the aura of the Sixth Hex. He had continuously contemplated enlightenment of the Hex, and was now attempting to use it. However, the magic was too difficult, and although he could complete its casting, he had never successfully used it.

Much of this had to do with his lack of appropriate targets to practice on, and right now, he had just such a living target in front of him.

His eyes shone with a strange light as his right hand suddenly stabilized, and he pointed at the black-robed young man. Instantly, the black and white magical symbols merged together and shot toward him.

The man's eyes went wide, but he was incapable of resisting. The magical symbols flickered as they slammed into his forehead, and then began to bore into his body.

Naruto watched closely for the space of a few breaths. The black-robed young man's face distorted, and veins popped out on his forehead. He then let out miserable scream.

The sound of that scream even caused the Seventh Patriarch to wince.

Indescribable pain wracked the young man; it felt like his soul was being consumed and his body was being ripped away. Soon, his screams turned into something that sounded like the shrieks of an animal.

It lasted for the space of about five breaths before the young man's body suddenly exploded into a haze of blood and gore. He was dead, in body and in spirit.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch gasped. As his solemn gaze came to rest back on Naruto, his eyes gradually began to fill with admiration.

"Quite ruthless," he thought. In his opinion, Naruto's temper was actually very similar to his own.

Naruto frowned and then sighed.

"Another failure. Maybe I'm not using it correctly." He thought back to the way the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer had used the Life-Death Hex, and how all the people he had hexed suddenly had their control of their own life or death taken away from them. Those people… had essentially become like puppets in the hand of the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer.

In the same moment that the young man died, Kajura was sitting in his place back in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion. His face was pale as he saw… another of the life slips shatter.

"Impossible! This is impossible! The ancestral land is just too perilous!" Kajura was trembling, and his eyes were bloodshot.

In the moment that the young man died, a sharp cracking sound rang out in the Namikaze Clan's Lifeslip Hall in the ancestral mansion. The sound immediately attracted the attention of all the Elders in the ancestral mansion.

As beams of light began to shoot through the air, Kajura took a deep breath and forced himself into a state of calm. Then, he also flew into the air.

It didn't take long for multiple Elders to arrive at the Lifeslip Hall. Grand Elder Kageki was already there, hands clasped behind his back as he studied the shattered lifeslip. His expression gradually grew darker and darker.

People began to crowd into the hall, and agitated expressions appeared on their faces when they saw the shattered lifeslip.

The crowd began to converse in low tones.

"Another one… that's two lifeslips that have shattered in the past few days. I can't believe two Elders have perished!"

"Something strange is going on…."

"The strangest thing of all is that it was impossible to determine where exactly the first one died!"

Finally, the Grand Elder turned around and looked out at the crowd. His gaze lingered on Kajura for a moment.

Kajura's heart thumped, but his expression was calm.

"Two Elders have died in succession," the Grand Elder announced in a dignified voice. "And yet it has been impossible to use the power of their lifeslips to determine where exactly they died…. Where did they go?"

An Elder stepped out of the crowd, clasped hands and bowed. "According to my investigation, both of them went out alone on assignments from the clan."

"Assignments…? Do you really believe that?" Looking irritated, the Grand Elder flicked his sleeve and started to walk out. "Continue the investigation. Find out exactly how many Elders have gone out on supposed assignments. Furthermore, find out who gave them these assignments. I want all the details! Every single scrap of information!" The Grand Elder's voice continued to echo out in the hall even after he was gone.

Kajura felt incredible pressure as he departed along with the rest of the crowd. Suddenly, the Grand Elder's icy voice sounded out in his ear, transmitted via divine will.

"In our clan, nothing is more important than the clan rules. Therefore, I will be sure to shield Menma from any trouble. However… if a third Elder dies, you had better start thinking of a way to explain all of this to me."

Kajura trembled silently.

Back in the ancestral land, the black-robed young man died, and the seven other cultivators with the single extinguished Soul Lamps… all stopped in their tracks.

It was impossible for them to do anything else. All of them had a bloodline jade slip, and had clearly seen the other two suddenly die as soon as they got close to Naruto.

The first one could be chalked up to an accident, but two…. If any of these seven still believed that to be an accident, then they didn't deserve to be called Ancient Realm experts.

The faces of all seven men flickered with shock. They couldn't imagine what had happened, why two of their group who were supposed to kill a member of the Junior generation, were instead themselves killed.

Their hearts were shaken, and fear of Naruto gradually began to build inside of them. All of a sudden, the dot of light that represented Naruto seemed strange and mysterious.

Suddenly, the situation on Naruto's jade slip changed, and his mouth twisted into a cold smile. The seven dots of light were no longer closing in on him; in contrast, they were now speeding away from him in different directions.

"I bet you people are also stuck in here for two months. There will be plenty of time for us to have a little game of cat and mouse." Naruto patted the terracotta soldier again, which turned and flew off into the distance with him.

Naruto's eyes gleamed as he looked at the lands speeding by below, and gradually, a bashful expression appeared on his face. "Since I'm here, I need to get my hands on some of this ancestral land's good fortune, no matter what."

Up in the air, the Seventh Patriarch saw the gleam in Naruto's eyes, and then nodded to himself.

"Based on the gleam in his eyes, it seems he's going to go searching for some of the good fortune in the ancestral land. Good, this is what a descendant of the Namikaze Clan ought to do." Stroking his beard, he smiled. "The kid looks a bit dainty; although he slaughters enemies ruthlessly, he's also pure and charming. I wonder what kind of good fortune he's destined to get here."

This was the first time the old man had ever seen a gleam like that in Naruto's eyes, and also the first time he had seen him act bashfully….

"Whenever I visit a place, I scrape it clean," Naruto thought, justifying his actions to himself as best he could. "With this terracotta soldier to accompany me, if I let this place off any easier than usual, I would definitely regret it in the future!" With that, the gleam in his eye grew brighter.

Under Naruto's control, the terracotta soldier flew off into the distance.

The ancestral land was laid out in a long strip, and Naruto's current location was at the very beginning. After some time passed, and he had a chance to survey the lands up ahead, he sent some divine will into the terracotta soldier.

The terracotta soldier stopped, and Naruto rose to his feet and stared down at the ground. There below was a field of huge boulders. The surface of each boulder was carved with various images that contained natural law.

Naruto leapt off of the terracotta soldier and floated down into the field of boulders. As he looked around, his eyes began to shine brightly.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch nodded to himself.

"Excellent. This area is nothing extremely special, but is actually very well suited to him. To gain enlightenment of some magical techniques would still count as good fortune." The Seventh Patriarch began to smile, but then quickly gaped in astonishment and then in confusion.

Down below, Naruto had backed up a bit, then sent his divine will out. Next, the terracotta soldier descended and used both of its hands to reach down and pluck a boulder out of the ground.

Naruto's eyes shone brightly as he quickly stored the boulder in his bag of holding, then sent the terracotta soldier to another boulder. It didn't take long before the dozens of boulders in the area were all pulled from the ground and placed into Naruto's bag of holding.

Afterwards, Naruto flew back up and sat down on the terracotta soldier's head, then proceeded onward excitedly.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch still hadn't recovered from his shock. He stared at the dozens of holes in the ground left behind by Naruto, then gazed blankly at Naruto making his way off into the distance.

"What… what is he doing?" he murmured. "Didn't he come here to contemplate enlightenment? To gain good fortune?" Naruto's actions left him thoroughly shocked.

Time passed. Naruto caught sight of a rather small lake that looked like a mirror. As the sun glinted off of its surface, magical symbols rose up from the water.

Naruto waved his hand, and the terracotta soldier chopped down with its greatsword. After a few slashes, it managed to slice all of the ground surrounding the lake. Afterward, Naruto struggled mightily to wrench the entire lake out of the ground and then put it in his bag of holding.

He actually had many bags of holding, some larger than others. After laboriously forcing the lake into one of them, he produced yet another bag of holding. Looking around shiftily, he sat back down on the terracotta soldier and proceeded onward.

The Seventh Patriarch was panting, and his eyes were wide as he watched what was happening. He even began to tremble.

As Naruto continued on, he saw a small mountain, which he took!

He saw a little pagoda, which he took!

He saw a bamboo forest, which he took!

He saw a log cabin, which he took!

He saw a carved sculpture, which he took!

Everything that he saw, every location that seemed to house good fortune, was taken away by the giant hands of the terracotta soldier, and then put into a bag of holding.

Naruto had a vast collection of bags of holding. When he ran out of big ones, he used small ones. If something was too big, he would dismantle the object into smaller pieces and cram it in.

As he sped along, he looked a bit ill at ease, even embarrassed. Up above, the Seventh Patriarch was trembling, and his beard was in disarray. His eyes shone with disbelief, as if he simply couldn't imagine how such a charming, innocent child… would actually do something like this!

Were it not for the fact that he actually feared the terracotta soldier, the Seventh Patriarch might have instantly slaughtered the treasonous and disgraceful Naruto!

"Wha… what is he doing!? He's not contemplating any enlightenment! He's just taking all of the various items created and collected by the past Patriarchs… and putting them in his bags of holding!"

This was especially true considering that, at one point, Naruto reached a palace. The Patriarch's jaw dropped as he watched Naruto quickly began to dismantle the entire palace, including the floor tiles. He moved with a precision and accuracy that made it seem as if this was something he did on a daily basis.

This finally seemed to provoke a reaction from the ancestral land. Even as he went about dismantling the palace, stripping away even the columns, leaving it completely stark and bare… roaring could be heard from off in the distance as a pack of giant apes flew toward him.

There were more than a hundred of them, and each one had a cultivation base that was similar to the peak of the Immortal realm. Their bodies were covered with thick coats of luxuriant fur, and their eyes glowed bright red. Apparently, they were the palace guards, and their eyes were fixed hatefully on Naruto as they charged forward.

When Naruto saw the apes, he didn't have the terracotta soldier attack. Instead, he slapped his bag of holding, causing the parrot to fly out.

It had apparently been stuffed into the bag of holding for too long, because as soon as it emerged, it flew several circles in the air at top speed. The meat jelly was attached to its foot in the shape of a bell, and immediately began to let out nonstop jingling sounds.

"Lord Fifth is out again!

"When Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!

"Attention, all furred and feathered concubines, Lord Fifth is here to dote upon you!" Almost as soon as the parrot appeared, its eyes suddenly went wide, and it almost forgot to flap its wings. It even began to drool as it stared fixedly at the luxuriantly furred apes.

"So many concubines…." it said, eyes shining excitedly. Suddenly feeling quite hot and bothered, it squawked and then shot toward the charging apes at top speed.

Naruto cleared his throat, then flew back up to sit on the terracotta soldier, which sped off into the distance.

The Seventh Patriarch's eyes went wide as it watched the parrot and the troupe of apes, and he suddenly felt completely nauseous.

It didn't take long before miserable shrieks rang out, seemingly filled with indescribable tragedy.

By that time, Naruto had reached a location where the land was black. He saw a huge coffin, atop which was a stone statue of a majestic old man!

Beneath the statue were various offerings of tribute. There were chunks of rare Immortal jade, as well as other objects seldom seen in the outside world. There were high-grade spirit stones, as well as three magical items that emanated shocking auras, and even two dark green bamboo lamps.

As soon as Naruto saw the coffin and the statue, his expression turned serious. He dropped to the ground, then clasped hands and bowed deeply to the statue.

"Namikaze Clan member Naruto pays respects to you, Ancestor!"

When the Seventh Patriarch saw Naruto acting in this way, his expression softened a bit. However, what Naruto said next cause him to almost go blind.

"Ancestor," he said, his tone grave, "I'm not sure which generation Patriarch you are, sir, but… I can't believe the other Namikaze Clan members behaved so shockingly. How incredible that none of the previous clan members ever exchanged any of these offerings for new ones!

"Look, sir. These offerings are all dusty! They've clearly been sitting here for far, far too long. Patriarch, don't you worry. I'll help you to switch them out. As a member of the Junior generation, this is something I simply must do."

Over many generations, clan members who came to this place would prostrate themselves in front of this coffin and statue with the utmost respect. None of them had ever even thought of having designs on the offerings.

Naruto was the first.

His expression was somber as, after bowing deeply, he swished his sleeve in a way that made it seem like he was truly and wholeheartedly performing a service for the Patriarch. He walked up to the offerings without the slightest hesitation.

He couldn't help but let out a long sigh when he looked at the fist-sized chunk of Immortal jade.

"Patriarch, those other clan members who came to visit in the past were truly disloyal descendants. I can't believe they let so much dust pile up on this Immortal jade! To leave it sitting here for so many years is really shocking!

"SHOCKING!" Naruto truly seemed angry as he stooped over and picked up the Immortal jade. In that same instant, a powerful aura suddenly shot out from the three magical items enshrined there.

Naruto didn't seem to be fazed in the least. He actually ignored the magical items completely. He was the type of person who dared to snatch items directly from that Immortal pavilion in the Ruins of Immortality, so how could he possibly be scared of these three magical items?

He quickly put the large Immortal jade away, and then produced a fingernail-sized piece of Immortal jade to replace it. He carefully placed it onto the tribute dais.

"Patriarch, look, this piece of Immortal jade is sparkling and crystal-clear. It's beautiful and lacks even the slightest speck of dust. Only a piece of Immortal jade like this is befitting of a Patriarch like you." Naruto cleared his throat, then looked toward the other offerings and spirit stones with shining eyes.

It was at this point that the auras of the three magical items exploded out, causing incredible pressure to weigh down on the area.

"Beat it!" roared Naruto, glaring at the magical items. "I'm from the Namikaze Clan, and I have Namikaze Clan blood in me! If I want to tidy up the Patriarch's grave by replacing some of the tribute items, then do you magical item spirits dare to stop me?!" The auras emanating from the magical items suddenly stopped in place.

In that instant, Naruto employed the fastest speed he could muster to quickly place the items and spirit stones into his bag of holding.

"How shocking! These spirit stones are all covered in dust! As a Junior member of the clan, I simply can't tolerate such a thing!" He immediately produced some fingernail-sized, low-grade spirit stones which he somberly placed onto the tribute dais.

"Outrageous! They only placed some bamboo lamps in front of this Namikaze Clan Patriarch's grave? That won't do. As a member of the Junior generation, it is my duty to exchange these for iron lamps!" He looked at the two bamboo lamps, which glowed with mysterious light, and licked his lips.

He was just about to grab them when the auras of the three magical items exploded out again, filled with intense killing intent, seemingly incensed. It was as if they felt Naruto had committed an offense against morality itself.

Apparently, if Naruto dared to touch the bamboo lamps, the three magical items would slay him where he stood.

Naruto stopped, then cleared his throat in embarrassment and slowly pulled his hand back.

"What are you getting so excited for?" he said quietly. "It's not that big a deal! I'm acting in good faith." He eyed the three magical items covetously, then thought for a moment. Eventually, he gave up on the idea of using Karma to force a destiny connection with them. After all, this wasn't that Immortal pavilion, in which the items had no connection to a particular master. These three magical items were clearly objects that had belonged to the fallen Patriarch, and the spirits inside of them were charged with protecting this place.

Naruto might be greedy, but he had principles.

"Fine then. You're clearly very loyal to the Patriarch. I have to admire that." Sighing deeply, Naruto took a few steps back. Face solemn, he clasped hands and bowed low.

Up above in midair, the Seventh Patriarch was now in a rage. Seeing Naruto switching out the offerings, and then hearing his words, left the Seventh Patriarch stamping with fury.

"How could the Namikaze Clan bloodline possibly produce such a shameless scoundrel!" he said through gritted teeth. Then he saw Naruto clasp hands and bow, and couldn't help but gape again. Sensing Naruto's sincerity, he looked on silently for a moment, and finally, his gaze softened. From the look of things, Naruto wasn't completely beyond redemption.

"Let's see what this little hoodlum is actually like deep down, and what sort of waves he can make in this place!" After a moment, he looked off into the distance with a wistful expression.

"The ancestral land is divided into six main areas," he murmured. "The Dao Guardsman, the Field of Magic Enlightenment, the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs, the Nine Nethermountains, the Ancient Burial Ground, and the Misty Heaven Vault!

"Those six areas are essentially arranged in a straight line. The further one goes along, the more danger they will face. However, the good fortune… also increases!

"This particular tomb lies on the border between the Field of Magic Enlightenment and the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs.

"From ancient times until now, the Nine Nethermountains have been the farthest that most clan members can make it into the ancestral land. It would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone who could reach the Ancient Burial Ground. As far as the necropolis in the Misty Heaven Vault, not even Eldest Brother, an almighty Dao Realm expert, was destined to enter it.

"The reason, of course, is that at the end of the Ancient Burial Ground, there is no path.

"The necropolis of the first generation Patriarch is located somewhere inside the Misty Heaven Vault, along with his most powerful magical technique… the One Thought Stellar Transformation!" Finally he closed his eyes.

He had never actually seen the first generation Patriarch. The only person who actually had was the old man in the stony cavern that the Seventh Patriarch referred to as Eldest Brother.

The other six people in that cavern had been born in different generations. However, after extinguishing ten Soul Lamps, matters of seniority weren't important, and because of the bloodlines that connected them all, they called each other Brother.

"The clan has experienced three catastrophes…." said the Seventh Patriarch, sighing. Because of those three catastrophes, the small group in the stony cavern were the only cultivators in the entire clan who had extinguished more than ten Soul Lamps.

In the moment that the Seventh Patriarch sighed, Naruto finished bowing to the stone statue, and then sped away on the terracotta soldier.

Meanwhile, something was happening that even the Seventh Patriarch didn't notice. As Naruto made his way through the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs, taking anything he saw that appeared to be valuable, an aura was slowly building up in the ancestral land, an aura that had never appeared there before.

The aura had actually first appeared when the terracotta soldier had caused the mountains to crumble, and then flew up into the air. When the statue then picked up all of the boulders that contained enlightenment of Daoist magics and divine abilities, the aura had grown even stronger.

Gradually, a very thin mist was building up over the lands.

Time passed. Naruto sat atop the terracotta soldier as it proceeded forward. As he traveled, he continued to encounter enormous tombs. Strangely, these tombs had no tombstones or writing on them whatsoever.

Naruto could only speculate based on what the Grand Elder had told him that this was the location where the Dao Realm Patriarchs were buried.

However, he didn't know their names, so he found the nameless tombs to be somewhat odd. It was as if they had intentionally come here before perishing, and didn't want anyone to know who they were.

"Weird…." thought Naruto. However, this didn't stop him from carrying out his duty to tend to the tombs, and help the Patriarchs exchange their various offerings.

As Naruto swept the tombs of the Quasi-Dao Patriarchs clean, the Seventh Patriarch up above was finding it much harder to contain his wrath.

The only reason he could maintain his temper was that Naruto always respectfully bowed to the grave upon arriving and departing, and didn't touch the tombs themselves.

A few days later, Naruto descended from above once again. This time, the sight of the coffin and statue caused his eyes to widen. He stopped in place and looked at the statue and the tombstone in front of it.

Up to this point, he had encountered seven tombs. None of those seven tombs had any writing to explain who was buried there, but the tomb he was in front of now did have a name!

Shin!

The name was written in calligraphy that was as bold and flamboyant as dancing dragons and phoenixes, and emanated a boundless aura. Beneath the name was the Patriarch's life story.

Naruto read over the life story of the Patriarch named Shin, and it caused rumbling sounds to fill his mind.

The story described Shin's life from the moment he started practicing cultivation. When he stepped into the Immortal Realm, he was the foremost true Immortal of his generation. His path was always that of a Chosen, and was viewed as a blazing sun by the clan. When he entered the Ancient Realm, he summoned fifteen Soul Lamps.

He performed countless meritorious deeds for the sect, and even forged new paths in the Ruins of Immortality. He became the most outstanding member of his generation, and successfully accomplished the deadly task of extinguishing fourteen Soul Lamps, eventually becoming the Patriarch of his generation. In the end, despite having extinguished the final Soul Lamp, he failed to break into the Dao Realm, and became a Quasi-Dao Paragon.

However, he did not go mad like most others did, becoming evil and committing heinous acts. Instead, he maintained a tranquil heart, and lived out his final fifty years of life in peace.

During those fifty years, he still worked hard for the clan before finally closing his eyes and passing away into meditation.

That was why this tomb was inscribed with his name and story. It also contained a vivid introduction of the Quasi-Dao Realm, as well a clear description of how terrifying it was.

By the time Naruto finished reading the story, he was panting. Now, he understood the meaning of the term 'Quasi-Dao Paragon'.

He thought back to the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, and how Mui had passed away in meditation. He also thought about Mui's description of what it meant to be at the peak of the Ancient Realm.

"So, it turns out that between the peak of the Ancient Realm and the true Dao Realm, there is another realm called the Quasi-Dao Realm. In that Realm, one's longevity collapses, leading to certain death. As such, people go mad, and are called Paragons by others as a form of respect. It's almost as if people think using such a title will prevent those people from going fully mad." He looked at the stone tablet for a moment, and then refrained from even touching any of the offerings. Instead he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

After a moment, he left. It took a few more days to finish passing through the tombs of the Quasi-Dao Patriarchs. There were eleven of them in total, only three of which bore inscriptions.

They all had different experiences, but similar endings. The inscriptions were almost like a book of comfort written for the clan, instructing them about that Realm between the Ancient Realm and the Dao Realm. The people in that realm, the Quasi-Dao Paragons, either went mad and performed horrific deeds, or were worshiped in veneration for generations to come.

"The Dao Realm…." After passing the last tomb, Naruto stood there and looked back thoughtfully. "The path of cultivation is one of grave danger. Life or death crises present themselves at every step. Very few people… can make it to the very end." Naruto sighed, then clasped hands and bowed to the tombs of all the Quasi-Dao Patriarchs.

Just as he straightened up to leave, he felt something vibrating in his bag of holding. It was the ancient Demon Sealing Jade, which had remained silent for such a long time. The intensity of the vibration even exceeded the time when he had encountered the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer!

At the same time, Naruto suddenly felt an intense sensation that he was being summoned, coming from deep within the ancestral land.

"How could the League of Demon Sealers be buried in the Mountains and Seas? They tread the path of Dao Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas. If they succeed… then the Mountain and Sea Realm… will return to the League of Demon Sealers!"

After hearing this, Naruto instantly began to tremble.

"So, there are clues about the League of Demon Sealers here!" Naruto's mind spun; he almost couldn't believe that the League of Demon Sealers was somehow connected to the Namikaze Clan ancestral land.

"Return…. That voice just now said the word 'return'!" Naruto began to breathe heavily as the ancient voice of the Demon Sealing Jade faded away. However, the summons that came from deeper within the ancestral land only continued to grow stronger.

That summons was the type he felt when encountering another cultivator from the League, and it was something that only other members of the League of Demon Sealers would be able to feel in this place.

Suddenly, a new voice could be heard echoing in Naruto's ears. This voice was not ancient, but rather, sounded like that of a young man.

"The Nine Demon Sealing Hexes. The Mountain and Sea Realm. The Nine Hexes united as One. A concept unknown in all the skies….."

Naruto's heart began to pound uncontrollably, and the aura around him suddenly changed. It was as if countless streams of Demonic Chakra were shooting toward him, accompanied by the roars of innumerable Greater Demons.

After a while, the voice faded away, but Naruto could feel the summons growing stronger.

Panting, he eventually turned and looked further into the depths of the ancestral land. Far off in the distance, he could just barely make out nine enormous mountains.

The summons was coming… from somewhere beyond those nine mountains!

Naruto's eyes flickered as he thought about the similar summons he had felt in the Ruins of Immortality, and he felt somewhat unsettled. There was far too much about the League of Demon Sealers that he didn't understand. As the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, he wanted to know… what was the actual origin and purpose of the League of Demon Sealers!

He thought back to what the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer had told him, and about the terrifying events in the Ruins of Immortality that had led to him being named 13th in the Echelon by the white-robed woman. There was something very strange about how that woman had looked at him.

Naruto would never be able to forget that.

He had the feeling that the League of Demon Sealers… was wrapped up in some Heaven-shaking, world-shattering secret, something that defied description, a secret that was connected to all of the Nine Mountains and Seas.

After standing there silently for a bit, Naruto managed to settle his thoughts. His eyes shone with determination and he gazed deeply in the direction of the summons. Finally, he turned and once again bowed deeply to all of the ancestral tombs behind him.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch could not hear the call or feel the summons, nor could he sense the Demonic Chakra that swirled around Naruto. However, he could tell that something strange had just happened, and despite being unable to see what it was, it left him feeling shocked.

"The aura just now on this member of the Junior generation…." A profound gleam appeared in his eyes. As time progressed, the Seventh Patriarch continued to be filled with the sensation that Naruto was a person of deep secrets, secrets that he himself could not see through.

As Naruto made his way off into the distance, the Seventh Patriarch looked back at the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs, and let out a soft sigh.

"All he did was switch out some offerings. He didn't disturb the tombs themselves, and even bowed in formal greeting. And he didn't touch any of the items from the tombs with inscriptions…. He might be a bit greedy, but he has a good heart, and knows how to keep himself in line….

"One day, when the time comes for me to extinguish my final Soul Lamp, if I fail…. I wonder if I will be able to preserve my Dao heart. After I perish and am laid to rest here in the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs, I wonder if they will erect a tombstone for me…." The Seventh Patriarch was well aware that the entire purpose of the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs was to ensure that members of the Junior generation would clearly understand the madness of the Quasi-Dao Realm. It was to serve as a warning to any of them who had the chance to attempt to step into the Dao Realm!

After leaving the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs, Naruto sat atop the terracotta soldier, which whistled through the air at top speed. Occasionally, motes of light would pulse out from the terracotta soldier and then melt into the surrounding air. Moments later, they would reappear and return to it, almost as if it were breathing.

It was something Naruto had just noticed as he controlled the terracotta soldier's movements.

As he proceeded along, the feeling of the summons would occasionally get more intense, and at other times would fade. Naruto's eyes flickered, although his facial expression remained unchanged. Inwardly, he remained as vigilant as ever.

Due to everything that had happened with the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer, he currently felt proverbial alarm bells going off in his head.

As he continued forward, Naruto scoured the lands below for possible good fortune, and also spent some time observing the terracotta soldier. He soon realized that it had some sort of strange connection with the ancestral land.

It was as if a resonance existed between them.

This realization caused certain speculations to form in his heart. After a while, he sighed, and looked at the terracotta soldier, thinking about how he didn't wish to part ways with it in the future.

Days later, Naruto's mood gradually stabilized. The summons continued to tug at him, but he had grown used to it and ignored it. Instead of following the pull, he did his best to scrape the area clean of any good fortune.

The more things he acquired, the wider his smile grew.

Eventually, the land in front of Naruto turned crimson in color, and he saw nine mountains.

The Nine Nethermountains!

This was the fourth region in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral land, and could be considered the depths of the lands. From ancient times until now, most people could not get past the Nine Nethermountains and into the Ancient Burial Ground.

Nine mountains towered up into the sky, and when you looked at them, it seemed almost impossible to see their tops, as if they connected the ground and the sky.

Roaring sounds could be heard drifting out occasionally from the nine mountains. They were sounds miserable and savage, shocking to the extreme.

There were many dangerous areas here, and many aspects that could easily kill you. Such fatal aspects came in the form of various beasts, as well as from the nine mountains themselves.

A thick aura of death filled the area, and from a distance, Naruto could see layers of gray mist swirling around the mountains. Because of the gray mists, the entire area was blurry and difficult to see clearly.

About the time that he neared the Nine Nethermountains, the parrot and the meat jelly caught up with him. Many of the parrot's feathers were missing, and it looked disheveled and out of sorts. However, its expression was one of extreme satisfaction.

As it flew over, it didn't even wait for Naruto to call out to it before it looked over at the nine mountains, heard the roaring coming from within them, and suddenly shivered. Looking extremely excited, it let out a few piercing squawks and then sped toward the mountains, brimming with energy. The meat jelly bell jingled the whole time.

"You can't do this! It's wrong! It's immoral! It's shameless! I'm going to convert you…." The echo of the meat jelly's garrulous chatter rang out from off in the distance.

Naruto glanced at the parrot for a moment and then ignored it completely. This place might be full of dangers, but the parrot and the meat jelly were capable enough, and would be very difficult to kill.

In front of the Nine Nethermountains, a stone stele rose up roughly three thousand meters tall. It emanated an archaic aura that seemed to indicate that it had existed for many, many years.

There were three lines of text on the stele.

"Nine Nethermountains, filled with endless treasures. Each one of these mountains is filled with endless opportunities. Any who challenge the mountains will have the chance to get good fortune and divine abilities!

"They are a deadly trial by fire. For those under the Immortal Realm, half a mountain is your limit. For those under the Ancient Realm, you will be able to proceed through three mountains. If you can pass through all nine mountains, you can acquire the secret magic of the Nethermoon!

"Namikaze Clan descendants can use their bloodline to open the path through the mountains. Whether you live or die is up to fate!"

The words were not attributed to any person in particular, but they seemed to be filled with an intense pressure, indicating that any person who entered this place would be facing grave danger.

Naruto looked at the nine mountains, and an odd expression could be seen on his face. Gradually, his eyes began to shine, and he licked his lips. He glanced down at the terracotta soldier, which then began to shrink rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it was only about three meters tall.

"This ancestral land really is a Blessed Land for me!" To other clan members, it was a place of extreme danger. To him, though, these weren't nine dangerous mountains, they were nine treasure mountains.

He slapped his bag of holding, producing the bloodline jade slip. After scanning it with divine sense, he smiled.

The seven Ancient Realm Elders had all scattered in different directions. One of them was inside of the Nine Nethermountains. Obviously, he had tried to acquire some of the good fortune therein, but had ended up trapped and unable to extricate himself.

"Well, no need to get anxious. Just wait for me to track you down." Naruto's eyes began to shine brightly, and he cleared his throat. Immediately, the terracotta soldier began to walk forward into the mountains.

Naruto quickly flew up to sit on the statue's shoulder as it began to charge forward.

"Challenge one mountain at a time, and then clear all nine of them of treasure…." These thoughts immediately filled him with excitement.

As the terracotta soldier sped along, the Seventh Patriarch sighed and looked on helplessly. When he saw the light shining in Naruto's eyes, he began to murmur to himself.

"To him, these really are treasure mountains. The little scoundrel has the Dao Guardsman to protect him, leaving him free to do whatever he wants!

"Now that I think about it, if I had the Dao Guardsman to protect me when I came here for the first time, how could I possibly have left any of the treasures in these mountains to be passed on to anyone else?" There was nothing he could do, so the Seventh Patriarch calmed himself, looked at Naruto charging into the mountains with the terracotta soldier, and sighed.

Time passed. Naruto sat on the terracotta soldier's shoulder, which wielded its greatsword the entire way as they charged into the first mountain. When they encountered restrictive spells, they would simply break through them. When they encountered beasts, they would put them down. When they encountered obstacles, they would smash them to pieces.

Nothing could stand in their way and nothing could stop them!

Things weren't thrown into absolute chaos, but suffice to say, the first mountain was filled with miserable shrieks and roars.

"Whoah! That boulder actually has a carving of a magical technique! Pretty nice! I'm taking it!

"Who could be so immoral as to leave a bunch of Immortal jade laying around in this place! I'm taking it!

"So many spirit stones…. Hey, slow down, Onyx! Let me pick these things up, then we can keep going!"

Naruto's eyes continued to grow brighter, and he quivered with excitement. He had collected quite a bit of Immortal jade and spirit stones so far, as well as a good collection of magical items. A deafening roar could be heard as he neared the mountain's peak, heralding the approach of a two-headed giant.

The giant held an enormous cudgel in its hand, and was clearly the mountain's boss, tasked with guarding the mountain peak. When it leapt out, roaring, the terracotta soldier's aura surged.

The surging aura caused the previously overbearing two-headed giant to shiver, and immediately cease roaring. It stared blankly at Naruto, then at the terracotta soldier he was standing on, and cold sweat began to drip down its two foreheads.

After looking at them for the space of two breaths, the two-headed giant let out a plaintive shriek, then turned and fled back inside the mountain, vanishing without a trace.

Naruto looked around proudly as the terracotta soldier set foot on the peak of the mountain. From here, he could see an enormous cliff, upon which was carved a half moon.

Naruto's eyes widened as the same image of a half moon suddenly appeared in his mind.

He couldn't take the stone cliff away, nor could he duplicate or reproduce it physically. It seemed that the only thing he could do was to look at it. That said, a single glance would completely engrave the image inside of him. However, Naruto could also tell that the image would only last for nine days.

Nine days later, the image of the half moon would fade, and he would be unable to remember it.

"This is the Nethermoon…? So, I guess I need to gaze upon all nine mountains within nine days, huh?" Naruto smiled. To others, this would have been difficult, but to him, accomplishing such a task would be quite simple.

"This place really is a Blessed Land." He sighed, then patted the terracotta soldier, causing it to fly down the first mountain and head toward the second.

From the time the Nine Nethermountains had been created by the first generation Patriarch years ago until now, something like this had never happened. As Naruto proceeded forward, anything that was available for the taking was placed into a bag of holding.

All obstacles, all beasts, were like dried weeds that he could crush without any effort….

Even the mountaintop bosses would cower in hiding as soon as they saw the terracotta soldier. Naruto was allowed to easily pass through the second mountain, and then the third….

He acquired so many legacies and magical techniques that he lost track of how many there were. Nor did he have time to keep them organized. As long as he had an available bag of holding, he would throw his acquisitions inside.

"Blessed Land!

"Once I get out of here, I might be able to trade these things for even better stuff in the clan!" Naruto was only continuing to get more and more excited. For the first time in this place, he was beginning to experience the sensation of being rich.

The feeling fueled his excitement, and he quickly sped onward through the fourth and fifth mountains.

At the cliff on top of each mountain was an image of a half moon. Each time Naruto looked at the image, the imprint of the half moon inside of him grew clearer. Gradually, an increasingly powerful pressure began to emanate out from the imprinted image in his mind.

Time passed. By the time the third day had gone by, he was at the eighth mountain.

Meanwhile, a black-robed old man stood at a position near the top of the eighth mountain, stuck in a spell formation, looking with alarm at a certain jade slip. For the past three days, he had been observing the jade slip continuously, and could clearly see the dot of light that represented Naruto getting closer and closer to his own position within the Nine Nethermountains.

When he saw Naruto choose to start at the first mountain, he sighed with relief, and even laughed coldly. In his mind, Naruto most likely didn't dare to select the mountain that he himself was on. This caused him to consider chasing after Naruto after all.

However, his new idea was quickly shattered to pieces when he saw, to his astonishment, that Naruto actually… passed through the entire first mountain in only a few hours.

After that, it took him just three days to go from the first mountain all the way to the eighth mountain, upon which he stood. This scene caused his scalp to tingle so much it seemed about to explode. His mind buzzed, and he began to get jittery from fear. He wished he could simply leave the mountain and flee.

He had no idea how Naruto was doing what he was doing. But actually, that wasn't important. By this point, he was certain that if he ended up meeting Naruto, he would more than likely end up dead.

"What do I do? What do I do…?" The black-robed old man looked at the jade slip, and the dot of light that represented Naruto. It was now heading toward him with terrifying speed, causing the old man to begin to pant with alarm.

After several hours passed… he could see Naruto, barreling toward him from further down on the mountain. Then he saw… the terracotta soldier Naruto was sitting on. The old man let out a cry of alarm.

"That's the aura of a Quasi-Dao Paragon!

"This… this…." As soon as the old man saw the statue, he understood everything. Then he realized that the statue looked very familiar, and it only took a moment for him to realize what it was. At that point, his legs suddenly grew weak, and the shadow of death spread out across his entire body.

He began to pant as hundreds of thoughts ran through his mind. After a breath of time passed, Naruto and the terracotta soldier were closing in. The old man took a deep breath, then, expression somber, clasped hands and bowed deeply toward Naruto.

"I am Fanboy Namikaze!" he gushed. "Greetings, Prince Naruto!

"Prince, you must be quite shocked to run into me here. That contemptible and shameless Kajura made a lot of promises to me to convince me to come here and kill you, honorable prince. However, Kajura was unaware that I am actually upright and not given to flattery, and have always admired the exalted Minato! How could I possibly give aid to a villain like Kajura!?

"Therefore, I accepted Kajura's proposal. However, my true goal was to come here and protect you, Prince! Prince Naruto… um, you know, when you were small, I actually held you in my arms…."

Even as Fanboy spoke, the terracotta soldier came to a stop directly in front of him. It was nine meters tall, not gigantic, and yet it emanated a certain pressure, as well as a Quasi-Dao aura, that caused the old man to tremble. He swallowed hard, then forced a smile onto his face, trying to make himself look as harmless as possible.

Naruto sat on the terracotta soldier, looking down at Fanboy.

"You held me when I was a baby?" Naruto asked calmly.

"Yeah, that's right!" he replied, nodding his head vigorously. "Prince Naruto, I really did hold you in my arms. You were so cute when you were small! And now you've grown up to be so handsome…." This old man was not the type to speak flattering words, but in this situation, he didn't hesitate at all.

Naruto looked at the old man thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. Since that's the case, drop your cultivation base to the Immortal Realm. I'm going to hex you with a restrictive spell. From now on, you'll be following my orders."

Fanboy was shocked to hear Naruto's words. However, the terracotta soldier's aura exploded out before he could refuse. It was like a mountain crushing down on Fanboy, and he was filled with a sense of deadly crisis that caused him to grow ashen, and sweat to pour down his face.

Inwardly, he was cursing Kajura to death. His hatred for Kajura had reached an indescribable level, and he was also filled with deep and profound regret.

Then he saw the cold gleam in Naruto's eyes, and his heart seized. After a moment of silence, he let out a long sigh, unhesitatingly lifted his right hand up, and then smacked it down onto his chest.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as many of his Chakra passageways were shattered, and his cultivation base dropped from having one extinguished Soul Lamp, down to the peak of the Immortal Realm.

Naruto did not seem to be moved by this action. With the terracotta soldier present, there was no question that Fanboy would agree to Naruto's requirement. However, if Naruto didn't have the terracotta soldier to protect him, there was no doubt in his mind that the old man's face would be as cold as ice, and he would slaughter him where he stood.

Naruto did not show pity to enemies; sparing the man's life was more than enough kindness.

When he saw Fanboy's cultivation base drop, Naruto extended his right hand and unleashed the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex. Instantly, streams of black and white Chakra began to swirl around his hand. The two streams of Chakra illuminated his face with flickering black and white, making him look extremely bizarre.

Fanboy's scalp went numb; the black and white Chakra left him trembling with fear.

He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Prince Naruto… what… what is that restrictive spell?"

"Oh, it's a hexing spell I learned a few days ago," Naruto replied, glancing at Fanboy. "I'm still getting used to it, but don't worry. This is the first time I'm really confident that I can succeed. In fact, if you lower your cultivation base a bit more, there's a much higher chance of success."

Fanboy's face fell.

"You learned it a few days ago? Still not used to it? This is the first time you've felt confident in using it?" More beads of sweat popped out on the old man's face. He was getting the increasing feeling that these two streams of black and white Chakra could suck his soul away. He even had the premonition that if the hexing failed, he would most likely die an agonizing death.

He watched as Naruto pointed at him, whereupon Fanboy threw his hands up in front of him and cried out.

"Wait, hold on…." He began to step backward, but then, the terracotta soldier raised its greatsword, which radiated killing intent. Fanboy immediately stopped in place.

His face was pale white as he clenched his jaw and then slapped his chest several times in quick succession. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. The severe self-inflicted injury caused his cultivation base to drop from the Immortal Realm down to something equivalent to the Dao Seeking stage. At that point, he stopped, looking up at Naruto with an ashen face and a bitter smile.

His sudden action caused Naruto to look at him closely for a moment, then point out with his right finger again. Immediately, the black and white streams of Chakra shot through the air and burrowed into Fanboy's body. He trembled, fell to the ground, and began to shriek miserably. At the same time, gray magical symbols began to appear on his skin, where they circulated back and forth. Apparently, these magical symbols grew up from inside his body and manifested on his skin.

Naruto stared closely at Fanboy. This time, he had used a slightly different method to utilize the Sixth Hex. If this method didn't work, then he would have to attempt some other way.

Time passed. Fanboy's shrieks eventually grew weaker. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, he suddenly went very stiff, and all of the magical symbols faded away. The only thing left behind was a new magical symbol, on his forehead. That magical symbol then made a popping sound as it flew out from his forehead and merged into Naruto.

When that happened, Naruto could sense a warm current flowing within him. At the same time, the image of a tiny person appeared in his mind, a tiny person whose physical appearance was exactly the same as Fanboy.

"Did it work?" thought Naruto, looking a bit shocked. After so many times trying out the technique, this seemed like his first success.

Fanboy stared in shock for a moment, then crawled to his feet. The overwhelming pain he had experienced moments ago was now gone. He blinked a few times, then moved his arms and legs a bit. He didn't feel the least bit different than before.

"Prince, you… you succeeded?" he asked tentatively.

Naruto frowned as he studied the tiny figure within his mind. Heart thumping, he imagined smacking the tiny figure with his palm. As soon as he did, Fanboy let out a shriek. It was as if some enormous, invisible hand had just smacked him; blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was knocked to the ground. After struggling back to his feet, he looked around in confusion.

Naruto's eyes began to shine as he imagined the old man being struck by lightning.

Nothing visible happened, and yet, Fanboy screamed as if he were being struck by lightning.

Naruto's eyes shone even brighter as he imagined the old man being burned, drowned, trampled, crushed by a mountain….

Fanboy shrieked miserably as he felt his hair burning, his body being submerged in water, his muscles bruised, and, in the end, he lay pinned on the ground as if he were being crushed by some gigantic object. All of these things caused him to look at Naruto with terror. He knew of all sorts of hexing magics and restrictive spells, but he had never heard of anything as unbelievably terrifying as this.

He suddenly had the sensation… the Naruto was going to toy with him until he died.

"So, this is the Sixth Hex, huh…. The Life-Death Hex… is absolute control." He took a deep breath and then smiled.

His smile caused Fanboy to shudder. The sense of humiliation he felt at that moment was intense, and that caused his hatred of Kajura to seep down into his bones!

The Eighth Hex was the hexing of the body, and could even be called Bodily Cultivation Hexing!

The Seventh Hex was Karmic Hexing!

The Sixth Hex was Life-Death Hexing!

The three Demon Sealing Hexes that Naruto had learned spun in his mind. Each Hex had its own unique features, and each could be considered a powerful secret magic!

The League of Demon Sealers was terrifying, and as of this moment Naruto could say that he had experienced it personally. In fact, he got the feeling that it was very likely the Hebi Clan's Karmic Severing had actually been created by imitating the Seventh Hex.

"I wonder what type of hexing magic… the Fifth Hex is!?" Naruto's eyes glittered, and he took a deep breath. Ignoring Fanboy, he sent some divine will into the terracotta soldier, causing it to leap into the air and head toward the mountain peak. As for the spell formation that Fanboy was trapped in, the terracotta soldier shattered it casually.

When Fanboy saw that happen, he trembled inwardly, and suddenly realized that the decision he had just made was definitely the correct one. Without any hesitation, he began to follow Naruto.

After reaching the mountain peak, Naruto saw the half moon carved into the cliff face, and once again, the image imprinted in his mind grew clearer. Furthermore, the image of a half moon was now visible on his forehead.

"Nethermoon secret magic!" gasped Fanboy. Suddenly, he recalled how Naruto had charged through the seven other mountains, and then, his eyes began to fill with envy.

"Is the Nethermoon Magic powerful?" Naruto asked.

Fanboy immediately began to explain: "The first generation Patriarch left behind five great Daoist Magics and three secret magics. The Nethermoon Magic is one of those three great secret magics.

"The Nethermoon Magic becomes more destructive the higher your cultivation base gets. It can alter the sun and the moon, and can unleash power exponentially greater than your cultivation base. It's an excellent trump card in battle!

"Back in the clan, the only way to get the Nethermoon secret magic is to pay a huge amount of merit points. In fact… there are only a handful of people in the entire clan who have mastered it!" The look of envy in his eyes was becoming more and more obvious.

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he chuckled. He looked over at the ninth Nethermountain with anticipation. The terracotta soldier then began to speed toward the ninth mountain, with Fanboy flying close behind.

Fanboy panted the entire way. Finally, he understood how Naruto had been able to move so quickly from the first mountain all the way to the eighth. The clan's Dao Guardsman could sweep through anything and everything; it didn't matter what appeared up ahead, it was easily crushed.

Several hours later, Naruto reached the ninth Nethermountain. What he saw was a large group of luxuriantly furred beasts. They were in miserable condition, and their eyes were bright red as they chased the parrot.

The Parrot soared through the air, occasionally letting out a mighty squawk. It appeared to be incredibly excited, and every so often it would transform into a colorful beam of light that shot back into the group of beasts. When it emerged, it appeared to be incredibly satisfied, and would let out loud whoops of triumph.

The parrot's enthusiastic demeanor caused Naruto to feel a bit bad for the beasts of this ninth mountain. However, considering that the parrot had essentially cleared the mountain of beasts, Naruto was able to proceed through it very smoothly.

At the peak of the mountain was the final cliff, and the final image of the half moon, which caused Naruto's mind to tremble.

The half moon on his forehead glittered brightly and then faded away. However, even though it wasn't visible, the half moon seemed to be eternally imprinted into his memory. Flashes of enlightenment also appeared in his mind.

After some time passed, Naruto opened his eyes, and his aura seemed different than before. He lifted his left hand up, and the half moon appeared on his forehead. At the same time, a black half moon floated above his palm.

The sudden appearance of the moon caused an emotional look to appear on Fanboy's face. However, moments later, his eyes went wide when he suddenly saw… a sphere of light also appear above Naruto's hand.

The sphere was white, and looked like a sun. Its light reflected off of the black surface of the moon as the two of them circulated around each other above his palm. Black and white. The sun and the moon. At this moment, they let off a shocking pressure.

Even Fanboy could feel it, and was astonished.

"A unified magical technique," he thought. "I can't believe that he actually combined two magical techniques. Only people who have extinguished multiple Soul Lamps, who can grasp Essence transformations, and who have the image of a great Dao within them, could possibly combine magical techniques and create such powerful transformations. And yet he… he actually combined them! He isn't even in the Immortal Realm! How can he have the image of a great Dao in his heart?"

Fanboy almost couldn't believe it. To create a combination of magical techniques in this way was a very complicated matter, and even he didn't understand much about it. All he did know was that it had something to do with the image of a great Dao, as well as the legendary Essence.

Naruto looked at the sun and the moon floating above his hand, and muttered to himself thoughtfully. It was at this point that suddenly, a tiny mountain appeared next to the sun and the moon.

This was none other than the projection of the Ninth Mountain, which Naruto had seen during his dreamlike voyage on the boat that year.

The image of the Ninth Mountain might seem incredibly powerful, but actually, it was already too weak to be useful to Naruto in his current state. However, its appearance now seemed to be in accord with some sort of natural law. As the sun and the moon rotated around it, it surged with even greater energy than before.

The powerful energy caused Fanboy to gasp, and his face to flicker.

"Th-th-that's another sequential combination! What kind of monster is this kid!? Even with such a low cultivation base, he managed to perform two combinations of magical techniques! How many images of great Daos does he have…?" Fanboy took a deep breath. He knew that images of great Daos required mysterious enlightenment. Even he, who was in the Ancient Realm, had only ever had a single great Dao appear within him. And yet, he had just personally witnessed one great Dao image after another appear in Naruto's hand. It was unbelievable.

Even more shocking to him was the threatening feeling he got when he looked at the Ninth Mountain and the sun and moon!

Fanboy was panting, and he looked on with wide eyes. However, it was at this point that a thoughtful expression appeared on Naruto's face, causing Fanboy's heart to start pounding.

"Could it be… that he… he's going to… make a third consecutive magical technique combination!?" The mere idea of this virtually blew Fanboy's mind.

Even as the thought entered his mind, two pearls appeared outside of the Ninth Mountain and the sun and moon. The pearls were black and white, and they began to circulate noiselessly around the Ninth Mountain and the sun and moon.

The Ninth mountain was in the center, around which rotated the sun and moon, with the two pearls orbiting in an outer ring. They didn't interfere with each other, and in fact rotated in harmony, creating a resplendent image.

An even more incredibly powerful aura then exploded out.

It only lasted for the space of a single breath before the Black White pearls faded away, the Ninth Mountain collapsed, and the sun and moon went dark. Naruto frowned and muttered to himself for a moment.

He didn't notice the terrified expression on Fanboy's face, who stood off to the side, jaw hanging and mind spinning.

"Three combinations… he really did it three times…."

Moments ago, the aura he had felt had filled him with complete astonishment. He was an Ancient Realm expert, and yet was astonished by the magical technique of a cultivator who wasn't even in the Immortal Realm yet. Such a thing was completely unheard-of!

"He still isn't a true Immortal, but he will be soon…. Once he's a true Immortal, how many meridians will he open? I'd say 90 at the least!" As Fanboy looked at Naruto, he suddenly realized why Kajura had spared no cost in trying to have Naruto killed.

"He's not even human…."

Naruto was just about to make another attempt when suddenly, the summons from the League of Demon Sealers flared inside of him with incredible intensity.

He dropped his hand and looked out from his position on the peak of the ninth Nethermountain.

From where he was standing, he could see a vast region that stretched out below the mountain in front of him. The ground was pitch black, and the sky seemed to be split in two; everywhere else it was the middle of day, but this one region lay in the darkness of night.

The area where it was night was actually the center of the region of black earth. Sitting there cross-legged was a young man with a pale face and a head of long hair which floated around him. He wore a long robe, and was surrounded by innumerable corpses whose faces were twisted and distorted, as if they had experienced indescribable suffering before they had died.

There were men and women, and there were cultivators. Some of them had the bodies of beasts, and there were some with even stranger appearances, sinister and malevolent, things that didn't seem to be creatures from the Nine Mountains and Seas.

The corpses were dressed in ancient garments, clothing that reminded Naruto of the garb worn by the people in his visions back in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple!

He had seen things just like this in his vision of the massive Heavenly war in which nine suns and nine butterflies had appeared!

A sense of extreme ancientness emanated out from the young man, and the area around him was filled with illusory rifts that almost looked like huge mouths that occasionally opened and closed. From the look of it, there were roughly 100,000 such rifts.

The young man was completely encircled by the rifts. As Naruto looked over at him, the young man looked back, and a gleam of anticipation could be seen in his eyes.

"Come…." he said, his voice soft. It seemed to be transmitted to Naruto through the air, floating from the depths of time, boring into his ears.

A tremor ran through him. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, the entire area up ahead was empty. There was nothing there except the rifts in the air; not even the shadow of a person was visible.

It was as if everything Naruto had just seen had been an illusion!

The only noteworthy thing that he could see was an enormous stone stele, standing right in the middle of the region of night. Although it was very far away, Naruto could still sense the stele's majestic aura, and could also clearly see… that it seethed with Demonic Chakra!

The reason that this region was different was due to the influence of this dense Demonic Chakra , which ensured that it was a land of perpetual night.

Naruto stood there silently for a moment, then looked over to make sure that Fanboy had not been able to see the images he had just seen. He continued to stand there in contemplation for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn before a look of determination appeared in his eyes.

Without any further hesitation, he sent out a stream of divine will. The terracotta soldier's eyes gleamed as he carried Naruto forward. Rumbling filled the air as it transformed into a shooting star that sped forward at top speed.

Fanboy followed along as they proceeded forward.

Several hours later, the region of night was getting closer. Naruto could clearly see the area filled with the 100,000 rifts up ahead. He stood at the border of the entire region, and it felt like he was standing on the edge between night and day. With a single step forward, he would be in the dark of night.

The sound of wailing rose and fell within the darkness.

Almost at the same moment that he came to stand on the border between night and day, the feeling of the summons rose up again within him. It was as if a huge hand had plunged into his chest and grabbed ahold of his heart. Panting, he looked up at the illusory rifts ahead, and once again caught sight of the young man sitting there in the middle of everything.

It was impossible to see the young man's face clearly, but his voice echoed out within Naruto's mind.

"Come….

"Successor of the League of Demon Sealers…. Come….

"I am… the Fifth Generation Demon Sealer…."

Few people ever made it to the Ancient Burial Ground region of the clan's ancestral land. For most people, the Nine Nethermountains were the limit. Over the ancestral land's countless years of existence, even the few people that did make it to the Ancient Burial Ground had been unable to proceed any further.

It wasn't that nobody had ever passed this stage before. However, of the very few of those who had successfully challenged this region, none were able to pass the final region, the Misty Heaven Vault. Even for those in the Dao Realm, none could progress more than a few steps into it.

Naruto stood at the border of the Ancient Burial Ground, looking at the darkness of night up ahead. A strange gleam flickered in his eyes, and after a moment of contemplation, he sent out some divine will, causing the terracotta soldier to stride forward and enter the darkness of the Ancient Burial Ground.

In the moment that they entered, all of the illusory rifts suddenly opened wide, like huge mouths. Instantly, the entire area was surrounded.

Naruto could see different worlds inside the rifts, each of which appeared to be some sort of trial by fire.

There was also an incredible pressure that emanated out of them. Some of these rifts seemed to have auras similar to the terracotta soldier.

He could sense numerous terrifying auras that caused his eyes to flicker. This was the first time he had encountered an environment that would pose a danger to him even considering the presence of the terracotta soldier.

"This place is like a maze, huh…. Getting through all these trials by fire is a matter of luck, but will also depend on one's cultivation base." Naruto's eyes shone with determination, whereas the terracotta soldier's glittered with a cold light. It strode forward, selected a rift, and stepped in.

Meanwhile, the Seventh Patriarch floated in midair. His brow was furrowed, but a bright light flickered in his eyes. To him, there was something different about the Ancient Burial Ground.

"Something seems off…." he thought. After looking around, his gaze settled on something in the distance, and he suddenly began to tremble.

"Huh?" He sent out some divine sense, and after a moment, his expression changed to one of surprise.

He had just discovered that at some unknown point, a mist had begun to rise up within the ancestral land. It covered everything. This was something completely unprecedented, and left him astonished. After the Ancient Burial Ground was the Misty Heaven Vault, a place no one had ever been. Apparently that was the source of this mist, and apparently, the mists in the Misty Heaven Vault were growing thicker.

This change caused the Seventh Patriarch's eyes to narrow in thought.

Fanboy didn't dare to get any closer than he was. He stayed at the border of the Ancient Burial Ground, watching as Naruto unhesitatingly entered the rift. He paused for a moment as he considered leaving. Then he thought back to the pain he had endured, and he realized that he didn't dare to. He sat down cross-legged to wait in silence.

When Naruto entered the rift, he found himself in a majestic land, in the middle of which was a huge rift that was the exit.

As soon as he appeared in this world, numerous globes of ghost fire appeared and then shot toward him. As soon as they got close, they began to self-detonate.

Booms filled the air as the terracotta soldier swung its sword. A Quasi-Dao aura exploded out, and the self-detonating ghost fire globes couldn't even get close before they were frozen in midair.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he sat on the terracotta soldier. It proceeded forward, and before long, emerged from the rift back into another location within the Ancient Burial Ground, several thousand meters further in than it had originally been.

Once again, they were surrounded by numerous rifts. Just as Naruto had speculated, this place was a maze, with each of the rifts acting as a tunnel that led to another location.

"How exactly do you get to the end of a maze like this…?" Naruto thought with a frown. His eyes flickered for a moment before he closed them. His Demon Sealer's aura then emanated out, gradually forming a resonance with the stone stele in the central position of this region.

A moment later, Naruto's eyes opened. Without hesitation, he commanded the terracotta soldier to reverse direction and step into one of the numerous nearby rifts.

After entering the rift, he found himself in a world of lightning and thunder. There was no ground, only a sea, with huge waves, each dozens of meters high.

Gigantic shadows could be seen beneath the surface of the water, which would occasionally lash out, transforming into giant tentacles that attacked Naruto. An aura similar to the Ancient Realm emanated out from the bottom of the sea.

Naruto's face was calm as the terracotta soldier extended its right hand and then pushed downward toward the surface of the sea. Immediately, a blue light emanated out from its body, and ice spread out across the water. Cracking sounds could be heard as the entire sea was transformed into a chunk of ice!

The waves were frozen in place, and the tentacles were turned into statues. Even the Ancient Realm aura beneath the surface of the water was completely sealed.

The terracotta soldier proceeded onward, flying through the air until it reached the exit. They reappeared in the Ancient Burial Ground, a bit closer to the center region.

Naruto didn't hesitate at all. Relying on his strange Demon Sealer resonance, he entered a third rift.

A few days passed in which he went through rift after rift. Soon, he had passed through more than a hundred. Most of them contained an enemy or enemies who were comparable to the Ancient Realm.

There were three in which he encountered beings who were at the peak of the Ancient Realm.

However, the most dangerous situation he faced was an encounter with an illusory middle-aged man who, shockingly, was a Quasi-Dao Paragon.

That battle was world-shaking, and although the terracotta soldier won in the end, it did suffer damage.

The difficulty of the challenges he faced left Naruto shocked. Without the terracotta soldier, and relying only on his own power, he would never have been able to reach this point. Fundamentally speaking, this good fortune simply did not belong to Naruto!

Naruto might have thought that what he was doing was quite a challenge, but as for Fanboy, who was still waiting at the border of the Ancient Burial Ground, he was flabbergasted yet again. As an Elder of the clan, he was well-aware of how terrifying this place was.

There were 100,000 rift worlds, none of which were fixed in place. They could change at any time, and inside of each world, there could be enemies of the Spirit Realm, the Immortal Realm, the Ancient Realm and the Quasi-Dao Realm. There were even some terrifying beings of the actual Dao Realm!

Their appearance within the worlds was completely random, making passage through them extremely difficult.

This place had been constructed by the first generation Patriarch in his later years, and was a place of bizarre mysteries.

"He's gotten through more than a hundred, and each time it seems like he picks the right one and gets closer to the center!" It wasn't just Fanboy who had made this judgement. The Seventh Patriarch was also watching Naruto's progress through the rifts with silent astonishment.

"The little hoodlum somehow knows which path to follow? No, that's impossible! There is no path to follow. It's just that his luck is way too good! Not a single choice he made is a waste; every step he takes brings him closer to the center!"

As Fanboy and the Seventh Patriarch looked on in shock, Naruto entered another rift. He continued forward relentlessly until, the following day, he emerged from a rift and found himself in the exact center of the Ancient Burial Ground!

Directly in front of him was an enormous stone stele, rising tall up into the air, emanating a mysterious light!

To Naruto's eyes, though, this was not a stone stele, but rather, a young man wearing a long robe, sitting there cross-legged. As Naruto approached, he looked up.

Their eyes met, and Naruto's mind filled with roaring. At the same time, the ancient Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding began to vibrate.

When the young man spoke, his voice was soft.

"For you to be able to stand in front of me indicates that your cultivation base is probably at the peak of the Ancient Realm, only a hair away from the Dao Realm. You probably already have a profound understanding of the Essence.

"Years ago, when I left the Mountain and Sea Realm, someone told me that I should leave a stream of divine sense behind, to give some hope to future generations of the League of Demon Sealers….

"Therefore, I left my Daoist magic behind, sending it throughout the Mountain and Sea Realm for people to acquire…. Throughout the great Nine Mountains and Seas, my magic created numerous Ancient Burial Grounds. Each and every one of those Ancient Burial Grounds contains my magic, but only members of the League of Demon Sealers can receive my true legacy.

"What you are looking at now is just one of these locations. Throughout the Nine Mountains and Seas, there are a total of more than 90,000 such locations. Anyone can be enlightened regarding my magic, but the legacy can only be passed on four times. After that, the divine will that I left behind in the Ancient Burial Grounds will disperse amidst the Mountains and Seas, never to be seen again. Currently… this is the fourth time my legacy is being passed on.

"I am not a cultivator from the Mountain and Sea Realm, and only arrived here by accident. I became the Fifth Generation Demon Sealer due to a mishap; a chance occurrence, you might say, and was only able to stay in the Mountain and Sea Realm for a thousand years. My Hex is called, Inside and Outside.

"The countless rifts around you are like the surface of a mirror. The concept of being inside or outside of that mirror is a concept which also exists in your own heart.

"There are 100,000 rifts here, and this… is my Fifth Demon Sealing Hex… Inside-Outside Hexing!" With that, he lifted his right hand, and a tiny rift opened up in his palm, which began to rotate.

At the same time, the surrounding 100,000 rifts began to spin around, a bizarre scene that caused the Seventh Patriarch and Fanboy to stare with wide eyes and reeling minds.

"This is the Essence of Inside and Outside," the young man said coolly. "When I say Inside, Heaven and Earth can be consumed…." At this point, all of the rifts opened wide, causing the entire Ancient Burial Ground, as well the rest of the ancestral land, to twist and distort. Simultaneously, outside in the Namikaze Clan, twisting distortions could also be seen on Planet East Victory.

It was as if some invisible, terrifying force were about to swallow up the whole planet!

A terrifying hexing magic like this caused Naruto's mind to reel. How could he ever have imagined that the Fifth Hex… would actually be so powerful it could shake Heaven and Earth!?

Then the young man spoke again.

"When I say Outside, the Heavens are released…." All of the rifts suddenly shrank, sealing up. The Ancient Burial Ground, the ancestral land, the Namikaze Clan, and Planet East Victory all returned to normal in the blink of an eye.

All of these strange transformations happened so incredibly quickly that most people didn't even notice them.

However, deep beneath the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, in the stony cavern, the Namikaze Clan Patriarchs who had been asleep suddenly trembled and then began to open their eyes.

Furthermore, in the deepest recesses of the cavern, the Earth Patriarch of the Namikaze Clan slowly opened his eyes. The sky faded, and the lands trembled.

"Inside and Outside. Consuming and releasing. This is my Hex…. Sit in front of me and contemplate this hexing magic. In the League of Demon Sealers… when the Nine Hexes are combined, the Mountain and Sea Realm will be returned to the Demon Sealers!

"If you are destined to leave the Mountain and Sea Realm, and I, Tian Pingzi am still alive, then you can seek me out. I owe the League of Demon Sealers, and can act as your Dao Protector." With that, the young man closed his eyes.

A tremor ran through Naruto, and he began to pant. He knew that this area was somewhere he should never even have been able to step into. Furthermore, his cultivation base should have been at the peak of the Ancient Realm before attempting to accept the legacy of the Fifth Hex.

And yet, because of the terracotta soldier, here he was!

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he didn't immediately take action. He still remembered the sense of crisis he had felt because of the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer, and thus, he proceeded with caution and even a bit of hesitation.

He did not sense any feeling of danger from the Fifth Generation Demon Sealer, and the ancient Demon Sealing Jade hadn't acted strangely. He muttered to himself for a bit, unwilling to give up so easily.

"It's too bad my second true self is still in the process of recovering after being destroyed. If he was here I could have him try it out first." After a moment, his eyes shone with determination.

Rewards come only with risk, and it is better to take a gamble than to simply give up.

He decided to hesitate no longer. He walked up to the young man and bowed. Then, maintaining full vigilance, he gradually sent his cultivation base to rotating. If anything unexpected happened, he would use all of his divine abilities to flee instantly. Furthermore, he used divine will to have the terracotta soldier stand guard next to him.

As he crossed his legs and began to meditate, the young man slowly extended his arm and pushed down on Naruto's forehead.

The two of them suddenly seemed to be connected through ages of time and distant space.

A legacy was being passed on!

They were separated by many generations, by many years, and by the distance between them. Despite that, they were both here in the Namikaze Clan ancestral land, performing the bequeathment of a legacy!

A massive rumbling like a Dao river or a Heavenly sea poured into Naruto's forehead. In the blink of an eye, he felt as if his mind would collapse, his head explode.

His heart trembled as though lightning were exploding relentlessly inside of him. His face instantly turned ashen, and blood oozed out of his mouth. An intense sense of deadly crisis appeared. There was no sensation that made him think the young man in front of him wished him dead. It was simply that Naruto's cultivation base was insufficient, not strong enough to support the legacy.

However, he gritted his teeth and, expression one of determination, continued to accept the legacy that he originally should not have been able to accept given his current level of power.

His body gradually came to occupy a space between illusory and corporeal. His aura weakened, as though the flame of his life force were dimming.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch stared in confusion. He was able to tell that something strange was going on with the Ancient Burial Ground because Naruto had entered it.

He looked closely at Naruto, and then, his pupils constricted as if he had just noticed something. He was visibly moved and took a deep breath.

"He's accepting a legacy!

"This Ancient Burial Ground has been here for countless years. Although not many people are capable of reaching this location, there have been a few. Those rifts are locations of trials by fire, not legacies. And yet… this kid is actually contemplating enlightenment of a legacy!" The Seventh Patriarch's mind filled with roaring.

"But whose legacy is it that he can sense?" A profound gleam appeared in his mind as he looked in the direction of the Misty Heaven Vault off in the distance.

Time passed slowly. Naruto's aura grew weaker, and the flame of his life force dimmed. Anyone who could see him personally would realize that he was accepting a legacy. However, on the bloodline jade slip, it simply looked like he was dying.

Of course, there were six other black-robed cultivators in the ancestral land in addition to Fanboy, and all of them were checking their jade slips. What they clearly saw was that the dot representing Naruto was growing weaker and darker. They also saw that Fanboy's dot of light was very close to Naruto.

This made it very easy for them to jump to the wrong conclusion.

They all thought that Naruto's light was growing weaker because of Fanboy.

Although the remaining six black-robed men were in general being very cautious, all of them had different personalities. Some were decisive, some were hesitant, some were anxious, and some were impulsive!

About five hundred kilometers from Naruto's current location was a middle-aged man in a long black robe, whose eyes were glittering brightly. "Naruto definitely has some sort of valuable treasure. That's how he was able to kill two Ancient Realm Elders in a row. Most likely, he can't utilize the power of that magical item for a long time, because his cultivation base isn't sufficient. And now… Fanboy is there…. Since he's not dead, that means we have a chance!

The man was skinny and had a long, hooked nose, making him look especially sinister.

"A precious treasure that can enable a cultivator nearly in the Immortal Realm to be able to slay an Ancient Realm cultivator…." The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then looked at the bloodline jade slip again. What he noticed was that two other dots were already moving in Naruto's direction, which caused his eyes to fill with determination.

"I'm the closest, so as long as I'm careful, there shouldn't be any problems!" Without hesitating any further, the man quickly shot off into the distance.

At the same time, two other black-robed cultivators were nearing from two other directions. They were thinking the same thing as the first black-robed man, and rapidly began to close in on Naruto.

As for the other three black-robed men, two of them wavered back and forth a bit before deciding to play it safe. The final black-robed man… was an old man who was standing at the entrance to the ancestral land, where the Dao Guardsman had once been.

He was examining the collapsed mountains; the endless amounts of ruins and rubble that filled the area caused his mind to tremble. Unable to even think of what to say, he just looked at the scene for a while before taking in a deep breath.

"The Dao Guardsman… is gone?" he thought. Great waves of shock filled him, and he began to shiver. A look of astonishment filled his eyes as he suddenly realized that the first Ancient Realm Elder who had been killed… died in this location.

He almost immediately realized why. When the answer occurred to him, he could hardly believe it. However, that answer explained everything, as unbelievable as it was.

"How could Naruto have possibly taken control of the Dao Guardsman!?" He took out the bloodline jade slip and looked at the fading dot that represented Naruto. Then he looked at the three other cultivators who were rapidly closing in on him. There was no way for him to get word to the others while he was in the ancestral land, so he could only watch as the three dots began to converge on Naruto, drawn like moths to the flame.

"If those people die, then it will confirm my speculation that Naruto has somehow managed to take control of the Dao Guardsman!" The old man panted, unwilling to accept that he was correct, and yet unable to come up with any other explanation.

Time passed by quickly. It was now three days later, and Naruto had already been in the ancestral land for about a month. Currently, he sat cross-legged in front of the stone stele, eyes closed, completely motionless.

His aura was extremely weak, and the flame of his life force was almost on the point of being extinguished. His mind crashed with lightning and thunder as the legacy of the Fifth Hex continuously poured into him. The images he saw made him feel like he was descending into some bottomless abyss.

It was as if his mind were being forcibly distended, which led to intense, tearing pain. He felt like he was stuck in a living hell.

Because he was accepting a legacy like this with such a low cultivation base, his Eternal stratum had long since gone to work, and was in a perpetual state of support, ensuring that his mind did not collapse or explode.

As for his true Immortal fleshly body, it was immense help in keeping his mind stable.

As the legacy of the Fifth Hex poured into him, it began to form a pattern like that of a hand that continuously flipped back and forth in his mind.

Sometimes it faced up, sometimes it faced down. That cycle seemed to contain Yin and Yang, as if the entire cosmos was hidden within it! It contained a great Dao of Heaven and Earth!

The 100,000 rifts that surrounded him in the Ancient Burial Ground also went into a cyclical pattern, as if they were breathing. Occasionally they would open, other times they would close. From a distance, it looked like 100,000 eyes, continuously opening and closing.

The cycle continued for three days, never ending.

Fanboy had long since begun to gape at the scene. He was once again completely shaken by Naruto, and couldn't help but view him as a terrifying figure, a cultivator essentially in the Immortal Realm, the likes of which he had never before seen.

In fact, he had never even heard of anything like this.

"If he reaches Immortal Ascension… he'll definitely shake all of Planet East Victory!" Fanboy's eyes shone with a strange light, and he suddenly realized that having his life or death controlled by Naruto, wasn't actually… a particularly unacceptable thing.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch looked down at Naruto, and his mind trembled even more than Fanboy's. His eyes shone with a brilliant light as he looked at Naruto, and he suddenly had the feeling that he was looking at the future of the Namikaze Clan.

"He already has a true Immortal fleshly body, and the Immortal Chakra within him has almost reached the pinnacle….

"He has absolutely no aura of an Immortality Illumination Vine on him. Or perhaps his Immortality Illumination Vine has already been fully absorbed by his Dharma Idol. In that case… this kid is going to reach Immortal Ascension in less than a hundred days!

"In the future, he will definitely become a pillar of the Namikaze Clan!"

Meanwhile, outside of the Ninth Mountain, in the boundless sea among the stars, the Ninth Sea, a shocking aura suddenly exploded out.

That aura caused vast mists to roil up from the surface of the sea, which formed into the shape of countless figures that seemed to dance about gracefully. Lightning crackled up above, and a Tribulation Cloud began to form.

At the same time, an enormous Door of Immortality gradually came into view above the Ninth Sea!

The Ninth Sea had countless islands, many of which were inhabited by cultivators. Currently, all of those cultivators' minds filled with shock, and they looked up into the air. No matter how far away they were, they could sense the Immortal Chakra that was roiling out.

"That's… a Door of True Immortality!

"Who is about to reach true Immortal Ascension!? Who is about to batter open the Door of Immortality!?"

As the cultivators on the various islands in the Ninth Sea were all shocked, a massive rift opened up in the surface of the sea below the Door of Immortality. From within that rift appeared another massive door, which rose up from inside the water.

Inside the door was a young woman, behind whom floated a female corpse. The woman didn't hesitate for a moment before flying up into the air toward the Door of Immortality.

At the same time, more than a thousand cultivators also flew out of the door in the sea. There were men and women, and all of them wore extremely somber expressions as they fanned out in every direction to form a huge spell formation. Next, a hundred enormous sea dragons shot out of the door, roaring as they circled about the area to act as Dharma Protectors for the young woman. Ten old men also appeared, each one of whom emanated astonishing auras. All of them were at the peak of the Ancient Realm, and each one had extinguished a minimum of thirteen or fourteen Soul Lamps!

These… were the cultivators of the Nine Seas God World! The Three Great Daoist Societies had deep reserves, as was plainly visible now!

The last person to appear was an old woman who wore a sea-blue robe. Her aura superseded the auras of all the other cultivators present, as if her presence could cause even the Heavens to acquiesce to her.

"Fū, your day of true Immortality has arrived," the old woman said coolly. "Open that Door of Immortality, accept the Immortal Chakra, and achieve true Immortal Ascension!"

Fū took a deep breath and then shot toward the Door of Immortality.

Lightning crashed and thunder boomed, and yet, it could do nothing to cause Fū to even pause. Her body suddenly exploded with an energy that could rival the Immortal Tribulation itself.

A great event was beginning, heralding the arrival of a new generation of Chosen. Among them was someone who had suppressed her cultivation in the previous era just for the sake of becoming a true Immortal in the current era. A cultivator of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the second to follow in the footsteps of Pill Demon and achieve true Immortal Ascension… Fū!

As of this moment, people in sects and clans all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea used a variety of methods to observe as Fū achieved Immortal Ascension above the Ninth Sea!

Meanwhile….

In the underworld of the Fourth Mountain, next to the Bridge of Reincarnation, a cold woman stood there, looking over her shoulder profoundly at what seemed to be the direction of the Ninth Mountain. It was as if she hoped to get one clear look at the Ninth Mountain so she would never forget it. Her long, black hair danced in the wind. She looked as graceful as a butterfly as she stepped forward into Reincarnation.

In her previous life, her name had been Hinata.

The Door of Immortality appeared above the Ninth Sea, and Fū rose up into the sky. In the instant in which she slammed into the door, the various clans and sects throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea could sense a sudden change in the Heavens.

The change was not drastic; it was merely a slight strengthening in the Immortal Chakra of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. However, the change was like slight ripples on a glassy surface of water, and was detectable by many.

It was most obvious in the areas around the Door of Immortality in the Ninth Sea. There, the Immortal Chakra surged as a great Dao descended. Rumbling filled the air, Tribulation Lightning crackled, and mists churned.

Fū was surrounded by Tribulation Lightning as she slammed into the Door of Immortality. Her eyes were filled with determination, and her heart was filled with one thought.

"Naruto, I absolutely must surpass you!"

Fū was the second person in this generation after Pill Demon to attack the Door of Immortality. At the same time, the other Chosen who were in secluded meditation were preparing to emerge and attempt to break through to the true Immortal Realm. They could sense the change in the Immortal Chakra, but they ignored it. Eyes shining with determination, they continued with their secluded meditation.

Kazan currently sat cross-legged in a secret chamber in the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto.

"The age of true Immortal Ascension has arrived," he murmured. "The Three Great Daoist Sects, the Four Great Clans, the Five Holy Lands, the Three Churches and Six Sects… have been building up power and resources for years, all for the Chosen who will become true Immortals.

"They all plan to use their collected resources and dammed-up cultivation to surge forth into the true Immortal Realm. It will be like the saying 'The bird is silent, but its first song amazes all men!'" Kazan's eyes suddenly opened.

"Opening 70 meridians is average. 80 meridians qualifies one to be Chosen. Opening 90 meridians… makes you the blazing sun of a generation!

"Kazama… I wonder if you will be able to enter this age of true Immortality!?" Kazan's eyes gleamed brightly. He had long since recovered from his injuries, as well as from the psychological blow he had suffered. However, he knew that deep within his heart, a shadow lurked, weighing down on him. It had become something like an inner Devil.

Naruto, in his guise as Kazama, had become Kazan's inner Devil!

It was with his true identity of Naruto that he had become Fū's inner Devil!

Similarly, all of the other Chosen he had encountered in the Ninth Mountain and Sea had inner Devils because of him!

On Planet East Victory, in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion, Menma was trembling. His life force aura occasionally glittered brilliantly, and occasionally went dim. Sometimes his features twisted savagely, while at other times he wore a smile. Strange ripples undulated off of him as he absorbed Immortal Chakra from the nine withered old men who surrounded him.

"Naruto… true Immortality is upon me. If I fail, then there will no longer be a Menma under the Heavens. However, if I succeed… then the instant I become a true Immortal, I will cut you down and sever this inner Devil of mine!"

On Planet North Reed, in the restricted area in the Shimura Clan, there was a lotus pond. The pond waters were clear, and fish could be seen swimming to and fro. Birdsongs filled the air, along with the fragrance of flowers. It was like a miniature utopia. Mei sat there cross-legged atop a lotus. Her skin was clear and delicate, and slightly flushed. She wore a simple, plain robe, but it still managed to accentuate her exquisite and alluring body.

She was also about to break through to the true Immortal Realm!

At the same time, Shisui, Sora, Bisuke, Chiriku, and many others were in their respective sects and clans, all preparing to break through to the true Immortal Realm.

As all of these people made their breakthroughs, Naruto's image floated in their minds. Naruto… had become the inner Devil of an entire generation of Chosen.

Meanwhile, a young man sat cross-legged on an asteroid floating in the starry sky of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. He wore a black robe, and had long white hair. His features were handsome, and at the same time, ancient.

Immortal Chakra swirled around him, and shockingly, he held an Immortality Illumination vine in his hand.

"In the Uchiha Clan… Shisui is the blazing sun, and I have been forgotten. That doesn't matter. The only thing I need is this Immortality Illumination Vine." The young man lifted the Immortality Illumination Vine above his head and looked off into space.

"Naruto, I very much look forward to the day when you and I can meet again…." This young man was none other than Sasuke!

At around this time, Shikamaru, Fatty, Cheng Fan, and all of Naruto's other companions from Planet Lands of Ninshu who had scattered out to the various other sects, were all being informed by Senior members of their respective organizations about the matter of true Immortality. All of them were looking up into the Heavens.

"I wonder where Naruto is right now…." Fatty murmured, sounding a bit depressed.

In the Baldy Society, Sakura quietly sat there cross-legged. No Immortal Chakra swirled around her, but she wasn't anxious. She had a whole thousand years after true Immortal destiny appeared in which she could achieve her own true Immortal Ascension.

Although she couldn't keep up with the first wave, she was confident that she would be able to reach true Immortality in those thousand years.

"The age of True Immortality is here…." murmured Pill Demon, who stood on a nearby mountain boulder. He looked up into the stars.

At the same moment, another person spoke those same words.

It was an old man who stood there on Planet Lands of Ninshu, in a mountain in the Eastern Lands. He looked up into the Heavens and muttered the exact same sentence.

That man… was Sai.

Naruto was unaware of the stir that had been caused in the Ninth Mountain and Sea due to Fū's Door of Immortality. He continued to sit cross-legged in front of the stone stele in the Ancient Burial Ground, accepting the legacy of the Fifth Hex.

His aura was incredibly weak, and the flame of his life force seemed to be on the verge of being extinguished. The 100,000 rifts around him were trembling slightly, their cycles of opening and closing becoming more rapid. The Ancient Burial Ground was starting to look even more bizarre than usual.

Gradually, mist appeared on the ground; it grew thicker as it spread out through the ancestral land, into all of the regions and areas.

The mist also collected in the Ancient Burial Ground, and was especially thick in the area around Naruto. It covered the terracotta soldier, making it invisible even to divine sense.

Naruto's figure began to grow blurry.

Fanboy was extremely frightened. He worried that if Naruto died, then because of the strange hexing magic, he would also die.

As he continued to grow more and more frightened, a beam of prismatic light appeared off in the distance. It was another of the black-robed men, who shot in his general direction. Initially, his speed was not particularly fast, but at about thirty thousand meters away, the man seemed to catch sight of something that caused him to accelerate explosively.

Fanboy's eyes flickered as he turned to look at the man in the beam of light. He shot forward with incredible speed, coming to a stop about three hundred meters away. The man's face was grim as he looked over.

"Elder Fanboy, we're all in this together, if one of us hogs everything for himself, it will be difficult to explain to the others." The man's eyes glittered as he looked further into the Ancient Burial Ground. He saw Naruto sitting cross-legged in meditation, mostly covered by mists. He didn't notice the terracotta soldier, which was now completely enveloped by the mists.

His eyes sparkled with avarice, then he looked back at Fanboy and smiled insincerely.

"If you want to go in there, I won't stop you," Fanboy said loftily. "However, there's no need to play with words." He snorted coldly, acting as he would under normal circumstances.

The other black-robed man's eyes flickered as he turned from Fanboy to look at Naruto. Inwardly, he was a bit hesitant. However, Naruto's current state made it seem like he was on the verge of death; the man was unable to see that he was accepting a legacy.

"Well, never mind then. Since you're waiting patiently, Elder Fanboy, then I'll just wait with you." With that, he smiled and then sat down cross-legged.

Fanboy showed no reaction whatsoever to this. Inwardly, though, he breathed a sigh of relief. His life was now under Naruto's control, and even if he appeared to be on the verge of dying, Fanboy wasn't about to take any risks. In fact, he was even more nervous than Naruto would be; he feared that Naruto's death would result in his own soul dispersing.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Naruto trembled. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and only a tiny spark remained of his flame of life force. His body was now stiff, and he looked as pale as a corpse.

The rifts around him flickered rapidly as they opened and closed. They were like 100,000 eyes blinking, and left Fanboy and the other black-robed man feeling incredibly shocked.

One of them was nervous. The other one waited in anticipation.

Around this time, two more beams of light sped along, apparently having detected Naruto's abnormal state. They shot forward with explosive speed until they appeared at the border of the Ancient Burial Ground, where they turned into two black-robed men.

As soon as they appeared, Fanboy's eyes narrowed. One of the men didn't pause at all, but rather, instantly shot into the Ancient Burial Ground. Taking advantage of a moment when the rifts were closed, he shot forward about three hundred meters.

Fanboy's heart began to thump, and the black-robed man who had arrived earlier frowned. After a moment, he also waited until the rifts were closed and then stepped forward into the Ancient Burial Ground.

The third black-robed man also flickered forward, advancing toward Naruto.

"Naruto has a valuable treasure! Let's kill him and get the treasure. We can decide what to do with it afterward!"

"Excellent plan!" After coming to an agreement, the three men waited until the 100,000 rifts closed again, and then advanced at top speed.

Fanboy watched in silence, coldly eyeing the three men as they proceeded into the Ancient Burial Ground. Finally, he decided to join them, although he moved slowly, ensuring that he was bringing up the rear.

Four men walked in a line, heading ever closer to Naruto in the center of the Ancient Burial Ground.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, in which time the 100,000 rifts opened and closed. Eventually, the two fastest men reached a position about six hundred meters from Naruto.

Another tremor ran through Naruto at that point, but instead of just a trickle of blood oozing out, Naruto coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, and all color drained out of his face. At that point, the flame of his life force actually winked out.

In that moment, the rifts in the area all shuddered and closed, leaving a clear path all the way to Naruto.

With the exception of Fanboy, who was still extremely anxious and feared that he was about to die, the black-robed men's eyes all glowed with greed. They had been acting very cautiously before, but that seemed to be forgotten as they exploded with speed. Rumbling filled the air as they closed in on Naruto.

However, when the two black-robed men in the lead were only about thirty meters away, Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open. They were bloodshot, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade, filled with naked savagery.

An indescribably terrifying aura suddenly exploded out from Naruto. In that instant, all of the closed rifts in the area suddenly opened simultaneously.

It was like 100,000 eyes had instantly opened and were looking at the four men!

Being glared at by 100,000 cold eyes is something that would cause many people to be so terrified their hair would stand on end. These black-robed men had profound cultivation bases, and might have been able to disregard the phenomena, were it not for the fact that Naruto had opened his eyes at exactly the same time.

There was also a brutality that seemed to surround Naruto. Add the fact that he had just recently killed two Ancient Realm experts, and it caused the faces of the nearest two black-robed men to flicker.

However, they were decisive people. Killing intent flashed in their eyes. Having come this far and having no path of retreat, they decided that they might as well attack!

"He's as weak as an arrow at the end of its flight! Killing him will be easy!"

"His precious treasure is probably difficult to activate! Considering his current state, he definitely can't use it! Kill him!"

Their eyes flickered coldly, and their killing intent raged. Their cultivation bases surged as their nine Soul Lamps, eight burning and one extinguished, caused the aura of the Ancient Realm to swirl about. The natural law in the area was affected, and ripples spread out.

They also pulled out magical items. One of them had a jade cauldron; the other, a piece of green bamboo. Inside the jade cauldron were several flying swords engraved with dragons, and the bamboo was surrounded by arcs of crackling lightning. Both objects were clearly extraordinary.

They waved their sleeves, causing the magical items to speed toward Naruto, as they sped close behind. Bolstered by the power of their Soul Lamps, their killing intent surged, and their greed was impossible to conceal.

In almost the same moment that they attacked, the terracotta soldier, which was still covered by the mist, suddenly stepped forward.

The ground quaked, and some of the mist dissipated from around the terracotta soldier, making it mostly visible.

A ring-shaped ripple surged out, with the terracotta soldier and Naruto at the center. When it passed over the jade cauldron, the swords inside shattered as if they were nothing more than dried up twigs. The cauldron itself cracked and then collapsed.

As for the green bamboo, it was the same; it shattered into countless pieces that became nothing more than flying ash. The lightning in the bamboo was also snuffed out, and vanished without a trace.

As the ripple spread out, the pressure it emanated caused the two black-robed men's hearts to tremble. Blood sprayed out of their mouths as they fell backward in retreat, almost falling into one of the rifts behind them.

When they finally came to a stop, they looked at the terracotta soldier, and their faces fell as they were almost struck speechless.

The greatsword it held in its hand, the suddenness with which it its aura had burst out, as well as the familiarity of its figure, immediately caused the men to feel roaring in their minds, as if an enormous, shapeless hand were ripping apart their psyches.

"That's the aura of a Quasi-Dao Paragon!"

"There's actually a statue here!"

"That statue looks so familiar…."

"That's… that's… the Dao Guardsman!" The two cultivators' eyes went wide with disbelief. They felt as if a mountain were crushing down onto them; their minds reeled as they realized their lives were about to meet an uncertain end.

"This is impossible!" They were thoroughly astonished, and now that they could sense the terracotta soldier's aura, they had no doubt in their mind as to how the other two Ancient Realm elders had suddenly died.

"He… he can actually control the Dao Guardsman!" They no longer had any desire whatsoever to engage in battle. Their scalps were numb, and they were scared out of their minds. They thought back to how they had bravely charged into this situation, and they suddenly realized that doing so was potentially the most foolish and stupid thing they had ever done in their lives. They backed up at top speed, cursing their weak cultivation bases, and cursing all of the rifts in the area that made it impossible to escape.

The other black-robed man was also looking on with wide eyes, panting in disbelief.

Fanboy was the only one whose facial expression was calm. Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief, and his eyes began to flicker. His cultivation base had long since recovered, and he was now trying to decide how he could perform some meritorious service in aid of Naruto.

In the exact moment that the two black-robed men up front began to retreat, Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent. The terracotta soldier raised its greatsword and then slashed it down toward one of the two men. In the blink of an eye, everything went still and quiet. Scintillating, blinding sword light appeared, slashing toward the black-robed man's throat.

"Bring him to me, alive," Naruto murmured weakly.

The world returned to normal. The terracotta soldier's blade twisted, turning the strike from a slash into a slap. Blood sprayed from the black-robed cultivator's mouth as his body crumpled. The terracotta soldier reached out, grabbed him, and pinned him down on the ground in front of Naruto.

Naruto's face was pale white as he reached out and pushed his hand onto the black-robed man's forehead. He took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with the glow of blood as he utilized the Blood Demon Grand Magic.

The black-robed man's eyes went wide, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream. When the other people present heard the scream, their minds trembled because of the indescribable tragic wretchedness therein.

The black-robed man's body withered. His cultivation base rapidly faded away. Even his soul was absorbed by Naruto. Everything, even his life force, was used by Naruto to aid in his recovery.

It took only a moment for the screams to fade away. The only thing that remained behind was a terrifying desiccated corpse that lay motionless beneath Naruto's hand.

Naruto's face was no longer as pale as death. His skin had a bit of color, and his breathing was steady. His eyes shone brightly once again.

As he thought back to how he had accepted the legacy of the Fifth Hex, Naruto realized that he had narrowly escaped from death. He really should have died, and had only managed to survive by a fluke.

Considering the level of his cultivation base, he was really incapable of acquiring the Fifth Hex. The price he had paid was actually his life. The flame of his life force really had been extinguished, leaving him hovering on the brink of death. Thankfully, just as he was about to die… these black-robed men came, giving him a second lease on life.

He had only slightly recovered, but this caused the other two black-robed men to feel an even greater sense of deadly crisis.

"W-what technique was that!?"

"Damn you, Kajura! For sending us in here to kill this kid… you deserve to die a horrible death!"

The two men retreated, looking back in fear at Naruto.

However, they were surrounded by rifts that made it impossible for them to escape.

Up above, the Seventh Patriarch watched with a serious expression. He slowly retracted his hand, and looked over thoughtfully at Naruto.

"Is that the legacy technique he just acquired?"

Back on the ground, Naruto slowly rose to his feet. His face was mostly back to normal, and a profound look gleamed in his eyes. He seemed to be filled with a sea of power that caused anyone who looked at him to feel as if their souls would be absorbed.

"Grab me another one," he said calmly.

In response to his words, the terracotta soldier immediately strode forward toward the nearest black-robed man. The man howled and, having no other options, leapt into the nearest rift.

The third of the black-robed men was a bit further away from Naruto. He gritted his teeth and was about to jump into a nearby rift, when Fanboy suddenly blocked his way. The man roared in rage, and the two of them began to fight.

Booms echoed out in all directions. The terracotta soldier stepped into the rift in pursuit and emerged after the space of only a few breaths, holding the black-robed cultivator who had been trying to flee.

The man was trembling, and his face was pale. Even as he looked over at Naruto, Naruto raised his hand, causing an illusory rift to appear. That slight movement, though, caused the bit of his life force that had been painstakingly restored to be sucked towards the palm of his hand. This caused Naruto to immediately stop what he was doing. After a moment of analysis, Naruto realized why.

"Although I've accepted the legacy, I'm incapable of actually using the Fifth Hex. Considering the level of my cultivation base, if I try to force it, even if I use all of my cultivation base to cast it, I still can't form the Inside-Outside rifts of the Fifth Hex!

"Perhaps I'll be able to after I reach the Immortal Realm! This Fifth Hex is similar to the Paragon Bridge. I'll be able to use it as a trump card when I reach the Immortal Realm!" With that, he pushed his hand out toward the black-robed man, who was then surrounded by blood-colored light.

Miserable screams rang out as the man was transformed into a desiccated corpse. Naruto's face finally looked normal, and he was completely recovered. He then closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base.

In response to this, the black-robed man who was fighting Fanboy looked terrified. What he was seeing was far beyond any other deadly crisis that he had ever experienced.

"This guy can't be a near-Immortal Realm cultivator," he thought. "How could someone of that level have such a terrifying divine ability!? Kajura, if I don't die in here, then after I get back to the clan, you and I are going to have a reckoning!"

Fanboy's expression was the same as ever, but inwardly he was trembling. The mysteries surrounding Naruto only seemed to grow deeper. After a moment of hesitation, he looked over at the man he was fighting with.

"Komitsu, if you want to get out of here alive, then listen to me and don't fight back!" These words caused Komitsu to gape in shock. Then he thought back to how Fanboy hadn't died despite being near Naruto for so long. Suddenly, the hope for life appeared in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he allowed Fanboy to strike him in the chest.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as Fanboy struck him over and over, seriously injuring Komitsu and causing his cultivation base to drop. Soon, it was comparable to a Spirit Realm cultivator, whereupon Fanboy stopped his attacks. Giving a meaningful glance to Komitsu, he immediately turned and bowed respectfully to Naruto.

"Prince, it would be quite a waste to let this man die. Why not use your restrictive spell on him? Once we get back to the clan, he and I will both want a chance to get revenge on Kajura."

Naruto's eyes opened, and he looked coldly at Fanboy, then at Komitsu, who was acting very subserviently. Without another word, streams of black and white Chakra appeared in his hand. After rotating around each other for a moment, he sent them flying toward Komitsu's forehead. Komitsu screamed, then began to shudder. Sweat soaked him almost instantaneously as magical symbols appeared all over his body. Eventually, they converged on his forehead into the form of a single magical symbol that flew out of his forehead and then merged into Naruto. Komitsu then let out a weak sigh.

Naruto looked up at the rifts in the area, and now, they seemed familiar to him.

It almost seemed as if he could control their opening and closing.

"Let's go," he said. "We're going to find out what else is past this Ancient Burial Ground." With that, he stepped forward. Immediately, the rifts all closed, allowing him to walk directly off into the distance.

Naruto strode along like a monarch to these rifts that contained the Fifth Hex. He looked like he was simply taking a stroll through his own Immortal kingdom.

The scene playing out in front of Fanboy and Komitsu left them shaken mentally. They immediately followed behind, staring at the terracotta soldier next to Naruto. When it came to the statue, Fanboy was slightly less surprised, whereas Komitsu was completely astonished.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch looked closely at Naruto, his expression growing more serious by the moment. Based on everything Naruto had done along the way, and all his unprecedented accomplishments, as long as he didn't lose his life, he would surely shake the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea one day.

"In the future, he will be the main pillar of the Namikaze Clan!"

Meanwhile, Fū was still in the midst of her Immortal Tribulation, battering her Door of Immortality. In the Namikaze Clan Ancestral Mansion, Kajura was staring pale-faced into a crystal, observing what was happening in the Lifeslip Hall.

One after another, without even half an incense stick of time between them, the lifeslips belonging to two Ancient Realm Elders emitted cracking sounds and then shattered into pieces….

The other jade slip that he had been watching this entire time remained completely unchanged.

"Impossible…. The deaths of the previous two could be chalked up to dangers in the ancestral land. But… but a whole month has passed, Naruto is still alive, and two more Ancient Realm Elders are dead!

"What exactly is going on in the ancestral land? How could this be happening? What's going on!?" Kajura's eyes were completely bloodshot, and his hair was in disarray. He sat there trembling, having long since moved from his own residence to a hidden chamber.

This chamber was very close to where his son Menma was in the middle of secluded meditation. At the moment, Kajura didn't dare to set foot outside. Currently, he had no way of resolving the situation, so he had no choice but to conceal himself here.

"As long as Menma becomes a true Immortal, the Grand Elder will handle everything according to the clan rules. The clan is most important, so he won't make things too difficult for me. Plus, I have father to help take care of things. This matter will soon be a thing of the past.

"Naruto, you shall die! If you don't die in the ancestral land, then you'll die at Menma's hand!" Kajura's expression twisted, and he gritted his teeth. Apparently, that outcome was the only one which could release the shock and anxiety he felt in his heart. However, he still couldn't understand why the nine Ancient Realm Elders he had hired couldn't kill a solitary Naruto. In fact, over the course of a month, four of them were now dead, while Naruto was still alive.

Just what had happened in there to cause this unforeseen turn of events? This was currently the source of his greatest confusion.

Even as Kajura sat there thinking, the Grand Elder was in another location in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion. He was in a rage, his face twisted in anger over what was happening in the Lifeslip Hall. He, of course, was well aware of exactly why all the Elders had died.

His eyes glinted coldly when he summoned Kajura, only to receive a reply that Kajura was in secluded meditation near Menma. That caused the Grand Elder to hesitate for a moment.

At the moment, Menma's Immortal Ascension was the most important matter in the whole clan. All other matters were of secondary importance.

"Menma. Naruto…. Let's see which of the two of you… is the true Chosen." After another moment of thought, the Grand Elder flicked his sleeve and left.

Back in the ancestral land, Naruto proceeded along. The rifts closed wherever he went, all the way until he reached the end of the Ancient Burial Ground. After having passed through regions of 100,000 rifts, he was now surrounded by thick mist.

The mist didn't just exist in this place. The entire ancestral land was filled with it, something that was completely unheard of. Even the Seventh Patriarch was shocked.

Naruto stood at the edge of the Ancient Burial Ground, looking at the thick mists up ahead of him. Compared to the mist in his immediate vicinity, the mists up ahead seemed boundless, as if they covered everything, even the Heavens.

Everything was covered in endless, majestic mists.

Off to the side was another huge stone stele, upon which was written three shocking characters….

Misty Heaven Vault!

Beneath the three characters were lines of text, each one being the name of a person. Next to each name was a number.

The first name on the list was Komushi Namikaze, and next to it was the number 39.

There were nineteen names in total, and the last few names on the list all had the number 1 next to them.

The names emanated an ancient feeling, as if they had existed on the stele for many years. When Naruto reached the ninth name on the list, his eyes widened in surprise.

The name was Isago!

He was the Dao of Alchemy Division's current Pill Elder!

Fanboy stood next to Naruto explaining the location in a low voice. "There is no path through the Heavenly Mist Vault.

"This is the last section of the ancestral land…. The first generation Patriarch's necropolis is located somewhere inside, although nobody knows exactly where.

"From the moment of its creation, this place has been the end of the line for the clan members who come here. According to the rumors, nobody has ever found the necropolis within the mists. The reason for that, of course, is that there is no path inside.

"From ancient times to now, only nineteen Senior clan members have ever made it to the Misty Heaven Vault, and those numbers next to their names are how many steps they were able to take inside."

Naruto's eyes focused intently on the stele.

"Nobody's ever been able to step into the necropolis?" he asked. As he looked at the list of names and numbers on the stele, he sent his divine sense out into the mists. As soon as it entered, it encountered an intense repelling force, and was expelled. These mists truly seemed to be like an impenetrable fortress that did not allow anything to enter.

"Prince," Fanboy hurried to say, "you really shouldn't try to go in…. This is a place where people under the Immortal Realm can't even enter. Not even the Dao Guardsman can go in.

"If you want to enter the Misty Heaven Vault, you have to meet two conditions. First, your cultivation base has to be in the Ancient Realm or higher so that you can use your Soul Lamp to guide the way. The second requirement is that you have to possess a corporeal body."

Naruto didn't respond. He sent some divine will into the terracotta statue, and sent it forward toward the mists. However, as soon as it touched the border, the same force shoved back, making it impossible for the terracotta soldier to move forward. When he tried to force it to do so, a terrifying pressure exploded out from within the mists.

Naruto's mind was shaken, and he immediately pulled the terracotta soldier back.

"Prince, your… your cultivation base isn't in the Ancient Realm, and you have no Soul Lamp. You simply can't proceed." Fanboy glanced over at Naruto and stepped toward the mists.

As he did so, he inhaled deeply and nine Soul Lamps appeared around him. As they rotated around him, they slowly merged together. When they had combined into a single lamp, they floated forward to make contact with the mists. As soon as the lamp touched the mist, it sank back by a centimeter.

"Look, Prince," said Fanboy, sighing slightly and stepping back to stand next to Naruto. "This is my limit, only a single centimeter. If you had a powerful Soul Lamp, you would be able to resist the mists and get much further in."

Naruto frowned. Having gotten all the way to this point, he just couldn't resign himself to leaving. If this was the first generation Patriarch's necropolis, then it meant that the Namikaze Clan's most powerful Daoist Magic, the One Thought Stellar Transformation, would be inside.

It was like standing in front of a mountain of treasure and being incapable of reaching it. To Naruto, it was a very intolerable feeling.

However, he was not the type of person to be easily convinced by what could be fallacious information. He stepped forward and, as he stood there in front of the mists, extended his right hand and pushed it forward. Immediately, a powerful force pushed back, as if there were an invisible barrier which prevented him from pushing his hand in at all.

Naruto tried pushing a few more times before letting out a resigned sigh. He was just about to retract his hand when his eyes then went wide as he suddenly sensed his Immortal meridian pulsing wildly in a way it never had before. It was almost as if it were reacting to something that existed inside the mists, something that was attracting his Immortal meridian.

Naruto had experienced such a sensation before; it was the same sort of feeling he got when the Immortal meridian had strengthened itself by consuming the massive quantities of energy from the stone steles in the Three Great Daoist Societies' trial by fire.

Naruto started panting, and his eyes began to glitter brightly. He had an intense premonition that if he could get into the Misty Heaven Vault, then perhaps… he could break through to true Immortality right here in the ancestral land!

Naruto immediately began to attempt numerous methods to succeed. After two hours passed, he finally had to admit… that it was a place he really wasn't able to enter.

"Prince," said Fanboy, "there's no need to keep trying. We still have less than a month before the ancestral land opens up again. There are still other places with good fortune, places that you can easily get to with the Dao Guardsman. As for this place here… without a Soul Lamp, you might as well just forget about it."

Naruto stood there silently.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch was currently paying close attention to what was happening. He watched Naruto make his repeated attempts, then sighed, and his eyes flickered with disappointment.

"I guess I set my expectations too high," he thought, shaking his head. "The Misty Heaven Vault requires an Ancient Realm Soul Lamp. That's something the Dao Guardsman can't help out with. The more powerful the Soul Lamp, the further into the Heavenly Mist Vault you can get. However, not even Eldest Brother, the Earth Patriarch, could get more than 39 steps in."

Suddenly, Naruto looked up at the Misty Heaven Vault, and his eyes began to gleam with light of curiosity.

"You need a Soul Lamp…. A Soul Lamp to lead the way…. A lamp…. I have a lamp!" Naruto began to pant as he glanced back at the Soul Lamps circling around Fanboy. Just now, a completely preposterous idea had formed in his mind.

It was a completely absurd plan, and it involved an object he had never before thought to associate with the Soul Lamps of Ancient Realm cultivators.

Even now, it seemed like something completely improbable.

Finally, though, it reached the point where he couldn't hold back. He just had to try, so, eyes flickering, he slapped his bag of holding… causing a bronze lamp to suddenly fly out!

This bronze lamp was none other than the one he had acquired from the temple hall in the ruins of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, the same treasure from which he had acquired his Immortal meridian, that now contained a flame from the Essence of Divine Flame.

Holding the bronze lamp in hand, Naruto took a deep breath and then slowly walked toward the wall of mist up ahead. When Fanboy and Komitsu caught sight of the bronze lamp, they gaped in shock. Were it not for the fact that Naruto held their lives firmly in his hand, they would most certainly be incapable of holding back from laughing at Naruto's apparent insanity.

However, their expressions quickly changed to ones of open-mouthed astonishment, and they began to tremble uncontrollably.

As Naruto neared the mists, rumbling sounds suddenly filled the air. Strange colors flashed as everything shook. The mists began to fall apart, churning in an unprecedented fashion. All of the mists inside of the ancestral land seemed to be going crazy, and immediately, more mist began to surge out from every nook and cranny, making it so that the entire ancestral land became just like the Misty Heaven Vault.

The mist was trembling, almost as if in fear!

Naruto's bronze lamp seemed to have cast the entire ancestral land into a state of awe, and the mists almost appeared to be prostrating themselves in worship!

As for the mists directly in front of Naruto, as soon as the bronze lamp neared them, they seemed to be torn apart with domineering force. It didn't matter who this place previously belonged to, or who used to dwell here, as of this moment, everything was submitting to the bronze lamp.

Amidst the rumbling, the mists were torn apart… and parted down the middle!

A path was carved out… which led straight ahead!

It was a huge path, at the end of which, shockingly… was an enormous, pitch-black temple hall!

This sight caused Fanboy's and Komitsu's minds to reel, and their hearts to lurch with enormous waves of shock. They trembled violently, filled with unspeakable astonishment. Even knowing that Naruto had taken control of the Dao Guardsman hadn't turned their world upside down as much as the scene that was playing out in front of them right now!

The Seventh Patriarch had been on the verge of turning away and leaving.

"Impossible!" he said, voice quavering.

He began to tremble, and his mind filled with roaring and he almost fell out of the sky in shock. Even his cultivation base was now somewhat unstable.

He panted, staring dead at the bronze lamp in Naruto's hand. The lamp caused his scalp to grow numb, and terror washed through him as a shocking question filled his mind.

"That Soul Lamp… whose is it?!"

The mist in the Misty Heaven Vault seethed, spreading out to fill the entire ancestral land. The Ancient Burial Grounds, the Nine Nethermountains, the Quasi-Dao Patriarch Tombs, and even the Field of Magic Enlightenment were all submerged in endless mist.

The lands almost looked like they had become a sea of mist, concealing all, casting everything into shadow. The area around Naruto was the only area of light, which was illuminated by the glow of the Essence of Divine Flame.

Naruto was panting, and his heart pounded even more strongly than Fanboy and Komitsu, or the astonished Seventh Patriarch.

Taking out the bronze Soul Lamp had been a simple experiment, and in fact, even Naruto had assumed the idea to be laughable and virtually impossible.

He had always thought that it was nothing more than an ancient bronze lamp…. He had never, ever thought to compare it to the Soul Lamp of an Ancient Realm cultivator.

But now, as he looked around at the churning mists, at the path that had been ripped open in front of him, and the tunnel leading toward the pitch-black temple up ahead, his heart pounded with unprecedented intensity.

"This Soul Lamp… whose is it?!" That was the mind blowing question that rolled around in Naruto's mind as he thought back to that year in the temple hall when he had acquired the bronze lamp.

How many years had it been there…?

He had kept the lamp alive with his own blood, and when it was extinguished, he had absorbed the black smoke that it emitted. That was what… had caused him to become different than everyone else, to have a true Immortal meridian inside of him.

"It's actually a Soul Lamp. A mere lamp contains such shocking, domineering power that even this Namikaze Clan ancestral land has no choice but to submit to it!

"If this lamp is so powerful… then whatever almighty being created it must be unbelievably powerful!" Naruto was panting at this unbelievable turn of events. It truly was a matter that couldn't be pondered too deeply, for the more he thought about it, the more it astonished him.

"Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple…." Naruto's eyes glowed with intense light as a new sense of determination filled him and he made a firm resolution. "I definitely need to go to the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite!" The only clues to the story behind this lamp, which he had found in the temple hall in the ruins of Planet Lands of Ninshu's Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, seemed to lay in the four words 'Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite'.

From the way things looked, grabbing this bronze lamp that year had changed his entire fate in life!

Nearby, Fanboy and Komitsu were looking on with numbed scalps, and minds that felt as if they were being struck by lightning. Their jaws hung open and their eyes were wide.

They simply couldn't believe or even think of words to describe what they were seeing. It was as if they had been struck dumb. Then, they saw Naruto take a deep breath, tightly grasp the bronze lamp in his hands, and step toward the path. That image seemed to shake them to their senses.

"How could this be happening…?" thought Fanboy as he quietly watched Naruto walking toward the path in the mist. He felt like he was in an illusion, a dream or fantasy in his own mind.

Komitsu punched himself hard in the chest, and the resulting pain caused his eyes to widen with surprise. He felt like the world had been turned upside down. Up ahead was the necropolis of the first generation Patriarch, a place no one had ever entered, and yet Naruto… had casually pulled out a bronze lamp, and then… walked right into the mists.

Komitsu shuddered, and he was suddenly struck with a feeling of rejoicing, rejoicing at the fact that he had attacked someone as terrifyingly inhuman as this, and yet was still alive.

Up in midair, the Seventh Patriarch was also panting. In terms of both his inward disposition and his external expression, he was incapable of maintaining his calm. It didn't matter that his cultivation base was at the peak of the Ancient Realm, he was still profoundly shaken by Naruto.

"Eldest Brother has a 1 Essence Dao Realm cultivation base and the status of Namikaze Clan's Earth Patriarch, and yet he could only advance 39 steps into the mists. However, the lamp that kid is holding can actually scrape a path clean through the Misty Heaven Vault all the way to the necropolis!

"If you calculate that path based on the number of steps that can be taken, it must be at least 1,000!

"It's just a soul lamp, and yet it even exceeds the power of 1 Essence. What was the cultivation base of the person who formed that Soul Lamp? In terms of level, were they a 6 Essences Paragon? Or perhaps a 9 Essences Paragon?!

"Impossible, in all the Nine Mountains and Seas, there aren't even any 9 Essences Paragons at all! The only people who ever entered the 9 Essences level of the Dao Realm were those three Paragons from the legendary age of the Immortal Ancient, during that Heaven-shaking, Earth-rocking war!

"I shouldn't even be thinking about 9 Essences. Even 7 Essences Paragons don't exist in the Nine Mountains and Seas. The highest cultivation base in this day and age is only 6 Essences!" The shock roiling in the Seventh Patriarch's heart was impossible to describe. He looked at the scene of Naruto striding down the path in the mists with lamp in hand. Then, he took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine with a strange light.

There was no greediness that arose within him. Since Naruto possessed the bronze lamp, he was qualified to enter the Misty Heaven Vault. To others, however, this would be the end of the line.

Although the Seventh Patriarch couldn't help but look covetously at the bronze lamp, he did not attempt to snatch it away. He was an elder of the Clan, and furthermore, he was one of its guardian entities. Besides, he had his principles when it came to objects belonging to the members of the Junior generation.

Those were the clan rules!

They were rules that allowed the clan to multiply and grow, and to withstand the test of time!

Members of the same generation could fight and steal destiny from each other. Such things were permitted. But even if the Heavens did not care whether members of the Elder generation stole from the Juniors, it was something that was completely prohibited by the clan rules.

Although some people might brave the risks and do such things, the Seventh Patriarch was not that type of person.

"From the time the ancient first generation Patriarch passed away in meditation until now, this is… the first time his necropolis has become visible! Could it be that the One Thought Stellar Transformation will make a reappearance in the Ninth Mountain and Sea!?" The Seventh Patriarch looked at Naruto's back as he walked off into the distance. He suddenly felt a premonition deep within him.

"His future prospects might not just be limited to the Ninth Mountain and Sea! Perhaps he can lead the Namikaze Clan to new heights of glory!"

Back on the path in the Misty Heaven Vault, Naruto's heart was pounding. He held the bronze lamp in his hand as he slowly walked forward through the mists. Although it appeared as if there was an empty void beneath his feet, the ground was as solid as ever as he trod upon it.

The light of flame flickered out from the bronze lamp, and the mists on each side of him churned. Any obstructions ahead dissipated as Naruto continued onwards.

As he passed in further, the mists closed up behind him, blocking off the path. Any outsider, including Fanboy and Komitsu, and even the Seventh Patriarch, gradually lost sight of Naruto as he disappeared into the mists.

Fanboy and Komitsu exchanged a look, and could see the shock in each other's eyes, as well as… the astonishment.

Their life or death was in Naruto's hands, so to them, the more powerful Naruto got, the less chance they ever had to escape. However… as he increased in power, their future prospects… actually grew even more limitless.

"Perhaps Kajura has inadvertently given the two of us a chance to achieve a meteoric rise to success!" Fanboy said hoarsely.

Komitsu took a deep breath and nodded. "If Naruto can get some good fortune in the necropolis, if he can become the only person in the clan who can cultivate the One Thought Stellar Transformation, then his future prospects are limitless!"

Their eyes shone with determination as they sat cross-legged outside of the Misty Heaven Vault, acting as Dharma Protectors as they waited for Naruto to emerge.

Back in the Misty Heaven Vault, the pitch-black temple at the end of the long path didn't seem to be very far away. However, Naruto ended up walking for a long time.

One day. Two days. Three days.

On the third day, Naruto finally began to get close to the pitch-black temple. Although the temple was still about three thousand meters away, he knew.. that he was in the region of the necropolis!

Rising up above the pitch-black temple was an enormous statue of a middle-aged man. He wore a Daoist robe, and had an expression that was lofty and imposing, yet exposed no trace of anger, and even contained a hint of debonaire. He sat there cross-legged, eyes closed as if he were doing breathing exercises. It was merely a statue, but when you looked at it, it almost looked alive.

He looked somewhat similar to Naruto, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that all members of the Namikaze Clan had some features similar to this statue.

That was because he was none other than the first generation Patriarch.

He was the peerless, breathtaking man who had risen to become the first Patriarch of a clan!

Eighteen enormous coiling dragons could be seen on the steps leading up to the temple, each of which emanated an archaic feel. It almost looked like those eighteen dragons were actually supporting the entire necropolis with their bodies.

Simply put, it was a majestic sight!

Naruto's heart trembled as he looked at the huge temple; he knew that this was the final resting place of the first generation Patriarch!

The first generation Patriarch was how the Namikaze Clan had come to be. It was because of him that the powerful Namikaze Clan currently existed in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and there was no end to the legends and myths about him that circulated in the clan.

There was a legend that the first generation Patriarch acquired the bloodline power of the Namikaze Clan in the Ruins of Immortality, and had followed Lord Asura in his campaign to subjugate the Ninth Mountain and Sea to quell the chaos and unify all!

There was another story that the first generation Patriarch didn't actually die, that he had lived a fifth life, in which he disappeared to live a carefree existence.

There were various legends that spun in Naruto's mind. He took a deep breath as he passed the 3,000-meter mark, approaching the necropolis itself. When he neared the steps, he looked up at the huge temple doors and bowed deeply.

"Junior generation Namikaze Clan member Naruto extends greetings, first generation Patriarch!"

As his words echoed, the temple began to tremble, and the ornately decorated temple doors began to slowly open!

It was in that exact moment that… outside of the ancestral land, outside of Planet East Victory, Fū slammed into the Door of Immortality above the Ninth Sea, causing the door to slowly begin to open. Boundless Immortal light was set free, washing over Fū, causing her to gradually become translucent. The holiness that she exuded grew even more intense.

She was already beautiful, but as of this moment, her beauty was beyond compare.

The cultivators of the Nine Seas God World stared at her intently, for they knew… that the critical moment had arrived.

Now was the time to see exactly how many Immortal meridians Fū would open!

It wasn't just the Nine Seas God World cultivators who were watching closely. All the other sects and clans were using various methods to observe exactly what happened with Fū!

The old Dao Realm woman stood there quietly, looking up at Fū with a slight smile, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Above the Ninth Sea, the Door of Immortality opened, and boundless Immortal light emanated out, completely bathing Fū. At the same time, enormous quantities of Immortal Chakra exploded out from the door and bored into her body.

When the Door of Immortality opens, so do Immortal meridians. Every person is different, so the number of Immortal meridians that can be opened depends on a variety of aspects.

Take Pill Demon for example. Although the moment of his true Immortal Ascension did not come with any display of Immortal meridians, that was because he was the first true Immortal of the era. Therefore, he had gained the approval of all the Nine Mountains and Seas, and his name was engraved upon the Immortal scroll.

Those who used Immortality Illumination Vines to become true Immortals were also approved by the Nine Mountains and Seas, and their names were also recorded on the Immortal scroll, although they were viewed as lacking some of the destiny of Heaven and Earth that Pill Demon had.

However, at its root, cultivation is about defying the Heavens and contending for control of fate. The path to Immortality is one of ascension through defiance of the Heavens.

As far as Naruto was concerned, if he succeeded in becoming a true Immortal without using an Immortality Illumination Vine, and without acquiring the Immortal destiny to gain the approval to become a true Immortal, then his true Immortality would be completely domineering!

He would be an overbearing true Immortal who everyone had to acknowledge, whether they wanted to or not!

Currently, Immortal Chakra raged above the Ninth Sea. Everyone watched as Fū's body emitted scintillating light, and her aura exploded with power.

10 meridians. 20 meridians. 30 meridians…. The light which emanated out from her grew more intense, and shocking images like that of dragons or phoenixes swirled around her!

40 meridians. 60 meridians. 80 meridians…. Rumbling filled the air and shook the hearts of all onlookers as she reached 90 meridians! She was now the complete center of attention, and yet, wasn't done yet!

91 meridians. 93 meridians. In the end… she opened 96 meridians!

The entire Ninth Sea was completely astonished!

As the Door of Immortality faded away, Fū hovered there in midair, her 96 Immortal meridians emanating Immortal power. She could sense that she had been thoroughly remolded, and was now vastly more powerful than before.

She looked out into the starry sky in the direction of Planet East Victory.

"Naruto…. I'm a true Immortal now, and when I utilize the Ninth Sea Immortality Incantation, I can double my power. There is still a fight to be had between us, so I hope you're able to keep up with the current generation."

At almost the same moment that Fū opened 96 Immortal meridians, back in the Namikaze Clan ancestral land on Planet East Victory, within the mist, Naruto was holding the bronze lamp aloft as he stepped into the open door of the necropolis.

He was now entering a place… that no one had ever entered from the moment the first generation Patriarch passed away in meditation until now! The necropolis!

As he entered, he looked up and saw a field of twinkling stars. There was also a huge mountain, which was surrounded by four planets. Next to the mountain was a starry sea.

It was the Ninth Mountain, the Ninth Sea, and the four planets.

That was the ceiling of the enormous hall in which he found himself. Starlight glittered down onto a middle-aged man who sat atop a woven rush mat. His face was calm, without the slightest hint that he might be dead. And yet, his entire person emanated an aura of rot.

He was almost like a statue that had been sitting there motionless for countless years.

He wore a simple robe and a scholar's hat. He sat there cross-legged, his lips turned up in a slight smile. In his hand he held a scroll of bamboo slips, and a glowing sphere of starlight hovered around him, flickering.

In addition to this, there was a pill furnace, without any cover. Inside of the furnace was a swirling mass of seven-colored mist, making it impossible to see clearly whatever was inside. Above the pill furnace, occupying Naruto's entire field of view, was… a dragon.

It was… a dragon cast from bronze, its long body twisted around the columns that supported the roof. Cracks spread out from the areas where the dragon's claws sank into the column, and its tail disappeared into the darkness. Its head hung down directly above the pill furnace, into which it was gazing with an expression of greed. Its mouth was open as if it were about to consume whatever was inside the pill furnace.

The bronze dragon was incredibly realistic, even down to the scales, making it almost look alive. Naruto even noticed several areas on the dragon's body where the scales were severely damaged, as if they were scars earned from hundreds of battles.

As he looked at everything around him, Naruto began to pant. He almost couldn't believe that this was merely a bronze casting of a dragon; to him, it almost felt as if it were a real, flesh-and-blood dragon.

One of the reasons for that sensation was that when he looked at it, the Immortal meridian inside of him began to pulse violently and emit an aura of longing, as if it wanted to completely absorb it!

Naruto hesitated for a moment. In a situation like this, he would not act rashly. He scanned the huge temple hall, and then decided to skirt the pill furnace and head over to the man sitting on the rush mat. He looked at him sitting there meditating, and realized that he looked exactly like the statue outside.

"First generation Patriarch…." murmured Naruto. As he looked at the man, his blood began to thrum, as if it were a resonance between the two of them.

After a long moment, Naruto knelt down and kowtowed to the man.

"Naruto of the Junior generation offers greetings, Patriarch," he said, his voice sincere. Although he might have a bit of enmity toward the Namikaze Clan, he only had feelings of respect for the first generation Patriarch who had founded the clan.

After kowtowing, Naruto got to his feet and looked at the sphere of starlight hovering around of the first generation Patriarch. Deep inside the light, he could just barely make out a fingernail-sized asteroid.

As the starlight entered his eyes, Naruto's breathing sped up a bit. From what he could tell, this object… was probably a manifestation of the One Thought Stellar Transformation.

He tried to reach out and grab the starlight, but no matter how he attempted to take ahold of it, it did no good, as if the sphere were completely ignoring him. It just continued to orbit the first generation Patriarch.

Naruto thought for a moment, then abandoned any attempts to force the matter. After all, the sphere of starlight was hovering around the first generation Patriarch, so any attempt to forcibly take it away would probably involve making contact with the Patriarch's corpse, a level of disrespect that Naruto wouldn't show.

He took a few steps back, looking around and then floating up into the air to take a closer look at the places where the bronze dragon's claws sank into the column. After a moment, he took in a deep breath, and his expression was one of complete disbelief.

He then sank back down to the ground and glanced around vigilantly, his heart pounding.

Moments ago, he had been able to determine that the cracks had not been carved there, but had occurred naturally, as if… on some day in the past, a real dragon had actually latched onto the column with its claws.

As he continued to gaze at the bronze dragon, images began to appear in his mind. In the vision, he saw the hall, empty and peaceful. Then a dragon charged in, swirling through hall and then wrapping around one column after another. Its claws pierced into the columns as it lowered its head, eyes flickering with greed as it attempted to consume the pill furnace. It was in that moment that a powerful force rippled out, and the dragon died instantly, transforming into nothing more than a bronze statue.

As soon as Naruto experienced this vision, he was filled with shock.

"This necropolis sure is full of strange things…." he thought, blinking. He looked back at the first generation Patriarch, then was struck by a sudden impulse. Naruto walked past him, then sat down across from him, back facing the Patriarch, looking out into the hall.

His scalp instantly went numb as he realized that from this position, he could directly see the dragon's chin, and the lower part of its body. Furthermore, it appeared that… if he were powerful enough, he could use a single finger to cause the entire bronze dragon to explode.

He raised his hand and pointed in that very manner, then stood up and followed the line that his finger had pointed at. When he arrived at the place where that path intersected with the dragon's chin, and examined it more closely, he could sense something that caused his mind to tremble.

He was almost frightened out of his senses when that specific spot on the dragon's chin rippled as if with magic; apparently there was still the residue of some sort of magical technique, left behind in this spot.

That indicated… that this was the point of impact that had led to the bronze dragon being turned into a statue!

Naruto slowly turned around to face the first generation Patriarch. Mouth parched and dry, he forced a smile onto his face and then clasped hands and bowed.

"Patriarch," he began carefully, "I am a member of the Namikaze Clan, the sole descendant of the direct bloodline. I'm the only heir. Do you get what that means, sir?! Basically, if I die, then the direct bloodline will be gone!

"Sir, you are an exalted and magnanimous person, so, um… well, I'm here, not to disturb you, sir, but rather, to acquire a legacy so that I can perform meritorious services for the clan!"

Naruto's speech was met with silence, so after a moment, he backed up, thought for a moment, then looked over at the pill furnace in hesitation.

"Whatever it was that caused this incredibly powerful dragon to feel such greed must definitely be a precious treasure…. Who knows how this dragon managed to charge its way in here, but it shows that it's definitely not weak. Most likely, it actually came here before the Misty Heaven Vault was created, and before the first generation Patriarch perished. The fact that the first generation Patriarch caused the dragon to remain in the necropolis shows just how powerful it was.

"And the item it desired…." Naruto's heart thumped as he hesitated, torn about what to do. Finally, he looked up and yet again clasped hands to the first generation Patriarch.

"Patriarch, my Bloodline Gatebeam rose up 30,000 meters, making me fit to be called the number one figure of the Namikaze bloodline right now. That indicates… that you and I have a very close connection, grandfather." He blinked.

"Considering our close relationship, if you were still alive, sir, well, I think you would be very happy to see me. I have a pretty good personality, and an even temper. I'm very obedient, and always follow instructions. Pretty much everyone likes me." Naruto slapped his chest proudly as he described himself.

"Patriarch, you're a member of the Elder generation, so to see someone of the Junior generation after so many years, especially someone as outstanding as myself, must surely make you very happy. You definitely would want a member of the Junior generation like me to be handsomely rewarded.

"I actually want nothing else than the contents of that pill furnace. Why don't you give it to me, okay? Oh, and the One Thought Stellar Transformation? I'd love to continue to develop it. Right, about that dragon, I'll clear it out for you, how about that!?" Naruto, feeling emboldened, and yet also gritting his teeth, slowly approached the pill furnace and looked at the seven-colored mist inside. He then gently blew on the mist.

As soon as his breath touched the mist, Naruto saw that inside of the pill furnace was a jade plate, upon which was a blob of seven-colored liquid.

The moment he saw the seven-colored liquid, all of the hair on his body stood on end. As a Grandmaster of the Dao of alchemy, it didn't matter that he had never seen a liquid like this before, his intuition instantly informed him that this was something that could not be consumed by cultivators.

It contained a shocking, violent aura which indicated that any cultivator who consumed it would be killed instantly.

It was at this moment that a thrumming sound could suddenly be heard from within his bag of holding. The jade box inside shattered, and the two Nirvana Fruits that had been given to him by the Grand Elder, the ones that belonged to the first generation Patriarch, suddenly flew out of their own volition. Seemingly striving to outdo each other, they shot toward the seven-colored liquid inside the pill furnace.

It was as if the first fruit to touch the liquid would be completely restored!

It happened so suddenly that Naruto could only watch with wide eyes as the two Nirvana Fruits shot toward the pill furnace. The one that took the lead was the one which Naruto had spent so many spirit stones on, and was on the verge of already being completely restored.

Naruto's mind filled with roaring as he suddenly realized that the seven-colored liquid must have the same function as Spirit Elixir. It wasn't meant to be consumed, it was meant to be used to restore Nirvana Fruits.

A Yin aura of death could be sensed within the liquid, an aura that represented the lack of life and destruction. The Nirvana Fruits had been withered for eons, and were essentially dead. However, it seemed that when they touched the seven-colored liquid, the Yin death aura would reach a pinnacle in which life force suddenly appeared!

That life force represented the restoration of the Nirvana Fruits.

The violent surge of energy from the seven-colored liquid would replenish the Nirvana Fruits, leading to a rapid increase in life force.

Naruto's mind trembled; the first thought that entered his mind was that he must not under any circumstances allow the Nirvana Fruit which he had so painstakingly worked on to succeed right now. If it did, the losses he would sustain as a result would be too incredible.

He used all the power he could muster to reach out and grab the Nirvana Fruit, which was just on the verge of touching the seven-colored liquid. Even as he did this, the other Nirvana Fruit that he had ignored all this time melt down into the liquid.

In that instant, blinding beams of seven-colored light stabbed out, and a thick, seven-colored mist spread out to cover the entire pill furnace.

The other Nirvana Fruit, which Naruto now held in his hand, seemed to calm down, and ceased moving. Naruto quickly tossed it into his bag of holding, and then backed up several paces, his facial expression fluctuating with anxiety.

He looked over at the first generation Patriarch, then back at the seven-colored mist in the pill furnace, and began muttering to himself in uncertainty.

"No one has ever been to this necropolis before…. Therefore, nobody knows that the Spirit Extract within the pill furnace can provoke such a reaction from the Nirvana Fruits…. This is the necropolis of the first generation Patriarch, and the Nirvana Fruits belong to him.

"I wonder if, after the fusion is complete, the Nirvana Fruit could be consumed?" Naruto hesitated for a moment; currently, he couldn't see anything in particular inside of the pill furnace's mist.

"If I can consume it, then it would definitely be a big win for me!" Naruto's eyes shone with bright light.

"Even if I can't consume it, losing one of the Nirvana Fruits isn't completely unacceptable." With that, Naruto took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Then, he looked up at the bronze dragon.

This time, it seemed different than before. Its greedy expression had changed into one of fear, and instead of its mouth being open in preparation to consume the pill furnace, it now looked as if someone had violently wrenched its mouth open with the purpose of distilling the essence of its life force.

That essence seemed to be formed from the frenzied terror it had experienced in the moment of death. Then, after it died, the Yin death power formed together… merging to create a drop of liquid filled with boundless Yin death and violence. That drop had then descended onto the jade plate in the pill furnace.

Naruto wasn't sure whether or not he was mistaken, but it seemed that as soon as the Nirvana Fruit merged into the liquid and the dense mist filled the pill furnace, some sort of natural law seemed to have been nullified, which made the bronze dragon's expression change again. This time, it seemed almost relieved, as if it had experienced a release.

Next, cracks suddenly spread out across the bronze dragon's body. They rapidly covered its entire body, to the point where the dragon gradually… began to dissipate right before his eyes!

He stared in shock, and took a deep breath as he backed up.

He looked on as the bronze dragon began to fade, transforming into strands of mist that maintained the shape of a dragon as they intertwined with each other and began to swirl around the hall.

When it got close to Naruto, the misty dragon head looked at him thoughtfully. Eventually, a gleam of appreciation could be seen in its eyes, after which it shot forward and slammed headfirst into Naruto!

It instantly began to fuse into him, transforming into Immortal Chakra, which then surged into his Immortal meridian.

Naruto's mind trembled, and his Immortal meridian shook violently. It even began to resemble the appearance of a dragon as it madly absorbed the misty dragon's Immortal Chakra.

Cracking sounds could be heard as his Immortal meridian solidified even further, and Naruto's true Immortal aura grew stronger and stronger.

A strange gleam appeared in his eyes. His breath came in ragged pants as he experienced the sensation of the true Immortal Realm more strongly than he ever had before. Previously, he had been at the point of needing a hundred days to completely solidify his Immortal meridian, but now it was proceeding much faster than before.

In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, rumbling filled Naruto's body as his Immortal meridian was completely formed!

Immortal light pulsed out from him, and Immortal Chakra multiplied rapidly, circulating through his body, causing his Cultivation base to change completely.

He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. His journey had started in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, in the moment that he witnessed his master Pill Demon reach true Immortal Ascension. That was when his anticipation had begun to build!

From this moment on, he was not a mortal, but an Immortal.

During the Daoist Societies' trial by fire, Naruto had seen the glimmer of hope. After arriving on Planet East Victory, his anticipation deepened. Originally, he thought it would take a bit longer, but now, in the ancestral land, within the necropolis, he acquired the vast, heavenly good fortune to complete that final step into true Immortality.

Were Naruto not in this necropolis, which was part of the Ruins of Immortality, then Immortal Tribulation would currently be forming up above, and a Door of Immortality would appear.

Only by bashing open that door would he be able to make the final leap to success by opening the rest of his Immortal meridians.

However at this moment, the Door of Immortality had no way to sense Naruto's aura, no way to realize that he was about to step into the Immortal Realm. Therefore, it did not appear.

Because of that… Naruto's cultivation base had actually reached an indescribably shocking level.

Lucky breaks like this were something incredibly rare. To be able to achieve true Immortal Ascension like this required three criteria; to achieve Immortality without the use of an Immortality Illumination Vine, to be in a place with both a necropolis and a piece of the Ruins of Immortality, and for that place to have sufficient Immortal Chakra.

Though it seemed that the three stipulations would be a simple matter to meet, it was actually incredibly difficult. Normally speaking, it would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to meet the first requirement, not to mention the other two!

They were so difficult that, although you couldn't say they were impossible to meet, they were definitely extremely, extremely unlikely. In fact, in the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, Naruto was the only person who, by a series of chance occurrences, had managed to achieve it!

Perhaps in some of the other Eight Mountains and Seas, there had been other people throughout the years who attempted to do the same thing. However, none of those people could compare to Naruto. That was because he had started out with a foundation for true Immortality, which was the Immortal meridian that had been given to him by none other than the bronze lamp!

It was an authentic Immortal meridian, exceeding that of all other Immortals, making him… a true Immortal among true Immortals!

Naruto was actually the first person in all of the Nine Mountains and Seas to come across such a lucky break!

However many extra Immortal meridians he had now would remain with him when he underwent his Immortal Tribulation on the outside, and would not superimpose with those Immortal meridians he acquired, but would increase their number!

All souls had three spiritual aspects and seven physical soul aspects, with ten meridians composing each of the ten vessels. Immortals with 100 meridians had three spiritual soul aspects, seven physical soul aspects, and ten soul vessels. People who exceeded 100 meridians were extremely rare in the Nine Mountains and Seas. In fact, such people existed virtually in legend only. Each meridian that exceeded 100 resulted in an additional soul vessel!

Naruto's body filled with rumbling as his first Immortal Meridian was completed. Furthermore, thanks to the misty dragon, a second Immortal meridian was also beginning to take shape. As soon as it appeared, it began to solidify.

Good preparation leads to success. Other Chosen had already prepared themselves to their utmost limits, so, when they stepped into true Immortality, it would be a shocking event. As for Naruto, he had taken himself to be well prepared, but now, with this sudden lucky break, he was accumulating even more potential.

If any outsider became aware of this kind of extra preparation, it would shock the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

At the same time that Naruto sat there cross-legged, madly absorbing Immortal Chakra and forming a second Immortal meridian, clouds were forming in the starry sky outside of Planet East Victory. It started as a mist that rapidly formed into Tribulation Clouds alongside a shocking Door of Immortality.

A Door of Immortality had been floating over the Ninth Sea just a short time ago, and now, one materialized over East Victory and was slowly descending toward the planet.

Countless people saw it, and it immediately led to a complete uproar. Namikaze Clan members looked at it excitedly, especially the clan Elders.

"True Immortal Tribulation!" the Grand Elder gasped, eyes shining brightly.

The descent of the Door of Immortality was not because of Naruto; rather, it was because of… Menma!

Beneath the ancestral mansion, Kajura awakened from meditation, body trembling, expression one of excitement as he looked over at the stone wall next to him. Suddenly, the stone wall opened up to reveal a tall figure striding out, who was none other than Menma.

His left eye was pitch black, a darkness that seemed to contain death itself. His right eye was completely white, as if it contained the vitality of daytime. His entire person radiated the aura of true Immortality.

His expression was sober and serious as he simultaneously exuded the aura of reincarnation and the icy coldness of the Yellow Springs.

"Menma," said Kajura excitedly, "you…."

"Dad, I succeeded," was the reply. Menma immediately blasted a hole in the ceiling of the chamber and then flew out into the air above.

Kajura tilted his head back and began to laugh loudly. Seeing Menma fly out filled his heart with excitement, and he knew that as of this moment, all of his violations of clan rules were no longer important, and could easily be swept under the rug.

Indeed, it really was true. As Menma shot up into the sky, the Grand Elder caught sight of Kajura and gave him a deep look, although he didn't say anything.

At the moment, Menma was the only person flying up in midair. Seeing this from their positions down below, the Elders of his bloodline also flew up to act as Dharma Protectors. At the same time, the Namikaze Clan's grand spell formation was also activated, making Menma the center of all attention on Planet East Victory.

Down in the stony cavern beneath the ancestral mansion, the other six Patriarchs stirred and began to observe the scene. Although they didn't appear in person, their divine senses locked down the whole planet.

As of this moment, Menma was the focus of all eyes!

Hotarubi stood within the crowds, fists clenched, eyes filled with defiance.

"Naruto should be the one reaching true Immortal Ascension!

"Naruto, Coz, I hope you're okay, and I hope you know that Menma… succeeded with his Immortal Ascension and is now preparing to attack the Door of Immortality and open his Immortal meridians!"

Rumbling filled the Heavens as the Door of Immortality descended. All of the clans and sects in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were using various methods to observe what was happening on Planet East Victory.

If you didn't count Pill Demon, Menma was the second person in this generation after Fū… to become a true Immortal cultivator!

"Fū opened 96 Immortal meridians. I wonder… how many Immortal meridians Menma will open?!" That was the question on the minds of all the people watching throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Menma looked like a shooting star as he soared up into the sky toward the rumbling Immortal Tribulation. Lightning crashed around him as he roared, eyes filled with determination as he completely ignored the Immortal Tribulation and focused completely on the Door of Immortality within the cloud.

"My goal is to open 98 meridians!" he murmured softly. "After I have my Immortal meridians, Naruto… you will be nothing more than an ant to me. Your two Nirvana Fruits will make me, Menma, the number one person within my generation!

"However, I'm still going to crush you to death to sever the Devil in my heart!" Menma's eyes shone with pride and arrogance as he contemplated his desire to… return to the position he had occupied before the rising of the East Ascension Sun… Prince Menma of the Namikaze Clan!

As Naruto meditated in seclusion in the necropolis, having completed his first Immortal meridian and moved on to his second, the Door of Immortality rumbled above Planet East Victory, and Immortal Tribulation descended.

Menma flew up above the land, heading into the tribulation, the focus of all eyes, not only on Planet East Victory, but in all of the sects and clans, who used various different methods to bear witness to Menma becoming a true Immortal.

Fū had opened 96 meridians, causing widespread shock. Now that Menma had reached Immortal Ascension, everyone was considering the question of how many meridians he would open. His Immortal Ascension represented the potential rise of a new almighty figure within the Namikaze Clan.

As everything rumbled, the Immortal Tribulation battered Menma, and he roared. Lightning crashed down, and he let it. The aura of reincarnation swirled around him, and the will of the Yellow Springs surged strongly.

Furthermore, a bizarre light shone in his eyes. The left one was black, the right one white, which was the manifestation of the successful cultivation of One Breath Yellow Springs Dao. As for the aura of reincarnation that swirled around him, that was from the One Thought Reincarnation Incantation!

These were signature divine abilities of the Namikaze Clan, and shockingly, he had cultivated two of them!

Amidst the rumbling, Menma slammed into the door of Immortality, immediately opening it a crack. Boundless Immortal light began to spill out, and the Immortal tribulation grew more intense, covering everything in the sky.

Time passed. Soon, three days had gone by.

During those three days, Menma's image shocked everyone. He continued to completely ignore the Immortal Tribulation, which didn't seem capable of pushing him back even the least bit. In fact, he even seemed to be gaining strength from it. Lightning filled the Heavens, and Menma's presence there left everyone astonished.

"Menma is the number one Chosen of the Namikaze Clan! He's the Namikaze Clan's Prince Menma!"

"The Immortal Tribulation is going to dissipate! He's about to truly open the Door of Immortality!"

"Menma! Menma!" Everyone in the Namikaze Clan was excited, and their voices quickly filled the air, turning into sound waves that rolled out in all directions.

Moments later, a shocking boom could be heard as Menma pushed open the Door of Immortality. Immortal light surged out, filling the sky, the blinding beams immediately dispersing the Immortal Tribulation.

The Immortal light wreathed Menma as he threw his head back and let out a long shout. His hair whipped about, and his tall frame grew even more refined as it shed its mortal constraints. He was now stepping into the true Immortal Realm.

At the same time, the Immortal light sent out boundless Immortal Chakra that surrounded Menma and poured into his body.

Everyone down below was in an uproar as they observed the proceedings. The Grand Elder's eyes shone with brilliant light. Off to the side, Menma's grandfather and Kajura both looked extremely excited.

20 meridians. 40 meridians. 60 meridians. 80 meridians!

In the space of a few breaths worth of time, Immortal light washed over Menma, and he opened 80 Immortal meridians, causing intense pressure to radiate out. Rumbling echoed out from within him as the Immortal meridians writhed like vicious dragons, and emanated the power of true Immortality.

83 meridians. 87 meridians. 90 meridians!

The Namikaze Clan was in a huge commotion, and all observers on Planet East Victory were trembling. The clan members of other clans were all looking at Menma as he rose once again to prominence, opening 90 meridians!

However, things weren't over yet. More shocking rumbling could be heard from within Menma. 91, 92, 93….

When the 96th meridian appeared, there was universal astonishment!

"Fū opened 96 meridians, and now Menma has actually done the same thing!"

"He fully deserves to be called a Chosen!"

"He… he actually seems to have a bit of energy left. Just how many resources did Menma pour into his preparations!? This is astonishing!"

Rumbling sounds continue to echo out as the 97th meridian opened inside of Menma!

Kajura was trembling, and his expression was one of intense excitement. He looked up into the sky and began to laugh heartily. Next to him, Menma's grandfather looked very pleased. Even the Grand Elder appeared to be smiling.

The entire Namikaze Clan was roused into complete excitement.

However, Menma wasn't satisfied. He remained in the Door of Immortality, surrounded by Immortal light, his cultivation base climbing higher and higher. He continued to rise higher as he suddenly shouted out.

"98th meridian, OPEN!"

The instant his voice echoed out, a shocking rumbling sound could be heard. In the blink of an eye, his aura leaped exponentially, emitting a terrifying aura as he formed… a 98th meridian!

98 horned dragons appeared around him in the void, swirling gracefully, causing anyone who saw them to begin to pant.

In the moment that the 98th meridian was formed, 10,000 illusory figures appeared in the area surrounding the Door of immortality. They wore armor and held Immortal weapons, and they quickly surrounded Menma and then themselves prostrated in worship.

Everyone on Planet East Victory who saw this couldn't help but gasp, and the cultivators from the other sects and clans were completely shaken.

"The Namikaze Clan has produced a qilin-like prodigy!"

"98 meridians! It's rare for even one person like that to appear every 10,000 years! Strange signs will appear whenever anyone exceeds 95 meridians, for example, the flying dragons and phoenixes of Fū. However, Menma… actually caused 10,000 ancient Immortal warriors to appear!"

"He's been touched by the destiny of the Mountains and Seas! Destiny of the Mountains and Seas is upon him!"

The Namikaze Clan was abuzz, and the rest of the Ninth Mountain and Sea was also shaken. Even the Hebi Clan on the Ninth Mountain took notice.

As of this moment, Menma was now the number one figure in his generation!

As the Door of Immortality slowly faded away, Menma hovered in midair, his robe as pure as fresh snow, his long hair swirling about. He had been handsome to begin with, but now his demeanor was even more elegant and entrancing. His eyes shone with a pride that looked down on both Heaven and Earth; as of this moment, he made no effort to conceal his cultivation base. He allowed it to explode out, causing the sky to tremble, and Immortal might to shake the land.

"Naruto, come out and fight!" he suddenly roared, his words echoing out like thunder. No one had expected these words to be the first things to come out of his mouth.

"Naruto, get out here and fight me!" His words echoed back and forth constantly, roaring like thunder.

It was at this point that quite a few people recalled Naruto. Actually, in the days following the rise of the East Ascension Sun, the number one Chosen in the clan wasn't Menma, it was Naruto!

No one said anything. The entire Namikaze Clan went quiet. Actually, not many people knew about Naruto entering the ancestral land. Most of them had no idea that Naruto was not currently inside the premises of the Clan.

Even Menma wasn't aware of the current situation!

As his voice echoed out, the clan went quiet as they waited to see if Naruto would come out. Hotarubi was in the crowd, jaw clenched tightly. Finally, he let out a mighty cry bolstered by all of his cultivation base.

"My Coz Naruto is in the ancestral land! Once he comes out, you won't need to go looking for him! He'll find you to do battle!" In response to Hotarubi's words, Menma's expression remained the same as ever. However, icy coldness appeared in his eyes as he looked down at Hotarubi.

"Well then, I'll just wait for him to come out!" With that, he shot down toward the ground, appearing just outside the main temple hall, where he sat down cross-legged.

Indeed, like he had said, he was going to wait for Naruto to return so that he could fight and kill him!

Even if Naruto hadn't achieved true Immortal Ascension yet, Menma would kill him anyway. After all, if Naruto didn't achieve true Immortality, naturally he would not be qualified to be Menma's rival. To kill a lesser person such as that would clear his clouded mind.

"You'd better not disappoint me," he thought, the killing intent in his eyes growing as he looked at the temple hall.

The fact that Menma and Naruto were soon going to have a decisive battle attracted quite a bit of attention on the part of the rest of the clan. Earlier, many of them had taken a liking to Naruto, but now that they had personally watched Menma become a true Immortal, their hearts wavered.

"Will Naruto lose…?"

"How could one even fight against a Chosen like that…?"

The expressions of the direct bloodline members were somewhat gloomy. Only Hotarubi had the utmost confidence in Naruto. He stood there, hands clenched into fists, completely sure that Naruto would never lose!


End file.
